'Once I was'

~ ~ ‘Once I Was’ ~ ~
~ ~Rain~ ~

She stepped into the bright noon time sun, the roar of the crowd was almost deafening even to her human ears. She knew what was expected of her, kill or be killed nothing more. This had become her life entertainment for youkai and she was the best. The only one to have survived the long years in this hell as other slaves had come and died pleading for their lives at the hands of the creatures they pitted them against.

She hated this killing went against everything she believed in. But she remembered being asked once at that moment between life and death what would she choose? And she choose time and time again her life for theirs.

She heard the wild creature throwing itself against the wooden gates that separated them. She knew her new master always caught wild lower level youkai when they were in heat. And before a fight she was always covered in female youkai pheromones, her new master said it was to make the fight more interesting for the crowds. Many female slaves’ human and youkai were raped and killed in the name of entertainment.

The wooden doors shook again as the raging youkai again slammed into them raising a cloud of dirt into the air. Her body slide into position as she prepared herself for the fight to come.

Her eyes slide to the raised platform in the middle of the crowd her new master sat as if he was king. His plain white haori made him stand out in the crowd the blond haired snakes red eyes seemed to glimmer with joy under the praise of the youkai surrounding him. That youkai would get his one day she would see to it.

Bring her eyes back to the doors her body tensed as the guards moved into position to release the youkai. The chains connecting her wrist jingled another joke of her new master ‘since you are so good you shouldn’t need your hands’ his laughter still echoed through her mind. After her third battle, the threat of death had pushed the powers within to react she killed six youkai that day including the guards. After that small display of power she was made to fight almost on a daily basis.

With a shake of her head she cleared her mind. Now was not the time to let her mind wander, with two swift tugs the bolts holding the doors slide back. Another hit from the youkai inside the doors flew open. The creature stood at its full height taking heavy breaths she watched as he took in her appearance. She watched his eyes as they moved taking in her raven hair as the noon day breeze caught the long strands. Kagomes eyes never left his face as she watched he licked his dry lips his eyes moving up her body from her tiny bare feet, and bare long toned legs. She felt sick as he took in her black kimono that stopped mid-thigh, and hugged every curve of her upper body. The kimono was sleeveless and showed off her equally pale and toned arms that were chained at the wrist.

Her eyes again were drawn to the raised platform as a whisper on the wind caught her attention. She gasped silently on the bastards left now was her cellmate. The tiger youkai was again bruised and battered; he was chained like an animal at the bastard’s feet as if he was a pet. Kagome knew what the bastard was doing her cellmate was insurance that she did not snap and purify the crowd.

Her attention snapped back to the youkai as he roared his displeasure at bring ignored. Kagome narrowed her eyes at the beast feeling the energy flowing through her begging to be released. She inched her feet a little farther apart, her arms raised and spread as far as the chains would allow. Waiting. The youkai charged wildly she spun catching him in the back of the leg with her foot. She smirked ‘good let him get angry anything is better then lust,’ the youkai stood and whirled around again charging Kagome as she stood and waited on him to get closer.

The crowd of youkai were going crazy watching the fight below them. Every time the youkai went to grab the human he either howled in pain or wasn’t fast enough to catch her. He slammed into the stone wall again and howled in outrage as again the female escaped him. He didn’t move fast enough to avoid her kick that shattered his arm and threw him again in the stone walls surrounding them.

Again a whisper on the breeze caught her attention. wake up Tigeress

She raced toward the dazed bloody youkai her power snapping around her like the wind. With the next kick she broke the creature’s neck and stood staring into his hollow eyes. The cheering crowd went unnoticed as she silently prayed for the soul of her latest kill. None inside this hell would cry for the lost souls of the youkai she killed but inside she did , and prayed that when they were reborn it would be too a better life then this one. With her prayer finished she purified the youkai into nothingness.

“You have to wake up tigress. . . Please,” she heard it louder this time as if someone was standing beside her. She turned and saw no one.

The guards came again and lead her back to her cell leaving behind the noise of the outside world for the quite of the stone walls that made up her prison. In a matter of moments the silent place exploded in a boom that rocked the building. The roof groaned above her, she was shaking but not from fear and watched as the stone wall caved in on top of the guards.

