Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters in this fan fiction are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. The original characters and plot are the property of Chiaztolite, who is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary of Previous Chapter: Yuusou revealed to Sesshoumaru that the "Battle of the North" is one of the three subjects forbidden in the Eastern and his pack, guided by Shouri, started their journey in search of the sage who had the power to cure the curse on his right and. Lady Isha visited her father to have a talk with him. It was revealed that Lord Shogo thought Yuusou was not fit to rule the Eastern Lands.
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Rulers of Four Directions
Chapter 13: Without Intention
There was nothing like flying high in the air, soaring above all else, Shouri thought as she observed a cluster of clouds beneath them. The sun felt warm on her cheeks and she loved the feel of the light breeze grazing her skin. She combed her fingers through the silky smooth mane of her ride, Ki, feeling its strong, rippling muscles. The giant dog-like beast carried her effortlessly, running with confidence on empty air as if there was solid ground underneath its paws.
She aimed her gaze straight forward; her eyes met the back of the Western Lord who was flying ahead of her. As expected, he did not say much during their journey thus far, nothing at all unnecessary. And all his words were said in an impassive tone and with an expressionless, somewhat unfriendly face. She had grown accustomed to his indifferent attitude and no longer expected lengthy conversations or a wide range of expressions. But his human girl ward, on the other hand, was quite a talkative one. The little girl, riding the interesting looking two-headed dragon, had not stopped talking since they departed the Eastern palace.
Shouri strived hard to ignore the chatter of the talkative little girl, but the task proved to be easier said than done. For such a young creature, the girl certainly said plenty of interesting, amusing things. The inu princess had very little experience of being around humans, not to mention one so noisy. Her grandfather had done such a marvellous job of keeping humans out of their native lands that she hardly knew how to be around one.
"Girl," she eventually said, momentarily stopping the human girl in mid-sentence. "Has anyone ever told you how talkative you are?"
Rin tilted her head to one side and grinned cheerfully. "Well... Jaken-sama said that to me all the time."
'No wonder…' Shouri sighed inwardly. She returned her gaze downward, observing the ground, noticing the familiar landmarks she had been waiting for. Their journey in the air was coming to an end, she thought as she tapped her leg against her ride's side, urging it to pace forward. Ki obeyed her command and lunged forth to shorten their distance to the Lord of the Western Lands.
"Taisho-sama," She called out when she was right behind him. The yokai lord turned his head sideways, though only very slightly, as a sign of his acknowledgement. She cocked her head downwards and said, "We're almost there. Shall we descend?"
Without words, the yokai lord started to lower himself, leading the pack's descend towards the ground. They landed on a fast meadow covered by lush green grass. Only a few steps away was the brink of the Forest of No Return. The deep, dense forest filled with ferocious beasts had played a big role in keeping both humans and demons away from the eastern lands. The trees that stood before them were humongous. Their trunks were taller and thicker than any trees elsewhere, proving these were old, extremely old. Only darkness could be seen between the tree trunks; it was a land where sun light could not reach.
Gracefully, the inu princess hopped off the back of her ride, her pair of amber eyes never left the rows of trees before her, stretched as far as the eyes could see. She had spent considerable amount of time there during childhood, then some more while she was growing up, then even more every year for the hunt. Even so, the sight of it still sent chills down her spine.
"Have we arrived at our destination, Shouri-sama?" The green imp asked as he peered at his surrounding, searching for any sign of the sage they sought for. "I don't see anything that could possibly be the residence of the sage."
"His residence is still quite a distance away." The inu princess answered as she adjusted the dark brown leather strap across her chest that fastened a sword to her back. "We will travel into the forest on foot from now on."
"Will it not be easier and faster to keep flying?" Kohaku asked, as he gave Ki and Ah Un a quick glance. "Since we have the means anyway..."
"I'm afraid the way to the sage is not so simple." Shouri explained. "The entrance to the complex of his dwelling can neither be seen nor reached from above. We have no choice but to travel the rest of the distance on our feet." She turned to look at Ki and Ah-Un and said, "These two beasts will remain here and wait for our return."
The sun was high in the sky, signalling it was around mid-day when they entered the Forest of No Return. Shouri predicted it would take them one more day of walking until they reached their destination. Somewhere along the way they would have to find a suitable camp, she thought as she narrowed her eyes, getting herself used to the sudden gloominess within the forest. It would not be wise to move around in the forest after sunset, for who knew what creatures they could disturb somewhere in complete darkness.
Rin did not let the shadows of the trees steal her spirits away. The little girl remained as cheerful and lively as ever, skipping over the protruding roots of the trees as if all was just a fun, exciting game. But one root was hidden in the darkness and made her trip. She gave out a soft shriek when she took a small tumble and fortunately, she landed on a patch of soft ground. When she looked up, Kohaku was standing next to her, offering his hand to help her rise to her feet.
"Are you alright, Rin?" He asked. His face was as kind as he had always been.
"Yes, it was not a big deal." She answered, chuckling slightly.
"Jaken." Sesshoumaru, witnessing his ward who had tripped over something she had not noticed in the darkness, halted his steps and called his eldest vassal. His call prompted the green yokai to scurry over as fast as those thin short legs could.
"Yes, my Lord?"
"Fire." The daiyokai demanded.
The imp looked around, searching for a piece of wood on the ground. When he found one, he used his two-headed staff to spout flame and lit the wood. Immediately, the scent of scorched wood filled the air.
"Give one to Kohaku and the Lady." Sesshoumaru commanded as he took the torch.
The lights from the wooden torches lit up the dark forest and aided their vision, though the dim, gloomy amber lights had somehow made the place even more depressing than before. But it was now much easier for the two humans in their pack, to recognize thick roots of the trees that burst out from the ground, making their path uneven and dangerous.
