Author's Notes: Happy reading!

Nocturne - Chapter Fifteen: Torment and Mayhem

Rated - M (for suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, and coarse language)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

"Are you satisfied then?" she snapped, nearly snarling, and fled to another part of the room.

"Immensely," his word was drawn out and enunciated.

Kagome grabbed something to throw, a peach from the spread of food, but when she turned to aim it, Fan Tsenpo was gone from the room. Her head turned involuntarily towards where the window was only to find that it, too, had been replaced. Good, she didn't want to know what else may be happening on the other side.

o - o - o - o - o

Tsering led Sesshomaru along to a room. He followed only because he had been promised to see the woman in good faith. There would be hell to pay had any harm befallen her. Even agreeing to this charade was folly as there was no guarantee Fan would not kill her later. So, he strode silently behind.

He had been led to a room that looked vacant outside of minimal decor and other furnishings. It was evident that the room belonged to Tsering based upon her lingering scent alone. Why he had been brought to this room was unknown to Sesshomaru. He allowed a low growl to rumble deep within his chest to express his dissatisfaction.

"This was not part of our arrangement," he announced, dryly.

Tsering glanced at him from over her shoulder, eyeing him coldly. "You are not the only one who requires a show of good faith." She walked over to a large mirror and looked at the reflection. A smile tugged at her lips while she used the mirror's reflection to assess him.

His eyes narrowed at her. "I am loathed to repeat myself."

She turned gracefully, her headdress tinkling. Reaching up a hand, she pulled it off and loosened her hair so that it fell down her back in shimmering waves of silver. "Then let me occupy your lips, your thoughts…" With a sashay of her hips, she reached him and placed one hand on his chest, and the other she stroked his fur.

Sesshomaru was not inclined to allow this folly, obviously a play to force his hand. He gave Tsering a shove that sent her stumbling backward a few feet. Despite the rejection, she smiled coyly. "Do not deny me, Sesshomaru. I must know that you intend to honor our marriage."

"Should a maiden not remain so for her wedding night?" Sesshomaru asked in an attempt to deter Tsering's advances.

She laughed melodiously. "You jest, Sesshomaru. Do not pretend that those as long-lived as we do not share pleasures with others."

"I prefer to be judicious with my partners," Sesshomaru responded.

"What a choice of words for one who fucks humans," Tsering said with venom. A loathsome grin grew, her words chosen with barbarous care.

He reacted immediately, closing the distance between them in seconds and gripped her by her shoulders. He snarled silently, sneering at her despite her amused expression. "Look around yourself, bitch. Do not attempt to bandy words about when your own situation is just as dire."

Her smile slipped momentarily as she contemplated his words. She slipped her arms under his and wrapped them around his neck, pressing her body against his. "Exactly why I am adamant about seeing this union through."

Tsering was a conniving woman who was acting out of desperation. Her womanly wiles were her only means of getting what she wanted, and over the centuries, she had not likely been denied by any. Sesshomaru could see that her motivations, while different, led to a similar goal.

She stood up on her tiptoes to look at him in the eye. He did not push her away this time even as her lids lowered and her lips came near. It may have been in his best interests to allow a kiss; to go along with her aims and leave Fan's estate unscathed. That would have been the easy path, but an unhonorable one. Sesshomaru turned his head at the last second, and Tsering's lips grazed his cheek.

He had expected her to be angry, but she only chuckled at him. Her eyes flicked up to look behind him for a brief moment before settling back on Sesshomaru. Tsering stepped back and spun away from him. He heard her let out a tiny sigh, but she glanced back over her shoulder with a smile.

"Come then. Your human woman awaits," she said with a shrug. Letting her hair remain down, she readjusted her disheveled robes.

o - o - o - o - o

An hour had passed since Fan had come to taunt her, and Kagome sat on the Western-style chair in apparent melancholy. She figured that something would happen soon, whether she was to be released or killed or whatever that ingrate had in mind. Nothing mattered now to her except that Setsuna, her baby, was safe. It eased her anxiety somewhat to think that she must be safe; otherwise, she would be imprisoned here as well.

