InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Windows on the West ❯ To Bind the Western Lord ( Chapter 60 )

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

Disclaimer:  I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

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Despite all her time with the inuyoukai lord, she was quite surprised at how quickly she found herself alone with him and bound for places unknown – without the rest of the pack.  She should have been used to the way he always moved out swiftly once a course of action had been chosen.

Her mind shot back to the look in Inuyasha's eyes as she'd leaned into Sesshoumaru's arms as they'd taken to the air, and she sighed faintly, the past rising in her eyes for just a moment as she remembered back to her first days here, and the love she'd carried for him.

She still did love him, and she always would, but it was simply in a different manner than she had once thought it was.  And as he'd pointed out, she would outlive him by a great margin – but not Sesshoumaru.  He would always be able to be by her side, and that was why Inuyasha had relinquished his own place there to his brother... because one day, he would have to do so anyway when death came for him – he wouldn't have any choice.  And at least this way, he knew she was taken care of and not left alone.

For someone like her, that would be a fate worse than death in any form.  He could never knowingly do that to her...

Because he loved her.

After a moment, though, she put all that away and looked up at the one she was about to pledge her life to – and began to wonder.  Exactly what was going to happen?  He'd never said anything about what would happen after the courting was done.  Was it just consummation? She flushed a bit at the thought. Was he simply taking her away for privacy's sake, or was there an actual destination in mind?

Her curiosity got the better of her, and as she ran her eyes over his form, his hair and clothing ruffling gently in the breeze of their passage, she broke the silence that had fallen between them.

“Where are we going?”  she asked softly, knowing he would hear her.

He didn't answer right away, and Kagome, watching his hair flutter in the wind with mesmerized eyes, for a few moments forgot she'd even asked anything.  But then his voice broke through her preoccupation with the gorgeous strands of silver flashing brightly in the waning light.

“There is a place,”  he said slowly, turning his face down to look at her with eyes more intense than she'd ever seen them.  “It is where all the ruling inuyoukai of the West go to bind their females.”  He hesitated for a moment, running his eyes over her fascinated face.  “It is an integral part of the Western Lands.”

Kagome blinked, a little confused and not quite sure what he was meaning, but willing to trust him anyway.  She'd be finding out soon enough, at any rate.  “Um... okay.”

Reaching up to flick a length of hair over his shoulder, he inclined his head, once more looking in the direction they were heading.  “Remember... much of what the West truly is is hidden from everyone.  For my line, taking a mate is... more important than just choosing someone to bear our young.  Remember Bokuseno, and the heart of my lands.  For those who are born to my lineage, taking a mate is one of the most important things we will do in our time as rulers, because our choice also effects the future so deeply.  We are very careful about who we choose.”

“... okay...”  she said again, thinking that over, then looked up as he spoke again.

“That makes the mating itself special and much more than just a consummation.”  He fell silent for a moment, and then finished,  “You will see when we get there.”

She nodded, and silence once again fell between them, though it was a comfortable silence.  Surprisingly, she didn't feel awkward or embarrassed about what they were about to do, just a little shy, and instead of spending her time worrying about the coming events, her thoughts fell to her family and what the future would hold instead as she waited patiently to arrive and see what he meant with his explanations.

It soon became clear that he was taking her back to the heart of the West; as they approached the place that they'd entered Bokuseno's glade from before, Kagome hoped like hell that he wasn't talking about mating in front of the tree demon.  She didn't think she could stand that.

Still, not wanting to make a fool of herself, she said nothing and instead simply followed him quietly as he led her through the passage to Bokuseno.  Once they arrived, he strode to the tree and waited.

Kagome held back, staying behind him as they waited for whatever it was that was supposed to happen.  She was not surprised when the tree shook and his face appeared in the aged bark.

“So... Sesshoumaru.  Is it then time?”  he asked, his calm expression belying his light-filled aura of peace and happiness.

“It is.  This one has returned with his chosen and is ready to bond with her.”

“And you, little one?”  Bokuseno asked, his attention shifting to her.  “Are you also ready to be bonded to Sesshoumaru?  Remember – this bond can never be reversed, so answer carefully.”