Sesshoumaru looked around the forest. It was definitely the same forest where he had encountered that immortal female for the first time on his way to the eastern palace. He recognized the vegetations, the musty scent of unearthed soil, the unpleasant aura... But undoubtedly, they had entered from a different side, proving the vast span of the forest. He shifted his attention to the inu princess, who had her nose lifted, smelling the air and seeking signs for directions. He waited for her to lower her head and point to one course.
"This way." She said, as she aimed her index finger towards their left.
They strived to tread the forest as quickly and quietly as possible, trying to make their presence unnoticed by the dangerous beasts that lived within the forest. But the path proved to be uneasy with plenty of obstacles, mostly in the form of enormous roots of a tree, standing in their way. The roots were long, stretching many paces away from their mother tree, bending and twisting in such a way that their form resembled a giant snake. Most of those roots were knee-high and sometimes even higher, reaching a full grown man's waist. Needless to say, the journey was much easier on those of yokai blood but Kohaku and Rin, and even Jaken on numerous occasions, worked hard to keep up.
Water was not difficult to find since the forest was blessed with many streams that although small, still provided them with ample supply of the life-giving fluid. The pack had taken a brief stop at the bank of a stream to let Rin and Kohaku fill their containers with water. Jaken had to continuously yelled at Rin not to venture too far from the pack, but the girl still moved further ahead nevertheless in search for clearer water. She stopped only when she had found it: a clear source of water, one that had not mixed with dirt and mud. She filled her container full of fresh water. Once she was finished, she turned around and started to walk back to where the rest of the pack was.
On her way back, a deep, feral growl stopped her. The growl was coming from her left, from the nearby cluster of trees. Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned to her side to discover the source of the guttural noise. She gasped, her eyes instantly widened at the sight. It was a creature, a beast, that emitted the threatening growl.
The creature resembled a hybrid of three animals, all combined into one. It was quite a large beast, as it was at least three-times taller than an adult male human. It possessed the head of a wolf, a human-like body, and the long tail of a giant lizard. Its head and body parts were blanketed in long grey mane, while its tail was covered with dark green scales. It stood on its two humongous, muscular legs; all of his four limbs were studded with crescent shaped talons. When it growled, it revealed a series of sharp, jagged teeth that appeared quite capable to tear flesh easily.
Slowly, Rin took a few wobbled steps back to carefully widen the distance between her and the creature that appeared to be hungry. She gasped when her back collided with something, yet her slightly laboured breathing returned to calm when she realized it was her master who stood right behind her. A firm, assuring hand was laid on her shoulder.
"Go to where the others are." Sesshoumaru told her.
The little girl scurried away to obey his order, leaving the yokai lord to stand face to face with the creature who had managed to find them. Their distance between each other was still quite a few paces away, but either one of them could easily bridge the gap in very short period of time. Without destroying his composure, Sesshoumaru laid his right hand on the hilt of Bakusaiga, unsheathing the sword in one smooth motion.
The beast, sensing the killing intention in its enemy, gave out a loud, almost deafening roar. Immediately, it dropped itself on four paws and charged forward. At the same time, Sesshoumaru took his stance with Bakusaiga tightly gripped in his right hand, ready to slice his opponent. But as he was about to swing his right arm, he came to a sudden realization.
That arm, that hand, the same one that had suffered Sakki's curse, refused to move. His eyes widened at the unexpected phenomenon. He strived to command his right arm to move with the sheer power of his will, yet his effort was futile. His own hand had refused to raise his sword to fight against a foe, and at a very dire moment too.
On the other side of the battle ground, the inu princess was watching the beginning of the clash between yokai and beast. Her keen eyes never left the Lord of the Western Lands and she too, realized the unforeseen calamity that he was facing. His right arm was immobile, she thought as she slowly drowned in alarm. Was it the effect of the curse? And meanwhile, the beast continued to charge towards the motionless yokai lord.
'Taisho-sama!' She gasped inwardly. Her breath was caught in her throat and she was unable to take her eyes off the scene before her.
Realizing that his right hand was at an unusable state, Sesshoumaru prepared his other hand. The lengthened claws of his left hand were dripping with green liquid of poison, ready to greet whatever was coming towards him. With one rapid swing of his dokkasou, he could feel his claws tore the flesh of his enemy, spraying thick red blood in the air.
His eyes widened as his keen sense of smelling recognized the scent of blood. It was a scent as familiar as his own. Long, silver tresses identical to his swayed before him, and his heart skipped a beat when he realized that it was Shouri's body that was shredded by his poisonous talons. It all happened in less than the blink of an eye, but she had swiftly, unexpectedly stood between him and the advancing beast. She had become the one to taste the wrath of his talons.
The pain Shouri felt when his talons tore the tender flesh of her left shoulder was more than she could have imagined. For a moment, her breath was stuck in her throat and she forgot to breathe. Her body, weakened greatly by the accidental assault, fell backwards. He caught her full weight readily in his left arm and promptly leaped away from the enraged beast, just in time to dodge the swing of its sharply-clawed paw. He put her down on the ground, well away from the attack range of the beast. The claws of his left hand were still saturated with poison, but it was now drenched with her blood. The smell of his potent venom mingled with the scent of her blood was far from pleasant.
"Shouri-sama!" Rin shrieked as she hastily approached the female yokai who was still on the ground. The little girl kneeled next to the injured female; her widened black eyes worriedly stared at the severe wound. "Shouri-sama..." The girl repeated. "This looks bad..."
"Rin..." The inu princess tried to speak between clenched teeth. Her blood-soaked hand weakly pushed the human girl away. "You... shouldn't be here..."
Sesshoumaru lowered his left hand, shaking off the excess of her blood off of his fingers. Taking his position to shield the wounded female along with Rin, he watched the beast focusing all its attention on him. Its hungry green eyes glittered like two emerald jewels, droplets of saliva dribbled down its gaping mouth. Again, with a deafening roar, it lunged towards the awaiting male.
Sesshoumaru stood motionlessly, waiting for the charging beast with unfailing calm and composure. The wolf-like creature opened its mouth wide, flaunting a set of large sharp teeth that would have made any creature cower in fear. But not him.
