Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands

Note 1: History

I dug this one out of the vaults, and gasped at how long it actually was. This story was based off of a quiz I took several years back from quizilla. Re-reading it now, I know it needs a lot of work, but I'm willing to post it as it.

Note 2: MARY SUE WARNING

This story is a Sesshomaru x Mary Sue. Don't read it if you don't like those sort of stories. Also, its pretty out there, even for the Mary Sue realm. You have been warned.

Note 3: Copyrights

I do not claim any characters (besides Raelina) to be my own. They belong to Rumiko Takashi, Viz, and whoever else owns the rights. This is purely fan-made, and was not made for a profit. Please ask before posting elsewhere on the web.

As I lay here, trying to sleep, I hear the crickets outside, joyfully chirping to each other. They seem to never sleep, their music always echoing through the room, only after the lights were dimmed, and I had finally settled in for a night's sleep. I help tight to my Sesshomaru plushie, hoping against hope that he would protect me from the nightmares I'd been having lately. So, as I held his plush body close to my heart, I prayed for just one dreamless night. All I wanted was one night that didn't end with me screaming, waking up in a cold sweat, and not being able to go back to sleep till dawn.
"Please, Sesshomaru, protect me. Let me sleep well tonight," I whispered, closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.
There I stood, in the middle of the forest, fog rolling in around me, and noises from every horror movie I'd ever seen echoing in the background. I backed myself against a tree, so I knew nothing could attack me from behind. Someone snapped a twig under foot, and I jumped sky high. I started running, panicking. My heart was beating out of my chest, and my breath was running away from me. I couldn't feel my legs as they moved involuntarily, carrying me further into the darkness. I heard footsteps from behind me, picking up speed as I ran, trying to catch me. I never once turned around to see just who or what was following me, and I wasn't watching where I was going. My only concern was getting away. My foot caught on a tree root, and down I went, screaming and throwing my arms out in front of me to break my fall. I hit the ground, the twigs and leaves tearing at my flesh, the ground staining my kimono. I tried to stand up, hoping I could still get away, but my ankle had other plans. It decided that I would have to stay there, under penalty of pain, until whatever was chasing me caught me, and tore my heart out and ate it. My face was tear stained and frozen in fear as the figure kept getting closer to me. I tried to hobble from my post, and as pain shot up my leg, I let out a shriek, and collapsed to the ground. Then I heard it. Menacing laughter rang through the trees, and a red blur ran around me. I squeezed my eyes shut, not entirely ready to die. I felt something pierce my chest, and warm liquid flowed onto my skin, staining my kimono. I gripped at the object embedded in my body, and it shredded my hands as it was removed from me. I opened my eyes, knowing I was at death's doorstep, wanting to know who had dealt me the last card in the deck. A pair of blood red eyes met mine, his silvery hair trembled in the wind and his mouth was twisted in a menacing snarl.
"Inu...Inuyasha?" I whispered, not believing my eyes. Inuyasha was my murderer? It couldn't be. As my heart stopped, I feared not for my life, but the life of my best friend, Kagome, who would be his next target if she wasn't warned.
