InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unworthy One ❯ Chapter 15 - To Soothe the Savage Beast... ( Chapter 15 )

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

**Not for Kikyou Lovers! This story contains violence, sexual content and rape! You are WARNED**

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor any of the associated characters. But it ain't because I don't want or wish to do so.




Chapter 15 - To Soothe the Savage Beast...


His rage almost knew no bounds. The bitch had tried to bring harm to his mate. He would see her pay for her trangressions. He would make sure that she suffered. He saw her look at him, as she realized what he had done to her. He eagerly let her see the evil gleam of knowledge in his eyes, knowing that it would only fuel the fear that was already taking her. She would never speak such vile things to anyone ever again.

As he watched her walk off in the direction that she had been banished, he turned his full attention to his mate. He could feel the waves of despair that radiate from her being, and it pained him to know he had not been in time to stop the bitch sooner. He buried his nose into her hair and the nape of her neck by his mark. He deeply inhaled her scent, letting it wash over his senses, trying to bring himself back to a level of rationale so that he could try to reach her.

It was not working as he needed. Her pain and despair were slowing down his need for peace. She needed him, as much as he needed her, and at that moment he was not quite sure what he should or could do. His beast was in control, and the anger that he felt was keeping his more rational side from regaining himself.

He had never had anyone he wanted before. Neither him, nor his Youkai. For centuries he had been alone, no one to care for or to have care for him. Either his Youkai side found the bitches of his experience, too greedy, vain, and demanding for his tastes, or his rational side found them too bestial, unintelligent, and boring.

As if from a distance he heard a voice, but it was difficult to grasp the words. He managed to force himself to look up, but only to see that face. The face of that hated hanyou. He would want to take her from him. That would never be acceptable. No one could have her, none could take his mate from him. She was his, His, HIs, HIS! NO ONE COULD TAKE HER FROM HIM!

**GGGgggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr**

"Miroku," said Inuyasha, backing away from his brother. "Start getting everything packed up and let's get moving to the cave that Sango found. Kohaku, you help Miroku."

"But what of Kagome, and Sesshomaru?" asked Sango. The Taiyoukai was still red eyed and growling viciously at anyone who came near. It was obvious that he saw all of them as a threat to his mate, and would not even let Kaede get near her to check her injuries.

"For the moment," Inuyasha said, "we need to give him space. He has lost himself to his Youkai and it is only by her nearness that he has not gone on a rampage."

"Inuyasha-sama," Rin said. Her and Shippo had stayed in the background when Sesshomaru had grabbed Kikyou. They knew not to get in the way of the adults when they were angry. "Rin can get Sesshomaru-sama to hear her."

Remarkably Jaken stepped forward, "She is right, Inuyasha-sama. In the past, Rin has often been the only one who could go near him when he is like this. She has never feared him, and he has always protected her. She can reach him, get him to bring Kagome-sama to the cave. If we leave Ah-Un, he will use the doragon to bring them with him."

Inuyasha was not sure that he should trust his brother not to hurt them, but under the circumstances he didn't have much choice. The thunder in the distance was a clear indication that the storms that could be felt on the morning breeze, were not that far off. If they were lucky, they might have just enough time to get everyone and everything to the shelter of the cave before they hit.

'Shimatta, Kikyou,' he thought. "Okay, Rin. Do what you can. We need to get everything, and everybody moved now," he told the child.

"Hai," she said, as she calmly and without the least bit of fear, walked right up to his brother. Inuyasha stood in shock, as Rin reached out and took hold of his brother's hand. As soon as the girl touched him, the Youkai Lord seemed to focus almost solely on the child.

Good, the threat backed off. The baka knew who was the better youkai. He would not take his mate. They would all leave or be killed. He bared his fangs, and let them see that he meant business, never taking his eyes off of the hanyou. It was he that presented the biggest threat to what was his, and he that bore the most watching.

Finally, after centuries of loneliness, he found someone who was powerful, intelligent, resourceful, self-sacrificing, and caring. Someone who truly cared about those around her, and stood by them with a loyalty unfounded in his world. She needed him, and he wanted her. No! Deep inside, something told him he needed her. No one would take her away, and the next time someone came near her to do her harm, they would be lucky if they died.

::What is that tugging at my hand? I recognize the face, she is also mine. She, too, is to be protected. Does she need me to protect her? No, I smell no fear from her. Wait, she is trying to tell me something. Perhaps she means to help me take care of my mate.::

"Sesshomaru-sama?" said Rin tugging gently on his hand. "Bring Kagome-sama with you. We need to take her to better shelter. Come...bring her with you. We need to tend to her injuries and keep her safe."

