Oh My Gosh. I am so sorry. I hadn't realized it's been over a year since I last updated this story. I really don't have an excuse for the wait, but I do appreciate everyone who has stuck with me. I tried to make this chapter extra long in an attempt to win your forgiveness. Also, I'm already outlining the next chapter. I promise it should be out soon. Maybe not this week, I have a lot on my plate this week, but it'll be the week after at the latest.
Edited as of 08/24/2020: Grammar and punctuation errors fixed, dialogue reformatted, minor details added.
Disclaimer: I own nothing Inuyasha, nor do I own anything by Ellie Goulding.
Recap: In the past, Sesshomaru and Mika have finally made it outside the barrier. Sesshomaru has found both humans and demons for the fox girl to fight. A few weeks pass and Mika realizes how much she's grown to enjoy the dog demon's company. Even Sesshomaru realizes he doesn't detest Mika's company as much as he does others.However, Sesshomaru and Yasuhiro soon get word that their father's would be gone far longer then they'd originally thought. In an act of rebellious anger, all four of the young demons left the safety of the barrier. Everything was going smoothly, until they were caught by a group of monks! They managed to escape though, with Moriko's sleeping spell. In the present day, Sesshomaru explains to the others how Moriko's sleeping spell can be stopped by using demonic-energy infused magnolia tree leaves as a mask to prevent you from breathing in the sickly sweet scent of the spell. With this new information, will they finally be able to get Rin back?
I think I'll let fate just take me home. 'Cause over pain, love is outgrown. I've never won a fight to understand, I just move as my heart commands. I've always had a thing for silence, but lately I just need a voice I recognize. (Ellie Goulding: Scream It Out)
Once Sesshomaru's head had stopped spinning and the nausea had abated, he and the others left the clearing to follow the foxes' scents. They'd traveled for several more hours when a new smell reached the dog demon's nose.
"Is that smoke?" Inuyasha asked as he sniffed the air. Sesshomaru nodded.
"And human blood," he said.
They took off in the direction of the new scent. As they passed through the trees lining the forest's edge they saw a billowing cloud of black smoke. The village that sat here had been decimated. Buildings were now nothing more then blackened wood and ash. The fields had been set ablaze and the villagers lay cold and lifeless on the ground. Sesshomaru glared at the devastation. Underneath the smell of fire and death, Yasuhiro's scent lingered.
"What could have done this?" Kagome wondered, her voice thick with grief.
"Yasuhiro, would be my guess," Sesshomaru said.
"That fox did all this?" Inuyasha asked.
"Most likely," the older demon told them, "he has the ability to control fire. This looks like something he would be able to do."
Inuyasha growled in anger as he walked carefully through what was left of the village. "What else can you tell us about that bastard?"
Sesshomaru hesitated for a moment. He didn't want to go into too great of detail about his relationship with the fox, but he knew it would be careless to leave his brother and the priestess completely in the dark.
"Yasuhiro and I..." he started slowly, "have been allies since we were very young. He's incredibly intelligent and was always there to offer sound advice for battle or any other area that I needed him to. That was one of the reasons I never minded his presence. He is also extraordinarily powerful. His father was close allies with ours and whenever they would allow us to join them on the battlefield Yasuhiro would be there, at the front, using his command over fire to destroy the enemies before any one else even got the chance to attack."
"He's really that strong, huh?" Inuyasha asked.
"Yes, but he's also the most arrogant person I've ever met. He could never believe that someone else might be stronger than him, faster than him, or more intelligent than him. He would always just rush blindly into a fight and that foolhardiness got him and me both into trouble more times than I can count," Sesshomaru paused for a moment as he tried to find the right words for what he wanted to say next. A small part of him realized this was the most he had said to his brother in a long time. He didn't really enjoy having to talk this much. Sesshomaru blamed Yasuhiro and the fox's irritating ability to get underneath the dog's skin even after two centuries. "You should tread carefully around him. Like any other fox demon, he loves to play tricks. His can be very dangerous, though."
