Hey guys, sorry for the horrible delay in updating again! I've really continued to struggle with my motivation to write despite really wanting to! But I hope I can at least get back to doing one or two updates a month! I'll be trying my hardest to do so! And I believe that I'll speed up the romance a bit in order to get to some really exciting and angsty stuff later! I think this fic will be pretty long honestly with lots of twists and turns! One question I have though is whether or not you all want it to have a happy ending or not? Because I've had several ideas in mind for happy and sad endings. Let me know in your reviews! And thank you to every one of you who reviews consistently! It really makes my day!

I do not own Inuyasha! All rights to canon characters, certain plot elements, belong to Rumiko Takahashi! I only own the plot and my own original characters!

Satori was positively fuming as she stormed down the corridors of the family wing of the shiro, her lips set into a scathing snarl. Only days prior the very male she wanted to claim for herself, turned on her and reprimanded her in front of the entire court, including her parents! As if that hadn't been enough, he'd done so to defend her despicable youngest sister, showing at least a marked fondness for her. Simply recalling it made her blood boil as poison began pooling in her claws, the dark thoughts in her mind centered around plunging her deadly natural weapons into her sister's very heart.

'How dare he even look at her when he could have me!'

She seethed silently, ripping open the door to her sitting room with such force that she very nearly crushed it from the force, before storming over to sit on a cushion positioned in front of the open door leading into the gardens. As she settled and attempted to enjoy the calm breeze in order to calm her nerves, her thoughts turned contemplative despite the malicious undercurrent to them.

Clearly she had to do something in order to put a stop to whatever was occurring between Touga and her younger sister. But what? What could she possibly do to put a stop to the growing affections between the two? More than that, how could she do so discreetly? So as not to draw attention to herself, or leave herself in a position to take the blame? Indeed, she needed to be crafty if she truly intended to do something, or rather have someone else do the dirty work for her.

That thought caused a wicked smile to spread across her delicately painted lips, showing sharp little fangs which gleamed in the soft light filtering in from the outside world. Perhaps the solution would not be as complicated as she initially assumed? For she did happen to know that her younger sister tended to leave the shiro often, disappearing into the forest with only her lone bodyguard Tokuhei to escort her. Perhaps she could take advantage of one of these excursions to have Kagome assassinated? If she played her cards right, it would be simple to play it off as if a rogue demon of considerable power - or even a small group of them could have brought about her sister's untimely end.

'Perhaps I should run this idea by mother…? If it were possible to dispose of Kagome so easily, surely she would be pleased?'

Oh yes, somehow she concluded that this course of action would most likely work in their favor if they were careful. However, with the growing closeness between Touga and Kagome, something would need to be done quickly, preferably before the Western Lord grew too enamored with her. Yes, time was of the essence she knew, after having watched the interactions between the two of them.

He rarely even came to spend time with her willingly anymore, which frustrated and enraged her to no end. Somehow, Kagome seemed to have him wrapped around her little claws, yet she seemed ignorant enough not to know it. Satori knew however, had known since the moment he turned on her so viciously in the dining hall.

She needed to do something quickly, and thus she beckoned a passing servant to summon her mother, before settling back on her cushion with an air of annoyance surrounding her.

'Hopefully I can put a stop to this before it is too late! Perhaps I can even come up with a more despicable act than simply killing her…?'

A wicked chuckle escaped her as different ideas flitted about through her mind. Oh the suffering she would ensure her sister went through would be glorious!

Each day continued to blend together, filled with more joyous encounters between Kagome and the male she was rapidly beginning to feel such strong affection for. They spent more and more time together, doing a plethora of things such as going for runs together in the forest, sitting and chatting in the gardens, and a time or two Touga had even seen fit to help with her training.

Oh those days had been exceedingly nerve racking to the little female, yet exhilarating in a way she never expected they could be! For who could boast about being on the receiving end of so much attention from such a powerful male? Let alone having his expertise and attentions focused solely on her - if only for a few brief moments?

