InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Angel ❯ The Tournament Part 2 ( Chapter 20 )

Chapter Twenty:

The Tournament Part 2

 

The scar was long and red, glaring back at him. Reaching up, he gently traced the outside of the wound, his jaw clenching tightly.

He was livid.

Horrified and livid.

Looking in the mirror at his once handsome face, he clenched his fists as he observed the jagged wound that marred the left side of his face. It was ugly and raw, standing out bright red like a beacon for ridicule and jeers.

His looks were what made him, him.

It was his confidence, his edge. Now his perfect looks were no more. His face was nothing but a shadow of his former self. The rage inside of him festered. Rearing back he slammed his fist into the mocking mirror and watched in satisfaction as his reflection crumbled into pieces.

Damn that ogre, if he could, he would kill that son of a bitch all over again.

No doubt that ugly beast was laughing at him right now as he burned in Hell. The thought was enough to send Yamiko over the edge and into an ocean of wrath.

He wanted to kill something, needed to kill something so damn bad. Gods help the next person he had to face in match. He could not control himself, and knew that someone was going to get seriously hurt or end up dead. With his face so badly damaged, he was likely to try and hurt someone worse than his faced looked.

The horn sounded, signaling the end of the intermission.

His stomach clenched at the sound. Already he could hear the whispers, the jeers when the people got their first look at his grotesque face. Everyone would see him, see his face and pity him. Good Lord what would Kagome think of his face?

He clenched his hands into fists. He didn't care.

Let them talk, let them laugh, he'd lop off all their heads without a second thought.

Blood dripped from his hand as his claws sank into his tender flesh, the pain going unnoticed by the enraged young male.

He left the infirmary, angrier than when he had arrived. Even as he told himself that he would not care, he could not stop the pounding of his heart nor the lurching of his gut.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kagome sat wringing her hands, looking around for the male that had captured her attention. After the final match had taken place she had hurried down to the lower level of the arena in search of him. But as the people filed out of the arena in droves she had given up finding him at that moment and had instead sat down on one of the many benches near the arena exit, only to find herself once more searching from her sitting position.

She knew if she waited long enough he would seek her out when he discovered she was no longer in the royal booth above the battlefield.

She sat for no more than five minutes before standing once more to look for Katzunami.

She needed an explanation.

This whole entire situation was more than a little weird and creepy. It not every day that someone you thought of as nothing more than a dream man stepped out of those dreams and into reality.

She had no idea how he had gotten here, or why he was here, but she intended to find out.

Of course she was not too creeped out to see the advantages of having him here in the competition. During his match, she had been very impressed with his power. He had taken his opponent out quick and easy.

Maybe if he was competing in the tournament then Sesshomaru wouldn't win.

That thought brought forth a new one. If he did defeat Sesshomaru, she would have to mate with him if she couldn't choose a male before then.

What would it be like?

To be mated to Katzunami?

He was handsome enough, and with her lands and wealth they would definitely want for nothing. In her Visions, he was always kind to her and whenever he brought her bad news, he tried his best to comfort her and she had known him almost her entire life.

Could she become his mate?

The idea did not seem entirely repugnant, sort of the way becoming InuYasha's mate or Sarinji's mate didn't bother her all too much.

Yamiko was too damn arrogant to consider and Sesshomaru was out of the question. Besides, the tournament wasn't over yet. There could be other candidates to choose from besides those three males.

She shrugged, only time would tell.

"Kagome,"

She turned and came face to face with the male who, at the moment, plagued her thoughts with questions of the future. Out of habit, she began to kneel before him.

Catching her forearm, Katzunami smiled at the confused woman.

"Nay, Lady Kagome. You need not kneel to me. We are not in the Fade."

The Fade was only one of many realms between the world of the living and the world of the dead. The Fade was the realm of near-death, it was the place in which she and Katzunami met to pass his message from the Gods on to her. Long ago, Katzunami had explained her why she always experienced so much pain before an oncoming vision; the seizures, the bleeding, the tiredness.

It was necessary he said. She literally had to be brought to the edge of death in order to have her visions.

Kagome blushed as she straightened.

"Come. I would speak privately with you,"

That said, he placed her hand on his forearm and ushered her from the busy hall.

They walked for a few moments in silence until they came to the outside of the arena, where they moved into the shady and secluded area behind one of the supporting pillars. It was tall and wide enough to shield them from prying eyes.

