InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Little Faith ❯ Chapter 12 ( Chapter 12 )

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: Thank you so much for your enthusiastic reviews! Here is the next chapter and I hope that you will all enjoy it.

 

 

A Little Faith by elle6778 - Chapter 12

 

“You will rut with the miko.”

 

Kagome's eyes narrowed as the words from her dream last night echoed through her head. Sesshoumaru had some nerve, ordering Katsuo to do something like that, she fumed. The sudden spike of anger in her past self had been potent enough to jolt her awake from that particular dream an hour ago.

 

And now, it was Sachimaru's expression that brought the dream back to her mind. At the moment, the boy was standing facing her with a look on his face which reminded her eerily of the one Sesshoumaru had worn when he uttered those disturbing words, the only difference being that Sachimaru had a petulant pout on his lips.

 

The boy was adamant about following Souta out on a trip, but she was not about to let him stay overnight unsupervised. Denying her son, however, turned out to be harder than she had expected. Her mother and grandfather were not around to help, but Kagome realized that she should not expect them to do so, seeing that she was Sachimaru's mother. But it was times like this that she wished that she had someone to share the responsibility with.

 

“I said no, Sachimaru,” Kagome said tightly, shifting slightly on the chair in the kitchen. She glared up at the ceiling, wishing that Souta had not told Sachimaru about his pending camping trip. Her brother obviously knew that he had done something wrong, because Souta was still locked in his room instead of joining them downstairs.

 

“But Okaa-san!” Sachimaru whined.

 

She put on the most uncompromising look she possessed. “No.”

 

The boy's lips trembled.

 

Kagome bit back a sigh of frustration. She had to finish her dinner and prepare herself for her night shift. The last thing she needed was to fight with Sachimaru in the kitchen. Not to mention with everything that was happening to her, all she wanted was to crawl back into bed.

 

First, it had been the realization that she might well be the very same person as the miko in her dreams, not just a reincarnation. Her following visit to the neighboring hospital yesterday had yielded nothing because she was informed that an appointment was necessary for the medical checkup she wanted done. It meant that she had to continue driving herself mad with anxiety until her appointment tomorrow.

 

Then there was the disturbing dream which refused to leave her mind. What Sesshoumaru had said was simply ridiculous. Katsuo was a friend and there was no way they could do what Sesshoumaru had ordered so coldly, like it was no big deal. And ever since that dream, she felt nothing but disappointment towards the taiyoukai. Was he so cold and unfeeling that he was unable to see past his own objective? Was he really that selfish?

 

The whole thing reinforced her decision not to let Sesshoumaru anywhere near Sachimaru, even if they turned out to be related. Sachimaru deserved better than that. Though at the moment, she wished that it was someone else dealing with this problem, and not her.

 

“You never let me go out with Souta,” Sachimaru complained, his expression displaying his displeasure.

 

Praying for patience, Kagome explained slowly, “You are too young and Souta is not old enough to look after you. Especially when he's with his friends. I will take you camping some other day, alright?”

 

Sachimaru stomped his foot stubbornly and Kagome felt the onset of a headache. Maybe she had been too lenient with Sachimaru. It had never been too much of a problem before but it looked like she might have to be stricter from now on. The boy seemed to grow more headstrong by the day.

 

“I can take care of myself,” Sachimaru declared heatedly.

 

“Stop it, Sachimaru. I mean it!” she said firmly. Standing up, she placed her dishes in the sink before turning around again. “You won't always get your way. And you are too young to spend the night in the wild with no one but a bunch of teenagers. So, no. You cannot go. Do you understand?”

 

Sachimaru stared at her mutely, looking as if he was about to protest.

 

“Not another word about this,” Kagome warned sternly.

 

His lips trembled, and then his eyes welled up.

 

Kagome felt her heart constricting. She hated to do this to Sachimaru, but it was necessary. Kneeling down in front of him, she locked her own eyes onto his golden ones. “I need to go to work now. You behave yourself, alright?” she said quietly, rubbing his arms.

 

Sachimaru pulled his arms from her and ran away from the kitchen.

 

Kagome stood up with a weary sigh. This was definitely not a good day, she thought as she went to the door and made her way to Tsukuyo Medical for her shift.

 

The night shift passed quickly without too many incidents and before she knew it, she was heading back home, walking down the street with her bag slung over her shoulders and an umbrella in one hand. Absently, she noted the movement of her own shadows as she walked past one streetlight after another. Although a few cars had sped past her on occasion, the streets were fairly deserted at this time of the night, which did not help in distracting her from her thoughts.

 

A prickle of awareness at the back of her neck brought her to a sudden halt. Realizing just how alone she was, Kagome gulped and tightened her grip on her umbrella. If someone dared to attack her, she would have to test out just how much of Sesshoumaru's training she remembered. Cautiously, she glanced around, but noted nothing out of the ordinary.

