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Collision	By : AikawaAkihiko Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 42769 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 16
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA AND MAKE NO MONEY FROM THIS STORY

Chapter List
- 1-Collision
- 2-Pain
- 3-Hide
- 4-Unmask
- 5-Interloper
- 6-Restore
- 7-Settle
- 8-Declare
- 9-Embrace
- 6
- 7
- 8
Chapter 7 – Settle

Inuyasha wandered through the complex. It was still early as he had always been an early riser. Checking in on Shippo, Inuyasha saw he was still sleeping in his luxuriously big bed. The young kit unbothered by his new surroundings had fallen to sleep last night after chattering Inuyasha's ear off about his new room and looked unlikely to give up the comfortable nest of blankets and pillows any time soon. Not that Inuyasha couldn’t relate.

Waking up had been warm and soft and slow. Inuyasha’s mind had risen gradually from the depths of sleep like mist. It was a rare and treasured feeling for the inu hanyo. The surface he had slept on was like a pillow and his body had been cocooned in silk and feathers. Inuyasha had sighed, his mind alighting only the vaguest spark of consciousness and had rolled over into the well of warmth.

A shhh-nick had caught his fledgling consciousness and catapulted it to the surface. Inuyasha jack-knifed upright, instantly alert, if not fully awake. He had blearily focused his eyes and swiveled his puppy ears, searching for…something. They landed on the sliding door to the room. Inuyasha had blinked tiredly in realization. The noise, only remembered faintly by his half-conscious mind, had been the door sliding shut. Inuyasha sniffed the air for an intruder and scrunched his nose when all he could smell was the overwhelming scent of Sesshoumaru.

He had been in his brother’s bedroom, decidedly not where he had remembered falling asleep the night before. Red suffused his cheeks and the hanyo scowled at nothing in particular. The bastard must have dragged him in here from Shippo’s room. Inuyasha didn’t remember a thing about it, which meant that he had remained asleep. Asleep when that bastard had been lurking around while Inuyasha had been at his most vulnerable.

Inuyasha’s scowl had taken on a more confused cast. How had he not been instantly awake when his brother approached? His life until now had not been easy, to say the least. He had trained himself from very early on in his time alone in the forests to always be alert to the sounds, scents and youkai around him, awake or not. Forewarned was forearmed, after all, especially with his brother. With Sesshoumaru especially, he could often simply feel that Sesshoumaru was approaching and be wide awake and ready to defend himself by the time the youkai reached him. Yet, it seemed that despite all of his training and all of his previous experience, his instincts didn’t bother to inform him when Sesshoumaru was near last night. In fact, Inuyasha could smell, that the youkai had spent the entire night lying beside him on the bed, or at least in the room, without Inuyasha stirring once.

Inuyasha had swallowed his apprehension. He was sure it had to do with the fact that he was stuck with him as his seme. An image of the youkai’s face when he had reassured himself that Inuyasha had been ok after being locked in the spare room flashed in his mind. Sesshoumaru had been overcome by his youkai instincts at the time and unable to hide behind his icy mask. Fierce concern then satisfied relief had chased across his face, sparking reluctant warmth in Inuyasha’s chest. The sound of Sesshoumaru calling him “mate” in his low voice rang through his head like the reverberating hum of a massive bell. The feel of the youkai’s hands gliding over the hanyo’s body, as they did on the riverbank, ghosted over the hanyo’s skin.

Clearly, he was still asleep, his mind coming up with all kinds of ridiculous ideas. Hoping to distract himself with the start of his day, he had made to rise. He yelped when he attempted to extract himself from the bed only to discover he had cocooned himself in the ridiculously comfortable blankets and fell to the floor.

Inuyasha squeezed his eyes closed tightly and tried to shake the thoughts of this morning from his head.

Most of the castle's workers were just beginning the day's tasks. Inuyasha stayed pointedly out of the way of everyone. He had spent a lifetime learning how to stay out of people's notice and he had already learned the lesson of just how he would be regarded here by the castle workers yesterday. He wasn't eager to put himself in that position again.

The castle was a large complex, far larger than it had looked when they had arrived, and even then, Inuyasha had been able to see that it was the biggest building he had ever seen. At its tallest, the castle was six stories high, an incredible sight for someone used to the low huts, two story family dwellings, and spread out manors of country villages and lordly estates. The castle grounds were full as well with all the ancillary activities that kept the castle going, such as the blacksmith, stables, and dragon pen. Inuyasha paused at the latter to shovel some feed into Ah-Un's pen and give the great beast a pat on the flank. He hadn't interacted much with the two-headed dragon on their journey, but Inuyasha figured that it never hurt to have a dragon on your side when things got rough.

