Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Unexpected Circumstance	By : Neptunesdemon Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 13386 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all its characters are not owned by me. I do not make any profit of of this, it is purely for entertainment.

Chapter List
- 27
- 28
- 29
Title: Unexpected Circumstance
Author: C-Chan2 aka Neptunesdemon
Archive: Mpreg mailing list
Category: Mpreg, romance, drama
Pairings: Inuyasha/Sesshomaru
Rating: R for some heavy f-bomb use, courtesy of Inuyasha. . . of course.
Spoilers: None
Warnings: Yaoi, OOC, incest, non-con
Author's Note: Yes, I am not dead. No, I did not abandon this fic. Yes, I am truly sorry and do know that I am a major ass for having you wait this long. It is never my intention to leave you readers hanging like that, but I can do no more than apologize for it and hope you never find where I live to publicly humiliate me for my crimes. Okay, moving along. I hope you do enjoy what I fought with writer's block to produce. Please note, Sesshy-kun is going to be way out of character in this chapter, and I hope you don't demand my head for it. All shall be rectified in due time. Please, carry on.
xoxoxoxox
Time seemed to stop momentarily as Inuyasha stood looming over Kagura, the wind witch glaring up in defiance even with imminent death staring her in the face. Kaori and the bear-youkai stood aside, both alert and at the ready in case anything went wrong, no amount of ill-ease taking their faces at the execution that was about to take place. The inu-prince stood proud and stoic, his amber eyes the only clue of the feelings that were rolling around inside of him. Anger, suspicion and a hatred so old that was meant for none other than the woman about to meet her end.
Toshigawa stood idly by, his mind worried but his subservient nature trying to keep him in check. Trying, only because his thoughts kept lingering on the fact that Kouga had not killed her, even though he shared the same distaste for the ningen woman as well. He had drawn his sword and would have killed her himself, but something had stopped him. What exactly had stopped him was what kept eating away at him. With a low groan at his own stupidity, Toshigawa took a deep breath before making his move. If he was lucky enough, he could probably get out of this alive and with very little consequence on his part.
With as much speed as he could muster, his legs were springing him forward to close the short distance between himself and the determined inu-hanyou. The guard and hand-maiden noticed in an instant, and they both drew their weapons and were making way to stop him. The prince, luckily enough, merely looked on, his eyebrows raised the slightest in reaction to the sudden turn of events. Luckily enough, years of running around the wilderness with the wolf pack gave him an edge, and Toshigawa reached before the others could stop him.
He took a defensive stance as his sword was drawn and he winced as the much larger sword clanged loudly against his own. It also made him stumble back and he had to fight to keep his footing, his eyes avoiding direct contact with Inuyasha's as he looked up at him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!" The hanyou demanded, putting force against the crossed swords and causing a spark of ki between the two blades.
"I can't let you, Inuyasha-sama. My lord, Kouga, insisted that she made it to you alive." He quickly spouted out, before he was pushing the unusually strong hanyou away and ducking just as the bear youkai's blade came swinging for his head.
His sword was then lifting to block the dagger aimed for his heart and he looked up at Kaori's angry green eyes, easily reading that she was quite upset with what she saw as his betrayal. He jumped away from her, avoiding a hidden blade as well as the soldier's sword again.
He was ready to face them, but realized he had left Kagura unguarded and Inuyasha had already left him for the two sentries to handle and was heading back for her. He wanted to head after him to stop him, but Kaori was already moving forward, both of her smaller blades moving in near invisible arcs to strike at his most fatal points. His skill was easily a match for hers, but he was sure he wouldn't last too long if the other sentry entered the fray as well.
Though he was never one to use dirty moves before, he thought he had no choice as Inuyasha had taken to physically lifting Kagura from the floor. With a silent swear, he was quickly looking about the room for something to aid him. The most he could find were the drapes of silk hanging along the walls and he figured it was better than nothing.
Deflecting a vicious stab at his midsection, he grabbed Kaori's wrist and twisted until she had no choice but to turn with it in order to avoid breaking her arm. She gave out a frustrated scream and was kicking back, but he stepped down at the back of her calf, sending her to the ground to land painfully on her kneecap.
His sword was swinging almost blindly behind him, and he sighed in relief as he felt fabric being cut and then heard it fluttering down to the floor. Quickly, since the bear youkai was on the move again, he reached for it and pulled it forward, binding Kaori before she had a chance to react.
He pushed her to floor with an apology, before he was backing away from the larger youkai now swinging his sword in precision, a steady and well-learned art-form. If he survived this, he would have to ask the West if they were willing to take on foreign students. Their clan could use more lessons in fighting and swordplay.
As he spun away from a swing that would have cost him a well needed arm, he swung his own sword again, cutting a curtain of silk right beside him. With the fabric caught in his hand, he brought it around and draped it over the charging youkai, not surprised that he began hacking away at the fabric to free himself. Using the small moment to his advantage, Toshigawa cut another free, which he was twisting and then sending out to wrap about the youkai's torso like a rope. With a grunt of effort he was pulling him forward, youki strength behind the move so that the bear youkai was flying towards him. With a cry of effort he was leaping over the bodily projectile and twisting in the air to then land in a crouch opposite of where he had been standing. He sighed in relief as the youkai went crashing through the wall and into the garden beyond.
Sure that he wouldn't be able to get back to the room too quickly, he turned back to feel his stomach sink as he found Kagura struggling to breathe, held in the air by a hand around her throat. Damn. Maybe he had taken the wrong approach? Well, it was too late to turn back now. He wasn't thinking when he ran forward and jumped toward Inuyasha, and only realized just what he was doing when he tackled the Daiyoukai from behind. They all went down, his efforts getting the desired effect as Inuyasha lost his grip on Kagura's throat, the woman coughing as she was let go.
He and Inuyasha went rolling quite a while before they stopped, Inuyasha yelling and swearing the entire time. Knowing he would probably be severely hurt if he didn't, Toshigawa managed to wrapped both legs around the hanyou's, his arms putting the Daiyoukai in a headlock from behind and arching the hanyou in a position to immobilize him.
"Lord Inuyasha, I am begging you to be reasonable!" He loudly begged, not meaning to sound so angry.
Inuyasha only growled and wriggled harder, eventually digging claws into the wolf-youkai's arm and he was able to pry them open. His head lifted and then flew back, Toshigawa grunting in pain as his vision burst with bright colors of pain.
"God damn it!" Inuyasha was yelling, lifting himself and glaring down at the ookami. "Stay the fuck out of my way!"
He kicked and Toshigawa went flying across the room, crashing through wall and into the next room, where he slid along the floor and crashed into a large and expensive looking family heirloom. He groaned in pain, giving a couple of coughs to try and get his lungs working, as the pain had caused him to forget how to breathe for a moment. No hanyou should be this strong. It was no wonder he was now Daiyoukai, even with him being a half-breed. He was an idiot for even thinking to start this.
He tried to lift himself, but only collapsed as his muscles protested. He could only pant and groan in pain, and he gave up, rolling onto his back and hoping inu were as close to wolves in this aspect as they were in so many others. Inuyasha came ducking through the damage he had inflected to the wall with the wolf general and he sneered as he stared down at Toshigawa on his back, recognizing submission when he saw it.
"I don't know what the hell you were thinking, but you made a huge fucking mistake, pal." He muttered out, knuckles cracking and a sign that he wasn't going to take this lightly.
The two stilled at the sound of a sword drawing, and Inuyasha looked over his shoulder while Toshigawa barely lifted his head to find Sesshomaru calmly walking through the hole in the wall and towards them. Sword drawn and face stoic, he made Toshigawa get a cold, hard lump in the pit of his stomach. He recognized death when he saw it and at the moment, Sesshomaru personified the word. He supposed he deserved it. He had openly attacked the prince's mate to protect their shared enemy. Why had he done that again? He had forgotten already.
The two watched as Sesshomaru came to a stop beside his mate, his amber eyes looking down at the smarting youkai, ready to faint away to make his passing easier.
"I am impressed, ookami." Sesshomaru calmly began, ignoring Inuyasha's snort beside him. "You have managed to survive thus far after attacking my mate, as well as my own soldiers. I do not know if it is immense skill on you part, or my mate's incompetence."
"I'll show you incompetent, you son of bitch!" Inuyasha began, ready to step forward, but Sesshomaru held out an arm to stop him in his tracks.
"Your actions are deserving of equal reprimand." He continued, further ignoring his younger brother. "In attacking the ruler of the West you have committed the highest of crimes."
Toshigawa held his breath as the sword silently flew through the air, his eyes crossing to stare as the blade stopped a mere hair's breath away between his eyes. Slowly, he looked up at Sesshomaru and his eyes widened as the sword was slowly pulled away.
"However." Sesshomaru started, his sword lifting and pointing to Inuyasha, whose face held a frown of utter confusion at the gesture. "I believe your intentions to have a higher purpose. Therefore, my mate, you will not harm him further."
