Author's Note:
Getting near the end of the story now. Thank you so much for those of you that are reading again and for those who are reviewing! Next update in a few days everyone!
Chapter Thirty-Four
Thundering Dawn of War
Chaos had swept over the castle at the arrival of the message. Rin worried her lip between her teeth, staring at the note in Nannami's slender fingers. The Demoness had turned the ragged, swiftly written note over and over again, as if it would offer the five of them some answers. But there were none. Kazuki stood behind Rin, flat against the wall, his head tipped back against the stone silently, while the little toad demon beside him exploded.
"This is ridiculous!" he squealed. "Lord Sesshomaru has only been gone a few hours; if they have taken Lady Tsukihime then it can only just have occurred!"
"The note was sent before, it shows their confidence, which is worrying," Takara murmured thoughtfully from his place at a suddenly pale Nannami's side. "No one has got so much as a mile within the Lady Tsukihime since Hikireimaru three years ago… I…I am concerned as to what methods they will resort to keep her..."
Slowly, Takara prised the note from his mate's rigid fingers and stared at the words. "The script is careless but established. This is no common hunter. These people know what they are doing–"
"-And the words?" Nannami interrupted, her voice uneven, fractured. "'We have her, send Inuyasha alone if you want to see her again'?"
"I fear that is merely a vendetta against Inuyasha they wish to solve," Takara answered simply, the voice of reason in the panicked room, "a trap I hope our Lords are not so torn with grief as to walk into when they read this note."
"Lord Sesshomaru is careless when he is angry," Rin murmured quietly to her lap. "What if he loses his temper–?"
"They will be back, Rin," Kazuki assured her softly, squeezing her shoulder, but she got to her feet, spinning on her heel to face him. He stepped back a little in surprise.
"You cannot know that – and we cannot simply sit here and do nothing!"
"Calm down, Rin," Takara began, but the human's worries cut across him.
"I cannot sit back and hope!"
"While Lord Sesshomaru is away from the castle you are my responsibility and you will not leave these walls until his return – is that clear, Rin." Her name came out as an evenly furious blow, those misty blue eyes watching her with hardened determination. With that she fled the room, the door shuddering in its frame as it slammed shut.
Kazuki sighed, offering Nannami and a still rigid Takara a silently explanatory look, before following after the human girl. Of course his demon speed gave him an advantage in any case, but she had not run far, and the sweet scent of her drew him towards the summer garden – the gift Sesshomaru had given Inuyasha the night of their mating ceremony…
The sky darkened overhead, rain leaking treacherously from the black clouds. The almost lilac leaves and blossoms were in full bloom, at their most beautiful before their end approached. Kazuki paused at the arbour leading through to the fountain, plucking the full, crimson bloom from its stem gently. The petals felt soft on his fingertips, and he traced the delicate shapes thoughtfully, as he continued up the path towards the sound of flowing water.
The rain broke the surface of the calm pool, shattering the reflection of her beautiful face with ripples. Kazuki's brows descended into a frown as he paused behind her where she stood, staring at her broken image in the water.
He set a careful, doting hand on her comparably fragile shoulder (his strength had grown in recent years as well as his young body). He watched her reflection smile, and her own, snow-white hand came to meet his, their fingers entangling without sharing so much as a word or glance. Rin stifled a sob terribly, as her free hand wiped the anxious tears from her mahogany orbs. Kazuki felt something in his chest knot at the sound and sight.
"I just want this to be over," she whispered, her broken voice almost lost to the low-howling wind that had started to pick up with the oncoming storm. "I just want them to come home without Hikireimaru haunting the doorstep…"
Kazuki smiled sadly, knowing she could see his expression in the rippled water.
"All will be well, My Lady," he said courteously, all boyish gestures overridden with very adult sincerity. His voice was quiet, contemplative, even as a low blush rode over his cheeks.
Rain beat hard down upon their heads now. Offering a swift glance to the dark heavens that roared above, Kazuki turned her shivering body to him. There was a moment, a fleeting second when their gazes met. Her eyes glazed over as she stared up with wide-eyed wonder, the pale lilac of his haori a blur as he swept it over her head and shoulders, shielding her from the rain. Those mahogany eyes widened as her heart thumped maddeningly in her chest. She could not tear her gaze from him. A flush dusted her pale cheeks, she knew he could hear her heart, sense her girlish fluctuations. The wind swirled around them angrily, and his arms circled her waist and shoulders, keeping her shield in place around her. Her arms were on his chest, and she swore she felt her rambunctious heart leap into her throat. When had this friendly, childhood affection swelled into something so…potent.
Suddenly, there was a flash of red, and she was startled as one hand released her gently, offering her the red blossom in his hand. She did not take it, could not bring herself to look away from his eyes, suddenly so mature and hungry as they stared at her – the way Sesshomaru looked at Inuyasha, the way a man looked at his lover…
She swallowed hard, nearly choking on her own spittle. She was quivering from something else now, some fluttering queasiness in her stomach, and she saw him smile as he noticed it. Has he always been handsome? She wondered, oh she well-remembered the cute demon boy that had been introduced as her fellow ward three years ago, but when had he become…this demon, this man before her, claiming her with his eyes. His grip tightened around her waist, pulling a gasp from her lips, a gasp of a flustered virgin who had never been so intimate with a man.
