Hey everyone.

1º thank you so much for all the reviews. I'm really glad you guys liked my last chapter.

2º I'm really sorry for the long wait. The problem was my dissertation. I had to finish it first, before doing this and it was a lot of work -_- but it's done! :D

Now, to the chapter…

23º - Ball part 2

(*)

"Kagome? Is that you?" She knew that voice too well. She looked around and saw her biggest nightmare. Her former master standing in front of her, blocking her path.

(*)

Sesshomaru felt tense. He had left Kagome alone in her room a few minutes ago so she could rest. What had happened to her? Why did she pass out like that? Only he knew how much he had wanted to remain with her in her room, only to make sure she was alright when she woke up. However, protocol commanded him to go back to the ball. So, he was now standing near a window with Toran standing next to him. 'How obnoxious can this demoness be?' He was clearly not interested, and yet she insisted in talking to him.

"My lord, are you listening to me?" Toran was clearly displeased with his coldness towards her. But she wouldn't give up so easily since, in her opinion, Sesshomaru was the best choice for her. Besides his good looks and obvious power, he was the heir to the West. Their union and the union of their lands would make them indestructible.

Greed and lust were evident in Toran's eyes, making him sick just by looking at her. Sesshomaru was thinking of excuses to leave her and go and find Kagome. When he finally made up his mind, he heard a male scream, followed by a slapping sound and a small yap of pain.

Sesshomaru eyes followed the sound, only to find Kagome siting on the ground, grabbing her red face. He could see her blood running down her chin, while the smell of it was filling the air. Sesshomaru was trying to keep his instincts under control, but when he saw her attacker moving in on her again, everything went to hell. No one would hurt her and live to tell the tale.

(*)

Aimi and Inu no Taisho had conducted Naraku towards the ballroom. Meanwhile, Shishinki had tried to ask questions about Kagome, to which Aimi cut short by answering, "My pup is none of your business, and you would do well to keep that in mind."

A few minutes had gone by, but Aimi felt restless. She wanted to check on Kagome, to see if she was alright. But leaving her mate alone in such an important event was not an option. She tried to relax and enjoy her evening by repeating in her mind, countless times, that Kagome would be joining them very soon.

With Inu no Taisho's arm around her waist, pressing her close to his body, they walked around the room, greeting different families along the way.

And that's when she felt it. Fear. The room was filled with it. She then heard a male scream, a slap, and a low yap of pain. Afterwards, all there was was the smell of blood. Kagome's blood. Desperate, she released herself from Inu no Taisho's arm and headed for where the smell of blood was strongest.

She saw Kagome sitting on the floor with small drops of blood running down her chin. She also saw a demon running towards her pup and, just like Sesshomaru, Aimi lost all posture and ran towards Kagome. At that moment, Aimi was ready to defend her pup with her life if necessary. Luckily, Sesshomaru appeared and stopped the aggressor before Aimi, so she took the opportunity to help Kagome get up.

(*)

No. This had to be a nightmare. She was still dreaming, right? After passing out in the gardens, she had fallen asleep and she was dreaming now, right?

"It is you, isn't it?" Her former master's voice was low, but it was possible to detect his hatred towards her. "You little bitch. Do you have any idea what you did?" Kagome was not responding. Her body had started shaking, while her mouth dried like a desert. Her mind couldn't formulate anything right now. "Because of you, we had to sell all our assets." His voice was gradually getting stronger and louder. "Because of your selfish action, we were the laughing stock of our circle of friends." He took a step closer to her, and yet she didn't move. "BECAUSE OF YOU, YOU FUCKING SPOILED, LITTLE SHIT!" he finally screamed.

Kagome saw his hand coming her way. With Hideo's training, she could easily avoid him or even stop him if she so wished. But she felt numb. Her body was shacking, and fear was clouding her senses. When his hand finally reached her cheek, the pain could be compared to a thousand needles sticking in her skin. The blow was so strong that she was sent a few meters back and fell on the floor.

She couldn't avoid the low sound of pain that left her mouth. The blow had been so strong that she lost feeling in the left side of her face. She also felt the small drops of blood coming down her chin, only to fall on her beautiful kimono and stain the expensive fabric. 'I'm bleeding.' Apparently, he had busted her lower lip open when he hit her. But her former master wasn't done yet. She could see it in his eyes, the fury and the promise of more pain. It was abundantly clear that he had just started with his intensions to cause her even more pain. He was going to kill her; somehow she was sure of that.

