SESSHOMARU BOUND
By Lady JenDragon
Disclaimer: Acknowledged and moving on.
Author's Notes: Welcome to chapter two. Don't really have much to say. Let me know if there's any typos and such. Work's been running me ragged these past few weeks. Need SLEEP!
CHAPTER 2
Bound
Battle…
The sounds of swords…words exchanged…
More explosions…
Kagome opened her eyes, lying on her back. The evening sky greeted her, the air had cleared, stars twinkled happily down at her. Veering her eyes, she remained in the field where she remembered killing the bird. She sat up with some difficulty.
"What happened?" Kagome asked groggily.
How many hours had past while she had been unconscious? The blast nearly ripped her in half. Had someone pulled her out of the way? Kagome pondered the whole event quietly, checking every body part for injury. So far, nothing seemed to be missing or hurting. There might be some aches tomorrow but she felt okay now.
"The Jewel!" Kagome checked the Jewel safely around her neck.
Surprised it was still there. She frowned at that. Wait, she did not have time to put it around her neck? How had the Jewel gotten around her neck then? She vaguely remembered hearing an elderly woman's voice during her sleep. Was it a dream? There was a male voice too… Sesshomaru perhaps? Had they battled after the initial explosion? There had been more than one… was there not?
A series of images flashed before her, a crazy woman and Sesshomaru fighting. But that had been a dream. Right? She was hit on the head hard during the first explosion, nearly knocking her out completely. But…she hung on long enough to watch Sesshomaru attack with his sword. Tenseiga. Totosai had reworked the sword so he could use it in battle not so long ago. And that woman appeared to have something in her hands. Kagome frowned deeper thinking about how the woman appeared crazed, reaching straight out with both hands, as if she had been looking up from the ground. Must have been before the battle with Sesshomaru. It was so vague the image could have been made up, a dream.
That did not diminish the feeling that the woman may have been after Sesshomaru. 'Then why had she stopped to bend over me first?' Sesshomaru had been behind her at the time of the blast meant to take them off guard. The woman had aimed high, not low. She only went low when Sesshomaru armed himself with Tenseiga. Strange.
Kagome turned her head to glance around, feeling something around her neck. If she turned her head to the other side, it pulled at her skin. Then she remembered something. The woman's hands appeared to clutch something as she bent over her. That was it! This thing around her neck, the woman put it there! What was it though? Her eyes could see nothing hanging down. Her fingers went to where she felt the tug, finding the raised metal-like thing. She yanked on it, finding nothing unusual. But why put this collar-thing on her? Then her hand, feeling around her neck, touched something chilly. A chain, a thin rope-like strand, was attached to the collar thing. But where did it go? Was she attached to a stake in the ground?
Slowly, Kagome traced its path. Her fingers gingerly worked the thin strand until she started to approach a pile of rocks loosened during the blast from the ground during the battle near the edge of the field. The crater a few hundred feet away towards the woman's residence attested to this line of reasoning. But the boulders must have come down in such force that they all piled here. If Kagome did not know better, she thought the boulders looked almost placed there on purpose. She climbed the high dirt and rock pile just before the thick trees, gracefully checking each mound and rock before placing her full weight down. Kneeling on the top, she found the strand hung straight down above an unconscious Sesshomaru.
He lay on his back, his head slightly to the left side. His fluffy boa thing rested beneath him, his hair fanned out over the ground. Part of his armor was cracked where the white kimono began. Both eyes closed, his chest slowly rose and fell with each breath. Knocked cold from his battle with the woman, he lay motionless for now. Even unconscious he kept the air of aristocratic class, seemingly demanding her attention.
She could not stop staring in disbelief. Out cold…Sesshomaru, unconscious. But that was not what worried her. Kagome yanked slightly on the strand, double-checking the origin of the other end. The skin around Sesshomaru's neck tugged with the effort. Her eyes widened in horror. 'NO!' A tether to…Sesshomaru? She dropped the strand in surprise and lost her balance, falling back over the other side.
Kagome landed hard on her back, her legs slammed together on the pile of dirt. Her hand over her mouth to stay quiet, she did not move, too shocked to think. As if she did not have enough to deal with getting the other half of the Shikon Jewel alone from Naraku. Her eyes moved to the forest around her. The woman's body lay a hundred feet away, something sticking out of her chest. Appeared to be Tenseiga stuck in the woman's chest. Red covered her face and soaked her clothes. Dead, Kagome surmised deciding not to go look, a bit too gruesome for her liking.
Her eyes shifted down, finding the Shikon Jewel had fallen out from beneath her shirt. In the pink light, the tether glowed a pastel pink. The chain-like links intertwined delicately forming a network in tubular form. She frowned, touching the tether with her index finger, finding the metal soft and pliable. Pulling the Shikon Jewel away from her neck, the tether disappeared from view but could still be felt. The green and white swirl that overtook the Jewel shortly before the blast occurred! Kagome's eyes widened. Had the woman borrowed some of the Jewel's power to use to bind them together?
