And this is where I'm supposed to say the disclaimer, so here it is. I don't own Inu Yasha, but Rumiko Takahashi does. *Sighs* Oh well, I guess I'll just have to settle for writing stories about them. But that just gives you lovely readers more to read (and coughcoughreviewcoughcough). Well, on with the next chapter. I've gotten a request to make my chapters longer, so I will try. I'm also very sorry that it took me so long to update, but I've been sick, and I've had writers-block. Well, enough excuses, on with the story!
Chapter Five
Sesshoumaru looked at the sleeping girl that lay on his bed. He had been up for hours, just staring, as the ritual worked it's magic on her body. There were subtle changes that no one but he could (or would) notice. As the night had grown longer, her skin had grown paler as she slept. Then, just before dawn, it had glowed with renewed life. He smiled. The ritual had worked. He was just getting up to leave, when Kagome stirred. He turned back to look at her. Her eyes, no longer a soft chocolate brown, were now a sort of red-brown, and they shone with a hard, steely light. He smiled inwardly, secretly enjoying the way she looked at him. Her pink lips were parted, as if waiting to be kissed. He held out a hand to her. She looked at it quizzically.
"Take my hand, Kagome, and I will help you up." He instructed softy, though his voice broached no room for any disobedient acts. She tentatively placed her hand in his and was lifted up and out of the massive bed. Sesshoumaru admired her creamy skin as the sheets fell away from her lithe, young body. She was indeed paler, her skin now a soft milky color. He found that he liked her more with pale skin than with the tan she had gotten running around with his hanyou brother. "Now, My pet, I want you to transform into a full youkai for me." He said, coaxing her gently with his voice. She looked at him for a moment, and then nodded.
"As you would have it, Sesshoumaru-sama." She said. And indeed even her voice had changed. It was no longer childlike and carefree, but the voice of a woman of passion. It had a husky quality that played upon Sesshoumaru's unconscious mind. She straightened herself up and spread her arms out, as if embracing a lover. She seemed to shimmer for a moment. Suddenly, it was if she were encompassed by shadows. They flew about her, concealing her. Within moments, the specters dissipated. Sesshoumaru looked upon the transformed Kagome in shock. There was a deep growl in his throat. He knew that something had gone terribly wrong, for her appearance was not what he expected to be. She was not his compliment or equal as a mate. Her ears were now little dog-like tufts that sprang from her lush black hair. At her waist there was a long, luxurious, fluffy black tail. Sesshoumaru snarled inwardly. Kagome looked at him, confused.
"Is…is something wrong, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she queried, her voice breathy. Sesshoumaru grimaced. He quickly regained his composure, as he sensed Kagome looking at him with concern, and possibly a touch of fear. He couldn't even look her in the eyes; he was disgusted with both himself and her. Without another word, he stalked out of the room, slamming the heavy door behind him. Kagome growled low in the throat for a moment, before settling herself back on the bed. Within moment's she was asleep again. Sesshoumaru quietly let himself back in and stared at her sleeping form. A grimace lit his beautiful face.
"What went wrong?" he murmured, "the spell was supposed to make her a full youkai. But not this! Never this!" he spat the last word. "She's a hanyou! A half-breed! What good is the wench to me now!" he raged. Kagome slept on, oblivious to the raging youkai lord. Suddenly, his lips curved into a smile of enlightenment. She might be useful as a hanyou, after all…
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Inu Yasha sped up the trail that led to his brother's holdings. If he continued at his current pace, he would be there by the next evening. Somewhere behind him, a bedraggled Miroku, Sango, and Shippou followed. He felt no sympathy for them; instead he felt intense worry for Kagome. He should have protected her better, but how was he to know that she would be stolen from the very heart of his camp! He turned once, glaring at the weary band of travelers behind him, as if his glare could cause them to speed up. It didn't work. Inu Yasha growled in frustration and slowed his pace to wait for the two humans and the fox kit. After what seemed like an eternity, they caught up with him and he began walking again. They continued this little "game" of tag for hours. Just when Sango, Miroku, and Shippou felt like they were about to die from weariness, Inu Yasha sat down.
"We'll camp here." He announced. "We should be near my brother's holdings somewhere around dusk tomorrow, so get some sleep. We're in for a battle tomorrow. I just hope Kagome's still alive…" he sighed, trailing off. Inu Yasha suddenly turned his face towards the sky. It was just starting to get dark. He looked at the darkening world, and strained to see the stars.
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After the fire of the camp waned, Inu Yasha awakened. He had been drifting in and out of sleep for the past few hours. He turned his head over in Miroku's direction, and noticed that he was still asleep. Quietly he got up and walked out, leaving the camp. He was thinking that he could awaken them. He looked toward the sky. The night sky showed just a sliver of a moon. He was hoping that this would all be over before the 'new moon' took effect. He was going to need all his hanyou strength to defeat Sesshoumaru, and get Kagome back.
