InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ To Fall into Rut ❯ Chapter 4: To be Shamed ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Summary:

Sesshoumaru has been captured, and to make matters worst, he is about to go into his first rut. Kagome, a traveling miko, is kidnapped to serve as his outlet so his beast wouldn't escape in a lustful rage.

To Fall into Rut

Chapter 4: To be Shamed

Clanking sounds rang throughout the small cell, echoing over and over again as the sounds of rusty hinges grinding against each other pierced Sesshoumaru's sensitive ears painfully. He was crouched over Kagome's form protectively, as the two monks who had inflicted torture on him a few days ago strode into the cell he was currently imprisoned in, throwing disdainful looks his way as they noticed how he used his body to shield the miko's revealing one from their perverted glances. One of them drawled disdainfully, “We aren't interested in her, demon. But it is only for now. Currently, we are too busy thinking of all the lovely ways to rip you apart mentally, emotionally, and physically.”

The other monk continued as he shared a not-so-secretive leer with his partner, “Of course, we aren't totally immune to a woman's charm; especially since that miko in your arms looks exceptionally delectable.” He licked his lips and taunted Kagome, “How would you like for some real whipping on that rounded ass, slut? I bet you'll like it.”

Kagome's hazel eyes were wide and frightened, her limbs trembling from exhaustion and fear so strong that she felt bile rising in her throat. “Please,” she begged, enclosed within the protective circle of Sesshoumaru's arms, “don't harm him. I'll do anything you ask me to, just please don't torture him.”

Sesshoumaru remained tensed as the monk, who had started the taunting earlier on, bared his blunt human teeth at her in a sinister smile that allowed her to smell the unwashed scent of his breath, “You think to bargain with me, miko? Do you want my touch that much? I'd indulge your dirty body right now, but I still have an annoying demon lord to take care of first. So just sit still and watch as we degrade his perfect body before your very eyes. Don't worry, whore; we'll do the same to you later. It turns you on doesn't it? I know it does. I can smell the sweet, tantalizing scent of your arousal.”

A loud roar suddenly shook the cell as Sesshoumaru's eyes bled red in anger at the tone they had taken with his bitch. At that, the other male turned to focus his full attention on Sesshoumaru as a sneer twisted his lips hideously, “So eager for torture are you, demon filth? I'm feeling particularly gracious today, so I shall indulge you.” With that, he and his partner unceremoniously dragged Sesshoumaru a little further away from where Kagome lay and begun to have their fun with the most magnificent specimen of a demon male.

At first, Sesshoumaru growled and snapped at them as they tried to wrench him away from Kagome, but soon, a familiar lethargy took over his senses and he knew without a doubt that Ungai's blasted collar was draining his youki. Sesshoumaru thought only the monks and their power had the ability to accomplish such a feat, but he had obviously been wrong in his assumptions. Losing the strength to fight, Sesshoumaru's muscles slowly relaxed as drowsiness threatened to take his consciousness away. Wearily, he registered a distant scream as small hands tried to grab him away from his captors, to no avail. His eyes were only half open as he saw the blurred form of Kagome reaching for him through the inky darkness that was engulfing his vision. Even so, he did not completely lose all consciousness; he still felt the frightened gaze of Kagome frantically roving over his unmoving body.

Kagome could only watch helplessly as the cruel monks dragged his heavy body across the cell and chained him to the wall to keep him upright, it also provided Kagome with a better view of how they were going to degrade his body with torture. Shaking her head desperately, Kagome bit her lip till the luscious flesh bled as she cried softly to herself, “Stop this. Please, someone…anyone, save him.”

Even through his drowsiness, Sesshoumaru could hear the heartbreaking sobs of Kagome's despair and tried to reach out to her to comfort her. He focused, trying to sharpen his blurred vision so that he could see her clearly. Before his hand could even reach towards her, one of the monks slammed the base of his staff onto the back of his head, knocking him out completely for a moment as he slumped against the wall, his head fell limp and his chin brushed lightly against his chest. His silver hair fell over his cheeks, shielding his face from the others. A bruise blossomed slowly over his neck, at the area of contact with the staff, and it stood out in stark contrast against his porcelain skin.

The monk responsible for it let a perverse smirk stretch his lips maniacally, while Kagome felt numb at witnessing the cruelty being done to Sesshoumaru. She watched in horror as one of the men uncoiled a long length of a leather whip that looked worn and well-used. “Sesshoumaru,” she gasped in worry, her knuckles white as she twisted her hands in the edges of her robe helplessly.

