Author's Note: So I had a great idea for the next chapter of Desires Unmentioned, but I'm having some difficulties with it. Because I want to do the story justice, I will be posting that next Saturday. In the meantime, here's a one-shot that struck me during work last week and would NOT let me go until I had written it. Although I left it a bit open-ended, I do not intend to continue it at this time. That may change once both Desires Unmentioned and Schemes of Fate are fully complete, but that probably won't be for a while. Anyway, I've always appreciated the concept of sacifice in any form, so I hope you enjoy the strangenes that my mind has produced. As always, let me know what you think of it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
---
The miko panted with exertion. Really, she should have trained with a blindfold years ago if this is what it did to her miko sense. Even without the use of her eyes she knew the location and movements of every one of the youkai that surrounded her. Fortunately most were lower youkai, only needing a spark to be purified, but without the use of her hands it was difficult to aim, and their numbers were slowly wearing her down. Hours had already passed since the arrival of the first and there had been no end to them.
Suddenly they all went silent. She trembled as she felt the aura approaching, no longer paying attention to those around her as they fled. The strength of it was daiyoukai level and if they intended to harm her then bound and exhausted as she was there was nothing she could do to stop them. As they reached her position, she frowned. This aura felt familiar, but she could not place it. She could hear them now, the soft snuffling, and the subdued thump of large padded footsteps as they circled her.
She strained against her bindings and managed to dislodge the scrap binding her eyes enough to peek out the bottom. It was blurry, but sufficient as she waited for the youkai to move into view. When they did, she let out a sigh of relief. Silver-white fur and a navy blue crescent moon. She didn’t know what Sesshomaru was doing here, much less in his beast form, but he counted as an ally. “Thank goodness. Sesshomaru-sama, could you please untie me?”
---
The female spoke. He paused. Curiosity had brought him here. The lesser predators had gathered with unusual excitement, but had fled as he approached. They had left behind their attempted prey. Residual purity in the air sparked against his fur, but the feeling was not unpleasant so he ignored it in favor of her scent. Strangely even under such attack she wasn’t afraid. Even stranger was the way her lack of fear pleased him. Her scent should never be soured. . .
He knew this female. No inu could ever forget a scent once noted. Hers had changed, but the essence of it remained. Her struggles revealed that she had been tied and staked to the ground, but that mattered less than the glimmer of blue shining under the fabric on her face. Then she spoke his name.
He knew it was his name, but it did not matter. Nothing about the past mattered. But this . . . this female could not be here. If she – he whined at the ache of memory – was gone – long gone so many years alone – then so should this one be. Gone and dead and never more to smile at him. How was she here? He snarled and she stilled. Stalking closer, he lowered his nose to more closely peruse her scent. Yes, this was her. Plum blossom and cherry tangled in lightning power. It was clearer now – that lightning. He growled as the essential difference from before escaped him. Such things hadn’t mattered for a long time.
Faintly on the ropes that bound her he caught the scent of her captors and wrinkled his nose in disgust. Filthy humans always smelled like grime and death . . . Suddenly elated, he turned back to her, his large snout in her face, further dislodging the fabric in the process as he confirmed. Pure lightning with undertones of plum, cherry and sweat. No death.
How was not something he cared about, nor why. All he needed to know was that this was her – the miko who lead the lesser pack of his half-brother. The only human he had deemed worthy to fight at his side. He had wanted her so badly, but she had been kept from him. But this was truly her and he could keep her now – she would never leave him.
Drawing back, he looked at her, spread out before him, and felt himself harden. No, she would never leave him again.
---
Kagome was grateful that the blindfold was clear from her eyes, but wasn’t sure about what was going on. The only other time she had seen Sesshomaru’s true form was all the way back when they had first met and his poison drool had nearly killed her. There was no sign of that stuff now, which was a relief, but he wasn’t acting like himself. He was almost acting as if he were actually a dog.
Her confusion only grew as he drew back and his youki began to whip around him. Recognizing the feeling from when he had last transformed, she sighed. However, her reprieve was short lived. The moment his eyes met hers, still scarlet as blood, she realized that something was very, very wrong with him.
Memories of a long time ago filtered into her mind. Sango had told her about something like this. Youkai that were akin to the animals of the earth, who had the power to take human form were possessed of a duality of spirit. Instinct and reason. Beast and – no, not human – male. The taijiya had made it very clear that a daiyoukai lost to his beast was more dangerous than anything else. Kagome refused to fear. If it truly was Sesshomaru’s beast looking at her through those eyes, then fear would only complicate matters.