 

Maybe it was just her imagination, she thought as she continued to walk.

 

When another prickle of awareness crept up her skin, she squeezed her eyes shut and wasted no time in swinging the umbrella around. She heard a muffled thud as the umbrella connected with something.

 

“Miko.”

 

Her eyes instantly snapped open to find the object of her dreams standing right in front of her, the end of the umbrella held so tightly in his hand.

 

“Sesshoumaru!” she gasped in surprise as she took in his immaculate appearance. He looked every bit like a successful man in a dark grey suit. Nothing in the way he appeared gave away his true identity.

 

His golden eyes flickered as he stared at her wordlessly. Then to her consternation, a disturbingly familiar heated look entered those molten orbs. Instantly, flashes of their mating washed over her like an avalanche. This was the first time they met face to face after THAT dream, she realized. A burning blush slowly crawled up her neck to her cheeks. Maybe he had not dreamt of that yet, she hoped.

 

“You should not close your eyes if you wish to hit your target,” he intoned.

 

She jumped slightly, and then blinked in puzzlement at his seemingly random words. What was he talking about? Then her eyes landed on the umbrella and his meaning sank in. Her pink umbrella was now hopelessly deformed.

 

Her umbrella… Her favorite umbrella…

 

Bristling, she released the handle, leaving it to flop down. “You broke it!” she accused.

 

Raising an eyebrow, he remarked smoothly, “Do not blame me, for it was you who had broken it.”

 

Planting her hands on her hips, she glared at him. “It would have been fine if you didn't grab it. Anyway, what are you doing here?”

 

Blatantly ignoring her question, he asked instead, “Have you been suffering from the dreams?”

 

“None of your business,” she muttered, averting her gaze. Why did he have to bring this up? This was beyond embarrassing. She could not really discuss her dreams with him now. Especially the one which involved a futon and two writhing bodies.

 

“Do you recall the mating?” he persisted.

 

Kagome groaned. Did he read her mind? She really did not want to talk about this. “No,” she snapped shortly.

 

“You lie.”

 

Taking a few steps away from him, she hissed, “I'm not telling you anything.”

 

He gazed at her contemplatively and she had to force herself not to fidget. It was as if he was thinking up a way to torture the information out of her. She had to leave before he came up with something. Knowing just how sneaky he was, it could be anything at all and she had no intention of finding out what it was.

 

Her entire body tense, she took a few more steps away from him.

 

“It's late. So I'm leaving,” she declared as she broke into a run.

 

She had only taken two steps before a hand clamped around her upper arm. The next thing she knew, she was yanked to an abrupt halt and spun around. Her eyes immediately locked on a pair of penetrating golden orbs. Gulping, she tried to pull away, but to no avail. Much to her alarm, his face loomed closer.

 

Her gaze dropped to his lips and she froze. Kami, what those lips could do, she thought before she realized what she was doing. Her breath caught in her throat as flashes of the mating instantly came to mind. She bit her lips when her mind supplied her with the image of his body glistening with a sheen of moisture as he pumped into her, while she gasped his name.

 

No, she would not think about that now, she scolded herself, shaking her head. Then she felt the brief contact of his nose slid against her cheek, and a shiver ran up her spine. Was he nuzzling her? Again? Before she could react, she found herself released suddenly.

 

Stunned, she could only gape at him until a jolt of irritation coursed through her. Did he think that he could do what he liked just because he and the miko had mated in the past?

 

Taking one step to close the gap between them, Kagome poked a finger against his chest for emphasis as she snapped, “What was that all about? I'm not your mate and you had better think twice before trying anything!”

 

“So, you are aware of the mating,” he remarked quietly.

 

She gulped, and immediately flushed. The last thing she wanted was to encourage him to ask about THAT. Clearing her throat, she shot back, “There's nothing there to discuss, alright!”

 

“You will inform me of the miko's thoughts on the event.”

 

Kagome's eyes bulged. “Are you out of your mind?! Those things are private!” she yelled. This conversation was simply unbelievable. She tried to move away, only to have her path blocked by his larger form. “Come on, Sesshoumaru. Let me leave,” she pled desperately.

 

“You can do so once you answer my questions.”

 

She tilted her chin stubbornly. “I said I'm not going to say anything about the dreams.”

 

“Is the bond broken?” he asked, completely ignoring her refusal to speak about it.

 

The very mention of that incident sent a surge of rage zapping through her. How DARE he mention such a thing, she fumed. “I'm definitely not discussing that with you!” she gritted out. “And anyway, it's not like you don't know what you said.”

 

He simply stood there wordlessly, as if he was content to wait until she decided to spill her guts about it. She tried to step past him, only to have her path blocked again. Her irritation reaching the boiling point, Kagome stomped her feet and glared at him.

