Well this took me about a decade to finish writing up. R&R Enjoy the chapter! X3
Chapter Fourteen: Announcements
Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha. All credits of InuYasha go to Rumiko Takahashi. OOC characters are created by me though ^^ Yay! I get some credit!
It had been about two weeks since his arrival here and Inuyasha could honestly say that it wasn't that bad here. Other than the occasional insults and threats this place was great. He was used to the little comments about his appearance since most times they were trembling due to Sesshomaru staying at his side. That always made him giggle.
This morning was a bright cloudy free day. All was well and there were no threats to the western lands. Take note that to the western lands. That means everywhere, but the castle. Inside the castle walls, all of the maids and butlers were scared shitless. Why do you ask? Well they are all terrified from the evil, dark demonic aura they were feeling flowing off of Lady Asuka in waves. Lady Asuka was currently sitting in her bedroom sitting at her small desk. Her claws were tapping against the desk in anger as she bit her lip. How the hell did this back fire on her?! Sure she got her grandpups, but now their blood line was forever tainted. There are not a lot of Inus left walking around. To her knowledge, Inutaisho was the last inu that was alive. And now he is dead so its not even possible to create other off spring of pure blooded inus.
Asuka sighed softly as she heard another hesitant knock on her door. "Come in..." She said with much venom in her voice. A maid poked her head in before entering the room. One could tell that she was trembling in fear. The maid placed the cup of tea down in front of Asuka with a little jar of sugar cubes for her to use. Asuka looked at her tea before looking at the maid. Her tea was made with absolute perfection and she thanked the maid. The maid bowed her head down breathed a sigh of relief. Asuka glared at the maid before releasing her poison with to slice the maid's head off with a clean cut. The maid eyes widened before she felt dead to the ground.
Chiyoko walked into her room and looked at the bloody ground. She shook her head in sympathy. Yeah she got what she wanted, but it came with a downfall. His son was going to be mated to his hanyou brother. The same infant that took Inutaisho from her permanantely. "Asuka. This is the 13th maid today. We can't just keep killing them because you are throwing a tantrum."
"Hush Chiyoko. I can slay whoever I please. So if you came in here to lecture about that then save your breath." Asuka said as she took another sip of her tea.
"Look Asuka. I know that the half demon wasn't your top choice, if was a choice at all, but this is who Sesshomaru chooses. Why don't you just accept that he has someone to love and care for. Not only that, but you have grandpups because of this hanyou. That was the whole purpose of the whole potion ordeal."
"If I had known this was to be his fate, I would have dealt without grandpups." Asuka rose from her chair before ringing a bell. A butler came inside and started cleaning up the bloody mess. "Come Chiyoko. Let us continue this in the gardens."Asuka said as she walked out the room. Chiyoko decided to go out the window since it was more of her wild style. They met in the garden near the beautiful fountain.
Asuka looked at Chiyoko and moved her head towards the fountain, as if to gesture her to do something to the fountain. Chiyoko looked at Asuka before shaking her head. "Look Asuka. What's so bad about having the hanyou be with your son. Why do you have to have so much hatred for him? To be honest, he didn't do anything towards you. They are both happy so in my eyes you should be happy too. Especially since you have an heir to the throne."
"As usual Chiyoko. You just deal with the cards you are dealt with, but then again. That is how you grew up isn't it?" She said with a low snarl. Chiyoko glared that the female inu.
"I refuse to help you hurt Inuyasha-sama. I think he will be a great addition to the household." Chiyoko said before leaving Asuka behind in the garden. That was the first time she had ever went against Asuka's orders, but dammit she couldn't do it. The hanyou is good for Lord Sesshomaru's soul. Never once in her years had she seen Sesshomaru so content with life. So she wouldn't help her Lady with her evil plans that she knows Asuka has.
Asuka watched as Chiyoko walked away with narrowed eyes. Ever since that half breed stepped foot in these castle walls everything was going agaisnt her. It seemed that she would have to take this in her own hands since even her most loyal comrades are turning against her. 'In due time half breed...you will go back to where you always belonged. In hell.' Asuka placed her hand into the fountain and watched as it turned into a very dark green. She didn't like to get her hands dirty, but she would do it in order to get rid of that filth.