As soon as they were hidden Kagome asked;

"How is it possible that you are here Lord Katzunami? You've never stepped out of my visions before and I am quite certain I am not having a vision at this moment. What's going on?”

He smiled.

She was so beautiful, even more so than in the Fade. It was hard to believe that she was here, that she was real. It was almost too good to be true, but it was. This was real, he was here, before her; he could reach out and touch her if he so desired, feel the warmth and softness of her skin.

He could breathe in the scent of her.

Cherry blossoms and white jasmine caressed his sensitive nose. He could only get a glimmer of her scent during the visions, but now, here with her, physically, it swarmed his senses. Almost to the point of intoxication. It was more than he'd ever dream of.

Reaching out a clawed hand, he softly caressed her cheek.

Kagome could not ever remember being touched in such a manner.

He touched her as if he was afraid she'd disappear, reverently, as though she was something so special, so very precious.

It was….flattering to say the least.

A fierce blush made its way her to pearl white cheeks. She knew he liked her, she had seen his eyes stray to inappropriate places on her body more than once over the years, but she was having the suspicion that she had no clue just how much he fancied her.

"I have been given a chance by the Gods to gain what I have coveted for so many years. You, Kagome. I have been given the chance to have you."

Turning an even deeper shade of crimson at the admission, Kagome was speechless. She looked up at him, brown eyes wide.

He chuckled.

She looked adorable. He wanted to kiss her lips and slip his tongue between those lush red cherries. Though, he did not think she would appreciate that right now, she probably had more questions to ask.

"But, my Lord….you cannot be serious!"

"Indeed I am Lady Kagome."

Grabbing her small hand in his bigger one, he marveled at how soft it was. How warm and utterly feminine it was compared to his own. Softly, he brushed his thumb over the back of her hand. Chills slithered down his spine, and desire pooled low in his belly.

"I wish for you to be my mate."

Before she could say more, a horn sounded. The intermission had come to an end. It was time for the next round of the tournament. Katzunami bowed over her hand gallantly and kissed the back of it.

"I must be off now, my Lady. We will speak more at another time."

As Katzunami walked away, Kagome held her hand to her chest, watching as he disappeared in the direction of the battleground entrance.

Butterflies fluttered in the pit of her stomach.

Now she knew for a fact that she would not mind becoming his mate.

Not at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Crimson eyes watched the display, gleaming in jealous anger.

Sesshomaru was not at all pleased with the scene. That male, Katzunami, was known with his woman; and clearly, they knew each other but he knew not how they had become so familiar with each other.

He was damn sure he had never seen that male sniffing around his woman before today; otherwise he would have killed him long before now.

He didn't know how they had met but he knew this; he liked it not, and it would cease immediately. His feet silent, he walked up to the unsuspecting woman. Surprisingly, as he drew nearer, her spine straightened and she spoke without turning.

"Why are you here? The next round of the tournament is about to begin."

So she had sensed his presence despite his stealth. He would have smirked at that had he not been so irritated. She was becoming attuned with his aura and energy. Whether she knew it or not, they had already began the first process of the mating ritual; recognizing the aura and energy of a prospective mate.

In other words, they were beginning to bond, to form a connection with each other on a deeper level.

"Why are so familiar with that male, woman?" he demanded.

He didn't bother to put a name to the male he was referring to. She knew damn well who 'that male' was.

"I don't know what you mean."

She could feel the weight of his displeasure on her back, beating down on her.

"Woman, do not toy with me. You will belong to this Sesshomaru, it is but a matter of time, and well you know it. It is best you tell that male you are taken or he will lose more limbs than he would care to part with,"

For the life of her she did not doubt he would resort to physical violence to get his way. And yet, from what she had seen Katzunami demonstrate in his match, she had hope that he could hold his own against Sesshomaru.

She even dared to pray he would.

"My name is not, `woman', it is Lady Kagome, and this tournament has not come to a conclusion as of yet, Lord Sesshomaru. You have no right to stake a claim while the tournament still commences,"

Her body shivered as his large clawed hands wrapped around her waist, and his hard body pressed against her back.

She closed her eyes, trying to block out how good it felt; his hands on her body. The heat of his body permeated through her kimono. Holding her lips tightly together, she tried not to let a sigh of pleasure slip past her lips.

