And so I shall commence with chapter four, but alas, woe is me for I do not own Natasha. If you missed that, I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA!
The river, it transpired was a cold one, but Sango was willing to risk the chill if it meant being rid of the foul blood that was currently smeared over her head and clothing. Luckily, Sango had brought her regular clothing with her and would not need to put on her wet, and no doubt uncomfortable suit. Thank the gods for small favors, she thought, as she shed her smelly clothing and stepped into the frigid water.
After making a hasty exit from the brisk water, and drying off, Sango sat for a while on the grassy bank considering the events of the day. It had been a good if rather messy job; the demon had presented a challenge but hadn't been too difficult. Over all very satisfying work. Why then, did that hollow emptiness still seem to sit in the pit of her stomach? Why did her heart still seem to ache? Time, Sango thought, I still need more time. As this thought flitted across her mind, Sango's quiet ruminations were interrupted by a strange appearance.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a butterfly had landed on her knee. This struck Sango as odd and not least disturbing for it was still early for butterflies to be out and it was long after dusk. Raising a hand to shoo away the strange, iridescent creature, Sango was once again surprised to see it vanish as quickly as it had come. Eyes wide, Sango felt uneasiness creep up her spine. She was sure she hadn't imagined the insect and for all its delicateness and beauty it was rank with malevolence.
Dimly, Sesshomaru became aware that he was slowing down. Why, he didn't know. At last, after what seemed like hours of running his pace slowed to a walk. Perhaps, if his mind and heart hadn't ached so badly, Sesshomaru would have made note of his surroundings. He would have heard the river and smelt the nearby human settlement, but at the moment, all he was aware of was his own pain. He was approaching the river now, and there, sitting on the grassy bank drying her hair was the Taijiya. Briefly, his hazy mind registered her presence before drifting off again. His last semi-lucid thought was that she looked just like she had in his dream.
She hadn't heard him, but his presence was hard to miss. He practically radiated demonic energy and the butterfly had left her tightly strung. Rising carefully but quickly, Sango spun around reaching for her boomerang. There, striding silently from between the trees, came none other than, "Sesshomaru." It was barely a whisper but Sango's eyes had gone wide with shock. What the hell could he be doing here? Seemed to be the only thought running through her startled mind.
He continued moving; approaching her forcefully and directly. Meanwhile, Sango's instincts screamed for her to run, to run and not look back. As he came closer, Sango assessed him. He seemed normal enough, for Sesshomaru at any rate, swords, boa, long, silver everything. Yes, the only oddity was his presence here. When he had come within six feet however, she could see by the light of the gibbous moon that something was distinctly wrong with his eyes. Normally they were cold and calculating, the eyes of a predator. Now though, they were glassy, and seemingly vacant. It was a familiar expression, and somehow, Sango knew she'd seen it before. He continued his steady approach, one step, then another; suddenly it hit her, he looked just like Kagome had looked when she'd been possessed. Was that what was happening now? Had Sesshomaru been possessed?
With that thought, Sango leapt backwards and launched Hiraikotsu. She had to snap him out of this. If there was something out there that had possessed Sesshomaru of all people then that was bad. Her boomerang unfortunately seemed to have no effect. He'd simply sidestepped and batted it away as though it had been a fly. Then, in one graceful leap he was before her. Immediately Sango unsheathed her short sword and stabbed, not to kill but to try and wake him up. In this too though he evaded her catching her hand in his own forcing her to drop the sword.
For a few seconds she stood immobile, her mind desperately running through options and strategies. All of a sudden, a fire erupted within her accompanied by a lustful throbbing. Her pupils dilated and she suddenly found herself breathing hard. The only though in her mind was that she wanted to alleviate the horrible ache that had settled somewhere inside her, she wanted…him.
From the garden of her castle Arisu sighed and looked up at the night sky. She did hope her plan was going well. The timing had to be perfect after all as the butterfly's effects wouldn't last for long. Gazing at the moon, the sorceress smiled to herself, this if nothing else would surely break Sesshomaru completely.
Dimly, as though from a long way off, Sesshomaru slowly became aware once more. It wasn't true consciousness but more a kind of awareness. Things still seemed so hazy to his mind and his senses were still fogged. At first, he thought he was dreaming, the same dream he'd had before with the Taijiya. He could almost feel her below him, could almost smell her scent. Slowly, almost painfully he realized his fantasy had seemingly left the recesses of his mind. As his mind began to clear, Sesshomaru registered other things. The heat from between their bodies, the feel of her skin against his own and most terribly, a look of horror arising in her eyes.
A wind had sprung up, raising goose bumps along Sango's now entirely exposed arms and legs. She realized then that she must have cast off her yukata in her fit of passion. What had happened? She remembered trying to wake Sesshomaru up and then that burning desire. It had been lust as she had never felt it before. All those times she had felt her body react under Miroku's touch simply didn't match what she'd just felt. The unnatural nature of it did not escape her.
As she sat there, naked and shivering now the heat had dissipated, Sango felt only one question bubble inside her mind, why? Why did she react like that? Why did it happen? And Sesshomaru, what of him? Looking up at the demon lord, Sango was surprised to meet not a cold or angry glance, but one of pain, suffering, and…remorse? Slowly, almost gently, he lifted his clawed hand and let it brush across her cheek. Sango sat motionless, watching emotion after emotion flit across his face.
