SESSHOMARU BOUND

By Lady JenDragon

Summary: Naraku has done his worst. Her team has been scattered to the forewinds. Inuyasha has forgotten his friends with the help of an amnesia spell. Miroku, Sango, KiRaRa and Shippo take up residence at Master Mushimo's temple to heal severe battle wounds from their last encounter with irksome Naraku. Now Kagome must journey after the final half of the Shikon Jewel alone so she can permanently return home and escape this Feudal madness. There's just one little problem…she bound to a most uncooperative demon. Not just any demon…Sesshomaru.

Rating: Teen for violence, battle sequences...and whatever else I forgot.

Disclaimer: We all know we have to claim Inuyasha's not of our own concoction and such. Acknowledged and moving on.

Author's Notes: Welcome to another of my stories. Yeah, yeah, I know, can't I finish my other stories first? What? And miss out on all this multi-tasking? I DEDICATE this story to my good friend Mademoiselle Wendita B., for whom her favorite pairing is Kagome & Sesshomaru. Personally, I don't understand the whole attraction thing but decided this would be a good lesson in writing an alternative opinion. This story has nothing to do with Cycle of Rin nor is it in any kind of timeline I set up with my other stories. It's simply a story of my brainstorming thanks to my friend…who will suffer for putting these thoughts into my head. All right, all right. In all fairness, she just explained why she liked the pairing. Ah, my idea girl. I just came up with this all on my own as a result of listening. I still blame her regardless.

Okay, with that out of the way, we can move forward. This story is not based on any other FanFic you may have read. I've not had time to sit down and read through the thousands of Inuyasha fic's on this website. If this story is similar, not my fault. But, I can promise that they won't have what I've planned in the story line up. Besides, my friend will let me know. Feel free to shout out any errors and mistakes. Questions are always welcome. Might answer, might not. Other stories will be updated soon as well. I think that covers all…for now.

CHAPTER 1

The Offer

Long slender fingers flexed as amber eyes gazed upon the closing fist with mild interest. The muscles obeyed every command as if it were his own. Even where the foreign flesh connected to his own blended seamlessly in color and shape. The supple skin stretched and relaxed as he clenched yet another fist, fascinated by its sheer creation. His kimono hung off his left shoulder, the white and red silk clung around his waist over the armor.

"Well?" The craggy old female voice asked with a hint of angst.

Her elderly gray eyes shifted from the porcelain face of the Dog demon, to his excellently sculpted barren chest then over to the new left arm. It was rare to see such a high standing demon without clothing even if it were just the chest, free from any hair, as far as she could see. Few eyes ever lay upon such perfect flesh as his, especially female eyes. Sesshomaru was not known for lying with just any female. In fact, no one knew if the son of the Dog General preferred to find refuge in the arms of a woman. Still, she recorded this sight in her memory for later use. Truly a rare sight indeed. A smile crept across her elderly face. The attachment had been a monumental success.

"The price?" Came the monotone voice.

Sesshomaru stood with his new arm bent at the elbow. His eyes never left the offer from the Demon Witch. Fex, a shorter version of a much longer name that no one remembered her by any other name but Fex, could not be completely trusted. Her kind always required some form of payment. He flexed the fingers numerous times, expecting the hand to fall off at any time.

"Th…there is no co…cost, Lord Sesshomaru." The witch demon smiled toothily, waving her hands to shoo off his question. "You have done so much. It's the least I can do."

Sesshomaru took this in with curious reproach. The demon witch did nothing without purpose. Father taught him that early in life. It had been many years since he last seen the wretched demon. Even then, it was not a pleasant acquaintance. Her kind caused more problems among superior demons, creating rifts in families and turning the most mild of issues into civil wars. They mostly fed on the greed and flaws of humans due to their gullible nature. However, Fex created a reputation among demons. Some were allies, others bitter enemies.

"A gift?" Sesshomaru challenged.

"Why…y…yes." Fex bowed to the Dog Demon. "You saved me half a decade ago amongst a battle involving humans. Their sheer numbers almost overpowered me had you not arrived on your journey towards the Ox and Tiger. I doubt you'd even remember it…such a long time ago. I believe you were searching for your father's grave at the time."

