Uncharted Territory

by Chiaztolite

Summary:

Sesshōmaru thought he had it all figured out. He did not count on a certain miko returning and awakening that part of him long laid dormant. Suddenly, he had to fight his body’s attraction to her. Is it only physical, or could it be — love?

**1st Place Winner in the 2023 2nd Term Inuyasha Feudal Connection Awards for Best NSFW Fanfiction**
— COMPLETED —

Notes:

• For Chathode (Cherisenae), thetroll, TheLadyPersephone.

This is an idea born from Discord chats, and all of a sudden I ended up with yet another chapter fic.
Credit for title goes to Chathode (Cherisenae).

Enjoy!!

Chapter 1: Awakening

The inu daiyōkai Sesshōmaru had always concerned himself only with his goal of Supreme Conquest. Since he was a young pup, his main objective in life had always been to find the strongest creature, battle it, and triumph.

Distractions had no place in his life.

He was immune to the charms of the opposite sex. Females, pretty or otherwise, did not interest him. When it came to sex, he never found it arousing or necessary. It always seemed so base, messy, and even disgusting to him. An act that should be reserved only for animals, not a higher being such as he.

His motives in life were loftier than slaking his base desires. Too many male daiyōkai had fallen prey to such entrapments. His father, for example, had not been satisfied with one female, thus he took another one, whom he bred and impregnated, resulting in his hanyō half-brother.

Sesshōmaru scoffed inwardly. How ridiculous.

He simply could not understand how a male yōkai at the top of his tier could be brought down so low by something as mundane as the pleasures of the flesh.

This afternoon, Sesshōmaru set out to visit Rin in the village. He was flying, Jaken behind him, following the course of the wind towards his destination. Closer to the village, he saw that said half-brother sitting atop a grassy hill with a familiar-looking woman. She had silky-looking raven hair and eyes the colour of the brilliant cerulean Eastern Seas.

Just thinking about her irked him, somewhat, though for the life of him, he could not determine why. He had thought she was gone forever. She was first swallowed by the Shikon jewels. Then afterwards, Inuyasha mentioned she returned to some strange world from whence she came.

Her disappearance had him relieved, as her presence always perturbed him. It roused strange, inexplicable feelings inside him. Now, seeing her here and back in his vicinity, her sight aggravated him even further.

“Oh, look, Sesshōmaru-sama,” Jaken piped from somewhere along his fur. “It’s Kagome.”

Kagome. He strived to ignore her, keeping his eyes trained on the blue of the ether sprawled before him and the white fluff of clouds dotting his vision. He reminded himself that he had a larger goal to fulfill, a quest he had worked for all his life. He would not let himself be distracted by a pair of eyes that just happened to be pretty.

But. Just as he finished that thought, something unexpected happened to his body. Something he simply could not ignore. It was a perturbing change that set dark claws of disquiet and confusion to grip his heart.

A certain part of his anatomy stirred to life. It had laid soft and flaccid throughout the centuries of his existence, unbothered and uninterested in anyone. Many female demons had tried to tempt and entice him, yet his organ had never stirred.

Now, it was rampant with inexplicable vigour.

He did not understand. Why now?

And… why her?

His body did not care about these musings. It pumped blood to that lump of flesh and made it hard and long. It now roused to attention, swelling to a proportion he had never seen or felt before on himself. He felt the urge to adjust himself and yet he could not possibly do so in such a public setting. 

And that vexing woman, oblivious to the discomfort she was causing this Sesshōmaru, looked up at him with a bright, cheerful smile, and yelled out:

“Onii-san!”

Sesshōmaru was so perturbed by the change in his body that he hardly caught her words. He scowled at her nonetheless.

Looking at her might have been a mistake. That tumescent flesh hardened even more and practically pulsed at the sight of her face, the sound of her voice, and the undeniably mouth-watering scent the breeze carried to his nose.

Suddenly, Sesshōmaru had a sinking feeling that his life was about to change dramatically.

This would not do.

 

 

Chapter 2: Accussation

He went to visit Rin, and his trouble abated — thankfully, because it was straining against his pants and pushing against his armour, which was wholly undignified, and not to mention mighty uncomfortable.

The moment he left the village, he tried his hardest to push all thoughts of that woman out of his head. Several days passed without incident, and his organ returned to its dormant state.

Good. Sesshōmaru could not suppress his sigh of relief. Such distractions were neither required nor desired. He had gone through nearly a millennia with his member lax between his legs, and he preferred to keep it that way.

He was still out of sorts, but he needed to believe things would return to normal before too long. And for a time, it seemed that it would, until one day, he revisited the village. Rin, as a growing girl, always required one paraphernalia or another, and it was part of his duties as her guardian to provide it.

Sesshōmaru was on his way to deliver the package when not even two steps passed the village gate, he encountered her.  

The miko was walking towards him with an empty basket in hand. Her face broke into a bright smile when she saw him, her blue eyes shining with the inner light she seemed to hold within her soul.

“Hello, Sesshōmaru,” she greeted and stopped close enough for him to smell her scent, which he had come to associate with a field of wildflowers on a sunny day.

And suddenly, without warning, that errant part of him began to grow.

Sesshōmaru was so stunned that he could not utter even one word to the miko. She looked at him strangely before lifting her shoulder into a casual shrug and proceeded on her way, leaving him standing in the middle of the village dirt road feeling out of sorts.

He clenched his jaws and balled his fists.

This will not do.

Sesshōmaru turned around and followed the traces of the miko.

He found her picking fruits at the orchard just outside the village. She was humming an unfamiliar tune, but the melody coming from her caressed his ears nonetheless.

He stopped at a distance behind her and extended his yōki in greeting.

“Miko,” he said. “This Sesshōmaru needs to discuss a matter with you.”

The miko glanced at him over her shoulder but did not stop her task. She stood on her tippy-toes, an arm extended above her head to reach a ripe persimmon on a branch higher up. Her back arched gracefully, pushing her bottom out in a pose that he deemed not altogether innocent, especially for a priestess who was supposed to be the paragon of virtue to the villagers.

“Hm. As you can see, I’m a bit busy,” she said. “Is it a big deal?”

Big… His forehead furrowed into a thin frown.

“Define ‘big’,” he demanded.

The woman finally turned to him, a persimmon in hand. Her eyes widened slightly.

“You know,” she said. “Is it important?”

His gaze narrowed on her. Would he seek her out if he did not think the matter was important?

“It is certainly more important than persimmons,” he replied testily. After a few beats of hesitation, he added: “And… it is not small.”

Her blue eyes flashed with surprise, but her scent was pure confusion. She placed her basket, halfway filled with persimmons, on the ground.

“Well, alright,” she conceded. “Have it out, then.”

His frown deepened. What strange phrasing she had, but he chose to ignore it.

“Some strange things have been happening to this one,” he said and paused briefly. “And he believes you to be the cause of it.”

The miko jerked back as though taken aback.

“Strange things? Me?” She repeated, her tone rife with disbelief. “What have I done? We hardly ever see each other!”

Sesshōmaru’s lips pursed into a thin line.

“Since this Sesshōmaru saw you on the hill with Inuyasha, he could scarcely stop thinking about you,” he said. “His mind is filled with visions of you. Your scent was the only one he could smell. The blue skies and the sight of the ocean brought memories of your eyes. Nary a day would pass without him thinking about you. The swords have lost their gleam, and important issues of the lands ceased to matter. Other goals no longer hold their appeal, not even the one which has held him captivated for nearly a millennia.”

She gaped at him as though he had spouted some insanity. Not that he could blame her.

“Uhh… Sesshōmaru. I had… no idea I have this much effect on you…” She stammered.

“There is only one explanation for this, Miko,” Sesshōmaru continued.

“Which is…?”

He gazed at her gravely. “You must have ensorcelled me somehow, Miko. Put my body and soul under a strange spell.”

Seconds passed with her merely staring at him. Cicadas sang between the trees; the breeze blew, whistling through the leaves. Other than those noises, there was only silence.

“Sesshōmaru,” she said. “I am a priestess, not a sorceress.”

He arched a stubborn, haughty eyebrow at her.

“How else would you explain these phenomenons, other than this Sesshōmaru has fallen under some sort of Miko spell?” He asked. “This one asks you to release him from your enchantments at once.”

The woman dared to laugh, though it was more a helpless chuckle than anything caused by humour.

“But, Sesshōmaru… I have no such power,” she said, opening up two empty hands to show him.

“Hnn. So you say. But there is one more indisputable proof of this sorcery.”

“Uhh… what is that?”

“A certain part of me that had laid dormant throughout my entire life somehow… awakened in your presence, and your presence only.”

His gaze sharpened on her again, narrowing into a pair of golden slits. Even now during their civilized discussion, his member remained hard, straining towards her.

“Coincidence, miko? I think not.”

“I… I—“ The miko stammered. “I don’t understand. What part? And what exactly is it that you want me to do?”

He regarded her solemnly.

“I need you to return it to its previous state.”

 

 

Chapter 3: Assistance

“I need you to return it to its previous state.”

Kagome stared at the male, at his grave, solemn expression, and wondered what precisely the daiyōkai was talking about.

And why she was held responsible for this condition that was ailing him. And… what condition was it that troubled the daiyōkai so? He was usually a calm, composed male. Yet now, he was quite visibly rattled.

She strived to keep her own calm demeanour.  

“If it is something I can help with, I will do to the best of my abilities,” she said.

“Then, come with me,” he said, then began to stroll away from the orchard.

“Sesshōmaru, wait,” she called, lifting one hand to stop him. “Can’t we just do it here?”

“This matter requires the utmost privacy, miko,” he said over his shoulder.

Tentatively, Kagome followed him past the orchard and into the woods. He stopped just before a clearing, in a spot where their conversation would not be disturbed by passing villagers.

Her jaw dropped when he began to undo the knot of his sash and then the fastenings of his armour, taking it apart piece by piece and dropping them unceremoniously onto the ground.

“Wait—“ She panicked. “What do you think you are doing??”

He stared at her, bemused. “I am showing you the problem, miko.”

The morbid curiosity inside made her let him continue to undress, removing one article of clothing after the other until finally, he cast off his undergarment, and his organ bobbed free from its confinement under Kagome’s widened eyes.

Oh. Oh, she understood now.

Her cheeks were suddenly hot, and her breath was caught in her throat. Perhaps she should not stare, but she could not drag her eyes away from the vision in front of her.

His penis was a proud tusk. An upright beam. A tall obelisk of stone, it nearly reached his belly button. 

It was also a work of art. A sculptor’s dream. A painter’s canvas as well, if judging from the alluring magenta stripes that decorated the hilt. They drew her eyes there, and now she knew he was thicker at the root.

“Are you able to assist me with this condition?” He asked her.

“I— I …” Kagome sputtered. He couldn’t possibly mean…

She shrank away and leaned her back against the tree. “I don’t know if there’s anything I could—“

“Miko, when I require help, I ask for it,” Sesshōmaru said impatiently. “On many occasions, this one has sought the wisdom of Bokusen-Ō, a two-millennia old magnolia tree spirit. He has also been known to seek his mother on one puzzling and most vexing matter of Meidō Zangetsuha. Now, he seeks your help.”

“I am flattered and honoured to be mentioned in the same sentence as those exalted beings,” Kagome said. “But… I do not feel I am the appropriate person to advise you on… this. Even Inuyasha is perhaps a better—“

Sesshōmaru shook his head, firmly refusing the idea of soliciting his half-brother for help.

“Is this an illness? Some sort of ailment?” He asked. After a brief thought, his brows knitted into a thunderous frown. “Or perhaps a curse cast by an unknown enemy causing it to stiffen so obscenely?”

“No, no,” Kagome said in a hurry. “It’s not an illness, ailment, or curse. It’s—“ She paused for a moment. “Well, it’s biology, really.”

That explanation did not reassure him in the slightest. “What is biology?”

“It is a study of living things and how the body works,” Kagome explained, keeping to the basics. “Sesshōmaru. What is happening to you… is actually very natural.”

“Natural?” Sesshōmaru repeated. “Hnn. Impossible. If it had been natural, why have I never experienced this before? What is the cause of it? Furthermore, it feels the opposite of natural.”

“Perhaps you can ask the tree spirit or even your mother,” she suggested. “She is bound to know the answer.”

“I will not go to my mother and inquire about such a lewd subject,” he said, affronted.

Kagome bit her lips. “Have you tried—“ She swallowed. “Touching it?”

“As someone who is extremely fastidious with grooming, this one cleans all parts of himself very meticulously, and that includes this highly problematic member we are currently discussing,” he intoned. “Touching is a crucial part of cleansing oneself. In that sense, this one has touched this organ many times.”

“No… not touching in that capacity…” She clears her throat. “I meant… touching it… for pleasure.”

He frowned. “For pleasure?”

“A male organ is usually erect because he is feeling sexually aroused. When he has achieved sufficient stimulation and reached his peak, he will spill his seed, after which the organ will deflate. Touching it for pleasure can provide the stimulation.”

“What an interesting point of view. Such notion had never entered my mind,” he admitted. “What is entailed in this process of stimulation?”

“I suppose… you need to beat it until it falls down exhausted.”

“Beat it?” He repeated, sounding aghast. “Miko, though it may stand tall and proud at the moment, it is truthfully a delicate instrument.”

“No, I didn’t mean—“ Kagome’s blush deepened, and she swallowed. “I meant… Uhh…”

Kagome wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. She made up and down motions with her fist. He followed her movements with interest.

“Kind of like this, you know?” She told him.

The daiyōkai frowned with impatience. “If I had known, I wouldn’t have come to you in the first place, miko,” he said tersely. “Do explain properly.”

Never in her life had Kagome imagined she would be in this situation of having to explain to Sesshōmaru, Inuyasha’s half-brother, what a handjob entailed. But, from Sesshōmaru’s obstinate expression, and the ruddy and angry appearance of his penis, she was not confident she had a way out.

Okay, Kagome, calm down, she told herself. It’s just masturbation, no big deal.

She realized the only way to survive this was to detach herself from the situation and pass on the information with a clinical attitude, and think of this as something she was doing to help Sesshōmaru out of a… tough spot.

