Instincts

Kagome dug her fingers into the soft white fur and curled deeper into the mokomoko. Burying her face in the fur she enjoyed the slight tingle of the familiar youkai against her skin. It was so soft and comforting that she quite forgot where she was and what had just happened. It took her a full five minutes to fully comprehend what she was doing and the moment she did, she sat up with a start and pushed the white fur away from herself.

She noticed Sesshomaru watching her with a guarded gaze, and she blushed. She gathered his mokomoko and held it out to him, "T-thank you." She managed to stutter after a few unsuccessful tries. She was so flustered that her words refused to link together into coherent sentences.

"It's cold." He said. For the first time in days Kagome could not read anything in his voice beyond his usual careful detachment.

She pushed the furs further towards him, "No, no. I am fine. Thank you." She was careful to avoid his eyes.

Sesshomaru wordlessly took his mokomoko and they fell into yet another awkward silence. Kagome twisted her hands in her lap. It was getting worse and worse. For every inappropriate thought about the daiyoukai she forced out of her mind, five more found their way in. She could still feel the softness of his furs draped around her, and still hear their easy laughs from the previous world where they had no inhibitions. She had never gotten the image of him standing in the hot springs out of her mind and waking up to his mokomoko had only served to reinforce that image. She hated herself for having these feeling for Sesshomaru of all people. She knew it was wrong; he was Inuyasha's brother and the two had made their dislike for each other more than clear. Although she had turned down Inuyasha's offer to be his mate, he was still her best friend and she could not hurt him this way.

He could feel her losing control over her reiki again but he said nothing and allowed the silence to drag on. He had always enjoyed quiet, but something about this silence was unsettling and made it difficult for him to think let alone clear his mind, but at the same time he did not know how to break it.

She had barely gathered herself when the ground beneath them began to tilt again. Kagome scrambled to her feet and grabbed her bow and arrows before they could slip down and off the cliff. Sesshomaru reached out for her but before he could grab her hand an irritatingly familiar snake youkai struck the ground between them, cracking the rock and sending Kagome sliding further downwards. Her fingers grasped for anything to hold onto but the rock was too smooth and the small protruding edges she managed to find broke off under her weight.

Sesshomaru looked at the snake, its eyes were trained on the miko, its massive head weaved side to side almost hypnotically as it assessed the best angle from which to strike. Kagome was slipping. The daiyoukai let out a low, almost feral growl before abandoning his target and rushing towards Kagome. He reached her just before the snake struck the ground where she had been. The whole cliff was turning over and with no other choice, Sesshomaru allowed both he and Kagome to be knocked off and they went sailing down into the chasm.

He felt a vague sense of panic wash over him as he tried to fly but found himself unable to. He was being pulled down and away. They both fought to hold onto each other, but some force reminiscent of the reiki that surrounded the world was forcing them apart. It forced her arrows out of her hand and actively repelled the daiyoukai so any effort he made to hold onto her was futile. He could feel a rage like no other welling up inside of him, his inner beast tugged so ferociously at its mental chains that he thought he was going to lose control. If he was separated from his miko, he would tear the whole entrapment apart if that was what it took to find her again. Then he would find who was in charge and make them regret having ever crossed him.

"Sesshomaru!" He could hear her voice in the distance as she was pulled farther and farther away from him. Her arrows stayed with him, whilst she was forced far away on her own. He stretched his youki through the rushing wind of the chasm and found her reiki stretching out for him as well. He needed to hold onto her somehow. Sesshomaru would never say so out loud, but he needed her close and safe almost like he needed to breathe.

When their two auras met gold and pink spark sputtered briefly and died. The sudden loss of resistance sent their aura spiralling past each other so forcefully that before he could pull back his youki reached inside her and her reiki inside him, in a moment of intimacy so profound it paralysed his thoughts. They saw into each other's true nature; parts that might be hidden even from themselves, opened up to the other.

Kagome hit the ground hard. She felt the wind knocked out of her lungs and her brain hit the back of her skull. Magenta and green spots danced before her eyes as she struggled to stand up. She felt as though the ground was still tilting and after staggering back and forth, she collapsed to the ground again. Her head was spinning and her vision was fading in and out with the spots periodically replaced by nothing but darkness. She lowered her head and blinked rapidly as she tried to restore her vision. There was also the question of Sesshomaru, but the idea of being separated from him was more that she was willing to bear so Kagome simply contented herself with the fact that she could feel him on the edge of her senses and focused instead of recovering.

