Chapter 130

The most challenging conquest




Mai struggled to control her hitched breathing and calm the racing heart. She had been just miraculously saved from being raped by Sesshomaru. If she didn't piss him off by slashing his face with the vase shard, her virginity would be probably taken from her tonight. The girl felt a little guilty about hurting him, but he damn deserved it. She didn't really expect him to take this 'conjugal duty' thing that serious though.

She sighed. Mai knew that she was safe for now, but sooner or later the situation would repeat itself. What is she supposed to do then? The girl didn't have a slightest clue. Feeling a little cold, she crawled under the bedcovers. She was seriously worried, that she managed to get Sesshomaru so mad, that he stormed out of the room – probably he was so pissed, that he would have throttled her if they stayed in one chamber any longer. Mai shivered, trying not to think, what would happen when the demon finally returned.




Sesshomaru was stalking down the corridor, feeling the barely controllable urge to slaughter his sweet bride, who just dared to slash him with some sharp item. He thought, that she was long over the phase of attempting to kill him, but obviously he was wrong – the drying blood on his cheek was the proof. The demon clenched his fist, furious that his hopes for the blissful night spent with Mai shattered.

The inu-youkai inwardly cursed as his nose picked up a familiar scent nearing him. The scent belonged to the last person, he wanted to see right now.

"May I inquire, Sesshomaru, why are you not consummating your marriage right now?" the voice of his mother called to him, as the demoness approached his son. The male inu-youkai refused to look her in the eye. Lady Sayuri raised her eyebrow, before accusing him. "You ran away from your bedchamber."

Sesshomaru glared at her, attempting to hide the shame he felt about not being able to execute his husbandry right. His mother looked at her, furrowing her brows, clearly expecting an answer. Finally he spoke.

"She refused." The demon said shortly.

"I can see that." Lady Sayuri replied, coming closer and wiping the blood from Sesshomaru's cheek with the hem of her sleeve. She sent her son a scolding look. "You are clearly overreacting, Sesshomaru. Your father had also a few scratches after our wedding night, but he did not give up that easily."

The inu-youkai gritted his teeth at the comparison with his father – his ego felt hurt. He averted his gaze to avoid mother's piercing eyes.

"I will not take her by force." He declared. Lady Sayuri sighed heavily, rolling her eyes. She tugged the fabric of Sesshomaru's kimono making him look at her.

"You are behaving like a lovesick puppy!" she hissed through the clenched teeth. The demon sent her a cold glare, but didn't respond. The female inu-youkai gave the fabric a forceful tug. "You have every right to bed her – she is your wife! If you are a man, you will go back to the bedchamber and make that human girl your woman! Is that understood?!"

Sesshomaru grabbed her hand and flexed her fingers, freeing himself from the mother's grip.

"You will not order me around!" he retorted, nearly growling.

"Tch!" Lady Sayuri was irritated by her son's illogical behavior. "I will give you an advice, my son. Every woman has some affection towards the father of her child. Therefore I suggest that you get to work."

With those words she stalked away, not gracing Sesshomaru with another look. The demon glared after her, now double-angered after the spat with the mother. The dog demoness deliberately humiliated him, but was right about one thing – he had the right to make Mai his tonight. It was not only his right, but also an obligation. Escaping the crying woman was foolish indeed. Clenching his fist, the inu-youkai made his mind. He would march back to the bedchamber and demand the woman to perform her conjugal duty. With the newfound determination, Sesshomaru stalked down the corridor.

The demon stopped before the bedchamber's door. Without having announced his presence, he slid the door open and went inside, approaching the bed confidently. Sesshomaru looked down at Mai, who laid tangled in the bedcovers, sound asleep. The demon heard her regular deep breaths and the steady heartbeat. When he looked at her peaceful sleeping face, all his anger disappeared and he felt the stab of guilt for even considering taking her against her will.

Slowly, he blew off the candles and lowered himself onto the bed. Sesshomaru slipped under the covers, laying next to the sleeping woman. He brought his face closer to hers, so that he could feel her breath on his cheek. Gently, he brushed the side of her face with his clawed fingers, wondering at the softness of her skin. Then he traced her lips with the thumb. The demon thought, that claiming them proved to be more difficult than he expected. However, Sesshomaru's path was that of a conqueror and he intended to conquer the stubborn human woman as well. It may be the most troublesome of the battles he fought.