A knock on the door brought her from her thoughts, and she bolted upright. There had never been a knock on the door, and Kagome was unsure what to do. Under normal circumstances, she would answer the door and invite the guest in, but her circumstances now were far from ordinary. Hesitantly, she stepped to the door, which remained closed, and stood for a few heartbeats.

The knock sounded again, and Kagome slid the door open. Her jaw dropped at the creature she beheld. What looked to be a large man with the head of a horse stared down at her. His large animal eyes seemingly devoid of human emotion simply gazed at her. Dark hair fell over its forehead and spilled down its back and robust shoulders, which shook out from side to side in an equestrian manner. The creature held a giant pitchfork in its grossly oversized human hands, which it used to tap on the ground in a demanding manner. It stepped aside to her right in a military-like manner, allowing her to exit the room. Apparently, this was Fan's way of summoning her.

When she exited the room, another clacking noise sounded from left. The sound caused her to jump, and she found another similar creature standing there with a large, barbed scythe in hand. This creature had the head of a bull, complete with a large nose ring. The pair of creatures flanked her, and the horse-headed man urged her forward with a point of his murderous pitchfork.

Kagome was lead down the halls, past many rooms. The halls were just as eerily quiet as the room in which she was being held. Their footsteps echoed down the length of the hall, announcing their passing to anyone with ears. Eventually, they reach a large room, ornate with weaponry from all past and current eras and nationalities. It wasn't the weaponry that caught her eye, though.

In the middle of the room, a cutting figure waited, resplendent in his meticulous garb with his long hair flowing down behind his back. He looked every part of the regal yokai he was and an exceptionally beautiful with a matching woman to his side. Sesshomaru watched her arrive with a cold gaze, much different from the amused expression his female companion wore.

Kagome felt her throat grow tight, and she bit the inside of her lip to keep her emotions in check. It was so easy for him to do, and she envied him his ability to appear so cold and feel nothing. What a fool she was to think to feel anything for someone who could so callously set her aside.

She'd never seen the inuyokai woman, not truly. Their first unofficial meeting had been obstructed by her death, revival, and then the bodies of her friends that protected her. Now, seeing the beautiful woman made her feel shameful that he would ever consider putting Tsering aside for her.

Tsering stood beside Sesshomaru, practically hanging off of him with her left arm looped casually over his shoulder and her robes coming undone and her hair loose. Even looking disheveled from whatever they had started in the room hours ago, Tsering was gorgeous. Her flowing silver tresses had a beautiful white sheen to it, and her lips looked plumply pink. Kagome paled in comparison. What could she give? Could she do better than the woman at his side? She was human and would likely die long before the pair were even in their prime.

The horse and ox-man stopped just outside the door of the room, and Kagome was free to go the rest of the way on her own. Holding her head up high, she walked in a few feet to stand before the couple. What was the purpose of parading them before her? Or her them? She did her best to keep her arms pinned to her sides — no point in making a scene. What's done is done, and now she just wanted to get back to Setsuna, the only constant in her life.

Kagome jumped a fraction when she heard Fan's voice from behind her.

"I'm glad you could make it," he said with his ever-present smile.

"How could I refuse such a gracious invitation?" she snapped, boldly. Kagome didn't incline to play whatever game Fan Tsenpo had orchestrated, but she still stepped right into his verbal trap. He stepped up behind her and pointed over her shoulder to the array of decorative weapons mounted on the wall.

"Do you enjoy it? My display?" he asked casually.

Kagome looked around the room, her brows drawn together in perplexion at his random question. "It is not to my tastes," she replied sardonically.

Tsering laughed, a sound equally as beautiful as her countenance. "My brother is something of a collector. He has rooms dedicated to a great many different things. Though why he has chosen to delay things with talk of his crude pieces is beyond me."

Fan grinned, "Tut, tut, sister! There is always a method to my madness!"

Tsering's face fell a little, Kagome noticed, but her smile did not fall entirely. Fan walked around the room in great strides, largely ignoring all of the occupants as he gazed at the walls. He stopped by a bow, similar to the bow Kagome was well acquainted with. Delicately, he picked it up and a single arrow next to it. He examined the two items before bringing them over and presenting them to Kagome.

