One Plus One Equals Three
Part Three
Ryo sat in his study, going over his maps. The Dragon Lord of the East, Ryuukotsusei, had mobilized to the South and the Southern Lord's clan was in dire need of reinforcements, and he had no choice but to lead his army over there. He was a close friend of the Southern Lord, and would not leave him helpless in a situation such as this one.
Idly, Ryo wondered if this wasn't some sort of elaborate scheme to draw he and Sesshoumaru down there; Sesshoumaru had killed Ryuukotsusei's son, after all. The boy had always been a smartass, and had more than likely deserved what he'd gotten, but Ryuukotsusei was a vengeful Dragon; he would not let it go, not without exacting his revenge, and restoring his own honour. If he mobilized against anyone, it should be them, but he hadn't, and this made Ryo cautious. What was that old bastard planning?
oOo
Sesshoumaru was in his room, sitting on his bed, staring into space. He rethought his plan, and had realised that it would not work, and that there was nothing he could do, except feign ignorance.
That was his only card to play, besides the Truth card, and it worried him that it may not be good enough.
There was a knock on his door, and he was so tense, he fell off the bed.
Jumping up, he said, "Come in."
Ryo came in, and closed the door behind him, a grim look on his handsome face.
Oh, fuck, Sesshoumaru thought, here we go. He's gonna rip me to shreds…
Ryo sighed, heavily, and put a hand on Sesshoumaru's shoulder. "Listen, son, I need you to come with me to battle."
Sesshoumaru blinked. Battle? He'd been saved!
"Battle? Against whom?"
"Ryuukotsusei." As he'd thought, all the colour drained from Sesshoumaru's already-pale face. He swallowed.
"I know, and I think there is a method to his madness, for he has not attacked us, but the South, whom we are allies with. Lord Hikaru has sent runners to ask my assistance, and it will take both of us working together to help our armies defeat him. I believe, Sesshoumaru, that you are the reason for his mobilization against the South."
Sesshoumaru nodded. He remembered now that he'd killed that loudmouth, Ryuu…stupid son of a bitch.
"When do we depart?"
"As soon as possible. I wanted to bid Izayoi farewell before we left, though."
Sesshoumaru panicked. He couldn't let them see each other!
"You're busy, Father; let me deliver the message."
Ryo smiled. "You two are quite close, no?"
Sesshoumaru pasted on what he hoped was a believable smile. "She is like another Mother to me." A Mother with benefits, his mind added, despite his better judgement.
Ryo laughed. "That is good; I am delighted that you have taken to her so well. She is a delight to be with, is she not? I miss her already." Sighing, his Father stood.
"Very well; I will send you to tell her. Return to me quickly, though. We have much to do before we leave."
"Yes, Father," he replied, and when Ryo had left, he flopped back on his bed. Crisis averted!
He dressed and left the castle, hastily.
oOo
Izayoi was laying in bed, happy. Ryo had not stayed the entire night again, but no matter. She would see him soon enough, and she smiled at the thought of telling Sesshoumaru her good news, completely unaware that he already knew.
After her bath, she dressed and went outside, a book in hand. She spied the fountain, and for some reason, Takemaru came to mind, and she about-faced, returning to her room. She did not wish to think of that day. She had only seen him once since Ryo and Sesshoumaru had saved her from him, and that had been in the Market, a public place where he could not approach her. Though if he had decided to, she doubted anyone would heed her cries for help.
Ever since that fateful day two months ago, she had become a leper among her peers; no one would associate with her, and no one came to call on her to chat over tea. Even her female friends had abandoned her, all because Takemaru had opened his big mouth and apparently told the entire district that she had a demon for a lover.
Consequently, she had been cast out, and ostracized; her growing belly did nothing to help matters, either. The rumours, looks, stares, and comments only seemed to get worse, and she had more and more trouble keeping her own comments to herself as time went by. Lately she was inclined to be snappy; and she had begun to wear baggier robes, and avoid her Father. Luckily, he still seemed to be ignorant of all the rumours, but she knew that sooner or later, he would hear.
A loud bang came from the shoji at the entrance to her apartments. Heavy footsteps came her way.
Apparently he'd just heard. She braced herself.
Her bedroom shoji flew open, and her Father, red-faced, stomped over to where she was sitting, her handmaids brushing the tangles from her long black hair (the handmaids being the only women who would still speak to her), and ordered everyone save her from the room.
