Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

A lifetime of Illusions	By : deepa Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 18116 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

AN: This is a slight AU. I don’t know if I should call this
yoai or het considering that Inuyasha is a girl in this fic.

Give this a chance and tell me if I should continue.

A lifetime of illusion

Chapter 1

Sesshoumaru had never attended this section of the library before.
A small, cozy part of the enormous library that contained scrolls and
books that Izayoi enjoyed reading during her stay in the palace. As
he let his gaze wonder, he noted with mild surprise that those
scrolls contained theories of youkai politics, some contained
information about youkai culture and the sacred art of mating.

Izayoi’s interest in youkai culture intrigued him. For the
short period of time that he had known her, she had been a shrewd
politician aiding his father in court. Her mortality hadn’t
stopped others from fearing her chilling intelligence. She was
knowledgeable of youkai and ningen spells and she possessed enough
spiritual powers to put Kikyou and Kagome to shame.

Sesshoumaru knew that Izayoi was feared and respected. However,
that power was nothing compared to his father. That made the human
unworthy of his great and esteemed parent.

She had given birth to his brother, his mystifying, powerful and
annoying brother. Inuyasha even with his unworthy blood was an
immensely worthy opponent. However, there was something about
Inuyasha that just didn’t seem to fit. Something that added a
certain degree of falseness to him, that made Inuyasha intriguing to
him.

A façade.

Sesshoumaru being the silent observer that he was could see that
his baby brother was buried deep in the layers of a protective mask.
Somewhere in there was his real brother and Sesshoumaru couldn’t
see him. He had lost interest in the Tetsusaiga a long time ago, what
kept persuading him to seek Inuyasha out was in fact the mystery that
surrounded his sibling. All he needed…

His thought process came to an abrupt halt when he spotted
something odd. A scroll that looked relatively new compared to
others. It was lavishly adorned with delicate designs and a fine
golden silk ribbon. To Sesshoumaru it was obvious that Izayoi wanted
the scroll to draw someone’s attention or else why would she go
through so much trouble to decorate a single scroll.

His feet barely made any noise as he stepped forward and took the
scroll. The first thing he noticed when he opened the scroll was the
elegant calligraphy of Izayoi-hime. He settled himself on a settee
and started to read.

My dearest daughter Inuyasha,

I hope you discover this letter in good health sweetheart. I
hope and prey that life has been kind towards you. I know that you
may have been lost without my guidance, but how can I, a mortal, ever
wish to attain eternal youth that your father’s blood grants
you?

I imagine you are beautiful… just like your father knew
you would be. His precious daughter that he could never hold, the
only girl-child ever to be born in the Royal Inu-youkai clan for
eight generations.

That anklet that you wear in your left leg to conceal your true
identity has its limits Inuyasha. This letter is a warning. I
wish could have been there to tell you this personally however, you
were too young for this knowledge. I have placed a seal on this
scroll that makes it visible only after a hundred years from its
creation. I imagine that you are at the door-step of womanhood.

Forgive me my child for not telling you this earlier, there was
no possible way you could ever understand what I am about to say when
you were a child. The anklet you wear suppresses your spiritual
powers as well as your demonic powers. It was necessary to curb your
spiritual presence to hide that fact that you are a female hanyou.
You see, although females are extremely rare in your father’s
clan, they are strangely powerful. According to legend, one of your
ancestors mated a powerful dragon and the spiritual powers of the
dragon are only passed down to the females of your clan.

However, all your powers will explode into full maturity the
moment you slip into your first heat. My powers are not as strong as
yours Inuyasha and my spell on the anklet will be nullified once you
mature. You need to seek shelter then my girl. You cannot allow
anybody to mate you if you do not love him. You will have a lot to
deal with during your first heat, the surge of power and the changes
that your body will be going through will leave you vulnerable for a
while. You need to find a safe place to stay.

Don’t be frightened little one. I know this is a daunting
time for you. I know that you are scared of revealing yourself to the
world, but honey you have no other choice. You are the princess of
western lands. I know that I am not helping you curb your fear, but I
need you to understand. You cannot, will not mate anyone without
Sesshoumaru’s permission. There are people out there who would
deceive you, lure you into a false sense of security and during these
times Sesshoumaru is your best bet for protection.

However, if you feel that you need to hide this from
Sesshoumaru also, I want you to travel south. At the southern most
part of the Neko territory, I have an old friend. She is a youkai of
great power and one of your father’s most trusted accomplices.
Her name is Kaoru, she is a neko youkai. Stay with her for a few
years and learn all you can.

