tis after christmas!! how was everyones holiday? mine wasnt so hot...meh

I'm back….I hope I wasn't gone too long….. I believe I have been. Im totally ecstatic right now, because a few friends of mine who had gone abroad to go to school are now back in the country for Christmas!! Yay! I get to see them again, Its going to be glomp fests and crying, jokes and pictures! And I cant wait!!

Anyhoo, enjoy this chapter please!!!

Disclaimer: When was the last time I wrote one of these, feels like forever….well me no own, yuu no sue…n.n

Chapter 9

Kagome sat on the daybed in her room by the window, the sky was dimming and the stars were already beginning to dot the sky, she noticed something about the night; there was to be no moon. Her transformation was to be completed tonight.

She looked longingly out the window, somewhere within the vast expanse of the land was her family, her friends, people who knew her and Shippo and cared about them. She sighed deeply, a sound that belayed her inner loneliness. She noticed few gray clouds accumulating beyond the trees and smiled wryly, it seemed that the heavens were mimicking her.

She touched the glass as the first few droplets fell. The material felt cool to her skin, she sniffed lightly, holding the piteous tears at bay. She would not cry. She pressed her cheek against the glass. She was worried, tired, lonely, and confused.

Worried about whatever family she may have. Tired of having to learn to be something she knew she was not or could ever hope to be. Alone in this new world of sights and sounds and smells. And confused about everything, who she was, where she came from, and her growing feelings for the demon lord.

She felt a sharp pain rush through her body. She doubled over and whimpered in pain, the pain continued slowly and steadily, encasing her in a callous blue glow. Her fingers tensed against the glass, her claws cut right through making four small holes in it. Her other hand went to wrap around her abdomen where most of the pain pooled. She muffled a shriek that threatened to escape her as she tried to lower her head onto her lap.

The markings on her arms and face pulsated painfully. She smelt blood,, but couldn't exactly tell where it was coming from, she was bleeding steadily. Her claws screeched down the window as she drug her arm; the room became stifling as the rain got heavier and heavier outside.

Her own heart threatened to push from her chest. Unnoticed tears flowed down her face, dripping onto her kimono. She wanted to scream so badly, but she could not, she would not. The arm on her belly squeezed the muscles tensely, trying to find a way to override the pain and make it stop. She felt the cracked glass from the window pressing into her skin, but she headed it no mind.

She slid from the raised surface onto the cold hard ground, she couldn't take it anymore, the pain was too intense. Gripping the wooden material of her daybed, she cried out distressingly, the pain was different from any she had ever remembered experiencing. She curled into a tight ball of yellow and black on the floor crying. Sweat drenched her brow as she bit a wrist, trying unsuccessfully to stop the pain.

That was how Kaori found her mistress. She had been on her way to fetch the woman for supper, but froze when she felt a cloak of raw unbound youki flow from the room. She heard her mistress's sobs and screams and smelt the blood. She had thought that she was being attacked or something of that nature. So she flung the door back ready to defend. What she saw was the last thing she had ever expected to see.

Her mistress lay curled on the floor glowing blue and crying. The youki was rolling from her in waves that sent Kaori's nerves on end. Not knowing what to do, she ran from the room to fetch her master.

Sesshoumaru tensed in the dojo as he felt the shiver of unbound and powerful youki course through him. He stood from his stance and sniffed the cold wet air; the scent of the raw power was coming from Kagome's room. He left swiftly across the path back to the estate. He passed nervous servants in the halls; they were all looking in the general direction of the power and whispering fearfully amongst themselves. None knew what to do.

His retainer Jakken waddled up to him, a look of relief washed over the toad's face. "Lord Sesshoumaru, Kaori-san is searching high and low for you, she needs you to follow her urgently to Kagome-sama's room." He said in one breath. He wiped his brow after successfully getting the message off of his chest and awaited his master's decision.

"Jakken, find Kaori and tell her to meet me there, I want to know what is amiss," he said and hastily walked off, not waiting for his retainer to answer. The bounded to the woman's room and entered. The room was suffocatingly full of youki, all of it stemming from the woman-child on the floor. He sheathed his sword after noting that there was no threat and swiftly walked over to the girl.

