Chapter 4
They arrived in the village where Inuyasha had his home. Upon entering the two brothers sat down to discuss what must be done while Katame and Kagome prepared the meal.
"So after all this time you finally take a wife and she's a human!"
"That is not at issue right now Inuyasha. I need to guard her from my enemies for the sake of the child within and I will need your help to do it.
You were too young to remember the terrible battles our father had to fight to defend you and your mother. Our demon brethren will not tolerate the half-breed child I have produced. They are certain to come and try to destroy both mother and child.
Looking at the home and the surroundings Sesshoumaru asked. "Are you certain we can defend this place. I would prefer a more secluded spot."
"I've defended it well enough on my own and with the two of us, your wife and son will be fine." Assured Inuyasha, surprised that he is talking so calmly with the brother who not long ago wanted him dead. "So tell me, why did you decide to take a human wife?"
"The choice was not my own." Sesshoumaru went on to explain the odd circumstances that led to his marriage to Katame.
"Your kidding, Father insisted on that! I imagine your not pleased with the choice our father made for you. You aren't being cruel to her are you?"
"Hmmm.... I was at first. I made her suffer greatly for her insolence. But now, she is with my child, I will no longer harm her. It is strange, my brother but I do believe she is growing on me. Were as I could bearley tolerate her at first I find I now enjoy her. Now that she is well in hand. And you brother, what of this woman you keep? Have you also taken a human mate?"
"What? Kagome. Her? No way she's way too much trouble for that."
"Then why do you keep her if you are not using her as a wife?"
"Keep me! Use me!" Kagome stormed. "How dare you talk of keeping me. I am not something to keep or throw away at will, I am a person, you here me, a person! I don't belong to any one!"
"Inuyasha you really must control that woman of yours, she could use a good sound beating." Sesshoumaru said calmly knowing that this would set her off all the more.
"That's not a bad idea. Hey! Kagome, come here." Inuyasha could barely contain himself watching as Kagome practically went purple yelling "How dare you" and "your horrible" at him.
But serious matters were at hand, for in the demon world, news of the impending birth of a half-breed travels fast. One by one the enemies would come.
Not many days later...
Night had fallen on the village and all seemed quiet and still. Lord Sesshoumaru was keeping his nightly vigil when a familiar scent touched his nose. Without a sound he was at the top of the house. "She comes soon, I did not expect her yet." He said to himself. Coming down from the roof he met up with lord Inuyasha who had also scented the lady's coming. "She's early isn't she? I would not have thought she'd know of the child yet." Remarked Inuyasha.
There upon the wind came Kogra, She hovered by a tree. "So, the great lord Sesshoumaru has lowered himself to take one of the puny weak human females for a wife. Will you not bring her out to meet me, my lord? Hmmm, your manners are lacking of late, no matter.
I can understand you using a woman for your pleasure and then devouring her, after all, its tradition. But mating with her... that is disgusting! Mind you, you probably can't help yourself. After all it seems to run in the family. Your father also disgraced himself by mating with a human, and he paid a heavy price for it as well."
"Back off Kogra or you will feel the sting of the Tetsiaga."
"Oh isn't that nice, the whole family has come out to play, even the half-breed Inuyasha."
Katame woke to a strange silence. She looked around chamber hoping to see her husband at his usual perch keeping watch, but he was gone. She crept out into the main room, the silence was deafening. Now she was getting worried. Katame made her way to the bed chamber of lord Inuyasha and lady Kagome. Tapping lightly on the door she found herself praying that Inuyasha would answer and scold her for waking him.
Instead a sleepy Kagome slid open the door. "Katame, whats the matter? Where is Inuyasha?"
"You mean he's not here? Lord Sesshoumaru also is gone. Wha- ... oh no! Do you think one of my husbands enemies have come?" Katame began to worry even more. It wasn't like the two lords to go and not leave word. She started toward the front door of the home.
"Wait, where are you going? Katame." she called. "Don't go out there."
Just then Katame got to the door and stepped outside to find the two brothers facing down a strange woman floating on a feather near a tree. The demon woman caught sight of Katame and shrieked with joy. "Oh do come out and see me, my dear. I want to have a good look at the wife of the great Sesshoumaru, BEFORE I KILL HER!" She raised her deadly fan and smiled "This is going to be fun."
"Katame! Get back inside, now!" yelled Inuyasha as he raced to get in between her and the fatal cutting arcs of light Kogra was flinging from her fan.
Drawing his great sword tetsaiga he struggled to deflect blow after blow.
In an instant Sesshoumaru was at Katame's side and taking hold of her, quickly whisked her inside. "Fool! go into the back of the house and don't come out." He scolded and in a second he was gone.
Outside lady Kogra was doing her best to get her deadly arcs past Inuyasha and into the house. He was bleeding in several places where the arcs had cut. The arcs are able to cut though just about anything. Anything that is but that blasted tetsaiga.
Sesshoumaru flew into the air and around to the side of Kogra. His eyes red with fury. He transformed himself into his true form. As the great dog demon he lunged forward to grab the woman in his powerful jaws and crush the very life from her bones. Kogra saw him coming and fired off a deadly round of arcs, cutting the great lord about the head and side. He fell to the ground groaning in pain.
"So you are not nearly as strong as your father was after all. Once I'm done with your annoying half-breed brother I shall destroy you!" Kogra gloated over the fallen Sesshoumaru. But as she did Inuyasha tore forward to help his injured brother. Kogra waved her fan and a mighty wind rose up swirling around him pressing him ever back wards. "Why don't you give up and die?"
"Never!" yelled Inuyasha as he raised his great sword to strike. "It is you that will die Kogra." As the words were leaving his lips Sesshoumaru grabbed Kogra by the back of the neck and plunged his poison claws deep into her chest piercing her heart.
"Do not think I am beat my dear lady, for now will you die at the hand of Sesshoumaru!"
Kogra screamed, then gasped and collapsed at the feet of the terrible lord and as he pulled his hand out of her she crumbled into a heap of ashes and blew away.
Both lords stood were the body of Kogra once was, both heaving from the strenuous battle, both bleeding from the many cuts inflicted by her arcs, but both were victorious. Together they returned to the house.
Sesshoumaru found his wife huddled in a cupboard tears streaming down her pretty face. She did not know which was worse. The demon woman who wanted her dead or her lord's anger at her getting in the way of a battle. Suddenly the door flew open and there stood her lord husband. He grabbed her by the arms and shook her.
"What did you think you were doing out there?" Katame squeaked in fear.
Inuyasha reached out and touched the angry lord's shoulder, "let her be, she couldn't have known."
Sesshoumaru released her growling "You are never to go outside again, unless one of us is there to protect you, do you understand?"
Katame could only bow her head and pray that that was the end of his anger.
Inuyasha tried to coaxe Katame out of the cupboard but she wouldn't come. "I wont leave until lord Sesshoumaru says to, otherwise he will beat me, I'm sure of it." And so there she stayed until Sesshoumaru went to bed and noticed the conspicuous absence of a wife.
Muttering under his breath about the trials of having a human wife he returned to the cupboard and again opened the door. "Come out of there!"
Katame slowly obeyed watching his eyes for any tell tale sign of red. When she saw that his eyes were again their beautiful shade of deep gold she scurried off to the bed chamber as quickly and her feet could carry her.
Sesshoumaru watched his young wife, a smile playing on his lips. 'well, at least she is obedient if nothing else' and followed her off to bed.