I sat up in the darkness, my forehead moist with sweat, trying to catch my breath and my heart thumping uncontrollable in my chest. I peered into the darkness, feeling like someone was watching me from somewhere in the gloom. I didn't see anything, so I went back to trying to bring myself back to normality. I hugged my Sesshomaru tightly, hoping that he'd assuage my fears. I laid back down, pondering whether or not to give Kagome a call, wondering which side of the well she'd chosen for her bed tonight. I closed my eyes, hoping she wouldn't mind me calling this late. I couldn't just drop this, not this time. Before I could open my eyes and find the phone, a felt a hand on my cheek, wiping away the last traces of tears. Soft and silky to the touch, the flesh brushed against mine, cool and calming as it did its duty. His scent gently drifted on the air, defined and unmistakable, but yet I couldn't place it. I didn't know whether or not to look at the person, wondering whether it was just a dream or reality. When I felt the bed dip under the weight, I realized it might be a good idea to find out exactly who decided to come into my bedroom after I'd fallen asleep. I slowly opened my eyes, and gazed at the man sitting next to me on my bed. As I absorbed his appearance, a sudden realization hit me. His silvery hair floated over his shoulders, half exposing his pale face. His amber eyes stared out from under his hair, with a concerned look on his face. His kimono sleeve brushed my skin, as he retracted his hand from my space. Two slashed caressed his cheeks, maybe battle wounds from long ago, and a crescent moon imprinted itself on his forehead. I couldn't tear my eyes from him. Then my face turned a slight red, and a name clicked in my head. Sesshomaru. I tried to hide the stuffed likeness in my arms from his sight, but he reached over and carefully plucked it from my grasp. He sat there, staring at it from a few moments, and my blush deepened. I had realized how I was holding it when he took it from me, and I almost fainted. I was laying there, clutching the stuffed and chibi version of the man sitting next to me as close to my heart as I could. Then I remembered what I was wearing, making my blush ever darker still. Under the covers I was clad in a black silk nightgown, as low cut as it could be while still covering what it should. One of the shoulder straps had fallen off the shoulder, and the other spaghetti strap held its position tightly. I quickly grabbed at the covers, trying to conceal my appearance. His claw came to my shoulder, gently sliding the stray strip of fabric back to its place. He quickly withdrew his hand, and stared at me, confused. I guess he felt my trembling. I couldn't help but be afraid. I had heard so many storied about him from Kagome, about how he had tried to kill her and Inuyasha, and the like, so what was I supposed to think? I took a breath, trying to still myself and gather my thoughts. He reached over, and took hold of my hand, causing me to jump out of my skin. He brought my palm to his lips, and delicately pressed them against my hand, never taking his gaze off me for a moment. My eyes went wide, and my mind raced. Then, he returned my hand to my side, and disappeared out the door. I sprang out of bed, threw my robe over my shoulders, and tried to get to him before he left, but he had vanished into the darkness. I brought the hand he kissed to my cheek, and a smile crept over my lips. He wasn't as bad as Kagome made him out to be. I headed back to my room, knowing that tonight was going to be the best night ever, if I could get back to sleep. I'd call Kagome in the morning. If it was only a dream, I never wanted to wake up from it. I crawled back into my bed, sighed, took hold of my plushie and drifted off to blissful sleep.
Then next morning, we I woke up, I couldn't tell if what had transpired was real or not, but I wasn't upset. Either way, I slept like a baby afterwards, so it all turned out for the best. I went to my closet and found some clothes for today. A simple black skirt, short enough to get the point across, but long enough to cover everything, accompanied by my favorite black combat boots and fishnet stockings. My top was blood red , covered by a black leather duster jacket reaching down to mid calf on my legs. A slip of paper in the pocket caught my attention, so I retrieved it, opened it and read.
"Hey, The Matrix called, and they want their jacket back! Tsukasa, you little twerp," I said, crumpling up the note and throwing it to the garbage. Once again, my step brother had come into my room uninvited and gone through my things. Luckily, he'd left last week, so I didn't have to worry about him anymore. Mom and step dad had gone home, leaving me to my own devices again. Finally. I was getting really tired of the unannounced visits, but I couldn't tell mom that. So, after I put my hair up in a ponytail, I grabbed my backpack and headed off to school, hoping that this week was Kagome's off week…or should I say her on week. One week a month she decided that it was time to attend her classes, and since I had the same schedule as her, I'd take notes for her the rest of the time. She's just lucky that this university doesn't care about attendance. I waited at her locker for as long as I could before the class started, and finally realized that she wasn't coming this week. Great, the one week I really needed her to be there. I headed off to class, still wondering the reality of the previous night, and didn't notice that there was no one else sitting in the lecture hall. When I finally snapped out of my daydream, I remembered something: we were on vacation. There was no classes for a month while they renovated the buildings.
"Wow, you sure spaced this time," I said to no one in particular as I headed off to Kagome's house. As I stepped onto the grounds, something told me that Kagome was down the well again. Who wouldn't be? Even so I knocked at the door.
"Hi. Kagome's not here," her little brother said, going back to his video game.
"Any idea when she'll be back?"
"Does anyone ever know?" he said, never looking away from the screen. I smiled, knowing for sure now where she was. I headed to the well house, and down the stairs to sit on the edge of the Bone Eater's Well and wait. Hopefully she would come back so I could talk to her about last night. I leaned back, resting my head against my backpack, and I heard a faint sound, like someone humming, from the bottom of the well. Of course, me being the curious cat I had always been, I had to jump down and investigate. I started sinking into the ground, and before I could do anything about it, a blue void swallowed me.
