InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Little Faith ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots and the original characters (Akiyama, Katsuo, Natsumi, Shin, Isamu and Moriko) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: To HentaiVixen, Nomina, Entropy9, Inuyashalover161 and Cactusflower, thanks for reading and reviewing the previous chapter. By the way, I've done a little sketch of the scene where Sesshoumaru saw Kagome and Sachimaru recently - it is in elle6778.deviantart.com. if you want to have a look at it. Anyway, here's the next chapter and I hope that you'll enjoy it.

A Little Faith by elle6778 - Chapter 6

Kagome groaned deeply as she opened her eyes, blinking into the glare of the bright morning sun filtering through the thin washi paper. The soft futon beneath her shifted as she sat up to look groggily around her empty room. She felt strange and there was a weird coppery taste in her mouth. What did she do?

Then it came back to her in a rush.

Gasping, her eyes shot wide open. She had gone to Sesshoumaru's room and fighting with him. And then he had her pinned to the wall. Kagome instantly fumed at the recollection. He even had the nerve to ask her to stop struggling. He had to be mad if he thought that she would give in so easily. After all, he was the one who had insulted her in the first place. Not being able to use her arms or her legs, she had used the only weapon she had at that time and bit him.

That must be what the coppery taste in her mouth was. His blood, she thought with a grimace. Then she cringed when she remembered how he had licked her blood of the corner of his lips. It was …gross.

But it was not worse than her biting him. She could still remember thinking how odd it was when she had felt something jolt through her when her mouth filled with his blood. Sesshoumaru must have tried to use his powers to push her away. It must have worked, because she did not remember anything else beyond that. That damned demon had knocked her out.

Glancing outside, she realized something else. The entire thing had happened in the morning after she had woken up. It was now dawn again. She must have slept the entire day. It was either she had exerted too much power in fighting him or that Sesshoumaru's attack was more than what she could handle. She supposed that it was not surprising, considering what Akiyama had told her about Sesshoumaru's reputation.

Getting up, she quickly dressed. Katsuo must be wondering what happened to her.

A tap on the screen told her that it was time for breakfast.

“Come in,” she called out.

Natsumi entered bearing a breakfast tray. “Are you alright?” she asked, sounding concerned. But there was an odd twinkle of delight in her eyes.

Kagome nodded as she sat down in front of the low table. “Yeah. Did I sleep the entire day yesterday?”

“Yes. Lord Sesshoumaru told us to leave you to rest.”

Rolling her eyes, Kagome remarked, “That's very considerate of him. Considering that it's all his fault in the first place.”

Natsumi giggled as she offered her a bowl of soup. “It's normal to rest after such a strenuous thing.”

Strenuous? She supposed so, Kagome thought absently as she sipped her soup. But why was Natsumi so cheerful this morning? For the last one week, she had seemed so agitated and upset. Or perhaps after what had happened yesterday, Sesshoumaru had cleared up the rumor. Yes. That would explain it.

Giving the other girl a smile when she finished her breakfast, Kagome stood up. “I'll be heading to the dojo now. I think Katsuo might be mad at me for missing training yesterday.”

“Katsuo will understand, My Lady.”

Kagome blinked. “Did you just call me-”

Natsumi instantly looked contrite. “If you prefer me not to do so…”

A small laugh escaped Kagome's lips. “Just call me Kagome. Anything else sounds weird.”

Nodding, Natsumi bowed to her and left.

Brushing away the girl's odd behavior, Kagome finished her breakfast and dressed for the day. And then, exiting the room, she made her way down the familiar route to the dojo. The guards she passed nodded to her.

“My Lady,” they greeted in unison.

Kagome frowned inwardly as she continued to walk across the bridge leading to the secondary living compound where the dojo was situated. What was going on today? Did Sesshoumaru tell them to address her differently? She decided that she must have a word with him about it. Being called `my lady' felt somewhat unnerving.

Katsuo was already there, just finishing on his own practice when she walked into the dojo. The look her gave her was one of surprise.

“You're here,” he exclaimed.

She rolled her eyes. “What? Did you think I was going to sleep through another day? One day is enough, thank you.”

He grinned. “I was mistaken then.” Picking up his katana, he said, “Shall we begin?”

Kagome returned his grin and nodded. Holding his katana in front of him, Katsuo began to circle her warily. She remembered that at the beginning, Katsuo had almost looked bored when they fought. But in the past week or so, he had upped his defenses visibly.

His first attack was a downward slash of his katana. She lifted her hands and blocked it with a blast of miko energy. Streaking to her left, she released several orbs of energy at Katsuo, careful to limit the intensity. She did not want to accidentally hurt one of her few friends in the place. The fact that he was half human did not make a slightest bit of difference because they had concluded that her powers could also harm humans. The only good thing was that his mother was a miko, so at least he could take the hit without being purified or killed.

Pushing his katana forward, Katsuo used the blade to deflect the orbs. As they disintegrated in the air, Katsuo pointed his katana at her and released a series of thin silver things which looked like pins. Knowing that those things hurt like mad, Kagome grimaced and leapt to the side. From her position on the ground, she sent a blast of power at him.

Katsuo jumped in the air, completely avoiding her attack. He returned with a graceful swipe of his katana.

