Chapter Six – The Hunt

"Do it again."

"I've done it fifteen times!"

"And you will do it fifteen more."

"Sesshomaru this is stupid!"

"It is necessary."

For a few moments, silence reigned in the small, sunlit clearing. The day was a peaceful one, warm and free of disturbances—at least until a silver-haired inuyoukai noticed a flaw in his student's stance.

"Chin up." The smooth baritone of his voice floated through the air, somehow not upsetting the serenity of the space although his words had a negative effect on his ebony headed companion; sapphire eyes flicked to molten gold, irritation apparent in the quick glance. However, the chin of the female lifted just so, and, after a satisfied nod, the lithe body resumed its progression across the lush grass.

She moved at a slow pace, chin held at a proud angle and eyes holding a gentle, almost submissive light. Her youki radiated from her body in calm waves, giving away nothing of her true emotions, and as she came to stand before him, she bowed deeply, deferring to his status as her betrothed.

"My lord," she murmured demurely, rising but keeping her eyes averted.

"My lady."

Color flooded into porcelain cheeks as he offered a hand, and she bowed slightly before slipping her slim fingers into his, moving with him as he turned to face an imaginary audience, speaking as though the clearing sported spectators of hundreds. "I present to the Council Lady Kagome, daughter of the late Shinosamu and heir to the Southern Lands."

Beside him, Kagome bowed once more, and when she straightened her eyes had lost their submissive light and her youki released itself from its respectable confines, swirling around his body in impatience.

Looking down at her and fighting an amused smirk, Sesshomaru inhaled her enticing scent before answering the question he could see in her eyes. "That was acceptable."

A huff left her lips, and she propped her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes until he could only see a slit of blue amidst thick black lashes. "And why weren't the other times acceptable?"

Her ire was so potent that he could taste it, and the spicy flavor intrigued him. His next words were spoken carefully. "Because this Sesshomaru was not pleased with them. That is reason enough, is it not?"

If it were possible, her eyes narrowed further, and she lifted a clawed hand, pointing a finger at him in what he supposed she thought of as an intimidating gesture. "Look, mister, just because you know everything doesn't mean you can torture me constantly, alright? We've been out here for hours!"

Lazily, to prolong the intoxicating zest of her anger, he glanced up at the sky before turning his gaze back to her own. "It has been precisely forty-five minutes, Kagome."

"Forty-five minutes since what? Noon? We've been out here since dawn!"

Unable to hold back his amusement any longer, Sesshomaru smirked, watching as realization dawned in her ocean blue eyes. Her mouth fell open, and she floundered momentarily before huffing and twirling away, ebony hair swinging.

"I'll see you later," she called irritably over her shoulder, disappearing into the surrounding trees.

The Western Lord followed at a slower pace, mentally reviewing the day's practice runs of what would be the onna's introduction to the Council. It would be a highly formal event, and one that would either make or break the woman's entrance into youkai society; if she acted correctly, he was sure that she could begin staking her claim as a high ranking lady; if not, she would be viciously shunned. He would be able to vouch for her, and, being her betrothed, had a certain amount of influence as to how the Council treated her, but most would be left up to her.

He inwardly sighed. He couldn't begin to imagine the chaos that the feisty woman would cause amongst the courtesans if any one of them offended her—or worse yet, her friends. She could become quite protective of those she loved, and at times was downright disrespectful by youkai law. He idly wondered how long she would make it before her head was sliced from her shoulders, and then frowned at the sensation that rippled through his body at the thought.

Suddenly uncomfortable and unsure as to the reason why, the big inu shook his head and cleared his mind.

Kagome sighed and settled back against the tree behind her, cradling a cooling bowl of ramen in her lap as she watched Shippo and Rin play around Ah-Un.

It had been little over a week since the incident with Inuyasha, and although they had repaired Kaede's hut, the amiable relationship between the hanyou and his longtime friend had not been mended. Kagome, though she had forgiven Inuyasha for many things, couldn't bring herself to forgive him for attacking her, and he seemed content with pretending like she didn't exist. Of course, the tension was getting to be a little too much, but she wasn't going to apologize for her decision and she was almost positive that he wasn't going to grow a brain and think about anything she had tried to get across to him.

Sighing lightly, Kagome moved the bowl from her lap to the ground beside her, her thoughts taking a turn from Inuyasha to his elder brother. Irritation flared up in her chest as she recalled their early morning trip to the clearing and her subsequent repetition of what he had said would be the way she was presented to the Council at the meeting in a few weeks' time. She honestly hadn't believed that it had taken her all that long to get the walking and bowing correct, but with Sesshomaru, nothing but perfection was acceptable.

