Title: Bitten

Summary: After an incident that should have killed Kagome, she found herself under Sesshoumaru's care and protection.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and Co.

Author's Notes: I am very happy to receive all your reviews. Let me clarify that Tachi's bite is not a mating mark. It was intended to kill. Usually, injured animals are more aggressive. It was too late when he realized that Kagome did not mean any harm. As for the question of the lapgarou (sp?), I actually got the term Garou from juusan'ya who said that this term is defined as shape-shifters from the Japanese myths. But in this story, Garou just shifts to white dogs during the full moon.

There! Hope you continue to enjoy my story and that you continue to inspire me more with your reviews! Thank you!

Chapter 2: Full Moon

Kagome woke up to the sound of howls and growls. Her eyes opened slowly to see a pack of wolves surrounding her. She shrank back as she saw their red angry eyes as the wolves looked at her angrily. Her heart leapt in relief as she saw Kouga standing smugly in the middle of the wolves. Surely, the wolves meant no harm. However, she realized too soon that the wolves meant business when they slowly advanced towards her, menace radiating from them.

"Look what we have here," Kouga said with a smirk. "It appears that a Garou had strayed from the pack. That's pretty brave of you."

She looked up at Kouga and realized that he had not recognized her. She hadn't changed that much…has she? There was a small whimper and that was when she realized that it was coming from her. Kagome looked at her hands but saw instead that she was in all fours, her body covered in white fur. She had turned into a white dog. Fear crept in her heart as the wolves continued to advance.

Slowly, she stepped back. There were too many to fight. She was definitely at a disadvantage. A growl from behind her indicated that she was clearly surrounded. There was nothing for it. With a shout that came out as a howl, Kagome charged at the wolf beside Kouga to break the circle that was tightening around her. If she will be killed then she won't go down without a fight.

The moment she leapt at the wolf, the other wolves leapt at her. She felt the bites on her legs, neck and torso as the wolves attacked her. Kagome gathered her strength and shook off the wolves hanging onto her. She could smell her blood and feel the hot liquid spreading on her fur. Her heart pounded as the wolves advanced towards her again. She couldn't die like this. Adrenaline coursed through her body and she found the strength to take off farther into the woods.

Before the wolves could make another move, Kagome turned around and urged her feet to run as fast as she could. She didn't even look around to see the wolves that were sure to be running after her. If Kouga is chasing her then she was at a distinct disadvantage. She had to lose them. She ran towards the river.

Kagome stopped when she saw the fast rushing of water. She stopped at the edge, watching the water, knowing that she had to choose between being killed by the wolves and drowning in the river water. The wolves were close. Without another thought, she jumped in the water.

-+-+-

Sesshoumaru was not really sure what happened to Tachi but he knew that he would not intentionally disobey him without a serious reason. Of course, the other Garou would follow their Alpha. They had noticed his preoccupation and would do anything to support him even if it meant punishment for the whole pack.

Finally, he decided to follow the pack. There was something amiss. It was actually the first time that Tachi had not followed his order. He had to know what the cause of this unusual display of insubordination.

He gathered his youki cloud under him and kept above the Garou. It would simply not do for them to encounter Naraku again.

They were traveling fast towards Inuyasha's village. Garou never traveled in this speed. Obviously, Tachi deemed this an urgent matter and he is a leader that thinks of his pack's well-being. That is the main reason why Tachi had remained the Alpha for centuries. He was well-respected.

He took a sniff, testing if Inuyasha was somewhere near. No, his half-brother and his companions were nowhere near Inuyasha's forest but he could smell the blood of the miko. Sesshoumaru looked down at Tachi who was pushing his packs to their limits. Then he felt a rage when he also smelled the stench of wolves. The Garou had also smelled the scent and were now growling in unison. Did Tachi disobey him for that miko? His blood boiled at the thought.

They stopped at the edge of a river where the scent of the miko's blood also stopped. The wolves were growling at the edge of the river, unable to step on the roaring current but the miko was nowhere in sight. The strong current had probably washed her away.

Garou and wolves were now growling at each other. Sesshoumaru landed opposite Kouga. He could sense Tachi's rage and attributed this to his debt to the miko for caring for him.

"Where is the miko?" he asked coldly, asking this for Tachi's sake.

The wolf prince looked confused. "What miko?" he asked. "We were running after one of your Garou."

Now, Sesshoumaru was the one confused. Then he looked at Tachi who had stopped growling and was now looking at Kouga seriously, assessing the truth of the prince's words.

"Yet I smell the blood of Inuyasha's miko," Sesshoumaru said.

Kouga looked stunned and took a sniff. His eyes rounded in disbelief. He knelt by the river and touched the blood with his fingertips before sniffing it. "Kagome?" he whispered in shock. He stood up angrily and faced Sesshoumaru. "What had you done to her? My eyes do not lie. My pack had attacked a Garou, not a human."

Outwardly, Sesshoumaru was calm and composed as he usually is but inside his mind was reeling. The miko is definitely not a Garou. These rare creatures all live in his castle. They were part of the House of the Moon. He looked at Tachi who was listening intently. Something had happened that night of the full moon and he would find out when dawn came. He could ask him now. Their form never hindered them from communicating with him and other of their kind but they have something more urgent to attend to.

