Chapter 8

A few days latter...

Kagome and Katame were in the garden alone when Kagome asked the questions that were burning in her mind.

"Katame, you said that one day you would tell me the story of how you got to be Sesshoumaru's wife. I would like to know now, please."

"Why do you want to know about that?" Katame was puzzled.

"Its just something that Inuyasha said."

Katame told Kagome the whole awful story. How she had come so close to being killed by Sesshoumaru and his terrible father of. She hesitated when she got to the decree the great demon had given concerning her. She bowed her head.

"Lord Sesshoumaru was furious with me. He..." She gulped down the urge to cry. "He used the... bed to.... to punish me.

"He raped you didn't he?" Kagome was concerned. "Inuyasha said you suffered terribly for weeks."

She nodded. "Yes, he was furious with me, because his father made him mate with me. He didn't want me for a wife. He really wanted me dead. You see, I had been very bold and normally he would have killed me but his father wouldn't let him." She looked up quickly.

"He doesn't feel that way now. Now that I have produced a son. I think he may actually love me in his own way."

Kagome bowed here head. "I'm so sorry, Katame. You see Inuyasha told me of your sufferings to teach me not to get in the way of his battles. He's afraid that one of his enemies would take me and do to me what Sesshoumaru did to you."

"They would if they could get a chance, pray it never happens. Its not like being taken by an ordinary man. When a demon is fired with the desire to rape it feels as though you are being ripped apart from the inside out." Katame went a bit pale thinking of the first weeks of her marriage to Sesshoumaru.

Things were better since she conceived Inumouru, but what if she annoyed him again. Would he start to treat her badly again?

Katame had been very quiet for the last few days. Sesshoumaru was beginning to wonder if his wife was ill, but he couldn't smell anything wrong.

She was sitting by herself in their chamber, Inuyasha had taken the boy out into the forest to play.

Sesshoumaru had to know, he crouched down beside her and sniffed. "I don't smell anything. what is wrong with you? Why are you so quiet?" Katame looked up at her husband in fear.

"N-Nothing lord. Why, did I do something wrong?" Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes.

"If nothing is wrong why do you cry?" His voice was soft and he pulled her into his arms. "You've been hiding from me, Katame, what are you afraid of?"

She was trembling slightly. How could she speak her fears to him. What would he care of her fears.

"Katame, speak girl what is troubling you?" He said turning her to him. Sitting her in his lap he brushed aside her hair. "Tell me."

Katame bit her lip. "I fear your wrath, lord." She said in a small voice.

"Why? You have done nothing to be fearful about." He whispered in her ear. She was frightened. His mind raced, going over the last few days events. Had he threatened her in some way? He tipped her chin up and looked at her closely. "What are you afraid of?"

"I- I'm afraid, lord... I- oh." She put her hands over her eyes and sobbed. "What are you going to do with me."

Sesshoumaru was taken back by this. "Do with you, what do you mean, 'do' with you. What is wrong Katame?"

"I know you don't want me for a wife and I...." she took a breath. This was it, he would probably be furious with her, but. "I know that you have been gentle with me for the sake of Inumouru. But I'm afraid that you may... I mean... oh." More tears and she got a hold of herself and blurted out. "I don't want you to start back the way you were with me when you first .... had me."

She looked at her husbands eyes they were a beautiful shade of gold. But the look on his face was strange, was it concern? "You're not going to are you?" her voice cracked. she was terrified.

Sesshoumaru smiled at her. "I haven't hurt you like that for a long time girl. What makes you think that I will now?" He gave the frightened girl a hug. Then thinking a moment asked "Did someone threaten you with this?"

"No."

"Then why are you suddenly afraid, hmm?"

"I know you don't want me. You keep me because of your fathers order. But..."

"Katame, I was angry when we first were mated. And it's true I did punish you severely. But that is past and I no longer wish to harm you. I actually find you rather comforting to have around." He kissed her lightly and wiped a tear from her cheek. "I will not return to harming you that way.

Besides I have learned that human females respond rather well to a 'spank'. That is the word you used for it is it not?"

Katame looked up to see her husband smile down at her. She realized that she had been foolish. He was telling her the truth. "Yes, that is what Kagome calls it. I'm sorry lord Sesshoumaru. I should not be so foolish."

"You are no fool, Katame. I have been harsh with you in the past and you were right to fear me. But now my lady wife, do not fear my bed only make sure you don't misbehave so as to come under my hand." He said as he patted her lightly on the rump. "I would rather not have to hurt you ever again." He stood bringing her with him, to her feet. "You do trust me, do you not?"

Katame bowed her head and whispered. "Yes, I trust you."

Sesshoumaru took her chin in his hands and kissed her mouth. "Then trust me, my love." He then left her alone to her thoughts.

Love.... he called her love. Did he truly love her? Sesshoumaru was a fierce lord and given to anger, but he never lied. He loved her. He said that he would only hurt her if she misbehaved. She would work especially hard on that. His hand was hard even if he only hit her bottom, it hurt a lot. She would do whatever she could to avoid that hand.

Sesshoumaru was in the main room of the palace when his servant came rushing in.

