Author's Note: And it begins again. Let me know if you love it, hate it, or just want more of it.

Chapter 8

Kagome and Sesshomaru stood on opposite sides of the large dojo, waiting for the signal from Shippo to begin. Shippo and Rin were both observing the match, ostensibly to learn something from it, although Kagome was unsure what her total humiliation would teach. Don't mess with Sesshomaru, perhaps? She grimaced and untucked her cotton T-shirt from the athletic leggings she had chosen to maybe die in. If she was going out, she was going to be comfortable.

Sesshomaru, on the other side of the room, regarded the priestess. She was nervous, that much was clear from her scent. The juxtaposition between the woman who only two days before confidently took out a group of ambushers and the woman before him who was fidgeting with the hem of the strange top she wore was disconcerting, though the demon lord could think of no reason why it should affect him.

Shippo, having finished preparing whatever illusion would proceed the sparring match, walked to the center of the room and placed an acorn in the middle. A smokey but scentless plume obscured the sides of the room, preventing the opponents from seeing each other.

Shippo walked back to Rin's side, both children clearly excited to cheer on their respective guardians.

"The smoke will disappear when the match starts," explained the fox, looking back and forth to each side of the room to confirm that they understood. Lord Sesshomaru did not acknowledge him, choosing instead to focus on the somewhat impressive spell that blinded his senses to the other side of the room. Although he could vaguely smell Kagome's scent in the room because she had been here many times, he could not pinpoint it exactly. Her breathing and heartbeat were also undetectable. Perhaps he should seek out a skilled fox magic user for the kit.

Kagome tried to smile at Shippo, but it came across more as a grimace. She had not had a good idea about how to approach this match, and she was sure Sesshomaru was well aware of her emotional state. She would need to get it together in the next 10 seconds if she had any hope of surviving, let alone impressing, the demon lord. And she wanted to impress him.

She reached down to retrieve her bow and arrows from the floor, slinging the quiver over her shoulder and readying her bow.

"I suppose beating him is out of the question," she mused, walking a few paces away from where she had been standing originally so that she was closer to the corner. "But if I can just survive long enough…"

Regripping her bow, Kagome nodded at Shippo that she was ready to begin. She saw him look to the other side of the room that was hidden from her view, probably making sure Sesshomaru was ready too. Not that he wasn't always ready, she imagined.

"Five."

Kagome widened her stance.

"Four."

Sesshomaru crouched low.

"Three."

Kagome notched an arrow.

"Two."

Sesshomaru flexed his toes against the tatami.

"One."

Kagome said a prayer.

"Go!"

The smoke disappeared all at once and Sesshomaru's eyes found the miko in an instant, bow ready but eyes still scanning the room to find him. He pounced, intending to be on her in a moment when he was roughly pushed back by a shimmering pink barrier that had not been there before.

The skin on his left arm and the side of his face tingled with the contact, but it wasn't wholly unpleasant; in the back of his mind he knew it should have burned. He crouched again, wondering if this had been a premeditated decision considering the speed at which it had been formed; the somewhat surprised but pleased face of the priestess told him that it was intended though perhaps not expected to work against him.

He didn't have time to consider it further though because the barrier dropped, and Kagome released an arrow tinged with pink that forced him to sidestep right before lunging again. But it seemed the miko was ready for this because she also dodged right before notching another arrow. It was too slow though. Sesshomaru was upon her, knocking the bow from her hands as she tumbled backwards to land unceremoniously on her backside.

"Ouch…" Kagome moaned slightly, eyes closing briefly as the pain soon passed. When she opened them again, she was surprised to see Sesshomaru's hand extended to help her up. With only a slight hesitation, she put her hand in his and allowed him to pull her up, a little closer to his person than she was expecting.

"Clever, miko."

Though it was said in much the same tone as everything else he said – that being without inflection – Kagome was quite sure it was meant to be a compliment. She took a step back, suddenly aware of their closeness.

"Thanks," she replied, wiping her palms against her leggings. "I really didn't think that would work."