“Wrap your thumb and index finger around the base of the shaft,” she instructed. “And then… you can stroke up and down the length, increasing the pressure until you find what feels good. Then, you can add the rest of your fingers and form a fist around yourself. Glide your fist along the length to stimulate the entire shaft.”

He was hesitant as he stared at his erect penis. Tentatively, he touched himself. The moment his fingers grazed his swollen member, eyes widened at the sensation, and she caught a shudder of unexpected pleasure that coursed through him.

Then, suddenly, all the hesitation left him and firmly, he fisted his cock and worked himself from root to tip. An expression of bliss suffused his face. A faint blush coloured his cheeks, and his lips parted to let out a soft, shuddering moan.

Like everything else, he performed this task with the enthusiasm of a general going into battle. Of mastering the arts of the sword. He poured that staunch concentration into pleasuring himself.

For the first time, as Kagome gazed upon the male, she wondered what it would feel like to be the recipient of such singular focus.

The vigorous way he pumped himself took her breath away. She pressed her back against the tree behind her, needing something to ground her to this moment. His hand moved up and down his length with increasing speed. He was becoming slick. The sound of slapping became louder, and Kagome’s cheek heated further as she continued to stare at him, powerless to tear her eyes away.

Because Sesshōmaru in the throes of passion was nothing short of magnificent.

“This is unproductive,” he growled when several minutes passed and nothing happened, except that his member was becoming more flushed and swollen. Clear liquid continued to seep from the slitted crown.

The veins in his hand and forearm stood out in sharp relief against the paleness of his skin. His lips were pulled back into a feral snarl.

Now, Sesshōmaru looked like he was in so much pain.

And Kagome never wanted to see anyone in pain.

Her trembling fingers reached out to take hold of him. A helpless moan was torn from his lips the moment she touched him.

They both looked down at her hand on him, wrapped around his mighty cock even if her fingers could not meet. They looked small and pale against the flushed red of his skin. She marvelled at the feel of him. He was hot, satiny smooth, and so hard. It was akin to touching a red hot iron bar encased in silk.

Her touch affected him so much that he staggered forward, and he hovered above her with one hand against the tree to support his upper body. Their faces were close to each other, enough for her to feel his warm breaths fanning her cheeks. 

He rolled his hips so that his cock slid upwards within the confines of her fist. Kagome followed his unspoken lead and tightened her grip. A guttural groan escaped his lips, and that tortured sound sent a bolt of pleasure straight to her womb. Her body clenched. A tendril of desire coiled inside her, tightening with every second that passed. Her core wept, and she furtively rubbed her thighs to relieve some of the itch. 

Sesshōmaru tilted his head back, but his eyes never left hers, and she returned that heavy-lidded gaze just the same. He continued to stare into her eyes as he fucked her fist. There were only two more thrusts before he swelled and erupted in her hand, spraying a fountain of milky substance that was his seed.

It was an amazing sight. Kagome could see how the slit at the top of the crown expanded, as though it was a tiny mouth opening and closing with every jet. Stream after stream of semen spilled over her knuckles, soaking her fingers. Warm and wet.  

They were both panting. Her mouth was dry. Her throat was parched, and the gnawing hunger inside her made her womb clench.

Her job was done, yet her fingers still curled around that pulsating flesh. Almost instinctively, she squeezed him gently, moving her fist slightly upwards and tightening until one last spurt jolted out of him to join the rest. He groaned low when she milked that last bit.

They were staring at each other, and somehow that act was more intimate than holding his private part in her grasp, his seed still dripping from her hand in thick, white rivulets.

The heat of him. The enticing musk. Being surrounded by his woodsy scent and swirling aura made her dizzy. If she had not leaned her back against the tree trunk, she would have toppled forward onto his chest. 

“Better now?” She asked, her voice coming out more hoarse and breathless than she liked.

Truth be told, Sesshōmaru did not look better. He looked… famished. He stared at her with some form of awe in his golden eyes.

“I am not sure,” he finally replied, a quiver in his commonly steady voice.

It still amazed her that all his life, no one had ever made him feel this way, or turned him into this quivering, panting mess.

His penis had softened soon after his ejaculation. Yet, as she continued to hold him, somehow he swelled again, and soon her fingers no longer met. How hard he was compared to her, how unyielding. She had never been more aware of her femininity, or the power she held in her small hand.

Now she knew: there was pleasure to be had in giving this male pleasure.

And she wanted to feel it again.

Chapter 4: Audience

Notes:

Needless to say, this fic is not to be taken seriously.
Kagome is aged up here (20 instead of 18 years old) because of the heavy sexual nature of the fic.

Kagome did not wait for Sesshōmaru to utter a word, or get dressed, before she slipped from beneath him and escaped. She ran as fast as she could, away from him.

Thankfully, he did not chase her.

Her skin felt like it was on fire. She was hot, so hot, and so she ran to the river, hoping the cool water would put out the imaginary flame that licked at her skin.

Reaching the riverbank, she went straight to the water and knelt by the edge. She looked down at the hand still coated with thick, white emission. This was a male’s semen, she told herself. Not just any male’s. Sesshōmaru’s. The sheer reality of it nearly had her toppling into the water.

Shakenly, she dipped her hands into the cool river to rinse them. With both hands, she splashed water on her face and neck, washing away some of the heat and the dampness of sweat.

Breathing heavily and still reeling from what she had witnessed, she lay down on the grass. The afternoon sun had roasted the lawn beneath her, making it hot and doing absolutely nothing to cool her heated skin. Dappled shadows from the tree branches above dotted her skin, providing just the tiniest shade.

Kagome sighed and pressed her forearm against her eyes. No matter what she did — eyes opened or shut tight, she could not rid the images of Sesshōmaru from her mind.

Or the powerful reactions those images provoked.

He had looked so powerful, so masculine. In the several years she had known the daiyōkai — as an acquaintance only — she had never viewed him as a sexual being. He had always seemed so cold, so stoic, as though he was carved from stone. Granted, he was handsome beyond anything and anyone she had ever clapped eyes on — human or otherwise. And his hair was enviably nice. Also, those eyes… They were so intense as he stared at her during his climax. The amber flecks in those golden depths flickered like embers of hot coals.

And… who would have thought that underneath those billowy articles of clothing, he had such a chiselled physique?

And his… Her cheeks scalded with heat when she recalled his appendage. What should she call it? Penis seemed too puny a word to describe such magnificence. An organ or member? Too clinical.

His cock. It was an apt word, because it certainly looked cocky, as arrogant as its owner.

Still, the thought of it made her body hot and tingle. And extremely needy.

Kagome clenched her thighs together in her futile attempt to get that deep ache to subside. Parts of her body experienced some changes as well. Her breasts felt full and heavy; the peaks hardened to the point of pain as they rubbed against the fabric of her miko garb. The core between her thighs softened and wept, becoming slick.

Finally, a soft breeze blew. She parted the seam of her kosode, letting the wind chase away some of the heat that had gathered under the layer of cloth. Her hand, moving as though possessing a mind of their own, cupped her breast and felt how tender it was. Her nipples were large and swollen. Her other hand slowly travelled down the length of her torso,  stopping to press the place between her mound and her belly button, the source of her deep, gnawing ache.

Gasping, she shook from the intense pleasure she felt from that one move. That same hand trailed lower underneath the waistband of her red hibakama to explore her body further, inching closer to the juncture of her thigh. With quivering fingers, she parted her nether lips, recalling how Sesshōmaru had touched himself with motions much rougher than she thought he could handle.

Kagome whimpered softly. She felt so sensitive that even the caress of the soft breeze made her body weep a little more. She felt so open. Yet, the feeling of being so opened and exposed came with the feeling of wanting to be filled.

Looking around, she made sure there was no one in her surroundings before she untied the knots of her red hibakama and shimmied the pants, along with her underwear, off her hips and legs.

A cool breeze caressed her damp thighs. Biting her lower lip, she dipped one slender finger inside her tunnel, immediately feeling dismayed at the feeling of emptiness that remained. There was no way her puny digit could be a worthy substitute for his thick shaft. She added another finger, and yes… it felt better, but still not full enough.

‘Sesshōmaru …’ She whispered his name inwardly as she moved her two fingers in and out of her tunnel, daring to go only as deep as her first knuckle.

It felt good, though unsatisfying, yet she could not stop herself. When her knuckle accidentally brushed against the swollen nub above her opening, she felt a bolt of lighting at the point of contact, a sharp shaft of pleasure stabbing through her.

Once, she had tried to touch herself. It was a long time ago, when the restlessness had become too much to bear. She had overheard some of the older schoolgirls talking about it and had become curious. But as soon as she had touched that swollen nub with the tip of her finger, the sensation had been too much. She had shied away from it then. There were other trials afterwards, but she never reached completion. Each time, it showed her the view over the mountains, but none ever took her over the precipice and into the beyond.

‘Come on, Kagome,’ she told herself for the second time today. ‘You’re a twenty-year-old woman. Surely, you can be self-sufficient.’

Boldly, she pinched the nub at the apex of her thighs. Biting her lower lip, she choked back a scream. Thoughts of him came flooding in. His fingers were so dexterous as he cupped himself and stroked his shaft. The corded muscles flexed and undulated as he laboured for his pleasure.

More brazen now, emboldened by erotic memories of the daiyōkai in his throes of passion, Kagome returned her fingers to her tunnel. Dipping, circling. She found a good angle at which she could grind the heel of her palm against that aching nub. Though she felt pleasure, she felt empty. So empty…

“May I provide some assistance, miko?”

She yelped when she heard his deep, silken voice. Propping her upper body on her elbows, she saw him standing by the edge of the water, dressed in his complete regalia.

Instinctively, Kagome began to close her thighs. The daiyōkai moved swiftly. Within the blink of an eye, he was before her, putting his hands on her knees to stop her from clamping her legs together.

“Allow me,” he murmured silkily, his eyes glittering as he looked down upon her. “After all, you have done me a favour.”

I scratch your itch if you scratch mine?

How wanton was this, she distantly thought as she allowed the daiyōkai to part her quivering thighs and let him stare at that tender place between her legs.

The daze lasted a few more seconds before her sanity kicked in. Then, she tried to close her thighs again. Gently, his hands resisted her attempt to conceal herself.

“Miko, I can scent your desire from a mile away,” he said. “Surely, you do not intend to return to the village like this: dripping and unfulfilled?”

Kagome reddened. The thought of Inuyasha and Shippō, and any yōkai or hanyō in the vicinity could smell her in this condition was equally mortifying.

“This Sesshōmaru never leaves a debt unpaid,” he cooed. “Allow me to… take care of you, and we will consider it fulfilled.”

This was insane, Kagome thought distantly. This was madness. But, even as those thoughts ran through her head, she followed his lead and let him spread her legs wide, baring her completely to his gaze.

Immediately, his eyes soaked up the view of her private parts. Those golden orbs gleamed. Soon, she wondered how the sight of her sex had warranted such undivided attention from this magnificent creature.

“What… does it look like?” She asked, her curiosity getting a hold of her.

Sesshōmaru seemed thoughtful as he considered the question.

“Like a juicy piece of fruit,” he decided. “Like a… ripe peach. I imagine, should I set my mouth upon it, your honeyed nectar will dribble down my chin.”

She nearly groaned. Gods. Why was he talking like this? And why did the mere thought of Sesshōmaru clamping his mouth there set her body afire?

Kagome shook and whined.

“Tell me what to do,” he crooned, his hands massaging the soft flesh of her inner thighs in a gesture she oddly found comforting. “Show me what you find pleasurable.”

Her eyes flew open. “No, I surely can’t—“

“You took me in hand and gave me my first release,” he reminded her. “Now, let me return the favour, Miko.”

Her foggy, lust-crazed mind tried to make sense of his words. His first release? She supposed it made sense, if he had never been erect before. Still, the whole thing was beyond comprehension.

His eyes were still riveted on that soft place between her legs that continued to weep under his gaze. His breathing grew increasingly heavier as he stared avidly, as though he was greatly affected by her state of arousal.

“Miko.” His voice was so low it might as well be a growl. “Tell me what to do.”

“T-t…touch me,” Kagome gasped, surrendering to her own wanton wants. “Touch me…”

“With pleasure,” he said, smirking, and reached for her. “Tell me if I caused you any discomfort.”

Sesshōmaru began by running one finger along the cleft of her sex. Up and down, up and down. His touch sent an electric tingling coursing through her body. Her thighs quivered uncontrollably at his initial stroke. When he parted her labia and leaned over to take a closer look at the rosy folds of her moist center, he found a tiny nub that interested him.

“What is this hooded morsel?” He asked, rubbing it gently with the rough pad of his index finger.

The moment he made contact, a jagged bolt of pleasure ripped through her, racing straight to her womb. She cried out brokenly before clamping her hand on her mouth, stifling her scream against her palm.

“How delectable it looks,” Sesshōmaru murmured. “It grows flushed and distended at my touch, Miko. Like a tiny cock. What would happen if I were to flick it… Mmmn. Like this—“

Kagome was moaning openly now. Gods. The things he said were atrocious, but his baritone rumbles in her ear did things to her core. They made her embarrassingly wet. Her nub felt beyond swollen, and the adept movements of his deft fingers against it only tortured her even more.

Soon, the lewd squelching of his fingers playing at her entrance was the only noise she could hear, other than the heavy thudding of her heartbeats. Her mind was scandalized by what was happening, yet her body screamed for more. Her hips gyrated, and soon she was rubbing herself against his hand as he actively pinched and rolled her clit between two digits. At one point, the sensation was too intense, but she pushed herself — rubbing, grinding against his fingers until, at last, the wave of white, heated pleasure took her over the edge and into bliss.

Oh gods, oh gods. It was a sensation more intense and consuming than anything she had ever known. Her mouth was open around a silent scream. She was climaxing while staring into those golden eyes, while his fingers were on her, their tips burrowing slightly into her opening. He flexed them and sluiced through the soaked folds to rub his knuckle against the quivering, swollen bit of flesh at the apex of her sex, and she detonated.