"Jerk," she murmured to herself, catching his pine wood scent as he approached from behind. Knowing that he had heard her and deciding that she was still annoyed with him, Kagome stretched her legs out in front of her and crossed them at the ankles, laying her arms comfortably across her belly and smiling as Rin and Shippo tried to see who could climb up onto Ah-Un's back the fastest.

She heard Sesshomaru's silks rustle as he lowered himself to the ground, and she was almost shocked to see that he had seated himself against the side of the very same tree she leaned against, his shoulder brushing against hers as he reached and picked up the bowl she'd set down. "Have you no appetite, onna?"

Not forgetting that she was supposed to be irritated with him, Kagome idly shrugged one shoulder. "Not really."

"Hn." For a moment, he was silent, and a sniff, accompanied with the light clacking of chopsticks meeting, made Kagome look over at him. An expression of disgust flitted over his features, and he lowered the bowl from where he'd raised it to sniff its contents, his glance lingering on her face. "It is a wonder you managed to eat it at all; it smells of filth." Before she could respond, he tossed the bowl, sans the chopsticks, into the wooded area behind them.

"Sesshomaru what are you—"

"You shall not consume any more of that repulsive substance," the youkai interrupted, the tone of his voice giving away the fact that he expected no argument. Turning to face him more fully, Kagome opened her mouth, intending to tell him exactly what she thought of him ordering her around like she was one of his servants, but at that moment, a breeze ruffled the treetops above them and Sesshomaru's face was lit with sunlight. Kagome's words died in her throat.

He was such a beautiful male, and the sunlight seemed to be adamant about highlighting everything about him that made him that way; his hair shone brilliantly, making his fair skin seem that much fairer against the markings on his cheeks. Even his mouth seemed to taunt her with its perfection, upper and lower lip touched ever so gently by the sun. The line of his jaw, though it might've seemed feminine to others, was suddenly one of the most alluring jaw lines she had ever seen, and the portion of his neck that she could see made her want to lean forward and—

"Kagome-sama, look!"

Suddenly, Kagome realized that she was staring, and, even more embarrassing was the fact that Sesshomaru was gazing right back at her, an unreadable light in his eyes. Tearing her eyes away, she looked to see what the child wanted her to see, and, after she made the necessary noises of awe and amazement at a particularly perfect flower, took the bloom as it was offered to her.

"Thank you, Rin," she murmured, hugging the girl before she ran back into the clearing, tackling Shippo into the grass and inciting a game of tag.

Rolling the stem of the flower between her fingers, Kagome fought the urge to look at Sesshomaru again and jumped when his baritone voice rumbled through the small space between them. "Did you like what you saw, onna?"

Her cheeks burned, and it was only the teasing touch of his youki that kept her from standing and leaving him to enjoy the day by himself. Clearing her throat, she glanced at him through her eyelashes, twirling the flower around between her fingers. "That depends," she responded softly, knowing that she was probably red from her chin to her hairline, "did you?"

She hadn't expected a reply, but, a few moments later, it came, and this time she did get up, her ears ringing with his words as she walked away.

"Without a doubt, my lady."

The onna did not speak to him again until later that evening, and he knew it was only because he had started the conversation; even then, her vibrant eyes darted to and fro, eager for a distraction that would remove her from his presence. "Is there a problem?" he asked after an especially hard swallow drew his attention to her elegant throat.

Her eyes darted to his and she shook her head, licking her lips before answering the question that he'd asked upon cornering her before her bath. "I won't be gone for long. I'm just going to go bathe with Sango and I'll be right back," she said, her voice overly cheerful though her aura was anything but.

He inclined his head and dismissed her anxiety. "Very well. This Sesshomaru will speak with you when you return."

She nodded quickly and was gone before he could say anything more, the fading sunlight somehow capturing and shielding her from his gaze. He stared off in the direction she had gone for a moment, thinking back on the way her cheeks had flushed earlier that morning, after he'd admitted that he found her attractive. It had been an endearing moment, and though he was not one for endearing moments, he discovered that the thought of them with his betrothed were not as unbearable as he had perceived they would be.

With a grunt, he turned and made his way through the trees, back toward the village and his ward, to await the onna's return.

She came back just a little over an hour later, flushed from the springs but smelling as though the kami themselves had bestowed her with the sweetest smelling perfume they knew of. It took a fair amount of control for him not to inhale her scent as she passed, and the damp mass of her hair fell around her face in an enticing manner, so much so that it took an even greater amount of control not to ravish her as she looked up at him, smiling gently in his direction.

"Sesshomaru-sama, did you still need to speak with me?" she asked quietly, pushing things into the monstrous yellow pack she carried with her.

"Hn."

Her nightly ritual with the slayer seemed to have calmed whatever nervous energy she'd gathered toward him during the day, and she followed him out of the hut with no complaint, running her fingers through her hair as she stood before him. "Well?"

