"I hate myself," the chaos hanyou whined, the shining visage of her mother deity tittering as she was followed to the huge surprise party given to her by her friends. It was official, she was 19, old enough to be mated, but not nearly old enough to win over the one demon she wanted most. His hair, long enough to touch the ground, was held up in his favorite top-knot style. His blue ribbon stood out among the silken mass that Sayuri acquainted herself well with over the years. His armor, much too heavy in her opinion, was missing from his person, which actually astonished the young demoness. The massive demon wore a normal kimono, its rich blue coloring a startling contrast to the elder demons honey gaze.
"So the birthday girl arrives," her brother, Bankoutsu, teased lightly. Sayuri grumbled, making him grin. "Your presents are all super special today, and the 'rents said they have a surprise for you." Sayuri snorted, a very unlady-like action, but she didn't care. She had a tendency of being disappointed when her parents planned anything. Bankoutsu's grin faltered, then he frowned with a murmur, "Your favorite demon is looking at you." Sayuri's blue-grey eyes glanced up to meet the sun-kissed gaze of a normally stern Daiyoukai. "He said that his present comes after your parents." Touga winked slyly at her, making the corner's of Sayuri's lips curl upward.
"I have no expectations of anyone," Sayuri sighed softly. "Whenever I get my hopes up, they come crashing down. I don't want that this year. So I'm not going to place false hopes on anyone." A familiar person tugged at her arm, and Sayuri gave the twin-striped Taiyoukai a bitter smile. Sesshoumaru's gold eyes flicked at the smile and he gave her a gaze that she easily interpreted as, I know your pain. I've been there too. A slight bow of her head and she squeezed his hand for reassurance. We'll get through this, his gaze reassure. Or else. Sayuri's lips curled into a huge grin at the threat.
"Alright," Sayuri called, making everyone's attention turn towards her. "I need two things before I get my presents- Cake and booze!" As the crowd began laughing at her antics, Sayuri was quickly granted her wish and became the center of attention. So many peoples spoke to her at once that she nearly lost track of everything being said if it weren't for the familiar squeeze of a certain Taiyoukai. Responding to dozens of questions at once, Sayuri felt slowly overwhelmed.
"Enough," Sesshoumaru finally cut in. Dead silence fell at the ice-prince's words, making Sayuri breathe a soft sigh of relief. I know, his gaze read. "Presents, now," he demanded. Sayuri broke the silence with a boisterous laugh, making people ease. You ruined my fun!
"It's my birthday," she scolded. "No death threats…much. Maybe later." As people parted, singing the famously boring birthday song, Sayuri gave the dog at her side a small smile. "Thank you," she sighed. His eyes sparkled as she made way to the presents, and excited skip now present. There were dozens of gifts in colorful gift wrap and strange boxes, but Sayuri didn't begin until Sesshoumaru let go of her hand. Curiosity now piqued, she dove head first into the presents with enthusiasm unique only to her.
It took her hours to get through them all, but in the end she was well please by what she received. From Dante, her adopted family, she gained the demonic guitar Neaven. Her twin brothers gave her a lovely outfit consisting of an elegant pale blue blouse and a flowing black skirt that Jakoutsu was certain would make her look fabulous. Her extended family gave her various odds and ends, from shoes to kunai, from scrolls to spell books, and a new hoodie she desperately wanted from her favorite store. As the people slowly left, Sayuri was granted a gift from Sesshoumaru himself.
The color was exquisite, rich and deep which surprised her to the point of tears. It was a ring, crafted of metal that would never break, and held a stone shaped in a crescent moon. It was a beautiful emerald encased in his fang, enchanted specifically to protect her from all poisons and give her true sight. "Sesshoumaru," she managed to choke out, her gaze connecting with his effortlessly. He was much too smug and pleased with himself at her reaction. Everything was said in a few moments of eye speech no words could recapture, but in the end, Sayuri embraced him tightly. The adults tutted, separating them to give their gifts.
Her birth parents gave her a lovely silk kimono, so similar to Sesshoumaru's it was staggering. The color was snow white, but the design was a lovely blue that made Sayuri's reddish hair stick out sorely. Touga insisted that she don the kimono before meeting him in the study, and Sayuri grudgingly agreed. Jakoutsu assisted her in dressing while inside the bathroom, fixing the furisode, the juban and other things that Sayuri didn't think completely necessary. Looking in the mirror, Sayuri saw a woman gazing back with eyes so poignant it was heartbreaking. She wrenched her gaze to Jakoutsu who fussed with the fuki, and her sudden smile curled into laughter as Jakoutsu cursed like a sailor.
