Every Heart
By: Xhibit B
Chapter Two – Awakening
.i do not own inuyasha.
Everyone watched with bated breath as the silver haired demoness' eyelids fluttered opened, revealing molten golden iris'. Her delicate hand reached to grasp the railing of the large bed she rested on, supporting herself as she rose into a sitting position. Her head turned; golden eyes wide as she took in the faces of everyone that surrounded her. She hadn't expected so many people to be present to witness her awakening after her long slumber. Kiara grinned, Sesshomaru stared and Shiori watched, unblinking as the Lady of the Castle moved to stand.
Kiara, ever faithful and always at the demoness' beck and call, rushed to assist her. Her hand was placed on the small of her mistress' back, helping her to stand. "Be careful, milady. You have not walked in over two-hundred years. You've slept for quite a while."
There was a sound that sounded almost like she was agreeing from the silver haired demoness as she was gently led from the bed to the doorway where Sesshomaru and Shiori waited. Kiara gestured for Shiori to fetch some water for their Lady before the young half demon scurried off to do as asked.
Sesshomaru watched as the young half demon child scurried away before he turned to glance back at the Lady of the Castle and her companion. They had gotten closer, the movement of her legs becoming easier and easier with each passing step before they finally reached him. Shiori had returned at that point, offering a cup of water to the beautiful demoness who happily took it and drank the liquid; grateful for her throat no longer being parched.
"Will you stand with milady for a moment, I must see to it that some things be done before I lead her further beyond her rooms," Kiara asked; moving so that Mai was already leaning against his shoulder. It would give them time to catch up with one another while she handled what needed to be done. "Shiori will assist you should you need help with her, Lord Sesshomaru."
"Hnn."
He nodded, his arm coming to wrap around the demoness' waist as he held her upright. Her hand came to rest over the bone breastplate of his armor, her head resting against his side. Her welcoming scent filled his nostrils, his fingers wrapping just a bit tighter around the fabric of her kimono at her waist. How long had it been since he'd been able to hold her like this? Since her sweet, natural smell had filled his nostrils? Since he'd taken in her beauty? Far too long.
"Ses…sho..maru…"
Her voice, albeit a bit hoarse from the many years of nonuse, was just as soft as he remembered. Golden eyes flickered to look down at the demoness, molten gold clashing with molten gold. His brow irked, head dipping just a bit to come closer to her. "Mai? What is it?"
"I need… to sit down," she whispered slowly, gesturing to the chair that was placed not far away, just outside the door of her room. She still had to get used to speaking again. "Help me… to that chair."
He nodded, helping her to the chair where she was placed. He took several steps back, his hands sliding into the bell sleeves of his haori. A comfortable silence enveloped them, Sesshomaru watching her with keen eyes and she did the same in return. He noticed the way she'd slightly aged since their last meeting.
"You are well, I gather," Mai asked, her clawed fingers reaching up to run through a long, silver lock of hair as she held the Western Lord's gaze, her voice not so cracked anymore but not quite what it used to be still. "And what of your father?"
"I still breathe, however, Father does not," Sesshomaru answered, his eyes cast downward to break their gaze for only a moment before his attention was back on her again. "Forty years after the attack from the Panther Tribe, Father passed while saving his bastard son and human mistress. Ryūkotsusei inflicted wounds he had not healed from before going to save them. A man, who harboured feelings for the human woman, killed her for birthing a half demon son until father brought her back to life with Tensaiga." He gestured to one of the swords at his hip. "I inherited Tensaiga, Inuyasha, the half demon, inherited Tessaiga."
"I see… I always thought… Tessaiga would be bestowed upon you…" Mai hummed just as Shiori leaned over to her and whispered something in her ear. She smiled, turning to look at the young half demon before she answered. "Another cup of water is all that I require… Thank you, Shiori."
"Of course, milady," Shiori nodded before scurrying off to get the water the Lady of the castle requested.
Mai's attention returned to Sesshomaru, "What of that… little demon of yours… that follows at your heels? Does he still live… or have you done… away with him by now?"