Forgive me my child for that is all I can do to help you. You
have your father’s strength and courage, remember that.

Love,

Izayoi.

Sesshoumaru’s brows rose in astonishment.

“How very interesting Izayoi-hime.”

He wouldn’t put it past Izayoi to come up with such a
cunning plan, however, the thought of Inuyasha being a female was
unbelievable. No one would have suspected, regardless of the hanyou’s
feminine name, they wouldn’t believe that a human would be able
to give his father a female child.

It was astonishing how effective the spell was. Sesshoumaru never
suspected that Inuyasha would be a female. She smelled masculine; she
looked and felt like any teenage male would look and feel like. Even
her voice was harsh and low. It was a perfect spell because there was
nothing feminine about Inuyasha except may be her eyes.

The Daiyoukai had always been baffled by her eyes. Eyes that wide
yet sharp and they were framed long, dark lashes. It was something he
had attributed to Inuyasha’s youth, now he knew better. He
turned to the large window and looked in the general direction of the
Inuyasha forest. A small, amused smirk lit his visage as he thought
of the fiery female that he had always assumed to be his brother.

‘A girl child… father would have been very proud.’
Now that he knew Inuyasha’s little secret, he was very eager to
meet her. He wanted to see the anklet for himself. That was another
example of Izayoi’s cunning. An anklet would be very difficult
to remove and not easy to spot.

Sesshoumaru turned swiftly and walked out of the library tucking
the scroll safely in his haori.

“Jaken.” At Sesshoumaru’s sharp voice, the imp
came running out of nowhere. It always amused him that Jaken was
available every time he called him, always ready to follow his
orders. The proud demon lord looked down at the imp and commanded,
“Get my mother’s chambers cleaned and ready. Summon
Madoka, the dress-maker, I wish for her to bring her finest silks
with her.”

‘Inuyasha will not lack anything here…’

“Your mother’s grand chambers sire? May I ask who
shall have the privilege to stay in them?” At Sesshoumaru’s
sharp glare, Jaken hastened to explain, “So I may know what
instructions I should give the maids, milord.”

The Daiyoukai narrowed his eyes on the curious imp, “I want
the chamber clean. When I return the bath house should contain
everything a female needs. Mother’s silk kimonos should be
washed and ready for wear. Have all the guards search the parameter
to look for any intruders. I don’t want anyone to linger near
the palace without my permission. I will personally interview a few
of the house maids; prepare a list of the most capable maids in the
household. Should I find anything lacking…” Sesshoumaru
left the threat hanging.

“I will ascertain that everything is to your satisfaction
sire.” Jaken assured; making sure he didn’t miss anything
his master said. Sesshoumaru’s mother’s chambers were
grand, almost as grand as his own chambers. It consisted of a study,
a personal bath and a large four-poster bed lined with rich furs and
silks. There was a big wardrobe with kimonos of the finest silk. The
chambers contained everything a woman would desire, from make-up to
beautiful mirrors, from expensive bejeweled combs to diamond
necklaces.

Someone important was coming to stay. Jaken was curious but he
knew that his master was not going to enlighten him regarding the
identity of the guest.

The wraithlike demon absently treaded his fingers through his
hair, ‘Convincing her… that might pose a problem.’

xx

Inuyasha shuddered in repulsion when she felt the sweat and grim
covering her body. How long had it been since she had bathed? She
didn’t like the thought of being unclean; however, they didn’t
have time to settle down. Naraku had been attacking almost daily,
showing rare signs of desperation. Even though they were just
puppets, her group couldn’t let their guards down.

Finally, they had some respite from that devious fiend. She
intended on utilizing it. Her whole body was sore from fighting and
she was sporting a few wounds that were not healing properly.

Moreover, there was Kagome. The human priestess was fussing over
her, seemingly worried about her health. It was true that she had not
gained any rest for a long time, but Kagome’s constant nagging
didn’t help matters. Inuyasha smiled a bit when Kagome’s
concerned face flashed through her mind. It was nice to have someone
worrying and fussing over her.

Kagome had been unusually happy these days. Not that Inuyasha
minded. In fact she was happy that Kagome was pleased.

The hanyou smiled, she knew that her friend’s happiness was
attributed to the sparkling diamond ring that adorned her left ring
finger. From what Inuyasha knew of human customs, it must have been
some sort of courting gift. Sango and Kagome had been gushing over it
ever since the miko came back from her time wearing it.

