XXIX
Confessions Of A Savage Soul
In the low, stone buildings behind the main body of the fortress, Sesshomaru kept, as his father had, a menagerie of dangerous and deadly youkai. More beast than demon, without conscience or consciousness, some were useful – like the twin-headed dragon Rin had named Aa-Un – and others merely killers. Those killers he kept for days like today, days without an enemy upon which he could vent his fury.
He was waiting now to see what would be brought for him to sharpen his claws on; his fingers twitched in anticipation.
It was not often that he indulged his bloodlust so unequivocally; his nature was inherently violent but he did not like to kill without reason, whether reason was the hunt, or vengeance, or insulted honor...but he had succumbed to the temptation because he was angry, very angry, and without an outlet for that anger his mother's presence near him became more dangerous every moment.
Rage had been growing in him since the moment she had first appeared outside the Wall, but there was something beyond anger thathad risen to prominence while he had watched her attempt to spill Kagome's blood. The fact that his mate had been victorious did not subdue his feelings; she had won by chance, by the unsteady flux of her power. If that power had not obeyed her -as, apparently, it sometimes did not - what then?
I could not have intervened.
He almost found himself wishing, for a single moment, that she was still human. She would not have been worthy of a youkai's Challenges then. Only he would have had to fight, only he -
But they killed my father. Somehow, some way, they would find a way to kill me, too. And then her. I am not invulnerable; stronger than any of them, yes, but not all of them. Kinawai had the right of that.
Sesshomaru let out a long, slow breath, and then turned his head to the sound of approaching, familiar footsteps.
About time.
It was Jaken who was in charge of his stables now. He had been immersed in his new work since Sesshomaru had returned here bearing Kagome and the squawking Toad had dared to question him, displeased and infuriated by her presence.
His reaction had, perhaps, been an overreaction, but Sesshomaru found his life increasingly pleasant in the absence of Jaken's grating personality, and his once-retainer (despite grumblings to the contrary) seemed equally pleased by his new position. It made use of Jaken's talents and kept him out of Sesshomaru's way. Sesshomaru had always been of the opinion that Jaken was much too fearful of him to make a good retainer.
Even as he thought it, there was audible trembling behind him.
"Sesshomaru-dono! Please forgive the delay; the Challenge ground has been made ready, and a beast is waiting as you requested - "
"Go before me."
He cut Jaken off mid-sentence, and the Toad scurried ahead immediately; Sesshomaru followed more slowly, projecting an unhurried aura that was far from the truth.
Despite his inner distress, he was pleased with what he saw when they reached their destination. The Challenge ground had been smoothed and cleaned so that the requisite circle of bare earth, nearly six hundred feet across, was flat and even. He had ordered much-needed maintenance be performed on this place, not for the nerve-soothing combat he sought now, but as a just in case measure. In two days time at this hour the ground in front of him was likely to be soaked with red.
Sesshomaru closed his eyes against the whirlwind of mental images that were stirred up by that single thought. It was not difficult for him to imagine Kagome here, the flesh beneath her skin laid bare by rage and power – the scent of her blood was still on the air, a fresh and untainted reminder that he did not need.
I will not let it happen.
He walked behind Jaken on the narrow stone path that led into the Challenge ring, and stopped just at the edge. In the center, small-looking in the open space, was something unexpected - a nekomata he had captured in an almost-war with his father's surviving enemies, decades prior. It was an ice-white beast with all the obvious feline features; blue-white smoke twined about its paws, frosting the bare ground as it struggled against the chains holding it in place.
With a raised eyebrow, Sesshomaru turned back to Jaken.
"This is what you have brought to fight me? I slaughtered dozens of these in battle."
Nervously, Jaken's fingers scrabbled across each other as he bowed repeatedly.
"Forgive me, Sesshomaru-dono! The creature is not challenging to fight for one such as yourself, of course not – but I have altered the beast somewhat, and I was told it has been fed well for many seasons to increase its power. Would Sesshomaru-dono like to know what -"
"No. Perhaps that will make this more interesting."
Without further words, Sesshomaru strode forward. Regardless of possible danger, he began stripping away the restraining chains, undoing them two and three at a time. When he had unfastened all but the last pair, the nekomata let out a restrained roar and redoubled its struggles. Metal links burst and the chains flailed wildly for a moment as the beast escaped its bonds and darted immediately for the nearest living creature, seeking to express half a hundred years worth of imprisoned wrath.
