Chapter 19- In The Hands Of My Enemy
Kagome had been sitting by the fire trying to warm up. She wondered how long the snow storm would last. Inuyasha had gone out before it got real serious to go gather some more firewood, but she still wished he would hurry up. Her thoughts were broken when she had felt something move within her. Had she imagined it? No. It happened again! She sensed her mate approaching and she squealed in excitement.
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha come quick!" she cried out.
The half demon entered their hut and was at her side in mere seconds. "What? What's wrong?" his voice was filled with worry. He had been more alert than ever, now that he was going to be a father.
"Inuyasha, it's the baby! I-it moved!" Kagome said, rubbing her belly.
Inuyasha stared at her in disbelief. "What the hell Kagome? It's way to early for that." But then again, she was more...developed than they had expected. At first Kaede had said that Kagome would give birth in six months, knowing that the child would have some demon blood. But she was already halfway done with her second month and she looked like it would come much earlier than what Kaede expected.
"I know it's early, but come on Inuyasha I look like a cow!" Kagome laughed, motioning for him to sit next to her.
Inuyasha smirked and sat beside her. "Oh come on Kagome you do not look like a cow...more like a horse. Oww!" He laughed as she hit him upside his head. "You know I was just kidding...you're beautiful like this." He wrapped his arms around her and he had felt it too. "Wow you were right! Our pup is quite the little demon." They both laughed.
"But what does it mean?" Kagome looked at him worry on her face. He smiled warmly and kissed her on the forehead. "Don't worry Kagome. We'll ask Kaede later." Inuyasha's ears twitch. "What is it Inuyasha?" asked Kagome. Inuyasha rose and grabbed his sword. "Shh. Someone's coming. And with the storm I can't smell who it is."
Moments later the door to their hut was opened. Inuyasha frowned. "What the hell do you want now? I saw you two weeks ago, I don't want our seeing each other frequently becoming a habit."
"Silence Inuyasha," snarled a very pissed dog demon.
Kagome chose to be quite as she observed the full demon's appearance. The demon lord's face was as cold and expressionless as the day she met him. But it was his eyes. They shone with anger, a fiery anger held in those golden orbs, but she could also see that they had flashed red the moment he scanned the room.
"Don't tell me to be quiet!" growled an angry hanyou. "You came in here! I asked you a question! Now what the fuck are you here for?"
Sesshomaru turned his gaze to the young pregnant woman in the room. "Where is she?" he asked, his voice smooth but demanding.
Kagome blinked in confusion. "She who?" A growl was heard in the room.
Sesshomaru looked into her eyes and saw that she was indeed as clueless as she sounded. "I see. She is not here. Nor has she been here." With that he turned to leave.
"Where the fuck do you think you're going Sesshomaru! I want an explanation as to why you chose to barge in here and then just leave!" Inuyasha shouted out. To his surprise his brother stopped, but he did not turn around.
"Lana...had a miscarriage."
Kagome gasped while Inuyasha was silenced. "Wha? But how?"
Sesshomaru sighed. "Naraku is to blame." His fist tightened. "Lana is also completely human now. She believed that I would cast her aside so she left the castle. It has been days so I figured this would be the place that she would go. But I see she has not been here so I will search elsewhere."
Kagome had stood up to say something. "Well I can tell you that she hasn't been here. And she's not on the other side of the well either. We had just came from there yesterday morning before the storm started to get bad."
Sesshomaru nodded his understaning and once again proceeded to exit the hut. "Wait!" shouted Inuyasha. "I need to ask you something."
Sesshomaru growled in annoyance. He didn't have time for this. "What." Inuyasha scratched his head, embarrassed that he would resort to asking his brother such a thing. "Well you see...Kagome is...developing faster than expected. Kaede, the village priestess, said that it would be six months before the baby would come. But it's already moving..."
"You want to know why I suppose?" asked Sesshomaru. Inuyasha nodded. Sesshomaru walked over tho Kagome and crouched down beside her. Kagome became nervous when he started sniffing her. "Um...must you be so close?" she started blushing. Moments later Sesshomaru jerked back and tilted his head in confusion. This did not go unnoticed by Inuyasha, who became instantly worried.
"What? What wrong?" shouted the eager hanyou. He watched as his brother stood. "The child...is hanyou," he announced, surprise in his own voice. "What?" both Kagome and Inuyasha exclaimed. Sesshomaru looked at Inuyasha and smirked. "It seems that you are not so week after all little brother. Your pup grows at this rate because its demon blood, our demon blood inherited from our father, is so strong."