Kagome looked up and saw him moving in on her again. What would he do this time? Kick her? 'Or maybe go immediately for the kill and strangle me where I sit?' Her body was still shaking. In just a few months, she had completely forgotten her past life. She had been so happy that her life as a slave didn't matter anymore. But her former master had found her, and now he was going to kill her.

No one would save her. She was just a slave girl who ran. For her crime, death was the punishment. 'Just let it be quick…' She closed her eyes and waited for the final blow. One that never came.

She raised her eyes once more, and she saw Sesshomaru standing between her and her former master. He had his back turned to her, while Aimi approached her and helped her get up.

"Come on, pup." Aimi's voice was calm and soothing as usual, but inside she felt her blood boil. She wanted the demon's head on a plate for hurting Kagome. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, was not able to maintain his normal cool posture. His blood was demanding retribution, for his future mate was bleeding. Someone was going to die.

"You dare raise a hand against a member of a ruling family, you filth?" His voice was low and outwardly calm. Only his pack could see how close he was from killing the demon. His hands were twitching, while small drops of poison were starting to come out. Kagome's former master didn't seem to realize that Sesshomaru was seconds away from ending his life, because all he could see was his runaway slave, and he meant to punish her with death.

"Ruling family member? That girl?" he said, almost laughing. "THAT GIRL IS MY SLAVE!"

Meanwhile, all this commotion had attracted the attention of the guests standing nearby, causing them to comment on the current situation. But when the word 'slave' slipped past the demon's mouth, the entire room fell silent. Kagome felt her blood freeze. Neither of them knew she was a slave; she'd never told them. Seconds of silence quickly become minutes, and slowly Kagome prepared herself to receive her fate. 'Now that they know, they will ki–'

Without saying another word, Sesshomaru raised his hand and ripped her former master's head clean off. His dead body fell, while massive amounts of blood began covering the floor. No one muttered a word. All the guests looked at the scene and no one commented on it.

Sesshomaru then turned around and looked at Kagome. She was expecting disgust and repulsion from him. Maybe hard words sending her way, but she stood completely shocked when he took a step closer to her and kissed her forehead as he usually did.

"I do not care what you were," he whispered. "You are now part of this pack and as such, I will defend you and your honor with my life."

Kagome didn't have words. Everything was happening so fast. He had discovered her true identity as a slave, and yet he had accepted her. Why? Why treat her as family? What made her so special? She had many questions and wanted to ask them all, but she couldn't. Her throat was too dry and her thoughts were too jumbled.

Not knowing what else to do, she hugged him with all her strength. There weren't enough words that could express her relief and her happiness at that moment. She had always been afraid they would reject her and send her way, or even kill her, when they found out she had been a slave. And yet, Sesshomaru had defended her and accepted her as family.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru." Her voice was low and steady since her words were for him and him alone. She couldn't avoid the small tears that left her eyes. "Thank you…" She felt him return her hug. In a few minutes, her body had stopped shaking and the fear of rejection had dissipated. During those minutes, everything was right with her word. But it wasn't over yet.

Kagome could feel an evil intent within the crowd. Malice and hate were still there. Out of nowhere, a demoness attacked. It was the mate of the recently, slain demon, and she was out looking for revenge. Since Sesshomaru had his back turned, he never saw it, but Kagome did. At that moment, something inside of her awoke. An old power, something beyond the imagination of many, was rising and growing. She felt her body getting hotter. A strange power tingling in her fingertips. The need to protect her loved ones rose along with pure rage. And in a split second, without a movement from Kagome, the demoness preparing the attack lie dead on the floor.

When that demon mentioned Kagome as a slave, Sesshomaru couldn't handle it. Slaves were poorly treated and usually used in the most crud and vile way. And this demon had used his soul mate as a slave? That was unforgivable. Without thinking twice, he'd ripped the demon's head off and turned around to check on Kagome with his own eyes.

He didn't expect for her to hug him so suddenly. 'This is heaven.' His future mate was hugging him, asking for comfort and protection from him. In a few minutes, her body relaxed against him, while he became extremely wary of the demons surrounding them. He wanted to continue this, where other demons couldn't see it.

He was preparing to leave for his room with Kagome in his arms, when he felt her power grow. Quickly, he untangled himself from her and looked at her face. The markings of the ruling family of the North were appearing. They were still very light on her face, but up close it was clear they were coming out. 'No, it's too soon for this.' He needed to stop whatever was happening to her. "Kagome, can you hear me?"