Unfortunately for it, the nearest living creature was Sesshomaru. Smoothly, he dodged out of the way of the beast's first blow, the swipe of a lethally-clawed paw - and then again, as another roar escaped the nekomata's throat accompanied by a blast of black, crackling lightning.
It struck the ground where he had been standing, and dissipated into the earth. Sesshomaru flexed his claws and allowed himself the tiniest and most predatory of smirks.
Interesting.
He did not recall these beasts possessing such power; what had Jaken done?
Another flare of lightning shot towards him, interrupting his thoughts. Sesshomaru judged coolly and moved only one hand. Black lightening met the green glow of dokkasou, screeched, and shattered. Sesshomaru stood unmoved – but so did the beast.
Errant drops of acidic toxin splashed against the nekomata's snow-shaded fur, and bounced away. For a moment, confused, Sesshomaru only stared...and then, slowly, exposed his fangs in a full and glittering smile
Altered, indeed.
It appeared that the many weeks of special attention Jaken had given to this one had been worthwhile. If the nekomata was truly invulnerable to Sesshomaru's dokkasou, then the weapons available to him were limited; this became a battle of brute strength and raw speed instead of power.
Which is just what I wanted.
Swiftly, he darted forward under the reach of striking claws and dealt a sharp blow; blood flowed, dark and thick, and the beast screamed its anger and its pain. As Sesshomaru twisted, slipping to one side, the nekomata reared up and slashed at him with both of its front paws; Sesshomaru was faster, darting around behind it and then leaping up and over. Again, his claws dug into the white fur; again, the snowy pelt was darkened to burgundy.
Wounded in one shoulder and now carrying the marks of savage claws across its back, the nekomata retreated four steps and issued a challenging growl; animal cunning glittered suddenly in the blue-black eyes, a hunter's intelligence wakened fully in the face of death. Sesshomaru stepped cautiously, watching that flicker of cleverness warily.
Without warning, lightning arced and coruscated just in front of his feet, made him leap back, and then struck again on his right. He was just barely quick enough to elude the second blast; he heard the air whine as slashing claws targeted his left side, made vulnerable by the way he had leapt aside to dodge.
A few strands of hair drifted towards the ground as Sesshomaru pivoted on his right foot. He felt dampness on his cheek, and reached up a hand to touch a welling of red from a single, shallow cut. In a moment it was closed over and only the thin line of blood remained, but Sesshomaru leapt backwards, surprised and irritated.
I am more distracted than I thought. Father would be laughing at me now, blooded by a nekomata!
The fight was not helping as he had hoped; it was time for it to be over. In a blur, Sesshomaru darted across the open space.
Anticipating his attack, the beast stepped back, but now that Sesshomaru had decided to end it there was no avoiding his sudden and fatal strike. There was a single howl, cut off quickly. For a moment, four glittering claws were visible through the rich red stains marring the nekomata's creamy throat, and then he stepped back.
Distastefully, Sesshomaru shook blood from his claws and let out a long breath. A minute or so passed, and he stared at the ground, at the pools collecting around the body of the beast, at the marks of his claws in its still flesh. He did not feel any differently; the memory of the afternoon was still as fresh and painful as before.
A scowl darkened his face, and he was hard pressed to shake it off.
As he deliberated on the thousand things that had disturbed his peaceful, solitary life, he heard leaves rustle in warning, the telltale sound of Kagome's familiar footsteps – and beside them, the near-silent whisper of his mother's approach. Immediately he stood straighter, flexed his fingers and heard his knuckles crack.
The two of them – together? There was no need for Mother to approach Kagome – all she needed to do was find Rin, and see...whatever she needed to see. Unless – unless Kagome was with Rin, and...
Several unpleasant scenarios made their way through his thoughts, but the worst of them he discarded because the two females came without the scent of blood. None of his ideas, however, touched on even the possibility that the two of them might not be at odds with each other, but rather with him.
If he had considered it, he would probably have labeled the thought 'worst nightmare' - and then locked it away forever.
It was the death-howls that signaled Sesshomaru's victory which led Kagome and Kimitsukiko to him. Once it became clear to her which way they were going, Kimitsukiko knew their destination and moved more quickly. Kagome followed her in silence, unwilling to test the uneasy alliance that had sprung up between them – over Rin, of all things.
