One
Shattering Heights
She tossed and turned in her fitful sleep, raven tresses flaunted wildly about, crowning the face of youth and innocence. Slender small fists curled and uncurled while rosy lips silently parted. Delicate lashes that swept dewy cheeks and the peaceful rise and fall of her bosom confirmed that she was, indeed, in slumber.
What was she dreaming of now? Did he have any place in her shadows?
Golden eyes glowed in the darkness, skimming with disregard over the sleeping faces of the half-breed, the monk, the slayer, and the fox. Even the twin-tailed cat had succumbed to sleep. His gaze returned quickly to his object of desires, the lovely angel that would become his salvation, his prey.
Would she, in all her selfless compassion, sacrifice herself?
What if he told her, that soiling her mind and body would fill the bottomless abysses in his heart?
She was the chosen sacrifice to the dark lord within him, the pure flesh that would keep him sane.
Would she willingly let him destroy her, by his twisted logic?
It mattered not; he would take her anyway, and her fear, her struggles, would only fuel the darkness within him further.
"Kagome," he spoke to the silent night, the darkness in his voice rumbling like a distant storm, whilst his expression remained barren and cold.
Leaping with inhuman grace he landed soundlessly besides her makeshift bed, gathering her prone body swiftly onto his lone arm. Touching her was always a shock, the barest contact sending invisible shivers down his lithe, steel-built frame. It was akin to a corpse touching life, a frozen man finding flame, the way her soft body flushed with warmth against his marble sword hand.
Tonight, he would smother her flame. Tonight, and he would hesitate no longer.
"Mama, I can't go back," the girl mumbled in her sleep, speech slurred from slumber.
He froze, a pale statue in the night with moonbeams upon him like silver arrows, piercing him and his black, stony heart for desiring to harm such a goodhearted beauty, that even the moon wished to protect her. His marble chiseled visage shimmered handsomely beneath the silver onslaught, yet for that rare moment his narcissistic pride fell away and he could only awe as the girl he held shone with angelic light and sweet peace upon her face.
Why did the others not see her value? Did they not sense the goddess-like allure that overflowed from her?
Or was it only him?
It was once said, that love changed the eyes, and brought the utmost adoration. A loved one became attractive above all others, for in deepest love the heart only recognized the one, that one. It was love—true, senseless love.
His heart recognized her, her and only her, would only accept her; and yet…
Only because she was the ultimate prey.
Only because she already attracted him.
His stony heart knew not of love, felt no warmth from the ravenous darkness within its abysses. It felt so cold, so empty, until both his heart and body became numb without life or fire.
Except when near her.
A clawed thumb swept lightly across one cheek. Silently he watched her sleep, the velvet of her skin skimming teasingly across his one digit with electrifying contact. If only he could hold her a little longer. Then he would allot her more time to live.
Releasing her back into her bed he dashed into the silent night, melting back into the shadows once more. Even the moon could not find him. He left the warmth of their camp, the warmth of her bedside. Let her sleep; he could linger no longer.
Tonight, her flame would safely burn once more. Tonight…was not his night.
In his haste to leave her, he missed the movement of those sweet lips, a single name uttered with her angelic voice from the shadows of her dreams. His name.
"Sesshomaru."
*~*~*
Clawed fingers scraped lightly across old, worn wood. Golden eyes watched with disinterest as thin flakes of enchanted material curled and crumbled under his idle onslaught. Unreadable gold flickered and churned with malicious thought, dark desires and wicked excitement.
Was she finally coming back?
Was her time finally running out?
When would he finally be able to subjugate her?
She would be so much safer in that far away place which he could not reach.
"Foolish human," he couldn't help but release a murmur that vibrated through the heavy silence like a single mighty stroke on a bass drum before battle.
Kagome. The girl named Kagome. The girl who would soon become woman.
Clawed fingers scraped slowly across the Bone Eater's Well rim, raising an ominous hiss that drifted through the silent clearing, a hiss of enchanted wood burnt by corrosive acid.
She stirred his desires. It excited him.
Potent, poisonous blood boiled beneath his porcelain pale skin, pumping rapidly around his stony heart.
