The room was shrouded in smoke and fumes. Deep drums pounded out a sensual beat that the dancers swirled to. Their outfits let little skin show but it was as if the whole room unwrapped them with their eyes. Kagome moved rough the crowd with the grace of a demon.

Her fingers nipped at bits of fabric as she made her way over to the man stationed at the center of the room. His lap was occupied by a small girl dressed in red. His personal concubine. Kagome stilled and just as quickly as she had arrived, slipped into the shadows to watch the two interact.

The girl was constantly touching him weather a kiss planted along his jaw or a brush of her hand over his thigh, and he seemed to revile in the attentions. The Red Girl whispered in his ear and let her breath caress his cheek. From her vantage point, Kagome could notice the subtle tick in his forehead that showed his annoyance. She moved forward to make her move but a large hand was splayed across her stomach before she was yanked back into a bare chest.

"Let me go," She demanded and was readying her elbow to slam into his groin when his chuckle rumbled into her back. She refused to look over her shoulder but with a gasp of wonder she whispered his name. "Sesshomaru?"

"Who else would risk laying a hand on you?" He questioned, letting his mouth plant a modest kiss to her exposed shoulder blade. He rested his strong jaw on her head and pointed out the groups hidden around the room. "I knew you would be much to clever to get caught. At least not right away."

She ignored his remark and instead noticed the scattering of her friends around the room. Sango and Miroku danced provocatively in one corner, their gestures matching exactly like the peoples surrounding them. Yuzuki was dressed head to toe in green cloth, her white head wrapped into a scarf on the top of her head. Her dragon companion was her black clad shadow. Even InuYasha had come. His sunken eyes and pale skin served as a good distraction for a few upstarts who milled about he room. A few other men were stationed around the room and while she had never seen them before, when she caught ones eye, he winked at her with a smile.

"Please tell me you were not considering killing him," He brought a hand up to clasp her fingers in a splintering grip before whisking them away and onto the dance floor. He threw her out and they were off. When he spun her back, she finally got a good look at him.

His head was tied into a knot similar to his daughter and all of his clothing seemed two sizes to large but hung off his slim frame with promises of the firm physique underneath. When he brought her roughly back to his chest, she was ready, and with a flare, she kicked her leg up to wrap around his waist as she threw her head out and let her free flowing hair lower to the ground.

"If we were not in enemy territory I would kiss you," He laughed and brought her back up. She smiled slyly and hoped he could see under the thin material still hiding her mouth. "But of corse you might run off again to save those below you."

"You are mad." The statement made him growl. He spun her around and with the rhythm of the pounding drums, pressed the beats into her stomach with a series of gentle presses. The result was her heartbeat doubling its already frantic pace. "I had to do something!"

Again, her words were replied by a growl and she twirled out so to get a better look into his eyes. When she accomplished it, she was met with a festering anger. A sigh and a slight roll of the eyes was all it took for him to plant his large hands on her neck and lean in to whisper into her ear.

"You never once considered I would help?" He seemed almost as shocked as her at the words he had uttered. She refused to stay still and tried to worm her way from his arms. He clasped onto her waist and placed a kiss on her lips. The fabric separated them and for that he was thankful for it he'd had more, he would have given both of them away. When they parted he rested his forged against hers. "Do what you must."

She refused to open her eyes and when she finally did, he was gone and he took his warmth with him. In his place, a small dagger was pressed into her palm and she clutched it so tightly a prick of her finger bled.

With renewed vigor, she stalked forward towards his echt throne. As the Red Woman was thrown from his lap, she grabbed his shoulders and rubbed firmly. He stilled at her presses and more than once tried to catch her face. She would press into his neck threateningly and just as she presumed, he took it as a sexual act and not as a hostile one. He relaxed back and with a firm grip, lead her around the throne and onto his lap.

Her lip pulled away from her teeth in distaste when he ran a delicate hand through her loose hair and let his fingers trail her cloth covered sides. When Sesshomaru mimicked the gesture, heat pooled low in her belly and threw her muscles into spasms but when he did the same, she could only envision all the unwilling girls that fell before those same fingers.

He tried to charm her with banel words and mediocre phrases. She would tilt her head away from him every time he reached for the clasp of her face cover. The music crescendoed and she stood with sweep and strutted away, knowing he would follow her. Her billowing skirts made a path behind her that all of her friends trailed.

As the Northern Lord watched the provocative sway of her hips, he was oblivious to the group of servants, lords and other nobles that were closing in on him. He reached forward to her shoulder and yanked. Kagome stilled and let a smile cross her lips.

He smirked too, reaching up to unclasped the small vail from her lower face. When the fabric fell, it was to late for him to notice they were in a secluded corner of the room or that many people blocked his only exits.

Kagome brought the knife up to his throat while spinning him around so his back was pressed into the lacquered walls. He remained sessile against the wall, his eyes locked on the blade with keen interest.

"I don't think you have it in you," He smirked and let his eyes wander over her face, taking in every painted detail.

"No, you will have it in you," She riposted with her quick wit and bubbling anger. The dagger was now drawing a small string of blood from his neck and as it pooled in his collarbone before hitting his white shirt, she felt a new feeling tug at her gut. It called for his blood; for his eyes to be glazed and his shirt stained with his draining life blood, for the spilling of his intestines across his polished floors along with his severed head.

The dark thoughts swirled around her brain and the more she tried to push them away, the more grotesque and repulsive they became. Just when she thought she might succumb to them, a strong hand clamped on her shoulder.

"Just because you bedded a demon does not mean you must become on as well," Sesshomaru counseled her. With a softening of her tense shoulders, he released her arm and instead placed a strong hand on the blade and looked the Northern Lord in the eyes as he spoke. "As much as I wish to run you through, I might wait until after your gala."

Kagome hissed at her feebleness. With a determined thrust, the blade sunk into the soft flesh of his inner thigh. He let out a cry which she silenced with a vicious punch to the cheek. His head snapped back and he fell limp into her grasp. His leg was dripping blood and she knew that while he was not mortally wounded, he would not be abusing woman for a long while.

That was how they left him, sullied and wounded in a far corner where no one noticed his absence until late into the evening of the next night.

This chapter is dedicated to a reader who politely informed me of their birthday! Happy birthday update!