The Demon's Ball

Kagome was finally cornered. She’d spent the entire evening avoiding Lord Kayashima but the dragon youkai seemed to drift magnetically towards her. She’d thrown herself on the dance floor trying to get away from him. But each time she had lowered her guard she’d turn around to find herself within mere inches of the Eastern lord. She eluded his gaze again by ducking behind a conveniently positioned wolf demon.



Kouga raised an eyebrow as Kagome dropped down to hide behind his back.

“Kagome, do you have something against Kayashima?”



She sighed at the wolf’s question, “No but it’s a long story…”



She felt Kouga’s hand on her shoulder and heard him laugh.

“Well whatever it is, I feel kind of bad for him. He’s been looking forward to seeing you. He’s a big fan of yours.”

Kagome groaned, ‘It just gets worse and worse.’

“Way to lay on the guilt trip,” she hissed under her breath, “Thanks a lot, Kouga.”

He laughed, “Good luck now.” He patted her on the back.



Kagome pouted, ‘Well I guess there’s a chance that he won’t recognize me.’ She threw a sidelong glance at the dragon taiyoukai, she could only hope for the best.



As she inwardly prepared for the confrontation, she took in the scene around her. She’d spent most of the evening dancing with Shinji but the old dog was drawn away by old war buddies of his. Meanwhile, Inuyasha had suffered through a single, awkward waltz for her but refused to endure another. The hanyou had retreated to the buffet table along with Shippo, where they busied themselves with rich hors d'oeuvre and wine. It was a special event so Kagome had reluctantly allowed the fox to drink it. She silently hoped that demons had higher tolerance levels. Miroku and Sango were chatting with Lord Kazuhiko and his mate. The monk had taken a liking to the bat demon's questionable personality and they talked animatedly about the differences between their cultures.



She searched the crowd until she found Kayashima. He was making conversation with some high ranking demonesses. Kagome remembered meeting them, they had spoken kindly and acted very politely toward her. So in return, she decided she didn’t want to interrupt their discussion. She spotted Naoki hovering near the group and decided to make good on her earlier remark. A dance would pass the time.



Kagome dipped and weaved through the crowd until she was right beside the boy. She tapped him on the shoulder and watched him jump back in surprise.

‘Cuuute,’ she laughed as she restrained her urge to pinch his reddened cheeks.

“Come on Naoki-kun,” she teased, “you owe me a dance.”



The shocked teen barely had time to recover from his shock when he was forcibly dragged from his safe haven on the sidelines.



“Wa-wait! Wait a second! I don’t know how to dance!” Naoki hissed.

Kagome tsked, “Well then, it’s about time you learned.”



A simple minuet began and Kagome took his arms, wrapping one on her waist and taking another in her hand. She positioned herself closely with a hand on his shoulder and counted off quietly in his ear, “one, two, three, one, two, three.”



Naoki was panicking, it was going too fast. Suddenly, he had gone from daydreaming about the girl in his fantasies—to dancing with her in reality. He almost thought he was still dreaming when he felt her put his arm on her waist and press herself against his body. When she began moving, he felt his lower region brush against her legs. His head fell forward as she whispered the timing in his ear. Her voice was low, husky and chastising, “Don’t look down; you’ll never catch the rhythm that way.”



Kagome felt the teen’s grip relax in her hand.

‘Good, he’s getting into it.’ She smiled at him.



Naoki allowed himself to relax. He knew the basics from his formal training as a noble. He just hated dancing. However, he was beginning to enjoy it as he felt the girl’s thighs pass over his crotch again. She was only slightly taller than him so it wasn’t an impossible fit. He delicately sniffed her neck. The scent of frost was so contrary to the warmth of her body. He couldn’t help but press himself closer to it. He brushed his erection against her experimentally and felt himself stiffen on contact. He gasped and stopped moving as he squeezed his legs together. His beast was awakening and if he didn’t get it to calm down, he’d end up taking the girl now—against the wall—hard and fast.