‘It seems Kagome found a mate.’ The hanyou
thought as jumped from tree to tree. ‘A mate…’

A wistful sigh left her coral lips. A mate… something she
was certain that she would never have. She had seen enough deceit and
betrayal in the world to know that trust was not something she could
afford. To live life and ensure that she doesn’t suffer any
more than she already does she will have to let go of that fantasy.

The fantasy to belong.

The fantasy to love.

That was not for her. She didn’t have the courage to face
the world without her masks. They gave her strength, hollow strength
but strength none the less. She lived for two hundred with these
masks, why not more?

She grinned when she spotted the hot-spring she had caught the
scent of earlier. Kagome and Sango were tending to Miroku and
Shippo’s wounds. She had told them that she needed some time
alone and was heading towards the hot-spring for a well deserved
bath. Kagome and Sango readily agreed, being unusually kind towards
her. She didn’t understand why, but she wasn’t about to
argue.

Standing by the edge of the onsen, Inuyasha spread her senses to
the maximum. When she wasn’t able to sense anybody nearby, she
smirked. She finally had sometime to remove her anklet and bathe
herself properly.

x

Sesshoumaru watched from as Inuyasha, in her male form bent down
and pulled the leg of her hakama up, revealing a thick silver colored
band surrounding her ankle. It was simple and inconspicuous; no one
would have thought that it contained a spell. The worn silver band
glinted in the sun as Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes on it. It looked
old and battered like some sort of cheap jewelry. For a person who
wore priceless fire-rat clothes and wielded a sword that sprouted
diamonds, that silver anklet looked out of place.

Sesshoumaru watched silently as with a small snap Inuyasha removed
the anklet. His eyes narrowed once again when the illusion shimmered
for a moment and dispelled. The Daiyoukai smirked in amusement when
those voluminous robes hung limply from her slender body, obviously
too big for her. Although she was the same height as her male form
was, her body was even more slender than it was in her male form.

Sesshoumaru hadn’t expected Inuyasha to look much different
from the illusion displayed by Izayoi’s spell, but he was
surprised. He wasn’t surprised by her beauty, the Royal
Inu-youkai were famous for it and Inuyasha was no exception. What
startled him was the mark on her forehead. As he had a crescent moon,
she seemed to have some sort of diamond-shape on her forehead. It was
the same deep indigo color as his moon.

With growing fascination, he watched as Inuyasha shed her haori
and inner kimono revealing her tightly bound chest. He raised a brow
at the lavender stripes that adorned her wrist, instantly remembering
that Inuyasha’s power had been suppressed by the spell. When
the girl moved to remove the bandages around her chest, Sesshoumaru
turned his head away. His honor didn’t permit him to see any
further.

He wasn’t sure what to feel on this matter. Izayoi had done
what any mother would do. With her vast knowledge of youkai society,
he wasn’t surprised that she took such measures to protect
Inuyasha. In fact, had he known that Inuyasha was a female; he would
have never let Inuyasha out of his sight. Regardless of his feelings
concerning their father’s death and it’s connection with
Inuyasha.

He would have applauded Izayoi’s genius. To be able to come
up with such a powerful spell that enabled Inuyasha to hide her true
identity for almost 200 hundred years was a show of brilliant skills.

He settled himself under a tree, hidden from Inuyasha’s
senses. His ears were attuned to her every movement as he sat there
pondering over the course of his actions. Inuyasha needed to read her
mother’s letter. It would be unfair of him to withhold
information as important as that. However, he was uncertain over her
response.

His thoughts were interrupted when Inuyasha started a particularly
feminine act. She started to sing while bathing. The Daiyoukai found
it immensely amusing, but his ears twitched at the soft tickling
words. His baby sister was obviously not a fantastic singer, but
hearing her sing wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, Sesshoumaru found
with very soothing. Her voice was soft and somewhat husky. When she
sang, her voice was nearly breathless.

Sesshoumaru smirked as he leaned back against the tree, letting
that soft voice surround him. Every time she struck an odd note, he
felt his lips twitch.

‘So perfect in her imperfection.’

He turned his head a little and caught sight of her. Her decency
was not harmed as she was submerged in the water up to her collar
bone.

He took his time to observe her features. Even without the spell,
she resembled their father flawlessly. Right down to the way her hair
formed wavy bangs over her forehead, parting in the middle to reveal
the strange mark. To his surprise, she wasn’t unkempt as her
male form was. It was obvious that she paid attention to herself. She
didn’t look delicate, even in such a vulnerable state, she
radiated power and confidence.

