"Catch."
Eleaya acted on instinct, catching the wooden stick Maho threw at her.
"What's this for?" she asked glumly.
Maho's eyes flashed dangerously.
"When I was merged with cat demon, I swore I'd train myself to be the strongest of her ladies so that I could protect my lady," she said.
"Her being Tenshi?" Eleaya asked.
Maho was still glaring.
"That is Lady Tenshi to you," she hissed.
She pointed a claw at Eleaya.
"You are consumed by grief, a wasted emotion. Turn that soul crushing waste into strength and prepare to fight."
"I'm sorry, did you say fight?" Eleaya asked.
Maho moved with blinding speed, her stick sweeping Eleaya's legs out from under her. Eleaya hit the ground hard, letting out a cry.
"Yes, I said fight," Maho gloated, standing over Eleaya.
Her eyes were dead and hollow but still managed to hold disdain.
"As I said, a wasted emotion. Until you let go of all that grief, you will be unable to fight anyone," she said.
With that, Maho began to walk away. Eleaya pushed herself to her knees, leaning on her stick heavily.
"My brother is dead!" she screamed.
Maho paused, back still facing Eleaya. Fueled by her anger, Eleaya rose to her feet, gripping the stick tight enough that her knuckles were white.
"He's dead and I couldn't save him!" she screamed. "That's why I'm grieving. But you wouldn't understand a damn thing about that, would you? You heartless bitch!"
Maho turned slowly, annoyance in her eyes.
"If I know Ceres, she already explained our past," Maho said. "How we came to be demons and ten'nyo. We lived in this world, we were human. We had families."
She let those words fall like the tears on Eleaya's face that clung to her blue hair.
"I got lucky, you could say," Maho went on. "I got to go back in time, become a demon. Time couldn't touch me. My family, all our families, were not so fortunate."
Her eyes were still empty, hollow. She wasn't even sad.
"They grew and died. Everyone I knew, everyone Aya and Ceres and Tenshi knew, are gone. You cry over one lost brother, one treacherous sister, when another brother still lives. You have one person you know in this world. All I have, no, all we have, is each other."
Emotion flashed briefly in Maho's cold eyes. Emotion that she'd probably never shown to anyone. Just as soon as it appeared, it was gone.
"The same can be said of your precious demon lord and his half brother. Or Akio and the fox," Maho continued in the same bitter tone. "Humans crave the right to claim that they and only they understand the empty hollowness of loneliness. They have no idea."
With that, she continued into the shrine house, leaving Eleaya alone. The anger had abandoned Eleaya and she dropped to her knees, letting her sadness out. Tears dropped from her eyes and she fought for air as she sobbed. The weight of a comforting hand pressed against her back and arms engulfed her. Eleaya snuggled close before really becoming aware of the flash of silver. Looking up, she met the golden eyes of Sesshomaru. He blinked, slowly, before gently catching one of her tears on his claw. Eleaya watched him study it before flicking it away.
"Sesshomaru?" she whispered.
His attention went back to her, eyes giving her their full weight.
"Are you lonely?" she asked.
Sesshomaru held him to her tighter, lacing his fingers through her hair.
"Not anymore," he whispered.
"What changed?" Eleaya asked.
Sesshomaru let out a deep breath.
"I fell in love," he admitted quietly.
"With who?"
It was a dumb question. But Eleaya was feeling dumb and naïve. The demon lord didn't hesitate.
"You."
Maho paused in the doorway, aware of Ceres behind her.
"Are you going to scold me?" Maho jeered flippantly.
Ceres chuckled.
"Far be it from me to do such a thing when I've yet to regain the ability to animalize myself," she said.
She joined Maho at her side, shoulder bumping into the girl's.
"But then again, by hurting Eleaya, you ensure that you've angered a much stronger demon."
Maho's eyes drifted to Ceres at the taunt. Ceres's gaze was murderous. Despite absence, their hearts had not grown fonder involving the other.
"Are you so weak that you must rely on the demon lord to back your threats?" Maho teased harshly.
"That is the difference between you and I, Maho dear," Ceres replied. "I am not afraid to admit my weakness. You claim to have none and that is your weakness."
"Shall we put your words to the test?" Maho inquired, her fingers curling into a fist.
The earth gave a slight tremble with the action. Ceres was rigid.
"May I remind you what lies beneath all your earth?" she asked.
In the darkened hallway, her eyes seemed to glow.
"That's right, fire. Time has passed, true, but the world has not changed so much that you are a match for me," Ceres went on.
