Disclaimer - I don't own Sesshy-sama. I never have, so don't sue. The only ones I own are Kaida and her family.

A/N - I hope you are enjoying the newest chapters of this story. Not much to say this time, other than enjoy!


Teaching Rin

Chapter 53

Stubborn to a Fault


The gentle lapping of ocean waves had always had a calming, placating effect on her during the most stressful of times. It seemed as though the sea breezes could pull her worried thoughts and conflicting emotions up into the highest reaches of the far reaching evening horizons, leaving her free to work through her problems. Many times before, her father had likened her to the deep blue bodies of water that were so prevalent around them.

'You never wait, Kaida. Like water, you change your shape and flow around things that block you, finding paths that no one else has thought about…tiny holes through the box that threatens to encase you.'

She still remembered his gentle scolding that day so many decades ago when she had almost lost it and destroyed a portion of the grounds during a training exercise. She had still been young, just learning to fight and defend herself, and her father had scared her into reacting instinctively during his assault. Her demon side had surfaced for a few seconds, not that she had remembered any of it afterwards, but it had apparently been enough to startle the Southern lord.

'And once you manage to gather yourself together, you work yourself into a flurry of power so strong that one would think a tsunami has destroyed an entire village after you get done.'

He had stopped then, kneeling down to tilt her head up with an uncharacteristically gentle touch. Kaida remembered the shame she felt when she realized that she was at her father's feet, and crying in utter terror. She had felt useless and weak compared to him, and had no doubt in her mind that her father was disappointed in her for her lack of courage and control.

'Water is malleable and versatile. It can wash away earth, put out fire, wear a piece of metal down and sweep it away. Even wood, which is its natural complement, can't survive without it. But you must realize that as powerful and dangerous as it is, water also calms and nurtures.'

She hadn't realized it then, but that single statement had been her father's way of instilling his support in her decision to train, to forgo what was expected of her. Apparently he had known then that she was capable of walking the line between the demure lady she was supposed to be, and the heathenish hellfire fighter she was now.

'It gives and supports the life in and around it. Learn to take advantage of these strengths. You will need them in the coming years as a way to center yourself while the storms around you rage on. Remember, the calmest times are before the storm, and after it has passed.'

She had kept his words close to her heart as she grew up, dealing with the ridicule and hypocrisy of the life she had been born into. And many times, when she had felt like she couldn't take it anymore, she had sought out the chaotic calmness of the ocean…and the organized mess that was the waves on its placid surface. It was therapeutic to sit and listen to the sloshing and crashing of the waves as they broke along the shoreline. She had sat on a small jutting overhand that stuck out from the face of the seaside cliffs countless times, imagining the waves that pounded below her as the troubles and problems she faced on a regular basis. They would crash headlong into the rocks, seemingly destroying themselves in the process, and she would imagine each of her concerns and worries shattering as well, only to float off into the water, never to reemerge whole and intact again. The process had worked to calm and center her thoughts for decades.

And even now, as she stood at the helm of the Southern flagship, looking over the placid waters that surrounded the remaining dozen or so of the Southern land's naval fleet. The Southern Lady closed her eyes and tilted her head back as another spray of misty sea air hit her full force, allowing her a few seconds of respite from the mess she knew she was currently standing in.

The raids on the trade ships of her homelands had gotten out of hand within the last three weeks, and her father had finally decided that something had to be done when threats to the coastal villages became to serious to overlook. The naval fleet had been mobilized only days ago. Her father had had every intention of coming out here himself to face the thieves and pirates, but the damage done to the ships the day before they were to ship out had had drastic consequences. Between the time the vandalism had been reported, and noon of that very same day, the ones responsible for the destruction had been flushed out of the nearby fishing village. With the culprits securely restrained in the palace, Ryu had turned the responsibility of dealing with the bandits over to her and Keiji since he needed to deal with the prisoners. Ryuiji had left on a boat scheduled to land in China where he was to meet Seiti and escort him back, and Ryuichi was out fortifying the ports and pearl beds against any possible attacks and retaliations that Shinegori's men may attempt.

And Shinegori's bunch of hired idiots were getting bolder with their raiding, which didn't set well with any of them. It was bad enough the bastard was using the goods stolen from the Southern lands to fund his fight with Seiti over a stretch of land that neither one of them needed to begin with. But the last raid on the Southern ships had been devastating to everyone. Instead of just attacking and incapacitating most of the traders and sailors like before, the deck of the boats had been littered with dead bodies. Kaida had lost two very close friends in that attack, and it had only fueled her to put an end to this madness once and for all.

