Second chappie! updated ASAP! Woo! (eh...)
to explain a few things so this chapter makes sense for those who dont know squat about japanese history:
A Daimyo works under a Shogun, who controls a territory; Myoga was confused about that last chapter, and accidentally told Inuyasha the SHOGUN territory, not Sesshomaru's. His actual "jurisdiction" is much smaller. (clarified later) Think of a Shogun like a state representative (for those who live in the US) and a daimyo like a county mayor. The Shogun calls most the shots and makes most the providential laws, which his underlings, the Daimyo, must follow, however, the Daimyo can also make up his own rules within his territory as long as they don't interfere too much with those of his ruling lord. (and the ruling lord can not alter or defy national law with his own laws either, generally speaking)
A Daimyo's duties are based on two things; war and peace. (explained in more detail later)The Daimyo's (there can be multiple in one Shogun territory) have variable control of the Samurai, who as we all know are the soldiers. If war is breaking out, it's the Daimyo's job to make sure his or his Shogun's army are in place. Hence why they are known in english as "warlords".
Also, it was traditional in that era for women to read and write one way, (harigana) and men to write another (kanji) seeing as the two never generally meddled with the other's affairs of that nature.
Hope that helps, and good luck!
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Last time: "Well, much as I'd love to stay and chat some more, I think I'll be going now," Myoga chirpped, "After all, it's not like you're all that willing to let me drink from you," Myoga huffed at Inuyasha. "Just...promise me you won't bother Sesshomaru for a while?"
"Yeah, yeah. Just go." Inuyasha said, never once turning his head to look at the flea, though his ears swivelled back to hear him. Feeling maybe telling Inuyasha all that information had really been a bad move, Myoga quickly jumped away, exiting the rather gloomy aura that had begun seeping from the hanyou in question.
CH II
"What's wrong?"
"keh. Nothin's wrong..."
"You've been huffing more that usual, and you look like you want to say something, but don't..."
"And you're reading way too far into things."
"Inuyasha..."
"Just...leave me alone." Inuyasha said without conviction, getting up and walking out the hut. These half-lived, mostly one-sided conversations were nothing new to Kagome- but still, she had to try.
"Wonder what's up with 'im?" Shippo piped up. All eyes turned to Miroku, who sat quietly minding his cup of tea.
"You not telling us something?" Sango was the one to interrogate her husband.
"Well..."
"Miroku-"
"W-well," he stuttered, hearing the growl in her voice "like I said, we didn't actually catch up to Sesshomaru, but that was because of some...interference."
"From who?"
"Myoga, actually. He convinced Inuyasha to leave his half-sibling alone, and that was that..."
"...you're hiding something, monk," Sango accused, an aggressive finger threatening to jab him. Oh how he wished se hadn't known him so well.
"Eh...well, actually, I am, but that's because Myoga told me not to tell anyone what he said..." Miroku sighed. "But...well, I think our friend is a bit distraught because of it."
"What'ya mean?" Shippo inquired
"...Let's just say he learned a thing or two about Sesshomaru he didn't know before, and I think it might've changed his perspective a little..."
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Inuyasha had ultimately returned from his brisk walk around the woods after dark, and his mood had not improved very much if his crossed arms were any indication. Miroku was the only one left awake by that time, but did not question his friend. In fact, he almost never questioned anything Inuyasha did, merely watching with a sort of sagely understanding. Then again, he was a monk...
"Did everyone else go to bed?" the Hanyou asked.
"Yes, though Kagome tried to wait for you- eventually she was convinced by yours- truly to go to bed, considering how tired she has been. Which reminds me," Inuyasha did not fail to notice the inquisition in his tone and nearly dreaded the coming question. " Are you and miss Kagome still...at odds?" Miroku asked, confusion touching his tone like a faint whisp of smoke. Inuyasha was grateful the monk didn't ask questions, but at the same time a small part of him sort of wished he would...
"I...don't actually know." Inuyasha replied. "We aren't really fighting, exactly, we just... I don't know, something lost it's edge, I guess." he murmured the last part.
"Lost it's edge?"
"It's hard to explain...we just...oh hell, I don't know anymore." At the tone of desperate frustration leering into his friend's voice the monk decided it was not worth pressing the issue. If Inuyasha wanted to talk, he would; that's just the kind of person he was.
"Well, you know if you ever need someone to talk to-"
"I know. Thanks, Miroku."
"No problem."
Inuyasha went to bed shortly thereafter, exhausted from his walk- not because he was physically tired, but because of all the thoughts that had been rattling his brain for the last few hours. 'Why is this bugging me so much? It's not like I should care...but,' Inuyasha thought '...As much as I don't want to admit it, maybe me and Sesshomaru have more in common than I thought...' He walked over to the place he'd been sharing with Kagome for some five years now, stepping inside quietly so as not to disturb his sleeping wife. He laid down next to, but away from Kagome. They may not have been fighting, but there had been a growing space between them lately, and one Inuyasha was guilty to indulge in. Rolling over and trying to 'shut off' his brain, he eventually fell into a light sleep- but as was usual lately, his peace at rest did not last.
