Chapter Four: Into the Snake's Den

In the instance that Kagome looked into this green haired mans eyes, she realized she had probably made the biggest mistake of her life. Though Sesshomaru scared her and hit her, there were far worse things outside of those walls. She was safe within them. She was safe under his roof, but out here she was nothing more than a meal to those who wanted what she had.

"Where did you come from?" he asked her as he spit out a piece of seared meat that didn't meet his standards. He dropped the rest of his meal to the dirt and stood up. Kagome took a step back, only to trip over the thick straw she had originally landed on. Before she had a chance to stand, the color green had overtaken her vision. The speed at which he moved was not that of a human, so it was obvious that he was a demon like Sesshomaru was. Besides those within Sesshomaru's castle, she hadn't met anyone else. She thought demons were all sophisticated, but this one was the opposite. He looked like he survived only in the wild, his body thin and putrid.

"Get off of me!" she begged and tried pushing him off, but her wrists were quickly pinned to the straw. His fang-filled smile thirsted for something she wasn't aware that she was not willing to give. He looked down at her body in a way that she didn't understand.

"Shh, girl. Stay still and you won't get hurt. Understood?" he hissed into her ear, his narrowed eyes piercing her gaze with a threatening message. She swallowed fearfully, but nodded. He released her wrists and she tensed, frozen beneath his body as his rough hands ran aggressively down to the collar of her shirt. With a swift motion that pulled at her neck and burnt the skin on the back of her neck like hands sliding down a rope, he ripped her shirt from her body.

"Wait, stop it!" she begged as this happened. She was pulled half way into a sitting position before the shirt finally ripped off and let her fall back into the straw. Kagome immediately covered her breasts, her cheeks turning a deep red. She racked her brain trying to come up with a plan of escape, but with the strength this man was showing her, there was no way. He didn't seem as strong as Sesshomaru, but he was still stronger than her. Apparently, there were a lot of things in this world that were stronger than her. She was defenseless…

"It's been a while since I found a pretty one." he said as he laid down to press his body into hers. She felt overwhelmed, trapped by his stature. Though he as not a large demon, his lanky body was much taller than her own and his strength only made things worse. Kagome felt his hand running down her side and in between her legs. With a fluid motion, Kagome's legs were forced open and this man fell between them. She couldn't tell what it was, but her racing heart told her that it was time to fight. She kicked her legs as hard as she could and went to scratch at his face.

"No! Stop it! Get off of me!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, crying as she fought against her attacker. He laughed as she struggled against him. Once one of his hands was able to grab one of her wrists, it was easy to grab the next and pin them above her head. He used his other hand to remove his shirt and leaned down to kiss her neck once it was removed. She winced as if the one mild thing he had done hurt her. It might as well have hurt her, since it felt disgusting.

Suddenly, the assault on her body stopped and Kagome saw him looking at something. She followed his gaze and her eyes went wide at the sight of Sesshomaru standing atop the cliff she had fallen down. Had he come to rescue her? Or was it to punish her again? She hoped it was the former of the choices since this humiliation felt like punishment enough.

"Lord Sesshomaru," her attacker spoke up to the demon lord, the sound of his voice as threatening as the bite of a venomous snake, "Why have you come to my den?"

"Is this how you spend your days, Kitanran?" Sesshomaru replied, sounding amused.

"If one falls into my den, they're an easy target. An intruder in my home is asking for it."

"Heh. How vile, forcing yourself on a human woman."

"It's not like I have women lining up at my door like you do, milord. I get what I can."

"Hm." Sesshomaru suddenly vanished from the top of the cliff. Kitanran stood up and turned his back on Kagome. He looked ready to fight, but Sesshomaru was barely acknowledging him as the white-haired demon walked passed the uncivilized brute and stared down at the half-naked human laying in the straw. "Pitiful." he said and she looked away embarrassed, "Have you learned your lesson, girl? Running off like a pouting child was a mistake."

"I-I know." Kagome whimpered and moved away from both men, keeping her back to them as she began to beg, "I'm sorry, Lord Sesshomaru! I'm so sorry! I'll never disobey you again!"

"Lord Sesshomaru, you know this human girl?" Kitanran asked, surprised at the scene that was unfolding before him, "I-If I had known… I swear, I wouldn't hav-…"

"Silence, Kitanran. Yes, I obviously know this girl." Sesshomaru turned to Kitanran and set his hand on the hilt of Tōkijin. Kitanran's eyes widened and he backed away from Sesshomaru, fear showing all over his face. Sesshomaru did not give him another moment to speak. Sesshomaru darted swiftly forward, swinging his Tōkijin upwards from its place at his waist. That one fluid movement sliced through Kitanran's chest, sending him back and to the floor with a gaping wound. Sesshomaru put his sword back through his sash and turned to Kagome again.

"Did you think that was enough to kill me, Lord Sesshomaru?" Kitanran spoke from what was supposed to be a corpse. He sat up, laughing, and his wound regenerated right before their eyes. "I am no longer so easy to kill. I've gained power these past few years. You will regret letting me live the first time and not going for my head the second!" Kitanran rushed Sesshomaru at a blinding speed, catching the dog demon of guard. Sesshomaru was actually struck and sent sliding along the ground until a tree stopped him from moving forward.