She glimpsed Takemaru's smug face as the maids left, closing the doors behind them, shutting his terrible expression out.
Her Father yelled, "Is what Takemaru tells me true? Are you sleeping with a demon? Answer me!"
Izayoi's eyes became moist; this was it, this was the end. Her Father was going to kick her out, and disown her. She wished Ryo or Sesshoumaru were here.
She nodded, unable to hide it from him any longer. "Yes."
He slapped her, hard. She took it, and didn't utter a sound when he slapped her again, and a third time. "You dishonour the name of this family," he shouted, his own tears wetting his wrinkled cheeks.
"Leave this place, and do not return. You are no longer my daughter."
Upon hearing these dreaded words, Izayoi cried, loudly, but nodded her head. She quickly controlled her sobs, and began to pack her necessary things. Her Father watched, crying his own tears silently.
When she was done, he opened the shoji for her, and she walked out, her head high, but her cheeks chapped and red.
Takemaru snickered as she passed, and whispered, "How does it feel, my Lady?"
"Fuck you," she whispered back without stopping, and passed him, heading toward the back garden gate. She hoped Ryo or Sesshoumaru planned to visit her today; though she dreaded to have to ask them to help her in finding a new place to stay.
She closed the gate behind her, and had just decided to go West when Sesshoumaru landed before her.
"Izayoi? What are you doing outside your castle walls?"
She sniffed; it was so hard to talk about.
"Oh, Sesshoumaru!" she cried, and the tears came flowing once again, and she was powerless to stop them this time. He held her close, thinking: Finally! I can hold you in the light of day, and not be ashamed, for it is me you have chosen to share your sorrow with, and me alone!
He conveniently overlooked the fact that he was the only person around. She shook in his arms, and when her sobs subsided, he asked her again, "What's wrong?"
She sniffed. "He knows, Sesshoumaru. Takemaru, that bastard, told him."
"Who?"
"My Father! Who else? I didn't tell him about the baby, good thing too, or he might have- oh, by the way, I'm pregnant."
He smiled; better at least pretend to be surprised.
"Congratulations," he said, wiping a tear from her nose. She smiled. "Thanks. Ryo was so happy when I told him."
Yeah, about that…
"Anyway," she went on, "Father has disowned me, and now I have no place to go."
Sesshoumaru absorbed this news thoughtfully. Yes, that would work nicely…
Taking her by the shoulders, he looked down into her tear-stained, upturned face. "Listen, I know a place where you can stay. Father has a Summer House not too far from here; it's fully staffed, and has everything you could possibly need. You can stay there until we return for you."
She smiled; thank God for them!
"Wait…where are you going?" The thought of them leaving her for any amount of time made her panic. What if they were not around when the baby came?
Sesshoumaru sighed, as if he carried a great burden - which, in fact, he carried several ever since meeting her, but they were beside the point - and replied, "Father and I have been summoned to a War, which I started and now have to finish."
"A War? Good God, what did you do?"
He gave her a wintry smile. "I killed a rival Lord's son. He insulted me."
She sniffled. "Remind me never to get on your bad side," and he smiled.
"I would never harm you, Izayoi. You know that, don't you?"
Her heart melted at the look of hopefulness in his molten eyes. How could she not believe him? He was so sweet!
She suddenly felt her stomach muscles clench, and the inner ones, too. Her blood began to warm; she began to feel lust again, this time for him. She tried to hide it.
Sesshoumaru noticed the look in Izayoi's eyes, and then, like a brick wall, a scent assaulted his sensitive nose: she was aroused. And by him! His heart skipped a beat.
He leaned into her, and she met him halfway. Her lips, so soft, melded against his, and he took control, deepening the kiss and pulling her arms to wrap around him, while he placed his own at the back of her head, holding her steady.
She became lost in him, and forgot all her problems; only she and Sesshoumaru existed now, and somehow, his embrace seemed so familiar, his scent just a shade different from Ryo's, more…earthy…oh God, Ryo!
Suddenly her eyes shot open, and she pulled away, and he stumbled, almost pushing her to the ground, but she put both hands up to brace him.
"Oh my God!" she covered her face with those hands. What had she done? She realised now why he felt so familiar…it had been him coming to her bed all this time, not just Ryo! Another thought struck her; what if this baby isn't Ryo's? Oh, we are in so much trouble…she swooned.
Sesshoumaru caught her, and eased her into his lap. She'd figured it out, she had to have. There was no other reason for such a reaction to him, and his worry from before came rushing back.