Kagome paused as she felt him freeze up. She put a hand to his forehead, it was warm and flushed. She pulled away but felt his grip on her waist tighten. She looked down and was about to ask what the matter was when she noticed it. She felt it more than saw it. She went still in his arms. If she stepped away, everyone would see his situation. He was at the point where it wouldn’t be hard to notice the bulge in his pants. She glimpsed his eyes, they were going pink already. She needed him to calm down or the dragon’s demonic side would emerge. It was her fault in the first place so she allowed the boy to pull her back in his arms. She continued the dance movements and acted as if nothing was wrong. She needed a plan to get out of this situation. Her eyes widened as he nuzzled his head into her chest. He gently thrust his hips into hers and let out a quiet moan.



Kagome wanted to moan too, ‘How do I get myself into these situations?’



Kayashima excused himself from the conversation and looked around for Naoki. The young water dragon’s hold on his beast had been getting worse and worse ever since they’d met the mysterious girl at the river. He finally spotted the boy and quickly evaluated the situation. Naoki’s back was rigid and the hair on his neck was standing up. Kayashima felt sorry for the girl caught in the boy’s grip.



‘But then again, maybe a quick romp will sooth the lad.’ Kayashima decided he’d help his guard find some shelter so the boy could vent his frustrations in private. The first floor library was nearby and had many free standing shelves that could provide cover. He could gently steer them toward it with some careful maneuvering.

The taiyoukai grinned as he stealthily crept up on them. Suddenly he noticed her kimono, ‘The same one as the miko’s,’ he shook his head. Though he’d been daydreaming during her introduction into the foyer, Kazuhiko had pointed her out in the crowd for him. However, he had yet to get a proper look at her face. ‘Poor Naoki has the worst luck with women.’ Kayashima couldn’t allow his underling to defile the most highly regarded human in demon history since Midoriko. ‘Better stop him, I guess…’



As he advanced toward them, they did a turn and he glimpsed her face. It was the same one as the girl from before. It was the same girl from the river. The troubled expression on her face alerted him to her thoughts. She knew perfectly well about her current situation. He let out a low growl at being in the same third wheel position as before. Before he could realize what he was doing, he had marched up to the couple and was pulling her away. He felt her body stiffen as he pressed her gently against his chest.



“Naoki, stop this foolishness this instant.”



Kagome watched as people nearby began to turn around at the taiyoukai’s raised voice. She wanted to huff with exasperation, ‘Great. Just great. History repeats itself.’

But this time she felt bad for making the boy dance with her in the first place. She watched as Naoki’s claws extended and his expression filled with a wild rage.

He growled loudly, “Give her back to m—“

Just then, Kagome slipped out of Kayashima’s hold and ducked down. She quickly took the weapon from her hair and whipped the chain out. She lashed onto the boys legs and with a good yank, brought him crashing down. He was still stunned so she took her time and walked over to him. She lowered herself and placed a hand on his forehead.



“I’m not the sort of thing you can get by asking nicely.”

Kayashima felt a faint pulse of power run through him. It was hot and confusing; it made his mind tingle and his vision whirl. A lesser demon would have fallen to his knees but Kayashima was a demon lord. He shook his head to clear it.



Kagome sent a feeling of complete and overwhelming exhaustion into Naoki’s mind and watched his eyes close.



She looked up and cursed. The Eastern lord had been far too close when she’d used her powers.

Kayashima felt a pair of cool hands on his face and opened his eyes. The girl he’d been dreaming of was directly in front of him. She looked upset and was asking him something. He couldn’t make out the words. ‘I must be dreaming,’ he thought hazily.



Without another thought, he clasped onto her and buried his head in her neck. He let out a throaty growl and licked the side of her face. He allowed his beast to bathe in her taste. Suddenly he came back to his senses. He could taste. He distinctly tasted the unique flavor of her skin, sweet and warm. He breathed in deeply and smelled the fresh, clear scent of snow-capped mountains and freedom. Kayashima hesitated before he slowly raised his eyes to meet hers. He cursed to himself, it wasn’t a dream.



Kagome was frozen. The feeling of the dragon’s warm and rough tongue exploring her neck and temple was shocking. It made her apprehensive and uncomfortable leaving herself open to attack. Her hands twitched, she wanted to strike out but suppressed herself. She watched him raise his head and their eyes met.



Suddenly the couple was ripped apart. Kagome found herself thrown into the arms of Inuyasha. She looked back and watched as the demon who separated them snapped at Kayashima.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” Sesshoumaru hissed.

The dragon could only gasp for air as he struggled to free himself. The dog had a tight grip on his throat.

