A/N: WOOT! I'M ALIVE!!! THANKS TO GINGER ALE AND BROWNIES!!! Gods, I love brownies... :-D IF YOU'RE IN THE Inuyasha Fanguild VOTE FOR THIS STORY AS BEST AU!! SHOW SOME LOVE! Voting begins February 15!
Thanks to those of you who nominated and seconded me, specifically Kitz-the-Kitsune and Catlover260! This chappie is dedicated to fangremtom2--half of your ideas are in this chapter and in the next, I promise!
Anyway, guess what? I'm getting a freakin' root canal in ten days and I'm terrified of dentists! Like, I'm nearly PHOBIC! I AM GOING TO DIE!!! :-(
So, sorry for the late update. I recently got into reading yaoi manga for some reason... If any of you are yaoi fans out there, read Junjou Romantica on mangafox. com! It's great, corny, romantic, funny, and fluffy! :-D
And this review belongs to someone... 'A Mere Observer'...
Alright, first off, this story is just one big fat cliché after another.
Poor bored high school girl wishes for more adventure in her life. Poor bored
high school girl mysteriously encounters magical hottie. Poor bored high
school girl is actually a princess! OMG!
And even if I could bring myself to overlook the terribly formulaic nature of
the story, that still wouldn't excuse the characterizations. They all read
as flat and rather boring, mere pawns being moved about for your own amusement
rather than actual characters with feelings and motives and depth.
Kagome is basically a lazy and malcontent bum. She whines about wanting more
excitement in her life but doesn't do a darn thing about anything. Frankly
it's hard to sympathize with her.
Inuyasha has no more depth to him than the fact that he's a god and he is
mindlessly pursuing Kagome for no real reason. He seems more ridiculous than
anything else.
Anyway, this story could use some major revisions. Work on it.
I'm sorry you feel that way, A Mere Observer, IF you're still reading my 'big fat cliche' of a story. But this is what I have to say in return:
1. KAGOME IS NOT A PRINCESS. :-D If you read the story, Inuyasha only calls her a princess because he's a prince and she's his fiancee. That doesn't mean she was born into royalty and stuff.
2. I'm a poor bored high school girl, so obviously my life will influence my writing. There's nothing I can do about it, so I'm very sorry. And I love using characters to my own amusement, how did you know? :-D But that's what a fanfiction writer is all about: manipulating characters to how you want them to act, canon or not. If the outcome is a good story, then great. If not, well, the author must have enjoyed writing it. Besides, I write as stress relief--sorry if my laid-back personality causes my characters to lose 'emotional depth'.
3. Don't worry, Kagome! I'm a lazy bum so I sympathize!
4. Inuyasha is pursuing Kagome not because he likes her, but because his loyalty to his mother is forcing him to. I'm guessing you have to understand that Inuyasha really loves his mother and would do anything for her--remember, he wasn't born in a society with modern mortals like us where PSPs are preferred over parents.
5. YOU DIDN'T READ PAST THE FIRST CHAPTER!!!!!!!
Note to all of you readers out there and stuff. If you're going to review anonymously and critque my story, please make sure you read past the first chapter--it's the one with the most mistakes, I know. I've read stories with horrible first chapters but gave them a chance and they turned out to be the best stories I've ever read!
DO NOT write a review like this and leave me with no method of replying or justifying myself. I'm not going to chew you out and make fun of you or delete your review or whatever. I just want to talk--you know, heart to heart.
And you can all thank this review for your delayed update. I was busy taking his or her advise and revising the first chapter. Actually, I revised almost this whole re-read it! :-D
Anyway, the next time I get an anonymous review that criticizes my story with no actual proof (meaning, the critic didn't even read the whole story to justify his or her critique) I'm not acknowledging it. At all. And maybe I'll go back on my word and delete it.
No, I'm not being a bitch about it. I just want a way to talk things over so that I can get your honest opinion on how to make my story better. But you must hear the author's view of the matter as an online critic. Keep this in mind as you read other stories. :-D
Enjoy the chappie!
Oh My Gods! 34
...Recap...
Kagome was having a hard time processing recent events. It required no description, no exaggeration, no drama; it was as though Meimori merely lifted his arm to point at a thief. Except in reality he impaled his cousin and rendered him immobile.
And that was it. The end. Now she was going to lose him after she vowed not to.