"How about this one? Care to give it a try?" he asked.

She wasn't sure what to do and looked at him quizzically. His behavior was even more confusing now than she'd previously encountered. "Try it?"

"Yes, this is a similar weapon to what your creed use, though much older. I'm certain it will still work for you," he began.

Still perplexed, she looked over to Sesshomaru, whose visage was still a silent mask. Fan regarded her in amusement. "I've never had the pleasure of meeting a shrine maiden. Although I am perplexed, I've always been told that one had to be...well...a maiden otherwise the spiritual powers would leave. Care to demonstrate?"

"Demonstrate?"

"Yes, it's simple. I merely require a demonstration from you, and I promise on my sister's life that you will be free to go."

Tsering's eyes widened, and her jaw went partially slack, but she held her tongue. Likely trusting her brother would not allow harm to come to her.

That deal sounded loaded heavily, and not in her favor. Still, he wasn't giving her many options, and Sesshomaru was not in a position or had the inclination to have an input. "What are your terms?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh, a smart one you are. I should not have expected any less," he laughed. Fan walked towards Sesshomaru and clapped him on the back. Sesshomaru cut a quick glare at the man but said nothing.

"Ox-man, come here!" Fan demanded, using a waving hand.

The ox-man entered wordlessly. He must have heard what had been proposed, and he was either too loyal or too stupid to question his master.

"Show me what you are capable of here on him." Fan pointed to the ox-man and tilted his head.

"No, I will not," Kagome said.

"You will."

"I refuse."

"Do not push me, girl. I have a great amount of time and power in my hands. It would not even be sporting of me to find your whelp child and dispose of it...or add it to my collection of oddities."

Kagome flushed with rage. "You wouldn't." She knew he would. Part of her was unsure of why she would suggest otherwise.

"It is only your fortune that it is not here now to sway you further, but I can promise that I will uphold my word."

Kagome gripped the bow tightly. She'd never had to execute anyone who had not attacked her outright; even then, she was hesitant to kill without it being a last resort. However, a threat against Setsuna was too much of a risk. Especially a threat from Fan.

The ox-man stood quietly several feet in front of her. There wasn't even a chance she could miss at such a short-range. Gritting her teeth, she slowly raised the bow and allowed a trickle of spiritual power to flow into her arrow.

The demon stood still, its face devoid of thought or emotion. Kagome gritted her teeth and inhaled, holding the breath in her chest as she aimed. With an exhale and an expert hand, she released the string, and the arrow flew.

It seemed to fly in slow motion, though only seconds passed. The arrow grew in intensity as it drew closer, the spiritual power building to become an overwhelming burst of light as it reached its target. The arrow hit true in the beast's chest, and the spiritual power consumed him, engulfing him in purification. In a flash, the ox-man was gone, decimated into nothingness. Kagome felt her arm go slack and her face blank. She'd never killed so wantonly before, and despite having a legitimate reason, it still hurt her.

She looked to Fan, who stood with his back resting against a wall near an assortment of swords of varying lengths, widths, and other diameters, and he seemed quite pleased with himself. His arms were folded, and he looked down his straight nose at her, his face unusually unreadable.

"Are you not entertained?" she blurted out callously. Inwardly, she snickered despite herself at her pun that no one in this era would get.

Fan remained relaxed against the wall. "Not quite. It is one thing to demonstrate on a low ranking Niu Tou. I am certain he is pleased to return to Difu along with his counterpart, anyway."

Her face must have belied her confusion and disappointment as he carried on, "With that said, I am impressed, though I would now like to see that power against a more formidable opponent. Perhaps a daiyokai?" he suggested. He brought over to her another arrow, placing it in her hand with care.

"Order them in," Kagome said flatly. It would weigh heavily upon her, she knew.

"No need, he is already here," he responded with his sinister grin and gesturing to the couple on the other side of the room. Tsering had led Sesshomaru by the arm out of harm's way moments before Kagome was to 'demonstrate' her abilities. Now, Tsering went completely slack-jawed.

