Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Black Widow Miko ❯ Relationships ( Chapter 15 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

*So, um … it’s been 5 months, hasn’t it? *stubs toes self-consciously in the ground while avoiding all eye contact* Well, here’s the next chapter. It probably still wouldn’t be finished without Ryukotsusei’s encouragement. (And the occasional kicks in the pants I got from you fabulous reviewers. ^_^)

**I've been trying to post this since much earlier today, (Sunday), but the formatting kept going haywire. I apologize if you got false alerts before I got it fixed.

DISCLAIMER: To paraphrase Winston Churchill, “Never have so many owed so much to so few.” In this case, we’re indebted to two: Takahashi and Togashi, the creators of “InuYasha” and “Yu Yu Hakusho.” It’s only because of them that poor, misguided souls like me can have so much fun indulging in our secret fantasies concerning their characters while sitting at our keyboards. (We won’t mention what we do with our Hiei and Kagome plushies and action figures when we’re bored. ^_~) And it’s all done strictly for personal gratification, with no money, gifts, or promises of sex favors changing hands to influence the outcome of the story. (Psst ... Ryukotsusei! I put that part with her doing the youknowwhat in here. *wink wink*)

Talking
Telepathic conversations - “Hiei” “Kurama” “Youko”
(thoughts)

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Last time:

For several long minutes they lay there, perfectly content with each other. But Hiei’s mind was racing. He had already decided. She loved him, she wanted him, she needed him. And it felt good. He wouldn’t let her down. And he was never, ever letting her go. He hadn’t expected this recent turn of events that threatened to steal her happiness by making her doubt herself and possibly feel insecure in their relationship because of something that may have happened in one of her past relationships. But he wasn’t going to let that happen. He wanted her to look forward to their future instead of dwelling on her past. For just a second, he wished Yukina knew the truth so he could thank her. She had given him a solution to his problems, and a way he could show Kagome just how important she was to him. And he would have a bond with her that no one else had--one that would hold up in her world, with her family and friends--one he knew would be significant for her, and so it would be significant for him.

He whispered against her skin, “Marry me.”
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Kagome's eyes shot open and her fingers stilled in his hair. (Did he just ... ?) She blinked a couple of times. Who was this youkai she had gotten involved with? He sure wasn't who she had thought he was when she first approached him. She had been so positive she had his number back then. She smiled and shook her head at her foolishness.

Hiei didn't like the way she had stilled and then stiffened. Then he felt her shake her head slightly. He waited for several long heartbeats before levering himself up on his elbows so he could look at her. Did she not want to marry him? There it was again. In spite of all they had said to each other, and in spite of the fact that he knew she loved him, he could not seem to completely suppress that flicker of fear and anxiety that she was going to slip through his fingers. But she was smiling at him. "Well?" he demanded, a little testily.

Her smile grew and her eyes sparkled. "Well what? That didn't sound like a question." When he just stared at her, her expression softened and she lifted her head to touch her lips to his. Then she moved to sit up, forcing him to do the same. As they sat side by side, she took his hands in hers and asked, "Why? You know that I understand and believe in the youkai way of mating. You don't have to do this."

He frowned at her, even as he squeezed her hands tightly, letting her know that this was something that was difficult for him to say. "Yes, I do." At the look on her face he hastened to add, "I want to. You may understand and honor the ways of youkai, but you have the heart of a ningen. I want to honor your ways as well. If something is important to you, then it's important to me, too. And since we will be living in the Ningenkai, I want you to be comfortable around your family and friends when someone asks about us. You will be having my children and I don't want you to be shamed or for anyone to look down on you. Our marriage will be a protection for you and for our children in this realm."

She stared at him, slightly stunned for a minute, then looked away. (He really is planning a future for us. And I am ...) "I'm so sorry, Hiei," she said, turning back to him. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Gomen. I am still so caught up in the past and in the present concerns that I haven't even thought about our future. Not in any real sense."

Breathing a little sigh of relief, he accepted that as a 'yes.' "The fox will be going to his step-brother's after today. Kuwabara can escort Yukina and the others back to the temple and Yusuke can stay here with your sons. We will make an excuse for you to visit your mother, and your grandfather can perform the ceremony."

"Wait ... you want to get married now?" Kagome looked at him in disbelief. "I thought ..." her brows furrowed a bit. "You're suggesting we marry in secret." At his slow nod, she asked, "Why? Why not wait until we can tell everyone?"

Damn it. She was going to make him confess the whole thing. Couldn't she just agree? Seeing the question in her eyes, he sighed again. (Of course not.) "Kagome, this is not an easy situation for me. You are carrying my children and I cannot claim them, or you, and every kitsune and wolf in all three realms is sniffing at your heels. I ... need a real bond with you."

The intensity of his gaze left no doubt that he was deadly serious about how important this was to him. She knew it would be hard for anyone to have to keep quiet when someone else is pursuing their lover, and it would be even more difficult for youkai who rely so heavily on their instincts. In her experience, most youkai don't seem to know the difference between being protective and being possessive and she had learned to accept that and live with it. And with Hiei's personal history, she thought he might be more possessive than most. She had a couple of dragon-shaped marks on her body to prove it. She knew he had wanted to be able to claim her publicly from the moment he had decided they should become mates, and now that she was pregnant, that desire--that need had to be so much stronger. She reached out and touched his cheek. "All right, but let me check the calendar to see which day is more auspicious. Kurama will be the gone for two days, right?"

“Yes," he relaxed. "And when your sons are settled, we can have a large reception and you can invite everyone you want." As much as he wanted the bond for himself, he really did want her to have the enjoyment of the wedding and all the crap that went with it. He wouldn't cheat her out of that just because he couldn't wait for the ceremony.

And the first person he was going to invite to the reception was the fox. He smirked at the thought as he helped her up so they could dress and go back to the house. But when Kagome asked him where her bracelet was, he frowned as he picked it up and felt Kurama's ki pulsing in it. He told her he had it, and put it in his pocket. There was something wrong with that bracelet ...

Early the next morning, as he walked down the hall to Genkai's room to ask her some pointed questions about the aura examinations, Hiei spied Kagome's sons camped outside the old psychic's door. He knew Kurama was coming up the stairs and would be joining them, too, so he stopped and waited for him. "Enjoy yourself last night?" he asked, with just a slight lift of a brow.

Kurama just glanced at him briefly before they fell into step. "Figures he would know we took Kagura back into our bed last night. Don't you have anything better to do than sit around and play with your Jagan?” Youko gave a condescending sniff.

"It beats what you were playing with."

"Actually, Kagura is a decent bed partner -- not the partner I had in mind for last night, but quite adequate," the avatar informed him.

Kurama had been quite frustrated when Kagome hadn't fallen into his arms in her grief. He was so sure the news about Sesshoumaru's infidelity would drive her to seek comfort and reassurance. He had even handed her the bracelet he had made for her when he spied it on a small table in her room. When she had told him she needed some time alone, he had graciously left, telling her he would be available if she needed to talk. He had gone to his room and made sure everything was ready. After an hour passed and she hadn't come knocking on his door, he went back upstairs. He had tried to slip back inside her room, but she had put up a barrier. For the next two hours, he had lounged around in the hallway. He couldn't believe the damn woman was still holding out against him! Finally, he had turned heel and gone to back to his room to find Kagura waiting for him. He had been only too happy to take his frustrations out on her.

That had produced its own set of problems, though, and he had not enjoyed the scene that followed this morning. The wind-user had not taken it well when he had told her that while he had enjoyed their time together, he would not be available to her any more. It was all too obvious to him that she was getting ideas that they were having a ‘relationship.’ And as entertaining as she was, he definitely wasn’t in the market for that. She might be pleasant enough company when she was naked and spread out in his bed, but she was too needy and grasping, and as he had found out, shrill, when not.

Daitano stood up when he saw them approaching. "We want to talk to your friend, but we didn't want to wake her. We have some questions about what she said last night."

"So do we," Kurama told him. "She is most likely awake by now. Genkai is an early riser."

"Should we get kaa-san?" Sassouta looked at his brothers.

"No," Eishumaru answered. "We'll wait until we see what the old woman says."

"The old woman says come in," came a gravelly voice from behind him.

Sassouta was the only one among them who looked a little abashed as they all filed into Genkai's room and she chuckled at him. "Don't worry about it, boy. I am an old woman. And if that's the worst thing I'm called, then I'm a lucky old woman. Now," she sat down lotus-style on the bed and looked around at them, "who's first?"

Eishumaru stepped towards her. "You said that you did not find as many matches between me and Ginjiro where you expected us to match our fathers as you did between me and my mother and between Ginjiro and Kagura. Couldn't that mean that my markers are matches and his simply are not because he doesn't have the same father?" he demanded.

"It could."

"Then why did you say we are related?" he snarled as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Because you are." She held up a hand to quiet him as she continued, "I do not have a real chart for Lord Sesshoumaru. I could only chart him according to other people's observations of his character and personality. Going by the chart I made from Kagome's observations, you have the same number of matches for him that you have for her. But going by the chart I made from Kagura's observations, Ginjiro has the same number of matches with him as he does with his mother. That is why I had to look elsewhere."

Now Daitano spoke up, "You looked at us because we are Eishumaru's half-brothers, and because my father and his were half-brothers you expected to find more markers in common between me and him." He hesitated a minute, as if trying to choose his next words carefully.

Genkai nodded and tilted her head as she watched him. She hadn't expected him to come to the conclusion she knew he was on the verge of asking about. Obviously, she hadn't given the boys enough credit.

Taking a deep breath, he continued, "You said there were the same number of matches between me and Eishumaru on our fathers' side as there are between him and Ginjiro." He paused another second, then plunged on, "Is it possible that my father is Ginjiro's? I know he was already dead when Ginjiro would have been conceived, so I'm not suggesting an affair, but is it possible that his seed could have been ... frozen somehow, perhaps with the help of an ice youkai, and used later?"

Kurama straightened a bit and looked at Daitano more closely. "I would not have credited the lad with thinking of that," Youko admitted.

"Neither would I."

Hiei's expression betrayed nothing of his thoughts, but he was thinking furiously. (That is one possibility I had not considered. And even though it would spare Kagome the agony of knowing one of her mates betrayed her, even if he was controlled, it still leaves them with the problem of having to deal with the wind-witch and her son. It would simply switch the obligation to the Eastern lands instead.)

"It's an intriguing possibility, and I won't say it couldn't have been done, though I doubt anyone of that time would have thought to do such a thing. But, no," Genkai shook her head. "The number of matches between you and Eishumaru were the same as between Eishumaru and Ginjiro, but yours and Ginjiro's did not match." She saw the others were still bursting with questions and she let out a long sigh. "There is no doubt in my mind that Eishumaru and Ginjiro are related on their father's side. The comparison with Sassouta shows that. We know that his father is not Sesshoumaru, nor is he related to him, and he has absolutely no matches in common with either of his brothers on his father's side. The number of matches that Eishumaru and Ginjiro share is significant."

Looking around the room to make sure they were all paying attention, she told them, "The only thing that kept me from saying outright that Sesshoumaru is Ginjiro's father is that I expected to find more. However, as I tried to explain last night, that could possibly be explained simply because of their unique biological make-up. If his mother were a normal human, Eishumaru would only be half inu, just like Ginjiro. Then determination would be clear-cut because they would have to have the same number of matches. When Koenma first mentioned these examinations, I asked him to find me other subjects to examine so I would know where to look and what to look for. But he could not locate a similar set of siblings.

I'm sure you are all aware that most youkai couples do not have many children. The life of a youkai is a perilous one, and so most concentrate on protecting, teaching, and training one successor, maybe two. They cannot afford to be in the vulnerable position a young family is in. It is a dangerous time for them. You young ones may not know it yet, but life in the Makai is probably even more dangerous than your time was. Every struggle is youkai vs. youkai, which has made them a stronger race than ever before--even what we consider low-level youkai are not pushovers. With very few exceptions, the blood is pure, not diluted. In addition to that, there is the tendency among youkai to mate with their own kind. It’s not an absolute, of course, but it is the norm. Before the barriers, the main exception to this rule was when a youkai took a human lover, which almost always yielded a child. There is just something about humans that seems endlessly fascinating to all kinds of youkai, no matter how much they look down upon us,” she grinned.

“Forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest,” Kurama mumbled in Youko’s voice.

Sassouta spoke up in a slightly puzzled voice, “When we were growing up, we saw many different kinds of youkai together.”

“They were not mates, and as Genkai-sama pointed out, they did not have children. They were just lovers,” Daitano told him. “And even though my otou-san’s father had a child with his human mother, she was not his mate.”

“To be fair, I think he might have taken Izayoi for his mate if he were not already shackled to my otou-san’s mother,” Eishumaru said.

Kurama’s eyes gleamed gold for a second, then he turned to face the inu, “The Great Dog General’s mate was still alive when he fathered Inuyasha?”

“Hmph. I imagine she’s probably still alive. It’s hard to kill someone with ice water instead of blood flowing through their veins,” he answered.

At the obvious question on Kurama’s face, Daitano elaborated, “She would not allow Sesshoumaru otou-san to present my mother to her. And after Shu was born, okaa-san and Kouga otou-san invited her to see him. She refused.”

“I believe we need to locate her if she is still living,” Kurama looked at Hiei, who nodded in agreement.

“Why?” Sassouta asked.

“To find out if the Great Dog General fathered any other sons. If anyone would know, his mate would.”

“Of course! That has to be the answer. I knew Sesshoumaru otou-san would never do that to okaa-san,” Daitano smiled.

“It’s a possibility,” Kurama cautioned him. “But, we still need proof. As it stands now, the aura examinations are in Ginjiro's favor.”

“Well, I’m going to tell kaa-san. I know she's trying very hard not to doubt someone she loved so much, but it really does look bad," Sassouta started for the door.

"Is there anything else we should know about the results? Anything else we can do to make the determination more clear?" Eishumaru asked Genkai.

"I've given you my findings. There is nothing further you can do unless someone else can be brought to me to examine," she told him.

Daitano gave a determined nod. "Jaken will know where we can find Sesshoumaru otou-san's mother. This is not over."

The corners of Eishumaru's mouth lifted in a smile which did not belie the frost in his eyes. "And I shall take great pleasure in telling that pretender just that when he comes to discuss his 'inheritance' this morning."

When the three boys had gone, Genkai lifted a brow at the two who remained. She knew they both had caught her meaning. The question was, just how far was Hiei willing to go for this woman who said she loved him? Was he willing to give up his own secrets? That, in itself, would be telling and would blow everything wide open. As usual, the apparition was keeping his hand close to his chest and he didn't make a move to voice what they were all thinking about.

Kurama was the one who broke the silence. "If you had a similar set of siblings to examine, siblings who share a father but have different youki attributes--in particular, one who is purely one thing and the other who is mixed--you would be able to say with absolute certainty whether or not the other two share the same father?"

"Yes."