Gods, his ego was big enough, he didn't need her turning to mush in his hands, she knew she'd never live it down!

"I have caressed and explored more of your body than any man has or ever will; therefore I have more right than any male fighting for your hand to stake a claim."

Kagome close her eyes as her body erupted in flames and a deep crimson blush stained her cheeks and neck. Flash backs of what they had done together replayed over and over in her mind. Desire pooled between her thighs, and from the way he pressed his hard body against her own, she could tell he smelled it.

His grip tightened, plastering her against his body. His hand slinking up to cup her breast through the thin material.

She couldn't hold back this time.

She moaned as he pinched her nipple through the material, his hardness pressing against her buttocks.

This was so wrong on so many levels and she knew that.

She shouldn't be doing this with him. She didn't even like him for goodness sake!

When she thought to pull away he did something that nearly had her toes curling. She had had her hair swept up into yet another complex design, exposing her neck. Sesshomaru had no shame as he took advantage of the exposed flesh. Silently, she cursed her hair style as he placed open mouthed kisses along her neck, his long, hot tongue caressing her tender skin, sucking intermittently as he moved down her throat.

She couldn't help the long drawn out moan that accompanied the wet caress.

Sesshomaru was in heaven as he pinched her nipples and sucked her neck; his hard cock cradled between her soft cheeks. This woman would be his undoing. He had never felt such excitement, such pleasure.

Well at least not where a female was concerned.

Usually such pleasures were reserved for the battlefield, or torturing prisoners. But this woman, she brought it out in him; stirred his inner beast. Sesshomaru had never thought of himself as a creative person, but the thoughts that ran through his mind, the positions he'd fucked her in his mind could be describe as nothing other than works of art.

He nibbled her flesh, burying his nose in her neck and inhaling her sweet scent. His mouth salivated heavily, and he panted softly against her throat.

A grimace broke over his face.

He wanted her so bad his balls hurt.

He had heard of the term, 'blue balls' but had never experienced it before.

Until now.

Good Lord the pain was excruciating! Never had his need ever grown, to this extent. Desire such as this was easily sated with any of the many females throwing themselves at him, it's what he would have done had he not known this woman. Now, that seemed impossible. He had no craving for anyone but this female in his arms. He wanted only her. Never had he been in a situation such as this, and despite the excitement of it all, he wasn't sure he liked it.

Again he had to wonder; what the hell had she done to him?

The horn sounded again.

His teeth clenched in agitation. They were waiting for him, obviously.

This tournament was a waste of foolish male lives. She would be his and that was that. This whole thing was unnecessary. For a moment, he was tempted to stay here with his female. Take her back to his castle, up to his bedroom and fuck her senseless; claim her with mindless lust.

As she was right now, he knew that if he moved quickly she would not offer much protest.

Before he could make a decision, she made it for him. The horn sounded a third time and she pulled away, putting a bit of distance between them with a few backward steps.

Seeing her beautiful face, her bosom heaving, face flushed with color, was a big mistake. He had blue balls times six. It took all his discipline as a warrior to control it enough to function. But the throbbing pain was still there.

Anger bloomed in her brown eyes, bright and shinning.

"Do not touch me again, Lord Sesshomaru," she hissed at him.

He smirked as he took a step towards her, and she in turn took two steps back.

"Why do you torment yourself this way? You're body clearly aches for this my attentions, and you cannot tell that no attraction exists between us?"

Her mouth opened and closed several times as her blush deepened at his words.

"I do not ache for you at all!"

Two steps forward, four steps back.

"You enjoy deceiving yourself."

Anger burned hot inside her. He could feel it and gloried in it. It stirred his blood, challenging him.

"I do not deceive myself! You are disgusting!"

She was shaking with angry desire, her small fist clenching and unclenching. He could sense that she was close to slapping him across his face. Watching her intently, he waited in anticipation to see if she would choose violence over peace.

Taking a few deep breaths, she seemed to compose herself.

Peace it was then.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I will bid you a good day. I am needed elsewhere, as are you,"

He knew what her words were. A polite dismissal. Amusement raced through his body. Only she would dare have the nerve to give him such a thing as a dismissal.

Eyes blazing he took the remaining steps to her as she took the last few steps back. Her back brushed against another support pillar. She had nowhere else to go. Their bodies touched; breast to chest.

Her drawn in breath echoed in his ears.