Inuyasha's loud, and not to mention colorful objection, was cut short as Sesshomaru merely waved a hand in his direction as if to dismiss him. That had Inuyasha growling and ready to give his proud bastard of a brother an earful, but he stopped to watch Sesshomaru lower the sword and replace it in its sheath, before slowly crouching beside Toshigawa, who had a wary look on his face.
He flinched as Sesshomaru reached out, but was relieved to find that he was merely assessing his injuries. He was sure they would heal soon enough. He'll have a sore abdominal region for quite some time due to the force of that kick, but he would survive.
"Kaori."
"Hai, Sesshomaru-sama."
Toshigawa had to gasp as the voice came from right beside him, and he turned to find the female kitsune emerging from the wooden floor. He looked to where he had let her tied up and found nothing more then a wooden, fox-shaped doll in her place. He had forgotten that she could do that. It was a wonder why she hadn't struck before Sesshomaru had stopped this and saved his life.
"You will escort Toshigawa-san and the sentry to the medical wing for the soldiers."
"My, prince, I may be too bold in saying that he is clearly not to be trusted. He is better suited for the prison sick ward than the healer's compound."
"True, but his blind bravery is to be rewarded in this manner. He will rest with the other soldier's and when he is well, we shall hold further audience with him." He told her, standing straight again and looking back into the other room where Kagura sat staring back at them. "Leave the wretched female to me and my mate. We'll shall deal with her accordingly."
"Hai, Sesshomaru-sama." Kaori was bowing, and then she was helping Toshigawa to stand none too gently.
Her comrade, the bear-youkai, came shuffling in through the crumbling wall and bowed his head in respect before letting the kitsune lead the way out. When the two were alone, Inuyasha turned to face his mate, who was still staring at Kagura and clicked his tongue in annoyance before his hands went to resting on his hips.
"So, you want to tell what the fuck you think you're doing?" He questioned, Sesshomaru turning to glare sharply at me.
"Don't you dare use that language, nor that tone, with me, otouto." Sesshomaru warned him, before he was leaving him behind and heading back to Naraku's minion. "I need not explain myself to you."
"Oh, yes you do!" Inuyasha spouted, stomping after him, and reaching to grab and spin him to face him. "The last thing I want is this bitch alive in my fucking palace, when Naraku just might be running around as well."
"He is." Kagura interjected, stopping Sesshomaru from replying and grabbing their attention.
Her face held its frown as the two turned their heads to look at her, Inuyasha's face demanding an explanation and Sesshomaru unable to hide the disbelief as his eyes widened and body stiffened at her confession.
"You want to repeat that." Inuyasha said, turning to face her fully.
"He is in the palace." She repeated with a huff, trying to wriggle and get feeling back in her limbs. She was still bound up tight in Toshigawa's ropes.
"Where?" Sesshomaru demanded. "Where is he?"
"I'm not sure. He could be anywhere." She admitted, wanting to shrug but unable to. "I can help you, but only if I get your word that I go free when all this is done."
"Try again." Inuyasha growled out and Kagura growled back.
"You want me to tell you, you promise me that I get the satisfaction of living my life out with that despicable cretin dead and decaying!"
"How can we trust you?" Inuyasha questioned her, not wanting to trust her in the slightest. "What's to say that you aren't plotting with Naraku and this isn't some elaborate scheme to get our defenses down?"
Kagura could only groan in frustration, before she was looking back to the hanyou.
"What can I do to prove that I have no intention other than to aid you in defeating him?"
Inuyasha could only growl, his fists clenching tightly as his impatience and anger increased. He stopped at the touch of Sesshomaru's hand on his shoulder, and he turned to his brother who only gave him a calming look. With a scoff and a shake of his head, he backed off, turning away so that he didn't have to look at the witch any longer.
Sesshomaru only tightened his grip on his brother's shoulder, the gesture causing Inuyasha to look at him again, trying his best to keep as calm as possible.
"At this point in time, we can offer her no task to test how trustworthy she is. Besides, there are more pressing matters to attend to." He looked to Kagura, who was still breathing heavy and her brow set in a stubborn frown. "Until we can come up with such a trial we shall have her locked away under heavy guard. Any attempt at escape shall be met with your death. So, Kagura, make your choices wisely, for even a small mistake will cost you your life. Guards!"
At his beckon, four guards appeared from different entrances, one of them the kitsune who Inuyasha had charged as Sesshomaru's secret, personal bodyguard. She emerged from a shadow, shocking the Daiyoukai and getting a raised brow from Sesshomaru, whom she bowed her head a bit in shame from.
"Take her away." He calmly told them, two grabbing hold of her and lifting her from the floor. "Your orders are to kill her without question if she dares to even attempt to break her binds. I want no break in watch, no guard is relieved unless there is one there to relieve him. Is that understood?"
"Hai, Sesshomaru-sama!" They rang out in sync, before bowing and leaving the room.
He stopped the female fox-youkai with a gentle touch to her arm, and she stopped abruptly, before meekly looking up at him.
"Am I too bold to imply that you were spying on this Sesshomaru?" He asked her, his voice calm but his aura clearly annoyed.
"No, Sesshomaru-sama." She barely whispered out, trying her best not to let her voice tremble. "I was merely following orders."
Instantly his eyes snapped to Inuyasha, who had been trying to discreetly leave the room, but stopped once he was caught and offered his brother a sheepish smile.
"I see." Was all he said, his voice flat. "You may go."
With a hurried bow, she was gone to catch up with the other three sentries, leaving the two inukai mates alone.
Sesshomaru did not speak, he merely waited, eyes looking at Inuyasha with a deadly, but calm expression. The hanyou would be sure to explain himself eventually, and he was not going to ask for one.
"Okay, fine, so I posted a guard to keep watch over you." Inuyasha huffed out with a roll of his eyes. "So kill me."
The step forward had him shuffling back and he held up his arms in a gesture to stop the full-blooded youkai in his path.
"Wait! I didn't mean it literally!" He cried out, Sesshomaru stopping with an arched brow. "Geeze, I was only worried. You wouldn't let me near you, you kept pushing me away when I tried, and with you so out of it lately, I figured it was best to have someone watching your back if it couldn't be me. I didn't mean it as an insult, I was just trying to protect my mate."
"This Sesshomaru needs no protecting!" Came the hiss, and Inuyasha sighed, before he was running his hand through his silver locks to try an ease his frustration.
"I know that." He answered in retaliation, not even bothering to raise his voice. "But what's the harm in me wanting to protect you, no matter what?"
"I do not-"
"Look, just answer my question." Inuyasha interrupted him. "Besides bruising your ridiculously sized ego, where's the harm in it?"
Sesshomaru could say nothing to that, but he didn't let his cold gaze falter as he watched Inuyasha wait for his response. He refused to give one, because although he would never admit it out loud, he knew the hanyou was right.
Inuyasha only scoffed, before he was heading for the hole in the wall that he had put there.
"You're one piece of work, Sesshomaru." He called back over his shoulder as he climbed through, and Sesshomaru glared at him coldly. "I try to help and you push everything back into my face."
"This Sesshaomru does not need your help!"
He was shocked that he had actually snapped, and so was Inuyasha, if his turning back in surprise was anything to go by. It was quickly replaced by a look of irritation and disbelief, the hanyou climbing back through the hole and over rubble and debris to storm over to his mate.
"Oh really?" He asked, his voice calm, but his aura was emitting his anger. "You didn't need my help when you were pupped with Kazue and left without a mate? You didn't need my help when you were taken by your heat and the urge to find said mate? You didn't need my help when that bastard tried to take you away and force you into a life at his mercy? Tell me, Sesshomaru, when was it that you didn't need my help!
"Actually, no, don't tell me anything at all. Because from what I can tell, you don't need my help at all. Not to find Rin, not to get rid of the snakes lurking in the shadows of our own fucking home, and certainly not to get Naraku out of our lives for good! You see, as you so plainly put it, you don't need my help!"
Sesshomaru stood strong, though his youki was whining in turmoil and begging that he rectify the situation, but he would be stubborn. He refused to give in, even if it felt as if he should kick himself for his ridiculous pride. Inuyasha could only throw up his hands in frustration at his silence, his head shaking in disbelief.
"Well, if that's how you feel Sessh, then it's obvious that you don't need me." Inuyasha muttered, before he was looking up at his brother one last time. "I won't bother telling you where to find me, as I'm sure you won't need my help."
And with that Inuyasha was storming off, leaving Sesshomaru standing alone in the destroyed room and watching as his mate left him behind. He could feel his inner youkai trying to fight for control, and he quickly dampened it with a pressure of will, before he was heading off in the opposite direction of Inuyasha.
He could prove to his mate that he would prevail. Let Inuyasha throw his childish tantrum, he would prove superior in the end. He paused as he realized just how he sounded, but he set his jaw in stubbornness and kept going forward. He didn't even know where he was going, but he was sure he'd find somewhere to occupy his time.
