So here is chapter four! I had a little trouble with this one, for some reason it was hard to write. This chapter is set entirely in the past. I will be doing that with a couple chapters, only because the story in the past is set over a greater amount of time than the one in the present. I hope you like it!
Edited as of 08/23/2020: Grammar and punctuation errors fixed. Reformatted sentences to be more reader friendly. Minor details added.
Disclaimer: I own nothing Inuyasha, nor do I own anything by Ciara.
Recap: In the past, Sesshomaru and the others have arrived at fox demon village and have met Lord Minoru, the father of the girls the younger boys are intended to marry. And in the present, Sesshomaru is closing in on the fox demons who kidnapped Rin! But Inuyasha says he can tell something about these demons is bothering his brother. What about them has Sesshomaru on edge exactly?
And I know that it hurts. You know that it hurts your pride, but you thought the grass was greener on the other side. I bet you start loving me, soon as I start loving someone else. Somebody better than you (Ciara: I Bet)
*The Demon Village, Many Years Ago*
It was strange, Sesshomaru thought, being in a human village. Especially one that was filled to the brim with fox demons. As the foursome followed Minoru through the village, Sesshomaru felt the unease of the southern clan. He knew they kept themselves isolated, but it hadn't occurred to him that the foxes would be so unwelcoming. Several members of the clan stopped to glare at the sudden visitors, the young dog demon and his father in particular. Sesshomaru couldn't help but scoff. It seemed his tribe weren't the only ones who were against him becoming the mate of Lord Minoru's daughter.
Yasuhiro nudged his friend's arm. The younger demon glanced at the older boy as the fox leaned over to whisper into his ear.
"Is it just me, or is Minoru the only one happy to see us?"
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes. "Obviously it's not just you. They look as if they want to kill us."
"Good thing our fathers came with us." Yasuhiro mumbled, leaning away from the other boy. Sesshomaru looked at him, eyebrow raised.
"You sound a little nervous. Don't think you could take them?" he asked. Yasuhiro shook his head.
"I may be confident in my abilities, but I'm no fool. We're surrounded and we've no idea how these foxes fight."
"Not true." Sesshomaru said, "Your father told you they have physical control over their territory. Whatever that means."
Now it was the older boy's turn to raise his eyebrows at his friend. "And where are we, exactly, Pup?" Sesshomaru bit the inside of his cheek and let out a snort.
"Fair point. I doubt Minoru would let anything happen to us, though."
"And yet, that thought does little to reassure me." Yasuhiro muttered, watching the older man in front of them. Lord Minoru was happily describing his village to their fathers. It was strange to them, neither of the boys had ever met another demon who seemed as kind as the old fox appeared to be. It made them question whether or not he would really be able to control an entire village of fox demons who were angry at the decisions he was making.
"Stop falling behind, you two!" Inu no Taisho called back suddenly. Both boys snapped out of their thoughts to see that the three elder men were now quite a ways ahead of them. They shared a final look, and then moved to catch up to their fathers.
"Too busy gossiping to keep up?" The old dog teased. Sesshomaru gave his father a cold look. Yasuhiro grinned.
"We were just admiring the village, Sir."
"Is that so?" the Dog General muttered. "Well, perhaps you could admire it and keep pace with us?" The two boys nodded their heads.
After a short while, Minoru led them to a very large, old house. The fox gestured for his guests to enter the building ahead of him. It was a sparsely decorated home, and it smelled to Sesshomaru as if dust clung to every surface. Minoru asked his guests to sit with him. The two older men sat near the fox demon, the three of them still cheerfully chatting about the many things going on in their respective territories. The boys sat a little ways away from the adults. Sesshomaru could hear Lord Minoru complaining about a demon in his lands who was attacking some of the smaller tribes in the area. Yasuhiro poked him harshly in the side to get his attention.
Sesshomaru turned to glare at the older boy. "What?"
Yasuhiro leaned in to whisper again. "Can you smell that? There are people in the adjoining room. I think we're going to be meeting Minoru's daughters soon."