I would've thought she'd be angry...that she wouldn't allow it. Don't youkai hate humans? Doesn't she hate humans? And Sesshomaru...I know he cares for her, that's obvious to anyone, but to adopt her? A human girl...
Half a minute later, the two females broke through the concealing foliage, and looked out over the flat, empty space of the Challenge ground. Kimitsukiko was quick to eye the remains of Sesshomaru's fight with a look of distaste; Kagome's face barely concealed her excited interest as she ran her gaze over the smooth ground. She hadn't known there was a place like this within the walls; couldn't he have helped her practice, taught her how to fight before anything happened?
But Kimitsukiko had no interest, and no patience. She had seen it all before.
"Sesshomaru, was it absolutely necessary that you be waiting here? And what is that?"
His mother pointed with one claw at the bloody mess on the ground, and Kagome peered forward and then shuddered, crossed her arms tightly across her chest.
"That was a nekomata; now it is...not. Have you made your decision, mother?"
Sesshomaru's eyes moved over Kagome curiously, and then fixed on his mother's face.
She stepped around him and the dead youkai with swift and careless grace; she appeared to be contemplating, though Kagome knew she had already made her decision. It was amusing to see Sesshomaru waiting impatiently for someone's permission.
Kagome was forced to restrain a burst of laughter, and Kimitsukiko was in no mood to have pity on her son.
"My decision..."
"Yes."
He said it with forced calm; even Kagome could detect his unease, and the laughter she was holding back slipped out of her control. She clapped her hands over her mouth as the tiny giggle escaped, and turned her back to Sesshomaru immediately; even so, she could detect both his scowl and Kimitsukiko's faint amusement.
"Tell me, my son - what is it about this Rin..."
She paused on the name long enough to make him squirm with discomfort, and then continued as though she had not stopped.
"...that makes her worthy of a place in this House, this family? She is human; she does not know our ways, she does not belong among us! Better that you should find her a place with her own kind. Your mate has human friends; give the girl to them!"
A flicker of red, a promise of violence that was still too close to the surface - the result of his unsatisfactory fight - bloomed in Sesshomaru's eyes. The feeling involved entered Kagome's awareness like a thread of flame, and she turned back quickly to look at him. She was not sure what was going on, here – Kimitsukiko's words were still clear in her thoughts, the delicate permission: "I will allow it."
"You know already all the answers to your questions, mother. I gave them to you once already when I told you my intentions; you desired to speak to the girl yourself -"
"And I have done so! Tell me, Sesshomaru – how have you prepared this girl? She knows nothing of youkai tradition or custom, cannot possibly understand what a position in this family would mean for her! The girl is not even of noble birth among humans – she is the daughter of some peasant, you can see it in her face! I asked the child for her name, but she does not know it except as a sound; she cannot read or write...disgraceful, to have such a child claim the name of this House!"
Suddenly, Kagome understood. Kimitsukiko could not demand an instructor for Rin, lessons or training or tutors. To do so would express some approval on her part which she was unwilling to bestow. Rather, she would accomplish everything that she wanted with the appearance of an opposite motive – perhaps her own true motive. Insult Rin's intelligence, her value, and force Sesshomaru to prove that the girl was worthwhile; make clear to him Rin's ignorance, and how it made her unsuitable, and he would necessarily have to correct the problem.
There was only one difficulty, as far as Kagome was concerned; Kimitsukiko had asked for her help in confronting Sesshomaru, and there was no way that Kagome could belittle Rin like that. She knew that the girl was intelligent, talented, knowledgeable; in fact, it was more than likely that Rin knew more about the real lives of youkai than she herself did...
Ah! Of course!
"Sesshomaru, your mother is right."
Both of them, mother and son, ceased glaring at each other and turned to look at Kagome instead. Sesshomaru's voice, carefully controlled as it was, still gave her a shiver.
"Oh?"
The utter coldness of his single syllable almost silenced her. Almost.
"Yes! Think about it – she can't be any more prepared then I am, Sesshomaru, but at least I look youkai. I mean – I am youkai, but...I don't know anything yet about how to be what I am. I know some youkai history now, and sometimes I think I am thinking like a demon, but -"
"Kagome, the circumstances are not the same. It is hard enough for me to find someone who might tutor you in youkai custom without asking too many questions. I have been trying, but I have not mentioned it to you because my attempts have been fruitless. For a similar reason, I have been unable to find an appropriate teacher for Rin. Certainly I am not prepared to do such a thing -"
"Sesshomaru! What is the meaning of this? Why did I hear nothing about your attempts to find such an individual?"
