Say What?

Kagome stared wide eyed at the female demon who looked at her with such disdain that she knew the demoness believed her as nothing more than the dirt beneath her feet. She had only a moment to wonder who this being was and why she was in Sesshomaru's bathing area before the demoness spoke.

"There is nothing special about you, human." The demoness's eyes once again rove over the exposed bits of Kagome's form. "You must weave a strong spell on my Lord and intended for him to grace you with his presence."

Kataru could not believe that this wisp of a human had touched her Lord. That he would find her worthy to be his consort. He was going to pass up the chance to mate with herself for…. this!?! No. This was not going to happen. This woman would be nothing to her lord.

"Tell me, miko, what magic have you over my mate to be?"

Kagome's face dropped. Mate to be? It couldn't be true. This demon, she had to be joking.

"M-mate to be? You are speaking of Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Yes little human. There is no other lord here." Her eyes took on a gleam as if celebrating a sure victory. "Did he not tell you?" her brows knit as if she were rethinking her words.

"No, of course not. He is a lord. A lord has no need to explain himself. My lord has enjoyed multiple sex partners. It is possible you are only our newest plaything."

Kagome felt her heart drop. A sickness built in her gut. Oh Kami. Not again. Why was she always the one made to feel used? This felt like Kikyo and Inuyasha all over again, except this time- this time, just as she was finally starting to wrap her mind around actually being here and finding herself wanting to be here…

No, enough was enough. She was tired of being everyone's doormat. If he wanted her to be a toy for him and whomever else… he could just forget it- find someone else to fuck. She wasn't going to be anyone's whore.

*~*

Kataru could feel the emotions rolling off the miko in waves. It was a satisfying feeling, hurting the miko- seeing the sadness when the girl heard she was her lord's 'intended'. Had the miko hoped she was worth more- that she was good enough for her lord? The miko must be truly enamored of her lord, if the anxiety at this 'revelation' was any indication. Hmm. Maybe she cast no spell.

She waited for the miko to regain her awareness as the girl seemed to retreat into her mind, but there was a sudden spike of strength from her small body. This would not do. She could not start to believe herself anything more than a bauble. Kataru delicately sniffed the air, pinning Kagome with halfhearted gaze.

" Hmm. It's just as well he did not say anything. I am sure he has already sampled you. You cannot be very pleasing if you are here and not still beneath him."

Her lips crooked into a grin.

"No matter. I do not find you appealing, little miko. It is time you leave this place. Ready yourself quickly, you can't have too much to pack."

Kataru delicately tapped her foot, barely noticeable beneath the fabric of her robe. She wanted the miko out as quickly as possible. When the girl took longer than necessary, Kataru moved to pluck her out of the waters. She would dirty her hands for a moment if it meant getting rid of the pest. She was going to pack this human bitch up and send her on her way before anyone knew anything. Only one person could stop her and…

"Touch her Kataru, and I will remove your head from your shoulders."

*~*

Was everyone determined to ruin his morning? First is idiot brother, now this lofty bitch was accosting his miko.

Sesshomaru had stripped himself of his remaining garments and strode towards the hot spring intent on joining Kagome only to find Kataru daring to speak to the miko.

Aside from trying to shake the miko's worth in herself and security of her presence- that had apparently proved successful- Kataru had dared to call herself his mate to be.

Absurd.

The bitch was truly delusional if she still thought he would mate her. How many times had he told her she would never be at his side? She was a wonderful fuck, but apart from her ability to please the body, she had no redeeming qualities. He wondered whom else Kataru had shared her fantasies. It was unbecoming to place herself higher than any station he allowed. She was lucky to be as honored as she was considering her conniving and manipulative nature- two traits that were sufferable in a lover, but not in a mate.

It was his intent to leave the miko and wait for that fire that she was known to have when faced with hard situations. It was just under the surface. He could feel it, and so could Kataru, but it seemed the bitch did not want to wait and let the miko get herself together. It seemed Kataru's words cut deeper than Kagome could handle. She was… hurt.