Sesshomaru tested the air. He could pick up three new scents coming from the door just behind the adults. One was very light, and smelled like grass and soil. Another was thick and clung heavily to Sesshomaru's throat as he breathed deeply. The scent was of a hot, summer rain.
"One of them smells like they've been playing in a vegetable garden." Yasuhiro muttered. Sesshomaru nodded. The third scent did smell like wet dirt and leaves.
"It's all three of them." he told the fox.
"Huh. I figured their father would just want the two we're supposed to marry to meet us right now."
"Maybe the child insisted on coming?" Sesshomaru suggested. "Father's said the old fox is the type to let his daughters do as they please."
"I could see that." Yasuhiro said. The boys watched as Minoru let out a carefree laugh at something Lord Tamotsu said. They listened for a moment as Yasuhiro's father asked about the barrier surrounding the village. It seemed the eldest daughter was able to cover quite a large area with her barrier. The boys were impressed when Minoru said it went as far as the river a almost a mile south of the village.
Yasuhiro leaned over to say something else to the younger demon beside him, when suddenly, they were interrupted.
"Are you boys gossiping again?" Inu no Taisho teased. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes.
"No." he Dog General smiled at the annoyed tone in his son's voice.
"Well stop whatever you are doing and pay attention." Lord Tamotsu said. "Lord Minoru says it's time for you to meet his daughters."
The two boys shared a glance and then looked back towards their fathers, straightening their backs and holding their heads high. The older demons nodded at them and Lord Minoru rose and walked towards the door to the other room. He slid it open and moved to the side, gesturing to the men in the room.
"Come, girls, I want you to meet my friends."
Three girls walked into the room. The tallest of the girls had thick red hair that fell to her thighs. The right part of her bangs were held up by a bright, ivory comb. Her kimono was a dark blue color with a purple and white floral pattern on it and she wore a pink obi. The girls large eyes were a stunning shade of crimson. Impatience was radiating out of them.
The second girl to enter the room looked to be about Sesshomaru's height. She had dark brown hair held up in a ponytail with long bangs that fell into her yellow eyes. Her kimono was a bright orange color with flowers decorating it as well, though hers were colored red and pink. She had a gentle smile on her face as she looked at the others in the room.
The last one was obviously the youngest child of Lord Minoru. She was a very short kid, and her thick red hair was held up in two ponytails at the sides of her head. She had large yellow eyes that were brimming with excitement. Sesshomaru noticed all three girls were barefoot.
The girls followed Minoru, taking their places beside him as he took his seat. Minoru smiled at his daughters. "Allow me to introduce my children. This is Mika, Moriko, and Maiko." He pointed to the tall red-head, the brunette, and the small child as he said each of their names.
The other men greeted the girls. Inu no Taisho smiled kindly at them and gestured to the boys. "Now, please allow us to introduce our sons. This is my boy, Sesshomaru." The younger dog demon nodded his head.
"And this is my son, Yasuhiro." Tamotsu said as the fox beside Sesshomaru grinned.
Minoru looked at the girls. "Their sons are going to be staying with us for awhile so the four of you can get to know each other more."
The brunette girl, Moriko, smiled. "Well, we are very happy to have you here." she said politely. Her voice was soft and slightly high-pitched.
Lord Minoru clapped his hands together. "Well, you four have had a long journey here. Why don't you rest now, and we can continue this tomorrow?"
The next day came quickly, at least it seemed that way to Sesshomaru. All too soon, Yasuhiro was dragging him out of the room he and his father had slept in. The fox told him Minoru had said for the two boys and the oldest girls to take a walk around the village. Sesshomaru pulled himself out of the clingy demon's grasp, the glare on his face easily giving away his dislike for the idea. Yasuhiro pouted at his friend as they turned to walk down a hallway that would lead them outside.
"You don't want to see more of the village?"
"No. I really don't feel like being glared at by those fox demons out there." Sesshomaru told the older boy. "Honestly, I'm surprised you do. Yesterday you were terrified of the idea of our fathers not being around while we were near the villagers."
"I wasn't terrified, I was being cautious." Yasuhiro said, crossing his arms. "But we've been here a whole day and those testy foxes out there haven't done anything. We'll be fine."
