After about 5 years, I have finally decided to finish this story. I started writing this in my year off between High School and College. Once I started Secondary school though I was too busy to continue this and found other fandoms to get addicted too in that time. After receiving some comments on this story about how I had to finish it, I tried to start thinking of an ending. I've been feeling guilty about started any new stories till I finish CIMWTO.
It was really hard to get back into the right head space, but after reading at least half a dozen Sess/Kag stories, I had what felt like a bolt of lightning of an idea to wrap it all up. I originally thought it would only take one chapter but I ended up writing about 3. The reason this is taking me so long is because of the fight scenes. I have never written battle scenes before this and they are really hard.
I just have to finish editing the next two parts so hopefully they should be up in March 2016. I think once I post them I'll end up editing the whole story again. I need some comments to keep me going. Enjoy part one.
Chained: In More Ways Than One
Final Part 1
o0o
"You're back." Mrs. Higurashi came out of the kitchen door after seeing the demon lord outside the window. "Where's Kagome?" She asked surprised to not see her daughter beside the demon lord.
Sesshoumaru just turned his head to look back down the stairs in answer. He had quickly scaled the shrine steps. Leaving the miko at the bottom.
Not long after Kagome appeared on the top step out of breath. Dropping the sleeping bag, she leaned against a statue of a dog demon. "You could have waited for me," Kagome complained since she had to run to catch up with him.
"I see you got what you were searching for." Mrs. Higurashi gestured to the camping item. "I packed all the supplies you'll be needing while you were gone."
"Thanks so much Mama. We're short on time as it is." Kagome sighed as she stood up straight and collected the sleeping bag from the ground. Walking over to join her mother so that they could walk back into the house together.
Entering the house through the kitchen door. It smelt like something delicious. Kagome's stomach started to rumble at just the thought of food. Through the doorway, Kagome could see her grandpa and Sota were waiting for lunch. She could see that her yellow bag had been placed on the kitchen counter.
"Are you sure you can't stay any longer?" Mrs. Higurashi asked as she handed over the large yellow bag.
"I'm sorry but we really must be getting back." Kagome tried to hide her worry behind a smile. She tried to forget they had a battle waiting for them when they got back to the feudal era.
"I thought that would be your answer," Mrs. Higurashi said with fondness. "I packed you some lunch for when you get hungry later. Don't let Inuyasha eat the whole thing."
"You're leaving already," Grandpa appeared in the doorway with her brother behind him. "Take this as a good luck charm." Grandpa handed his granddaughter a dried up item. It looked like a lumpy rock.
"Thanks," Kagome said sarcastically as she pinched the object with two fingers. Not really wanting to touch it. She didn't think anything of it though because he grandpa was always giving her holy items.
Sesshoumaru leaned down to whisper in the Miko's ear so that none of her family members could hear. "Why did your elder just hand you monkey feces?" The demon lord could tell what the item was made from just by the smell it was giving off. It may not be fresh, but it still carried the same underlying scent of its original form.
As soon as Kagome registered what the demon lord had implied, she shrieked in disgust and dropped the item. The thought that she had actually just been holding a piece of fossilized monkey poo disgusted her. Rubbing her hands on her shirt to get rid of any germs. "Why the hell would you think that's lucky grandpa?"
"It has been passed down through the generations of Higurashi for many centuries," Grandpa answered not thinking there was anything crazy about it.
Sota burst out laughing. Amused by his older sister's misfortune.
When Kagome picked up her backpack she practically had to drag it towards the well. It was fully stocked with food supplies and first aid items since she knew that there would be many injuries in their future.
"Did I pack too much?" Mrs. Higurashi asked from the house doorway.
"It's fine. I'm sure the supplies will be used up quickly." Kagome didn't comment when the demon lord easily took the burden on himself. The way Sesshoumaru carried the pack you would think it was filled with only air.
Sesshoumaru found it pathetic how little strength humans had. He felt sorry for them. Which is probably how he ended up with a human ward. The demon lord tried to ignore the knowing look the old man was shooting him as Sesshoumaru waited for the Miko to finish saying her goodbyes.
