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Author's note: Due to some reviews and my own personal thoughts I changed chapter 11 a little. I had intended for the Bitch part to be a mating thing because Sesshomaru is a dog demon but it did come out a little degrading so I changed it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of it's characters

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chapter 15: The end of one; the beginning of another.

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Shi'an knocked on his Lady's door. "My Lady?"

Her reply came out low and deep. "Yes, Shi'an, come in."

He pushed on the old wooden door, entering the semi-dark room. The small fire in the hearth allowed just enough light to see.

His Lady lay on her bed, lounging, reading a book.

He bowed in respect. "My Lady."

Without looking up, she acknowledged his presence. "Yes, what is it Shi'an?"

Standing straight and rigid, Shi'an regarded his raven haired Lady. "Liana has given birth."

At this, the lounging beauty looked up and blinked. "And......?"

He continued in a flat but asking tone. "You need to come see."

Her brow creased for only a moment before she let out a breath of slight irritation while easing off her bed. "For you, Shi'an, I will come."

His Lady followed him down the dark hallway and to the kitchen.

Both stopped at the doorway to the small room Liana slept in.

Shi'an frowned at the sight before him.

Liana lay there on her small bed of straw and blankets in the sleep of death. Her hair, wet with sweat, matted against her pale face and neck. One arm hung loosely over the edge, almost touching the stone gray floor. Blood soaked the bedraggled servant's dress she wore. The scarlet stain covered the bottom half of her garment which had been bunched up at her crimson streaked hips and thighs. The once white sheets dripped with her life's blood. Directly between the young girl's legs lay an infant.....not his......The markings were unmistakable: silver hair, blue crescent moon, one red stripe on each cheek, and two furry, white, canine ears.

It's bloodied body only twitched in silence. The pup sensed the danger.

Shi'an shook his head once. Liana had not made one sound giving birth.

If it had not been for the scent of blood and the pup, he would not have known.

His Lady hmphed. "I see."

She then sighed. "Is she dead?"

Without taking his eyes off of the scene before him, he replied. "She is weak. The stench of death is upon her. She will draw her last breath soon."

Her tone hardened. "Take her to the wildflower fields. The trip alone will finish her. Bury her body by the Old Stone. Make sure you make it deep. I do not want her rest to be disturbed. When you have finished the task, come back. I need to feed my pet."

Shi'an walked over to the bed, sliced the child's life cord then picked up his mate's limp body.

Liana's head lolled over his forearm as her long, brown hair dangled loosely down his side.

He did not carry her out the back. Instead, he chose to go out the front door and backtrack around the forest.

The dog didn't deserve to see his mate in death.

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Cold...She shivered in the waking, quiet, cold.

Dark...everything was dark........No...she needed to open her eyes.

Pain....so much pain....Her whole body ached in dulled agony.

Loss....something was missing.......

What was missing....?

Liana's jerked her eyes open.....Her Baby!

Tall sage grass surrounded her. A midmorning mist blurred the wildflowers, turning everything dreamlike. Had she died and gone to the other world?

No.

She moved one shaky hand over her sore belly. Only reality gave this much pain: pain of body, agony of spirit, grief of loss: Her baby.

Wetness leaked down her cheeks. Where was her baby?

With great effort, she sat up and leaned back. Her back rubbed against something hard: The Great Old Stone.

This place, her secret place: Why had she been brought here?

Liana knew she could not stand so she listlessly sat upon the flattened sage, waiting with the grief and pain until her strength returned.

Midmorning became midday. The sun warmed the shivers away.

Soon, the crickets began their evening song.

The wetness of her face cooled as the wind danced across the field.

She sniffed. An empty hole, the ache for her child, threatened to swallow her heart.

Regaining some of her senses, she realized something furry warmed her ribs underneath her soiled clothes.

She reached in, grasping the tuft of fur and pulled it out. A tear fell down her nose as she sucked in a quick breath. It was the piece of fur Sesshomaru had given her. When the pains had started, she had hidden it in the folds of her dress. For a long time she hugged the piece of fluff before stashing it back under her clothes to keep it safe.

Liana watched the sun set through the trees. The bright beams of light played on the red and gold leaves.

Heavy footfalls rustled in the grass, coming closer.

Liana blinked in the dying evening light.

Fear gripped her heart.

She froze.

A shadow loomed above.

It turned halfway to the retreating sunlight.

She gasped.

Shi'an.

In his hand, dangling and twitching, was her baby.

He held her child by one ankle, arm stretched out, away from him.

His features betrayed no emotion except disgust. "I see you have awakened. I did not think would live. But it seems..... I was mistaken."

Liana chanced a weak plea. "Can I......have my baby?"

Shi'an's tail swished back and forth in anger. "Why do you want it, mate?"

She tried to swallow down her terror. "Please.....if you care anything for me at all......please....."

He turned his back to her. She watched his rigid stance shake slightly as his tail whipped in hard jerks.

His voice growled low. "Bitch, what makes you think I cared anything for you? Maybe I should take care of this mutt right now."

Liana could not see what he was doing but she heard her baby yelp once. She began weeping, reaching out to his backside. "Please!.......Shi'an......Please...... I beg you....for my baby's life."

