Cuddles in the Cave by Walter205

Thawing that old heart out

Kagome grunted as she grasped the top of the well with her right hand, wondering why Inuyasha hadn't responded to her calls for help, normally if he didn't come get her then he would be waiting impatiently for her to return either near the well or in the village which, in the case of the latter, he would normally sense or scent her presence (she never quite figured out which of the two it was) and come hopping over to scoop her up.

If she hadn't spent the past three years lugging both a heavy backpack all around Feudal Japan or employing archery as her primary means of attack then there was no way she would've been able to climb out on her own with the heavy load she was carrying and in hindsight if that was the case she probably should've left some of what she was carrying at the bottom of the well before going to get help and coming back but as it was she had both her backpack and an additional large sack hanging from either of her shoulders as she managed to get her second arm up and pull herself over the lip of the well.

In typical clumsy fashion she immediately fell over onto the ground as the weight on her back suddenly shifted, leaving her lying there for a moment exhaling heavily with beads of sweat now running down her forehead, although those quickly dispersed in the cool later winter air. Previously for the season she had traded in her skirt for slacks, jeans in particular since they were well suited to the tough and dangerous situations she usually found herself in, although they drew the wrong kind of attention from Miroku when Sango wasn't around to set him straight but today for this special day she was dressed in a fancy kimono that she had found from a particular shop.

Getting herself set straight and properly upright with her luggage in tow she headed off for the village and soon encountered Lady Kaede wandering around with Shippou and Rin in tow as she tended to her duties as head priestess and village elder. Rin seemed to be doing well on her herbal studies while Shippou just kept an eye on the aging miko and made sure she didn't suffer another falling incident like what happened two months ago.

"Hey I'm back!" called Kagome as she came into the outskirts of the village. All three of them immediately perked up with smiles as they waved their greetings.

"Welcome back yee child, if yee wonder where tho companions are, they went to a nearby village to see to a rampaging oni demon threat," said Kaede as Kagome huffed up to them.

"Wow! It looks like you're hauling quite a bit there," commented Rin as she eyed the other sack Kagome as carrying. The miko smiled in response without saying anything, knowing that Rin had grown wise to the goodies Kagome brought from her era ever since she had come to live with the others at the village.

In the wake of Naraku's final defeat everyone thought they would get some peace and quiet but in the face of his demise all of the secondary rate demons thought that the lands would be up for grabs now that the big baddie was down and out, which saw them traveling again to defeat one new threat after another, save that most of the threats proved far less difficult to deal with versus Naraku.

Hopefully soon enough everyone would finally be able to have their 'Happy Ever After' endings that had been planned and Kagome, in observance of a special day tomorrow, had brought some things along to help get some romantic sparks flying, not least of all hoping to kindle that sputtering spark that had been going on between her and Inuyasha ever since she had first fallen through the well.

"Come along Kaede, I know you feel like you need to help see to everything going on in the village but you need your rest as well. Let's get you back to your hut then I'll be taking over for the rest of the day okay?" although Kagome phrased it in the form of a question Kaede knew by now that disagreement was out of the question as she sighed and let the well meaning Kagome herd her back to her hut and she was fairly tired to be honest.

***

It was later the next evening and after the group had reassembled that morning they had gone out on a patrol of the area before stopping in a forested area for the night.

"Hey Shippou! What's up?" asked Kagome as she sat up against the base of the big tree while fiddling with the campfire. The fox kit had walked up beside her with an odd look about his face, as if he was having an internal struggle as he stared intently at his traveling companion slash adopted mother figure.

"Kagome..., I need to tell you something," Shippou said with a sigh as he seemed to come to a decision but now looked rather morose.

"What is it? Did Soten turn down your offer?" Kagome asked as she turned her full attention to him. The youngest sibling of the thunder demon tribe had been asked by Shippou to be his valentine after Kagome had brought the idea up to the gang for a little bit of fun recreation to take the edge off of their endless hunting sojourns.

"No, it's not that. It's just that...well...Inuyasha had asked me not to tell you this, because he says he knows how it would make you sad and angry, but...he's not coming to dinner tonight. He said he wanted to see how the valentine thing worked with Kikyo, so he went off to find her and said he'd be back in the morning. Sorry," said Shippou.

