They reached Kaede’s house in no time at all, but what did you expect when riding on the backs of demons?
“What brings ye here?” Kaede asked them, noticing the sullen looks on their faces. “What has happened?” she asked nervously as Sesshomaru landed in front of her holding Suko (bridal style) in his arms.
“Hi, Kaede,” Suko beamed as Sesshomaru set her down.
“Kaede, we must have a word with you,” Miroku told her, the sound of despair in his voice. Sango, can you and Shippo take Suko down to the spring for a bath?”
“Sure,” she replied.
A bath sounded like heaven to Suko. It had been days since she had had a bath and she really needed to wash her hair. She practically skipped down the pathway in excitement. “It’s funny how something as stupid as a bath can make me so happy,” she said to herself.
Kagome waited until the trio were out of ear-shot before she started telling Kaede all about Kagura and Sesshomaru and Naraku disguising himself as Sesshomaru to get to Suko…
“And that’s when he must have injected her with his poison,” she said conclusively.
“And then her wounds healed right before our eyes!” said Miroku, excitedly.
Kaede thought for a moment, processing all of this new information. “And Suko doesn’t remember it?” she asked.
“No… she doesn’t seem to,” Miroku answered.
“It seems to me that we should not tell her about it, at least, not yet. There’s no use giving the poor child any more worry than she already has. I think it’s best if we just keep a watchful eye on her for now. Does that sound all right with you, Lord Sesshomaru? she asked.
He said nothing, but nodded in agreement.
“Then, it’s settled. Ye are all most welcome to stay here until this mess is sorted out,” she offered.
They all thanked her, gratefully.
It was sunset by the time Sango and Shippo arrived back at the hut with Suko. Suko had pulled her hair up into a loose bun at the back of her head. Sesshomaru looked at her with lust in his eyes. She looked so graceful and healthy now. Damn Naraku for trying to take her from him!
Suko walked over to Sesshomaru and wrapped her arms around him in a loving embrace, nuzzling her face into his warm, muscular chest. He just stood there for a moment (dumbfounded by her new attempt at dominance) before he wrapped his arms around her laying his head on top of hers.
This act of kindness that the Youkai Lord was showing their friend caused the girls to giggle and blush. They were happy for Suko. Even if they didn’t see eye to eye with Sesshomaru, they had to admit that he does, genuinely, care for her.
“What’s so funny?” Inuyasha asked, coming up behind them.
Kagome put a finger to her lips, signaling for him to be quiet, then pointed to Sesshomaru and Suko.
“Oh, gross!” he said in reply. “What is it with girls and this mushy stuff, anyway?” he asked, then wandered off to find Miroku. This only made them laugh even harder.
The overcast sky told them rain was on its way as they all huddled into Kaede’s house for bed. Kaede led Sesshomaru and Suko down the hall to a room and said, “I hope the two of ye will be comfortable in here.”
Her words made Suko’s face redden. “Oh, great. Now Kaede knows, too?” she thought to herself.
“Arigato,” Sesshomaru told the old woman as he bowed, showing her his appreciation. Kaede smiled, kindly, at him, then tuned and left them alone.
Suko could hear the soft pat-pat of the first raindrops that fell, giving away to a rhythmic drumming as they began to fall even harder.Sesshomaru took her by the hand and led her deeper into their room, stopping at the bed on the floor that Kaede had made up for them. Turning to face her, he untied the obi that was fastened at her waist, letting it fall to the floor. He smiled with excitement as her kimono fell open exposing her newly unscarred abdomen. He slipped the robe off of her shoulders, causing it, too, to fall to the floor. He lifted her up into his strong arms and laid her down on their bed. She watched him with hungry eyes as he stripped off his own clothing.
She felt her breath quicken as he lowered his body onto hers. Suko grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him excitedly, getting carried away with her anticipation. He couldn’t help but laugh to himself as this sweet angel of a girl tried her hardest (rather clumsily) to dominate him. He stroked her neck with his fingers and kissed her along her jawline, awakening a moan from deep within her throat. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap, nibbling at her neck as she clung to him, stroking the muscular flesh of his back.
