The Tie That Binds by Drosselmeyer

Chapter 1

A/N: I'm a little late due to work and being unwell, but this fic was written for the SessKag Prompt Raffle! Many thanks to Chie and Jafndaegur for organizing this event.

Prompt submitted by sesskag-really: “Sesshomaru gently bit kagome's shoulder, his big fluffy tail occasionally sweeping kagome's calf."

I hope you all enjoy! Fic begins in media res.

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From the top of a hill, Kagome stands, watching, waiting.

Below, the village burns.

A cry sticks in her throat, her legs almost collapsing under her, and she reaches out to brace her hand against the trunk of a tree. Bark, patchy and rough like a reptile’s hide, grounds her in the present.

So much death.

She manages to stay on her feet, the reality they face and the sting of smoke bringing fresh tears to her eyes, but she clenches her teeth, refusing to release the wail that wants to escape.

“Such carnage has not been seen since Naraku.”

Her head jerks around, his name barely whispering past her lips. “Sesshoumaru.”

A nod. A brief, trivializing gesture, though she understands now it’s not intended to be, and then he’s beside her, his golden gaze like fire over the scene below.

Blood clings to his clothes.

Swallowing around a knot, Kagome tightens her grip on the tree. “If you’ve come, then it’s hopeless.”

Brilliant citrine slides to her for a moment, a flash of remorse dampening the fire within before averting once again. “It is as you say.”

Her eyes close, tears slipping free. “Then we have no choice.”

“No.”

It’s her nodding now, the tears on her cheeks like ice as the winds carry the heat of the battle back to them. They prickle on her skin and dry, and she resists the urge to swipe the salt away.

Perhaps their reminder is appropriate.

Her breath shudders, and she crosses her arms over her chest, willing her resolve to push out her burden. “Why is nothing ever easy?”

He doesn’t answer her. Simply extends his hand and says, “Come.”

Kagome stares.

Just take it.

But she doesn’t, instead stepping back and shaking her head.

He narrows his eyes. “Miko—"

“Here,” she rasps, and her voice is harsh even in her own ears. “Just do it here.” Shoulders sag, the weight of it all crashing down, and she looks up at him, eyes bleary. “I want the reminder of why.”

Her eyes dart back down the hill.

“As you wish.”

She’s nodding again, trembling lips pressed together, but she can feel the moment he steps nearer, the heat of him at her back as he joins her in silent observation of why they are doing this.

“It was never supposed to be like this,” she whispers.

“No, it was not.”

He sweeps her hair aside and loosens the neck of her hakui, and she doesn’t flinch. His touch is impersonal, detached. But as he slips the material down, baring only enough of her, nerves strike, and she shivers, muscles tensing.

She doesn’t expect the squeeze to her arm.

“Relax.”

To her own surprise, she does.

The battle rages below, all noise and fire and chaos and death, but it blurs, becoming nothing more than a smear of orange and dull roar in the face of their sacrifice.

Her eyes close, but she can still see the devastation. “Will this work?”

“Yes.”

She doesn’t expect the teeth that prick at the junction of her neck and shoulder and startles, blue eyes shooting back open. Everything is suddenly brighter, louder, sharper than it was moments before.

Closer.

Licking dry lips, her breath picks up. She’s not used to having him touch her, and rapid bursts heave in her chest as the urge to run surges from somewhere deep within.

“Relax,” he murmurs again, only now it is right by her ear.

For the umpteenth time that night, she just nods, wound too tight to speak.

Behind her he tenses. “If you cannot—"

“No.” She chokes on the word, a shaking hand grasping at his on her shoulder. “I can.”

He says nothing in return, but she feels his teeth again, gentle and testing, and the sweep of soft fur over her calves soothes her unease.

But it’s a temporary comfort.

Without warning, ancient words begin to tumble from his lips, and she clutches his hand tighter. The language is exotic, unfamiliar. Other. But even under the foreignness of the tongue, she feels its power grip them both, pull them together, reach out, and…

Sharp, unforgiving fangs pierce her flesh, and Kagome screams.

It’s more than pain. There’s a heaviness, a burning that pierces where his teeth do, forcing its way in even as her reiryoku sparks and fights back.

She can’t breathe.

Instinctively, she struggles. Weak human nails scratch at his arms, their desperation leaving little pink trails that disappear seconds later. But regardless of her efforts, it presses into her and floods her veins.

Binds to her.

His youki.

It pushes through, invades flesh, blood, and bone.

It’s warm.