"Lord Sesshoumaru! Lord Sesshoumaru! Come quickly your brother, lord Inuyasha, sent me. An enemy of yours is attacking and your son is in danger."

Sesshoumaru grabbed the servant by the collar. "Where!" He demanded.

"I'll show you lord. He is in the woods above the palace" The servant choked out.

Sesshoumaru did not release him but instead strode out of the house and flew off into the sky with the frightened servant dangling from his hand.

"Over there." Coughed the servant. "Down there see?"

He landed a short distance from where Inuyasha was fighting a huge reptilian demon. The boy Inumouru was with a small fox demon huddled by a tree. The servant said the fox boy was a friend of lord Inuyasha's. Sesshoumaru threw the servant in the direction of the child. "Guard him with your life, Jeken!" And went off to join the battle.

This demon had two of the jewel shards Inuyasha had been seeking embedded in his jaw. If this battle went well then he would have two things to celebrate. One the death of the one who threatened his nephew and the other was gaining more shards. But this battle would not be easily won.

Inuyasha had been fighting him for a while before Sesshoumaru arrived and it didn't seem that the demon was getting tired at all. The reptile-like demon could spit venom that would burn through anything and claws that rivaled Inuyasha's own. But he was slower than Inuyasha and he could be cut if he could get close enough.

"Sesshoumaru, nice of you to show up. I've softened him up for you." He called out as he jumped out of the way of another blast of venom and reached out to slash the leg of the beast.

Sesshoumaru's eyes were already red as he rose up behind the lizard-demon. He raised his had let fly his own poison. The demon was cut deeply, and foam began to form at the edges of the wounds. A great hiss erupted from the creature as it turned his head toward the new attacker.

He was about to spit again when he screamed. looking down he saw the sword of Inuyasha was protruding out of his chest. The demon began to writhe and thrash about wildly venom spraying out of his mouth.

Sesshoumaru slashed at the beast with his poison claws trying to finish the kill quickly before the lizard's death throws killed them all.

Inuyasha withdrew his great sword and raised swung it at the neck cutting off the demon's head. The body of the huge beast collapsed to the ground frothing and steaming. Inuyasha crouched down and scooped up the two jewels that had fallen from the jaws of the demon.

"Where is the boy? Where is my son?" Sesshoumaru demanded looking around seeing neither the child nor the fox demon that was guarding him, even his servant was missing. He was about to fly off the search when he felt Inuyasha's hand on his arm. He was laughing. "Fox magic." Only two words, but it said all the terrible lord needed to hear.

He looked over his shoulder and suddenly flung his whip toward a tree.

Flash! "Yowww." The little fox jumped up and down holding on to his hind end. "What did you do that for? We were only hiding away from the battle, like he said to." Little Shippo pointed at Inuyasha. He was incensed why was he being punished for helping.

"You should have revealed yourself as soon as I spoke, and not waited to see if I would fall for you're tricks, fox!" Came Sesshoumaru's deadly calm voice.

"Come my son." The boy stood up and took a few tentative steps toward his father. He started to totter and instantly Sesshoumaru had him by the hands.

Inuyasha looked on in surprise. "He's walking early."

"You walked at this age." Sesshoumaru said matter of factly and picked up his pup.

Inuyasha was surprised to learn that his brother would remember those sorts of things about him. After all hadn't Sesshoumaru always despised him.

Inumouru sniffed furiously at the blood spatters on his father's tunic. "Learn well the smell of battle my son, for you will no doubt have many of your own."

Shippo raced up to stand behind Inuyasha's leg thinking that he was safer there than out in the open were Sesshoumaru could strike him again.

"Who is this pup you have at your heels, my brother?" Barely glancing in Shippo's direction.

"This?" Picking Shippo up by the tail. "Just an orphan fox pup I picked up once. He's stuck to me ever since. Kagome thinks I should raise him, personally I think he is just a pain. But she has always had a thing for little lost dogs." Inuyasha tucked the fox pup under his arm and said. "Meet you back at the house." And off he ran.

Sesshoumaru grabbed Jeken by the arm and holding his son close flew back to the palace.

The two lords arrived back at the palace to find Katame frantic. "What happened? Is Inumouru all right? Why did you take him so far from home? He could have been hurt."

"He's ok, I hid him from the fight. He was safe with me." Shippo answered. Katame had never seen the fox pup before.

"What are you?"

"That's Shippo. He's a little orphan fox demon Inuyasha and I are looking after." Kagome offered. "He is very good at hiding things. It's something called fox magic."

Katame was not pleased. "Inuyasha! Why did you take my son so far away?"

"He's fine Katame. Stop fussing. He has to learn how to get along outside the palace sooner or later. He has only been exposed to the smells of home. He must also learn the smells beyond it." Inuyasha tried to reason with her but she would not have it.

"He's still a baby. What good are smells to a baby?"

Sesshoumaru stepped in now. "Katame, enough." his voice was firm and she knew better than to push her husband's good mood. She took the baby from her husband and left the room.

"I don't suppose now is a good time to tell her he can walk?" Inuyasha laughed and went to show his trophy to Kagome.