Kagome huffed with exertion as she ran through the trees, tossing her wild hair back out of her eyes. Whack! She bit her lip after harshly slamming her toe against a root, but her stride didn't falter. Another tear made its way down her face, but she angrily raised a hand to scrub it off. There was no time for grief, not anymore.
"Come back here you Oni!"
"We'll catch you no matter how far you run!"
The men's taunting voices called out after her, their boot clad feet loudly trampling through the forest. A scared sob was working it's way up Kagomes throat, but she merely continued running. He had told her to run, he had told her that he would save her. She had to believe in him right?
The loud taunts behind her were a reminder that she had no choice.
/an hour previously/
Shippo wrinkled his nose fiercely as the tachi walked into a village, his eyes going wide. "Kagome! It smells so awful! Like-like deat-no, that's not right..."
"I can't smell anything Shippo-chan! You must be crazy," Rin chirped happily from her place on Ah-Un, a few paces behind the small kitsune and Kagome.
"Am not! I can smell more than you Rin-chan!" Shippo fired back as he wrinkled his small nose again.
The black haired miko gave the little kitsune a wary look, one hand going to her bow automatically. The small village they had walked to seemed peaceful, if a bit empty. Only one farmer had walked past them, and hurriedly at that. But there was no smoke, no indication of dead bodies... Sango, who's eyes had widened at Shippos words, exchanged a worried look with Kagome.
"Sesshomaru?" She asked quietly, looking up at the Dai that walked half a step ahead of her. His nose was delicately scrunched, just barely different from normal. It was enough to make Kagome feel on edge though.
"The kit has sharp instincts," he said softly, one claw-tipped hand inching closer to his sword hilt. That only served to increase the dark haired mikos worry!
A loud throat being cleared made every one stop suddenly and spin around. Sesshomaru twisted faster than her eyes could catch, pushing her slightly behind his larger body. She huffed and crossed her arms at his behavior, but didn't move from behind his shoulder. The visage of an elderly monk met her eyes. He had a sun browned, fairly wrinkled face and was adorned in traditional dark clothes, a staff similar to miroku's held loosely in one hand. He would have seemed like nothing more than a kind old man, if not for those eyes. They were a hard, flinty brown.
"You folks new around here? Must be, what with you all wearing weapons so openly," the calm, laid back voice was at odds with the mans hard stare and Kagome could feel Sesshomarus body tense just the slightest bit more. "Tadanobu-Sama banned them weeks ago, but then again, demons and oni-onna don't much listen to reason, do they?"
Shippo let out a soft little growl, but was cut short as Kagome abruptly grabbed him, clutching the small body tightly to her chest. Eyes wide, she was breathing harshly as her knees started to shake with fear. She knew that name. That man-creature was more appropriate- was the monk who had tried to kill her and Shippo after abducting them.
"Oni-onna?" Sango said with a snort. "That's ridiculous. We're both ningen, and the youkai with us are quiet ha-civilized." She was going to say harmless, but with one look at Sesshomaru anyone could see what a lie that was.
The man sneered at them, crossing his arms over his chest. Kagome noticed that his grip didn't loosen around the staff at all. "Civilized youkai? Ain't no such thing, Oni. But don't worry, Tadanobo-sama told us what to do with the likes of you." As his scornful voice trailed off, more men stepped out from behind the huts. They were mostly low born, common men, clutching heavy wooden clubs and rusty old swords. A few more monks were scattered through the group, bringing the total up to about twenty enemies. Kagome felt her heart constrict. She knew Sesshomaru was more than strong, but how much holy power could he stand? There must be a limit.
Sango shifted her stance away from Miroku, one hand subtly positioned closer to Hiraikotsu. She could feel the coming battle, but the odds didn't seem good. Twenty versus four? Along with two helpless children...
Sesshomaru was the next one to speak, his voice cold, dispassionate, but iron. A commanders voice. "All of you, take the children and leave upon Kirara." He had seen that the ningen had no long range weapons upon them, and he knew that alone he could easily overwhelm them, or escape if the monks were dangerously powerful.
