Falling Rain
Chapter 7
Bold = Beast
Sesshoumaru stood with his back against the stone wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he waited for her to grasp the lesson. His patience was, as always, legendary for everything except her.
He closed his eyes, annoyance breathing through his skin, tilting his head back against the cold stone behind him. Over a week had passed and he still had not been able to get her to grasp this one particular lesson. It really wasn't that hard, but for her it seemed that it would be impossible. He knew it was not actually impossible and so he pressed her harder, farther, deeper.
She would learn this.
"Ahhh, I can't do it! Damn it!"
With a sigh, Sesshoumaru walked out to the center of the arena and looked down at her, disappointment clear in his amber eyes.
"Apparently you cannot do it at all"
Her lips parted, a breath of surprise, indignation crashing through a wild and fiery aura. She would not speak; he would not allow it.
"Practice your other talents. Find me in my study when you're through with this"
Anger dissipated, aggression fading to forceful acceptance; his satisfaction was tender and sweet. She needed to learn many things, but the basics, the essentials, were her foundation. This was not something she could slack on.
Baby steps, coddling like a tot in training, would not steady her hand, her energy. Harsh truth and open defiance of her lack was acceptable; it was often referred to as tough love and though he did not love her, he was invested in her success.
"I hate you"
He smirked and made his way back to the exit.
"That is fine."
He didn't need her to like him, didn't want her to in fact. All he wanted was for her to learn what she needed so that she could rectify her mistake and he could sleep peacefully again at night.
With Inuyasha traipsing through the wilds as he was now, there was little rest to be had. The citadel was well hidden within his forest and difficult to find for any that did not know the way. However, Inuyasha was blood and would eventually find it.
His scouts had found him sniffing around the borders of his property several times already and had to lure him away with well-placed scent markers. As of now, the only way to stop his half-brothers craze was to kill him.
That was not actually on his list of things he wished to accomplish. At any time in his life that it might have been a goal of his, it would have been one of the last on his list.
Still, the boy was causing too much trouble. Already the village he had lived in prior to his demon's overthrow was all but decimated, the huts burned and bloodied at his brother's hands. He had not heard word of any survivors, but there was no way to know for sure without going there himself. That was not yet an option though.
Sesshoumaru had also learned that the well which Kagome had coveted so much had also been destroyed, her way home stolen from her. That was not something he was willing to tell her just yet. She had only just started to leave her depression behind and he found that he was reluctant to give her reason to turn inward again.
She could be quite destructive when caught in the throes of one of her rages.
Looking down at the missive in his hand, Sesshoumaru frowned with indecision. The destruction his brother wrought seemed to have extended beyond his borders now; it was imperative that he be stopped.
His fist curled around the paper, the acid of his poison burning it to nothing more than charred ashes. He could not protect her from this if he could not save his brother, but he saw no other way without her help. She was the key to his brothers undoing.
Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and let his thoughts roam, his memories cascading around him. His brother's birth was fresh in his mind, the day he found him foraging through the forest after his mother had died, the day of his first kill, his first love and consequent seal to the sacred god tree. The memories continued, flooding his mind and capturing his attentions. Something had to be done, but death seemed like the only option at this point.
He opened his eyes to find Kagome standing in front of him, her body bouncing from one foot to the other.
"I did it. I did it. I've got it! I know what to do now. Come on, I'll show you!"
He barely registered the touch of her hand as it grasped his, pulling him along behind her, down into her, a spiral of deterioration much likened to the association of death. As she neared the stairs he pulled back, her body falling into him, his hands falling onto her waist.
"Sesshoumaru?"
He looked down into the confusion of her pretty blue eyes and held back a sigh, the spiral closing, his fate sealing, and he fought against it, a passionate battle against the inexorable truth. She was going to be his undoing as well.
He lifted her up slightly and took off in the opposite direction, launching them both from the balcony of his study, up and over the main house and into the courtyard in front of the dojo. When they landed, he released her and watched with satisfaction as she stepped back and looked up at him, no sign of confusion or dizziness as there would have been before.
Her training was paying off at least.
"Oh, well…that was faster I guess"
"Your lesson…"
"Oh right. Come on then, come and see!"
He followed behind her as she trotted into the dojo, her feet springing and lifting her onto one of the boulders inside. It was one of the one's she had had difficulty reaching until yesterday and now it seemed as though she wanted to spend more and more time up there.
He leapt up to the boulder and stood behind her, his hands itching to hold her against him since they were so close already.
His eyes followed the movement of her hands, her wrists moving in controlled waves. The energy that flowed through her body came forward, casting an eerie white glow around her fingers. As her hands fluttered, the energy moved along the currents she created, flowing like the waves of the sea crashing on the shore.
