Fallen and Abandoned by LeSinner

Meeting the Family

Life can be so beautiful, and yet, at exactly the same time, it is also very ugly. Being the greatest, the most powerful, I was reduced to be treated as some weakling. Pitiful.

How was I reduced to such inferiority? Why do I even ask? I already know the answer anyway.

Being so great and powerful, I had many admirers, also, so many enemies. I was a cold, merciless person, I know. Pampered and trained for the best.

Who knew I would be reduced to something like this? Who? And if I ever knew, I would have killed them for not telling me earlier.

I suffered so much pain and humiliation. And to think that I derived pleasure from the sufferings so similar to mine.

Sadistic – and ironic – those are the words. The perfect words to describe fate, destiny, even.

I was invincible, indeed. Everyone thought so, so did I. but if I was so invincible, how was some ancient binding-subduing spell able to bring me to my downfall? How?

Antsy, I know, dramatic, too. Why did this happen?

Ah. There. I’ve been asking the same question for a few hundred years.

Through out the years, I was transformed into a ‘modest’, ‘lowly’ being, in other words; I’ve become obedient. You might be wondering "Why obedient? What’s the connection of being obedient to lowly and modest?" it’s quite simple.

I am now a slave. I’ve been one for the past 500 or so years.

I was forced to serve a royal family, even if I am a royal myself. Even more ironic is the fact that this family is of the race I hate the most. The ones I would always call weak and useless. How very, very ironic. For now, they have control over me, and even forced almost everyone of my kind to hide.

They have made their weakness their strength.

The one responsible for my enslavement is now a powerful being. He was very fond of this race I hated.

Through out the years, I learned many things about this race. Before I was enslaved, I was ignorant, completely ignorant of everything. Now, I may still be called that in their standards, although I have learned quite a lot.

I was enslaved to a very powerful family, even more powerful than the average royalists were.

Too bad they gave up their being royal, though they still retain their power. Of course, this power was illegal. They made me do their dirty work. They were what modern society today call ‘Mafia’, or in other words, gangsters.

I served this family for hundreds of years. Today? It is different. Very much so, since the incident a week ago.

My last master, the last of their blood line, has died. I was not there to protect the old man. I thought that maybe now, since I no longer have a master, they will set me free.

Apparently, I was painfully mistaken. I’m being sold.

This time and age, slavery is illegal. So here we are, the slave trader and I, in the middle of a crowd. The slave trader smelled so very much like cigars.

He wore the sloppiest clothes I've ever seen.

Me? I am wearing the silk things that man no longer wear. These were the clothes on my back the day I still had my freedom, and the same day, when I lost it over a cup of tea.

I learned a lot. The technology of today is amazing. Imagine how I would be like if I were to return back in time, bringing heavy gun artillery, and pain killers.

Standing in the village square in one of the provinces of Japan, I was being showed off.

This place reminded me so much of the days of 200 or so years ago. The technology here is poor.

Here, I am being sold for a very low price. Why? No body would buy me. Nobody in the entire world. Slavery is illegal. Slavery is illegal. Concerning my past records, I was heavy money, and yet, none would buy me.

Although the price on me is still considerably large, it wouldn’t be considered so in the world of slave trading, in fact, it would even be called a bargain.

Ah. Do you know who I am? I am a demon. One of the greatest, actually.

The Great Demon Lord of the West, Sesshoumaru. Though I may not be that great anymore.

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I haven’t eaten for a good 3 days.

Will my new master feed me? I hope so.

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Kagome’s POV:

Ack. How very annoying. Why in the world did mama want us to go here? In the province no less? Sure, Inu-yasha wouldn’t dare defy my mother, but still.

The only good thing I can think of at the moment is the fact that I get a vacation from shard detecting.

Oh. Here I am. In the village. Wait, what am I supposed to do again? Oh yes. Buy some vegetables for mama, ofudas for grandpa, and some toy cars for brother dearest. Why me? Simple. Because I have nothing better to do. Mama is in some silly meeting. Grandpa is also in a silly meeting. Souta? He’s sick at home.

CRAP. CRAP. CRAP.

