Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Black Widow Miko ❯ Lovers, Seducers, & Gropers ( Chapter 6 )

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

By: madmiko

this one’s for all you hentais out there -- I know who you are. Heh heh!
And it’s extra-long again in honor of the 100th reviewer: Mari-chan!

DISCLAIMER: The ever-impressive Takahashi-san and Togashi-san created and own “InuYasha” and “YuYu Hakusho.” The ever-fumbling madmiko-san simply plays out her fantasies on the keyboard.

talking
mental/telepathic conversations - “Hiei” “Kurama” “Youko”
(thoughts to self)
dreams

Black Widow Miko

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Last time:

Noticing the dampness of his hair, Kagome smiled and asked, “Do you go for a swim every night?”

He narrowed his eyes and scowled at her. “What did you want to speak to me about?”

She tilted her head and gave him an appraising look. “Do you like to go for a swim every night?”

“Onna …” he growled.

“I have a … proposal, that I think will be of mutual benefit to us.” She stepped closer to him. “I want you to be my lover.”
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Chapter Six: Lovers, Seducers, & Gropers

Other than a slight widening of his eyes, Hiei gave no indication that he had even heard her. He wasn’t sure he had heard her, because really, of all the things the miko might want to talk to him about, he was sure that couldn’t possibly be one of them. But while his brain was rejecting what his ears had heard, another part of his anatomy was ready to shake hands on the deal. So, he just continued to stand there and frown at her.

“Gomen nasai. That was rather abrupt of me, wasn’t it? I’m afraid I’ve never had this kind of conversation before. Actually, I never thought I’d be considering taking a lover before, either. But, …”

All right. So maybe she had actually said what he thought she said. He interrupted her, “Do you expect me to believe that you’ve never had a lover before?” He arched a brow at her in disbelief.

“Well, other than my mates, no, I haven’t,” she told him.

“Your mates were killed 500 years ago. And even if you were under some sort of spell for 400 years, you’re saying you remained completely celibate for 100 years? Don’t make me laugh.”

“It’s true.” Kagome realized he wasn’t going to believe that until now, she really just couldn’t bring herself to even think about being with another male that way. She simply didn’t have those kinds of yearnings or reactions to anyone else -- until recently. So, she decided to go with a partial truth she thought he could relate to. “I was occupied with taking care of my sons and keeping us all safe -- there really was no time to indulge in physical urges. And I certainly wouldn’t take a mate for such a petty reason, -- or any other, for that matter,” she added.

He snorted at that. “You like to say you won’t take another mate, but your actions betray your intentions.”

Now she smiled at him. “You are referring to my acceptance of Lord Yemon’s courtship. I could hardly refuse him outright, could I? He knows we are here. He could mobilize the wolf tribes against us, as well as stir up the rest of the Makai, and we are not ready for that yet.”

He raised a brow at her. “So, you intend to string him along.”

“Hai. And possibly discourage his interest with some irritating behavior,” she grinned mischievously.

(Actually, that’s pretty clever of her, if that really is what she plans to do.) “What about the others?” the apparition asked.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Oh, please. You know as well as I do that they don’t want to mate with me. Yusuke might like to flirt a little, but I don’t think he’s even interested in me at all. He reminds me a lot of an old friend of mine who used to go around asking women to bear his child -- I think he would have run for the hills if any of them had actually agreed, because he was in love with someone else. He just couldn’t resist asking to see what response he’d get. And I think Kurama just wants to crawl into my bed to see what it is Sesshoumaru saw in me.”

“And the other kitsune?”

She chuckled. “Shippou is trying to protect me from the others. As another suitor, he can tag along and break in on them if they become too … persistent.”

“If you are simply looking for someone to satisfy your urges, then why not let Kurama ‘see what Sesshoumaru saw in you?’ Youko is reputed to be a very skilled lover.”

“Because I don’t like to be manipulated.” She stepped up until she was right in front of him, and looked intently into his eyes. “That’s why I’m here. At least you are honest in your distrust of me. And your attraction to me is equally honest, because that’s all it is -- a simple, physical attraction, as unwanted as it may be, ” she said with a grin.

“Onna, if you believe you will gain my sympathy or get me to turn a blind eye by having sex with me, you are sadly mistaken,” he informed her.

Her eyes sparkled with amusement for a second, then she grew very serious. “If I thought for one moment that your affections might be engaged this way, I would never have approached you. This will have no bearing on your job or ‘investigation.’ It will be a straightforward arrangement between us. I don’t want to hear pretty words or false promises. And I definitely don’t want someone who might want more from me than I can give -- I don’t have the time to spend stroking someone’s ego or playing the devoted, adoring female. I’m not offering love, -- my well dried up of that long ago, -- or even companionship. If you accept my offer, this relationship doesn’t go beyond these four walls.”

She studied him carefully, trying to gauge his reaction to her words, but he gave no indication of his thoughts. So, she continued, “My terms are simple: For the duration of your stay with us, I will come to you, when I can, for a few hours late at night. I will return to my own room before anyone stirs for the day. Of course, you may turn me away at any time if you wish to end our arrangement. No one else is to know, -- that includes your teammates. Since you seem to cherish your privacy, I trust that won’t be a problem. However, I am only extending this offer if you are completely free from other attachments. If you have a mate, another lover, or a girlfriend, then I apologize for wasting your time. I won’t get mixed up in that, no matter how ‘string-free’ this relationship would be.”

Now Hiei eyed her carefully, trying to determine whether or not she was really serious. “Hn. I have never cluttered up my life with females. There is no one. But how do you intend to keep this a secret in a houseful of youkai? Our scents will mix more and more over time. And I’ve already heard that you are considered extremely fertile -- I won’t be trapped into allegiance to you if you become pregnant.”

She laughed at that. “You really are suspicious, aren’t you? Don’t you think I have enough to deal with just trying to help my sons reclaim their lands? I have no intentions of going into battle pregnant. And I am highly aware of the times I am likely to conceive -- ever since my soul ascended, I am more in tune with the subtle nuances of my body than most youkai. I will not come to you then. I know better than to trust ningen methods of birth control against youkai potency. As for our scents, …” She reached into a pocket on her robe and pulled out a jar. “One drop of this oil will completely mask a person’s scent long enough for ours on each other to dissipate. So, all you need to do is dab a drop on your skin and one on the bed after I leave. I will do the same. You can release your own scent after that. And I will put up a barrier to contain all sound and scents while I am here. Is that satisfactory?”

He looked at her suspiciously. “If you have never had a lover before, then why do you have that oil?”

“I developed it especially for when we were in hiding. Our bodies were in that stone, and I couldn’t maintain that spell and mask our scents and auras,” she told him. “We bathed in it before entering the cave.”

He took the jar and opened it, sniffing lightly. “This masks auras, too?”

“No, I had to make a completely different mixture for that.”

Hiei replaced the lid on the jar and stared at her. His mind was still reeling with the whole idea. Not in a million years would he have expected this kind of a solution to his problem to fall into his lap. He had never considered the possibility of actually having sex with the miko, and here she was offering to enter into a “no strings attached,” strictly physical relationship with him. What was her game? “What do you expect to gain from this?”

“Release,” she said simply.

He raised his brows on hearing her reply, then narrowed his eyes in thought again. She had been out walking in the garden late every night, and she did go for a swim in that damn lake that one night. Was it possible the widow was having a few problems of her own with unwanted desires? How interesting. He didn’t fool himself that he was the source of her problem, but he realized that she had reacted both times she had touched him. He didn’t trust her, she was right about that. But did that have any bearing on what she was offering?

“Well, are you interested?” When she saw that he was still struggling to decide, she leaned forward and smirked at him. “Or are you afraid to invite the ‘Black Widow Miko’ into your bed?”

“Undress.”

She blinked at him for a minute, completely taken off guard by his abrupt reply, then she nodded as a small smile danced around the corners of her mouth. Reaching a hand out to the side, she cast a barrier that spread along the walls of the room. Then she let her robe drop to the floor. Stepping backwards into the room, she untied the sash on her yukata, and opening the front, let it slide down her arms until it pooled on the floor at her feet. In the full light from the overhead fixture in the center of the room, Hiei could easily see the delicate blush that stained her cheeks, but she continued to look straight at him. With a jerk of his head, he indicated that she should get in the bed while he pulled his shirt over his head. He strode towards her as he unbuckled his belts, and when he reached the bed, he quickly stepped out of his pants.

She was sitting up on the bed when he crawled in, but he pushed her down onto her back. He saw the curiosity in her eyes as her gaze roamed across his shoulders and chest and traveled down to his waist and stomach. She reached out and placed a hand firmly against his chest and he flexed his pectoral muscles in response. He saw how quickly her eyes darkened and her scent rose sharply. He leaned down and captured her lips with his, sweeping his tongue inside her mouth to see if she really did taste like strawberries. She did. But the taste had barely hit his senses when he felt her push him away. He lifted his head and frowned at her. Had this whole thing been some kind of set up? “Are you backing out already?” he asked, glaring furiously down at her.

She looked up at him with her brows furrowed in confusion. “No!” she said hastily. “I just … I didn’t expect you to do that. Gomen.”

He stared at her. (She didn’t expect me to kiss her?) Then it hit him. She was dead serious about the nature of this relationship -- she was looking for physical release without any of the trappings of intimacy. Funny, he wouldn’t have thought she had it in her to pursue such a completely utilitarian solution to her problem. In spite of the calm demeanor she always presented, he could sense strong emotions coursing through her most of the time. His estimation of her raised another notch, and he smiled. While it was a shame since she really did have such a pleasant taste, and her lips were so perfectly shaped and felt so soft and smooth under his own, he had never been one for such gestures himself and tended to avoid kissing the females he was with as much as possible anyway. So, he was perfectly content to bypass that sweet, fresh strawberry flavor that he’d never known any other female to have. As a matter of fact, he was more than ready to get right to the ‘release’ part. He would even forgo exploring the rest of her body until after he took the edge off this maddening urge she inspired.

