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He lifted her arms for her, wrapping her up in a white silk robe brought for this purpose. She was shaky on her feet, and he could tell it wasn't simply because of the cuts. Still, she visibly relaxed when she realized she was clothed again.

His arms wrapped around her briefly from behind, giving her a gentle squeeze that was almost reassuring. Since she could not see his face, she did find it strangely comforting to be embraced as if she was someplace familiar with the people she loved. She almost forgot to be afraid of him.

Then, just as quickly, his arms vanished and she felt hopelessly lost.

~*~*~*~

Chapter 4:

She took a tentative step and immediately swooned, her vision blackening. He caught her before she had completed the motion, sitting her on the platform while she recovered.

She quickly regained her bearings, and looked up to see Sesshoumaru patiently holding her upright. She was so thirsty... would he give her something to drink? Would he punish her if she spoke again? Her desperately dry throat made up her mind.

She kept her eyes demurely pointed to the floor as she carefully spoke. "Sesshoumaru... may I please have some water?"

His eyes widened slightly. No wonder she was acting so weak, she was dangerously dehydrated.

He swooped her up into his arms, carrying her quickly from the room. He returned to the room she had awoken in, setting her down on the futon with a firm order to stay. A few moments later he returned to where she sat, dazed.

Sesshoumaru regally sat down across from her, a cup in his hand and a pitcher at his side. Kagome raised her eyes to him, convinced that she could actually smell the water in his hand, teasing her parched throat.

He beckoned her with his free hand. "Come here, Kagome."

She bit her lip and started to crawl towards him tentatively. She stopped in hesitation a few feet away from him, afraid to go to him but so desperately thirsty. He made the decision for her, his hand snapping out and grasping her around her wrist. She yelped as he pulled her into his lap, pinning her arms to her sides with one arm.

As soon as she got over the shock, she settled down, knowing her struggles would be futile.

"You should have said something sooner," Sesshoumaru admonished softly above her, the cup materializing in her line of sight.

She made a soft noise of indignance, but reached out for the cup. He pulled her arms back firmly, gathering her wrists behind her and holding them there with one hand.

She whimpered then, shocked at how he was teasing her. She tried to free her hands, but he only tightened his grip in warning. "Please!" she begged.

"If you want it, you must receive it from me," he told her. "Settle down now."

She did as she was told, relaxing in his hold. True to his word, he lifted the cup to her lips and carefully tipped it for her. Kagome leaned forward eagerly, those first drops tasting sweeter than anything she could remember. He was going far to slowly for her, pulling the cup away after each sip until she was ready to beg for it back. He was teasing her, she knew it. She was tired of all these indignities she was being made to suffer, but he was firmly in control.

He must have noticed her expression, since he offered her some comfort. "I am not trying to be cruel, my little miko, but you will get ill if you drink too fast."

Kagome sniffed irritably, but her frustration ebbed when he returned the water to her mouth. Her body slackened in relief as she finally satisfied her thirst, hardly noticing when Sesshoumaru drew her in closer. He kept careful watch on his task, as if it required his whole concentration and total precision. The more he watched her, the more he noticed the smaller things- the way her fingers would brush softly against his iron grip, the movement of her moist flush lips, the weary beating of her long dark eyelashes. It was hopelessly enduring. He never would have imagined a human to be so intriguing, though he could not quite bring himself to think of her as a human. She was his mate, that was all that mattered.

The white silk slid over her soft curves sensually, her body was warm against his. He had never felt his instincts call to him this much before, but the most primal part of him had taken her already-she belonged to him, and only to him. He wanted all of her. It was not enough to have her body or her power, he wanted her loyalty and obedience. He wanted her adoration.

The girl finally satisfied, he removed the cup. Her bright eyes shone up at him, half fear and half curiosity. She squirmed a little in his lap, hoping he would release her, but instead only triggered a tightening tremor in his muscles.

That slight struggle had been enough to send his blood surging. He unconsciously tightened his grip, refusing to release her hands. If only he could simply lay her down and fuck her here, he thought. But he wanted her to accept him, and that would take time. If only she weren't human.

She struggled a little more, halfheartedly, because even though she knew it was useless, she could not bring herself to do what he wanted.

He growled at her, low and steady, and she seemed a little shocked to be hearing such an animalistic sound from him. "Behave, Kagome," he rumbled quietly in her ear.

She stilled, frightened by his tone.

"You are mine," he purred in that same eerie low voice. As if to illustrate this concept, he grasped the underside of her thigh, moving her leg to wrap around his side. He did the same to the other, until she was half-kneeling, straddling his lap. The muscles in her legs jumped and shook excitedly as he did it, and she went rigid as a board. In her tension, she couldn't help tightening her legs around him, which only frightened her further.

