Bound by Corruption by BelovedStranger

Vengeance

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Again I was almost too late to post this chapter to collect Stella Mira's awesome Proverbial Challenge banner >< I really need to step up and write these sooner lol Althought this time I didn't have time to get my beta to edit this chappy so you were warned! I apolagize if there are more mistakes then usual in this chapter.

HAS NOW BEEN LOOKED OVER BY MY BETA!

Prompt: 'Still waters run deep.'

As they resumed their journey, Kagome fretted how she was to defend herself. Normally she had her bow and arrows if she were to leave the village to pick herbs in the nearby forest, or go on a short journey, but she had completely forgotten to grab them when her home had been burning around her. Truthfully, grabbing them hadn’t even entered her mind. The image of her obaasan’s unmoving form being crushed by a burning beam filtered across her mind. Pain lanced her heart. Everyone, everything she had ever known was gone, taken from her in one act of cruelty.

Loneliness and desolation crept inside her breast. But she wasn’t truly alone, was she? Kikyo was out there, she had to be. Kagome refused to believe her beloved sister was dead, not until she had solid evidence. Hope and purpose flooded her being. She mustn’t despair. Her sister needed her now, and Kagome would not fail her.  

Looking at Sesshomaru’s solid back, she couldn’t help but feel reassured by his presence, knowing he would keep her safe, but she didn’t want to have to be fully dependent on him. He was an Inugami bent on corrupting her soul. She had to remind herself not to become too trusting as she had begun to do since first meeting him. It was a mistake she would not make again.

“I need a quiver of arrows and a bow, Sesshomaru.”

Sesshomaru kept walking, his long legs eating up the ground easily and with little effort, but his pace was quick for her shorter stature, making her walk briskly. Her kimono was not making it easy for her as the fabric wrapped around her lower calves.

“I will see that you are provided with those items.”

He was outdistancing her. Damn kimono, she scowled internally. She tried to trot to catch up to him, but she tripped from the limited movements her garments allowed her and fell to her knees with a small cry. She caught herself on her hands and knees before she went sprawling face first in the dirt. Sesshomaru was kneeling before her instantly. 

“It’s not my fault,” she defended herself mulishly in case he started accusing her of being a weak human and slowing them down. “My kimono is wrapped too tightly around my legs. I can’t keep-”

Her words stumbled to a halt when Sesshomaru shifted to reach around her and the sound of cloth ripping rent the air.

“What are you--oh,” Kagome said dumbly as she saw what he had done. He had ripped a slit up the left side of her kimono to mid thigh, obviously meant to help her move around more freely. But when she saw her creamy, white leg bare for all to see, she flushed.

Surprisingly, Sesshomaru was kind and helped her back to her feet with a hand at her elbow.

“Thank you,” she murmured, gazing up at him shyly.

He merely nodded his head in acknowledgment before turning and leading her down the road once more. She quickened her pace until she stood alongside him. Admittedly, she chose to stand on his left so Sesshomaru couldn’t see how her widened steps revealed much of her naked flesh. Not that her precaution really helped. Every step she took with her left leg, revealed what she attempted to hide.

She was being ridiculous and she knew it, but she couldn’t help it. She peeked over at Sesshomaru to see if he was paying any attention to her, but she needn’t have worried, for his eyes stayed glued before them. Why she felt disappointed by that, she didn’t know, and silently berated herself.

Her eyes drifted to his hip where his two swords were strapped. She had never seen him draw even one of his weapons, but then, she thought ruefully, he didn’t exactly need them, did he? Not when his claws were just as sharp as any blade and that strange poison gas he could produce from those very claws. Recalling how effective that poison gas was sent a shiver down her spine. What other weapons of destruction did he have at his disposal, she wondered uneasily.

Though she was a miko, she had difficulty controlling her reiki. Her obasaan had attempted many times over the years to teach her as did her elder sister Kikyo, who was a truly powerful priestess, but something inside of her always seemed to block her attempts. The only real control she had was when she infused her powers into her arrows. It was by that means that which revealed just how great her powers were; however, she had never been able to do the things Kikyo was able to do, which only made Kagome feel more inadequate in comparison to her elder sibling.

She had always felt incompetent, as if she were a failure in her inability to control her innate miko energy. She glanced at Sesshomaru from the corner of her eye again. She knew with her limited experience that she could never hope to defeat such a powerful being. Dejectedly, she was sure Kikyo could hold her own against this Inugami. It seemed unfathomable that her sister could ever fail at anything she set her mind to.