He studied her for a moment, watching curiosity play in the depths of her eyes. "Tonight, we hunt."

"Hunt?"

He nodded. "Soon, food as humans eat it will not satiate your hunger."

She frowned, lips twisting with the expression. "Why not?"

Before answering, he turned, and, motioning for her to follow him, began to walk out of the village. Her footsteps were quiet, and the clothing she'd donned, another mysterious set of the odd blue fabric on her legs and a top that seemed to be held to her body by two small strings on her shoulders, rustled as she moved.

"You have not slept for two nights," he murmured, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "And this one assumes, by your state of dress, that you were not planning on sleeping tonight."

She looked up at him as they crested the hill and began to walk into Inuyasha's Forest, large blue eyes wide with honesty. "I-I didn't think that anybody noticed."

He nodded. "Youkai do not require nightly sleep, as humans do. The human body must replenish itself through rest, but the youkai body requires nothing but fresh meat once a month and sleep once a year."

"But Inuyasha sleeps, doesn't he?"

"No. His body functions as a youkai, for the blood of our father is strong."

Momentarily, she was silent, and a glance in her direction showed a thoughtful expression. "Does he hunt?"

"He does."

Her next question came with hesitation, and he stopped as she asked it, expanding his senses to prepare himself for the coming hunt. "A-and by fresh meat, do you mean—" She paused, grimaced, and then took a deep breath. "Do you mean raw meat?"

Amused, Sesshomaru nodded, observing the skin of her face as it paled. "Does the idea bother you?"

She swallowed thickly, pursing her lips. "I mean—it's just that…I've eaten cooked food my entire life. What if I can't keep raw meat down?"

"You will be fine," he assured, holding up a hand as she opened her mouth to speak again. "We will begin now."

Nervously, the onna twisted her fingers, licked her lips, and then nodded. "O-okay."

If she had ever doubted that Sesshomaru was a predator, she couldn't convince herself of that any longer. Every move he made, once he'd quietly explained what it was he wanted her to do, held a dangerous edge to it; he walked like a predator, breathed like a predator, and even looked around like a predator, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

"Come," he murmured, bringing her out of her thoughts as he slipped silently between the trunks of two trees and stood very still on the other side. She slipped through after him, and then fought back a blush as he closed one hand around her forearm and pulled her close, his breath brushing her ear. "Look. What do you see?"

She followed his gaze, and, for a moment, didn't see anything. Just when she thought to tell the big daiyoukai as much, a rustle reached her ears, and an outline moved against the dark. Suddenly, the form of a sleek deer, its coat shining in the dappled moonlight, stood out against the trees behind it. Its head lifted, and large, dark eyes seemed to lock on them. Kagome thought that the animal had seen them, but then it lowered its head again. She let out a small breath. "I see it."

Sesshomaru nodded, and then moved even closer, the hand on her forearm moving until his fingers closed around the back of her neck. She could feel his claws resting against her skin, but the deer had captured her with its beauty, and she forgot to be embarrassed at the contact. "Do you want it?"

His voice was different, nearly feral, and she felt excitement begin to leak into her veins. The grip Sesshomaru had on the back of her neck kept her from fidgeting, but the eagerness that was making her heart race was starting to make her insides shiver. In the back of her mind, she wondered why she was getting such a thrill out of the prospect of chasing some poor animal down just to kill it, but not even the mild shock of what she was about to do stopped the elation.

"Yes."

"This one has released the barrier holding your beast in check. Let it out, Kagome."

She could hear something beginning to talk, its voice intimately close, as though it were whispering in her ear. Catch it, it said, sounding like her voice, only more primal and obviously stimulated by the deer. She inhaled, and caught the still oblivious animal's scent, musky and hot; the rumbling growl left her lips before she could stop it, and in the instant that the deer realized it was in danger, Sesshomaru released her.

She took off.

Her consciousness receded, but her awareness seemed to sharpen, leaving sights and smells and sounds to bombard to her senses in an ever-constant flow. She could feel Sesshomaru running beside her, and the fact that he was there did nothing to quell her excitement; in fact, his presence seemed to heighten the sensation, and as she darted around a large oak, hand outstretched toward the fleeing animal, he growled, and she felt it skitter down her spine and tremble in her belly. She missed the deer.

Nearly intoxicated with the speed and thrill of the chase, Kagome felt her mouth begin to water. She was gaining on the terrified mammal, and the furious tattoo of its small heart echoed in her ears, calling to her like a beacon.

Now!