Kagome twisted away, but she was not fast enough. The blade sliced through her sleeve and she immediately felt a sharp pain in the fleshy part of her arm. A muffled curse escaped her lips as she clutched her bleeding arm.

Katsuo was beside her in a second, looking contrite. “Kagome, I'm sorry…I didn't-”

“Shh! It's fine. This is not like the first time I got hurt during training,” she tried to reassure him. But still, the sheer amount of blood which was dripping down on the dojo mat worried her somewhat.

Without a word, Katsuo dashed to the shelf at the end of the dojo and then returned with some clean bandages and a bamboo canister. Kneeling beside her, he pushed her sleeve up and began to treat her wound, his expression grim.

“I should have been more careful,” he muttered.

Kagome winced as he dabbed the herbal mixture from the bamboo canister onto her wound. Shaking her head, she assured him, “You didn't do anything wrong, Katsuo. We were fighting, so it's not like we can avoid getting a few scratches.” Then she pointed at his face. “Look at your own face. It's full of scratches.”

Frowning as he bandaged her arm, Katsuo said, “That's different. I heal fast.”

“I wish I could do that,” Kagome sighed as she watched the scratches on his face sealing themselves.

Shaking his head, Katsuo pointed out, “You're human. The only reason I could do it is because of my youkai blood. My father was quite powerful.”

Kagome frowned. “You said your mother was a miko. How did she end up with a demon? I thought you said demons and mikos are enemies?” she asked curiously.

Katsuo averted his gaze. “It's a long story,” he said tightly.

Her curiosity overriding her good sense, Kagome pressed, “I've got time.”

He gave her an uncomfortable look and then sighed. “My mother was a senior miko. She was quite powerful. She trains fledgling mikos.”

“Oh. That explains why you're so good at this,” Kagome proclaimed.

Katsuo smiled. “Yes. I grew up watching her train those mikos. Some are weak and some are strong. You're definitely one of the stronger ones.”

Sensing that Katsuo was trying to divert her attention away from her original question, she prompted, “So how did she meet your father?”

His lips tightened as his eyes took on a faraway look. “I heard the story countless times from my mother.” Then he turned to look at her. “But it's not a pleasant one.”

Kagome's eyes widened. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? “Why?”

“My father was one of the Western Land's warriors. My mother saw him for the first time when she and some other priests and priestesses gathered to launch an attack on the palace when the lord was away on a trip.”

She gasped. “But why did they choose to attack the palace?”

Katsuo shrugged. “I don't know. But I suspect it's just the usual hatred towards demons. And the palace was full of demons.”

“What happened then?”

“They stormed the palace, but they did not count on the skills of the warriors. Although many was purified, my father was strong enough to survive and as a form of retaliation, he captured her.”

Kagome's eyes bulged. “She was taken against her will?” she whispered.

A bitter smile crossed Katsuo's lips. “Yes. He had his way with her for a while and I was conceived. Satisfied that he got his revenge, he released her. But she never forgave him for destroying her. You know what the strange thing is?”

“What?”

“I don't think she's `destroyed' at all. I remember my mother as I was growing up. Her strength was great, not only in her powers but also in her mind. She was never broken even after what she had gone through. She never stopped reminding me what a bastard my father was. But she carried on with her life, training those young apprentices like nothing had happened.” He averted his gaze. His voice was quiet when he added, “Teaching them to hate demons even when her own son is a half-demon.”

“Did your mother and father ever met again?”

Katsuo let out a bark of laughter. “Yes, they did. The moment my mother was sure that I could fend for myself, she hunted him down. I still remember the day she left. I was about fifteen years old in human years at that time. She was gone for a very long time.”

Knowing that demons and half demons retain their youthful appearance for much longer than humans, Kagome surmised that this must have occurred a long time ago.

“When she finally came home a year later, she told me that he's dead. I didn't feel anything because I never knew who he was. But then she began to change. She kept staring into space. It was almost like she was in a world of her own.” He blinked slowly. “She was bitter when she died. And I couldn't do anything to help her.”

Kagome began to understand. “Your mother loved your father.”

Katsuo nodded. “Yes. But she refused to see it. And I suspect that my father felt the same. Why else would he let her live, especially with a taint of a hanyou son?” he said bitterly.

Kagome's eyes softened as his pained expression. She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, ignoring the way he tensed at her touch. “Being hanyou is not a taint. You're one of the strongest, nicest person I've ever met, Katsuo,” she told him.

His smile was bitter. “I know my mother loved me. It is my father that she felt bitter towards. I still remember the last thing she said before she passed on. She said that nothing good could have come out of the situation between a demon and a miko. After all, both were on opposite side of things.”

She shook her head firmly. “What happened to your parents was a terrible thing. A lost love. But something good happened out of it; you're here.”

Glancing down at her with his blue eyes, Katsuo smiled. “Thanks. I needed that. Talking about it makes it seem less painful.”

Kagome grinned up at him. The hug felt nice to her too. After all, she sorely lacked human contact. “Yeah, talking normally helps.”

The dojo door suddenly burst open with a loud bang.

…***…***…***…

Sesshoumaru was incensed. No, not incensed. Furious.