Sesshomaru turned away from Kagome to face his mother again, a scowl growing on his face.
Why do I feel like this is a set-up?
"Perhaps, mother, you heard nothing because it did not concern you."
"Did not concern me? You come to me, asking that I bestow my permission, that I allow this human into-"
"Mother! I am doing this for her protection, no other reason. Rin is mine, whether the mark of this House is on her or not, but that mark will make her place obvious to everyone."
"And what is her place, Sesshomaru? What is the place of this girl in the House of the Inu no Taisho? She is uneducated and unskilled!"
The verbal prodding was finally too much. Sesshomaru had been pushed to his limits; his voice escaped in a controlled roar.
"She is human! She has no need -"
"What?"
It was Kagome's turn for an angry interruption.
"What is it you're saying, Sesshomaru? She's human, so she doesn't need to learn? She's human, so she should spend the rest of her life ignorant and barefoot, running around after you?"
The corners of Kimitsukiko's lips turned up in an invisible smile; Sesshomaru stared at his mate in utter confusion, and then looked back and forth between the two females. He wondered if he should try to answer...or if answering would be bad for his health.
"Kagome..."
Her eyes glinted at him. He sighed; he looked briefly in his mother's direction, but she only gave him a self-satisfied smile and he knew she would be no help.
"Kagome, you must try to understand. Humans and youkai...and she has never seemed to care."
"She does care! And you – did you consider, once I came here, that I could teach her? Did you think about that?"
His look of sudden and lasting surprise proved that he hadn't.
"But I didn't even know! Shippou had to tell me – and you should be glad he said something, you - "
One of her claws wavered threateningly in his direction, and then poked him sharply in the chest.
Momentarily, he glared at her, and then turned his baleful stare in his mother's direction.
"I know this is all your fault, mother. I am not amused. If it is what you think is necessary, I will find some way to give Rin the appropriate...training. Is that satisfactory?"
Without making it obvious, Kagome turned so that she could watch the other female out of the corner of her eye. With the same words she had used in front of the children, Kimitsukiko nodded haughtily and gave her permission.
"I will allow it."
Kagome let out a sigh of relief; as much as she had been replaying those words in her head, she had begun to wonder if Kimitsukiko had actually meant them. But Sesshomaru thought that he understood what Kagome did not, the finer implications of that specific phrase – the intent implicit in that word, allow. His mother would not stand in his way; perhaps she knew how futile that would be. At the same time, she did not mean to offer him any support; she might, in fact, offer a portrait of reluctance in the face of others who were likely to take issue with his decision.
I have made it clear already that I will fight to protect Rin; that I will kill for her sake. That will have to be enough. There will certainly be enough other distractions...
Abruptly, he was restored to his first and worst fear; clammy presentiments of violence crawled over his skin. He looked down at the ground, red and stained, and then up again at Kagome's face. Nothing in his experience had prepared him for his own shattering feelings; he wondered if when they passed, there would be anything left behind.
"Kagome, come with me now."
He turned away from the gore and caught hold of her arm as she moved to follow him; she glanced apologetically at his mother, but he gave her opportunity time for politeness or goodbye.
There was no time left.
Hidden in the bushes, watching each movement carefully, gathering each word to his own ears, Shippou restrained himself from dancing gleefully and instead smiled widely at the flowers that kept him hidden, and at the girl who was hiding beside him.
He had known that Kagome would be angry to find out that Sesshomaru would not let Rin learn, but Rin had made him promise not to say anything that might come between her new mother and Sesshomaru-sama. In a way, he knew Rin was right – but at the same time, he believed in Kagome's apparent invulnerability to Sesshomaru's violence; he believed in her beauty, and her charm, and her flashing, terrible temper.
Once – just once, he had wanted to see that temper turned on Sesshomaru – and he had been witness to not only Kagome's anger, but that of Sesshomaru's own mother. It had been just as funny as he thought; the expression of consternation on Sesshomaru's face was utterly priceless, a memory he would treasure forever. Beside him, even Rin had been forced to hold back giggles, despite her disapproval of anyone who might disagree with her Sesshomaru-sama.
As Sesshomaru departed, and Kagome with him, Shippou took hold of Rin's arm and held her utterly still, a warning finger on his lips. He had no desire to interact further with Sesshomaru's mother; her character had been impressed on him thoroughly in their short meeting and he sensed in her a waiting aura of violence almost equal to her son's. He didn't want to tempt that violence into the open; he was sure she would be unimpressed with his eavesdropping.
