InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Of Gods and Monsters ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Title: "Of Gods and Monsters"

Author: Niamh

Rating: This story runs anywhere from PG to R, depending on the chapter. Any chapters that are NOT rated PG will be labeled as such.

Summary: Sesshoumaru meets his match. Let's watch. :) I am planning for at least one lemon scene in this fic... just in case that's not your thing.

Disclaimer: The Inuyasha universe with all of its wonderful characters is far too cool to have been created by me. ;) I am making no profit and no infringement is intended. (Truth be told, I'd probably be better off doing things that actually DID profit me...)

Author's notes: Be warned: this story contains an original character. I both love and hate creating original characters. I love doing it because it's challenging and fun, but I hate doing it because of the "Mary Sue" stigma that seems to accompany original characters. I am all too aware of the trappings that occur with Mary-Sues, and I hope that you will have enough faith in this writer to believe her when she says that this character is not a Mary-Sue.

Another note: I have taken some liberties with a few mythologies. If Disney can do it (and so blatantly), I don't see why I shouldn't be able to (not anywhere near as blatantly). Actually, mythology is a pretty easy thing to take poetic license with, since there are usually a few different versions of all of the myths. Teles, though the name of one of the Sirens in Greek mythology, is my creation. All of the other gods and goddesses have been plucked from their various pantheons and placed here for your enjoyment.

And, last but not least: Great thanks to Merith for the wonderful betas (and encouragement) and to Everstar for always being willing to help me ramble my way out of writer's block. You're the best!

"Of Gods and Monsters"

By Niamh

Prologue

The wind whipped wildly through the long, silvery locks as Sesshoumaru flew swiftly, appearing as though the breeze itself bore his weight. He dipped in the air, slightly weary after his earlier battle. His current replacement arm was almost useless to him, though it had stood up in battle better than some he'd acquired. Perhaps he'd relieve wolf youkai of their arms more frequently. He desired nothing more than to get back to his den and relax, giving his wounds a chance to heal.

That was, however, until his sensitive ears picked up a sliver of sound. Sesshoumaru slowed slightly, tilting his head to listen.

Music.

He shook his head, trying to dispel the melody, his body picking up speed as he did so. Before he could gain any velocity, he felt compelled to slow down again. Again he heard the tune - a wordless song, that much he could tell. Faintly curious, he stopped in mid-air and hovered, listening intently. The wind had caught the female voice and carried its lilting melody to the demon.

His face showed no change in expression, save for an almost unnoticeable furrowing of his eyebrows. The song seemed to catch at him, twining about him as it coaxed him closer to the source. Its effect was almost intoxicating as it tempted him down from the skies.

Starting, Sesshoumaru shrugged off the sensation. He was the Great Demon Lord of the Western Lands. Anything he did was because he chose do to so. He was his own master, and he decided what he did and did not do.

It was with this thought that Sesshoumaru decided to further investigate the source of the music.

The youkai followed his keen sense of hearing to a pool of water situated at the top of a high waterfall. The mists from the falls created a dense fog around the area, but did nothing to disrupt his vision. There, in the fierce current, a female form lay languidly, apparently unaffected by the rushing water around her. Hair the color of polished wood swum around her, caught in the current. Her eyes were closed as she sang, her head resting against the warm surface of a sun-baked rock.

Sesshoumaru blinked then inhaled deeply - she didn't smell human. He couldn't quite tell what she smelled like other than the clean scent of water. He floated for several more moments, listening to the tune. He was still quite unable to place it, but realized that what had sounded like a wordless song was actually in a different language - one he hadn't heard before.

The melody was soon interrupted by gruff and uncouth noises coming from the wooded area beyond the falls. The corner of Sesshoumaru's mouth twitched slightly in acknowledgement - wolf youkai, a filthy pack of them. The demon lord moved back slightly, so that he could view the impending drama unobserved.

"Here!" one of them yelled, gesturing to the rest of them. They too had heard the music and had been drawn by it. Sesshoumaru noted that while the singer was being surrounded by youkai, she neither acknowledged it, nor did she stop singing. Her eyes were closed and she seemed more intent on the feel of the rushing water around her than of the greedy wolf eyes watching her.

Then, slowly, one eye opened lazily, regarding the demons across the water. A faint grin tugged at her lips as she closed her eye and continued the slow, soothing melody.

Suddenly, with a cry, one of the pack members dove in the water, trying frantically to cross. The water caught him in an instant, though Sesshoumaru could see the entire thing as it played out slowly before his eyes. He could see the outstretched hands, the desperation in the demon's posture - he saw the struggle - not merely to cross the river, but to make it safely to the other side. To reach her.