“Wake up tigress,” smoke chocked her lungs as she sprinted down the hall trying to out run the crumbling stone. She had to find Shinzaburo ignoring the voice on the wind she ripped open the doors to the arena…

*88*
Her eyes snapped opened taking in the room around her. The light from the setting sun shined through the window, the tree just outside that window whispered in the wind. ‘How many days has it been now?’ she silently questioned herself. Sleep was so over rated it always took her back to that hell.

“Finally your awake I see my Tigress,” she looked to the smiling face of the youkai kneeling beside her. The light caught his white hair making it look almost alive as it slide from his shoulders to pool next to her face. Bright silver eyes met hers; she could clearly see the worry in them as he looked her over. Her eyes widen as it all came back her last fight, the attack on the place they were being held. She had to fight her way back to Shinzaburo the bastard was using the bloody, warded youkai as a shield against the attackers. Kagome was forced to kill everyone who stood in her way; it was in that battle where she was injured. And to make matters worst the bastard got away.

Shinzaburo finally forced himself to look away. Kami he felt like a cub around this female. His cellmate for two years, she had been there a lot longer then he had. In that damp smelly cell locked away from the world. He still could not believe she had saved his life not once but twice. The youkai that captured him had tortured and warded him with some kind of spell to keep him from healing and using his natural strength to escape. He knew they wanted to send a message to his father and that message would be his tortured dead corpus.

‘Kagome changed all of that. Kagome a name scratched in the dirt floor of their cell, her name.’

All the slaves were forced to watch his torture as a show of power from who he called the bastard. Surprising enough it was a small human female who stepped forward even chained she snatched the whip from the claws of the youkai then turned and attacked the creatures torturing him. He would have smirked if he wasn’t in so much pain at the time. Kagome took down sixteen guards before she was out number and beaten to the ground, they kick the stomped the female until their master told them to stop. When he woke again they were in a cell together, he could not help but look at her as she maneuvered herself to sit up against one of the stone walls.

After months of watching her he decided to speak to her after the guards brought her back. She was again bruised and batter but wouldn’t speak to him. At first he thought she felt he was beneath her or something until she scratched her name in the dirt floor of their cell. From then on he would describe to the out side world, he was shocked to find out she was well over 500 years olds. Kagome had been there for 400 years master after master had owned the place and through it all she had remanded in that windowless cell surviving on only Kami knows what.

She never smiled nor cried even when he had made a joke; only expression he got was a small smirk or the softening of her eyes every so often. But what did he expect she was sold from the only home she knew when she was but 200.

A sudden noise brought Shinzaburo from his thoughts, his eyes snapped to Kagome as she propped herself up on her elbows. With a curious tilt of his head he studied the strange expression on her face. Then he felt nervous auras approaching the hut they were in. He watched her hand slide to her sword as she sat up eyes trained on the doorway.

“It’s just the villagers my Tigress, there is no reason for that beside you should be resting. How are we to keep moving if you can’t move?” she just answered with an incline of her head but still didn’t move her hand form the sword. Shinzaburo might have said the villagers were peaceful but she learned her lesson long ago about trusting anyone.

Kagome watched as he left the hut to greet the villagers stilled and ready just incase. She knew they were in the Western lands even if he said he knew not where they were. The land always called to her, even being in the Southern lands deep in that place she still felt the call of the land of the west. What it was calling her for she knew not but still she felt it and ignored it as always. These were not her lands anymore; the sire of her former lord-to-be had proved that in his final insult by selling her as if she was a common slave.

When Shinzaburo and the others made no move to enter Kagome laid back on the bed roll. She felt the sharp shift of the wind as it picked up as if it was showing its displeasure at being ignored. She knew the rain was icy as it suddenly started up falling from the heavens beating down on the roof of the hut. But still she ignored the call; she would not be a slave to the land of the west, where she was clearly not wanted.

Her fingers traced the scare on her stomach the bastard had tried to disembowel her. She would find him and when she did the snake would die by her hands.

Years of being in that cell had taught her the past was a mistake. For the first 100 years she prayed and hoped Sesshoumaru would come for her, tell her it was a mistake. That Inu Tashio would come ask for her forgiveness and take her home. But it was not to be, the love that sustain her for so long was killing her slowly so like her it was cast a side for good she hoped.