Kagome convulsed around Sesshōmaru’s fingers, tightening. The sensation wrecked her, so much that her hand reached out to grab onto something and found his arm.

He did not move away. He did not tear away his arm from her grasp. He bore the brunt of her nails as she dug her fingers into the quilted muscles of his biceps.

And, just as before, they stared at each other. Never had Kagome felt more naked, more vulnerable in front of anyone.

She came so much, she drenched his hand. His fingers gleamed under the sun, coated with her essence.

This is surreal, she thought, as the chilled realization descended upon her. Oh no… This can’t be happening.

Did she just… climax — for the first time — in front of the daiyōkai of the western lands? Inuyasha’s half-brother?

He was not merely a passive audience. He was a willing participant, and she came undone under the ministrations of his hand.

Kagome laid back, flat on the ground. She was panting heavily, her forearm resting over her eyes. Sesshōmaru was quiet beside her, and she did not dare to peek at what he was doing.

“I need a bath,” she muttered under her breath, as though saying it to herself.

But he answered: “I know a hot spring nearby.”

 

 

 

Chapter 5: Ablution

Kagome dressed quickly. The situation was even more mortifying once the post-orgasm haze receded. As she tied the knot around the waistband of her red hibakama, pulling on the fabric so roughly she heard the rending of the threads, she stole furtive glances at Sesshōmaru.

The daiyōkai stood by the riverbank, his profile to her view. He was staring at nothing in particular, seemingly unperturbed. After their strange, sexually-charged encounter at the fruit grove, he had dressed himself meticulously. Not a single clothing item was out of place.

It made her, with her slightly ripped clothing, feel even more clumsy.  

“I’m… ready,” Kagome said when she was sufficiently dressed. 

When those golden eyes landed on her, she felt her cheeks reddening immediately. She recalled what else those eyes had seen. Her bare bottom, for one. Her private area. And most importantly, her vulnerability as she orgasmed in front of him.

He maintained his silence and led the way to the hot spring deep inside the woods. Before too long, Kagome smelled the slightly sulfuric scent of the bathwater. Their destination was nearby, and she was grateful for it.

Pine trees were all around them, providing a modicum of privacy. Upon arriving at the hot spring, Sesshōmaru unceremoniously undressed – as though they were old-time lovers – and waded into the pool of hot water. Then, once he reached the middle, he turned around and looked at her expectantly.

Kagome gaped at him.

“You… expect me to just undress and join you?” she asked.

He had the audacity to look amused.

“I shall remind you, Miko, I have seen you bare,” he pointed out.

“Only half of it,” she retorted.

“Then, is it not time I see the other half?” He asked mildly, tilting his silver head a little sideways.

Kagome gulped. He had seen half of her - the more private half, no less, and she was desperate for a bath. 

Hesitantly, she lifted her hands and began to unclothe herself. She stumbled even at the simplest task as though all her fingers had turned into thumbs.

Finally, fully naked, she approached the edge of the hot spring. She pressed one of her hands against her breasts as the other covered her mound. He spared her no privacy, watching her with his ever-vigilant pair of golden eyes.

She stumbled. Inadvertently, she had to use her hands to steady herself, which meant uncovering those areas she had wished to conceal from his view.

Sesshōmaru saw her naked. Like… fully naked.

Perhaps it did not matter since he was naked himself. But, Sesshōmaru had absolutely no reason to feel self-conscious in the state of undress. The daiyōkai’s physique was magnificent. Kagome had never seen a male as perfectly honed as he was. Long and lean, his body rippled with taut muscles, undoubtedly a result of centuries worth of training and battles.

Bright slashes of magenta stripes adorned him in various places, drawing her eyes to his arms, wrists, ribcages, hips, and… well, his groin, where that pair of alluring twin streaks had also decorated the base of his cock.

Kagome entered the hot spring, stopping a distance away from Sesshōmaru.

“Is this the first time you’ve seen breasts?” She asked when she noticed his eyes lingered too long on her chest, hoping her indignant question could shift the daiyōkai’s attention away from her.

“No,” he replied. “Even though this one has no experience, others have tried to entice him. Since he was an adolescent pup living in his mother’s palace, many courtiers snuck into his sleeping chamber and reclined themselves upon his bed to surprise him upon arrival. They often uncovered their chest area, as most inuyōkai males are partial to the bosoms.”

“Oh. Are you partial to the bosoms?” She asked curiously.

“Not particularly.” He shrugged. Although, for all his nonchalant attitude, his eyes were riveted on her bare breasts.

“But. These are the first breasts I have ever wanted to touch,” he said. “Also to kiss, to lick, to suckle…” He flicked his gaze upwards to stare straight into her eyes. “Why is that, Miko?”

“I don’t… I… I don’t… know,” Kagome stammered, trying to ignore the traitorous part of her that wanted to bend his beautiful silver head and stuff her breasts in his mouth.

He moved closer to her; the water parting with every step was the only sound that broke the silence between them.

Sesshōmaru lifted his hand and grazed the knuckle of his index finger against her nipple. Then, he brushed his palm over it, soft as a whisper. The friction lit her as she had not known it could, connecting her breast to her pussy like an electrical impulse. Kagome whimpered; her nipple immediately drew taut upon contact.

“Do these get sensitive?” He asked.

She gave a shaky nod.

“Hnn. Fascinating.” He lowered his head to examine her nipples, so close that she could feel his warm breaths fanning her bosoms.

“They pebbled and hardened,” he continued. “The colour also deepened. They are now dark pink. Very similar shade as you are down below. Are you aware of that, Miko?”

Kagome screwed her eyes tight and shook her head. She could barely hear him above the roaring in her ears, the galloping of her heartbeats.

She felt his tongue swirling around one nipple and let out a keening cry that seemed to embolden him. The moist, velvet brush of his tongue laved the sensitive bud repeatedly before he shifted his attention to the other breast. Then, when he took her inside his hot mouth and sucked, she felt the pull deep in her womb.

“How sweet you taste,” he murmured before he suckled her more. She threw her head back, lips parted into a silent ‘o’ while he continued to worship her breasts.  

Their lower bodies were pressed together, skin-to-skin. She could feel his length prodding her lower belly. Now, he was hard again, and she was wet again. His member was so close to her core, and all she wanted to do was rub them both together and do the things the grown-ups used to tell her she should only do with her husband.

“May I touch you again?” Sesshōmaru whispered in her ear.

Kagome whimpered and shivered against him. It was unfair. So unfair. How could she maintain a modicum of restraint when he asked her such a question in his low, gravelly voice.

He wasted no time. As soon as she nodded, two of his fingers touched her folds, opening her up as one would part flower petals to examine its dewy centre. The hot steam rising from the water's surface caressed her sensitive parts. The rough pad of his index finger found her clit with precision, pressing against the needy bundle of nerves and massaging it in slow, lazy circular motions. His other hand rested upon her left breast, kneading the soft mound, plucking the taut nipple.

“Tell me no other male had ever touched you like this before,” he whispered in her ear.

She gasped when he inserted the tip of one finger, tensing with pleasure.

“Only you,” she breathed.

“Good.” He sounded so pleased, she could almost feel his smile against her skin. “Because you are the only female who had ever touched this Sesshōmaru, Miko.”

Dazedly, she stared at the sky above, distantly marveling that they were each other’s first. His finger slid back to her clit, and she moaned. It sizzled, and she felt the delicious burn all the way down to her toes. She was already so wet, she could hear the squelching noises as his fingers sluiced through her folds.

When his iron hardness bumped against her stomach again, she asked boldly: “May I touch you again?”

The corners of his lips twitched. Then, he reached for her hand and guided it to his groin, hissing when she touched him. Her fingers wrapped around his hard length instinctively. It pulsed in her grip, hot and throbbing. The downslide of her fingers wrenched a guttural moan from him. Encouraged, she repeated her motions — up and down, up and down, like before. Her thumb swiped across the slitted crown that wept beads of clear fluid, smearing the wetness all over his cockhead.

“Faster,” he told her, nearly growling.

Kagome stared at Sesshōmaru with wonder, but she did as he asked. He might present himself as a stoic yōkai lord, but at this moment, he unabashedly took pleasure in her touch. It still boggled her mind that she held such power over him, though a part of her could not help but revel in it.

A low snarl hinted at his impatience.

“Sit down,” he ordered.

Her head spun a little, and she plopped herself down on one of the flat boulders at the edge of the hot spring. To her surprise, he lowered himself to his knees and nearly submerged himself in the water. His hands parted her clamped thighs. Before she could utter a word of protest, he set his mouth on her core, kissing her nether lips.

That first contact sent a jagged bolt of pleasure straight to her womb. She fell back upon the boulder, unable to keep her upper body aloft. She cried out in time with the movements of his hungry mouth.

“I have wanted to do this since I saw you pleasuring yourself on the riverbank,” Sesshōmaru murmured. The warmth of his breath made her shiver with a mixture of shock and anticipation. A long lick from her opening to her clit followed his confession, and she strained against his hands on her hips.  

“… It’s too… much — Hnhh…”

Sesshōmaru ignored her protest and set to work. The rumbling deep in his chest lent a gentle vibration to his tongue. And when that tongue touched her clit, Kagome’s entire body jerked, legs tensing against his shoulders.

Too much. Too much…

Yet, her hand gripped the back of his head and pressed him down onto her core. Her hips undulated beneath his plundering tongue, wordlessly asking for more. More.

And he gave it to her.

His tongue snaked inside her canal, plunging deep, as though searching for the source of the honey dripping between her thighs. Nothing had ever penetrated her – except her own shy, incompetent fingers, and very recently — his deft ones. Now, she had his tongue inside her, wreaking havoc on any composure she had left. 

Kagome pressed her fists over her eyes and screamed. Her whole body was shaking, spine arched taut. His tongue's agile, questing movements inside her made stars burst behind her eyelids.

And through it all, she heard the sloshing of the water, the quick slap-slapping rhythm of his hand working himself, fisting that engorged length that could have used her caress. She would have offered the service if she were not so dependent on his tongue. But she liked him exactly where he was — very much so — and thus, she cupped the back of his head and pressed down some more. He growled and obliged, slanting his mouth firmly upon her folds and sucking on her clit.

Her orgasm slammed into her like a freight train, and she was helpless to do anything under its crushing weight. Flat on her back, she lifted her hips, trying to angle herself away from too much feeling. Sesshōmaru wrapped his forearms around each thigh and pressed her bottom down, preventing any movements.

He alternated his ministrations. His tongue flicked rapidly at her clit before it switched to firm, broad swipes that caressed the entirety of that needy nub. Over and over, until her thighs, calves, and even the soles of her feet burned with tingling pleasure.

Then, he wrapped those lips around his clit and sucked. The suckling of that clever mouth was the one that ended her. Another orgasm washed over her, and she could do nothing but screw her eyes tight and cry out a broken rendition of his name.

Wildly, she undulated under his mouth even as he held her down and kept sucking, prolonging her peak. Short bursts of current travelled throughout her body like jolts of electricity, and she rode her orgasm until her limbs softened and fell onto the boulder.

Then, he rose from the hot spring like some god, or a water sprite, and loomed over her. Hot water dripped from his pale skin onto hers. The wet tendrils of his hair glided upon her sweat-slicked thighs, hips, and belly. He feasted on her breasts once more, his hunger undisguised, and she felt the ferocity of his passion in every strong pull of his mouth.

She grabbed hold of his cock. He growled his approval around her breast when she found him. He was so hot and rigid, he must have been aching for a release.

Kagome jerked him fast and hard, the way she now knew he liked. She felt him swelling within her fist, a telltale sign of his imminent orgasm. Just then, his large hand enveloped hers, and he guided her to move along his length, tightening at the spot where he felt the most pleasure. Her heart lurched, because somehow, this act of togetherness felt so unbelievably intimate, like they were lovers working – literally hand in hand – to give each other a climax.

He threw his head back when he finally reached his peak. His perfection ripped apart at the seams; his mouth parted in a silent gasp as his gorgeous face contorted with bliss.

Breathless, her eyes could not leave the sight of his cock as he angled himself to spray his seed all over her belly. It went for a long time as she watched him take his pleasure.

Glorious.

Slowly, his ragged breathing slowed, and he opened those golden eyes once more to look down upon her, at the evidence of his climax, white upon her creamy skin. Heat seared her cheeks when he languidly rubbed his spending across the expanse of her stomach. The act was so primal, it was as though he was marking her.

Sesshōmaru bent his head to lick a bead of sweat that trailed along her clavicle and briefly nuzzled the underside of her ear, a gesture so gentle it seemed out of place following the lewd acts they had just shared.

And yet, she could not deny: it felt nice.

When Kagome gingerly looked up, it was to stare into his pair of golden depths. There was a vague smile on those haughty lips, a gentle arch on that aristocratic eyebrow.

“What else can we do together?” Sesshōmaru asked.

---

The miko did not stay to entertain his question. Soon after their exceedingly satisfying frolic at the hot spring, she washed quickly and made her excuses to leave. Sesshōmaru did not stop her. Something intrinsic inside his chest assured him that he would see her again. Soon.

If not, well, he knew where she lived. He would simply go to the village and seek her out.

For now, however, he had other business he needed to attend. There were pressing questions for which he wanted answers. He would not ask his mother. The thought of her being involved in his private business was bloodcurdling.

But, he would seek the wisdom of the two-millennia-old magnolia tree spirit. Someone as old as Bokusenō was bound to know the answers to his questions.

Sesshōmaru found an obliging wind to carry him to his destination, flying towards the ancient forest where Bokusenō resided. Once in the vicinity, he descended, landing on a clearing by the woods and continuing his journey on foot.

The magnolia tree spirit welcomed him with warmth, but also with curiosity.

“It is not often that you come to these parts,” Bokusenō commented. “How can this old soul be of service?”

“This Sesshōmaru has encountered a highly perplexing matter that requires your advice.”

“Oh? What is this ‘perplexing matter’ you speak of?” asked the tree.

“A fortnight ago, I was flying and minding my own business, when I looked down upon a female sitting in a meadow and suddenly experienced… changes… to my body.”