Tilting her chin up, he pressed his lips against hers. And though his balls ached, his cocked strained, and inner beast screamed at him to take her, he was gentle.

The kiss took her completely by surprise. It was a gentle caress that left her breathless. With that intense look in his eyes, she had expected to be ravished right against the wall of the arena.

His lips caressed hers thoroughly, exploring every crevice and corner.

Head spinning, she had to admit that he was talented with his tongue.

Dipping and caressing, advancing then retreating, it made her head fuzzy and her tummy flip flopped in excitement.

The horn blared once more, breaking the spell he had so skillfully weaved about her.

Displeasure was apparent in his demeanor, but he relented. Pulling away from her slowly, her lower lip caught between his teeth, he tugged gently before letting go. A shiver ran through her body as he licked the abused lower lip and her eyes closed as a moan left her throat.

Suddenly felt cold and she opened her eyes. Her domineering lover had left as silent as he had come.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The second round of the tournament was underway and the crowd was as excited as before. The noise was deafening, the atmosphere highly charged.

The announcer stepped into the marble square as the crowd cheered in anticipation. Kagome had just made it to her seat when the announcements began, her body still tingling from the effects of Sesshomaru's attentions. She didn't want to admit that he stirred her body in ways she had never experienced before, but to herself, she could not deny it.

Sesshomaru was hazardous to her health in more ways than one.

"Match one: Lord InuYasha V.S Lord Yamiko! Combatants, please step forward!"

The crowd cheered as the two proceeded to the arena. But to her surprise, none of the females made that big of a fuss over Lord Yamiko as they did before. The reason why made her angry though. The handsome young male had a scar that marred his perfect features. It was red and fierce over his left eye down to his strong jaw. Said jaw was clenched tight in obvious anger and agitation.

The male was no longer vibrating with arrogant confidence, but rather an angry accusatory air.

Comments rounded the arena; loud, rude and completely careless.

"Look at his face!" one woman cried.

"Poor Lord Yamiko!" said another.

"Such a shame that a pretty face like that was ruined," said another female shaking her head.

Kagome was ashamed at the way the people behaved. Really. His face was hardly ruined and it made no sense for them to be making such a big deal. She wanted to bash their empty heads together. She didn't think he was any less handsome at all.

"Take your places!"

As he stepped up onto the fighting platform, InuYasha could tell the male before him was sulking over his injury. He could feel the waves of ire roiling off of his body, crashing over him.

He scuffed.

Damned pretty boys, they were all alike. So obsessed with their looks that the comments of a few idiots completely destroyed their lives.

Pussies.

"Look, you can stop sulking already. So you're ugly now, big fucking deal," InuYasha said rudely, crossing his arms.

Kagome just sat in her chair, horrified, mouth agape, much like the almost silent crowd.

The reaction was instant. Yamiko was on him in a flash.

His fist crashed into InuYasha's mouth with so much rage, so much fury that Kagome was worried he had killed him. InuYasha flew across the arena, through the security wall, and into the crowd.

People scattered, diving from their seats.

InuYasha felt more anger than pain. Sitting up, he reached up to assess the damage to his mouth.

Pain shot through the lower half of his face.

His jaw was dislocated.

A small stream of blood trickled down his jaw. With a hard punch, he relocated it with a sickening crack. The sound was loud and, to a middle age woman that stood close enough to hear, disgusting.

The woman fainted.

Kagome strained to see what was going on, afraid he was seriously hurt.

Just as she was about to panic, InuYasha sprang to his feet and rushed Yamiko. He tackled the male off his feet and into a security wall on the opposite side of the arena. The audience scrambled to get out of the way. The stadium shook, debris exploding through the air.

On the ground, the two wrestled, each trying to gain the upper hand. With an angry growl Yamiko kicked him off, full force, sending him flying.

InuYasha landed on his feet inside the marble square, drawing Tetsusaiga as he landed. The large fang gleamed in the sunlight. Yamiko unsheathed his own sword and charged.

Their blades clashed loud, and the insults crashed just as louder.

"Shit for face," InuYasha growled, pushing forward hard on his sword until Yamiko's back began to bow under the pressure.

Yamiko took a step back, bracing himself under the weight of the sword.

"Tainted half breed," Yamiko growled back as he pushed his sword in the opposite direction, teeth clenched in savage satisfaction as InuYasha's back bent.