Losing him...she was losing him again...oh gods no...
She was in so much shock that she couldn't stop the demon god from slinging his injured cousin onto his shoulder.
"Well, cousin Kagome, if you need anything...that's just too bad. See ya later!" He turned around to disappear where he came from...
...but a silver handgun pressed firmly against his forehead halted his departure.
Meimori's silver eyes widened. "Kikyou..." Damn his luck! Of all the times she—argh!
The mahogany-eyed woman sustained unveiled an expression promising a swift death; of course, she had the ability to purify him with only one spirit bullet. "Unlike Kagome, I'm not letting you take off with Inuyasha. Now that's just too bad."
...End Recap...
Meimori weighed his options as he stared through the nozzle of a silver handgun, which he fleetingly noted was handmade by the Gunslingers mercenary group. It was so easy to distract himself from the matter at hand...ah! Now he was back on track. He realized that if he confronted Kikyou, she'd kill him.
And then there was Kagome...
The dog demon turned around, only to come face to face with another handgun. What the hell?! This time, there were two sable black guns in his face, threatening to purify him with spirit bullets. His arctic silver eyes slowly followed the slender hands holding the guns...which led to arms covered by a pajama sweater...
...the owner of those arms was one pissed off Kagome...
Damn, he should've remembered that she was stubborn as hell.
"Unlike Kikyou," the miko began in a deadly calm voice, her chocolate eyes flaring in warning, "I'm not waiting for you to escape. That's. Just. Too. Bad!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
He wasted no time to erect his barrier, protecting himself from the onslaught of spirit bullets. Thank gods! The teen was furious; her entire hands were glowing pink, engulfing her two guns, which were also products of the Gunslingers. Such a thing was impossible!
When the hell did Kagome get those guns?! Meimori growled and glanced back at a smirking Kikyou, and he deduced his answer almost instantly. She summoned them for her. Damn bitch! At least, for some odd reason, she wasn't hell bent on killing him like Kagome was...
Oh yeah, it's illegal for an immortal to kill in the mortal realm, so she's letting Kagome do all the work. His cousin broke the law, right? Sesshoumaru should've punished him severely. Rin took care of that, though. Unfortunately.
How much longer could he hold a barrier? The strain wasn't taxing too much on his strength; the demon god was able to concentrate on leaving the area. However, before he could gather enough energy to transport himself out of this realm...
"You forgot one thing, cousin. I'm not as weak as I was before."
...Inuyasha decided to aid his fiancée's efforts.
All his silver eyes could see was a bright, golden light gradually growing stronger behind him, yet it was enough for Meimori to curse and literally throw his cousin away from him. But the hanyou merely suspended his body in air above him; with his eyes covered by a sheet of golden light, he blasted the older demon god.
BOOM! Not even his barrier could spare the dog demon!
"Dammit," Meimori groaned as he lied on the ground, covered by debris from the blast. He neglected to stand back up. Why the hell didn't the paralysis spell work? Was his cousin that much stronger since his awakening? "Dammit!"
"I believe you should stand up, Meimori, because Kagome is still furious..." Kikyou crossed her arms, relishing in the current events. As it turned out, she barely moved a muscle and the demon god was already incapacitated.
Being a bystander was actually pretty fun...
"Hell yeah I'm pissed!" Kagome seemingly abandoned all rationality and kicked the demon in the gut, watching in perverse satisfaction as he growled in pain and curled his legs into his chest.
"What a baby," Inuyasha muttered as he watched the scene, no longer in midair. Perhaps he should be scared of the miko right now or wondering why Kikyou was here...but he couldn't help sniggering at his 'almighty' cousin. "Can't even take a beating from a girl..."
"Shut up! You're next!" When Kagome pointed a gun at him, the hanyou gulped and kept his mouth shut. Yup, she's really pissed off.
The raven-haired teen made it impossible for Meimori to concentrate enough to escape; hell, she ended up straddling his chest to prevent him from leaving! No one could find humor—or perversion—in it when she shoved a gun in his face and had the other poised near his neck.
Gods, she has to be a dog demon in disguise! She was snarling at him! Teeth bared and everything! This was not Kagome—this was a kick-ass devil's incarnate! Hmph, this is why girls should never play with guns.
They were virtually driven insane with them.