"Hopefully this is what's supposed to happen…damn it, where's Kagome when you need her?" I thought out loud as the ground came up beneath my feet. The touch of the rain made me jump, its soft tears falling against my skin. I grabbed at the green vines hanging in front of me, and pulled myself out of the hole. Looking around, I burst into laughter.
"I did it!" I yelled as loud as I could, hoping to get Kagome's attention. I couldn't help but dance, seeing as though I had wanted to go with Kagome countless times to her feudal world, but she always said it was too dangerous, and that I couldn't get through without a shard of the Shikon Jewel. Well, I was sure I didn't have a jewel shard on me, and yet somehow I got through! I heard a low growl emanate from the woods behind me, and I quickly turned around to face whoever had snuck up on me.
"Oh, its you," he said, letting his hand fall from the hilt of his sword to his side.
"Hello to you, Inuyasha," I said, still smiling.
"How did you get here?"
"I have no idea!" I said, trying to absorb my surroundings, in case I got lost while I was here. He started walking off back into the depths of the forest, and I figured I should follow him, cause sooner or later he's bound to get back with Kagome, and voila! My destination has been met. As we neared a hut, my hand brushed against a plant, and I let out a quiet yelp.
"Damn bush!" I said, sticking my finger in my mouth.
"What?"
"The bush bit me," I said, a half smile on my face, but I guess he didn't think it was so funny as he tore the bush out of the ground. He looked around for a moment, then glared at me. Turning his back again, he headed forward., and I followed. As I took as step into the hut, and before I knew it, I had a Kagome squeezing the air out of my lungs.
"What are you doing here?" she asked me, finally letting me breathe for the first time in minutes.
"Well, I was waiting for you on the other side of the well, but," and I filled her in on what happened to me since then. She looked at Inuyasha, who was distracted with a butterfly out the window.
"So, what did you wanna talk to me about?" she asked, sitting down in front of the fire to go through her bag.
"Well, remember that plushie I made a while back of…" I said, letting the name remain silent.
"Yeah…" she said, watching Inuyasha for any reaction.
"Well, I don't have it anymore…"
"What happened to it?" she asked. She knew I loved that thing.
"Well, it was taken from me last night. By…um…him."
"Him who?"
"Him…him…the plushie…HE was in my room…"
"What? He can't…
"Well, he did. He came in, woke me up by accident…and…"
"And what?"
"He…kissed…me," I said, with a sigh in my voice. I knew I was sounding like a junior high girl, but I don't care. He was hot. End of story.
"There's no way! He wouldn't do that!"
"What are you two talking about?" Inuyasha asked, really confused. Kagome looked at me, waiting to hear what I would say. Now, in my mind, a million topics came up, but for some reason, I just couldn't lie to him.
"Sesshomaru. He visited me last night."
"Ha ha ha ha. Yeah, right. That's funny!" he said, actually laughing at me.
"I'm serious. He was there last night. He woke me up." Inuyasha stiffened up quickly.
"Well, here's your chance to prove me wrong," he said, his hand falling to the hilt of his sword again. Sesshomaru stopped at the door, and slowly came inside. When he saw me, a mixture of confusion, relief and worry clouded behind his eyes, though he was doing his best not to let it show.. I didn't say a word, a little scared of what would happen. He looked at my finger, and came over to me. Inuyasha stepped between us, growling at his brother.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he snarled. Sesshomaru disappeared, and took my injured hand from behind me, looking at the blood dripping its way down my finger and across my palm. His thumb wiped it away, and he beckoned to a little girl, who came running in after him. He tossed my hand to her, and she bandaged my finger for me.
"Thank you," I said, and the biggest smile I'd ever seen appeared on her face.
"Answer me Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha snapped, growing more irritated as the moments passed. Sesshomaru glared at him, then turned to the door.
"Sesshomaru?" I started, catching everyone in the hut off guard, even myself. He turned to face me, his gaze softening.
"Last night…were you really there?" I asked, knowing how stupid I must sound in his mind. He let his expression break from stone sober to let a small smile through. The little girl standing next to him, I finally noticed, was holding the plushie that I made. Kagome noticed it too, and pointed it out to Inuyasha. He sniffed the wind for a moment, and crossed his arms over his chest. I repeated myself, still waiting for an answer from Sesshomaru, but he just turned around and left.
"Well, that answered my question," I said, smiling again.
"Wow, I'd never have thought…wait, how did he get through?" Kagome asked, puzzled, "And I'm still wondering how you got through…"
"I don't know how, but I did…however it happened, it happened, and now's not the time to be dwelling on that. I'd rather dwell on what just happened. That little girl had my plushie!"