On those days it felt as if she were ready to burst, to change and become something more than everything she believed, simply because he seemed to believe in her. Kagome wasn't foolish or naive however, despite receiving help from him she still had a long way to go, and in some ways she even wanted to put more effort into her training in order to surprise him should they ever have the opportunity to get away like that again.

Little by little, he was slowly worming his way into her heart, leaving her utterly enamored in such a small amount of time. She had no idea if the feelings blooming within her were reciprocated however, and thus kept them hidden away from the outside world, only to be thought of when she was truly alone. Sadly, her blissful state of being was bound to come back to bite her on the metaphorical ass, yet she hadn't the foggiest idea of any potential dangers for once.

At this moment in time, Kagome found herself gliding through the gardens alone, as Touga had yet to make an appearance this day. She couldn't help but to frown as a sense of longing overcame her, drawing a wistful sigh from her as she stopped beside the koi pond she'd frequented with Touga several times, folding her lavish blue kimono beneath her knees.

Dainty claw tipped fingers slipped beneath the cool surface of the water, startling the multi-colored fish ambling about beneath the rippling waves. Several darted towards the safety of the rocks near the bottom of the pond, their gaping mouths opening and closing in a rather amusing manner, eliciting a tiny smile from the somewhat morose female.

'I wonder when he will come? Hopefully it is soon, for I do not know how much longer I can wait.'

She sighed wistfully, glancing up at the bright rays of sunlight cascading down from above in translucent beams of radiance. A soft breeze saw fit to caress her raven locks then, whipping the raven colored streams about without a care, several brushing against her soft cheeks, her lashes brushing against them when she closed her beautiful sapphire eyes.

That was how Touga found her, nestled beneath a looming oak tree, her eyes closed in a peaceful manner as her hand idly moved back and forth through the cool water of the koi pond. His gold eyes widened ever so slightly as he took in her radiant visage, stunned into a moment of speechlessness whilst approaching her.

Her eyes snapped open upon her sensing his approach, lips twisting into an equally becoming smile when she spotted him finally. Happiness made her sapphire eyes sparkle like the more beautiful of gems, and her cheeks flushed a rather becoming scarlet when he finally reached her and settled down on the grass as well.

"Kagome." He greeted her politely, discreetly breathing in her delectable scent whilst watching her happy countenance.

"Touga." Kagome greeted in turn, her smile softening just slightly as she too took him in as her heart raced within her chest. So little time had passed and yet she could not stop the unadulterated excitement and even the adoration that she felt so strongly for him.

'I have truly doomed myself and yet… it almost does not seem as if it is so.'

"Did you spend time with Satori this morning?" She inquired politely after a moment of silence in which they simply stared at one another, though asking did pain her as it reminded her that he was not hers yet. Not explicitly at least. Her elder sister still had a chance to win him over, much as the thought saddened her to admit.

A rueful sigh escaped the powerful male, who nodded his head at the lovely female sitting next to him. "Indeed I did, though at this point I do not truly see a point in it. I find her mannerisms to be off-putting, and the fact that she shows no remorse for the things she says or does makes her less appealing. While she may have physical beauty in the excess, that is not all that is important in this world." He answered truthfully, silently thinking over every encounter he'd had with the elder female. While he did not hate Satori per se, he could not find it in himself to feel affection towards her given her behavior. All she had done was make snide comments and talk poorly about her father's court, the servants, and just about anyone else who saw fit to annoy her simply by existing.

Touga had noticed in his time here at the shiro, that she took after her mother a great deal in terms of her mannerisms. Even Atsushi was slightly less… cold and vindictive than the two most important females in his life, although he wasn't necessarily warm by any means.

Whilst he was lost in his own internal monologue, Kagome stared at him openly, perplexed and dare she say, excited by the potential meaning his words could imply. If what she was hearing was indeed true, it meant that he could be considering dropping his pursuit of Satori, which was unfathomable in every sense of the word, but had the potential to make a world of difference to her.