He stopped as he felt the pup's aura fluctuate, and for a moment he was worried that something was wrong. He sighed in relief as the steady presence settled again, and he slowly started walking again.
You are in the wrong. His youki suddenly spoke up, and he took to ignoring it, but it continued on. Our mate's help is needed. We can not fight our pup's sire alone. Not now when you are with child again.
"And whose fault is that!" He snapped aloud, startling his youki as well as the passing servants, who looked at him with a stupefied expression.
He ignored them and rushed off, before he was taking a turn that would take him to his rooms. He was due for a rest, and being that the children were with Minako, he would get some peace and quiet for once.
Inuyasha deserved a child and I refused to help you suppress your heat any further.
"And look where your refusal has gotten us now." Sesshomaru pointed out.
And your refusal has cost us our mate!
"I highly doubt that Inuyasha would abandon his mate so easily." Sesshomaru rebutted, waving away the guards posted at his room to give him privacy. He stepped in and felt his youki rolling its eyes.
He only sighed and began to undress from his formal robes as he entered the bedroom, placing the worn attire in the proper place before gathering his sleeping yukata. He slipped it on and head back out to the main suite, thinking a cup of tea was appropriate to calm his current mood.
He had barely started pouring when the same fluctuation of aura happened again, and it nearly made him drop the pot and cup in his hands. Carefully, he rested the items down, before slightly shaking hands held at his stomach, his heart rate increasing with his worry.
"What is happening?" He asked, having a feeling that something was wrong.
I am not sure. His youkai responded, its feeling of nervousness making Sesshomaru feel worse. Perhaps, it is best that we go to Minako. The pup's aura is unstable. I fear that we may lo-
Sesshomaru needed no further goading and he was rushing off to the nursery. He didn't care that he was once again trouncing around the castle under-dressed, but he could care less of what he looked like.
'And now?' Sesshomaru was asking his inner self. 'Could he have helped us now?'
Of course. He would help us not feel so scared.
'I am not scared.' Sesshomaru objected, though his speed picked up as the aura within him seemed to grow weaker. He knew he was lying, because the longer this went on, was the more he realized that he was terrified.
xoxoxoxox
Ishimaru was quiet as he crouched over what was left of his father's body, slowly and methodically picking up the remains of his father. Mujina had been cremated earlier than sunset, as with the news of sudden excitement in the main palace had Ishimaru thinking it was best to keep his attention on the hanyou and prince.
He and the rest of his clan slowly gathered the bones, all who helped using a pair of chopsticks to pick them up, starting from the feet. As the skeletal remains were collected, they were placed inside of a large urn, which was engraved with the family seal and held a lock of Mujina's hair tied around the short neck of it. It continued on in respectful silence, the only voices from the elders that were chanting prayers around the edge of the funeral pyre.
Picking up the bone of a finger, Ishimaru carefully studied it and could only make a sound of confirmation. He had done the right thing by taking his father's life. The bone was so fragile, it was proof that his father was weakening. If he hadn't been merciful enough to put the old youkai out of misery, old age would have surely taken its toll.
With the finger carefully dropped into the urn, Ishimaru continued to gather up the rest of his father's remains, until he was left with the skull. He lifted it and brushed it off, before he was studying it with a careful eye. This would rest in a proper place, where his father's spirit would be able to watch as he took their clan to its rightful place. And when he was ruler of the Western Lands, he would stand it beside his throne so that his father could watch his kingdom be ruled by the badgers once more.
The shadow that suddenly cast over him had him looking up with a irritated look, and he found none other than the hanyou in disguise. At the moment, he was holding his false form as Kanaye, and his face held a look that showed he was livid. Standing from where he was crouching, he ignored the half-bred youkai for the moment and handed his father's skull to a servant. He instructed them on what to do for the moment, before he was bowing to respect at the elders who had stopped the prayers to help gather the remaining ashes and transfer it to the urn.
It was only when he had paid his condolences to near and distant family, and received theirs in turn, did he turn to Kanaye, whose green eyes were sharper and tinged with red.
"Kanaye." He greeted nonchalantly, enjoying the rising anger in the hanyou in front of him. "Have you come to pay your respects? I hear the princess is ill. How is she faring?"
"Don't you dare patronize me, Ishimaru!" Kanaye snapped, the family surrounding him looking up at his tone of voice. "I wish to speak with you in private, or perhaps I should slate my anger here in front of all your guests!"
Looking about with a sigh, Ishimaru looked to Kanaye, before he was merely nodding and motioning that the snake lead the way. The snake turned on his heels and stormed off, and Ishimaru returned to his family and clan to apologize for his guest's rudeness. One of his father's cousins merely nodded in understanding before he was handing him the now filled urn. Ishimaru took it in gentle hands, and felt his stomach drop as he realized that it was so much lighter than he expected. This was all that was left of his father, the head of their clan.
He stopped himself from choking up and bowed in respect again but he was waved off. His family bowed to him and he nodded, before following after Kanaye, who had stopped to impatiently wait for him. He easily caught up with the hanyou and the two walked the rest of the way to Ishimaru's suite at the badger's pace, much to Kanaye's annoyance.
Ishimaru dismissed the two guards posted at his door, and let Kanaye lead the way inside. Once inside, and the door closed, the badger was ducking to avoid the swipe of claws aimed for his head. He easily maneuvered out of the way and twisted so that he could rest the urn with his father's remains on the waiting display table.
With that out of the way, he turned back to Kanaye, and let the hanyou have the hit. The punch that connected with his jaw was strong, but he had received worse in battle. His hand instantly reached out, when he righted himself, and wrapped his fingers around the hanyou's throat.
He had been satisfied to watch the bastard struggle for air, until the flesh under his fingers felt too soft and easily gave way as if he were squeezing clay. Watching wide-eyed as the body crumbled away, Ishimaru only had a moment to realize his mistake before a tentacle wrapped around his own throat from behind.
As it squeezed tighter, he raised his claws to try and scratch the offending appendage, but could not tear it away. He was soon kicking uselessly as he was lifted and then turned to face a seething and snarling Naraku, now in his original form.
"Now is not the time for idle play, Ishimaru-kun!" He was bellowing, before Ishimaru was flung with force across the room.
He broke through the paper walls separating the bed from the rest of the suite and crashed down atop the bed, which was destroyed by the force of his landing. He was pulling himself out of the debris just as Naraku came storming into the room, and he prepared himself for another attack, fangs bared in a snarl.
The dark-haired hanyou tried to send a back-handed hit, but the badger caught it, and spun the hanyou so that his arm was wrenched behind his back. Naraku growled in anger but did nothing more, Ishimaru leaning forward so that he could get close to his ear so that he heard him clearly.
"This is not how our partnership shall go." He told him, Naraku chuckling, obviously amused by the statement. Ishimaru twisted him to face him and drove his forehead into Naraku's nose. "You will not slate you anger on me!"
He returned the backhand that Naraku had not been able to give him, his hand ripping heavily across the hanyou's face and sending him flying to the floor.
"This is not the time, nor is it the place for such behavior." The badger panted out, chest heaving and ebony locks in slight disarray.
Naraku's laughter had gotten louder, and he looked up from where he laid on the floor, his nose and busted lip dripping blood. Slowly, his tongue lapped at what it could before he was standing and stalking closer to his angered subordinate.
"You're fun when you're angry, Ishimaru-kun." Naraku said with a creepy giggle.
He was giving a crazed laugh as Ishimaru grabbed him by his full locks, and arched his neck back painfully, forcing him to his knees. He played the game, knowing full well he still had the advantage, but he would let Ishimaru have this moment.
"Now who is on their knees, eh Naraku?" Ishimaru snarled out with another jerk on dark hair. "How the tables have turned. Now what is the problem, if I may ask?"
Naraku's face turned serious again and Ishimaru threw him aside as if he were a concubine that had displeased him. Naraku merely stood hand wiping at his face and looking down at his blood stained hand. The bastard would pay for that when the time came.
"There is trouble afoot." He announced, Ishimaru only scoffing and heading back to the main suite through the destroyed shoji.
"Such as?" He called over his shoulder. "Has her royal highness fouled your plot? Has she turned on you and betrayed you?"
He stopped at the service set for sake, and poured himself a cup before downing it. He felt Naraku come up behind him, and he turned to face him, merely grimacing at the tentacles that slid over and around him.
"It would seem that one of my subordinates is within the palace walls. And I did not order her to be here, nor did I call for her." Naraku told him, face marred with a frown. "That is much cause for suspicion, as I never knew her as one to freely act on her own if it were not for some personal gain."
"Are you to tell me you do not trust your own woman?"
"I trust no one, Ishimaru-kun." Naraku purred, Ishimaru pulling off his groping tentacles in disgust. "Not you, not the princess, and especially not her! I must find out what she is up to, but I dare not risk anyone seeing me with her."
