The Difference

by iamruthesque

[Discontinued] An InuYasha Love Story

2. Part II

Disclaimer: "Inu-Yasha" is the property of Takahashi Rumiko. The story and the characters do not belong to me; I'm merely borrowing them for the amusement of other Inu-Yasha fans out there. Seeing how I just said that, don't you dare come near me with a lawsuit. Dedicated to Rymsie: Thank you for being my source of encouragement throughout these past few months/weeks that I've been writing to you. You truly are my online mentor and if I write well, it's because I know that you're there encouraging me write well. I'm continually waiting for the day that you'll come back and awe me with your breath-taking stories so try your best to write =) No forced-writing of course! Just... 'happy' writing ^-^ Unless you're writing an angst then it would be 'happy-sad' writing unless... Let's just stop the rambling there. =) Enjoy Rymsie! This is for you! ---------- "The Difference" Part II Princess Faux ---------- A cool breeze brushed against his body yet the chill didn't affect him at all. Instead, he kept his steady trot out of the forest as he made his way towards a nearby open field. With each step that he took, his paws against the cold earth did not make a single noise but rather matched the silence of the forest. It was rather odd, if one took the time to think about it, how this forest was usually filled with sounds from various creatures of the night but how tonight not a single creature stirred from its hiding place. Perhaps, then, that tonight was different from any other night. Well, that was unlikely--after all, what would be so special about one night that it would cause a whole forest to be silent as it was tonight? Then perhaps it was not the night that silenced the forest, but instead a presence in the forest. Indeed, the presence of a mighty and fearsome creature, such as the great dog-demon that was making his way out of the forest, could be the cause of this silence. Mighty and fearsome--these two words described the demon perfectly. A demon with the features of any ordinary canine yet different because of his own distinct demeanor. One major difference was the size; Sesshou-Maru was considerably fifty, if not a hundred times larger than the normal hound. But, nevertheless, he still had many similar qualities of a dog. He had a sleek, well-defined body that was covered in a long, white fur, fur that felt as if it had been made of silk itself. All four of his legs were long, strong and steady, carrying his body well but also giving him the ability to run incredibly fast. His nose was also long and he held his head up quite lordly. Though he looked like a dog, this was his true form as a demon, and he bore it proudly. The silence in the forest was deafening but he was accustomed to it. In a way, he also demanded it, knowing that he was magnificent and that all others--may they be beast, mortal, or immortal--should recognize that as well. He was a being to be awed at for his awesome and breathtaking beauty, but he was also to be feared. At this moment, ignoring his large size, he looked harmless enough. The silken fur shimmered in the beams of the moonlight as they shone on his magnificent body, highlighting his best features--which was all of him. He looked innocent, lovable--teasingly cuddly. But this innocence was feigned and his true terrible self shone brightly in his red demon eyes. Demon eyes were the most awesome and most terrible things to possibly gaze into. It was like looking into death itself and his eyes matched that description perfectly. They demanded blood; they were hungry for it, lusted for it. And he, being a great demon, gave in readily to that lust. This was why all feared him and if they did not fear him, they should. The demon did not anger easily, but he could wait patiently until all that he wanted was his. If he wanted blood, he would take it, giving himself almost any excuse to stain his ivory white claws with the crimson shade of red. He was ruthless in every way, getting what he wanted every time that he wanted. But he was also cunning with the intelligence of a mage, priest, teacher, scholar... He had knowledge of everything. Patience, intelligence and ruthlessness make one very formidable and dangerous demon. Escaping the confines of the forest, he entered into a large pasture, lush and vibrant in the spring. He took a brief moment and looked at the sky, almost awing its magnificent beauty that matched his own. After giving his homage to the night, his forepaws pressed tightly against the dewy grass, the front of his body pressed low to the earth, and then, in one swift moment, he was in the air, soaring against the wind, going home to his domain. The trip was short from that particular pasture and was made even shorter with his ability to travel by air. Soon, he descended from the sky, leaving the cloak of night for a huge, imposing castle that loomed in front of him. The fortress stood before him almost completely hidden in the night, dark and lonely. If he had not been a demon and had his eyesight not been as superior as it is, he could have overlooked it. Large mountains overshadowed the fortification while below, sharp and deadly rocks arose from the ground. It was a beautiful palace, and even though he had a great, massive protection force for his home, there was no need for it because the awesome and terrifying beauty of nature herself protected the palace. In front of him extended a large balcony, large enough for the dog demon in his true form as he is now, to stand in the middle of and still have plenty of room. He descended slowly onto the balcony, wary of the precious bundle that he had carefully hidden in the comfort of his beautiful tail. When he was comfortable with his destination, he effortlessly wrapped his tail about his body as he changed from the terrifyingly beautiful dog-being into a mere human being. Wrapped in his much-considerably smaller white tail was a sleeping human girl. He held out his muscular arms, his tail hovering above them. Then his tail slowly released her and she dropped lightly into his arms. He took the moment to gaze at her sleeping face. 