(-) "Sesshoumaru" – 'The Path to Destiny' (-)
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Chapter 102 : Like Cats and Dogs
Seven years since his birth, he had never faced a greater threat than he did at this moment, Sesshoumaru thought, as he bravely stood in front of his mother, but still held onto her haori with one tiny hand. He did his best to glower at the female pup who stood opposite him, past his father who stood several feet before them and next to who must be her own father. He did not really understand what was going on but judging from both the expression on his father's face and the uneasiness his mother had displayed earlier that morning, he decided it could not be anything good. This pup and her father were probably the cause of it.
His father's aura hovered over them, and even though his mother remained calm and with a smile on her face, he could feel that she was ready to fight at a moment's notice. Both his parents however were careful not to let any of their quiet aggression fall upon the little female pup that stood next to her powerful looking father, who despite the situation of facing the combined power of a Lord and his Lady, smiled and seemed to be at complete ease. The older demon had snow white hair that stood up in curving spikes at the front and fell into cascading tresses at the back. He was welt built and had a more defined chest than his own father. He seemed taller and bigger too. The female pup resembled him greatly with flowing white hair at the back and sides and curving bangs that fell outwards across her face on each side. She was dressed in a pure white kimono with pink blossoms and a pink sash around her middle. Her, almost tangerine colored, eyes glowed softly and yet had a fierceness and an air of superiority about them. Her flawless white skin had two patches of pink on her cheeks.
The female pup was also a good head taller than him, and seemed to be at least two to three years older than him. But the most curious thing about her was the two furry and creamy white ears that stuck out of her head on either side. Sesshoumaru simply could not stop staring at them. He had never seen anything like it. Was there something wrong with her? Was she from some strange species? If the adult demon next to her was her father he seemed pretty normal and had ears like they did. Was she just weird?
The female pup's eyes narrowed, almost as if she had read his thoughts, and Sesshoumaru had to resist the urge to hide behind his mother's leg. Bah! He was not afraid of this girl!
"You don't have to be so on guard, Lord of the West," the male demon spoke, in an almost casual tone. It was not the tone of voice demons usually took when addressing his terribly powerful father. This demon was either very powerful or very brave… or very stupid. "Just because you broke the pact between our clans and married this strange woman instead of the female chosen for you from our tribe, it doesn't mean we can't fix the problem."
The last bit came out a little bitingly and Sesshoumaru realized that the male was not as happy about it as he was letting on. The demon let his eyes fall over his mother, studying her carefully and with suspicion.
"The leaders from our clans three generations ago, agreed to trade resources as our clan helped yours in the past. To repay that debt the elder of your clan agreed to let us use your fields for harvest as the next "Great Chill" falls on our lands making it extremely hard for our tribes to survive. As it is expected to hit us within these next few hundred years, it was agreed upon that you, his great grandson, would marry my sister, in order to ensure there would be no political uprising from letting us use your land. But you chose to marry an outsider, knowing that."
Sesshoumaru watched his father's back to see if there was any reaction but he did not find any.
"No matter, as I said, we can still fix this," the demon declared, laying a large but soft palm on top of the little female pup's head. "This is my niece, pup of the very demoness that you were supposed to marry."
The demon paused and looked at Sesshoumaru's father with a smirk. "Need I say more?"
The Lord of the West remained quiet, as did Sesshoumaru's mother.
"I see," the male demon seemed a little put off. "To be perfectly clear then, your son will marry my niece when they come of age."
When the demon fixed his eyes on him, Sesshoumaru found that he could not hold his judging gaze. "You, little pup… you will fix your father's folly."
Finally, Sesshoumaru's father spoke, "You will address only me, and not my pup, Lord Kazuya."
The other demon smirked again. "I see. Then I think we have an agreement, correct?"
Sesshoumaru's father sighed. "I'm afraid it will be up to my son to decide what he wants to do when the time comes. If it is the use of my lands that you are concerned about, then we can come to an arrangement on that."
"Do not take us lightly, Lord dog," the other demon growled out warningly. "We take pacts and oaths very seriously, and we will not risk political backlash. We cannot be made to seem as less by using your land, and that is why the marriage is important."
"Then I'm afraid there is nothing more for us to discuss," Sesshoumaru's father responded. "When the time comes, when they are both grown, we will revisit this conversation."
