Betrayal in the Blood
Chapter Two- Battle of Wits
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters in this story expect Ikue, Nobutada, Shin, Hiroyuki, Shichinosuke, Masako, and Kado. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, I just borrowed them.
SPECIAL NOTE: This is a prequel to my story Family Obligations, but it can stand on its own as a separate story.
Screams of pain and agony filled the Western Lands and yet Toga couldn't be happier. He and Ikue had been mated for many years, still newlyweds in youkai years, but still quite a few years. His mate was giving birth to their first pup, and from what the midwives had told him, it appeared that he was to have a healthy son.
He sat outside his bedroom chambers and winced each time Ikue screamed. She had wanted a pup right away, but allowed herself to wait when her mate had insisted that they needed a few years to get to know each other and have time to themselves. In reality, Toga had hoped the years they had to themselves would allow him to love the young girl he took as his mate the same way and with the same intensity that Ikue loved him. Love wasn't involved in most youkai matings, but it had been with Ikue's parents, and Toga envied what he had seen in human villages between men and women. The Lord of the Western Lands wanted that feeling as well and even though he wasn't sure what it felt like, he was sure he did not feel it for his calm shy mate.
Toga felt like scum whenever he admitted that. He cared deeply for the girl; if anyone dared raised a hand against her or said an ill word about her, he'd be the first to let that person feel his claws. The taiyoukai was a good mate according to other youkai. He protected her, kept her fed, and gave her everything she could have wanted; he more than fulfilled his duty as her mate.
Ikue also did her duty as his mate. She ran his household perfectly, kept the servants in line with kindness rather than fear, upheld the prestige and dignity of the Western Lands, and was about to give birth to his heir on the first try. To many males she was an excellent mate, dare say perfect. She knew her place and gladly did what her mate asked of her. Ikue wasn't like many female inu youkai that often took off and mouthed off to their mates because of their wild spirits; she loved her submissiveness to her mate.
She screamed again and Toga felt worse. During their first mating he had caused her pain, though he had tried not to do so, he was shocked that she had never been with another male. It was quite rare to fine a youkai woman that was a virgin before she mated herself to a male, but the lord should have known that with the three overprotective brothers she had, there was no way they had let any males near her. It seemed that the brothers were so protective that poor Ikue knew little to nothing about the opposite sex. She had been scared but eager to please him. Their bedroom wasn't an unpleasant place for her but Toga, fearing he would hurt her again, kept their actual mating to a minimum.
"Lord Toga."
He turned around and saw Masako, a neko youkai that Ikue had taken in, bow and with her eyes still to the ground she announced that he had a very healthy and lively son. Toga walked into his chambers and was pleased to see Ikue, smiling happily, with a small white bundle in her arms. She lightly ran her finger tips, mindful of the claws, over her son's face and whispered nonsense words to make the pup giggle.
His mate looked up at him and grinned. "Toga look at your son. He's so beautiful, I am almost afraid to hold him so close to me."
The Lord of the Western Lands peered down at his son and was pleased to see the markings on his face. His pup stared up at him and smiled his mother's smile. The pup looked like him but he had very delicate features, making him look slightly feminine looking. No matter, he could sense the immense power coming from his newborn son.
"Are you pleased Toga?"
That sweet, painfully shy and understanding smile was on her face again and he felt his heart ache. "I am more than pleased. We will need to announce that I have an heir in a few days."
"Yes, we will, everyone must know that Sesshoumaru is the heir to the Western Lands."
Sesshoumaru, it was the name his mother was going to give his little brother. However, his mother had died before giving birth so Sesshoumaru had never been able to see the outside world, or the older brother that would have loved him to death. Toga had loved the name and the little brother he never met, so when he discovered his small mate was with pup he declared that if it was a boy the pup would be called Sesshoumaru. As he thought, Ikue had no problems with it, despite the meaning of the name.
The Lady of the Western Lands stopped cuddling her son for a moment, "Have you sent word to my father and brothers?"