A bittersweet dream had been plagueing him- bitter because it was driving him absolutely insane, bordering on delusionally paranoid sometimes, and sweet because...well...
"ha, ha, ha," heavy panting sounded through an emty room, -it was always the same room-
A groan echoed faintly off the walls, spurring the form hovering above him to move. -it was always the same shadow- The movements were readily identifyable, and so was his own voice making all the noise.
"Please..." He pleaded desperately, grasping at the shadow above him, grinding his hips sharply upwards. The resulting contact was remarkably lucid, as if he were actually touching something...
"Ah.." he heard himself moan as the figure ground back, creating much desired friction against his nether regions. As if that wasn't enough, said figure held his hips in a death grip as it continuously ground against him, an action he found much to his liking.
Hands stroked and touched, feeling him up and down- and, like always, there was a point where he got too handsy. The figure, whatever it was, flipped him onto his belly, mounting him from behind. The action was so familiar to him now that he was aroused long before he got to that point, but he couldn't help but moan obscenely when said figure went down on him, grinding into his pelvis. When he put up some kind of resistance, he'd guessed, the figure roughly gripped his wrists and pinned them above his head; the figure then stroked his backside in a remarkably gentle manner, before pressing again on his pelvis. He resisted the urge to moan, but couldn't stop himself when he felt the figure wrap and lock its arms around his waist, coveirng him from behind before thrusting roughly against him.
"Ahh...hah..." He moaned, mouth gaping.
"Oh!" he cried as the figure began thrusting roughly and quickly against him, enticing him to grind backwards against it...
Inuyasha always woke up cumming. The event was always awkward and embarrassing, though Kagome stopped asking questions after the third time he'd stubbornly denied her the answers she wanted. Letting the high ride over him, he laid there for a while, ignoring the sticky mess he'd made of himself for a moment in favour of waking up completely.
'stupid dream...what the hell's all that even supposed to mean?' He thought. But then, he supposed, if he knew the answer, he wouldn't be not-fighting with the woman who was supposed to be his wife.
Inuyasha sighed, getting up to clean himself off. He'd been wondering and even borderline obsessing over that stupid dream for the last three weeks he'd been having it- but nothing made sense, no matter how many different ways he turned it around in his head. He'd even contemplated the idea that he was queer, but was extremely hesitant to try anything of that nature- not like he really had anyone to try it with except Miroku, and Inuyasha had a feeling the monk would not be appreciative of his hanyou-friends proposed 'experimentation'. Still...if he didn't find out something about it, he was going to go insane!
"Hmf." Inuyasha wetted a cloth, sticking it straight down his hakama rather than taking them off. It was cold, which didn't exactly feel nice, but it did help tame his somewhat obvious erection, making it shrink back faster. As Inuyasha walked out of his cozy home into the chill morning air, he immediately picked up on a smell he wasn't too thrilled about.
A chorus of howls echoed in the distance, alerting everyone to the presence of his pack. And, soon enough, rushing in as always, Koga stood before the villagers, who seemed unsure of wherther to call the wolf friend or foe. "Hey, Muttface! Like what 'ya done with the place," Koga nodded approvingly as he looked around. "What's it been, three years since our last encounter?" Inuyasha asked, failing to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "Well, no matter, because I can still kick your ass, fleabag," Inuyasha growled; but it wasn't really hostile, more like...playful.
"Hah! I'd like to see you try, dog," Koga mocked, going along. But then a serious expression crossed his face, piquing Inuyasha's focus. "But, maybe another day. See, I'm here on business."
"Business?"
"Yeah. You'd never guess who called me way the hell out here," Koga teased. Seeing he was being a playful jerk again, Inuyasha rolled his eyes- but immediately snapped them back at Koga when he heard his brother's name.
"Wait, Sesshomaru called you here? Why?"
"Dunno. Haven't found him yet," Koga explained with a shrug. "Bastard never holds still. He told us to meet at the bend in the river north of here, but when we got there...well, he wasn't there. Cue the search party going on through your forest," Koga motioned towards the woods. "We've been looking all damn afternoon. It's like he's up and vanished."
"Perhaps he had business to attend to," Miroku, who had converged with most the rest of the group around Koga, spoke up. "Word is he's very busy right now." At that, he and Inuyasha exchanged glances, though they were both quick to hide it.
"So I've heard. Guess theres some bastard that's been harrassing the hell out of him too, so I hear," Koga gossipped like a diva when given the chance. "Some old rival of his or something, just a real creepy guy. Couple of my wolves spotted the creeper tailing him one day on parole- not really sure just yet why he was so close to our border, but I'd guess it had to do with the wierdo following him."