She shook her head sharply. Why was she feeling sorry for herself, wasting her thoughts on her inadequacies and envying her sister? She had to focus on finding, and possibly saving, Kikyo. Kagome refused to think that her sister was not yet living. Kikyo was too strong, resilient, and resourceful to be killed by thugs. She was alive. Somewhere. And Kagome was determined to find her.

“You’re falling behind.”

Kagome quickly looked up to see that Sesshomaru was in fact several yards ahead of her. He was not waiting for her. His silver mane swung gently with his long strides that swiftly led him further away from her.

Without thinking, she ran to catch up, feeling unaccustomed air on her thigh. She glanced down quickly to investigate the cause, only to be reminded that her kimono was ripped. Don’t think about it. No one was around to see her.

She caught up to Sesshomaru, bur she needn’t fear his ogling her. He didn’t even spare her a glance. Why that miffed her was beyond her understanding. Resentfully, she recalled the only times he had ever made any sexual advances towards her person was when surrounded by violence. Bitterly, she thought he obviously didn’t desire her as a person, but became aroused by the sight of discord and mayhem, and she was a convenient body to rut with.

She clenched her fists. Sesshomaru didn’t see her. He didn’t even care about her, didn’t like her, viewed her only as a lowly human, undeserving of his regard.

Why should she care about his opinion of her? It shouldn’t matter. He was an Inugami bent on corrupting her, turning her into someone like him. She didn’t care. She didn’t.

But she did.

And she hated herself for that. Resented the fact that his opinion mattered when she meant so little in return.

She told herself firmly to harden her heart against him, to not let him inside and affect her so. This youkai was not going to beat her, not going to get what he wanted from her. No matter what darkness he revealed inside of her, she would still be Kagome, a good person. He wasn’t going to take that away from her!

A seed of doubt grew beside her determination. Or would he?

Hours later, the sun was setting, creating beautiful hues of yellow, orange, and red upon the horizon, while the sky darkened in shades of deep purple and blue. Not that Kagome could see much of the brilliance of the changing sky as she and Sesshomaru were in a groove of trees growing on either side of the road leading to a small village, the bandits’ target. 

They were hiding in the tall branches of one of the many tress beside the dirt road, waiting, listening. Kagome was clinging to the bark while Sesshomaru balanced easily on the precarious  branch they stood upon. Kagome wasn’t particularly afraid of heights, and even if she was, she was too lost in thought to really care about how high off the ground they were. 

Trepidation had Kagome’s mind in turmoil over what was soon to happen, apprehension tightening her muscles as she tried to mold her body into the trunk of the tree she clung to, and wide eyes implored the man before her in one last effort to make him reconsider the action he was about to take.

Calm amber eyes returned her gaze without remorse. She knew he would not be swayed from his course. She was recalling when they had first took up position after Sesshomaru had wrapped an arm around her waist and jumped into a tree to land on this branch, how she had besought him to change his mind and find another way.

“Sesshomaru,” Kagome had hesitantly called to him after he had informed her what he was about to do, “I don’t think this is necessary.”

He had looked at her then. She saw and understood that look. His eyes seemed to glow eerily in the waning light, making them easy for her to locate and catch.

Quickly she had added, “I know we have a contract, and I’ll abide by it. But what you have in mind...please, Sesshomaru, I want to find my sister more than anything, but can’t you find another way?”

“And what other way do you have in mind? Do you know of another to get the information you desire?”

“Ask him?” she had replied hopefully. 

Sesshomaru gave her a disbelieving stare, and Kagome had to admit it was justified.

“Well, can’t you just scare the information out of him?”

Kagome had no doubt, after the blood bath Sesshomaru intended, that any being left alive would be terrified of this Inugami. Probably scared enough to talk and give them whatever information they needed. Was Sesshomaru going to kill the unknown man after obtaining those  answers? She had a sinking suspicion that he would, intended to. She couldn’t bring herself to ask.

Sesshomaru had surprised her by saying, “I will inquire first, but if he does not answer sufficiently, then it is his error.”

Kagome had swallowed as he had then looked at her with a predatory gaze. She never wanted him to come after her with that dead set determination. She was nowhere near capable enough to standing up against such a powerful, strong willed individual. 

