Transition and Doubt

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Sesshoumaru leapt high into the air. When he came down, two large paws hit the ground, followed by two more. He immediately jumped into the air again, and ran through the sky. In his true form he ran after the miko. She now had a head start on him. With his keen eyesight he could see the raven black hair in the distance. She was moving fast across the tree tops. He could still feel her frantic aura, and how upset she was. It was up to him to calm her, and bring her back. Kagome would run in a straight line for a while, then take an abrupt turn. Her erratic running pattern was proof enough to him of her true state of panic. He would need to catch up with her quickly. She was quite a bit faster then he expected, and the chase gave rise to his natural instincts. Sesshoumaru had to admit that a part of this was exhilarating to him. For she, his betrothed, in this form brought out every inu-youkai instinct he had suppressed around her. If he was being truthful, this chase, in this form, was truly erotic, but he had to reign those feelings and instincts in.

As he gained more ground on her and came closer to her he could better she her youkai form. She was everything beautiful to him. Her black hair was glossy and smooth like in her human form, her soft feminine features were still very prominent in her true form, and her alluring scent was that much stronger too. A soft flame licked the bottom half of all four of her long legs. He was so intoxicated by her youkai form that he almost missed his move when she suddenly broke left. Sesshoumaru was having a very difficult time keeping his mind on the task at hand. He had never in his life seen such a stunning being. Everything about her was perfect in his eye. Her taking on a youkai form was just an added benefit to an already bewitching partner. Their offspring would be adored by all; each with a sharp wit and such magnificent features. The thought made the youkai lord shudder with excitement.

When Kagome pulled right again he was prepared and he greatly closed the distance between them. He was about to move in closer when she did something that he wholly did not anticipate. In one swift and elegant movement she turned completely around to face him. She poised herself to strike at him, and this threw him completely off guard. He had no wish to fight with her, and she didn't give any sign of this being playful in any way. He stopped before her keeping his body positioned in a dominate stature, but also showing signs of attentiveness. The female youkai eased for a moment, but abruptly lunged forward. She took a nip at his side as she flew past him and continued her escape from him. The inu lord paused for a moment then quickly turned to resume his pursuit.

Kagome's mind was wheeling and her heart was pounding. All of her senses were flooded with every sensation that she could conceive of. It was all so overwhelming. She ran without destination or purpose. All she knew was that she had to put distance between her and everything that now plagued her, even though she had no idea what they were. It was as if she was running blind. She would feel the tendency to suddenly and quickly change direction, so she did. In a matter of moments her whole world had been turned on its ear. The only thing she felt she could do was run; as far and fast as she could. Then she felt his presence. Sesshoumaru was close behind her. He was the last one she wanted to see right now. She was now desperate to get away, but he was too fast. The inu lord was gaining ground quickly. In a last-ditch effort to try to loose him she stopped, and turned to face him. When she felt his aura she became confused. With a half-hearted bite to his mid section she ran past him and continued her retreat from this new fate.

Her thoughts turned to Sesshoumaru's aura and what it may mean. It was so different then anything she had felt from him before. It felt as if he was demanding something of her. It felt overpowering and rough. He had never fully taken a dominant poise with her before, but she also knew that it had been something he had suppressed because she was human. He had always been careful with her, because he knew that if he let his instincts take over completely he would be likely to injure her. However, things were different this time. He was prepared to take control. It frightened Kagome, but it also sparked a strange feeling inside this new form. It only made things more complicated, and she desperately tried to push that feeling aside. Kagome's thoughts moved to the other feeling his aura conveyed to her. It was gentle and intuitive. Like he was asking for her to come to him. His aura was contradictory and at the same time it was what made sense. She wanted to throw herself into his arms with everything she had, yet she couldn't bear to be with him in this state. She didn't want to hear idle promises of fixing things, because she knew there was no fixing this. She didn't want him to change his attitude toward her. She didn't want him to leave her.