"It won't again," the demon lord assured her, and she thought she caught a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

Kagome rolled her eyes and bent down to retrieve her bow and the second arrow she hadn't had a chance to fire.

"Just be happy I didn't accidentally fry you or something," she said over her shoulder as she walked as casually as possible back to her side of the room to prepare for the next round. "You know, I don't actually have full control over my powers yet."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened a fraction at that comment. He turned to look at Kagome, trying to gauge if she was serious or not. While she refused to meet his eyes, her mirthful grin suggested she was joking. But perhaps he should be a bit more cautious. Or perhaps she was playing with him. The warmth from where he had met her powers just moments before was still tingling. Deciding that it wouldn't do to admit he couldn't tell the difference, the demon lord deigned not to answer and prepared for the next bout.

Half an hour later and Kagome was sweaty, gross, and determined to win. Which she had failed to do for every match before, but this one would be different.

Taking a deep breath and readying her bow again, Kagome tried to think of how she could possibly get a win on the metaphorical board. As she felt her hands try to grip the bow, she stared at the weapon thoughtfully. Maybe she had been going about this the wrong way.

Shippo counted down again, and the veil lifted revealing Sesshomaru crouched and ready to pounce again (though with delay as he had not tried such as sudden approach since the first round, she noted). When she lifted the bow, Sesshomaru jumped forward, quickly closing the distance.

Sesshomaru didn't know what he had been expecting when he leaped forward. The miko had gotten into stance much as always and he knew that she would try to delay the inevitable by firing upon him to change his course. It was a good strategy unless your opponent already knew it. He was almost upon her when the bow and arrow dropped from her hands, and he saw in slow motion as she extended her right hand forward to meet the left. To late to dodge, Kagome's spiritual power hit him squarely in the chest and sent him flying halfway across the room.

Dazed but on his feet in an instant, Sesshomaru could feel the strange warmth coursing through his whole body. Her power or something else? He surveyed the smirking priestess opposite him. She did not reach for the bow again. Did she really think she would beat him in hand-to-hand combat?

He felt the tug of a smirk at the corner of his lips. He lunged again, this time watching her hands more carefully. Instead of staying still as she did before, she feinted to the left, pretending to prepare another spiritual attack with her right hand. Sesshomaru's eyes flickered briefly to her hand, just as she hoped.

In a split second, Kagome pivoted, shifting her weight and sending a burst of purifying energy toward his left side. It was another diversion, meant to force him to evade. And it worked – Sesshomaru moved to the side, his reaction swift and fluid. But Kagome wasn't finished. With a triumphant grin, she followed through with a direct attack from her left hand, aiming to tag him with a pulse of energy.

But Sesshomaru recovered faster than she anticipated. In a blur of motion, he stepped in closer, far too close for comfort. Her heart skiped a beat as she realized she's miscalculated. Trying to draw forth her powers and put distance between them, she tripped over her own feet, energy dissipating harmlessly as she tumbled backwards onto the floor.

Except she didn't. Sesshomaru was there in an instant, his arm wrapped around her waist, his grip firm yet gentle as he steadied her. Kagome's breath caught in her throat. This was far too close. The scent of his kimono mingled with the faint smell of incense ever present in the dojo.

She blinked up at him, her face inches from his, her heart pounding not just from the exertion but from the sudden, unexpected closeness. His eyes focused intently on her. There was a flicker of something across his features, but of what she couldn't tell.

"You should be more careful," he murmured, his voice low and steady, but with a hint of amusement in it as well. "Overconfidence can be dangerous."

Kagome swallowed thickly and averted her eyes. Her hands, which had instinctively gripped the front of his kimono to steady herself, slowly loosened their hold. "I-I wasn't overconfident," she protested, though it comes out more as an embarrassed stammer.

"Hn," he replied, his tone just as cool as ever. He set her back on her feet, his hands lingering for just a moment longer than necessary before stepping back, giving both of them space.

Kagome took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She glanced up at him again, confused by the shift in his tone. Maybe it had been her imagination. "I almost had you," she muttered, more to herself than to him.

