Authoress: I am soooo sorry for not updating sooner! ; it's just I've been trying to get used to school again...hai, I know it's November...--; okay, I'm just plain lazy...

Sesshomaru: glares

Authoress: yep...okay...so, for all of my loyal reviewers, I ask for your forgiveness...I'll put up a reaaaally good lemon one of these days for all of your wonderful reviews! You're all so nice...AND MIROKU AND SESSHY ARE SOOO GAY!!!!!! (this goes out to RubyRoseoftheBlackBlood for her last comment) YA KNOW IT AN' LOVE IT!!! anyways...on to the story! Would you do the honors, Sesshy? gives demon lord puppy eyes

Sesshomaru: Oo...glares evilly I am -not- gay!

Authoress: OO then what's with all of my NC-17 chappies that I'm risking my butt for?! ; he's soo shy...

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha...nor will I ever...stares absentmindedly at an empty bottle of diet soda hmm...it still has caffeine in it! YAY!

Chapter Fourteen

"Kagome?" Said woman glanced up from the onigiri she was making to look at Inuyasha. She smiled at him, noticing that he had finally gotten used to living in the same household as Sesshomaru. Miroku, after a few hours, agreed that everyone could stay in his home as long as they were remaining in the village, but Kagome could clearly see he was curious as to why she and Inuyasha wanted to stay with him.

"Nani?"

"Where's everyone?" Inuyasha asked, sitting cross-legged across from Kagome, studying her hands covered with rice.

"Miroku and Sesshomaru went on a walk...and I think Jaken and Myoga are taking care of the kids, why?" Kagome looked back down at the rice ball in her hands, carefully setting it down before beginning to make another.

"Because the little bloodsucker is right here..." Inuyasha replied, flinging a uncharacteristically quiet Myoga at Kagome. Kagome studied the flea, noticing the large bump on his minute head almost immediately. After a moment of poking him gently, Myoga opened an eye and stared at Kagome.

"My lady! It was horrible!!!" Myoga cried, clinging to Kagome's hand.

"What are you talking about?" Kagome asked, studying Myoga for a moment. He took a deep breath to compose himself, then looked up at Kagome again.

"There were seven of them...I didn't get a good look at their faces, but judging from their accents, they were from the North. They were far too strong...we tried to fight them off, but-" Kagome jumped slightly when she saw a pale hand swipe Myoga out of her open palm.

"Where the hell is Rin?" Sesshomaru's cold voice sent shivers down everyone's back as he gave the most evil of death glares to the flea in his fist. Myoga, struggling to save himself from being squashed to a pulp, mumbled something until Sesshomaru loosened his grip on the flea.

"They...they were taken, Rin, Shippou, and Jaken...I barely got away...I only saw them moving north before I blacked out..." Myoga replied truthfully, trying to hide his fear of the demon lord. He had seen Sesshomaru angered before, but this was beyond anything he had ever experienced. The ice-like look Sesshomaru gave him severe shivers down his back, something he didn't do very often.

"WHAT?! YOU LET A BUNCH OF GUYS KIDNAP THEM!?" Myoga turned in just enough time to see Inuyasha fly at him, claws aiming for his small body. Fortunately, Kagome said her magical words before Inuyasha got the chance to murder his retainer, then the woman sighed.

"All of you, calm down. Killing Myoga won't help solve matters."

"Are you positive they went north?" Miroku asked, emerging from his hiding place behind Sesshomaru. Myoga nodded quickly before the two demon brothers could begin to frighten him again with their glares. With a growl, Sesshomaru threw the flea in Inuyasha's general direction, then stormed out of the room.

"Is he going to be okay?" Inuyasha asked, glancing from Kagome to Miroku. The houshi was astounded at his lover's reaction, while Kagome bit her lower lip.

'I hope he's not going after them...' Kagome thought, quickly following after Miroku and Inuyasha as they raced after the demon lord.

yawns ahaha! Umm...back to the story...;

Jaken shook his head a few times to remove the drowsiness before looking at his new surroundings. Squinting in the dimly lit room, he could make out the forms of Shippou and Rin who, Jaken was happy to see, weren't harmed at all, merely unconscious.

