Disclaimer: I Don't Owe INUYASHAA

4 - Abductions

Sesshomaru gently traced Rin's stomach, his hands skimming over her skin as their daughter playfully kicked at him. His expression was closed and held no emotions, but his eyes were soft and unreadable as they watched his hands. Rin sighed in her sleep, snuggling deeper into his arms.

The night was still young, barely passing midnight. Sesshomaru, after another day of training with Akihiko, had retired early and left the scrolls and other affairs of the land to Jaken (who at the absence of Akuouji, has taken back his old place as Sesshomaru's right hand man with fervor).

Rin had been asleep when Sesshomaru slipped in and it's maybe been only an hour since Rin had sleepily greeted him before molding her body into his embrace. Sesshomaru had fixed her position so that her back laid against his chest. Sesshomaru laid his lips against her hair, closing his eyes as he kept his fingers on her stomach. The little one had stopped her kicking, opting to let her mother sleep.

Instead, Sesshomaru contently listened to both of their heartbeats, Rin's steady and the pup's slowly trying to follow Rin's rhythm. If Sesshomaru was not Sesshomaru, he would have sighed at the moment of peace with Rin.

Even after ten years, the longest ten he has ever had, he would never get tired of this. He spent years protecting Rin as she slept, but to actually know that he had someone to return to night after night, he understood why every day and time itself was so precious. He relaxed his body against hers, draping the covers over the both of them.

His eyes closed, prepared to follow Rin into the dream world when he heard the soft knocking. His eyes cracked open. The knocking was barely a knock. The knocker knew better than to try and disturb Rin's sleep. That was the only thing that is going to save this person though.

Sesshomaru contemplated if he should pretend he did not heart the knock. After all, Rin's warmth and the night was so comfortable. He attempted to close his eyes again when the knocking continued, as softly as it was before.

Sesshomaru made a small sound of displeasure from the back of his throat, too soft to awaken Rin, but enough that the dai youkai could hear his own sound of annoyance. Fighting the urge to sigh, this time with aggravation, Sesshomaru gently laid Rin to the side, laying one more kiss on her brow and skimming his hands over their pup.

When the knock came again, louder, Sesshomaru openly scowled. His eyes, the gold dangerously flashing, were creased into annoyed slits as he opened the door and stepped out.

At seeing who it was, Sesshomaru's face fell into a stoic and unemotional mask. He was kind of disappointed that it wasn't someone else so he could verbally lash at them and rip off their heads with threats. He could still do it, but knowing Rin, she would probably give him the silent treatment at berating their son.

Sesshomaru inwardly sighed at Rin's spoiling of the pups. If only, he thought silently before turning his attention to the two in front of his chamber door.

Akihiko, the one knocking, stepped back in haste when Sesshomaru came out. At noticing his father's eyes, the young prince bowed his head in submission. Jaken was oddly silent in the background, hands rubbing each other furiously.

"I'm sorry, chichiue, but there has been—"

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Jaken interrupted, his voice too loud. At Sesshomaru sudden glare, the youkai flipped downwards, hands on the ground as he groveled. "I'm sorry" came out as a silent squeak.

Turning back to Akihiko, Sesshomaru's face fell back into its mask. "What has called for this Sesshomaru's attention so late into the night, Akihiko?"

Akihiko's lips turned into a slight frown as he handed a sealed scroll. "It's a message from Iko-sensei."

"Iko?" Sesshomaru's brows furrowed together.

Iko was supposed to be escorting Inuyasha and his mate and friends here. Sesshomaru took the scroll, unwrapping it before Akihiko's hands even fell back to his side.

Akihiko and Jaken stood uncomfortably as Sesshomaru read the message, his face falling even more unreadable by the second. If it was even possible, Sesshomaru seem to have fallen quieter.

Akihiko and Jaken could see the gears moving in his mind as the western lord snapped to attention. The two started as Sesshomaru suddenly turned and began walking down the hall. Jaken and Akihiko quickly followed.

"Milord," Jaken questioned quietly as he scrambled after Sesshomaru, Akihiko next to him.

"Jaken, retrieve Kenji and have them increase security around the palace," Sesshomaru said without stopping his stride or raising his voice.

"Have the servants directly report to Kenji about their coming and going. Send words to hahaue that she is needed sooner rather than later. I want the ningen, Kohaku, back here before the next nightfall."

Sesshomaru paused, stopping and turning to Akihiko. "Return to your chambers. Your training is still set for tomorrow before the sun rises."

Akihiko's skin crawled with the authority that his father's voice commanded. Even though he wanted badly to know what the message said, Akihiko knew better than to interrupt his father when Sesshomaru was like this. Whatever was happening, Akihiko was confident that his father would take care of it.

Nodding, he departed the other direction, his father's soft, but strong, voice barely audible, but still commanding even as Akihiko got further away.

He had only seen his father like this once, no long ago at the summit when the High Counsel was discussing about Mefisuto. Along with the declaration of the unions between the lands. Thinking back to it, Akihiko's face fell, he ran a hand through his hair, frustrated and unsure of what to feel.

