Warning: This chapter contains violence and attempted rape
"What is black does not equate to evil, just as white does not equate to good. But white is easier to stain, and ink has been spilt." - Anonymous
~ ~ Flashback ~ ~
"Well, Lady Kagome. You've got quite the reputation for being a powerful priestess. You should be pleased, I have made the decision to take you as my mate and you will soon be Lady of the South." With that, Lord Akinori began to remove his haori.
Kagome watched with a mixture of fear and horror as the demon lord before her began to undress. It wasn't that he was particularly unattractive with his long black hair and green eyes. He even had a semi-muscular chest to top everything off. Kagome, however, was completely not impressed with him, and she pressed back against the corner of the room even more.
"Please, just let me go! I don't want to be Lady of the South." I would much rather be Lady of the West. Whoa, where had that thought come from? Perhaps it was just because it was looking like a choice between this man and Sesshomaru? She would definitely take Sesshomaru any day of the week. She was shaken from her thoughts by the sounds of Akinori approaching her.
"I wasn't really giving you a choice, priestess. You will bear for me many strong sons to rule the south." Akinori was completely undressed by this point, and Kagome was doing her very best not to let him distract her enough to make her actually look at him. No, she closed her eyes, turning her head away from him and whimpering softly.
She cringed as she felt him touch her face, forcing her head to face him once more. "Open your eyes, priestess." There was no mistaking the fact that it was an order that he had given to her, yet Kagome still refused to open her eyes. Unfortunately, her disobedience earned her a blow to the face which knocked her against the wall, stunning her enough to cause her to seep to the floor. Was it possible that sometimes demons just didn't realize how strong they were? Or was he intentionally trying to crack her skull?
Her eyes were definitely open now, and right there before her eyes was Akinori's manhood. She gave a soft yelp, closing her eyes and looking away only to have Akinori grab her by the throat and toss her bodily to the bed. She gave out a grunt at her landing and looked up at her assailant. Why her? Why was this demon lord after her? Surely there were other, more powerful females in his lands. Why kidnap someone and make a sex-slave?
Akinori eyed his prize on his bed. Of course, he knew that Lord Sesshomaru would probably start to question where the priestess had gone, but by then, she would bear his mating Mark and would be completely beyond the mutt's help. He reached down, ripping open the kimono that she was wearing. He narrowed his eyes slightly at the fabric which still covered her from his sight and pulled out a dagger, shifting it beneath the fabric covering her breasts and cut it away from her. He then lowered his hand to rip the fabric covering her sex and leaned his body down over her own, smirking as he leaned in and inhaled her scent.
His eyes widened and he pulled back, eyes flashing red as he glared down at her. "You are impure!" His exclamation took Kagome by surprise as she lay there, breathing heavily. "You let that mutt soil you!" He could smell Sesshomaru's scent within her very skin it seemed. But there was no mating Mark on her. So he had not taken her for his mate. It would be his loss, though he would make this little bitch pay a little before claiming her.
How dare she let another demon soil her! If she had not been such a powerful miko, he would have slain her then and there, he was not one to go around accepting used cast-offs. She would bear him children, yes, but he would not allow himself to be bound by this pathetic human creature that lay before him. He reached down, grabbing her by the hair and ripping the kimono the rest of the way off of her before he backhanded her once again, knocking her to the floor.
"You little wench. How could you let that dog take you?" he demanded, kicking her in the side, not paying much mind to the cry of pain that she gave out. Reaching down, he lifted her again and slammed her face down onto a table, the smell of blood hitting his nose. His eyes began to bleed red as he dragged his elongated nails down her back, tearing at the flesh. He leaned down, dragging his tongue ever-so-lightly across the new wounds and shivered slightly.
Gripping her by her wrists, he jerked her up once again, throwing her across the room into the back of the headboard to his bed and moved up over her, gripping her throat as he pinned her body down to the bed, his free hand attempting to part her thighs. "I don't think you're enjoying this quite enough," he growled before there was a sudden crash from outside.
