SESSHOMARU BOUND

By Lady JenDragon

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Author's Notes: Hope you're enjoying this little brainstorm of mine so far. Still coming up with ideas in addition to updating all my other stories. Been away for a while due to work, out of town kinda stuff. Haven't been around a computer and my laptop's down.

IVY: You pointed out that I have Sesshomaru using Tenseiga not Tokijin as his main choice of weapon. Not seen in the anime but in later chapters of the manga; Tokijin is broken and Tenseiga is given an overhaul by Totosai so that Sesshomaru can use Tenseiga in battle. Tokijin is repaired but does not have the same power prior to its breaking. Chapter 358 or 359, something like that…found it on a website somewhere.

Happy times. Happy Reading.

CHAPTER 3

The Southern Valley

The journey to the Southern Valley had been relatively pleasant except for setting up camp the night before. Sesshomaru merely sat by a tree and allowed her to do all her own work. He neither tried to talk or make eye contact with her remaining silent the entire time. She made her dinner and read a book not really comprehending what she was supposed to be learning, Kagome thought huffily. It would be better without him yet she felt safe knowing he could not kill her off while she slept.

They needed one another now.

'Unfortunately true.' Kagome admitted silently. 'Bet he hates it too.'

Her tired legs screamed for rest but knew they needed to get to this demon somewhere in this stupid valley, someone who was supposed to know how to get this damn thing from around their necks. She took another gulp of water from her bottle she refilled an hour ago, avoiding any thought about the nagging ache in her legs.

Sesshomaru stopped without warning ahead of her. That meant something was close or they arrived to their destination. She stopped too, waiting and listening. The forest sounded still, too still. No animals cried, hooted or made any noise. A demon must be close. But she felt no other demon aura except Sesshomaru's.

""What is it?" Kagome whispered. "Have we arrived?"

Sesshomaru ignored the human's questions. Surely she felt nothing. No demons were present anywhere in the valley. A valley well known to be inhabited only by demons. Humans kept clear of the Southern Valley. Anyone who ventured here died…slowly.

The lack of demons in the valley meant something.

'Do they know this Sesshomaru is coming here?' Sesshomaru waited several seconds before continuing to walk towards the cliffs at the other end. 'Are the demons lying in wait for my arrival? So word must have spread quickly among the demon world.'

Meanwhile, Kagome fumed behind him. Her arms folded tightly against her chest wondering what he was thinking about all to himself, she hated not being kept in the loop. Sesshomaru had always traveled the lands doing something or other for as long as she knew about his existence. The head honcho, in charge of himself and himself alone. Anyone who traveled with him were deemed subordinates.

'If he thinks he's going to treat me like that, he's got another thing comin!' Kagome lifted her chin with determination.

xxxxxxxxxx

Sheltered in the high caves above the green Southern Valley floor, two demons and a human sat in dim light from ten candles on the center table. The cave served it purpose as shelter and peace from the other demons below. If there were other belongings, Kagome did not see them. Maybe they were hidden away somewhere. But, the anticipation of a solution was too much to bear. She wanted answers now, not bother with walking all over creation.

Sesshomaru did not care how she felt, seemingly taking command of this little adventure. He sat on the small stool offered by the demon and kept silent. His eyes seemed forever concentrated on the messy and dirty floor. All kinds of bugs crawled around but kept their distance from him.

'For wearing that kimono day in day out, he sure keeps it spotless.' Kagome ran a random thought through her mind. 'How's he do that? Is it a demon trick? I don't think he's ever heard of scotchguard.'

Kagome found waiting for an answer practically unbearable as the demon, a short purple thing with fours legs and three bulging eyes, considered the tether between his fat, tuberous fingers. Sesshomaru kept one hand on Tenseiga's hilt as the Shikon Jewel held between her fingers was traced along the tethers length between them just a short distance. The demon stopped thoughtfully, rolling the large eyes up, then shifted to Sesshomaru. Occasionally, he glanced at Kagome then back to Sesshomaru.

"You've had long enough, Grimmick." Sesshomaru said finally annoyed.

"Well, well." Grimmick smiled evilly at the pair. "A bounder on the mighty Sesshomaru. Who knew we would live to see this day."

"A Bounder?" Sesshomaru repeated.

