Characters = Rumiko Takahashi

Story = Desert-Bandit

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But he also knew that putting her on the throne next to that Western bastard would make her happy, even if the plan ended with the murder of the pompass inu lord. What Kanya didn't know was that once she ridden herself of the Western Lord, he was going to rid himself of her and the unholy control she had over him.

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Chapter 9

Midnight Truths

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His breath came out in puffs of steam as he stood perched on top of a large tree that over looked his palace grounds. The need to get out of the constricting palace walls and to feel the cool night air against his skin was enough to keep his beast under control but it didn't help much.

The urge to rip something - or someone - apart was almost too much for him to handle and a few times he almost gave into the urge. Almost. At this very moment he would love more than anything to feel the hot liquid of one's life dripping from his claws as he ripped them to shreds for even attempting to hurt his daughter. Flexing his hands, he could almost feel it; the rush of adrenaline he would get when hunting, the thrill of the kill, the sound of his victims last screams. He allowed a predatory smile to grace his lips. Who knows, maybe his next victim could be the Southern Lord himself. Either way, he would gladly take down anyone in his way if it would mean that he could sink his claws into the little fucker sooner.

Suddenly, the feeling of a familiar presents alerted him that he was no longer alone. Shifting his gaze to look behind him, he was met with a pair of silver orbs.

"Did you find anything else?"

Saru shook his head, clearly as unhappy about it as his Lord was.

"And your Division, are they stationed at the exact location?"

"They are."

Good, that leaves only one area completely unguarded. If the Southern Lord wanted an audience with him then that was where he would have to enter from and he'll personally be waiting with Tokijin in hand. The South had played their hand, now it was Sesshoumaru's turn and if he had learned anything during his many years, it was to make sure the enemy felt as if they had the upper hand and thus far, it had worked but not without punishment. Sesshoumaru knew that there were risks, possibly on his life and he had been right; what he didn't plan on was Rin getting caught in the crossfire; all the more reason why he had asked Kagome to stay with him in the first place. He knew that she was more than capable to take care of herself and Rin if anything were to happen to him. A dark thought, but he wanted to make sure that his daughters' future was still hers in the end and not taken away prematurely by his own foolish act in this war. It was a close call today but he would make sure that the South would never get that close to Rin again.

Giving Saru his approval to continue on with his plans, he was once again left alone to his thoughts and lately, they always seemed to wander back to a certain dark haired woman with deep blue eyes that displayed her every thought.

He could still feel the warmth of her skin against his hand and the look of desire for him that was so apparent in her eyes. Not to mention the fierceness she had when she had pushed him out of the way to save Rin. She was something he wanted but she was far too innocent for him. He was the kind of man that would find a willing female to scratch a mutual itch and then go their separate ways. He didn't know how many nameless, mindless females he had bedded but they were all the same. They came wanting to leave a mark on him and had left with nothing but a good time. Kagome was a different story. She deserved better than him but the thought of her with any male made him see red. He knew that he lacked any stability in any type of relationship, but if she would let him, he would make every second count with what little time they had together. Then again, maybe he should just tell her to stay away from him. After all, what kind of life could he give her when he's fighting a war that he may not come back from?

Tilting his head back, he could smell the on coming winter approaching quickly. It suited his idea of this war being such a cold-hearted bitch perfectly.

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Kagome stared at the ceiling, wishing that it could give her all the answers to her questions. Why did the South attack? Why was Sesshoumaru in a war with the South anyway? And what was her role in all of this? Of course she knew that Sesshoumaru had asked her to come live with him to keep an eye on Rin and several other things but somehow she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else going on. It seemed too coincidental for her to show up on the same day that Rin was targeted. Was she thinking too much into this? Yes. Well, maybe. And another thing, why was Saru so keen on asking her for help? Wasn't it obvious the reason why she was here in the first place? It's not like Sesshoumaru has countless of human's living under the same roof; and female at that. But she figured that with Saru knowing about the two traitors, he was just being extra sure of her intentions. It wasn't an easy job to confirm your suspicions while trying to see who can be trusted and who cannot. Then there was Sesshoumaru himself.

He was completely different than who she remembered from so long ago. He was…she didn't know what he was, just that he had stirred up feelings in her that she hadn't felt in a long time.

She had somewhat always felt something for him, especially when he began to open up slightly when they traveled together but when everything was over, he had disappeared. Dare she say that she was slightly relieved that he hadn't settled down yet? Was she a bad person for feeling that way? She knew the answer was a definite yes. Groaning, she covered her eyes with her hands. What was wrong with her? She wanted to kick and scream out her frustrations but that would only result in waking Rin who slumbered in the bed next to hers.

Sesshoumaru had ordered them both to stay in the infirmary that night for two reasons. 1. Because both of their rooms were under construction and 2. So that the soldiers knew where they were at all times and they could better look after them. Somehow, that pissed her off. She didn't need to be looked after, if anything it was Sesshoumaru and his army that needed to be looked after. They were the ones going out on patrol and risking their lives night after night. Rin had told her so and her heart went out the girl. Here she was, a young girl and knowing there was a possibility that someone she cares about may not be coming back. Rin had told her that she had cried herself to sleep many nights when word had come in saying that the same Division that Saru had told her earlier hadn't come back. Apparently, one of the soldiers that she had befriended was one of them to have perished. He was the same age as her; as Shippou. It scared her to think about that.

'Okay, this was getting too depressing,' she thought. Sitting up in bed, she quietly tip toed out of the large infirmary, hoping that walking around the palace would tire her out enough for her to get a decent rest.