Just when the beast was only an arm length away, Sesshoumaru calmly raised his left arm and placed a firm grip on its lower jaw. He held his steady grasp as the creature struggled to shake him off, but the only result was the tightening of his grip. He sank his claws into the tender flesh of the creature's lower gum, strengthening his hold on the creature even further. And with one firm, powerful swing of his arm, he yanked the creature's jaw off, ripping its mouth apart and tearing off the flesh of its throat along with it. It gave out one last brief cry before it fell onto the ground, dead. Thick blood that almost appeared black started to pool underneath its carcass, slowly wetting the earth.
Sesshoumaru hurled the large chunk of flesh and bones that already started to rot from his poison away from him. He turned around to face the female yokai who was still on the ground, rendered speechless by the gory scene she had just witnessed. Her right hand was still pressed on her left shoulder to try to stop her bleeding. She looked at him in such a way that he could not help but ask,
"What?"
The scent of the dead creature's blood mixing with her own was almost too much to bear. But it was at that moment that she recalled Yuusou's stern warning just before they left the Eastern palace.
'Do not bleed.' He had said. 'Many beasts within the forest have just awakened after a long winter sleep and most likely, they are hungry.'
'The scent of blood will throw them into frenzy. Whatever you do, do not bleed.'
She lowered her gaze to look at herself. Her garment was soaked in her own blood. The fabric that formed her left sleeve was now dyed red and was sticking to her arm, as if forming a second layer of skin. The smell of fresh blood was too potent to ignore. There was no possibility that their presence there was unnoticed.
"Oh no..." She muttered to herself.
Sesshoumaru started to approach her, but stopped when a certain rumbling sound reached his ears. The noise started as a soft rumble, but gradually grew louder until it resembled hundreds of footsteps, a stampede that drew closer from all directions. The pack looked around with alarm, scanning their surroundings to search the source of the noise.
"What is that?" Rin asked.
"Sounds like..." Kohaku said as he observed the ground that was now in tremor. "... a herd of animals coming our way..." He reached for his hiraikotsu, the giant boomerang on his back, and took his stance.
"They are the beasts that live here..." Shouri said as she struggled to slowly rise to her feet. "They've smelled all the blood." With her right hand, she reached over to remove her sword from the sheath on her back. All that blood on her palm made her grasp slippery, but she laid a tight grip on the hilt of her sword.
They waited in silence for the flock of beasts that were surely approaching. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes to sharpen his sense of hearing. Yes, they were close. Very close. And just as he reopened his eyes, he saw them... the horde of beasts coming their way, surrounding them in a circle that gradually became smaller.
"What should we do, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Kohaku asked as he eyed the starved beasts gathering around them.
"Nothing stupid." The yokai lord answered, deadpan.
Sesshoumaru's right hand, still useless, had Bakusaiga in its grip. Calmly, he transferred his weapon to his left hand and swung the sword in one circular motion, unleashing the power of Bakusaiga in a single move. Blinding light appeared along the circular path of his sword swing, engulfing all those beasts in powerful wave of destruction. All that was touched by his power started to disintegrate, slowly turning into ashes. The trees were no exception and space was opening up around them and above, revealing the night sky that was filled with stars.
Within seconds, the horde of beasts that were attacking them had vanished. And a few of them that were spared, merely due to their good fortune of being far enough from Bakusaiga and its wielder, turned their back and fled the scene. The power of Bakusaiga had wiped away many trees around them, creating a large circle of open air.
Sesshoumaru returned his sword back in its sheath and turned around.
"What on earth were you doing?" He hissed between his clenched teeth as he approached her. "What devil had possessed you to do something so utterly stupid?"
She could barely breathe, let alone comprehend his furious words. She was back on her knees, the trembled fingers of her right hand were pressed against her wound that was still gushing out blood. With her mind she commanded her body to calm down, to appease her ragged breathing, to channel her youki so that her demonic energy could start mending her injured body straightaway. Only when her breathing had returned to normal that she opened her eyes, returning the livid eyes of the Western Lord who was still expecting her answer.
"I thought..." She hesitantly said, her nervous gaze landed on the lord's right hand that was afflicted by the curse. "I thought you were not able to use your right hand, Taisho-sama..."
"Even if your assessment was accurate, you believed this Sesshoumaru did not have other means to defend himself?" His face that usually conveyed no emotion was coloured with rage. Even in the midst of his anger he still held full control of his tongue; his speech was entirely coherent though his icy cold voice was now more severe than ever.
Shouri voiced no response to the accusation, but silently waited for her pain to ebb away. Alas, there was no such luck; every fibre of her being was in torment. Nevertheless, she held herself together well, letting no cry of pain escape her lips.
He waited for her to speak but the only response she gave him was a stare. He took one step closer towards her.
"Answer me, female." He said coldly.
"That's not what I meant." She said, but apparently her words were spoken with too soft a voice. Impatiently, he repeated his command, and with an even harsher tone.
"Answer me."
"That's not what I meant!" She suddenly snarled, prompting the male yokai to raise an eyebrow. The little naive pup knew how to show off her fangs, he thought to himself.
"That is not what I meant." She repeated for the third time, speaking so painfully slowly and emphasizing every single syllable in her words. Her pair of amber eyes glared at him angrily. "Clearly, I was an idiot for doing what I did." She hissed. "But the reason why I did it is because I was concerned for your well-being."
"You? Concerned for my well-being?" Sesshoumaru repeated her words. Abruptly, he aimed his sword at her neck; the sharp tip almost touched the skin of her throat. He watched her eyes shifted from his face down to the gleaming edge of his sword, then back to him.
"I usually kill those who stand in my way, female." He hissed. "Do not think I will be this merciful next time."
He withdrew his sword and returned it to the sheath fastened on his waist. Then without uttering another word, he turned around and walked away from her, from the rest of the pack.
