Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/7978978.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      InuYasha_-_A_Feudal_Fairy_Tale
  Relationship:
      InuYasha/Sesshoumaru
  Character:
      InuYasha_(InuYasha), Sesshoumaru_(InuYasha), Miroku_(InuYasha), Sango_
      (InuYasha)
  Additional Tags:
      Inucest, Yaoi, Flashbacks, Love_Triangles, Angst, Minor_Character(s), OOC
      InuYasha, Alternate_Universe
  Stats:
      Published: 2016-09-07 Chapters: 6/? Words: 28069
****** A Tale of Tales ******
by evaXchan
Summary
     I spin for you a Tale of Tales, told throughout the land; A tale of
     war, of hope, of love, and one God's master plan.
***** Chapter One *****
           I spin for you a tale of tales, told throughout the land;
           A tale of war, of hope, of love, and one Gods master plan
          In this tale, exist two brothers: the younger and the old;
       The older, colder, more guarded, more cautious or so we're told,
  The younger, less, less cautious less blessed, more adventurous, more…bold.
            What divides? Blood, not blood, a mystery never solved
         These divisions eventually passed, these issues now resolved.
       This tale tells of their history, when they were separated still,
 The truth, the lies, the confirmed, the un'; the muck passed 'round the rumor
                                     mill.
 It commenced, I surmise, with the untimely demise with the younger's mother,
                                   foretold;
   Ibegin this tale with a song of slavery, into which the younger was sold…
                                        
===============================================================================
                                        
 
He rose from his bed roll, with a familiar ache in his neck that came from
sleeping on what was very generously referred to as a bed, and stretched his
limbs to prepare for the coming days events. His master, Lord Kairo was
planning a feast to commemorate the birth of his latest son, Hachirou- aptly
named, he thought, since the boy was the eighth son of Lord Kairo, which made
him wonder at the health of the Lord's poor wife who'd birthed them all- and he
expected him to be on his best behavior, and at his absolute best physical
state come the festivities. This was fine with InuYasha, who most times was
generally well behaved for his master anyway since he wasn't at all interested
receiving the lash at the hands of Kiritsu- whom he also thought was named
appropriately since he was the master of the whip, and therefore in charge of
punishing or 'disciplining' the other slaves, lest they misbehave, which
InuYasha rarely did. As previously stated, the expectations didn't bother
him…it was for whom he was expected to behave that had him uneasy about the
whole thing.
Lord Kairo's eldest son was returning to the palace for the merriments, which
on its own seems a relatively common place thing, excepting in this one fact
that the young lord had not been home in quite some time. Again, this on its
own doesn't seem foreboding in the slightest, but shortly before the young lord
departed from the estate, there transpired an incident between the adolescent
noble and himself, which left InuYasha with a sting in his back the likes of
which he'd never like to feel again…
…He lifted the desk off the rug just a bit so that he could reach underneath to
retrieve the document his Lord had commanded him to recover from its new place
on the floor. It wasn't unusual that Lord Kairo deposit his belongings on the
floor when he was displeased with them, and this missive was displeasing,
indeed. Apparently, at least as far as he could surmise from the ranting he
heard from down the hall prior to entering his Lord's counsel's chamber, the
Lord of the West was demanding that Kairo turn over some portion of his land,
which- by some stretch of Lord Kairo's imagination- he felt he had earned
simply by virtue of being born Lord Kairo. So, after a few more moments of
absolutely unnecessary hostility towards this unknown Lord, Kairo bellowed at
the young half-demon to retrieve the document from his study and bring it to
him at once. "We'll deal with this now and get this bastard out of our hair."
He'd hissed, spraying the room with spit. InuYasha did as he was bid, which was
always a wise choice but became especially so when the Lord was in a foul mood,
which believe it or not didn't happen very often. So, here he was, digging
through his master's papers to search for the document only to find it on the
floor…under a leg of his master'ssolidoak desk…of course. So, he lifted the
desk off the rug just a bit so that he could reach underneath to retrieve the
document his Lord had commanded him to recover from its new place on the floor…
when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see who it might be, and came
face to face with Ichiro, Lord Kairo's eldest son.
Normally, it wasn't strange for Ichiro to be in his father's private study when
no one was around, it was pretty quiet after all, but for the young man to have
been sitting in the dark was…odd to say the very least. However, InuYasha bowed
respectfully to the young lord, and explained to him that he was simply
retrieving an important document for his father and would depart from his
presence in just a moment. The young man nodded staring intensely at the half
demon, and unreadable expression on his features as he gave the hanyou an once-
over and said: "I find myself in need of entertainment, InuYasha. I grow quite
bored of the usual distractions of the palace."
InuYasha nodded. "Well, Master Ichiro, after I've delivered this message to
your father, I could fetch Mistress Fumiko from the Yukaku to come and service
you. Or, if you have a specific person in mind I could send word to the village
Asobime and have the Fujin send someone new."
"No, I don't think that will be necessary," Ichiro said with a smile. "After
all, I have all I need right here. A dark room, a nice rug, a pretty face…"
InuYasha's eyes widened as he came to the realization of just what the young
Lord was implying. "My Lord I-I'm sorry, but I don't think your father would
approve of…"
"Nonsense, father was just telling me that he was considering in engaging you
in such…pleasures. I cannot imagine he would begrudge me anything in this,
excepting that I had you first." Ichiro reached out to stroke his cheek,
relishing the soft skin he found there under the pads of his fingers. "Now why
don't you be a good boy and take that missive to my father. We will discuss
this more when you return to me." He grabbed the boy's arms roughly and pulled
the adolescent to his chest. "Youwillreturn, won't you, InuYasha? You'll come
back because you're a good boy and you would never defy the wishes of your
betters…especially when what they wish is to fuck you," he paused to press his
already firm cock into the hips of the younger man. "After all, it's the only
thing pretty half-breeds like you are good for."
Very suddenly, surprising even InuYasha himself, said half-breed jammed his
knee into the genitals of Lord Kairo's eldest son and ran down out the door and
down the hall, screams of outrage following him as he went. By the time he had
reached the door of the counsel's chamber, there were already guards at the
door and Lord Kairo himself was standing outside, concern etched on his face in
response to the very loud, very sudden cries of his son. "InuYasha," Lord Kairo
said, the unease he felt evident in his voice. "What's happened?"
"He attacked me!" was shouted down the hall by Ichiro, his face red with fury,
vengeful intent plain. "That miserable half-breed assaulted me in your study
when I caught him digging through your most private documents! Punish him,
father! Kill the little traitor!"
"Ichiro that is enough!" Kairo shouted over his son, so that he might be heard
over the hysteria. "InuYasha was told to go through the papers to find one that
I needed, as he always does, which you know perfectly well, you petulant
child." He turned to InuYasha. "You attacked my son?"
Not knowing what else to do, and considering that the charge was technically
true, InuYasha nodded, tears in his eyes for he knew what awaited him in the
moments to come. He had felt the lash before, when the slavers were breaking
him, and he had vowed to himself that he would never feel it again, but now
after all his hard work, his diligent adherence to the rules of the house and
the word of his Lord, he would once more face the post. All because Ichiro
couldn't keep his hands to himself…bastard. InuYasha had never given him any
indication that he was interested in anything even remotely in the realm of
sexual activity, and yet the spoiled little shit thought he could just take him
whenever he wanted, regardless of what InuYasha himself desired? Well…he was
right, and InuYasha would pay for denying him…
…He had been in the infirmary for almost a week after the beating he had
received at the hands of Kiritsu, who had taken a perverse kind of pleasure in
the whipping, which he supposed was to be expected from someone who had
volunteered to be the master of the whip. Still, he didn't have to be so
damn…thorough about it, not an inch of his back was untouched by the Falcon's
Claw, Kiritsu pet name for the damn switch. Both appropriate and far reaching,
as the whip itself resembled that of a falcon's claw, but Kiritsu was more of a
pigeon….or a spent hen, as InuYasha often referred to him in the servants'
quarters when everyone was around to hear it. Eventually, that was what
everyone chose to call him both in private and to his face; it even managed to
travel outside the palace to noble and servant alike, until that was simply his
moniker- Tsuiyashite Niwatori, or just Niwatori depending on who he was talking
to, most nobles thought that was actually his name…and none of the servants
felt particularly inclined to correct them.
In any case, he had no intention of repeating the events old, so he would steer
clear of any and all associates of Lord Ichiro, and indeed Ichiro himself.
Apparently Lord Kairo agreed with his silent plan, because he had assigned him
to the service of Lord Sesshomaru, whose demand for territory had started the
whole mess in the first place…perhaps InuYasha would spill a little red wine on
his fine kimono in thanks, or perhaps a lot of red wine, who could say? It was
sure to be an evening filled with much excitement and the gratuitous
consumption of alcohol by servant and master alike, no one would attribute his
clumsiness to anything but simultaneous drunkenness. Not that he would be
clumsy in the slightest…not would he be drinking, it tended to force its
consumers…mistakes; mistakes most of them could not afford to make, especially
not InuYasha, not tonight.
So, as the party into full swing that night, he was on his best behavior, but
had yet to see Lord Sesshomaru, who hadn't been announced as arriving yet.
Maybe he wouldn't come, that would certainly be a slap to Kairo's face. He
doubted it though; Lord Sesshomaru had already sent word that he would arrive a
few moments late to the celebration as he was dealing with restlessness along
his northern borders. That said, this Sesshomaru guy was supposed to be a
pretty big deal so InuYasha couldn't imagine that it could take a big shot like
that too long to stabilize a single border. Then again, that's probably why he
wasn't born into lordship; he wasn't interested in the complexities of
political interactions between territories. He'd learned through suffering,
that it was best to eliminate your enemies as swiftly as possible, lest they
cause problems for you in the future (which they almost always did). So he
couldn't understand the need for one Lord to cater to the demands of another;
the world was a perpetual rat race, you had to run or get the hell out of the
way. Just as his eyes rolled to the ceiling in petulation, he heard the crier
announce the arrival of the great and power Lord Sesshomaru, high ruler of
Saigoku and Lord of the Western Lands. Gods, but that was a long title.
InuYasha straightened himself and approached the steps leading into the dining
hall so that he might escort Lord Sesshomaru to his seat at the large formal
dining table situated in the middle of the large ballroom. He was not prepared
for what he saw there.
The sight awaiting him was truly…well…he didn't know what it was. This creature
standing before him had to have been one the most well-dressed, well-bred, son
of a power hungry bitch he had ever seen in his life. He exuded what InuYasha
guessed most would consider self-confidence; he was obviously very self-
assured, and most definitely twice as narcissistic as every person in the room.
InuYasha guessed that this man spent most of his life preening, meticulously
groomed as he was, with his perfect straight silver hair, his pale unblemished
skin and well pressed, silken attire. Someone cared a little too much about
appearances. Yet, at the same time InuYasha could admit that he was
beautiful…for a snob. In any case, he had a job to do; it wouldn't be proper
for him to stand their all night staring at the man.
"If you'll follow me this way, my Lord, I'll escort you to your seat." He
gestured in the direction that they would walk, and waited to be acknowledged.
Lord Sesshomaru stared at him from the corner of his eye, literally looking
down on him, before raising an eyebrow and saying "I've met you before."
InuYasha shook his head. "Forgive me for saying so, my Lord, but I'm afraid
you're mistaken. I certainly would've remembered meeting one such as you in my
relatively short time. Now, if you'll follow me, I can show you to your seat."
"What is your name?" Lord Sesshomaru inquired, seemingly disinclined to be
guided to any place even remotely resembling his position at the table.
"My name is InuYasha, my Lord, I am a servant in Lord Kairo's house hold, and I
am to accompany you to your seat so that we may begin the feasting to celebrate
young Hachirou's birth. Now, if you'll come this way please."
"InuYasha?" Sesshomaru asked, still not moving.
"Yes, my Lord." InuYasha replied, fighting to keep the exasperation out of his
voice. "I am a servant in Lord Kairo's house hold and I have been tasked with
escorting you to-…"
"How did you come to be in Lord Kairo's employ?"
"I'm not employed here, my Lord, no one pays me. I am a slave. Now, if you will
please come this way so that I might escort you to your se-…"
Sesshomaru's voice took a sharp edge. "You are a slave?"
"Yes!" InuYasha's voice held a bit of the irritation he was feeling. 'Get it
together, InuYasha!'"Please, my Lord, you really should be seated…"
"Where is Lord Kairo? I demand to speak to him immediately!"
Was he fucking joking?! What was with this guy and his demands? He wants lands,
he wants audiences…great, now people were staring…perfect…asshole. "Yes, my
Lord I will inform Lord Kairo that you wish to speak to him, in the meantime,
would you like to take your seat, so that you on not still upon your feet after
what must surely have been a long journey from your domain in the West?"
Perfect! Polite, respectful, and the bastard still got what he wanted. InuYasha
patted himself on the back, a job well done.
"No," Sesshomaru replied with a deeper scowl. "I shall wait here. I wish to
speak to him privately about this affront."
Shit. "Yes, my Lord, whatever you like."
InuYasha sighed and made his way up to the table, all the while cursing his
unnaturally poor fortunes with these sovereigns. He reached the head of the
table, where his Lord sat speaking to his second son Jirou, whom InuYasha was
particularly fond of, and found it difficult to smile back when the young man
raised his head to acknowledge him. Now, where Ichiro was an ass hounding man
whore without an ounce of decency to his name, Jirou was a respectful, kind
young man, with a heart filled with compassion and a naiveté that InuYasha knew
the world would eat alive, if it was given even the slightest opportunity. He
had once seen Ichiro stuff Jirou into the chamber pot of the ladies in waiting
to their late mother and, after prying the stinking boy out of the pot,
offering to slit his throat in his sleep for overly compassionate child. "You
shouldn't say things like that, InuYasha, you'll get in trouble. Besides, he's
a bastard, but he's my brother and I love him. I always will."
InuYasha had been floored by the admission and had determined from then on to
aspire to be as good a person as Jirou was…just as soon as Ichiro was dead and
rotten and InuYasha had peed on his grave a little…and maybe some dancing….then
he'd be as good a person as Jirou; but then, he supposed, that would defeat the
purpose of aspiring to be a good person, because Jirou would never do that.
Fine, he wouldn't dance on the grave, he'd just pee on it….and maybe spit for
good measure. Jirou had laughed at that. He was the only one in the whole
palace who thought InuYasha had been justified in denying the eldest brother
any sort of access to his body, especially since it wasn't welcomed or
indicated to be desired in the first place. InuYasha had been grateful for
that. Maybe they weren't allbad. It was then that InuYasha remembered his
current predicament and frowned. Maybe, but Sesshomaru definitely was.
"Lord Kairo?" InuYasha called politely when he'd reached his Lord's chair.
"Lord Sesshomaru would like a private audience with your Lordship."
"Can it wait until after dinner?"
"I'm sorry, my Lord, but no. Lord Sesshomaru is very insistent that you meet
with him now."
"Of course he is." Kairo sighed. "Well, if you'll excuse me Jirou, I must
attend to the high ruler of Saigoku." He said rolling his eyes.
'I know how you feel'. InuYasha mirrored the Lord's sentiments. "Shall I send
refreshments to the study while you and Lord Sesshomaru converse?"
"As much as I would like to say we won't be up that long…Yes, it would probably
a good idea."
"Yes. My Lord."
InuYasha made his way to the kitchens and instructed the staff to prepare
beverages fitting the tastes of the Lord of the West, and when they were done
he arranged them on a tray and carried it up the corridor of stairs to Lord
Kairo's study. Just as he went to knock on the door to announce his arrival, he
heard something…that he probably shouldn't have.
"That's impossible! Your mother said herself that the child had died in the
raid of his mother's house-hold! It just isn't possible."
"Yes, and mother certainly had no reasons to lie did she?" Lord Sesshomaru
sighed, "In any case, it is obvious that the child is indeed my father's
youngest son, and I cannot allow you to continue possessing him in the manner
that you do. It reflects poorly upon my family."
"Lord Sesshomaru, the child has been in my possession for years, and not a soul
has suspected that he is even remotely related to you, save yourself of course,
and if they had they haven't said a word about it. Allow me to keep the hanyou
and I assure you that the knowledge of his heritage will live and die with us."
"I have already given you my answer to the predicament, Lord Kairo. Do as you
are bid and do not argue the subject with me."
