Curse of the Bound Youkai

Title: Discovery in the Wood

AN: Thanks for the reviews! And I’m sorry it has been awhile since I updated. School is evil.

________________________________________________________________________

Slap!

Oh the sweet torture. An angry Sango was a beautiful Sango, but to touch her was deadly. Even so, Miroku grinned like a little kid as he raised his hand to his throbbing cheek. He had managed to get a full grip on that tight behind before the hand had come clobbering down upon his face. Perhaps Sango’s inhibitions were finally beginning to dissolve. Never before had he been able to get a grope that had lasted so long. Maybe if he tried again…just a little lower this time…

Slap! Slap!

Now both cheeks throbbed with protest as they each sported a reddened hand print. Perhaps he had to work a little harder to earn a proper feel on such a sweet body.

Sango, for her part, was not amused. She was tired and thirsty and she’d be damned if she was going to go through the tiring dance of physical touch and emotional turmoil. True, she had feelings for the lecherous monk; that much she would admit. But she also had her honor to protect. She was not stupid by far and she knew what Miroku was capable of. On many of their journeys, they have stumbled across a village were a young maiden or two found themselves sharing a bed with the monk for the night. And in each case, the maiden was left cold and alone the next morning.

Miroku was a kind hearted monk; but he was also selfish. The hole in his hand was sapping his life short and so he felt it was his duty to enjoy what time upon this earth he had. That and he seemed to be searching for something that Sango could not put her finger on. Whatever it was, she was not willing to let herself be tested to see if she was in fact the one he had been searching for. If the day came that he refused to look at all other women but her, then perhaps would she consider his advances.

Just then, her eyes narrowed in warning as the monk got close to her again. Would he just stop?

Miroku seemed to get the hint at last and backed away. He may be living on barrowed time but he had no desire to quicken his death by tempting Sango. Instead, he stepped away from her and went to where Shippo was hopping around the field, picking berries.

Inuyasha huffed from his spot against a tree located by the field’s edge. His friends were always a curiosity to watch. He knew each of their personalities and had grown accustomed to them. He even grew to enjoy them. Even Shippo with his annoying innocence was something he craved to keep around him and to protect. What was this? After so many years of being alone, he suddenly found himself surrounded by people he could honestly call friends.

“Hmph,” the hanyou muttered with annoyance. Though really, it was out of a bit of fear. He had grown attached to each and every one of them and this could be a dangerous development. They could be used by Naraku or Sesshomaru or any other enemy that decided to pop it’s ugly head out to torment him. Still, Inuyasha could not say he would prefer that they would go away.

For the first time in his life, Inuyasha felt needed and loved.

A scent in the air pulled him from his inner musings. It was familiar but also distinctly different. Still, it posed a threat to him and his pack. The half-breed let a low growl of warning to emit from his throat as he jumped swiftly to his feet, drawing the attention of Kagome who had been laying back in the grass reading. Before she could toss him a question though, Inuyasha was springing off across the field, snarling into the wind.

“Sesshomaru!” He bellowed, his claws itching for battle. A part of him was always saddened when ever he and his brother met. After all, the arrogant bastard was his only remaining family and their meetings were never friendly. Still, Inuyasha would not sit back and let his half-brother get near his new adoptive family. No, he would come out and confront the baka first.

The scent was growing stronger as Inuyasha pressed deeper into the forest. There was the sound of water and the smell of blood and something else he could not quite put his finger on. But what kept his focus was the unique scent of his older brother. Although, surprisingly, even that scent had seemed altered, tainted even.

Inuyasha crouched down on the dirt before he sprung back up into the air, his eyes searching, roaming over the streaking landscape for his one goal. And that was when he saw it; a flash of white and red, his brother’s clothes.

With a snarl of triumph, the hanyou hurled himself towards the figure, his claws stretched out ready to strike. It was only when he was right on top of the figure that he noticed the black hair, something completely not his brother. As Inuyasha came crashing down on the man, sending them both to the forest floor, he managed to use his quick reflexes to swing his claws into the earth instead of the man’s back.

The man below him grunted with the impact of his body to the ground, every muscle in his back tensing as if preparing for a strike or as if he were in pain. Inuyasha was completely dumbfounded. He could only blink down at the man in wonder. It still smelled like Sesshomaru. It still wore his clothes. But this could not possibly be his proud youkai brother, could it?

“Remove your filth from me,” came a deep threatening voice from below him. Sesshomaru’s voice.

“No…” Inuyasha muttered, quickly backing away from the prone figure, letting him up. Yet still, his golden eyes never left the man. “I’m imagining things.”

The man seemed to hesitate upon hearing his voice before slowly, he pushed himself into a sitting position. Dark eyes met amber hued in a reluctant but determined glare. “Be gone, Inuyasha.”

Inuyasha could only blink and fall back upon his rump on the earth, his mouth slightly agape in awe. It was Sesshomaru. From the deep rumbling voice to the faded yet still noticeable markings upon his face, it was his older brother. Or some twisted copy of him. Ah, that could be it. He tilted his head, sniffing the wind and caught hint of the scent of Naraku. It was faint but it still clung to the brush, just noticeable to his delicate nose.

