Once the Western Hold might have overwhelmed Amayami, but now she strode its dim halls as sovereign. Ironically, her position was as precarious as her month long marriage for she was as unpopular here in the West as Touga was in the East.
In the weeks following her marriage she had fully assumed her duties as Lady and joint sovereign of the Western Lands. Amayami asserted herself sharply in matters of diplomacy, specifically the restitution and pacification of the war torn East. What Touga had decimated he was now obligated to restore and that included her father's lands. And although those lands had been formally annexed into the West, forever in her heart and the minds of her people would they remain independent.
In courtly matters the young daiyoukai was a formidable presence, one who spoke rarely and never to excess. She supported her lord publicly, advised him privately, and should the need arise, as it often did, reprimanded him harshly. In all facets, even those beyond the political scope, she demanded equal voice. A daiyoukai could accept no less.
At the clatter of steel upon steel Amayami froze, wary as a hunted creature. She hated the feeling of fear, yet as of late it had become her bedfellow. Heart hammering, she followed the discordant sound to the veranda where a dozen or more servants were avidly watching a confrontation within the courtyard. A swift glance told her that her husband and his new recruits were at sword practice.
"Have you not something to do?" she hissed, dismayed to see so many servants milling about. Relief settled within her as they made hasty apologies and sulked away.
The sound of swords resonated harshly as Amayami stepped into the confines veranda. She could not help but admire Touga's skill even if she deplored his bloodthirsty nature.
Swords clashed again, setting Amayami's nerves on edge. One of the soldiers uttered a guttural cry and fell to his knees. At the last moment, Touga turned his sword, striking the man with the flat of his blade. The soldier dropped like a stone, sprawling on the ground and silence descended upon the courtyard.
Sweat glistened on Touga's bare chest, his muscles rippling as he stood ready to strike. He was magnificent in an undeniably dangerous manner. Something tightened deep within her as ragged breathing echoed in her ears. With a sort of bitterness, she recognized the sensation. And it was not something she should feel for the likes him. Amayami snarled at the realization that the breaths she heard were none other than hers.
Moistening her dry mouth, she considered continuing her patrol of the stronghold grounds, but was too entranced to move.
Touga stood over the fallen soldier, his lips twisted in contempt. The recruits glared back at him, bristling at what seemed less an accident and more an attack on one of their number. They were wolf youkai, and like others of their kind, existed within an intensely loyal brotherhood. Its bonds were greater than any allegiance toward the Inu no Taishou.
After a moment, the guard captain deliberately lowered his weapon and turned his back to Touga. Glaring, he ordered the rest of the men to follow suit.
Touga gave a disgusted shrug, and dismissed them with a word. As he strode away, Amayami could not tell if he were furious at the wolves or himself.
Uncertain to what she had just witnessed, Amayami left the veranda and continued her walk of the stronghold's grounds. Much to her delight, she soon found herself within the gardens.
Strolling the wood paved path, she nodded pleasantly at the passing servants. Again she was reminded of just how many staff Touga seemed to keep. They were stifling, intrusive, and their great numbers only added to her discomfort. She paused, bending to pluck a sprig of jasmine from its fragile vine. She sniffed the flower delicately, stifling a sneeze as its fragrant pollen tickled her dainty nose.
An unfamiliar presence tugged at her senses, causing her to stiffen. Unperturbed, she turned on her heel, acknowledging whomever it was that seemed to demand her attention. Sniffing her flower in feigned disinterest, she appraised the man before her.
He was tall and slender, almost willowy, with dark skin and flaxen hair. Striking and utterly compelling was the smile he flashed, a mere quirk of lips was wicked. The youkai, a dragon as her senses told her, bowed in a low, courtly fashion.
"Milady."
Amayami's passive expression grew stony, her brow rising marginally from its usual graceful arch. Despite his attention to decorum, there was something most unfavorable about this dragon. Eying him warily, she took one last sniff of her flower before tucking it carefully in her sash. "And you are?" Her tone was cold, bordering on rudeness.
Seemingly unbothered, the stranger's smile brightened as he straightened. He foppishly clasped his hands to his chest.
"Forgive my rudeness, Milady. I am-"
"Ryuukossei," Touga finished as he shouldered into a kosode.
Amayami frowned at his annoyed tone, but was moderately pleased he saw fit to dress himself.
Ryuukossei chuckled at the distrust in Touga's voice, his strangely hued eyes brightening to crimson. "Yes, quite right." He bowed again. "My gratitude, Touga-sama. What would we ever do without each other?"
The dragon smirked as Touga moved almost casually to stand protectively before his bride. The gesture was not lost on Ryuukossei. He mentally noted the reaction; it was something, if need be, to exploit at a later date. He was smugly satisfied in the realization that at long last, his old friend had a weakness; a vulnerability formed from soft, moon pale flesh and long, graceful limbs.
