A/N: Man, I'm just cranking these out like clockwork, aren't I? To do today's disclaimer is Mizumi because she's awesome. Take it away, Mizzy-chan!
Mizumi: *glares* Call me that name again and I might hurt you…Anyway! Aki does not own Inuyasha or anything else she's alluded to in the past, which could include, but is not limited to Memoirs of a Geisha, Star Wars, Resident Evil, and who the hell knows what else. Because the author has no idea what else for me to say at this point, I'm just going to stop talking and bid you all goodbye and on behalf of Aki-san, I hope you enjoy chapter twenty-eight.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Wretches and Kings
Zetsuei walked down the hall, following a servant. He was confused as to why he had been summoned. It had been per Sesshoumaru's request, which could mean only one thing—something was wrong.
The servant paused at a door. "In here, Zetsuei-san," he gestured at the door. "They're waiting for you. Please go inside."
And then the servant gave a short bow before walking away, leaving an even more confused Zetsuei behind. The Torayoukai sighed and slid open the door, entering what appeared to be some sort of meeting room. His eyes widened slightly upon seeing everyone who had been gathered there.
Sesshoumaru and Hana were seated at the head of the table, on the left side sat Mei Lhi, Kyo, and Tsurugi. On the right were Inuyasha and Kagome as well as an empty seat.
"What's all this about?" the Torayoukai asked at once.
"Please sit down," Hana said, gesturing to the place beside Kagome.
Zetsuei crossed the room and took his place beside the miko, glancing up at Tsurugi who sat directly across from him in question. The Taisho heir gave an almost unnoticeable shrug. He didn't seem to know why they were all there either.
Once Zetsuei had been settled, Sesshoumaru leaned forward to address the room.
"I am sure that all of you are likely wondering why I have summoned you here. Am I correct in making this assumption?"
Everyone but Hana nodded.
"Allow me to explain. An hour ago, a messenger arrived with word from Mizumi,"
At this, Tsurugi sharply looked up at his father, eyes flashing with alarm.
"It seems the state of things in the East has deteriorated to an alarming degree. I can only assume that Noboru has taken some sort of rash action which Mizumi sees as threat enough to stop him."
"'Stop him?'" Mei Lhi repeated. "You mean…?"
The taiyoukai nodded curtly.
"Mizumi wishes for us to prepare to remove Noboru from the the throne."
"So we're staging a coup d'etat?" Kyo asked.
"Correct."
"What's our end game?" Inuyasha questioned.
"The main objective is to depose Noboru and put Zetsuei in his place. Our primary goal is to get the rightful heir to power."
"Nani? Zetsuei-kun?" Kagome exclaimed.
"Zetsuei's the son of Zenjiro, Noboru's older brother," Tsurugi explained. "And the true leader of the Tora clan."
Hana looked to her mate in surprise. "Is this true?"
Sesshoumaru simply nodded again then turned to glance at the Torayoukai.
"So, Zetsuei, what we do from this point forward falls to you."
"To me? I don't understand."
"Are you prepared to claim the title you have been denied all these years? Will you ascend to power and take control of your people? Are you prepared to supplant your uncle to attain your birthright, no matter what it takes?"
The entire room fell silent; everyone's eyes were focused on Zetsuei, who grew tense under their gaze. He knew they were all waiting for his answer. His eyes dropped to the surface of the table as he sat there deep in thought, contemplating how to respond.
Noboru had lied to him for his entire life, kept him ignorant of his true heritage, all for the sake of keeping hold of the power of a Taisho. His uncle had done a lot of damage; he took part in wars for personal gain, he killed anyone who stood in his way, even his own blood. He had to be stopped; there was no question about that.
The Torayoukai sighed. He had no idea how to lead or how to be a leader. Without intending to, his thoughts drifted to Tsukimisou, who had always had so much faith in him. He thought back to the days before he was in love with her and how they talked of dreams and goals and making changes. He remembered how Tsukimisou had made him promise back then not to die so he could achieve the goals he had set for himself.
He had the chance now to achieve those goals, to make those changes himself. Closing his eyes, he could picture Tsukimisou clearly in his mind.
