To Take A Mate
Written By: Kalinshadow
All characters are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi
CHAPTER 1: TAKEN
(Sesshomaru)
"So are we doing this or what?" A gruff voice whined near his ear.
"Hnnn."
"Ah let's get this shit over with. If Kagome finds out about this she's going to purify me into the next era."
"Be silent."
Looking out across the rows of vegetables being tended by a few dozen filthy farmers, he spotted her. Where her companions were tanned and diminutive, she was tall and very pale. She bent gracefully down, helping an elderly human woman to her feet. His vision strained over several miles to see her face clearly. Her eyes were ever-so-slightly bigger than a normal human's and her skin, a touch too luminescent. A thick, waist length braid fell forward over her shoulder as she straightened back up.
Like the buzzing of an insect, the voice a few branches below him spoke again.
"Dammit, when you bullied me into helping you take a mate I had no idea you actually meant you were going to take her. Kidnapping wasn't part of the deal."
"Stop your whining Inuyasha. This matter was explained to you by the council was it not? Do not bore me with your sentimental human concerns." He could bear no more of his half-brothers protestations.
"Sentimental huh? You just wait until…"
Inuyasha's voice died as the woman lifted her head and peered around her from beneath the brim of wide straw hat. Her long, graceful neck swiveled back and forth as if sensing danger. Eyes, the color of moss after a storm, gazed into the distance and settled upon the ridge behind which they concealed themselves.
"Hnnn."
It seemed that perhaps this human was unique. Her delicate lips moved gently and the farmers around her picked up their tools and left the field with furtive glances behind them. She shouldered the basket the elderly woman had been filling and turned smoothly, towards her village.
"Let's go!" The fool half-breed all but shouted as he clumsily jumped from branch to branch, down the ancient oak.
Sighing, the Demon Lord silently drifted to the forest floor. Following the wide trail his imbecile, hanyou brother cut through the trees Sesshomaru easily caught up to the whelp. It seemed that the boy intended to follow the ridge around the village and enter from the east. It was as good a plan as any and Sesshomaru saw no reason to object. He had hoped the half-breed would obtain some refinement over the last century but it appeared his hopes were in vain. At least his aptitude for battle strategy had improved.
Once the dirty village, with its mud-filled streets, were between them and the setting sun, they had nothing to do but watch and wait until nightfall. Idly Sesshomaru studied the tiny dwelling places the humans called homes; weak wooden structures with woven grass and crude clay tiles for roofs. There were screens for windows and in the case of the larger huts, rough wooden doors. The smells of cooking meats and various plant based dishes wafted on the breeze and Sesshomaru heard his brothers stomach growl. He smirked. What must it be like to feel such weakness?
The only sustenance he required was the occasional nip of blood. It didn't matter what kind. Human blood, demon blood, animal blood: all where very much the same as fuel. However, he didn't consume human blood as he found it distasteful and demon blood came with a mass of politics. Drinking animal blood once every few decades, while unpleasant, had served his purposes thus far. Once he'd mated, though, the need to find outside nourishment would cease to be an issue. He would simply exchange blood with his mate as required.
Sesshomaru was roused from his thoughts by an incessant scratching twenty feet above his head.
"Hey, ain't it time yet? The lamps have been out a while. Know which house she's in?" It was barely a whisper.
"She will be in the largest residence, towards the center . She is the daughter of the Lord here. Make no noise Inuyasha. I have no wish to harm her kin."
"Heh. That would make the mating night a real party. Listen, I can be quiet if you…." Inuyasha growled and jumped from the tree to follow his, high and mighty, older brother into the silent village.
It took only moments for them to come upon the house. Sesshomaru sneered. Lord indeed. He pointed at the roof of the hovel and again at the rear door. He had no notion of what the girl was capable of but he wasn't going to allow her to get away.