Chapter 12
Cracked
Inuyasha followed the girl's scent to her room, which he noted was right where Sesshomaru's old ward used to sleep. He heard her crying and smelled her tears even from outside of the room. He shouldn't feel bad for her after she had injured him so much, but he understood what it was like to hear similar things from his brother.
Whereas he had development a thick skin, and a devil may care attitude, he was not always that way. He used to react much like she had just now. He knocked on the door, and her sobbing stopped. "Go away." Her voice cracked with sorrow, and he rubbed the back of his neck.
"I- uh, I just wanted to say..." He gulped heavily, forcing the words out. "Sorry for earlier." He heard shuffling, and waited until the door cracked open a small amount. He saw one eye peak at him, it was red and swollen with grief. It wasn't his fault, but he wanted to console her.
"Can I come in?" He knew she probably wouldn't want a half-breed like him in her room, but maybe he could help her feel better. He was surprised when she opened the door, and moved back to her messy bed, wrapping herself in the covers. He slid in, making his way to the oddly placed chair beside her bed. He sat down, looking around awkwardly.
"Your necklace. It's the same as the one he put on me." She whispered, clicking the beads around her neck together as she stared at them. He looked down at his nearly identical necklace, minus the moon. Why would his brother do this to her as well?
"Yeah, he put it on me after I lost my sword, and my beast escaped, taking out one of the villages. That's what happens when you're a half-breed." He waited for her to scream at him to get out, or mock his heritage, but she did neither.
"I'm sorry. That must really be awful." His heart fluttered. No one ever empathized with him, but not many people were forced to wear the beads of subjugation either.
"Feh. I'm used to it. It's not like I can't still kick some ass." He crossed his arms, flustered. She smiled an unconvincing smile at him.
"Well, I'm pretty much a sitting duck at this point. He took my powers, now I'm just a weak human... just like he wanted." Her tears returned and he panicked, waving his arms around.
"Woah, woah, woah! Don't cry! That pompous ass doesn't know shit. He was born with a huge stick up his ass!" Kagome laughed softly, and she turned to him with a smile.
"Thank you, Inuyasha." He didn't really know what to say, and she remained silent. He stood up, standing for a while before speaking.
"I hope you feel better, maybe I can train you how to fight." He said with a blush, shoving his arms into his robe's sleeves. She nodded, and wiped her eye with the back of her hand.
"I would like that." She held out her hand to him and he looked at it in confusion. "Truce?" Oh. He had almost forgotten about earlier. He grabbed her hand and gave it a small shake.
"Truce." He let go and move out into the hallway before peaking his head back in. "See ya later, Kagome." She waved, and he shut the door behind him. This girl was a nice change of pace, he decided, and left to find Hiroto about the developments he had found on his trip.
-K-
She was happy Inuyasha had come to visit her, but she was also happy to be alone again. She hugged her bent legs, resting her head on her knees. She couldn't understand why he had taken her power, the only thing she held dear in the world.
The other night, he had complimented her strength, whether she was conscious for it or not. He told her that he was impressed. Why would he do this to her? She once held great respect for him, and even developed feelings. She felt like such a fool. She heard the door open and close and she sighed.
"Please, go away, Inuyasha. I think I need to be alone for a while." She heard a growl and snapped her head up. Great. It was Sesshomaru, his hair covering his face in wild waves. It was unusual, but she was too hurt to care. She glared at him.
"Why are you here! You've already taken everything from me. Go. Away." She was already seething again, her hand shook with adrenaline. He lifted his head, and his fully red eyes gleamed back at her. Her heart dropped into her stomach, and she slowly backed further into the headboard. "S-Sesshomaru?" He moved towards her in an animistic fashion, hunched over, fangs exposed. His markings grew more vibrant on his face, and his tail laid behind him, and not over his shoulder like usual. It swayed like a cat that was waiting to pounce on it's prey.
"I came to fix this." Her eyes widened at his voice. It was doubled. His normal voice was overlapped with something deeper, darker, and rough. "F-fix what?" She wanted to throw the covers over her head in a useless attempt to protect herself, but she knew better than to make sudden movements. He made his way onto the foot of her bed, crawling slowly towards her.
"I have hurt you, my sweet miko." She gulped, and tried to still her heart. "I wish to make amends." He ran his clawed hand along her leg, and she flinched. He frowned, and moved closer to her. "Don't be shy, I am merely what Sesshomaru desires deep in his subconscious. He won't admit you are our mate, but I am more than willing to."
"Your mate?" His face was mere inches from her, and she couldn't help but recall her dream once more. This was different though, he was not in control. He grinned wildly, exposing his elongated teeth. "Yes." Her heart fluttered as he examined her, running his fingers through her hair. She shivered.
"Don't I have to agree to that? Like with marriage?" She was grateful that Sesshomaru's beast seemed intelligent, but she also felt the wild crackling of his energy. She knew what he could do if she made a wrong move. He chuckled softly, moving his nose to her neck, and inhaling deeply. "Yes... and no." She involuntarily tilted her head to the side.
