InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Angel ❯ Snapped ( Chapter 32 )

Chapter-Thirty-Two:

Snapped

Sesshomaru sat with his eyes closed, relaxing as the hot water eased the tension in his body. A maid was washing and scrubbing his long silken hair, while another poured him a glass of Demon Blood, a type of wine, made specifically for youkai. It was created from demon fruit and other poisonous ingredients, rendering it toxic for humans, but a delicacy for youkai and hanyous.

Sesshomaru took a sip of the dark red liquid as Jaken continued to squeak and squawk about this and that from his corner of the room.

Sesshomaru opened his eyes as a wisp of smoke from the water drifted lazily by his eyes.

"What of the soldiers?" Sesshomaru asked.

"The number of deaths have not been completely counted as of yet, my Lord, however the estimate is a few dozen dead. Over a hundred have been injured."

He had learned much from his brief encounter with Vishious. He was sure that Vishious had been holding back as well, however, he now had at least an outline on how to take him down, or rather hold him off until the amulets and sword had been recovered. As most beings were, Vishious was vulnerable to his poison. That was a huge advantage over the Evil Six until he could find what he needed to destroy them completely.

And in order to locate them, he needed Kagome.

He smirked.

Kagome.

Tonight, she would be his.

He had to be completely honest with himself. The reason he had admitted to the affair between them was so that she would be forced to mate with him, but at the same time, he had his own reasons for refusing to deny it. He'd admit only to himself that for a few decades now, he had yearned for a mate, an heir. He wanted a mate to ease the lonely nights, and a son to carry on his the Inu youkai heritage.

To see a part of himself grow and thrive in his pup.

He could think of no other female he wanted other than Kagome to bear his pup. She was beautiful, wealthy, and most of all, didn't seemed to be afraid of him. Though most men would consider such a thing a major flaw, he saw it as an asset. Her human state was another issue most youkai in his position would take issue with. Even after a human is mated with a youkai, the human would never become full youkai, she would be almost as a hanyou.

His power and hers would play a factor, in her transformation as well as the make up of their children. The more powerful person, the more stable the blood.

Though his father had been powerful, his mate had been naught more than the average human, bring nothing in terms of power and stable blood. Thus his younger brother hand been born, his power of little consequence in the face of pure blooded youkai. Sesshomaru would not have that for his own offspring.

InuYasha had been bad enough.

He would not have his bloodline tainted even more. There were ways to completely turn a human into a full youkai. Ways that he had knowledge of, and planned to use to turn Kagome completely. This was one of the reasons he had consumed Demon Blood three times today.

Consuming Demon Blood before a youkai and human mated would aid in turning the human. His blood would be more potent, more powerful during the blood exchange, dominating her weaker human blood and changing it. The final step would entail draining her to near death, further ensuring the transformation occurred. Too weak to battle back the change, even her power would be no match for the ritual.

It was a risky procedure, not many humans survived.

During a normal, mating blood exchange, only a small amount of blood was taken from the humans.

Sesshomaru was more than confident she would not be among those casualties.

He had no intention of telling her before hand. Why worry her unnecessarily when he could just have done with it more quickly and efficiently without her unreasonable feminine pique in the way?

The procedure its self would be a bit painful for her, but he figured she'd thank him for it later. She would be stronger, more intelligence and live as long as he did.

What fault could she find with such a thing?

Even if she did not appreciate thin honor, he would not care. He was the alpha; it was his place to dictate to her and her place to anticipate his orders. Nothing more, nothing less. He expected a fight on her part and he looked forward to it. His inner beast stirred. He too was looking forward to the many scraps he and his future mate would no doubt get into.

"The team dispatched to detain the Evil Six has not yet made it back to the Western lands. They are presumed to be dead."

Sesshomaru closed his eyes briefly at that.

General Haku had been more than just his General to him. He had been the closes thing Sesshomaru had ever had to a friend. Though he would not call him a friend, he was close. Sesshomaru had known him since they were small pups. Never once had he been betrayed by Haku and it had been that fact as well as his competency, that had moved Sesshomaru to make him his General.

Haku's father had been Sesshomaru's father General.

The two fathers had been much the way he and Haku were, ensuring their sons played together on numerous occasions. They had been close as growing pups, never far from each other. Where there was Sesshomaru, there was Haku and where there was Haku there was Sesshomaru. Things had changed after Sesshomaru's mother had passed away. He had grown cold and nearly emotionless. Though they maintained contact, their friendship had never been the same after.

It was only natural that he felt something upon hearing his General was presumed dead.

"I'm going to rinse your hair now, Sesshomaru-sama" the maid informed hims softly.

