Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I own its characters. I do own the ideas of this story and the characters I have created for this story (i.e. Saphira). Please respect patent laws. Comments and reviews are appreciated.
Chapter 10: The Rescue
Inuyasha finally caught a scent of what he been looking for. It had taken him weeks to track down the dragon exile.
Inuyasha hopped down from the tree he was in. "Doragon!"
The man sitting by the fire did nothing to acknowledge Inuyasha's presence. His red hair matched Saphira's, but his eyes were a lighter shade of blue.
Inuyasha growled in anger.
"What do you want, dog-demon?" Came the man's lazy voice.
"I want to ask you about someone I know," Inuyasha said keeping his distance from the dragon.
"I wouldn't know anyone that has your acquaintance," the dragon said.
Inuyasha laughed. "Oh, I'm sure you do! Her name is Kagome."
"Kagome," the dragon muttered. "She's gone."
Inuyasha leaned against a tree. "Yes, she went back to where she came from thirty years ago. But, her daughter stumbles upon my brother andme while in the forest."
"She had a kid!" The dragon exclaimed jumping up.
"Apparently, it's your kid too," Inuyasha said casually.
"My kid? I don't have any kids, and I didn't mate with that girl either!" Doragon yelled.
"You haven't yet, but you will," Inuyasha said. "About five hundred years from now."
"What?" Doragon said.
"If you come with me, I'll explain everything," Inuyasha said.
"Okay, first where are you going to take me? And second, how do I know I trust you, dog-demon?" Doragon asked.
Inuyasha smiled. "We're going to see your daughter, and you have my word on Kagome's name that you will come to no harm."
Doragon smiled. "Okay."
They made their way quickly back to the western lands only to meet Sesshoumaru at the boundary.
"What is it?" Inuyasha asked immediately sensing his brother's anxiety.
"She is gone," Sesshoumaru said. "I believe that Saibairyuukotsusei has captured her."
"Are you sure?" Inuyasha breathed.
"Yes, he was sighted a few miles away from the boundary," Sesshoumaru said then noticed Doragon. "Doragon?"
"Yes," the dragon said. "What has happened to my daughter? And what about that scum Saibairyuukotsusei?"
"It is my belief that Saibairyuukotsusei wants to force Saphira into mating him," Sesshoumaru said grimly.
"That bastard!" Doragon cursed. "Why has he taken her?"
Sesshoumaru nodded to the east. "He is occupying the lands that once belonged to your family."
"What do you once? They have always belonged to my family!" Doragon growled. "My daughter is the heir to those lands!"
"We must hurry!" Inuyasha said, and with that they all hurried off.
Saphira fought him the entire way, but she was still weak.
"Come on, lovey," he said dragging her off.
He had taken her into the eastern lands, the lands of her people. He had taken her fang, the one her father had given her. He also took her armor, it was made from the scales of her father's hide and had been a coming of age gift.
When they arrived ata small castle, he threw her into a dungeon.
"Don't even think about trying to transform, lovey," he laughed evilly. "There are wards surrounding this cell."
She growled and snapped at him, but he pushed her in closing and locking the door. Her roar of frustration shook the walls of the cell. She fell into a heap on the floor, she had been feeling odd ever since she had entered into these lands. Her forehead burned, and her stomach was queasy. There was a pale of dirty water in the corner.
She looked into the pale and gasped in surprise. On her forehead was the shape of a crescent moon. It was very much like Sesshoumaru's except hers was facing the right side of her body and it was yellow.
"What does this mean?" She asked surprised.
"It means," croaked a voice from a dark corner of the cell, "that you are the princess of the eastern lands."
Saphira looked into the corner as a pile of dirty clothes began moving around. An old woman finally emerged from the pile covered in filth.
"Who are you?" Saphira asked curiously.
"The real question is, deary, who are you?" The old woman asked. She slowly made her way over to Saphira and place a dirty thumb on Saphira's half moon. "You are the legitimate heir."
"My name is Saphira," Saphira said.
"Who was your father, halfling," the woman asked taking her thumb away from Saphira's head.
"Doragon."
"No...Doragon? No...can't be," the old woman muttered returning to her corner. "Who was your mother?"
Saphira hesitated, but only for a moment. "A priestess named Kagome."
"Kagome...Kagome..." the old woman muttered. "Kagome of the Bone Eater's Well?"
"Yes," Saphira said surprised.
"You are not of this era are you, child?" The old woman asked.