Kagome moved to intervene but Inuyasha pulled her back. She frowned as she jabbed her elbow harshly into his stomach. The hanyou doubled over and she slipped out of his hold successfully.



“My lord, have you forgotten your promise?” She asked calmly. He had said he wouldn’t interfere in her affairs unless she was about to die. And she was far from dead. Did he think she was so weak?

Sesshoumaru coldly glared at her. He had felt her power sweep across the room and had gone to investigate. He had expected to find her fighting some lower demon but instead was greeted with the sight of his good friend and fellow lord in the act of wooing her. This girl was making a mess of everything.

Kouga coughed awkwardly, “Hey you guys, why don’t we all just calm down and—“ His mouth snapped shut when two pairs of icy glares landed on him.



Kazuhiko placed a hand on the wolf’s shoulder and smiled at them kindly, “Yes, why don’t we take this somewhere else.” He waved a few of his aides over, “And I believe this young man is in need of some assistance.” He gestured down to where Naoki lied, forgotten by the world on the cold, unforgiving floor.



Kagome inwardly winced; she’d been so caught up in the pace of things that she’d forgotten all about the guy she left on the ground. She looked around and found that everyone’s eyes were turned toward them. She turned back to Kazuhiko and nodded at him. It would be best to continue this elsewhere.

Sesshoumaru turned back and stared at the taiyoukai in his hands. He slowly relaxed his grip until Kayashima dropped out of his grasp. He didn’t necessarily need the dragon since the miko could provide any information he needed on the incident. He narrowed his gaze on the Eastern lord once more before he turned and followed after the girl.



Meanwhile, Shinji had sidled up next to Inuyasha. He sighed and shook his head at the sight before him. Shippo trotted up beside him. The kit tugged on his sleeve.

“Sensei, we should probably go along and explain some of this.”

“Yes I believe you’re right, Shippo. Let’s go.”



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



One hour and forty-five minutes later, Kagome was considering making a wild attempt at escape. Kazuhiko was finally stopped questioning her, resulting in a very awkward silence. She had spent nearly an hour relating the details of her first embarrassing meeting with Naoki and Kayashima. Then another hour, explaining the events that led up to an unconscious water dragon. All the while, Sesshoumaru stared out the window, not turning even once to face them. Shinji was seated next to her and hadn’t let his gaze leave Sesshoumaru ever since they’d walked in. Inuyasha, Shippo, and the rest of their group had decided to stay in the ballroom with Kayashima after making sure Shinji would take care of their friend. Meanwhile, Naoki was taken to the castle infirmary. Kagome sighed tiredly, why couldn’t she be unconscious?



Kouga ran a hand through his hair. Suddenly the wolf let out a loud bark of laughter.

Sesshoumaru turned to glare at the outburst.



Kouga muffled his laughter with his hand, “S-sorry! Ah-ha but don’t you think this is ridiculous? It’s just too funny!” He laughed again.

Kazuhiko chuckled, “It does sound like a very strange set of occurrences. I believe this entire incident was just a misunderstanding on our part. Please forgive us for bothering you, Lady Kagome.”

Kagome flushed with embarrassment and nodded her head. She wanted to get out of there. She apologized and hastily excused herself before exiting the room.

Shinji was about to follow when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.



“Shinji,” Sesshoumaru addressed his older step-brother, “what is going on?”

Sesshoumaru wasn’t a fool; something was off. Shinji, Kayashima, and Naoki; something was wrong with all of them. Even he, Sesshoumaru, felt something odd in himself. His beast was in unrest and foreign feelings of desire had arisen from his demonic side. It wanted the girl, badly enough that the inuyoukai would have fought tooth and claw with even Kayashima, a close friend.

Shinji looked at the other two lords and nodded, they had all realized something was wrong, even Kouga. The wolf had stopped his laughter and was now waiting patiently for an explanation.



Sesshoumaru continued, “Lord Kayashima isn’t the type of demon who losses his senses so easily.” He knew dragons kept a tight leash on their inner demons. Their beasts lived on raw power and instinct, they were difficult to maintain but the Eastern taiyoukai had mastered his control long ago.

Shinji nodded again, “You’re right.”

Sesshoumaru was quickly losing his temper. He wanted answers. NOW.



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

Thank you for reading, rating and reviewing. See you next time.

KPO4