Like Izayoi, he realised that if Ryo found them out, he would, in a jealous rage, likely kill them both, worst case scenario. Best case scenario…Sesshoumaru had no idea. He might let them live, after several years of exquisite torture…suddenly death sounded like a much better option.
It was then that he remembered the War. If they were gone long enough, she would have the child before their return, postponing, for a while at least, Ryo's finding out the truth. And, if luck were on their side, and the child turned out to be Ryo's, neither of them would have to say a thing! It was perfect!
Unfortunately, it all depended on a factor neither of them could control - whether or not the child would be Ryo's. Sesshoumaru prayed to the Gods, for the first time in his life, for them to show him mercy and give him a little brother or sister, and not a son or daughter.
Picking up Izayoi's things, he carried them, and her, to her new home, all the while praying as if his life depended on it - which, ironically, it did.
oOo
When he reached the Summer House, he settled her in and put her things away, and when he came back, she was sitting bolt upright, her hand to her mouth, crying. He rushed over, and sat next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders.
"It's okay, I've got a plan, but it'll only work if the kid is Father's. I'll keep us away until after it's born, and you send me a personal message with whose it is when it comes, and if it's his, we'll come back and neither of us will have to say a thing. And if it's mine…" here he paused, and she looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes.
"If it's mine…drown it."
Her eyes went wide. "No way in Hell would I drown a child, Sesshoumaru, especially yours! You and your Father are everything to me, a new family, since I no longer belong with my own, and I am forever grateful to you for taking me in. My answer is no; we'll have to think of another way to hide the child, because I cannot kill a helpless being."
He frowned. Then what would they do if it turned out to be his baby?
"Look, your first plan was a good one, and even though I feel terrible about keeping anything from Ryo at all-"
"As do I."
"-I cannot condone the drowning of my own baby. I will not do it; I refuse."
He sighed.
So did she.
"Oh, Sesshoumaru, what have we done?" she wailed.
He looked at her. Not once did she blame him for this, even though it was all his fault. If he hadn't impersonated his Father in her bed…they wouldn't be here right now. Well, maybe we would, but the child would definitely be Father's, and I wouldn't be having a stroke! he thought.
"Well, let's just go along with it, and if it turns out okay, send for me. Do you want me to tell him you're pregnant when I go home?"
She thought about it, for a long time. Finally she said, "Yeah, you'd better. Unless..."
Her mind seemed to be working again; he could almost see the wheels turning in her head.
"What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking that if he doesn't know, I can send for you when it's born, and if it's his, it'll be a surprise, and if it's yours, well…couldn't we pass it off as his? I mean, you came from him, wouldn't the child have some similarities to you?"
He shook his head. "All my physical traits come from my Mother. The only thing I got that Father has are his eye colour and his hair colour. That's it."
She mentally pictured a child with magenta stripes and a crescent moon and thought, Now that would be kinda obvious.
"We can expect the child to have white hair, that's a gimme," he said, stroking his chin in thought.
"Even though my hair is black?"
"When the child goes through his period of change, which is once a month, or so I recall, his hair will be black then, for he will be completely human. I can't say when that will happen during the month, though."
"Oh."
An uncomfortable silence stretched out between them.
"Okay, well, I'll try to think of something, so, you two go, but you better come back to me alive, you hear?"
He smiled tenderly at her, and she smiled back. She squeezed his hand, and he rose to leave her.
"If you need us, just send a runner. Though…I wouldn't, not for a while." He glanced at her belly.
She grinned.
"Only if it's a dire emergency will you hear from me," she promised, and he nodded.
"Goodbye, Sesshoumaru."
He turned to say goodbye, but a surge of emotion so strong compelled him to run back to her, and crush her in a huge hug, which she laughingly accepted, hugging him back and crying tears of sorrow, fear, and despair.
Letting her go, he whispered, "We will come back."
She nodded, and gave him a little push. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru…for everything."
He smiled; was she forgiving him for his terrible actions? He hoped so.
Waving, he flew West, back home to Ryo, while Izayoi watched, tearfully, waving her small hand long after he was out of sight.
oOo
Three months passed. Ryo and Sesshoumaru were minutes away from getting to Ryuukotsusei; it had taken this long just to make headway through his armies. Their own army was depleted, but the Dragon Lord was within sight. Ryo slashed Sou'unga at a Dragon foot soldier, severing his arm, and Sesshoumaru was wiping the blood and sweat from his face, his own soldier finally dead at his feet. A runner came up to him, huffing. He said three words:
"It is time."
