Bound

Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

Notes: My very first Inuyasha fic, I’m so happy. This is a Het fic, with pairings as follows . . . Sesshomaru/Kagome, Inuyasha/Kikyo, and Miroku/Sango. This is most definitely an Alternate Universe fic, and I take great liberties in changing their lives to suit my purposes. And for the most part, I stick with English terms and spellings for their names . . . I do hope you can get over it.

More Notes: Sesshomaru is purchased. Naraku makes his appearance.

Bound

Part Two


Sesshomaru stood with his head bowed, just as every other slave in this sale stood. Rin held tightly to his hand, standing just beside him. He had been forced to put her down, much to the child’s fright . . . Sesshomaru could smell the fear wafting from her little form and he gently squeezed her hand in a small offer of reassurance. She was tethered to a post now, chained like a common beast . . . just as Jaken was being treated.

“Sesshomaru-sama . . . I’m tired.” Rin pouted, her voice merely a whisper.

“Sshh . . . do not speak.” Sesshomaru warned with a slight voice. He did not want the child to be punished . . . they were not allowed to speak unless spoken to.

Rin said nothing more. She rubbed her hand across her face, sniffling. Sesshomaru worried for her. If she was not purchased, she would be left hungry tonight. Another day without food would not do her good. He did not want to see her starve.

“Slaves for sale!” The slave trader called, a crowd of humans and demons gathering around the platform that Sesshomaru and the others stood on.

Sesshomaru didn’t like the attention, nor did he want to be sold. Still, he could do little about either of these facts and he was resigned to his fate. He would be sold today . . . if not, he would sit in that cell once more, his body further weakening as hunger sapped his strength. He didn’t worry for himself though . . . his only thought was for Rin, hoping that she would be purchased by someone kind.

“I have slaves for all your needs!” The trader yelled, grabbing a young girl at the end of the line most harshly. She made no sound, merely stepping forward. “This one here . . . quite a pretty face. She’d make a lovely bed servant!” That brought a number of whispers from the crowd, as well as a few laughs.

The trader moved along down the line of the chain, gesturing to each in turn and explaining the benefits of owning them. Jaken was purported to be a decent kitchen servant . . . excellent in the talents of cooking. When finally the man came to Sesshomaru, the crowd grew silent.

“This one here . . . why he could do any number of duties!” The slaver shouted, his calloused hand gripping Sesshomaru’s chin and forcing his head up.

Sesshomaru instinctively lowered his eyes, knowing the punishment for looking directly ahead. He fought off a shudder at the memory . . . the pain still taunted him, teased at the edges of his memories.

“As you can see, he has a strong body . . . could be useful as a work slave. Outdoor or indoor. Not a bad looker either . . . and a full-blooded demon too. Never have to worry about him defying orders, he’s under strict spells that demand obedience. Whatever you order, he cannot object.” He dropped Sesshomaru’s chin.

Sesshomaru resisted the urge to raise his hand to his chin, feeling an ache where the man had dug his fingers into the skin. Then he realized that the slave trader had stopped in front of Rin . . . and the man had seen the way their hands were clasped.

The slaver sneered, reaching forward and grabbing Rin’s wrist, forcefully dragging the child away from Sesshomaru’s hold. Rin screamed, reaching out for Sesshomaru again, calling out in a terrified voice, pleading with him for help.

The sight of her trying to break free of the slave trader tore at Sesshomaru’s heart . . . the sound of her cries sending stabs of guilt through him . . . the scent of her tears making him ill with regret. Still, he made no move to step forward, knowing that he was not permitted to. They were slaves . . . he could do nothing.

And then . . . the slave trader crossed the line. He raised his hand, harshly backhanding the child. Rin fell to the wooden platform, tears in her eyes. She lay unmoving, her little body limp.

Without thought of reprisal, Sesshomaru raised his arm, effortlessly capturing the slave trader’s throat in his grasp. He growled, his fury only rising as the man raised his weak, human hands to clutch at Sesshomaru’s wrist. The man opened his mouth time and again, struggling for breath . . . to speak. It only took one word to cease Sesshomaru’s attack.

With great difficultly, the man gasped out the word of subjugation. “Crush.” He croaked, his pudgy face beginning to turn purple as he struggled for air.

At the sound of that word, Sesshomaru’s hand fell slack, the slaver’s form falling from his grasp to crumble to the platform. The collar around Sesshomaru’s neck grew tighter around him, digging into his flesh as he fought against the onslaught of the pain that seemed to seep into his entire being. He opened his mouth, gasping for air, even as he crumbled to the ground, the twists of agony sifting through his veins as if one with his blood. He clawed at the collar, trying to draw it away from his neck . . . even though he knew the effort to be useless.