After that, Inuyasha followed the sound of hammering that could be heard coming from the far side of the castle. Back in Kaede-baba’s village, Inuyasha had frequently been asked to help the weaker humans with maintaining the village. They would have him do the climbing and the heavy lifting. It had come to be something Inuyasha hadn't really minded doing. It was good hard work and the villagers seemed to appreciate him living amongst them more, looked at him with a little less disdain. Besides that, it had been kind of satisfying to help create things with his hands.

Therefore, he slowly made his way toward the commotion of builders at work.

Upon reaching the space, his ears perked in puppyish curiosity. Ten builders were hard at work at building... something. Whatever it was shaping up to be, it was going to be a big job.

"Oi!" A voice called down from the scaffolding above.

Inuyasha automatically scowled up at the builder.

"Quit standing around, down there!" The builder glared down at him. "Bring up some more boards! And my saw! Don't forget my saw!"

Inuyasha looked around him in surprise, noting the pile of boards and a small hand saw. Shrugging he collected the load and began to climb.

~*~

Xian-li's feet padded softly on the wooden floors as he made his way down the royal hall. He lightly knocked on the young kit’s door. He had already attempted to raise the Lord Consort, only to find him not in residence. He hoped the youngest inu would be together with his little one.

The young kit was alone when he reached it. Xian-li sighed, knowing he would now need to go searching for the high-spirited inu. Before he could leave, however, the small form being swallowed up by the massive bed heaved a sigh and began to stir.

“Good Morning, Little Master,” Xian-li called as he fully entered the room.

“Morning, Xian-li-san,” Shippo mumbled sleepily.

“Come on, up, up, up!” Xian-li urged as he lifted the fluffy blankets from the small kit’s body. “We need to find the Lord Consort. He has to prepare for his presentation to the council tonight.”

“Mmmokay,” Shippo said with a yawn. He scampered down the side of the large bed. “Where’s Inuyasha?”

“That’s what we have to find out,” Xian-li restated patiently, guiding the kit out of the room with a gentle hand on his head. “The Lord Consort seems to have taken the morning to explore.”

“Oh, ok,” the kit accepted with a nod. “Maybe he went to the kitchens. Inuyasha always said that when you’re looking for a place to stop for the night, you gotta find food.”

The kit puffed proudly at remembering what his caretaker had been teaching him, before deflating and scrunching his face in confusion. “No, wait. The first thing you have to do is make sure there’s some place safe to hide. Then you find food!”

“Well, the Lord Consort has a bedroom he can stay safely in, so where else should we look? The kitchen still?”

“Yeah!” Shippo agreed with an excited wiggle, “And we can get some more of that meat with the sweet sauce on it like last night?”

Xian-li laughed and shepherded the bouncing kit out the door.

After nearly an hour of playfully searching the castle for the youngest inu, Xian-li and Shippo found themselves beginning the search of the outside of the complex. After stopping to let Shippo pet the two-headed dragon that had accompanied them on their journey – Xian-li had had to hold in some very undignified giggles at A-un’s disgruntled snort when Shippo had announced “Look, it’s Uh-oh!” – and watching Shippo stick his nose up at the idea of Inuyasha perhaps getting his sword sharpened – “Inuyasha wouldn’t be there! His sword never gets dull, ‘cus it’s really, really powerful!” – they found themselves in the back where the castle’s shrine was being built.

Approaching the bustling building site, Xian-li was relieved to finally find the missing Lord Consort. Inuyasha stood out easily, his fire-rat robes a slash of crimson among the undyed linen and cotton of the workers. Xian-li was unsure how to feel about the fact that the new, pregnant Lord Consort was working construction on his second day at the castle. The Inu was being gruffly ordered about by the more experienced carpenters, carrying supplies and tools back and forth to those who need them. The panda youkai knew, based on his experience with those willful house servants, that his Lord Sesshoumaru would be incandescent in rage if these lowly carpenters were abusing the Lord Consort, but Inuyasha looked content enough with the treatment. He decided that either way, it was time for it to stop.

“My Lord Consort!” Xian-li called up to the busy inu.

The builders paused in their activity, curious. To their knowledge, Lord Sesshoumaru had not yet taken a consort. Their curiosity turned to ever-growing horror when the red-clad hanyo that had turned up that morning to work turned to look at their visitors and huffed.

“Whatdya want?”

The builders stared and gasped. The hanyo turned to look at them curiously, not at all understanding what the big deal was. The builders averted their eyes respectfully, further bewildering the inu, before he turned back to the panda youkai.

"I must ask you to come back with me to your quarters, Lord Consort.” Growing more than a little amused now that he could see that the Lord Consort was completely clueless about why anyone would care that he was doing construction when he should be pursuing more courtly activities. “We have much to do today!"