"Her name's Rin," Inuyasha said, finally sitting down next to Kagome, "and he's gone…for now."
"Well, she was cute…is she his daughter?"
"I don't know…she kinda just showed up with him one day…" Kagome said, " Another thing to ponder."
"Is he always that talkative?"
"Sometimes even more than that, " Inuyasha said, going for Kagome's backpack. His claws dug through her bag, until they found the cup ramen, and handed the cup to Kagome.
"Where does he stay?" I asked, listening to the rain still pitter-pattering on the roof. No one answered me, and I headed out the door. Kagome came running after me.
"Where are you going?"
"If no one knows where they're staying, they could be out in this weather. That's going to wreak havoc on Rin's health." Kagome stopped for a moment, but sensing my determination to find him, nodded, and went back inside. I ran off in the direction that they headed. Once out of the village, I stood there hoping that I could see them.
"What am I thinking? How will I ever find them now?" I asked myself. Then I scared myself.
"They're about five miles to the north." I heard in my mind.
"What the hell? I'm answering myself now? Not good," I said, hoping that this time no one talked back, and luckily no one did. I started walking to the north, I hoped, and following that voice as it told me where to turn. As I neared a cave, I heard a sneeze from within. I ran in there to see Sesshomaru holding Rin next to a warm fire, with a green toad standing guard. When the toad saw me, he called for Sesshomaru, but I just pushed past. I saw down next to the fire, and started taking things from my bag. I handed Rin the sleeping bag I packed, and she buried herself under it. Sesshomaru just watched me carefully. I took a towel out and started drying my own hair off, knowing that the fire was for them and not me. Rin sneezed again, and I handed her a handkerchief, and she smiled even more.
"Thank you miss!" she said, and I smiled back at her.
"Its no problem. I thought you could use some help."
"We needed no help." Sesshomaru said, finally putting Rin down.
"She's sick."
"I was handling it."
"And what were you going to do if she got worse?" I asked, my hands on my hips. I get that way when I get frustrated. Somehow, I totally forgot the fear that I knew was building up inside my soul, and stood up to him. A small smile started across his face, but was quickly ended. He leaned back against the cave wall, and I started drying her off too. She curled up in my lap and drifted off to sleep, and I smiled. She reminded me of Tsukasa, when he was younger, and less annoying. Whenever he was sick, I was asked to stay home from school and take care of him while mom worked, not that I minded. It got me out of school, and got him back in school faster. He'd have me tell him a story as he crawled into my lap and fell asleep. It was the one time that I can remember feeling proud to be a big sister. Sesshomaru just watched me, as I brushed her hair out of her face. She started tossing and turning, and Sesshomaru tucked the plushie under her arm, and she calmed down instantly.
"She really likes that, huh?" I asked. He slowly nodded, never taking his eyes off of her. I leaned back using my arms to prop me up, closing my eyes and listening to the rain pounding on the ground outside.
"Why did you come here?" he finally asked. I didn't answer right away, not really knowing myself.
"I thought you might need some help. With the rain and all." He slid closer to me, and brushed his claw across my face.
"Go home," he finally said. I looked up at him, and took a breath. Those feelings of fear started creeping up on me again.
"No." He just stared at me.
"Girl, heed Lord Sesshomaru's command! He would kill you where you stand, if he weren't being as merciful as he is!" the toad hissed at me. A wave of fear swept over me, and again, I fought not to let it show.
"Jaken, leave us," Sesshomaru said, and the toad nodded and left the cave to sit in the rain outside. Sesshomaru reached over and took Rin from my lap, and laid her on the floor on the other side of the fire, then disappeared. I felt someone grab my wrist, causing me to fall back. As I landed, I came face to face with the demon. He threw his leg over my body straddling me, and leaned in close. I turned my face to the side, feeling more than a little uncomfortable in this position, and out of the corner of my eye, I swear I saw him smile. My heart was in my throat, and I could feel his breath upon my cheek.
"Who are you?"
"My name's Raelina," I said, still refusing to look him in the eye. His hand pulled my chin towards him, and his lips thrust against mine. I have never been kissed before, but I knew that this was no ordinary kiss. There was so much passion behind it, but I was so startled that I tried to pull away, to no avail. He pressed his body against mine for a moment, then quickly got up and let me go.