Now they stood waiting and it wasn’t long before Kagome heard the muffled voices of men, their heavy foot falls, and the sounds of horses approaching. Oh, God, this was going to be bad. She was trembling at what was to come, dreading witnessing more blood and death.

It was small comfort to realize the bloodlust she had felt a glimmer of earlier that day after the vile, murdering rapist had been slain was nowhere in sight now when retribution for her village was at hand. She felt sick. Men, admittedly bad men, were about to die, and she would be forced to witness their demise.

Sesshomaru was obviously wrong about her to even think she could find enjoyment in watching another’s life be stolen from him. Yes, she wanted them to pay for destroying her life and the lives of others, but not like this. As she had told him before, surrounded by the remains of her village, more death would not repair the damage inflicted or bring back her loved ones.

She wanted to stop him, had a strong urge to call off this whole charade.

A burning beam falling on top of her grandmother, her village up in flames, the cries of the people she had known all her life echoing in her ears as they were brutally slain.

Her breath caught, a glimmer of darkness arose. She wanted them to pay. Oh, God, it was there, the bloodthirsty nature she had tried to deny was there yet again.

Kagome grabbed the side of her throbbing head, her eyes clenched tightly shut as the battle continued to rage on inside her mind. One minute she was appalled by what Sesshomaru meant to do, the next, her soul cried out for retribution for the lost.

Large hands cupped her cheeks, turned her face up to meet amber fire. Calm cat-like eyes gazed deeply into her own, forcing back the chaos inside her mind.

“Breathe, aijin.”

Kagome was panting, suffocating on her own tortured breathing without realizing it until that moment. She couldn’t breathe! Panic set in. Her air way closed up. She was choking. She was going to die!

She lifted desperate hands to wrap around Sesshomaru’s purple striped wrists in a wordless plea for aid, but he was already acting.

“Look at me, aijin,” he told her in a low, yet intense voice.

Panicked brown eyes looked into his desperately.

“You are hurting yourself. Calm down. Breathe. Watch me, follow my breathing.”

Sesshomaru parted his lips and demonstrated by exaggerating an inhalation of air through his mouth, his chest expanding greatly, then he loudly exhaled, letting the air leave his lungs, his chest deflating. He repeated the exercise, forcing Kagome to watch him.

Kagome tried to follow his exaggerated breaths, to match her breathing to Sesshomaru’s and after several long, agonizing seconds, she noticed it was becoming easier to breathe, the tightness in her chest easing, her air passage opening up.

“What happened?” she panted, still slightly out of breath, not understanding what had just happened to her.

Eyes still locked, he said, “You were like a rabbit caught by a wolf and panicked, scaring yourself.”

Kagome’s heart pounded as she realized he still held her face in his hands, the intensity in his amber gaze capturing her own, and she was helpless to look away. She tried to tell herself the fast beat of her pulse was from the after-effects of her panic attack and not caused by this man before her. 

“Are you unhappy with the thought of your enemies dying? Have you forgotten already how it felt to see the life of an evil man come to an end?”

Kagome blinked, at first not processing his words, and when she did, she was able to break his captivating gaze and look away, but his hands angled her face, forcing her to meet his eyes again.

“I don’t understand you,” she murmured after a silent moment, helplessly drawn to the magnetism in his golden stare. “One second you’re helping me, almost being nice, but then you say or do something cruel or upsetting. It’s like you want to hurt me.”

The approaching party was drawing nearer, but neither seemed to hear, too busy with their intimate exchange. Or at least Kagome had forgotten almost everything with Sesshomaru so near.

Sesshomaru didn’t reply right away, but leaned down, and she was unable to move away when she felt his lips brush along hers, but not kissing her. She felt his mouth move as he whispered, “Am I being cruel?”

“Yes,” she whispered back, her lids growing heavy, her lips tingling as she yearned for a true kiss. She wasn’t one hundred percent sure if she was answering his question, or accepting his mouth on hers, though he made no move to do so.

She felt him step towards her, crowding her against the trunk of the tree, his hips and legs pinning her lower body to the bark. He brushed his lips across her mouth lightly, still not giving her the kiss she ached for, needed.

“Am I hurting you?” he asked, voice still low.

“Yes.”

What was she saying yes to? She wasn’t sure, her mind hazy.