"Well, she is unimportant. What we must do is continue our plot to do away with that wretched half-breed and gain me my throne."
"Which you so rightfully deserve." Naraku told him, letting him go and pouring himself sake as well. "Be patient, Ishimaru-kun. We shall be able to move forward with our plan soon. I am just hesitant with Kagura here when she should not be."
Ishimaru only snorted, and the two were soon distracted by the tiny sobs that started in the far corner. Their eyes landed on the small figure that hung weakly from the wall, nearly fully engulfed by a black mass that was draining away her energy. A few more days up there and she would die, but Naraku knew that he could not do that, not just yet.
"And what of this one?" Ishimaru asked with a nod of his head in the child's direction. "What do with her?"
"Patience, my friend." Naraku said, turning his back to Rin, who was now moaning in pain and suffering. "She will be used in due time. For now, we must figure out how to set our plan in motion."
"Is that not what you've been doing with your princess?" He asked, Naraku chuckling.
"Of course not, I have merely been putting my pieces in position. She will be conveniently close to Inuyasha when I am ready to execute my plan. The hanyou will be dead, Sesshomaru will have no choice but to be mine, and you will get your throne."
"And Sakuya-hime?" The badger pushed, Naraku reaching up to twirl a finger in the black-locked hair that Ishimaru had not fixed yet.
"She is unimportant, and can be easily done away with." He told him, before locking red eyes with reddish-brown. "Unless of course, you are thinking she is of some use. A marriage between you two will be quite advantageous for both parties involved."
"Yes, but I have standards." Ishimaru said after a snort. "And I am sure that Kanaye would not approve of me courting his mate to be."
Naraku only chuckled again, and was easily slipping back into his disguise. His green eyes looking at Ishimaru with an intensity that it made the badger shiver.
"I would suppose so." Was all he said, before looking back to Rin. "I'll return back to the main castle and see if I can manage to find that disobeying bitch, as well as get in touch with the princess."
He turned to Ishimaru again, and drew closer so that he was grabbing the demon under his chin and squishing his cheeks playfully.
"You remember to play nice with our little guest." He reminded him, Ishimaru's eyes darting momentarily to the pale child hanging from his wall. "Things seem to be getting lively back at the palace, so I would advise you to stay alert and at the ready. We may be moving sooner than we had originally planned."
Ishimaru made a sound that Naraku took as some sort of agreement, and the hanyou nodded in satisfaction. Then he was gone in a billow of miasma, leaving the badger and Rin alone in the room. Ishimaru looked to the child one last time, before he turned away, pouring himself one last drink.
Sipping the sake slower than it was meant to be, he contemplated their next move. He was certain that Naraku couldn't be trusted himself, and he had been taking precaution, setting up the necessary measures to address it.
He had many loyal accomplices within his own clan, which he had already given the full version of what had been going on, and how and why his father had died. They had agreed with him. Mujina had been weak and his fall could not have been avoided. He looked to where his father's ashes sat and walked over it so that he could smooth a hand over the curve of the urn in an intimate way.
"I will prove it, Otousan." He murmured, bowing his head at the remainder of his father. "I will prove that our clan deserves its rightful place as ruler of the Western Lands."
The knock at his door had him bidding the visitor to enter without even checking to see who had come. Though his back was turned, he knew that whoever crossed over the threshold into his room was bowing, and he merely waited for the report he knew was coming.
"Ishimaru-sama!" The newcomer began. "Your suspicions have been confirmed."
"How many has he sent?" He questioned without turning to face him.
The soldier straightened from where he had been fully bowed to the floor, so that he was now merely on his knees.
"Twenty, my lord." Came the answer. "Ten with Shirogitsune and the rest with Lord Kouga. We could not follow Kouga and the ten with him to his pack, but Shirogitsune has sent one separate from the rest and has left the rest behind, having gone off on his own."
"And?" He pushed, just wanting the demon to get to the point.
"They are readying to stop the marching troops of lizard youkai." He announced, Ishimaru finally turning to face him. "What they plan would significantly lower their number of troops and successfully stall them long enough for Inuyasha to turn the advantage."
"Well, we can't have that now can we?" Ishimaru said, resting his now empty sake cup back with the rest of the porcelain service.
He slowly made his way to wear his armor, gifted by his father, had been waiting patiently on display. He didn't ask, but the soldier was there to help him place it on, and when he had been fitted with it, the sentry left and returned with two swords. The first was his own sword, another gift of his father's, which he had received at his coming of age ceremony. The second was his father's sword, and he had always admired it, the hilt embedded with his clan's crest cut from jade. He tied that to his belt as well and turned to face the sentry with a face of determination.
"Return to those that stay ready for my command and tell them we will strike soon. You will take them to where Inuyasha's men set up their barricade and you will do what you can to stop them. I will deal with Inuyasha. And go quickly, time is of the essence."
"Hai, Ishimaru-sama!" The demon said with a deep bow, and then he was off.
Left alone, the human girl aside, Ishimaru calmly tread over to the window that laid open in the direction of the Western Palace. He could see it looming in the distance, unaware of his devices that were soon to be followed through. The council was still probably talking through what could possibly be done, unwilling to take any action. Well, the time for debate was over. This. . . this was war.
xoxoxoxox
Minako sighed wearily as Kazue finally settled down for the night, the pup now nestled in his bassinet, small mouth suckling away at closed fist. It was a habit she was sure the prince would not approve of, but it was keeping him quiet, so she let him be. It was odd how upset the baby seemed to be, cranky and fussy since the earlier trek to the dining hall. Something wasn't right, and she supposed Kazue was picking up on it.
It couldn't be good, the saru knew this, as Rin had gone missing and a council member had turned up dead. It was only a matter of time before they found the young ningen girl's corpse, but she kept her mouth shut on that one. Ill thoughts usually turned out true, so she did her best to think positively. Rin would turn up, probably broken beyond repair and having gone through things a child should never experience, but she would be found. She had to be realistic, as she had heard of and had then experienced Naraku firsthand.
Shuffling away from the bassinet, she then crept over to room intended to hold the nursemaid, and sighed in relief again. Shippo had finally fallen asleep as well. The fox kit had tried his damnedest to stay up, wanting to wait until his adoptive parent returned. It would seem the kit was unable to stay awake. All the same, he needed the rest. His nights were plagued with nightmares lately, and any form of sleep he could get was a blessing.
She wandered back to the table where her lonely game of mahjong was still waiting, and comfortably seated herself in front of it, pouring herself a cup of tea from the set that was waiting there as well. She had merely taken a sip and had barely contemplated her next move when she felt the unmistakable presence that warned her someone was approaching.
The familiar strength and confidence, not to mention pride, was all she needed to feel to guess who was rushing towards the nursery. The only thing that set her alarms ringing was the undertone of anger and inexperienced youth. It was Inuyasha. She would never let the two brother's know it, but their auras were so damned identical that it only made sense why they were now mates.
She let the mahjong set sit idle for a while longer, knowing that anytime the hanyou actually came to her, it had to be bad. And usually, it always had to do with Sesshomaru. The two were both as stubborn as the next, and she could only wonder what the issue was now, and why they always searched her out to play mediator without actually asking.
Sniffing the air, she then began counting down the seconds. From his scent in the air, she gave him thirty seconds, enough time to finish what was left of her tea. As she sipped carefully, she wondered if she would ever get to finish this mahjong game at all.
As expected, after her last sip, Inuyasha came bursting through the door the moment the cup was rested down. She looked up at the young Daiyoukai, and found Inuyasha's face fitted with a frown.
"What, pray tell, has his highness done to upset you now?" She calmly asked, already knowing that the hanyou would probably blow it out of proportion.
"That stubborn, arrogant prick!" The hanyou shouted, storming in and slamming the door closed behind him. "After all I've done for him! All I fucking sacrificed, everything that I worked for, he has the nerve to tell me that shit!"
Minako merely waited, knowing that Inuyasha didn't have to be prompted, he would continue on his own. It was Sesshomaru that she had to encourage to share his feelings, though she would admit, he was getting better at it.
"Do you know he had the balls to tell me that I was useless!" Inuyasha boomed, Minako wincing. She chanced a glance at Kazue, whose little face crinkled a bit, but the boy didn't wake. Inuyasha followed her gaze, and quickly lowered his volume, thankfully. "That prissy mother fucker! Not one fucking thank you, just a gods damned attitude and the cold shoulder!"
He stormed closer, grabbed the tea set and poured himself tea, Minako praying the porcelain survived his anger. Inuyasha threw the tea back as if it were sake, and Minako rolled her eyes as the expensive cup was then crushed in his fist. Well, she supposed that she shouldn't have expected any less. At least that could be easily replaced.
"I don't understand what I did to make him act so fucking cold towards me!" Inuyasha blurted out, before he was beginning to pace. "I thought things would be different! Hell, I thought things were looking up after our fucking past, but he seems determined to be distant. What the hell am I doing wrong?"