The Daiyoukai smirked. She is going to be a handful to handle.

Sesshoumaru noted how her skin gleamed like silvery moonlight,
even paler than his. There wasn’t a hint of tan on her features
which made Sesshoumaru curious. Izayoi had seen to it that her
appearance as a male was different from that as a female. That was a
very smart move. While, the male was disheveled, brash and arrogant,
the female seemed elegant, attractive and less childish.

That didn’t surprise him. All females seemed to have some
innate intelligence, a knowledge that was forbidden to males.

‘You may win battles against a female… but rest
assured, she’ll always win the war.’

That was what his father would always say. As a pup, he was always
puzzled so as to why his father would fear no one but his mother. To
Sesshoumaru, his mother seemed kind, generous and somewhat weak. She
wasn’t a royal demon. She was the daughter of one of his
father’s ministers. Her love and respect for her mate was great
yet she didn’t hesitate to openly criticize his father,
something that appalled the ministers of his court.

Sesshoumaru suspected that Inuyasha was somewhat like her. He knew
that Inuyasha was not kind, generous or weak, but she seemed to be
head-strong and defiant as a male, may be her real personality was
not that different.

The Daiyoukai narrowed his eyes as Inuyasha let out a tired sigh
as observed her wounds. “Those metal claws were poisoned…
but the poison doesn’t seem strong enough to affect me.”
Sighing softly, Inuyasha leaned back and looked at the sky. “I
wish Naraku would just up and die already.”

Sesshoumaru smirked at her exasperated tone. He didn’t
understand why, but suddenly their feud didn’t seem to matter
anymore. There were other things that he had to take care of; one of
those things was to protect Inuyasha at all costs. She being a female
immediately elevated her worth in Sesshoumaru’s eyes. He knew
how much their father had craved for a girl-child.

‘My daughter would be a princess whose beauty would
enchant every male and invoke envy in every female. You’ll be
there for her Sesshoumaru; you’ll take care of her even though
she isn’t your true sister. ’

He remembered his father’s words so clearly. It was as if he
knew that he would have a daughter, the first female in generations.
Sesshoumaru hadn’t believed him then. He didn’t think
that a human would be able to give his father a female child.
However, he was a little disappointed that Inuyasha turned out to be
a male.

It seems his father was right all along.

He wasn’t going to let Inuyasha head south. He knew she
would. She’d rather die than ask him for help. But for the
first time in many years, he felt the responsibility to protect
someone. He didn’t trust Inuyasha to be out of his sight by
herself. That was something he found very odd. He knew she was a very
capable and a dangerous opponent. That along with her odd spiritual
powers the Royal Inu-youkai blood allowed her to inherit made her
doubly strong.

However, Sesshoumaru didn’t want to take any risks. He
turned his head away as she made a move to stand. He listened as she
got out of the water and dried herself. However, his study of her was
interrupted when the scent of blood hit his senses. Wolf blood?

“Kouga…” Inuyasha hissed as she hurriedly put
on her clothes and snapped the anklet back in its place. “What
the hell is that damned wolf up to now?”

Sesshoumaru stood and followed Inuyasha discretely as the hanyou
swiftly moved through the forest, expertly dodging all the trees then
leaping into the air. Inuyasha was extremely fast when she was moving
through the canopy for trees, jumping from one tree to another.

Inuyasha burst into the field and took the scene in a single
glance, not bothering to acknowledge Sesshoumaru who appeared just
moments later. Calmly, she surveyed the clearing for causalities as
she drew her sword. Kouga had managed to get hurt protecting Kagome
from a rather large demon. No one else had even a scratch on them.

“Where the hell were you mutt?” Kouga yelled at
Inuyasha.

“Shut it, stupid wolf.” Inuyasha hissed as she settled
into a defensive position before Kagome, “Are you alright
Kagome?”

The miko nodded and let go of Inuyasha’s sleeve as the
hanyou jumped in the air to attack the large demon. The creature was
a three headed snake that seemed to attack rather slyly. He managed
to evade Inuyasha’s attacks as well as Sango hiraikotsu.
Inuyasha cursed as she kicked one of the demon’s head and
flipped and kicked another one. That move momentarily disorientated
the snake and she moved to use Kaze no Kizu to bring the demon down.

Just as she arched her body to bring Tetsusaiga down, the third
head of the snake sneaked behind her and sank its fangs into her leg.
She cursed hotly when she felt the burn of poison enter her limb. She
summoned every bit her quickly fading energy to cut of one of the
snake heads before her vision stared to blur.