Just like that, a solid month's worth of plotting and planning, scheming to get a romantic evening alone together with Inuyasha, down the drain in a moment. Mustering the biggest fake smile that she could manage, she waved it away as she turned back to the campfire.

"Oh that's fine, I guess I should've expected it. Okay, well thanks for passing that along. Go ahead and go meet Soten, she's probably waiting on you by now," said Kagome as she struggled mightily to keep a straight face.

"Kagome...," Shippou whispered as his face turned pitying.

"Get....Going...," Kagome muttered angrily at him in return as she turned to glare at him. She hated being nasty with him but knew he wouldn't leave her alone if he witnessed her breaking down and oh lordy was a breakdown ever coming, it was all she could do just to maintain her composure.

"Right, take care," said Shippou as he turned and left. As intuitive as he was, he knew by now that when she was feeling abysmal that she preferred it if everyone left her alone so that's what he did as he departed the campsite to head to Soten's place, another box of crayons and paper in hand as a gift. Miroku and Sango had already headed out on Kirara to the remains of the demonslayer village earlier in the day.

As soon as she was sure he was out of earshot in addition to being out of eyesight she allowed her composure to slip and almost immediately the water works started as she threw the kindling she had been holding aside as she brought her knees up to her chest and started crying into her knees.

"Stupid Inuyasha, stupid stupid stupid," she muttered through broken sobs. She had spent so much time researching on what was safe for dogs to eat and had even taken care to select special herbs and spices that could be used for flavor that wouldn't burn his extra sensitive tongue.

Still, she should've come to expect this kind of behavior from him, but this time it was different. Yes, a few years ago when she had seen him with Kikyo she had essentially agreed to play second fiddle in order to remain by his side, but during that time period Inuyasha only sought after Kikyo if he knew she was in danger, otherwise he only went to see her if the soul collectors came calling.

But now he was seeking her out of his own initiative, with romantic thoughts in mind, that had been proposed by her. That he then sought to do so in a deceptive manner only made it hurt all the worse since she had been left hanging, alone and, if not for Shippou's loyalty, expecting Inuyasha to show up at any moment through the evening as she cooked the meal and then would've waited for him.

Kagome glanced up briefly when the skies opened up overhead. 'Well, at least the supper wouldn't have last all that long anyways' she thought to herself as she tried to mollify her misery, to absolutely no avail. She took no note of how cold or drenched she was getting as she continued to wallow in her own romantic despair.

***

Sesshomaru entered the camp area as the rains lessened to a drizzle, Tensiega guiding him as if he was in a trance, before the sword finally silenced itself. Assessing his surroundings, he looked down to see the miko huddled up against a tree with an extinguished campfire just beyond her feet, food and various supplies scattered around the general area, including some dishes and cutlery more befitting a nobles estate versus their ragtag group which led the demon lord to wonder if perhaps their monk had been engaging in scandalous demon extermination activities again.

Ignoring her for the moment he sought out their primary encampment, thinking perhaps the sword was bringing him to confront Inuyasha for some purpose. However upon finding their main campsite he discovered that no one else was present. Although the rainfall had erased much of their scents he could still discern enough to determine that they had gone off in three separate directions, with his half brother heading in one direction, the monk, tajiya, and neko cat in another, while the fox kit headed off in a third.

He came back to the miko then and looked down upon her before kneeling at her side. She seemed to be asleep in the cool night air, knees tucked up to her chest as she sat the base of the tree. However upon closer inspection he could discern that she was extremely pale and a hand placed upon her brow revealed that she was frigid. She didn't respond to his touch and another finger to her neck revealed a great diminished pulse. She was soaked to her bones and would soon expire if nothing was done to help her.

Inwardly he wondered if she was the reason Tensiega had summoned him out here and pondered at how the sword would've known that she was in distress but regardless there was an ally in perilous straits and it would amiss of him if he didn't at least do something to help. Leaving the equipment as it lay, he gathered her alone up into his arms and departed upon the air, staying at low altitude as he wrapped his moko around her form to keep her from getting any colder versus what she already was.

On the way back to his companions he made a snap decision to divert their course, turning away from the main cave in which his pack was currently located at to a smaller cave nearby that he had initially investigated as a potential camping spot for the night before moving on to the larger cave farther along.