"You're not being observant and you're trusting in him to open up for you." Minako answered, Inuyasha spinning to face her. "Think about it, boy. His entire childhood and most of his young-adult life, he's been cold and distant. And here you are now, melting your way into his heart and tearing down the walls he so meticulously set up. His first instinct is to retreat and rebuild. You're only pushing him farther back if you go storming in. Surrender and he'll slowly come forth."
"This isn't war, obaachan!" Inuyasha reminded her, but the monkey only shrugged.
"Well, treat it as if it is." She told him, grabbing the only remaining cup of the tea set and pouring herself more tea. "He'll come around, eventually."
Inuyasha scoffed, before he was walking back over and seating himself at the table with her. He slumped in his chair, face fitted with a childish scowl and his lips with a stubborn pout. Minako only shook her head, a slight smile fitting her face at his behavior, before offering him the tea.
"It's okay to be angry, Inuyasha-sama." She told him, Inuyasha only humphing as he snatched the cup away. "Mates will anger each other from time to time, but it's what helps them get closer as they work past it. You two need to talk."
"Well, he's not willing to talk!" Inuyasha reminded her, not really wanting the tea. "He wants to hold everything in, insult me, and keep me in the dark. What the hell is he gonna be like when we finally have pups? He might keep that from me, too!"
Luckily, he had chosen that moment to sip at his tea, so he missed the way Minako nearly dropped the small pot at his statement. The saru healer, sighed before resting it down carefully. It would be Inuyasha to have no idea that he was absolutely right.
"I guess I just have to wait him out, huh?" He said in a defeated tone, and Minako merely shrugged.
"Or play his game." She suggested. "Use his own tactics against him, if you must."
"Yeah, I ain't good at the cold shoulder."
"Yes, you are quite the emotional spit-fire." She said with a warm chuckle. "And that's why you're his mate."
"Me being his mate is a technicality. I'm beginning to think I was just convenient as opposed to actually being wanted."
Minako blinked, not sure if Inuyasha's vocabulary was improving or she was going mad. She looked at the tea suspiciously. Perhaps it had been drugged?
Her back stiffened as she felt a familiar aura again. Though now, the usual presence of apathy was replace with fear, perhaps down right terror. Sesshomaru was unstable, and she knew the last thing that the demon wanted was for his mate to be present. She had to think of something fast.
"Inuyasha, I would like to ask a favor of you."
"What?" He asked, now more mopey than angry.
"I seemed to have left my walking stick in the gardens. Would you fetch it for this miserable old wretch?" She asked him, Inuyasha standing with a roll of his eyes.
"At least your beginning to realize the truth about yourself." He said, ducking out of the way of a mahjong tile aimed for his head. "Be right back."
She watched him disappear out the doors that led to the gardens, and none too soon. Not too long after he had gone, Sesshomaru entered, youki in a panicked frenzy and his emotions fluctuating so drastically Minako was actually beginning to feel nervous.
"Good heavens, child!" She exclaimed, standing and hobbling over to lead him inside. "What on earth has gotten into you? Are you going mad!"
She stopped as Sesshomaru grabbed her hand and rested it low on his abdomen.
"It stopped!" He was gasping out, jaw tight with worry. "I can't feel it, it stopped! Something is wrong!"
Minako hushed him before he could begin panicking and had him sit on a daybed, smoothing his now ruffled hair back.
"Breathe child, and be calm!" She ordered him, noting his rapid breathing and trembling. He was down right terrified, and she hoped this was an overreaction more than it was what she dreaded. "I shall see."
With Sesshomaru quieted, if only a bit, she sat beside him pressing her fingers gently into his stomach. His womb had been slowly forming, but there were no signs of it having stopped. Still, the aura she could feel before was hard to read. She didn't want to think that it was gone, because that would devastate the inukai more than he would verbally admit. He had put on a front that he was unhappy that the Daiyoukai had impregnated him again, but she was able to tell differently.
Relentlessly, she poked and prodded, but was unsuccessful. Not willing to give up, she stood and bid him to lay back. Slowly, and a bit painfully, she lowered to her knees, before opening his yukata until his stomach was exposed. Gently she rested her ear to it, using her own chi to amplify the sound. It was difficult, but she had to ignore the usual sounds of organs working, as she strained to her recognizable resonance of growing aura.
Sesshomaru waited on bated breath, eyes staring straight up as if not looking at Minako would change the results that he feared. His heart hammered, and his youki twisted in agony and premature despair. He wouldn't believe or assume anything until the midwife had confirmed it.
His stomach tightened in knots as Minako finally lifted her head and struggled up off of her knees. She continued her physical, checking his pulse, his temperature, and last his eyes. Her eyes connected with his and Sesshomaru felt the stone drop in the pit of his stomach before she could even begin talking. He sat up, to help divert his attention away from her revealing eyes and trying to fight the wave of nausea that hit him.
"I have done my best to see what I am able to read." Minako's solemn voice began, neither hearing the garden doors slide open. "It would seem that the child's aura is weakening. I'm afraid your pup is dying."
Sesshomaru suddenly felt faint and he leaned forward, trying not to heave. He felt Minako rest a hand on his shoulder in comfort, but it did nothing to help him. He hadn't wanted this. He had been angry yes, but not so angry to wish this.
"It would seem your body is still too weak and your youki was too eager. Your pup was forming on its own strength, but without your youki's support, your body is terminating the pregnancy. Perhaps, it was best that Lord Inuyasha did not know of this. It would truly have hurt him deeply to know his first child was lost."
"You're pregnant."
They two looked to the garden doorway, where Inuyasha stood frozen, Minako's walking stick in hand. The hanyou's face was fitted with a look of disbelief, his muscles coiled tight in agitation, and his eyes dewy with the unmistakable sign of tears.
Sesshomaru felt a second wave of nausea hit him as he realized that the hanyou had heard everything, and he turned away unable to fight it this time. As the previous Daiyoukai began to bring up the night's dinner, Inuyasha slowly walked into the nursery, amber eyes locked on the two full-blooded demons.
"You're pregnant." He repeated, stopping only a few steps away from them before looking to Minako with an accusatory glance. "And you knew, but you didn't tell me."
"Lord Inuyasha, it was not my place. He would have told you when he was ready." She tried to defend the prince, though she had wanted to let the Daiyoukai know from the moment she had discovered it.
"When!" Inuyasha shouted, causing the saru to jump and go silent, Sesshomaru now groaning in between heaves. "Was it too hard to tell me before the pup was gone!"
"My lord, please be calm." Minako urged calmly, hand rubbing Sesshomaru's back gently in the process. "Further stress can harm the carrier in this point in time."
The sound of her walking stick hitting the floor had her looking up and she couldn't move fast enough to stop him. She could only shout out in objection as Sesshomaru was grabbed by his mate, and dragged into a standing position.
"Why?" Inuyasha asked, angry eyes leering back at his mate and brother. Sesshomaru could only blankly stare back, eyes devoid of any sign that he was comprehending the single-worded question. "Why?"
Inuyasha received no answer, so he took to grabbing his lover by the shoulder and jarringly shaking him.
"Why!" He said more forcefully, before it turned to shouting, still shaking the older demon to try and snapped him out of it. "Damn it, Sessh, why! Why didn't you tell me!"
As the shaking became more violent, Minako stepped in, gabbing Inuyasha and dragging him off of the prince.
"Inuyasha-sama, enough!" She demanded, Inuyasha letting go of his mate with a frustrated yowl, tears beginning to stream down his face.
"You should have told me!" He was screaming, Sesshomaru having collapsed to the floor, silver tresses hanging haphazardly over his face. "I'm your mate, Sesshomaru! You're supposed to tell me!"
"Inuyasha, calm down!" Minako tried, using her lesser strength to hold the Daiyoukai away. "The last thing he needs is your hostility!"
"I have every right to be hostile!" Inuyasha boomed, pushing away from Minako. The table set up with the mahjong game went crashing across the room as he took his frustration out on it and Minako winced as Kazue began shrieking, having been startled out of his sleep.
She looked to see if Sesshomaru would go to tend to the child, but the prince was still on the floor, body shaking and shoulders moving in a clear sign of what he was trying to hide. The way his sides tensed and chest heaved was another tell-tale sign, and then she couldn't miss the drops hitting the floor. His hair wasn't able to hide the droplets, though it hid his face away well. She'd only seen the youkai do this once before, but then it had been caused by joy. She pretended as if she didn't notice, giving the young youkai some semblance of privacy and to be sure she didn't expose him to further shame.
She made her way to Kazue, lifting the shrieking babe up and trying to quiet him as best as she could. She couldn't help but look to the bedroom area, and regretted to find that Shippo was in the doorway, watching with wide and frightened eyes. She easily hurried over to him and shooed him back into the room, the fox kit reluctantly doing so.
"What's wrong with Chichiue?" He asked as she began closing the door to separate them. "Why is he crying!"
