Night Dance
Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Inuyasha or it's characters.
Chapter 11
The sun stretched its warmth across the Fuedal Era, brightening the crisp morning. Animals emerged from the forest and happily went on with the beautiful day ahead. Its beauty however, was lost amongst a certain group of travellers.
The tense atmosphere clung at Kagome and smothered her like a blanket snuffing a fire. No one had spoken much since her and Sesshoumaru had arrived back at camp the night before. Sango and Miroku had shot her apologetic looks before saying a quick goodnight and laying down for the night, keeping their distance from the intimidating companion that never strayed too far from her person. Even Shippo, had taken to sleeping away from her. Kagome couldn't remember the last time he had slept somewhere besides in her sleeping bag.
The actions of her friends hurt her, but she knew she couldn't really blame them. While it hadn't been intentional, she had still landed herself in this position. She knew they would be willing to hear her out, when the time came and when she was ready as well.
She hadn't bothered to ask where Inuyasha was, noticing his absence immediately.
She could understand why he wasn't there. Everyone knew how Inuyasha felt about Sesshoumaru, her more so than anyone. To find out your best friend had agreed to marry, or 'mate', one of your enemies was probably far too difficult and it pained her to think she had caused him any grief. He'd been through so much already in his life and she had promised she would be there for him, to stay by his side no matter what. Not turn on him with his brother as an accomplice.
Sesshoumaru.
His name shot through her mind, successfully reminding her of what had transpired between them once more. She couldn't quite process the thought, it all seemed like a really bad joke.
The cold-hearted Lord of the Western Lands, half brother of the man she had been in love with since she had first fallen down the well, had claimed her and wanted her to mate with him. The very demon who claimed to hate humans, was now willing to tie himself to one forever?
It made no sense. She could remember countless times that he had bashed her race, looked down on her for being born as what she was. He blamed the fate of his father on him falling in love with a human, and that it was Izayoi who had caused him to meet such a terrible end. He had distanced himself from Inuyasha, and taunted him relentlessly for years about his half demon blood and heritage. Allowing him and his mother to be banished and ostracized simply because of circumstances that were beyond their control.
Kagome felt her anger rising. How was she expected to be with someone who looked down on her simply for being human? It's not like she thought poorly of him just because he was a demon! The thought made her laugh at the sheer stupidity of it all, the curious glances of her friends turning towards her at the outburst.
Ever since the first moment she had laid eyes on Sesshoumaru, he had been cold, calculating, vicious and ruthless. He held no regard for human life, even demon life, depending on the day. Most of the time he was monotonous and stoic, and completely lacking in the 'affectionate' department. Then there was his behaviour, I mean did he know what it was like to live without thinking everything through so… thoroughly?
She pinched the bridge of her nose, fighting off a headache. Yet even as she listed off everything that was wrong with Sesshoumaru, she knew he wasn't as terrible as she was trying to make him out to be.
Over the years, she could see the difference in him now. It was gradual and far from him transforming into a soft and gentle demon, but it was still there. She knew Rin had been a large part of that. The little girl had changed his demeanour slightly, made him see things in a different way, including humans.
When she had first met him, he had tried to kill her with his poison claws, simply because she had been the one to draw Tetsusaiga from its resting place. He had done so without any second thought. She knew that for him, ending someone's life was as easy as blinking and just as quick.
And while he had attempted to end her life, he had also saved it, on more than one occasion.
During their encounter with a member of the Band of Seven, Mukotsu, a miasma of toxic fumes had paralyzed her and her friends. The poison user had come close to taking her life that day. She remembered the burning feeling in her lungs as they tried desperately to draw in the air that he was keeping from her as he strangled her. As her vision began to blur, she'd fallen to the floor, finally drawing in air as she watched a bright green flash illuminate the area.
The relief had flooded her as she witnessed Mukotsu collapse, but instead of Inuyasha standing before her, it had been Sesshoumaru…
Kagome focused on drawing air into her lungs, the poison slowly dissipating with each breath that she drew. Voices reached her ears and it took her a moment to place them.
"Kagome!"
"They all look like they're dead!"
Recognition slowly hit her and she realized they belonged to none other than Shippo and Inuyasha. She tried to lift her head from the floor of the dingy hut, but the effort it took nearly sent her over the edge. She could feel her body failing her, begging for the rest it so desperately needed.
The sound of shuffling was heard before Inuyasha's voice loudly rang around her.
"What did you do to them, Sesshoumaru!?"
The accusatory tone in his voice made it all too clear he believed that his brother was to blame for their current state. She knew it looked bad, especially since Mukotsu was now nowhere to be seen. She knew she couldn't allow Sesshoumaru to take the blame for this, since they might have be in a very different scenario were it not for his interference. Whether she liked him or not, she owed him.