The inu-youkai gasped, as Mai cuddled to him, clutching the fabric of his kimono and sighing in her sleep. Slowly, careful not to wake her, the demon put his arm around her small frame and pulled her closer to him.




Mai yawned, still half-asleep and wanted to roll from her back onto the side. However, something prevented her from doing it. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, she began to come back from the world of dreams to reality. She felt something heavy on her stomach and hot air blowing on the top of her head. Slowly, she lifted her eyelids and turned her head towards the source of the hot air.

The girl froze, barely refraining herself from shrieking in panic, as she saw Sesshomaru's sleeping face but an inch from her own. She quickly took in her surroundings and cursed inwardly. The demon was laying on his side, facing Mai, his arm flung over her waist. He was breathing deeply and steadily. The girl frowned her brows, as everything indicated, that the inu-youkai was sleeping like a log. She didn't have a chance to see him asleep yet – with an exception, when he was unconscious due to the excessive blood loss, but that didn't really count. Even when they were sharing the closet-like cabin on the ship, she didn't manage to catch him sleeping even once. Now he was sleeping soundly, embracing her. The girl felt both panicked and embarrassed by her position, but didn't dare to move as she didn't want to wake the beast, that was laying next to her. Mai wondered how harmlessly Sesshomaru looked in his slumber…

Cautiously not to make any sudden moves or noise, the girl delicately gripped his arm and pulled it up a little, slowly, just so that she could slip out of his embrace and leave the bedchamber before he woke. She didn't expect him to return here in the first place and she didn't want to face him after the yesterday fight.

She pulled the heavy arm with the effort. She was happy that she succeeded, when the arm moved and gripped her tighter. Mai muffled her yelp with her palm and nervously glanced at the demon, who seemed to be still asleep. Relieved, she decided to try again. However, this time it was more difficult, as Sesshomaru sank his claws in the thin fabric of her kimono. The girl sighed and tried to free her clothes from his grip. Carefully, she began flexing his fingers, one by one.

"What are you doing?" Suddenly, Mai heard Sesshomaru's voice right by her ear.
She stiffened and jumped from surprise at the same time. Mortified, she turned around to see the demon's golden eyes observing her warily. The girl arched her back as much as possible to move away from him, as he was still holding her waist firmly. She flashed a nervous smile at him.

"You're awake." She stated the obvious. The demon frowned, seeing her attempt to wriggle away and
pulled her closer to himself.

"I am." He agreed with Mai's comment. Then the uncomfortable silence fell. The girl wanted to struggle and yell at him to let her go at first, but on the second thought she decided to stay still. Maybe she could work it out peacefully somehow. Yesterday she overdid it a little. She braced herself and was about to make a first step and apologize to Sesshomaru for attacking him earlier, but just as she was opening her mouth to say something, the demon closed his eyes. She stared confused at the youkai, who was just relaxing, lazing in the bed. What the hell was wrong with him? She expected him to do something nasty to her like showing who was the boss or something like that, not falling asleep again. She laid back, seeing nothing else she could do, as the demon didn't show any intention of letting her go and he wasn't threatening her with instant death either. She glanced at his peaceful face and stared at the ceiling.




Sesshomaru smirked inwardly, pleased that his new strategy turned out to be successful. He was laying with closed eyes, resting. This night he even had even some much needed sleep. He did not need to sleep frequently like humans did, but recently he could not allow himself a moment of rest. Resting near the woman was quite pleasurable. Mai also seemed to calm down and got used to his presence gradually. He felt the female's tense body slowly relaxing and her heartbeat becoming more steady. Apparently it was a good choice to let her accustom to himself before starting an intercourse. He decided to give her some more time. Sesshomaru was not eager to deal with her struggling and shrieking today.

Mai glanced at the demon again after a longer while of staring into the ceiling. His behavior baffled her. It wasn't like him just to go to sleep instead of growl and threaten her. Maybe he wanted to put her off guard and strike then? It seemed more plausible than the possibility, that he changed his mind. The nervousness returned, as the girl stiffened under the demon's arm.