Ryuukossei's eyes roamed over Amayami from head to toe, lingering on her more feminine attributes. At first glance she appeared delicate, breakable, but the youki rolling off her willowy frame belied that illusion. Wars were fought over females such as Amayami-hime. And in his opinion, it would well be worth the effort.
"Milady, since my introduction is out of the way, would it be presumptuous of me to request yours?" Ryuukossei's tone was low, his gaze too intimate to be construed as polite.
Amayami spared Ryuukossei a bored, almost amused glance before stepping from behind her husband. "That you are ill informed of my identity suggests that you are either beneath my notice socially, or that your powers of deduction are lacking."
Her white-blue eyes flicked toward Touga, who stifled a laugh behind his fist. Without further word she strode from the garden. Feeling both males' eyes still upon her, she paused, glancing over her shoulder at her husband. "I will be in the private library. You will join me within the hour."
Touga and Ryuukossei watched, each envious in their own right, as she strolled gracefully down a garden path and out of sight. Touga waited until it was a certainty she was beyond hearing distance to address his visitor. "You were told never to come here."
His tone was low, cordial, but the underlying displeasure was evident. Ryuukossei knew he was treading dangerous ground. However, he would have what was owed to him, one way or another.
"Hmm, yes," Ryuukossei purred. "I simply wished to congratulate you on your victory and…" He smiled knowingly. His voice dropped to a low suggestive tone. "Your marriage."
Touga huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. In his long life there were many things in which he regretted, but none so greatly as enlisting Ryuukossei's aid. They had initially had a comfortable arrangement, in which Ryuukossei acted as a simple mercenary. Once the survival of the Western Lands, as well as Touga's own, began to depend on the dragon's support, his demand for compensation escalated.
"It is most distressing," Ryuukossei complained in mock indignation.
Touga closed his eyes, his clawed hand pinching his nose as if to ward off a headache. He needed not ask the meaning of the dragon's words.
"Did you know there are those who simply do not appreciate those paramount to their elevation in power?" The dragon's countenance grew grave, his eyes hardening. "Fortunate for myself, you are more honorable than most."
"You have been paid, Ryuukossei," Touga stated firmly. "Leave before I lose patience."
"Hmm. Indeed I have," Ryuukossei once again purred, ignoring the latter half of his friend's statement. "To which I'm grateful," he added quickly in a weak attempt to defuse the inu daiyoukai's wrath, which was becoming tangible as the minutes passed. "Although, after seeing your newest-" his eyes lowered, his voice sharpening to a hiss- "acquisition..."
Touga snarled, his patience finally exhausted, and leapt at Ryuukossei. A moment later, in a flash of white and blue, Ryuukossei was pinned to a nearby tree by his throat.
"Touch her," Touga hissed, his eyes reddening, "and I will kill you."
"So possessive, so protective and so very quickly." Ryuukossei smiled tauntingly, ignoring Touga's warning growl. "Not that I blame you, really. She is delectable," he said, his last words meaningful, his eyes swimming with lust. "Such pretty white skin." He suddenly looked pensive, as if realizing something of great import. "Hmm… odd."
"What?" Touga spat, loosening his hold and stepping slowly from Ryuukossei. Inwardly he cursed himself for acting on his baser emotions. He, like Ryuukossei, desired Amayami, a fact that stoked his protective instincts. She was his by law but not in practice, a situation that demanded rectification.
"Why," Ryuukossei replied, his hand clasped over his heart in mock shock. He released a slight surge of youki. He knew well enough his next words were likely to incite the daiyoukai to violence. "You have been married the better part of a month and yet barely a whiff of your scent clings to her lovely flesh."
In all predictability Touga snarled, his golden eyes bleeding crimson. Uneasy ally or no, the urge to slaughter the dragon suddenly escalated.
"But worry not," Ryuukossei appeased with a light chuckle as he rose to the air. "I will explore none of your acquired territories before you, dear friend."
Touga glared as Ryuukossei faded away into a speck in the distance. Finally he turned his gaze away from the sky, stalking down the garden path. As he walked he pondered his reaction to the dragon's barbs.
He knew next to nothing about Amayami, but nevertheless he was overprotective of the young daiyoukai. It could have been her youth, as she had just barely entered adulthood. There were also other reasons: her deceptive frailty, her strength, her naivety. Perhaps, in time, his marriage to Amayami would be a fruitful arrangement. By standards of nobility she was an excellent match. More than his equal socially, economically, and despite her youth, she was frighteningly powerful.
Had fate played differently, he would have vied with other lords for her hand. As it was, courtship had been denied to them, likely not for the better. Tantamount to any other reason was the simple desire for his marriage to succeed. He desired children and a family to call his own. And above all, he wanted those things in a land blanketed with peace.
