Chapter 18

Seishi watched her brother as they sat around the dinning room table eating dinner. He had commented some about how they sat on the floor rather then in a chair at the table like any sensible person would. Seishi commented this was just how the Japanese did things; Alex had just shrugged.

At the moment Seishi sat on Sesshoumaru's right side, Rin was on the other, and Alex was on the opposite end. Seishi had already taken Rin aside and explained to her the importance of her playing along. Rin was a bright child and understood very well, and she had looked horrified at the idea of Seishi having to leave, so she wasn't about to give anything away.

Seishi let Sesshoumaru take care of Jaken, seeing how the toad still didn't show Seishi much respect… if he didn't think Sesshoumaru would skin him if he slipped, he might do it on purpose to try and get rid of her. Seishi wasn't that surprised the Toad wasn't at dinner with them…

Seishi had taken the liberty of letting the servants know and letting them spread the news among themselves… Not that the servants made a deal of speaking much around the master or his guests, but most of the servants like Seishi, and if Alex happened to question any of them, they would be able to answer. Now that the possible loose ends were tied up, it was time to start the charade…

"Alexander…" Seishi looked at her brother; putting her chopsticks down… something else Alexander protested against and was having great difficulty using.

Alexander fumbled with the blasted sticks he had been provided to eat his dinner with. He couldn't understand how bizarre this country's customs were. A knife and fork made sense to him. Who the hack came up with the idea that dinner should be eaten with two measly sticks. He growled in frustration and he broke yet another pair, "Bloody hell..." He then heard Seishi speak and he looked up from his meal at her, "Yes, have you decided to come home yet?"

Seishi sighed, "Alexander, I can't go home. I told you that… Your showing up was such a surprise… I do have reasons I can't go home, but before I could word them, Sesshoumaru showed up thinking you were a threat and I had to stop a fight from breaking out." She turned, looking at her brother directly, "But now I think it should be addressed… Alexander, I can't go back with you, because that is no longer my home. My home is here now, with Sesshoumaru, Rin, and the others."

Alexander narrowed his eyes, "I see. So your saying that after a few months here you have decided to throw everything away and live in this infernal country? Just what is it about this place that intrigues you so? The eating sticks maybe? Or many tendonitis in your knees from sitting this way? Or is it Mr. I'm-so-pretty-yet-dark-and-cold over there?"

Seishi narrowed her eyes at her brother's comments, "As a matter of fact, all of the above."

Alexander set his rice bowl down and crossed his arms as he looked sternly at Seishi, "Well... please do elaborate..."

Seishi had noticed Sesshoumaru had stopped eating when she and her brother had started talking. Of course he had remained silent, but the look he gave her brother made her sigh inwardly; she hoped over time the two of them would warm up to each other. In any case, Seishi had gotten an idea reached over and took Sesshoumaru's now free hand with her left, hopping he wouldn't mind, and just holding it as she continued speaking to her brother. "I am comfortable here… This land calls to me, and though some of its' customs were hard to fall into, I am finding I like it here… and… this is where I intend to settle and start my own family… with Lord Sesshoumaru… and Rin-chan of course." Smiled over at Rin.

It was a little awkward saying these things and lying to her brother, but Seishi didn't let anything show other then what she meant to show for her act. She looked back at her brother, "I don't wish to fight you Alexander, but I am not going back... At least not any time soon and not to stay… Maybe after I'm more settled here I will make the trip to visit everyone."

Alexander's gaze didn't change after Seishi had finished. He wasn't buying it. It looked too stiff. If these two truly were committed then he was sure they wouldn't look quite so ridged. "So this Lord Sesshoumaru is your intended huh? Where is you mark? Let me see it."

Seishi was ready for this and sighed, "Sesshoumaru is too high class to just mark and…" hesitated, about to be her vulgar self and say screw, but remembering Rin was there, "and consummate it on the spot like a lesser demon with no control… We're having a ceremony this upcoming spring… and Alexander… brother dear… I could give a sniff if you believe us or not… You do not know Sesshoumaru and you haven't seen me in over a decade." She turned back to her meal, in a dismissing way to her brother, "I've made my decision before you got here, and you're not changing my mind."