Parting her legs with one of his knees, he reached down between her thighs and ran a finger along the delicate folds of skin there. He was relieved to find she was already quite moist, and he immediately plunged two fingers inside to hasten the process, causing her to let out a soft “Oh!” at the suddenness of the movement. He smirked at the sound until the extreme tightness surrounding his fingers penetrated his thoughts. (Well, damn.) Hiei knew that due to his height, most females were extremely surprised by his size, and now that he thought about it, he’d never been with a female who was smaller than he was -- actually most of them were probably a good 6 feet tall. And even with them being, well, bigger, and probably rather loosened up by their lifestyle, he was usually assured of a pretty satisfying fit because, he had been told, he was exceptionally thick, -- heck, it was the main reason some of the whores were willing to take him even though he was part hiyoukai. But there was no mistaking the fact that it was going to cause this onna some pain. He closed his eyes and swore to himself. Normally, he really wouldn’t have cared, but the miko had offered herself for the duration of this assignment, and it promised to be a long one. And no matter whatever else she was, she wasn’t a whore.

He felt more of her juices coating his fingers, and he tentatively moved them around. Should he warn her or just do it? (Well, crap. Where did this conscience come from? Not now!) “Onna, …” He sat up and moved one of her hands from his chest to his shaft. He watched her face as she gently explored him. Then he wiggled his fingers inside her again and saw her eyes grow wide as she realized that her fingers didn’t come close to meeting around him.

Kagome was surprised at his size, and hai, she immediately realized that he was letting her know ahead of time that they didn’t seem to match up, which surprised her even more. She wouldn’t have thought he would do that. And hai, she was obviously going to be a bit sore tomorrow, and probably the next day, and maybe even the next if she came back the next two nights, but truthfully, all three of her mates had been exceptionally large, -- more in length than girth, but, … ( Damn it!) She had promised herself she was not going to think of them -- not now!

When Hiei saw the dismay that briefly crossed her face, he wanted to slap himself for drawing her attention to the situation. He should have just let her find out the hard way -- at least one of them would have gotten a good night’s sleep. Then he wanted to slap himself again for the ‘hard way’ comment. It was going to be a very long night, and he was probably never going to sleep again. Expecting her to make her excuses and leave, he was stunned when he felt her tug him gently and heard her say quietly with suppressed laughter in her voice, “It’ll be all right. Don’t forget -- I’ve given birth three times. I’m not likely to run away because of a little initial discomfort.”

The truth was, she almost had jumped up and ran, and she still might if he didn’t get to it. Oh, she wasn’t afraid of a little pain, but she was completely unnerved that he had been concerned enough to point it out to her. That, coupled with untimely thoughts of her mates, had her rethinking her decision to take a lover. Could she really do this? Could she really have a relationship completely devoid of love and affection? But that thought firmed her resolve. Hai, she could. That was the only kind of relationship she could risk. So, why had Hiei done something so unexpected? She didn’t want to think he might be concerned about her because she didn’t want to view him in that light. If she meant nothing to him, then it would be easy to keep him from meaning something to her. Finally, she decided that he must have pointed it out to her because he was afraid she would back out of the relationship if their first time together was a bit painful. So, she had hastened to reassure him and hoped that would be the end of it. Or rather, the beginning, so she could put away her disturbing thoughts and lose herself, if just for a little while. And it was.

If she wasn’t going to balk over it, he certainly wasn’t going to argue. And he wasn’t about to wait another minute. Being so close to her exotic floral scent -- gardenias, the fox had said -- just heightened his arousal, and he hadn’t thought it could get any worse. (Why should she complain? -- I’ve been in pain all month.) He leaned over her and spread her legs further apart as he settled himself in between them. He felt her hands move and come to rest at his waist. As the tip of his hardened length nudged against her entrance, he saw her eyelids slowly close over her beautiful blue eyes, and he thrust himself into her as far as he could. Which, at almost half-way wasn’t nearly enough. Even as a small cry left her throat, he was already pulling back out and driving in again. It took three more sharp thrusts before he was fully sheathed in her. The need to feel himself completely wrapped in her unbelievably snug, soft depths had consumed him, blocking out any further cries she might have made. But now that he was fully embedded in that deliciously warm haven, he became aware of how tightly she had her legs wrapped around him, as if to hold him still, and of a sharp stinging sensation on both sides of his back where she had dug her fingernails in. He could even smell the coppery tang of his blood, and possibly some of hers, mixing with the scent of arousal in the air.

He remained perfectly still as her eyes opened, and she chuckled. “Well, I should have known your solution would be the direct approach. I’ll bet you’re the kind who just rips bandaids off, aren’t you? Just give me a minute, okay?”

She didn’t know how much control it took for him to stay still like that. Or maybe she did, if she was paying attention to the way his jaw clenched tighter and tighter and the sweat that was dampening his hair around his face. Then again, it was really such exquisite torture being buried to the hilt in such a tight embrace that if it wasn’t for the fact he was liable to disgrace himself with an early, unauthorized release, he would probably revel in it a little longer. But, just when he thought he was going to succumb to the unrelenting, sweet pressure of the flesh that was completely enveloping his own, his attention was drawn to the way one of her legs was brushing against his side in an encouraging caress. That was all he needed.

Hiei didn’t set a nice, easy pace of smooth, steady, gliding movements, -- instead, he immediately began to thrust quickly and forcefully, knowing that this first time wasn’t going to last long. Kagome was unprepared for the sudden, rapid plundering he was subjecting her body to, and all she could do was hold on to him as he took her breath away. In just minutes, his movements became little more than a series of feverish jerks, and she felt him come in long bursts of heated liquid that felt both soothing to her slightly abused inner flesh and arousing at the same time.

Pausing only briefly, Hiei looked down at her and said, “Now, we can begin.” Feeling like he could breathe for the first time since she’d let her yukata drop to the floor, he resettled himself between her thighs and was surprised when she brought her knees farther up along his sides, then planted her feet against the mattress and lifted her hips in a rolling movement that seemed to pull him even further into her depths. His eyes flashed hotly and a wicked smile crossed his face. The reality was so much better than the fantasies.

This time, although she was still gripping him so tightly that each in-and-out movement felt like it took force, the extra lubrication provided by his release cut down on the raw friction between them and made his thrusts smoother. But he still set a bruising tempo that soon had both of their bodies slick with sweat. The room filled with the sound of soft groans and grunts as the fire demon continuously pounded himself into the welcoming warmth of the woman beneath him. His hard, rough movements would have pushed her up into the headboard if she wasn’t providing resistance by rising to meet him, -- the periodic rolling action of her hips drawing low groans from deep in his throat and inciting a need in him to drive even harder into her. The pleasure that spread through him with each thrust was so intense, he could swear his fingertips and toes were tingling from it. And he could feel his temperature rising as if the very blood coursing through his veins was heating up. It was a sensation he usually only felt when he transformed or summoned the Dragon.

Kagome was awash in a sea of her own sensations -- some familiar, yet different, as if the ghosts of memories were flickering along the edges of her mind, but were prevented from being fully realized by the force of the presence of the youkai who loomed over her, filling her from the inside out and leaving no room for any thoughts except for the way he felt and the way he made her feel. The initial pain of his intrusion had long given way to a drugging sort of pleasure induced simply by the timeless motions that evoked her most primal nature and had her reaching for that precipice she knew that awaited her, just out of her reach. Her breathing was becoming ragged and she felt the heat low in her belly ignite into leaping flames, which licked further and further up her body until she was totally consumed by them. But the oblivion she sought still eluded her.

A frustrated cry escaped her lips and she tossed her head from side to side before clasping her arms tightly around Hiei and pressing her whole body firmly against him. Pulled out of his own pleasure-induced haze, the apparition saw her eyes close right before he felt her fingers snaking though his hair at the back of his neck, grasping him firmly and massaging him at the same time. When her lips trailed along his neck, he abandoned his relentless pounding and started using his weight to press her into the bed. She writhed sensuously beneath him and his eyes closed when she rubbed her breasts against his chest and he felt the hardened buds of her nipples scorching little paths on his skin. He felt his temperature spiking and he growled at her.

With all the females he had been with, Hiei had only ever had one thought, and that was to satisfy his body. Never before had he felt the need to actually subdue and dominate one -- they were all pretty much submissive and relatively passive, and he was not interested in defining any kind of relationship with them -- he wouldn’t be seeing them again. But as Kagome continued to rub her body against him as she actively sought her own release, he felt the need to establish his dominance with her. So, even though he was on the verge of his own climax, he went completely still and let his full weight hold her down so she couldn’t move. When she realized he had her trapped, just when she had been so close, her eyes flew open and she was stunned to see that her new lover had turned dark green and was currently glaring at her with at least a dozen different eyes located all down his body. While his appearance had startled her, her need was so great that she didn’t take the time to think about it. She tried to shift underneath him and he growled fiercely at her. She was growing desperate, -- she needed this. After a few more attempts to struggle, a defeated sob rose in her chest. “Please …”

He looked into her eyes for a minute, then raised himself up and slowly pulled all the way out of her, causing her to whimper in protest. Then he plunged back in and rotated his hips roughly against her, directly stimulating that small nub of nerves in a way that seemed to shoot white-hot bursts of pleasure directly into the center of her being, where they then radiated outward until she was trembling with the sensations. He pulled back and plunged in again and again as hard and as deep as he could until with an unintelligible cry, she tightened around him like a vise as her inner muscles spasmodically clenched his length, -- her orgasm triggering his own.

When Kagome opened her eyes again, she saw that Hiei had regained his usual form. He had been shocked when he realized he had transformed, and not a little annoyed that she had drawn such a response from him, further undermining his control of his own body. But now he smirked down at her. She may have been the one to initiate this with her proposal and her terms, and she may have brought on his primal state, but he had proven who would be dominant in this relationship. And he could tell by the look in those startlingly blue eyes of hers that she knew it and accepted it. That made it a little easier for him to get used to the idea of actually having a relationship of sorts, let alone with the onna he was investigating for murder.