Inuyasha nodded. "Got it. We'll watch our backs. Can you tell us anything else?"
Sesshomaru sighed. "I'm not sure. For all I know he's completely changed and everything I've just told you was pointless. I haven't seen him in over two hundred years."
"How come?" Kagome asked, "wouldn't you want to see him more often, since you're allies?"
"You've noticed how Yasuhiro keeps his eyes bandaged?" he asked them. They nodded. "Over two hundred years ago Yasuhiro lost his eye sight in an attack. He had to stay in his father's territory in the north while he healed, in case word spread of his injuries and someone would try to kill him. I just never saw him after that."
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken called suddenly.
"What is it?" Sesshomaru questioned. He looked over to where the imp was standing. Jaken was motioning towards a group of bodies near the edge of the village. They walked over to them.
"These guys are bandits," Inuyasha said as he examined the corpses. He sniffed the air around them. "Yasuhiro's scent is all over them."
"His scent is leading into those fields over there," Sesshomaru said, "It's strong, too We must be near them."
As the group turned to head in the direction of the fox's scent, the wind changed and a new smell reached the dog's sensitive nose.
"Is that... blood?" Inuyasha asked. Sesshomaru whipped around to face the forest on the other side of the village.
"Rin."
The group tore through the forest towards the smell of Rin's blood. Sesshomaru's mind was reeling. Would Yasuhiro have really harmed his ward? No, he thought, Moriko would never allow that. Something else must have happened. Did she injure herself trying to run away? They ran for almost a mile before the trees parted and they found themselves standing in a small field. Sesshomaru tested the air, but he couldn't find any trace of Rin's scent.
"What happened? The scent just vanished!" Inuyasha exclaimed.
Sesshomaru looked around in confusion. He didn't understand how it could have just disappeared. Unless...
A growl ripped through his throat as realization hit him.
"What is it, Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked.
"They've tricked us," he seethed.
"What do you mean 'they've tricked us?'" Inuyasha grumbled.
"I mean, Rin was never here. They fooled us into following a fake scent all the way to this field just to get us away from that village. We must have been even closer to them than I thought."
"A fake scent? Dammit! How on earth could they have possibly made a fake scent?" Inuyasha yelled. Kagome slid down from her place on Kirara and walked over to her husband. Sesshomaru turned away as the priestess tried her best to calm the angry half-demon. He knew exactly how they'd managed to create a false scent and he honestly wasn't that surprised he'd fallen for it. There was only one thing on his mind that actually troubled him.
He had no idea how they were going to tell the real scents from the fake ones.
* The Demon Village, Many Years Ago *
Sesshomaru didn't sleep well that night. A pounding ache had settled right behind his eyes and even the slightest movement caused the bile to rise in his throat again. Yasuhiro had never seen the dog so ill before. He was worried the sleeping spell would have other side effects on his friend. So, Yasuhiro insisted on sleeping in the same room as him. Sesshomaru knew he was too drained to argue with the older boy, so he let him stay.
Hours later, when the sun had just started to creep its way into the sky, the door to the room slid open. Sesshomaru tried to sniff the air to see who had entered. A sharp pain shot from his nose to his temples. He groaned loudly.
"Sesshomaru?" a worried voice asked.
"Mika?" he rasped. Mika peered over a sleeping Yasuhiro as the silver-haired boy squinted up at her.
"Are you still feeling ill?"
"Yes," Sesshomaru answered. He slowly pushed himself into a seated position, "I can't smell anything."
"Really? I don't think that's ever happened to anyone before," Mika bit her lip. There was a concerned look in her eye.
"Moriko thought that might happen since your sense of smell is so strong," Yasuhiro grumbled sleepily. Mika knelt down beside Sesshomaru so the other fox would have room to sit up.
"So, what does that mean exactly? I'll have to wait until I feel better to be able to smell anything again?"
"Most likely," Yasuhiro yawned. He smiled reassuringly when he saw the irritated look in his friend's eyes. "Don't worry, Pup. It shouldn't take more than a day or two. You'll be fine."
