** chapter revised 4/17/2010 **

~ Chapter Eight ~

MIROKU left Kirara and Shippou alone in the forest and decided to approach the village alone where Ungai and his acolytes were supposed to be at the moment. He had left the fire cat and the kitsune eating their morning meal while his own stomach protested, loudly, its lack of food. Steeling himself and silently ordering his stomach to be silent, he trod into the village. Stopping the first person he came to, he asked after Master Ungai's whereabouts and was more than pleased to learn that the monk was, indeed, in the village. Apparently Master Ungai had just rid the village of a plague of youkai spiders, having destroyed their nest.

As he walked towards the house he'd been told that Master Ungai and his followers were currently occupying as they rested, Miroku walked by the village's well where a bevy of beautiful, young women were. His lecherous mind kicked into overdrive as he imagined those women surrounding him. He was about to approach the group when a familiar voice sounded from his left. "It is you," said the voice of Ungai.

Damn. He had gotten lost in his thoughts, a rare occurrence, and hated the fact that it had happened in front of the very man he had come to see. It made him appear undisciplined--which he most definitely was not. Well, unless of course there were beautiful women involed, Miroku thought with a grin. "Master Ungai," Miroku said, turning to the priest and offering a bow of respect.

"I remember you," Master Ungai continued. "You were party to the group of youkai slayers traveling with youkai companions."

"Yes," Miroku said with no shame. "And I stand by my friend's words still. Kirara and Shippou would never harm a human." Miroku did not mention Inuyasha. The half-breed's last challenging words to the monk before him did not need to be remembered.

"You still say that and yet now you seek me out."

It was a statement; not a question. Still, Miroku felt it needed an answer. "Yes, Master Ungai. We have come across a...situation...and are hoping we might partake of your wisdom--if you have any that you might be willing to share."

The elder priest looked around him, a curious glint in his eyes. "Where are the rest of your comrades?"

"I have come to speak with you alone, Master Ungai. My friends," he said, stressing the word friends, "Are seeking the advice of other parties."

Master Ungai, hand on his hat as usual, made a noncommittal noise and stared at him for a time. Then he nodded his head. "Your name, Monk?"

"Miroku."

"Ah. You are the apprentice of Master Mushin."

"Yes, Master Ungai."

"I am acquainted with your master. You reflect his values well where youkai are concerned."

Miroku tightened his right fist, clenching the prayer beads against his skin painfully in an attempt to reign in his anger. He had the greatest of respect for Master Mushin, the man who had raised him after his father had fallen to Naraku's curse, and he did not want to listen to any one speak ill of the drunk. "Master Ungai," he replied tightly. "The matter I have come to speak with you about concerns the daiyoukai, Sesshoumaru." He knew mentioning the one youkai to have escaped him would get Ungai's attention and stop the building insults without having to resort to other means. "I believe you are acquainted with him."

"I have never met a more darker youkai. His desire to kill is intense," Ungai said, his eyes reflecting his remembrance of Sesshoumaru. "Very well, Miroku. We may speak."

***

He was coming. She just knew it. He was coming and he was going to get her. And when he got her, he would be angry that she'd defied him...AGAIN.

After waking up from the sleep her body forced upon her, Kagome had taken little time to remind herself of the who, what, where, and why of her current situation. Sesshoumaru's barrier still pulsed angrily at her. Cursing herself for leaving her own clothing and shoes behind her in her frustration to get out, she was left with only the kimono Sesshoumaru had given her to wear and her bare feet. Because she was barefoot and unused to being so, she was slower than usual. There was also the little, insignificant fact that the tunnel leading to her freedom-- she hoped-- was pitch black just as the cavern had been when she'd first been brought there.

As she moved beyond the straining light of the fire and into what looked to be nothing, Kagome cursed herself again for the thousandth time since waking up last. How did she manage to get into these situations? There was some Kami--or maybe all of them-- up above her laughing their glorious head off at the time-traveling miko and her bumbling ways?

