Hello everyone! Back again for another chapter.

A few heads up: last chapter contained reference to an incident Kagome had with a no-face 9 months before the start of this adventure. This incident is written in detail in my one off By the Well. If you haven't already, check it out!

This chapter also picks up the steam a bit and earns the fic its rating. This limey/lemony goodness is at the start of the chapter. If you don't want to read it skip to the first break in the story. It doesn't add much besides a bit of amusement, so go ahead and skip if desired.

As always, would love feedback. Please R&R!

Wings and Shadows

Chapter 5

Kagome tucked her hair behind her ear as she pinned Inuyasha down on the mattress. She'd have to inquire later as to how he had made it so perfectly like her old one, but for now, all she could think about was how beautifully Inuyasha's silver hair blended with her raven over the soft red sheets. Her deep blue eyes met his gold as he reached up and tugged gently at the back of her head, bringing her lips back down on his again.

Tugging at the back of her hair lightly, he pulled his lips from hers angling kisses along her jaw and up to her earlobe. Nibbling playfully with his fangs he made his way down her neck, rolling her as he did so he could pin her arms above her head. He paused at the pulse along the center of her neck, taking time to apply gentle pressure to feel her racing heartbeat against his fangs. He nipped her neck causing a wave of eurphoria to crash through Kagome as she lifted her hips to grind against his leg. She rubbed herself against his thigh, the wonderful friction sending jolts through her womb and breasts.

Switching to pin her wrists with one hand he began his ministrations with his claws, gently running them along her sides before resting comfortably beneath her breasts. Tugging unceremoniously at her robes he pulled them apart, exposing her under kosode. Pulling it apart, he began searching, finding his hand resting on her breast. He gave it a gentle squeeze before lightly pinching the nipple causing Kagome to arch her back up against him and moan. She struggled against his hands, writhing up into him uncontrollably.

"Inuyasha…"

He continued kissing down her neck settling between her collar bones. He nipped gently at the right before continuing down between her opened clothes. Placing a gentle kiss to the top of each breast he finally let go of her hands before spreading open her kosode exposing her perfectly round breasts.

When she was younger she had been ashamed of her breasts, never feeling like she fit them. Now that she had grown into a woman and watching Inuyasha's lidded eyes move across them like liquid fire, she felt a new-found confidence. Rather than the shyness she had expected she found herself lavishing the attention praying he would always find her as attractive as he did at that moment. She breathed heavily, her chest shaking gently with each deep heaving breath. He found he couldn't stop staring as she ran her teeth across her bottom lip.

Pausing only long enough to meet her gaze for approval he lowered his head to her right breast, licking and suckling at the nipple. He scraped it gently between his front teeth earning him an excited squeal in response. He smirked before raising his lips to focus on the left instead.

She couldn't stop writhing beneath ministrations, raising her hips to grind even harder against him. Never had she craved a friction like this – so unlike anything she had ever felt before. As he kissed down to her navel, taking the time to skillfully flick his tongue across the small hole she grasped tightly at his hair, running her fingers over the base of his ears in the process. He groaned loudly as she tugged at the silver strands. He could tell each moment when she enjoyed herself a little bit more as he could feel her tug a little harder sends jolts of pleasure and pain through his scalp to the rest of his body.

Her arousal overpowered all other scents in the air, and before he even ran his hands across her nether curls he knew just how wet she was. Moving his hands across her sides and onto her hips, he hooked his thumbs into the waste of her hakama and tugged them down as she lifted and shimmied her hips. Once removed he gazed down at the soft black mass of curls.

Lying beneath him was the most beautiful sight he could have imagined. While he had briefly seen her naked at fifteen, she had grown into her curves and filled out her body, plumping in all the right places but staying lean in the rest. While not overly skinny, she appeared athletic, with toned abs and legs from the hours tending gardens and heals wounds. He grinned cockily as she groaned out his name in frustration, his pause causing her to writhe in a near painful ecstasy. His mere pause left a void in her causing her unfulfillment to raise to the level of pain.

"Inuyasha…please…."

"What koi?" he asked softly. "What do you need?"

"I…I…" she gasped, raising her hips again and throwing them back against the sheets. She squeezed her thighs together just trying to get some friction. "I…I don't know what I need. But you."

He chuckled lightly, lowering his head to the soft black mass of curls. He drank in her scent, running his nose across her thighs as he spread them apart with both hands. Tentatively he extended his tongue, her smell drawing him to taste the very core of her.