"Stupid jerk! You think you can just come here, stab my fiancé, and leave with him like an innocent puppy? Hell no!" Kagome glared down at the dog demon, daring him to mutter the sarcastic remark nearly rolling off his tongue. "I want answers and I want them now."
Inuyasha blinked and cocked his head, baffled. The eighteen-year old miko was furious, yes, but she was also possessive of him—dear lord, of him! Usually it was the other way around! So, she's mad because Meimori was going to kidnap me? So that was why she disregarded Kikyou for the moment...
And yet, his heart fluttered with hope. It had been so long since he allowed himself to feel such a thing... Hope was an amazing sentiment that washed over him and eased his body's tension.
Gods, she said 'my fiancé'! A smile curved his lips while the hanyou's golden eyes glittered. She wasn't breaking up with him! They were still engaged!
Not like they could break up in the first place, but she was acknowledging their commitment to each other. After what occurred a few moments before and yesterday, it was as good as forgiveness!
But things were still far from resolved...
Meimori scoffed at the miko, however, ignorant of his cousin's sigh of relief. "Or what? Are you going to kill me, my princess? It's bad enough I'm stuck with a rabid miko—" WHAM! "GAH! What the hell was that for, you crazy bitch?!" WHAM! "STOP!" WHAM! "ALRIGHT! I'll talk! Just stop!"
Inuyasha had to sympathize with his cousin, though, after Kagome slapped him with her guns, which he surmised were provided by Kikyou at the last minute. The poor hanyou knew the agony of being abused by furious, uptight priestesses with guns...
Kagome narrowed her chocolate eyes, yet made no move to hit Meimori again. Why was she so angry? Because no one, dammit, no one was allowed to hurt her hanyou in her face and run away unscathed!
She was sweet, she was kind, she was friendly—but a downright bitch when her property was threatened!
Err...when did she become so possessive?
After this, I might enroll in rehab... Well, at the moment, she was caught in the thrill of exercising power over an arrogant, jerk-faced demon god. Rin wasn't the only insane one when it came to defending her mate... Yes, and Inuyasha is my mate—no matter what.
Always.
Meimori paused to lick the blood from the corner of his lip; he couldn't count the number of times his fangs bit into his lip. I hate priestesses. His father warned him about Kagome, but he never listened. "Well? What do you expect me to do? Spill my guts? Tell you my heart-wrenching story? I'd bullshit it, anyway..."
"Why don't you tell her why you're here today, hm?" Kikyou, who was now comfortably leaned against a tree enjoying the show, suggested in an innocent tone of voice.
The dog demon snorted. "Why don't you stick your gun up your ass and die? I thought you were on my side, bitch!" She worked with him once and suddenly she switched sides! Talk about a two-faced backstabber!
I'm gonna kill Kagura for telling her about my plans! GRR! Yeah, he could pretend he was really mad at her...
"I'm neutral, remember? That's the whole reason why I joined the Gunslingers." She shrugged as if it was no big deal. Truthfully, it wasn't. Kikyou fought with whomever she deemed it necessary.
The end.
"Are you saying the Gunslingers—Bankotsu and that sick bastard Jakotsu," Inuyasha shuddered as he said the abhorred man's name, "aren't evil?"
Kagome was also having trouble accepting it. She battled Kikyou about four months ago; her pains and misery during the fight couldn't all be due to the woman's passion for combat! Hmph, yeah, like Kikyou has a passion for anything.
Again, the purple/black-haired miko shrugged indifferently. "They're mercenaries—they join whichever side pays them the most. In our prior altercation, Meimori paid quite a hefty sum of money for them to fight you."
"Keh! Fuck that—they wanted to kill me!" He could still feel his bruises from that battle...grr! Inuyasha hated Jakotsu's snake sword and never desired to see it again—the damn weapon nearly caused his death!
Not to mention the fact that Jakotsu creepily hit on him and threatened to kill him at the same time...it was disturbing...
"But they failed to kill you, anyway," Meimori sighed with a frown plastered on his handsome face, "and my pocket had a huge dent afterwards. My poor, long lost money..." WHAM! "STOP HITTING ME!"
"Those freaky jerks almost killed my fiancé! And if it wasn't for Rin, Sesshoumaru would be dead! Obviously you can't imagine the stressful day we suffered after that battle!" WHAM! "Asshole! You should be ashamed of yourself!"