The two struggled, fangs barred.

InuYasha reared his head back, then forward, crashing his skull into Yamiko's face. Yamiko staggered back, barely fending off InuYasha's next attack. Again, the power struggle continued and the insults were as fierce as ever.

"Hanyou retard, if you weren't so damn stupid you'd know not to challenge your superiors!" Yamiko spat.

"Fuck you ugly, you for damn sure ain't my superior! Not with a fucked up face like that!"

Yamiko's face turned beat red with his rage.

Kagome could feel his demonic aura whipping out of control. She closed her eyes.

He just didn't know when to quit.

Yamiko's tenuous control slipped. Power coursed through him, pulsating into his right hand. The energy burning a fierce blue.

The hairs on the back of InuYasha's neck stood on end and for once in his life he wondered; had he gone to far?

Judging by the amount of energy radiating from the other male, he could only conclude that he had.

This was going to hurt.

Before anyone could blink, Yamiko launched himself forward, letting the energy explode on InuYasha's face. Literally. The explosion rocked the arena's foundation, smoke and light blinding the surrounding spectators. The crowd shielded their eyes.

"InuYasha!" Kagome called out, hoping he was okay.

Her heart was in her ears and a million questions raced through her mind.

What if he was hurt?

Or what if it was worse?

Impatiently, she waited for the dust clear, straining to see through it. She could make out two figures in various positions. InuYasha was upside down, head buried in the ground, legs straight in the air. Yamiko was hanging over the security rail. Both were out cold. Medics rushed to check on the two competitors, waving white flags over both bodies moments later.

The announcer made his way out to the marble square.

"This match is a draw! No winner shall advance!"

The crowd cheered in pure exhilaration, a few booing the declaration that a winner had not been declared. Four soldiers came to take away the two unconscious combatants. Two of the four pulled InuYasha from the ground, and the remaining two pulled Yamiko off of the security wall.

Both males were rushed to the infirmary.

Kagome sat back down in her seat, breathing a bit easier as her heart slowed. From what she could see, they were okay. They'd wake up with severe headaches at the most.

"Second match: Lord Sarinji V.S Lord Katzunami! Combatants, please step forward!" called the announcer.

Sarinji and Katzunami came forward as the crowd cheered.

"Take your places!"

Sarinji's hand dropped to his sword.

He would take no chances with this male. He had demonstrated that he had quite a bit of power and skill.

"Fight!"

Katzunami disappeared. Sarinji closed his eyes and tuned out the crowd, feeling the vibrations on the marble floor.

Behind, slightly to the left the vibrations were stronger.

Catching the hand that was aimed for the pressure points in his neck, Sarinji returned the attack with an elbow to the sternum. Katzunami retreated, disappearing once more. At least Sarinji had figured out how he disappeared. He moved fast. Way too fast to be tracked by the naked eye.

Again, Sarinji felt for the vibrations and heard the scrape of metal.

Left side.

Bringing his sword up, Katzunami's sword clashing with his own.

"You are very skilled Lord Sarinji," Katzunami commented.

"As are you."

"But not skilled enough it would seem."

Sarinji's eyes widened at the sudden pain. Blood trickled down from a wound in his back.

What the hell?

`How in the hell had he-'

Pushing back with his sword Sarinji retreated and looked behind him. A clone of Katzunami stood watching him, one bloody claw dripping crimson blood onto the marble floor.

He had not even felt a shift in energy. How had he created one without his knowledge?

The clone attacked, swiping with sharp claws.

Sarinji back flipped, dodged left, and then back flipped twice right into Katzunami's attack. He barely had time to block. The clone moved in from behind, no doubt intending to finish him off. He pushed Katzunami and brought his foot up and into the nose of the clone, breaking the fragile appendage.

Blood sprayed from his nose but the clone barely registered it as he staggered back. Katzunami attacked again, this time coming up short at a blue barrier that crackled as it formed around Sarinji.

Katzunami stepped back to assess the situation. Face serious as a heart attack, he sheathed his sword and stood straight. Energy coursed through him, and his skin began to glow a bright blue. As the energy covered his body, his clone mirrored his action.

Sarinji let his barrier down and prepared for the attack, opening his senses.