Kagome smiled gently at his exhortation.  “I don't need to think about it, Bokuseno-sama.  I am ready, and have been for some time.”

“Very well then.”  The great tree rustled, and then a wind picked up in the glade as Bokuseno began to glow.  There came a loud crack, and then Kagome watched in awe as the tree before them split in two, both sides opening as though he were little more than a door.  Stunned, she peeked from behind Sesshoumaru as the glow began to fade just a little, and was silenced by the sight before her.  Inside Bokuseno lay stairs, descending into the ground, the same glow coming from the walls of the staircase as from Bokuseno, only not as bright.

When the trembling and rustling faded in the glen, Sesshoumaru glanced down at her over his shoulder with an amused look in his eyes at her wide-eyed wonder, and offering her his hand, said,  “Come, my little queen.”

She flushed at his words, a small, shy smile lighting her eyes as she put her little hand into his much bigger one, and without further ado, Sesshoumaru led her into the revealed portal, and carefully began moving down the wooden staircase.  

As they both stepped inside, the tree shook heavily once again, and Kagome glanced over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of the portal closing behind them, even as they turned out of its sight down the spiraling steps.  She was surprised to see that at a certain point, the wood of the steps became stone, instead, seamlessly formed together as though all one piece, wood and stone.  That same soft glow followed them as they descended, and it seemed that they continued down for some time to the astonished girl.

She felt no fear, however, as Sesshoumaru moved forward calmly, and simply turned and craned her neck to look around so as not to miss anything.

After a while the spiraling staircase ended, and the stone walls opened up into a small chamber of rock glowing many different hues in the soft light.  It was beautiful, and she gasped lightly as her eyes took it all in.  It was like being inside a great diamond, the light refracting and sparkling over every facet of the jeweled chamber.   She'd never even imagined anything like it.

“Is this where you are bringing me?”  she asked breathlessly, her voice echoing strangely in the chamber and actually making it flash and sparkle more.

Sesshoumaru looked down at her, his eyes watchful.  “Not quite.  This is just the entryway, if you will, into the rest of the system.”

Her eyes snapped back to his, taking in his solemnity, and she nodded quietly.  “Okay.”

Pleased with her understanding and her willingness to follow him, he let his eyes do the talking, and then after a moment, he moved forward into the next chamber, her hand still held in his.

All light and life disappeared so fast that Kagome didn't even have a chance to panic; before she could even take in and process the fact that she couldn't see and could no longer feel Sesshoumaru's hand holding her own, a voice came, echoing in the dark and swelling all around her.

“He does not really want you.  Not truly.  He will tire of you after a short time and cast you aside.  You should leave here, leave him before he leaves you, little girl,”  the voice said, an insidious whisper wrapped in a roar of sound.

At first, the words being spoken hurt – because she truly felt that she was not worthy of someone of Sesshoumaru's magnificence, of his perfection.  She was so marred and human, and he was high and puissant and like a star in the sky – to be loved and adored and dreamed of – but never touched.

But after a moment, it came to her that she didn't really believe the words when she thought about it.  Not because she thought she was worthy – but because she trusted the daiyoukai with all her heart.  She knew that he never said what he didn't mean.  And he had said that he wanted her as his own.  No matter how she saw herself, he didn't seem to see the same, and because she trusted in him so deeply, she was able to throw off the words being spoken.

“You lie!  Sesshoumaru would never do that!”  she shouted, still blinded to her whereabouts.  “You don't know him if you could even suggest such a thing,”  she finished more slowly.

“So you think you are worthy of him, little human?”  the voice spat, a sick amusement in its voice.  “You are worth so much that you could dazzle him?  You trust in your hold over him so much, do you?”

“No,”  she said softly.  “But I trust in him.  And you cannot shake that.”

“Oh, really?”  the voice said just as softly.  “He will simply kill you when he has had enough of you.  After all, it isn't like he hasn't tried before, ne?  It would not be any hardship for him to try again.  And this is who you would entrust yourself to?  Fool.”

Kagome growled into the darkness.  “Say what you will – I do not, and I will not believe you.  If you have nothing else of interest to say, then just go away,”  she snapped, beginning to get angry.