 

“Fine! You want to know about that? I think you're a cold, heartless bastard who cares for nothing but himself,” she proclaimed angrily.

 

His lips tightened.

 

“How could you order Katsuo to sleep with me… um…her?” she ranted. “Don't you know what that would mean?”

 

“It simply means that the bond would be broken,” he said levelly.

 

Kagome's lips thinned. “Obviously you don't care that she has to sleep with someone she has no such feelings for.”

 

“The miko copulated with me,” he said dryly. “Does that mean that she has such… feelings for me?”

 

Kagome threw her arms in the air. “How should I know?” she shot back, feeling rather confused at what he had just implied.

 

Did her dream self really have feelings for Sesshoumaru? And she was simply unaware of it all this time? Frowning, she stared down at her feet. In that case, if her suspicions were right, then it meant that she, Higurashi Kagome, have feelings for Sesshoumaru. She blinked at the idea, trying to swallow past the sudden dryness in her throat.

 

Then she felt his cool fingers under her chin, tilting her face up.

 

Gazing into her eyes, he said quietly, “You experienced her emotions in your dreams. You should know.”

 

Discomfited by his proximity and her disturbing thoughts, she pulled away quickly. “Even if I know, I'm not telling you anything,” she shot back. No, she needed to change the subject now before this whole discussion went too far. “What are you doing here anyway? It's five in the morning.” Then she paused as something occurred to her. “Are you… stalking me?”

 

He gave her an offended look. “Such a thing is beneath me.”

 

“Your actions say otherwise,” she pointed out, suddenly feeling very tired. Too tired to have this sort of conversation with Sesshoumaru. Yawning, she rubbed a hand over her eyes before turning to Sesshoumaru. “Look. It's late and I'm tired. All I want to do is to go home, not stand on the sidewalk discussing this thing with you.”

 

For a moment, his eyes flickered with an indefinable emotion before they became masked once again. Then he declared disinterestedly, “It is unsafe for you to travel alone at such a time.”

 

She blinked in astonishment. Although he wore his usual stoic expression, he sounded almost like he cared. But how was that even possible? They did not even know each other. Well, in this era anyway.

 

“I'm used to it,” she said cautiously, unsure of what he was up to this time.

 

He gestured at the sidewalk. “Go home.”

 

She blinked in confusion. One moment he had been so insistent about the dreams and now, he was ordering her to go home? Well, that was what she wanted, wasn't it?

 

“Fine,” she said, turning away from him.

 

She had only taken a few steps before she paused to look back over her shoulders.

 

He was gone, she realized as she turned around fully. For a moment, she stood still, staring at the space where he had stood only a moment ago, while an odd feeling came upon her. She frowned, trying to put a name to the feeling but she came up with nothing.

 

Sighing, she resumed her journey.

 

When she finally arrived home, Kagome set down her belongings and went upstairs to cleanse herself. Feeling tired, she sank into her bed and released a heavy breath. Now that she thought about it, the encounter with Sesshoumaru was nothing short of weird. He had been so insistent at first, so why did he back off? Maybe it was to do with the dreams. Maybe something had happened that she did not know about.

 

This afternoon, she told herself. This afternoon, she would find out if this whole dream thing was real.

 

In the meantime, she needed to sleep. Hopefully, she would be spared from the dreams. The last one she had was not exactly pleasant. But maybe it was worth all the unpleasantness if she ended up finding out more about what exactly was happening to her.

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

“You will rut with the miko.”

 

Kagome felt herself going cold. Did he just order Katsuo to...?

 

“W-What?” Katsuo whispered disbelievingly.

 

Kagome felt her eyes twitch.

 

Then the coldness in her receded and all she could feel was white hot, blinding rage. She gritted her teeth and clenched her hands into fists as she glared at the stoic taiyoukai standing in front of Katsuo like he was completely unaffected by this THING he had just said.

 

“Sesshoumaru…” she ground out, trying her best to wrap her mind around what he had just said. “You did not just say that.”

 

His eyes flicked towards her, but apparently, her question did not deserve a verbal response.

 

Furious, she stepped up to him. “No, not a chance! We will not be doing something like that.” Then she gestured at him. “It's not my fault that IT stopped working. And anyway-”

 

“Miko,” Sesshoumaru interjected harshly. “You will cease to speak of that matter.”

 

Her rage mounted. “Not if you're insisting on ME doing what you should have done!”

 

Sesshoumaru's expression hardened. “You will do as instructed. And so will Katsuo.”

 

Her palms sizzled in reaction to her anger and there was nothing she could do to stop it. “NO! You're out of your mind if you think that I'm going to do something like that!” she shouted as a bright flare of miko power swirled around her.

 

“Kagome, don't!” Katsuo hissed, taking a few steps back away from her.