"Now hold it right there!" The old monk seemed to be the leader off the group. The other men were inching closer, but seemed to be awaiting a signal from him. "Tadanobo-sama decreed that all filth deserve divine justice. Only way to take care of you creatures. So you'd best give up a fight and submit to the holy light." His eyes narrowed, the mean glare seemed to hint that despite his words, what the monk really wanted was a fight.
The two groups seemed to be at a standstill, until one small sound broke the silence. Kirara growled lowly at the man, and all hell broke loose. The peasants rushed forward, yelling out guttural battle cries as they raised crude weapons. Shippo and Rin were shoved onto the fire cat by Miroku, who quickly jumped on behind them. "Sango, quickly!" He yelled, holding a hand out to hoist her aboard.
Meanwhile, Sesshomaru had rushed forward, his poison whip easily dismantling the first wave of men.
Kagome spun behind Sesshomaru, her eyes seeing that once Sango was upon her, Kirara wouldn't be able to take any more weight. Her eyes found her soul sisters, the same thought passing between them.
"Go Sango! Protect the children! We'll catch up!" Sango grimaced, but swung herself upon the fire cat as she jumped into the air. She yelled out to Kagome, her words faint as Kirara sped into the forest.
"Don't die!"
Kagome was already engaged in the battle, one hand reaching behind her to grasp the smooth wood of her bow. Sesshomaru, however, paused as he felt her aura close to him. She should have left with the others! Why was that infuriating women still here, distracting him? He turned briefly, eyes narrowed as he saw her intent.
"Kagome! Run! I will deal with them quickly!" His voice carried loudly to her, full of anger and frustration. He couldn't afford to be worried about her safety while facing holy men. But how to get the stubborn woman to leave... "Into the forest! Don't let them chase the pack!" He knew she'd understand that the children must not be followed by these savages, and if the men spilt up he could deal with them much more quickly. He had a moments hesitation as he ordered her off, but he knew that the monks would focus their power upon him and Kagome was more then able to avoid common thugs for a few moments.
"Now!" He snapped as he saw her hesitation, before he rushed forward, Tokijin in hand, towards one of the monks.
~WLITS~
Trees passed by in a blur as she ran, breathing harshly and clutching a vicious stitch in her side. Tears were always sliding down her face from fear, but she had no other option than to just keep running. Sesshomaru promised he would come for her, to save her. All she had to do was survive until he could. Suddenly, all thoughts of her golden eyed lover vanished as the miko smacked into something hard.
A thin rod of pressure hit her middle, but her momentum kept her going till she felt that she had bent in two around it before snapping back and tossing her to the forest floor. All that in a brief half of a second. She lay on the ground, wheezing softly as pain flooded her whole body. Her head had been jarred harshly in landing and flooded her with a sick feeling of nausea. Soft, yet deep chuckles met her ringing ears and footsteps sounded next to her body.
"I knew one day you would come running into my arms, however I didn't expect you to take it quite so literally, little Kagome," a familar voice drawled from above her. Squeezing her eyes shut, the miko tried to gather her strength even as she felt more tears rush to the surface.
"What do you want, Naraku?" She said, dismayed that her voice was still rather breathy with pain. She opened her eyes to glare, but the world only spun disorientatingly above her. She could tell that standing was out of the question at the moment, and cursed her helpless position. The hanyou before her tsked, and knelt down closer to her face, seeming to take pleasure in her scowl. One hand shot out and gripped her chin, iron fingers easily stopping her small efforts to put distance between them. Kagome felt an icy pit of fear settle in her stomach.
"Such a vague question, my dear," he said absently, eyed wandering over her face before training down her trembling body. "At the moment though, one specific thing comes to mind..." his dark eyes returned to her face, and she could have cried at the malice visible in them. "You," he said with a smirk that made her whimper, no matter how hard she tried to hold it back.
The hand on her chin loosened slightly, moving to cup her cheek. It would have been a lovers caress if not for the pricks his nails inflicted. Her lip trembled as she felt small beads of blood well up under them. "Leave me alone," she said valiantly, her mind disintegrating into a panicked mess.
"After you delivered yourself into my hands so nicely? Neither of us want that, little Kagome," he said with another chilling smirk. The man dropped to his knees, bringing his head MUCH more close to hers than she would have liked.