As if he had heard her barely audible whisper, the monk who had knocked Sesshoumaru out turned to Kagome and grinned, a sinister parody of something that was meant to convey happiness. He indicated the suspended body of Sesshoumaru and laughed in dark amusement, “I personally think the demon filth looks a lot better roughed up. What do you think?”

Tears rose unbidden into her eyes as she flinched at the first crack of the whip against the flawless pale skin of Sesshoumaru's back. She stared in wide-eyed horror as the gold tinted red blood started to flow in rivulets down his back. Kagome could only shake her head repeatedly in denial of the monk's words as hot tears trailed continuously down her cheeks, which had drained of color, as another loud crack of the whip striking against flesh echoed hollowly through the dungeon. He writhed with the burning pain that refused to go away without the immediate healing his youki provided. His body twisted and turned in the chains holding him as he thrashed around in his bindings, his base instinct screaming at him to escape the pain, to destroy the source of the agony.

“Sesshoumaru!” She screamed in helpless desperation, scrambling towards his unconscious body without thinking of her own safety first; pushing aside one of the monks who held no resistance against her in his temporary shock at the fact that she had dared to launch at the demon in worry, even at the risk of angering them further. Kagome reached Sesshoumaru's body and hugged his injured one to hers tightly, careful not to aggravate his wounds as she murmured senseless apologies into the sharp shell of his elfin ears while cradling his head soothingly. The monk who was pushed aside fell to the floor; face blank in utter confusion at her audacity as the other male let out a primal growl of insignificant human fury at her daring act of defiance. In his anger, the monk ignored her soft, desperate whispers and wrenched her away from her demon lord by the back of the robe she wore loosely, causing the cloth to slide off one side of her slender shoulders. Slamming into the opposite wall near Sesshoumaru, Kagome cried out at the wrenching pain that tore at the shoulder that had hit the wall. A loud crack not unlike the sound of the whip hitting Sesshoumaru's flesh rang out once more, except this time it was she who was injured.

The ominous crack rang clear in Sesshoumaru's sharp ears brought him from his unconsciousness as he realized that the vile vermin had thrown Kagome against the wall, causing the shoulder that had collided with the stone wall to dislocate due to the extreme force the monk had used. Even Kagome herself seemed to be aware of this morbidly horrifying fact as she sat where she had landed, dazed as her unhurt hand fluttered over her dislocated shoulder in a breezy caress.

Eyes that were slowly turning a dull red blazed with bright crimson once more as a roar shook the dungeon's foundation, “How dare you touch what's mine!” The bestial voice that emerged from Sesshoumaru's raw throat was harsh and induced strong fear into the hearts of the two monks who were both suspended in motion, even though he could do nothing to them while tied up. The one who had been pushed by Kagome still lay in the same position in which he had landed in earlier on, while the other monk stared in surprise at the hand that he had used to fling the miko away from the demon filth. Red-hot anger burned through Sesshoumaru's veins, and he found himself baring his fangs uselessly as he strained against his manacles. They didn't give way under his feeble strength since his youki was still being steadily drawn out of him with the use of Ungai's collar. Sesshoumaru cursed the predicament he was in and continued to strain fruitlessly against his bindings although he already knew it was of no use. Another deep, rumbling growl tore itself viciously from his throat and that managed to snap Kagome from her dazed.

Her trembling voice stopped his fervent growls. “I'm fine, Sesshoumaru.” As Kagome said this, she slowly stood from the spot where she had landed when she was pushed away by one of the monks and straightened herself carefully. A sharp pain wrenched through her injured shoulder at her fruitless attempts to straighten the arm she cradled gingerly. Eventually, Kagome left her arm curled on her chest and adjusted her robe clumsily to ensure that her shoulder was clothed once more. She tried once again to reason with the monks who still remained motionless, “Why do you need to always make him suffer anyway? What did he ever do to you?”

As her pleading voice filtered through their shocked minds, the two men twisted their lips wryly as one replied, “Apart from killing our comrades in cold blood you mean? Oh, I guess he didn't do much except for that.” His voice was saturated with hatred as he continued, “Must he kill us before we have the right to make him suffer for his past actions?”