"Ah, it's been some time, hasn't it? What, seventy years, isn't it, Toady?" Jaken winced as he heard that oh-so-familiar voice grate on his ears. Turning to look at the only other conscious being in the room, he gasped slightly. Standing in front of him was a tall youkai. If he had been one to lean towards males, Jaken would have dared to call him beautiful. Deep blue hair and blood-red eyes were quite befitting of his character, Jaken knew all too well, but the immature grin on his face was something that made Jaken quiver in fear. This was one of the most evil demons to have ever existed, the retainer knew his seemingly emotionless master was sentimental compared to their captor, hence the feeling of dread spreading through him.

"Don't be so quiet, Jaken. We have quite a bit to talk about. I see you've been doing well and I've heard of the name Sesshomaru's making for himself. It must be quite difficult to take care of such a...reckless master." His smile left his face for a moment, replaced by a glare that could have frozen hell over. "I also heard about that girl...interesting that Sesshomaru would chose humans over his own kind."

'Humans...does that mean he knows about the houshi?' Jaken prayed what he was thinking about the youkai's implications was far from the truth.

"Oh, don't start that, Jaken. I can smell your apprehension. Too bad...all these years of peace made you and your master weak. I hoped that Sesshomaru would be here sooner to pick up his dear little ningen. I'm sure you remember I hate tardiness," he commented lightly, his eyes shifting from Jaken to the girl slowly waking up next to him. Jaken's eyes widened when he saw the tou the youkai had resting across his lap, his hands caressing it softly.

"Have you forgotten the treaty?" Jaken asked calmly, hoping that the youkai hadn't lost the last strands of sanity he had clutched to nearly a century ago. He lost all hope when he saw the necklace wrapped around the demon's thin neck. Bones, or to be more exact, vertebras wound around his neck almost like a serpent and in the center of the gruesome adornment were two identical yellow eyes.

"No, I haven't forgotten..." he stated halfheartedly, raising an eyebrow. "You like my new necklace. It would have been a shame if I let her eyes go to waste. Hebi was a wonderful fountain of information. She was actually the one who told me about Sesshomaru's little...predicament. How humorous..."

Jaken clutched his staff, remembering all the times Sesshomaru had nearly killed him for not taking better care of Rin. "If you lay a finger on her, Master Sesshomaru will kill you."

"Don't you think I know that? But, it would be quite romantic, wouldn't it? Sesshomaru kills me, seeking revenge for taking his precious daughter's life. Rin is her name, isn't it?" Rin shifted slightly at the mention of her name, but fell back into unconsciousness soon after. "But what would be better than having Sesshomaru have to watch his little houshi die before his eyes? Hm? Helpless to save his lover's life? So ironic, isn't it? Just imagine...I'll shove the same weapon through -his- love's heart...just like he did to mine..." Throughout his soliloquy, his voice remained cold, but his eyes betrayed him, revealing the deep, seething hatred he had for Sesshomaru. "Ha! It's hilarious...I lose the only being I've ever been able to stand...watching her die by the hand of my ally...humph...ally. Do you know how far I had roamed, searching for someone to define ally...in a way that would make me understand why he did it? Sixty-two years. Not a great deal of time in your thinking, I know...but for someone who is only nearing his second century, it's almost an eternity. Even after sixty-two years, no one was able to tell me why...until I heard the story of a hanyou and his miko lover. Betrayal, that must have been the reason, right Jaken? She betrayed me and Sesshomaru somehow, didn't she? Or else Sesshomaru just killed her for no reason, am I right? It would have been nice to ask Sesshomaru himself...but I can't even hear his name without reliving the last moments of her life...hearing the sound of my own weapon plunging through her...the surprised gasps...the last words she spoke to me...Aishiteru...ha! I love you...how funny. She betrays us...but with her final breath, she professes her love for me. She was the only one to ever say that to me...the first...and only time she actually ever said it..."

Bowing his head, he mumbled something that Jaken barely made out. "But what did she do to us?"