"Well, Hiei. You could save us all a lot of trouble," he said with a wry smile.

This was exactly what he had wanted to ask Genkai about. He knew she was waiting to see what or who he would choose. Foolish onna. She should know he didn't do anything halfway. Fixing the fox with a steely stare, he replied, "Since when do I make it my business to save anyone from work or inconvenience?"

"When it is to your benefit," was the silky answer he received.

"And just how, exactly, would it be to my benefit to expose the connection to Yukina that I have taken pains to keep hidden all these years?"

Kurama eyed him slyly, "If we eliminate the paternity question, the family will keep their focus on their upcoming battles and we will be done with this assignment that much sooner. I am sure you are anxious to be free of the confinement and routine we have had to adhere to for such a long time now."

"You think that is inducement enough? When this assignment is done, there will be another one waiting for us," Hiei replied in a bored manner.

Kurama's gaze sharpened as he swiftly pounced on the key to securing Hiei's cooperation. "Perhaps Koenma might be persuaded to give you some time off as compensation for any personal discomfort that might arise from any revelations that result from this. Yes, I think some time off to reflect and adjust to new circumstances would be in order.”

"You are suggesting that the Reikai will loosen its hold on me if I agree to this?" the apparition appeared to give that some thought. "I will want that in writing. However, I see no reason for Yukina to be made privy to any results." He looked straight at Genkai, "You can do the examinations separately, without explanation to her."

Genkai cocked her head to the side as she observed him. "I can examine you today and then wait until we return to the temple to examine Yukina. I am sure she would be willing to help me hone my skills. She would not need to know anything unless the charts indicate that the two of you have a significant amount of matches greater than those of Eishumaru and Ginjiro on your father's side. If they do indicate that, then she will have to be told since I will need to examine the four of you together to make any official conclusions."

After a few seconds of silence, Hiei nodded. "If the results indicate that further examination is necessary, then I will decide whether or not I will allow them to go any further. And if I do decide to go on with it, I will be the one to tell Yukina--no one else. But whether I do or not, I will still expect Koenma to leave me be for the next year."

"A year? Hiei, I don't think he will go for that," Kurama frowned.

"Those are my terms," and he turned to leave.

"I will present them to Koenma, but I am sure that he would only consider that if you do end up having to tell Yukina, and I'm not sure he would agree to more than a few months even at that," the avatar told him.

"Then you will have to persuade him that it is in his best interests as well, won't you? If he agrees, I will be in the dojo in an hour."

After Hiei had gone, Kurama grinned at Genkai as he prepared to take his own leave. "He is nothing if not audacious."

"And you are nothing if not persuasive," she responded with a cackle.

As Kurama headed to the library where the portal to the Reikai was located, he reflected on his partner's reaction to the proposition. He was nobody's fool and nobody played him--not even Hiei. Even though it really was to everyone's advantage if Hiei agreed to Genkai doing the examinations of him and Yukina, he hadn't expected him to go along with it, in spite of his outrageous demands. There had to be a reason for his complacency. He sure wasn't going to do it to help out the little family here. Aside from his lusting after the widow, he didn't even seem to particularly like any of them. Hmmm. could that be it? Did he think Kagome would fall into his arms out of gratitude? His continued interest in her was no secret to the fox. His eyes followed her every move. But he just couldn't picture Hiei presenting himself as her savior in order to gain access to her bed. And however much he might want to seek his release between her thighs, he still didn't think he would consider it worth giving up his secret. He knew his partner. Hiei would never consider a woman, or his sexual needs, worth that.

So, why then? It was obvious to him that the little hiyoukai had already come to the conclusion that the examination would be necessary if they wanted to clear up the paternity question. It was also obvious that he had already resigned himself to the necessity of telling Yukina the truth. The question was, had he come to that decision before or after this whole situation had cropped up?

Hiei could be impulsive at times, but when it came to Yukina, he had steadfastly held to his decision to keep her in the dark for years now. Why would he suddenly change his mind? (The wedding.) A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth. He had noticed Hiei's attention on the women's conversations lately. Now it made sense. Hiei had decided to stand up with Yukina as her family. That was still a bit surprising, but not unbelievable. And he could certainly see the apparition using the current circumstances to gain an advantage for doing something he was already prepared to do. Now he needed to make Koenma see the advantage in expediting things here. That shouldn't be too difficult. The demi-god had been tied up in knots ever since the "heirs to the Makai" had reappeared. Perhaps he could even get something for himself out of this.

The rest of the residents of the top floor were awakened by an angry shriek, followed by a string of profanity that included "... gonna fucking KILL that damned, fucking, egotistical demon!" Hiei stepped out of his room along with the others to see exactly what was going on. He, Shippou, and Kagome exchanged glances as Eishumaru came racing up the stairs. With a wink at his mother, he said, "I didn't expect her to wake up so early. She must miss me."

"Eishumaru! What did you do?!!?" Kagome wailed.

"Nothing. Yet. I was a perfect gentleman," he told her over his shoulder as he flung open his door. "Ah, Shizuru, my love, you look radiant," he ducked as a vase went sailing through the doorway to smash on the wall out in the hall. "Are you always this feisty in the morning?" He went in and closed the door.

"Kagome, are you sure he's Sesshoumaru's?" Shippou chuckled. "Because I could swear he's Kouga's--or even Miroku's." He sobered up quickly at the look on her face. This was not a good time to be joking about paternity.

As Shizuru kept yelling and solid-sounding objects kept thudding against the walls, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, and Yukina gathered outside Eishumaru's room, and Daitano and Sassouta had come up the stairs. Seeing the look on Kuwabara's face, Kagome hurried down there, too.

"She's my sister! I can't let him compromise her honor like that," the big man was bellowing, his face red with both embarrassment and anger.

"Come on, Kuwabara," Yusuke tried to calm him, "you know as well as I do that Shiz isn't exactly a blushing virgin.”

He frowned at the toushin and declared, "That doesn't matter if he did something she didn't want him to.”

Daitano reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me, he didn't do anything to her."

"Where. Are. My. Clothes?!!?" she screeched.

They could hear Eishumaru trying to placate her, "Now, now. You know you wouldn't have been comfortable sleeping in them."

"I'm sorry, Kagome, but I hafta kill him," Kuwabara looked at her remorsefully.

She looked around anxiously, trying to catch Hiei’s eye so she could silently plead for help, but he merely leaned back against a wall. The idiot versus the arrogant son? He’d enjoy that. As a matter of fact, the only thing that could make it better would be if they both went after the fox.

“You ... you ... wolf in dog’s clothing!”

“Hey!” Sassouta yelled.

“Try not to take it personally, kid. Women don’t know what they’re saying when they’re angry,” Yusuke told him.

“Hey!” The three women in the hallway glared at him.

“Dimwits!” Genkai shook her head as she walked through the assembled group. “There’s no point in all of you standing around out here. They’ll straighten it out or they won’t. They don’t need your gawking or your interference. Of course, they could try to hold down the noise in there,” she shouted before continuing on down the hall to the stairs.

The others looked around a bit, wondering whether or not to leave, when the door opened and Shizuru stomped out with a stormy expression on her face. She was wearing a long, tailored, man’s shirt that went almost to her knees. Eishumaru was right behind her with a big grin on his face. “Are you sure you want to go change? I think my shirt looks good on you. You’ve got great legs.”

Kuwabara stepped in front of him and grabbed him around the throat with one hand as he pulled back his other fist to punch him. But before he could let fly, Shizuru smacked him upside the head. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Kazuma?”

“Ow!” Letting go of the inu youkai, he turned to his sister, “What was that for? I’m defending your honor.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve been taking care of my own personal business since before you could blow your nose without help. I don’t need you, or anyone else, to defend my honor,” she huffed. “And you can wait right there,” she pointed at Eishumaru, “You’re not following me into my room.” And she stomped down the hall and slammed her door.

“Whatever you say, dear,” Eishumaru called after her. “I know it’s trite, but she really is beautiful when she’s angry, isn’t she?”

Kuwabara scratched his head. “I don’t get it. If she won’t let me pound you, then why didn’t she at least smack you a good one and tell you to stay the hell away from her? Why would she tell you to wait for her?”

Eishumaru winked at him. “It’s only fair: she was waiting for me last night. I hope there’s plenty for breakfast--I’m starved.”

H iei was quite pleased with himself and the way things had gone that day as he lay beside the woman who would soon be his wife. (Wife.) That sounded strange. It wasn’t a label he had ever anticipated using to connect someone to himself. Then again, he had never anticipated taking a mate, either. But for some reason, the kami were smiling on him. If they were trying to make up for the hand he had been dealt at birth, they were doing a pretty good job.

Kurama had ended up making several trips back and forth to the Reikai to set terms with Koenma. The fox was a good negotiator. He actually got the demi-god to agree to release Hiei for a year after this assignment was over. Hiei grinned at the thought of the grim picture he must have painted if they couldn't get him to agree to the aura examination. Though it was entirely possible that Eishumaru would end up killing the other youkai if they couldn't disprove his claim, Hiei wasn't at all sure that wouldn't be in the inu's favor in terms of his reputation in the Makai. But he knew that Koenma definitely didn't want to deal with any fallout.

The demi-god had stipulated the right to call upon him in case of a dire emergency. And Hiei had stipulated that Kurama had to agree with him that it was a dire emergency before they bothered him. The cagey fox had also suggested that someone should stay in the Makai for at least a month after everything was over to see that it all ran smoothly. Naturally, Koenma had jumped to ask him to do it. In return, he would get two months off afterward. So, that was basically a three-month vacation for him.

Kagura and Ginjiro had left before Eishumaru could confront them with his suspicions. Shippou had cornered them first thing this morning and suggested they would be better served not to try to force the family to make any decisions about the Western lands so soon after the painful revelations of the examinations. It was probably for the best since any discussions along those lines would have most likely ended in bloodshed, and as things stood at the moment, Ginjiro had been declared another heir. They sure didn’t need to muddy the waters with another murder charge when Kagome’s son would be fighting for his claim very soon.

Genkai had conducted Hiei's examination with no one else the wiser. Both of their absences were explained by the necessity to report to Koenma. Everyone just assumed that Hiei and the psychic had gone with Kurama to the Reikai.

And tomorrow, he would be married in the ningen tradition. After checking the calendar, Kagome had said that tomorrow was senbu, which while it wasn't the most auspicious day, it was a good day to get married on as long as it was after noon. And it was just as well that it wasn't taian, the most auspicious day, since this was Spring and there would likely be 5-10 other couples getting married there on that day. She had gone over the specifics of the ceremony with him several times. It was fortunate that she had grown up at a shrine. But she said that her brother and grandfather would coach him ahead of time and that her mother would make sure they had everything they needed.

She had set everything up with her mother and grandfather, and in the morning they would all go to Tokyo to her family's shrine. Then Yusuke would bring the boys and Shippou back here while Kuwabara took the women back to Kyoto. Kagome would supposedly be staying to have dinner with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, then would be meeting with her friends the next day. Naturally, he would have to stay to guard her.

No one had questioned her when she said she would like to go visit her mother. Under the circumstances, her sons and Shippou, along with their long-time friends, all seemed relieved that she wanted to go talk with her. Even though they had told her there was a possibility that someone other than Seshoumaru really could have fathered Ginjiro even with the results looking like they did, they had to be honest and say that they really didn't know, though. And Jaken had looked stunned at the theory they had come up with. He said he had never heard that the Great Dog General had fathered another son, but he had only ever served Lord Sesshoumaru, so he really didn't know. He said he would ask his contacts in the inu community if they had heard any rumors to that effect, and he begged them to try to wait to see if they could find out that way before confronting Lord Sesshoumaru's mother. He was terrified of the lady! So he, Myouga, Ginta, and Hakkaku would be looking around the Makai for a few days. Zhang had asked permission to go with them as he was curious about the Makai..

Best of all, Kurama had left tonight to go to his step-brother's for the next two days. Hiei was very pleased indeed.

“Please behave yourselves and be careful,” Kagome called to her sons as they prepared to step through the portal Botan had summoned. “I’ll see you tomorrow evening at the house.”

They had all spent a lovely, peaceful morning with her family at the shrine. But when Kuwabara got ready to take the others back to Kyoto, Eishumaru had declared that he wanted to see where his woman lived. In a matter of minutes, plans had changed and the whole group, minus Genkai, was going. The psychic had accepted Kagome’s grandfather’s invitation to dinner that evening. For a second, Kagome was afraid that meant that she and Hiei would have to wait and try for another time before they could have their ceremony, but she was reassured when the older woman winked at her. Hiei scowled, but he seemed to realize that she wasn’t going to interfere.

“Don’t worry about this one,” Shizuru pointed to her shadow, “I’ll keep him in line.” While she still wasn't at all certain she could bring herself to overlook how his youthful appearance would make her look to everyone, she had accepted that he was sincere in his devotion to her and they were getting along nicely, much to Kuwabara's confusion.

"And I'll make sure the other two don't get up to mischief," Shippou said with a grin.

"Hmph!" Kagome chuckled. "I should have them watching you.”

Sassouta grabbed Shippou's arm and whispered loudly, "We should be able to ditch Daitano at the temple--then we can go out for some real fun!"

"Are you implying that I'm not fun?" his older brother asked.

"Yep!" was the ookami's cheerful reply.

Kagome's mother wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they watched them leave. "I still can't believe you have grown children, Kagome."

"Neither can I. And Eishumaru ..." she turned to face her mother, "Well, Shizuru seems like a wonderful woman--just the kind he needs to keep him from getting too full of himself or being too outrageous--but it's really hard to think about letting go and letting someone else take over taking care of him."

Ikumi smiled and hugged her. "I know exactly what you mean: my daughter is getting married today."

"I am, aren't I?" Kagome smiled back.

"Come on. We can talk as you get ready." And they went inside.

Ikumi took her daughter to her room where she had lain out all of the pieces to her shiromuku, a pure white wedding set consisting of naga-juban, kakeshita, and uchikake. The various belts, collars, and obi accessories took up the whole bed, while the major garments were displayed on separate racks. There was an extra rack set up which held a pale, silvery-blue kakeshita. Seeing Kagome eying the garment questioningly, Ikumi walked over to it and ran a hand down the material.

"I know we had always thought that you would wear my whole shiromuku set when you married, but since you have already had three mates, I thought you might want to acknowledge those previous bonds somehow. So, if you would like, I think this kakeshita would go nicely with the other pieces," she said a bit hesitantly.

Her eyes bright with unshed tears, Kagome threw her arms around her. "Oh, Mama," she sniffled, "it's perfect! It must have cost you a small fortune--you must have had to go to a very exclusive shop to find one so quickly. Everything is happening so fast that I really didn't think there would be time to consider what the proper clothing should be, and my situation isn't exactly common. I had briefly wondered if I should wear blue, but I haven't actually been married before, and I had always wanted to wear your wedding clothes."

