InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Vying for Dominance ❯ The Contest ( Chapter 20 )

The Contest

 

 

“Well, that was fun.” Kagome leaned against her longbow lazily, her smile wicked and taunting as she looked to Auria. They were standing in the centre of the arena floor, each having just completed the first round draw. Five targets, five arrows each; and not a single one had gone astray. Every shot by each had been embedded perfectly in the centre of their respected targets.

 

“So,” she drawled out, her wicked smile growing with deviousness. “Care to up the anti a little? I don't know about you, but I'm getting a little bored of straight shots.”

 

Auria, having not actually expected the contest go as far as it already had, found herself excited by the prospect of a new challenge. The miko was good, but she was letting her know she still had more. Of course, Auria had been holding back as well. It was time to push the limits, see how good this girl actually was.

 

“What is it you have in mind, miko?”

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

“Five hundred says the miko takes this one home.”

 

“You shame yourself by betting against your own, Jomon,” Haiiro told him gruffly.

 

But Jomon only shrugged, since, technically, he was laying bets on a pack sister anyways. Besides, he needed a reason to cheer the little miko on. Should she win, then his beautiful Auria would be free at long last. “If you're so sure, Haiiro, then let your money talk for you.”

 

“Ten thousand!” Tannis growled fiercely, his crimson bled eyes fixated on the mongrel pup that dared insult his daughter by even suggesting she would loose. He slammed his cup down on the table with such force that not only did the flask shatter but the table cracked under the blow. “My Auria will never be defeated by a lowly mortal wench!”

Jomon pulled back. He hadn't that kind of money, and Tannis knew it. And more, he hadn't the strength or will to take out the old dog, no matter how much he would have wished otherwise.

 

“I'll take that bet.”

 

Turning sharply, Tannis faced the elder Lord. “Takked? You too would bet against your own?”

 

Snorting haughtily, Takked dismissed the notion. He wasn't betting against his own. He was laying bets on the fact that he was right, and that in the little miko Sesshomaru had chosen well. “In the name of fair game,” he allowed. “Such a handsome bet should not go unanswered.”

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

“Your mate seems to enjoy wasting his money, Mesudoku.”

 

“Let him have his fun,” the silver Lady replied with a disinterested wave of her hand. “Whatever meager bets they are making are nothing in comparison to Auria's dowry.”

 

“If she wins.”

 

Her eyes narrowing fiercely, Mesudoku turned to level her piercing gaze upon Gina. “She will win,” she told her, her voice carrying a dangerously hard edge. “No mortal filth shall ever have any claims in my family.”

 

“Of course not, my Lady,” Gina replied withy an apologetic bow. “However,” she added as she straightened herself again, “It always serves in your best interest to be prepared for any eventuality.”

 

Mesudoku didn't respond, wouldn't bother. She let her sights travel back to the arena where her prized pupil was stepping forward with her opponent to declare their match. Gina's warnings were based on her own pathetic failures. Auria would never be outmatched by a wretched human.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

“My Lords,” Auria addressed the dais. “The miko and I have settled our terms.”

 

She waited until all attention was focused on her before speaking again. “For myself, I have chosen moving targets as a test of my speed and skill. However, as the dangers to those holding the targets would prove too great against a sacred arrow, the miko has ventured a different suggestion to which I have agreed to as fair and even.”

 

Taking the small nod from Auria as her cue to speak, Kagome bowed slightly to the Lords before addressing them. “My test shall not be speed, but of the senses. Blindfolded, I shall hit the stationary targets, randomly placed, and held at a safe distance by our volunteers.”

 

“Is this agreement acceptable, my Lords?” Auria asked once Kagome had finished.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

“Heh, good thing you never took that bet, Jomon,” Haiiro chuckled. “Looks like the miko just threw the match.”

 

“She hasn't lost yet,” Jomon returned, though, he had to admit her chances were looking poorer by the second.

 

“Foolish pups,” Takked's laughing voice cut in. “You have so much to learn. Do you need your eyes to catch a scent upon the breeze and know which direction to turn to follow? I think not. And I do believe that the little miko is well aware of what she is suggesting.”

