Eleaya blinked awake, letting her green eyes slide open only to find herself drowning in two amber pools. For a moment, she was confused until the night's events rushed back to her. Her body started to ache just a bit but it was a good ache.
"Good morning," she greeted.
Sesshomaru graced her with a smile and closed the small amount of space between them to kiss her forehead.
"Wayne is on his way," he warned her, draping his weird fluff thing over her naked body.
Right as he did so, the door slid open.
"Wakey, wakey!" Wayne trilled.
He froze as the scene before him sank in.
"Hey, Wayne," Eleaya said nervously.
"YOU BEAST!"
Tenshi nearly dropped the bowl of water she carried right on Maho but managed to catch herself at the last second so that only a bit of the water sloshed over the side, landing on Maho's head.
"Thanks Akio," Maho snarled, glaring at the water user who was sitting across from Yuri playing GO.
"You're not Ceres, you'll live," he replied.
"HOW DARE YOU DEFLOWER MY SISTER!"
"Sounds like Wayne discoverd last night's adventure," Yuri chuckled.
"Should we let him know we knew?" Aya inquired.
"BEAST!"
"No way. He's mad enough at the parties involved," Shippo said, sipping at his juice.
They all froze as they were when Wayne stomped by,a naked Eleaya slung over his shoulder.
"STAY BACK! I'M PUTTING ELEAYA IN HER ROOM AND THEN I'M CALLING THE VET!" Wayne threatened.
Sesshomaru was following, a pair of loose jeans the only thing he was wearing.
"I like this house," Aya said, drooling as she stared at Sesshomaru's bare chest.
"It is not your place to threaten me," Sesshomaru declared.
"I'm her older brother!" Wayne growled.
"And I'm naked. Can I please go to my room?" Eleaya requested.
"Stay out of it!" Wayne yelled at her.
"For God's sake! Where's Ceres! She's at least good at shutting you numbskulls up!" Maho snapped.
Sesshomaru and Wayne both cast deadly glares at her.
"What did you call us?" Wayne asked.
"If you do not like how we run our household, you are welcome to remove your person from it," Sesshomaru added.
For just a moment they seemed to be on a united front until Wayne recalled that Sesshomaru had deflowered his sister.
"DON'T HELP ME!" Wayne yelled at Sesshomaru.
"You need help," was Sesshomaru's reply.
"My, they sound lively down there," Kagura remarked.
Inuyasha was sitting in the chair beside her, one of his legs pulled to his chest. He smirked.
"Agreed. And for so early in the morning."
He rolled his eyes.
"You should see Sesshomaru now. Even I have to admit he's changed," Inuyasha relented.
"No," Kagura said quickly. "I don't want to see Sesshomaru."
Inuyasha smirked.
"No rush. But can you tell me why?" he asked.
Kagura shook her head.
"Fair enough," Inuyasha relented.
He glanced at the covered tray resting on what had once upon a time been Kagome's desk.
"Did you eat your food?" he asked, pushing thoughts of Kagome from his head.
He had to or he'd go mad. The room looked exactly the same as when Kagome had resided in it. In fact, all the furniture was hers and her smell still clung to the entire room. He was practically drowning in Kagome.
"Yes," Kagura replied. "It was very good."
"I suspect anything's good when you're free," Inuyasha said.
Kagura faint smile vanished at the reminder of her imprisonment and Inuyasha kicked himself mentally. He wanted her feeling better rather than worse.
"Is there anywhere you want to go?" he asked.
Kagura turned those red eyes on him. Red eyes that reminded him of Himawari and Yuri. Yuri who was currently downstairs, probably about to burst with an eagerness unmatched, knowing her mother was just above her head.
"Not yet, I'm still tired," Kagura replied.
Inuyasha held in an annoyed sigh. Wasn't there anything she wanted to do? He decided to risk it.
"One of your daughters is right downstairs," he informed her.
Her face shadowed and her fingers curled harshly around the red sheets that Ceres had used to replace Kagome's old canary yelled ones.
"If she is from that man, she is not my daughter!" Kagura hissed.
Her tone was harsher than Inuyasha expected.
"She's not like him. Not anymore," he argued gently, assuming him meant Mamoru.
Kagura looked away.
"I don't want to meet her. I'd just...like to sleep," she declared, rolling onto her side, her back to him.
Inuyasha stood, sighing and picked up her tray.
"Have a good nap," he said as he left.