Kazuki smiled again, twisting the flower gently between his fingertips, and leaning down, he grazed his fangs up her jaw line, until his scorching breath tickled her ear. He felt her burning blush against his cheek and smiled awkwardly again, praying he would find the will to get the words out right. "Take it if you will accept me," he whispered, his low voice husky as she had never heard it, and she gasped again. He pulled back an inch to meet her startled large eyes, and the smile fell from his lips as he awaited her speech.
"I…what?" she murmured, gasping for breath.
"You know as much as I, of demon rituals and laws, maybe more," he did not smile again, though she could sense it in his words, teasing her for being Sesshomaru's favourite. "I loathe…" he paused, wincing at his own struggle for words. "I could cause myself damage when I think of the possibility of you growing old, dying before me. But even more, I loathe the idea of another's arms around you. Forgive me for being so forward," he amended, the last part an attempt at alleviating the tenseness of his prior tone, "I haven't really been taught how to confess such things... Have never had to contemplate how to. But I…"
Suddenly his face twisted as if in pain as his words died in his throat and his next words came out frustrated with his own confusion. "I beg you give me an answer, before I mess this up even more. Tell me your feelings have not progressed beyond the childish, companion's love we shared – tell me you do not love me as ardently and passionately as I adore you, and we shall pretend this never happened."
She stared at him for a long moment. The wind screamed around them, tearing at her body, but he still steadied her, his warmth still protected her. She swooned, vision swaying menacingly until she closed her eyes, waiting for the dizziness to subside.
Kazuki's heart beat furiously under her palm, and she considered his breathless body a moment before staring up at him again, her eyes calm, reflective. Mahogany orbs met the flower offered and her lips turned up in an easy smile. "The same colour as your eyes," she said, and as if that explained all his glassy eyes widened, and she took the blossom carefully from his grasp. Staring shyly up at him for the briefest of seconds, she leant up on her toes slowly, pressing her nervous lips up against her future mate's.
It had started to rain. Thunder roared overhead and Inuyasha shuddered as it beat down upon him. His claws knotted in Sesshomaru's fur in fury. His girl hated thunder. "If Hikireimaru lays his dirty hands on her I'll–"
"-He will not touch her, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru cut across him, his voice a snarling animal's cry. Inuyasha stared down at him. It was so bizarre to see him like this now, crazed, furious, after so many years of tenderness gracing his eyes, he'd all-but forgotten his brother's less than merciful side…
I can't even believe we were the same people back then, he thought sadly, recollecting their numerous battles and spiteful words. The death threats seemed like they were between two completely different creatures. How his life had changed so rapidly in just a comparably short time…
He winced at the sudden wave of nausea that was not helped by the jolting of Sesshomaru's leaping bounds. His hands coiled around the fur tighter, the loss of his child already burning deep in his gut, the source of the brewing vomit no doubt. The rain stung him, but he did not care to shield himself from the pain. His baby, his everything had been stolen away, and once again, he had been powerless to stop it. He grimaced, biting down determinedly on his lip. He loathed this weakness that had somehow seized him. He lost himself to Hikireimaru, he lost himself when Kagome left… He had no power in this senseless life, and it burned him to know it.
Suddenly, Sesshomaru skidded to a halt, Inuyasha nearly coming clean off his back. The Demon sniffed the air deeply, before sweeping the Half-breed gently to the floor, his body shifting back to its usual shape. Sesshomaru shuddered slightly, as the fur retreated from his skin, and glanced at his brother for a moment, as if considering his appearance.
"You look unwell," he stated, in a voice that seemed too calm to belong to a Demon Lord whose daughter had been stolen. Inuyasha sneered.
"Well what do you think? That sick bastard has my pup – the thought of it makes me want to retch! Who cares about me you idiot! Save our daughter!"
Sesshomaru inclined his head, eyes thoughtful, almost sad. He laid a hand on his sibling's shoulder gently, gazing into his eyes.
"Stay here, Inuyasha," The Demon murmured.
"Like hell I will!" The Inuyasha growled. "They're the only ones that have caught her, they're getting stronger each time and like hell will I sit here like some bitch, waiting for you to bring her back to me or die in the process!"
"Something ails you, you are sick, I will not allow you to risk your life," Sesshomaru argued, his voice raising. They did not have time for this. "I will bring her back! I order you to stay put!"
"I'm not your lapdog – I'm your equal! And she's my daughter! It's time I reminded you what I'm made of!" The Half-demon answered tersely, sweeping past his brother swiftly and bolting into the forest in the direction of the infant's scent.
It sounded as if the world was dying – the wind screamed like a thousand tortured souls, rain crashed against him so hard they felt like rocks against his skin. His stomach cramped but he kept running, and he felt Sesshomaru close behind him. And then, suddenly, he heard it. His heart clenched his stomach churned in bone-chilling fear. A scream shook him. "Tsukihime!" he called to her, and though he felt Sesshomaru right on him, attempting to silence him, he could not find the will nor reason to silence himself. He shot forwards, undergrowth kicking up as he bolted into the clearing. Whiplash shook his body as he stopped so swiftly his brother nearly collided into his back. There they were, staring at the brothers with wide horrified eyes. Clearly they had not expected them so swiftly, apparently fair odds not being something they liked – they undoubtedly had backup on the way, but that didn't matter, all that mattered was the screaming, retching child in those imprisoning arms.
"Give her to me," Inuyasha snarled, his demon seeping into his voice as crimson crept across his eyes, fangs growing, biting into his already bleeding lip. His tone was in harmony with the thunder overhead, and as lightning leapt across the black skies, a shrill cry tore from his babe's throat. His fury boiled like lava during an eruption. "Give me the girl, now."