Kagome bit her lip at this, and mulled that thought for a while before answering them, “Perhaps it's true that Sesshoumaru has killed your friends mercilessly before, but have you thought about his side of the story? What if you were in his shoes and were being attacked? Would you have just let your enemies capture you and use you for their own sadistic enjoyment without even fighting back?” She bit back a sigh, and then seemed to grow in vigor as she continued to lecture the monks in a stern tone, “I know I wouldn't have done so and I'm glad that Sesshoumaru had the sense to protect himself against human beasts such as you.”

Even thought he was almost lost to the beast that raged inside the confines of his consciousness, Sesshoumaru hissed out a warning, his voice deep and gravelly as he struggled with the weakness in his limbs, “Do not provoke them, miko.”

Turning to face him, Kagome shrugged defiantly in response, wincing a little when she inadvertently moved her injured shoulder, determined to prove his innocence as she exclaimed, “But it's true!”

Forgetting the excruciating pain of his damnable injuries, Sesshoumaru's eyes glowed with his fury at her lack of common sense. “Even so!”

The harsh growl was unexpected and caused Kagome to blanch a little. Blinking at him in disbelief at his rough tone, she stayed there for what seemed like eternity before slowly backing away from him and his captors into the furthest wall of the dungeon. Finally silencing the tirade she had intended to unleash upon the two men as she realized the folly of her actions; she may have become somewhat friendly acquaintances with the dangerous demon lord, or so she would like to think, but in this weak state he was in no position to even remotely try to stop them from hurting her should they choose to, and her actions would have invited their wrath had the demon lord allowed her to continue any further than she had already.

Bringing her knees up to rest under her chin, Kagome felt foolish for even attempting such an idiotic thing as she stared quietly at the frozen scene in front of her with a thoughtful gaze. `What on earth possessed me to do such a half-witted thing?' She was pretty horrified at what she had done after sitting down to actually think about it. Kagome didn't dare to think what they were going to do with her for her outrageous audacity.

By then, the two monks had recovered from their temporary stasis and were sneering at Kagome with renewed disdain. “You've just signed your own death warrant, miko. Escaping from here unscathed is no longer an option for you.” She stared at them with wide, frightened eyes as her body trembled with unbridled fear. She had a feeling that the whipping of Sesshoumaru was only a small sample of their cruelty.

Seeing her tremors of fear, Sesshoumaru cursed under his breath as he pulled harder at his constraints, almost desperate to be next to Kagome; to pull her into his arms and comfort her from the fear that she exuded as was his right. `That foolish girl. I warned her about riling the anger of those insipid fools, yet she refused to listen,' he seethed inwardly. Finding a seemingly unending well of strength within himself he drew it up and used it to continually push at his bindings. As if forgetting the fact that Sesshoumaru still lay within their reach of torture, the two men started towards Kagome with identical expressions of perverted pleasure at the thought of ruining her body with the coarse whip one of them held in his hands. The whip was still wet with the shimmering blood of Sesshoumaru's which had clung onto the leather, staunchly staining it without hope of getting it removed.

Kagome bit her lip painfully and curled into herself, hoping naively that it would hurt less if she made herself a smaller target for them to hit. Watching the men cross the dungeon towards the corner where Kagome lay huddled in blind fear caused dread to sink heavily into Sesshoumaru's heart, making him wish he was the one who was going to get whipped, even though he knew the pain it would cause. It was precisely because he knew how much it would hurt that he wanted to bear the pain for the selfless miko who had given herself to him last night out of sheer obligation.

The man who held the whip stopped in front of Kagome as the other one grabbed her by her thick locks roughly, throwing her flat on her face. As her hair was pulled, Kagome made a frightened yelping sound at the back of her throat. Sesshoumaru could only watch her being manhandled helplessly, there was nothing the weakened demon lord could have done to save her. Before she had a chance to straighten herself, the whip was already descending, on its way to tear through the human miko's delicate skin. Kagome's fear was almost palpable in the air, and Sesshoumaru swore he tasted the bitter emotion at the tip of his very own tongue.

A crack rang out, louder than any of those by far, and then there was a pause, a blissful, silent pause clear of any cracking lashes as a piercing scream rent the still air along with a ferocious roar before three more rapid lashes followed, echoing through the dungeon as Kagome slumped on the grimy ground. She couldn't even make a single sound, each lash shredding her delicate skin and driving her breath from her. The muscles in her body and limbs were limp. Lying on the ground and jerking each time the whip smacked across her back, tearing open her clothing. The way her body moved made her appear like a comical marionette. After the three rapid lashes, she was spared a short reprieve. Kagome's mouth opened silently, her throat frantically working to produce a sound, but failing to do so. She could feel her blood seep from the rents on her back sticking to the tattered remains of her borrowed clothing.

