Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

A Heat to Overcome	By : Sparrowhawk Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 31291 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 8
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the associated characters, nor do I make any profit from this fanfic. All other characters not associated with the original manga or anime, however, are mine.

Chapter List
- 20
- 21
- 22
Kay, this chapter's an exceptionally long one, so I hope you'll forgive me for the delay (: Now, reviews!
Vyperbites: It was a nice surprise for Suzu, huh, having those scars suddenly gone? Yes, they both do deserve happiness. Thanks for leaving a review, always grateful for them! (:
RoseWolf: So glad you enjoyed the chapter! Oooh, I know, I'm excited to write about Inuyasha's heat. I've already got some ideas brewing for it, too (; Although, suggestions are always welcome! I'm glad you like the progression of the storyline. Hope you enjoy this next chapter, too!
Anon: Thanks so much! I honestly have no idea how to send chapter updates. Sorry ): Please enjoy the update!
Moonlight Vampiress: HAHAHAHAHA!!! Sesshomaru certainly deserved that! I was quite peeved with him myself. Oh! I love that part at the end, too. The almost proposal. So cute!! *evil laughter* That's cuz I do like to torture you. It's fun! Lol. No, I can completely understand that, though. Suzu's a flirt all around and loves to throw those little parts in. Just can't curb that habit of his. Not that I want to, then he just wouldn't be Suzu, would he? I promise there will likely be many more parts like that (: And I agree, Suzu's past is most definitely heartbreaking, though I think it's more heartbreaking that he hasn't been able to move past it yet. Well, this chapter doesn't involve Suzu quite as much, but there is kitty yumminess in it. Hope you like it! (: (:
Warnings for anyone who's interested, in no particular order: profanity (do I really need to keep adding this?), male x male interaction and, eventually, hard sex (but ya'll should know that's going to be in here in various parts), annoying nobles with horribly rude manners, acts of dominance and submission between our two favorite kitties (also known as D/s), forced (not so forced?) orgasm denial, general fluffy cuteness, much angst, and still insecure, but slowly working toward healing Inuyasha ... yep, think that's it. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-One
Cravings and Confrontation
Bishamon shifted in bed, rolling over onto his back and tossing off his blanket, exposing his sweat-soaked body to the cool, morning air. His heat was becoming nigh unbearable. Thankfully, he was on the last stretch. Only a day or so more and it would be done. He was glad it wasn’t his first heat. That had been ten times worse. Though, Fuyuki’s presence wasn’t helping things much. It calmed his heat-driven instincts to have the neko child close, but the snow leopard youkai—young though he was—was a walking temptation. The boy probably didn’t even know what he was doing, the feelings he was provoking in Bishamon, or why. The way the boy walked, hips swaying, tail swinging lazily and sensuously from side to side, putting off pheromones to attract nearby male cat demons, and last night! It was enough to drive him insane. Ever since the boy had come into his care, Bishamon had been walking around half hard, or so it seemed.
The tiger youkai sighed tiredly and rubbed his hand over his face. He had allowed kisses, but nothing more. Short, non-sexual kisses, at that. The boy was too young for anything more. His heat wouldn’t be for several decades yet, and Bishamon was determined to wait. It was obvious to him that the child had been abused badly—physically, mentally, and unfortunately, sexually. The loss of one’s innocence could be detected in their scent and Bishamon was painfully aware that Fuyuki had been stripped of his virginity, most likely at a very young age. It wouldn’t be right for him to demand of the boy that he fulfill the desires his instincts pushed him to seek out. Whatever Suzu said, the boy was still just that—a boy. He would not take advantage of him.
He felt the futon shift, but didn’t do anything to dissuade Fuyuki as he climbed in with him as he had every morning since they started living together. Warm lips tentatively brushed his chin and jaw and then moved up to his mouth. The action was normal enough. It was only when Fuyuki’s small hands seized his face that he realized this was different—alarmingly different. He didn’t have time to do anything before the young demon’s tongue was in his mouth, surprisingly strong legs straddling Bishamon’s hips and keeping him in place. The gasp that escaped him at the contact was instantly devoured. His eyes flew open and he raised his hands to try to push Fuyuki away.
“Bishamon …” Fuyuki whispered, voice husky with desire, blue eyes dark and intense as he drew back for breath, his pupils round and dilated.
“Fuyu—” He didn’t get any further before the neko child’s mouth was on his again. His body betrayed him, every inch of it coming alive under the young demon’s ardent ministrations. “Fu … yuki …” he hissed between kisses. “S-Stop … this … this is wrong.”
“Please … Bishamon,” Fuyuki panted, grinding his hips down against the larger tiger youkai’s prominent arousal. “Please … I want you. I need you. Please … please … take me … fill me up … I need you inside me.”
Bishamon groaned as his heat flared to an ever-higher degree, making his body burn. He wanted so badly to claim the boy. His hands shot down and seized the neko’s wrists as they began to work at his sleeping yukata. “No … No, Fuyuki. We can’t. I can’t. Hnngh …” Back arching in response to those small hands and delicate fingers cupping his groin, rubbing him through the cloth, Bishamon struggled to hold onto his self control, struggled to muster the strength necessary to push the younger cat demon away. “W-Why … are you doing … Nnnh … this? C-Catnip …?” He could barely think as he tried to ask if Fuyuki still had the catnip in his system or if someone had somehow slipped him more without Bishamon noticing as the boy trailed a line of nips, licks, and kisses down his neck and chest.
“Suki dayo … Bishamon,” Fuyuki murmured, his alto purr vibrating in his throat as his slim fingers again worked at the tiger youkai’s sleeping yukata, this time succeeding in opening it before the older youkai could rally the strength to stop him. He ducked his head down, inhaling and drawing in the scent of the dominant male’s excited sex. Flicking his tongue out, he gathered up the pre-cum beading at the head of Bishamon’s erection, savoring the musky, slightly bitter flavor. “Mmm … tastes good.”
“Fuyuki,” Bishamon growled, youki leaking around him as the submissive demon unknowingly coaxed his dominant demon blood to the surface. His clawed hand released the neko’s wrist in favor of seizing his hair in a tight fist.
The younger cat demon whimpered at the tug on his hair, but continued to lick his dominant’s cock. He glanced up at the tiger youkai’s face, noting the red in the whites of Bishamon’s eyes as well as the lust that made Fuyuki’s gut tighten low down in a familiar feeling of yearning for the addictive pain and pleasure the other male could give him. How desperately he wanted that. How desperately he wanted to feel Bishamon’s fingers and claws, tongue, lips, and teeth on his skin. How he craved the feeling of another male’s cock inside him.
Licking his lips, Fuyuki bent down and enveloped the head of Bishamon’s hot length in his mouth and began to determinedly suck, using the hand he had free to stroke the rest of it and fondle the heavy sacks hanging between his legs. The flesh swelled in his mouth as he used his tongue the way he had been taught, tracing the throbbing veins along the underside, rubbing hard over the tender head, swirling around it, dipping the tip into the slit, purring to a gasp of delight at the vibrations. The gasp turned into a low, growling moan and Fuyuki knew the other male was close. So he sucked harder, hollowing out his cheeks to provide as much tightness and suction as possible. With a deep grunt, Bishamon came and Fuyuki swallowed everything down, reveling in the taste.
Then, suddenly, the fist in his hair squeezed even tighter until he felt as if it would tear his hair from his scalp. A blur of motion followed and he landed across the room against the wall, the back of his head striking the stone with a sharp crack. His vision swam even as he was lifted to his feet by a hand around his throat and slammed into the same wall. Furious yellow eyes were the first thing he saw when his vision cleared.
“Why did you do that, Fuyuki? I told you no,” Bishamon hissed, fighting to keep his voice devoid of the rage he felt.
Fuyuki struggled to speak, to even draw breath under the other youkai’s brutal grip on his throat. He gasped when he was finally released. Weakly, he slid to the floor. He coughed, tears coming to his eyes for the burn in his lungs and the outright rejection in the dominant male’s scent. “I don’t understand … why won’t you let me please you?”
“You’re not a slave anymore, Fuyuki. You don’t have to do those things. You’re too young for it!”
Fuyuki blinked, confused and upset. “Too young? But I … I’ve done it before. I want to do it. I want you so badly … so, so badly. I need you, Bishamon. Can’t you see that? Why won’t you touch me like that, Bishamon? D-Don’t you … don’t you want it? Don’t you want … me?”
Bishamon sighed, the anger draining out of him as he gazed at the miserable boy at his feet. “Fuyuki … Yuki … I can’t do this. You’re too young. It’d be wrong. You haven’t even had your first heat yet. I’m not going to have sex with you.”
The small neko child froze at those words and slowly raised his eyes. “Y-You won’t … y-you can’t …? Why? Y-You don’t want me?”
“Yu—”
“Don’t!” Fuyuki shouted, leaping to his feet, hurt, betrayal and anger in his teary blue eyes. “You don’t want me. You say you’re my friend and … and you give me a place to stay and clothes to wear and food to eat and … and you … you say you care about me … and sometimes I believe it … but … but you don’t want me.” He hissed and recoiled, the fur on his tail standing on end, crimson flashing in his eyes when Bishamon opened his mouth to speak. “You don’t want me! I love you so much … but you won’t … you won’t give me what I need … what I want most! Why?! Aren’t I pretty enough?! Aren’t I obedient enough?! Aren’t I …” his voice faded to a near whisper filled with heartache. “Aren’t I good enough?” Furiously, he wiped at his eyes, dispelling the tears as his tail bristled and lashed in agitation. “If you won’t sleep with me … I’ll find someone who will.”
Bishamon’s eyes went wide at the boy’s final declaration. “Fuyuki …” He reached out, unsure what he was going to do or say to stop the boy, only knowing that he needed to. Before he could lay even a finger on him, however, the other demon whirled and struck him, leaving long, bleeding claw marks down his arm. His demon blood reared its head at the rebellion of the one he viewed as his submissive mate-to-be, but he forced it back down.
“Don’t you fucking touch me. I don’t want your hands on me now. I hate you!” Dashing tears from his eyes again, Fuyuki sprinted for the door, wrenching it open before racing away.