 

She heard Katsuo, but she did not take her eyes off Sesshoumaru, even when the mating mark on her neck began to burn. How dare he do something like this? How dare he shove this responsibility onto her? Breaking the bond was HIS part to do. Not hers. They had discussed this and they had AGREED that he was the one who would break the bond. Not HER. And definitely not Katsuo. The hanyou had done nothing to deserve this. Sesshoumaru had some nerve, using his authority over Katsuo to give him such an order.

 

Eyes narrowing, Sesshoumaru intoned levelly, “You will rein in your powers, Miko.”

 

She glared at him murderously. “You don't get to order me around, Sesshoumaru!” she shouted.

 

“You will do so or suffer the consequences of your impudence,” Sesshoumaru bit out icily.

 

Her eyes flashed. “Don't threaten me!” she gritted out, her arms lifting up in reflex.

 

Furious beyond belief, she barely felt it when a bolt of pure energy rushed through her body and sped straight at Sesshoumaru. She saw his eyes widen in surprise just a moment before he streaked away, avoiding being hit by the glowing, pearlescent bolt. Wanting nothing more than to hit him, she threw one after another of her glowing energy orbs at Sesshoumaru, who although was silent, looked angry enough to send alarm bells ringing in her head.

 

But she did not care.

 

A stray orb grazed his arm, searing off the silk and Sesshoumaru hissed in reaction. Almost instantly, Kagome felt an answering flare of pain in her neck which burnt all the way down to her toes, reminding her that she and Sesshoumaru was still very much bonded and she would sense any threat towards him, even though the threat originated from her. And the pain was bad enough to wreck her concentration.

 

Then a strong pair of arms went around her, stilling her movements. Katsuo's voice was terse when he hissed into her ears, “Kagome, stop it! You're going to kill us all.”

 

Temper still high, she glanced backwards towards the worried-looking hanyou. “Did you hear what he'd just said? Can you believe it?” Then she turned back to Sesshoumaru, her expression turning dark. “I'm not killing us, but I AM considering killing Sesshoumaru.” A flare of pain exploded on her neck. She could not even threaten Sesshoumaru without hurting herself, she fumed.

 

Sesshoumaru pinned an uncompromising pair of eyes on Katsuo. “You will obey this order, Katsuo.”

 

“NO!” Kagome interjected, struggling against Katsuo. She could have freed herself if she used her powers, but she did not want to hurt her friend. “Let me go, Katsuo!”

 

“You will not leave this chamber until you do so.” Sesshoumaru's voice was tight.

 

With that last decree, he spun around and left through the open shoji. Then the screen slid shut, leaving her staring into space with her mouth gaping. She felt a brief flare of youki from outside and then nothing.

 

“You're not leaving just like that!!” she yelled, trying to rush forward. “You hear me, Sesshoumaru? Get back here!”

 

Katsuo finally released her. “Kagome. What's going on?” he asked, his eyes wild with confusion.

 

Releasing a scream of frustration, she ranted at the closed shoji, “That stupid demon didn't have the nerve to go through with it and now he wants me to do it?”

“Do what?” Katsuo voice was strained.

 

Turning around to face her friend, Kagome sighed heavily. He really did not deserve this. She did not blame him for being so confused. For Kami's sakes, Sesshoumaru should have at least explained his orders. But now, it looked like she would have to go through the embarrassment of explaining it to Katsuo. Because he deserved to know the truth. How could Sesshoumaru just order Katsuo to do something like this?

 

Her eyes narrowed. Maybe she should go and drag Sesshoumaru back here to explain. And then they could all sit down and come up with a better plan. One which did not involve her having sex with anyone.

 

Yes. That was a far better idea.

 

Face set in furious lines, she stomped over to the shoji screen and reached out to open it. A squeak of alarm escaped her lips when she was immediately tossed backwards by an invisible force. Landing on the tatami mat, she stared at the shoji disbelievingly.

 

“The sneaky…” she ground out as she scrambled to her feet, realizing that they were trapped.

 

“We are barricaded within this chamber.” Katsuo sounded resigned.

 

Letting out a scream of frustration, she raised her hand and released a blast of miko power at the screen.

 

And another.

 

And another.

 

And still, the barrier remained intact.

 

“Enough, Kagome. It's useless,” Katsuo sighed. “That barrier cannot be penetrated.”

 

Slumping down dejectedly on the tatami mat, Kagome slapped her open palms on the floor. Her heart was beating so fast that it hurt, not to mention that the mating mark was reacting to her distress by feeding her even more pain. She still could not believe Sesshoumaru had done something like this. And she trusted him. She actually trusted him to do what he said he would do. How could he do this to her? It was hard enough, having to mate with him, and now, he expected her to have sex with Katsuo?

