I do not own Inuyasha.

With the author's permission, I used Unkoyasha (demon poo) included in "A demon's demon" by Renho (Fanfiction user). I wholeheartedly loved this short, funny story. Thank you for many new follows!

Chapter 25

A shiver of anticipation run all over his body, with fuming Tadao, Sesshoumaru could discontinue distressing about holding off. He impaled the frozen ground with his sword and screamed: "Soryuuha" An azure lightning struck the ground, a wave of powerful energy rushed towards Tadao, pulverising everything on the way. The wolf demon was aware that Sesshoumaru was just warming up, he decided not to yield and he evaded the attack by lunging forward, his claws glowing red.

Tadao grabbed Sesshoumaru's sword with his bare hand. The western lord lifted his eyebrow in a wonder, yet he did not permit himself to be taken aback. He had already anticipated the subsequent attack, he expected Tadao to strike with his left arm, therefore he kicked the wolf demon's ankles, braking his composure and preventing his next move. Tadao jumped back, his eyes firmly fixed on his opponent. There was no other being that entertained him as much as lord Sesshoumaru, he was the only one to withhold his robust attacks. During numerous skirmishes they had, Tadao could deduce the obvious strength variance. He could serve as a sparring partner; however, lord of the west had enough strength and resources to subdue him. Yet, Tadao had never pressed his capabilities to their maximum, imaginably if he put adequate effort, he could at least give lord Sesshoumaru a hard time winning.

As the wolf companion of Tadao attempted to join the fight, Inuyasha pointed Tessaiga at them, baring his sharp fangs. Regardless of their affairs, Inuyasha would not allow his blood to be shamelessly ambushed.

Sesshoumaru's senses were entirely attentive to the demon in front of him, dulled to everything else besides him. He frankly enjoyed fighting Tadao, who unmistakably possessed strength that could be comparable to his own. They both were too mesmerised in the fight, that Yuutsuki's feeble efforts to cease their action went unnoticed. Inuyasha perceived the barely conscious girl entering the battleground of the powerful demons. Shockingly, none of them seen her approaching the middle of sword swings and clashes. He loudly swore and threw himself forward to prevent Yuutsuki from incurring any harm. He projected his Kaze no Kizu precisely between Sesshoumaru and Yuutsuki, leaving Tadao on the girl's side.

"Blind, aren't you both blind?!" Inuyasha pointed at scared Yuutsuki pushed to the ground by her own faintness. "Why are you fighting over her as if she is a thing? Let her decide where she wants to go!"

Sesshoumaru reluctantly sheathed his sword, observing Tadao relaxing his stance. The western lord slowly approached Yuutsuki and silently estimated she had not been wounded. Tadao knelt next to her and swept the brown locks out of her face, discerning the girl's glassy eyes.

"I'm sorry, pretty. We surely scared you, it was foolish of us to let you see us fight like this." Yuutsuki lifted her eyes, pursuing Sesshoumaru's gaze, however he had turned away as he did not desire to see Tadao so close to his human.

The girl stood up and bowed her head to Sesshoumaru. "Thank you for today. I am grateful." She clasped her hands, deliberating how he would react to her following words. "It appears I cannot go home yet, so I decided to take on Tadao's offer and visit north. I would not be able to come with you, there are other things that should be your priority. Also, as you mentioned before, there is no need to nourish a dead tree. There is nothing that would force you to be concerned about me anymore." Her chest tightened more with every second of pregnant silence that settled after she had finished speaking. The girl was mindful of Sesshoumaru's invariable, benevolent attitude; still she was unpretentious enough to eliminate herself out of his way, so he could focus on his principal objectives. Finally, Sesshoumaru moved his head up, as if relishing on the icy gusts of air. He tranquilly uttered: "Do as you wish then." The dog demon gracefully jumped up and vanished within a sphere of glistening energy.

Yuutsuki suffered inner discomfort due to Sesshoumaru's sudden departure; it clearly reflected on her tired face. She observed the cloudy moon as Tadao said his farewells to Inuyasha and gently lifted her in his arms. The wolf demon sensed her awkwardness, still this night she had directly rejected him. The weariness caused her to doze off relatively fast, sleeping throughout the full journey.

Yuutsuki's nose picked up a smell of cooked vegetables and meat. She felt her stomach rumble and she abruptly opened her dark eyes. The first image that she perceived was smiling Tadao resting next to her bedding. She had never seen anyone with such a contagious, bright smile. It was not only his mouth laughing, his eyes would display a charming sparkle and a small hole formed in his right cheek. Yuutsuki smiled back and curiously looked around. The walls were rather low and made out of bare brick, yet it brought a feeling of cosiness, especially with dancing shadows of a vivid fireplace. The wooden windows were shut, indicating it was night again.