She struggled to her feet, when she stood up right she moved to the window and looked out. Watching the rain pelt the half dead trees her eyes glazed over …

*88*
“I found a good one this time Kagome. Do you want to learn it?” she looked up into the tree and nodded happily at her companion. There was nothing in the world she would not do for her Sesshoumaru.

“Not now though it’s going to rain and father wants me to attend some boring meeting.” Kagome nodded solemnly she hated when he was away from her. Kikyo always tortured her more when Sesshoumaru was away. They looked to Inu Tashio as he called out for Sesshoumaru.

“Meet me tonight this will be your first solo stealth mission. If you can catch me off guard I’ll show up okay. Oh and you can not let anyone see you not even Kenai,” he whispered and with a quick peak on the cheek he was gone. Kagome sighed leaning back against the tree; her face was rosy from her blush. Her heart pounded in her chest, Kami how she loved that Inu.

*88*
Kagome stood at the window watching as the rain fell from her room window. She could hear her mother moving around in the next room so she had to wait. An hour later her mother had come to wish her goodnight and left again to meet with Inu Tashio. Kagomes easily stripped in the dark and dressed in her black gi leaving off her foot wear she used her aura to see how close anyone was to her room. As taught she slipped into the shadows and crept through the palace pasted the working maids and soldiers.

She could have laughed if she could slipping past Cho the guard on patrol in section of the castle for the royal family. Kagome stood in the shadows watching as Inu Tashio left Sesshoumaru’s rooms. For a moment she thought he had seen her but he kept walking. She waited until he rounded the corner and disappeared from her senses all together.

She slipped into the room quietly and waited until Sesshoumaru entered from his private bathing chambers. She tossed a dart and slithered across the room as he dodged the dart. She tossed several more and tackled the distracted young lord face first to the floor. When she finally let him up he whipped around with wide eyes at Kagome.

She sat on the floor smiling up at his shocked face.

“Kagome …how . . . when . . . You almost gave me a heart attack,” he sighed running his fingers long hair. “It seems I taught you too well my little assassin.” he smiled at her pride sparkling in his golden gaze.

For two hours they went over the spell and every time her eyes met his she saw that pride shining in his eyes. When he thought she had studied enough they went out on his balcony. It was raining pretty hard but he promised to keep her dry and pointed to the plant he wanted her to practice on.

Sesshoumaru stood over her as she kneeled before the dieing plant. The heat from his body could be easily felt on her back, his warm breathe on her neck made her nervous. Every time he stood over her like this her mouth would go dry and her heart would pound in her chest. The joy she always felt made her feel as if she had wings and could fly.

“Concentrate Kagome. You have done harder spells then this one. Pertain I am not here. Hear only my voice and the rain and let your energy flow.” she closed her eyes and sighed inwardly. ‘Yeah right pertain he’s not there easier said then done’

She exhaled and let the sound of his voice, and the rain ease her into a slight calm. Her fingers tingled as the energy inside of her poured from her fingertips like water. The words from the spell flowing from her silent throat. After a few minutes she felt the heat from his hands and heard the jingle from the bracelet on her wrist. She stopped and finally opened her eyes, the once dying plant was standing upright its leaves lush and green.

In her excitement she never noticed she was now facing Sesshoumaru with his arms wrapped around her. She stiffens for a moment feeling his lips softly touch hers as his heat spread through her. His soft growl echoed through her body making it tingle in ways she never imaged before. Her eyes closed as his lips moved over hers, never had she imaged anything could feel this way. Heat pooled in her stomach as a throb started between her legs. She struggled in his arms as this unknown ache made its self known. When he finally pulled back she stared at him wide eyed.

“Kagome” he started his voice deep and animalistic blazing red eye met hers.“Don’t. .be. .afraid,” he growled soothingly running his claws through her hair, pulling her close again his lips again met hers.
*88*

“Tigress,” Shinzaburo started as he entered the hut smelling her blood. Kagome eyes snapped to the tiger youkai hearing the worry in his voice. Shinzaburo didn’t stop till he was standing in front of Kagome. He lifted her clinched hand up in his, and eased her fingers up pulling her long nails free from the her palm.

Kagome looked at her bloody palm then back out the window. Kami she wanted to leave this place.