 

To her mortification, her eyes began to burn with tears. Once again, the mating mark decided to join in with a fresh flare of pain that would have brought her to her knees if she was not already sitting down. Oh Kami, it hurt, she thought miserably as she pressed her palm against her neck.

 

“Kagome…” Katsuo began uncertainly.

 

She sniffed quickly, and then brushed the back of her hand over her damp eyes.

 

Suddenly the shoji screen slid open and Kagome instantly shot to her feet. Beside her, Katsuo rushed forward only to pause when his eyes landed on the figure who had just joined them. Kagome frowned in confusion when Katsuo paled.

 

“Natsumi…” Katsuo whispered shakily. “You heard…”

 

Natsumi's expression was troubled as she set down the tray of tea, her eyes meeting neither of theirs. “I have some tea for you,” she mumbled. Then she stood up and hurried to the shoji.

 

“Wait!” Kagome called out. “Is Sesshoumaru out there?”

 

Natsumi's steps faltered, but she did not turn around. What was going on, Kagome wondered. Had she heard Sesshoumaru's orders? Was Katsuo and Natsumi an item? Kagome's heart twisted when she realized how terrible Natsumi must feel.

 

“Natsumi…” Katsuo pled, his expression twisted in desperation. “Please get Sesshoumaru to let us out. This is insane.”

 

Natsumi shook her head slowly. “We have our orders, Katsuo,” she said tightly. “I'm sure he has a good reason for doing this.”

 

“Like what?!” Katsuo exploded. “Kagome is his MATE, for Kami's sakes! How am I supposed to do this?”

 

“You'll find a way,” Natsumi muttered. With that, the barrier parted to allow her to pass, leaving them alone again.

 

The silence was thick.

 

This was bad, Kagome thought as she snuck a glance at the anxious hanyou. Slumping back down onto her futon, Kagome buried her face in her hands and groaned. This was so wrong. Natsumi would never forgive either of them if anything happened. Not that she had any intention of obeying Sesshoumaru's orders. She would not do that to Katsuo and Natsumi, especially considering that they had treated her so well.

 

Throwing her hands up in the air, she declared, “Well, he's going to have to let us out sometime. We can wait it out.”

 

Katsuo shook his head at her. “Lord Sesshoumaru will not return until we…uh…”

 

“Don't say it!” Kagome quickly interjected.

 

“Kagome. Please tell me what's going on?” Katsuo asked urgently.

 

She sighed. Maybe Katsuo would have some ideas on how to deal with this. But in order for him to do that, he had to know the facts. Which meant that she had to break her word to Sesshoumaru. But at the moment, getting out of the room was more important. And anyway, it was not as if there was any harm in it.

 

Taking a deep breath, she blurted out, “I accidentally marked Sesshoumaru.”

 

Silence followed her proclamation.

 

Then Katsuo found his voice. “You…marked…Lord Sesshoumaru?” he ventured hesitantly. “You mean the mating?”

 

She shook her head. “It's not meant that way,” she insisted, and then continued, “I made a mistake. We were fighting and he held my hand so I couldn't use my powers. And-” She paused, sucking in a sharp breath as a burning pain flared on her neck, only to shoot down her entire body. The mating mark was probably defective, she thought. Why else would it be hurting so badly?

 

“You bit his neck,” Katsuo breathed out, his eyes wide with disbelief.

 

“I can't tell you much.” She paused again and took another deep breath, trying to ignore the burning feeling which now encompassed her entire body. It was probably a leftover reaction from Sesshoumaru's earlier attempts. Brushing it to the back of her mind, she continued, “Let's just say that to break the bond, one of us have to cheat on the other.”

 

His face twisting in disbelief, Katsuo exclaimed, “This is insane!”

 

“Tell me about it. But that's the story and now he expects us to break the bond.”

 

“I see.” Katsuo's voice was strained.

 

Her lips twisted in a bitter smile. “I didn't expect this to happen.”

 

Katsuo fell into a thoughtful silence. Then he sat down cross-legged on the tatami mat, his eyes staring blankly at the shoji screen before it went to the teapot. Shuffling closer, Kagome lifted the pot and poured the tea. Maybe the tea would calm her mating mark down.

 

“At least we have tea,” she muttered.

 

Accepting the small cup from her, Katsuo leaned back against the wall and stared unblinkingly upwards. Sipping her tea, Kagome brooded moodily over the situation.

 

She really needed to find a way to get them out of this.

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

Sesshoumaru sucked in another sharp breath of air as the burning pain lanced through him, starting from his neck and ending at his feet. Biting back a groan, he made his way to his futon, all the while noticing just how tense his entire body was.

 

Judging from the soreness he was experiencing, it appeared that it had not taken Katsuo long to proceed with his order to rut with the miko, Sesshoumaru thought with no small amount of anger. Perhaps his general had always been infatuated with the miko and was now welcoming the opportunity for such interaction.