A small shriek was torn from her sore throat when another five lashes descended upon her bleeding back, tearing her skin into ribbons of flesh that stung so badly that Kagome was on the brink of madness as her glazed eyes rolled into the back of her head, showing only the whites. Her body shuddered when it wasn't jerking with the force of being whipped.

At that moment, Kagome could not control her human body any longer and she wet herself, the putrid smell of her urine pooled on the dirty floor alongside her blood, disgusting the monks. They taunted her mercilessly, saying cruel things, “Let's see how much your demon lord would care for you after he witnesses your pathetic human failings.” Chuckling maliciously the monk continued, "You're body isn't exactly as delectable as before either. Then again he is in heat he'll probably fuck you while you're bleeding and broken anyway."

Kagome continued shaking uncontrollably, dazed brown eyes rising to catch Sesshoumaru's red gaze as her eyes pleaded silently, desperately with him; begged him to do whatever he could to save her from this hell she had gotten herself into. He struggled hard, blinking away the moistness that had risen unbidden to his eyes at the pitiful sight that lay in front of him. Instead of scorning her lack of control, he felt an insane urge to protect the girl from such insignificant inconveniences. He could hardly expect her to suffer through what she had and endure it the way he did, she was after all merely human, and she had done remarkably well desist that.

None in that cell noticed that as her blood flowed freely down her ravaged back and onto the ground. Sesshoumaru's shimmering blood that was still fresh on the leather whip mixed with the blood from her wound, the whip having cut viciously into her flesh leaving strips of skin hanging off of her in tattered ribbons.

Unable to even twist her body in an attempt to ease the pain on her back, she could only resort to the last solution that she had. “Sesshoumaru,” her quietly hoarse voice finally stuttered out, after the vicious onslaught had ended and she been allowed to catch her breath; the uttering of his name, was a silent prayer to the demon lord for help, as a fine sheen of cold perspiration coated her forehead.

What a normal human could not have possibly heard was picked up by Sesshoumaru with ease. But her words took some time to sink into his mind as his consciousness was nearly consumed by his feral beast, that roared in anger at the actions done to hurt their bitch. Despite the steady drain of his youki, his beast was unaffected by the weakness as it was an entirely different source of power all on its own, one that resided deep in Sesshoumaru, it was his reserve of strength and not the youki he used most of the time. This source wasn't readily available once his youki was lost, however, only when there was a dire need for it, will the strength of his beast rise to his aid. As his beast came to the fore front of his consciousness, Sesshoumaru's crimson eyes pulsed twice, before glowing inhumanly vivid in its intensity as a howl tore itself from his throat, declaring the presence of his beast.

Another roar shook the cell's foundations and caused the unholy men to crouch down where they stood, hands sweaty from fear covered their ears as they turned momentarily deaf. Sesshoumaru heaved heavily at his bindings, the thick iron chains rattled as the nails holding them to the wall clattered out of their rightful places with the force of the demon lord's wrench, and with a final rattle the manacles broke from the wall with showers of dust flying through the air.

The second he was freed, Sesshoumaru reached Kagome in a blur of movement. His lean muscled arms cradling her lightly convulsing body carefully, making sure not to aggravate the long, ugly cuts marring her back. He whipped his head towards the monks. Sesshoumaru's vestige steadily paled to a ghostly white as his blood rushed to his horrifyingly widening eyes, darkening the red there, his lips peeled themselves back to reveal impossibly elongated fangs that threatened to pierce right through his lips. “You bastards!” He snarled, long tapered fingers curling into vicious claws that he used to strike out at the two men, raking their faces deeply, mercilessly. “Don't you dare touch what's mine ever again.”

The men clutched frantically at their ruined faces, feeling the disfiguration of their features as their expressions froze into irrepressible shock. Instead of retaliating, the monks hurriedly scrambled backwards, hands held tight against their bleeding faces in an attempt to stem the vigorous blood flow. Their beady eyes were a stark contrast against the sickly pallid colour of their faces, especially with the dark blood coating half of it. Without a backward glance, they fled the cell, remembering only at the last moment to securely lock the gate to the dungeon lest the demon lord chose that moment to escape with the precious, but injured bundle in his arms.