"As soon as you were whisked away I sent Kado to the Northern Lands, they should be here soon."
"Hiroyuki and Shichinosuke might be difficult to find. From what I have read in Shin's letters, they are both more interested in satisfying their, carnal lust as my oldest brother puts it, than helping with their duties as princes. It seems that with me no longer there they see no need to hide such desires from me." Her full lips were set in an amused smile.
"Knowing them, they'll be dropping by before your father and Shin get here." The two brothers made a point of visiting their little sister often. Both claimed it was because they were making sure Toga was treating her well, and while that a major reason for their frequent visits, the lord and lady both knew it was because they missed Ikue terribly.
"I am sorry they are such a bother, Toga."
He took his son in his arms and smiled. Both had horrible reputations when it came to their exploits with women and their irrational love for a battle, did not help matters. However, despite their gruff attitudes, both were actually cuddly puppies, at least when it came to their sister. He knew the two hated him but that was only because he had "stole" their sister. The princes of the Northern Lands would never raise a claw against him as long as he was mated to Ikue.
He snapped out of his thoughts, "No worries. Rest Ikue, giving birth to an active pup like this must have been tiring, and I'm sure you'll need your energy when your father and brothers arrive."
A soft enticing laugh came from her, "Yes, I suppose you are correct."
"I'll have Sesshoumaru cleaned up and then brought back to you." All youkai mothers, especially a new one, never wanted their pup away from them for long periods of time. Ikue was no different and seemed very pleased that her son would be back in her arms soon. At that moment, Toga felt his heart warm at the sight of her.
True, she was sweaty, her clothes horribly wrinkled, and her perfect long hair was simply a mess. Yet, she glowed with the pure light that only motherhood could give. The lady had gone through hell and back to give birth to his son, and he loved her for it, just not the kind she felt for him. He prayed that one day he would love her or that she would never find out about his lack of it. Both were a possibility, inu youkai mated for life so he was sure either would occur. He just hoped the former did and not the latter.
Ikue inhaled deeply suddenly and a serene smile took over her face. "Shin.... Shin has arrived. I did not expect his arrival for many days. Oh I must look a fright...."
Her mate took note of the new scent as well and was just as surprised to discover that his brother in-law was indeed on his grounds. From what his nose told him, he was an hour away from the castle. He handed his tiny son to Masako for cleaning and ordered her to send Ikue's ladies in waiting to clean her up. "The heir to the Northern Lands will not be happy to see his sister still suffering from the aftermath of birth."
Toga kissed his mate on the top of her head and then headed out to order a few servants to prepare some rooms for his in-laws. The Northern family were very close and no doubt they would stay for at least a week. Despite their obvious hatred for him, at least it was obvious with the Hiroyuki and Shichinosuke, they were polite and he couldn't refuse them from seeing Ikue or his son.
"He looks just like you sister."
The Lady of the Western Lands smiled and smoothed down an unruly lock of Sesshoumaru's hair. "Do you think so? I think he looks much more like Toga than me."
Shin cradled the pup close him and nodded. "I see his father in him but I see more of you. Then again I am comparing Sesshoumaru to the way you looked as a pup, I never saw Toga as one."
"Either way," she kissed her bundle on joy on his forehead, "he is such a beautiful pup. No one, male or female will ever look as perfect as him."
"Tell me Ikue, why did you name him Sesshoumaru?" The name sounded nothing like what his sister would name her pup. Shin figured she would name her son after their father since she adored the older inu youkai so much.
"Toga picked out the name, he seemed rather insistent that if the pup was a male that it would be named Sesshoumaru. He looked so frightened that I would disagree with him that I did not have the heart to say no."
"I do not think you will ever be able to say no to him."
His words held no malice in them but Ikue knew her eldest brother well enough to know it was there. He would never say anything to upset her but he always asked the same question each time he visited her, when she visited him, and in his letters: was she happy. She waited for it, it never failed.
Shin knew it as well and even though he received the same answer each and every time, he would always ask. "Are you happy here Ikue? I will take you home right now and we can forget about this."