The waterfall's grip was instant, and the wolf was sucked under and away in less than a second. Sesshoumaru lifted an eyebrow in derision. Fool.

The other pack members were not so stupid. Several of them jumped across the river, leaping from rock to rock, their movements filled with grace and purpose.

This time the female lifted her head and tilted it, her attention now focused on the advancing demons. She sighed slightly and lifted one hand out of the water. With a slow twist of her reed-thin wrist, a thick column of water formed from the river. As she flicked her wrist, the glistening column hurled itself at the youkai, sending some of them over the edge of the waterfall and some of them back into the woods.

The rest of the pack members were either too cowardly or (less likely) too smart to pursue, and dispersed.

Sensing with a sigh that her bath was quite finished, the woman crawled out of the rushing water, now humming softly to herself. Her soaking hair hung past her waist and clung to her body like clothing. When she pushed the heavy, wet locks over her shoulder, Sesshoumaru saw her fully. Her skin was not pale, as was typical of most females (youkai or otherwise), particularly in Japan. Instead, it seemed to glow like honey over cream. He watched openly as she covered herself in diaphanous white material, securing it snugly, and twisted her hair up, pinning it in place with several gold combs.

She then turned and gazed upward. Sesshoumaru blinked when he saw that she had caught his eyes with her own. They were an unearthly shade of green - and they were beckoning at him.

"I know you're up there," the whisper trailed up through the breeze.

Straightening his spine, Sesshoumaru floated to earth, regarding the female with a look of practiced disdain.

"So," she said, "who are you that you consider it appropriate to watch a woman bathe?"

"Who are you to demand my name?"

The female's chin lifted regally and her nostrils flared slightly. "Teles. Daughter to the mighty god Poseidon and goddess of the Sirens."

It occurred to Sesshoumaru that while he did not recognize her language, he understood every word. "You are not from these lands."

"No, I am not. I hail from Olympus."

The demon stood even straighter. "I have not heard of your land," he said, injecting a sneer into his words.

"I am not surprised." She sent him a condescending smile. "It is the land of the gods. A mere demon would not be permitted to enter." There was a perfect beat of silence. "Now, demon, your name? Or I shall be forced to merely call you 'Demon.'"

Sesshoumaru's anger grew exponentially, though the only sign of it was a slight inclination of his head. "Sesshoumaru," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "The Great Demon Lord of the Western Lands. My name will be the last word on your lips."

"Sesshoumaru," she repeated, as though testing the word out on her tongue. "Sesshoumaru," she said again, after a few seconds of contemplation, "you can't kill me. I am a goddess of the great Mount Olympus. I am immortal." Her tone was slow and patient, as though she were explaining the situation to a slow, stolid child.

"Then allow me the pleasure of watching you bleed."

She made a small, refined shrugging motion. "If you feel it necessary. Perhaps a battle might be better saved for another day. You are wounded, after all," she said pointedly. "It would hardly be fair."

These words only served to further incense the demon. In a swift, graceful movement, he had grasped the woman around the throat and lifted her, drawing his other hand back, allowing the poisonous miasma to drip from his claws. The green mist curled around the woman, who had closed her eyes and wrapped her hands around the wrist so close to her throat. Without warning, the mists from the waterfall collected, wrapping around them like a fog, effectively clearing the air of the poison, though the ground still hissed and spat where the acid had fallen.

Though the poison had subsided, Sesshoumaru did not relinquish his hold on the slender throat. Instead, he tightened his grip, his claws breaking the delicate skin, gleaming opalescent droplets beading where his nails remained embedded in her flesh. His nostrils twitched slightly - her blood didn't smell like anything he recognized - not human, not youkai. The warm viscous liquid collected at the tips of his claws and slid slowly down his fingers. Though she didn't appear to be struggling, the demon noted with no small amount of satisfaction that she had grown pale.

"Feh. Immortal."

Before he could drop the body, the skin that had seemed so pale a moment ago, began to glow. A terribly bright light blinded him, just for a moment.

A moment, however, was long enough.

A blast emanated from the woman's body, sending a shockwave through the earth and trees, knocking Sesshoumaru back, causing him to release his hold on her throat. He caught himself in the air and glared at her. She stared back at him with a perfectly bland, slightly amused expression.

"Yes, immortal." She lifted her hand and a faint blue glow formed around it. The demon felt himself freeze in the air. She held him there. He couldn't move.

The bitch was holding him there.

