Under the Dog Star

by Catwho

A retro-generation fic dealing with how Inuyasha's parents met . This is now AU based on movie three canon.

2. Part II

Under the Dog Star Part II
(Containing the whole of chapters 7-12)

Chapter Seven: The Death of Dreams

Near the village of Kusabana, something dreadful was happening.

The day before, a powerful youkai had been destroyed, its blackened blood spilt onto the ground mercilessly by the powerful jaws of its enemy. The body of the beast had disappeared into the ether, it's enhanced form of a smoke blue dragon dog fading down to the much smaller body of a human, whose neck had been ripped out. The human form had bled onto the ground as well. The body was mangled. It was very, very, very dead. As was, supposedly, the soul that had been inhabiting it at its time of death.

But a youkai, like a vampire, has many lives.

The dried blood swelled slightly as a gentle afternoon shower fell into the forest. After a few brief moments, a puddle formed and began to pulse again with a deep blue light.

"Inutaisho . . ." a voice seemed to whisper on the wind. "Inutaisho . . . ai shite'ru . . . omae o korosu . . ."

* * *

"You mean I can have them both?" Tomiko said, her eyes glowing in adoration. Inutaisho grinned and nodded.

They had spent the better part of the day in a dressmaker's house in Tsutsuji, a large city just outside the taiyoukai's territory, selecting fabrics for a few serviceable kimono for Tomiko. The tailors there, a husband and wife, had a special understanding with youkai from all over the land. In exchange for fabrics and their services their mending was done by the youkai. The couple, infamous throughout the entire island for being able to restore even the most battle stained clothes, were sought after by all nobles for their work.

Inutaisho had repaired nearly twenty kimono and other various assorted articles of clothing while Tomiko was fitted for her clothing. The husband here had done Inutaisho's own formal kimono, as well as Sesshoumaru's clothing and armor. Their two daughters, Yuki and Fuu, showed as much promise in the art of clothing creation as their parents, and they were currently fussing over which style kimono to sew for Tomiko. She finally decided on the usual, simple yukata pattern with shorted sleeves for a maiden.

If Inutaisho had his way, soon she'd changed those sleeves to the heavier, long sleeved style reserved for those who belonged to a man, either through marriage or through whatever other means. Even if she didn't know it now, she was now his.

But he'd have to be careful in his wooing of her. She still thought of him as nothing more than a friend, and while he could spin some of the most beautiful and sincere poetry for her, he wanted to keep his heart honest around her. He'd have to tell her about his son, and soon, or else she'd feel betrayed. There is no more honesty in not telling a truth than there is in telling an untruth.

He began work on another torn and stained kimono, chanting the soft, complicated spell that called forth threads of light to repair the abused fabric. Inutaisho never minded this simple work. The taiyoukai as whole were indebted to the couple, so using their magic for the repair of human clothing was only fair.

Sesshoumaru had resented his obligation, and he had done his work grudgingly. The boy needed to learn that that was how things were done in the demon world. Since demons didn't deal with human money, they had to use the more primitive system of bartering, and the cloth-repair spell was the only spell a youkai knew that could visibly help a human.

"I want a pair of leggings, too, to wear under them," Tomiko said to the wife, who was measuring her arms yet again. The kimono style would have a large obi bow in the back, and a matching sash draped over the arms to give the illusion of longer, falling sleeves.

The woman nodded. "That is wise. In fact, I think that perhaps a traveling outfit would work out well -- leggings over a shortened cotton yukata, with a narrow obi. Formal kimono and even casual yukata do not travel well."

"I'd like the blue cotton, then, for the traveling outfit, and the red silk for one kimono. For the other kimono, though . . ." She peered through the many bolts of imported Chinese silk, and chanced upon one of the palest green.

"It seems to glow!" she cried in delight.

"Oh, yes, that particular color does seem to shine with its own light. Let's hold it against your skin . . ." She held the bolt of cloth up to Tomiko's face, and eyed it critically.

Inutaisho glanced up, then suddenly stood, the outfit he had been working on falling unheeded onto the floor. "No," he said softly, staring hard at the cloth. It was the color that she had worn . . .

"No?" Tomiko said in dismay. Was it too expensive?

Suddenly a faint memory passed through the tailor's wife's mind, and she pulled the bolt away, and caught Inutaisho's eye. There was a reason that no demon, male or female, had worn that color for over twenty years.

"Your gentleman won't say as much, but the green is too shiny," she whispered to the girl. "It mattes your hair. Let's look for another color . . ."

Puzzled, Tomiko returned to the pile of silks. Inutaisho had not affirmed or denied her statement in speech, so she could not be sure, but she had a feeling that his reaction to the color had very little to do with her hair.

* * *

The blood had coalesced into a rough lump, and flowed freely through the forest. It needed another body. Inuaoiryu had been powerful, but not powerful enough. Inutaisho had ripped him to shreds with only his fangs.

What sort of body would be that powerful?

The puddle of ichor paused, sensing a familiar presence not far away.

Only one body would do to fight Inutaisho.

His son.

* * *

The wife had given Tomiko an old pair of leggings for travel until her clothing was done. Feeling much more modest with her legs covered, she climbed onto Inutaisho's back again, and he leapt into the trees, traveling back toward his winter lair. He had not said much since the scene in the tailor's shop, and Tomiko could sense that his heart was clouded. What had happened to him with the green silk to cause him to brood so?

"I'm sorry, Inutaisho-sama," she whispered unconsciously. She had gotten carried away, thinking like a child again.

"Don't be," he answered kindly. "This inu-jiji just had a start, that's all."

"Old man? You're not old. I mean, you don't look old . . . " Tomiko frowned. He had spoken truthfully then.

"Tomiko, there has always only been one Inutaisho, and I am he."

Only one? But the legend of Inutaisho stretched back for centuries. Tomiko let that thought settle in, trying to comprehend the increasingly large puzzle that was her friend.

They continued on, the tension growing thickly between them until it crystallized and formed etched glass. Neither could see into the other's hearts at the moment.

* * *

The blood pooled at the base of a tree. Sesshoumaru looked down at the ground, smelling the vile scent of his second cousin's rotting life fluid.

"What have we here?" he asked softly, looking down at the puddle of blood.

"Sesshoumaru . . ." the puddle said in his mind. "You've grown so beautifully . . . I'm so proud . . . now . . . open your heart to me . . . "

Entranced, fearless, the young youkai watched as the blood began to climb up the tree.

"Who are you?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"You may call me . . . the Death of Dreams."

* * *

"What the . . ." Inutaisho paused at the edge of the forest outside his winter home. Tomiko slid down his back, then gripped his arm as the horror of what had happened to their cave sunk in.

It was destroyed, utterly.

The stone of the cave had cracked, forming a shell that was filled with rubble. The warm bathing pool had been fouled with ink, and the waterfall cruelly stopped up. The path outside the cave had been littered with dead leaves and mud. It was as if a giant hand had come and smacked the entire place flat, then purposely ruined anything that had been left intact.

Tomiko sank to the ground, her heart clutching her chest. She forgot all about the green silk as the horror of reality sank in.

"Someone tried to kill us," she said, staring at the desecrated lair.

"Not us. Someone tried to kill you." Inutaisho reached down and pulled her close to him, and she clutched the youkai's white kimono fearfully. "This was just a warning. Tomiko-chan . . ."