She knew that she should feel bad about the fact that her sister might get hurt by being rejected, or rather dismissed as a potential mate, but after all the years of taunting and belittling… it almost felt too good to care. A tiny voice inside her mind whispered of her selfishness, near taunting her with it, and yet again she couldn't bring herself to feel too horrible.

Satori would certainly not feel bad were she in Kagome's place, no quite the opposite.

Still, this turn of events did not mean that she was guaranteed to be chosen instead, the thought of which sobered her up quite nicely. Her gaze quickly drifted away from his profile then, landing on the still waters of the koi pond as she sighed and pulled her hand from its surface, folding it in her lap along with the other.

"I am sorry that her behavior is so abhorrent Touga, though I know that you and I are most likely the only ones who truly think of her so. Well, Tokuhei is of that opinion as well, but please keep that between us for his own safety." She hummed softly, stroking her pelt as the breeze ruffled it and pushed the soft strands against her face.

Touga looked at her then, pushing thoughts of Satori out of his mind for the time being as he took in his companion with an intense gaze. While he knew that his mind was not made up quite yet, he did know which direction he was leaning towards, and only an act of true repentance from the eldest daughter of the poison clan could ever truly redeem her in his eyes. Kagome however, required no such thing.

In the short time he had known her, she had shown more emotion than most youkai could ever hope to. And while in the eyes of some that could be viewed as a weakness, to him it only called to him like a siren's song, beckoning him towards the warmth and kindness the little female literally radiated as brightly as the stars themselves. Touga wanted more than a simple female to warm his bed, or even to produce an heir, but rather, he truly desired someone to love until the end of his days.

Being a youkai, a daiyoukai at that, meant that his days were almost always filled with bloodshed and battle, or the squabbling and deceit to be found in his own court. True companionship was rare, limited to a select few, and so far, never from a female that he could claim to love in a romantic sense. As such, he found himself lonely on many occasions, desiring nothing more than someone to walk through all his life with him.

That was the point of this endeavor… and he felt as if he may be getting close to achieving said goal. Only time would tell, and it was passing by rather quickly as well, drawing him closer to the little onyx inu sitting so near to him, and yet so very far away.

He forced those thoughts away and chuckled at her words, his eyes losing their somber hue as he continued to regard her. "Do not concern yourself with her Kagome, or even worry that I will speak of what is said between us in mixed company. Anything that we discuss will stay strictly between us." He assured her, though there was a twinkle in his gold eyes which made them gleam rather becomingly.

"Whatever is that look for Touga-sama?" Kagome stammered softly when she noticed the way he was gazing upon her. Part of her was always glad to be the center of his attention, yet the way he was gazing at her now made her feel somewhat wary of him. Not that she assumed he'd harm her, but obviously he found something amusing.

At that he chuckled and reached out to brush a stray lock of her raven hair behind a delicately pointed ear. "Oh nothing, I was simply enjoying the view.' He teased her whilst smirking, enjoying the way her cheeks darkened with yet another bewitching blush. After a moment or so he released her from his gaze, settling back slightly while resting his weight on his hands, which splayed across the grass beneath them.

'Must he tease me like this?'

Kagome bemoaned her good fortune, despite the fact that she was indeed being teased by the big male, it was not in a malicious manner. Quite the opposite in fact, she understood the implications and it made her heart race even faster if such a thing were possible. She was barely able to refrain from bringing her hands up to cup her flaming cheeks by twisting them together tighter in her lap, a delicate fang worrying her bottom lip.

Before anything else could be said however, the approach of a familiar youki aura drew both of their gazes towards the shiro just as Tokuhei stepped out of it. A decidedly disgruntled look was on his face as he approached them, which set Kagome on edge immediately. Her bodyguard rarely had cause to appear so agitated, meaning whatever was bothering him was likely somewhat serious.

She stood as he approached, as did Touga, though he lingered to the side while Kagome stepped forward to ascertain the cause of the disturbance. "Tokuhei? Is something wrong? I've not seen you looking so distressed in quite some time." Her tone was soft and concerned whilst addressing him, a frown tugging at her pale pink lips.

