Kagome placed the stone in her bag to examine at a later date then glanced at Sesshomaru as he walked over to her. "I think it won't be long before Inuyasha puts all the pieces together." She said.
"We'll deal with that if he figures it out, you should go before the others start to wonder and Inuyasha finds out that you are not in your time."
"I'll see you around then." Kagome bid as she turned and walked away, disappearing into the thick foliage around the spring.
Sesshomaru stood there until her scent was fading from the small clearing where the hot spring lay, turning he walked into the forest to find his small group. It had been a few days since he had last seen his small pack.
--------
"Where the hell have you been?" Inuyasha demanded as Kagome emerged into the clearing that was the chosen campsite for the night.
"I honestly don't think that's any of your damned business Inuyasha." She snapped at him not up to his antics at the moment.
He gave her a disbelieving look before huffing and falling silent for a moment. "Well if you would stop fucking off we might finish the jewel and Naraku would be dead by now."
"SIT! You pompous, hardheaded, ingrate I am about to the point that I will strike out on my own and finish the damn jewel by myself if you don't stop being such an ass!" Her eyes were edged with silver her slight control was beginning to slip until Sango called her name. Glancing at her friend she suppressed a growl, before saying "Yes Sango?"
"Why don't we go for a short walk to get some water for tea?" Sango was hopeful that she could get her friend to cool down before things got out of hand.
"Fine." Kagome gritted out through clenched teeth, grabbing a canteen for each of them she followed Sango to a small stream.
"You okay Kagome?"
"Not really, I guess I should talk to Miroku about meditation to see if that will aid in controlling this beast of mine and my temper."
"That would probably help you a lot if you start meditating often." Sango said supportively.
After they made it back to camp Kagome spoke with Miroku about her predicament with her out of control temper and they started meditating that evening after supper was eaten. Inuyasha paid them no heed when they sat down to meditate and Miroku walked her through all of the steps to meditate properly.
Several weeks went by and Kagome was getting better by the day at controlling her temper when something got on her nerves, she had a few close calls, but Sango or Miroku would run to her aid when they noticed her losing control. Soon the full moon was a few days away and she made her excuses to Inuyasha before disappearing and giving severe threats to him if he came for her before she was ready. She had Kirara carry her as far as she dared ask the fire cat to take her without invoking Inuyasha's suspicion.
A few hours later the moon rose and dragged her into its spell, Sesshomaru was nearby but he dared not approach her yet, it had been weeks since he'd seen her in this form and it excited him and his beast to see her in it once more. Her haunting howl filled the night air as she called to all the available males, this night two howls answered her call. One was unfamiliar to them both and the other was Sesshomaru, a wolf almost the size of Sesshomaru came loping into the clearing she had chosen for the next several nights. Sesshomaru growled low in his throat when he saw that he would have competition this time around, the wolf was below him in rank, but that didn't mean that he wasn't an attractive demon.
The wolf's eyes were a teal color and his fur was a rich brown color he sported two tails and markings on his shoulders in a deep ebony color. Sesshomaru wasn't sure who this male was but he didn't like him one bit, because Kagome was checking him out with great interest.
Apparently the wolf knew what he was dealing with and did everything she asked of him, he even went as far to expose his vulnerable underbelly to her, with no visible concern that she might decide to rip him open.
Sesshomaru come forward so that I may compare you to this magnificent wolf.
He flinched at her wording but knew better than to let her know his state of jealousy, he knew she said that on purpose trying to enrage him, the wolf gave him a curious look before focusing back onto the female in front of him. Sesshomaru did everything that was asked of him, striving to do it better than the wolf had.
Kagome finished her evaluation and decided to test both of them on their self control, she strutted over to the wolf and rubbed against him like a cat letting her rump touch his nose so that he could get a good whiff of her succulent scent. The strong odor of jealousy reached her sensitive nose and she grinned to herself the wolf smelled of smug satisfaction thinking he had won her favor. (A/N if you haven't pieced it together yet the wolf is Kouga)
She walked very deliberately over to Sesshomaru and gave him a soft nip in admonishment for his jealousy before giving him the same treatment that she gave the wolf. He stood perfectly still relaxing know that he realized that she was toying with them, trying to get one to snap first. Well he would be damned if he snapped first, that lowly, insufferable wolf would be the one that did so first or he wasn't the all powerful Sesshomaru.