"My Lord!" Jaken called out as the green imp chased after his master. "My Lord... Where are you going? Your sister is badly wounded..." His voice was greatly lowered when he reached his last sentence.
"This Sesshoumaru has no sister." The yokai lord hissed angrily as he glared at his ward over his shoulder. Especially one so utterly stupid, he added to himself. "Her well-being is none of my concern."
Without another word, he walked away, ignoring Jaken's calls and pleading for him to return to the rest of his pack. He ventured further into the depth of the forest and disappeared beyond the gloomy shadows of the trees. The small green yokai could only heave a deep sigh when all his calls were unanswered, and turned back to return to the rest of the pack.
When Shouri saw Jaken returning without the Lord of the Western Lands, she struggled to straighten her spine and asked,
"Did he just... leave?"
"Yes, my Lady." Jaken answered regretfully.
Shouri sighed deeply and momentarily pressed her hand against her temple. Then, she put her unharmed hand on the ground to help keep her balance as she rose to her feet. Her gaze was aimed towards the direction where the yokai lord had disappeared.
"Should I go after him?" She asked softly, as if those words were meant only for her ears to hear.
"If I may suggest, my Lady..." Jaken said, earning the attention of the female yokai. "He has gotten into one of his moods, and it's better to leave Lord Sesshoumaru alone for the time being..."
"Perhaps you are correct..." Shouri muttered as she shifted her gaze back to the forest around them.
Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru kept walking deeper and deeper into the forest. His eyes were constantly on the ground, as if searching for something. He was still quite livid by the incident that had just happened. How could she be so... stupid, charging into battle in such careless manner? Had she come closer to him even just by a small distance, he could have ripped her little heart out of her chest. And the realization that she could have been killed -due to her own stupidity, but by his hand nonetheless- was enough to make his heart skipped a beat for the second time today. And that was twice too many.
And now she was hurt, the infuriated yokai lord thought as he rummaged through a group of bushes nearby. He stopped only when he found what he had been searching for. He lowered himself to one knee; the tip of his fingers grazed the herbal weeds that grew in clusters between the bushes. To others, they might appear to be no more than ordinary grass, but he was beyond familiar with their medicinal value. They were exactly what she needed.
After he obtained what he sought, he returned to the place where he had left his pack. Within the short time of his absence, they had set up a small camp under the expanse of starry sky he had revealed with Bakusaiga's power. Jaken, Kohaku, and Rin sat around the fire, tending the source of warmth. The yokai lord's eyes searched for the female yokai and found her on the other side of the camp. She had her body rested against the trunk of a big tree, her eyes were closed as if she was in a deep sleep.
Slowly, Shouri opened her eyes when she felt something landed at her feet. It was two small bundles of herbs: one was distinctive in appearance with its dark purple colour, and the other appeared to be nothing but leafy green weed to the eyes of one more ignorant. But she, a yokai of noble blood well-trained in the arts of poison and potion, recognized them straight away and understood what good they could do to her wound. She also caught the sight of two black boots, just inches away from her legs. Slowly, she shifted her eyes upwards starting from those boots, to the pair of legs clad in white hakama pants, trailing an imaginary straight line all the way up to his face where her gaze froze.
"Use those." Sesshoumaru said, cocking his head towards the bundles of herbs on the ground. "One will speed-up the mending of your flesh and the other will help neutralize the poison from my claws."
She seemed to have lost her words and so, she merely stared at him. But then, though with a somewhat stiff neck, she nodded.
"Thank you." She mouthed her gratitude, which he answered with nothing but a soft scoff.
He peered at her with narrowed golden eyes. She looked so fragile sitting there with her back against the tree trunk, with blood all over her body and clothes. The female had shrugged off the right sleeve of her garment so that the fabric would not hinder the recovery of her wound. She kept the rest of her clothing in place, maintaining her modesty.
He stared at the ghastly wound on her shoulder, the damage that he had caused. Now that the blood had been cleaned off the wounded area, he realized that his venomous claws had managed to remove a chunk of flesh from the rounded part of her right shoulder. The skin surrounding the wound had started to darken, most likely as the effect of his green miasma. He knew she must be in great pain, judging from the way she bit her lips every time she tried to move her limbs to reach for the bundles of herbs. At that moment, he felt an alien, unfamiliar emotion nudged his heart, which he found extremely disturbing.
'Guilt?' He tried to name the strange emotion.
Shouri caught his stare, and reflectively moved her unharmed hand, trying to cover the ugly wound that had tainted her beautiful form. She cringed slightly when her hand brushed over the broken flesh.
"I know…" she let out a rather embarrassed and uncomfortable laugh."It is... quite unpleasant to look at, isn't it?"
He uttered no response, but kneeled down in front of her and grabbed her wrist to take her hand away from her shoulder.
"You will recover." he said, his hand slipped into the sleeve of his kimono and pull out a piece of clean, folded white cloth. With his sharp teeth, he ripped the cloth in pieces. He placed the herbs on top of her injury and covered it with a long strip of cloth, bandaging the wound neatly and tightly. She gasped at his sudden display of kindness and compassion, but let him continue with his ministrations.
"You're being unusually kind, my Lord." He heard her sudden quip as he tended to her wound. He gave her a quick glimpse and saw a tiny smile on her lips. Was that a little tease he heard in her voice?
"I don't know what I have done to deserve this civil treatment from you." She teased him further.
"I merely do not wish to waste my breath explaining to your grandfather about what had happened." He retorted, without pausing his treatment. "Had Lord Shogo not taught his granddaughter not to stand in the way of a fight?"
"…You will not repeat such foolish action in the future, do you hear me?" she heard his low, sombre voice so close to her ears. She said nothing and kept her gaze lowered. His hand was still busy with the cloth as he gradually covered the injured part of her body.
"It was not my intention to offend you." She whispered softly."It's just… my body just moved on its own…" She paused to stifle a yawn. She was suddenly overcome with drowsiness and could barely keep her eyes open any longer. It had been a long day and her mind and body begged for rest.
