Throughout the day, they continued on with their journey to find Naraku. And as always, they would rest at night. It was during that time when the baby would be more active and Lyra was getting ready to say goodbye to a full night's sleep once the baby was born.

"This baby is going to keep me up all night," she told Sesshomaru as she rested back against him.

The baby was still moving and fully active. His kicks were incredibly strong as well but that only made Sesshomaru proud of his son. He had his hand placed on her bump, gently rubbing over it to hopefully provide some sort of comfort for her.

"I will take care of him during the night," he said. "It's important for you to get rest once he is with us."

She tilted her head to look up at him and smiled warmly. "Thank you."

He gazed down at her. "It's nothing you should thank me for. He's my son and therefore my responsibility."

They were both pretty excited for the baby to arrive but Lyra could tell that Sesshomaru was incredibly anxious for that time to come. He just simply couldn't wait to finally see and hold his legacy in his arm.

Lyra leaned up and kissed the corner of his mouth. "I love you."

"And I love you, my beloved," he replied softly.

Reaching her hand up, Lyra cupped his cheek and brought him down to kiss his lips. Sesshomaru readily responded by kissing her deeply, tilting his head as their lips locked together. It had been a while since they had shared such a passionate moment together. With Lyra's hormones completely out of whack, the way he kissed her just turned her on. It didn't help that his hand had trailed down to her legs. He began stroking the inside of her thigh knowing that it would drive her crazy.

Lyra moaned softly against his mouth before parting from the kiss. Breathless, she still managed to make her request. "Make love to me, Sesshomaru..."

He gazed deeply into her eyes, clearly witnessing the desperation on her face. "No."

She was taken back in shock by his response. "Why not?" she asked, becoming quite offended.

"Because I said so."

"But I want to have sex with you."

"I said no, Lyra." His tone had become extremely serious. "We will not discuss this any further."

Lyra frowned in disappointment and got up from his lap, storming away before he could stop her. He simply watched as she went and sat on the opposite side of the clearing, which was the furthest she could get away without him fearing for her safety. She plonked herself down, carefully, but kept her back to him.

She began muttering under her breath. "Who does he think he is? Getting me all turned on and then rejecting me. Tch." She glanced over her shoulder but didn't look at him. "I know you can hear me and I don't care. I'm not going to beg for it if that's what you're waiting for."

She huffed and turned away again, her only entertainment being the trunk of the tree she was sitting in front of. She regretted placing herself there but she didn't want Sesshomaru to win in any way possible. She wanted him to think that she preferred to sit in front of a tree instead of in his lap.

Sesshomaru smirked. Her small outbursts were amusing to him. It reminded him of the time when she first joined them and she had a strop because she thought he didn't find her beautiful. He found it both funny and adorable at the same time. He rejected her request on purpose simply for that reaction. It was entertaining and he wished to see how long she would last.

Lyra did not move from that spot and Sesshomaru didn't move from his, which only annoyed her even more. It had been quite some time but she was adamant that she wasn't going to lose. 'Why isn't he coming to me?! God, he's so annoying!' Huffing, she leaned her elbow on her knee and rested her face in her hand. She was beginning to feel tired. She honestly would love to be sitting in Sesshomaru's lap and fall asleep against him but her pride was at stake. Slowly, her eyes began to close as the tiredness took over. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep but still sitting up.

Sesshomaru could hear her breathing change and knew that she had fallen asleep. He had been watching her the whole time and was surprised by her willpower. Finally, he got up and went over to her. He slowly moved her to lay down with her head on his lap before wrapping his mokomoko around her and the bump.

"Foolish woman," he spoke quietly as he watched her sleep.

He gently stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. It was quite endearing to him to see her get so upset when she didn't receive her own way.

"I will fulfil your wish one day, my beloved."

***

The next morning, Lyra woke up to find Sesshomaru watching her. She had slept using his leg as a pillow for the whole night. Smiling softly, she reached up to brush his bangs away. 'Wait... Wasn't I angry at him last night?' She gasped out loud. 'I was angry at him!'

