Hello, everyone! I'm so glad you're reading this story, as it is currently my favorite (and longest). Please send me a review!
I'd like to thank Kat Morning for the setting of my story, which is based on the alternate universe of her inu fanfic "Blood Ties."
Disclaimer: I do not own Miroku, Sesshomeru, Rin, Kanna, Yura, Hiten, Maten, or any other Inuyasha characters. They are owned by their author/creator, Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter 9: Fear and Pain
When Kouga had slammed the apartment door, Sesshomeru sat down at the desk in his room and sifted through the thick sheaf of papers he had received today. They were the reports of demons too far away or too unimportant to report to him directly. It was a disturbing trend. Kanna and Yura, his agents in Kyoto, wrote that demons and vampires were leaving the city. Hiten and Maten in Edo wrote that few vampires had not already left. The situation was starting to look like a demonic migration, but Sesshomeru had never heard of such a thing before. A strong demon or Nosferatu would attract followers, but no one was powerful enough to have such a large army.
Sesshomeru found himself playing with the necklace, rubbing the engraved metal between his fingers. "Strange," Sesshomeru thought, "it is unlike me to fidget." He couldn't even remember picking the choker up after Kouga dropped it. He glanced at the broken link: it would be simple to repair, should he choose to.
Sesshomeru noticed the instant the girl's breathing pattern changed. She was waking up. He leaned back in his chair and watched her open her eyes and slowly become aware of where she was.
Kura was feeling much better; the herbal tea had eased the pain along with knocking her out. She felt anxious, though, and noticed her heart was beating fast.
Most people would not have noticed the slight sweating, the adrenaline and or the increased heart rate. If they had noticed, they probably would attribute it to random nervousness. Kura, however, was a Council Senior. She had survived this long because she never ignored the small indicators her body gave her that she was in danger. She recognized her body's warning: a demon was near, within striking distance. She turned her head and found herself staring into the same golden eyes that had haunted her sleep.
Sesshomeru heard her breath catch and held her eyes for perhaps twenty seconds before turning his attention to his immaculate claws. Released, Kura gasped for air and tried to control the fear that was quivering in every tensed muscle in her body.
"I trust you slept well." The demon had a pleasant light tenor and spoke with a softness that should never be mistaken for gentleness.
"What do you want?" Kura congratulated herself: although her voice was rough and scratchy, she hadn't stuttered and her voice hadn't broken; nor had she whined like a petulant child.
Sesshomeru rose and walked to the bed. "Tall," Kura thought. "Why does he have to be so damned tall?
"You entered my territory. Why?" he asked in a bored tone.
"You were the lesser of two evils." No point in lying; he probably knew the truth already.
"Lesser? Is that what I am?" The voice was still quiet, but it's disinterested menace seemed to suck all the air from the room. Kura stopped herself from blurting out an apology. "Tell me, girl, what was this Ôgreater evil?
Kura bit her tongue and closed her eyes. What would Sesshomeru do if she told him that an old and powerful Nosferatu had come to Tokyo? One who claimed to be a Nosferatu lord. She considered what she knew of Sesshomeru: he's a cold, ruthless killer who murdered Council members and left their bodies in the street as a warning. On the other hand, his territory has the lowest death rate due to demons or vampires in the city; probably in the whole country. Apparently a control freak who can't stand the interference of other vampires or demons in his territory. Then there was the mystery: who was Rin, and what was her tie to the Demon lord?
Sesshomeru might see the Nosferatu as a threat to his power and kill him. He might do nothing at all unless the vampires entered his territory. Or, he might form an alliance with the Nosferatu lord. These demon-vampire alliances were very common. If they combined forces, they would crush Council within the week.
It was too dangerous to risk. "Go to hell.
Sesshomeru's claws twitched, but his voice remained quiet and cool. "Do you want to die?
Kura closed her eyes. "No," she thought, "I want to live. I want to see the Nosferatu lord destroyed. I have to apologize to Miroku. I need to tell Council where the Nosferatu is hiding so Council doesn't send any more to their deaths. Please, God, don't let me die here.
Sesshomeru grabbed her chin, forced her to look at him. "The choice is simple, child. Tell me what I want to know, or die in agony." Kura shook her head, too terrified to speak.