"This power…" Sesshomaru thought and before he had a good chance to retaliate, Kitanran was on the attack once more and punched square in the chest. The force of the punch pushed Sesshomaru further into the tree and caused the trunk to break behind him. The force continued further and Sesshomaru's body went flying even farther. This time he was not able to land as gracefully as he was used to. Sesshomaru ended up on his back, but quickly recovered, hopping to his feet. "And where did you get such power? You were never this powerful."

"Let's say I've found something quite helpful." Kitanran said as he began seeping out a powerful demonic aura. The skin on his face, arms, and hands began to change into black scales. By the time he was fully transformed, Sesshomaru had Tōkijin redrawn and was on the attack. He went to slice through Kitanran's chest. Kitanran didn't even attempt to dodge, but instead held his arm up. When Tōkijin struck his arm, it bounced off the scales like they were made of stone.

"Damn him…" Sesshomaru thought. He made a quick glance toward Kagome, who was watching from the entrance to the small cave Kitanran had been staying in. He turned back to Kitanran, who was laughing hysterically at this point.

"This is great! You can't cut through my scales at all!" Kitanran quickly went on the offensive again and put Sesshomaru on the defensive. The two of them fought hard enough that the area was mostly destroyed, Kitanran's camp along with it. Kagome ran off and hid behind a few trees, hoping that she wouldn't get hit in the crossfire. The battle lasted for some time. When it finally slowed down, Kagome was in shock that Sesshomaru had taken quite a few hits. He had quickly figured out that Kitanran's entire body were not covered in those scales, so his weak spots were obvious, but something was strange about this entire thing. Kagome felt off the entire time she watched them fight. It was like a tickle at the back of her head, a ping of some sort, or even a sixth sense. Every now and then, when she looked at Kitanran, there were glowing parts of his body that seemed to exude some sort of powerful energy.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Kagome called out to him, but Sesshomaru didn't give her any attention. He would not take his eyes off of his opponent in the midst of battle. "He's got something strong glowing in both of his arms and in his throat! I bet that is where he is getting the extra power!"

"In his arms… and throat?" Sesshomaru smirked and went on the attack again. Each of his movements were slowed down by a couple of injuries he had received previously. Kitanran was still moving as quickly as he was at the beginning of the battle. Sesshomaru was going to have to outsmart him if he was going to win. Luckily, he soon got his chance to do it. Kitanran's ego got in his way and he left himself open, allowing Sesshomaru to stab him through the stomach with Tōkijin. Sesshomaru smirked as his foe yelled in anguish, but instead of keeling over, Kitanran suddenly bit down into Sesshomaru's shoulder. Sesshomaru could instantly feel the venom seep into his newest wound. He pulled back away from Kitanran, dropping to a knee and holding his shoulder. He had to move quickly, otherwise Kitanran would just heal again.

"Kagome." Sesshomaru called out to her.

"Uh, y-yeah?" she replied shyly and surprised that her name was used. She hid a bit more behind the tree that had been giving her cover and waited for him to tell her what he wanted.

"He's going to heal again. When I signal, remove those jewel shards." Sesshomaru demanded and watched as Kitanran's body once again begin to regenerate before his eyes.

"Jewel shards?" Kagome asked, but got no answer. Instead, Sesshomaru went on the attack the moment that Kitanran was about to stand up again. He went to strike at Kitanran's neck, but his blade was pushed back. He forced Tōkijin forward, fighting against the power of the sacred jewel shards that he realized were protecting his enemy. The power of both auras fought against each other, the energy striking out at the surrounding area. It took a lot of his power, but Sesshomaru was able to force the aura back enough to stab into Kitanran's chest.

"Ah! Damn you, Sesshomaru!" Kitanran yelled as he felt the blade slide into his skin. Once again, Kitanran's body fell limp and Sesshomaru added injury by forcing Tōkijin down his chest and into his stomach, splitting the snake demon's torso in half.

"Hurry, girl. Do it now." Sesshomaru called for her. She hesitated for a moment, receiving a glare from Sesshomaru that sent her running toward what was currently a corpse. She looked at the shining areas and noticed the center was a small gem. Was that what she needed to get? "Hurry." Sesshomaru said and she nodded. The corpse was already starting to heal. She grabbed the one in the neck, flinching in disgust as she pulled it from the demon's flesh. She grabbed the second and third at the same time once she saw the flesh returning to its original form again. Once she pulled the small shards from the demon's flesh, the two watched Kitanran's body disintegrate, soon becoming nothing but ash before their very eyes.

"Wow…" Kagome stood up and backed away from the pile of ashes, looking at the two pink gems that she held, "These are really powerful, aren't they?"

"They are pieces of a gem called the Sacred Jewel. I know very little about them as I was never interested in such a thing, but you can sense them?" Sesshomaru asked, honestly curious. In figuring that out, it cleared some things up about his brother. He used this girl as a jewel detector, didn't he? Inuyasha must want the jewel to become a full demon… Pathetic.