Still, he was pleased.
Lessons for Rin! I win!
When Kimitsukiko had gone her own way, the pair of conspirators crept out of the bushes and ran back towards the fortress.
"Rin, now that you have permission maybe we can learn together."
"You are far ahead, Shippou! I won't -"
"Then come on; I can show you what I know, and then you will be ready!"
Sesshomaru pulled Kagome along behind him, down hallways and up stairs, past familiar rooms and into a wing of the fortress she had not yet explored. He stopped finally at what looked like a dead end; as lamps on the walls around them flickered into life, she thought they had stopped at a black rock wall. After a moment, Kagome realized that it was an enormous door, a single great piece of dark stone that gleamed as if with oil. She touched it, and her eyes widened; it was cold under her fingers and smooth as glass.
Obsidian!
Sesshomaru stood still beside her. As if afraid that they might have been followed, he waited for the darkness to become dimness. Stuttering flames painted the stone with red light and shadows, and he listened carefully, one palm raised cautioning Kagome to be silent.
A minute passed, and then he turned to the door. He wrapped the fingers of both hands around the edge of the door, and pulled; the scent of blood struck her nose almost immediately. The edge of the black glass had cut his palms.
Wide-eyed, she saw blue light rising out of the stone, illuminating Sesshomaru's spilled blood. His eyes narrowed, the only visible sign of his great effort, and slowly, as the light subsided, the enormous stone began to slide to the right. When half of it had disappeared into the wall, he stopped and held it still.
"Inside, Kagome. Now."
He spoke quietly, but his voice was strained; without argument, she walked quickly past him and into the darkness. She was awed by his strength, and for the first time she wondered if similar potential was waiting, unsuspected, in her own muscles. In a moment he was beside her, and she turned quickly, startled, as the huge door crashed shut with a boom. The sound echoed in the dark passage and she covered her ears reflexively.
So loud!
"Follow me."
"Where are we?"
He took her hand and pulled her along again, turning quickly at unexpected times, following a path she was sure she could never have remembered in daylight, never mind in the dark.
"Sesshomaru -"
"Not yet; wait, Kagome."
He continued to lead her along for a while, and then the walls disappeared from around them, and Sesshomaru stopped. He spoke sharply, but not to her, a single word:
"Light."
There was a rustle of obedience, and the smell of some aromatic oil preceded the flicker of flames, illuminating a roughly circular chamber that gleamed with the same glassy texture as the stone door that had let them in.
"More obsidian – Sesshomaru, what is this place?"
He came close to her and touched her face, her hair,
"It is a place my mother cannot find us."
One of his hands stroked her ribs beneath her left breast; his forehead puckered in concern.
"Your wounds -"
"Better now. Almost completely healed, I was...surprised."
His fingers probed gently, and she endured without protest, confused but pleased. There was only one tender spot, and he nodded with satisfaction.
"Good. You have good reflexes...and good instincts. It would be bad if your flesh did not have the capacity to keep up."
"Good instincts! Right..."
She shook her head, amused.
"Well, anyway, what are we doing in here? It's...kind of pretty, actually, but I'm afraid to sit down – and I don't understand why we had to come all the way in the dark -"
He looked at her seriously.
"So you would not the know the way back and be tempted to run away."
"You – you can't be serious!"
He nodded slowly; Kagome wasn't sure whether to be angry or laugh. Why did it seem that those were the only reactions she was capable of lately? She remembered having other feelings, but he was just – so infuriating!
"Why would I run away? Haven't you got it through your head yet that I'm not going anywhere? I'm not going back to the village, and I'm definitely not going back to my time – I want to stay here with you, and -"
"But you don't know what I've done – what I'm planning to do."
He shook his head slowly; the lamplight highlighted flecks of red and brassy color in his eyes, and but for the smoke from the lamps she could have sworn there was the faintest twitch of fear in his scent.
I must be imagining it.
His words, though – she knew she hadn't imagined those. He had done something...was doing something? Kagome planted her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him; whatever it was, it was time he confessed.
"Enough secrets, Sesshomaru! I have a right to know what you're planning, since it so obviously involves me -"
"Yes. Enough secrets. Kagome..."
He turned to look at her and she was silenced by the expression on his face, how lost and confused he seemed; it was utterly unlike him, somehow both terrifying and reassuring.