"It doesn't matter. Leave!" he commanded, but I didn't move. I was frozen, partly out of fear, and partly out of shock. He grabbed hold of my long hair and pulled me up. I tried not to scream, so I wouldn't wake Rin, but she opened her eyes and stared at Sesshomaru. He pushed me towards the opening, and glared at me.
"Where are you going miss?" Rin asked, and I just smiled at her.
"I'm just going for a walk, Rin. Don't worry about me. Just go back to sleep, okay?"
"Okay, miss," she said, as she laid back down, and closed her eyes. I closed my eyes too, and headed back into the rain.
"What the hell was that?" I asked myself as I headed off in a random direction. This time no one answered me.
"What, now that I've been completely humiliated, you won't talk to me? Is that it? Fine, be that way!" I shouted. Hours of trudging through the wet rain and the sticky mud took its toll on me, and I finally sat down under a tree and fell asleep.
Soft rays of sunlight pushed their way through the branched and leaves of the tree I sat under, dancing across my face and waking me from my sleep. I sat up and almost screamed in pain. My whole body ached, and I was soaked to the bone. Forcing myself to my feet, I took a look around, and wanted to die. Not even ten yards to my left was the Bone Eater's Well.
"You mean to tell me…fuck!" I swore, kicking the tree I was sitting under, then I swore again at the pain. I limped towards the well, and as I sat on the edge, I heard Kagome's voice calling for me.
"I'm over here," I answered, and in an instant both her and Inuyasha were at my side.
"Where have you been all night?" she asked, and I pointed at the tree, a sneeze pushing its way out of my nose.
"I ended up sleeping under there, cause I couldn't see very well in the rain. "
"You never found him?"
"No, I found him," I told her. Kagome wrinkled her brow, and I told her without much detail what happened. I kept my eyes to the ground or on Inuyasha the whole time. Kagome understood, and sent Inuyasha off to find everyone else, cause they hadn't been seen in a long while, while Kagome took me home.
"What did he do, really?" she asked once I got out of the well.
"I'd rather not talk about it. Let's just say that I don't think he'll be stopping be any time soon," I said, a half smile painted on my face.
"Do you want to stay here tonight?"
"No!" I exclaimed, the memory of what he did to me still a fresh wound in the mind, "I want to get as far away from here as I can, okay. No offense to you."
"I totally get it. No problem," she said, driving me home.
No sooner than my head touched my pillow was I asleep. I didn't remember any dreams that night, thankfully, but when I woke up, it was pitch dark. I got up, and fumbled for the light switch, which didn't seem to be working.
"Great, just what I needed. A blackout," I said, as I headed for the window. As I opened the heavy crimson curtains, I saw that the window was open.
"That's odd. I never leave the window open when I leave." I closed it. When I turned back to my bed, I nearly jumped out of my skin. There sat the silver haired brute, starting at me.
"What are you doing in my room?" I demanded, and he stood up and came to me. He dropped my backpack at my feet, and reached out for me. I slapped his hand back towards him.
"Thank you for returning my bag, but after the stunt you pulled, don't you dare touch me," I said, trying to stay calm. This guy was really getting on my nerves. The longer he was in my room, the more pissed off I got. How dare he come into my room, uninvited, and expect me to be okay with it? He just held his emotionless gaze, and I couldn't look away for some reason. He ran his finger across my cheekbone, and I finally had enough. I grabbed his hand, and pulled it away from me. Then, my foot met his loin, and he flinched.
"Leave!" I said, trying to mask my pain. That little kick seemed to hurt me more than it hurt him. My ankle had twisted sideways as it made contact with him, and I had heard a crack. His eyes narrowed at me, and he grabbed me around the waist. No amount of struggling freed me from his grasp, and he hoisted me over his shoulder.
"Put me down, you bastard!" I screamed, still trying in vain to free myself.
"Unless you want me to drop you," he started, jumping toward the sky, "stop struggling." I looked down, and decided that this was the time to listen to him. When he finally touched ground again, we were outside Kagome's house again. He opened the well house door for me and beckoned for me to go in. I just stood there, glaring at him.
"You expect me to go back there, with you no less, after how you treated me. I don't think so!" I said, heading for the house. As I unlocked the door, I heard him start towards me, so I just went inside, and locked the door behind me. I ran to Kagome's room, and luckily, she had stayed home, so I quickly woke her up and explained the situation. Just as I had finished my story, the sound of wood splintering echoed through the house. I peeked out her bedroom door, and saw the front door go flying, and Sesshomaru walking inside.
