Inuyasha; A Feudal Fairy Tale – The Sesshoumaru Blues

Chapter Two – Lady Izayoi

Zayane hid behind Sesshoumaru's father's back and shoulders. She was at another castle, but everyone one was human. She was glad to see that, but she was still worried. The lord she was supposed to serve made an attempt on her life and succeeded. Luckily, his father welded the Tenseiga, a sword known to restore the lives of a thousand slain with one stroke.

"Who's this…?" Lady Izayoi asked, looking at Sesshoumaru's father's—her lover's—back. Zayane looked to the fair maiden. Her long raven black hair and her layers of kimono gave her an elegant look. Her light eye make up and kind brown eyes made Zayane feel comfortable. She gave a slight chuckle. "Be afraid of naught, little one. I will do you no harm. You are safe in my castle." Izayoi assured. Zayane walked slowly to Lady Izayoi. She was fascinated by the outer layer of red kimono she was wearing. Zayane touched it with her dirty fingers. It didn't bother Izayoi. She could tell by looking, that Zayane was a servant but held some importance if her lover would bring her along with him.

"Zayane!" He bellowed. She let go fearing she broke it.

"Y-yes, my lord?" Zayane was shaken; scared the hand that fed her would slap her like Sesshoumaru does. She was also afraid she had crossed the line by touching Lady Izayoi's kimono.

"Are you curious to know what she is wearing?" Sesshoumaru's father asked.

"Yes, my lord." Zayane said backing away from Lady Izayoi like she had the plague.

"She's wearing a haori (1) that is made from the fire rat. It protects her from harm."

Zayane blinked, not interested in the history. "It's purdy." She said in a slang form. Lady Izayoi shared a motherly smile at her lover that was mutual. He turned to Zayane wrapping his huge hands around her arms. His hands made her arms look like twigs when she was pretty buff from working most of her life. He looked her in the eye.

"Zayane, this is a duty that is asking much of you. This fair maiden, Lady Izayoi is pregnant. Zayane do you know what that means…?" He asked. Zayane's good eye narrowed. She felt insulted but did not show it.

"Yes I do, my lord. You're going to be a father." Zayane's speech wasn't that great but she wasn't an idiot either.

"The head priestess here said it was going to be a boy. And I believe her. I was wondering if you would look after my next son to come." He asked with a big smile.

"With out a doubt, my lord. You have not given me a reason not to." Zayane smiled back.

"Very well then," Lady Izayoi stood up and Zayane watched her. It was difficult to tell she was pregnant under all the kimono layers. "Welcome to the family, little one."

BLUES

"Damn them both!" Sesshoumaru pounded against the shoji. It was no use. He plopped onto the floor. Sesshoumaru sniffed the air. That rancid smell. She was back.

Zayane sat outside the door with her legs pushed out in front of her. Lady Izayoi gave Zayane an electric red kimono since she was so fascinated by the haori made from the fire rat. The kimono was heavy and had a simple pattern of white clouds on it. Her white obi was tied in an O-daiko(2) with blue trim around the top. There was a golden rope that wrapped around her mid-section. Lady Izayoi helped Zayane put it on because she was confused.

"Yes, damn us." Zayane said her maroon eye looking at the moon rising into the sky. Sesshoumaru had been trapped in there for at least 20 hours.

"You shouldn't be cursing, you are at least ten." Sesshoumaru mocked, he pounded at the door to try and scare her.

"You're funny for some one trapped by a stack of beads. And I'm so tired of this child trash." Zayane frowned. "It's a good thing your father hasn't noticed that I have an aging spell on me."

"What do you mean, human?" Sesshoumaru put his back against the shoji doors, knowing they'd support his weight.

"You dog demons can smell all types of stuff but you can't smell magic?" Zayane asked.

"Sadly, to say yes." Sesshoumaru said, playing with his long locks.

"…Then you guys couldn't tell I am a witch?"

"My father probably guessed as much. You are the daughter of a Voodoo priest, right?" Sesshoumaru's tone was starting to soften.

"Yeah, right." Zayane scoffed. "I never practiced Voodoo. My mother was a Wiccan. She died when I was young, but I followed in her foot steps which ended me here. Before your father found me, I was going to end my life. I had no other choice. Since I practiced witchcraft rather than Voodoo, my father got the village to exile me. I had no one, so I guess I might as well do the world a favor and take my life. Your father caught me about to take the leap of faith, and he stopped me. He offered to clean my slate, if you will, by bringing me to Japan."

"But he never forced you to be my servant…"

"No. He didn't. Where I come from, it's common to give away prisoners of war to who ever pays for them. When they are given away they are put into slavery."