“Can you elaborate?” Bokusenō asked, sounding completely engrossed. “What changes?”

“The appendage between my legs that had lain dormant for centuries was suddenly aroused at the sight of her.”

Bokusenō did not speak and instead, stared at him. Then, many moments later, the tree coughed.

“Ahem. Sesshōmaru. Did your father ever… speak to you about the inuyōkai mating ritual?”

Sesshōmaru frowned. “Bokusenō. You must be aware that I left my father’s side when I was an adolescent pup. All I cared about were swords and battling the strongest opponent during those days. There was no room for any other thoughts.”

“Yes, yes,” the tree answered impatiently. “Your father — or your mother, for that matter, never told you what happens when a mature male inuyōkai meets his fated mate?”

“No.”

“Well… alright. I see the task of educating you has unexpectedly fallen onto my lap. Simply put, Sesshōmaru, a male inuyōkai swells when he sees his mate.”

Sesshōmaru narrowed his eyes. “Swells?”

“Becomes engorged. Turgid. Tumescent. In preparation to mount and mate her, and eventually, as your knot forms inside her, breed her.”

The daiyōkai’s smooth brows creased. Fated mate? He had known his new condition was a unique phenomenon, though he had never considered it to be the cause. How interesting - yet perturbing at the same time. Many male inuyōkai went through an entire lifetime without ever encountering their fated mate. He had previously thought he was one of them. 

“May I ask— who is the fortunate female?” Bokusenō said.

Her brilliant blue eyes appeared in his mind, and he suddenly felt the urge to return to the village.

“The Miko Kagome,” Sesshōmaru said.

“The Miko Kagome?” Bokusenō’s voice arched with wonder. “Is she not Inuyasha’s betrothed?”

The daiyōkai’s eyes narrowed again.

“Inuyasha has proposed marriage to the miko, but she declined his suit,” he coldly clarified. “He has since sought the affection of another. The miko is unattached.”

The tree exhaled a sigh of relief. “Ah. So, nothing is stopping you from claiming her.”

“It appears so,” Sesshōmaru concurred. As he touched a knuckle to his lips, he thought.

It appears so.  

 

 

 

 

Chapter 6: Announcement

“I do not understand,” Sesshōmaru said to the ancient tree yōkai. “Why now? It has been a few years since I have known the miko, yet I did not experience this swelling until a few weeks ago.”

“Well, Sesshōmaru,” Bokusenō said. “Though you have achieved the title of a daiyōkai, you are very young indeed. Your body must have finally reached its maturity recently. Also… I thought the miko was absent from Musashi until a few weeks ago?”

Sesshōmaru pressed his knuckles to his lips again. Indeed, his body changed the moment he caught sight of the miko after her three years hiatus.

“This is a blessing, Child,” Bokusenō said. “Not many are as blessed as you are, and the population of inuyōkai suffers because of it. Your father, bless his soul, found your mother around the same age you are, and he was mightily pleased.”

Sesshōmaru scoffed. “Hnn. Not for long.”

The ancient tree gave him a chiding look. “Your parents had their issues, true, but I remember them living happily together for a few centuries before things took a different turn. Do not diminish what they shared together.”

The young daiyōkai resisted the urge to sneer.

Alas, he did not come to discuss his parents’ relationship or lack thereof.

“Tell me more,” he said. “About what I need to do to mate and breed her.”

Bokusenō was expressive, for a tree, and at this moment he appeared uneasy.

“Well… I feel it necessary to once again strongly suggest you ask your mother…”

Sesshōmaru growled rather impatiently. “Bokusenō. This Sesshōmaru has told you he would not ask his mother. Now, tell me so that I may be equipped to mate and breed my intended.”

The tree sighed in defeat.

“Long story short, you need to place the stiff appendage in question into her opening and deposit your seed inside her belly. Then, if her body is receptive, it will undergo a series of changes to turn itself into a nice home for your pup.”

“And then, what?”

The tree sighed again.

“And then, you will take the pup to visit me, and hopefully by that time, I have forgotten that this conversation ever took place.”

————

Sesshōmaru gave the miko, his future mate, a day to recover from their encounters before he visited the village to seek her out. But, upon arriving, he did not sense her. Only Inuyasha and his band of misfit comrades.

“Where is the Miko Kagome?” Sesshōmaru asked when he came upon them near the cluster of huts at the back of the village boundary. Inuyasha looked at him before the hanyō turned away, as though his question brought some unpleasant memories.

“The elder of Hinokage village asked her to go and investigate some sinister incidents that have been going on lately,” the hanyō said.

Sesshōmaru frowned. Hinokage village? From Musashi, it would take three-days on foot towards the east, passing several other villages before the miko reached her destinations.

“You let her take the journey on her own?” He asked.

“Heh. She said she wanted to be an ‘independent woman’, so — why wouldn’t I let her?”

It did not take much for Sesshōmaru to realize Inuyasha was still bitter about the miko refusing his marriage proposal.

“Are you not aware that some yōkai mercenaries are on the loose?” Sesshōmaru asked coldly. He itched to fly away and catch up to her, but first he would speak to his half-brother. “They could waylay her on her journey.”

Inuyasha was struck dumb for a moment. In the widening of those golden eyes, Sesshōmaru could see the guilt that emerged, but the hanyō chose to be stubborn than repentant. Fists balled, he faced Sesshōmaru.

“It’s not my fault she’s so stubborn and insisted on going alone. If she thinks she can survive here without a man to take care of her, she should think again! She’s so clumsy, she can barely take three steps without stumbling. A clueless wench like her —“

There were so many unacceptable things in Inuyasha’s words, Sesshōmaru feared his head might burst if he attempted to process them all.

He approached Inuyasha and, taking care to not use all his might, backhanded him across his half-brother’s face.

“You do not even deserve my fist,” Sesshōmaru said, looking down upon Inuyasha’s crumpled form. “From now on, you will treat the miko with the regard and respect she deserves.”

“She left only a few minutes ago, Sesshōmaru-sama,” the monk told him, unfazed. “You will can easily catch up to her.”

Sesshōmaru nodded his thanks and launched himself into the air. He followed a whiff of her scent he caught when the east wind blew past.

Down below, Inuyasha was still cursing.

————

“Did the bastard just slap me?” Inuyasha asked his friends.

“You thoroughly deserved it, though,” Sango said from her perch on the boulder, petting Kirara’s soft pelt. “It was awesome.”

Miroku and Shippō nodded in agreement as Inuyasha skulked away, mumbling under his breath with every step.

————

The miko had not gone far. He caught up to her as she reached the main road that interconnected the various villages near and far.

“Sesshōmaru.” She said as soon as he landed in front of her, her surprise palpable. Her blue eyes peered up at him, widening slightly. Her face was shadowed by the ajirogasa, the bamboo conical hat she wore to shield her head from sun and rain.

“Miko,” he greeted. “This Sesshōmaru will travel with you to Hinokage village.”

She blinked at him. “Do you have any business in Hinokage village, or anywhere in its vicinity?”

“No.”

She frowned. “Then, there is no need to travel with me. This is not a leisurely trip. They have requested me to investigate some incidents.”

“I understand. I will accompany you nonetheless.”

“Sesshōmaru, as I mentioned already, there is no need to—“

“I will not allow you to travel alone,” he interjected.

There was silence. Then, her blue eyes narrowed as she stared at him with obvious displeasure.

“Not allow?” She repeated, her voice dropped down to the lowest register he had ever heard coming from her.

The soft hairs on his nape stood to attention as he realized what a big mistake he had made. A childhood memory emerged in his head, one so uncannily similar to this situation in which he had placed himself.

‘What do you mean ‘I’m not allowed?’ His mother asked.

‘I meant just that: you’re not allowed to go,’ his father answered between clenched jaws. ‘Do you think I want others to ogle my mate when I can’t even be present to kick their asses to the next century? You will stay here.’

‘Toga, it is a party,’ she said exasperatedly. She lay her hand on his arm in an effort to soothe him. ‘They want to stare, let them. I know to whom I belong, and everyone does too.”  

‘No!’ His father’s thunderous voice boomed across the courtyard, empty save for young Sesshōmaru, hiding behind his mother’s upholstered throne.

There were many arguments along those lines, in which his father insisted that his mother remain in the palace where no one could see, admire, or covet her. He had built her the castle in the sky, so she could be so out of reach for other mortal males. It became a twisted symbol of his love and possession, and a gilded cage — for her.  

The miko was not his mother, but they shared the same independent streak. One that his father never could understand or accept. One that indirectly pushed him to find a human princess who already came with a life-long training to be an obedient wife.

If Sesshōmaru wanted his union to be different from the constant tug-of-war like his parents’, he needed to ensure he started on the right foot.

Which meant taking said foot out of his mouth.

“Forgive me,” Sesshōmaru said, inclining his head slightly. “I meant to say… there is a band of yōkai mercenaries terrorizing the areas around your destination. I would like to offer myself as your travelling companion.”

The tempest diminished from those blue eyes as understanding downed.

“I thank you for your concern,” she said. “But I have my bow and arrow. I am not defenceless.”

“I am not insinuating you are,” he countered. “Your skills with the bow and arrow, or your abilities to defend yourself, are not in question, Miko. I merely wish to ensure your safety. And keep you company on your journey.”

She frowned as though it was a novel idea. And perhaps it was, since he had not shown obvious concern for her well-being until very recently.

“Why?” She asked. “Is it because of what we did yesterday? If so, rest assured. I did those things with you out of my own free will. I require no compensation.”

————

“Compensation?” Sesshōmaru repeated. “Miko, you make it sound so ghastly. It is not compensation that I seek to give, but protection.”

“I did not mean it that way,” Kagome said. “I don’t want you to think just because I helped you yesterday, you have to return the favour by protecting me. You—” She blushed. “You helped me too yesterday.”

“I followed your suggestion and sought the wisdom of Bokusenō, the two-millennia old magnolia tree,” Sesshōmaru explained. “He revealed the changes happening to my body were because it recognizes you are my fated mate.”

Kagome had imagined several plausible responses from Sesshōmaru, but she had not considered that one to be a possibility.

“Fated mate?” She repeated. “What does that mean, exactly?”

“It means my body and my beast recognized that you are the only one for me, Miko,” he said. “There will be no other.”

No other?

She had worked hard to establish herself as her own person, not as Kikyo’s reincarnation. But, even years later, the desire to be desired above all others was still deeply ingrained within her.

To learn that she would be the only one for someone… And to learn that someone might be Sesshōmaru….

“There was plenty of joy in what we did together,” he continued. “And… I dare say there is more we can explore. There is no reason to believe we cannot share even more joy in bed and in other aspects of our lives.”

There was something so charmingly true in those words. Kagome knew reaching pleasure in sexual intimacy was no small feat. It required trust, and the comfort of being in each other’s presence to allow themselves to be in such vulnerable position. Like showing one’s underbelly.

Sesshōmaru was a generous lover, and he had proven on many occasions that he was an avid student, eager to learn. It did not escape her attention that he was willing to learn from her. A human woman.

She was eager to learn too. If they applied the same zest in other aspects of their relationship, who was to say it would not flourish?

“What does inuyōkai courting ritual entail?” She finally asked him.

“Provision and protection are the biggest parts of it,” he said. “I am highly eager to prove I am capable of both during this journey.”

She supposed courting period was like… dating in the modern world, but not as fickle.

“But… there is no obligation at the end of this?” Kagome asked. “If I feel we are not suited, you will let me go?”

He nodded. “Miko, eventually, the female has the right to choose. You may refuse my suit if you do not desire our union. But, be forewarned, I will do everything I can to convince you.”

He kept his mien neutral, but there was determination in his golden eyes that made her lips twitch into a slight smile.

Fated mate or not, she knew the attraction between them sizzled. Even without this revelation, they would have continued with their thorough explorations of each other. She thought back to the time when she decided to refuse Inuyasha’s proposal, knowing full well they were better as friends than lovers.

But, with Sesshōmaru, she knew they were already good lovers.

She was reminded of his question before she left the hot spring yesterday: ‘What else can we do together?’

Well, now, they could actually find out – both in and out of bed.

“Then, Sesshōmaru,” she said, looking up at him. “I accept your courting proposal.”

The expression on his face hardly changed, but she knew he was pleased from how his eyes softened and turned a shade darker.

She took one small step toward him.

“Now. Is there an inuyōkai tradition to celebrate the beginning of this courtship?”

His golden eyes lit up.

“Yes,” he said. “I believe it is like this.”

First, he untied the lace underneath her chin and took off her hat. It dropped unceremoniously onto the ground. Then, gingerly, he lay his hands on her face; the rough pads of his fingers grazing her cheeks. There were such hesitation and caution when he touched her, it was as though he thought she was made of glass. He had petted and kissed her most intimate parts, and yet he had never done this before. The way he cupped her jaws as he tilted her head upwards was so reverent, it made her chest cinch with tenderness.

With gentleness, he rubbed his forehead against hers, back and forth three times. His nose bumped her own. And after the third time, he stopped, yet he did not move away. His warm breaths gently fanned her face. His woodsy scents of crushed pine needles and smoke surrounded her.

It was heady, this sensation of being so close to him like this. Staring into his eyes at such a close distance was like looking into the eyes of a beautiful predator. Flecks of amber in his irises glowed like embers on coals.

“And… this is my tradition,” Kagome said before she raised herself on her toes and brushed her lips against his, pressing forward even when she sensed his hesitation.

When she parted her mouth just slightly so the tip of her tongue could trace the seam of his lips, she earned a groan from deep within his throat. She dared herself to tug at his lower lip, initiating their first kiss, sampling his flavour. It did not take long before he responded, kissing her back with equal fervour.

Her heart lurched with tenderness when his arms moved to hold her. The tips of his claws pricked her backside as he brought her flush with his groin. He followed her lead, suckling her lower lip and teasing her tongue in return with his own.

Thunder boomed in the distance, reminding them of an impending storm. Growling with frustration, Sesshōmaru released her and stepped back. He looked up to observe the darkening sky.

“Let us find a suitable shelter before the storm arrives,” he said.  