Then again...that certain 'stressful' day was the same one in which Kagome instigated her first real make out session with Inuyasha... Hmph, there was no need to start blushing in front of her captive, though...
Kikyou ignored the trio of imbeciles when Meimori muttered another insensitive comment—this time about her blush—causing Kagome to brazenly smack him with her gun numerous times while Inuyasha tried in vain to haul her off his 'dying' cousin. Her mahogany eyes, however, flitted across the clearing and soon settled on a large tree situated behind the arguing group.
A smirk formed on her attractive face and she finally banished her guns. Weapons were no longer required, because any future altercation would be prevented by a much stronger combatant. I guess it's time to leave.
"—and you wish you had a girlfriend! She'd probably be as freaky as—huh?" Kagome suddenly stopped in mid-rant, much to a certain dog demon's relief, and stared at her confused fiancé. "I feel...weird...like I'm—AH!"
"Kagome!" She was floating! How the hell was she able to float five feet above Meimori?! And it wasn't the bastard's doing because he lacked the energy to summon even a spark of energy!
Inuyasha growled once she was placed as far away from Meimori as possible—he now knew who was responsible. The identity of the person was who would desire to protect someone like his merciless cousin was unmistakable... "Kizurei! Show yourself, asshole!"
"Wow, why are you all so pissy today? I think everyone here needs a ten minute break with cookies included." The lavender-eyed dog demon stepped away from the tree he had hid behind and smiled at his annoyed cousin. "Actually, I could go for some cookies right about now..."
Strangely, instead of sporting his battle outfit, he was wearing a dark purple button-up shirt and black slacks—mortal clothing. Inuyasha and Kagome cocked their heads simultaneously in confusion. Since when did Kizurei copy modern fashion?!
"Kikyou!" Kizurei grinned and nodded towards the reticent miko, who walked up behind the befuddled couple. "Thanks for stalling! Oh, and give Miroku and Sango my thanks, as well."
"WHAT?!" The others in the forest, including a sitting upright Meimori, shouted in disbelief. It couldn't be! Kikyou and Kizurei were working together! The apocalypse was coming!
"Hm...I'll make sure to remember," she replied, her voice laced in apathy, and the miko placed a hand on the shoulders of Inuyasha and Kagome. They immediately tensed. "We'll be back in a few days. Did you take care of their absentee forms?"
What in the world were they talking about? It was lost on the hanyou and miko.
Kizurei nodded. "Don't worry about matters over here—everything is set." He turned to his cousins and beamed at them, though the others noted he looked more like a mischievous puppy than an ultimately powerful dog demon. "Have fun training, you two!"
Kagome frowned. This is getting way too weird... "What do you mean by tha—?"
In a split second, Kikyou, Inuyasha, and Kagome disappeared without a trace. Not even their footprints were left on the grass! Meimori quickly stood from the ground and gaped; he was completely incredulous. He stared at his younger brother before slowly shaking his head, as though ridding himself of painful thoughts.
"You're a straight up dick, Rei. You knew I was coming here...you knew all about my plans and you told Kikyou to stop me..." His first thought was to accuse Kagura, but it turned out she was innocent.
Well, it was hard to believe his own twin would sink so low. No, he was only doing what he seemed fit. They were enemies, weren't they?
Meimori furiously rejected that notion. His little brother would always be his little brother.
Kizurei shrugged and moved to stand beside the elder dog demon, sighing as he shoved his hands in his pant pockets. "Look, Mei, I just can't let you do anything stupid while our father is close by."
"What? He's here?!" His arctic silver eyes widened as he gasped. "Fuck! What the hell is he doing here?!"
"You already know what he's after, dumbass!" Yes, it wasn't a secret. The time Lady Izayoi foretold was quickly approaching; of course their master would hasten to prepare. "He met up with Sesshoumaru. I think it's too late for him."
Meimori mulled over this tidbit of information. The first step in his father's plan was to separate Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru from their chosen mates. Because Kikyou basically abducted the hanyou and his miko, they couldn't be divided...
...but, Sesshoumaru and Rin...
Now he understood why Kizurei did what he did. If he had taken Inuyasha as planned, he would've unintentionally initiated his father's plot, and it was his goal to do the complete opposite. Besides, the hanyou hardly cared about his uncle—convincing him to leave to the immortal realm without his miko would have been difficult, anyway.