With a single lunge, Kagome felt warm fur beneath her fingers. Her claws pierced its skin, and the smell of warm blood flooded her nose. The animal keened and fell, hooves kicking at her torso as she sank her fingers into its side, fascinated with the welling of blood on its skin and the scent of its fear wafting up to her. A growl that was not her own pierced the air, and she looked up, claws embedded in the struggling creature's side, to see Sesshomaru's red-eyed form stalking toward her.

"You must not allow it to suffer unnecessarily. The hunt is not for the gratification of the blood lust," he informed her, guttural voice distant, as though he were speaking to her from the other side of a very long tunnel. "Kill it. Quickly."

She thought, for a moment, to deny his command, but he growled again, kneeling on the other side of the animal and pinning her with his gaze. His hand lifted, and he too touched against the wounds she had made, extracting her fingers and repositioning them until they lay at the base of the deer's skull. His grip tightened around her wrist, and she growled before closing her hand around the mammal's thin neck, jerking it harshly to one side.

The brittle bones snapped, and the deer was instantly still. Adrenaline still pumping through her veins, she watched as Sesshomaru carved a slice of warm meat from the deer's shoulder. He held her gaze for a moment, and then, growling lightly, lifted it to his mouth. She whimpered, her stomach suddenly empty, but still Sesshomaru ate, fangs flashing in the moonlight and blood smearing on his lips.

It wasn't until he'd had his fill that he offered her a piece; the dark, lean meat dangling between his claws. "Eat."

She ate. The meat, still warm, was the most tender thing she had ever tasted, and she didn't realize that her beast had receded until she swallowed the last bite; belly full, she looked across to Sesshomaru, whose golden eyes stared at her, calculating what her reaction would be. She swallowed, felt blood coating her throat and the raw substance settling in her stomach, and then took a deep breath.

Sesshomaru stood and held a bloodied hand out to her. She stared at it for a moment, noting how stark the contrast was between his pale skin and the deep burgundy of the deer's blood, and then she followed his arm upward to see his eyes shining in the darkness. She took his hand, and they walked to the nearest stream together.

"Sesshomaru, I—"

As the silence stretched, Sesshomaru looked over, finding the onna, though stunning in the daylight, to be frowning. The wreath that Rin had constructed sat atop her head, and he found that without the smile she usually wore, the circlet of flowers seemed almost melancholy. "Speak."

She started and looked at him as though she had forgotten he was there, and then blushed and looked down at her hands. "I was only going to say that I—I want to thank you." He lifted a brow when she glanced up, and nearly smirked when she blushed again. "For taking me hunting last night," she finished, twisting her fingers together.

"There is no need to thank this Sesshomaru."

She shrugged, meeting his eyes once again. She held his gaze, and, despite the pretty flush on her cheeks, asked, "Do you remember when I told you that I needed to make a connection between the pup that was dropped into the well and the woman I've grown up to be?" He nodded. Her brilliant blue stare turned away, and she followed the path of a cloud as it passed over the clearing. "Well, going hunting last night helped, just a little."

Intrigued, he watched as she worked through her thoughts, fingers playing with the fabric of her shirt.

"I know, logically, that I'm a youkai. Before, taming my senses and understanding the world around me was just a task, almost like going hunting was at first. But the more I ran, the more I chased that deer…" Her scent filled with excitement, and Sesshomaru briefly recalled the way she'd looked the night before, wild and beautiful as her instincts took over her body. She spoke again, and he forcefully shoved her mental image from his mind.

"The more I let myself be myself, the more I understood who, and what, I am." She looked at him again, and a smile crossed her face. "So thank you."

For a moment, he simply looked at her, and then, unable to stop himself, he reached up and rested his fingers against her cheek. She blushed but didn't shy away from him, and he laid his entire palm against her face, claws disappearing into the ebony thickness of her hair. Her skin was soft, and warm, and he found himself silently thanking the kami that she had been gifted with such exquisite features; he didn't know if he would've been able to stand being betrothed to someone who was not physically attractive.

A breeze blew through the trees and swept into the clearing, rustling their clothes. Kagome opened her mouth, but she seemed to scent what the breeze brought with it in the same instant he did; she turned, and his hand dropped from her face. They both watched as Inuyasha came bursting into the clearing, his face grim.

"You might wanna come back to the village; Myoga is here, and he brought a kitsune who says he wants to see the Lady of the Southern Lands."

Author's Note: Hey guys! Just a quick little note-I'm in a bit of a rush, but I wanted to get this chapter uploaded so that you all are aware of what's going on over here on my side of the computer.

I'm currently without a stable internet connection, and even though I managed to convince my mother to let me connect (thank God for 4G hotspots lol), I won't be able to upload another chapter until we get our connection fixed. That being said, please be patient with me, and rest assured that I'm still writing, even though I'm not uploading.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to review!

~Aubrey