Disclaimer: Still don't own, guys! I own nothing! And, just so you know, I was like half-way through this chapter a couple weeks ago, when I accidentally deleted it, and I didn't realize it till a few days later. Heh heh, oops. So, yeah, it's really late. My bad.

Dark Days

Chapter 6

"Dad's in here, Mr.-what did you say your last name was?" Savannah asked as politely as she could.

Sesshoumaru merely glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "This Sesshoumaru didn't. The silver inu family has no need of last names, but if you must address this person, address it as Taiyoukai." He commanded, before stepping through the doorway.

What does 'taiyoukai' mean? Savannah silently asked her lifemate, confused.

He shook his head, though. I haven't the foggiest. I suppose we can either look it up, or ask him. Who knows, perhaps "dad" will do it for us. He was, of course, sarcastic after saying that last part; he still hadn't forgiven the Prince for that fiasco at the Christmas party. (a/n: For those of you who can't remember, or didn't get that far in the series, Mikhail made Gregori dress up as Santa Claus for the children.)

Perhaps. She allowed, following Gregori into the darkened interior of the hut.

There was her father, Mikhail Dubrinsky, the prince of the Carpathian people, standing in the center of the hut. He, like her, was dark haired and dark eyed, and even wore dark clothes. They were modern, though; his lifemate, Raven, was at his side. She had blue-black hair, like their daughter, and darkish eyes. She wore nice jeans and a simple t-shirt. Both were watching Sesshoumaru closely, looking none-too-pleased to see him, for they'd been informed by Gregori via the mind on the reason he was here. Every one of them was silent for a long moment, until Mikhail tossed his head back.

"You have seen me, we are going to talk; I believe you may return Josef now." He added a subtle 'push' to his voice, to command Sesshoumaru to obey him.

Sesshoumaru merely gave him his coldest stare. "I believe the words this Sesshoumaru used were: 'once this Sesshoumaru has his answers, he will release Josef.' These answers have not come, therefore Josef stays on this person." He could smell the spark of anger that came from the males, and the concern from the females. If he were the type to feel it, he would be amused. Instead, he shook Kagome awake, gently setting her on the ground so she could lean against him.

"Huh? Wha-oh. Is this him?" Kagome whispered, covering her yawn with a hand. She was still somewhat tired.

Sesshoumaru gave a short nod. "This is the Lord. His aura exudes more power than the others, although the Dark One over there has an aura close to his." He unknowingly spoke the 'title' of Gregori's, that had been given to him for many centuries.

Kagome nodded. "I see. Have we been introduced yet?" The silence was her answer. "Oh. Well, I'm Kagome Higurashi; status: Miko. Pleased to meet you." She bobbed a small curstey, covering another yawn as she slanted Sesshoumaru a look.

He merely gave the barest of nods. "Sesshoumaru; status: Taiyoukai of the Western Lands."

Mikhail nodded to both of them; he was still angry that the odds weren't exactly in his favor, but he could ignore that for now. "I am Mikhail Dubrinsky; status: Prince of the Carpathians." He followed their examples. "This is my lifemate, Raven. What exactly are a miko and taiyoukai?" He questioned, feeling confusion but unwilling to show it, in his face.

"Taiyoukai means, literally, lord demon. Sesshoumaru's the leading lord of the western lands where we come from. A miko is...a shrine priestess. They go around healing, and slaying youkai that plague villages. They also put up barriers, purify miasma and venom, and other stuff like that." Kagome nodded. "What's a Carpathian? We already figured out you can't go out in sunlight, but what exactly are you?"

Mikhail sighed, before nodding as well. He really had no choice but to answer, even if it broke their code. Besides, these two weren't exactly human; he could sense that much. "Carpathians are creatures of the night. We are of the earth, wind, and sky. We command these things, as well as all things of nature. We are an ancient race with powers and properties that can be, and often are, mistaken for those of the vampires, the creatures that kill for the momentary rush of power. We survive on blood, and sleep deep beneath the earth, but we are not evil, or soulless, and we don't kill our...prey. We hunt the vampires."

Sesshoumaru's head cocked a little to the side. "I have not heard this term-vampire. What is it?" He demanded the answer.

Kagome, surprisingly, was the one to answer him. "Where I come from, they're legends. Creatures of the night that seduce humans for their blood, and either kill or turn their victims. They're completely evil."

Raven nodded at her, pleased that neither of them were freaking out by what they'd just learned. "That is somewhat true. Vampires do exist, and they do kill their victims, most of the time. But sometimes they make puppets out of their victims, puppets that become mindless zombies intent only on feeding off blood. They're Carpathian males that lost their soul by killing via feeding, because they went too long in the growing darkness without their lifemate." It made her sad, just thinking about how many of their males had turned because they couldn't survive without their other half.

"Yes, that is also confusing. You use the term 'lifemate,' with is like the word 'mate,' yet your souls are completely merged. If one of you dies, the other dies, whereas with mates, one can live without the other. This does not make sense." And, although he, too, was confused, Sesshoumaru's voice was completely monotonous.

