Forbidden

Chapter Three: Spill his Blood

By now, Jaken had caught up with his lord. Panting, he ran across the grassy plain toward the tall demon, his broken armor in his hand and a blood stain on his white kimono shirt. Sesshoumaru was followed by Rin, who was sleeping on top of the dragon.

-Lord Sesshoumaru would not believe what I have just heard!- Jaken thought as he stopped and panted at his master's feet.

"Jaken. Where have you been?" Sesshoumaru asked indifferently, glancing down at the imp.

"Milord! you will not believe what I have overheard tonight!" Jaken squealed. He saw the blood seeping through Sesshoumaru's shirt and gasped. "You're wounded my lord! So it was true!"

Sesshoumaru's glare intensified. He sat down and set the armor on the grass. Ah-un sat behind him. Jaken plopped down in front of the demon.

"My Lord, Inuyasha and his gang were accompanied by a beautiful young woman. She claimed she knew your father, that she lived with him, that your fathers were close friends." Jaken rambled on about everything he heard the group talk about when he was spying on them. "But why did she attack you?" He finally asked after a few minutes.

"She claimed she saw me at the head of an army and that I slaughtered her village. She wasn't even afraid that I could have snapped her neck without any effort. Pathetic fool." Sesshoumaru answered uninterested.

"My lord, forgive me for asking, but... did you attack her town?" Jaken asked, prepared for the blow he expected to receive. But he received only a deadly stare.

-No.- Sesshoumaru did not say it though. He closed his eyes, signaling to Jaken that he was done talking. The imp realized this was no time to argue any further. No one would listen. He sighed and fell back onto the soft grass. -Ugh, what a day... That girl. What would that wretch Naraku want from that mysterious woman? What is it that she possesses that he seeks?- Jaken pondered, completely unaware that's what was racing through Sesshoumaru's mind.

The sun's warm light stirred up the birds in the trees. They fluttered out of their nests and began to chirp a sweet melody. The sunlight lit up a campsite with sleeping travelers: Sango, the demonslayer, was resting on the fur of a white cat demon; the monk Miroku was snoozing away while leaning against the roots of a tree; a young girl, Kagome, was sound asleep with a little fox demon in her red sleeping bag and Inuyasha was sleeping with his sword against his chest. A young woman, with hair the color of candlelight and eyes like the depths of the sea, sat up next to her stallion and stretched. She was wearing a blue-gray kimono top that fit her form perfectly with three quarter sleeves and an ornate purple sash with burgundy colored cherry blossoms. It did not tie up in the back like a regular kimono, but rather laced up on the inside and resembled a wide, silk belt. Instead of a skirt, she wore matching, loose pants and black boots. She has been traveling with the company for a fortnight now.

One by one, the rest of the group woke up. They continued their typical morning routine: got up, had a quick meal, packed up and continued their journey. Around noon, the travelers crossed paths with a wolf demon. A gust of wind and dust blocked their path and revealed a young man with black hair tied back, with dark blue eyes, wearing black armor and wolf fur.

"Hello Kagome. How have you been?" He said in a deep, suave, almost sultry voice. Inuyasha snarled and balled up his fists as the wolf demon Kouga approached Kagome, who simply let out a nervous chuckle.

"Get away from her ya mangy wolf!" Inuyasha snapped. Kouga's gaze fixed on the half demon and they began to insult and push each other around. Miroku, Sango and Kagome were all used to these 'dog-fights' and just waited for the two to be done. Nanami just arrived on the scene when she noticed the quarrel.

"Look who's talking, you jackass!" Inuyasha shouted.

"Aw, go to h-" Kouga stopped half way through his phrase and sniffed the air. "So you've picked up a drifter, eh muttface?" He headed toward the young demon. Her hand instinctively was on the hilt of her sword.

"Well, well, well. Where did you find this hellion?" Koga asked, examining the woman's cold expression. She was clearly sending a message. Stay away or die.

"None of your business, you flea bag." Inuyasha mumbled.

" What d'you call me?" Kouga's attention was brought back to Inuyasha and the fighting started up again. While Kagome tried to stop them, Miroku and Sango patiently waited for the childish brawl to be over, and Nanami headed deeper into the forest. During the commotion, she had plenty of time to climb up on Teyn' , tell Sango that she will be up ahead, and get out of sight. She reached a dense part of the woods and she could no longer hear their bantering. The woman gradually began to feel troubled and tense. Something was wrong.