He stood there silently as she cried. The sun had almost disappeared. Darkness crept through the trees and brush.

Finally, he turned to her.

The darkness hid his features but his eyes reflected an icy, yellow luminance. He threw the child at her.

With what little strength she had left, Liana caught her child and held the baby close to her chest. Tears of relief welled up in her eyes, but she resisted their fall. Shi'an could be cruel.

His voice rasped out, cold and flat. "Take the child and leave. Do not go to the Western Lands. I will track you. If your trail leads me there, I will kill you and the brat. That damn dog's family will not have you or that.... ...mutt. Find a place near a human village. I don't care where. I will check up on you from time to time; to make sure you stick to our ..... agreement. "

With that, Shi'an left, prowling into the young night.

After the sound of his footfalls faded completely, Liana cried hard.

The infant in her arms came alive and began to root against her bosom.

Liana smiled down at her baby through choking sobs.

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(Fifty years later)

Senjenko sat high upon his chair, surrounded by his servants.

The day's business had been taken care of and the evening meal would be served soon.

He let out a long breath and rested his chin on his knuckles.

Every day was the same.

Nothing exciting ever happened.

He glanced around his stateroom. The polished wood floors reflected the evening sunlight filtering in from the partially curtained windows. His guards stood at their posts several paces away near the double wooden doors. Two of his top servants were close by, heads bowed slightly, waiting for any order he may give them.

Letting out another breath of boredom, Senjenko laid his head back on his cushioned chair. Maybe the chef would cook something different tonight.

At that moment, a curt knock directed his attention back to the stateroom doors.

One of his front gatesmen entered and bowed deeply. "My Lord."

He straightened his posture, peering down at the young man. "Yes?"

The gatesman took one step forward. "There is a lady here who wishes an audience with you, My Lord."

"What are her reasons for this request?"

The young man's normally steady tone wavered somewhat. "I do not know sire. She did not...give a reason. But... she has a youkai with her......a tall one.....led by a leash and collar."

With a cautious glance to his guardsmen, he nodded. "Send them in."

Before the young gatesman slipped out of the double doors, he gestured to the two bulky guardsmen standing at their posts.

Both complied to the silent order and moved to stand on either side of his chair with their backs against the drapery.

Moments later, one of the double doors opened. A cloaked figure stepped into the room.

By the sway of the figure's walk, he guessed it to be the woman.

Then....he saw an amazing site. Trailing directly behind the cloaked woman was a male youkai, an incredibly tall youkai dressed in a simple traveling kimono. Long Silver hair flashed in the evening sunlight as they passed one of the windows. It flowed freely, nearly touching the floor. Red stripes lined both cheeks and a crescent moon centered beween his silver bangs. His eyes were.... gold....the most unique shade of gold. But they stared blankly at the floor, empty, devoid of anything.

The woman jerked her hand once in their approach, making the youkai behind her falter a step as she pulled on the leather strap in her hand......

Senjenko followed the leather strap in her hand all the way to the demon's neck where the end had been tied to a small ring on an iron choker........

A collar?

This woman led a demon around by a leash?

The cloaked woman stopped only six paces away from him and nodded once. "Greetings, Lord Senjenko."

A sweet scent wisped toward him when she stopped. Her voice carried on a sultry wind, soft and alluringly inviting. He allowed a tinge of a smile. "Good evening. May I have the honor on knowing why you have chosen to grace my humble abode with your delicate presence?"

From what he could see of her fine features beneath the hood, the woman's face showed no motion or expression. "I have come to sell my slave."

Sitting back some in his chair, he rubbed his chin. "A slave? What makes you think I need a slave? I already have servants and guards. What else do I need?"

The woman backed up to stand beside the tall youkai. "Kneel."

Amazingly, the demon complied to her order instantly, falling to his knees.

Her hand reached out and patted the youkai's silver hair. "You see, he is well trained. He has been in my service for many years now."

She turned to him once more. "My Lord, Senjenko. In these times of settlement and political strife it would be an asset to have such a powerful demon at your side......as a protector."

Her words did ring true. Several close land owners were in the process of fortifying their territory and attaining more personal guards. But if he had a demon as his body guard, no one could even get within a league of touching him.

Senjenko stood up then stepped down, stopping only a pace away from the kneeling demon who stared blankly at he floor. "Is he powerful? What can he do?"

A smile came to her soft tone. "He has demon speed and strength as well as other tracking abilities: strong sense of smell and hearing."

He eyed the demon critically. "What if he tries to harm me?"

The woman pointed to the metal collar around the demon's neck. "This demon has been cursed with a subjugation spell. He cannot harm his owner or owner's blood kin. He is bound to his owner. The magic in the collar will not allow him to leave. The restraint will punish him if he does not obey his owner's command or defys one already given. The restraint answers to the blood of it's owner; he will also answer to all blood relatives. But his owner's commands overrides all others if they contradict. Once you pay for him, you will be his owner."

He tapped his bottom lip with his forefinger. "Interesting. But what of insolence? I have no methods of discipline that will harm a powerful, full blooded youkai."