'She seems to be at peace,' he mused lightly, wondering if she was dreaming. Naturally, she shivered in the cold night air, quickly snapping him out of his thoughts. Effortlessly, he carried her inside. Once inside the room, his demon soldiers, minions that were made loyal to him, pulled a huge heavy drape from one side of the opening to the balcony to the other, doing it quickly and quietly. Two other wraiths quickly made a fire in the fireplace, filling the room with warmth. The master of the home did not seem to acknowledge any of them. Instead, Sesshou-Maru continued to walk into the room and found two women bowing, their bodies pressed low to the ground. Sesshou-Maru did not look surprised, as if he had known they were there all along, even though he did not know these two mortal women in particular. He looked them over once and then commanded stiffly as he continued walking across the vast room, "Come." Two other demons on either side of the luxurious doors pulled on each handle, opening the doors for their master to pass through. The women hurried behind him, not too close but not too far away either. He could feel them in the back of his mind. He knew that their bodies were trembling; he could hear the unsteadiness in their breathing as well as smell the fear in them. Though they were not too horribly looking, they did not compare to many, many of the demonesses that he knew, or consorted with, nor did they compare to the one in his arms. Their fear was pleasing and their presence was irritating; he felt both emotions simultaneously. They would not be of any use to him if they were so scared that they could not do their job well and effectively, he knew. In the back of his mind, without so much as a moment's thought, he beckoned Jaken to come, purely by will alone. Then as he walked out of the main room, he almost stopped at the next room next to his. After half-a-second's hesitation, he decided against it and walked through several hallways until he reached a room at the far end of one hallway. Demons quickly appeared, seemingly from nowhere, and opened the two large oak doors with ease. On the other side, Jaken was already waiting for him, humbly standing off to the side, bowing his head in respect. Without glancing in Jaken's direction, the demon lord passed through. Sesshou-Maru made his way across the room, this room much smaller than the previous one. In the middle of the room, pressed against one wall, was an extravagant bed, the sheets a lovely ivory color with matching colored pillows. The women behind him let out a lovingly sigh in admiration as they saw the room. Sesshou-Maru was tempted to kill them for being so... bothersome. 'Human women,' he thought with disgust as his jaw tightened. 'Are they all as irritating?' He approached the bed and entrusted this precious burden to it, sitting on its edge and placing her in the middle of the large mattress. He had an urge to reach out and touch her face, peaceful as it was in slumber, or to run his fingers through her velvety soft hair again, to relish the feeling that he had as her hair became tangled with his fingers like it had that afternoon. With a stern admonition, his heart hardened against the girl, smothering the detestable desires that she unknowingly gave him. Promptly, he got up from the bed and gave cursory nod at Jaken who immediately began to tell the women detailed instructions on how to handle the girl in short, curt sentences. Sesshou-Maru didn't even bother to stay to hear the rest of the message. He already knew that Jaken would carry out his orders: to tell the women to take care of the girl, to bathe her, dress her, yet in the meanwhile, keep her asleep. After he had left the room, his demon soldiers were already closing the door quietly behind him. He ignored those demons too. Then there was no one in the hallways but for him. Subconsciously, he walked through the empty and silent hallways back to his own room. Clearing his mind, he reached out mentally to his castle, listening through the walls. He concentrated on Jaken, and as he did so, one corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he could hear Jaken literally hiss a threat at the women. 'He will kill you,' he heard Jaken speak. 'It's just the matter of when.' The malicious smirk widened as he thought of how he had been neglecting Jaken these days. Jaken almost had nothing to do, since Sesshou-Maru had no need to look for his father's sword, seeing how he already knew where it was. A frown slowly made its way onto Sesshou-Maru's face. Yes... Jaken had been very restless these past few days. A demon with nothing to do... but still has a thirst for blood. The frown deepened. His concern was not for the toad, of course, but for the defenseless girl sleeping in one of his beds. His concern dissipated immediately, one for out of scorn for his newly attained protectiveness over the girl and another for the comfort of knowing that he would just kill Jaken if he even so much as touched Kagome. His personal bedchambers was now quite warm instead of the chill he had experienced when he first arrived at his domain, since the fire had been alive for a while now. He did not need to look around to know that the demons that had been in here earlier were not in here now. It had ceased to amaze him many, many years ago, about how quiet and undemanding these creatures were. It had been so long ago... he was only a little pup then. And his father had told him how he had come about training them, the wraiths that worked as the palace guards now. Before, they had been ruthless creatures, unthinking, unknowledgeable, yet huge in number. His father, the great demon of the western lands, killed many of them, and brought two of them home. Sesshou-Maru remembered how fascinated he had been as his father retold him of how he accomplished this task. His father had delved into their minds, taking away every bit of emotion that they had, brain-washing them, so to speak. It had taken a period of time to perfect, merely a year or two, since many had gone insane and killed themselves in every way imaginable. But then, it began to work. His father captured dozens upon dozens of them, erasing their memories, thoughts and feelings, and made them into mindless drones that obeyed him. Sesshou-Maru remembered, after the night that his father told him of this mysterious ability to control the mind, Sesshou-Maru honed in on this ability and focused everything he had into perfecting this. It had taken up years of his life, causing him at times to go insane if he had pushed himself too far, and as a result, his father, many, many times, had to reach into his own mind to pull him out of insanity. But, because of this, he had learned patience, and endurance. It strengthened his mind as well as his ability. He became so skilled, that one time he blocked his father from reaching into his mind. After that day, his father never touched his mind again. He had mastered this technique and had been able to do to the demons what his father had done; but instead of speaking verbally to the mindless monsters, he had only to reach out with his thoughts to command them. And this was all accomplished when he was but a pup. He let out a sigh of relief as he pulled one article of clothing off his body after another. Soon, he was down to nothing yet his large tail covered him more than needed. He lay on his bed, covering himself with the