Mikhail nodded. "It is as we explained. If a male Carpathian spends too many centuries in the darkness, without his light, his lifemate, he turns vampire. But, when he finds his other half, his soulmate, she becomes an anchor for him, keeping him forever in the light. Without each other, they would die, for they would be living half-lives. Meaningless lives."

Kagome sighed. "That's so tragically romantic." Sesshoumaru snorted; humans.

Mikhail cleared his throat. "If there is nothing else..."

"Have you ever heard of such a thing as the Shikon no Tama? Or a creature known as Naraku?" The taiyoukai asked suddenly, his claws flexing under the sleeves of his hoari.

Raven frowned. "Shikon no Tama? I've never heard of it. Is it important?"

He exhaled. "If you have not heard of it, then forget it. Very well, you've answered all of our questions, and you haven't attacked us. You may have the pup back now, and we will leave. Miko." He disentangled his tail, causing Josef to fall to the floor at the sudden motion.

"O-w!" The teenager growled, rubbing his backside.

"Silence." Sesshoumaru commanded, and Josef immediately quieted, looking up at him as if waiting for another command. But he just turned away.

"Thank you for indulging us. We're really sorry if we caused you any trouble. And also, thank you, Mr. Gregori, for helping us. We're-" A cold look from the taiyoukai. "Well, I'm grateful. If you ever have need of us, such as for tracking, healing, or anything else, please find us. We'll repay our debt." Kagome bowed to each of them in turn, and followed the silver inu out of the hut.

"That...wasn't what I expected." Raven murmured, a little dazed. The power from the two had been a little overwhelming. "They weren't what I was expecting."

"Yes. Granted, they went a little overboard just for some answers, but they didn't seem evil. Did they, Gregori?" Savannah asked, holding onto his arm.

Gregori looked thoughtful. "I suppose not. But I wonder why he didn't respond normally to the mental pushes? Does his make-up make him immune, perhaps?" He thought aloud, turning to Mikhail with raised eyebrows.

"I don't know. Perhaps we should send one of the warriors to follow them. Of course, they could also 'help' the two."

Raven frowned. "You can't possibly want to spy on them."

"No, I think it's a good idea. Why not send...Lucian?"

Savannah gasped. "You would send him? But he's so close to turning! Especially now that his twin, Gabriel, found his lifemate, and he doesn't have any drive to keep in this world!" But then she paused; she saw where this was going.

"Yes, you get it. We'll send Lucian, then, to accompany them. And, perhaps he can learn something interesting from the two. Gregori, I'll leave the telling up to you. Good luck."

xx

"Miko, it's time to stop for the night. The stream is only a few yards east." He pointed in the direction. When she was gone, he called into the night air, "This Sesshoumaru know you two are following us. Show yourselves, before I lose what little patience I have."

There was a mild curse, before a dark shape dropped from the treetops. The shape became Josef, his arms sporting what looked like feathers, his body clumsy on the ground. He was frowning, and had his tongue sticking between his teeth, as if he were concentrating on something. But it disappeared when Sesshoumaru growled at him, commanding him without words to tell him what he was doing following them.

"Josef, you should return to the village." Another voice, softer, pure velvet, came from up above, beautiful. It was beguiling in itself, and Sesshoumaru glanced up despite himself to see another shape materialize in the growing darkness.

This man was very tall, very powerful, and dark. He was a predator in human-like guise, Sesshoumaru could tell that instantly. He was completely still up in the treetops, watching, waiting with emotionless black eyes. They were empty as they scolded the pup, who cringed, his scent taking on that of fear. Long black hair surrounded a stoic face, showing off pure white teeth and strong features. Old World features. They were familiar to the inu, somehow, but he couldn't place them.

Both boy and man were wearing simple traveling clothes; dark pants and shirts, altough Josef was wearing jeans. Even their shoes were dark. Sesshoumaru was beginning to expect that these "Carpathian" people didn't own any bright colors.

"I'm fine here!" Josef replied after a moment's hesitance, hating the slight tremor in his voice. He couldn't help be afraid, though. This was one of the ancients, of descent of the Daratrazanoff line. Lucian, twin to Gabriel, nearly 2,000 years old, and a powerful predator who had spent most of his centuries killing. You'd have to be stupid to not fear him.

"That is not what I care about, young one. It is not safe outside of the village, and you will return immediately." Lucian's voice dropped an octave, turning compelling, commanding obedience.

Josef stiffened, about to protest, when Kagome wandered back into the clearing. She didn't even seem to notice the two at first; instead, she walked over to Sesshoumaru, handing him the water bottle she'd had on her back in Feudal Japan that had carried over with them. He showed a fang as he stared at it, wondering exactly how he was going to work it. He was just bending his head to sink his fangs into the plastic when Kagome let out an "eep!", finally noticing the two males.

"Josef, when did you get here? And who's that?" She asked, rudely pointing at each of them in turn.

Josef grinned at seeing her. "Hi, Ms. Kagome! I was hoping I could travel with you two, because I think you guys are really cool, and I want to learn more about you. And, besides, I was hoping I could learn some things from you." The last part was mumbled, as if he were afraid of what she'd say.