Suko lightly kissed his throat (which, surprised even her) and traced the outline of his Adam’s apple with her tongue, nipping at his throat with her teeth. This caused him to let out a moan as he pulled her onto his hardened arousal. Suko let out a groan of pleasure at the introduction. She wrapped her legs firmly around his waist as they began their rocking, his hands roaming freely over her moist skin. She pulled him even closer to her (if that was even possible) as she moaned, blissfully, into his ear biting at the pointed appendage.
He stopped his movements long enough to lay her back down as she traced the outlines of his chest and stomach with her fingertips. He stared at her, enchanted by her beauty, as a savage strength awakened inside of him knowing that this precious girl was now, fully, at the mercy of the great Youkai Lord.
He lowered his body again as he, powerfully, slammed against her causing her to rip at the flesh of his back with her nails. Placing his hands on her hips, he grabbed the firm flesh as he lifted her up off the floor with him, and causing her to cry out in ecstasy as he drove her back into their bedding. He was filled with an overwhelming sense of power over her as he did this over and over until he heard her final passionate moan. Nearing his own climax, he thrust into her one last time as a moan of ecstasy escaped his lips.
He rolled over next to her, completely exhausted, laying his head on her chest. Suko stroked his hair and traced the crescent on his forehead with her finger as he lay there in her arms.
“My love,” she whispered.
“Hmmm?”
“Please don’t ever leave me,” she said as she drifted off to sleep.
Sometime in the night, everyone in the house was awakened by a bone-chilling scream. It took them all a moment to confirm what they had heard, when they were greeted by another scream.
“That’s Suko!” cried Inuyasha as he dashed into her room leaving Kagome, Shippo, Kaede, Miroku, and Sango to follow him.
Suko lay writhing in pain on the floor, tearing wildly at the shoulder where she had been bitten by Naraku. Sesshomaru was uneasy as he tried to calm his screaming lover. Inuyasha rushed to his brother’s side and held Suko’s legs down trying to still her, as the others looked on.
“Shippo, go get some water and a cloth,” instructed Kaede, trying to get the frightened kitsune away from the situation.
“You guys, look!” Kagome said as she pointed to Suko’s shoulder.
Inuyasha and Sesshomaru followed her gaze to the spot she was pointing to. They all gasped in horror as the kumo no kizuato (spider-shaped scar) emerged from the spot on her shoulder where Naraku had bitten her. It was the same scar that Naraku, himself, had on his back.
By the time, the scar had completely raised, Suko’s cries had stopped completely, leaving her in a peaceful sleep. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha loosened their grip on her as Shippo returned with the wet cloth he had been sent to retrieve. Sesshomaru took it from him, muttering a quiet, “Arigato,” as he placed it on Suko’s forehead. Sesshomaru left the (now quiet) room with the others leaving his young lover to sleep. They gathered outside under the moonlit sky, thankful that the rain had stopped.
“So, what do you think it means?” Miroku asked Kaede.
“I think it means we’re going to have to watch her more closely now, let alone ourselves,” the old woman replied.
“What? What kind of answer is that?” growled Inuyasha.
“What I mean is that, now that the kumo no kizuato has emerged, she’s probably able to be controlled by that vile creature, Naraku. Didn’t ye say that she has a connection with him now that he has injected her with his venom?” Kaede asked.
Just then, Suko appeared in the entryway to the hut. They were surprised to see her standing there when she had been sleeping so soundly only moments before.“Um, hi, Suko. Did we wake you?” Miroku asked, nervously.
Suko gave no reply. She just stood there staring at nothing in particular.
“Suko, are ye all right?” asked Kaede.
Suko still gave no response as she walked over to Sesshomaru. She still had the blank stare on her face as she reached up and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him down into a deep kiss that caused Kagome to cover Shippo’s eyes.
“Lord Sesshomaru,” Suko said, her voice a mere whisper. She ran her fingers through his bangs, smiling seductively at him, then, traced the crescent on his forehead with her fingers. “What’s the matter, love?” she asked him as she stared into his golden eyes.
