The Poison of Erised! by Vyncent

Chapter One - And So It Begins - On the Prowl!

The Poison of Erised!

By Vyncent

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::This story contains GRAPHIC violence, sexual content! You are WARNED::

Parts of this graphic, and of an adult nature, or violent, and will NOT be posted to FanFiction.net...

It is being posted to AdultFanFiction.net and MediaMiner.org

If you do not like such content, then please be advised that this fic may not be appealing to you. Please do not read this if such content is offensive to you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor any of the associated characters. But it ain't because I don't want or wish to do so.

I cannot guarantee how frequently I will be able to update my works. Currently I am going over what is already written, and making correction. As a few of my readers are aware of, the long hiatus was do to many RL issues that pretty much hit me all at once and like a battering ram.

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It was a dark and stormy night. Not a beast was astir...erh...uhm...yeah...right...Hmmm! Oooppss!!! Wrong story...Ahem!! *cough*

The dark of night shrouded the world below, broken only by the light of Brother Moon's crescent form. He was unique in his visage this night, as he wore the blush of the deepest blood red on this sultry, and humid evening.

The day had been hot, steamy, and unforgiving, except to those lucky enough to find solace near pond, lake, brook, river, or mountain fed stream. For some it was a blessing, as it kept even those who stalked the wilds at bay, while others found it oppressive and prayed for relief. Even the whereabouts and haunts of Naraku were quiet, many who knew of him, hoping that it was because of the uncommon heat wave that gripped the land.

In the stillness of the night, those who were overwhelmed by the heat of day, settled themselves in brief respite as the shadows of night brought at least a little relief. Not everyone, even the most stalwart of youkai, were immune from the extremes of the weather. Of course, some were less affected than others, but many still found it better to wait out the current situation in what comfort they could find.

Be that as it may, there were those who didn't find the heat to be much of a bother. One such was the Great Beast who currently used the light of Brother Moon, to prowl forth across the face of the heated land.

The lesser life forms that inhabited the land, sensed his passage and knew that he was on the hunt. They knew that he was looking to feed a driving hunger, yet none of them feared his passage. They held no fear, as they knew that his hunt was for a most specific prey. They knew that the hunger he sought to satisfy required blood, and flesh, but not to fill his belly. No, it was needed to fill a completely different kind of hunger, one that was stronger, more demanding, and painful the longer it took to find his prey. But this night, the Great Beast knew exactly what he desired, and precisely where to find that which he sought.

Higher life forms that felt his passage, huddled in fear for their lives. They knew what he was after, although they didn't know exactly who his prey was, but they also knew that if he caught sight of anyone who might be even remotely in the path of his reaching what he wanted, their lives would be less that worthless.

Yes, he was on the prowl, hunting for his chosen prey. He would have what he wanted, and nothing would stand in his way, not even the foundations of hell itself would stop him from reaching his goal and obtaining that which he had long desired. He had planned long, hard, and well. Soon he would have what he needed to feed the painful hunger that had been growing for so long within him. Just one more night, and he would claim that which was his, and anyone who tried to stop him would face their death.

Tomorrow night, Brother Moon would be witness to the music that he heard, and felt in his very soul, as he howled his conquest to his blood red face. Tomorrow his hunger would be fed by the blood and flesh that he hungered for, and the world would know of his claim.

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The day was hot. Hot, humid, and uncomfortable. The breeze offered no relief, only the promise of the coming thunderstorms that hung all around the area. Their promised relief would have been more than welcomed by the stalwart group of weary travelers, but they never quite made it to the place the little group of travelers were walking. They were all hot, thirsty, and exhausted. Not that the red clad hanyou leading the group let it show, and more than anything wanted to stop and just rest near a cool spring for a while.

Unfortunately that same hanyou seemed inclined to continue to push the little group, even though they all, himself included, were on the verge of collapse or at least in sore need of a rest. It was not until the little Miko of the group actually fell that he finally stopped. They continued on only long enough for him to carry her to a nearby stream so that they could cool her fevered brow with the fresh water from the mountain fed stream.