"Yes, Inutaisho-sama?" she said, turning her pretty face up to him, her warm violet eyes darkened in fear. Tears were already spilling down her face, and he wrapped her up warmly, amazed at how must she had grown to trust him in the past day.

"I'm afraid that by saving your life, I've put you in even more danger." He took a deep breath. "I have to return you to Kusabana."

Tomiko let out a wordless cry, then started sobbing again into Inutaisho's kimono. The vision of her village being burned returned to her mind, and she mentally shoved it away. When had she become so weepy? It was only that she could not bear to be parted from her first real friend, wasn't it?

"Come on," he said, and picked her up in his arms, so that she could continue to cry against him.

Neither looked back on what had been, for one whole day, their home.

* * *

Sesshoumaru studied the blood of his dead second cousin. Pity, he had been glad that the other youkai had died. Inuaoiryu had been an annoying rival for status in their clan. With him gone, Sesshoumaru had hoped to claim his land as his first stake, since the blue youkai had no heir. But he was still alive, in some form, meaning that claim was moot.

"And what do you want from me?" the young youkai asked.

"I want . . . your body . . . for only a moment."

Sesshoumaru backed away from the blood casually, and eyed it critically.

"And what would be in it for me?"

"All of . . . Inuaoiryu's land. I name you my heir."

"By the blood?"

"By wildest blood," the blood said, pulsing gently, sealing the bargain with the oldest youkai promise.

Sesshoumaru, young, bored, and utterly overconfident, reached out one hand for the questing puddle.

Chapter Eight: Return Home

It was growing late when Inutaisho dropped her off outside the city. She had her one spare kimono tied up in her hand, for easy travel. Tomiko just couldn't believe that her adventure was already over, but Inutaisho was insistent.

"Your life is in danger," he said, sounding sad but firm, "and for the moment, you're safer with your family."

"I don't want to go back," she said, emptily. "I want to stay with you."

"I -," he said, then stopped himself short, and ran his hand through his mane of white hair in agitation. He didn't want her to go, either, but the trashing of his winter lair, a home to him for over five centuries, bothered him far more than he wanted to admit to her. There was a code of honor among the taiyoukai, and personal homes were off limits in battle except for one extreme -- revenge.

Someone, or something, wanted revenge.

Tomiko was crying again, the slow, silent tears escaping even though she tried to hold them back. Even in her borrowed traveling outfit, she looked elegant and pure, whereas someone with a lesser soul might look frumpy or silly. Impulsively, Inutaisho pulled her to him, hugging her tightly, wanting to remember her sweet scent throughout whatever battles may come.

"When this is all over, I will come for you," he whispered, and daring to overstep his bounds, kissed her temple. She jumped, but did not pull away. Instead, she raised her head slowly to meet his eyes, and in them he saw trust, plain and simple. She trusted him, as she had from the very beginning. She believed his words as truth.

"Thank you," she said, and, suddenly feeling shy, stepped out of his arms and began to walk toward the village. She had gone almost over the crest of the hill toward the valley before she faltered, and turned around, to see if he was still there. But Inutaisho had leapt silently into a tree, and all she saw was the swirling wind behind her.

Her heart ached. In only two days, the taiyoukai had changed everything she believed about the world. No longer were youkai frightening, filthy creatures, but instead they were kind and peaceful, at least ones like Inutaisho. And yet, each step she took down the dirt road brought her closer to the world that she'd forgotten, the world where youkai were evil, and where she, a hearer of truth and lies, was shunned as a worthless girl who scared the honest and angered the sinful.

She would go back to the Bara no Cha, of course. Her mother would welcome her warmly, and her father would probably put her back to serving food in the teahouse. Could she slip back into the pattern of working all day that easily, now that she had tasted freedom and friendship? Absently she touched the temple that Inutaisho had kissed. Her heart quickened at the memory -- his lips had been soft, and warm, but where he had touched burned with the hottest fire.

She had entered the town proper, now. The streets were relatively busy with the midday traffic, as people completed their errands in the city. It would be a matter of moments for someone to recognize her . . .

"Look! It's Tomiko! Tomiko-san has returned!" someone shouted, and everyone on the street suddenly stopped, and began whispering. Tomiko held her head high. She had done nothing to be ashamed of, and she certainly wasn't going to act as if she were some sort of fallen woman. Word of her return reached the Bara no Cha before she did, and suddenly, out of the front door came her mother, who was weeping openly.

"Tomiko-chan!" the old woman cried, and raced to meet her daughter with a speed that astonished the rest of the townspeople.

"Mama?" Tomiko said, pausing, and nearly wilted with remorse. She hadn't thought of her mother even that much while she'd been with Inutaisho, and here her mother looked as though she'd been personally blessed by the kami. The woman all but tackled her youngest daughter and held her close, sobbing in relief. She stood stiffly as mother held her. Only one day away, and she felt like a stranger to her own family.

"Thank goodness," she said, over and over. "Everyone thought the youkai had eaten you. I'm so glad you escaped, daughter," she said finally, and began to lead Tomiko toward the back entrance of the Bara no Cha, where the family lived.

"He would never eat me," Tomiko said, trying not to sound defensive, but her mother wasn't listening to her. A small crowd had formed behind them, and Tomiko caught more than a few snide whispers about her "not being good enough for him."

Inside the teahouse, she collapsed on the floor in front of the low table in the family's main room, still not weeping like her mother, but so overwhelmed with confused emotions that she couldn't stand any longer. Her mother shooed all the men folk to other parts of the teahouse. In an unexpectedly friendly gesture, her sisters clucked over her strange outfit, removing her from it and wrapping her in a clean kimono, although when one opened her spare kimono bundle, she nearly fainted from shock.

"It's like new! I remember this kimono . . . it had a tear here, and a stain here . . .what magic is this?"

Youkai magic, Tomiko answered silently. One sister placed a cup of tea in front of her, and her mother sat across from her, on the other side of the table. The sisters obediently settled to the floor as well like so many butterflies. They all looked at Tomiko expectantly, waiting to hear how she had managed to escape the fearsome youkai, perhaps forgetting that it was they who had given her to him in the first place.

"He sent me back," Tomiko said, clutching the teacup. Everyone looked startled at that statement. Tomiko raised her hand to quell any questions. "Not because I . . . I hadn't . . . it wasn't because I was spoiled, it was because I was in danger. Or so he said."

"Danger?" one sister prompted. Her mother was not saying anything, simply absorbing what her youngest, only unmarried daughter had to say.

"His lair was attacked while we were out. He was afraid that the attack was aimed at me."

"His lair! Oh, poor Tomiko-chan, what an experience you had! Tell us all about it."

She continued to relate her story, although she was frequently interrupted by exclamations from her older sisters. How the youkai had been friendly and offered to take her to his winter home. How he had carried her on his back so that she wouldn't have to walk. How he had taken her for a new wardrobe, and she had ordered three kimono and been given the clothes she was now wearing. And how, when they had come back, his home had been destroyed. She did not, however, mention the second youkai, the one with stripes on his face that had looked at her so coldly that morning, nor her friend's reaction to the glowing green silk, nor the kiss he had given her. Some things were too personal.

One by one, however, her sisters drifted out, as the teahouse was picking up its evening business, and they were needed to go serve food. Soon, only her mother was left.