“Inuyasha!” Kagome yelled desperately when Sango’s
hiraikotsu was easily evaded by the snake. The demon tossed Inuyasha
into the air with every intention of killing her.

He didn’t get that far. A bright energy whip sliced off the
remaining heads as Sesshoumaru jumped after the hanyou to catch her
in mid fall. He cradled the limp form of Inuyasha to his chest and
landed soundlessly on his feet just as the large heads fell in front
of him. He quickly noticed Inuyasha’s blood was staining his
side, yet it didn’t matter. What caught his attention was
Inuyasha’s feminine body pressed against his.

He briefly wondered about her luck as he saw her anklet glinting
on one of the snake-head’s teeth.

x

Kagome nearly stopped breathing when the demon had sunk his fangs
into Inuyasha’s leg, knowing full and well that he could tear
the limb off. When the half-demon was tossed into the air, Kagome was
scared for his life. To her it looked as though the giant demon
wanted to eat Inuyasha.

Her fears vanished when Sesshoumaru bothered himself to save his
brother’s life. Something Kagome found hard to swallow. He
didn’t seem bothered that Inuyasha’s blood was all over
his side, he was just looking down at the hanyou with an odd
expression in his eyes.

The way he was holding Inuyasha was different. The hanyou had his
face pressed against Sesshoumaru’s chest, his silver colored
hair nearly covering him. It was clear that Inuyasha was unconscious.
A single arm seemed to cradle Inuyasha perfectly.

“Ah… Sesshoumaru-sama… we thank you for saving
Inuyasha… umm… I think he needs some medical
attention…” Miroku stated as politely as he could and
took a step forward to take Inuyasha from Sesshoumaru.

The demon lord narrowed his eyes in slight warning, his grip
tightening almost protectively. The message was clear and Miroku
stepped back. “I’ll accompany you.” Sesshoumaru
stated, not bothering to explain himself. All of the humans looked
hesitant but he didn’t argue. Sesshoumaru was perfectly capable
of killing all of them when Inuyasha was not there to run
interference.

Kouga peered at Inuyasha doubtfully and looked questioningly at
the demon lord. Were his senses betraying him or did Inuyasha smell
like a female? There was no mistaking the new softness in Inuyasha’s
scent that left a sweet aftertaste at the back of his tongue. The
richness that was as smooth as honey. Instincts were telling him that
Sesshoumaru was holding a near-ready, healthy Inu-hanyou female who
smelled as though she was at the door-step of heat.

Delicious shivers assaulted Kouga’s frame as narrowed his
eyes on the limp body in Sesshoumaru’s grasp. He could feel his
fangs elongate and he licked them. Hunger bled into his eyes as
carnal instincts took hold of him for a moment. Rationality eluded
him as soon as the scent of her blood hit him, however, he couldn’t
ignore the obvious presence of Daiyoukai. He mind was jolted back
into control when he felt a heavy gaze on him. He lifted his head to
meet the Daiyoukai’s narrow-eyed stare.

When he mind finally caught up with him, he glanced suspiciously
at the bundle in Sesshoumaru’s possession. There had to be some
sort of explanation for this. The girl was definitely Inuyasha. The
scent was similar; the only difference was that it was slightly light
and lacked the smell of musk. Although the others hadn’t
noticed it yet, but the physical changes were apparent too, she was
smaller. Not lithe and muscular like Inuyasha he knew, but slender.
Her baggy clothes concealed her well for now.

“Wolf prince Kouga…” The demon turned to the
Daiyoukai in question. Sesshoumaru gestured towards the severed heads
and commanded, “There is a silver anklet caught in the demon’s
teeth. It belongs to Inuyasha.”

That caught everybody’s attention. Kouga knew that
Sesshoumaru wanted him to fetch the jewelry. Resisting the urge to
growl in indignation, he reminded himself that Sesshoumaru is a
Daiyoukai and belonged to a supreme youkai clan. He walked forward
and extracted the anklet. Observing the crude thing for a while, he
brought it to the other youkai.

Sesshoumaru nodded, “Keep it safe and follow me.”
Kouga absently followed the order, too curious to protest.

They all silently walked towards Kaede’s village which
fortunately for them wasn’t that far. They reached within ten
minutes. Kaede came out of her hut and seeing Inuyasha’s
condition, she ushered them in without any comment or question.

