Too tired to say much. Chapter 3. Yay.

Disclaimer: Inu-yasha © Rumiko Takahashi...yes, even his soul. This fic © me...yes, even the insanity.

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With a disinterested snort, the horse lurched to a sudden stop. Inu-yasha sank his fingers into the mane, eyes wide as he found himself nearly flying head-over-heels to the ground below. "Stupid animal," he muttered after a moment, returning to his saddle and trying to resume the pace with as much dignity as he could muster.

A soft snuffling sound from behind caused his brows to lower, and he turned an evil eye to his unwanted companion. Alfred choked to a stop mid-chuckle, and returned Inu-yasha's glower with his own anxious stare. "Yes, my lord?"

"Remind me again why you had to come along." With a passive sigh, Inu-yasha closed his eyes for a moment and turned towards the horizon. The sun was just starting to set, and Inu-yasha welcomed the evening breezes with a slightly parted mouth and unbuttoned sleeve cuffs. His mare, too, seemed pleased with the transition, for she spent less time trying to chew his ankles off and more time walking into things. Inu-yasha wasn't sure if she did it out of spite or accident; horses, he knew, were extremely stupid creatures. Still, it *was* faster than walking, at least at the pace humans walked. If he had been alone, he would have run at full speed, perhaps if he dared shedding his mortal guise and taking on his natural, humanoid yet canine form. He had experienced it only a few occasions since childhood, but felt infinitely comfortable in it at all times.

However, he was not alone, as he was quickly reminded when he heard the sickly, wheezing noise Alfred emitted whenever he was about to exert himself in a dialogue of some length.

"Well, your highness. Seeing as how you are the heir to the throne and your father is now passed, you are a high objective for anyone who desires power. There are many who would do you harm, Lord Harold. Not just enemies outside the country, but even some of your less loyal subjects. Why, you are most likely the prime target of even your brother, Lord Willia-"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with you?" Inu-yasha interrupted in a harsh tone, cutting his servant off before the careless man could finish reciting the false human name of his hated sibling. "You weren't exactly hired for your exquisite combat skills." Inu-yasha turned to the man and was pleased to see the beginnings of a shameful blush forming on his daintily sallow cheeks. It felt good to subtly inform the runt of a human that he was utterly useless to Inu-yasha.

"Well, it's true that my fighting abilities are lacking, but I make an excellent chaperone. You are young yet, Lord Inu-yasha. You do not yet know all the ways of the wo-"

"Is that so? Hm." Giving a slight kick, and then another as his horse ignored the first, Inu-yasha broke into a trot and left Alfred abruptly in the dust. The man sputtered out a few belated beseeching commands, but Inu- yasha was already out of human earshot. Alfred sighed and resigned himself to his aged gelding's steady plod.

*Wretched fool. Chaperone, my bloody ass. I don't need him or any other mortal. I'm perfectly find by myse-* Inu-yasha's thoughts trailed off as the haze in the distance began to clear, and the road throughout the featureless plain began to earnestly lead somewhere. The whiteness of the clouds delineated amongst themselves, becoming geometric and cylindrical as he neared. Soon the light colors darkened to grey, and Inu-yasha knew immediately he was looking at the White Castle of London. Even in the distance, his demonic eyes could define the four towers as they rose from the rectangular base of the building, adding height and definition to an otherwise plain structure. The castle might have been taken as a physical metaphor for London itself-a strong and simple city at its core, but rich with embellishments when viewed from afar. Inu-yasha smiled to himself, fairly proud. England was his country, and though the other realm still regarded it as full of barbarians, Inu-yasha knew it was superior to all the heathen city-states that couldn't be bothered amidst all their civil wars to unite and become countries of their own. Savages. And they dared call *his* country a nation of brutes?!

Soon after the appearance of the castle came the main roadways and outskirts of London, from the many trade streets and their infinite jamboree of merchants and outside vendors, to the taverns and inns that dotted the domestic areas and called weary travelers to them like oases in the jungle. Inu-yasha turned his head sleepily and noticed there were farms about him, far enough from London to have room to grow their crops but close enough to transport their yields before they spoiled. He watched with amusement as a young peasant girl jumped from the road and ran into the barley fields of her family, in hot pursuit of a friendly sheepdog. In the middle of a wheat field, an older boy was pulling weeds and wiping his brow, nearing the end of his workday.