The old woman, who loved Tomiko more than any of her other daughters, though she dared not let her husband know, looked at the girl with the wisdom and kindness that only a mother could possess.

"Now, Tomiko-chan," she said, " tell me what really happened."

Tomiko paused, unsure of what to say. The youkai had demanded nothing of her, really; all the work she had done cleaning his home she had done of her own free will.

"He was kind to me," she said finally, looking at her teacup sadly.

"He didn't . . . he did not try to force you, did he child?"

Tomiko nearly spilled her tea. "No! No, Mama, he made no gestures like that at all. And he doesn't eat people. I felt very comfortable around him, mother, but he wanted me to be safe so he brought me back. He really is very kind."

Her mother looked as if she did not quite believe her daughter, but if anyone could tell if a person was being honest, it was Tomiko with her gift of Truth. The villagers had assumed that he had eaten the girl, but he had declared her his wife . . . so now that she had returned, everyone would believe he had somehow found the goods lacking.

"Well, you are safe here, and I'm glad to have you back. Your father will probably want you to start work again tomorrow, but if you need it, please rest for a few days." She stood, then leaned forward and place one hand on her daughter's head. "I am so happy that you are well, daughter," she said, "but I hope that you are happy to be back. Your eyes are sad." With that, her mother left to go help out in the teahouse.

Tomiko finished her tea, then leaned on the low table and rested her head on her hands, thinking of the last look that they'd shared. His eyes had burned with an emotion that she couldn't fathom. He had shown her nothing but kindness, and yet . . . he had given her that kiss. Even if it wasn't on the lips, it had been her first kiss, and even now her right temple was warm with the memory.

With a sigh, she cleaned up her tea things, and found her old futon in the room she had once shared with her sisters when they were little. Just two days ago she'd been in here, alone, apparently on the shelf marriage-wise, taking what little pleasure she could in doing her work in the Bara no Cha serving customers, who hadn't known that she could sense their lies. Inutaisho was the first person besides her mother who hadn't minded that she could sense his falsehoods.

Then something struck her. Never once had the youkai lied to her. He had held back a few things, yes, but he had never tried to tell her a falsehood, even before he'd learned of her gift. In the storeroom, he had said that he couldn't bear to be without her near, and he had spoken truthfully, even though he was disguised as a human.

She lay back on her futon, and as she fell asleep, her thoughts were centered on the kind demon who had become her first friend . . . and perhaps, something more.

Chapter Nine: Dog Days of Summer

Inutaisho had not wanted to frighten the human in his care, so he had not mentioned that he knew well the scent of she who had destroyed his home. But after assuring himself she was welcome home (and watching her sleep long past the time he really needed to), he fled back to the woods surrounding his winter lair, just to be sure.

But there was no mistaking that scent, he thought regretfully. It was the scent of Inunatsu, the oldest and most powerful of his cousins. She was Inuaoiryu's older sister, and the undisputed queen of the eastern sea islands. She had made her territory in Ise, on the sea. Like her full brother, she was a half dragon, but her strength and skills had far surpassed him, making her a true taiyoukai.

And she was quite obviously very angry.

He hadn't acted out of the boundaries of propriety; his cousin had attacked a village, a human village, on his territory, then tried to goad him into a fight. He had been acting out of pure defense. The ties of the Inu clan, however, were very strong, and no matter how justified he was in his defense, the death of Inuaoiryu could not be overlooked. Until Inunatsu was placated, he would have to be very careful.

He sighed as he recalculated the extent of the damage done to his winter lair. Even if he removed all the rubble, the cave itself was destroyed, and he could not purify the spring. He'd simply have to find another place for him and Tomiko.

He was surprised that he'd promised to come back for her -- he certainly hadn't intended to, not to begin with. But she had seemed so sad, and he himself didn't like the thought of being without her forever. Yet she was so young, and so fragile . . . no, he should leave her with her human family, and let her be with her own kind.

With a sigh, Inutaisho dropped to all fours, and began to follow the path of Inunatsu with his nose. She had gone northeast, but her scent was so weak that she was most certainly in human form at the moment. Which was all for the best. The last thing he needed was another village deciding to give him a virginal sacrifice, he thought wryly.

He continued following her scent, to the eastern edge of his territory, almost to the edge of the island of Kyushu itself, and it steadily grew stronger, indicating that she had been deliberately traveling slower than he had. She wanted him to catch her, he decided. Then, suddenly, her scent seemed to branch in all directions. Confused, he paused where he was on the ground, and sat up, wrinkling his nose, which was beginning to get tired. She had now deliberately hidden her direction. Why?

He should never had let his guard down. The attack came from behind, a blast of youkai ki so powerful that Inutaisho lost control of his disguise spells. Drowning in a sudden haze of pain, his eyes burned with the bright red of a true demon, and two deep purple stripes appeared along his face. The attack was relentless, and Inutaisho fell weakly to the ground, momentarily stunned.

In a cloud of flying silk she came down. Inunatsu, the Summer Dog, wore a full woman's kimono of purest white silk, and her lavender hair was caught up in combs of mother of pearl. Her eyes glittered like two shards of jade, a sharp contrast to the dark purple stripes along her face. She was beautiful, ancient, dangerous.

"I see you fell for the oldest trick in the book," she said sharply. Inutaisho groaned and sat up, not even bothering to try to re-establish his human disguise spells. The one hiding his stripes had been there for so long he felt almost naked with them exposed, but Inunatsu's blast had weakened him considerably, and he had a feeling he'd need all his strength. She meant to fight, perhaps even to the death.

"I was within my rights to defend my territory," he said, gingerly touching his head. Her blast was already giving him a solid goose egg. "I deeply regret the death of my cousin your brother, but he was out of control."

Inunatsu's lips thinned with barely controlled fury. "Out of control?" she hissed. "Out of control? He had come to apologize for attacking Nigunshi, for crying out loud! How is apologizing out of control?"

"Apologize . . .? Now, see here, he did nothing of the sort. He destroyed a human village, and tried to provoke me. When I refused to rise to his bait, he attacked me. Never once did I hear one word of apology."

"Lies, all lies. You killed my little brother in cold blood. Your own cousin. I can never forgive you!" She launched another attack, but this time Inutaisho was ready, and he blocked it, although it took all of his energy. He did not want to launch a counter-attack, because he knew that Inunatsu was maddened with grief. But he could not withstand her attacks indefinitely. She was every bit as strong as he was, and there was no way he could simply let herself wear down.

At least this was going to be a battle in their human forms. Inunatsu knew they were equally matched either way, and so wisely chose to conserve her ki by staying in human form. Assuming the true form may have given either of them a momentary advantage, but it consumed so much energy that it was simply not worth it. Besides, she preferred the human form just as much as he did.

"Listen to me, Natsumi," he said, reverting to her old childhood nickname as she threw ki blast after ki blast toward him. "I don't know what possessed your brother, but he was definitely out of control. It was either kill or be killed--"

"As it is now! Fight, damn you!"

Inutaisho realized that she was crying. A sudden insight flashed across his mind. She no more wanted to fight him than he did her, but she acted out of a sense of vengeance and duty.

"Natsumi, killing me isn't going to bring him back, is it?"

She stopped throwing wild ki blasts, and lowered her arm, the tears of grief coursing down her face.

"I swear to you, I did not kill him without provocation. All I have are humans for witnesses, but I swear this by the blood."