He had nearly forgotten seeing the Demon Witch. Sesshomaru remembered the foolish Humans turn their blades towards him upon his arrival. Had he known a battle between Humans and the Demon Witch was being decided, he would have avoided the area to ensure her death. Yet, she credited him with 'saving' her life. Demon Witches were known to repay such acts with generosity. That would explain her sudden willingness to aid him. Yet, something did not feel right. The offer came much later after the act. It made him wonder what she was planning. Their last encounter that he did remember, they had been on opposite sides of a minor skirmish with another demon clan several years before his half-breed brother's awakening from the Sacred Tree. Her intentions appeared openly genuine.

'Only time would tell, witch.'

He would only accept this offer of a gift until he could decipher its meaning. Sesshomaru would place Jaken nearby to watch the Demon Witch. Any actions she took for or against him, he would know about immediately. Jaken would be returning from aiding Rin in finding her daily food run shortly.

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Kagome waited in the bushes, waiting for any sign of the bird. For the first time, she was chasing something alone. Every nerve shivered with anticipation as she listened quietly. Shaking off her anxiety Kagome aimed her bow and arrow keeping it at ready. She panned the forest once more. That black bird with six eyes was around here somewhere.

"Come on, come on!" She whispered impatiently. "I know you're here."

She felt the shard a few miles back. The Shikon Jewel was almost complete. Naraku possessed the majority of a half. There were three shards left of the Jewel in addition to her half and Naraku's. Then the Shikon Jewel would be whole again. And the damn bird just stole her half to take back to its master. If she did not succeed, he would once again have the Shikon Jewel to himself. She was supposed to have been back home weeks ago. But the battle for the Jewel turned out to be forced into one more battle after another.

This was the last time.

She would take the Shikon Jewel with her back home and never return to the Feudal Era. Sango and Miroku were recovering from the last battle at the temple of Miroku's old master. They were near death when Naraku made a play for the Jewel half they came into possession after battling the horde of cat demons. Shippo volunteered to stay behind and take care of them, mending his own wounds as well. KiRaRa was out on medication reconnaissance, suffering her own set of injuries, when Kagome decided to go after the Jewel alone. It was the only way to end this nightmare.

Naraku used his demon powers to turn Inuyasha against the fight for the Jewel. Whatever it was, the spell worked like a charm. Her heart broke when Inuyasha decided to leave but it had not completely broken. At first, she thought it was the end of the world when Inuyasha disappeared that rainy night two months ago. Thinking about it now, Naraku finally got what he wanted. When she got the Shikon Jewel together and purified it, Inuyasha would return to himself. And he would live his life.

But, it would be with out her.

She understood now. First loves never ended it seemed. Even in death. Kikyo still held Inuyasha's heart firmly and he only saw her as part of Kikyo. It was best she left Inuyasha now while he could not remember her as an individual. He would not miss her anyway. Over two and a half years since she arrived in the Feudal Era, Kagome never imagined being without Inuyasha in the future. Had she grown that much?

Shaking her disappointments from her mind, Kagome forced herself to concentrate. All this craziness among the demons would end as soon as she got that damn Jewel and took it back home with her. It would be some time before Miroku and Sango recovered, they could live out their days at the temple. Shippo and KiRaRa would stay wherever those two decided to settle down. If that were to ever actually happen.

Then a black form flew off the high branch from the largest tree a few meters before her. It had been waiting for her. Teasing her with the Jewel that appeared just within reach. Seemingly egging her on with the intention of forcing her into another failed attempt to retrieve the ever elusive Shikon Jewel. Naraku's doing of course, allowing her to think she had the upper hand all the while bird lured her into some trap. He must know what she planned to do with the Jewel once she acquired it. She needed to heed on the side of caution.

With that, Kagome took off running. The black bird was heading away from her, the tree line thickening as she ran. It would lazily circle every few minutes, riding a circular wind as it glided its shiny black body on rising air. It seemed to be waiting for her to catch up. Kagome found burying her feelings of hatred for Naraku difficult.