Bishamon stood there, clutching his arm, wondering what had gone so terribly wrong. Didn’t the boy understand why they couldn’t touch each other that way? Didn’t he understand why it was so wrong after what had been done to him by the slavers and who knew who else?
“Kitten?” Suzu’s soft voice called from the open doorway, now suddenly occupied.
Flushing at his almost nude state, Bishamon pulled his sleeping yukata on all the way and quickly retied it. “Suzu …”
“What happened?”
Going an even deeper red, the tiger demon looked away. “Nothing.”
“That didn’t look like nothing,” another voice said from behind the peacock demon.
“Lord Inuyasha?” Bishamon inquired as Suzu moved aside to reveal his Lord’s younger brother and …. Holy shit, he thought in panic as Lord Sesshomaru, himself, stepped into view behind the young inu hanyou. “Sire …”
“Care to explain why your charge ran away in such rage, Bishamon?”
“I-I … He …”
“My Lord,” Suzu said politely, drawing his Master’s cool gaze from the trembling tiger general. “Might I speak with him? I feel it might be best if you and Lord Inuyasha were to go after Fuyuki, make sure he’s okay, and try to calm him down. Whatever may have happened seems to have upset him severely. I do not think it would be wise to leave him alone in such a state.”
Sesshomaru frowned, but Inuyasha simply nodded, grabbed his aniki’s hand, and began to haul him away, throwing a warning at the tiger demon over his shoulder, “You better not have hurt him.”
Suzu smiled reassuringly, replying, “I am certain he did not, Lord Inuyasha.” Once the Lords were out of sight, he swept over to the door and shut it with an air of finality that made Bishamon shiver. Or perhaps that was because the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped. Flashing brown eyes turned on him, making his heart leap into his throat while his stomach dropped into his toes and his fur and hackles rose defensively as the petite demon advanced on him. “What. Did. You. Do?”
The ability to speak seemed to have left him. All Bishamon could do was stare, his mouth working soundlessly.
Suzu’s eyes narrowed and he took two strides forward before his hand whipped out and struck the tiger demon across the cheek, the backhanded blow throwing him to the floor. It hurt, but what hurt far worse was the disappointment in the bird general’s fierce eyes. “Did I not give him into your care with the understanding that you would take care of him, Bishamon?”
Bishamon touched his cheek, frowning at the sting and the ache in his chest when Suzu said his name so coldly. It had none of the warmth the peacock normally displayed toward him, none of the teasing flirtatiousness, none of the careless frivolity. He swallowed, suddenly missing being called kitten. “What do you mean, Suzu? I have been taking care of him.”
Rigidly, Suzu shook his head, arms folded. “You rejected him. You refused him that which he needs, what I told you he needs.”
Disbelieving, Bishamon stood, hands balled into fists. “He’s a child. I’m not going to have sex with a child, Suzu. It’s wrong and disgusting. I will not act like those demons who raped him! No child should have to go through that.”
“You’re right,” the bird demon murmured, face falling in sorrow, “no child should have to go through what Fuyuki and Lord Inuyasha have.” He raised his head then and met Bishamon’s eyes squarely. “But the fact of the matter is that they did. They did go through it. They were raped and used and they both came away with scars. Where Lord Inuyasha developed a fear of intimacy, Fuyuki did not. You are expecting him to act like Lord Inuyasha. He is not and will never be Lord Inuyasha. Their experiences were similar, but their ages and mentality were completely different. Lord Inuyasha’s reaction is easy to understand. Fuyuki’s reaction … my reaction … is much more difficult to grasp. I was not joking when I told you we crave sex, Bishamon.”
“But you—”
“I have not bedded anyone for over two-hundred years, kitten. And that for a reason that will remain undisclosed to you for now. Suffice it to say I did not feel I could. What I resorted to during the times when the craving became unbearable was … not pretty. The craving for pain is only a step below the craving for sex.”
“P-Pain?” Bishamon asked, horrified.
“Pain can be nearly as addictive as sex, kitten,” Suzu explained with a sigh, moving forward and pulling Bishamon down with him onto his futon. “Slaves—sex slaves like Fuyuki and I—we’re trained to like pain, just as we’re trained to like the humiliation of being brutally fucked and dominated against our will.”
Bishamon shivered at the remembered pain evident in the smaller demon’s expression.
“Kitten …”
“Hm?”
“I don’t want Fuyuki to go through what I have. Whether it’s my pride, stubbornness, shame, or plain fear that keeps me from sleeping with every male demon I come across … it doesn’t diminish the yearning … or the excruciation when those feelings are denied. Wrong or not … disgusting or not … Fuyuki needs it. I know you don’t understand it, but please don’t reject him. Don’t push him away. It’s good for him that he’s found someone so quickly, rather than allowing himself to be fucked by whatever man he can entice into his bed. So please, do this for him, won’t you?”
Sighing, Bishamon put his arm around Suzu’s shoulders and pulled him over against his side. Suzu tensed. Odd as it was for him, who was usually so touchy, to tense when being touched in a way that wasn’t even sexual, Bishamon found it only made him want to comfort the other more. It was sad that he was only realizing it now, but Suzu was his friend. His best friend. If he didn’t comfort the peacock youkai who was so close-mouthed about his past, then who would? Certainly not Lord Sesshomaru. Lord Sesshomaru was probably the only one who knew more about Suzu than Bishamon, but he wasn’t the comforting type. Except, evidently, toward his younger brother. Perhaps, for the inu daiyoukai, it was more of a family thing than anything else.
After a tense silence, Suzu finally relaxed, laying his head on the tiger youkai’s shoulder. “You’re not disgusted by Fuyuki, right?”
“Of course not,” Bishamon replied, a little offended by the question. He softened his tone, knowing the reason Suzu was asking—at least in part. “I’m not disgusted by you either, Suzu.”
Suzu nodded, inhaling deeply and then releasing it in a long sigh. “I’m sorry I hit you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You were right to hit me. It was foolish of me to refuse Fuyuki. My youki has been pushing me to claim him ever since you put him into my care. Whether or not I find sleeping with a child … disturbing … he needs it. I want it. I want him.” He shrugged uncomfortably, “I’m his dominant. If it will help him …”
“It will,” Suzu assured him with an understanding smile.
“… then it just means I’ll have to listen to my youki and see him not as a child, but as my submissive mate.”
“He’ll be more than willing to fulfill that role, I’m sure,” Suzu murmured, leaning in a little further to kiss the uneasy tiger demon’s neck. “Now all you have to do is apologize and convince him to come back to you.”
Bishamon groaned and covered his face with one hand, then peeked out hopefully between his fingers. “You’ll help me?”
“Uh-uh,” the bird demon said, chuckling. “You’re going to have to do that on your own. You got yourself into this mess; it’s up to you to sort it out.”
“I’m doomed …” Bishamon muttered miserably.
Suzu laughed.
***Ӂ***
“Fuyuki?” Inuyasha called, having followed the neko’s scent to his garden. Where there had been sniffling before, there was now silence as the boy tried to hide that he was there and had been crying.
Looking over at his brother, Inuyasha shrugged and took a seat on the ground in a patch of soft grass. Sesshomaru tugged on his hand, urging him back to his feet. Though confused, Inuyasha complied, and then smiled when the elder inu placed the parasitic youkai he carried over his shoulder on the ground for them to sit on. Sesshomaru sat first, and then pulled Inuyasha down beside him, leaning back against the garden wall for support as the hanyou rested against him.
“Ya don’t have to talk about it if ya don’t want to, kid,” Inuyasha reassured the other silent occupant of the garden. “But … you know … we’re here if ya do want to.” Another sniffle was heard from somewhere in the garden. Inuyasha estimated it to be behind some of the hedges his father had seen fit to put in his garden.
Sesshomaru had hoped to get in some more training this morning. The exercise would help his baby brother recover more quickly, but he decided it would be all right to put it off until after lunch if need be. The neko child was obviously very important to the hanyou. He made himself comfortable, a rumble in his chest and his arm looped loosely around his sibling’s trim waist. It might be a while before the boy mustered the courage to come out of his hiding spot.
It was, indeed, some time before the small snow leopard demon crawled out from under the hedge in which he had taken refuge. Sesshomaru busied himself combing through Inuyasha’s hair, giving his submissive and the child the illusion of privacy. He knew very well how nervous his presence made those weaker than him, so he kept his distance as much as he could without actually moving away.
“Hey, kid,” Inuyasha greeted the boy, smiling and patting the space next to him. Hesitating a little, the neko took a seat, on his knees in a rather formal way, but a seat nonetheless. “So … you wanna tell me what that fight was about? I thought you liked that tiger youkai.”
“I did …” Fuyuki answered quietly, his voice a little hoarse from crying so long. “I mean, I do, but … h-he … I don’t think he feels the same way.”
“That’s not what it looked like to me,” Inuyasha responded honestly. “Looks t’me like he likes you just as much as you like him.”
“Then why won’t he touch me?” Fuyuki demanded miserably. “Why won’t he let me please him? He said … He said he wasn’t going to sleep with me and … it sounded like he meant not ever! Am I … not good enough for him? Is that why he won’t take me? Do I disgust him because … I was a slave and I-I slept with … other demons?”
Somewhat taken aback at the turn the conversation had taken, Inuyasha tried to think what to say to make things better.
“I thought he wanted it,” Fuyuki continued morosely. “His scent … it’s been … calling to me, I think … I thought. I thought he would do something by now, but he hasn’t. He barely lets me into bed with him or even lets me kiss him. Maybe … Maybe I was wrong. Maybe being a slave so long messed up my instincts and I just think he’s been … wanting me, that his youki was calling to mine and answering my youki’s call. Maybe he never really wanted me with him to begin with and I’m just in the way. Maybe he’s just doing it because Suzu-sama asked him to. Inuyasha-san?”
“Yeah, kid?”
“Am I broken?”
“Broken? O’ course you’re not broken. No more’n I’m broken. Who told you that you’re broken? If it was that damn tiger bastard I’ll fuckin’ rip ‘im to pieces!”
“No,” Fuyuki quickly disagreed, holding up his hands soothingly. “No, it wasn’t him. It was something Michio-sa—Michio told me. He said that’s why no one would want me except as a slave. If I was still a slave … would Bishamon …?”