Sesshoumaru's bright crimson eyes stalked the retreat of the monks carefully; his muscles tensed and ready to retaliate against any attacks from the monks in case they wanted revenge for his retribution. After they left the cell, one turned back to snarl at the demon lord and his miko bitch, spittle flying from his seething lips. “Mark my words,” he said maliciously, holding his injured cheek, “you won't get away with this, demon filth! And when we're done with our revenge, we'll leave you to watch us defile the girl. The shameful woman, who calls herself a miko, shall be erased from this earth for allowing her pure body to be tainted by your demonic seed. We will not allow monsters to spawn from her womb!” With that last declaration, the monk followed the other male to leave. What he said was the very last sentence he would utter as Sesshoumaru laid Kagome back onto the ground and leapt at the unsuspecting male whom had his back foolishly turned towards Sesshoumaru.

With a feral growl that rang clear even though his face was stonily calm, Sesshoumaru reached through the bars of his prison and ripped his bloody claws through the human's back, killing him in a single, terrifying blow that tore his body into three bloodied parts. The air seemed to stop moving before the butchered carcass of the human monk fell, making an awful squishy sound as the soft wet innards met the dirt covered ground, followed by three solid thumps of the dissected body. The remaining monk screamed; a high-pitched sound of abject terror deafening the demon lord.

Sesshoumaru frowned at the source of the sound in displeasure. Sesshoumaru would have eliminated the source of his dislike had the monk not been too far for him to reach through the bars, and with his youki still being drained he could not have possibly used his poison whip on the foolish monk. The remaining monk was free to flee in blind terror, eyeballs bulging out obscenely from the fear coursing through his veins.

Watching him leave, Sesshoumaru's body grew steadily lethargic, his beast slowly withdrawing back into the confines of his mind as he blinked away the spots that danced across his vision. “Kagome.” He whispered her name as he turned in her direction, arms outreached to hold her in them in a surge of sudden affection as he moved back towards her. Using his body to shield the gruesome scene, as she had not seen what had happened due to her position on the ground.

Kagome still lay there; face deeply flushed with embarrassment despite the pain in her back growing fierier. “Stay back! I don't want you to see me like this.” Her weak voice trembled with her effort to speak firmly, but the words she spoke had been enough to stop the proud demon male in his tracks. The mutilated flesh on her back throbbed in a steady pulse adding to her agony.

Gritting his sharp teeth in annoyance, he said fiercely, “Don't be ignorant. If I don't care for your wounds, you are going to bleed to death!”

Kagome flinched, eyes shadowed as she remembered how he had reprimanded her earlier on too. She kept silent, not knowing what else to say for she knew he spoke the truth, yet she was adamantly unwilling for the powerful demon lord to see her in such a shamefully human state.

Reaching out, he gently moved her hair to one side and caressed the back of her neck soothingly. “I'm not going to scorn you for what you cannot possibly hope to change,” he told her reasonably, his deep baritone washing over her injured body, easing the pain with the beauty of his voice. Even though she was reassured by Sesshoumaru's tone, she still carried reservations about letting him tend to her wounds. By now, her blood had stained the dungeon's ground, the thick red rivulets soaking into the dirt as her wounds began to slowly clot.

`Her wounds are not clotting fast enough,' Sesshoumaru realized, claws biting sharply into his palms as he watched Kagome with narrowed, worried eyes. The thin lashes on his back had clotted earlier and were already white scars that were slowly disappearing to form flawless porcelain skin. Kagome's back, on the contrary, still sported vivid red slashes that pulsed with a large amount of blood still flowing from it. The strips of skin that hung from the cuts needed to be removed. The monk was hardly worried about her survival when he lashed her. Sesshoumaru knew instinctively that if her bleeding did not stop soon, she was going to bleed to death.

“Miko, why were you so foolish as to bring the monks' wretched attention upon yourself?” Sesshoumaru was curious, he had never seen such acts of idiocy before.

Laughing humorlessly, Kagome answered, “Isn't it obvious? I did it so that they would no longer shower their hateful intentions upon you.”

Sesshoumaru's thick eyelashes swept down to cover his eyes as he thought about what she had just said to him. “What did you do that for? I heal faster than you,” he said, pulling his shirt carefully off her shoulders, watching her wince as the dried blood pulled at her wounds where the shirt had stuck, and down her arms until it was completely off her. Once his shirt was no longer in the way, he tore her already ripped miko garment into strips which he then used to dab at the edges of her wound. Manipulating his clawed hands carefully lest he accidentally slip and cut her even deeper.