sheets, though the humid air in the room was warm enough for him. With a thought, the fire in the fireplace was extinguished but he allowed the embers to burn for a while. He then closed his eyes and embraced the void that came with sleep. ~ Dreams of happiness eluded her. Instead, surrounding her were nightmares, showing the same thing, over and over again, repeating endlessly in her mind, torturing her in her sleep. At times, she couldn't even think, she only felt the pain that her dreams produced. There were times that the pain was so unbearable that she could hardly breathe, her body fighting for air, a fight that she was barely aware of. They were dreams of her fate: to live alone, forever. Destined to never be loved like she desperately wanted to be loved. Kagome knew, in her heart, that she was dreaming of her future. Her dreams were horrible yet there was an explicitness that she could not ignore. Sitting up painfully in the bed, she kept her eyes closed, replaying the dreams in her mind, forcing herself to believe them, forcing herself to accept reality for what it really was. Forcing her to snap out of the dream that she wanted to live in. Her dream... no, nightmare, had started out innocently enough. Inu-Yasha had been smiling at her, actually smiling for once. And at her. They had spent the day together, gathering shards with only one incident: a demon, chasing her for the shards she already had. But of course, Inu-Yasha, her protector saved her. He had gathered her in his arms, and told her that he would always protect her. And that he would always love Kikyo. She felt her heart shatter for what seemed like the billionth time that day as she engraved that part of the nightmare into her mind. He would always love Kikyo. Always. Then her dreams continued, dreams of other people loving her: Hojo, Miroku, Kouga, even some mysterious guy that had no face--all she knew about him was that he came from her time like Hojo. They had all loved her in her dream, but ended up shattering her heart, just like he did. By loving another. And, she had woken up with a start by knowing she died unloved and insane. She had woken up, quite startled, her whole body quivering in fear. She wanted to break down and cry, and in fact, she didn't notice it until now, but she -had- been crying. But she had tried her hardest not to. She had scolded herself for crying, for being so weak especially at a time like this. She had known, she told herself, so why was she dwelling on it now? 'You knew this would happen,' she cried in her head. 'Why? Why are you letting yourself go through this pain? He loves another... You don't belong with him. Forget him, live again.' She tried to console herself, but it just didn't work. It hurt too much. After what seemed like an hour of crying, her tears had finally stopped. Her mind had stopped thinking by her command. She forced her mind to be clear, free from any thought. But then, she had lifted herself up from the bed, into sitting position. She swallowed as she gripped at the sheets again, just as she had to help herself to sit up in the bed. She opened her eyes, only to be greeted by darkness, no light whatsoever, not even the light that should be filtering through the window in her room. Her breathing slowly began to accelerate as the silk sheets rifted easily from between her fingers. 'Silk... sheets?' her mind asked, slowly beginning to go frantic with worry. She swallowed, forcing her mind to think, but she could not. Her mind had gone blind with fear; her head craned slowly from one side to the other, trying to look for anything, but still greeted only with the pitch black of the room. She pulled her legs up, feeling the nice, silky texture of the sheets against her legs. As she wrapped her arms around her legs, she realized that the sheets weren't the only thing that had been brushed against her legs, but also the thin silk cloth that she had been wearing. Quickly, she released her legs and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling silk brush up against her arms and hands as she gripped her arms. She was not in her own clothing. Slowly, painfully slowly, her mind began to register these simple facts. She swallowed again, demanding that moisture come back into her mouth, since it had gone dry when she realized that she was not at home. Her legs were still up, but it was difficult to keep them up because they kept sliding back down to resting position. Fed up, she left her legs the way they were. She was most certain that the silk sheets were probably tangled around her legs. Her sanity came back to her, though at a very slow rate. First, she rubbed her eyes, hoping that it had been her tears that had kept her from distinguishing the features of the room. After she had done so, and made sure that her eyes were perfectly dry from the miserable tears that she had shed, she leaned back and waited until she could see something... see anything that would tell her of where she was. It came slowly but the outlines began to show. Across the room were the outlines of five--no, six--six heavy curtains, she guessed. Heavy, because they would probably have to have been to keep out every single natural light from coming in. To her right, she saw a very light, or she should say dark, outline of a rather large portrait. When she extended her eyes to her left, she saw the outline of a two large and magnificent doors placed perfectly in the middle of the wall. She grabbed for one of the pillows that she had been lying on, pulling it close to her as she wondered if she should dare to venture past that door. She shuddered, wondering if it was anything like this room; completely dark and void of light. Reaching for the sheets that were tangled together by her feet, she pulled it tightly against her body, tucking in all the loose ends that might let a draft inside. "Where am I?" she whispered, asking no one in particular. Her own voice scared her as it bounced off the walls, echoing back to her. 