I do not own Inuyasha or its characters. I wouldn't mind though.

Birth Rite ch5

Kagome sat silent, her helmet dulling the roar of the motorcycles surrounding her. Her eyes surveyed the riders next to her. Various colors of helmets glittered beneath the afternoon sun, each cyclist dressed in the colors that represented the teams they rode for. Her mind wondered listlessly, searching for the answers to the onslaught of questions that ravaged her once peaceful thoughts.

What would she do once the race was over: Was she ready to tell Inuyasha the truth of her motorcycle career? Was she ready to let go of the secret she had kept from him for the last five years. She had aways thought that she would love to watch the shock register upon his face when he realized that she was the rider who had plagued his thoughts for so long, but now she wasn't so sure. Would he be angry with her? Would he hate her for deceiving him all these years? But was it really deception? He had never inquired about what she had gone to school for- never really seemed interested beyond the fact that she returned once a month during the full moon to spend the week with their family. But she couldn't really recall a time when he'd ever asked her what she was being schooled in.

While she had learned to ride from one of the best cyclists there was; she had also gone to learn archeology. Ancient history had always interested her. The past held such mystery; such romance. Things were so much simpler then - it seemed. Men protected their women and women loved their men unconditionally. Artifacts of the past could tell stories of a time long forgotten; it hinted at the life of the person or people that it was tied to.

One day she hoped to travel the world- to explore the country in search of relics of the past.

The announcer's voice pulled her from her thoughts. Pushing her worries from her mind; she readied her body for the race. She tightened her grip upon the throttle of her cycle; her eyes focused upon the leather-clad body of her guardian. Long silver hair lay pinned beneath the red helmet he wore being defined by the stark black material lying beneath it. Her mind's eye supplied images of the toned definition of his physique- tanned perfection fading before her eyes as the racers revved their engines in a last minute power up before each launched forward.

Excitement thrummed through her; the wind whipping past the bare skin of her neck. She could feel the tires as they gripped the track, her body becoming one with the machine beneath her. She leaned and turned, each jump thrilling her to the core. She inched ever closer to the leather-clad physique that danced within her dreams, determined that even if she didn't win this particular race; she would at least do everything within her ability to leave Inuyasha in the dust.

He was the man who guarded her; protected her. Never through the years had anyone ever been allowed to close. He defended her from the things in the living world that could harm her and even protected her from her dreams; visions that assaulted her- plagued her. Could she really keep the truth from him? She had done so for so long now, but really there hadn't been any reason to tell him of her occupation. He had never asked, so technically she wasn't keeping anything from him. But if she were to seek a new sponsor just to keep him in the dark awhile longer- then she would be lying to him; keeping secrets from him. And somehow that thought didn't sit well with her. He had done so much for her, and it just didn't seem fair to lie to him or tell him half-truths about anything.

Her eyes danced upon his back- her cycle ever closer.

Her bike surged forward, her mind noting the way his eyes glanced hurriedly toward her - his hand teasing the throttle enough that his bike nearly danced with her own. Her hand tensed upon the accelerator of her own cycle so that they moved back and forth; one taking the lead for mere seconds until the other replaced the position.

The other racers were forgotten while she played this game with him, and distantly she wondered just why he was playing with her at all. He should be pulling ahead of her, but he seemed content to test her. Did he know?

Bracing herself, she tightened her grip upon the handle bars before pushing full throttle, her bike launching forward with a surge of power that sent tingles of adrenalin rolling down her spine. Leaning into the turns she weaved in and out of the cycles that seemed to struggle to keep up with her, but she was too engrossed in the exhilaration spurring her forward to care.

The familiar sound of Inuyasha's cycle teased her ears; the front tire of his motorcycle stealing briefly into her peripheral vision. She had to beat him, if only this once. She wanted the thrill of besting him- of showing him that she could win before she was announced as his team mate. Standing up on the foot pegs, she leaned over the handle bars. One last jump- one more turn and she'd have it. Her breath came in shallow pants; Inuyasha's cycle still merging every so often within her vision. Five- four-three-two...

Inuyasha watched in stunned appreciation the rider who had won him with only a few inches of tire crossing the finish line ahead of his. Exhaust stung his sensitive nose; forcing him to eased off the throttle bringing his bike to a slower speed until he rounded the last turn that would lead him to the tent his team occupied. He'd lost- to the motorcycle rider that was so mysterious. There was no name announced when they lined up at the starting line; he'd listened. He'd thought that perhaps they would identify the newest cyclist on their circuit. But Kagome's scent had drawn his attention from the announcements until he was focusing on just why she seemed so near.

Once again he found his thoughts centering on the girl- just as they had at the start of the race. She should be in the stands with Sesshomaru watching him win. Perhaps it was merely the breeze that had carried her scent to him. Maybe he was just being overly sensitive to her presence due to his naughty thoughts and actions only a few hours prior. Her lips still teased across his in memory, and it was all he could do not to turn and search her out- again.

