Lady of the West, Daughter of the East

By Angel Dust
It's a SesshomaruxOC, InuyashaxKagome, KougaxSango fic!

You have been warned!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Inuyasha or any of the other characters or the original story line. I DO own my characters, they're as obvious as the nose on your face.

A few months after the Compass Ball, Lord Nishi of the Western Lands has called in the other lords for help fixing his rebellion issues. This will pull Lord Higashi and all five of his sons from the palace, leaving Lady Mai in charge of both kingdom and their daughter. Nikki has yet to show interest in any males, to her mother's great displeasure at the ball, though is secretly writing Sesshomaru as he is fighting by his father's side. Mai is anxious and willing to do anything to get Nikki to mate, and now that her only barrier (Higashi) is out of the picture temporarily there is nothing to stop her from having her way. Can Nikki survive her father's absence, or will there be one less member of the family at the dinner table from now on?

Chapter 4

Time had passed slowly, before they all knew it three months had passed. Higashi was getting worried about back home, not because of Mai in charge, but because Nikki's letters had slowed down to nonexistant. Even Sesshomaru was no longer receiving letters and there was no real reason for them to stop. As the final battle of the rebellion prepared and arrived, they were both nervous wrecks. The runners to the Eastern Kingdom were only returning with correspondance from Mai.

The battle was long and hard, though well earned as the Western guard escorted the remaining members of the rebellion to the palace dungeons for their trial and punishment. As they all prepared to claim their dead, heal their wounded, and a long ride home, Sesshomaru approached Higashi.

"This Sesshomaru is going with you," he said in a tone that obviously brooked no argument. Higashi looked at him curiously.

"I know you've been secretly writing my daughter," he said as Sesshomaru remained in front of him, "I also know of your intents with her, and I know saying no will not deter you from going to my kingdom and tearing it apart until you find my daughter and show her your wrath." Sesshomaru started to grow impatient with the speech he was getting. "So be ready within the hour, it's already going to be a day and a half before we arrive there, I don't need to be waiting on you." Sesshomaru nodded and went off to inform his father and pack up, preparing to be the first ready to go.

"I am going to the Eastern Kingdom," Sesshomaru informed his father. Nishi looked at him surprised.

"You didn't want to return with us and celebrate our victory?" Nishi asked surprised.

"No, I'm not celebrating until I find out what is going on with Nikki," Sesshomaru replied as his father nodded. "She stopped writing with no reason, her father has also received no word from her."

"Alright, son," Nishi said nodding, "go find your mate."

"She is not my mate," Sesshomaru said warningly. He walked away to prepare to leave.

"Yet," his father said as a soldier walked up with him with reports. The soldier looked at him confused. "You'll understand when you have children and they're as stubborn as you are." The soldier chuckled as Nishi reviewed the notes.

In the Eastern Kingdom things were not as well as Mai wrote to her mate. The guard were divided between their loyalty to only her or to her mate, partially brought on by the disappearance of Nikki. No one was there to keep them under control at the moment.

Mai walked around the palace, quite pleased with herself at how smoothly she felt the kingdom was running without her mate and sons. She didn't understand all the stress it brought her mate all the time. She headed towards the dungeons with two of her most trusted guard, they had a special prisoner she wanted to visit as she did dsily.

"You beat her again?" Mai asked as they walked up to the cell.

"She started to scream again," one of the guard replied. "It's the only way to silence her."

"Yes, beyond the fact that you enjoy it?" Mai retorted. The two remained silent as she looked in the cell. Her prisoner didn't move, just hung on the wall like a puppet. "I know you're still alive, they would have reported your death to me if it had happened." She lifted her head, her eyes red as she glared at the older woman. "Glare all you want, you're not getting out of here, not alive."

"When father gets home," she started angrily in response.

"Your father will never find you down here, he never comes down here," Mai said triumphantly. "And you will stay down here until I choose." She struggled against the chains, Mai stepping back as the bars before her hissed when Nikki's poisoned claws hit them. "You can't even get out of there." Nikki growled as she stopped moving.

"When I do, none of them will stop me from getting to you," Nikki snarled. Mai laughed as she turned and left with the guard.

"Make sure within the next few days she's dead," Mai said as the two chuckled in agreement. "But do it slowly, she deserves that much." They walked back into the main part of the castle.

"Any word from the lord yet?" one of her guard asked as she sat down in the throne room.

"No, and I'm not holding my breath, what was supposed to be quick and easy hasn't been so." Mai replied casually. Some of the guard just looked away, digusted by their lady's disloyalty to her mate and lord.

By that evening everything was calming down in the castle. Mai had eaten in her study and was relaxing in her chambers when her two guard rushed to her room looking surprised.

"My lady," one of them said rushed, "the lord and your sons are home. They brought the prince of the Western Kingdom with them." Mai got up and waited for them to leave before changing to greet her husband, sons, and guest home.

She walked into the great hall as they all entered, Higashi in the lead, and bowed respectfully as they looked around. Higashi was not pleased with the fact that only his mate had greeted them and waved one of the maids over.

"Show Lord Sesshomaru to a room by Nikki's chambers and send her down here," he ordered her. The maid bowed low but did not move.