'Whatever could be distressing him so?'

For a moment he didn't seem inclined to answer her, and when he did it was with a great deal of frustration lacing his already gruff voice. "Your father and mother wish to speak to you in his study… alone." He emphasized the last bit as if disgusted by the very word.

This only alarmed Kagome even more, for it could only mean something less than pleasant awaited her. Yet, she could do no more than nod her acquiescence, before turning an apologetic look upon Touga, who appeared equally as annoyed as Tokuhei felt. "I apologize Touga-sama, but I must attend to this matter. If you are amenable, I will find you as soon as I am finished?" She asked hopefully, her bright blue eyes glimmering with barely concealed excitement.

"Of course My Lady, come find me as soon as you have finished with your parents." Touga answered solemnly, though he felt perturbed for whatever reason. As if something was going on right beneath his nose, yet he had no inkling of whatever it might be. His instincts were screaming at him to remain close to the female he was rapidly growing affections for, though in this case he knew he would have to respect the wishes of the Lord who's shiro he was currently guesting in. Thus he gently shooed Kagome off with a half hearted smile, barely resisting the urge to growl his annoyances at the world. "Go and then hurry back little one, I will await your return."

And with that dismissal, Kagome could dally no longer as Tokuhei briskly ushered her inside the shiro, leading her towards her father's study. He did not speak, nor even look back at her as they walked, and the stiff set of his shoulders belying just how worked up he actually was.

She had no further time to think on such things when they finally came to a stop outside of their destination, Tokuhei quickly stepping aside so that she could rap her knuckles against the door, something that quickly had her beckoned inside by her father's powerful voice.

"Enter!" No sooner had he shouted for her, the thin rice paper doors were pushed aside as she glided into the room, kneeling opposite of her father's desk in deference to him.

"You requested my presence father?" Kagome inquired softly, keeping her tone submissive and reserved. She did glance up at her parents from beneath her lashes, taking note of the smug expression on her mother's face, while her father seemed solemn - if not a little smug himself.

"Yes I did, for you see my daughter, I have something of great importance that I must discuss with you." Atsushi began in a somewhat neutral tone, not belying the fact that his mate and daughter had been the ones to hatch this scheme he now found himself embroiled in. He would do anything to secure Satori's future, even if that meant discreetly crossing the Western Lord himself by denying him what he clearly desired.

Frowning, Kagome straightened and stared at him with an uncertain look residing in her sapphire hues. "What is it that you wished to speak to me about father? Touga-sama was most displeased with my departure… and I wish to return to him soon." She stated boldly, more boldly than she ever dared speak in their presence before.

'Perhaps being around Touga is making me feel too safe? I have never spoken so to father and mother, for fear of the inevitable punishment I would face.'

She mused mostly to herself, though her eyes were trained closely on the two opposite of her, the word she'd spoken causing nearly identical frowns to twist at their lips. How she wanted to feel proud of herself for displeasing them for once, but something inside of her warned her not to get too arrogant or cocky. It wasn't in her anyway.

Hatsumi scoffed, drawing a stern glance from her mate, whom silenced her with a wave of his hand, before turning shrewd eyes upon his youngest pup. "I am aware my dear, however something has come up that is most pressing. You do recall our feud with the dragons of the North?"

A slow nod answered him, though Kagome's brows furrowed in confusion. "Yes father, of course I remember? They feel threatened by our kind and thus we have always been in conflict with them. However, I do not see how this concerns me directly?"

The confusion was indeed evident in her tone, making her appear somewhat impatient in fact. Clearly she saw herself as having no part in the subject at hand, and thus wished to flee back to the male who she so desired. Atsushi could not allow that, not after the lengths he'd already gone to in order to secure his course of action. Hence why he silenced her with a scolding look, before pulling a scroll out of his desk, one that was proof of his correspondence with a once despised enemy.

"Normally that would be true my daughter, however, I have been negotiating a peace treaty between the poison clan, and the dragons of the North." He began whilst unrolling the scroll atop his desk.