 

A growl escaped Sesshoumaru's lips before he could suppress it.

 

It did not matter, he insisted to himself. As long as the bond was broken, he did not care how it was done. An uncomfortable feeling coursed through him, one which he now recognized as remorse. He realized that this would be a difficult task for the miko and perhaps he had been too harsh in his actions. However, their predicament necessitated such harshness. They could not delay any longer, for the bond would only grow stronger with time.

 

It should be brief once they consumed the tea he had instructed Natsumi to serve, Sesshoumaru thought. Katsuo might be willing, but he was certain that the miko would not be. The tea would not only loosen her inhibitions, but also generate a feeling of lust. And since she did not possess demonic senses, the pain she experienced during the bond breaking would be much less severe than his, he decided.

 

His breath caught in his chest as another sensation of pain burnt through him.

 

Unbidden, his mind began to supply him with the images of the miko's slender limbs tangled with Katsuo's muscular form as they moved against each other. A wave of nausea coursed through him, almost bringing him to his knees. Sesshoumaru clenched his fists, willing himself not to rush out.

 

He would remain in this chamber, he instructed himself.

 

He would not go to the miko.

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

Kagome squinted at the shoji screen, wondering why it seemed to be moving sideways. Vaguely, she noticed that the pain in her body seemed to have dulled to a bearable degree. The tea must have calmed it down.

 

She giggled, suddenly feeling rather uninhibited. She felt rather warm all over as well.

 

A strangled sound drew her attention to the other person in her room. Katsuo was breathing heavily, his palms pressed against the wall as he attempted to steady himself. She could not help but laugh at the sight of the usually composed Katsuo staggering around.

 

“W-What's wrong with y-you?” she asked in between her giggles.

 

“The tea…” Katsuo hissed. His eyes were glazed as he looked at her.

 

She wanted to get to him, but her feet refused to obey when she tried to get up. So she ended up crawling towards the swaying hanyou. She reached him just as he dropped back down onto the floor. She felt her heated blood rushing through her veins as she stared at him. The compulsion to be near him grew stronger and she reached out for him. Katsuo tried to push her aside, but she managed to drape her arms around him. Almost instantly, the burn of her mating mark returned, making her gasp even as she tightened her grip on her friend.

 

Through her haziness, she heard Katsuo protest, “No! Kagome, don't! The tea… Lord Sesshoumaru did something to it.”

 

Giggling, and allowing the hanyou to push her away, Kagome declared, “You're cute…”

 

Katsuo groaned even as his hands reached out for her. “You really…really don't want this.”

 

“Hmm…” she sighed as she collapsed onto him. “Why not?” she asked, looking into his eyes.

 

Why had she never noticed how sexy he was, with those intense blue eyes and the way his grey bangs just grazed his lashes? His grey hair should look weird on someone who looked so young, but it seemed to suit him well. Not to mention he had a nice body. Come to think of it, she wanted to see more of the body. Her hands immediately went to work, trying to discard his purple kimono.

 

“Wait…” Katsuo protested as he tried to remove her hands. “Stop!”

 

She giggled again. “You've got to try harder if you want to stop me,” she teased, leaning down to nip at his bared chest.

 

A jolt of piercing pain sliced through her. With a shriek of alarm, she jumped back, her head suddenly cleared by the unpleasant feeling. She blinked one, and then paled when she realized what she was about to do.

 

“Sesshoumaru…” she gritted out in fury as she rubbed their mating mark. He drugged the tea. Her miko power flared in reaction to her emotions. A cooling sensation washed over her, clearing her mind instantly. Her miko power must have neutralized whatever it was that Sesshoumaru had placed in the tea, she surmised.

 

Then she was hit by another shot of searing pain as Katsuo pressed her to the futon with his body. Her eyes shot open with horror when she felt his lips on her neck. No, she had to stop him, she thought frantically.

 

Summoning all the strength she possessed, she pulled her glowing right hand back. “Sorry, Katsuo…But you have to wake up!”

 

The sound of a hard slap resounded through the room.

 

Kagome winced and closed her eyes. When she opened it again, Katsuo was some distance away, shaking his head to clear it. A growl escaped his lips before he jumped onto his feet. Then his wild gaze landed on her and his eyes widened in dismay.

 

“K-Kagome…I'm sorry for-”

 

She interjected brusquely, “It's not your fault.”

 

Katsuo went to the other end of the room and sat down, glaring at the tray of leftover tea. It seemed that her miko powers had managed to subdue the effect of the tea on Katsuo as well, Kagome thought with no small amount of relief.

 

Then what she and Katsuo had almost done sank in.

 

Suddenly she felt weak and drained. It was all just too much for her.