"Of course, Lord Sesshomaru, but-"
It was then that InuYasha chose to knock on the door, announcing his presence
to the two high born demons inside. His hands began to shake as he was bid to
enter. He opened the door and walked towards the table that sat in the center
of the study, pouring tea into the two cups and handing each to their
recipients after adorning them with the additives that each lord desired in
their respective beverages. After asking each if there was anything else that
they required and receiving a negative response in turn, he bowed and took his
leave. That was tense…and a little awkward…and quite frankly not something he
ever wanted to experience again. What the hell were they talking about…him? No,
that was ridiculous, he was InuYasha, not...well anything else, certainly not
anything better than that. He shook his head, how silly.
He returned to the kitchens to prepare individual trays for the serving of
guests when his Lord returned to the dining room. The kitchen staff had fallen
a bit behind while Lord Kairo was away and needed to be redirected, as they
often did when their lord was absent for any period of time, honestly InuYasha
didn't understand how they could be so lazy. After all, the kitchen personnel
had the easiest job in the palace by far, cooking and cleaning dishes, and on
occasion shopping the grocers for new foods that their lord might not have had
that he would enjoy. He was an ass, but Kairo was good to his kitchen workers,
which didn't really endear him to any of the other members of his staff. As
InuYasha directed the chefs, making sure that everything was prepared to the
standards Lord Kairo had set for them just weeks before, Kiritsu entered the
galley, setting all the servants on edge, much to the annoyance of a certain
half-demon, who had just gotten them back on task.
"Kiritsu, if you don't have any formal business here, then I have to ask that
you leave. The last of the guests have arrived and I need to make sure that
everything is prepared for-"
"Lord Kairo wishes to see you, InuYasha; now."
InuYasha frowned. "Did he say for what?"
"Does it matter? He said 'now,' half-breed. So I suggest you get that fine ass
moving, lest I'm forced to punish you for disobeying."
"Of course….Niwatori." he mumbled the last of that, causing the others to
snicker as he left them, lightening the mood for them considerably and making
them more inclined to complete their tasks, which was good; he wouldn't have to
play catch up when his Lord was done with him. Lord Sesshomaru was standing
outside the door of Lord Kairo's study by the time InuYasha had arrived. "My
Lord." InuYasha bowed politely before passing through the doors that stood
adjacent the man and bowed before his sovereign. Quite a few moments passed
before said ruler addressed him directly.
"InuYasha…when Lord Sesshomaru leaves us…you will be going with him. No, don't
argue, it is not out of any displeasure with you, nor does it have anything to
do with the incident between you and Ichiro, as I have already extended my
forgiveness to you for that. Lord Sesshomaru desires that you depart my
possession and are released into his custody, and I am not in any position to
refuse him. As soon as the festivities are through, you are to pack up your
possessions and prepare to depart Lord Sesshomaru's earliest convenience." Lord
Kairo sighed at the hanyou's despondent expression. "Do not be sorrowful,
InuYasha. Lord Sesshomaru is the greatest lord in these lands and will treat
you with care as he does his other servants, some of which are hanyou as well."
InuYasha nodded, not looking up from his dejected posturing. He didn't want to
go with Lord what's-his-face (he knew his name, thank you very much, he just
wasn't interested in acknowledging that information at this time…Lord Bastard
was more appropriate at this point anyway), he was…well, not happy in Lord
Kairo's household, but damn it he knew this devil, why the hell would he want
to jump in bed with one he didn't? It wasn't up for debate though, and as soon
as the party was done, InuYasha packed his meager belongings- a simple blue
Kimono that his Lord had gifted him with on the supposed anniversary of his
birth, a bag of lemon verbena and mint to wash his mouth before bed, and a
small swatch of cloth from an old kimono that was a favorite of his mother; it
had long ago lost her scent, but still retained its brilliant hue and the
memories of her that he had instilled within- and prepared to make off with
whom he supposed was his new Lord. He was waiting by the large door that was
the entrance into the palace for Lord Sesshomaru, who was taking his sweet time
doing Gods only knew when a figure, very familiar and very unwelcome, appeared
behind him.
"Hello, Puppy, taking a little trip, are you?"
"Master Ichiro, how nice to see you again," InuYasha replied with as much
respect as he could manage in such a public setting.
"Is it? I hadn't thought you would be so interested in seeing me again after
our last little encounter…perhaps you have changed your mind?"
"Not at all, My Lord, I am simply extending the respect you are due by virtue
of being my Lord Kairo's eldest son."
"Oh? Does that mean that you do not truly mean to say that it is pleasant to
see me, but are simply saying so out of obligation?" Ichiro smiled in his
reptilian fashion. "That does not seem to me to be very respectful. In fact,"
he caressed the plane of InuYasha's back where Kiritsu had struck him years
ago. "I would say that such an insolent creature as he whom openly admits to
being false to his betters deserves to be whipped." He moved his hands down to
cup InuYasha's rear, making the half-breed stiffen. "Or perhaps we could
compromise? Maybe if you would finally agree to join me in my bed, I could be
persuaded to settle for merely spanking this firm little bottom of yours, hmm?
Would you like that, Puppy?" He squeezed. "I could make it enjoyable for the
both of us."
"No, my Lord, forgive me but I was unclear." InuYasha responded moving away
from the overly zealous boy, for that is precisely what he was. "I did not mean
to say that I was insincere in my greeting, but that it would be improper of me
to hold what happened long ago against one of your station, as I am so far
beneath you." But I'm still high enough to rip your balls off you son of a
bitch…meaning no offense to your strangely wonderful mother…must be where Jirou
gets it. "I apologize that I was so vague as to cause any displeasure on your
part."
"No displeasure at all, Puppy, but still you have not answered my question, and
still you are deserving of being struck for your disservice to my personage for
cause such confusion." He pulled InuYasha back towards him, pressing his groin
into the young hanyou's firm backside. "Shall we adjourn to my bedroom that I
might administer the spanking you seem to be so desperately seeking." He turned
his eyes to the Whip. "Or shall I summon Kiritsu so that he might punish you in
front of all our lovely guests, in front of my precious brother Jirou who is so
very fond of you? To see such a thing would break his heart."
"Then it is good that he shall never see it." A smooth, unmistakable baritone
interjected. "Now, remove your hands from that which is mine, or shall quite
simply remove them."
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Ichiro bowed his head in respect to the greater Lord.
"Forgive me, my Lord, I did not see you there."
"That much is clear." Lord Sesshomaru turned his gaze to the thoroughly ashamed
hanyou and raised his brow. "Have you finished gathering your belongings?"
"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru."
The regal lord looked around the area for some sign of said belongings.
Nothing, not a satchel, not a chest, not even a tiny pouch he saw nothing.
Having seen such he returned his full attention to the child "Where are they?"
InuYasha furrowed his brow in confusion. "Where are what, my Lord?"
"Your possessions. You say you've gathered them, where are they?"
"InuYasha doesn't own much, Lord Sesshomaru, he is a slave." Ichiro stated
raising a mocking eyebrow at the young half-demon. "All his meager properties
fit into the pockets of his sleeves."
"Is this true?" Lord Sesshomaru asked, heatedly.
InuYasha nodded. "Yes, My Lord, as Master Ichiro said, I am a slave and
therefore am only entitled to so many possessions."
Sesshomaru was furious, or at least he seemed to be. There was a fire in his
eyes and a subtle hostility in his demeanor that was difficult to catch for an
eye that was not trained in such observation. However, being that his fate was
predicated on pleasing his Lords, InuYasha was so trained. He bowed low in an
attempt to appease his newest Lord and master. Perhaps a show of submission was
required to sooth him.
"Rise, boy." Sesshomaru growled. "There is no purpose to such a display, never
do it again."
"My Lord?"
Sesshomaru ignored him. "You, he who believes himself worthy to touch that
which rightfully belongs to this Sesshomaru, who is responsible for this
travesty?"
"Of what do you speak, My Lord?"
"I mean that a son of InuTaisho should have such a meager existence is the
fault of someone, and I am inclined to believe that you could be such an
individual."
"My Lord, forgive me, but I do not understand of what you speak. I have never
done any disrespect to your person or the miens of your siblings, what causes
you to accuse me of such?"
Sesshomaru grabbed InuYasha by the hair and gestured with him in his grasp.
"That I have only just witnessed you place your hands on my sibling in a manner
that suggests you are more familiar with him then you ought to be gives me just
cause to assume that you have been using him to fulfill your own entreaties and
have done so at the express displeasure and much un-welcome distress of that
sibling is also made very clear to these eyes!"
"Your-what?! My Lord, surely you must be mistaken! InuYasha is a slave! Sold to
us by Lord Yamamoto when you…"
"When I stormed his castle in order to liberate my many other siblings that he
had taken for himself, also to fulfill his pleasures as he saw fit, though this
pup was still naught but a babe then and had no reason to think that what was
happening was not just and surely his station, as it is, in his half-breed
status, but is not fulfilled truly when serving the likes of you for he is a
son of my noble Father, no matter the taint in his blood and is deserving of my
then bed warmer to an amorous child!"
Poor InuYasha was at a loss. As the conversation continued, and more of his
hair was taken in Lord Sesshomaru's grasp he was lost in the contemplation of
his previous words. Yes, InuYasha had come from the Household of Yamamoto
Yamasaki, who at the time was an eastern lord and had amassed many concubines
with silver hair, for he was especially fond of InuYoukai, males and females,
children and adults alike. It was there that InuYasha had learned of the trade
of a bed warmer, though he was never penetrated by any of his teachers, nor by
Lord Yamamoto himself, who much preferred to gaze at the child while he
administered fellatio to the elder man in his throne room. He loved having the
boy suck his cock while he sat on his throne, as demonstrated by how often he,
InuYasha, was asked to do it. Lord Kairo was the same way, though he required
it less frequently because he had a wife, something that InuYasha was
desperately grateful for and wished that Yamamoto had possessed, though always
knew that was a blind hope, as he would only choose to mate or marry an
InuYoukai, and knew that none would have him, considering how often he forced
himself upon them when they were children, and after. There weren't many people
who were aware of InuYasha's possession of such knowledge, as he was not
purchased as a bed slave; another thing that he was grateful for, for surely
Ichiro would consider it his right to simply rape the poor boy, as it would be
if he were a pleasure slave. But, he was sure, Lord Sesshomaru knew, for how
could he know of Yamamoto and the fate of his own siblings without also knowing
what InuYasha would have learned during his brief but absurdly long stay at the
former lord's manor.
Wait…his sibling…what? "Lord Sesshomaru?"
All conversation stopped as their eyes were turned to the now slumped hanyou
upon the floor of the atrium, his head hung in what appeared to be perfect
submission before his newest Lord. Sesshomaru replied. "Yes, InuYasha."
"You informed Lord Kairo that you needed to be at your mother's estate before
sun rise tomorrow morning, and the Kingdom of the Sky is quite a ways from
here."
"Yes, your point?"
InuYasha gathered himself and raised his head a picture of the calm subservient
boy all but Lord Sesshomaru seemed to demand. "Shall we not, then, be off my
Lord? It would not do for one such as you to be late for a meeting with the
likes of the Sky Queen all because the child of another Lord has mistreated a
hanyou slave. That is not to say that it is my place to criticize your actions,
my Lord, for surely it is not, but I simply wish to advice, if I may, that if
we do not depart very soon you will most definitely be late."
Sesshomaru breathed deeply and nodded. "Yes, we certainly will be." He turned
to Ichiro. "Know this, if you place your filthy hands on my hanyou again, you
shall lose them." With that he turned and said "let us go, InuYasha," and
walked, straight backed and proud out the door, with a despondent and suddenly
unsure InuYasha following close behind.
…So, I've ruined the stability of Lord Kairo's house, I've made a fool of
Ichiro,againthough truthfully through no action of my own, and I've apparently
acquired an elder brother in the process…what's next?
A/n: Yes, I have returned and in spectacular fashion if I do say so myself. No,
I have nothing new on NTL, Sesshomaru is being kind of an asshole, so I'm stuck
in the most unpleasant of fashions, but I digress…did you miss me!?...No of
course you didn't, but that's okay, because I missed me, though I guess
technically I didn't go anywhere away from me, but I always seem to have just
missed me by like five seconds *sigh* who knows. Anyway, no, no Kagome, or
Sango, I might introduce Miroku, no Kouga, and certainly no Naraku. Yes, the
poem in the beginning is a little misleading, but hey, its poetry, when is it
not misleading. Yes, there will be war in which the brothers are on opposite
sides, but not yet. First one owns the other, then an imagined betrayal, THEN
war…then maybe some smexy smex at the end…Yay! Please, review, and flames keep
me warm at night, so I'll take those too. To go, please, I don't has time to
eat them here.
***** Chapter 2 *****
                                   Chapter 2
 
Yes, Lord Yamamoto was to blame for all the strife that the young half demon
found in his current existence, though not completely as he hadn't been the one
to leave him to that existence to begin with. No, on some level InuYasha knew
that he probably blamed his mother for dying in the first place, or even worse
his poor brothers, who were babes themselves when she passed and had no way to
defend themselves, save cowering behind the one that had taken up their
defense. Besides, they were taken too and probably suffering the same fate as
him…or, shudder the thought, he might even be the lucky one; though he doubted
it, as they were taken, gladly, by family while InuYasha was left to his own,
but still he worried after them, always.
It wasn't a particularly fabulous day, nor was it ominous. There was no
foreshadowing of his mother's sickness or her youngest child's fate. There was
only that which had been before. The hustle of the village preparing for
harvest, the sounds of the children playing at games with balls and toys that
InuYasha had, yet never bothered to use because they were extras and his
brothers liked them, and he was powerful and they were not, and he should share
because they were weak and needed him to. He would take what he wanted when he
wanted it. But that was when they were older- or seemed older to their own eyes
as children often think they are when they are children still-, and InuYasha
had a full grasp of just how much more special he was then his brothers...and
how much less his mother seemed to value him. Now, this is not to suggest that
she did not care for him, for of course she did and displayed it often, this
also does not suggest that such doubt is the product of a child's mind who is
unrightfully jealous of his brothers despite having just as much as they had,
and he did have as much if not more; this was simply fact, as she told him
herself once that she did not value him as she did her other children. She had
cried when he asked her the meaning of 'half-breed' but she did that more for
her other sons, he thought, and not for himself. He was left to ponder the
virtue of such a word alone as she consoled her other children, who looked more
like the rest of the villagers than he ever did and were never called such
horrible things for no one looked at them with much the same disdain as they
had for InuYasha. In fact they were beloved as the Lady's only human children.
Takeshi, though, was not human and InuYasha knew that very well and Takeshi
knew that very well and Saiou knew that equally well for he was the Lady
Izayoi's only human son, so he just couldn't understand why his brother would
accept such praise in total defiance of his demon heritage, something of which
InuYasha, himself, valued above all other things.
But there they were, Takeshi and Saiou, playing with the village children while
InuYasha was left to scan the forest line, and watch; as usual. But he
begrudged them nothing, for he loved his brothers and was content enough in
their enjoyment of frivolous play, even if it did give Takeshi a big head and
make him think that InuYasha should bow to him as the other children did. He
wouldn't, but would allow Takeshi to take the reign because he was the eldest
and must be given his due, as he was taught by his mother and her ladies and
told by Takeshi himself. InuYasha must give him everything and more if he asked
for it. Something he, again, was happy to do, not only because he loved his
brother and would do it for him anyway if he wasn't the eldest but also
(subconsciously) because he knew that if he truly needed anything his siblings
had he could take it from them, simply inform them that he needed it and claim
it as his own, for though Takeshi was the eldest there was a mutual and
unspoken understanding between the three that InuYasha was the strongest and
the very moment that Takeshi forgot that would likely be his last moment on
this Earth. This was an instinctual understanding, of course, because InuYasha
had never, nor would he ever, threatened his brothers in any way, because as
previously stated he loved them and was content with their contentedness and
would only ever become aggressive with those that threatened them. Otherwise,
he was a perfectly if not unusually temperate and thoughtful child (not
thoughtful in that he was kind, but more that he was ponderous and oftentimes
mediated disagreements between siblings with an even hand and a mild manner,
being the gentle and sensible person he was).