"Forgive me, Inuyasha, but it is I that holds the power here, not you." Her melodious, evil tone swept over him and he growled menacingly, advancing, but Sesshomaru caught his shoulders, holding him back. Ran laughed manically, tilting her head to the side to consider the brothers, both weak to her temporary power. "Hikireimaru will pay a pretty price for this brat – the child that should have been mine!" she spat.
"Even if Inuyasha had never been born," Sesshomaru began, voice dripping with hatred, "How could I debase myself by binding my body to your unworthy skin. Your bile sickens me! The thought of gracing your worthless body with my seed is absurd."
"Bite your tongue or I'll cut your daughter's out!" The Demon beside Ran spat. Sesshomaru glared at Hachirou, the fool who dared cross him. Did they honestly believe that even if they had managed to get Tsukihime to Hikireimaru, that he, Sesshomaru would let them live now that he knew?
"Foolish old man," Sesshomaru sneered, struggling to hold his 'full-demon' sibling at bay. "You swore a blood oath to cause her no harm. You could not draw so much as a drop of blood from her and neither could your conceited, self-serving spawn."
"I should tear his reproductive insides from him so that he cannot take anymore of the seed that he is so unworthy of!" Ran hissed, still bitter from rejection but Inuyasha snarled back furiously, making her jump.
"You malicious, narcissistic bitch, you're not worthy of being the pelt that covers our bed much less in it in my place. I've walked this world; I've wiped the smug look from the faces of fools like you, that think they're better than me. I've even beaten Sesshomaru on the rare occasion." He paused a moment, shrugging off his brother's suddenly slack grip and walking towards the wench slowly, her eyes narrowed with loathing as her heart thudded with manic fear. "I've proved my worth you conceited whore. You were my competition? I don't even feel remotely threatened."
She snarled at him but Inuyasha just cocked his head to the side, stopping before her. "I see you, and you are found wanting – you think you are more beautiful, more powerful because the blood that runs through my veins is demon and human?"
Thwack!
The Demoness screamed, she released the child in her grasp in favour of holding her precious face, spoiled with an already brewing, angry bruise as blood crept down her painted lip. Inuyasha smirked, scooping up his fretting daughter and straightening up effortlessly. "Think again," he murmured, his demon's rough huskiness still present in his voice. A soft, tingling crept up his spine, and he knew Sesshomaru was at his side, as he watched the bitch fret over her spoiled face. He smirked at the sight.
"Fight me for him, you pitiful bitch, if you think you deserve him."
"Inuyasha, do not overexert your tired body for such trivial-"
"-Back off, Sesshomaru."
"Do not make me laugh, you wretched half-breed," the Demoness seethed, still grasping her face as she hissed at him through clenched teeth. "You dare taint my skin with your filthy touch!"
Inuyasha smirked, inclining his head to the side and tugging the top of his haori down an inch or so. The Demon blood in him relished at the action, proud of the love-bites that littered his flesh.
"My 'filthy' body is covered in Sesshomaru, you simpering brat, that alone makes it more valuable than your 'precious' hide.
Ran's eyes were wide with fury, she screeched. She leapt towards him.
"How dare you?"
Inuyasha side-stepped her haphazard assault and caught her legs as she passed, swiping them out from under her. He dropped Tsukihime to her feet carefully beside Sesshomaru before spinning on his heel to meet a blow to his shoulder. The Half-demon winced as spiteful female talons dug into his flesh. Seizing the offending wrist he snapped it to the side, tearing a sickening howl from Ran as he wrenched it from his shoulder.
"I am not just a pretty face, Half-demon brat!" she warned him.
"Are you even that, Princess?" He retorted, his own fingers dipping into his wound. "Blades of Blood!" The crimson fluid stung the bitch's flesh and she tumbled backwards clumsily.
"Lord Sesshomaru has spoilt you beyond reason," she gasped between cries of pain, "You do not know your place!"
Inuyasha's lips quirked in a twisted, demonic smirk. Blood raced down from the gaping wound in his shoulder, but it was nothing. Once he had given birth to Tsukihime he was sure no agony would ever match that again.
"As spoilt as I may be, I can at least take a bit of pain easier than you." He advanced swiftly, knocking her back down to the hard, unforgiving ground. His feet planted either side of her legs as she stared up at him with ominously glowing eyes. "And my place is here, above scum like you," he stated confidently. He watched as she scrambled out from beneath him, still seething, tears of agony staining her now crimson eyes.
"You never even wanted his seed – you swore to tear the brat out of you! He forced himself on you! He only used your dirty body for his own ends!"
Inuyasha flinched inwardly at the reminder of their past, and cast a swift glance back over to where his mate stood, their pup wrapped carefully in the fur that cascaded from his shoulder. The Half-demon's chest tightened as he remembered the hatred of those old days – days that seemed so very far from now…
"No one can control how things begin. I can't change the past just as I cannot live in it forever, or spend the rest of eternity looking back with regret. It doesn't matter how we started out, because the way things are now, the way they will end, will be worth it."
Something in his stomach felt warm, shaky all of a sudden. Inuyasha stepped back from the treacherous female, slinking back to his mate's side. He didn't look at Sesshomaru but he knew he was watching him, he could feel the subtle tingling sensations race through his skin as the Demon rubbed his mark gently. He wasn't sure why, but the anger had dissipated now, and it was an embrace that cut him off from the rest of the world that he now craved, in the place of revenge.