Those crimson eyes held more emotion than she had ever seen on the stoic inu’s face. They communicated recognition and an almost giddy happiness as he spoke, his voice more growl than words. “Miko.” Fragile hope bloomed. If he could speak . . .
His clawed hands gently touched her face, tracing her jaw before lifting the scrap of cloth they’d used to tie her eyes and tossing it away. She let herself smile, though she did tense as she realized that he was naked. He was kneeling beside her now, and she could see that the jagged stripes on his cheeks and wrists had matches at his shoulders and hips. Sapphire eyes widened as she realized that the ones on his hips pointed straight to his . . .
She squeaked, blushed and looked away. He was unmistakably aroused. The part of her that had mourned to see other woman happy with lovers, pregnant or holding their babies wondered if that arousal was because of her. The rest of her virginal mind refused to contemplate the subject. A point that became moot as those claws ripped through fragile cloth of her sleeping yukata.
Shocked back to his eyes, she finally recognized the lust within them. She could feel his gaze follow his claws as his hands cupped her heaving breasts. Her labored breathing all but pushed them into his palms, and the mild prick of his claws caused a warmth to blossom in the pit of her stomach. Not being as naive as most virgins, she knew arousal when she felt it. Sometimes when the nights grew long and her loneliness grew sharp, she’d lay beneath the covers and imagine a lover there with her.
Usually she’d imagine Sesshomaru. But this was not the time or place for her to learn if her fantasies were accurate. “Sesshomaru. Stop.” She tried to plead, but suddenly his hand was around her throat, cutting off her air.
He leaned in, fangs bared. “Bitch. Mine.”
A strangled gasp and he eased off a fraction, just enough. “Please, wait . . .”
In a single smooth motion, he straddled her hips, his fingers digging into the ground as he lowered his head to her neck and gripped her with his fangs. He growled “Mine. Submit.”
Feeling his teeth clenched around her pulse made her very aware of how quickly it was racing. Clearly despite his ability to speak he was incapable of higher reasoning. Yet, not a single drop of her blood had spilled. Something in him understood that he needed to take care with her. It was enough.
Deliberately, she relaxed beneath him, tilting her chin to give him better access to her throat. The pressure of his fangs slid away as he purred, his tongue running along her jaw. “Say mine. Always. Never leave.”
Kagome’s breath hitched as one hand moved back to her body, kneading and exploring. She nodded. “Yes, Sesshomaru. I’ll stay with you. I’ll be yours for as long as you want me.”
“Good. Mine.” He purred again, trailing his mouth upwards. He licked his tongue over her lips, and she gasped. Immediately he took advantage, sealing his mouth over hers as he tasted her. His hand drifted lower, clenching for a moment on her hip before reaching between her legs. She moaned into him, knowing what he was going to find.
Fingers, careful of their clawed tips, stroked over her core. Coated in her wetness they slid over her clit, causing her hips to arch into him. His mouth left hers, allowing her moans to echo through the air. Scarlet eyes watched, as she writhed beneath his touch. A single digit slid slowly into her and Kagome gaped, her eyes wide.
If only his finger felt that huge . . . she peeked downward at the erection jutting from his hips and trembled. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply to calm herself. It would hurt, likely badly, but it should be possible.
In her distraction she hadn’t noticed the inu above her shift. She felt his finger leave her and a whine escaped the back of her throat at how good it felt, and how empty it left her. She ached and arched her hips to entice him back.
Sapphire eyes flew wide as she felt the long wet muscle that was his tongue lick over her clit before delving into her body. Her voice failed her or she would have shrieked as he thrust into her and lapped at her juices. Her arms tensed against their bindings as her head thrashed from side to side. He was relentless, fingers working her clit as his tongue thrust into her, again and again until she could stand it no longer.
Her spine arched and locked, lifting her from the ground as the coil in her womb burst. Her breathless cry resonated in the otherwise still night. In the next moment pain burst through her senses, and she fell again from the edge, shudders wracking her body as she calmed enough to register the fangs in her neck and the foreign intrusion in her channel. She felt like she had been stuffed full, the width of his cock forcing its way between her hips.
He retreated slightly and with a whimper she tried to follow him. With a hand on her hip he stilled her as he thrust back in, deeper this time, making it clear she had yet to take all of him. Kagome didn’t know what was pain and what was pleasure anymore. She could feel his poison flowing into her from his grip high on her shoulder, but it only increased the inferno in her body. Again he withdrew and thrust deeper, and as he hit her cervix his growl drowned out her whine. He let go of her neck and reared back, sliding his knees forward until he was sitting on his heels between her legs. Apparently frustrated with the lack of give in her bonds, his claws flashed and her legs were free for a moment before they were captured by him.
