Prompt: Horror
Word Count: 2485
Rating: T
Genre: Dark!fic, Humor
Warning: Go Back! Do Not Enter!
Summary: Kagome finds out things she never knew about Sesshoumaru.
Date Posted: 4/23/10

A/N: This is my entry that I worked into a response to a Wrong!fic Challenge issued by Noacat... like a year ago. Hey! That's one off the list! Whoo-Hoo!

*****

Kagome was lost in a dank, endless forest-- again… though this was a little different than any other time she'd gotten lost.

She hadn't been chased though it by lesser youkai intent on killing her. She wasn't trying to escape kidnappers interested in her shard-detection abilities, and Inuyasha wasn't going to come looking for her.

In fact, Kagome wasn't even in the feudal era…

Now that the Jewel had been wished away, the ancient well refused to let her pass as it had before. For the last three years she'd been stuck on this side of it, the modern age.

Unbelievable!

She was supposed to have the happy ending wasn't she? After all, she was the one who saved the world from evil--though one would never know that from the way today's stories told it.

The un-named and untrained miko of legend was consistently portrayed as naïve, inept, and a crybaby in constant need of rescuing… with 'clumsy' thrown in for good measure!

Her family knew the real truth, but it was impossible to set the record straight everywhere else without sounding like she was completely off her nut. Though mentally she understood she should just ignore the erroneous tales, in her heart, the ridicule cut deep.

She felt the need to prove to herself and her family she wasn't some hapless, helpless pawn of Fate. Certainly she had received aid from her friends back in the days when they were collecting Jewel fragments and fighting Naraku, but everyone seemed to forget she'd given aid too. And there were plenty of times she'd managed to figure or fight her way out of trouble, on her own!

Kagome's pride, as well as her anger at the unfairness of it all, led her to make a foolish decision.

*****

At the base of Mt. Fuji lies Aokigahara, the Sea of Trees. It is an ancient forest, believed to be home to many strange animals, ghosts and demons. Not to mention a gate to hell.

Exactly what she needed for what she had in mind.

She filled her old yellow backpack, grabbed her bow and left on a two week camping trip alone, despite the protests from her family. She had everything she needed--shelter, provisions, and a weapon. Even better prepared than the old days, she thought smugly as she shouldered the weight and hiked off the beaten path.

She found out too late some of the equipment she brought simply wouldn't function in the dark, forbidden woods--equipment like a compass or GPS--leading to her current predicament.

Perfect… just PERFECT!' she thought sarcastically while stomping her foot in frustration. 'In my efforts to prove I'm not inept, I've just gone and beautifully demonstrated that I am! It took all of ONE whole day, too!

At least she hadn't lost her bag. Thankfully, she had everything she needed and could spend the next two weeks finding her way out. No one would be the wiser.

It'll be dark soon; I better make camp and build a fire. Tonight I'll plan a course of action to figure out exactly where I am, and how to get back.

Now that she had something to occupy her hands and her mind, she felt in control and therefore, a tiny bit better.

Unnatural quiet and an eerie closeness pressed all around her as she worked, growing heavier by the minute. Her cheery fire, once she got it going, did little to restrain the pervasive damp and impending gloom of the dreary, imposing forest.

Kagome should have felt relaxed and cozy in front of the dancing flames, wrapped in her sleeping bag and bow by her side. Instead she was filled with apprehension. Every tree 'watched' as her imagination ran wild.

If only I hadn't lost my ability to sense auras, then I'd know if anything was out there. I'll never get to sleep in all this silence!

She shivered as much from the icy tendrils of fear climbing her spine as she did from the opaque mist accumulating over the decaying matter on the ground. Suddenly she realized the chilling vapor wasn't everywhere, it was just near her. A malignant presence tickled the edge of her awareness… right behind her. Weapon in hand, she rocketed up off the ground, spinning to face the entity with arrow notched and bowstring drawn taut.

"Oh my gods… Sesshoumaru?!" For an instant she was actually relieved to see him. Then she remembered who he was, and that she was pointing a loaded weapon at him. Sheepishly, she lowered the bow.

He hasn't changed a bit!