Inuyasha huffed. "I'm busy! That bastard Sesshoumaru send you out here to fetch me?"

The carpenters, frozen on the structure, gasped. One unfortunate worker fell from his perch on a building platform with a thud.

Inuyasha blinked, startled at the extreme reactions of those around him. "Uh...ok... I guess I've got to go do other stuff." He tried to hand the mallet he was holding to the nearest worker. The worker rushed to take it, bowing as deeply as he was able while sitting precariously on the half-built wooden structure.

“Uh..,” Inuyasha shot the workers a startled, wide-eyed look and scrambled to the ground.

Xian-li pressed his lips together tightly at the bewildered look on the hanyo’s face before he collected himself. He bowed in greeting. “My Lord Consort, Lord Sesshoumaru informed me this morning that he was going to announce your mating to his administrators this evening, so we are to prepare you to look your best.”

Inuyasha crossed his arms and marched away back to the castle, pausing to let Shippo skitter up to sit on his shoulder and grumbling the whole way.

~*~

An hour later, Shippo continued nibbling at his lunch as Xian-li dragged a resistant Inuyasha to the bathing room. Again, the panda youkai drew water for a quick bath and let the inu slip in and wash without bothering him about it, Though, he had grudgingly allowed him to help wash and oil his hair.

The trademark white hair of the inu clan was also notoriously unruly, apparently. His mother had used to wash his hair with fermented rice water and, as a pup, he had gained comfort in letting her comb through his long hair with wooden combs and Sugi oil. Since his mother’s death, Inuyasha had had to make due and kept it as clean and neat as he was able with only his claws and water. He had thought that the tendency of his hair to tangle and knot was because of this, but the panda youkai had whispered mischievously that Sesshoumaru often growled frustrated over the amount of bother his hair caused as well.

“Come, My Lord,” Xian-li called from the bedroom chambers while Inuyasha rose from his bath, insisting on privacy. “We must dress you for tonight!”

“Hey!” Inuyasha stormed, hiking up his red hakama over his white hadajuban undershirt and leaving off his fire rat suikan top. “I thought I told you I could dress myself! I don’t need no one pervin’ on me when I can dress myself just fine!”

For once, Inuyasha was gratified to see the ever-pleasant panda youkai splutter in surprise. He bit his lip to hold in a grin.

“Oh, My Lord Consort, I would never!” Xian-li sank to his knees and pressed his forehead to the floor. Inuyasha’s amusement drained away, now vastly uncomfortable. “Does my Lord not realize that I am an Uke as well?”

That caught Inuyasha up. He gaped. “W-what? Really?”

Xian-li peaked up at him before raising his head to look the inu in the face. Seeing that he truly hadn’t known the panda youkai cautiously regained his footing. “Yes, My Lord Consort,” he said with another deep bow.

“How do I know you ain’t lyin’?” Inuyasha asked suspiciously.

Xian-li now regained his amused twinkle. “Well, My Lord Consort, I would be glad to show off my mating mark, if it pleases you. It is, however, in a rather delicate place.”

“Er,” Inuyasha blushed blazing red, and responded rather weakly, “No, Tha-that’s alright. You don’t have to.”

Xian-li used his sleeve to hide his smile. He straightened and gathered the formal robes that had been made for Inuyasha’s debut tonight. “Come, My Lord,” He said gently, “Let me help prepare for the night. I would be correct in assuming you don’t have much experience in wearing such elaborate garments?”

Inuyasha’s face contorted into a mix between a cringe and a sneer. “Fine. And you can stop with all that ‘Lord Consort’ crap!” he grumbled. “Damn nobles and their hoity-toity robes. How the hell am I supposed to move wearing all that?”

Xian-li had no answer for him but smiled at his continued grumbling. He waited patiently as Inuyasha removed his clothes, his movement’s rough with embarrassment. He searched for something to distract himself.

“So, uh, what does your mate do?” He work for Sesshoumaru too?”

“Oh, no, My Lord. He remains back in the Chinese mountains,” Xian-li answered with a gentle murmur as he helped Inuyasha into the thin white under-robe. “Once we had completed our mating period, I moved on from his territory.”

Inuyasha’s head whipped around to look at the panda youkai. “It ends? I thought it was for life!”

“Some youkai have different mating practices than others. Some are like the inu’s, wolves, and foxes in that they will take a mate and will remain with them for life.”

Inuyasha fought off the burst of disappointment that moved through him. He knew he wasn’t that lucky.

“Others, like Suki in the kitchens – she’s a snake youkai – have multiple mates at once. Suki has four mates! And she says she’s considering looking for one more!”