An icy, liquid feeling seemed to seep into her from where his nails bit into her. It wasn't painful, per se, but cold and uncomfortable, as if the very essence of Naraku could invade her body- The breath whooshed out of her in a terrified gasp. "Youki" she said a choking voice.
Naraku's smirk widened into a true grin as he withdrew his hand, licking the small beads of red that clung to the tips of his fingers. "Mm, I figured that a small amount would work wonders in taming you, my pet. The activities I have planned will be far more enjoyable if you're awake for them...and I have no desire for those pesky powers of yours to materialize," he said, eyes flaring a dark purple as he finished with his fingers.
Kagome was well and truly panicking now. That icy feeling had spread over her whole body, immobilizing her. She wanted to move her arms to push him away, she truly did but they merely remained spread by her, useless. His youki, inserted into her bloodstream from his claws, weighted her down and made her brain swim with fright. Yet she couldn't seem to form completely coherent thoughts, as if her head trauma had been sustained only moments ago. Her fear was only heightened as Naraku shifted, slinging one leg over her to straddle her waist.
She could hear her breathing, panting like she was running a marathon, as she looked up into those cold eyes. He leaned down, lips coming closer and closer Until the miko was sure that she would actually vomit. Thankfully, he didn't kiss her, but his cold mouth grazed the side of her face, the same place his hand had cut. He halted abruptly, eyes narrowing in anger. If she hadn't already been paralyzed with fear, that look would have done it.
"Why is the stench of that mutt on you Kagome? You could barely wait for Inuyasha to leave until you found someone else... how scandalous you are, under that pretense of innocence. Just like Kikyou," he sneered, hands moving to grip her waist tightly. Too tight, she could barely breath.
"That dog should know not to touch what's mine," Naraku hissed as he tore her shirt, ignoring her yelp of pain as he gouged her sides. Her mind whirled, anger at being compared to Kikyou, hope at the mention of Sesshomaru and overwhelming fear as she felt him angrily tear the rest of her shirt away, her arms still useless at her sides. A sob ripped its way out of her throat and she looked away, looked anywhere but at herself.
"D-don't. Please, please don't," she whispered raggedly.
Naraku paid no heed to her words, his hands moving over her exposed flesh in harsh, domineering touches mixed with pinches and scratches. "It's funny," he mused as he his hands came to rest upon her bra. "You think your words hold any weight in my decisions." His hands cupped the lazy material, causing Kagome to shudder harshly before he ripped the material away. Tears were freely flowing down her face now, sobs leaving her throat ragged.
And then he was gone.
The oppressive weight, the hands that abused her flesh, his chilling youki, all of it was ripped away from her in between breaths. A fluffy white mass had settled over her, and trembled from the force of her pants. Snarls echoed in her ears, deep, vicious growls that sounded like no beast she had ever heard. But this fur was so familiar it had to b-Mokomoko! Oh god Sesshomaru was hear! Another set of fierce sobs wracked her frame, but this time they were full of relief.
"Look who decided to show up," Naraku sneered condescendingly, out of sight of Kagomes tear filled eyes. "Too bad you missed most of the fun," he said, but without his usual calmness. His voice seemed to be fading, quickly growing farther away. The deep snarls sounded like they were also moving, but halted at one particularly harsh sob from Kagome. "You wouldn't leave the defenseless little miko alone in the woods, would you pup? Someone might come alone and snatch her up," Naraku mocked, laughing darkly as he turned and walked away from the western lord. "I'll be back for you, Kagome dear," were the last words she heard before the sounds of running reached her ears.
Closing her eyes tightly, she tried to control her breathing, her tears, her thoughts, she tried to control anything. Fruitlessly. After a painfully long moment, hard yet gentle hands enveloped her body, picking her up from the ground and holding her close to a warm chest. Mokomoko seemed to move with her, wrapping around and covering her exposed body.
"S-s-Sessh-se-" she stuttered helplessly, trembling with the force of her tears.