She was glowing faintly and shivering slightly. Blood was pooling slowly from a wound on her lower back; he noticed a rip in her kimono at the same place where the flood was leaking. Her fingers were bleeding slightly; he could make out the glimmer of glass shards in them. He looked up to the window and saw four identical claw holes and drag marks. He looked outside, the sky was pitch now and the only illumination would be from the few stars visible and the lightning, which cut across the sky at varied intervals. There was no moon; this was the last night of her transformation.

Looking back down at her he noticed that she was losing consciousness, yet still biting her wrist, and crying. The wrist biting was to most likely stop the sobs and cries from escaping her mouth. Her markings pulsed steadily and her breathing was ragged.

He looked back to the door as Kaori slid to a stop before it, her eyes were wide and concerned, features that he would have never described the calm demoness before now. "Kaori, go fetch the supplies used to heal Rin and take them to the bathing house." He commanded, kneeling down to shift the demoness on the ground. Kaori nodded and sprinted off to do her task.

Sesshoumaru rolled the whimpering girl on her back and lifted her up gently and mindful of her wound. She cried out slightly, burying her face into his chest, before passing out from the pain and blood loss, her eyes, which had been clamped shut in pain, loosened as he walked out of her room towards the bathing house.

Once there, he set her by the pool and began extricating her kimono. Kaori came in at that moment and placed the box beside them. "Um, mi-lord, would you prefer I do this duty?" she asked, blushing for the oblivious girl. He nodded and stood, allowing her to do the work. He turned away from them, giving the needed privacy.

Kaori picked up where her lord had left off, opening the kimono, revealing the woman's glowing milky flesh. There was a pair of markings going across her chest, starting at each shoulder and ending at each hip, they formed an 'x' in the middle of her bosom. The demoness took the hurting girl from the kimono and spun her over. She took a towel and laid it on the girl's bottom, right underneath the still bleeding wound.

Sesshoumaru turned around then, walking over to assess the injury. He knelt beside Kaori as she caught water from the spring in a bowl. She took and rag and dipped it in the clear steaming liquid and handed it to the demon beside her. Sesshoumaru wiped away the blood and pressed the cloth against the hole to stop anymore from leaving the girl's now weakened body. He felt something press back against his hand; he raised a curious brow and removed the cloth. The bleeding had stopped and in the whole was a small black nub, signaling the growth of a tail.

Kaori looked on, too stunned to really do much. Sesshoumaru turned Kagome's nude body on its side, taking the kimono with it. He looked at the shield on her arm; it was black and unmoving. He pulled the girl's body onto his, she was shivering violently now.

"Kaori," he said gaining the stilled attention of the woman beside him, "I will need you to pull on her tail." He said. She looked shocked and disturbed to say the least, having never being asked to do something like that.

"But milord, that's a cruel thing to do," she stuttered

"It is the only way for her transformation to be complete and her youki to dissolve." He explained patiently.

"Transformation? Mi-lord I must object, it will only hurt her more than letting it grow," she protested.

He sighed slightly, tightening his hold on the shaking girl. "Her pain will cease if it is pulled out. The quicker the deed is done, the quicker she can regain her strength and be back to the way she was," he said

With a deep sigh of her own, Kaori nodded, acquiescing to her lord's wish. She held onto the slippery tuft of furry skin and pulled on it. The act brought a scream on pain from the ex-miko's lips. Sesshoumaru held her closer to his bare chest, having not replaced his haori from his practice. He felt her hot tears sliding down his front and felt the movement of her lips, parting to allow her teeth to affix itself onto her bottom lip. Her sharp canines grazed his flesh, sending an unwanted shiver of delight up his spine.

Kaori continued to pull, the appendage, slowly releasing itself from the girl's body. It was slick and dripping with blood. She had never seen something like this happen before so she was still in a daze. She pulled again and again until the slick rope was a little over a foot long. It pulled itself from her grip and stopped on the ground, having lost her momentum, the blonde demoness fell backwards on her butt.