Spreading them wide, he began to piston into her, hitting the mouth of her womb with every thrust. Kagome gasped and shuddered as orgasm after orgasm blazed through her until they began to blur together in a fury of bliss. Incoherent, she could feel her sheath grasping at him, wanting him ever deeper. His growls deepened as his width expanded within her. With one final thrust he seemed to do the impossible and seat himself within her womb as the base of his cock swelled, rubbing against some point inside of her that sent her screaming into oblivion as white-hot jets of seed began to fill her with his roar.
Light burst into the night as purity blazed.
---
Purr rumbling through his chest, Sesshomaru rose to consciousness with a sublime feeling of satisfaction. A minor shift revealed that he had yet to release from the bitch beneath him, though he felt no need to move. Wanting to bask in sensation for a while longer, he nuzzled his face deeper into his bitch’s neck, inhaling her delectable scent. Lightning, cherries, plum and him.
He froze. That scent. Lifting his head he discovered that it wasn’t a lie. Coal black hair lay tangled with his silver, dark lashes brushing her cheeks as her familiar face relaxed in sleep. It was the miko, looking like not a single day had passed since they parted. How many years had it been? How could she still be so young when . . .
He shook his head as memory began to return, glad the miko yet slept, for a single tear had escaped his control. Rin. His beloved daughter was gone. Time had caught up with her, and though her body broke down as her hair had turned silver as his, still she smiled at him. Shaking his head again, he attempted to remember how he had ended up knotted to the miko beneath him.
Rin. Then the grief, then . . . that fool’s intrusion. He had thought to use this Sesshomaru’s grief against him. Next was the beast’s rage, blood in his fangs, fading into darkness. Finally, curiosity, pleasure, fire pouring through his veins with the knowledge that it was her, that she would not leave him. Sesshomaru reached out to his bestial soul, only to pull back before he could be overwhelmed by the blissful contentment radiating from within. That certainly explained how he had regained control.
But how was the miko here? Looking down on her angelic face, he registered the mark he must have left on her neck. Brushing stray locks of hair aside, he confirmed. Poison had etched the scar deep, binding her to him and him to her. His beast had not only rutted the miko, but mated her.
Sesshomaru allowed control to falter, let his head drop to her shoulder as he sighed. The next breath was filled with her exquisite scent, and this time he cataloged the changes that had occurred. Hidden against her, he allowed his smile to grow. Her mortality – the only reason he had not pursued her sooner – was no longer an issue. The why of it could wait. He now had eternity to discover the truth of her.
A moan sounded from her and unconsciously she clenched on him. Shudders ran through him as his knot pulsed, then eased and he fought the desire to wake her up to begin again. Pulling back from her, he stood, glancing around and finding himself in the depths of what was still called Inuyasha’s forest, with not a stitch of clothing other than what he had clearly torn off the miko.
Looking down at her, he frowned. The fragments of her garment were that of a simple sleeping yukata. Hardly what one would wear when venturing into the forest. As she shifted – or tried to, he noticed that her arms were bound to the ground, along with more stakes near her legs. Taking deeper note of the wider scents in the clearing, he growled. Several human males stinking of fear had brought her here and bound her, then left her to the dubious mercy of the wild youkai. He could think of several scenarios that could have ended in this, however, he would hear confirmation from her before he acted.
Two simple swipes of his claws and she was free. Lifting her into his arms, he scented the air, locating a hot spring not far from their position. Securing her against him, he began to walk.
---
Kagome whimpered as she woke from her satiated slumber to register the soreness of her body, and a blissful heat against her skin, claws running through her hair. Her head was resting on something warm and living. With a smile she nuzzled against her pillow, before remembering what had happened.
Bolting upright, she found herself staring into Sesshomaru’s clear golden eyes from the circle of his arms. Cheeks pink from the heat of the spring deepened in color as she felt proof of his arousal against her leg. She gasped as it dawned on her. Gold, his eyes were gold. “Sesshomaru?”
“Yes, miko. This one’s beast is sleeping contentedly at the moment. You did well as he did not harm you.” He paused and she somehow gathered that he was feeling uncertain. “How is it you were in such a situation, miko?”
Reminiscing over how even her apprentice had betrayed her Kagome sighed and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.” It was her own fault anyway.
His fingers gentle on her chin brought her eyes back to him once more. “Speak, miko. What happened?”