Kagome, incredulous, gasped, "What?" Her head swiveled to look at Sesshomaru. He looked...bored?! He didn't seem perturbed at all. Perhaps he knew something that Kagome did not. 'How could he do or say nothing?!' she wondered.

Tsering stepped away from Sesshomaru in outrage. "Brother! What ludicrousy is this?"

"I am merely curious," he chuckled.

"Then conduct your experiment on someone else," she responded acidly.

"No, I want to see," Fan said. He made a waiting gesture to Kagome, and the look he gave his sister was sinister, yet admonishing one indeed. One that quieted her and caused her to step back.

Fan waited as Kagome held the bow and arrow in her hands. "My promise to you still stands," he reminded her.

He marked her hesitation, "You hesitate, yet he would not do the same for you. We are not human, but more and above the trivial and feeble emotions you mortals are subjected to. He could care for you no more than a pet, which you practically are in comparison to my sister, a daiyokai."

Kagome glared at Fan and looked at Sesshomaru from the corner of her eyes. He was infuriatingly silent. How could he be so unmoved?! Fan was probably right; even Sesshomaru had said she was just a good time the last time she'd seen him. How could she have such complex, complicated feelings for someone who would not or could not have them in return?

She mentally berated herself for thinking he could love her, which she had allowed herself to believe for just a moment. After he had come back, she thought it was because he felt...something.

Still, she couldn't bring herself to kill him, if even her power could do that. Kagome looked into his golden eyes and then saw something, a trick of the light, she wasn't sure.

It seemed a perfect opportunity as any, and she placed the arrow against the string, taking in a breath and pulling it taunt.

She aimed the arrow at its target and noticed that Tsering had fled to another corner of the room, abandoning her intended to Kagome's spiritual power.

Kagome felt fury well up inside her and channeled that emotion into her arrow. She could feel her righteous anger leave her into the shaft, leaving her steady and calm.

If her first shot had impressed Fan Tsenpo, then this one would blow him away. The arrow already shone with a blinding light and would purify anything within its vicinity. At the last second, she moved her aim and loosed the arrow.

o - o - o - o - o

It was no task to keep his face schooled into a semblance of aloof arrogance. Sesshomaru had long ago mastered the art of a stoic face, and the practice served him well throughout the centuries. Though, he seldom had a reason for his facade to break from his uncaring expression.

The miko had blown into his world and unsettled his spectrum of life; first, by releasing his idiot brother and then by unleashing a pandemonium of events that ultimately led them here.

His skill of maintaining himself and his semblance was being utilized to its greatest potential at the moment. Tsering hung off him like a lamprey sucking at its host like a parasite. Currently, she had laid her head on his shoulder in a pathetic display of affection that he fought the urge to shove off. That would do him no good at the moment.

As Sesshomaru looked around, feigning a bored sense of interest, he found the contents of the room he had been brought to be a little macabre, but he was not surprised given the collector of the items. Fan Tsenpo was an oddity, and Sesshomaru had seen it all. It would seem that a pang of insatiable hunger for power and knowledge did not age well.

Weapons of all kinds were hung upon the walls. Sesshomaru even noticed items of considerable renown from Edo had been enshrined as well. What a waste. Fan may be a warrior, but he was also careless and arrogant, which was showcased throughout the estate.

The man had only just arrived inside the room and had taken a sword from the wall sheathed inside an ornate hilt. Fan pulled the weapon a quarter of the way outside of its hilt to show a beautiful bronze blade. Fan smiled at the sword and looked over at Sesshomaru. "Beautiful, is it not? Yokai-made, though humans pretend that they can craft something so perfect. The blade is older even than I and still brilliant and sharp."

Fan sheathed the blade and placed it back up on its wall mount. "No, blades like that are just not cast any longer."

"I do not think Sesshomaru is interested in your playthings, brother," Tsering said with annoyance. Even as she clung to him, her arms wrapped tight around his own and a smile plastered on her face, she was ready to be done with the charade Fan was putting on.