"Stay safe honey." Mrs. Higurashi hugged her daughter tightly. No matter how many times Kagome left for the feudal era and came back safely, there would always be a worry that one day she wouldn't come back at all. "I love you."
"I love you too mama." Kagome squeezed her mother tightly. It was always hard to say goodbye to her family. For a teenage girl, she never got to see her mother enough. The past was constantly calling her back, and Kagome couldn't help but answer.
Standing on the lip of the well she said one last farewell to her family. "Bye." Without any further delay, Kagome jumped into the depths of the well. There was the usual transition between time periods. When Kagome materialized on the other side she bumped into something solid. That shouldn't have been there.
The dark figures misshapen face was highlighted by the light of the well activating again by the demon lord's entrance.
Kagome screamed in fright. The sound echoed through the clearing. Scaring off a flock of birds in the surrounding forest.
All the demon soldiers were on high alert after the scream. "It's Just a human women who saw something ugly," Miroku assured them. They all went back to setting up camp.
"Way to kill someone's eardrums." A gruff voice exclaimed from her left.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome sighed with relief.
Hearing the miko's cry of fright, Sesshoumaru was immediately on high alert. His poison claws lit up the bottom of the well so that all its occupants could be seen clearly.
Very familiar with the demon lords attack, Totosia ran for it. "I'm out of here." He bounded over the lip of the well and ran for the tree line.
Realizing the scary figure had just been the old swordsmith. "What the hell were you doing at the bottom of the well with Totosai?" Kagome asked, her heart still trying to slow down after the sudden unexpected shock.
"Hiding," Inuyasha answered flatly.
"From who?" Kagome asked putting her hands on her hips.
Sesshoumaru took two deep whiffs of the air. Wondering what could have caused the half demon to resort to cowardly hiding in a hole in the ground. Freezing when he picked up a very familiar scent that was so similar to his own. "This Sesshoumaru's mother."
"Your mother!" Kagome exclaimed in surprise. Getting to meet Sesshoumaru's mother so shortly after leaving her own. "Why would you be hiding from her?" She asked the Inu brothers with curiosity.
"The Lady of the West is not a soft woman," Inuyasha said with dread in his voice. The demoness had always scared him as a child.
"Come on. She can't be all that bad." Kagome thought the half demon was over exaggerating. Then she saw Sesshoumaru nodding along to everything the half demon said. "Really?"
"As soon as my father died, she ran my mother and me from the castle," Inuyasha exclaimed with conviction.
"That is my mother being kind," Sesshoumaru said with full belief.
"How is kicking a grieving widow and her son out of their home, being kind?" Kagome turned a disbelieving look on the demon lord.
"Inuyasha is still standing here in front of you, is he not?" Sesshoumaru raised one patronizing eyebrow. Leaving the women and bastard child of her mate alive was showing mercy in most demons opinion.
"She didn't kill me then but she might now." InuYasha always thought that if he had been older, his life would not have been spared.
"I highly doubt my mother doesn't know we are down here." Sesshoumaru decided it was useless to stay down here any longer. Grabbing the miko around the waist, the demon lord soared out of the well and landed on the grass in front of the small gathering.
"You've finally returned. I hope your journey was fruitful." Miroku greeted the two with relief. The monk had been afraid that he was going to have to break the news to the demon armies that the Western Lord would not be attending the war meeting.
Knowing it was pointless to hide any longer Inuyasha followed them. "You forgot your bag." Dropping the yellow monstrosity to the ground at the miko's feet. He raised a surprised eyebrow when his brother immediately picked it up. When his attention focused on Sesshoumaru, he realized something was different. Now in the daylight, Inuyasha was able to see his half-brothers appearance. "Trying out a new hairstyle?" He raised his one silver eyebrow.
Sesshoumaru had completely forgotten about what had been done with his hair. It was kind of nice not having it being blown in his face by the wind all the time.
"I had to braid it since Sesshoumaru insisted on accompanying me on an errand," Kagome explained the reason behind the new hairstyle.