Chapter 7: Attraction

Sesshōmaru quickly whisked his future mate into the nearest cave suitable for shelter from the imminent rain. It was small and not very cavernous, but sufficient as a safe and dry place to wait for a few hours. He considered looking for another cave but hesitated to risk her getting rained on.

He certainly liked her wet, but not from foul weather.

“This should do well enough until the weather takes a better turn,” she said, as though she read his mind.

He inspected the cave further and found a nook in the back corner that they could use for their sleeping and resting area. He detached mokomoko from his body and lay down the pelt to form a makeshift bed. His future mate deserved more, but this was the best he could do for now — considering the circumstances. Later on, he would construct the most magnificent breeding nest for her, with a solid berth piled high with furs, and ensured she was surrounded by all kinds of softness and comforts any female could possibly desire.

When he straightened, he found the miko behind him, staring at him.

“What should we do now?” she asked.

“We wait until the weather turns,” he told her. “But from the look of things, it will rain periodically until the next morning, in which case it may be prudent for us to spend the night here.”

There was a shy coquettishness in her demeanour that told him she was trying to seduce him. He found it endearing that after he told her she was his fated mate, she still exerted efforts to entice him.

He cupped the back of her head and brought her lips to his, kissing her the way she had shown him earlier. The pleasured sounds from her throat emboldened him, and he took advantage of her parted lips, slipping his tongue to tangle with hers, invading her the way another part of his body yearned to. She responded to his kiss just as ardently, cupping his face to keep him close. They were both panting, yet neither could bear to part from the other.

He was still trying to suckle more on her lower lip when she gently disentangled from him, only to lower herself to her knees. Her slim hands were busy undoing the knot of his sash and unfastening the pieces of his armour.

“Miko,” he halted her with a knuckle to her chin. “What are you doing?”

“Well.” She looked up and blushed. “Since you pleasured me with your mouth yesterday, I thought I could return the favour today.”

“You… wish to put me in your mouth?”

She nodded, the colour on her cheeks burning even brighter as she shyly peered up at him. “Is that okay?”

Sesshōmaru nearly could not breathe. It is happening… He gave her a brisk nod and she set to the task, making quick work of unwrapping him until his cock sprung before her — ruddy and swollen, thick and full of blood, the veins pulsing along the engorged length.

It was not the first time the miko had seen his member, though perhaps never so up close, but she took it in stride. Wrapping her fingers around his cock, she stroked him gently, rubbing her hand from the base up to the tip, exerting just enough amount of pressure the way she knew he liked. Her tongue darted to tentatively licked at the weeping slit before she enveloped him inside the hot cavern of her mouth. He hissed, the pleasure shooting straight to the base of his spine.

The sight of her rosy lips stretched around him made him even harder. Every swipe and pull drew a long, guttural moan from his chest that seemed to encourage her. When she slid her mouth down to his groin, taking almost all of him, his hand flew to her head as he groaned unabashedly, voicing his pleasure aloud.

She pulled back up and studied his organ, fingers tracing the magenta stripes she found along the bottom. “Sesshōmaru…” She swirled that devilish tongue around the base of his cock. “Your stripes… mmmmh… are sensitive?”

He threw his head back when she lavished broad swipes against the stripes that encircled his root, unable to hold back his moan. He twitched against her tongue, noting how her glazed blue eyes widened as he swelled inside her mouth.

“I suppose so,” he groaned. He had never felt anything like this before. Warm, hot, and velvety tight… The avalanche of sensations engulfed him all at once. A knot of pleasure formed in the base of his stomach, just above his groin, tightening with every little suck and swipe of the miko’s tongue.

“The ones here, especially?” She asked before she scraped her blunt teeth gently along one of the stripes closest to the base of his cock. He grunted, fingers tightening infinitesimally around the handful of her hair.

“Ah… yes,” he hissed. She moaned happily and went back to sucking the crown, the tip of her tongue boldly teasing the slit atop the swollen knob.

“Miko, I am close—“ Sesshōmaru touched her cheek to warn her of his imminent and inevitable release. He could feel it, a knot in the base of his spine that tightened with each suction of her velvety soft mouth.

“Come inside my mouth,” she told him before she went back to suckling him. His feverish eyes gazed down at her. He could not believe it was happening so soon.

“Miko… you want this?” He panted. “You want my seed?”

She nodded, hollowing her cheek as she bobbed up and down on his cock, pulling strongly as though she was intent on drawing his seed out of him. He felt he could come from just the sultry gleam in those eyes alone. His chest swelled as the realization dawned on him: his fated mate wanted his seed. This was the moment he never thought he would ever get or ever wanted, yet now he wanted it — needed it — as much as he needed breathing, or living.

When he erupted, the force of his orgasm forced his body to curl forward. He had to brace himself against the cave wall lest he fell upon her in a sweaty heap of boneless limbs. His hips jerked, even as he tried to gentle his movements to not accidentally choke her.

Yet, she… He came a copious amount, yet she swallowed every bit of it, her tongue still swirling along the underside of his crown as she coaxed the last of his seed out of him.

————

Kagome tried to keep her throat relaxed as much as possible, swallowing methodically as Sesshōmaru spurted inside her mouth. He did not taste like pudding, but it was not unpleasant. It was… different, and to think she was one of the few human women who could claim to know how a daiyōkai tasted…  

Well, they did say there was power in knowledge.

Kagome was in the process of wiping away a bead of semen from the corner of her lips when Sesshōmaru touched her cheek reverently. She looked up at him and smiled, seeing how blatantly sated and smug he looked. His knuckles grazed her skin, tracing the curve of her face,

“Now, you will carry my child,” he sighed.

She let Sesshomaru’s softening cock slip out of her mouth as she stared up at the daiyōkai, suddenly alarmed.

“Uhh… excuse me?”

The corners of his lips twitched into a contented smile. “I have put my seed in your belly,” he told her. “Hopefully, it will take, and we will have our pup.”

She sat fully on her haunches, drawing back, pursing her lips tight as she contemplated how to best break the news to the oblivious male. “Sesshōmaru… Ummm… I think there’s some misunderstanding here.”

A deep furrow formed between his brows.“But… an ancient tree spirit told me to put my cock in your opening and deposit my seed in your belly.”

“Not that opening,” Kagome retorted. She stood up and took his hand, guiding it to her core where she was so slippery and wet already. “This opening.”

Sesshōmaru glared at her, looking affronted. “Impossible.” He frowned as he used his fingers to explore the area. “You are too small here. I can barely fit two of my fingers. Miko, my cock will tear you apart.”

She let out a noise that sounded suspiciously close to a strangled laugh. She bit her lower lip, trying to contain her mirth.

“Oh, Sessh. It will be a struggle, but my body is designed to stretch and accommodate yours.”

His golden eyes wavered, but he shook his head as though in disbelief. He touched the corner of her mouth, which, granted, had accommodated his shaft so beautifully. “Miko, are you certain? Bokusenō, the tree spirit said—”

Kagome could not help but giggle at the absurdity of the situation. She clamped a hand onto her mouth, struggling to suppress a full-blown laughter.

“You asked an ancient tree spirit about the human reproductive system?”

————

Sitting alone inside the cave, Kagome realized: in hindsight, perhaps she should not have laughed at him. Although, in her defence, she was not laughing at him, but at the situation, and only because it was funny — not because she intended to mock him.

Regardless, it must have been emasculating for Sesshōmaru. He felt humbled already to not know much of anything about sex, and to have to witness his female taking apparent glee in an embarrassing situation was too much to bear. Wiping her face, she felt rather ashamed of herself that she had laughed out loud when he was feeling vulnerable and ignorant.

She rose and approached the mouth of the cave, finding the daiyōkai sitting on a large boulder not far from the entrance. Thankfully, the rain had stopped momentarily, leaving puddles of water on the ground, but otherwise dry.

When she sat next to him, he was as silent and still as the boulder they both perched on. Stoic, he seemed to be hiding himself behind an impenetrable mask, and she knew she was to blame for the reason he felt it necessary to retreat beyond such walls.

“I am sorry,” Kagome said gently. “Please forgive me.”

Sesshōmaru did not speak for a while, and she waited patiently until he was ready. He sighed.

“Failure is not something I am accustomed to,” he admitted.

“There is no failure,” she told him tenderly. “Only a misunderstanding. One that can be easily— “ She blushed. “— and very vigorously corrected. When the time comes.”

Sesshōmaru turned a little, showing interest. Ah, progress.

“When the time comes?” he repeated.

“We have done so much in the span of one day,” she explained. “Perhaps it is prudent to wait… before we get to breeding and pups. After everything is solidified, I mean.”

He scoffed self-deprecatingly. “I did think it was too good to be true that you wanted to carry my pups straightaway.”

“Maybe not so soon,” Kagome said. “But hopefully, eventually…” Her cheeks were too hot, and she had to stop. Indeed, the talks of breeding and pups brought a specific action into her mind, a particular one that made her body heat rise.

Frowning, he leaned closer to take a deep breath, scenting her.

“You are left wanting,” he said, almost accusingly.

She reddened even more. It was true that she did not reach her pleasure, but she would not have brought it up herself, especially not when they were discussing something as important as their future as mates. “Ah… It wasn’t a good time. So…”

“Hnn. I may be green when it comes to all things sexual,” Sesshōmaru said. “But I know never to leave my female unsatisfied.”

He rose to his feet and backed her towards the cave and into the nook where they had made their bed. She followed his lead and let him guide her down onto the fur, lying back. They quickly discarded their clothing, impatiently revealing each other’s naked skin.

Before too long, she was fully bared before him. In the dimness of the cave, the dancing flames cast a warm glow across the gorgeous planes of his face.

His tongue traced the seam of her sex, burrowing between her soaked folds to find the place where she needed him the most. It had only been his second time, but he had evidently not forgotten what she liked from their romp in the hot spring yesterday. With the tip of his tongue, he repeatedly flicked at her clit, varying the speed and pressure until he had her writhing and mewling beneath him.

Now, there was nothing funny about this. Within minutes, he made her cry out and sob and beg repeatedly. He was teasing her without question – his thumb pushed the top of her sex up and away so her clit was out of the way, allowing his tongue to lap gently at her sex without giving her needy nub any stimulation. All the while, she gyrated her hips, dying to put her swollen clit into his mouth so he could give her all that sucking she so desperately wanted.

Kagome wailed, begged, and begged some more as tears of frustration dripped from the corners of her eyes along her temples to wet the furs below. She began to move wildly, but the firm hand on her stomach stilled her, and she could do nothing but grip the back of his head and plead with unintelligible cries. When her fingers tightened around a handful of hair, when she began to sob earnestly, he finally gave in and sealed his hot mouth around that knot of flesh, suctioning strongly.

Her back arched like a taut bow as she cried out, hoarse from the force of her release. Her insides convulsed before it gushed, and his tongue was there to receive her, lapping at her soothingly, though any contact against her overstimulated clit only prolonged her orgasm. Afterwards, she felt boneless and ready for a long nap, but he was not yet sated. When one finger joined the play, Kagome jumped, her body trying to angle away from too much pleasure only to be pinned down by a strong, striped forearm.

“So… this is the place where you will take me?” Sesshōmaru asked, his breath hot against her outer lips. His thumb spread the folds, pushing them aside to give him a better view of the tight opening at the base of her slit.

She nodded, helpless to do anything but tighten around his invading finger. He must have felt it too, because his eyes acquired a certain sparkle when she clenched again, spasming around that long, slender flesh. This time, he went deeper than the first knuckle. She gasped when he went deep, breaching her fully for the first time.

Kagome was so wet she hardly felt a thing when he penetrated her with his digit. The last few years of her life had been filled with fighting demons in their vigorous search for jewel shards, she would be surprised if she had any virgin membrane left. She felt only a pinch and a second of discomfort before the pleasure overrode any other sensations.

“Deep like this?” He asked. “Tell me, Miko. Will it be as deep as this when I put my cock inside you?”

Kagome remembered how well-endowed he was, and she gushed around his fingers, shuddering with the thought of him stretching her out with the thick, long column of his flesh until he burrowed the entirety of him inside her.

“Deeper,” she whispered before she spasmed with a mini orgasm. He would reach all the way to her womb. The tip of his cock would butt against her cervix when he bottomed out, no problem.

Sesshōmaru made a low humming sound of understanding.

“Miko. Only one finger is inside you, yet you are already clenching so tightly,” he told her, moving his finger steadily in and out of her until the cave was filled with the soppy, squelching noise of her wetness. “I am much, much thicker than a finger. What should we do?”

Kagome quivered uncontrollably. Ah. He was driving her insane with his suggestive, provocative questions. Such innocent obscenities coming out from that beautiful mouth.

“Put… another finger… inside me,” she gasped brokenly.

Keeping his finger inside her, the daiyōkai moved up her body, licking and biting as he went, taking a leisurely pit stop at her breasts where he suckled her nipples. All the while, his hand played between her legs,

“Two fingers?” Sesshōmaru murmured against her ear just before he licked her damp cheek and let his index finger join his middle one. Kagome sucked in a sharp breath when she felt a new stretching sensation at her opening as he squeezed double digits into her, scissoring inside her. His deep groan caressed her cheek when he felt her tunnel sucking him in hungrily.

“They barely fit. Miko, my cock has a thicker girth than even two fingers. Should we try a third?”

Three fingers? She ached just from two. Shuddering, she shook her head. “I can’t…”

Fortunately, he took pity on her — for now. He let her have the two, and he played with her expertly, feeling the various contours along the interior of her tunnel, studying the gasps and moans he elicited from her every time he hit a different spot.

“You like it here,” he observed. “The texture of your wall, it feels different here.”

His fingers hooked inside her, wriggling in come-hither motions. When he moved his fingers to explore and inadvertently bumped against a spot along the front of her wall, she climaxed around him in short bursts. He growled and pulled his fingers out only to replace them with his tongue, snaking in as far as he could. The rough pad of his thumb sought her clit and pressed on it, kneading in tight circles that made heat pool at the sole of her feet.