"Tch. No tears now. And no talk about expenses. You know I have my contacts from when I taught kitsuke classes. I want to hear more about this man who will be my son-in-law. This kind of took my by surprise, you know."

"Me, too," Kagome confessed with a giggle as she shed her clothes. Pulling on her tabi socks, she held out a hand for the hada-juban. She was glad her mother had a one-piece one. The two-piece underwear always seemed just a bit too clingy on her legs and made her too warm.

"You are sure about this, aren't you?" her mother asked as she handed her the thin koshi-himo to tie the hada-juban in place. Next would be the naga-juban and she picked up the appropriate belts for it. "I'm happy that you've found someone else to love, but you were so adamant about never binding yourself to anyone again."

"I know. I honestly didn't think I could ever love anyone like this again--I didn't want to. But Hiei is rather hard to resist, especially when he is determined. If he wasn't, I would probably still be trying to fool myself into thinking it was something else," she said ruefully. After tying the wider date-jime over the koshi-himo, she was ready to put on the naga-juban.

"He shares a lot of traits with the other men I've loved. He's very reserved, like Sesshoumaru, and he's loyal and determined, like Kouga. And he's stubborn, like Inuyasha," she giggled. "He can be hard to get to know because he guards his heart. His life has not been an easy one. So, please don't take it personally if he seems rude."

Helping her with the wrapping and folds, Ikumi nodded. "I was more concerned with how he keeps himself apart from others. Even with his friends he seems cold and distant. You have always had such an open and loving way about you that I would hate to see it stifled or for the light in your eyes to fade because of your husband's disdain or neglect."

Kagome put her hand over her mother's where she had begun to wind the next koshi-himo around her. "You don't have to worry about that. Hiei is anything but cold. He's extremely passionate, and as fiery as the youki that flows through him. He makes me feel incredibly wanted and cherished. He loves me. And I love him," she said earnestly.

"Then I will, too. And since he has no family of his own, we will be his family now. He'll have to put up with your jii-chan just like the rest of us," her mother giggled.

When their laughter died down, they turned their attention back to the belting. They still had to put on the han eri and eri shin to line the collar and keep it stiff, then the kakeshita, with its collar and belts, and the obi-ita between the kimono and the very formal maru obi she would be wearing. That part would include the obi-makura, obi-age and obi-jime all required to hold the elaborate obi in place. Tying the obi musubi would take a considerable amount of time in itself, even though she had suggested they do a niju-daiko knot instead of a more complicated one. Under the circumstances, she thought the double drum bow to “double one’s joy” was very appropriate even though she wasn’t married yet, considering she was expecting twins. She debated on whether or not to tell her mother, but decided that she would wait until after she told her sons.

They would do her make-up before she donned the uchikake. Since she wasn't a virgin, they were dispensing with the white make-up and just going with outlining her eyes in black and painting her lips red.

Throughout the process, Kagome and her mother talked more about Hiei and where they might live when her sons were settled in the Makai. They talked about Ikumi's boyfriend, and about her grandfather and Genkai. And then her mother finally broached the subject she had been dreading.

“I’m not going to ask you why you are keeping your wedding a secret from even your sons, because I know there must be a very important reason. It ... worries me, but I will continue to trust in your judgment and in the kami to watch over you. I want you to know that you can count on your grandfather and your brother and me not to say anything.”

“I appreciate that, Mama. And I wish I could have my sons here--so much--but, right now, the less people who know about me and Hiei, the better it is for everyone.”

Nodding, Ikumi picked up a brush. “Let’s get your hair fixed.”

Surprised that her mother was going to leave it at that, Kagome breathed a sigh of relief and looked around. “I thought you had a bunkin-takashimada wig.”

“I do. But your Hiei said that since you won’t have a mother-in-law, you don’t need to ‘twist your hair into that horrid style’ or wear that ‘ridiculously unflattering hood’ to hide your supposed jealousy of her and show your obedience to him. He said he liked your hair down and gave me this for you to wear instead,” she picked up a small white box that was sitting on her nightstand and handed it to her daughter.

Kagome opened it to find a beautifully-carved tortoiseshell comb decorated with a white stargazer lily and several small strings of pearls. Smiling, she mused, “If he wants me to wear my hair down, I suppose it would be disobedient of me to do otherwise. I wonder when he had time to get this?”

“I don’t know, but we don’t have much time to finish. Your grandfather will be expecting us in another 40 minutes, and I still need to change,” Ikumi reminded her. “So hold still.”

“You have no idea how thankful I was that my mother was licensed in kitsuke when I was stuck in the past. I was so glad I had at least picked up on some of the tips you tried to teach me for putting on kimonos.”

Smiling, her mother said, “After so many years of wearing them, I’ll bet you could give me some tips.”

“Sure. Tip #1: get a good assistant who really knows what they’re doing to help you,” Kagome laughed. “Or a mate. Sesshoumaru really had a way with them,” she winked wickedly.

Arching a brow at her, Ikumi asked, “Putting them on or taking them off?”

“Both,” her eyes gleamed with her reply.

“Now I know you really are moving forward with your life,” Ikumi commented knowingly. “A few months ago, I don’t think you could have teased about something so personal about one of your mates without being overwhelmed by the memories and your sadness. It was the same for me when it came to talking about your father. I think Hiei must be good for you.”

“I think so, too.”
When Kagome slipped on her zori and stepped outside, she was momentarily mesmerized by the sight of the traditionally-clothed groom awaiting her. Hiei looked so perfectly at ease in the montsuki--as if he wore one every day. Souta had done a terrific job when he bought the clothing for him. The black haori and gray, striped, pleated hakama fit him perfectly, with the himo and kamon adding an extra elegant formality to the look. (Wait. Kamon?) She stepped closer to examine the family crests displayed on the haori. They featured three symbols: a Jagan eye, a black dragon, and a tree. When she touched one and looked up at him questioningly, Genkai stepped forward.

“Your grandfather called me right after you first talked to your mother. I will be standing with Hiei to represent his family. I thought it only fitting that his crests reflect the family he has gathered, whether he admits it or not, so I made the kamon and sewed them on after I got here. The Jagan represents the Makai, the dragon represents the Reikai, and the Goshinboku represents the Ningenkai because he has significant ties and history in each realm,” she explained.

Hiei didn’t say anything, but the fact that he was wearing it spoke volumes to Kagome. She smiled and bowed deeply to Genkai. “Arigatou gozaimasu, Genkai-sama.”

To tell the truth, the old onna had taken him completely by surprise with her announcement that she was here for him for his wedding. But before he could protest that he didn’t need her here, she had shown him the kamon she had made and then she took the black haori so she could sew them on. While he waited for her to finish, Kagome’s brother and grandfather had sat down and gone over the ceremony with him and then Souta had presented him with a white folded fan to carry. He could feel the happiness radiating off of his bride now and he was glad he had not beheaded the old psychic for her presumptuousness.

Truthfully, he found the kamon appealing and appropriate, though not for the reasons Genkai gave. All three symbols reflected choices he had made and goals he had fought for and won through sheer determination and strength of will. The Jagan: he had decided he needed it to find the koorime who had thrown him out as a child. Having the Jagan implanted had not only been the most painful physical experience of his life, but he had done it knowing it would reduce his power until he mastered it. The dragon: he had craved the potential power and the challenge of accomplishing what no one else had. Summoning and mastering the dragon had pushed him to the very edge of his strength and endurance, and had threatened to consume him. The Goshinboku: that was Kagome. The corners of his mouth twitched at the thought. She had been his most difficult choice and she had tested his strength of will even more than the others. She was a more formidable opponent than either the Jagan or the dragon because she had him fighting himself first. And she was no pushover. But he had defied the odds and fought for what he wanted, and today--today he was the winner. He had gained more than he ever thought possible.

Hiei looked at Kagome as her mother handed her the traditional hakoseko to carry. The small purse seemed ridiculously impractical to him. Souta handed her a small white folded fan like the one he had given to Hiei, which she tucked into her obi. Then her grandfather stepped up and presented her with the sheathed kaiken he had given her grandmother on their wedding day. As she hugged the old man and kissed his cheek, the hiyoukai knew that he had definitely made the right decision to marry her in her people’s tradition. All of this held a wealth of meaning for her. While youkai mating was a personal bond, the ningen ceremony also served to cement bonds with family and ancestors through witness, items, and traditions.

Her bright smile drew Hiei’s eyes and he stared at her a moment before nodding to signal he was ready. She was stunningly beautiful standing there in the courtyard, and even with her aura masked, she seemed to shine with an otherworldly light. Her uchikake was white, with cranes, plum blossoms, and pine boughs embroidered with silver thread that looked almost blue in the shade of the wagasa Souta held over her head. The bright red parasol added a festive splash of color to the occasion. He approved of the way her long ebony hair flowed down her back in inky waves. The contrast with the pristine white of her kimono created a pleasingly complete picture in his mind. This extremely formal, multi-layered shiromuku hid her figure much more effectively than her tomesodes, where it was nearly impossible to disguise how small her waist was in comparison to her ample bust and hips even with some padding and strategically-tied obis. But this truly emphasized the gracefulness of her movements and the delicate beauty of her face and hands just as it was intended to. She looked like a queen.

The first thing they did was enter a small building where the couple sat at a table and signed their names and the date to the paper the wedding vows were written on. Hiei would keep the paper during the ceremony and read them at the appropriate time. He had already paid a very generous hatsuhoryou, or “first rice money” for the ceremony. He had been so generous, in fact, that the old priest’s eyes had widened in surprise and Souta had jokingly asked him if he was paying for the services or trying to buy his sister. For Kagome’s sake, he had let the kid keep his hand when he had laughed and patted him on the back.

Kagome looked to her grandfather for them to continue to the shrine, but he motioned for them to wait. A few minutes later, two young girls dressed in full miko clothing including the chihaya haori came in. She recognized the girls from the neighborhood, but hadn’t known they were serving as miko here. As soon as they reached her grandfather, they bowed. Then everyone went outside to line up for the processional. They would walk the sando, the pathway from right outside the jinja compound to the front of the haiden, where the ceremony would be conducted.

The old priest led the way, followed by the two miko. Kagome walked behind the one on the left and Hiei followed the one on the right. Kagome’s mother walked beside her to help hold up the heavy uchikake train if she needed it. She could sense her slight nervousness, in spite of her obvious happiness, and she smiled encouragingly at her daughter. Souta walked behind Kagome and Hiei and held the parasol over their heads, while Genkai followed Hiei. The entire party paused before a large stone basin where they each rinsed first their left hand, then their right, then their mouth with water from their left hand to purify themselves. As they reached the wide entryway, they bowed before entering and Kagome and her family entered on the far left, while Hiei and Genkai entered on the far right.

Due to the need to keep the ceremony under wraps as much as possible, Souta was in charge of playing a tape for the traditional gagaku music instead of them bringing in the four musicians who normally performed here at the shrine. So he stepped off to the side at the back. There were two seats with small tables, set apart, in the middle of the worship hall. As Kagome and Hiei made their way to them, Ikumi went to a seat off to the left of Kagome that was facing in while Genkai to went to a seat off to the right of Hiei that was also facing in. Their seats had small tables, too.

The priest rang a large, gong-like drum to signal the beginning of the ceremony and to wake up the spirits. Then he waved the onusa staff with its long paper streamers over everyone present while they bowed their heads. Kagome couldn't help but smile when she noticed her jii-chan spent an extra-long time waving it over Hiei's head. After the purification ritual was done, everyone stood while he chanted the norito sojo in a nasal, sing-songy voice. This was where he announced their names to the kami and stated their wish to be married. Kagome held her breath, but he didn’t add in any extra pleas for them to overlook the fact that his granddaughter was marrying a youkai. And for that, she was grateful. He asked for the kami's blessing on their union, that they would look favorably upon them and their household and bless them with good health, good fortune, and children. Kagome smiled to herself again. They had already been blessed with all three.

She snuck a look at Hiei and wasn’t surprised to find the expression on his face matched the solemnity of the occasion. He had meant every word he said about taking the ceremony seriously, even though it was a ningen custom. She was doubly blessed to have found him. He had become her anchor and her support, just when she needed it most. And he gave her a reason to hope and to dream. On top of everything else, he was giving her this, too--a chance to honor her family and the traditions she had been raised with. She really didn’t know why the kami looked favorably on her, but she didn’t doubt they did.

Next, the two miko brought the sake` and the implements for the san-san-kudo, the way of three-three-nine. One carried a large gold jug which contained the sake`. The other carried a red lacquered offering stand with three red lacquered sake` cups. Each cup had the kanji for "kotobuki" embossed in gold, proclaiming "congratulations on your wedding."

As the haunting gagaku music played in the background, Kagome's grandfather took the smallest of the almost-flat cups and poured the sake` into it in three motions--two fake and the last one real. Hiei sat completely still, immersing himself in the ritual. The music sounded shrill to him, but strangely appropriate for the atmosphere. It figured that the kami were tone deaf, and he supposed it would keep away any evil spirits who were music lovers.

Then one of the miko took the cup from the priest and handed it to Hiei. He took three sips from it--like the pouring motions, the first two were fake and the last one real. When he was done, the miko took the cup to Kagome and she did the same. It was good sake` and he wouldn’t have minded taking all nine drinks, but he could see the wisdom in not letting ningen males do that--from what Yusuke had said when they were talking about Yukina and Kuwabara’s wedding, there was plenty of drinking at the reception and no one wanted the groom showing up half-smashed before the presentations were over. And the only thing worse than a drunken groom would be a tipsy bride. Or would it? He glanced at Kagome as she took her sip. It might be a long time before he found out. He knew she didn’t drink much alcohol to begin with and he had noticed she didn’t drink the sake when they had sashimi a few evenings ago. He hadn’t asked, but assumed it was in deference to her pregnancy.

The priest repeated the ritual with the second cup, which was larger than the first. This time, the miko handed the cup to Kagome first and then to Hiei. The third and largest of the cups was handed to Hiei first again.

When the san-san-kudo was over, the miko took away the sake`, implements and stand. Her grandfather prepared the altar and asked permission of the kami for the couple to approach. Hiei took out the paper of their wedding vows and read them. They were too flowery for his taste, and it felt unnatural saying them, but these were the traditional vows of this shrine and he found he did agree with the meaning behind them.

"On this fortunate day, the two of us bind our vows as husband and wife before the kami of Higure Shrine. The fact that we, bound together as lifelong companions in this wide world, set off on our life's journey in the light of the kami's blessings is the greatest good fortune we could have. From today forward, we swear that, keeping these feelings alive in our hearts, with deep understanding and love, we will, establishing our home and building a vibrant life, work to make our family flourish.”

Then the priest handed each of them a tamagushi--a blessed sakaki branch with white papers tied to it, which they held with one hand on top and one underneath so they could turn them before placing them on the altar. They bowed twice, clapped twice, and then bowed again. When they straightened, they turned inward towards each other and their eyes met for a long moment.