He stretched out on his side beside her. Now he could take some time to appreciate her body. He started by trailing his fingers along her jaw line and down her neck. He traced her collarbone with his fingertips, before moving on to draw lazy circles on one full, round breast. It was firm and pert, yet enticingly soft, and apparently very sensitive to touch. He had been interested to note that although her skin was a delicate milky-white, her aureoles weren’t the pale pink he had expected. They were a dark, dusky rose color, and he could see her nipples tighten and swell slightly into pebbled buds at the lightest touch. He glanced at her face when he heard her breath hitch, and was fascinated again by the way her eyes changed from a brilliant, shining, sapphire blue to a dark, mysterious midnight blue whose depths seemed endless. It was easy for him to see what had drawn her mates to her.

As he continued his exploration, he ran his hand firmly across her stomach. Her muscles were beautifully-toned, and her waist was slim, emphasizing the generous curve of her hips. The only thing marring the creamy flesh was a small, odd-shaped scar on her right side. It almost looked like she had been bitten by some creature. He let his hand drift down to her thigh, where he again pressed firmly against the skin, feeling the defined muscle underneath. Her skin itself was unbelievably smooth, like the finest silk, and still slick with the thin sheen of sweat they had worked up. Grazing his fingers lightly across her core, the feel of their mixed juices had his shaft rapidly stiffening again. He smiled when she lifted her hips in encouragement of his attentions, but he let his fingers circle the swollen nub of flesh he knew brought her such intense pleasure before brushing over it with the pad of his thumb a couple of times. Then, to her disappointment, he let his attention return upwards, just briefly drumming his fingers over the area where normally he would have expected a small patch of hair to be, which instead was as smooth and bare as the rest of her, something he found very inviting and arousing. When he looked at her questioningly, he was pleasantly surprised to see light pink color stain her cheeks.

“Apparently, it’s part of the mystique of celestial maidens to have no body hair, and I was not mated yet when my soul ascended, so I inherited the ‘maiden’ qualities with my powers,” she told him quietly.

“Hn.” That explained the incredible smoothness of her legs, too. He had to confess, he liked it. But he was ready to spend a little more time on those luscious-looking breasts before fucking some more. He knew she would have to leave soon. He reached across to fondle and tease the one breast while leaning over to taste and suckle on the one closest to him. At the first touch of his tongue, she arched her back and starting running the fingers of one hand through his hair while the others lightly caressed his side. As he alternated between kneading her breast and plucking at the nipple or rolling it between his fingers, she could feel the heat gathering low in her belly again. And the slow dragging motion of his mouth on her other breast had her rubbing a leg up the side of his and reaching down to caress his hardened member.

The feel of her hand gliding up and down him made him even harder and he lifted his head and drew in a deep breath. He was more than ready to have her again. But she reached out and touched his cheek lightly. “Let me,” she said, but he could tell she was asking him. Since he was curious about what she might do, he nodded. When she pushed him over on his back and straddled him, he frowned slightly. This really wasn’t his favorite position -- and not because it had anything to do with dominance. The truth of the matter was that seeing a female bounce up and down on his cock wasn’t something he considered particularly erotic. And maybe it was the hiyoukai blood in him, but he preferred the freedom to pump as hard as he wanted to, and needed to, in order to feel satisfied, and having to raise his hips because the bed under his ass was a hindrance was just annoying. But he would let her go for a little while before he flipped her over and got down to business.

He was surprised when the first thing she did was run her hands over his chest and abdomen, massaging firmly. Then she leaned down and licked and teased his nipples, nipping them lightly with her teeth, causing him to let out a low growl. Then she raised up and caught his gaze and held it as she slowly slid down on him. Even with all of the wetness from their previous activity, it was still difficult for her to take him all in. But even though she was still a little sore, it felt really good. She was intensely aware of the way her inner flesh clung to his velvety smooth hardness, and of how she stretched to accommodate him. Her lips parted and she breathed in deeply, her eyes fluttering closed when he was fully enveloped in her. Her long, black hair spilled down her back and sides and hugged her hips, with some wayward strands dangling down over her chest, where the ends clung to his abdomen or her thighs. Hiei was mesmerized by the sight.

Then she began to move, and Hiei was completely caught off guard. She wasn’t sliding up and down on him like some yo-yo, instead she undulated her torso and slowly rolled her hips over his like a belly dancer performing a private dance for some foreign potentate. If Yusuke thought her snake style kung fu was erotic, he’d get a nosebleed and pass out cold if he ever saw this. And as she rotated and swiveled her hips, her hands slowly caressed her thighs and abdomen, sometimes moving up to her breasts and neck, continuously gliding over her skin in a manner calculated to keep his gaze transfixed on her, while she systematically clenched and unclenched her inner muscles all around his throbbing shaft. The slight up and down movements she made were smooth and played just a small part in the various ways she stimulated every part of his achingly rigid length.

He had never felt anything like it. And he had barely moved since she started, -- just a few reflexive jerks of his hips. This was completely outside of his experience, and he was amazed to feel himself thickening even further and his balls start to draw up. He could see from the way her features were beginning to tighten in concentration that she was approaching her climax, too. He was vaguely aware of the way his own pleasured moans mingled with hers. His eyes were drawn to the way the muscles in her abdomen rippled and her back arched as her undulations quickened. The glimpses he caught of his thick, hard flesh merging into her soft feminine core as she massaged every inch of it inside her were enough to send him over the edge. He grasped her hips, puncturing her skin with the claws that had reappeared along with his fangs, as he had watched while she pleasured him so completely. Thrusting himself viciously up into her once, twice, three times, he let out a loud cry that echoed hers as they both found their release.

Seconds later, with tremors still wracking her body, Kagome collapsed onto his chest. Hiei lay there for a minute before running his hands a bit awkwardly up her back before letting his arms encircle her to hold her against him. After a few minutes, she sat up and slowly slid off of him. “I have to go. Arigatou.” And she climbed off the bed and stood up. He couldn’t resist smirking when he saw how wobbly her first tentative steps were, and after she had put her yukata and robe back on, how gingerly she walked as she headed to the door. She paused and picked up the jar he had sat on a small table and he saw her place a dab of the oil at the base of her neck. She put the lid back on it and tossed it to him. Then she removed the barrier and left without another word.

Hiei put a drop of the oil on his own neck and sprinkled a couple on the bed, then tossed the jar onto the floor. He lay back and stared at the ceiling for a long time. He still wasn’t sure if accepting her offer was the wisest thing to do, but he couldn’t say he regretted it. That was, with a doubt, the best fuck he had ever had. He had been with several females he had thought were pretty good for fucking, but he had never realized that none of them had been good at fucking. And if a tiny voice in the back of his head tried to speak up to point out that what she had just done had to be classified as something more than a simple fuck, well, he could ignore that. The important thing was, for the first time in a month, his body felt completely content. And a little sleepy. So he closed his eyes and smiled.

When Kagome reached her room, she quickly ran a hot bath and got in to soak a bit. She would only get a couple of hours of sleep, but that was okay. As she ran a soapy washcloth down her side, she winced a bit when she came to the marks Hiei’s claws had made in her hips. But they would be healed by the time she got up to start the day. She was still amazed that she had actually done it.

After Lord Yemon’s visit, she had spent hours thinking about what she was going to do. She knew she could only string him along for so long before she would have to refuse him. She would have felt bad about it if she thought he had any genuine feelings for her, but she knew he didn’t. And when she refused him or caused him to change his mind about wanting her, it was very likely that he would waste no time alerting the rest of the Makai to their presence. Obviously Sassouta was going to have to be prepared for a full-scale battle for the northern lands, and if Daitano and Eishumaru hadn’t secured individual challenges by then, then so would they. And there would be people camped out in the Reikai calling for her head, -- three in particular. They had to be ready. She had to be ready.

With dreams and memories of her mates haunting her nights, she had allowed herself to become distracted. Oh, she knew that taking a lover wasn’t going to satisfy all of her deepest longings, because she knew that Master Zhang was right -- not only did she need to be loved, like everyone else, but more than anything, Kagome needed someone to give her love to. It was what made her her. But she couldn’t risk that. Never again. So, she decided to do what she could, and to hope that taking care of her physical needs would be enough for her to regain her balance and focus. Because she had to be there for her sons, -- beside them. She had failed them all before, she couldn’t fail them now.

So, she decided to take a lover. But who? She had seriously considered Kurama. He was incredibly handsome and undeniably sexy, and she knew he could be charming when he wanted to. There was no doubt she would find the release she sought in his bed, and he had made no secret of the fact that he wanted her. But the reason why he wanted her bothered her, as well as the methods he was using to try to get her to give in to him. If he wanted to sleep with her to spite Sesshoumaru’s memory, then how could she possibly let him do that? She would feel disloyal. And she wasn’t about to reward him for feeling her up right in the same room with her sons or for continuing to touch her when she told him to stop, -- no matter how good it felt. He obviously had no respect for her. Not that she could blame him. She knew what he thought she had done.

There was only one other person she had really felt an attraction to, and if she was going to have a sexual relationship with someone, physical attraction was a key component. The only problem was, there was a distinct possibility the fire youkai would take her head off when she suggested it. He didn’t trust her, and she knew he would just as soon kill her as look at her, but she had realized he was very attracted to her, as well. And for her purposes, he didn’t have to like her -- actually, it would make things a whole lot simpler if he didn’t. Because she had no intentions of falling in love with him or anyone else. No, taking a lover was simply a means to an end, as cold as that sounded. But the end was too important to her for her squabble over vague feelings of impropriety. She was a grown woman, for gosh sakes, with three “teenage” sons. She had been widowed three times. Who was going to raise their eyebrows at her for seeking some physical companionship? Still, she did feel just uneasy about it enough to make secrecy one of her terms. She really didn’t want to have to deal with anyone’s disapproval. And she didn’t think she could carry out the courtship with Lord Yemon if the others knew she was sleeping with Hiei. She just hoped she could go through with it.