Sesshomaru saw the expression on her face alter and her hand stopped midair. She frowned at him, her brows furrowed together slightly as she tried to sit up.

Tried.

And failed miserably.

Sitting up from lying down on her back was extremely difficult with quite a large bump in the way. She couldn't even roll onto her side. Sesshomaru hid his amusement as he watched her struggle, grunting, huffing and puffing as she fought to sit up. After a short while, she gave up. Glaring at him, she held her hand up.

"If you're not going to have sex with me, you can at least help me up."

Not saying anything in response, Sesshomaru simply took her hand and pulled her to sit up. Once she was finally sitting, Lyra carefully stood and walked over to the extinguished campfire. Jaken and Rin weren't there though. She sighed aloud, placing her hands on her hips. 'Damn it... Where are they?'

"Rin wished to get breakfast."

Lyra jumped, not expecting for Sesshomaru to speak so suddenly. Turning around, she saw that he was standing right behind her. She frowned again and folded her arms.

"Great."

She walked passed him but he quickly took her wrist to stop her.

"Lyra."

She pouted softly. "Yes?"

Sesshomaru moved to stand in front of her. Holding onto her chin, he gazed deep into her eyes and she had no choice but to become lost within those molten gold pools. He leaned forward, his nose brushing against hers. She could feel his breath against her lips, her head tilted back as he towered over her. The heat rose in her cheeks and she wanted nothing more than to kiss him. Completely forgetting that she was upset with him, all she wanted was for his lips against hers. Slowly, her eyes closed as Sesshomaru brushed his thumb over her bottom lip.

"It's gone now," he spoke.

Lyra's brows furrowed together in confusion at his words making her open her eyes to look at him. Sesshomaru moved his hand down as she continued to stare at him dumbfounded.

She blinked. "What?"

"You had dirt on your lip. I simply...removed it."

Again, she stared at him blankly. With a smirk, Sesshomaru turned and walked away. Lyra mentally slapped herself and shook her head. Whilst watching him walk away, she clenched her fists at her sides and growled quietly.

"Sesshyyyy!" she whined. "You are seriously so evil!"

Sesshomaru sat back down and leant back against the trunk of a tree. Closing his eyes, he kept the smirk on his lips only causing Lyra to grow more annoyed.

"We've got food!" Rin's voice cheered as she and Jaken returned with fish and mushrooms.

The smirk disappeared from Sesshomaru's face to hide his amusement leaving Lyra looking as though she was angry at him for no reason. Both Rin and Jaken could feel the tension though as they glanced between the two. Deciding not to get involved, they quickly and quietly started a new fire to cook the food. Lyra huffed again as she turned on her heel and sat beside the fire, watching the food being cooked with a soft frown still on her face.

As the day went on, Lyra refused to speak to Sesshomaru. Even as they travelled, if he ever spoke directly to her, she gladly ignored him. 'He made me look and feel like such an idiot. Twice! I've never felt so embarrassed!' She glared at the back of his head. 'Jerk! He thinks he's so smart. But guess what, pup? You're not. I'm not going to fall for it again.' She sighed quietly before taking a deep breath to calm her annoyance. Clearly Sesshomaru was getting a kick out of her reactions to his teasing. 'I guess even Sesshy likes to have fun once in a while.'

Days went by and the teasing continued. Even though she vowed not to fall for it, she still did. Every. Single. Time. And each time, Sesshomaru was getting what he wanted. It was obvious that Lyra was becoming more flustered. From every graze of his hand across her thigh to every breath against her skin, each one would build her need for him even more. He could see it in her eyes. The desperation was building inside her and it became torturous. She felt incredibly embarrassed to feel so needy but she was able to hide it well. It was only during the night that Sesshomaru would tease her but during the day, they both acted was though nothing happened. Except Lyra, who still refused to speak to him.

They were currently travelling through a rocky valley. Sesshomaru led the group from the front. Lyra was sitting on top of Taiyo as her feet began to feel sore. Plus, if she needed to escape, Taiyo could fly her away. Things were getting darker in the world with Naraku's powers growing stronger. Lyra wished she could do something but the pregnancy was frazzling her mind.

