Author's Note: I'd like to apologize to my readers. I know I've long neglected this fic. But I'm going to make it up to you with this chapter. :) I hope you all like it. Enjoy!

Price of Memory
By Rikayu

Chapter Fourteen: Descent

"Faster, faster, faster..." it chanted.

Her legs were aching and her feet were growing numb, but she did not stop. She was supposed to keep running. Her heart thundered in her ears and her mind was such a haze that she didn't even know where she was going or where she was. But she ran and ran, not caring for anything aside from the voice telling her to keep going through the path that opened up in front of her.

The air was frigid. Every time he let out a breath, it turned into a soft, cloudy mist as he walked silently through the fog-laden forest. And with each step he took forward, the fog only seemed to get thicker and visibility dwindled.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. Something was not right.

His golden eyes scanned through the area carefully, but even with his enhanced eyesight that came with being youkai, the demon lord could not see clearly enough through the fog for more than a few meters. The water that clung to the air was also making it difficult to pinpoint any suspicious scents that lingered in the immediate vicinity. But as the sound of light footsteps reached his ears, Sesshoumaru stopped in his tracks. The fog swirled in front of him and he could see what looked like a person running through the forest.

He stalked forward and went into the direction the person was headed in. The fog thickened even more to the point where it was impossible for him to see past the cloudy white that surrounded him. But a faint scent still lingered in the air to create a path for him to follow.

As he continued to walk, the scent became stronger and the fog began to withdraw slightly. The sound of rushing water filled the air as Sesshoumaru reached the tree line. The scent continued up the river and through more of the fog. The farther he went upriver, the more the water sped faster, eventually turning into violent rapids until the water stopped flowing forward and instead cascaded down as a waterfall. On the cliffedge next to where the water disappeared, stood a woman.

Sesshoumaru halted in his steps and noticed then that the woman wore not a single article of clothing. He watched as the woman slowly turned to face him, her whipping fiercely around her form. Blue eyes stared into his and immediately he recognized her. Then his eyes widened ever so slightly. It was the human wench who accompanied his half-brother, and hanging from her neck was his mother's necklace.

He stepped forward once but the girl gave off no scent of fear or any physical response. She stood her ground and just stared at him with no expression on her face. Her deep blue eyes bore into his and were like a strange watery abyss that looked as if they could see directly into his soul. For some reason, it unnerved him.

"Wench, where did you get that necklace?" he demanded, but she did not answer.

The demon lord flexed his claws and they hung at his side and asked again, but still, the girl gave no reply. "You will give it to me," he said sternly and he stepped closer towards her but as he came within several feet of her, there was a sudden flash of bright light and he was sent flying backwards by an immense force. But he regained his momentum in midair and flipped, landing gracefully on his feet.

He looked up. Across from his half-brother's wench stood unmoving, silently watching him, as a shield of white energy pulsed around her. The taiyoukai eyed her warily, his hand moving to the hilt of his Tokijin. He watched as the girl slowly brought her hand up to touch the crescent moon pendant that hung in between her breasts. She lifted it up in her hand and looked down at the pendant briefly looking back up at him. The shield dissipated and she turned around to face away from him. Without so much as a glance back at the demon lord or any pause of hesitation, she ran forward and jumped.

As the girl instantly disappeared into the fog, Sesshoumaru pushed himself forward and dove over the edge of the cliff. The wind whipped wildly around his form as he bulleted down the side of the cliff face. His eyes focused instantly on the falling form of the woman just a few feet below him. The taiyoukai straightened his body, increasing his speed until he was right above her. His arm shot forward and wrapped around her waist, pulling the woman against him. But before he could turn their bodies in preparation to rebound up, Sesshoumaru felt the girl's hands go up to the sides of this face.

She turned his face to hers and her blue eyes stared into his golden ones. As their hair swirled black and silver around them, she brought her lips next to his ear and gave a soft whisper that was almost inaudible against the sound of the waterfall and the rushing wind.

"Sleep."

As the fog encased them and the water below came rushing closer, Sesshoumaru's body suddenly turned cold until he could not feel anything, the sound of the thundering waterfall filled his ears as everything went black.

End Note: This chapter's a bit shorter than my previous chapters, but I'm pretty happy about how it came out. And yes, she's naked. o.o

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