Teyn' was acting peculiarly, he was nervous and shaky. Nanami got off the horse and decided to turn back. The stallion was ahead of her by a few meters and she followed his hoof prints. But then, he disappeared from her sight. Nanami looked around for him and could not understand how he could disappear in that short second she took her eyes of off him. The forest became still and deathly silent. Not a sound. No rustling of the leaves, no bird calls. The forest seemed to be holding its breath. It seemed unearthly, lifeless and still. The dense fog was out of place in the sunny afternoon the demon was walking in minutes ago. The blossoming, lively forest was now a decaying, cold mass of nothing but malicious gray shadows and dead trees.

Something landed quietly behind the woman, but she was able to hear it. Nanami twirled around, drawing her sword. By the sound, she determined in an instant where the creature was. The tip of her blade was right on target - a mere millimeter away from the throat of a black haired demon with red eyes. He donned a dark blue and purple outfit and his hair was tied back.

"Beautiful." The man's voice resonated across the surroundings. His voice was low pitched and as cold as the steel of a sword. The woman's trained hand held the sword steady and her muscles were ready for a quick response to any possible attack.

"Who are you?" She demanded. The demon smirked. Then he replied. "I beg your pardon, where are my manners. I am a simple man who's sister's and nephew you had saved two weeks ago from Sesshoumaru's wrath. I simply came to thank you for your deed."

Nanami held her position and looked at the man with scrutiny. -I did save a mother and her child from a burning building, but how would he know that Sesshoumaru attacked the village, and where to find me?-

"You see, Sesshoumaru has injured me and I am unable to fight. He forced me to live in the shadows for the rest of my life. That scoundrel has great and terrible power, and he is capable in doing awful things. You saw it yourself that night. Your sword ran through his right eye and yet you saw him without even a scar in two days." The demon continued. Nanami's grip on her sword tightened and she was now troubled about who this man was. -How the hell would he know about that? There was no one that night besides 'Sesshoumaru' and me in that hut. There is no way this man could know I stabbed him in his right eye. Is he...-

She tried to push her sword closer to the demon's throat. She couldn't move. His red eyes were probing into Nanami's mind and his voice began to echo in her head. An image of Sesshoumaru appeared in her head and a cold voice commanded "Kill him. Kill Sesshoumaru. Take your vengeance. Revenge for the ones you lost and save those who he will go for next from the same fate. Do you want your friends, family, even yourself fall into his hands? Do the people of these lands a favor, get rid of the malicious beast. Spill his blood and bring them peace." And he almost succeeded in persuading her to do his bidding, but the image of Sesshoumaru dead and her sword protruding from his chest disappeared and another appeared, this time conjured by her mind. It was Rin. She was holding on to Sesshoumaru's hand so tightly, knowing he would protect her. Then she remembered how he could have easily ended her life by snapping her neck like a twig, but he didn't. He spared her life. -It could not have been him that night in the village...- Nanami opened her eyes. The spell failed and only had paralyzed her.

The demon moved closer to the woman. he ran his index finger along the blade and pushed it away. The sword fell out of her hand and clattered on the ground. The man's fingers touched the woman's soft cheek and slid down to her rosy lips. A flame ignited in Nanami's eyes and she tried to turn away, but could not. She felt a wave of fear and hopelessness rush through her. Usually a man that would have tried to do the same ended up with broken arms and a swollen face, but she couldn't punish this man. Nanami cursed herself for letting herself be so easily put under a spell.

"Huh. What a beautiful woman." He ran his thumb over her lips and then his hand closed around her neck. "I can feel the power in your fiery blood course through your veins." He continued savoring the delicate pulse at his finger tips. The beast leaned in closer and pressed his face into her golden hair, taking in her scent. -Now it is your blood that I am going to spill- Nanami was on the brink of explosion. She never allowed men to get this close to her without permission. Never. She was breathing in short, frightened and frustrated gasps. she realized the spell was wearing off. Nanami moved her trembling hand up from her side.

