The eternal knot chapter 14
Time slipped through her fingers like water. The kingdom had bought the lie about Luo for now and the kits were due any day. Kagome had evened out for now, but Sesshomaru had a bad feeling about her. Tian was acting more agitated with her than he had with most clients… and the ones he acted agitated around usually didn't survive long. But in the kingdom, all was well and the citizens were looking forward to seeing the new Daiyokai kits from Sesshomaru. Too bad I'm going to have to disappoint them for a while.
That Inukezi had been lurking around lately. Inuyasha was so busy that often the hanyou was able to slip away. During these times, Sesshomaru often saw him on the porch, kicking his feet and looking up at the mountains or hanging on the railings.
Initially whenever Inukezi saw Sesshomaru he ran off. Gradually however, he started ignoring him. Then one evening, the human-pup had the audacity to actually talk to her.
"Hey. How come you got those marks on your face?"He asked. He was hanging on the railings like usual and his little claws were starting to scratch up the paint… not that Sesshomaru cared. The painters around the Palace were used to that sort of thing.
Sesshomaru glanced him over. Black hair, yellow-green eyes. His canines were slightly longer than the average human but not by much.
"They're the markings that show I'm a pure-blooded Daiyokai demon." She said quietly, tapping one of them with her claws before letting her hand drop into her lap. She was sitting with her tail wrapped over her legs to keep them warm from the slight breeze. Her kimono was creamy lilac.
"Wait, so they don't come off?" He asked, seeming intrigued. He glanced back at the windows of the house Inuyasha and Kagome were in before jumping to Sesshomaru's porch, grunting and scrabbling to his feet.
"Hey-" She began nervously. Sesshomaru could imagine Inuyasha's reaction if she was found with the runt.
Inukezi had apparently inherited his father's distaste for shoes and padded over to Sesshomaru, sitting down a few feet from her and looking at her skeptically.
"What's that then?" He pointed at her tail with a claw.
"My tail." She answered, lifting it lightly from her feet and giving the tip a wiggle before setting it back down over her legs. He seemed impressed and almost went for it, then held himself back.
"Well how come dad doesn't have a tail? He's half demon!" He said, suddenly.
"It just doesn't work that way. He does have dog ears, which I don't have." She said, raising a brow a little.
"Yeah but he never lets me touch em." He grumbled and kicked out small bare feet.
He then gave her another look and said, " Can I touch em?"
She raised her eyebrows. "The marks?"
And he nodded, looking off to one side for a moment. What an odd kid. Then again, it wasn't like Sesshomaru spent a lot of time around children except for Rin. And she was well out of Inukezi's age range.
"Sure. Go ahead."
He stood and walked over. Standing, he was just able to reach her face sitting. His claws went lightly over the marks on one of her cheeks, then rubbed a bit, trying to see if it would come off. "Weird." He muttered under his breath. Then, his brush of black hair puffed when they both heard Inuyasha's voice, "Inukezi!"
"Uh oh." He scrabbled back over to the other porch, muttering a kind of apology before racing back into the house.
It had been a few days since then.
It was late at night and Sesshomaru was restless. She paced back and forth on the porch, tail dragging instead of tucked over one shoulder like usual.
Something's wrong. It usually doesn't last this long. She thought as she paced, stifling a yawn, her snow-white skin shining in the dark.
She was used to the late-night pains by now, but usually they subsided after about an hour or so. Practice for the real thing is what Tian said right?
It was one of those oddly bright nights. The full moon was out, and the night seemed a very pale purple rather than its rich black.
Insects sang, and Sesshomaru could smell the warm earth, and all of the flowers from the gardens in the inner wall in their first bloom.
She closed her eyes, lashes a pale silver, and drank in the smells. Some were rich and cloying and others were so light they were barely perceivable, caught only at the very back of the tongue.
It's a beautiful night. I wish I could go hunting. She thought before wincing and grabbing one of the porch support posts, her claws leaving tiny marks in the soft wood as pain rippled through her abdomen.
She ran a hand through her hair and then paused as her wrist got close to her mouth. Odd. The effect of the dragon's blood was starting to wear off. Slowly, Diaozuan and Inuyasha's scent was surfacing in her pores and blood, emanating from the lives in her belly.
It wasn't supposed to wear off until the end-
She thought with panic, and stood perfectly still. Her breathing came hard and fast, her fangs were gritted together. She could feel the Yokai in her stirring, demanding that she go somewhere far away from Inukimi and the Palace, somewhere quiet and hidden and safe.
With Diaozuan preferably, though Inuyasha would be a good substitute.