Sesshomaru won the battle but how…how did they get…tethered together? Kagome chided herself for asking a question in which she knew the answer. 'Stupid!' She had been mostly out of it when the woman placed it on her. But, how on him? How in the world to do you knock a demon like him out? The woman died by Sesshomaru's hand that was certain.
'You cannot die then place something on someone's neck.' She reasoned. "That's impossible."
Kagome got to her feet realizing she could go nowhere while the much larger demon lay unconscious.
"Great!" Kagome placed both hands on her hips angry. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"
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Hours passed…
'Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?" Kagome sat on a rock contemplating her new problem. 'Why me? Why him? Why now?'
The only she could do was wait for Sesshomaru to wake. Kagome sat beside him, occasionally using her water to soak and place a wet cloth back on his forehead. It was a warm day he might be hot after his long battle with the now dead demon woman. The sun had come up hours ago, the morning almost gone. How long did demons sleep for anyway? Kagome wanted anxiously to get the tether thing off and go after the Jewel. All she could think about was getting back into her own bed and never coming back to the Feudal Era again.
She would miss Miroku and Sango so much, same with Shippo and KiRaRa who would stay with them. It would be hard at first. But it was the right thing to do. Kagome shook tears that wanted to sting away. They had one another. It was she who did not belong here. Almost three years it took for her to realize this truth. Kagome existed in the future without demons and spirits constantly waiting for unsuspecting humans to come their way. It was safe and it was where she needed to stay from now on. Stirring beside her caught her attention. Sesshomaru suddenly opened his eyes.
"Finally!" Kagome got to her feet. "You're awake!"
Sesshomaru did not show his impatience, feeling the cold cloth at his forehead. He removed the cloth discarding it to the side as unwanted trash as he sat up. His focus was not completely clear, the Demon Witch hitting him with a confusion spell that bounced off his armor. Only part of it caught his hand causing him to lose minor consciousness before delivering the final blow. His injuries felt minor, most healed during his slumber. The forest appeared all one green blur at the moment as he surveyed around him. The human appeared to have survived as well.
"The Demon Witch?" Sesshomaru waited.
"Oh, the woman?" Kagome turned to face the corpse rotting, pointing. "Over there, dead. You killed her with Tenseiga, I see."
Sesshomaru said nothing barely glancing at the fuzzy corpse. If Tenseiga was there then he could not see the thin blade yet. It would take several minutes for his sight to return. No aches were detected in any of his limbs, mostly in the chest area. The battle had been in his favor after all. The Witch tried her best, but her poor breeding did not allow for the necessary power required to defeat this Sesshomaru in battle. He wondered for a brief moment why the miko chose to wait for him to wake.
"Are you okay?" Kagome watched Sesshomaru get to his feet with such elegance. "You were out for some time. Almost an entire day."
Sesshomaru chose not to speak. His vision began to clear, surveying the damaged trees and scarred ground where the remnants of battle carved the landscape. Obviously he was fine if he had stood on his own. His unconsciousness was enough to allow him to regenerate to near one hundred percent recovery. It irritated him that the miko bothered to check on him needlessly. Human women were constantly consumed with knowing the well being of others. Unnecessary.
"What happened?" Kagome realized Sesshomaru would only answer certain questions.
'Honestly, couldn't he just show a little gratitude?' Kagome realized that Inuyasha's brother very rarely showed emotion outwardly. Only with Rin did he attempt to exhibit any kind of caring towards another living being. Sighing deeply, she knew Sesshomaru would only see her as an obstacle.
"The Demon Witch drew you into a trap for the Jewel." Sesshomaru concluded.
Sesshomaru walked over to Tenseiga, retrieving the sword from the Demon Witch's corpse. With the touch of his hand, the blade cleared of blood, sheathing it at his waist. He felt the power the Jewel gave the Demon Witch, how it added more damaging effects to her spells. It enabled the woman to battle him on a level not easily matched. She never stood a chance without it. Capable of sensing the Jewel, the miko's presence allowed the Witch's plan to come together while he remained in the area.
"I still have the Jewel." Kagome held it up for him to see. "She didn't take it."
"This Sesshomaru killed her." He pointed out the obvious.
Kagome rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore his point. So what! So she was bit more concerned about whether he would wake up than figure out the situation completely. Some things came in a different order of importance for her. Men! Ah! No wonder they would be lost without women. Let him lick his own wounds!
"Yeah, yeah, nice job and all." Kagome did not want to wait around anymore. "Listen, Sesshomaru, I've got a lot of things to do; like get a Jewel back from Naraku, high tail it home and say bye to all of you forever. However, we've got a little problem here. This witch demon of yours, she placed this thing on us." Kagome stared as Sesshomaru walked away from her. "Kind of like a collar. Just tell me how to get it off and I can leave you alone."
Sesshomaru stopped to face the miko.
