The Ties That Bind
By: Oyuki Kimari
Disclaimer: Yare, yare. I know, I don't own the characters of Inuyasha... Of course, you all already knew that, didn't you? Of course you did. And if you didn't, you're totally not smart. (Petra: *ahem*) (Jen: *glare* what?) And yes, I'm sounding really stupid right now, but it's 2 in the morning and I'm tired as hell. (Petra: Wimp.) (Jen: Bitch...)
Explanation: I don't have one this time around. I don't think I have anything left to explain. If you would like for me to explain something else, place it in your review or email your questions to me.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sesshomaru looked up as someone knocked on the shoji door of his room. "Leave me. I wish to be alone," he growled before turning back to the letter he had recieved from Miroku, a local monk who proved to be one of his most valuable allies. He faintly heard the door slide open and he growled audibly, turning to destroy the intruder. He stopped when he saw Princess Sincerity kneeling in front of him, her head bowed. "Princess? What are you doing in here?"
"I am to stay with you, at all times," Tenshi said, raising her head slightly. "Your father demands that you protect me. I, however, do not wish for your protection, Sesshomaru-sama. I shall stay in your presence for the mere fact that I wish to discover who it is that has caused so much trouble. I am not a weak princess that needs protection, and I shall not be treated as such." She raised, displaying confidence that only royalty could have.
Sesshomaru smirked and nodded slightly. "As you wish, princess. However, there is no place for you to sleep," he said. Sesshomaru knew that no princess would ever sleep on the floor, so she would demand the bed. However, he wasn't going to give up his bed just because she wanted it.
"You're bed is big enough for at least five people, Sesshomaru-sama," Tenshi said. She turned and went into the bathing area, leaving a shocked Sesshomaru in her wake. The princess brought a pale, ice blue night gown from her sub-space pocket; the only clothing that she had thought to pack. She quickly changed and neatly folded the fabric that had served as her kimono before returning to the sleeping chamber. She blinked when she saw that the young demon was not in the room. "Sesshomaru-sama?" Noticing that the doors to the balconey were open, Tenshi softly walked outside.
Sesshomaru turned slightly and glanced at her before looking back to gaze at the moonlit garden below them. He felt Tenshi's presence beside him and glanced at the princess out of the corner of his eyes. The pale blue night gown looked beautiful on her, accenting just the right curves and showing off her pale skin. A soft breeze picked up and Sesshomaru inhaled the sweet smell of light and moon lilies. "Please forgive my earlier actions, Princess. I was out of line," he grumbled.
Tenshi stared at him for a moment before smiling, her silver-white hair getting pushed into her face by the breeze. "It is quite all right, Sesshomaru-sama. I wasn't too bothered by your harshness. My mother is colder than you, and that is saying a lot. However, there is one way that you can make it up to me," she smiled innocently, and that small gesture made Sesshomaru want to do anything for her.
Sesshomaru smirked. "And how would that be, Princess? Surely you do not wish for me to serve as your protector," he said, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.
The princess blushed prettily at his action, but cleared her throat and turned away slightly. "No. What I would like for you to do, is spar with me every day. I am not just a princess, I am a warrior also, and I must keep up with my training. Please, Sesshomaru-sama?"
She pouted slightly, appearing even more innocent that her smile made her seem. Sesshomaru growled softly but nodded. "Very well. I shall spar with you. However, you will keep your guardian away from me at all times. I do not approve of the way she looks at me."
Tenshi smiled. "Fair enough. I'll warn you though, I am no pushover and I won't go easy on you just because you're handsome." She went back into the sleeping chamber and crawled under the covers of the bed.
Sesshomaru smirked and followed her, making sure to stay on his side of the bed. The happenings of the day, combined with Tenshi's sweet scent, caused him to fall into a comfortable sleep that not even Death could wake him from.
~*~*~*~*~
Sesshomaru grumbled something incoherent as he slowly woke up from the deep confines of sleep. He nuzzled into the pillow that he was grasping and inhaled deeply. *Strange. My pillows have never smelled of moon lilies,* he thought to himself. His eyes flew open and he jerked away from the sleeping princess. He fell off the bed and landed in an undignified heap on the floor.
He glared up at the sleeping form of the white-haired princess. "Stupid wench," he grumbled. Standing quickly, he brushed off his haori and went into the bathing area to clean up. Sesshomaru sighed as he sank into the warm water. His muscles relaxed slowly and he soon climbed out of the hot spring. After dressing in clean robes, Sesshomaru went back into the bed room.
"Ohayo, Sesshomaru-sama," Tenshi said softly from her position on the bed. She was sitting up, with her legs tucked under her. She was rubbing the effects of sleep from her eyes, and the night gown she wore was rumpled from sleep.