Akihiko was sleeping soundly when he felt a sudden ominous aura surrounding him. He whimpered softly before letting out a loud wail. Something evil was hovering over them, the young the pup could sense it even if no one else could. Sesshomaru was the first to awaken when his son began to cry. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand just as he felt that evil feeling going away. Sesshomaru was up to his feet growling softly at the threat that had seemingly gotten close to his family.
Inuyasha was woken up from his sleep from Sesshomaru's growling and Akihiko's crying. Unlike the other two, Inuyasha didn't feel anything ominous in the room. "Hey what's going on? Sess...why are you growling? You woke me up from my slumber." He said with yawn.
"Well good. It seems that we had a visitor lurking about in our room."
"What? Do you know who it was?" Inuyasha asked as he picked up a sleeping Akihiko. Sesshomaru looked at his sleeping pup as he narrowed his eyes. He studied the pup closer. He could have sworn he heard Akihiko crying, but then if he was truly crying. Daiki would have woken up and cried as well. But alas, Daiki was still sound asleep in his bassinet. Why exactly was that? Before Sesshomaru could dig deeper into theory, his thought was interrupted when Inuyasha spoke.
"No, but I can tell that we will be seeing more of this person. We'll have to keep our guard up. Which means that starting today, I will be sparring with you to heighten your abilities." Sesshomaru said as he began to dress in his usual attire. Inuyasha sighed heavily. He didn't really feel like doing this shit. It hadn't been that long ago since he had given birth and now his brother was going to be training with him.
"Sesshomaru, I'm sure that we can handle this guy without any problem."
"Its not the problem of us being able to handle them. Its the fact that he/she was so close to us and we didn't even realize until they were leaving. You may not be aware, but there are many people always trying to find my weaknesses. Which is why I'm always so alert or at least I thought I was."
"How did you realize someone was here if you couldn't sense anyone?"
Sesshomaru looked at Akihiko. "It was Akihiko. I could of sworn I heard him crying."
Inuyasha looked at Akihiko before looking at Sesshomaru with an eyebrow raised in confusion. "Maybe you are imagining due to the stress from your mother. Besides if he was crying then I would've immediately woken up to care for him, but I didn't. Do you need more rest Sesshomaru? We don't have to get ready for another couple of hours if you'd like."
"No. I'm fine. Here give me Akihiko. I'll watch over the pups as you get prepared for the day. We have a lot to do." He said watching Inuyasha leave into the bathroom. Giving Akihiko another glance, he ignored his earlier thoughts about the situation. It was strange that Inuyasha didn't even hear him, but maybe it was because of Akihiko. Who knows? Sesshomaru placed Akihiko back into his bassinet. How did he hear his pup cry if he was asleep the whole time? Weird.
Inuyasha walked out the bathroom with his normal red fire rat kimono. "That hot spring of yours is amazing. Although I have no idea why you need it to be so big."
Sesshomaru glanced at Inuyasha as if he was a god. He was so beautiful. He just needed a few tweaks and he would be perfect. "Well when you are a lord then you get nothing but the best. Which reminds me. Instead of sparring today we will be getting you familiar with the life of a prince."
Inuyasha lowered his ears giving off a small pout. For some reason he felt that this was going to be a huge pain in the ass.
Sesshomaru pressed a button on the wall and a bell rang out through the hall. A butler and maid quickly made there way inside the room bowed low ready to be spoken to. "Inuyasha These are my most trusted assistants. My head butler's name is Jun." Sesshomaru said as Jun raised himself up to full height. Jun was a little shorter than Sesshomaru and just a little bit taller than Inuyasha. He was a wolf demon with soft light grey fur. His eyes are a emerald green color and look very focused most of the time. They kinda reminded Inuyasha of Sesshomaru's eyes. Jun's hair was a soft faded charcoal color. He looked as if he was a leader himself. No wonder Sesshomaru picked him.
"My head maid's and Jun's mate's name is May." May raised herself up and was a little shorter than Inuyasha. She also was a wolf demon, but her fur was a nice light brown color. Her eyes were a pure sapphire color just full of mischief. She had long black hair that went down to her lower back. May face broke out in a large smile when she looked at Inuyasha.