Inuyasha didn’t even let him finish the despairing thought. “Don’t you even think that!” he growled, pulling the kid into his arms and hugging him fiercely. “Anyone that wants to do … that to you just because you’re a slave is a freakin’ disgustin’ pervert rapist and deserves to burn in the deepest pit o’ hell! I’ll send ‘em there myself, after rippin’ off their dick—” He fell silent when he felt Sesshomaru hand come down warningly on the back of his neck. His temper wasn’t helping things. He cleared his throat, sending a grateful glance his brother’s way—which got him a reassuring squeeze and a gentle scratch behind his right ear—before continuing, “Anyway, Bishamon seems like a decent enough youkai. Didn’t he tell ya why?”
Fuyuki sniffled, fresh tears coming to his eyes, though he held them back. “He said … that I’m too young. Something about not having my first heat. But I don’t understand! I … I’ve been taken before. I like it. I want it and I want … I want him to do it to me, but he won’t. I don’t understand, Inuyasha-san! Can’t you tell me why?”
Completely at a loss, Inuyasha struggled to answer him. How was he to explain to the kid that he was too young. Even if it’d been done to him before, that didn’t make it right. “I … um … well, I think … maybe …” Then Sesshomaru's hand squeezed his neck again, and he stopped talking, relieved when the older daiyoukai took over.
“Fuyuki, I believe, from what you’ve said, that Bishamon does not wish to sleep with you because he wishes to protect you.”
A little intimidated by the expressionless face of the demon lord, Fuyuki stuttered uncertainly, “T-To pro-protect me? From what?”
“He wishes to protect what innocence you have left. He abhors what was done to you and the men who did it to you. Do not, however, mistake that for finding you less than worthy of him, Fuyuki. As I understand it, Bishamon intends to wait until your first heat, partially out of the desire to protect you from further desecration and partially to spare his own honor. He is an honorable demon. Under normal circumstances, he would not consent to even the slightest of sexual contact between him and you because he views you as a child. He does not understand that you have moved beyond childhood. Too soon, as is the case with my ototo, but nevertheless, you are a child no longer. Can you understand this?”
Fuyuki frowned to himself, his brows furrowed in confusion. “He doesn’t want me … because he thinks I’m a child.” He shook his head. “I don’t understand it. I … I still want him to sleep with me, Sesshomaru-sama. I really … really do. I need it. I need to be touched that way. I-I really can’t explain it … but I feel like I might … might do something awful if I don’t have it. It’s not something I think I can wait for.” He shook his head again, more firmly, his pupils dilated, eyes turning slightly wild. “I can’t wait for it.”
Sesshomaru hummed in thought and then laid a gentle hand on the boy’s head. “It may be prudent that you speak with Suzu about your feelings on this matter. I do not believe I have sufficient knowledge to advise you. However, until you have the opportunity to speak with him, you have a decision to make. Do you still wish to be with Bishamon, or will you seek out another to fulfill your need?”
“I … I’m not sure. What if he still won’t sleep with me?”
“Then, perhaps, he is not the one for you,” Sesshomaru answered noncommittally. “The decision lies entirely with you, Fuyuki.”
“I … I need to think about it. I’m still mad at him.”
Before either Inuyasha or Sesshomaru could say anything in reply to that, a breathless shout cut through the morning silence. “My Lord Sesshomaru!” The messenger, a swift-footed squirrel youkai, skidded to a halt in front of them. He looked up, blinked at Inuyasha, and then went on. “My Lords … I bring word from Kaze no Tani Village. Lord Botanmaru has been sighted traveling the road to the palace along with his mate and heirs. They are estimated to arrive before the noon bell.”
Sesshomaru didn’t curse, but he looked like he seriously wanted to. He stood, pulling Inuyasha to his feet who, in turn, pulled Fuyuki up with him. “Lord Inuyasha and I will be in shortly. You are to find Tamae, Taree, and Sasaki and request that they meet this Sesshomaru in the audience hall. When you are finished with that, you may retire to the dining hall. Tell the head cook, Marise, that this Sesshomaru has said you are to receive whatever sustenance you require. Taree will provide a room in which you may rest when you have finished eating.”
The squirrel demon smiled a little in relief and quickly bowed. “Yes, my Lord. I thank you for your hospitality.”
Sesshomaru waved him away and, taking the cue, the messenger left. “It seems our kata practice will have to wait,” he said with a sigh, gazing down at his bewildered younger brother. “Lord Botanmaru has made it a habit to drop in unannounced. He is not a Lord of any prominent rank; however, I would be remiss in my duties if I did not prepare a proper welcome for him, his mate, and their offspring. It is likely they will be joining us for lunch and preparations will need to be set in motion in order to welcome them properly with a feast this evening.”
“Oh … um … what does that mean? I mean … for me?” Inuyasha asked uncertainly, wondering if he was expected to attend or if Sesshomaru would want to go without him. He felt his heart clench in anxiety. He didn’t want to be left somewhere alone. He had gotten used to being with his brother on a constant basis. He felt safe with him there, and he didn’t want that feeling of safety to disappear.
“You may do whatever pleases you, ototo. You are not required to attend either the lunch or the dinner with the nobles if it makes you uncomfortable. After all, your place at my side has not yet been publicly announced. However, if it is your wish to accompany me, you are more than welcome to do so.”
“Ja … I think I’d like to … stay with you.”
“Then you and I should head in to prepare ourselves for Lord Botanmaru’s arrival.” He then turned his attention to the young snow leopard demon. “Fuyuki.”
“Y-Yes, Sesshomaru-sama?”
Sesshomaru smiled slightly at the nervous tone, a bare lifting of the corner of his lips, which actually seemed to relax the boy a little. “You are also welcome to attend. The invitation is extended to all the guests of this Sesshomaru and Lord Inuyasha.”
“B-But I … I’m not … I’m a sl—”
“You are a guest,” Sesshomaru said, firmly cutting him off. “Former or current rank or status matter not. I expect to see you there.”
Fuyuki bowed his head, excitement swelling in his breast at the prospect of attending the lunch and dinner later that night as Lord Sesshomaru’s guest. “Yes, Sesshomaru-sama. Thank you. I-I’ll be there.”
“Good. Then you, too, must go prepare. If you are not certain what would be appropriate to wear, you may summon Taree for advice concerning your attire.”
“See ya there, kid,” Inuyasha said by way of farewell.
Fuyuki grinned, his frustration, resentment, and sorrow for Bishamon’s rejection all but forgotten at the prospect of going to lunch and dinner with Inuyasha and his older brother. He skipped away, tail flying high, then stopped and turned back, waving enthusiastically. Lord Sesshomaru remained motionless and impassive, simply watching, but Inuyasha smiled and waved back.
His good mood didn’t last. The moment he set foot back inside the palace, the first thing he saw was Bishamon. He stopped, scowling as the tiger youkai spotted him and immediately turned in his direction.
“Fuyuki,” Bishamon greeted, relieved. “Are … Are you all right?”
Fuyuki snorted and crossed his arms. “Do I look all right?”
Bishamon scratched the back of his head embarrassedly. “Um … did you hear? I mean, about Lord Botanmaru?”
“I heard,” the snow leopard replied shortly.
“Oh …” Bishamon felt his cheeks heat a little. He was not good at this kind of thing. “Fuyuki … I’d like you to stay with me while the nobles are here. Don’t stray from my side. They’re cat demons and—”
Hearing that, Fuyuki interrupted with wide, interested eyes, “Cat demons? Really? What kind?”
Feeling a twinge of jealousy for the boy’s interest, but relieved also that he no longer seemed mad, Bishamon answered, “Leopard.”
“Leopard …” Fuyuki murmured. “Similar to me, then.”
“Fuyuki.”
“Hn?” the neko asked absently.
“I don’t want you going near them.”
Fuyuki raised his head, blue eyes blazing. “What? Why not?”
“They’re cat demons.”
“Yeah? And? What does that have to do with whether or not I can go near them?”
“Fuyuki, you’re an unmated submissive youkai—”
“And it’s my choice who I want to be near, Bishamon-san,” Fuyuki hissed icily. “You have no right to dictate what I do. You lost that right.”
Suddenly remembering their fight earlier, Bishamon breathed deeply to calm himself and his youki, which had once again risen to the surface at his soon-to-be submissive’s rebellious behavior. “About that …”
“Don’t,” the neko child snapped. “I don’t want to hear it.” Stalking around the tiger demon, Fuyuki stomped his way down the hall, ignoring Bishamon calling his name as he left. How dare he think he would do as he said after the tiger general rejected his advances like that! How dare he think he could order Fuyuki around! And telling him not to go near the leopard youkai, other cat demons like himself? He could do what he wanted with whomever he wanted!
Once far enough away from the hallway where he had run into the tiger demon, Fuyuki stopped, dashing traitorous tears from his eyes once more. Stupid, stupid, stupid Bishamon! He didn’t want to hear apologies; he just needed to be fucked. If the tiger demon wasn’t going to do that, then there was no point to apologizing. No point! Maybe at lunch he’d meet one of the leopard youkai; maybe he’d be able to entice one of them into his bed. That’s what he’d been trained for as a sex slave, after all.
With this new determination in mind, he went to get ready.
***Ӂ***
“Stop fidgeting, Inuyasha,” Sesshomaru admonished, expression firm, but eyes belying his amusement as his ototo shifted from foot to foot, touched his hair which had been done up by Taree, smoothed his clothes, and then did it all again. “The demons who are coming are our subjects. There is no need to be nervous of them or of doing anything wrong. They have not the authority to criticize your behavior, nor will lunch be a formal function.”
“Then why the hell are we dressed like it is a ‘formal function?’” Inuyasha grumbled, tugging at a lock of his hair that kept falling out of place.
Reaching over, Sesshomaru fixed the errant hair for the pup, pausing to stroke the downy triangular ears atop his head. “This is not formal. What we are wearing is considered casual at court. Formal will be tonight.”
“Then what do you consider what we usually wear, just our kosode, hitoe, and hakama?”