"He doesn't give up, does he?"
"Never."
"Damn it." I asked to borrow a few changes of clothes, and few other things I' knew I'd need, and as Sesshomaru opened Kagome's door, I put the last thing in my bag. He grabbed hold of my hand gently, and stared into my eyes again. Those amber eyes entranced me, mystified me, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't pull myself from their gaze. There was something about them. Maybe it was the mystery about them, their ability to hide whatever emotion he had behind a stone wall. Picked up my bag, and threw it over my shoulder, as he led me back to the well, and waited for me to enter.
"What, you're not coming with?" I asked, and for a moment his eyes softened. He carefully lifted me over the edge of the well and jumped down, never letting go of me. As we touched ground, he jumped out, with me still in his arms, and started off towards the cave again. I had to admit, I did like being carried, and it was a plus that he was as gorgeous as he was. I rested my head against his shoulder, my hand on his heart, and as we neared the cave, he threw me to the ground. As I landed with a thud, I winced in pain. My ankle was still sore, so I figured I had actually sprained it. He kept walking to the cave, and as he entered it, I could hear Rin's voice.
"Lord Sesshomaru! You're back!" she said. I started crawling through the mud on the ground to get to the cave myself, knowing that it was the closest shelter I could find. As I came to the opening, Rin came running towards me to help me inside.
"Are you okay, miss?" she asked, and I smiled.
"Yeah, I'm fine. And, my name's Raelina." Her eyes lit up, and she threw her arms around me.
"I'm so happy you came back, Raelina!" she said, smiling up at me. I picked her up, and she curled up in my arms.
"Can we keep her, Lord Sesshomaru?" she asked, putting her cutest charm into practice, "I really like her, and she can take care of me while you're away," she reasoned.
"What am I now, a pet?" was all I could think, but I didn't dare say anything about it.
"Fine," he said, putting the fire out and gathering the few belongings they had. Rin jumped down from my arms and grabbed the plushie I made, and took hold of my hand.
"Its time to go home, Raelina," she said, leading me after Sesshomaru, off into the forest. All along the way, I played with her, trying to keep my own mind off the prospect of me being owned, and every once and again I caught Sesshomaru's gaze.
"Jaken, take Rin home. We'll be there momentarily," Sesshomaru said, stopping in his tracks.
"Don't hurt her, Lord Sesshomaru," Rin called as she was led off by Jaken. Sesshomaru watched them disappear out of sight, then turned his attention to me. I looked him dead in the eye, holding my ground as he came up to me, and paced around me. His one hand came to rest on the back of my neck, and the other around my waist, pulling me into his embrace. His breath tickled my neck, sending shivers down my spine. His lips met mine, and after a moment, his tongue found its way between my lips. My eyes shot open at that, and he pulled back.
"Do what you are told and I shall have no reason to kill you," he whispered into my ear, then let me go. He started walking off in the same direction that Rin and Jaken went, and I stood there, lost in thought. I must have blacked out, because the next thing I knew, I was laying on a soft bed, with the blankets pulled to my chin. I sat up, and found that my bag was sitting on the floor, next to the bed. The door opened, and Rin came running in and pounced on the bed.
"Good morning, Raelina!" she said. I smiled, and hugged her.
"How did I get in here, do you know?"
"Lord Sesshomaru brought you in here last night and said not to disturb you till the morning. Breakfast is almost ready, so get dressed!" she said, and bounded out of the room. I went for my bag, but just as I opened it, something caught my eye. Laying across the foot of the bed I slept in was a blood red kimono with silver stars falling fro the waistline to the hem, with a belt of black, and a matching hairpiece.
"Try it on. What harm will it do?" the voice in my head.
"Oh, so now you're talking to me? Where were you the other night?"
"Just try it on!" the voice screamed, causing my head to throb. I slid into the kimono, loving the feeling of the smooth silk against my skin. Affixing the hairpiece in my hair, Rin came running in to tie my sash, and to lead me off to the breakfast table. I sat down and just looked at the table, piled high with all the delicacies of the time, but I wasn't hungry. Sesshomaru sat down across from me, just watching as I slid my eggs from one side of the plate to the other and back again.
"Eat," he said, but I decided to ignore him. He glared at me, but didn't say a word until Rin ran off to go find Jaken.
"I thought I told you to do as you are told."
"And I'm sorry, but I won't be treated as a slave, or a pet," I said calmly, getting up from the table to go find Rin.