Sesshomaru sat his wine down and closed his eyes as the maid poured a bucket of water over his head, rinsing the soap from his hair. The maid rinsed his head twice more before grabbing a near by towel and wiping the water from his face, making sure to clean over his closed eyes. Sesshomaru opened his eyes as the maid toweled his hair dry and tied his hair up and back with a hair band.

That done, the maid stood.

"Will there be anything else you require of me, Sesshomaru-sama?" the maid asked

Sesshomaru picked up the glass of wine once more, sitting back to enjoy the rest of his soak.

"You are dismissed." Sesshomaru said.

The maid bowed and left.

"My Lord, shall we dispatch a group to search for their bodies?" Jaken inquired.

"Nay, this Sesshomaru will be leaving in a few days time and will search on his own."

Jaken nodded, "A brilliant idea my Lord! Who better to search than Lord Sesshomaru himself? Excellent idea my Lo-"

Jaken crashed to the ground with a screech as Sesshomaru's empty wine glass crashed into his face. A bit stunned, and yet having expecting the blow from years and years of serving under Lord Sesshomaru, Jaken lay on the floor, his left leg twitching.

'W-Why….Lord Sesshomaru?'

With a small smirk of satisfaction, Sesshomaru walked over to the stone steps at the other side of the enormous tub and got out. Walking naked into his bedchamber, his manservant, Koyouu, hurried over to him with a towel, dried him off and helped dress him.

Sesshomaru dressed in a navy blue kimono and hakama with a white obi, a white crescent moon graced the back of the kimono. Sitting down at his vanity, Koyouu took Sesshomaru's hair down and combed out any tangles, then brushed it until it was silky and shiny.

Koyouu was excellent with hair. Sesshomaru had been a bit hesitant to bring in a new hairdresser after his last one died a few decades ago, however, Koyouu was just as good as Riku, maybe even better.

However, the first day Koyouu had come in; he had been awfully chatty and talkative.

He had learned quickly, that silence was something Sesshomaru valued greatly. Those working directly with Sesshomaru knew the one rule that kept you alive and employed:

Do not speak unless spoken to, and when spoken to make your answer quick, short and to the point.

So far, Koyouu seemed to understand that rule.

Once his hair was brushed to perfection, and his clothes were in order, Sesshomaru left his bedroom and walked down the hall towards Kagome's bedchamber. Before he could reach her door however, he was intercepted by a most unwelcomed guest.

The corner of his lip turned down in annoyance.

"Do not try this Sesshomaru's patience, woman," he warned before she could even say a word.

Kurai looked a bit of a mess. There were several patches of hair missing from her scalp. Her face was stained with tears; her kimono dirty at the knees as if she had been kneeling down in the dirt. Sesshomaru felt an ache creep up his neck, the warning signs of a headache. What he had seen in this woman, he would never know. Every three months he went into heat, during the heat, an Inu youkai male was mad with lust, and if the male did not have a mate with which to sate his lust, he would turn to the nearest female.

Kurai must have been around him at that time, for he surely did not remember much about that one night.

He was damn sure he had no desire for a repeat.

Despite the fact that she was the worst woman he had ever rutted with, she was not completely sane. Her brother Mahou had explained the girls' condition to him. Apparently she suffered from split personality, at times she believed she was Hikari, her eyes and hair even changed color, and at times she believed she was Kurai.

With a sob, Kurai/Hikari threw herself onto his leg, squeezing tight. Sesshomaru sighed in irritation.

"P-Please, d-don't go! Don't no! Please love please, please," she sobbed into his hakama, too distraught to make any sense.

In Kurai's mind, the thoughts jumbled together, everything wanting to come out at once. She had so much to say, so much she needed him to understand.

Sesshomaru's brows lowered at her incoherent ramblings.

"Oh Kami please don't! No good for you her! Come stay me, we I."

Reaching down, Sesshomaru touched the back of her head softly. Kurai looked up at him, hope and love shinning in her purple eyes. Pain shot up her skull as he grabbed a fistful of what was left of her hair, and pulled her up on her toes, amber eyes narrowed, face as cold as ice.

"Move aside woman. You have wasted enough of this Sesshomaru's time. Do no think for a moment that I am unaware of your involvement in the incident that occurred last night with the Evil Six. You breathe only because of your mental illness your brother explained to this Sesshomaru. Interfere once more, Kurai or Hikari, whom ever you are, and you will die. This Sesshomaru will give you but this one warning, heed it well."

That said, Sesshomaru dropped her onto the ground. Kurai lay there, unmoving. Stepping over her, he continued on his way to Kagome's room.

"But…I love you…."