"Kagome, you are my mate."
She blinked.
"Yes, I know that. You told me -"
"But do you know what it means?"
He shook his head slowly and reached out his hands toward her; she stood for a moment, looking at him, and then reached forward and took them, stepped close to him.
"I have done a terrible thing, Kagome, because I thought there was no choice; you will be marked in a way that cannot be undone, you will be mine forever...but you don't understand."
"Then help me. You have to help me, Sesshomaru; who do you think is going to do it if you don't? You made me what I am; help me understand."
He took a deep breath; his eyes never left her face. Kagome felt like he was searching her for something, peering into the corners of her being, seeking out...
What? What are you looking for...Sesshomaru?
"You do not know, Kagome, how much I care for you...how that feeling has affected me, my decisions, my thoughts. Today - this afternoon...she is my mother, Kagome, she gave me birth and for that I owe her as great a debt as I have ever owed anyone. It has kept her alive many times, and...I cannot deny that she has been of aid to me, once or twice."
Steely tones penetrated his voice.
"Despite this, I tell you now that if she ever threatens violence against you again I will kill her myself! Anyone, anyone who tries to touch you...Kagome, you do not know what you have done, opening this feeling in me!"
His eyes were wide, empty; it was a disturbing sight.
"I asked you once – now you tell me, if there is something else it could be besides - ! Something else...what is it, Kagome? If it something else, I know you could name it, this feeling! When you were fighting her there was fire in my veins...and despite that, I could do nothing, could not stop forward, could not defend you! The thought that - that - "
The awareness of something extraordinary was building in Kagome's eyes.
"That - but that is – that is - that is -"
He cut her off with a savage gesture, gripped her fingers so tightly that she wondered momentarily why they were not broken.
"That is hell!"
Kagome swayed under the force of his words, their power. Was it possible?
For me -
The same hungry feeling was in her now as when he had torn Kinawai away from her all those days ago. For a moment her lips burned with the memory, but Sesshomaru had regained some mastery of his vicious feelings and his words dragged her down from desire to darkness.
"I did not intend to use such strong words with you...not yet, not now. I thought that what I said before...I thought that would be enough. Did you not believe me, despite your words of trust? You must know, you must believe me, or I do not think you will survive what is coming."
She took a step closer to him at that, seemed to seek shelter in his presence, his tangible strength.
"What's...what's coming?"
Kagome looked up at his face as she spoke, but wished she hadn't; there was more than a little of the old coldness in his face, the old mask.
"Sesshomaru..."
Abruptly, he let her go and turned away; she could see the tenseness in him, heavy on his back, tight on his shoulders. His admission and all it implied weighed heavily on him, but there was something more. She was almost frightened by the thought; what could be more than what he had already said?
"I have not been open with you, Kagome. This is not because I wish to deceive you, but because I could not - because I still can not find the words to tell you what it is that you need to know."
"What I - "
And she nodded slowly.
"This is about that - that presentation. You haven't told me anything about it, and there've been no clues in all that reading -"
"Yes. Your presentation. Kagome...it is important. More important than you can know - and dangerous. "
"Dangerous?"
The word popped out of her; but she found herself unsurprised. She had known there must be something holding him back, because otherwise she couldn't imagine why he wouldn't want to tell her, why he had so pointedly avoided any and all references to the subject...why he had dragged her into this obscure and hidden place.
"Kagome, the reason I have not killed my mother already is because she made known to me this thing...this terrible thing. I cannot interfere in Challenge; anyone who seeks to battle against you may do so, and I couldn't interfere. Certainly, I could take vengeance, but that would not help you - you would be dead. My mother held back greatly fighting you, I don't think she even intended to wound you as much as she did, but your inexperience is as dangerous to you as your opponent's skill. The power that saved you, your miko strength - it is not completely under your control."
She hesitated, and then sighed. She could not lie to him.
"I can feel it like...like threads, when I heal a demon - and in my arrows I can always bring out the power...and sometimes -"
"Yes. And sometimes - that is no good, Kagome. There is nothing I can do now, nothing I can do to prevent what may happen...it is too late for postponement, for change. Kagome, tomorrow..."
He took a deep breath. Many things flashed through his head in that moment, the things that would soon start to happen to her – the family she still had to meet, the females who would seek to break her bond with him, the Ink that would mark her forever...if she lived long enough.
