I don't own Sesshomaru, Kikyo, or Rin. Seriously.

Chapter 11

The trip to find out why assassins had attacked Kikyo was very long, which was about all Rin and Kikyo could think about after a while. Sesshomaru did not seem to notice how much of a journey it was, having a different type of endurance altogether compared to the humans with him. His major concern was saving his wife's life anyway, so he would not care if he had to travel to the other side of the moon because he would do that for her.

"This is how it was before you," Rin said to Kikyo. They had brought the child along because they felt she was safest with them. They did not want to give their enemies a chance to capture their child and use Rin against them.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"We just moved. Every day. Some place new. We didn't go this fast and we stopped if I got tired, but it was like this."

Kikyo nodded. "Do you miss it?"

Rin took her mother's hand and grinned, which was the best answer she could give. "I like this best, with you and at home," she added.

"I like this best as well," Kikyo assured her. Rin's grin widened.

There was not much conversation beyond that. Kikyo and Rin did their best to keep up with Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru did not say anything at all, which they expected. He was focused, only glancing back when his ladies fell far behind. He would wait, but then he would get ahead of them again.

The Lord that they had to see had a castle that was even more grandiose than Sesshomaru's ancient home. The family was allowed in the castle with no problem, as they were expected. It was when they were being taken to see the Lord that a problem came up. At first, the guards were not going to allow Kikyo in to sit with the Lord. Apparently it had nothing to do with her being a woman or even a priestess. The Lord simply disliked interacting with humans in general.

"It would be better for all and much safer for every demon in this castle if Kikyo were to remain with me. If she is on her own and with you, she will spend her time fretting about our daughter and any nervous twitch from a nearby person could mean death," Sesshomaru explained calmly to the guards.

They seemed to take his words under serious consideration. They looked at her, taking in her deadpan, yet still stern expression. Then, they looked at Rin, who stood close to Kikyo, partially hiding behind her legs. They decided to believe him.

"The child can be looked after. It would be inappropriate for her to sit with the Lord," one of the guards stated.

Sesshomaru glanced down at Rin, who looked up at Kikyo and then at Sesshomaru. Both parents gave her slight nods. Rin nodded back and smiled a bit.

"Be careful with her," Kikyo warned as a female demon showed up.

"I will take the best of care of her," the demon woman promised.

Rin was left with a female demon, who offered her hand. Rin took it with no problem and the demon woman seemed a bit shocked by that, obviously thinking a human child would need more coaxing in trusting a demon. Rin was more comfortable around demons than humans anyway. The demon put a gentle hand on Rin's shoulder.

"Would you like to go and have some cake?" the demon woman proposed with a pleasant smile, which was all Rin needed to hear.

Rin nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, please." Her parents sometimes feared that someone offering her endless cake would kidnap her. Kikyo did not concern herself with Rin going off with the servant because Sesshomaru did not appear bothered by it. But, they both watched as their daughter was taken away.

The couple were then led to a room and sat formally while waiting for the Lord. The room was decorated with sea scenes on the walls and there was only a small table in the middle. Incense burned in the corner, leaving a pleasant scent in the room. The couple did not speak to each other or even look at each other. They focused their eyes forward and bowed deeply when the Lord finally entered the room.

The Lord was a towering figure, taller than Sesshomaru by almost a head. He appeared to be a powerfully built man with a big belly. He had long white hair along with a matching beard. One of his pointed ears looked like someone had bitten him. Two women, who did not even seem to notice the guests, accompanied him and one sat to his right and the other to his left. The giant male sat down and stared at the couple. He had ruby-colored eyes that seemed to glare right through them.

"Lord Kenryoku," Sesshomaru greeted the other lord.

"The little dog demon," the white-haired male replied with a tiny smile.

Kikyo forced herself not laugh since it was such a serious occasion. She could not force away a smile, though. Come on, he had called Sesshomaru "the little dog demon." She was only human for crying out loud.

Sesshomaru glanced down at his mate, more than aware that she was laughing at him on the inside. She should know better, he thought. She was aware that he was not little in any way, shape, or form.

"So, what can I do for the little dog demon?" Lord Kenryoku inquired in an all business tone.

"My lord, my home was invaded not too long ago by smoke demon assassins," Sesshomaru replied.

"Hmm…" Lord Lenryoku stroked his long beard.

"I have come to believe that they were after my wife," the dog demon continued. He knew the older lord would not play around and pretend that he had nothing to do with it because that was not Kenryoku's way. If he did not want to be found out and connected to something, he would have used another method.

