InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Remnants of the Spider ❯ Into the East ( Chapter 52 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Lady Sianna 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 03.24.2010 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 371 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 03.24.2010 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 371 | Status: Work In Progress
Remnants of the Spider
Into the East
__________________________________________________________________ ______
Submerged in the grips of a fretful sleep, Kagome moaned softly as she turned away from the gentle glow of a dying fire. The soft, lulling noise of burning wood was completely unheard to her as the inner depths of her subconscious mind fought to escape something unknown. Behind the lids of her tightly closed eyes there was only darkness, but surrounding her slight form was something ominous. It beaconed to her, taunted her, spoke words that were too quiet to decipher, but impossible to ignore.
It was dangerous; the physical embodiment of pure evil and it wanted nothing more than to bathe in endless pools of blood. Because of her kind nature, the idea of such death and destruction shook Kagome to her core; raked jagged, poisonous claws over her heart and forced tiny tears from her still sleeping eyes. Still the unknown entity would not relent. It coiled invisible iron bands around her, pressed her into the earth with its inescapable weight and panted its hot, caustic breath down the side of her neck.
‘Just two more keys remain hidden. You will find them and then you will come to me…’ the first clear utterance wafted through her mind. Dark, deceptively luring and teetering on the edge of seduction, the voice was masculine in nature, its musical tones sending a light tremor down her spine. ‘You cannot destroy me,’ the voice pressed on, ‘But you can control me. The current holder of the amulet is not powerful enough so you must take it for yourself.’
The invisible bands tightened around her and a rush of air escaped the miko’s lungs. ‘I know of your intentions little one, and I shall tell you now that it is futile. Even if you destroy the keys, I will still escape… eventually. My immense power has been slowly eating away at the purity of these wretched chains in which I have been bound. Another year? Two? Perhaps even ten or more, but the chains are most certainly weakening. I can FEEL it!’
‘Once I escape, I shall quench my long denied lust for blood, destruction and pitiless chaos! I shall destroy all that lies before me; slaughter men, women and children without distinction or mercy, and only the possessor of the amulet will be able to stop me!’
And with that final utterance, the bands around her were suddenly released. Drawing in much needed air, Kagome tried in vain to remain calm as the earth seemed to melt from beneath her. Alone in the fathomless void of oblivion, she felt the first stirrings of panic when a hazy vision solidified before her. In her ears was the sound of distant laughter, sinister and mocking as an immeasurable creature began to appear. Rising from the darkness, its massive form spread out and up, so incomprehensibly large that it blotted out even the sky.
Boasting impressive claws and three massive heads, the monster was covered head to foot in crimson scales. In spite of its great size, the creature was lithe and serpentine in appearance, though its heads were unmistakably those of a dragon. Its eyes, bright and crimson shone with an unearthly glow. From one mouth hung a scrap of cloth, covered in blood while another brandished a nightmare inducing set of fangs. The one in the center seemed to smile, its eyes fixed unerringly upon hers as rivulets of blood drizzled from its massive maw.
The distant laughter grew louder and louder and Kagome found herself backing away in fear.
“No…” she whispered quietly, her heart racing. “I won’t let you do it! I won’t let you kill innocent people!”
‘Oh, but I will. I will destroy and devour every inhabitant of this land… unless you take possession of the amulet. Only then will you be able to stop me.’
The laughing started up again and Kagome bolted into a sitting position, her heart in her throat as she frantically scanned her surroundings. Clutching her right hand against her racing heart, the miko breathed deeply as she gradually brought herself to order.
“Nightmares?” a silken voice queried, causing the female to start again. Looking to her right, Kagome forced a wan smile for the one who was speaking to her.
“Yeah,” she breathed quietly, “I… had a nightmare.”
Turning very slowly, the demon lord captured her in the shimmering amber of his gaze and for just a moment she thought she saw him frown. “What did you dream of?” he wanted to know.
Recalling that the dragon had recently become a touchy subject, Kagome averted her gaze as she considered what she would tell him. She stalled for time by unraveling herself from the tangle of her thin coverlet. It had been too warm to ensconce herself in her sleeping bag so she had opted to simply sleep on top of it and cover herself with something that would not suffocate her during the night. In her efforts to free herself, the miko inadvertently exposed a lean expanse of thigh through the part of her sleeping kimono.