“Extremely casual,” Sesshomaru responded with an upward tilt of his lips. “Generally, you and I would only wear such light clothing whilst traveling without royal escort and when in the quarters sectioned off for the royal family. At all other times, it is wise to dress as we are now.”
Inuyasha grunted, smoothing down the front of his hitatare. “Then why didn’t we wear this yesterday at the dinner? Not that I’m complaining,” he quickly assured his sibling, hands raised, “I feel like a fluffy panda under all this. I’m wearing … what? Five layers?”
“Three, ototo,” Sesshomaru replied soberly. “Only three. Your juban, kosode, hakama and hitatare constitute only three layers. Unless, of course, you count undergarments. And the reason we did not dress as we are now during yesterday’s dinner is simply because I did not wish to introduce you to that particular discomfort until it was absolutely necessary.”
“Still!” Inuyasha exclaimed. “Three layers is damn near suffocating! What the hell do we need to wear three whole fuckin’ layers for?”
“I would not complain just yet, ototo. You will be wearing many more layers this evening.”
“More?!” the younger inu whined in protest. “You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me! Are ya tryin’ to fuckin’ roast me, or what?”
Sesshomaru chuckled, but sobered quickly as Lord Botanmaru’s party trundled into view. “The clothes are ceremonial, uncomfortable as they admittedly are. Ototo, I must ask you to remember not to—”
“Run off at the mouth?” the hanyou asked cheekily, grinning. He bumped the elder inu’s shoulder when Sesshomaru gave him a half-amused, half-stern look. “I remember aniki, don’t worry.”
“I worry only because Lord Botanmaru and his mate, Lady Kumiko, try even my patience,” Sesshomaru told him seriously. “As you are not yet acknowledged as one of the Lords of the West, I would appreciate it if you would leave the talking to me. Can you do that, little brother?”
Inuyasha shrugged. “Sure, if that’s what ya want.” He turned back to watch the approaching party, noticing immediately as he sifted through scents that this was a family of leopard youkai. When the smell of male entered his nose, he shuddered and shifted a little closer to his brother. There had been a leopard among the slavers that had violated him.
Sesshomaru glanced over at the movement, noticing instantly the uncomfortable gleam in the hanyou’s eyes. “I’m here, little one,” he murmured reassuringly. “Do not be afraid.”
Inuyasha grunted and shifted again, seeking physical contact with his alpha to comfort and reassure himself of the larger and stronger inu’s presence beside him. The tension seemed to melt out of him when he felt the daiyoukai’s hand on his shoulder, the grip firm, but not restricting. He sighed, the older Lord of the West’s support giving him the confidence to stand tall and look straight into the leopard demons’ haughty pureblood eyes as they approached.
The one he supposed had to be Lady Kumiko wore a gaudy bright red kimono with gold accenting and overlapping patterns of varying colors of flowers from left breast to right hip. On another, less ostentatious demon, the kimono might have been flattering. On the female leopard demon in her expensive gold necklace, gold and silver rings with varying sizes and kinds of gems—sometimes two on one finger—bracelets and anklets, and odd raised shoes that made her waddle in a duck-like way that Inuyasha had to struggle not to laugh at, it was hideous. She was slim, bony and about a head taller than her mate. Her hair was a rather dull shade of russet, but so decorated with jewels and pendants that he wasn’t even completely sure that was her hair color. Her eyes were easily the most beautiful part of her as a light turquoise, but completely ruined by the paint that seemed to have been layered and layered on her face until he wasn’t at all sure she wasn’t wearing a wax mask.
Her mate, while without the face paint or kimono, was just as gaudily dressed in flashy colors, silks, and jewelry. If not for the slight goatee the leopard demon sported and the different colored clothing—his a vibrant orange that clashed badly with his mate’s attire—Inuyasha might have thought him another woman, albeit one with an extremely underdeveloped chest. He had slightly darker hair and yellowish-green eyes that Inuyasha felt rake over him with the same disgust he had seen in the eyes of demons and humans alike over the years. It was nothing new to him, so he ignored it.
Sesshomaru stepped forward. “Lord Botanmaru, Lady Kumiko, I hope your journey was not too arduous.”
Inuyasha almost snorted at that. From the flat look on the demon lord’s face, it was more likely he hoped it was the opposite.
Lord Botanmaru laughed in a way that made the hairs on the back of Inuyasha’s neck stand on end while his mate tittered girlishly. “Your concern is unnecessary, my Lord. Our journey was quite boring, I assure you,” Lord Botanmaru stated with a wave of a bejeweled hand. His eyes shifted to Inuyasha again, but it was his mate who spoke.
“My Lord, I have been dying to hear,” she gushed out, her eyes lingering over the hand on Inuyasha’s shoulder. “There have been rumors that you found your younger half-brother and are seeking union with him in the form of mateship. When we heard it we, of course, absolutely had to come to find out if such an absurd thing could be true.” She gave Inuyasha a narrow-eyed look, her eyes roving over his face and done up hair and then moving downward, making him feel as if he was being judged for slaughter.
He stared right back at her, lifting his chin a little and kept his mouth resolutely shut. He didn’t know what he might say if he opened it just then. He wasn’t aware there was a rumor like that going around. Thankfully, he didn’t have to think about it for long as Sesshomaru spoke up at his side, his hand staying where it was on his shoulder despite the disgusted looks from his nobles.
“Lord Inuyasha is to be announced as a secondary ruler of the West within this moon cycle. As Lord Inu no Taisho’s youngest son, he is more than worthy of this Sesshomaru’s esteem and affection. This Sesshomaru would ask that you refrain from speaking on matters that are not your concern.”
“But, my Lord,” Lady Kumiko simpered. “Our second youngest daughter has only just reached her first heat. Surely you would rather have a pureblood demoness stand beside you than … your brother.”
Inuyasha wondered if the foolish cat demoness realized when she pushed her lower lip out like that and scrunched up her face it made her look like a goat with a bad case of constipation.
“Then again, if it’s a male demon you’re looking for … well, Rei is a dominant, but I’m certain he’d be willing to submit to you.”
“Hahaue,” the male in question protested, his cheeks turning red.
“You mistake my meaning, Lady Kumiko,” Sesshomaru said, his voice going even colder than before. “This Sesshomaru is no longer searching for a mate. Lord Inuyasha will take his place at this Sesshomaru’s side come the next moon cycle and you would do well to remember that to insult a member of the household of Inu no Taisho is a serious offense. Mate or not, Lord Inuyasha is still this Sesshomaru’s younger brother and the son of the West’s first great ruler.”
The Lady trembled and took a step back. Inuyasha couldn’t blame her. He had forgotten just how terrifying his aniki could be. It felt different when you were the one being protected, versus the one being verbally assaulted.
“I … I apologize, Lord Sesshomaru,” Lady Kumiko said, shooting a hateful look Inuyasha’s direction as if it was his fault Sesshomaru was angry with her. “A-Are you certain we cannot persuade you to change your mind? You will need heirs—”
“Of which Lord Inuyasha is perfectly capable of providing for me,” Sesshomaru said, cutting her off dismissively. “Your worry is unfounded. He is strong and will bear this Sesshomaru many powerful, full inu offspring who will go on to lead the West after this Sesshomaru’s time is past.”
“But surely—”
“This Sesshomaru has no wish to speak on this matter further. The decision has been made. Now, I am certain you are weary from your travels. The palace’s Mistress of the Maids, Taree,” he continued, smoothly gesturing to where the wind demoness patiently waited, “will escort you and your family to the guest wing where you will be staying for the duration of your visit. General Suzu will accompany your soldiers and guards to the guest barracks where they may rest. As protocol dictates, all but your personal bodyguards will remain outside the palace walls. This Sesshomaru would also extend an invitation to dine with us for the afternoon meal. Taree will return to guide you when it is time. Until then, feel free to settle yourselves and your sons and daughters into your rooms. You may explore the palace as you wish, all except the wing set aside for this Sesshomaru’s family. This Sesshomaru trusts you will enjoy your stay.”
Hand slipping down from Inuyasha’s shoulder to grasp a nearly identical clawed hand, Sesshomaru inclined his head to the lesser nobles, then turned and led Inuyasha back inside the outer walls guarding the palace without another word or backward glance.
Abruptly, he stopped and turned to face his little brother who had been silent the entire time. “Are you all right, little one?”
“Yeah, ‘m fine,” Inuyasha said, voice betraying the tension he felt as well as the anger, which he knew partially stemmed from his youki. “Just pissed as hell.”
“Understandable,” Sesshomaru responded with a nod. “Lady Kumiko is not known for her tact. Neither, I might add, is her mate. It is a wonder their offspring turned out as well as they did, though I believe that to be more the influence of their caregiver than any parental guidance.”
“Keh, no kidding,” Inuyasha muttered as he looked back toward the gates of the outer wall where the caregiver—an elderly monkey-type demoness—was struggling to wrestle two fighting boys apart while carrying a third, younger child that couldn’t be more than a year old in the grasp of her tail. The baby girl was wailing at the top of her lungs while her parents unconcernedly walked ahead, sparing them not even a glance.
Huffing, Inuyasha left his brother’s side, forgetting his anxiety as he crossed the distance back toward the gate, passing by the Lord and Lady with the same contemptuous look they were giving him. He stopped in front of the children’s caregiver and held out his arms with a smile. “You look like you could use some help. Why don’tcha give the little one t’me?”
The demoness looked up, her wizened face flustered. “Oh, my Lord, I couldn’t do that! It isn’t your place to—boys!” she scolded as they tugged in opposite directions, straining her weakened arms.
“Oi, brats, that’s enough,” Inuyasha growled, making the boys freeze at the aggressive sound. He picked them both up by the back of their haori as he’d seen Sesshomaru do to Fuyuki and shook them. “You should be ashamed of yourselves, fightin’ in front o’ the Lord of the West and puttin’ such strain on your caregiver. What do you have to say for yourselves?”
“W-We’re sorry,” the boys muttered together, thoroughly cowed.
Gently, Inuyasha set them down. “Now, why don’tcha apologize to your caregiver and then go an’ apologize to Lord Sesshomaru for your behavior.”
Heads bowed contritely, the boys muttered. “Sorry … Mistress Kaya.”
“Sorry for what, Akihito-sama, Kenjiro-sama?”