 

“Then it's no contest!” Tannis insisted angrily. “Moving targets are far more a challenge than stationary ones!”

 

“Then perhaps you would be the first to volunteer to carry a moving target for the miko's arrows to hit, Tannis,” the elder Lord replied in challenge. “After all, with such a reputation preceding her, I am certainly curious as to what kind of damage her sacred arrows can actually cause.”

 

“Why not let Sesshomaru decide?” Kuro sneered. “It is his bitches down there, after all.”

 

Before he had even finished, the cold steel of a blade was pressed to Kuro's throat. “You are lucky that you sit now at my father's table, Kuro,” Sesshomaru informed the dark one in a voice chilled by deadly promise. “Else you would be dead now.” Letting his blade drag across the other's throat as he slowly pulled it back, he made sure to leave a lasting impression on Kuro as he spilled a thin line of his blood. “But do not think that this Sesshomaru will bear such an insult again.”

 

Takked cleared his throat to catch Sesshomaru's attention as he guardedly settled himself back in his seat. “Though his wording leaves much to be desired, Sesshomaru, Kuro is correct. The decision is yours. Is the contest fair as the females have attested?”

 

Moving targets against blind shots? It was as fair as an uneven contest could be.

 

Giving a short nod to Takked as his only response, the Lord's decision was made.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

Kagome was smiling to herself as she tracked target number four. Oh, she was nervous as hell. The last shot nearly did her in. `Houdini', as she was now labeling that little bitch that had used the cover of the crowd to shield her aura, had nearly slipped by her. But, luckily for her, the target the slippery little thing was holding only served as a shield against the burn of her aura. It had left a perfect lock for her to pick, and her arrow was the key to finding it.

 

At first, she knew Auria had given her easy targets, not telling the other females to give her anything more difficult than a straight shot from some random place in the arena that she hadn't been able to see since the contest first started and her blindfold was put on. But, after hitting two with relative ease, Auria had begun to step it up.

 

Of course, Auria's challenges weren't getting any easier either. Kagome had purposefully been choosing her targets in order of increasing strength. The final one, of course, being her own sister. Enai knew how much was riding on this contest, and she had said herself that she knew her sister would never throw it purposefully. If ever there was going to be a time where Enai could outmaneuver Auria, if even for an instant; her moment to shine was only one shot away.

 

But none of that was what had Kagome smiling at this precise moment. She was smiling because she had the old series music running through her head as she went in search of `The Pink Panther.' She just couldn't help it. The girl was dark and sleek in her visible features, but without her natural eyes to see, all Kagome could identify was the bright, florescent, pink of the youkai's aura.

 

She supposed, perhaps, she might have let someone in on this little fact before she had donned the blindfold and taken her marks to memory. But then again…

 

Where the hell is she? Kagome stopped walking. There was something not right about his one. With the others, she had felt them move towards their marks, so she always had a general idea where she needed to turn to line up her shot. But this one…this one had just vanished.

 

Turning back and retracing her steps, Kagome tried to figure it out. Alright, so Mellow Yellow was number one at the far right corner. Peacock Lady was on the pedestal for number two. Houdini took the crowd to the left making for number three. And Kara is below the dais, just in front of Mesudoku and Gina. So where the hell did Pink Panther go?

 

She stopped, and turned back to Auria. She hadn't moved either. She had taken all her shots from the same place…even that one from such an unusual angle. Kagome may not have been able to see it with her eyes, but she was for sure sure that she couldn't bend like that and release enough tension to take out a target from over two hundred yards.

 

Her smile began to shift to a smirk. Now she got it. Auria was the sunlight, golden perfection. But now she seemed more like the sunset, glimmers of orange streaking into the radiant glow.

 

“Nice try, Auria,” she called out as she lifted her bow. “But you can't fool me that easy.”

 

Making a short gesture with her arrow, Kagome waited for Auria to move completely out of her target range before lining up her shot. Now that she was in the open, the Pink Panther was an easy target to hit. With her aura being so brightly colored, the dark centre point where she held the target before her was easily visible.