'For you, Tsukimisou…' he vowed.
At last, he had made his decision. He opened his eyes and raised his head at last, giving a firm nod.
"I am prepared."
"Good," Sesshoumaru said with a smirk. "I take it you've no qualms over the highly-likely possibility of murdering your uncle?"
The Torayoukai shook his head. "None whatsoever."
"I suggest you prepare for travel, Zetsuei," the taiyoukai said, pausing to look at all of the others gathered. "And so should the rest of you. We leave for the East at first light tomorrow."
Everyone nodded in understanding.
"The journey from here to the Neko lands is a two day's march," Sesshoumaru went on. "But given that we're all more than capable of travelling much faster, we must try to arrive as soon as possible. The longer we take, the more time Noboru has to plot against us and perhaps even catch on to the task we are about to undertake."
"Keh! The bastard can't plot against us if he's dead," Inuyasha scoffed.
Sesshoumaru's lips curved upward slightly in amusement. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, little brother."
The hanyou nodded. "Yeah. He's not dead…yet."
x0x0x0x
Zetsuei walked down the hall, heading for Tsukimisou's room, where he'd left her when he got the summons. The meeting had adjourned and everyone went their separate ways to prepare for travel, and if necessary, an extended stay in the East.
The Torayoukai had barely gone down the corridor and turned a corner when he was pushed against against the wall, staring into Tsukimisou's concerned eyes.
"Is it true?" she asked him. "I heard that you're leaving. My father and everyone else too. You're all going to the East to get Noboru off the throne."
Slowly, he nodded. The Taisho girl gasped and clung to him tightly, burying her face into his chest.
"You could get hurt!" she cried out in protest. "I could lose you."
"I know it'll be dangerous," he whispered soothingly in her ear. "But I won't be going alone. I promise you, I will be careful."
"But it's my entire family! You're all going off to do something that could likely get all of you killed!"
Zetsuei stared intently, looking deep into her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere," he vowed.
And then he pulled her close, his lips descending upon hers. Tsukimisou reacted instantly, her hand fisting in his haori as she kissed him back, leaning up onto her tiptoes to reach him. Zetsuei's hands roamed up her back, tangling one in the Taisho girl's hair, the other moving to bring her even closer to him so that there was no space between them.
Both youkai were far too distracted to notice the approaching footsteps, or the sound of someone impatiently clearing their throat. It wasn't until a familiar voice snapped "Oi!" that the two broke apart, their faces flushed and their eyes filled with a combination of panic and dread as they turned to face the one who had caught them.
Inuyasha arched a brow curiously at them, his eyes looking between the Inuyoukai girl and the Torayoukai boy. Much to his amusement, both of them seemed to visibly relax when they realized that it was he who had caught them.
"I'm just going to take a wild guess here," the hanyou started, smirking. "Sesshoumaru has no idea about this, does he?"
Tsukimisou shook her head. "Iie. I have yet to tell him."
Inuyasha laughed, suddenly understanding why both the Taisho heiress and the Torayoukai heir seemed so relieved to see him. The hanyou had no doubt that if it had been his brother who had discovered them after all, Zetsuei would've likely ended up suffering some kind of bodily harm. Whether that harm would be potentially fatal or not remained unclear.
"Well, Zetsuei, if you don't want Sesshoumaru to have an excuse to be pissed at you beyond all reason, you both should probably go while you've still got the chance," he said.
"You're not telling my father?" Tsukimisou asked, blinking in confusion.
The hanyou shrugged indifferently. "It's not up to me. I'm not your dad. What you do in your spare time is your own damn business. But doing stupid things like these," he paused, gesturing at the pair of them, still wrapped in one another's arms, "out in the open like this, you're practically asking to get caught. And it'll be your own damn fault when Sesshoumaru finds out."
Both the Torayoukai boy and the Inuyoukai girl nodded, simultaneously swallowing nervous lumps that had formed in both their throats.
"Thank you," Zetsuei murmured, releasing his hold on Tsukimisou and side-stepping to a respectable proximity away from her.
"What for?" Inuyasha wondered aloud, cocking a brow curiously.
