XXXV.

Princess Of Beasts

In the few quiet moments that were given to Kouga before the Challenge began, he stood alone at the edge of the wide, flat circle of earth in which his fate would be decided, and thought back on the things that had brought him to this moment. Meeting Kagome, by chance, as it were...taking her, first for violence, and then for her power, and finally for softer uses. When she had escaped him, he had sworn to himself that she would one day be his woman, and had not balked at the human taste of the word on his tongue.

Woman. My woman, Kagome...

Had he not told her often enough, seriously enough? Had she not believed him? He could think of no other reason why she would be here, now – why he would be fighting over her.

He had no way of knowing, of course, that it had been the same way for Sesshomaru – and even, to a certain extent, for Inuyasha – that it had been for him; the violence, and the power, and the softness. The difference was that so far, Sesshomaru had been able to hold onto her, to keep her close and claim her...

Kouga seethed at the thought – and then felt suddenly sickened.

The wind. The scent of that wind - now I know why...why I could not stand it. Kagome...

His soul – if he had a soul – ached in his chest. A theory that he had been clinging to was dispersed by his remembrance, his recognition of that scent.

The mating -

There had been no force in it, no violence beyond what was usual...no discontent. No fear.

For a moment, he shifted uneasily. Did she – could she possibly want to belong-

No. No. Not my Kagome and that cold Inu bastard. He has some hold over her, something...I know it!

Stubbornly, he refused to consider the one other fact that had come into his awareness, the thing he should have found most disturbing of all: Sesshomaru's claim that Kagome had killed Inuyasha. His own dislike for Inuyasha made him ask no prying questions. The problem was that he had never known Kagome at all; not really. Just her smiles, and her smiling anger; the things on which he had based his love, his claim.

Just as stubbornly, he did not consider that she was not smiling at him now.

Kouga heard noise, interrupting his thoughts, and turned to face an approaching contingent of Inu, the greater portion of those who claimed ties as kin to the House of Blades. In the midst of them, walking unconcerned, his features expressionless, his movements poised, was Sesshomaru. Even the sight of him was enough to fan Kouga's rage. He felt the fire inside himself sharpen, burning hotter, and met Sesshomaru's eyes.

The Inu stopped, stared impassively. Kouga sneered...and then the two of them were forced apart as Kinawai strode forward with Eldest and Kagome, then left the two females behind and made his way to the center of the Challenge ground.

For a last, long moment, Kouga stared at Kagome, and his eyes grasped so tightly at her skin he was surprised she did not feel it, did not turn toward him...but she was staring at the ground, her mouth open, her breaths heavy, distracted by the sensations of the Ink.

If he had known those sensations, the greater portion of their cause, he might have saved himself; he might have yet turned away, seeing in despair what he could not see in his arrogance, and his desire, and his pride.

Kagome belonged to Sesshomaru; Kagome wanted to belong to Sesshomaru. She had decided for herself, when she had thought that there was no other place left for her in this world...when she had still been half hoping for death.

But Kouga did not know, and he did not turn away...and then it was too late.

Kagome was floating in the Ink, drowning in a wide-open flood that was both the sharpness of her senses, and the dull, throbbing tide of the bond she shared with Sesshomaru. What was usually a flicker, a trickle, had become a roaring tsunami, and as it was meant to do it reduced her awareness of the world to moments of clarity so bright they were blinding...and Sesshomaru.

As she walked up the path that led to the Challenge ground, she found herself leaning more and more on Eldest and Kinawai, swaying, tilting, or maybe just thinking she was as she moved along. They were the last to arrive, and Kinawai left her with Eldest immediately, striding off to initiate the Challenge.

There were several long moments of rustling and moving about as Kinawai's presence was noticed, and then, finally, silence. In the silence, all eyes were focused on Kouga and on Sesshomaru, each one in a circle of his own kin – and then Kinawai spoke.

"Two among you seek to place your Blood before your enemy; your weapons, you have cast away. Now it is Challenge, like the most ancient days: now, the Beast will answer all your questions. Come forward, Kouga, Lord of the Golden House! Name your Challenge and its terms!"

On light feet, Kouga came into the center of the circle of flattened earth, and searched out the circle of watching youkai until he found Kagome's eyes. If he was startled by the blank depth of red he found there, the vicious edge waking in her expression, he did not show it.

"I Challenge for Kagome – Kagome, who was mine, Kagome, who was taken by Sesshomaru!"