"We need to stop and rest for a time," spoke Sango, as she tended to Kagome. She too, was exhausted, the heat had been getting to all of them. It was aggravating that Inuyasha felt so strongly about the idea of not showing weakness. His own pride would even now, not allow him to admit that they all needed to stop, including him.

"If you all were not so weak, and useless," he grumbled, "we would have been back to the village by now."

"Inuyasha," spoke the houshi rather harshly, after sharply rapping the grumpy hanyou on the head with his Shakoju, "by now you ought to know that we are weaker than hanyou and youkai. We are ningen. Just because you choose to ignore what you body tells you is wrong, doesn't mean that the rest of us can do the same. Kagome could be in serious trouble because she tried to please you by not telling you how much she needed to rest."

"Feh! Stupid wench," Inuyasha grouched, rubbing the lump on his head, "she will slow us down even more now." Truthfully, he was worried. He had not meant to push them so hard, and he should have noticed that they all, including Kagome were exhausted by the heat alone, much sooner. Then Kagome would not have collapsed from the heat and now be lying fevered with the heat, and unconscious from the strain of trying to keep up with him.

Sango and Miroku understood the words that Inuyasha left unspoken, so while they wanted to continue to beat some sense into the hanyou's hard head, they chose to just let him be for now. A good shaded spot that lay near the cool stream Inuyasha had found, provided some relief from the day's appalling heat. With the cool water from the mountain fed stream, Sango was able to not only cool herself down, but Kagome as well. She came too, about an hour after the hot and exhausted group had stopped.

Seeing that Kagome was alright, did much to relieve the entire group. But, it was still very warm, and they all needed to rest. So it was decided that the rest of the day would be spent beside the cool stream, in the welcome shade, resting and regaining their strength. The last to fall asleep, from the very exhaustion that he tried to deny he felt as much as the others, was Inuyasha, sitting in the shaded branches of the tree nearest to the young Miko, to whom he refused to tell how he really felt.

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He was a Youkai on a mission. He had been planning this for the better part of a year now. He was a Lord that was in the habit of getting what he wanted, and he had the patience to make sure that no one could stand in his way, especially when he set his mind on a particular goal. He had never failed in always fulfilling his desires except once, and that one time was still a stain on his reputation that left a bad taste in his mouth, and its mark upon his body.

This time, however, he would not only get what he wanted, but at the same time, he would make his little half-breed, half brother regret that he had ever opposed him in anything. This time, Inuyasha would not only lose something dear to him, he would never be able to get back what this Sesshoumaru planned on taking.

His goal was a simple one. He had wanted to find a way to get back at Inuyasha for both the loss of his arm, and the fact that he had bested him over Tetsusaiga, not once, but at least three times. This time, he would not only win the battle, but it was no longer over possession of his father's great fang. No, this time it would be over something much more personal, something much closer to his heart, something that he was sure that Inuyasha would do anything to protect. Except that this time, she would leave of her own free will, and come to him, because he wanted her.

She was a defiant, powerful, loyal, and alluring creature. She had been, ever since he had first seen her. She dared to stand up to him, to face him squarely even when she was afraid, but even then the fear was not because she was scared of him, but rather she feared what he might do to those she cared more about. No one had ever dared to stand up to him before, especially not a mere ningen onna. At least no one who was still alive...except for her.

His desire for her had not only been totally unexpected, but confusing. Ningen were, by nature, worthless, weak, and stank. They were hardly better than rodents. Vermin, really. Their numbers grew by leaps and bounds. They tended to be filthy, which contributed to their stench. Most of them could not think for themselves, and the vast majority of them lacked any useful intelligence.

Of course, as is the case with everything, there was always the exceptions to the rule. She not only happened to be one of those, she was exceptional in more than one way. She was daring, he had to give her that. What often left most ningen frozen or running in complete terror, she would stand up to, more often than not. Especially if it involved trying to defend those she care most about.