"You plan on standing there for the rest of the day, sis?" Keiji's calming voice asked teasingly. Kaida opened her eyes and turned around to find her twin standing not too far behind her. She gave him a faint smile and stepped back, reaching out to tug on the short ponytail of fine, black hair that hung between his shoulder blades. He just frowned and shook his head at her.

"Just thinking, little brother." she said simply. Keiji nodded in understanding, knowing all too well of her tendency to get contemplative when on or near the ocean.

"Don't think too hard. You're head might explode from overuse." he quipped, reaching out to return the favor by tugging on her unbound locks. Kaida pulled away and gave him a halfhearted grin.

"Shouldn't you practice what you preach?"

"My rules apply only to other people, not myself."

"Well, that's good to know." she said carelessly, glancing over her shoulder to look back at the sailors busy on deck. "Everything in order?"

"So far so good." Keiji replied. "Things seem to be in working condition, despite the few we've got with us."

"Has the messenger from the mainland arrived yet?" she asked.

"Nope."

"Damn." she groused. That was something else that was bothering her. She should have heard from Seiti by now. Or if not him, then her brother Ryuiji. The siblings turned as one without a word between them, heading towards the other end of the ship.

"Lady Kaida! Lord Keiji!" a frantic voice called from the lookout mast way above the deck. Kaida and Keiji stopped and turned their attention skyward, seeing the lookout nimbly making his way down the mast pole to kneel at their feet.

"What is it?" Keiji asked.

"We've got someone heading our way!" the lookout said. Kaida felt herself beginning to panic with the news. Seiti and her brother were not there yet, and there was no way in the nine layers of hell that the dozen or so Southern ships she was heading could fend off Shinegori's fleet.

"What direction?" she asked coolly, noticing that the sailors on deck were quickly falling into their assigned positions around the area.

"East!"

"East? From behind us? What the hell?" Keiji demanded, careening around to try and peer in the direction from which they'd came.

"Is it Shinegori?" Kaida demanded, thinking that somehow she had miscalculated and the pirates had managed to sneak up behind them without anyone noticing. They would be slaughtered if that had happened.

"No, ma'am! It looks like…like…"

"Like what, soldier?" Kaida barked, a black hole of worry beginning to from in the pit of her stomach.

"I think it is the Western Lord's ships, ma'am." the demon said carefully. "The sails bare red and white…the dog lord's colors. And it looks like he's on his way here!"

"Western Lord? Sesshomaru?" Kaida questioned. She was floored. There was no way….

Sesshomaru wouldn't…

Behind them, Kaida could hear the sudden increase in the voices of her men and sailors as the news spread quicker than a wildfire.

"He's the only Western Lord we know." Keiji pointed out needlessly, causing the tense demoness to glare at him.

"Trade ships?" Kaida demanded from the lookout, although she already had a feeling that she knew the answer to that question, especially when she glanced up and saw the regal stature of Sesshomaru floating towards the Southern flagship on his ever present cloud of demonic energy.

"Naval regiments as far as I can tell. At least two dozen."

"Damn him to the ninth layer of hell…." she mumbled.

"You know anything about this?" Keiji asked, giving her a questioning glance.

"Does it look like I know anything about it?" she asked sarcastically, her hands instinctively going to the hilts of her swords that hung at her waist. 'What is he doing here?' she wondered angrily, watching as Sesshomaru landed lightly on the bow of the ship. "That low down, son of a …."

"Kaida…" Keiji said warningly, before she could get started on a tirade that would have her calling Sesshomaru every vulgar name in the world. Of course, he wasn't exactly thrilled to see the dog demon either, but still…there was no point in antagonizing the Western Lord anymore by calling him names.

"Tell them not to kill the idiot." she groused, referring to the myriad of assassins that had asked to accompany her during this escapade. Kaida had no doubt they were hidden well somewhere on deck, waiting for someone to pose some sort of threat to the Lady under their care.

"They're smart enough to leave him be." Keiji muttered. "It's you I'm worried about."

"I'm not going to do anything too drastic." she hissed as the regal lord landed lightly on the deck of the Southern flagship. Kaida's eyes locked onto Sesshomaru's, and she held his steely gaze as he closed in the space between them.

"Lord Sesshomaru, what a surprise." Keiji said formally, bowing stiffly to the Western Lord as he walked towards them. Kaida simply growled and averted her eyes. "We were not expecting you."

"I wish to speak with Kaida." he said simply. Keiji frowned, but with a pointed look from Kaida, nodded and walked away, motioning for the sailors trimming the sails to leave them in peace.

