Ensnared by MorningBird

Ensnared

Chapter 1: Ensnared

"I'm leaving now!" Kagome called out behind her. "Don't you dare try and stop me!"

"Keh. Like I care, bitch." The hanyou on the roof behind her was reclining on a rooftop, pretending to be unconcerned. "Just don't take to long."

She tossed a warm smile behind her as she hurried away. "Bye!"

She hurried off to the well, readjusting her pack and her bow on her shoulders. They were badly in need of supplies. She reached the clearing quickly, preparing to vault in.

It hit her like a hurricane. An urgent feeling overcame her, as if trying to stop her from leaving. She froze, both hands still braced on the well's edge. Her breathing quickened, something insider her insisting that there was something not quite right. She tried to cast the feeling off, moving again to jump in the well.

This time the feeling was so strong it felt as if she was literally tugged backwards. Something definitely was wrong. She tried again, whimpering slightly as the strange sensation forced her to step back with an even greater intensity. It almost hurt.

She was growing more frightened. For some reason, this overwhelming anxiety was preventing her from leaving the feudal era. She turned back, fully prepared to sprint back to the village and to Inuyasha. Surely that would relieve this aching feeling.

Before she could take three steps, she was stopped again. She felt a terrible need, as if she was supposed to be somewhere but could not discover where. The feeling did not seem like her own. It felt more as if someone had implanted it there. The thought that she was under some sort of spell made her even more afraid, but she stood rooted to the spot, unable even to cry out. Inexplicably, her feet turned west. The feeling eased slightly; she felt certain that this was the direction she had to go.

She took a few tentative steps. A sense of urgency grew in her, pushing her further. She felt as though she were being yanked along invisible strings toward some unknown destination. She was so concerned with analyzing the feeling, she hardly noticed when she left the clearing and entered the woods.

It wanted her to run, to hurry as fast as she could. In defiance, she tried to walk at her own pace. Every time she tried to turn back it seemed to scream in her mind until it became unbearable and she would turn west again. She did not noticed as her pace gradually quickened until she was practically leaping over the roots and flinging herself around the branches in her path. She was afraid, tears streaming down her face as she ran. She wanted to go back, to call for Inuyasha, but even thinking such things hurt. Something kept telling her that if she could only reach wherever she was supposed to be going, all of this would end.

She lost track of time, hardly noticing as darkness fell heavily around her. She ran on, her eyes scrunched shut as she sprinted, yet she did not seem to trip or stumble. She had long since shed her heavy backpack. Her shoes had fallen off and she could not force herself to turn and retrieve them. The night air brushed her skin in cold breaths, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling. Her lungs burned, her legs ached, and she was distantly aware that she had been running for a long time.

She opened her eyes briefly, looking out into the dark. From the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a flash of greenish light. She tried to force her legs to stop, but her body didn't seem to want to listen anymore.

The green light flashed again, now on either side of her. Her fear overcame her for a moment, and with a strangled yell she forced herself to a halt.

Her body was not willing to obey her, and traitorously threw her to the ground instead. She looked behind her, dragging herself to her hands and knees. She put all her strength into retracing her path. Every step she took made her head feel like it was going to split.

The green light flared in intensity. It appeared in front of her, like a strand of glowing acid cutting off her escape. She whimpered as she realized there were strands on her left and her right as well. She was afraid to touch the glowing wires. There was a cold feeling of youki lingering on them, and an unnerving pungent odor that seemed somehow familiar. She turned and continued in the direction she was encouraged.

As she continued, she saw more glowing lines in the distance. The ones behind her seemed to advance on her as she went, and she rushed to avoid them. She could see that they were corralling her, but was helpless to do anything.

The urgency she felt only seemed to grow, nearly exploding inside her as she rushed forward. She finally found herself enclosed on all sides, trapped in a pentagram of the green strands.

With a yell of fear and release, she broke into a clearing. In the center, a vine of that same green light pulsed invitingly. She knew instinctively that this is what had been calling her. She wanted to turn and run, but the enclosure continued to shrink, pushing her closer to the center.

She did not know why, but she knew she did not want to touch the vine of light. She turned and tried to dive under the glowing wire. It shifted at the last moment, lowering to strike her across the stomach. It burned like hot iron as it threw her back into the ring. She crowded backwards nervously, spinning around as she looked for an escape.

She was only meters from the center now. She prayed that Inuyasha had become suspicious and followed her, but there were no signs of any help coming.

