The Eternal Knot Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Sesshomaru was pacing. Rin had been sent back to the demon cat's care and soon, she would send her back to Inuyasha's human village. She was simply at too much risk in a nest of demons, especially now that Inukimi had had an audience with Sesshomaru and found out exactly the nature of his condition.

Inuyasha's letter had been nothing more than a simple, few, scribbled lines that he was coming around eleven o clock through the eastern gate and expected to meet Sesshomaru in her private quarters at around lunch. To be honest, she was a little happy to see that he'd at least done the courtesy of sending a letter, as well as sealing it, as was proper. Despite his mangy breeding, he somehow managed to remember that at least as far as Sesshomaru was concerned, he couldn't just tear over the Foo-Dog wall and smash his way into her living quarters without getting attacked by all of Sesshomaru's guards, not to mention all the ones inside the Palace itself, and the guard monsters that lived in the moats. She assumed it was about the potion that she'd given Kagome and was somewhat prepared for a shouting match with him, but internally, felt like all she wanted was to eat, sleep, and occasionally, train at their academy to make sure her swordsmanship kept up to par. The pregnancy was making her excessively lazy which was a trait that irritated her to no end. Her appetite was monstrous- even today, she'd gone through three wild boars, two veritable vats of fish, a trough of demon blood soup, and already her stomach was beginning to growl again. After this meeting Sesshomaru hoped her guards would allow her a long hunt in the mountains. As long as she was in her demon form, she should be less of a target to the enemies of the Foo-Dog tribe.

As she paced she passed in front of the mirror and adjusted the red and white kimono. The ties were above the slight bump in her form now. Four months along, now. Just enough to see the beginnings of it. No matter how many times she adjusted it to go over the stupid bump and hide it, the ties always wriggled their way above or below it and showed it off for the world to see. Of course Inukimi had been informed, and there had been so much feasting and rejoicing that the Foo Dog Palace had run almost completely out of blood-sake. Even now demons lay strewn about the courtyard drunk out of their wits. Sesshomaru of course did not attend the festivities. News of a new Foo-Dog heir was something that hadn't been heard of in generations… Little do they know. I can only hope one of the ones in here actually carries full demon dog blood. Sesshomaru thought, hands going still for a moment as they were halfway through retying the obi. Her nails and hair had become insanely lustrous and glassy, as was normal with a Foo-Dog pregnancy. All these changes were a mixture of fascination and horror for a being whose lips once curled in disgust at seeing a pregnant demon rubbing her great belly and fawning over the pups inside.

She retied the obi quickly, wondering exactly how her half brother would react. Even he knew these symptoms. One look at her and he would know exactly the secret under the thick silk ties over her abdomen. It's not as if the opinion of a hanyou matters. And his sword is no threat to me even in this state. There was a knock, and Sesshomaru almost jumped. She hissed in distaste. "Yes?"

Tiao-Wen answered nervously, " My Lady, your half-brother is-" and was interrupted with, " Let me in or I'm gonna make a new entrance that wont' be half as small!" There were scuffling sounds outside, something banging, and the sound of someone being thrown against the front door; and also quite a bit of swearing. "Go ahead and let him in, Tiao-Wen. I'm expecting him." Sesshomaru said, running a hand through her hair and then letting it drop to her swords. The cool rough metal was comforting. Inuyasha came busting in in his usual feral manner, immediately starting with a screeching, "What do you think you're doing?! How dare you slip Kagome one of your poisons!" and grabbing Sesshomaru by the collar and forcing her against the wall. Of course the moment he did, Lihai and Tiao-Wen appeared like living shadows and had him by the back of the neck, shoving Inuyasha to his knees in what was almost a bowing stance. " My Lady, I would strongly advise not giving a violent hanyou your time, especially in your state."

At that, Inuyasha's dog ears perked up, and he gave Sesshomaru a once-over before getting a very strange, slightly sick look on his face. He said nothing until Sesshomaru waved an arm and slipped out of his loosened grip, wiping the front of her kimono before summoning her poison claws. The green whip struck Inuyasha's face and his blood splattered in a moonlike ark across the tiles. "Tsh…" He gritted his teeth and stared up at her as she said calmly, " I believe even he knows the rules for harming a female carrying the heir to the Foo-Dog tribe. But, I suppose you two had better stay just the same." She moved to the couch and crossed her legs and the green whip disappeared into thin air. Even Inuyasha knew the punishment for that was worse, much worse, than a simple clean killing, and he almost shuddered to think of the mistake that had almost occurred.

"I told you to never come near my family. " Inuyasha hissed, and she could see his hand on his sword and that he was seriously considering fighting her guards. " I was saving your precious miko's life."

A sneer and a disbelieving huff was her answer. " The only thing you know how to do is kill."

" Every time you impregnate her, her body is at war with itself trying to cleanse your demonic blood." Sesshomaru took a long drink of demon blood herself and licked her lips as Inuyasha fingered his sword with just a little less surety than before. "You're lying."