Kagome sniffled shakily, the pain was going away, slowly but it was still leaving her body. She opened her misty blue eyes and saw flawless skin. Her breath hitched as she blinked. She looked up slowly, following the contours of the chest to see Sesshoumaru looking down at her, concern flooding his normally bitter golden irises.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, surprising all present, even himself. She only nodded lightly not trusting her voice. She shifted slightly, before noticing her lack of clothing. She blushed fiercely and looked away. "Kaori," she heard him say. The rumble of his voice vibrating his chest cavity and her face. "Retrieve a sleeping yukatta for Kagome to wear,"

"Yes milord," she heard Kaori behind her scuttle up and leave. She was now alone and naked with a bare-chested youkai. A youkai she had begun to lust over to make matters worse. Her blush never ceased as he lifted her effortlessly and lowered her, furisode and all, into the spring. Before raising himself.

Gathering up her courage, she reached out and grabbed his hakama, he paused and looked back at her, confusion etched on his face. "T-thank you," she got out, "For, for everything" he nodded in reply and she let go of his clothing. He turned to leave and she turned to rewash herself. He neared the door and heard her sharp intake of air; he looked back and saw her sliding lifelessly into the water. He sped to her limp form and snatched her out of the pool with a sigh. It was then he noticed, after cradling her form to his, that she had no covering.

A faint hint of a blush powdered his cheeks as he realized that he could not remove his eyes from her skin. It repulsed him at the pervert he was being, but disgusted him even more when he realized that he liked being a pervert at the moment. She was beautiful; her skin was unblemished, save for the twin diagonal stripes going across her. She had soft curves and firm round breasts. Her muscles were firm and they conformed well into the body. Her pink nipples were perked, reacting to the change of temperature, and her equally pink lips, which had four identical puncture marks, which were red, were parted faintly. He looked away finally as he felt his member growing. He needed to stop these thoughts about the demoness in his arms. She was his friend after all.

He sighed inwardly and looked at her face, she was beautiful and unmarked. Did he just want her as a friend? Or more?

The door slid back revealing Kaori with a pale green sleeping cloth for the passed out demoness to wear. The demoness noticed the lingering traces of a blush on her lord's countenance and inwardly smiled. She, with the help of Sesshoumaru, placed the yukatta on the younger female's body then left to gather the healing supplies. Sesshoumaru left the bathing house with his parcel in hand. She shifted slightly in her sleep, nestling her face back onto his chest. He felt the deep intake of air from her and then the sigh that followed. A small uplifting of his mouth was the only show of a smile on his face. He stepped into her room, noticing that it still smelt heavily of her youki but not so much anymore, and that the small puddle of blood that she had been lying in was gone. He placed her on the bed and turned down the covers before shifting her into what he deemed a comfortable position and covered her. He left the dark room and slid the door close.

Kagome awoke to see Kaori in her usual position by her bed. She sat up and yawned with the catlike grace befitting her species. Her pink tongue darted out of her mouth and licked her now healed lips. Kagome sighed contently and rubbed her eyes sleepily. She mumbled her greetings to Kaori as the woman raided the wardrobe for something for the sleepy demoness to wear.

Kagome got out of the bed mechanically and allowed Kaori to take off the yukatta she had on and replace it with a furisode. She felt groggy, and had a slight burn in her lower back. She jumped slightly when she felt something brush her leg, she looked behind her but only found a grinning Kaori, her face contorted into the epitome of confusion.

Kaori only grinned brighter, and began ripping a small tear in the back of the fabric. Kagome's back stiffened when she felt the other woman's hand on her back, but it wasn't on her back. It felt like an extension of her back, whatever it was she didn't like Kaori touching it. She felt the thing slide through the tear and let out a breath when Kaori let go. Looking behind her once again, she saw a black rope-looking thing swishing lightly.

She blinked once.

Twice.

Thrice, then raised a perfect eyebrow.

She had a tail?

"You grew it last night Kagome-san" Kaori said seeing the blank look in the girl's eyes. Kagome swallowed, she had a tail.

"O-okay," she said hesitantly, still not wanting to believe that she had a tail.

"Shall we go to the dining hall then?"

"Yes, lets go, I'm hungry" the girl announced.

Sesshoumaru paced his study, deep in thought. Kagome's transformation was complete, and by the looks of it, she was powerful. He was never one to let power go to waste, but he did not want her to be on the battlefield. Yes she could become a valuable asset to the west, but there was also the factor that Naraku could have some power over her still.

