Chapter 29:

"Yasha, we have to go out for a while," Kirsten called. "There's some things I have to pick up for my trip tomorrow."

"Fine," he answered. "We're just going to have a swim at Tam's."

The half-demon waved as the car pulled out of the driveway. He smiled down at the dark-haired girl who held his other hand. Kagome smiled back at him.

"Alone at last," he breathed.

"You sound like a bad romance novel," Kagome giggled.

Inuyasha unlocked the door to the pool enclosure and they went inside, laying their towels down and kicking off their sandals. Kagome dived into the water, and he followed an instant behind.

As she surfaced, Kagome felt arms go about her and she laughed as she was pulled back against a well-muscled chest. Inuyasha nibbled at the junction of her throat and shoulder.

"Inuyasha!" she gasped.

"There's no one to see us now, love."

She moaned as his hands travelled upwards to cup her breasts gently.

"How I've longed to touch you like this," he whispered into her ear. "Kagome, lady mine…"

He let his hands explore soft curves, listening to her body sing to him, telling him everything he needed to know. Inuyasha thrummed deep in his throat as he smelled desire rising in her. She jerked back against him as his fingers found the source of that delicious scent and stoked her quiet flame into an inferno.

"Inuyasha!" she moaned.

"Shall I stop?" He licked her ear, then the side of her throat as she turned her head to expose more of her neck to his gentle assault.

"Gods, no!"

Kagome turned in his arms to face him, putting her arms about his neck and pulling him down for a kiss. Once he was suitably engaged, she began her own exploration of his body.

At last, Inuyasha went on one knee in front of her, and wrapping his arms about her hips, very reverently kissed her above her heart. He laughed as Kagome leaned forward, and nipped gently at one of his ears.

"Sexy puppy," she whispered.

For the next few moments, he was quite happy to let Kagome abuse his poor ears any way she wanted, especially since that placed a most interesting part of her anatomy within nuzzling distance. And if she was allowed to chew on his ears, then he was allowed to nuzzle. Kagome made a sound in her throat that Inuyasha had never heard her make before, and she was pulling at his shoulders.

"Inuyasha… please! Please…"

"Please what, lady mine?" He glanced up at her flushed face, amusement dancing in molten gold eyes.

"Let's go…"

"Go where?"

She biffed him lightly on the head. "Let's go NOW, Inuyasha."

He chuckled. "So impatient."

Inuyasha tried to hold back more chuckles as he watched Kagome nearly vault out of the pool, frantically drying herself with the towel she had brought. He deliberately took his time getting out of the water and drying himself; laughed out loud when she made a frustrated noise and nearly dragged him from the enclosure. Despite his outer calm, he found his hand shaking as he tried to lock the door. It was no easier to unlock the kitchen door at the Windrow's. Kagome grabbed his hand and practically charged up the stairs with him in tow. But at the top, she stopped suddenly, now unsure of what should be next.

Inuyasha was sure, however, and scooped her up in his arms to carry her across the threshold of his room. She stared up at him, suddenly nervous. He set her on her feet and held her loosely against him.

"Kagome… we can wait if you like. We don't need to do this now."

"Inuyasha… kiss me?"

He complied eagerly. It did not take long for the heat to rise in her again, and he allowed his body to follow suit. It soon became apparent that Kagome did not wish to wait – that it would be now.

OoOoOo

Kirsten looked up at the house, something setting off her inner radar that she had seemed to develop ever since having Ryan. Something was out of place and not right.

Jonathan was looking over at the O'Connor household. "Hmm. I guess the kids finished their swim. They're not over there now."

"That's what's wrong!"

"Huh?"

"I think they're… they're…"

"Aw geez! We shouldn't have left them alone – not so soon after…"

Kirsten laid a hand on her husband's arm. "Be real, Jon. We knew it was coming. That it was going to happen sooner or later."

"But…"

"Let's not panic, okay? They could just as easily be watching something on TV. If they are upstairs, our only responsibility is to make sure that they're both okay and that they are both consenting. I have no intention of interferring otherwise."

"You think his other side might get loose?"

"It's a possibility. In that case, it is our responsibility to stop him. Otherwise, we should keep our noses out of their business."

Jonathan banged his head slowly on the steering wheel of the car. "Her mother will kill us."

Kirsten laughed. "Trust me on this, Jon. She won't. She's a very practical and sensible woman."

"Okay. Let's make sure they're okay. Then what?"

"Then we give them some space."

Both mutants were quite capable of moving silently when they wanted to. The kitchen door had been left open, which made entry into the house easier. A quick survey told them that Kagome and Inuyasha were not on the ground floor, and had to be upstairs. They headed up the stairs, moving past the two steps that invariably creaked and headed down the hall.

Kirsten halted outside the door to Inuyasha's room. She was of two minds whether or not she should make her presence known, although to be frank, Inuyasha already knew she was there. The small mutant decided she would only go in if it sounded like one or the other of them might need her.

Jonathan came up beside her, and she put her hand against his chest to prevent him from going any further. He furrowed his brow at her as she shook her head. 'Trust me', she mouthed at him.

The small, almost inaudible sounds from the room told Kirsten that the two within were probably just kissing at this point. Gentle, slow kisses at that, which told her that Inuyasha was very much in control of himself, even if he was fully aroused.

Kirsten flattened against the wall as Inuyasha began to speak in a quiet voice, hardly above a whisper.

"Kagome, I… I want to give you everything that I am. There's not much else I can give you other than that."

"Inuyasha… I want all that you are. Every bit of you."