“If you are meaning to distract me,” the daiyoukai intoned, his gaze drawing attention to her folly as much as the soft breeze that caressed her exposed skin at the same moment, “I am afraid the endeavor was not entirely sufficient.” then, a tiny smirk tilted the edge of his lips. “Although…” he trailed off, his gaze moving to her flushed face. “Your efforts were not unappreciated.”
Gasping, the miko glanced nervously around her as she quickly righted her clothing. She was relieved to find that her friends were still sleeping and had not overheard this recent exchange. Even Inuyasha, who was propped in a tree a few yards away, appeared dead to the world, his breathing even and slow as his head pitched forward allowing his heavy bangs to obscure most of his face. When she looked back toward the inu lord, she was surprised to see that he had stood and was now moving toward her. She watched with interest as he extended a hand to her.
“Come with me.” he said quietly, and Kagome felt a surge of fire rush through her veins. Feeling almost shy, she grasped his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet.
“W-where are we going?”
Instead of answering he said, “I assume you do not wish to wake the others?”
“No, but…”
“Then let us depart. We will return before they wake.”
Kagome gave a quick nod before stealing one last glance at her friends. When she turned back, the inu lord was already retreating into the nearby woods. Only at the last moment did she refrain from calling after him, remembering that she did not want to wake her friends. She quickly slipped on her sandals before breaking into a light jog to catch up to him.
When she was by his side again, Kagome looked up at him. As he tended to do, he was looking straight ahead, his posture relaxed and his gait unhurried. Smiling, she folded her arms behind her back and turned to the path ahead.
“So,” she began after a moment of silence, “Was there something you wanted to talk about?”
He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. “What did you dream of?” he finally asked again.
Kagome bit her lip. Drawing in a deep breath, she allowed herself to temporarily loose focus on the weight of his question, opting instead to take in the quiet lull of their collective footfalls.
As she lifted her head to look into the night sky, Kagome suddenly remembered the original story as told by Miroku. She remembered the original holder of the amulet, Youichi, was his name called if she remembered correctly. He had ruled the lands of the north and eventually went mad with power. As a result, his people banded together and formed a secret alliance with the rulers of the eastern lands. Together they brought the power-crazed Youichi down and in the end, the leopard youkai ended up loosing his life for his malice and insanity. She began to wonder just what the dragon’s true objective was. She wondered if it was actually the dragon that had seduced Youichi all those centuries ago; if it had tempted him with promises of power and grandeur, causing him to loose focus on all else. It was then that it occurred to her that, while the holder of the amulet might believe that he or she was in control of the dragon, it was in fact the dragon that was in control of them! It seemed to have a way of manipulating those that were in any way connected to it, and obviously the amulet was the primary connection. If the dragon could communicate with her simply because she had touched the keys, she shuddered to think of the influence it might try to impose upon her had she actually handled the amulet itself!
“What did it say to you?” the daiyoukai asked, his voice edged lightly with impatience as he paused and turned to look at her.
Startled out of her thoughts, Kagome stopped as well, looking up at him with wide eyes. “Wh-what?”
A shallow groove creased his brow. “You dreamed of the dragon did you not? What did it say to you?”
Kagome felt herself wringing her hands but could not be bothered to stop as she found a distraction in a nearby tree. It was not unlike the other trees that surrounded them, this particular one just happen to be closest. There was a crack in the bark too. It ran down the side that was furthest away from her and--
“Kagome!”
“Oh! Um… yeah, I, I did dream of the dragon.” she finally admitted and was less than encouraged by the thinning of his lips. Even though he’d agreed that they could continue the mission she was worried that this newest bit of information would make him change his mind. Not only that, but she hated to share, even with him this new vulnerability. When she’d first come to this time, she’d been nothing short of helpless, but over the years she had worked quite hard to gain control over her powers and had honed her skill of archery beyond the reaching point of even Kikyou. She had become more than capable of looking after herself, and now she was helpless again, in a way. But not even he could protect her from her dreams.
“It…” she sided, somewhat resigned. “It told me that it knew what I was trying to do and that it wouldn’t work. It said that even if we destroy the keys, it would escape anyway, and that the only way I could prevent it from destroying everything, was to take possession of the amulet. It… had this way of talking to me that just… it made my skin crawl. I could sense how truly evil it was” she added with a light shudder. “And, I feel like it’s trying to manipulate me.”