"Do you want them?" Kagome asked and held them out to Sesshomaru.

"As I said, I do not need such things. Keep them and take this." Sesshomaru was luckily not wearing his normal armor as he had run from home to find her. This gave him the ability to remove his haori and hand it to her. She quickly realized that she was still half-naked and covered herself up. The memories of what happened moment before flooded her mind for a brief moment. Tears almost made their appearance again, but were stopped when Sesshomaru dropped to a knee, using Tōkijin to keep him from completely collapsing.

"My Lord!" Kagome kneeled down by him and looked worriedly at his wounds. The look in her eyes was something Sesshomaru was not used to, it was something he'd only seen from Rin after he came back from rather tense battles. "Are you going to be okay? How can I help?"

"Get J-…" Sesshomaru's strength gave out. While he was not hurt, Kitanran was a snake demon and he had been bitten. The venom from that wound seeped into his body and weakened him. He fell forward and laid there in the dirt, breathing heavily as sweat slid down his face.

"No, no, no, no…." Kagome was sincerely worried, terrified even. He glanced up to her to see that she was looking around in a panic, trying desperately to think of something to do. Seeing this worry was amusing, especially since about a week ago she'd likely let him die. "What do I do? What do I do?" she asked and looked over to Kitanran's camp. She hurried and looked through his things to find something, anything that could help. "Damn it!" she shouted angrily, slamming a tight fist into the ground when she could find nothing to help.

"I'll be fine." Sesshomaru spoke up and Kagome looked back to him, crawling over quickly and then sitting by his side, "It'll work through my system, but it won't kill me."

"Is there anything I can do to make it go away faster?" she asked, a single tear falling from her eyes for his sake, "I can't sit here and watch you like this… I need to help you."

"Sitting and waiting is all yo-… There is one thing you can try, if it is that important to you."

"Yes, tell me!"

"There is a small creak over there," Sesshomaru said, struggling to point south from their location, "When you find it, follow the waters flow until you find a small yellow flower surrounded by white flowers. If I can eat the root of the white flower, it'll pass quicker."

Kagome didn't say another word to him, or even give him sign that she'd accepted such a mission. She just stood up and ran off, wrapped in his haori. Now that she was gone, Sesshomaru had no problem letting out a brief chuckle at how worried she was. The herb wasn't far, so hopefully she'd be okay running off on her own. Since his scent was in the air, most demons would avoid coming here. Maybe that haori would save her life… who knows?

Kagome was moving through the forest like she knew what she was doing. She leapt over raised roots, maneuvered around rocks, and didn't miss a beat when she finally found the creak and ran down river to find this herb. The adrenaline kept her going. She was angry with herself. This was her fault. She should have never run away. And if he hadn't come to save her… She didn't have time to think of that. She owed him everything now. What Kitanran was doing just felt wrong and she couldn't imagine what would have happened if Sesshomaru hadn't rescued her.

"He has to be okay. He has to be okay." she thought as she ran faster, her feet taking her as quickly as they could. While she was worried about Sesshomaru because this was her fault, she was also worried for Rin's sake. Seeing him lay there, the first thing that came to her mind was the smile of that adorable little girl who tried so hard to take care of her. She couldn't let Rin down. She couldn't let the Father-figure of such a sweet child die because of her.

Finally, she spotted those white and yellow flowers and slid to a stop before dropping to her knees. The landing was a little rough and scraped up her knee a bit, but she ignored the sting and grabbed the all of the flowers she was told of. She couldn't remember which one was needed. At first, she only grabbed the flower, but hit herself when she remembered he mentioned eating the root. It took her a little longer to get more flowers and dug down to the root this time. She couldn't make that possibly fatal mistake. Sesshomaru said he was going to be fine, but he was also injured, so she wouldn't take that chance.

Kagome turned back to the creak and hurried back up the way she came, following it up until she saw signs of Kitanran's camp and turned in a bit early. She tripped over a rock and right into the clearing that was Kitanran's camp. She found Sesshomaru had moved to lean against the fallen log, a small trail of trickled blood leading to his new position. He raised an eyebrow at her clumsy entrance into the area. Did she really run all that way? She looked tattered.

"I-I got them." she said as she got up and hurried to his side, holding the flowers out. Sesshomaru said nothing as he looked at what she brought. He went through some of the roots that belonged to yellow flowers and tossed them to the side. He found three that belonged to the white flowers and crushed them in his hand before shoving them in his mouth and swallowing.

"You did well." he said, licking some dirt from his teeth and spitting it behind him, "I will rest for now, but not long. Rin will be worried about you if we stay too long."

"Okay." Kagome said and stayed quiet. Sesshomaru was looking tired, so she wouldn't bother him anymore. Within those few moments of silence, Sesshomaru's eyes closed and he fell asleep. Kagome watched him and was quickly entranced by what a handsome man he was. She knew he was harsh, strict, and stoic, but he obviously had more emotion than he let on. He wouldn't have come after her if he didn't, even if it wasn't for her sake, but Rin's. It was in that short second, that Kagome realized for the first time… She felt safe.