A/N: For the 'Horizon' theme on Dokuga's LJ comm - this one was for the one-shot contest. It totals at 1098 words. Originally posted on February 10, 2010. It won second place! :D

A 'rabbit punch' is an illegal move where a fighter hits his opponent on the back of the head or neck. It's illegal because it can cause severe spinal cord damage, paralysis or even death. It can happen accidentally with a poorly placed hook or kick to the head. The term comes from the practice of hunters to strike a rabbit on the back of the neck to kill them.

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Rabbit Punch

"What're you looking for?"

Sesshoumaru glanced up at Kagome. "I am not looking for anything," he said, stepping away from the cage.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "You've walked us all around the ring twice in the last ten minutes, and you just agreed with me when I said that your opponent has an amazing right hook. Considering how often you accept praise for others at face value, I'm thinking that you weren't listening at all. I expected at least a dismissive, 'we shall see' out of you. So, what's up?"

The taiyoukai grunted softly. "I should not have lost the fight last week," he said. "It was unwise of me to neglect inspecting the arena before now."

"I thought that we agreed that it was probably the tag."

He lifted a hand to his arm and rubbed at his sore bicep. "'Probably' is not a certainty," he said. "I will not take the chance that it can happen again."

"Whoever did it probably has made their point. You're not perfect, even if it requires sabotage to prove that," she said. "Although, to be on the safe side..."

"I am still wearing a tag," he interrupted. "There is no honor in defeating an opponent with my normal level of strength. It should come down to skill, and I will demonstrate my superiority to restore my reputation."

The corner of Kagome's lip lifted. "That started out as almost humble." She pulled out her stack of betting slips and waved it at him. "But I guess I can't help myself from betting on you anyway."

"The odds are against me tonight," he noted.

"So, even a bigger payday for me," she replied. "It's a good bet."

"Yes, it is."

"You didn't even try for humble that time," she laughed, just as the first fight was announced.

Sesshoumaru looked up as the opponents took their places in the ring and saw, for the first time, that the light in the office above the warehouse floor was on. A silhouette materialized a moment later when the bell rang. Naraku. He would probably chuckle and say that he had come to watch the fights - his 'little side project' that was surely the least of his illegal activities. The dog demon could sense the truth of it though. The spider was here to watch him. He was here to make sure that their agreement started off as flawlessly as possible.

He was taking a great risk, he knew, and if nothing else, there was trouble on the horizon. He had made a deal with the devil, but it had to be done. Kagome had been more correct than she could know - the tampering with his tag had proven its point very well, and he refused to be taken down at the moment he needed his strength the most. The sacrifice had been small in comparison to what he could gain.

Kagome touched his arm. "Sesshoumaru. You're up next."

Two fights had already come and gone, barely within his notice. He shook himself out of his musings and headed over to the cage door to strip off his shirt and have the tag pressed to his skin. He didn't feel a fog close in on his mind as the magic sealed his powers, as he had last time, but he wasn't foolish enough to believe that meant everything was alright. His opponent - a clear-eyed cat demon - didn't wear a tag of his own.

Sesshoumaru rolled his shoulders and stepped into the ring, determined that it would not matter. He glanced up at the office one more time to see that others had joined Naraku at the window - bodyguards, most likely, he told himself. His hands curled into tight fists anyway as rage began to bubble up within his chest.

When the bell rang, it was hard to tell if his opponent ever landed a single strike. His foot connected to the cat's ribs and sternum, and he waited only until the other male's hands lowered to protect his fractured ribcage before his two hooks struck on either side of the cat's head. A knee to the chest followed by a savage uppercut sent him sprawling to the floor, and Sesshoumaru crouched over him to deliver a final blow when he realized that he could hear screaming. His fist paused two inches from the back of the cat's skull. Hands pulled him back as three others ran over to his bloodied opponent to coax him back to consciousness.

He left the cage, ignoring some of the cries of anger leveled at him. Looking down at his hands, he thought that he had split his knuckles open before realizing it was the blood of the cat.

"You split his eyebrow and his chin open. Not to mention snapping his ribs like they were twigs," Kagome was saying. He wasn't sure when she had come to his side. "What the hell was that, Sesshoumaru?"

"I was aiming to win. He was not a worthy opponent." His golden eyes scanned the crowd to find a few of Naraku's goons staring at him. "I see that others beg to differ."

"You don't get extra points for pulverizing them half to death," she snapped. "Technically, it was all above board, but that was vicious. And not honorable in the least, might I add. I mean, for a moment there, I thought... Are you..." She trailed off and shook her head.

"Am I what?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

She handed him a towel and his shirt. "Nothing," she muttered. "I'm going to go collect my winnings, I guess."

Unlike the tense crowd, Kagome's shoulders slumped as she turned towards Kagura's table. He moved to the edge of the mob, only glancing back to see the cat demon get to his feet with the assistance of two other feline youkai. He would be a target for payback with that clan, he knew.

"Here's your cut," Kagome said when she returned to his side, handing over a stack of cash almost as thick as her own. "Kagura wasn't keen on giving it to you herself."

When she didn't look at him, he touched her hand. "Perhaps I was too severe with him," he admitted. "Other things were on my mind."

That got her attention. "Like what?"

He shook his head. "Other things," he repeated. Kagome couldn't know - not yet, anyway. "Would you still have our usual drink with me?"

She hesitated a moment, but nodded. "How can I say 'no'?" she countered with a tight smile.

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