“For fighting,” the boy called Kenjiro muttered.
“And for pulling on you,” Akihito added.
“Your apology is accepted. Now, shake hands and make sure you behave yourselves while we are here,” Kaya told them severely. Her tone softened when they did as she told them. “If you’re good I’ll see about asking the cooks to prepare manju with strawberry paste for dessert tonight if Lord Sesshomaru and his brother are amenable to that?” Sesshomaru gave her a single, solemn nod when she turned a questioning look his direction.
The boys whooped and clapped their hands, but stopped when Inuyasha cleared his throat and pointedly looked toward his brother, their host for their stay at the palace. Smelling of apprehension, they clasped each other’s hands for support and walked toward the daiyoukai.
Sesshomaru raised both eyebrows when they approached, keeping back a smile of pride for his brother’s actions. He would make a wonderful bearer for his children. “Is there something you need, young Lords?”
“We apologize for our behavior, Sesshomaru-sama,” Akihito said softly.
“Yeah,” Kenjiro agreed, scuffing his little foot against the ground. “Sorry.”
“I see,” Sesshomaru murmured, face expressionless as he observed the two fidgeting youths. He turned to his brother, the corner of one side of his mouth lifting upward. “Inuyasha, what would you say might be an appropriate punishment for their indiscretion?”
Catching on, Inuyasha grinned. “Oh, I don’t know, aniki. They were being quite naughty. Maybe you should sic Jaken on them, that oughta keep ‘em outa trouble.”
Sesshomaru frowned, stroking his chin in thought. “No, that might be considered cruel and unusual punishment. While their parents and siblings get settled in, this Sesshomaru thinks it might be prudent to introduce them to our cook. This one is certain he could use them in the kitchen. After that, perhaps you should introduce them to young Rin.”
“R-Rin?” the boys asked together, anxiety in every line of their young bodies.
“Yes, Rin. While putting you with Jaken might be considered cruel and unusual punishment, putting you with Rin would be only a step lower. What do you think, little brother? Do you think it would be too much for them?”
Inuyasha hummed and pretended to look the young Lords over, snickering inwardly when they turned big, puppy-dog eyes on him. “Oh … I think we can let them get away with it this once. I’m sure they’ll behave themselves the rest o’ the time they’re here. Won’t you, boys?”
“Yes, Inuyasha-sama, Sesshomaru-sama!” the boys chorused.
“Very well,” Sesshomaru said solemnly. “This Sesshomaru accepts your apology. See that you keep your word.”
Bowing deeply, the leopard children went back to their caregiver who had finally managed to calm their youngest sister. Inuyasha watched them go with a grin, which he then turned on the elder inu. “Rin? Really?”
Sesshomaru smiled slightly and reclaimed his sibling’s hand, leading him back toward the palace. “You haven’t spent hours with her while she picks flowers to braid into your hair.”
Inuyasha almost choked at that. “You let her put flowers in your hair?”
“Only on occasion. It happened most often when we were traveling and she had nightmares. If she was still out of sorts the next day, I found she would recover more quickly if I allowed her the opportunity to do something with my hair. It seems to have the same effect on her as grooming does on inu youkai.”
“Hn … you’re actually …”
“Actually?” Sesshomaru prompted curiously.
“... good with kids,” Inuyasha finished. "I'm surprised."
Smirking, Sesshomaru inclined his head. “And you, little one, will make a wonderful parent.”
Inuyasha blinked at the unexpected tone of pride in the daiyoukai’s voice. Then when the words caught up with his whirling mind, he blushed, eyes going wide.
“Yes, Inuyasha, I believe you would make an excellent parent and bearer for our pups.” Bringing Inuyasha’s hand up to his lips, he kissed his knuckles tenderly. “I yearn to see you round with my pups, ototo.”
Inuyasha swallowed at the emotion he saw in his aniki’s eyes, the softness that seemed to be just for him. “Sessh …”
“You don’t like it?”
“I-It’s not that. I just … I don’t know what to say to that.”
“Then don’t say anything. For now, I am content with your agreement to be the bearer of my pups.”
“For now, but … it won’t always be that way, will it?” Inuyasha asked, nervous in the face of what else the daiyoukai expected of him and what he knew would be expected of the Lord of the West’s mate—political or otherwise.
Sesshomaru stopped and turned to face his anxious little brother, running his thumb along the back of Inuyasha’s hand in soothing circles. “No, it will not always be that way. You will need to get over your fear of intimacy. In your current frame of mind, even a kiss is impossible.”
“Y-You kissed me … that one night … all over ….” Inuyasha protested, blushing hotly.
“That was in the midst of grooming,” Sesshomaru responded, tapping the younger inu’s lips with his finger. “I have yet to touch you in a truly intimate manner when we are not in the bath, when I am not consciously trying to soothe you. If I was not grooming you at the time, would you have let me kiss you, somewhere other than your hand, forehead, or temple, ototo?”
Uncomfortable, Inuyasha pushed his brother’s hand away from his face. “I … I would have.” When the demon lord raised his eyebrows, Inuyasha flushed and averted his eyes, amending softly, “Maybe.”
“Would you let me kiss you now?”
“O-Out here? But Sessh … there are p-people watching.”
“Is that all that is preventing you from giving your consent?” Sesshomaru wondered, already knowing the answer. He sighed when he felt the discomfort his baby brother was projecting grow, and then smiled as he bent and kissed the pup’s forehead. “It is all right, little one. I can wait. Come, let us go inside.”
With an ache in his chest he didn’t understand, Inuyasha took the hand the older daiyoukai held out to him and followed him back into the palace.
***Ӂ***
Bishamon growled, the fur of his tail bristling as he watched Fuyuki shamelessly flirting with the eldest son of Lord Botanmaru and Lady Kumiko. Only Suzu’s hand on his upper arm kept him in his seat, though just barely. His eyes flashed crimson every time Fuyuki reached out to touch the tall, leopard youkai male named Rei—an innocent brush of fingers on the arm, a less than innocent squeeze on the thigh, an extremely provocative dance of tail against tail and ass. His youki was screaming at him. That should be him there. Fuyuki shouldn’t be doing that with anyone but him.
“Calm down, kitten,” Suzu chided him, though he was smiling in self-satisfaction. “Eat your food.”
Taking up his hashi, Bishamon forced himself to shovel rice into his mouth, barely noticing the taste, his eyes glued to his little, disobedient mate-to-be. This was torture. He didn’t know how much more he could take. His heat was throbbing in his veins, heating him up from the inside out more with each passing minute. His chest felt like it was on fire while his youki paced back and forth within his mind’s eye, never resting.
“Deep breaths,” Suzu instructed him soothingly. “You still have time to get him back.”
Rolling his shoulders and growling, Bishamon fought to keep his youki contained as it adamantly denied what Suzu was telling him—that there was no time, he had to get Fuyuki back now. But it wouldn’t do to go on a rampage in the middle of the afternoon meal, especially with Lord Botanmaru and his mate present. He couldn’t embarrass his Lords that way.
Suzu watched Bishamon struggling with himself with a devious smile. It wouldn’t be long now. The tiger demon just needed another little push. Feeling eyes on him, he glanced up to the head of the table where Lord Sesshomaru was watching him, one eyebrow raised. Suzu shrugged and then winked. If the Lord of the West had been the type to roll his eyes, he would have at the sly look Suzu sent his fellow general. Suzu enjoyed manipulating people too much, especially those he took a liking to. Thankfully, the manipulation was of the kind that he could be thanked for—after all was said and done.
“My Lord,” Lord Botanmaru said, redirecting the Lord of the West’s attention. “I’d like to apologize for my mate’s behavior this afternoon. She is often overzealous where it concerns our children and finding the most suitable mate for them and, as you are the Lord of the West and—as of yet—unmated, it was by far the most logical choice to attempt to … persuade you to accept union with one of them. Seeing as you have already found a suitable candidate, though, I see we have overstepped our bounds. My mate and I know of your brother and future mate by reputation, of course, however our children have yet to be introduced to him. May we?”
Lips thinning slightly, Sesshomaru nodded, wondering exactly what the lesser noble was scheming. “This Sesshomaru accepts your apology, Lord Botanmaru. You have this one’s permission to introduce your young to this Sesshomaru’s brother.”
Lord Botanmaru bowed his head, smiling in such a way that made the daiyoukai’s youki shift restlessly within him. He did not like the way the male leopard demon was looking at his younger brother. Not at all.
“Lord Inuyasha,” Lord Botanmaru called, voice carefully neutral.
Inuyasha looked up from his food. He had been aware of the conversation and its focus, but had chosen not to speak. He didn’t like the leopard demon and his mate and he knew if he opened his mouth he was more likely to curse at them or else throw a few blades of blood their direction rather than speak politely to these demons that obviously held him in such low esteem. Again, his older brother’s supportive hand was there to save him from his impulses. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he relaxed his facial muscles, giving Lord Botanmaru a look that, while not a smile, was still relatively friendly. “Yes, Lord Botanmaru? What can I do for you?”
“I would like to introduce you to my children, if my Lord is willing?”
Inclining his head in the same way he had often seen his brother do, Inuyasha answered calmly, “Of course, I would be honored. Please proceed.” He swept his hand out along the table, noting the minute upward lift of his aniki’s lips out of the corner of his eye as Lord Botanmaru’s polite façade slipped, and he scowled, obviously irked by the condescending gesture. He recovered quickly, though.
“My eldest,” Lord Botanmaru stated, gesturing to his left. “Rei will inherit my title, rank, and lands when I pass.” Rei turned his attention from Fuyuki who had started purring and rubbing against him and politely nodded to Inuyasha. “Next to him,” Lord Botanmaru continued, “my eldest daughter, Yumiko and her two sisters of the same age, Yuriko and Yoko.” The three female leopard demons each inclined their heads respectfully. They were identical save their eyes. Yumiko had eyes like her mother, Yuriko eyes like her father, and Yoko had eyes somewhere between the two. “Next to them are my twin son and daughter, Rai and Michiko.” These two were obviously teens and fraternal twins rather than identical, though both looked remarkably similar to their oldest brother. “Next to Lord Sesshomaru’s and your wards is my second youngest daughter, Nariko.” She gave a shy little wave, her stunning light green eyes downcast. “My youngest sons, Akihito and Kenjiro,” the boys waved and grinned as their father spoke, “and my youngest daughter who is away with the caregiver at the moment, Matsuko.”
