Striking A Deal

A/N:Thanks so much for the great reviews. I love reading them, and look forward to reading more, so please keep them coming. I don't own IY.
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The small group awoke at dawn, and after a small breakfast, they were off again, looking for the elusive shards. All during the morning, the children had sung songs and recited nursery rhymes. Kagome could not help but smile at the childish voices that spoke in time with each other. It was one of the sweetest sounds she had ever heard. Glancing up at Sesshomaru, she could tell that he, too, was enjoying the pups's presentation. Sango and Miroku were ahead of the group, bickering about Miroku's latest fondling attempt. Kouga decided to walk in the back of the group. Of course, he told them that he wanted to make sure that they were not attacked from behind, but his true reason was to stare at Kagome's backside as she walked. He could not wipe the goofy grin off his face as he stared at the tasty treat that walked only a few feet in front of him. Jaken kept looking at his lord. He kept wondering why the lord was allowing the wolf to be so close to his mate while she was in heat. Even he, Jaken, had been swayed by the little vixen's call, and he hated humans. He grunted.

"What's wrong, Jaken? Does your tummy hurt?" Rin's sweet voice called to him.

Jaken shook his head. "No, human. My stomach is fine."

Kagome sent the toad a glare, and when he caught sight of it, he shrank back. He had forgotten that the new lady of the western lands was human as well.

Shippo and Rin squealed when they came to a small meadow and begged the adults to let them play. Kagome sighed, and nodded. Sesshomaru told everyone that they would be stopping for lunch and that Jaken would be responsible for the children's safety.

Jaken groaned. When would his hell be over? He lowered his head and walked to where the young ones had ran. Perhaps, they would leave him alone.

Kagome and Sango prepared lunch while Kouga and Sesshomaru went hunting. Miroku sat back and closed his eyes. It was a good time to meditate and he never wasted an opportunity.

When the two lords came back, they showed off their prize and watched as the women cooked the beast. Lunch was finally served, and the children were called. Kagome shouted for Rin and Shippo, but when they did not answer her, she told the others that she would be back. She went to the clearing and found Jaken asleep, mumbling about humans in heat and how he would make the human bitch bark. Kagome rolled her eyes and looked around for her pups. When she could not find them, she yelled at Jaken, startling the toad demon awake.

"Where are my pups, Jaken?" Kagome screeched.

Jaken looked around and paled. Was it possible that they had taken him up on his suggestion for a game? Kagome became frantic and told Jaken to start looking for them. She ran back to where the adults were and cried out for Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru, Jaken lost our pups. I found him asleep and he was mumbling something about making a human bitch bark and humans in heat. I didn't really understand it, but he lost my babies." Kagome cried.

Sesshomaru listened to Kagome and had to bite back a snarl. He knew exactly what Jaken was dreaming about. Apparently, so did Kouga. Both males stood up. They would find the children and then deal with the sick little toad. However, two little giggles stopped them in their tracks. Kouga approached a little bush and reached behind it. He pulled back and held in his arms the missing pups.

Kagome let out a squeal and rushed over to him. Grabbing her pups from the wolf, Kagome hugged and kissed both children. After she gave them her love, she presented them with her displeasure.

"Do you both realize the scare you put me through?" Kagome demanded.

Rin and Shippo's smiles faded. Looking at their mother, they could see the worry on her face.

"We're sorry, mama. We didn't mean any harm." Shippo said.

"Don't be angry at us. Jaken wanted to play hide and seek, so we went and hid." Rin explained.

"˜Ah-ha, now I understand.' Kagome thought. The nasty little toad told her pups that he wanted to play a game with them, and when they left, he took a nap. What a little creep. She set her pups down and started to walk to where she had left Jaken. Kouga grabbed her arm and gave her an evil smile.

"Want to teach the toad a lesson he won't soon forget?" Kouga asked.

Kagome and the others were speechless. Kouga grabbed two plates and told the children to follow him. He led them back behind the small bush and told them to be quiet. He handed them their lunch and ruffled their hair, telling them what good little pups they were. This brought a smile to Kagome's face and earned a glare from Sesshomaru.

After getting promises of being quiet from the pups, Kouga moved back to where the adults were. He told Kagome to go and get Jaken, telling him that Kouga had important information.

