Well, here is chapter five! Sorry this was a bit of a wait. I've been looking for a new apartment and packing and finally moving to said new apartment. But everything's pretty much settled right now so I should be able to get back into posting chapters more often. Well, I don't want to take up too much of your time. Enjoy! :)
Edited as of 08/23/2020: Minor punctuation and grammar mistakes fixed, sentences and dialogue reformatted, minor details added.
Disclaimer: I own nothing Inuyasha, nor do I own anything by Hilary Duff.
Recap: The boys spent the day with Minoru's daughters. They took turns sparring by the river near the demon village, where Sesshomaru learned that the southern foxes could control water and plant life! Also, his father told him Mika was the one he was to marry one day. But the fox girl is completely different from our apathetic dog demon. How will they ever learn to get along?
I let my walls come down tonight. Will let you waste my time. I don't care if it's all a lie, I'm with you for the night. (Hilary Duff: My Kind)
*The Demon Village, Many Years Ago*
The next morning, it was Mika who came into the room to wake him. She chided Sesshomaru on oversleeping for a second day in a row and then asked him to accompany her on a walk. Sesshomaru agreed, only because he knew his father would be angry if he didn't.
Mika lead him down the same path they'd walked yesterday and into the field. They made their way to the edge of the river, where Mika sat down and stuck her bare feet into the water. Sesshomaru sat beside her, watching the ripples in the water's surface as Mika kicked her feet.
"So, your father told you we're to be married?" she asked.
The dog glanced her way. "How'd you know?"
"I figured you were only putting up with that guessing game because Yasuhiro asked you to. You don't seem like the type who likes to play around like that."
"I'm not." he agreed. Mika nodded.
"So you asked your father which one of us was to be your mate." she said. Sesshomaru looked back at the water, eyes narrowing in displeasure. "You don't seem very happy about my father's decision."
"I'm not happy about this arrangement at all." he told her. Mika looked at him.
"I understand. Does your clan have a problem with this?"
"Some." he answered. "Though Father says he doesn't really care if they do or not."
"Do you?"
Sesshomaru snorted softly. "I couldn't care less what others in my clan thought of me."
"Good." Mika mumbled. The two demons sat in silence for a while. Sesshomaru was never the type to try and force a conversation with someone. He'd rather they didn't talk, anyway. Mika, on the other hand, hated silence. She was racking her brain, trying to find something to discuss with the older boy.
It was hard, though. They barely knew one another, and from what little Mika had learned of the silver-haired dog demon yesterday, they seemed to be complete opposites. Sesshomaru was quiet and appeared to want to be emotionless. (She'd noticed he had a habit of biting the inside of his cheek whenever he was about to show any kind of emotion.) Mika didn't like to be quiet. The quiet meant something was wrong. When her mother had passed away after Maiko was born, the entire village had gone silent with grief. She remembered missing the everyday noises of the villagers and hated how it seemed like they were gone for good. Silence was never-ending and could drive a person mad. How could her father expect her to one day marry a boy who seemed to revel in silence?
Now the other boy, Yasuhiro, seemed almost as loud as she was. He'd yelled and teased and laughed as much as she had yesterday. She wondered how two boys who were so different from one another could even be friends. Or did they only spend time with each other because their fathers were allies?
Mika glanced at the shorter boy beside her. Sesshomaru was still staring into the water, a far off look in his golden eyes. "How long have you known Yasuhiro?"
Sesshomaru was quiet, not even glancing her way. Mika wondered if he'd even heard her. She opened her mouth to repeat herself, a little annoyed at being ignored, when the boy finally spoke.
"Since we were both very young."
"Did you meet because of your fathers?"
"Yes. My father and Lord Tamotsu have been allies for a very long time. They thought it would be best if Yasuhiro and I knew each other so there would still be an alliance between our tribes even after they were gone."
"Your fathers seem like smart men." Mika said. Sesshomaru nodded. They were silent again for a few minutes. Mika splashed her feet in the water. It was already becoming hot and muggy, even though the day had only just begun. She was considering cooling off for a bit in the river when Sesshomaru spoke again.
"Why did your father suddenly want to strengthen the alliance between our clans?" he asked. Mika looked at him, confused.
"What do you mean?"