Despite the heaviness of the solemn atmosphere, Kagome felt light. She knew the kami were truly smiling on them. Hiei had been right--this was right. And the kami would not bless their union and then turn their backs. They would protect them. As if he knew what she was thinking and feeling, Hiei nodded. And breaking with tradition and his own natural inclinations, he held out a hand and she placed hers in it. Then they walked back to their seats, with their inside feet in unison, making sure not to turn their backs directly to the kami. The miko had moved their seats so they were now right next to each other.

As they sat, Kagome's mother and Genkai stood and the old priest again asked the kami permission for them to approach. They repeated the ritual of offering tamagushi to the kami, signifying their approval of the union and the joining of the two families. Kagome was so glad that Genkai was standing with Hiei as his family and she was determined that he would do this for Yukina when the time came. She watched her mother closely. It meant so much to know that she supported her marriage. She hadn’t been at all sure that she would. She knew that for her, it was not so long ago that she had thought she would be doing this for her and Inuyasha. It was a bittersweet thought, but it made her appreciate Hiei wanting to do this for her that much more. He may have had his own reasons for desiring a tangible bond with her, but he had been aware of how much it would mean to her, too. After they bowed twice, clapped twice, and bowed again, the two women returned to their seats, too.

The miko then poured everyone a cup of sake` and they all stood. With a call of "Kanpai," they drank together. The cups were taken away and Kagome's grandfather ended the ceremony by thanking the kami for bearing witness and bestowing their blessings. Everyone bowed towards the altar, then they left the shrine just as they had come, with the priest in the lead. While they would still have to go register with the civil authorities to be legally married, in the eyes of the kami they were wed. No longer simply Kagome and Hiei, but otto and tsuma--husband and wife.

Outside, Morimoto Kenji was waiting for them with a camera. Kagome coaxed Hiei into letting them take the obligatory group wedding picture. Looking at her shining eyes and hopeful expression, he reluctantly agreed. He had gotten what he wanted and he felt surprisingly satisfied with this ningen bond. By marrying him, she had declared she was his in front of her family and the kami. She couldn’t slip away or be taken from him now. So, he wasn’t going to shortchange her any more than he already had by insisting they go ahead and marry now in secret rather than waiting until she could have her sons and friends with her.

Then Ikumi slyly suggested that her sons might want proof that the ceremony had actually taken place when they decided to tell them, and that they should take a few more pictures. Her new son-in-law gave her a cold stare and she had to stifle her giggle. He wasn’t so different from any other man in that regard. Of course, she didn't really think the pictures would be necessary--the proof of their union was evident in her daughter‘s eyes.

Watching her standing there with her new husband, she doubted they would be able to keep this a secret for long. She could feel Kagome's happiness almost as if it was a warm breeze caressing her. And she could swear she was actually glowing. Her slight, lingering doubts and worries about the rushed and secret nature of her daughter's relationship with the youkai she had mentally classified as quietly menacing when they first met vanished completely. If he made her this happy, he was the right choice.

Genkai came up beside her and spoke quietly, "You may not be able to tell because Hiei is very good at hiding his feelings, but he is different with her. Do you see how he watches her as she talks? It's not that he's paying attention, because he pays close attention to everything that goes on around him--it's that he lets her know he's paying attention. See how his haori is brushing against her uchikake? Even when he stands near someone, he always leaves enough space so they will not touch, no matter what movement either of them makes. And there," she nodded slightly when they moved at Souta's direction for them to pose, "you see how he is resting his hand on her back and covering her hand on his chest with his other one? You might say they are posing for a picture, and you may not think it is unusual for a new husband to touch his wife like that, but what is telling is the ease with which he's doing it--how perfectly natural it looks. That kind of physical contact is not something that has ever come easily to Hiei. It's her. She found a way through his barriers and got under his skin. And he appreciates what she gives him maybe more than most people could because he's never had it before. He'll treat her like gold and will take good care of her .”

"Arigatou gozaimasu. It's good to hear that. Kagome has always had a way of drawing people to her. It's one of her gifts," Ikumi told her. "She also has a tendency to put the needs of others above her own. So she needs someone who will look out for her.” She looked down and clasped her hands together and her voice got even softer as she admitted, “I am afraid I don't know much about the life she has lived in the past and it's still difficult for me to grasp that she has lived so long and been through so much when to me it hasn't been so long since she was experiencing her first love. I know that she has faced dangers and horrors that are beyond my imagination. But not once did she ever think they wouldn't overcome them.” Her voice grew stronger, “She believed in Inuyasha completely. And because she believed in him, he believed in himself. She gave him a purpose, a reason to live his life and to hope for something more than he felt he deserved. So I know that she will stand by Hiei and that her faith and trust in him will never waver.”

The two women looked at each other and nodded. It was a good match.

Almost not believing her good fortune in getting Hiei to put up with her mother’s not-so-subtle manipulation and her brother’s enthusiasm and teasing about how they should stand and what they should think about while their pictures were being taken, Kagome knew to put a halt to it before her husband’s patience wore too thin. (My husband. I’m married!) She blinked and shook her head slightly as she smiled. She had given up the idea of ever being married so long ago that this didn’t quite seem real.

“Just a couple more,” she heard Souta saying as she felt rather than heard Hiei take a deep breath.

(His irritation is certainly real enough.) She managed not to laugh as she signaled the end of the photo session, “Arigatou gozaimasu, Morimoto-san. It was very kind of you to take our pictures.”

“Not at all,” the man smiled. “It was my pleasure.”

She turned to her grandfather, “Why don’t we all go inside? You must be anxious to change out of your formal robes and to get ready for your dinner date. After I change, I’ll help Mama get the evening meal started.”

“I don’t think you’ll have time for that,” Ikumi told her. “You two should hurry down to the train station. You’re spending the night in Yokohama. I’ve packed a bag for you--it’s in your room.” Seeing the surprised look on Kagome’s face, she winked, “You don’t want to spend your wedding night with us, do you?”

Hiei gave his new mother-in-law a short, appraising look before heading for the house. The onna was smarter than she looked.

When they got to her room, Kagome smiled when she saw the red sundress she had brought with her laid out on the bed and a small bag sitting on the floor beside it. Her mother was really something else. Setting the purse and kaiken down on her desk, she took the fan out of her obi and looked at it for a minute. When they were finally able to tell her sons and their friends about their marriage, she would hang it on the wall above their bed, unfurled to represent happiness extending on forever. She turned when she heard the click of the lock behind her. Hiei stalked up to her with a gleam in his eyes and with barely more than a tug, her kakeshita fell open like the uchikake over it. He made similar quick work of the ties for the naga-juban. She grinned at him. “What is that old saying? It takes a woman hours to put on a kimono and a man only minutes to take it off?”

His only reply was to untie the hada-juban and open it, baring her to his view. As he backed her to the wall, she asked, “You’re not just helping me change, are you?”

“No.”

“Wouldn’t you rather wait until we get to the hotel?” she gasped out as he grasped her ribcage and let his thumbs rub over her nipples.

“No.”

Capturing her lips with his, he savored the sweetness of them for a moment before plunging inside. She was all his now and he wanted to have her. Here and now. In the house she grew up in--the room where she dreamed as a girl. These were her beginnings: the nauseatingly pink walls, the ruffled sheets, the silly pillow with the cartoon kitty on it. He couldn’t imagine her here, but she had been. Somehow, the strong, smart, desirable woman who stood before him now, fumbling with his hakama and trying to take off his kimono shirt without breaking contact with him, had come from here. And when she thought about her family and her old home, he wanted her to think of him here, too.

With his hakama pooled at his feet and his haori and kimono shirt on the floor behind him, he lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his waist. But when she moved to shrug out of the layers of the shiromuku, he stopped her. “Leave it on,” he said quietly. And in the midst of all the reminders of her past, as she draped her arms around his neck, they were both cocooned in the promise of their future.

When they came down the stairs, Kagome flushed guiltily under the knowing look her mother gave them. Her grandfather just scowled as Souta commented, “It sure took you two a long time to change clothes.” Genkai started snickering and Morimoto Kenji just looked away.

“That sundress is lovely, dear,” Ikumi said. “Your reservation is at The Grand, just a couple minutes’ walk from Minato Mirai Station.”

“That’s the one that looks like the sail of a boat, right?”

“Hai. We’ll see you tomorrow before your lunch with the girls.” And she hugged her and shooed them off. But before they slipped on their shoes, she touched Hiei’s arm, causing him to look back at her. “Welcome to the family, Hiei.”

The warmth in her voice and the sincerity in her eyes made him pause. He could see the similarities between her and Kagome in her generous acceptance of him, based solely on trusting her daughter’s feelings, and he knew how important she was to his new wife. It was also obvious she was restraining herself from embracing him out of respect for him and he appreciated that. He gave her a slight bow and a low “Arigatou.”

They walked along in silence most of the way to the station, but he was watching Kagome out of the corner of his eye with amusement. She was practically skipping and she looked so very young--much too young to be the seductive temptress who had disturbed his peace of mind for so long before she turned his world upside-down by approaching him to ask him to be her lover. She looked too carefree, too, to be the woman who had doggedly put aside everything in her pursuit to restore her sons’ inheritances to them and had planned to attempt to win back three large sections of the Makai through relentless training and sheer determination all by herself--all while living under a cloud of self-doubt and guilt. And she definitely looked way too happy to be the new wife of a mean little bastard like himself. The poor woman was obviously seriously deluded about the whole situation, and he wasn’t about to let anyone tell her any different.

At the station, there were several other young couples who were obviously newlyweds. Most of the women were wearing red and white dresses, and they were all chatting excitedly about their destinations. Hiei looked around a bit before focusing on the woman at his side. Poor saps. None of the other brides could hold a candle to his onna. He placed a hand at her back when she leaned in to tell him that this was just a small crowd of newlyweds; she said the station would be packed with them two days from now on taian, the day considered most auspicious for weddings. If that was the case, he was doubly glad they had gone ahead with the ceremony today. This little crowd was boisterous enough.

After securing them two seats and effectively scaring off the junior level salaryman who started to sit on the other side of Kagome, Hiei started to relax. It would have been quicker if he had just picked her up and taken her to Yokohama himself, but he realized this was all part of the celebration. He wanted to sneer at the absurd ningen mentality for being happy to be jostled and crowded at the station and even more so when they entered the train car, but he was surprised by his own sense of contentment while surrounded by all these ningen. It wasn’t just that Kagome was trying to put him at ease, either. It felt different just being next to her right now. It had to be because it was obvious to everyone that they were together--everyone there knew she was his. And while those pathetic ningen males might be happy enough with the simple ningen females they had chosen, he had seen the silent appraisal and admiration when they had seen her. For the first time he could remember, he was the object of envy. And damn if it didn’t feel good. Draping his arm across the back of her seat, he let his hand rest on her shoulder.

When they arrived in Yokohama, he was amused to note that the Grand Intercontinental Yokohama Hotel did indeed look like the sail of a ship. It really was a rather impressive-looking building. It had 594 guest rooms on 24 floors and Kagome was happy to discover they had one of the suites on the upper floors. With the hotel’s proximity to the harbor, she was sure the view from the many large windows would be beautiful. She had to turn her head to hide her smile at that thought because she was quite sure from the look in his eyes that Hiei couldn’t care less about whatever view their room might have.

She was proven right when she asked him if he wanted to put their bag in the room and go to dinner. Her new husband merely raised a brow and looked at her like she had lost her mind. So, she put in an order at the desk for room service to be sent up in an hour. When she turned to head for the large stairway, Hiei held up three fingers and the concierge grinned and nodded. He wasn’t going to be rushed or interrupted for something as mundane as food.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Hiei scooped up his bride and walked purposefully through the sitting room of the suite. He was pleased to see the bed was very large, though he paid no attention at all to the beautiful furnishings, the drapery over the head of the bed, the expensive greenery decorating the suite, or the fact that the drapes at the windows were all wide open and were indeed showcasing a beautiful view of the harbor. His focus and vision were consumed by the woman in his arms, who he dropped rather unceremoniously onto the bed before pouncing on her.

She giggled and squirmed a bit, and as intent on his actions as he was, her words made him pause and lever himself up on his elbows over her. “Hiei, wait. I want us to do this right.”

Staring at her incredulously, he snorted. “I hope you are not implying that we have been doing this wrong all this time. In case you have forgotten, onna, you are pregnant.”

That pronouncement set off a fresh wave of laughter. “No, no,” she said, sobering a bit. The look in her eyes softened as she looked up at him. “I want to be a good wife to you. Of course, you didn’t give me the standard ‘dinner, bath, bed’ greeting, but I would like to fix you a bath.”

“Hn. I can guarantee you will never hear that ridiculous platitude from me.” While he would have preferred to just continue from right where he was, he couldn’t ignore the hopeful expression on her face. And as he thought about it, he realized that bathing together just might be rather enjoyable. That was one of those intimate “relationship” activities he had never indulged in. So, he sat up and let her get up.

“Just give me five minutes, okay?” she said as she went into the bathroom and closed the door.

Hiei used the time to strip down and then waited impatiently for the other four minutes and 53 seconds. He was more than ready when she opened the door and called softly, “All right. You can come in now.”

He raised a brow at her when he saw that she had put on one of the hotel’s yukatas and had tied the sleeves back. But he was even more surprised when she took his hand and led him past the large tub, which was full to the rim with steaming hot water, over to the area that was partially partitioned off where a single wooden stool sat in front of a shelf where she had set out shampoo, body wash, a small bucket of water, and a couple of towels. There was a handheld showerhead hanging on the wall and a large drain in the middle of the floor. It suddenly hit him that she had meant exactly what she said--she had wanted to fix him a bath in the traditional Japanese custom, and was, in fact, intending to wash his back. His mind had been on the type of steamy, watery sex play he’d heard Yusuke and Kurama talk about with a gleam in their eyes, but what Kagome was intending was something else entirely. And he wasn’t fool enough to miss the significance of it.

It felt strange to sit down and let someone else take care of such an intimate task. He had never had anyone offer to do such a thing before. And while he had wanted to be as close to her in every way he could as a mate and a husband, he had not quite grasped exactly what that meant until now. His thoughts had been on the sex and the companionship and the possession and the security of knowing she would always be there for him. And he fully intended to be there for her, too. He wanted to keep her and protect her and take care of her. But she was showing him what it meant to truly care for someone.

Standing behind him, she started with his hair. Wetting it thoroughly, she poured some shampoo into her hand and began to work it through his hair. He breathed in the light fragrance of the thick liquid with satisfaction. Though not as natural as her scent, it smelled like her: gardenias. She massaged his scalp gently, but firmly with her fingertips, then gave it a brisk scratching. After pouring the water in the bucket over his head to rinse it, she giggled a bit when she leaned around him to see how he looked with his hair hanging down limply. Moving it out of his eyes, she placed a brief kiss on his forehead before returning to her task. He was struck anew by how completely accepting she was of the Jagan, and it of her. Even unwarded, it remained dormant in her presence and he didn’t have to exert control over it.