"Jaken still breathes," Sesshomaru answered just as Shiori returned with the water. "Though he has come close to death several times over the last two centuries."
"Thank you, Shiori," Mai hummed before taking the cup of water in her hands and sipping it down quickly. The cup was then passed back to the girl before she stood, albeit a bit shakily. Sesshomaru was at her side a second later, his hand holding on to her arm to keep her steady. She nodded to him, "Thank you." Her attention was quickly turned back to the half demon girl before she spoke again, "Shiori, has Kiara finished her preparations? It is time that my people know of my awakening and she has yet to return."
"Yes, milady, she has. She asked me to have you come to the main hall when I got your water. I meant to tell you just before you asked," Shiori answered with a smile before she glanced up at the other silver haired demon. "Lord Sesshomaru, if you will please assist milady in reaching the main hall? I shall lead the way for you."
"Hnn," Sesshomaru hummed with a nod of his head before his arm wrapped around the demoness' waist.
She leaned against him for support as the three made their way to the main hall. About halfway there, Mai had become used to walking more than before and took the lead; her hands concealed in the bell sleeves of her kimono. Sesshomaru watched her as she seemed to glide across the foyer, almost as if she had not lost mobility of her limbs for over two-hundred years.
When they walked through the door, there was nothing but silence that enveloped the room. Multiple pairs of eyes stared at the goddess like demoness, the regal air around her something that everyone felt. They couldn't believe it; the Lady of the Castle was finally awake.
There was applause that rang out, Mai watching as everyone drank in the sight of her. It'd been far too long since she was awake, and her people missed her. And everyone was happy to see her alive and well… especially a certain demon lord who still had questions he intended to get answers to.
.everyheart.
A large feast had been held in Mai's honour upon her awakening, everyone fleeting about to make sure that everything was perfect for the Lady of the Castle. All the while, Sesshomaru, Kiara and Shiori stayed by the demoness' side. Kiara and Shiori in case she needed anything. Sesshomaru simply because he'd felt this unexplainable pull that kept him rooted at her side. Not that he minded, nor did she.
Shiori and Kiara had disappeared, leaving the two dog demons alone. They'd been called away to help with preparations for the evening's feast. Sesshomaru saw it as his opportunity to speak to Mai freely, ask her what had actually happened and why he was led to believe that she was dead for the last two hundred or so years. He could clearly remember the day that it happened as if it were yesterday. He was positive that he'd seen her take her last breath. While he was grateful that she was, in fact, still alive, he was still highly irritated that it took him this long to find out.
"You seem to have something on your mind," the demoness said, her fingers fiddling with her hair once again. If he remembered correctly, she'd frequently done it often in the past whenever she needed to preoccupy herself to keep from losing her patients. "What ails you, Sesshomaru?"
In just a matter of a few hours she's fully regained her voice, it was as soft and sweet as he remembered. He inwardly shivered, a chill crawling up his spine. She always was able to read him as plainly as an open book, something that no other had ever been able to do in his long seven hundred years of life. He finally decided to answer her when she irked an elegant eyebrow. "I am curious, how was it that you survived that attack… and why was I not alerted sooner of you still being alive?"
She smiled, obviously having already known that this was coming. She could tell from the moment she'd laid eyes on him when she finally woke, that he had so many questions swimming about in his head. How she was alive being one of them. She shifted, her knees crossed beneath her kimonos as she smiled. "I'm surprised that it took you this long to ask me that. I figured that would be the first thing you requested of me the moment that I awoke. I figured you would have questions from the look on your face that I saw when I first opened my eyes this afternoon."
He should have known that she was anticipating this line of questioning. She was always a few steps ahead when it came to logical thinking.
"Why you were not alerted of my still being alive before now, I cannot tell you," Mai continued after a moment. Clawed fingers brushed long silver hair from in front of her face as golden eyes glanced over at the male. "That is something you will have to take up with Kiara. You should have known long before now of my survival of that attack. As for how I survived, that is a mystery even to myself."