"You were right. It was incredibly stupid of me to do such a thing." She muttered, as she tried to hold back another yawn.
He gave her no response and instead, continued his ministrations. Moments later, he tied the two ends of the bandage together in a knot, completing his treatment on her wound. When he looked up to gaze at her face, he found her fast asleep. He stared at her for a while. The more he looked at her, the more he was mesmerized by their likeness, and by how much she resembled their mother.
He lowered his gaze to look at his left hand that was previously soaked with her blood, and the unpleasant memory came rushing back. He had washed off all visible traces of it but the scent lingered still. It was the same scent as his blood, proving that they were indeed siblings by birth. Slowly and not without reluctance, he lifted his hand and brushed a few strands of hair away from her face, tucking them gently behind her ear. He maintained the cold, stern expression to his face, but his gaze carried the gentleness that did not appear very often.
Shouri slept for quite a while. Slowly, her eyelashes fluttered and she opened her amber eyes. As she moved her limbs, she realized the yokai lord had wrapped his furry pelt around her shoulders. Her hand brushed against the softness of the fur that had been responsible for keeping her warm. Straightening her spine, she looked around the camp. The Lord of the Western Lands had lit the fire and now sat on a rock not far from where she laid, his back was facing her. His wards gathered on the other side, all were in deep slumber.
Slowly, she lifted her hand to check on her injured shoulder. She sighed in relief when she saw that the wound had almost closed itself perfectly, and it hurt much less now when she touched it. Carefully, she rose to her feet. With the pelt still wrapped around her body, she approached the yokai lord to join him in front of the fire.
"Should you not rest more?" The Lord suddenly spoke without shifting his gaze from the fire; his acute senses had detected her presence.
"I am feeling much better." Shouri said with a smile. "My wound has healed almost completely." She continued her steps towards the fire as she started to untangle the soft pelt, detaching herself from its warmth.
"Keep it." He said, his words sounded like a command. "For now, at least."
Her hands stopped mid-air at the sound of his kindness, though masked in his usual cold, indifferent tone. Another smile graced her lips as she lowered herself to the ground, taking a spot next to his seat.
For a moment they both sat there silently, watching the fire dancing before them. She inhaled deeply, savouring the distinctively fragrant scent of burning wood. She raised her gaze when the male yokai next to her opened his mouth to speak.
"Do they treat you well?" He asked, then paused to clear his throat. "Lord Shogo and… the others."
She looked at him with such expression as if he had asked a curious question.
"Yes, naturally." She finally answered. She bent her legs, pressing her knees against her chest and repositioned her arms to cradle herself. Each of her movement was slow and careful so as not to upset her wound. Her amber gaze was fixed on the tiny pebbles on the ground.
"My parents died when I was just days old and so Grandfather has been taking care of me ever since." She explained, a gentle smile appeared on her lips when the thought of her grandfather filled her mind. She rested her cheek on her bent knee and closed her eyes.
"I feel greatly loved by him." She added softly. "I owe him everything."
"And Yuusou?" He asked.
"My beloved older brother," She said. "The kindest, most gentle yokai I've ever known."
"I see." Sesshoumaru commented dryly. He let a few moments passed without words before he uttered another question.
"And... Zoichi?"
Her body tensed without warning and she lifted her head away from her knees, straightening her spine in a rather awkward, nervous manner. This sudden change did not escape from the yokai lord's attention. His sharp, vigilant amber eyes observed her with interest. The mention of that name had obviously alarmed her. But the question is why.
"We grew up together... Yuusou Nii-sama, Zoichi-sama, and myself." She said with an uneasy edge in her voice. "We were raised as siblings."
He watched her keeping her back straight as she watched the flickering fire before them that was still devouring the pile of wood. He sensed her desire to say more and thus he remained quiet, waiting for her to continue.
"We used to be very close..." She said, her voice turned soft when she recalled the past. "Zoichi-sama and I... I used to follow him everywhere." She paused to chuckle. But soon after, the soft laughter diminished and her gaze turned sorrowful. "All of a sudden he changed. He became... cold. Distant. And I'm not sure why ..."
She sighed and turned to look at the male yokai who was still quietly staring at her. Again, she gave out an uncomfortable chuckle and combed her hair away from her face with her unharmed hand.
"Forgive me for sprouting all these nonsense..." She said hurriedly, as if she just realized that she had said too much. "I did not mean to fill your ears with such unpleasant chatter." She started to rise to her feet. Her movements were slightly clumsy due to her recent injury.
"I had come uninvited and disturbed your peace." She said apologetically. "I will leave you to yourself..."
"Did I not tell you once already?" The yokai lord asked with a hint of impatience in his tone. Then, as if he had realized the recklessness of his own voice, he continued with a gentler note. "Your presence... is not unpleasant."
She stood there, staring at him with an expression that was close to awe. Yes, she recalled those words, spoken when she had sheltered him from the rain with her umbrella. She was shocked then and she was no less stunned now. But without retaliation, she plopped herself back on the ground. Lowering her head, she let her tresses covered the sides of her face. Though she did not understand why, his unexpectedly kind words had filled her with such glee.
"Yes." She said, perhaps with a little too much excitement, and with an unsuppressed smile.
There was only one flickering candle illuminating a spacious chamber within the Eastern palace. Pieces of discarded clothing were scattered on the weaved tatami floor. Two creatures were inside the chamber: a male and a female; their nude bodies were pressed against each other that they seemed to melt into one, their lips were locked in a deep kiss. When his hands encircled her slim waist, his fingers almost met in a full circle. As he deepened their kiss, he positioned one palm on the small of her back, pressing her body even closer to his. He could feel her arms shifted to tangle themselves around his neck, her fingers were raking through his shortly-cropped silver hair. Her small, rosy lips tenderly returned every single one of his kiss.