 

Kara, she knew, would prove a different story, as the raven's aura burned of the deepest black, broken only by the faintest hints of crimson fire. And with her standing so close to so many powerful youkai, it was going to be terribly difficult to hone her senses to find her target. But hey, save the best for last, right.

 

So, lining up her shot, making sure this one wouldn't get away from her, Kagome took it, pleased when she didn't hear any reaction from the crowd - since she knew that if she did, it would likely have been because she missed. Once satisfied she had gotten through this round, Kagome turned towards Auria's final challenge. “Enai,” she called out to her, “Time to show your sister what you've got.”

 

With a short squeak of excitement, Enai immediately took to the heights of the pillars supporting the stadium walls. “Catch me if you can, Auria,” she taunted merrily as she leapt from one to the next with easy motions in an incredible display of balance and agility. “I always said I was faster than you.”

 

“Just because you say it does not make it so, Enai.” Auria replied to her sister's taunts as she tracked her progress in the line of her bow.

 

But despite the confidence of her words, Auria was loosing pace with Enai's quick movements as she skirted the upper levels of the arena. Fast as the winds she rejoiced in running free with, Enai was a challenge like no other. Younger than her by a full three centuries, Enai had never been in a place to test her skills against Auria. Sparing or in practice, there was always a measure of restraint, of not quite giving ones best. But here, now, with so much riding on this single shot, Enai was giving it her all.

 

For a moment, Auria thought that there would be no shame in loosing to her sister in such a way. But the moment was fleeting, and she quickly remembered herself. It was not Enai she was competing against, and her shame would not come from loosing to her sister, but to the miko whom she herself had challenged. No, she would not loose, not purposefully. She could never live with the disgrace of letting herself give anything less than her best.

 

She would make this shot.

 

Enai's form was flawed. She left her target open with every leap as she came down for her landing, not having the speed or shifting momentum of her strong thrusts propelling her upwards and away again. There was her mark.

 

She took it.

 

Only seconds after the sharp snap of her bowstring's release, a shrill scream pieced the air.

 

“Enai!”

 

Auria watched in horror as her sister took the long fall to the arena floor. The bow held in her hands clattered to the ground at her feet when her grip was pulled back abruptly, revolted by the blood of her own sister staining its sights. Having no thought of station or protocol, Auria rushed to her sister's side.

 

Enai was struggling to lift herself, the impact having hit her nearly as hard as the arrow that had pierced her left shoulder. But even through the pain, when she turned and saw Auria, she smiled. “Nice shot,” she bit out through clenched teeth, forcing a laugh that was made pathetic by the strain that nearly made it a sob. “I always said I was faster than you.”

 

Kneeling down, Auria gingerly inspected the damage, sighing in relief to find that her shot had only torn through muscle and tendon. “Not fast enough,” she told Enai with a soft smile of her own.

 

“Yeah, well,” Enai laughed nervously, her sight trained on her sister's hands as she carefully broke off the arrowhead and took hold of the wooden shaft. “Maybe next time, right?”

 

Auria locked eyes with her sister, bringing her focus to rest only there. “Maybe next time,” she gave her that much before pulling quick and hard at the shaft of the arrow to remove it fully from where it had been embedded in Enai's shoulder.

 

Enai flinched, her eyes squeezing shut and biting her lip hard, but she did not cry out this time.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

“Impossible!”

 

With Enai's fall, so too had gone Auria's chances of victory. The miko had matched her shot for shot, and now, with only one target left, the best chances Auria had were for a draw. But even that was unacceptable. Because a draw would mean that there was no victor to be had, no favor to be given. And a draw would mean that a miko, a lowly mortal priestess, had gained station as the equal of Auria, the top young female of their great community, the one that was primed and sculpted, bred and fashioned to be the next Alpha Bitch when she took her place at Sesshomaru's side.

 

No, a draw was unacceptable. And worse, the final shot had yet even to be cast. Should the miko hit her target…

 

“No!” Mesudoku was furious, shaking where she stood, her claws dripping with poison as they flexed aggressively at her sides. She would never allow such a shameful, disgraceful display in her arena. And she would never allow such an insult against her son, or her proud family name. “The miko will not hit her final target.” Such was her word, and here her word was law. “And you,” Turning to Gina, she let the bitch see her demise in the furious glint of her golden eyes. “You brought that filth into my arena; you shall be the one to see her welcome expired.”