Unwilling to believe what she thought couldn't be true, she shook her head, and raised her arm for another volley of ki attacks. Then, not looking at him, she whispered the second half of the ancient oath herself.

"By wildest blood?"

"Natsumi," he said softly, and dared to walk up to her, and hold her while she sobbed into his arms. I seem to be holding a lot of sobbing women lately, he thought idly. "I swear to you I will find what possessed Inuaoiryu, and I will avenge him myself."

"Possessed . . .?" His cousin lifted her head, and wiped her nose on her sleeve in a most unladylike fashion. Even though she was almost seven hundred years old, she had matured to about the human equivalent of fifteen, and occasionally acted much younger.

"I tell you that he acted as one possessed. Had he apologized, or even simply wanted to talk, I would never have harmed a hair on his head. But he met me in his true form."

"He what?" This time she was alarmed and alert.

"By wildest blood," Inutaisho affirmed.

Natsumi bit her lip and thought for a long while, calming herself down while she dealt with this new bit of information. Inutaisho knew she was analyzing the idea every possible way, adding the fact to the little matrix of the universe she kept in her mind. Natsumi was good at that sort of thing.

She finally came to some sort of conclusion, and put on a falsely bright face for his benefit. Inutaisho sighed in relief.

"I wanted to kill you, Inutaisho," the beautiful youkai said, patting his cheek affectionately. "And I will. If you don't find what 'possessed' my brother, then your life is forfeit. By the wildest blood."

"Natsumi," he said, but she was already breaking their embrace. She leapt into a tree, and dropped her cheerful façade to give him a sad but cold look.

"One week, Inutaisho. One week to find my brother's 'killer.' I will be back when again the full moon comes. But for now I shall return to Ise."

And with that, she leapt away.

Rubbing his sore head, Inutaisho leaned against a tree, wondering what he had done to make the kami so angry with him. Now he had to find whatever mononoke had possessed Inuaoiryu, or he'd be honor bound to let Inunatsu kill him. At least Tomiko would be safe, now. Inunatsu would hold true to her promise and not bother him for a week.

And he had yet to introduce Tomiko to Sesshoumaru. Inutaisho groaned. Why was his life suddenly so complicated?

Chapter Ten: Caesura

Tomiko had wanted to rest for a few days, but idle hands had never suited her, and she found herself tidying the small stockroom before noon the next morning, simply because it needed to be done.

It had all begun here, really, she reflected, laying one delicate hand on the shelves. Just a few days ago. Yet is seemed as though several lifetimes ago that she had befriended the youkai-in-disguise. Her heart gave a soft flutter. He had been handsome enough in his black wig, but she preferred his pretty, natural fall of silver hair instead. And his eyes. Yesterday, his eyes had burned into her very soul as he said goodbye. Her heart fluttered again at the memory. And he had held her so tightly . . . and then he had kissed her . . . there . . .

"Chasing butterflies, Tomiko?" a voice chimed in, interrupting Tomiko's reverie. Tomiko blushed and cleared her throat. Her oldest sister, Hanako, had never seemed more than a distant figure to her, since she had married when Tomiko was only seven, and her children were closer to Tomiko's age than Tomiko herself was to Hanako. Her sisters had never actually be cruel to her -- not like the people of the village or her father, but she'd never felt close to them before. But now, after her odd experience as a virgin sacrifice, she was grateful to have a sympathetic ear.

"I was only wondering where the taiyoukai might be," she said, letting her gaze stray to the tiny window up in the corner. She was worried about him, too. He had not told her something, and she had a feeling that he was in more danger than he realized.

"Well, well, well. Tomiko-chan finally shows an interest in the opposite sex, and he just happens to be a youkai." Hanako shook her head. "It'll never work, Tomiko. That's why we're so glad you came back."

"He's my friend!" Tomiko said defensively, stepping close to her older sister. "And I -- there's nothing between us," she said, suddenly flustered beyond all reason. She was not embarrassed that her feelings for the demon were already showing up so clearly. She was not.

"That's not what everyone else seems to think, little sister," Hanako said, her expression still mild and motherly. "After all, the youkai did say he was taking you as his woman. Everyone assumes that he tried you, and didn't like you." She raised a hand to stop Tomiko's startled protest. "It's obvious to me that he never touched you, but now look at you. You're mooning over a youkai, Tomiko-chan. Why couldn't you just have fallen for one of the boys in the village?"

Tomiko suddenly felt a lot younger than her nineteen years. She absently rubbed her socked toe into the wooden floor. "They always picked on me. They'd whisper all sorts of sweet things to me, saying they thought I was pretty and they wanted to kiss me, but I could tell they were lying."

"Perhaps they were," Hanako said, and took her little sister's chin in her hand, tilting it up so that she had to look at her. "But perhaps they were only too young and stupid to realize that what they thought were lies was just the truth surfacing in a roundabout way. You're pretty, Tomiko-chan, and kind. But you're probably the densest girl ever to walk the face of the earth. You could have had anyone, you know. But you were so afraid that we all hated you that you retreated away, and so we thought you wanted to be away from us. And look what that led to." The older woman sighed, and rubbed her face absently, as if trying to remember something. "But yesterday . . . when you walked into the village, we all realized what a mistake we had made, at least those of us in the family did. You know, Father wept for you in those two days that you were gone. He was afraid that he'd give his youngest daughter over to be the whore of a demon, or worse, his meal. And yet you came back, two days later, with a proud bearing to your shoulders that had never been there before."

Tomiko, weepy thing she was, had started sobbing again. But her older sister continued. "Whatever happened, or didn't happen out there with the youkai, you've begun to bloom, Tomiko. Even though I hope to never see that demon again, I ought to thank him. He gave you back to us, and he turned you into a young woman, even if he didn't make you his wife like he said he would."

Tomiko frowned. "Wife?"

Hanako nodded, the smiled conspiratorially. "Right after you passed out, he said you were 'now his woman.' His woman. And he was quite a handsome fellow too. Some of the other girls in the village were almost jealous that you were going to be eaten by such a good looking monster."

Tomiko's cheeks colored at the intentional pun. She groaned and buried her face in her hands. No wonder everyone had thought she'd slept with the demon! Why hadn't he told her he'd claimed her as his wife? And why hadn't he . . . followed through on the claim? Was she really somehow lacking?

Hanako patted Tomiko on the shoulder, and turned to leave. "I hope I've given you some food for thought, little sister. And I hope you get over that youkai quickly. I'm sure there's some nice boy out there who'll believe the truth, that the demon never tried you, and that nice boy will marry you and you can forget all about this thing. Find him quickly, little sister," she said, leaving the storage room quietly.

So much . . . so much at once. Tomiko couldn't handle it. Forgetting her task, she rushed from the storage room, and ran outside of the Bara no Cha, towards the woods. Forget Inutaisho? He, who'd shown her nothing but kindness? She wasn't even mad that he'd called her his wife . . . some secret part of her thrilled that he'd made such a bold declaration in front of the whole village. Even if he hadn't found her suitable for a wife, he hadn't cast her aside, but instead had promised to come back for her.

Maybe he'd even be back today.