"Sit down," he commanded, and again I disregarded his words. He jumped in front of me, raising his claw to my throat.
"You don't think that scares me, do you?" I asked, fed up with death threats,. I took hold of his wrist and pushed it harder against the flesh until it drew blood. A mixture of surprise, confusion, and a sliver of pain crossed his face, and for once he didn't try to hide it. I smiled, feeling the blood slowly run down my throat. His other hand came up to wipe it away.
"Now I know," he said, letting his hands drop to his sides, and he turned to leave.
"Know what?" I asked, knowing that its what he wanted to hear.
"I know that you'll protect her." I just shook my head and watched him walk off into the castle.
"Who does he think he's fooling?" the voice asked.
"I have no idea. Wait, what?"
"He's a big pushover when it comes to Rin. Just keep her on your good side and he can't do anything to you."
"I don't care if he does anything. Didn't I just prove that?" I asked her, and she just laughed at me.
"I know what you were thinking. You were scared shitless after you drew your own blood."
"So what?"
"Just go find Rin." So I headed off, still not knowing why I trusted that mysterious voice inside of my mind's caverns. I joined the little girl in the garden, and stayed with her for hours. I almost forgot that I was a captive while I was playing with here. Something about her made me so calm, so carefree that I almost didn't want to leave her. When I had finally tired her out, I carried her to my room and put her in the bed.
"Raelina?"
"What is it sweetie?"
"Will you be my new mommy?" she asked, and I sat down next to her on the bed.
"What?"
"I want to you be my new mommy. Can't you and Lord Sesshomaru stay together so you'll never leave?"
"Sweetie, why don't you just get some rest, okay?"
"But," she argued, pleading with me through her eyes.
"No buts. I'll still be here when you wake up, and we'll play some more, okay?" She nodded, and fell asleep.
"Since when are Sesshomaru and I together?" I asked the voice.
"Since he brought you here, I guess."
"Hey, do you have a name, or should I just call you hey you?"
"My name's not hey you, it's Audra."
"Well, Audra, why are you in my head? I liked it when it was quiet up there," I said joking. I had to admit, now that I had someone to talk to, it wasn't so lonely being me.
"I know what you're thinking, so don't even pull that with me," she said, and I nodded.
"Fine, then I'm just going to think to you from now on."
"That's alright with me. You won't sound so crazy that way." I left my room, letting Jaken know where she was and to look after her, and I went to explore the castle. Room after room was luxuriously furnished with beautiful paintings adorning the walls, kimonos hung for display, and a vase of flowers behind every door I opened. Every door at least, till I came to the east end of the castle. Those rooms were musty, barely furnished and in need of some repair. There were at least three or four servants in each room, and as soon as the door to their room was opened, they sprang up, asking what I wished them to do. Finally, I found the door outside again, and I headed off, not knowing exactly where I was planning on going. I ended up wandering around to the back of the castle, through a wooden fence, and almost right into a hot spring that waited for me. The warm water seemed to be calling out to me, so I stripped off my kimono and slid into the water. I swam to the center and rested my back against a large stone that had lodged itself in the middle of the pond. My fears and my anxieties all began to wash themselves away, and the longer I sat there, the better I felt. Then, from the other side of the rock, I heard someone else getting into the water.
"Its only Sesshomaru," Audra whispered in my ear, and I stiffened, "What's the matter?"
"Its him, that's what!" I thought as loudly as I could.
"Just don't move, and listen," she said, and I obeyed.
"Who does she think she is, disobeying me like that? How dare she?" I heard him say, and I smile. I got to him. I didn't care that I was getting on his nerves, I was getting to him.
"What kind of spell does she have on me?"
"It's called love, you idiot!" Audra whispered, and I blushed.
"How does she not fear me?" he asked, and with an exasperated sigh, he sank a little further into the water, "And why can't I stop thinking about her?"
"Sesshomaru and Raelina, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!" Audra chanted, and I mentally slapped her.
"She's a human. She means nothing to me," he said, and I felt my heart shatter.
"Don't even. Once you move, he'll know you're here, and he'll be over here in an instant!" Audra hissed, but I didn't care. I swam towards the edge to the pond, and sure enough, once he heard the water ripple, he was on my side of the rock, his hand around my throat. Once he saw it was me, he let go.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"I just came upon this place. Don't' worry, I'm leaving," I said, finally reaching the edge.