Coming out to a hallway with the moonlight streaming through the many tall windows, she took her time in familiarizing her surroundings, stopping every once in a while to gaze at the magnificent portraits that could only be members of Sesshoumaru's family. Coming across a particularly large portrait, she stopped to marvel. There was something about that stubborn chin and angry slash of a mouth that was all too familiar. She had heard stories from Myoga but they hardly did justice towards the late Inu Lord. She found herself wishing that she could have met him but then again, he was the father of InuYasha and Sesshoumaru; seeing both of their personalities in one man would probably make her head spin.

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After wandering down many corridors, she thought it best to head back now that she had exhausted herself enough to the point where she could possibly get a decent nights sleep. The only problem was that she was so entranced by the art work that decorated the expanse corridors that she didn't much pay attention to where she was going. Not her brightest moment.

She tried to recall which way she had come from but she had taken so many turns that it seemed almost impossible. 'Okay Kagome, think.' She stood with her arms crossed and brow creased in concentration and then sighed. 'Yeah, because thinking straight at three in the morning is possible.' She thought sarcastically.

Oh well, guess she'll be trying each door to until she finds the right one. It shouldn't take very long…just all night!

She should have just stayed in bed.

Deciding to kick herself later for getting lost, she began her quest to find the correct door but she didn't get very far after stumbling across a library. She couldn't help but gasp in awe. The many shelves were lined with old books and scrolls; there were so many that she could see, she was sure that no one could ever read them all in their lifetime, demon or not. Looking back out towards the empty hallway, she hesitated at first before she stepped through the threshold and softly closed the door behind her.

Brushing her fingers across the spines of the many books and various piles of scrolls, one book in particular stood out against all the rest. 'Ivanhoe'

The title caused her to do a double-take. To say she was shocked would be an understatement. This book wasn't even written yet, so why was it here? Picking it up, she opened the cover to the first page and what she saw was her confirmation. On the top corner was her name, written in crayon from third grade. "This is –"

"Yours."

Kagome spun around, clutching the book to her chest.

Sesshoumaru sat behind his desk, jaw resting against his scarred knuckles with eyes holding a bit of amusement.

Kagome didn't know what to say so she settled for the obvious question, "Why?"

He had successfully dodged her question with a matter-of-fact statement.

"It was left partially destroyed during our run in with Naraku."

Lifting the book away from her, she took a better look at it and found that it was indeed in bad shape. Scorch marks marred the front of its elaborate cover and singed most of the pages.

Her eyes saddened. "My father gave me this for my birthday. I was devastated when I discovered that I had lost it." Her soft voice carried through the quiet peace that surrounded them in the library. He could see that she was fighting back tears when she had placed the book back on the shelf. Standing, he walked around his desk and with every step he took, their eyes never left eachothers. Finally making it to her, he brushed her hair away from her face, causing a small blush to stain her cheeks. He tried a better answer."I kept it because it was your favorite."

Okay, that did it. Any hope of staving off the bout of tears she was currently fighting was lost.

Shit, he didn't mean to make her cry but when she raised her head to better see him; the small smile she wore threw him off guard.

"Thank-you."

Her eyes shone bright with the reflection of the moonlight as tears still rolled down her flushed cheeks. She looked almost ethereal standing before him. He didn't know how long he could keep himself from leaning down to taste those soft lips of hers and in all honesty, he didn't want to wait. Bringing her closer to his warmer, larger body, he dropped his head close to hers but stopped a hair breathe away, giving her time to back out.

It was sweet but it wasn't needed. She refused to run this time. Snaking one of her hands to his chest and then to his forearms to better keep her balance, she lifted herself up to close the distance between them. He only meant it to be a small kiss, he really did, but when she leaned in closer to him and their lips met, all thoughts of ending the kiss flew out the window. Her taste was all but addicting and the scent of her immediate arousal only provided fuel to his already burning desire for her. Bringing his hands to tangle in her ebony hair caused him to deepen the kiss, eliciting a moan of delight from her and a growl of approval from his beast.

They finally parted, leaving them breathless. Their foreheads rested against eachothers as they fought to restore their surroundings. They both knew that this was no place for their heated kiss but if he was up for it, she would be more than happy to have another go at it in a place where anyone could walk in on them. The thought caused her blush to deepen. Feeling a soft rumbling from Sesshoumaru's chest, he said, "It would be wise to keep your thoughts from running away from you unless you want to continue where we left off very soon."

She stared up at him with wide eyes. How did he know what she was thinking? Then she saw the lust in his eyes. Then she remembered his sense of smell.

'Okay, note to self: keep thoughts rated G.' But that was easier said than done when knowing that you had just shared an intimate kiss with the Western Lord. A knock at the door made them fully aware of where they were once again. Though he made no move to distance himself from her, he did move slightly in front of her to somewhat shield her from the visitor.

"Enter." Gone was the man that she had just only minutes before place herself trustingly in his hands and in his place stood a warrior, plunged in the middle of a war with no end in sight.

The door creaked open and a soldier that she had yet to meet stood at attention, waiting for Sesshoumaru to give him his orders. "My Lord, we have gotten word that the Fourth Division has engaged a small battle on the border and is continuing to grow." The growl had ripped through his chest before he could stop it. Though it was enough to startle Kagome, he had to hand it to her for holding her ground.

After relieving the soldier, he turned back around to once again face Kagome and he was regretting her even being there to hear what was just announced.

Dammit, how could he have been so stupid? Her first day here and of course she had to already make friends with one of his Captains and now she just had to hear that 'said Captain' was the one who was in the battle that was raging now.

Just great. Now she'll be up worrying the rest of the night about the battle. When he got to the border, he promised himself that he was going to find Saru and kick his sorry ass all the way back to the palace grounds.

Grasping Kagome's hand in his, he brought her in close for a quick kiss and then he was gone; leaving them both open and raw yet amazingly whole.

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Get ready for chapter 10!

Thank-you all so much for all the reviews you've given to this story.

~Desert -Bandit