 

“Of course, my Lady,” Gina replied, though her eyes gleamed dangerously with wicked anticipation. “It shall be my pleasure.”

 

But Mesudoku had no care for the lesser bitch's retribution. She cared only to see the job done. “I expect that you do not need to be warned of the consequences of failure, Gina.”

 

“No, my Lady.” Because she had absolutely no intentions of letting that miko filth escape her again.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

“Your final target, miko.”

 

With Enai having been cared for and helped from the arena floor, Auria prepared herself to face her defeat. And with it, a future she had never even been given a chance to hope for.

 

May your aim be true.

 

One final shot, and Kagome knew well how much was riding on it. She gave Auria a curt nod of acknowledgement before taking to her mark.

 

In darkness, she looked upon fire in the night. All around her was the burn, persistent, relentless, eternal. But as she turned towards the dais, the fire that burned in the spirits of the gathered crowd became nothing more than a spark of light compared to the inferno of power and might found there. Crimson fire the sustaining forced, tipped by golden light and flickering with shades of blue and grey; they all bled together, creating something so mighty, so powerful, so unstoppable, that she might understand the meaning of eternity. Such power lay there, the fire the spark of life that fueled their immortal souls. It was magnificent, breathtaking, leaving her filled with wonder and awe.

 

Block it out, she told herself firmly. Don't let it intimidate you. Because she knew that somewhere in those currents of power lay her mark, a shadow amongst the endless burn hidden in the near-blinding light of those flames.

 

Kara… She called out with her mind, seeking with invisible hands for that soft comfort that came with the soothing caress of the dark. Like a sweet surrender, the blanket of night where dreams were born, warmed by a loving heart and calmed by gentle hands. She called out for the raven to spread her wings, for her dark light to be seen above the endless burn.

 

The black burn she found, however, was not Kara's. And what she felt was not the soft comfort of the dark, but the terrible burn of anger, fury, and wrath. She knew at one the terrible burn of black to be Kuro, the dark Lord. And unknowingly he had given away his bitch's treason in the shadow he cast upon the crimson fires that cleared her vision to see her movements.

 

Kara seemed so small in comparison to the silver's blazing power fueled by her fury, a shadow being cast aside by the spark of vengeance. But amazingly, the darkness shifted, toying with the light of the fires, daring them to come closer again.

 

She was good, but Kagome knew that she hadn't the will to fight, not in the way Gina would have it. And she knew as well that this was not Kara's fight.

 

“So the bitch is back,” she called out across the expanse of the arena floor, drawing the silver's attack to its true target. Lifting her final arrow, Kagome motioned her forward with a flick of her wrist that flashed the deadly tip. “Let's dance you and I.”

 

She began walking backwards, her steps slow but confident as she steady drew the bitch away from the mounting inferno that tore into her senses from the powerful Lords. She couldn't be sure what this would mean for her, but she would be damned before she let that bitch get the better of her again. Besides, this was her contest, and the silver had stepped in uninvited.

 

She would not find a gracious welcome.

 

Gina was moving, Kagome knew that much; but slowly, stalking her around the arena walls, keeping her aura tightly controlled to blend in with the crowd. She was playing for keeps this time, and Kagome knew it. But she also knew something else: she knew this bitch, knew how shallow and corrupt she was, knew her vindictiveness and her callous nature. Yes, she knew this bitch, knew her as she knew all manner of beast who fed their hunger for power with blood and death, with no thought or care of the lives they would take or the people they would destroy.

 

It was creatures like her that Kagome had sworn to fight against when she took up her bow as a miko, those so swayed by their dark views they could never be shown the light. So then this was more than a fight, more than a battle for lost pride, more than retribution or a vow she would keep. This was her duty, to her people and all others.

 

“Not very talkative when you don't have the upper hand, are you?” Kagome taunted as she continued her backwards pacing, all the while tracking the subtle movements she could detect as the dance of the flames in her vision shifted and blended together in new arrays of flashing light. “Fine by me. But, you know, these very well might be your final words. You might want to make the best of them.”