Using the better part of the little strength she had, she raised herself onto her arms, fighting the urge to close her eyes and give in to her body's demands. "No!" she called out weakly. Her voice shaking from the strain.
"It's not what it looks like. Sesshoumaru saved us!"
Looking up to her friend, she struggled to catch his eyes fully, the pain in her throat was tremendous. She could see the shock in his eyes at her words. Inuyasha opened his mouth to reply to her when a voice interrupted him.
"No, I didn't save you. He couldn't answer my question so I got rid of him. Simple as that."
Kagome rolled her eyes. Did he actually believe anyone would fall for that? If anything, he should have allowed Mukotsu to kill them all before interrogating the demon for answers, not before. His lie hadn't fooled her.
Since he had joined their group, Kagome found she noticed things about him, small actions that clued her in to how he really felt, even when he wouldn't say it. The times that he wouldn't say anything, the answer could be found in his eyes. Though he made an impressive facade most of the time, she noticed he was fairly easy to read if you used everything you knew about him. It was the kind of knowledge that only came with being close to the demon for so long, a privilege she knew not many were granted with.
She remembered watching how Sesshoumaru acted with Rin, back when they had stayed in his castle. He was good with her. There was no force or awkwardness to their interactions as one might assume. He never over-indulged the child and she never asked for more than he was willing to give. She needed attention, as a child it was understandable, and he granted it to her by listening to her stories of picking flowers or tormenting Jaken.
In his own way, he was affectionate and almost loving towards her. The same way a father loved a daughter, he cared for her and protected her to the best of his abilities at all times.
Kagome sighed. Was that enough for her though? Would she be happy living out the rest of her years waiting for those small, rare moments?
"It would be best to set up camp for the night. We'll reach Koga's den early tomorrow," The commanding voice of Miroku reached her ears. Everyone nodded in agreement and began their regular routine. Kagome slid her bag from her shoulders and proceeded to rummage through its contents.
"Miko."
Her hands stilled immediately and she cursed the flutter in her chest as he addressed her. Turning slowly to face him, she avoided making eye contact.
"Come," he instructed before turning and walking into the forest behind him.
Kagome gulped down her nervousness before standing and following his lead. The warmth spread across her face as she tried to will her heart to calm down. She'd been fairly vigilant in avoiding him since their last…encounter. She knew she was being a coward, that she should try and resolve the problem rather than hiding from it, but she couldn't force herself to do it.
She didn't know what to say! Or how to even act with him now for that matter.
Nearly tripping over a fallen branch, she entered the secluded clearing as he stood in front of her expectantly. Kagome wrung her hands together, she knew she probably reeked of anxiety but she couldn't help it now. She waited for him to say something, staring everywhere but at him.
After a few moments of silence, she couldn't take it anymore.
"You wanted to see me?" she supplied, fascinated by the number of leaves on a particular tree.
"Explain."
She paused in her counting. "Explain what?"
At his silence, she reflexively turned to look at him, meeting his gaze for the first time. Her heart skipped another beat. It was no secret that Sesshoumaru was a good looking demon, and to have his focus completely on her, she found she couldn't quite handle the attention.
God, what was wrong with her!? She had Hojo chasing after her for years, Koga telling anyone who would listen that she was his woman, why was this any different? It was infuriating to think he had this much control over her!
"That, miko, is precisely what this Sesshoumaru speaks of. Your emotions have been chaotic since our departure." His eyes narrowed slightly, studying her every move.
She'd forgotten about the mood sensing thing.
A huff escaped her. "Yeah well, humans do have a wide spectrum of emotions. You should try a couple out sometime." she commented hotly.
Kagome's mood was turning sour quickly. It was bad enough that she had been chained to an unfeeling icicle for the rest of her life, now she didn't even have any privacy when it came to her own emotions?
She felt like she was losing control and being pushed in a direction she didn't want to go. Like she was merely following commands when it came to deciding her fate, and it agitated her beyond anything she had ever felt. No one or nothing was going to decide her life for her but her.
This has gone on long enough.
"Look Sesshoumaru, I can't do this," she stated. "I won't, actually."
His eyes narrowed further, pinning her with a deadly stare.
"Don't glare at me! You know this is ridiculous, you have to understand that. We are completely different in every sense, we would just end up killing each other." she reasoned.
Kagome could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins, her limbs shaking from the surge of energy. She didn't know how this was going to go or how he was going to react, but she was sure it wouldn't be pleasant.
A rush of anger hit her suddenly and she knew it wasn't her doing.