"You are pathetic. This Sesshomaru would not lower himself to mate one such as you," Sesshomaru informed her as he disappeared down the hall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kagome looked at her reflection in surprise. Was that really her? She looked…beautiful.

Her hair was pined up in a complex style; a few strands lose framing her face. A touch of navy blue eye shadow had been applied to her eyelids, enhancing her honey brown eyes. The kimono pure white; a navy blue crescent moon expertly crafted on the back. It hung from her shoulders, showing off her abundant cleavage. The obi was tied tight, making her waist look even smaller, accenting the flare of her hips, trailing behind her in silken waves.

It had to be the most extravagant thing she'd ever worn.

It wasn't uncomfortable, and Kagome really liked the kimono and everything but it just wasn't her.

Simple kimono's was what she was used to. She much more preferred her regular kimonos; this one would draw the attention of many people. Something Kagome didn't want. She hated being the center of attention. She usually avoided it.

Kagura appeared in the mirror behind her, straightening Kagome's hair once more before giving her a good look over.

"Kagome, you look beautiful," Kagura said.

Kagome smiled and blushed.

"You think so?"

Kagura nodded.

"I kind of feel like a princess in this extravagant kimono," Kagome giggled.

Kagura laughed as well.

"You could definitely pass for one."

A knock sounded at the door.

Kagome felt her anger spike instantly. Kagura placed a comforting hand on her back and went to answer the door. Lord Sesshomaru filled the door frame, sucking the air out of the room with his presence. Kagome had to admit, he gone to great links to look more handsome than usual.

So handsome…so….sexy.

Flashes of last night's romp between the sheets entered her mind, sending an intense blushed to her cheeks and neck.

Sesshomaru lifted a brow, his nose twitching slightly. No doubt smelling her arousal. Kagome blushed even more.

Sesshomaru walked over to her, his body close to hers. Kagome suppressed the urge to take a step back. Reaching out, he slipped a large hand around her waist and pulled her against his own body. His lips crashed down on hers without a moment's hesitation. Kagome completely forgot that Kagura was in the room, watching her with a shocked expression, she even forgot her irritation with the man. Nothing else mattered as his kiss set her body aflame.

Though the kiss was short, it left her speechless for several moments.

"Come, woman. It is time we made our way downstairs to the banquet," Sesshomaru commanded, eyes alight with passion, "the sooner this banquet is over the sooner the night shall come,"

His meaning was not lost on Kagome or Kagura. Irritated with her self and with him, Kagome felt her anger rise.

"You can't just come in here a-and kiss me, Lord Sesshomaru!"

A silken silver brow rose once more.

"We are not mated yet," Kagome said before he could open his mouth.

"It is as good as done, this you know woman."

Kagome placed her hands on her hips.

"It is not. Not until tonight, and not a minute sooner."

Kagura came forth with a long, navy blue, sheer shawl and placed it around Kagome's shoulders.

"Here you are my, Lady."

Kagome was too irritated to take offense at the formality Kagura used, instead mumbled a thanks as Sesshomaru ushered her out the door and towards the banquet. The dining room was dazzling.

Kagome was amazed.

Hundreds of candles lit the room, quiet music played in the background, and expensive looking decorations of navy blue and white covered the room. The dining tables were pushed off to the sides of the room, a buffet of food on the tables, men and women human, youkai and hanyou alike danced across the open space.

The sound of a gong caught her attention.

Everyone stopped dancing to look over at Kagome and Sesshomaru standing in the doorway.

"Presenting Lord Sesshomaru and his future mate Lady Kagome!" a male standing near the entrance of the door in a plain navy blue kimono announced.

The whispers began as they walked through the row of spectators towards the two thrones placed at the end of the other side of the dining room. Whispers of her beauty filled her ears, making her feel shy and uncomfortable. Two particularly loud gossiping women were heard over the crowd.

"That's Lady Kagome, she was brought here for deceiving the entire royal courts," a woman whispered from somewhere in the crowd.

"They make a good match don't they?" another whispered.

The woman from before snorted, "I don't think so. Lord Sesshomaru could do better with-"

"You?"

"Well, yes, exactly,"

"Dream on," the woman giggled.

Kagome's cheeks colored. Great, now she was the focus of gossipers. Through her lashes, Kagome glared up at Sesshomaru. It was a futile gesture; he wasn't even looking at her. All too soon they made it to the two thrones. Sesshomaru saw her seated before taking his own seat. Lord Toramaru walked over to them, bowed, and then turned to the crowd.

Once the room was silent, he spoke.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to thank you all for coming and celebrating this joyous occasion," he began.