'Don't speak out loud... ever again,' she thought, wryly, half-scared out of her wits. She sighed... she didn't know which was worse: staying awake and having to deal with her current fear of absolute darkness, or sleeping, and reliving her whole ordeal with Inu-Yasha up to the time that she had her encounter with... "Sesshou-Maru," Kagome whispered, realization dawning on her. "Sessh... ou..." Her eyes reduced to mere slits as she glared into the darkness. "... Maru!" she finished angrily through gritted teeth. Finding her courage in her anger, she tossed off the sheets from her body, sending it flying off the right side of the bed. She hefted herself off the left side of the bed, finding it slightly higher off the ground than she had anticipated as she tripped slightly over her own feet. Then, the second shock came as her feet touched the solid ground. It was terribly, mind-numbingly cold. But her hot anger made up for it at the moment as she marched herself towards the two large doors, becoming more evident with each step that they were wooden doors, looking incredibly heavy. Then, frustrating her more than she already was, whatever she was wearing was being very difficult to march with. She lifted the hem, or whatever it was, off the ground, allowing her more space to march with. She finally made her way to the door and pulled hard. The door opened much easier than she expected and she almost hit herself with it! With a frustrated half-shriek, she stepped outside of the door only to be met by Sesshou-Maru's handpicked servant--or as she liked to call him: Sessho-Maru's 'henchman'--Jaken himself. "You," he growled, not at all in the least pleased. She gave herself the pleasure of glaring back at him as he finished, "should be in bed, little girl." "Shut up," she growled through gritted teeth, barely having a hold over her anger, "You toad!" she screamed at him, kicking him through the hallway. She, in turn, inhaled and exhaled readily, feeling a bit better that she was able to vent her anger on something. For the first time, she noticed her new surroundings. It was a huge hallway, quite long, filled with dozens of rooms. Torches hung on either side of each door. Huffing determinedly, she marched to the first door, beginning her search. As she marched to the door, she stopped in front of it, knowing that that room did not have what she was looking for. She shook her head, hesitantly, wondering if she should ignore her instinct and just open it anyway. Kagome swallowed, wondering if she would regret this, but she left the doorway and walked slowly down the hallway. Reaching the end, she came to a fork, the hallway lead into two different directions, each hallway leading on to more hallways and she could imagine what those hallways lead up to. She closed her eyes, emptying her mind of her unbridled emotions. Then she felt it again, that feeling... that nagging feeling that she recognized now. She snapped her eyes open, wondering incredulously, "Is he -calling- to me?" She hefted up her clothing, her anger growing again, and resumed her march, taking to the right, following her instincts. She picked up her pace, her feet not wanting to feel the cold floor if she didn't have to. It was like going through a maze, taking a turn that she didn't know where she was going to end up in. All the hallways looked the same, not that she was taking the time to notice anything different, of course. She hurried through the hallways, her breathing becoming heavier with each step. Kami-sama, she was angry. But she kept quiet and listened to her instincts, allowing her anger to grow as quietly as her footsteps had been with each step she took. Finally, she came through a hallway where there was no other hallways connected to it at the end. Instead, there was a doorway, an entrance that was much more lovely, more extravagant, and more fear inspiring than any other doorway in the entire palace. Without one ounce of fear in her, she marched right up to the door, tugged on it, and needing the extra strength to open it, she pulled it ajar just enough for her to slip in. Inside, everything was pitch black, but she knew, just knew instinctively, that he was in here. Clearing her throat, she declared, quite loudly, "Sesshou-Maru!" though it did come out much more like a yell. Immediately, lights flared up all over the room, torches filled with fire glowed brightly as well as a huge fireplace to her right, the sudden movement startling her. In front of her was a gigantic sized bed with a beautiful canopy on all sides; the side facing her already had its curtains drawn aside. She didn't move as the figure on the bed slowly stirred, getting up from his resting position to a sitting position. Kagome almost had her breath taken away as she couldn't help but stare, and the only thing that kept her from gasping aloud was the great amount of anger that was boiling inside of her. But nothing came out from her mouth as she watched, completely enraptured as the figure got up, his beautiful white hair falling softly, carelessly from his face to his side, covering his bare chest. His chest was definitely a thing of beauty, showing his well-chiseled form and muscles. His eyes were a bit hazy as he opened them to gaze at her. Even his large golden eyes seemed to take her senses away. She felt blood rush to her face as she realized after her moment of intense, unabashed staring, that he slept naked. Sesshou-Maru watched intrigued as the girl, who had so rudely awakened him from his slumber, stared at his body and he felt a rush of immense pride as she did so. He felt himself staring back at her; he had been right, she did look lovely in silk, the crimson red silk that seemed to hug her body, caressing every part of her without her consent. He was fascinated by her as he took in every detail. She was breathing very heavily from her exercise but of course she was trying her very best not to show it. Her hair was a bit tangled since she just woke up but even so, it cascaded beautifully down her shoulders; his eyes lingered on the shoulder that the silk had slid off of; it probably happened when she was running through his corridors. Oh, he knew. He had known that she had taken a trip through his home the moment that she left his room. He had been awake since then; that was why the lights had not bothered him so when he commanded the lights to blaze freely at her calling out his name, even if it did take him a short moment to adjust his eyesight. He had wanted to shock her, to scare her after making so much commotion in his home at such a late hour. But he had not been able to tell if she had been scared, since her heart had been beating so quickly already. He watched as she began to blush, and then turn her body aside; he could not help but allow a small smile to grace his face at her modesty. 