That narrowed his amber eyes, Sesshomaru felt the muscles pulled tighter. He suspected the same conclusion but to have it verified by another angered him more. The Demon Witch paid the ultimate price for her deception. Gift indeed, he flexed the fingers of his left hand. Bending his arm at the elbow, he was tempted to rip it off despite the agony it would cause. Yet, the offer of a new arm, one that worked, had drawn him in. And true to her word, it was the perfect replacement. Her gift had to be genuine otherwise her plot would not have succeeded. He would let it stay for now. However, the immediate removal of the Bounder was imperative.

"What does that mean?" Kagome sat up attentively. "This Bounder thing?"

"How long is it?" Grimmick asked.

"About sixty feet, maybe more." Kagome noticed the demon named Grimmick did not understand her measure of length, cursing silently at using the American version of length she learned in the last class she attended at school. "25 paces maybe? Pretty long."

"It's going to be difficult." Grimmick rubbed his chin, smiling. "She's given you at least a month to break it, it seems."

If you could call it a smile Grimmick made with his bulbous face. Hardly charming, Kagome cringed to wonder what made him look like that. She wondered if Sesshomaru knew more than he let on. Obviously, he knew what a Bounder was and was not surprised by the conclusion. Had he suspected it before hand? Both amber eyes narrowed, dangerously she added, when the word had been mentioned.

"How do we get rid of it?" Kagome said impatiently.

'This is going to put a serious dent in my quest to find the last part of the Shikon Jewel.' Kagome lamented, agitated that she needed to wait even longer before going home. She did not know how to get past this sooner. Her journey would have to wait until this Bounder thing came off.

"Sesshomaru knows how." Grimmick smiled even more. "Hasn't he told you yet?"

"Is this true?" Kagome rounded on Sesshomaru, narrowing her eyes. "You lied to me?"

A bright green light flashed, cutting between them. Kagome covered her mouth in shock as the demon split in two. Sesshomaru held his two fingers on his right hand high from the use of his whip, keeping his left hand on Tenseiga's hilt. Kagome frowned, when did he get the hand back? She looked to the floor where the demon with the answers once stood, frowning deeper.

"Did you have to kill him?!" Kagome challenged.

Sesshomaru turned from Kagome without word. He would not give any Human a simple explanation for his actions. The demon obviously did not want to cooperate. Grimmick made the innuendo far too disgusting for consideration. But, he also suspected that such a simple solution was not what the Demon Witch had in mind. To remove the Bounder, he would have to sacrifice much more than Grimmick's insinuation.

"So, that's it?" Kagome placed her hands on her hips. "Because it might make you look bad to all your demon friends, you kill anything that poses a tarnish to your reputation?!"

Sesshomaru stopped walking but remained silent at the statement. The miko had a way of making the situation appear petty. It was not like he could just leave the woman behind and forget her. He had become bound to her by the Demon Witch's magic. That did not mean he would stand for insolence from any other demon.

"He refers to copulation." Sesshomaru spoke evenly. "Most Bounders are the result of Demon Witches bent on revenge or the desire to capture a husband. Sex with your worst enemy is typical of Bounder removal spells."

"Ew!" Kagome felt her skin crawl. "Imagine if I were I guy, that would totally…all right! Let's not go there."

Though she could understand why Demon Witches would do that. 'With their looks, you have to play dirty.' If she were evil enough to do that, it made sense to force your enemy to do something they absolutely hated. Kagome realized that meant Sesshomaru's hatred, or strong dislike seemed a better description of she could call it that, of Humans. The Demon Witch needed a human to complete the Bounder and she had been the only one within distance. Maybe someone she knew might know. Kagome pondered a possible ally when a thought popped into her head.

"Ew, talk about Brokeback Mountain." Kagome said suddenly out loud and walked up until the tether pulled taut. "Come on."

She stopped and turned to find Sesshomaru staring at her, his face expressionless. Those amber eyes conveyed his disinterest in accompanying her. He did not find it important enough to follow her, waiting for an explanation. Was he insulted she tried to drag him along?

"You tried one of yours, now it's my turn." Kagome explained, waving him off. "Unless you know something I don't? Holding out on me again?"

Kagome stared at him and waited, her hands on her hips. Sesshomaru made no movement nor had he bothered to look back at her. That meant he was dwelling on his own thoughts and would not share them with a lowly human. This angered Kagome once again. There was no time for bias and discrimination here!