; grins evilly aww...now he sounds so nice...poor him...

Sesshomaru growled as he was held back by both Miroku and Inuyasha. Inuyasha, between his rounds of cursing, tried to remind Sesshomaru that he couldn't just go and storm after Rin, pointing out Sesshomaru didn't even know where they were taken.

"I know, now let me go!" Sesshomaru retorted, glaring at Inuyasha. "I'm sure you don't remember the stories about the last demon war, do you?"

"Um..." Inuyasha cocked his head to the side, wondering what Sesshomaru was going off about. The fact that his brother was speaking in complete sentences was amazing enough in itself, but actually talking to Inuyasha without threatening him was another feat in itself.

"It ended almost a century ago, didn't it?" Miroku asked, glancing from one brother to the other, trying to remember everything he heard.

"Hai...what Sesshomaru-sama is trying to get at is that he made an extremely dangerous enemy when he single-handedly won the war. He is usually called Kusarigama...after his favorite weapon. Sesshomaru-sama was one of the few who called him by his real name-Yuki, Lord of the Northern Lands," Myoga said softly, slightly afraid of what Sesshomaru was capable of doing at this moment.

"The Lord of the Nothern Lands had Rin, Shippou, and Jaken kidnaped? Don't you guys have anything better to do with your lives?" Inuyasha asked, glancing at his brother. 'So, now we know who...but why?'

"I wouldn't stoop so low..." Sesshomaru retorted, forcing himself not to growl at his brother. He didn't want to see that fearful look in Miroku's eyes...it made him feel extremely guilty. Even more than feeling weak, Sesshomaru hated feeling guilty.

"Feh, why do I doubt that?"

Sesshomaru didn't even give Inuyasha the chance to react before he slammed him into a nearby tree, his claws digging into his half brother's skin. "You know nothing." Inuyasha, gasping for breath, remained perfectly still. He, deciding not to be his usual self and make some type of comeback, remained quiet, hardly even breathing. His brother's red gaze was enough to paralyze him and Kagome, but Inuyasha was surprised when he saw Miroku place his hand on Sesshomaru's arm, whispering something to the youkai. Inuyasha couldn't make it out, but whatever the houshi said, he was happy for. Sesshomaru loosened his grip and stepped away from Inuyasha, returning to his previous action of walking north.

"Sesshomaru...please calm down. Didn't all of the lords sign a peace treaty after the war ended?" Miroku pointed out logically, hoping that the bloodlust in his lover's eyes would disappear, or at least lessen to the point his body wasn't partially frozen in fear when he saw those eyes. 'If he harms Rin, their agreement would be broken...no one would want to start another war like that...' Miroku knew the stories of the demon war. It was said that the war had raged on since the beginning of time, ever since the demons were created. Like a storm, there were calms, followed by the most violent attacks. Thousands upon thousands were killed, even more unnaccounted for or maimed far beyond recognition. Miroku had seen drawings, read journals...everything he had learned as a child made him fear, yet appreciate the youkai race. There were always rumors about demons who wanted peace, but until Sesshomaru beat down the last of the rebellious lords, there were battles everywhere. Some of the monks he spoke to said that some days, the sky itself was stained with the blood of thousands, but in a single moment, the notorious inu-youkai from the west, the one said to possess no heart beyond an organ to pump his icy blood had ended the wars. Miroku smiled inwardly at his own stupidity. He hadn't realized until this moment that that same demon lord was the man whose arm he was still clutching. 'But how did he end the war?' Miroku searched his memories, but only could remember a story he had heard when he was very young. It was meant to scare him into sleeping, but he never the less believed the story about a vengeful demon lord who would kill any child who was awake during the night.

sigh yep...this is a flashback for our lil' Miroku...so bear with me!

"You have to go to sleep, Miroku!"

"B-but!" the small child protested, pulling on the old monk's robes. Sighing, the alcoholic turned to look at the boy and picked him up, quickly setting him back down on his futon.