Instead of giving her usual answer she decided to ask a question of her own, "What do you think Toga would do? Inu youkai mate for life Shin, it would be disgraceful for me to leave him, for him and our father. And now that we have had Sesshoumaru, do you honestly think he would let me leave with him without a fight? I would never leave my pup, so we would have a war. What you would you do then big brother?"
This was new. He had expect his baby sister to smile and say she was happy, that would have been the end of it. It appeared that she wanted to play, well he'd play along. "Do you doubt my abilities to protect you?"
"It is not fair for you to answer my questions with another one." Shin was never one to give a straight answer right away. He liked to play before stating his true intention, let his opponent get angry before attacking. He did the same when he was playing a battle of wits.
"True, but my question must be answered before I can even consider your questions. So I ask again, do you doubt my abilities to protect you?"
She stared at her older brother, and took in his appearance. He still looked the same. His shoulder length pale blue hair was in a neat pony tail, the star markings on his wrists and the corners of his eyes (ones that marked him a decedent of the Northern nobles), and his dark blue eyes still made her stare in awe. When she was much younger, around 80, she had asked him if he was some sort of God. Shin had laughed and had held her close, telling her that she would always be his favorite sister, never mind that she was his only one.
"No, I do not doubt your abilities. However," she took her pup back in her arms and prepared to feed him, Shin looked straight at her face as she allowed Sesshoumaru to nurse. "While I do not doubt your abilities, I also do not doubt Toga's. I have seen his love for Sesshoumaru, and I fear you would not win in that battle."
"Would his love for Sesshoumaru be the only thing he would fight for?" A dirty cruel comment, they both knew it and while Shin hated seeing the doubt cloud his beautiful sister's eyes, he knew he would hate himself more if he allowed Toga to hurt her.
"He is my mate. I have no reason to doubt him or his affections." Her voice was steady, indicating that she completely believed in her words, but her eyes told him otherwise.
"I have heard that his trips are becoming longer and he no longer takes you with him." His eyes narrowed as he waited for her to deny the rumors he had heard.
She knew what he wanted but Ikue refused to give it to him. "I was with pup and could not handle the trip. Did you want my mate to put me and my pup in danger? I have heard rumors of his supposedly true desires for centuries, they mean nothing to me."
"You said you did not doubt him. If you are not lying to me then you would have been in safe hands with your mate and would not have heard those rumors. Tell me Ikue, do the rumors of him sharing his bed with human women bring you some sort of comfort?"
The game had gone too far. Ikue, princess of the Northern Lands and Land of the Western Lands, no longer wished to play with her older brother. "How is Father?"
The subject had changed, he had hit a nerve and decided to back off for today. "He is well, misses you terribly but he is fine. His latest project is trying to get me to mate with the daughter of a nobleman from the East, I think he is trying to tie us all to the lands in some way."
The conversation went back to more pleasant things, things that the siblings could talk about without causing tears and wretched emotions. Shin told her of all the crazy things their other siblings had gotten into as of late, while Ikue told him how both the youkai and the human villages in the Western Lands were flourishing, and of course about all the troubles Jaken was finding himself in. Things were peaceful for the moment, the two talked for another hour or two before Shin stood.
He stretched his muscles and kissed the sleeping pup. "I have some political things to discuss with Toga but I will return for a short while before you retire."
"All right Shin, your duty calls."
"Ikue, have you ever heard of a place called Andromeda while you have been here?" He was not sure why he was bringing this up now. They had made up and he had decided to back off, but he had to say one last thing.
She looked at him rather confused and the confusion told him that she did not see his question as an attack. "No, I have not. Is it a youkai village or a human one?"
"Neither, it is the fairy kingdom. Supposedly the fairies made their kingdom at the edge of the Western Lands when their original home was destroyed by a great evil. I was just wondering that's all. The newest queen of the fairies is rumored to be the greatest beauty of all time and the most powerful one."