 

“Find comfort in your words if you must, mortal filth.” Gina's voice carried to her in broken lines of sound, her surge of movement making it seem to come from every direction at once. “They can not save you from your fate.”

 

“Heh.” Kagome stopped moving, lowering head slightly to take focus on the bitch's movements as she blocked the burn around her from her hidden eyes. “We'll see whose fate is decided here,” she told her, knowing she didn't have to be facing her for the bitch to hear her words. “And,” she added with a devious smirk twisting on her lips, “Since I'm not ungracious, I will even allow you the benefit of surprise. I don't need my eyes to take out the likes of you.”

 

Her hands shifted along the length of her bow, trapping the arrow against the wooden frame as she turned the draw outwards. Across her vision spread a thin line of the purest white, a radiant beam that arched the length of her bowstring. A miko's bow, a miko's power. And to the dark-hearted and the creators of nightmares: death by the hand of purity.

 

A sudden rush, a surge of power, and Kagome turned quickly to face its coming. Of course the bitch had tried to take her from behind. She would. But any novice can tell you that such a move can only be employed when the advantage is yours, when your target does not know you are coming. Because unlike an attack made with confidence in full range of your opponent's defenses, you can not see where their counter will come from, and so can not defend against it.

 

A fatal error, and it was Gina's loss.

 

Dropping into a low crouch as she turned, Kagome fell below the line of the bitch's claws. Her bow, however, did not, as she used her momentum to bring it around in a cutting sweep.

 

Screeching in anguish, Gina pulled back. But even as she went, Kagome could see the fire raining down from her shifting form of demon light, sputtering against the ground as it was taken back by the earth from which it was born. A trail of blood to mark her passage.

 

“Coward!” Kagome shouted out to her over the terrible uproar caused by the spilling of the silver's blood. “Next time you will loose more than your hand!”

 

“Never!” Gina's voice was a rasp of pain and fury, the pitch and timbre tainted by the vicious ripping of the beast within. “There shall be no next time, wretched mortal filth! Your end is now!”

 

The wild tearing of her powers as they ripped away from all restraint was like standing in the middle of a bush fire, surrounded on all sides with no way out. It burned her skin as much as her senses, but still Kagome held firm; determined, confident, strong. No more deceptions, no more restraint, no more second chances. The end had come, and only one would walk away.

 

“You shouldn't have done that,” Kagome whispered quietly in resignation.

 

At least when the silver was in her preternatural form she could be defeated without the use of excessive force. A vital limb lamed, a sealing spell upon their immortal flesh, even a hard enough hit or the loss of enough blood could temporarily put any youkai restrained by their chosen form out of a battle. But with the transformation was lost all restraint and all limits. The fire could not be contained and could not be smothered unless extinguished completely.

 

And with only one shot, Kagome knew that it would have to count.

 

The bitch had hardly completed the transformation that brought her to her true size and strength when she lunged at the little miko made so small in comparison. Her right foreleg remained drawn up at her side, blood still flowing freely from the severed paw. But she didn't need her claws to take her mark. She hungered for this kill, and would revel in the taste of her foe's blood.

 

Parting her great maw, revealing the deadly lengths of her razor fangs, she made her strike.

 

It was almost too easy. What good was size and strength when lacking even the most basic of skills? How could she leave such a vulnerable point open for attack? Taken down or caught unaware, there would have been nothing to be done that could have saved her from the beast's terrible fangs. But the bitch was a fool. Never give your opponent the advantage. Never reveal your weak spot lest you are certain no threat can come to you.

 

Her neck was still guarded by her angle of attack, and her bone structure making any direct shot to the head impossible. But in parting her fangs so quickly, going directly for a kill against an opponent she did not give enough credit, she had taken away the barrier of her fangs, leaving a clear shot to the centre of the raging fires within.

 

Kagome didn't hesitate. She took her shot.

 

The light from her arrow was immense, taking over everything in her vision. But she could feel the impact, a terrible vibration that thundered against her senses. All around her, angry currents of shifting power thrashed, tearing at her from all sides as they were sent reeling by the devastation. And with one final rush of heat, what remained of the fire crashed down upon her before it too was taken over by the light, becoming nothing but pure ash to be scattered upon the winds.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

Gina had been brought down at the hands of the mortal priestess: such were the words whispered without voice in the silence that followed.