The white-haired male nodded and then glanced at Kikyo. "She is quite the tiny woman," he pointlessly noted. "Listen, little dog demon, let's just get to why you're here without you respectfully trying to not accuse me outright when we know what everything is. I do have fruits I would like to get back to."

"As you wish, sir. Why would you wish to slay my mate?" Sesshomaru inquired plainly.

Kenryoku glanced at the silent priestess. He tilted his head slightly to openly expression that he was studying the human. After a few seconds, he turned his attention back to Sesshomaru.

"I do not understand this at all. Why would you do this, Sesshomaru?" the older male asked, motioning to the quiet priestess.

"My choice in mates is my own business, sir," the dog demon replied. He did not see what that had to do with the lord looking to assassinate his wife.

"This is true."

"Why did you attempt to slay my wife?" Sesshomaru inquired again. He was sick of everyone wondering what made him do what he did. It was hardly anyone else's business why he was married to Kikyo. He would rather it remained a mystery because if other males came sniffing after her, there would be hell to pay.

He stroked his beard once more. "I have been told that she reduced a great deal of Itachi's clan to dust."

"That she did," Sesshomaru confirmed.

"And what she left standing, you supposedly made sure was gone from existence."

"Indeed." The dog demon wanted to wipe out the memory of those wretched, vile, and utterly foolish creatures that would dare do anything against him and his family.

"But, why should she go unpunished for her actions, especially since I hear that you will be making her do such a thing often?" he inquired, leaning forward just a bit.

"Who would tell such bold-face lies?" the silver-haired demon demanded, even though he could guess who was spreading such fantastic stories. He wondered what other insane tales Itachi had told the older lord. "Why would you even believe such a thing?"

"She has to be punished for her actions," Kenryoku said casually, as if the dog demon should not care that he desired to murder his wife.

"She was merely defending herself and our daughter," Sesshomaru informed the older man.

Kenryoku scoffed and then arched an eyebrow. "Your daughter? You haven't been married long enough to have a daughter."

This conversation annoyed Sesshomaru, even though it seemed to be going well. He could only wonder if Itachi had been grilled like this when he came in spouting his lies. Kenryoku acted like he knew so much about Sesshomaru's life, but seemed utterly in the dark about important matters.

"I've adopted my ward because my wife and I see the child as our own. Lord Itachi kidnapped them from our home after tempting me from them by having bandits raid one of my weaker territories," the dog demon explained civilly. It took a lot of willpower to avoid gritting his teeth.

Kenryoku nodded and stroked his beard. "And why would he do a thing like that? What good is she to him?"

"He wished for me to purify Sesshomaru," Kikyo chimed in, speaking in her usual calm tone. "He tried to use our daughter to force my hand, milord."

Lord Kenryoku nodded again, focusing on her now. "So, I am expected to believe that you have no malicious intentions?" he asked Kikyo, staring at her intensely with his blood red eyes. She did not falter and he smiled as she answered.

"I merely wish to live as peacefully as possible with my husband and daughter," she replied. He continued to eye her, as if he could see into her heart and soul to understand if she was being sincere or not. She did not flinch and his attention went back to Sesshomaru.

"Where did you find this woman, little dog demon," Kenryoku inquired, part intrigued and part amused.

"I wandered across her in my travels or perhaps she wandered across me," Sesshomaru answered. It was hard to tell, considering they had both been living nomadic lives.

"She's an odd human, much like that girl in your keep. Perhaps they are related," the older male remarked, showing he did know about Rin.

Sesshomaru frowned, not nearly amused. "I doubt it." This was a fishing expedition, he realized. Kenryoku was trying to figure out who was lying to him.

"I knew there was more to Itachi's claim than what he revealed, but his panic was genuine. His fear of his woman is very real, but why should he not be afraid of a woman that took out most his clan and he has angered her? He truly believes that you plan to use her against other demon lords. This is why I sent my assassins," Kenryoku explained in a bit of a bored tone. He even waved it all away, as if he had not done something completely overboard.

"She is quite harmless," Sesshomaru replied. Most of the time, he seemed to forget that he was married to a very powerful woman because she did not try to show her strength in any way. Besides, she was only dangerous for those that tempted her. She would not go around slaughtering demons left and right for no reason at all.

"She is far from harmless. I understand Itachi has reason to fear this woman, but I don't think anyone else does. As long as no one does her any harm, I can see that she is quite content to be left to her life. I will ask your forgiveness for my rash actions. I didn't give her much consideration since she is just a human," the red-eyed lord requested.