"Who are you?" Saphira asked suddenly suspicious.
The old woman cackled. "I knew your mother, when she came here from the well. My name is Kaede."
"Kaede...?" Saphira wondered. "Kikyou's sister?"
"One and the same, child," the woman cackled.
"You must be a hundred years old!" Saphira said in amazement.
"I'm only 90!" The old woman huffed. "How have you come to be? You're mother disappeared thirty years ago, and I know that Doragon has yet to mate."
"It's a long story," Saphira said.
"You have the markings of Lord Sesshoumaru," Kaede observed. "They are the markings of an inuyoukai, why do have them?"
"We are betrothed," Saphira said simply.
"Well, that explains why Saibairyuukotsusei has kidnapped you," Kaede sighed.
"Why is that?"
"Are you so blind, child?" Kaede asked. "He kidnapped you before you could mate Sesshoumaru. If he wants to, he could mate you here and now before Sesshoumaru has rescued you. Then the Eastern lands will be his."
"But I don't want to mate Saibairyuukotsusei or Sesshoumaru!" Saphira wailed reminded Kaede of Kagome.
"If Saibairyuukotsusei marks you before Sesshoumaru, you will belong to him," Kaede said simply.
"But he can't take me! I'm free!" Saphira growled her fear quickly turning to anger.
"You must have been raised in your mother's culture, she had the same opinions," Kaede said. "All you can do is fight him."
"I am still weak from our last encounter," Saphira said sadly.
"Child, can't you feel the power in your veins?" Kaede asked. "You are truly Kagome's daughter, I can sense your miko powers."
"My purifying powers?"
"Not just those, but also the ability to heal!" Kaede said. "Find the power within yourself and heal! I will lend you my strength!"
Saphira began to feel very warm as she started to concentrate her power.
It was many hours before someone came back down to the dungeons.
"Why did Lord Saibairyuukotsusei wait so long before marking the halfling?" Came the voice of a lesser youkai.
"He wants her to waste her energy trying to break free from the cell so he can easily mark her," another voice chuckled.
Their voices broke Kaede and Saphira's concentration.
"He's going to fight you now," Kaede whispered. "Remember that you have your mother's power! They are your only chance!"
"Hey halfling!" Shouted one of the youkai. "Saibairyuukotsusei wants to make you his mate now!"
Saphira growled quietly, but she had to keep up the appearance of looking weak and tired. She didn't fight as they dragged her out of the cell, through the castle and into a court yard.
It was obviously used for training because there were weapons leaning against the walls of the court yard.
"Ah, so nice of you to join us, lovey," came Saibairyuukotsusei's voice. He was surrounded by many lesser youkai.
The youkai that had brought Saphira from her cell threw her at Saibairyuukotsusei's feet.
"Since I am an honorable dragon," Saibairyuukotsusei said earning laughter from everyone there. "I will battle with you instead of marking you by force. If I win, you're my mate and if you win, I will leave this place."
Saphira growled in reply and with that the battle began.
"He's going to mark her!" Inuyasha yelled as Doragon led them closer to castle that Saibairyuukotsusei was occupying.
"I am aware of that, little brother," came Sesshoumaru's irritated voice. He knew that Saibairyuukotsusei would mark Saphira so that her lands would belong to him.
"You're going to have to do it before he does!" Came Inuyasha's voice again.
Sesshoumaru simply growled in reply. He knew he would have to mark Saphira before Saibairyuukotsusei, but he wanted to earn that right. He didn't want to do it by force, he wanted Saphira to submit to him, and he wanted her to want him to mark her.
"Sesshoumaru!" Came Doragon's voice from ahead of them. "We will be there in a few moments!"
They could hear a loud cheer go up before they reached the castle, and a loud dragon roar. The dragon who had roared had to have been Saibairyuukotsusei because Saphira's voice was higher, like a cat. And sounded like clothes being ripped apart.
Then, Saphira's roar ripped through the air.
"Sesshoumaru! Go!" Doragon yelled.
Sesshoumaru transformed and passed them into the castle. What he saw when he jumped into the court yard enraged him.
Saibairyuukotsusei had Saphira pinned against the ground and was about the bite into her neck. Sesshoumaru rushed to them before Saibairyuukotsusei could mark Saphira and threw him off her. He noticed that on her forehead was the shape of a crescent moon.
He quickly bit into her shoulder, her voice ripped the into air. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru felt a sharp pain his own shoulder. He looked to see Saphira biting into his shoulder marking him as hers.