Slowly the Youkai Lord responded to the young girl. He stood, keeping Kagome tightly held to him, as Rin tugged at his sleeve, and led him over to Ah-Un. For the most part he kept his attention focused on Rin, only casting a scathing glare at Inuyasha as they had to pass him to get to the doragon.

Shippo followed as calmly as he could, behind them, bringing one of the sleeping furs with him so that Kagome could be kept warm. Rin urged Sesshomaru to mount Ah-Un with Kagome in his lap, and with Shippo's help convinced the Youkai Lord to take the fur to wrap Kagome up and protect the young Miko from the weather.

While this was going on Miroku, Kohaku, and Sango had gotten Kirara loaded down with the first load of their supplies and camping gear. When Rin had the Taiyoukai situated and ready to go, Sango climbed aboard Kirara and immediately took off. Ah-Un was hard on their heels.

It was only a short distance to the new site, and Ah-Un readily followed the neko youkai to the ground outside the cave. While Sango unloaded the fire cat, Rin and Shippo got Sesshomaru to dismount, and encouraged him to move Kagome into the dry cave.

Shippo immediately started gathering fire wood, knowing that it would be sorely needed. As soon as Sango had Kirara unloaded, her and Ah-Un took off to go for the others and the rest of the supplies.

::Good! A better shelter. This was good, as the weather is going to get bad soon. My mate is not well and needs a warm, dry place to stay safe. The kit gathers wood for a fire. This is good, too.::

Sesshomaru fought hard. He had to pull his Youkai back under control. He was no longer afraid that his beast would harm Kagome, he had already shown that he wanted her as much as he, himself did. But in the back of the Youkai's mind was the knowledge that his mate was still not well, and needed food, shelter, a place to be warm, and attention to the injuries that she was still healing from.

His Youkai knew this, but was not as well suited to seeing that the right aid was accepted. Being a possessive beast, he could only think of the moment and protecting those that he claimed as his. He would not know how to treat the kind of injuries that Kagome had. Simple, uninfected wounds would not be a problem. In fact, his beast was almost better suited to tending those kinds of wounds. But Kagome needed more.

Since it was something that made both of them feel better, soothe them and calming his youki and her aura, Sesshomaru was easily able to get his Youkai to once again nuzzle into his mark on Kagome's neck. He had sat down with her tightly held to his chest, and covered in the warm fur that Rin had given him. As the others were not around for the moment, he took the time to relax and relish the feel of his mate in his arms, letting her soothing scent wash over him.

The redness of his eyes, slowly began to disappear, and his blood to calm. A sudden, and unexpected noise caught his attention. He tightened his hold, his eyes bled again, and he growled viciously as he saw the hanyou and the others enter the cave. He started to stand, pulling his mate with him. They meant to take her away from him. They would never take her. They would not come near.

Everyone stopped, not daring to move, not knowing quite what to do, but knowing something needed to be done.

"Rin, would ye be kind enough to assist me," spoke up Kaede, although she was looking at Inuyasha. "Mayuki-sama needs some fresh herbs, and we thought ye might care to join us. Perhaps we can find what we need before the storms hits in full."

The winds had already begun to pick up, a sure sign that it would not be much longer before the storm hit and hit hard. Despite this, the old miko had grabbed the young girl by the hand, leading her out of the cave without waiting for a reply.

Sango turned to Shippo and grabbed the young kit. "Come on Shippo, we still need to find something for dinner," said Sango, as she ushered the kit out of the cave right behind the miko and Rin.

Jaken, Miroku, Kohaku, and Inuyasha remained near the entrance of the cave. With the bad weather rapidly beginning to move in, and the threat of other danger in the area, they were not ready to completely leave the two beings in the cave unattended. Inuyasha stepped back far enough to try appease his brother's sense of impending threat.

He didn't want to anger him so much that Kagome got hurt again. She didn't deserve it, nor could she take much more. Yet, even Inuyasha had to admit that he was stunned to see the care with which his brother's Youkai held the little Miko. The little Miko, who had been...was his best and first true friend, the one who had freed him from Kikyou's accursed sacred arrow and gave him reason to want to be hanyou. Kagome, the one person who had tried for so long to give her love to him and was now in danger of her very existence because of his blind foolishness, the one who would always hold a cherished place in his heart, no matter what. Finding a nearby tree where he could stay nearby, but not appear a threat to his brother, he sat down to make himself comfortable, hoping that his brother would calm down soon.