"It is quite all right, sir." Well, actually that was a lie, but Sesshomaru could not do much about it for right now. "Might you tell me where I can find Itachi before he spreads more lies and my bedroom is crawling with ninja of all types?" the younger demon requested.

"He headed north, more than likely staying with your favorite enemy. You should have no problem tracking him," he replied and looked away for a moment. He then turned back. "Sesshomaru."

"Sir?" the younger demon asked.

"Perhaps you should be just a bit more open with your marriage. The secrecy will stir up fears and speculations, especially when people find out that she is a priestess. Demons will always question your true motives, especially when you treat her as an equal and toy with them by having her attend meetings."

"You have heard about that?" He knew Kenryoku knew more than he was pretending to.

"So many people have come crying to me because of that. You have everyone very confused and some of them are spooked. I've heard many tales and when Itachi came speaking of this human slaughtering his clan with your blessing, it didn't seem so farfetched," Kenryoku informed the platinum-haired demon.

"Sir, what I do is my own business. If anyone wishes to speculate on and act on their false ideas, they will merely suffer our combined wrath," Sesshomaru replied, motioning to Kikyo. He would not accept any excuse for such behavior. His affairs were his own and his wife had not hurt anyone.

"I would expect no less from you, but perhaps you should consider my words. It could make life easier. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get back to my fruit," Lord Kenryoku informed the couple and then he left them alone in the room.

Sesshomaru and Kikyo rose to their feet. They turned to stare at each other for a moment. They decided against speaking and just went to collect their daughter. The couple practically had to drag Rin away from a pile of sweets and they headed home.

"You are going to go after him, aren't you?" Kikyo asked Sesshomaru as they made their way back to his lands.

"It is a must or he'll continue to make powerful demons believe that you're a plot of some kind against him," Sesshomaru replied. He carried Rin, who was sleeping peacefully. The journey had been so hard on her that even high on sweets, she could not stay awake.

"I wonder why he would think such a thing in first place."

Sesshomaru waved the thought away. "He's a weasel demon. Who knows how their warped minds work aside from other weasel demons. They always assume people are just as sneaky and warped as they are."

"Yes, this I understand, but I am just one woman. How can he think that I pose a threat to anyone, let alone an entire clan?"

Sesshomaru glanced down at her. "You would stand here and act so modest when I, of all people, know that you are not?" he asked in a slightly amused tone. She was one woman like he was one man. Waves of people could still die by their hands. They were just more likely to die by his hand than hers.

"I still couldn't take down an entire army of demons. I certainly couldn't sneak into a castle and take out a demon lord without reason. I also never would," she pointed out. Powerful she was, but stealth was not on her business record.

"As I said, weasel demons just assume that all people are as sneaky as they are. They don't use logic when coming to conclusions, except their own. They just spin implausible tales, thinking up what they would do if possible. Obviously, if he could have you, he would try to use you in such a manner, whether you're capable or not."

Kikyo nodded. "How can an entire clan be this illogical?"

"I pray we never understand."

She nodded again. She did not see why Lord Itachi would think she could be used as a weapon. Yes, she could kill large numbers of demons if she was armed, but she failed to see the point in doing such without an excellent reason. There was never a time in her life where she just went out hunting demons. She was a priestess, not a demon slayer. They were two entirely different lifestyles.

-8-8-8-8-

Kikyo put Rin to bed when they returned home. Rin woke up for just a moment, calling for her kitten. A servant brought Ran in and Rin settled. The child was asleep again within seconds. Kikyo smiled and kissed Rin's forehead before leaving the room.

Kikyo went to stand with Sesshomaru in the garden when she sure that Rin was secure. For a few seconds, they just watched the sky. Clouds moved across the moon and stars dotted peeked out from behind the clouds. A soft breeze blew, moving their hair slightly. He took hold of her hand and moved her to where she was in front of him. He rested his head in her soft, ebony hair. He nuzzled her a moment, just enjoying how she felt.

"I'll never let anything harm you," he promised in a whisper.

"I know," she replied.

He moved his head to her neck. "I will do this as swiftly as possible, so as not to leave you alone too long."

Kikyo smiled a bit. "Is that the only reason you'll do this as swiftly as possible?" she teased, reaching up to caress his smooth cheek.

"Well, I don't think it's very appropriate to share my other reasons," he replied, kissing her neck.

The priestess shook her head a little bit. Being married to a demon certainly was an entertaining and educational experience. She could only wonder what their union would be like years from then. She planned to be with him for the rest of her life, of course. Would they always be as they were now? She could not wait to find out. She just hoped there was less intrigue in the future.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the conclusion.