"I must say, I do envy Sesshoumaru. He was first to feel the warmth of your skin and smell your sweet fragrance... But he is too proud and prizes himself too much to let you affect him." The man whispered and his lips brushed past her ear. Nanami sensed his spell was weakening; his lust disrupted his hold on her. She could move a bit more now. But the demon's hand began to move down from her neck. The woman began to panic, trying to get away. Tears welled up in her eyes. His hand slowly made it's way further down. Lower. Lower. The demon's fingers slipped under the folds of Nanami's kimono shirt. Driven by fear and instinct, the woman clenched his wrist and pushed it away, but she still held it. Her thumb and part of her palm were pressing against his palm, and her fingers were locked tightly around his wrist. The man smiled.

"Are you so eager to serve me?" He snickered. The woman's eyes were storms of anger and fury.

"Why, yes. That is my life long dream. I cannot think of anything more important to do in my life." She hissed sarcastically, and with a crushing force snapped his wrist back . His bones cracked and some broke through the skin. While the demon shreiked with pain, Nanami grabbed her sword and sprinted off deeper into the woods. The fog dissipated and the forest returned to normal before she even got a hundred feet away from the man. She ran right on to a small meadow that broke off into a considerably steep cliff with the endless ocean on the horizon. Nanami stopped before entering the clearing and looked behind her. The demon floated out of the woods in an orb, with out a mutilated hand. His appearance in general was not too different, except for all the bone spikes and three green tentacles growing out of his back. He also had a giant red eye in the center of his chest and his body was made up of various parts of other demons. Nanami backed up slowly until she reached the edge.

"I have you cornered. You won't escape me." He murmured with a wicked smile.

"A cornered enemy is a dangerous enemy." She growled back.

The sun's rays broke through the few clouds in the sky and bathed the landscape in sunshine and warmth. The beast examined the fierce woman in front of him. Her golden hair danced in the gentle breeze, the light kissed her fair skin and the blue of the sea emphasized her wise eyes.

"A beautiful enemy, yes. But dangerous?" The demon made a doubting expression on his face then turned his right hand upwards, his arm making a ninety degree angle. "But shall we put that theory to the test?" He smiled while a sharp bone spike grew out of his arm, right below his wrist.

"You already have." Nanami replied with a crafty smile. She noticed that about 600 meters (about 1800 feet) away from the cliff to the south, her stallion and fellow travelers were standing on the beach. The cliff Nanami stood on was not tall enough to kill her if she dived, and the water was relatively calm. Nanami sheathed her sword.

"Ha! Given up already?" The demon scoffed.

"Your stupidity and lust is what lets me escape." She hissed and dove off backwards into the cold sea. Her body tensed as she submerged into the chilling waves. She kept swimming underwater toward the beach, occasionally popping up for a breath of air. Finally, after a grueling swim, Nanami barely walked out of the rumbling waves and dropped to her knees, palms in the sand, gasping for air. No one knew what had happened; Sango, Miroku and Kagome all stood awestruck. Inuyasha had his arms crossed over his chest and cocked his eyebrow.

"Nice day for a dip?" He questioned, but he soon smelled a familiar scent, one he despised. "Naraku!" He snarled. Everyone looked surprised and alarmed, including Nanami.

"What direction is he in?" Miroku asked, ready to fight.

"Wait, I don't sense any jewel shards!" Kagome announced. "How could it be him? What would he be doing here anyway?"

"Ask her." Inuyasha motioned to Nanami. She looked stunned. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out for a while. Then she stood up and shook her head.

"That is impossible." She was angry enough about a demon putting a spell on her and getting so close, but if that demon was her worst enemy- "That thing... it...w-" She stuttered then stopped and glanced back at the cliff. He was not there anymore.

"What the hell happened, Nanami?" Inuyasha demanded, looking in the same direction and trying to catch Naraku's scent. Kagome came up to the woman and made sure she was no hurt.

"There's no injuries. Did he say anything?" She asked. Nanami stood silent for a moment then answered.

"That monster wanted me to serve him... He used your brother to put a spell on me. He wanted me to kill him."

"He used Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha was puzzled. -Does she know him? Or does it have to do with the village she spoke about him killing?-

"Wait a minute! Didn't you say Sesshoumaru attacked and destroyed your village?" Kagome blurted out, holding Nanami by her shoulders.

" That's what he used to control me." The woman looked at the girl. Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged troubled looks.

"Tell us exactly what happened that night." Kagome returned her gaze to Nanami.

"I do not remember everything. I was afraid of dying, so I was focused on surviving. When a person is in grave danger, his instincts kick in and the mind blocks out everything except how to survive, afterward the person does not remember a lot of what happened." Nanami whispered, looking down at the sand.