Inuyasha was too busy going on a smashing tantrum to have heard the fox's worried exclaim. His eyes were tinged red, claws and hands breaking anything they came across, and all the while his youki was fueling his anger on. Its devastation was his own, the two doubling and building and then finally bursting in an angry and yet broken howl, that had the very foundations trembling.
Collapsing himself, Inuyasha couldn't help the heaving sobs that escaped him, his fist crashing down to break the floor in his anger. Though this time it was directed at himself. He couldn't even stop himself from crying like a little kid. Maybe it was because he was so weak that his own mate wouldn't tell him of their pup. It wasn't as if he could have protected it, anyway. It was dying and it seemed like there was nothing he could do.
It dawned on him then, that that was where his anger was truly coming from. There was nothing he could do. So, in turn, Sesshomaru was right. He was useless, weak and wasn't worth anything. His fist raised and came crashing down again, further splintering the floor and shredding up his hand into a bloody mess. He welcomed the pain, as it did numb the one he felt in his heart, if only a little.
When his sobbing had calmed, he looked up with blood shot eyes to his mate, who was still on the floor, trembling arms holding him up so that he wasn't completely lying down. A closer look had his throat tightening as he recognized the familiar jerks Sesshomaru's body gave, reminiscent of someone who was sobbing.
Slowly he stood, walking over to his mate before kneeling in front of him. His hands reached out, but Sesshomaru jerked away, Inuyasha pausing for a moment before trying again. He was able to grab hold of Sesshomaru's face, shocked to find it wet, and he gently lifted it, the silver strands moving weightlessly to reveal the hidden face.
Amber eyes looked with the same liquid gold, and Inuyasha couldn't fight the lump in his throat as Sesshomaru's tortured and devastated face peeked through. He had never seen his brother this way, had never dreamed of it, and now here he was. He had always wondered what Sesshomaru looked like when he cried, and now that he saw it, he didn't like it.
"Otouto." The word was a whispered sob. Inuyasha carefully brushed aside the strands of hair that were still in his brother's face, before his hand was stopped by a trembling hold on his wrist. "I'm sorry."
Inuyasha watched as Sesshomaru bowed his head again, sobs louder now and settling an uncomfortable feeling in his gut. He really didn't like it when his brother cried. It was just wrong, stoic or not, it was something Sesshomaru should never have to do.
"I should have told you." Came the sobbed words, Sesshomaru's head hanging lower in shame. "I'm so sorry, otouto. Please forgive me."
Inuyasha couldn't help himself as he pulled Sesshomaru closer, so that he could wrap his arms around his mate, feeling the older demon sob into the fabric of his kimono.
"It's my fault." Sesshomaru went on, hands clinging to the fabric in front of him. "I was too weak, too stupid. I can't save it! I can't save our pup!"
Inuyasha tried to shush him as his brother begin to endlessly blame himself, Sesshomaru eventually becoming so close to hysterical that Inuyasha had to shake him again just to snap him out of it.
"Enough!" He hissed out, staring back at Sesshomaru with a frown. "It's not your fault! I'm sorry I got so upset! You should have told me, I was angry that you didn't, but I don't blame you for this! You didn't do this! It's okay, Sesshomaru."
"I'm sorry." Sesshomaru continued on like a mantra, head shaking slowly and numbly, eyes still leaking tears. "I'm so sorry, Inuyasha!"
Inuyasha only pulled him forward to kiss him on the forehead, feeling his youki reach out for his brother's. He pulled his mate closer, continuing to rain kisses over his Beta's face, before tucking his head beneath his chin and merely holding him close as he cried. His own tears had started up again, and he closed his eyes hoping that it would stop them from falling.
"It's not your fault." He told his brother again. "I shouldn't have gotten so angry. It's okay, I forgive you. Don't blame yourself. It isn't your fault."
"You're in your right to be angry." Sesshomaru was mumbling out, sobbing seeming to slow down to quiet tears. "I deserve your hatred."
"Stop it!" Inuyasha demanded, pulling back to look his mate in the eye. "I don't hate you, Sesshomaru! I don't, okay! I love you! Don't you get it, yet! I love you!"
Sesshomaru stopped numb in a stupor, his eyes looking back at his brother in disbelief, not exactly sure if he had heard correctly or if in his sudden madness was beginning to hear things.
"It would be cruel to lie at such a moment, otouto." He said, unaware that he was saying it out loud.
"Don't be stupid!" Inuyasha reprimanded him, pulling the two close together again, nose nuzzling in his brother's hair before he was raining kisses on his face again. "Aniki, I love you."
Sesshomaru pulled his brother closer, if that were possible, burying his face in the crook of his neck as his body shook with silent sobs of relief. His youki pined and yearned near the surface, and he let it slip just this once, knowing it was hurting as much as he was. It would do what was necessary to begin fixing things that seemed broken beyond repair.
Inuyasha had tried to reign in his own youki, but found it difficult with Sesshomaru's youki now released and in control of his brother's body. With a warning to his other half, he slowly gave over control, slipping back in his subconscious as his demon side emerged.
Two pair of red-colored eyes lifted to look back at each other, the two demons clinging to each other desperately as if letting go would make the confession null and void.
"I am not worthy, my mate." Sesshomaru began, submissively licking and nipping at the underside of Inuyasha's jaw.
Inuyasha only rumbled out a growl in response, lifting his mate so that he was straddling his lap, a hand burying in silver locks to hold his head steady. His mouth took his mate's in a kiss, the older of the two eagerly kissing back, arms wrapping about Inuyasha's shoulders to bring them as close as possible.
When they finally broke apart, Inuyasha gently pulled on his brother's hair until the demon's head was tilting back, neck arching in display for him. His mouth attacked the skin there, teeth nipping and tongue tracing over the length of his neck, before he came to the juncture where his mating mark lay. Carefully, he brushed his lips over it, marveling in the shudder that coursed through his mate's body. His free hand reached up to untie the sash that was holding the yukata closed.
Sesshomaru was panting as a hand was roaming over his now exposed chest, and his eyes slipped closed as he merely enjoyed the sensation of his mate touching him. His breathing hitched and his muscles tightened as the hand stopped on his stomach, and he could barely stop the stray tears that fell from the corners of his eyes which slowly opened again.
"In due time, you will bear me another." The younger inukai said, Sesshomaru pulled closer so that the words were whispered into his ear. "Let me share the hurt, for it was my loss as well."
Sesshomaru could only cling tighter, nodding in agreement before resting his head against his mate's shoulder and collapsing into the comforting hold. He shuddered as he felt their aura's join, merging until they felt as close to one being as was possible. The relief that poured over him drained away the last of his energy, and he let himself slip into unconsciousness, almost certain that he was going mad. For as he fell into darkness, his and his mate's heartbeat lulling him, he could of sworn he heard a third.
xoxoxoxox
The nine demons that had been left behind tried to work as quietly as they possibly could, hoping to be done before the sun was up. The badger left in charge watched over the others, and also watched to see if they had been spotted. His plan was slowly coming together, but even this wouldn't hurt the evading army, but merely hinder them for a short moment.
"Taichou!" A soldier called and he gave his full attention to the demons now at attention.
"We've breached the river. Should we fall back?"
"Soon." He told them, walking up to a fallen log that was being used as a temporary beam. "I'll find a way to set this up so that one trigger knocks them all."
He looked up at the relatively low clearing that their quickly made tunnel gave, glad to see that it would hold until they wanted it not to.
"I won't have any martyrs, so I want to be sure we can go through with this without losing any men." He turned to the last remaining toad demon, the other having gone off with the wolf lord. "You, you'll stay by the river's edge and wait for my command. You're the least likely to drown if you're caught as the water begins to flood."
The toad saluted and then was off, and the badger turned to the rest.
"The rest of you, take a post at a vantage point that will leave you well hidden and wait for my signal. Prep your arrows, make more if you must, but you will be ready on my command."
"Yes, sir!" They chorused out, before breaking away and heading off out of the tunnel.
The badger watched them go before turning back to finish his task. He still wasn't sure if this would work, but there was no way he would let Shirogitsune or the royal family down. Badger he may be, but he was still loyal to the ruling clan.
"If they fall, we fall, and the Western Kingdom will crumble after." He murmured aloud to himself as he worked, the words of his clan leader, who he respected dearly. "Truer words have never been said."
It took him no longer than an hour to rig the masts as he wanted them, and with one last check, he left the tunnel to take his place and wait. A glance at the sky told him that morning wasn't far behind, and that meant the first battle was soon to begin. With a quick prayer to whatever deities answered to demon-kind, he began to sharpen his blade, wax his bowstring and count his arrows. He would be prepared for battle tomorrow, even if it meant his demise. The West was his home, and he would not let it be won by a mutinous ally. His sword and his life were for his homeland.
xoxoxoxox
Kagura grumbled to herself as she sat in the cold cell, her wrists aching at having been bound for so long and her muscles sore and cramping. She didn't like being held captive in here. Especially since Naraku was here, and she knew that he could tell when she was around. She only hoped that whatever harebrained plot he had brewing would keep him occupied and that Kana would actually have helped her out, if not only a little.