Sesshomaru sighed. Mika studied the boy beside her, worrying her bottom lip as she did so.
"Why don't we stay inside the barrier until you're feeling well again? Just to be safe." she said. Sesshomaru nodded and then immediately regretted it. He scrunched up his face as the ache pulsed behind his forehead. Yasuhiro stood and grabbed the younger boy's arm to slowly pull him to his feet.
"Perhaps Moriko can make you something for that headache? She's good with remedies," the brunet fox said as the threesome left the room.
They found Moriko sitting with Maiko in one of the overgrown herb gardens. The younger sister was weaving flowers into her older sibling's hair. Mika teased the little girl for waking her sister so early to play. Maiko gave the older demons a toothy grin and asked them to join her.
Sesshomaru was going to tell the child no, but Yasuhiro pulled him down into the dirt beside Moriko before he could even open his mouth. The older boy leaned over and asked the brunette if she could possibly make something to rid the dog demon of his aching head. Moriko agreed and asked her little sister if she would like to help. Maiko happily jumped to her feet and exclaimed that she would love to help make Sesshomaru feel better. Moriko plucked a few of the herbs she would need and then she and Maiko walked back inside the old house to find a pot to cook them in.
Yasuhiro settled in the dirt and quickly fell back asleep. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes at his friend as Mika laughed. The red-haired girl sat beside the dog demon. Sesshomaru brought his knees to his chest and leaned his forehead against his legs. He sighed deeply. Mika nudged him lightly with her shoulder.
"Hey, what's the matter? Are you in pain?"
"No," Sesshomaru muttered. His voice was muffled by his hakama. "I can deal with a little pain."
"Then what's bothering you?"
"I told you. I can't smell anything."
Mika frowned at him, confused. "But, Yasuhiro said that should go away in a couple of days. Why is it such a big deal?"
"You don't understand," Sesshomaru groaned. Mika leaned over to try and catch the older boy's eye, but his long silver hair had fallen down around his face and hidden them from view.
"Well, make me understand." she said. Sesshomaru huffed.
"A sense of smell is a lot more important to a dog demon than it is to a fox demon."
"How come?"
"Because I can learn more about a situation based on a scent than by just what my eyes can tell me. I can determine if I'm surrounded by allies or enemies. I can hunt for prey or find a wounded comrade. I never get lost because my nose can tell me where I am, where I've been, and where I need to go. It can tell me if I'm headed towards danger or refuge. Your eyes can deceive you, my sense of smell won't." Mika considered his explanation for a moment.
"So, dog demon's use their noses to assess their surroundings? It's sort of like seeing the world through scents instead of through sight?" Sesshomaru nodded his head ever-so-slightly. "So, you feel pretty in the dark right now, don't you?"
"Yes," Sesshomaru turned his head so he could peer up at her through his long bangs, "and, no offense, but I don't feel all that safe being in this village when I'm like this. Why don't we just go down to the river?"
Mika bit her lip and looked away from him. "Um... I don't think that's such a good idea."
"Why?" the dog asked. Mika sighed.
"Because I think Father is suspicious." she whispered. Sesshomaru sat up straight and grabbed the younger girl's shoulder so she would look at him.
"Why do you say that?"
Mika shrugged the older boy's hand off her. She ripped up one of the herbs surrounding them and started tearing it into pieces.
"Because when I went to distract him last night I overheard another fox telling Father how no one could find any of us all day. They also said that no one ever sees the two of us around the village anywhere. So I think Father believes we're sneaking around somewhere during the day."
"Why don't you just tell him we've been down by the river?" Sesshomaru suggested. Mika shook her head.
"I heard Father ask if we were staying down there, but he was told that they'd looked for us around the river and no one could find us," Mika frowned. "I don't think he suspects us of sneaking out of the village yet, but we should still lie low for a little while. At least until we can find a way to convince him we've been in the village all this time."
"So did he say anything to you about this while you were distracting him?" Sesshomaru asked. Mika shook her heard.
