I don't own Sesshomaru, Kikyo, or Rin.
Chapter 8
Itachi was aware that Sesshomaru would no longer tolerate his presence long before the dog demon made it known through out the castle, which was why the weasel lord put a plan in motion. He had not come to understand why Sesshomaru had married to the priestess, but he would not allow that mutt to keep her. Itachi would have her no matter what and force her to kill that egotistical dog no matter what too. He just could not allow Sesshomaru to keep such a powerful and likely dangerous human in his custody. It helped that he was happy to put one over on the haughty lord.
"He thinks so much of himself, but let's see what happens when he loses that damned priestess," Itachi muttered to the dark, warm air of his bedroom.
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Rin waved to the exiting party of weasel demons. She was beyond happy to see them go and it was clear from the huge grin on her face. She excitedly bid them farewell from a balcony in the castle. She clutched her one-eared kitten to her chest and the injured creature seemed just as happy to see them go. Rin forced the kitten to wave with her good front paw.
"Nobody'll interrupt our time with Mommy and Daddy now, Ran. Isn't that great?" Rin asked the cat while trotting off to go find one of her parents and just enjoy being with one of them with the knowledge that no weasel would be lurking around.
Rin dashed through the castle, searching for her parents. She asked whoever she saw in her path if they knew where to find her parents, but she did not stick around for an answer. Part of the fun was the search itself and being able to zip through every corridor and room until she discovered them.
She came across her parents in a small sitting room, but she did not go in because she could hear them speaking to each other. She considered being rude and just bursting in to demand their attention, but she decided against that. She would be good for once and wait because they deserved time alone, too, now that the weasels were gone. She parked herself against the wall opposite the room and busied herself by caressing her kitten, who seemed to relish in the acknowledgment, purring contently with each soft stroke. Rin smiled because of the sound.
"Do you have a date with Rin?" Sesshomaru asked Kikyo because he could smell the girl and her accursed cat outside the room.
"She more than likely wants to spend time with us. Are you done?" Kikyo inquired. She rested against his shoulder, even though they had a serious discussion about their guests' departure.
"I suppose. I do have men following Itachi to make sure that he goes home and stays there," he informed her.
Kikyo nodded. She appreciated knowing that fact. She was glad the guests were gone. She had been very close to purifying a great deal of them because they were constantly stalking her, especially when Rin was around her. They made her very uncomfortable, the way they looked at her. Being a target did not bother her, but when those looks turned to Rin, it was a problem.
Sesshomaru reached out and caressed Kikyo's cheek to put her more at ease. She leaned into his touch and kissed his palm. He almost smiled, but he caught himself. He then stood up and she followed suit. They exited the room, causing Rin to grin while climbing to her feet. She hopped right in front of her parents.
"Hi," she greeted them brightly.
"Must you carry this kitten everywhere?" Sesshomaru asked Rin. He had no idea where she found the little miscreant, but he wished she had left it there.
"Uh-huh!" Rin answered enthusiastically while handing Ran over to Kikyo.
Once Kikyo secured the cat, Rin then climbed into Sesshomaru's arms, literally climbed. Kikyo laughed while the Lord looked absolutely baffled by the girl's outrageous behavior. She had never in her life done such a thing.
Sesshomaru looked to Kikyo to hopefully get some sort of rationalization for why Rin was climbing on her him like she was a little monkey. Kikyo smiled a bit. He really was clueless when it came to children.
"She is happy and she desires your attention, beloved," Kikyo informed him to assure him that Rin had not gone stark, raving mad.
"Fine," he sighed while making sure to hold Rin up. Rin clung to him in a tight hug and sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"You're happy too," Kikyo teased and planted a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. His lip twitched, almost smiling, but he caught himself just in time again.
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Sesshomaru would admit that he was happy the weasel demons were gone, but he felt even better once he was assured they had gone home. He hoped they stayed there.
He was still on guard, wondering why they had been so interested in his marriage and his mate in particular. He knew they were scheming. He hoped being home at least slowed their scheme down. He was not sure how much intelligence they had gathered while at his castle. It was something to look into, but life went on as usual and Sesshomaru had to let go of the weasels as he received a message from the southern tip of his lands. Of course he would get bad news right before bed.
He needed to tell Kikyo, but it slipped his mind when he actually saw her. Instead, he watched her braid her hair for the night and then found himself pressing desperate kisses against her throat. It was not until they settled down for actual sleep that he remembered the message.
"Kikyo," Sesshomaru said as she settled against his chest and side.