I am in a very bad mood. If someone ever walks in my path, I swear, I might just blow the bloody hell –

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"Excuse me miss?" a young man asked Kagome.

Kagome, seething like she was some little girl whose lollipop was stolen whirled around to stare the young man squarely in the eye.

If looks can kill, the young man would have fallen in a heap of lifeless flesh.

"Yes?" her voice was strained. She was two times more in a bad mood compared to earlier. Someone interrupted her trains of thoughts.

And even though Kagome’s look, body language, and most especially aura said "Get the hell away from me" or "Don’t talk to me or die trying", the young man could simply not get it.

"Miss, I was wondering, are you from Tokyo?" he was handsome. He was also very dense…

Sorely tempted to raise an eyebrow, she answered.

"Yes. Why, do you ask?"

Smiling wider, he answered:

"Well, you see, I was wondering if you can help me manage my way when you return to Tokyo."

Kagome blinked. Was this guy crazy? Did he want to die right on the spot?

The young man, pleased on seeing Kagome’s confused face decided to clear it up a bit.

"I’m Mamoru Higashi. I was an apprentice of your grand father’s and he said that you would help me when you return to Tokyo. You see, I’m your next door neighbor in this village."

Kagome was still baffled, and still, some of it was able to seep in her mind, yet, she was still very confused. Her anger and annoyance dissipated in her struggle for understanding.

Strangely enough, the young man was even happier upon seeing more confusion. Kagome felt annoyed again. This time, she did not bother for manners. She raised an eyebrow towards him.

Finally controlling the surprisingly strong urge to knock the guy unconscious, she asked in a very exasperated tone

"What? Give me the full story please. No offence, but you’re just taking so long in everything, making it sound like riddles. So, no offence again, but you’re wasting my time. I’m quite in a hurry."

That was true. She felt that he was wasting her time by not letting her get back ‘home’ where she can sleep, or watch TV, or maybe just sit under some tree.

The young man was taken aback with her tone of voice, and (duh) her words. Feeling that his ‘game’ was definitely annoying, he turned down another path for conversation.

Sweat dropping, he just noticed how pissed Kagome looked.

"Ah . . . alright then. I’ll just come by your house this evening. So . . . what time will Mr. Higurashi arrive?"

Kagome, smiling in her smugness, felt better. Wow, she thought, the wimp actually got the message.

"Around 7 or 8. Don’t bother yourself for being prompt."

With that said, she turned on her heel and left. Heading for the insides of the village square.

The man was left there, standing alone, to stare at her retreating back. Then finally, he left, realizing that he looked really stupid standing, gawking at some girl’s back. Some might think he was a pervert.

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Kagome finally was able to reach the outer center of the village-square. Here, she saw many people. A crowd, even.

It was so warm here. She began to sweat. But despite of the heat, suddenly, she froze; her body went ice cold.

Tingling sensations down her spine. Which could only mean one thing. A demon. A very powerful demon. In her pocket, she had a knife, for self-defense, of course.

If she worked hard enough, she would be able to purify the whole body of any demon, not only the body part that hit it.

There, the vibe was stronger now. She’s felt this particular vibe before. But where?

Except, the only difference was that . . . this aura was very much sadder. Tortured?

Finally nearing the inner center, she caught a glimpse of – silver hair?!

Then she really froze. Thinking of the many possibilities.

Maybe it was just some old man.

Maybe after collecting all the shards, she was sent home, then Inu-yasha got caught.

Maybe Inu-yasha followed her here, in the process, getting himself caught by the authorities.

So many, but she was still not prepared for what she was about to see.

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Sesshoumaru’s POV

Here, I was held by chains. Yes, I know. Chains won’t hold me, but unless, they had some spell or something on them, it will.

Then I caught sent of something pleasant in the air. There, I see the source now. It was another human. Her scent wasn’t that of perfume; it was natural.

She moved closer, and closer to where I was. She looked so familiar. Too familiar.

Then finally, as if she was looking hard for something, she saw me. When she looked straight in my eyes, the corners of my lips lifted in a nearly unnoticeable smile.