The little brat was Naraku's true and most loyal ass-kisser, so it was given that she would probably tell him where she was exactly. However, as Naraku had not found her yet, she was certain that at least Kana was doing that much. She sighed as she leaned back against the clammy cell walls, her head turning so that her eyes could look outside of the lone, barred window. The sky was turning pale, which meant dawn was approaching soon.
There would be a new moon tonight, and if she thought she knew Naraku well enough, he'd choose then to strike. The slimy bastard, he was going to use the hanyou's weakness against him.
She closed her eyes to collect herself, reminiscing on recently passed events and just how she had managed up in her enemy's clutches. Then again, as the saying went, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. She was certain that Inuyasha and his mate, (it was still weird to think of them as mates), wouldn't agree. She was still their enemy no matter how she felt about Naraku.
The same had to go for the wolf and his clan members. She had, after all, lend a hand in their near genocide. It wouldn't be unreasonable if they never trusted her again. She couldn't care less, she didn't need their help anymore, she had used them to get her where she wanted to be.
And yet, with his task done, that youkai general had protected her. Her brow furrowed in a frown of confusion as her eyes slowly opened. It was true, Kouga had indeed ordered that she make it to Inuyasha, but he had never specified how far the demon was to go in making sure her message was heard. To have actually stood up against Inuyasha and his mate, for her. It was stupid, that's what it was. And yet, she couldn't understand the small emblem of gratitude that emerged every time she thought of what had happened.
She scoffed, trying to wipe the memory from her mind. It was was stupid to think about it. What did it matter what some pathetic wolf demon had done for her? Her thoughts were interrupted by the heavy wooden door swinging open and she barely turned her head to watch as one of the guards standing watch walked in. He carried a bowl of rice and a small tumbler of water, that he deposited in front of her before drawing his sword. He gave a whistle of a signal, and the other guard walked in and then was kneeling beside her.
She wanted to laugh in relief as her wrists her unbound, and she carefully rubbed the circulation back into her hands, before looking up suspiciously at both guards.
"You'll only be unbound for as long as you're given to eat." The first guard told her. "After twenty minutes, you'll be bound again. Use the time wisely. Any hesitance or suspicious movement will cost you your head."
"How very hospitable of you." She remarked sarcastically, reaching for the bowl of rice.
At least it was still warm, unlike the cold and unevenly cooked grains Kouga's clan had given her. She began to slowly eat the rice, trying to not be unnerved by the guards watching over her with their swords drawn. She tried to stand it for as long as she could, but the silence was beginning to drive her mad, so she looked to her two keepers to distract her.
"If I may ask, when am I to be brought before the Daiyoukai and his mate, again?" She questioned, both guards looking tiffed that she had started talking to them. "I only ask, of course, so that I may know to ready myself for my almost certain death."
"You will know that when you are taken to them." The first answered, and Kagura nodded.
"I see." She said, taking another bit of rice with her chopsticks. She slowly chewed and then swallowed, before she was giving them her attention again. "I know I am but a lowly prisoner, but might I ask to be brought before them after the morning meal?"
"You get no such request, treacherous witch!" The first guard spouted, Kagura only shrugging.
"Very well, but please, send the Lord Daiyoukai this message."
They glowered down at her, and she finished off her rice and then drank her water until the cup was empty. Her eyes were then looking back and forth between them, her wrists held out so they can bind them again.
"Tell Inuyasha that I must meet with him before dark." Kagura said, as one stepped forward to bind her wrists again. "Tell him that tonight a new moon rises, and there are many dangers lurking in the dark."
"Is that a threat?" The guard closest to her asked, and she merely shook her head and offering him a smile.
"Merely a warning." She told him with a shrug.
The two exchanged wary looks, before they left the room, suspiciously glancing over their shoulders as they left. As the door slammed shut and the bolts tumbled into place, Kagura couldn't help the soft laugh that escaped her throat. Perhaps she was truly evil after all, but she did get a rise out of throwing someone off balance.
She heard shuffling near the high window, and she looked up only to freeze, her eyes widening in disbelief. Sitting on the outer ledge and staring in at her with blank eyes, was Kohaku.
"Shit!" She swore under her breath.
If he knew where she was, then that would definitely mean that. . .
"So this is where you're hiding."
She tried not to outwardly shudder in repulsion as she felt Naraku suddenly appear beside her, his breath cold against her right ear as he talked in to it.
"Kagura."
She flinched as icy fingers grabbed hold of her chin, and turned her head to face him. The dark hanyou looked back at her with a smug and triumphant look, his mouth fitted with a satisfied smile. She wasn't sure how to react or what to say, really. All she knew was that he would want an explanation for way she was here, and she had to think of one fast.
She couldn't help but close her eyes as his hand raised, but no hit came. All that happened was that he smoothed her hair out, tidying up the pins and single feather that the ookami hadn't realized could be used as a weapon or form of escape.
"Imagine my surprise when I realized you were here." Naraku began speaking, Kagura opening her eyes to look at him. "I do recall telling you to stay put, and yet, here you are. In the Western Palace and as a prisoner, no doubt."
Kagura steadied herself as the hanyou stared at her with a look that changed from nonchalance to irritated. She managed to not wince as he grabbed her chin again, this time with much more force, and jerked roughly to pull her forward.
"Would you like to explain this one, Kagura!" He snapped, the woman merely glaring back at him a bit defiantly.
"I am here with good reason, my lord." She managed to say calmly. "With Kana unwilling to disobey your command to merely await you, I had to find some way to come before you."
"It had better be a very good reason, you disobedient little bitch!" Naraku hissed, his free hand sending a sharp slap to her face.
Kagura held in the cry of shock that she wanted to give from the pain. That would send the guards in, and the last thing she needed was to have them see her fraternizing with the enemy she was supposedly here to help them fight against.
"It is, my lord." She said through clenched teeth, wanting nothing more than to have her hands free to claw at his eyes. The belittling bastard would get his soon. "It would seem that the lizard youkai of the South are marching to war against the West."
"Yes, I am aware of that." Naraku said, waving a hand as if to brush the subject aside. "If there is something else you wish to tell me, just get to the point."
"Inuyasha has sent for allies." She announced, not knowing why she was giving the damned hanyou the chance to gain the advantage. "Lord Kouga has returned to his pack, and he leads them here not as a wandering caravan, but as an army."
Naraku raised a brow at that. The wolf leader had gone, leaving his mate and pups alone. It gave the hanyou a deadly playing card that he would be sure to keep at his disposal.
"An army you say?" He said, standing and beginning to slowly pace. "Kouga surely isn't the only ally that that annoying little puppy is reaching out for. He must be desperate if he thinks to mistrust a peace offering. Tell me, are there any others."
"I only know of the wolf pack as I had come across them. Learning their intention, I knew I had to get to you to give you the news, and becoming a prisoner was the only way I knew to work."
"Pity they didn't kill you on sight." He said with a shrug, looking back at the witch who was now glaring at him. "So, tell me, what could you have possibly said that would prevent them from killing you?"
"I told them I knew of your plot and that I would tell them if they spared my life. They are desperate for an end to your schemes. They easily believed me and sent me here."
It was partially true, though she left out quite a bit, hoping the dark-haired halfbreed would accept it. Naraku spun on his heels to face the window, where Kohaku was still perched and watching. After a few moments of contemplation, he nodded to the boy and Kohaku went off, sent away by will alone.
"Kohaku will get rid of the guards, and you will be sure to return to where I want you." Naraku said, and Kagura only wished her hands were free so that she could tear at her hair in frustration.
"If I might make a suggestion, Naraku-sama." She began, Naraku turning to her, clearly enjoying the honorific. "I was told that I was to be brought before Inuyasha and his mate. I thought to use this opportunity to my advantage, to see if I may learn more on what the Daiyoukai has planned. That is, of course, if you agree."
Naraku seemed to mull it over, before he was nodding and snapping his finger. The shuffling at the window meant that Kohaku had returned at the signal, like a damned trained dog, and Kagura was glad for it. She couldn't afford to screw things up any further than they already were.
"Very well." Naraku said, walking closer to her and crouching in front of her. His hand reach out to trace the red marks that his hand had left on her face earlier, and then he was cupping her cheek. "However, know this. If I find that you have dared to jeopardize my plans, accidentally or not, I will make you wish that I had left you dead!"
Kagura clenched her jaw as her face was roughly pushed away, and she lifted her head to watch Naraku walk away. She couldn't wait to have the bastard get his. He would rue the day that he ever thought to resurrect her.
Reaching the window, Naraku turn to look back at the wind witch, his red eyes seeming bored as he did.
"Do behave, Kagura." Naraku warned her, miasma thickening about him as he began to depart. "It would be such a shame to waste such a pretty face and vindictive mind. I'll return to you when I need you again."