Alexander was still not impressed by Seishi's story or her defiance, "Without a mark a woman is up for grabs, every self-respecting demon knows that. Besides I'm here on behalf of everyone at home most especially father. If I return home without hard proof that you have betrothed yourself to Sesshoumaru, then it will be father who appears in Japan next, with an entire company of troops. Not to mention he'll have my head for wasting his time. So I'm not leaving or giving up until you prove to me that you have taken Sesshoumaru to be your mate."

Seishi looked at Sesshoumaru… Alexander was being a hard one to convince… well they would give in a couple of days… if he still wasn't convinced by their act, she had one card up her sleeve he wouldn't be able to ignore… She just hoped it would be enough to get rid of him. "If you say so, Alexander." She said offhandedly… "I'll deal with that if it comes."

Alexander returned Seishi stare not backing down, "So... do you have any proof?"

"Not the kind you're asking for…" Seishi said simply, not fazed… her brother was a stubborn one after all.

Alexander closed his eyes for moment gathering his wits then rose from the table his appetite long gone, not that he could really eat with those sticks anyway. "Then I'll give you three days and if you still can't provide me prove that what you say is true..." he shifted his gaze to Sesshoumaru, "then we will settle it like men."

Sesshoumaru's hand left Seishi's and hovered over Tokijin, "Why wait? Why not settle it now?"

Seishi tried to keep her own temper in check, "Damn you hot headed males; none of that!" actually thwaped Sesshoumaru's hand. Sesshoumaru glared at Seishi, his eyes burning as if saying, 'tell him that, not me'.

Alexander smirked, "A woman chastises you and you curl up like a pup? Maybe you are mated after all..."

Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed and he rose so quickly he knocked the table up in the air. Rin squealed and backup up against the wall knowing well to give Sesshoumaru his space when he was irate as he was at that moment.

Sesshoumaru dashed forward and his fist collided with Alexander's face knocking him backwards through the thin wall and into the hallway, "Step outside..." Sesshoumaru growled in a very low dangerous voice.

Alexander was quickly on his feet, "I thought you'd never ask!" He shouted and he ran down the hallway looking for the nearest exit to the outside with Sesshoumaru following close behind.

Seishi has hesitated to follow; first checking on Rin to make sure the girl was all right. Then with an irritated growl she took off after the heated males. 'Those stupid, stubborn, hot-headed…'

Outside in the courtyard Sesshoumaru's Tokijin clashed with Alexander's sword, his sword looked similar to Seishi's and was inlaid with a blue pummel stone. Both enraged Inu hacked at each other viciously as both worked through the anger and frustrations that had been building up between them since their first encounter.

Alexander duck a swipe at his head and countered with a sweeping arc aimed at Sesshoumaru's midsection, "Do you really think I'll just let you have her?"

Sesshoumaru blocked the sword sweep and brought his face up close to his, "The choice is not yours; we have already agreed."

Alexander snarled and pushed Sesshoumaru back and took another quick slash, "You haven't even marked her yet. No claim is made until she is marked. I'll be taking her back to England, where her family is. Where she belongs!"

The sword slashed missed Sesshoumaru completely as he used his demonic speed to instantly circle Alexander and slash at his back, "I'll cut off all you limbs and force feed them to you before I see that happen."

Alexander leaned forward and kicked out his hind legs knocking Sesshoumaru back, "Words are cheap without actions to back them up!" He shouted locking swords with Sesshoumaru again as they drew further away from the palace and towards the main gate to the palace.