But today was somehow…different. There was some spark in the air that made it
taste of flame and death and something he couldn't yet identify but would later
come to learn was the scent of blood and sex combined to create the scents of
rape. These were the scents left behind by warriors and he had smelled them
before when a brigade led by the human overseer had passed their village not
long ago. This is not the same. He didn't know how he knew, but he did. These
were bandits, and they had no care for woman and children except for their own
pleasures. They were after riches, which were abundant in this village because
the Lady required them, and they would kill to get them. The rising line of
light on the wrong side of the horizon spoke of fire unleashed and the hollow
sounds coming from the normally noisy trees spoke of fear and absence. They
weren't coming, they were here.
"Yasha! Yasha…!"
"…..InuYasha? InuYasha!"
He started, the voice of his Lord breaking his concentration on past events.
"Yes, lord Sesshomaru, did you require something?"
"Your attention, as it is my due. We have arrived."
Indeed they had. The Sky Palace was amazing, even from the ground, with the
rich colors of its banners and the soft natural light that came from the city
itself. It was a splendor. They mounted a carriage that had arrived during
InuYasha's unpleasant, if unfinished remembrance, and were lifted towards the
front gates of the castle, which were carved of Ivory and did nothing to
outline the wonder that was surely present in such a place. However, once
inside the Palace was rather plain and simple looking. Sure, the colors were
rich and the different buildings were crafted with precious stones like marble
and Jade, but they weren't polished, there was no sheen. Everything looked
dirty, covered with dust, and the tapestries that had looked so splendorous
from the ground were, up close, dull and in desperate need of a wash. This is
why he has taken me. I am needed to clean his mother's estate. I am to be a
gift.InuYasha shuddered at the absence of other servants. Why was there no one
else to wait on such a fine lady? Had they abandoned her? Had her son taken
them? InuYasha shook his head in disgust. He had never liked his Lords, but
they were his and he had a duty to serve them; he never would have walked away
from them at the detriment of his honor, no matter what his feelings may be.
As they approached the main gate, the half demon made an inventory of all the
things he needed to take caution of while he was serving the Mistress of the
Heavens, the most prominent of which was a tapestry that depicted what he was
sure was a family portrait of his Lord as a child in the arms of his Lord's
father and his Lady mother. It wasn't a particularly touching picture, as the
Lady seemed as distant as Lord Sesshomaru, but still InuYasha knew that she had
a love for her child; it was clear in her eyes as the Lady gazed at the
precious babe in her arms. He made note of the three vases, all red, with
porcelain flowers of varying colors all in different styles based on the
species they emulated; they were obviously very expensive and he would have to
take great care of them.
As he made his mental account of all the fine items in the hall, he didn't
notice that Sesshomaru was watching him, considering his every gesture with a
critical eye. The child seemed strangely at ease. Nothing like he was during
their trip, he stood tall as he took in his surroundings rather than distracted
and rather depressed. The Lord wondered briefly what was passing through his
estranged brothers head as they reached the end of the hall to stand before the
large and ornate entrance to the greeting hall of the palace. In the past, Lord
Sesshomaru never would have bothered even briefly considering the thoughts of
another, least of all his siblings as they were often ever-loud and filled with
feelings of entitlement from their eldest brother, a sense of equality that was
not theirs to claim, as they were bastards and not his true siblings. This boy,
however, was his equal simply by nature of his birth and the circumstances of
his parentage, and yet, probably due to his being raised as a slave, he seemed
to be more inclined to differ to his lord brother as is proper despite their
relative equality. Even as he walks at his side, an obvious if not impassive
indication of their equality, he kept his head respectfully parallel to the
ground and always had his ears tilted towards him in a gesture of devout
attention.
InuYasha turned to him and noticed his intent gaze. "Apologies, my Lord, I did
not mean to be so inattentive, did you require something of me?"
Sesshomaru chuckled, knowing full well that the boy was nothing if not
attentive. "No, we are here."
As he spoke the large door opened and they were beckoned inside by two very
large stone demons guarding the hall, their spears tipped with varnished
silver, their solid stone armor chipped away by the hands of time. That this
room was just as dusty as the rest of the estate was the first of many things
that InuYasha noticed when they entered the greeting hall. InuYasha scoffed
derisively- and privately- at himself. When had he become so damn domesticated?
He was losing himself in this, whatever it was, but…he turned his eyes to Lord
Sesshomaru. He looked so much like his Takeshi…
They were so different, Lady Izayoi's triplets, and yet they were similar
enough that their relation to one another made perfect sense. The eldest,
Takeshi, was born a full-fledged demon, not an ounce of human blood to be
found, snow white hair- which was quite common in InuYoukai-, and the golden
eyes of his father, his markings similar to the Lord InuTaisho's except in
coloring, in this he was more similar to his Lord Brother, whom their mother
had failed to name much to their dismay, and pale as the moonlight skin-though
his love of the outdoors would change that complexion rather quickly. The
second son, Saiou, was a fully human child, however he was blessed with the
lifespan of his demon brothers so they would not have to suffer his death until
they themselves were ripe with age, he had his mother's midnight black hair and
strange purple eyes, no marks on his face of course because what kind of human
has those, and his mother's darker skin. The youngest child, InuYasha,
was…different, in every way that a child can be different from his brothers.
His hair was spun silver, like the starlight a gift not commonly bestowed upon
InuYoukai by the Gods since ancient times, his eyes were a piercing amber,
glimmering like jewels in any light they happened to be seen in, only his
pupils fluctuated with the light, wider to resemble Saiou's in the darkness
helping to see even in the pitch black of an unlit Shinto at the dead of night,
or much more narrow, like the crossing of a blade upon the amber pools they
graced in the brightest of lights. His skin was pale and would stay that way,
only to be kissed by the sun but a little to give the slightest bit of tan that
didn't survive the winter despite his own fondness for the outdoors. His ears
were that of a puppy's, small and perky and lined with a velvet-like fur that
his brothers envied. His markings were…ancient. Spinning, spiral patterns of
black framed his eyes and his cheeks in a manner that enhanced their beauty,
the markings upon his back wound themselves to resemble the wings of a dark
angel, lovely in appearance yet terrible in power; his shoulders graced with
the marks of the guardian and the martyr respectfully, this however was unknown
to his mother, who told him very often that he was an ornate child that would
be cherished by his father for his uniqueness which he took to mean he would be
valued as thus over any personal identity and furrowed his eyes at such a
frivolous notion.
He had learned to walk earlier than his older siblings and was exploring the
village by the time he was 19 months old. His brothers didn't even learn how to
talk until they were 22 months, something InuYasha also learned to do much
earlier and more eloquently for that matter, yet never saw the practicality of
exercising such a skill. Even so young he had discovered that words were like
diamonds, useless and expensive. He had said as much to Lady Izayoi when she
observed him watching his brothers play with the other children, to which she
commented that he was a very serious boy and needed to learn how to interact
with people. Little did he know that the wisdom of her words were to given, not
to encourage him to leave her side as he often thought- for the fact that she
valued him different from his siblings was not, as he had thought, that she
valued him less, but that she valued him above them for his responsible nature,
calm demeanor and stunningly ancient beauty which she held as a gift that would
surely benefit her oddly distant yet staunchly devoted child- but to encourage
him to build bridges that would help him when she was gone from his life, for
she knew that beneath that armor her small child had built was a tender heart
that would need to be nurtured and cared for in a way that he would not receive
from the selfish child she had born alongside him; though she loved Takeshi and
Saiou as well as InuYasha, she knew full well that he was the strongest and
best of all three.
The villagers were entranced by the child almost immediately after his birth.
They would turn to look at him whenever he would pass them in his explorations
and admire his beauty. It was when one of them had tried to touch him that
problems arose. They learned quickly that the beauty before them, despite his
size, was dangerous when cornered. A new comer had arrived in the village just
over a year after the children had been born, and he more than any of the
others was hypnotized by the dark beauty that lived among them. That he was
only a babe did not concern this stranger as he followed him into the rice
field the first summer intent on having a more thorough examination of the
lovely little one. InuYasha had stopped at the small spring that filled the
block of land in which the villagers grew rice, to have a drink from the cool
spring and enjoy the quiet that came after harvest time when he noticed the
visitor that had chosen to accompany him without his knowledge.
"Hello, little one," the Strange man said with, what InuYasha imagined was
supposed to be a friendly, nonthreatening smile. "My name is Jun."
"Hello," InuYasha replied, his voice playing across Jun's ears like the song of
a small bird, new and soft and uncertain in its magnificence and perfection.
"Do you live here?"
Jun laughed. "Yes, I recently had to relocate to your village. I live in the
hut on the other side of this field. See," Jun pointed to his small home. "It's
just over there."
InuYasha nodded, his eyes following the path Jun's finger had drawn. The house
was quite small especially when compared to his own, which housed himself his
two siblings his mother and three hundred servants with room to spare.
InuYasha's brow furrowed as he privately contemplated how a person could really
live in such a small place, but decided that the thought was silly, of course
he lived their everyone else in the village did, and Jun had just told him he
did. He rolled his eye. Silly Yasha.
"And what is your name, little one?"
"Hmm?" InuYasha obviously wasn't listening.
"Your name, sweet one, what is it?"
"Oh! InuYasha, my name is InuYasha. I live over there." He pointed to his
mother's estate so that his new friend could see where he lived too.
But Jun wasn't following the little fingers as InuYasha had followed his. No he
was eyeing the slender frame the child possessed. When InuYasha turned back to
look at him he was uncomfortable with the gaze Jun directed at him. He had
never seen it before but he knew he didn't like it. "I need to go home now,
Jun."
Jun was surprised by the sudden change in the child. He had thought that the
boy was as ensnared as he was. Guess not. "What, you don't want to spend any
more time with me?"
"Mommy will be worried."
"No she won't you can tell her that you were with your new friend, I'm sure
that she'll understand."
"Hmmm….I guess." InuYasha was still uncertain, but in his little mind Jun was
right, Mommy was always telling him to make friends after all. Surely she
wouldn't mind him venturing out this once. But Jun was still giving him that
strange look that InuYasha knew spelled trouble for him one way or another. He
was strong though, and despite his reluctance to speak to people he was a
child, and children always wanted friends. "Do you want to play a game with me?
I know a good one we can play with a ball and the river."
"That would be great. I have a few balls in my home if you would like to get
one."
This sent off warning bells in InuYasha's head. No, a voice said to him from
deep inside. Go home, InuYasha. This man is trouble. Go home. But he didn't
listen. New as this voice was, InuYasha chalked it up to strange paranoia and
followed his new friend across the field and into his tiny abode. But….he
didn't see any balls…where were they? "Jun, what happened to the balls you
had?"
"My sweet InuYasha, I'm afraid I was mistaken. You see, I don't have any balls
that you could play games with out on the stream. But I know of a different
game we could play together."
InuYasha was disappointed. He wanted to play in the stream. "Okay, I guess…what
kind of game? Can we invite other people to play?"
"No, lovely one, this is a game only for you and me; a secret game, just for
special friends."
OH! A secret game! InuYasha loved secrets! And special friends, oh yes,
InuYasha wanted to have a special friend, it sounded perfect! "How do you
play?"
"Well," Jun knelt down to caress the sweet slender face of the child before
him, sinking his hands deep into that already long silver cascade of
perfection. "You have to close your eyes and look up a little for me, sweet
little thing, and don't open your eyes for any reason, alright?"
"'k!" InuYasha exclaimed, closing his eyes obediently for his new special
friend.
"Alright now be still." Jun's other hand reached around to caress the perfect
little bottom the graced this child's gorgeous frame, so small and already so
perfect. He leaned in to caress a tiny fur-lined ear with his lips. "Don't
move, little one," He pressed his knee lightly against the place between
InuYasha's tiny legs while simultaneously pressing his already hardening
arousal into the child's legs.
InuYasha whimpered. He didn't like this game. "Jun-"
"Hush, little one, let me touch you. It will be alright, you'll see. I'll make
you feel so good."
"No. Jun, no! I don't want to play anymore! I want to go home!" InuYasha was
close to tears now, he didn't know what was happening, but he didn't like it
not one bit. He wanted his mommy and he wanted her NOW!
"Just be still, InuYasha." Jun growled out in a harsh and cruel voice. "You
will be still, or I will cease to be gentle and take you like the little whore
you are meant to be."
"NO!" Just then the voice deep inside of InuYasha sprang to the outside, he
felt his claws and fangs elongate and a crackle of electricity sounded through
the small dwelling. Before either of them knew what was happening, Jun was
flying out of the hut and into one of the trees that lined the edges of the
village for all the villagers to see and InuYasha was openly sobbing in his
distress and fear of the previous events. He ran as fast as his legs could
carry him towards his mother's home and into her arms where he remained for
days after the incident crying and clinging to his mother for safety. It was
after that, that the villagers learned to look but never touch. Not that the
half-demon would give anyone the opportunity to lure him into such a precarious
situation ever again…well that and his mother didn't let him out of the house
for almost a month after the villagers had told her what happened. After a
time, he simply became acclimated to remaining indoors and watching his
brothers play, enjoying their enjoyment, and so that is what he did. He
watched, and watched, until the bandits came to his quite village and his
brother shouted his name….Yasha…..Yasha…..Yasha…..
"My, Sesshomaru, you keep such interesting company these days. Tell me, is the
half-breed simply for ambience or is he good for something more." Lord
Sesshomaru's lady mother had entered the room while he was once again trapped
in his past. Why does that keep happening? She was beautiful, as he knew she
would be having seen the portrait of her and her family. He bowed respectfully
to the Lady as her gaze settled upon him. "Well, at least the hanyou knows his
place."
"Mother, you lied to me."
She started, her hands clutching her chest in a vain attempt to mimic hurt
feelings. "I never! How could you accuse your poor mother of such a thing,
Sesshomaru? I'm hurt, truly."
"You told me that only the two children survived the raid on their mother's
house, and yet I find this boy," He motioned to InuYasha who was stilled bowed
in respect, "serving in Kairo's home as a slave! Of all the affronts you have
allowed my father's house to suffer, woman, this is surely the most heinous.
Explain yourself, now."
"Now, now, Sesshomaru, calm yourself. This child doesn't even remotely resemble
the fine and fair young thing that the Lady Izayoi was rumored to have born
your father, nor did he look it then, so I saw no reason to snatch up this
obvious imposter."
It was true. The 'InuYasha' that Izayoi had born was intricately marked and
stunningly beautiful. This InuYasha was quite plain, with no markings, thick,
white, commoner's hair and very plain yellow eyes, closer to a cat's than to a
dog. Perhaps his mother was right. Perhaps this child was an imposter. But
Sesshomaru could see the shimmer of magic over his skin. He had detected it
when he was examining the boy just before they entered the hall. He was hiding
something under that barrier, Sesshomaru was sure. How to get to it though,
that was the question. "But the other boys. They were with this one, and you
took them without him. Did they not say anything to you?" He looked towards the
half-demon pup once again. He would know this child; this alien son of his
father whom he never knew. Never got the chance to know. This boy was his
brother, he was sure…or perhaps he was simply his. Either way, he would unravel
this boy's secrets, his boy's secrets.
"They said nothing, which lends only more evidence to my theory the he is a
fake, a charlatan. Did it honestly never occur to you that such a child, even a
half demon, would take it upon himself to steal your father's legacy?"
"I need to speak to your mage."
She started. "Whatever for?"
"That is none of your concern. It is for you to know only that I must, no, I
will speak to the mage that is resident in this palace."
"Well then, my very ill-mannered son, he is in the solaria."
He turned to the Halfling. "Come, InuYasha, we are going to the solaria. We
will speak to the mage now."
…..Mage? What the hell do we need to see a mage for?
A/N: I know, I know, the Italics confuse you; in the first chapter they were
more the intro to the second chapter. I decided to do away with that notion in
the second one and use them as a kind of place holder for the following
chappies. I also realize that the format of this chapter is confusing, the
transition from past to present and back again, but I did this on purpose. If
you've ever read A Rose for Emily, you'll understand. Granted the author of
that story surely did it better than me, but hey at least I tried. ALSO! I have
decided to change my position on a Sango appearance…A certain someone knows why
;) As always, reviews are appreciated.