Upon arriving and temporarily depositing the miko inside he walked back out to the entrance and rubbed his cheek against the stone outcropping, depositing just enough of his demonic aura to ward off potential intruders of both the demonic and human nature, the latter gaining a sense of unease should they approach too close.

Next he walked fully outside to the nearest tree and sliced off the lowest branch with his poison whip. With the rains all of the available deadwood was as soaked with moisture as living wood therefore he would utilize the latter for firewood as it resisted the effects of his poison the best as he used just enough of it to wither away the moisture of the wood without dissolving it completely, making it prime material for fuel.

As the fire started he next proceeded to remove her wet clothes and and set them to dry on the rocks nearest the fire. As his own clothes were soaked as well he removed everything above the waist and set those to try as well before settling down next to Kagome, providing the warming woman with the extra benefit of his bodily heat as he tucked her against his chest on her left side as his moko embraced her from the right side.

With all of that done he just monitored her temperature as he waited for her to awaken to the world of the living once more.

***

Kagome's eyes slowly opened as she came to. The sensation of something soft, warm, and furry was the first thing to come to mind, followed by the feel of something a little harder and more...chiseled. The feel of a pulse registered before realizing that it wasn't her own that she was feeling but an external source. That shot her eyes open as she looked around in a panic before freezing dead at the sight of a shirtless Sesshomaru staring back at her in amusement.

It was then that she realized she was naked and attempt feebly to cover up what he had very obviously already seen as she tried to look anywhere but at him, taking in her surroundings while doing so. The flickering fire illuminated very well that they were in a cave and she spotted her clothes hanging from the ceiling near the fire, droplets of water still occasionally dropping from them and it was then that her short term memories returned, stifling the questions she was about to ask about where, what, why, and when as her bout with depression threatened to hit her again full bore.

But present circumstances won out over her sadness so she start rattling off the W's as her gaze fixated upon his as she prepared to gauge the honesty of his responses.

"I came upon you in the encampment, you were alone, suffering from hypothermia, and obviously needed help. I provided such as an ally and an acquitance," Sesshomaru answered very simply in a neutral voice.

"Why were you coming to the encampment in the first place?" was Kagome's next question.

"This Sesshomaru can't entirely say. Tensiega seemed to be telling me to head in that direction, this one suspected that perhaps I was meant to give something else to Inuyasha," Sesshomaru replied, obviously still bitter about handing over Meidou Zangetsuha even after all this time.

"Huh," was all Kagome could say to that, leaving Sesshomaru an open invitation to ask his own questions.

"Why did this one find you in such a state? Where were the others?"

Kagome took a moment to compose herself before she started answering.

"Well, from where I come from, on this day of the year couples get together to celebrate their union, whether they're officially together or not. I tried to introduce this tradition to the others in the group for a bit of fun, as well as trying to woo Inuyasha a little bit," Kagome started.

"Hnn," Sesshomaru huffed as what happened next was very predictable.

"Well Sango and Miroku headed off together, while Shippo went off to find a cute village girl he had befriended some time ago. I got ready to make dinner for me and Inuyasha but when Shippo was heading off he told me that Inuyasha had snuck off to find Kikyo instead, leaving me as you found me, moping over the spoiled opportunity," Kagome finished explaining, confirming his suspicions.

"Why...do You tolerate his unfaithfulness?" Sesshomaru asked, not out of caring but rather curiosity.

"Well, I essentially agreed some time ago to always be by his side, even if he took priority of Kikyo over me. In the past, he would only go to her when she was near or in trouble, this was actually the first time that he sought her out on his own initiative. Secretly, I had always hoped that she would return to her rest and then we could be together afterwards. Now though, I'm not entirely sure that we would be together even if Kikyo went away again or if he would just see her in me like when we first met. I didn't intend for him to walk all over me when I agreed to stay with him but I see now that that's the only thing that ended up happening," Kagome stated as she lowered her head. She was close to crying again and didn't like anyone seeing her face when she was emotional.

"So what will you do now?" he just couldn't stop. Normally cats were the curious ones but in this instance he was finding himself drawn further and further in.

"I...I don't know, to be honest. I think I see why some people hate this day though. If you're in a healthy and happy relationship great, but if not then it could be rather depressing. Too bad, since today is supposed to be all about love," Kagome remarked in a bitter tone.