"For your discretion."
"Keh. Whatever you say."
It was silent for a moment.
"Just out of curiosity, what would you two have done if I was Sesshoumaru?" the hanyou asked, smirking again.
"Panicked," Tsukimisou admitted. "I know Chichiue would've been furious."
"Tch! Over a kiss? Kami-sama, does he still have a giant stick rammed up his ass after all these years? Here I thought Hana fixed that for him."
The Taisho girl blushed, wringing her hands anxiously. "It's a bit more complicated than that."
Inuyasha's brows furrowed in confusion as he studied the pair before taking a slow, deep breath of air, his nose registering a faint, albeit familiar scent. A mating mark.
"Oh for fuck's sake!" he snapped aloud, his tone disapproving.
There was no doubt now in Inuyasha's mind. Future Tora no Taisho or not, Sesshoumaru would've killed Zetsuei. The not-so-distant memory of Shippou and Rin's union suddenly came to mind. It had been nearly ten years ago, but the hanyou could remember it like it was yesterday. He knew all too well how protective his elder brother was of his pups. It was bad enough with Rin, but now with Tsukimisou, who was much more precious to her father than her older sister, the fallout would've been catastrophic.
He sighed, fisting his hands in the sleeves of his haori in frustration. He hated having to perform the parental role. Kagome was so much better at this sort of thing than he was. "Who else knows you both are mates?"
"Just Tsurugi," Tsukimisou answered quietly.
The hanyou eyed his niece curiously. "How'd he find out?"
The Inuyoukai girl's blush darkened and she shyly averted her eyes. "He…anno…sort of saw us while we were…you know."
Inuyasha looked over to Zetsuei. "Did you kick his ass for that?"
The Torayoukai's lips twitched with a grin. "Not yet. But I'm still considering it."
"He could use it," the hanyou replied. "The nosy bastard certainly earned it."
Tsukimisou laughed, nodding in agreement. Inuyasha sighed again and stretched out his arms and folded them behind his head, taking a few steps forward.
"You should get ready to leave tomorrow. We could be in the East for a while, so don't pack too light," he said after a moment.
Zetsuei nodded. "Hai, wakarimasu."
"See you in the morning. You two be good."
The hanyou walked off, leaving the pair behind. After a few seconds his footsteps faded away, leaving the hallway silent and empty once more.
x0x0x0x
Morning came far sooner than anyone had anticipated. The sun was not yet up, the sky still purple with night. Zetsuei awoke, smelling the approach of dawn in the air. He sat up in bed and glanced out the window. Beside him, he felt Tsukimisou stir.
"It's early," the Torayoukai murmured. "You should go back to sleep."
"And let you leave without saying goodbye?" she answered. "Never."
He turned to see her sitting up beside him, her hair lightly tousled from sleep and their activities a few hours earlier, a blanket pulled up to cover her bare chest. An appreciative purr rumbled in the Torayoukai's throat as he stared at her, earning him a smirk in response.
"You could always stay you know," Tsukimisiou teased, letting the blanket slip down an inch. "I wouldn't mind it if you did."
Zetsuei made a soft amused sound in his throat, lightly shaking his head at his mate. "You know that I would love to stay, especially given how completely enticing you look right now."
The Taisho girl laughed, her expression sobering after a moment. "But I know you can't."
"Iya, I can't." The Torayoukai echoed softly, rising from the futon and gathering his clothes from the floor.
Tsukimisou sighed, getting out of bed as well, tossing the blankets aside. She crossed the room to the bath, sliding the door open. She paused, turning to glance at him over her shoulder. "You coming?"
Zetsuei smirked, rushing over to hook an arm under the Inuyoukai girl's knees, lifting her off her feet, and moving quickly toward the bath.
"Mou, at this rate, you're never going to leave."
x0x0x0x
The morning sun was beating down as a Torayoukai flitted through the trees, rushing back to his homeland. His lord would be most interested to learn that of the Nekoyoukai messenger arrived in the West and the departure of Sesshoumaru and several others not long after, heading for the East. It was plain to see that the Neko no Taisho was scheming something with the taiyoukai of the West.