Tomiko found a comfortable look spot right on the edge of the forest, and sat down, tucking her knees under her chin. She was wearing the work kimono again, the one that Inutaisho had made like new for her. She stroked one of the embroidered flowers, smiling a secret little smile. Her older sister's words seemed to be having the opposite affect. Instead of forgetting the youkai, he seemed to be ever present in her mind. His smile, his warm golden eyes, that soft waterfall of silver hair . . . and the way he had held her, and kissed her . . . there. No, she could not forget him, never.

Her mind and thoughts whirling with warm fantasies of the youkai, Tomiko fell asleep against the base of the tree.

* * *

There she was.

Inutaisho drew in a quick breath, and quelled the swelling of desire he felt every time he saw Tomiko. She looked like a child, tucked up as she was a the base of the tree, but Inutaisho knew that her body was quite a bit more developed than a child's. The kimono, when she was standing, would testify very nicely to her womanhood.

At least she was safe. Inutaisho had just come to check on her -- after his evening encounter with his cousin, he'd wanted to make sure that she was all right. He still wasn't fully recovered from Inunatsu's ambush, and he wasn't sure that he wanted her to see him at his most demonic. The eye spell was the best he'd been able to do, but his face still held two horizontal stripes -- the mark of a youkai.

She certainly looked fine. Her family must have been glad to see her, despite what she'd told him of their feelings for her. Ignoring the demands of his body, Inutaisho reluctantly turned to go, when a familiar scent drifted past his nose.

Sesshoumaru? But something was wrong. The scent of his son was almost tainted, as if someone had taken his scent and mixed it with something else, something unpleasant and unwholesome. Instantly alert, Inutaisho dropped to the ground, and scurried over to Tomiko. He had to get her out of there.

"Tomiko-chan," he whispered urgently, shaking her shoulders. "Wake up!"

The girl blinked sleepily, and focused her eyes. Her entire face lit up when she saw who it was. "My lord," she breathed. "You came back for me."

Rather than admit he was simply being a voyeur, Inutaisho chose not to respond, instead focusing on the danger. "Tomiko-chan, something is coming. You have to get out of here."

"Eh . . .?" she said blankly. It was beginning to trickle into her head that the youkai looked very grim, and that there was something quite different about him today. "Is it another youkai?"

Inutaisho winced. Now or never, he thought, and opened his mouth. But he was too late.

Sesshoumaru was already there, and the stench about his son grew a thousand fold. The young youkai slipped lightly from the trees, his elegant clothes from the Imperial Court showing no stains from having traveled across the forest.

"Not just any youkai," the thing who was Sesshoumaru yet not Sesshoumaru said, and smiled evilly. Now Inutaisho knew it wasn't his son, because he never smiled. "It is I, Sesshoumaru."

"You are not Sesshoumaru," Inutaisho spat, and stood up in front of Tomiko, whose eyes were as wide as the first time she'd seen the elegant youkai. He powered up a ki blast in his arm, ready to destroy the imposter to defend the human, if necessary.

"You would kill your own son, Father? Not a very sporting taiyoukai, now, are we?"

Inutaisho finally recognized the speech patterns. "Inuaoiryu," he roared, "how dare you possess my son!"

The two youkai were absorbed in a world all their own, but that was fine for Tomiko, because for her, the bottom had fallen out of the world. She felt the wind rush to her ears, and she could not see, nor think, nor hear.

His son. Inutaisho had a son. That other demon, the one she'd thought was his brother, was his son. Her mind repeated the phrase over and over again, like a mantra, but she could not quite comprehend what it meant. He had a son.

Finally, a few gears in her brain started clicking, and the full impact of the mantra sunk in. If Inutaisho has a son, she thought slowly, then that probably means he already has a wife . . . a mate . . . a woman.

"I am not Inuaoiryu at all, dearest Inutaisho-sama. I am one who you have forgotten. For a weak human, it seems," the Not-Quite-Sesshoumaru said, and sent a contemptible glance over to Tomiko, who was staring blankly into space while the implications of the scenario replayed in her thoughts. "No matter. I shall simply settle for killing you both!" The Not-Quite-Sesshoumaru leapt at Inutaisho, its right hand glowing green.

Inutaisho snatched the numb Tomiko up just in time, and jumped into a tree, where he set her on a branch. She clung to the truck of the tree, lemur-like, still not quite in touch with the waking world. Then he leapt back down, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened to his son. His right hand had never glowed green before. If a stronger youkai possessed a weaker one, then that youkai could grant its powers to the weaker, but only one clan of all the youkai had poisons . . .

The Dreamers. Inutaisho drew in a sharp breath. "Yumeko?" he said, hardly daring to believe what could only be the truth.

"That's Yumemaru to you, Inutaisho. I see am I not forgotten by you, dear Inutaisho-sama," the Not-Quite-Sesshoumaru said. "Sesshoumaru has grown up quite nicely, yes? And he took so well to my poisons." It cracked the knuckles on its right hand, and smiled that frightening smile again. "And now, you shall die, Inutaisho-sama." It tensed for a moment, coiled, ready to spring.

The action on the ground below finally seeped into Tomiko's mind. Her lord looked so absolutely torn. Her heart broke for him, and in her mind, she made what was probably the stupidest, rashest snap decision ever made by a human being. Since Inutaisho was unable to attack the other demon, his own son, she'd have to do it for him.

The other demon was right below her now, as they two combatants were slowly circling as they assessed each other's strength. And when she felt it was precisely the right moment, she leapt.

The Not-Quite-Sesshoumaru never knew what hit him until it was over. Unable to bear the touch of Tomiko's pure soul, the evil spirit that had invaded the young demon fled the body immediately, leaving the human girl sprawled over an unconscious Sesshoumaru. Inutaisho was there instantly, his sensitive nose detecting that the mononoke had fled.

From overhead, a wicked cackle echoed down, and Tomiko and Inutaisho both looked up. A beautiful translucent woman, her hair the color of the ocean, her gown glowing in a garish, glowing green, grinned. The mononoke was larger than life, and around her an evil aura blew the air hard enough to stir up a dust cloud in the afternoon light.

"Well, so it seems your human has a secret weapon, Inutaisho," the woman said, and grinned lazily. "But I have many weapons myself. I shall kill you, dear Inutaisho, before you know it." And with that the mononoke drifted away.

Tomiko was still sitting on Sesshoumaru, dumbfounded, unable to tear her eyes away from the fading spirit. Beneath her, the younger youkai groaned as he regained his senses.

"Sesshoumaru," Inutaisho whispered quickly. Tomiko scampered off him, and Sesshoumaru sat up, rubbing his face irritably.

The younger youkai glared at the human. "You didn't have to land on me so hard."

"I'm sorry!"

"Boy, you ought to be thanking her for saving your life. Tomiko, there's no need to apologize to that insolent whelp." Sesshoumaru gave his father a cold, angry look.

"Who the hell was that, anyway, Father?"

Inutaisho took a deep breath, but it would be better to just go on and say it now, get it out in the open, before more shit hit the paper fan, so to speak.

"That, Sesshoumaru, was your mother."

Tomiko, unable to stand any more shocks to her already tormented soul, promptly passed out.

Chapter 11: Family Matters

Sesshoumaru stood up, brushing the dust off his pants, pretending as if he hadn't just sworn. He'd never been one for cursing, preferring to let his withering glance alone speak for him, but his possession had apparently been enough to break even his own icy resolve.

Tomiko had collapsed gracefully on the ground in her swoon. Inutaisho sighed and picked her up, easily swinging her light weight into his arms.