"Sesshomaru is being followed?" Miroku repeated for what seemed like his own clarification.
"You think that has somethin' to do with him calling you here?" Inuyasha questioned.
"Honesly, no. Sesshomaru's too damn pompous and proud to ask wolves like us for help like that," the bitter sarcasm in his voice did plenty to portray his opinion of the Daimyo. "But it does make me wonder why he wanted us here..." Koga turned his head suddenly, scanning with nose, ears and eyes over the rice fields to the south of the village. "Well, speak of the devil..."
Sesshomaru came upon the village where his brother lived, having found the wolf he'd reluctantly called upon his mother's behest. Why couldn't she deal with affairs like this?
"Well, hello, Sesshomaru-sama," Miroku greeted with a low-ish bow, polite as always.
"Hn." and a nod was all the monk got as a reply.
"Yes, hello," Kagome appeared behind Inuyasha, waving slightly to him. He fought the rising agitation at the prospect of having to deal with Koga's pack and Inuyasha's on the same day.
"Koga- rather, prince Koga," Sesshomaru strongly resisted spitting at the wolf as he addressed him. "My busi-"
"Sesshomaru-sama!" A very excited squeal sounded from the other side of the village, and as Sesshomaru turned to face the girl who was, as per usual, bursting with enthusiasm, he failed to realise, somehow, that she was much closer than she seemed, and ran- literally- straight into her. She was completely unfazed though, and in an uncharacteristic display of affection, as Sesshomaru came to know it, she wrapped her arms around him in a firm hug. Feeling his mood lift for the moment, Sesshomaru stroked her back once after she clung to him for several moments. Still, she did not stir, and it took Sesshomaru longer than it should have for him to realise that she was closer to Koga than he had ever seen her, only about two meters, and that she was likely afraid to move, though he didnt sense much fear coming from her. Upon closer analysis, she was indeed nervous, but not remotely scared.
"Rin," Sesshomaru called her name after a few moments longer. She pulled back hesitantly to look up at him- when did she get so tall?
"Yes, Milord?" Sesshomaru felt something quiver in his chest at the title.
"As much as I regret to inform you of it, I'm afraid you must release me."
"Oh," she said, a blush- a mark of embarrassment, Sesshomaru had come to learn from her- instantly adorning her cheeks. "S-sorry, milord."
"Oookay," Koga drawled suspiciously, "Hey, I just want to get this done with," he defended when Sesshomaru threw him a nasty look. "Not even sure why I'm here, but- duty calls," the wolf huffed.
"Hn. Indeed it does," the Daimyo replied, returning to his sour mood. "And you are here because Mother beckoned you."
"Eh?" Koga prompted dumbly "Y' mean, you weren't the one who called me out here?"
"I did, but at my mother's behest." Sesshomaru clarified, pulling something from his robes. He handed Koga a scroll dressed in a bronze encasement ornamented with pink and red petals on the ends. It was forged with intricate, weaving patterns over the remainder of it. "Do not open it here," Sesshomaru warned. "The information contained within that scroll is for the eyes of your councilmen only," he stated in such a way that made it clear there was no contending him. "Understood?"
"Yeah, but..." Koga looked down at the scroll, a mixture of frustration and confusion playing tag on his face. "What's all this about?"
Sesshomaru looked over to an unusually quiet Inuyasha, who merely stood there watching thier exchange with obvious curiousity- then again, most his pack surrounding them also seemed quite curious- not that he could blame them.
"I would prefer we discuss this more in private," Sesshomaru said, eyeing Inuyasha again, "However, I can tell you here that the business you are being asked to do is not without its losses."
"Losses? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Your men may die performing the actions my mother has requested of you- bear in mind two things before you reply," Sesshomaru said quickly as he abruptly turned away from the group, "First, I am not responsible for any of this affair- I am merely a messenger, if you will," Sesshomaru said with a surprising lack of distaste, "And second, that your choices are purely your own. However, this is an era of war in the human world," Sesshomaru looked back at the wolf over his shoulder as the said this. "And there is much more at stake here than just ourselves." He glanced briefly at Rin, his eye skimming over Inuyasha as he went. Finally turning away, he bagan walking. "Rin." He called back. "I will return again in two weeks time." And off he was-
until Inuyasha opened his mouth.
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Yay! Another cliffie! I think I'm starting to get good at this.
Now , to clarify, I am working with Sesshomaru on the basis that he IS NOT HUMAN, and so am resorting to my intense knowledge of canine behavior to flesh him out. (and make sense of some of his personality traits) That said, things like hugging, blushing, and in a way kissing don't have quite the same meaning to a dog as they do to humans. (So we think...) However, being in Human form has to mean SOMETHING...oh, well you'll know later.
Anyway, REVIEW or PM for more! :)