"No. I'm sure he wants to catch us in the act, so he's not going to act as if anything is wrong." The two demon's were silent for a while, the only sound in the garden were Yasuhiro's quiet snores. Mika took the pieces of the ruined herb and began placing them on the sleeping demon's face. Sesshomaru bit the inside of his cheek as his lips tilted into a smirk. When the taller girl started to search the dirt for more things to lay on the older boy, Sesshomaru opened his mouth to speak.
"How exactly are we going to convince your father we're staying in the village?" he asked. Mika hesitated.
"Well, we could try and trick him?"
Sesshomaru gave her an incredulous look. "Trick your father? You can't be serious."
"I am, though!" Mika motioned to the herbs around them. "I thought about this last night. There are certain herbs fox demons use to mask their scent around other demons."
"But we don't need to mask our scents."
"Well, no, but they can also be used to trick other demons into thinking a scent exists when it actually doesn't. Moriko's told me all about them. I'm sure it will work."
"Okay, say it will work. What exactly are we going to do?"
Mika gave him a sly grin. "We find a secluded spot and use the herbs to make it seem like our scents are there, and because the herbs are so strong, it's almost impossible for a demon to tell whether the scents are old or new. Then we let one of the other foxes in the village see us there and when they check it out they'll think that's where we've been staying at!"
"Because they'll assume it's an older scent and not a new one?" the dog asked. Mika nodded. Sesshomaru shook his head. "That won't work. If that's where we've been then the smells of old and new scents would be overlapping, and the older ones would be weaker than the new.. It wouldn't be just one strong scent."
Mika considered this. "We'll just have to keep going back there, until it seems more believable,"
"Fine. So do you know how to use the herbs to do this?"
Mika chuckled nervously. "Um, no, not really. Moriko does though! I'm sure she would help."
"Then we'll have to ask her when she gets back."
"Let's wait until you're better," Mika said as she looked towards the house. "I know she's worried about how badly you reacted to her sleeping spell. I don't think she'll agree to helping us do anything until you're well again."
"That's probably a good idea. Yasuhiro will be on her side too. He's been worrying over me since I woke up last night. Dumb fox," the dog said as he rolled his eyes.
They drifted off into comfortable silence after that. Mika went back to her game of placing things from the ground onto Yasuhiro's face. Sesshomaru stared around at the overgrown garden, quietly enjoying the sound of Mika's stifled giggles whenever the older boy snorted in his sleep. Every once in a while, he would hand her something new to lay on the fox. Almost an hour had passed when Moriko returned to them, Maiko skipping happily beside her. She carried a wooden bowl carefully in her pale hands. Steam rose slowly from whatever lie inside it. Mika scrunched her nose in distaste as the smell of Moriko's remedy reached her.
"Good luck drinking that," she whispered to the dog demon beside her. Sesshomaru looked at her in confusion.
"Here you are, Sesshomaru," Moriko said as she handed him the bowl. It was hot, so he set it on the ground beside him. "That should ease your headache. Drink it before it cools or-"
Moriko had finally noticed the brunet sleeping on the ground beside them. A high-pitched laugh burst from her lips. Yasuhiro jerked awake at the sound, sputtering as bits of grass and dirt got in his mouth. He angrily ran his fingers over his face to brush it clean. The three girls let out peals of laughter as the older boy glared at them. Sesshomaru bit the inside of his cheek to stop from smiling and busied himself with drinking the medicine Moriko had brought him. He pulled a face as the foul taste washed over his tongue. He forced himself to finish the remedy in a few gulps and then handed the bowl back to Moriko with a huff.
The foursome spent the next few days lounging around the village, occasionally spending time with the girls' younger sister. Mika kept close to Sesshomaru's side. His headache and nausea were gone, but his sense of smell had not yet returned. She knew he felt uncomfortable and exposed in the crowded village without it. Surprisingly, Sesshomaru did feel soothed by her constant presence, even if it was only a little. They'd spotted Lord Minoru watching them several times as the days dragged on. Yasuhiro and Moriko seemed to think nothing of it, but Sesshomaru and Mika knew better. They shared an uneasy look whenever they caught the old fox's eye. Mika would slide closer to the older boy whenever this would happen and Sesshomaru would feign interest in whatever she was doing at the time.