Sesshomaru's brow irked, his mouth moving to ask her what she meant by that when he was stilled by Mai holding up her hand for him to wait. She wasn't done explaining yet.
"All I remember is staring into the eyes of the blue haired panther demon, her sword dripping with my blood," Mai said, her hand moving to her chest where the wound that has long since healed had been. "I was certain that I would die, that I would never see any of you ever again. And then I was adrift in total darkness. It felt like only hours had passed, but in reality, it had been over two hundred years. It was a strange phenomenon, honestly. I do not even recall my people bringing me back to the Castle for aid."
"I see," Sesshomaru hummed thoughtfully. Though it did little to explain how she'd survived, at least he understood a bit better on how it happened. He would just have to confront Kiara before he departed to find out why she waited so long to tell him about Mai's life having been spared. "I thank you for explaining. Though I will now have to speak with Kiara and find out why it is that she had neglected to inform me sooner that you continued to breathe."
There was a soft laugh that escaped the beautiful female, her clawed hand covering her mouth as her eyes squinted in mirth. Sesshomaru was unsure as to why she was laughing, he's positive that he'd not said anything that resembled a joke. The Lord of the West never joked. But he would not question it, allowing her laughter to fill his ears for the time being. The sound was soft, sweet, pleasant. And he wouldn't mind continuing to hear it for a while longer.
They'd been sitting in a comfortable silence when Shiori returned to inform them that it was time for the feast. Mai nodded, both she and Sesshomaru following after the half demon child to the dining area where everyone awaited their presence.
Mai was seated at the head of the long dining table, Sesshomaru sitting to her left. Glasses of demon's wine were poured for each of them, before Kiara, who sat to Mai's right, stood with hers in hand. There was a smile on her red painted lips as she looked around the room at everyone who had gathered for the evening's festivities.
"A toast to our Lady of the Castle, Lady Mai, who has, after over two-hundred years of sleep, finally joined us once again," Kiara said.
Everyone raised their glasses, the edges clinking with one another's as they spoke, "To Lady Mai."
The rest of the evening was spent eating, drinking and laughing. The half demon children who had been born after Mai had fallen into her long period of sleep or were really young when she'd been decommissioned moved to meet the good Lady. She took to them happily, the exact polar opposite of how Sesshomaru would have acted had he been in her place. While she was fond of the half demon children, he held an exquisite distaste for them. Though his level of tolerance for them had grown exponentially over the years. Mai seemed to notice, but wisely chose not to press the matter. She remembered his stance on how he felt about anyone of demon and human decent. His brother had not escaped his wrath on many occasions.
It was well into the night before everyone was set to retire for the evening, leaving the Lady and Lord to themselves. Though he wanted to stay, Sesshomaru had to leave, unfortunately. He'd missed his day for checking in on his human ward and would have to make it up to her by visiting the human village the following day.
"You will not stay," Mai asked as she looked at the demon Lord and the Kappa that stood at his heels.
"I cannot," Sesshomaru answered. "There are matters that I must tend to regarding my ward. The human child was left in a human village that I have sworn to protect. I have missed visiting the village today in favour of being here to confirm your being alive. So, I must depart."
Mai couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips. Who would have ever thought that Sesshomaru would take to protecting a human child, let alone a human village. It would seem that she missed much during her long slumber. "Very well, though you must promise to visit sometime soon. A life of solitude is not befitting for anyone, Sesshomaru. Besides, I quite enjoy your company."
Sesshomaru merely nodded as he turned to take to the sky. Jaken held fast to the end of his mokomoko with one hand, waving to the demoness they left behind with the other. She waved in return, watching until they were no longer in sight.
She wasn't sure how long she'd been standing there, or when Kiara had come to find her, but the next thing she knew, she was being led back into the castle and to her bedchamber. As they walked, she couldn't help but glance back over her shoulder one last time in the direction that Sesshomaru had disappeared in. "Until next time, Sesshomaru."