At What Price

SUMMARY: Kagome felt his hand at her throat but wasn’t worried at all. He wouldn’t kill her. Who else would have him? She almost laughed, however considering the circumstance she did not.

Author's Note: Hahaha! You want a disclaimer? Go to the first chapter. Thanks to all for reading and reviewing.

CHAPTER 29: CURSED AFFLICTION
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A shower of wood falling from the sky was all the evidence that there was left of the tree. It had been completely annihilated from the arrow Kagome dispatched. She was knocked down flat on her back from the sheer force of the explosion. Kagome brought her wobbly head up to assess what she had done. “Oh, shit!” she groaned.

His golden eyes peered off in the distance, had he blinked he would have missed it. It was like a mini explosion on his property. Bright white and pink lights shone like the sun about three miles away from the palace. ‘What is this? Does someone dare attack my property? They shall pay with their life.’ Sesshoumaru’s eyes flashed red, as he started fought to control his raging demon. Then, he thought about Kagome and the possible danger she could be in. That was all it took to push Sesshoumaru over the edge.

Kagome stumbled, as she tried to jump up from her laid back position on the ground, and grabbed the bow. She immediately went looking for the arrows. ‘I am so dead,’ she thought. ‘When he finds out, he is so going to kill me. Damnit! Where did those arrows go,’ she screamed at herself.

‘There they are.’ Kagome ran a few feet to where the container was and reached her purpled bruised hand for it, when she heard a malevolence growling sound a few yards away.

It’s came down fast upon her. A thick green poison fog, that seemed to roll out of the distance, encircled Kagome in the small clearing. She pulled another arrow from her container and strung it again. She half expected to see Sesshoumaru at any minute now, but he never showed himself.

Kagome felt her eyes start to burn and her throat constrict. She tried to hold her breath, but the need for air forced her to breath. Kagome’s lungs started to ache painfully, that she was wheezing.
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*Rustling of leaves*

The sound drew Kagome’s attention, as she was left to rely on her hearing. ‘Over there, over there!’ she told herself frantically. Kagome took aim off in the distance.

A pair of eyes shone through the forage of the dense forest. Sesshoumaru was in his full demonic form. His blood boiled at the thought that soon the person who attacked his estate would soon die. He could smell their fear, but how imprudent for that ignorant person to foolishly attack his property. Sesshoumaru saw the person move and lunged into the cold air, ready to pounce. ‘Kill! Destroy!’ his blood screamed. That’s when the scent of lilacs, spice, and fear smacked him in the face. ‘Kagome?!’

Kagome’s eyes widen in astonishment at a large white furry paw that lunged at her. She prayed that the arrow would injury the demon that was trying to kill her. Just long enough for her to get away. Kagome wanted to scream, even longed to, but couldn’t no matter how hard she tried. She had never seen Sesshoumaru in his full demon form and didn’t know that it was him.

When the dog demon landed ten feet from Kagome, that landing sent a tremor in the ground. It jostled her body violently and bounced her around. ‘I can’t shoot! The hell you can’t Kags. It’s kill or be killed.’ Kagome’s tried to open her eyes but found her vision so blurred to the point that objects were not recognizable. She consoled herself the best she could, as she fought to gain enough strength left to dispatch the arrow.

Sesshoumaru quickly reverted back into his so-called humaniod form when he saw the arrow coming straight at his face. In a graceful fluid motion, he caught the arrow in his hand two inches before the tip of the arrow would have made contact with his perfect face.

“Sesshoumaru?” Kagome chocked out violently as she gasped for air. “So- sorry!” The bow fell from her nimble finger and fell to the ground before her. Then Kagome collapsed next to the bow, she lost consciousness as her body pitched forwards to the awaiting ground.

