Challenge Collection by Sessylove219 by Sessylove219

Reflections on Five Hundred Years

Title: Reflections on Five Hundred Years

Word Count: 1853 according to MS Word

Rating: M, for mature content

Prompt: Priestess Skye's Weekly Challenge ending September 27, 2009 - Secret.

Karma for juicy secret

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He knew there was a reason that he loved her. He had stayed by her for more than five hundred years, and still, she found ways to surprise him.

One of her favorite things to do was celebrate the anniversary of their mating. After about seventy-five anniversaries, she had decided that she would only really make a big to-do about every twenty-fifth anniversary. So, while she would acknowledge the anniversary every year, she only did something really special every twenty-five.

Today was the five hundredth anniversary of their mating. He couldn't wait to find out what she was planning on doing.

On the very first anniversary of their mating, she told him he was going to be a father. While it was not one of those he waited twenty-five years for, it would always hold a place of honor in his book. Later that year, she gave birth to his first-born, a male pup they had named Touga after his father. Since then, she had given birth to a total of sixty pups, although for the last hundred and fifty years there had been none. Some believed that pollution had led to the decline in birth rates among youkai, but no one was sure. Physically, Kagome was in fine health and able to have pups, as was he, but for some reason, there were none.

Of his sixty pups born, forty-seven were still living. They were scattered across the globe, and held a number of varying and interesting jobs. He had artists, singers, actors, soldiers, spies, teachers, doctors, and even the most horrifying of all - a few politicians. He supposed being a Lord was also a political job, but he thought that none would dare utter that fact in his presence.

Let there be no mistake, he did not really need a reason to still be in love with his feisty little mate. She was honorable, intelligent, brave, powerful, caring, loyal, and while it would seem to be the most important to some, it was the least important of this list for him; she was amazingly beautiful.

She could also be insanely stubborn, self-effacing, self-sacrificing, overly emotional, loud, obnoxious, and temperamental. These things could drive him to want to punch his hand through a tree (which he had done to many trees, and other things, since their mating). He loved her for all of those things as well.

She had loved every one of their pups, and had gone crazy with grief over each one they lost. It didn't matter the circumstance...war, duels, and even congenital defects...she still loved each of them, and pined for them still, even though the first one to die, Katsu, had passed on four hundred years ago.

His pups were powerful, but until they grew passed their thirteenth year, then couldn't access most of that power. They were all picked off when still young. All except for Hideo, the only one of his pups born in human form. All were full youkai, but until Hideo was born in humanoid form, being the twenty-second of his pups born, they had not known it was possible. As soon as the birth started, Sesshoumaru knew something was wrong. It took far too long. Kagome was in excruciating pain. When the young pup finally came out, they found that his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. It took five minutes just to get him to breathe. He did not die, but he was never like his brothers and sisters. He couldn't control his youki at all. Having been born from the Shikon Miko, he also had holy powers, but he had no control over them as well. He grew too fast, looking like a twenty year old when he was only eight. Sesshoumaru thought that the accelerated growth was because of his youki and spiritual powers being out of control. He would hurt his mother and his father, not knowing his own strength, and he was a danger to himself as well. His mental state never grew past three, and while he had pity on the boy, Sesshoumaru was worried that someday he would go so far over the edge that there would be nothing that could save him.

Sesshoumaru was a very powerful daiyoukai, and Kagome was as well, having changed after their mating. Purification powers should not have worked on them, but somehow, when Hideo was using them; they did.

The day they had all been dreading came when Hideo was twenty-nine. He threw a tantrum because Sesshoumaru told him that he could not go with his brothers and sisters on a hunting party because it would be too dangerous. Hideo's powers were let loose on Sesshoumaru, who sustained heavy injuries. Kagome came running out at the feeling of purification being released. Hideo was readying another bolt of power when Kagome did the only thing she could do. Time seemed to still, and when she sent forth her most powerful attack, she whispered a goodbye to the son she could never save. He fell under her might. She had done something she swore she would never do in defense of him. She locked herself away for a month, and only came out when she finally realized that while one pup was dead, there were others that still needed her. She blamed Hideo's death on herself, and Sesshoumaru blamed himself. Their bond was still there, but it was strained under the guilt both carried over the incident. It took time and patience, but they healed the wounds that each carried, and were stronger for it.