Jaken was holding up the crystal Kagura had given them and he noticed a change. "Lord Sesshomaru, the demonic aura of the crystal is weakening. That can only mean Naraku's heart is nearby."

"Oh, look!" Rin exclaimed, pointing forward. "There's a cave up ahead."

They had stopped walking and all looked towards the cave. If the demonic aura was weakening, there was a chance that it could be Naraku's heart within it.

"Stay back," Sesshomaru ordered.

Understanding him, Taiyo took a few steps back to keep Lyra away from any possible danger. Sesshomaru unsheathed Tokijin and shot a large ball of energy at it. The rocks blasted away and disintegrated from the force. Once the dust had cleared, there stood some sort of demonic creature. It had a humanoid head but its body was large and green with big claws and spikes.

"Hm. You're Inuyasha's brother, aren't you?" the creature spoke.

"I have never considered that lowly half demon to my brother." Sesshomaru raised his sword. "But the fact that you know even that much tells me you're Naraku's heart. Are you not?"

"Sesshomaru, you will regret that," the creature responded. "Wielding your sword before greeting me."

"That I doubt. But you will regret uttering Inuyasha's name in my presence. That much I promise you."

Lyra couldn't understand why Sesshomaru still disliked Inuyasha so much but that was something she had given up on dealing with. But that wasn't the pressing thought currently in her mind. The creature kept on glancing at her very discreetly. Perhaps even Taiyo noticed it since she was slowly backing away. Sesshomaru definitely noticed it, however, he couldn't order Taiyo to escape with Lyra in case the creature made a sudden move to attack. If anything did happen, he would be fast enough to defend her before sending them away. The creature had an extra side task given by Naraku; to capture Lyra. Unfortunately, the creature the kept his eyes on Lyra for one second too long. Sesshomaru leapt up and attacked the creature, hitting its shell but failed in leaving even a scratch. Its armour was solid. Everyone was shocked by the strength of its shell. Not even a powerful sword like Tokijin could damage it.

Not even needing to be ordered to, Taiyo spread her wings and instantly flew up into the air. Lyra watched Sesshomaru persist, sending a huge electric ball of energy its way and destroying everything in its path. Everything except for the creature. In fact, the ball simply shrunk into nothingness in front of it.

"Keep swinging that sword of yours. In time I will absorb all of your demonic energy."

Sesshomaru threw another strong attack but again the same thing happened.

"I suppose I can't let you have all the fun."

Red lightning surrounded its form before small pink orbs began to shoot at Sesshomaru. As he dodged each one, Taiyo flew further away from the scene to get Lyra to safety. Clinging onto the reins, she watched the scene grow smaller as the distance grew.

"Sesshomaru..."

She closed her eyes tight knowing that there was nothing she could do. He would have reprimanded her for even being close to the fight. And the priority for both of them was their son. As Lyra silently prayed for his safety, she was suddenly overtaken by an uncomfortable sensation. An image flashed in her mind. A snapshot of a vision she had a while ago.

"No..." Her panic rose as she patted the side of Taiyo's neck. "Go to Kagura. Quickly."

As Taiyo flew as fast as she could, Lyra thought back to the vision she had that day they found Kagura in the lake. She saw Sesshomaru was there so she hoped that he would be able to save her. Before she knew it, Taiyo began to descend to the edge of a field of white flowers. Climbing down, she looked around. She didn't have to search long before seeing Kagura falling to her knees.

She was extremely weak and she had lost a lot of blood. It seemed as though her injury was covered in miasma. 'You gave her the freedom she wanted. But this was the price she had to pay for it? I cannot wait for your end, Naraku.' As Kagura's blood became absorbed by the flowers surrounding her, a light wind lifted the red petals into the air and carried then along with the breeze. Lyra frowned sadly. There was nothing she could do. 'Please, Sesshomaru. Come quickly.'

Just then, Sesshomaru landed in front of Kagura. Lyra smiled with hope. She watched as Kagura looked up at him and he looked at her.

"You came..." Kagura spoke in shock.

"I followed the scent of blood and miasma," he told her.