Sesshoumaru unlocked his sword from Alexander and used the swords power to push Alexander back violent. Alexander lost his grip on the ground and crashed into the perimeter wall. He groaned in pain from the impact and then looked forward to about twelve feet away where Sesshoumaru stood holding Tokijin his eyes daring Alexander to attack again. Alexander seethed with anger. "Bastard..." he got out of the small carter he had created in the wall and held his sword out straight to the side. A dark blue aura began to emanate from the blade...

There was a flash of white that darted in between them, stopping with her arms spread out to either side, daring either to make a move with her standing there. If they were going to continue this they would have to kill her first.

"ALEXANDER FRANKLIN IRONFANG!" Seishi snarled at her elder brother, "How DARE you… You were invited into this home only to show its lord such disrespect? Our mothers did not raise you to be so disrespectful to your host! Your mother would be appalled! Such comments and behavior will not be tolerated by Sesshoumaru or myself; if you are going to act like such a stubborn, hotheaded, fool, you can just go ahead and sleep out here!" narrowed her eyes, she knew what the glow of his sword meant, "And if you dare persist in this fight, I will be forced to draw my sword against you… I will protect my home and my family, even from my elder brother."

Alexander the blood lust that had causing Alexander to see red started to clear when Seishi suddenly jumped in front of him. He snarled back at Seishi, speaking not in the languages the humans had invented but rather the native tongue of the English dog demons. To human ears it would sound like snarls, growls and a few barks; but to Seishi it sounded like a few choice words that were unbecoming of a dog demon of Alexander's lineage. Once Alexander got it out of his system, the sword stopped radiating the blue aura and Alexander slipped it back into his belt. Although it appeared he was admitting defeat in the face of his sister's sharp words Alexander's face was anything but submissive, " As if I would want to stay in his house! I'd rather eat my own tail then spend another minute here." He turned his back to Seishi, "I'll be in touch..." and he then leapt over the palace walls and was gone.

Seishi stood there a moment, and then let her arms drop with a sigh… "Alex… you stubborn fool…" she turned and looked at Sesshoumaru, "I apologize for his behavior… I would scold you for loosing your temper, but even by the laws of where we're from you had a right to want retribution for his insult."

Sesshoumaru slipped Tokijin back into his belt. Hr felt very refreshed after the whole ordeal and he had successful gotten that Alexander out of his house. Despite the seriousness in Seishi's voice Sesshoumaru felt even a bit playful, "Being your brother, I'd except no less."

Seishi blinked at the obvious shot, then narrowed her eyes… but sometimes it was hard to tell if he was joking or being serious, "Oh thanks… A girl loves being told she and her family are rude, arrogant, unsophisticated fools…"

Sesshoumaru allowed himself a very rare thing, a genuine smile, a bit a small one. This was not the type of smile Jaken fear so much but rather the first true smile he had let though in years. He continued with his jabs. He could afford to, he was winning, and it felt good to score a little payback to Seishi for all the time she had lashed him with sarcastic and sassy tongue, "You make do with the hand your dealt…"

Seishi looked at him… she couldn't help but feel slightly challenged by the way Sesshoumaru was picking on her at the moment… She moved forward, closing the space that had been between them, "Well you do know this is far from over, right? He isn't going to give up and leave quietly yet, and I still don't want to see either of you killed in a stupid fight." She stopped right in front of him.

Sesshoumaru's face returned to normal, as he became his usual serious self, "If he returns and challenges me again, I will not back down. If he opts to try a more peaceful resolution, he has lost some of his demanding rights. He is no position to demand anything now."

Seishi eyed him and then let out a long sigh, "I suppose we'll deal with that when it comes… but it's kind of sad… that it worked out like this…" her hand came up, her index finger tracing around the font of Sesshoumaru's kimono a little teasingly, "We didn't really get the chance…" she stepped closer and leaned up some, "to really get into the act…" Sidestepped past him, her slight payback done, and started back toward the entrance, "Guess I wont need to sleep in your room after all…"

Sesshoumaru watched Seishi's hips sway as she walked into the palace, 'Not now, but soon...' he thought to himself as he followed after her.

To Be Continued…