Ohayo minna sama!!

Here is the seventh chapter, and with no cliffhanger at the end!! Yay!!

Thank you for your support and nice reviews. Just so you know, my exam went well, I just have an oral tuesday and then it's over. (I know, you don't care, you just want to read the chapter... lol)

This was beta'ed by my mum, who will be less busy from now on, hurray!!

Chapter 7: Winds of change.

A shrill scream echoed in the tunnels, ricochetting from cold walls to damp ones, vibrating in the lonely and empty carcass of the ancient haven, turned unforgiving hell.

He was going to make everybody crazy, that was for sure, but his brother still fought to keep him inside, with them. He didn't know if it was the best solution, but he had never been someone to find good ones, so he waited.

He waited for a sign.

After all, the Gods had never abandoned him, even after all the sins he had committed, after he had left his parents and sister to die, their bones melting in the burning dust of the explosions, and even after he had made his own sibling lose his mind.

They were in hell, trapped with their enemies in a labyrinth of dark tunnels, the only light provided by green and blue moss growing on the cold stone.

After a couple of decades of relative peace, youkai instincts had resurfaced, the predators preying on the herbivorous ones after their supplies were gone, and starting to fight among themselves for dominance and territory.

Of course, the inus had fought like hell hounds. Their father had never taught them how to be cowards, and dominance played an essential role in their own instincts.

One day, after a whole part of the complex had crumbled on unsuspecting but nonetheless brawling bears, killing them on the spot and destroying a dozen chambers, they all called a truce and tried to keep the peace again.

It worked... For a few years.

But youkais were never known for their lack of aggressiveness, so it began again, causing the death of the weakest of them.

Kenshiro and Keikoku had tried to avoid troubles this time, conscious that the only achievement they could get from them would be wariness, injuries, and then death. They were there to keep the blood of their clan from extinction, they told themselves that when doubt crawled into their tired minds, so death would be indubitably the end of their noble quest.

Keikoku had never told his brother of his betrayal, and the elder son of the clan of silver inus had trusted him.

But then, one day, they had had a violent argument. They had been trapped there for half a century, and even if that represented a drop of water in the ocean of their youkai longevity, it was a long time not to see the bright blue sky above.

That fateful day, the cadet had blurted out the fate of the rest of their family.

The noble heir, learning about the death of his parents and beloved sister, became mute.

But that was not such a bad thing, after all. The worst would be later, when he would start to scream.

And in the years to come, he never stopped, haunting the lost stronghold with the agony of his heart and soul.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kagome whimpered in her sleep, her body still sprawled in the entrance of her home, a small sheet of paper grasped in her closed fist.

Sesshoumaru was concerned. Well, as much as one such as he could be in these circumstances.

She had fainted nearly two hours ago, and when her consciousness had returned, she had cried herself to sleep, not bothering to move from her initial and very uncomfortable position.

The only emotions coming from her were an odd mixture of fury and sadness, with a pinch of resignation. It was the latter which worried him the most, this feeling being particularly lacking in her usual repertoire of emotions.

He had questioned her, but she hadn't deigned to answer him, even after he had threatened to eviscerate her favourite teddy bear.

He was miffed. Really. He hated being ignored.

Perhaps he would have to rip her numerous plush toys to shreds, just to show he was not one to be unduly shut out?

But no, the girl was already in a state near catatonia. She didn't need to be hurt more than that.

When had he begun to want to protect her this way? He didn't know. But he knew it had come naturally to him, the same way it had been with his mate and children. Not that she was like his mate, her species forbade that, but she was family. She had known him, before, when he was still the real him, the fierce warrior, the bloodthirsty assassin, even before he had been forgiven and then cherished by his clan.

His wife had been so beautiful, so gentle with him, bringing his more affectionate self out, letting him be acquainted again with his own heart and soul.

Well, Rin had started the process before, showing him what a real smile was.

And then that particular miko had demonstrated to him that even humans could be selfless, to the point of forgetting their own existence for the sake of others.

He had thought that she had died that day next to the well, when she had disappeared with the jewel. He had been secretly awe-stricken when she had killed Naraku with her holy arrow. He knew he would have liked to have had a very long discussion with the little priestess, being curious about her world and, to be honest, about herself.

But they were merely circumstantial allies at best, and he had been so proud, so distant, so cold...

He knew he had regretted it somehow, and now, now she was there again, and he could unravel the mystery she represented.

In a way, she was just like Nikkou had been, a beacon of light, a strong willed female that protected her loved ones fiercely and forgave her enemies easily.

He had tried to kill her on a couple of occasions, and she had rewarded him by saving him.

Never would anybody harm her, he vowed to himself. She was pure of heart, and, just like his former mate, her innocence would be coveted by the ones that couldn't understand her.

He had failed his first and only love, he would not fail again. His honour demanded it. The memory of Nikkou demanded it.

His instincts demanded it too, everything that made him an inu of the clan of the Blue Moon. They were fated to protect such beings, after all, even if they were human mikos.

He had saved Rin for the same reason after all, even if he had never realised it as long as she had been living. It had been his mate that had told him of the rules of his own clan, his father never had explained them to him, neither had his mother.

He remembered that day like it had been only yesterday.

She had caressed his forehead lovingly, like she had used to do from the beginning of their relationship, and she had traced the moon mark with the tip of her fingers.

"Do you know what it means, my love?" She had asked, murmuring the words into his ear, tickling the heated skin of his cheek with her fresh breath.

"It is the sign that I am the heir of the West...?" He had grunted, wary of her obvious mischievous smirk.

"No." She had said, licking the shell of his sensitive elfin ear.

