Well what do ya know... I survived to become the author of TWO fics. Never thought that would happen. Alrighty then, down to business. This would be a very dark piece. Somebody we all know and love will probably die at some point, so be warned. You might enjoy the ride, but the end is sure to be messy. This is also a vague crossover with Dune. The plot, and some of the elements of the story are borrowed from that book and all of its sequels. For example, Kagome's worth is determined mainly by the fact that she is the result of a long process of breeding program organized by a society that is basically identical to the Bene Gesserit, I just changed the name. Also make a note that this is a very tightly knit story, and is filled with strategic bits of such and such. Sorry about the depressing stuff, I'm in a bad mood. You should also be very confused in this first chapter, which is just the way I like it. Dark and Mysterious. Here we go, hope you like it for the most part. Kagome will seem out of character too, but you'll grow to see the girl we all know and love coming out in her as the story progresses. She was in fact, a lot more like the original Kagome before she was forced into a mating deal. The thing is that she will rediscover herself chapter by chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.... It's Rumiko Takahashi's. Or the Dune Series, that's Frank Herbert's.

Flower Blooming...

Chapter 1-Lost and Found

Kagome shivered on the balcony, the small blanket wrapped around her yielded very little comfort to her delicate form. Gradually, the sun began to slip behind the horizon in a fountain of color; sending bloody streaks of red across the sky.

Despite repeated warnings, she insisted on sitting out here night after night. There was something consoling about the sunset, something mysterious and beautiful that spoke to the heart of every living creature. She had lost all hope roughly three months ago, but she admired the sturdy resilience of the sun. It had become her...companion, during her stay here.

She smiled an empty smile and snuggled deeper into the plush warmth of the wrap. Kagome knew that the servants would come looking out here for her soon, but she did not care. She didn't care about, anything.

Her life had been crushed, all that she had ever lived for was destroyed in her line of vision, for all intents and purposes. She was a shell of a person now, built on negativity and hatred, her soul buried deep inside of her. Kagome thought of herself as the sun, in the fact that she existed for a single purpose; and unlike it in the fact that she could not be content with that. She had abandoned herself. After all, what more did she have to live for?.

Long ago, Kagome had decided that she would accept this fate, but never would she fulfill her position. This was it, and if anyone disapproved, well, they could kill her, violate her, anything. She had been through the torture, nothing of the sort intimidated her anymore. If her life ended now, it would spare her the wait.

Time passed slowly, minutes, hours, dragging by; the evening had come, and the stars sparkled in the heavens cheerfully. She stared up at them, trying to remember what that kind of freedom had been like, if she had ever had it with the Therum. It was what seemed like a long time ago, but really, it had only been a brief period of four or five months. That had been enough to extinguish her spirit, however.

Absently, in total dismissal, Kagome analyzed her new life for a moment.

She was a concubine now. Not necessarily at the head of the government, but close. They had both known when she had officially been sold off what a risk it would have been to make Lady of the House, how much conflict that would bring. No, he had to keep his options in that department open, there were still opportunities to be had in that field.

She had been given special privileges though. She was part of his advisory council, helping to determine what attention should be given to humans, and because of her particular abilities, war subjects, and such like that.

And yet, because of her human blood, Kagome was still highly disapproved of in the court as a whole. The only reason she could truly determine why she had not yet been assassinated was because she carried his child, and she would most likely be able to anticipate such a dramatic event as her own death.

Kagome was also treated with very much care and hesitancy. She was as safe as a kitten in this place; surrounded by those who would readily fling themselves before her and take the knife, although they existed beside spiteful betrayers. It was all because she carried his child though, and because she was a Therum Witch. That was it.

There was no love or commitment here, she was just a vessel. The House Hirohitoh had wanted her blood in their line, and that was it. If anything, she was simply the Lord's mate, a breeding partner. It was the infant that would make the most difference. He cared for her, in a sense, but never with the love of a spouse.

When he finally took a wife, it would be for the benefit of his lands. Perhaps to unite Hirohitoh with another House.

He would most certainly treat this unlucky woman the way he treated her now. No love, she was just a vessel. He wouldn't have her bear children either, that was for sure. Such a decision could easily create another opposing house, what a mess that would be. He wouldn't be able to give her children himself anyway.