'The modesty that came after the staring,' he thought dryly, his smirk widening. But then it disappeared quickly as she spoke, the words loud only enough for his ears to hear, "What have I done to you that you would bring me here?" in this sentence alone, he could hear the bitterness and anger and frustration in her voice. Did she hate him, he wondered. He did not reply to her question but waited instead. After a moment of silence--a moment so quiet that the only sound came from the crackling fire in the fireplace in front of her--she turned halfway around, enabling him to gaze at her profile. She did not look at him but rather at the far side of the room, and she whispered, "Haven't I been in enough pain today that I had to wake up here, in this horrible place... filled with demons? A place where I'm not familiar with?" she paused, uncertain, then continued, "I feel like such a stranger, in a place where I'm not wanted..." He was tempted to answer her, to retort to her questions or to soothe away her anxiety, but there was something in her quiet despair that intrigued him and he wanted her to continue. What pain had she been going through today? he asked her silently. He watched, almost astonished as tears fell down her face. He was mesmerized as her tears fell, her body trembling, threatening to fall over to the ground so that she could weep and mourn again. He wondered why she continued to cry; after all, hadn't she done enough crying for one day? She stood upright though, her lips wavering as she opened her mouth to speak, her face slowly turning to face him, "Why did you bring me here?" The tears streaked own her face, the tears in her eye, and the sadness that illuminated from her body was enough to make him want to come to her and embrace her as he had that afternoon. To feel her small body lying in his lap as she depended solely on him. It had been an incredible new experience, an experience that he actually wanted to try again. "Should I have left you then?" he asked her in his own way of answering her. He was surprised when the tone of his voice was chiding her, almost reprimanding her in a compassionate way, "Do you think that I did not know the pain that you have been feeling? That I should leave you there so that you might cry again?" "Like I am now?" she retorted angrily, clenching her fists by her side. Her eyes narrowed into slits, and then finally, as if making up her mind, she marched to the side of his bed, swooped down and grabbed the discarded cloth at the foot of his bed. Without looking at him, she flung the open sheet at his lower body, turning her head away as the cloth fluttered from the air onto his body, covering him quite decently. He was tempted to smirk again but commanded himself to keep up a stern exterior, to show no compassion to her at all. But... She showed such innocence. "All I wanted to do was to be at home and away from your kind," she spat vehemently, not able to keep the anger from her voice any longer. "I should be at home! Surrounded by the people that I love, surrounded by those who care about me, those who would never hurt me! Why?" she asked, her tone despairing, the anger fading from her voice as she started to breath heavily. "Why on earth," she paused as she stared into his eyes searching for the answers that he would not give her. "... did you bring me here?" "I brought you here for my own reasons," he answered simply, forcing himself to forget about the action that she just made concerning his lack of modesty, and making himself concentrate on her words to give her an answer that would not betray his demon heritage by being too kind. "I did not bring you here so that you might mourn more," the words that came out of his mouth were clipped now, forced and emotionless. He needed to get a hold of himself, he had been much too compassionate to her and she would take advantage of that, that much he was sure. He coolly set his face, his facial expression now stony and rigid and he willed himself to be the cold-blooded demon that he knew himself to be. "But I am!" she retorted, her voice edgy. She hated the way she sounded right now, whining like a child to a parent. He had helped her this afternoon, she reminded herself. When she had no one else to turn to, he was there, surprisingly. She had thought that he would kill her, remembering that brief moment of fear when he first approached. But then, she hadn't cared anymore, and she just wanted to cry and be herself, the person that she never showed to Inu-Yasha despite the fact that she had always desperately wanted to. She snapped out of that line of thought, forcing her to attend to the conversation at hand. "It doesn't help that I wake up in a strange place where I don't recognize anyone. I was terrified, waking up in a room where I couldn't see a thing," she admitted readily, accusing him as if he had intended that all along. It did not take her long to realize that she had just told him another one of her weaknesses. It was already bad enough that he had watched her cry so many times today; it was bad enough that he had shared her sorrow... he that was a dog demon, kin to the one that scarred her soul. Her heart swelled with bitterness, angry with herself for constantly reminding herself of her pain. Sessho-Maru could see what her train of thought was leading up to. He knew that she was trying to make him guilty, enough to make him bring her back to where she wanted to be. But he would be damned if he allowed any human, even her, to be devious enough to use him like that. But that was where her deviousness ended. He hadn't even needed to delve into her mind to know that she was no longer deviously plotting against him to use him, but again, frustrating him to no ends, her feeling of despair resurfaced in her mind, tormenting her. "You are angry," he started simply, feeling the frustrations in his mind but not showing it on his exterior. "Of course I'm angry," she snapped. "Hai," Sessho-Maru answered her curtly. "Demo," he drawled out as he suggested an ulterior emotion, one that would ease her instead of frustrate her as the current emotion was doing. "Shouldn't you be groveling in fear, as you did the first time you met me?" She laughed then, much to his dismay. Her laughter was hollow, so very empty. It was a contrast to the beauty that he had once seen in her before tonight. "Is that what you have brought yourself to believe, Sessho-Maru-sama?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she drawled out his name. He was taken aback, wondering what in hell and on earth the mortal girl was talking about. "That -I- have been scared witless by -you-?" Kagome wanted to laugh again, but she hated the way she sounded right now. Just so bitter... and angry at the world, just like her dream had portrayed her at the end of the nightmare. Alone, insane, and unloved. She shuddered, despite the warmth the fire gave her. Instead, she said, taunting him further, "You... I despised you upon meeting you, Sessho-Maru-sama," she whispered. "To see that you've taken Inu-Yasha's mother and hurt her, just because it was his weakness... You disgusted me." She scoffed lightly. Tears still formed in her eyes, even as the old ones were dried by the fire. He was quiet as she spoke, so she continued. "You're a murderer. A cold-hearted murderer." Wheels began turning in his mind as those words brought up purposefully forgotten memories of his past. He shunned those memories, putting them away in a place where he could not reach. Angry that she had been able to dig up those thoughts, he readily targeted her to he the target for his anger. He recognized readily that this girl that had once stood so innocently before him would not yield to anger, would not be phased by fear. She was worse than any demoness at this point, unwilling to change. He did not find it difficult anymore to harden his heart against the girl. She had touched parts of him that he never knew existed, but at this point, he never wanted to feel those parts ever again. Compassion, care and concern. They were all mortal weaknesses. He was immortal and had no place for those pitiful things in his life. His demon eyes glowed, ready to kill her with a glance. He knew that he would never be able to forgive her for making him feel the things that he did. But forgiveness was for the weak. He would never need to give it. "Forgive me," she murmured suddenly. Sessho-Maru froze in his bed. 