Inuyasha again inclined his head in what he hoped passed for a gracious manner. “It is very nice to meet each one of you. I am …” he glanced at his brother, who discreetly nodded, and then continued a little uncomfortably, “… Lord Inuyasha. My brother and I welcome you to the Western Palace. I hope your stay is an enjoyable one.” Grudgingly, he included Lord Botanmaru and Lady Kumiko in the sentiment, knowing it would be impolite not to.
The children each bowed their heads, murmuring a polite “arigatou-gozaimasu,” Kenjiro and Akihito grinning and giggling the whole time. Inuyasha smiled at that. In spite of their parents’ attitude toward him, he found himself liking the young Lords and Ladies quite a bit. The very young ones, at least. He wasn’t yet sure what to make of the older children as he hadn’t yet had the chance to speak with one of them. Although, he noted, Fuyuki seemed to be getting along quite well with Rei, the eldest of the leopard children. He felt his cheeks heat when he saw the kid lean up to whisper something in the older demon’s ear, his body language and scent screaming desperate for sex as he rubbed his tail suggestively along the other neko’s thigh, inching toward his groin. Highly discomfited, he turned away and pretended he hadn’t just seen that.
“Our noble line has passed from leopard demon to leopard demon since the time of Inu no Taisho’s ascension, going back for more than a thousand years,” Lord Botanmaru said, eyes gleaming predatorially. “I am aware, of course, that your father’s line goes back even farther, even before the West was created. But I find myself curious about your mother, Izayoi.”
“Princess Izayoi,” Inuyasha almost growled, golden eyes flashing. Sesshomaru squeezed his shoulder, but he shrugged the hand off.
“Ah, yes, my apologies,” Lord Botanmaru responded slyly. “She was a human princess, was she not? When she mated Lord Inu no Taisho she would have become Lady of the West, a position of far more prestige than that of a mere human princess of a small land holding.”
“But Botanmaru, honey,” his mate interrupted in a honeyed voice, “Lord Inu no Taisho and the human princess were not mated. Does that not mean she would have lost her title when she forsook her human family in favor of becoming Lord Inu no Taisho’s lover, Lord Sesshomaru?”
Placing one hand on the back of his little brother’s neck as a warning to keep silent, Sesshomaru slowly nodded, understanding now their intentions by “introducing” their children to the hanyou. They were attempting to make him feel inferior, while at the same time trying to make their daiyoukai Lord see how much better a union with one of their offspring would be. He answered accordingly. “That would be correct, Lady Kumiko, if she did, in fact, forsake her human family and they her. However, that was not the case. Her position as an unmated lover of our Lord Father notwithstanding, Lady Izayoi remained a princess of royal human blood until the day of her death. As her son, Lord Inuyasha carries the noble blood of both his parents. Whether the humans see fit to acknowledge it or not, he is a prince of one of their regions as well as one of the Lords of the West. Half human though he may be, Lord Inuyasha’s bloodline is more than a suitable match for this Sesshomaru’s mate and the bearer of this one’s heirs.”
“Of course, my Lord,” Lord Botanmaru replied smoothly. “We did not mean to imply otherwise.”
Of course not, Inuyasha thought, scoffing. Worthless bunch of gold diggers and bootlickers. I’m surprised they’ve not been killed yet, what with the way they’re baitin’ Sessh’s temper. Talk about fuckin’ askin’ for a beat down.
A sudden ferocious snarl from down the long, formal table had Inuyasha nearly jumping into his aniki’s lap in fear. Ears flat against his head and a whine hovering in the back of his throat, his eyes searched down along the table for the one who had made such a terrible sound. It didn’t take him long to find who it was as Bishamon, the tiger general, was on his feet, yellow eyes a menacing blood red. Confused by this, he followed the cat demon’s line of sight and stared, mouth agape, as his eyes fell upon Fuyuki being kissed by Rei. Not just kissed. No, if the young snow leopard child’s whimpers and gasps were anything to go by, the older leopard youkai was all but devouring him. When the male cat demon’s hands moved downward to grope at the boy’s round ass, Bishamon snapped. Inuyasha flinched sympathetically when the large tiger demon grabbed Fuyuki by the back of the neck, digging his claws in, and wrenched him away from the other cat demon, who snarled at the interruption. Bishamon answered the snarl with a deep, possessive growl, letting the other cat demon know that Fuyuki belonged to him. Recognizing that the male tiger demon was both bigger and stronger than him, Rei backed down, not submitting, as he wasn’t a submissive, but not answering Bishamon’s challenge either.
His rival taken care of, Bishamon turned his attention to the little snow leopard demon whose eyes were also demon red and narrowed in fury where he crouched down near the wall. The smaller youkai’s tail bristled, lashing from side to side, unwilling to submit to the demon that had so carelessly discarded him.
A deep rumble emenated from Bishamon’s chest as he advanced on the younger cat demon, his dominant youki flowing out to envelope Fuyuki and drive him to his knees in an effort to make him submit. He took another step forward and reached out a hand for him. With a defiant hiss, Fuyuki’s hand whipped out, sharp claws extended. Rather than move away to avoid the neko’s attack, Bishamon merely flared his youki more strongly, deflecting the wicked claws. Bones cracked and shifted under his skin as he transformed and grew to almost three times his previous size. The demons and humans closest to him scrambled away and within moments, a giant tiger stood over the cringing demon child, his great tail smashing down against the second dining table and shattering it along with several chairs. Teeth bared, he bent his head, pushing against Fuyuki until the neko fell forward onto his hands and knees with a half-hearted yowl, and then grasped the boy’s neck and back in his jaws, shaking him harshly from side to side.
Unsure what to do, but feeling he had to do something, Inuyasha stood. Sesshomaru grabbed his wrist before he could move and pulled him back into his seat. “Finish eating, ototo, I will deal with General Bishamon.” He then turned to Lord Botanmaru and his mate who were watching the exchange disinterestedly and bent his head in a gesture of apology, “Lord Botanmaru, Lady Kumiko, forgive the disturbance. As this one is certain you have noticed, General Bishamon is nearing the end of his heat cycle and does not have the control over his actions that he would normally possess. Please continue to enjoy your meal while this Sesshomaru takes care of the situation.” The demon nobles bobbed their heads in acquiescence, and with a reassuring squeeze to his little brother’s shoulder, he rose and made his way across the room.
Inuyasha felt the powerful daiyoukai’s absence from his side acutely. It was like living your life with armor on and then, suddenly, not having it. Trying not to let his nerves show, he picked up his chopsticks and mechanically began to eat again, not really tasting what food he was putting in his mouth as he watched his brother, youki flowing outward in a powerful display as he approached the tiger demon and the neko child held in his mouth, limp with submission. His attention was soon diverted, however, as he felt more than saw the leopard demon and demoness walk up behind him on either side of his chair. He glanced behind him, about to say something caustic when the scent of the male hit him, and he instead turned back to his meal, fighting not to hunch his shoulders. The scent, while certainly different from the leopard slaver, was still far too close for comfort, laced with cruel intent.
“Lord Inuyasha,” Lady Kumiko said as she moved up beside his chair. “I do hope you are not getting it into your head to act above your station. You are but a hanyou. A toy. Lord Sesshomaru will tire of you soon and move on to someone more worthy, someone of pure demon heritage.”
Sensing the leopard female’s mate moving up on his other side, Inuyasha swallowed anxiously, his mouth suddenly dry. “I-I am … a Lord of the West.” He cringed a little, hating the way his voice wavered as he spoke, hating how his hands shook and the weakness that suddenly seemed to grasp his limbs. He forced his voice to steady. “I am your Lord.”
“Filthy half-breed,” Lord Botanmaru sneered, his voice right next to Inuyasha’s left ear. If he could have gotten away with it, Inuyasha knew the other male would have struck him. “Do you truly think Lord Sesshomaru, the pureblood son of Inu no Taisho, will make you his equal? You, the son of a whore with your dirty, half human blood?”
Inuyasha spun in his seat, snarling. “My mother was not a whore!”
“Of course she was a whore,” the leopard demoness snapped, catching his ear between her fingers and twisting it spitefully, pulling a pained sound from him. “And you’re just like her, aren’t you? Panting after what you can never have. You’d probably crawl into the bed of any demon that’d take you. Why he allowed you back, I can only guess, but do you honestly think he’ll keep you? You were worthless when you were born—so worthless, in fact, that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with you. He abandoned you in a demon infested forest, so I’ve heard. Why do you suppose that would change? You’re just as worthless now as you were then. Make no mistake, he’ll abandon you just as fast as he did then when his interest diminishes.”
Inuyasha opened his mouth to give an angry retort, but she twisted his ear once more, harder, and he yelped at the sharp stab of pain. Lord Botanmaru laughed callously and grabbed his other ear. “What an abomination. Not human, but not demon, either. So ugly and deformed. You’re a fool to think the Lord would want something like you over a pureblooded youkai. Do you enjoy spreading your legs for him, hanyou? I bet you do. It’s all you’re good for, after all. A hole in which to sate one’s urges. Perhaps I should ask Lord Sesshomaru if I might have a round or two with you. You have to be good if he’s kept you this long. Would you like that, you little slut, to have me mount you?” he asked, piercing Inuyasha’s ear with one claw and laughing at the quiet, but satisfying whine the action caused. “You’re just begging for it, aren’t you puppy? You’re such a filthy little slut.”
“Yes, whine for me … beg for me … scream and cry while I take my pleasure from your dirty little body. You’re such a good fuck. See how your body sucks me in so greedily? This is the only thing you could be good for, puppy, to use and defile you just like this, man after man, demon after demon. You will never be wanted, never be accepted as anything else but a wanton whore, as anything but the filthy slut that you are.”
Overwhelmed, Michio’s cruel words that had been etched so deeply into his mind bouncing around in his head, Inuyasha threw his head back in an instinctive distressed half wail, half howl—a call for his alpha to come save him from his tormentors and the memories they evoked. Panicked by the earsplitting sound and the attention it was attracting, Lord Botanmaru and his mate scurried away from the young inu hanyou.
