And When I Die. by Elvis

Chapter 1

A/N: Made for Walter205's April Avalanche Challenge on the SessKag Citrus18+ discord.  Not all of the prompts were used T-T

Rules (per Wally):

Prompt Avalanche: For the month of April I am introducing something that I used to do a long time ago on Dokuga called Prompt Avalanches. Within the past hour I have sent messages to random server members, asking for random prompts for a purpose they knew not what. Now I have collected those prompts here, your goal is to use all ten together in a oneshot of 1,000 words or less. Tag me when you post the links on fics-from-challenges please. Time limit is by the end of April, although if you want to still participate after then feel free.

1) Butterflies

2) Sweet Treats

3) ''Attacked by their beloved who is out of their mind, must somehow bring them back."

4) Kagome is a young woman coming of age in a 14th-century Japanese village, and she wins the 'lottery' of being sacrificed to the demon that protects the village, who gives that protection in exchange for an annual sacrifice.

5) Boop the Snoot 6) Misunderstanding

7) Kagome finds out a secret about one her friends and Sesshomaru is the only one she can confide in

8) Squeamish Squalor

9) "I gotta admit: it turned me on."

10) ''Sudden ability to wield a weapon when the weapon considers it dire/necessary''

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The pool was warmed by pipes of hot air— drawn from some place deep within the mountain long ago— running beneath the floor.  And the village girls poured in sweet-smelling oils: citrus zest subtly nipping Kagome’s nose as she stepped into the water.  They soaked her down with soft sea sponges and rubbed honey into her skin.  To make her sweet, she knew, because it was thought the Dog preferred sweet things.  The robes were sheer, neatly bound by a golden sash and her feet were carefully adorned with bells; each step chiming in tinkling, golden rhythm.

Kagome felt an immense awe; never before had she ever felt such lush— such abundance.  The village in which they all lived was poor and weak of backbone, and they relied on the Dog’s bartered protections against the worser calamities.  She thought of her morning the previous day – before she drew her fate from the hands of the head priestess — when she’d seen a group of starving children tear apart a mange-ridden cat and devour it down to the bone.  And when there was not even a scrap of sinew left, they broke the bones apart and sucked the marrow dry.  It hadn’t seemed strange to her.

Why it might be that such a rich thing— something so beautiful— belonged to the village and was only used for this yearly sacrifice left something hollow in her chest.

“Lady Kagome.”  The address broke apart Kagome’s thoughts and she looked to the village girls who had attended her.  “Farewell.”

And they all slipped away; silent as mice and twice as scared as Kagome looked towards the mountain where it was said the great Dog resided.  Her breath was stopped in her throat.  Her skin rippled like the beats from a butterfly’s wing.  She shut her eyes tight and waited.

“Shy, aren’t you?”

Kagome gasped in alarm, eyes snapping open to see a beautiful man no more than a foot before her face.  She stumbled backwards and fell on her rear, the man’s laughter ringing over her.

“Adorable,” he said.

“Oh!  You—!”  Kagome’s face went hot and red as she scrambled to her feet.  The robes she wore were now rumpled up and her hair was falling into her eyes.  She glared at the strange man.  “Rude!  You startled me!”

The man’s eyes glinted strangely for a moment, and he said: “You were the one with her eyes closed.  Perhaps you ought to be more aware of your surroundings, hm?”

“Oh, go screw.”  Kagome was burning with embarrassment.  How might she look to the great Dog when he came?  Would he reject her then, imperfect as she was?  Would her village lose their only boon because of some jerk who just had to interrupt a very important sacrifice?  She felt like crying.

“Go ‘screw,’ eh?  Well, I might do that.  But I have some important business to attend to.”

“Then why don’t you go do that instead of interrupting me?  I’m here for a very important thing, you know.”

“I can imagine.  With such fancy clothes and perfume.  My,  you look good enough to eat.”  And when he smiled she saw that his teeth were pointed, razor sharp— like those of a wild dog.

The world stopped, and she felt all of her blood rush down her body.  Silence a moment, then the man spoke again:

“Ah, now you know me.”

And at once he was frightening, and he stood before her too closely.  His eyes bored into her as she sank down to the floor of the shrine.

“Oh, oh no…” she felt sobs crawl up her throat, into her mouth and she cupped her hands over her face to try and catch them.  “Forgive me!  Forgive me!  I didn’t know!  Please don’t be angry, please don’t forsake my village because of my stupidity!”  She was prostrate on the floor, now: fingers clutching at his feet in some vain attempt to get him to feel her.  He merely stood and let her go until she’d had no more words or sobs or sighs left.

“Your contrition is charming,” he whispered, but the sound filled the entire mountain.  “And you do please me, as far as offerings go— despite your clumsiness.”  He knelt before her and, as she stared back at him, tapped her nose.  “I think I quite like you.  I must admit, despite myself, your little spat at me was very arousing.”

Kagome felt like she was sailing through the air, nothing beneath her to catch her as she fell.

“My Lord?”

The Dog as Man laughed once more: “Oh, do call me Sesshomaru.  That is my true name, after all.”

“Oh.”

“I should like to hear you say it.”

“Sesshomaru.”  The name felt smooth on her tongue, and it tasted like dry sake.  “What’s going to happen to me?”

Sesshomaru grinned with his razor-sharp teeth.  “Well, my dear: I think I might keep you a while.”  He reached out with one perfect hand – delicate with long white claws – and cupped her chin.  “And when I grow tired of you, I’ll eat you.”

Kagome’s entire being trembled as he slowly guided her up to her knees, fingers pressing lightly along her jaw.  As she moved to stand, those fingers slid down to wrap firmly around her throat as he moved behind her.  Her eyes fluttered closed, her back pressed to his front, and she could hear that sharp smile in the Dog’s words, sending shivers through her:

“Good girl.  Now, let’s— how did you put it?—  ‘go screw.’”

Kagome’s sighed into the pressure of his hand, her head lolling back against his shoulder.  What a way to go.