Noboru-sama would definitely want to know about this.
The scout ran faster; he was still several hours ahead of the party from the West. He had to make it back to his homeland before Sesshoumaru could set foot in the East.
x0x0x0x
"Report?" Noboru asked.
"A messenger arrived in the West yesterday," the scout began, struggling to catch his breath. "The messenger was sent by the Neko no Taisho."
"Oh?" the pseudo-Taisho said interestedly. "Go on."
"This morning, Sesshoumaru and a large party departed the West. They are heading to the East. The traitor, Zetsuei was among them."
Noboru scowled. 'So, your warning was serious after all, was it, Mizumi? Now you're seeking to overthrow me.' His expression darkened as a boiling rage consumed him for a moment before he battled it back, regaining his composure. 'I will not let you take my power from me. Zetsuei will never see the throne.'
"Do you have any insight as to what this all means, my lord?" the scout inquired hesitantly. "What must be done?"
The Tora no Taisho took a slow, deep breath, grinning as an idea came to mind. "Yes, actually," he replied, his lips curving with amusement. "Mizumi has seen fit to take action against me. She has employed the aid of Sesshoumaru and his family in order to attack these lands and remove me from power. Their goal, undoubtedly, is to put the traitor on the throne."
"Remove you from power, my lord? That cannot be!"
"No. It cannot. Therefore, it would be most prudent to teach Sesshoumaru the price of aiding Mizumi,"
"What do you propose?"
"We will take from him that which he holds most dear. Perhaps then, it will persuade him to be a bit more…compliant."
"Orders, sir?"
"Inform the head of the stealth forces to arrange a party to travel to the West immediately. We're going to steal ourselves a woman."
"Understood."
x0x0x0x
Shippou sighed heavily, watching as Sesshoumaru, Hana, Inuyasha, and Kagome vanished from sight, Zetsuei, Tsurugi, Mei Lhi, and Kyo close behind. The kitsune turned away from the window, trying to shrug off his annoyance.
Rin sat a few feet away, sipping at some tea, glancing up at him in concern, her eyes asking an unvoiced question.
"You ever notice how we're always the ones left behind?" Shippou asked her. "We're always stuck here, without fail."
"Someone has to run the Western Lands. Chichiue is far too busy these days with all the conflict going on in the East. It's hard work trying to stabilize such a volatile area," she answered simply. "You know that."
"Yeah, I do know that. But still! What do we do these days? We pretty much just sit here running your father's lands for him."
Rin smiled. "You sound like Inuyasha."
The kitsune rolled his eyes. "I only grew up with him. It's no wonder why."
The once-human-now-Inuyoukai set down her tea, laughing lightly at her mate. "Your annoyance aside, haven't you noticed that my father trusts only us to handle the affairs of these lands? Not even Tsurugi has been given the opportunity to try to run things here, and by patrilineal succession, he's next in line to be Taisho. I would think that fact alone speaks volumes of Chichiue's level of trust in us."
Shippou frowned. "Well, you do have a point."
"Of course I do," Rin smirked. "Not even Tsukimisou has received any lessons on how to manage the affairs of state. And you and I both know how precious she is to my father. Especially now that she's back in our lives again, after believing her dead for so long."
The kitsune sighed again. Rin was right. As usual.
"I think maybe one day Chichiue might just pass on the responsibility entirely to us."
"Yeah, one day two hundred years from now he might."
"I'm sure it won't be quite that long," Rin disagreed. "In any case, Tsurugi's nowhere near ready to be put in charge of something as important as running the West."
"This place'll go to hell if we put it in your younger brother's very incapable hands."
"Be nice, Shippou. Tsu wouldn't be completely incapable."
"Alright, he'd be a blundering idiot without a clue what he's doing until he gets lucky and finally figures it all out," the kitsune amended. "Better?"
Rin rolled her eyes, barely mastering the urge to smile in amusement. "Hardly."
"Now you're starting to sound like your father."
"Hmm…sou ka?" the Inuyoukai asked in her best imitation of Sesshoumaru.
Shippou laughed. "That sounded so much like him it was scary."
