Save Me | By : Angels9191 Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 8166 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of it's characters. I have not made nor will make any money by doing this. |
[A million thanks to Dragonzombie, Lord Youko, Dantae, and Rae for the awesome reviews. I always love reading them and greatly appreciate any sort of feedback. Also thanks to those who've read/rated. There is a lot of description in this chapter, but it is so I don't have to go over it all again in the future ;^_^ There's a tiny lemon at the end as a reward for reading though! Thanks, and as always, please enjoy] Chapter 8 – Arrival The pair traveled for another 3 days, and on the morning of the fourth they reached the Castle Inu. The great building came into view as they climbed over an outcrop of rock and could see over the treetops to the mountain perched palace. Kitaru stopped in his tracks and gaped at the sight. He had been expecting a fortress, something black and ominous, but the castle was the complete opposite. Its base was made of natural stone that looked as if it were growing right out of the mountainside. Smooth white wood made up the pristine walls of at least 8 stories, each tier smaller than the one under it. Shorter buildings of 5 and 3 stories surrounded the central castle, the complex spilling down the shallow side of the mountain. Every building had the curved roof common of Japanese castles, the corners curling into points, and the color of the roofs was a cornflower blue. Sesshomaru stopped as well and gazed with mixed feelings at the castle. It was his home, after all. He’d grown up there, as had 7 generations of his family. Castle Inu was a cultural and political hub, where treaties were made and war was declared, sometimes all in the same day. In his younger days Sesshomaru had loved the turbulent and unpredictable nature of the place. He’d spent hours gathering gossip and causing plenty himself, sometimes for an end, sometimes just for fun. Then his father had died. And everything had changed. He’d avoided the castle since then, not feeling right within its walls without Inu no Taisho’s presence. Sesshomaru felt right coming back now. The castle felt as if it had been waiting for him. He moved on, finding the white stone path that lead through the sprawling trees and entered the outskirts of the palace complex. The path dipped down into the small valley that contained the complex, and all but the highest tower was hidden from view by the ancient oak trees surrounding the castle. Kitaru followed close to his master. A large section of his tail was wrapped in white bandages around where those boys had tied it in a knot, though he was almost completely healed and could probably take them off now. He might suggest it to his master later. The three days of travel, though enough time for his tail to heal, hadn’t done much to quell his confused thoughts, especially since Sesshomaru had been oddly distant with him during the final leg of the trip. He’d given him his punishment of 20 lashes each night, and had allowed him to sleep on his master’s fur, but the lord hadn’t seemed to desire him in any other way. Was he not attractive to the youkai now that he’d let himself be taken by a gang of filthy human boys? But… then why didn’t Sesshomaru just leave him there? Why hadn’t he sent him away already? Kitaru still felt a shiver travel down his spine at the thought of what Sesshomaru had said to him when he’d finally rescued him. No one was allowed to touch him. It seemed his body wasn’t his anymore. Should be more upset by this? If he should, he couldn’t seem to bring himself to find too much of an issue with it. Wasn’t this what he’d always wanted? A place where he belonged, or at least, where he wasn’t completely useless? Though, anything was better than that horrible place he’d left behind. His blush was starting to return as they neared the palace. He was still completely nude, and was starting to wonder if Sesshomaru would ever grant him clothes. The path twisted and turned back on itself, and there were times when Sesshomaru completely ignored the path in favor of just walking through the trees. Buildings started to appear among the trees, nicer than any building Kitaru had ever seen, and all with the same white and blue theme. He could hardly imagine what it would be like once they actually entered the castle. Though he couldn’t see them, the fox could smell the strong scent of other youkai. All were more powerful than him, but none were anywhere close to his master. He wondered if they simply weren’t out at the time, or if they hid intentionally from Sesshomaru. The path grew quite steep before reaching a hulking, white stone wall that stretched out to either side into the forest as far as the eye could see. Kitaru guessed that it surrounded the entirety of the main castle grounds, though it was probably only for looks since most demons could hop right over the 20 foot wall. Sesshomaru strolled through the three entrance gates before they entered the final walk. The demon’s face became even more distant as they walked down the white path, which split the great stretch of manicured lawn that surrounded the main castle complex. Cherry blossom trees dotted the landscape in graceful disarray, allowed to grow wild and unkempt over the clipped grass. Kitaru looked around, eyes wide. He couldn’t help his amazement as the castle towered over them. The building looked like it had been there forever and like it would stay there forever. He followed closely behind Sesshomaru, his tail once again wrapping around his body to try and hide himself as they passed between two motionless guards positioned on either side of the large entrance. The wooden doors seemed