"You're not one to make social calls. What are you doing here?" Kaida asked, getting straight to the point.

"Blatant as always, I see."

"I don't beat around the bush, Sesshomaru. You know that, especially with something this serious."

"If that particular trait carried over to other things as easily as it does with fighting, it would save everyone involved with you copious amounts of unneeded trouble." he said calmly.

"If you've come here to say 'I told you so', or to pick a fight, then you can turn around and go back to wherever you came from. I don't have time for your word games right now." she groused.

"It seems like time is not the only thing you are lacking at the moment." he said, his voice tightly controlled against her blatant disrespect. "Have you lost the common courtesy of respect to your superiors as well?"

"Have you lost the common sense to tell someone exactly why you suddenly decide to show your face after not speaking to them in weeks?" she countered mutinously.

"I take it that my presence here is disconcerting and intrusive?"

"That's the understatement of the century."

"I see." he said calmly, turning his back to her.

"Now where are you going?" she demanded.

"I suggest you find me when you are sufficiently calmed down and wish to discuss this matter further." he said smoothly. "There are matters which you are unaware of."

"I am calm. And there is nothing left to discuss." she said countered.

"Until later, Lady." he said, the white cloud of energy gathering at his feet again and lifting him into the air without another word.

"Sesshomaru, get back down here!" she barked. "I'm not finished with you yet! Sesshomaru!"

But the Western Lord paid her no head, floating back towards the westbound ships that were just now beginning to show as little dots along the eastern horizon. Kaida fumed and had half a mind to go after him and beat some answers out of him…not that it would do her much good. He wasn't likely to tell her anything until he was damned good and ready. Suddenly, she knew what it felt like to be left standing without a clue as to what to say or do to make sense out of what someone else had said. She felt even more guilty for abandoning Sesshomaru all those weeks ago with little more than a curt goodbye.

"So? What is he doing here?" Keiji's calculating voice broke her thoughts of guilt and surprise.

An icy glare was his only answer.


After Sesshomaru's abrupt appearance, not even the rhythmic rocking of the waves against the ship's hull could lull Kaida back into her pseudo calmness. In a attempt to show Sesshomaru that she was being as defiant as possible, she had secluded herself in a small room securely within the flagship a few hours ago, refusing to speak to him. Keiji said she was being childish and stubborn, and overreacting. He told her she needed to calm down and get her head on straight before Sesshomaru got mad enough to sic his own soldiers onto them in retaliation for her disrespect.

Kaida kicked him out the door and slammed it in his face.

It was bad enough to hear those words come out of the Western Lord's mouth, but to hear them from her own twin's as well…that was pushing the borders of her already strained patience. She wondered if it was worth the shock effect to tell Keiji that he and the almighty actually agreed on something for a change.

His reaction would be worth the annoyance that would undoubtedly follow. Keiji was funny only at the best of times. But when filled with righteous indignation over an imagined slight (and being compared to Sesshomaru would definitely fit that description), the young dragon demon was downright hilarious.

Kaida knew she could probably use the laugh it would cause. The gods knew she had been busy since the waning hours after her sister's engagement party, the night she had left Sesshomaru standing on the balcony. She'd bet by the time all the guests had finally trickled out of the ballroom, she had already been three-quarters of the way to the harbor where she was set to leave out of the next morning. She had practically taken over the job of supervising the trade routes, and as such, had spent a large amount of time with the sailors and away from her home.

Not that it really did any good. It didn't matter where she was or what she was doing, she still thought about Sesshomaru more than she should have. She couldn't help it.

She missed him. Was that so wrong?

Her head said one thing. But her heart said another.

Of course, it hadn't taken much for her to realize weeks ago that her behavior the night of Leiko's and Kei's engagement party had been uncouth and ridiculously childish. But she had been scared, and angry that he had tried to convince her that every creature on the earth was a puppet to someone else.

After all, who did he answer to? Who was it that he was trying to please or garner appreciation from?

No one, that's who.

As for her sisters, Kei seemed to be absolutely fine with her new family and life, and Leiko seemed to have been keeping herself busy….at least from what she'd heard from her father and given the state of things.

She ran a hand absently through her hair and looked down at the maps spread out before her on the table. Somehow she couldn't quiet down the traitorous little part of her conscious that had rejoiced at seeing the stoic dog demon in the air above her earlier. He looked so calm and collected while gazing over the small fleet of Southern ships, almost to the point of cool disinterest. She had wished, if only for a split second, that she was able to be as detached from the situation as he was, even if it was just an act. She had even felt her spirit lifting when her mind somehow managed to construe that he had come there to keep her from getting hurt in the battle, or maybe even to try and stop her from fighting with Shinegori all together, and that he was worried about her despite her cold attitude and ridiculous actions those months ago.

