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Sedition	By : BlackberryPatch Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 5561 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and no money is being made from this fan work.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
2 - Blame

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It took a moment for Sesshomaru to recognize the figure that had entered through the door. While the face was one he had not expected to see here, the fact that there was no scent to go with the visual information was what threw him. Sesshomaru lowered the sword, fractionally. "Ros."
His cousin blinked at him for a moment, the slowness of her reaction seeming mostly attributable to exhaustion as she dropped to her knees. "Lord Sesshomaru." She bowed her head. "I am pleased that you have returned."
He lowered Tetsusaiga further. "Get up." He frowned at her. "Explain your presence."
"My lord," she began slowly, either ignoring his initial command or too tired to acquiesce. "Word came to me that there had been… disquiet here. I brought a troop of warriors and came myself to see if we could lend aid."
The sword was lowered completely but his voice had gained an inch of ice instead. "What aid was required?"
She stiffened under the cold in his voice, but Inuyasha sidled up to stand next to Ros, dropping into a crouch to be on eye level with her. "Don't mind him, he's just mad at himself. What's going on?"
She eyed him but returned her wary, tired gaze to Sesshomaru. "To be succinct, sedition. The demon Idachi has declared himself Lord of the Western Lands in your apparent absence. He has a small following as of yet, but the humans are wholly consumed with warring upon each other and while this has prevented Idachi from gaining the following he would like it has also hindered those who would oppose him."
His jaw clenched tightly, Sesshomaru hissed softly, "How did he get even such power as he has?"
"Put no blame on the Lady Ros," a familiar voice spoke up. Jaken pushed the door open further and entered, skirting around Inuyasha to kneel beside his lady. "Lord Sesshomaru, it is my failure. I have failed to keep the trust you placed in me. I was unable to prevent them, I..."
Ros hissed, her eyes flashing with sudden energy as she met Sesshomaru's cold gaze. "You have not," she interrupted hotly. "He started like a thief in the night, whispering like a rat; we knew nothing was amiss until it had been months. We have been hunting he and his followers like the vermin they are since there was word. A damned difficult job it's been, and where was your lordship while this went on?"
Her voice was acidic with lack of restraint brought on by her exhaustion, and Jaken cried out involuntarily, "My lord, she doesn't mean..."
His own temper was frayed by what he had returned home to, but Inuyasha had risen with Jaken's entrance and his brother now stood beside him and placed a hand on his arm, and Sesshomaru closed his eyes and choked back his anger. "No Jaken. She is right." He was silent for a moment, before he came forward and reached out a hand to Ros, pulling her to her feet when she took it. "My thanks for your aid."
She nodded stiffly, her manner still wary but her expression smoothing at his admission. "I am pleased to report that just this past night we managed to cause these churls a significant loss." She bared her teeth in predatory pleasure.
It was with no little pride that Jaken amended her statement, "My lady is incorrect in her pronoun usage. She alone fought and brought down the foul demon."
Ros made a vague gesture of dismissal. "What is important is that we took one of this Idachi's lieutenants. He has two more, I believe; take these, and the serpent's head, and you can crush this rebellion fully."
Sesshomaru nodded. "My thanks again, and for the information. Lady, please take your rest. Jaken will inform me of what further is necessary." She sketched him a small bow and turned toward the inside of the fortress, toward what must have been her bedchamber, before he called to her again. "And stop whatever it is you're doing." She turned back to him, confusion on her face. "I wondered why I could catch no trace of your scent, but I recall that that is one of your tricks."
Her confusion lasted for a moment longer before she realized what he was referring to. "My lord," she said with another bow, and an instant later a hundred new scents washed over him.
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"It was my lady's idea to blanket, as she calls it, the entire troop," Jaken was saying as he gestured to the demons of Ros' house guard which waited outside the fortress. "It was the only way we managed to sneak up on the creatures last night; they have an almost uncanny ability to sense where we would be searching for them." His gaze was rather pointed. "Which has made stopping them most difficult."
Inuyasha snorted. "Jeez, yeah, we get it, she's doing an awesome job, she's a fucking saint, no criticism here. If she has to put up with you all day, no wonder she's tired out. Now," he gestured to the large group of demons gathered in the area before the fortress, "what the hell is this all about?"
As Jaken transferred his glare to Inuyasha, Sesshomaru wanted to reach over and kiss his brother. He was tired himself, and on edge, and not in the mood to tread however finely was necessary over Jaken's divided loyalties. Jaken's dislike of Inuyasha was unifying in this case and the imp, with a haughty sniff, related the necessary information. "They await my Lady's orders. When we arrived back we realized that you had returned and my Lady ordered her troop to remain outside while she confronted you." He cleared his throat self importantly and eyed Sesshomaru significantly before continuing, "I myself remained with Rin before I entered to help my Lady argue her case."