"Father" Sesshoumaru said, suddenly looking painfully young, "you said that mother had died." His voice was back to normal; cold, unfeeling. But his eyes held a light of infinite sadness. Sesshoumaru had never known his mother, and Inutaisho had never told him the full story -- that Yumeko had, in her madness, been willing to kill her own son to defeat Inutaisho.

"She did. But someone . . . or something, more likely, has brought her back from the dead. That mononoke has the form of your mother, and the memories, but the Yumeko that was your mother died long before her physical form did, lost in her own mad world. I don't think that mononoke has her soul."

Sesshoumaru nodded sadly, then flexed his right hand unconsciously. No doubt Yumemaru's poison still remained in his body, and since she was his own mother, she had perhaps even awakened some of the abilities she had bequeathed to him from her side of the family. Her clan specialized in poisons as well as very strong magic, magic strong enough to resurrect the body of a dead youkai -- or human.

"What was she like?"

The question was so unlike him that Inutaisho nearly jumped in surprise. Sesshoumaru had never asked about his mother before. "Your mother . . .Yumeko was . . . a great beauty. And she was one of the most powerful youkai I had ever met. She was kind enough, and refined, but so ethereal that I hardly ever believed she was real."

"You didn't love her, though."

Inutaisho closed his eyes. "No. I never understood why she agreed to bear my heir, especially as only a business contract. She could have been the mate of any youkai in the world, many of whom were far more powerful than me. I did not expect her to be the one to accept the proposition. And . . . afterward, she changed. She gradually lost contact with me and with our whole clan, even as her power increased with maternity. She even changed her name to reflect the masculine gender."

"And she went mad." Sesshoumaru flexed his hand again, and brought it up this time to stare at his palm, which still glowed faintly from Yumemaru's possession. "While she controlled my mind . . . all I could feel was an overwhelming hatred for you, a hatred with no sense, no control. I wanted to see you rot in hell. But . . . beside it, beside that intense hatred, there was burning passion, almost as deep as her hate."

Inutaisho said nothing, but stared at his son. Yumeko had . . . loved him? Was that it? Was that what had sent her over the edge?

The youkai were silent for a long moment, the soft afternoon wind blowing their white hair into gentle tangles. Tomiko stirred, agitated by something, in Inutaisho's arms, but she did not look as though she would be joining the waking world any time soon.

"You need to take that human girl back to her village," Sesshoumaru finally said.

Inutaisho agreed, although his heart was torn. With the mononoke of Yumemaru after his blood, there was no way he'd be able to protect a girl and fight without worry. She looked so small in his arms, so fragile, as if she might break if he but held her the wrong way.

The youkai started to leave the forest, when the stench of blood -- human blood -- suddenly drifted past their noses.

"The village," Inutaisho growled, and without another word he took off, racing as fast as a youkai could with a human in his arms. Sesshoumaru could not fly in his human form anyway, and so followed quickly on foot. They raced faster than the human eye could have seen, and in a matter of minutes, they were at the village. Or rather, what remained of it.

"Yumemaru? No, a mononoke can't have this kind of power," Inutaisho said, not believing the sight before his eyes. Inunatsu's tantrum at his lair was nothing compared to the wholesale destruction of the city. There was nothing left, nothing but a smoking hole on the ground, and a few charred human skeletons. Inutaisho felt sickened to the pit of his stomach. His village . . . Kusabana . . . all gone. Just like the village that Inuaoiryu had destroyed. Only this one had been more than just another village to Inutaisho. The Bara no Cha was gone as well . . . Tomiko's family . . .

"And Inunatsu agreed to stay away for a whole year." He was slowly being filled with a quiet, burning rage.

"It was a dragon," Sesshoumaru assessed. "See the claw marks there . . . and the broken tree limbs, there." He inhaled deeply. "And I smell dragon spore. I don't smell . . . Mother."

"What dragon has a grudge with me?" Inutaisho wondered aloud, then the answer hit him. "Inuaoiryu's mother's clan." He groaned. Yet another youkai -- another whole clan of them -- that wanted him dead . . . and would stop at nothing to see him that way.

"You seem to be very popular, Father," Sesshoumaru said, not a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He stared out at the smoking pit that had once been a village, an unreadable expression in his eyes. "The girl's family lived here."

Inutaisho's heart squeezed painfully. "Yes. I can't return her now." Tomiko hadn't thought much of her family, especially since they'd been willing to give her up to a demon as a virgin sacrifice, but they had taken her back in. And human families were not like youkai clans. The clans operated on the system of honor. Human families operated more on love. But this -- this senseless slaughter -- Tomiko didn't deserve this, not at all. And it was all because of him.

This . . . was all his fault.

Tomiko murmured something that sounded like "red dragon" in her sleep.

"But why would the dragon clan know about your taking the human as a mate?"

"She's not my mate." Inutaisho said sharply. "And she never will be, not after this. It's too dangerous."

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "You said that before, Father. I've seen the way you look at her. But that's beside the point. Why would the dragon clan attack a human village without provocation, especially one in your territory? It's a long way from Hokkaido, after all."

"Someone must have . . . only Yumemaru was here less than five minutes ago. This happened while we were fighting." Something was not adding up. Inutaisho needed some time to think about what was happening here . . .

She must have planned it that way, he thought. She'd attack me, and a dragon would attack the village.

But that meant that she already knew about Tomiko . . . and it meant that the girl's life was in even more danger.

I'm sorry, he whispered mentally to the girl, who was blissfully oblivious to the deaths of her family. What have I done to you?

"We have to leave Kyushu," Inutaisho decided. "I'm willing to lose some territory due to neglect to keep her safe until this is resolved. Do you think the clan's pup den will be safe enough?" The pup den, a small, secluded valley south of Edo, was where the dog youkai clan raised their young. Inutaisho had taken Sesshoumaru there after Yumemaru refused to give him up, and he had lived for fifteen years with his cousins, aunts, uncles, and more distant relatives before taking off on his own to Kyoto to establish his territory.

Sesshoumaru drew in a hissed breath. "You can't take a human there, Father. The family won't stand for it."

Inutaisho sighed; of course they wouldn't allow a human in there. "You're right. But where else can we go?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm going back to Kyoto." Sesshoumaru said coldly. "I know not if Yumemaru has a grudge against me, but she better not have touched any of my lands there."

An idea occurred to Inutaisho. "Is that hanyou, the Seer, still living on the edge of your territory?"

"Makoto?" Sesshoumaru blinked. "Yes, why?"

"Do you think she'd mind if we paid her a visit?"

* * *

They left the site of the former village on foot, in human form, because they did not want Tomiko to see the painful scar that had once been her city, and she was still unconscious. When she finally did begin to wake up, they were far enough away that there was no chance of her even seeing the column of smoke still rising. Inutaisho called a halt to their swift passage, and Sesshoumaru stopped, impatiently. It would take them days in their human forms, and he was eager to reach his true form, so that their journey might take only hours.

"Inutaisho-sama," she said sleepily, "what happened?" Then suddenly she remembered . . . the beautiful demon. She was his son's mother. And that had to make her Inutaisho's mate.

"We're going to Kyoto," the demon said, looking down at the precious burden in his arms. He had forgotten that his appearance hadn't quite been restored since Inunatsu's attack, and he only realized it when she stretched one tiny hand out to touch the stripes on his cheek. The mark of a youkai . . .