In the same strong, piercing voice, Kinawai turned and summoned out Sesshomaru.

"How do you answer, Sesshomaru, Lord of the House of Blades? Will you fight this Challenge?"

Stillness came with Sesshomaru as he stepped forward, stillness belied by the redness of his eyes, the Inu close to the surface, just waiting to be released.

"I will fight. But there is no logic in this; this Wolf has no claim!"

Kouga's features twisted; a long growl escaped him, vibrated his whole body, and if not for Kinawai between him and the Inu he would have leapt directly for Sesshomaru's throat. Sensing this, Kinawai turned and gave Kouga a hard stare. The forms would be obeyed. The forms had brought them out of chaos, and sustained them that way in the absence of a Dragonlord to mete out justice. Without the Ritual of Challenge they were no better than dumb beasts.

"Will you withdraw, Kouga? Will you concede the -"

"No! Never!"

Kouga cut off Kinawai sharply, but with that denial, there was nothing more to be said. In silence, Kinawai backed away and returned to his own place among the watching youkai, spread thin in a wide ring that bordered the Challenge ground.

For a moment, Kouga and Sesshomaru stared across the small empty space where he had been, and then a dim glow consumed everything visible, became light, golden-white where Sesshomaru had been standing, brassy copper in Kouga's place.

Against the dim background of the circle that was watching, the expectant hush, there was suddenly wind, wind collapsing and exploding and rushing all at once, both roaring and silent. Onto the moonlit grass came the sparkling sound of teeth and the padding of great paws, not a sound but a vibration that thudded through the earth into the soles of all their feet.

From the black depths of the Ink, Kagome found all her breath was stolen from her. For the second time, she saw the heart of the Beast revealed, the full expression of a demon soul. Before her eyes, the Inu had become flesh...and the Wolf. If she had had thoughts, not just drugged feelings, she might have been surprised; she had never suspected such potential in Kouga, though it was an obvious thing considering the little she had known about youkai.

In these moments, however, she had no thoughts of her own; only thoughts of Sesshomaru. She had not yet been party to his consciousness in a moment of true bloodlust; she had felt only the hints of it that had been revealed to her in his play-battle with Kinawai...and much of that memory had been lost to her by the events that followed it. Now, all of that fury was unleashed, raw power in its most basic form; her body shuddered with him in the Change and she felt the first inklings of what it might be like to take on such a shape herself.

Under the pressure of the Ink and the pressure of that wild Inu let loose, Kagome was a mirror for Sesshomaru's emotion, an amplifier; she felt his feelings and then they came to her again from herself, more strongly.

In the stillness that followed the transformation, the two great Beasts roared at each other, set the trees of the courtyards at the edge of the cleared space shaking. Impatient, it was the Wolf that moved first, striking forward with clawed forepaws, grappling for the throat. It was a brave, impetuous move, but it did no good. Sesshomaru had one great advantage over Kouga, especially in this shape.

With a single lunge, the Inu grabbed a mouthful of flesh and bit down. Dokkasou in its most potent form liquefied fur, muscles, tissue; there was a scream in bestial tones, the voice of the Wolf, and one enormous paw came down across Sesshomaru's muzzle, knocking him away, bloodying his face.

For a moment, they circled each other. The long ragged tongue of the Inu probed at the shallow wounds of his cheek; Kouga snuffled at his wounded shoulder, then let out a challenging roar. Sesshomaru matched the sound, sent poison rippling outwards with the bellow of sound. Some in the crowd of watchers flinched away from drops of burning pain; Kouga shuddered under them, then darted forward, seeking the throat.

Minutes passed, tense with violence. Kouga's claws had trouble catching hold of the Inu's flesh; only once did he managed to grab hold of vital flesh with vicious fangs, and he was quickly dislodged. His own shoulder throbbed angrily; twice, Sesshomaru clawed at at the acid-burning wound, ripping it open.

The ground had been clawed and stomped into bloody sludge that oozed beneath their paws; the trees at the edge of the courtyard were all missing leaves and branches, burned away by the force of dokkasou. Three times he snapped forward, reaching for Kouga's throat, and three times Kouga pulled back, limping on his wounded forelimb, trying to avoid twinges of agony.