And she had. Hoo boy! Had she ever! She had almost backed out right there at the beginning when thoughts of her mates had intruded. After all she had shared with them, it had seemed so wrong -- almost a mockery of the extreme intimacy she had known with the youkai she had loved. But being with Hiei had been nothing like being with them. Heck, she wasn’t even sure it could be classified as the same act. It was nothing like making love with someone you loved. Oh, hai, she had had wild, passionate sex with all of her mates -- they were all very, very passionate males. The soreness she was feeling now was not something new to her. But, to put it bluntly, Hiei had fucked her brains out. She almost giggled at the crude thought. (So much for being a grown, mature woman, ne, Kagome?)

But the truth of the matter was, there was really no other way to describe it. And there really was a difference between making love or having sex and just plain ’ole fucking. She had never experienced the last one before. Every single sexual experience she had up until now was completely wrapped up in love, and the desire to please each other had always been just as important as the desire to feel pleasure, maybe more. Hiei was by no means a gentle or considerate lover, -- not that she had thought he would be. And that didn’t mean he was a bad lover. No, actually it meant he really was just right for her purposes. And because he was so focused on his own satisfaction, she didn’t feel bad that she was so focused on hers. She frowned a bit. So, what was up with him insisting on proving his dominance? That had been frustrating. But she had assumed it was just an instinctive reaction, and probably some kind of hiyoukai trait that made him do it. So, why had she felt the need to show him that his way wasn’t the only one that could bring him the pleasure he wanted? She shook her head and sighed. She was too tired to think about it.

She got out of the bathtub and dried off. Pulling on a different yukata, she wandered over to her bed and crawled in. (Ouch! Master Zhang is going to know something is up. I doubt I’ll be moving at top speed today.) The second her head hit the pillow, she was out.
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A tall, impressive figure stood beside her bed, holding a bucket of cold water. He had come to wake her for the day’s training. He had taken to throwing cold water on her in response to the overheated condition of her body due to her dreams, which he knew were both memories and manifestations of the secret yearnings of her heart. He hoped the repeated “shock treatment” would really wake her and that she would do what she was meant to do.

Each creature on the earth had a purpose. Some were meant to seek enlightenment, some were meant to teach. Some were strife-makes, some were peacemakers. Some were meant to lead, some were meant to follow loyally. Kagome’s purpose was to love. And there were too few of her kind, which is why she was allowed to come back. And it was her incredible capacity to love unconditionally and without prejudice that had caught the kami’s attention and made them choose her as the perfect representative to all three realms. She had strong ties to each and a great ability to make others feel comfortable and accepted. Her presence at any meetings concerning the governance of the three realms would be invaluable. But first, she had to find peace and settle the huge mess that others had foisted upon her. Part of that meant seeing that her children’s lives were settled the way they should be. That was where he came in, as her sifu and mentor. The other part was going to be even more difficult. He sighed heavily. He was getting too old for this.

But before he threw the water on her, he stopped. She wasn’t all twisted up in the sheets, and she wasn’t sweaty or moaning or crying. As a matter of fact, she looked very peaceful lying there. She was lying on her side, with her covers neatly pulled up over her, and her hands calmly tucked under her cheek. Well, this was an interesting development. He hadn’t bothered to come down to meet Lord Yemon yesterday, but he had heard about the wolf’s suit. And the others’. He doubted she had fallen in love with the wolf upon first seeing him after so many years, but he was sure that his visit had something to do with her undisturbed rest. Training today was going to be very interesting. He leaned over and gently shook her shoulder.

“Daughter, it’s time to wake up.”

Kagome had been surprised when Master Zhang had woke her in such a normal fashion that morning, but it sure beat waking up soaked to the skin. She had actually slept really well -- no dreams. But she was right, her speed was down today. Thanks to her celestial powers, her body healed very quickly when injured. But when it came to things like pulled muscles, vague aches, and soreness, she just had to suck it up like everybody else. The morning run had been decidedly unpleasant, and her sons had eyed her curiously when she lagged behind with Ginta and Hakkaku. But, it had helped her loosen up and she was feeling pretty good when it was done. After that, it was only the intricate footwork that Tibetan Hop Gar called for that caused her a few twinges. Unfortunately, it was during those times that her sifu was coming at her the hardest.

When they were finished and just about to take the black barrier down, Zhang laid a hand on her shoulder. “You have come to a decision.”

With a slight blush in her cheeks, she nodded. “Hai, I have decided to take your advice.”

He studied her face carefully. “No, you have found a way to ignore what I told you. You young ones -- forever thinking you can avoid your problems instead of facing them head on. But you must follow your own path.”

“I am hardly young, Sifu. I am 134 years old,” she huffed.

He merely smiled at her. “You are but a sapling. Don’t try to bluff the oak. If your solution is still working when you return from your travels, we will take up the jian.”

“Really?!!? Oh, thank you, Master Zhang!” And the sight that greeted everyone’s eyes as the barrier came down was Kagome hanging on her sifu’s neck, kissing his cheek enthusiastically.

“Gee, kaa-chan, all this time I thought you were practicing some kind of kung fu, not getting me a new otou-san. What will all of your new suitors say? Hey!” Eishumaru rubbed his shoulder where Daitano had punched him. “What?”

“You must be getting better, kaa-san,” Sassouta observed. “I don’t smell any blood today. Of course, that could just mean all of your ribs are broken.”

“Very funny,” she said, walking over and reaching up to ruffle his hair. “Ouch. Well, maybe just a couple. But he only landed one hit.”

“Really?” Daitano looked at Zhang as the family walked ahead of the others, as usual.

“Hai. Though her footwork was a bit off, her focus was much improved. When she is at her best, she is nearly impossible to hit.”

Kagome, who was up ahead, cringed just a bit when he mentioned her footwork. Hiei, who was walking behind them with Kurama, smirked to himself upon hearing the old man’s comment. Then he started to curse silently. Thinking about what had probably caused her ‘footwork to be a bit off’ was making his pants uncomfortably tight again. (Well, that answers that question.) He had wondered if his problem would have gone away now that he had had her. But, it seemed his treacherous body hadn’t had enough of her yet. He didn’t really think the one night would do it, but he had hoped it might. He certainly had never been interested in having the same female twice before. But, then again, as he had discovered, none of the females he had been with before could fuck like she could. He wondered if she would come back to his room tonight. He wondered if she would come back at all. He really didn’t want to have to go for another dip in that lake.

During lunch, Shippou offered to take Kagome into Tokyo to go shopping while everyone else was doing their afternoon training.

“That’s very kind of you, Shippou, but I really don’t need anything.”

“I hate to be the one to point this out to you, but you do.” He pointed to the solid white tomesode she had changed into before coming down to eat. “You agreed to entertain the courtship of four suitors -- it is time you left your mourning colors behind.” At her stricken look, he put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her gently. “I know you did not think of that at the time. I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “But unless you want to seem disrespectful to Lord Yemon, you know you must. Not to mention your plans to travel during Golden Week. You will be a lot more comfortable in more modern casual clothing than your suits, too, when you are mingling with such crowds as will be present at all the attractions.”

She looked at her sons. “You know it’s okay with us, kaa-san. We don’t want you be in mourning forever,” Sassouta said.

“You have observed the formalities for much longer than anyone would be expected to. No one will look askance at you for putting them away now,” Daitano assured her.

“Heck, no! And maybe you can get something to flash Yemon a little leg and he’ll just give Sassouta back his lands. OW! Will you all stop hitting me?” Eishumaru whined.

“Actually, that’s not such a bad idea, from the brief look I had of them when Zhang brought you back,” Yusuke said, waggling his eyebrows at her. “ I know I’d give him his lands back if you flashed them at me.”

He was rewarded by seeing a blush creep over her cheeks and a small smile grace her mouth. Then she surprised him by winking at him. “Arigatou, Yusuke.”

“Tell you what. I’ll go with you two. Kuwabara can handle the sparring by himself today since he went into Kyoto yesterday to visit Yukina,” he volunteered.

Shippou looked suspiciously at him for a minute, then nodded. “Shall we get ready to go in say, twenty minutes? We can even stop by the shrine and see your family for a bit.” He looked around the table, his eyes lingering on Kurama for just a second. “And don’t expect us back for dinner -- we’ll eat out. There are several nice restaurants I know you’d like, Kagome, and it’s been a long time since you’ve had an evening out.”

“That’s a great idea, Shippou! You all go have a good time,” Sassouta said with a smile.

“I … I guess I’ll go change into one of my suits,” Kagome said, as she stood up. “Please excuse me.” And at everyone’s nod, she quickly left the room, and Shippou and Yusuke got up to get ready, too.

Kurama smiled. “Very clever.”

“The kitsune?”

“Hai. He’s keeping her away from me. I suspected that was his intention when he offered to court her. He’s going to run interference for her with the rest of us. At least, … he’s going to try. But I will see her when she returns tonight.” Kurama grinned wickedly.

“I am surprised the detective volunteered to go.”

“So am I. He hasn’t done much to try to fix her interest up to this point. I think that since we haven’t had much luck in uncovering the facts in this case, he is finally taking this seriously and trying to get to know her better so he can decide for himself whether or not she is guilty.”

“Hn. She is far too clever and complicated an onna for him to be able to figure out.”

“You’re probably right, but it doesn’t hurt for him to try. And in the meantime, I think we should try to see what we can find out from Jaken or Myouga this evening.”
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That night, while the boys relaxed in the game room with Kuwabara, Ginta and Hakkaku, Kurama and Hiei managed to corner Jaken in the living room after he came out of his office to head for bed.

“Jaken, perhaps you can settle an argument for us,” Kurama greeted him.

“If I may be of help, I’ll try,” the old retainer said.

“Please, take a seat.” After he had sat down, Kurama said, “I understand that you knew Lord Sesshoumaru better than anyone, having been his trusted friend and companion for many, many centuries. Youko only met him the one time, but he was quite impressed with him.”