Falling down to her hands and knees, she carefully and slowly groped her way up the tunnel. It was long and winding and several times she ran into boulders or walls. She couldn't tell what was what, but it didn't matter what they were. All that mattered was that they were in her way and it hurt to run into them. Keeping her fear in check, she swore to never make fun of someone who was afraid of the dark ever again and pressed onward. Finally she was rewarded by a cool breeze that signified an opening somewhere ahead. Smiling to herself, praying it was daylight outside and she would get some much needed vitamin D, Kagome hurried her pace just enough to run into another hard surface. Thankfully this time it was just her head. Maybe if she smacked her head enough times she would get brain damaged and Sesshoumaru wouldn't want her anymore?

That thought made her laugh and it felt good to have a reason to do so.

The sound of the breeze whistling through an opening was her guide. Keeping to her hands and knees, Kagome moved towards the sound and the feel of the wind. Finally she reached the opening but was dismayed to see it nothing more than a small hole. This could not be the place Sesshoumaru had brought her through. It just wasn't possible.

Lying down on the ground, she looked through the hole. It did lead out of her current holding place and she breathed in the fresh air. It was night outside now, but she couldn't hear anything moving around beyond the stone wall she was crouched behind. The moon was barely out and offered her little to no light. Using her hands, she felt along the opening to judge exactly how large it was and to see if it narrowed any on its way to the open land. When her arm wasn't long enough, she turned and used her bare foot as a guide. Satisfied that there were no nasty surprises waiting for her, Kagome moved forward with all the determination she had.

The pass was narrow, her hips scraping the sides of the walls, and it was also low. Kagome had to keep her head almost level with the ground as she inched out little by little. Perhaps, though, this was a blessing in disguise. If she knew Sesshoumaru like she thought she did, he would want to have the thrill of hunting her down and he wouldn't want to cheat. He'd start at the point of her leave-taking and follow her scent. She was sure her trail would be quite fresh considering the amount of blood she had shed running into and scraping against things. When he came to her exit point she prayed he wasn't strong enough to knock down solid rock walls and follow after her. If he was, she was screwed. If he wasn't, she might have a little bit more time. Of course, if he used his youkai speed, she was still screwed.

Not wanting to follow that line of thought, Kagome turned her attention to focusing on what she was crawling out slowly to. The wind was stronger now, pushing against her hair and making the kimono she wore flap where it wasn't plastered to her body. There did not seem to be any foliage directly beyond her exit, but it was dark outside and she did not have the best of eyesight in such situations. Then her mind gave her pause and almost made her want to turn back around and wait to face the surely enraged daiyoukai. What about other youkai?

She had no weapon with her. She had nothing. Nada. Zip. She was easy prey for any youkai who crossed her path. Well, maybe not any just any youkai, but still. Then the image of Sesshoumaru's face, the one burned into her mind as she'd forced her way through his barrier, came to mind and Kagome inched forward even faster. Youkai or no youkai, she wasn't being caught in this place by that creature.

When her head was finally free of the confining space of her tunnel to freedom, Kagome gave herself a second to rest and to breathe a sigh of relief. On top of not being able to understand how people could be afraid of the dark, she had never previously understood how people could be claustrophobic. Now she knew better. While she wasn't afraid of such things herself, she had a better understanding of what those who were felt.

Her rest taken, Kagome shimmied the rest of the way out and stood—very satisfied with herself. Then she turned and looked to see where exactly she was.

"Oh, Kami," she whispered into the empty night air. "I'm screwed."

***

Sesshoumaru looked over those under his care. Rin was asleep, curled into a fetal position, while Ah-Un lay protectively around her small form. Jaken was sprawled out on his back not far away from his ward. His small, clawed hand was gripping the staff of two heads as if he expected it to jump up and run away. His mouth was moving in his sleep, mumbling. Whatever he was saying, Sesshoumaru could not make it out even with his acute sense of hearing. It mattered not, though. As long as Jaken did what he was told and remained useful, Sesshoumaru had no desire to pry where the imp was concerned.