"Lord Inuyasha! It will be a pleasure to serve you. You don't have to worry about a thing. You are in good hands. We'll take care of you." She said before bowing in front of him. Inuyasha blushed widely before waving his hands in front of him.
"Oh no please. You don't have to bow in front of me. I'm nothing special."
"Oh look dearest! He's blushing! Not only is he adorable, but he is humble! So cute!" May squealed out. Jun just stayed back watching her make a usual fool of herself to make the other person more relaxed around her. Jun looked at Sesshomaru before bowing softly.
"My lord. You rang?" Jun asked before sitting back up.
"Yes. Inuyasha. These two will help you get familiar with the castle. As you can see, I'm lord so I need to go to do some official work in my office. I can only imagine how behind I got while I was away from the castle. Jun, May. He is in your hands. You know the consequences should anything happen to my mate or pups."
"Hai Lord Sesshomaru!" They both said in unison as Sesshomaru walked out there room. Jun walked past Inuyasha and looked at the two heirs. He never thought it was possible for anyone to lay with his lord let alone produce offspring. Yet this half demon did. "Lord Inuyasha. Its nice to meet you finally. Also I would like to thank you for making my lord happy. It's been centuries since he last cared about anything, but power."
Inuyasha looked at him before blushing softly. "It's nothing. It was really him coming after me. I didn't want him at first since he's a bastard, but overtime I saw how genuine he was and slowly, but surely I started to feel right by his side."
"Well. I'll take care of your pups. My mate here will do all the other tedious things that is needed to make you look like a prince."
Inuyasha looked at him with a weird look. He didn't seem like the person who would do well with children. May giggled at Inuyasha's confused expression. "Don't worry Lord Inuyasha. He may not look like it, but Jun is very good at care taking. You should have seen him with our last pup Kouga."
"K-Kouga!" Inuyasha screamed. Now that he looked closer at May, Kouga was a spitting image of her. How did he not recognize the similarities? "You are Kouga's parents?"
"Why yes we are? Why are you so surprised?" May asked as she tilted her head to the side in an adorable manner.
"Well Kouga and I are...well were love rivals. We were always at each other's throats when it came to a female."
"Well I'm not surprised. He was always a charmer when he was younger and once he has his sights on something then he would never give up. He gets that from his father." May whispered in Inuyasha's ear before giggling. "I guess he got over whoever it was, because he's mated to Ayame and has her pupped. She should be giving birth pretty soon actually. I'm so excited. My first grandcub. I can't wait."
"Well at least he is doing better. He's still a mangy wolf." Inuyasha said rolling his eyes.
Jun walked behind May and kissed her cheek. "Well you will have plenty to talk about as you go to a seamstress to get his size. You two have a lot to do today. You shouldn't be wasting time. Lord Sesshomaru would be unhappy if Inuyasha was late or unprepared." He said just as May gasped softly.
"That's right. We definitely don't have a lot of time to waste! Lord Sesshomaru is introducing you to the Western Palace as his mate to be." May said as she yanked Inuyasha out of the room and the castle and into the black market.
A couple of hours later Inuyasha found himself back in Sesshomaru's...well their room as he put it. Inuyasha looked at himself in the mirror and sighed softly. There was really more to this prince idea than he originally thought. Inuyasha's hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, very similar to his father's. His attire was a burgundy and silver kimono with Sesshomaru's traditional crescent on his left shoulder. He heard a knock at the door. "It must be May." Inuyasha walked over to the door, opening it to see Jun instead of his mate. "Jun? What are you doing here?"
"Sir. I'm here to escort you to the dining room where everyone is waiting for you."
"Um...okay." Inuyasha said softly as he walked out the room with Jun. They walked in a comfortable silence into the dining facility where everyone eyes immediately fell upon him. Inuyasha shrunk behind Jun as eyes of disgust, hatred, and some even envious stared at him. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe he should have just stayed with Kaede and lived in the village with her. Then everyone wouldn't be staring at him hating him for who he was. Jun walked up to the empty chair on the left of Sesshomaru and across from his mother. 'Great. Gotta sit in front of the demon mother in-law.' Inuyasha thought as he took his seat.