He wondered how much control she could manage and decided to see if she could hold her concentration.
His hand slowly reached out and touched her elbow, the light of her energy flickering in response to her surprise, but not dying out. That was good enough.
He traced a claw down the length of her arm slowly, his fingers tracing the back of her hand and resting against her fingers, completely molding to her hand like a second larger skin.
He pushed his hand forward and pulled back again, waiting for her to follow.
"Stay with me"
Her small gasp elicited a soft smirk from him as he looked down at the top of her head and wondered what she was thinking, knowing what he meant, his battle stance weakening against the winds of change.
"Slow"
He moved his hand forward then backward, up then down, and back again. There was no pattern to his movements, just directions chosen at random to see if she could follow. Once she was moving in synch with him, he decided to make it more difficult.
"Faster"
He felt the shiver that raced down her spine as his breath danced over her ear. His hand moved against hers, quicker this time, trailing the light that flowed from her fingers, feeding his soul to the demons of his truths, the reality of his downfall.
His hands continued to move, her own following his lead like a dance. She danced with him; she was a good dancer.
He placed his other hand on her hip, her body held steady to him, molded perfectly, completely aware as their hands moved faster, dancing frenetically through the air, magic coursing and undulating around them.
"Faster"
Her pulse quickened under his touch, thrummed with his command, her hand flowing with his perfectly, and his other hand tightening on her soft hip.
"Sesshoumaru…"
A single word whispered into the magic, the anti-venom of their poisonous spell, unintentionally woven and desperately broken. His eyes searched for hers, seeking the vast oceans that held her treasured and traitorous thoughts, her wants, her needs. She was staring at their hands, a blank expression marring her face, offering nothing of the world within, the secrets held under deceptively fragile skins.
"I have to go"
Her feet moved quickly, her body dropping to the ground silently, a new trick, a control he gave to her; and she ran. The salt of her tears followed in her wake and he wondered why her tears fell now, not then but now when there was naught that needed grieving. It had been much more sensual than he had ever intended it to be, but even after what she'd been through, no female should run crying from that.
He blinked in confusion and dropped to the ground, all the while wondering what had happened, how it had gotten that sensual, why she had run off, why he felt moved by it, uncentered and curious to it.
Unworthy
What? His beast never found her unworthy; hence the many problems he had with his own beast.
She thinks she's unworthy
Oh, well…that made more sense then, didn't it? But then again it didn't. Why on earth would she think she was unworthy? Other than the fact that she was in fact unworthy…her reaction did not make any sense. Usually one would welcome such activity, such heightened awareness, if one wanted to capture the attentions of one out of their reach.
And if she had not wanted to capture his attention, then it would not have bothered her so much when she did so.
She is tainted
Sesshoumaru stopped walking and blinked up at the curtains blowing at the balcony of her room. Did she truly believe that she was unworthy because of what his brother had done? He wondered if she thought she was now destined to finish her life without a mate because of Inuyasha. It wouldn't surprise him; she had strange ideas, but then all humans did.
Of course, that could actually be the case with humans; an impure bride was not the best bride to have. He wondered what she would think if she knew how demons viewed such things.
Sesshoumaru shook his head and walked into the house, his thoughts stuck on the strange priestess he'd acquired. Whatever it was that was bothering her was her problem. He was not going to fix this one because he really had no way to fix it. It's not like he was going to lay with her just to make her feel better.
He doubted that would make her feel better anyway…at least not for the long term.
*FR*
Takara watched as Kagome threw another pillow against the wall, a frustrated growl ripping from her throat. She had stormed into the room a few minutes ago and began ranting uncontrollably about the twisted games of fate.
While her views of the fates were amusing, her tantrum was not.
She knew that the girl was hurting, had witnessed her outbursts and tears many times over the past several days. Still she had no idea what ailed her.
Another scream broke her thoughts and she looked up from her place on the ground near the door to watch as Kagome flung her arms in a circle before launching another pillow at the wall.
"Stupid ass!"
She raised a brow at the girl's choice in words and shook her head; how could an ass be stupid? Sometimes she said the strangest things.
"Kagome…"
She waited for the girl to stop moving, as was her indication that she was listening. Her refusal to turn to her meant that she was still very much caught up in her rage though.
"Perhaps you should find another way to vent your rage. It wouldn't do to destroy more of the room you have been given for your stay. Do you remember how he was when you destroyed your door frame?"
She watched as the girl spun around, her eyes taking in the damage she had done. There were scorch marks covering the walls and ceiling, the side of the bed smoking in remembered flames.
"He's going to kill me"
The girl fluttered to the ground in a flurry of cloth, the rage stolen from her veins in that one moment.