 

“NO!!!”

 

The furious roar broke through the unnatural stillness. Driven by unequaled rage and unstoppable determination, Kuro surged forwards to have his retribution. The first to reach for him was thrown away with a furious rip of his claws, sending Jomon hurtling back to slam into the stadium walls. Another hold, this one from behind; large, bulking arms that sought to restrain him. But he would not be held back, would not be restrained. Haiiro too her threw off himself, forcing the burly grey back with such force he hardly caught his footing. And still Kuro's eyes were locked on the arena floor and the miko wretch who would meet her end by his claws.

 

“Hold!”

 

Sunlight became blinding as it burned against his sights, and Kuro snarled aggressively, his anger not to be taken lightly by any who dare stand against him now. “Stand aside, Tannis!” he growled out furiously. “This is my kill now!”

 

“No.” Tannis held firm, being joined now by Haiiro and Jomon after having recovered from their last encounter with the black Inu. “You know our laws, Kuro. What insults have been made here must be bore by us all, but the contest shall never be defiled. As we fight for them, they fight for us. And no male shall ever intrude on a female's challenge for her mate.”

 

“That is no female,” Kuro returned in outrage. “That is mortal filth! It has no rights here!”

 

“But Auria does!” Tannis replied in kind. “My daughter stands now on our arena floor! But her shame would be a hundred fold for me or any other to forsake our ancient traditions because of her loss! No, Kuro. You shall not pass.”

 

But while Kuro was being held by the other Lords, what no other saw was that Sesshomaru was being restrained as well. Though not by force or by any spoken word; the strong hand that had settled on his left shoulder kept him still even as he was forced to watch Kagome being taken up by Mesudoku's claws.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

“Wretched mortal filth!” The silver Lady's words were emphasized by a sharp shake, her claws sinking even further into the delicate skin of Kagome's neck as she lifted her from the ground. “You have killed one of ours here in our own arena! For what reason should I spare you from her fate?”

 

Using her free hand, Mesudoku ripped the dark covering from the miko's eyes, wanting her prey to look upon her death. But when the sapphire blues were revealed, what she found there was not fear or desperation, not the prey cowering in the eyes of the hunter. There was sadness there, dark with understanding and resignation; but no fear, not even knowing that she looked upon her death.

 

“If I must give you a reason,” Kagome chocked out her response, “then no reason I could give would ever be enough.” Her hands tightened around her bow, lifting it to her side in an open display of surrender before she let it fall to the ground. “So I shall give you none.”

 

“If she will not, then I will.” Auria had stepped forward. Though she had stood back after the miko had called out Gina for her interference in their contest, she knew her rights, and she faced down the silver Lady with confidence. “This is my contest, Mesudoku. You shall not interfere.”

 

Throwing the miko from her grasp, Mesudoku turned her furious gaze upon the golden female. “Auria, you disgrace yourself by standing for such slime as that creature.”

 

Auria tilted her chin, having none of the accusation. “You forget, Mesudoku. Gina's treachery was an insult against myself. Her life was mine from the moment she stepped foot upon my arena floor.”

 

“Impudent pup!” Fury is blinding, and it was red that bled into Mesudoku's vision as she stepped towards the golden one. “You stand here in disgrace and still think yourself in any position to lay claims over my arena? You are nothing without what I have given you!”

 

It was a challenge, one that pride and honor could never let pass by without answer.

 

But the answer would not come from Auria.

 

The arena was filled by massive vibrations. Low, fierce, and commanding, they stilled everything in their wake. The message was clear: a line had been crossed. And no one, no one, dared cross Sesshomaru in such a way.

 

The earth trembled as currents of his power rippled through its crust upon his landing on the arena floor, a forewarning of danger known even by the unmovable and the untouchable. Heed: its voice known only by instinct and things even less tangible. Danger.