Mouth wide open yet producing no sound, Kagome fell back onto the furs and rode his tongue as another wave of her orgasm washed over her. She felt this one deep in her womb. It was blinding, obliterating. She was completely and utterly undone, her toes curling, hips undulating to the rhythm of his tongue. Bright stars burst behind eyelids screwed tight as she thrashed, head thrown from side to side.

Sesshōmaru did not give her a chance to come down from her high. With a hungry moan, his hands cupped the generous swell of her hips and brought her even closer to his mouth. Like he was starving for it. The guttural noises he made as he latched onto her clit got her even wetter. She parted her thighs wider and planted her feet on his shoulders, opening herself entirely to the exploration of his mouth.

When he curled his tongue upwards and swiped across the same spot along her front wall, where that sensitive bundle of nerves lay await for more stimulation, she wailed.

“One more time?” He asked, peppering kisses across the smooth expanse of her inner thigh.

Kagome propped herself up on her elbows, still panting as she stared into his glittering eyes and saw her own desire reflected in those golden depths. She smiled sultrily at her future mate.

“Yes, please.”

Sesshōmaru growled and happily returned his face to the place between her legs, fully intent on making her see the stars again.

 

 

Chapter 8: Adoration

The fire burned low in the makeshift firepit they had built last night on a bed of pine needles and fallen branches, illuminating the moving bodies atop the white fur bedding. The last vestiges of ember sparks at the ends of charcoal sticks glinted bright orange, casting a warm glow across the cave’s stone walls.

Kagome arched her back when Sesshōmaru set his mouth on her core, latching onto the swollen nub at the top of her cleft, suckling hungrily. He spent much time licking and nipping gently at the tender, rosy flesh. Her hips bucked, and she clenched her fists when his tongue slipped inside her folds, teasing, flicking.

Pleasure surged through her at the rough texture of his tongue, and she mewled softly, bending her legs at the knees and pressing forward to give him better access. Gasping, her back bowed off the fur beneath her, fingers buried deep in his silken mane.

"Sesshōmaru," she pleaded, squirming and panting on his lush pelt, more aroused by his famished attention than she had ever been. “It feels so good…”

Somehow, overnight, he had become a prolific lover. He was generous, persistent, chasing after her release — over and over and over — as though intent on giving her as many orgasms as she could take. 

He sat back on his haunches, his hands encircling her slender thighs and lifted them over his shoulders. Kagome whimpered and tightened her fingers around his hair. She rode his mouth with abandon, crying out as he returned his attention to her clit and sucked. His forefinger, claw blunted, traced the seam of her sex, teasing the velvety, puffy lips before he dipped inside.

Kagome gasped at the sensation, at the stretch of his entry, her blunt nails scraping his scalp. His tongue continued to ravish her while his finger increased its tempo, rubbing relentlessly against a sensitive spot within.

“Yes… yes—“ Her breaths were coming faster as she begged him not to stop, her body trembling with anticipation of her next release.

"You are so soft here," Sesshōmaru murmured against her inner thighs as he explored her walls, the rough pad of his finger rubbing against a raised spot inside her that he knew would drive her wild. He had found that spot earlier  

Kagome bit down on her lip hard, trying to keep from screaming out in pleasure as she felt an orgasm building inside her.

"Let it out," he growled around a mouthful of her clit, the timbre of his voice sending pleasurable vibrations throughout her core. "Let me hear your pleasure."

"Oh...oh...oh...oh... Gods...!"

Sensations shot through every inch of her body, and before long, she was crashing over the edge into waves of rapture, lost to Sesshōmaru's touch. He lapped greedily at her juices as she moaned, arching her back in absolute pleasure — wave after wave of bliss radiating through her body. He kept up the pace until she was panting for breath and lying limp, all energy drained from her save for the residual thrill coursing through every nerve ending.

She was still shaking from the aftermath of her release when he climbed up her body, hovering above her, his pale skin turned burnished gold from the firelight.

"More?" he asked, nuzzling her neck as he rubbed his chest against her breasts.

Kagome let out a breathy giggle as her heart swelled with tenderness. The way he devoted himself to her pleasure was remarkable. They were supposed to rest while the storm raged outside, but they spent most of the night exploring each other's bodies instead. Even now, after numerous peaks, she could not deny the thrill of anticipation that raced through her veins as he passionately kissed her neck, pausing to nibble her ear.

"It's your turn," she whispered, turning her head sideways to give him greater access to her neck.

He growled and nipped at her shoulder, drawing another breathless chuckle from her as she squirmed beneath him. He hovered above her, spreading her thighs with his knees. Hungry for her touch, he groaned when her hands skimmed over his chest, down the arms that braced him over her.

He trailed his fingers over her thigh and up her stomach, sending shivers through her body. He teased her wetness with the tip of his cock, and she tensed at the anticipation of their joining, her walls clenching and begging for the pleasure she knew only he could bring. It was not the first time she craved the feeling of him pushing into her, wanting to know him more intimately.

But, they were still courting and getting to know each other. She knew he would not take her — not tonight.

Kagome's slender fingers curled around his length, exploring every inch of its velvety smoothness. Her thumb caressed the tip, and he shivered in pleasure. His lips found her ear, panting as he thrust heavily against her hand, and her knuckles grazed over the sensitive underside of his crown with each stroke.

Their lips collided in a heated, passionate embrace, tongues dancing together as his arms encircled her. His whole face was alive with intensity as he pulled away, his bright golden eyes locked on hers.

"I want to pleasure you at the same time," he murmured, his voice low and husky. "Can we do that?"

In a moment of understanding, Kagome gently coaxed him to lie down. His eyes flickered with questions, but at her sultry smile, he relaxed and followed her lead, reclining on his furs as she moved above him and turned around, arranging herself so that her pussy straddled his face.

“What tantalizing position,” he said, his voice low and guttural due to his mounting excitement from the novelty of it. His tongue flicked at her clit almost immediately as his fingers danced around her tight bundle of nerves.

Kagome gasped at the sudden sensations and grappled at his muscular thighs when he increased the pace of his fingers, massaging in small, tight circles until she was teetering along the edge. The pleasure was too much, and she shifted to angle away from the barrage of sensations, but his arms caught her hips and pressed her down onto his mouth. His tongue snaked deeply into her channel, flicking and licking as she cried out brokenly, arching her back and yet unable to move, unable to do anything but tremble and rode his mouth all the way to her orgasm.

Panting, Kagome trailed her tongue along Sesshōmaru's impressive length, kissing and licking as he groaned beneath her, intent on torturing him the same way he had tormented her. She put his soft, swollen head inside her hot mouth, swirling her tongue beneath the sensitive crown before she suckled him. He grunted, his breathing ragged and uneven as she worked him repeatedly with her mouth, alternately taking him deep and then pulling away to tease him further.

"Kagome," he warned. “I’m close.”

She pulled away to look back at him. Their gazes collided, and she saw her passion and arousal mirrored back in his golden eyes. His hands tightened on her hips, claws pricking at her flesh. His powerful body shook as he was poised at the edge of pleasure. Kagome smiled and wrapped her fingers around his girth, sliding her fist down to massage his length. Then, with the tip of her tongue, she teased the weeping slit atop the crown and watched intently as he groaned and threw his head back, unable to do anything but surrender to her ministrations.

Vibrations rolled throughout her as his whole body shook, and she felt a rush of power and arousal at being able to drive him to such a state. She continued her slow and steady rhythm, swirling her tongue round and round the head of his cock until he began to pump into her fist.  But he was not a passive recipient. His skilled fingers and tongue worked wonders on her body, and her hips bucked against his face.

He released a throaty moan and grabbed her hips, pulling her down onto him with fierce urgency. His thick, hard length met the warmth of her hand, the blunt head teasing her lips. She gasped as his tongue swirled inside her channel in an urgent rhythm, searching for that special spot he knew would drive her wild. He flicked it inside her, alternating with suctioning his lips around her clit, never ceasing until she splintered apart on top of him.

His hips began to buck under her like an uncontrollable force was driving him forward. Then, he let out a deep, guttural groan when he came, his hot seed spilling over her hand as though it was a vessel for the very essence of his being. Their loud moans and ragged breathing filled their small shelter, echoing against the stone walls.

After their heart rates had calmed, he reached up to pull her down, enfolding her under his mokomoko and kissing her brow. Though no words passed between them, she felt a deep sense of safety and comfort being in his arms, and she pressed herself closer to him, feeling him kiss the top of her head.

They drifted off to sleep entwined in each other's arms.

---

The following morning, when Kagome opened her eyes, she saw the fire had been rekindled, and a few small river fishes threaded on a stick were crisping up. A distance away, she spotted several ripe pears from a nearby orchard and a flask filled with fresh water.

Sesshōmaru was nowhere to be seen, though she had the feeling he was just gone to fetch more food and would return shortly. He must have woken up earlier, gathered these for her, and prepared them so she would have something to eat before they continued their journey. Granted, he was a daiyōkai with no need for much rest, but the knowledge he had done this for her was not something she’d overlooked.

She was… touched. A little more than impressed. It was nice to be taken care of for once instead of always being the one taking care of others. It seemed he was serious when he said he intended to prove his ability to protect and provide for her.

And… pleasure her, she thought, her cheeks blushing as she wrapped mokomoko tighter around her body.

---

Sesshōmaru and Kagome left the cave after breakfast concluded, having to cross the mountain to the other side to reach their village destination. They were both quiet, though not uncomfortably so, each of them lost in their thoughts. Sesshōmaru was deeply entrenched in his own world as he marvelled at the realization the woman walking beside him was his fated mate, the one he was destined to be with for the rest of time.

Silently, he made plans in his head. If their journey proved fruitful, and he proved to her that he was an excellent protector, provider, lover, and a worthy mate — and he had all the intention and confidence to make it so — he would proceed to the next step,

His mother would be surprised, if not shocked, to discover her only son, who’d never desired or expected to meet his true mate, had found the one after all these centuries. Likewise, she’d be surprised when he’d show up at her doorstep to pick up the one item he needed to make his mating to Kagome official.

After a while, Sesshōmaru gazed down at the woman beside him, noticing how she, too, was lost in thoughts. Her scent was intoxicating, and he was hard-pressed to keep his desire for her in check. He didn't want to frighten her with his passion, but he knew it was inevitable.

She was his mate, after all.

Kagome was also lost in her thoughts, though they were equally chaotic as the yōkai lord's. She was trying to process everything that had happened the night before and worked out how to handle her feelings for him, which were rapidly growing.

His confession yesterday — about her being his fated mate — had been quite a shock, but she could not deny the physical attraction was strong between them.

And… she looked down at the ground as her cheeks grew hot. The pleasure they shared together was beyond anything she ever imagined possible. Though they had not consummated their relationship, technically, she had a good reason to believe the culmination would be as explosive, if not more, than the journey to get there.

Then, she wondered: was it too quick? Their relationship had progressed at a breakneck speed. But, as quickly as it was, she felt comfortable with the taciturn daiyōkai and trusted his intention and honour.

She trusted him.

Continuing in their silent reverie, they trudged up the steep mountain, stopping at the top, the village of their destination in sight. Then, Kagome looked up to see Sesshōmaru gazing at her, and she blushed, realizing he had most likely been staring for quite some time.

"I'm sorry, I was miles away,” she told him. “Did you say something?"

"No." His voice was like velvet, rich and smooth. "Even if I did, I'd much rather know what had you so engrossed in your own thoughts."

Kagome blushed; the added pink looked so becoming amid her creamy complexion. "My thoughts are not worth it," she quickly replied before she turned away.

But Sesshōmaru would not let her look away. Instead, he took her chin and gently coaxed her to look into his eyes. "They are to me," he said before he bent his head and took her lips.

She opened up the moment his lips touched hers. He kissed her gently, his mouth demanding and, at the same time, gently coaxing her to respond. Her body thrummed with arousal as his kiss deepened. His tongue slid into her mouth, and she gasped but responded as urgently as he did. When Sesshōmaru's tongue made contact with her own, a rush of pure pleasure shot through her, and she moaned in his mouth. 

They broke apart, panting, and he pulled her closer, letting his warmth envelop her. He rubbed his face against her neck, inhaling her scent, and then he spoke, his voice husky and seductive. “More to come later?”

"We definitely need to finish that later," she said, a blush returning to her cheeks.

He growled softly. "I would like nothing more, and if we leave now, perhaps later would come sooner."

Kagome needed no other incentives. Without a moment's hesitation, she began to stride with purpose, the long waves of her hair swaying as she quickened her steps, hurrying along.

 

 

Chapter 9: Abarcy

Notes:

The title of this chapter, ‘Abarcy,’ is a word that has been obsolete since the 17th century. It’s meaning is: insatiable, never full. When you read this chapter, I think you will understand. Enjoy!

A chill ran down Kagome's spine as they approached the outskirts of Hinokage village. An unspoken tension hung in the air, and unease filled every corner of her being. Her steps faltered, and she shot a cautious glance at Sesshōmaru. He seemed to be just as wary — his face stern with an emotionless mask, but his eyes were alert and observant. Taking a deep breath, Kagome swallowed her uneasiness, and together, they stepped forward into the unknown.

They walked cautiously through the village, their footsteps echoing off the empty street. The air was thick with nervousness and trepidation; not a soul was to be seen. Kagome felt a chill down her spine as they passed by each empty house, as if it were a reminder of the terror that had descended upon the town.

From the look of things, the villagers had tried to fight and defend themselves, but it was clear that they had lost the battle. The streets were littered with debris, and signs of struggle were apparent everywhere they turned.

They rounded a corner, and a scene of utter chaos greeted them. A handful of villagers were huddled together, fear etched on their faces. In the center of the group was a makeshift shrine, the offerings strewn about in a desperate attempt to appease whatever was causing the destruction.

As they approached, one of the villagers — an elderly man, looked up at them with wide eyes.

"Thank goodness you're here, miko-sama," he said as he rushed over, his voice trembling. "The village is under attack from a leech yōkai! It's been destroying everything in its path! We've done all we can to stop it, but nothing has worked."

He gestured to the shrine and the offerings surrounding it. It was evident he and the remaining villagers had hoped such things would stop the creature that wreaked havoc throughout their home. "We need your help!"