She gave him a teasing grin, "Are you looking for female company Shin? I thought you left conquests of the flesh to Hiroyuki and Shichinosuke."
A rich laugh escaped his throat. "You are correct, I was just curious. I will see you soon."
Her brother left her alone with her pup and Masako, who had been sitting quietly in a dark corner of the room. She glanced over at her, "You will not say anything will you Masako?"
The lavender haired neko youkai bowed to her as soon as she had left the shadows. "Of course not my Lady."
She smiled and nodded as she laid Sesshoumaru on the bed next to her. "Masako, do you know anything about Andromeda?"
"Your brother is correct about Andromeda and the queen, I believe her name is Tamiko. The fairies are none of our concern, however, my Lady. They believe to be superior to youkai so they stay away from us and we stay away from them."
"I see," it was Ikue's only response. "I think I will take a nap, please inform my lord that I will eat at our usual time."
When her second most trusted servant had left she settled down next to her sleeping son. She kissed his cheeks and his closed eyelids. He was perfect and she felt her heart fill with love each time his tiny chest lowered and raised with life. "You are my life little one, everything pales in comparison when it comes to you. I will give my life for yours and for your own happiness. As long as I have you in my arms, even when you think you are much too old for your mother to hold you, I will never ask for anything else."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: At first I didn't think I would be able to finish this chapter because my inspiration had just hit a dead end. Oh yes, when I am online I go by the name Masako, the character of the same name in this fic has nothing to do with me. I had named the character long before I decided to use that name for myself, so she's not a Mary Sue character or anything of the sort. I just loved the name. Anyway I hope this chapter was nice and long, as well as enjoyable because I loved writing it.
Masako
angel of darkness flame: Don't hurt yourself sweetie. Lol, I know you're wondering exactly where I'm going with this but you're just going to have to wait like everyone else. Talk to you on AIM later.
New Fan: For the first couple of chapters it is going to focus on mostly Ikue, Toga, and her family; but as I continue Sesshoumaru will become the main character and you'll see the relationship between him and Inuyasha evolve from brotherly love to bitter enemies. And of course Rin will appear and the gaps between this and my first story Family Obligations will be filled. Thank you so much for your review.
kittie le sabre: Wow, thank you so much for your kind words, they really made me feel good, as well as made me blush. I've also noticed that some incredibly original fics often have very few reviews, most of those are my favorite. By any chance are you the one who is writing Bad Boy and The Tribute on AFF.net? I just started to read them both and I must say, I am just blown away by them. I had an account of the site but I've completely forgotten the username and password so I need to get a new one. I prefer to leave signed reviews. Again, thank you so much for your review and the kind words in it, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Oh yes and I checked my settings I can receive anonymous reviews, thanks for reminding me about that.
Angel64: Lol, I'm glad someone besides two of my friends were actually waiting for me to start writing this story.
choco-coco: Thank you so much and I hope this chapter was up to your expectations. Once again, your story Sleeping Beauty is just a work of art. I love that story and I am looking forward to your next chapter.
Winged Princess: Aww thanks. Lol, it seems that we only talk through reviews now, doesn't it? Do you work on the 4th of July? I close that day and I have to go to Strollers!!! I'm not getting out till 2:30 in morning, even though it says 11:30 on my schedule. Sighs Talk to you later.
Obsessive-Starchaser: Oh you're so sweet to be reading this one and Malice Melodies. In cause you can't tell, I love writing angst filled stories. My version of Sesshoumaru's hatred is tied closely to Inuyasha but he is not the reason. You'll see, thanks again!
Dragon Man 180: I had thought about that, but that just wouldn't be me. I might write a one shot about them from this current story but I like how this story is shaping out. And you're right, this story isn't going to be very fluffy as all because of how I see Toga and Izayoi getting together. I think Toga committed some sins and his sons have to pay for them, that's his punishment. I honestly see Sesshoumaru's past as nothing but tragic until Rin makes her entrance. There will be nice moments, especially between Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, as well as Sesshoumaru with Rin, but the story will focus on angst ridden times. Thanks for your review.