But, her eyes widened. She looked frightened.

What did I do?

Surprisingly, she came near the slave trader, and me. Eyeing me with something I would call a critical eye, I could hear her heartbeat. It was very fast indeed. Finally, she her eyes landed on the chain around my neck. Her scent seemed enraged.

Ah. The slave trader sees her. He notices that the young woman before me seemed interested – interested in screaming her lungs out. Her anger is starting to build up in an alarming rate.

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Kagome’s POV

Wha – I can’t believe it! It’s definitely a demon, but what else, but a demon LORD!

SESSHOUMARU!

It can’t be! Did he get through the well? But how? How!

And, and – is that a chain?! What did they do to him? He’s smiling – at me! What in the world happened?

Then, I look down. I was deep in thought when once again; some male who had the nerve to disturb me interrupted my thoughts.

"Ah, miss. I see that you are interested. How much are you willing to spend on the slave?"

Icky. His breath stinks. Wait, did he say slave? I look from the man to the silver-haired one. This can’t be Sesshoumaru. Besides, I can’t see any demonic traits on him aside from his aura, hair, and eyes.

At the mention of ‘slave’ the ‘man’s’ eyes went down cast. Nope. This isn’t Sesshoumaru. He would always stick his chin up, no matter what. You could almost say that his pride is unbreakable.

My right eye nearly twitched. Slave?

Without even thinking, I asked:

"How much is he?" gee. I sound so very professional, as if I’ve doing this for a million years. How quaint. Now I sound arrogant.

The fat man looked a bit surprised then suddenly, very delighted.

"Let’s see. How about a bag of gold?"

Uh – what?

"Seriously. If you do not tell me now, then you may never have the chance to even have a seller."

My voice sounded so very cold to my ears. But what I said was true. No one would buy a slave. My only reason is for me to let the man go, and of course, to question him.

But this silver haired man, who so looked like Sesshoumaru, even wore the same things as him. His silk kimono. What were missing were the swords that were always hanging by his hip.

The fat man took me seriously enough though.

He nodded in a smug way and told me to just follow him and "the slave" to a certain small office and we would talk things over there.

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As the slave trader led the way, Kagome’s thoughts were over powering her, making her exhausted. Extremely.

Oh the other hand, Sesshoumaru would not stop glancing to his left, Kagome was on the upper left of Sesshoumaru’s place, diagonally.

To him, her scent would make him remember unconsciously about his half brother, and the past. Sesshoumaru found it strange for a modern human to bear the scent of the plush nature surroundings of ancient Japan. He could sense that the woman before him was no ordinary human. Her aura was far more powerful.

Finally, they entered a big room, which had a table and two chairs.

Taking their seat, aside from Sesshoumaru who had to stay standing as an open display of respect, they immediately went to business.

"Miss," the man started, "this man over here is going to cost a lot. His records were that he served a very notorious, and rich family."

Kagome just sat there, bearing the demeanor of an astute observer. She was just waiting for this man to stop his ramblings and get straight to the point.

"He would probably cost thousands, millions, even." The fat man continued.

Kagome nodded and thought that now was the best time to say something.

"So. How much is he? You said many things about him, but you did not answer my question."

It was plainly obvious that the slave trader was stalling for time in hopes of tiring her up. So the slave trader thought that he would show Sesshoumaru’s ‘records’ where he served a very high in the up economic rank family (who by the way were all dead), was very well trained in the arts of –

"Excuse me, are you going to tell me how much he is or are you going to stare at that folder all day?"

The man actually yelped. He was so immersed in his own train of thoughts that he, for a moment, completely forgot about everything else.

Finally regaining his breath and composure, he gave the said folder to Kagome and told her to read it.

"That might give you a lead to how much he is, miss."

He wanted to show her how good Sesshoumaru was. He wanted to let her see his accomplishments.

However, Kagome did not have the patience for this.

"Sir, no disrespect meant, but I honestly do not have the time for this. This record folder thing measures up to 1 inch, and I have other things to do. Just answer my question please. How much is he?"

The fat man was very disappointed with this situation. So what he did was that he told Kagome everything in detail, the oral summarization version of the file which was in the folder.