"I do not remember how we got here. Did I sleep for a long time?" Tadao's grey eyes widened, perceiving her face in silence. "Tadao?"

He smiled again, as if only now he head her words. "I am sorry, pretty. I have not had a chance to cherish your gorgeous eyes for some time." The demon got up, pretending he had not noticed her slightly bashful expression. "I will send someone to help you refresh yourself, the dinner is waiting, and surely you are hungry." Not waiting for her approval, he left the room and in a minute, a human girl entered the place, holding a pile of clothes. The child introduced herself and offered to guide her to the restroom. Yuutsuki gladly accepted the offer and she was amazed to find herbs in the warm water within the wooden tub. She also noted flasks that appeared to be medicines and fresh material bandages tidily arranged on a silver tray.

"How did you know I am injured?" Yuutsuki felt discomfort of the skin on her ribs as the wounds brushed against the fabric. The girl smiled and casually clarified:

"Lord Tadao told us what to prepare. I will turn around, once you enter the bathtub, please let me know, I will disinfect the wounds and help you to wash yourself." Yuutsuki nodded and removed the battered clothing. She wavered before throwing out Sesshoumaru's outer jacket.

The wounds reopened once in contact with the warm water, however the herbs alleviated the searing sting. The girl sent by Tadao proved to be helpful, she scrubbed and dried her hair, also bandaged her wounds after cleansing them. She also prepared garments that would not restrict her movements and irritate the wounds. During the bath, the child told her about her daily life in Tadao's main establishment.

Once Yuutsuki was fully ready to present herself to the man of the house, she was guided to a large hall with united tables. Only table candles dimly illuminated the place, the aroma of food mixed with wax was present in the air. Yuutsuki was very astonished at the human girl tending her, but after entering the dining room, she grasped that in Tadao's household demons interacted with humans, most likely on daily basis. Most of the table places were taken, therefore some humans and demons were sitting on the flooring, still immersed in the discussion with others. Tadao instantaneously spotted his favourite invitee and drew near her with a pleasant smile. Many eyes followed their lord and curiously pondered about the beautiful human. The wolf demon was wearing gold, patterned outfit with some light armour on his arms, shoulders and torso. The purple-black kimono adorning Yuutsuki's pale skin and dark features pleased him; he noted she gained some healthy weight, as she was no longer honing or utilising the sword skills.

"Come with me, I just need to finish a conversation and I am yours." Yuutsuki shadowed him to the table as he wished and took the free space on his direct right.

"Dear generals, this is my lovely guest, Ren Yuutsuki." Tadao introduced her to the group of wolf demons sitting by his table. They presented their respect by bowing their heads, she greeted them in the same way. "Great, please continue Nabu." Yuutsuki was still spellbound as her kendo teacher was in fact a wolf demon faithful to Tadao. She consumed the lamb stew served to her as Nabu was giving Tadao details of the latest battle. He explained the amount of killed soldiers, number of saved inhabitants in the region and what interesting values the land had. After that battle, more than half of northern regions no longer remained under the rebels' control, hence the ongoing celebration. Tadao issued instructions where to distribute the existing troops. With this information, the generals left the table.

"Congratulations on your victory." Yuutsuki felt the necessity to display her acknowledgement. "I really fancy the atmosphere in here."

The wolf demon nodded and titled his head in amusement. "Very different from the western ones, is it not?" The girl lowered her gaze and smiled without humour. "Yes. I do not have to feel restricted in addressing you, also the demon-human relation seems to be unique compared to other places. How did you achieve it?"

"More importantly, what happened to the ring?" Tadao pointed at the bare silver ring deprived of three shiny jewels. Her lips tightened and she looked at him with an uneasiness in her eyes.

"I deliberately allowed too much of demon energy to enter my body. I broke it and can no longer use it." She hesitated before continuing for too long, therefore Tadao intentionally changed the topic.

"I have so many visitors in my house that all rooms are taken with five or more guests in them. I am afraid you will have to share a room with me today." Yuutsuki sharply exhaled in a surprise and her eyebrows curved up, yet she smiled, knowing he would not harm her in any way.

Four young female demons rashly populated the vacant sits near the human and Tadao, the girls were giggling and curiously looking at them.

"Are you a couple?" A slender, blond haired girl with sweet face and sparkling, green eyes looked at Tadao with a mild smile. The answer was highly anticipated by the other females.

"Yuutsuki, this is my half-sister Misaki. She and her charming friends are very curious of everything."