Sesshoumaru scowled when the other demon waved off his father, "You are too proud for someone in your situation. Did you think that we would be fooled like everyone else? We are fully aware of the weak pup you have spawned, probably thanks to that strange woman standing behind you. If anything, you should be on your knees thanking us, for giving you my niece. She is the most powerful pup in our pack. Her power is so great that her true demon form cannot be completely masked in her human form yet, hence why her ears appear as they do. I'm sure you already assessed that she should not be mistaken for a Hanyou."
The female pup's uncle could not help the grin that broke out onto his face, "Our clan is infinitely superior to yours either way, Lord of the West. This is only further proof of that. We will always be the alpha and you are no more than domesticated dogs. That rings even more true to the miserable pup you've brought into this world."
No sooner were his words out, did the demon blur towards Sesshoumaru intent on picking him up by the back of his neck. Sesshoumaru cringed, waiting for the demon's hand to clamp around his neck from behind. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes and looked up at the demon standing right in front of him. The demon's eyes were focusing on his mother in shock. His mother for her part still looked straight ahead, her fan lying open in the fingers of her left hand. Her right hand however had stretched out and had a firm grip on the wrist of the other demon.
"It is not a female's place to interfere in these matters," Lord Kazuya growled in a low tone, warningly.
Through this exchange, Sesshoumaru's father never turned around. Instead, he seemed to be looking at the little female pup who stared back at him unflinchingly.
Finally, his mother spoke, "I care not for matters of my mate's clan and any relation or pacts it may have made with yours. That being said, no one touches my son."
The demon smirked, but froze when he found that he could not move his arm. The grip the Lady of the West had on him was unshakable. Was this woman not supposed to be weak, and have given birth to a weak heir?
He leapt back to a comfortable distance, once the demoness released her grip on him.
"Oh, how interesting," the demon quipped, studying Sesshoumaru's mother in new light.
"It would be best not to test my mate," the Lord of the West advised, nonchalantly.
The demon waved off Sesshoumaru's father's words and returned to the side of his niece. "Mischa, go greet your future husband."
The little pup seemed to scrounge up her nose at the idea of him being her husband and Sesshoumaru had similar thoughts. The whole idea was preposterous. Absurd!
"Sesshoumaru," his father called, and his spine stiffened instantly. "Come say your greetings."
Unsure, Sesshoumaru looked up at his mother, and upon seeing her reassuring smile, he bravely stepped forward to take on this new enemy. He would not let this girl intimidate him!
Knowing that his mother would be right behind him, Sesshoumaru puffed his chest up, raised his head, and stepped forward to meet his opponent, er, fiancé? Mischa, unfazed by his attempts to appear dominant, plodded up to him, crossed her arms across her chest, and looked down her nose at him, literally.
It was not easy to strike fear into her heart, when he was shorter, Sesshoumaru realized with some chagrin. No matter, he would come out the victor in this exchange and impress his mother. Maybe his father too, for once.
Curling up his lips, Sesshoumaru attempted to show this female pup who was top dog around here. He would tell her exactly what he thought about all this. "This Sesshoumaru does not want to marry yo-"
"Why are you so weak?"
Her cutting words stopped him and his eyes widened in surprise. Great, another pup to point out how weak he was. "Listen here you-"
"Is something wrong with you?" she cut him off again. "Are you retarded or something?"
Flustered at her question, or was it an accusation, Sesshoumaru found his mouth opening and closing without the ability make sound.
Mischa spun her head back to look at her uncle, challengingly, "Am I really supposed to marry this weakling?"
Sesshoumaru looked back towards his mother for help but was met with a stoic face. She wanted him to handle this on his own? Hm, very well.
When he turned back to the front he found the female pup's face a mere inch from his own. He had to fight the urge to jump back as she peered down at him, inspecting him closely. Mischa checked both sides of his head, her tiny little nostrils flaring as she sniffed him intently.
The heck is wrong with her, Sesshoumaru wondered. What was she doing? Wait, did he smell? Was that it? He had been bathed shortly before, so he doubted that was it. He was even more surprised when she moved behind him and sniffed the back of his neck, sending tiny little shivers up his spine. He also noticed that her uncle had a smirk on his face as he watched his niece's dominant exchange with him.
Mischa walked back to stand in front of him, the look of disapproval growing by the second.
"Now Mischa, you don't want to scare your future mate," he heard her father say, without much weight to his words. He was clearly enjoying this.
"But Uncle, this boy was already scared," Mischa replied dismissively.