Inuyasha would have paid to see his half-brother in the future. The smells were bad for him so he was sure they were even worse with being a full demon.
"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin ran over, pushing her way through the crowds of demons to greet her guardian. As soon as she saw the demon lord's new appearance, Rin squeaked in surprise.
"I had to change it because of where we were going." Kagome leaned down to explain to the little girl.
"Lord Sesshoumaru never let me play with his hair," Rin whined petulantly, completely jealous of the older girl.
"My son," It was only once she spoke that Sesshoumaru realized the lady of the west was standing right there.
"Mother," They both stood observing each other.
"I'm glad to see that you are finally performing your duties," Inukimi said with narrowed eyes. Her son had always been a wanderer. It was hard to tie him down to one place.
"I do what is necessary," Sesshoumaru replied simply with a grumble. His mother always complained that he left all the real work for her while he was out shirking his duties to the West. He considered being out in his lands much more productive than hiding behind castle walls. It was an argument that had been going on for centuries between them.
"I see that your weird group has gained another human," Inukimi turned her luminous eyes on the woman standing closely beside her son. The little girl she could understand because the child was defenseless, but this one she could sense had strong spiritual powers around her. Was her son actually thinking of taking this human as a mate? The young woman was of marrying age.
Kagome froze at suddenly having all the lady of the west's attention on her. "Aww…" She was lost for words.
"The miko actually travels with Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru corrected his mother's assumption that he had adopted another human into his pack. They were only temporarily traveling together.
"Though judging by her scent, you have been traveling very close with her for the past few days if not weeks, while the half demon's scent has almost completely dissipated." Inukimi pointed out.
That was hard for them to deny. For over a week it had just been the two of them. They had not started traveling together by choice though the two of them decided to stay together even after they had been separated.
Inuyasha was glad that Kagome seemed to be keeping all of the ladies of the west's attention. He tried to slip away before she noticed him.
"I'm surprised to see that the pup is still alive." Inukimi looked over the half-demon who she hadn't seen since he was a child.
"Yes, I have survived despite your attentions," Inuyasha snapped defensively. Spinning around to face the demoness.
"Your mother did not belong at the palace without Inu Taisho. All I did was tell her, if she was unhappy being surrounded by demons that she should go back to her human family. I only sent you away because I would not have a child separated from their mother." Inukimi defended her actions. "You were free to return once she passed, but you never did."
Inuyasha had always assumed that his mother was forced from the palace. He never thought that she had left by choice.
Sesshoumaru had already left the palace by the time all this went down.
"Let me see this miko closer," Inukimi pushed her son aside so that she could take his place.
"My name isn't actually miko, it's Kagome," She felt like she had to say since they had both called her by her title. Kagome had always assumed that Sesshoumaru was like a carbon copy of their father but now she could see, that he really took after his mother. They had a similar bone structure and the same markings.
Inukimi had warned her son, not to get attached to humans because they would die on him. She could see that time traveled differently around this girl though. The shroud of death that most humans carried around them like a second skin was missing. 'Curious' Inukimi thought to herself.
It was different than the little girl who had been brought back from death with her ex-mates sword. This girl had never died before, but time seemed to have stood still around her, but yet she still aged. It was different than the immortality that most demons carried.
If her son wished to mate this human, Inukimi would not object. She had almost lost hope of ever having Grandpups. "I approve." Inukimi stated with a nod. She turned and walked back towards her tent, to wait for the war council that evening.
Sesshoumaru's eyes widened at his mother's statement.
"What did she mean by that?" Kagome looked back at the demon lord in question.
"Did your mother just give you permission to mate Kagome?" Inuyasha whispered so that none of the humans could hear.
"It appears so." Sesshoumaru sighed with exasperation.
.0.
There was a meeting between all the leaders that night. They met in the Lady of the West's tent since it was the largest.
Kagome had to put the kids to bed before she could join the gathering. She tucked Rin and Shippo into her newly acquired sleeping bag. With so many demons around she wasn't sure how she felt leaving the two children unattended. "Ah-Un, take care of them," She instructed on her way out.