"I will not be refused, miko."
The coldness in his voice gave her chills, but she wasn't about to back down.
"You will because I just did!"
She turned to walk away from him but then stopped.
"Ya know you can't just order people to do what you want all the time! You don't own everything Sesshoumaru, especially not me. Not once have you asked how I felt or what I thought, you think you can just bark out commands and expect me to obey? That may be how some women want to live their lives, falling in love with a tyrant, following three steps behind and speaking only when spoken to but it certainly isn't how I plan on doing it and you're delusional if you think I'd ever agree to such a thing!"
She stormed through the trees, not giving a damn if he followed or not. Low branches snagged at her legs and clothing but she didn't notice. As she reached her friends, Kagome roughly grabbed her things and began making supper, expecting the enraged dog to come barreling out of the trees at any moment.
He never did. Time passed well into the night and there was no sign of him anywhere.
Good! About time it sunk into that thick skull of his.
Kagome allowed the fact that he wasn't contesting to sink in as she pulled up the covers of her makeshift bed. Had she done it then? Had she driven him off? Or was this a bad thing that he wasn't here?
The thought worried her slightly.
She'd proven her point and made it clear to the overbearing demon that she was not to be taken lightly and refused to be claimed like a piece of property. It should have felt great to accomplish such a seemingly impossible task against someone as powerful as Sesshoumaru…
But it didn't.
—
Two things were very clear the following morning. One, Sesshoumaru still hadn't come back.
Two, Kagome hadn't slept at all throughout the night so everyone in the group was paying the price. She had tossed and turned all night with images of a silver-haired demon plaguing her. The tired miko had all but bitten Miroku's head off when he asked what the plan was and where they were headed. It was a question Kagome neither wanted to be asked, nor a question she had an answer to.
Without Sesshoumaru in their group, it really didn't make sense to go to Koga's Den. The meeting was between the Lord's of the land and never really involved her to begin with. It wasn't her business to muddle around in politics of the Fuedal Era anyway.
If she was truly honest, she knew she didn't want to cross paths with Sesshoumaru again. The thought made her cringe. She couldn't say she was too put out about missing a run in with Koga either, especially after their last encounter with the wolf demon. All his strange talk about taking what was…
"Oh, well thats just great!" she groaned as she strapped up her bag, realization hitting her. That had to be why he was acting so odd last time, Koga smelled Sesshoumaru's scent marking on me!
"Stupid demons," she muttered to herself as she adjusted the back pack on her shoulders.
The jingling of rings caught her attention as the Miroku appeared next to her, though far enough away from striking distance should his friends' temper flare again.
"Did you say something, Kagome?" he asked cautiously, an overly concerned expression plastered on his face.
She mulled over her new found information and lifted her head, deciding on a course of action.
"We should head North, I heard from some villagers a while back saying there was some sort of demonic disturbance so I think we should check it out. What do you think?" she asked, congratulating herself on the impressive white lie.
Kagome was done dealing with overgrown, male, egotistical demons and she knew that it would only cause more problems if she were to go see Koga. Problems were definitely not something she needed more of at the moment.
"We're not going to the wolf den then?" Sango asked innocently.
Clearing her throat, Kagome tried to remain neutral.
"There's really no need for that, besides, I'd feel awful knowing those people needed us and we did nothing to help out. Koga will just have to wait until another time."
Another time being never
She watched her friend nod to agree with her but then stop. "Something tells me that Koga isn't going to wait."
Kagome looked at her friend quizzically. "Why do you say that?" She watched as Sango focused her attention on something over her shoulder. Turning to her left and following her friend's gaze, she felt her stomach drop.
A swirling cyclone was barreling towards them, and fast.
Kagome moaned dejectedly. It was a mere few seconds before the twister was upon them and then dissipated, a familiar wolf demon emerging from the core of the storm.
"Hey, Kagome," he welcomed as usual, a toothy grin etched into his features. "Finally told dog breath to take a hike I see." he said, walking towards her. As expected, he reached down and grasped both her hands in his own.
"Well, sorta." she replied, wishing he would let go already. She noted how her friends were keeping their distance from the pair, leaving her out to dry. Cowards!
"I knew it, dog boy was living in a fantasy," he continued. "Must have realized he was out of line after all."
Kagome let a sigh escape her. He sure thinks highly of himself.
"Wait," she said, realizing what he just said. "What do you mean out of line?"
Koga let go of her hands to cross his arms over his chest. "It's obvious, he knew I claimed you before he did. He had no choice but to back down like a good little dog. Don't worry Kagome, I already covered his filthy scent with mine again."