Where other ningen were dirty and any youkai of half-decent lineage gagged at their smell, she was pleasant to the senses. Her scent was alluring, refreshing, and soothing. The scent of the air right after a thunderstorm, complimented by the fragrance of blood red roses. One could be standing in the midst of a field of miasma, and her scent would push the foul stink away, offering fresh air that one's soul craved.

Her clean habits were astonishing, especially compared to most ningen that the Great Lord had ever encountered. He had observed his brother's group many times, and readily found that the girl tended to bathe at least once a day, twice if the opportunity permitted. The half breed was no slouch when it came to cleanliness, it was him after all that had taught that dead miko the value of cleanliness before her demise fifty years ago But even the hanyou was not one for maintaining such clean standards.

She also, seemed to be very intelligent. He had frequently observed her reading, and writing. She could often be seen late in the day, sitting near the campfire browsing through some strange looking manuscripts, and writing on strange kinds of paper like none he had ever seen before, the odd brushes that she used to write with just as strange as its wielder. Even among youkai, most onna were not even half that educated. Beyond the basics of tending to their young, and caring for their households, most onna were never educated to a higher standard. Their 'normal' lives just didn't require it.

While she lacked in physical prowess, to be any warrior's equal in standard combat, she had other attributes that made her a most formidable opponent on any battlefield. On the downside, she was unable to consistently use her capabilities, something that puzzled the Taiyoukai completely. On the upside, however, he knew from his own experience and observations that when her emotions were pushed hard enough, she was a force to be feared even by the strongest of youkai.

He had heard the stories of how she had almost totally purified Naraku during one of the groups many encounters with the vile hanyou. At first, he was puzzled not only by how she was capable of so much power, but why she had not completed her intent to kill the fiend. But it occurred to him, she could not have killed Naraku. It was not possible.

Oh, she had immense power, and sure she could purify any evil. But that very innocence and purity that gave her so much power when she needed it, was the very same reason that she could not take life. Her power was based on her purity, innocence, and her lack of fighting ability. The more pure her soul, the stronger and more powerful she was, and there was no doubt that she was more pure than anyone, since the great and legendary Midoriko herself.

Had she been able to kill, she would not have been even half so pure of soul and spirit. It was a sad loss, as far as the Taiyoukai was concerned, but Nature had its own checks and balances, which it maintained over everyone. It didn't mean that she could not kill, or that she had never done so, however, even in those instances where she had, it was purely in defense of others, and only because there was no other option left to her. In the case of the little Miko, having such great power to wield, meant being able to wield it responsibly, and killing blindly, was not responsible and would have tainted her soul and the jewel that she was apparently responsible for putting back together and keeping pure.

All of this seemed to only add to his desire to have her for himself. His brother obviously didn't deserve her. In fact, he often seemed to be trying to push her away with cruel words and actions that any other person would have been inclined to refuse to kiss his worthless ass for, or to just walk away and never give him another thought. Why would the whelp favor a walking, smelly, cold, dead bitch to a breathing, warm, sweet scented, live one, he would and could never understand.

Ah yes, her warm body, satiny skin, silken tresses, alluring scent. They all just had to be the most wonderful and delicious things. He was determined to find out first hand, and be damned that half brother of his, who didn't have enough brains to truly see the treasure that he had.

There were so many reasons that he found her intriguing, but even now he could not find any one thing that seemed to be the main reason for his lust and desire. Hell, he could not even be sure why his own Blood Beast desired her. There was no doubt about it, however, his Inu most definitely wanted the onna, and was willing to do whatever it took to take her.

When had he first begun to lust after her? Was it the feelings of his Blood Beast or his own? Could it be both of them wanted her equally as bad? Was it just lust, or something more? To think that he, the Great and Powerful Western Lord, a Taiyoukai known far and wide to have no liking at all for ningen, was being attracted to not only a ningen onna, but a Miko at that. Was he truly taking after his Great and Terrible Father? Could this weakness that he had obviously gained by resurrecting Rin, and allowing the small ningen child to follow him be not only the reason for his ever growing attraction for the wench, but eventually lead to his demise?