The two headed dragon grunted in response.
With as much confidence as a human in a sea of demons could have, Kagome made her way across the campground. There were multiples fires lit with demons surrounding them, sharing food and drink. She gained many glancing looks as she passed. Kagome tried to ignore the whispers about the lords miko.
Quickly she pushed the flap of the tent aside and entered. Kagome saw that everyone was already there. She quickly walked over to sit beside Sango and Miroku. It seemed all the humans were sitting together. Inuyasha had been asked to sit with Sesshoumaru and his mother, since he was technically a son of the West.
There were only three different dominions because the East was the enemy. It had been many centuries since the leaders had combined together their powers against another leader. Power shifts between demons weren't rare. The West used to be run by Tiger demons before they were defeated by Inu no Taisho. The same thing happened when Ryukotsusei challenged the West for power.
Kagome watched as everyone settled in. Her brow furrowed when a young demoness approached where Sesshoumaru was sitting with his family. "It is a pleasure to see you again Lord Sesshoumaru." The demoness greeted with familiarity.
Sesshoumaru frowned at the demoness with displeasure. His mother elbowed him in the side for his rudeness. Reluctantly he returned her greeting. "It has been a long time."
There had always been tension between the North and West for a long time now. The cat demons had always been a thorn in the dogs side. They had tried to make a treaty of peace before with a betrothal contract between Sesshoumaru and the eldest daughter, but it had fallen apart before it had come to fruition.
Before Inuyasha was even born Inukimi and Inu No Taisho had arranged the marriage between the two tribes. Sesshoumaru had been still a child in many ways and had gone along with his parents wishes at first. That was until he actually met his bride to be. After a few turbulent months, Sesshoumaru had broken the engagement and fled from the palace.
"I'm sorry that the marriage between our two tribes did not work out." Inukimi said with fake regret in her tone. It would have been nice to have some grand-pups to rear for the next generation already. She was glad though that she did not have to deal with this female as her daughter in law.
After ease dropping, Kagome realized that this demoness was technically Sesshoumaru's ex-fiancée. It gave her an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. It was the same one that Kagome used to feel when Kikyo would show up. Luckily she had moved passed her crush on Inuyasha since she knew Kikyo would always come first in his heart.
"Please take a seat beside your father," Sesshoumaru tried to be polite about dismissing the female. While also sending her as far away from him as he could in a tent. The female pouted before complying.
Inukimi shook her head at how her Sesshoumaru treated women in general. "Too bad my son lacks any of his father's natural charm with women." She could tell that he had grown to care deeply for the miko though. Inukimi could see the slight frown on the Miko's face from across the room. Maybe his feelings were returned.
"There are more important things to deal with." Sesshoumaru brushed off hiss mothers worries that he would never settle down with a mate. "We will begin the meeting."
Sesshoumaru had a keen intellect. Due to the long years of traveling and pursuing power, he was intelligent about the ways of how almost everything worked. He was able to come to the correct conclusion towards any given mystery in his quest for power once he attained the basic understanding of the situation.
"Shizaru has seeked the miko as his mate," Sesshoumaru pointed to her and everyone's attention turned to Kagome's position. "We cannot allow him to get what he wants."
"Wait, this whole battle is over one woman." The Leader of the North spoke up indignantly.
"It's about more than just choice of female," Sesshoumaru responded sharply. "Shizaru wants the miko for the power she holds. Her ability to see the jewel shards of the shikon no tama. The abilities the children they would produce would gain."
"The East having an heir that is immune to spiritual powers would be bad for the rest of us." The Northern lord backed off. Nodding in understanding. He could tell that his eldest daughter was unhappy about it.
"If there are no more discrepancies, let's get back to business," Sesshoumaru relaxed his defensive stance. "Shizaru has openly declared war against the West. I have called you all here to request for help from our allies but I believe it would be beneficial to us all. "
"What will we get out of helping the West with risking our soldiers?" The leader of the South inquired.