"You pick things up after being around certain people for prolonged periods of time, in this case, my father. I learned to imitate his voice and his mannerisms. It was a very useful skill when Jaken-sama started to annoy me too much. To this day, he still hasn't figured out that all those times he thought he heard Chichiue reprimanding him was actually me."
"Baka kaeru," the kitsune muttered. "Then again, he's not all too bright if he was outsmarted by the pair of us when we were only kits; poking him with sticks and setting him on fire, crashing him into rocks and trees while hanging off Aun…" Shippou's eyes took on an almost hungry gleam for a moment before he sighed. "Ah, those were the days."
Rin smiled wistfully, remembering the games they both used to play when they were young, how they constantly tormented her father's retainer. The good old days, when life was carefree and innocent. Neither she, nor Shippou had to worry about things like war and treason or clashes between parts of the continent over power struggles.
'If only life could be so easy again,' she thought.
x0x0x0x
"Come on! We must hurry!" Hana called over her shoulder to the others running behind her.
Sesshoumaru ran along beside her, keeping pace with ease. Close behind were Inuyasha, carrying Kagome on his back, and Zetsuei, running alongside them, with Tsurugi lagging behind. Above them, Kyo was in dragon form, Mei Lhi riding on his back.
"Kyo says we're only about halfway there!" the hanyou woman yelled down to the others. "It'll be after dark by the time we arrive if we keep this pace!"
"Not good enough!" Inuyasha shouted. "We need to move faster!" The hanyou turned to glance behind him, seeing his nephew trailing after them by several feet. "Oi, Tsurugi! Get that pansy ass moving before we leave you behind!"
Tsurugi growled irritably, unaware of the sharp glare his father sent in his uncle's direction, and pushed himself to run faster, managing to match Zetsuei's pace.
They had been running all morning and the Taisho heir was exhausted. It became clear to him now that his parents and the rest of their companions were far more accustomed to running around all over Japan than he was. The others had been doing it for many years now, long before Tsurugi had ever been born. This sort of thing was practically second nature to them.
Suddenly, Zetsuei's head whipped to the left and he came to a stop.
"What is it?" the Taisho heir asked curiously, stopping beside the Torayoukai.
"I thought I just smelled other Torayoukai heading in the direction we just came," he answered.
"Torayoukai? That's impossible. We're still too far west for them to be out this way."
Zetsuei gave a stiff nod, trying to brush off a sudden feeling of unease. "Hm, you're probably right. It must be nothing."
'But still…I can't shake this feeling. Something's wrong. I just don't know what yet.'
x0x0x0x
"That was close." a Torayoukai muttered.
"Too close." another agreed.
"Do you think we'll manage to make it to the West undetected, Souzen?" the first asked.
"As long as we follow Noboru-sama's exact instructions, everything will go according to plan. Do not fret. We are the best of the stealth forces. If Noboru-sama did not have faith in our success at this mission, he would not have sent us," Souzen replied.
The rest of the Torayoukai, a company of eight, all nodded in understanding, renewed resolve burning in each of their eyes.
Souzen turned to look at them all, smirking. "Now then, forward! If we keep this pace, we will reach the West before Sesshoumaru and his companions can cross the East boundary line,"
"Hai!" they all chorused.
The nine of them continued to run west, feeling a rush of excitement and adrenaline coursing through their veins as the walls of the palace of the West arose in the near distance. Spurred on by their own anticipation to complete the job they had been tasked with, the Torayoukai stealth group pressed on, increasing their pace.
Each of them lunged skyward, swords singing from their scabbards, as they reached the east-facing wall of the palace. The guards posted on the wall were dead before they hit the ground. All nine Torayoukai leapt down from the wall, running across the courtyard. Their target was here, somewhere close by.
More guards seemed to have realized there were intruders and rushed toward the invaders, only to be cut down one by one, their enemies moving faster than their eyes could track. The few that managed to escape ran to raise the alarm, sending the Western Lands into chaos.
"So much for getting in undetected." one of the Torayoukai murmured.
"We may as well make this attack well-worth it," Souzen said. "Gentlemen, let's raise a little hell."
x0x0x0x
"Shippou-sama!" a guard yelled.