Sesshomaru finally gave the redhead beside him his full attention. "Your clan has always wanted to stay isolated. You've never made deals with people outside of your territory before. What changed?"
Mika sighed and moved her gaze over to the forest on the other side of the river. The vegetation there was dense and overgrown, making it hard to see past the trees.
"There's been another demon attacking smaller tribes in the south for a while now. My father's gotten worried. He figures with the help of your's and Yasuhiro's clans, the demon won't stand a chance if he tries to attack us."
Sesshomaru seemed surprised by her answer. "I remember hearing your father mention something like that yesterday to our fathers. But, it's just the one demon, right? Surely it can't be so strong that you would need so much help to defeat it?"
"I've told Father we could take care of the demon on our own, but he won't listen." Mika grumbled, flopping back onto the grass. "Moriko agrees with him that it would be safer to have allies if we ever end up having to fight. I don''t see the need. I know we're more than capable of winning in a battle with some beast who's too afraid to even attack out in the open."
"'Too afraid to attack out in the open?'" The dog repeated, confused. Mika looked at Sesshomaru. A breeze was blowing now, causing wisps of the boy's hair to get in his face. She watched him tuck the strands behind his pointed ears.
"It hides in the forest and waits until you're least expecting it to attack. At least, that's what Father's heard." Mika told him.
"What kind of demon is it?" Sesshomaru asked. Mika gave a shrug from her place on the ground.
"Not sure. No one has ever gotten a good look at it."
"How has no one ever-"
"Hey!" a sudden voice interrupted. Mika sat up and they both turned around to see Yasuhiro and Moriko walking towards them. "There you two are. Sesshomaru, our fathers want to see us."
The foursome left the water's edge and made their way back to the dusty village. Yasuhiro told Sesshomaru it looked as if their fathers were preparing to leave. The younger demon was surprised. They hadn't even been in the village three whole days. Sesshomaru thought his father would have wanted them to stay longer with the foxes.
As they entered the old fox's home they were greeted by Minoru's youngest child, Maiko. The young girl gave them a cheery, dimpled smile.
"Hi there!" she said. Her voice was high-pitched, like Moriko's. "Your papas are waiting for you in the other room with my papa." To Sesshomaru's utter surprise, the little redheaded fox then grabbed a hold of his left hand and pulled him towards the room in question. Yasuhiro and the girls laughed at the dog's shocked expression. Sesshomaru let the child lead him, too confused by her actions to stop her.
The three older men were deep in conversation when they entered. Inu no Taisho looked up, a smile forming on his face when he saw his son. Maiko released the dog's hand and skipped over to sit beside her father. Minoru ruffled his youngest's hair, causing the small girl to let out a happy peal of laughter. Sesshomaru moved to sit beside his father, the others following him into the room.
"You wished to speak with us?" the young demon asked. The Dog General nodded.
"Yes. Lord Tamotsu and I have decided to take our leave. We are both needed back in our respective territories." Sesshomaru cocked his head to the side in confusion.
"We're leaving so soon?" Inu no Taisho shook his head.
"No. I am leaving. You and Yasuhiro will stay here for a little while longer."
Sesshomaru bit the inside of his cheek, hard, to stop the angry retort from passing his lips. He did not want to stay in the fox demon village. He hated the glares the other demons gave him whenever they saw him. He hated how everything was dusty and old and overwhelmed his senses until his head ached. Sesshomaru knew better than to argue with his father, though, so he remained quiet. Yasuhiro began questioning the older demons on what matters had grabbed their attention and caused them to leave for home so early. Sesshomaru glanced over to see Mika staring at him, a strange look in her eyes.
They stayed with the older men for a few hours, until the sky had turned an inky black and the stars were twinkling brightly above. Finally, Inu no Taisho and Tamotsu stood to leave. Sesshomaru followed his father outside. The Dog General clapped his son on the shoulder and gave him a kind look.
"I shall return in a few weeks time."
"Alright." Sesshomaru sighed. Inu no Taisho bent down to his son's level.
"I need you to try for me, Sesshomaru." Sesshomaru met his father's eyes, confused. "Try and like it here. Try to get to know Mika better. And try to get along with Yasuhiro."