Two more turns down strangely empty corridors and he was in his private library. Amayami sat at one of the numerous low tables, apparently engrossed in the estate records. She looked up briefly, sparing him a tiny nod before her eyes flicked to a pile of brightly hued cushions to her right. Curiously, the servants that generally attended the area were also absent.
"I value solitude," Amayami answered, as if reading his thoughts.
Touga nodded as he slowly lowered himself to the cushions, looking pointedly at the scroll she was reading. Amayami released the scroll, giving it a cryptic glare as it snapped shut and rolled to the edge of the table. "It has come to my attention there are twice and four too numerous servants in our service."
His lips thinned into a small frown. He was used to hardships of the battlefield, but when at home, when his mood allowed, he demanded luxuries. The sheer number of servants had more than tripled over the last few decades. Perhaps a little thinning out was in order. It would benefit the estate finances, and such a concession would likely please his wife. He nodded in agreement. "We could release a few if it would increase your comfort levels."
"A few and four," she corrected, tapping her claws against the scroll.
He frowned, baffled, annoyed slightly by the amusement in her eyes. "And four?" he asked dumbly.
Her eyebrow rose a fraction of a centimeter from its usual elegant arch. "Your concubines," she explained dryly. "Now that you are married, it would be most prudent to have them dismissed."
His frown deepened. "No."
Amayami's brows shot up to her hairline before her face smoothed to calm, impassive lines. "No?" she repeated incredulously.
Touga nodded slowly in agreement. Countless lords, his father included, kept concubines; he was no different. What did it matter to her? They had an agreement, a treaty that bound them. Amayami was Lady of the Western lands and there was nothing, aside from her death, that could change that fact.
Amayami arched an almost satisfied brow as she rose to her feet. "Then I suppose it is settled."
Touga too rose, confused as to why she had acquiesced so easily. She smiled, a cold twisting of the lips. In his long lifetime he had face countless youkai on the battlefield, squared off against minor deities, and never once had he wavered. Yet, that icy smirk required every ounce of his resolve not to flinch.
"Inu no taishou," she addressed coolly, bowing. There was a subtle insult in the honorific title, one that was not lost on Touga. "I bid you farewell."
She strode out of the room with barely a backward glance. He pursued with an expedience he knew not he possessed.
"You risk dishonor."
"I would rather accept dishonor of my own choosing than be dishonored nightly by an unfaithful husband," she retorted as she strode down the long winding halls in the direction of their adjoining chambers.
"It is my right," he growled out slowly, in a dangerous tone that sent many lesser youkai fleeing. Unfortunately, Amayami was neither lesser nor easily frightened.
"Undoubtedly," she agreed with an elegant shrug. "I sugges-"
Touga pulled her to him forcibly, wincing as her claws dug into his flesh reflexively. She stiffened as his mouth slanted over hers. Ignoring the peculiar burning of tiny puncture wounds, his tongue licked roughly at her bottom lip, demanding entrance.
He continued to kiss her, nipping gently at her lips. She tensed, and then struck his chest, pushing him away. Exasperated, frustrated and disappointed, he pulled his lips from hers, but did not fully release her. Amayami's face held a peculiar expression, one with soft eyes and slightly swollen lips.
Shaking her head, she breathed a soft sigh as she wove her fingers through the length of his silver hair. Her claws scraped against the fastener that bound his ponytail. Smiling faintly, she lifted her chin, brushing her lips against his with a tentativeness characterized by inexperience. Believing he had won, Touga's arms moved around her, one hand pressing against the small of her back, urging her upwards into his kiss. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth before carefully grazing its plumpness with his fangs.
She warmed against him, her hesitation replaced with a sort of eagerness. Something had changed between them and neither was uncertain as to what. She pulled away sharply, her mouth inches from his.
"Send them away."
Angry, he falsely assumed her actions were a subtle way of manipulation. He was Lord of the Western Lands and he would not be handled by another. Touga's features darkened, his jaw clenching. "Absolutely not."
Pale eyes hardened as she wrenched out of his hold with a strength that seemed impossible. "A servant will be sent to retrieve my belongings within a day."
"You will not leave."
Amayami's eyes widened marginally, and her countenance grew colder. "Because I am yours?" she asked sardonically, her breath seductively warm on his throat.
"You belong to me," he acknowledged.
Her lips made a sarcastic "oh," her elegant brows rising slightly as she pulled away. "I belong to no one," she retorted flatly, "least of all you."
Touga breathed, his nostrils flaring, Ryuukossei's earlier barbs stinging at his pride. "They perform the duties you have yet to."
If possible, Amayami grew paler, her lids fluttering nervously as she hugged herself tightly. Inconceivably her unwavering confidence had crumbled with the utterance of a single phrase. She turned from him, withdrawing; her shoulders set it firm lines. Touga hissed inwardly, suddenly wishing he could retract his words. "Amayami," he whispered, tenderly encircling his arms around her slender waist.