As soon as it began, the collar loosened its hold and air rushed painfully back into Sesshomaru’s lungs, the pain fading to merely a dull ache. He gasped, panting like a common dog as he struggled to intake air. A hand settled on his head and he froze, bowing his head submissively. He would not disobey again. He should not have done so to begin with.

“What do you wish of me, Master?” He asked, his voice speaking as if by instinct. He would do anything to avoid the pain again.


*****


Kagome smiled as she haggled with a few of the local merchants. It wasn’t that she was lacking in money, but she did enjoy the social interaction. She knew these merchants well . . . and they knew her . . . to them, this was a joy. She looked up from her browsing as Sango poked her.

“What?” She asked, curious to know why her friend had done that.

Sango nodded toward a line-up on a nearby platform. “Slaver. I hate them. They starve slaves that don’t get sold.”

Kagome grimaced. “As if that would increase their value.” She sighed, shaking her head. “Come on . . . let’s see if we can get a few.” When she saw the look on Sango’s face, she sighed again. “I may suck at being a priestess, but that’s no reason not to help those that are suffering.” She scowled when she saw a little girl clutching the hand of a man the slaver proclaimed to be a full-blooded demon. “See . . . take that little girl for instance. She’s no more than a baby, and . . . OH!” She raised her hand to her mouth, horrified by the scene playing out before her eyes.

At that moment, the child was torn from the demon’s side. Her heartbroken cries ripped through Kagome’s heart. When the slaver backhanded the child, Kagome surged forward at the same time the demon did. The crowd blocked her view of the events unfolding as she pushed her way through, yet she heard the gasping sounds and knew that something was happening. She reached the platform in time to hear the demon’s dull voice speak.

“What do you wish of me, Master?”

For a fleeting moment, Kagome let her eyes trail over the demon kneeling at the feet of the slaver. She had to force herself not to gape in shock . . . it wouldn't look good to be caught drooling. Simply put, he was beautiful . . . that was the only word to adequately describe him. He could easily stand over six-feet tall . . . a pool of silver hair lay around his body, cascading over his broad shoulders like a cape. A thick, furred tail lay on the platform beside him, partially twisted about him. She couldn’t see his eyes, since his head was bowed, but she was sure that his face was just as attractive as the rest of him.

Kagome shook her head, returning her attention to the slave trader. When she saw the sneer on the man’s face, she knew she had to act. “Hold!” She called as she walked right up to the slaver and spat at him. “So BRAVE! You have to hit a CHILD to feel important, do you?”

“If you so dislike the trade, then you should leave, woman!” The man growled back, his eyes glinting maliciously.

Kagome raised her chin in defiance, stepping up onto the platform. “Don’t order me around. I am NOT one of your slaves.” She turned her back on the man, moving to kneel next to the child. Gently, she reached out and rubbed the sobbing girl’s back. “There, there . . . he won’t do that again.” She hushed, hoping the girl wasn’t too badly hurt.

With a sigh, she rose and turned her attention back to the pig of a man.

“How much do you want for them . . . the demon and the little girl?” Kagome asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

The slaver blinked, yet smirked. “Five thousand for both.”

Kagome gaped. “Five thousand? You have got to be kidding me!” She grinned in return . . . she did so love a good haggle. “I’ll give you fifteen hundred.”

This time it was the slaver’s turn to go wide-eyed. “Woman, are you insane? I need to make a living here! I won’t take less than four thousand.”

Kagome thought for a moment, knowing that she could get the price even lower. She looked over at the child, then to the demon, a thought coming to her. “Two thousand . . . you’ve damaged both.” She spoke, nodding.

The slaver groaned, looking quite peeved. “Thirty-five hundred . . . no harm was done to either of them. The demon has suffered far worse.”

To be honest, Kagome really didn't like the sound of that, but this was going so well that she didn’t bring the topic up. She looked around again, this time finding her eyes drawn to another demon . . . one that probably wouldn’t sell today. With a smile, she looked at the slaver again. “Tell you what, toss in that little toad demon and I’ll pay three thousand.”

The slave trader nodded without a pause. “Deal.” He said, extending his hand.

Kagome nodded, taking hold of his hand and shaking on the agreement.

The slaver snapped his fingers and a young boy rushed over with a small wooden chest. The boy set it down, then all but scurried away, probably afraid of his boss. While Kagome looked on, the slave trader unlocked the box and pulled out a number of parchments, as well as ink and a quill.

“You’ll need to make your mark on these.” He said, unrolling a number of parchments. “This one here’s a bill of sale . . . transferring ownership of the slaves, Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Rin from me to you.” He said, laying the scroll down.

Kagome nodded, signing her name where he indicated. She handed over her purse of coins, already knowing that she had just enough in there to cover the cost of her new slaves. “What is all this?” She asked, noting the number of papers laid out before her.