With a growl, Inuyasha pushed himself to his feet and unsheathed his Tetsusaiga, letting the fang raise menacingly over the still sitting man. “What kind of trickery is Naraku up to now? Creating a copy of my brother? Feh. He should have better sense than that.”

Sesshomaru allowed a small smirk to grace his delicate lips as he rose to his full height. Even as a human, he still towered over the hanyou. “You are correct, dear brother. Naraku should have better sense. And he will pay for what he has done to me.”

Inuyasha’s ears twitched as he listened to the other speak, trying to detect any falter or any defect that would reveal that this was in fact a poorly made copy of his estranged half-brother. But aside from the slightly less intimidating quality in the voice, it matched Sesshomaru’s perfectly.

Realization came crashing down upon the hanyou, making him waver upon his feet and nearly dropping the sword clutched so protectively in his hands. This man standing before him, this very human man, was none other than his brother. The very brother who had haunted him for centuries because of his own human blood. The brother who had tried time and time again to kill him and his friends. Inuyasha did not know if he should weep or laugh. Weep because even through all his cruelties, some part of the hanyou had always admired the strength and power his brother had possessed. And laugh because at long last, Sesshomaru was getting a taste of what he truly despised.

Sesshomaru, for his part, was not amused. Far from it, actually. Had he been full demon, he would have simply reached over and ripped the hanyou’s annoying eyes right out of their sockets and be done with it. But under the circumstances, he knew he would not get within a foot of his brother before his father’s fang would be sliced through him. So Sesshomaru did the only thing he could, he picked up the remainder of his clothes and slid them on before turning and walking in the other direction.

“Hey!” Inuyasha yelled after the retreating form. He was angry that Sesshomaru was leaving before he could make up his mind to either laugh at him or cry for him. Damned bastard. With a growl, Inuyasha sheathed his sword again and leapt forward, grabbing hold of Sesshomaru’s wrist to stop him. “I’m not finished yet!”

Sesshomaru growled and turned to face the hanyou once again, his eyes flashing a warning, although it was an empty threat. “I told you before and I shall tell you again, release your foul paws from my person!”

“Inuyasha!” An annoyingly feminine voice pierced the air, stilling both men. There was the sound of rustling underbrush and the snapping of branches as Kagome pushed her way through the forest, having followed the path her friend had taken.

Once near the banks of the small stream, she skidded to a stop, her eyes widening some upon seeing Inuyasha restraining a man by the wrist. “Inuyasha! What are you doing? Let him go!”

Sesshomaru was fighting a losing battle at attempting to keep his dignity. His body was screaming at him in protest, and the harsh grip and tugs upon his wrist by the hanyou were making it even harder for him to remain on his feet. The wounds inflicted upon him during his rape had been aggravated further by Inuyasha’s pounce, and now he wished nothing more than to sink back onto the earth to relieve some of the pain coursing through his body. He ignored the arrival of the miko as he came to rest upon one knee, trying to twist his hand free. Had he been demon, he could have torn the hanyou’s hand clear off but as he was now, he felt as if he were bound in iron shackles. With a groan, he resigned his struggles and instead focused his energy on glaring hatefully upon his brother.

Inuyasha did not seem to notice, however, as his mind was still reeling over his discovery. “Stay out of this, Kagome. I’m still not sure what this bastard is up to and I don’t trust him one bit. Get out of here!”

Kagome only blinked then turned her attention back to the man who had fallen to his knees. A gasp escaped her lips as realization hit her. It couldn’t be…could it? “Ses...Sesshomaru?” she whispered, taking another step closer to the kneeling figure. She could see his face more clearly now and noted that it was indeed he. And she could also see a barely contained grimace of pain in the once proud, amber eyes. “Inuyasha, let him go. You’re hurting him!”

The hanyou snorted and glanced down at his captive, seeing the hate boiling in the other’s gaze. After all these years of torment and misery brought on by the very creature in front of him, it would be so easy to just reach down, swipe his claws over the other’s neck…would not Sesshomaru do the same in his place? The realization that yes, Sesshomaru would kill him should the roles had been reversed, made Inuyasha’s grip upon the man’s wrist grow tighter. He growled low in his throat, claws digging into Sesshomaru’s smooth skin. Even if Sesshomaru was his only family left, he had never once acted like it. All he had to do was take his sword, ram it through the unprotected chest in front of him and it would all be over.

Except Kagome had other ideas. “Sit boy!”

The command echoed through the forest as did Inuyasha’s surprised yelp as he suddenly found himself with a face full of dirt.

The sudden tug also sent Sesshomaru toppling over onto his face on top of Inuyasha’s back. With a grunt, he quickly pushed himself away and distanced himself from the hanyou, not wanting to further soil his skin or clothes with the half-breed’s disgusting scent. He was, however, curious as he let his dark eyes roam over to the miko who stood watching nearby. She had saved him, that he was certain. There was a look of murder in Inuyasha’s eyes. But why had she done such a thing?