"You're not a prisoner of war, though." Sesshoumaru was being confused with her logic.

"I might as well been. I had no friends, my family rejected me…" Zayane looked to the waxing moon. "Besides, I like your father. It's all I can do to repay him for giving me a clean slate."

"You fool, you should have stopped being a witch and just practiced Voodoo like your father wanted you to." Sesshoumaru said, like he knew everything.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, it is not that easy. That is just like a human telling you to put away the claws and fangs. I believe that you are too good for any human to tell you how to behave. And at the time, I felt that I was too good to have some person—even my father—tell me who I am, what I am, and when to practice my magic." Zayane sweet talked. Sesshoumaru had no idea that life was that difficult on her. It was as if she were a demon at heart. Zayane also knew it'd win brownie points with Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru was curious about something else now.

"Tell me, so then how old are you?" Sesshoumaru turned around, crossing his legs Indian style on the floor watching Zayane's shadow behind the shoji. Zayane turned around and sat in seiza with her hands in her lap.

"What's it to you, my lord?" She smarted. Sesshoumaru smiled behind the shoji since she couldn't see him, he allowed himself to smile.

"Nothing really. You aren't being a great servant. Tell me, human." He ordered.

"Well for every two years I age one, so I'm about 27."

"27… That doesn't add up."

"Of course it doesn't. I was seven when I casted the spell; those years don't count, my lord."

"I see." Sesshoumaru said. "I'd be willing to forgive you human, for well… Being human."

"Isn't that funny, because I recall it should be you begging for forgiveness." Zayane crossed her arms. Sesshoumaru watched her silhouette.

"I did naught, human." Sesshoumaru crossed his arms, too. Zayane smiled.

"You killed me."

"Oh yes… That." Sesshoumaru seemed distant about it. Zayane hit the shoji door, in disbelief.

"My lord!" She said in angst. Sesshoumaru hit it back.

"You want to die again?" He threatened playfully.

"I'd like to see you try it." Zayane stood up. Sesshoumaru stood up as well.

"Then say the words and I'll make it a reality." Sesshoumaru waited. Zayane shook her head no. "Why you little!"

Zayane slid the door open because she had the power to. There was a magenta haze between them where the door was once closed. They looked at each other with cold eyes. "You'll rue this day, human." Sesshoumaru kept a solid, condemning stare.

"Serenity." Zayane said with a look of bring it on and the barrier fell. Sesshoumaru stepped out of the room with his claws extended to wrap around Zayane's throat. He dropped his arms, and sighed—unable to kill her a second time. Zayane hid her smile.

"Come, human. I am in need of a bath." Sesshoumaru turned to his left. Zayane went blank faced.

"W-why to do I need to come along, my lord?" Zayane couldn't blush, her pigment forbid her and she was glad for that.

"Some one needs to wash my back. It's about time I put my present to use." Sesshoumaru said starting to walk forward. Zayane moved to walk by his side but he scowled at her. "Don't push it; you'll walk at least two feet behind me. You are not equal to me." He reminded her. Zayane did what she was told.

"Lord Sesshoumaru…" She spoke softly.

"Yes?"

"Happy birthday… By the way…"

"Hmph, there was nothing happy about it. Who'd be happy to receive a gift like you?" He taunted. Zayane smiled behind his back.

Sesshoumaru's father watched from a distance, watching Sesshoumaru allow Zayane to walk behind him. He sighed with a smile.

"Maybe this human girl can teach Sesshoumaru about kindness. Maybe then he will be able to wield the Tenseiga."

BLUES

Zayane scrubbed Sesshoumaru's back as requested in the large bathroom. It seemed more like a public bath than a single bath. Sesshoumaru sat on a stool hunched over a little. Sesshoumaru had a towel to cover his manhood and his hair was enough to cover his tush. When Zayane moved his hair to scrub his back she nearly fainted. For a dog demon it seemed that Sesshoumaru was purring like a kitten. Zayane poured a bucket of water over Sesshoumaru's back to rid his body of suds.

She began washing his hair, using a fine tooth comb to free his hair of fleas and/or lice. There were quite a few.

"When was the last time you washed your hair, my lord?" Zayane asked as they switched places. Sesshoumaru sat his naked tush on the floor and Zayane sat on the stool. Sesshoumaru rested his head between her legs. Zayane's heart raced a little. His head was awfully close to her goodies.

Zayane started grooming his hair, pulling out colonies of flea, flea eggs, lice, and lice eggs. She swore she heard the critters screaming nooooooooooo.

It took Sesshoumaru a moment to answer. "Three moons ago." He was in heaven.

"Goddamn!" She exclaimed. "You should take better care of your hair. It stinks of blood."