***** Chapter 3 *****
                                   Chapter 3
                                        
The villagers didn't react well to the incident of violence against Jun, who
promptly departed their village soon after, and they were growing less and less
impressed with the sheer opulence of InuYasha, deciding instead to focus on the
raw power that threatened them in their own homes. It didn't matter that Jun
was a hardened molester, or that InuYasha hadn't actually done him any harm,
the fact that a half-breed had hypnotized them in to submissive servitude and
made them a slave to his glory was violation enough, even if such manipulation
was only in their minds. So, they rejected the pup they once adored in favor of
the purer children, and took every opportunity they could to put him down; to
try to belittle him. Not that InuYasha minded, for at this turn, he had
discovered that humans were changeable creatures, and were only placated in
their fears when they believed they were of greater power than that which they
dread. In any case, he had already made up his mind to cease association, so it
made little difference to him what they said, he only truly took notice of it
when he didn't understand the insult; he was the son of InuTaisho after all,
and even if he wasn't, he was InuYasha, the greatest of three sons, he had no
reason to fret over the insults of temporary fixtures.
His brothers, on the other hand, were a different story. When they brought the
insults home, and mother did nothing about them, that is when InuYasha began to
truly see himself as…well… not inferior because as he had said before, he was
InuYasha and his brothers were not, but perhaps a little… forsaken. In those
moments, triplets or not, he was alone. It was then that InuYasha realized
that, while he would always care for his family, he could never rely on them;
they were as contemptuous as everyone else. Even his mother, whom he adored
above all creatures, seemed to desire to abandon him in favor of her other
progeny. But that was fine. Because he was an amenable child and would, of
course, respect the decisions of his Lady mother, and esteem his elder brothers
as was his place as Lady Izayoi's youngest child. Besides, they were his
brother and he loved them, and they loved him…of course they did. He would
frown at himself for making his own chest tighten in despair and advise himself
to dispel such emotion in favor of serenity; he desired desperately to be loved
as his brothers were, to be held and adored by their mother as they were, but
his pride would never allow him to seek such affection as he once did, for Jun
had colored his perceptions of people and therefore effectively snuffed out his
naiveté and innocence of such façades. That voice that had spoken to him
before, his inner demon, his instincts, told him that, while he must love them
and care for them, he most never allow himself to fall victim to their
infantile behavior, for one day it would be the doom of them all.
That day, it seemed, had finally come. As the fires raged through the village,
claiming every house, devouring them in a rush of heat and flame, InuYasha
rushed out, down from his place on the veranda, and sprinted to his brothers'
side to guide them to the hiding place in the kitchen cupboards that he had
carved out for himself after the…incident. Mother's Shinto wouldn't burn, he
knew, because it was too far away from the village proper to catch a flame and
there was nothing to carry it towards the delicate wooden home. "Stay here."
He'd said. "I'll find mother and we'll run for safety."
"Yasha, don't go!"
"Stay, Yasha, 's not safe out there!"
"I'll be fine, I have to find mother." He smiled at their teary faces. "I'll
come back for you I promise. Now, don't make a sound, shhhh. Be quiet and no
one will find you. I'll be right back." He placed the cover over their hiding
spot and closed the doors of the cupboard. As he walked out of the kitchen and
into the main hall of the house, he saw, truly saw, for the first time the
state of his home. The walls were red and sticky, the floor was wet and
slippery…it was absolutely drowning in blood. The bandits were already here. He
cautiously proceeded down the hallway, inspecting every room carefully, wary of
the danger but desperate to save his precious mother. "Momma?" He called after
her, with a small voice that carried and echoed in the previously vibrant
dwelling, bouncing back at him, almost mocking in its emptiness. As he made his
way down the hall with nary a sign of the Lady Izayoi, he felt himself begin to
tremble, as a solitary leaf adhering to the bony remains of a once lively tree
shivers in the autumn wind. Be brave, InuYasha. He said to himself, taking a
deep breath in order to stop his shaking. Momma needs you…nii-chans need you.
He continued to take steadying breaths as he approached the main hall and slid
the door open, he froze.
"…Momma!"
"What do you require, my Lord?" Machiro asked, bowing respectfully to Lord
Sesshomaru.
They had reached the solaria just a moment ago, and Lord Sesshomaru had told
him to stand by the tallest bookshelf and wait to be called. InuYasha tilted
his head at the strange looking man talking to Lord Sesshomaru. He had never
seen anyone so…strange. He was tall, of course as most Youkai were, his hair
was black also not unusual, his eyes were an odd shade of grey that InuYasha
personally had never seen, his skin was dark almost chocolate color, and his
clothes were…different. He was foreign obviously, no one else could have gotten
away with being so strange, but he spoke the language fluently and with little
accent, something that InuYasha guessed meant that he had been there a long
time; probably most of his life. He smelled bizarre almost bird-like….his robes
were rather colorful…
"I'm a peacock." He suddenly said out of the blue, turning his gentle gaze to
the curious hanyou. "I am from the Congo in Africa, child. I come a long way to
work with the lady of the Skies. No, no, don't be embarrassed, youth breeds
curiosity, I would be more offended if you hadn't taken any interest in me at
all." He chuckled at InuYasha's blush, as the boy's face colored with shame at
having stared at the odd man for so long, with such blatant inquisitiveness.
"I-I'm so sorry sir." InuYasha bowed respectfully, his ears pulled back and his
face still very red. "I had not meant to- well I mean I had, of course- but I
didn't- I'm sorry."
"Enough, pup. Machiro has already said he does not mind it." Sesshomaru raised
an eyebrow at the half-breed, who remained flush with embarrassment even as he
rose from his bow with his customary 'yes, Lord Sesshomaru,' response. As
amusing as it was to see his boy so flustered they had business that needed
doing. "Now, Machiro, if you are half of what Mother claims you to be, than you
should already know why I am here."
"Of course, Lord Sesshomaru; you wish me to remove the spell that covers the
boy's true form."
What!?InuYasha's eyes widened when he heard this and turned to Lord Sesshomaru
who merely nodded his head in affirmation. No, they can't! I…need this form!
I'm not…different from them like this…
"Indeed. It would seem that someone had bound him into a lesser figure and
spared only half the legacy my father left him."
"His father too, my Lord. Lord Sesshomaru, if I may, I would like to take a
closer look at your boy."
"How much closer?" Sesshomaru replied, suspicious of the look upon Machiro's
face.
Machiro chuckled to himself at his young lord's possessiveness. "I would only
like to scan his aura for any signs of malice in this binding that he wears. It
is simply a precaution to ensure that neither he nor I come to any harm during
the process of removal."
Sesshomaru nodded. "Do what you must, then. But Machiro," he narrowed his eyes
to glare in warning at the mage. "Do not even contemplate touching what I have
claimed as my own."
"No, of course not, my Lord." He turned to the child standing beside the
shelves and saw the trepidation on his face. "Don't fret, child, this will not
hurt you."
InuYasha shook his head. He knew it wouldn't hurt him; of course not he put it
there. But taking it off would hurt Machiro…at least trying to take it off.
InuYasha knew that, great mage or not, Machiro would never be able to undo a
binding of his making. How to tell him without giving himself away? How to warn
him off without telling Machiro, 'yes, I am the InuYasha you think I am, but
please don't force me into my true form, nothing good ever comes from it?' They
wouldn't believe him, of course, because what demon wants to be in a lesser
form of themselves over their own flesh, but hedid, and not just because he
wanted to be more like his brothers. No, I can't let him do this.
There was an electric crackle as Machiro raised his aura to meet the half-
breed's in order to survey his being. He was surprised to find that there
seemed to be a barrier between the boy and himself, preventing him from truly
seeing what it was that he was after. Raising his aura further, he felt a
burning sensation skin over his mind, as though it had been lit aflame by some
unknown assailant. I have never encountered such a thing before. This boy is
quite a find. "My Lord, if you would please instruct the boy to lessen his own
presence just a bit. There seems to be some sort of block preventing me from
discovering a solution to the task you have set forth."
"Do as he says, InuYasha. I would like this done quickly…"
"…Let's get this done quickly so we can be off! You've had your fun Maddox, now
kill the bitch!"
"Momma!" He cried distracted by the sight before him to realize that he had
given himself away to these men who had so harmed his mother. She was in
shambles. Her hair was ripped out its bun, hanging messily, half up half down,
her fine clothes reduced to rags, filthy and tattered, her body exposed and
bruised, her face swollen with abuse; she, like her home, was painted in blood.
"Stop hurting her!"
"Well, well, what do we have here? This bitch yours, pretty one?" The large man
holding his mother up by her hair unceremoniously dropped her to the floor.
"Where have you been hiding?"
He found himself hypnotized by the empty gaze staring back at him. She was
looking at him…but she wasn't…there was no light in her amethyst eyes, no hurt,
no sorrow, no nothing. She was…gone. Not dead, no he could hear her breathing,
see the rise and fall of her bare chest, but still she wasn't there.
As her eyes regained focus she saw him standing there, looking back at her,
seeing her in such a state, and for the first time she saw real fear and
uncertainty in his eyes; for the first time in what seemed like ages, he was a
child in need of his mother…the one moment she couldn't possibly save him.
"Inu…Yasha…no…"
"InuYasha? What a cute name for a cute puppy. Come here pup, come sit on my
lap, I've got a treat for you." The men laughed at the joke as he reached for
the child, who did nothing to defend himself. "That's a good boy, just tears
now; I don't particularly care for screams when I'm fucking my boys."
"Don't…please…"
"You still alive? Well, fine then, I suppose I don't mind an audience too much,
ha."
InuYasha started to squirm in the man's arms, desperate to get away and help
his mother. He had to save her. Momma needed his help…his nii-chans….he
promised them. "Let me go!"
"Now, now, you want your mommy safe don't you?" This gave him pause, even as he
pushed at the hand painfully gripping his shoulder. Yes, he did want her safe,
but at the same time he didn't want this man to hurt him. Don't be selfish.
Momma needs us! The voice was right. Momma needed him. He nodded. "Well then,
why don't you be a good little boy and cry for me? Daddy'sgonna put his cock in
you."
Izayoi thought she would be sick when she heard this man refer to himself as
her son's father. InuTaisho was a great man, how dared this monster sully his
name; how dare he try to eroticize the violation of her child by referring to
himself in such a manner! She tried to move, tried to do something, but she
couldn't: she couldn't move, couldn't speak, she was too weak- dying- she could
not do anything to aid her son; her sweet, sweet boy who was sacrificing
himself to save her, someone who just couldn't be saved. A tear fell down her
cheek as she heard his whimper of distress, his sobs as he was entered…her last
moments spent listening, watching as this man defiled her perfect, pure,
untainted, untouchable little boy.
He was being ripped apart, he knew it. This man was tearing him in two, and he
couldn't do a thing about it, not if he wanted his momma to live, for these men
to stop hurting her. And they had. Look! They were walking away from her,
letting her rest! They weren't hurting her anymore. His sobs of pain mixed with
those of relief for his poor mother, he would suffer, gladly, if it meant that
she and his brothers were safe.
His hair was being pulled as his head was lifted up off the floor roughly. He
was being taken harder, he could feel blood running down his legs and tears
down his cheeks as the man pressed harder, gripped tighter, pulled out bits of
his hair, bit down on his shoulder, and finished with a shudder, filling his
torn and broken body with his essence1…
…InuYasha backed away from the sorcerer when he stepped forward, but did as he
was bid and lessened the presence of his aura just a bit, but did nothing to
lessen the power of the barrier he'd built around himself. The surge of power
that trailed across his skin sent shivers up his spine as Machiro's aura
pierced the veil between them, entwining with his own energies, fishing for the
mechanism that held his façade in place.
Nothing; he found absolutely nothing to disarm the child's binding and restore
him to his truest of forms, meaning only one thing. "My Lord, I believe he is
the crafter of this form you see before you. Your hanyou is deliberately
masking himself and preventing us from seeing him, truly."
They both turned to look at the boy, who was eyeing them warily, all but
confirming their suspicions. Machiro knotted his brow in thought. Why should
the boy wish to hide himself so desperately that he would be so veracious in
his defense of such a disguise? He tilted his head and extended his magics to
try to skin over the half-breeds thoughts, to perhaps see if he could sleuth
out what it was that made the boy desire to be so hidden, but as soon as he got
even halfway towards his destination he felt a shudder pass over his own
thoughts, and his secrets were very suddenly more exposed then they ever had
been even before he began training as a mage. He hastily attempted to
reconstruct his protections, but he was woefully slow doing so, especially when
compared to the speed at which such secrets seemed to be stolen away. As soon
as he was completed, he withdrew and gazed at the boy incredulously. He looked
so calm! As if he hadn't just disarmed one of the most powerful Mages in the
land, and stolen his thoughts with little to no effort on his own part. What
was this?
Sesshomaru, too, was surprised. Never before had he ever heard of any demon,
half-breed or full, deliberately hiding themselves in such a manner. InuYoukai
did so, so that they could interact with other beings in a more humanoid form,
making it easier for them to live in the fine homes that they built for
themselves. However, they much preferred to be in their natural state, and
almost never resisted being exposed, because their animal form was much
powerful than any human image they could construct for themselves. He had never
considered doing otherwise, himself, and he knew that his own lady mother
hadn't. Takeshi, his younger brother had certainly stated a preference for
being in his human form, but that was only because their brother Saiou felt
left out when they joined one another outside of their respective guise. For a
half-breed who obviously possessed a greater from than he currently inhabited
to hide such a form in favor of one that was, apparently, so much less than
what he truly was seemed almost blasphemous. Why should the half-breed choose
to do such a thing? Very suddenly, he felt a shift in the air, and returned his
full attention to the child in question, whose demeanor had taken quite an
extreme turn from the calm, collected boy of a few moments ago.
To be frank, and quite honest, InuYasha was in a state. As soon as Machiro had
tried to get into his mind, InuYasha, with no intention of doing anything save
defend himself and his secrets, had inadvertently stolen Machiro's. He was
being inundated with memories that clearly weren't his, and knowledge that he
had no right to possess. An image of Machiro's first intimate encounter with a
woman flashed before his eyes unwarranted, followed by an image of large over-
decorated hall whose walls were covered in ornate crystals that were so filled
with power they would electrify your flesh before you were ever really in the
room, and there was Master Rioku, a man that InuYasha had never met, giving
Machiro his certificate of graduation, and Gods but he looked so proud of
himself, he was on top of the world, then he wasn't; he was being beaten by the
knighthood of his kingdom simply for being a mage- just a child, poor Machiro-
he felt tears on his cheeks, he was crying, but…was he? Was Machiro? He hated
this, being so consumed by the memories of another that he was experiencing
them first hand, but then he wasn't, and…and why wasn't this STOPPING?! He took
a deep breath as he was saturated by every feeling and life experience that
Machiro had ever had, good, bad, neutral, every thought that had ever passed
through his head- how could someone get away with murdering a king?- and then
it was finally over, and he sighed with relief. His mind finally his own, his
face thankfully dry, and his Lord and his Lord's Lady Mother's trusted mage
were staring at him.
"What did you see?"
"I'm sorry, I hadn't meant to-"
"I didn't ask if you meant to, I asked what you saw."
InuYasha wanted to cry like the child he truly was. Why did these things happen
to him? Everything was fine a moment ago, why did he do this to people?
"Everything; I'm so sorry, I saw everything."
"Well, little one, do try to share, yes?"
"Alright…what?"
Machiro chuckled. "You haven't been properly trained, pup, and I underestimated
your strength-which I assure you will never happen again- so I deserved what I
got. However, I will ask that you keep some of those things a secret, somehow I
don't think certain perceptions will remain in place should those things be
disclosed. I'm placing my full faith and trust in you, boy, don't disappoint."
InuYasha nodded. "To my grave," he whispered, more to himself than anyone else.
Sesshomaru growled and turned to Machiro. "Explain, now."
"Of course, my lord," Machiro gestured to a chair, indicating that Lord
Sesshomaru should sit, motioning InuYasha to do the same on a cushion generally
reserved for fine visitors, which the hanyou politely decline, much to
Machiro's immense disappointment. "First and foremost, I have accomplished what
my lord requested and have seen his true form, or at least had a glimpse."
"That is not what I asked you to do."
"No, my lord, but it is as close as I shall be able to get, the young one here
is filled with quite a cache of raw power, I must say, very impressive. In any
case, I have seen it; he is indeed the youngest son of your esteemed father,
InuTaisho."