The feeling had been slight to begin with. Then it had nudged at him insistently, forcing him to seek out what was bothering him. It was then that the mating mark had flared, piercing him with some unknown feeling. Unable to fight the urge, he had rushed across the distance which separated him from the dojo. His senses had pulled him halfway to the dojo before the cause of his uncharacteristic rush became apparent to him.

It was due to the connection forged between him and the miko when she had accidentally marked him. If she was in any danger, he could be alerted to it through their mating bond, even though it was incomplete.

The view that greeted his eyes threw him into silence. He did not know how to respond. His instincts told him to yank the miko forcefully out of his general's arms. But his mind told him that he could not care less if the miko decided to rut with Katsuo.

Forcing his expression to display nothing of what he felt, he watched silently as Katsuo leapt away from the miko. His general's eyes betrayed his trepidation, but Sesshoumaru did not feel the need to reassure the hanyou. Katsuo should learn to distance himself from the miko, after all.

Then Sesshoumaru's nose flared. The scent of blood from the miko's wound disturbed him greatly, forcing him to glance at her bandaged arm. To his consternation, he felt the almost overwhelming urge to soothe it for her. She had been injured many times before, and he had never felt such a need to do so. It seemed that although it was incomplete, the mating bond's effect was strong.

At the moment, his `mate' was studying him, her expression belying her puzzlement.

“Lord Sesshoumaru,” Katsuo greeted shakily.

The miko flicked a confused glance at the hanyou. “Katsuo?” she ventured tentatively, but the general kept his eyes on him. Shifting her attention, she asked, “What's going on, Sesshoumaru?”

Sesshoumaru glanced at her. Not able to suppress his instincts further, he grudgingly allowed his eyes to run over her person to ascertain that she was not harmed other than that one wound.

The miko immediately bristled in response to his perusal. “What are you doing? Inspecting your property? You really had to get it into your thick skull that I'm not yours,” she snapped.

Katsuo sucked in a sharp breath, the expression on his face could only be described as horrified.

Clenching his fists, Sesshoumaru decided that it would be wiser if he did not respond to her insolent words. No doubt Katsuo was already wondering about the entire incident, considering that his servants and guards would have detected that he and the miko were mated. Did the miko not realize after what had happened, she effectively belonged to him in more ways than before?

The silence dragged on for a while more before Sesshoumaru directed his words to Katsuo. “Is the training progressing well, Katsuo?”

Katsuo nodded stiffly. “The lady's attacks are powerful. I've found it necessary to fight harder. But I was careless. If the lady was not holding back on my account, perhaps she could have avoided my attack.

The miko gasped as she stared at Katsuo. “I didn't know that you noticed.”

Katsuo gave her an awkward bow. “You did not wish to embarrass me.”

The miko shuffled uneasily.

Sesshoumaru's lips tightened in irritation as he felt the urge to separate them. His mating instincts were telling him that this male was far too familiar with his mate and that such a thing was not acceptable. His mind, however, was telling him that it was not unexpected, considering the time they had spent together. However, he knew that his agitation would continue until he appeased his instincts. Considering the nature of her training, contact between his general and the miko would be frequent. And each time it happened, it would drive his instincts into a frenzy.

Sesshoumaru turned to his general and remarked blandly, “Perhaps it is time for you to return to your regular duties, then.”

Katsuo simply stared at him. Then he brightened visibly. “Thank you, Lord Sesshoumaru.”

“Hn.”

“May I be excused, Lord Sesshoumaru?”

Sesshoumaru nodded.

As Katsuo rushed past him, he turned back to flash the miko a cheerful smile. Sesshoumaru ground his teeth together at the rise of his annoyance. Once Katsuo had left the dojo, the miko turned to him with a questioning look.

When he continued to stare at her wordlessly, she shrugged and said, “Well. I guess that's the end of my training, right?”

It was then that Sesshoumaru realized that the miko still need to be trained. Reluctantly, he surmised that there was only one thing he could do. She would be trained by him and no one else.

“You're incorrect,” he intoned.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“From now on, you will be trained by this Sesshoumaru.”

At his proclamation, she backed away from him, her eyes almost wild.

“No, no, no…You can't be serious,” she hissed.

Quirking an eyebrow, Sesshoumaru simply stared at her.

The half-formed mating bond was calling to him again, reminding him again of his fury of at the entire situation. Now, standing face to face with her, he felt the pressing inclination to subdue her and complete the mating by sinking his fang into her neck and throwing her down on the dojo mat for a rutting session. Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth. No, he would not give in to the urge. To return the mark and then to copulate with her would mean that it was irreversible and he would be bonded to her for the rest of his life. It was bad enough that the bond affected him so strongly.

He had to find a way to remove the mark currently hidden beneath his kimono and rectify the outrageous situation. He needed the miko for her powers, not as a mate. It did not help that the rest of the demons in the palace had sensed the bond and now assumed that they were mates. He had heard them calling the miko their lady more than once that morning.

“The last few times we fought ended in disaster,” she continued wryly. “And anyway, do I really need more training?”

“Yes. Especially now.”

Even with their half-completed mating, his enemies, particularly those of a demon origin, would seek to weaken him through her. Even though he did not care if she was killed, he did not know if it would affect him adversely and he was not prepared to take the risk. Not for the first time since he had set his eyes on the miko, Sesshoumaru wished that Kouga had not presented him with such a troublesome gift.