 

Instantly, both Mesudoku and Auria submitted themselves before the powerful Lord, falling to their knees and bowing low, never once daring to lift their eyes. And Kagome, though only just recovering from the silver Lady's rough treatment of her and having no real idea what was going on, was quick to pick up on the sharp flash of Sesshomaru's eyes as he told her unquestionably without words that she must do the same.

 

“Mesudoku,” he addressed the old bitch first, his voice cold and cutting, devoid of emotion or familiarity even as he spoke the name of his own mother.

 

“Hai, my Lord?” she answered meekly.

 

“You go too far in the presumption that your place ever entailed having rights over one in any position to be this Sesshomaru's mate. You would do well to remember lest you find yourself in a position less suited for a bitch of your years.”

 

“Hai, my Lord.”

 

With Mesudoku in line, he dismissed her with a short hand gesture and turned his attention to his once golden female. “Auria.”

 

“Hai, my Lord?”

 

“You disgrace yourself by allowing a mere mortal to outperform you in a contest. There shall be no challenges posed for your favor on this year, and no favor given by you to any other until you have once again proven yourself worthy of such.”

 

“Hai, my Lord.”

 

Now for the true challenge. “Miko.”

 

“Hai, my Lord?”

 

She had actually looked up at him when she spoke, and he nearly smirked at her undisciplined ways. He didn't, knowing it was unbefitting the situation, but he did make a mental note to remind her in the future that being submissive meant actually submitting herself to the humility that came along with it. Still, it was her defiant ways that had so enamored him to her; and he couldn't find the wrong in her actions. Besides, hearing her address him as such was something he knew he would never get tired of. Maybe, his more devious side thought to supply, he should tell her the next time he got her alone…

 

Realizing he was stalling, Sesshomaru shook himself away from his thoughts and continued with his orders.

 

“The contest stands as a draw. However, being that it was by no fault of your own that your final target was compromised, the equalizer is yours.”

 

He stretched his arm out, calling for one of the nearby females to bring him the final arrow. Bringing it forward, the female bowed deeply, holding the single arrow out for Kagome to take.

 

She rose and took it, though hesitantly. “I don't understand,” she confessed as she looked to Sesshomaru. “What am I supposed to do with it?”

 

He didn't answer. Such explanations were below one of his station. However, before he turned away from her, he lifted a brow, letting her see it, knowing that she would carry out his wishes even though he could not voice them.

 

Perform well, my little miko. As I know you will.

 

“Auria,” he called for the golden one. “This is your challenge. You shall explain to the miko.”

 

“Hai, my Lord.”

 

Lifting herself gracefully from her low bow, Auria turned to Kagome. Though she still carried herself strong and proud, Kagome could see her reluctance, and she knew that something more now hung in the balance than honor or pride or station.

 

“In the event of a tie,” Auria explained, “An equalizer is granted to one party.” Lifting her arm to point the length of the arena to the one target still standing, she told her, “Hit the target, and I must concede to you your victory.” Bringing her arm back, she folded it into the sleeves of her gown. Squaring her shoulders, she tilted her chin proudly as she spoke her next words. “However, as it is my disgrace and humiliation to have already been declared the lesser by Lord Sesshomaru, and the fault mine for a contest of my making to have been made a spectacle by Gina's actions, you, miko, may take me as your target, and on my honor I must stand to face my fate. The choice now lies in your hands.”

 

Looking slowly between Auria and the target, Kagome took a moment to process what she was being told. Hit the target, and win, but shame Auria all the more by having her publicly concede to her defeat at the hands of a mortal. Or use the power given to her by her victory to take the life of her opposition so that she could never again challenge her for retribution for the disgrace and humiliation she had already suffered.

 

Of course, Kagome knew that she would never take a life in cold blood. Even if it meant having to take another challenge, she couldn't do it. And she would have bet everything she had that Sesshomaru would have known this as well. Auria, on the other hand, did not; and Kagome finally found a place for the golden one's anxiety.

 

Kagome bit her lip as she looked back to the target. It was an easy enough shot, especially considering she had been making them flawlessly even blindfolded; but she couldn't help but wonder what it would mean if she were to actually make it. If Auria were to publicly renounce her position, conceding her defeat; that would mean that she would then hold the position as the top female competition, a prospect she didn't find very compelling. How many challenges would be posed against her should such a thing happen, how many that would not show the same respect and have the same graceful acceptance as Auria?