She got quiet as this instinct grew and her eyes went red for a moment before flickering back to white.
Oh. If she's stirring, then this is…
The pups. Oh, no.
Sesshomaru straightened, her arms tight at her sides and in her hands in fists as she walked to the front of her rooms where Lihai was guarding.
He looked over at her with sleepy surprise, "My Lady-?" and she shushed him with a gesture.
"Come with me." She said in a whisper and the horse demon guard followed, looking nervous as they walked quickly through the deserted, darkened streets and to the stables.
Luckily though, Lihai wasn't nearly as talkative as Tiao-Wen and seemed to have accepted Sesshomaru's odd comings and goings, for he said nothing as she led Ah-Un out of the stables.
Speaking of which, where is Tiao-Wen? She thought quietly, raising a brow. He was usually a good guard. This would be quite a deviation from his normal rhythms. But she didn't have time to fetch her second guard.
Quickly, she pulled Lihai onto the dragon and then herself, and he drifted silently over the walls and through the barrier protecting the Palace.
Her heart was beating fast and loud in her chest. She couldn't explain it, but she knew something was wrong, something aside from the fact that she was probably going into labor. A presence. Heavy and thick and getting closer by the minute.
Lihai seemed to sense it too, for he sat up very straight in the saddle and kept looking back towards the palace. His long pointed ears twitched every once in a while.
Abruptly she pulled Ah-Un almost to a complete stop. The hair on the back of Sesshomaru's neck was standing up, and her arms broke out in goosebumps.
There was the sound of breaking trees underneath them and Sesshomaru had a half-second to recognize the scent
Mother-
Before Ah-Un, Lihai and Sesshomaru were knocked out of the air by a gigantic white paw.
Lihai and Sesshomaru landed on their hands and knees, and the guard immediately took his full-demon form, a gigantic reddish-brown horse. The demon guard dropped his head, protecting his neck and protecting Sesshomaru as she transformed, slower than usual from pain.
Did you really think I would let you slip away? Now that I know what you've done?Tiao-Wen told me everything. After a little… persuasion.
Inukimi roared, going for the horse first.
How dare you attack your own kin!
Lihai roared back. His mane billowed as he slashed at her with his front hooves and clipped her jaw with one of them. She roared and flinched away, rounding, pacing, and then launched at him from a different angle.
Sesshomaru was torn between running and helping Lihai… but she knew she was in no condition to fight at the current moment. She stayed low to the ground, her tail tucked under and her legs doing their best to cover all of her belly.
Inukimi scrabbled over the top of the horse to get to Sesshomaru,
Get out of my way!
Slashing and biting her way over him and using him as a kind of springboard to launch herself at Sesshomaru. She barely had time to dodge out of the way, slinking and low.
Mother, stop-
But then realized it was no use when she saw her eyes. Inukimi was far too gone on her demon and wouldn't hear a word that Sesshomaru or anyone had to say. She had given herself over completely to the demon in her.
Then Inukimi was on her again. Sesshomaru roared and bit her in the shoulder, close to her neck, forcing Inukimi to the ground and away from the belly that she seemed desperate to harm. Arms and legs slashed at Sesshomaru, parting fur and dripping beautiful blue blood onto the grass. Inukimi could probably smell it by now: the scent of a fox kit. And it had clearly thrown her over the edge.
I'll kill them. Inukimi said suddenly, her eyes meeting Sesshomaru's in a moment of terrifying clarity. Two scarlet moons pinpointed with tiny blue orbs.
I swear by your father's grave.
For a moment everything seemed to slow down. She could feel her mother's feet and legs and body all entangled in her own and her hot breath and slavering jaws as they came closer.
Suddenly, hooves- and Inukimi was knocked off of the top of Sesshomaru. She scooted back as black hooves came down on Inukimi again and again, paired with a mantra of her guard's desperate voice,
Get back! Get back, get BACK!
Bang, bang, bang. Sesshomaru could hear crunching and knew that Inukimi had been badly hurt. Inukimi darted backwards , a paw drawn up to her ribs which now looked dented and broken. Lihai guarded Sesshomaru fiercely, huffing out of large nostrils and keeping his head pointed towards Inukimi at all times.
But Sesshomaru could see sweat on his flanks and a froth on his underbelly and she knew that very soon, nothing would stand between Inukimi and herself. Already the guard's knees were starting to buckle no matter how well he tried to hide it.
Inukimi's eyes were always on Sesshomaru, glancing to Lihai only to see the quickest way to get around him. He was not her target.
Diaozuan, help me.