"Yes, Father." the younger dog demon muttered. Sesshomaru allowed a small smile to grace his lips. "But I doubt anyone would be able to get along with that irritating fox."
Inu no Taisho let out a chuckle and moved his hand up to gently ruffle his son's hair. Sesshomaru allowed the gesture, for once not grumbling or trying to push away his father's hand.
"Are you ready to go, my Lord?" Tamotsu asked, walking up to the dog demons. The Dog General nodded his head.
Sesshomaru and Yasuhiro bid their fathers farewell as Minoru and Moriko escorted the older men to the barriers edge. Yasuhiro put his arm around his friend's shoulders. (Ignoring the efforts the shorter boy made to brush him off.)
"It's been a long day. What do you say we go back inside, Pup?" Sesshomaru let the fox lead him back into the old building.
Sesshomaru went to the room he had been previously sharing with his father. As he went to slide the door open to enter, a familiar smell reached his nose. It was the heavy scent of a summer rain. Mika. Sesshomaru thought. He slowly entered the room, his eyes immediately falling on the crimson-haired girl.
"What are you doing in here?" he asked as he slid the door shut behind him.
"I wanted to talk to you." She answered. Mika motioned for Sesshomaru to sit beside her. The dog hesitated for a moment, before moving towards the younger girl.
"What is it? Couldn't it wait until morning?" he asked. Mika shook her head.
"No, it's important." She watched as Sesshomaru gracefully took a seat on the floor beside her. When his golden eyes finally met hers, she spoke again. "You don't want to be here, do you?"
Sesshomaru looked away for a moment, before answering. "I've already told you I'm not happy with this."
"Yes, I know. And I also know that you'll go through with our marriage because you don't want to go against your father. But, what I'm asking is, you want to go back home, to the west? Am I right?"
The young dog demon studied her for a moment. "Of course I want to go back home... Why do you care, though?"
Mika fiddled with the hem of her sleeve. "I saw the look in your eye, when your father said you were going to stay here, without him. I could see how angry you were. And, well, it got me thinking. Maybe you would be happier about this if you got to stay in the west?"
"Yes, I probably would be. But I can't 'stay in the west.' My father wants me here, so that you and I can get to know one another better." He said the last part with a bit of a sneer.
"Well, there's no reason you and I couldn't get to know each other in your lands." Sesshomaru glared at her, trying to understand exactly what she was getting at. She couldn't really want to leave and go to his home, could she?"
"You sound as if you are the one who wants to leave so badly. Why?"
Mika stared into the older boy's eyes.
"Because... well, because I do." Sesshomaru blinked, taken aback by her answer. "To be honest with you, I've never even left the village."
"What?"
Mika slumped against the wall, irritation now radiating off of her. "Father has never allowed us outside of the barrier before. You see, he and my mother chased off the humans in this village long before any of us were born. My mother was the one who originally put the barrier up, to guard us. Father says we were a small clan, and that many enemies wanted to kill us because they were afraid of our powers. He says without the barrier, we never would have been able to grow strong enough to gain control of the southern territories. But I think he's wrong. If we never leave the village, how will we know how to fight our enemies outside of our borders? I need experience in battle. Real experience."
"Okay, but what does that have to do with me returning home?" Sesshomaru asked. Mika gave him a sly smile.
"I'll try and convince my father to let us go back to the western lands together when your father returns, if you agree to help me fight some actual battles. Outside of the protection of the barrier."
Sesshomaru thought for a moment. He wanted to go home, more than anything. He had a feeling though that, even after his father returned, he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. Could Mika really convince the older demons to let them leave?
"How exactly would you convince them to let us go?" he asked. Mika smiled at the boy's question.
"My father gives us practically anything we want. He'll be the easy one. Now, Inu no Taisho on the other hand..." she considered the old dog for a moment. "Well, I think if we pretend to be completely over the moon about each other, we should be able to get him to let us go."
Sesshomaru let out a snort. "My father's not so easy to trick."
"Ah, but that's because he's never played with a fox before." Mika winked at the shorter boy. "Trust me. We'll have him doing exactly as we want in no time at all."
Sesshomaru considered the fox girl's plan. Could they really be convincing enough to fool the Dog General. A part of him seriously doubted Mika's tricks would ever work on his father, but another part wanted nothing more than to leave this dusty, old village and return to the western palace.