'Kuso!' he thought angrily, clenching the sheets tightly in his grip. 'I wanted to kill you,' he screamed in his mind. She was a witch then, he thought dryly, forcing himself to be calm once again. It was the only possible reason that he could think of. How else was she able to make him feel so many emotions in so little time? He closed his eyes, damning her yet all the while he kept wondering what made him feel the way he did. "It's just that... I should be home," she thought aloud, voicing her excuse. "I only want to be at home with my family..." He almost snorted out loud, "You are fine here," he told her curtly, cutting her off while still trying to hold his temper. "They are mere humans, after all." "Mere humans?" she asked him, whirling to face him. She stared into his eyes, and he stared into her soul in return. Her eyes were furious, filled with anger, anger that was still there from her outburst earlier. He calmed then, feeling a strange, odd sense of comfort in knowing that he was not the only one struggling with his emotions. He tried to keep his gaze cool so that he would not betray any emotions, he could not afford to let her gain anymore ground on him than what little she already had. He watched, amused, as she continued her little temper tantrum, half-relieved that it was not him that was throwing his own temper. "What is it about us 'mere humans' that we're so inferior to you?" she asked, the emotions in her eyes speaking volumes. "Is it because you hunt us down to kill us? Just for your amusement? Admit it," she cried, accusing him. "You don't even hunt us for food! You find us and kill us just because we live, don't you? Because we merely exist? Or is it because of something else? Perhaps the fact that we have emotions, that we experience so many different kinds of feelings such as pain, hurt and despair... love, kindness, compassion... Is that why you hunt us down? Because we have souls that are bared to the world, unlike you and your kind?" "And you believe that we do not have souls?" he inquired, one eyebrow cocked in amusement. He leaned back against the soft, feather filled pillows and waited patiently for her reply, wondering if the human girl had been educated at all. "A soul is nothing without the heart," she replied quickly, shaking her head vehemently. "You are just a mere demon," she stated simply, turning away from him to organize her thoughts. "You have no heart. You can't possibly feel love and kindness... compassion and these kinds of emotions like humans can." She closed her eyes as a familiar feeling trickled down her spine but this feeling wasn't comforting as it had been before; rather it was harsh against her body, rough almost as it sent shivers throughout her body; the same kind of chill that happened just a few minutes earlier. That chill had terrified her so much that out of instinct she had apologized to him. At the moment, she really did not want to apologize. After all, the bastard deserved what little criticism she gave him yet even so, as soon as she did apologize, a warm trickling sensation had completely engulfed her being, making her feel glad that she actually did apologize to him. Ruefully, she rubbed her arms as she felt the odd, discomforting chill but continued nevertheless, "Demons are ruthless, showing no emotions but hatred and revenge... And your lust for blood. You never think of anyone but yourself and how to hurt others around you. You demand respect without giving it; you expect us humans to do whatever you want, and then yell at us for not accomplishing the task, even though we have. Demons... disgust me." A low rumble emerged from his throat and he slipped off the bed, wrapping the thin cloth around his waist unconsciously for her benefit. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him move and slowly took a couple of steps away from him and towards the dimming fire. He continued to approach her, ignoring the fact that she was moving away from him. Inwardly, he smiled, feeling the rush of pleasure again as he heard her heartbeat accelerate with each step that he took towards her. 'Did not fear me, did you?' he thought callously. 'Despise me... will you?' The rush of pleasure radiated from his entire being as he approached her. She stood so closely to the fire now, shying away from him until she could not move any closer to the fire. He stood behind her, shielding himself from the intense warmth of the fire yet he still felt the body heat that radiated from her body. He stood close behind her, inhaling her scent, hearing her unsteady breathing and the rapid pace of her heart. Tentatively, he rested his hand on her shoulder and felt her shiver underneath his touch. The warm bare skin underneath his fingertips sent rushes of liquid fire throughout his body. He felt strange and out of place but at the same time, oddly relaxed--he had never felt this combination of feelings before and it intrigued him. Brushing his palm down her shoulder, his fingertips reached the edge of the cloth at her shoulder and tugged it gently back over her body, covering her and taking away the temptation of touching her bare skin again. A part of him was upset when he realized that she was oblivious to the feelings that she sent through him. He closed his eyes and leaned near her head and whispered to her, a tone smooth and sultry, "Do you despise all demons, Kagome, or just the one that hurt you?" She spun away from him to his left, slapping his hand away from her body; ironically, the silken cloth fell off her other shoulder as she pulled away. For a second, he was shocked, not expecting this reaction. A red aura began to glow softly around her body, her eyes filled with tears and anger. She hissed at him, her tone filled with passionate rage, "Don't touch me," she growled, punctuating every word. Her body heaved with exertion, and she wondered numbly why she had reacted the way she did. Her mind was filled with anger and she couldn't