"Sesshoumaru," she said, her form slowly lifting into the air to meet him, "I do not know what I might have done to provoke your ire, but do understand this: a demon like you is nothing to me. I will battle if you like, but know that I can crush your bones to a pulp. Do not test me. I am a visitor to your lands - I would be far more impressed if you were to demonstrate manners more befitting a demon lord." With that, she released him, and Sesshoumaru caught himself once again, hovering in the air.

Anger lapped at his insides and he felt a surge of rage well up within him before he clamped down on it. He said nothing, only narrowed his gaze as scarlet bled into the amber of his eyes. Before he could fully transform, however, Teles grabbed his throat and held it tightly.

How had she? How had he not seen it coming?

One hand pressed against his chest and in mere seconds, Sesshoumaru could feel his ribcage contract, his heart tighten, as she seemed to squeeze him from within.

She released her hold on him suddenly, and the hand that was pressed against his chest, killing him, was soon supporting him. The two of them slowly returned to the ground and Teles removed her hand from the demon's chest. Sesshoumaru's posture remained rigid as he glared at the woman.

"Just because I can kill you, Sesshoumaru, doesn't mean that I want to. You're obviously a powerful demon." She smiled faintly. "And I find you amusing."

"Amusing?" he repeated slowly, clearly not liking the sound of that.

"Indeed," she said, turning and stepping away from him. "Amusing, intriguing..." Teles walked slowly away from Sesshoumaru, contemplating her words. "Fascinating. I have never seen a creature quite like yourself."

Sesshoumaru watched her form as it moved away from him and noticed for the first time how sheer the gossamer material wrapped around her was. It draped past her shoulders, leaving her back exposed, clinging to her hips as she moved. He swallowed. He could almost feel her hand tightening around his throat again, the sensation of having his ribs, his heart, his insides crushed with little more than a thought.

Inexplicably, he wanted to feel it again - that carefully controlled power. He had felt it in the hand at his throat - strong enough to destroy, aware enough to resist. Schooling his features into a neutral expression, he drew Toukijin from its sheath. Teles turned around immediately at the sound, her eyes the color of sulfur as she glared at the sword in his hand.

"You simply don't learn, do you?" she said, her voice low and even. "Perhaps I was mistaken in thinking you were more intelligent than those absurd wolves."

Again she grabbed him, and again she pressed her hand against his chest. Sesshoumaru watched her face as she held him there. He felt inexplicable heat explode in his chest, but his kept his eyes trained on her face. He watched as an invisible force caught at the tendrils that had escaped her combs and sent them ribboning upwards as though caught in a draft. Her eyes had narrowed slightly and her jaw was set. Her color was high - she was watching him as well. Gauging him, perhaps? Testing him? A faint sheen broke out on her forehead and Sesshoumaru smiled to himself - perhaps she was immortal, but apparently even she had limits. His chest felt as though it was going to cave in, but he grasped hold of Tenseiga and felt the sensation abate slightly.

Without warning, she dropped him again. "I've already told you once - do not test me."

This time, Sesshoumaru was ready for her release - he had counted on her momentary exhaustion. Like quicksilver, before she had time to recover, he grabbed her shoulders and flew, slamming them both into a nearby tree, nearly snapping it. He pressed his forearm tightly against her throat and held her there, idly wondering how much pressure it would take to snap her neck - and how quickly she'd heal after the fact. "And you should not test me."

The female did something that Sesshoumaru had not thought possible - she surprised him. The smile that curled at her lips made his eyebrows lower slightly.

The demon's body had been tense, anticipating some sort of reaction from her, and he was only marginally surprised to find them both flying upwards before both of their bodies came crashing down to earth. Sesshoumaru landed hard on his back, Teles straddling him, her own forearm pressed against his windpipe. She lowered herself down until she was face to face with him.

"Like I said," she murmured. "Fascinating." The last word was barely audible, even to Sesshoumaru's ears, and it was soon drowned out by the sound of a racing pulse and thudding heartbeat as a pair of warm, pliant lips pressed hungrily against his own.

When she pulled back, narrowed amber eyes focused on green, and with a deep growl, Sesshoumaru pushed upwards, sending both of them into the air. He shifted in mid air, pulling her arm away from his neck and shoved violently, sending the woman slamming into a large boulder, cracking it. In an instant, he flew to her, effectively pinning her to the rock. He felt an unmistakable shudder ripple through him as he felt her power surround them both. A small, satisfied smile curled at his lips before his mouth descended on hers in a hard, vicious kiss. When he drew back he was not surprised to see her eyes darken - whether in desire or indignation, he wasn't sure.

"Indeed - fascinating."

He lifted away from her, his body contracting into a small sphere of light, racing through the sky.