Kagome rolled her eyes, 'Joyous my-'

"My nephew, Lord Sesshomaru, has finally decided to take a mate. Lady Kagome of the Northern lands."

The crowd clapped. Kagome sighed internally.

"The mating will be finalized tonight, after the banquet. Until that time, let the celebration begin!"

With a cheer a loud cheer, the banquet celebration began.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kurai stood up from the floor, her face completely expressionless. Hikari had quieted and was just as emotionless as Kurai. Like a zombie, she walked sluggishly down the hall and back to her bed room. On her way to the closet, she passed a mirror. Stopping before it, she looked at herself in the mirror. Entranced, she stared.

Slowly she rocked back and fourth in the mirror.

Minutes passed, and she continued to rock until finally she stopped and focused on her reflection.

Moving sluggishly once more, Kurai walked up to the mirror and stood there, staring at the mirror for long moments. In the mirror she saw dark hair and brown eyes.

She saw an evil, despicable, beautiful woman laughing at her.

With a mad roar Kurai smashed the mirror to bits, beating it until her hands were cut and bloody. As her rage subsided, Kurai brought her knees up to her chest and rocked back and forth.

"She took him….she turned him against us…It's her fault…" she whispered to the dark room.

Kurai nodded her head in agreement as if someone had spoken those words to her instead of them being spoken by her. Standing , Kurai walked over to the closet, ripped the door off its hinges and slowly advanced inside. On the top shelf, she pulled down a sheathed dagger. Pulling the sharp blade from its housing, Kurai inspected the gleaming metal; running her finger over the side, up to the tip, testing its sharpness. Her finger was slashed open before it could make it to its destination.

Dropping her hand to her side, her blood dripped onto the floor.

Walking over to the other side of the room, near the window, Kurai began to write upon the walls with her bloody finger.

When the blood dried up, Kurai open her hand and ran the blade across her hand, opening a huge bloody gash and continued to write, staining the walls crimson red. Once satisfied, hands completely bloody, Kurai left the room and closed the door behind her. The halls were empty. Everyone celebrating downstairs in the banqueting hall.

The silence was deafening.

Kurai put her hands up over her ears, trying to block out the silence as she ran towards a window at the end of the hall.

The silence…..it was so loud….it was driving her insane!

Kurai threw open the shutters and without a second thought, leapt from the window, falling six stories to the ground. She landed hard onto the ground, crushing bones, her body contorting. Kurai felt no pain. She stood as if in a trance, dagger clutched tightly in her hand and walked. She walked through the small home inside the castle walls to the castle gates.

At the castle gates, two soldiers eyed her suspiciously but said nothing as they opened the gates and Kurai passed through.

She walked aimlessly through one village, completely unaware of the villagers that pointed and whispered.

Hours passed, and yet Kurai continued to walk. As she entered another village, the whispers and pointing finally reached her. The whispers however were not those of the villagers, but the evil whispers of Kagome.

Looking up, Kurai saw her.

Kagome.

Standing there in front of her; mocking her. She walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

The towns' people whispered in confusion as a woman stumbled into their village. Her hands were cut and bleeding. Her cloths, though expensive looking, were dirty and bloody. Her face was stained with tear streaks and smears of blood. Her hair looked like a disaster, as if she had been pulling her hair out by the roots.

She seemed to be in some sort of trance.

A village woman walked up to the woman.

"Ma'am is ye alright?" the village woman asked.

The woman didn't respond, merely continued to walk through the village. Fearing the woman had suffered some kind of horrible trauma, the villager moved closer, placing her hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Is ye alright?" she asked again.

To Kurai, the woman was Kagome. The words being spoken to her were words of evil, of mockery and hate.

"I have him now, Kurai…" Kagome was saying to her, "I took him from you…..he wanted me…..not you…..never you."

As Kagome smiled at her, Kurai snapped.

With a scream of rage, she attacked. Raising the dagger high over her head, she stabbed Kagome over and over again. Hands were pulling at her, trying to stop her, trying to keep her from killing Kagome. Kurai turned on them, slashing and stabbing until none were moving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sango sat on top of Kirara, flying high above the demons that ran below. The group had been traveling none stop for hours. They were more than a half of the way to the Western castle.

Suddenly, Kirara hissed, sensing something up ahead. Sango looked down at the feline in confusion wondering what Kirara had sensed. Patting her fur, Sango looked down at the group below.

They had stopped.

Kirara hissed again.

"Kirara, what- ahhh!" Sango grabbed a fistful of fur in surprise as Kirara descended sharply.

Kirara landed behind the group and Sango climbed down from her back.

"What's going on?" she asked the group.