“Well, Lord Sesshoumaru was the greatest youkai who ever lived. No one could even come close to his power,” the old toad boasted.

“And he was handsome, too, right? I’ll bet he had females hanging off of him by the droves,” Kurama prompted.

“Oh, hai. All kinds of females clamored for his attention. But, for the most part, Lord Sesshoumaru couldn’t be bothered with them. Very few were fortunate enough to catch his eye.”

“None that really counted other than Lady Kagome, of course, … and Kagura, the wind-sorceress,” the avatar asserted, as if it were well-known.

“No. I’d say they were the only ones he paid any attention to at all after reaching his maturity,” Jaken agreed.

Kurama smiled. “You know, it’s truly amazing how many different stories have circulated about the circumstances of his death. But, then again, I suppose it’s only natural that people would be curious about what could take down the great Lord Sesshoumaru. You know that Lord Koenma actually listened to those stories that used to circulate in the Makai about the ‘Black Widow Miko’ and suspected Lady Kagome was guilty. Of course, he also had those petitions calling for her arrest and execution to think about. Fortunately, he is a very fair person and asked us to look into it while we are guarding her and the boys.” At Jaken’s attempt to interrupt and protest, Kurama held up a placating hand. “I know, I know. After spending a little time with her, it’s quite obvious that Lady Kagome couldn’t have killed him.” He leaned forward a little conspiratorially. “Well, obvious to everyone but Hiei here. He’s one of those stubborn types. I told him that obviously the story he heard has been distorted over time.” Jaken narrowed his eyes and glared at Hiei, while Kurama continued, “But I have to wonder, just how in the world did the rumors get started that Lady Kagome had done it? Was it simply because he was killed with a hama no ya?”

“Ha! That shows you how much people know. He was killed with a dagger. At least, that was the only wound he had, where the dagger was stuck in his chest. Obviously it had to be enchanted. Some people thought it was poisoned, but Lord Sesshoumaru was immune to most poisons.”

“You see there, Hiei. He wasn’t even killed by a hama no ya,” Kurama said triumphantly, and Jaken gave a rather superior nod.

“Well, then explain why the miko was suspected in the first place,” the fire demon challenged them.

“Just because it was the kaiken he gave her to carry when he presented her as his mate doesn’t mean she was the one to use it,” the retainer said huffily.

“Of course not. I’m sure any number of servants had access to it. Why, if that’s the only reason they suspected her, I’m surprised anyone even bothered to listen,” Kurama agreed.

“Well, of course, it didn’t help that one of the servants swore he heard Lord Sesshoumaru yell, “Kagome, no!” And it didn’t look good that she was found unconscious near his body in the hallway with his blood under her nails, and that she had his claw marks on one of her arms. It really would have helped if she could have remembered how that happened, but the lump on her head from where she hit the wall explains her memory loss. She wasn’t at her best, being around 7 months pregnant at the time, ” Jaken confided in the avatar.

“Naturally. I knew that you were the one person here who could tell us what truly happened to Lord Sesshoumaru. You can see how those circumstances conspired to make the poor, grieving widow look guilty, can’t you Hiei?”

Hiei lifted a brow and stared at Kurama and Jaken. “Oh, hai. I can indeed.”

“Now, don’t be like that. After all, if I’m fortunate enough, that lovely lady could become my mate,” Kurama winked at him.

“I’ll visit your mother after your funeral.”

“Hmph. Well, I think I will go on to bed now.” And with one last, nasty look directed at Hiei, Jaken nodded to Kurama and went upstairs.

The avatar crossed his arms behind his head and sat back with a smile on his face. “You see how easy that was? A little flattery, a little of the ningen ‘good cop, bad cop,’ and now we have a lot more information to go on.”

“And none of it looks good for the miko,” the fire demon pointed out unnecessarily.

“No, it doesn’t.”

“Which doesn’t explain why he and the others think she’s not guilty,” Hiei said.

Kurama sighed. “Exactly. So, let’s look at this from another angle. How could what he said happened have happened without her being the one who killed him?”

“The idiot would say they were probably both attacked and she got knocked out. Or maybe that she was attacked and knocked out, and when he tried to save her, he was killed. And obviously he yelled her name out of concern for her.”

“Which doesn’t explain how she got his blood under her nails or why he clawed her,” Kurama said.

“And the dagger belonged to her. It must have had a powerful spell on it to take down a Taiyoukai.” Hiei frowned. “And I don’t think many people could have gotten close enough to stab him with a dagger. He either was completely distracted, perhaps because she was hurt, or it had to be someone he trusted … like her.”

“How does Kagura fit into this scenario? If she and Sesshoumaru were lovers, she could have gotten close enough to him. And, she could have tried to kill Kagome to eliminate her rival. Aha! I have it. Kagome and Sesshoumaru were fighting about his relationship with Kagura, -- that’s how they scratched each other. Kagura showed up and either she tried to kill Kagome, or more likely, Kagome tried to kill her, since it was her dagger that was used, causing Sesshoumaru to yell, “Kagome, no!” Then he either tried to protect Kagura, or Kagome just turned on him and killed him. How does that sound?” Kurama asked his teammate.

Hiei stood up and walked over to the window to look outside. “Hn. Logical. But you realize that still makes the widow guilty. The lunkhead would probably argue that the wind witch attacked the miko and knocked her out, causing the Taiyoukai to yell, then she found her dagger or maybe the miko had been carrying it, and the witch took it and used it to kill Sesshoumaru.”

“Not bad. They both sound plausible. But then why would Kagura write that note if she was the one who killed him? If she was right there when it happened, and saw Kagome do it, she probably could have had her executed back then by the castle guards. Koenma didn’t say any of the complainants claimed to actually witness the murders. And how could Kagura make his soul vanish? That’s the sticking point. And all three of her mates’ souls disappeared. Is it really likely that Kagura killed Sesshoumaru, and Ayame killed Kouga, and both of them had some kind of unknown power to obliterate souls?” Kurama asked.

“And don’t forget her first mate. If we’re considering the possibility that two different people killed her other mates, then we are practically committing ourselves to looking for a possible third killer, as well. What are the chances we are going to turn up a third female with some sort of prior claim on Inuyasha? And for all three of them to end up murdering the male they supposedly loved because they lost him to another -- to the same onna? Even the kami don’t have that bizarre a sense of humor.”

Kurama laughed at that. “I daresay you are right, Hiei. Still, we do need to keep all possibilities in mind, -- no matter how unlikely. Although, if Koenma can locate the servant who heard Lord Sesshoumaru yell, that would probably give him enough cause to hold her in the Reikai, if he wants to. But, I don’t think he wants to. I think he would rather we find a way to prove she didn’t do it.”

“Hn. I hope he isn’t holding his breath.”
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It was after 11:00 p.m. when Kagome, Shippou, and Yusuke got back to the house. Shippou came in carrying a lot of bags, and Kagome came in carrying … Yusuke. Well, not precisely carrying him, but she was basically holding him up while he leaned heavily on her with his arms around her.

“I’ll put these in your room, Kagome,” Shippou said, frowning heavily at Yusuke.

“Arigatou, Shippou,” she said. “Yusuke, would you like to sit down for a minute?”

“Good idea, babe.” And he let her lead him over to a chair, where he plopped down and then dragged her onto his lap. He immediately started kissing her neck.

“Yusuke, …” she put a hand on his forehead and pushed his head back.

“Uh, kaa-chan? Does this mean he’s my new otou-san?” Eishumaru asked innocently. “At least old Zhang is taller than I am.” He flinched away from his brothers, but both of them were too busy staring at Kagome and Yusuke to hit him.

Kagome was wearing a blue jean skirt that normally would have hit below her knees, -- if Yusuke wasn’t running a hand up her leg, moving the skirt to mid-thigh. She also had on a dark blue, vee-neck sweater top with sleeves down to her elbows. Obviously, Shippou had been successful in convincing her to buy some modern clothing, as well as things that weren’t either black or white.

“Oh, man! He’s drunk off his ass, isn’t he?” Kuwabara said.

“Hai,” Kagome answered, trying to grab ahold of his wandering hand. His other arm was locked around her waist, holding her in an iron grip, and every time she grabbed his hands, he resumed kissing her neck and shoulder. “Does someone want to help me out here?”

“Don’t worry okaa-san. Shu, you go get a shovel, and you go grab a big blanket, Sassouta. And I’d appreciate it if you three wouldn’t look out back for a little while,” Daitano said to the other detectives.

“Why not?” Kuwabara asked, completely confused.

Sassouta grinned at him. “Because that’s where he’s going to bury the body.”

“WHAT?!!?”

“Stop teasing Kazuma, you three,” their mother said sternly, struggling to keep Yusuke’s hand off her breast. “And seriously, could someone help me get loose? I don’t want to hurt him, but I really don’t want a repeat of what happened at the bar.”

“You went to a bar? What happened?” Sassouta asked.

“I’ll tell you when you’re 150.”

“Shit! Kaa-chan’s not a virgin anymore!” Eishumaru laughed. “Now we’ll have to make him take her as his mate. Errkkk.” Daitano put him in a headlock.

“I swear, if Sesshoumaru otou-san heard you say something like that, he’d …”

“He’d frown at him disapprovingly, and then go to his study to laugh in private,” Kagome smiled. “Eep!” Yusuke finally made contact with his goal.

Kuwabara had finally had all he could take, and he leapt forward and punched Yusuke square on the jaw, snapping his head back and knocking him out cold. He turned around glared at everyone else. “Damn it! Just how long were you morons going to let him grope her?” He turned back to Kagome with his face bright red. “I’m really sorry about that. I’ll take him to his room.”

Kagome, whose face was also quite red, stood up and patted his arm. “Arigatou, Kazuma.” Then she turned to the others and said, “Well, we should all be getting to bed. I’m just going to get a drink of water. I’ll see you in the morning.”