There were no dangers around them.

Allowing himself a moment, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and stretched out his senses to find the miko. He knew she had awoken. He knew she was now trying to escape the place he had put her in. He also knew she was bleeding. It wasn't a mortal wound. She only had scrapes on her body from her hurried attempt to get away. Through his connection, he could sense every emotion she was feeling. He could taste her innocence. He could feel her determination to be free.

It would not happen, but he would allow her to think so. Such was one of the thrills of the hunt.

Standing, Sesshoumaru walked over to where Jaken was sleeping. A brief kick to the little youkai's side brought the imp to instant attention. Jaken jumped to his feet and promptly began his usual groveling. "Jaken," Sesshoumaru said, instantly silencing the adoration pouring from the imp's lips. "Watch Rin."

"Yes, my Lord. Of course, my Lord. I am your most humble servant. I would--"

"Jaken."

Bulbous eyes widened notably. "Y..yes, my Lord?"

"Be silent."

"Yes, my Lord. Of course, my Lord."

Turning away from the imp, Sesshoumaru stalked off into the darkness. He would give the miko a bit more time to run by walking to his destination. What fun was a chase when it was over too soon?

He growled with appreciation of what was to come.

***

Kagome hugged her body against the rock wall behind her and stared with wide-eyed at the drop-off before her. A feeling of amusement, not her own, ran through her mind right then and she scowled. She knew it was Sesshoumaru. She could feel him more clearly now that she was free of her prison.

Little by little she was realizing why her emotions and thoughts had been so scattered and jumbled. It was because of him and what he had done to her. This last dream had come back to her with perfect clarity. Even when Sesshoumaru had taken control once more, she recalled what they had done and she remembered what Sesshoumaru had told her about mating marks. In taking her blood into himself and in giving her his own, he was sharing his essence with her and taking her own for him. In dreams they were not sharing blood or strength. No, they were sharing their spiritual energy--which was probably why she was able to break through his barrier--and everything she had been feeling were the aftereffects.

When he'd spoken of mating marks, he had said it was only a partial sharing of a youkai's essence with his chosen female. Yet when he spoke of what he expected of her, he was speaking of something more than that, she knew. He wanted more than just a simple youkai mating from her. He wanted all of her. Would she give it to him? Could she deny him? When she stood in his presence...

Brushing the thought away, Kagome walked forward to the edge of the drop-off. She peered over the side and looked down. For all she could see, the drop-off led to an eternal fall. She knew there was land down there somewhere, but she could not tell how high up the mountain she was. The ledge she had crawled out onto was not very wide and there appeared to be no hand or foot holds for her to climb on. She could not safely go up or down.

Moving back from the ledge because she did not trust the ground she was standing on to not crumble underneath her feet, Kagome took a deep breath and did the first thing she always did when she found herself in situations like this. She yelled for her hanyou. "Inuyasha!"

Her voice sliced through the night air and then was swallowed by the darkness. Kagome stood there, knowing that no Inuyasha would be coming to rescue her, but it felt better to follow a process than to proceed blindly. After a moment, she fell back down onto her hands and knees and tried to wonder if there was any other time in her life when she'd spent so much time crawling--besides when she was an infant. Crawling down the length of the ledge, she came to where it melded and ended against the mountainside. Squinting her eyes to try and see better, Kagome thought she made out another ledge maybe five feet away from the one she was currently on. This ledge looked wider and as if it went on farther than hers.

Decision made, Kagome stood and rubbed her sweating hands down the length of her now ruined kimono. The dirt she'd picked up from crawling on the ground would never come out the silk, but, she told herself, she didn't care. This belonged to Sesshoumaru. Not her.

Taking a few large steps backwards, Kagome eyed her destination, telling herself to look nowhere else, and ran. When she reached the end of the ledge she was on, she pushed off with both legs as hard as she could and stretched her hands out in front of her.