Clearly, she thought highly of herself Sesshoumaru remarked to himself. He would have to show her he was not about to take any flack from her. "This Sesshoumaru is not scare-"
"Are you perhaps broken?" the female pup suddenly asked him, precisely jabbing a small finger into his chest. "Are you really the Inu No Taisho's son? Are you sure they did not simply pick up you from somewhere? What is wrong with you?"
Sesshoumaru felt a wave of anger come over him. Her words, they cut deep. But was it her words, or the possible reality of them? Transfixed, his eyes swept right to a view of his father, who continued to watch stoically. Could it be true? Is that why he was so weak? Was he really his father's son? If not, that would explain why he was so weak. Did his parents, or who he thought were his parents, really pick him up from somewhere? He dared not turn around and look at his mother for fear that he might find out what he dared not want to believe.
Why? Why did this stupid Mischa have to bring it up? He had never even considered such a thing. Stupid girl! Why couldn't she just be nice. It was all her fault.
Before he realized what he was doing, Sesshoumaru took a swipe at the girl's face. Everyone present, including himself, were surprised.
By instinct, Mischa leaned back and avoided his pathetic attempt at petty revenge. Her surprised orbs, then narrowed. A grin spread on her lips and there appeared a dangerous glint in her eye.
A sharp pain rocked his senses when Sesshoumaru felt a strong blow to his stomach, strong enough to knock the wind out of him and double him over. What the heck just happened? He did not see anything. As he began to fall forward, covering his stomach, he realized belatedly that Mischa had punched him in the gut. His eyes shot up at her, and he realized with panic that her eyes said she was far from done.
He was in so much pain that he could not even defend himself or resist when she grabbed him by the throat and threw him over her head like a toy.
Dazed and confused, he saw the world upside down, but still managed to catch hold of his mother's visage as he sailed away from her. Her face too was emotionless, just like his father's. Was she disappointed in him too? Had he failed her? Or… was she glad that the truth was out now and she no longer had to pretend that he was her son?
He stretched out one arm, calling silently for her, but instead of his mother's embrace his vision was filled with the lithe and small body of Mischa. She caught him mid-air and slammed him down into the ground, face first. For a second time, pain overpowered his senses and he thought he might pass out.
The female pup straddled his back, using her weight and superior strength to hold him down. With one hand on the back of his head, she pushed down and then he felt her teeth clamp on the back of his neck through his hair. A surprisingly terrifying low bark and growl emanated from her chest.
"Submit!" she demanded.
Sesshoumaru could not fathom what was happening but something inside him was now fighting against him. A part of him held still, knowing he was in danger and that he stood no chance against this girl pup, yet another part of him did not want to submit.
"Submit!" she demanded more fiercely, her teeth taking a firmer hold of the skin on the back of his neck. A little more pressure and her teeth would break skin.
Sesshoumaru struggled to raise his eyes and when he finally managed to, he saw his father's apathetic countenance. His father was not going to help him after all.
Feeling helpless and conflicted the young Prince of the West steeled his resolve, determined to escape the literal pain in his neck that was the offending female savage. If he could not beat her with strength, then he would have to use his weakness.
Mischa's eyes widened when the Prince of the West's body suddenly went limp, pulling her closer to the ground over him. Unwilling to put herself in a position where she would lose her balance her jaws let go of Sesshoumaru's neck. She took aim to pound the side of his head with her fist when the male pup bucked underneath her and snapped his head back.
The back of Sesshoumaru's head slammed into her nose. Stunned, she staggered back, not because of any pain or damage but in surprise as she realized that he had used her strength against her.
Sesshoumaru quickly got to his feet, spun around and leapt towards her in a tackle.
"That's enough," he suddenly heard his father command, and Sesshoumaru froze on the spot.
"Yes, that's enough out of you too Mischa," Mischa's uncle declared, with a raised eyebrow. "You cannot go around beating your future husband the first time you meet him." Despite his somewhat serious demeanour, his tone of voice indicated that the older demon seemed to have found all this very amusing, Sesshoumaru thought with distaste.
Mischa simply stared at Sesshoumaru, unable to process the fact that she had been bested in strategy, even if only for a moment. The Prince of the West certainly was as weak as they had suspected, and the rumours proved to be mostly true, however what none of them thought about was how the Prince might have learnt to compensate for that; with strategy. She looked over his head at his parents standing behind him; One the incredibly powerful Lord of the West, and the other a mysterious Demoness who had managed to become the mate of such a powerful and wise Lord. Even if their son was weak, parents such as this would surely not allow for an heir to be raised that could not succeed them in one way or another. Whether Sesshoumaru knew it or not, they were surely teaching their pup to fight smarter if he could not fight by strength alone.