With a flick of his wrist, the toxic fumes dissipated into the air, neutralizing it almost instantly. Sesshoumaru walked to Kagome’s unconscious form after she hit the ground. His fingers found a faint but steady beating pulse on her neck. It was a weak pulse, but he marveled how she could still be alive after breathing in a large amount of his’ poison. ‘Maybe she isn’t so weak.’ Sesshoumaru retraced his claw and spit some of his saliva on his fingers. He then bent over his fiancée and stuck his coated fingers into her partially opened mouth. The saliva was the antidote. It should kick in a few seconds.

Kagome felt something wet being inserted into her parched mouth. It was like a burst of fresh air being forced into her sensitive lungs. Kagome’s tongue enveloped the object in her mouth tenderly, as she suckled the fingers in her mouth; gently nipped it with her teeth.

Sesshoumaru felt Kagome start to suck on his finger, and the sensation her mouth was giving his digits was something that had been lying dormant for such a long time. Lust! It first was a warmth spreading throughout his body and quickly progressed into a burning desire. A desire to have sex with this women, his fiancée, was unexplainable. He groaned as he felt himself start to throb with need. Sesshoumaru withdrew his fingers as carefully as he could, but one digit caught on Kagome’s dull canine making a small cut. When the finger was extracted, Sesshoumaru watched the cut heal quickly.

The sound of a half groan, half hiss woke up Kagome from her unconscious state. Silver-blue eyes found hot blazing golden eyes boring into her’s.

“Stupid woman! What were you thinking? I could have killed you without blinking.” He said harshly, now shaking her body a little.

That was like a splash of cold water in her face. “I’m sorry,” Kagome retorted hotly, “but I specifically remember you telling me to leave. And, guess what, I listened. What!!! Put me down NOW!” Kagome held a hotty glare as Sesshoumaru scooped her up. She couldn’t help these emotions that clawed at her soul. She loved Inuyasha, but could never have him, and now fate gave her Sesshoumaru. It was only suppose to be a business deal, in which everyone benefited from it. Yet, now Kagome wasn't to sure. There was no fine print giving her any warning.

Warning: being in the presence of this taiyoukai will be hazardous to your mental health and may make you feel things you wished you wouldn’t.

“NO!” Sesshoumaru growled. “You will not demand anything of me, fiancée, in that tone.”

Kagome started to buck, trying to get out of his arms in an attempt to get free. However, to no avail, Sesshoumaru would only tighten his hold, and would not let her go. “Fine you win! Would you please, Sesshoumaru-sama, put me down?”

She looked so disgruntled when she said it he thought about telling her no again. However, Sesshoumaru did not want to punish Kagome for her submissive attitude, even if it was unwillingly. He put her down.

“So, are you done throwing your childish temper tantrum?”

“This Sesshoumaru does not have temper tantrums like a little child.” He replied as he continued to walk away from her, trying to cool his need down. And for that, distance was very necessary.

“Could have fooled me! You kissed me then leave me in the kitchen and when I go to talk to you…” Kagome stopped, looking a little confused before she continued. “Then you yelled at me to leave for absolutely no damn reason. Am I, that undesirable to you that you can’t stand to touch me? Or, that my mere presence irritates you?!” Kagome was gained some fuel for her livid words at the retreating taiyoukai. “Well, you’d better learn to stomach touching me, because if you haven’t forgotten one of the stipulations requires you to sleep with me!!! Which means, Sesshoumaru- sama, having SEX!” Kagome was bellowing now. “Tell me, how did you plan on having a child?”

Silence only answered her. “Fine! This leads to another problem you will have. If you don’t want me, because correct me if I’m wrong, we won’t have a child together! So, in order to have child we have to…….”

Kagome felt her body being thrown. At the momentarily loss of gravity, Kagome knew that she was going to make contact with the ground, and she cringed, half expecting it to hurt like the devil. Kagome shut her eyes tightly with expectation of the next blow that would be, but it never came. What she found, however; was a fluffy tail beneath her and a rather pissed Inu-Taiyoukai on top of her.