The kitsune looked up, turning away from one of the courtyard-facing windows. "The alarm's been raised. What's happened?"
"A nine-man squad of Torayoukai have attacked. They've taken out many of our men already. They're fast, faster than anything we've seen before,"
"Fast like someone with stealth training? Like Zetsuei?"
"Hai, exactly!"
"Shit," Shippou muttered. "What was their last known position? We need to secure the castle immediately."
"They've just breached the east court and the servant's quarters. They're looking for something, milord."
"Any idea as to who or what that might be?"
"None, sir."
"Concentrate on trying to stop them, no matter what it takes."
"But they're so fast! We cannot hope to fight against something we can barely see!"
"They may be faster than you and their movements difficult to read, but I have faith in you. Trust your instincts; it'll help make up for the disadvantage we have against them. Inform the men of this."
The guard nodded and rushed off. Shippou stepped quickly out of the room, reaching into his haori, withdrawing a handful of green leaves, his brow creasing worriedly before tucking them back into place.
'It's not enough, but it'll have to do. I need to stop them.'
He ran down the halls, following the scent of blood and death in the air, picking up a katana from one of the felled guardsmen, and entered the fray.
A Torayoukai spotted him, raising his blade against him. The swords clanged together again and again as they blocked strike after strike. Shippou raised his free hand, throwing a ball of kitsune bi in the Torayoukai's direction, momentarily blinding the youkai, giving the kitsune the opening he needed. He knocked his opponent's weapon from his hands and cut him down in a single pass, leaving the Torayoukai to bleed on the floor.
Suddenly, screams rang out from the women's quarters. One of the voices was unmistakable.
"RIN!"
x0x0x0x
A poison whip crackling with purifying energy shot out, yanking back one of the Torayoukai about to lunge at Rin.
"Onee-san!" Tsukimisou called. "Daijoubu ka?"
"Hai!" Rin answered, rushing over to her sister. "What's going on?"
"I don't know. But these Torayoukai, they're like Zetsuei-kun. Which means only one person could have sent them,"
"Noboru?"
"Sou desu," the youngest Taisho daughter affirmed. "Now come on, we have to get out of here. It isn't safe. We'll probably have to fight our way out, if we want to have any chance of escaping. I don't know how many of them there are."
Rin nodded, clenching a hand into a fist and flexing the claws on the other. Tsukimisou grinned and together, the two sisters broke into a run, only to find themselves cornered by four of the Torayoukai waiting for them at the opposite end of the corridor.
"I'll take the two on the left," the elder sister said.
"That leaves the two on the right for me," said the younger.
The Torayoukai rushed forward, both Taisho daughters meeting them head on. A blade sailed over Tsukimisou's head as she twisted out of the way, much to her opponent's surprise. Rin's claws tore through the side of one of the other youkai, wounding him.
"Bitch!" he roared, lashing out to strike her.
Rin was knocked aside, taking a blow to the face. Tsukimisou whirled around, preparing to attack, when the courtyard doors were sliced open, an auburn-colored blur dashing into the newly-made opening. Shippou stood between Rin and the other Torayoukai, raising his sword defensively.
"Touch her again, and it'll be the last thing you ever do," the kitsune growled.
The Torayoukai hissed with laughter, as if the fox had just told a particularly funny joke.
"Tsukimisou, is Rin alright?" Shippou asked, keeping his eyes trained on the intruders.
"Hai, she's fine, just a little dazed from the hit," she replied.
"Both of you need to get out of here. I'll hold these four off. Take Rin and go!"
Tsukimisou moved to help her elder sister, supporting her weight on her shoulders, and began to run for the opposite end of the hallway that they had just came. The Taisho heiress didn't get far.
More Torayoukai emerged from side doors or broke through walls, sneering at the two Inuyoukai women, drawing out the moment before they each lunged and attacked. Tsukimisou turned to look behind her, only to find Shippou busy fighting off the other youkai. She turned back, swallowing nervously.
"Rin," she whispered, digging an elbow into her sister's side as she backstepped away from the predatory youkai. "Rin, come on! Focus, I need you."