She cried out, tightening her grip in his hair and ears as he pressed his tongue to the bunch of nerves at the tip of her core. She rolled her hips up into him as she pressed into the back of his head holding him against her. He continued lapping with his tongue before withdrawing only to press his tongue into her very core.

She came undone as he inserted one finger into her, beginning to rock it in and out of her, careful with his claw not to catch her. As he continued to suck at the bundle of nerves she felt a crashing relief wash over her as she slammed her hips into the mattress and he lapped greedily at the result.

Pulling away he came up to meet her face, running the back of his hand across his mouth thoroughly before pressing a gentle kiss against her mouth. He lay down next to her, wrapping his hand across her stomach as she reached to try to touch the hardness in his hakama.

He shook his head against her neck, kissing her racing pulse against before pulling away to look at her.

"No koi," he said gently as the mist of her orgasm cleared from her eyes to be replaced with worry. "It's not that I don't want to, its just…well…" He fought the urge to thrust into her as he gripped her wrist and pulled it away from him. "I…I want our first time to be as man and wife. I want to take you as my mate, but…well. I want you to be my wife."

She studied his face, finding the desire in his gaze. He clearly wanted her, but he wanted to restrain himself. This was his last gift to her – if he would take her innocence as a miko he would at least await their marriage.

She smiled at him and he tugged her into his chest, wrapping the silk sheets over her exhausted and satiated body.

"High Lord," the young woman with dark gray locks and light gray blue eyes looked at the kneeling man before her. His dark raven hair ran loosely across his back nearly to his waist and his hands were placed one on each knee. To any untrained eyes the man would appear calmly meditating, his soft breathing indicating tranquility rarely experienced.

He reached behind his head and tied back the hair that blanketed his back. Without opening his eyes he stood, folding his hands behind his back. "Yes, Kasumi."

"Lord Inutaisho has awoken, High Lord."

Taking a deep breath, he reached out with his senses. Yes, he could feel Inutaisho's presence on the wind. It rubbed against him, offering him a sense of relief he had not felt in over two hundred years. "And the boy?"

"Lord Inutaisho's son?"

He nodded.

Kasumi frowned. "He has, my Lord. He has been awake for about five years now."

"Who released him?"

"A miko, my Lord."

"Has the jewel made it back to this time yet?"

"Yes, my lord, it appeared to be contained within the body of the miko herself."

"Did he destroy it?" The question wasn't needed by any means. He could sense that the jewel was gone – such a powerful object that could sway the balance of good and evil would never be out of his senses if it still existed.

"Yes, my Lord, just over four years ago, although by all accounts it was actually the girl who finally destroyed it."

For the first time he looked at the young woman before him. Her silver translucent robes reminded him much of the mist for which she was named. Her arms were folded in her lap as she knelt before him. She bowed her head to touch the floor and raised it again, keeping it bowed in obedience.

"She appears to be a time traveler, my Lord."

He studied the appearance of Kasumi's features, rigid but not unnaturally so. He had a gift for body language and he could see that only honesty was in her words. She had known, of course, that he was aware of this fact, but still she felt it necessary to tell him.

"What is her name?"

"Kagome, my Lord."

He trained his great blue eyes toward the sky, turning away from her to head towards the balcony of the great chamber he was in. Looking out over the clouds he contemplated the name that rolled off her tongue.

"Thank you, Kasumi, you are dismissed."

She stood, bowing low once more before backing away slowly towards the exit to the great chamber.

"Kasumi," the woman paused, raising her head to look at the High Lord before her. "Go, watch over them. Keep your distance, I want you to see, not act. Watch over this Kagome if you can."

"As you wish, my Lord."

He continued to look out over the clouds. He felt his magic in the skies, and felt it leave him as he had slumbered. In his dreams he had felt the darkness creep over the land, poised against an inescapable light. The two forces were bound to clash, the concern, however, was which would be able to win. It was this feeling that had led his unconscious self to draw Inutaisho's soul back to the land of the living. At such a perilous time, he may very well need his oldest friend.

Rolling his shoulder blades back he felt his skin stretch as his wings protruded from his back. The first release was always the most painful after a long slumber. They felt fully rejuvenated as he flapped them for good measure. He looked out upon the beautiful feathers, a mesh of gold, silver and the purest of white. They were perfectly aligned, not a single feather loose or stray, all entirely back in position.

He was unsure exactly what had happened in its entirety over the last near forty years as he slept. He had felt tugs to the waking world on numerous occasions, but while his magic had been drawn to different places he had been allowed to stay in his slumber to rebuild his strength. Now, however, as Kasumi had been so easily able to awake him he knew something must be seriously wrong.

