Trails of Pain and Love

A/N: A lotta people have been putting down my story(s) because it's listed under Sess/Kagome pairing, but so far they have gone nowhere. Trust me, this will be a pairing story, I'm just taking a lot longer to for them to get together than what most stories do.



Chapter 11



Kagome looked over at her opponent, the demon slayer Sango, the two of them facing off in a small arena, with a spectating crowd of soldiers.



The newly created half demon needed to test her body and see what newly founded powers she might and might not have.



The tajiya needed to recuperate from her injuries and make sure they didn't cause her any lingering effects.



"Just to let you know Kagome, I won't go easy on you, even if you are my best friend." said Sango, bowing slightly before preparing both her sword and bone boomerang for battle.



"Likewise Sango, although I will stop short of tearing out your throat." replied Kagome, with a smile that bordered between friendliness and a feral prowness.



So far Kagome, in experimenting, found that she could grow her fingernails into claws, in addition to having enlightened sense and smell.



"Hirakotsu!" yelled Sango as she threw her boomerang straight at Kagome. The miko, rather than ducking, decided to tested her strength, throwing up an arm to try and block the boomerang.



As it turns out, her strength, while increased, was nowhere near Inuyasha's level, as she was sent flying when the boomerang impacted her. Getting up, she rubbed her arm and let loose a small "ow" in complaint.



Her ears perked up, picking up the sound of the returning boomerang, and Kagome ducked just in time, as the boomerang whizzed by over her head and returned to it's master.



Deciding to go on the offensive, Kagome ran forward at a great rate of speed. Sango countered by throwing her boomerang at Kagome again.



This time the miko decided to test her leg muscles, and leapt up into the air, avoiding the boomerang, coming down right next to Sango. Using her claws, Kagome knocked the sword from the demonslayer's hands, and prepared to pounce on the Tajiya.



"Poision powder!" said Sango as she threw the packet of powder onto the ground, spreading it all around her and Kagome. The miko tried to avoid inhaling, but failed to cover her nose and mouth, getting a sinus and lungful of the stuff.



Kagome stood there coughing for a moment while Sango backed up. The miko looked up in anger, just as the returning boomerang struck her in the back, knocking her forward onto the ground. Stars exploded behind her vision as the wind was knocked out of her.



After hitting the ground, Kagome rolled onto her stomach, just to have Sango step on her chest with one foot, planting the bone boomerang into the ground next to her head.



"Looks like I win this one, Kagome." taunted Sango, a smile spreading across her face.



"Dirty pool, Sango." hacked out Kagome, still recovering from the effects of the poision powder. Sango assumed she meant tactics, not knowing what pool meant, and laughed it off as she helped Kagome into a standing position.



"War is war Kagome. It's kill or be killed, no matter how you accomplish it. Always remember that." lectured the demon slayer as she walked off to find the monk.



Kagome looked after her departing friend, the anger receding from her expression, as a cold voice came from behind her.



"Letting a human best you in battle. Tsk Tsk." came Sesshomaru's voice as the demon lord stepped into the arena.



"You mean like a half demon beating you in battle?" Kagome fired back at him, referring to a number of times in which Inuyasha had defeated Sesshomaru in battle.



The demon lord's eyes blazed for just a moment, before the anger faded and was replaced with humor.



"Perhaps. Come walk with me, we need to talk." replied Sesshomaru as he turned and exited the arena. Kagome looked confused for a moment, before deciding to go walk with him as he requested.



* * *



"So, how are you adjusting to your new abilities?" questioned Sesshomaru.



"I'm still learning and getting used to them. I can summon my claws when needed, and am learning to use what I know in battle, but it'll be a while before I fully adapt." replied Kagome.



"Hmn." was all that Sesshomaru had to say in response.



"Hey, Sesshomaru, may I ask you a question?" said Kagome as she came to a stop and turned to face the demon lord.



Sesshomaru stopped as well, and looked down at her, waiting for her question.



"Do you have any feelings for me?" asked Kagome in quite an innocent sounding voice.



Sesshomaru's eyes widened when she asked this. He was suprised that she would ask such a question, he had her pegged for being far too shy to ask him or others such questions.



He had debated that question to himself over the past several days. He had admitted to himself that he had feelings for her. He liked her determination in battle, and her loyalty to her comrades. The only thing is, she's far too gullible, and emotional when it comes to a variety of situations.



"Yes, I do." he answered simply, willing to admit it, but not wanting to go into details just at the moment.



"Well, this makes saying this much easier. I wasn't sure at first, but now I think I might be falling for you." declared Kagome, a flush coming to her cheeks as she admitted her feelings for him.



His eyes widened again. He least expected her of all people, a warm loving and caring miko, to fall for him, the ice prince. His eyes went from being wide to narrow as he thought of what her feelings might mean.



"You do know that I am Sesshomaru, and not Inuyasha, correct?" he sought to clarify.



"Hmm, yes I do. I realize my earlier emotions were just wishful thinking. While I may not ever forget Inuyasha, I know now that I must move on. It's what he would have wanted for me." explained Kagome, taking a step closer to Sesshomaru and looking up into his eyes.



Sesshomaru gulped as he stared down into her eyes. Now it wasn't just an emotional attachment he felt for her. She was entering into her period of heat, and now that she was an female Inu, even a half breed Inu female, her scent was much more appealing to him. He had never had the scent of an Inu female before, and it intoxicated him almost, his inner beast trying to surface and consume him.



Kagome saw his lust filled eyes, and for a second considered running away, but no, that was just her damned shyness coming to surface. Her face did turn red though.



Sesshomaru bent over, his face approaching hers as the two of them prepared to.....