Using the handheld showerhead, she refilled the bucket. Then she took one of the small towels and poured some of the body wash on it. Standing behind him and using the towel, she lathered up his back. She took her time then, slowly scrubbing the tops of his shoulders with small circles and down his arms. She washed his neck and then moved down to his shoulder blades. She hummed a bit as she meticulously scrubbed from the center of his back out to his sides, and she watched the soap suds as they slowly ran down to his lower back. He was sitting very still throughout her ministrations.

Performing such a small, normal chore, like any other wife might, made Kagome feel like she was really starting a new stage of her life. Putting down the towel, she used her hands to massage his neck. She smiled at the contented sound that came from his throat. It was true that she seen and touched him many times like this, yet this time still felt different. As she lightly traced different lines across his back, she marveled once again at the strength the firm muscles hinted at. “Did you see how all the other new brides were looking at you at the station in Tokyo? It really is sinful how incredibly desirable you are. There they were, just married to the men they love and they still couldn’t help but look at you wistfully.” She rinsed the soap off of his back with the bucket of water and then knelt down as she continued to run her hands along his back. “Not that it would do them any good even if they were still single--you’re mine and I don’t share.” She couldn’t help but feel proud to be able to call such a handsome man hers.

He smirked at her announcement. It was really gratifying to hear that she was possessive of him, too. He had no idea where she got the idea that he was so desirable, but he wasn’t going to argue. His amusement faded as he felt her arms wrap around him, one across his stomach and the other angling up so her hand was on his chest. Placing a soft kiss on a spot about mid-way down his spine, she pressed her face into his back and he heard her whisper, “My husband.”

For a few seconds, he just sat there blinking, startled by the unfamiliar tightness in his chest. Then he lifted her hands away and turned to face her. Looking down at her face, the intensity of the emotion in her eyes called out to something primitive in him. He pulled her to him and she straddled his lap. Their lips met in a flash of passion that was something more--something deeper and more enduring.

The raw emotion flowing between them simply inflamed their ardor and added to the urgency of their movements. With a hand at the back of his head and the other gripping his shoulder, Kagome pressed herself as close to him as she could. Her yukata parted where her legs were splayed on either side of his, and she rubbed herself against his shaft as it jutted upward, trapping it against his stomach and causing a fierce growl to rise in his throat. Her aggressiveness might not have been a challenge to his dominance, but it was driving him to respond with the same fervor.

Grasping her upper arms, he pushed her back just a bit and stared into midnight blue eyes that were glazed with desire. Cutting the cord she had tied her sleeves back with and the sash around her waist, Hiei quickly peeled the yukata from her skin and threw it to the floor. His hands roamed from her back to her hips and along her thighs before pulling her flush against him once more.

Taking her mouth in a hungry kiss, he had barely begun to savor the sweet taste of strawberries when he felt her hand close around his length and squeeze. At his swift intake of breath, he could feel her warm breath in his mouth as she chuckled briefly before moving to capture his earlobe between her teeth. She nipped him, and then after swiping the area with her tongue, she sucked on it. At the same time she began to lift herself off his lap. Hiei was in no mood to lose the skin-to-skin contact, so he grabbed her waist to hold her until he realized she was positioning herself to take him in. Then, with an evil grin, he grasped her bottom with both hands and lowered his head to run his tongue over a pert, dusky nipple. That caused her to lose her grip on him and clutch his arms instead as she leaned back and closed her eyes.

Grazing the sensitive nub with his teeth, he drew it into his mouth and he suckled greedily for a moment while kneading the flesh resting in his hands. With a slight groan, Kagome pulled herself upright again and urged him to continue his ministrations by anchoring a hand at the nape of his neck. Reaching down between them, she once again wrapped her other hand around his cock. Using her thumb, she circled the head slowly, smearing the drop of moisture at the tip. Hiei paused and breathed hotly against the valley between her breasts. He could feel the slight tremor in her body--the excitement and anticipation. They were both wound tight. “Do it, onna,” he ordered, “before you drive us both over the edge.” His need was consuming him and he could sense that she was right there with him. So far, he had been enjoying the give-and-take between them as they both boldly made their claims. But he was about 30 seconds away from taking it completely out of her hands.

His eyes closed as he felt her slick, soft flesh slowly envelop the head of his cock in delicious heat. He started to lower her at an excruciatingly slow pace, trying to be careful and considerate to make sure she was well-prepared and had time to adjust to his thickness. He was proud of himself for his restraint. Then she suddenly slapped his arms away from her, causing him to let go of her ass and stare at her in surprise as she impaled herself forcefully on him. A hiss escaped her lips, turning into a low moan of pleasure. He smirked as her lips curved in a smile. They were definitely in sync with each other tonight.

Kagome wasn’t waiting. She wanted him--wanted this--this needy, almost-desperate desire. She nipped at the skin along his jaw line as she began rocking back and forth, eliciting a small groan from her lover. He felt incredible. She licked his lips. He tasted incredible. And she wanted all of him. Her hands slid up his chest and down his arms, which were wrapped around her again. She rotated her hips clockwise, pausing every now and then to squeeze her inner muscles around the heated rod that was stretching and stimulating every part of her sex. Then she changed direction to circle counterclockwise and picked up speed.

This was not a slow burn or a dance of dominance. It was a raging hunger, consuming her thoughts and directing her actions. Their love was every bit as physical as their desire, and the need to touch and to hold, to claim and to possess, was an intrinsic part of it for her, as well as for him. She saw the fire in his eyes and was elated at the knowledge of her possession of him. He was hers. Forever.

His wife continued her sweet torture, and he watched the pleasure evident in her delicate features even as he knew she reached for more. Her eyes were dark, but glowing, and the tightness in her jaw testified to her complete absorption in her experience. There was a determined set to her mouth and tilt to her chin, too. It was an arousing sight. As if he needed anything else to light his own fire. Her eagerness, for him, made him ache and soothed him all at the same time. But he needed more than his soul satisfied at the moment.

He moved to lean back slightly to settle her more fully on him. His upward motions were hindered, though, by the need for balance, and it only took two attempts before he suddenly stood with a vicious snarl and kicked the stool behind him out of the way. One of Kagome’s arms flailed out at the abrupt movement and knocked the shampoo off the shelf. The sound of the bottle hitting the floor didn’t even register as in the next second she was flat on her back with a very determined demon thrusting as hard and as deep as he could with single-minded intent.

The suddenness of the move, coupled with the intense sensations rapidly spiraling outward from her core had her gasping for breath. Focusing on the pair of crimson-colored eyes above her, she could hear her pulse pounding in her ears. When she felt him withdraw almost completely, she grabbed his hips and bent her legs further, planting her feet firmly on the floor as she lifted herself up to meet him forcefully. That wasn’t enough, though. Tilting her hips, she rocked into him with a hard, grinding motion and then pulled him further into the cradle of her pelvis until he was sheathed inside her so completely that further movement was difficult. But the cry that left her lips was one of satisfaction and triumph.

Her soft, feminine flesh seemed to mould itself to his cock, holding him in a heated embrace that would have had him groaning in pleasure if he wasn’t concentrating so hard on not spilling his seed and ending it all too soon. Since her hips were off the floor, it was easy for him to wrap one arm under her and roll them over. He only paused briefly on his back to flash a wicked smile at her startled expression before rolling the rest of the way over and pressing her fully to the floor. As he pulled his arm out from under her, he ran his hand down her thigh and spread her legs wider so he could lift one leg at the knee and hook his arm under it. Now he had her right where he wanted her.

Her body’s tight grip on his shaft had him gritting his teeth as he plunged in and out rapidly. He watched her eyelids drift shut as her breath came in pants, interrupted by soft, unintelligible sounds. Her muscles were so tense, he knew she was hovering on the edge, and so was he. His cock was swelling and his balls were throbbing. It wouldn’t take much to push them both over the edge and he was ready. He shortened his strokes and made each one a separate, deliberate thrust. When each one wrung a cry from her throat and her nails dug into his skin, he lowered his head so his mouth was near her ear and in a raspy voice simply said, “Kagome.”

She felt his voice reverberate throughout her body on ripples of white-hot pleasure, and the world around her receded. All she could do was cling to him blindly as the ripples grew into waves that surged and crashed repeatedly.

When her awareness expanded past her own body again, the first thing she noticed was the pungent smell of flowers. She opened her eyes and smiled as she wiped her hand through the filmy moisture on Hiei’s back. Looking around, she spied the shampoo bottle lying on its side on the floor. From the looks of the spill, they had rolled right through it. “Nothing like some good, clean fun,” she murmured, then giggled when he quirked an eyebrow at her.

When he pulled out and sat up, her eyes fell to his now-flaccid cock. “Of course, you aren’t completely clean yet,” she told him as she motioned for him to stand up. Positioning herself on her knees in front of him, she smiled devilishly at him before letting her tongue snake out to lick his inner thigh. As he watched her clean every part of him slowly and carefully and imagined the taste of her juices mixed with his seed, it didn’t take long for things to take a different turn. And he was ready to lay her back down for another round of “good, clean fun,” but she seemed to have other plans and wasn’t cooperating. In fact, she wrapped an arm around his legs and grasped a buttock firmly to hold him in place.

So, he just threaded his fingers through her hair and let her have her way. Watching her lips close around his length was an erotic pleasure in itself. The feel of her tongue sliding around him in tantalizing little movements designed to leave no spot untouched had him fighting to keep his eyes from closing in ecstasy. But he wasn’t going to miss a moment of this. It was obvious that she wasn’t going for a slow build--she wanted to make him come again. And she knew just how to do it.

Licking more than sucking as she took as much of him in as she could in, she sucked strongly as she slid back up to the head, lightly massaging his balls at the same time. Doing that twice more in succession, she stopped and began to twirl her lips wetly and gently around the ridge at the back of the head. As soon as she began concentrating on that sensitive area, the muscles in Hiei’s legs tensed. She was going to get what she wanted. Releasing his sac when she felt it start to draw up and taking the base of his cock in her hand instead, she didn’t let up until she felt that first burst of wetness fill her mouth. Then she took him in a little farther so she could swallow it as it went down her throat.

It wasn’t until she was once more bathing the length with her tongue to make sure he was thoroughly “clean” that she felt how tightly he had gripped her hair when he had released.

“I do like your back-washing method, onna,” he drawled when he could breathe again. “You can fix me a bath every night.”

She rolled her eyes at him and grinned, then said “Ouch. You’ve got a tight grip,” as she rubbed her scalp where he had fisted her hair. Then she sighed as she held out a strand and looked at the thick coating of shampoo in it. “I’m afraid the water in the bathtub will be cold before I get all this rinsed out of my hair.”

“Lucky for you, you married a hiyoukai,” he told her. “No more cold baths … or lakes.”

She grinned at his reminder of how their relationship had begun. “Lucky me,” she agreed as she stood and kissed his cheek.

When they were finally settled in the bath, with Kagome sitting in front of Hiei and leaning back against him, she let out a contented sigh. The view really was lovely from here. The large, oval bathtub sat ensconced in a rounded corner where the walls were simply floor-to-ceiling windows, giving an unobstructed view of the harbor. The lights from the docks and the coastline twinkled brightly in the darkening sky.

Hiei placed a hand on her stomach while lightly stroking his other one along her side, relishing the feel of her smooth, wet skin. She was so relaxed and still that he was sure she would be asleep in minutes. He would let her rest a bit now because he had every intention of taking full advantage of having the whole night with her for once, instead of just a few hours after midnight until just before the dawn.

As she settled more comfortably against him, a slight smile creased the corners of his mouth. He was still fascinated by the degree of aggression she had displayed. She was always passionate and enthusiastic, but even on those occasions when he let her take the lead, she had never seemed quite so driven. And even though he had been equally driven, he hadn’t transformed. Apparently, he had been right, and his instincts were greatly satisfied by the bond he had obtained with her.

Looking down at her, he couldn’t help but notice those tantalizing nipple of hers were standing out proudly from her firm, full breasts. He moved his hand up to rub one with the pad of his thumb and was surprised when she nearly jumped out of his arms. Kagome looked over her shoulder at him and when she saw the question in his eyes her cheeks colored a bit. “It’s the pregnancy,” she explained. “They get extra-sensitive.”

From her reaction, that was a bit of an understatement. Intrigued by her blush, Hiei couldn’t resist questioning her further, “That’s interesting. They get extra-sensitive and retain that aroused state after you have sex?”

The color in her cheeks deepened. “Um, they pretty much stay like this.”

Amusement danced in his eyes. “For the whole pregnancy?”

“Yes.”

“So, is that an indication that you …?”

“Yes!” she interrupted him testily, “It means that when I’m pregnant, my hormone levels rise dramatically and I’m exceptionally horny. Okay? Happy now?” She crossed her arms and turned away from him.

She heard a low chuckle and then felt his warm breath on her ear as he told her, “Very.” Hell, what more could a man ask for? “So, if I were to suddenly touch you here,” he reached down and let his fingers hover over the apex between her thighs, “would it cause you to jump, too?”

Her eyes took on a wicked gleam. “Well, since I know it’s coming, probably not. I’m pretty much ‘braced for impact.’ But,” she gave him a seductive grin, “why don’t you find out?”

So he did. She didn’t jump, but she did squirm for a minute until she found a comfortable position where she could lean back and give him better access. It wasn’t long at all before his nimble fingers had brought her to a quick release. When she opened her eyes again, she started to turn in his arms, but instead, he sat up and guided her forward in the tub. “Now you can enjoy your view, while I enjoy mine,” he told her.

“Arigatou gozaimasu,” she said with a giggle. She leaned forward so her breasts were resting on the built-out side of the tub that fitted it into the rounded corner and crossed her arms to rest her chin on. As nice as the view was, she was more aware of the warm body behind her. Wet hands moved her hair so it fell over one shoulder to bare her back, then traveled down to her waist, where they paused briefly before sliding over her buttocks. She sighed in contentment when she felt him slowly enter her.

“I will take it as a personal insult if you fall asleep,” he warned her.

She nearly choked on her laughter. “Hiei, I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Hn,” he grunted as he shoved forward, causing her breath to hitch.

“Don’t mistake satisfaction for lassitude,” she grinned at him over her shoulder before putting her head down to rest on her arms again. But looking directly out into the night sky, with water lapping around her thighs while he loved her quite thoroughly, she had to admit did make her feel a bone-deep contentment that was reminiscent of deep meditation--except for the fiery heat that flowed through her. No, even if she didn’t move a muscle, the flame he ignited within her crackled like electricity and woke even the tiniest of her nerve endings to make them hot and tingly. Despite the smooth, slow rhythm he was setting, the continual in-and-out movement of his cock kept all of her senses on high alert. She might seem still on the outside as she let him hold her hips still so he was in complete control of the pace and the depth of penetration, but inside she was a frenzied mass of excitement.