Expecting to sense their vibrations when they moved he was surprised when they disappeared and he felt nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

"Storm of a thousand pains,"

He barely heard Katzunami's words whispered on the wind before he was hit. Attacks from every possible direction came his way until he lost count of how many times he was hit. These were not random hits either, each one was precise, directed at his joints and weak spots. This attack was meant to weaken an opponent.

He couldn't let it continue. Gathering energy he rotated at a high rate of speed in a complete three-sixty, releasing energy as he spun throwing both clone and Katzunami back to opposite ends of the marble square.

As he slowed to a stop, his knees weakened, and he had to force himself to remain standing as his eyes searched the battlefield for his opponent.

Then, suddenly there was pain in his side. Looking down he found the source of his pain. A blade was protruding from his body, blood streaming down the tip onto the white marble floor. He looked behind him and into the eyes of yet another clone.

Fuck.

Swinging back he knocked the clone away and yanked the dagger from his side, not even flinching. He threw it down.

His wound bled freely, sapping his strength.

Time to stop fucking around.

Releasing half of his energy, he put out a burst of speed. Before the clone could react, he pulled its throat out and it disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Wasting no time he went after the last clone and decapitated it before it could even move, and from there headed straight for Katzunami.

Deadly claws pierced through the other male's armor, through skin and bone and out the other side.

Kagome gasped in horror from her seat above, fearing the worse for Katzunami.

Sarinji, however had not aimed for any vital spots, and the wound would sting and be painful for a day or two but the demon would recover, no problem.

As his body crumbled to the floor Sarinji relaxed. He had won, the match was over.

Suddenly, his eyes opened wide and his body froze. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

Looking behind him, he looked into the eyes of Katzunami.

What the hell?

That was impossible!

He had taken that bastard out!

He looked back at the body on the floor. To his surprise, it turned to smoke.

Behind him, he felt Katzunami slinking up to him, felt the pressure on his neck.

He stared at the smoke a moment before chuckled, thoroughly amused as he shook his head. Looks like he had grown soft compared to these young pups. He chuckled one more as his vision darkened, his hearing dulled and he lost consciousness.

The crowd cheered and as the announcer made his way to the marble square.

"The final match shall commence. The winner of this match shall be named the winner of the Tournament, and will be eligible for automatic mating to Lady Kagome of the Northern lands should she prove to be unable to choose a male to mate with by the end of two consecutive months!"

Kagome blushed.

It was disconcerting for her mating to be spoken of so publicly, so loosely. God, it was so embarrassing. Kagome had dreaded this moment. The end of this match marked the first day of the end of her life. The end of her freedom limited though it was, it was still more than she would have after her mating.

And now her worst fear had come true. Sesshomaru stood a chance of winning this tournament. Gods she prayed he didn't win. If he didn't there'd be no way in hell she'd mate with him.

"Final match: Lord Sesshomaru V.S Lord Katzunami! Combatants, please step forward!"

Lord Sesshomaru was thrumming with pleasure.

He would get his claws on the bastard that dared approach and be familiar with his female. His claws itched to tear into his flesh while his inner beast paced the confines of his mind. His amber eyes burned with malice, gleaming with vicious hatred.

"Take your places!"

The crowd cheered wildly, anticipatory tension surrounding the area.

Fierce golden eyes clashed with smooth winter blue.

"Fight!"

Sesshomaru was on the male in seconds, moving faster than even Katzunami. He swiped at the male, his deadly claws leaking toxic green poison that burned a hole through the marble floor where Katzunami had stood only moments before. Leaping into the air after Katzunami, Sesshomaru grabbed him by the throat and threw him back to the arena where he crashed hard onto the marble, veins of cracks spreading throughout the hard surface.

Seconds later, more cracks joined the old ones as Sesshomaru landed hard, feet first, into Katzunami's body.

The demon let out a breathless gasp and turned into smoke.

Sesshomaru raised a brow at this. He would use such a trick on this Sesshomaru?

It was laughable.

As if one such as he could be brought down in such an indignant manner. Reaching behind him, he ripped the arm from the clone behind him; spinning around with deadly precision he removed the clones head as well. The limbs and decapitated body turned to smoke.

Grasping the fist of another clone he took hold of it, crushing it effortlessly and throwing him him hard onto the marble square where he turned to smoke.

More clones appeared. At least a couple dozen.