“What do you mean, especially now? What has changed?” she asked curiously.

Sesshoumaru stiffened. Could it be possible that she was completely unaware of the mating mark she had placed on him? With her lack of knowledge about demons, it was hardly surprising. But surely someone must have told her something. The handmaid he had assigned to the miko, the one called Natsumi, would have surely said something. However, her response made it obvious that she was unaware of their current situation. If she knew, Sesshoumaru had no doubt that he would hear of it by now. The miko was not one who held silence in great regard.

Perhaps it would be better this way. If she was not aware of it, it would make things easier for him when he found a way to remove the mark. His father and mother had successfully done so with a fully formed mating mark, therefore it should not be impossible for him to dissolve an incomplete one.

“Are you going to stand there the whole day without answering me?” she asked, her impatience evident in her tone.

Suppressing his irritation, he bit out, “Many would seek to use your powers for themselves. You need to be prepared to defend yourself.”

“Oh,” she exclaimed, her eyes rounding in comprehension. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Indeed.”

She frowned. “So, you're going to train me now or what?”

Sesshoumaru thought of the pile of scrolls in his study and shook his head. “This Sesshoumaru needs to tend to matters pertaining to this land.” Then, realizing that she had nothing to do and would no doubt attempt to plan another escape, he decided that he should keep her under his careful eyes. “You will accompany this Sesshoumaru.”

She gaped at him, but before she could protest, he swung around and walked out of the dojo.

…***…***…***…

Kagome tapped her fingers against the wooden platform she was currently sitting on. Staring into the beautiful courtyard, she stifled another yawn. She had been sitting in the same spot, on the wooden platform just outside Sesshoumaru's study for what seemed like hours now with nothing to do. And Sesshoumaru had not moved a muscle apart from when he was turning a scroll over.

Irritated, Kagome stood up and stalked into the room, stopping right in front of Sesshoumaru. She waited for him to notice her. He did not even bother to look up.

Her lips thinning, she glared at him.

Still, there was no response from the demon.

“Look, Sesshoumaru. If you don't need me here for anything, can you just let me leave?” she asked impatiently. “I can go watch the warriors train or something.”

He paused and then lowered his scroll. His golden eyes came up to meet hers. Not for the first time, she realized how good he looked. It was a shame that his personality did not match up.

“You will remain here until this Sesshoumaru says otherwise.”

Knowing that it was childish but unable to stop herself, she stomped her foot. “You're being unreasonable. At least give me something to do if you want to keep me here.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “You possess no skills other than those of a miko. How do you propose to aid this Sesshoumaru?” He gestured at the scrolls and went on to say, “If you could read, this Sesshoumaru would have given you these scrolls.”

Planting her hands on her hips, she proceeded to rectify his assumption. “What makes you think I can't read? I've been able to read since I was seven!”

Surprise flashed across his features. And then he narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.

Kagome rolled her eyes, suddenly reminded of what era it was. “I assure you I can read, Sesshoumaru,” she said flatly.

He gave her a speculative look before he nodded. “Very well.” Picking up a stack of rolled scrolls, he continued, “You will read through these and inform this Sesshoumaru of the important facts.”

With that, he dropped it in front of her carelessly. Glancing curiously at the scrolls, she lowered herself and sat down on the floor. A quick scan through one of them told her that although it was written in an older form of Japanese kanji, she could still understand it.

Glad for something to do, she began to read through the scrolls. It was mainly complaints and requests for an audience with Sesshoumaru. As she went through them, she began to sort them into separate piles. One pile for those she thought would need his immediate attention, next pile for the ones which could wait and the final pile for those which did not really need any action on his part.

So absorbed she was in her task that she did not notice that he was standing over her until she saw his feet not far from one of the piles.

“You spoke the truth.” He sounded surprised.

Annoyed at his stab at her honesty, she jumped to her feet. “What did you think? That I will lie about being able to read?”

“Hn.”

She frowned at him. “Don't you trust others just a little bit?”

“No.”

Rolling her eyes, she simply ignored him and continued with her task. If nothing else, at least it would kill time until she figured out how to escape again. Preferably without getting Katsuo or Natsumi into trouble.

…***…***…***…

Hopping off the bus, Kagome reached around into her backpack and pulled out a stack of letters. The dream she had last night was still playing in her mind, but by now, she was used to it.

Of course she could read, Kagome thought irritably as she dropped the job application letters into the postbox near the office. Why on earth did she even bother dreaming up someone who was so arrogant and chauvinistic? Granted, her dream was set in the Feudal Era, but still, she could have picked a more pleasant personality.

She frowned suddenly. Come to think of it, how on earth did she know so much about the Feudal Era? History had never been a subject she had been too fond of. Perhaps it was all from Jii-chan's fairy-tales. Yes, that must be it.

Shrugging off her thoughts, Kagome went through the entrance to the tall building and swiped her card at the security checkpoint. When the glass door slid open, she stepped in and proceeded to the reception area, smiling widely at the security guard, Isamu.

“Good morning,” Kagome greeted as she dropped her bag behind the reception desk.

The security guard looked up with a smile. “A good morning to you too. Did you enjoy your weekend?”

