Nocturne - Chapter Twenty-Seven: Torment
Rated - M (for suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, and coarse language)
o - o - o - o - o : Indicates scene or POV change
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
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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 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 situation is just as dire."
Her smile slipped momentarily as she contemplated his words. She lowered 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, 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.
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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 the 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, mainly 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 pretty 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 utterly slack-jawed.
A/N: 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.