The demon lord inclined his head slightly, a graceful acknowledgment. "Almost," he agreed, his voice a little warmer this time. He turned and left the room suddenly, leaving Kagome to deal with the chatter of the children.

"Wow, Kagome!" exclaimed Shippo, running up to meet her. "That was so cool!"

"I didn't know you could use your powers like that," Rin said in awe. "Can you teach me to do that too?"

Kagome chuckled and ran her fingers through her damp hair, pushing all thoughts of Sesshomaru from her mind for the moment.

"Well, we'll just have to keep training to see, won't we?" she replied. "Now how about helping me clean this up before we have to get ready for dinner?"

Sesshomaru walked to his quarters to prepare for the evening meal. He was definitely not fleeing the dojo or the miko, whose strange power still seemed to have a lingering effect on his person.

Stepping into his room, he quickly stripped off his kimono. Her scent was slightly overwhelming at the moment. He could still feel the curve of her back under his arm when he caught her, see the shape of her legs in… whatever the strange clothes she wore were called. He walked purposefully over to the basin of water and splashed some on his face before grabbing a cloth and washing the rest of his body too.

Whatever this was, he needed to get it under control.

He changed into a different kimono, a black one with gold detailing he hadn't worn in a while. As he tied the simple black obi, he stared the pile of clothes that still carried Kagome's scent and frowned. The feeling in his chest was extremely uncomfortable. Part of him wanted to burn the clothes and the other half wanted to hide them away in a drawer.

He frowned more deeply, realizing that his current thoughts were far from the control he sought. He decided to leave the clothes as they were for the staff to clean up and headed to the study to finish a few more tasks. It would be better to give his mind something productive to work on.

After the dojo had been cleaned up, Kagome sent the children outside to play. She wanted to wash up and change into something a little nicer for dinner.

Peeling off her sweaty shirt and leggings allowed the cool autumn air to hit her wet skin, making goosebumps appear on her arms and legs. Shivering slightly, she made her way to the basin and picked up a clean cloth. It was not as nice as a shower, but she didn't have time to ask the servants for a proper bath before dinner, and besides being uncomfortable herself, she didn't want to offend any of the demons' noses. She looked in the mirror above the basin to make sure she hadn't missed any sweat or smudges on her face.

A little dry shampoo and some very lightly scented lotion later, Kagome pulled out a fresh pair of undergarments and settled on a long bluish grey knit skirt and a similarly colored long sleeve cotton shirt. It was probably as close to a kimono as one could get without having to tie an obi, and Kagome did not have the patience for that tonight. She was about to leave the room when, as an afterthought, she twisted her hair into a simple updo and put on a thin silver chain necklace her mother had given to her as a birthday gift last year. Satisfied with her appearance, she went to call the children.

Sesshomaru was not sure what he expected when he entered the dining hall that evening, but it seemed that something had changed. He didn't know what, however, and that – combined with whatever happened earlier in the dojo earlier – irritated him.

The children were no different, he was fairly sure. They were cheerfully engaged in conversation about having their own sparring match, each confidently laying out their plans to outsmart the other.

The table was prepared as always. When he sat down, Shin and Shun soon came out with the trays of food – grilled salmon and pickled vegetables – to set before each person.

That meant it must be Kagome who was different.

Her hair was up, and she was wearing very fine, delicate jewelry, which was unusual. He knew she would tie her hair up for training, but it seemed she generally preferred to leave it down and wild, in great contrast to the style of most other human women. Yet even secured on her head, some unruly strands still gently curled around her face and the base of her neck.

He could see she was wearing something appropriate for the season, but much like the leggings she wore in their sparring match, the outfit showed every curve of her petite body.

As if sensing his thoughts, the woman in question turned her strange grey eyes upon him and he was taken back to the moment he caught her in the dojo. The way her wide, surprised eyes had softened slightly when she realized he wasn't going to let her fall… and then how just as quickly she had flushed and refused to meet his gaze.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" the miko questioned.

The demon lord closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. He stood gracefully if not abruptly and made a motion to one of the kitchen helpers.

"I will dine in my study tonight. You may begin."

And with that, he stepped out of the room just as quickly as he entered.