She could not truly believe Kataru… could she?

He needed to intervene. His miko needed assurance, and he needed the miko.

Hearing Kataru ordering Kagome away, Sesshomaru's eyes darkened. She had no rights to order anyone under him. The bitch had gone too far. Searching out the presence of his captain, he sent out a call, and turned back to enter the spring.

*~*

Kataru shuddered in the presence of her lord. She was not fearful of his intimidating aura, which, she absently noted, was more assaulting than usual. She was rather aroused. His physical magnificence- chiseled chest and arms, strong thighs and the impressive length in between- served only to further her want. So caught up in the twitching of muscles beneath his smooth skin as he approached, she failed to notice his angry, red eyes that were directed solely at her.

*~*

Kagome was confused. Sesshomaru looked pissed at his future mate, but why?

Sesshomaru scented the confusion and hurt from the miko. How could she be swayed so easily? Had the hanyou done so much damage to her sense of worth that she would readily believe these lies?

Turning towards Kagome, his gaze lost some of its ire as he took in her flushed appearance, her soulful eyes wanting to hear the words from his mouth.

"You doubt me miko."

Kagome was startled. Doubt? Yes she had doubt. For her, past experiences dictated that she should have doubt. It was expected. Had she not just been told, quite calmly, by this demoness that she was nothing more than a bauble? That they were to be mated?

She pulled herself from the pool, uncaring of her nudity. That's all she was there for, right? A show. What need did a whore have for clothes?

She slung her hair over one shoulder, wringing the tresses free of the excess moisture as she calmly looked towards the towering demon.

"Why would you bring me here, Sesshomaru, when you already have your chosen female?"

She gave a small laugh under her breath. "And here I thought, at least for a time, things would be different. I was going to try. I refuse to be second again. I will not be strung along to play lapdog. You are no better than Inuyasha."

Kagome moved forward to pass the two beings, intent on leaving the spring. All she wanted to do was collect her few possessions and leave this wretched place.

Sesshomaru grasped her forearm before she passed him, fingers digging deeply into the muscles of her arm. She bit back a pained hiss from his firm grip.

Kataru was scared and anxious. She was sure she was in trouble for being within her lord's springs- for confronting the miko, for proclaiming herself to be his future mate- but it would be worth some punishment if the miko would be rid. With her out of the way, she could once more focus his attentions toward herself. It would take time in light of her current indiscretion, but it would happen, with diligence- reminding him of why he kept her for so long.

Sesshomaru addressed the miko struggling in his grasp.

"Miko, did it never occur to you that the deceitful bitch was not being truthful?"

Kagome halted in her wrenching. Had she thought even for a moment that she was being lied to by this demoness? No, she had not. She had been so caught up in her self-doubt, the easy flow of the demoness's words, that she hadn't even considered lying an option. Years of doubt over one potential love left her easily believing betrayal from another. She glanced at said bitch, seeing her mildly frightened as her eyes never left Sesshomaru.

She looked up at Sesshomaru, his eyes sharply cut towards her as he maintained his imposing stance in front of the lying wench before him. Kataru couldn't be trusted. It was not beneath her to want to attack even himself- a woman scorned was nothing to be trifled with. He couldn't turn away from her, but Kagome felt that his attentions were directed mainly towards her own reactions. She relaxed more in his hold as her eyes showed remorse for her assumptions.

"I... I didn't…" Her hand clenched and unclenched. Repeating the motion as she sought an answer.

Sesshomaru shot his free hand out, grabbing Kataru's neck firmly, slowly contracting his fingers as her pulse quickened. Her hands twitched at her sides, wanting to reach up and claw at him, pull herself free of his hold, but she hesitated once one of his poisonous claws began to pierce into her flesh, the promise of poison in the air.

"Kataru, you leave the fortress, today. Your usefulness has come to an end."