With those thoughts ringing in her mind she unconsciously slowed her pace. In seconds Sesshoumaru was on her. But the miko caught him just before he had the upper hand on her. She twisted quickly to avoid his paws coming down on her. Without thought of what or how, the black inu-youkai released fire from her mouth. The white inu dodged the obviously frantic attack. The two youkai fought mid air. The white inu-youkai's movements were smooth and fluid, and the black's was frantic and desperate. They moved back and forth, again and again, making it apparent that they had no real intension of hurting one another. Without warning the female youkai stopped and let out a mournful roar.

"You knew!" His youkai ears heard. "This is why! You knew this would happen!"

Sesshoumaru froze in place. He didn't know what she was trying to say. At any rate she was very upset. He tried to move in slowly to get close to her, but she stiffened and lunged for him again.

"I don't understand." He pleaded with her.

"You knew." She demanded. "You knew that this was going to happen to me."

"I had my suspicions." He admitted. "However, I was not entirely certain."

"Liar!" She roared angrily.

"Kagome, please." He pleaded again.

"No. You lied to me. You said you loved me. We made a pact together. All because you knew what I was becoming." Her voice trailed with anguish.

"That is not true. I do love you, and wether you are youkai or human makes no difference to me." Sesshoumaru's tone turned stern to emphasize the veracity of his statement. "My only wish is for you to be my lady and no one else's."

Kagome paused for a moment. Her mind clouded by anger and betrayal, but a small hint of love remained and grew with his words. Her mind became her enemy, and thoughts of the past and his former aversion to humans came back.

"How can you tell me such lies. You have always disliked humans, and now you try to tell me that's not true."

"Kagome you know the truth." He said simply. "If you truly believe that, you would have never accepted me in while in your human form."

With every word Sesshoumaru spoke her focus wavered. Her heart knew the truth, but her mind could not agree. Her body was at odds with itself, and that made it so much more difficult to sort through all the mayhem. Kagome's heart was pounding furiously and her mind was spinning out of control.

The black inu began to slow and tire from the scuffle. That's when the male took the advantage. He jumped in and clamped his teeth down over the scruff of her neck. The female suddenly froze. She began to whine and whimper as the two slowly descended from the sky. As they drew closer to the ground the two inu-youkai transformed into their human forms. The female was wrapped tightly in the arms of the male. Kagome was crying; tears streaming down her face. When they touched the ground her legs buckled and she slumped into Sesshoumaru's arms. Gently holding the woman he lowered them to the ground, sitting her down and pulling her into his chest. The miko cried harder into his strong embrace. Sesshoumaru shushed her softly and brushed her black hair with her fingers. With a great deal of care he pushed her hair over a softly pointed ear, which he couldn't help but run his finger over the edge. When her crying slowed, he pressed his lips against a dark blue eight-pointed star on her forehead for a gentle kiss. The stoic male had turned warm and gentle with the fragile woman in his arms.

When Kagome finally calmed down, she wiped her eyes but kept her face hidden in Sesshoumaru's chest. With a weak sniff she spoke.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was low and soft and he did not reply, but stroked her hair again. "I'm really confused."

"I know." His reply was so soft and gentle it made her tear up again.

Sesshoumaru tilted her head back with a gentle hand on her cheek. His fingers stroked her cheek as he stared intently into her eyes. A tear ran from the corner of her eye, which he stopped with his finger and wiped it away. The youkai lord cupped her face with his hand and rubbed his thumb over the edge of her lower lip. Kagome suddenly felt completely at ease, and her lips parted slightly in invitation to the powerful male that held her. Leaning in slowly he gave her a teasingly soft kiss on her lips. She pressed her hands affectionately against his chest to induce more. Obligingly he brings their lips together again with more fervor. When he pulled away he gave her lips an abrupt lick, leaving a taste of himself on her lips. Kagome immediately licked it away happily.

In complete silence he scooped her into his arms, enclosed them in his light sphere and they left the forest where they had fought.

A/N: Thank you all for being so patient for this next chapter. I wanted it to be longer but there was no way without it getting boring. I can't believe time has gotten away from me so much. I'm sorry for that. I plan to work harder to get chapters out on a more regular interval.