"Don't speak," he said darkly, his voice a coil of anger that sounded more like a growl. She only sobbed Harder, keeping her eyes closed tightly. He was so angry, he was probably disgusted with her. She was disgusted with herself, the fear from having that mans claws on her... having his mouth... she felt dirty, unclean and tainted. No one had ever touched her like that, not even Sesshomaru. He wouldn't ever want her again, not after she had been used in such a way. Her sobs lost their desperate edge, but she still cried freely, her heart aching.
~WLITS~
Sesshomaru was hurting. However if anyone saw him, he would have only looked angry. His eyes were narrowed, a feral red glazing the gold and his lips were pressed into a harsh line. He was using his anger at himself to cover his hurt, at the moment. He had only needed to deal with a few monks, then track Kagome, who left such an obvious trail that even a new born pup could follow it. How he could have taken so long...
He had smelt her blood before he saw her. That alone had almost sent him into a frenzy, but the sight of Naraku had enraged him more than he thought possible. How dare that filth touch his mate, how dare he even breathe the same air as her. Sesshomaru felt his eyes flicker red at the memory, and he couldn't help the small growl at slipped past his lips. Kagome shuddered softly, and he looked sharply down at her, but her eyes remained shut, despite the thick stream of tears still pouring from them. Even her voice, shaking and with more fear than he had ever heard her express was a reminder of his failure. He had wanted to fight the hanyou badly, but she needed him. She needed care, and safety. His overwhelming urge to ensure her safety had tamped down the need he felt to give chase to Naraku.
Walking quickly while he thought and tried to control his temper, Sesshomaru had brought them to a secluded glade. There was a mossy clearing between towering oak trees, and a few large rocks which gave the area a sense of privacy. He could smell the others of the troupe a short distance away, and none seemed to be harmed. His pack taken care of for the moment, it was time to tend to his mate. The Dai settled down on the ground, his back against a sturdy oak and the tiny miko cradled in his lap. She was quiet now, but shaking softly as tears continued to fall down her face. This only brought a frown to his face. Mokomoko was coiled around her upper body, hiding the injuries she had from his view. Gently, the Dai tugged his fury tail off of her body, trying to asses her wounds.
Kagome's limbs flared out wildly, her hands clenching mokomoko fiercely and using the furry material to cover her chest. "No no no!" She said hysterically, her eyes wide and frightened.
Sesshomaru frowned, but he stopped his attempts to uncover her. "Kagome, I must see to your injuries," he said, voice barely higher than a growl. He was still finding it difficult to control his emotions. She shook her head violently, her blue eyes looking away from him. She looked almost... shameful?
"Don't look," she whispered, voice shaking through a new batch of tears. Would they never end? He wondered with a tinge of desperation. He looked at her frustratedly, not understanding her words. "I-I-I don't want you to see... where he touched," her wavering voice cracked at the last second, fading off into a stunned silence.
Sesshomaru almost snarled. He wanted to break every bone in that worthless hanyous body, and then bathe in the blood. To have his strong, fierce miko reduced to this state... he would pay. Dearly.
He knew that any expression of anger would only serve to frighten her more, so Sesshomaru merely sighed, before moving one claw tipped hand up to cup her cheek. There seemed to be tiny pin pricks in her creamy skin, he noticed. Five points, and where his claws would be if his fingers weren't so long... he couldn't help the small growl that escaped him at this revelation. Kagome jumped, then tried to shy away from his touch. "I will make him pay," Sesshomaru said softly to his miko. "No one should ever be able to hurt you, Kagome." His voice deepened, and she slowly turned her dark eyes up to his. He held her gaze, desperate for her to see the emotion he wanted to convey. "I won't ever leave you unprotected again," he vowed.
After a long, searching glance, the miko gave him a quick nod. Her tears had almost stilled. "It wasn't your fault," she said, voice barely above a whisper. Her fingers still gripped his tail harshly. "I still don't want you to see me, not until I can bathe." Her eyes slid away from him, and even though the fear was gone they still held a deep hurt. Sesshomaru sniffed delicately, he couldn't smell any large amount of blood on her, but she was covered in the hanyou's scent.
"No." he growled, eyes flashing red.
AN/Another cliffy! I know I'm so rude, and it even took me This long to update. Whooops... anyways hope you all enjoy this installment! I'll keep writing, I have big plans for this one!