Her eyes fell back down to the Prince standing before her. Even when he was about to tackle her just now, he had been aiming for her open side and back foot to capitalize on her momentary loss of balance. He was three years younger than her, and already his brain was capable of battle analysis and strategy. But the way he had been clinging to his mother earlier, made him seem like such a momma's boy.
Mischa's lips curved into a frown. What this pup lacked was confidence more than anything else. He was pressured by the tremendous weight of having such a powerful father and his own conscious awareness that he might never reach such a level. And while that might be true, it did not mean that he could not become a wise ruler.
She watched nonchalantly as Sesshoumaru marched off somewhere without a word, now that their impromptu little fight had been put a stop to.
"If anything," she heard her uncle say, "Mischa can help protect your pup and your land when she is older, because it certainly looks as though your pup won't be able to accomplish it on his own by any means."
Sesshoumaru grit his teeth as he walked away from the crown. He hated to admit it, but that demon was probably right. Is that why neither of his parents helped him when he was getting beat up by that gorilla of a girl. He winced as he felt his body ache from where she had punched him. And how dare she try to put him in a submission hold.
He stopped at a stream and looked down at his dishevelled appearance. Frowning, he knelt down and used the water to wipe away the smudges of dirt on his face.
"Do you always allow your emotions to get the best of you in battle?"
Startled, Sesshoumaru whipped around to find the offending female pup starting at him with genuine curiosity. His movements sent him staggering back into the stream till both his feet were immersed in water.
He narrowed his eyes at her with suspicion. Did she want to fight him again?
Orange Red eyes only stared back at him with curiosity and not aggression. Sesshoumaru let his eyes study her, in case she was preparing to attack him. He found that she was very relaxed. Her lithe frame could be mistaken for a lack of strength, but he knew first-hand how false such an assumption would be. She had high and round cheekbones that, he supposed, would make some call her cute. She was very dignified in the way that she stood, quite similar to his own mother.
Sesshoumaru had to resist the urge to back away she moved towards him, entering the stream and getting her sandaled feet and the edges of the bottom of her kimono wet. He watched in silence as she bent down, soaked the edge of her left kimono sleeve and then reached for his face. He cringed instinctively and watched with embarrassment as her eyes widened slightly in surprise at his reaction and then narrow in disbelief.
She used the edge of her sleeve to wipe off from his cheek some of what must have been remaining smudges of dirt that he had missed. Seeing her up this close, and not in a fight situation, he realized that her eyes were quite cold. For someone of her age, it seemed that there was much that she took responsibility for. Her actions seemed to hold warmth, but her visage did not. She had referred to the other demon as her 'uncle' and not father. Why hadn't her father come? Especially for something like this. Could it be that she did not have a father?
For a moment, Sesshoumaru thought beyond himself. What was this female pup going through to have such an attitude, such an almost emotionless countenance, and such great skill? What expectations had been placed upon her by her family? Was she… like him, in that regard? Someone trying to live up to their family's legacy?
Lost in thought, Sesshoumaru did not realize that the female pup was staring at him intently, only her snow-white triangular ears shifting ever so slightly in small intervals. His breath caught in his throat when she closed the distance between them, moved the tresses of his silver hair away from the side of his neck, and then licked him there.
Sesshoumaru's mind went blank, unable to process what was happening right now. What the heck was she doing?
She pulled back and looked into his eyes where his pupils had shrunk to the centre.
"You are weak," she said, matter-of-factly, "BUT, that's alright, because I will protect you."
She pulled back and stood regally. "Mischa accepts you as her future husband."
Sesshoumaru felt dizzy. He had no idea what was going on anymore. Was she perhaps crazy?
Behind her, he saw that his mother had followed him, and a smile was on her lips; she had heard what the princess had whispered to him.
He was forcefully slammed out of his thoughts when he suddenly felt the air crackle with youki, her youki. Sparks of orange flittered about the air.
"Now that I have decided you are mine, and I am yours," Mischa announced warningly, "If any other female dares to try to lay claim on you, I will destroy her and raze all her land to the ground."
Sesshoumaru realized that these were not empty words. And then to his horror, the Princesses' face broke out into a toothy grin. Or at least she tried, as it looked very awkward. It was as if though she was not used to smiling like this and yet she was trying her best to. For his sake?