It was true. He looked exactly the same from the last time she saw him, even though roughly five hundred years had passed for him. Silver hair and mokomoko whipped in the currents of his power. White silk fluttered where it was not held down by armor and his two swords rested at their place on his hip. The youki cloud remained gathered around his feet.

For a few long seconds he simply gazed at her, neither shocked nor indifferent. Finally he spoke.

"You are the miko who traveled with my brother, Inuyasha."

It was more statement than question, but she was so happy to see anyone, she answered anyway.

"YES! Yes, so good of you to remember! What are you doing here?"

His eyes narrowed at her familiarity to him in both attitude and tone. Kagome understood immediately and bowed quickly while adding, "Sesshoumaru-sama."

This must have mollified him, as he deigned to answer her question. "This forest, and everything in it, is mine. Come here, girl."

Awe-struck by his beauty and power, no protest registered in her brain as Kagome's feet moved toward him, seemingly of their own accord. For a moment she stood in front of him and the next thing she knew, she was tucked up under his arm. They rose off the ground so swiftly, Kagome's stomach lurched and the bow slipped from her nerveless fingers. It tumbled end over end as it fell back to earth and smashed onto the ground.

That shook her out of her stupor. "Where are you taking me?" The words were ripped from her by the wind as soon as she uttered them. He didn't acknowledge her speaking, but she knew he heard her. As they gathered more speed, breathing became difficult and talking was impossible. He'd done that on purpose.

Heading directly for a huge bank of clouds in the distance, Kagome blinked rapidly to clear her streaming eyes. There appeared to be a mansion rising from the middle. Sesshoumaru slowed and began their descent.

Once settled in the courtyard, he walked toward the house. Kagome followed as she untangled her windswept hair with her fingers, not knowing what else to do.

This must be his home! Funny, I always pictured him living in a castle of some sort.

He looked back at her and spoke as if he had read her mind. "We have kept up with the times."

Entering the foyer, Kagome immediately looked for Jaken and Rin. As Lord Sesshoumaru's retainer and ward, she expected them to come running and welcome the master home. When they didn't appear, she asked about them.

"Jaken was not a daiyoukai, and Rin was human. Though they have passed on, they remain with me still."

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Kagome felt quite stupid.

It had been hundreds of years; of course they died. She thought it sweet he held their memories close, though 'sweet' and 'Sesshoumaru' in the same thought didn't feel right.

There's more to him than I ever gave him credit for.

He led the way to a door off a modern and well-appointed kitchen. Opening it, he flipped the switch on the wall, illuminating the finished room at the bottom of the steps. Kagome cautiously followed him down. At the bottom she just stared, speechless.

She couldn't believe her eyes. Boxes and bags were stacked everywhere, over-spilling with miscellaneous items. It was apparent this was his room, but it was packed to the ceiling with… stuff. The smell reminded her of a second-hand store.

There were little pathways that ran here and there throughout the massive piles in the huge basement, like a rabbit warren or a maze. A wider path led to the only clear area… a western-style futon couch in front of a massive T.V. screen.

While Kagome had been gawking all around her, Sesshoumaru dropped his swords and armor in a pile on the floor. He flopped onto the couch still wearing his mokomoko and turned on the T.V. Snow filled the screen until he pushed another remote and a video game started. He snatched a controller up and began playing The Path of Supreme Conquest, completely ignoring her.

Shrugging, she stepped away from the stairs, taking a closer look at the carefully stacked mountain closest to her. From what she could tell, it held sticks, assorted clothing, paper cups, pretty rocks, plastic bags and newspapers. She looked at the next stack. It was built of small toys, shoes, stuffed animals, dried flower wreaths, old steak bones, bottles and jars.

Kagome could see there was much more of the same throughout the entire room. It looked like he had saved absolutely everything he had ever come in contact with, even garbage. Could there really be over five hundred years worth of crap down here!?

"Sesshoumaru, why are we down here, and what is all this?"

He paused the game. "We are down here because this is where I live. These," he swept his arm across the expanse of the room, "are all my things."

"But you have a whole house upstairs. Why don't you live up there?"

He shook his head a couple times. "The house is my mother's. The basement is mine."

"Okaaaay."

Satisfied he had cleared her questions, he resumed his game.