“Hn.” he finally murmured, turning away and resuming what appeared to be a leisurely stroll through the woods. Kagome fell back into step beside him, anxiously wondering what he was thinking.
This, Sesshoumaru decided, was not good. Such a development could do nothing but worsen if it was not dealt with quickly. It seemed that calling an end to the mission was no longer possible as it was likely that the dragon would continue to invade the miko’s thoughts and dreams. He began to wonder, just how much influence the creature could gain over her.
“Do you…” the miko began, retrieving him from his thoughts. “Do you think we should stop looking for the other keys? I mean, if it’s gonna escape anyway--”
“It would be prudent to continue with our original plans. It is possible that the creature is even now attempting to deceive you.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” she told him, her expression thoughtful.
The sound of water soon met her ears and within a moment they breached the edge of the forest and entered a small clearing. It’s center was carved out by a small lake, the silvery moonlight gleaming from its calm surface. A cool breeze, gentle and lightly scented of water and wild flowers, rippled over its surface to caress the miko’s skin. She sighed quietly, her frazzled mind temporarily soothed by the serenity in which she stood.
Suddenly, her wrist was captured and Kagome immediately turned to her companion. His gazed fixed on her face, he seemed to be studying her, though she could not determine what he must have been thinking. “Sit with me.” he said abruptly and almost before she could process his words, there was a light tug against her arm. She lost her balance for only a moment before regaining it again and following after him.
He seated himself at the base of a small tree, bringing her along with him. Helpless against the controlled pull of his hand, Kagome could do little more than wait to see exactly what he planned to do. A small, startled noise escaped her when she felt his remaining hand on her hip. He turned her back to him and very neatly positioned her in his lap, spreading one large, clawed hand over her belly as if to keep her from moving away.
A heated blush spread over her cheeks, but she made no move to resist his hold. Instead, she leaned into the solidity of him and gently folded her hands over his. A quiet sigh escaped him, brushing down the side of her neck and sending goose bumps rolling over her skin.
“I will not allow you to be harmed.” the quiet declaration rumbled against her back and Kagome sought the daiyoukai’s face from the corner of her eyes. He was not looking at her, but as he often did, gazing into some indistinct point in the distance, though there was an almost fierce set to his jaw.
“I know,” she told him, “I’m just… a little worried. That dream was just so…”
“It was only a dream.” he cut in, the unfamiliar need to reassure her asserting itself before he could give any thought to it.
“Yeah,” she breathed but was not fully able to keep the lingering traces of wariness from her tone. “It was only a dream.”
Closing her eyes on a deep sigh, she allowed her weary head to loll to the side, unwittingly exposing the pale, delicate flesh of her lovely throat. Not unnoticed by the male behind her, the dark strands that covered it were swept away with a careful claw. He did not miss the sharp intake of air, nor the temporary stiffening of her muscles. She had not rested well and was still obviously tired. He had longed for another opportunity to be alone with her, but now simply was not the time to pursue what he had in mind.
Still, an opportunity like this was rare and should not be squandered entirely.
Brushing the backs of his fingers down the side of her neck, Sesshoumaru felt a tiny smile tilt the edge of his lips when she shuddered, a soft moan escaping her lips. Giving in to the temptation, the inu lord followed the motion of his fingers with a firm press of his lips. The miko’s faint gasp only encouraged him and he created a line of searing kisses up her neck, the last of which was branded just beneath her ear.
“Se-Sesshoumaru…” she stammered, her voice laced with befuddled arousal while her fingers twitched spasmodically against the back of his hand.
“Shhh…” he breathed against her, the warm rush of air stealing a needy whimper from her throat. Leaning back against his tree and resigning himself to be content with simply holding her, he again brushed his fingers over her neck, as if soothing away the tentative desire he had invoked. “It will be time to resume our journey soon. You should attempt to rest before it is time to leave.”