Sesshoumaru, however, seemed pleased with her new position, allowing a small smirk at her nervousness. He was arousing her, he could smell it on her. Holding her immobile by her wrists behind her back, he slid his free hand around her pale neck.

"Now, Kagome, you and I are going to talk." The sound of her name falling from his tongue sent shivers through her.

She turned her head, refusing to meet his eyes. He immediately caught her chin and held her face towards him firmly. She whimpered slightly at his hold, but did not try to look away again. Finally she found her voice, and it was surprisingly much steadier than her body. "I'm not going to tell you anything," she said quietly, but with some amount of resolution.

He raised an eyebrow skeptically. "If you will not answer me now, I must pry the information from you in another way. Is that what you wish?"

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head slowly.

"Good," he intoned. "First, I would like to know your clan and place of origin."

She froze. His first question was one she did not want to answer, though it was not along the lines she had been expecting. It was hard to see him as anything but 'Inuyasha's demon brother,' and still she could not fathom him taking such an intense interest in her. What purpose did this interrogation serve? Was he trying to find out ways to manipulate his brother? What if he hurt someone she loved?

Her breath caught as Sesshoumaru made a motion to return her attentions to him. His hand slid inside her thin clothing, brushing along her collar bone. "Answer me."

She gulped, "My family's name is Higurashi. I come from far away, I was lost here and began traveling with Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru's hand began stroking her naked side, scattering her logical functions. He leaned down to her, kissing her neck quick and hard.

"Far away?" He questioned. "Not good enough." His thumb was brushing the side of her left breast now and she let out a small squeak.

"Please, Sesshoumaru, could you put me down?" she whispered.

His hand tightened, squeezing her young body in a negative reply. "Answer the question, and do not lie to me."

"I..." Her voice escaped briefly as his hand moved to cover her breast. "I... I can't!"

This deliberate disobedience brought her a growl of disapproval and he pressed the wound on her stomach, sending a spasm of pain through her.

"I can't," she whimpered, "why do you want to know?"

It was custom among demons, often, to pay a dowry for a female. It was very improper to take a mate from her clan without offering something in return, and the pairing was usually most successful if the blessing of the female's clan was secured. Though such overtures usually occurred after the mating, it helped prevent animosity between clans.

"I must speak with your father, and I wish to know more about you."

"My father?" she questioned numbly. "My father is dead."

"Then who was responsible for you?" he asked more gently, pleased to be making some progress at last.

"My mother," she answered obviously, belatedly realizing she was tangled up in a feudal era gender setting. "I mean, my grandfather is the head of our house, and I have a brother as well." The words came out in a jumbled rush, as Sesshoumaru had resumed stroking her breast. His fingers played with her flesh skillfully, and the tips of his claws occasionally brushed her skin stimulatingly. "They will be worried for me," she finished disheartened.

"You belong to me now," he said as if it solved everything. "Tell me where they are."

Tears began to sting her eyes. "Please..." she begged. "Please don't ask me." Horrific images filled her mind at the thought of Sesshoumaru discovering the well. What if he got through and harmed her family? What if he destroyed it? As long as the well was intact, she had some hope of escaping beyond his grasp.

He looked up at the tracks of tears now running down her face and let out a breath of frustration. "I will ask again later. For now, I want you to tell me about..." His hand slid down, resting just above her hip to where she knew there was a scar. "...this."

"I..." she stuttered when her neck was grazed by a pair of fangs before his mouth settled on her throat, sucking lightly. "I was bitten by a demon."

He let his claws dance across her skin there, signaling for her to go on.

"There was a centipede demon," she said as Sesshoumaru cupped her breast as he used his restraining hand to push her further forward and rub her hips against him. The scent of her rising arousal was exhilarating, and he sensed that she was having difficulty speaking. He wanted her burning for him, putty in his hands.

"She sensed the magic in me..."

Sesshoumaru's mouth drifted lower, aiming for her unoccupied breast.

"...and she attacked me... bit me..."

The sides of her garment were pushed aside, her pert breasts exposed to his eyes.

"She tore it from my side..."

She felt his tongue flick across a nipple, and was vaguely aware that he was pressing her hips harder against him. The friction started to undo her, and she felt as if his touches might make this tension explode.

"The Shikon no Tama!" she forced the words out hastily between heavy breaths.

Long, skilled fingers slid down her stomach as his mouth continued to tease her virgin flesh.

"Inuyasha killed it before..."