That night, as he slept, all he could think about was his twin and that day…

Akihiko stood frozen, unsure if he should be happy or sad. He heard his father repeat what Lord Hiroto just told the two of them.

"I approve of Akihiko-dono's betrothal to my Minami," Hiroto smiled at Akihiko, "as your father's oldest, even if by mere minutes, I place my most precious treasure in your safe hands."

Sesshomaru nodded, his eyes watching Hiroto and the other dai youkai lords and lady of the land. Momiji had not made it today, but Mitsuki nodded approvingly.

"Akuouji will be named the heir of the west thus Akihiko is to be given the mantle of the south. Hiroto wishes to announce the union between the South and the West..."

Akihiko's ears trailed off Sesshomaru's voice and instead tuned himself to his twin. The young prince turned his eyes, panic laced with gold, to his brother. There was no emotion on Akuouji's face though, a face that Akihiko knew so well, but for once in their lives, he did not know what his brother was thinking…

…Akihiko grasped Akuouji's shoulder, his claws carefully clutching at the dark haired hanyou. Akuouji's body stilled, his head turning towards Akihiko. His golden eyes were unreadable.

"Yes?"

Akihiko opened and closed his mouth. The two stood alone in the hallway, having been excused from the meeting between the rulers of the land. When Akihiko could make no sound, Akuouji turned fully to his brother, a small smile on his lips.

"Congratulations are in order, I believe."

Akihiko was frozen, unable to even deny the truth as he tried to find words to speak to his brother. "I…I-Ah-kun."

Akuouji simply smiled, the smile not lessening the dilapidated emotions in his eyes though.

"This one knows that you will make her happy, aniue." He bowed his head a little, the action causing even more panic to Akihiko's heart. "I will leave you then. Good night, Akihiko."

Before the white prince could stop him, the dark twin turned around and left, leaving Akihiko alone with his internal conflict.

…

In the East

Kaiya was jerked awake when the man roughly pulled her back onto his back.

She was not sure how much time had passed, but she was sure that it's been hours. She could hear crickets and the sound of night creatures. She could smell the tension on him as he began moving again, having stopped by the stream to refresh himself.

"We have company," he whispered softly to her, cursing under his breath.

They suddenly stopped and before Kaiya could struggle, he was pouring something through the cloth. Gagging, not expecting the liquid, she tried not to choke and was forced to swallow and take in the scent of whatever he had just given her. She struggled though, fighting back and to his dismay, knocked the bottle, forcing her to swallow even more of the liquid.

He cursed even more, "Baka! You may have demon blood, but you can die from an overdose!"

He quickly tried to rip the cloth away from her mouth, fear emitting from him. Even though the man was a trained ninja, his job was to keep the girl alive and in his moment of fear that she could die from the overdose of the opium, he did not see the silent sudden movement from behind. Before he could dodge, something hit him and he dropped the girl.

Kaiya felt as the man suddenly stumbled, falling. She screamed into the cloth as he dropped her. She landed roughly onto the ground. The man, she could hear as something thudded next to her, was moving some ways from her.

"Mind telling me why you're carrying her around like this?"

Kaiya's heart soared at the new voice. It was husky and masculine, but she could tell that the owner was young. But she did not care.

"Step away, kid," the man whispered, but then Kaiya felt as warm hands began untying her.

Her sight returned to her, her eyes wincing, just in time to catch as the man threw something at the boy in front of her. Her eyes widened up into blue eyes, the blue smiling down at her.

"Hey," he whispered as he suddenly scooped her up with inhuman speed and dodged the kunai.

"What the hell are you," the man whispered, suddenly realizing he was not facing a regular nosy human.

The boy that held Kaiya, stood up, his arms holding her against his chest, moved closer to the light. Kaiya's eyes widened when she saw the fang in his grin, his sharp ears revealing his heritage. He wore a black fur headband, his black hair tied up in a high ponytail.

"Komaru, of the Yoro tribe," he whispered.

The grin fell from his face though when he sniffed, the smell of opium and blood coming to his nose. He stared down at Kaiya, their eyes meeting again. Kaiya simply stared up at him, her eyes taking in his handsome features and the moonlit sky.

"You're hurt?" She blinked at his concern, then saw as he turned away from her, his face turning angry. "You hurt her, ningen?"

Before the man could respond or for Komaru to do something, five figures landed next to Komaru. Kaiya blinked. The five boys, men, ranged from all ages, but she could tell that they were older than Komaru. They all looked alike though, each wearing their hair up with black fur headbands on their dark hair. They were faced away from her though, so she was unable to see their eyes.

Like Komaru, they all wore wolf pelts to cover their lower body while a breast plate covered their torso. Their muscular arms were bare though, each had fur wristbands on along with ankle fur bands. Komaru and two other had fur shoulder plates though. All six of them had a bushy tails. They were not human, Kaiya could tell from their scents.

They were wolves. Wolf demons to be exact. Kaiya's eyes widened.