"Why Kyoto?" she said, as the implication sank into her mind. The capitol was so far away!

"We're going to see the Seer," Sesshoumaru said coldly. "That is all you need to know. Father, can we please go now?"

"Patience, son. Tomiko-chan, we have to travel as youkai. I hope you won't mind, but it's the fastest way. Here, we're all in danger. We have to leave quickly."

"Travel as youkai . . .?" she said, not understanding. Sesshoumaru had already taken the initiative, and her eyes widened in total wonder as he stepped away, then expanded to thousands of times his human size.

"Can you stand?" Inutaisho asked.

"Umm . . I think so," she answered shakily. He set her on the ground, squelching the usual wave of desire as her small body rubbed against his own. Then, he too stepped away, and where a moment before there had been a man there stood a towering, giant white dog. Tomiko's knees buckled in awe, and she fell to the ground, unable to tear her eyes from the sight of her lord in his demon form.

He set one huge paw-like hand on the ground, so that the girl could climb onto it. She was halfway there before she thought of something.

"I have to say goodbye to my family," she said. If she was going to Kyoto, they'd be worried. And the last day had taught her that they did care, deep down, about her. She didn't want to antagonize them now that she had finally found them.

Inutaisho was caught in a difficult situation. He did not want to tell Tomiko that her family had been mercilessly slaughtered, but he could not tell her a lie, either. And this form, his true form, was not the best one for expressing sympathy in any case.

"Inutaisho? Can I say goodbye?"

Odd, she didn't seem scared at all, even though she was sitting on the palm of a giant dog's paw. Her purity still shone through, only for the first time it held a note of steel as well.

He would have to tell her.

"Tomiko . . ." he began, with a sigh.

Her face fell, and her eyes widened. "Something happened, didn't it."

He dropped his giant head so that she could see his eyes. The shone a warm, friendly, but sad yellow.

"I'm sorry, Tomiko. I was too late . . . I--"

"I can see it," she said distantly, no longer looking at anything in the physical world. "I can see . . . a red dragon." Tears began coursing down her face, but she didn't break down into sobs. She was getting stronger. "I've been seeing it now for days. There was nothing that you could have done . . . the red dragon . . . oh, I can't bear to look." She buried her face in her hands.

Inutaisho stared at the girl in his paw. Could it be that . . . not only was she a Truthsayer, but a Seer as well? It was unheard of. Both abilities were so rare . . . and for one human girl to have them . . .

If anyone would know, it was the hanyou. He'd been right to suggest a visit to her.

"Come along, Tomiko-chan. I swear I'll protect you. You'll be safe with me."

Reluctantly, she climbed the rest of the way onto his paw, surprised the warmth and softness that seeped through her kimono from his fur. Then her world spun in many different directions for a second as he lifted her up and deposited her on the back of his neck.

"Hold on tight, Tomiko-chan," he warned, and she did so, grabbing two handfuls of white fur. Sesshoumaru waited no longer and began bounding away over the hills, his huge paws lifted up by the wind of the youkai so that they barely even kissed the treetops before pushing off away. With a single great leap Inutaisho followed, and they began speeding across the forests of Kyushu.

All the while Tomiko cried steadily, although she never once broke into sobs. She knew, deep down inside, that she'd never see the island of Kyushu again.

Chapter Twelve: The Hanyou Seer, Makoto

The journey to Kyoto was still long, even though the two dog demons were traveling much faster than a human possibly could. By the time they reached the western edge of Sesshoumaru's territory, the sun had almost set, and Tomiko was fighting to stay conscious. She dared not close her eyes, though, because every time she did, she saw a red dragon with a human face on its forehead stomping through Kusabana, flaming the houses, eating the people who ran screaming from its claws.

How am I able to see this? How do I know what happened? she kept asking herself, clutching the white fur of her lord's back as they sped over the mountains. And why do I feel so numb? Hanako, whom she had spoken with only that morning, was gone. Her mother too was gone. The Bara no Cha . . . everything she had there . . . all gone. All of it.

"We're almost there," Inutaisho said, the booming voice of his true form rumbling pleasantly throughout his body. "She lives on the eastern edge, correct, Sesshoumaru?"

"Yes, right inside the creek I use as a border."

"Actually inside it? You allow another demon onto your territory?"

"She is but a hanyou," Sesshoumaru said, his voice registering a faint note of confusion. "Even if she is a Seer, what threat is she to me?"

"You don't have much experience with human sorcery, do you, Sesshoumaru?" Inutaisho said dryly, but let the manner drop. The hut of the hanyou was now visible to their scent enhanced vision, and Inutaisho could see the small form of the Seer standing outside of it, waiting for them.

They stopped several hundred yards away, and Inutaisho scooped Tomiko from his back and set her down on the ground before dropping down to his human form. Sesshoumaru followed suit. The woods there were almost completely dark, and they saw the hanyou approach them. Tomiko stared. The half-demon looked even less like a human than her guardian did. Two small ears, cat's ears, were on her head, and she exotic features. Her skin was smooth, clear and flawless, and her floor length hair fell in soft, sandy yellow waves, contrasting with her alert lavender eyes. She wore a loose yukata of the deepest purple.

"Sesshoumaru always will underestimate humans, mark my words," she said as a greeting. She then approached Tomiko, and clasped the girl's hands, squeezing them in sympathy. "I express my deepest condolences for the tragedy that has befallen your family today. Would that I had seen it sooner, I would have sent a warning to you."

"How . . . how did you . . .?"

"Makoto," Inutaisho chided, "you should know to at least introduce yourself first."

Makoto glared at Inutaisho, then glared at Sesshoumaru. "She already knows who I am, you fools. She just has yet to realize it."

Sesshoumaru met her glare levelly, and Tomiko could have sworn she saw lightning bolts flash between their eyes. They hated each other, she decided, and then changed her mind. No . . . there was more than simply hate between them.

"Since you're not remembering me, I shall introduce myself anyway," Makoto said, stepping away and bowing politely. "I am Yamada Makoto, the Seer of Kyoto. And you are Tomiko no Kusabana, once a server at the Bara no Cha, now companion to Inutaisho." The half demon smiled warmly at her, and Tomiko blinked, completely taken aback.

"I was right to bring her here, then?" Inutaisho said, quirking one eyebrow.

"Yes you were. If you hadn't, well, then I would have sent for her eventually. Tomiko-chan, Inutaisho has already voiced the suspicion to you that you may be a Seer. I have foreseen your coming, and I am hereby accepting you as my apprentice."

Tomiko blinked, and felt herself begin to swoon again. She steeled herself up. Must not faint . . . she reminded herself. Must not . . . But even reciting that mantra, she felt her legs gracefully begin to fold. Inutaisho caught her, startled.

"Oh, kami-sama, what I am doing? Come, bring her inside, I'll make some tea to revive her." Makoto made her way to the hut that was her home, and Inutaisho swung the barely conscious Tomiko into his arms, and followed her. But Sesshoumaru stood firmly where he was, simply watching them walk toward the hut.

"Are you coming or not, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Makoto asked, not turning around.

"This Sesshoumaru is not going to enter the hut of a hanyou," the young demon said arrogantly.

"Fine, be a jackass, then," Makoto called back once more, still not turning around. Sesshoumaru glared at her back. Inutaisho grinned to himself. Leave it to the hanyou to be the one person in Nihon who dared to annoy Sesshoumaru without fear of death.

