A/N: I see that the last chapter I put up was not very pleasing to all you patient readers, due to the lack of reviews. But alas, every story needs its plot fillers so for all you smut lovers out there; I've given you a small treat. BUT, unfortunately, no, it's not a lemon, but it's full of lime.
Chapter 11
Rin ran in the gardens of his home as he set out to patrol his lands. Sesshoumaru was mostly traveling but that didn't mean that he didn't have a home. He had a very nice home. In fact, he had his own castle. It was somewhat run down now that he didn't really live in it. He had no reason to. He didn't have a mate, thus he didn't have an heir and since all the other lords knew that, they tried to take him over to acquire his land. But he still did have some loyal servants who worked in his castle. Well, they mostly just lived there now because he didn't do anything special anymore. The formal parties and negotiation meetings used to be constant when his father ruled because he had children he needed to protect. The meetings were necessary. But Sesshoumaru didn't have a mate… or a lover… or a miko…
He growled. Damn mikos plaguing his mind. Perhaps he should pay her a visit and play a game of 'Who's Fucking Who?' He growled again and resumed his patrol. What was really bothering him was that he hadn't smelled this 'other man' on her. He only smelled himself on her, but she hadn't seen him in a month so she shouldn't have had his scent on her… No, that wasn't what really bothered him. What was really bothering him was that she had found a release with someone other than him… and she hadn't done it by herself.
He stopped walking and sniffed the air. It seemed as though he would be getting an uninvited guest. Perhaps he would go out of his way to meet with this person.
…
Inuyasha stirred to the sounds of running water. He sat up on the couch he'd been sitting in and looked around the unfamiliar room. He was in that lady's house. He stood and stretched not yet realizing that his concealment spell had worn off while he slept. Walking into the kitchen, he dug in his pocket and pulled out his phone. Dead… He swore under his breath. His looked around for her house phone and saw it next to the stove. He dialed his brother and waited while it rang.
He vaguely registered the water shutting off as he spoke briefly to Sesshoumaru about what happened last night. Mimi walked into the hall, towel around her still damp body, when she heard the voice of a man in her kitchen. She froze and reached in her closet for her bat. She'd been drunk last night so most of the night's events were scattered but the black eye was still there, although the swelling had gone down quite a bit. But that wasn't the point; there was a strange man in her house. She grabbed the bat and tip-toed slowly into the kitchen.
"Yeah, I'm probably just going to head straight into class. I don't have enough time to come to the house and change and my car's only three blocks up…" Inuyasha heard Mimi walk in behind him and turned to apologize for using her phone… but instead had to duck as he was nearly clobbered with a baseball bat, "What the fuck?!" He dropped the phone and backed up out of range, as she again swung at him.
"Who…" She froze mid stride as her eyes widened, "You're youkai…"
Inuyasha paused and cursed. He heard the voice of his brother through the phone, his ears swiveling in its direction, "Bring her here."
…
She felt like she was trapped in someone else's body. Every rational though and feeling was bottled up in this glass cage that she was trapped in. She could feel the taint of the jewel wrapping her mind in its evil embrace driving her to madness. And she could feel her glass barrier starting to crack with the pressure of its evil. It would overtake her, and she couldn't do anything to stop it. Maybe she should just give up. There was no one there who would be able to help her anyway. Another crack broke along her glass barrier.
Naraku smiled as he watched the once pure miko slowly losing her mind. She would no longer be a threat to him, she'd become an asset.
"Kagura, go and find out what our friends are up to. We don't want unexpected visitors." Kagura bowed and drew out her feather, prepared to get away from her 'Master' as fast as she could. What he was trying to do to that girl was unnerving her. He was constantly touching her and playing with her hair. As she turned, she briefly caught a glimpse of white hair and shuddered. He was role playing again. The girl didn't have much time.
…
"It's true, damn it!!!" Inuyasha dodged another blow from his half-brother, sweat beading down his brow. He'd been running all night to find him and he was exhausted. He didn't have the energy to deal with Sesshoumaru right now. He needed to help Kagome before anything serious happened.