An aggravated snarl rose from the wolf when she gave Sesshomaru a good long sniff of her goods, and that was it she turned on the handsome beast with a snarl giving him a good hard bite and some good scratches for his impatience. I suggest that if you want to live to another day that you get out of my sight immediately wolf, and better luck next time.
A whine escaped the wolf as a last resort and she lunged for his throat, not intending to kill him, just getting her point across. He fled the clearing and she turned to face Sesshomaru before saying Well this was more interesting than last time.
She then presented herself to him giving him permission to mount her.
--33--33--
The moon held her longer than it had previously, but neither minded the extended time, both enjoyed the short time she was stuck in her other form. Kagome felt the hold of the moon loosening its hold and she went off to find her bag of clothes, Sesshomaru was in his humanoid form when she reappeared dressed in the clearing.
"I wonder who the wolf was." Kagome said.
"I have never met him." Replied Sesshomaru.
He was still slightly enthralled from the past several days so he walked up behind her and nibbled on her neck careful not to leave a mark, his hands rested on her shoulders as he spun her around to give her a wilting kiss. "You should probably get back to the others" he said quietly in her ear.
"Yes" she replied breathlessly.
Turning slowly she walked out of the clearing and Sesshomaru followed after her, Kirara came into sight after hours of walking and she sighed in relief. Climbing onto the firecat Kagome glanced at Sesshomaru and said "see you around."
He nodded his agreement and the firecat took to the air flying Kagome back to the groups latest campsite.
--33--33--33--
After a few hours in the air the group came into sight and the firecat landed letting Kagome slide off of her, looking at the group she said "Which way are we headed today?"
"East, are you ready to travel now?" Inuyasha asked impatiently.
Kagome nodded before she began walking due east and Inuyasha fell into step next to her before asking "What is up with you?"
"I'm just in the mood to travel today…… wait I sense jewel shards, two of them up ahead moving slowly."
Inuyasha hoisted Kagome onto his back and took off with Kirara close on his heels with the others upon her back. After a few minutes Kouga came into view and Inuyasha spat out "Fleabag"
"Kagome I thought I smelled you, I was on my way to see you when this filthy mutt decided to deliver you to me."
"What happened to you?" asked Kagome with concern as she eyed the wounds that Kouga sported.
"I uh had a run in with a female a few nights ago." His hand reached up to the back of his head scratching it uncomfortably. "She uh chose the mutts brother over me."
Kagome flushed and turned to Sango hastily and said "Can you help me bandage him, Sango?" She was trying to hide her sudden embarrassment by aiding the wolf she had injured during her heat cycle.
"Was she black with silver markings and red eye liner?" Asked Inuyasha with fervor.
"Yeah most beautiful female I've ever seen on four legs."
"I saw them together a month ago around the full moon." Inuyasha replied thoughtfully.
"Yeah it's odd" Kouga said.
"What's odd?" asked Miroku.
"Well I've heard of them when I was a young pup, but they were supposed to be extinct long ago. She was a weredog of all things, I didn't believe it until she made me do all sorts of things and then Sesshomaru as well. I guess he did them better than I did because she chose him and I just did miss having my throat ripped out."
"You to huh?" Inuyasha said thoughtfully "She was about to rip me apart when I first ran into her but Sesshomaru called her off."
"Sounds to me like he must be her Alpha." Kouga replied quietly. "Must be the reason she didn't want me, it's a shame though she would've been a lot of fun." He winced when Kagome hit a particularly tender spot.
Inuyasha was quiet a moment before saying "Maybe he is, but who is this female? She seems to be volatile, maybe we should kill her the next time we get an opportunity to."