"What non-sense do you speak?" Sesshomaru responded.
Kagome, suddenly angry at his complacency, took hold of the tether and yanked hard downward. What she did not expect was to take Sesshomaru off his feet. He fell face forward, his hands barely had time to cushion his fall. The ground shook slightly as he landed hard. Kagome cringed, hearing a few cracks as the tall demon finally came to a dusty rest. The second time in two days a woman took him off his feet, Kagome mused. Her silent anger momentarily satiated.
"Non-sense enough for you?" Kagome asked coldly.
Two pieces of armor lay on the ground where he once occupied seconds ago. That would have to be replaced, Sesshomaru noted. His anger was roused. By the female human standing defiantly confident where he once lay unconscious. She did not appear to fear him.
Sesshomaru growled. "Do not do that again…"
"Or what?" Kagome folded her arms. "You'll kill me? Please, I'm really tired of hearing that from everyone I've meet this past week, demon and human alike. So, what is this thing? And how do I get the damn thing off?"
Sesshomaru said nothing, gaining his feet once more. She made the point of using the Jewel to show him where the 'collar' wrapped around her neck then turned into a thin wire-like tether. The minute metal link glowed pastel pink. His anger rose higher within, dangerously close to rage. The Demon Witch believed she could defeat him with a Bounder? He chose to remain silent about the extent of their situation.
"Who can we talk to who knows about this stuff?" Kagome added when he did not talk. "You obviously are stumped."
Sesshomaru met her dark eyes firmly set upon him. There was a fire within her, the desire to fight him down, daring him to take her on. Anger did not justify its presence. She was on a mission it seemed. This woman could be dangerous, even for a human. Indeed, a miko could cause him more harm now that they were bounded. Sesshomaru considered her for a moment then realized the miko had a point. They could not go their separate ways unless the Bounder was removed. Quickly. A few demons knew about them. Only one he knew could build one.
And that demon would be difficult to track at the moment.
Sesshomaru began to walk towards the south. It would be another day before reaching the caves of the Southern Valley. Grimmick would not be so welcoming. Most demons did not want to meet up with a more powerful demon than themselves. Grimmick dabbled in the darker side of spells and knew the Demon Witches best. He also knew he had bargaining power with Sesshomaru and his clan.
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Kagome felt herself dragging her feet. Sesshomaru walked with such a constant pace, she did not realize that they had walked for six hours straight with no sign of stopping anytime soon. Tired, hungry and sleepy, she could not go on any more. More, she was very thirsty, running out of fresh water an hour ago.
"I've got to stop!" Kagome called out behind Sesshomaru. "I need to rest!"
No response. Angrily, she stopped walking, folding her arms tightly. As if his decisions were the end-all-be-all of their journey. Hah! This could not go on the entire time they were stuck together. She had enough delays to worry about. Kagome stood her ground. She needed to eat, relax and get some sleep soon. Her mouth felt like the Sahara Desert too.
Kagome's eyes widened as the tether began to strain under the two opposite bound together. The pull at her neck worried her. Suddenly, Sesshomaru stopped. Raising her chin, she turned from Sesshomaru, turning back towards the direction they had just walked. The resounding thud had her turning back towards Sesshomaru. The powerful demon lay on the dirt trail once again. She had to stifle a laugh with a hand over her mouth. In a blink of an eye, Sesshomaru stood toe to toe with her, anger in his amber eyes.
"Are you okay?" Kagome forced the expression of concern. "You just kinda fell over. Trouble walking?"
Sesshomaru knew the woman was testing him, the hint of amusement in her dark depths. Anger boiled beneath his skin. His hatred for Humans never diminished and continued to build momentum with this woman. He distinctly heard her laugh at him during his fall. She was trying to keep a concerned face, beginning to fail miserably. That irritated him more.
"Another mile, you will find food, water and a place to rest." Sesshomaru informed her, nearly growling it out.
"Why didn't you say so before?!" Kagome shot back hotly. "If you just communicated once in a while, I wouldn't have to bother talking to you!"
Sesshomaru allowed her ignorance to stand for itself at the moment. Stuck without the possibility of removing the human from his presence aggravated his senses. Her scent was strong tonight, more so than when he first woke. He turned from her, knowing the miko would cooperate long enough to find food and a place to rest providing it was soon.
Kagome walked with satisfaction behind Sesshomaru. For one being so tall, she felt larger than him at the moment. Whatever happened, knowing that he could fall when she decided not to cooperate with him made her feel like a woman blessed. How often did a girl have such capability over a demon? Inuyasha was one thing. He was just a half demon. But a full demon with her same subjugation ability to control him when he was out of line?
She would relish this moment for only a few short seconds. Sesshomaru was certainly not Inuyasha. Moreover, Sesshomaru would find this ability of hers to be an insult. Once this Bounder thing came off, she would have to make sure they were a few meters apart to get ahead of evading any kind of attack he relinquished on her as revenge.
Sesshomaru was not known to be kind.