He knew where he must go. He wanted nothing more than to go see his dearest friend and the young miko who had awoken Inuyasha. But for now, he knew he must go see the oracle. Only she could completely fill him in as to what had happened during his slumber.

Leaping from the balcony, High Lord Hiroto took flight into the heavens.

Sesshomaru watched as Inutaisho stood across the clearing from Inuyasha. Inuyasha's sword was withdrawn, and he held it in front of him fiercely as Inutaisho stared him down.

"So this is how you think you can frighten your enemy?"

Inuyasha scoffed. "It's worked so far."

Inutaisho narrowed his eyes. "Do you think I won every fight simply by withdrawing a sword and casting the Wind Scar?"

"Well, there is adamant barrage." Inuyasha smirked.

Sesshomaru huffed indignantly.

"Are you trying to test me boy?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Sorry old man, but which is us did Ryūkotsusei kill?"

Inutaisho growled in his chest. "Don't think for even a moment that killing a half awake demon I kept sealed away for 200 years suddenly makes your power greater than mine. Ryūkotsusei had not been given a chance to full awaken. You came out of that encounter lucky, and if I'm not mistaken, you used Kagome's skills to finish it."

"Huhn, you're just saying that because you couldn't beat him yourself."

Before Inuyasha could sheath his blade Inutaisho struck, sending the blade spiraling from Inuyasha's hands. Sesshomaru smirked.

"If you are to strike fear in the hearts of those you come across you must learn to do so before you even draw your blade."

"I strike fear because of what I do with my blade!" Inuyasha snapped, heading towards tetsusaiga which had buried itself deep in the earth. Inutaisho reached out, grasping his wrist and throwing Inuyasha back crashing into the trunk of a tree.

"You have spent your entire life trying to convince others they should be afraid of you. It's time to stop convincing them."

"Last time I checked humans are pretty damn afraid of me."

"Humans, peh. Humans are inherently afraid of demons. They are afraid of Myoga if they find out he's there. Against demons you do not strike fear immediately. That means you have to work twice as hard to win a fight – everything must be physical."

"Hanyou don't exactly strike fear. Anger, but you're an idiot if you think I'm scary to most full demons."

Inutaisho narrowed his cold calculating eyes. "Do you doubt me boy?"

"Feh, you're a daiyokai. What do you know about earning respect? About working hard to strike fear?" Inuyasha swiped his sword through the air which Inutaisho sprung back from, the sword narrowly missing the front of his armor. Between each pointed question Inuyasha swung the blade, it singing through the air and is vibrated through its surroundings.

As if to prove his point Inutaisho struck, his fist landing deep in Inuyasha's belly. His eye went wide as blood erupted from his mouth. He felt the agony ripple through his mid section as he fell back, tetsusaiga still strongly gripped in his hand. An admirable thing considering the agony Inutaisho had just inflicted.

"Do you think I was able to strike you because I'm a daiyokai?" Inutaisho stood, looming over the rattled body of his much younger son. "Do you think I am able to inflict upon you pain without restraint simply because of my birth?"

Inuyasha continued to bend over, gripping tightly at his stomach. A hand reached down and gripped the back of his hair, pulling his head upward. Inutaishi stared down at Inuyasha who's defiant angry eyes bore right back into his. Inutaisho smirked. "Go to hell old man."

"I already have, son, and I don't plan to go back any time soon." Inutaisho let go of Inuyasha, dropped his head forcefully back to the ground. Inuyasha raised his head and his sword.

"Are you ready to become a daiyokai?"

Inuyasha's eye went wide. "…Th-that's impossible."

"Do you think the first Inu were always daiyokai?" Inutaisho watched Inuyasha's bemused expression. "No, son, when we were first granted human forms by the Great Tenshi we were unable to return to our primal form – our true form. We were unable to tap our true strength. It took hundreds of years for our ancestors to be able to again meld themselves into their daiyokai forms." Inutaisho paused, watching the confusion mar Inuyasha's expression. "I have no doubt that if you truly applied yourself you could as well."

"Feh." Sesshomaru huffed, "Inuyasha has a shorter attention span than Myoga."

Sesshomaru had barely finished his sentence when Inuyasha's fist connected with his jaw sending him sprawling backwards against the trees.

Inutaisho grinned.

"Good, it looks like you have promise afterall."

The hope in Inuyasha's eyes was undeniable.