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the taller boy. Yasuhiro wouldn't normally try and push the dog demon into doing something he didn't want to do. He knew it would only put the dog in a foul mood. That meant there was another reason the fox was so eager to walk around the village with Minoru's daughters.
"What are you up to?" Sesshomaru asked. Yasuhiro opened his mouth, most likely to lie and say he wasn't up to anything, but the younger boy stopped him with a glare. Instead, Yasuhiro grinned and swung his arm around his friend's shoulder.
"We haven't been told which of the girls are the ones that Minoru picked for us to marry. I thought it'd be a fun game to see if we could guess. So, are you going to play or not, Pup?" Sesshomaru sighed. It sounded childish, but he was already bored and he doubted that anything around here would change that. He nodded at the fox.
"Great! Moriko and Mika are outside waiting for us. I told them that would probably happen a lot, seeing as how you're always late."
"I am not..." Sesshomaru grumbled. Yasuhiro laughed. "You know, you could always just ask them which of them is the oldest. That will give you your answer."
"But that's no fun." Yasuhiro whined. "No asking them that! And I've already told them they're not to tell us. We have to guess!"
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes. "Fine. But you do realize this game of yours isn't going to last very long, right?"
Yasuhiro looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Sesshomaru gave the older fox an incredulous look. "Two of them have red hair, just like Minoru. It's obvious they're the actual siblings. And you said the oldest wasn't actually his child. So, that means the brown-haired girl is the oldest and the one you're supposed to marry."
"Or perhaps their mother had brown hair, and one of the daughters inherited it." said a sultry alto as the two boys exited the house. "Two of us have yellow eyes like Minoru. So by your logic, Dog, those two must be the siblings. Which would make me the oldest and the fox's future wife."
They looked over to see Mika. She had an amused look in her eyes. Moriko was standing beside her, smiling patiently.
"Lots of demons have yellow eyes." Sesshomaru told the taller girl. "That means nothing."
"Lots of demons have red hair as well. So I suppose that means nothing either."
Sesshomaru bit the inside of his cheek as he glared at the smug red-head.
"Brilliant argument, Mika." Yasuhiro said, grinning. He looked at the younger boy beside him. "So this means we get to play our game after all."
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes again. "Let's just go on this walk already."
The girls led them through a part of the village Minoru hadn't shown them the day before. It was easy to see just how old this village was from the buildings here. Many of them were falling apart. The fields at the edge of their home was overgrown and full of weeds. The two girls happily greeted the other foxes as the foursome passed by. Sesshomaru grit his teeth as he caught more than one of the demon villagers glaring at him.
It was a long and boring walk, at least to the dog demon. Yasuhiro was chatting with Mika while Moriko stayed a little ways back with Sesshomaru. The brown-haired girl smiled at the older boy.
"You're a dog demon?" she asked quietly. Sesshomaru glanced her way.
"Yes."
"I've never met a dog demon before." Sesshomaru looked her way again for a moment, but said nothing. He didn't really like small talk. Moriko just smiled patiently again.
"Is it true you can transform into a giant dog?"
"Yes." Sesshomaru sighed.
"What's that like?" she asked. Sesshomaru looked at her, confused.
"What?"
"What's it like to transform?"
"It's like any transformation would be, I suppose." Sesshomaru said, shrugging. Moriko nodded.
"Do you do it often?"
"No."
"Why not?" she asked.
"It is easier to fight in this form."
"Do you like to fight, Dog?" Mika asked, stopping to look back at him. Sesshomaru glared at her.
" My name is not 'Dog.' Do not call me that again."
"Fine. Do you like to fight, Sesshomaru?"
"I suppose."
"Are you strong?" Mika asked.
"He's very strong, and he's one hell of a sparring partner.." Yasuhiro said. "Do you two like to fight?"
"I do." Mika said. "Moriko doesn't, even though her powers would be incredibly helpful on the battlefield."
"What are your powers?" the fox asked the brunette. She smiled at him.
"Would you boys like to spar so you can see?"
The fox and the dog shared a glance. Yasuhiro gave the younger girls an excited grin. "Sounds like fun."