"Yes?" she asked with a yawn. She wondered what issue her beloved wanted to discuss when she was moments away from sleep.
He sighed. "I've got to leave here tomorrow."
"Why?" she inquired, sitting up to look him in his face.
"There are bandits terrorizing the south," he reported. It was actually the weakest link in his lands. The man that was in charge was ancient, but it was also the most peaceful place, so he did not think too much of it.
"Human bandits?"
"Yes," he answered, which let her know one of the reasons why he would not be taking her along with him.
"And you must go to handle this? It seems like a rather minor problem."
Sighing, he caressed her cheek with the hope of relaxing her. "One would think. Unfortunately, the demon in charge is rather old and possibly senile considering these bandits have caused such a problem. This isn't something he usually has to deal with."
"What of the samurai you have stationed there?" she asked.
"They were killed," he answered as if it was nothing.
"Oh," was all she could manage.
"I shouldn't be gone too long. It would be best for you to stay here anyway. Someone has to make sure everything here continues to run smoothly," he pointed out.
"That would be my duty, would it not?" she asked with a hint of humor in her voice. She was supposed to take care of the household, but it was not something she had been practicing, nor had it been something he encouraged.
"I believe so," he replied with some humor in his voice also.
Kikyo cast her husband a simple glance and a soft kiss to his lips before cuddling up to him again. Sesshomaru did not protest to the soft, warm body pressing against him. He groaned as she slid her leg against his.
"Kikyo," he warned her.
She merely smiled, completely aware of what she was doing to him. He considered taking sleep from her once more, but he doubted that would do any good. She needed to be alert and aware tomorrow to handle her first day of being in charge. Besides, it would give him incentive to hurry back, remembering and wanting her and her delicious body. Of course, it might also distract him.
Kikyo was a bit curious as to why Sesshomaru had not practically pounced on her once more. She would like to feel him again now that she knew he was leaving. She wanted to savor him while she had him. She gathered he wanted her to rest to be ready for her duties. Besides, he would need his strength for his journey. If the matter were not so serious, she would have teased him about it because it amused him when she was playful.
"Goodnight," she whispered to him, settling and she was still against him. She would be playful when he returned.
The dog demon liked it when his wife was a little mischievous because she often seemed shy around him when it came to their being intimate. He recalled when they were first wed. She had been so timid the night they consummated their bond. He was not sure if her behavior was human prudishness or if it was merely her, but he made it his mission to work such a nature out of her. He had made it a habit to lay with her at least once every night until she at least stopped covering herself when he undressed her. She had only recently ceased to try and hide from him.
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In the morning, there was a short goodbye between just the family. Kikyo offered Sesshomaru a warm hug and kiss. Rin was not so easy, though.
"But, there's so much stuff for us to do. Why are you leaving now?" the child inquired. She did not whine. It was closer to a demand.
"I have matters to tend to. You have Kikyo here with you," he reminded her.
"But, it's best with both of you, Daddy," Rin stated.
Rin finally cracked the mask, causing Sesshomaru smiled. Rin laughed and threw herself against him. He returned the embrace.
"I'll be back soon," he promised.
"I'll be right here to greet you," she vowed.
Sesshomaru released Rin and then he left his home, heading south. He took Jakken with him, knowing the little demon would only annoy Kikyo. Of course, she would ignore him, but then Jakken would complain to Sesshomaru upon his return. It was easiest to just take Jakken with him.
Sesshomaru was confident that Kikyo would be able to take care of the affairs around the castle, even though he had never left her alone at the castle before. She would have to learn how to command their household eventually, anyway. After all, with the times they lived in, who knew when he would have to leave to fight in a war or aid an ally. A number of things could come up where he would need to leave her alone. She needed to be seen as the one in charge in his absence.
The dog demon tried not to think about Kikyo as he traveled to the southern tip of his lands. She would distract him. He just wanted to get this over with and then get back to her.
He immediately saw the destruction the bandits were reaping on his territory. The sky was blackened with smoke and ash from the fires. The air was thick from the smothering grey cloud covering the land like a blanket of soot. Fields and homes were ruined, charred from the flames of devastation. Bodies were everywhere, festering and swollen, being devoured by vermin. Sesshomaru frowned at the sight.
"Who would dare touch your lands like this, Master Sesshomaru?" Jakken wondered aloud.
"Whoever it was that had done such a thing would pay in blood," Sesshomaru decided.
Sesshomaru detested when anyone took liberties in his lands and disturbed the peace of the people living under him. He looked at it as deliberate disrespect toward him, even if the people attacking did not know that the lands were his. How dare someone have the gall to test him and try to terrorize his people? He would not stand for it.