The image she made was so adorable that Sesshomaru was tempted to chuckle. He didn't, though, and instead chose to remain silent. The young demon walked over to his desk and sat down, picking up several papers. Quickly sorting through the documents, he found that his mind continued to wander to the petite woman-child from Haven. A descrete sniff at the air told him that Tenshi stood behind him. Sesshomaru glanced at her over his shoulder and scowled. "Is there something that you want, Princess?" he asked.
"I was wondering if we could possibly get something to eat. I'm getting hungry," Tenshi said softly. She ducked her head in embarassment as Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow. "I'm sorry if I interrupted something important."
Sesshomaru growled softly and sniffed the air. "You may eat after you get dressed and come with me to the main hall. There are guests here that my father will want me to greet," he said.
Tenshi nodded slightly and went into the bathing area, taking the white kimono with her. There was a flash of light that leaked out from under the door, which confused Sesshomaru slightly. When she came back out, the young demon almost fell out of his chair. She still wore the white kimono, but her hair was now a very dark shade of blue, an almost black color. Her eyes were the brightest green that he had ever seen. Despite the fact that she looked very exotic, Sesshomaru found himself wishing that she would return to her previous appearance.
"If one of your visitors proves to be the person who arranged for all of this to happen, then it wouldn't do any good to let them know that I'm well," the princess explained. She fingered her black-blue hair and frowned. "I don't really like it, but I don't really have a choice right now."
Sesshomaru nodded slightly and stood. He left the room, with the disguised princess following behind him. They walked through the halls of the palace slowly, taking their time to reach the main hall. In truth, Sesshomaru wanted to spend more time with the beautiful girl.
~*~*~*~*~*~
When they reached the main hall, Sesshomaru found that he had to surpress the growl that rose into his throat at the sight of the black-haired young man with the peircing violet eyes. The man was sending out an aura of arrogance that irritated the demon.
The man looked at them and smirked. "You must be Sesshomaru-sama, the eldest son of Inutaisho-sama. Celeste-sama said that I should talk to you about the where-abouts of her only daughter. She believes that Sincerity-hime has been taken prisoner in order to delay the peace-talks."
Sesshomaru growled softly, but it was cut off when the arrogant young man locked eyes with the disguised princess. He glanced at her over his shoulder, and noticed that she was glaring coldly. He turned back to the young man and glared. "I suggest that you put your eyes else-where. She is mine," he snapped.
The arrogant man glared slightly and black-violet energy formed in his hand. He threw the energy at the demon, but it was knocked away when Tenshi leapt in front of Sesshomaru. "Who are you to stop what I do, bitch?"
"Leave Sesshomaru-sama alone. He did nothing to you," the princess snapped. She continued to glare as she moved to stand behind Sesshomaru. Tenshi stood behind the demon with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at the arrogant fool who had attempted to attack the heir of the western lands.
Sesshomaru smirked slightly before glaring at the young man coldly. "I recommend that you do not call my servant "bitch". I cannot always control what she does and she is very protective of me. Now, who are you?"
"I am Akuma, the Prince of Saturn," the young man smirked slightly, his arrogance flaring once more. "Now, have you possibly seen a young woman with white hair and pale amethyst eyes? She would appear to be a little girl as she's very petite."
"Little girl?" Tenshi growled under her breath. Her glare had hardened and she clenched her fists tightly, drawing blood. The crimson liquid dripped onto the wooden floor and the two men quirked an eyebrow at her. She flushed slightly. "Forgive me, Sesshomaru-sama. I shall..." she was cut off when the demon took her hands into his own and gently lapped at her life-force. Her face slowly became tinted pink.
Sesshomaru pulled away slightly and licked his lips. He met the princess' now emerald gaze and couldn't help but smirk. He looked at the Saturian prince, then the woman who had appeared behind him. "Who are you?" he growled.
"I am Celeste, Queen of Haven," the white-haired woman said coldly.
Sesshomaru noticed that Tenshi had stiffened and he glanced at her. The princess and queen seemed to be very different in personality, which was unusual for royalty. He nodded slightly. "I am Sesshomaru, eldest son to Inutaisho of the Western Lands. Please, follow Atsuko and she will show you to rooms where you may stay while you are here." A fox demon appeared and bowed to the two royals. He released Tenshi's hands and walked away, the princess following him closely.
~owari~
Well, that's it for Chapter Four. I'm evil and mean and cutting it off there, because I think that with the remainder of the story I have left in my word-pad, there's one chapter left. If not, I'll eat my mom's cooking... p (Petra: At least she *can* cook!) (Jen: Hey! I can cook!... Just not very well...) Anyways, I won't post the next story until I get at least seven reviews.