She trailed off as his hand slid underneath her, cupping between her legs. Her voice caught in her throat and she let out a low moan instead. Two fingers had begun to knead insistently.

She was so wet for him, and he loved the innocent noises she made as he played with her body. A beautiful, young body... which had held an artifact of incomparable magic.

He felt her muscles give a sudden spasm and her body tossed as a desperate cry broke from her lips. "Please, Sesshoumaru, stop!"

She was shocked when he actually did. His fingers stopped moving, but remained firmly where they were. He released her hands, but she was too distracted to even realize it. He cupped her chin, touching her smooth skin with only the tips of his claws.

"So you are the source of all this power," he whispered, looking intensely into her eyes as she mustered a look of defiance. His voice lowered to just above a whisper. "What a magnificent catch I've made."

With that, he slammed his mouth against hers in a burning kiss. His strong, clawed hand slid around, holding her head firmly in place as she tried to withdraw. A muffled scream of fear and outrage seeped through her overwhelmed mouth, but he only pressed the kiss harder. He seemed to suck the air right from her, and she thrashed to escape him. Unfortunately, his other hand was still enfolded between her legs, and her excited movements only increased the tightening sensations. She cried out again into his mouth as the sensations engulfed her, pushing away from him with all her strength.

He wasted no time in taking advantage of her sparking stimulation, his hand resuming it's torturous teasing as he ravaged her mouth. The feel of her-she was so hot, so deliciously pure, so dangerously passionate. His member was hard and throbbing at the feel of her thrashing above him. His lust was quickly overriding any previous thoughts, abandoning any of his plans for a slower adjustment for her. Sesshoumaru needed to take her now, show her her place, slam into her until she was begging for more. He wanted to hear her pleading for his permission to let her satisfy him, to show him proper gratitude for the pleasure he unleashed on her.

Kagome's cries were growing more heated and feverish. Aggressively, he embraced her upper body, trapping her arms at her sides while his mouth searched out all the bare skin it could find. She tossed her head back, dark hair brushing sensually down his arm. Her eyelashes fluttered in time with her frantic breathing as she lost herself in the feeling.

Growling as he nipped at her breast, he carefully allowed two fingers to slip into her hot virgin flesh. He heard her gasp heavily and felt her muscles twitch around his fingers. She squirmed, and he let his fingers move in symphony with her. Her arousal spiked heavily, spurring him to more adventurous maneuvers. He lifted her body, then brought her back down to his hand. He repeated the motion faster, relishing her hiss as she took his fingers back inside of her. He began a fast pace, helping her ride his hand even as he continued igniting her passions with his adroit mouth. She cried out as she struggled against him, but her fighting only served to stimulate her body more. Her lithe body was trembling as she neared her release. He assaulted her with renewed fervor, but was caught off-guard by the magnitude of her release. Her muscles clamped hard as she yelled, and in the tumultuous moment, her hands came up against his chest, pushing hard as she could.

He felt her energy run through him like a bolt of lightning. The jolt pushed her out of his arms, coming to rest a scant distance from him. He shook off the sensation, snarling in anger that the session had been interrupted, and turned on her--all in an eye blink.

She was lying on her front, her upper body arched off the floor while she supported herself on her arms. She balanced only on the pads of her fingers, the tension in her body allowing her to stay stiff, poised to run or fight-if it could. She looked up at him through her dark hair, her white robe askew and showing most of her bare flesh. Her lips were flushed bright red. Her panting breaths and pounding heart filled the room. Like a trapped animal she trembled, watching him warily with unblinking wide eyes. The pose suggested a wild cat, the ridged lines of her body trying to convey a silent warning. The tips of her fingers spread small pools of pinkish glow on the floor.

He instantly regained control at the sight of her--indeed, he hadn't meant to go that far. The wild look she was giving him threatened his restraint. Her eyes held that vehement lust he had ignited, but also hard defiance, and even deeper--barely restrained fear.

The passionate and fearful expression of her eyes battled for dominance, but her voice was steady and hard, betraying none of the chaos in her mind.

"Let me go."

~*~*~*~

There, that should buy me some time. I've been pleasantly surprised by the amount of interest in this story. But seriously folks, I began this as a side project, and it is doomed to forever remain a side project. Unfortunately, that means I will probably be sporadic and unpredictable about updates. For this I am sorry, but I thought it only fair to warn you.

I find myself torn between the directions I might take this story, so things are moving slowly while I decide. Your reviews have been really great, and are much appreciated. Technoelfie, you raise valid concerns, which I will try to address in upcoming chapters. Tom, um... we'll see.

Much thanks, and please review.

~MorningBird