Kagome’s troubled glance flicked from Inuyasha to Sango. “I’m sorry, Sango-chan. Thanks for the offer, but we’ll have to decline.” Lowering Shin, Inuyasha glowered over his black pointed eartips at her. “What?” “Shin and I just got back,” Kagome said, turning toward him and fixing him with a look that was much steadier than she

Inuyasha wasn’t at home when Kagome arrived. Considering how late it was, she figured he was probably off on a days’ long mission trip with Kohaku. Kagome despaired at the idea. She’d psyched herself up so much for this confrontation that to delay it now set her nerves on edge. Her only remaining hope was

At the wooded outskirts of Edo, Sesshoumaru touched down. As the buoyant cloud of youki vanished softly from beneath her feet, Kagome turned toward him with Shin in her arms. She pressed a hand to Sesshoumaru’s armored chest.  Gazing up at him, she said, “Wait here for me, okay?” Sesshoumaru’s golden eyes strayed beyond her,

The next few days passed like a dream. Kagome spent her daylight hours wandering the magical winter landscape with Shin and Sesshoumaru. She spent her twilight hours locked in Sesshoumaru’s heated embrace, tangled up with him in flesh and in spirit, in the bed of lush furs which was theirs alone. A private world unto

Kagome sat up, staring down at her son. Lying curled between her and Sesshoumaru, Shin smiled toothily back. As in his humanoid youkai form, he had fangs and claws and an ethereal aura. But that was about where the similarities ended.  There was no ruff of silvery-white fur—no silveriness to him at all. No stripes

As she passed back beneath the waterfall with Sesshoumaru, Kagome felt giddy, light as air. She giggled as he scooped her up and leapt with a single bound from the pool to the alcove high above. Not even Inuyasha could jump that far in one go. As Sesshoumaru set her on her feet on the

Kagome’s chest clenched at Sesshoumaru’s choice of words. She didn’t know properly how to take that, or even if she should. Hand-in-hand, she followed him beneath the falls all the same. The iridescent spray pounded down on her head and shoulders, pleasurably warm and crisply fragrant. She heard a silvery sound as she passed, like

Whatever reservations Shin still had about the water, he got over them quickly enough—especially when Sesshoumaru slid into the pool and splashed him. Clutching her son to her, Kagome yelled, splashing him back. Shin thrashed, growling in her hold. When Kagome let him go, he transformed at once into his humanoid youkai form and shot

Kagome couldn’t deny she was itching to check out that heated pool at the center of the castle—’slumbering’ youkai presiding or not. Despite the cold weather, she’d gotten sweaty from the various trials of the day, and she wanted to wash up before dinner. No longer comatose from gorging himself on blood-plums, Shin was raring

When Shin continued to look grumpy, Kagome figured he was just hungry. Bouncing him on her hip, she went over to her yellow backpack. Kneeling down, she rifled through it. She offered Shin some jarred applesauce on a spoon, at which he turned up his snub nose. She offered him some mashed carrots, some mashed