Kagome worried her bottom look, missing the dark look Lucian sent the boy. She shrugged after a moment. "It's not relaly up to me if you can come or not, it's up to Sess-what are you doing?" She asked the inu in question, who currently had his fangs in the bottom part of the bottle and was sucking out the water.

He gave her a glare until he'd finished drinking all the water. Satisfied, he lifted his hand, summoning his poison to melt the bottle. It annoyed him, as did the shriek Kagome let out.

"Sesshoumaru! I needed that! Now how am I going to carry around water?!" She yelled, knowing it hurt his sensitive ears but not really caring at the moment.

"Silence, miko." He hissed, before turning to Josef. "This Sesshoumaru has no objections to you joining our little group, but he is not the one who gets to decide." His golden gaze turned to Lucian, who immediately shook his head.

"Absolutely not. Josef, return to your family. Once out of the protection of our warriors, I will have no way to protect you, and watch over this group." He was going to continue, but was forced to stop when the air in his throat was suddenly cut off by consticting claws. His eyes widened. I didn't even see him move! Needless to say, he was surprised.

"Do not presume to think this Sesshoumaru needs your help, Carpathian. The two of us are far from weak." The inu growled right into Lucian's face, his upper lip curled in a classic inu snarl. His claws began to slowly penetrate skin.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, if we're going to rest here, are you going to need to hunt for food?" Kagome questioned, her aura expanding to surround the taiyoukai in a calming and soothing circle.

Sesshoumaru snarled once more, his teeth snapping together, before releasing the male, who held himself up, just barely. The youkai turned away, walking away with only a few parting sentences. "I suggest you 'protect' the miko if you value your life, Carpathian. I will hunt for us; miko, get a fire going."

Kagome nodded, and Josef jumped up. "Oh, oh, can I go with you?!" He asked, practically bouncing on his feet as he anxiously awaited the answer to his question.

Sesshoumaru didn't even glance back at him. "Do as you wish." Josef happily began trailing after him.

Lucian closed his eyes, and opened them a moment later to find Kagome staring at him. "Are you alright?" She questioned softly, her cerulean eyes understanding.

He felt some of the raging darkness inside his soul recede just a little, as impossible as that was. But it happened, and he actually found himself experiencing something he hadn't felt in almost 2,000 years; happiness. With this small slip of a girl staring at him, a smile dancing on her lips, his bleak world seemed a little brighter. He nodded slowly. "Yes, I am fine. Thank you."

Kagome nodded, allowing her smile to slip free. "That's good. Would you like to help me gather up some sticks for the fire? I've got some matches in my pocket to start it, but you can't have a fire without sticks." She laughed a little.

Lucian nodded and stood to help her, wondering what the other two were doing at that moment, and if they'd found something to hunt.

xx

Josef calmed his racing heart with difficulty, since he had no example to base it off of. Meaning, since he had no one near him with a calm heartbeat that he could allign his own to, it was much harder to do. He found he couldn't do it with Sesshoumaru's, because it appeared the youkai had an abnormally fast heartbeat all the time. Josef wanted to sigh. They were currently hiding among a bush, waiting for the opportune moment to strike out at the huge boar that was grazing in the forest. He didn't know why they were waiting, but the youkai had forced him to stay where he was. It was tiring, and boring.

"Knock it off, and hide your scent. You are going to alert our prey to our presence." Sesshoumaru's voice was right by his ear, and Josef almost jumped. Almost. "I am going to strike. Wait here; if, by some chance, I manage to miss, then you go in for the kill."

Josef nodded, and watched as the taiyoukai seemed to disappear before his very eyes. He moved with fluid grace, striking swiftly with those winking claws at the unprotected neck of the wild boar, slicing clean through it. It was dead instantly, with a clean cut, and bleeding on the forest floor. Josef waited a moment, making sure there wasn't anything he needed to do, before going to stand by the youkai.

"That was amazing! I barely even saw you move! Could you teach me to do that?! And those claws of yours! They're so sharp, they cut right through its body!" He was so excited his voice almost cracked.

Sesshoumaru glanced at him, cleaning his claws with his dexterous (a/n: I think that's the word.) tongue. Interesting. "The fact that you were able to see this Sesshoumaru move at all is a feat in itself. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to teach you some things." He thought about it, before nodding. "Yes, this Sesshoumaru will show you some skills. But not tonight. Tonight, we will bring the miko her dinner." He easily picked up the still-bleeding boar body in one hand, motioning to the motionless Josef with the other. "Come."

Josef snapped out of his stupor, happily prancing behind the youkai. He'd found someone who didn't think him a nuisance, and was going to actually train him! This was amazing! And it didn't hurt that his teacher happened to look very nice, and have very nice-smelling blood either...

Ta-dah! What'd I say? They just keep getting longer, and it's not my fault! I imagine, I hope, the next one isn't going to be so long. Maybe. And guess what, people? I think, about 10 days until I go on my one-week vacation! That means no updates, but it means the beach! Yes! Okay, anyway, tell me what you think! Reviews, people. They make my world go round!

Ayame