Inuyasha gazed up at the panda youkai with wide, innocent eyes. Four mates? That sounded like torture. Inuyasha couldn’t imagine being at the center of all that attention. Why would anyone want that?

“There are youkai that mate for a period of time, either until their pups are old enough or they simply tire of each other, and then move on to find a new mate. That’s how that old kuma youkai Umeko-baasan, one of the housekeepers, does it.”

Inuyasha, shook his head in wonder. He couldn’t imagine wanting to go through all this again.

“Then there are those that mate, raise children or don’t, then they are done. No more mating. That’s the way of panda youkai.”

“Lucky,” Inuyasha murmured, looking up at the panda youkai from underneath his lashes.

“Oh, it is simply the way we are meant to be, just as you were meant to be mated to a strong seme and be taken care of for the rest of your life.”

Inuyasha sneered at the panda youkai and turned away. What did the big idiot know? “I don’t need that big asshole to take care of me! I’ve been taking care of myself just fine since I was pup! In fact, my life would have been a lot easier if Sesshoumaru had done the decent thing and just pretended I’d never been born! I’d have a whole lot less pain and blood loss if he had!”

Inuyasha was mildly surprised and gratified to see that Xian-li visibly considered his words as he began to brush out Inuyasha’s hair. It had been a long time since Inuyasha had felt truly listened to by someone that wasn’t Kaede-baba.

Xian-li continued to run the brush through Inuyasha’s tangled tresses as he finally answered. “While it is true that the ideal mating of the dog demons is that the uke is taken care of by the seme, it is also true that each mating is unique. It is spoken of among some youkai that the dog method, as they call it, is the most romantic and loving of the ways youkai love. It is considered by many as being the most stable with the two demons together for life to love and support one another, with the idea that two beings are inherently attracted to mates that complement each other completely. Back home on the mainland, we called it Yin and Yang. An uke would be the Yin to his seme’s Yang, the moon to his sun, and together they would become a unit more powerful and indomitable than they could ever be apart. It is why the ruling class usually tend to be made up of youkai that mate in the dog method and the monkey method, as they call the way of mating with many at once. These matings form powerful families, the dog method through unity and the monkey method through numbers.”

Inuyasha watched Xian-li in the mirror as the panda youkai spoke, rapt with the looks of concentration as the youkai deliberated carefully over every word.

“But the dog method is also said to come with the greatest disadvantages. They mate for life, as I’ve said before, and that means that if a mating is not that ideal balance, there is no option to leave and mate another. Even without the intention to mate another, instincts prevent the pair from truly separating, until well into old age, when the mating instincts decrease. The only options for a mismatched pair are to work something out or live in misery.”

Inuyasha’s puppy ears lowered in defeat. He knew it.

Xian-li clearly saw Inuyasha’s distress because he put the brush down and instead began to comfortingly stroke the soft white hair back from the Inu’s down-turned face. “What I mean to say is that you and Lord Sesshoumaru have only just mated, Inuyasha. While that perfect complimentary mating is ideal, it is also very rare and even those require a period for the two mates to get to know each other and find how they fit each other. You and the Lord seem to have had a rather antagonistic past- “

Inuyasha snorted at the very diplomatic understatement.

“-but have you considered that perhaps once you get to know each other, you will discover that you are his perfect partner? After all, you have many experiences and knowledge, growing up in the lands as you have, that Lord Sesshoumaru could never have. As I’ve said before, I have only been mated the once and it was nothing so full of strife as this, but the way I see things, the only reason you would have to live in misery would be if you and your mate did not try to work together.”

Inuyasha searched the Panda youkai’s face. The warm marigold eyes showed back at him with sincerity. Inuyasha cut his eyes away and he grunted in acknowledgment.

“Uh, so, uh does Shippo have to get all fancied up for dinner too?” he asked with a smirk when the fox kit squeaked in surprised indignation. Up until now, he had been quietly sneaking into the powders and oils that Xian-li had brought out and not yet used on Inuyasha. The kit was a mess, having been trying them out, putting the white powder on his face and his hands were slick with oil he had tried and failed to wipe off on his pants. He had thought he had gone unnoticed, but the ever vigilant Inuyasha had been aware of him the whole time.

“Oh!” Xian-li recovered from the sudden shift in topic quickly, “Oh, yes. He-” The panda youkai cut himself off with a little shriek at seeing the mess the kit had made of himself and rushed over to admonish him, Inuyasha’s laughter ringing after him.

Inuyasha tucked the conversation into the back of his mind, a little overwhelmed at all that he had learned. He would consider it carefully. Doubt about Sesshoumaru holding any interest in working to live comfortably together crowded his heart but he had overcome greater odds before. Perhaps he could chance to hope this would turn out if not well then at least tolerably in the end.
- 6
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