Yet...Sesshoumaru was a different case altogether. The bastard was stubborn as hell, sure, but unlike his brother, he cared more about his kingdom than prancing around like a berserk idiot. He comprehended his duty to the Western Lands, and if need be, he'd abandon all else to attain his throne.
His master solely required was the right order of words and Sesshoumaru would depart for the immortal realm immediately. It was unacceptable, however, because Rin was incapable of travelling to the immortal realm on her own unlike Kagome, even though the latter teen was unaware of the actual method.
Dammit...at this rate, Father is going to get his revenge on Uncle InuTaishou sooner than expected... He had to prevent it, somehow! But then...what about his own desires? If he truly yearned to revive Rima, then he would be sacrificing Rin...which was the same as separating her from Sesshoumaru.
Either way...he was still initiating his father's plans. Dammit, I lose at all possible angles.
"Come on, Mei, I know exactly where they are."
The dog demon snapped out of his thoughts and faced his brother, who was already walking away from the clearing. "Are you suggesting we spy on our master? If we're caught, we're dead."
"Inuyasha never noticed our presence and he's much stronger than before. I suppose my new spell is successful, huh?" Kizurei smiled again, exposing his childlike delight in anything dealing with the ancient immortal language. His brother shook his head in pity. "Mei! This is our chance—don't waste it! He won't notice us, I promise!"
"And what if he does?"
"I'll accept full blame."
"Well, in that case..." Meimori smirked and ruffled the younger demon's sable hair, much to his disgruntlement. "Lead the way, Rei! Oh, and I hope you're not caught..."
He received a glare in response. "Anyone who denies you're a manipulative bastard is a goddamn liar."
No doubt about it.
Sesshoumaru sensed the precise moment his brother and his miko ceased to exist in the mortal realm, meaning that they escaped to the immortal realm. He also sensed the precise moment his uncle decided to materialize in front of him, preventing him from investigating the unmistakable explosion of his brother's energy.
But he never sensed this precise moment coming at him from afar.
The moment when he would have to submit to his superior...again...
"It's been a long time, hasn't it, malek?"
Malek: a derogatory word in the immortal tongue related to subordinate, inferior, junior, servant, slave... His uncle always used that term to refer to his nephew—never had he directly or indirectly included him as a member of his family, his royal bloodline.
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. He was beneath no one, so he shouldn't be treated as such.
Not even by his own uncle...
Yet, he bit his tongue, forbidding the retort sitting on its tip from voicing itself. It was unbecoming of him to lose his cool composure—to express anger or distaste was merely adhering to the fact that his uncle won the battle to irk him. The dog demon was no fool in his relative's game.
Of course, he had been playing it for years.
"I see that you've forgotten your custom among mortals," the silver-eyed dog demon murmured in his smooth, deep voice, the corner of his lips rising in a lazy smirk. "Don't fret; I'll allow you to redeem yourself."
Sesshoumaru knew what his uncle was suggesting. In his culture—his royal family's way of life—any insubordinate was supposed to kneel in the presence of those of high rank. It was common courtesy or polite to do so, even if it meant diminishing one's pride. To refuse to kneel was an overt form of disrespect and punishable insolence.
Granted, both he and his uncle were rank ten demon gods, but...
...until he became King of the Western Lands, he was still beneath the brother of the late ruler.
Seiryuu watched his nephew closely, waiting with his smirk still firmly planted on his handsome face for the younger demon to bend on one knee. Seconds ticked by and he did nothing of the sort. Sesshoumaru's honey eyes only narrowed even further as he stood his ground, stubborn like a proud dog should be.
Unacceptable...it was solely unacceptable...
"Malek, you do not have the power to refuse me. Unlike that half-breed brother of yours, your mother disciplined you. Kneel."
The golden-eyed dog demon silently ground his teeth. Why did he have to mention his mother? She was in league with him, no doubt; ever since she married his father, she sided with Seiryuu in punishing him for his disobedience. 'Discipline him, Seiryuu' or 'respect your uncle' would always come from her mouth, not his father's.
In simple terms, she ruined his life. He couldn't think about her without feeling the urge to wring her neck. Dangerous thoughts...dangerous feelings...dangerous...