The return of light and sensation, the feel of the inuyoukai holding her hand came back as fast as it had disappeared, shocking her and hurting her eyes for one long moment, and she shook her head, suddenly uncertain.  Had that all really happened?  They were both in between one step and the next, and Sesshoumaru didn't seem to realize anything had happened at all.  

Anxious now, she pressed closer to him, shivering.  Just what was up with this place?

She couldn't help the surprised inhale at the sight of the next chamber they found themselves in.  It was just like the first, except smaller, though this one was like being inside an emerald, instead.  It was so verdant, so beautiful, and Kagome couldn't help wondering just where they really were.

It's beautiful... so green.  But it's the color of envy, of jealousy, too.  Just like that voice was trying to make me feel.  Jealous and mistrustful.  Maybe it was a test?

Indeed, it seemed to be, because Sesshoumaru seemed to be very glad she was still behind him – almost as though he had wondered...

“Sesshoumaru?  What is this place, really?”  she asked slowly, her eyes meeting his.  He didn't say a word, but the look in his eyes... yes, that had indeed been a test – and she had apparently passed it.

She sighed, but could understand.  He was the Lord of this realm, after all, and she should have realized something like this might happen – just from what had happened when she had first met Bokuseno and realized that there was more to the words, the heart of the west, than just a description.

“We can go on, Sesshoumaru, it's okay,”  she said, her eyes meeting his fearlessly.  His smiled at her in return as they moved through the chamber and into the next one.

She almost flinched, waiting for something like what had happened last time, only this time, nothing happened.  They moved into the chamber unchallenged, and this time, Kagome couldn't stop the awed gasp as she stopped and turned this way and that, craning to see every part of the chamber.

This one was deep crimson – like a ruby, and it beat, like a heart.  And that was when she understood – this was the heart, the true heart, of the Western Lands.  In the center of the chamber stood what looked like a slender fountain, about waist height, and it was this that Sesshoumaru led her over to.  She looked at him questioningly as she took note of the small dagger that lay on one side of it.

After a moment, he met her gaze.  “When I became a certain age, my sire brought me here as his had before him.  It was here that I was bonded to the Western Lands.”  His gaze flicked to the dagger, and then back up to her own as he seemed to hesitate, but then he finished slowly,  “It is also here that you must also be bonded to the lands.  You must prove your trust by allowing me to take some of your blood, without fear that I shall truly harm you.”  He picked up the dagger.  “Can you do this?”  he asked almost formally.

Kagome met his gaze fearlessly; nevertheless, she didn't answer right away.  She just looked at him, wanting to see what he thought she would do.  She had already proved that she trusted him – but did he trust her?  Did he think she might turn away and deny him?  And that was when she realized that was exactly what this was.  It was a test of his trust in her.

He held her gaze for endless seeming moments, and then without further ado picked up her hand and turned it over to expose her wrist, and with nary a word to her, sliced quickly across and turned her wrist over to allow her blood to drip into the fountain.  As her blood hit the crystal, a pulse of energy came from it that changed the beat of the chamber slightly; it came to her that the pulse was adapting to the addition of her blood.  

“That's why this chamber is so deep a red, isn't it?”

She didn't have to elaborate, Sesshoumaru knew what she was asking, and he nodded.  “Yes.  The lifeblood of every Lord, and of every Lady is added to the matrix.  As the beat changed when your blood was added, it adapted to your life's fluid... bonding you permanently to the land as you will soon be bonded to me.”

A smile just touched her lips as her eyes dropped to the fountain just as Sesshoumaru turned her wrist back over and told her softly that she could heal the little wound.  “You trusted me...”  she said, trailing off as she looked back up at him.  “That I meant it when I accepted you.  You trusted my words.”

He shook his head.  “No.”  He set the dagger down and then placed his hand over her heart.  “I trusted this.”

She beamed at him.  “So... is there anything else?”

His eyes gleamed mischievously.  “Of course there is... you are bonded to the land, but you are not bonded to me, yet.  And do you know how I will bond you to me, Ka-go-me?”  he asked, his voice turning sensual and dropping into a deeper register.

Mesmerized, all she could do was stare at him, not even noticing as a doorway appeared on the far side from where they had entered that had not been there previously.

She didn't so much as squeak as he pulled her gently towards it.