"Why did Takeshi and Saiou not say anything?"
"That I cannot speak to, he may have seen my knowledge, my lord, but I did not
have the privilege of seeing his. However, I can say that the boy will not be
revealed to you by anyone who is not InuYasha, and I would not advise that you
try to ask it of anyone, lest they lose their secrets as easily as I did." He
smiled fondly at InuYasha who blushed, very clearly ashamed of what had
occurred between them despite his forgiveness. "Perhaps the child might one day
be inclined to share it with us, if not, who knows if we will ever see it? In
any case, you wish to know what transpired between us, well that is a rather
simple matter. I attempted to break through the barriers that your younger
brother erected upon his mind in order to hide his true form, I was
unsuccessful, and his inner demon punished me for the failed attempt by
shattering every barrier I possessed and stole a piece of my being, my
emotional and linear history, to be more specific."
"Emotional and linear history?"
"Yes, my lord, every experience that I have ever had, and every thought and
emotion that accompanied those experiences."
"I see." Sesshomaru turned his gaze to the boy, still standing behind him, as a
slave would. "Come here, InuYasha."
"My lord?" InuYasha replied, stepping forward so that he was within
Sesshomaru's line of sight.
"Come here,InuYasha." Sesshomaru repeated insistently when InuYasha moved no
closer.
He stepped forward so that he was within arm's reach of Lord Sesshomaru, and
tilted his head questioningly, looking for all to see like the puppy he truly
was. "My Lord?" he inquired again, his brow slightly furrowed and his furry
ears twitching slightly in confusion.
Sesshomaru said nothing, simply pulled InuYasha in further with his Moko-Moko
so that the half breed was resting against his chest, and buried his face into
his hair breathing in his scent. The boy did smell like family, so familiar and
yet foreign to his nose-perhaps an effect of the false shape the boy occupied,
he couldn't honestly tell- the child smelled…right. As something one holds in
high personal regard. This child was his, in one way or another, or in all
ways; it did not truly matter, Sesshomaru owned this boy now, whatever his
status. He stroked his claws through the young hanyou's hair, feeling the
difference between them in each strand. InuYasha's hair was soft cotton, where
his was silk, white- like Takeshi's- to his moonlit silver, his eyes were a
muddy pallid color, something like a yellow mixed with a hint of brown, and
were dull in comparison to Sesshomaru's brilliant gilded orbs. He was
different, yet very much the same, a filthy mix of his mother and their shared
father; a kind of dusty almost worn out remake of their father's likeness. It
was, in a word, disappointing.
But, perhaps all was not as it seemed. "Show yourself to me, InuYasha." At the
sound of the half-demon's protest he growled. "I am your elder, and alpha; do
as I say, and reveal yourself to me, little brother."
What else could he do but comply? InuYasha's ears pinned to the back of his
head, he released the bind the surrounded him, just as his Lord had commanded.
What choice did he have? As he revealed himself and all his glory, he was met
with silence as both the other occupants of the room attempted to comprehend
the stark contrast between this form, and the one he had occupied previously.
The boy was angelic, to say the least; like a celestial being come down from on
high to bless them with his presence. Machiro could feel himself overcome with
a desire to kneel before this creature, so brimming with power, pure and raw,
and offer up his prayers, as though the child were a God simply waiting for
those less than him to give him worship. And he would, gods know he would, if
the child would but ask him. He slid out of his chair and on to the floor,
simply sitting there, waiting for whatever it was that was surely coming.
Sesshomaru, of course, was in a very different state of mind. Yes, he was just
as captivated by this creature as Machiro, but he would give his worship to no
being that would think to command him; would seek to destroy any creature that
thought so highly of itself to try. No, it was the sense of peace that
surrounded this delicate being that enraptured Sesshomaru. There was no malice,
no sense of strife, or struggle, or anything that would be considered ill-
natured from the boy. He simply was. It was almost liberating, in a way that
Sesshomaru couldn't understand, to be in the presence of one such individual
who either did not, or could not, hold grudge against those that had very
clearly wronged him, for surely having lived his life a slave, he was faced
with many a wrongs.
InuYasha, who of course was not vain enough to become enraptured by himself,
new better; yes, he did hold grudges, his dislike of Kiritsu and Ichiro was
proof enough of that, but he did not hold those resentments for long, and more
often than not was willing to let them go, knowing full well that if he
lingered on such things they would color his perceptions of others, which was
not in any way fair to those that had not been involved in whatever wrong
doings they had committed against him. However, that did not stop him from
being hesitant. He was forgiving, yes, but he was not naïve nor was he a fool.
He would only allow so much before he felt the need to properly defend himself
from those that would wish him harm, though it seemed that, for the time being,
he was safe here. Of course, should that change…well, InuYasha was more than
capable of defending himself from those that made up the palace guard, should
such a thing be necessary. Better fucking not be. It was a pain in the ass just
getting here, you know? InuYasha agreed, it was unlikely that any here would
cause him issue, though, so he supposed such thoughts were moot. In any case,
his Lord and his Lord's mage were staring. Which is beyond rude, by the way.
…Indeed.
A/N: So, we've introduced some new font manipulations that probably need
explaining. This is the font type that I will be using to express any thoughts
or inputs that InuYasha's human half might wish to express.
This, of course, is his Youkai, in case you didn't already figure it out, this
will be more where InuYasha's original canon characterization is pout in play,
other wise he is complete different, because it's a fanfic, and I can do what I
like with him, hahaha.
And this is just thought, or emphasis,or more emphasis,or omg I can't believe
this shit is going down emphasis either way, I'll try to keep you up to speed
with whatever little changes or add ins I happen to make.
As always, reviews are welcome, whole heartedly. 3
***** Chapter 4 *****
If he had been anyone else, he would have killed him. No, not figuratively,
literally, ended his life, and buried him in a wall in his bedroom- maybe the
floor- so he could look at (read: step on) his grave each and every day. Alas,
this was his brother, and he should be patient with him, like his nii-chan. But
Gods, Takeshi could be so damn annoying in the morning it wasn't even funny…
"Saiou, you know you're not supposed to hide your knives in your sleeves.
They're for eating, not stabbing people. What would mother say?"
He scowled. "Would you like to ask her? I'm sure I can arrange that for you."
"You know that isn't the mother I'm talking about. Lady InuKiyomi is our mother
now, and has been for almost two centuries, why do you deny her the honor she's
due?"
"Because, dearest brother, she isn't our mother. She's our step mother and to
call her anything else is to spit on Mother's memory. How would InuYasha feel
if he heard you calling her your mother? He'd kill you; that is how he would
feel."
"InuYasha is not, nor will he ever be, here. We made sure of that. He's a half-
breed who's caused nothing but trouble for the both of us, even when we were
children; always strutting around the house like he owned the place, like he
was the elder brother, entitled to all that was rightfully mine. Besides, he
killed our mother."
"He did not."
"Well, he may as well have."
"InuYasha was good to us, in case you've forgotten. He took care to make sure
we were fed and clothed with a warm, safe place to sleep at night, long before
that woman ever thought of seeking us out. He was the one that told us to go
with her without him; we didn't 'see to' anything. He didn't want to be a
burden to us, so he told us not to say anything about him when she came to take
us."
Takeshi scoffed. "Only because he knew that Lady InuKiyomi would kill him for
his weakness. He was a coward, Saiou, nothing more."
"Funny, because I distinctly remember a certain someone bawling his eyes out
begging Lady Kiyomi not to hurt him, screaming for said 'coward' to come and
save him. Never mind the sniveling child that huddled in the safe haven that
same 'coward' built for him to hide in while his mother was murdered."
"You were no better!"
"No, I wasn't but I didn't call my savior a coward either! He was twice the
care-giver anyone here ever was and he loved us! Why do you have to say such
horrible things about him, when all that bitch ever does is check in on us now
and then to make sure that we aren't doing anything to embarrass her and her
precious, perfect Sesshomaru. Or have you forgotten our perfect elder brother?"
"He is perfect." Takeshi sighed dreamily. "And someday, he'll take me as his
mate; I amthe only one worthy of him after all. Mother says so."
"I'm sure she does." Saiou rolled his eyes, throwing the knife in his sleeve
down on the table next to his breakfast plate. "I' m going to bathe before we
have to tend to our studies, enjoy your daydream, idiot."
Takeshi frowned at the insult but said nothing, merely returning his dreamy
gaze to whatever imaginary Sesshomaru was gracing his mind. Saiou shook his
head sadly, his own thoughts turning toward a very different brother.
InuYasha was always good to them. He never raised his voice, he never hit them,
and he never expected anything of them except decent behavior and very minimal
mischief. In return they were well taken care of, safe, well fed, warm, and
well clothed. InuYasha had spared no expense when it came to their care, and
whatever they wanted, they got. So, Saiou guessed, they were pretty spoiled,
something that Lady InuKiyomi could replicate just as well, if not better than
their younger brother; but the one thing she could never give them, which
InuYasha gave in surplus, was love. No matter what they did, no matter how
often they did things that disappointed him, InuYasha always loved them, and
never even considered depriving them of that love and affection. When InuKiyomi
was upset with them, she all but ignored them until they had either done
something to make it up to her, or begged her to come and see them, to 'love
them' again. Despite everything that he had forgotten about his brother's
teachings, he did remember that one mantra that his otouto repeated long after
their mother's death. No matter what you do, no matter who you are, you're
family, and I will always love you. Even if it kills me, Saiou, I love you.
InuKiyomi would never even consider allowing them to wrinkle her kimono, what
the hell made Takeshi think she would die for them.
He shrugged. He was ranting again, he knew as he stepped out of the bath,
possessing no knowledge of precisely how he got there. InuYasha would have
loved this. He thought as he fingered all of his fine clothes and shoes. He
would be glad that we had such nice things…
He started when he heard a knock at his door. Sumiko, his personal servant
entered at his behest and bowed, respectfully. "My lady has asked me to prepare
you for the day's festivities."
Festivities? Ah, yes, our birthday…*sigh* Happy Birthday, Yasha."Alright,
Sumiko. Does the lady have any thoughts on what I should wear?"
"Master Takeshi is wearing his white and gold kimono, and Lord Sesshomaru is
planning to wear his traditional with red Kon, so I would encourage you to
match them."
InuYasha wouldn'tencourageme to do anything except whatIwanted. "I suppose
that's best."
"Yes, Master Saiou. I'm sure my Lady will be very pleased."
He nodded his head acquiescently, dutifully allowing her to dress him, to brush
and oil his hair, and exited the room to join his brother's and step-mother in
the ballroom where servants were hanging decorations for the party that would
be held later that day. He bowed respectfully at Lady InuKiyomi before standing
next to her and surveying the scene before him. There were ribbons of blue silk
hanging from the ceiling, vases of flowers adorning the tables that would hold
beverages and hors d'oeuvres for the guests to enjoy, paintings of the family,
from his great grandfather AkiHiro-Taisho, his grandfather AkiHiko-Taisho
(AkiHiko for short), his father Akio-InuTaisho, though many simply knew him as
InuTaisho, and His brother Sesshomaru. He and his brother Takeshi's pictures
had been moved to adorn the mantle of the large fireplace sitting in the center
of the largest wall on the east side of the ballroom, both bordered by gold
where there had previously been white frame, to signify their coming of age.
InuYasha's portrait wasn't present in the hall; it never had been, because he'd
never sat to have it painted. Which is a shame, Saiou thought to himself,
sadly, he was so beautiful, I bet he's mesmerizing now that he's an adult.
Yes, they were adults now. At least, they were mating age anyway. Tonight they
would be tested, and surely one of the two of them would be identified as a
bearer and would be presented to suitors to be chosen for a viable mating, the
first and greatest of which would be their lord brother Sesshomaru; the other
would be presented to a line of bearers and would choose a potential mate from
the flock. If neither of them had found a mate that night, they would be
sequestered for mating season- at least the bearer would be, the alpha would be
allowed to fuck basically whoever he wanted- until it was over. Then the
process would be restarted on their next birthday a year from now, until they
found a partner.
He knew that Takeshi hoped he would be a bearer so that he could mate with
their brother Sesshomaru, but he also knew that such a thing was unlikely. He
was the eldest of three and had displayed strong inclination towards alpha male
behavior, even when they were children, so it was almost impossible for him to
be a bearer. It had happened before, certainly; his grandfather had been a
bearer and he was the first son of AkiHiro-Taisho, but still AkiHiko was the
exception, not the rule. Takeshi was an alpha, he just knew it. The only
identity in question, really, was his. Saiou wasn't sure what to expect,
honestly, though he had always assumed that he and InuYasha would be bearers
and had dreamed of them growing up together, and having children together, and
being pregnant all at the same time, perhaps even being mated together; he had
even shared these dreams with InuYasha, often in fact, to which the half-demon
simply smiled and nodded and agreed and said nothing else about it. Saiou knew,
now, that his brother probably believed he would never be mated and happy, he
would be too busy providing for them and their futures to look for a mate
himself. Secretly, Saiou had wished that his Yasha was an alpha, or at least
not a bearer, so that the two of them could be mated; he didn't want to share
his beautiful brother with anyone else.
You see, where Takeshi had thought Sesshomaru was perfect and beautiful and
worshipped him and everything he did: Saiou adored his brother InuYasha in
equal measure. To him, InuYasha was the epitome of perfection. He was graceful
and patient and kind and oh so beautiful. He glowed in the moonlight or the
sunlight, which ever happened to be shinning at the time, he was gentle and
always had a kind word to say; would stroke his hair, or his back to comfort
him, and had never let him know any true pain or heartache while they were
together. Saiou loved his brother dearly, and had been in-love with him for
years. He was devastated when InuYasha instructed him not to reveal his
identity to Lady InuKiyomi, and had always been resentful of her and his
brother for simply accepting that. His poor, gentle, Yasha….
"Saiou, are you listening to me?"
"Huh?" He snapped out of his reminiscences by his older brother, who was waving
his hand in front of his face frantically. "What?"
Takeshi huffed impatiently. "Seriously, Saiou, you're supposed to listen when I
talk to you. I am your older brother after all."
"Sorry, Takeshi I was spaced out."
"Yeah, I saw that. You've been doing that a lot lately. Thinking of your mate."
Takeshi wiggled his eyebrows. "Huh, huh? Ha-ha, I bet you're thinking of that
prince in the East, the one with the blue hair. He's pretty, but don't you
think you should be dreaming of someone else, like Sesshomaru, say. One of us
should mate him after all, so if it isn't me, it will definitely be you."
"I wasn't-"
"Of course, you won't be as perfect a match as I am, but still better than
anyone else."
"Takeshi I was- "
"Though, maybe if you would stop complaining about-"
"I was thinking about INUYASHA!" Saiou shouted, loud enough to make all the
servants stop what they were doing and turn to look at them.
"What? Again? Why don't you think of something else for once, Saiou? Seriously,
he's gone. It's been, what, two hundred years? Come on."
"I'm sorry; he's just been on my mind lately."
"Yeah, I've noticed. You know if I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted
him to be your mate…"
"…..Maybe I do…"
"WHAT!?" It was Takeshi's turn to yell now. "What happened to 'Oh, Yasha, when
we get older and have mates, we'll spend so much time together: we'll give
birth together, we'll be pregnant together, and we'll even raise our kids
together! It'll be so great!'"
"I was…..fibbing….a little…"
"Yeah, I can see that."
"Anyway, it's too late for that now, like you said, he's gone."
"Well then," Takeshi said, suddenly very excited. "Let's let the servants do
their thing, and join Mother and Nii-chan in the sitting room until the guests
arrive."
"Is he back?"
"Yes, he arrived earlier this morning."
"Okay, then I guess. Do you think-"
He was interrupted by the sudden force of magic being unleashed throughout the
house. As he returned to equilibrium, he drank in the scent that came with the
powerful aura and smiled widely. "Yasha…"
===============================================================================
Takeshi was more than a little annoyed by his brother's attitude, watching him
walk out of the hall while pretending to day dream about Sesshomaru. He had
been increasingly combative over the past few weeks, and if they were going to
be mates, Saiou was going to have to learn how to behave. And get a handle on
his attitude, or Takeshi would get a handle on it for him. In any case, he had
to get ready for their birthday party. He rose from his seat at the head of the
dining table, and made his way to his own bedroom.