"The least we can do is try anything that might help." She added slightly peevish. "I might know someone who may shed more light on this Bounder thing."

Sesshomaru pondered the woman's logic and found little fault in it. For once, a human made modest sense. Most demons would pursue the Bounder just to watch him suffer. If that information were leaked out amongst demons, he would suffer more than humiliation. By the desertion of the valley, he suspected this had occurred already. Another reason for Grimmick's death before their conversation ended.

But, the demons waiting to see what the Bounder did mattered not to him. The other demons wanting to wait around and see what happened if the Bounder did not come off bothered him. A rare event, but sometimes it did occur. The purpose of the Bounder needed to be exposed. Only a maker or someone with enough spiritual power could decipher its code.

Sesshomaru conceded that they needed to work together despite his detest of association with a human. And so he walked.

xxxxxxxxxx

The temple remained black except for the single light in the main visitor courtyard emanating from the room where a fire burned brightly. Sesshomaru waited outside, his back to the wall of the temple kept two inches from the structure to avoid touching it physically. His white kimono was discernible in the darkness, just below a window where Kagome had climbed through to maximize the distance of the Bounder's length. He did not want to be part of the conversation inside.

Inside, Miroku and Sango bent over the tether in the light of the Shikon Jewel, fascinated by its existence. Miroku held the tether in his hand, his eyes closed. He yanked, crushed between his fingers and attempted to chew on it as Kagome explained the situation. Her facial expression was one of desperation. But, she chose to keep the whole 'sex-to-get-this-off' thing silent. No need to go into that.

"So…how do we get it off?" Kagome finally got to her question.

"Don't know." Miroku shrugged, dropping the tether. "It depends on the person who placed it one you."

"Miroku!" Kagome wanted to cry. "I can't go home like this!"

"Kagome…do you really want to go home?" Sango queried. "And leave us behind?"

"I…I have no choice." Kagome hung her head, her voice had a sullen tone to it. "I'm from the future, you guys. As much as you've become like family, my life is there. I realize that now. You know it as well as I do. Besides, once I take the Shikon Jewel back with me, all this craziness will go away."

"I'd like to believe that." Miroku sighed, flinching in pain.

Their battle wounds from Naraku were still healing. Both wrapped in bandages on the arms and legs, Sango and Miroku appeared like twins. Sango wore a kimono similar to Miroku's to allow the thickness of the bandages. Shippo's arms were also bandaged as well as his head. KiRaRa was nowhere to be seen.

"We can't go with you?" Shippo looked up with sorrowful eyes.

"Kagome's right. Demons won't survive the Bone Eaters well remember, Shippo?" Sango reminded the young fox demon. "Besides, we're not meant to live there. Our place is here. This is our time."

"Have you considered…" Miroku left off the rest of what he was saying.

Kagome turned bright red in panic.

"What?" Sango rounded on Miroku. "What is it?"

"Some bounders…" Miroku suddenly felt very much the only man in the room. "Well, they say that some Bounders were once used to catch another witch, male ones. Demon women would use them to catch husbands."

Sango slapped Miroku hard. "This is neither the time nor the place for jokes, monk!"

"It's not!" Shippo nodded. "My Father told me a stories about Bounders when I was growing up. Demon witches used them for all sorts of stuff. Mainly revenge. Lots of revenge stories. But, getting a boy because a girl wants one isn't good use of a Bounder."

"True." Miroku readily agreed…too fast. "Very true."

"Miroku." Sango said sweetly. "Obviously, this is not the case here. Kagome did not place the Bounder on herself. She was the victim here just as Sesshomaru is. Let's keep this in perspective, shall we?"

"You're best bet is to find a demon who knows about magic, preferably another demon witch." Miroku grimaced, wanting to change the subject. "I'm still too injured from our battle to decipher it myself. Bounders are difficult to form let alone remove without intimate knowledge of the spell. This magic is very powerful. Whoever placed this one on you, knew what they were doing."

"She used the Shikon Jewel." Kagome informed them. "I realized that only after I woke up."

"She what?!" Miroku appeared very worried despite his tiredness.