There was a short silence and then Kagome sighed gustily. "Ohhh, Inuyasha…! Oh, please, don't stop."

"Are you ready for this, koibito? 'Cause if you aren't, best stop me now before it's too late."

"Inuyasha, it's already too late. Please… let me give you everything that I am."

Listening from the hallway, Kirsten put a hand over her heart and leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes. Jonathan put a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear.

"Should we go in and stop them?"

Kirsten shook her head and smiled. "No." A happy tear slipped down her cheek. "We'd have a better chance of pulling the moon out of its orbit. Let's go."

The two mutants slipped along the hall silently and passed down the stairs like ghosts. Without a word, they went out the back door and down to the park, where they walked the paths.

"Should we have let them?" Jonathan worried. "She's still so young."

"Jon… come on. You can see that the bond between them is true. It was going to happen soon enough. If we had stopped them, we would have only been postponing the inevitable. You heard him yourself – he gave her a chance to walk away if she didn't feel she was ready."

"How are you going to explain this to Mrs. Higurashi? She asked us to look after her daughter."

"We have looked after her, Jon. She's a woman now, quite capable of making her own decisions."

"Are you going to be that complacent if we ever have a daughter?" The expression on Jon's face said that any male messing with a daughter of his was going to have a very rough time of it.

"Probably. Come on, Jon. You know the time comes for everyone. All you can do is hope you've taught them well, see that they protect themselves, and let them fly. If they fall flat on their face, you pick them up, dust them off and let them go again."

Jon harrumphed. "I'll remind you of that the first time you find condoms in Ryan's room. Ones you didn't buy."

"I'd rather find condoms than any number of other things," Kirsten replied.

After an hour or so, when it had gotten quite dark out, Kirsten deemed that the young couple had had enough time, so they headed back to the house. All was very quiet, and no lights had been turned on. Upstairs, they looked into Inuyasha's room briefly since the door was still open and there was no sound from within.

The half-demon lay entwined with his love, his arms about her protectively. Kagome slept against his chest, her dark hair mingling with his silver. It seemed that Inuyasha was not entirely asleep, for his golden eyes opened and spied the two mutants looking in. He growled softly and tightened his arms about the sleeping girl, as if daring them to take her from him.

Kirsten put a finger to her lips for silence and smiled at the half-demon. Jonathan nodded briefly at Inuyasha, then drew his wife away to their own room.

OoOoOo

The next morning, Inuyasha came downstairs to the kitchen to find the two mutants waiting for him. He raised his chin defiantly, expecting to be chastised for his actions the night before, but they only smiled at him mildly.

"Kagome still sleeping?" Kirsten asked.

"Yes."

Inuyasha went to the fridge and got out the orange juice. He poured himself a glassful and went to sit at the table with the two older people. He allowed himself a gulp of juice before staring back at them.

"Do you think I was wrong?"

Kirsten shook her head. "Not for me to say, my dear."

"Then why are you looking at me like that?" He gave Kirsten a sideways glance. "Alright – I assure you that I took precautions, if that's what's troubling you. Kagome is not bearing my children until we've been properly married and we've decided it's the right time. Besides, she's a little too young to be a mother, don't you think?"

Kirsten only smiled.

"It's not that she can't handle being a mother. She'll be wonderful…" Inuyasha looked back and forth between them. "And I'm blithering, aren't I?"

Jonathan nodded.

"Alright. Can the two of you just please say what's on your minds and get it over with?" Inuyasha folded his arms on the table and glared at them. "You're creeping me out with those smiles."

Before he could react, Kirsten had flung her arms around him and kissed his cheek.

"I'm so happy for you both!"

"You… you are?"

"Of course, silly."

"You're not upset?"

"Should we be?"

Inuyasha swallowed. "I think Kagome's mother will be when she finds out. She made me promise…"

"But, Inuyasha, you kept that promise. Did you not say that you would wait until Kagome was ready? That it would be her decision?"

"Uh-huh."

"And was she ready? And was it her decision?"

"Uh-huh."

"Then Mrs. Higurashi can't quibble with you. All she wanted was for the two of you to be sure and have no regrets later."

Inuyasha's face clouded for an instant. "Excuse me."

He bounded back up the stairs and into his room. Kagome was sleeping, but getting restless, which meant she was on the verge of waking up. Inuyasha sat on the edge of the bed, and called her name softly.

Kagome turned and opened her eyes. When she saw him, she smiled.

"'Morning."

He reached out and stroked her raven-hued hair. "Sleep well?"

"Mmm-hm. You?"

He shrugged. "Kagome… you… you don't have any regrets about last night, do you?"

Kagome reached out and grabbed a hank of his silver hair and used it to tug him down for a kiss. "You had better not be having second thoughts," she warned.

"Mmm. No. But you didn't answer my question."

"I love you, Inuyasha, even when you're being an idiot. How could I ever regret being with you? Come here, warrior mine. Let me show you, if words aren't sufficient."

Some time later, Jonathan stuck his head in the open door. "Everything alright, kids?"

Inuyasha's sandal hit him in the middle of his forehead.

"Out!" roared the indignant half-demon. "And shut the damn door!"

Jonathan retreated, closing the door behind him and trying very hard not to laugh. He picked up the sandal and carried it down to the kitchen.

"Was everything alright, Jon?"

Jonathan began to chuckle. "More than alright, I guess. And his aim's improving!"

OoOoOo

I'd like to thank you all for reading, and for your comments as well. I am, of course, by no means finished! The adventure continues in Cerberus Archives: Canis Major. I hope you will all stick around!