Finally, driven by pain, the Wolf was able to reach forward and inflict injury on his opponent. Blood flowed down the white expanse of Sesshomaru's chest, stained the silky fur bright burgundy, and he staggered, took a step backward. Gold fire flickered in the red eyes of the Inu, then faded as he moved forward, rushing with his shoulder low to the ground, trying to overturn Kouga, to expose the tender belly.

The Inu's cunning is different from the cunning of the Wolf; those who knew, and Kagome, who could not help it, could see what Sesshomaru was doing to Kouga; the rushes would never work to topple the Wolf, but they were backing him away, turning him -

The vulnerability was sudden and profound. Sesshomaru swept inward, and his teeth closed on the joint of Kouga's forelimb, already weakened by the wound to his shoulder. A high, keening note escaped the Wolf, a note that was pure with pain. The crack of the bone snapping, the viscous smoke of dokkasou burning flesh, were bright against the senses of everyone watching. After the painful cry came a howl of victory – and a terrible laughter, high, abandoned. The howl – that was Sesshomaru.

But the laughter was Kagome.

Even with his leg broken, even suffering under those teeth, Kouga was in a position to do a good deal of damage to the white, soft belly of the Inu, exposed to fangs and claws by the lunge that had broken his leg. But mid-reach, the claws of the Wolf faltered even as they reached for that vulnerable spot. The sound of Kagome's laughter, her bloodthirsty agreement with his onrushing death, did more to break his will than any number of lost limbs could have.

Kagome...

The thought of her, coming clear and full of grief, provided a final, fatal distraction. Sensing that the moment had come, the Inu darted back, and then batted the Wolf over with enormous paws and pinned him to the ground.

Dokkasou dripped from Sesshomaru's fangs, burned smoking wounds into the flesh of the Wolf – and then the Inu bent, and bit, and tore, and raised his head in a spurt of blood with Kouga's throat in his teeth.

Life-blood poured from the gaping flesh. One final breath burbled free, and then the Wolf lay still. A howl of conquest pierced the sky; it was a heart-stopping moment of pure sound, followed by nothing.

In the nothing, there was wind. The Inu became Sesshomaru, bloody but pleased, his expression calm but his eyes feral, focused totally on Kagome now that Kouga was dead. He had sensed, rather than heard, her laughter; he had been aware of her presence with him in his fight, an echo that followed all his emotions, all his desires.

As if from a distance, the memory of her request came to him, her wish that the Wolf be spared. Where had that wish gone?

Looking at her, seeing the drug-effect of the Ink, her loose and wandering movements, her unfocused eyes, he understood, and brought himself out of bloodlust with a heavy effort of will.

For a moment, as Inu came rushing up to congratulate him, shouting and howling their pleasure at his victory, he stood in their midst but apart from them, contemplating.

Kagome...when she is free of the Ink, she will regret this. She has just begun to heal from Inuyasha...

Suddenly, the Inu around him stepped back, quieting, retreating from his presence. A scowl had taken over his face, dark and intense. His hand was tight on the hilt of his sword – he drew it. Youkai scattered in all directions, wondering what had invoked his rage.

Blue light gathered around his blade.

But a single sweep of Tenseiga, almost a careless motion, was enough to force the breath back into Kouga's body, and every watching eye blinked in surprise and disbelief as the vicious wounds of claw and fang began to seal themselves, faster than the eye could follow at first, and then more slowly.

After a moment there was wind, and then light - and then Kouga, laying before them in his old, familiar shape and looking not much worse for the wear.

Sesshomaru didn't care in the slightest whether the Wolf got up and pranced merrily home, or fell over dead again - he was watching Kagome, thinking to himself how pleased she would be to find that he not killed the Wolf after all – at least, not permanently.

None of the Council, none of his kin, dared to question why he had undone the work of the Challenge. After a minute or so, there was a scuffle towards the back of the assembly of Wolves, and finally a female carrying a pair of tiny cubs, closely followed by a very young Wolf carrying another, came forward and knelt by Kouga's side. The eyes of this female expressed both sorrow and anger, but her voice was carefully modulated to carry neither emotion.

"Kouga-sama, please..."

Carefully, in obvious pain but just as obviously unwilling to show it, Kouga stood, testing the leg that had been broken and which now was...not. Death was a flickering memory of darkness for him, pain that ended in a halo of black fire. His blood felt cold in his veins, his heartbeat heavy, and he ignored, for the moment, the female and cubs standing beside him, instead looked across the bloodied ground. His eyes found Kagome standing in Eldest's grasp, the older female's hands the only thing keeping her standing. She was deep in her own world, unaware of him at all.