Takara pushed herself up and made her way over to her charge, softly placing a hand on her head.
"He won't kill you. You're valuable to him"
The girl snorted and waved her hand away, leaning against her other hand for support.
"You don't understand, Takara. I'm only useful to the downfall of his brother. I'm no good to anyone after that."
Takara blinked in confusion. What was she going on about now?
"I don't want to kill him because he's my best friend, all things aside. But I also don't want to do it because then I…well I run out of usefulness"
"Lady Kagome, as always you are being dramatic"
"No, I'm not. You don't understand Takara. Taking him down is the last thing I've got. After that it's…he took everything else away already"
Takara tilted her head to the side in wonder. Whatever the problem was, it definitely had to do with whatever she had gone through.
She didn't know what happened to her. All she knew was that her Lord had come in one night with a bundle of blood and bruises. Who could have guessed that such an interesting creature was hidden underneath all that?
But though Takara did not know how she had come to acquire such nasty things, she had her guesses. She was glad that her Lord had found her though because Takara was quite comfortable with her newest assignment.
No matter what happened or where she went, either Lord Sesshoumaru or Takara escorted the young Lady everywhere. And Takara was quite content to spend time with the tiny beauty.
Takara was, like many in the citadel, a salvaged being. Her Lord had found her broken and beaten one day and after learning of her plight had stolen her away to the mighty citadel of the west.
She was an unfortunate case though, one he could not fix. Since her coming of age, she believed that the Gods had mistaken her and made her to fit a female body when in fact she was nothing that a lady should be.
Even here in this world where strange tastes and open minds ruled the normal, her brand of different was frowned upon, spat at and disgraced. But not here, not with her Lord. He had saved her and provided for her a purpose.
She was eternally grateful to him and had vowed to serve him in any capacity he saw fit for the remainder of her life. That was how she became his most trusted servant.
But here before her was a new problem that he had taken in, another project he deemed interesting enough to give it more than just a passing thought. Here was a broken priestess whose reputation preceded her and her rage followed.
"Kagome, won't you tell me what happened?"
She knew that she shouldn't ask, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to know, needed to in fact. The girl had clung to her desperately, begging her to see her as a friend and not a burden.
Takara fell to her charms easily.
But she didn't know what had happened and could not help her properly because of it.
"No! He said I didn't have to!"
"And you don't. Forgive me for asking. I only want to help"
"You can't help me, Takara. I am what I am. But…I don't need to throw such horrible fits. He might actually kill me one day"
Takara smirked and shook her head, holding her hand out for Kagome to pull herself up with.
"Thanks"
"For you, anything"
She laughed at Kagome's confusion and sighed. Perhaps if she understood what her plight had been, then Kagome might be able to trust her more.
"Would you like to hear a story?"
At Kagome's hesitant nod, Takara motioned for her to sit on the bed and waited until she was comfortable before spinning her tale for her.
"Long ago, never mind how long actually, there was a young demoness. She was smart, witty, strong, intelligent…"
"Takara"
She let out a sigh and joined Kagome on the bed, sitting in front of her lotus style.
"Fine, fine. At the coming of age, each demon and demoness is to choose their first suitor, or uh…dally if you will."
"Wait, they what with what?"
Takara smiled in amusement and nodded.
"When we come of age, we are expected to find someone to, you know, show us how it's done"
"Whoa whoa, wait a minute. Demons just lose their virginity to whoever they're crushing on and everyone's okay with it? What about mating?"
"Kagome, that comes later"
"But with the same person, right?"
"Ah, I suppose that's happened before, but not very often I don't think. Now stop interrupting me; it's my story to tell"
"Sorry"
"Right. Now on this day, a young demoness searched and searched but could not find the one that made her heartbeat race, her palms sweaty, her body sing…none of the things that were supposed to happen ever did happen. So she waited, wanting to find someone that she could trust. It was very important that she learn from this experience all she could and worries of inadequacy would only cloud such an experience."
She watched Kagome nod in understanding, her eyes glued to hers as she soaked in her tale.
"One day when picking apples from the local orchard, the demoness came upon a person that was so perfect that she knew…there could be no other. But this person was forbidden, a taboo amongst the demon society. It was not acceptable. Still, she found herself standing before them, introductions being made and shy smiles shared. She was glad to see that the other person seemed to feel the same about her. But how could she know? How could she be sure? What was she to do?"
Takara grabbed a pillow from the side that Kagome left open for her and hugged it close as her memories washed over her.