"Before the explosion, when I woke up with it?" Kagome watched as they nodded they remembered that part of the story. "Well, it turned a shade of green and swirled with white then it disappeared when I came close to pick it up. Odd uh?"

"This is good." Miroku said thoughtfully. "Your close presence prevented her from using more power from the Jewel. Had she gotten her hand on the actual Jewel, or any part of it, she could've put the Bounder on you a hundred paces away and you'd never know it."

"So, she had to physically place it on me?" Kagome asked hopefully.

"And appears she did just that." Sango nodded. "You mentioned you remember her bending over you at some point. Probably knocked you out to get your cooperation."

Kagome sighed with relief that she still had some spiritual power to fend off demons. At least one piece of good news today. Here Sesshomaru did not want to associate with her or her friends. But, he too wanted to find answers. Apparently, he did not have all the answers after all. Irritating being stuck to him like this, Kagome thought. Who knew how long it would be before she could go home.

"What bothers me is the length." Sango added. "You said the length was very long?"

"About 25 paces right now." Kagome nodded as she spoke. "Is there a problem?"

"When was the last time you measured it?" Sango kept her eyes trained on Kagome.

"I haven't." Kagome suddenly felt panic coming on. "I'm just guessing."

"Hymm." Miroku rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I see your point Sango. You're right to worry."

"What?!" Kagome looked between the two. "What is it?"

"There might be a bigger problem." Sango shook her head. "Father once told me about two demons he came across that couldn't separate when the team attacked them. One tried to use the demon weapons from our group to break the air between them. Eventually, Father and my Uncle killed both. But it took doing it at the same time to make it permanent. I wonder if that was a Bounder as well?"

"What kind of demons were they?" Miroku asked interested. "This could open up a new way to look at the problem."

"I'm trying to remember." Sango shrugged. "Weasel demons, I'm almost positive, not very powerful demons. Thought my father was a bit mad back then. But now, it seems that Bounders are more common than this. Both demons were male. So it must've been bitter enemies connected in that particular case. But the point I'm making is that the length of the Bounder sounds shorter than yours. Bounders may be time sensitive, Kagome."

"Time sensitive…" Kagome sounded alarmed. "How sensitive are we talking about?"

"Sometimes weeks, days, months…" Sango shrugged. "Could be any amount of time. You'll have to measure it everyday just to be sure. If it doesn't shrink, I'd be extremely worried."

"Why would you be worried if it doesn't shrink?" Kagome needed to know.

"That means the purpose of the bounder will take place within a specific period of time." Sango shook her head. "Could be within a week. Bounders can sometimes be for a specific task. It could make you do something and you would be powerless to stop it. So the story goes."

Kagome took a breath. "Like an assassination attempt or something?"

That meant she would need to measure it once she got Sesshomaru into an open field. She doubted very much if he minded stopping to measure. It would give them some kind of idea what they were up against.

"It may be that you're expected to kill someone." Miroku answered grimly. "Or it might kill you. But I've never heard of a Bounder actually killing the wearer."

"It can cause a lot of suffering." Sango added.

Kagome nearly fainted with worry. How could they just talk about it like some normal commonplace occurrence? A bit speculative on their part but it did nothing for her nerves. She needed definite answers. Kagome could think of nowhere else to go to find out more about Bounders.

"So why you then?" Shippo asked Kagome, his face contorted into concentrated thought.

Kagome focused on the small demon and rolled her eyes. "I assume because I was the only human within range and Sesshomaru despises us. Guess she thought it would be funny if he got stuck to one. Seems he was leaving her place when I arrived."

Miroku frowned at that. Kagome ignored him and turned to Sango.

"Yeah, hah, hah." Sango retorted. "Stay for dinner, Kagome."

Kagome jerked as the tether yanked at her neck slightly. Sesshomaru made it quite clear he would not wait so she could eat dinner. As if they had somewhere else to go that they needed to leave immediately for anyway. Kagome frowned, aggravated that she was not allowed to stay with her friends.

Besides, she was not going to be hiking all night. She needed to rest at some point and it was nighttime. Sleep time for her. Kagome pointed towards the window wodrlessly. Miroku and Sango suddenly realized they momentarily forgot that Sesshomaru was outside the room listening. For a demon, he was very silent.

"Can I get it to go?" Kagome asked softly. "I don't think he's got that much patience."