"Find her," Sesshoumaru ordered. "Stay out of our way, Wolf."

"I have to find her," Kouga said, his panic rising.

Sesshoumaru looked coldly at him. "You have done enough damage," he said threateningly. "I doubt the miko would want to see you. Stay away."

The wolf prince looked stunned but did not argue. He ordered his pack back to the mountains.

-+-+-

Tachi felt the dread running in him. If what the wolf prince had said is true then the miko had turned into one of them. This was something that never happened before. Garou poison takes a month to fully take its effect. If a Garou did not kill a victim, a bite would torment the victim for a month before killing it at the next full moon. If the miko had indeed survived, then she would be the first to survive the poison.

He ran along the riverbank, keeping a close look out in the water for any floating white dog. The night was nearly at an end and he could feel the changes. With a final glow, they all changed into their human form. None of them seemed affected as they ran naked along the river. If she had indeed turned into one of them, then the pack would search high and low to look for one of them. He stopped in his tracks as he saw his lord kneeling beside a stone, a familiar figure cradled at the crook of his good arm.

Sesshoumaru had taken off his haori and had put it on the miko. He was looking at him coldly, his displeasure evident. "Let us go back," he said before forming his youki cloud underneath him and the miko who was bleeding.

It was confirmed; she had lived to become one of them.

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Sesshoumaru's blood turned cold when he saw the unconscious figure lying naked at the riverbank. He descended and saw that it was indeed the miko. He had noticed the changes in her body as soon as he looked at her. She had bite marks all over her body but what attracted his attention was the crescent moon at the base of her spine. The wolf prince's eyes had not deceived him, Kouga had seen a Garou just as Sesshoumaru was holding one now.

He felt her shiver. He laid her back on the grass gently and removed his haori. Gently, he wrapped it around her naked body, mindful of the many bleeding wound. It was not long before Tachi and the other Garou found them. He looked at Tachi who was looking at the unconscious miko.

"Let us go back," he said coldly before forming the youki cloud underneath him and the miko. Whatever happened in the past, the miko is now one of the Garou. She is under his protection now.

He hovered above the running Garou who kept in the thicker parts of the forest. It would simply not do for the humans to see naked people running around. Despite the change in their form, they were still fast. It was almost mid-day when they got back to the Palace of the Moon.

Sesshoumaru landed on his balcony and gently laid the miko on his futon. Her wounds had begun to heal and soon she would regain consciousness. A moment later, he felt Tachi approach his chambers.

"Enter," he said even before the Garou called on him.

"My lord," he said with a bow. "I have come to confess my transgressions. I will accept any punishment you would bestow upon me for keeping my silence on this matter. I only wish for my pack to be left out of this. This is my sole responsibility."

Sesshoumaru looked at his cousin. "Your punishment will be decided when the miko regains consciousness," he said. "What you have done is a serious crime against her."

The Garou bowed his head and finally told him everything that had happened. Her transformation had been caused by a bite that should have killed her. He dismissed Tachi and looked contemplatively at the miko who was now sleeping peacefully. The poison had affected her differently. Aside from descendants of the Moon, nobody survives that poison not even youkai.

This matter needs a deeper consideration. She is a creature with a pure soul as evidence of the shikon no tama appearing inside of her body. Her power is beyond any normal miko. How would her transformation affect her power?

He would know soon.

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Inuyasha and the gang went back to the village the night after the incident. As usual, the hanyou was irritable since they were unable to find any shards. The moment he stepped on the village, the scent of Kagome's fresh blood assaulted his senses. Fear gripped him and he ran without a word towards Kaede's hut.

"What happened to Kagome?" he said as he burst inside.

Kaede was sitting in front of the fire place. Kagome's yellow back pack was inside but there was no sign of the stubborn girl. "We can't find her," the old miko said with regret. "All we found are these things. The unusual thing is that we heard wolves and the other villager said that he saw a pack of white dogs."

"Wolves and Garou," Inuyasha whispered. "Kagome must have been caught in the middle. I can smell her blood."

"But we saw no body," Kaede said regretfully.

He did not wait for another word. He used his nose and tracked Kagome's scent. Her blood started near the edge of the village. He smelled wolves and Kouga all over the place where the first drops of blood were. His brows furrowed in confusion. He knew Kouga would not willingly hurt Kagome and he would never let any of the wolves hurt her either. Still, the evidence was here. There were no other scent but Kagome's blood and the wolves.

Now, he did not have to use his nose. He could clearly follow Kagome's trail of blood. It stopped at the riverbank. That was also where the scent of Garou had become more evident. He could also smell Sesshoumaru. The current was strong. Kagome would have been washed away if she had jumped in which she obviously did since the trail of blood stopped there. He followed the current, sniffing every once in a while. That was when he noticed that the scent of wolves had disappeared replaced by the scent of Garou. He stopped at the part where he could clearly smell Kagome's blood again and Sesshoumaru.