Peasant life. Mortal life. How foreign it all was to him, he who had been forced to stay in the castle almost his entire life. His father must have put him there for a reason, but that reason was lost on Inu-yasha. He both loved and hated his father, as he loved and hated the castle. While it had been his safe haven and the place of his privileged raising, it was also his prison, the bars of his cage gilded with jewels and precious metals, but restrictive all the same. It was a common story, that of the prodigal child forced to live in seclusion, due to their own parent's extreme fear of corruption and danger. Well, he was free now. Free to go amongst his people and socialize. Free to show them who was boss. They had lived under a spineless and inactive ruler too long. They had doubtlessly grown soft, and that was something that *needed* to be remedied.

--

His father's regent welcomed Inu-yasha and his manservant with a contemptuous attitude that immediately incited Inu-yasha into hating him. Inu-yasha had never met the man before, as he had been appointed by Hanyou to care for the castle in the king's absence, but perhaps this last month of freedom had given the regent the mistaken opinion that he was to stay in power indefinitely.

"I will be staying in the royal chamber," Inu-yasha announced, flashing the regent a look that dared him to argue. The man's scowl deepened, but he nodded and bowed out, obviously to prepare the room Inu-yasha had selected. Inu-yasha wondered quietly what room the regent had intended for him before. The smallest guest chamber? Maybe even the cellar, his mind suggested, and he let out a slightly audible laugh. *Let's see how prod that wretch is when I attach him to the chandelier by his member. That should make a suitable demonstration to keep the others in line.* Inu-yasha laughed again, this time loud enough that Alfred actually turned and looked to him as if he were separated from his sanity.

"I'm glad to find you find your accommodations so pleasing," said a masculine voice from the doorway of another room. Inu-yasha's blood ran cold and the hair prickled on his neck. He turned slowly, gingerly, as if simply moving his joints caused him pain. His eyes blazed an uncanny gold- red as he pierced the darkness, knowing the man even before he stepped from the shadows and revealed himself.

"Lord William," Alfred said in a hushed whisper. His hesitancy was no surprise at all; even though he ruled Normandy and not England, William was known for his ferocity both in war and in international politics, and had been known to shed blood if the urge overcame him. Alfred backed away slowly in fear, but Inu-yasha reacted differently; raising his hands at his sides and curling in his fingers in a way that was reminiscent of a cat sharpening its claws, Inu-yasha approached his brother, his eyes never once traveling from the eyes just opposite him.

"Be at ease, Brother. I come only to discuss the problems which have arisen as a result of our father's untimely demise." Sesshoumaru's lips quirked, smiling in a way that was perhaps more frightening than his normal apathetic frown. Inu-yasha made a sound of disgruntlement in the back of his throat and paused just a few feet away.

"Is that really why you're here, 'William'? Somehow I find myself distrusting your words," Inu-yasha smiled his own reckless grin, flicking his eyes down the length of his sibling then all at once turning round and sauntering nonchalantly into the downstairs library. Alfred watched after him with an expression of disbelief then glanced at Sesshoumaru only once before rushing after his master.

"Keen as ever, I see," Sesshoumaru mumbled under his breath, staring after Inu-yasha with an expression that was anything but prideful. "We'll see if your intuition saves you this time." He snorted and stalked away in the opposite direction. His assistant Jaken was nowhere to be seen, but that alone was no huge surprise. Sesshoumaru usually preferred to work alone.

--

"What in the Goddess's name are you suggesting? There is no way in hell I will ever relinquish England to you!!"

"You're forgetting, dear brother, you already promised to support me if I became ruler of England. Have you forgotten your little shipwreck fiasco already...? How selective of you."

Inu-yasha growled and glared towards his brother angrily, but was unable to deny his claim. It *was* true that Inu-yasha had promised to support Sesshoumaru, but it had been the only way to get out of his clutches...Inu- yasha had been little more than a child when his ship had crashed and he found himself washed up on Sesshoumaru's Normandy shores and immediately captured by Sesshoumaru's forces. He had had little choice in the matter, seeing as how Sesshoumaru would have killed him had he refused.

"Besides, I am older than you and would make a far better ruler than you could ever be. Do not be so childish, Harold. Think of your subjects, not yourself."

"I am thinking of my subjects!" Inu-yasha exploded suddenly, leaping from his chair and leaning over the table with a terrible growl. "Do you think a kind ruler would turn them over to the likes of you?"

Sesshoumaru smiled patronizingly, lifting his delicate hand and wiping a tiny fleck of spittle from his forehead before continuing. "I'm afraid your feelings of dissent for me, while perfectly warranted, are wholly personal, and have nothing to do with my capacity as a ruler. Really, Harold. Think clearly on this."