Sesshomaru flexed his fingers, stimulating toxic liquid. It came rushing to the tips of his claws. Energy fused with the deadly poison, heating the liquid. As he unleashed the poison the heat from his claws turned the liquid solid, stringing it out into a poisonous whip. Spinning on his heel in a graceful circle at high rate of speed, the whip zigzagged through the bodies of the clones, cutting them all to pieces.

Smoke erupted from their bodies as Sesshomaru came to a stop, blinding all that watched.

Katzunami was on him in flash, sword drawn. Sesshomaru unsheathed Tokijin. The dark energy radiating from the sword was pure evil, a sickening energy that was black with taint. Kagome had never seen such an aura; it made her shiver with dread. Never did she want to get close to that thing.

What the hell was he doing with such a sword?

Katzunami was just as surprised as he was thrown back from the sword, his body stinging from the dark energy. What the hell kind of sword was that?

He took a moment to regroup. Sesshomaru was not an easy opponent, and he could not afford to fuck this up. He had to-

A stream of blue energy was head straight for him, the energy just as heinous and stinging as the sword's energy. He dodged but to his annoyance, the damn thing moved like a snake; curving and twisting, following his every movement. One wrong move and he was done.

He slipped.

Speak of the fucking devil.

The pain was excruciating as it poured through his body. Every organ felt was on fire. The agony was nothing he had ever felt before. His vision blurred, and numb fingers loosened. The sound of his sword crashing onto the marble was loud in his ears. And to his extreme embarrassment, he felt darkness and nausea rising.

Katzunami staggered, managing a few clumsy steps before collapsing into a painful heap.

The crowd erupted into a round of ground vibrating cheers. Males in the crowd wrestled with each other, stimulated with energy from the entire event. The females pouted in envy, jealousy burning deep. Two soldiers rushed Katzunami to the infirmary as the announcer came to the marble square.

"Winner of the Tournament: Lord Sesshomaru!"

The crowd burst into another round of cheers, pouts and wrestling. Kagome thought she'd faint dead away. She felt light headed and weak. This had to be a bad dream, it just had to be.

He was looking at her now, smug satisfaction was practically radiating from his body.

She wanted to go down and slap that look off his face.

Instead she stood, face composed, eyes challenging. He may have won the battle but he was far from winning the war. She'd be damned is she didn't go down without a fight.

She turned her back to him, ignoring the blazing gaze boring into her back. She headed to the infirmary.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He sat naked next to the body and looked up at the blue sky. The surrounding area was peaceful and quiet. Unlike his comrades the peace didn't make him go as crazy as they did. Though, if he was honest with himself, he didn't really enjoy the peace more than discord and chaos.

Ehvil looked down at the mutilated body and sighed.

'Guess you can never really change completely.'

The body was bleeding and covered in flies and the smell was almost overwhelming.

He barely noticed.

It lay in pieces, skin lay in clumps, bones crushed into a fine powder scattered across crisp leaves. He had fucked the body a few times before growing bored with it, and had simply sat cutting it, skinning it, breaking the bones to pass the time.

Blood trickled down his jaw, liver and brain stuck between his teeth.

Afterwards he had gotten hungry and had eaten most of the woman. Her liver and brain soaked in body fluids had been scrumptious.

He lay back and rested his head on his folded arms.

His thoughts took a dangerous turn.

He had avoided thinking of her, but could not help himself now.

Kagome.

She was like a daughter to him, the only good thing in his life. Where was she now? What was she doing? Was she okay? Was Miroku taking good care of her?

Of course he wasn't.

No one could take care of his daughter better than he could.

He chuckled.

Listen to him. 'His daughter.' She would hate his guts when she found out what he had become. Or rather, what he had gone back to.

But things could not change, he could not change. As much as he wanted to change, he knew, he could not. Not completely anyway. And now that he remembered what his life before her had been like, he didn't know if he wanted to change. He liked causing pain. He liked seeing destruction; causing destruction.

He did not want stop.

He stretched.

Gods, it's been ages since he'd run free. So used to this humanoid form it took him moment to remember how to transform. Now was a good time as any, he had to get rid of the body anyway.

He closed his eyes and centered his energy then let it spread to each limb.

His body contorted; enlarging, his face warping into something monstrous. Scales lined his body, a bluish-black color, shinning in the sunlight.

Ehvil stretched his leathery wings.

It had been so long since he had been in his dragon form, centuries. It felt good and brought back so many memories. Turning his large head to the body, he took a deep breath and blew forth fire, thousands of degrees hotter than any man made fire.