Whatever happened here, Inuyasha was sure that Sesshoumaru was here but it also appeared that it was the wolves which attacked Kagome. The event is confusing him. He would have understood it better if it was Sesshoumaru who attacked Kagome and Kouga had saved her. He turned back to see the others following him quietly.

"Kagome was attacked by wolves," he said at their questioning look. "Though I don't understand why they would since I could clearly smell Kouga with them."

"We have to get her back from them," Shippou cried.

Inuyasha shook his head, his confusion evident in his features. "She isn't with them," he said finally. "Sesshoumaru has her. This is the spot where her scent stopped and I could smell Sesshoumaru here."

"This is all so confusing," Sango said. "Why would Kouga attack Kagome? I could understand the part where Sesshoumaru kidnapped her but Kouga wouldn't harm Kagome. We all know that."

"I know what you mean," Inuyasha said. "But my nose tells me otherwise. Sesshoumaru had no contact with Kagome up to this spot. From the spot where she had been attacked up to the riverbank where her scent disappeared, only the scents of wolves were mixed with hers."

"We will soon find out, won't we?" Miroku said. "I understand that we are going to save Lady Kagome, am I correct?"

They all nodded and began their journey to the Western Lands. Inuyasha sobered at the thought. He would finally set foot in the Palace of the Moon.

-+-+-

She ached all over. Kagome felt her limbs and finally concluded that she wasn't missing any part of her. The pain is more than enough to convince her that she had survived the wolves. Slowly opening her eyes, Kagome wished she had just remained blessedly unconscious.

Of course she had expected to see the sky but was surprised to realize that she was inside a room. Kagome turned her head to the side to look at her surroundings. It was a minimalist room with a futon and a small table to her right. On her left she could see a trunk and a smaller table with water and a basin on top. She tried to move but fell back with a moan. Her muscles ached with a vengeance. She moved her fingers. At least she seemed human again.

"This sucks," she whispered to herself as she remained immobile in order to at least alleviate the ache she was feeling all over her body.

"You seem well enough," a cool familiar voice said from the opposite side of the room.

Kagome stiffened. She was sure she heard Sesshoumaru but maybe everything was a dream and this was just an extension. Her heart sank as she discarded that idea. The pain she was feeling was proof enough that she was not dreaming.

"Forgive me but I think my senses are deceiving me," she said tentatively although she could also feel his aura. "Are you Lord Sesshoumaru?"

There was a rustling of clothes and a few seconds later, Kagome saw Sesshoumaru looking down at her disdainfully. "You will tell me what happened," he said arrogantly as he looked into her eyes.

Kagome felt the blood rushing to her head. This demon is the most arrogant creature that ever walked in the Feudal era. "How am I supposed to tell you something that I'm not even sure I understand?" she demanded hotly, her fear of the demon lord gone in the face of her irritation.

"You will speak with respect, miko," Sesshoumaru said coldly.

"Not unless you speak to me with respect," she said as she struggled to sit up despite the aches. She looked up to him with challenge. Kagome knew she was in no position to argue especially with her current state but she couldn't just let him order her around as if she was his servant.

She returned Sesshoumaru's intense stare with a glare. It would have been really effective if not for the fact that she felt the slight breeze touching her bare chest. She looked down at her naked body barely covered with a white haori. Her eyes widened as she realized that the cold demon was naked from the waist up and she was wearing his haori. She looked up at Sesshoumaru who was looking haughtily down at her as she came to this realization.

She gasped as she tried to cover herself better with Sesshoumaru's haori, closing the gaps more firmly. Kagome knew she was as red as a tomato and it didn't really help that Sesshoumaru was looking at her as if it was perfectly natural for her to be waking up almost naked wearing only his haori.

"Why am I wearing your haori?" she asked cautiously.

"I found you naked," Sesshoumaru answered matter-of-factly.

He had seen her naked! Blood rushed to her head in embarrassment. "Naked?" she squeaked, peeking up at him to see if he was just pulling her leg.

"Naked," he confirmed.

Kagome buried her face in her hands. "Would somebody tell me what is happening to me?" she asked desperately.

"You turned into a Garou," Sesshoumaru said simply.

"There's that word again," she said irritably. "Kouga called me that, too. How did I turn into one?"

"It is my turn to ask the question," he said in his usual flat tone but Kagome could tell he was becoming irritated.

She sighed. "I was walking back to the village when it all happened," she began. Maybe Sesshoumaru could help her and so she told him what happened when she got back from her time but omitted the part of coming back from the well.

The demon lord appeared thoughtful for a few minutes. "You have undergone your first transformation," he said. "A Garou bit you but instead of the poison killing you, it transformed you into one."

"Is there a cure?" she asked hopefully.

"There is none," Sesshoumaru said.

Kagome was stunned. Her head whirled. "I can't be like this," she whispered. "How will I face my family?"

"You can stay with us," Sesshoumaru said. "You are now part of the House of the Moon. You should rest."

She closed her eyes. Kagome felt drained. She did not even have the strength to ask Sesshoumaru another question and so she just did what he told her to. She slept, hoping that when she wakes up everything will go back to normal.

End chapter