Right. That thought had lasted all of a half second before her common sense had reengaged itself, right along with her anger. And instead of calmly finding out why he was there, she had laid into him with nothing but ill will, misplaced anger and malice.

Good gods above! What was wrong with her? She hadn't seen him in months, and the first thing she does is yell at him? Where was the sense in that?

Knock

Knock

Knock

"Come in." she called absently. The door to the cabin opened up, and Kaida glanced over her shoulder to find her brother walking in.

"You are acting leader of our naval regiments. If you want him out of here all you have to do is say so." Keiji said firmly without preamble, obviously over his ire at being unceremoniously thrown from the room earlier. Kaida closed her eyes and willed herself to not lash out at her twin. Her family was nothing if not blunt when the need arose, and it was all too obvious that Sesshomaru's presence had angered him just as much, if not more, than herself.

The past few hours of quiet had allowed her to calm down and rationally think through Sesshomaru's sudden appearance. She had also realized that she owed the dog lord an apology for not only her attitude on the deck of the ship, but for leaving his standing on the balcony a few months ago. Now that she had actually been forced to face him again, she knew that her ego had gotten in the way, as had her pride and anger. She owed Sesshomaru a great deal, her life even. And the way she repaid his uncharacteristic kindness had been to act like a total bitch.

Keiji was right. It was amazing her head hadn't been severed from her shoulders long before now, complements of the white-headed demon.

"He came here for a reason. He's not going to just leave because I tell him to." she refuted, eyes downcast in thought. She'd had time to analyze the situation they now stood in, and had come to some disturbing conclusions.

"That's a change of tune. Now you almost sounds like you don't want him to leave." Keiji remarked.

"Whether I want him here or not is irrelevant at this point." she said. "I want to know what possibly could have made him mobilize his entire elite faction and come after us. Something is not right…"

"Are you sure?"

"Sure enough. Sesshomaru is not the type to interfere into someone else's problems." she said simply. "At least not without a very good reason."

"Unless you happen to be involved, that is." Keiji retorted, arms folding over his chest in aggravation. "He doesn't seem to mind then."

"The mutt had reasons to do what he did. He needed me to teach Rin." she reminded him, knowing all to well that Keiji was referring to her resurrection and training at the hands of the stoic dog demon.

"I still say he done it because he wanted a reason to get his grubby paws on you and call it training." her brother grumbled.

"Watch it, Keiji." she growled, glaring at him. "Brother to me though you may be, I am going to beat the holy hell out of you if you keep on like this."

"Fine. So what are we going to do?"

"Have the messengers from the mainland returned yet with Seiti's update?" she asked.

"Not yet." he answered stiffly. Kaida cursed under her breath. She had not received word from him the day they had set sail from the Southern ports either. The systematic messages had been agreed upon by both her father and Seiti when all this had been planned out. What was going on? The correspondence had worked flawlessly until the past few days. And if something had happened, then how had Sesshomaru found out before she had?

"Then we do nothing." she said finally, turning to face her twin with a stony expression. "Until I get word from that bird brained idiot what he's doing, Sesshomaru, and his men, stay."

"But Kaida…."

"No buts." she ordered imperiously. "He knows something we don't, and until I find out what it is, the Western ships stay."

"I'm not going to change your mind, am I?"

"Not at this point."

"He's an ass, Kaida. You know damned good and well I've never liked him, and I doubt I ever will. He's likely to have come here just to torment you for leaving him standing on the balcony." Keiji groused. "If you think he's suddenly taken up the mantle of prince charming riding on a white horse to come and save you from the enemies, then I think you need to get your head out of the clouds and come back to reality. He's about as far from a prince as you can possibly want."

"Do you think I don't know this already? I lived with him for over a year, Keiji, I know well what he's like." she stated calmly.

"What do you want me to do then?"

"Inform the captain of the Western fleet what the plan is, and have the extra sails in storage on our supply ships brought up. If push comes to shove, and they do have to stay, we don't need Shinegori's goons getting suspicious when they see the Western colors flying on the majority of the ship's masts."

"We don't have enough sails to go around to all of them." Keiji pointed out. "Some of the ones in storage haven't been repaired from the storm that hit a few weeks ago."

"Then pass out what we have and set the men lounging around to mending the ones that are damaged. I'll figure something out for the others." she said simply. "It isn't like they don't have the time since all we're doing at this point is waiting."