"I don't think we will be able to do that, she's more powerful than she looks it would take all of us to bring her down. And then there's Sesshomaru, if he is her Alpha he will retaliate and I wouldn't face him in battle at any cost."
"What are you a coward?" Inuyasha asked snidely.
"No I just prefer to live and mate Kagome one day?" He gave Kagome a cocky smile and blew her a kiss before looking at Inuyasha again.
Kagome blushed and glanced at Sango as they bandaged Kouga's wounds before saying "I've already told you a hundred times Kouga I'm not your woman and never will be."
"Don't be that way Kagome, I'll treat you better than the fleabag ever has." He said while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Sorry Kouga I'm not up for grabs for anyone, you're a great friend but I don't think you will ever be anything more to me."
As soon as she finished bandaging his wounds she stood and walked over to stand next to Sango and Miroku as Inuyasha and Kouga continued to talk about the weredog.
"We should find them on the next full moon and wait until it releases its hold on her, then we will discover exactly who this threat is and eliminate her once she's out of Sesshomaru's sight. She obviously does not travel with him so we should be able to get her alone sometime or another."
"It's a plan then, when the full moon is close to its phase we will find them and lie in wait for the bitch that tried to kill us." Inuyasha said excitedly.
Kagome was about to panic she looked at Sango and said "Lets go to the river and refill the water bottles while the men talk."
Soon they were well out of hearing range and they began to discuss what to do in order to protect Kagome from the two plotting her death, neither could think of a solution so Kagome decided to talk to Sesshomaru about it sometime before the next full moon.
Two weeks went by before Kagome got her opportunity to talk with Sesshomaru, she borrowed Kirara and had the firecat carry her to a secluded meadow a full day's walk from the camp if not further. She didn't have to wait long before he appeared in the meadow next to her, they sat next to each other in silence for several minutes before Kagome spoke up and said "Inuyasha and Kouga plan on coming after me the next full moon after we part ways when I am released from the moons hold, they plan on killing me but what happens when they discover its me?"
Sesshomaru sat quietly for a minute running a clawed hand through her hair before saying "They will not kill you, you are to important to both for that to happen and I would not allow that outcome either for I enjoy your company despite your human attributes."
Kagome was silent as she thought over what he said "I know they wouldn't, but what will they say when they find out? That wolf that was in the clearing the last time was Kouga, I couldn't face either of them if they found out that I was the one you were with."
"Why not? Isn't it perfectly normal for two creatures to get together when one is in heat?"
"Well yeah, but its not normal for me, I was a normal human not too long ago."
"Kagome" he took his hand from her hair and placed it under her chin before making her look him in the eye, "you were never a normal human, you travel through time and are the most powerful miko of this time. And you captured my attention, which for most humans is a bad thing, but not for you."
Kagome sighed and looked away before looking back into his cold amber eyes that were full of honesty. He felt no warmth towards her, she knew he was just being polite because it was his job to comfort his pack when they were down. He only accepted her because she was useful to him, Inuyasha loved Kikyo, and Kouga was just after her because she could see the jewel shards. She held no illusions about where she stood with the men in her life, she was just a means to an end. And she was capable of sating his beasts desires as well as his without fear of her succumbing to old age long before he aged visibly.
"We will just have to travel even further so that neither one of them can find us, I can meet you somewhere and we can use my orb to get us far enough that they can't find us in such a short window of time."
"We could distract Kouga, he offers the most challenge due to the shards he still has in his legs." Kagome suggested.
"That is also an option, I will think on ways to hinder the wolf's interference. You on the other hand should probably get back to your group and not let this latest occurrence bother you."
"I'll see you around then Sesshomaru-sama." Kagome climbed back onto the firecat and disappeared into the sky within a few minutes leaving Sesshomaru to plan a way to distract a rather annoying wolf prince.
--33--33--33--33--
A/N I apologize for the shortness of this chapter and hope you enjoyed it, please let me know what you think of this story so far, and plans for the next chapter are underway. I have suffered from writters block for the past several months and do hope that it is abating. Never Love Again is almost ready for an update, but I want it a bit longer before I do that one.