Her body was alive with sexual tension. Her breasts felt too full, her nipples tightening, pressing against the fabric of her kimono, and between her thighs, she ached, felt strangely empty. Her hands rose to his chest and clenched his haori in her fists, while her body swayed towards the hard contours of his muscular frame.

He was so much taller than her, having to bend not only his head but half his back, and his shoulder width was so wide, she could see nothing save him, which made her feel small and fragile in comparison. The thought made her lower abdomen clench.

“Sesshomaru,” she whispered, her voice sounding strange to her, low and throaty.

She didn’t care. She leaned towards him and pressed her mouth firmly against his own, finally having the contact she craved.

A second later, a man’s loud laughter cut into the moment, freezing her muscles before she jerked back, or tried to. There was nowhere for her to go, pinned against the tree as she was by Sesshomaru’s heavy frame, hands on her face that refused to release her.

Their lips were no longer touching, but their eyes were locked. Her own were wide with trepidation, his cool and unyielding as he stepped back, away from her, his hands falling from her face to his sides.

Kagome was unable to look away from him even when she heard the bandits march beneath the tree they hid in. She watched as Sesshomaru raised a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, but his lips were smiling.

“Watch,” he murmured, then he jumped, descending to the ground in a graceful leap.

As she watched him land in the middle of the party of men, their surprised cries and yells echoing into the night, she heard his voice whisper in her mind.

Watch, or your sister’s life is forfeit, as will be yours, aijin.

Kagome sucked in her breath at Sesshomaru’s threat, forgetting that he could communicate to her mind, disconcerted by it. She was angered that he dared threaten her sister, but a second later she was unable to dwell on his warning when the men below demanded to know who Sesshomaru was.

“Who the hell are you,” a heavy set man demanded, moving his horse closer to Sesshomaru, as he looked down at him from his perch.

Sesshomaru ignored the other men on foot who surrounded him, grumbling and scowling in his direction. His focus was on the fat human motioning his horse to stop before him. An ugly scar marked his left cheek to curl around his upper lip, giving him a permanent snarl. Cruel eyes regarded him under bushy eye brows.

“Are you the leader here?” Sesshomaru asked coolly, unimpressed by this ningen’s show of bravado.

The ningen sneered at him. “I’ll be asking the questions here, now who the hell-”

“No, I am,” a strong voice interrupted the fat brute, another horse and rider moving through the crowd of men to stop beside the other rider in front of Sesshomaru.

He sat his horse with regal pride, his features handsome, long, wavy, dark hair falling over broad shoulders, and dark eyes regarding Sesshomaru with calm unconcern. It was obvious he did not view Sesshomaru as a threat.

The man wore black armor, a sword sheathed at his left hip, his left hand gripping the hilt in an unconscious gesture, obviously accustomed to the weapon being there, a warrior. 

“Onigumo-sama, I can take care of this. There’s no need for you to-”

“Silence,” the man named Onigumo commanded, never once looking away from the black and white clad figure before him. The other quietened, immediately falling silent, though he scowled at the order.

“Who are you, and why do you interrupt our march?”

“To kill you all.”

Onigumo looked taken aback, his men shifting restlessly, gazing into the trees, wondering if they had been ambushed.

“Alone? Or do you have men yet hidden like frightened children among the trees?” Onigumo inquired, his right hand going to his sword hilt, which signaled his men to draw their weapons. The ominous sound of dozens of swords leaving their sheaths filled the night air.

Sesshomaru didn’t move, didn’t react in any way, seemingly unconcerned by the hostility surrounding him.

“You insult me. I do not need assistance taking out such weak and small numbered men.”  

Onigumo stared at Sesshomaru silently for a few seconds before tossing his head back, and roared with laughter. The other men joined in after a second’s hesitation, adding their voices in mocking glee.

“You hear that,” one man called, “there’s only one of him and more than two dozen of us and he thinks he can kill us alone?”

“Look out, Onigumo-sama,” another called, “this man obviously means business,” before he hooted with mirth.

Sesshomaru let them laugh, his gaze never leaving Onigumo, and waited for the ningen to meet his eyes once more. When he did, Sesshomaru murmured, “However, you will be the last to die. I yet require your services.”

Without waiting for the ningen to respond, Sesshomaru leaped, clawed hand outstretched as his palm collided with Onigumo’s face, tightening around it as his momentum unseated the ningen from his mount.