The Demon lord jerked the sheet off the bed and grabbed the young woman's obi, tearing it in two. Kura's fear was suddenly transformed into humiliated fury. "Get away from me," she snarled, aiming a blow at his windpipe. He caught it casually, bending the middle finger back until she gasped, then releasing it. She tried desperately to roll away from him, but he caught her by the throat and dragged her back, reaching inside her kimono to apply pressure to her broken ribs. She screamed silently; he was crushing her windpipe with his left hand. He was precise, increasing the pressure on the broken bones gradually until spots burst in her vision; then he backed off and released her throat so she wouldn't escape him by fainting. She curled into a fetal position and gasped for air, unable to control the shaking shoulders or the tears running down her face.
Sesshomeru caught her chin again, forcing her to face him. "Shall I continue?" Her face was red and blotchy, she was trembling and he could see the whites of her eyes all the way around her irises. She whimpered.
"No? Then tell me what power drove you into my territory." She said nothing. He tightened his grip until his fingers left bruises on her jaw line.
Crying, she whispered, "No.
The door opened, and Rin walked in. "Father?" She stopped suddenly, horrified. She knew that her father was a killer. She had seen him crack his energy whip and slice opponents into pieces. Once, she saw him take the head of a minion demon who had failed him. But killing was different from deliberate torture, and Rin had been calling the young woman by name only an hour ago. "Kura-chan!
Sesshomeru cursed under his breath and let go of the prisoner. He should never have allowed Rin to see his prisoner, much less learn her name. "Rin, you should leave.
Rin fled. Cursing, Sesshomeru was about to rub his temples when he noticed one hand was stained with blood. The girl's side wound was bleeding again. She had stopped crying, and was watching him with wide, unblinking eyes. He cursed again; if Kura knew Rin was his weakness, she would certainly tell Council, and Sesshomeru couldn't always be around to protect his foster daughter. Sesshomeru would simply have to kill his prisoner. But first, he had to talk to Rin.
"Why?" Kura asked. Sesshomeru paused at the doorway, but didn't look at her. "Why is your daughter human?" There was a long pause, then Kura whispered, "And why didn't you kill me last night?
The demon lord had turned to a statue. He wanted to snort in disdain and tell her that Rin was merely a pet and Kura a pawn, but the silence was telling the truth and Sesshomeru couldn't bring himself to interrupt. After a long moment, he left without speaking a word.
I'd like to thank Kat Morning for the setting of my story, which is based on the alternate universe of her inu fanfic "Blood Ties."
Disclaimer: I do not own Miroku, Sesshomeru, Rin, Kanna, Yura, Hiten, Maten, or any other Inuyasha characters. They are owned by their author/creator, Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter 9: Fear and Pain
When Kouga had slammed the apartment door, Sesshomeru sat down at the desk in his room and sifted through the thick sheaf of papers he had received today. They were the reports of demons too far away or too unimportant to report to him directly. It was a disturbing trend. Kanna and Yura, his agents in Kyoto, wrote that demons and vampires were leaving the city. Hiten and Maten in Edo wrote that few vampires had not already left. The situation was starting to look like a demonic migration, but Sesshomeru had never heard of such a thing before. A strong demon or Nosferatu would attract followers, but no one was powerful enough to have such a large army.
Sesshomeru found himself playing with the necklace, rubbing the engraved metal between his fingers. "Strange," Sesshomeru thought, "it is unlike me to fidget." He couldn't even remember picking the choker up after Kouga dropped it. He glanced at the broken link: it would be simple to repair, should he choose to.
Sesshomeru noticed the instant the girl's breathing pattern changed. She was waking up. He leaned back in his chair and watched her open her eyes and slowly become aware of where she was.
Kura was feeling much better; the herbal tea had eased the pain along with knocking her out. She felt anxious, though, and noticed her heart was beating fast.
Most people would not have noticed the slight sweating, the adrenaline and or the increased heart rate. If they had noticed, they probably would attribute it to random nervousness. Kura, however, was a Council Senior. She had survived this long because she never ignored the small indicators her body gave her that she was in danger. She recognized her body's warning: a demon was near, within striking distance. She turned her head and found herself staring into the same golden eyes that had haunted her sleep.
Sesshomeru heard her breath catch and held her eyes for perhaps twenty seconds before turning his attention to his immaculate claws. Released, Kura gasped for air and tried to control the fear that was quivering in every tensed muscle in her body.
"I trust you slept well." The demon had a pleasant light tenor and spoke with a softness that should never be mistaken for gentleness.