"M- my lord? You cannot simply cast me aside… for this human." She could barely speak as her airway was constricted, but she tried to keep herself calm and clear as she spoke, but the sentences were choppy as she gasped for breath. "I am… the only… female… that can… satisfy you."

Angry red eyes stared back at Kataru. The bitch did not know her place. She was his to do with as he would, and he would get rid of her.

"You will leave… or you will die."

A final squeeze to her throat was the final warning, the claw of his thumb digging deeper, before he dropped her to the ground. Kataru fell to her knees, one hand supporting her trembling form as the other sooth her sore neck; she sucked in air like she was starved. She pulled herself up and hurried towards the exit of the hot springs, casting an evil look towards the frozen miko, before finding herself facing a few guards ready to escort her out of the fortress. Among the guards, her ex-lover Captain Seiya.

"So, you have finally over-stepped your bounds."

The other guards smirked in response to Captain Seiya and the look of outrage etched on Kataru's face. They had all known of her desire to be the lady, of her continuous campaigns to Lord Sesshomaru- and they had all known of his extreme displeasure at both, continually rebuking her claims and protests. It had only been a matter of time before he disposed of her, and touching his newest female had been the breaking point. Kataru was a good lay, but not so good that she couldn't be replaced. Those who had been with her would miss her body, but none would miss her haughtiness.

*~*

Kagome had jumped back into the springs once she heard voices at the door. Her indifference over her nudity gone.

Sesshomaru turned when he heard her splash, growling in a manner that was foreign to Kagome, but the other demons seemed to understand as they responded back. Kataru's arms were held firmly by two as they carried her out. She would have no time to gather her belongings. Her new master could clothe her if he so desired.

Seiya bowed to his lord and quickly shut the doors. On the outside, he allowed his mind to wander towards the miko. He had seen her for only a second, but it was more than enough to have her bare form stamped into his mind. An advantage of being a highly skilled and trained warrior- the ability to quickly analyze his surroundings, no matter how brief the introduction.

The sight of her nude body and the memory of her when they first met had him hard again. What power did this female have over him, and did she hold it as strongly over his lord? He had a hope that his lord was not planning on mating the miko. He wanted her for himself. He had to devise a way to get the miko into his bed, to pull her thoughts away from his lord. He already knew that he had to become someone she could trust, but how? With that question lingering, he walked away and out of the family wing.

*~*

Kataru had been thrown out of the fortress. A paper had been shoved into her hand, something about her new lord, and she had only the light clothing on her back to shield her from the roving eyes of the forest. She had turned around once she sensed the guards had gone back to their posts, but the fortress had disappeared. This was something she never knew could happen. No smell. No sound. Nothing.

She hadn't the opportunity to convince Lord Sesshomaru that his desire to keep the miko was wrong. She would not have the opportunity if she could not see him, to place herself into his sight. This Lord whoever, she would go to him, bide her time as she planned to reunite with Lord Sesshoumaru, but she would need more alliances. She had heard tales of a younger brother- a hanyou. Despicable creatures, but he was the offspring of her lord's sire and a human hime, so he could not be too bad. He might even be well to do. If he was any sort like his brother, he should also be very handsome. She would search him out; use him to get closer to Lord Sesshomaru. Then she could have both brothers as her own. Dusting herself off, she held her head high as she walked towards her first destination.

*~*

Back in the spring, Kagome tried to find her footing on the stone bottom. She had herself submerged up to her nose. She slowly waved her arms back and forth. Her eyes were downcast as she refused to meet his penetrating gaze that he was no doubt pinning on her. She instead focused her attention to the small ripples caused by her breath over the surface of the water.

She didn't know what to say; he had to be upset with her for doubting him so easily, especially after he had already addressed her concerns. He had yet to speak and the silence was deafening as she made the initiative to break the lull.

"Sesshomaru… I... I am so…"

"No miko, I have heard you speak. You will hear me now."

Sesshomaru crouched down before her and reached forward to grasp her chin. She would not avert her eyes from him. She needed to see him as he spoke.