She walked backwards, as close to the strand as she dared. Suddenly within striking distance, the vine in the center split into a dozen long wriggling glowing appendages. She screamed in terror as they whipped around her. They pulled her into the middle, twining up her limbs and holding her in place. Some snapped around her arms, pulling them toward the earth. She fought, drawing an arrow from her back as they dragged at her, but dropped her bow in the struggle. They bound her limbs to the ground, holding her body tightly upright in place.

Kagome cringed as the distance between her and the strands closed. When they were only a hand span away, they quivered for a moment as if waiting for orders. They exploded outwards again, retreating to the edges of the clearing, though they maintained their shape.

She let out a breath of relief, only to feel her bindings of light tighten around her at her momentary lapse. She struggled uselessly, but could not break or loosen the green-glowing cord. It was not solid as she first thought, but looked and felt more like liquid and light. It flexed to match her every movement. No matter how she twisted, it readapted to her as tightly as before.

Suddenly, she stilled in her fruitless attempts, her dark eyes snapping up in alarm. Something with very strong youki was approaching her.

He had devised this trap with a very certain purpose in mind.

He had felt the desire to find a mate grow for some time. The youkai lord of the west had unusually strong blood within him, refined over generations to near perfection. Now it cried at him to continue the cycle, to find a demon of enough power worthy enough to enter into his bloodline.

He was driven to find a mate that could approach him in power. There were none who could truly equal him, after all. Matings involving taiyoukai were difficult. They would not settle for weaker demons, but the strongest bitches would not easily accept domination. Thus the process of 'ensnaring' a mate developed into a literal process for demons like Sesshoumaru.

More importantly, it preserved the hierarchy among the most powerful. Many centuries ago, fierce battles had been fought for the right to claim the most desired females. Now, the strength of the spell determined the compatibility of potential mates. Females of the strongest type would most often feel the call, but if the spell was not strong enough to hold her than the male was not worthy of her. Typically, these snares were enchanted to find only the one most suitable match.

He had planted his magic in the center of his lands, near many routes of travel. There he wove a spell, interlacing elements of his thoughts, his poison, and his youki into an intricate mesh. From here, it would search outward for the female with the most power within her blood. He had little doubt that it would ensnare another inu youkai like himself; they were the most notoriously powerful breed. If he was not interested in the female, though, he could always try again. He had given his enchantment a huge radius of search, there would be no female left unexamined in the whole of the mainland.

The spell would lure only the most powerful. She alone would be driven into his waiting trap, unable to resist the lure of the spell. She would be trapped in his superior power until he came and claimed her.

When his trap snapped closed, he heard it signal in his mind. He immediately turned to go and fetch the female he had caught. It was past his time in life to find a mate, and his instinct was ripe inside him. He smirked in anticipation, visualizing the task of breaking her to his will.

He approached silently, stalking towards his green-glowing trap. There was a barrier around the bound female, meant to protect her from other demons while she was unable to defend herself. There were other males gathered around her, no doubt yearning to steal his prize. They could not pass the glowing barrier, but they could most certainly see and smell her. These traps were the stuff of myths among lower youkai. He turned his youki loose over the area, asserting his rule in this place. Most immediately broke and ran, only a few of the strongest lingering. They were foolish to challenge him.

He took his time, inhaling deeply as he approached. Her scent was heavy in the air, laced with adrenaline and fear. She smelled so good, he could feel his lust growing and he growled slightly. There was also something familiar about it he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He broke into the clearing, smiling eerily as the last two demons lunged at him from both sides. There was barely a flicker of movement, and both demons were lying in shredded pieces at his feet.

He raised his gaze to his still-struggling prize. His eyes widened slightly at the unexpected sight before him.

She also seemed to still in shock, dark eyes meeting his in fear. Her whisper seemed to set him aflame as she blinked at him in confusion.

"Sesshoumaru..."

He simply stared for a moment. Whatever he had been expecting, she was not it. His half-breed brother's woman, tangled up in his trap. Had something gone wrong? The girl was human after all, surely not fit to be joined with someone like him. But his ego refused to acknowledge the possibility that something had gone wrong with his trap.

He considered her carefully while she was still motionless in shock. Her scent was full of fear, and sweetly intoxicating. For the first time, he looked at her fully, without the distractions of his brother or battle. She was very beautiful, curved in all the right places. Her smooth skin shone in the moonlight, her black hair rippling as she shook in her bonds. She licked her lips nervously, and he had a sudden urge to put that sweet pink tongue to better use.

But there was power within her as well. There was far more to this girl than met the eye.

"Well..." he purred slowly, "What have we here?"