" What I gave her temporarily overwhelmed her purification powers. Don't tell me you haven't noticed how weak they've gotten. She could barely protect the pathetic human village you reside in without your aid. I doubt I higher level demon would have any trouble breaking her barrier." She wasn't trying to be condescending.

"Why in seven hells would you ever help us?" He snarled, trying to rise to his feet only to be showed down again by Sesshomaru's guards, this time with more force. The wound on Inuyasha's cheek was dripping, and the smell was turning the whites of his guards' eyes slightly red.

"Because I'm sick of watching her struggle, and if I can prevent her from dying early and having you mope about it for the next hundred years, I will. Anything else? I'm ravenous, and though I prefer demon, hanyou may do in a pinch." She said matter of factly. Inuyasha was going to live many lifetimes without the human at his side already- Sesshomaru was just saving herself the trouble of listening to his moping about, waiting for yet another reincarnation of the same being. Things were quiet for a while. So long it was quite unnatural and Sesshomaru felt tingles through the hairs on her arms.

"What did Luo do to me." Inuyasha said in a voice quite unlike his own. A voice that was almost calm.

" It is none of your concern. It will soon be undone. " Sesshomaru murmured, lifting his feet just as Inuyasha twisted out of the guards grip just enough to lift and throw the low table into the wall where it cracked in half, spilling fine bone china to the floor where it shattered in curved fragments.

" If you ever come near my family again, I'll kill you, no matter what 'state' you happen to be in!" He shouted, slipping free from Sesshomaru's guards like an eel, up and across the rooftops, and over the golden arch of the eastern gate. Sesshomaru could hear him using the tessaiga on the demons within the moat and their screams of agony.

She stopped the guards from going after him with a single shake of her head. "For him, that was actually a somewhat civil conversation. And I don't intend on interfering with Kagome anymore." Tiao-Wen looked offended, "He threatened your life! We can't just sit here and do nothing!" Sesshomaru assured him, "He is not a match for me even with my father's sword. And I'm fairly confident he has no wish to return here anytime soon, nor do I wish to see him." and ran a hand through her hair before stepping past the both of them. "If you two will excuse me I'm famished." Tiao-Wen started to follow and she paused, bristling, "You will allow me this." and turning back to face him, the yellow from her eyes a bright blue and the white, now the deepest scarlet. He swallowed thickly, and nodded, watching as she walked through the same gates the hanyou had left from only moments before.

Of course, Sesshomaru went the opposite direction, towards the mountains. No point in tempting fate and running into the hanyou while in his true form. If she did, she wasn't sure what would happen. And after running around and bringing down two wild boars, six demon deer and a numerous amount of pheasants, rabbits and weasels, Sesshomaru felt considerably better. After licking her muzzle she even decided to settle down atop one of the mountainous outcroppings and take a rest.

It was quiet except for the howling wind and the dry rustle of feeble grasses and stunted trees that grew at this altitude. From here she could see the vast expanse of the Foo Dog Manor, its high red walls proud and straight against the landscape. The inner and outer courtyard, the gardens, the training arena… All seemed so insignificant. She was beginning to give serious thought to birthing the pups outside of the Palace, no matter how dangerous it may be. Sesshomaru's mother was still a greater threat than any wayward demon hungry for new, pure flesh. The ground was still dotted with powdered snow in some places but it didn't bother Sesshomaru; her coat was far too thick and insulating to be bothered by that cold. She licked the blood streaks off her face and paws slowly, meticulously, promising a long bath later as well to get rid of the smell.

Up here it was easy to forget the coming storm that her children would bring from the moment they were born into the world and the dragon's magic could no longer conceal them. Easy to forget his idiotic brother and his alter ego and the fox demon Diaozuan… When was he visiting again? Today right? Ah well, plenty of time to rest up here and still make it back. God forbid his mother 'accidentally' dropped by for a visit and found Diaozuan drinking tea in her Palace. Her head dropped to her paws and without a single conscious decision to do so, she fell asleep.

A few hours later, a light crunching of the grasses behind her informed her she wasn't alone. She spun, nailing the other demon with both back feet and sending him into the side of the mountain, letting loose a roar at the same time to warn she was not in a playing mood. She took a few steps forward, bristling from ears to tail… only to hear her opponent give an amused chuckle and shake dusty snow out of his fur.

"As high strung as ever I see, little orchid."

Sesshomaru coughed and let her fur smooth, looking off and huffing indignantly, feeling the tiniest bit of embarrassment though of course there was no reason for it. "I knew it was you."

His grin widened. "Of course." She'd never seen his demon form close up before and couldn't help but give him a once-over. Discreetly, of course. There were telltale purple markings on his cheeks and shoulders, bright against the black fur. He had a deep and wide chest like that of a well-bred horse, thin but strong limbs, and a fan of six or- no, seven it looked like- tails around his back end. They twitched with amusement when Sesshomaru's eyes caught his own again.