The other five formed a circle around Komaru, protecting him it seem. Komaru growled at them.

"I want him. He hurt her," he snapped.

One of them, the oldest it seem, scoffed. "Take her home Komaru. Can't ya tell she's scared?"

Komaru blinked in surprise, looking down at her. Their eyes met again, his frown turning into a warm smile. Then he turned back to his brother, face serious.

"I want him dead."

Kaiya's eyes widened at the command. The others were also surprised, their shoulders stiffening. The man, Kaiya saw, had not made a move. Komaru leaned down then, Kaiya blinking up at him in confusion, wondering why he was kneeling down. Then she realized he wasn't kneeling.

Komaru was just preparing himself. "Hold on," was the only warning she got before he shot both of them up into the air, flying pass the branches.

Kaiya's eyes squeezed shut as she tightened her arms around him. When she felt them stop, she opened her eyes and was left breathless as she stared up into Komaru's blue eyes.

He smiled down at her, the two of them on the tree tops now. The moonlight reflected off of his face as he turned his head upwards. Her vision was becoming hazy though and she tried to remain focus.

"Can you talk? Is the opium getting to you?"

Kaiya nodded slowly, blinking. She felt as her vision begin to blur despite the blinking though. She looked away, down at his throat, her heart beating so slow...

"Its fine," he said as he began moving. "We can talk later—hey!"

Kaiya nodded into his chest sleepily. She felt as her eyes closed, her body being claimed by the sudden darkness. She did not care that he was a stranger or that she was so far from home or even that she has been drugged. She did not care that her whole body ached, burned, and was suddenly so weak or that Komaru had just so casually ordered the death of a human. She only cared that she felt safe in his arms.

With those thoughts, his voice faded and so did the world around her.

…

That Morning

Akuouji's eyes sharpened, his whole body stiffening as Momiji read the message sent from the western palace.

Without looking up, Momiji continued with a frown. "Kaiya is missing. Sesshomaru wants us to return home."

Akuouji turned away sharply, hiding his emotions behind the act of packing. He quickly began folding their sleeping mats. Momiji sighed, burning the message as he took care of the fire. The Fifth glanced over at Akuouji.

"I'm sure it's okay Akuouji. Don't worry about it. I'm going to head off to the stream, refresh myself. I need to stop by the village to restock before we begin our journey home. You are welcome to come with me, but do what you will. Meet here again by noon."

Akuouji nodded curtly, his back still to Momiji as the Fifth disappeared behind the trees. Akuouji's fingers, trembling as they hastily looked for the bag, dived into his bag. His eyes quickly looked up to where Momiji disappeared, catching sight of the rising sun over the trees.

Without another sound Akuouji got up, bag hidden in his sleeves, and left the quiet area. Jumping up to the branches, Akuouji quickly retraced his steps. Flying through the forest, he made his way back to the cave. Jaws tightening, Akuouji scanned the area, sniffing the air before he opened the bag.

Staring, his eyes narrowed. Reaching in, he grabbed the object.

It was a gourd.

A rather plain looking one also. Akuouji threw the useless bag aside, instead silently observed the gourd. Eyes furrowed in confusion, Akuouji's lips frowned. He shook it gingerly. It was empty…but…slowly, he opened it.

And instantly regretted it, already smelling the poison laced into the red fumes that suddenly emitted from the gourd. Throwing it away, Akuouji attempted to cover his nose, but the red haze only lingered in the air. Akuouji could feel it thicken in the air, but after a while, he realized that smoke only left him feeling a bit fatigue.

Slowly, he uncovered his sleeves, the haze lingering a big longer before seeping into the ground. He stared at the gourd, thrown aside. His eyes narrowed, his whip lashing out when he felt the presence.

Mefisuto laughed softly, escaping the whip by flashing to Akuouji's other side. He grinned at the young prince. Akuouji's fingers fisted. He called back the whip, the weapon disappearing as fast as it had appeared.

"What was that," Akuouji whispered as he glanced back to the gourd.

"Thank you for testing it out for me," Mefisuto began softly, his eyes trailing over Akuouji as if inspecting him for any injury or sign of distress, "seems that it affects only ningens, not half-bloods…"

Akuouji's eyes sharpened at his words. "You are the reason for the disappearances."

"You mean those ningens that have been disappearing along the north and south? Maybe. I needed test subjects. You were the first volunteer, but it does not hurt you. Tell me, how do you feel?"

Akuouji's face fell, his eyes becoming unreadable. A poison? That hurt ningen? He eyed the gourd again. The fatigue was still there, his noise still hurting from the awful smell, but besides that, he felt fine. He looked back to Mefisuto.

"What are you planning?"

"Is that all you want to ask?" Mefisuto was grinning.

Akuouji's face scrunched a little in confusion before revelation crossed his face.

"Where is Kaiya," Akuouji asked monotonically, his face masked even as anger seeped into his eyes.

At his question, Mefisuto grinned.

~Until next time~

A/N: And so we begin...