When Kagome and the toad returned, Kouga went into action. He wanted the toad to suffer. No one makes his Kagome upset and walks away without paying a heavy price.
"I wanted to let all of you know that I detected the scent of a strange youkai in the area. I don't think it would be a good idea to stay in this area for long. After we eat, we leave." Kouga told them.

Kagome caught on to his plan. "What about the pups? Jaken, did you find any sign of them?"

Jaken's knees were shaking. "No, my lady. I had closed my eyes for a moment, but they wandered off. I can't understand why they would leave without telling me."

Kouga's eyes narrowed. It was time to go in for the kill. "Do you think that they are playing a game? We have a game in my tribe where one pup will hide, and another will go and hunt for his location."

Jaken's throat began to constrict. He had offered to play hide and go seek with the pups, but his intent was to let them stay in hiding while he took a much needed break. What would the adults do if they found him out? "I don't know, my lord."

Sesshomaru had heard enough. He could tell that the toad was lying. He got up and stomped over to his pathetic retainer. "Jaken, we already know. Lord Kouga just caught you in a lie. The fact that your breathing changed after he asked you about the game tells me that the pups told the truth when they said that you offered to play a game with them.

Now, it was a well-known fact that when you are about to die, your life flashes right before your eyes. Jaken's life flashed, and he came to a decision. He was going to die a virgin. He had never tasted the sweet flesh of a woman, and had taken to using one of Rin's old dollies as a playmate (and not the kind of playmate that a child would have). He came to the fast conclusion that he had lived a very sad life, and the fact that he got to see himself humping a dolly was more than enough evidence to testify to that fact.

Kouga and Sesshomaru, both being taiyoukai's of great power, had the ability to see into other's minds. While Kouga was desperately trying not to laugh, Sesshomaru had to shudder. What he saw had ruined his appetite and had effectively killed his need for sex.

Kagome was staring at the male demons. Jaken looked as though he wanted to pee himself, Kouga looked as though he were going to go into convulsions, and Sesshomaru looked like he was going to be ill. She shook her head and went to the small bush and told the children to come on out.

Before too long, the quiet finally was broken and Jaken squeaked when he was yanked up by his lord.

"Tell me, Jaken. Exactly which human bitch in heat were you referring to while you slumbered?" Sesshomaru growled out.

Jaken turned from green to white. His lord knew that he had been dreaming about his mate. Jaken gulped nervously and found himself high into the air, looking down on the small party in astonishment.

Rin saw her Sesshomaru-sama throw her caretaker into the air, and squealed out excitedly, "Look, mama. Jaken can fly."

Kagome had to feel a bit sorry for the toad, but remembering that he had lost her pups killed all sympathy.

The small group gathered their belongings and loaded up Ah-Un with the supplies and children. When Jaken finally came back to Earth, he quietly joined the group and kept his eyes down. There was no way in hell he was going to do anything else to piss anyone off.

Soon, the group encountered the first of many demons that had possession of a jewel shard. Working together, Kouga and Sesshomaru made fast work of the demon. Kagome rushed forward and grabbed up the tainted jewel shard, purifying it on contact. It was a good day, and they had reclaimed a shard.
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Inu Yasha looked at the sleeping corpse. He finally had convinced her that he would not try to leave, and she had fallen asleep. When he was sure that she would not awaken, he silently got up, and made a mad dash for the forest. He traveled several miles, praying that she had not figured out that she had been tricked, and made his way far from her. He came to a small meadow, and took in a deep breath. He gave a small smile. Kagome had been here, and from the strength of her scent, they had left the area only hours ago. He followed the scent, and went in search of his friends, hoping that they will help him escape Kikyo.
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Night had fallen, and Kagome's scent had calmed quite a bit, relaxing the uptight males. Sesshomaru had found a location that held a spring, and he with the other males waited as the females went to bathe. More than once the monk had to be held down, preventing him from peeping at the women, and finally, Kouga rendered him unconscious. Never before had the wolf met a more determined hentai. He took many a beatings, but was never deterred. Had to give the man credit for his ability to take a blow.

After Sango and Rin were washed and dressed, they walked back to camp and told Kagome that they would tell the males that she would be along shortly. Kagome sighed and relaxed. She thought about her life and was happy to say that she finally knew what love really meant. She slipped out of the spring and reached for her towel. All of a sudden, Kagome was hit from the side, and taken down hard. She struggled against the offending weight and pushed it off of her. Once it was off, she got a good look at her attacker.