"Well I put some water on it after the serious killings, when blood and guts got over me…" He knew it was a bad answer, but he didn't care. Zayane rolled her eyes.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, you are a powerful demon, don't you think you should take better care of yourself?" Zayane suggested.

"Look, I don't pay you to talk."

"You don't pay me at all, my lord."

"…Point taken… Don't lecture me on my hair. I'm a very busy demon."

"Alright." Zayane rolled her eyes one more time, pulling out a huge colony of fleas. She sighed knowing she'd have to give herself a flea bath. Zayane cleared away all the fleas, lice, or anything with potential that would bite Sesshoumaru. It took her a good five minutes to get his hair into a lather. Sesshoumaru lifted his elbows and rested them on Zayane's thighs. He was getting her new kimono all wet. She pouted. Zayane was so fond of it. "Lord Sesshoumaru, could you lean forward?" Zayane requested after a good ten minutes.

Sesshoumaru was unresponsive. Zayane moved slowly to look at his face under the pile of hair resting at the top of his head. Sesshoumaru had fallen asleep. Zayane sat up straight. She looked to her left, and then to her right. Zayane didn't know how she had a naked guy in her lap, knocked out. She shrugged and stuck her fingers back into Sesshoumaru's hair, massaging his scalp—which was probably what caused him to drift to sleep. In another five minutes, she began scratching his head to sooth the bites fleas, and lice had made.

His right leg started to twitch. Zayane stopped moving one of her hands. She got a wickedly evil grin on her face. She ran her hand over the spot one more time. His right leg twitched again. Zayane's jaw dropped with hidden laughter. She began intensely scratching in that place and Sesshoumaru's leg starting to move towards his face. He couldn't quite reach his face because he wasn't double jointed. His foot moved in a typical dog scratching motion. How she laughed to herself. Zayane finally had some ammo against Sesshoumaru.

"You know, he hasn't done that since he was a young, young child." Sesshoumaru's father said, leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed. He wasn't wearing his armor as usual, but he was dressed in a male yukata. The yukata was a simple green with a blue obi. His hair rested at his back, undone from its ponytail.

Zayane was deer in head lights. Her hands let go of Sesshoumaru's hair and his leg went back into neutral position.

"It's not what you think." Zayane tried to defend herself. A scene like this would make anyone want to explain themselves. He gave a small chuckle.

"You know, Sesshoumaru didn't hate humans all the time." His father said walking into the room. Zayane was still freaked out about having a naked person practically in her lap. His father walked over a bathtub made from wood with a metal slot for coals. Zayane had already prepped the bath for Sesshoumaru to soak in once they were finished with the cleaning detail. His father removed his yukata quickly, but Zayane was so stunned she kept staring. It was as if some one had taped Zayane's eyelids to her forehead. She couldn't stop staring even when he had settled into the water. She told herself not to think of his father's tush. Her mind had been tainted.

Sesshoumaru's father slanted his head. He couldn't understand why Zayane was staring so hard—trying to burn a hole through his face. She was acting like she had never seen a grown demon's ass before. Which was the case. Sesshoumaru's father splashed a handful of water at Sesshoumaru. It landed in his face, waking him up. He was disoriented. Sesshoumaru came to.

"Amazing…" Sesshoumaru said giving a big stretch with his arms. He nailed Zayane in the nose with his fist. He didn't notice as Zayane reeled in pain. That apathetic punch hurt more than the kick to the face or the slaps, even her death. Zayane tried to shake it off. She prayed for Sesshoumaru not to stand up. He had all his hair that hid his tush on his head balled up in a lather. Sesshoumaru stood up and gave Zayane a face full of demon booty.

Sesshoumaru bent over, touching his toes to get the cramps out of his back.

"ERR Sesshoumaru!" His father called to him. Sesshoumaru looked up slowly, ready to get into the relaxing water with his father.

"Yes…?" Sesshoumaru asked. Sesshoumaru heard muffled sounds behind him. Zayane's hands twitched in the air. They were at a point were she was going to block her face but she was too late. Sesshoumaru stood up straight freeing Zayane's face. Her expression was normal. "When'd you get there?" Sesshoumaru asked.

A trail of blood started to run down Zayane's nose.

After a good 30 seconds of silence, waiting for Zayane to answer the question, the shock hit her. "Oh my GAAAWWWWD." Zayane fell backward, the ceiling and two blurry faces all she could remember.

BLUES

Zayane opened her eyes. She was laying on a futon in yet another tatami room, with calligraphy scrolls all on the walls. "What happened…?" She tried to mummer. Sesshoumaru hid his face in the shadows of the room. He had to conceal his laughter some how.