"Go back to your 'employer' empty-handed," Sesshomaru warned the two before him, "and tell him we are ready. No more games. If he wants Tsukihime, he can try and take her himself instead of hiding behind his hunters. Our army will meet his and we will desecrate him. Now go." The last word was almost a shout, almost, but that same, complacent coldness dominated Sesshomaru's infuriated body. Inuyasha inclined his head to him. His brother always wore this face outside of their rooms, even when he was burning with hatred, he never betrayed it. It was so…frustrating.
"You're letting them get away with this?" Inuyasha asked calmly, his own voice returning as his demon fell back into the deep recesses of his soul. Hachirou and Ran fled across the clearing before them, nearing the trees beyond.
"Hikireimaru has no further use for them, they will be dealt with," the Demon Lord said simply, before looking to his brother. "However…it takes but one to deliver a message…"
His arm rose, perfectly pristine nails at the tips of long fingers. Sesshomaru stared at them, nearly out of their sight, nearly at the trees, and with an eerie echo of his old malicious smirk, his fingers twitched.
A bloodied scream tore across the clearing. Birds leapt into the sky to escape the cries as thunder wailed above the crashing lightning. Just at the edge of the trees, the whip that had leapt from Sesshomaru's fingertips skewered the chest of the Lord that stood, immobile from the agony. The whip turned cruelly in the wound.
Ran stopped, turning to face her father, who growled furiously at her to go.
Inuyasha held his child's head into his chest, palm pressed over her downy ears softly so she could not hear the screams, the sickening tear of flesh. But he and his sibling watched, unfazed as the bitch fled into the trees, leaving her dying father choking on his own blood. The creature shuddered to his knees, and Sesshomaru twisted his arm again, rousing a strangled cry from bloodied, treacherous lips.
Inuyasha turned his head a fraction to gaze upon his mate's face. Pale beauty was laced with venom, and the Half-demon swore he could sense it approaching. Sesshomaru did not turn to him, but he must have realised he was being watched.
"I will burn him apart from the inside out for what he has done," Sesshomaru growled, the sound causing a shudder to creep up Inuyasha's spine. "The things he has forced my mate to think of himself, the hardship he has helped Hikireimaru wreak…"
A warm hand on his outstretched forearm made his words melt on his tongue. Still he would not meet Inuyasha's eyes.
"Hikireimaru's men will be here soon, and I'm not fighting a war with a pup in my arms. Tsukihime is soaked, we need to get her home," The Half-demon mumbled softly, but they both knew what he had meant behind those words. They both wanted to tear this man apart, make him choke on his own miserable life as it fled from his slimy body, but cruelty was something neither of them possessed any longer.
Sesshomaru sighed. His arm swept upwards towards the sky, and with a sickening, ripping echo whispering through the clearing, the screaming was silenced. Wind tore at their bodies as the bloodshed ceased. The lightning illuminated the end of the games they had been playing the last few years, and the beginning of war bit into the ominous sound of thunder creeping towards their home. It had begun…
"Would Grandfather have liked me?" her weakened voice asked shakily. Sesshomaru offered a slight smile, petting his daughter's head and grazing the downy ears gently with his thumb, the same way he might do for Inuyasha. An odd, warm feeling swelled in his stomach, and he pulled the furs up over her feverish body more.
"Your grandfather would have adored you," he promised, recalling vividly the glee that graced his father's face once he had discovered Izayoi carried his second pup. Until he had seen Inuyasha's belly full of Tsukihime, he had never been able to understand that joy that his father had expressed so freely. Like him, his father had been distant and stoic to the outward public, only betraying his softness to those closest to him. Like father, like sons, he supposed.
The story of Inu-no-Taishou and Izayoi always roused such adorable questions from his pup. And usually Inuyasha was the one to enjoy them, but since his mate had fled into the washroom, not feeling well, he had taken the post. He brushed the back of his pale hand over his daughter's sweat-speckled forehead. A frown creased his brow as he felt the heat against the back of his palm.
"You are burning up-"
"But it's cold Papa," the little girl whined, leaning into her father's warm hand.
"Does your head hurt?" he asked, his voice husky as only Inuyasha heard it. The child nodded, and Sesshomaru swept the sweaty bangs that hung into her eyes up off her forehead. Taking the cloth from the bowl at the bedside, he wrung out the excess water, before laying it gently on her head.
"There 'Hime, I will call Takara for something to take the aches away so you can sleep." He got to his feet slowly, tucking the furs back up to his daughter's chin and allowing the briefest moment to rub the soft pelt to brush her cheek before he moved to the door.
"You," he snapped at the guard passing the doorway, the Demon leaping back in surprise.
"M-My Lord!" the creature gasped, heart thundering in his chest. "H-How may I b-b-be of service?"
"Summon Takara with another of his remedies for Lady Tsukihime," he explained stoically, watching the servant bow low before closing the door.
A quiet, murmuring whine whispered from the bed, and the Demon Lord approached it slowly. Thunder grumbled loudly overhead, the shutters closed tight to block out the frightful flashes of lightning. But the sounds, the thunder and rain beating hard upon the palace walls were enough to make the sick child in her parents' bed uneasy. Sesshomaru caught the sucker that had fallen from her mouth and popped it back in carefully, his restless gaze never once leaving her face. He had never seen a demon child so sick from a mere storm. Perhaps it was the Inuyasha in her that rendered her vulnerable to it? Did Inuyasha get sick from being out in the rain?