"Please explain..." She whispered, trying to remain calm. She didn't want to find out through his actions. He wrapped his hand around her neck, gently, but dominate. He pulled her head back with her hair, hard enough to sting her scalp, but not enough to seriously injure her. Her breaths became rapid.
"Demons only have one mate, predetermined by the gods. I can not force you to accept this, but I can mark you to keep away other suitors. The mark will remain until you kill me, or mark me back." She closed her eyes as he moved towards the place her neck and shoulder met, she felt his hot tongue run along it slowly, teasingly. She whimpered softly.
"P-please, Sesshomaru. Don't do this." He growled into her flesh, moving to her ear.
"If I do not, they will force you to leave. He will misguidedly push you away. Now, be a good girl and let me mark you, mate." She lifted her shaking hand to his arm, rubbing it softly. He paused, and growled. "What are you doing?" She opened her eyes to look into his, she ran her hand up his shoulder, and to his face. He flinched away, but she pleaded with him.
"Please, Sesshomaru, I want this to happen because all of you wants it. Not like this." She was still incredibly upset with him, and might never forgive him for sealing her powers and the words he had said, but she had to make this convincing. She tried again to rub his face and he accepted, nuzzling into her hand.
"He will not understand, Kagome. He will not accept you unless you are marked." He nipped the palm of her hand softly, it sent a small shock through her arm. As he continued gazing steadily into her eyes, he removed his hand from her neck, and leaned towards her. She looked away, worried he would see the deception in her eyes.
"I will make him understand. Please, just give us a little more time." She looked back into his eyes, knowing the last words she had to say were completely truthful. "I beg of you, Sesshomaru..." He growled and sighed in frustration.
"I can not refuse you, little miko. I will let him develop his feelings, but you must put in the effort to convince him, or we will do things my way." She nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. He grabbed her chin. "Just leave me with one parting gift, mate." She opened her mouth to ask him what he wanted, but his lips softly danced across hers before she could ask. She couldn't help but melt into the kiss, despite her fear. It was just like her dream, and in some ways, it still wasn't real. She pulled away slightly, but he held her in place with his hand.
She gave up. She wrapped her arms around him, and enjoyed the sensations of his lips and tongue. Her head felt lighter and lighter as her brain filled with endorphins. She was pulled by her leg to slide down onto her back. She ran her hands through his hair, until she felt him freeze. His mouth stopped toying with her and he pulled away, a look of shock in his golden eyes.
-S-
He had regained consciousness to the softest sensation on his lips and hands. It was much different than the splitting headache from before. He gave into the sensation a bit more before his curiosity got the better of him. He opened his eyes to see her beneath him. She sent tingled pulses through his scalp for a few moments before opening her eyes. He pulled his head away from her, unknowing of what to say.
"Y-You're back..." Her eyes glittered with unshed tears, and she hugged him tightly. He didn't know how to respond to her. Back from what? He waited until she pulled away with a glare. This woman was incredibly confusing. "You jerk. All those things you said, and this stupid necklace. Then you come waltzing in trying to mate me!" She pushed him off of her and he moved.
"Try to mate you? I did no such thing." She glared at him, wiping off the saliva on her neck. He averted his eyes from her robes that hung off her shoulder. She promptly fixed it, crossing her arms defensively.
"Your beast did." He looked back at her. She was looking at the floor. His beast was silent, but it sent him a subconscious warning. It would take her as a mate if he did not. He growled angrily. He was to be forced into this situation? Sesshomaru got up and tore his claws through the wall. Kagome released a small gasp.
"I am to mate with you? I have no other option?" He snarled and threw her dresser to the floor. She came towards him, angry once again.
"Stop it! This wont fix what has happened." He had to agree with her but he was enraged. The beast had taken advantage of her and placed him into an impossible situation. If he mated her, he would be dethroned, just like his father. If he didn't, she would be mated with against her will, which caused his blood to boil. "Sesshomaru!" Her voice cut through his anxious mind and she looked at him with sad eyes. He didn't need her pity.
"What, miko!" She flinched, but held her ground.
"Don't treat me like the enemy! I didn't do anything to you. All I asked was to help you defeat Naraku. We will figure this out after we take care of him." She was right. Once they dealt with Naraku, then they could figure this mess out. He collapsed into the chair behind him. What had his life become?
"Speaking of Naraku, how am I supposed to help with this... thing?" She held up the beaded necklace. He sighed, rubbing his face in his hands.
"It will allow your powers to move through, when I allow it." She narrowed her eyes at him, understandably mad. "Ligo." He felt her powers surge forward, and heard her laugh in ecstasy, before falling into an angry quiet.
"Why did you do this to me?" She whispered, allowing a small, controlled flame to be released from her hand. She stared at it with blank eyes, he knew he had hurt her deeply. He had taken away her freedom.
"It was the only way to keep you here. After the incident on the battlefield, the council wanted to send you into exile. This was the only solution." She turned away from him, wrapping her arms around herself.
"Can you leave me alone? I want to be by myself..." He heard the crack in her voice, and it cracked something inside of him. He got up, and left her to be alone. When he was on the other side of her door, he heard her crying once again. For the first time in a long time, he felt completely guilty for someone else's pain.