Sesshomaru glanced up sharply to find Rin coming toward him; she still sat astride Aa-Un and was eyeing the gathered demons suspiciously. "Rin," he called her to him; she came immediately and he rested his hand on the back of her neck as he eyed the demons himself. Rin was his, and not to be trifled with. Ros' troops appeared well disciplined, but he was still going to have to do something about Rin. She was a tempting target, in more ways than one. "Jaken, where are Ros' guard quartered?"
Jaken hesitated before answering. "My lord, when we arrived we evicted a group of the dissenters from the fortress. Unfortunately, most were able to escape, as we were unprepared for their knowledge of the terrain, though we were able to cause them casualties. Since that time we have taken up residence in the guest hall; the troop rotates between guard posts."
His expression revealed that he thought Sesshomaru would take issue with this, but Sesshomaru only nodded. "That sounds like a desirable use of resources." He made a small dismissive gesture. "You may continue to order them in your lady's absence."
Jaken blinked rapidly before bowing. "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru." His voice was warm, completely thawed from his earlier defensiveness and Sesshomaru turned to Rin to hide his smile.
He regarded the girl with a frown. "Rin," he called her attention back to him as her gaze followed Jaken. "You are to stay away from these demons. Do not go anywhere unless you are with Aa-Un, Inuyasha, or myself."
She regarded him with eyes that reminded him that there was a rebellious and worldly mind thriving behind them, but answered with a child's quick readiness, "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru." He eyed her for a long moment; he was remembering her actions of the past- a particular incident in China during their return journey sprang to mind.
Behind him, Inuyasha chuckled, perhaps remembering the same incident. "Here," he said, stepping forward and shrugging out of his haori. "Maybe this'll help." He wrapped the fire-rat garment around Rin's shoulders. She regarded him with wide eyes; she'd worn the indestructible haori before, though usually only in odd circumstances and Inuyasha's gesture now had a certain finality to it. "Keep it," he affirmed, and she dug excited fingers into the soft material, pulling it closer around her. "It'll keep you safe," he added, tousling her hair while she glared at him for the last.
Sesshomaru regarded his brother with surprise. The haori was one of the few remnants of Inuyasha's past and memories of his mother and he knew that Inuyasha treasured it. He touched his brother's shoulder, his hand moving to cup Inuyasha's face when the half demon looked at him. Neither of them spoke a word, but Inuyasha's grin faded into a soft smile as he brought his hand up to cover Sesshomaru's. The moment passed, but remained a soft warmth between them.
Jaken beckoned them forward and they found themselves standing over the gutted body of the slain demon; Sesshomaru remembered Ros' twin knives and was impressed if this was the result of their use.
"Efficient," Inuyasha murmured. "Remind me not to piss your cousin off." Jaken glared at him but his animosity didn't last, replaced with pride in his lady.
Sesshomaru merely nodded in comment. The dead demon was unfamiliar to him; while not proof of the dissension's source, it did argue for the fact that this Idachi and his lieutenants were from outside his lands. He frowned. Ros' appearance had allowed him to push back his thoughts, but they pushed back into his mind now.
"I have been warned that Eikoseisui is behind this," he told the two who stood beside him. Jaken gasped and Inuyasha glared as if affronted that anyone should expect him to have recognized the name.
"He was trouble," Jaken murmured, mostly to himself. "I doubt that the centuries have mellowed him." Sesshomaru scoffed quietly at this echo of his own thoughts. "Though, we have heard that the leader's name is Idachi," Jaken continued, sounding uneasy. "I cannot imagine Eikoseisui allowing another to take what credit he would gladly own himself."
Inuyasha sighed. "Who're we talking about?"
Sesshomaru glanced northward thoughtfully. "Raidennotaisho is a powerful demon who calls himself Lord of the Northern Lands. He and Father had a longstanding mutual dislike. Eikoseisui is his son. He was a great troublemaker in his youth, though I've not seen him in over a century- probably closer to two."
"Two centuries?" It was Inuyasha's turn to murmur to himself now; sometimes he forgot just how old his brother was. Though, it was interesting now to place that information in the light of what he had learned from Afzal. He thought of himself remembering someone he'd met over two hundred years ago; two hundred years ago he'd been barely born, hardly old enough to remember anything... but in another two hundred years, who knew? He pushed it to the back of his mind; they needed to deal with this first. "What does it mean, if he is behind it?"
"That Raidennotaisho is not as powerful as he used to be." Sesshomaru frowned. "And that Eikoseisui is either far more powerful than he used to be, or far more reckless." He turned his gaze to Inuyasha suddenly, reminded of what else he'd seen on his scout. "I found a girl, murdered. She was Sango's; not blood, but vassal bound."