Sesshomaru whispered, walking back a few more steps and then sitting down rather heavily as another wave of pain racked her frame.
She'd waited too long. The contractions were too close now for her to be able to defend herself properly.
Inukimi had gotten a hold of Lihai's neck. The guard screamed in pain and fear and tried kicking her off, but she kept shifting her jaws over his skin. She hung from him like a dirty white ragdoll as he bucked and writhed, trees and dirt flying all around them. Her teeth went closer and closer, tighter and tighter to the precious veins that held all of his life in them.
Sesshomaru's eyes were full of tears. Her guard. He did not deserve to die like this.
Lihai I'm sorry-
There was a burst of blue blood.
And then Inukimi was on her, doing everything she could do roll Sesshomaru over, to expose her belly and get at the kits.
No no no no no-
Sesshomaru thought in terror as she pushed her away over and over, backing up, crouching down. It was like she was everywhere, on her back, in front- no, to the side now. She grabbed Inukimi by the ear and ripped as hard as she could. Inukimi yiped and twisted her head trying to pull away. Sesshomaru let go of her ear, and snapped at her jaw.
Since her jaw was still bigger than Inukimi's she managed to get it all the way around her muzzle so that Inukimi could no longer open her jaw. Relief flooded Sesshomaru as Inukimi whined and twisted. She was trapped.
But wait-
In the fray , Sesshomaru's leg had shifted, exposing half her belly.
Inukimi saw her opening, and her claws raked across Sesshomaru's abdomen.
There was a sudden burst of fire between them. Both Foo-Dogs yelped and staggered away as it grew, the flames turning from black to a vibrant purple. Blood was spilling from Sesshomaru's belly, trickling lazily down white fur and onto the ground beneath her.
No please-
Her vision was blurring. But she could see a gigantic black fox with red facial markings standing between them. His fur radiated heat as he glanced to Sesshomaru, then to Inukimi. He seemed to double in size as black fur bristled, seven tails slamming the ground hard enough to shake the trees.
Inukimi snarled and showed her teeth, but Sesshomaru thought that somewhere in her mind she heard one simple word:
Foxfire.
And then suddenly, Inukimi began to screech. As the black fox enveloped her she saw shoots of flames coming from between Inukimi's ribs, beautiful violet. They tenderly grew, racing over her back and erupting from other parts of her body like fireworks.
She was being burned from the inside out.
She was being burned alive.
Sesshomaru.
She felt Diaozuan all around her and dropped her head to the ground. The earth was so firm and cool and she wanted to sleep forever…
The last thing she remembered was feeling so warm, warmer than she ever felt.
….and the stench of burning flesh.
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In her dreams, she was in great pain. Horrible pain. All around her was yelling and talking, hands were touching. She tried to flinch away but was held fast. More burning, on the side that Inukimi had hurt her on.
She was doing her best to fight through it though. It came in waves, tighter and tighter, faster and faster, until she screamed and begged for it to stop, feeling wetness down her cheeks.
And strangely, it did. Things were sliding out of her. Was she dying? There was the smell of blood. So much of her blood, and water.
And Diaozuan, and Gao…
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Everything hurt.
It was quiet and warm. She could feel sheets on her body and smell demons around her, just two. But thank the Gods they weren't talking. She was tempted to fake sleep just for the sake of drifting in this wonderful twilight. Sunlight warmed her left hand and she could feel a breeze.
It was unusually cold.
The babies were gone. Her belly was flat and felt strangely vulnerable.
"Diao…" She finally muttered and opened one eye. His arms were around her instantly and she could feel the tenseness of his jaw and neck as he whispered, "Sesshomaru. Thank god." His hug was strangely tender and she realized she must be more hurt than she previously thought.
His smell was so comforting. It was a relief to not be alone. She closed her eye again and moved one arm, holding him to her, beginning to tremble a little. Maybe it had all been a bad dream. Her mother couldn't have really done that right?
"It's okay. You're safe. You're on the Fox Palace." He said softly, his breath warm on her neck. She could tell he hadn't shaved: his chin tickled slightly.
She held him longer than she should have before finally letting him go.
"The pups?" She asked, her voice dry and cracked and her eyes wide. They weren't okay. They couldn't be okay after getting slashed like that. But maybe at least one of them had survived right? At least one. That was all she asked.
"They're both fine. Do you want to see them?"
She nodded wordlessly. He set a flask in her hand and she drank from it greedily before setting it on a small table next to the bed as she waited.
The room was light and airy with a large window carved from stone. It was very different from her home and she liked that already.