A vile, retching sound came from the open door to the washroom, and Sesshomaru cringed. Evidently Inuyasha did get ill from being out in the rain too long.
The Half-demon gasped for breath as his throat retched. His stomach churned, boiling its contents before bringing them up until there was nothing but bile remaining. Choking, spluttering he cursed the unease in his belly as he cried out that he felt his guts were being turned inside out. A soft hand rubbed his back in slow circles and sensing no one else was in their bathing chambers he whined softly as the pain eased. "Urgh…I hate vomiting," he grumbled sitting back on his heels and wiping his mouth.
"Who would care for it?" Sesshomaru asked rhetorically, handing a flask of water for his mate to clear his mouth out with. Inuyasha mumbled thanks as he downed half the liquid with ease.
"I fear that being out in the storm and rain has taken hold of you as well as Tsukihime," The Demon Lord murmured softly, his calm voice tinged with anxiety. Inuyasha brushed him off, steadying himself carefully on his feet as he headed back to their bedroom.
"Don't be stupid, Tsukihime is a pup of course she's susceptible to illness but I'm certainly not that weak."
"To admit you need help from me is not weakness, I am aware you are shaken from Hachirou abducting Tsukihime but we have grown beyond the point where you cannot come to me when you need me."
Inuyasha stopped in the doorway, staring at their grand bed where their daughter lay, freezing yet sweating under their furs. His old fire-rat haori lay over her, the scent soothing her enough to permit uneasy sleep. Whilst in her captor's grasp they had obviously neglected to keep her warm, since over the last few days she had come over sick (Takara saying it was a fever from being out in the storm). The simple explanation did nothing to appease the brothers' worries however.
"I know," the Half-demon whispered, watching his girl breathe uneasily. "I'm sorry, this is just too much." Two warm arms encircled him slowly, coming to rest around his roiling stomach, easing the pain. Maybe he was coming down with whatever Tsukihime had, he hadn't been this sick since he was a pup, and he had spent his first night out in the cold, alone after his mother had died…
"I'll just be glad when this is all over," Inuyasha explained, closing his eyes against the dimly lit room. His head was swimming, it felt so heavy…
"Indeed," Sesshomaru breathed in his ear, allowing the younger demon to tip his heavy head back so that it rested against his shoulder. "We have scarcely had peace since you conceived Tsukihime; it will be nice to enjoy life once again once Hikireimaru is dealt with." And hopefully I will be around to enjoy it with you, the Demon mentally added. His mate flinched at the creature's name and he tightened his embrace in response. "Such a silly pup," he breathed, catching a soft ear between his lips. Inuyasha sighed, leaning into the touch. The warmth that surrounded him eased his aches, one of the Demon's hands even stroking his abused throat, sore from the retching. "I adore you, Inuyasha."
"You aren't so bad yourself," Inuyasha murmured huskily, blushing, unable to say what he really thought. He felt Sesshomaru smile against his cheek as kisses brushed against his skin.
"Make my pup well again, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha mumbled uselessly, "She never gets sick, even when she was born she came out fighting, I don't want to see her like this anymore…"
"She will be well again, Inuyasha," The Demon Lord all-but purred the last word, pulling reluctantly from his mate in favour of answering the following knock at the door.
"You summoned me, My Lords?" Takara asked, breathless, not exactly at ease himself.
"Yes, for Tsukihime," Sesshomaru explained, "she is in pain still, the fever is at its highest, it may break tonight but the pain is too great for her to sleep."
Takara merely nodded, approaching the pup wrapped up in the bed with a flask in hand. The brothers shared a look for a moment, before they turned their attention to the Demon administering the medicine to their daughter. "You seem out-of-sorts yourself, Takara, are you well?" Sesshomaru asked. The Azure-eyed Demon sighed, resting the little girl's head back against the sheets once she'd swallowed all the concoction.
"Just concerned for the Lady Tsukihime, and the battle, and…Nanna has not been herself lately I just wonder… It is nothing my lords, I am sure she is merely overtired." Takara straightened up, tucking the empty flask into his pocket as he took the wet cloth from the pup's forehead, dipping it into the water and wringing it out before laying it freshly across her skin once more.
"You do not look so well yourself, Lord Inuyasha," he began, a tad more light-hearted than before, his usual self seeping back into his voice. "Have you caught Lady Tsukihime's cold?"
"Keh," Inuyasha grumbled, stripping off the top half of his haori that had been soiled when he vomited. "Nothing wrong with me, just a little puke, nothing I can't handle…"
"Still, you should take care of yourself the Lady needs you and with the battle coming up-"
"-Listen, I know you're like brilliant and all that but just fix my daughter, that's all I care about. I'm expendable as far as she is concerned."
Takara looked between the brothers carefully for a long, silent moment, before gathering himself to his feet. "I knew that I would not be mistaken in your abilities to make this work," he said, that same warm smile gracing his lips. The brothers looked confused. "This," Takara explained, gesturing to the two of them, "the two of you, together, and your daughter, it looked like mayhem to begin with but…you turned it around. I believe that Lord Inu-no-Taishou would be proud of you both endlessly." Approaching the door, their servant sighed easily, turning with a final message for the brothers. "Should Lady Tsukihime's temperature go up in the night, or should she awaken, summon me immediately. And Lord Inuyasha, should your sickness worsen, the quicker you inform me the easier it will be to remedy it."