The miasma billowed out over the room, and when it finally cleared, Kagura was alone again. She coughed a couple of times to clear her throat of the rancid stench, her eyes watering as they were stinging. She hated that blasted smoke, or whatever it was, as much as she hated Naraku himself.
Her eyes looked outside of the window, noting that Kohaku was gone as well, and that the sky was getting even lighter. She hoped that sunrise could come faster, because now it felt that she was running out of time and the last thing she wanted was for the hanyou to gain the upper hand.
xoxoxoxox
The halls to the eastern most part of the palace were barely occupied, in fact, it seemed abandoned really. The only servants that traversed here were just those passing through, using it to get to another end of the castle. There were no active guards on duty and those that were there were passing through themselves. Hiromi nodded as two sentries passed her by with a bow and salute, before moving on to a room she had long ago forgotten.
It wasn't long before she was rounding a corner, and she found that this particular hallway had truly been deserted. Slowly, she trekked down it, her eyes taking in the heavy dust on the decor that littered the hallway, and the abundance of spider webs from the rafters. She came to a stop at two large doors at the very end of the hall, the wood carved into an illustrious design of a snarling inuyoukai in it's true form, plated with gold and painted with vermilion.
She glanced behind her, satisfied to see that no one had been following her, nor were there any nosy servants trying to peek at what she was up to. Well, not that it would matter, but she never did like any one in her business. Of course, she knew there were her two personal guards that always followed her out of sight, but other than that, she was alone.
Turning back to the door, she reached out to push them open, but hesitated momentarily. She hadn't been behind these doors in years, hell, centuries, really. She nearly blushed at the thought of when she had, but she calmed herself and took a deep breath. There was nothing to be so silly about. She had a purpose in being here, even if it was to satisfy her own curiosity.
With another deep breath, she pushed the doors open, the hinges creaking loudly and eerily as she did. She paused at the stuffy air that blew into her face as she did, and her breath caught as she recognized the scent.
It was dark beyond the doors, but her eyes adjusted quickly so that she was able to make out most of the furniture, but not the detail. Stepping inside, she closed the doors behind her and took to lighting lanterns about the room.
When she was done, she turned to face what was left of her late husband. It was no different than when she last remembered it, save the heavy dust. It was obvious that this room was never entered again after her mate's demise. Sesshomaru had kept to his own room, instead of transferring here as he was supposed to have done when he became Daiyoukai. And now that Inuyasha was Daiyoukai, she was certain he was not aware that this was his appropriate living quarters.
None the less, she was happy with that. It gave her the one last chance to reminisce and visit her past with nothing having been tampered with. She crossed the room to the work desk, still littered with unread scrolls and a half-finished document, her fingers running over the desk top, unable to hold back a small laugh.
She remembered this desk. During her short time here, she had gotten well acquainted with it. Well, her back did mostly, but that was so long ago. She picked up the quill that had been her mate's favorite, eyes nostalgically taking in the detail and color pattern. She rested it down, and then she was noticing a book she knew all too well. She picked that up, smiling down at it as she remembered reading it as Touga sat doing the seemingly endless paper work. That was, of course, only to give her a break.
As promised, she had returned during her heat to give him a child, and the two had been rutting nearly non-stop. Cold and stoic she may have been at a time before this, but her heat had brought out a side of her that Touga had cherished while he was able to.
Hugging the book to her chest, she headed for the bedroom, her eyes looking at the large bed where she had first given herself to the Lord of the West. It was hard to hold her impassive act in the presence of Touga for too long. He was such a handsome demon, strong, benevolent, and luckily for her, quite a good lover. He had been gentle and patient. Good heavens, had he been patient! She was stubborn as the worst mule, and he had put up with her until she had finally conceded to his persuasion and assurance.
She stopped before it, carefully lowering herself onto it, and laying back amongst the piles of pillows. Her chest ached as his scent overwhelmed her, never having faded after all these years. She turned on her right side, her left hand holding the book close to her chest, and her right bring a pillow closer so that she could bury her face in it. She was relieved to find that it didn't not smell of a human woman. She had known that the ningen princess had never entered the castle, but she had always wondered if it were true. Touga, though she had wronged him by abandoning him and their child to their own devices, had never disrespected her by bring another woman into his bed. True, he had gone to hers, but though dog demons mated for life, it was not uncommon that either mate had lovers on the side, usually shared between the two.
She closed her eyes for a moment, letting her thoughts go, and just let her senses take in what she could of her past husband. It hurt to know that he had died never truly receiving the answer to the question he had asked her so long ago.
Do you even love me?
She hadn't answered him then, when he had asked her. She had kept silent. Her eyes fluttered open, and she hugged the pillow closer to her, imaging it to be the mate she had lost so long ago.
"I had never known love." She softly murmured, as if he were there. "I was scared. You made me feel so many things that I had been denied and told were useless, worthless and weak. And I did hate you for it, but I could not deny it, my love. I did love you."
She held her tears at bay for as long as she was able to, and when they began to fall, she sat up, wiping them away as if there was someone there to see them.
"Make no mistake, I did love you. I was stupid then, but I shall not be so stupid now."
She stood and made her way to a weapons bureau on the opposite end of the room, opening it and finding the box that held a gift she had refused to take on her wedding night. Touga had kept it, stating that she would need it one day, as he was certain she would bare him pups that she would fight to protect. She had laughed coldly at him and promised that she would bare him nothing. That had obviously changed, and now she stood needing to do as he had predicted.
Her puppy was in danger and she would be damned to lose the only person that meant anything to her in the world. She pulled the top off of the gift box and stared down in amazement at the ivory sheath that sheltered the sword that Touga had gotten made specifically for her. Taking it in her hand, she studied the hilt, also made mostly of ivory and wrapped her hand around it before drawing the blade free. The metal gleamed in the dim lighting and as she pulled it free, it rang with the hum of demon magic that was so subtle she had nearly missed it.
It was hard to miss the designs of inu-youkai flying amongst the clouds etched into the blade, and she couldn't help but smile at the irony. She doubted Touga knew then that she would demand a castle amongst the clouds. She tested the weight of the sword, before she was swinging it about with practiced ease, the blade slicing through the air gracefully as she maneuvered it. She had learned many a thing from her late husband, and her few training sessions with him, she had never forgotten. She did put her own feminine grace into his forms, but it was his style none the less. At least when it came to swords, she was more of a hidden blade kind of fighter herself.
With a cry she was spinning, the sword swinging in a diagonal arch to come clanging down on another blade, stopping it from its intended purpose. Her face only held a knowing smile, as she met the familiar face of one of her personal guards, who quickly broke away and sheathed his sword again. Then he was on his knees in a bow, and Hiromi took his example, and sheathed her sword as well. It was safe to say that she liked it, and there was no doubt that she would be keeping it.
"Forgive my boldness, my lady, but I am happy to announce that your reflexes are still to be admired."
She only scoffed, before bidding he stand as she turned to tuck the sword away again.
"I suppose you have news for me, as you usually do your best to remind me that I am not constantly being watched." She said, turning to face him with a relaxed smile.
She had been smiling a whole lot more than usual. She wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not, but she would let it slide for the moment. Her stony mask would return when she was in public view again.
"Hai, Hiromi-sama." The guard said, standing and holding out a bound scroll. "The agreement you had arranged for."
Her face turned serious as she took the scroll on her hand and opened it, reading over the words before she was sighing and looking up at her personal guard.
"And?"
"Ships from Okinawa have docked further west at the coastline. They await your direct order."
"Very well." She said with a nod, tucking the scroll away and then picking up the gift box. "You both will go and await my command at the docks."
Another guard appeared, jumping down from the high rafters and bowed in understanding, Hiromi nodding at his appearance.
"Hai, Hiromi-sama." They both said at the same time, before standing and awaiting the rest of her order.
"Tell them to be sure that they are prepared for battle." She told them before sending them off. "It had been too long that our families have been separated. If it is war to bring us together again, then so be it."
The two guards were off with a final bow, heading out of the window and into the gardens. Hiromi watched them go, running side by side before they were bounding over the tall garden walls. They changed form in the air and soon they were two large inukai in demon form gliding across the sky. The were barely noticeable in the dark night, save for their eyes that stood out like red stars. Soon enough they were too far to be seen and Hiromi turned to leave. Making sure to return everything to its proper place, she looked about one last time before blowing out the lanterns and closing the large doors behind her.
She would visit again after all this was done with. She had to be sure that it would be ready in time. Her son's mating ceremony was due after this business of hebi-youkai had been dealt with, and she wanted to be sure that he and his mate had the proper rooms to retire to. After all, a Daiyoukai deserved nothing less and she was sure that Touga would have done the same.
With her sword tucked underneath her arm, she left the old room and memories behind. Her past may not have proved it, but she was determined to show that she indeed had loved and still loved her mate, by doing what was right by their pup.
T.B.C.
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