By: Oyuki Kimari
Disclaimer: Yare, yare. I know, I don't own the characters of Inuyasha... Of course, you all already knew that, didn't you? Of course you did. And if you didn't, you're totally not smart. (Petra: *ahem*) (Jen: *glare* what?) And yes, I'm sounding really stupid right now, but it's 2 in the morning and I'm tired as hell. (Petra: Wimp.) (Jen: Bitch...)
Explanation: I don't have one this time around. I don't think I have anything left to explain. If you would like for me to explain something else, place it in your review or email your questions to me.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sesshomaru looked up as someone knocked on the shoji door of his room. "Leave me. I wish to be alone," he growled before turning back to the letter he had recieved from Miroku, a local monk who proved to be one of his most valuable allies. He faintly heard the door slide open and he growled audibly, turning to destroy the intruder. He stopped when he saw Princess Sincerity kneeling in front of him, her head bowed. "Princess? What are you doing in here?"
"I am to stay with you, at all times," Tenshi said, raising her head slightly. "Your father demands that you protect me. I, however, do not wish for your protection, Sesshomaru-sama. I shall stay in your presence for the mere fact that I wish to discover who it is that has caused so much trouble. I am not a weak princess that needs protection, and I shall not be treated as such." She raised, displaying confidence that only royalty could have.
Sesshomaru smirked and nodded slightly. "As you wish, princess. However, there is no place for you to sleep," he said. Sesshomaru knew that no princess would ever sleep on the floor, so she would demand the bed. However, he wasn't going to give up his bed just because she wanted it.
"You're bed is big enough for at least five people, Sesshomaru-sama," Tenshi said. She turned and went into the bathing area, leaving a shocked Sesshomaru in her wake. The princess brought a pale, ice blue night gown from her sub-space pocket; the only clothing that she had thought to pack. She quickly changed and neatly folded the fabric that had served as her kimono before returning to the sleeping chamber. She blinked when she saw that the young demon was not in the room. "Sesshomaru-sama?" Noticing that the doors to the balconey were open, Tenshi softly walked outside.
Sesshomaru turned slightly and glanced at her before looking back to gaze at the moonlit garden below them. He felt Tenshi's presence beside him and glanced at the princess out of the corner of his eyes. The pale blue night gown looked beautiful on her, accenting just the right curves and showing off her pale skin. A soft breeze picked up and Sesshomaru inhaled the sweet smell of light and moon lilies. "Please forgive my earlier actions, Princess. I was out of line," he grumbled.
Tenshi stared at him for a moment before smiling, her silver-white hair getting pushed into her face by the breeze. "It is quite all right, Sesshomaru-sama. I wasn't too bothered by your harshness. My mother is colder than you, and that is saying a lot. However, there is one way that you can make it up to me," she smiled innocently, and that small gesture made Sesshomaru want to do anything for her.
Sesshomaru smirked. "And how would that be, Princess? Surely you do not wish for me to serve as your protector," he said, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.
The princess blushed prettily at his action, but cleared her throat and turned away slightly. "No. What I would like for you to do, is spar with me every day. I am not just a princess, I am a warrior also, and I must keep up with my training. Please, Sesshomaru-sama?"
She pouted slightly, appearing even more innocent that her smile made her seem. Sesshomaru growled softly but nodded. "Very well. I shall spar with you. However, you will keep your guardian away from me at all times. I do not approve of the way she looks at me."
Tenshi smiled. "Fair enough. I'll warn you though, I am no pushover and I won't go easy on you just because you're handsome." She went back into the sleeping chamber and crawled under the covers of the bed.
Sesshomaru smirked and followed her, making sure to stay on his side of the bed. The happenings of the day, combined with Tenshi's sweet scent, caused him to fall into a comfortable sleep that not even Death could wake him from.
~*~*~*~*~
Sesshomaru grumbled something incoherent as he slowly woke up from the deep confines of sleep. He nuzzled into the pillow that he was grasping and inhaled deeply. *Strange. My pillows have never smelled of moon lilies,* he thought to himself. His eyes flew open and he jerked away from the sleeping princess. He fell off the bed and landed in an undignified heap on the floor.
He glared up at the sleeping form of the white-haired princess. "Stupid wench," he grumbled. Standing quickly, he brushed off his haori and went into the bathing area to clean up. Sesshomaru sighed as he sank into the warm water. His muscles relaxed slowly and he soon climbed out of the hot spring. After dressing in clean robes, Sesshomaru went back into the bed room.
"Ohayo, Sesshomaru-sama," Tenshi said softly from her position on the bed. She was sitting up, with her legs tucked under her. She was rubbing the effects of sleep from her eyes, and the night gown she wore was rumpled from sleep.