After a few minutes her vision cleared and she was able to stand up although the ground still swayed slightly. Sesshomaru still had not shown up but she could feel him nearby. Kagome stepped forward carefully; her vision was still swimming and the last thing she wanted to do was fall down again. "Sesshomaru?" She walked forwards even further and then looked around. No sign of the daiyoukai. She could feel her heart slamming against her ribcage. As her balance steadied she began to run, searching for him. She refused to believe that she had lost him.

Her leg burned. Her lungs, not having quite recovered from the impact of her fall, struggled to take in the deep breath needed for her physical exertion, but she forced herself to keep running, keep searching. One way or another, she was going to find him and there was no question about that.

The ground beneath her shook and she fell over. She was standing up again when she heard a howl that caused her blood to freeze in her veins. "Sesshomaru?" She said in a small, hopeful voice.

An enormous brown wolf burst through the trees. It fixed its blood-red eyes on her and growled a deep, threatening growl.

No arrows, no Sesshomaru. Kagome turned and ran.

In two steps the wolf was over her. She desperately began to gather her reiki around her. It placed a heavy paw on her chest and she let her reiki loose in a violent burst of pink light. The wolf howled in pain and quickly withdrew it's now burned leg. It glared at her with even angrier red eyes, its lips curling to reveal fangs almost as big as her. She scrambled backwards. She was not as exhausted from releasing her reiki as she had been the first time she had done so, but she was still too tired to do it again.

The wolf, sensing her tiredness, inched towards her.

….

Sesshomaru felt his fall slow, and then gradually stop. The first thing he noticed were the hundreds of orbs floating around him. Reaching out for the nearest one, he pulled it closer to him and inspected it. Inside he could see a lesser wolf demon pacing a clearing restlessly. He let it go and watched as it slowly drifted back into place. So those where the worlds he had been trapped in and moved between upon the completion of some task. He looked around him; there was a stairway a ways ahead and hundreds of orbs around him. Somehow, he must have 'fallen' out.

He looked to the stairs, and then back to the orbs. His claws itched for the person who had trapped him, but he could not bring himself to move ahead without Kagome.

He knew where she was even without searching. He could feel her and simply had to trust his instincts to lead him to her. From the moment he had touched his soul and she had bared it to him, he would always know where she was. He was certain that even though they were separated by this strange magic, she could feel him as well. Pulling the orb containing his miko towards him, he peered into it and what he saw caused his blood to boil.

His eyes bled red and he struck the orb with his elongated claws. He could feel the reiki around it resisting him, but he continued. He pushed forth his youki, demanding that the spell break. Each step the wolf took towards pushed his to use more force until purple and gold sparks flew. He kept digging his claws in with all his strength, willing the spell to break.

…

Kagome yelped and used her arm to shield her face as purple and gold spark rained down from the sky. A gold and purple aurora cut the sky in two and for a moment she forgot about the wolf hunting her down. A loud howl pulled her back into reality and she scurried away even farther.

The wolf howled again, but this time instead of fear all it elicited in her was an intense pity. The wolf led out another pained howl and whimpered as it backed away. It snapped it the air, dug its claws into the soil and contorted its body as it growled, whined, and howled. If she did not know better, she would think the wolf way fighting itself.

She took a cautious step backwards as the wolf's blue aura began to swirl around it. She could see wisps of purple around the aura, as though it were trying to contain the demon's youki. The realisation slowly dawned on her; it was tainted reiki. Some dark priest or priestess had found a way to control the demon and now that it was trying to fight back, the dark reiki was purifying its youki.

"One day I will get myself killed." She muttered under her breath as she cautiously made her way towards the wolf. It was digging its claws into the soil, its whimpers growing more heart wrenching as the reiki fought to purify it. She reached out and grabbed a handful of brown fur. If the wolf noticed her, it was in too much pain to acknowledge her presence. Kagome reached deep and scraped together the last bit of reiki she could find. Mustering the last of her energy, she wrapped her reiki around all the dark reiki, stretching her day beyond what she knew was possible. She felt almost as though her she was emptying herself.