His words, cool and quiet served to partially extinguish the flames that had been building inside her. What remained was conquered by the unsated fatigue that weighed the lids of her tired eyes. She wanted to enjoy this time alone with him, but her mind was already clouding over as the need to sleep pressed in on her. She could feel his powerful arms, deceptively lean as they wrapped more securely around her. He would keep her safe. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
He’d promised…
The heavy, even rise and fall of her chest told Sesshoumaru that the miko had fallen asleep. The tenderness with which he held her was still foreign and not entirely natural for him, but at this moment it did not fill him with any sense of discomfort or apprehension. Of course he desired more intimate contact with her, but for now, for right now…
This was good enough.
_______________________________________________________________ _________
It was several hours later, after a quick breakfast and the completion of their typical morning tasks when the travelers again consulted the maps.
A sleeping miko cradled in his arms, Sesshoumaru had returned to the camp just as the sun crept over the horizon, bringing with it the fresh, clean scent of a new day. Through narrowed eyes, Inuyasha had shot the demon lord an accusing glare upon witnessing their return. For his part, the elder inu simply ignored the poisonous glare. What occurred between himself and Kagome was no longer of the hanyou’s concern. His acceptance of this fact was slow and begrudging, but the fact that he’d maintained his silence was clear evidence of the whelp’s understanding.
Perhaps there was hope for the boy yet.
Their belongings collected and returned to their traveling packs, the huntress and monk resumed their positions on the back of the fire cat as they waited for their companions.
Inuyasha complained about them not getting going fast enough, and Kagome smiled patiently, zipping her bag before securing it on her back along with her bow and arrows. Her mood had improved immensely, something that plucked at the hanyou’s nerves even more. Her last few hours of sleep had done wonders to refresh her, her previous nightmare all but forgotten.
Ignoring the hanyou’s impatient murmurings, she made her way to Sesshoumaru’s side, a contented smile gracing her lips. “Ready?” she asked.
The demon lord glanced down at her, answering her question with only the secure, sidelong embrace of his right arm. His demonic cloud formed at their feet and the pair swiftly lifted into the sky.
The others were soon to follow, as they at last made their way into the east.
_________________________________________________________________ _______
I cannot begin to make enough excuses as to why this chapter is so late! My muse went MIA on me so I have been horribly uninspired as of late and simply could not force myself into writing. I am really going to try and finish this story, along with Absolution’s Pursuit before I retire from writing.
Any encouraging words would be welcomed and appreciated!
Into the East
__________________________________________________________________ ______
Submerged in the grips of a fretful sleep, Kagome moaned softly as she turned away from the gentle glow of a dying fire. The soft, lulling noise of burning wood was completely unheard to her as the inner depths of her subconscious mind fought to escape something unknown. Behind the lids of her tightly closed eyes there was only darkness, but surrounding her slight form was something ominous. It beaconed to her, taunted her, spoke words that were too quiet to decipher, but impossible to ignore.
It was dangerous; the physical embodiment of pure evil and it wanted nothing more than to bathe in endless pools of blood. Because of her kind nature, the idea of such death and destruction shook Kagome to her core; raked jagged, poisonous claws over her heart and forced tiny tears from her still sleeping eyes. Still the unknown entity would not relent. It coiled invisible iron bands around her, pressed her into the earth with its inescapable weight and panted its hot, caustic breath down the side of her neck.
‘Just two more keys remain hidden. You will find them and then you will come to me…’ the first clear utterance wafted through her mind. Dark, deceptively luring and teetering on the edge of seduction, the voice was masculine in nature, its musical tones sending a light tremor down her spine. ‘You cannot destroy me,’ the voice pressed on, ‘But you can control me. The current holder of the amulet is not powerful enough so you must take it for yourself.’
The invisible bands tightened around her and a rush of air escaped the miko’s lungs. ‘I know of your intentions little one, and I shall tell you now that it is futile. Even if you destroy the keys, I will still escape… eventually. My immense power has been slowly eating away at the purity of these wretched chains in which I have been bound. Another year? Two? Perhaps even ten or more, but the chains are most certainly weakening. I can FEEL it!’
‘Once I escape, I shall quench my long denied lust for blood, destruction and pitiless chaos! I shall destroy all that lies before me; slaughter men, women and children without distinction or mercy, and only the possessor of the amulet will be able to stop me!’