Four days after the incident with the monks, Sesshomaru awoke to the sound of the door to his room sliding open. Out of habit, he sniffed the air to see who had entered. They heavy scent of summer's rain filled his nose. An involuntary smile graced his lips as he recognized the owner of the scent.
"Mika," he said as he pushed himself into a seated position. The taller girl paused for a moment at the sound of her name, and then her face broke out in a toothy grin.
"Could you smell me? Is that how you knew it was me?" Sesshomaru nodded. Mika let out a happy laugh. "That's fantastic. I was a little worried about how long it was taking for you to recover, but you're all better now!"
"I am," Sesshomaru said as she sat beside him.
"Great. That means we can finally talk to Moriko about helping us with those herbs."
"Should I ask Yasuhiro to talk to her for us again?" Sesshomaru asked. Mika cocked her head to the side, thinking.
"No, I think it'll be fine if we just ask her ourselves. Besides, they're pretty attached at the hip. She'll know we're up to something anyway if we try to pull him aside to talk."
"Do you think she'll need much convincing?"
"Probably not? I think if we tell her the truth about Father being suspicious she'll want to help us find a way to fool him. I know she's worried about getting in trouble as much as we are," Mika bit her lip, "but until we're sure we've gotten everyone to believe we've been staying in the village, I don't think we should go outside the barrier."
Sesshomaru frowned in irritation. He wanted to argue with the younger girl, but a part of him knew she was right. The foxes in the village were watching them closely. If any of them were to see them leaving or entering from the hole in the barrier they would be in trouble. Sesshomaru didn't even want to imagine the scolding he would get from his father if they were caught. Also, there would be no chance of he and Mika getting to leave to the western palace if that were to happen. Sesshomaru sighed and nodded his head.
"Okay, we'll stay in the village until then."
The two demons checked around the old house for their friends. Both Yasuhiro's room and the one the girl's shared was empty, so they decided to look around the fields to the west of the village instead. It was early in the morning, so the dusty village was still quiet. Only a few other fox demons were wandering about. Mika was a few steps ahead of Sesshomaru. She wanted to hurry and find her sister so they could start working on their plan.
They headed towards the same overgrown garden the brunettes usually stayed at. When they got there, it was empty. Sesshomaru caught Yasuhiro's unique scent of burning wood coming from behind the old building at the edge of the field. He told Mika this and the older girl ran ahead, a hint of confusion in her crimson eyes. She rounded the corner of the building before Sesshomaru. Suddenly, the sounds of Mika gasping and a shuffling noise reached his ears. He stopped by her side and stared at the two demons in front of him.
Moriko and Yasuhiro were both blushing, their faces turning almost as red as Yasuhiro's kimono. Moriko was smoothing her hair as she stared at the ground. Yasuhiro was rubbing at the back of his neck and trying to look anywhere but at his friends. Mika was staring open mouthed at her sister and the older boy, a strange expression in her eyes.
"Um, what's going on?" Sesshomaru asked, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen over them. Yasuhiro's head snapped in his direction, as if he were just now noticing the dog demon standing before him.
"N-nothing," the fox stuttered. Sesshomaru gave him a disbelieving look.
"Really?" he asked. Moriko glanced up at him.
"Really," they both mumbled. Mika grabbed hold of Sesshomaru's wrist and started pulling him back towards the village.
"We-we'll talk to you later," she said quickly, her own cheeks beginning to turn a light shade of pink. Sesshomaru let himself be pulled away from the other demons, his confusion growing when he noticed the blush that now covered Mika's face as well.
"Um... o-okay," Moriko called after them. Mika led the older boy all the way back through the village and down the path that led to the river. When they reached the water's edge, the younger girl finally released her hold on the other demon. She flung herself down onto the ground and stared at the flowing river, a mixture of emotions flashing across her face. Sesshomaru sat down beside her slowly, waiting for her to say something.