"A lady never swears," she admonished, making Jakoutsu gasp. He lurched to his feet and gaped at her in stunned silence. "But a lovely lady you always are sister dear." She tugged at the furisode, sighing. "I'll find out what Touga's gift is before I go to bed and finally take off this heavy thing." She walked slowly, getting the basic feel of the weight now placed, literally, on her shoulders. As she entered the quiet study, she noticed Touga sitting on one of the cushions before the fireplace, his monstrous size seemingly smaller in the firelight. "Touga…"
He didn't turn nor jump at her whisper, but greeted her softly. "Sayuri…" He gestured to a cushion near him, and Sayuri sat on the silken mound. Touga sipped a sakazuki filled with sake, slowly finishing as Sayuri watched him expectantly. She watched his Adam's apple dip slightly as he swallowed and mentally kicked herself for staring. "You're of age now." It was a statement so blunt Sayuri doubted she could even stab soft butter with it. "That is…unexpected." Sayuri blinked at him in confusion as he refilled his sake cup. He gently took her chin and pressed the sakazuki to her lips, silently coaxing her to drink.
Sayuri confusedly sipped the potent alcohol, slowly draining it under Touga's suddenly dark gaze. He sighed, sounding forlorn as refilled the saucer-like cup again. "How," she asked, "is it unexpected in anyway, shape or form?" Touga drained the sakazuki quicker this time, his eyes as cold as Sesshoumaru's. Sayuri read his gaze with some difficulty, and realized that it seemed to him that this was a familiar situation. Touga filled the cup again, offering it to her much the same as before. She drank, the liquid burning slightly as it ran into her system and warming her belly.
"You grew up too fast," he mused, setting down the alcohol finally. Honey eyes hardened as he looked at her sharply, piercing her and making the poor girl shudder underneath the weight of such a gaze. Long, tapered fingers hooked under her chin as a considering look lightened the weight of his gaze. Sayuri noticed in the firelight how both young and old Touga was in that instance. "Much, much too fast," he groused softly. His eyes closed and Sayuri felt as tired as Touga looked. In seconds, she was flat on her back, her eyes wide with shock as Touga gave her a look that made molten lust run straight to her belly.
"What-" She began, her lips quickly covered by Touga's in a searing kiss. Sayuri wanted it. Dear moon above and sea below she wanted it. Touga's hands were massive and hot as they slipped into her furisode with practiced ease. She was being dominated by this very definition of male. She enjoyed submitting to the tender touches and heated kisses, and her body was quickly consumed in a flame of wanton lust. But during this, she couldn't shake the feeling tat Touga was doing this for reasons other than pleasure.
She gasped as a clawed hand delicately traced her stomach down to her navel and decided that enough was enough. "Touga," she groaned softly as his mouth trailed her jaw line. "Stop." The Daiyoukai with Prussian blue stripes paused, his eyes hidden from her view. But by his straightened spine, she knew she did the right thing. "No more." Touga chuckled darkly at this, the sound both arousing and terrifying. He licked her neck before looking at her with eyes dilated and turning red at the edges. But why?
"You told me to stop," he purred. "What restraint." He sat up, his eyes beginning to fill with more blood. Touga reached up and took the tie out of his hair, letting the silver strands free of their frequent restraint. "Now tell me why." Sayuri watched his pupils, now only blue slits in a sea of red, rake over her partially exposed body hungrily. She attempted to sit up, but Touga's growl and heavy hand pushed her back down. His hand remained on her chest as she desperately thought about what was wrong.
Quick pleasure, his gaze read. Mine, willing, and need this now. Much like last time. It clicked into place in her mind what was wrong. "I am not some replacement," she snarled, pushing him away. "I am not a pet." She fixed her juban and furisode, then stood tall. "I am a woman who deserves respect and commitment." Tying her obi, Sayuri glanced down at him with pity and anger in her eyes. Touga unexpectedly stood at his full monstrous height of over seven feet, forcing Sayuri to stand her ground.
His kimono hung open, exposing his chest to her, along with other assets he had. "You," he chuckled mirthlessly, "actually believed I want anything less you foolish girl?" Sayuri's eyes narrowed as only a mere foot of distance separated them. Touga let his eyes roam over the short hanyou, making her believe that he was mentally undressing him. It was blessedly silent as the two had their stand-off, but Sayuri didn't feel anymore comfortable as his bloody eyes darkened further. He's given into his beast, she warily noted. I'm dead if I don't play my cards right.
