Theft Through Seduction - Plans For Protection

Crouching, she parted the leaves only slightly enough for her to see through. Quietly she watched as the hanyou, the girl, the pup and her target walked away. She had managed to avoid a confrontation with the hanyou and the girl thus far, but it was her luck that they would ruin her plans for the monk. She would never again come across a target what would be so easy to conquer. Seduction would not have been necessary to steal his jewel shards. She knew that the misguided monk had a fondness, even a weakness for women. He may have agreed to give her the shard in exchange for her body, though she never would have kept her end of the bargain,it would have been worth the try. But now, all was lost.

As the monk walked into the forest with his new company, she decided she would be forced to forfeit this one shard. She could not risk the hanyou and girl finding the shards she carried. Though it may have been possible to bring the hanyou under her spell, she could not do it with the girl around. Surely they would find some way to prevent her from reaching her goal. No, a confrontation was not wise. So saying, she lept down from her tree and landed on the ground. There was nothing she could do, not to mention there was nothing to do. There was no sign of a shard any where within her surrounding area. She turned her head to the sky and sighed before heading to the mountain tops. Back to camp for another night of reflection which always brought on headaches.

She walked quickly and quietly, thinking that she should have a nice bath in the hot springs. She deserved it after all, for all the hard work she did. Her feet and legs were sore from her constant walking. And she was so sick of hiding from these pathetic demons and humans. Her hands were scratched from climbing in trees. The constant use of her magic wore her out. Mentally she counted the jewel shards she had, knowing that it was not nearly enough. She cursed the demon responsible for her troubles.

Her concentration was broken by the sound of feet trampling about. She tried to figure out how many as she climbed into the nearest tree. Closing her eyes she masked her scent under the smells of the forest. Slowly her breathing and heartbeat began to decrease. All was necessary in case a demon with heightened senses was nearing. She watched silently from the above trees as a lone demon walked towards her direction. She recognized him almost imediately as one of her victims. Guilt filled her heart, but only for a moment, as she realized she had no choice in her actions. She closed her eyes again and held a closed fist in front of her. Opening her eyes and her hand, she blew the contents in it into the air over the demon.

He lifted his head and sniffed. Her magic took affect quickly and with heavy eyes, he collapsed into a deep sleep. Jumping down from the tree, she stood above him. She reversed her magic so that she would no longer haunt his dreams. She felt sorry for the poor bear demon. Hopefully, he would no longer pursue her. That would be one less demon after her. With one last look, she walked towards the mountains.



A dark figure sat in the middle of a dark room, his eyes closed in concentration as he watched. Watched as his toy hid from yet another demon. Her increasing unpopularity was making it very difficult for her to keep track of shards. Word spread of a girl who traveled by day and by night to seduce any male with a shard in order to steal it. The spells she wove were powerful and long lasting. Each night, her victims were haunted with the agonizing pleasure of having her again and again. But they were only dreams and each awoke without a memory of her face and without a shard. It was a constant reminder of their loss and angered them more. Fueled by revenge, many banned together to hunt for her. None were having any luck.

Despite their misfotunes, they were affecting her work. He watched day in and day out as more and more got closer to her. She was forced into hiding instead of pursuing the next shard holder. The more she hid, the less shards she was able to retrieve. Her magic kept her safe, fortunately, but he was getting sick of waiting on jewel shards. His greed for them increased each day. He felt foolish for not foreseeing the possibility that she could get into trouble. Being a demon himself, he would not take kindly to some lowly human stealing a shard from him. He almost sympathized with the demons, almost. But right now, he needed someone to accompany her on her travels now that any young female who traveled alone was in danger of being captured by a mob of foolish men. Opening his eyes, he sighed with disgust and disappointment.

Who could he find to travel with her? It would have to be a male, but no males will trust her. It would be necessary to find a demon that was convinced that he could not fall under her spells. Still, the demon of his choice could not be too powerful for the girls magic. If worse came to worse, she might need her magic to escape him. This demon would of course have to be considerably powerful to be able to fight off any kind of demon. And perhaps he could figh a demon who would be willing to protect her in exchange for a few jewel shards. He of course have no intention of giving up a single shard, but that would be his little secret.