In his thoughts, he felt a dream drifting away from him, a dream he had cherished almost from the moment he had found her, a dream that had been focused around the smiling eyes of his woman. He recognized, finally, that she was not his - not woman. She never had been.

When he spoke, finally, it was very quietly; so quietly that only Sesshomaru heard.

"She is yours, Inu. I will remember. But you remember this: I love her. She deserves to be loved. If you aren't capable of that – if you want her power, only, and have no concern for her heart...if she ever needs me, not you, not kami, not even death will keep me from her."

Kouga turned and limped away; this time, Sesshomaru kept his scowl to himself. There it was again – that word, that feeling – love. Angrily, he turned away from the Wolf's retreating back, and looked across at Kinawai. Catching his glance, the Tiger Lord made his way to the center of the Challenge ground and called out the final Order of Challenge.

"Enough! Is there another among you who would Challenge? Another among you who would claim this female?"

Silence filtered outward from where he was saying. Sesshomaru almost, almost smiled...but instead called for a new robe and walked to stand beside Kagome. Eldest allowed him to examine her, the liquescent snarl that moved her mouth, the darkening of her eyes beyond red and into the black.

"She is ready, Eldest. It is time. Do it now!"

Smiling at his impatience, Eldest nodded slowly and then looked around her.

"Very well. Miho! Sayuri!"

Within moments, two of the Dragon females that had accompanied her were by her side.

"It is time for the Marking; help me with my sister-daughter. She is lost in the Ink, now; we must help her find her way."

"Yes, Lady -"

"Of course, Eldest."

For expediency's sake, they returned to the Curtained Rooms in the East Wing, where many things had already been prepared and the remainder of the Ink was waiting. The needle-knife that had Marked Rin was clean and shining, waiting beside the bowl of simmering ink, and it took Eldest only a moment to cut the pad of Kagome's thumb against her claws.

With an infusion of Kagome's blood, the Ink turned a pure and shining violet, almost white in its brightness. Eldest smiled a smile of real pleasure - strong, her sister-daughter! - and turned an amused eye on the pair of females she had brought with her, who were standing back from the Ink with suspicious and fearful faces.

"You do not need to worry; not yet. Come; hold her."

Slowly, the two females approached. Miho sat by Kagome's head, hands on her shoulder. Sayuri knelt by Kagome's thighs, ready to restrain her if necessary.

Eldest wasted no time, but with precise, quick movements lifted the ink onto the needle-knife and began to cut Sesshomaru's crescent Mark into her skin. With the iron strength of her other hand, Eldest ensured that Kagome did not move her head.

The process of the Marking was not difficult, only repetitive. Three times, Eldest Inked in the crescent, filling in the shape, ensuring that it would not vanish from Kagome's skin. Each time, as the Ink gained greater influence over her, Kagome relaxed further and further into a deep and open-eyed dream. She heard nothing of the voices speaking quietly over her, did not feel the prick of the needle-knife at her forehead or the pressure of firm hands holding her body still.

The Ink, brought directly into her bloodstream, had a powerful, but short lasting effect. For the half hour after Eldest made her last stroke of the knife, Kagome felt herself sinking into light, light that welled up from everywhere and nowhere, light so brilliant it eliminated all shadows. She tasted silt again, the memory of her soul, silence and water, salt and green growth...a dawning of flesh. She grew tall, felt the fire of her heartbeats like pounding drums, felt the glory of scattering unmarked dust, feet, for the first time, running...

And then she took a big, gasping breath of air, and opened her eyes to the waking world, hazy in detail, sharp in outline.

Her eyes searched the faces gathered around her, but none of them were the one she wanted.

Finally and fully, the Inu had filled her flesh.

Eldest saw it, saw too the rising, gathering power, the power that would bind her forever to Sesshomaru...if he could overcome it. Quickly, every moment precise, she pulled Kagome onto her feet and then moved with her outside, to where Sesshomaru was waiting. Females fell into place behind her, running to keep up.

On the stairs outside the Hall, Eldest stopped and stared down at the Council, and this time it was not her presence but Kagome's that drew their attention, distracted them. She had begun to burn with danger.

It is time.

"Dragons, Dragons of the House of Fire – she is gone from us, our daughter, gone from us!"

From Eldest's throat came a wail of pure sound, almost a roar. In answer, shaking the trees, shaking the earth, came an equal wail from every Dragon who had come – even those who had come desiring nothing more than the fall of the Inu.