 

Last night, she had had sex for the first time in her life, and ended up being completely bonded to a demon five hundred years before her birth. And now, she was being forced to break said bond with a half demon's help just because a certain demon could not perform. If that was not bad enough, the very same demon left a pot of tea laced with what could only be aphrodisiac to trick her into having sex with Katsuo, knowing fully well that she would not do it if she was in the right frame of mind.

 

Her eyes twitched as her fury mounted again, but this time, she also felt bitter. Her chest suddenly felt tight and she found it hard to breathe. Once again, the mating mark reacted, searing her with a blast of pain. Did Sesshoumaru really think that he could do this to them? Did he really view her as just an object to manipulate as and when he wished to do so? Because it definitely looked that way.

 

“I'm nothing to him,” she whispered shakily. “Sesshoumaru just treats me like some object to be used.”

 

Katsuo flicked a pair of worried eyes to her. Scrambling to his feet, Katsuo went to her and knelt down. “That's not true, Kagome.”

 

She laughed humorlessly. “Oh yeah? I don't see it.”

 

“Lord Sesshoumaru does not show his emotions. But surely you could tell that he trusts you.”

 

Kagome snorted. “What are you saying, Katsuo? That he trusts me? Sure I believe that,” she retorted sarcastically.

 

“To a certain extent, yes. He…tolerates a lot of things from you. Half the things you said to him, if it was someone else, they would have been beheaded by now. He treats you much better than anyone else,” Katsuo insisted. “You just don't see it.”

 

Kagome frowned. Most of the time, she was just so annoyed at Sesshoumaru for something or other that she could not see straight. But now that she thought about it, Katsuo might be right. Sesshoumaru could be nice sometimes, even though he did it in his usual arrogant manner. Like the time he assigned Shin to guard her. And the time he `protected' her from his inuyoukai warrior who had landed in the hotsprings while she was bathing. And the time he tried to reassure her before they had to complete the mating.

 

But knowing all that just made her feel worse because all of that was just a lie, right? She only needed to look around the barricaded room to know that he did not trust her. Not only that, he obviously cared nothing for how she felt about sleeping with someone else. The intensity of the pain increased, causing her to choke in a few desperate lungfuls of air. Kami, what was happening to the mating mark? Could she feel even more miserable?

 

“Kagome?”

 

Her lips twisted bitterly as she glanced at the anxious hanyou. “It doesn't matter, does it? The whole thing was just an accident and I think I've done my part in trying to fix it. We had everything planned. HE was supposed to break the bond.”

 

She took a deep breath as another shot of pain lanced through her, this time centering on her chest. Was this what heartbreak felt like? How could her heart break when she did not even have such feelings towards Sesshoumaru? Sure she thought she liked him, but that hardly qualified as love. But this feeling, this pain, it was real.

 

It hurt that Sesshoumaru had ordered Katsuo to have sex with her.

 

It hurt that Sesshoumaru had drugged their tea.

 

And it hurt that Sesshoumaru thought so little of her.

 

As hot tears burned her lids, her breath became shallower.

 

“Kagome…” Katsuo's calls were becoming increasingly frantic.

 

Her friend's concern for her was the last straw. The tears that she had been holding back began to trail down her cheeks unchecked. The pressure in her chest intensified, radiating outwards to the rest of her body.

 

“H-How could he?” she choked out, curling into a ball on her futon. “I know he's a demon and all, but doesn't he CARE at all?”

 

Katsuo rubbed her arm. “Kagome, you've got to calm down,” he insisted urgently.

 

Her breath hitched in her throat. “Do you understand? I feel like I got cheated. He was nice to me, but only because he wanted something from me. He said he'll be the one to break the bond, but now, he expects us to do it. So how could he trap us both in here like this? Not to mention he drug the tea. He probably don't care, but I have feelings, Katsuo!” she wailed with a choked sob.

 

Katsuo quickly said, “I understand, Kagome. But Lord Sesshoumaru-”

 

“NO! Don't defend him! What he did was WRONG!” she yelled. Katsuo's image was blurry in front of her, but wracked with pain everywhere on her body, she simply did not care. She just needed to get this all out of her system before she exploded. She did not know what it was but she could feel something around her straining to break apart.

 

Sucking in a shaky breath, she continued to rant, “He didn't even care enough of what I think of this entire sick idea, he just force it on me. On us! What did he think? That I'm cold like him? That I won't feel a thing? Did he think that I'll just have sex with him if I don't feel SOMETHING for him?”

 

No, she did not just say that. It was all this stress, making her say things which she did not mean. Because there was no way she felt something for someone who did not care for her at all.

 

“Kagome…”

 

It was getting too painful for her to think straight. All she knew was that she had trusted him. She had trusted him and he betrayed her with this stupid plan of his.

 

Betrayal.

 

The word echoed through her mind.