"What do you want?" Kura congratulated herself: although her voice was rough and scratchy, she hadn't stuttered and her voice hadn't broken; nor had she whined like a petulant child.
Sesshomeru rose and walked to the bed. "Tall," Kura thought. "Why does he have to be so damned tall?
"You entered my territory. Why?" he asked in a bored tone.
"You were the lesser of two evils." No point in lying; he probably knew the truth already.
"Lesser? Is that what I am?" The voice was still quiet, but it's disinterested menace seemed to suck all the air from the room. Kura stopped herself from blurting out an apology. "Tell me, girl, what was this Ôgreater evil?
Kura bit her tongue and closed her eyes. What would Sesshomeru do if she told him that an old and powerful Nosferatu had come to Tokyo? One who claimed to be a Nosferatu lord. She considered what she knew of Sesshomeru: he's a cold, ruthless killer who murdered Council members and left their bodies in the street as a warning. On the other hand, his territory has the lowest death rate due to demons or vampires in the city; probably in the whole country. Apparently a control freak who can't stand the interference of other vampires or demons in his territory. Then there was the mystery: who was Rin, and what was her tie to the Demon lord?
Sesshomeru might see the Nosferatu as a threat to his power and kill him. He might do nothing at all unless the vampires entered his territory. Or, he might form an alliance with the Nosferatu lord. These demon-vampire alliances were very common. If they combined forces, they would crush Council within the week.
It was too dangerous to risk. "Go to hell.
Sesshomeru's claws twitched, but his voice remained quiet and cool. "Do you want to die?
Kura closed her eyes. "No," she thought, "I want to live. I want to see the Nosferatu lord destroyed. I have to apologize to Miroku. I need to tell Council where the Nosferatu is hiding so Council doesn't send any more to their deaths. Please, God, don't let me die here.
Sesshomeru grabbed her chin, forced her to look at him. "The choice is simple, child. Tell me what I want to know, or die in agony." Kura shook her head, too terrified to speak.
The Demon lord jerked the sheet off the bed and grabbed the young woman's obi, tearing it in two. Kura's fear was suddenly transformed into humiliated fury. "Get away from me," she snarled, aiming a blow at his windpipe. He caught it casually, bending the middle finger back until she gasped, then releasing it. She tried desperately to roll away from him, but he caught her by the throat and dragged her back, reaching inside her kimono to apply pressure to her broken ribs. She screamed silently; he was crushing her windpipe with his left hand. He was precise, increasing the pressure on the broken bones gradually until spots burst in her vision; then he backed off and released her throat so she wouldn't escape him by fainting. She curled into a fetal position and gasped for air, unable to control the shaking shoulders or the tears running down her face.
Sesshomeru caught her chin again, forcing her to face him. "Shall I continue?" Her face was red and blotchy, she was trembling and he could see the whites of her eyes all the way around her irises. She whimpered.
"No? Then tell me what power drove you into my territory." She said nothing. He tightened his grip until his fingers left bruises on her jaw line.
Crying, she whispered, "No.
The door opened, and Rin walked in. "Father?" She stopped suddenly, horrified. She knew that her father was a killer. She had seen him crack his energy whip and slice opponents into pieces. Once, she saw him take the head of a minion demon who had failed him. But killing was different from deliberate torture, and Rin had been calling the young woman by name only an hour ago. "Kura-chan!
Sesshomeru cursed under his breath and let go of the prisoner. He should never have allowed Rin to see his prisoner, much less learn her name. "Rin, you should leave.
Rin fled. Cursing, Sesshomeru was about to rub his temples when he noticed one hand was stained with blood. The girl's side wound was bleeding again. She had stopped crying, and was watching him with wide, unblinking eyes. He cursed again; if Kura knew Rin was his weakness, she would certainly tell Council, and Sesshomeru couldn't always be around to protect his foster daughter. Sesshomeru would simply have to kill his prisoner. But first, he had to talk to Rin.
"Why?" Kura asked. Sesshomeru paused at the doorway, but didn't look at her. "Why is your daughter human?" There was a long pause, then Kura whispered, "And why didn't you kill me last night?
The demon lord had turned to a statue. He wanted to snort in disdain and tell her that Rin was merely a pet and Kura a pawn, but the silence was telling the truth and Sesshomeru couldn't bring himself to interrupt. After a long moment, he left without speaking a word.