Chapter 55: Far Away


Wrapped tightly against her mate's chest by his mokomoko, Kagome found that she had a new appreciation to the way the Daiyoukai traveled as she now realized that they not only traveled faster, but this way of traveling allowed her to be closer to her mate. The warmth emanating from his body added to the warmth of his fur, kept her nice and warm during the entire flight. He carried her bridal style with her head against his heart, the steady beat pulsed under her ear letting know that yes, this was very real and no, she wasn't dreaming. Her eyes had fluttered closed sometime during the flight to wherever he was taking her; however they opened as soon as she no longer felt the steady wind hitting her body.

Her blue eyes were open in wonder as they stood in front of a traditional Japanese castle with a single tower that was at least six stories high, no walls surrounding it, nor were there any guards or people to be seen monitoring it. It was empty and looked as if it could be haunted. Though the walls of the palace looks brand new, the priestess couldn't help the feeling that it held a few secrets to it. Turning her head towards her husband and mate she voiced her thoughts. "Where are we?" Her eyes shone with worry.

Sesshomaru looked down at his tiny female. "This is this Sesshomaru's personal palace." He stated as his fingers laced with her own. "This palace cannot be seen by mortals who do not share this one's blood. You can see it because you are my mate. The wards around it keep it invisible to any who I do not wish to see it." He smiled as a memory appeared. "After it's construction was complete and the wards were in place I hid here for many years in training and perfecting my fighting techniques." He looked down at her and kissed her forehead. "This is where we will go when things become too hectic in the Western Palace or within our pack."

"I feel like I've been to this island before." She stated to him as she looked around herself at the geography of the area. "Perhaps in the future, I came here with my family." She felt her chest tighten. My family. A tear ran down her cheek. She'd barely been able to mourn her mother and grandfathers death before she'd come to the West. She'd pushed those feeling down and kept a brave face on for Souta. She had cried before in the lonely darkness of her room, but she hadn't truly moved on from the fact that some youkai would one day kill her family. Shaking her head and pushing those thoughts away she spoke. "What island is this?"

"Humans call it Sadogashima." He stated, "I believe it's in the Homna clan's possession; though they pay tribute to the West by allowing this one to have a dwelling here and to hunt wherever this one wishes."

Kagome giggled causing her mate to raise a delicate silver brow at her. "My father brought me to this island many years ago during a festival. It was a time for him and I do enjoy ourselves before Souta was born." She continued to giggle causing Sesshomaru's eyes to soften. Her goggles subsided. "He died a few weeks afterwards." Her eyes softened as the joy left them. "I always turned to those memories of him for strength during the shard hunt. He made me so happy when I was a child. Then when he was gone I had those memories to help me keep him alive and then turned them into something that could make me stronger."

"Hnn.." Sesshomaru touched her cheek. "Do you wish to rest and meditate on these memories?"

She hummed as she shook her head no once. "I'm good." She watched him look at her for a moment, his emotions were wide open for anybody to see at this moment. The love he had for her was very evident in his eyes.

He gave a nod before pulling her behind him as they walked up to the castle. As they climb the stairs Kagome could feel a brush of magic along her limbs. It was pure and felt like a gentle rain against her skin. It took her a moment to realize that the wards were actually giving her a welcome. She smiled as she walked a little faster so that her steps fell in line with her mate's. She watched in amazement as Sesshomaru raised his hand and flicked it causing some youki to flash across the large metal and wooden engraved doors causing them to open to their masters will.


Haru sat in the tree far above the wolves heads. The hunters had just come back complaining how the human traps had been moved and were nowhere to be found. The elder wolves were yelling at how the hunters were being lazy and told them in very certain turn to actually hunt for themselves this time around. The squirrel smirked as part of their plan was being implemented at the moment. They'd taken four others in their group and gotten them to help in moving the traps deeper in Lord Inuyasha's forest. Now that, that was done the wolves were forced to hunt for themselves instead of stealing. As the hunters took off into the woods Haru made a chittering noise. His sign to begin part to two of their plan.

Hiroki waited patiently by the river with three others with jugs in their hands laugh obnoxiously, to any passerbyer they'd sound like drunken fools, but in reality only two jugs had sake and the ones they were drinking out of were filled with water. As expected the wolves on hunting patrol came to investigate. Hiroki smiled deviously. "Hey!" He yelled happily. "Y-You look th-irrrsty." He laughed drunkenly at the trio of wolves and held a jug out to them.

The one baring three claw marks over his left eyes approached first and took the jug and guzzled it. "Hey!" yelled his companion. "Give us some!" He snatched the jug. The third guy was handed a new jug and soon all three men were laughing and talking garbled up words that made no sense. On the other side of the forest another trio of hunters were being chased by a giant sized hog that was really an illusion made by one of the guards asked to assist in this. Even deeper in the forest the last pair of hunters found themselves falling into a mud pit built by the squirrel who was looking down at his captives smiling. He was enjoying this too much. Deciding that this was all he was going to do for the moment to these wolves he stood from his hiding spot in the trees and jumped down. Turning he walked away from the wolves snickering.


Deep in the heart of the southern kingdom in the woods known as the Forest of the Damned a loud cracking sound could be heard. Those who lived near the forest knew these sounds were not from the dead trees themselves but from the darkness that surrounded the area that had killed the once lively trees. Grey dead branches stretched out for miles around and if one were to travel to the center they'd find thousands of husks breaking and exploding. In the dead center a man stood smiling, his eyes red and glowing as each cocoon split open. His children were being born once again, this time instead of babies they were full sized men with rippling muscles, eyes matching their sore and hair as black as midnight. Each, however, carried a small vestige of their mothers in their faces; some had soft feature while other hard, while some were handsome, others not so much. In their minds they had memories of how to fight and kill. Their instincts telling them what they were meant to do, but at this moment one instinct raised above all others.

Feast.

Turning towards their sire he smiled at his children. "Go to the human village nearby and feast to your hearts content." He said with vicious intent. "For tomorrow we leave for the Western Lands to kill those who would defy us. We shall lay the land waste. Have our revenge on this one's father's murderers and when we find the Lord of the West and his mate we shall make him watch as we slowly humiliate and kill her in front of all to see." Snarls and growling noises where heard as men laughed at these words. "Then and only then shall we give him death." He paused and look out at the crowd of men. "Now go. Feed. Dress yourselves in the clothes of your male victims clothes and then return so that we may leave." As one the grown men turned and left their sire to sate their hunger for flesh and meat.

Ku turned his eyes to a single cocoon hanging from a high branch, the only one that hadn't hatched. A dud. He thought. The child hadn't been able to survive the onslaught of power that would force it's growth and ensure it was powerful enough to destroy a miko and a Daiyoukai. Snarling he turned away from the cocoon and exited the forest to watch his children enjoy their first of many kills to come.

Had he stayed a bit longer he would've seen the cocoon sway slightly as the being inside fought to get out. A moment later a hand, then a foot pushed through the hardened silky threads of the cocoon. Seconds later it snapped from the branch and fell to the ground below, cracking the cocoon even further. A minute then two passed until suddenly the cocoon pieces exploded every which way. A small body laid on the ground, it's body black as night, hair as white as snow. Golden eyes opened to the world around it. As it sat up it's body was revealed to be female. Two red marks stained her left eye in a vertical slash downward. Standing for the first time, she looked around herself before inhaling the air deeply. Taking in the scent of many males nearby she turned the opposite way they were and ran.


M-Angel: Oh! Another twist in the story. Hehehehe...