Mika brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin against them. Her mind was whirling. Had she really just caught her sister and Yasuhiro...kissing? Mika cringed in embarrassment. She knew her sister was fond of the older fox, but she had no idea the two of them had gotten so close. A tiny drop of guilt settled in her mind. Mika's shoulders slumped. She supposed she would have know about her sister's growing feelings for Yasuhiro had she taken the time to ask, but Mika had been too preoccupied with spending time with Sesshomaru outside of the village's barrier to even think about finding out how Moriko was getting along with her future mate.
At the thought of the silver-haired boy beside her, a new feeling made itself know in the pit of her stomach.
Jealousy.
Why had Moriko and Yasuhiro grown so close? She spent just as much time alone with Sesshomaru as her sister did with the older brunet, maybe even more than! Sesshomaru showed no sign of wanting to kiss her though. In fact, the one time she'd kissed him on the cheek he'd looked disgusted with her.
Was her sister better than her for some reason? Or did Sesshomaru just not like her as much as Yasuhiro liked Moriko?
Was there something wrong with her?
Angry tears burned her eyes as she buried her face in her knees. Mika didn't like crying. Crying was for children and she wasn't a child anymore! She felt so miserable, though. She felt guilty for letting her desire to leave the village cause her and her sister to drift apart, but she was so jealous of how close Moriko and Yasuhiro had gotten. Yet, all that jealousy made her feel even more guilty, because she knew she should feel happy for Moriko. Mika sighed. All these emotions were giving her a headache.
Sesshomaru glanced at the girl beside him. He was still so confused. The salty smell of Mika's tears filled his nose. Why was she crying? She couldn't possibly be hurt, and Mika didn't seem like the type to cry when she'd been injured anyway. So, something had upset her? They hadn't done anything except go and find Yasuhiro and Moriko.
Yasuhiro and Moriko... They must have been the ones to upset Mika. Sesshomaru looked around the field they were sitting in. He wondered if he should just ask Mika what was wrong, but the young dog demon never liked dealing with people's emotions. He always let Yasuhiro handle that.
They sat in awkward silence for hours. Sesshomaru thought he would be content with waiting for Mika to regain control of her emotions, but the sound of her sniffling and the smell of her tears was steadily becoming an annoyance. Mika wasn't a sensitive, weepy girl. She was tough and arrogant and loud. He just wanted her to stop crying and go back to the girl he knew. Mika just wanted to talk to her sister, but she was still too embarrassed to get up and go find her.
The scents of their two friends drifted on the wind towards them. Sesshomaru turned to face them. Moriko smiled at him and then gently tapped her younger sister on the shoulder. Mika glanced up at the older girl. Moriko motioned for Mika to follow her. Mika slowly pulled herself to her feet and the two girls walked away from the boys.
Yasuhiro watched them go for a moment, and then sat down beside the dog. Sesshomaru debated on asking him what he and Moriko were doing that morning again, but then decided he didn't care. In any case, if Yasuhiro wanted him to know, the fox would tell him. Instead, Sesshomaru slipped his mokomoko from his shoulder and then laid back against it. He sighed as the sun warmed his face. Yasuhiro glanced at his friend.
"So... did you and Mika want something this morning?" the fox asked. Sesshomaru peered up at him, the sunlight making him squint.
"Yes."
Yasuhiro waited for him to continue, but Sesshomaru just closed his eyes and went back to resting. The older boy rolled his eyes at his friend and then jabbed his fingers into the side of Sesshomaru's neck. Sesshomaru flung himself back up and then punched Yasuhiro on the shoulder, hard. The fox winced and leaned away from the shorter boy. Sesshomaru rubbed at his now sore neck and glared at his friend.
"What was that for?" he asked angrily. Yasuhiro frowned.
"For not saying what you wanted this morning."
"Mika wanted to talk to you and Moriko together. I was waiting for them to get back," Sesshomaru growled.
"Um, they might be awhile," Yasuhiro said as he glanced in the direction the girls had headed. He looked back at his friend. "Just tell me."
Sesshomaru hesitated for a moment.