Sesshoumaru nodded, too tired to expend the air to thank the messenger. He touched Ryo's shoulder.
"Father, Izayoi is having the baby," he huffed.
"Excellent!" Ryo yelled, as another soldier rushed him, and he killed him in one swing. His father had been ecstatic when Sesshoumaru had returned to tell him of Izayoi's pregnancy. He had also told Sesshoumaru that he'd done the right thing to put her in the Summer House; now they would no longer have to sneak in to see her.
"We will leave, right after we finish this. You won't get away, you fire-breathing bastard!" Holding Sou'unga high, he charged, right into what was left of Ryuukotsusei's army, and shouted, "Dragon Twister!"
Sesshoumaru nodded, but the messenger came back.
"She said it was urgent, Master; Takemaru has surrounded the Summer House, and I think he's going to kill her."
Sesshoumaru nodded again tightly; he'd have to make this quick. The messenger departed.
He ran after his Father, but when Ryo finally got through to Ryukotsusei, and the two of them went at it, Ryo transforming into his demon form, another, probably Ryuukotsusei's last, contingent came after him, and Sesshoumaru had no choice but to take care of them, and defend Ryo's back.
Sesshoumaru watched intermittently as Ryo fought Ryuukotsusei; he brought out a large fang, his new, third sword, which he had been telling Sesshoumaru about since they left for this War, and swung it at the Dragon, yelling, "Wind Scar!"
All stopped fighting momentarily to see what would happen; would the blow kill the Dragon Lord?
When the dust blew away, Ryuukotsusei was swaying, but still he stood, unharmed. Ryo growled, shaking the ground around him, and with one mighty swing, lodged his claws into the Dragon's chest, pinning him the rock wall looming up behind him.
Ryuukotsusei screamed, and his eyes closed; Ryo bled heavily from a large chest wound, and his arm was sliced to ribbons, but already his body was trying to heal itself.
The Dragon was rendered dormant, and Sesshoumaru took care of the last of the Dragon army, slicing them to pieces with his Poison Whip.
Ryo came over to Sesshoumaru, and smacked him on the shoulder. "Well, son, we've won your first War. How does it feel to be a survivor?"
Sesshoumaru looked around him at the carnage, and, now that he had a chance to really see it, and the adrenaline was no longer keeping him going, fighting for his life, he felt bile crawl up the back of his throat at the sight of all the dead demons, demons he'd once known, demons who'd fought next to him - for him.
Ryo saw his hesitation and said solemnly, "It feels awful, doesn't it? The worse thing, son, is not feeling the hurt anymore. When you become immune to it all, that's the worst pain."
Sesshoumaru nodded, but kept a level head. His gut was hurting, alright - but not just because he wanted to throw up. All the death around him made him realise how precious life was, and the urge to tell his Father the truth came flooding over him, and, before he could clamp a hand over his mouth, he blurted, "The child might not be yours, Father!"
Ryo turned to look at him, his eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean by that?" His gut sunk. Had Sesshoumaru done something, or did he know something about Izayoi that Ryo did not?
Sesshoumaru covered his face with his bangs, hiding his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Father, but I…impersonated you and slept with Izayoi…I'm sorry…I couldn't help myself…I love her!"
Ryo began to see red. How could he? His own flesh and blood! How could he do this, and to his own Father!
"You fucking bastard!" Ryo exploded, and punched Sesshoumaru in the face. Sesshoumaru stumbled back, but made no move to defend himself. He would sit here and let his Father kill him, as long as Izayoi remained safe.
He remembered then what the messenger had told him - that Izayoi was in danger.
Ryo was heaving, his anger extreme. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself? Hmm?"
Sesshoumaru looked up. Was his Father giving him a chance to defend himself?
Suddenly, Sesshoumaru was seeing himself from his Father's point of view - he had believed that Sesshoumaru was incapable of doing something so low, but his Father didn't seem to realise that he, Sesshoumaru, had also fallen in love with Izayoi. Didn't his feelings matter? Why should his Father get to keep her? He'd already had one woman to love, and Sesshoumaru had had none! It wasn't fair!
Sesshoumaru's teenage mind bleated this loudly in his head; he had a right to her, too, God damn it! Why was Ryo entitled to her, just because he'd seen her first? Sesshoumaru began to see red.