Even Kasuka, who answered that wave of sound instinctively, and then shut her mouth quickly, hands at her throat, furious.

Kagome existed unaware. From that blood that stained her forehead where the Mark had been cut rose light – power. Wisps of miko energy, tendrils of youkai power; her soul, fully awakened by the drug in the Ink, was fighting at the boundaries of her body, leaching outward from her pores.

Those who stood in the way of those violet wisps of miko light suffered. Kagome continued to walk forward, dripping light like water, dripping like light some secret, invisible rain had soaked her to the skin. Only Sesshomaru stood unaffected - and Eldest, behind her.

Eldest felt her power not at all.

Sesshomaru felt the brush of that miko light as the scent of flowers and a tingling, exuberant warmth.

Carefully, he extended power to meet her, slowly, an uncoiling lure. She came to him unerringly, aura flaring, power erupting...

The watching crowd below them drew back. Eldest stepped down to join them, leaving Kagome and Sesshomaru alone at the top of the stairs in a growing, glowing aura of brilliance.

"It would be best if you were to leave now; all of you. You do not know the danger you are in."

She spoke quietly, but those who were unable to hear her listened second-hand to the message passed through the gathering. A few scoffed; she was not that impressive, could not be that powerful -

Yozei, the Kitsune, was already running. He had been burned once; he had no desire to let it happen again.

Slowly, so very slowly, the glow of Kagome's power began to push outward, pulsing in time with her heartbeat, Sesshomaru's heartbeat, expanding into a sphere of radiance that grew brighter – greater – brighter -

Kouga's blood, where it had stained the grass as he was leaving, began to smoke. Under the pressure of the holy aura, a few of the most vicious among the watching youkai began to feel...uncomfortable.

In a few more moments, there was a general flood of youkai through the gates and, to begin with, Eldest went with them, guiding them without words. They followed her presence, trusting that she would know safety...and surprised as she drew them further and further away, out across the wide meadow that bordered the Wall, up and into the edge of the forest.

"You will be safe, here. Venture no closer for now...you will know when it is safe to return."

Just as swiftly as she had brought them, Eldest turned and left. There was a small danger, even for her, in the eruption of power that was soon to follow. But this... even if it blinded her she wanted to witness this. It had been generations beyond count since a youkai had been miko...since such a one had found a mate.

Before she was halfway across the meadow, she was forced to go slowly, hand over her eyes, building a barrier out of her own strength to combat the incredible pressure.

The power had not stopped growing.

It was a luminous dome now, that encompassing the fortress...then the grounds...and then further still, began to lap out across the grass, approaching her-

And then a wall, a wall of lustrous air, washed over her and immersed in tingling sensations, brought her to her knees. There was the scent that she knew for the Odor of Sanctity; she heard music without sound, tasted endless shine...and just when she began to fear that she had not sent Sesshomaru's guests far enough away, the power condensed, and contracted into a dense and writhing ball.

It flickered, Dragon-shadowy, and then took on the form of a great Inu, brilliant, howling - violet and golden light woven into a shape of unbelievable power.

She is more than I suspected; more than I dared hope.

In another moment, Eldest's surprise and pleasure turned to shock.

It was Sesshomaru's turn.

Alone among the youkai who had fled, he had remained, unafraid, unaffected. He knew this power, had felt the premonition in this moment when he had first taken her, when light had dripped from her skin like blood, in her blood. When she had, in the moment of his first temptation, utterly failed to burn him.

Golden power grew over him, around him. It was dark, thick, dense; it shimmered in the air, made the air alive. Almost as swiftly as it manifested, it began to coalesce, to draw together. With a suddenness that left no time even for awe, a second Inu appeared in all the most vivid hues of gold – amber, saffron, unmixed honey -

That figure, greater, more terrible than the first, darted forward and reached out for that first, waiting Inu.

There was a sound like a thunderclap.

White radiance sped outward – and then pulled in, as if time had reversed itself.

When Eldest could see again, she saw the two of them, suspended in the midst of that power; Sesshomaru, holding her, supporting her; Kagome with her head thrown back, her eyes wide open, her mouth soundlessly, soundlessly screaming -

And then the radiance evaporated – extinguished - vanished.

The light of a thousand suns became darkness; night.