Perhaps Kagome might find a reflection of herself in this woman, maybe they might find companionship in their grief. It was a possibility. This future wife of his would be spared her pity, that was all she knew for now. They only problem with a possible friendship was that this woman would be a demon, Kagome, a human. Being a human had brought her very much trouble in the Western Lands thus far, it probably wouldn't make a difference with this woman either.

She heard servants calling for her from inside the castle. She rose gracefully, and turned to step through the doors.

Kagome sat with the servants, waiting patiently as they brushed the snags and snarls from her hair gently, while a few of her attendants were behind her, fitting the sash of her kimono loosely.

They were preparing her for her evening with the lord. He was returning today from his typical jaunt about the countryside, tying up military matters before returning to visit his mate and child, among other things.

Kagome had to be presentable, it mattered significantly in his presence. After all, he considered her to be a pawn of utmost importance in this war; a product of nearly endless, finicky breeding. Who knew how long it would take for the Therum to produce another such as herself. It had taken centuries to create her, to do it again might cost the House Hirohitoh a millennia.

At any rate, the curse that had been laid upon her lord had taken its toll; the single opportunity to produce life that he could spare had been used to create the child she now carried. There would be no second chance if this youth should die, or if she should die. Unless somehow, she survived, he would then have to turn to his young sibling for the heir. It was because of this that the prince wasn't allowed to mate until the child had successfully been born and raised to maturity. There was no rush, however, after all, demons were immortal if they kept their guard up.

It had certainly come to this. Almost amusingly, it resembled something of a comet, or an eclipse. These things, they brought forth so much radiance and awe and yet, it took so long to glimpse them. If you were not there to witness the event, then there were no other options but to accept it and try again.

The lord was the ideal candidate to impregnate her from the start. He was also the current lord, and she had been promised to the Lord of the Western Lands, whoever it was.

Had the prince been on the throne, it would have been his decision wether he would allow his brother to mate with her, or if he would rather be spared the honor. The current lord had been indicated by the Therum as the specific person with which her unification would create the perfect child to be seated on the throne of the house, it had just been a happy coincidence that he had been lord at the time.

Kagome shuddered. It had been a horrific experience to realize that sad day that her blood was to be sold off to the man she had seen visit her for inspections frequently since she was a child. Kagome had known the lord, and seen him as he was now long before they had actually been joined. He was always there, at her manor, asking her guardians of her health in what seemed like shrewd business rather than heartfelt concern.

Eventually, she had been taught his name, and when she was fifteen, informed that in four short years she would become his concubine, and bear his children. It is very traumatic to meet your future breeding partner when you are only three years old.

There was no use trying to change it now, however. Kagome was stuck like this, wether she liked it or not. Suicide might have been an option, but preparing for such rebellion, the Therum had schooled her brutally into the fact that she mustn't, drilling it into her consciousness until she finally found herself no longer able to even hold a knife at her wrist.

They were cunning, her society. So cunning and dangerous that it would almost certainly destroy them one day. But something told her that they had anticipated this, which was why they would so often seclude themselves, eliminating all ties with the rivaling houses to huddle away in safety. In doing so, they could easily create the image of a humble organization of witches and priestesses, out to achieve inner enlightenment for however long it took to ensure security; only to sneak back into the open to form suspicious bargains with the all sides once again, pledging allegiance to no one, simply out to fulfill their own purposes.

Kagome prayed nearly every night that somehow, they might be destroyed. Yet in her own mind she knew that they were simply to devious for that. They were prepared for any upset.

One had to admire them, however. They were a dedicated bunch of humans, and had produced many intelligent forms of combat, and mind control. They were also all women, surprisingly enough. Kagome found this highly clever. It was dangerous to tempt a war between genders in such a way, but they had had enough sense to avoid the dominating nature of men when they had formed in the beginning. It was a very intelligent gesture.

At any rate, the fact that they had the confidence to toy with the powerful houses said enough. Particularly, the House Hirohitoh. Few of the other houses were aware of the deal that had been struck between Hirohitoh and the Therum nearly 500 years ago. But for those who knew, it was still profoundly confusing that they had even considered the offer that had been made.

It was a widely know fact that Hirohitoh typically refused exploiting humans in any fashion due to their utter weakness in comparison to demons. No one imagined that they would accept a single one of the species at such a high price, and from a human society no less! But the Therum were exceptional.