"And what are you planning on doing?" he asked pointedly.

"I'm going to find out what exactly made the illustrious Western Lord get off his ass after all these weeks and decide to come play babysitter for me again."


The Western Lord glanced out over the side of his flagship, noticing how the Southern armada had arranged itself in a basic defensive formation around the largest of the trade ships from the south. It had been a few hours since his arrival, and dusk would be setting in soon. The cool sea breezes caused the untrimmed sails to flap languorously as he unconsciously expanded his aura, trying to feel out where Kaida happened to be hiding. Sesshomaru had no doubt that his sudden appearance with his own naval fleet had incited her to react the way she had, and he was beginning to doubt his decision to intervene in this fight. It was obvious enough by Kaida's frigid reception that he was not wanted there, at least not by her or Keiji. It seemed luck was on his side, however, because as his energy snapped back into his body, it tingled with the feel of a very familiar aura, an aura that flickered with guilt and remorse, but proved she had finally calmed down and was ready to speak to him rationally.

About time. She was getting on his last nerve. Granted, that wasn't all that hard to do, but she seemed to be doing it more often as of late.

"Lord Sesshomaru?"
"Yes?" he asked, barely turning around to acknowledge who was speaking to him.

"We have company coming, sir. And may I be the first to say that she looks particularly murderous this evening, although not as much as earlier." Sakaki commented cheekily. Sesshomaru tamped down a smirk and followed his elite to the other side of the boat, spotting the air bound Kaida coming towards his flagship, and being accompanied by a sour faced Keiji. Sesshomaru had no doubt that he was in for a fight of hellish proportions.

He looked forward to it. And if the grinning Sakaki was any indication of his elite's collective mood, they were looking forward to it as well.

Whether the soldiers actually knew what had happened between himself and Kaida, Sesshomaru was not entirely sure. He knew they had a vague idea, but the more intimate details were unknown to the collective masses. Not that the deficiency in the simple facts surrounding Kaida's angry flight from the Western lands stopped them from coming up with a few ideas of there own about what had happened. Sesshomaru had been privy to his men's thoughts, compliments of one very amused Keisha. The headwoman had taken to keeping him updated on what ridiculous theory the elites had formulated concerning himself and Kaida. A few of the assumptions were closer to the truth than he'd have given them credit for…while the most outlandish were cause for him to snicker quietly to himself.

"Bano." Sesshomaru said finally, garnering his captain's attention easily as the large bear demon walked past.

"Sir?"

"Clear the ship." Sesshomaru said with a clipped voice.

"Sir?" Bano questioned, obviously confused as to his leader's unorthodox orders.

"No one is to return until the Lady is enroute back to her own flagship." Sesshomaru said, pinning the larger demon with a withering look that promised retribution if Bano questioned him again.

"Yes, sir." the bear demon said stiffly, quickly barking out commands to his soldiers. The soldiers were quick to obey their orders, even though a few of them mumbled something about 'not getting to see the bash of a reunion between the two hard headed idiots'. Sesshomaru made a mental note to teach Nekotu how to keep his voice down and opinions to himself once this was all over with.

By the time Kaida had landed onto the deck a few moments later, the majority of the occupants were in the process of disembarking to the nearest ship baring their fellow sailors and soldiers. Sesshomaru continued to act unaffected by his men's departure, opting rather to watch as the bright sunlight began its evening descent into the western horizon.

"What is going on here?" he heard Kaida demand when she finally stepped down onto the deck of the ship.

"Lord Sesshomaru has ordered us to vacate the premises." Bano answered.

"Why?" she asked, confusion evident in her voice.

"I am not sure, Lady." Bano answered.

"He's making his own crew jump ship, sis. I told you this was a bad idea." Keiji remarked. Sesshomaru bristled at the younger demon's words. Why that aggravating creature had suddenly decided to attach himself to his sister, Sesshomaru didn't know. But the Western Lord was more than ready to sever that particular sibling bond.

"Unless you want to join his hoards in going overboard, Keiji, I suggest you stay out of this." Kaida snapped at her brother. Sesshomaru grinned minutely. Oh yes, he was about to have a fight on his hands. "Yukio!"

"Lady General Kaida." the elite answered easily. "I was wondering when we'd be seeing you again."

"What is going on here?" she demanded.

"Lord Sesshomaru said jump, this would be us jumping." he answered.

"Why is that? Surely you haven't annoyed him to the point where he's ready to drown the lot of you." she said calmly.

"Not yet. But it's getting th…." he began, only to be interrupted by the calming presence of the Western Lord.