"Tomorrow night, many things will begin. If I have been successful - if - then perhaps you will not be in danger."
He eyed her for a moment.
"I told my mother you would heal her; I also told her I would not allow you to do so until after all this is over."
As he had expected, she protested immediately, confused by the non-sequitur intrusion.
"But...Sesshomaru -"
"You will not disobey."
Clipped, sharp, his words silenced her.
"The day after - that is soon enough. As it is, those who ask her how she was wounded will look to you, and be frightened. Her strength is known; those who find out you defeated her will be less willing to test your strength."
She sighed.
"If you think - if you think it is really necessary."
"I do. Kagome..."
He shook his head slowly and his voice grew low and urgent.
"If I had been thinking I would have taken longer to prepare you, but Kinawai and all his whispers have moved me faster than my wont."
Her brow furrowed, and he made his decision in that moment.
"Your Presentation is...the Presentation is a marking ceremony, the end of the Rite that is the oldest of the old ways, the Rite that begins with the Chase. By tradition, the females of your House would sit with you through the last days of the waning moon, preparing you to leave them. This cannot be done for you; you have no mother or sisters to come and stay by your side."
He did not miss the flicker of sadness on her face at that, but there was nothing he could do for her; he could not evade the boundaries of time.
"It is for this reason that I have summoned the kin who remain to me. There will be plenty of females to sit with you, and they will tell you things – you must try not to act too surprised, Kagome."
She nodded slowly; she was listening hard, absorbing every word. She had been waiting for him to tell her things like this – why did he have to wait until the last minute?
"When the dark is full on the night of no moon, you will choose one from among them to Mark you with the Ink. It is more than just color to mark your skin; it is made with blood and the roots of a black flower whose name I do not know. It is to open the way between us; it will make the bond we share a permanent thing, something that cannot be undone, cannot be severed.
He touched the crescent on his forehead, held her gaze.
"Once this mark is cut into your skin, there is no turning back. Have you felt them, the threads that connect us?"
Her eyebrows contracted for a moment, and then her expression cleared.
"You mean - I haven't been hallucinating? There's really something...but it's - it's you! It really is..."
He felt her awareness sharpening, the tenuous link between them solidifying as she consciously accessed its potential.
"Yes. It will aid you, that bond; it joins us, Inu to Inu. It will grow strong with the Ink, and with time...but forever is much longer than you think, Kagome."
Kagome took a deep breath and let it out slowly; this was a great deal more than she had expected.
"Tell me the rest, Sesshomaru."
His gaze flickered away from her and then back.
"You...will show you are mine. When you are close to me, the Ink will awaken you, awaken the Inu and the desires of a mate... and then the Rite will be over and they will leave us, if we are lucky. In the morning we will be alone and you will be safe."
"And if we are not lucky?"
She saw tenseness move through his muscles – not quite a shiver, but a disturbed flexing of uncertain strength.
"I do not know."
It was not the most reassuring answer.
A/N: Aha! Behold how not slow I am! Woohoo! And I've even started working on the next chapter already, in which Kagome meets the family and finally gets a taste of what's in store for her – and in which an unexpected visitor arrives! No, it's not Naraku. Wouldn't that just be awful? Aha...anyways, on to reviews!
AMUTOLOVER09: much thanks; Sesshomaru is a pain, but I love him that way, ha!
Anime Lady PIMP: Ah yes...bonding, when families come together and leave in pieces...ha!
IceCweamWuver: Yay! Shippou! If I were him, I'd be laughing too – and running. Laughing and running. Glad you like the story, more soon!
kouga's older woman: Well, if my daughter-in-law had the ability to turn me to dust, I'd try to get along too, wouldn't you? Never mind the fact that Sesshomaru is not the happiest person in the world when his mother tries to kill his mate! I'm so happy everyone likes Shippou!
lunarcat12: Yes! Ha! Exactly! The really funny part is that he has no IDEA what's hitting him...until it keeps on hitting him over and over. Oh well...he doesn't get any pity, just made fun of :D
Miss Tessa: They are, they are! Only, usually, they don't try to kill you!
lara5170: Thanks for your great reviews! I'm honored by your compliments, and glad that you enjoy the story so much; it's refreshing to find someone who really likes my work and bothers to let me know why and how much! Your last review had some questions which I'll reply to directly – thanks again!
Angel of Blood: Much thanks – chapter, presented!
Mariisca: Thanks! Please continue to do so!