"And why, hanyou, should I care what happens to the miko?" Sesshoumaru landed with practiced ease and slowly walked towards Inuyasha. "The girl made her own choice."
Inuyasha didn't even bother to move when Sesshoumaru gave him a swift kick in the side. He flew through the forest and skidded to a stop just before a tree. "She didn't choose to leave with Naraku. He disguised himself as you and kissed her."
Sesshoumaru froze. "Where did he take her?"
Inuyasha stood and clutched his side. He wouldn't be able to reach Kagome in the state he was in. "You have to find her. I don't know where she is but Sango and Miroku are looking for her in the surrounding towns. There have been rumors of powerful demons coming from a certain town to the east. That's where they're headed."
"Was she bleeding?"
Inuyasha looked at him, confused. "Not that I know of… but we both know what Naraku is capable of. What does that have to do with anything?" Sesshoumaru turned from him, but Inuyasha grabbed at his arm, "Is there something I don't know about?"
Sesshoumaru smirked and shook his brother's hand
off, "There is much you don't know."
"Look, if there is
something important about that, maybe I can share some information
with you."
He turned, "We don't have time. Get up and follow me."
Inuyasha shook his head. He didn't want to admit this but for Kagome's sake he had to. "I will only slow you down."
Sesshoumaru grabbed Inuyasha and slung him over his shoulder, "Then this Sesshoumaru will bring you. We have much to discuss, hanyou."
…
Shippou looked out into the sky as he felt the approach of a familiar foe. "Kagura's coming straight at us!"
Sango directed Kirara down toward the ground and they all jumped off, waiting for the fight they were expecting from the wind youkai, but instead she lightly landed a few feet in front of them and bowed low, waiting for their return gesture.
Sango backed up slightly and wielded Hiraikotsu but Miroku held out a hand in a gesture to wait. Stepping forward, he bowed in return and waited for her to start talking.
"Houshi-sama, as you know, I am Kagura of the wind. Although Naraku created me, I am not under his command. No one can control the wind, but he does have my heart and my sister's soul. We are as much his captives as is your miko." Kagura looked over the small group, briefly noticing the lack of their hanyou friend. "The miko…"
Sango stepped forward, her brow creasing in worry, "What about the miko? Where is Kagome-chan?"
Kagura placed her hand over her stomach as if sick. "Naraku is planning to take her… very soon."
Shippou looked up, confused as the others blanched. Miroku stepped forward towards the demoness. "Will he kill you?"
She nodded, all the while looking down towards the ground. Miroku continued, "We can try everything to help you, but you must take us to her."
Kagura looked up startled. She was not expecting an invitation to join them. She shook her head, her head held high and proud. "Arigatou, but… I'm certain I will not survive the coming battle."
Sango looked at her with admiration. "We will still help you in any way we can. You have yet to see Kagome-chan's power."
…
How dare you say that my behavior
is unacceptable You drain me dry and make me wonder
why I'm even here When it
gets cold outside and you got nobody to love
So condescending unnecessarily critical
I have
the tendency of getting very physical
So watch your step cause if
I do you'll need a miracle
This Double Vision I was seeing is finally
clear
You want to stay but you know very well I want you gone
Not
fit to fuckin' tread the ground that I am walking on
You'll understand
what I mean when I say
There's no way we're gonna give up
And like a little girl cries
in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams
Is there anyone
out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe
Is there
anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe
Naraku slid his hands down Kagome's arms as he brought her closer to him. She didn't see him, but rather a cold impersonation of one that she was very familiar with. "Miko…" He grinned and brought his head closer to her neck, "Why don't we get a taste of some of that unusual blood…" She winced slightly as his teeth grazed her neck.
"Sesshoumaru… we… you know you can't…" She vaguely registered the words coming from her mouth and knew that this wasn't the man that was going to be her future mate. Inside she cringed but her body barely reacted to his ministrations.