A mating with any one of them could produce a child with significantly powerful abilities. Children of the Therum were strong, with unique healing characteristics that allowed them to suffer the injuries of no other species. The were graced with heightened speed, senses, and an amazing sense of control. It was incredible what they could achieve, every quality that a demon possessed and more. Even as much as the gift of reading the future, in some cases, and this is what had tempted the Hirohitoh so.

The ability to predict the future was never born to any demon child, and they craved it. Most humans were also denied that, and yet the Therum had nearly perfected the art. Of course, they could only capture it in brief glimpses, but that was enough to ignite the greed of all of the houses, and the Therum aimed high. Hirohitoh often stood as the most powerful house. An alliance with them could grant them all that they had desired financially, and most everything else that they wished.

The Therum had realized that with generations of patient breeding, they could perfect a daughter with a perfect sense of the future. When bred with a demon, she could then produce a single child that would have the awesome strength to challenge the entire world. A daughter, of course, so that the great House Hirohito could breed their chosen one with the Lord at the time, therefore ensuring that they could be the holders of such a prized infant.

This was the offer that had been made with the great house that ruled over the territory known as the Western Lands, and they had taken it, even as they were conscious of the extreme risks.

For a curse had been laid upon this house. The theory was the it had spawned the great ongoing war of the countless royal houses.

It was said that long ago, so far back in history that no one could truly prove its credibility, or its falsehood, that two mighty empires had ruled over the Earth. The House Hirohitoh, and the House Oni. The empires had ruled peacefully side by side, until for whatever reason, the House Oni's Lord Naraku had cursed the Lord of House Hirohitoh, therefore causing the very beginnings of the war.

The other great Houses had formed through time, and joined the fight, wether they fought for themselves, or in alliance. The fighting had escalated over time to be bloody battles over dominion of the planet and all of its riches rather than for revenge or pride. This was only a rumor, however.

It did explain why the hate was most violent between House Hirohitoh and House Oni in particular, and why it seemed that one of the two was always the most powerful force at any given time, and rarely any other house.

What was the curse? It was very simple. The men of House Hirohitoh could only breed once and only once. Never again could they produce children; they were given a single chance.

Because of this, Hirohitoh had expected great trouble should anything go wrong with a mating of the selected member of the Therum, and the great Lord of the time. It was a very delicate operation.

Nevertheless, the deal between the Therum and House Hirohitoh had been finalized; the Therum asking only for whatever financial support and protection they felt they needed from Hirohitoh. They also bargained with the fact that Hirohitoh didn't have to call it an alliance, nor would the Therum force it to be. They knew that openly creating an alliance could endanger Hirohitoh, and would cause them to be cautious of the agreement, perhaps even declining. Yes, the Therum were very cunning indeed.

Kagome, poor soul, she had been the chosen one of the Therum's selective breeding program; gifted with the title, Karatherium. Inside of her, she carried the fate of the world, the child that had been called, even before its birth, the Rengola.

Unlike most Therum-related births, the Rengola could not have its gender pre-chosen by its birth mother, that was left entirely up to fate. It was the only thing Kagome enjoyed guessing at anymore. Having a keen sense of the future, she found it delightful that she could not see this of all things. It was the only sense of freedom she held dear anymore.

'Ignorance must be bliss.' She thought. Too bad she had missed out on that.



He sat before her, dignified, straight. Her chain in life. The man to which she had been promised five centuries ago. He was just as observant and hawk-like as her sisters. But she had established a connection with them, and the guardians she had had as a small child. For this man, she could only hold intense hatred. He had stolen all that had defined her, he had taken her freedom.

"Good evening, my Lord Sesshomaru."

I realize that all of you might have a lot of questions, but they should be answered in time. I wanted to end this chapter on a mysterious, complex note. I also realize that many of you may give up on this silly little fic if I don't say this now. Yes, this will become a Sesshomaru/Kagome fic. Don't worry about Kagome either, she'll become like the Kagome we all know soon enough. I wrote this for myself, not to please anybody, so I don't mind if you hate it or find it too confusing. It is simply in dedication to Frank Herbert, because he, along with J.R.R. Tolkien, is my literary idol, and his works have always stayed with me.