She had misjudged the distance between the two ledges, but was more than grateful to realize she'd thought it farther than it was. Her body slammed into the unforgiving ground and skidded across it before coming to rest against a small bolder. Hissing as the burn of her scrapes reached her overtaxed nerves, Kagome pushed herself upright and looked around her new place of resting.

This ledge was larger and ran farther back, sloping downward. Downward was good. Pushing herself upright, Kagome ignored the small rocks that bit into the bottom of her bare feet and let herself feel a small measure of pride over her accomplishment.

Keeping one hand against the side of the mountain, Kagome walked forward slowly because she could still barely see where she was going. The ledge was almost like a path and wound downward, crisscrossing the mountain's steep side. Eventually it ended with maybe a ten foot drop to the ground below. Taking a deep breath and crouching down as low as she could, Kagome jumped forward.

She landed on her feet and then promptly fell back onto her backside. The ground beneath her was soft with grasses and moss, but not soft enough to provide a comfortable landing. Groaning as quietly as she could, Kagome forced herself to stand once more. Her eyes swept the darkened forest she had jumped into. Spreading out her senses, she searched to see if any youkais or humans were around, but there was nothing. Only the life that belonged in the forest moved about.

Hearing water, Kagome headed towards the sound. Inuyasha had trouble tracking scents when it rained. She prayed it was the same for Sesshoumaru.

***

As he drew near the entrance to her holding place, Tenseiga vibrated heavily at his side. Sesshoumaru clamped his hand down on the hilt of the blade. "Be silent," he ordered.

The blade's shaking increased and Sesshoumaru gave a low soundless growl. Tenseiga had been speaking to him almost nonstop since he had discovered the miko. It did not agree with his handling of her, nor his thoughts where she was concerned. It wanted him to accept and treat the miko as if she were the treasure she was suppose to be and it did not want him to hurt her ever again.

He easily knocked aside his own barrier and reabsorbed the youki that he'd put into its creation. His eyes swept the cavern she'd left behind and settled on her clothing and footwear. The miko had been so intent on leaving him she had not thought her actions through. A typical human error to make, he thought.

Her heavenly scent was still heavy in the air. Where she'd fallen upon the ground after breaking through his barrier, Sesshoumaru could still feel the heat of her body. His eyes easily caught the trail she'd left behind as she'd crawled up the tunnel on her hands and knees. The thought of such a sight brought a smile to his lips.

Sniffing the air, it was easy to see in what direction she'd gone. This particular cavern had one entrance into it, the others long ago sealed by himself, but that tunnel split into several different fractions. The miko had taken off down one of the side tunnels. It had not been a conscious decision. She was human and could not see in the darkness as he could. Crawling on her hands and knees, she had been blindingly feeling the ground ahead of her and going where the way seemed clear.

As he followed after her trail, already knowing where she'd gone but wanting to see for himself anyway, he could taste on his tongue exactly where she'd broken her skin open and bled. He found himself rumbling with contentment at the smell. Sesshoumaru locked his hold down on the creature within him. He wanted to remain in control for this hunt.

When he reached the small opening she had gone through, Sesshoumaru leaned down and placed his palm upon the ground. She'd laid here a long while, scooting slowly though the opening. There was a small piece of white silk clinging to a jagged stone. Taking it into his hand, he lifted it up to his nose and inhaled deeply. Then he tucked the piece of silk into the inside of his kimono. Satisfied that he'd seen enough, Sesshoumaru turned and walked calmly back the way he had come. Taking the correct path out, he easily maneuvered himself so that he was standing on the same ledge she had exited out onto.

The miko had stood here for some time. Debating her path? Then she'd jumped to the ledge that neighbored this one—a dangerous decision to make, but a bold move all the same. If she had not made the leap, she would have died. There were no possible holds beneath this ledge and the ground was far below. Her human body would have been shattered. Sesshoumaru had not expected her to take such chances. Her determination nearly rivaled his own.

Leaping to the ledge she had taken, he slowly followed her trail downward. When he landed on the forest floor, Sesshoumaru sent out a wave of his youki. He wanted to warn the miko that he was coming.