Kagura seemed disappointed but she still smiled as her gaze lowered. "Huh, I see. You thought I was Naraku. Disappointed? But it's not him."

"No. I knew it was you."

Lyra smiled, albeit sadly. It was horrible to see her that way, especially after knowing of her feelings for Sesshomaru. She wasn't jealous or envious. She was glad that Sesshomaru was there with her. Kagura deserved at least that much. The flowers that had absorbed her blood had all returned to white. Sesshomaru placed his hand on the hilt of Tenseiga. 'This is it,' Lyra thought. 'Sesshomaru will save her.' However, he did nothing more. More miasma spewed from Kagura's body. 'Why isn't he doing anything? Can't he... Can't he save her..?' As the wind blew, white petals began to rise around them.

"Are you leaving?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Yes... I've had enough."

Kagura lifted her head to see Sesshomaru one last time before her body disappeared from the strong miasma. Her feather flew with the petals, gliding along with the wind. She was finally free.

Lyra sniffed quietly as she wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. She didn't realise when Sesshomaru had made his way towards her but he gently cupped her cheek.

"I'm taking you home," he told her.

She nodded quietly. Once she was perched on top of Taiyo again, they flew away.

***

Back in their palace, Lyra sat on the bed by herself as Sesshomaru stood at the open garden doors. After Kagura's emotional demise, he had been become quite distant. She had just about learned of Tokijin being destroyed. He brought her back to the palace since she was almost nearing the end of her pregnancy. Despite wanting to remain together, he couldn't risk hers or the baby's safety. However, at that moment, his mind was becoming plagued with terrible thoughts. All what ifs. What if Naraku wins? What if he succeeds in taking their son and uses him for his own twisted goals? What if Lyra dies again..? He wouldn't be able to save her. Just like he couldn't save Kagura.

"Sesshomaru?" Lyra called softly.

He glanced over his shoulder at her before turning completely. Met with those sapphire blue eyes of hers, those brilliant eyes he fell in love with with, he could see the same emotions running through them from when he first saw her. Familiarity but with a hint of fear. Walking to the bed, he sat down beside her and held the back of her head to look deeper into her eyes.

"What worries you, my beloved?" he asked, his tone smooth and warm.

She shook her head and placed her hand on the side of his neck. "I worry for you. You've been silent since we've arrived and frankly, that's concerning even for you," she laughed lightly but it trailed off. Her hand slowly dropped as her gaze lowered. "I wish you would open up to me."

Gripping her hair gently, he tilted her head back to make her look at him again. "The reason I choose not to speak to you about my concerns is because I do not wish to stress you at such a time."

"I understand that but-"

"Silence."

Before she could argue back, he forced his lips onto hers. She readily accepted it, trying to match the ferocity of his kiss. Just a few seconds later he parted and left her panting for breath. Lyra looked up to see him gazing deeply at her face, her chest still heaving. With a faint smile, he went to move away. But she wasn't going to let him go. Not again. Quickly clutching the material on his chest, she pulled him back to her. Sesshomaru silently watched her desperation rise.

"Please, Sesshomaru..." she whispered. "You've tortured me enough." Climbing onto his lap, she straddled his hips and held his face in her hands. "I want you so much." She messily placed kisses over his mouth and down to his chin, her hands going back down to clutch onto his kimono. Her lips trailed across his jaw and to his ear, whispering lustfully, "I need you, my Lord."

At her words, Sesshomaru almost lost control. As Lyra trailed kisses across his neck, she felt his throat stiffen with a soft vibration against her lips. His low and deep growl resonated across the room causing her heart to pang almost in fear. He clutched a large tuft of her hair and pulled her head back making her gasp in surprise. He had her head craned back as he looked down upon her, his eyes having turned red. Lyra closed her eyes and awaited his response.

If she wasn't pregnant, he would have lost all control. His eyes returned to their normal humanoid colour as his grip on her hair loosened slightly. Slowly, he led her to lie back against the bed. He remained kneeling up between her legs, his eyes never leaving her face, her expression taken over completely with lust. He watched her writhe as his hand travelled up her inner thigh.

"It's time to fulfill your wish, my beloved."