"Your marriage, and its attached treaty, or your whores," she stated firmly, suddenly regaining her lost composure. She spun on her heel and leveled an icy gaze. "Choose wisely."
Touga rubbed his temples with his thumbs. If Amayami's façade held true, she proved utterly unaffected by their too brief encounter. Perhaps she was too cold, too detached from the baser emotions. He suspected her resentment of him and her situation, coupled with her unyielding pride, was also at fault. Despite his best intentions, she viewed him as the enemy. He was not, however, without optimism, for despite that loathing, that resentment, in a brief shining moment all had been abandoned for ardor.
"Who is Ryuukossei?"
Touga breathed, relieved the subject of his paramours had been subverted, at least for the moment. "He is the sovereign of the Death Lands."
"I do not care," she intoned lowly. "I wish to know why he believes you are in his debt."
"You were eavesdropping." It was a statement rather than a question, his tone righteously indignant.
"How vulgar," she chastised as she strode into her room, her husband hot on her heels. Truthfully she had heard very little of the conversation, but enough to pique her curiosity. She smirked and stepped behind her dressing screen. "I prefer the term reconnaissance."
Touga snorted, leaned against the wall, and crossed his arms over his chest. If given the choice, he would rather argue about his paramours than discuss his relationship with Ryuukossei. Less than stealthily, he redirected their discussion to the former. "The other lords traditionally kept concubines."
Unnoticed by Touga, Amayami's eyes rolled skyward. "True," she agreed as she peeked from behind the rice paper screen. She frowned at the glimmer of hope in her husband's golden eyes. "However, your situation differs."
Touga's eyes widened, very interested in her words. "How so?"
She tapped her chin twice in rapid succession, nodding slightly, and smiled. "The other lords," she continued with a wave of her hand, "are not married to myself."
Her words struck a chord within him, causing his eyes to gleam in a predatory light. He took a step forward, closing the distance between them. Instinctively she countered with a step back, her narrowed eyes upon his. He took another step forward and again she stepped back until she felt herself against a wall. While her heart beat furiously, his arms fell to either side of her. He did not touch her. He simply leaned forward, dropping his lips to hers.
"Trust me," he whispered into her lips. "Do not be afraid."
The softly spoken command baffled Amayami, but she made no move to pull away. His hands slid down the wall to rest on her shoulders. He studied her lazily, his eyes lingering on her lips.
"I am not afraid," she contradicted, her chin lifting slightly, her voice haughty and strong.
The moment her words escaped her lips he kissed her, brushing dozens of feathery kisses upon her cheeks before trailing down to her pointed chin. His lips traced along her cheekbones, the slim column of her throat, his tongue curling around the delicate point of one ear. Finally, at her insistence, he returned to her lips where their kisses became deeper, harder and more demanding. Slowly, almost too carefully, he slid the shoulders of her uchikake down until it pooled around her slender waist.
His lips never leaving hers, he smoothed his palm up her body, starting at her hip and sliding it across her stomach, her ribs. Carefully his clawed hand cupped her breast. Amayami made a soft sound, almost a purring gasp, in her throat, her eyes fluttering closed in surprise and pleasure as her back arched into the touch.
"Touga," she breathed as he kissed hot, licking kisses down the length of her throat. The fingertips of his free hand slowly worked their way into her under-kimono, his thumb massaging the sleek muscles of her abdomen.
"Hn," he all but grunted. His senses were full of her. The softness of her lips, the shy, feathery touches of her hands, and the slightly floral perfume she wore. It was a scent he had smelt before, but at the moment could not place.
"Stop," she commanded sharply, breathlessly. When he did not release her, instead growing more fervent, she shoved him coldly away. "I said stop!"
Her breathing was shallow, rapid, as she took a side step, struggling to straighten her clothing. Shame nearly overwhelmed her as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. The entirety of her life was about control. She would not lose it now, not to one she barely knew.
Touga glared at her in anger mixed with bewilderment. He had thought he had gained a rapport with her. It seemed, among other things, that he had been mistaken.
"Amayami."
She reached for her sword, sliding it within the billowing fabric of her sash. "I have said all I tend to say on this matter." Amayami paused at the threshold of the sliding door, sparing a glance at Touga over her shoulder. "I trust you will use your best judgment."
Without further word she stalked from her room. Once she had rounded the corner she paused to lean heavily against the wall. Her hand trembled as she tentatively touched her lips. It was inconceivable that she had enjoyed his kisses or, for a brief instant before reason had reclaimed her, wished they could go on forever.
Heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway; her husband was approaching. Pushing herself from the wall, she ran down the hall in the opposite direction. Fleeing the castle and her undoubtedly furious husband. But nothing could chase the turmoil from her soul. One matter was a certainty. She would rather die than submit to an enemy.