Chapter Two- Battle of Wits
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters in this story expect Ikue, Nobutada, Shin, Hiroyuki, Shichinosuke, Masako, and Kado. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, I just borrowed them.
SPECIAL NOTE: This is a prequel to my story Family Obligations, but it can stand on its own as a separate story.
Screams of pain and agony filled the Western Lands and yet Toga couldn't be happier. He and Ikue had been mated for many years, still newlyweds in youkai years, but still quite a few years. His mate was giving birth to their first pup, and from what the midwives had told him, it appeared that he was to have a healthy son.
He sat outside his bedroom chambers and winced each time Ikue screamed. She had wanted a pup right away, but allowed herself to wait when her mate had insisted that they needed a few years to get to know each other and have time to themselves. In reality, Toga had hoped the years they had to themselves would allow him to love the young girl he took as his mate the same way and with the same intensity that Ikue loved him. Love wasn't involved in most youkai matings, but it had been with Ikue's parents, and Toga envied what he had seen in human villages between men and women. The Lord of the Western Lands wanted that feeling as well and even though he wasn't sure what it felt like, he was sure he did not feel it for his calm shy mate.
Toga felt like scum whenever he admitted that. He cared deeply for the girl; if anyone dared raised a hand against her or said an ill word about her, he'd be the first to let that person feel his claws. The taiyoukai was a good mate according to other youkai. He protected her, kept her fed, and gave her everything she could have wanted; he more than fulfilled his duty as her mate.
Ikue also did her duty as his mate. She ran his household perfectly, kept the servants in line with kindness rather than fear, upheld the prestige and dignity of the Western Lands, and was about to give birth to his heir on the first try. To many males she was an excellent mate, dare say perfect. She knew her place and gladly did what her mate asked of her. Ikue wasn't like many female inu youkai that often took off and mouthed off to their mates because of their wild spirits; she loved her submissiveness to her mate.
She screamed again and Toga felt worse. During their first mating he had caused her pain, though he had tried not to do so, he was shocked that she had never been with another male. It was quite rare to fine a youkai woman that was a virgin before she mated herself to a male, but the lord should have known that with the three overprotective brothers she had, there was no way they had let any males near her. It seemed that the brothers were so protective that poor Ikue knew little to nothing about the opposite sex. She had been scared but eager to please him. Their bedroom wasn't an unpleasant place for her but Toga, fearing he would hurt her again, kept their actual mating to a minimum.
"Lord Toga."
He turned around and saw Masako, a neko youkai that Ikue had taken in, bow and with her eyes still to the ground she announced that he had a very healthy and lively son. Toga walked into his chambers and was pleased to see Ikue, smiling happily, with a small white bundle in her arms. She lightly ran her finger tips, mindful of the claws, over her son's face and whispered nonsense words to make the pup giggle.
His mate looked up at him and grinned. "Toga look at your son. He's so beautiful, I am almost afraid to hold him so close to me."
The Lord of the Western Lands peered down at his son and was pleased to see the markings on his face. His pup stared up at him and smiled his mother's smile. The pup looked like him but he had very delicate features, making him look slightly feminine looking. No matter, he could sense the immense power coming from his newborn son.
"Are you pleased Toga?"
That sweet, painfully shy and understanding smile was on her face again and he felt his heart ache. "I am more than pleased. We will need to announce that I have an heir in a few days."
"Yes, we will, everyone must know that Sesshoumaru is the heir to the Western Lands."
Sesshoumaru, it was the name his mother was going to give his little brother. However, his mother had died before giving birth so Sesshoumaru had never been able to see the outside world, or the older brother that would have loved him to death. Toga had loved the name and the little brother he never met, so when he discovered his small mate was with pup he declared that if it was a boy the pup would be called Sesshoumaru. As he thought, Ikue had no problems with it, despite the meaning of the name.
The Lady of the Western Lands stopped cuddling her son for a moment, "Have you sent word to my father and brothers?"