Over the half hour following that great eruption and vanishment of light, Kagome woke from groggy memories of great confrontations between beasts of shadow and light...and found Sesshomaru standing over her, smiling down at her – smiling down at her! - his hand extended to help her up from the cushions where she was laying. Her robes were sticking to her, as if she had just run a marathon and been sweating like a pig the whole time, but she looked down and discovered with some horror that her skin was coated with a thin film of blood, crimson and sticky.

The courtyard was relatively deserted, and she swallowed in a dry throat, accepted a bowl of wine gratefully, and took a deep draught.

"Ah – better. Sesshomaru, are we...alone now?"

He looked at her seriously, tilted her head up into the light, examined her eyes, her face...her Mark. The black color had faded into red, and now there was only the slightest hint of the rich youkai color in the corners of her eyes, quickly receding. She looked pale beneath the sheen of bloody sweat that the Ink had called forth, but he urged another sip of the bloodwine on her and watched it coax the color back into her skin. The crescent mark of his House was blue, fading to violet at its points.

Mine...mine forever now.

But there was her question -

"We are not alone, Kagome...it is just that your power frightened off all our guests. They have been returning – slowly. There is still the Giving of Gifts to close the Rite."

She sensed his amusement, laughter in her thoughts far stronger than she had experienced it before. He, in turn, felt the swing of her emotions, from curious to bewildered, from bewilderment to fear.

"Kagome. We are closer now, for always...but not this close. It will fade as the Ink leaves you; do not be afraid."

And he radiated such calm and possessive warmth that she was overwhelmed, and had to turn away to hide her face from him.

He had, however, been speaking the truth; gradually, in three's and five's and larger clumps, their guests were returning.

She would have been content to sit for a while, watching the festivities begin again, but she almost immediately dragged off to be bathed and re-dressed – which, thinking about it, she did not really mind. She just felt...icky.

There was no ritual to it this time, just rinsing herself clean, and then new robes, in Sesshomaru's colors this time; white, layer upon layer of white gauze trimmed in gold with long red sleeves. She wore a patterned yellow obi heavy with embroidery in gold and jewel-toned threads; her hair was unbound and let to lie in long, smooth-combed tresses down her back.

She was ushered outside then by Sesshomaru's invisible servants; a great cry and howling went up from the Inu, waiting for her, and she discerned words among the calls -

"She's our Hime-sama now!"

"Mated and Marked – we know your truth now, Lady -"

There was dancing, and she saw the son of Akira – Histaru, that was his name – playing his koto and smiling; there were females with drums, but she knew none of them.

Kinawai was wrapped very closely around some pale-haired female who was definitely not Kasuka, sitting at the edge of the firelight's circle. Kagome's feet were tapping, as she made her way to her mate; she greatly desired to join that dance, swirling sleeves and pounding feet and the occasional howl born of pure exuberance.

There were no steps that she could see but the rhythm was well defined and anything that fit with that seemed to fit with the other dancers – she saw Inu leaping, Tigers spinning, spinning and falling and still dancing even then, Dragons who moved with some ineffable grace, almost in slow motion - even a grinning Tanuki who played his flute as he moved. She stopped, swayed happily for a moment, and then turned with glee in her eyes and tugged on Sesshomaru's sleeve.

He was pliable for a moment, until he realized where she was pulling him, and then he stood completely still and nothing she did could move him. Except...

"If you will not dance, then I will find someone who will come with me. Perhaps Kinawai -"

His eyes followed hers to where his friend was sitting, and Sesshomaru stiffened imperceptibly. If Kagome thought she could get away with such unsubtle attempts at manipulation, she was sorely mistaken.

"Mate, you will not dance with Kinawai. You will go alone into that circle, and alone in it you will stay. Or the one who touches you will be very unhappy soon enough, because I guarantee he will find no miko to replace what I remove from him."

"Sesshomaru!"

She was half mortified and half pleased – but was there a reason why he was always so difficult? Always? And didn't he ever have any fun? She asked him this, buoyed by the wine she had drank and the elation of having come through this Rite so well.

Suddenly Sesshomaru was the one who looked mortified.

"Fun? You are serious, Kagome? This word...if I know the fullness of its meaning, almost everything I call fun is something bloody you disapprove of. Almost everything."

And his expression was replaced by one with which she was much more familiar. Irritated, she smacked away his reaching hands and put her nose in the air.

"Fine - spoilsport. Then I will dance by myself. I like to dance."