He opened his door and drank in the sight of his recently redecorated room. He
had added a few things, his curtains were a sheer red, and his bed sheets had
been replaced with an inviting white fur, where they had previously been a
heavy black silk; he had added a new dresser and wardrobe, both a deep
mahogany, all for his brother. He wanted the little one to be comfortable when
they finally shared a room, so he had done everything possible to change his
room to please him. He walked to his own solid oak wardrobe and surveyed his
various pieces of clothing, thinking hard about precisely what he would wear to
impress his precious little brother. He decided on the white kimono with the
gold dragons adorning the sleeves and back that Saiou had picked for him last
summer. He fingered the embroidered beasts with a reverence that had only been
displayed for one other creature…one that Saiou and he both adored.
He sighed. "InuYasha, where are you little brother?" Yes, despite all he had
said to Saiou that morning, he too missed their younger brother, who had risked
his own life to save theirs, who despite all the power he had at his disposal
had shown difference to him that he didn't deserve, even after their dear
mother died. It had pained him to say the things he did about his precious
little one, but he knew he must follow InuYasha's advice and distance himself.
She'll want you to be loyal to her and only her, Takeshi; she will expect it
from the both of you. That means you must be separate from me in all ways,
because I am a half breed and she sees deplores me because I am a half-breed.
Saiou won't like it, but you'll have to decide which is more important,
protecting me or providing for Saiou. I love you, Takeshi. I know you'll do
what's best for the both of you. And he had; he had been so depreciating of his
brother that Lady InuKiyomi had no reason to suspect his disloyalty to her or
her son. Truth be told, he hated her, probably more than Saiou ever could. The
first time he had heard her refer to InuYasha as 'the half-breed' he wanted to
strangle her. He wanted to reach out and rip her face off with his claws.
Learn to control yourself, Takeshi. You'll be a lord someday, and a lord must
conduct himself accordingly, especially when one of higher status speaks in a
disagreeable manner. He did control himself, but gods it was so hard when she
said things like 'that half-breed would have brought dishonor to your name' or
'it's good that you left the abomination to die, he is much more useful that
way.' He wished, just once, that he could say to her 'I'm a half-breed, too!'
because he was, his mother was human and his father was a demon.
But you aren't a half-breed, silly boy. You're a full-fledged demon, and you
shouldn't ever be so willing to throw such a heritage to the wind.But he wanted
to! He wanted to be like his brother, strong and calm and powerful and half
demon! It wasn't fair! Life will be good to you, Takeshi, because you arenot a
half demon. You will be given opportunities that I could only dream of. Take
advantage of it, sweet boy, and don't ever wish things were different. It
dishonors both our parents, but most especially our mother who was strong
enough to make you as such. Yes, right, mother. He wished she was he right now.
He wished they were both here…
He shook himself free of his memories and proceeded to make his way to the
ballroom, where Lady Kiyomi standing on the dais with his brother, Saiou,
watching as the servants finished preparing for the night's revelries. She
smiled at him when he bowed to her and motioned for him to stand beside her.
"Look, Takeshi, you'll be joining the annals with your father, and his fathers
before him. You'll be Lord of a land and mate a worthy bitch and craft perfect
children for our clan, expanding its glory. I'm proud of you, boy, you have
become a fine example, and a glory to your house."
"Thank you, Mother." His stomach turned as the words passed his lips. He hated
having to call this woman his mother, for she resembled her not at all. But,
InuYasha had said 'Loyalty means family, and family makes her your mother. You
will have to call her as such if you want to be accepted into her household.
And, Takeshi, wipe that look off of your face, because you most certainly do.
It is the only way I will ever truly know that you will be safe.
"Your brother, Sesshomaru, arrived early this morning and has gone to see the
Mage, so I suppose he will be attending the party. Which is just as well, one
of you will be a bearer and will be a viable mate for our perfect Lord of the
West." She smiled triumphantly. "Well, I should be off to change, and welcome
our honored guests. Do look after Saiou, will you? He's been distant lately and
I don't want him to embarrass us by being inattentive."
"Yes, Mother."
"Good boy."
With that, she exited the hall, leaving him and his brother to themselves. He
turned to look at the brother in question, seeing that he was, indeed, quite
lost in his own thoughts. "Saiou. Saiou!" He waved his hand frantically in the
younger's face trying to break him from his stupor. "Saiou, are you listening
to me?"
"Huh?" Saiou's eyes finally looked in focus and he shook his head to clear away
the fog that Takeshi had found there just a moment before. "What?"
Takeshi pretended to be impatient with his brother's lack of focus. "Seriously,
Saiou, you're supposed to listen when I talk to you. I am your older brother
after all."
"Sorry, Takeshi I was spaced out."
"Yeah, I saw that. You've been doing that a lot lately. Thinking of your mate."
Takeshi wiggled his eyebrows, hoping against all hope that Saiou was thinking
of him. "Huh, huh? Ha-ha, I bet you're thinking of that prince in the East, the
one with the blue hair. He's pretty, but don't you think you should be dreaming
of someone else, like Sesshomaru, say. One of us should mate him after all, so
if it isn't me, it will definitely be you." Gods, but he hoped it wasn't
Sesshomaru could have anyone else in the whole world, but not his Saiou…and
that eastern prince could kiss the whitest part of his lily white ass if he
thought he was going to get his filthy hands on his precious little brother
"I wasn't-"
"Of course, you won't be as perfect a match as I am, but still better than
anyone else." Than everyone else. Saiou was so perfect…so different from all
the others.
"Takeshi I was- "
"Though, maybe if you would stop complaining about-" He had to keep rambling,
he had to hide his longing until the time was just ri-
"I was thinking about INUYASHA!" Saiou shouted, loud enough to make all the
servants stop what they were doing and turn to look at them, something that he
had taken to doing since he and Takeshi were about seventeen.
"What? Again? Why don't you think of something else for once, Saiou? Seriously,
he's gone. It's been, what, two hundred years? Come on." 'I've been thinking
about him, too, Saiou,' he wanted to say. 'Let's go find him, let's leave this
place and go find him.'
"I'm sorry; he's just been on my mind lately."
"Yeah, I've noticed. You know if I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted
him to be your mate…" 'Mine too.'
"…..Maybe I do…"
"WHAT!?" It was Takeshi's turn to yell now, truly surprised by this revelation.
"What happened to 'Oh, Yasha, when we get older and have mates, we'll spend so
much time together: we'll give birth together, we'll be pregnant together, and
we'll even raise our kids together! It'll be so great!'" Truth be told, he had
always hoped that Yasha and Saiou both would be his mates, and both carry his
children, so that they could always be together, and never separated, ever. But
that was childish, and InuYasha was gone. Whatever you say, Takeshi. Silly boy.
"I was…..fibbing….a little…"
"Yeah, I can see that." Saiou thinks we should have our children, together.
You're so alike, you two…
"Anyway, it's too late for that now, like you said, he's gone."
"Well then," Takeshi said, suddenly acting very excited, hoping to draw them
both away from the sorrow that he saw slowly creeping in on them. "Let's let
the servants do their thing, and join Mother and Nii-chan in the sitting room
until the guests arrive."
"Is he back?" Saiou sounded so disinterested, as always, in what their elder
brother was doing, which was fine because he honestly wasn't all that
interested either.
"Yes, he arrived earlier this morning."
Takeshi never heard what Saiou had said, as he was consumed by the sudden
release of unbridled power that reached out to engulf all his senses, and fill
them with a presence that he hadn't experienced in almost two centuries.
"InuYasha…"
===============================================================================
Half an hour had passed before Machiro and Sesshomaru gathered themselves
enough to be considered normal again. They gazed at the creature before them
with an awe they had never before experienced when in the presence of another
being. He still had his long hair, but now it was glossy and silvery,
resembling liquid star-dust, as though the moon had poured all the sky into the
boy's hair and granted her light to every strand; his eyes were a piercing,
clear gold, his pupils thin slits, giving him the look of a free and feral
beast, untamed as such a creature should be. His skin had the lightest tan, not
quite as much as it had had before, but not pale as his brother's had been; his
previously naked skin was once again adorned with marks that spoke of a long
dead world, ancient and mesmerizing in their beauty and position, framing his
eyes and blossoming onto his cheek. Whether there were any other marks on his
frame, they couldn't know, because he was still covered by his robes. Which was
a good thing, Sesshomaru suddenly thought to himself releasing a breath didn't
known he was holding, because this glorious creature's unexposed flesh belonged
to him and him alone.
He glanced sidelong at the mage in question, noting that he was still
hypnotized by the beauty of the being before them, and frowned. This was
unacceptable. "Machiro, I suggest you take hold of your senses immediately,
lest you lose the use of them altogether."
"Wha-huh?" The Man shook himself out of his stupor. "Yes, yes, My Lord, of
course. Forgive me." His gaze traveled away for a moment before coming back to
rest on the glory before him, gasping as his eyes locked with piercing gold, as
InuYasha raised his eyes for the first time to meet theirs. "I….I am not sure
what to say…"
InuYasha smiled, gently, kind and patient, more than used to the reaction. "I
do not believe there is much that needs to be said, sir. But if you feel you
must speak, may I suggest you direct your words to our Lord, as he is the one
that questioned you."
His voice was soothing, and easily put Machiro at ease, despite his earlier
anxiety. He felt himself relax completely as the smooth tenor washed over him
and he smiled back at the child. "Yes, of course." He turned back to his lord
and smiled at him as well. "Mission accomplished." He said, beaming.
"Indeed." Sesshomaru, too, was relaxed by the sound of his otouto's voice,
despite it not having been directed at him. He found himself experiencing
something he never had before. Envy; envy at the fact that the smile and the
words had not been saved for him, had not been made for him. "InuYasha." He
called to the child, filled with the desire to have his attentions.
"My Lord?" InuYasha turned his bright eyes to rest on him, stealing the breath
from his lungs, smiling at him and expressing his natural contentedness despite
the tense nature of their previous exchange.
Sesshomaru had to steal himself from accosting the child inappropriately while
still in the presence of Machiro. "Come here, InuYasha. I wish to….come here."
He glided closer to his lord, who pulled him into his arms and brought his hand
up to caress his face. The child was beautiful, yes, but his was not a plain
beauty, nor a common one in their lands. His skin stood in contrast with others
of his royal lineage, though it retained a silk-like quality despite his years
of servitude, he smelled of wild flowers and thunder storms, power and
fragility warring in his features, his demeanor. He was submissive, yes, he
kept his head bowed slightly, but he was also very strong in his presence,
standing up straight and tall. His cheek bones were high and full, as was
proper for one of his line, his brow was smooth with and elegant and dainty
arch, manicured to perfection and colored in stark contrast to his glittering
silver hair; he pulled his brother close to him and buried his face in his
smooth, cool locks, taking in his scent and covering the boy with his own,
claiming him, marking InuYasha as beta and family.
"You are mine, InuYasha. You are my brother, you are my family, and you are
mine."
"Yes, my Lord." InuYasha's airy voice carried gently to his ears, though it was
distant and held no joy or fervor. Simply stated, and meant.
"Sesshomaru. You are kin, blood; you may call me Sesshomaru, or nii-chan."
"Are you not also my Lord?"
"Yes, but I am your brother first."
"As you say, my Lord….Sesshomaru."
He tightened his grip when his half-demon breathed his name, reaching up to
fondle his furry ears, before leaning down to press their lips together in a
breathy kiss. He drank in the boys essence through his caress, stealing every
breath as it passed between them, subtly displaying his passions and expressing
them with a growl as the half-demon opened his mouth to him, allowing him to
explore his sweetened cavern. He ran his tongue upon his sweet brother's fangs,
releasing a husky moan when he nicked his appendage, spilling a bit of his
blood, allowing them to share in the taste of it.
InuYasha tried to pull away, suddenly filled with a desperate need for air, his
lungs screaming, his mind hazing as Sesshomaru pulled him in closer, deepening
the kiss they shared. When they finally separated, InuYasha gasped air into his
lungs, a burning sensation filling them with every breath. His heart was
pounding in his chest. His head was swimming. His nostrils were filled with the
scent of Sesshomaru. His ears filled with the sound of his voice. He felt his
loins stir when his brother-…his, brother…he almost couldn't believe it- pulled
him closer to his frame, gripping him tightly and brushing his lips across his
cheek. What was this? What was happening to him? This feeling in his chest…he
gripped the front of his kimono, as though he was holding his heart in his very
hands… "Sesshomaru…?"
"Yes, little one?"
…No words came to mind. He simply sighed and allowed himself to be bathed in
the presence of his….nii-chan….
"My Lord?"
InuYasha snapped open eyes he hadn't realized he'd closed and pulled away
swiftly and bowed respectfully to his Lord. "Forgive me, Lord Sesshomaru, I
didn't mean to forget myself in the presence of others."
Sesshomaru's brows furrowed in confusion. "InuYasha, why should you..?"
"YASHA!" Two voices rang in his ears, interrupting whatever Sesshomaru had been
about to ask, drawing InuYasha's attention to the door that swung violently
open, framing the bodies of two teens.
"Takeshi….Saiou?"
***** Chapter 5 *****
His ears were ringing. His body ached. His eyes were blurry and sore. His nose
was itchy. He was crying. He turned toward his mother and called to her, but
his voice sounded so far away. He knew he was calling her, his sore throat
protesting at his volume, but still it sounded like a whisper. A wisp of wind
or the breath of death, still far away but close enough to frighten. Why wasn't
she moving? Surely she could hear him? Momma….Momma….
"…Momma!" He screamed, dragging his broken, battered body to her side; shaking
her shoulders in an attempt to arise her. "Momma, wake up, please…Momma!"
It helped not at all. His mother was still and breathless, laying in a shallow,
crimson pool, half-naked and stained with tears. His poor, beautiful mother;
she was gone, he knew, she had left him, been stolen from him; those horrible
men had stolen his mother…and his innocence.
"I'm sorry, Momma, I couldn't save you, I couldn't…" He choked on his sobs as
he clutched the tattered remnants of his mother's once fine silken kimono. Be
brave, InuYasha, your brothers still need you,he told himself. Yes, they did…he
had to clean up everything before he went to find them. They couldn't see their
momma like this; it would break them. He wiped his eyes and went about the task
of searching for a proper cover for his poor Lady Mother. He found a sheet of
silk hidden by some of the servants before they fled and undiscovered by the
brigands that had been in his home, pulled it down from its hiding place, and
carried it to wrap around his matriarch. "I'm sorry, Momma, but this was the
best I could do…everyone's gone." He looked outside to see the torrent of rain
pouring down; as if the sky itself had mourned his mother's passing. It was so
dark…had it been this dark before? How long had he been unconscious?
He ran to the supply room. The gardeners sometimes stored shovels there with
the other servants' things. He pulled open the door to find everything had been
stolen, save a small bucket and some of the special dirt used when planting
fresh healing herbs in the garden. He grabbed the bucket and exited the house,
making his way down to the previously flower-covered valley behind the estate.
He would bury his mother by the Sakura blossoms; they had always been her
favorite. He found a spot at the end of the coppice, under the largest tree in
the grove, and began to dig, entrenching his small claws in the mud and
displacing as much dirt as his little hands could move at once. He jumped
whenever thunder clapped in the sky, but didn't stop. It had to be deep or
Momma would be uncovered by the rain, and she wouldn't be at rest then. The
priest had told him that on a visit to their village when he was much younger.
He dug and dug and dug until the top of the hole he was digging was well above
his head- a large man could stand in it and not be able to touch the top- all
the while the sky pelted him with moisture. He scrambled out of the hole and
went back to the house to retrieve his mother's corpse.
He tried to lift her up as best he could, so that he wouldn't have to drag her
through the mud, but Momma was heavy and stiff, and he was so little. Why
couldn't he be bigger? He half carried, half dragged his mother down to the
knoll where her grave had been dug and did his best to lower her gently into
the ground. He slipped in with her, losing his footing in the mud and landing
on top of her body, her blood saturating his clothes, bringing tears to his
eyes and an almost-sob to his lips. He beat them back and climbed out of the
grave once more, using the previously acquired bucket to cover his mother with
earth, saying a prayer to the Gods as he did so, so that they would take pity
on her and allow her to rest in peace. As the hole filled, he spotted a large
rock nearby, nearly as large as he was, and dragged it over to her final
resting place, setting about the task of carving a tombstone from it with his
miniscule claws, losing a few in the process. He paid them no mind as they
would grow back before he had to retrieve his charges and finished the
inscription on the stone. Here lies the Lady Izayoi. Mate of the Lord InuTaisho
of the Western Lands, and beloved Mother of three sons. Gone, but not
forgotten; May the Gods grant her peace in the next life. He had seen a similar
inscription atop another grave and it seemed fitting that he should have
something to mark her, in case anyone should wish to visit and forgot where she
was resting.