'He's gonna pay…' Kagome focused her energy on increasing her speed. '…big time.'

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Fex rubbed her eyes, sensing the Human miko coming close by. She frowned but her mind latched onto a very odd idea. Strange for a human to be this far from their village. But with such powerful spiritual powers that this one possessed, the Human did not cower where demons roamed. Still, it gave her reason to smile toothily. Her eyes shifted to the sky, finding the black bird with six eyes circling a small field. The shining object shimmered off the fading sunlight on the horizon.

'The Shikon Jewel?' Excitement shot through her uncannily.

Few times in her life did such minor moments of good luck come upon her. With a few flicks of her wrist, she thrust her hand into the air towards the bird. A spell shot from her bony fingertips, spreading over the bird without interrupting its flight. The creature would take no notice of her spell. She just needed to borrow the Shikon Jewel for a few moments.

And then fate would take over.

Her body shook with delighted madness as a giggle turned into laughter. The echo of her laugh pierced the field around her. Birds in a nearby tree took to flight. The trees and bushes rustled as a wind suddenly stirred up, blowing debris airborne.

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Kagome found it difficult to track the bird from the ground. If only Shippo was here! Chasing the damn bird would be much easier, covering far more ground in his floating balloon form than running after it on two feet. She frowned then pushed the thought from her head. How cruel could she be? Shippo almost died the last time they went up against Naraku, without Inuyasha.

Breaking free of a particularly thick grouping of bushes, she barely kept her feet as she nearly fell forward onto the well-trodden dirt trail. Kagome nearly ran into the towering red and white form walking up the trail. Without thinking, she pivoted and ran past without looking at the form halting its advance. There was little time to waste though the person seemed familiar. Checking the bird's position in the sky, she decided that the well-used dirt trail where the person in red and white just came from would make traveling faster. Kagome ran towards the trees where the black bird circled ahead of her.

"You there." Sesshomaru realized his thought spoke for itself.

But the female ignored him, her bow and arrow gripped tightly in her hands as she barely avoided hitting him and chose to alter her course around him. He felt the Shikon Jewel and knew why she had come. The black bird acquired a significant portion of the Shikon Jewel. After a shift in weight, the miko ran down the path behind him. The miko was headed towards the Demon Witch's residence just on the other side of the thicket where he just left. She was after the Shikon Jewel.

He turned on his feet and lifted his eyes to where the human grew smaller in the distance. The female was familiar. The woman who showed kindness towards Rin during her brief visit with Naraku's wind demon creation Kagura? It must be more than two months since he last saw the miko. Oddly, Inuyasha's scent was no longer fresh on her, barely detectable in fact. His younger sibling did not appear to be traveling with her anymore. Sesshomaru paused before asking the question internally.

'What happens to humans and half-breeds is hardly of interest to me.'

Yet, he knew that he should follow the Shikon Jewel wherever it went in this region. Surely Naraku would behind its stealing. The Jewel held no interest for him. But, it would hold a wealth of possibilities to a Demon Witch. One not afraid to take advantage of the opportunity should it be given to her if offered. That could not be allowed regardless of the gift she bestowed upon him.

Sesshomaru began to walk towards the Witch's lair, deciding that speed would be key. He turned into a ball of white and lifted off from the ground. The miko would not arrive in time to take back the Jewel into possession.

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After several minutes, Kagome realized she had just passed Sesshomaru. Why should she feel happiness at meeting up with someone she knew? Sesshomaru hardly counted as someone you could call 'an acquaintance'. Her lungs burned from the exertion, barely able to keep up with the bird. Still, there was no time to dawdle. She lifted her bow and arrow once more and took aim at the bird flapping its wings hard to gain altitude.

"Hit the mark." She whispered.

The arrow glowed blue as it took off. It arched through the air, whizzing through the thickening fog forming over the small field. She did not see the smoke rising from the structure hidden just beyond the trees on the field's opposite side. The black bird flew north, flapping its wings hard against the fury of the wind. The arrow pierced its wing. The bird began a downward spiral, becoming tighter and tighter until it splashed down into a small pond of water on the field's far side.