And with that final utterance, the bands around her were suddenly released. Drawing in much needed air, Kagome tried in vain to remain calm as the earth seemed to melt from beneath her. Alone in the fathomless void of oblivion, she felt the first stirrings of panic when a hazy vision solidified before her. In her ears was the sound of distant laughter, sinister and mocking as an immeasurable creature began to appear. Rising from the darkness, its massive form spread out and up, so incomprehensibly large that it blotted out even the sky.
Boasting impressive claws and three massive heads, the monster was covered head to foot in crimson scales. In spite of its great size, the creature was lithe and serpentine in appearance, though its heads were unmistakably those of a dragon. Its eyes, bright and crimson shone with an unearthly glow. From one mouth hung a scrap of cloth, covered in blood while another brandished a nightmare inducing set of fangs. The one in the center seemed to smile, its eyes fixed unerringly upon hers as rivulets of blood drizzled from its massive maw.
The distant laughter grew louder and louder and Kagome found herself backing away in fear.
“No…” she whispered quietly, her heart racing. “I won’t let you do it! I won’t let you kill innocent people!”
‘Oh, but I will. I will destroy and devour every inhabitant of this land… unless you take possession of the amulet. Only then will you be able to stop me.’
The laughing started up again and Kagome bolted into a sitting position, her heart in her throat as she frantically scanned her surroundings. Clutching her right hand against her racing heart, the miko breathed deeply as she gradually brought herself to order.
“Nightmares?” a silken voice queried, causing the female to start again. Looking to her right, Kagome forced a wan smile for the one who was speaking to her.
“Yeah,” she breathed quietly, “I… had a nightmare.”
Turning very slowly, the demon lord captured her in the shimmering amber of his gaze and for just a moment she thought she saw him frown. “What did you dream of?” he wanted to know.
Recalling that the dragon had recently become a touchy subject, Kagome averted her gaze as she considered what she would tell him. She stalled for time by unraveling herself from the tangle of her thin coverlet. It had been too warm to ensconce herself in her sleeping bag so she had opted to simply sleep on top of it and cover herself with something that would not suffocate her during the night. In her efforts to free herself, the miko inadvertently exposed a lean expanse of thigh through the part of her sleeping kimono.
“If you are meaning to distract me,” the daiyoukai intoned, his gaze drawing attention to her folly as much as the soft breeze that caressed her exposed skin at the same moment, “I am afraid the endeavor was not entirely sufficient.” then, a tiny smirk tilted the edge of his lips. “Although…” he trailed off, his gaze moving to her flushed face. “Your efforts were not unappreciated.”
Gasping, the miko glanced nervously around her as she quickly righted her clothing. She was relieved to find that her friends were still sleeping and had not overheard this recent exchange. Even Inuyasha, who was propped in a tree a few yards away, appeared dead to the world, his breathing even and slow as his head pitched forward allowing his heavy bangs to obscure most of his face. When she looked back toward the inu lord, she was surprised to see that he had stood and was now moving toward her. She watched with interest as he extended a hand to her.
“Come with me.” he said quietly, and Kagome felt a surge of fire rush through her veins. Feeling almost shy, she grasped his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet.
“W-where are we going?”
Instead of answering he said, “I assume you do not wish to wake the others?”
“No, but…”
“Then let us depart. We will return before they wake.”
Kagome gave a quick nod before stealing one last glance at her friends. When she turned back, the inu lord was already retreating into the nearby woods. Only at the last moment did she refrain from calling after him, remembering that she did not want to wake her friends. She quickly slipped on her sandals before breaking into a light jog to catch up to him.
When she was by his side again, Kagome looked up at him. As he tended to do, he was looking straight ahead, his posture relaxed and his gait unhurried. Smiling, she folded her arms behind her back and turned to the path ahead.
“So,” she began after a moment of silence, “Was there something you wanted to talk about?”
He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. “What did you dream of?” he finally asked again.
Kagome bit her lip. Drawing in a deep breath, she allowed herself to temporarily loose focus on the weight of his question, opting instead to take in the quiet lull of their collective footfalls.