Sesshomaru stared at her in horror, as her eyes were no longer blue, but a deep, soul-less, black. “Suko…” he paused, not knowing what he wanted to say.
Suko paid no attention to her friends, who were watching her every move, as she caressed Sesshomaru’s chest through his kimono.
“She must be in some kind of a trance,” Miroku whispered to Sango.
A wicked smile crossed Suko’s lips as a voice rang through her head…
“Kill him,” it commanded.
Suko smiled as Sesshomaru’s eyes widened as he let out a heavy breath.
Kagome screamed as Suko pulled her blood-soaked hand out of Sesshomaru’s stomach, leaving a gaping, bleeding hole where it had entered. Sesshomaru backed away from her as he stared at her in disbelief, his blood dotting the ground at his feet.
Suko held a hand up with two fingers poised (as Sesshomaru, himself, had done many times before) ready to attack with the poison whip. She lashed at him with it, but he quickly dodged it, still clutching his bleeding abdomen. Suko flew at him with her claws outstretched, the deadly acid dripping from her nails, but Sesshomaru caught her hand in mid-strike and pushed her away, causing her to fall hard to the ground.
“Kill him!” the voice echoed in her head.
“Hey, Suko!” called Inuyasha, causing her to turn in his direction.
“Inuyasha…” she muttered under her breath as she managed a twisted smile.
“Why don’t you fight me instead of that half dead bastard?” shouted Inuyasha.
“Glad to see you care so much for me, little brother,” Sesshomaru added, sarcastically, as Miroku and Kaede rushed over to tend (with much protest from him) to his wound. “Don’t hurt her, Inuyasha,” Sesshomaru warned.
“Shut up!” Inuyasha yelled at him.
Suko’s knuckles cracked as she flexed her claws at Inuyasha.
“Time to die, Inuyasha…” she said, excitedly.
“I don’t think so!” he protested, aiming his Tetsusaiga at her.
“INUYASHA!” Sesshomaru growled, trying to free himself from Miroku and Kaede who were cleaning his wound.
“Inuyasha, stop it!” yelled Kagome. “She doesn’t know what she’s doing! She’s under some kind of spell!”
“Shut up!” he snapped. “I’m not just going to let her kill everybody! I have two missions in life… finding the Jewel Shards, and destroying Naraku and all of his components. And now, I’m sorry to say, Suko is one of his components!”
“Inuyasha, don’t you dare!” shrieked Kagome.
At that moment, Suko slowly began walking towards Inuyasha, disrobing in the process, which got a lot of gasps and “What’s she doing?” comments from the rest of the on-lookers. Suko stopped right in front of Inuyasha as she pressed her body against the tip of Tetsusaiga. They all watched as a small, trickle of blood ran down her stomach from the place between her breasts where the point of Tetsussaiga had broken the flesh.
“Inuyasha,” she addressed him, enticingly, as she stroked the blade of the sword with her fingers, “Why don’t you put away your sword, and let me make a man out of you?” she asked him, smiling.
“Not on your life!” he answered, disgusted, as he pulled Tetsusaiga away from her.
“Oh, well. Your loss,” she told him with a laugh.
“Miroku… stay with Lord Sesshomaru,” Kaede instructed. “I have a plan,” she added as she quietly slipped away and walked over to Kagome, who was staring in shock at the on-going events.
“Kagome, I have a bow and some arrows in my hut. Do you think you can hit the kumo no kizuato (spider-shaped scar) on her arm?” Kaede asked the shaken girl.
“I don’t know. I think so. I can try,” said Kagome, filled with doubt.
“You can do it, Kagome. It may be our only hope right now of releasing Suko from Naraku’s control,” the old woman answered. And she turned and ran into her house almost knocking the bamboo blind out of the doorway.
After a moment, Kaede returned to Kagome’s side, the bow and arrows in her hand. Kagome was sobbing, crying out, “Inuyasha!” as the half demon was knocked backwards by the poison whip of the possessed Suko.