She pulled the sheet down a little curiously and looked at the wrapping around her abdomen. There was a big blue stain on the gauze on her lefthand side where Inukimi's claws had dragged down her belly.
When she shifted, it hurt so badly that she had to clap a hand to her mouth to keep from screaming.
Not doing that again.
Her heart pounded like crazy in her chest. What was taking him so long? The other demon, presumably a nurse or doctor or some kind, asked if she would like anything else. She shook her head. She wanted to see the kits. Her belly felt so empty without their warmth and wiggles and she missed them … she thought she wouldn't. But she did.
Finally Diaozuan returned, carrying one bundle per arm. When he returned, the doctor left, saying quietly that he would be were mewling a bit, one of them significantly grumpier than the other. For some reason Sesshomaru imagined that they would be bigger somehow. Their tiny size made holding them seem like an intimidating task.
Diaozuan sat down on the bed and set the pups down in his lap, turning them so that she could see them properly.
One was the Daiyokai Foo-Dog pup: everything that mother had wanted. Its cheeks had a single maroon stripe, slightly jagged just like Gao's and its tail was the purest white puff like snow. That was the grumpy one: he was giving incessant little mewls.
The other was a fat little fox kit, black as the night. It had Sesshomaru's crescent moon on its forehead and its father's deep red stripes, one per cheek. Its skin was about two shades lighter than Diaozuan's but definitely much darker than Sesshomaru's. He was drifting in and out of sleep, his eyes only about half-open.
She looked up at Diaozuan in wonder, and this time, didn't even feel tears as they slipped from her eyes.
"How are they alive?"
" You delivered them while you were kinda in-and-out of consciousness. I healed up your side as best I could with my magic and then let out doctor take over after you were done." He explained, then sighed and moved the Foo-Dog pup to his side. She noticed for the first time that Diaozuan had dark circles under his eyes and there was a slowness to his movements. He must have completely exhausted himself.
"Don't think that your mother didn't leave her mark though. It took everything I had to keep this one alive." He said quietly, and moved a little of the cloth back.
On the pup's side, from his shoulder to his thigh, were four enormous claw marks. They had closed and were healing, but were still a livid pink on his lily white skin. "Oh god." Sesshomaru whispered. She could tell that those marks would scar despite the best treatment.
She touched the mark so lightly with her claws. Her hand was shaking. The pup's skin felt warm and soft and paper thin and he looked up at her with yellow eyes. Her own eyes, looking back at her.
"Hey. They're not glass." Diaozuan whispered and took her hand, laying it flat out gently on the pups back. Sesshomaru gasped and almost drew back. She was terrified of hurting this precious thing.
This is mine. This is my pup. And this is my kit.
She thought in amazement, her eyes glancing from one to the other. Her hand was still shaking.
Inuyasha should be here.
She thought and felt her tears turn hot. She would be embarrassed if she hadn't stopped caring in front of him.
"Here. I think they'd rather be with you for a while anyway." He said and after watching her to make sure he wasn't going too far, gently placed both of them in Sesshomaru's arms.
She picked them both up and lay back in the pillows, careful not to use her abdominal muscles too much. They seemed happy in her arms and the mewling increased with both of them. Little tails flicked and tickled against her arms, short and stubby when compared to her own.
She watched them for a little while and then licked the top of their heads gently with her tongue, the hair sticking up a bit when she did so.
"Thank you." She said suddenly, taking Diaozuan's hand and using that to pull him closer. Without even meaning to she kissed him lightly on the lips. His were chapped and warm.
Diaozuan looked stunned, and she was equally so.
"So-"
She began an apology but was silenced by his finger on her lips. "Don't. Don't you dare." He finished this by pressing his lips to hers, a deeper and longer kiss that left her a little shivery and fluttery when it was over.
The moment was broken however by a feeling of tiny lips on her bare skin. "Ah!" She shivered and blushed, looking down at the pup in surprise.
Diaozuan looked amused. "Ah, right. I forgot to tell you. You've been out for about three days. I got them a wet nurse, but they don't like her much."
A blush settled on Sesshomaru's cheeks and ears. "Well…" It wouldn't hurt to try and nurse them, would it? It was what she should be doing soon anyway, and if they were hungry…
She gave Diaozuan a look. "Turn around."
He looked at her with a raised brow. "Are you serious."
"Just for a second."She made a motion with her finger like she was stirring a cup and he sighed, rolling his eyes a bit as he turned to one side.
She shifted around in bed and managed to get the top of her kimono undone. When she lifted the pup to the right area he latched on right away, little hands starting to knead her skin. She winced: it was a bit painful… But after a few minutes, she finally felt him swallowing more than just air.