Fan shrugged and put his arms across his chest. "No matter, our guest is on her way as we speak."

Sesshomaru could hear the steps of two larger-bodied figures and the fainter sound of footsteps that must be the miko. He watched as she stepped hesitantly into the room, her eyes settling upon him but not before narrowing at Tsering's embrace.

Strangely, she did not display surprise at what she saw. Though it must have distracted her, despite the lack of surprise, for she was visibly stricken when Fan came up from behind.

The man taunted her and paraded his boorish collection for his hidden purposes. Fan's intentions, by orchestrating this meeting, were glaringly obvious; but the fool was all over the place, and it was hard to put a thumb on precisely what he planned.

Sesshomaru had asked for proof that the woman was alive and unharmed. He had been given that proof, yet Fan continued to dangle the woman in front of him like some scintillating treat. Rubbing his nose in it seemed more likely. Sesshomaru figured he would have to endure this torment to assure the woman's life.

Fan's little show culminated in a finale where he demanded a demonstration of the woman's powers. Now Fan was showing his hand. He was pushing the miko into place.

She balked at the suggestion, unsurprisingly.

It wasn't until the crazy yokai threatened the child that she broke and gave in, extinguishing the yokai in front of her with a subliminal show of power.

Now, just as Sesshomaru expected, Fan ordered the woman to use her powers upon him. Both Tsering and the woman looked to the sneering Fan incredulously. Tsering even went so far as to question her brother, to no avail.

Again, Fan threatened the life of their mutual child. Even so, the woman looked piteously upon him, at war with herself. She must choose the life of her child or his own.

Fan pushed the woman, suggesting that Sesshomaru would not hesitate to kill her if their situations were reversed. Her eyes began to well up with unshed tears, and she bit her lip.

Sesshomaru felt his brows knit with concern. Not for himself, but for her. He was the reason she was here, being pushed to commit heinous acts that may be nothing for him, but taxed her spirit much. She suffered, though she put on a strong face.

Slowly, the miko raised her weapon and aimed at his chest. It would be a fatal blow, he knew.

He watched her eyes and their gaze locked on one another. Sesshomaru heard her draw in a breath, meaning she was to loose the arrow.

As the miko exhaled, she turned her aim towards Fan in the final second. If Fan had not expected this, he gave no tell. His smile never left his face, even as Tsering gasped.

Much to Sesshomaru's annoyance, Fan had caught the arrow midair. The glowing light of condensed spiritual power seemed minuscule, and he even had the audacity to laugh. But, the light grew larger and larger until Fan's laugh dissipated, and his smile turned into a grimace.

The miko took a step forward and held out a hand where more blinding light shone. Her face was one of concentration and determination.

The spiritual power began to grow and envelope Fan, who still held the arrow aloft in his hand and grunted to be free of purification. The fool had bitten off more than he could chew. The spiritual blast would not kill him, but it would disorient the man at the very least.

Sesshomaru took the opportunity to dislodge himself from Tsering, who stood transfixed to the unfolding events befalling her brother.

Fan roared with anger, and likely pain, before he freed himself from his grip of the arrow. The light fizzled out once it hit the ground, looking harmless and unassuming.

Once the light had dissipated some, Sesshomaru noticed Fan's right half was burned beyond recognition, and his face now bore a gruesome and permanent smirk quite befitting him. His eye shone pale in comparison to the other, which began to glow a dull red.

Sesshomaru stepped in front of the miko and pulled free his sword. "It would seem you placed a wager you could not pay, Fan Tsenpo. Now you shall reap the reward."

Fan did not respond with words but grew in size of monstrous proportions. Fur spread over his body, and his limbs contorted as he grew to take on his true form.

o - o - o - o - o

Kagome watched as Fan continued to grow in size. Were they to die? Cut down by a ferocious daiyokai in its massive true form? A yokai in its TRUE form was immensely more powerful than the one contained in the smaller human-sized vessel.

She'd recalled when Sesshomaru had taken his form, but in comparison, Fan was much, much more significant. The room they were in was large, but already Fan had burst through the ceiling, allowing him to grow larger still. Every part of the building shook and crumbled down.