When it had first come to his attention, he had thought that his Inu wanted her for the sake of fulfilling some deep-seated lustful desires. Later, he realized that it was more than just lust that drove the Youkai side of his personality, and that his Inu want her for more than just a quick romp. All he knew for sure was that he desired her, and he now had the means to not only take her, but to have her want him as badly as he wanted her.

When he had first realized he wanted her so badly that she seemed to plague his every waking and sleeping moment, he had thought long and hard on the best way to get her for himself. He knew that he could not simply walk up to her and convince her of his desires. She would never believe him, nor trust him so openly, not with all of their past encounters standing in the way. No, there would be too much suspicion in his actions, and building the trust that he needed to create, as quickly has he needed, just would not be possible.

He had thought of making a deal with her. It was possible, and there were many things that he could use against her to get his way. He had thought long and hard on the choices that this offered, however, the main problem with all of them, was that they would not bring her to him as openly and willingly as he needed. No, he needed for her to want to come to him, not because she was blackmailed into it, but because she made the willing choice to want him.

For months he had poured over the various manuscripts and scrolls in the family library. His father, grandfather, and his great grandfather five generations removed had contributed to the vastness of the Inu Clan library. No library in the world could match its like, or held the veritable wealth of knowledge and information contained in this one location. It was the pride of the Inu Clan, and one that he had spent many a day absorbing and gaining power from the knowing.

In a dusty old scroll, he had found some small references to a Potion that was thought to have long been lost. It was a Potion called the 'Potion of Erised', and was rumoured to have the power to bind two people together in mind, body, blood, and soul. It only took the smallest of drops to work. While there were not many ingredients needed to make the Potion, some of them were very rare. Some needed to be gathered in very specific ways, while others required special preparation. It was said to have risks, but the Great Lord was willing to take those risks.

By far the hardest task was locating someone who could make the Potion for him. The old scroll mentioned the name of an onna, a fujo who had set her desires on a youkai. She had lived more than a thousand years ago, and it was unlikely that she was still alive today. He had finally come upon an old witch, one who still owed him for past services. With a 'little persuasion', on his part, Sesshoumaru was able to convince the witch to give him the special Potion.

The rarity of the Potion and some of its ingredients, made it very difficult to obtain, even with the cooperation of the old fujo. It was time consuming and costly, but the price was well worth the end result that the 'Potion of Erised' would bring about. Now all that he needed to do was to find the means to have the little Miko drink just a few drops of the powerful elixir.

Everything was ready and in place. It had taken months to prepare the Potion. Months to collect all of the right ingredients. The last and most important being a drop of his own blood, and a drop of hers. Once added to the Potion, it inextricably bound the two together and except for the person that the Potion was meant for, it would not work on anyone else. Even if someone found the vial that contained the Potion, few would ever recognize the innocent looking concoction, and those few were almost as rare as the Potion itself.

Of course, obtaining a drop of his own blood was easy to come by, and would not be added to the bottle until the last possible moment. Hers was a bit more tricky to get, not impossible, just a bit more challenging. The Great Inu Lord knew that his patience and perseverance would win out in the end, besides, he could not have it said that he could not take and beat any challenge.

Following his half brother and the small group that traveled with him, was an easy task. He barely even had to mask his scent and aura to keep from being noticed. Such carelessness on the part of the hanyou was something that the Youkai Lord expected. What an immature fool the whelp truly was. It was a miracle that Naraku had not already defeated the half-breed and his pack long ago. Still, in this instance, it was to the Great Lord's benefit, and he took every advantage that it offered to his cause.

With all of the travel, and danger that his young and foolish brother dragged the little Miko into, it was just a matter of following them, until they were attacked. With the right circumstances, she would suffer some minor injuries, and the bit of blood that he needed would be readily available, although that thought bothered Sesshoumaru greatly. He didn't understand why, however, and was reluctant to analyze his feelings in that regard. Then when they were off guard and sleeping, he could sneak through their camp, scent and aura masked. A small nick of his claws, a drop of blood, and she would never know that her blood had been taken.