"As soon as you were whisked away I sent Kado to the Northern Lands, they should be here soon."
"Hiroyuki and Shichinosuke might be difficult to find. From what I have read in Shin's letters, they are both more interested in satisfying their, carnal lust as my oldest brother puts it, than helping with their duties as princes. It seems that with me no longer there they see no need to hide such desires from me." Her full lips were set in an amused smile.
"Knowing them, they'll be dropping by before your father and Shin get here." The two brothers made a point of visiting their little sister often. Both claimed it was because they were making sure Toga was treating her well, and while that a major reason for their frequent visits, the lord and lady both knew it was because they missed Ikue terribly.
"I am sorry they are such a bother, Toga."
He took his son in his arms and smiled. Both had horrible reputations when it came to their exploits with women and their irrational love for a battle, did not help matters. However, despite their gruff attitudes, both were actually cuddly puppies, at least when it came to their sister. He knew the two hated him but that was only because he had "stole" their sister. The princes of the Northern Lands would never raise a claw against him as long as he was mated to Ikue.
He snapped out of his thoughts, "No worries. Rest Ikue, giving birth to an active pup like this must have been tiring, and I'm sure you'll need your energy when your father and brothers arrive."
A soft enticing laugh came from her, "Yes, I suppose you are correct."
"I'll have Sesshoumaru cleaned up and then brought back to you." All youkai mothers, especially a new one, never wanted their pup away from them for long periods of time. Ikue was no different and seemed very pleased that her son would be back in her arms soon. At that moment, Toga felt his heart warm at the sight of her.
True, she was sweaty, her clothes horribly wrinkled, and her perfect long hair was simply a mess. Yet, she glowed with the pure light that only motherhood could give. The lady had gone through hell and back to give birth to his son, and he loved her for it, just not the kind she felt for him. He prayed that one day he would love her or that she would never find out about his lack of it. Both were a possibility, inu youkai mated for life so he was sure either would occur. He just hoped the former did and not the latter.
Ikue inhaled deeply suddenly and a serene smile took over her face. "Shin.... Shin has arrived. I did not expect his arrival for many days. Oh I must look a fright...."
Her mate took note of the new scent as well and was just as surprised to discover that his brother in-law was indeed on his grounds. From what his nose told him, he was an hour away from the castle. He handed his tiny son to Masako for cleaning and ordered her to send Ikue's ladies in waiting to clean her up. "The heir to the Northern Lands will not be happy to see his sister still suffering from the aftermath of birth."
Toga kissed his mate on the top of her head and then headed out to order a few servants to prepare some rooms for his in-laws. The Northern family were very close and no doubt they would stay for at least a week. Despite their obvious hatred for him, at least it was obvious with the Hiroyuki and Shichinosuke, they were polite and he couldn't refuse them from seeing Ikue or his son.
"He looks just like you sister."
The Lady of the Western Lands smiled and smoothed down an unruly lock of Sesshoumaru's hair. "Do you think so? I think he looks much more like Toga than me."
Shin cradled the pup close him and nodded. "I see his father in him but I see more of you. Then again I am comparing Sesshoumaru to the way you looked as a pup, I never saw Toga as one."
"Either way," she kissed her bundle on joy on his forehead, "he is such a beautiful pup. No one, male or female will ever look as perfect as him."
"Tell me Ikue, why did you name him Sesshoumaru?" The name sounded nothing like what his sister would name her pup. Shin figured she would name her son after their father since she adored the older inu youkai so much.
"Toga picked out the name, he seemed rather insistent that if the pup was a male that it would be named Sesshoumaru. He looked so frightened that I would disagree with him that I did not have the heart to say no."
"I do not think you will ever be able to say no to him."
His words held no malice in them but Ikue knew her eldest brother well enough to know it was there. He would never say anything to upset her but he always asked the same question each time he visited her, when she visited him, and in his letters: was she happy. She waited for it, it never failed.
Shin knew it as well and even though he received the same answer each and every time, he would always ask. "Are you happy here Ikue? I will take you home right now and we can forget about this."