"You don't want the demon Kusarigama to get you, do you?" The little boy sniffled, shaking his head as he slid underneath the blankets. "They say Kusarigama comes out every night to eat boys and girls who don't go to sleep. He roams the entire world at night, checking everyone's bed for his lost love."

"Lost love?" Miroku asked, his big eyes slowly starting to droop as he yawned slightly.

"Hai...they say she was killed by his best friend and he searches, to this day, for her. He believes that her spirit must live in the body of a child, so he looks and looks and those children who see him never can tell their story. Kusarigama was here once...I saw him with my own eyes. He was sneaking into your room, but luckily you were already asleep or else he would've gotten you..."

"H-he was in my room?" Miroku's chubby face reflected his horror, his tiny body shivering underneath the covers, and his eyes widened. "Y-you s-sa-saw him?"

"I only caught a glimpse...but I saw his eyes...blood-red...filled with hate, but at the same time, filled with sorrow. He was cloaked in shadows, but I could see the sickle that he always carries at his side. Now go to sleep, Miroku...we have a lot of training to do tomorow."

Miroku tried to protest, but the old monk was out of his room before he found his voice again. "But I'm not tired..."

well...that was fun...; continuing...

"You can't touch us...the treaty you-" Jaken began to protest, but the sudden flick of Yuki-sama's wrist made him freeze. The sickle in his hand flew through the air, embedding itself in a wall only a few feet behind the retainer.

"Do you seriously think I care, Toady? Ha! Your little lord had the audacity to kill my future bride! FOR NO FUCKIN' REASON!!!!...I will not allow him to live without the same amount of pain and sorrow! That also reminds me...did Sesshomaru know that she was about to give birth to my children...hmm? Hai, children, we were expecting four. It'll be the same for him...his children...his lover...they will all die in front of him and I will spare his life so he can remember their deaths for the rest of his life...Ha...you also will have to watch them die so slowly, Jaken...for not trying to help me save her...you were there, but you stood by his side! YOU DID NOTHING TO SAVE HER!!!!!!!!! You're almost as guilty as him, but you were ordered to do so, so I won't harm you at all...but the little girl...I wonder if her flesh will somehow sate my thirst for revenge? Hm? What do you think, Jaken? I mean, there's still two more I can kill while Sesshomaru's here..."

Jaken's eyes widened when he heard that last statement. 'He knows...'

"Don't act so surprised Jaken. You think after years of planning the perfect revenge that I wouldn't hear? That I wouldn't know about Sesshomaru's attraction to a houshi...that he had already adopted a human child as his own? That he is expecting twins? HA! You really are funny Jaken...I know almost every aspect of Sesshomaru's life...call it a little eccentric, but since the instant the tou my father gave to me when I took over our lands touched her skin...since then...I have thought this over. There is no way you, or anyone else, will screw this up!"

"Yuki-sama...you're not thinking rationally...if you remember, that little whor-" Jaken never got the rest of his statement out before he felt the bat youkai's claws wrap around his neck and begin to squeeze.

"You dare to speak of her in such a way?! I will not stand for it! Don't forget, Jaken, that you are in my lands now...Sesshomaru doesn't need his retainer anymore. You, unlike Sesshomaru, are not a necessity to my plan..." With that, Yuki threw Jaken against the wall and stormed out of the room, only stopping for a moment to retrive his precious kusarigama and to glance down at Rin. "If Sesshomaru isn't here by dawn, I'll kill all three of you..."

Authoress: OO oooo...I'm soooo bored right now! ; umm...I don't know if you, my wonderful reviewers will like this twist in our neverending soap opera...--; that's what this is looking like right now...okay, if anyone's confused...

kusarigama is a sickle and chain (the wonderful weapon of choice for Yuki...; and his nickname...bwahaha!), tou mean sickle (yep...umm...what else?)...if those of you don't know...Yuki means snow... yea...he's a bat...cries over the loss of Kuronue...

Kuro, Sesshomaru, Miroku, Yuki, Inuyasha: OO

Authoress: Wrong anime, ne? until next time...again, I'm sooo very sorry for updating so slowly! waves furiously