The body turned to ash in seconds.

That done he leapt into the air, the wind stirring, scattering the ashes.

He had never felt so free!

He flew as fast as his wings would carry him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kagome hurried to the infirmary. She was so worried about Katzunami. He hadn't looked too good when the soldiers had carried him out. She hoped he would be alright.

After more than a few minutes of running and no sight of the infirmary, Kagome began to get irritated.

`Why the hell was the damn thing so far away?'

Finally she made it to the infirmary. Beds lined the wall, all empty except for one. She didn't see Yamiko or InuYasha so she assumed they were okay and had left. Two less things to worry about. She headed over to the bed where Katzunami was laying, a healer bent over him pouring a green substance into his mouth and rubbing his throat to get him to swallow.

"Will he be alright?" she asked the one eyed older woman.

She turned and looked at her, a sad look on her face as she shook her head.

"I know not what more to do for him. His injuries are fatal,"

Kagome was stunned.

Sesshomaru had meant to kill him?

She should have known he would try! Kagome rolled back the sleeves of her kimono. She couldn't let him die. Not when he would be dying because of her.

"Allow me to try. I am trained in the art of healing."

The old healer nodded her head, and stood back.

"As ye wish my Lady,"

Kagome smiled her thanks and moved to Katzunami. She closed her eyes to focus. Over the years she had honed her abilities somewhat, but healing had come to her the easiest. She had other talents and abilities, she just had not tapped had not seen a reason to perfect them as finely as she had her medic skills. With years and years of practice she was able to increase healing and see inside the body to repair internal and external injuries.

Placing her hands on his chest, she felt a pulsing.

Once…..twice…..

Her vision turned bright pink behind her eyelids, hazy at first. She put forth more energy and her vision cleared and what she saw worrisome. The damage was immense. His organs were literally burning, melting into sticky, gooey liquids, his body fighting and failing to neutralize the poison and mend the extensive damage.

Pouring her energy through her hands and into his body she combated the toxin, before repairing the weakened structures.

This would take a while.

She didn't know how long she worked, but she didn't stop until his insides were healed enough to function on their own, adding a boost to promote faster healing. Once she was done, she checked over her work, making sure everything was in fine working order before retracting her energy.

Exhausted, she collapsed onto a nearby bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She was so angry she could kill!

That woman!

That prissy little bitch had stolen the one man she had ever loved! He didn't even look twice at her anymore; not since he had met her. She couldn't believe he was participating in this….this…lunacy! Panting after her, fighting for her when that ungrateful woman didn't seem in the least bit interested!

Taking the blade in her hand she carved another wound into her wrist. Her eyes closed at the pain. It hurt, a lot, but it lessened the pain raging in her heart at the moment.

Her heart hurt. He had broken her heart and didn't even know it. She doubted he even cared.

All he could see was that dark haired bitch Kagome! Kagome, Kagome, Kagome, Kagome!

God she hated that name! She would kill that bitch if it was the last thing she ever did!

Tears escaped, replacing anger with sadness.

She loved him, why couldn't he see that? She loved him more than anything in this world, and he didn't love her even though he had made love to her in a way she had never experienced in her life and probably never would again.

The ecstasy he brought between her thighs, it was almost unreal. At times she hadn't been able to take it and other times she had craved it for days on end.

She wanted that back!

Rage crashed over her. Kagome had taken that from her. The only way she'd get it back was either to seduce him, make him fall as madly in love with her as she was with him, or kill the bitch.

Or maybe both?

She shrugged.

She'd see how things went and make a decision.

At the moment she had other things to do. Looking down at her bleeding wrist she wiped the blood away, looking in satisfaction at the red crisscross wounds. They burned and ached, some still leaking blood, some deeper than others, some hurt worse than others. They would remind her why she hated that woman so much.

She sat back in her bed and sighed in contentment.

The pain in her chest was dulled in comparison to the pain on her arm, and she could finally breathe again. Calmness set in, leaking into each limb and she felt at peace.

For now she would not stress over her misguided lover, or that man stealing whore.

Right now she would rest, sleep.

She would need her strength tomorrow. She had to make plans; she had to stop him from mating with that tramp at all costs. No matter what she had to do, she would have her love. She would not let anyone steal him from her.

No one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please review!

Laters!

~Sessakag