"I was under the impression that whatever you came here to discuss was not suited for eavesdropping ears." Sesshomaru answered as he walked over, dismissing Yukio with a slight nod. He caught the rakish grin the bear demon sent Kaida and glared. Yukio seemed to take the look for face value, and quickly disappeared over the side of the ship. "Am I correct?"

"So you clear the whole ship just because I'm paying you a visit?" Kaida asked, finally turning to face him, albeit much calmer this time. "Don't I feel special."

"I would not grant such amenities to another." he answered simply. "What do you wish to discuss?"

"A number of things, actually." she answered, watching as the final half dozen grumbling sailors and soldiers were evicted. "Keiji, give me a few minutes."

"I'm not leaving you here with him." the dragon demon said firmly, his arms crossed and a look of absolute resolution on his face. Sesshomaru had never seen such an extreme expression of finality before, and suspected that Kaida was going to reprimand him for refusing to follow an implied order. Instead, his jade eyed demoness simply turned to her sibling and tried to reason.

"We already talked about this, Keiji. You gave me your word." she reminded him.

"I changed my mind. He wasn't standing in front of me then." her brother said. "He's done enough damage to you already."

"I have not laid a hand on her." Sesshomaru said stoutly, the urge to defend himself overtaking his usually quiet demeanor. He knew he had been wrong before where Kaida was concerned. But if anyone was at fault for the tension between them right now, it was her. She was the one who had left him all those weeks ago when he'd tried to talk to her.

"You didn't have to touch her to make her miserable, dog lord." he barked coldly. "Even when she finally got home…."

"That's enough Keiji…please. Let me handle this and you can having your pissing contest later." she said resolutely. "Nothing is going to get done if the two of you are too busy glaring and thinking of ways to maim the other without me finding out." Sesshomaru inwardly winced. She know him too well. The Western Lord said nothing, but turned his unaffected gaze towards Kaida's twin. Keiji regarded him with absolute disgust for a few seconds before throwing his hands up in the air and heaving a breath in aggravation.

"Fine. You haven't listened to anyone else in the last six weeks. Why should you start now?" he grumbled, walking away without another word. Sesshomaru noted that Kaida had to take a calming breath before turning her attention to him. If he was the betting sort, Sesshomaru was pretty sure that the usually close siblings had been in more than their usual amount of arguments over the course of the past few weeks. And from what he could tell, it seemed that Kaida was baring the brunt of it.

He had noted upon arrival that she seemed thinner than the last time he'd saw her, and her skin was noticeably paler. Whether the color change was from stress or a lack of exposure to the sun, he wasn't sure. But he did know that she didn't look all that well. If he was really honest with himself, she looked absolutely exhausted.

"So, what are you doing here? Seiti is supposed to be arriving with reinforcements by the end of the day." she said calmly. "We've already hashed out a plan of attack. We don't need the extra help, not that it's not appreciated."

"Elaborate." Sesshomaru said simply. Kaida looked at him like he was crazy. Then her hands went to her hips and he was faced with an agonizingly familiar glare that promised she would throw him off the deck and into the water below if he didn't leave her alone.

"I don't need your approval." she pointed out crisply. "I am perfectly capable of organizing my men for an attack on the enemy."

"I do not doubt that." he ground out, trying to hold his temper in check before he threw her off the ship. "However, since the bird has not arrived yet, it would be prudent to have someone else go over your course of action to check for possible weak points or flaws."

"It is an ambush." she said simply after a few moments of looking at him questioningly. "Our men are dressed as regular sailors. When we receive word from the scouts that Shinegori's ships have been spotted, we hide in the empty areas below the deck until his men attack and board. When they try to get into the cargo holds and take the goods, we attack. But at this point all we can do is wait."

"Your plan is sound, but has one fatal flaw." Sesshomaru pointed out calmly, noticing the prying eyes of the sailors aboard the closest vessel. He glared and turned away from the side of the ship, silently telling Kaida to follow him. "You admitted there was a leak of information within your ranks. What if the one who is assisting Shinegori has already informed him of your presence here?"

"Not likely. We've managed to deduce that the leaks were originating from a few of the higher leveled advisors and not any of the trade caravans." she said with a shrug, matching his slow stride easily. "Besides, as far as the Council knows, Keiji and I have our men in the interior of the island taking care of some border disputes and trade arguments. The only ones who know that we're here are my father and brothers."

"And Seiti."

"And him, yes." she amended. "By the time he arrives with his own ships…"

"He will not be as much assistance as you may think." Sesshomaru said dully.