The door closed with Takara on the other side of it, and Inuyasha watched him go, stunned. "How comes he always just seems to flow in and out the room like he's floating in this little bubble or something?" Inuyasha wondered, setting down on the window-seat so as not to disturb his finally slumbering pup. Sesshomaru smirked, following his mate and leaning against the wall beside him, his stomach almost touching Inuyasha's naked shoulder. His long fingers wound into silver hair, softly scratching the Half-demon's scalp. Inuyasha smirked, sighing in relief as he tipped his head against Sesshomaru's warm body.
"I wish I was as resilient as he is, I'm just so tired lately," he murmured, eyes fluttering shut as he listened to the soft sound of the Demon Lord's breathing. That hand slid down his neck, caressing his mark dotingly, and he could feel Sesshomaru's gaze upon him.
"All this chaos is merely taxing your nerves; you will be yourself again once it is over."
"I hope you're right," Inuyasha sighed sleepily, his words barely distinguishable above the ominous sound of thunder still prominent in the world beyond that room.
"I am always right," Sesshomaru corrected, the smirk apparent in his voice. Inuyasha offered a sleepy smile back, without opening his eyes.
"Jackass," he growled.
An innocent, shaky gasp was hidden beneath the still raging storm. In one of the watchtowers on the outer walls of the castle, a handful of torches blazed in the darkness. The small, warm alcove sheltered the couple from the rain and from even a demon's sight, as careful, tapered fingers traced a soft, flushed cheek carefully.
"Kazuki," the girl whispered against his lips, her breath coming out as fog in the cold air. He smirked, the hand cupping her cheek sliding back to entangle in the hair at the base of her neck to draw her forward against his mouth. So new, so different to their childhood games, these new emotions, they made their skin hum when they were this close.
"You are burning up, Lady Rin, perhaps I should take you to Takara?" the Demon teased, drawing his lips away a fragment so that he could gaze into those smouldering eyes. She flushed.
"My temperature has nothing to do with a cold, Kazuki," she jokingly reprimanded, her voice wavering. He smirked, pulling the thick fur that was wrapped around them higher up her neck to keep out the chill.
"Have to keep the innocent little human warm," he laughed, lacing the side of her neck closest to him with kisses. Her skin tingled wherever he touched and she leaned in a little more so that his arms wrapped around her.
"I won't be innocent for much longer."
He paused then, drawing back to meet her wide, doe eyes. Clearing his throat, his gaze fell to her lap awkwardly. "I do not think that is such a good idea, Rin."
"What?" she asked, bemused, straightening up from her love-induced haze. "So…you are willing to spend eternity with me but not make love to me?" She watched him blush profusely at her last words.
"No it is just…at least, Lord Sesshomaru's permission should be granted before I take something so important from you."
"Lord Sesshomaru is my guardian not my master-"
"-All the same I would like not to postpone our mating because the Great Demon Lord has decided to use me as a shoe-buffer."
The human laughed, leaning in to rest her head on her betrothed's shoulder. "Do not be scared of Lord Sesshomaru, he loves you the same as he loves me-"
"-I am not the innocent virginal mortal," he answered, pondering the best way to ask for Sesshomaru's permission for his favourite's hand.
"Dearest," she sighed, nipping his slightly pointed ear gently. "Let's not worry about it now." The tone of her voice had dropped notably, now remaining only a subtle murmur. He turned to her, his mouth advancing slowly upon her lips. "How you've grown since I first met you," she giggled, and saw briefly his dark blush before he pressed a more ardent kiss against her. His hands were constantly moving, as if he were uncomfortable wherever he put them. Eventually, smiling against him, she took his ever-careful hands and placed them at her waist, gasping breathlessly into his mouth.
Her hands skimmed his torso as their hot bodies pressed together. But just then, he drew back, sliding out of the fur-blanket and securing it entirely around her. She frowned, watching as he adjusted his seating beside her in confusion. "What is the matter?" she asked, her cheeks still dusted with arousal. He coughed awkwardly, staring out at the dark horizon.
"I errr…I just need a break," he muttered swiftly, as if frightened of being caught saying the words. "I cannot help myself when you touch me back…"
Her eyes widened then, and she realised what he meant. "Oh."
Kazuki smiled despite himself, the cold air outside the fur helping phenomenally to diminish the swelling in his nether-regions. His crimson gaze followed the line of the barely visible pathway towards the village, and the dark forest beyond. This storm that had fixed itself above them, would it never shift? They would be waterlogged if it did not move on soon.
Suddenly, movement. A flickering glimmer in the darkness. A presence. Kazuki's heart leapt into his throat. The hair on his arms and neck stood on end as he tensed. Rin stared at him in confusion. "Kazu?" she asked, her voice careful, quiet. "What is the matter?"
He held a hand up, silencing her. "Stay here, no matter what happens," he whispered, swiftly dropping a kiss to her forehead before he dropped to the ground.
Straightening up with little effort, he walked deliberately slow towards the cloaked figure that had stopped not far away in the darkness. He didn't know what trickery it was, but Rin was up there, and he had to be the man that protected her now, instead of the child that hid behind Inuyasha's legs. Just a few dozen steps carried him close enough that he recognised the stench of the creature, the face, and he stopped dead in his tracks, treacherous heart racing in his chest.
"If you have come to fight I warn you, the brothers are busy with Lady Tsukihime – after your latest attempt she took ill. Her fever is raging." His voice sounded cool, brave, the complete opposite to what he felt. His fingers tensed against the cold; numb, frozen and afraid. Would he have to fight this demon, again? He would not last long; he knew this, even with his training. He just hoped he could last long enough for Rin to run to Sesshomaru and safety. However, strangely, instead of malice, he found that Hikireimaru's face twisted into concern.