Face brightening, she exclaimed, “Oh, the Demon Carnival was great! I was so happy that Yura gave me the tickets. Did you go?”

Isamu nodded. “Yes, but I guess we missed each other in the crowd.”

“Oh, that must be it. The show was amazing. I can't believe some of the effects.”

Isamu snorted. “It was okay. I've seen better fights.”

Her eyes bulged. “How's that even possible?”

Grinning, Isamu shrugged. “It just is.”

Shaking her head in disbelief, Kagome returned his grin and then settled herself behind the desk for the day. She fixed the headset in place before checking to see if there were any messages on the system which needed her attention. One by one, the employees of IY Media and Entertainment began to file in. As each of them walked in, Kagome called out a cheerful greeting.

Until he strode in.

Kagome's jaw went slack as her eyes landed on the man she had never seen before.

Silver hair.

Golden eyes.

Then something jolted through her. He seemed somewhat familiar. It must be his silver hair and golden eyes. What if he was related to Sachimaru? She suddenly felt cold. Her gaze went to his ears. It was normal, not pointed, but that did not tell her anything.

When their eyes clashed, she realized that he was as shocked as she was. “It's impossible,” he whispered, stopping right in front of her, with only the reception desk separating them.

Kagome blinked. Yes, she was shocked that he shared the same eyes and hair with Sachimaru, but why was he reacting that way? Cautiously, she ventured, “What is impossible?”

“You look like her,” the silver-haired man mumbled, staring at her for a long while before he finally regained his composure.

Frowning in confusion, Kagome asked, “Like who?”

“Never mind,” he brushed off carelessly. Then an odd light entered his eyes. “What's your name?”

Before she could answer, a shrill female voice interjected, “Inuyasha! Stop hitting on the temp!”

Kagome turned around to find Yura striding out into the reception, looking feminine and professional at the same time in pin-striped jacket and a matching miniskirt. Yura rested her hands on her hips, glaring at Inuyasha.

“Keh! Who said I'm hitting on her?”

Yura rolled her eyes. “Stop kidding yourself, Inuyasha. You hit on anything so long as it's female,” she pointed out as she yanked the sputtering man away from the reception. “Come on. You need to sort out the mess Hiten left in the office.”

Kagome's brow rose as Inuyasha followed Yura down the corridor, muttering something about dreams. So, this was the infamous Inuyasha those secretaries had been giggling about. She supposed she could understand the reason behind it. After all, he was rather cute.

Kagome frowned thoughtfully. Yura said Inuyasha hit on every female he set his eyes on. Could it be that Sachimaru was the result of one of his flings? Her lips tightened. She would not say anything to him. After all, if he was as irresponsible as he seemed with women, he would not want to know about Sachimaru anyway.

It was a good thing that this was her last day at IY Media and Entertainment. This way, she would be nowhere near him. This way, Inuyasha would never find out if Sachimaru was really the result of one of his flings.

…***…***…***…

Sesshoumaru tapped his fingers impatiently on his desk as he awaited the information he had requested earlier. His instructions had earned him a curious look from Natsumi, but she had wisely refrained from asking further questions. After centuries of being in his service, the female certainly knew him well enough to avoid unnecessary confrontation.

Not knowing what to think about the female and the pup he had seen in the carnival, for the conclusions ha had arrived at had seemed impossible, Sesshoumaru had decided that it was prudent to refrain from making any judgment until he possessed all the facts. Wild speculations would only waste his valuable time.

At the sound of a knock on the door, Sesshoumaru looked up. “Enter,” he called out.

The door opened and he felt a pang of something which resembled disappointment when Shin appeared instead of Natsumi.

“Mr. Taishou,” the inuyoukai greeted with a bow.

Sesshoumaru ran his eyes over the inuyoukai. It seemed that Shin had fully recovered from the effects of the poison. “Shin.”

“Forgive me for my failure,” the inuyoukai said, his head still bowed. “It will not happen again.”

Sesshoumaru regarded him steadily. Shin must be referring to the poison incident in his last assignment. The inuyoukai had worked his way up from a lowly guard until he was made a general in the ranks four centuries ago. It would not do to chastise him for something that was not his doing.

“You're not at fault. The poison is not of human origin.”

Shin's head snapped up, his eyes suddenly flashing in fury. “It's demonic?” he hissed.

“Hn.”

“I will hunt the one responsible down,” Shin swore harshly.

Sesshoumaru hardened his expression. “You will do nothing but increase your vigilance. The rest had been informed to do likewise and will continue to do so until the identity of the perpetrator is confirmed.”

Shin stiffened slightly before he nodded.

It worried Sesshoumaru that after the incident with Shin, two other similar cases had occurred in other jobs. He was beginning to wonder if another demon was attempting to weaken him by ruining the reputation of his company. His lips immediately curled in disdain. If they had the audacity to do such a thing, then they would suffer the consequences when he finally discovered their identity. For he was certain that he would. It was simply a matter of time.

“Lord Sesshoumaru?”

He glanced sharply at his old general, who had the grace to look embarrassed. All of them had been told not to address him by his old title.

“I apologize,” Shin said. “Mr. Taishou.”

“Hn.”

“But do you think Akiyama is involved in this?”