The kit awoke from a dead sleep at the smell of milk and started peeping almost as loudly as the grumpy one had. She sighed in amusement and lifted him as well, making sure she was relatively covered before giving Diaozuan permission to turn around again.
When he did, his eyes softened a bit as he watched how careful Sesshomaru was with their babies. Honestly he didn't give a damn that one of them wasn't his: any baby that came out of her was fair game to his fathering skills.
" You're so sweet with them." He murmured.
" I'm so terrified." Sesshomaru whispered, claws in the dark locks of their kit, smoothing them back so gently.
"Me too. A little." Diaozuan admitted. Sesshomaru looked up in surprise. " God, you should have seen me when they were first born. I was such a wreck." He said, chuckling slightly before getting serious again. "Don't be. I'm right here and we're going to do this together okay?"
Sesshomaru nodded, gritting her teeth together to keep it all in. She remembered being terrified she would feel nothing when they were born, but the opposite was true. She felt everything. She didn't even know it was possible to feel all of these emotions at once.
Rage at her mother. Fear for the future. Excitement at the idea of showing these kits everything beautiful about the world.
Pride to have such beautiful children in her arms.
He moved on the bed until he was side by side with her and kissed her temple lightly. His tails and swords hung off the bed and it looked very uncomfortable, but he seemed content being next to her.
She lay her head on his shoulder. Despite her best efforts she was till exhausted from the birth, the fight, and the huge laceration to her stomach. She wondered if she would ever be able to carry another kit. Best not be greedy though…
She saw the tiny gleam of red scarring on her pups shoulder and gritted her teeth. How could she?
I don't know. Diaozuan answered, his eyes closed and his lips unmoving. They are innocent.
… I suppose the Palace will be in an uproar. It's not like Luo can take the throne. And Tiao-Wen, and Ah-Un, my guard and my dragon, were injured and-
Don't worry about that right now. I got them both back to the Palace after I took care of you. We'll go back when you're strong enough. I know you can set everything right.
She smiled a little at the thought. She wished she had half his confidence. But then… maybe the kingdom was tired of having Inukimi on the throne. Maybe they would accept Sesshomaru with little uproar. That was what she wished for.
The fox kit tired first and gave a tiny burp, immediately falling back to sleep after his stomach was full. Sesshomaru covered herself and then tucked the kit under her chin, making sure to get her scent all over him. This was her kit after all. She nuzzled that tiny velvet cheek and the kit gave a soft content sigh, happy to be with its mom.
She then marked the pup with her scent as well by nuzzling him all over. Apparently he didn't appreciate this, as he attempted a growl, but only managed a kind of hiccupped purr. She found that extremely amusing.
You're smiling. You hardly ever smile. Diaozuan whispered. His eye was open just a crack, showing a sliver of brilliant purple. He gave a tiny sound not unlike a purr.
Shut up and go to sleep. I can tell you're exhausted. She huffed, and gave him the tiniest glare even though her head was still on his shoulder.
I love you too. He teased, a grin showing on his face before he sort of leaned back against the headboard, keeping an arm around her as he moved. His tails shifted a bit and about four of them went over her lap while the rest spilled over the end of the bed and onto the floor.
Don't think I wouldn't kill you just because we've got a kit. She grumbled sleepily, the heat from the tails making her want to nap. Diaozuan didn't say anything but he she could feel amusement radiating from him. He's putting his scent on me, she realized.
He is marking me just like I have marked the babies.
Usually she would have protested: shoved him away and growled but right now she was so tired and weak and he was so warm. She stifled a yawn and her eyes slowly lidded.
Thank the gods they're all right. I will protect them always.
She wondered if this was what Izayoi felt when she first held Inuyasha. Acutely aware of the danger her baby would be in, yet for some inexplicable reason still so happy. And she felt embarrassed and ashamed of the many tiny slights she had made against the human woman.
Forgive me. Please. I think I'm finally starting to understand.
The pup finally tired of nursing as well. She shifted him and wrapped him up tight in the little cloth. She then managed to make herself decent and handed both babies to Diaozuan before falling into a deep and dreamless sleep.
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Wolf'sVine:Hahah nah, I'm always looking for room to improve and I'm glad that you like it so much, because sometimes it's hard to make decisions about what characters could do ~ And, yes. Lol. You're like a mind reader. Spoiler alert here xD
Inuyasha16451: Glad you liked that last chapter! Hopefully you'll feel the same way about the next one (nervously sweats):U
No Fan of Kikyo: You're welcome lol ~
Dragon77: Your wish is my command apparently ~