Scoffing, Kagome's tensed muscles slowly relaxed under his gentle ministrations as she sighed softly, “But, with your youki gone, you heal like a human. So I figured, better me than you. You are already weak from that collar.” Silence reigned for a while after that. Words hung unspoken between them; she did it because he was her lord and she was fulfilling a duty to him.

The long silence continued until Sesshoumaru broke it suddenly, “I don't want you to feel like you have a duty to me. Because you don't.” He was displeased that everything she did for him was done out of obligation and not because she simply wanted to. Yes, he was indeed a selfish demon, but he just couldn't shake that selfish wish away.

Kagome smiled and murmured, “I never felt that way, but if it helps, then okay.” She did not know if what she did for him was out of obligation or out of want and if it was the latter, why would she feel that way? The emotions he aroused in her were too confusing and this was only the second day she was spending with him. It was impossible to imagine how much he was going to affect her in the days to come.

After he had sufficiently cleaned the area around her wounds, he carefully sliced away any hanging skin from the wounds. He carefully positioned himself so that he wouldn't injure her further, one leg between hers, while he made sure not to brush against her bare back as he leaned over her. Leaning slightly over her from behind, he laved the long cuts with his tongue. She hadn't expected it and jerked from the feel of his smooth tongue moving erotically over her injuries. Immediately after that came a searing pain that robbed her of breath. “Ah, Sesshoumaru!” She gasped breathlessly as her body thrashed from the pain.

“Stop moving,” he commanded imperiously, the slightest hint of irritation coloring his tone as he ran his tongue sensually over her bloodied skin; the taste of her blood filling his mouth was beginning to heat his desires for her once more. Groaning quietly, Sesshoumaru laid a hand on her plush bottom to anchor her where she lay, preventing her from moving unnecessarily lest he got even more aroused by her movements. Of course, the fact that her soft, rounded behind was pushing into his large hand was not helping matters at all. It wasn't long before his cock was firm standing tall and thick, engorged with his blood and desire.

Sesshoumaru made growling sounds as his erection pressed tightly against the swell of Kagome's plump backside, paining him on an entirely different level. Kagome wasn't helping matters either, as she squirmed under his hand. He moved it from her bottom to the back of her neck, pressing her down to the floor. “Don't make me repeat myself,” Sesshoumaru warned, adjusting his position as he laid his disobedient erection between the swells of Kagome's behind. As he felt her soft flesh engulf him, he laid his forehead against her shoulder and groaned in undeniable pleasure once more.

The pain on her back had lessened considerably by now as her wounds had stopped bleeding, though they were still red and inflamed. Sesshoumaru collected himself enough to gingerly assess her dislocated shoulder before popping it back in place. A scream ripped out of Kagome's raw throat before she quieted taking in large shuddering breaths. Kagome became sinfully aware of the growing ache between her legs, and of how her wetness had spilled outside of her body and onto her thighs now that her pain was bearable. She could also feel the thick cock nestled between her bottom's cheeks as she arched, trying to get Sesshoumaru to press himself fully against her and into her.

“I said don't move!” He cursed as he felt how ready she was for him to take her; how wet she was. “You're injured,” He spat out, fists clenched in an attempt to deny the pleasure that coursed like lightning through his veins.

“Something's wrong with me, Sesshoumaru. I can't stop myself,” Kagome whimpered as she shuddered from the feel of Sesshoumaru's long fingers lightly pinching and caressing her stiff nipples unconsciously. His large hand cupped her full breast and his fingers squeezed firmly, reveling in the feel of her soft, plump flesh. Gritting his teeth fiercely, Sesshoumaru forced himself to calm down and to remove his hands from her body. He hadn't even been aware of slipping a hand beneath her in order to grope her. Breathing harshly, he tensed his muscles tightly with the effort to control himself even as he breathed her scent in deeply, nostrils flaring as he took in the delightful smell of her underneath the stench of death, dirt, urine and blood.

After a long while, he opened his eyes to reveal a less intense crimson coloring them, though he was still painfully aroused. Without another word, he gently draped the shirt he had taken off her earlier back over her shoulders, careful not to brush against her wounded area lest it cause her pain, though the deep cuts were already healed he was sure they were still tender. Turning her prone form around, Sesshoumaru slid her arms into the arm holes and wrapped his shirt tightly around her. Kagome winced a little from the silk brushing abrasively against the tender skin of her back. Upon hearing her, Sesshoumaru immediately loosened the shirt.