"Touya is unwell?" Hikireimaru asked, his voice anxious, "that frivolous bitch responsible will be dealt with."
"You are the one responsible," Kazuki answered, but the glare he received from those dark, ominous eyes told him he should have remained quiet.
"Do not test my patience, runt, you are lucky to have lived long enough to deliver this message," Hikireimaru sneered. "Do not pretend to be anything other than the snivelling whore that grovelled at Inuyasha's feet, begging for protection years ago."
Kazuki stiffened, the reminder of that dark time biting into him like a whiplash. But he remained silent, not daring to retaliate if he hoped to see the human he was promised to again. Her scent whisked to him on the furious current of winds then, and he breathed in shakily, calming himself as Hikireimaru stared into him, no doubt devising a million ways to end his life…
He had heard of what Inuyasha had endured at this monster's hands, similar to what he had suffered, only for a longer time than Inuyasha. Demons like Hikireimaru like his 'master', Shigehira made his skin crawl; he never wanted someone like that to touch him again.
"Once the pup is better, my army will be waiting on the far western border. Sesshomaru will meet me there and we will finish this." With that, the Demon turned, slowly fading back into the darkness, the storm's fury swallowing him whole. Kazuki stepped back hesitantly, before turning and bolting towards the gates. He didn't know if Hikireimaru's promise to wait until Tsukihime was better was one he would stick by or not, but he had to let Inuyasha and Sesshomaru know immediately!
"Rin! RIN! Open the gates!" he called up to her. His breath coming out in harsh pants as he sped back to the castle. The thunder almost overpowered his cries as they tore at his throat, but he was sure he saw her heading for the stairs to find someone to let him in as he called up to her. "OPEN THE GATES!"
Inuyasha's body curled around his slumbering daughter's form, his mate pressed around the girl's opposite side, his forehead resting against his own. Tsukihime squirmed as the scent of her parents lulled her into deep, undisturbed sleep. The sweet scent of the Demon's breath disturbed the hair that hung into his eyes as he slept on, unaware that his Half-demon mate had just jerked awake in agony.
Pain tore through Inuyasha's abdomen. He winced, biting hard into his lip to silence his cries as he felt his stomach churn. He knew this pain, it was not immense but it was not nice. Closing his eyes tight, he tried to recall what he had done that could possibly have caused the sickness to resurface. I took Tsukihime's medicine, he thought. Could that have caused the illness? He thought that cold medicine was universal? Or perhaps his half-demon body rejected certain demon concoctions; they did have different immune systems after all.
The train of thought crumbled then, as that foreboding lurching in his stomach caused him to tumble off the bed, the dull thud of him hitting the floor on his hands and knees rousing Sesshomaru from slumber.
The Demon Lord stared about him, scanning the gap in the bed beside their still sleeping daughter where Inuyasha should have been. He frowned, sitting up a little straighter. "Inuyasha?" His only answer was a vile, dry-retching noise. Getting to his feet he darted to his sibling's side, for a moment panicking at the sounds and tremors that shook the boy's body. Finding himself again, he scooped Inuyasha's hair up behind his head, rubbing his back carefully, until the dry heaving ending and the Half-demon vomited up the liquid contents of his stomach up onto the floor.
Clawed fingers dug into the material of Sesshomaru's kimono as he clung unthinkingly to him. The spluttering and coughing choked him, robbing him of breath as he pressed his naked torso as hard as he could into the Demon's body, holding his roiling stomach. Sesshomaru caught the back of Inuyasha's hair tugging it back to press a kiss to that forehead before regrettably pulling away. Darting to the door he called Takara's name out into the hall, before returning to his mate's side.
"Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru asked, wiping back the sweat-strewn hair that hung into the Half-demon's eyes. Inuyasha was panting for breath, but he nodded to signal that he was okay. Casting a swift glance to the bed to ensure their pup still slept on, Sesshomaru steadied his brother on his feet, dragging him from the soiled carpet and to the daybed at the side of the room.
"Lay here until Takara comes," Sesshomaru murmured, his words swift with anxiety. He looked over the sweating body, pressing his palm to that pale cheek. Inuyasha's eyes fluttered and met his own. "Are you alright?" Sesshomaru asked. The Half-demon nodded, trying his best to offer his usual grin.
"Keh, just a bit of puke, I'm alright…"
"Where does it hurt?" the Demon asked, and Inuyasha shrugged.
"My stomach, my back, my head…oh god my head…" He winced, just as Takara stumbled into the room, wearing nothing but a sleeping yukata, Nannami was close behind and both inhaled the vile air in the room carefully.
"You took Lady Tsukihime's medicine?" Takara asked, with a confused frown, obviously able to smell it in the vomit. Inuyasha nodded. "Odd," the Demon continued, "a child's medicine should not have affected you so…"
"It smells like the plague in here," Nannami winced, holding her nose as she headed to the side of the bed. "I'll clear this crap up, Takara you help Inuyasha."
"Naturally, Dearest," he said, smiling softly as he ushered for Sesshomaru to move aside slightly.
Comparatively cold fingers pressed into Inuyasha's stomach, and the Half-demon winced.
"Did that hurt?" Takara asked, pulling back slightly. Inuyasha frowned.
"No, your damn hands are just freezing!"