"Wait," he said, his voice softening. I turned back to face him. "What did you hear?"
"What does it matter? I don't mean anything, so what I heard means nothing as well." I reached for my kimono and wrapped it around myself in the water to get out,. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and rested his head on my shoulder.
"Don't," he whispered, gently placing a kiss on my neck. My eyes slipped closed as he pulled me closer, slipping his hands between the folds of the kimono and slipping it over my shoulders. My breath caught in my throat as he slid his hands up my sides.
"Snap out of it!" I heard, and I slowly pulled away. I used my foot to find my clothes, and slid back into them. Sesshomaru just watched as I got out of the water and tied my sash sloppily around me.
"Rin should be waking up soon," I said, sadly sighing as I looked back at him, "So I should go." His eyes pleaded with me to return to his side, but I just slid back into my wooden sandals, and headed for the gate. I took one last look back and smiled at him, but his emotionless mask met me. As I got through the gate, I ran for the bedroom, not knowing what I was going to do.
"That was close." Audra said.
"What?"
"Don't let him get so close next time, okay?"
"Why not?" I asked, still smiling at the thought. His hands were so soft, ad I could still feel them holding me.
"Remember what happened last time when you let him close?"
"Things are different now," I thought, watching Rin sleep.
"How?"
"Just shut up for a while, okay?"
"Fine. Don't blame me if you get hurt. I tried," she said, and then things went silent. I laid down next to Rin, and she opened her eyes
"Hey there Sleeping Beauty," I whispered, and she cuddled with me.
"Even if its only for now, I'm going to call you my mommy, okay?" she asked.
"If that's what you want, sure. Just make sure Sesshomaru doesn't get mad."
"He won't. He doesn't get mad at me." I smiled, knowing that no one could get mad at her, not even the great Lord Sesshomaru. She's just too darn cute. I quickly started tickling her, and the giggles reverberated throughout the room. Hearing footsteps coming from down the hall, I decided to plot against whoever came through that door. I whispered the plan to Rin, and we kept up the tickle war until they stopped in the doorway. He watched us for a while, until I gave the word to Rin, who scrambled to her feet and attacked Sesshomaru. What amazed me was that not even he could keep a straight face, though I suspected that it was just to make Rin happy. His face broke into a wide smile as he hoisted the child onto his shoulder, and carried her off. I let myself flop back onto the bed.
"Mommy, come play with us," she called, and I started laughing. I stepped off the deck, into the garden, and she came to my side.
"Isn't this one pretty, mommy?"
"It sure it. Why don't you show daddy?"
"Okay!" she exclaimed, and ran back to Sesshomaru's side. He smiled and lifted her onto his shoulders, carrying her around the yard. Once he got back to me, she jumped down and ran after a bright orange butterfly that fluttered past, and he took my hand.
"I love you sweetheart," he said, pulling me in close.
I jumped awake, and scanned the room. It felt like someone was watching my through the darkness, but I couldn't see anyone. Slowly, I made my way to the window and opened the shutters, letting the moonlight stream into my room, casting its ghostly luminescence across my space. Before I could head back to the bed, arms wrapped around my body, and I felt someone's heart beating through my back. A few moments of silence cut through the pulse, then he spoke softly.
"Rin is attached to you."
"I know," I said, resting my head against his chest, smiling. He held me for a few moments longer, then threw me to the ground. I looked up at him, my eyes filling with tears. He just looked straight past me, his eyes narrowing and his lips pursed. In a flash, he bent over, and tore my kimono from my shoulders, and let the shredded silk fall to the floor before me. His claw wrapped itself around my throat, and as I gasped for air, he started walking out of the room. I passed out.

Something was tapping against my forehead when I finally came to, though it was so dark I couldn't see what. The cold fluid ran down my head, and traced its way past my eyes and down my cheeks, and all the while I prayed that it was only water. The same cold wrapped itself around my wrists and ankles, but I was so scared that I didn't pay much attention to them. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a candle was lit in front of me, illuminating the corner of the room that he stood in. As I let my gaze fall on to my hands, a tear fell from my eye. Fastened around my wrists were bands of iron, tethering me to the wall. I heard his footsteps, and I looked to him as he started out the door.
"Why?" I begged, causing his feet to halt.
"What are you?" he coldly snapped.
"Human," I said, confused, "What does that have to do with anything?"
"No. You are a slave. Nothing more. Not now," he said, turning away from me as he took a deep breath, "Not ever."