Naraku grinned. "Who's going to stop me?" He bit down and sucked hard on the blood that flooded into his mouth. His already red eyes started turning a deeper shade of crimson as a pained moan was wrenched from the girl's mouth. She was pushed down and straddled, the blood craze morphing Naraku back to his own human form. Kagome screamed when he placed another gash on her shoulder. She couldn't stop him. He just kept taking more of her blood. His hands grabbed at her, moving lower and grabbing at her skirt.
"Stop… please…" Kagome felt her mind screaming, but her voice came out in mere whispers. And the darkness surrounding her cracked her barrier once more. Soon every part of her would no longer be pure.
CRACK…
Tears fell from her eyes, more gashes appearing on her body. He crashed his lips on hers, a small shriek dying on her lips.
…
What you are doing is screwing
things up inside my head
You should know better you never listened
to a word I said
Clutching your pillow and writhing in a naked
sweat
Hoping somebody someday will do you like I did
Sesshoumaru grabbed the wind demoness by her throat. "Take me to her."
Miroku worriedly stood watching the scene play out. "Sesshoumaru-sama, she's taking us there."
Sesshoumaru snarled at him and squeezed tighter on her throat. "There is not enough time!!! You humans are moving too slow!!! Tell me where she is!!!"
Kagura was dropped to the ground, gasping for air. "Naraku is not far from here; in the next town… he is hurting her. I can feel him."
Sesshoumaru's eyes bled red and he took off east toward the town.
…
The shidinamachuu wrapped earnestly around their master, trying the make her take the souls she needed to stay alive. Kikyou just sat calmly, resting against a tree trunk as the souls returned to skies and headed back to their owners. She refused to take anymore souls. She was ready for whatever fate had in mind for her, even if she was scared.
When it gets cold outside and you
got nobody to love
You'll understand what I mean when I
say
There's no way we're gonna give up
And like a little girl cries
in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams
Is there anyone
out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe
Is there
anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe
Her clay body once again cracked and she sighed. Soon she'd be no more than a pile of dust. So she waited until the sky lit up in a crimson tide, a last effort to bring light to this dreary day, and she let out her last breath, her body slowly turning to dust as it joined the wind in its cross over the skies.
…
Kagome screamed when her barrier finally shattered. She felt herself being thrown in every which way as if trapped inside a whirlpool of darkness. She felt like she was drowning. She could barely breathe. She pushed against the figure above her, who was suffocating her. She had no strength and the evil wrapped around the last sane part of her mind, willing her to just let go. It was so tempting to listen. Its voice was so peaceful. She would feel no more pain. This would be the last of her struggles and then she wouldn't have to worry anymore. The jewel would give her everything she wanted because it knew everything about her. It comforted her and she slowly began to sink, no more pushing, no more fighting. She would just give in.
Does it kill Does
it thrill
Does it burn
Is
it painful to learn
That it's me that has all the control
Does it sting
When you feel what I bring
And you
wish that you had me to hold
Her eyes' last spark died as Naraku started to tear at her clothing, laughing maniacally when more gashes formed on her body. She would be his and he would taste her blood forever. His tongue rolled down her chest, leaving a red sticky trail. She shuddered but did not move, her hands fisting on his robes, and her eyes staring into nothingness.
And then she felt something calling to her. Her weightlessness started to ground itself and she felt her body in contact with the floor. There was a sharp pulse in her heartbeat. A gasp left her body, and the bright blue of her eyes fought the gray that had pooled over. A fire burned in her body as a crimson glow burst from every pore. She breathed easier when the jewel that she had once held was wrenched from her grasp. The shards around her neck turned a brilliant shade of pink. And she felt complete for the first time in such a long time.