"I do not think Shizaru is planning on stopping with just the West. He wants all corners of Japan for himself,' Sesshoumaru calmly explained. "With our joined forces we should be able to defeat the East with ease, and minimal casualties." Sesshoumaru addressed the assemblies misgivings.
Now that everyone's questions were answered they got back to talking about the main issue. There were many back fourths of opinions on the best plan of attack. They premeditated what Shizaru's plan of attack was. Talking into the late hours of the evening.
"Everyone should get some rest. We leave at first dawn." Sesshoumaru closed the meeting.
Kagome was one of the first people to leave the tent. She felt like she had been completely ignored the whole meeting, even though she was the main topic of conversation. It seemed like the demon lord no longer cared for her opinion. Kagome knew she was probably just being petty. She had had the dai yokai's sole attention for weeks now.
Ah-Un sniffed at her when she entered the tent. Kagome quickly brushed her teeth and prepared to go to bed. She snuggled into the sleeping bag with Rin and Shippo.
By the time Sesshoumaru had managed to slip away from the meeting, it had grown late into the night. When he entered the tent, Ah-Un snorted at him. He looked at the sleeping faces of the miko and his ward. Sesshoumaru sat down beside them to watch over their sleeping forms.
o0o
They woke up early. The camp packed up with efficiency. They were marching before even the sun had fully risen.
Since they were traveling with a group of demons, the humans decided to ride on Kilala so that they didn't fall behind. Rin and Shippo rode behind them on Ah-Un with Jaken. His short legs could not keep up either. The children were being sent to the Western Palace for safety. From the air, they could see the impressive numbers.
When the procession came to the Eastern border, Sesshoumaru gave them the signal to stop. The humans landed on a cliff face above. They climbed down from Kilala's back. Kagome had to stay on the cliff while her friends headed down to the battle field. Kagome had agreed to stay back from the battle in a safe position out of harm's way.
On the way there Kagome had an argument waith Sesshoumaru about how she was being forced to stay out of the main battle. In the end she ended up agreeing to the terms because the demon lord threatened to send her away with the children. Being on the side lines was better than not being there at all.
All they had to do now was wait for the Eastern army to arrive.
...
Her hair blew in the wind as Kagome observed from her position on a cliff.
The opposing army could be spotted over the horizon. As it grew closer they all prepared their battle stances. Kagome strung an arrow in preparation. The battlefield was swarming with demons of every kind. Kagome had a suspicion that this is the biggest battle to happen in centuries. Since the great dog demon Inu Taisho's death so long ago.
Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha stood on the front lines along with the other Lords. It was the first time they were truly working together.
Using his sharp eyesight Sesshoumaru tried to spot Shizaru but couldn't. There were too many dark heads of hair amongst the foot soldiers. The army of demons came to a stop fifty meters from his own. He expected Shizaru to reveal himself to instruct his soldiers, but instead a pale haired man stepped forward who Sesshoumaru recognized as the war chief of the East.
The man unsheathed his sword and raised it into the air. Dropping his hand, he gave the signal for the battle to begin. The two forces immediately moved towards each other.
The foot soldiers seemed untrained judging by how easily they fell. It almost seemed like they had just been pulled from the rice fields and given armor and weapons. Sesshoumaru wasn't sure if it was to make the East's army seem larger or if Shizaru wasn't just that desperate for men.
...
Kagome shot from her safe advantage up high. Since she had been given an almost unlimited amount of arrows, Kagome didn't bother saving her ammo. She targeted anyone wearing the armor of the east. Some arrows didn't take because the armor was doing its job, but others disintegrated the demon on the spot. Because of her location, it was hard to see the miko from the battlefield bellow.
Sango was positioned nearby if Kagome's location was discovered and she needed a quick getaway. The demon exterminator was throwing her hiraikotsu at any enemy soldiers that were in range. Kilala was in her true form and taking out soldiers with her claws beside her.
From her higher elevation, Sango had a clear view of Miroku taking a hit that knocked him to the ground. "Miroku!" The demon slayer yelled with dread. She really wanted to go to him, but Sango was meant to stay here and protect Kagome.