The foursome made their way quickly to a large field beside the river south of the village. The grass here reached Sesshomaru's knees. Mika volunteered to fight first. Yasuhiro was quick to challenge her, curiosity shining in his red eyes as he wondered what kind of powers the two younger girls might possess. The two foxes moved to stand a couple yards in front of Sesshomaru and Moriko.
"No actual weapons this time around. Deal?" the red-head said.
"Deal." Yasuhiro answered.
Mika grinned, before suddenly charging forward, her form becoming nothing more than a blur. The older fox's eyes widened in surprise at her speed, but he was easily able to dodge the punch she threw his way. Yasuhiro responded with a swift kick aimed at the girl's side, which she narrowly avoided. Mika rolled to the side and tried to kick Yasuhiro's legs out from under him, but the boy jumped to the side. She flipped back into a standing position and charged forward once more, trying to land a hit on her opponent. Yasuhiro dodged the attacks with ease, but Mika's movement's were too fast for him to try and land a blow himself. Suddenly, an idea popped into the fox demons head. He let Mika land a harsh blow to the side of his face, which caused him to slide back along the ground a few feet away. When he regained his footing, Yasuhiro grinned and stretched his arm out in front of him, his palm facing upwards. Mika flipped back, creating even more distance between the two of them. She waited for a moment as the fox concentrated, wanting to see what these boys were capable of.
A bright orange flame appeared in the demon's hand. Mika watched wearily as the fire crackled dangerously. Suddenly, the older boy ran forward, hurling the flames at the girl. Mika flipped back again, nearing the edge of the river. The fire landed where she'd been standing only a moment before, the grass there instantly set ablaze.
She grinned. "My turn!"
Mika focused her energy and slowly lifted her arms. The two boys watched in amazement as the water behind her began to shift. Soon, a small column of water was rising out of the river. Mika quickly swung her arms around in a circle, causing the liquid to burst towards the stunned fox, It slammed Yasuhiro in the chest, knocking him to the ground and completely soaking him. Sesshomaru bit the inside of his cheek to stop the grin from forming as he looked down at the sodden form of his friend.
Mika let out a laugh as she walked over to help the older boy to his feet. "I guess that means I won. You're lucky. Normally, I would drown people in my water in order to defeat them, but making you look like a fool seemed just as good."
She pulled the boy up, smirking as he grimaced at his wet clothes. "So, you can control water?" he asked. "That's a strange power for a fox demon."
Mika shrugged, "I guess. Though a lot of the demons in my clan can."
Yasuhiro nodded, before looking at Moriko. "So, you control water as well?"
The brunette shook her head. "No. My powers are different."
"Show them to us." Sesshomaru insisted. Moriko shared a look with her sister, before smiling at the dog demon.
"I already am."
The dog looked at her, confused by her words. Moriko bit her lip, amusement dancing in her golden eyes as she pointed down at the boy's feet. Sesshomaru looked towards where she was motioning, his eyes widening in surprise at what he saw. The tall grass he'd been standing in had wrapped tightly around his legs. He was sure if he tried to move he would find himself unable to. Though, it did look as if all he would need to do to free himself was cut the grass that ensnared his legs.
"You control plant-life." he said. Moriko nodded.
"That's not all!" Mika bragged, "My sister can cast one hell of a sleeping spell as well."
"Oh?" Yasuhiro said, walking towards them. "Can you show us?"
"No. I'm afraid that, what with him being a dog demon, Sesshomaru has a much more heightened sense of smell than the rest of us. It would cause the spell to have a very strong effect on him." Moriko explained, watching as the demon in question used his sharp talons to remove the grass entangling his feet.
Once he was finished, Sesshomaru stood straight again and looked at the girls. "Do other demons in your tribe have these abilities?"
"Yes." Mika answered, moving to stand beside the shorter boy. "Some, like our father, even have the power to control water and plants."
Sesshomaru looked at Yasuhiro. "I know what your father meant now when he said they have physical control of the land they live on."
Yasuhiro cocked his head in confusion. Sesshomaru gestured to their surroundings.