Sesshoumaru, the most powerful, fearsome demon I've ever met, still lives with his mother… in her basement. Kagome had a hard time wrapping her brain around that.

Though he seemed completely absorbed in the game, Kagome wasn't all that interested in watching or playing. She wondered if he would permit her to explore. With so many centuries of stuff to look through, who knows what exciting treasures and artifacts were waiting to be uncovered?

"You mind if I poke around a little?"

"Hn."

Not knowing how to interpret that, she took it the way she wanted.

Hmmm, where to start?

Looking around she spied something familiar in a far corner peeking out from a conglomeration of armor. The Staff of Two Heads! Picking her way through the room, she eventually made her way back to it.

It looked the same as it ever did. She tried lifting it, but it was too heavy. She could barely budge it. Perhaps it was caught. Kagome began clearing the items away, only stopping for a moment when two green hands clutching it tightly appeared halfway down its length.

"Jaken?"

She laughed at herself. Of course it wasn't the kappa, just an incredible likeness of him. Sesshoumaru must have respected him more than he let on, to have commissioned such a piece to honor the memory of his retainer. The artist either knew Jaken personally, or Sesshoumaru had a weird sense of humor, for the toad's 'beak' was sewn shut with X's using thick black cord. In life, he'd often spoken when he shouldn't have.

Delighted with her find, she wanted to continue searching, but it was late and she was tired. She left her treasure there and ran the maze back to the inuyoukai still playing video games.

"Um, I hate to interrupt, but it's getting late and I need to be getting back."

Sesshoumaru shut off the game and unfolded the futon, turning it into a bed.

"You can sleep here, with me."

He could see she was reluctant, perhaps misunderstanding his intentions. "I am not my father," he added while digging up blankets and pillows.

That did reassure her somewhat. At least she didn't have to worry about what she'd be sleeping in. Kagome had been wearing rather modest pajamas when she was taken from her camp.

She helped him make up the bed, and then climbed in, her back to the center. He turned off the light, leaving only the soft glow of a night light to cut the dark. She felt his weight settle in, his back up against hers.

Never in a million years did I dream I'd share a bed with Sesshoumaru! I think I'll ask to stay another day before going back to my camp. I'd like to get to know him a little better and there's so much to discover in all these boxes. She giggled to herself. Well, they say dogs are possessive… I guess that's true!

No sooner had she gotten comfortable, she discovered she had to go to the bathroom. There was no use in ignoring it until morning; she was going to have to get up. Slipping out of bed, she tentatively looked around for one. Unable to find it in the half-light, she tip-toed over to Sesshoumaru's side to wake him and ask for help. He was curled around something he held, nose tucked in, fast asleep. He looked so peaceful, she hated to rouse him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

He grunted, but slept on.

She shook his shoulder lightly. "Sesshoumaru!"

That worked. He blinked drowsily, then stretched out his spine and gave Kagome his full attention. Except now she couldn't remember what she was wanted to ask. She could only stare at what he'd been cuddling as he slept. Even in the dim light, it was plain he'd been holding onto Rin… or what she'd been fashioned into. A stuffed doll made from her tanned hide, with wide unseeing glass eyes and lips sewn shut with big black X's.

Kagome recoiled in terror. "Take me back…" she whispered in a hoarse voice. "TAKE ME BACK NOW!"

Sesshoumaru covered his sensitive ears to protect them from her shouting. His eyes bled red as he turned into the demon she recognized from her feudal days.

"Everything in the forest is MINE! You will remain here, with me. You cannot escape this house. You cannot hurt me. Since losing the Jewel, you no longer have purifying powers. And if you continue to scream and shout, I will leave you to Mother!" Pointing to Rin's mouth he hissed, "She has ways to silence you. Resign yourself gracefully to your fate and go back to sleep!"

With that said, he regained control of himself. Sighing heavily, he rolled over, tucking Rin in close.

Kagome sank to the floor in shock and crab-walked backwards until she hit something solid, never taking her eyes off him.

Go back to sleep? How could she when all she wanted to do was wake up from this horrible nightmare?

*****

A/N: This won first, yay! Thank-you for poking the brain Noacat! :)