“Enough!” Sesshoumaru ground out. He was incensed at the fiery goddess beneath him for making such unfounded accusations. “I do not need you to remind me of my responsibilities, or yours.”

He could feel the rapid rise and fall of Kagome’s chest as he lay on top of her, and the hammering of her heart against her ribs. ‘Did she think that he wasn’t attracted to her? Hell, she must have, because if he remembered correctly she did say something about stomaching touching her. Humans!’ Sesshoumaru thought exasperated. Couldn’t the silly woman tell that he wanted her! Heaven only knew why? Heaven? Forget heaven, only Hades knew why, in Sesshoumaru’s opinion.

Kagome felt his hand at her throat, but wasn’t worried at all. He wouldn’t kill her. Who else would have him? She almost laughed however considering the circumstance she did not give in to that urge. Kagome mustered up the best ‘how dare you,’ look she could to give him.

“You don’t know what you do to me.” It wasn’t a question, but given as a hard core fact.

‘What do exactly do I do to you?’ Kagome wondered. The puzzled statement must have been written on her face, because Sesshoumaru snarled at her.

“If I must be cursed with this affliction of desire woman, so will you!”

Kagome’s mind went on a rollercoaster ride. ‘What curse? What affliction? Did I just hear him say desire?’ Then the rollercoaster of bafflement came up the hill of bewilderment and then straight down the track of burning longing.

Sesshoumaru thought that he would show her just how much he could stomach touching her. His mouth slammed down over hers in a hard demanding way. He let go of her throat and began to slide his clawed hand over the span of her rib cage. Sesshoumaru felt Kagome stiffen a little but soon relaxed to his touch. Encouraged that she hadn’t pushed him away yet he slowly moved his hands lower to the side of her hips.

Kagome felt Sesshoumaru’s hand scorched a path down her ribcage to her hips. Then he moved methodical to the outside of her thighs and then stopped at her knees. Kagome felt him cup the back of her knees and in one swift motion parted her legs so that he was nestled between them.

Sesshoumaru heard her sharp intake of air through their fervent kisses. He felt Kagome’s hands reached to cup his face and then slide to the back of his neck. Then Kagome’s legs went around his waist holding him in place against her. His hands went to her blouse trying to rid her of the soft material.

Hands that were once at her knees now moved to the shirt Kagome was wearing. Frustrated that he wasn’t moving fast enough Kagome became restless. The heated desire in the pit of her stomach spread like wildfire throughout her body. Kagome decided to help in the removal of his clothes then too. She found the top button of his shirt and undid it, then the next one, and then next, until Kagome soft hand came into contact with Sesshoumaru’s bare, lean hard chest.

Kagome’s blouse ripped when Sesshoumaru become weary of trying to get it off of her. His razor sharp claws tore down the center of the blouse revealing two round firm breasts clad in a white bra, embroidered with red and pink rose with green leaves.

Sesshoumaru’s mouth traveled from Kagome’s lips to her jaw then to the base of her neck leaving a trail of sensual kisses in his wake. He cupped one breast in his hand and gentle gave it a playful squeeze, to which he caused Kagome to moan rather loudly to Sesshoumaru’s satisfaction.

Neither of them heard the young squealing girl in the back ground yelling, because of Kagome’s wanton moaning. “Fire works Jaken! This way!”

Rin’s happy footsteps where followed by Jaken, who grumbled and whined all the way.

Rin ran ahead of Jaken and found the couple in a rather intimate position. She giggled as turned her head back in the direction Jaken was walking, who was a ways away from her. “Jaken!” Rin laughed at out loud. “Sesshoumaru-sama and Kagome are wresting with each other. Rin wants to join them.” The six year old squealed in delight, the pair however were not.

“Rin, get back you little terror! We do not know if it is fire works or not!” Jaken shouted in squawking protest.

The couple froze like Greek statues. Except for the fact that Sesshoumaru’s irritated growl was coming from his throat, and that Kagome’s face turned beet red in mortification of being caught.