The soft sounds of mutual pleasure blended with the water splashing gently against the sides of the tub. His first thrusts were slow and drawn-out, and he savored every tiny movement. The anticipation of reaching the spot where he would be completely sheathed inside her was addictive and he found himself trying to hold back to prolong it. He traced the line of her spine with his forefinger, up her back and then down again. The spots where small drops of water ran down her sides or dried on her skin seemed to sparkle with iridescent lights. They dazzled him and beckoned him to taste. He leaned over her and let his tongue touch her soft flesh.

Grinding his pelvis against her, he reached around her to find that slick, swollen nub again. He continued to kiss and lick different spots on her back as his fingers danced across her sensitive flesh. The sound of her breathing quickening and the sinful moan that preceded his name had him pulling back just far enough so he could slam back in with some momentum. His quick, powerful thrusts were punctuated with hard, circular grinding motions that had Kagome pressing back against him.

She lost track of time as he drove her ever higher in an unceasing whirlwind of sensations that made her feel like she was strung taut as a bow. Her muscles and nerves were so tense, she felt she would snap any moment. When he reached beneath her with both hands and pulled her up so her back was flush against his chest, she nearly sobbed in relief because she knew it wouldn’t be long now.

He filled his hands with her breasts and squeezed them tightly as he held her as close as he could. Kissing his way along her shoulder and up to her ear, Hiei’s voice was raspy and his breathing ragged as he uttered a word he never thought to hear himself say, “Aisai.” (Beloved wife.) He couldn’t get enough of her. Even as he felt her muscles spasm all along his cock with her climax, forcing him to release, too, he continued to pump and grind until she sagged in his arms. With a final, contented growl, he slowly moved them back until they were reclining in the tub as they had been before. Since the water had cooled, he heated it some more.

So sated that she felt practically boneless, Kagome’s lips curved in a smile as she asked, “Can I fall asleep now?”

“I’d advise it,” he answered her smugly.

“I should call the front desk. I’d say we missed hearing room service bring up the food I ordered,” she said lazily.

“We didn’t miss it. I told them to come later.”

“Good thinking,” she agreed. “Wake me before it gets here, okay?”

Since she had already closed her eyes and was quickly drifting off, he didn’t bother to tell her that he had every intention of waking her before the food arrived. He wasn’t the least bit interested in food tonight, though, and was, in fact, planning to feast on her instead. She’d find out soon enough.

K agome was quiet on the train back to Tokyo, lost in her thoughts of recent events and what was to come. The wedding had been perfect--everything she could have ever dreamed of, and the wedding night had been magical--full of passion and love. It had been wonderful for just the two of them to get away and spend some time together. She wished they could have had more.

They had stayed in bed until mid-morning before she had finally coaxed Hiei into going out for a bite to eat. Then they had stopped by her mother’s friend’s shop and set up an account for Yukina so she could come in and have her wedding clothing custom-made. As they had headed for the train station, she had looked wistfully at the Cosmo Clock 21 ferris wheel. She wished they had time to ride it. She hoped they would be able to come back someday.

Now, though, she was feeling a little nervous and anxious. It would be strange seeing her friends after all these years. They would be exactly the same as she remembered, but she … she had changed. How could she not? And she was worried about whether or not she could relate to them. Yet she could not deny the yearnings of her heart to be able to pick things up where they had left off. Of course, she would always have to keep important parts of her life guarded from them, (namely three grown sons), she silently giggled at the thought. But she had been keeping her adventures secret from them for years already. It saddened her to think of how she would always have to keep them at arm’s length, but these were the friends of her childhood and they would always hold a special place in her heart. She cared about them and hoped their lives would be happy, and she wanted to continue to be their friend.

After lunch, she and Hiei would go back to the shrine for a little while before heading back to the house. She still needed to gather the rest of the plants she needed to make some more of the oil to mask their scents on each other. Going back to the house meant going back to pretending there was nothing going on between them. Kagome had become very good at hiding her feelings over the years, but she had never tried to hide her love for someone before. It was a thousand times harder than trying to hide worry or guilt or dislike for someone.

And if her sons hadn’t already tumbled to the idea that she must be trysting with Kurama, she was sure they would have seen the truth by now. But once you have an idea about something, it can be hard to rid yourself of it. However, with the pregnancy, and now actually being married to Hiei, she really wasn’t at all sure she would be able to keep pretending. The longer they were together and the closer they became, the harder it was to keep from making those little subconscious gestures that just come naturally with familiarity. But she knew that it was more important than ever that she be able to carry it off. She really didn’t know if she could bear it if she were to lose another man she loved, especially if she had something to do with it.

Hiei could sense her unease, so he wasn’t surprised when she put her hand on top of his and gave it a small, brief squeeze before removing it and letting it rest in her lap again. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking about that had changed her mood from her earlier happiness, but he didn’t like it. Wanting to reassure her, he reached over and covered her hand with his, squeezing it like she had done his, and then linking his fingers between hers. When she looked at him and smiled, he felt relieved. It was surprising to him how much could be conveyed with a simple touch. And it still amazed him how much he enjoyed touching her, and being touched by her, in completely non-sexual ways.

Satisfied that she knew he would help her however he could with whatever it was that was troubling her, his thoughts turned to how damn hard it was going to be to continue to keep their relationship secret. The proof of that was in their intertwined fingers. He hadn’t given a single thought to anyone else around them. His only thoughts had been for her. What the hell was he going to do when they were back at the house, surrounded by her sons and all the others? Especially that nosey kitsune.

The fact of the matter was that if Kurama wasn’t concentrating so hard on determining her guilt or innocence and trying to worm his way into her bed, he was sure the fox would have picked up on their relationship already. And the apparition wanted him to stay focused on the many questions and possibilities of the case because he was the most likely to figure out who else could be behind her mates’ deaths. He had a great deal of respect for the way Kurama’s mind worked, and it would please him greatly to have it work to his benefit. He had promised Kagome they would catch whoever was responsible and he was determined to do so as quickly as possible. It was the only way to free her from her own self-doubts and guilt.

Her sons would be making their bids for their lands soon, and it was very likely that it would bring out the killer. He or she or they might decide to pounce as soon as they know for sure that she is back. Really, he and the others had done a damn good job of keeping her return a secret, especially considering the priestess shootout that took place in the Makai. But once her sons had announced themselves, that part of their job was over. And while he wouldn’t have minded setting himself up as bait by bringing their relationship out in the open--would have preferred it, in fact, since it would speed everything up--the fact that the killer had not held back when poisoning her the night Kouga was killed worried him. He wasn’t about to risk her or the babies she was carrying. So, until he could think of a way to protect them, he would have to continue working ‘undercover.’

And being under the covers with his new wife was sounding pretty good right about now. Maybe she would forego the lunch with her friends. “Kagome …”

“Here’s our stop,” she said, getting to her feet. “I’m glad we set up a lunch get-together--I’m starving.”

Maybe not. (Damn.)

After stopping by the shrine to drop off their overnight bag, they continued on to the restaurant. As they drew near, a tall figure pacing back and forth at the entrance suddenly stopped and straightened his shoulders. Then he moved to intercept them, or rather, to intercept Kagome. “Higurashi-san! I’m so glad I caught you before you went in. Could we speak for a moment?”

“Hojo-kun? Um, all right,” Kagome nodded. She was surprised to see him, but glad that he had returned to the way he used to address her.

When Hojo reached out to take her arm to steer her to a spot where they could talk in private, he found himself reaching for air as she was whisked to the other side of a short, dark-haired fellow who was glaring at him rather fiercely. Realizing this could turn ugly very quickly, Kagome hastened to smooth thing over. “I’m sorry! Where are my manners? You remember Hiei, don’t you? I believe you met at the shrine.”

Hojo looked at her in surprise before turning his attention to the obviously angry man she had just referred to so familiarly. Now he remembered him. He was one of the guys with Urameshi. As a matter of fact, he was the one who had interrupted them when … a slight blush rose on his cheeks and he glanced at Kagome again. His gaze dropped to her lips and he simply stood there staring for a minute.

(Why is it that ningen have no sense of self-preservation? He’s a dead man.)

Kagome didn’t need to be able to read Hiei’s mind to know what he was thinking. He narrowed his eyes at her when she touched his arm and stroked it lightly with her thumb in an attempt to placate him. “What did you want to talk to me about, Hojo-kun?”

Hojo blinked and shook his head slightly as if coming out of a daze. Still staring at her face, he seemed to have completely forgotten Hiei’s presence. “You’re looking very well, Higur- uh, Kagome-chan. No! I mean Higurashi-san!” he corrected himself with a frown. He realized he was forgetting what he had meant to say, but the sight of her was affecting him more than he could ever remember it doing before.

“The air at your cousins’ house must be having a very therapeutic effect on your health.” Was her skin glowing? His fingers itched with the urge to touch it to see how soft it was.

“Her health is fine,” Hiei snapped at him. “But she’s hungry and you are keeping her from her lunch.” He ignored the pinch on his arm and didn’t bother to look over to see how red her face probably was.

Hojo stammered out an apology, which she brushed aside as politely as she could.

“Come on,” Hiei turned her back toward the door, “you don’t want to keep your friends waiting.”

“Wait!” Hojo yelled. “I … I really must talk to you first. It’s very important.”

Her forehead creased in concern as she saw how anxious he was. “What is it?”

“It really is a very private matter,” he said, glancing at Hiei.

“All right. Please, just give us a moment, okay, Hiei?” she asked.

“Hn.” He stepped back exactly two steps and crossed his arms over his chest.

Hojo still wasn’t sure who this guy was to Kagome that he was acting so protective of her, but he decided he needed to get this over with. With his eyes on the ground, he told her in a very low voice, “I don’t really know quite how to say this. I know that for a long time now, there has been an understanding of sorts between us, although we have never made specific plans for our future. And I realize this makes me the worst kind of heel, but during your recent long absence, I have been doing a lot of thinking. This is no reflection on you or your ability to be a very suitable wife for someone,” he tried to assure her, “but rather, as my own plans have changed somewhat, I fear that I would not be a suitable husband for you.

With your various health concerns, you will need someone who will be in a position to provide you with all of the special healthcare you will need. Unfortunately, I feel I must use my talents to the best of my abilities and so I have decided to become an accountant. It would be unfair of me to drag you even further into the city while I am pursuing my studies and I cannot ask you to wait until they are done and I am established.”

He took a deep breath and lifted his eyes to look at her. “I am not going to lie to you, either, that my motives are completely altruistic. The truth is that while I was making my decision, I discovered that someone we both know is also planning to follow the same career route and I feel that we may be better suited to one another.”

Kagome didn’t know whether to be shocked that he thought they had an “understanding” to get married, relieved that he was “breaking up with her,” or amused that he had finally noticed Ayumi after she had been trying to point him in that direction for so long. So, she answered him with a slow smile, “I think you are quite right, and that you and Ayumi-chan would be very well-suited. Please don’t worry about me. I will be fine.”

With a very relieved expression on his face, Hojo was quick to suggest, “Perhaps you will meet a doctor or a pharmacist who does not have a previous attachment. Or a widower who will have more time on his hands and be willing to move out of the city.”

She nearly choked trying to contain her laughter. (Or an irritable youkai.) “Perhaps. Do you want to join us for lunch? That way you can talk to Ayumi-chan when we are done.”

He nodded and started to follow her into the restaurant.

Hiei just stood there for a minute. (Did that idiot just break off his non-existent relationship with her?!!?) And he had thought Kuwabara was stupid. Of course, in this case, it saved him from having to find a place to hide the body. So, he stepped in between them and went inside.

When a table with three girls came into view and they began squealing Kagome’s name, Hiei closed his eyes in annoyance. Those were her friends? He had to remind himself that you couldn’t judge someone by the company they keep--after all, look who his closest companions were. But the look he gave her made her giggle anyway. He was surprised after the greetings died down when Kagome said, “I’d like for you to meet someone very important to me.” He hadn’t given a thought to how she would introduce him. Under the circumstances, he had planned to just stay in the background. It felt good to know that she really wanted her friends to meet him, even though he would prefer to be tied down and stung by those saimyousho she had told him about.

So, after they had all said hello and given him the once-over twice, he nodded at Hojo and announced that they would leave the ladies to their talk. It certainly wasn’t that he wanted the fool’s company, but he wasn’t going to leave him to sit there and stare at Kagome despite his decision that he and the other girl were “better-suited.” Leading the other man over to the bar, he ordered them both a beer and settled down to keep an eye on his wife.

To his continued annoyance, Hojo seemed determined to talk to him. Apparently, he had not picked up on Kagome’s meaning when she had introduced him because he went on and on about how difficult it was to have to let a girl down like that. Draining his beer, Hiei signaled for two more. When the second one was set before him and he saw that Hiei was finished with his, Hojo quickly drank his down. It would be both impolite and unmanly to let his drink sit there. And so it went for the next hour until Hojo fell out of his chair. Hiei merely lifted a brow at him as he laughingly got up and sat back down.

(How much longer will she want to stay here?) They had already finished eating. He knew he had been the one to insist that she should spend some time with her friends if she wanted to, but damn, there just had to be a way for her to do that without him having to sit here twiddling his thumbs while this stiff-collared buffoon ran off at the mouth about his plans to be a successful accountant. So, he did what he could to amuse himself and ordered two more beers.

By the time Kagome and the others were ready to go, Ayumi and Eri had to help Hojo out of the restaurant. At first, she seemed shocked to see Hojo in such a condition, but as they walked back to the shrine, Hiei could feel the suspicious looks she was giving him. He ignored them. Was it his fault the ningen couldn’t hold his beer?

That evening, after everyone was back at the house, they had a late meal together. There was lots of loud talk and laughter as tales of the adventures in Kyoto were bandied about. Daitano, Eishumaru, and Sassouta were all happy to note that Kagome seemed to be in much better spirits after her visit with their grandmother. They still hoped to be able to completely take away the hurt inflicted on her by the aura examinations by proving that Ginjiro was not Sesshoumaru’s, but it would probably be a few days yet before the others returned from the Makai, and they had no guarantee of what they would find out.

Since they had all taken the last couple of days off, everyone agreed that they should be ready to hit the training hard tomorrow. That was fine with Hiei. The sooner everyone else went to bed, the sooner he could join Kagome in hers.

The Spirit Detectives all stayed downstairs for a bit to give the family a chance to talk. It also gave them a chance to go over everything they knew, everything they suspected, and everything that was being checked out. While the question of Ginjiro’s paternity had become important and was another concern for the Reikai, it was a separate issue from the ones they had been assigned to take care of originally. And time was running out on part of their assignment, and it was making the other part more important than ever. They needed to discover once and for all who was behind the murders of the three taiyoukai.

Once the boys were in the Makai, it would be time for Kagome to face the music. The Reikai would be besieged by cries for her head both from those who legitimately believed in her guilt and from those who felt displaced by her sons. And while they could stall for a while under the pretext of investigating the matter, she would be in a great deal of danger from vigilantes and assassins. Kuwabara spoke up to remind them that she might be in danger from the real killer, too, and for once, Hiei was glad he was so bull-headed.