"Many moons passed as the two met secretly beneath the apple trees and moonlight. They shared their secrets and eventually learned that each yearned for the other in the same way. The shock was frightening and wonderful and forbidden. They agreed to meet again, but this time they would go where no other could follow"
"They met days later under the boughs of a Sakura Tree, the blossoms heavy and ready to fall. They gave themselves to each other that night, their passions endless. But all was not right. They had been followed and the eyes that watched the forbidden love lashed out at them, his sword slashing in angry arcs. And the demoness fell to her knees in agony, her lover having been slain."
Kagome's gasp brought her from her memories momentarily, her eyes filled with tears at the pain that still felt so fresh.
"But all was not lost! The man beat the demoness, bloodied and burned her until she couldn't stand any longer. Then he left her there alone to die next to her love. But someone else was there to see it. A young Lord barely settled on his thrown and travelling to know his lands. He knelt down next to the fallen lovers and watched as the one still barely alive cried silently for her pain"
She reached out and grabbed Kagome's hand, holding it gently and running her thumb across the back of her hand.
"He carried her home that night whisked her away to the grandest place known to demons and sent her to a healer. The next morning when she arose, he followed her to the gardens and listened to her story, telling of why such an atrocity had occurred that past day. And when her story was done, she bowed her head to accept her fate; death was imminent. However, he had other plans"
"He placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair, calling for her to rise. She did so, confused but grateful. He explained that he did not care for her business. She was welcome to remain as a servant if she so chose. Of course, she did"
"But…what happened? I don't understand! Why would they kill your lover? The story was about you, wasn't it?"
Takara grabbed Kagome's other hand and ran her fingers over the soft skin, marveling at the smoothness of it even after her use of the bow for so many years.
"Kagome, I told you that story so that you can understand. Our Lord is merciful and sees things that others cannot. You may be angry with him now, but open your mind. He knows something you do not and it is good for you"
"Takara, stop molesting my guest"
Takara dropped Kagome's hands and scooted away before leaving the bed altogether and bowing low to both Kagome and Lord Sesshoumaru.
"I was only telling her a story"
She moved to leave the room and give them space to talk, but couldn't help herself with her next words.
"You never know…she might like it"
With that, she quit the room and made her way through the halls to her other chores, her cheeks flaming with her embarrassment.
*FR*
"I've missed something…completely and utterly missed it"
He watched as she shook her head, clearly attempting to shake her thoughts.
"What is it you wish to know?"
"Well, I don't get why they killed her lover? Were they human?"
Sesshoumaru blinked in shock.
"She did not tell you?"
"Ah well, she was going to until you interrupted us."
Sesshoumaru snorted and sat at the foot of the bed.
"You might be grateful for that if you knew"
Her mumbled words made him squint his eyes in thought.
"Maybe…maybe not"
He took a deep breath and turned to face her more fully, wondering how exactly to word this information.
"Takara's lover was a demoness"
"Okay so what was the problem then?"
He watched her, stared into her eyes and willed her to hear the words he spoke. The light flickered to life and shock colored her face. He was hard pressed not to smirk then.
"Oh… oh I get it. A demoness. Oh wow. Oh…wow"
Her words changed from shock to intrigue over the course of two seconds, making him wonder what exactly she was thinking then.
"Kagome"
"Yes?"
She squeaked in response and blinked at him as though being caught doing something wrong. He narrowed his eyes and studied her for a moment, watching her hands as they began to tangle with the sheets beneath her in her nervousness. Interesting.
"Does it not bother you then?"
"Me? No way! It's sort of common in the future actually. Still frowned upon of course, but no one is executed for it."
That was certainly something of interest. Perhaps Takara would benefit in the future. He knew well how lonely she was; she had even tried to lay with a male once to assuage her loneliness, though that had ended in disaster.
"And what of you?"
"Me? What do you mean 'me'?"
"You seem intrigued"
He watched with interest as color splashed over her newly healed skin, her eyes darkening with wanton thoughts. Interesting indeed.
"I don't think I'm….well I'm not like Takara, but I've always wondered…"
He raised an eyebrow at her. What was there to wonder about?
"Never mind; I shouldn't be telling you this anyway"
He smirked at her odd behavior and shook his head to dispel the oddity of their conversation. Though really it was not so odd, all things considered.
"Hey Sesshoumaru, can I ask you something um…equally strange? Since we're on the topic I mean"
He nodded and wondered what she could possibly want to know that she couldn't wait to ask Takara about later.
"She told me that you guys…well…when you come of age…it's um…"
"It is common to find a partner then, yes. Why do you ask?"
He watched as the information settled within her, the idea taking root.
"Humans aren't like that. We can't be defiled, not even willingly. We can't be married off if we aren't pure"
So that was her problem this afternoon!
"I suppose it doesn't matter. Just another reason to envy you I guess"
"Hn"
*FR*