K/S. In order to complete his revenge for Inuyasha, Sesshômaru kidnaps Kagome and does something unforgivable to her. When she is at last returned to her companions, however, Kagome is surprised to find that, rather than feeling hatred towards Sesshômaru, she now can't stop thinking about him...

Disclaimer: We went over this already, didn't we?

Notes: Thanks to everyone! Wow...almost 40 reviews for the first chapter! xD Hmmm...and I know that this plot may seem unrealistic, but I'm just...um...inexperienced in these matters. I'm doing my best, k? So don't hit so hard on how improbable this may be.

Also, I'd love to be able to respond to each reviewer individually but...you do want this chapter out before the end of the year, right? So there might be a few times that I thank people personally, but sorry—I can't reach you all. That, however, doesn't mean that I don't appreciate this because all of your feedback is crucial to this story, plotless as it is. Keep up with the suggestions and inspiration!

To Katzztar, lynnxlady, Akira Silveracious Ajere, Moonwind, E.L.E.G.A.N.T., etc: I just looked at my summary and I realized where you get that idea that he RAPES her, but that's not actually the case in this fic. Sorry if I worried you and made you go "WHA!" like that! Nope, that kinda thing definitely doesn't happen between Sesshi and Kagome...you'll see what really happens later in the story. Actually, the citrusy summary was just to get ppl hooked...and seems to have done a pretty good job!

To weretosia-87: Oh, the reason Inuyasha knew that Sesshômaru had been at their campsite to kidnap Kagome is cuz he could smell his scent. Sorry if that confused you!

To lynnxlady and Rymsie: Yes, Sesshi is a bit OOC. And about the chuckling...heh...not one of the finer points of the story, and that part actually gave me nightmares for a while...scary...but then again, you'll notice that in places like Vol. 14 Sesshômaru smiles when he thinks about killing Inuyasha or revenge on Inuyasha, so...maybe it's not too bad, especially since now is his "perfect" scheme...

Rating: PG-13 for some suggested sexual situations, and also coarse language in this chapter. No, this is not a hentai-filled lemon. Notice the word 'suggested'. Yeah...so don't get frustrated waiting for some action to happen.

Bittersweet

By Sango-chan

Chapter Two

She ran doggedly, blinded by tears, fiery pain throbbing in every inch of her body, the last sluggish trickles of blood running down the length of her arms and legs. One thought pounded insistently through her whirling, aching head: to get away from that place, as far as possible. Not knowing what direction she headed in, and not caring, she ran. Her feet stumbled over stones and bled freely as they came in contact with thorny undergrowth. Branches whipped her face and tore the fabric of her light yukata, ripping the red cloth from her shoulders. At a gust of cold wind, the girl shivered, hobbling painfully to the pitiful shelter of a tree and curled up there, numb to the world around. Thankfully, a warm black shroud soon enveloped her body and she sank into blessed unconsciousness.

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Inuyasha stood in front, pretending to be fascinated by the stunning display of the setting sun as he shielded his face from the others. Almost a whole day of searching now, and still there was no sign of Kagome. Almost a whole day of strenuous running, calling until his voice grew hoarse, what ifs flashing through his traitorous mind.

Behind him, a somber silence had descended over his companions. At first, there had been a fierce determination to rescue their friend, a hot rage at Sesshômaru's actions. Now, as both mind and body wearied with the search, the iron resolve had become a dull resignation. Run, search, and call for Kagome: the actions were almost instinct, and slowly a dreadful thought worked its way into the edges of their exhausted minds.

What if you it's too late? the voice whispered silkily. Surely she's dead already, so you can have a rest...her body can always wait until later... The idea wrapped insinuatingly around them so that soon it was the only clear thought, and the temptation was a constant obstacle.

"There it is!" Inuyasha shouted suddenly in his new croaky voice, and then broke into a headlong sprint. A castle stood in the middle of the rugged wilderness, its richness and splendor contrasting sharply with the harsh terrain. It clearly could only belong to one person: Sesshômaru. Calling up what little strength they had left, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo followed behind as quickly as possible. By the time they had reached the castle grounds, panting, dozens of demon courtiers lay dead on the floor, victims of Tetsusaiga's power.

A stout wooden bolt blocked the doorway, but Inuyasha had no time for such niceties. With one slash both bolt and door lay in shreds, and a gaping hole beckoned the half-demon inwards. He ran into the castle and followed the twisting trail that Sesshômaru's distinct scent had left behind, kicking, pummeling, and slashing at any impediment that dared to stand in his way.

With rising anxiety as his search through the extensive castle grounds turned up nothing, Inuyasha ran all the faster, punishing his lungs and legs as he pushed his body to the limits. Dimly, some corner of his mind recognized the faint sound of fighting from behind: no doubt the marks of the passage made by his friends. But that was mostly instinct, for his whole conscious being strained towards one target: Sesshômaru, and perhaps by some miracle, Kagome.