Kagome was puzzled. "So when do you think it will be born?" Sesshomaru smiled inwardly. He would never let them see him smile like he wanted to. "My nephew will be here in no more than two more months." The demon lord then left the dumbstruck couple to contemplate his words.
He had already wasted enough precious time with his half-brother. His mate was not here which meant that she was still out there somewhere. He new she was alive. The mating mark allowed him to sense her life force. If she were to die he would the instant her heart stopped. But he didn't want to take any chances. He could easily revive her with the Tenseiga, that is if she wasn't devoured by demons first.
Sesshomaru growled. That would not happen. Normally amber eyes turned red and his fangs grew larger. His mouth and nose stretched into a snout and his claws curved as his hands became huge paws. The large beast howled into night sky, warning all demons who heard that the mate of the Western Dog Lord had better not be harmed. The earth shook beneath his paws as he leapt through the forest in a rampage.
Inuyasha had heard the howl and turned to Kagome. "This is serious. Lana is human and out in this storm by herself." He walked over to her and sat behind her, embracing her from behind. "Inuyasha I'm worried now." Inuyasha rested his chin on her shoulder and placed his clawed hand on her swollen belly. "Kagome, I don't want to sound inconsiderate about Lana, but worrying isn't healthy for our son, you know. Lana may be human, but I know she can hold her own. And I'm sure it won't be long before Sesshomaru finds her. She...uh probably found refuge in some other village, until the storm blows over."
Kagome sighed. "I hope you're right." Inuyasha turned her face to meet hers. "Kagome. If you want me to go look for her I will. First thing tomorrow I'll take you to the village or your mom's place and then go set out for Lana."
Kagome smiled. "You're so great Inuyasha."
Inuyasha grinned. "Great enough for some great lovin'?"
Kagome raised a brow and stood up out of his embrace. "Inuyasha...SIT!" BAM! "You're such a hentai. I'm pregnant for cryin' out loud," Kagome laughed.
"Damn hormones!" mumbled the hanyou pinned to the floor.
Her lungs were burning. It seemed like she was running forever. They still were chasing her. Three huge, disgusting demons. A boar demon, a lizard demon, and a tiger demon. A weird combination of demons to be hanging around each other. She stopped by a wide tree to catch her breath.
"What the pant in the world do they pant want!" She thought if she ran any longer that she would faint. "They're relentless! I mean are they that hungry or do they just want to kill me for the fun of it." Her head jerked up when she heard a loud snorting sound of the boar demon behind.
Snort "I think the wench ran over there where those wide trees are."
She sighed. "Damn them." She quickly began to run from where she was. 'I will not be eaten!' she screamed in her mind. She continued to run through the trees, trying to put as much distance as she could between the demons and herself. She gasped when she almost lost her footing when she cam to the top of a very steep hill.
"There ssssshe issssss!" hissed the lizard demon. They all laughed darkly as they advanced towards her.
As she turned around to see just how close they were to her foot had slipped in the snow. A piercing scream was heard as she went tumbling down the hill. When she finally hit the bottom she lost consciousness for a minute. The sound of footsteps and grunts from her predators are what brought her back, groaning in pain as she attempted to stand. The fall wasn't the only thing that she was injured from. All of the jagged rocks and stones that she had hit on the way down made several gashes and cuts all over her body. Her clothes were even more torn and she could have sworn that she hit her head as well. She finally found her footing and began limping to get away. Suddenly she felt her side being torn into by a clawed hand, screaming in agony as she collapsed onto the snow covered ground. Her eyes came in contact with the eyes on the tiger demon. She looked at his paw and saw that they were covered blood, her blood.
The tiger demon chuckled as it licked her blood off of its fingers. "You taste good for a human." Just then the rest of its crew came.
"You've got her." grunted the boar, his mouth watering.
"You fool we aren't to eat her," the lizard demon said.
They all became quiet when a loud roar was heard in the forest. "'Do not harm the mate of the Western Lord'?" The three demons looked down at their prey in unison and gasped when they saw the crescent mark on her forehead.
"It'sssss the mark of the Wessssstern Landsssss!"
"We are doomed!"
The tiger demon simply laughed darkly. "So what." the tiger demon grinned. "We already harmed the wench. Why not eat her then?"
The lizard demon looked at the tiger with terror etched on his face. "Thisssss issss not wisssssse. I will not die a horrible deathhhsss becausssee of you!"
The tiger snorted. "Suit your self then. Muwhahaaa. More for me!" he roared just as was about to pounce on his prey.