When it gets cold outside and you
got nobody to love
You'll understand what I mean when I
say
There's no way we're gonna give up
And like a little girl
cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams
Is there
anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe
Is
there anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to
breathe
Her eyes looked up registering the scowling form of her worst enemy and she stood, a new power bursting forth from her body as the crimson glow turned a blinding pink. Naraku shrieked when a blast of power hit him. He flew back through the wall and landed on the dirt outside the home he'd originally taken over. Kagome stepped forward and reached down to her bow and quiver. Notching the arrow with ease she aimed at him.
"I am no man's whore." She fired.
Is there anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe
(Harder to Breathe – Maroon 5)
…
Sesshoumaru ran into the town. He headed into the direction where he'd not only felt but saw a massive amount of power. It looked as though the ground were scorched with holy power. He looked over.
Kagome sat on the ground, her tattered clothing barely covering her form. She was still bleeding in various places. Stepping forward he bent down to her level. She didn't move.
"You came back…" Her frame started to shake and tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked at him, her watery, blue eyes barely making him out to her. She shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. And as she started to cry, he draped his haori over her shoulders and lifted her small frame to himself.
He heard the rest of the group come up behind him. Inuyasha slid from Kirara's back and walked up next to Sesshoumaru. "Is she-"
"No." Sesshoumaru turned and walked past them, heading back toward his lands. "She stopped him before that happened."
Inuyasha nodded and looked at the new member in his group. Kagura looked into the ruined home where Naraku had resided. She slowly stepped inside. Inuyasha followed after her. Kagura sat on the floor cradling something to her. She looked up to him. "He didn't take it with him."
Kagura gasped slightly as her heart once again joined with her. She looked up to Inuyasha, "I owe the miko a life debt. As such, I am honor bound to keep it."
Inuyasha nodded and turned back to where Sesshoumaru no longer stood. "Come; let's find a place to rest. We will meet with them in the morning." Miroku and Sango picked up Shippou and started out into the forest to find a decent campground. The day's stress had gotten to all of them and for now they just needed to rest. They were slightly startled when a little girl walked up to them, her once lifeless eyes now glittering in a child's innocence. "Is my sister with you?"
"Kanna…" Kagura stood up and rushed over, picking the girl up in her arms. "Are we…" A glimmer of hope wavered in her voice.
Kanna smiled and dropped the soul stealing mirror. It cracked on the forest floor, forgotten, as the child returned her sister's hug. "Yes, we are free."
Sango watched; a sad smile etched on her face. She thought back to her brother and hung her head. Miroku wrapped his arm on her shoulder and continued to lead them into the woods.
Inuyasha stepped out of the broken home and into the night. The wind lifted his hair and he breathed deeply as the scent of clay flew past him in the breeze.
…
Kagome had passed out on the way to his home, so when he arrived, he quickly bathed her and dressed her in one of his many haori. Looking over his wounds, he knew they'd scar if they weren't tended to. Undoing the sash at her waist, he made to open the shirt but her hand shot out, clutching tightly at his wrist.
"Don't…" The urgency in her voice was very apparent when she tiredly looked up at him, "Please."
He lightly pushed her hands away, "There is not much blood." She still struggled with him and he eventually clutched her hands in each of his, "I am not him."
She went limp in his arms and couldn't hold the tears at bay anymore. She wept. She wept for all those who had been hurt by Naraku. She wept for her ignorance. She wept for her broken spirit. And as she wept, Sesshoumaru just held her.
…
Kanna and Shippou had fallen asleep almost immediately after the camp fire had been lit. Miroku and Sango were snuggled up together, both worried over their miko companion but now relieved that she was in much more capable hands. Together, they both drifted off into fitful bouts of sleep after such a stressful day. Inuyasha and Kagura did not have as much luck drifting into the welcoming darkness. Both stared as the licking flames of the campfire.
Inuyasha couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had wrenched itself in his gut, since the scent of clay had not so long ago, drifted to his oversensitive nose.
Kagura, sitting across from the hanyou was also deeply in thought, although her mind was turned to more positive thoughts. The mistress of the wind could now do as her element: whatever she pleased. It was such an uncommon thought that she sat in an almost shock for a very good long while before realizing that it was really true. She looked up when the hanyou stirred.