"This Sesshoumaru is going to his castle in Kyoto now," Sesshoumaru answered her, pretending as if she had not insulted him.

"Then go already! Nobody's stopping you. And stop talking in third person, baka." The hanyou opened the door, and slipped inside the hut. She pointed to a small futon on the floor, and Inutaisho set the exhausted Tomiko down on it. He then sat down in front of a table, and Makoto busied herself making an infusion of herbs to calm Tomiko's newborn sixth senses.

Tomiko simply lay there, her eyes wide open. She was still afraid to close them lest the visions came back.

"Honestly, Inutaisho-sama, your son is the most infuriatingly arrogant creature on this side of the globe."

"Not the whole world?"

"No, there's some gaijin who are more stubborn and arrogant in the Western world." She paused for a moment, crushing herbs in a mortar and pestle as she talked. "Or there will be. At those distances my Sight loses its temporal accuracy."

"Ah." Inutaisho often never knew what to say to the Seer. Half the time she knew what he was going to say anyway. He had only met her a few times before in the past years, as she was still very young herself, not but a few months older than Sesshoumaru. Right after she had been born, he had visited her mother, the fairy Aijo, for advice on his own growing problems with Yumeko. Aijo had been Yumeko's best friend when they were growing up. Even then, Aijo had warned him that Yumeko would betray him.

Inutaisho hadn't believed her then.

Aijo's hanyou child, though, was a far more powerful Seer than her mother had been. Her father had been a Buddhist monk, and with the blood of a taiyoukai mixing with the holy power of a good human, the hanyou would become a formidable opponent indeed. Sesshoumaru certainly didn't need to be antagonizing her as he was.

"Here, Tomiko, drink this," Makoto said, helping Tomiko sit up. The girl took the tea gratefully, and drank it. In a few moments her head had cleared, and the terrifying visions of her family disappeared from her mind.

"It's a minor warding infusion. It will dull your Sight for a few hours, at least, and allow your mind to recover from the shock so that you can sleep undisturbed." She turned her attention back to Inutaisho, her violet eyes narrowing angrily. "Honestly, Inutaisho-sama, you've been giving her an awfully hard time. The poor child is exhausted."

"I can assure you it was not intentional," Inutaisho protested.

"Intentional or not, what she needs is a vacation from you." She down on the other side of the low table, and served herself and Inutaisho tea made from a different infusion. "Now, tell me the whole story. I've recorded what my visions saw, but you know they're never the same as first person perspective."

While Inutaisho related their sorry tale of the past three days, Tomiko took a good look around the hanyou's home. There were books everywhere, lining the walls, stacked in corners, piled underneath the low table. Some of the books appeared to be in strange languages. There were also stacks of loose paper, some with neat columns of writing on them, while others had beautiful inked sketches.

The futon she was lying on was soft and warm, and the tatami underneath held the faint smell of spices. Her mind cleared of the terrifying visions, Tomiko felt her eyes grow heavier as Inutaisho and the Seer continued talking. Finally, she succumbed to a deep sleep.

Makoto glanced over at her. "She's finally out," the hanyou said with a sigh.

"So I was right? She is a Seer, as well as a Truthsayer?"

The hanyou nodded. "She's a rarity, all right. And what a soul! Completely untarnished. She hasn't a selfish bone in her body, unlike me. She will make a fine apprentice. I shall be taking care of her from now on."

Inutaisho was annoyed. "I did not bring Tomiko to be your apprentice," he said, suddenly feeling possessive of her. Tomiko was his woman.

Wait a minute . . . hadn't he sworn just a few hours ago that he could not make her his mate?

"But you'll leave her here as such. You have the not quite small matters of Yumemaru, Inunatsu, and the whole dragon clan out drumming for your blood at the moment. I suggest you clear that up before you even think of taking her as your wife."

Inutaisho growled grumpily and stared at the wall, suddenly feeling childish and selfish himself.

"I have charted the future, Inutaisho, and this is the only way that she will survive," Makoto warned. "If you truly love her, as all I can tell says you do, then you will leave her here with me so that I can teach her to control her visions. The next few days will be hard enough for her. Having you around isn't going to make it any easier."

"I want to at least tell her goodbye," Inutaisho insisted. "And I want to be able to visit her once a day."

"Once a month."

"Every week," he argued.

"All right, every week. But only for one night. And you had better darn well take care of your own business in the meantime. If you haven't appeased at least Inunatsu of Ise before the end of the week, I will not let you see her no matter how much you pester me."

"You are a cruel woman, Makoto," Inutaisho said.

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Now, that's enough about the mess of your life." The Seer poured herself another cup of tea. "Have you any idea what your son has done in the past few months?"

"Sesshoumaru?"

"Unless you have some bastards running around, then, yes, Sesshoumaru. Your silly pup has gone and caused a scandal in Kyoto."

Oh ho. This was news to Inutaisho, all right.

"What trouble has the whelp been causing now?"

Makoto leaned forward, eager to share the latest gossip of the demon world. "He's been taken into the Emperor's court as an advisor."

Both of Inutaisho's eyebrows shot up. "My son? He's gone and done that?" In their present age, the Imperial Court was all but a ghost of its former glory, and the emperor held no real power as the warring feudal lords vied for territory. On another level the demon lords also fought for territory, and neither the humans nor the demons recognized each other's claims. But the court at Kyoto still pressed on, a powerless shell trying desperately to hold onto the past. For a demon to get involved in the politics of humans . . . was unthinkable. No wonder Sesshoumaru had gotten so full of himself.

Makoto grinned widely. "He uses every disguise spell he knows, and no one even suspects that he's a demon." Her grin soured suddenly. "It's also said that the Emperor's daughter favors him. What she sees in that arrogant, dog-breathed idiot is beyond me, but the Emperor himself is said to be considering a match between them.

"And what does Sesshoumaru have to say about that?"

"He's in a panic. He wants to retain the position at the court, because it is the easiest way for him to guard his territory. But if the Emperor commands him to marry the princess . . ."

"He'll find himself shackled with a human wife." Despite the gravity of Sesshoumaru's plight, Inutaisho couldn't help but chuckle. "And what do you think will happen?"

"Of all the futures I have seen . . ," the hanyou said, then sighed, and stirred her tea once more. "Most of them end with Sesshoumaru being hurt. I want to help him choose the future that is best for him, but he never lets me get close. He hates me at the moment." The pretty half demon sighed wistfully, and Inutaisho had the sudden insight that the hanyou cared more for his son than she was willing to admit.

"Well, that's neither here, nor there. It is growing late, Inutaisho-sama. Tomiko will sleep until the morning light. I suggest you rest as well. You've got a lot of cleaning up to do, after all," she reminded him. She stood up, and took the dishes away, before dragging out two spare futons. She had to rearrange the stacks of books in her hut before she found enough floor space for them.

Inutaisho took the one closest to Tomiko, and he glanced at the human girl, who slept peacefully, freed of the visions that her talents had assaulted her with. He couldn't resist, and touched her sleeping lips gently.

"Inutaisho-sama," she murmured in her sleep. Feeling like a cad, the great demon turned his head up toward the ceiling of the hut, and hoped that the Seer's plan was right.

The only way for Tomiko to be safe . . . is for me to leave her here.

End Part 2