think straight, but she felt the disappointment in her heart as she stared at Sesshou-Maru. He had been with her that afternoon, feeling her pain with her--or so he said. And she had turned on him even despite all of his hospitality. She felt ashamed in her heart and was at a terrible loss for words. And as she stared at him, she began to see the resemblance that he had to... him. The golden eyes, glaring at her; long white shimmering hair that she just wanted to reach out and touch; a strong chest that had been warm against her body. Her eyes glazed over with tears as for a fleeting instant, she actually did she him, crying out in her mind, 'Inu-Yasha...?' Then, in a flash, Sesshou-Maru's eyes blazed with a terrible anger, his whole body trembling in a way that he had never trembled since he was just a little pup, when he was immature and impatient, stupid and naive. His own powerful aura glowed from his body, a bright red flame. Kagome's aura was nothing compared to his. Immediately, Kagome cooled her temper, flinching away from his sight. He was right to be angry, she told herself, blinking away the tears. 'He was nothing but good to me,' she thought. 'And this is how I repay him.' She braced herself for the impact that she knew was coming, hoping that the blow would be swift and painless, that she would be knocked-out before she could feel it. Instead, it never came. Tentatively, she opened her eyes, her body still rigid. He stood in front of her, his body blazing as brightly as the renewed flame in the fireplace behind him. He was still angry, his whole body was tense. Then, he opened his mouth slowly, inhaling slowly as he matched her gaze. "Get out!" he roared finally, the whole palace trembling underneath his roar. His body flared with flames and she stepped back, stumbling over her robe onto the floor. Scared beyond her senses, she stared into his eyes; being so scared, she was not able to respond to his demand. When she didn't move, he let out another mighty bellow, loud and long as she got herself off the floor, her movements stiff and awkward. She found her way to the door, pulling hard with all her might, she stumbled outside, running from the room for dear life. She gasped as tears found her way to her eyes again, half out of fear... and regret. She had made her way down two hallways before she tripped again, sending herself sprawling across the hallway. But this time, she did not get up; instead, she wrapped her arms around her head, sobbing, releasing loud chokes of despair into the night. The sounds of her weeping resonated against the walls, echoing throughout the palace. It was her fault that he was angry, she knew, her heart crying out in pain. But that had not been the reason why she was crying. Fear gripped her heart, a harsh and painful grasp that she felt physically as well as emotionally. She had stared into his eyes before she left and she didn't see anger there... instead, she saw pain. And somehow, though she did not know why, she had been the cause of his pain. She buried her face in her hands, shaking her head wildly in disbelief. 'What have I done?' she cried in despair. 'He had been kind, been gentle towards me... and this...' Choked sobs sounded again as she asked herself how she could do that to him. He had be there for her when she was hurting, yet now, he was hurting because of her. Why was life being so unkind to her? she thought frantically. "Given so much... Got nothing in return," she whispered aloud. "And he gave me something... That I'll forever remember, but he, in return, got nothing but pain." She felt a horrible feeling in her gut, a pain that tripled when she recalled that it wasn't her pain that she was feeling, but the pain that she gave to someone else. She felt so guilty, so hopeless. And to top it all off, she was still in pain from Inu-Yasha. The feeling that she felt when Sesshou-Maru touched her reminded her so much of Inu-Yasha. It had been so pleasant, felt so wonderfully perfect to her that it reminded her of how much she wanted Inu-Yasha to told her like that, in a lovingly manner, free from all barriers. His touch had felt completely wonderful. But then, to remember what Inu-Yasha did with -her-... She shuddered as she remembered the way she had automatically thought of Inu-Yasha when Sesshou-Maru touched her. Then she had pulled away, thinking that it -was- Inu-Yasha that touched her. She shivered in disgust, wondering if Inu-Yasha would really dare do such a thing, wondered if he thought that he could touch her after to had touched Kikyo. Then she brutally reminded herself that Sesshou-Maru was not Inu-Yasha. They were two very different people that despised each other. And while Inu-Yasha had his own unique look, Sesshou-Maru had the kind of beauty that demanded respect... two very different creatures. Kagome shakily got to her feet, brushing away wet strands of hair that had interfered with her tears when they fell against her cheek. She told herself sternly that she would never mistaken one for the other again. She turned around, feeling for that particular presence that she knew that was in the back of her mind. She had to go back and apologize. And if he was still angry and upset, she would face the consequences, no matter what they might be. ~ He finally stopped his roar when she left the room, the door slamming behind her. He panted heavily, his rage blinding him beyond his senses. He had never been so angry than he had been now. At least, not in a long while--not in a very long while. Still, despite this fact, he was still angry, his mind hurt and his body ached to throw anything to get rid of this nasty feeling in his body. He trembled, slightly amused that the human girl had managed to get such a rise out of him that no other demon, including his father, had been able to get from him. Mindlessly, he tied the sheet tightly around his waist as a wraith appeared from the darkness with another cloth. The demon quickly moved to the bed, soundlessly and left the cloth on it. Just as quickly and quietly, he was gone from the master's personal chambers. Warily, Sesshou-Maru ran his claws through his hair, taken-aback when his fingers felt damp after touching his forehead. His heart slowly began to decelerate from its abnormal speed as he sat himself on his comfortable bed, tired with all that had happened. This had not been an uneventful evening, but it had not been as he expected it to be. 'Damn wench,' he thought angrily. Then reprimanded himself for being angry. He would never let her get a rise out of him again, no matter what it took. Even if he had to hurt himself to keep his composure. His sudden outburst had been completely unacceptable, and he would have to control himself more much carefully from this point on. 