"You were supposed to meet me at the Palace." She said haughtily, sitting down now and turning deliberately away because his smug face annoyed her.

"You're supposed to be taking good care of our little ones. I caught your scent on my way here. As a thoughtful and caring mate I of course had to check up on you-" Sesshomaru cuffed him across the snout, bristling worse than ever. "We are not mates, Diaozuan! And if you ever suggest such a ridiculous notion again I won't hesitate to-" This time it was Sesshomaru who was interrupted as she was pinned underneath the fox demon's weight. She went to bite him but was stopped by the fact he did something so stupid, so ridiculous, that she was stuck processing it was actually happening.
He was licking her face.

The strokes were slow and gentle, and helped clean away the last little bits of blood on her muzzle. It was the sort of thing a mother would do, or perhaps a mate. But the fact that this was happening to the lord of the west was so disturbing it caused Sesshomaru to pause long enough for her demon to get a good whiff of Diaozuan and realize she did not want to kill off the familiar fox demon. And though Sesshomaru was no longer in heat, it did help to curb her temper somewhat.

It was then that she realized he was bleeding from where she'd struck him earlier, across the nose, and little droplets were falling onto the ground beside her head. Her long ears tucked back against her skull. " … I didn't mean to cause you harm." This was somewhere between a whisper and a growl. Diaozuan was surprised, and touched their noses together for a moment of brief affection before rolling off of her, tails wagging. "Didn't hurt. But why are you out here alone?"
After a moment of brief silence she said in a growl. " My hanyou brother came for a visit."
"I see." He sat beside her in silence for a moment as they both looked down at the Palace, then glanced over at her. " I… Don't want Inukimi around when the pup is born. It's not safe. You will be too vulnerable." Sesshomaru couldn't help but agree. After the disaster with Inuyasha keeping the line pure had been on everyone's minds. If she was present and the pup was Diaozuans… A shudder ran up her spine.

"I agree. But the moment I move elsewhere she will get suspicious. Give me time."
"You are always welcome in my home, especially if you need our protection. My family protects anyone willing to carry fox children." He said, very quietly. Since they were not officially recognized as being of the twelve zodiac, they mostly bred within their own clan. A fox and human crossbreed was rare. A fox and a pure demon dog? Unthinkable.
"You being present will practically scream at her who the father is." Sesshomaru said with a roll of his eyes, and Diaozuan responded with a huff, "You can't keep that a secret forever. Better that it survives with me to protect it than die a horrific death in your mother's jaws when she smells fox demon scent, don't you think?"
"It's not an 'it', it's a 'them'. There are two." She corrected tiredly. Maybe a sign around her neck would save her the breath. As Diaozuan gave a little happy noise in response Sesshomaru added, "Though to be perfectly honest, I'm only sure about one of them. The other is probably pure dog demon." She was pleased at his horrified reaction. She considered his answer. It was shame his Palace was so far away. Perhaps she could make a dash on his dragon during the last couple months of pregnancy. It was certainly food for thought.

There was something else she needed him to know before he became too confident of her mothering nature.

"I almost took the poison." Sesshomaru murmured, and was sure he knew what she was talking about. He seemed hurt, but unsurprised, and moved a tad closer to her before saying. "But you didn't. That's what matters to me."

He looked her over for so long she began to prickle with annoyance. "What."

The light changed in his eyes to something playful, and he seemed a different demon entirely as he noted, "You're finally getting chubbier." He pawed her stomach, which indeed was slightly swollen even in her true form. This time, she sprang upon him with every intention of hurting him, and their fighting which somehow along the way turned playful echoed in the valley of the mountains.

Diaozuan stayed as long as Sesshomaru was sure news of his arrival wouldn't make it to Inukimi, which was about a day and an half. During this the fox demon never left Sesshomaru's quarters and Sesshomaru didn't allow either of his bodyguards inside to see his guest. Of course they had seen them enter, and exit, but Sesshomaru was sure that neither of them knew it was for anything other than official business. And for all intensive purposes, this was official business. Sesshomaru would need him there during the birth, of that she was becoming more and more certain. Of course it made her disgusted to think she would be incapable of protecting her own young, but after witnessing a few demon births, Sesshomaru was less sure of her own strength than she was willing to admit. She gave Diaozuan a curt bow as he left though the West gate, her mind already cluttered with thoughts as she headed back to the inner courtyard.

Now the loose end of Gao needed to be tied up. After all, since they were linked he would inevitably change into his true form when he felt Sesshomaru's pain…. And if he did that in front of Kagome, he could well imagine the consequences. Of course, before that, he needed to deal with the one who had turned InuYasha into Gao in the first place. Which meant… It was time to pay a visit to wherever Luo had been placed in the Palace. Hopefully he hadn't buckled under Inukimi's awful stare and confessed everything,

As long as Luo went along with the lie that he was the father of Seshomaru's kits, everything would be fine. For a while. Until the kits actually arrived.