Maho's hand uncurled.
"One day you won't be able to call upon your flame and I will replace you," she hissed.
Ceres smirked.
"By then, you will have to take on Eleaya," she declared. "And knowing you, she won't go easy on you."
With that, Ceres brushed past Maho, heading into the kitchen.
"Are we sure about this place?" Inuyasha asked for the seventh time.
Akio looked down at the slip of paper Ceres had given him.
"Right address," he remarked, looking up at the fish warehouse.
"Why would anyone want to hold a meeting here?" Inuyasha asked. "The smell is awful."
Akio shrugged.
"It's for the best. Look how close we are to the water. This makes it easier for me to do this."
As he spoke, Akio lifted his arms, the water rising with the movement. He surged forward with his body, one foot planted in front of him to keep his balance as he shoved all that water into the building, breaking the boards as though they hadn't been new, smelling of fresh wood despite the fish smell.
"Why'd you even need me?" Inuyasha inquired.
"Ceres didn't want me going alone," Akio replied.
He smiled fondly.
"She worries you know."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes.
"Not really. I think only Eleaya registers on her radar."
"Stick around. She'll see you too."
The sun was setting, bleeding into the sky and leaving shadows against the wood of the porch that Eleaya and Sesshomaru cuddled on. Okay, Eleaya was cuddling. Sesshomaru merely held her close to him, rocking her in his lap. She hadn't said a word after his 'confession'. She couldn't wade through the mess that was her emotions enough to really respond. Did she love him? Maybe. She couldn't figure it out. And he didn't seem to care that she hadn't proclaimed her love for him. This cuddle time seemed enough for him.
"It can't just be me," she said.
Her tears had long since dried up. Now she felt empty but still had questions.
"I mean, there are sometimes when I'm not around. Are you lonely then?" she asked.
"No," Sesshomaru replied honestly. "I'm annoyed."
"Because?" Eleaya prompted.
"I am left to entertain the meaningless whims of my half brother as well as his little fox companion and Akio," Sesshomaru replied.
"But what about Yuri?"
"She spends much of her time out of doors," the demon lord answered.
Boy, was he being really compliant today.
"What about Wayne?"
"He is rather annoying yet amusing."
Eleaya smiled a bit. Wayne in a nutshell right there.
"Do you consider us your friends?" she asked him.
Sesshomaru was silent and Eleaya worried for a moment that she'd pushed him too far. That this would be the question that he did not answer.
"I consider you the woman to whom my affections belong to. As for your brother, my own brother, Shippo, Akio and Yuri, I have minor companionship with them. As for Ceres, I detest her very presence in a room," he replied.
"So, she's like your best friend?" Eleaya questioned.
"Precisely," Sesshomaru replied.
"And how do you feel about Tenshi and her lot?"
"I have high respect for Lady Tenshi. She fought against Mamoru and his clan long before I was aware of them. But Aya is…"
He didn't seem to know the right word.
"Ditzy?" Eleaya offered.
"If that means that she has a tendency to be slightly distracted and childish, yes."
He brushed a strand of hair out of her face.
"As for Maho, I watch her every move when she is in my presence and trust Ceres to do so when she is not. The girl is ruthless and petty in a way that makes her as deadly as our enemies. In truth, I do not know where her loyalties lie."
He dropped his hand back to her waist, resting his chin on her head, breathing in her scent.
"Do you miss your time?" Eleaya inquired.
"I do not know," was the demon lord's reply.
Eleaya smiled.
"Well what do you know?" she asked.
She was looking up at him, dislodging his chin from her head so she could look into his amber eyes and see the truth of his words. He in turn stared into her emerald orbs, transfixed and unable to look away.
"I know that the allies I have made here are more than that. They are what one would call friends and our bonds are strong enough to compare to that of a family. So that is what they shall be. My family. I know that I have not had a thought of hatred since meeting you, regarding you, except for those moments when you were injured or hurt in any manner. "
His hand cupped her cheek, warm against her tear-streaked face. Eleaya settled into that hand, letting a content sigh escape her lips, which brought a smile to the demon lord's usually stoic face.
"I know that I love you dearly," he said, his voice a more intimate octave.
Eleaya blushed at the tone, so easily meant for pillow talk.
"I love you too, Sesshomaru," she declared, more sure than she'd ever been in her life that what she said was as true as his own confession.
Sesshomaru sensed this truth and craned his neck so that they could press their lips together in a bittersweet kiss that was long overdue.