Across the room, in the midst of forcing Bishamon to back down in the face of his dominance, Sesshomaru’s head whipped around at the distraught call. His youki flared in agitation, reaching for his sibling to try to discern what was causing him to be so upset. Inuyasha. Must protect brother, must protect mate, his youki prompted him urgently. And, as he was learning was wise, he listened. He spared only a glance to be sure Suzu had the matter well in hand, receiving an understanding nod in return, before he moved swiftly to his younger brother’s side.
Reaching out a hand, he touched the inu hanyou’s shoulder and was surprised when the pup immediately bolted up, knocking his chair down in his haste to be in the elder daiyoukai’s arms. “Inuyasha?” Sesshomaru called worriedly, gently carding his fingers through his ototo’s hair in an effort to soothe away the tears he had glimpsed on his baby brother’s face. His chest constricted. What was wrong? He was shaking so badly, a low, heart-wrenching whine coming continuously from deep in his chest. What could have possibly happened in the short couple of minutes he’d been away?
Remaining frustratingly silent save for the miserable whine, Inuyasha just curled himself further into the demon lord’s larger body, burying his face against the base of his throat.
“Ototo, please,” Sesshomaru implored him, barely restraining his own distressed whine in response to the desperate terror he sensed from the younger inu, “tell me what is wrong. Your tears and distressed cries pain my heart deeply.”
Lifting his head a little, though still not speaking, crimson tinted eyes flicked briefly toward Lord Botanmaru and his mate. Then he again buried his face in Sesshomaru’s skin, inhaling his protective scent urgently.
It wasn’t much, but it was enough. Careful not to frighten the young one further, Sesshomaru turned glacial eyes on the visiting nobles, eyes that promised a harsh punishment. To his vindictive gratification, they hastily backed away, fear rank on the air around them. It was a stupid move to attack his sibling, even if only verbally, and even stupider still to do so while he was present. “Yuudai, Kaito,” he barked, pleased to see they were already moving toward the mated pair. “You will hold Lord Botanmaru and Lady Kumiko in custody until this Sesshomaru discovers exactly what they have inflicted upon this Sesshomaru’s submissive.”
“Yes, my Lord,” the bodyguards responded, hard eyes turning to regard the two disfavored nobles, pinning them where they stood.
Sesshomaru took one last appraising look around the chaotic dining hall. Sasaki attended to Inuyasha’s pack, keeping them occupied and out of the way while his mates, Tamae and Taree, escorted Lord Botanmaru and Lady Kumiko’s progeny from the room. Bishamon and Fuyuki, he noticed, were gone.
“General Bishamon and young Fuyuki have retired to their chambers for the afternoon, my Lord, and will likely be indisposed for some time,” Suzu told him smugly, obviously pleased with himself. “See to your submissive. I will manage affairs in your absence.”
Lifting Inuyasha into his arms, Sesshomaru nodded to the peacock youkai gratefully and left the dining hall for his chambers. The few servants he passed gave them curious looks, but quickly continued on their way with a single glance from him. When he came upon the doors to his chambers, the guards, sensing their Lord’s foul mood, opened the doors for him before he even reached them, bowing and keeping their eyes respectfully lowered so as to not draw his ire. The elder of the two trailed him inside and, when he came to his bedchamber, skirted around to open that door for him, too. He nodded to the guard as he passed, and the man smiled slightly before shutting the door, giving him and his brother their privacy.
Crossing to his bed, he sat down, holding Inuyasha on his lap, arm looped firmly around him as he shook, whimpers now and again disrupting the silence. A soothing rumble started in his chest as he released his youki, allowing it to fully wrap around his submissive and envelope him in its protective embrace and alpha scent. The hanyou’s ears flicked toward him, but remained pressed against his head, as if hiding. Scenting the presence of blood—miniscule as it was—he gently grasped one of the triangular appendages between his fingers and lifted it upright. A small puncture, already healed, adorned the edge of it. Anger boiled up within him, but he didn’t let it show on his face or in his voice. It wouldn’t do to scare the pup even more.
Inuyasha whined as he stroked his ear, bending down to take it in his mouth, cleaning the small wound tenderly. The sound, he noted curiously, was not all fear, nor all pain. There was something else there. A noise that made him wonder exactly how sensitive the pup’s ears were if he was making such an arousing sound even with the heat suppression potion in his system.
“S-Sessh …” Inuyasha whimpered as his youki retreated now that it perceived he was safe in his alpha’s arms. The daiyoukai hummed in acknowledgement, but didn’t stop sucking and licking at his ear even though the wound was long healed. “Sessh, please … please stop.”
Sesshomaru did stop then, licking his lips and gathering the taste of the hanyou on his tongue. “Does your ear feel better?”
“U-Un.”
“Hn. Tell me what happened, Inuyasha. What did they say to you to cause you such distress?”
Pressing his trembling lips together, Inuyasha shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be a nuisance.”
“I am not asking, ototo,” the demon lord interrupted firmly. “You will tell me what they said. No one, noble or otherwise, harms a member of the House of Inu no Taisho.”
“They’re just words, Sessh—”
“They hurt you.”
Inuyasha shrugged, his ears once again lying flat against his head. “A scratch.”
“You bled.”
“A few drops. Nothin’ to cry over.”
“To cause injury to a Lord of the West is a crime that warrants severe punishment, Inuyasha, regardless of the size of the injury. As your alpha and the eldest Lord of the West, it is well within my rights to slay them if I so choose. The only reason I will not is that I know it would upset you.” Taking the younger inu’s chin in his hand commandingly, he turned his head until they were face to face. “Tell me, little one.”
And so, lowering his head, Inuyasha haltingly told his elder brother what had been said, as well as the feelings and memories the words provoked. By the time he was done, Sesshomaru was seething.
“Sessh?”
Swallowing his rage, though his voice remained strained, Sesshomaru looked down at his baby brother whose eyes were swimming with insecurity. It was painful to see. “What is it, ototo?”
“What they said … what everyone says … is it true? I-It would have to be, at least in part, if so many believe it, right?”
“No, little one,” Sesshomaru disagreed fervidly. “That is prejudice speaking and nothing else. Those who do not know you have no right to pass judgment. Youkai, and ningen for that matter, are no better or worse than hanyou. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, little brother, not even me.”
He smiled a little, though it was still timorous and rather feeble. He trusted Sesshomaru implicitly and, while his assurances did much to overrule the tiny doubting voices confirming what Lord Botanmaru and his mate had said, those same things Michio had imprinted upon his mind, the self-doubt was still there. Nevertheless, knowing Sesshomaru would stand by him, he was able to answer. “Un ... I got it. Arigatou.”
“Now we must decide upon a punishment.”
“B-But Sessh … I still don’t think punishing them is a good idea.”
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?”
“W-Well … I’m … hanyou—”
“Did we not just discuss this, Inuyasha? Your heritage does not matter. I will punish them because that is my right as the Lord of the West and as your alpha.”
“Yeah, but what will the rest of the kingdom think if you suddenly start punishing someone, anyone, for insulting a hanyou? Most of ‘em aren’t gonna be able t’see past the fact that I’m not a full demon. And what about the other nobles? What are they gonna say about it when you punish one o’ their own for such a small offense against someone they’ll see as nothin’ but a filthy, little half-breed? They’ll think you’ve grown weak and you’ve followed in our father’s footsteps by attachin’ yourself to someone like me. What if they attack?”
“What if they do?” Sesshomaru interjected before the younger inu could continue. “I do not need their acceptance to do what must be done to protect my intended. When have I ever done anything for the purpose of pleasing the majority? If they are foolhardy enough to challenge me, I will simply remind them why it is they fear me. I am powerful, and it is the privilege of those who have power to take hold of what they desire first and enforce it by law or by hand second. You are mine, Inuyasha, and I will not give you up for anyone.”
***Ӂ***
Fuyuki crumpled to the floor of their chambers when Bishamon finally dropped him. He started to get up only to freeze when the tiger demon let loose a warning snarl and lowered himself—now in his more human form—down until his larger body molded to Fuyuki’s back. The younger neko tilted his head uncertainly, but froze once again when Bishamon’s fangs found the back of his neck. Only now did he realize his plan to seduce another demon into his bed might not have been such a good idea. Bishamon was, by and large, a gentle creature. At least, so far he had been. He’d never raised his hand against Fuyuki, nor had he demanded anything of him that he wasn’t comfortable doing. In fact, he hadn’t demanded anything of him at all, letting him do what he wished and go where he wanted. Except when it came to having sex, Bishamon was always considerate of his feelings.
But now … now he had made the dominant male angry, and an angry demon was a dangerous demon. Some dominants, he knew, killed their submissives for the kind of stunt Fuyuki just pulled, viewing it as a betrayal. Fuyuki just needed to have sex and, since Bishamon refused to give it to him, he had had to seek it elsewhere. Regardless of how it must seem, he hadn’t meant it as a betrayal. Seeing how enraged his actions had made the other cat demon, though, he was starting to regret it, and regret it deeply.
He yowled loud and long when those fangs on the back of his neck pierced his skin. It would be so easy for Bishamon to kill him. And, he realized, he wouldn’t fight it either. He had never had someone beside him like the tiger demon, someone who would talk to him and listen to how he felt, who would watch over him and even deny the desires brought on by his heat to protect him, someone who didn’t want him just because he was a trained sex slave. Bishamon wasn’t like anyone he’d ever known. Bishamon … cared.
And he had hurt him.
Wincing as the fangs dug deeper into his neck, Fuyuki slowly tilted his head to the side and lifted his chin, baring his neck in an act of total submission. The growl that came from Bishamon was entirely aggressive and unforgiving, and he closed his eyes in acceptance of whatever the older male decided to do to him. Therefore, he wasn’t surprised when he was seized around the neck, the large hand crushing him against the floor and driving the breath from his lungs.