She was unresponsive. Her whole body was becoming stiff and cold, her skin was turning white, and her eyes looked like they were made of glass. He had to take her out of here and fast. Whatever was happening to her, they definitely did not need an audience. Sesshomaru felt his father drawing near and heard him saying to take Kagome out of there and control her, while he managed the guests. Not wanting to lose any more time, he took her to his room and locked the door behind him.

(*)

The ballroom was a mess. Besides the two dead bodies on the floor, the guests were obviously scared, and no one seemed to understand what had happened. Trying to avoid panic was now the only option, but before Inu no Taisho could intervene, Aimi took a step forward and, with a smile on her face, said, "I hope you all enjoyed our little entertainment for tonight."

Inu no Taisho looked at her. She wanted to turn this into a stage performance? He wasn't expecting that. How would she make it sound like it had all been programed? He was feeling a bit reluctant. Yet, he decided to wait and see what she would say. Aimi pressed on.

"This year, we decided to be a bit bolder, and stage this little performance of power of our pups to our delightful guests." She wasn't sure if this would work. But she had to try.

"But what about the lives that were lost here today?" someone asked within the crowd. "They were guests, were they not?"

"Well, of course they weren't," she said while laughing. Aimi's acting skills were being put to the test. "They were prisoners who had been condemned to death a few days ago." Everyone looked at Aimi, trying to understand if she was telling the truth. "We made a deal with them. We told them that if they were able to survive one blow from our pups, we would spare their lives." Aimi looked at the dead bodies and smiled. "Obviously, they didn't. All you saw was a very well-staged performance," Aimi finished with a devious smile.

She felt sick about all that had happened and about lying. But right now, it was key to make all the guests believe this had all been staged. And, since lower class demons loved bloodshed, with some luck, they wouldn't see past the lie.

"I knew the demons that died just now," another voice said in the crowed. A tall, skinny demon stepped closer to the demoness' dead body still lying on the floor. Aimi felt her throat dry with the fear of getting caught. "They were the worst kind of scum. So it only makes sense to me that they were condemned to death," the demon finished, almost laughing. Apparently, the deceased demons weren't very popular amongst royalty.

And just like that, everyone in the room started nodding and applauding. Aimi was astonished about how easy all that had been. The guests had been pleased with the show, and in a few minutes were congratulating the lord and lady.

"Where is you heir, my lord? His power is indisputable," one said.

"And the girl? Did you see that? Without moving a finger, the demoness died!" another said.

Inu no Taisho was shocked that his mate's lie had actually worked. How stupid can lower demons be? He allowed a small breath of relief to leave his mouth when he realized that no one seemed to have noticed the markings on Kagome's face.

He managed to skip the crowd surrounding him and grab Aimi by her waist. She was definitely perfect for him. Only she could convince a crowd that the slaughter they had just witnessed had been staged. "What you just did, my love, was amazing," he purred in her ear. "Absolute genius."

"Oh, you think so, hum?" Aimi felt her whole body relax when Inu no Taisho pulled her against him. Her pack was safe for the moment, and everyone had believed her. Yes, everything was under control.

Or so they thought.

(*)

Deep within the shadows of the room, he observed. He had seen it. What everyone else seemed to miss; the proof that she was a daughter of the North. Her markings had appeared, meaning that her powers were waking up. It shouldn't take long now. A few months maximum.

He felt his blood boil. He thought he had taken care of this years ago. Yet, she was still alive. And his master needed to know it. Turning on his heel, he looked for a quiet place outside, closed his eyes, and concentrated on the task at hand.

'Yes?' came a rough voice. 'You know you are not supposed to use this link, unless it's an emergency.' His master was impatient tonight, so he decided to cut to the chase.

'It's true. She's here, and she's waking up,' he answered back. 'I saw it with my own two eyes.' A petrifying laugh made him freeze. He wasn't expecting that reaction. When the laugh stopped, he heard the answer.

'Due to your incompetence all those years ago, our plans will have to change. Luckily for you, there's still time to fix it.' And the connection was gone. He felt mad. Because of a small mistake, he would pay dearly. Even if they were still capable of proceeding with the original plan, he knew his master wouldn't let it go easily. 'Fuck.'

(*)

*A big thank you full of love to my amazing beta, BelovedStranger!