Inuyasha felt a chill. "We found the demonslayer village destroyed. No one was there, but the dead had been buried and all supplies were taken. I think they would fall back to Kaede's village near the Boneeater's Well, if they had time to organize it. I was going to look for them there next; it was too far east to cover in the first sweep, but they might be able to tell us more about what's going on." Plus, Inuyasha thought, he'd like to know if any of his friends were even alive.
Sesshomaru met his eyes and nodded. He reached into his kimono and pulled out a small twist of black hair and pale fur. Inuyasha reached to take it without realizing what it was, but his hand closed around it almost spasmodically when Sesshomaru said, "This is for them to say what prayers they will; I have ensured that her spirit will not linger." He looked at his brother, eyes wide in astonishment, and Sesshomaru looked back at him, surprised by his shock.
"Why would you do that?" Inuyasha asked him, dropping his eyes. "She was just a girl."
Sesshomaru blinked, surprised by the question. "She was Sango's," he said, as if that explained everything.
Perhaps it did. Inuyasha reached over to kiss his brother, not caring that some of Ros' troop still lingered outside the fortress, or that Jaken was probably still there watching them. Sesshomaru smirked as Inuyasha pulled away, and quirked an eyebrow. Inuyasha just shook his head. "Without Rin I can move faster; I'll make a pass by the Boneeater's Well and see if they're there."
Sesshomaru nodded, a small smirk still pulling at his lips as Inuyasha pulled away and was gone, running through the forest.
He watched his brother go for a long moment before he turned to find Jaken also watching Inuyasha's departing form with a mixture of emotion. "Jaken," he called, receiving the imp's immediate attention. "How did you find the fortress when you first came? Were there none here?"
Jaken divined the specifics of his question. "The staff appeared to have fled. I have looked but found only three members since; more should return now that you have returned, my lord, or should I find you new staff?"
Sesshomaru sighed thoughtfully. "I will need a seamstress for Rin," he mused, "and quite possibly a trustworthy guard for her as well."
Jaken nodded firmly. "I will find them my lord."
Sesshomaru smirked again as the imp moved away and Sesshomaru himself moved to enter the welcoming darkness of the fortress. He would have liked a few moments alone with Inuyasha before his brother left; the day was far from over but he wanted nothing more than to take his brother to their room and wrap himself around the half demon in the darkness.
While that was rather impossible at the moment, there was something else he wanted to take care of now that he was thinking about it. He slipped through the halls of the fortress; the interlopers had not penetrated far and Ros' guard had managed to clean up after them quite well. The halls he moved down now were undisturbed, and as he stepped into his father's library he kindled a lamp to shed greater light on the shelves therein.
Bound volumes, loose sheets, and rolled scrolls were scattered over those shelves seemingly without thought and he regarded the shelves for a long moment before he stepped toward them. Though by no means the only one, this was one place where he felt his father's presence most strongly and coming here brought out all the strong and strongly ambivalent feelings he associated with the other demon. He tried to clear his mind and focus it; if Father had left information for Inuyasha, where would he had put it? If it was in the fortress it would be in this room, though perhaps any assumptions on the matter were futile. The last thing Father had hidden had ended up being in the last place Sesshomaru would have thought to look.
It had taken Sesshomaru years to figure out that last treasure hunt his father had left; Sesshomaru wasn't sure why he felt that he would figure out this one any more quickly. He moved up to one of the shelves and laid a finger on the bound spine of one volume. Slowly, he pulled it from the shelf and let it fall open. It was a text on regional grain production covering a span of years three and a half centuries previous. Frowning in distaste, Sesshomaru replaced it and moved down the row absentmindedly.
He was on the second row back of shelves when a stray scent caught his attention and he reached for a scroll. He unrolled it carefully; it was so old the ink was faded and the skin it was written on was as fragile and thin as insect wings, but the words he read caught his attention immediately.
...As I traveled in that alien land, I met the people of the desert. They spoke of a being of great power, which they called "the storm bringer." I asked them for more information but was hard pressed to get a clear answer. It was months before I finally met a man who knew more. He told me of the elementals, demons of strange power...
Sesshomaru frowned. His father had not written this; as if to make that obvious, written to the side of this passage in his father's bold hand were the words "Araby, Aden?" and beneath that the scrawled period note "Kamakura."
Sesshomaru's frown deepened. While Kamakura referred to a rather broad time frame it would include the time of Inuyasha's birth. The reference to elemental desert demons implied a connection to, or knowledge of, Afzal. Had his father heard about the powerful half demon of the desert, and wondered what the existence of such a being would herald for his own child? Shivers ran over Sesshomaru's skin; at times his father seemed almost prescient. He did not think it would surprise him to find in the library an account of his and Inuyasha's own trip westward, and the advice he sought appended to the volume.
He took the scroll to the desk near the front of the room and, with a sigh, set to reading.
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Sedition