Inuyasha rose to his feet, a heaviness set on his shoulders that should not have come to one as young as he. He sighed, his ears pressed flat against his skull as he turned and walked solemnly through the trees, probably to brood. Kagura stood up and walked after him. Perhaps she would try to make some things right. She found him several yards from camp, perched high in one of the older trees of this forest. Calling her feather at her command, she glided upward in a gentle breeze and hovered not far from him. She knew of his thoughts, having known of what was being carried in the wind not long ago.
They didn't speak, just kind of acknowledged one another. It seemed to be enough… and when it wasn't, she perched next to him on his tree. Inexperienced in matters of love or emotion, she couldn't fathom what he was currently feeling. "What is it like?" She paused, not knowing where to go from there. The question was rather personal but she was curious by nature.
Inuyasha merely looked at her, a momentary look of confusion on his face.
She clarified. "To… love?" Very unused to the word, she looked at him quizzically as it rolled of her tongue with a not so unpleasant taste. She was created already grown. So the idea of no emotion was not instilled in her as it would have been on your normal demon spawn.
Inuyasha's heart gave a painful tug. He cleared his throat and looked over the smaller of the trees that he rested so high above. "It hurts…"
Kagura nodded slowly, thinking back to what she had felt Naraku trying to do with Kagome. "So did Naraku love the miko?"
Inuyasha vehemently shook his head. "It's not that kind of pain."
Kagura looked at him, "Why would you want to love if it causes pain?"
Inuyasha sighed, and gestured his head back to
their camp. "Think of someone taking your sister and killing
her."
Kagura's brows drew together sharply in anger but
something foreign pulled at where her heart now rested. She placed
her hand over her chest and looked at him quizzically. Inuyasha wiped
at her face and when he pulled back, she saw a wetness that was
unfamiliar to her. Bringing her hand to her eyes, she felt her own
tears coming from her eyes as they blurred her vision. "Is this
love?"
Inuyasha nodded. "That is a certain type of love."
Kagura nodded and wiped at her face as the feeling left her. "Why would you want to feel that way?"
Inuyasha looked up at the moon and thought back to his times with Kikyou and Kagome. He'd loved them, and he still did but both were no longer in his grasp. He looked back at Kagura and cupped her cheek, bringing her lips within an inch of his. She gasped as her heart beat sped up. A blush formed on her cheeks and he stared down at her lips. "Love… can bring incredible… feelings… to one who is experiencing it." He didn't know why he was telling her these things. He only knew that they took his mind off of more depressing matters. And it was interesting to see something other than anger and fear flit across her features.
Kagura felt a pulsing start within her body, and she felt his touch on her cheek all to clearly. Everything seemed to grow still around them and yet she could hear every breath, every beat… "Is love… mating?"
Inuyasha let her go and sat back against the tree, a minute blush appearing on his cheeks. "No… love can lead to mating… and make it something entirely more pleasant." As much as people assumed about him, Inuyasha was no blushing virgin. He and Kikyou had… coupled. He still blushed but that was because he was still somewhat inexperienced. A few times didn't make someone an expert.
Kagura tried to calm the racing of her heart. She felt overheated and thanked whoever that she was a wind mistress, she could hide her scent very well. The bodily reactions confused her and when joined with emotions, she didn't know how humans dealt with them so easily. No wonder demons voided all of theirs except the threatening ones. She looked over to him, "Could you… show me?"
Inuyasha's eyes widened and he almost fell off the tree. He blushed and shook his head. "It's not an instant thing…" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "It can take weeks, or even years for love to develop."
Kagura blushed. "Oh…" She thought about the humans she saw in villages: young men courting females and older couples arguing. She thought about the large amount of arranged couples who'd never met but still mated. "Why would you want to mate with someone you don't love?"
Inuyasha thought back to Kagome and their earlier situation. "The physical act of mating is very…" He cleared his throat as another blush formed on his cheeks.