He watched in perplexed silence as the young demoness walked away, an almost imperceptible bounce in her step. Still elegant. Still fearsome. Still a young maiden at heart. She was the Princess of the Great White Dogs of the frozen tundra known as Blizzard Valley that lay outside of the Four Great lands, bordering the Western and Northern Lands.
They were a noble race of pure Snow Dogs who were so fierce and powerful, that none of the Four Great Lands sought to conquer them in thousands of years. And now, their princess, the one who shall surely be their future queen, sought to conquer him.
"Sesshoumaru?" his mother called after him, forcing him to tear his eyes away from the Princess' retreating back.
Sesshoumaru scowled unhappily. His mother had not helped him when he was being bullied by that ogre girl.
His mother seemed to already know what he was thinking and what he was unhappy about. She approached him with a smile and beckoned for him to come out of the water. As he set foot on dry ground, she knelt before him and cupped his cheek lovingly.
"Your father and I will always step in should either of us think you were in true danger," she assured, "because you are indeed our son." She knew that would not suffice as an acceptable answer for a pup so young and the thoughts that he probably had had, and so she would need to help him understand the weight of his existence, even if not now, then some day in the future.
"As Prince of the West, and as our son, there are things that you will be held responsible for, things and people that you cannot cut out of your life, and burdens that you must bear," she explained with optimism while carrying a tone of slight regret. "There will be fights that you cannot avoid, and if you cannot rely on strength to win, then you must find other means, as long as it does not bring dishonour to you and everything that is important to you, for if that happens, you will lose the value of existence. A life like that would be void and bottomless."
"As those who brought you into this world, we of course want you to have the most fulfilling life you can have, and part of that responsibility lies in us holding back when trials and tribulations come over you, to allow you to learn, grow and find your own answer," she continued to explain, carefully watching his expressions. "You don't need to be the strongest Demon to be happy. You only need to give meaning to those around you, and they in turn will give meaning to you."
The Lady of the West smiled as she picked up her pup and held him at her waist. His scowl had weakened as he seemed quite interested in what she was telling him. She wiped some of the smudges that the Princess had missed. "You will find those who will want to protect you, and those who will wish to be protected by you."
She turned to look in the direction of the disappearing figure of the wolf pup. "Children have a sense of wonder and innocence that can light up the world," she said with full faith. "When you are lost and uncertain, look to the eyes of a pup, and you will see how narrow minded you've been and they will help you see things in a way you never thought possible," she declared. Sesshoumaru tilted his head, wondering if she was talking about the female pup that had nearly pounded him or all pups in general. As if in answer to his thoughts, she said, "And you are the light of your father and I." She stroked the top of his head with her free hand. "My son, you will be a light to many, and it will be up to you whether you turn away from them and leave them in darkness, or be the light that shines on them and leads them out of it."
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Darkness. It surrounded Sesshoumaru as he recalled his mother's words and awoke from a slumber he did not know he had fallen into. They were words that he could remember so clearly after all this time. He shook his head to clear his mind. Lost in this endless forest of night, he looked down at the remains of the demon he had fought and then consumed, out of sheer instinct. And now he hid, in the hollow of a tree, several feet above ground, trying to make sense of his awakened demon traits. It was as if the demonic force within him had pushed through a dam and the sudden onslaught of power was too much for his mind that he blacked out while his energy and body soared to new depths to accustom themsleves to it.
He was desperate to get back to his mother, but he had no idea how to. Which direction to go in or how far. He knew none of that. The longer he spent lost, the more he was in danger of being prey for the creatures that called this place home. He had got lucky in his first encounter, but he doubted his luck would continue to last in a place as fierce as this.
First thing first. He needed to survive. There was nothing he could do for his mother if he ended up dying here first.
With determination he quietly stepped out of the tree, but froze immediately after. A shadow dropped down at the end of another thick branch of the tree he was on, and it crouched low.
A low growl escaped the figure.
Sesshoumaru grit his teeth.
He knew that growl. It was from his natural enemy. It was from the one thing that even his father could not get along with.
The shadow moved closer, eyeing him as its prey.
Sesshoumaru's nose inhaled the scent of blood. The shadowy creature was injured? And it saw him as easy prey?
A growl that Sesshoumaru did not know he could produce, escaped his lips almost as if in natural response.
This really was the worst, Sesshoumaru realized as he readied himself to face his new enemy in its beast form.
This was going to be an ugly fight, between a dog and a cat.