Damn the bastard for always looking so perfectly at ease with himself! Damn him for his coolness, his lucidity... "I am thinking clearly!! And stop calling me that!" Inu-yasha raged, then lowered his voice to a conspiring whisper, so that only Sesshoumaru, with his demonic hearing, could make out his words. Absurd, since they were the only ones in the room, but barely audible nonetheless. "I swear, Sesshoumaru, if you try to take England from me, I'll have you killed immediately. The people here are loyal to me, not you. Care to test my bluff?" He added with a self-confident smirk.

"Well, now. It's not peasants we'll be needing to settle this skirmish, is it?" Something before Inu-yasha flickered, and abruptly he found himself staring into a pair of large, narrowed, impossibly red demon eyes. He took a sudden intake of breath too fast to regret it, and pushed back, away from the table. Sesshoumaru smiled and leaned into his chair, his effect suitably impressioned on the young demon's consciousness. Inu-yasha's expression glimmered with rage, but Sesshoumaru was already looking away, towards the window showing the city and its surroundings outside. The quiet study seemed even quieter as Sesshoumaru stroked his chin slowly, apparently in contemplation of something for he ignored every one of Inu- yasha's attempts at getting his attention.

"Very well, I have a deal to propose," Sesshoumaru announced without so much as a warning or change of posture. Blinking, Inu-yasha rose from his relinquished state in the hard-backed chair and resumed his glowering, waiting impatiently for Sesshoumaru to continue.

"I will let you have your precious England," Sesshoumaru said, and Inu- yasha tensed, immediately suspicious. "And I will continue my reign as Normandy's commander. But know this: In five years' time, I will return here, to London, and claim it as my own. Hark my words, brother. They shall be what dictate your ruin."

"Hah!" Inu-yasha shouted, more an exclamation than a noise of amusement or defiance. Yet anyone could tell just by looking at him that fear had infused itself into every pore and orifice of his body, and his legs trembled slightly as he forced himself to push his face beside his brother's. "Your return shall be greeted with open fire. Do what you will, Sesshoumaru; I will defeat you in the end." He laughed again and walked to the doorway, turning to look at Sesshoumaru once more before departing the chamber. He had tried to make his exit as heroic and brave as possible, but as soon as he was out of Sesshoumaru's view, he crushed himself against the stone wall and welcomed its coldness as if it were a bed of nails. He considered himself proud and fearless in most respects, but against his brother, he was always terrified, both by Sesshoumaru's presence and the fact that he had every will and ability to carry through with his threats. Sesshoumaru was far from any foolish mortal king; he was the first-born son of the Western God, and power was his birthright. Inu-yasha possessed only a fraction of that power, both because he was the second-born, and the fact that his bloodline was 'unclean', tarnished partly by the weak blood of a human. Someday, thought Inu-yasha, *someday I will face Sesshoumaru without fear.* Until that day, though...

Inu-yasha shuddered, the air suddenly feeling several degrees cooler. Until that day, he would just have to put all his effort into surviving.

--

He remembered something about a witch. Kikyo had been sparse in the details, for some reason hesitant to talk about those who dwelled in the land of the dark crafts. Still, he remembered her at one point speaking candidly of the old witch who lived on the opposite side of his forest. What was her name? K...Keke... Kaine... Something similar to that. Damn it to hell! He couldn't remember.

Well, it hardly mattered. The witch was a fortune-teller, and that's what Inu-yasha wanted her for. First he would test her out with generic questions, and if he found her talent to be true, then he would pose his ultimate question: would Sesshoumaru really try to take over England? Would he succeed? Inu-yasha felt his stomach lurch at the thought, but it was a question that had to be answered. Only if Inu-yasha knew what was coming could he prepare for it, and that meant getting help from the seers. There were others, of course, but almost all of them were false, and besides, he had no way of trusting their loyalty, even if they did speak the truth. Kikyo had spoken of this witch with reverence, though, and if Kikyo respected her, then so must Inu-yasha. Besides, he could always ignore her answer if he found it unsatisfactory.

But before he posed his question, he would have to *find* the witch. And that meant going into the forest on his own. The only way to get rid of Alfred was to pacify him with the belief that Inu-yasha was not leaving the castle, but that was elementary: Inu-yasha would bolt his door and exit through the window, leading those in the castle to believe he was having another of his three-day fits. Inu-yasha cracked a grin. He'd never imagined his temper tantrums would actually be of more use than getting immediate attention. Well, whatever. The rest was not so simple. He knew only that the witch lived somewhere in the eastern half of his forest, and he couldn't even remember her name.

Well, he would find her. He would find this witch and test her. And then, he would ask her.

There was no way in hell he would ever allow Sesshoumaru to get his way.

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What do you think? Tired, so can't say much. Please, please, PLEASE read and review! For all I know, there is absolutely no one reading this fic (actually, that's probably the case).

Anyway, g'night. Thanks for reading!