Lana looked at the demon who was about to devour her. 'So this is my fate? To be eaten by a demon? I would have never thought this in a million years.' Her mind went blank as she smiled and closed her eyes as she prepared for her death. She felt something hot sweep over her followed by a deathly screech. Several sounds of flesh being cut and screams of pain were heared until finally only the howling winter wind could be heard.
She could here the crunching of snow as something or someone had began approaching her. The crunching stopped and she knew here savior was right in front of her. She smiled at him, her eyes still closed. "You came." she whispered before her world went black.
He picked her up bridal style, mindful of her injuries. They were serious and need to be tended to as quickly as possible. Pushing back the hair that lay on her face he smiled warmly and opened a portal to his castle. "Don't worry. You're safe now." he said as he walked through.
Sesshomaru had stopped. His senses told him that his mate had been injured, badly. He would kill who ever it was who had done the foolish act. At least he knew she was alive, for now. The blizzard had suddenly stopped a few moments ago. He knew it had been no force of nature that caused the storm. He made a mental note to go confront a certain ice whore after he retrieved his mate. 'At least it will be easier to search for her.' He lifted his nose into the air and caught wind of her blood. Not wasting a moment he dashed in the direction of the scent. God save those who had dared harm her.
Lana groaned as she stirred. "What the hell?" Her eyes slowly opened. "I feel like I was stabbed a thousand times and ripped open." As she looked around and took in her surroundings she panicked. The room was dim, the only lighting being a lit fireplace. She looked out a window and realized that it was dark outside. She noticed that she was in a bed, but it wasn't her bed. The sheets were a deep blood red with a jet black fur blanket. Definitely not her bed. 'But how? I thought...' Her attention turned towards the sound of a door opening. "You?"
"I see you have awoken." the Prince of the fire mountain clan smiled.
Lana tried to get out of the bed but was stopped by agonizing pain. Her breathing was labored and she clutched her left side. She heard as the other person in the room approached her. "Get away from me!" she screamed at him, but regretted it when she once again felt the pain.
"I gave you something to speed up the healing process, but it seems as though the demon cut rather deep." The red eyed prince reached out to touch her but she slapped his hand away.
"I...said...don't come...near me...traitor." she hissed through her clenched teeth, between breathes. "You were with Naraku all along. This is your fault."
The Prince Ifrit frowned as he sat next to her on the bed. "My Lana. I never meant for you to get hurt. I had no idea that Naraku was your enemy." He took her hand in his own. "But I am no enemy of yours. Please forgive my foolishness." His free hand reached out to caress her cheek. His clawed thumb traced a long cut that ran from her chin to right below her eye. "I can heal this right away for you." He said huskily as he leaned his head in towards hers. He placed his mouth on the top of the cut and began to lick along it. When he finished at her chin he pulled away to look at her. In seconds the cut had thinned.
Lana looked at him disgusted. "You can lie if you want. But I'm not stupid so don't try and pull that bullshit on..."
She was cut off by his lips on hers. At first she struggled but then came the pain once more. He was aggressive at first but became more gentle when she stopped struggling. He pulled away from her, giving her a quick peck on her nose. "I understand if you don't trust me, but I do not lie. It is not allowed here on the mountain. But I would break any rule on my own lands for you to trust me."
Lana just looked at him as if he grew a huge wart on his head. "I do thank you for saving me, but I can't stay here. Sesshomaru will come soon and..."
"And I will kill him."
Lana gasped. "What? No you can't. You are so no match for him. Ungh!" She winced when she jerked to quick.
"These are my grounds. My advantage. He won't hurt you again." Ifrit said sternly.
"He never hurt me!" she yelled, the sudden outburst shocking them both.
Ifrit clenched his teeth. Her sudden outburst confirmed to him that she did in fact have feelings for his romantic rival. It infuriated him. "So why did you run? Tell me!"
Lana looked away from him. "I ran...I ran because...I didn't want to give him the chance to hurt me." she said in almost a whisper. "He never said that he would abandon me...but I could tell he didn't want to use a human to sire an heir with. Not that it mattered...to...me." A discovery came to her mind as her own words registered in her mind. 'It did matter to me.' Her head shot up and she glared at the demon prince. "If anything you hurt me more than he did! Besides, I meant it when I chose to leave him. I don't intend to go back. Which is why I can't stay here. Don't you see? You and I both know that Sesshomaru can kill you easily. So do us both a favor and quite the noble Prince Charming act." She stared at him. "It isn't worth your life."