Kagome and Sesshōmaru exchanged a solemn glance before he drew his sword, and she prepared her bow and arrow.

"We'll take care of it," Kagome promised, her voice steady and determined. She gave the elderly villager a confident smile to calm the man down. “Please get everyone into a safe place, and do not emerge from your shelter until we have eradicated the yōkai.”

The elder quickly cleared the streets, instructing the residents to hide indoors. Soon, only Kagome and Sesshōmaru remained out in the open. The daiyōkai lifted his head and sniffed the air.

“It is coming,” he warned.

As soon as the gigantic lumbering figure of the leech demon emerged from beyond the woods, heading towards the village, they burst into action, fighting side by side as they faced off against the menacing demon that had been tormenting the residents. Sesshōmaru's skilled swordsmanship was not a surprise, but Kagome found it most impressive how he moved in sync with her - they were like two sides of one coin as they fought with precision and grace. Their movements were almost like a dance as they battled the creature.

As the fight continued, Kagome noticed an odd slime dripping from the demon's body, some splashing onto her skin. Suddenly she felt a strange, intense heat radiating throughout her core. Her breathing turned laboured as her womb clenched. Sweat beaded along her upper lip as she gritted her teeth and fought bravely, determined to save the village despite this unexpected obstacle.

Sesshōmaru, attuned to her every move, turned to study her, sensing she was struggling with something. Still hoping to push the mounting desperation away, she shook her head at him, willing herself to focus on their fight.

The battle was fierce, but they wore down the demon's defences until it lay before them in a weakened state. With one swift cut from Sesshōmaru's blade, the beast was vanquished - its body turning to dust before fading away into nothingness.

Kagome drew a sigh, but her relief was short lived when another wave of heat assailed her. Sesshōmaru quickly turned and grabbed her arm protectively, steadying her as she wobbled on unsteady legs. "Are you alright?" he asked, his brow furrowing into a deep frown.

Kagome nodded weakly, still feeling faint from whatever strange substance oozing out of that monster.

”I'm... fine," she replied, her voice low enough only for his ears, before glancing around at the villagers who were now cheering and rejoicing at their victory. "But... I think... we should leave.” She was panting, her body growing increasingly hot and needy from what had just happened.

Sesshōmaru nodded, his piercing gaze never leaving her. "Some yōkai excretes a substance that is too potent for humans, and it might have strong effects on them if ingested. A state of sexual desire is one of them," he explained, holding her arm to steady her.

"Wha... What??" she gaped. How was she supposed to walk amongst the villagers in 'a state of sexual desire?’ She shook her head, a deep sense of mortification sinking into the pit of her stomach. "Then, we need to leave immediately!”

“They are not yōkai,” he told her, his tone calm and reasonable. “They are unable to sense or smell your desire. Only I can. If it is unbearable, one of the village women could run you a bath to wash off the slime. The effect should lessened after contact with water.”

Kagome shook her head adamantly, her breaths coming out in panting gasps. Even now, her left hand had to grip her right to stop it from taking her clothes — and his clothes off.

She took his hand, squeezing it urgently, trying to summon a sultry light in her eyes as she gazed at him pleadingly. “But… if we’re away from here, we can actually do something about it,” she pointed out.

The meaning in her words was unmistakable. His eyes were suddenly illuminated with a pleasurable gleam. “On second thought,” he murmured, squeezing her hand in return. "I smell water not too far from here. I will take you there and wash off the slime myself.”

Kagome felt her pulse quicken as Sesshōmaru pulled her hand, and she followed him without hesitation. She knew he could smell her arousal  and was determined to get her away from this place as quickly as possible. He started towards the edge of the village, ignoring the pleas of the villagers for them to stay and celebrate with them or to enjoy their hospitality.

He led her to a secluded pool of steaming hot spring water hidden beneath the heavy foliage of a nearby hill. With dexterous fingers, he helped her undress and lifted her into the pool of hot water when she was fully naked. She could feel the slimy residue of the aphrodisiac against her skin as he tenderly washed it away with a soft cloth. The hot water began to soothe her weary muscles, prompting her to groan with pleasure. But, despite the pleasant sensation of the water against her skin, her body tingled with a fire that refused to be extinguished.

Her skin prickled with awareness as he sluiced hot water all over her. Beads of liquid clung to her skin, and with the effect of the slime still lingering, she felt everything. Every brush of his fingers against her skin aroused her beyond reason.

Kagome looked up at Sesshōmaru with a flush of embarrassment on her cheeks, knowing he could also smell everything, but he only looked at her with eyes filled with understanding before gently pushing a wet strand of hair off her face.

"It looks like I'll have to take you somewhere else," he said softly, sending her needs as he  pressed a kiss on the apple of her shoulder.

He was nowhere near her core, yet she felt his lips as though he pressed them against the tender petals between her legs. The pleasurable ache made her clench her thigh together in a futile effort to assuage the unbearable need.

His fingers moved to caress her breasts, tweaking her hardened nipples. Kagome hissed. Her heart raced as the heat between them grew more intense by the second. She nodded silently, too lost in those alluring golden eyes to form words. How fortunate it was that she had Sesshōmaru with her — someone she could trust with her body, knowing he would take care of her and not let her come to any harm, that anything between them tonight would be done out of their free will.

"Help me," Kagome managed, pressing her chest against his, tucking her head beneath his chin. "Please?"

"What a predicament you've gotten yourself into, Miko," Sesshōmaru whispered as he leaned in and kissed her deeply before he lifted her into his arms, enveloped her into his bright ball of light, and whisked her away.

When she reopened her eyes, they were inside a cave. He had used his yōki to light up flames to illuminate the rocky interior. Without delay, he lay mokomoko down on the floor to create a makeshift bed and coaxed her to lie down. She followed without hesitation, her sensitive skin prickling with awareness the moment the soft fur touched her body.

Sesshōmaru piled their clothes at a clean spot in the corner before prowling towards her with purpose, his eyes darkening with desire into a molten amber shade.

“Kagome,” he growled, staring at her nude body splayed upon his furs.

She gushed at the low timbre of his voice, every fibre of her being screamed at her to reach for him, to touch him. She did not need to, for he reached for her first. At her gasps and shudders of delight, he unleashed a flurry of soft kisses as he travelled down her body, as though mapping her pleasure and memorizing her response.

Her body burned at every touch, the effect of the slime still reigning over her. Sesshōmaru teased her with his tongue while his fingers kneaded the swollen bud at the apex of her thighs. But, as pleasurable as his ministrations were, her womb clenched with want. The sensation rippled through her body like a wave, and she clenched her eyes shut as desperation for the one thing she craved filled every inch of her being.

“No, not like this,” she gasped, craning her neck to look at him between her legs, her shimmering eyes pleading. “I need you, all of you.”

---

Sesshōmaru swallowed. The desire in Kagome’s eyes was palpable, her fingers flexing against his cheek as though urging him to crawl up her body and take her the way she needed to be taken. 

“Kagome, it is not time for us to mate. I’ve yet to present you with courting gifts—“

The firm shake of her head stopped him. “Sesshōmaru, I don’t need gifts. I need you.”

“It is tradition—“

“What good is tradition when I am dying?”

He crawled up her body to look into her eyes, careful to keep his lower body aloft. “You are not dying; it is merely the slime making you very, very impatient.”

“Then, give it to me,” she insisted, gripping his bottom, trying to press him down to pair their hips together. “Don’t you want to put your seed inside me? Just yesterday, you were so eager…”

The luscious heat of her beneath his body gripped him, and he groaned helplessly. “Let me use my mouth again on you —“

But she did not want his mouth; she was particular about that. She clenched her jaw but did not speak, her hands reaching for him, massaging his length as she shimmied her bottom closer to him, legs falling open and bracketing his hips. His head fell forward when she pulled him to her, touching the tip of his cock to her entrance.

The jolt of pleasure that tore through him had him snarling. Her pelvis undulated as she strived to get him to enter her, but he held himself as rigidly as a board, keeping himself at the cusp of her opening.

She lifted her hips, chasing contact with the tip of his cock, letting him know in no uncertain terms that his one fated mate wanted him, needed him. The beast railed inside him to provide for their mate, to fulfill anything she required — pleasure included.

When she sobbed with desperation, he could no longer deny her — his fated mate, the only female whose happiness was paramount to him.

"Tell me this is what you want." So deep and guttural, he hardly recognized his own voice.

Her hands were shaking with desire as she clutched onto his arms, and teardrops cascaded down her face. “Please, I need you," she begged through convulsing sobs. "Give me your cock."

At first, he did not think he would fit. He looked so large resting against her; it was almost obscene. But, Kagome had assured him that he would fit, that her body would stretch to receive him.

He pressed the head of his sex against her opening tentatively, Bokusenō’s teaching echoing in his head: ‘You need to place the stiff appendage in question into her opening and deposit your seed inside her belly.’

He was as stiff as steel and poised at her opening — her correct opening. He still had no idea what he would do once he was inside her, but something told him to trust his own body, to trust her body to guide his.

When he dropped his hips, he began to enter her with a soft, wet schlup. There was only a tiny amount of resistance when his bulbous tip popped into her. His vision dimmed as her heat enveloped him. She was so wet, and her body was so soft, taking him beautifully as he began to stretch her inch by inch. The moment she closed in around the head of his cock, his eyes fluttered to a close, and a rough breath was torn from his throat. Down there, she was like a hungry mouth, swallowing him and sucking him in, and at the same time strangling him with so much force he could barely breathe.

He hung his head, quivering, his cock breaching her only halfway and yet she was trembling around him, pulsing as her keening cries filled his ears. She was tight, she was warm, and she was wet, so very, very wet that each tiny rock of his hips earned him a sloppy sound that sounded exceedingly lewd and yet arousing in his ears.

---

As Sesshōmaru entered her, Kagome arched her spine, whimpering while sparks of euphoria teased every nerve endings. The sensation of him filling her body sent ripples of fire along her veins. She felt everything, from the twitching of his muscles to the tiny embers of pleasure as her inner walls tugged gently at his length.

Her head lolled back into the plush fur as she came in short bursts, the slime making her so highly sensitive that even the slightest drag of his cock was enough to send her over the edge.

But, when she came down from her high, she realized he had been holding himself still above her for long minutes now.

Why isn’t he moving?

She raised her upper body on her elbow and stared down at the place that had stolen all his attention, and what she saw, the way she opened for him, made her clench around him all the more.

Kagome rolled her hips experimentally, her blunt nails scratching his lower abdomen, urging for rougher motions even as he clenched his teeth and strived to keep still. She peered up at him, her latest orgasm clearing out the haze of lust, she could see the feverish golden of his eyes.

“Sesshōmaru. I think… it is alright for you to move.”

“Move?” He looked up at her, alarmed. “But, this is already so—“ His words trailed into a long, tortured groan. He trembled from head to toe. “So—“

He could not finish his words, but she finished them in her head: amazing, astounding, astonishing. Just completely and utterly out of this world.

“Please,” Kagome pleaded, blunt teeth nipping at his throat. “Please. I need you to move.”

“You are strangling me.” He sounded choked, his face a pained grimace. “I feel like I'm about to implode. I can’t… I need a moment.”

She tried to give him time, she really did, but her body hungrily sucked him in, clamping around his manhood and began to milk him.

"Kagome," he gasped harshly, holding onto her hip as though he could get her inner walls to stop fisting him. "Kagome, no."

But she would not stop. She could not, at any rate. Her body did things on its own accord, sucking him deeper into her. His hips jerked against her, his movements uncontrollable. 

Sesshōmaru began to convulse, straining against her. Kagome arched her spine in a taut bow when she felt him swelling, spilling inside her in long jets of seed. The slime made her so sensitive that the feel of his warmth splashing against her walls had her eyes rolling to the back of her head.

She was lost to the sensations of him coming inside her, his harsh shout echoing throughout the cave.  

 

Notes:

We are one chapter away from the ending 🥳🥳🥳

This story won 1st place for Best NSFW fanfiction in the Feudal Connection 2023 2nd term award. Thank you so much to everyone who nominated and voted for this story. ❤️❤️❤️

Chapter 10: Apotheosis

The sky darkened and it began to rain, but the cage kept them warm and dry. The earthy smell of petrichor filled the snug space around them as Sesshōmaru held himself rigidly above her while the rainstorm raged outside.

He remained stiff inside her — a hard, insistent pressure that filled her, stretched her, made her think that had he been just the tiniest bit larger, he would not have fit at all. Then, he lifted his hips, pulling out a little, and the friction of his still rigid cock along her sensitive walls had her hissing with pleasure. Her blunt nails sank into his forearms, her bottom lifting instinctively as though trying to keep him inside her.

But the friction… The scrape of his plum-shaped head against her insides had her swooning, her thighs wrapping around his hips to push him down again. When he did, he moaned with her, their eyes lighting up with a discovery that shook them both to the core.

“Oh—“ she gasped. “Oh, that’s so—“

He lifted his hips again, and this time she let him. When he plunged inside her, their combined moans echoed within the cavern. He did it again — harder, then again, and again, until his hips moved uncontrollably as though he could not stop himself. And she loved it — loved him losing control as he drilled her onto the fur, pinning her hips down even as she tried to lift herself to meet each downward thrust.

“You seem to have found a new type of thrust you like,” Kagome whispered, half teasing and half swooning as she trailed her lips along his jaw.

She cried out when he suddenly pushed her legs up, her knees nearly touching her shoulders, and hovered above her, moving his hips in steady rolling motions that had the head of his cock rubbing against a spot so deep inside her that she felt his thrust beneath her ribcage. Clenching her teeth, she sobbed into her palms, tears trickling down her temples at the intensity of their bodies joining together.

Sesshōmaru pulled her hand away from her mouth. “Let me hear you,” he panted. “Don’t hold anything back.”

Her unhinged cries seemed to spur him on, and he worked relentlessly between her legs, his hunger for the feel of her clasping around him palpable in every hard, bone-jarring thrust he gave her.

Then, when she wanted even more, she pushed his shoulders, her strength surprising him enough that he fell on his back. With the agility that impressed him, she moved swiftly to straddle him, positioning his cock perfectly beneath her entrance. Her keening cries bounced off the walls of the cave when she lowered herself to take him, sliding down until her bottom touched his lap.