Scowling, still amused by her petty defiance and her attempts at coercion, Sesshomaru stood aside and allowed her to pass him by and join that rushing, stampeding circle...and then could not take his eyes from her. Something – the Ink, the wine, her demon nature, perhaps the combination of all three, conspired to make her movements smooth, entrancing; she moved like many a dancing human lady had moved for generations, but those steps, those movements were unknown to him and others of those watching. Her hands were empty but her fingers moved like fans; her sleeves waved and painted patterns through the smoke.

As she danced, that smoke seemed to be strings that pulled her movement, guided her; it was the sensuous flow of all the dances she had ever learned, dances of future, dances of past – all of them crawling through her veins at once. There was an electric tingle in her skin now, no longer a burning - unless it was a fever that had possessed her, body and soul.

She did, indeed, dance alone...until Sesshomaru could not bear to watch any longer the grace and wildness of her movements, and came close to her, and matched her -

The two of them drew every eye.

While many were distracted by the scene in the firelight, the illumination of Sesshomaru's obvious desire for his mate, her return of that desire – a few stalked Kasuka into a corner, and sought to voice concerns that bordered on...disobedience.

"Dragon! This mate of Sesshomaru – she wears the colors of the House of Fire, and Eldest is with her – and a miko! Inu miko - a human, you said - "

Kasuka glanced sharply around her, ensuring that no on else had heard, and then made a sharp gesture, drawing close to the one who had spoken.

"Silence yourself! You know as well as I the position Eldest takes on our ascendancy, on reclaiming the place which is rightfully our own! Not that many weeks ago I showed you power, and more than power – or do you forget?"

She spoke in a sharp whisper, directed for their ears alone, and she was pleased to see that her reminder had the desired effect. They would serve her out of fear, if not totally from ambition; how far her kin had fallen!

"This female...I have my suspicions about the Inu's new mate; I have my suspicions about Eldest, and I wonder if perhaps she has betrayed us by action, now, and not only by inaction. Is there one among your daughters who would mate the Inu without death in mind?"

She spoke only thoughtfully, testing the waters, and was pleased by the reaction of mixed anger and trepidation that her words aroused.

"If only Eldest had Challenged when her mate fell – perhaps then we would not be in such dire straits."

She heard whispers of agreement, saw many nodding heads, and smiled.

"But this is not the place for such conversations, not the place for your doubts! When the time comes, I will summon you. You know this. Soon; we will act soon, after all the long years of waiting. It would have been easier to kill that female if she was, indeed, only woman...but it will not be difficult, all the same. Is she not my kin?"

The deliberate cruelty of her smile was met equally from all those around her.

"For now, mingle among the others. Learn their desires, their ambitions, their allegiances – but leave the Inu and his mate to me! That Inu miko...I have plans for her; her and her power."

"Lady, what of me and my kin?"

Kasuka turned sharply; she recognized the one who had spoken, and smiled thoughtfully.

"Tatsuya, son of Ryuukotsusei, I know your complaint; the vengeance you seek was stolen from you by the mate of the Inu."

"Yes! The hanyou is dead; my father will never now be avenged!"

There were murmurs of agreement from others of his clan, and Kasuka waved away their words with one hand.

"The hanyou was not worth your time; it is Sesshomaru who is the threat, Sesshomaru who has caused the most trouble. If you still seek vengeance, then I will find you a way to strike a blow against the Inu himself."

Tatsuya exchanged glances with those of his kin gathered nearby, and then nodded sharply.

"So be it. Is there...anything you have in mind, Lady?"

Slowly, Kasuka smiled.

"There is now among the kin of the Inu one who is most vulnerable...most vulnerable indeed. Listen – I will tell you the secret ways that my ancestors built with their own hands – the ways that lead past the Wall, and how to use them..."

They clustered close around her, eyes glinting, as she revealed her plan.

A/N: Woo, another chapter! This would've been done sooner, but I got really distracted by editing prompts, and writing new stuff for Alpha, and then editing more prompts for Seiko Ugoku...sheesh. I should know better :P At any rate, here it is! Coming Soon: The Giving of Gifts and A Warning That Freaks Sesshomaru Out. Heh. Anyone who REALLY loves this story can, until midnight of Saturday may 21st - i.e., tomorrow - go to Dokuga and vote for Bloodlust as Best Drama, Best Portrayal Of Kagome, or Best Portrayal of Sesshomaru. [nomination made me squee] :P

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