'Just kill her,' his demon mind hissed. She was such a bother. An idiot that spoke too often and too carefree in his presence. But then he was reminded of her timidity, and her innocence. He swallowed, remembering the way that she looked at him that afternoon, after he had approached her. There was an openness that she displayed, showing her as completely vulnerable. But just as he remembered that about her, he also remembered the way her mind called out to -him-. His bastard brother. It had been a mental call so strong that he couldn't help but overhear, even if he had put up a mind barrier between her and him. He was disgusted and filled with self-pity as he thought of how she had called for the bastard when she had been looking directly at him. His claws became fists, clenching tightly, so tightly that it produced blood. "Damn him too," he growled incoherently. 'So she had been hurt by him,' he mused softly, still in the midst of controlling his temper. 'And she had the nerve to compare him to me.' He snorted out loud, making his resolution. He would break her, he decided. And she would no longer think of his half-brother, but only him. Almost instantly, his anger cooled, his demon conscience temporary satisfied with his evil intent. It was as if he had done too many kind deeds today and that had offset his balance. But if he succeeded in breaking her and bending the unattainable girl to his will, then he would be embracing his demon-hood again. He would no longer be weak as this girl had made him. A smirk graced his evil face as he slid further into his huge bed, the lights dimming all around him until the only light came from the dying embers in the fireplace. Satisfied, he closed his eyes and called on his minions. He decided, he would let her sleep tonight. Tomorrow she would be his. Commanding the wraiths to take her to her room, he waited until he could feel her safely back in the room that he put her in. Instead, a call came back from the minor demon, telling him that the girl refused to be led back to her room by them. Sesshou-Maru almost laughed out loud by this girl's tenacity. He told them in reply to let her be and to allow her roam around the domain. And that when she got lost, they were to take her back to her room. He cut off his connection to them and cleared his mind, creating a barrier from anyone or thing that might try to delve into his mind. Then he closed his eyes and willed sleep to come to him, exhausted from the night's activity with this... entertaining, yet bothersome guest in his home. ~ She slipped back into the room, a room just as dark as her own. She closed her eyes and tried to remember everything as it was. Lifting the hem of her robe, she took slow, tentative steps towards the bed with her eyes closed. When she felt that she had arrived at her destination, she opened her eyes. She was quite a bit closer to the bed than she thought she was. Shaking her head, she focused her eyes and saw a translucent sheen in front of her. She reached towards the middle and pulled back the sheet to her right, opening the canopy on her side. She looked inside and could distinguish the firm outline of his body, his lower half hidden behind the sheets. She blushed and looked away, searching for his face. After a moment of gazing blindly into the dark, she found his face. She was mesmerized by the way his chest fell with every breath he took, the way his lips were slightly parted as he took in the night air. The crescent moon on his forehead intrigued her as well as the stripe marks on his face. He looked at peace, completely in contrast in what he had appeared to be just a half-hour ago. With a sigh, she released the curtain, allowing it to fall back into its resting place. She leaned against the nearest canopy post, the one by his head, against the curtains. Her eyes were tired and she was here to apologize to him but of course, the stupid mutt had already gone to sleep. She smiled dimly at her choice of words. 'He's probably a pure-bread,' she corrected herself. 'Too high and mighty to be a mutt.' She chuckled softly, and decided that she should go back to her room. After all, if she could face this monster, she most definitely could deal with the darkness in her room. She had not even taken two steps from her resting position to the door when she was pulled between the drapes into the secrecy of the hidden bed. Her heart pounded a million beats per second as she found herself lying down on the bed, her shoulders bared to the harsh night air as a result of being brutally manhandled and she gasped as a pair of golden eyes glowed down, staring into the midst of her eyes; the gaze was just too close for comfort. Her mind panicked as she gasped for air, her lips parting, almost ready to scream from fright. Instead, no sound come from her mouth as she felt one of his clawed fingertips trace her bottom lip. "What are you doing here?" he asked her, his voice cold yet husky at the same time. She swallowed and tears filled her eyes, finding her original goal much harder to do underneath these circumstances. And she was literally underneath the circumstance. "G... gomen," she whispered, the word barely escaping her lips, her lips brushing against his finger as she spoke. A tear trickled down her face and she cursed herself for this weakness, especially since it was a weakness that she was showing to... what was an enemy. But now... she wasn't quite sure of what he was. He was surprised at the small feeling of pleasure that he received, lying on top of her body, her body trembling against his. He was not pleased that she was crying... again. But he made no comment of it as he absentmindedly allowed his fingers to explore her face, tracing her soft cheek to the lines of her chin and then tangling his fingers in her hair. "For what?" he murmured, losing himself in the pleasant sensation. "For..." she started, her voice small as she felt his fingers run through her hair. It was not a horrible feeling, but rather pleasant almost. "For hurting you," she choked out, forcing herself to say the words that she had practiced saying. "For making you upset and angry and for hurting you with my selfishness." The words came out in a blur. Once had she started, she just wanted to get it done and over with. He was astonished again, forever being surprised by this girl. Had she known that he knew she called out for Inu-Yasha? How did she know he had been hurt? Especially when the only feeling that he showed had been anger? Slowly, responsively, he pulled her head into the crook of his neck. For some reason, he was calmed as she quietly sobbed against him, all evil intents dispersing as he held her comfortingly against his body. ---------- Comments? Suggestions? Write to me: Princess_Faux@hotmail.com or visit my webpage: http://www.geocities.com/Princess_Faux.