On the outside he was indifferent. One the inside…he hadn't felt so wonderful, so alive in centuries.
Ironically, it was her utter brokenness that challenged him, her unknowing, tempting invitation to taint her, break her, crush her.
Liveliness and love seeped from every inch of her human body, overflowing. Had he ever before met so lovely a creature? In a weak human body, a goddess's spirit surely must have been misplaced, filling the mortal flesh to the brim with willpower. Her fearlessness and naïve compassion annoyed him and aroused him to no end.
Golden eyes tinged crimson.
How could a human body be so exquisite? He saw her lithe yet supple frame, viewed her from afar, desired no less than to throw her down and have her slender legs and shapely breasts writhing beneath him, her bright features contorted in agony. Each inch of her, from those delicate yet bow-trained fingertips to the gentle yet firm crease of her brow drove him to the brink of madness.
He could picture her now, frowning lightly at some opposition, offering peaceful compromise but fighting with ferocity when provoked. Their first meeting flashed before his eyes: her unique connection his father's fang, her irritatingly provocative fearlessness, her bold challenge; and yet when others before her had died for their disrespect, she defied his jaded attempts at eliminating her and dared to challenge him time and time again.
Not a single time had she suffered for her defiance. Death of course not, else he would be free of her distraction already. But he had yet to make her sport a major wound, not even giving her a scratch.
Did he want to hurt her? Of course he did.
Why was she still alive and well? Somehow she had evaded all his attempts.
The wooden rim glowed beneath his claw tips, warm to the touch. Her scent, light as it was, drifted from the world beyond the well, gushing towards his sensitive nose like an intoxicating storm, an enveloping fog. For a moment he was perfectly content, as much as his cold, hard heart could be
Frowning to himself, he shook off the warmth from merely feeling the hint of her presence.
He despised her, no doubt.
His satisfaction would only come with using and breaking her thoroughly. Contentment? He felt no such illusion as contentment. Her presence did not excite him, lighten him, warm him, soothe him. What he itched to do was ravish and ravage her…
Her fragrant scent and gentle aura hit him full force as the floor of the Bone Eater's Well connected with her homeland world. His golden eyes widened and his breath hitched in his throat. Five fingers dug into old wood, leaving five deep craters where they sank.
Here was his chance, to grab her with no one to protect her, and have his way with her.
Blinding light erupted before his golden eyes, his concentration already broken. Her presence overwhelmed him with the suffocating desire to let go, have peace. As he imagined her, smiling calmly in front of him, her gentle aura accepting the demon in him, his fingers slid petrified out from the wood rim.
She was here. His stony heart faltered.
Another time, then. Another chance forfeited, one of countless many.
He turned and flew, anxious to flee that contradictory presence, which drew to surface so many unwanted reactions from within him.
His stony heart quavered once more.
*~*~*
Higurashi Kagome yawned, stretching cramped limps and languidly arching her back, thrusting forward her assets unknowingly from her seated position in front of the nighttime campfire. The scrap of ruffled green cloth around her waist hitched towards her hip as she leaned forwards to stand, leaving creamy, slender legs all but completely bare.
Had she no sense of self preservation?
The attire was worse than a whore; even then, a whore would wear layers that left room for imagination and attempt at seduction, concealing the vitals of a woman's body.
This girl, however, in all her outrageousness, wore what left little to imagination, revealing the parts that he desired to brand, to conquer. A pale, tight fitting shirt slid up her waist, uncovered the smooth yet firm plain. Her little green skirt rumpled uselessly across the top of her thighs.
Yet still her apparel reflected her absolute purity.
A whore dressed to appeal to men, carefully bidding her body for the highest price.
Kagome dressed without care, ignorant and innocent to the reactions she provoked.
So pure, so untouchable, so sheltered from the darkness of the world.
He would teach her, teach her in a way that she would never forget, in what short time he would allot for her to remain alive.
Now. Soon. Sometime. Perhaps…
His claws dug five bloody points in his palm, staining the porcelain white flesh with red rivulets. He glanced at the sluggish stream of blood, thankful for some distraction from the lovely priestess.
