Chapter Twenty-Five

Declaration of Love

Sesshoumaru's P.O.V.

It's been a day since Sesshoumaru has last seen Chiaki, and he misses her dearly, although he would never admit such thing for he takes too much pride in himself. Sesshoumaru stared out of the window and thought of the night he took her against her will. Oh no, he did not take her against her will, he just didn't stop when she asked, no screamed at him to stop. Sesshoumaru knew he wanted her, but he just didn't understand why he had marked her, a mere human. Sesshoumaru knew that a taiyoukai mating with a human is acceptable, but marking a human, that's a taboo in their society. Knowing the pain is father and Inuyasha's mother went through to be together, he just does not understanding the reason why he would make that mistake. But Sesshoumaru just can't get away, it is like she is like a magnet that just kept on pulling him towards her. And they say: like father, like son.

'It must be the sex.' Sesshoumaru convinced himself mentally. Not realizing that his heart is telling him that he is in love with her. Sesshoumaru knew that the pleasure that Chiaki had given him is not like any other pleasure he had felt. And every time when he was trying to forget about the feeling of him inside of her, the image of Chiaki's face moaning in lust just flashes across his head, stirring his blood. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes to empty his thoughts, only to have Naoko's face appear in his head. He silently cursed her and knowing that she is probably stirring up some trouble for him right now.

Sesshoumaru's assumption was right, when Jaken knocked on the door announcing to him that she had returned with her father and all the other lords. He sighed in annoyance and proceeds to the Main Hall to meet them.

Sesshoumaru walked into the Main Hall, only to have the voice of the Lord of northern land, Lord Tsubasa welcoming him. "Oh Sesshoumaru, how nice of you to join us…"

Sesshoumaru turned to look at Lord Tsubasa, and noticed Naoko sitting a few chairs away for the northern lord with her father. He watched as Naoko gave him a wicked smile and wanted to got up to her to kick her out, but looking up to stare at the senior lord's eagle face, Sesshoumaru collected himself together and welcomed them. "Thank you for coming. Lord Tsubasa, I assume Lady Chiiro is doing well."

"Oh my old bird is doing fine." Lord Tsubasa smiled as thinking of his mate. "Soon it will be our 1703 year anniversary, you are all welcome to come."

"Lord Tsubasa, we are not here to discuss your invitation to your anniversary party." Roared the lord of the Eastern Land, Lord Hiroshi, the white tiger youkai. Sesshoumaru stared coldly at him for being so rude to Lord Tsubasa, his father's good friend. "Lord Sesshoumaru, we are here to discuss about your human mate. Lord Sesshoumaru I assume you knew that claiming a human as a mate is not acceptable in our society?" Instantly, Sesshoumaru wished that he can slaughter the tiger youkai right here in the hall, but only to bring him back with tenseiga so he can kill him again.

Sesshoumaru stared at him with cold eyes, ignoring him when he heard the southern lord, Lord Yamada spoked, "I am assure you that Lord Sesshoumaru has a perfectly good explanation for that." Sesshoumaru stared at Lord Yamada's horse face, and secretly cursed himself for being his good friend, and for him to suggest to everyone that he had a good explanation.

"I don't think he does." Lord Hiroshi commented. "If Lord Sesshoumaru does have an answer, why hadn't he answered to any of us yet?"

The lesser taiyoukais nodded and whispered to agree with Lord Hiroshiro. Just when Sesshoumaru was about to speak, he saw Lord Tsubasa's eldest son holding on to Chiaki's arm and land her in the center of the room. Sesshoumaru stared at the beauty in front of him and was about to question Lord Tsubasa what the hell was going on, when he heard Inuyasha and his clan bursting in to the hall shouting to him that Chiaki has been kidnapped.

Before Sesshoumaru could understand what was going on. Naoko's father, Lord Kanji of the southwest land spoke. "I see that Lord Sesshoumaru has taken a liking for human companies."

Sesshoumaru stared at Lord Kanji, hating him with the same amount of hate he has for his daughter. But Inuyasha spoke before he did, "What are you complaining about, I have heard that you kidnap human girls from their homes and turned them into your personal sex slave. And when you are done with them, you chow them down into only bones."

Sesshoumaru almost gone wide eye at his half brother's comment, and all the other lords turned at looked at him with accusation glanced. But only Lord Hiroshi seems to not mind the news, "It is not against to law of the taiyoukais to go in bed with a human, but it is against the law to take a human as their mate."

"If so, then why did Lord Inu Tashio take Inuyasha's mother as his mate?" Kagome asked out loud to the taiyoukais.

"Human wench, you have no rights to speak in a taiyoukai court!" Lord Hiroshi roared.

"That's was an exception." Lord Tsubasa explained, "But they were severely punished, and Lord Tashio had lost his life to pay for the price of his mistake. Thought, Lord Kanji, humans are not food, we understanding you killed them when you got bored of them, but eating them, that's sick." Lord Tsubasa raised his voice in disgust when commenting Lord Kanji's action, then he turned and stared at Sesshoumaru with kind eyes as Sesshoumaru stared into his eyes of wisdom. "Sesshoumaru, do you really want to be with her?"

Sesshoumaru was taken back from his question, and turned to look at Chiaki. Sesshoumaru looked at her beautiful face, and started to wonder if he wanted to be with her, he was about to answer Lord Tsubasa's question when he heard Chiaki say, "I don't want to be with him."

Sesshoumaru stared at Chiaki with angry eyes, but only to see tears falling down her face. "I don't want to be with Sesshoumaru, just let me go home." Sesshoumaru could feel his heart break, when he heard her screamed. He could literally feel himself taking a few step back, in his heart, there was an unbearable pain that was struggle to kill all his sense. Sesshoumaru could feel himself dying of heartbreak, and this made him realize, he loved her. He probably loved her the first time he saw her, Sesshoumaru knew that if he set her free now, he will never be the same, and that there may be a chance that she won't come back. So he said sincerely to Lord Tsubasa, but more to Chiaki, "Yes, I want to be with her. I think I am in love with her."

Sesshoumaru felt someone ripping his heart out when he heard Chiaki's declaration of no when he had just announced his true feelings for her. He watched as she fell to the ground sobbing, and begging the other lords to let her go.

Sesshoumaru was already in enough pain, but when Lord Kanji announced the obvious, he literally wished that kami would take that youkai's life right now. "I don't think she wants to be with you Lord Sesshoumaru."

"That is not of your concern." Sesshoumaru answered, and secretly wishing that he had enough to convince the others to let him keep her. "She's already been marked, and therefore she belongs to this Sesshoumaru. And if this Sesshoumaru wants her, he will get her."

As if sensing that Lord Tsubasa knew that Sesshoumaru had went back to his hard cold shell, Lord Tsubasa declared, "Then let the ceremony begin…"

Sesshoumaru watched Chiaki's tear streaked face, and wished that whatever Lord Tsubasa had planned for her will not be too harsh for her. However, what Sesshoumaru really wanted to do right now was to walk up in front of her, and ask her why is that she doesn't want to be with him. Thought, Sesshoumaru will never know that what Chiaki did was to save his reputation and his lordship. Sesshoumaru sighed as he walked pass her, and not knowing that Chiaki was breaking inside as well, and that he did not know that destiny was going to play his part now.