"The scent of blood is growing stronger as we approached the Western castle." General Haku said.

"Blood?"

"Aye, lots of it. Fresh blood."

"Shall we investigate?" One of the soldiers asked.

General Haku nodded, "Aye, it is in the direction we are traveling, we may as well. It may take days before the patrolling Western soldiers catch wind of this."

Sango nodded in agreement, hopped onto Kirara's back and took to the air. They reached the village within an hour. Sango gasped in horror. The village was in shambles, dead bodies littered the ground; women, children, men and the elderly, none had been spared. Blood soaked the grass, turning it a brownish red.

The words "She took him" were written on the sides and roofs of the huts.

"What on earth happened here?" she whispered to herself as Kirara descended.

Sango slid from her back and joined the group below.

"Who would do something like this?" she asked quietly.

General Haku surveyed the scene. Though it was not exactly like the village, it was very similar to the village he and his men had discovered before they had stumbled upon the Evil six. The murders were not as gruesome; the people here did not seem as though they had been tortured and left to rot in gory poses as the other villages had. These murders were done by someone other than the Evil Six. This wasn't exactly good news in his book.

It meant, not only did they have the Evil Six to worry about, but they also had to stop another crazed serial killer.

A sound drew their attention. The soldiers unsheathed their swords, as did General Haku. Sango placed a hand on the handle of her Hiraikotsu and placed her other hand on Kirara's head as the giant cat bared its large fangs. A lone woman exited one of the huts, dragging a dead and bloodied woman behind her by the foot.

The woman looked more like a victim than a murderer. Her cloths were torn, bloody and dirty, and chunks of her hair had been painfully pulled out at the root. She seemed to be in a trance.

Sango relinquished her grip and took a step towards the woman.

"Are you alright?" Sango inquired.

The woman remained quiet, though she dropped the foot.

"Can you tell me what happened to your village?"

The woman's eyes turned mad.

"Fucking bitch…" she hissed at Sango.

"Huh?"

"I won't let you have him! I'll die before I let you have him!" she screamed crazily, brandishing a bloody dagger.

The soldiers reacted to the threat instantly. Charging forward, swords in hand, they surround her.

"Are you the one that killed these villagers?" General Haku demanded as he stepped forward.

"I killed no villagers! I killed her!"

"Killed who?"

"That brown eyed whore!" she screamed, "She stole him from me!"

The woman was clearly mad.

"Kagome…" she hissed, "That bitch!"

This woman, she knew Kagome. Hated her for some reason, what that reason was, Sango couldn't even begin to fathom. Most people loved Kagome. Kagome herself was kind and gentle, sure she had a quick and fiery temper, but still she was an amazingly nice woman. She had never heard anyone speak badly about her before, it was worrisome.

Yes this woman was mad, but to have such contempt for Kagome. This woman was not an enemy Kagome should have.

"You know Kagome?" Sango asked.

The woman remained stubbornly silent now as her eyes began to clear.

"You are under arrest for mass murder. Come quietly and you will not be hurt," one of the soldiers said.

"I won't let you," the woman whispered almost to herself once more tearing her hair from her head, "I won't let you!" she screamed.

A bright light blinded them. Sango used her Hiraikotsu to shield her and Kirara's eyes. The soldiers lifted their shields to protect their eyes, while Haku used his arm. When the light dimmed and disappeared, the woman was gone, leaving behind her cloths. Confused, they looked around, to no avail, she was gone.

A loud roar drew their attention to the sky. Flying off into the distance, a purple dragon disappeared from sight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kagome was actually enjoying herself. After she had suffered Sesshomaru's company for about an hour one of the women at the banquet had pulled her from her throne, with the permission of Lord Sesshomaru which had ticked her off to no end, and asked her to join the dancing and games. Kagome had danced for hours. Now she escaped to the gardens for a breath of much needed air.

Kagome walked the garden, inhaling the scent of freshly cut grass and fresh, cool air. Walking over to one of the fountains, Kagome sat on the edge, looking at her reflection in the rippling water. A tall and very unwelcomed new reflection appeared next to her own.

Kagome's brows drew down in instant displeasure.

"Lord Sesshomaru is not out here, he is inside." Kagome said, eyes flashing.

"I wanted to speak with you not him,"

Kagome stood and took a few steps away from the male.

"I have nothing to say to you," she said, "Now if you'll excuse me,"

The male blocked her way back inside.

"Not until we've spoken."

Kagome crossed her arms over her chest, impatiently tapping her foot.

"Fine, say what you have come to say and leave me be. You've already ruined my life enough."

The male sighed.

He had known this wouldn't be easy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Laters!

~Sessakag