She evoked danger from him...
"What is it that you seek, uncle?" Sesshoumaru opted instead for ignoring the matter at hand. He absolutely denied the part of him deeply rooted to his past of perfect obedience the right to force his body to kneel in front of a bastard.
"Hmph. This is what your human bitch has done to you," Seiryuu sighed in dismay, treading closer to his frozen still nephew. His arctic eyes narrowed in consideration, assessing the younger demon's apathetic façade, which he had perfected in his later teen years. "Are you positive you wish to defy me?"
Sesshoumaru dared not to utter a word. Childhood memories caused his heart to race, and he knew that his uncle was aware of it. Of course, he was not afraid of Seiryuu—it was impossible for him, a complete demon god with ultimate power, to be frightened like a weaning pup.
No...it was those damn memories that summoned terror within him...
"Answer me, malek. Are you positive you wish to defy me?"
He had asked the same question when he was about six or seven years old over the matter of addressing him as 'Lord Seiryuu'. Sesshoumaru remembered in vivid detail the outcome of that disagreement...
But this time, he was not six—he was a few months away from twenty-one.
"I am positive..." He observed in satisfaction as his uncle's smirk faded. "I am positive I wish to defy you, Uncle. And if you dare to touch me, I will disintegrate your hands in an instant."
Freedom...freedom from rules of society and familial ties was like a highly addictive drug rendering him in a clouded daze...
...that was, until the clouds evaporated and he crashed, returning to his harsh reality.
At first, Seiryuu only stared at his nephew unblinkingly, incredulous of the younger demon's impertinence. Yet, he then smiled...a lazy smile, malicious in every single way...sadistic in nature...
And after a split second...Sesshoumaru couldn't breathe.
Literally.
His golden honey eyes widened substantially, and his hands flew to his throat, clawing at it, wondering why it barricaded air from entering his lungs. Dammit...dammit!!! He needed to breathe, but air wouldn't enter his nostrils! What the hell is—a-ah...shit...
A sharp tendril of pain nearly sliced his chest open, where his heart was, and the fragile organ throbbed in agony at every passing second. Sesshoumaru was desperate now—he could almost feel blood clotting in his arteries as his airways continued to be blocked by some...kind of...
Uncle... The veins on his eyes were bulging crimson as he glanced up at the smiling demon ruler. He knew he couldn't kill his nephew without a dimension blade, but his goal was torture...and he effectively reached his goal. Uncle!
Sesshoumaru sunk to his knees, no longer having the energy to remain standing, to remain indignant, to remain...free from control. He was useless, powerless... Inuyasha might complain about not being accepted by society, yet he never had to endure this from his own blood relative.
He was never forced to kneel like the lowliest of servants.
And even though Sesshoumaru was already kneeling just as his uncle desired, his suffering merely continued. The pain in his chest was worse than being impaled in the gut—and the fact that he could do nothing about it intensified his agony. But he was already on his goddamn knees!
What else did his uncle desire from him?! Further humiliation?!
His brain was losing the ability to function properly...his vision was doubling...his body trembled. But, because he couldn't breathe, he was also unable to scream out his pain, to relieve the agony tormenting his constricting heart, his lamenting soul...
It was the absolute worse torture in existence!
He couldn't die...no, he couldn't. However, he was aware of his surroundings, aware of the merciless power of his uncle. It was enough to kill him.
And he knew...Sesshoumaru now knew he could never defy Seiryuu.
Malek...he was forever known as a malek...
"Stop!"
Warm hands clasped his shoulders and shook him, though his body was already shaking with the strain his uncle's intense spell was putting on him. Someone was...crying, as well, since he felt tears dripping onto his light blue shirt.
Who was this person? His olfactory nerve was unable to decipher the scent of this person unless he inhaled, which was virtually impossible in his state. Who was this kind, compassionate person?
But he soon discovered the identity of the sobbing person—no, woman...
Rin.
"Stop it, Uncle Seiryuu! Please! You're torturing him! Stop it!"
Her hands, however, abruptly left him along with her presence beside him. W-Where...?
It came as a great surprise to Sesshoumaru when he was suddenly able to breathe, and his chest also stopped constricting simultaneously. He panted as he maintained a kneeling position, gradually aware of the beads of sweat slowly trailing over his flushed skin, and focused on controlling his erratic breathing. But...