Kagome just listened attentively. Actually, she told herself that her uncle was worse. He practically raided the whole of Jabidah. Her uncle blamed the whole affair on the ruler of China.

"So, you see, miss. He might cost you a mere bank." In his leery mind, the fat man thought that nothing could get worse than this. She’ll be forced to pay a big amount for "the slave".

Kagome knew what game he was playing, so she was very much prepared.

She smirked.

"No, I don’t think that he would cost that much. After all, we are in a free country. No one would dare buy a slave, either they would be rich or poor. If you were to do ‘slave-trading’ out of this country, it would most probably only be in Asia. Japan’s security for freedom is the loosest. If you go to other countries, you would be caught, almost immediately. I mean, for goodness sake – a chain in broad day-light!"

With that said, the fat man paled a considerable amount.

Kagome on the other hand was smiling brightly, her chest was fluttering. Hanging around Inu-yasha definitely made her a sadistic person.

Besides, that was just shot 1. Wait till shots 2, and 3. He might even hand over "the slave" for free.

So, Kagome went on and on how illegal it was, how he could get caught, and for all slave-traders, there would always be an ultimatum, a time limit.

In the end, Sesshoumaru was sold to Kagome for a few thousands. Hn. Then he flew away like a frightened bird. But before anything else happened, he gave Kagome a small package.

"Miss, you signed the documents and all, so I don’t think you need to do anything else – ah, wait! Here, a package from the lawyer of the family he earlier belonged to. And miss, if you need me, here’s my card. Good-bye, I’m off to my hotel, the Alexandria. I won’t be leaving till 2 days, if you want to talk to me, I’ll see you there. Maybe even over dinner."

Then he winked, and left. Truth be told, Kagome would later pay a visit to him later, but in a different form.

Still sitting down she looked at the package on the table. Then she looked at him.

She still did not know his name though.

"Excuse me, but may I know your name?" her tone and voice change a lot. Compared to the fat man’s, she spoke to him kindly, sweetly even. Towards the fat man, she spoke indifferently.

Sesshoumaru, surprised because he was asked for his name blinked a bit then immediately gave his name. In the past, only few humans, or masters and mistresses ever asked for his name, or even called him by it.

"Sesshoumaru is my name, mistress."

The effect of his name sent her to nearly drop the package in her hand. She stared at him, and even her heartbeat sped up. Sesshoumaru was confused as to why she would react like this.

Then taking control over her reigns, she calmed down, then smiled.

"All right. Sesshoumaru, why don’t you take a seat?" here she pointed to the chair on her right.

Now it was Sesshoumaru’s turn to be surprised. Still, he obeyed.

"Thank-you, mistress."

She smiled again. Then she looked serious.

"Listen, I need you to take of that horrible thing on your neck. Can you do it?"

Sesshoumaru knew he can, but can he really rip it off? There was a spell on it.

So he thought of something to make her understand.

"Mistress, please read the package. It will explain of who I am and why I am chained this way. It also explains why I am not allowed to take it off."

Kagome thought this over and read everything. Nothing came in a surprise. She already knew that he wasn’t human.

It says here that she should let her blood drip on the lock of his chain collar, willingly, and it will immediately be unlocked, making her the true mistress of Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru was waiting for an "are you kidding" response. But in the end, she just stood up and got a penknife from her pocket and wounded herself. Then she walked directly in his line of sight and –

"Sesshoumaru, please tilt you head a bit, so I can have access to the lock of your neck."

Blinkingly, he obliged. As he bent his head, she came closer. He could smell the metallic scent of her blood, then her scent. Once again, he smelt the scent of nature.

No sooner later, his metal collar fell on the ground.

He now officially, sealed through blood, and magic, belonged to a young woman whose name is Kagome Higurashi, and will do her every whim.

At least that’s what he expected. Silly dog. Life will never be that dull!

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Like it? I hope so! You see, there will be many twists and turns.

Please review and tell me what you think, criticism is welcome. Besides, I need some of your thoughts so I know what you guys want.

Ciao!

poNch