She could feel herself becoming light-headed from the sheer over exertion but a lower, even more heart wrenching whimper reminded her why she had to press on. She let out a deep breath and with the last of her energy, purified the dark reiki. Once she felt the last of the dark energy dissipating, she allowed herself collapse onto her knees. She was just too tired to continue.

"Miko." A gentle yet undoubtedly strong voice forced her to snap her eyes upwards, a motion which sent her reeling with pain as her brain seemed to explode in her skull. There were two things wrongs with what her eyes were telling her and she did not know whether to try and make sense of the gold and purple lights pulsing in the sky, or to make sense of the dark haired man who was now looking down at her.

"Who are you?" She asked, deciding that knowing whether he was going to hurt her or not was slightly more pressing than the lights dancing above them. She did not even bother trying to stand.

He straightened his posture and fixed his glacial gaze on her. "Gendo, Chief of the Eastern Wolves." He noticed the slight twitch of her eye. "Is there a problem?" He asked, his words were no warmer than his eyes.

"No, no." Kagome waved him off, "It's just I know the Chief of the Eastern Wolves, and his name is Kouga."

Whatever animosity he held for her fell away and his eyes softened into an inviting moss green, "Kouga? He is chief? You know him?"

"Yes, he is one of my friends. You know him as well?" She asked,

"He is my son." The wolf demon said, allowing a soft smile to creep onto his features. When he smiled Kagome saw the resemblance; they had the same strong brows and defiant features. "Is he fine? How is the clan? No, don't answer that. I know he was not ready to take over; he was merely a child, a wild one at that."

Kagome reached out and touched his arm comfortingly. It was a feeling that was now so foreign to him and he let himself, just for a moment, enjoy the company. "Kouga is doing just fine. He married the daughter of the chief of the Northern Wolves." At her words he drew away sharply. There had been a time when he had found humans amusing, and might even have humoured her attempt at sympathy, but that was long before his imprisonment here, long before that priest poisoned his mind and made him, the first wolf daiyoukai, run around like some crazed lower level demon unable to control his own instincts.

Kagome could see the ice in his eyes reforming, "Does he have his markings?" Gendo asked, it sounded as though he was almost challenging her assertion that Kouga was fine.

Kagome looked at the vertical burgundy stripe on each cheek. She shook her head and his reiki flared, hot and angry. He quickly calmed himself.

"What matters is he is alive. I cannot expect a human to know the state of demon affairs."

The way he said the word 'human' annoyed her to no end, but she choose to be the bigger person. "Mindlessly hating humans will never make us go away. I think humans and demons can live perfectly well together, so as a good faith gesture let me tend to your arm." She said reached for his badly burnt left arm. It was raw and held patched of burnt skin.

"The arm you nearly burnt off with your poorly controlled reiki? I would rather you didn't." His words were cold and spiteful again. Whatever goodwill Kouga's name had brought between them was apparently finished and he was back to barely tolerating her continued existence.

"You tried to kill me." Kagome said defensively.

"Not of my own will. A holy human forced me to." His voice grew louder with every words and through his anger she could see Kouga, "I have been trapped here for over three hundred years by one of you 'holy' people, and you expect me to just trust you? What kind of fool are you?"

Kagome forced herself to her feet so she could at least attempt to be eye-level with him. A largely futile attempt given his towering height, but it was the effort that counted. "You do not know me, so you have no right to speak to me like that. I did not know who you were, you had just tried to kill me and yet when I saw you were in pain I helped. Stupid, I know. But doesn't that earn me at least some civility?"

He squared his shoulders and glared at her, "Filth does not deserve anything, you humans are a stain on this earth."

A loud slap reverberated through the valley. She had no idea how she had managed to muster the strength to slap him with such force, but she was glad she had because Kagome refused to be talked down to. Even Sesshomaru had not been so blatantly insulting. "I had nothing left, yet I found it in me to help you. I don't want you to go on your knees thanking me. Must the least you can do, the honourable thing to do, is recognise that I am at least a person." She balled her hands into fists at her side. It was becoming too much for her again. She took a brief moment to bask in the warm reassurance of Sesshomaru's youki pulsing in the sky above her and somehow it energised her.