"You couldn't sleep too, huh?" – Shippou quietly asked, coming up behind Inu Yasha.
"No. Aren't you supposed to be asleep? Why are you up? We're be getting up early in the morning. I don't want to lose Kagome's scent. We might not even have time to eat. So you need to get all the rest you can so we can continue the chase tomorrow." Inu Yasha said, with quite some feeling. Shippou nodded gravely.
"I miss her too, Inu Yasha. Do you think she's all right?" he asked, his voice heavy with sadness. The young kit's lower lip trembled and his eyes shone bright with unshed tears of worry. Inu Yasha flattened his ears and looked at the young kitsune.
"I don't know. I have a bad feeling that something's happened to her, I just wish I knew if it were true." He sighed, and turned away from Shippou, his voice betraying his attitude. "Go back to the camp, Shippou. We have a hard day ahead, and you'll need your strength, so just…go back to bed." He finished softly. Shippou looked at Inu Yasha for a moment, before nodding and heading back towards camp. Inu Yasha looked up at the stars. They twinkled in the midnight blue sky like unshed tears. As if in a trance, Inu Yasha slowly got up and walked back towards the camp. He would need sleep to, for the long day ahead…
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Kagome was also watching those exact same stars. She stared at the sky as if it were a brand new creation, seeing it for the first time in its infancy. Everything she looked upon was different, but it was also exactly the same. And the smells! The warm breeze that drifted over the balcony brought with it a hundred different aromas, all new and exciting to Kagome. Suddenly, she heard a sound from behind her. Whirling about, she saw Lord Sesshoumaru approaching. She turned and bowed to him, casting her eyes downwards.
Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome the hanyou. He stepped forth, drawing closer to the bowing figure before him. He slowly brought his hand to her face, lifting her head up by the chin and averting her gaze from the floor to his smirking face.
"It's time for bed, my pet." He said, the words like steel wrapped in velvet rolling off of his tongue. He looked at her lazily. She smiled wantonly, her lips full with the promise of passion. Sesshoumaru chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "Not tonight, my pet, you're still to weak from the magick to satisfy me. Tomorrow, perhaps." He offered. Kagome's eyes lit up and she smiled, showing off very sharp little canines. Sesshoumaru chuckled again. Turning, he regarded Kagome for a moment with his large golden eyes. She was staring out the window again. He looked at her for a moment silently, before speaking.
"Hurry to bed, Kagome. The winds are bringing changes soon. You'll need rest. Tomorrow will be a hard day…" he let his words hang in the air long after he had departed. Kagome sighed, and swished her tail in anticipation of the new day. Suddenly, she smelled something. Stepping back onto the balcony, she stared at the night sky for a moment, she tried to catch the scent again. It was so…familiar….to her, but she couldn't quite place where she had smelled it before, or even where it came from. Could it be that the smell was those changes that Sesshoumaru-sama had been talking about? She sighed, and turned back towards the door to his room. She quietly walked in and began to undress for bed. When she was undressed, she quietly slipped into the bed, beside Sesshoumaru. He made room for her and then slowly brought his arms up and around her. She melted into his embrace immediately and was asleep within seconds. Sesshoumaru grunted lightly, and stared at the ningen-turned-hanyou he held in his arms.
"So much trouble over you. I'll make you my mate yet. But first, I must have Tesusaiga, and you, my pet, will be the one to get it for me." He murmured into Kagome's hair. She sighed softly, and snuggled closer to him, pressing her soft, warm body against his. Sesshoumaru stiffened for a second, before relaxing again. He soon slipped into a state of serenity. Thoughts he never permitted while his eyes were open washed over him warmly now. Like Kagome, the hanyou's presence. He felt her heart beating near his chest and an aura he'd never felt before became present. The demon felt the urges to take the woman in his arms and never let go, to forget everything else and just steal her away. Her leg moved slightly, causing him to notice that he'd become aroused. By what? This human? His eyes snapped open as he realized what he was starting to do. Could it be that he cared for this human enough to want her? Pushing these thought's aside, he fell fitfully into a dark, dreamless sleep. He drifted in and out of sleep all night, wondering why he was acting this way………
I tried to make up for my not getting updated by making the chapter a little longer. Did you like it? Sorry about the intense wait, I really am. But don't get impatient, I'm doing the best that I can. Please review and tell me if you liked it. Thank you to Lia, Crescent, DeeGeta, AoiHyou, and Trista. If I've forgotten anybody, Gomen nasai, but I'm very tired. The next chapter will be out as soon as I write it, so goodbye until then. Read and review! I can only write if you people like it.