"What are you doing here, Inu Yasha?" Kagome yelled.

Inu Yasha stared at Kagome, his cheeks reddening at seeing her nude form. Kagome followed his eyes and shrieked. She grabbed her towel and was about to wrap it around her when a very fluffy object wound around her and hoisted her up. Kagome soon found herself crushed to Sesshomaru's chest, and felt his vicious growls before she heard them. She knew what was coming, and she had a feeling that Inu Yasha did as well. It was not going to be a pretty sight.

Kouga had followed Sesshomaru when they detected the stench of that damn hanyou, Inu Yasha. Now, both males stood side-by-side and were barring their fangs at the sad looking half-demon.

Kagome began to wiggle in Sesshomaru's grasp, earning herself a warning growl. That did it for the young woman.

"Sesshomaru, put me down right now." Kagome ordered.

However, instead of putting her down, he hoisted her up and over his shoulder, showing her naked backside off to all who had eyes. Kagome screamed her frustration and felt a stinging slap across her rump. Tears filled her eyes and she stopped struggling. Sesshomaru's nose picked up the scent of her tears and he sighed. He was trying to find out why his brother had approached his mate, and here she was, making a difficult situation even more difficult. He looked over and saw his half-brother's stunned gaze. Kouga followed the dogface's eyes, and had to rip his eyes away quickly. He had not realized that Kagome was naked and now she sported a very large and very red handprint on her beautiful skin.

Kagome had never been so humiliated before. She felt Sesshomaru lighted his grasp on her, and she quickly wiggled from his grip. She landed on the ground, and picked up her towel, slinging it around her body and then shot her mate a glare that would have terrified most, but all it did was cause Sesshomaru to blink. She stomped to where her clothing was, grabbed it up and went behind a bush. When she was dressed, she stormed past the stunned males, and didn't even glance back as she made her way to camp.

With her gone, Sesshomaru turned his attentions to his brother. "What do you want, half-breed?"

"I came to ask if I could join up with your group. Please, I can't handle what Kikyo is putting me through." Inu Yasha whimpered.

Kouga started to laugh. This was rich and he was here to witness it. "What makes you think that we would ever help you?"

Inu Yasha stared at the wolf. He had not even noticed Kouga's presence and now his humiliation was multiplied. "Look, all I want is to get away from Kikyo and I will do anything that you ask of me." Inu Yasha said, hanging his head.

Kouga looked at Sesshomaru. "This is going to be good. Let's go back to camp and show off our newest addition." Kouga exclaimed.

Sesshomaru nodded. It was time that Jaken had an assistant. He had to wonder how his brother would look in a maid's outfit. The prospect was definitely appealing. They led the poor hanyou back to the camp and announced that he was joining their group, the race was over.

Everyone welcomed the hanyou to the group, but Kagome remained silent. She was still upset and she could not face anyone at the moment. Sesshomaru grabbed onto her arm and hoisted her up. "Come, we need to speak." He said, softly.

Kagome followed him into the forest and stopped when he turned to face her. "Kagome, I apologize for upsetting you. However, I was dealing with a potential threat and you need to understand that I will do whatever it takes to make sure that you remain safe, even against my own flesh." He said.

"Does that include hitting me and humiliating me in front of your enemy?" Kagome asked, quietly.

Sesshomaru stared down at her, and saw the hurt look on her face. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He cringed when he felt her body convulse with tears. For a while, they did not say a word. He simply allowed her to cry into his chest. Yep, he would be paying for this mistake for a looooong time. When her sobs eased, he looked down, and found that she had fallen asleep in his arms. He sighed, and then picked her up. Looks like he would have to make his amends another night. He turned and walked back to camp, listening with interested ears as Jaken explained the role of assistant nursemaid. He broke out one of those rare smiles when he heard his brother say, "Feh." Yep, it was certainly going to be an interesting journey.
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Kikyo smiled into the night. Inu Yasha had done as she thought he would. Now, it was only a matter of time before he realized that she had once again tricked him. She needed him to see that he was not worthy of being loved and she would be the one to teach him. She would make him suffer and ultimately, she would drag him to hell with her. Let her reincarnation keep the cursed jewel, she wanted the hanyou to pay for her misery. She was finally going to get her revenge, and would play upon his honor to make him suffer. After all, it was looked down upon for a youkai or hanyou to leave their mate unprotected. Let the games begin.