"You got a whiff of my ass and fainted in delight." He joked. It was coming back to her. She was becoming embarrassed.

"Oh… My… GAAAWWWWD!" She screamed again. "No, no! That's not how I dreamt I'd ever see a male's tush!" Zayane sat up placing her hands on her face, unable to believe what had happened.

"It was an accident." Sesshoumaru wanted to clarify. "I'd never let a human touch my ass on purpose." Zayane shut her eyes tightly and cringed. She cringed.

"I set myself up for it, for even agreeing to wash your back!" Zayane cringed. Then she shuddered.

"My ass isn't that bad…" Sesshoumaru trailed before Zayane raised her voice in distress.

"Would you stop saying ass?" Her formal speech leaving her thoughts as a pale tush in her face was all she could see. "My brain is broken. Look what you've done to it!" There were parades of pale tush in her mind, they were shaking to music. It looked like the only way to turn off her brain would be to kill herself—or have Sesshoumaru do it for her.

"Well I think your turmoil is worth it. My hair turned out greater than I could have ever imagined." Sesshoumaru stepped out from the shadows, wearing a white yukata with his sash tied lazy. His hair was dry and it was reflecting the moon's light. "Go ahead, cop-a-feel just like you did my ass."

"ARRRRGGG!" Zayane grumbled. He wouldn't let her live it down, even if it was an accident. Zayane ran her fingers through his hair. Her thoughts became blank. She ran her finger through his hair again. Zayane found herself calmed by his soft hair, free of tangles, fleas, or lice. Sesshoumaru's eyes watched her face and how tranquil she had become by touching his hair. Zayane didn't stop stroking his hair, pushing the boundaries of Sesshoumaru's personal space. As shown, it was okay for Sesshoumaru to violate her personal space, but it was not okay vice versa.

Zayane began petting Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru stood up, moving her hand away. Zayane was afraid she had gone to far.

"S-sorry, my lord." Sesshoumaru opened the shoji doors then grabbed Zayane by her hand. He pulled her off the ground and moved her towards the deep brown deck lining outside of all rooms.

"Please, sit." Sesshoumaru requested. He said please. Zayane gulped afraid of another tush in her face. She sat down with her feet hanging off the edge of the deck. Sesshoumaru sat beside her and proceeded to lie down. He put his head into her lap and like clock work, Zayane began petting Sesshoumaru, stroking his soft hair. They were both admiring the moon in the sky. They forgot all about each other being demon and human. All that mattered to them was the comfort of being petted, and the joy of petting.

BLUES

A month pasted and the unthinkable happened. Sesshoumaru had found out about the affair that Lady Izayoi and his father were having that resulted in a child. And how his father died protecting the human. Sesshoumaru also couldn't believe that his servant, Zayane, had to tend to the brat that was also a factor in getting his father killed. To add insult to injury, Myoga, another servant to his father gave him the Tenseiga and hid the Tetsusaiga from him.

"That human…" Sesshoumaru said looking over his father's grave. "If she hadn't infatuated my father with her nonsense, he'd be here. And I could have done him in myself." Sesshoumaru was donned in his attire that made him infamous. Zayane stroked Sesshoumaru's boa, dressed in her usual blue plaid yukata with the yellow obi.

"You know I must go to Lady Izayoi's side. It won't be long until she passes away, and I'll have to look after Inuyasha." Zayane sighed.

"I wouldn't keep the contract that you made with my father." Sesshoumaru said in spite. "He's dead now."

"I loved your father very much for giving me a clean slate. I owe him my life and I will do with it what he would have wanted of me." Zayane said.

"But a half-demon? You are too good for that." Sesshoumaru's views of Zayane had changed for the month that they had known each other.

"I am too good for naught, my lord. I gave your father my word."

"Well, will you at least wash my hair…?" Sesshoumaru seemed embarrassed, but he liked having silky hair.

"I'd do anything for you, my lord." Zayane said bowing her head.

"How about not looking after Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru gave a faint smile.

"Nice try, my lord." Zayane turned away from him, walking into the distance. She could have sworn when Sesshoumaru was out of eye shot, that Sesshoumaru had called her named. Zayane shook it off. Sesshoumaru calling her by her name would have been a first.

つづく(Tsuzuku)

Author's notes/Translation notes:

(1)A haori is like a kimono coat, it touches the backside. It was what Inuyasha red fire rat top actually is.

(2)An O-daiko tie is for older women (20ish on up), sometimes geishas, but overall for traditional kimonos of silk and/or wool. The obi tie is famous for the rope tie that rolls around the mid-section.

Eww. Booty in the face.