She started to rock against him, setting her own pace, grinding herself against his loins. Her hands that were encircling his neck slid to his shoulders to support her body as she rode him in a gradually increased rhythm, her eyes were closed to savour the decadent pleasure. Again and again she impaled herself upon him, feeling his shaft grew thicker inside of her, whimpering as she felt the heat building within her core. He wrapped her legs around his waist to mash their bodies closer together. His hands encircled her waist, lifting her, helping her to bounce up and down his length. Trailing a path down to her lower back, and even lower until his palms were cupping her buttocks, he worked her hips against his pelvis.
Gently, he pushed her onto the ground, taking over the lead in their coupling. He pulled out of her just slightly before he buried himself back in her weeping passage. He repeated the short strokes in easy, relaxed rhythm, gradually withdrawing more and more of his flesh until he pulled himself completely out of her. His swollen length was glistening with her dew. He waited, the tip of his organ was positioned at the mouth of her entrance, barely entering her passage. He stared down at her, at her blushing face that looked so exquisite. Her tousled silver tresses were spread underneath her back, her beautiful and shapely breasts heaved and fell with each laboured breathing. Her glazed eyes, filled with undeniable desire and needs, returned his gaze unflinchingly.
Without breaking their locked gaze, he plunged deep inside her, burying himself to the hilt. The tightness of her passage almost forced his built-up passion to spew forth. She gasped at the sudden, animalistic thrust, but her indecent cry was immediately silenced by her own hand. She had to bite the back of her fingers to prevent her cries to be heard. His urgent, unfulfilled desire did not allow him for a slow, tender lovemaking. With complete abandon, he slammed his pelvis against her, driving himself harder and deeper into her womb. Then he felt her hands roaming his chest, her claws scraping him, scarring his skin. He stared into her golden eyes that were darkened with passion, and he heard her whispered his name,
"Zoichi-sama..."
He answered her with another hard thrust, causing her to shut her eyes tight as another wave of pleasure took her. She bit her lower lip to prevent herself from crying out. He held himself there, his movement stilled as he gave her a few moments of release from his delicious torture. Only when her ragged breathing slowly subsided that he pulled himself out entirely before he slammed back in. He repeated the sweet torment, teasing her, causing her to whisper his name over and over again.
"Zoichi-sama... Zoichi-sama..."
"Zoichi-sama...?"
Slowly, he opened his eyes. His gaze immediately met the white-washed fabric hovering high above him, the roof of his tent. For a moment, he could not remember where he was as everything looked so foreign to his eyes. Then he recalled. He was inside his private tent at the base camp where his army was stationed. They were to remain there until the rebellion that had disrupted the peace of Eastern lands was subdued.
He was alone inside his tent. The purplish-orange tinge on the white canvas fabric indicated that it was already dawn. He exhaled a deep, deep breath; the dream was still etched clearly in his mind. In an effort to chase away those vivid images, he rested the back of his hand against the closed lid of his eyes.
"Zoichi-sama?" The same voice as before called again, prompting him to lift his hand off his face and reopened his eyes. A soldier was kneeling down outside the tent, proven by the dark silhouette of a man not far beside his bed.
"Yes?" He answered his subordinate.
"My Lord, your troops await your command." The soldier told him.
Zoichi did not answer for a moment, and merely stared at the dark outline of the soldier kneeling outside.
"Yes." He finally said. "I will join them soon."
He rose to his feet and walked over to the table his soldiers had set up on one side of his spacious tent. He sat himself down on a chair and let the solid wood table top prop his elbows. Interlacing his fingers together, he rested his knuckles under his chin. He tried to take his mind off the dream he just had, but his efforts proved to be futile.
The tightness of her passage almost forced his built-up passion to spew forth. She had to bite the back of her fingers to prevent her cries to be heard. Her parted legs were thrown over his arms, giving him unlimited access to ram his unsatisfied member in and out of her weeping passage. His urgent, unfulfilled desire did not allow him for a slow, tender lovemaking. With complete abandon, he slammed his pelvis against her...
Only a brief moment after, he closed his eyes in obvious frustration and shook his head brusquely in his effort to chase the improper thoughts out of his head.
The sounds of their wet bodies slamming against each other, the sounds of his grunts and moans that were mixed with her suppressed cries filled the chamber, only adding more fuel to his already burning passion...
He reached over to grab the jug of water that was placed on the table before him. Involuntarily, his hand trembled as he poured himself a cup of water.
He let her legs rested on his shoulders while his hands slipped underneath her buttocks to lift her hips slightly, to move her back and forth, matching the wild pumping of his loins. His male pride soared when he saw her threw her head backwards, arching her back like a bow...
Angrily, he hurled the jug across his tent, smashing the ceramic container into hundreds of little pieces. Its content spilled out, wetting the ground. In frustration, he pinched the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes tight as he strived to push those vivid images of her out of his mind. The dream was so lurid he could almost taste her, feel her gasping underneath him, clawing at his skin. How long had it been since the first time she visited him in his dreams? How many years?
Abruptly, he wiped his face. This... distraction could not have come at a worse time, just when he needed all his focus on the task at hand: the elimination of those rebels who had been toying with the peace of their lands. Just when he had the perfect opportunity to prove his worth to his grandfather. He tightened his jaw and toughened his resolve, balling all ten fingers into two fists.
'Shouri...' He hissed her name inwardly and his tightened fists softened at the thought of her, releasing his long, elegantly-shaped fingers. Again, he closed his eyes, fingers climbed back up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He only allowed the thought of her to linger for an incredibly brief moment. And the moment he reopened his eyes to reveal his cold, hard gaze, he was himself again.
Footsteps echoed in a dim hallway, illuminated by torches randomly placed on each side of the wide passage. A lone figure of a young boy strode down the path with his ruby gaze fixed straight towards the end. His fair, childish face was spoiled only by a small frown on his forehead. The frown deepened as his stride brought him closer and closer to a pair of massive, elaborately engraved doors at the end of the hallway. With a slight dismissive gesture of his hand, the heavy doors swung open. Without losing the steady momentum of his steps, he entered the chamber, stopping only when he was well within the room and the doors had slammed close behind him.