The older girl gave a groan, blinking her eyes several times and snapping back into awareness. The Torayoukai lunged; Tsukimisou shoved Rin away from her, her hands sparking with miko energy.
"Take another step and I'll purify you!" she shouted.
"Tsuki-chan, are you out of your mind?" Rin exclaimed.
Behind them, Shippou cried out in pain, one of the Torayoukai's blades managing to stab him in the shoulder. He staggered as blood streamed out of the open wound, his grip on his sword loosening.
Taking advantage of this moment of weakness, the Torayoukai prepared to deliver the finishing blow. Shippou saw the katana poised to cut off his head, knowing he'd never manage to parry it in time.
Rin's instincts were screaming that her mate was in danger, and suddenly she was running faster than she'd ever moved in her life. In an instant, she was standing between the youkai and Shippou defensively.
"Do not harm the female!" one of the Torayoukai growled. "Noboru-sama wants them both alive!"
Shippou glared at the youkai, firming his grip on his sword, and moved to push Rin behind him.
"So that's what he's after, is it?" he demanded. "You're not taking Rin!"
The Torayoukai smiled. "Is that so? Well then, I suppose one is better than none."
"What are you talking about?" Shippou snapped.
Behind him, Tsukimisou screamed, the miko energy fading from her palms as one of her attackers got in a lucky blow, knocking her unconscious, and proceeded to hoist the Taisho heiress onto their shoulder. The Torayoukai was covered in burns; two of his companions beside him were also in similar condition, while the fourth had fallen to the floor, unmoving. The youkai stepped over their motionless comrade, unconcerned about leaving him behind.
"Souzen!" Tsukimisou's captor yelled. "We're ready!"
The Torayoukai standing before Shippou, the one called Souzen, laughed and vanished from view, reappearing beside the rest of his men. With a victorious smirk, the Torayoukai and the rest of his stealth forces disappeared, fleeing toward the East, their captive in tow.
Shippou started after them, knowing it was in vain, for they were already long gone. He abruptly came to a halt just as a half dozen castle guards flooded the hallway somewhere a few feet away. Rin stood beside him, feeling her knees give beneath her. Immediately, Shippou's arm was around her, holding her up.
"It's happened again," she whispered. "Chichiue, forgive me."
The kitsune embraced her tightly, kissing the top of her head. "Don't blame yourself, Rin," he said soothingly. "We'll find her. I promise," he turned his head to glance at the guards behind, gesturing with his free arm toward the fallen youkai lying on the floor. "If that one's still alive, tie him up and search him for weapons. Maybe we can get some answers out of him."
x0x0x0x
Miles away, Zetsuei felt his blood run cold.
"Tsukimisou!"
A/N: And that's a wrap! I got a little carried away with writing this chapter. Haha. Anyway, sorry for the delay, as usual. But hopefully this is a good present for you all for the New Year. I blame spending three days straight reading a really good IY fanfic for my sudden interest in working on my own fanfic. So yay for fanficiton! It makes me write things! I'm actually about to start writing Ch. 29 because I honestly want to know what happens next now. I'm on edge from this cliffhanger! I've been writing for two hours straight this morning and I haven't had breakfast, so I'm just running on a big cup of coffee. And now, I will begin work on the next chapter. Hopefully the next update will come soon! Stay tuned everyone! Rate, review, whatever! Leave spam, hate—well, not so much hate—and comments. Ja ne until next time!
Updated Author's Note, March 21, 2012: Sorry for taking so long to post this. School's been really hectic since the Winter Quarter began, but I just finished my finals and I've finally recovered enough sleep and energy to actually go through the process of posting this now. Hopefully Ch. 29 won't have as much of a delay between finishing and posting the chapter. But I can make no guarantees. It all depends on how much schoolwork they plan to give me at the university. The Spring Quarter starts in less than two weeks, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see. However, I will say that Ch. 29 is complete (and has been for quite some time) and Ch. 30 is in the process of being written, I've just been holding off sending it to my beta since I've been so busy with school. Anyway, thank you all for your patience, everyone.