“This is your copy of the ownership agreement . . . containing all details you need to know about their previous owners as well as origins. Previous duties are listed, to better help you decide what it is you wish to do with them.” He said, going on about the various details.

Kagome kind of lost track of things for a moment . . . that is, until they got to the part where he mentioned a word of subjugation. Both Jaken and Sesshomaru, like every other enslaved demon, had a collar binding their powers, keeping them from going against their masters. A single word was all that needed to punish or restrict them . . . the word varied, was different for each demon . . . creating a different form of punishment for each. Only Kagome’s voice could activate them, for she alone was their owner. No one else could hurt them. Kagome learned the words that controlled Sesshomaru and Jaken, and vowed never to speak them aloud. She would have to be careful not to use them in everyday conversation.

Once all the details were settled,ome ome was handed three leashes, attached to which were her three new slaves. “Follow me.” Kagome ordered, knowing that they would only obey a direct order right now . . . they didn’t know what to expect of her.

Kagome stepped down from the platform, followed by the slaves. She looked back and nearly smiled, noticing that the tall demon had picked up the little girl and was carrying her with care. It was a touching scene . . . the poor girl was clutching tightly to the demon, as if terrified she would be torn away from him again.

“Sango . . . I’m going to take these three home now . . . get them settled in.” Kagome said, hoping her friend would understand.

“I think I will stay here a little while longer . . . perhaps I will find someone to help, as you have.” The young woman replied.

“Okay. See you tomorrow.” Kagome smiled, turning and heading through the crowd.

She stopped dead in her tracks as she collided with a solid object, only to blush and back away when she realized it was a person she had bumped into. Then she looked up and frowned, her blush immediately fading.

“Oh, it’s just you.” She huffed, glaring at the man in front of her.

“Now, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you weren’t happy to see me.” The dark-haired man said. His name was Naraku . . . Kagome knew very well that he was a half-demon, but that wasn’t what she disliked about him. It was the fact that he . . . well, he just seemed so cold, like he had no heart. There was something about him that grated on Kagome’s every nerve, that warned her he was dangerous and not to be trusted. She didn’t truly know why . . . but she trusted her instincts.

“Is there something you want, or will you move aside so I may pass?” Kagome sneered. Behind her, Kagome heard a faint growl and turned, only to be surprised when she found her new slave to be looking at Naraku with narrowed eyes. Well . . . she was beginning to like this tall silver-haired demon . . . at least he had good taste.

“I suggest you train your dog better, Kagome.” Naraku said with thinly veiled anger. Then he turned his sickeningly sweet smile her way. “Why haven’t you replied to my letters? I’ve been requesting the honor of courting you for some time now.”

“Now, Naraku . . . you know better than that.” Kagome chided. “As I am a daughter of the house of Higurashi, you must speak to the head of my household if you wish permission to court me.”

“But your father is dead, Kagome.” Naraku frowned. “And your sister is not against the idea of us becoming more acquainted.”

Kagome shook her head. “I didn’t say that my father was the head of my household, nor is my sister Kikyo.” She sighed, setting her hand against her own chest and fiddling with the charm hanging from her necklace. “You should know very well, that the day my father died . . . all his lands and properties were handed down to the next male heir, my younger brother Sota. So, if you want to court me, you’ll have to speak with him. But I suggest you don’t keep your hopes high . . . as you well know, my little brother likes you even less than I do. My sister Kikyo may find you charming, but neither my brother nor myself were taken in by your sweet talk.”

With that, Kagome pushed her way past Naraku, not wanting to speak with the irritating lord any longer. He was wealthy, that was true . . . and he was quite handsome, in a way. But he got on her nerves . . . the pit of her stomach ached whenever he was near. She just didn’t like him.

When she felt she was far enough away, she turned and regarded the three slaves behind her. The girl was asleep in the tall demon’s arms. The little toad was looking weary, but was keeping up well enough.

“Come on, let’s get you three home.” Kagome smiled, tugging lightly on the leashes.

She didn’t like leading them around like dogs, but they were slaves and she had to keep up the appearance of a domineering master . . . at least for now. As soon as they were home, things would be different . . . those leashes were going to get lost.

To Be Continued . . .

Just to mention again . . . I said before, I use the dubbed version in reference to names. Which means I spell it Sesshomaru instead of Sesshoumaru . . . and Kilala instead of Kirara. Same goes for other characters as well. Please, there is no need to point this out to me, as I already know. The dubbed version was the one I got familiar with so I loyally stick by the version that got me obsessed in the first place.

Oh, and if you noticed a similarity with the events in my fic and in “Captive Soul” by Rasberries . . . there’s no need to worry, I didn’t steal anything. I asked permission before I posted this fic and she gave her go-ahead. Read her fic . . . it’s great.