Outside the door, he paused, leaning back on it and lifting the cover off the tray a bit. The plate beneath was untouched.
"Liar," Inuyasha mumbled, heading downstairs to join the noise.
Ceres held in a snarl as Mamoru dumped another bucket of water over her head, leaving her sputtering and gasping for breath. He smirked down at her.
"Problem Ceres, darling?" he asked.
He kneeled in front of her, catching hold of her chin.
"I have to cleanse you so that Father's spell will be successful."
His orange eyes scanned her face.
"Though I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this," he admitted. "Preparing you to lose everything that makes you you? No amount of money could equate to that."
Ceres glared at him as he released her chin and stood, taking the bucket to the sink to fill it up again.
"I will never lose myself. Not again," Ceres declared.
Mamoru smiled, returning with a full bucket and dumping it on emerged, coughing and gagging up water.
"My father has many faults but his spells are second to none," he declared. "You won't have a choice."
"You picked the wrong person to control. The second I go up against them, Sesshomaru will kill me. He's been waiting since day one to do just that. You're giving him the perfect excuse."
"But you are Eleaya's best friend. She won't let him," Mamoru argued.
He rested his hands on the arms of her chair, leaning close.
"Neither will Akio. He will fight to his dying breath to keep you alive. A lot to do for someone who doesn't love him."
Ceres said nothing,keeping her gaze even with his. Mamoru smirked.
"Many a man is blinded by a woman. I have no such problems. Women are vile creatures and you are definently the worst."
He leaned closer so that he was level with her ear.
"I lost my son because of you."
"You lost him because you couldn't free him. I won't say it's all your fault but you played a role in it. As did I."
Mamoru drew back slowly, meeting her gaze.
"Admit that you hated your son. You only bring Koji up to get a point across. He was nothing more than a pawn and so is Himawari," Ceres declared.
Mamoru moved faster than Ceres could track, slapping her with enough force to send her head to the left. She stared at the floor for a few moments in shock, studying the blood pattern as it mixed with the water and swirled, like smoke in air. She found it faintly fascinating and regretted looking away but Mamoru did not give her much choice. He fisted a handful of her hair, yanking her back.
"Do not claim to know me so well!" he roared. "I would kill you here, now, if I wasn't under order."
Ceres smirked up at him.
"But you are. As much as you look down on me, as much as you hate me, as much as you mock me, you are someone's like me."
Mamoru gave her hair a final jerk before releasing her with a snarl. He retrieved his bucket and filled it with water again.
"Stop talking," he ordered, dumping it over her head.
Finally dressed, Eleaya sprinted down the hall towards Ceres's room. It was the only logical place for her to be hiding, probably to avoid Akio. Eleaya grasped the handle, knocking as she turned it.
"Ceres, if you're not decent, you better cover up fast," she proclaimed, entering the room.
She froze in the doorway, beholding the woman who stood by the woman stared back at her, equally shocked.
"Eleaya!" Inuyasha's voice rang out.
Eleaya didn't move, keeping her eyes locked on the woman's red ones even as a clawed hand wrapped around her upper arm. Eleaya expected Inuyasha but looking up, she found Sesshomaru. The demon lord wasn't looking at her though. He was staring, almost entranced, at the woman with red eyes.
"Shit," Inuyasha spat.
He wormed his way past Sesshomaru and Eleaya who blocked the doorway joining the woman by the window.
"Kagura, what are you doing up? Your still weak," he scolded gently.
"I feel better," Kagura said.
She had taken her eyes off Eleaya for just a moment but returned to Eleaya.
"Who are you?" she asked, shaking off Inuyasha's loose grip and slowly approaching Eleaya.
Eleaya was glad Sesshomaru was right there. He tugged her back, pushing her behind him.
"Do you not trust me?" Kagura asked, looking hurt.
Sesshomaru did not answer, looking over his shoulder at Eleaya.
"I have checked for Ceres outside and found her scent as well as Mamoru. They were both faint from last night's storm. I suspect Ceres has been abducted."
Eleaya nodded, still trying to absorb the events of the day.
"Sesshomaru, who is she?" Kagura demanded to know, raising her voice just a bit.
She was staring at Eleaya with a burning curosity that seemed to wound Eleaya. Sesshomaru seemed accustomed to the look and sent his own withering one that would have killed her if looks could only kill.
"She is Eleaya and she is my mate."