"Then, if it is not that. My mother has it. So it is in relation to her?" He had shuddered again, her agile tongue having left his ear to favour his neck.

She had been a succubus in disguise, his little spitfire of a woman.

"Yes, my dear. She is a female from the clan of the blue moon, and you inherited the sign that makes you one of them. You are a protector of Life itself."

He had snorted ironically at that statement.

"With a name such as 'Killing perfection' or 'the destructor of the circle of life'? You are jesting, my mate." He had rolled on his side, trapping her between his muscular body and the silken bedding.

She had laughed, the happy sound bringing warmth in his chest.

"Your father had a sick sense of humour, I gathered. But he left you Tenseiga. It is the sword of life, after all." She had beamed at him, as his mouth had crushed onto hers in a soul searing kiss.

They had conceived their daughter that night, and she had explained the rules of the clan to him during her pregnancy, a thing neither of his parents had deemed necessary. Perhaps they had thought he was not worthy of the explanation? Or not ready?

As he reminisced about the past, the small woman in the lobby squirmed, her body protesting vehemently against the undue treatment she had forced onto it. She tried to get on her feet, but a sharp pain in her right hip made her shriek loudly and fall on her bottom in a very ungraceful way with a muffled thump.

'What happened?' The white dog prodded, trying to be tactful and failing miserably.

She sniffled.

"I have been thrown out of college." She stated, her voice wavering slightly.

'That pink witch.' It was not a question.

"Most likely, but it is not important. What matters is that I spent a great many years in that college to achieve something and fulfil a promise, and that I have failed. The reasons why are of no consequence." He face was downcast, her bangs covering her cerulean eyes.

'What was the promise?' He wanted to know, poking her with his muzzle so that he could put his head on her lap.

"The day I left Inuyasha, I vowed to finish my studies and find the youkai in my time. I wanted to have my family back. I knew Sango and Miroku would not be alive, but I had hope for Shippo and your half-brother." She allowed him to settle in his usual place, stroking absently his warm fur, the distress lessening progressively in her scent.

'If it is so, you have not failed, Kagome. Together, we can find the youkais. The half-breed is not here any more though.' His body quietly hummed with contentment.

"Awwwwwww... This is the sweetest thing you have ever told me, Sesshoumaru." She crooned, ruffling his ears.

He growled half-heartedly, but didn't complain too much, as she was gently scraping his sensitive skin with her blunt human nails again.

'This Sesshoumaru is not sweet, miko. Just know that you are not alone.'

"Thank you Sesshoumaru. I'll keep that in mind. But how are we going to find them?" Her eyes were full of curiosity now, her grief almost forgotten, for now at least.

'I have plans. First of all, we should go to my old estate to reclaim my wealth and rebuild what we must. It would be... much more fitting there.' How he could sound posh with a snotty young woman stroking his head was one of the world's most puzzling mysteries.

"You don't like it here?" She asked innocently.

'I am a Lord, a ruler.' He snorted haughtily

"No, for the moment you are a dog. How are we supposed to do any official paperwork, like sending inquiries, hiring house maids and so on, if you cannot even write? We should wait for you to be capable of looking remotely human. And how are we going to explain your size? Have you noticed how much you have grown since you are here? Even the biggest dog is tiny in comparison, and it's only beginning..."

'And that is the most important reason why we have to go now, while it is still possible for me to pass for a dog. My estate is vast, and I can easily hide, while it is a feat to do so in your family's shrine. We do not need to hire anybody for the moment. I can hunt for sustenance, as I gathered you were fond of making your own food. I will provide the funds necessary for your nourishment, and we can wait there until I have replenished more of my power to start the search.'

She had stopped rubbing behind his ears, and he manifested his displeasure by a low groan. She began to scrub him again dutifully.

"Huh... It seems you have thought things out..."

'Indeed. One does not rule the Western Lands by being absent-minded.'

"Yea. Anyway, I need to tell my mother. They won't be back in less than four days." She gritted out, trying to buy some time. She wasn't eager to leave her home behind.

'We leave tomorrow at dawn, miko. Prepare yourself.' His tone left no place for arguing.

"Sesshoumaru, I am not one of your vassals." She warned menacingly.

'Indeed. If it had been so, you would have shown me the respect required by my station.' She was so easy to rile up, it was a real pleasure.

She swallowed the line, hook and bait.

"What's up with you, Prince Perfection? You would prefer your humble miko servant to sleep on the hard floor while you napped in silken sheets like a snobbish poodle? But I am no servant, Sesshoumaru, and I am not yours to command. If I say I wait for the return of my family before I go, it is exactly what I am going to do, and you can't force me to do otherwise!!" At the end, she was nearly yelling, her cheeks flushed with anger.

'In four days, I will be at least fifteen inches bigger, if not more. How are you going to explain that to your beloved family?' He was still calm and collected under the emotionally distraught young woman's heated gaze.

"Huh... They knew Inuyasha, smart ass. My mother even tried to rub his ears." She snickered.

He shuddered internally, imagining an older clone of Kagome pulling his tail and giggling in girlish glee. He needed to find a way to flee quickly, lest the tattered remnants of his dignity should be ripped violently from him.

'Do you not possess any way to contact her where she is? Did not clever humans invent something called "telephone" a few decades ago?' He lifted an eyebrow in inquiry.

"Huh... So you know about telephones..." She said sheepishly.

His only response was an annoyed grunt, but he was dancing his little victory dance in his mind. He had won, she couldn't provide any more arguments against their departure now, and he would avoid The Middle Aged Kagome From Hell at any cost. He was a Lord after all, and he intended to stay that way at any cost.

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