"Why do you think," he rumbled, clearly displeased, "that no male approached you until now about mating?" He closed the last distance, his body heat like a furnace that soaked through the thin silk. Sayuri moved to back away, but his hands wrapped around her arms in an iron grip. His face lowered to meet her at eye level and Sayuri wanted to run from the implications written into his heavy gaze. "The silver inu are a dying race with a single ray of hope." Touga forced her to sit with him, his features very much tainted by his beast. "The last chaos demon, a female, would be able to turn into any demon she mated to. Their child would be a pure bred demon of much power." Touga leaned closer to her, his lips brushed her pointed ear, but Sayuri swore it was the alcohol making her head spin. "But instead, we gain you, Chibi Ri-chan.
"A hanyou of not only great power, but blessed by Leviathan, dragon god of the sea, and Mother Moon herself. What demon, dare I ask, wouldn't want such power for themselves?" Sayuri slowly shook her head in denial as Touga chuckled darkly. "Such an astounding mate would be wanted not only by lower youkai no more than fodder, but the Lords of Nippon itself!" His gaze sparkled with lusty mischief, making Sayuri almost whine. "You were born to the east, a land of wind and sea. You were the only daughter to the Chaos demon, Atashi, Lord of the East, and my closest ally. Can you imagine my reaction to when his wife finally birthed you?"
He laughed, this time a bitter sound escaping his lips. "I was ecstatic! My son would be mated when you turned nineteen and we would have silver inu youkai galore! But your father wouldn't have it." Touga paused, taking her hands in his massive paws. "He made me a promise. He promised me that silver inu would return on your birth. But he said they were not to be birthed by my son. I demanded to know why of course." Touga then gave her a smile filled with hope and dreams. It made Sayuri's heart ache. "Atashi promised you to me. I was shocked to say the least. But when I held your newborn self in my arms, I did love you fiercely. Not as a lover, but as a protector should. But then you grew up on me. I turned around and here you sit before me in my traditional clothing, ready to mate."
They sat in silence, Sayuri thinking while Touga traced the soft lines in her hands. Sayuri felt tired, oh so tired, but she highly doubted that the night was to end any time soon. "You say you expect commitment," she murmured. Touga nodded. "It would be dishonorable to ignore my parents decision and gift." Nod. "But now I sit before you as a future mate, and you don't know how to react to me." Now golden eyes flashed as he gripped her hands tightly. "I want to make a proposition in accordance to this mating." Touga looked at her, carefully hiding his reaction from her own probing gaze. "I wish to be courted before you decide to mate me." Touga smiled at her, pride and relief etched across his face.
"I will give you the appropriate courting mark," he replied. "It will last for six months. We will decide where to go at that point." Sayuri nodded and tilted her head to one side as Touga rested his lips in the appropriate area. She hissed as sharp fangs cut through the thing skin and a burning sensation followed afterward. When Touga pulled away he smiled at his handiwork. It was a tad bit too smug, Sayuri decided, but there wasn't anything else she could do about it. "When we finally mate," he purred, "the mark needs to be made during our…consummation of our relationship. You'll be happier if you do it then since I've experienced it other times outside of that realm, and it left demoness' screaming in agony." He yawned, unnecessarily showing off his molars. "I suppose it's time we rest."
Sayuri nodded, attempting to stand on shaky legs. Touga snorted, scooping her up into a warm embrace to being her to his room. "As my future mate," he teased as she protested, "you'll be sleeping in my rooms. This way I can keep an eye on you." Sayuri harrumphed indignantly as he placed her on his bed. "And so I'm not as cold at night." Sayuri blinked owlishly when he turned out the lights, his golden eyes glowing with mirth. Touga got into bed next to her, curling around the hanyou in a way Sayuri found oddly comforting.
Sighing contentedly, Sayuri settled down after Touga wrapped his arms around her, his body heat soothing the girl into a deep sleep. Touga watched her breathing soften and ease, content to just watching his little demoness sleep. "This is, after all," he whispered. "Just the beginning."
Sayuri's hand reached up and slapped him on the cheek non-too gently. "No clichéd endings," she grumbled. Touga chuckled as the hanyou went back to her supposed deep sleep. What a woman, his amused gaze read.
Pronounciation/information guide:
Sayuri - Sah~yoo~ree
Furisode: A kimono of many colors generally worn by unmarried women.
Juban: An under-robe of the kimono that's just as colorful (if meant for a woman, or if it's a man, it'll be a basic color)
Fuki: The hemline of the kimono
Sakazuki: a saucer-like cup you commonly see people drink sake from.
Authors note: Yes, I did do plenty of research into this about kimono's and such, and please correct me if I';m wrong in some instances. I know I'm not 100% right, probably are some other layers needed for the damn thing, but basics are what Sayuri prefers. Lol. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the fic! Review please so I know there are people out there lol. I'll post some drabbles in Touga's point of view about Sayuri growing up and some of the courtship that'll occur between the two before they tie the knot so to speak. Thanks for reading! Ja ne~!