She was right. He was no match for the ruthless dog demon. His words were strong, but that's all they were. Words. What was the point in him fighting for her only to die and she suffer anyway. He desired her, he loved her, but he wanted her to be happy. And he wanted to live to witness it. If that meant letting her go, then he would have to set her free from his heart. Once again he took her hands in his and looked at her with passion filled eyes. "Lana, I will help take you to wherever it is you need to go. I will help you escape him but is there any place that he will not find you?"
Lana was shocked. He had listened to what she said. "...You'll...help me? Really?" He gave her a slow nod and smiled. "Thank so much," she said, returning his gesture. "We need to go to a well in Inuyasha's Forest. There is a well there, it's magical. It will send me to my home...in the future."
He looked at her in awe. "The future?" She nodded at him. "I see," he said cooly. "Perhaps that is what I always found so special about you." He inched closer to her. "Women...in your time, must be very independent and outspoken. I could imagine how far from now I'd get a chance to witness a world that accepts this since of equality." he said with a toothy grin.
Lana smirked at him. "It's only about a good 500 years from..." Once again she was cut off by his lips on hers. "You really need to stop with your spontaneous kissing attacks."
"You don't enjoy my kissing attacks." he asked, his grin widening.
Lana stared at him. 'No one kisses like...' "It's not that, it's just...I don't want you to get excited and change your mind about taking me to the well."
"I won't loose control. I promise I'll get you to that well." He placed a quick kiss on her cheek and stood up. "Rest. I'll go and make some preparations for our journey."A knock was heard at the door. "Come in."
Lana eyed the tall man that had entered the room. He was tall, maybe as tall as Sesshomaru. His long, crimson hair was slicked back in a low pony tail. His skin was tanned and his eyes were a deep blood red. His attire was a black kimono with a symbol of a flame on his left breast. What freaked her out the most when she looked at him was his stone cold gaze. He had an expression that could rival Sesshomaru's. "My Prince," he paused as he glanced at Lana and then briefly at Ifrit. "It appears we have a visitor. He requests your presence. He says that you must discuss some important...matters concerning the West Lands."
"Very well Fudoko." The Prince turned to face Lana. "This is my right-hand man. He is second in command of my army. He also is my first cousin." he finished with a light chuckle. Ifrit got up and walked over to where his cousin was standing. "You should rest until I come for you. There is a kimono in at the end of the bed."
"Yes, thank you, Prince Ifrit." She watched a s he nodded and left with the other fire demon. Lana sighed and glanced at the maroon colored kimono. Slowly, she reached over to grab it and put it on. 'I really need to get out of here. He'll come for me...and I don't even want to think of how pissed off he is right now.' Lana shivered at the thought. "So tired." she whispered. She laid down on the soft pillow. "Maybe I'll just...rest my eyes...for a while..." She mumbled. A few moments later sleep overcame her.
He sensed an open link to his mate. She was sleeping finally. Now he could enter her dreams to find out where she was exactly. Once he tapped into her mind he could pin point where she was. Sesshomaru closed his eyes and focused into his own mind.
Dream- Lana's Mind
Lana found herself surrounded by beautiful flowers. 'Where am I?' As she looked at her surroundings she noticed that it was a little...surreal. 'Is this a dream?' The field of flowers was enormous. It went on far into the horizon, and there wasn't a tree in sight, or any other form of life. She sighed. 'Its one of those dreams eh. Well I guess I'll just get up and walk around in dreamland for a bit.' she stood up and began to walk.
She made it a few yards when a thick fog rose up. 'Great what now.' She expected a monster, maybe a dragon, or her mother perhaps...but not him.
At first it was a blur, but as soon as he turned around she could see his golden orbs staring into her soul. If this was dream then Lana hoped that she would soon wake up, his gaze felt real enough to set the field of flowers on fire.
"Okay wake up now!" she screamed out loud. She watched as he began to advance towards her. "Err...okay dream Sesshomaru. Don't come near or else I'll...purify you."
He smirked at her. "And how would you do that when you have no powers?" he said taunting her. His advancement never stopping.
"This is a dream I can do what I want. And besides, you're not real!" she yelled, backing away from him.
In a split second he was upon her. "I may not be physically real but I assure you that I am very real mentally." Lana opened her mouth to say something but he beat her to it. "I tapped into your mind. My bond to you allows me to do so."
She was speechless. "What do you want! I'm not coming back to you! Let me go!" her struggles were useless, his grip was iron tight. He didn't respond to her immediately before he finally descended his lips onto hers. It felt so real. She was immobilized. Her body, even in the dreamworld, surrendering to his.