"I'm a fucking bastard? Look at yourself, Father! Are you jealous because you've been sharing your woman with your son, or that she enjoyed it?"
Ryo narrowed his eyes. Sesshoumaru grinned; now he was getting somewhere!
The rebelliousness that Ryo had thought had disappeared from the boy when he met Izayoi came roaring up to the surface, making Sesshoumaru say things he really ought not to.
"She is mine, and you knew that! Don't give me that fucking, 'I fell in love with her' excuse, Sesshoumaru! You knew what you were doing was wrong, and you kept it from me all this time? Now I find out that my woman's child might not even be mine…do you know what I want to do to you right now!"
Ryo's voice shook with more anger than Sesshoumaru had ever heard from him before.
"Then fight me," Sesshoumaru growled, opening his arms. "Right here, right now! Fight me for her! May the best man win!"
Ryo glared at his son. Never in his centuries of life did he believe that something like this would happen to him. And Izayoi…was she innocent in all this? Or did she have a stake in it, too?
Ryo said, "Before you try to make me kill you, Sesshoumaru, tell me this: does she know what I know?"
Sesshoumaru blinked. "She does," he hedged, then continued after a pause, "but she didn't know when it was happening. She is innocent. She had nothing to do with it, except, well…you know."
Ryo drew back his lip over his teeth, exposing his fangs. Then, he realised what he was contemplating. He shook his head; he would not give Sesshoumaru the satisfaction, no matter how much he wanted to strangle him, ring his neck, kill him - right now.
Sesshoumaru thought his Father was turning the other cheek, and he was right. He glared at Ryo's back, and yelled, "She's having the baby now. Takemaru's there, and he's going to kill her. I will be the one who saves her, Father!"
Ryo did not turn to face him.
"No, you won't."
Sesshoumaru guffawed. "No? What do you mean, No? I love her, Father! She belongs to me!"
Ryo shook his head, Sesshoumaru didn't get it. Suddenly he felt sorry for his son, very sorry indeed.
"Sesshoumaru," Ryo said slowly, "Did she ever tell you that she loved you? I mean, when she knew it was you she was speaking to, and not me?"
Sesshoumaru closed his mouth. Fuck! His Father had him there, he was right. She'd never told him that she loved him, Sesshoumaru.
Ryo waited patiently for his son to answer.
Finally, he gritted, "No."
Ryo nodded. "I see. Do you know what she says to me every time I leave her, Sesshoumaru? She tells me she loves me. Now that you know that, who do you think should have her? Hmm? Who is she happiest with? Who does she love?"
Sesshoumaru growled in defeat. As much as he hated to admit it, Ryo was right.
Unfortunately, this did not sit well with him. His resentment toward his Father, which had been slowly festering every time he witnessed Ryo kiss Izayoi, flared into being, and his heart turned to stone. He smiled no more, and would not smile again for a long time. He had lost the battle; not the physical battle, of course, but the verbal battle, the important battle. His Father was once again victorious, and Sesshoumaru had to step down. He hated the feeling of losing, hated it with a passion. Suddenly, he hated everyone, his Father and Izayoi most of all. He hated his Father for winning her, and he hated her for not choosing him. His tone was cold and detached when he spoke again.
"Do you insist on going, then?"
Ryo flinched inwardly; all ties to his son, all the happiness they'd once shared, was gone. In his son's place stood a hard man, a man who'd lost in the game of love and resented everyone who'd stood in his way.
"Do you intend to stop me, Sesshoumaru?"
"I will not stand in your way." He decided to demand the swords; it was the least his Father could do, after having embarrassed and annihilated him so badly. He neglected to think about the fact that this entire situation was his own fault to begin with.
"However, before you go, I insist that you entrust Sou-unga and Tetsusaiga to me."
Ryo sighed. He would have given him the swords, but he had no experience - and he was still angry with him. This was all his fault, after all.
"And if I refuse? Will you kill me, your own Father?"
He sighed, heavily.
"Do you desire power so much?"
He sighed again. Sesshoumaru was silent. If he could not have Izayoi, then he wanted the swords, for he knew for certain that he would never speak to his Father again.
He would get neither.
"Why do you seek power, my son?"
Sesshoumaru could only think of one answer; the only option open to him now.
"The path I walk is that of Supreme Conquest. It is power that will reveal the way for me."