Her muscles slacken as the realization hits, and she vaguely registers him catching her weight. Eyelids heavy, she can barely even see.

How is this him?

Years of careless assumptions disappear under the feel of him inside her. There is hope and laughter and heartache and joy—strength. So much strength and a surfeit of emotions held back from the world.

Show me more.

Somewhere, her own power sparks, following the path of his back to him, crashing through like a nova, eager and seeking, desperate for a glimpse at what lives in her now.

Let me in. Please.

He does. And she pushes through, frantic tendrils of light wrapping around his heart until he finally lets go and breathes her name.

For a moment, the battle disappears.

Collapsing to one knee, Sesshoumaru turns her, bracing her against his arm, and they’re suddenly too close, faces only inches from each other as they catch their breath.

She can still feel him there beneath her skin.

I think it worked,” she whispers, reaching up to clean away the stain of her blood on his lips.

She doesn’t dwell on why she cups his jaw while doing it.

He doesn’t seem to mind though and simply nods, his tongue following the path of her thumb to catch any lingering traces. “I believe it has.”

To prove his point, he pricks her palm with the tip of a claw, almost smiling at her gasp as it heals before their eyes.

“How—”

“Our strength is now shared.” His eyes find hers, crinkling slightly at the corners, and he brushes her shoulder. “Your wound has already healed.”

Kagome reaches up and feels smooth skin, but the healed bite is only a passing thought. He almost smiled.

The thought consumes her. Reaching for his cheek, she’s searching his face, looking for traces of what she knows she saw without understanding why she’s desperate to see it again.

Strangely, he seems just as absorbed in her.

“You look different,” she finally says, dropping her hand. There’s a frown on her lips, the revelation unsettling her for some reason.

“I do not.” At her confusion, that almost-smile appears again, and then it’s him touching her cheek. “You simply see me differently now.”

“I see you differently?”

“Mm.” He leans closer, his nose brushing hers, and his eyes close. “With a mate’s eyes.”

Something foreign shudders through her at his touch, but it isn’t unpleasant, and her eyes grow drowsy. “Oh.”

And she supposes she should have thought of that.

Time stands still. She can smell the blood on his clothes, the smoke in his hair. But none of that hides the feel of him under her skin or the coiling of his strength in her veins. It’s unfamiliar, and yet it’s not. And it’s what they had meant to accomplish.

The rest is unexpected.

Kagome swallows. “Do you see me that way too?” The rest of what she wants to say is thick in her throat, and she swallows again, trying to get it out. “With a-a mate’s eyes?”

He cocks his head. “Yes.”

“Oh.” She titters nervously, covering her shoulder once more. “Good. At least we’re even.”

“It seems we are.” Then, to her surprise, he kisses her.

Blue eyes blow wide. It’s brief, only a cursory brushing of lips, but his are soft and trigger a confusion she wasn’t prepared for.

That was…

Her fingers hover over her mouth. “What was that for?”

“Is that not what humans do?”

He cocks his head again with the question, and she blushes, but warmth blooms in her chest at the oddly sweet gesture, lips still tingling from the kiss. “I guess it is.”

“Hn.”

An explosion tears them out of the moment, and both their heads snap up, turning to the sky.

“The wind scar,” she whispers, and he sets her on her feet.

“Come.” Sesshoumaru extends his hand. “We have done what was needed and must return.”

Without a thought, she takes it.

Power rises to the surface when they touch, and Kagome stares, watching in awe as youki and reiryoku coil and bend around each other. There’s no fight for dominance, no injury to either of them. The opposing forces rise and fall with their breath, blending together in effortless synchrony.

She glances up at his face. “Do you see that?”

“It is to be expected and what was intended.” He bends to his knee. “There will be time to ponder it later. For now, we end this.”

Climbing onto his back, she shifts her bow over her shoulder. “What about us?” Her voice is quiet, unsure. “Everything that just happened?”

He stands and hooks his arms beneath her legs. “Live through this and perhaps I will show you later.”

Her mouth runs dry. Show me? Did he just…

Hands shaking, she taps his shoulder. “What do you mean ‘show me?’”

But Sesshoumaru gives her no more time for panic. Not sparing another second, he takes off, speeding them back to the battle.

“Live and find out.”

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A/N: Thank you to sesskag-really for the prompt! A huge thanks also goes out to CookieMonster86 for constantly dealing with my insanity while working on this. Thank you, friend! Couldn't have made it through without you!

Thank you to everyone for reading. If you have a moment, comments and thoughts are always appreciated. I hope this finds everyone doing well and embracing the new year.