The youkai lifted one eyelid to glance at her.

"Relax, woman." He muttered, not making a move.

Mai eyed him suspiciously, checking how dangerous he looked. Seeing that his behavior was harmless, she reluctantly listened to Sesshomaru.

"I have a name, you know!" she snapped at the demon. He didn't bother to open his eyes, what angered the girl. "You could learn to use it at last! You even call Jaken by his name so why…"
Suddenly, Sesshomaru moved – so fast, that the girl barely saw what was happening. The pressure of his arm on her belly vanished, only to be replaced by the weight of the demon's whole body. In one swift move he positioned himself over the girl, supporting himself on his only arm and knees.

Mai gasped, both surprised and scared. She put her hands between herself and the youkai, trying to keep a distance between their bodies. The demon lowered himself and buried his face in the girl's hair. Her heart was racing so fast, that she heard her own blood pulsing in her, as she felt Sesshomaru's hot breath on her ear. He moved so close, that his lips were delicately touching the earlobe.

"Mai." The demon whispered her name in a way that could be almost called seductive. He pulled back to look at her. She bit her lower lip, nervous and unsure, what he planned. Seeing her fear, the youkai lowered back to her ear.

"I will not take you without your consent." He promised, his voice merely a little louder than whisper.

Mai didn't relax, since he refused to pull back from her, even though she kept trying to push him away. She appreciated his oath, but should she believe in it? He seemed to be a man of honor, though. She could call him various names, but never a liar. Sesshomaru would always tell her the truth – she was sure of that.

"Sesshomaru, do I have your word for that?" she asked. Mai felt his lips wander back to her ear, barely touching it.

"Yes." He murmured, capturing her earlobe with his lips.

"Sesshomaru!" Ma exclaimed at the sensation, protesting, but the demon didn't stop his ministrations.
The girl felt like paralyzed, as Sesshomaru's lips moved from her earlobe to her neck, brushing against her skin. Mai's breathing hitched and she clutched the front of his kimono.

"Sesshomaru, no." she protested faintly, when the youkai kissed her neck, tracing the pulsing artery with his tongue. Her head was spinning. She wanted to stop him from doing such things to her, but at the same time it felt exciting and pleasurable. It wasn't that bad if he was her husband, right? He wouldn't do anything more… he promised not to… She yelped, when Sesshomaru began sucking the delicate flesh. Mai hesitantly let go of his kimono and wrapped her arms around his neck. He groaned, pleased by her positive reaction and delivered more passionate kisses, growing bolder as he moved his mouth over her neck lower. Then the demon pulled back a little and gazed at her parted lips. Slowly he lowered his head. Mai closed her eyes, anticipating their lips to meet in her first real kiss.

"I am coming in!" the female voice called from behind the door and the screen had been slid aside, before Mai and Sesshomaru could react properly. The girl's eyes snapped open and they met equally startled gaze of the demon. Abruptly, both of them turned their heads to see the uninvited guest, still in the most embarrassing position – Sesshomaru laying sprawled atop of Mai, with her hands wrapped around his neck.

In the doorway stood lady Sayuri, her golden eyes widened in surprise at the sight.

"Oh." She muttered. "I interrupted."

The pair looked back at each other, the girl blushed fiercely and immediately released the demon from her hold. They were caught red-handed! Sesshomaru swiftly pulled himself into the sitting position, trying to regain the shreds of dignity by readjusting his disheveled kimono. Mai also sat down, covering herself with the sheets and feeling horribly ashamed to had been seen in such situation. It was embarrassing enough without her mother-in-law storming into the room, but now… it was a pure nightmare.

Lady Sayuri covered her mouth with the hem of her kimono to hide a smile playing on her lips.

"I see, that you two finally got to work. Feel free to continue." She said and turned on her heel. The door slammed shut after her.

"What a mess!" Mai muttered and covered her face with her hands. The unexpected arrival of Sesshomaru's mother made her regain her senses a little. She felt a little disappointed by the lack of kiss, because there was definitely a mood. However, she almost got seduced by that sneaky demon! The girl shook her head, not believing that she was so close to letting him have his way with her just because of few kisses on her neck. All right, that were damn fabulous kisses, but still… it was Sesshomaru!