Sesshomaru met the younger girl's eyes again. "Alright, Mika, you have a deal. I will find you some real battles to fight, and you get me out of this village."
Mika smiled, widely. "Perfect! I'll come get you in the morning so we can work on getting around the barrier."
She leaned over and gave the dog demon a quick kiss on the cheek. Sesshomaru stiffened, before letting out a low growl. Mika rolled her eyes.
"Get used to it, Lover Boy. If you ever want to convince your father we're serious about each other, you're going to have to learn how to be less repulsed by the idea of me touching you." She got to her feet and headed towards the door. She called back to him, "goodnight, Sesshomaru."
Sesshomaru let out a long, irritated sigh. "Goodnight."
Sesshomaru awoke from his dream with a jerk as that familiar scent of burning wood blew through the clearing he and the others had camped in. He scanned the area. Inuyasha and his wife were still sound asleep by what was left of the fire Jaken had built. Ah-Un was at the opposite end of the small clearing, happily dozing with a snoring imp perched on his back. Sesshomaru soundlessly got to his feet, testing the air to find the direction the scent was coming from. It was coming from behind him, to the north. The dog demon cast one last glance to those still in the clearing, before heading into the dark forest.
He walked for a few minutes, using the scent as a guide. Suddenly, the trees parted, and Sesshomaru found himself in another clearing, though this one was larger than the one he and the others had stopped to rest in. The scent of the troublesome fox demon hung heavy in the air here. Sesshomaru walked forward slowly, patiently waiting for the man to emerge.
"Couldn't help a poor, blind man find a seat, could you?" a voice asked. Sesshomaru looked to his left. The tall, brunette fox was slowly walking out of the shadows towards the dog demon. Sesshomaru stayed where he was, letting the fox use his scent as a way to guide him. When he'd finally reached him, the fox touched his arm lightly, a smirk forming on his lips, before he suddenly flopped down onto the grass. Sesshomaru watched him for a moment, before taking a seat as well.
"How have you been, Pup?" the man asked.
"I'm not in the mood for small talk. Where is Rin?" Sesshomaru growled. The fox demon across from him laughed.
"With Moriko, of course. You didn't really think I would bring her with me, did you? That would be foolish. There's far too many dangerous beasts out here at night."
The dog let out an irritated sigh. "What do you want, Fox?"
"To catch up, of course! We haven't seen each other in years, you know."
"I've already said I'm not going to sit here and chit chat with you. So either stop wasting my time, or I'm leaving." Sesshomaru made to stand up. The fox put out a hand to stop him.
"Alright, alright. Sheesh, losing your child's made you awfully moody, Pup. More so than normal, I mean."
Sesshomaru growled. "The human girl is not-"
"Right, right. And I'm just supposed to ignore the fact that Moriko says she looks about the age any kid you would've had with Mika would've been. You know, if Mika hadn't-"
"Shut up, Yasuhiro." Sesshomaru snarled. "Or I'll rip your tongue out."
Yasuhiro held up his hand in mock surrender. "Fine. I see the years have only served to worsen that precious temper of yours. I'll get to my point already. There's-"
The fox stopped suddenly and tilted his head in the direction Sesshomaru had come from. After a moment, he let out an annoyed sigh. "That nosy half-breed brother of yours is on his way, and I don't much feel like fighting right now. Let's continue this some other time, shall we?"
Yasuhiro quickly stood to his feet and turned to leave.
"Wait." Sesshomaru commanded, attempting to stand as well. Yasuhiro swiveled on his heel and stopped the dog demon with a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't. I wouldn't want you to fall and hurt yourself." he said gently. The dog stared at him, confused. "Sweet dreams, Pup."
"What?" Sesshomaru muttered, before an all too familiar sweet smell reached his sensitive nose.
Sesshomaru mentally cursed himself as his vision blurred. He should have known better than to believe that the fox would come on his own. He and Moriko were inseparable.
"Yasuhiro." he growled hoarsely, as a blurry orange shape came out of the trees to lead the other man away. Soon after, his world faded to black.
So that was chapter five! Let me know what you thought. See-ya next time!