Sesshoumaru frowned at he entered the small human abode. It was
the first time he willingly came into a human’s house. It was
ironic that a miko was willing to heal a demon, although Inuyasha was
no ordinary demon. Sesshoumaru laid the girl down on the futon
without hesitation, ignoring all the gasps that occurred around him.

“What the hell!” Kouga exclaimed as his suspicions
were confirmed. There was no missing the change in Inuyasha’s
appearance.

“Dear lord… what is going one here? What sort of
magic is this?” Miroku questioned, shocked at seeing his long
time friend as a female. The question was directed at Sesshoumaru who
didn’t seem surprised. The Daiyoukai looked at the Kaede and
narrowed his eyes, silently commanding her to heal Inuyasha.

The old priestess met his stare levelly as though reading answers
in his icy gaze. Sesshoumaru raised a brow when her eyes twinkled and
she gave him a wrinkled smile. He came to an abrupt realization that
she already knew. She knew all this time that Inuyasha was a female.
That made him wonder why Inuyasha entrusted this obviously frail
woman with such a secret. Or was it that Kikyou knew and she told
Kaede?

He acknowledged the old woman with an imperceptible nod and
glanced at the unconscious hanyou.

“Come.” was all Sesshoumaru said to Inuyasha’s
friends as he walked out of the hut. Reluctantly, they left Inuyasha
in Kaede’s care and followed Sesshoumaru to an empty clearing a
little away from the village. He knew they had questions. He knew
that they didn’t believe what they saw. Sesshoumaru didn’t
what to bother himself by answering their questions. He would have
left it to Inuyasha.

The only reason he was willing to satisfy their curiosity was
because he didn’t want Inuyasha distraught after she regained
consciousness.

A distraught Inuyasha was a defensive one, extra cautious and even
more wary than usual. She would be difficult to convince to return
home as it is. He didn’t wish to indulge in a long argument
with her. Starting off on the wrong foot was the last thing he
wanted.

He stopped walking and settled himself on the ground under a tree
with Inuyasha’s companions. Sesshoumaru raised a brow at their
expectant expressions, mildly surprised when they didn’t
explode with questions.

“Inuyasha is a female Inu-youkai.” He started off
bluntly, receiving incredulous looks for his statement. Both girls
went wide eyed while Miroku turned pale. Sesshoumaru raised a brow
when Kouga slowly uncrossed his arms and looked at the Daiyoukai with
an astonished expression. “The Royal Inu-youkai clan finally
sired a female? From a ningen?” The wolf questioned in
disbelief.

“Izayoi-hime was of great spiritual prowess. She is the one
who created the spell that kept Inuyasha in male form for nearly 200
hundred years, masking her scent and her voice. The anklet I asked
you to retain earlier was laced with that spell and suppressed her
demonic and spiritual powers to a great extant.” Sesshoumaru
explained.

Kouga settled himself under the same tree as Sesshoumaru and
whistled in disbelief. “You are blessed Sesshoumaru-sama. I am
assuming that this information was hidden from you too?”

“Hold on a moment. I do not understand!” Kagome
interrupted, trying to conceal the desperation bubbling within her.

Miroku nodded in agreement with Kagome, “I am afraid you’ll
have to explain us in detail Sesshoumaru-sama.”

“I imagine that females hold high regard in your clan, don’t
they? my lord?” Sango questioned, looking at the Daiyoukai with
sharp eyes. “From what I have learnt, it is said that the birth
of a female in a Royal Inu-youkai clan doesn’t occur for
generations together.” Kagome and Miroku looked at Sesshoumaru
for answers but it was Kouga who explained.

“I think this started with when a Daiyoukai mated a spirit
dragon. The females become an extreme rarity in the Royal Inu-youkai
clan. Although each one of them possessed a great amount of spiritual
powers like the dragons did. Since then every female from that clan
is sought after, there are horrible tales about how other Demon Lords
would just steal them to gain strong heirs. Forceful mating is the
worst thing that can happen and many of them had to face that. In the
youkai world, it is an even more dishonorable act than rape.”
Kouga finished with a scowl of utter distaste at the last thought.

Miroku took in the entire information and looked at Sesshoumaru
skeptically, “Was that the reason why Inuyasha’s mother
used the spell?”

Sesshoumaru nodded, “Partly. Our father’s reputation
also contributed to it. I was not informed of this.”

“Or you would have been honor bound to protect her.”
Sango added, looking at Sesshoumaru in slight awe. “You are
putting an enormous amount of trust in us by telling us this, Lord
Sesshoumaru.” She pointed out.

