Chapter Fourteen: Love and War

A rage filled Sesshomaru's heart, pumping through his veins and spreading through his body like a deadly poison. This was all her fault! This was her doing! It was her fault that Yuki was gone! With that he stormed out into the hallway in fury. "Jaken!" he roared, "JAKEN! WHERE ARE YOU? JAKEN!!!"

"Here mi'lord!" the toad replied in a voice almost as shaky as his quivering body, "Wh-wh-what is your bidding?"

"Where is she?" he growled as he came into the gardens, scanning the area for his prey, "Where is that wench Kazumi?"

"She is waiting for you in your study, mi'lord…" Jaken answered, "Why? What is wrong?"

But would Sesshomaru give no answer. Instead he simply quickened his long strides towards his destination until his walking had transitioned into a speed similar to that of a raging bull, tearing through the castle in a race to his office. "Kazumi!" he barked as he threw open the door to see the demoness, coolly and calmly awaiting the storm.

Sesshomaru's reddened eyes strayed to the figure that was with her, smirking as he had been not but an hour ago with fangs that only empathized his arrogance. "Hello again, Lord Sesshomaru," he greeted as he stood at ease, "Fancy meeting you here."

"You!" Sesshomaru snarled as he began to charge the imposter demon, only to be stopped by Kazumi's voice.

"Now, now, Sesshomaru," she warned, "What use would it be to attack us? After all, we ARE holding your wife captive… so to speak."

"So to speak?" Sesshomaru repeated with an irritated edge, "Where is she? What have you done with her?"

"She's safe," the man replied, "She's back in her time as promised."

"What?" Sesshomaru questioned, having thought before that they might have just taken her hostage, "What do you mean 'as promised'?"

"The letter that she left you before leaving… It was us that suggested its contents," Kazumi explained, "You see, Daisuke here"-she glanced over towards the wild red haired man who still held his smirk-"is what you could call a puppeteer. He can take the bodies of living people and make them move and speak as they normally would while he controls their actions."

"Like this…" Daisuke began with a snap of his fingers, the body of the hanyou Inu Yasha instantly appearing in a puff of smoke. Then, with a single circular gesture of his hand Inu Yasha's body began to walk in a circle. Then he stopped in his tracks and turned to Sesshomaru under Daisuke's orders. The other demon then took two fingers and placed them to his red lips and ordered, "Insult Sesshomaru."

Then with the obedience of a trained pet Inu Yasha put his hands on his hips and leaned back and sneered in triumph, "You idiot! You had no idea the entire time! How stupid can you get?"

"But I don't blame you for not seeing through Sir Daisuke's puppets," Kazumi sighed as she watched the fourth figure, "It is a terribly difficult thing to suspect, one's loved ones being manipulated against one's self."

"So you are using my brother's body as a mere toy?"

"I wouldn't call it a toy…" Kazumi corrected, "I think he's more of a game piece than a toy. Anyway, back to the point. We used your brother and his friends to get to you and your dear wifey. She was much easier to break through to than you, though, especially with her delicate condition. Luckily it only was her breeching that we needed to separate you two, sending her off to where you couldn't follow."

"So you've been playing with our marriage this entire time?" Sesshomaru asked through clenched teeth.

"Oh, not the entire time," Daisuke reassured as let Inu Yasha's form at ease, the body dropping soundlessly as he went limp and unconscious, "We simply heard that your marriage could get a little rocky, so we took advantage of that."

"Right," Kazumi confirmed, "Which led to Daisuke's puppets of those two girls to convince Yuki that you both needed space, which is why she is gone away and safe in her own time. Now to the point… I will let you go to her, but only after you answer me something."

"And what is that?" Sesshomaru questioned, his jaw having hardly loosened this entire time.

"Daisuke here has told me something very disturbing about what you told him earlier before he had revealed himself to you in place of his puppets…" Kazumi began, instantly telling Sesshomaru what she was implying. It caused him to ease back in the slightest bit, almost fearing what the woman was about to say. "Have you truly made your decision about you and me?" She paused. "Are we really going to war because of your stubbornness and pride?"

Sesshomaru did not reply right away. He had to take a few moments to really consider his decision, for once it was spoken it could not be taken back. The next few moments could determine the fate of his life, Yuki's life, his future children's lives, and the lives of all that he ruled over… "No," he replied, much to the duo's surprise.

"What?" Kazumi repeated with shock.

"You… aren't really going to declare war?" Daisuke added with what seemed to be disappointment.

"No," Sesshomaru corrected, "I am declaring war… but it isn't out of stubbornness or pride. It is out of love and devotion for Yuki and also out of abomination and despise for the both of you."

At this, a few moments passed of thick and heavy silence between the three at having experienced this history changing event. "So be it," Kazumi huffed as she and her crony began to make their way out, "Let it be war upon you, Lord Sesshomaru, and prepare to be quickly overtaken. I assure you that with this war you will lose all you know. I will make sure of it!"

"Don't count on it, Lady Kazumi!" Sesshomaru called after her, "I have headed countless wars before and have never lost! You will not be my first defeat!"

"Well it will have to come some time," she retorted, "Why not now?" And then they were gone; out of the castle and headed back for home to the Eastern Lands from which they came. It took Sesshomaru a few minutes to let the effects of what he had just done drain from his body. Once that was done, he suddenly remembered his brother's body that had been left in his study and instantly went to it, only to find that the bodies of Inu Yasha's friends had been left there as well, all unconscious.

"Inu Yasha," Sesshomaru called as he kneeled down and began to lightly slap the youth's face, "Inu Yasha… wake up!" Then he delivered a blow far harder than the previous ones, instantly waking the dogman.

"What? What?" he groaned as he bolted upright then began looking around at his surroundings in a daze, "How did I get here?"

"In summary… you and your friends were captured and used as puppets by my enemies so that Yuki would leave me to go back to her own time," Sesshomaru explained, "Now I've declared war and need to go get Yuki. Take me to her."

"Why should I?"

"Just do it!"

"Fine! You don't have to bite my head off! Let's get going."

With that they raced off to the Bone Eater's Well, Sesshomaru eager to see his wife and Inu Yasha eager to just get it over with. Then, upon arriving Inu Yasha stopped Sesshomaru before they could go in. "I think you should prepare yourself for what you are about to fall into," Inu Yasha warned, "Yuki's time is really different."

"Please, little brother, don't waste your breath," Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, "Remember: I've been there once before."

"Whatever you say…" Inu Yasha shrugged as he patted his shoulder, signaling Sesshomaru to place a hand there, which he did. Then the two half siblings leaped into the darkness of the well, soon to be engulfed in purple light as they traveled into the future where Yuki awaited them.