Kagome suddenly felt a swell of uncertainty and fear within her stomach. "I see… and this concerns me?" She asked again, sounding even more confused than before.

"Indeed it does, for you see, after corresponding with Lord Ryujin of the North, he has agreed to a peace treaty - at least with our clan. However, in order to solidify the treaty itself, he requested a political mating with one of my daughters. That is why I require your presence my daughter, for I have offered your hand to solidify this alliance."

Stunned silence followed his declaration, no one moving, not even the soft intake of astonishment one should expect from the little female who'd just found out that her father had offered her up to a dragon of all things… Her eyes had widened, filling with horror as she stared at the two with a slightly gaping mouth, struggling to find words with which to communicate her horrow. "W-What? Father you cannot be serious! Would you really renege on your agreement to let Touga-sama choose between Satori and I, thus tempting his anger, simply for an alliance with a dragon?" She breathed out in shock, her body near trembling with the thought of what would be done to her should such a thing come to pass.

Why was this happening now…? Why were they doing this to her?

She could not voice that, nor did she have a chance to do so when her mother suddenly appeared before her and raised a clawed hand to slap her across the face, tearing through her skin and ripping a pained cry from Kagome. "You will not question your father! You impudent, worthless pup! His word is law and you will never question him again, is that understood?" She snarled, her fangs bared in absolute rage.

For her part, Kagome could only cup her cheek as blood pooled between her fingers, fearful eyes staring upwards at her mother as she nodded, though inside she was slowly withering away from the anguish. "Yes mother…" She whispered despondently, her heart having been crushed and broken to pieces within a single moment.

'I will never recover from this…'

Her forlorn thoughts were never to see the light of day however, for when her mother stepped back into place, Kagome was left with the knowledge that there would be no escape for her. They had truly gone to great lengths to keep her from finding happiness, even going so far as to hand her over to a sworn enemy. She almost felt as if she would choke on her grief…

Atsushi hummed and glanced at the scroll, then looked back up at his trembling daughter. "If you truly understand then you must know that you are no longer to see Touga-sama in private. T'would most likely anger your soon to be mate when he arrives to claim you."

Despair made her throat feel as if it had tightened to the point where she could no longer draw in air, her eyes filling with tears which she fought to hold back. "Yes father, I understand…" She whispered, dropping her gaze so as not to see the victorious looks upon her parents faces.

"Good, now go and clean yourself up. Ryujin will be arriving in three days to measure your worth. Do not disappoint us by ruining all of our hard work." Atsushi commanded, waving his daughter out of the room without further comment.

Kagome was only too happy to scramble to her feet and dash out of said room, shooting past Tokuhei without a backwards glance. The thin hold she'd have over her tears dissipated and they began falling freely down her cheeks, mixing with the blood which poured down her skin and dripped onto the floor boards.

She eventually reached her room and collapsed atop her futon, sobbing loudly as pain consumed her. Despair, hot and blinding filled every fiber of her being as she fisted her claws in her pillow and cried, the sounds of which would break the hearts of anyone who passed by.

Tokuhei came to her side no more than a moment after she'd entered her rooms, kneeling beside her and stroking her hair in a calming manner, though he was seething himself. Knowing that Lord Atsushi had chosen to do something so underhanded as to hand his daughter over to a dragon, if only to prevent Touga-sama from being able to choose her over his favored daughter, did not sit well with him. And he knew without a shadow of a doubt…

It would not sit well with Touga either…

Things could very well get ugly, very fast…

Well guys I did say there were going to be twists in this story, and this is one of them! Don't be fooled into thinking that Satori and her mother have only thought of this as a means to keep Kagome from taking what they want, because it isn't. XD In fact they have a few other plans up their sleeves in case this one somehow falls through! Poor Kagome, she should've seen this coming. I feel bad for putting her through it but it has to happen! Anyway, leave a review if you'd like! I really enjoy seeing them! I may start working on the next chapter right away depending on how good the response to this one is! Hope you all have a good day! UvU