Why in the world did uncle stop? Granted, he was glad he was free from his uncle's torture spell, yet usually the demon didn't stop on behalf of someone's whim!
Finally it registered into the dog demon's head that Rin was nowhere beside him, and he glanced to his right, searching for her... The sight meeting his wide golden honey eyes was far from what he initially expected, though, and he stood on shaky limbs, his lips parted in a small gape.
Unbelievable... Rin stood over Seiryuu with her fist in front of her as her chest heaved deeply with every breathe she took. Her cinnamon eyes were shielded by her obsidian bangs, yet her determined posture relayed enough about the situation to Sesshoumaru. I think this is the perfect moment to faint.
And the demon ruler, his reagent, was...he was...she...
Rin had punched his uncle! Seiryuu was on the ground glaring at her with a bruised cheek!
"I swear to InuTaishou's grave, Uncle Seiryuu," the dark-haired teen began in a menacing whisper, her fists now trembling in restraint at her sides, "that if you hurt Sesshoumaru again, I will return the favor. I swear it."
Seiryuu narrowed his gaze and stood. His bruise was already gone, but it left its scar on his pride and ego, and he loathed the fact that the human before him was aware of it. How impudent... He hated impudent bitches. He hated her. "This does not involve you, human."
"It does involve me, you know why? Because my fiancé happens to have an uncle overdue for his loony bin appointment—and hey! He's you!" Rin lifted her chin like a royal lady would do while scoffing at an insignificant vermin. Her act—a reminder that she was the future Lady of the Western Lands—only served to further infuriate the demon.
"You dare to insult me?" He could hardly believe the impertinence of a woman beneath him! "Know your place, girl. You are not a queen." At least not yet. Her current status was what mattered, anyway.
"And you are not the boss of me! Just what the hell is wrong with you? Your younger brother killed your older brother—it's horrible, I know, but it doesn't justify you holding a grudge against his sons!"
Sesshoumaru noticed that Rin was gradually overstepping her boundaries with the way his uncle's azure blue aura darkened considerably. When she was angry, she was a bitch from hell, and his uncle was the devil in charge of her.
If she continues spewing nonsense... "Rin, I'm fine. Let's leave."
She raised her hand in a gesture to stop speaking, and her fiancé nearly choked on air. He was just dismissed! For the first time in his life, someone had the gall to dismiss him, Prince of Makai! What the hell was happening—was he already becoming whipped?!
No...that occurred the moment he first met the overly cheerful teen.
Seiryuu flicked his silver eyes over his disgruntled nephew prior to smirking at the raving girl. "Of course...you have already experienced murdering your family. Tell me, my dear, how did it feel to be rid of your nuisances? Common human mortals are pathetic, aren't they?"
"Uncle! Enough!" Sesshoumaru walked up beside his fiancée, glaring at the brash dog demon in front of him murderously. He didn't know what his relative was trying to prove, but like hell he was going to let him accuse Rin of murder! "What is it that you seek once and for all?"
It was better to change the topic, for they were all treading on dangerous ground. A few months ago, he remembered Kagura mentioning that Rin had killed her family by misusing a certain little gift of immortals—the gift of power he shared with her during the Shurikan. But...everything the demoness said...could it have been true?
He glanced at Rin, yet her cinnamon eyes were once again covered by her bangs, and her fists were clenched at her sides. Apparently, she knew something Sesshoumaru didn't. No, Uncle knows something, as well...
"The only thing I desire, malek," Seiryuu began with an exaggerated sigh, the corner of his lips still upturned in a condescending smirk, "is for you to stop fooling around with the human girl and resume your post in Makai."
Sesshoumaru narrowed his golden honey eyes suspiciously; the fact that Rin had yet to utter a word also bothered him. Yes, he had taken a few years absence—by immortal timing, at least—and left his kingdom in his regent's care in order to seek his fiancée. Yet, he wasn't married and didn't plan on marrying until Rin graduated from high school.
There were still approximately four months left in his little 'vacation'.
"What are you trying to say?" I'm not returning unless—
Seiryuu's cruel smirk morphed into a malicious smile only seen on the faces of ruthless, unsympathetic rulers about to march into battle already won. "There is to be a war between the Western and Southern Lands, and you must claim the king's throne before it is too late."
A/N: END!