"But you remember your encounter before you started the fight. What did he say? Was he exactly like the Sesshoumaru you saw last time?" Inuyasha demanded impatiently. The woman stared at him, trying to remember what she could from that night.

" 'Your blood is the ultimate prize...' That is what he said before our fight."She finally answered.

Kagome turned ghostly pale. -Just like Kaede said. Naraku wants the power that flows through her veins.-

"Was he the same or not?" Inuyasha stressed on Nanami. She glared at him.

"No." She answered. "The way he talked, his presence, the look in his eyes - all different. The one in the village had sinister eyes, the demon in the forest had cold eyes, but they were not blood thirsty or power hungry. The presence of the demon that night was negative, angry, with a lust for pain, like something out of hell. Sesshoumaru's was not, it was calm, neutral... And my sword went right through that demon's face. His right eye, ear and nose were gone. Sesshoumaru was without even a scratch."

Inuyasha growled and glanced at Kagome. They seemed to be thinking the same thought. "That bastard! He did it again!" Inuyasha snarled.

"But he failed. She didn't kill Sesshoumaru, and he didn't kill her." Kagome commented. " He wants them to kill each other so he gets her power, and Sesshoumaru is the one who is powerful enough to stop him. With him gone, there is no one to stop him from killing her."

" Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure Sesshoumaru and Nanami would kill each other without Naraku's consent- wait, are you saying I'm not powerful enough to stop that bastard?!" Inuyasha snapped at Kagome.

"No that's not the point-" Kagome tried to explain.

"I could kill Naraku myself anyd-" Inuyasha protested but was interrupted by Nanami.

"Can you stop your snapping and tell me what is going on?!" Nanami said, a bit frustrated. Kagome looked at the young demon and sighed.

" Naraku took on Sesshoumaru's appearance and led you to believe that it was him that night in the village. Naraku didn't kill you on purpose because he knew you had the power to destroy his opponent, Sesshoumaru."The girl explained. Nanami pondered it over and it was starting to make sense in her mind. She glanced at Inuyasha and thought about asking him about his incident, but decided it was his business, not hers.

"I wonder if-" Inuyasha started, but was interrupted yet again by a growing sound of irritated and panicked squealing. Inuyasha and Kagome turned toward the trees behind them. Teyn' was trotting toward them with Sesshoumaru's servant in his mouth by the collar of his brown kimono.

"Jaken!" Kagome exclaimed in surprise. Inuyasha growled and rolled his eyes.

"That can only mean my dear brother is here..."

Nanami gave Inuyasha an irritated look. -No wonder his brother hates him, he whines non stop.- She walked between Inuyasha and Kagome toward the toad demon. Just as she approached, Teyn' set Jaken down and nudged him on his back with his snout, as if saying 'speak'.

" Why are you here?" Nanami asked, her speech slightly accented. Jaken stood up, grumbling, and straightened his kimono.

"I have no time to meddle with you weaklings, I have to find Rin before-" He realized he had said too much and groaned.

"What happened to her? Is she alright?... Shouldn't you be with that 'lord' of yours?" Nanami kneeled before the demon.

"Humph! I have no obligation to tell you anything!" Jaken scoffed, but he was very shaky and nervous. The young woman studied the imp for a moment and then asked in a softer tone.

"Sesshoumaru doesn't know, does he? And if he finds out, he will kill you, am I correct?"

Jaken gulped and stared at the woman wide-eyed. -Well, she's good... how could she know that?- He wanted to protest but didn't. -He will kill me... literally.-

"I couldn't stop that witch! She kidnaped Rin while Lord Sesshoumaru went off to find Naraku!" He finally said. Nanami noticed blood seeping through the sleeve of his kimono. She grabbed his arm and saw a deep gash on his upper arm.

"Who did this? Who took Rin?"

"Kagura." Jaken answered. Nanami shot a glance at Kagome and then deep into the forest. She rapidly stood up, got on her horse and rode off without a word.

"Where the hell is she going?" Inuyasha asked.

The wind lashed at Nanami's skin and felt invigorating on the warm day. But she had no intention of relaxing; her muscles were tense and her mind kept warning her about an upcoming, ominous occurrence. -I cannot deny this feeling of danger. Am I too late?- Nanami kept on searching for any sign of the girl. She kept riding until she her stallion stopped on a hill overlooking a field and mountains