After a chorus of “good nights,” she headed into the kitchen for a glass of water. When she reached up into the cabinet, another arm reached past her and grabbed a glass to hand to her. She turned to find herself trapped against the counter by Youko.

“It seems you’ve had quite an evening, my dear,” he leaned down and purred in her ear.

A wry smile curved her lips. “It seems it’s not over yet. May I have that glass, please?”

“You don’t want to quench your thirst with mere water, do you? Allow me to offer something much more satisfying.” And, after setting the glass down, he swept her up in his arms and sat her down on the counter, nudging her knees open and stepping in between them as closely as her skirt would allow. Dipping his head, he captured her lips, and began a slow, lazy exploration of her mouth with his tongue. While he held her against him with one hand at the small of her back, the other one was gliding up her leg, under her skirt. When his fingers caressed her inner thigh, she jumped and pushed against his chest until he released her lips and lifted his head to look at her. “You really do taste incredibly sweet and fresh, just like wild, ripe strawberries. I’m going to enjoy finding out what other delights you hold. Shall we continue here or upstairs?”

“Neither.”

“Still determined to resist? You did agree to let me court you,” he reminded her with a roguish smile.

Then she smiled. “Technically, I agreed to let Kurama court me. And I don’t remember any courtship traditions taking place in bed.”

“You prefer the red hair? Or the deceptively boyish looks? I assure you he is quite enjoying your taste as well. As for courting in bed, what better place is there? How better to determine your compatibility with a future mate? After all, that is where you will spend most of your time if the match is a success.”

“With a philosophy like that, I’m surprised there aren’t more silver kitsunes running around. Or is the Makai full of your offspring?” she asked him archly.

“If that’s an offer, I might just take you up on it, dear lady,” he said with a gleam in his golden eyes. Then he pulled her closer, so she was barely perched on the edge of the counter and took possession of her mouth again. Kagome started to push against his chest again, but discovered that her seating was so precarious that just served to press her pelvis against him, -- a movement he took advantage of by sliding one hand under her bottom. Now he had her skirt bunched up around her hips. He growled into her mouth as he found his access to his goal was blocked by her silky panties. Deepening the kiss, he sliced through them on the backside of her hip, accidentally cutting into her skin when someone suddenly clamped a hand on his arm.

Instantly alert, Youko whipped around to find Shippou standing there, his eyes flashing with the promise of violence as he coldly met his gaze. “Kagome?”

“Shippou?” Kagome slid down from the counter as Youko let go of her. She saw that the two kitsunes were engaged in a deadly staredown, and hastened to send out a wave of calm to defuse the tense situation.

Youko looked down to his arm where Shippou was still gripping it tightly and then cocked a brow at younger fox. Never dropping his gaze, Shippou opened his hand as if letting go of something distasteful. Then he reached around Kagome and picked up the glass. “Daitano said you came to get a drink of water.” He filled the glass at the sink and handed it to her. “Come on, I’ll walk you up.”

“Um, arigatou. Good night, Youko,” she said politely.

“Good night, my dear. I’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow,” he added suggestively. It wasn’t until after they were gone that he noticed the blood on his claw. He licked it and then smiled to himself. So, the elder son had sent Shippou after her. Well, they could try to keep her from him, but he knew that sooner or later she would succumb. She tried not to respond to his kisses and touch, but she was a healthy, and if he wasn’t mistaken, a very passionate woman -- soon she would need the relief she could only get from a male’s touch. And he would give it to her.
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Hiei was staring out the window in his room. It had been over two hours since he had retired for the night. Would she come? He certainly hoped so, and soon, otherwise he was going to have to have a reunion with his five best friends. He actually thought chances were good she would come, considering what Yusuke had apparently been up to that evening. The toushin was going to kick himself in the morning, -- a sight he was looking forward to. And he had seen Kurama prowl into the kitchen after her. It amused him that his teammates were probably getting her all hot and bothered with their attentions and that she would be coming to him to take care of it.

It had been a little strange seeing her in the skirt and top. She looked … younger. And more vulnerable. In her old-fashioned kimonos, she looked every inch the lady, -- like she had been born to rule alongside some strong, commanding leader. In modern clothing, she almost looked like she could blend in with the ningen attending one of those high schools or colleges, giggling over boys and talking about nothing more important than clothes and make-up and whatever else ningen onna talked about. It was odd to think that this was her real time and that she had led that kind of life before. It was a little disconcerting to realize she had been thrown into the feudal era, and had not only survived, but had played such an important role in history, and had risen to such power. She was very intriguing and unique -- two words he didn’t usually associate with females.

There was a soft knock at the door, and Hiei breathed out a little sigh of relief. “Come in.”

She walked in and closed the door, throwing up the barrier along the walls again. He noted that she didn’t make a move to turn out the lights, and he silently approved. As she came closer to the bed, he saw that she was wearing a new, modern nightgown and robe. They were shiny, like satin, and made of such a dark, inky blue that they almost looked black. He had the brief thought that the color reminded him of her eyes when she was highly aroused. He stripped off his shirt and unbuckled his belts as she took off her robe and pulled the thin, sleeveless gown over her head. Striding over to the bed, he grabbed her around the waist and sat her right on the edge and then pushed her back. He had noticed earlier that the bed would be just the right height for this. Dropping his pants and not even bothering to step out of them, he looked at her lying there in front of him, and admired again the obvious fitness as well as the sensuality of her body. He was more than ready for her, his thick, hard, shaft already standing at attention. Never really having had to bother with true foreplay before, he was aching to just say the hell with it and plunge straight into her and the pleasure he knew her body held for him.

As if sensing his thoughts, she slid her legs up around his hips and waist and then hooked them behind him. Keeping her eyes on his, she slowly arched her back and ran one of her hands over her abdomen and up to cup one of her breasts. Using her legs to pull him closer, she rubbed herself against his length and reached for one of his hands. With her hand guiding his, she led it along the same path her other hand had taken earlier until he was cupping her other breast. His eyes were glued to the way she touched herself with the one hand and then led him to do the same with the hand that was holding his. The way she lightly drew her fingertips across her nipple, then plucking it gently with her thumb and forefinger, causing it to tighten into a plump, enticing bud was mesmerizing. But it was even more mesmerizing to watch her manipulate his own hand into doing the same. When he became aware of the fact that the underside of his throbbing member was coated with her juices, he looked up at her face and saw a small smile curving her beautiful lips. His eyes flashed and a wicked smile shaped his own mouth. She had taken care of it for him. She had aroused herself and had occupied him while doing it. She wasn’t just a good lover, she was a clever one as well.

She let go of his hand and loosened her hold around his hips. Then she lifted her arms up over her head and stretched sensuously, and waited. But not for long. Hiei grasped her hips and lifted them just enough to set the tip of his cock at her entrance before he thrust inside. Like the night before, he could only go about halfway in before her body protested the large invasion. And, like the night before, he simply pulled back out and thrust in again a few times until he could feel her heat completely surrounding him. Savoring the incredible tightness, he watched the way she swallowed, then parted her lips as she drew in a breath. Her eyes were closed, and it briefly crossed his mind that he wished she would open them so he see exactly what shade of blue they were right now. But that thought quickly faded as he focused on the sensations that swept over him with each in-and-out movement.

Forcing his way in appeased his primitive side, which wanted nothing more than to be buried as deep as possible in that sweet, secure warmth of hers, while pulling out spoke to his domineering side, which wanted to control how fast he, and she, reached their peaks. And the pure, unadulterated, torturous bliss of the actual movement of her flesh dragging along his length first in one direction, then the other, simply couldn’t be matched. Add in the visual delights of being able to see himself gliding in and out of her, and the way the muscles in her abdomen tightened and released in reaction to his movements, along with the sensuous way she arched her back, and bit her lip, and gripped the sheets, and he was forced to admit that fucking this onna was more than just a means to an end, -- he was enjoying the ride.

As her soft moans penetrated the sound of his pulse thumping in his ears, he quickened his pace. His eyes focused on the sight of his cock, slick and shiny with her juices, as he pulled almost all the way out, then slammed it back in, over and over. He was amazed that she could hold him. He felt her thighs start to quiver, and he grunted in satisfaction and drove even faster. Looking at the onna spread out in front of him, he noted how fast and harsh her breathing was, and he had the sudden urge to gather her up in his arms and hold her against him as they both reached their climax. The thought completely threw him off stride for a second, and he snarled at himself, causing her eyes to snap open. When he saw the slight worry swirling in their depths, he gave in and snatched her up off the bed, clasping her to him tightly with one arm, while the other circled and supported her hips so he could continue thrusting, though much more shallowly than before.

Though she was startled by his actions, Kagome quickly moved to assist his efforts by wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing her body down along his to meet his upward movements. It only took four or five rapid thrusts to set loose the tidal wave of her release, along with a slightly strangled cry. As she clutched him tightly, both inside and out, Hiei came with a roar. He stood there for a minute, then lay her down gently on the bed. Realizing his pants were still around his ankles, he shrugged out of them, causing Kagome to giggle when she saw what he was doing. He arched a brow at her and started to crawl over her. He stopped when the smell of blood hit his nose, and he looked down at her thighs. None there. He sat up and ran his hand over her hip. When he felt some wetness smear, he turned her over on her side. Seeing a clean, three-inch long cut, he thought he must have grasped her hips too hard. He knew he had dug into them last night with his claws, but he didn’t have claws right now. Was it still from last night?

When Kagome saw the question in his eyes she glanced down and saw the blood. She knew he would never apologize even if he had done it, -- and it was nothing really anyway, but for some reason, he seemed concerned about it and she didn’t want him to think he had been too rough. “It’s all right. You didn’t do it, and even if you did, it’s nothing. It’ll be healed up in just a little while. I’m surprised it hadn’t already healed enough that it wouldn’t open over a little frictional rubbing,” she grinned and waggled her eyebrows at him. He was still looking at her a little curiously, so she rolled her eyes at him and told him, “Youko did it. Shippou startled him when he was trying to be … persuasive.”