The Daiyoukai narrowed his gaze at her but he didn’t say
anything. Kagome chose the moment to voice her question, “Mating
is like marriage isn’t it? How can a person force someone to
mate?”

Kouga frowned thoughtfully, “Unlike marriages, a mating bond
cannot be broken. The male can easily force a woman to mate him if he
rapes her. You see Kagome, to ensure that a bond is formed between
two mates; the female should be a virgin. There is just no way around
it. Total and utter devotion from both sides has to be ensured. You
are practically ruining a female demon’s life if you rape her,
but you are forcing her into a hellish life if you mate her after
that. There will not spiritual bonding if she doesn’t love
you.”

Kagome’s eyes widened at that while Sango nodded in
sympathy. “Inuyasha’s life was at extreme risk. As a
male, she just had a better chance.” The Taijiya could
understand. She was a demon slayer for nothing; she knew many things
about demon society. Taking a mate by force was the ultimate taboo in
elite youkai society, especially amongst the Royals.

The Daiyoukai took the anklet from Kouga and observed it, “I
found a letter for her in my library, and it was from Izayoi-hime.
The spell won’t conceal her heat scent; it will not survive her
first heat.”

Abruptly, Kouga cursed, “It is not safe for her damn it!
What was Izayoi-hime thinking? She should have appointed someone for
Inuyasha’s protection.”

“And who could she trust?” Miroku questioned,
understanding the gravity of the situation. “If anyone knew of
her secret, they’d most likely reveal it for various reasons.
The only person she would have been safe with is Lord Sesshoumaru. It
is obvious that he wouldn’t have been able to protect her while
he was establishing his rule in the Western lands.”

Sango nodded and turned to Sesshoumaru, “What are your plans
Sesshoumaru-sama? It doesn’t seem like you can ignore this.”

Sesshoumaru shook his head, “I will not. However, the
decision rests with Inuyasha.”

“I’ll take her to my territory then. She’ll be
the safest there.” Kouga said decisively. Sango nodded in
agreement while Miroku looked at Kouga thoughtfully, before smiling
at the wolf’s sense of honor. It was clear that Kouga didn’t
like the thought of not helping Inuyasha in her time of need. Judging
by the number of times Inuyasha helped Kouga, the wolf-prince was
honor bound to ensure Inuyasha’s has all the help she needs.

“As I said, it is up to Inuyasha.” Sesshoumaru stated
as he stood up. “However, I’ll be taking her with me to
the Palace of Western lands, if she accepts my assistance.”

“That is highly doubtful.” Kagome murmured, still
trying to recover from her shock.

Xxx

Inuyasha slowly opened her eyes when she became aware of the
stinging pain in her leg. She came to a realization that she had been
caught off guard by a sly snake. Instantly she became alert,
spreading her senses to track down each one of her friends. Much to
her relief she found each one of them. From her peripheral vision she
found Kaede at the corner of the room along with Sango, discussing
certain herbs.

Kagome was outside talking to Shippo while Miroku was having a
conversation with Kouga and …?

She frowned slightly at a deep, low voice reached her sensitive
ears. Who…?

Her eyes widened as she abruptly sat up. A sharp cry of pain
escaped her when her leg as well as her head protested. She didn’t
as much as blink before all her friends were by her side, Sesshoumaru
and Kouga too.

Feeling immensely out of balance, she closed her eyes to control
the pain scalding her body. To her enhanced senses he pain
multiplied, her head throbbing in time with her heart.

“Leave us.” Sesshoumaru’s sharp voice rang in
her ears and she heard all her friends swiftly walking out of the
hut, leaving her alone with the Daiyoukai. With a slight rustle of
silk, the demon lord sat in front of her. “Inuyasha, look at
me.”

The hanyou wondered why Sesshoumaru was here, she knew him well
enough to know that he wasn’t here to fight. In fact, it had
been a long time since Sesshoumaru had ever raised a hand against her
in anger. She sighed and opened her eyes to look at her step-brother
with bright amber eyes.

She watched horrified as Sesshoumaru placed her precious anklet in
front of her without much ceremony. Her entire frame trembled at the
sudden fear that attacked her. She looked at Sesshoumaru with wide,
panicking eyes. The Daiyoukai said nothing to her, instead he handed
her Izayoi’s letter and moved back a little.

Sesshoumaru observed silently as Inuyasha read the letter,
watching the play of emotions in her expressive eyes. He was both
surprised and pleased when her fear and panic was replaced by calm
and intelligence. She understood the gravity of the situation.
Inuyasha was not frightened, instead, she seemed as though she
expected this.