Ryo almost laughed. So, he was going to take the solitary road? He thought that was fine. If Izayoi was in danger, as he'd said she was, he would probably not survive another attack from an army, to get to her. Tensaiga pulsed; her time drew near. He waited a little longer. Sesshoumaru obviously planned to never speak to him again. This made him sad, even though he seethed with anger at what Sesshoumaru had done. Still, he had been his only family for three hundred years.
He chuckled at Sesshoumaru's idea.
"Supreme Conquest." He made it sound silly, even to Sesshoumaru's ears.
"Tell me, Sesshoumaru…do you have someone to protect?"
Protect? he thought. Not anymore. You took her away.
"The answer…is no." He drew his left hand away from his chest, pointing it away from himself, as it began to glow a sickly green. You have taken even that small pleasure away from me. You will pay, Father…you will pay for making me look like a fool!
He continued. "I, Sesshoumaru, have no need of such."
Ryo closed his eyes. Sesshoumaru was lost to him, forever.
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and watched his Father transform, and he prepared for the ultimate fight, but Ryo did not stay; he ran, away from their fight. Sesshoumaru thought, Fucking coward!
He watched Ryo until he could no longer see him. His hatred for the world grew stronger, his heart freezing, into ice. The warm boy everyone had known for the last five months was gone, and he would never return.
"Why would I have any reason to waste my time protecting someone?" he asked no one in particular. His father had made sure that he'd have no one to protect ever again.
"Ridiculous!"
Turning, snowflakes blowing past his face, he walked away.
oOo
Izayoi, alone, in labour, feared for her life. Takemaru had heard months ago about the demon War, and had come this past week to see her. She had been wary; if he wanted something, she could bet that she wouldn't agree with it.
His soldiers had swarmed the place, and now, as night fell, he strode down the porch, headed for her room. A maid begged him not to enter; it was taboo for men to bear witness to a birth.
"She will birth the child of a demon; there is no need for decorum." He'd scoffed, and when she insisted, he stopped, and lopped off her head, bloodying the tip of his once-clean naginata.
He continued on, not bothering to wipe the weapon off.
Izayoi moaned; she had not been prepared for so much pain. Her labour had begun the day before, but she had only sent the runner to Sesshoumaru when she thought she was near the end of her labour.
Takemaru stopped in his stroll, and looked up at the winter sky.
"Excellent, the night of a lunar eclipse - it's the perfect time to slay a demon." In more ways than one, he thought.
Reaching her door, he entered, and made himself comfortable on the floor next to her cabana, he supposed he should call it. It looked like a tent to him.
A lamp burned outside of it, and her moans were pained as another contraction, this one longer than the last, finally subsided.
"My dearest," she murmured quietly, but he still heard her. She was silent after that.
He waited patiently for her to acknowledge him; she could not help but see the shadow the light cast over the fabric draped all around her.
Finally, she croaked, "Who is it?"
He wasted no time. "It is I, Takemaru of Setsuna."
"Takemaru?" Why are you here? she thought. I thought I'd be the last person you'd want to see.
I am doing you a favour, he thought to himself as she spoke.
She decided to butter him up; maybe then he wouldn't be too rash and do something stupid - like kill her.
"Thank God you have arrived; you must gather the men outside and leave the grounds at once. Please do as I say; I fear there is no one strong enough to challenge him."
She didn't know which him would be coming, but she thought that maybe if she sounded like she was worried for Takemaru, things would turn out better.
His next words chilled her to the bone.
"My Lady, I have long felt a deep connection with you, as I'm sure you're well aware. I realise full-well that your heart has been captured by a demon."
He jabbed the naginata through the tent, and struck her in the chest.
She screamed.
Blowing out the lamp, he placed his helmet over his head and murmured, "My feelings for you will never change, my Lady."
She reached up toward the moon through the window, and as it was completely eclipsed, her child was born, and its cries echoed through the still cold of the night. Gathering it up, she managed to place it before her breast before her life fled from her, and she died, her blood staining the floor around her, and pooling at the dip near the centre of the room.
oOo
Ryo, in his demon form, loped through the snow, his chest bleeding profusely. His arm had already healed; it was of no concern to him now. All that mattered was Izayoi, and getting to her. Tensaiga vibrated; her last hour had come.
Myouga, Ryo's fair-weather retainer, crawled along the fur on his face, close to his eyes, and shouted, "Please, you must reconsider, my Lord! Your wounds from Ryuukotsusei have not yet healed! This is sheer madness-"
"That doesn't matter now!" Ryo interrupted Myouga's shrill cries, "I cannot afford to lose her!"