Instead of giving her usual answer she decided to ask a question of her own, "What do you think Toga would do? Inu youkai mate for life Shin, it would be disgraceful for me to leave him, for him and our father. And now that we have had Sesshoumaru, do you honestly think he would let me leave with him without a fight? I would never leave my pup, so we would have a war. What you would you do then big brother?"
This was new. He had expect his baby sister to smile and say she was happy, that would have been the end of it. It appeared that she wanted to play, well he'd play along. "Do you doubt my abilities to protect you?"
"It is not fair for you to answer my questions with another one." Shin was never one to give a straight answer right away. He liked to play before stating his true intention, let his opponent get angry before attacking. He did the same when he was playing a battle of wits.
"True, but my question must be answered before I can even consider your questions. So I ask again, do you doubt my abilities to protect you?"
She stared at her older brother, and took in his appearance. He still looked the same. His shoulder length pale blue hair was in a neat pony tail, the star markings on his wrists and the corners of his eyes (ones that marked him a decedent of the Northern nobles), and his dark blue eyes still made her stare in awe. When she was much younger, around 80, she had asked him if he was some sort of God. Shin had laughed and had held her close, telling her that she would always be his favorite sister, never mind that she was his only one.
"No, I do not doubt your abilities. However," she took her pup back in her arms and prepared to feed him, Shin looked straight at her face as she allowed Sesshoumaru to nurse. "While I do not doubt your abilities, I also do not doubt Toga's. I have seen his love for Sesshoumaru, and I fear you would not win in that battle."
"Would his love for Sesshoumaru be the only thing he would fight for?" A dirty cruel comment, they both knew it and while Shin hated seeing the doubt cloud his beautiful sister's eyes, he knew he would hate himself more if he allowed Toga to hurt her.
"He is my mate. I have no reason to doubt him or his affections." Her voice was steady, indicating that she completely believed in her words, but her eyes told him otherwise.
"I have heard that his trips are becoming longer and he no longer takes you with him." His eyes narrowed as he waited for her to deny the rumors he had heard.
She knew what he wanted but Ikue refused to give it to him. "I was with pup and could not handle the trip. Did you want my mate to put me and my pup in danger? I have heard rumors of his supposedly true desires for centuries, they mean nothing to me."
"You said you did not doubt him. If you are not lying to me then you would have been in safe hands with your mate and would not have heard those rumors. Tell me Ikue, do the rumors of him sharing his bed with human women bring you some sort of comfort?"
The game had gone too far. Ikue, princess of the Northern Lands and Land of the Western Lands, no longer wished to play with her older brother. "How is Father?"
The subject had changed, he had hit a nerve and decided to back off for today. "He is well, misses you terribly but he is fine. His latest project is trying to get me to mate with the daughter of a nobleman from the East, I think he is trying to tie us all to the lands in some way."
The conversation went back to more pleasant things, things that the siblings could talk about without causing tears and wretched emotions. Shin told her of all the crazy things their other siblings had gotten into as of late, while Ikue told him how both the youkai and the human villages in the Western Lands were flourishing, and of course about all the troubles Jaken was finding himself in. Things were peaceful for the moment, the two talked for another hour or two before Shin stood.
He stretched his muscles and kissed the sleeping pup. "I have some political things to discuss with Toga but I will return for a short while before you retire."
"All right Shin, your duty calls."
"Ikue, have you ever heard of a place called Andromeda while you have been here?" He was not sure why he was bringing this up now. They had made up and he had decided to back off, but he had to say one last thing.
She looked at him rather confused and the confusion told him that she did not see his question as an attack. "No, I have not. Is it a youkai village or a human one?"
"Neither, it is the fairy kingdom. Supposedly the fairies made their kingdom at the edge of the Western Lands when their original home was destroyed by a great evil. I was just wondering that's all. The newest queen of the fairies is rumored to be the greatest beauty of all time and the most powerful one."
She gave him a teasing grin, "Are you looking for female company Shin? I thought you left conquests of the flesh to Hiroyuki and Shichinosuke."