"Sango go," Kagome yelled when she saw the hesitation on her friends face. She wasn't in any direct danger right now. "Go help Miroku. I'll be fine."
"I'll be back." Sango vaulted onto Kilala's back and then flew to help the monk.
Kagome observed the battlefield. Over the past year in the feudal era, she had come to be familiar with demon battle techniques. She wondered if it was just her but something seemed off. Maybe it was just because she was used to watching InuYasha, Sesshoumaru, and Koga fight; who all possessed great speed and agility. The foot soldiers for the East seemed slow and clumsy in comparison.
While she was in her own mind Kagome was less aware of her surroundings and open to attack.
From the small line of trees nearby someone dropped from the branches. While the miko was distracted the enemy quickly snuck up behind her. Using the chemical Shizaru had provided her. The assassin quickly placed the laced cloth over the miko's mouth and nose.
With little fuss, the miko lost consciousness. Quickly she dragged the miko away from the edge and out of anyone's eyesight. Lucky for her the plan was so that the miko couldn't be spotted from the battlefield in this location so it wouldn't look strange not being able to see her.
Throwing the teens body over her shoulder. Before anyone noticed the miko's absence she made her way through the trees. The sounds of the battle grew more distant the further she went until they couldn't be heard at all even with her demon hearing. Far enough from the battle to be undetected a small procession was waiting for her.
She placed the miko's dead weight in the carriage. The chemical administered should keep the teen unconscious for a few hours so she had no worry that the girl would wake up and try to escape. She closed the door and locked it with a large iron key.
She mounted one of the dragon-demons at the front. Kicking at its sides, the assassin forced the beast into movement. The reptilian wings flapped and they took off into the air.
Even if they tracked her trail they wouldn't be able to follow her scent trail because it would be lost to the wind.
.0.
Sesshoumaru placed the tip of his sword at the war chiefs pale throat declaring his side victorious now that he had their commander at his mercy.
"The coward doesn't even show up to his own fight." Inuyasha huffed, commenting on the absence of their leader.
"Lord Shizaru has more important matters that required his attention." The war chief of the East smirked even though he was at his enemies mercy. It was like Sesshoumaru had won the battle but lost the war.
With a furrowed brow Sesshoumaru processed the meaning behind the man's words. Immediately he whipped his head around to survey the surrounding cliffs. The last time he had spotted the miko she had been firing arrows from that location. The spot was now empty.
Sesshoumaru growled under his breath when he realized this whole battle had just been a planned distraction all along. Sesshoumaru wagered that the supposed soldiers weren't even part of the East's army. The soldiers weren't just poorly trained, they weren't soldiers at all. They were hired for a suicide mission, most likely to feed their starving families.
Turning his attention back to the war chief. Sesshoumaru pressed the tip of his sword harder into the man's neck so that it actually drew blood. "Where has Shizaru taken the miko?"
It took a few seconds for the meaning behind his question to filter through his half brothers mind. "Kagome's gone?" When Sesshoumaru just stayed stoically silent Inuyasha turned and screamed "Kagome!" across the battlefield, like it would actually accomplish something.
"Yelling will not bring the miko back." Sesshoumaru snapped at his half-brother's emotional response.
The war chief started to laugh at their foolishness.
The noise grated on the demon lords last nerve. With his emotions close to the surface Sesshoumaru let his sword swing and silenced the fool. The great war chiefs head rolled down the incline to stop in front of his remaining soldiers. Like the cowards they were, they fled the battlefield before they joined their leader in death.
Flicking the blood off his blade, Sesshoumaru sheathed Tokijin once more. "Let's go."
Inuyasha had thought that Kagome's presence had softened his older half-brother but that action was like his old self. He guessed since the miko wasn't here to witness his cruelty Sesshoumaru didn't feel the need to hold back.
"Do you even know where Kagome is being held captive?" Inuyasha questioned as he followed.
"Knowing Shizaru's vanity, he would use his own castle," Sesshoumaru spoke as he stalked in the direction of the east.
...TBC