"Yes, we are. Tell us about lord Sesshoumaru!" Yuutsuki's smile significantly faded at Misaki's plea.

"Lord Sesshoumaru is the strongest, most handsome demon alive." Tadao started with a serious voice. "He can kill any demon just by looking at them..." The girls sighted in awe. "His hair is so shiny like a midnight lake that it reflects everything around it, his golden eyes are so deep you can get hypnotised if you look for too long."

"Waaaah…" The demons were greedily listening to his words. They were surprised once Tadao's brown haired companion also spoke:

"Lord Sesshoumaru lacks in many aspects. For example this male here has much more defined muscles." Yuutsuki grabbed his heavy arm and pointed at his carved muscles. Tadao was amused by her sudden attack on Sesshoumaru. "Sesshoumaru's voice can easily scare you and mislead you. He also dislikes speaking and his face always remains expressionless, so you never know what he thinks."

"Yes, yes." Tadao nodded his head affirmatively, having fun looking at their faces. "There is one, awful thing about him."

"What is?"

"You have to tell us!"

Yuutsuki did not share the same eagerness as the young demons, she was curiously observing the unknown side of Tadao being a big brother. He tilted towards the middle of the table, as if he was about to tell a great secret and his arm unexpectedly embraced Yuutsuki's shoulders, also pulling her nearer.

"Once per half of the year the great lord of the west goes to a place where no one can see him and he defecates an Unkoyasha, the deadly demon poop. It is in his obligation to slay it, as it is almost as strong as he is. After the stinky is slayed, the smell remains with the lord of the west for weeks, such is power of his poo."

"EWWWW…" Among of screams and sights of disgust, Yuutsuki burst with genuine laughter, practically crying at Tadao's joke. The demons finally recognised that Tadao was making fun out of them, so they left with pouting lips, annoyed at the shameless disgrace of the wonderful lord Sesshoumaru. Tadao ceased his embrace, calmly reached for his cup and drank the beverage in one go.

"You are sad, are you not?" She looked into his concerned eyes, but remained silent.

"I did not expect Sesshoumaru to mate Yoko either. I do not think he has ever planned to do so before." He placed his harsh hand on her cheek and caressed it softly. Yuutsuki's heart race increased and she felt a bizarre feeling spreading within her stomach and chest. The girl discretely looked around to check if anyone was paying attention. Surprisingly, no one was actively staring, even the demons sitting relatively close. Tadao delicately turned her chin towards him and spoke quietly: "They do not care. There is nothing to worry about." Tadao moved closer and stopped an inch before her lips, giving her plenty of room to reject him. Yuutsuki could only hear her rapid breathing, she was not sure if the feeling of tightened chest and stomach were due to anticipation and excitement of Tadao's fondness, or distress and burden. Seeing no signs of demur, he kissed her, softly at first, only touching her lips with his. The real kiss caused her to shiver in enjoyment, and yet she feared responding to his affection as an invisible barrier triggered in her heart. Tadao was certainly physically attractive and possessed an incredible personality, however she was unable to treat him as an object of romantic interest. She harboured feelings for Sesshoumaru.

"I am sure you would be fine with me. Here or in the future, wherever you choose to live. You would only need some time." The wolf demon sensed her hesitation. "However, a sincere, genuine feeling of love comes only once in your life." His expression suddenly became stern. "The thing you and I are feeling right now is a sign of physical attraction." His eyes darkened and there was not a shade of jest in them. "But it is not desire that ensures loyalty and happiness. I lost the woman I boundlessly loved and I had accepted the fact, that whatever I will have in the future will be different, not necessarily worse, just not as special." Yuutsuki also got up and faced his concerned expression. He ruffled his hair, visibly embarrassed by sudden confessions. Nonetheless, Yuutsuki listened carefully; she sought his hand and grasped it delicately. Tadao sighed and met the dark, moist eyes. Yuutsuki had clearly taken the full occurrence very emotionally. Her voice shook nervously as she spoke:

"He does not want me, I am an obvious obstacle. I know he has some feelings towards me, but the circumstances he chose to be in do not allow me to be involved."

Tadao placed his arms on her narrow shoulders and he smiled, with the same charm as usually. "The fear in your eyes confirmed my doubts. I would be glad to have you entrust yourself to me, but I care too much for you and lord Sesshoumaru to deprive you both of something special that still could happen. The fact that he has a mate does not mean that he cannot make you happy now or in the future." Tadao hugged Yuutsuki, allowing her to hide her face in his chest. He did not want it to sound like a rejection, nor as a favour, he primarily wished to be faithful to his own nature. "I am sorry Tadao. I rely so much on your kindness." Yuutsuki bit her lip, suddenly immersed in a weird sadness full of melancholy, yet no tears appeared in her eyes.