He'd decided that he would ask Miroku just how he'd gotten past the fact that Sango was so much younger than himself, but the time hadn't presented itself. And this wasn't the time to be dwelling on such thoughts. Shutting down the motorcycle, he swung his leg over the seat and made his way into his tent. Pulling the helmet from his head, he set it down on the table before reaching to release his hair from the tie that held its length pinned to his neck- his mind making its way back to the thoughts that seemed to reign over his mind. He wasn't focused on the race- didn't care that he had lost to the mystery rider that had haunted his thoughts for months now. Instead they seemed focused upon the girl he had saved so many years ago.

There was something different about the female he had raised. Her scent was off- if only slightly, and there was the matter of the fangs he had thought he'd seen.

" You lost." It was a ' matter of fact' statement that had Inuyasha gritting his teeth in annoyance, but that in no way encouraged him to keep his mouth shut.

" No shit, sherlock...your intelligence amazes me. " he growled busying himself with readying his bike for the trip home well aware that he had people that were hired to do that for him.

" She has fangs." The thought slipped, but regardless of his desire to keep certain things to himself, this was Kagome- their Kagome- and her well being was far more important.

" Who?" Simply stated, Sesshomaru stood silently watching his brother putting his gear away.

" Kagome."

" When did you discover this?"

"Last night. "

Sesshomaru's silence prompted an explanation, and he found himself giving it without his usual hesitance..

" She had another nightmare. Her scent woke me. It was so intense Sesshomaru. It was more than terror that called to me. I couldn't resist her call, even if I tried. My response wasn't a conscious decision. I answered her call because it would have tore me apart inside if I couldn't get to her. What does it mean?"

" Fangs aside, I think there is more to this than you realize. I will watch you both. When I come to my conclusion I will let you know, but for now you should know what my initial impression is. It sounds to me that your beast has deemed her its mate-with or without your acceptance. As for the fangs, I would like to see them for myself. " Sesshomaru murmured before turning and stopping in his tracks.

" Her scent is changing." came Inuyasha's soft reply. "There are so many things happening and changing that I am having a hard time sorting through them all. "

" Well, then one more surprise shouldn't change things much." Sesshomaru answered while moving his tall frame to the edge of the doorway.

Making her way to the door of Inuyasha's tent she steadied her steps. She WOULD do this. He might be angry with her; he might hate her beyond all that she was, but at least she wouldn't be hiding anything from him.

Watching Sesshomaru move to the side, she smiled inside her helmet. He knew what she was doing; she could see it in the knowing expression upon his face.

Inuyasha watched as the mystery rider he had just raced against made his way to his tent. What did he want anyway? Tall and thin; the rider made his way into the tent to stand beside Sesshomaru- that bastard knew something; he could smell it.

Reaching to remove her helmet, Kagome consciously made the effort to steady her hands. This was the best way to handle the situation. She only hoped that he would accept her.

Dressed entirely in leather, Inuyasha watched the rider raise his hands to remove the helmet he still wore. Silently he compared the rider's habits of dress to his own. He had always been the only rider who preferred to race in black leather as it was hot and oftentimes would stick to the sweat that would coat his skin by the time his race was finished. But this rider wasn't as broad in the shoulders as he was. Come to think of it, his waist was far thinner than that of any other male that he had ever raced with. If he wasn't so certain that this rider was male, he would have swore that the figure standing before him was undoubtedly feminine. He tried to scent the stranger, but the exhaust from the race and the high number of other scents on the breeze severely hampered his sense of smell. But he had never known a female to ride with the unmistakable experience as this rider had shown on the track. If he hadn't been so lost in his thought concerning a certain female, then he would have dusted this guy just as he had so many others before him. It was a minor set back, but one that would be rectified soon enough.

Unlatching the strap beneath her chin, Kagome took a calming breath before pulling the helmet from her head. Long raven tresses cascaded from its depths to pool messily around her shoulders before rolling casually down the slim length of her back...

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I am SOOOOO sorry for the wait. I still don't feel well, and it makes writing more difficult. I wrote this while taking an eight hour drive to see family for the holidays, so please forgive any mistakes or repeats you may come across. I tried to edit this as well as I could, but as I wanted to get it posted since I have already taken so much longer than I had intended, I decided to put it up anyway so that you wouldn't have to wait any longer. Sorry for the cliffy, but I ran out of time as I wanted to post this today. I hope it was worth the wait, and PLEASE let me know what you think. I REALLY need the motivation...Thanks to all who have reviewed the previous chapter..I deeply appreciate your kind words and thoughts. Believe me, it made my days to read your reviews!

Neisha