The chamber was in complete darkness except for a ring of light in the center, where a female figure stood motionlessly. The boy arched one eyebrow when he saw her there. She raised her gaze to regard him, yet she kept her lips sealed. Surrounding the ring was fourteen tall staffs with blazing fire on top. He regarded the darkness beyond those torches nonchalantly. The eyes of ordinary beings would be incapable of distinguishing those lurking within the shadow. But he could see them clearly, watching him with their gleaming bejewelled eyes.
"What could be so important that you all summoned me urgently?" He asked as he gestured with his hand in a relaxed, unconcerned manner. His clear voice was high-pitched, matching his childlike appearance.
He waited for the answer to his question, yet the whole chamber remained quiet except for the soft crackles of the burning torches. He tapped his foot in growing impatience until a grim female voice broke the silence.
"As usual, your humour is in bad taste, Hakuou." She said. "You dared presenting yourself in that inappropriate form before the other Gods?"
Hakuou chuckled softly at the deprecation spoken by the unseen female. With a smirk, he gestured at his own childish form and asked,
"Does this form offend you, my fellow deities?"
Again, a lengthy silence greeted his question.
"You could have shown your equals some respect by showing up in your true form as the Death God, Hakuou." This time, the heavy voice of a male answered.
"I am content in this form." Hakuou said dryly. "It is a constant reminder of that time I was betrayed by my..." He paused to scan the thirteen dark figures standing behind the torches with his pair of narrowed ruby eyes. "...equals."
"Undoubtedly, you still hold grudge for what happened." Another voice was heard after a moment of tense silence.
"You mean for when I was turned into a helpless human boy and left out to die? Yes, I do still hold grudge for that." Though the Death God's voice was calm, it contained undeniable disdain.
"You have had your revenge. That should be enough." The first female voice, dry and grim as it had been, once again echoed in the chamber. "Besides..." She added with a stern edge in her tone. "We have not gathered here to discuss that particular matter."
"So what are we here to discuss?" Hakuou asked in a bored tone.
The female scoffed softly before she returned the Death God's question with one of her own.
"Why don't you ask your subordinate?"
Hakuou shifted his attention to the female figure who had been standing silently in the center of the ring of light. His eyes narrowed, the frown on his forehead deepened as he pondered.
'What have you done this time, Sakki?'
"She has returned a soul back to the realm of the living." The same female voice was heard again. Her tone was accusing, almost angry. "She has crossed the boundary of her authority."
The Death God's eyes flinched in a mixture of interest, astonishment, and dismay. He openly stared at his subordinate who now refused to return his intent gaze. He clenched his jaws tightly, fingers curled together to form fists. He, of all being, understood the graveness of her offence. To bring a soul, especially from beyond the third gate of the afterlife, back to the mortal's realm was a privilege reserved only for the Gods.
"Is this true, Sakki?" His voice was no longer high-pitched and childish like before but low, extremely grim and mature, nearly menacing. "Is it true that you have brought a soul back to life?"
As if she had just sensed the Death God's burning gaze on her, Sakki turned her head to return his stare. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin high; her face and posture appeared wilful, almost challenging.
"Yes." She simply answered.
"... Which one?" Hakuou asked in the same low, sombre voice after a few beats of silence. His impatience grew as Sakki remained silent, seemingly unwilling to answer the simple question.
"Which one?" He asked again, speaking slowly and putting great emphasis on both words.
"That little girl, of course..."
A female voice, so sickeningly sweet, suddenly echoed in the chamber. The owner, a tall slim female with face entirely concealed by a white mask, stepped into the ring of light from beyond the dark shadows. Her hair that was as black as ink was extremely short at the back, exposing the smooth skin of her nape. A long lock of hair framed the left side of her masked face. The odd, plain white mask was without any contours except for the two curves on each side that embraced her cheeks. There were only two small almond-shaped openings that revealed her glittering black eyes. A thin, long white stick protruded from the chin part of the mask. She had her finely-tapered, long-nailed fingers curled around the stick, propping the mask up at all times.
She was delicately boned, this mysterious female. Her neck was long and graceful, her wrist was slender and tapered out to form soft, perfectly proportioned palm and five elegantly shaped fingers. One would think her face was a vision of beauty, if only she would deign to lower her mask. Her kimono was exceedingly similar to Sakki's, with collar that drooped low to reveal the expanse of her shoulders and upper chest. But unlike Sakki's plain black garment, hers was decorated with large red chrysanthemum embroideries. The same black flame tattoo also appeared just below her right collar bone, indicating she was also one of the underlings of the Death God Hakuou.
"That little girl?" Hakuou repeated questioningly.
"Yesss..." The masked female hissed as she swerved around; her black and red garb swirled around her. She positioned herself behind Sakki, inching her masked face closer to the silent female's ear. "That little girl..." She said softly, almost in sotto voce. "The one Sakki has been interested in."
'Sonemi...' Sakki hissed the masked female's name inwardly; her fingers were balled into a fist. If she absolutely had to spit out the name of one she truly disliked, only that name would escape her lips. A being with characters as treacherous as a poisonous snake.
Sonemi was a human once, an extraordinarily beautiful courtesan favoured by many high-ranking noblemen. Her stunning face, her lovely long locks, and the sweetness of her tongue made her exceedingly popular. But she was so haughty that the other women envied her and began to plot her death. As she was dying, she begged the Death God to let her live. Her wish was granted but not without a price. In return for immortality, she gave up her beauty and her hair, the two things in her possession that received most envy. It was said that when the Death God took the beauty away from the wretched female, her face transformed into something so hideous that she could not bear to see herself, let alone allow anyone else to gaze upon the monstrosity she had become. Thus, she never let the mask leave her face, and no one had ever seen it revealed since.
"Her name is... Rin, is it not?" She whispered softly in Sakki's ear, but loud enough for others to hear.