“Perhaps,” he replied noncommittally. Until he was certain, he would say nothing. But although Akiyama was sneaky, Sesshoumaru doubted that the elemental would do such a thing.

Bowing again, Shin said, “I would like to return to work.”

“Hn.” Then with a nod, Sesshoumaru said, “You will speak to Katsuo. He will brief you on your next task.”

With that, Shin left the office. Soon after, a soft knock sounded on the door.

“Enter.”

Natsumi walked in, bearing a handful of printed paper. “Mr. Taishou, here are the guest lists you requested,” Natsumi said as she placed a few sheets of paper on his desk.

He glanced at the paper briefly. “Everyone's names are here?”

Natsumi nodded. “They are all employees of the companies under the Taishou Holdings umbrella. And their guests.”

“Hn.”

Bowing slightly, Natsumi left his office. Sesshoumaru's lips quirked. He had managed to get Natsumi to stop calling him by his old title, but he had not succeeded in getting any of his old servants and guards to stop bowing to him.

Turning his attention to the lists, he began to scan the names. Most of them were familiar to him for they were demons, demonesses and hanyou in the Third Rotation. There were also some from the Second Rotation who had not been transferred away yet.

But there were also a number of unfamiliar names. He paused when he reached a name which was familiar to his dream self.

Kagome.

Was this yet another coincidence? Somehow, he doubted it. Sesshoumaru immediately turned to his laptop. A few clicks later, he gained access to the secure database which stored the information on all the employees in Taishou Holdings. He keyed in the name and waited.

The search returned no results. Frowning, he glanced down at the name again.

Higurashi Kagome.

She was not in the personnel database. Perhaps she was a temp from one of the agencies. Or perhaps the female and the pup were guests of one of his employees. In which case, it would make his search a little more difficult.

He still could not believe her resemblance to the miko. How was that even possible? Perhaps he had seen her somewhere and his mind had decided to introduce her into his dreams? He frowned at the idea, instantly dismissing it. No. His memory was far superior compared to most beings and he would certainly remember her scent if he had set eyes on her before.

Idly, he wondered if this Higurashi Kagome was anything like the miko of his dreams. The one he had last night was still fresh in his mind, as if the events had taken place just yesterday.

…***…***…***…

Sesshoumaru watched impassively as the miko fidgeted nervously in front of him. This was the first day she would be trained by him. His lips tightened slightly at the notion that he, Sesshoumaru, had lowered himself to train a human miko. However, it could not be avoided. With battle training, her control would improve. It needed to be honed until she was capable of releasing Inuyasha from his seal.

It was particularly important now that Myoga had revealed that a great katana forged from Inu-no-Taishou's fang had been left for the hanyou. It was said that the katana, Tetsusaiga, possessed the power to destroy a hundred demon with a single blast.

And Sesshoumaru had every intention of possessing Tetsusaiga. Inuyasha did not deserve such a gift, especially considering how he had dishonored their blood by allowing himself to be sealed in such a disgraceful manner.

However, the exact location of the fang was unknown.

The right black pearl. The grave can see but cannot be seen.

Those were the only directions he possessed. Its vagueness were characteristic of Inu-no-Taishou's penchant for such riddles, Sesshoumaru thought with no small amount of irritation. However, since their father had chosen to bestow the fang to Inuyasha, it was likely that Inuyasha would know the location where it was hidden.

“Sesshoumaru?”

Her voice stirred him from his musings. Deciding that he should concentrate on training her, Sesshoumaru gestured at the rack holding several blades at the end of the dojo. “You will show this Sesshoumaru the extent of your skills.”

The miko sighed as she went to retrieve a katana. “This is not going to end well,” she muttered.

Sesshoumaru's lips quirked involuntarily. He supposed their previous encounters had been far from successful. When she returned, he eyed her stance critically. Had Katsuo been negligent in instructing her?

“Miko. You will hold yourself in the proper stance.”

He saw her eyes twitch before her legs shifted into the perfect position. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. So Katsuo had trained her correctly after all. Was she attempting to irk him deliberately? The insolent wench…

She raised a brow at him. “Better?”

“It is acceptable.”

She rolled her eyes in response.

Suppressing the urge to shake her, he instructed evenly, “You will attack.”

Wearing a look of concentration, the miko bit her lips as she raised the blade. It immediately glowed with the pure power of a miko. Flicking a quick glance at him, she charged. Her eyes had given away her intentions long before she reached him, Sesshoumaru thought as he simply stepped to the side to avoid her attack. Obviously irritated, the mike spun around and swung the glowing blade at him again, this time missing by a large margin.

Directing a disapproving look at her, Sesshoumaru gritted out, “You will look at your target before swinging your blade.”

“I'm looking, alright?!” she snapped as she attempted to stab him again. “What do you think I'm doing?”

“Your aim is deplorable,” he said dryly as the blade missed him without him even moving at all.

“Well, I kind of expected you to move instead of standing still!” she retorted heatedly as she swung the blade at him again, and this time, sparks flew off the metal.

“Thus proving the inadequacy of your attacks,” he pointed out.

As he streaked to the side, Sesshoumaru noted with interest that her blade was now glowing brighter, although rather unsteadily. Perhaps her powers came from her emotions. It would make sense considering her heightened energy the last two time they had fought.