He imagined it was her blood, flowing down her pale flesh, dripping down in a masterpiece of macabre as he carved his everlasting mark onto her mortal body. He pictured her blood of purity trickling down those uncovered creamy thighs, as if weeping bloody tears for lost innocence.
Red rivulets streamed and fell, and fell, and fell until red jewels splattered against the earth…
His lovely object of obsession stood up abruptly and inspected her surroundings with a startled expression, snapping him out of his sick reverie.
Had she heard him? Had she sensed his presence?
Her stoic stalker hid in the shadows watched with silent relief as she merely grabbed a few belongings and left the safety of camp, careful not to wake her friends. Naively confident in her abilities to protect herself and trusting of the world, she walked into the darkness.
Right into his clutches.
"Sesshomaru?"
Her vibrant voice, toned down and careful as it was, tore through his cloak of darkness. He whipped around, for once startled. Here he was the one observed, instead of being the observer. This one slip of a young woman had evaded his senses while he let down his guard in a moment of despicable reverie.
"It's you, Sesshomaru, thank goodness," her voice came closer, closer.
What was she thankful for? He was the one she ought to fear.
"I wanted to ask you," she shuffled in front of him. He left his expression blank, indifferent, what she interpreted as impatience.
She paused as if at loss of what to say.
He acted as if ignoring her.
"Um," she cleared her throat, "It's actually been a while now. But I've been…feeling your aura," she said thoughtfully. "You seem to always be around me, close by."
Sesshomaru stopped, but the girl did not notice him become stiffer than usual. Something sank and got caught in his chest. She sensed him. All those times he stalked her, she more or less knew. In the day. At night. When she slept. When she bathed. Sometimes further. Sometimes only a shoulder's turn away.
"…and so I was wondering if you needed, er, help of some sort. Medicine, or information maybe. You did save us before, so please don't hesitate to ask me for something."
His lips curled into a small smirk, stifling a snort. She thought he followed her with a request.
Such innocence, it was ridiculous. Annoying. Irksome. Hateful.
He would strike now.
"So why were you following me?" she asked, unaware of his intent.
"You wish to know?" he replied, golden eyes gleaming.
"Yes?" she shuddered, instinctively aware of thinly veiled danger.
Finally.
"You truly wish to know?" Sesshomaru stepped closer, true to his nature as apex predator, each soundless step reciprocated by her slow backing until she hit an oh-so convenient tree and could move back no further. Trapped. She was his trapped prey.
She did not answer him this time, doe-like eyes wide with surprise, her petite body shivering with the heavy press of his aura. Each unhurried, slow and silent step closed the distance between them until he could feel her aura rising futilely to fight him.
Finally.
Fangs slipped from his chiseled lips, thirsty for her thick life liquid. Red seeped into his smoldering golden eyes, his sanity teetering at the brink, driven by the closeness of her presence.
Too close. Soon he would become a monster of lust, madness, hatred, thirst.
Seizing her he crushed her to his chest, crushed her yelp of surprise. He needed to bring them far, far away, where none could save her. Molding her plush softness merciless against him he fled like wind set free, until the world around them became of blur of black and grey, to a place that no one, no one could reach, where none could save her. Not even the moon could see her.
Finally, finally, the sacrifice could begin, and the dark lord within him he could unleash, upon her pure body and into her mind.
Her sweet screams became his melody.
*~*~*
Cult of the Lady Lord swam in a corner of my head for the longest time. I wanted an understanding, loving Sesshomaru, one who would follow Kagome through time. But I wanted something darker and drastically different from the sweetness and fluffiness in Golden Spiral. Sesshomaru would slowly progress, like he does in the anime/manga. Kagome would suffer, but refuse to be victimized.
Then I wanted something even more different--not just some rape scene and then reconciliation. I wanted to set up scenarios, have them play different roles, change the settings.
This first chapter has three scenes, a more conventional setting. Sesshomaru is confused. He accepts everything as hate. More is yet to come.
Hopefully you'll stay tuned!
AdamiteAshes