"It seems all the medicine is out of your system from vomiting," Takara explained, sounding happy with that result, "you have a very able immune system – it purged you of all the substance before it did any damage. You see, the colour is already returning to your skin."
"But what caused it?" Sesshomaru asked, still perturbed, his mate had a habit of reacting badly to substances that should have been safe.
A concentrated sigh tumbled from Takara's lips as he traced the contours of Inuyasha's stomach carefully, every now and then confusion and interest gracing those kind features. "Unbelievable," the Demon gasped at one point, and then Inuyasha snapped.
"Okay okay, you've reached your limit in 'gropes' for the next moon cycle," Inuyasha griped, sitting up on the daybed and swatting Takara's roaming hands away, (already feeling a lot better). "Now what the hell is wrong with me? And if you tell me it's a cold I'll take out your liver and-"
"-It is not a cold, you are perfectly healthy now that medicine is so successfully out of your system. I had thought that a demon child's medicine should not harm you but then again your body is only half demon and also under a great deal of stress. And I would not advise even a full demon to drink that particular brew whilst pregnant."
Sesshomaru's heart skipped a beat; Takara had a way of dropping his diagnosis upon them like that, unexpectedly at the end of a long explanation. Just when Inuyasha is about to lose patience or doze off no doubt, the Demon Lord thought, his mind dazed with the sudden shock.
Choking on his own tongue, Inuyasha sat bolt upright, sending Takara tumbling back onto his backside in surprise. He stared between Takara, Sesshomaru and Nannami, then back to Sesshomaru again, his stunned expression almost accusing. Pregnant?
"I can't be," he all-but gasped, eyes still wide, "I didn't know I could even be pregnant otherwise I might'a suspected-"
"Well if one ruts with one's mate during a full-fledged heat season without protection then often the consequence is pregnancy," Takara slowly explained, rolling his eyes slightly. Inuyasha blushed at his stupidity.
"Shut up ya old coot!" Inuyasha snapped, shifting uncomfortably. "I just…I never even thought about it, with everything else going on…"
There was a moment where he stared over at his (somehow still) sleeping girl, tortured by her raging fever, even in slumber. He loved his daughter, and maybe if this had come at a more opportune moment, he would have relished this 'blessing', but right now…
"How could we have been so stupid?" Inuyasha murmured to Sesshomaru, and the Demon stiffened.
"There are some who are not blessed as we are with the ability to have pups, Inuyasha," the Demon Lord reminded him, "Perhaps you should think before you speak. Or is it that you suddenly do not desire my seed inside of you?" He sounded angry, he had every right to be, he supposed, but Inuyasha didn't care.
A flush rose across his cheeks and he raised his head to Nannami and Takara who now stood before him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that you know it – it's just, I can't carry pups right now. There's a battle to fight!"
"I am sorry it is inconvenient, Sire," Takara said gently, "but it can only be expected when two potent demons mate during their heat unprotected. And I can assure you, you are pregnant," the Demon looked up to his mate, Nannami smiling knowingly as he continued, "with twins."
Inuyasha blinked, horrified. He cursed under his breath. Was the room moving? No, he was just swaying to the side, making a beeline for the floor, that was, until Nannami caught him, steadying him back upright on the daybed. He swore he heard Sesshomaru's heart jolt again. His breath caught behind the lump in his throat.
"Twins?" the Half-demon repeated, "As in…there are two in there?"
"The Heavens save us," Sesshomaru breathed, getting to his feet slowly. It was the first time he had spoken since the announcement, and Inuyasha was watching him carefully. The Demon closed his eyes, sighing. "Three Tsukihime's, the world is indeed in for trouble-"
"Well hopefully these two won't have sadistic stalkers," Inuyasha mumbled, still not sure he was pleased about this or not (mostly leaning towards not).
"That is not amusing, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru chastised him. Inuyasha just laughed giddily, drawing everyone's attention back to him once more. Sesshomaru frowned. "Inuyasha, are you alright?"
Inuyasha shrugged.
"I can't be pregnant – there's a battle and…and fighting to be done and, that…Hikireimaru to… Two? Are you sure there are two?" he asked Takara again shakily. Takara smiled.
"I could count again, if it would appease you, Sire."
"No," Inuyasha said, shaking his head, "No, no, no, you might find another one in there…I…oh god…"
"What is the matter?" Sesshomaru asked, only to have Inuyasha stare up at him like he had two heads.
"What's the matter?" he repeated, "I'm pregnant – again, with two pups! Not one, but two! We could all be killed by Hikireimaru in this battle and if by some miracle we survive I have to push two pups out of my ass!"
A shrill cry sounded from the bed as Tsukihime awoke and Inuyasha leapt to his feet, still glaring daggers at Sesshomaru. "And now you woke the kid up – thanks Sesshomaru, thanks a lot for that and for this!" He punctuated his last word by gesturing to his stomach, before moving to his sick daughter's side, leaving the Demon Lord standing there, confused with his two servants watching him carefully.
"Hnn," Sesshomaru murmured, still stunned. "I withdraw my hope that our next child would be more like Inuyasha. In fact, if either of our pups inherit that temper I will shut them in the kitchen-storage cupboard."
Takara and Nannami shared a look, laughter brewing in their features. But Sesshomaru's stare intensified. "It is not amusing Takara," he snapped.
"No, My Lord," Takara answered, biting his lip to prevent a chuckle from slipping through. "Not amusing in the least."
~To Be Continued...