‘I wouldn’t put it past her. Inuyasha is anything
but a fool.’

A soft mirthless laugh caught his attention as Inuyasha rubbed her
temple as a sign of worry. “This warning arrived a little too
late. Mother really needs to work on her timing.” Her voice was
uncertain, filled with worry. Sesshoumaru could see that she was
considering what to do next.

“How long will it be until you go into heat?”
Sesshoumaru questioned, ignoring her shocked look.

“Two weeks I suppose… may be three.” Inuyasha
muttered doubtfully, looking at him with suspicion clear in her eyes.
The Daiyoukai reached forward and grasped her chin, once again
managing to startle her, “I will not question you for the
reason of hiding this knowledge from me. I know you knew that I’d
be honor bound to protect you if you had in fact informed me of this
earlier. However, I will ask you to come to my castle. I have
arranged for your needs there and Jaken will make certain that
everything is ready for you.”

Sesshoumaru could see that she was struggling with herself. She
was a princess, she couldn’t take the risk. Her blood and
intelligence wouldn’t permit it. However, he could also see her
characteristic defiance interfering with logic. He chose to intervene
before her thoughts could lead her to stupidity, “Inuyasha.”
once he gained her attention he continued, “You know as well as
I that you cannot risk being unguarded during heat.”

Inuyasha snorted, resisting the urge to lean into the touch. She
was surprised… immensely surprised when she heard what
Sesshoumaru said to her next.

“Let me mark you.”

Inuyasha just sat there and gaped at him with wide eyes. “My
scent will prevent lesser demons to approach you while you take your
decision.” She understood then. It was not a mating mark he was
talking about. It was an invisible protection mark. His scent would
definitely be helpful; she wouldn’t have to deal with many
inadequate youkai that just succeeded in hindering and annoying.
However, that would mean that she’d be depending on Sesshoumaru
for her protection.

Her pride wasn’t ready to allow that.

Just when she opened her mouth to turn down his offer, she felt
him pull her close. So close that she had her head tucked under his
chin and his breath ruffled her hair. Inuyasha struggled to adjust,
she struggled to hide the fact that Sesshoumaru had effective
paralyzed her in his arms.

‘Feels like being hugged by some primal force of nature…
so…safe…’ She thought hesitantly as the
Daiyoukai retained his strong grip on her. “You are beautiful,
like my mother was and you are our father’s daughter, an
Inu-youkai of royal stature. Demons will be relentless in their
pursuit of you.” Inuyasha froze at that, the unexpected
compliment catching her off guard. She didn’t know why it
bothered her so much. Sesshoumaru considered beauty as one of the
trivialities of life. Something that was too shallow and deceiving to
ponder over. To him it was useless trait that got you nowhere in the
world. Inuyasha knew all this and yet took the comment to heart.

This was one person she was scared to touch and unravel. She
didn’t want to know him or to understand him for she feared for
her poor heart. She hated the part of herself that made her breath
hitch and her heart thunder at the mere sight of him. She knew that
she was dangerously close to love.

When he lowered his head, Inuyasha wished her body would move and
push him away. When his breath caressed her cheek she wanted to run
as fast as she could. An act which was for him, no doubt, of no
emotional significance made her chest clench painfully.

This being… this being was above her. Above everyone.
Untouched by the dirty hands of the world, an otherworldly force that
enchanted her the moment she laid eyes on him.

Her soul would have died in joyous agony the moment his fangs sunk
into her skin, just underneath her jaw bone. The mark just
centimeters above the place where the mating mark would be placed.

Her being was blanketed by his scent, staining hers for life. It
was a mark of protection from a person who had just learned to
protect. A whimper escaped her, unguarded. Her steely resolve
somewhat shaken.

For once she didn’t have to be strong and it was alright.
For once she was not the protector but the protected. She immediately
suffered from the selfish desire to remain that way. Wanting and
desiring to spend forever in his embrace.

“Your wolf companion; Prince Kouga seemed to lose himself to
his instincts for a moment at the sight of you.” His voice was
smooth, yet unusually deep and smoky as it ghosted over her ear. “The
scent of your blood was enough to shake his control and he dared to
lose himself to his lust in my presence, even if it was for a moment.
That action will not be so easily forgiven by this Sesshoumaru…
imouto. ”

There was more… there was something else he wanted to say.
She was certain.

“And yet I sympathize with him for the taste of your
blood does the same to me.”
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A lifetime of Illusions