The lord pulled his sword, Toukijin. He went after any bandits that caught his eye with swift, powerful vengeance. He kept his eyes and nose open to hopefully spot the leader of the foolish group of malcontents. He wanted answers as to why they were doing something so incredibly stupid and then he would end the morons' leader.
The platinum-haired demon calmly cut through the idiotic highwaymen with no thought of mercy on his part. He caught sight of a regally dressed man on a horse and decided that was the man he needed to speak with. He charged the man and cut his horse out from underneath him. All the man saw was a white and silver blur go by him before his horse cried out. The beast collapsed and the man hit the ground hard like a crate that was tossed from a wagon.
The man screamed until his face smashed into the hard earth. Groaning, he rolled over and sat up. Sesshomaru marched up to the man and put his sword to the human's throat.
"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Sesshomaru demanded in such a calm tone that his whole being seemed malicious.
"Don't kill me!" the man begged. His face bled from the impact of being tossed from his horse and skidding in the dirt.
"Why are you here?"
"We-we-we-we were pa-pa-pa-pa-paid to come here," the man confessed easily, voice trembling as he stared down at Sesshomaru's blade.
"Paid? By whom?" he inquired. Who would pay men to ravage his lands?
"I don't know!" the man insisted.
Sesshomaru frowned. "Don't try my patience," he warned the man, pressing his sword to the man's skin. He could always send out people to discover who paid men to attack his property.
"He-he-he-he didn't g-g-g-give a name." The man took a breath as Sesshomaru glared at him. "He just paid us and told us to attack this area on his command. He said it would be easy. He said that if we did a good job, he would let us have this land when it was under his control," the man explained.
The dog demon's frown deepened. Who was attempting to take over his territory? Why would they start with the south? He understood it was a weak point, but he could crush anything in the south, especially if he called on the assistance of the lord that bordered his land because that lord would perceive the attack as a threat to him since it would be too close to his lands for comfort. Unless, of course, it was that lord that had done the attacking, but that did not add up because he would have used his army and not some group of dimwitted human bandits, especially a group of bandits who would so easily give up the plan.
"This person that approached you, what did he look like?" Sesshomaru asked the trembling man, pressing the tip of his sword just deep enough to draw a drop of blood.
The man's teeth chattered. "He-he-he-he was c-c-c-c-covered fr-fr-fr-fr-from head to toe."
Sesshomaru was already angry, but was becoming infuriated because the frightened human was proving very useless to him. He decided to rid himself of the pitiful soul and finish his work. The man did not even have time to scream as his head slid from his neck.
"Master, someone staged this whole thing? Who do you think it was? What do you think he was trying to accomplish?" Jakken asked, but Sesshomaru ignored him and turned his attention to the remaining bandits.
Sesshomaru pressed on, his mind whirling. What was going on? What was the point in hiring people to assault the border of his land? Then he thought, what if it was not an attack on his lands really, considering how easy it was to halt, just a ploy to lure him down south? He was actually quite far from home now and that might have been the point.
"Could someone be looking to attack my home?" he wondered and then he gasped. "Kikyo!"
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Kikyo rested in bed while thinking about the job she was doing in her husband's absence. She felt she was doing an adequate job of taking care of the castle without Sesshomaru being around. Whenever she was not sure what to do, some of the most trusted and loyal vassals would offer up some advice, which was all well and good. She had learned more about which servants were loyal to her and which thought Sesshomaru was a fool for bringing a human woman into the castle. It was important information. Still, she hoped her husband returned soon.
Suddenly, she felt a presence in the room with her, causing her to open her eyes. She shot up from bed and tried to grab for her weapons, but was tackled by someone she could sense was a demon before she could manage anything. Another assailant quickly bound the priestess' hands before she had a chance to purify them. They gagged her once they were certain her hands were secure around her back and then they tied her ankles together. They exited the room with her after throwing a white dust around the room.
Kikyo was carried out into the woods and flung haphazardly into the back of a wagon. She turned and saw Rin was laying in the wagon. The child was bound and gagged also. Rin wiggled over to Kikyo and rested against her for reassurance that everything would be all right despite the fact that they were being abducted. Rin reminded herself that nothing could hurt her if she was with one of her parents and the determined look in Kikyo's chocolate eyes did not lead the girl to think otherwise. Kikyo was not sure who was behind the kidnapping, but she was certain that they were going to pay.
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Next time: The reason why a person shouldn't kidnap Kikyo and Rin.