Friday, May 27, 2005

The Soul Cages: Frozen In Time
*episode 6*

Sesshomaru sits in a cavern, the walls are made of radiant blue ice; there is no exit. The Tokigin lies on the floor, where he dropped it after a futile attempt to breach his cage. Also lying on the floor is an unconscious Kagura. The lord leaves her alone and talks to his second sword. “What do you want from me, father? You are trying to tell me something about this demoness. You had me free her at the expense of an opportunity to rid myself of Naraku. You insisted that I revive her. I did, without even using the opportunity it presented to my advantage. I have allowed myself to cherish Rin. I have stood beside your bastard in battle. I haven’t killed a human, without provocation, in months. Still you are not satisfied. I have offered to mate with her and she refuses me. I have been put in a position to force her to be my mate, and you insist that I reject it. I cannot have her, but you will not let me forget her. What do you want father? Do you want me to beg her? Do you want me to plead with her like some love drunk mortal? Why do I need her? Why do you need her?” “Does he answer?” Kagura asks. Sesshomaru looks up and sees her struggling to her feet. He makes no offer to help her. Once she rises, he says, “Not in words. But I can sense his desires.” She asks, “And what does he want from me?” Sesshomaru tells her, “If I knew that, I wouldn’t be sitting here, in this unpleasantly frigid setting, asking for guidance from the dead.” She gives a harsh smile. “Well, if you’re going to whine about the cold,” she says “I had better do something about it.” “I wasn’t whining.” he tells her. “But what do you intend to do about it? If I cannot break through this accursed ice; you most certainly cannot.” He snickers, “Or do you hope to find something to burn; your clothes perhaps?” She raises her fan to her breast, and flicks it open. The chamber is suddenly flooded with warmth. Sesshomaru looks at her, inquiringly. She asks, “What kind of wind sorceress cannot change the temperature of air, at will?” He admits, “A useful talent given our situation.” She says, sarcastically, “It is an honor to be of service, lord Sesshomaru.” He growls, “You mock me!” She snaps, “You belittle me!” He asks, “What does the one have to do with the other?” Kagura says, “You ask me to bear your young, but I am not worth the respect you shower upon mortals.” He asks, “By what right do you demand respect from me? You are nothing; a mere incarnation of a half-demon. I am a mighty demon, of noble linage.” She says, “You are also the spawn of a mutt who lost his fangs to a mortal. Should I not fear this same thing shall happen to you? One day, you may defile my offspring by loving a human. Perhaps that child you take with you. When she grows into a ravishing beauty; will your father’s heart emerge and draw you to her bed? You might create a nephew worthy of his uncle.” Sesshomaru snaps, “My brother in whose company you travel?” She says, “If you object to the company I keep, then judge me unfit. Drop your suit and leave me.” He says, “As I said, my father’s will does not permit me that option.” She asks, “Then that is your excuse? You must obey the will of a dead dog?” He turns from her; flexing his claws. “Do not underestimate my father’s power.” he warns. “Even in death, he is mightier then you could ever hope to be.” She says, “He certainly was far greater then you are now.” There is a long tense silence. Finally he asks, “Do you not want this? When I look at you, I feel such fire. Do you not feel the same?” She says, “I feel a powerful attraction to you; you are most desirable. But I will not be ruled by my lust; will you?” He asks, “And what if I would be? There is no exit to this chamber; nowhere for the wind to run. I am stronger then you are. What is to stop me from taking what I desire?” Kagura smirks. She says, “Your pride. The great Sesshomaru could no more take a mate by force then he could; how did you put it? Plead with me like some love drunk mortal. Your ego requires that I come to you by choice.” He sighs. “What would that require?” he asks. She pauses in thought. She says, “Perhaps when you learn to wear the Tenseiga as something other then a shackle; when it does not have to tell you what to want; then I may change my mind. Master your sword by mastering yourself; then we shall see.” He nods, accepting the challenge.
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