Inuyasha had almost reached a point of hysteria when he finally kicked through the hundred-somethingth door and encountered the all-too-familiar face of his hated half-brother. Sesshômaru watched him with that annoying, bored-but-amused expression on his face. His eyes were smug as he waited for Inuyasha to speak.

"Where...is...she!" With vocal cords strained to the breaking point, Inuyasha half-coughed, half-screamed the demand.

Slowly, leisurely, Sesshômaru averted his gaze and spent a few agonizing seconds carefully selecting a tidbit of food from a tray at his side. Calmly inserting the morsel into his mouth, the taiyôkai took his time chewing and swallowing before answering his brother's question.

"Hmmmm...oh, that wench that you're so fond of?" Another scrap was delicately plucked from the engraved serving dish. Inuyasha watched with growing rage, fingers tightening around Tetsusaiga's hilt as he counted to ten and restrained himself from throwing his hands around his brother's neck and squeezing, squeezing hard and watching his goddamned perfect face turn blue and see the terror in his eyes and hear him blubber and beg for mercy...

Sesshômaru observed with a sense of contentment as his brother's knuckles whitened with pressure on Tetsusaiga's ragged hilt. Ah, so this is what perfect revenge feels like, he mused. A pity I never thought of this before. But better not to keep him in suspense too long...my dear little brother never had a very long attention span. The demon lord smirked and responded at last.

"Well..." Sesshômaru's shoulders moved slightly in a dismissive shrug. "For the first time your elder brother has no right answer."

"Damn you and your games!" Inuyasha grated out the few words between clenched teeth. "Just fucking tell me where Kagome is!"

One elegantly sculpted eyebrow rose in mock surprise. "Such language, brother."

That was it. All of the hanyô's thoughts of not rising to Sesshômaru's bait, the moral ideals of not actually killing his sibling, were lost in that instant as Tetsusaiga was whipped from its scabbard and placed at the demon's throat. Inuyasha applied a little pressure, almost breaking the skin as he held the sword to his brother's throat. The half-demon was breathing heavily and his eyes had taken on a dangerous, demonic glint.

Sesshômaru's eyes and voice immediately lost the fake joviality and became flat, threatening. Eyeing the sharp blade held to his throat with disdain, he met his sibling's eyes again and said, "And when you kill me, where will you be? Do you imagine that you could track her after I have personally seen to it that that girl is well hidden? Don't be a fool."

For an instant Inuyasha's eyes flickered, and then he slowly lowered the blade. What had he almost done, in momentarily letting his yôkai instincts take control? It mattered not the indignity he might suffer at Sesshômaru's mind games, if only Kagome were to be returned to him. 'Kagome...what did I almost let myself do to you?'

Watching the horror plainly shown on Inuyasha's face, Sesshômaru decided that the time was ripe to let out his second trap. With a bored sigh, he waved his hand vaguely somewhere out in the deepest woods behind the gardens. "Enough. I grow tired of your ranting. The wench lies out there."

Inuyasha's mind reeled, froze. He had not missed the implication of the word 'lies'.

His emotions are so transparent, the demon lord noted as he observed the despair and grief that hit his brother's eyes at those words. How pathetic, he thought with disgust, and then added, "No, she is not dead, so you can wipe that highly amusing but idiotic expression off your face."

Without another word Inuyasha was gone, destroying another wall in the process as he sprinted toward the forest.

A pair of golden eyes watched him go. Sesshômaru sat back and relaxed, pleased with how the encounter had gone—just the way he'd wanted it. Remembering Inuyasha's evident relief, he chuckled inwardly. He has no idea how quickly that happiness will be shattered...

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As cold gusts of wind raised goosebumps on even his tough skin, Inuyasha shivered but only ran faster. If Kagome was exposed to the weather any longer...there could be fatal consequences.

To his relief, the hanyô spotted a familiar head of thick ebony hair after about five minutes of constant running. Surprisingly, Kagome wore not her usual green and white sailor fuku, but was instead wrapped in a rich red silk yukata. Inuyasha dismissed those thoughts, however, as he noticed how still the girl lay, arms stiffly incircling her white legs as she lay beneath a large tree.

"The wench lies out there."

Sesshômaru had assured him that Kagome was not dead, but could he be trusted...? Inuyasha's immediate reaction was a vehement no. Never had he placed any faith in his elder brother, and there was a chilling ring of truth to that sentence. And worst of all, there was the undeniable truth before his eyes: the stark whiteness of Kagome's skin, clearly visible even from this distance, and the cold rigidity of her body...

End Chapter Two

AN: For all you impatient ones...I'm sorry to be so slow in updating, but this is the way I write stories, k? Slow but as high of caliber as I can manage. I also tend to have rather short chapters, but that's another one of my quirks that you'll have to live with. And one more favor to boost my already overly inflated ego...please appreciate the delicious, cool sexsahness with which Sesshômaru handles Inuyasha in this section...

Erm, ahem. Forgive my hyper fangirl ranting, please! Actually, I'm more of an Inu-chan fan than of Fluffy, but I couldn't resist myself here.