"Yes you do. I wish this clueless dog would already treat you, as he should. If you ever come back to me and allow me so much freedom as today, I will not give you an opportunity to make your own choice. Am I clear?" He pulled her away and met her dark, surprisingly dry eyes. "Now, I should go before I change my mind." Tadao smiled apologetically. "I am sure that lord Sesshoumaru will soon visit this place. I would not be surprised if he appeared tomorrow. I want you to make up with him."

A full week passed since the meaningful conversation with Tadao. Yuutsuki was able to enjoy his companion every evening during a meal, he liked telling stories and riddles. The girl wondered if Sesshoumaru would bother coming to the north. His pride was surely hurt after she had decided to accompany Tadao rather than him. Being so dignified, there was a possibility that she would never see him again, in spite of Tadao's rush assumptions.

On the fortieth evening that she passed in the north, after the evening meal Tadao invited her to his room to spend some time together. The sun was still in the sky, the spring wind carried a sweet scent in the air. Hours passed in overall cheerful mood until Yuutsuki asked:

"Who was the one you loved?" Tadao smiled at the recollection of his former lover. He poured a full cup of alcohol for himself and Yuutsuki.

"I think I like you a lot because you somewhat remind me about her." The girl curved her eyebrows in surprise. "She was a Ren, like yourself."

"That is unexpected." Yuutsuki squinted and invited the wolf demon to resume the story with a gesture.

"She never talked much, did not have any special charms apart from her pretty face." Tadao smiled again. "We were lovers, I wanted to mate her. I felt that special something every time I touched or kissed her. But one day I got swayed by another female…" Yuutsuki looked at him questioningly.

"Yes, she saw us. She never wanted to speak to me again, at some point she met a half demon and she got pregnant." Tadao nodded his head, as if confirming in his thoughts what he had said. "This half demon, an acquaintance of lord Sesshoumaru, helped her to return home after asking a witch for directions. I always found it strange and I could never understand it." The wolf demon swept his long blonde hair back, yawned and stretched his body, not noticing Yuutsuki's shocked glare.

"Wait." She put her drink away. "What was the name of your lover?"

Tadao closed his eyes and with warm voice uttered:

"Ren, Hanako Ren."

Yuutsuki was flabbergasted. She chuckled and nodded her head in disbelief.

"No wonder I remind you of her. She was my grandmother." Tadao's eyes widened in surprise and as he made a sudden movement leaning forward, the unruly hair returned to its original position.

"What? How's that possible?!"

"She travelled from the future, Sesshoumaru told me that he went with the demon you mentioned to a witch so my grandma could return home. He said she got married and gave birth to my father not long after she came back, however her husband died. My father was sent to the past, yet he has never returned."

"This is unbelievable... I…" Tadao did not finish the sentence, his posture straightened in distress. "Stay here." Suddenly Nabu and two other demons dressed in the same outfit appeared in the room.

"They are coming. We await your instructions."

"How many?" Tadao reached for his heavy armour.

"About double of what we expected." The wolf demon sighed; his face was rather grim. "Got you. I will meet you outside in a minute."

The three demon generals left and Yuutsuki looked at Tadao's bright smile.

"I am leaving one guard with you. If things get nasty he will take you to a safe place." Yuutsuki grasped his left wrist, her face was covered with concern.

"Do not make such a face, I survived worse things. I need to go." Tadao hesitated a bit and he kissed her forehead before leaving. The girl obviously could not sleep even for a minute, but her vigilance did not prevent a startle once she heard the sounds of battle moving inside of the house when it was nearly dawn. She took a short sword lying around and left Tadao's room. Yuutsuki could hear swords clashing among screams of females and grunts of males. The guard left by Tadao strongly opposed to her ruthless action, she knew herself that she rather needed protection than was able to provide one, however Tadao's sister was stuck in her head. The girl hoped that the lord of the north did not forget to arrange her security. Without the ring, Yuutsuki was unable to sense presences, she had her regular strength and her increased speed only. That was the reason why she could not see an unknown warrior throwing a sharp, wooden spear straight towards her side as she was looking around. Once she noticed it, the fear paralysed her, which made it impossible for the girl to attempt avoiding it.

The guard did notice the flying weapon, but he was too far away to reach the human. Yuutsuki shut her eyes and unwillingly stretched her hands in front of her, as if she wished to catch the sharp weapon.

A/N: Hi, the next chapter is nearly finished. Originally I wished to post them both together, but I assumed it is better to give you 3-4k chapter to read rather than 8k of words at once.