::Good, they had backed off. Even that hanyou, though not far enough for my liking, but he seems to understand who is the stronger one here. They will not take my mate. They will not harm her. She hurts enough, they need to leave her alone. It is they who brought about this pain she now suffers. They will not hurt her again.::

He kept careful watch on the hanyou. He was a rival, one who had wanted her for a long time. He would try to take her from him. The little green one didn't offer much threat, and in fact, was even now shivering in fear. Ah, the delicious smell of fear. The other youth was vaguely familiar. He might be a threat, but at the moment seemed lost in his own thoughts. For now, he could be ignored. The houshi, he had a bad habit of trying to touch everyone's female. He, too, would bare watching She was his. No one took what was his, and lived.

As the winds continued to pick up even more, outside the cave, it soon became apparent to those near the entrance that the forest was getting more and more dangerous. Soon, Kaede, Rin, and Mayuki returned to the shelter that the cave provided, and immediately set about building a fire to keep out the cold and the dampness. Sango and Shippo returned shortly their after with some fish that they had managed from the nearby river.

As they all took up spaces around the fire for the comfort and warmth it provided, the Youkai in the back of the cave continued to growl out a warning to keep them away. He had long since sat back down, holding Kagome in his lap, hugging her close to his heart.

"Rin," said Kaede, "try to see if you can get Sesshomaru to give this broth to Kagome, or perhaps he will let you give it to her. She needs it, if she is to get better."

"Hai, Kaede-sama," said Rin, taking the bowl that Kaede was holding out to her. She calmly and quietly walked up to the Youkai Lord. Again he recognized the face as someone that he was supposed to protect, someone who was a part of his pack, so it was not a problem for the young girl to approach him.

Unfortunately, the houshi, whose bad timing for many things was well known to the group, had chosen that moment to finally renew a bad, old habit. Just as Rin was trying to hand the steaming bowl of broth to Sesshomaru, a loud yell of "HENTAI" suddenly rang through the cave.

The echo and noise startled the Youkai, who jerked back his hand as he was about to take the bowl. He had just touched the rim of the dish when this happened, and in moving back, he accidentally hit the bowl, causing it to flip and unfortunately, the contents spilled all down Kagome's arm. It being fresh from the pot by the fire, it burned the little Miko, who responded to the pain with a near silent scream of pain.

Rin remained quiet, though it was not easy. She had learned long ago that Sesshomaru was not easy to approach when he was like this, but that he would not harm her. She slowly backed away as she saw Kagome writhing in unexpected pain from the hot broth.

Seeing that Kagome had gotten hurt again, Inuyasha reacted on instinct rather than thought. He leaped towards her, with the intent of trying to care for the injury.

"Inuyasha," Sango, Miroku, and Kaede all yelled, "Iie."

The still Youkai Sesshomaru, reacted to the perceived threat. His mate was in pain, and needed his attention, but that unwelcome hanyou was charging at him. He roared back his challenge and warning to stay away, still clutching his mate to his chest and trying to back away. Unfortunately, his back was to the wall, and the only way out was through all of those who were trying to get her away from him.

A huge flash of lightening only made the perceived attack seem more surreal to the raging Taiyoukai, and the ground rumbling thunder drowned out the actual words that all of them seemed to be saying. That hanyou was almost upon him, and he drew back a clawed hand with the intent of tearing out his rival's throat, acid already dripping from his claws.

Inuyasha saw the swing coming, and realized too late what he was doing. Thinking fast, instead of charging straight on at Kagome, he dived for the floor, trying to prostrate himself and keep the situation from getting worse. He closed his eyes, waiting for the blow he knew was coming, the pain of the poison eating into his flesh, and in fact, he even caught sight of melting rock as the poison hit the ground just inches from his nose, just before he closed his eyes.

The growl of rage was vicious and echoed around the cave, but just as suddenly has it had all started, it all came to a halt. The blow Inuyasha expected to feel never came. He finally opened his eyes, when he heard everyone gasp behind him, and turned his head enough to look at his now silent brother.

Sesshomaru could see what was happening. He saw the broth spill and felt Kagome react to the unexpected pain. He saw Rin stepping back, and his brother's reaction to the little Miko's hurt. He felt his Youkai prepare to attack the hanyou, and saw Inuyasha's last minute realization of what was to come, but he felt nearly helpless to stop what was sure to happen. But that was when he felt and heard the one thing he had not anticipated. It was the last thing that anyone would have thought possible.