They were all feeling frustrated about the lack of news about Moryomaru, Byakuya, and the two ookami guards. Koenma hadn’t been able to find out anything new from the soul of the guard who had died, nor had he been able to connect him to any of the others. Yusuke grumbled again about having to wait for other people to track down the suspects. Hiei couldn’t help but privately agree. He caught Yusuke’s eye and a look of understanding passed between them. If something didn’t break soon, the two of them were going hunting.

When they decided to call it a night, they headed up the stairs. Kurama frowned as he walked next to Hiei. There was a distinct smell of gardenias about him. It didn’t take much to discern that it was a manufactured scent, but it was disturbing nonetheless. “Have you become so enamored of our charming widow that you have taken to bathing yourself in her scent?”

With a cold stare, the apparition retorted, “I prefer to be clean, even when the soap available at the shrine is better-suited to the females who purchase such things. I notice your own scent seems to be more covered by your soaps than usual. Did your weekend’s activities require more than the usual scrubbing?”

“Touché!” Youko purred. “You really are quite testy when we mention her. Did you enjoy following her around for two days like her personal lapdog?”

He was disconcerted when all Hiei did was give him a slight smile before continuing on up the stairs. “That just doesn’t look good on him. Nasty little bugger. He’s just trying to get our goat.”

Kurama stood there and watched until Hiei disappeared around the corner. “And he’s doing a damn good job of it. You just couldn’t resist baiting him, could you?”

“If I hadn’t, you would have. You know you were every bit as curious, and annoyed, as I was to find him wearing her scent,” Youko said.

“No, I am just annoyed that we are not. Being the bait at my step-brother’s party so everyone got laid was not a productive use of my talents. And the aphrodisiac in that bracelet must be a lot weaker than I thought,” Kurama complained.

Youko laughed, “And you were so hesitant to use it in the first place. You are learning that sometimes we have to employ every weapon in our arsenal. I must confess, the twins were not as much fun as I thought they would be. Ningen women simply fall prey to our seduction too easily. And they aren’t as sturdy as a demoness, like Kagura. The victory is so much sweeter when the battle is hard-fought. That’s why our pursuit of Kagome is so intriguing. If we had followed through our questioning of her to its logical conclusion when we had her tied to that tree and had her already, she wouldn’t be nearly so appealing.”

“And we might have already had the answers we are still seeking. Unfortunately, I don’t believe our teammates will stand by while we try again, and she is being amazingly resistant to our charms and other persuasions.”

“She is focused on her sons, and her devotion is prodigious. I’ve had less trouble seducing a koorime.”

Kurama had to stifle a laugh. “We’ll let that be our little secret. I’d rather not have Hiei breathing down my neck every time Yukina is around.”

“He’s too short to breathe down our neck, Red. The spot he’d be breathing on is closer to …”

“Go to sleep, Youko.”

The next few days went fairly smoothly with everyone going all-out from morning to night. In spite of the fact that Hiei found out Kagome wasn’t kidding about her hormones, which led to one risky daytime encounter in the library, they were able to keep things under wraps due to the general exhaustion and distraction of the others. It also helped that Yusuke kept sending Kurama to the Reikai to pester Koenma to jump on Jin, Touya, Chuu, Rinku, and Shishi to get some results.

While Chuu and Rinku weren’t having any luck locating Moryomaru, Shishi found Ginta’s cousin, Tadashi. And he promptly marked him off their list of suspects after some questioning. Shishi said there was no way he had been involved in Kouga’s death, and as far as he could tell, he had never had any contact with Princess Ayame, the miko Kikyou, Kagura, Byakuya or Moryomaru. He did know where Shishi could find Tomi, though, and he was on his way there now. And Touya and Jin had finally caught sight of Byakuya--coming out of the Western lands. They were trying to catch up to him, but he seemed to be aware he was being followed and he kept giving them the slip. But Jin was confident they would have him soon. So at least some progress was being made.

Kagome’s sons were unhappy with the continued absence of Jaken, Myouga, Master Zhang and the others. It seemed likely to be an indication that they were not having any luck finding any news that the Great Dog General had sired another son. Kuwabara and Yusuke tried to keep their spirits up, but even Shippou seemed to be taking a grim view of things. The sad thing was that it fell to Kagome to tell them to stop worrying about it.

Hiei was glad to see that she really wasn’t letting it get her down. He didn’t know if it had anything to do with getting married and focusing on the future, but he wanted to think it did. As he looked at her peacefully-sleeping features, he decided against asking her about it. He would just accept it as the blessing it was. But, he still needed to wake her up, and she hadn’t wanted to get up the last two mornings. Small wonder with the way her engine was running. He smirked at the thought.

He nudged her and whispered, “Kagome.”

She groaned and turned on her side away from him and hunkered down in the pillow. He shook her shoulder. “It’s almost morning. I have to go.”

She mumbled something incoherent and turned back over and cracked open an eye to look at him. Then a frown creased her forehead and she rolled out of the bed and made her way quickly to the bathroom without a word. Hiei was surprised at how fast she had gotten up and a little disgruntled that she hadn’t greeted him until he heard the distinct sounds of her getting sick.

He went after her to see if she was all right and found her rinsing her mouth out at the sink. She was unnaturally pale and she was hanging on to the sink for support. Since she didn’t look like she was going to throw up again, he picked her up and took her back to the bed. He frowned down at her when she just put a hand to her stomach and closed her eyes. “You said you didn’t get sick,” he accused her.

“So sue me,” she said with a shaky little laugh. Then she groaned softly and turned on her side and curled up into a ball.

This was completely outside his realm of experience. For a brief second, he had been afraid she had been poisoned. Even knowing she hadn’t, and that this wasn’t an unusual side effect of pregnancy, he didn’t like it. It made him feel useless. And it bothered him that she was sick now when she hadn’t been with her previous pregnancies.

Opening her eyes, Kagome saw the concerned look on his face, but it was mixed with something else. Guilt? “Hiei, this is normal,” she assured him.

“Not for you,” he pointed out.

“I’ve never had twins before,” she reminded him. “It makes sense that any little side effects would be more intense.” She suddenly clamped her hand over her mouth and got up to run to the bathroom again.

Hiei gritted his teeth as he followed her again. This was a little side effect? She was ill! And when she finally moved to rinse her mouth at the sink again, she looked weak and shaky. So, when she turned to him and said, “You’d better go. Everyone will be getting up,” he stared at her in disbelief.

Picking her up again, he asked, “You expect me to just leave you here like this?”

She blinked at him in surprise. “You have to. And I’ll be fine. As a matter of fact, I need to get ready, too, you know.”

The onna was out of her mind. “I hope you don’t think you’re going out to train with everyone.”

“It would be a little suspicious if I didn’t.”

“And you emptying the contents of your stomach on their feet won’t be?”

She started giggling. “I promise not to throw up on anyone. Really, I’m feeling better now.”

“You don’t look better,” he told her bluntly. She was still far too pale--even her lips had lost their color.

“Thank you very much. Tact isn’t your strong suit, is it?” she frowned at him, then closed her eyes against another wave of queasiness. Thankfully, it was a lot less intense than the earlier ones.

As he laid her back down on the bed, he tried to think of an excuse he could give the others for her not joining them and for him staying at the house. But she reached out for the new jar of oil she had made and handed it to him. “Trust me, I’ll be fine. I really don’t think I’m going to throw up anymore and the queasiness should pass soon.” (I think.) Then she released the barrier on the room.

Hiei didn’t like having his decisions made for him, and he was tempted to stand right there in the buff until her sons or Shippou came looking for her. So he made no attempt to hide his displeasure with her when he slammed the jar back onto the little table and pulled his pants on. “You will stay here.”

He was beyond irritated when she came down the stairs before he had left the house. She was not a very obedient wife. Some of her color had come back, but she still looked like she wasn’t feeling well. And he wasn’t the only one who noticed. Eishumaru mentioned it first, and his brothers agreed. She told them she hadn’t slept well and was just tired. They seemed to buy that, but Shippou had insisted on taking her back to the house to rest after they went through their Tai Chi routine.

By lunchtime, she seemed fine, and she didn’t have any other problems the rest of the day. But when the next morning found her running for the bathroom again, Hiei put his foot down. He told her he wasn’t going to wake her up so early anymore and that she needed her sleep, anyway, with how late she was keeping him up. She failed to see the humor of that, but was feeling too bad to argue with him.

When she didn’t show up that morning, which worried Hiei even though he had told her not to, Daitano had gone to check on her. Apparently, she had managed to get herself dressed and had told him she had lost track of time meditating. She had also told him that she would be changing her routine to spend her mornings in private meditation. It was clear that he was suspicious about why she would be changing her routine, but from what Hiei could overhear of his conversation with his brothers, none of them could come up with a reason other than she was trying to show her faith in them by leaving them to their training on their own. She felt ashamed when he told her that, but it made her glad it had worked out this way.

Two more days went by with no word from the Makai. With Kagome staying at the house to ‘meditate’ in the mornings, the detectives had agreed to take turns staying there, too. While Hiei would have preferred to be the one to do it all the time, he knew he couldn’t offer to and at least this way he would be able to stay with her every few days. Her sickness seemed to be confined to the morning hours and she always seemed perfectly fine when she greeted them for lunch.

They were straggling in for lunch, as usual, from different areas of the estate where they had broken up into groups to work on different skills when they saw Yusuke waving his arms at them in urgent summons. Speeding up to see what was going on, the other three detectives and Kagome’s sons all reached him within seconds of each other. “Koenma just contacted me--Jin and Touya just crossed into the Ningenkai following Byakuya!”

Glancing around, Hiei turned to Yusuke and asked sharply, “Where is Kagome?”

“Shippou wanted to talk to her, and they just walked around the corner of the house right before you got here,” the toushin told him.

“Impossible!” Sassouta yelled. “Shippou was sparring with me on the beach and he stayed behind to check out a boat that was cruising the nearby waters a bit too closely.”

They all took off as quickly as they could. When they rounded the corner, they saw a tall man with his long, red hair tied back at the nape of his neck walking with his arm around Kagome. “It is Shippou,” Sassouta said, stopping in surprise. “That’s what he was wearing.”

“No, it’s not!” Kuwabara declared. “His energy feels wrong.”

The sound of running feet had Kagome and the man turning to look at the approaching group. “It appears my little ruse has been discovered,” the imposter said with a smile as he regained his own appearance. “Come.” And pulling an origami crane out of a pocket, he grabbed Kagome and they were both borne up atop the paper bird as it transformed and grew in size.

Kagome stared at Byakuya in shock. It had been so long since she had seen him. (Why is he here? What does he want with me?) He had always been loyal to Naraku, but she had thought it was more a matter of him just wanting to stay alive than out of any real feeling for him. (He could have come after me any time after Kouga was killed--why now?)

The illusionist took her hand and smiled playfully at her, “You are surprised to see me? Don’t worry, dear lady. You have nothing to fear from me. Rest assured, you hold a very special place in my heart. In fact, I have something for you.”

Hiei had made it to the spot where they had been standing just a split-second before and he cursed the speed of their getaway. Leaping to the roof of the house, he tried to figure out the best way to get Kagome away from him without endangering her. Yusuke landed beside him, cursing himself for being fooled by Byakuya’s illusion. But before they could even come up with a plan of attack, he heard the youkai yell, “Catch!” and he leapt up to intercept the woman who was falling through the air.

“Shit!”

“Kaa-san!”

“Is she okay?”

Hiei was hard-pressed to let go of her after his feet touched the ground, and her stunned expression wasn’t reassuring. He couldn’t restrain the growl that rumbled in his throat when Sassouta started to take her out of his arms. The noise brought Kagome’s attention to him and she touched his chest gently. “I’m fine,” she said, looking into his eyes earnestly, then she turned to her son and added, “Truly.”

Hiei released her and stepped back, clenching his fists. The brief exchange between the two went unnoticed, for the most part, in the hubbub and anxiety over her safety. But besides Sassouta, who was nearest them, one other set of eyes caught it.

“Damn it! He’s getting away!” Yusuke complained.

“It’s all right,” Kagome told him. “We don’t have to worry about him.”

“What the hell are you talking about?!!?”

“He came to give me these,” she opened a hand to reveal a small origami dog and a slightly crushed lotus blossom. “He said his gift to me was the Son of the West and his wish that I will live in peace.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Yusuke asked.

“I believe that is his way of saying he was hired to kill Eishumaru, but that he won’t,” Kurama said slowly. Looking pointedly at Kagome, he continued, “He admires you, and perhaps feels in your debt, doesn’t he?”

She nodded. “With Naraku gone, he was free.”

“Then why did he just toss you off of that bird-thing?” Kuwabara asked angrily. “He could have killed you.”

She smiled at him and answered, “I suppose he thought with all of you here, someone would catch me. Thank you, Hiei.”

“Damn, foolish onna,” Hiei muttered.

“And that’s it? We just let him go?” Kuwabara looked at the others.

“Well,” Yusuke scratched his head, “that does kinda answer our questions about him.”

“And it tells us something else,” Kurama said, looking at Eishumaru. “The fact that someone in the Western lands hired Byakuya to kill you means Lord Torao knows about you and he’s trying to get rid of you before you make a formal challenge.”

“Well then, I guess the time has come,” he looked at his brothers.

They both nodded. “As soon as our friends return from the Makai, we will have to send them right back to alert our allies. Even if the matter with Ginjiro is not resolved, we must issue our challenges. And it is sure to be a war for the Western lands,” Daitano said gravely.

They all stood there in silence for a moment before Kagome told them if they were going to be discussing strategies, they may as well do it on full stomachs. So they went into the house. As they sat down to eat, Yusuke mused aloud, “I wonder where Jin and Touya are?”

It wasn’t long before they found out. Shippou and the two in question came rushing into the house to see if everyone was all right and Kagome spent a little time patching them up. As they were following Byakuya, the two ex-mercenaries witnessed his transformation into Shippou’s likeness. But neither of them saw Shippou in the area, where Byakuya had spied him and copied his clothing. No sooner had the assassin slipped from their sight than they came upon the real Shippou and a fight ensued as they tried to capture him. It didn’t take long for them to realize the mistake, and then they had hurried to find out what Byakuya was up to.

“Shippou did that to both of you?” Yusuke laughed as he watched Kagome heal some long, deep gashes on Jin’s torso.

The kitsune grinned wickedly, “I thought they were here to attack my den and my family. You don’t corner a kitsune on his own turf.”

“Indeed,” Kurama agreed.

After the two ‘visitors’ left, the rest of the day was spent discussing exactly what needed to be accomplished, and in what order, and who could be counted on to stand with them when Eishumaru went into battle. In light of the assassination effort, none of them even considered the possibility of his challenge being accepted. And with the questions surrounding Ginjiro’s paternity, they had no idea what would become of the deal Kagura had proposed concerning Daitano’s challenge to Lord Tobikuma. So, it was decided that Daitano would make his bid for the Eastern lands before their allies assembled so they would not drain their loyalties with that fight.