He pulled away slowly. Sesshomaru wanted answers, and he would soon get what he wanted. "Where are you?" Lana looked at him angrily. "Wouldn't you like to know." she hissed at him. He raised an eyebrow at her. "You try my patience." Lana clicked her tongue and turned her head away. "You? Have patience? When did you learn that trick...Fluffy." Obviously she forgot that this was not a dream Sesshomaru. She could feel how pissed he was. "You will tell me where your are now!"
Lana just grinned at him. The dream was fading, she was waking up. "Go screw a tree Sesshomaru."
Sesshomaru growled, barring his fangs. He was beyond furious. The bitch was waking up and the link was getting weaker. "Lana..."
'Lady Lana...Prince Ifrit has asked me to prepare you a bath. My Lady? Oh she is asleep.' said a female voice.
Lana stared wide-eyed. "No way." because she was half asleep her mind had heard what the servant said. Unfortunately, so had Sesshomaru.
He would have smirked at her if he wasn't so angry. "So that is where you are. With that pup from the fire mountains." He released his hold on his mate and allowed her to finish waking. "Lana when I find you, both you and that pup will regret that you ever left me. I will kill him for daring to take what is mine." he snarled.
"Sesshomaru no! Please! He saved me from those demons. I would be dead if didn't rescue me." she pleaded.
Sesshomaru's expression stayed. "It matters not. You are alive and soon he will not." Those were his last words before he faded into nothing.
End Dream
Lana woke up gasping for air. Her hand running through her hair, as the dream replayed in her thoughts. "Oh my...Prince Ifrit!" Lana jumped out of the bed, wincing as she moved her still healing body. "I must get out. We have to leave here now!" She practically limped her way out of the room. She saw the servant girl in the hallway and moved towards her. "Where is...the prince?" she was panting now, her body felt weak.
The servant girl noticed and was concerned about her health. "My lady you should be resting. Your body may collapse from..."
"Please! Just tell me."
The girl pointed down a the hall. "Keep going down the hall and you'll come to a staircase. Are you sure you don't want me to get my lord?"
Lana smiled at her. "No, but thank you." hurriedly she hopped down the hall. As she made her way down the stairs she heard voices.
"I already told you that I have no way of knowing where Sesshomaru's mate is. Now as I asked you already, leave my home now."
'That was Prince Ifrit.' She walked further down the stairs, stopping when she came to the third one from the floor.
"Kukukukuku..."
Lana placed her hand over her mouth to keep herself from gasping. 'Naraku? No.'
"I see. Then I will leave then. Farewell."
'That filthy bastard! I should killed him when I...ungh...' Lana felt her legs give out on her and she fell. She had pushed herself too hard and now she found her self in a dangerous situation. Both Naraku and the two demons turned around to see Lana laying on the floor.
"Well look who it is. Dear Prince you shame your law of intolerance to lies in the fire clan home." laughed Naraku.
"Naraku." Prince Ifrit drew his sword, as did his cousin. "You will leave my house now."
"Oh I will. With the head of that bitch as a parting gift!" Naraku shot out his tentacles straight at the fire demons, pinning them in a cage to the wall. He turned slowly as he moved towards his prey. "Now you both get to witness me take her life." He picked her limp body up and pinned her to the wall by her neck. "Well Lana. Is this deja vu?"
Lana opened her eyes and smiled. "Yeah. Kinda like when I had you begging for your life."
His grip on her neck tightened, extracting a groan of pain from Lana. "Well, you'll be doing the begging now." He chuckled darkly.
Lana spit in his face. "As if I'd be scared of you enough to beg for my life. You can't even come and kill me in person, sending one of your puppets to do your dirty work." Naraku's head dropped some and he said nothing. "So I'm right. Tell me, are you still recovering from when I almost purified your filthy ass."
"That does not matter for I am the one who will kill you. And I will take great pleasure in seeing you die!"
His tightened more and Lana knew that this was it. She had one last thought before darkness consumed her. "Sesshomaru."
AN: uhh...hi? Sorry for the long long...looooonnnnggg wait. I um had writer's block again + my outside life. You know, the ideas are there but I just don't know how to put them down. I've realized that Sess is very OOC in the first half...but I just slowly started getting into the feel of the characters. I may write the first chapters over a bit...or maybe not. If I had a little help winkwink that would make things easier. But anyway...I don't know when I'll have the next chapter out. Next week? Next month? Next year? Oh God I hope not!
Peace & luv for those who still have luv for me:-D