"What? Why not?" she demanded quickly, stopping in her tracks to look at him carefully.

"Similarly to yourself, the majority of his ships were vandalized, and are in no shape to sail." he answered, having a good idea of how the news was going to take the proverbial wind out of her sails. He wasn't disappointed.

"What…why didn't I get word of this?" she asked, more to herself than anyone else.

"I do not know."

"How did you find out?" she queried, giving him a suspicious look that he ignored.

"The half-breed sought me out." Sesshomaru answered simply, resuming their walk. Kaida caught up to him, a slight frown on her face. "He seemed to believe you were engaging in a suicide mission and that I was the only one capable of making you see exactly what you were heading into."

"Kaze? He's the reason you're here?" she asked incredously. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"Would you have listened to anything I tried to tell you when I arrived?" he asked. Kaida instantly ducked her head, realizing that she would have probably ignored the news in favor of glowering at him. "But to answer your original question, he is not the only reason I am here right now." Sesshomaru answered vaguely. "Do you know who is responsible for this mess? The half breed did say that you had discovered their identities."

"I know who it is." she said, her face scrunched up in anger. "And as long as I see them die, I don't care what happens to me."

"What is the reason from which this stemmed?" Sesshomaru asked. He'd been going over the facts since he'd left the Western Lands, and he had yet to figure out a probably reason why Shinegori was suddenly making his final move now. Kaida seemed to withdraw into herself, taking a few long seconds to answer him, almost as if she was embarrassed to tell him the truth. She stopped walking and leaned against the side of the boat, glancing down into the water.

"You."

"Excuse me?" he asked, looking down at her in confusion.

"You." she said again. "You're one of the reasons I'm about to kill these people."

"I do not see how this is my fault." he answered evenly. She couldn't pin this on him. There was no way. He hadn't done anything!

"It all boils down to one very angry person who never really liked me to begin with." she said, leaning her arms along the side of the ship and looking out over the water. "It's Kiyoshi's mother, Lady Koto."

"And you believe she is behind this?" he asked.

"I know she is." she said. "Koto ran to the mainland when Haruto died and Saburo took the throne, back to her own family. She blames me for her mate and sons' deaths, and you indirectly since she believed the rumors that I was mated to you secretly not long after I'd left the South to become Rin's teacher."

"So you believe that she managed to manipulate her will onto enough influential people to send an armada of soldiers to kill you?" he asked, wondering if she'd hit her head on something. Her reasoning was lost on him, honestly. He could understand Koto being mad about what had happened to her son, but neither Kaida nor himself had had anything to do with Haruto dying. Rumors circulating through the courts still pointed the guilty finger at Atsuko for her father's death.

"Would I be standing here if it was anything else?" Kaida asked simply. "Besides, Koto is related to Shinegori through her stepsister's mating into his family. The connection is distant, but you know as well as I do that she has a way of persuading people to do and say things they normally wouldn't."

"I take it you found out about all of this when you left to go to the mainland after your sister's celebrations?" he asked, keeping his thoughts to himself. No need to provoke her anymore.

"There was a last minute change of plans. I never left." she said evasively.

"So I've gathered." he said demurely. He had suspected that she'd never left Japan, especially when his spies on the mainland had not mentioned her arrival at the docks in the past weeks.

"Sesshomaru, you're not one to indulge the requests of someone else, so I seriously doubt Kaze's mad dash to find you prompted you to suddenly come find me. What do you want? Why are you here?" Kaida demanded, throwing her hands up in the air and pinning him with a stare.

"I am keeping you from making a stupid mistake, I should think." he said calmly, watching the water as it rippled from the curvature of the ship. "You intend to win this battle with a little over two hundred men, compared to Shinegori's much larger force? You will be slaughtered."

"My intentions should be perfectly clear." she said stiffly.

"Going into a battle with the intent to die is not as honorable as you make it seem." he said coldly. "It is a coward's way out. I had imagined you many things, Lady Kaida, but a coward was not one of them. It seems that I was incorrect."
"You can't be right all the time." she said coolly. He did not answer, and they fell into a companionable silence for a few moments before she let out a breath of air and slumped a little, her strident voice finally giving way to the fatigue he could see she was dealing with. "What was I supposed to do, Sesshomaru? I am tired of fighting tooth and talon for a cause which I know will never change."

"Is your situation so hopeless that you are willing to give up?" he asked carefully, capitalizing off the momentary weakness she was showing.

"Yes." she answered dully, flicking a bit of her hair away from her face as the evening wind began to pick up.

"You seem awfully calm about all of this." he pointed out suddenly.