His words confused her. He''d only just gotten here, how on earth could he have possibly…? "What do you mean you already covered his scent with yours?"
"That stench mark he has placed on your wrists, took care of that as soon as possible, just as I always do when I run into you." he claimed proudly.
Kagome let it sink in for a minute before she realized what he meant.
He had grabbed her hands! He always did, every time their paths crossed. She was used to it now from the many times he'd greeted her as such, but now she realized why. He had been scent marking her too! Each and every time, he had been marking her, even when she told him she wasn't his woman.
That's it!
"Look Koga," she started, trying to reign in her temper and let him down gently. "I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I can't accept your offer."
There, direct and to the point.
The wolf demon stared at her, taken aback by her statement. "What? You're saying that, that you reject my claim?" he asked incredulously. This wasn't at all what he had been expecting!
Nodding her head once, she spoke again, using his own words against him. "I reject your claim, Koga."
She could see the hurt in his eyes and immediately the regret flooded her. He may be a little rough around the edges and hard headed, but he was still a good guy, deep down. She knew she had to do this though, there was no way around it.
"I'm sorry." she apologized sincerely.
Koga cleared his throat and nodded his head. "It's fine, Kagome. I kinda figured it would happen sooner or later," he admitted. "At least I know that mutt went through the same rejection." he stated, somehow perking up at the news.
She laughed lightly, baffled by his upbeat attitude despite the circumstances. "Well not the exact same, but more or less."
Koga stared at her with a weird expression. "You told him you rejected his claim?"
"Yeah, why?" Kagome stared at him, confused by the show of interest.
The wolf demon ignored her questioned, instead asking her another. "Did you say that exactly?"
She felt her friends approaching then, their curiosity piqued by the change in topic. Crossing her arms over her chest, she felt her temper rising once more. What on earth did it matter? "Well, no, I don't remember what I said exactly."
Koga clenched his fist and scowled. "Clever, mutt. Very clever."
Sango stepped closer to her friend, interjecting. "Koga, what is going on?"
He looked at the slayer momentarily before focusing on Kagome. "Courting claims are extremely official matters," he explained. "They are initiated, completed and terminated in very specific procedures."
Kagome nodded. "An offering must be made and accepted in order to initiate the courting, right?" she asked, earning a nod from the wolf demon.
"Wait a minute, then what did you offer to Kagome to claim her, Koga?" Shippo asked innocently.
The wolf grinned at the question. "I offered her a fully matured boar shortly after she helped you escape from my pack mates." he claimed proudly. Kagome remembered the event well, they had been trying to get away from Koga's pack after he had kidnapped her. She'd managed to get Shippo away from them by throwing him over the cliff, allowing him to transform into his pink balloon form.
"Koga, you threw the boar on one of your own pack mates to stop him from attacking me." she stated.
Looking away from her, he brushed off her comment, now embarrassed.
"The courting is completed, when the two join together physically and mark their intended." he continued.
Miroku, who covered Shippo's ears, voiced his question. "How exactly are the intended marked?" he asked.
Koga once more crossed his arms over his chest. "The demon's bite their mates on the junction between the shoulder and neck. That mark symbolizes the claim shared between them." he explained, speaking almost directly to Kagome now.
"Okay, so how exactly is a claim rejected, or terminated?" she asked, a feeling of dread filling her slowly.
Koga's blue eyes stared directly into her brown ones. "Exactly how you just rejected mine."
She blinked. "I did!" she said, confused about what she wasn't understanding.
"Kagome, it has to be refused properly, you have to say you reject his claim. He knows that and used it against you, he played you so that he could maintain his claim over you." Koga explained, trying to make her see what she could not.
A hand on her shoulder drew her attention to Miroku. "Kagome what exactly happened when you rejected Sesshoumaru?"
She thought for a moment, combing through her memory to remember the event accurately. "Well, I was yelling at him. I was trying to tell him it wouldn't work between us," she recalled. "He said he wouldn't be refused and I said…oh." she stopped.
"What is it, Kagome?" asked Sango. "What did you say?"
She looked to her friend and then to Koga. "You will because I just did." she stated, suddenly realizing her mistake. She never actually said she rejected his claim. 'I reject your claim, Sesshoumaru.' That was what she should have said, what she needed to say to break the bond.
Koga shook his head. "That bastard, he said that on purpose just so you couldn't say the words yourself."
Kagome didn't know what to say. He'd tricked her! Knowingly manipulated her to his advantage.
The voice of her kit piped up. "What does this mean, Kagome?" he asked innocently, not understanding as quickly as everyone else.
"It means, pup," Koga responded for the shocked miko. "That she is still being courted by Sesshoumaru."
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