Kagome stepped closer to him until she was by his side where she kneeled down and set her pack in front of her. “He’ll be better behaved now. Hopefully, unless he wants another s-i-t.” The last was said with a soft glare over her shoulder before she returned her attentions back to her bag. “You’re hurt. Show me where. I have some medicines that should help you heal.”

Show her where? As if that would occur. As it was, the situation was humiliating enough for Sesshomaru to want to take his own life. But that would have to be an issue he would address after he sought his revenge on the filth that had done this to him. Until then, he would have to maintain as much of his dignity as he could muster. And that included keeping the fact that he had been violated a secret. He could bare pain, even if it seemed a hundred times more intense than he remembered it as a demon. “I will be fine, miko. I have no need for your attention.”

Kagome huffed. Stubborn to the last, Sesshomaru? Well so was she. “Listen, you won’t heal as fast as you could as human. It’s better to let me see so I can help you and nothing will get infected! I mean, look at your clothes. There is blood everywhere.”

Sesshomaru simply glared at her before he stood, albeit stiffly.

By this time, Inuyasha had managed to pull himself away from the ground. His eyes flashed angrily at Kagome before he stood as well, his arms crossing over his chest. “Feh, damned woman. Must you always sit me?”

This Kagome ignored. She had far more interesting things on her mind. “All right,” she said, closing her pack once again. “If you don’t want treatment, I won’t give it to you. But maybe you could tell us what happened to you, Sesshomaru-sama? Maybe we could help in some way.”

The use of such a proper and respective title helped ease some of Sesshomaru’s tension. He let out a soft sigh and glanced up through the trees at the sky, silently willing what ever kami that was closest to come and remove the cursed thing upon his neck so that he could kill the hanyou and his annoying female and then seek his revenge. But since prayers rarely go unanswered, Sesshomaru pushed aside such childish wishes. “Naraku. He laid a trap, one which I did not discover until I became as you see me. He had a new creature with him, a white witch who bound me with this.” Sesshomaru tilted his head just slightly, allowing his dark hair to fall aside to reveal the pendant at his throat which he touched with the tips of his fingers.

Kagome’s eyes roamed over the pendant and she made a move to step closer to examine it, but one look at Sesshomaru told her it would be wise to put off the investigation until later.

There was just a hint of sadness underneath the anger in Sesshomaru’s voice as the former youkai spoke. So faint was it that Inuyasha was unsure it had ever been there at all. This day was growing more surprising by the minute. “Hmph. So even the greatest youkai can fall under Naraku.” Though his words were meant to hit a nerve with Sesshomaru, Inuyasha felt it was more of a reflex than anything with pure malicious intent.

The other man simply looked at him blankly then began to turn again. “There is more at stake than my dignity, brother. I am a Lord with a land to protect with loyal followers who look upon me for security.” He began to walk again, intent on leaving this embarrassing situation behind. Except again, that annoying voice stopped him.

“Wait! You can’t really expect to go up against Naraku like that, can you?”

His foot steps faltered. The miko was bothersome but correct. He would die quickly in such a state. “They are mine to protect. This Sesshomaru will not abandon them, nor will he permit such an atrocity to go unpunished.”

“Well, then…” The miko’s eyes darted around, as if the answers would be written in the air floating about her somewhere. “Why don’t you join us?”

Both hanyou and former youkai turned to look at her in disbelief. Inuyasha was the first to vocalize his protest. “Kagome! You can’t be serious. After what that bastard’s done to us, you want to offer him our help?!”

“Well why not?” Kagome yelled back, her back rigid and little fists clenched tightly at her sides. She was going to stay her ground. “He obviously can’t hurt us and he only wants to protect his land! Besides, Sesshomaru would be an added warrior to our group. His goal is the same as ours!”

Sesshomaru nearly spat at the idea of fighting beside such a group. But he had to admit, his options were running pretty thin. “You would think too much if you believe I would fight to protect either of you. However, you are correct in your statement that I wish to destroy the pestilence that is Naraku.”

Inuyasha laughed, but seemed to be considering Kagome’s words. To fight along side his brother instead of face to face with him had been a secret fantasy to his lonely heart. But Sesshomaru was far from what anyone would call a loving brother. Could they really trust him? Or could they even rely on him to be able to protect himself if trouble arose?

The other seemed to sense the unasked question as Sesshomaru again decided to grace their ears with his voice. “You think me weak, hanyou. You would be correct in assuming I am not to my full power, but once healed, I will still prove to be a foe worth avoiding.”

Kagome looked at Inuyasha hopefully. Again she did not understand why she felt the need to help Sesshomaru, but she could sense an opportunity when one was presented. Finally, the hanyou sighed and relaxed some where he stood. “All right, fine. But you best keep your distance from me, you bastard.”

At this, Sesshomaru smirked. “Gladly, dear brother. Gladly.”


***


Author’s Note: I know, not much Miroku but he will be making an appearance soon.