Speaking of the devil, the dog demon motioned himself to sit closer to Mai. The girl gasped surprised, as he cupped her cheek and leaned down to continue what he was about to do, before his mother interrupted. Being not so eager to succumb to him now, the girl turned her head away from him. Sesshomaru stilled for a brief moment, confused and disappointed by her reaction. He decided to coax her into giving in to him the same way like before. The demon slid his hand down her back and pulled her closer. Mai protested, as his tongue darted to lick her neck.

"Sesshomaru, stop!" she said harshly, doing her best to ignore the pleasant sensation, that was making her body warm up. She tried to push the youkai away, but he didn't pay any attention to it and continued delivering delicate wet kisses to her neck. Mai bit her lower lip to muffle the moan, that was about to escape her throat.

"No means no!" he screamed, pulling his hair. That seemed to finally get him to turn his attention to the girl. Hesitantly, Sesshomaru's lips left her neck as the demon buried his nose in her hair.

"It is not like today I am doing this to you for the first time." He muttered, irritation in his voice. The demon was displeased by her defiance. Especially that this time he was so close to claiming her lips. He could force the kiss on her, but it would take all the pleasure of conquest away. Sesshomaru wanted to continue his ministrations, when he felt Mai's body tensing out of sudden.

"That time by the hot springs…" the girl said quietly. "You said, that you did not remember a thing."

The demon froze, inwardly cursing himself for his foolishness. She was not supposed to know and now he betrayed himself with such an indiscrecy. Thankfully she was still unaware of what happened in the cabin on the ship.

"Sesshomaru, look me in my eyes." Mai demanded, feeling him stiffen in the most suspicious way.

The inu-youkai slowly pulled back and faced her. However, he had some problems with focusing his gaze on her eyes. The girl rolled hers. God, he was such a terrible liar. A five-year old concealed the things better than him. Even Ah-Un was better at lying. "Sesshomaru, my eyes are right here. You lied to me, didn't you."

The demon finally met her gaze, seeming to be reluctant to do so.

"I did lie." He admitted straightforwardly.

Mai stared at him, surprised by his honesty. Any man in his position would probably try to make excuses, while he told her the truth without hesitation, although he looked ashamed. That didn't change, the fact that he had lied earlier.

"Sesshomaru why…" she began, her thoughts racing, as she remembered the night at the hot springs, when the demon was kissing her like just a while before. She thought, that it was because of Kohaku's aphrodisiac, but considering that Sesshomaru was aware what he was doing… what the hell was going on in that twisted brain of his?!

The inu-youkai concentrated all his willpower on not averting his gaze from the troublesome woman – it would be a sign of weakness. He was considering his options to answer her question. His pride would not let him to tell her, that it was the result of the repressed shameful feeling for her. He would not embarrass himself like that. However, Sesshomaru was not eager to lie to her either.

"I could not restrain myself." He said finally, pleased that he found an answer, that would be the least embarrassing and would satisfy her curiosity. "You are an attractive female after all."

Mai narrowed her eyes at his words. Right, she should have expect something like that coming – Sesshomaru turned out to be a man like others, who switched his thinking from the brain in his head to the other one between his legs. So the whole thing was about just doing her. How typical!

"Don't say anything more." She said, folding her arms and sending the demon a challenging look. She turned her back to him, pouting. Sesshomaru clenched his clawed fingers on the bedcovers, irritated by her behavior. He had braced himself and complimented her, while the damnable woman rejected his polite words. Sometimes he did not know what he wanted more – strangle her or make her cry out his name, when he would make her his woman at last.

Before Sesshomaru decided which was what he desired the most, a commotion outside the bedchamber got his attention.




"Rin, you must knock first!" Jaken's voice squeaked. "You shouldn't be here in the first place!"

"But I haven't seen Sesshomaru-sama and Mai for so long!" Rin's voice whined.

Mai and Sesshomaru exchanged looks and simultaneously rushed to sit at the edge of the bed, straightening their disheveled clothes frantically.