“Is it better now?” He asked monotonously, muscles still tensed as his cock remained erect, tenting his silk hakamas.

“Yes, thank you,” Kagome answered shyly, scooting away from her position in front of Sesshoumaru; she could still feel how the hardness of his impressive length had twitched against her squirming backside only moments earlier before he backed away.

Blinking away the treacherous haze of pleasure, Sesshoumaru reprimanded himself inwardly, `She is injured. I cannot be so thoughtless as to try and take her while she is in need of rest.'

Now that Kagome's back didn't pain her that much anymore, she occupied her thoughts with something else that appealed to her more than the sharp lancing pain in her back. Remembering what had happened earlier, she started blushing furiously at her earlier wanton behaviour. She fidgeted, trying to get rid of that achy feeling between her slick inner thighs. Even though she had placed considerable distance between the both of them, that did not hide the fact that Sesshoumaru could easily cross the distance within the blink of an eye due to the space constraints of the cell.

`What was I thinking! Rubbing up against him like I was the one in heat instead of him,' Kagome mused somewhat angrily to herself before turning thoughtful, `well, he did say I was in heat, didn't he?' Shaking her head furiously, Kagome vehemently denied her feelings to herself, `No way! Higurashi Kagome, has your pitiful brain disappeared? You're doing this to help him, no other intentions, alright! No, feelings too! Nothing else.' She slapped both hands on the sides of her burning cheeks as she nodded determinedly, still too focused on her thoughts to notice a steady amber gaze on her. `Nothing else.'

Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru was staring at her, his fiery desire tapering down into something more manageable as he watched her perform oddly curious acts. `I wonder what on earth she's thinking about,' he thought quizzically, watching as she flailed her limbs about and blushed a bright crimson. Tilting his head, Sesshoumaru continued gazing at her with a curious light in his darkened amber eyes. `Maybe she's still thinking about what happened earlier,' he mused, a small smile twisting the corners of his thin lips as he uncomfortably adjusted his stiffness.

“Kagome,” he intoned her name quietly, surprisingly considerate as he didn't want to startle her from her daydreaming.

“Yes?” Her cheeks were still red as she took her hands away from them and beamed suddenly at him.

A little taken aback at her abruptness, Sesshoumaru took some time before he answered her with a question of his own, “What were you thinking of?”

The fact that he still spoke monotonously didn't seem to bother her, perhaps she had gotten used to it. She laughed awkwardly and replied almost without thinking through her answer, “Actually, I was thinking about you.”

Sesshoumaru stared stoically at her, dark amber eyes hooded as he thought about the reason why she would be thinking about him.

`I can't believe I just told him that!' Realizing what she had just said, Kagome squeaked in mortification, “I mean, sort of. I wasn't particularly thinking about you or anything, but the subject kind of…drifted.” Kagome's blush only intensified as she uttered nonsense in order to fill the awkwardness that she had caused by her words.

“Cease your senseless babbling, miko. It's ridiculous and unsightly,” Sesshoumaru said, his tone brimming with boredom and the slightest reproach directed at her for acting so childish.

Biting her lip, Kagome reached out and poked him in his chest indignantly, “We're stuck in some dingy cell in the middle of nowhere with nothing except for each another. Even if I speak in a non-ridiculous and non-unsightly manner, who is here to witness it?”

A silver eyebrow arched high as he asked tonelessly, “Am I not a person who is witnessing your horrendous manners?”

“Well, yes, you are but you don't count,” Kagome retorted stubbornly, chin tilted proudly in defiance.

“And why is that, may I ask?” Sesshoumaru inquired politely, keeping his tone neutral as he waited for her undoubtedly foolish answer.

Frowning slightly as she mulled over her answer, Kagome replied, “Because we're fellow sufferers. And I'm not facing you in an elaborate setting so even though you're a demon lord, it doesn't really matter does it? That I'm not treating you with the proper manners you deserve and probably get every single day of your life I mean. It doesn't bother you…right?” She sounded uncertain.

Sighing, Sesshoumaru passed a striped hand through his thick bangs as he lamented silently the fact that this particular miko had a certain habit of mistaking every single one of his words. Horribly.