The surprise came after that, when warm, demanding lips tasting of his blood captured his mouth. He gasped as the points of Bishamon’s canines tugged at his upper lip and his tongue thrust into his mouth. As it had been trained to do, his body instantly reacted, becoming almost painfully aroused within mere seconds of being touched. The hand around his throat tightened further, restricting his breathing to the point that blackness started to swim into his vision. Nevertheless, he couldn’t deny how good the rough treatment felt, and he arched his body back toward that of the larger male just as Bishamon pressed his body down, grinding his hardness into Fuyuki’s upraised ass.
Urgent hands then started to work at the intricate knot of his obi, but the knot resisted all efforts to loosen it. Finally, with a growl of utter frustration, Bishamon slashed at the obi with his claws, tearing it completely away. Satisfied with how quickly the cloth parted, the tiger youkai did it again, tearing away the rest of his clothes in a few swift and precise strokes.
Fuyuki shivered as his skin made contact with the comparatively cooler air of the anteroom of Bishamon’s chambers. The cause of his shivers quickly changed, though, when the older neko’s mouth attacked his neck, kissing, licking, sucking, nipping, and all out biting down the back of his neck and further down his spine. A high, keening noise erupted from him and he reached back to try to touch the other male, but found his wrists pinned above his head by one of Bishamon’s hands instead. He was in full instinct-driven dominant mode and clearly wasn’t in the mood to have Fuyuki initiate anything, so the snow leopard obediently relaxed, purring with delight when the older demon’s free hand fondled the globes of his ass in reward for his submission.
Fuyuki pressed back into the possessive touch. This would be rough, he knew. Driven by instinct, Bishamon wouldn’t have the mental capacity to prepare him for penetration. Regardless, he welcomed it. He had been taken many times without preparation, and was more or less used to it. Besides that, the knowledge that the tiger demon wanted him for him and not because he was a slave was an intoxicating one, and he found himself looking forward to the rough coupling more than he usually would.
He didn’t resist when the larger male put his hand on his shoulder and pushed his upper body down to the floor, keeping him there with that same hand. Fuyuki shifted his hips, raising his back end higher and lifting his tail out of the way.
In one swift thrust, Bishamon was inside him, brutally filling him up and stretching him open. Fuyuki hadn't even been aware of the tiger youkai slipping his hakama down his hips to free his turgid erection.
The hand restraining his wrists released him while the one on his shoulder lifted and he raised his upper body into a better position, feeling the—by now—quite familiar sensation of Bishamon’s fangs on the back of his neck, though he didn’t bite down. They were there merely as a warning for him to stay still, which he did. His youki recognized his place in this relationship. He was the submissive, Bishamon the dominant. During instances like this, it was his duty first to obey. Plus, he was finally getting what he wanted. Apologies weren’t necessary. This physical connection, this pain and this pleasure, was all he needed. Proof that Bishamon wanted him as much as Fuyuki wanted the dominant tiger youkai.
Then … Then he started to move. Slowly at first. Just small rocking motions. A flexing and relaxing of the tiger youkai’s abdomen, a rolling of his hips that stroked Fuyuki’s insides in such a wonderful manner he was left panting and breathless with desire.
“Mine,” Bishamon growled against the back of his neck, one possessive hand wrapping around the underside of Fuyuki’s jaw. “You are mine. Only mine. My submissive. My mate. Mine to love. Mine to punish. Mine to pleasure. No one else can have you. You are mine.” The hand tightened when he didn’t receive an answer and his thrusts sped up slightly, becoming a little more forceful. “Mine!” he said again, his tone demanding an answer.
Fuyuki cried out in pleasure as Bishamon twisted his hips, the angle of his thrusts changing just enough to brush against his prostate. “Yes … yeeessss … yours,” he gasped. “Only yours! Bishamon … please … please more! I-I’m so … so close …” He closed his eyes, the coil in the pit of his stomach growing tighter and tighter. Then, suddenly, it stopped. The pleasure was still there, and the pressure, the need to cum was still there, but there was a bruising grip around his member that prevented his release. He screamed, his eyes flashing open in desperation. “BISHAMON!! Oh god … fuck! Bishamon … hnn … let go … please let go!”
“You are mine, Yuki.”
“Yes, yours … gods … I’m yours. Now please, please let go, Bishamon!” he sobbed, his groin aching with the need to cum. He dropped his head down between his arms, tears falling unashamedly from his eyes. But if anything, the tiger youkai’s grip only tightened. “Ungh … please … that hurts …”
“You will not tempt other males with this body.”
Fuyuki shook his head back and forth earnestly. “I won’t! I promise I won’t!”
“Your lips are mine to kiss.”
“Yes, yours, Bishamon. Only yours!”
“Your hands …”
“Are yours! Everything, Bishamon … everything I am belongs to you!”
“And this …?” Bishamon asked with a rough pull to Fuyuki’s sex.
Fuyuki shrieked at the slightly painful, but still pleasurable feeling. “Yours …” he panted, his breath hitching with every hard thrust of the larger youkai’s hips. “Everything … yours …”
“You don’t cum until I tell you to, Yuki.” Frantically, wordlessly, Fuyuki nodded. Bishamon purred in approval, the deep, throbbing rhythm vibrating through the snow leopard’s ass and into his very bones. Then he suddenly stopped, causing Fuyuki to whimper at the loss of friction. “Use your hand,” the older cat demon ordered. “Hold on until I tell you to let go.”
Lowering his front half down so he was lying with his head turned to the side and his shoulders supporting the upward tilt of his back and raised ass, Fuyuki did as instructed, grasping his throbbing, leaking cock just above where Bishamon held it and squeezing it hard to keep himself from cumming. It made him whimper, the ignominy of the situation doing little to dissuade his arousal. Rather, the act did the opposite—heightening it.
He wanted to cum, but he wouldn’t. Not because he had been trained to obey, though he couldn’t deny that that thought was still there, but because he wanted to please Bishamon and the dominant tiger youkai had told him not to.
Then the larger youkai had both hands on his hips, his fingertips and claws digging into him as he fucked him hard into the floor. Soft, thick carpet and demonic healing notwithstanding, he was going to have massive bruises on his knees the next day. It didn’t take long for the dominant male to reach completion and Fuyuki moaned as he was filled with the other demon’s seed. But of course, Bishamon was in heat and that meant he wasn’t even close to being finished.
He inhaled sharply when Bishamon pulled out of him, lifted him up by the back of his neck, and pushed him against the wall. “B-Bishamon …” he begged urgently. “Can I let go now? Plea—EEEASE!!” In one thrust, the tiger youkai was seated deeply inside him once more, forcing him higher against the wall. “Gods ...” he sobbed. There was nothing slow or gentle about the way Bishamon fucked him now. Every thrust was hard, pounding into him relentlessly, bouncing him upward while gravity and Bishamon’s fierce grip on his waist pulled him back down onto the tiger’s swollen dick with a vengeance. He screamed, short and sharp, with every drive of his dominant’s hips, the heat within him building ever higher until he could no longer speak, could no longer think, could only feel and hold on with every speck of willpower he possessed.
He didn’t know for how long they went at it. All he knew was that he hurt and felt good in equal amounts and he had so many dry orgasms he lost count. He was exhausted, sweaty, and in dire need of release. They had done it so many times, in so many places, he couldn’t remember half of them. Even so, even as he was unsatisfied and his body ached, he felt perfectly at ease for the first time in days. His body was pleasantly full of Bishamon’s essence, his skin marked with scratches, bites, and bruises.
Once more, Bishamon ejaculated inside him and Fuyuki cried out hoarsely as he orgasmed yet again, his own release still trapped by his trembling, cramping hand locked around his cock. “B-Bishamon,” he called, voice scratchy and barely audible, raw from screaming. They had ended up on Bishamon’s bed and Fuyuki lay limply, the tiger youkai crushing him into the mattress with his weight. He turned his head slightly. The back of his neck was covered in small scratches, bite marks, and dry blood—each a reminder that he was to be submissive, to obey his dominant in every way possible. He didn’t want to be bitten again, but knew it was a high possibility if the older neko didn’t want him looking back that way. But the warning growl and the fangs didn’t come, and he let out the breath he had been unconsciously holding. It seemed this time he was okay to look back. “Bishamon, can I … let go now?” he asked hopefully. There was no answer, not even a growl of acknowledgement that the male had heard him. He turned his head further, calling softly, “Bishamon?” But, he now noticed, the tiger demon’s eyes were closed and his chest rising and falling steadily. The heat had drained him and he had fallen asleep after his last climax.
Still breathing heavily and with tear tracks down his face, Fuyuki looked helplessly back at his dominant and then down at himself—not that he could see much as his front was plastered to the bedcovers, his hand and cock trapped between his body and the mattress. Did he dare let go? Bishamon had fallen asleep. Would he be angry if Fuyuki were to cum now? He needed to so badly. Surely Bishamon wouldn’t be angry with him. The regular Bishamon surely wouldn’t, but … the instinctive Bishamon might be if he didn’t obey.
Sobbing and shaking lightly with the effort, he closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and tried to calm his body. He wasn’t allowed to cum. Under training to be a sex slave, he had gone much longer than a few hours with his cock bound, unable to climax. In fact, he had gone days. He could do this. For Bishamon, the tiger demon he loved, he would do it. Because that’s what his dominant required of him, because that’s what Bishamon desired of him, he would do it.
*****************************************************************************
Definition of Terms
Suki dayo: I love you
Kaze no Tani: the valley of the wind
Hahaue: an extremely respectful term for "mother"

Botanmaru: "botan" means long life, while "maru" simply means he was born from a noble family
Kumiko: eternally beautiful child *snickers*
Rei: law; strive
Kaya: adds a place of resting
Akihito: bright
Kenjiro: second son who sees with insight There is a reason he's named as the second son, and that is because in some neko families, like this one, they name the boys "first son," "second son," etc. as in they're the first son in that specific litter or the second son in the litter. Hope that makes sense (:
Yumiko: arrow child
Yuriko: lily child; village of birth
Yoko: positive
Rai: trust; lightning; thunder
Michiko: child of beauty
Nariko: gentle child
Matsuko: pine tree child

A/N: Hope ya'll enjoyed that. Took me FOREVER to put it together. As always, please feed the author and leave a review! Ja ne!
- 20
- 21
- 22
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

A Heat to Overcome