He sat for a long time and even called upon a few servants to think of a demon who could fit his description. Finally he found the perfect one.



The moon, full and bright, hung high in the air. It was a perfect night to confront him, she thought to herself. The sky was clear and the air was clean. The forest was illuminated by the light of the moon. It really was a beautifully perfect night. She had been trailing him for quite some time, learning what she could about him along the way. She knew enough now to be able to convince him to join her in exchange for jewel shards. But first she would test him. Already sweet smelling jasmine flowers were filling the florest floors. His sensitive nose would pick up the faint smell of a woman in heat. Would he succumb to the magic and dream of the woman who appeared to him, ready and willing? She doubted it, but the test was necessary. Silently she watched from the tallest tree in the forest as he neared her.



"Lord Sesshoumaru, where on earth did all these beautiful flowers come from? They weren't here when we came this way."

Sesshoumaru ignored his ignorant servant who revealed such a minor detail as if he wouldn't have seen it himself. He looked at the ground ahead of him, noticing that it appeared as though more and more flowers were blooming as he continued to walk. What was it, he wondered, that was causing this? Someone, he knew, was purposely controlling these flowers in order to distract him. Something beneath the scent was alluring, but did not seem completely natural. He could faintly detect the scent of something he had yet to identify. Looking up, he quickly swept his gave over the forest. He saw nothing and decteded no form of life that was worth his time. Whom ever was responsible for this would show himself sooner or later and would only find regret for disturbing Sesshoumaru.

"Come Jaken, there is nothing to see here."

Jaken, who had stopped to admire the flowers, quickly bounded toward his lord to catch up. "Yes M'Lord!"



Nothing to see, she thought, a small smile spreading across her lips. She would certainly give him something to see. She knew such a weak trick would not work on him. Sesshoumaru was not someone who would easily succomb to something so trivial. There was more she could and would do before she was satisfied that he was the one she needed.



Heat, he thought, suddenly he found himself the target of a woman in heat. The scent was carefully hidden beneath that of the flowers at first, as if the flowers alone would lead him to search her out. But now it was stronger. It tickled his nostrils, teased him and tried to heat his own blood. He could not tell if it was a demon or human who gave off the scent. That knowledge alone was somewhat alluring. He never cared for the smell a demoness or a human girl gave off when she was in heat. It was entirely too strong and desperate. This scent however, was different. Sweet was the only word Sesshoumaru could use to describe it.

At his side, Jaken looked around quickly. He too could smell the seductive scent of a woman in heat. His eyes began to droop and his body began to feel heavy and hot. He was over come with a a sudden desire to mate. So over come that the first step he took to seek the woman out, was his last, for he collapsed to the ground in a deep sleep.

Sesshoumaru glanced pitfully at his servant, wondering why he allowed such a weak creature to be in his presence. Though he had to use a small amount of effort, Sesshoumaru was able to resist the temprest's scent. He would not allow himself to succumb to the whims of a woman. Her scent became stronger as he realized she approached. She probably assumed that her target was now ready to mate, but he doubted Jaken was what she wanted. Still, it gave him the opportunity to wait and confront her. Hiding behind a tree, he stood silently and looked in the direction he believed she was coming.

Bushes began to rustle. The scent, now stronger than before, remained sweet and more tempting than ever. The flowers too, increased their scent. Had Jaken not succumbed before, he surely would have fell now. The scents seemed to glide all over his body and into his nose, making him shiver along the way. Angry at his body for showing even that small sign of response, he struct the bushes several times with his whip. The flowers wilted away, their scents dying. There was no longer a trace of a woman in heat. Still, the scent of blood did not replace them. Realizing this, he stepped into the clearing when a figure appeared some feet in front of him.

"Well done Lord Sesshoumaru, I am pleased you were able to resist my magic. You passed my test."