"Please, Master!"
"Besides, I am not long for this world."
"Master!" Myouga bleated mournfully, knowing that this would not end well.
Ryo came to the cliff edge, and howled mournfully at the darkened moon.
Izayoi, I am coming for you…
oOo
Takemaru felt the explosion rock the ground - he was here.
He shouted an order for the bowmen to shoot from the ramparts on the surrounding wall, but the men were wary; that last explosion was massive, and the dust still hadn't cleared. They searched in vain for a target through the dust clouds, and when someone yelled, "Wind Scar!" they aimed and shot at the figure that leaped from the mist, hitting his arms and chest, pin-cushioning him as he delivered the mighty blow.
Soldiers flew, the gate collapsed, and still the demon kept coming. The arrows hadn't slowed him down at all.
He got to the gate, the massive fang in his hand catching the moonlight, which was once again visible as it passed from behind the Earth.
"Izayoi! Izayoi!"
Takemaru smiled, and left the darkness of the house, a twinkle in his eye. His mind was no longer functioning properly; it had taken a walk off the map.
"You've finally come, demon. A little late, though."
Ryo glared at the audacious man. "What?"
"Lady Izayoi is beyond your reach, now. I dispatched her myself." His satisfied tone grated Ryo's nerves like nails on a slate.
"Damn you, fool!" he rushed Takemaru, and hefted Tetsusaiga up, while Takemaru, grunting, came at him, his katana raised.
They passed each other, but Ryo did not stop; he kept running as he brought the blade down, and jammed it in his sheath as he loped up the steps into the house.
Takemaru, however, did not fare so well. His left arm, severed at the shoulder joint, lay in a puddle of blood at his feet, and he clutched the bloody stump of his shoulder tightly, wincing with the fresh jolts of pain radiating from the wound to all the nerve-ends in his body. He gritted his teeth; he had lost!
Looking up, his soldiers looked to him for orders. Frowning, he shouted, "Set fire to the mansion! Kill that demon, and everyone inside! Burn it to the ground! "
Ryo was still searching, following his nose, when smoke began to pour out of the mansion, the shoji screen doors burning like the paper the were made from. His shoes crunched on snow as he ran, and his breath puffed white into the air as its warmth left his lungs.
Finally, he found her.
Her cabana was aflame; the pitiful cries of a hungry new-born child were loud in his ears, and he flung the flaming contraption away, to reveal his dead mate, and the child of her womb. Tensaiga pulsed with urgency.
Ryo whipped it out, and held it over her. If only I'd had this when you were killed, Amaya, he thought, thinking of his first wife.
As soon the pallbearers from the Underworld came into view, he slashed them, slicing their tiny bodies as if they were made of smoke.
His vision returned to normal, and Izayoi took a deep breath, and he put Tensaiga away, the sword now silent.
Crouching next to her, he pulled from behind his breastplate a swatch of fabric, red in colour, and draped it over her head, and she scooped up the wailing infant, wrapping him tightly in his blanket.
"Ryo," she said, the flames almost drowning out her voice, "I'm so sorry, darling..."
He glanced at the child, whose only giveaway that he was of demon seed were his white hair and fuzzy ears, flicking madly atop his tiny head. No stripes, nor crescent moon symbol were visible.
He sighed in relief.
"Do not fret, darling; the child is ours."
She smiled, happy to hear the good news.
They both turned at the sound of a sword being drawn. Takemaru stood in the flaming doorway, katana raised with his good arm, his bloody face making him appear demonic himself in the waves of heat that danced all around him.
His voice, despite the roar of the flames, came through clearly to their ears as he slowly approached them. Ryo pulled her to her feet, and stood protectively before her.
"I have no regrets about fighting you to the death. Let us travel to the Netherworld together."
Ryo groaned inwardly. Just when he thought he'd get out of this alive, this bastard had to refuse to die and come after him for one last stand.
Fucking human, he thought angrily.
Izayoi looked from one man to the other. What was Ryo going to do?
"Inu Yasha," he said. Izayoi frowned.
"What's that?" Takemaru shouted.
"The infant's name. The child shall be called Inu Yasha."
Izayoi looked at the little boy. The name suited him admirably.
"Now go!" The words were harsh. She paused; was he speaking to her?
He looked at her over his shoulder impatiently. She frowned, desperate.
"No, not without you!"