Seeing the concern in his eyes, although she didn’t understand it, she complied. “You might have noticed that I haven’t aged since we defeated Naraku.”
“Indeed. This one was wondering.”
“Humans of this time are superstitious. Once the people that knew me, knew Kaede and Inuyasha and the Jewel passed away, they began to distrust me. I should have left long ago, but I needed to train another miko.” She looked away. “And I didn’t know where I’d go. Shippo is off on a training journey. The taijiya village would probably accept me, but it just doesn’t feel the same anymore.”
Wiping her tears away, she smiled at him, surprised to find him frowning. “Sesshomaru?”
“They thought to kill you.”
She shook her head. “I don’t blame them for it. They were only doing what they thought was best.”
Puzzlement in his eyes, he shook his head at her. “So kind. They do not deserve your heart.” Not understanding why he would say such a thing, she stared at him. He almost seemed to hesitate, as his hand began to stroke her hair again. Finally he spoke. “How long has it been since Rin –” He could not continue.
Sapphire eyes widened. “Is that the last you remember?” Curtly he nodded. She moved to straddle him and laid her hands on his shoulders. “Sesshomaru, that was almost a hundred years ago.”
Shock widened his eyes, before they closed. “So long…”
Sliding her hands around his neck, she hugged him, mildly surprised when his arms surrounded her in turn. He buried his face in her shoulder and for a long while she simply held him. When she registered that the moisture on her neck did not come from the spring, she murmured “What’s happened has happened. Rin loved you, and she lived a full life filled with happiness. It’s okay to mourn her, but don’t forget to look forward, like she did every day of her life.”
Sesshomaru spoke without lifting his head, his voice unwavering. “This Sesshomaru’s beast has marked you as mate.”
She froze, absorbing the information and recalling the feeling of fangs at her throat, and an insidious pain spreading through her. Relaxing, she began to tangle her fingers in his hair. “I already promised him that I would never leave.” Gently, she pulled and he allowed her to lift his head to meet her eyes. Solemnly she vowed. “I promise you as well. Never will I leave you.”
There were no words of love between them. Yet, as gold stared into sapphire, such things seemed unnecessary. Sesshomaru had never been one for words in the first place, and Kagome had learned through time that words could lie. Tenderly, she smiled and his eyes softened.
Sesshomaru’s hands lowered to her hips and pulled her close. Her core brushed the tip of his erection and she flexed her thighs, lowering herself onto him. Her head fell back at the stretch of his thickness within her, and his tongue stroked over his exposed mark. Pleasure moved through her in waves with each gentle thrust as his hands guided her hips into a slow rhythm.
They shared kiss after kiss, but despite her pleading, he refused to alter his pace. As the spring wound tighter for the both of them, his hands gripped her hips, claws digging into her skin in tiny punctures, bringing her down with more force each time.
Climax washed through them, as the tension snapped. He pulled her down, thrusting deep one final time as his knot swelled and locked. Kagome focused on the heat of his seed within her, and smiled. Knowing it would be a while before they could move, she allowed herself to drift into a long-overdue sleep.
---
Eyes closed, Sesshomaru savored the feeling of his mate around him. Her promise pleased him. His brother had truly been a fool to have chosen the dead one. Strangely, he found himself feeling rather grateful to the idiot. A tiny spark of youki interrupted his thoughts, and he pinched the air an inch from Kagome’s neck. Raising his fingers to eye level, he lifted a brow at the sight of the flea.
Myoga hesitantly chuckled. “M-my lord, Sesshomaru. H-how wonderful to see you in full possession of yourself again…”
“Enough, flea. Return to the West and inform them of this one’s return. Send Jacken with proper attire for myself and my mate.”
His four tiny arms waved in shock. “Mate!? You have mated the Lady Kagome?!” Seeing golden eyes narrow he quickly continued. “Congratulations my lord! She will add strength to the inu-“
Sesshomaru had never liked the little coward, although his father had found him useful. Flicking him away he looked back at his mate. “Go.” Fortunately for his father’s old retainer, cowards tend to move quickly. Lifting her out of the water, he stepped to a formation of boulders nearby. Settling onto the stone, he arranged Kagome in his lap and allowed her to sleep.
As Jacken and Ah-Un’s aura approached, he looked down on her peaceful face and smiled, imagining the chaos that would ensue at the Western court when he arrived with an immortal miko as his mate. Remembering all the times she had defied him, and all her kindnesses to demon and human alike, he allowed the grin to form. They would not know what to do with her.