“Hn.” He got up and went into the bathroom and returned with a damp washcloth. He was rather annoyed with the fox. It was one thing to try to seduce her, but couldn’t he be careful enough not to mar her skin? It was actually a pretty deep cut. Oh, he knew it would heal, and he knew he had actually done something similar just the night before, but she was his lover, and that had been just one of those things that happen in the heat of the moment. But to cut her while trying to get into her panties? He had thought the fox was more skilled than that. And the really frustrating thing was, he couldn’t take him to task over it without revealing how he’d seen it in the first place.

Kagome blinked a couple of times and then stared at him when he cleaned the blood off her hip. Again, this wasn’t something she would have expected him to do. Then again, he was a youkai and perhaps the smell of blood was irritating him. That had to be it. She stopped thinking about it when he tossed the washcloth aside and ran his hand over her hip and up her side. When he turned her on over onto her stomach, she just smiled and rose up on her hands and knees. That was something she expected him to do.

Hiei was becoming more pleased with this arrangement all the time. Not only was she a great lover, but she didn’t waste time or try to make him talk to her. He moved behind her and ran his hand across her back, moving her hair to one side so he could see her back and shoulders. He frowned when a large, nasty-looking bruise in the center of her back caught his eye. (What the hell was Youko doing?) When he ran his hand over it and let it rest there for a minute, she looked over her shoulder at him. “Is this part of Youko’s persuasion, too?”

“Did it bruise? No, that’s from the bar. It doesn’t even hurt, and it certainly isn’t going to interfere in this position,” she said with a wink. And she rubbed her bottom against him, causing a low growl to rumble in his throat.

Grabbing her at the waist with one hand, he grasped himself with the other one and ran the head of his cock down the seam of the flower-like petals of her delicate flesh, parting them and opening her up to him. He was about to ram himself inside as usual, when her scent spiked and he paused to inhale deeply. Then he slowly pushed forward, barely entering her, and stopped. He expected her to push back against him, but instead he felt her clench her muscles around him and move her pelvis forward just a little bit, encouraging him to press in further. He did, and she repeated the motion. And so it went, inch by inch, and Hiei couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight as he slowly disappeared inside her until their two bodies appeared to be one. He had never been so intensely aware of the entire length of his member before, but having more and more of it directly stimulated by it being gripped so tightly at so many different points along its length was something entirely new to him, and he wondered yet again how in the world she could take him all in when she was so damn small and tight.

Then she tightened up even more around him and slightly rotated her hips, then rolled them forward. Feeling himself swell inside her, he grabbed both sides of her waist again and began to piston in and out as hard and as fast as he could. As soon as he started, Kagome leaned down and rested her head on her arms, slanting her back and changing the angle of his penetration. He grunted his approval and slammed himself in even harder, causing her cries to increase in volume. He closed his eyes and just enjoyed the musky smell of sex that mingled with her gardenia scent. He felt her hit her peak and the strong convulsive jerking of her inner muscles only added to his pleasure. He continued to listen to the satisfying sounds of flesh on flesh and the hammering of his own pulse in his ears, enjoying the motion until the tightening in his balls became too painful to bear for much longer.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that she was trembling all over, and that odd compulsion to feel her against him hit him again. Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted her up and fitted her back against his chest. He cupped a breast in one hand and squeezed none too gently, while his other hand searched out that small nub of flesh, which he rubbed vigorously until she cried out again and nearly jerked right out of his arms. That pushed him over the edge, too, and he buried his face in her neck as he thrust himself in her as far as he could go and felt himself release again and again.

When he felt her collapse back against him, he slowly pulled out of her and turned her around to face him as he lay down. They both lay there, breathing hard and completely sated. Kagome had her arms draped around him and she was lightly stroking and caressing his back. It was … soothing. Recovering quicker than she did, Hiei lifted his head slightly to look at her. Her eyes were closed again. He ran a hand up her arm. There, on the back of her upper left arm were the pale, barely-noticeable scars that had obviously been left by a clawed hand. He wondered why they hadn’t healed. Was it because they had been inflicted by her mate? He had noticed she still bore the mating marks of all three of her mates, though they, too, could barely be seen. He had only noticed them because he had had the opportunity to examine her rather thoroughly.

Jaken’s story of what had happened to Lord Sesshoumaru was by far the most damning of all the things they had heard so far. It definitely didn’t look good for her. She opened her eyes then, and he was struck anew by how startlingly blue they were. Well, he would enjoy their relationship while it lasted. Youko’s speculation about her had been right -- she was damn good in bed.

She looked at him, then grew very still for a minute. “I have to go.” She sat up and scooted over to the edge of the bed. When she bent over to pick up her gown and robe, Hiei noticed the bruise again.

“What happened at the bar?”

“What?” Surprised, Kagome turned to look at him.

“What did Yusuke do at the bar?” he asked again.

“Oh, it was nothing really,” she said with a laugh.

Hiei raised a brow and continued to stare at her.

Pulling her gown over her head, she sighed. “Well, he wasn’t too bad really, for the most part. He suggested we go to the bar and have a drink so I would, um, loosen up a little. I guess I was still feeling pretty uncomfortable about the clothes. But he was rather drunk by the time I finished my first drink -- I’m not used to drinking. He wanted to dance, and that’s when he started getting … amorous. I tried to get him to leave, and he suddenly picked me up and threw me down on a table and jumped on me. The table went crashing to the floor, and he went right on kissing me, every now and then calling me ‘Keiko.’ Though apparently, from what he was saying, my breasts are bigger and my ass isn’t as nice. It took Shippou, the bartender, and the bouncer to pull him off of me so we could leave.”

Both of Hiei’s brows were raised, and surprise was written all over his face. Kagome smiled at the look. Tying her robe, she asked, “Shall I turn the lights off?” He nodded. After getting a drop of oil from the jar on the table, she tossed it to him, and turned out the lights. “Arigatou,” she said softly, then she was gone.

Hiei used the oil, then lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. He was very pleasantly tired. He frowned to himself when he thought about Yusuke and the bruise on the miko’s back. Someone needed to teach the detective a lesson. He couldn’t believe his teammates were such fools that they couldn’t make a move on a female without injuring her. And again, he couldn’t say anything to the detective about it because he couldn’t explain how he knew it was there. It was really quite aggravating. If his lover was going to be sporting scratches and bruises, it should be from their time in bed, -- not the incompetence of idiots. And Yusuke really was an idiot if he thought Keiko’s ass was nicer than hers. He should know, -- he had just spent the better part of an hour admiring it. It was perfectly shaped, nicely rounded, and pleasantly firm. He smiled in satisfaction. Then he frowned again.

(What the hell was wrong with me tonight?) He had had her in what were probably his two favorite positions, and both times that strange urge had hit him right before he finished. The reason he favored those positions was because they allowed him maximum control with minimal touching. Hiei had never liked being touched much, and he sure wasn’t given to touching someone else unless he was inflicting bodily harm. (So, why the sudden urge to pull her up against me?) The strangest thing was, it had felt really good to have her pressed to him like that. Granted, the miko had a great body, but … That had to be it. She just has an exceptionally nice body and since they are going to be together for a while, he was just familiarizing himself with it. Why not? Hai, he was reacting a little differently to her than to other females he’d been with, but this situation was different. They were going to be together more than once. Or twice. In this case, enjoying the look and the feel of her just added to the overall pleasure of the arrangement for him. Hell, the novelty of it would wear off in another day or two. Content with that thought, Hiei fell asleep for the second time in as many days.

Kagome filled the bathtub with hot water. She was definitely going to have to soak again. She hoped the soreness wore off soon, but she had to admit, other than that she felt great. She smiled to herself. Hiei certainly was a … vigorous lover. She felt very pleasantly tired and content. She was only going to get a couple of hours of sleep again, but she felt confident that it would be good, restful sleep. She had made the right decision. And truthfully, she felt a little proud of herself for taking care of things in a mature, rational manner. Of course, she realized how fortunate she was that Hiei had agreed to the arrangement. It probably wouldn’t have worked with anyone else. Even he was surprising her with small gestures that suggested there was just a deep, intrinsic need inside everyone for some form of contact, and with anyone else it would be too easy to start forgetting it was just something that was beyond his control and didn’t really mean anything. She chuckled to herself. He probably wasn’t even aware of it. But it had unnerved her again, just a little, when he had turned her around to face him before lying down. That was something Inuyasha had always done, saying he wanted to be able to look at her face and feel her breath while she slept. And it wasn’t until he ran his hand up her arm that she realized she had been caressing his back. She was probably lucky he didn’t throw her out of his bed for touching him like that when they weren’t actually having sex. She would have to be more careful about that. The need for that kind of touching was one she would have to control. But she could do that. She dried off and went to bed.
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“Hey, Urameshi. You’d better wake up, man. You’ve got a LOT to do today,” Kuwabara shook him and whispered loudly.

Putting a hand to his forehead and groaning, Yusuke said, “Fuck off, Kuwabara.”

He was surprised to hear Kurama’s voice quietly say, “I think you should try to get up. You will need to deal with the consequences of your actions last night. Congratulations, by the way.”

Cracking one eye open, he stared at the avatar. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Well, for one thing, Keiko will need to be informed. And I think your new family is waiting to talk to you downstairs.”

“Huh?”

“Shhh,” Kurama said. “Try not to wake her. You kept her up most of the night. I never suspected you would be so loud when claiming a mate.”

“Wha …?”

“Yeah, Urameshi. And you’re gonna have to tell Koenma, too. I don’t think he meant for you to actually mate with her,” Kuwabara told him.

Yusuke sat up quickly and looked beside him to see a small figure huddled in the bed. She was all covered up, and all he could see was some of her black hair on the pillow.

“What the fuck?!!?” (Holy shit! No way! I couldn’t have!) He remembered going to a bar with Kagome and Shippou. And dancing. And … kissing … Kagome? “FUCK!! I didn’t mean to … I was drunk! -- I thought she was Keiko!”