"They literally control the land. It'd be rather hard to battle an enemy that can use the ground you're standing on as a weapon."
Yasuhiro looked impressed. "No wonder our fathers are so determined to stay on your clan's good side."
"It's nice to know you boys appreciate how much of a threat we are." Mika said.
Sesshomaru scoffed. "I appreciate that you're not boring. It'd be easy to work around your abilities."
Mika glared at the older boy. "How so?"
"Burn this field to the ground and Moriko loses her weapon. And only a fool would remain near a body of water once he discovered what your power was." The dog demon explained.
Yasuhiro nodded, thinking over the other boy's words. He asked, "but what about the sleeping spell?"
Sesshomaru thought it over. "Hm. I'm not sure, but it wouldn't take me long to find a way around that as well."
Mika looked angry at the dog, but Moriko was smiling patiently.
"I'm sure you could, but it'd be easy for us to stop you from ever rendering our powers useless."
"How so?" Sesshomaru was the one to ask this time.
"It'd be hard for Yasuhiro to set the field on fire if he's too busy trying not to drown."
"I've already said to avoid the water."
"But you've no idea how far away you'd need to be for Mika to lose control of the river." Moriko pointed out. Sesshomaru nodded, grudgingly admitting the demoness was right.
"What are we worrying about this for?" Yasuhiro said suddenly, "I doubt we'll be battling each other for real any time soon."
The foursome spent the rest of the day taking turns sparring with one another. The girls were surprised to see that Sesshomaru preferred to fight with only his claws. Yasuhiro warned them not to let him actually scratch them, explaining that the poison his friend carried in his claws and fangs was quite painful.
By the time night fell, the boys were no closer to finding out which of the girls they were intended to marry. If they went on which personality best matched theirs, Yasuhiro said it was most likely that Sesshomaru's future mate was Moriko. Though she was much kinder than the dog demon, she was quiet and reserved, like Sesshomaru tended to be. Her sister, on the other hand, seemed loud and cocky, just like Yasuhiro.
Sesshomaru was still convinced the two who most resembled Minoru were the actual daughters of the old fox, making Moriko the oldest and Yasuhiro's future mate. The two of them bickered about this long after the girls had led them back to the village and the room where Sesshomaru and his father were staying. The sisters had bid them farewell several hours before, saying they would see them tomorrow. Yasuhiro finally left when Inu no Taisho returned. When he was sure his friend was no longer in earshot, Sesshomaru looked at his father.
"Father, which of Lord Minoru's daughters am I supposed to be marrying?" he asked. The Dog General glanced at his son.
"I thought you and Yasuhiro were trying to guess?"
Sesshomaru cocked his head to the side, confused. "How do you know about that?"
"Yasuhiro told Tamotsu that's what you boys were planning on doing." his father answered. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes.
"That stupid game was all the fox's idea. I just want to know already."
Inu no Taisho chuckled. He removed his armor and let it fall to the ground with a clunk. Rolling his shoulders to loosen them now that they were free of his heavy spiked pauldrons, the Dog General moved to go sit by his son.
"Alright, alright," he said.. "Mika will be your mate."
Sesshomaru nodded his head. He had a feeling his father would say that.
"What made Lord Minoru pick her? I thought you said he chose based on which daughter matched our personality the best?"
The old dog shook his head. "No, I said he picked who he thought would compliment your personality the best. Minoru says Mika is out-going and reckless. You're calmer and more patient when it comes to battle. You will make up for each other's shortcomings. I agree with him, I think this will be a good match."
Sesshomaru thought of the arrogant red-head he'd spent the day with. Mika seemed strong, and skilled in battle, but she let her ego blind her. (Which he'd learned during one of their spars when she'd been too busy boasting about hitting him with her water to stop him from nearly taking her head of with his claws.) Sesshomaru didn't like the idea of having to babysit someone in battle. He also doubted Mika would be able to make up for his 'shortcomings.' (Not that he believed he had any.) Sesshomaru knew better than to argue with his father though, so he simply shrugged.
"If you say so."
Well, that was chapter four! If you feel like it let me know what you thought. See-ya next time!