His dark head cracked against the unforgiving ground. Before anyone could react, Sesshomaru released Onigumo, raised his fist over his head and brought it down with crushing force as he shattered the ningen’s right kneecap, making it impossible for him to get up and escape while he dispatched his men.

Onigumo was still screaming as Sesshomaru stood and turned to gaze at the surprised, immobile ningen.

The fat, scarred man, the only other on horse back regained his senses first and cried, pointing his sword at Sesshomaru, “Kill him!”

Battle cries from the ningen filled the night as they charged him, swords raised.

Sesshomaru held his ground, his gaze upturned, meeting Kagome’s frightened, brown eyes as he lifted his right hand and swung his arm around his head. A green light manifested from his claws in a long whip, striking the five men closest to him.

Kagome watched in horrified fascination as limbs were severed, terrible gashes lacerated the bandits chests and abdomen, easily cutting through their armor. Blood soaked the ground, looking black in the darkness.

The men fell, unmoving. She saw the others hesitate in their mad rush towards Sesshomaru. The Inugami, however, did not pause. He moved towards the man a few feet in front of him and thrust his arm at the ningen’s chest. Kagome saw it emerged from out of the man’s back.

She made a small noise of distress, crouched on the branch, her back pressed into the trunk and wrapped her arms around her bent knees, her eyes clenched tightly shut.

Open your eyes. Watch them fall. I do this for you.

Sesshomaru’s voice whispered in her mind and her eyes popped open to witness Sesshomaru claw out a bandit’s neck, black blood splattering his haori.

He was already turning to attack another who was running away, screaming, before his cry was cut off by an awful gurgling sound, then he fell unmoving upon the ground. Other men tried to run with fearful screams that were horrible to hear.

Kagome watched Sesshomaru use his green whip to corral them all together again, and she was unable to look away, distressed by his words as much as by the gory sight of the dead and dying.

“How can you say this is for me?” she asked in a horrified whisper as another man went down, blood spurting from his chest after Sesshomaru had wracked the ningen with his deadly claws. “This isn’t for me.” Her voice grew slightly louder, shrill. “It’s for you, for your ends. It’s because of the contract! Don’t you dare say this is for me!”

No, this can’t be her fault. He couldn’t lay the blame on her like that! It wasn’t her fault, it wasn’t her fault!

She didn’t realize she was saying it aloud over and over again as Sesshomaru stood before the scarred man still on horse back. “It’s not my fault, it’s not my fault, it’s not my fault.”

The horse’s shrill cry hurt her ears, her hands lifting to cover them in an effort to shut out the animal’s terrified cry. The horse reared sharply, and the heavy set man fell from his perch with a yell, and the horse bolted. 

Sesshomaru heard her above the bandits’ cries.

Your enemies fall before me, crying out for mercy as your people had begged for their lives, Sesshomaru whispered in her mind as he walked towards the cringing bandit who tried to crawl backwards, away from his advance. Sesshomaru lifted his foot as the man bellowed in fear before he crushed his skull beneath his boot. Don’t you feel elated that they are paying for their crimes? Look deeply inside your heart and you will know what I speak is the truth. Still waters run deep, aijin, and there is more to you than the kind hearted miko you pretend to be.

There were two men left and they were already yards away, screaming down the road. Sesshomaru ran after them, faster than her eyes could track. He beheaded one from behind, the ningen’s head rolling away from his body, while he ripped the spine from the other.

All was quiet then except Kagome’s heavy breathing as Sesshomaru walked sedately back, black blood staining his clothes. He stopped just under her tree and smiled up at her, showing fang. Even from her perch, she could see small splatters of black on his face. She shuddered in revulsion, horror in her expression as she returned his gaze.

“This is my gift to you,” he told her and turned away, walking towards the only bandit left alive.

Onigumo had crawled from where Sesshomaru had left him, but he was unable to get far with his shattered knee, unable to stand while every movement he made jarred his knee with agonizing pain, and his head pounded abhorrently. He had propped himself up on the trunk of a tree, and Sesshomaru was making his way towards him.

Kagome realized what he was about to do with sudden clarity, knew Sesshomaru’s last words were meant not for the deaths he had caused, but for the act he was about to commit on the helpless Onigumo.

Without thinking, she lunged forward, trying to get to her feet, and cried out, “Wait, Sesshomaru,” but she had forgotten that she was still high in a tree and lost her footing.

She felt strangely weightless for a split second, then she was screaming as she plummeted towards the ground.