A rich laugh escaped his throat. "You are correct, I was just curious. I will see you soon."
Her brother left her alone with her pup and Masako, who had been sitting quietly in a dark corner of the room. She glanced over at her, "You will not say anything will you Masako?"
The lavender haired neko youkai bowed to her as soon as she had left the shadows. "Of course not my Lady."
She smiled and nodded as she laid Sesshoumaru on the bed next to her. "Masako, do you know anything about Andromeda?"
"Your brother is correct about Andromeda and the queen, I believe her name is Tamiko. The fairies are none of our concern, however, my Lady. They believe to be superior to youkai so they stay away from us and we stay away from them."
"I see," it was Ikue's only response. "I think I will take a nap, please inform my lord that I will eat at our usual time."
When her second most trusted servant had left she settled down next to her sleeping son. She kissed his cheeks and his closed eyelids. He was perfect and she felt her heart fill with love each time his tiny chest lowered and raised with life. "You are my life little one, everything pales in comparison when it comes to you. I will give my life for yours and for your own happiness. As long as I have you in my arms, even when you think you are much too old for your mother to hold you, I will never ask for anything else."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: At first I didn't think I would be able to finish this chapter because my inspiration had just hit a dead end. Oh yes, when I am online I go by the name Masako, the character of the same name in this fic has nothing to do with me. I had named the character long before I decided to use that name for myself, so she's not a Mary Sue character or anything of the sort. I just loved the name. Anyway I hope this chapter was nice and long, as well as enjoyable because I loved writing it.
Masako
angel of darkness flame: Don't hurt yourself sweetie. Lol, I know you're wondering exactly where I'm going with this but you're just going to have to wait like everyone else. Talk to you on AIM later.
New Fan: For the first couple of chapters it is going to focus on mostly Ikue, Toga, and her family; but as I continue Sesshoumaru will become the main character and you'll see the relationship between him and Inuyasha evolve from brotherly love to bitter enemies. And of course Rin will appear and the gaps between this and my first story Family Obligations will be filled. Thank you so much for your review.
kittie le sabre: Wow, thank you so much for your kind words, they really made me feel good, as well as made me blush. I've also noticed that some incredibly original fics often have very few reviews, most of those are my favorite. By any chance are you the one who is writing Bad Boy and The Tribute on AFF.net? I just started to read them both and I must say, I am just blown away by them. I had an account of the site but I've completely forgotten the username and password so I need to get a new one. I prefer to leave signed reviews. Again, thank you so much for your review and the kind words in it, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Oh yes and I checked my settings I can receive anonymous reviews, thanks for reminding me about that.
Angel64: Lol, I'm glad someone besides two of my friends were actually waiting for me to start writing this story.
choco-coco: Thank you so much and I hope this chapter was up to your expectations. Once again, your story Sleeping Beauty is just a work of art. I love that story and I am looking forward to your next chapter.
Winged Princess: Aww thanks. Lol, it seems that we only talk through reviews now, doesn't it? Do you work on the 4th of July? I close that day and I have to go to Strollers!!! I'm not getting out till 2:30 in morning, even though it says 11:30 on my schedule. Sighs Talk to you later.
Obsessive-Starchaser: Oh you're so sweet to be reading this one and Malice Melodies. In cause you can't tell, I love writing angst filled stories. My version of Sesshoumaru's hatred is tied closely to Inuyasha but he is not the reason. You'll see, thanks again!
Dragon Man 180: I had thought about that, but that just wouldn't be me. I might write a one shot about them from this current story but I like how this story is shaping out. And you're right, this story isn't going to be very fluffy as all because of how I see Toga and Izayoi getting together. I think Toga committed some sins and his sons have to pay for them, that's his punishment. I honestly see Sesshoumaru's past as nothing but tragic until Rin makes her entrance. There will be nice moments, especially between Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, as well as Sesshoumaru with Rin, but the story will focus on angst ridden times. Thanks for your review.