to open on their own to allow the pair entrance into the magnificent palace. The main foyer was well lit with natural light from the many windows and the glow of sunlight through paper sliding doors. Symmetrical hallways lead off into the many parts of the castle on either side of them, and a large staircase zigzagged up to the second floor at the back of the foyer. Dark hardwood coupled with natural white paper gave the room a rich, welcoming feel, while the subtle décor and perfect attention to detail subtly hinted the place’s true wealth and power. A small army of servants awaited Sesshomaru, all of them already bowing low. A female raccoon demon straightened first, a pleasant smile on her face. She was slight of build and had her black hair pulled back in a severe bun. She wore a practical yukata with short sleeves and hardly any decoration. She kept her eyes downcast in respect as she said in a rich voice, “My lord, welcome home.” Kitaru hid behind Sesshomaru, his blush flaring up again. The castle reeked of demonic energy. The place was filled with it, and it made him nervous and jumpy. If he weren’t so proud, and if he didn’t want to look even weaker, he’d be clinging to his master’s leg. “Yuka,” Sesshomaru rumbled, and Kitaru swore he heard fondness in his voice. “Prepare two baths.” Yuka dipped down in another bow as two girls scurried off to fill the lord’s command. The raccoon demon straightened again, “My lord, Takahiro-sama desires an audience.” “Immediately?” “As soon as is convenient for my lord,” Yuka replied. “Very well. Tell Takahiro I will speak with him after I am settled and have taken care of some personal business,” Sesshomaru replied mildly, not looking at the fox, but Kitaru heard the different tone that implied the personal business was about him. He gulped, and tried not to fear whatever this ‘personal business’ entailed. Yuka dipped down once more at this, “Is there anything else my lord desires?” “That will do for now,” the Inu-demon replied, walking past the woman and her battalion of servants. Kitaru trailed closely after, keeping his eyes down to the floor. He felt the servants all staring after them as they headed for the stairs and into the heart of the castle and couldn’t help feeling angry again that he had be completely naked in front of all these strangers. He knew he was weaker than all of the residents of the castle, but this just rubbed salt into the wound. He’d survived by acting tougher than he really was, and the vulnerability at being exposed in a place where any one of these demons could easily kill him as easily as a snap of their fingers made his fear and anxiety worse. Did Sesshomaru just like to see him vulnerable like this? As soon as that question entered his mind his shoulders slumped, the answer so obvious it may as well have slapped him in the face. The pair traveled through the maze of hallways and corridors, and Kitaru was soon lost. He’d never imagined a building could be so big. The hallways were narrow, but didn’t feel confined, and continued with the rich, dark wood and white accents theme. After a few minutes of walking they reached the royal living quarters. They walked through a long hallway that was a little dimmer than the rest of the corridors they’d passed. At the end of the hallway was a paper sliding door that looked very solid with its heavy wooden slats and thick, specially treated paper. The image of a two-headed dragon had been painted on the door with simple, clean lines. Kitaru knew instantly that this must be Sesshomaru’s room. Why was master taking him here? Didn’t he belong in some sort of slave quarters or something? The demon lord walked to the door and opened it, the wood sliding quietly over the floor. Kitaru gazed past the man and couldn’t help his gasp. First of all, the room was huge. It was at least six times the size of the shack Kitaru had spent most of his life in, and the fox could hardly wrap his mind around how beautiful and clean and big everything was. The floor was completely covered in smooth bamboo mats and the bed took up a large section of the room to the right and was covered in a plethora of big, heavy looking blankets. Two walls had windows shaded with natural cotton drapes that softly whispered across the floor as a gentle breeze played with them. A heavy writing desk, large wardrobe, and an armor and sword rack made up the rest of the furniture. Kitaru instantly felt that he shouldn’t be here, this room was way too nice for someone like him to be in it. He felt dirty and painfully aware of how unworthy a creature like him was in the face of such grandeur. He didn’t say anything to Sesshomaru though, he didn’t want to bother the demon and add ‘annoying’ onto the list of his faults. The youkai walked in, slipping his boots off as he slid the door closed behind them. Kitaru felt even more awkward; his feet were filthy after years of walking barefoot. He decided he’d stay at the door so that he wouldn’t track dirt into his master’s beautiful bedroom. Sesshomaru noticed that Kitaru stayed behind, but didn’t bother saying anything. The boy could do what he wanted, for now. He walked to the racks and removed his armor with casual ease. The fox watched and was again amazed that the inu-demon didn’t look any less intimidating without all his armor. Lastly, Sesshomaru took the two swords from his obi and carefully set them on the sword rack, where they sat under a sheathed sword that was already resting there. At that moment the door to a connecting room opened and one of the servant girls came out and bowed low to Sesshomaru. She didn’t rise as she said softly, “Your bath is prepared my lord, as well as a tub for my lord’s guest.”
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