Gendo stared. No woman, demon or otherwise, had ever dared laid a hand on him outside battle. "Are you mad?" He asked slowly, his curiosity was creeping up on him, "Are you truly that foolish?"

"No, I am that angry." She snapped. She saw him opening his mouth to speak and quickly spoke over him, "If you are going to threaten me, save it. I have quite had enough of them from one taiyoukai, I don't need another harping at me."

His curiosity gripped his forcefully and sank its meddling claws into his mind so he could not shake off the multitude of questions. "Another taiyoukai? I don't see anyone."

"We got separated, " her shoulder slumped and she let herself look as tired as she truly was. She lifted her head up to the sky and sighed, her anger quite forgotten, "I can feel his youkai up there but I have no idea how to get to him. What do I do now?"

"You can feel youkai from this distance?" Gendo asked, his eyes never leaving the tired miko. If she could indeed sense a taiyoukai from so far away, then she was not a priestess to be trifled with.

"Yes, but I can't tell what that other light is. I can also tell that he is really stressed, which is funny because he'd never let it show. I guess that's what happens when you spend so much time together." Her was light, and if he had to guess, he would say she sounded a bit happier when she spoke about this taiyoukai. Gendo narrowed his eyes and for the first time he truly looked at her. Which kind of priestess would bind herself to a youkai? There were humans who would, but a priestess? Never. But what else would explain her ability to feel this taiyoukai, and only him, for so far away and at such a personal level.

"What is this taiyoukai to you? A mate? A potential mate?" He asked. A blunt question, but Gendo had never been one for games.

"What?" Her eyes jumped from the sky to the wolf demon, "No. No. No." She said that, but her cheeks were turning far too red for her to truly mean it. "We are friends. I think, or not. I don't even know, I am probably just a nuisance to him and that's fine. It's not like he's the easiest person to be around either."

There is was. Denial, so much denial on her part. But what irked him more than her denial was that somehow his taiyoukai had managed to form a very intimate bond with her, without her consent and that was exceptionally low and practically barbaric. "So are you just going to stand her or are you going to shoot your reiki up there to see if you can reunite with your long lost taiyoukai? The lonliness must be killing him." He drawled.

Kagome flushed bright red again, "He's not my taiyoukai. And I don't know what you mean, how do I 'shoot' my reiki all that way."

"What do you mean how? You broke that spell over me, a spell I couldn't break, so you are obviously very powerful, and you must be skilled if you can control your reiki so well; I can barely sense it even standing so close to you."

"I just learned how to gather it. Don't judge me." Kagome said defensively. "What is it with you people?"

His mouth fell open slightly, revealing canine that were far too long, "What do you mean you just learned? Are you not trained?"

"No, I am not. Sesshomaru just taught me how to control my reiki."

He froze. He must have heard wrong; he was certain he heard wrong. "What did you say? Are you speaking of Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Right, yes Lord. I keep on forgetting." Her voice was dry and teetering on sarcasm.

Sesshomaru despised humans. There was no way the taiyoukai of the West would bind his soul to a human priestess. And yet, here she was speaking of him with such familiarity, according to her he had even helped her control her powers. "I don't believe you." He said flatly, "Sesshomaru hates humans."

"Not all humans, but probably me." She said half-joking.

"Sesshomaru is not kind enough to help a priestess control her powers." He added. She simply shrugged,

"He just likes to put on airs, but he is not that bad." He flinched at her words but forced himself to remain calm, "How do you know him?" she asked.

Gendo bit on his bottom lip to quell his rage, "I know him because he left my tribe to die."

Kagome stared dumbly, lost for words. She wanted to defend Sesshomaru, assert that he must have had a reason, but what kind of reason could possibly justify that?

"Sit." Gendo's words caught her off guard and she furrowed hr brows in confusion. He lowered himself to the ground and crossed his legs underneath him, "Sit, miko. I am going to teach you a way to stretch your reiki farther than you thought possible, and perhaps we can find a way out of here; I have a few things to finish with you taiyoukai friend."

Kagome obediently lowered herself to the ground. She wanted to say something, anything. But Gendo had this look in his eyes, a look she had seen enough times in Inuyasha and in Kouga, to know that now was not the time to play mediator.

A/N: So I am finally back, I just finished the term and thought I would upload another chapter!