Sesshomaru stood up lightly tapping his glass with a fork to get everyone's attention. Once everyone was focused on him he started. "As you all know, I have gathered you here for a ceremony. I am to be mated to Inuyasha." He said proudly as he pulled Inuyasha's hand so that he could stand beside him. "He is the mother of my two heirs, Daiki and Akihiko. They will be properly introduce in a years time when they will be old enough to be around so many others at one time. Inuyasha and I will mate in a months time. Until then enjoy the wine and tonight's dinner. Here here." He yelled as some demons were absolutely happy for the demon lord, while most of them were scowling inside as they put on a fake happy smile. "Enjoy the meal."
Sesshomaru sat down first before everyone began digging in. Inuyasha looked at his plate before looking at everyone else. He didn't know how to approach it. Everyone else was eating with silverware and/or chopsticks, but Inuyasha never had those. He always just ate with his hands unless he was snacking on ramen noodles. Inuyasha felt extremely out of place and it didn't help that Sesshomaru's mother kept staring at him. He didn't even look in her direction and could tell that she was staring..no glaring at him with heated daggers.
Asuka continued looking at Inuyasha as she took small bites of her meal. She knew a bastard child like him never had any luxiries and wouldn't know how to eat in a setting like this. Of course what would a half demon know anyway. They are hated by both demons and humans. Sesshomaru was eating his meal happily when he started to feel distress from Inuyasha. He glanced at his plate to see that he hadn't took on bite of his meal. This struck him as odd since he knew that Inuyasha loves food and would eat mountains of it if it was available. Was the food not to his liking? Sesshomaru looked at his mother staring at the poor hanyou and sighed softly. Leave it to his mother to try to make Inuyasha even more uncomfortable.
Sesshomaru placed down his chopsticks and picked the beef stew bowl in his hands. "Inuyasha...look at me." Inuyasha looked up at him reluctantly with a light blush of embarrassment on his cheeks. Sesshomaru smiled softly at him as he brought the bowl up to his lips and began drinking/eating his meal. Inuyasha looked at him with wide eyes as he stared in astonishment along with Asuka. Sesshomaru downed his whole meal before placing his bowl back on the table and licking his lips. The only way that Inuyasha was going to eat is if he was comfortable. Even though he hated eating this way, he would do anything to make Inuyasha more comfortable within his home.
Inuyasha's expression was soon replaced with a smile as he realized what Sesshomaru was doing for him. He picked up his own bowl and did the same. It still felt a little weird, but in a sense it wasn't that uncomfortable anymore. Asuka glared at them both before standing up abruptly. "Sesshomaru. What the hell is wrong with you? I've taught you better than to eat like some mongrel." She said loud enough to get everyone's attention. 'Perfect.' She thought as she placed her hands on her hips.
Inuyasha ears flattened to his head at being called a mongrel. He didn't know which was worse. Being called a mutt or a mongrel. Sesshomaru looked at his mother with a glare as he growled at her. Of course his mother would try to start some bullshit in front of everyone no less. She already knows Inuyasha is a nervous wreck in a crowd and now she has their attention once again. "Mother. You will stop with this needless tantrum that you are throwing. Inuyasha is going to be my mate whether you like it or not. I love him. Even if that means that I will eat a certain way or act a certain way. As long as I am ruler then he will be comfortable within these walls. Do you understand me?" He said with a snarl as his eyes turned a dark red.
Asuka growled at the way her son was acting. "So you'd rather be a mongrel for that half breed! You are going to risk your title, the western lands, and yourself for a dirty mutt! You foolish boy! You will die miserably like your pathetic father for a filthy, flea-ridden bitch!" She yelled just before she felt Sesshomaru slap her roughly. Inuyasha covered his mouth as a gasp escaped as his eyes widened even more if that was possible. Now Inuyasha felt really bad. It was because of him that Sesshomaru and his mother was fighting right now. If only he would have been born as a full demon. Then all of this wouldn't be happening.
Sesshomaru's eyes were hidden behind his bangs as he brought his hand back. He was panting heavily as fury raged through his blood. He will teach everyone here that his mate will not be disrespected any further. Its just a shame that his mother had to be the example for others to see. "Mother. I hereby banish you from the western lands on the account of insulting my mate and the future ruler of these lands. Its a disgrace to have you as a mother."