 

Was Sesshoumaru's betrayal the cause of this blinding pain? Did this mean that the bond would be broken? Had Sesshoumaru planned for this to happen all this time because he knew that she would feel betrayed by his actions?

 

Her heartbeat pounded loud in her ears as her body continued to throb. Gasping, her hand shot to her chest as she tried to drag in some air past her constricted throat. Spots were appearing in her vision and she could barely think straight.

 

“Kagome!”

 

The pain was too much for her to bear.

 

She screamed.

 

“KAGOME!”

 

Then there was nothing.

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

The miko's scream reverberated throughout the castle.

 

The sensation on his neck where the mating mark was placed could no longer be described as mere discomfort, but a full blown throbbing. And it only intensified by the moment, making it almost impossible for him to breath. The urge to find the miko was now overwhelming.

 

His body suddenly went rigid. A snarl of pain escaped his lips as he slumped to the floor. Kept immobile by the blinding pain, Sesshoumaru could do nothing but concentrate on his breathing as he propped himself up on his hands and knees.

 

Despising his own weakness, he forced himself to his feet.

 

Then the pain was gone.

 

Unable to refrain himself, Sesshoumaru left his chamber and rapidly made his way to the miko's quarters. As her shoji screen came into view, he flicked a wrist to dissolve the restraining barrier around the chamber.

 

But before he could slide open the shoji screen, it did so by itself, revealing a tousled-looking Katsuo. Sesshoumaru felt something tighten within him at the sight of a red bite mark on Katsuo's chest, where the lapels of his kimono parted. The aphrodisiac he had asked Natsumi to add to their tea had obviously worked.

 

Not meeting his eyes, Katsuo simply bowed stiffly before he rushed out of the room, bringing with him an unmistakable scent of arousal. Sesshoumaru's hands clenched into fists, attempting to calm the blinding rage which suddenly gripped him. There was no longer any reason for him to feel possessive over the miko. However, he could barely restrain himself from sinking his claws into his general's neck.

 

This very fact disturbed him greatly.

 

Forcibly dismissing the thought, he took a cautious step into the chamber. His breath caught as the miko's unconscious form came into view. The tightness in his chest worsened as he took in her pale features. He had felt her pain through their bond and he was certain that she had taken the full brunt of it. It was not meant to be this way. He was supposed to be the one who betrayed her, thus absorbing the bulk of the pain associated with the bond breaking.

 

Sliding the screen shut behind him, he closed the gap between them and knelt down beside her futon, his eyes sweeping across her features. Her eyes were shadowed, displaying her exhaustion and her tear-stained cheeks lacked their usual blush, once again bringing forth now familiar feeling of remorse within him. Without a conscious thought, he trailed the pad of his fingers from her forehead down the curve of her cheeks. Then he stilled when his fingers reached a faint red mark on her neck.

 

His fingers curled into fists.

 

“Katsuo…” he gritted out before he could stop himself. He realized that Katsuo could not have possibly disobeyed the orders, however, Sesshoumaru could not suppress his anger at the entire situation. At least Katsuo had covered her body before he left.

 

Sesshoumaru eyes flicked to the other side of her neck. The side where the mating mark had laid, but was no longer present. His hand snapped up to touch his own neck, encountering nothing but smooth skin. A strange feeling of numbness enveloped him as realization dawned.

 

The bond had been broken.

 

The bond had been broken, he repeated again to himself.

 

Sesshoumaru knew that he should be pleased that the bond between him and the miko was finally broken but somehow, he felt nothing but remorse and betrayal. The odd mix of feeling intensified each time his eyes swept over her. Although his mind understood that the betrayal was necessary to free them both from the bond, something within him was unable to accept that fact.

 

They had accomplished their objective, he insisted to himself. He should no longer be troubled by it.

 

His eyes returned to the miko's pale features. Breaking the bond had taken too much from her. His chest constricted suddenly at the realization that things would never be the same between them. He was under no illusion that the miko would no doubt despise him after this incident. But mattered not, he told himself. This thing he was feeling was simply the lingering effect of the mating bond. It was this effect which urged him to gather the miko in his arms to soothe her pain.

 

His lips tightened.

 

This was not acceptable. He did not know how long such notions would continue to aggravate him, but he could not afford to be distracted by such weakness. He had a duty to his lands. Distractions were not welcomed and should be eliminated.

 

Perhaps it was time to release the miko. Even though her training was not complete, she was already able to control her powers quite well. Perhaps that would be sufficient to release Inuyasha. After all, that was the only real reason he tolerated her presence.

 

Yes, he would demand that she complete this task in exchange for her freedom.

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

A/N: It looks like Sesshoumaru is feeling a little mixed up (grins). I hope you have enjoyed the chapter - See? No cliffhanger this time. Hehe! Please review if you can. Thanks!