"Appearances can be deceiving. You taught me that." she said flippantly.

"A lesson which I now regret ever inflicting upon you." he retorted. And for once, he wasn't lying. There had been one time when he could read her thoughts through the expressions on her face. Now he was lucky to glean anything from her demeanor or body language. It annoyed him to know end that she'd picked up his mannerisms to such a fine degree.

"What?" she questioned, looking up at him in confusion. He withheld an urge to reach out and tuck her stray hair behind her ears. He happened to glance past her, catching Keiji's suspicious glare across the distance. Without missing a beat, Sesshomaru changed their trajectory and led Kaida towards the door that led into a small antechamber situated in the center of the ship. She didn't question his actions, having noticed Keiji's murderous aura as well, and mumbling under her breath about 'ridiculously overprotective brothers'.

"You will walk away from this battle." he said solemnly, with a finality that was not to be questioned. He shut the door to the cabin and faced her again. "And afterwards you will not have to fight again."

"I'll fight as long as I am alive." she replied. "It's the way things have always been. Why would they suddenly change now?"

"Not after this." he repeated, walking towards her. "Things change."

"Sesshomaru…" she began, only to shake her head and turn away from him to study a map on the wall. "I think this was a mistake."

"There is no such thing as a mistake. There are things you do, and things you do not do." he said before he could stop himself.

"Well, what I'm doing is leaving you here." she fumed suddenly, her ire back in full force once again. Sesshomaru almost wanted to grin at the mood swings. Kaida always was entertaining to him when she was unstable. He idly wondered if she was going to pick something up and throw it at him…it certainly looked like she would.

"Kaida."

"You and your word games! I'm so sick of having to decipher everything you say to me!" she said caustically, turning to leave him standing there. She didn't even get one step away when she was violently jerked around and face to face with the Western Lord. "What the hell?! Let me go, Sesshomaru!"

"Word games? You speak to me of word games?" he demanded. "For once, you are going to stay here long enough for me to say what I want. And I haven no objections to pinning you to the floor to do it."

"I'd like to see you try." she challenged.

"Tempting as that sounds, I have a more fruitful idea."

"Sesshoma…"

"You fight your battles away from me far too easily, Lady." he said fiercely, his eyes boring into her stunned face. "This ends now."

"This will never end, Sesshomaru. You and I both know it." she said simply. "So long as there is life on earth, there will be conflicts between the people."

"I am not referring to this ridiculous excuse for a battle." he practically hissed, forcing himself to let her go before he gave into the urge to beat some sense into her head and force her to see exactly what his presence in the middle of that god forsaken ocean really meant. Kaida fell quiet, rubbing her left shoulder where his claws had undoubtedly sunk lightly into her skin. Sesshomaru forced himself to calm down. This encounter would not come down to blows, not as so many of their others had. They had fought enough.

"What is going on, Sesshomaru?" she asked quietly.

"The last we saw each other, you posed a question to me, Kaida." he said calmly. "You wished to know to which higher power I answered to? You wanted to know to whom I was a tool, the one I offered my allegiance to, did you not?"

"Yes." she answered, shaking her head in confusion at the sudden change in the subject. "I did, and I still do. But what has that got to do with…"

"Think about it. Considering I'm standing on the deck of this ship, having this conversation with you, after you had the audacity to slap me, then leave me standing on a balcony without so much as an explanation as to what was going through that chaotic head of yours," he began seriously, "I think we both know the answer to that particular question."


A/N- Here's the latest chapter in this little saga. Hope you all enjoyed it. Until next time,

A.A.

P.S. Here's a little something for you to pick at until the next update. At the beginning of the story, where Kaida is remembering her father's words, I stole a bit of the memory's dialogue from a book/movie, and amended it a bit. Also, part of Sesshomaru's last comment was taken from the lyrics of a song.

I've got a treat to the first two reviewers who can tell me where both of these excerpts came from.

There's going to be two more extremely minor characters introduced in the opening part of the next chapter, and I need some descriptions. So the first two people that leave me the correct answers (and an email address where I can reach them) get to give me the descriptions if they so chose to.

So, until next time, happy hunting!

Excerpts:

"You fight your battles far from me, far too easily…" -Sesshomaru

'You never wait, Kaida. Like water, you change your shape and flow around things that block you, finding paths that no one else has thought about…tiny holes through the box that threatens to encase you.' - Ryu

And Happy Thanksgiving to all those out who celebrate it.

The chance for submitting possible answers is over. Congrats to Laochra and Granting Love445 for their correct answers.

A.A.