In His Arms

All previous disclaimers apply.


“You bastard!”

Sesshomaru couldn’t help the smirk that spread crossed his face as the young wolf prince launched himself from across the room, fully intent upon tearing his heart from his body. Kouga fought much as he ruled. His heart and passion were in the right place, but when he allowed his emotions to rule his mind was not involved at all. Had Sesshomaru been younger and less well trained than he was, the pure passion in Kouga’s style might have overtaken him. However, since he was extremely well trained and older than the wolf prince, he easily side-stepped the younger demon and spun faster than Kouga could react to pin him against the wall by the neck. Sesshomaru was no fool. He knew that Kouga had shards of the Shikon jewel in his shins and that his speed was a great asset, so it was the first thing that Sesshomaru took away, keeping Kouga’s feet suspended above the ground. Sesshomaru tightened his hold on the princeling’s neck, effectively cutting off Kouga’s air, when he began to shout more insults at him.

“You will control yourself, wolfling,” he said mildly, holding back a chuckle when Kouga glared at him unrepentedly, “It is only through my will that you will survive this gathering at all. You do realize that, according to ancient law, I have every right to kill you for your insults, do you not? Think on what would happen to your people and your lands should I decide to invoke my right. I can guarantee you that I would not take the rule of your land and your people would be left defenseless and leaderless. The other lords would not object to expanding their lands and they would not take kindly to your people. The wolves would be left as beggars, not welcome in any land, even that which once belonged to them. Think on that.”

He had been expecting this, Sesshomaru mused. Kouga was a hot head. He had taken Kouga to this room across the castle from the other lords so that they could not hear when the fight began so that they could not force him to uphold ancient law. Of course, it had been quite an amusement to see Kouga’s face contort in rage when he was told that Kagome was Sesshomaru’s newest concubine, but he found now that he wasn’t interested in a true fight with the wolf. He just wanted to get everything settled so that he could move onto the hundred other little things he had to do before the formal dinner this evening, including making love to Kagome in the bath. The thought nearly had him smiling before he turned his thoughts back to the task at hand. What he had told Kouga was true. If he was gone, the other lords would swoop down upon his lands like vultures. He did not tell Kouga that his people would survive, because, out of pity, they would be welcomed in the West, but that was better not said when trying to get the bad-tempered wolf to think his actions through. Kouga had stopped struggling, but Sesshomaru couldn’t tell if it was because he was actually thinking or if he was dangerously close to losing consciousness from lack of air. He decided that it was time to let Kouga breathe when his eyes rolled back in his head. He dropped the wolf to the ground and turned his back.

“Now, we can continue in a more civilized manner, or you can throw insults at me again and I can invoke my right and kill you. I leave the decision in your hands, wolfling.” When Kouga didn’t respond Sesshomaru turned around and sat opposite him, not bothering to stop the smirk when he saw that Kouga was rubbing his neck and trying to glare a hole in his head, “Good choice. Now, I fully understand that you once held claim on the Miko . . .”

“I was going to mate her!” Kouga couldn’t help the outburst, though his voice was rough still, “I had claim on her, Sesshomaru!”

“You never claimed her in an official capacity. She was still free, according to all laws.”

“That’s just a technicality! You stole her! I’ve been searching for her for months and all this time she has been enslaved here! I would have come for her in an instant if I’d known!”

“I stole nothing. I admit, at first, she was akin to a slave here. However, we have discussed it and now the Miko continues on here of her own will. She has found a place here, prince. She will not be leaving unless it is with me at her side. I have claimed her officially as my favored. I will be claiming her as my mate before the Gathering has ended. Your claim on her is void. Any attempt by you to take her will result in your death. If you try to convince her to leave with lies to the effect that you known where my brother and her companions are I will kill you without a second’s hesitation. She is carrying my pups and I will not have her upset.”

“But, I . . .” Kouga began, then froze, “Pups? You’ve pupped her without mating her? You bas . . .”

Sesshomaru stopped a new tirade with the rise of one perfect eyebrow. He was more pleased than he should have been when Kouga stopped at his expression and took a breath, thinking through what he wanted to say. Now Sesshomaru knew how to deal with him. Like any good leader, if you made Kouga remember his people and their welfare, his only thought was for them. With one expression Sesshomaru was able to remind him what would happen to them without him there.

“Mate her soon.” He grunted.

“I will have no bastard children,” Sesshomaru gave by way of response. Kouga’s eyes went wide as he remember what he had been about to say.

“Sesshomaru, I have her kit! We found him weeks ago, alone, trying to defend himself from a pack of big cat yokai who had gone feral. They almost killed him before we got there, but he managed to hold on. Some of the women of my tribe nursed him back to health. He hasn’t spoken a word since we found him, but we’ve been searching for Kagome and the others since then, the kit and I. I can’t get him to tell me his name and I don’t remember it, but . . .”

“Shippou,” Sesshomaru interjected, “The kit’s name is Shippou. Kagome has been missing him greatly. Losing him nearly broke her. Where is the kit now?”

“He’s with my core tribe just at the border of our lands. If I leave now I can have him to her by late tomorrow afternoon. He needs her, Sesshomaru.”

“She needs him as well,” Sesshomaru stood up, “Bring him to her, Wolf. I will . . . make excuses for you at the formal dinner tonight.”

Kouga grinned, “She’s gotten to you, hasn’t she? Isn’t that just some thing? Ice Lord Sesshomaru fallen hard for a human. No, don’t bother to deny it,” he waved a hand when Sesshomaru opened his mouth to speak, “I’d think you were an idiot if you didn’t fall for her after having her for so long. There’s just something about her, I guess. She makes you forget that she’s human, doesn’t she? Makes you forget everything but her. I remit any claim I may have once had on her. But, don’t think that I won’t come take her away, damn the consequences, if you ever hurt her.”

Sesshomaru had no reaction to the last statement other than to slide open the door and walk out. Just because he had admitted something to himself didn’t mean that he wanted everyone else to know it. He let out a low growl in warning when Kouga joined him in the hall, chuckling. The wolf only grinned at him once more, opened a door that led outside, and took off, his customary whirlwind surrounding him. Sesshomaru shut the door calmly. He debated for just a few moments whether or not to tell Kagome that her kit lived and would be with her soon. He had just decided on telling her when Miyuki came running up to him.

“My Lord, I am sorry to bother you with something so trivial, but a fight has broken out between some of your soldiers and some of the dragon’s soldiers. Unless both lords are there to decided who should be punished I’m afraid more blood will be spilt.”

Sesshomaru sighed inwardly. Telling Kagome and watching her face light with joy would have to wait. He nodded at Miyuki and swept down the hall. His patience with the Gathering had just about reached its end. He turned his head just slightly when he passed Kagome’s room, where he knew she would be preparing for the formal dinner, and breathed the scent of her contentment in deeply before continuing on his way. He didn’t notice when, as he left, a figure stepped out of the shadows, a snarl on his face for Sesshomaru that transformed into a smile as he slipped into the Great Miko’s room.

“Miko,” Tsubasa grinned as he spotted the woman, kneeling of the floor in front of her vanity, naked as the day she was born, brushing her hair.

“What are you doing here?” Kagome screamed, pulling her robe to her to cover herself, “Get out of here now!”

“Miko,” Tsubasa turned his voice into a seductive purr, “Miko, I have come for you.”