Hideo was the only one of their pups that they had to put down themselves, but they still lost another twelve over the years. Each blow was devastating to Kagome, but she never lost it as she had with Hideo. For that, he considered himself lucky.

He felt guilt himself over the death of each and every pup; he was supposed to be the most powerful being on the planet, other than his mate, and yet, they still died. He could still hear a listing of their names in his soul, each coming out in the order of their death:  Katsu, Hiroshi, Hana, Hideo (oh Kami, poor Hideo), Kaida, Tomi, Suki, Yoshi, Washi, Toshi, Tamasine, Mitsu, and Sango. Poor Sango...the last of his pups to die. Kagome had named her after her friend, the slayer, and she had died at age three, killed during a siege of the Western Citadel. He would never, could never, forget them. He held each of his pups close to his heart.

Sesshoumaru pondered his life with his mate, on this five hundredth anniversary of their mating, and wondered about how his life could change, all because of one woman. He had thought to obtain supreme conquest through battle, but he was wrong. He found it in love and peace. He found it in his pups and grandpups and great-grandpups.

But most of all, he found it in her eyes. In the curves of her smile, in the security of her arms wrapped around his neck, in the feel of her legs around his waist. In the sound of her laughter, the smell of her tears. He found supreme conquest, and all he had ever hoped for, all in what one woman could give him.

She had been keeping a secret from him. She told him that it was an anniversary gift, and that he should stop trying to sniff around for the answer. He did as she asked. The anniversary nights were always good ones. Seeing as how this was not only twenty-five years, but also five hundred years, it was sure to be wonderful. He couldn't wait.

He looked at his watch, and saw that he had just enough time to make it home, if he ran fast. He reached the sprawling shiro in three minutes. That would give him enough time for a dip in the hot springs. Perhaps he would get lucky this night. If so, he didn't want to be all sweaty. Well, he did want to get all sweaty, he thought with a smirk, he just wanted to wait until she was there too. Preferably naked.

After emerging from the hot springs about five minutes after he entered, breaking the land-speed record for a bath for anyone with knee length hair, he put on a thin yukata and walked up to their chambers.

When he arrived, his jaw hit the floor. There was a new addition. A stripper pole. He tried to make his brain process this new information when Kagome came out of the sitting room wearing what one could call lingerie if they were being very generous. It was a sheer little teddy that was completely see through and under it she had on a tiny little g-string in black leather and a black leather bra. She had her hair hanging wild and free, and four inch platform strappy shoes.

She looked both naughty and extremely sexy. She twisted and twirled on the pole, turning upside down and holding on with her slim thighs, giving him the best strip tease and lap dance he had ever had.

After a sweaty romp in the large bed they shared, he gave her an anniversary gift. It was a necklace that had been his mother's. It had taken this entire time for the necklace to be found by Jakken and some of the other servants. It was hard to tear out walls and floors of the Western Citadel without the Western Lady finding out about it. The necklace had been hidden before Sesshoumaru was born, and just about all of the servants that knew about it and were alive around the time that it was hidden were dead.

The necklace was owned by the very first wife of the first Inuyoukai Lord. It was finely made, but not as flashy and jewel-encrusted as some of the other jewels that Kagome had gotten from Sesshoumaru over the years. She loved it more because of the value it had to him and the Western Lands, because of it's historical significance, and the trouble finding had caused. She cried and clutched him to her breast, and as tears were running down her face, she leaned over and whispered into his pointed ear.

"I have another gift for you this day, Sesshoumaru, my love." She tried to stop her voice from wavering. "They found the cause of infertility among youkai. I am one of the first to undergo the new treatment."

He looked up at her sharply.

"We are going to have a pup, my dearest." She said, smiling through her tears that refused to stop flowing.

He struggled for speech. "Is it...are you...healthy?"

"Everything is perfect, this time. There are no undo fluctuations in scent, youki, or reiki. In six months, you will once again hold a new son in your arms."

He looked confused. "How did you keep this from me? I would have scented it!"

She just smiled at him coyly, "All women have secrets that no man is meant to know."