The image she made was so adorable that Sesshomaru was tempted to chuckle. He didn't, though, and instead chose to remain silent. The young demon walked over to his desk and sat down, picking up several papers. Quickly sorting through the documents, he found that his mind continued to wander to the petite woman-child from Haven. A descrete sniff at the air told him that Tenshi stood behind him. Sesshomaru glanced at her over his shoulder and scowled. "Is there something that you want, Princess?" he asked.
"I was wondering if we could possibly get something to eat. I'm getting hungry," Tenshi said softly. She ducked her head in embarassment as Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow. "I'm sorry if I interrupted something important."
Sesshomaru growled softly and sniffed the air. "You may eat after you get dressed and come with me to the main hall. There are guests here that my father will want me to greet," he said.
Tenshi nodded slightly and went into the bathing area, taking the white kimono with her. There was a flash of light that leaked out from under the door, which confused Sesshomaru slightly. When she came back out, the young demon almost fell out of his chair. She still wore the white kimono, but her hair was now a very dark shade of blue, an almost black color. Her eyes were the brightest green that he had ever seen. Despite the fact that she looked very exotic, Sesshomaru found himself wishing that she would return to her previous appearance.
"If one of your visitors proves to be the person who arranged for all of this to happen, then it wouldn't do any good to let them know that I'm well," the princess explained. She fingered her black-blue hair and frowned. "I don't really like it, but I don't really have a choice right now."
Sesshomaru nodded slightly and stood. He left the room, with the disguised princess following behind him. They walked through the halls of the palace slowly, taking their time to reach the main hall. In truth, Sesshomaru wanted to spend more time with the beautiful girl.
~*~*~*~*~*~
When they reached the main hall, Sesshomaru found that he had to surpress the growl that rose into his throat at the sight of the black-haired young man with the peircing violet eyes. The man was sending out an aura of arrogance that irritated the demon.
The man looked at them and smirked. "You must be Sesshomaru-sama, the eldest son of Inutaisho-sama. Celeste-sama said that I should talk to you about the where-abouts of her only daughter. She believes that Sincerity-hime has been taken prisoner in order to delay the peace-talks."
Sesshomaru growled softly, but it was cut off when the arrogant young man locked eyes with the disguised princess. He glanced at her over his shoulder, and noticed that she was glaring coldly. He turned back to the young man and glared. "I suggest that you put your eyes else-where. She is mine," he snapped.
The arrogant man glared slightly and black-violet energy formed in his hand. He threw the energy at the demon, but it was knocked away when Tenshi leapt in front of Sesshomaru. "Who are you to stop what I do, bitch?"
"Leave Sesshomaru-sama alone. He did nothing to you," the princess snapped. She continued to glare as she moved to stand behind Sesshomaru. Tenshi stood behind the demon with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at the arrogant fool who had attempted to attack the heir of the western lands.
Sesshomaru smirked slightly before glaring at the young man coldly. "I recommend that you do not call my servant "bitch". I cannot always control what she does and she is very protective of me. Now, who are you?"
"I am Akuma, the Prince of Saturn," the young man smirked slightly, his arrogance flaring once more. "Now, have you possibly seen a young woman with white hair and pale amethyst eyes? She would appear to be a little girl as she's very petite."
"Little girl?" Tenshi growled under her breath. Her glare had hardened and she clenched her fists tightly, drawing blood. The crimson liquid dripped onto the wooden floor and the two men quirked an eyebrow at her. She flushed slightly. "Forgive me, Sesshomaru-sama. I shall..." she was cut off when the demon took her hands into his own and gently lapped at her life-force. Her face slowly became tinted pink.
Sesshomaru pulled away slightly and licked his lips. He met the princess' now emerald gaze and couldn't help but smirk. He looked at the Saturian prince, then the woman who had appeared behind him. "Who are you?" he growled.
"I am Celeste, Queen of Haven," the white-haired woman said coldly.
Sesshomaru noticed that Tenshi had stiffened and he glanced at her. The princess and queen seemed to be very different in personality, which was unusual for royalty. He nodded slightly. "I am Sesshomaru, eldest son to Inutaisho of the Western Lands. Please, follow Atsuko and she will show you to rooms where you may stay while you are here." A fox demon appeared and bowed to the two royals. He released Tenshi's hands and walked away, the princess following him closely.
~owari~
Well, that's it for Chapter Four. I'm evil and mean and cutting it off there, because I think that with the remainder of the story I have left in my word-pad, there's one chapter left. If not, I'll eat my mom's cooking... p (Petra: At least she *can* cook!) (Jen: Hey! I can cook!... Just not very well...) Anyways, I won't post the next story until I get at least seven reviews.