He raised himself, the whimpering human beneath him completely forgotten. What was going on out there? There were shouts and more loud crashes, this time, from within the palace. He shifted off of the bed as the noises seemed to come closer and closer to his room before suddenly, the door was kicked in. He leapt back away from the bed, eyes narrowed at the intruder. He gave a low growl as he recognized Sesshomaru. Well that had been faster than expected. This was hardly fair.
"I believe that you have something which belongs to me," Sesshomaru growled, eyes flashing red again as he raised his sword. "I want it back."
~ ~ End Flashback ~ ~
Kagome whimpered, raising her head slightly to see Sesshomaru standing in the doorway of the room. "Sesshomaru!" She exclaimed, attempting to rise only to have Akinori grab her by the throat once again, pulling her form against his own, her back pressed to his chest. She closed her eyes, coughing as her airway was restricted. "Sesshomaru… please…" she pleaded, eyes still fixed on the other demon lord.
Yes, she would definitely taken Sesshomaru over Akinori. Even with his eyes that shade and her heart racing, she'd much rather take her chances with the dog demon.
Sesshomaru moved further into the room, eyes narrowed. "Release her now, Akinori, and I will give you my word as Lord of the West that you will be allowed to leave this castle unharmed." He tightened his grip on his sword as he watched Akinori pull Kagome against himself a bit harder.
"She is to be my mate, Sesshomaru. You cannot have what I have rightly claimed." Akinori pulled one hand over Kagome's bare stomach, and then up over her breasts, squeezing one with bruising force, causing Kagome to whimper miserably.
"I believe you are mistaken. I have already taken her as my own, Akinori. By law of the council of demons, you have taken that which does not belong to you, and I am willing to forgive this infraction and not report you to the council should you release her." Of course, Sesshomaru would never have reported Akinori to the council to begin with, that would be letting him off far too easily.
Kagome shuddered as she felt Akinori's length pressing against her bare ass, though as she remained still, a thought came to her. With her hands still bound behind her, this gave her quite a thrilling opportunity. She grabbed hold of the wretched piece of flesh and jerked, twisting her hands as best she could, nails digging into sensitive skin, and she heard Akinori cry out in pain and suddenly, she had been released.
Darting forward, despite the pain in her knee which threatened to take her legs out from beneath her, she held onto her strength until she was safely behind Sesshomaru before she tumbled to the ground. Sesshomaru darted forward, obscuring Kagome from Akinori at this point and narrowing his eyes at the other demon lord.
"N-now Sesshomaru, you gave me your word that if I released her I could leave here unharmed," Akinori stammered, suddenly not liking the odds he was faced with. With no hostage and no weapon, he was practically defenseless against this demon before him.
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes slightly. "So I did," he hissed softly. He turned his sword to point to the window. "Be gone with you then," he ordered, and watched as the lord seemed to hesitate. He stepped forward, causing Akinori to stumble back towards the window.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" With that, he leapt through the window, not even bothering to try and open it.
"No, thank you," Sesshomaru growled, and with that, he reared back, throwing his sword out the window, and there was a sudden scream from Akinori before all was completely silent.
Sesshomaru rapidly turned to the female on the floor behind him. She was unconscious at this point, and her heart was beating erratically. He untied her bonds and pulled the blanket from the bed, gently wrapping the little miko within. She was covered in bruises and cuts, and there was even blood on her face from a cut above her eye and a split in her lip.
His poor little miko. He cradled her against his chest as he stepped from the window himself down to the ground. Holding her weight in one arm, he reached down as he passed by the body of Lord Akinori and withdrew the Tokijin from the demon lord's back where he had struck the other dead in the heart. Sheathing his sword, he readjusted Kagome within his arms as he formed a cloud beneath him which raised him from the ground.
"Se-shomaru," Kagome whispered softly, one bloody hand fisting in his haori. Sesshomaru looked down at the fragile human within his grasp. "I didn't think I would get to tell you that I'm sorry for being angry with you before." Her voice was weak, and if it weren't for his demonic senses, he might not have heard her.
"You are only human," Sesshomaru stated as if writing off what she had done as nothing. Kagome could only smile before she lost consciousness again. There was no place else in the world that she felt safer than right here… in the arms of her Lord.
A/N: Sorry for that little cliffhanger last chapter, but I just couldn't resist! Hope you're all enjoying the story. Keep reviewing!