***

Kagome was fighting the chill of the water as she waded upstream in the shallow river she'd found when his wave of youki washed over her. Immediately her instincts sent her body into shivers not associated with the cold. Wanting to douse her odor as much as possible, she ducked down into the water and let out a gasp as the cold hit her fully. She couldn't stay down for long. The water's chill was too much for her take.

Sesshoumaru felt the instant his youki washed over her and he heard her gasp as she dunked her body down into the water. The girl was going to make herself ill if she continued with these foolish actions. Perhaps he would not allow this hunt to last as long as he'd thought to? What use, after all, was the girl if she fell to a human failing… Humans, he thought, his usual disdain for the species rising within him. They are so weak. Easily dispatched. How is it that she is the one chosen to complete me?

At his side, Tenseiga pulsed with answers, but Sesshoumaru ignored it.

Kagome couldn't take the cold any longer and left the water. Looking behind her, even though there was little she could see, she was dismayed to realize that she had not crossed much ground since leaving the mountainside. Walking in the cold water had slowed her down and hadn't been a good idea to begin with. Of course Sesshoumaru's senses were sharper than Inuyasha's. He could probably hear her heart beating even from this distance.

Running from him was a futile effort, but she had to at least try. One never knew if they could succeed unless an attempt was made, after all. At least, that is what Jiji had always told her.

She pressed onward through the thick stand of trees. Her miko senses could feel Sesshoumaru's strong youki drawing nearer. As much as she did not want to give into her fear, she could not stop it from rising up within her.

Then he had her.

Kagome came to a skidding stop. Sesshoumaru was directly ahead of her, standing in the darkness. She took a step back and suddenly he was there behind her. He'd moved so fast she could not have possibly tracked him. "Miko," he purred, his deceptive voice soft but deadly. "Why do you insist on running from this Sesshoumaru?"

She didn't answer. Her instincts took over and she flew forward, away from the obvious threat at her back, with energy she didn't know she had. The effort was useless. She hadn't even gone forward a few steps when she felt his hand upon her shoulder, his grip like steel as he clamped down upon her. Frightened beyond anything, Kagome let out an ear-piercing scream. Then she was jerked back against the hardness of his armor and Sesshoumaru's hand moved to cover her mouth and save his ears. "Cease," he ordered, his voice rough.

Sesshoumaru felt the energy of her miko abilities swarming within her. Her reasonable, for a human, mind was shutting down and her instincts of fight or flight were taking over. Leaning down, he inhaled her scent. It was the strongest it had ever been before. Not being able to stop himself, he ran his tongue up the side of her throat, relishing the taste of her once more. His tongue moved to her small human lobe and he latched onto it, giving it a small nip to show his disapproval of her actions. "You should take more care, miko," he whispered into her ear. He enjoyed the power his voice had over her. The miko's swelling energy had dissipated the instant his tongue had touched her, but, at the sound of his voice, her entire body had calmed.

Kagome was confused. Where was the anger she had been expecting? At the feeling of his tongue sliding across her skin, her heart skipped a beat. This was something a lover would do. She winced as he nipped at her ear, but she had been around enough dogs to know what that action meant. Then he'd whispered into her ear, soft and seductively. What was going on? Then he was nudging her with his nose, asking for her to bare more of her throat to him. Unsure of the control she had over her body at the moment, she felt herself give into his demands. He let loose a soft growl of approval and then his lips were there where his tongue had been, moving slowly and softly across her. He was tasting her skin, inhaling her scent. His youki was dancing across her body, feeling like fingers stroking and caressing. He was everywhere and Kagome felt her eyes close against the sensation. Then his lips were back to her ear. "Now, miko. This game of yours has been ended and I will claim my prize."

Her eyes snapped open again. The slow melting her body had been in the process of ceased. She remembered where she was and who she was with. Then, somehow, she found her voice, but what came out of her mouth was not what she had wanted to say. "And what would that be, Sesshoumaru?"

In response to her query, he smiled.

***