His heart lifted, and he was no longer angry. She wanted to stay with him, but he could not allow it; she and the child had to live; he would see to it.
"If you don't get out of here, that pup won't have a mother to depend on. Go, Izayoi, for me."
Finally, she nodded, and turned to flee, the cold snow biting into her feet as she ran through it, and up the hillside behind the mansion. The last thing she saw before the whole structure collapsed were Ryo and Takemaru clashing swords, and what she thought was a large Dragon, but dismissed it as a figment of her imagination, a trick of the flames. Tears flowed from her eyes as she heard his voice in her head:
Izayoi, you must survive! Live a long life. Live long and well - with Inu Yasha.
She looked at the child cradled in her arms. He was so sweet, and his ears were cuter than a button. He was the only reminder of Ryo she had, and she would cherish him like no other. For the first time in her life she didn't understand why people were so afraid to accept demon and half-demon children. They were just as precious as every other child - maybe even more so, and should be treated as such. She vowed that as long as she lived her little boy would have a good life, and would never know what it was to be deemed unfit for society.
She bit off a little more than she could chew.
oOo
Five years later, Sesshoumaru walked past a village, and a familiar scent came to his nose, her scent. He narrowed his eyes. What was she doing here? He decided to investigate.
Izayoi sat with a book in her lap, with several children around her, all listening raptly as she read out loud to them, her face changing to suit the mood of the story. One moment she was serious, the next she was laughing. The children were having a great time. He waited until she was through and the children had disappeared, back to their own homes. She smiled at them as they departed, then closed her book and rose to go inside. He noticed that she no longer wore the many layers of a princess; now, she wore a simple yet intricately embroidered kimono, and her hair was shorter.
He stepped from behind the tree he had been observing her from.
She jumped, then put a hand to her heart.
"Sesshoumaru! Don't scare me like that! I've been feeling oddly enough as it is lately, are you trying to kill me?"
He said nothing, nor smiled, as he approached her. She let him.
Pausing before her, he lifted her hair in his hand, and shook his head. She said nothing.
As they stood there staring at each other, he feeling lust again for the first time since he'd seen her last, she feeling fondness for the first time since she'd seen him last, a small boy with white hair came streaking toward them, shouting, "Mommy! Mommy! Who's dat man?" and pointing his clawed little finger.
Izayoi tore her gaze away as the child latched onto her legs, and looked up at Sesshoumaru. He felt the urge to smile, but the child's face, bearing no marks to identify him as his own, made him pause. For some inexplicable reason he felt relief; but on the other hand, he still felt cheated, too.
"Inu Yasha, don't point sweetheart, it's rude," she admonished him, and his ears drooped. She continued, "This is your brother, Sesshoumaru."
Even though Sesshoumaru could find no feeling of love in his heart for this child of his Father's, the man who'd stolen the woman before him away, he had to admit that the boy was a cute little bastard, in his little red haori and hakama.
"Hello, Sessomaru," he said, trying, but failing to correctly pronounce his brother's name.
Sesshoumaru looked back at him, his face blank.
Izayoi said then, "Sweetheart, why don't you run along and play? Mommy has some things she needs to discuss with Sesshoumaru."
Inu Yasha nodded, and ran away, looking for his toys.
Izayoi faced Sesshoumaru again. "I'm sorry, but he isn't yours. It's for the best, I suppose." She looked at her hands.
Sesshoumaru suddenly recalled a time when he had prayed very hard to the Gods that the child not be his, but still felt disappointment in the region of his heart. It was all he was capable of feeling, now.
"I only came to see if you were well; I picked up your scent, and followed it. If you ever need me, I will not be far away." Izayoi noticed that he seemed to refer only to her, and not the child. She wondered if maybe she was reading too much into his explanation.
"Thank you," she said, and then added, "Will I see you again?"
He had turned his back, and was leaving. He paused, and looking over his shoulder, in a way that reminded her so much of Ryo, minus the stoic expression, he replied, "That depends on you."
She nodded once, and he continued on his way. She watched him go, his silver hair blowing in the wind, his posture so straight, his steps measured, his silhouette almost red against the sunset.
You are your Father's son, Sesshoumaru, she thought sadly, her heart going out to him; he was miserable, and it pained her to see him this way.
I just hope that one day you'll realise that.
oOo
Well, that's it. Hope you guys liked it, it took me two whole days to write. What a bastard, eh? Lemme hear from ya, I wanna know everything you have to say about this story! Review, review, review!