He sat there for another moment, staring at the stone he had carved, another
wave of depression consuming him. How was he supposed to do this? How was he
supposed to take care of himself? Why couldn't she be stronger, why did she
have to leave them all alone? Why was she so weak, why did she have to die? Why
did she get to leave when he was stuck here? We have to be strong now, pup. We
have to care for our brothers, they'll need us.Yes, his brother's needed him,
how could he have been so selfish? His poor nii-chans… InuYasha stood and made
his way back to the house determined to bring it back to its former glory
before he retrieved them from their hiding place. It had taken him hours to
scrub the walls and floors, to clear them of the sight and smell of blood, and
he had cried throughout, but it was done. All the broken glasses and pottery
had been cleared away, all the blood was gone, and all the bodies had been
buried. All that needed to be done was to clean himself of mud and blood and
dirt and grime and nastiness…and sorrow. He had to put on a happy face for
them. He had felt all that he could feel for now. They would need him to be
strong and stable and level headed if they were going to survive. He would have
to guide them now. He would have to learn deference and patience…it would be
hard, he knew, but he would do it, for momma.
He gathered a change of clothes from the scraps the ruffians had left behind
and went to the stream to bathe. He felt a little better now that he was clean
and the rain had stopped. He gathered some carrots and potatoes from some of
the nearby huts, which were unsurprisingly devoid of life, killed a few of the
rabbits living in a small cubby under a fern tree at the edge of the village,
and after skinning them the way the cook had showed him, built a fire from the
wood reserves and threw them into a pot with the pre-prepared broth and
seasonings that had been left behind. He was lucky the bandits had only been
after gold and linens; otherwise, he wasn't sure he'd be able to make anything
even remotely edible. He supposed he'd have to learn eventually…
After blending everything together, and making sure everything was back in its
proper place, he went to fetch his brothers, who must have been terribly
frightened by now. InuYasha took a deep breath, slid the door open, and pulled
the panel from its place in the wall. He was greeted by the site of two large-
eyed, trembling little boys huddled together in the back of the cavity InuYasha
had carved into the wall. Once they realized who it was that revealed them,
they leaped out of their cubby and lunged forward, collapsing him onto the
ground, his arms filled to bursting with the frames of his elder brothers. At
once he was pelted with questions, what happened, what had taken him so long,
where was momma, what was for dinner, and at once he had no answers. He lead
them to the kitchens and told them to wait there, he would find a change of
clothes, then feed them and tell them everything he could. It wouldn't do much,
he thought, to coddle them the way he would. It may soften the blow a bit, but
it was unlikely to do anything else; to buffer the loss of their mother in the
slightest. He would try, and that would simply have to be enough.
When InuYasha returned to them, his arms full of their clothes and toys, he
found them resting together by the fire, stirring only when he placed their
belongings near them and moved the pot of food closer to himself so that he
could check its doneness. He wasn't sure how long, exactly it was supposed to
cook, but he had an idea of what it was supposed to taste like, and it had not
yet developed the proper flavor, so he refrained from waking them just yet. He
looked at them, watching them sleeping peacefully beside one another. How many
times would they be able to sleep that way? How many peaceful nights would they
have together? How many warm meals would they have? How many times would they
come by that food effortlessly? As many as times as he could give them, as he
could help, even if it meant he would have no peace at all, ever again. After
all, he was the son of InuTaisho, and even if he wasn't, he was InuYasha, the
greatest of three sons, and soon, he would prove it…
It had been hard for them in the years that followed, not that Saiou or Takeshi
knew any of that. InuYasha had done his best to shelter them from the cruelty
inherent in the lives of orphaned children. InuYasha had taken the beatings,
InuYasha had found their home, and InuYasha had fed and clothed and kept them
content, never once complaining, never once sharing with them the burdens that
weighed heavy on his shoulders. He had killed for them, and they would never
know, he had stolen for them, but they would never know, he had suffered more
than any child deserved to suffer, all for them, and they never know. They were
blessed and content and still innocent, and that was all InuYasha could hope
for. He was patient with them, disciplined them when they misbehaved, and
treated them when they were sick. They wanted for nothing, and when they were
old enough, they spoke of mates with InuYasha, each harboring their own secret
desires and fantasies of what their lives would be….except InuYasha, whose life
was his brothers' and could be given to no one else, no matter who expressed an
interest.
Not long after they had established themselves in a village to the far West,
near the coast, a tribe of wolves from the mainland took shelter in their homes
from the summer storms. The youngest son of their leader, named Kouga, had
pursued the gentle half-demon fervently, and enthusiastically, never once
deterred by the young man's temperate rejections. If anything they made him
more adamant in his pursuit, even going so far as to inform the entire village,
loudly and with much fanfare, that InuYasha would be his mate. InuYasha just
smiled and shook his head, telling all who inquired that this was the speech of
an over-enthusiastic young man who simply didn't know any better than to claim
a half-breed as his mate. Kouga had denied this profusely, claiming to have
gazed on the finest faces on the continent and insisting that InuYasha was, by
far, the fairest and certainly the strongest. This earned him an eye roll, but
nothing more in response, for InuYasha- though mild in temperament and
infinitely patient with immaturity- knew very well the young wolf had seen
naught but the shore he stood on, the Sea, and his own den. When summer ended
and the wolf tribe was taking its leave, Kouga had promised to return the next
season to claim InuYasha as his one and only love.
"Wolves mate for life," He'd said. "And you're who I've chosen. So you better
not let anyone else take you. I'm coming back as soon as Father will let me,
and you'd better be waiting when I return."
InuYasha gave him his trademark smile, sad and haunted but still a gentle and
compassionate smile, and said that he would wait as long as time permitted, but
not a second longer, laughing when the wolf grinned his wide toothy grin and
sailed away. He had waited, looking to the horizon every spring, never truly
believing the wolf prince would come, but also never being one to break a
promise. So he'd waited and waited, but the wolf prince never came.
The next suitor to come knocking was a tall, skinny young monk –acolyte named
Miroku. His master, Mushin, had decided to set up shop in the village market,
and the pair had taken up residence in the next hut down. InuYasha, being the
thoughtful young man that he was, had felt the need to give them a house
warming gift. A 'welcome to the neighborhood' gift if you will. What had
greeted him when he arrived was a scrawny half-naked youth about a head taller
than he was and a head-less demeanor. He had introduced himself as Miroku and
had asked if InuYasha would like to come inside.
"I'd hate to eat this all by myself." He said making a rather obscene gesture
to the pastry that InuYasha had presented to him, when he had made himself
decent enough to be presentable.
To that InuYasha raised a delicate brow and scoffed. "From the reputation
you've already gathered, I highly doubt you'll be alone for very long."
Miroku frowned. "Now that's not very fair…"
"Fair or not, it's true, no?" InuYasha laughed at his befuddled expression. "In
any case, welcome and enjoy…though, please, try not to be so….familiar in the
future. You'll end up with much more than a reddened cheek if you keep it up."
In the months that followed, Miroku had tried to seduce InuYasha into
more…elicit activity, but being rejected at every turn, settled for being his
friend. Very soon the two were nearly inseparable, except of course when the
monk got it in his head that he was a ladies man and would traipse towards the
gaggle of ladies that usually formed in front of the bakery where InuYasha
conducted his business in his show of mock sensuality- elephant-like though
InuYasha thought it to be- and would ask them all to bear his children. This,
of course, earned him a sound slap in the face from several of the young women,
and he would drag himself back inside and slump onto the counter, where
InuYasha would cheer him up with a gentle smile and a lemon cake, his favorite.
It wasn't long before Miroku, too, drifted out of InuYasha's life having met an
alluring young demon-slayer named Sango, and chased off after her wherever she
went like a love-struck pup. Of course, he promised InuYasha that he would
return, and of course he never did. That was fine. InuYasha had had his
friendship, and he still had his brothers, and that had been enough for him.
There were a few more nameless faces that had come after. None particularly
enthralling nor interesting, except one, who had appeared shortly after the
Lady InuKiyomi had taken his precious brothers to her home, and left him all
alone. He appeared sometime after the start of InuYasha's last spring in the
village, when the fog on the Sea of Mist lifted for the first time in decades
and the Mystic Island materialized. He called himself Ryura, one of four so-
called war gods, and had taken a macabre interest in the young half-demon who
obstinately resisted every one of his advances, tenacious though the supposed
god was. While InuYasha had never had a particular fondness for the other
villagers, preferring to keep to himself, he had no appreciation for the
suffering that Ryura and his brothers put them through. The slaughtering of the
villagers at the local shrine had been the last straw for InuYasha, who had
told Ryura that unless he and his siblings removed themselves from the village,
he would evict them himself violently.
Ryura, of course, had laughed. "Pretty thing, what violence could you possibly
do against me or my brothers?" He turned to his brothers, flashing his fangs at
them, highly amused. "This one thinks he can remove us by force, but fear not
brothers, powerful though he may be he is not one for fighting. Far too
delicate."
He'd lost an eye for his comment; his brothers, their lives. Why everyone
thought he was delicate simply because he did not seek violence out, he would
never understand. They were drawn to it simply because they did not know any
different. Their weakness need not be his. He was InuYasha, the greatest of
three sons, who need no longer be the son of InuTaisho for it did him no good.
He was powerful, he knew this, but he was peaceful, and would remain such for
as long as he could, but he would condemn himself to the deepest pits of hell
before he allowed innocents to suffer for the enjoyment of others. The incident
had earned him the title 'Dragon of the West,' which was odd, he thought,
because he was a dog, not a dragon. Ah well, no use fussing over something one
couldn't change; humans were changeable enough as it was, the name wouldn't
last long.
The years following were relatively peaceful, people came and went, the seasons
changed, the sun rose and fell, and the Dragon of the West became legend and
nothing more, though to here tell the Dragon had left to conquer the mainland
and simply had not returned. InuYasha rolled his eyes at this. The things
humans came up with over the passage of time. Silly things. He left the village
after his seventy-fifth year of life, hiss twenty-fifth without his brothers,
and set out to explore the island, his home. He found he had a particular
affection for the forests and spent most of his time there, eventually claiming
a patch of forest land for his own near a small farming village in the Siengoku
province. He never left the Western Territories, feeling a particular affinity
to them, after all they were his homeland and he saw no reason to leave them.
But still, all throughout his wandering something was missing…
It was early morning when the scent of burning wood met his nostrils. He awoke
instantly, expecting to see the forest engulfed with flame; instead he found
that the village temples was burning. Apparently the young priestess serving
their had fallen in with another, darker half-demon, whose name InuYasha had
never truly taken an interest in learning, who had betrayed her and attempted
to steal a jewel of some kind from her, at least that was the story he'd heard
from the villagers. Shaking his head muttering about people and their shiny
baubles, InuYasha worked quickly to put out the fire and chase after this
thief, finding him with little to no trouble at all. He was at once put off by
the choking aura the creature put off, he was clearly an unnatural being, why
would a woman said to be the purest of women consort with one such as this.
"Are you the demon that rules over this forest?"
InuYasha frowned. "I rule over nothing. I live here, nothing more."
The shadowed figure turned to face him. His red eyes laughing despite the clear
danger that InuYasha posed. Another fool that thought him weak. "Well met,
kukuku, but I have to ask: you've never taken an interest in the lives of the
villagers before, why start now?"
InuYasha raised an eyebrow. "What business is it of yours why or when I should
decide to care about them?"
"Villagers houses burn all the time, so it wasn't the fire. You despise Kikyo,
she's told me as much. Said that when she goes into the forest you actively
avoid crossing paths with her."
"Kikyo? The priestess? I do not despise her; her presence simply leaves
something to be desired." InuYasha furrowed his brow. "Why should she have such
a desire for one of your….ilk? Surely she can attain better than a less than
whole creature as yourself?"
"Kukuku, I agree, but I believe she desired companionship." He held up a
necklace with a round pearl-shaped gem clutched covetously between his fingers.
"I desired only this."
InuYasha barked a short laugh. "A cheap trinket? You attempted to destroy an
entire village for such a trifle?"
"This is no trifle. This is the Shikon Jewel, and with it I, Naraku, will
become the most powerful demon in the lands. No one, not even you will be able
to look down your nose at me."
InuYasha laughed again. "Perhaps you haven't heard? You have to become a demon
before you can become 'the most powerful.' Though I suppose you knew that
already?"
"I ama demon!" Naraku shouted, his face turning red, becoming enflamed by his
rage. "What would you know about it anyway? You're a half-breed just like me,
so if I'm not a demon, neither are you."
InuYasha nodded. "Yes, the difference, I suppose, being that I am not audacious
enough to claim otherwise."
Naraku opened his mouth, probably to scream again, paused and smiled slowly.
"Well, tell that to your precious villagers. Kukuku." With that, he surrounded
himself in a veil of miasma and disappeared, leaving InuYasha in the clearing
alone with nothing to suggest it had ever been otherwise.
InuYasha frowned turning away from the previous spot of his enemy to face the
incoming villagers, all the while considering what the abomination had said. It
was true that he wasn't a true demon; his mother's blood had made sure of that.
But he would never think to destroy the livelihoods of other men to undo what
his mother had done out of love for his father, though he didn't supposed that
a creature such as Naraku would have any such hang up, being created not from a
mother and father but from an amalgamation of vicious creatures with malicious
intent; on their own weak, together a masterpiece of violence and contrition.
He had to hand it to the beast; he could conjure quite a bit of malice between
neighbors.
"You there, demon," a voice called to him from afar, a voice he recognized as
belonging to one of the villagers, though he had never seen the man's face.
"Where is the Shikon Jewel?! Where are you hiding it? Why have you murdered the
Lady Kikyo?"
InuYasha frowned as the voice drew him out of his contemplation, not expecting
the villagers to arrive so soon, though he knew they were coming. "I have
stolen nothing. As for Kikyo, she is a priestess not a lady and I have done no
violence against her. The demon you seek is not here."
"Lies! I've seen you stalking the village!" Another villager, a woman, shouted
in the distance. "You've been plotting this from the beginning!"
"I have done no such thing."
"She's right! This demon hangs around the village all the time."
"He frightens my daughters; scares them with his demonic presence!"
"Now, hold on a moment I have ne-"
"He's a monster just like all the others! We should've called a demon slayer
when we had the chance!"
"I have never done anything to warrant-"
"Let's kill him before he uses the Jewel to exterminate us!"\
"Enough!" InuYasha shouted at the top of his lungs, commanding the attention of
the villagers who had previously been plotting his demise. "I have done no
violence against this village, nor do I have violent feelings towards you, its
villagers; however, if you attempt to harm me, I will not hesitate to end your
lives!"
"You here that, he's threatening us, when all we wanted was to defend
ourselves! Get him!"
Suddenly, there was bloodshed. As the villagers came at him with spears and
hoes and picks, he met them with fangs and claws and power, sparing not a one
who meant him harm. As the tides turned and villager after villager fell, he
felt a presence behind him, a spiritual aura that he knew could only come from
one being in such close proximity to Sengoku. He turned to face this new
attacker with as much defensive intent as he met the others.
There, standing atop a steep hill, bow arrowed and clothes stained in blood was
Lady Kikyo in all her glory. Her face twisted with grim determination, intent
on defending her village if it was the last thing she would do, knowing with no
doubt that it would be. "Naraku said you would turn on us. He said we shouldn't
trust you, that you had always wanted the Jewel for yourself; to be a full
demon. And yet, we trusted you. We gave you a home, a place to call your own,
and you betrayed us! Why? Why did you betray us, InuYasha?"
What the hell is she talking about?! "I came to this village on my own, never
entering it, never calling it my home. I lived in the forest; it was, no, is my
home. Yougave me nothing. I have not betrayed you, you have allowed yourself to
be seduced and bewitched by an abomination and that is no fault of mine."