Kagome ran after the bird's carcass. She needed to move fast to obtain the Shikon Jewel half it possessed before another demon came along. Barely able to breathe, she stopped just short of the creature, making sure it was pinned to the ground. Her arrow stuck out at an odd angle. The wing decayed quickly, the bones exposed beneath. A foul smelling liquid drained from its beak. Her eyes then found the Jewel lying on open ground a few feet from the bird's beak. She rushed over and skidded to a stop just before reaching it, her eyes growing wide.

The Shikon Jewel half glowed a slight green color for several seconds, covering the entire form like a blanket. The color deepened and whites swirling into the green as though violent storms possessed the Jewel. Then the swirling green and white cover slid off onto the ground, then lifted into the air. It rushed away from her and disappeared through the thick trees. Smoke rose above the trees in the next field over. It was then Kagome spied the small hut structure just on the other side.

'Hopefully, no one's noticed what's happened yet.' Kagome wished silently.

She paused waiting for anything, but nothing came. She did not want or need anything else to happen today. No one seemed moved on the other side of the trees. Shrugging, she picked up the Jewel, the half round shape turning bright pink between her fingers. Proud of herself for obtaining it herself, she turned back towards the trail she took to get here.

Kagome glanced up to find the ball of white light land in the middle of the field. Sesshomaru had followed her. He appeared out of the white light she had seen him use to travel distances quickly, walking with serene authority and an elegant grace. Guess demons with his breeding thought highly of themselves enough to consider themselves in a higher class above the rest.

Sesshomaru asked evenly. "He is not with you?"

He slowed his pace, closing in on the Human. Sesshomaru stopped short of the miko, keeping seven feet between them, his amber eyes set upon the young woman's hands. She held her ground, staying where she stood. The Shikon Jewel half she possessed turned pure. Such great spiritual power in one so young, he thought. Even greater than that of Kikyo, the dead miko, who remained doomed to walking the earth as an empty shell of its former life. The woman's dark eyes looked up at him, a slight frown on her face. The Demon Witch had not attempted to pursue the Shikon Jewel after all.

"No." Kagome clenched the Jewel half in her hand, knowing whom Sesshomaru meant. "Naraku placed an amnesia spell on him. We can't find a way to break it."

"The Jewel?" Sesshomaru shifted his eyes to her clenched hand.

"Might return him to normal." Kagome responded naturally as if she intended to use the Jewel's power on his little brother. "Not sure. But, I've got to try something."

Kagome had never bothered to really look at Sesshomaru before. Looking at him now she guessed her curiosity stemmed because he was the first company she had in days. Her interest lay mainly with Inuyasha whenever they met in the past. But, there was something…noteworthy about him. He stood so tall yet he made no move to eradicate her. She never realized he was handsome. Not cute like Inuyasha, but a more refined appearance typical of older brothers. Oddly, she was a bit surprised to find he followed her. He never sought the Shikon Jewel before. Had he changed his mind recently?

"Well, if you're not going to say anything else…" Kagome moved to walk around him.

She had little time for pointless conversation. Her half was safely back in her hands now. That only left the three shards possessed by Naraku's creations and Kohaku in addition to the half he retained around his neck. How the hell was she going to get it? Kagome forgot the demon, allowing her thought to command her attention as she moved the trailhead. She needed to think about her next move.

'Insolence.' Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the Human daring to discard him, sucking in a deep breath.

He placed a hand on Tenseiga's hilt, his anger rising. Her back to him as she walked around him as if he were not there irritated him. As if she had some authority to remove herself first. Yet, the girl possessed such brazen behavior when they met before on a number of occasions. This woman was not like the others of the Feudal era. Indeed. Her constant break from the traditional role both insulted him but made him curious as well. He sensed it before another thought formed.

The air exploded around them. Kagome barely had time to turn around before the hot air ripped through the tiny field. Debris and dust filled the air, making it difficult to breathe. Then her world went blank. Oddly, she felt her feet leave the ground before losing consciousness.