"Aren't you supposed to have some sharpened demon senses?" Mai scolded the inu-youkai. He sent her a glare.

"You distracted me." He hissed out. The girl narrowed her eyes, glaring back, but the sound of sliding of the door caught her attention.

"Mai, Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin exclaimed cheerfully, darting into the room, followed by Jaken and Kohaku. "Congratulations!"

The child ran to them and climbed unceremoniously onto the bed, pushing herself between Mai and Sesshomaru. The kid laughed cheerfully and looked at the girl.

"I wanted to visit you earlier, but Jaken wouldn't let me." Rin said. Mai smiled and stroked her head.

"It's okay kid." She answered, thanking inwardly the imp for that. If Rin had barged in earlier… the sight could damage the child's brain. The kid shot a wide smile at her.

"It's so wonderful, that you are now Sesshomaru-sama's wife, isn't it?" Rin said. Mai's smile dropped from her face and she did her best to bend her lips like before, not to disappoint the child.

"Sure." She muttered. "Just wonderful."

Luckily Rin didn't notice the sarcasm in her voice. The same couldn't be said about Sesshomaru, who was glaring at her over the kid. The girl sighed and decided, that it was the high time to get dressed. In the corner of the room was the screen and a closet. Earlier she noticed, that the clothes for her and the demon were left in the room.

"Here, take her." She said to Sesshomaru, lifting Rin, who was squealing from joy, and placed the child on the demon's lap.

As she expected, his eyes widened from surprise. Mai turned around and smirked – now he will be occupied for a while. "I'll get dressed." She announced.

The girl went behind the screen and undressed quickly. She washed herself swiftly, using the water in the porcelain bowl and combed her hair. Then she grabbed the attire, that was probably prepared for her by Sesshomaru's mother. She had some trouble putting everything on, as it was the fancy multi-layered kimono. Twisting her arms, she managed finally to tie her obi and put on a red uchiki, richly embroidered. She came out to examine her reflection in the mirror. With the corner of her eye Mai noticed the dog demon staring at her, Rin still on his lap, blabbering happily about something. The girl whirled around and grinned – she was looking really pretty indeed. The kimono was amazingly beautiful.

"Whoa!" The little girl exclaimed, taken aback. Jaken folded his arms and eyed her, apparently discontented.

"You look amazing, Mai-sama!" Kohaku praised her, his mouth opened wide agape. She smiled at the compliment.

"Thank you, Kohaku. You're such a polite kid. I'm sure, that you'll be a great husband in the future." She said to the kid and turned her gaze to Sesshomaru, the smile vanishing from her lips. "Not like the certain someone I know."

The demon glared at her.

"Hn." He freed himself from Rin and stalked towards the changing screen.

The girl rolled her eyes at the demon's usual attitude.

"Mai, you realize, how lucky you are?" Jaken asked, making a sad face, like he was about to break in tears. "I can't believe, Sesshomaru-sama is married to a human! Such a waste…"

Mai glared at the lamenting imp, pissed by the remark.

"It's not like either of us had a say in that matter!" she exclaimed and then grinned at Jaken smugly.
"Eh, would you like to be in my skin, Jaken?"

"Stupid human!" the imp exclaimed, attempting to whack her with Nintoujou. Mai jumped sideways, but she tangled in her fancy kimono and fell, knocking Kohaku down along the way and sprawling atop of Jaken.

"Ouch!" the three of them moaned.

Sesshomaru finished changing in his usual white haori and hakama. The demon stepped from behind the screen and took in the scene.

"Fools." He commented and rushed towards the door. "Wait for me in the stables."

Having said that, the inu-youkai left. Mai pulled herself somehow to a sitting position.

"We're leaving at last?" she asked. Jaken crawled from under the fabric of her clothes.

"We better get going. Sesshomaru-sama's honorable mother keeps teasing me all the time. I can't bear it anymore." The imp complained. The girl nodded.

"She's a bitch." She agreed with Jaken and stood up.