As the woman stepped away from the kneeling demon, she motioned to him. "It would be wise to step away from him, Lord. I will show you how I punish my youkai slave."

Watching closely, he moved away a few paces. The demon did not move but......he was. ....shaking.

Her voice rang out clear and firm. "Shimeru."

The kneeling demon began to tremble. He seemed to be in pain. His claws dug small marks into the varnished wooden floor. For several moments, the youkai shook as he bent forward. His silver hair draped about his body and face. He did not cry out, only grunted. A few moments later, the youkai breathed out a choking breath. Blood fell in small drops below his hunched form. Where it came from he did not know.

The demon crawled to the woman's feet. He rasped out in a gurgled voice. "Thank you, ......Mistress......for my punishment."

She smoothed his silver hair but did not look down. "You see, lord Senjenko, if he gives you any problems all you have to do is say the subduing word. It will put him in his place. Only his owner can use this word."

The woman ordered her slave to stand. "What say you? Do you wish to buy him?"

Circling the demon, Senjenko inspected closely before stopping in front of him and pointing to the youkai's claws. "I do not like the look of his claws. Can that be fixed?"

Her light chuckle lit the air. "Certainly."

Stepping up to her slave, she tapped the back of his hand. "Retract those claws. Only use them when necessary."

The claws disappeared, replaced by normal blunt nails.

The woman turned to him. "That is the best I can do. But when you serve his punishment, they will involuntarily come out. The pain invoked is too powerful, he cannot hold the appearance in that instance. Does it meet with your approval, Lord?"

Senjenko looked up to the tall youkai, blood coated his lips. "How much do you want for him?"

"Five thousand gold pieces."

He raised both brows. "That is pricey for a slave. But considering his strength and demon abilities the price seems fair."

The woman produced a scroll from the folds of her garments. "You will need to pay the gold directly to me by your own hands. This scroll will give you all the information on the restraint and how it works. It also gives all information pertaining to his subjugation and method of sale. His weapons are to remain with him. They should not be touched by anyone else."

Raising one hand, Senjenko motioned to his servant. "Bring me my bag."

The servant did as ordered, scurrying off then returning with a leather satchel.

He handed the heavy leather pouch to the female who accepted it with ease. "Five thousand maybe a little more."

She handed him the scroll. "The word is written on the parchment. I will take my leave now."

With that, the cloaked woman bowed once then walked silently out the door.

His new purchase stood before him, still and deathly quiet. He smirked. "You are now my personal guard."

"Yes, Master."

Senjenko's smirk widened. "Master....I like the sound of that."

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Complete! my first complete fic! Hope you all enjoyed my dark story. About Liana: I couldn't leave her like that. I guess I cared about her character too much to actually have her die. And the baby...that got to me as well. So I gave a little light to my dark story. I was going to make it a mystery but changed my mind. Now for those of you who guessed Liana's true identity. Hats off. Yes, Rin is Liana's reincarnation. Liana and Rin share the same soul. I don't intend to mix the two stories but I may consider a side story or two if anyone asks for it. It will be a spin off of the two once I finish writing Captive Soul which may be about a month or two in the future. Thanks for all who stuck with me through this story. Now I will concentrate all of my efforts on Captive Soul and will be updating about twice a week. Hope all who read were entertained. Ras. ^_^

Reveiw responses:

taskinLUDE: I put a more graphic version on Adult Fanfiction.net because I was afraid Fanfiction would kill my story if it was too graphic. I have heard of many stories being taken off because of this. I wanted to do more with their mating. Now you got to remember Sesshomaru's state of mind. It's almost gone. He was desperate for Liana to give him something that could chase away some of his inner suffering, hence his plea to touch the female who may bolt. Well, readers over Seventeen usually read R fics. But I know that there are some young readers out there who chance upon R fics and read them anyway. I try not to be too graphic on Fanfiction.net.

Opaaru Tsuki: OMG. chain saw? parrakeets? battery acid? My gosh! sounds frightening. I never intended for Pandora to die or get tortured. But hey, future stories are in my thought processes. Ras.

Kitty demon: got one flame on adult fanfiction.net said the f word. eeps.

Jazz-chan: actually Sesshomaru did know she was a virgin. but he didn't know about the tearing part. You and several people were right about the b***h part. I had intended for it to be a mating thing but it did sound kind of degrading so I nixed it. Yes, you and serveral other reviews helped me decide Liana's fate.

LSR-7: Yep Sesshy was brutally hurt in this story, but i think for a demon like Sess, it had to happen.

Fluffylover2: Sorry fluffy lover. I do not hate Sessy. I just needed to ensure a humble slave attitude for Captive Soul. The torture and pain had to happen. sorries. By your pen name I am guessing you love Fluffy sama. sorry for the darkness but it had to happen. Yes, Shi'an appeared in three forms in this fic. panther, giant, human like.

Wakadori Ramen: thanks for the 1000 pointer! Ras.

MageofDarkness: thanks mage for the plushie. I'll hold on to it when I dream. *sighs*

Yuki: child, no need to bring out the dog demon form. Heh heh. *sweatdrop*

So many thank you's to all the other's who reviewed. Hope you all enjoyed the story. Ras.^_^

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