The situation in the Northern lands was troublesome. Kagome thought she should talk to Lord Yemon to formally decline his suit before Sassouta issued his challenge, but her sons insisted that the challenge would speak for her. Hiei was inclined to agree with them, and he didn’t want her to have any further contact with the ookami lord, anyway. He was exasperated by her feelings of obligation and politeness, especially after the threats the wolf had made regarding siding with the nekos. When Kurama mentioned the possibility of it becoming a two-front war, Kagome gave in. She didn’t want to give Yemon any earlier notice than they had to so he could use it to improve his position against them.

With their final plans laid, all they had to do now was wait, and hopefully, not for long. The atmosphere was thick with tension and anticipation and no one ate much that evening. Much to their relief, their friends returned later that night.

The news they brought was disheartening, though. Jaken refused to even speak of it, so it fell to Master Zhang to tell them that no one in the inu community had ever heard that the Great Dog General had any sons other than Sesshoumaru and the hanyou Inuyasha. Jaken had insisted they visit every elder inu youkai he could think of, taking them far across the Makai. But the news was the same everywhere, and after squawking that it was all some kind of plot to tarnish his lord’s honor, he had fallen silent.

Kagome thanked them for their persistence and tried to assure Jaken and her sons that it didn’t matter--that she was still sure there was another explanation for the aura examination results. She wanted to put up a brave front for them, but the truth was that she was feeling overwhelmed by everything that had happened recently and the fact that the fighting was finally at hand, and she just wanted to escape to her room. Her head was starting to hurt and her stomach was feeling a little queasy. When she closed her eyes to take a few deep breaths, Hiei was ready to sweep her up and take her away, but Shippou beat him to it.

“I think it would be a good idea for you to go on to bed, Kagome,” Shippou said quietly, meeting Daitano’s eyes with a stern look.

“Yes, okaa-san,” he agreed, looking around the room and glaring at the others. (Damn it! All this talk about Sesshoumaru otou-san is just upsetting her, and she doesn’t need to have to be keeping our spirits up on top of everything else. She’s going to be worried enough about the fighting, and I know she has to be thinking about how it came to this in the first place.) “You should go get some sleep. There’s nothing else to be done until the morning, anyway.”

“All right,” she said, almost sighing in relief. Shippou helped her to her feet from the chair she was sitting in and she went to hug each of her sons. “You should try to get some sleep, too.”

“We will, kaa-chan. Don’t worry about us--there aren’t any females here to keep us up,” Eishumaru teased her.

The fact that she had given in so quickly was telling, and all three of her sons were concerned that the events of the next two weeks were going to be a serious strain on her. They watched as Shippou walked up the stairs with her. He had seen the gleam in Kurama’s eyes and had guessed his intent to offer his services, so he had quickly insinuated himself at Kagome’s side to do the honors himself. She didn’t need to deal with the avatar’s advances right now.

Although he was glad she was going on up to lie down--and for the kitsune’s maneuverings keeping Kurama away from her--Hiei was anxious to be able to check on her himself. Whether these fools went to bed soon or not, he wouldn’t wait long before slipping away to be with her. So, when the boys and the retainers headed up and Kuwabara joined them, Hiei made his escape.

A few minutes later, Shippou came back downstairs and approached Kurama. “Don’t you think this has gone on long enough?”

“What’s this? He’s going to confront us?” Youko asked in disbelief.

“He’s still riled up from earlier today--being jumped by Jin and Touya, then finding out Byakuya had assumed his form to get to Kagome. Obviously, he needs to blow off some steam.”

The avatar merely lifted a brow at him in response.

“This little game you are playing with Kagome is growing tiresome.”

“I don’t waste my time playing games,” he replied curtly.

“No?” Shippou circled him, raising his hackles. “Then what do you call it? You are not looking for a mate, and even if you were, you wouldn’t be looking at her. She’s not a fool--she knows that. You were assigned by the Reikai to guard her sons until they make their challenges.”

“He may need to blow off some steam, but he picked the wrong way to do it. ”

Kurama stepped into the other kitsune’s path, eyes flashing from green to gold, causing Shippou to stop in his tracks. “I may not be looking for a mate, but that doesn’t mean I am opposed to taking a beautiful woman to my bed. I was also assigned to discover whether or not she is guilty of the murders of three taiyoukai. Let me assure you I will do so.”

Yusuke sat up when he heard the tone of Kurama’s voice change.

“You have been helping her sons train and they say you are going to stand with them. Eishumaru, in particular, seems to hold you in high regard. You’ve very clever, setting yourself up as his mentor in his quest for Shizuru’s affections as well as in his training with the whip. He was indeed appreciative of your advice in the selection of that necklace for her. But you can’t possibly believe he would look the other way if you were to seduce his mother solely for the purpose of determining her guilt or even just to satisfy your curiosity about her. Then again, I don’t suppose that matters to you, does it?” Shippou accused him.

Kurama gave him an appraising look and said, “You are feeling guilty because of your failure to protect Kagome today. And you are jealous of Eishumaru’s regard for me. But your biggest fear is that you won’t be able to keep her out of my bed. You’d like to keep her and her sons all to yourself, wouldn’t you? You said they were your family and this is your den. But she isn’t the innocent, virgin saint you’d like for her to be, is she? Your goddess is flawed, and maybe you’re afraid to find out just how flawed she really is.”

When Shippou tensed and a blue flame started to gather around his clenched fists, Yusuke knew this was getting way out of hand. He jumped up and stepped between the two kitsune. “I think we are all tired and feeling out of sorts after what happened today with Byakuya. It was my fault more than anyone’s that he was able to get his hands on her. But it turned out all right and we need to move on. There’s no need for the two of you to get into a pissing contest now.”

Taking a deep breath, Shippou visibly calmed. “Fine, as long as we make one thing clear,” he glared at Kurama, “Kagome is off limits to you. I have absolutely no doubts about her innocence, and I won’t stand by and watch you use her for your own amusement or under the pretense of doing your duty for the Reikai.”

“You may consider her family, but you have no authority to make demands concerning her. I made it quite plain what I was offering her and if she seeks her pleasure with me, you have no choice but to ‘stand by and watch.’ And if I find out she killed her mates, you will ‘stand by and watch’ while I escort her to her execution.”

“Kurama!” Yusuke yelled in frustration.

“I thought you understood kitsune ways,” Shippou sneered at him. “Obviously, you have spent too much time in that human frame. Do not underestimate my sincerity in this matter.”

Red hair becoming streaked with silver, Kurama replied menacingly, “And obviously you forget who you are talking to. Do not let my human appearance fool you, and do not underestimate me.”

“Shit! Don’t make me remind both of you of what blood flows through my veins,” Yusuke warned. “We don’t need this kind of shit right now. So put them back in your pants and stay away from each other. You!” he pointed at Kurama, “You know she’s not the only suspect we’re looking into, so stop making him think we’re going to railroad her into a noose. And you!” he turned and pointed at Shippou, “Kagome is a big girl. If she decides to sleep with someone, she’s gonna and you can’t do anything about it. And with her looks, he’s not the only guy that’s gonna want to get in her pants, so you’d better get used to it. We’re doing our job the best way we can, considering how tied our hands are by the circumstances, and we’re going to find out the truth. If she’s innocent, then you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

The three of them stood there glaring at each other for a few minutes, then Shippou turned and walked away. As Kurama’s hair returned to red and his eyes to green, Yusuke frowned and shook his head at him. “Can’t you just give up chasing her? It would make things easier.”

With a smile, Kurama informed him, “A kitsune never gives up something he wants unless he is forced to concede. And he is in no position to force me to do anything.” Then he turned and walked off in the direction of the library.

Hiei was roused from a sound sleep by an urgent summons. “Hiei! Quick! Get Yusuke and Kuwabara!” Kurama groaned in his head.

“Kurama? What’s going on?” Hiei opened his eyes and blinked away the last vestiges of sleep.

“We’ve got to take her in--she just tried to kill me.”

That got Hiei’s full attention and he bolted upright. “Who tried to kill you?”

“Kagome, damn it! Hurry, I think she’s making a run for it!”

Looking down at the woman sleeping beside him, Hiei knew one thing for sure: if someone had just tried to kill Kurama, it sure as hell wasn’t her.

“Kagome,” he shook her shoulder gently, “you’ve got to release the barrier--someone attacked Kurama.”

“What?” she said, waking instantly. But as she touched the wall and the barrier dissipated, Hiei was already at the door, buckling his pants. “Stay here and put the barrier back up.” Then he was gone.

Racing downstairs, he found the fox leaning against the wall next to the door, which was hanging open, pressing a bloody towel to his chest. “What happened?”

“My wine was poisoned. By the time I realized it, it was already starting to take effect. Then she showed up and stabbed me,” he removed the towel, revealing about 6 different puncture wounds. “I threw her off and she ran. I started to follow her, but I needed to counteract the poison. Where are the others?”

“Right here!” Yusuke said, running up to them with Kuwabara close behind. “What the hell is this about you being attacked?”

He filled them in on the poisoning and stabbing as they went outside while Hiei uncovered the Jagan and scanned the area. “There is no one else here,” he frowned. “She’s already gone.”

“We’re going to have to take the boys into the Reikai to question them,” Kurama said, turning back to the house.

Kuwabara put a hand on his shoulder, “Question the boys? Why?”

“To see where she would have gone.”

“Wait a minute,” Yusuke said. “She who? And why would they know?”

In a solemn voice, Kurama told him, “Kagome was the one who attacked me.”

“WHAT?!!?”

“No way!”

“It wasn’t her,” Hiei said quietly.

The avatar whipped around to face him. “I saw her. I threw her off of me while she was plunging a dagger in my chest. She was even wearing her priestess robes.”

“It wasn’t her.”

They stared at each other for a long moment before Kurama shook his head slightly and muttered, “Shit, I don’t believe it,” causing Yusuke and Kuwabara’s eyes to bug out at the uncharacteristic swearing. Then he spit out, “How long?”

Hiei just stood there with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He didn’t blink when Kurama stalked over to him and leaned down to take an obvious sniff. Narrowing his eyes and getting right in his face, he demanded again, “How long?”

“Does it matter?”

“What the hell are you two talking about?” Yusuke wanted to know.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Kurama straightened up but maintained eye contact with the apparition. “He’s fucking her.”
----------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------End Chapter 15



The Rokuyo are a series of 6 days on the Japanese calendar that tell whether a certain day can be counted on for good fortune or bad fortune. They are mostly used when planning weddings or funerals. They are: sensho, tomobiki, senbu, butsumetsu, taian, and shakko. Taian is considered the most auspicious day for weddings, while butsumetsu, which symbolizes the day Buddha died, is considered the most unlucky. And funerals would not be held on tomobiki because it means “gathering friends” and you would not want to gather your friends to follow the dead to the grave.

I know there were a lot of Japanese terms in this chapter for the wedding and wedding clothing. I tried to explain or describe what everything was in the text, so I hope I was clear enough. I had Kagome's mother get her a blue kakeshita to wear as part of her wedding outfit because it is tradition to wear blue if you have been married before, and while she hadn't been married, she had been bonded to her previous mates.

Long A/N: Well, there you have it. Personally, I’m still not sure how I feel about this one. I thought I had finished the chapter a couple of days ago, but I ended up going in and adding a couple of scenes. I don’t think I’ve ever written a chapter that focused so much on one aspect of the story. I would have liked to put more of the intrigue in it, but several of the “relationships” needed to move in different directions. So, it’s heavy on the major “love story,” with some things going on in some other relationships, too. And if I went on to add more of the other stuff, well, you might not have seen any of it until we’re all old and gray. LOL! For you music lovers, I listened to a lot of stuff while working on this, but I’m only going to mention one song: When Kagome was washing Hiei’s back, I HAD to listen to Shakira’s “Underneath your Clothes.” It fit the mood perfectly. ^_^

I am sorry about the long delay since the last chapter. Just a few days after I put that chapter up, my Grandpa died. And Granny just couldn’t live without him and her health just went downhill until she followed a few months later. In those months, I also lost an uncle and a great-aunt.

But life is never full of just ups or downs, and on the “up” side, my husband and I were able to take our kids to Disney World on our first real family vacation. (All of our previous “vacations” were to visit relatives or attend karate tournaments.) The rest of the summer has been full of baseball, soccer, and football. Guitar lessons and garage band jam sessions involving hordes of boys hanging out here contributed to the general fun and chaos that is my life. I thought I’d get a lot of writing done this summer, and had even hoped to have this whole story wrapped up by now so I could move on to the next one, but with everything going on, I’ve just had trouble getting my motor running.

I also have to mention that my old computer completely crashed and I lost all my documents. The only reason there is a chapter at all at this point is because I had sent what I had written to Ryukotsusei to badger her for an opinion and she was able to send it back to me. And I hate my new computer and Vista. I’m not telling you this because I’m looking for sympathy. I just wanted to let you know that I didn’t abandon the story, and believe me, NO ONE is happier that this chapter is finally out than I am.

Let me assure you again that the story is completely plotted out and will make its way to the computer screen. I’ve gone through and revamped my outlines and it looks like there are only two more chapters to go. (Unless some wayward scenes crop up and it stretches to three. ^_^) So, the next one is going to be a doozy. We’re almost there!

*Hey! I finally got the wedding scene written up that Lady Shieru drew that picture for several months back. It’s in her gallery at Deviant Art if you haven’t seen it.

**Just a heads-up: I will be doing some editing in the next few weeks, so I apologize in advance for the revision alerts you may receive. And I will most likely be putting out a couple of short pieces before the next chapter of BWM.

***I would like to thank each and every person who has taken the time to leave me your thoughts, comments, suggestions, and theories. You all keep me on track and enthused about this story even when writing seems difficult. Thank you so, so much!! Because it’s been so long since the last chapter, and it would take me another couple of hours to type up replies to all the wonderful reviews from it, I’m just going to list the people I am indebted to and beg your forgiveness for not giving you a personal reply. I’m going to try to use the MM email system more in the future so my replies will be more timely, even though when I try to contact people that way my messages often bounce back.

Silvermisttaleweaver, Kawaii-KeKe-Chan, Seiteki_Tenshi, Youkai Goddess, selenitypotter, Crazy Mishka, critical eye, SKnFS, Sabriel8--more than once!, HeartStar, alissa, halfblackwolfdemon, DYquem--more than once!, raincld, Yue no Rei, Vert, TAJE, river, Raeko, Miyoangel113, Megan Consoer, Ryukotsusei--more than once!, confused love, silver_hollows, and Forgotten Vowel. I owe you all my most sincere thanks!! I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know!!

And finally, I would like to thank everyone for supporting this story with your nominations, seconds, and votes at the InuYashaFanguild and the Feudal Association. I am flattered beyond belief and very honored by the awards BWM has been given. Thank you!