He sighed heavily as he inwardly battled whether he should let her be trained or not. In reality, he was being a hypocrite; he had a female general and a female knight working under him, so why was he so quick to deny her request of training?

Originally, his reasoning had been that he didn't trust her enough. She had been quick to argue with his answer, thus giving him reason to think she was, in some way, mentally tied to the hanyou. But now, seeing her as she is, he knew she was free from him. But what was stopping him from making this decision now?

He didn't want her hurt. That was his reason. But why did he care if she was injured or not? Was it that he cared more for the little spitfire demoness than he cared to admit? He shook his head at the thought. Impossible.

No it wasn't impossible, just improbable.

He sighed again and ran his hand irritably through his hair; his train of thought was getting him nowhere. He looked out the wall window to see the object of his frustration walking serenely to this tower for her classes, her newly acquired tail swishing languidly behind her. He noticed the sad and longing look upon her beautiful face and scowled.

She was unhappy with the classes, that much he could deduce, but she was doing well, save for the garden incident. Her scent of watermelons and frost hit him full force as he heard her leave the stairs on the library landing below his. It was enthralling even from this distance. Though she was doing well, the prospect her being a courtier just didn't suit her. She didn't look the type to be submissive at all, if her attacks on his person while she was human and protecting his brother was anything to go by.

Maybe he should let her have a lesson, just to see what she could do and if it would be worth it at all to continue training her. The demon lord sighed, he had come to one decision, and maybe he could get some work done now.

The garden at dusk was beautiful, the fading sun casting the beautiful colors into the sky and the emerging moon shining her pale beams onto the earth-life, making all glow beautifully.

That was how Kagome found the main garden after dinner. She sighed happily as she took in the beauty. The air was cold and charged from the storm the night before, and the grass was still slightly damp. With a giddy grin plastered onto her face, she sat in a fetal position on the last step, watching the last of the sunset.

Sesshoumaru followed the girl's familiar scent to the garden, where he found her sitting by the step watching the sun fall below the trees wistfully. He stood behind her and watched how she tensed and slowly looked up at him. His brow arched in amusement as a blush stole on her cheeks.

Kagome bolted up at the sight of him, she smiled embarrassed that he had caught her out here again; she probably wasn't allowed to sit like that.

"Good evening Kagome, how was your meal?" he greeted looking straight into her azure pools of emotion.

"Good evening Sesshoumaru-san, my meal was lovely, thank you for asking," he nodded, tearing his gaze from hers, he looked up into the sky instead thinking of how to approach to topic. She inhaled deeply in front of him; she too was once again focusing on the sky, taking in the scents around her and committing them to memory. Both stood in relaxed quiet for a while.

When the last of the sun disappeared, Kagome turned once again to the demon behind her, bowed and began to leave. He shot out his arm to prevent her departure. She looked at him quizzically, raising a brow.

"I wish to speak with you," he explained, she nodded and waited. "I have decided to give the idea of your training a chance." He paused and watched as she smiled brilliantly at him, lighting up her whole face. "You will have one lesson in the morrow instead of your session in the library. That is if you still want to learn," he added as an after thought. He was so focused on her smile and the fact that it was directed at him, that he did not notice when she moved to embrace him. All he felt was her body pressed against him, in what would, for a human, be a bone-crushing hug.

She was mumbling her thanks into his chest, and he noticed that that was the fourth time she had voluntarily nuzzled his chest in two nights, he was beginning the think she liked it there. The thought brought a small smirk on his face.

"You only have one chance to prove your worthiness of this challenge," he said when she had let him go, blushing like mad, "Make it count," he watched her as she nodded before bowing shallowly and scampering off gracefully.

okadies new chapter up, sorry for the wait but I hope that this makes it up in anyway n.n

I doubt whether \i'd get one up by new years because…well, remember those exams im doing over, well the test date is on the third of January so I have to spend my after Christmas at Math Bootcamp…literally, three full days of pure and unadulterated mathematics….(sarcastically: I can hardly wait)

ive already done two..one more to go!!!

So yes chickadees, enjoy your holidays!! And have fun for the two of us! .