---

His beast railed at the change of position, and at being pinned down by the slight female, but the moment she moved her hips, rocking above him, it purred with appreciation. Sesshōmaru’s head fell onto mokomoko’s plush pelt, waves of pleasure swallowing him that his eyes rolled to the back of his head. His hands instinctively gripped her sizeable hips as he pushed his pelvis up to meet her downward stroke, relishing the sounds she made every time their flesh slapped together.

His stamina was unmatched, and he felt he could go on for days. Hers was admirable too, and he watched her proudly as she danced above him, her breasts moving in sync with every thrust. She angled her hips, seeking the secret spots that made her sang when his cock hit it just right. And when she found them, he pursued them with her, pounding into it until she reached her climax over and over.

When Kagome’s latest climax was over and she hang her head low, matted raven hair sticking to his shoulders as she buried her face in the crook of his neck, Sesshōmaru knew she was tired. She had pushed herself beyond her own physical endurance. Yet, she was still moving sensuously, sinuously against him. She was snapping her hips, punctuating every downward stroke. She kept him deep inside her, and he let her continue to move as she liked, finding the angles to get him to rub against every sensitive spot along her walls.

“One more?” she whispered; voice hoarse from screaming.

“As many times as you need,” he replied, quickening his pace until his pelvis slammed up against her core in an urgent rhythm. “Come again around me. I want to feel you.”

Kagome came again in a silent cry, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her spine arched sharply, the tips of her long wavy hair tickled his thighs. He clenched his jaw, trying to stave his own release in favour of prolonging hers. But her body began to milk his, and he was lost.

He came the second time with a harsh shout, his body straining against her, his claws pricking into the flesh of her hips. His mouth was around her nipple, sucking the hardened bud to the same rhythm of her walls fisting his cock.

As they both came down from their high, Kagome still straddling his lap, he set his palms on her fleshy ass and ran the blunt side of his fangs along her neck, his tongue tasting the salt of her sweat. His beast rumbled inside him, urging him to mark her, sink his fangs into her jugular as deeply as he was embedded between her legs.

Her head lolled back, which allowed him even more access to her neck. He planted a kiss there, sucking on the tender skin where he would place his mark — one day. The mere thought of it had his beast rattling at the cage, wanting to be unleashed so they could both claim their mate.

“Sesshōmaru, I can feel your beast,” she whispered. “Your yōki is lashing out, caressing me everywhere.”

“The beast wants to mate you,” he whispered back. “I want to mate you.”

---

Mate…

Kagome’s core fluttered at the one word — it was almost enough to careen her over the edge again. Her hips slowed and she cupped his cheek, staring down at his face. His bangs were plastered against his forehead, locks of silver hair stuck to his damp skin.

She recalled the tender way he took care of her pleasure by the river, and then at the hot spring. She recalled him chasing after her when she departed for a perilous journey to Hinokage village, and his insistence on accompanying her even though she had refused. She recalled his innocence that was even more staggering than her own, and yet, he trusted her every step of the way as they embarked together on this strange albeit pleasurable journey of discovery.

All he asked was that she allowed him to prove he was a good provider, protector, and lover. She had agreed. Now, within a very short amount of time, had he not proven all those points — thrice over?

“Do it,” Kagome told him.

The pleasure in his eyes turned into fierce disapproval as he glared up at her. “Kagome, I want to mate you, but I will not do so while you are under the influence of the slime,” he gritted out between clenched teeth, his hands still pressing into her fleshy bottom.

She chuckled softly as she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him gently, teasing his lips with her tongue. “Sesshōmaru… the effect of the slime diminished a while back,” she whispered against his lips, her hips still rocking against him. “I am no longer under its influence.”

His eyes widened as he looked up at her with an expression of amazement mixed with interest. “Truly? But you continued—“

“Yes, but it’s only because I couldn’t get enough—“ she admitted, her voice gentle. “— of my mate.”

And to prove it, she lifted her bottom until only his cockhead remained inside her entrance, then slammed down, taking him to the hilt. The press of him against the mouth of her womb had white stars bursting behind her eyelids, her core convulsing as wave after wave of euphoria washed over her body. Then, she repeated the movement — over and over and over. Her fingers clawed at his back as she rode him, her hips snapping uncontrollably against him as she lost herself in the sea of bliss.

He snarled against her breasts, holding himself rigidly as she took her pleasure, using his body however she needed to prolong her climax. As she shook with the force of her latest orgasm, he held her close to his heart, murmuring in her ear over and over: “My mate.”

It was not until her tremors subsided that he lifted her from his rigid cock and positioned her on all fours upon the furs. Her body was still thrumming with the remnants of her peak, but Kagome’s instinct told her to lower her head and raise her hips, her core still soft from their previous lovemakings.

“Mate,” Sesshōmaru growled as he lowered his body until his slick chest rubbed against her equally slick back. Kagome whipped her damp hair, brushing away the wet tendrils that stuck to her sweaty skin, revealing her nape and the crook of her neck to his view.

His eyes pulsed red as he watched her readying herself for his bite, her ass rubbing against his stiff cock, their combined slick dripping down her inner thighs.

When they joined again, he breached her easily. She keened her cries to the roof of the cave as she arched back against his chest, her head pressing against his shoulder. His clawed hands pulled her hips back to meet his pelvis, the slap of their flesh coming together echoing loudly inside the cavern. He lost himself in her cries, her skin, the tight clasp of her body… lost himself in her.

The beast snarled with satisfaction as his hips drummed against her fleshy rear, pounding hard and fast while he braced himself on the floor with one hand. His other arm curled around her midsection securely like an iron bar.

“Sesshōmaru… Sesshōmaru—“ His name was upon her lips repeatedly like a chant as she surrendered to his claiming. His cock breached her over and over, his harsh breathing punctuating each thrust.

He nuzzled the crook of her neck, sealing his lips against the pulse on the side, his tongue licking against the spot that called out to him. His fangs lengthened, pricking her skin as his beast howled inside him with the need to complete the ritual, to make her fully theirs.

Her hand was on his cheek before it slid back to grab at his hair, blunt fingernails clawing at his scalp as though telling him she was as impatient as he was. As though she needed him as much as he needed her. What happened next was pure instinct. He pushed his cock inside her at the same time his fangs punctured her neck, injecting his yōki into her system to bind them together as mates — forever.

Almost simultaneously, he felt his cock changing, yet again. His eyes widened when the base of his cock expanded, her walls clinging to it so tightly that he could not pull away. He suddenly remembered Bokusenō telling him that his knot would one day formed and that he would breed his mate.

---

Kagome’s eyes flew open when she felt the flesh at the base of his cock swelling, expanding to such girth that he was locked inside her body.

“Sesshōmaru—“ she gasped. “Something is happening—“

He growled around the mouthful of flesh, but the feel of his tongue swiping against the skin of her neck calmed her, grounded her.  She shook from the sheer size of his knot; half of her feared she would burst at any moment and the other half wanting even more. But, as he rocked just a tiny bit against her, a frisson of heat jolted through her core. Heat spread from her womb throughout her body, reaching all the way to her fingertips and toes.

Suddenly, as his yōki entered her through the punctured wound, binding them together, Kagome heard him inside her head, felt his overwhelming joy pouring into her chest. He was inside her — body and soul; there was no other way to describe the sensation. His essence permeated every fibre of her being, merging with her own.

She calmed and settled beneath him, softening around him so he could plant himself even deeper inside, his pelvis flush against her rear. She felt the hot jets of his seed as he spilled inside her, filled her almost to overflowing, which she would have been if not for his knot plugging her tight.

It was an intense few minutes of their bodies conjoining, locking together, but she relished his attention and affection as he laved gently at her neck wounds, his hand rubbing along the side of her slick body as the other braced him above her. After he finished, he did not leave her. Instead, he folded his larger frame around her for a cuddle, spooning tight behind her while his nose gently nuzzled the crook of her neck.

“Any regrets?” Sesshomaru asked, his tone wary as he raised his upper body so he could catch a glimpse of her eyes.

Kagome turned to smile at him. The slime might have pushed them into this situation, but any liberties they took with each other were freely given, and now that they were mated, she felt him closer to her than ever before — an invisible yet a very real presence inside her chest.

“Regrets?” she repeated. “No regrets, my mate. Only joy, more than I ever thought I would ever know,” she told him, her knuckles lightly grazing against his jaw.

His eyes gentled, but it was also illuminated with the similar joy that made her think he understood precisely how she felt.

And when he bent down to press his lips against her, their kiss was for happiness.

The one after that, was for love.

---

A few weeks later, Sesshōmaru took her on a ride to an unknown destination. She knew only that they would visit someone, but he was being mysterious about the rest. Then, she caught him slipping a few portions of human food into the basket, and a pouch of the highest quality tea, when he thought she was not looking.

It seemed they were going for… a picnic?

As Ah-Un flew steadily, she fingered the pendant he had gifted her — his precious mating gift, presented late and yet its meaning was not diminished by his tardiness. Tradition dictated he bestowed the pendant upon his fated mate on the eve of their mating ritual.

Every male yōkai baby had a small amount of their yōki extracted at the time of his birth, to be stowed and preserved inside the pendant until the day he took his mate. From that point on, the mate would wear the pendant, thus symbolically uniting the male together with that missing piece of himself.

“Where are we going?” Kagome asked as they raced above the clouds to the mysterious place.

“It is a surprise,” he said. “You will see when we arrive.”

Kagome looked back at her mate, her nose wrinkled. “I’m not even sure I like surprises.”

“Yes, you do,” he said, his tone confident. “I have surprised you every step of the way, haven’t I?”

He had. If someone had told her she would return to the Sengoku Jidai to the daiyōkai cornering her one afternoon at the pear grove, only to accuse her of sorcery before exposing himself and demanding she took responsibility for his condition, she would have laughed aloud.   

“Did you ever regret seeing me on the hill that day?” she asked him, half teasing.

The smile he gave her was a rare sight, reserved only for her and she hoped, one day, their children. He lowered his head to nuzzle his nose against her hair. “How could I? You are the missing piece I didn’t know I needed.”

Kagome was still swooning from Sesshōmaru’s unexpectedly sweet words when Ah-Un descended onto the ground. As the dragon stepped away to munch on a bed of fresh lichen, Sesshōmaru took her hand and led her to walk a well-worn path between the trees.

“We are visiting someone important to me,” he finally told her. “Someone I’d like you to meet.”

Unexpectedly, that someone was a tree. Kagome was shocked speechless for a full minute when Sesshōmaru led her to stand before a large tree, it’s branches and canopy of leaves reaching up high while it’s massive gnarly roots planted its thick trunk securely into the earth, and had been for what looked like centuries.

Sesshōmaru turned to her. “Mate, let me introduce you to Bokusenō, the two-thousand year old magnolia tree spirit. Bokusenō, this is Lady Kagome.” He paused, puffing his chest out with pride. “My mate.”

The memory of Sesshōmaru telling her about him seeking the wisdom of the magnolia tree returned to her. The tree had been a sort of mentor for her mate, teaching him the things he did not know about sex and his own body. But the rest was their story.

After the introduction, Sesshōmaru stepped away to fetch some water from a nearby spring so they could steep the tea for the picnic. Kagome stayed behind to arrange the blanket and the provisions her mate had packed inside the basket — more for her benefit than his own.

“So—“ Kagome broke the silence as she sat on the picnic blanket, tidying the folds of her kimono as she did so. “It must have been awkward… the day Sesshōmaru came and asked you about… Uhhh… reproductive matters.”

A tree could only be as expressive as a tree could be, which, in ordinary circumstances, was not much at all. But, Kagome could have sworn she saw a grimace.

“Truthfully, my lady, this old tree is still trying to forget it,” Bokusenō replied.

Kagome lifted a hand to her mouth and chuckled, imagining how perturbed Bokusenō must have been when Sesshōmaru stormed into the forest, demanding to know why he suddenly gained an erection. 

“But, as expected, Sesshōmaru is an excellent student and a quick learner,” Bokusenō added, pointedly staring at the soft swell of Kagome’s belly.

“He was,” Kagome concurred, patting her midsection gently while trying to ignore the heat that crept up her cheeks. “He truly was.”

She was about to add: and he continued to be the most eager student, but she bit her lip before the words spewed out of her mouth.

When Sesshōmaru returned, their picnic continued. Conversations flowed, during which Bokusenō inquired about their plans for the pup.

“It is a little early for me to tell the sex,” Sesshōmaru said, his eyes softened as he gazed at his mate.

“From the way Lady Kagome is carrying, I can tell it is a female pup,” Bokusenō said confidently. If the tree could move enough to puff up his chest, Kagome was sure she would have seen some preening.

“It does not matter the sex,” she said gently, running her palm across her belly in soothing circles. “We’d be overjoyed with either a boy or a girl pup.”

“Or twins!” Bokusenō exclaimed, prompting Kagome to arched her brow, never having considered that possibility before. She glanced furtively at her mate, nearly smiling at how pleased Sesshōmaru looked.

As the sun began to descend and the shadows within the forest deepened, they bid their farewell, promising Bokusenō that they would visit again soon. The old magnolia tree spirit still seemed wary at the mention of any subsequent visits, but in the end, he looked as though he enjoyed the time spent with them.

Kagome reckoned he did not get many visitors.

The sky was the colour of bright pink, fuchsia, and orange when took to the sky, Ah-Un flying steadily and confidently towards home. Kagome leaned back, revelling in the warmth and sturdiness of Sesshōmaru’s frame. She sighed contentedly when he brushed his lips against her cheek, traveling upward to plant a gentle kiss on her temple.

As she cast her eyes toward the deepening horizon, her lips curled into a smile. Many things had happened since the afternoon Sesshōmaru found her at the pear grove — they had mated and they were now awaiting their first pup. No doubt, there would be many more to come.

The excitement nudged at her chest — for today, for tomorrow, for the time they would share in the future.

For all the things they were bound to discover — together.

Notes:

That’s it, we’re done 🥳
Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading 💙💙💙