But here was an even better opportunity. While they had not been attacked, the group was exhausted, because his baka brother insisted upon driving the group beyond their safe limits. Now they were all asleep, their exhaustion overtaking their need to be alert for possible danger. This was way too easy, and it meant that there would not be a possibility of her blood being tainted.

With that in mind, Sesshoumaru quickly sped into the encampment of the little group, and was beside the sleeping Kagome in less time that it took for the ningen heart to beat twice. Kagome lay before him like a sleeping tenshi, her lips ever so slightly parted, as her soft breathing reached his sensitive ears, and her intoxicating scent wreathed his head in her beautiful and heady fragrance.

He bit back the desire to moan at her nearness. His time would come soon, he only needed to be patient a bit longer. He quickly nicked her finger, with one of his razor sharp claws. It was the tiniest of punctures, just enough to draw the precious few drops of blood that he needed, but not enough to even cause the girl to flinch.

Quickly, he let the drops drip into the small vial that held the Potion he had worked so hard and been so patient, to obtain. He immediately ran his own fingertip over the point of his own fang and let a bit of his own blood drip into the same vial. He swirled the vial for just a moment, letting the contents combine. When a flair of red light pulsed suddenly from the vial, he knew that the final step had been taken, and now the Potion was ready for his next step. He merely had to give it to the onna that he would soon claim for his own.

Pushing back the images that already left him so hard that he was in physical pain, he leaned over, and carefully poured the measured drop of Potion past the onna's parted lips. Those sweet, full, and tempting lips that he would soon taste for himself to see if they were just as sweet as they looked. No more than a drop or two was required. But if he needed to strengthen or renew the spell, he could use it later. He would just have to add the blood again, but by then it would be much easier to obtain.

A moment later, a flush rushed through the unconscious girl's body, and then her normally sweet scent intensified, and a sudden spicy smell mixed with her sweet aroma. The Potion was working perfectly. She was already unconsciously responding to his nearness. It showed in the aroused scent that now permeated her very being. Soon she would crave him. Crave his nearness, crave his touch, crave him with a desire to want him to take her so bad it would almost be painful.

Slowly, he leaned down so that he could whisper softly into her ear, the brush of his heated breath causing a shiver to rush down her spine and a soft moan to escape her lips. "Miko," he whispered, careful that the sound reached only her ears. "You know what you want, and you know you cannot resist. Feel your desire. The hunger grows. It will consume you, unless you give yourself to it. Tonight. Come to me. Only I can ease the pain of your hunger. You will know where to find me. Let no one follow you."

He let himself have the pleasure of licking the finger that he had pierced earlier. Cleaning the last little drip of blood off of its tip. It was just a tiny drop, but it was like the sweetest ambrosia to the Youkai Lord. A soft moan escaped not only his own lips at the taste, but also escaped her lips at the feel of his tongue on her finger.

Not wanting to risk an unnecessary confrontation, the Taiyoukai of the Western Lands, pushed back on his heated desire. He contented himself with the knowledge that in a few more hours, he would have what he wanted. She would come to him. After dark, once his brother and her friends were all asleep. Then, no one would be able to stop what he put into motion with just a few drops of a Potion from the vial he held in his hand.

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Dictionary

Baka - Idiot

Chikushou - Damn

Fujo - Witch

Hanyou - Half Demon

Houshi - Monk

Inu - Dog

Kitsune - Fox Demon

Miko - Shrine Maiden

Mononoke - Animal Spirit - Kirara would be considered an mononoke as she has no human form

Neko - Cat

Okaa-san - Mother

Onee - Older Sister

Onna - Woman

Sama - Lady or Lord - respectively

Shikon no Kakera - Shikon Shards

Shikon no Tama - Jewel of Four Souls

Shishi - Lion

Taijiya - Demon Exterminator

Taiyoukai - Demon Lord

Tenshi - Angel

Tenseiga - Sacred Life Fang

Tetsusaiga - Iron-Pulverizing Fang

Youkai - Demon

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