Unfortunately, that very thought brought back the memory of her raw power washing over his person, eliciting an unwanted flash of arousal in him. To his dismay, the mating bond added to his discomfort by urging him to close the distance between him and the miko. To pull her head back so that her neck was bared to his fangs. To run his hands over her soft curves, bringing forth her moans of pleasure. To tear off her training hakama and take her innocence to complete their bond.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, inhaling deeply to calm him self. It would not do to desire the miko in such a manner, even when his reaction was caused by their incomplete mating bond. A small voice nudged at the back of his mind, reminding him that he already possessed such desire for her even before the regrettable marking.

Already annoyed at his wayward reaction, when he noticed her eyes flicking to his right side, Sesshoumaru bit out in a harsher tone than he had intended, “Your eyes are betraying your intentions, Miko. Hide it!”

Stopping, the miko planted one hand on her hips while she pointed the blade at him. “How do you expect me to look at where I'm hitting without moving my eyes?” she exclaimed incredulously.

Sesshoumaru felt his jaw twitch. He suddenly felt a newfound respect for Katsuo's patience. If this was what his general had to suffer through each day for the past few weeks, perhaps it was time to reward the hanyou.

“It can be done.” His voice was dry.

“Easy for someone as cold and emotionless as you!”

“It simply requires practice,” he bit out, ignoring her words.

Grumbling under her breath, she charged straight at him. Why did she think that this would work when it had not done so the first time? However, as he stepped to the side, the miko swung abruptly to the opposite direction. At her unexpected move, Sesshoumaru spun away, only narrowly avoiding her blade.

“Hah! I almost got you!” she declared smugly.

“Still, you failed to make contact,” he pointed out flatly. He was somewhat surprised at her move. However, she seemed to have grasped the lesson. Perhaps it was time to increase the pace. “Again,” he intoned.

Brows furrowing in concentration, the miko feigned to the left before she came at him from the left. He jumped out of the path of the glowing katana before retaliating with his whip. The end of the golden whip made contact with the miko's leg, throwing her to the ground.

“HEY! I thought I was attacking?!” she exclaimed indignantly as she pushed herself to her feet. Wincing, she rubbed her thigh.

“Do you expect you opponent to simply wait while you attack?” he retorted impatiently. His instinct was urging him to go to her, to soothe her wound. Suppressing the urge to do so, Sesshoumaru simply flicked his whip at her again. “Move, Miko,” he ordered curtly.

She glared at him.

He could not help but smirk as he watched her aura flare at his instruction. It occurred to him that once her training was complete, he could utilize her as a regular sparring partner. After all, what better way to hone his own skills than to fight regularly with a powerful miko? Her temper would simply make it more amusing for him.

Knowing that it would annoy her further, he flicked his whip again.

“That's it!” she exploded.

Dropping the katana, she flung her hands out at him. A beam of pearlescent light immediately shot out at him, her emotions giving it additional strength. Now that he was more familiar with her attacks, he simply shot up in the air, avoiding the blast. He immediately swung downwards, extending his claws in preparation to release his poison. When his hands began to glow green, the miko's eyes widened in alarm.

With an ear-piercing shriek, she flung herself to the side just as his poison hit the training mat. The floor instantly sizzled, the poison eating away at the mat. The miko pinned her eyes to the hole in the floor, aghast.

“Y-You…You could have killed me!” she yelled incredulously as she jumped to her feet.

“Perhaps.”

“Why you…” she growled.

And then she charged at him.

As they continued to fight, Sesshoumaru suddenly realized that despite his initial misgivings, this training session was turning out to be tolerable. Although the level of the miko's skills were far inferior compared to his, she made up for it in her determination. It had been too long since he had indulged in such sparring sessions.

Sesshoumaru allowed a smirk to cross his face.

And he shall indulge.

…***…***…***…

One week had passed since he had begun to train the miko. After the initial strain, the sessions had grown to be almost pleasant. Sesshoumaru snuck a glance at the miko seated at a new table at the end of his study. They had fallen into an odd, but regular routine of training in the morning and working in his study in the afternoons. He had been surprised that he had found her presence tolerable. What surprised him even more was the fact that in the one week she had been present in his study, his workload had eased by a considerable amount.

It was highly unexpected.

With her assistance with other tasks, he had been able to commence the search for a way to break the half-formed mating bond between them. Unfortunately, his attempts had met with no success. The bond was affecting him more as time passed and the longer she remained in his presence. His ire rose at the indignity of the entire situation.

“There's a report here that you might want to look at. I don't really understand what it's talking about,” she muttered as she placed a scroll in one of the three piles beside her. She had taken the time to separate the urgent ones, from the less urgent ones and the ones he did not need to read.

“What does it contain?” he asked, noting that the scroll had been placed in the pile containing urgent matters.

“Demon slayers in the human settlements.” Then she frowned. “Do demon slayers really kill demons or it's just a name?”

Sesshoumaru quirked his brow. Was the miko truly that ignorant? Or perhaps she was simply innocent of the knowledge of such things. “The demon slayers, as their name implies, kill demons.”

Her eyes shot up towards his. “Is that what they're planning to do here?” she asked worriedly.