"Pleasurable?" She ventured. Kagura smirked. It seemed that with this conversation there came a sore spot for the hanyou. It just further added to her interest. "How does it feel?"
Inuyasha held back a strangled noise as he started to lose his control. Her smirk blossomed into a grin at his reaction, "That good, huh?" The blush traveled further until he was sure that his ears would have turned red if they could. Kagura couldn't help the rise of her own blush as her body once again started to pulse slightly. She moved closer to him. Again she asked him a startling question, "Will you show me?"
Inuyasha stared disbelievingly at her. She only scooted closer. She took her hair out of its customary bun, her dark hair falling loosely around her in waves. She brought her face close to his not really sure how to proceed. He turned away, his claws reflexively digging into the bark under his hands. "It's very intimate… would you rather not wait to find someone you… loved?"
She tilted his head back to hers but her quickly slipped from the tree and onto the grass with as much grace as he had. She fluttered silently down beside him, her face averted at his rejection. "Do you not find me attractive?"
Inuyasha panicked. He always seemed to get the wrong point across. "No…"
She flinched.
He started at his stupidity, "I mean yes!!! You're beautiful, but-"
She looked up, interrupting his babbling. "You think me beautiful?"
He kneeled down next to her, making to touch at her hair before pulling back. "You are… but wouldn't you rather be with-"
"I may not survive long enough to experience such things."
Inuyasha finally looked at her with understanding. He didn't move and she took that as his final sign of rejection. She sat up and made to place her hair back to it's customary state when she heard the rustling of fabric. Turning to glance at him, she watched him shrug out of his fire rat fur to reveal the smooth expanse of muscle on his chest. They boy she knew had not only matured mentally it seemed. Her breath hitched as he turned to her. "It hurts at first…"
Her breathing began to shallow when she nodded slightly. He grabbed at her wrist and her hair again tumbled in waves of black. "How long does it last?" She whispered as he moved closer to her, her body instinctively edging to his.
Tilting her chin up, he moved down to her throat, his breath ghosting over the pale flesh. She shuddered at the sensation, the heat starkly contrasted the chill of the night. He kissed the flesh softly and she held back a startled gasp. "As long as you like."
…
"Inuyasha-san! Listen to me!!!" Mimi was hiding behind various pieces of furniture in her home, only to dart to another location as he made to pounce on her. "I'm not going to tell anyone!!!"
She gave a slight shriek when he grabbed at her foot. She collided with the floor and he mumbled a quick apology before dragging her closer to him.
She gave up running from him and hastily grabbed her towel to keep it from coming off. When she was close enough, she quickly slapped him upside his head! "Pervert!"
He growled but stopped when she quickly settled in his arms. "How do you know about youkai?"
She huffed and held her towel in place. "I'll have you know that my aunt is youkai, thank you very much!"
Inuyasha muffled a snort. "But you are
not!"
Mimi stiffened. "She's not my real aunt… she kind of
just adopted me."
Inuyasha sighed and let her go. She stood up and hurried into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. He followed and waited at the door. "So…" He waited as she got dressed, might as well have some small talk, "Who's your aunt?"
Mimi quickly opened the door, fully dressed and ready to go. "Her name is Kanna… She's a void demon… Inuyasha-san? Are you okay?"
…
Sango was the first to wake. As she looked over the camp she noted the curious absence of a certain hanyou and wind demon. She pulled herself from Miroku's arms, noting also that his hands hadn't wandered on that particular night. Smiling sheepishly she reached over and into Kagome's bag, pulling out a few water bottles. She went forward through the trees to where they seemed to thin out into a small clearing. What she saw was more than shocking.
A slight growl was given and she backed off, a small blush tinting her cheeks as she bowed slightly in apology of her intrusion. Perhaps she would look for water in a different direction.
The growl it seemed had come from a very satisfied hanyou.
A/N: Okay, I love this chapter; I don't care what any of you say. As always, read and review. Please and thank you!