Kagome raised her hands in a vain attempt to stop from being pummeled with shards of wood and bits of mortar and stone. She squeezed her eyes shut in reflex, but when nothing pelted her, she peeked to see Sesshomaru in front of her. He blocked all falling debris quickly, waiting solemnly with his blade drawn. Would he transform, too?

Fan snarled and growled in his monstrous form, making incoherent moves and swatting at where he must have thought they would be. He continued to attack anything and everything in his path, destroying much of his palace.

The screams and shouts of the unseen castle residents could be heard from varying parts of the palace grounds, and mortals and yokai alike fled from the destruction.

Kagome looked at the large daiyokai with confusion. Why was he not attacking them?

"He has been blinded," Sesshomaru provided an answer to her unspoken question. He looked over his shoulder at her. "I shall end this," he told her and quickly launched up toward the rampaging Fan.

In a brilliant moment, Sesshomaru took Bakusaiga and easily cut the beast down. It was not a fair fight. Fan lashed out wildly, relying on his remaining senses to aid him but to no avail. It was child's play for Sesshomaru to avoid the large paws and the huge gnashing teeth.

Fan fell to the ground in slow motion, landing with a resonant thud. His enormous chest heaved up and down until the movements became shallow and eventually stopped.

It seemed all too anticlimactic as Sesshomaru turned his back on his opponent and walked calmly back towards her. He sheathed his sword and held out a hand to her.

Kagome gave a start, "Wait, where's Tsering?!" She had failed to notice the woman's absence and immediately grew concerned.

Sesshomaru did not seem to share her worry. "She fled after you fired upon her brother," he answered.

"Oh. Should we be worried?" Kagome asked, looking around. The last thing she needed was to be attacked by Sesshomaru's former fiancee.

"No," he responded and extended his hand again to her, urging her to take it. "Let us be away from here."

Kagome could not agree more and took his hand. He pulled her close and wrapped his arm around her waist before they rose into the air, up and away from the destruction below.

o - o - o - o - o

It had taken days to arrive back to Kagome's village. Sesshomaru had delivered her wordlessly upon the doorstep of her home outside the town.

The journey home had been immensely awkward for her. It would have likely taken only half the time for Sesshomaru to travel on his own, but he was laden down with a mortal woman who needed to eat, sleep, and do other human things.

While the entire trip was not completely silent, the words they exchanged held no value. Sesshomaru had offered no excuses nor explanations to any of the events transpired and Kagome was not inclined to ask, still sulking from the experience.

Kagome knew she was being stubborn, but she assured herself that she was not wrong for feeling the way she did. It wasn't her fault that Sesshomaru could be likened to a cantankerous old man. She glowered at him more often than not during their pauses on the journey. She was confident that he noticed, but he made no mention of her irritable mood.

Upon arriving home, Kagome rushed inside only to find the house empty. She was unsure why she expected anyone to be here, but she deflated inside nonetheless. It was like all of her expectations were always set to high, and she could not place a finger on what she should settle for. It was as if she continuously set her sights too high.

Kagome scoffed when it dawned on her that Sesshomaru must have known that no one was here. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts and spun around. Kagome stood inside, looking around for a moment, and Sesshomaru stepped in.

"There is no one here," he stated.

"I've gathered," she said testily. "Why would you bring me here, then?"

A/N: Has anyone noticed that Sesshomaru has not yet called Kagome by name? But he does for Rin and every once in awhile, Inuyasha?

Reasons behind that could be that he legitimately loves Rin in his own way, and he cares enough about his brother in some weird way. Methinks he is getting much closer to using her name.

There may or may not be a chapter next week, and if I do get it, it will be posted Saturday or Sunday, even. I'm a little drained from my day job.

Thank you to all who have taken the time to leave a review. I really appreciate hearing your inspiring thoughts and words. Please hang on for some more development, because, I promise there is much more going on than there seems in this chapter.

Again, thanks for reading! If you can, drop me a line or two and let me know your thoughts.