"Liar!" she screamed, her face twisted in rage and her body shaking with the
effort of holding herself up despite being on the precipice of death. "Die,
InuYasha!" She loosed her bow, and struck him square in the chest, the
spiritual enchantment seeping from the wood into his wound. Had he been a
lesser creature, he would have surely have succumbed to her sorcery. Instead,
he was InuYasha, greatest of three sons, and he would not be felled by a
priestess's meager attempts at a binding. He removed the arrow, and watched as
the priestess succumbed to her injuries and was taken by Death. He watched from
the shadows as her younger sister directed the villagers to carry Lady Kikyo's
body to the village burial site and erect a shrine in her name, as she had died
for them all. InuYasha scoffed at this notion, as he knew full-well that it was
her foolishness that killed her, not some noble sacrifice. He said nothing,
however, choosing instead to vacate his once peaceful home, and seek out new
refuge. Who knew when the villagers would lose their senses next, heathens as
they were?
It wasn't long after that he came across a slave caravan with a
rather…charismatic leader at its head. His name was Hiten, or so he claimed,
and he and his brother Manten were transporting slaves to an auction in the
East and they knew of a particular Lord who was very interested in pretty
things like him, and he should come with them if he knew what was good for him.
When he asked why being a slave would be good for him, never mind being this
Lord's slave, Hiten laughed and said: "Better than starving and free, eh? Now
get in the cart with the others, pretty boy, and I won't have to break your
pretty little nose." InuYasha supposed on some level he was right, better to be
a slave and relatively comfortable, then be free and starving, though he
certainly didn't think that he was in any danger of such a thing. After all, he
was InuYasha, greatest of three sons, and could hunt for himself, thank you
very much. This business of nose breaking however was unacceptable, and the
very notion that such a thing could occur had to be put to rest…now. So,
InuYasha, in retribution to the threat against his perfectly innocent nose,
broke Hiten's forearm, though he did agree to get in the cart without any
coercion being necessary. Thunder demons, thought they had to do everything the
hard way.
And so, after the auction in the square of Okisangi, a small city to the far
east of Sengoku, InuYasha came to be in the service of Lord Yamamoto, who had a
penchant for pretty things, and dog demons especially for he was quite fond of
their silken silver hair and piercing amber eyes, though he had never truly had
the chance to own one as he owned InuYasha. Yes, he had many InuYoukai in his
possession, and yes, he used them all for his own pleasures, but they were
never his slaves, and he had never had the opportunity to teach them how to
please him and only him; they could refuse him at any time because they were
highborn and they had each been deflowered by different other lords. Yamamoto
owned InuYasha, and the pup could refuse him nothing, though he was InuYasha,
the greatest of three sons, and he could technically do anything he pleased, he
was fitted with a collar at the auction that made him more…agreeable to his
Lord. Besides, Yamamoto had been good to him despite his furious sexual desires
and his fascination with the young half-demon's mouth.
The first time InuYasha was confronted with Lord Yamamoto's… preoccupation with
the orifice on his face, he was terrified. Yes, he'd had many suitors, and yes
they had all wanted him sexually, he had never been faced with their lust
physically. The only time such an occurrence had come to pass…well needless to
say he wasn't ready for it. His sorrow at the mere suggestion that he pleasure
his lord was so apparent, that Lord Yamamoto had immediately scrapped the idea
and decided instead to teach the boy about the pleasures of his own flesh with
the hope that InuYasha would one day desire to reciprocate. After about a
decade, his efforts were rewarded when the little one had pleasured him with
his delightful little orifice for the first time. Apprehensive though he was,
InuYasha felt that he owed it to his new lord to at least try to please him in
the manner in which he desired. From then on these sessions in the throne room
were almost as necessary for his lord as the very air he breathed or the food
he ate.
It didn't last long however, as an assault on the Lord's castle led him to
change hands, coming into the service of Lord Kairo and his progeny, which then
led him to come into the possession of his alleged elder brother, Lord
Sesshomaru. He loved his Lord, all his lords really, and the people that came
and went in his life had taught him many lessons, though none so important as
this: he who loves blindly will lose, and he who does not love at all has
already lost. The informed will always prevail; knowledge is power, and power
is power, and he possessed both in great abundance. Thank the Gods.
***** Chapter 6 *****
To gaze upon them after so long and seeing how well they had grown was almost
too much for the poor half-demon, whose eyes glistened with unshed tears at the
sight of his two most precious. He drank in their appearances, their fine
kimonos, their well-brushed and well-oiled hair, their perfectly shaped boots
fashioned from what he was sure was the finest leather available to them and
lined with the softest of furs; yes these regal creatures were his precious and
lost brothers and he was proud and humbled to see how well they had grown and
how finely they had been treated while growing. Saiou had grown the most, he
thought, coming to be almost a head taller then he himself had grown during
their separation. His long black hair reached the very bottom-most part of his
back, his bangs short and tapering off to the side in the same fashion that
most lordlings wore their bangs in order to display a mark at the center of
their foreheads, though Saiou had none and never would. Takeshi was taller
still, though he had always been thus, and his long silver-grey hair was pulled
up into a straight stiff pony tail sitting high on the top of his head, his
eyes distant almost cold, though InuYasha could see plain that this was more
due to his training and education as a demon noble rather than a true emotional
void, just as Lord Sesshomaru's devoid expression was a product of breeding and
education. They stood there before him, perfect royal twins, so beautiful and
safe and whole and untouched by harshness, and missed; while he, hanyou, a
slave and possession of their lord-brother whom they had surely come to adore
much more than himself for he was most like them whereas InuYasha was a
complete foil to them…though a voice reminded him he would always be the
greatest of three sons and most certainly much more powerful than they as it
should and would always be, no matter how well-groomed they appeared.
His breath caught in his throat as he felt Lord Sesshomaru's aura extend to
tickle the edges of his senses, which he had withdrawn unknowingly at the
emergence of his precious mother's other children. InuYasha felt his sovereign
move to stand directly behind him exerting his own authority over the
situation, stating clearly to the young halflings that he would not be ignored
in his own home. He resisted the urge to answer this rise in dominant power
with a rise of his own, though not dominant, certainly formidable in an
instinctual drive to assert protection. But they were not his to protect any
longer, they were Sesshomaru's they all were, and he had no right to do such a
thing and would surely earn a harsh punishment for it. So he stuffed it down
into the place all other undesirable emotions memories and experiences went
when they interfered with his current and present situational awareness.
InuYasha turned his head slightly tilting it upwards to expose himself to Lord
Sesshomaru and acknowledge his dominance over the situation; submitting openly
to the silent command that he return his attention to where Lord Sesshomaru
believed it rightly belonged.
"Takeshi, Saiou return to your chambers and finish preparing yourselves for
your coming of age. We will discuss this when…if I choose, and certainly at
another time. Now is not appropriate nor is your outburst and lack of decorum
appreciated." Sesshomaru stated, never removing his eyes from where they were
burning holes into the young half-demon's own; never releasing them from his
own all-encompassing attentions. "Remove yourselves from my presence at once
and do not think to be in it again until you have learned to behave yourselves
accordingly."
Sesshomaru noted, immediately, the defiance that appeared in Takeshi's eyes as
soon as the words left his lips. This, if nothing else, is what drew most of
his absolute disdain for the boy. How dare this child, this…this incompetent
churl barely worth more than the dirt he walked upon, the food required to
sustain him, and the clothes upon his back think to stand in defiance of him,
Lord Sesshomaru? It was unnatural that such a creature should be housed with
him, never mind consider itself his equal, and yet there he stood, on his Lady
Mother's grace alone, thinking to challenge his superior as he had always done
in the past. Where this filth attained this level of self-confidence and
assurance, he would never know for surely the child had accomplished nothing in
his short life to ever earn it for himself. In any case, it would cease, and he
would make it so.
He was mollified, a bit, when he saw Saiou grasp Takeshi's sleeve and move him
away from the door. Although he, too, possessed the same defiance in his gaze
as Takeshi, he also possessed a healthy fear of The Lord Sesshomaru; very
likely due to his mortal status. Whatever the case, they were departing,
succumbing to his will and absconding with their lives. Had they chosen to
openly defy him…well, they hadn't so speculating on the spectacular manner in
which he would have executed them was altogether pointless. After all, what
need had he for violent fantasy when he had a hanyou to enjoy? In all manner of
things, he would make this creature his own that no one would ever question to
whom this lovely being belonged.
InuYasha was at a loss. He so longed to reach out to them, to call them back to
him when he noted that they were heeding their Lord brother's warning. He
supposed, though, that it was for the best. After all, if Lord Kairo feared
Sesshomaru, it made sense that the boys would as well. Still, it was painful to
watch them walk away from him again, as they had all those years ago; he felt
his heart breaking as present happenings entangled themselves with his memories
so that he was simultaneous reliving and feeling anew the loss of those once
most precious to him. He was overwhelmed by the wave of conflicting emotion
this invoked within him. Never before had he felt so indecisive. On the one-
hand he knew it was selfish to desire their presence over that of his Lord and
Master, despite the fact that they were his siblings and so much more valuable
to him than the pleasure of any of his Lord's had ever been. However, he knew
Lord Sesshomaru would never tolerate such, especially after he so callously
sent them away in the first place, and it pained him to see that they were met
with such disdain by their brother despite being relatively equal to him
socially; did Lord Sesshomaru value nothing over power and beauty? Was he truly
so vain? Or perhaps,InuYasha thought to himself returning his eyes to the gaze
of his new lord after breaking away for such a short time, perhaps he means to
treat me with the same disdain he does them. More, most probably, after he
satisfies whatever lust it is I see shining behind his eyes.He resisted the
sudden urge to snarl, an action out of character even before he was a slave. I
am not my brother's. I may be a slave but I am still InuYasha greatest of three
sons and I will not be treated as though I were less than dirt underneath
someone's feet. I didn't tolerate from Kairo, I didn't tolerate it from
Yamamoto and I will not tolerate it from Sesshomaru. Not like this; not in this
form.He was too great a creature to be treated in such a manner, surely
Sesshomaru could see that.
Despite his supplicatory behavior, he still remembered himself, who he was and
would always be. He returned his gaze to his Lord, a new fire burning in his
eyes. He knew that he would probably be punished for it, this newfound
defiance, but he simply couldn't allow himself to be used in such a disgraceful
manner; once was enough, and that once had come at the sake and safety of those
he held to be most dear. His duplicitous demeanor he had when serving his
lords- his habit of thinking ill yet serving loyalty- came only insofar as he
expected, correctly, that they would all drop away in time, as was the nature
of all such things as a lesser being claiming ownership of one that is by its
very nature greater than itself. However, he was wholly himself again and he
would not allow himself to be anything other than what he is; he was the son of
InuTaisho, and even if he wasn't, he was InuYasha the greatest of three son;
forever and always.
When Sesshomaru returned his eyes to his Hanyou, he was startled by what he saw
there. This wasn't the same almost timid creature that he had encountered days
before; this was a son of his father, there could be no doubt, the fire in his
eyes matched only by the sharp scent of his ire and the obvious scent of his
displeasure that began to pervade the area they occupied. What had caused this
change in his Hanyou, he could not say for he did not know; perhaps there was
an annoyance in the room that only the child could sense, or perhaps the twins
had irritated him as well. Whatever the case may be he would rectify the
situation immediately. Filled with a newfound determination to please the
creature before him, he turned his full attention to his InuYasha, raking his
eyes over the form previously hidden from his site and senses.
He was slender, his hair reaching down to brush the lower edges of what
Sesshomaru was sure would be a perfectly formed bottom- how could I be anything
less- his skin was pale and painted with the most lovely markings; when he
gazed at his flesh he felt as though he were gazing in to the face of the moon
painted in shades of midnight. His eyes were a clear, feral shade of Honey
amber, much more precious than any gold he had ever seen; there was a gleam in
his irises and a fire dancing in his pupils, a sure sign that he was a proud
son of InuTaisho. Yes, this creature was a worthy sibling, companion, and
perhaps…even mate. A smirk found its way to Sesshomaru's face as his inner
demon purred at the thought of conquering such a creature; set in his jaw, fire
in his soul, pride in his heart, and a strength of spirit that would sure be a
pleasure to usurp, a laudable candidate indeed. He had long searched for a
mate, and his mother had been more-than helpful in aiding his search, to the
point of being an irritant. She had paraded women and submissive men, including
the two boys currently living with her, the children of the Harlot Izayoi. His
eyes narrowed at the thought of those two….beasts. They were filthy as
children, constantly running around the gardens covering themselves in muck and
then tracking it into the house, as though they imagined they should be free to
do as they pleased. Sesshomaru had put a stop to that almost immediately as it
had begun to affect his own comings and goings. Not that it mattered any
longer; they were of mating age now, they would be mated off to this lord or
that, and they would bother him no longer.
His eyes wandered over the figure of his hanyou once again, his fingers
reaching out of their own accord to dance across the silky flesh of rose
colored cheeks. Their eyes locked, and Sesshomaru found himself drawn to the
fire he found inside a sea of amber and gold, like the sap from the tree of
ages, they swirled with opulent light, luring him in with their siren song
playing across his heart strings. There was something else, though, within that
proud visage that was as clear as the fire he had become so fond of so quickly;
disdain. Yes, it was evident to the demon lord that this proud creature was in
no way interested in him in any sort of romantic fashion. Indeed, it seemed
that, rather than be tempted by his touch he was…not repulsed, but certainly
not welcoming. No matter,he thought to himself sliding the pads of his fingers
down the strong column of the boy's neck, this creature is more than worthy of
the slow seduction I have in store. I will simply have to be more…creative in
my planning; this is no simple courtesan I desire after all.
He was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of Machiro clearing his throat,
having apparently recovered from his previous stupefaction. "My lord, if I may
take the liberty of examining the child before you, to ensure that no harm came
to him physically in the wake of such an unmasking?"
The Daiyoukai narrowed his eyes, thinking for a moment before responding. "No.
I shall conduct my own…examination. Rest assured, sorcerer, I shall be quite
thorough." A smirk played on his features at the shudder that wracked the body
of the lovely creature before him. Yes, it shall be thorough indeed.
"As you wish my lord, however I would suggest you take him to be examined by a
healer, purely as a precaution; sooner rather than later, if it please you."
With that, Machiro took his leave of them, bowing in respect to his lord and
the hanyou beside him.
As soon as they were alone, a sly smile found its way onto Lord Sesshomaru's
face, sending unpleasant shivers down InuYasha's spine. His gaze met his Lord's
and he was filled with instant dread at the presence of naked lust he saw in
amber spheres. "Come child," the baritone voice called, reaching across his
skin; intimately caressing his flesh, leaving goose-bumps in its wake, "it is
time we retired to our chamber. You will be clothed in proper evening attire
and in the morning, you will receive your examination."
The sensual threat hidden in those words was almost too much for the Hanyou to
bear, though he followed after his Lord as he was supposed to do, his knees
quaked beneath him. Never had he felt such weakness in his limbs; yes he
despised this lord for the abysmal treatment his brother's surely bore by his
hand…and yet his heart trembled, his body ached in ways it had never done
before. Was this lust? He shook his head and shoulders delicately to dispel the
feeling, he was InuYasha, son of InuTaisho, greatest of three sons, and it was
high time he stood tall and reclaimed his rightful dignity. He would not give
in to his base desires and he would certainly not be used like a common whore.
The days he allowed himself to be emotionally manipulated were long over; no
more broken promises of summer love, no poor suitors claiming his hand one
minute and chasing after skirts the next; he had long assumed he would die
mateless and unused; one violation of his person was enough for a lifetime…
A/N: It isn't very long and probably isn't worth your wait, but having been
accepted to Stanford Law School, on top of all the personal collapses of my
life, I simply haven't had the time to write to the standards that you've
probably come to expect. For this, I apologize. I never meant to disparage your
reading experience nor did I mean to subject you to my personal angst in the
form of poor writing, and I assure you it will not happen again if I can help
it. I cannot promise that the next chapter will be longer, nor can I promise
that it will be posted any sooner than this one, but I can promise that this
story is not dead, and that you will be seeing much more of Saiou and Takeshi.
Thank you to those that have stayed with me throughout the life span of this
story, brief though it may be and again apologize for the relatively poor
quality of the writing.
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!