"My lord," she said softly as she stood back up, "Lady Nikki has not been seen in a month and a half." Higashi looked at her angrily. "One night she was gone." He turned to his mate who was immediately nervous looking.

"What happened in this castle after I left?" he demanded as the maid rushed towards Sesshomaru and bowed to him. He knew to go as the boys were also clearing out while Higashi let his mate have it for not telling him about their daughter, but he didn't want to leave.

"We ran it as it would have been had you been here," Mai said as she looked at him pleadingly.

"Why didn't you tell me about Nikki?" he snarled.

"I thought originally she went to join you," Mai said as he crossed his arms as if that were unbelievable. "But when you made no mention of her joining you, I decided not to say anything because I didn't want to worry you. I've had patrols out looking for her every day and night." Higashi stormed off to his study as he thought about what was going on. He noticed daily agendas and such piled neatly on his desk in chronological order, today's being the last one on top. Mai followed him to see what he was doing. He waved to a guard, it happened to be one of the ones more loyal to him.

"Yes, my lord?" the soldier asked as he stood in attention.

"I want every report made on the search of my daughter," Higashi ordered.

"My lord," the soldier said worriedly, "there are no reports." Higashi looked at him angrily. "We searched the forest for her for two days, but after no signs of her whereabouts, we gave up knowing that the princess wouldn't be found if she didn't want to be." Higashi knew this, he had trained Nikki personally, he knew his daughter's skills were some of the best. Her instincts were suprieme which made him worried about why she would abandon the castle while he was gone when it was her job to keep the soldiers in line.

"Why would she leave?" Higashi asked the soldier as Mai walked further into the room. The soldier looked at her sideways as he thought about his answer. Higashi noticed and nodded slightly to him to continue.

"After you left, forbading anymore princes in the castle until your return home, Lady Mai had several over to introduce to Lady Nikki," the soldier said hesitantly as Mai prepared for the onslaught of her disobedience. "We presume that she ran away so she could avoid her mother's fury at not choosing a mate." Higashi looked at Mai as she looked away and paled slightly.

"Mai, wait in your chambers," Higashi ordered her. Mai got up and looked to protest, then second guessed the idea, and left the room heading towards her own chambers. "Is that why my daughter left?" The soldier sighed and shrugged.

"My lord, to be in all honestly, I do not believe the princess has ever left the castle. Lady Mai visits the dungeons with her preferred guard everyday around two." the soldier told him as Higashi looked at him surprised. "I heard her order them to kill someone slowly as they left today." Higashi got up and waved him to follow as they headed towards the dungeons to see what poor creature they threw in there.

"I want you to gather all of Mai's guard, the ones that obeyed her orders without thought or question, I want them all gathered in the throne room," Higashi ordered as he approached the doorway to the dungeons, he could hear feint screaming, as did the guard who looked at the door stunned. "And I want you to put guard around my mate's chambers and make sure she does not leave." The soldier ran off as Higashi opened the door to the dungeons. The screaming had stopped and he only could worry about whoever was down there.

"No one can hear you scream," one of the guard snarled at her, both not noticing someone behind them.

"Oh, I can," Higashi said furiously before ripping both to shreds. He turned and looked at the poor beaten, tiny creature on the ground that looked half dead. As he picked her up he almost dropped her when he realized who it was. "Nikki?" She merely whimpered as he pulled her closer to him and started to rush upstairs. He got to her chambers as a maid was freshening the room up in preparation for when they found her lady. "Get the healer, now!" he ordered. The maid ran off quickly as he laid her on the bed and looked her over. She had been beaten several times, she was bloody and tear stained, swollen in areas where he could see. Her whole body was rigid and shaking in fear.

"What did they do to you?" he asked her softly as she just whimpered and closed her eyes as another tear stole away. He shook his head as he backed up while the maid and healer entered.

"My lord, I know this is difficult," the healer said sternly as he looked at her blankly, "but I need ye to leave the chamber until I can clean and bandage the princess." Higashi nodded, staring at his daughter, his anger rising to dangerous levels, and leaving. He stormed towards the throne room and then wanted to go towards his mate's chambers, not knowing who to blame first.

"My lord," the soldier said as he walked up to Higashi, "all of your mate's guard are in the throne room, we have some of the best outside your mate's chambers." Higashi nodded silently, his eyes still blood red as he controled his fury. "Is there anything else you require of me?"

"I want the best stationed outside my daughter's room," Higashi growled as he thought about what he wanted. "No one, not even her brothers, is allowed in with the maid and healer until I say so." The soldier nodded as he prepared to leave. "Send my sons and Lord Sesshomaru to my study, I need to meet with them first." The soldier ran off to do as ordered as Higashi went to his study to wait, though the anticipation of ripping each and every one of them to pieces was mounting.

I debated several days to rewrite this chapter so it was more tame, or to leave it with the images that are portrayed. I chose to leave it as it is, though if I get reviews arguing the idea I'll rewrite it to be more friendly. There will be the hints of what happened, they will be dark, but no descriptions. Beyond this chapter there will be light, but before we see the light there will be darkness.

~Angel