As she lifted her head to look into the night sky, Kagome suddenly remembered the original story as told by Miroku. She remembered the original holder of the amulet, Youichi, was his name called if she remembered correctly. He had ruled the lands of the north and eventually went mad with power. As a result, his people banded together and formed a secret alliance with the rulers of the eastern lands. Together they brought the power-crazed Youichi down and in the end, the leopard youkai ended up loosing his life for his malice and insanity. She began to wonder just what the dragon’s true objective was. She wondered if it was actually the dragon that had seduced Youichi all those centuries ago; if it had tempted him with promises of power and grandeur, causing him to loose focus on all else. It was then that it occurred to her that, while the holder of the amulet might believe that he or she was in control of the dragon, it was in fact the dragon that was in control of them! It seemed to have a way of manipulating those that were in any way connected to it, and obviously the amulet was the primary connection. If the dragon could communicate with her simply because she had touched the keys, she shuddered to think of the influence it might try to impose upon her had she actually handled the amulet itself!
“What did it say to you?” the daiyoukai asked, his voice edged lightly with impatience as he paused and turned to look at her.
Startled out of her thoughts, Kagome stopped as well, looking up at him with wide eyes. “Wh-what?”
A shallow groove creased his brow. “You dreamed of the dragon did you not? What did it say to you?”
Kagome felt herself wringing her hands but could not be bothered to stop as she found a distraction in a nearby tree. It was not unlike the other trees that surrounded them, this particular one just happen to be closest. There was a crack in the bark too. It ran down the side that was furthest away from her and--
“Kagome!”
“Oh! Um… yeah, I, I did dream of the dragon.” she finally admitted and was less than encouraged by the thinning of his lips. Even though he’d agreed that they could continue the mission she was worried that this newest bit of information would make him change his mind. Not only that, but she hated to share, even with him this new vulnerability. When she’d first come to this time, she’d been nothing short of helpless, but over the years she had worked quite hard to gain control over her powers and had honed her skill of archery beyond the reaching point of even Kikyou. She had become more than capable of looking after herself, and now she was helpless again, in a way. But not even he could protect her from her dreams.
“It…” she sided, somewhat resigned. “It told me that it knew what I was trying to do and that it wouldn’t work. It said that even if we destroy the keys, it would escape anyway, and that the only way I could prevent it from destroying everything, was to take possession of the amulet. It… had this way of talking to me that just… it made my skin crawl. I could sense how truly evil it was” she added with a light shudder. “And, I feel like it’s trying to manipulate me.”
“Hn.” he finally murmured, turning away and resuming what appeared to be a leisurely stroll through the woods. Kagome fell back into step beside him, anxiously wondering what he was thinking.
This, Sesshoumaru decided, was not good. Such a development could do nothing but worsen if it was not dealt with quickly. It seemed that calling an end to the mission was no longer possible as it was likely that the dragon would continue to invade the miko’s thoughts and dreams. He began to wonder, just how much influence the creature could gain over her.
“Do you…” the miko began, retrieving him from his thoughts. “Do you think we should stop looking for the other keys? I mean, if it’s gonna escape anyway--”
“It would be prudent to continue with our original plans. It is possible that the creature is even now attempting to deceive you.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” she told him, her expression thoughtful.
The sound of water soon met her ears and within a moment they breached the edge of the forest and entered a small clearing. It’s center was carved out by a small lake, the silvery moonlight gleaming from its calm surface. A cool breeze, gentle and lightly scented of water and wild flowers, rippled over its surface to caress the miko’s skin. She sighed quietly, her frazzled mind temporarily soothed by the serenity in which she stood.
Suddenly, her wrist was captured and Kagome immediately turned to her companion. His gazed fixed on her face, he seemed to be studying her, though she could not determine what he must have been thinking. “Sit with me.” he said abruptly and almost before she could process his words, there was a light tug against her arm. She lost her balance for only a moment before regaining it again and following after him.
He seated himself at the base of a small tree, bringing her along with him. Helpless against the controlled pull of his hand, Kagome could do little more than wait to see exactly what he planned to do. A small, startled noise escaped her when she felt his remaining hand on her hip. He turned her back to him and very neatly positioned her in his lap, spreading one large, clawed hand over her belly as if to keep her from moving away.
A heated blush spread over her cheeks, but she made no move to resist his hold. Instead, she leaned into the solidity of him and gently folded her hands over his. A quiet sigh escaped him, brushing down the side of her neck and sending goose bumps rolling over her skin.