 

But did it even have to come to that? She couldn't help but wonder. Sesshomaru had already told Auria that she was not going to be mated this year, and his following statement that she must reclaim her position before such a thing could happen, she was all but certain, had meant that she was free of her responsibility to him until a time came when she would fight again, challenge another for the right to be his mate. If she never made such a challenge, wouldn't that mean she was free to fight for any male she chose to offer her favor?

 

Maybe. Maybe not. But there was only so much she could do. For this year, at least, the golden female was free. As for her victory, she already had it. She had beaten Auria. Though the final shot had yet to be cast, it was plainly obvious, and that was why Sesshomaru had given the equalizer to her. The question remained though: what was she to do with it?

 

“Miko, your decision.”

 

Kagome looked to Sesshomaru slowly, still somewhat uncertain; but her decision had already been made.

 

“Neither,” she told him. “I will not kill in cold blood. And I will not have my victory given to me when my opponent has performed better than any other I have ever drawn against. Well,” she added as an aside, “Not anyone living, that is.” Shaking her head slightly, she took focus again. She wasn't finished yet. “But I will ask this: Let me keep this arrow as my prize, proof of my marksmanship and a deterrent to any who would see me as weak or defenseless.”

 

Perfect. Just as he had known she would be. “You are an unusual human.”

 

Blinking at the offhanded comment from Sesshomaru, Kagome replied, “Ummm…Thanks?”

 

This time, he couldn't quite contain his smirk. It was the highest praise he could have given her under these circumstances, and she had the audacity to be affronted by it. But then, he would expect nothing less from this particular female. And, may the Gods help him, he wanted her all the more for it.

 

It didn't matter that she had declined the final shot. She had already won, and she knew it, as did every other who had seen her display of power and poise. She had proven herself beyond any doubts; taken out those who would threaten her, but show mercy and graciousness in her victory over one who she had met in fair contest.

 

And for him, she had done so much more. Never again would he be plagued with thoughts that his actions with her were depraved or below his station. Never again. Because she was worthy, and she had proven it unquestionably to him, for him, in the most ancient and sacred ways of his kind. For that, he would be forever grateful to her. And for that, he would never again see her as a human or a miko or an enemy, but as simply Kagome. His Kagome.

 

“Very well, miko Kagome,” he finally gave her his reply. The collective gasp that reached his ears from the onlookers in the arena as he spoke her name didn't matter. She had earned this. “Your request is granted.”

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

Ding dong the bitch is dead! Tra la la la la, la la la, la la la. Tra la la la la, la la!

 

HaHa! Vengeance! See? I told you all that bitch would get what was coming to her, didn't I? She should have quit while she was ahead…err…not that she ever was ahead, but still ;P Now she's dead and I say: HaHa!

 

A/N: I know, I know, this is all an author's note, but this is here specifically for that question I just know is coming.

 

Q: Why is it alright for Sesshomaru to step in but not for Tannis or Kuro?

 

A: The female hierarchy is separate from the males (remember Sesshomaru's statement about letting the females handle their own disputes). Their battles, though for the males, are held separate so that the contests can be based on fair matches. As Alpha Bitch, Mesudoku oversees all matches presented by their females. However, as this was a contest for the rights to be Sesshomaru's mate - the position reserved for the next Alpha Female as he is to be the Top Dog - Mesudoku's power is limited because her position must be submitted without contest to that female. While Sesshomaru could not interfere when she threatened Kagome because she said herself that she was not fighting for him, for Mesudoku to challenge Auria was equal to her saying that Sesshomaru's choice in a potential mate was unacceptable (recall that Auria asked and was granted permission for the contest). This is a direct insult against him, and a challenge against his abilities as a leader and decision maker. That is why he could finally step in. And since he did not interfere in the contest between Auria and Kagome, only shot down the challenge posed by Mesudoku, he wasn't going against their traditions.

 

Alright? Good.

 

So, I hope everyone enjoyed! I'm off!

 

Shadow