"Iie, koishi," was the soft whisper, as a hand slowly crept its way up his armored chest. It kept moving, as though with a mind of its own, until it could shakily rest along side the striped cheek of the growling Lord's face. "Onegai, I need you."

His growl faded, as her scent strengthened, surrounding him and claiming all of his attention. It was begging him to stay with her, to be with her, to see only her. He looked into her face, her eyes, her soul, and found what he had been hoping the most to see. She was there. She was no longer lost to the pain filled, nameless void. She was with him, saw him, responded to him. She was reaching out to him, as he had reached out to her.

She smiled at him. It was a weak smile, but at that moment, he didn't care. To the Youkai, it was his world. The mate he had chosen and claimed as his own, wanted him and had come back from her self-imposed prison to be with him.

Without thought or even caring who was near or not, he captured her lips in a passion filled kiss. He relished her touch, the spark of life back in her eyes, the responsiveness of her body to his touch. He neither heard the others in the cave, or the raging of the storm outside. Nor did he notice when Inuyasha slowly drew back and away, as Rin came back up to the embracing couple, with bandages, and some medicine from Kagome's bag, and took the young Miko's arm and quickly cleaned and bandaged the burned area.

While Rin took care of Kagome's arm, Sango with Kaede and Shippo's help, took some of the tent walls, and with the soft soil of the cave floor, and some of the rocks scattered around the cave, they created a barrier of privacy for the Taiyoukai and his mate. While Sango supervised this, Miroku, Kohaku, and Inuyasha with some help from Jaken, were able to set up two more areas. One for the men, and the other for the women.

No one said anything to the couple in the back of the cave. All were just happy that their friend was back, and that she had found the one thing she had long deserved, even if it was not had the hands of the one that she had originally wanted.

Sesshomaru's Youkai was not yet willing to relinquish his control over the Taiyoukai's awareness. For too long, the Lord of the Western Lands had suppressed his darker side. He had denied so much to himself, and never truly realized just what he had been missing by doing so. His reasons had been his own, and ones that he might never share. But on this night he found peace with both sides of himself.

His Youkai had known that she was special, more than just a ningen, and certainly more than just a Miko. His blood beast had recognized a soul that was akin to his own, and when he saw that she was in need, he had reached out for her, desiring to hold her, care for her, and protect her.

Sesshomaru was glad that he had listened to his inner beast for once, unlike all of the other times, when he had just chosen to lock him away in the inner recesses of his mind and ignored the calling of his darker self. The truth was, his darker side was as much a part of him and everything else that made up the Great and Feared Lord of the Western Lands. It was the same as his Great and Terrible father, Sugimi-sama before him. He was not one or the other, but both. A balance of the light and the dark.

Somehow, even in her almost mindless state, she had seen this in him and it was that, that she had responded to. Now she was back, her body still weak and in need of healing and care, but her mind was back, and so was he. He was more himself now, than he had been in centuries, and while the rest of the world might not see what he truly was, she did. And that was all that mattered. So Sesshomaru left his Youkai free, let him have his right to feel and allowed him to possess the treasure that he had the insight to see was within his grasp. There would be time later, to worry about other things. For now, they both, the light and the dark, reveled in the feel of their Tenchi and let her warmth, and love enfold him as she made him whole.

His clawed hand found its way to her silken tresses, fisting gently into the raven locks, bringing her head up to meet his in a passionate and heated kiss. His growl of anger had died away, to be replaced by a growl of passion and desire. He could not take his eyes off of her face. The face that for the last few days had held no sign of life, light, or recognition. Once more the ethereal depths of cerulean blue, were focused on the outside world, and right now that world consisted of the Youkai Lord, who had cared for her in her time of greatest need.

When she sensed his anger, and the fear that seemed to accompany it, she responded in the only way that she could. Just as with her pup, she reached out to offer comfort, compassion, and reassurance.

Just as the storm raging outside that night, the Taiyoukai and the Miko let the burning of their blood carry passion to new heights, and for now, were satisfied to let the thunder that shook the earth with its very strength, give voice to the pleasure that they gave to each other. Only the two in the farthest reaches of the cave truly knew which sounds were their own, and which the passion of the storm roaring to the heavens. Oh, the others suspected, but none cared to venture their guesses and thus remained silent for the night.