“I will not allow you to be harmed.” the quiet declaration rumbled against her back and Kagome sought the daiyoukai’s face from the corner of her eyes. He was not looking at her, but as he often did, gazing into some indistinct point in the distance, though there was an almost fierce set to his jaw.
“I know,” she told him, “I’m just… a little worried. That dream was just so…”
“It was only a dream.” he cut in, the unfamiliar need to reassure her asserting itself before he could give any thought to it.
“Yeah,” she breathed but was not fully able to keep the lingering traces of wariness from her tone. “It was only a dream.”
Closing her eyes on a deep sigh, she allowed her weary head to loll to the side, unwittingly exposing the pale, delicate flesh of her lovely throat. Not unnoticed by the male behind her, the dark strands that covered it were swept away with a careful claw. He did not miss the sharp intake of air, nor the temporary stiffening of her muscles. She had not rested well and was still obviously tired. He had longed for another opportunity to be alone with her, but now simply was not the time to pursue what he had in mind.
Still, an opportunity like this was rare and should not be squandered entirely.
Brushing the backs of his fingers down the side of her neck, Sesshoumaru felt a tiny smile tilt the edge of his lips when she shuddered, a soft moan escaping her lips. Giving in to the temptation, the inu lord followed the motion of his fingers with a firm press of his lips. The miko’s faint gasp only encouraged him and he created a line of searing kisses up her neck, the last of which was branded just beneath her ear.
“Se-Sesshoumaru…” she stammered, her voice laced with befuddled arousal while her fingers twitched spasmodically against the back of his hand.
“Shhh…” he breathed against her, the warm rush of air stealing a needy whimper from her throat. Leaning back against his tree and resigning himself to be content with simply holding her, he again brushed his fingers over her neck, as if soothing away the tentative desire he had invoked. “It will be time to resume our journey soon. You should attempt to rest before it is time to leave.”
His words, cool and quiet served to partially extinguish the flames that had been building inside her. What remained was conquered by the unsated fatigue that weighed the lids of her tired eyes. She wanted to enjoy this time alone with him, but her mind was already clouding over as the need to sleep pressed in on her. She could feel his powerful arms, deceptively lean as they wrapped more securely around her. He would keep her safe. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
He’d promised…
The heavy, even rise and fall of her chest told Sesshoumaru that the miko had fallen asleep. The tenderness with which he held her was still foreign and not entirely natural for him, but at this moment it did not fill him with any sense of discomfort or apprehension. Of course he desired more intimate contact with her, but for now, for right now…
This was good enough.
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It was several hours later, after a quick breakfast and the completion of their typical morning tasks when the travelers again consulted the maps.
A sleeping miko cradled in his arms, Sesshoumaru had returned to the camp just as the sun crept over the horizon, bringing with it the fresh, clean scent of a new day. Through narrowed eyes, Inuyasha had shot the demon lord an accusing glare upon witnessing their return. For his part, the elder inu simply ignored the poisonous glare. What occurred between himself and Kagome was no longer of the hanyou’s concern. His acceptance of this fact was slow and begrudging, but the fact that he’d maintained his silence was clear evidence of the whelp’s understanding.
Perhaps there was hope for the boy yet.
Their belongings collected and returned to their traveling packs, the huntress and monk resumed their positions on the back of the fire cat as they waited for their companions.
Inuyasha complained about them not getting going fast enough, and Kagome smiled patiently, zipping her bag before securing it on her back along with her bow and arrows. Her mood had improved immensely, something that plucked at the hanyou’s nerves even more. Her last few hours of sleep had done wonders to refresh her, her previous nightmare all but forgotten.
Ignoring the hanyou’s impatient murmurings, she made her way to Sesshoumaru’s side, a contented smile gracing her lips. “Ready?” she asked.
The demon lord glanced down at her, answering her question with only the secure, sidelong embrace of his right arm. His demonic cloud formed at their feet and the pair swiftly lifted into the sky.
The others were soon to follow, as they at last made their way into the east.
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I cannot begin to make enough excuses as to why this chapter is so late! My muse went MIA on me so I have been horribly uninspired as of late and simply could not force myself into writing. I am really going to try and finish this story, along with Absolution’s Pursuit before I retire from writing.
Any encouraging words would be welcomed and appreciated!