"Love you say? A mere few years ago this Sesshomaru would've scoffed at such a notion but this one's time together with Kagura, Rin, and even with you to a certain point, has certainly done much to teach me the meaning of that word," Sesshomaru replied in a warm tone.

Kagome looked up then, to see that he was staring at her with a warm and intense but otherwise unreadable expression. The tears that had been threatening to form at the edge of her eyes went away as she began to become lost in his gaze but current predicaments again made themselves known as she once again realized her state of undress and proximity to him.

"Hey...," she started to ask him to look away while she stood up and got dressed but stopped with the words drying up in her throat as he leaned in close and captured her lips in a searing kiss that did much to erase any lingering coldness that she was feeling as she seemed to catch on fire.

"Granted you are not a demoness, but ever since this one's heart has been softened towards humans, he has been curious as to how it would feel to love one...more Intimately. This Sesshomaru sees Rin as an adopted daughter and would never touch her as such. You, on the other hand," Sesshomaru explained after breaking the kiss and allowing her to breathe, "are a different matter and I believe my dim witted half brother has been sorely neglecting the kind of attention I intend to treat you to."

He shifted then, his left hand laying her out on her back as his right one traveled down the length of her form and found her hidden treasure cove. She gasped and grabbed his intruding hand before he stopped her.

"Look at me, look at my face. Do not remove your eyes from my eyes," Sesshomaru commanded seductively as he made eye contact with her and maintained it even as his fingers starting working their magic between her fabulous flaps. Her cheeks became impossibly red and all kinds of interesting noises started coming from between her other set of lips yet she managed to keep eye contact and he could see the emergence of lust from within the locker of her mind that Inuyasha had sealed away with his perfidy.

Eye contact was finally broken as hers closed upon the arrival of the first orgasm that she had ever experienced with another person, her lower back arching into the air as her legs shook before she came down from her high. Sesshomaru licked his fingers clean and admired her taste. He witnessed her licking her own lips as she stared at him with obvious hunger. One of her hands grabbed at his pants and start to try and yank them down.

"Don't feel like you have to reciprocate, if you don't want to," he started, before she was the one to cut him off.

"I want to," her breathe came out, both aggressive and needy in tone, "and I want to show you what's different about here versus where I'm from."

After she succeeded in wringing down his pants she wasted no attention in grabbing a_hold of his thick length and to his immense surprise bringing his uncircumcised head into her mouth, her tongue eliciting hisses of pleasure from him almost immediately as she began doing things to him that he thought not possible for any mortal to have such an effect on him.

"Vixen...," came the whispered hiss as her tongue started tracing the underside of his shaft while her small yet strong hands clasped and started pumping his shaft, one hand even playing with his family jewels as he rolled onto his back and spread his legs slightly to allow her an easier access to her work.

The roar building in the back of his throat was just barely contained by him as it was his turn to arch his back slightly as his own end arrived upon him, Kagome although being very daring thus far not quite being brave enough to take his seed down her throat. She sat back and watched in wonder as his initial release nearly touched the ceiling of the cave before splattering back down upon his legs and she resumed pumping him until he was dry, before licking up all of the cum that was on his luscious form.

Growling, he pushed her back down onto her back again and spread her legs.

"Hey now, we're even, you don't have to...," Kagome started to offer herself, she didn't want to but wanted to abide by the same courtesy that he showed her earlier.

"Miko, you have shown me pleasures I knew not possible, methods I thought not possible, I am in your debt for such and this Sesshomaru now fully intends to repay that debt, here and now," he said before promptly burying his head between her legs and acquiring more of her tasty honey as all of the same wonderful noises from before started coming out of her throat again with a few new ones added in. They culminated in a shriek of pure ecstasy being torn from her lips as she lost all control under his wrathful lovemaking as he tapped her hidden desires and drank freely from the fountain of forbidding for several precious moments before it subsided and she collapsed heaving for breath underneath him.

The temptation to bury himself inside of her was quite tempting at that very moment but no, not until he saw what become of tonight, certainly not before Naraku was brought to heel, nor before she formally broke things off with Inuyasha. Instead he embraced her as he could feel her getting sleepy again. He knew his pack would start asking questions in his absence but he cared not, knowing that Jaken, Kohaku, and Ah-Un would look after Rin well enough. Instead slowly nodded off himself, marking this calendar date down in this memory for future use.