Was the miko actually concerned about the fate of the demons in the castle? How curious, he thought. Walking towards her, he bent down to retrieve the scroll. Annoyance coursed through him as he read the report from one of his scouts. Apparently, the demon slayers from the East had been hired by some village head to kill a low level demon who has been invading their village.

He was displeased by the interference of the demon slayers in his lands. The peace in the Western Lands was his responsibility. If the villages were being disturbed, he would ensure that the low level demons were dealt with.

“Shin,” he called out.

When the inuyoukai guard stepped in, Sesshoumaru ordered, “Summon Jaken.”

It did not take long before Jaken rushed in breathlessly. “Yes, My Lord?”

Dropping the scroll in front of his retainer, Sesshoumaru intoned, “Find out what is happening and settle the disturbances.”

Jaken picked up the scroll and read through it before he turned a large pair of questioning eyes upwards. “What about the demon slayers?”

Sesshoumaru paused in his steps. Without looking over his shoulders, he said, “Kill them if they get in the way.”

The miko gasped. “No! You can't go around killing humans.”

Giving her a stony look, he bit out, “They are trespassing.”

“So? Just ask them to leave.”

Gritting his teeth in annoyance, he replied coldly, “Miko. This Sesshoumaru needs not your advice in protecting his lands.”

Her hands planted on her hips, she glared at him. “But you could do with some advice on morals!”

He chose to ignore her. There was no benefit in continuing the debate, for the miko appeared to be siding with the humans. It was not unexpected, but `mate' or not, he had no intention of tolerating the presence of outsiders in his territory. Especially dishonorable, weak humans.

“Hey, you're ignoring me?”

He flashed her an irritable look before settling down behind his low table with every intention of continuing with the search for the method to break their mating bond. Fortunately, the miko decided to refrain from saying anything further.

However, the peace did not last long.

“Sesshoumaru?”

He looked up, frowning when he suddenly realized that she no longer addressed him in the manner befitting his station. When had she stopped doing so? And why had he not noticed until now?

She waved a scroll in the air. “I have a strange one here.”

He waited for her to elaborate, knowing that she would tell him no matter how he responded. The miko was certainly not one to hold her tongue.

Wearing a frown, she said, “Akiyama wishes to congratulate you on your recent mating. What's that all about?”

Sesshoumaru froze. The rumor had traveled so far in such a short time? His eyes narrowed. It was unacceptable.

“Nothing you should concern yourself with, Miko,” he bit out.

He would have the partially completed mating procedure reversed before she realized the truth. If only his father had been a little more organized. There must be thousands of scrolls rolled up and stored in the shelves against the walls. But Sesshoumaru knew that he would find the answer in one of the scrolls. After all, his father and mother had successfully broken their mating bond.

And that was what he intended to do with the miko. There was no other option.

Other options…

Perhaps he should simply kill her, he thought with an inward frown. That would certainly be an option if he was not unsure of the consequences. Would he suffer death if he killed his mate? Even one he was bonded to by a half-completed mating? Could he even bring himself to do such a thing? He doubted the mating bond would allow him to do so.

She gave him a suspicious look. “So, are you mating someone or what?”

“No.” He did not lie. He was not mating anyone. SHE was the one who had the audacity to bind him to her. Even unknowingly.

“Mating is like a marriage, right? How could the Northern Lord get something like this so wrong?” she asked, obviously puzzled.

Sesshoumaru did not bother to reply. Instead, he willed the miko to stop asking those questions. Sooner or later, her curiosity would surely cease. Much to his consternation, she simply continued, unheeding his silence.

“Are you listening to me, Sesshoumaru?”

His grip tightened around the scroll, crumpling it into a useless mess. “Miko. You will cease your questions.”

At that moment, a series of soft taps sounded against the screen. Sesshoumaru's sense told him that it was simply Natsumi. At his call to enter, the shoji slid open and the inuyoukai female stepped in.

“Lord Sesshoumaru.” She looked nervous.

Raising a brow, Sesshoumaru waited for her to continue.

His inuyoukai servant took a deep breath before she continued, “The servants want to know if they should prepare for a formal mating ceremony.”

Sesshoumaru stilled. Vaguely, he felt the miko doing the same at the other end of the room. He certainly had not foreseen this, though on hindsight, perhaps he should have done so. Natsumi's question posed a problem.

“Whose mating ceremony, Natsumi?” the miko interjected before he could say anything.

“Natsumi,” Sesshoumaru cut in. “This will not be discussed now.”

Blinking in bewilderment, Natsumi stammered, “But…”

“You are questioning this Sesshoumaru's orders?” he asked, injecting a hint of warning in his tone.

“Sesshoumaru! Stop threatening Natsumi! And anyway, I want to know just whose mating ceremony she's talking about,” the miko admonished with a frown.

He gritted his teeth at her insolence. In front of a servant, no less. “Miko…”

“So tell me, Natsumi,” the miko said in a gentler voice. “Whose mating ceremony?”

Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru waited for the inevitable.

Natsumi's voice carried a hint of puzzlement when she said, “Why, Lord Sesshoumaru's and yours, of course.”

“WHAT?!” The miko's exclamation of disbelief echoed throughout the palace.

…***…***…***…

A/N: Yup, Kagome finally found out, hehe! Hope you've enjoyed this chapter. As always, I hope that you'll review to let me know what you think of it.