Hakuou's eyes flinched as he recognized the name. It was the name of the girl who had escaped death twice before. The same girl whom he had ordered his subordinate to deliver to the afterlife. But apparently, she escaped once again.
"What is the meaning of this, Sakki?" He asked in a low, demanding voice.
"Do you not know, Hakuou-sama...?" Sonemi spoke again as she took a few steps away from Sakki, flicking the long lock of hair that framed her face with one fluid gesture of her slim wrist. "Sakki is quite attached to that one poor soul. She visited her realm quite often. But..." She stopped and turned around; her pair of obsidian eyes stared straight at Sakki from beyond the pure white, expressionless mask.
"That little girl is not the only one she is mesmerized with... Isn't that right, Sakki? There is also a certain..." She paused once again to let the curiosity of her audience increase; her lips curled into a wicked smile behind her mask. "... male yokai, isn't there? Have you not traveled to the realm of the living several times to... visit him?"
The mention of a certain 'male yokai' prompted Sakki to swiftly turn her head. Her sharp eyes collided with the other female's provocative, unabashed gaze, unconcealed by the two small holes on her facade. Sakki scoffed inwardly as she challenged that obsidian gaze. She found it quite intriguing how she could always tell when Sonemi had a heinous smile although those lips were completely unseen.
The Death God Hakuou needed no explanation as to who this 'certain male yokai' was. He was already seething with rage when he heard Rin had once again managed to flee the hands of death. And now he had to find out that his subordinate, the very same one who had been the sole cause of the little soul's escape, had disobeyed his other command. Had he not forbid her to involve herself further with that demon? Had he not made himself clear?
"Hakuou," Again, the grim voice of the female goddess was heard. "Sakki had acted outside her authority and broke a rule. She must be punished."
"What would be a good punishment for her?" Another goddess spoke.
"She had cost us a soul..." A god responded. "Let her replace it with her own."
"Death, then? Make her perish?"
Sakki could not help but to give Sonemi a quick glance from the corner of her eye when 'death' was mentioned as her punishment. There were such blatant glee and satisfaction in those onyx-like eyes that she felt like laughing, despite her own doomed fate.
"What do you think, Hakuou?" The Goddess asked. "What would be a proper punishment for one who had stolen one of your souls?"
There was tense silence as the Death God thought long and hard. But eventually, he opened his mouth and spoke,
"Since my subordinate is my responsibility, thus the fault is mine just as much as it is hers." His voice was laden with authority. "To criticize her is to criticize me. To punish her is to punish me. And naturally..." He paused to glare at the other immortals. "...To kill her is to kill me. Now..." He opened his right palm in a gesture of welcome, yet his ruby eyes shimmered with menace. "... Who would do me the honour?"
There was a heavy, pregnant silence as Hakuou's challenge was left unanswered. Sonemi took one step forward towards the Death God. Beyond her mask, her face was filled with bewilderment at her superior's most recent statement.
"Hakuou-sama," She said, earning the deity's attention. "Sakki has committed a grave offence. Surely, you will not let this misconduct unpunished?" With her free hand she pointed at Sakki, who was still witnessing the heated discussion with lips sealed tight. "She has released one of the souls in your possession. She, who is nothing but your humble servant, has dared to steal from you! What..."
"Be quiet, Sonemi." The Death God sternly said, silencing the female at once. "You are not completely without fault yourself." He continued coldly. "Do you take me for a fool? Do you truly believe I won't be able to guess you were the one who told the other deities before this even reached my ears?"
Sonemi, now discovering that the situation had been turned unfavourably on her, could not find words to retaliate. Slowly, she lowered the hand that had been pointed at Sakki.
"You should have come straight to me when you discovered Sakki's misconduct. There was no need to involve the other deities in this matter." Hakuou continued. The severity of his cold voice had not lessened. "Sonemi, your foolish action had marred my reputation." He paused and shifted his attention to Sakki. "And you, I will deal with you later."
He then turned to regard the thirteen figures hidden beneath the shadows in the chamber. Ever so slightly, he inclined his head.
"My sincere apologies for needlessly involving all of you in the matter of the underworld." He said.
As soon as he spoke his last word, he turned around and started to stride towards the doors to the chamber. With a flick of his hand, he gestured his two underlings to follow him. Sakki and Sonemi stared at each other with glares that were as sharp as knives. It was not unknown that the relationship between the two had always been tense.
'To think that she would trap me this way...' Sakki thought as she turned around to obey the command of the Death God.
'Sonemi, I've underestimated you...'
To be Continued
A/N: Sonemi (pronounced 'So-nay-me') literally means 'to envy' in Japanese.
Finally, I managed to update this story! Many apologies for keeping you waiting. This chapter is by far the longest, as it is over 10,000 words. I hope you all enjoyed reading the super long chapter. The wait is long but hopefully it is worth it. As always, I am looking forward to reading what you think of it.
Sesshy fan: Terima kasih untuk review nya. Sorry kali ini sedikit lama untuk update. I hope there is enough plot for you in this chapter. But more will come, I promise. And Sesshoumaru WILL get stronger.
Sesshylover978: Thanks for all the encouragement. I was so happy when I read it. I hope you like the lemon :D
Tricky: There was definitely some action in the journey. Hope you were happy with it. Umm... Sorry I thought you were a boy. I just went with my gut feeling actually, there was no reason behind it.
MIdoriko-the unessasary: Thank you, you brought up a good point. I definitely do not want to make Sesshoumaru seem naive or even worse, stupid. I've been keeping your words in mind as I wrote this chapter.
Blitz Girl: Sesshoumaru is definitely more brotherly in this chapter, but he has not told her yet. I'm afraid you will still have to wait. Sorry! :D
Ark Angel HFB: Nice to hear from you again. I never really thought of Sesshoumaru's Mom that way... I guess she's a bit difficult to write because there are so little things known about her. She just appeared in one episode/very few chapters in the manga. Good to hear you're bringing back Relation. I'd love to read it again. Keep me posted.