The three humans and Jaken made their way through the endless hallways to get Ah-Un. What disturbed Mai a bit, was that the demons they met along the way kept bowing to her. The green imp went to the stables, while the girl and kids waited outside. Just when the two-headed dragon trotted to them, cheerfully waving with his tail, Sesshomaru appeared. The demon was now fully clad in his armor and the white fur, Tenseiga at his hip. He examined the group.

"We are leaving." He commanded. Rin and Kohaku obediently got onto the dragon. Mai and Jaken also wanted, but both of them realized, that there was not enough place on Ah-Un's back for the four people.

"Jaken, attach yourself to Sesshomaru somehow and I'll ride on Ah-Un." Mai suggested. The imp frowned at her words.

"Obviously you are better at attaching yourself to Sesshomaru-sama than me." He said smugly.

The girl lifted her clenched fist, threatening with a gesture. The dog demon narrowed his eyes at the antics of his foolish servants, one of whom happened to be his wife now. Then, he was distracted by a familiar scent closing at their position. Having recognized it instantly, he frowned.

"Are you trying to slip out without saying farewell to your mother, Sesshomaru?" lady Sayuri asked, as she landed gracefully between the dog demon's group and their way out. Mai and Jaken stopped arguing. The girl felt uneasy around her mother-in-law from hell. The woman was literally a demon, after all. The small green demon took the opportunity, that the girl had her attention on something else and swiftly climbed onto the dragon's back. Mai glared at him, once he sat happily behind Kohaku's back.

"I have obliged to your demands. I have every right to leave whenever I wish." Sesshomaru retorted. His mother arched her delicate eyebrow.

"Was your marriage properly consummated? If not, I will insist, that you and your bride stay here until it is." Lady Sayuri said with a smug smirk.

Sesshomaru glared at her, but didn't say a word. Mai panicked. No way, she refused to be imprisoned here with the dog demon until… until that happens. She knew, that she had to do something quick. The inu-youkai wouldn't tell a lie to save both of them and even if he did, it would only make the matters worse, considering his hopeless lack of skill in lying.

The girl stalked forward and approached Sesshomaru. She hugged his arm in a way she hoped looked affectionate.

"Our marriage has been consummated." She lied firmly, hoping that the demon wouldn't do anything stupid. Lady Sayuri tilted her head and examined Mai's face, apparently not buying it.

"Was it really?" she asked, folding her arms. "I doubt it."

The girl refrained herself from glaring at her devilish mother-in-law with all her willpower. It seemed, that more convincing was needed. To make the matters worse, Sesshomaru wasn't helping, standing like a statue. Mai sighed and evoked a smile on her face.

"Rin, Kohaku, cover your ears." When she made sure, that the children did so, she looked at lady Sayuri. "I assure you, my honey proved to me tonight, that he is a beast in the bed. I never imagined, that a man could do the things he did. Now, excuse us, but we have to visit my father to present to him his son-in-law."

Mai tried to control her blush, not believing, that she managed to say such things. Luckily, Sesshomaru maintained his poker face. The tirade had an effect on his mother, as her cheeks flushed a little at the girl's words.

"Greet your father from me, then." the demoness mumbled, before glancing at her son. "I am proud of you, Sesshomaru."

"Hn." The inu-youkai produced a cloud beneath his and Mai's feet and took off without a word of goodbye. Ah-Un followed him.

The girl clutched Sesshomaru's waist desperately, scared of the heights and hating the damn cloud. As they were gliding above the clouds, the demon glanced at her mischievously.

"A beast, huh?" he murmured. Mai gulped, hoping not to find out soon, if it was true.




Author Note:

Quagomay, I was going to sleep and planned to update in the morning, but your comment moved me nearly to tears. So I decided to present you and all the readers with this humble chapter. Till morning and goodnight!

Okay, folks... You know what? I just realized, that my blog is horribly... pink. Actually, I don't get to see it very often (when was the last time? A couple of months ago?), but today I bothered to take a look and I froze in terror. Pink and flowers. I don't even LIKE pink... The blog looks so suspiciously girly that I began wondering if I wasn't under the influence of hypnosis or something like that. Anyway, after being mortified by "cuteness" of the site, I have made my decision: I shall change the color. 
Help me, which color would be the best?
Oh, putting my decoration dilemma aside, please comment on the amusing married life of the idiot pair!