Everyone in the dining area gasped loudly at the outrageous demand from their lord. He couldn't banish the former queen of these lands...could he? There were whispers and yells coming from all directions. Some were shocked while others were outraged. A rat demon stood up on the table and growled. "How dare you try to attempt to banish Lady Asuka?! I won't be having any of this! You should be taken from the thr-" The rat demon stopped midsentence as he felt his body split in two. Sesshomaru retracted his whip back into his fingers before flinging the rat's blood from his fingers.
"Is there anyone else against this order? No?...Good. Mother, you heard me. Take your belongings and leave my lands forever!" Sesshomaru barked out. Asuka looked at her son in shock. Where the hell did his son get the nerve to banish her?! Asuka growled at her son knowing that since he was ruler then he could order her to do anything, but why? She glanced over to that damn hanyou that ruined everything in her life. First he took her love's life and now he is trying to take her own son away.
"You bastard child will not last long here. How long do you think Sesshomaru can protect you? You are weak! You were never meant to be on the throne! Now because of you, Sesshomaru is already making foolish decisions such as banishing his own mother! We were happy before you came in and destroyed everything! Don't worry though! You won't stay here for long! I promise you that half breed!"
"Silence mother! Guards take her away!" Sesshomaru ordered as his guards reluctantly guiding her out the dining room and towards the western border line. Sesshomaru looked down to Inuyasha only to find him missing. Where did he go? "Jun!" In a matter of seconds he arrived.
"Yes milord."
"Get everyone the hell out!" Sesshomaru demanded before going on to search for Inuyasha. He followed his scent outside, but unfortunately it was raining and his scent was already lost. All he could smell was rain and the trees. He smelled a faint whiff of Inuyasha, but it was all over the place. "Daichi! Go find Inuyasha immediately!" He roared out as he transformed into his full demon form. The dark tengu nodded his head and took off to the skies looking for the half breed. Sesshomaru headed east where Kaede's village was located. Maybe he would be back there seeking comfort from his old pack. Or at least he hoped so.
Unfortunately for Sesshomaru Inuyasha had headed north. He couldn't stay in the castle anymore. It brought nothing, but trouble for Sesshomaru and that was the last thing he wanted. He had his twins in a picnic basket comforted by soft blankets. Inuyasha ran through the rain and headed to the only place that he could hide without being easily detected. Inuyasha ran for hours until he finally came across a familiar cave with a waterfall falling in front of it. It had to be very late into the night. The moon was at its highest. He heard a twig snap to the right of him and growled loudly at the creature coming to him.
A demon came out snarling only to stop once he got a good look at the half demon. "M-Mutt face..The hell are you doing creeping around here at this time of night."
Inuyasha sighed in relief as it was only his ex love rival Koga. "Koga...I need a place to stay. I came here because I thought you would be able to help me." He said bowing his head. Kouga looked at Inuyasha and sighed softly.
"Fine, come on. The rain is going to get worse later on." Koga said as he walked underneath the waterfall. He walked silently not to wake the other wolves until he got to his part of the den. "You will have to sleep in my room tonight. Hope you don't mind sharing. Although you have a lot of explaining to do in the morning. " He said as he walked towards the mouth of the cave.
"Wait where are you going?" Inuyasha asked not really wanting to be by himself.
"I'm on patrol duty tonight. I'll see you in the morning. Just get some rest mutt face." He said with a smirk before heading out of the cave once again. Inuyasha sighed softly, but smiled. He took his twins out of the basket and laid them down on the fur. Thankfully they had already fallen asleep. Inuyasha laid down next to them with watery eyes. How he missed Sesshomaru already, but this was for the better of both of them. His mother was right. Everything was going great until he came along. Well now things can go back to how it used to be now that he wasn't around. With that thought he cried himself to sleep.
Alright. Its the end of this chapter. I think this is the longest one that I have done. Anyway. Wanted to get this out to you guys before Thursday came so you will have something to read. Thanks for reading X3 Bout time I write another chapter I will be a year older...YAY! lol