“Why, Yusuke, that’s not a very nice way to start your new life with your new mate,” came a voice from beside him. And throwing the covers back, Hiei sat up. “Even I know that would hurt her feelings.”

And Kuwabara doubled over and started laughing, while Kurama chuckled heartily, and Hiei’s eyes gleamed with amusement.

“Wha …?!!? I’m going to KILL you guys!!” And he lunged out of the bed and tackled Kuwabara. After they rolled around on the floor and threw a few punches, Kuwabara pushed him away and stood up.

“Shippou told me what you did at the bar, and you were all over her when you got back to the house last night. It’s one thing to flirt and pretend to be interested in her, it’s another to actually grope her and do stuff. You could have hurt her when you threw her on that table and jumped on her -- Shippou said it went crashing to the ground. And grabbing her boobs and all that. You’re gonna have to apologize.” He glared at his friend.

Yusuke just hung his head and nodded. Then he ran a hand through his hair and sat back and leaned his head against the wall. “Shit. Did I really do all that? All I can remember is thinking about Keiko, and then I kissed her. I thought it was a little strange because she tasted different. Keiko tastes like bubble gum, but last night she tasted like strawberries. That damn Hojo was right.”

Kuwabara looked at him strangely. “Keiko tastes like bubble gum when you kiss her?”

“Yeah. That really good, sugary kind that you used to get with trading cards -- the kind you can’t find anyplace anymore.”

“Hmm. Well, anyway, I trust we’ve made our point. You can’t allow yourself to get drunk or lose control while we’re on this assignment. The consequences could be far too dangerous,” Kurama warned him.

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. Man, I really need to go visit Keiko.”

“No, right now you need to get your ass up and get ready. The others will be heading for the field in just a few minutes.” And Hiei left to go downstairs. He smirked to himself. He had wanted to teach Yusuke a lesson, and when Kuwabara came and told him and Kurama what Shippou had told him, he was perfectly willing to go along with their little joke. Maybe now the toushin would be more careful. And keep his hands to himself. Just so she wouldn’t be all bruised or anything like that.

When he got downstairs, he saw most of the others finishing up their breakfast, but Kagome wasn’t there. Kurama and Kuwabara were right behind him. They had eaten before going up to wake Yusuke.

“Did you do it?” Eishumaru asked.

“Yeah,” Kuwabara laughed. “He just about wet his pants. Hey, Kagome still isn’t up yet?” he asked as he looked around.

“Oh, the cook just told us that she and Master Zhang left about 45 minutes ago. Apparently, he got her up early today for some extra meditation. They said to meet them at the field,” Sassouta told them.

“Well, we might as well get started,” Daitano said, getting up and going to the door. Sassouta got up and followed him. They both gave Yusuke evil grins when he came down the stairs, causing him to flinch slightly. But as soon as Daitano opened the door, they tensed when they caught the scent of something in the air.

“Is that …?” Daitano asked his younger brother.

His eyes as wide as saucers, Sassouta nodded. “Wolves. From the Northern lands. LOTS of them.”

Right behind them, Yusuke cursed. “Shit! And blood.”

And the three of them took off. Just a few seconds later, one small black blur and a tall white one zipped past them.

“Fox, several youkai are approaching the field from the forest,” Hiei warned him.

When Hiei and Eishumaru got there, the smell of wolves and blood was almost overpowering. The bodies of the large, brown and gray creatures littered the ground, and there were two clusters of them attacking two figures on the far side of the field. Kagome and Zhang were each surrounded by the snarling, howling animals as they tried to take them down.

“Stand back, old man!” a feminine voice yelled. “We’re not here for you, -- just that murdering bitch! She may have killed Lord Kouga, but there’s no way she’s going to kill Lord Yemon, too!” And several ookami youkai rushed at Kagome.
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End Chapter Six

A/N: Um, *rubs back of neck self-consciously*, I meant to have this posted yesterday, but …
Kagome and Hiei wanted some more scenes together,
and the SDs wanted to pull that prank on Yusuke,
and, well, I just couldn’t stop writing.
Sorry.

Hai - yes
Gomen nasai - “Forgive me” -- a formal apology
Arigatou - “thank you”
Onna - woman
Hiyoukai - fire demon
Kitsune - fox
Ookami - wolf
Yukata - thin, summery, informal style of kimono -- often used at bathhouses, and some are made for sleeping in
Tomesode - a more casual, every day style of kimono worn by married women
Sifu - a king fu master -- teacher/father
Jian - a Chinese double-edged sword
Hama no ya - sacred arrow or arrow of exorcism
Kaiken - a dagger, one is traditionally carried in a special case or pouch by a new bride
Kami - the spirits in the natural world all around us -- sometimes used as “gods”

As always, you reviewers are my bread and butter!

Angelwings21 - Did you like the fallout from that bomb?
Sardave - Not much research in this chapter -- just a lot of childish giggling. Heh heh!
BrokenSouledPoetess - I’m sorry it’s been bugging you, but the SDs don’t know about Kikyou. Yet. No one has mentioned another powerful priestess being connected to Kagome or any of her mates. And I apologize if Kurama is coming off as being dense, -- I’ll have to do something about that if he’s not coming across right. Because I was really seeing him and Hiei as being the reasonable ones with their suspicions and conclusions, while Kuwabara is pretty much going with his feelings and gut instincts that she’s just a “nice lady.” So, I hope I did a little better with that in this chapter, and I’ll work on it in the others, too. Kurama is trying to look at the evidence they have to go on, and so far, there really is only one logical conclusion -- anything else is just a little too bizarre to have happened, right? Heh heh!
Purplebabe - Ah, yes. The plot thickens. Hiei and Kagome don’t know what they’re getting into.
Seiteki Tenshi - So, did you like Hiei’s reaction to her proposal? It was only fair that she get to make an offer, too, after receiving all those strange ones to court her.
Halfblackwolfdemon - Yeah, I threw a little curveball there, but Hiei stepped up to the plate and hit it out of the park. (At least I hope he did. Heh heh!) I don’t want you to be lost, so I hope everything was explained better in this chapter. Let me know if it wasn’t, and I’ll try to do better next time!
HeartStar - Yeah, Kagome just faced it head-on. I hope she isn’t coming across as too brazen, though. Did it make sense?
Anonymous O - Kagome was teasing him a bit about the swimming -- she realized he was taking a dip in the cold lake to “cool off” because he was attracted to her. She also pointed it out because she was offering him another solution to his “problem.” Heh heh! As for Kagome and her sons knowing what happened to her mates, the boys were just children and they didn’t see anything. And Kagome …well, now we know she doesn’t remember what happened to Sesshoumaru.
SadBrokenWings - Lemons, anyone? How did you like the latest piece of the puzzle? And, gosh, thanks so much for the recommendation! *blushes profusely*
Ness - Don’t worry -- I will avoid the black hole of unfinished stories. I promised myself never to do that -- I’ve been frustrated enough times by that. This whole baby was plotted out before I ever began posting. Sorry if it seemed like it took a while between chapters, but a week isn’t that bad, is it? With the length of these, it takes me that long to write it even when I’m writing every day. (This one is 33 pages on MS Word.) So, whatcha think about Kag and Hiei’s “relationship?”
Selenity potter - I thought Kagome’s little proposal would surprise a lot of people. Heh heh! And, today’s May 2nd -- did you find out if you’re having a boy or a girl?
Youkos Kitsune - So, what do you think about Kagome’s explanation for taking Hiei as lover? And how about the new info on what happened to Sesshoumaru?
Marie-Laure - Here’s the latest chapter -- what did you think?
Inuyahsa 1234 - Well, Mari-chan, what do you think? I liked your idea that she could have used her relationship with Hiei to keep Kurama and Yusuke away, but the clandestine nature of it is going to play a role. How’d you like the info on what happened to Sess?
Me Myself & I - Thanks so much for the thumbs up!! What do you think about Kag and Hiei’s relationship now? It’s not a love match, by any means. Yet.
Nobodies Perfect - Not Even You - I really am so glad you’re liking this story! Did Hiei react like you thought he would? You were so right about the way Kuwabara sees her -- he’s looking at the kind of person he can sense she is, no matter what the evidence seems to say. (Of course the others think he’s being foolish.) How did you like the latest piece of the puzzle? I like your speculation about the three women, but if I told you, what would the fun be in watching it all come together? Heh heh!
Loveinuyasha911 - Did you like his reply? “Undress.” Heh heh! I liked your speculation on the vanished souls -- it’ll all come out eventually.
Who Am I ? - Yes, he is! Woo hoo! (Sorry -- couldn’t contain myself.) I know what you mean -- what is it about those kind of guys that’s so appealing? *sigh*
Hawaiianhoney2030 - I’m so glad you like this one as much the other ones. It’s quite a bit different in flavor. (At least, I hope it is.) A very different kind of relationship for Hiei/Kag in this. So far.
Bloodbunny - Hiei’s not into the posturing and gestures necessary to make her believe he wants her for a mate. Koenma would never have even thought of suggesting he be one of the ones to ask her. So, it’s a little ironic that he’s the one she turned to for a lover. Well, he didn’t exactly say yes … *cough undress cough* … but, it all worked out, right?
Sexyvampire - Oh, I just love it when the cliffy is a shock! Heh heh!
Kawaii-KeKe-Chan - I know the lake scene didn’t quite go as you expected last time, how about the Hiei’s reaction scene this time? Heh heh!
Hentai Vixen - Thank you so much for the kind words!! It makes me feel all warm and bubbly inside that someone is so into this story! I hope you continue to enjoy it!
Shadeless Night - Thank you, thank you, thank you for the wonderful words of praise! I’ll try hard not to disappoint you.
Miss Mischief - Of course Hiei said yes! What would have been the fun if he’d just taken her head off? Heh heh! And they’re going to keep it a secret, so don’t tell anyone. Shhh!