He'd had to touch her, just to see if she was real, to make certain he wasn't imagining things. Feeling his hand meet soft skin, Sesshomaru felt the knot in his stomach tighten yet another few notches. After all, here he was the Lord of the Western Lands sitting on the cold, hard ground after rutting like a common dog. With the Taijiya no less. That was particularly painful, the one human he'd felt any inklings of desire for was the one that had been used. He had no illusions as to what this had meant. It had been that witch's last attempt to brake him. Some sick, twisted part of his soul laughed at that, ultimately, the plan had worked for he was indeed broken.
It now seemed that every ache, every pain, that Sesshomaru had harbored within his soul had been cruelly exposed to some dark pit of agony. All the dignity he'd so preciously hoarded seemed like a joke now. He'd been subdued so easily by his own demons and memories of his past strength seemed little more than figments of his imagination. At last his thoughts returned to the taijiya, why hadn't she run away? He very much doubted she'd have endured that willingly. That sparked another horrible thought, had he raped her? Had he really sunk that low? Meeting her gaze, Sesshomaru was shocked to see pity shining out of her large, expressive eyes. Amazingly, her silent acknowledgement of his pain proved to be too much for the demon lord, as, for the first time in so many years, he began to cry.
Sango was equally startled when Sesshomaru broke down in front of her. Here was a being out of whom all she'd ever seen was dignity, grace, and unyielding composure. Somehow this strange behavior struck a chord in her heart. How long has it been since the last time he's cried? She wondered. Almost of their own accord, Sango's arms reached out and pulled the demon in front of her closer. Holding him like a child, she gently placed a hand on his silver head.
Had someone asked him only twelve hours ago, how'd he feel being coddled by a human woman, Sesshomaru probably would have killed them for the impudence of their question. Now though, he could not deny the fact that it was oddly comforting to be embraced in such a way. From where he was he could smell her skin, soft and sweet it was with a combination of all things her. Almost unconsciously, he leaned a little closer.
The two of them, demon and taijiya, remained that way for what seemed a very long time. All the while Sango gently stoked Sesshomaru's long, silver hair. At last Sango broke away and gently tilted Sesshomaru's face to meet her own. Speaking quietly but urgently she voiced her question. "Sesshomaru, who did this?"
At that Sesshomaru dropped her gaze. He supposed it would have come eventually. After all, she had a right to know why she had been used like that. Somehow, that didn't make telling the truth any more appealing. Sesshomaru heaved a sigh, figuring it was best to get it over with, and so raising his head and staring someplace past her shoulder, began his tale.
"I had been walking, I encountered a some source of evil power. I left to investigate. The power was emanating from a women. A sorceress it transpired. I tried to kill her, but I was subdued. She, did something to my mind." At this he hesitated. To recount events in such a way was yet another blow to his already mightily wounded pride. Nevertheless, he continued. "She used memories, old thoughts, feelings, emotions. I was made weak, she took control." With that, he at last met the Taijiya's eyes. "I'm sorry," and indeed he was, if it hadn't been for his infatuation with her, she wouldn't have been used.
"No," Sango said, eyes very bright, "it's that bitch who should be sorry." With that, she rose from her position on the ground and went to retrieve her clothing.
Sesshomaru, for his part, admired her bravery. She had stood, naked except for her pride, and had refused the shame or humiliation no doubt wished upon her. It was likely that sorceress had hoped she'd break as well adding to his torture. Already he'd debased himself with his actions shaming himself and the memory of his family. With that thought, he went to retrieve his own clothing. Donning his garments however, was little more that a sad reminder of what he'd been and what he was now.
Sango was mildly irritated that her slayer suit was still a bit damp, but it would have to do seeing as there was slaying to be done. She could tell that Sesshomaru had been through hell and back, and her own involvement added to her general feeling of anger. In his telling of events, Sesshomaru had been vague but it was clear enough they were up against a sorceress of considerable power. Considerable power or no, Sango didn't like being used and from the look of things, Sesshomaru would need something to focus on for the time being. Turning to said demon lord, who was now fully dressed, she called, "You coming?"
His reaction was to look up blankly and ask, "Coming where?"
Sango smiled a little before answering, "Where ever it was you saw that bitch last. It think we're entitled to a little revenge, don't you?"
Sesshomaru nodded slightly before moving slowly in the direction from which he'd come. At that moment any form of forward direction would be welcome. Inside, he felt so utterly lost.
"By the way," he heard from behind, "my name is Sango."
Sango, he thought, it was indeed a pretty name.
Kirara enjoyed flying by herself at night, feeling the wind through her fur and the moonlight on her back. She was pleased at the moment as her hunt for a mate had been successful. In a few months time she would be having litter of kittens. While this was a good thing, she did worry about how it would affect her relationship with her human companion. Suddenly, a cloud of worry encased the large feline's heart. She had the horrible and distinct impression that her friend was, at that moment in deep trouble. Changing her trajectory, Kirara began a frantic search for her friend. She very much hoped that she wasn't too late.
A/N Okay, sorry for the short chapter. It was incredibly hard to write. That being said, any feed back would be greatly appreciated. If there's stuff people feel needs to be addressed or loosed ends that need to be tied up I'd love to hear about them. Also, a big thanks to all my wonderful reviewers. I love each and every one of you.
Oh, and if you are enjoying this fic, than I'd highly recommend Soledad, by Thunk. It is in essence, the quintessential Sango/Sesshomaru love story. I think I've read it about three times now just because it's so incredibly great. If you don't believe me go check it out and see for your self.