"Mika says people have noticed us disappearing," he told the fox slowly. Yasuhiro's mouth opened in shock.
"They know you've been leaving the village?" he asked. Sesshomaru shook his head.
"No, we don't think so, but they are definitely starting to wonder where we've been running off to."
"So I guess that's it then? You guys can't go outside the barrier anymore?"
"Well, that's actually what we wanted to talk to you guys about this morning. Mika thinks she knows a way to trick everyone into thinking we've been staying in the village."
Yasuhiro looked at him curiously. "How could she possibly do that?"
"There are these herbs the foxes use to mask their scents from enemies, but Mika said she's also heard of them being used to create false scents. So if we create a fake scent somewhere around the village and let the other foxes find it, they'll think that's where we've been and they won't be suspicious anymore." the dog explained. Yasuhiro shook his head.
"That won't work. I'm sure they'd figure out what you were doing if they suddenly found a place in the village that had an old scent of yours on it."
"That's what I said at first. There would have to be multiple scents overlapping each other to make it believable. Mika says all we'd have to do though is use the herbs several days in a row and then no one would be able to tell the difference." Sesshomaru bit the inside of his cheek as the fox frowned at him.
"You two have put an awful lot of thought into this plan. When exactly did you come up with this?"
"About four days ago," the dog muttered. Yasuhiro let out an angry sigh.
"And I'm guessing I'm only hearing about it now because you knew Moriko and I wouldn't agree to anything while you were still feeling ill?" Sesshomaru nodded. "You're going to end up getting in trouble, Pup."
"I hate it when you call me that," Sesshomaru grumbled.
"Too bad. I like the name." Yasuhiro studied the look on his friend's face. He let out an exasperated sigh. "Stop pouting. I'll help you do it."
"I wasn't pouting." Sesshomaru said. Yasuhiro snorted.
"Sure you weren't," the fox mumbled.
It was almost evening by the time the two girls returned to them. Their arms were linked together and they were smiling, but Sesshomaru still thought Mika seemed a bit subdued. He brushed that thought aside though, and told the red-head about Yasuhiro agreeing to help them. Mika seemed to perk up a little at this news and explained to Moriko what she and the dog demon were planning. Moriko was a little hesitant at first. If they four of them were caught before they could make the scents seem believable, then Lord Minoru would surely question them about their true whereabouts over the last few weeks. Mika promised her older sister they would be cautious while they enacted this plan. She told her sister that she and Sesshomaru both agreed it would be safer to remain in the village until they were sure the other demons had been fooled. This seemed to ease some of Moriko's worries, because she smiled at the two demons and agreed to gather the herbs.
The next morning, the foursome met in Sesshomaru's room. Moriko explained that the herbs in question were grown in a small garden right behind the very house they were staying in, but because they could be used in such deceiving ways, Lord Minoru had them monitored. Sesshomaru asked if this meant they wouldn't be able to get them, but Moriko assured him the girls could snatch a few if the boys could figure out a way to distract her father and the guards who watched the garden. Yasuhiro grinned as an idea popped into his brain. It wasn't foolproof, and they might get scolded for it, but it would definitely draw the attention of the old fox.
"You want me to what?" Sesshomaru asked incredulously.
"Bite me, preferably in the arm or somewhere else that won't be too painful. And we'd have to do it somewhere in the middle of the village because we want Minoru to come to us, not have someone bring us to him."
"How is me biting you supposed to distract Minoru?"
"Because we'll make a big enough scene about it," Yasuhiro explained. "We get in a fight, which distracts the guards, and then you bite me. I cry out in pain, because your venom does hurt quite a bit actually. Minoru comes running to see what all the commotion is about. He sees us, he yells at us for fighting, and then he takes us both back into the house to wrap my wound. While this is all happening, the girls sneak into the herb garden and steal the ones we need."
Mika nodded at the older boy an impressed look in her eyes.
"That actually sounds like it could work," she said.
"You two will have to be quick though. I think we'll only be able to distract him for a few minutes."
"A few minutes is all we'll need." Moriko said. Sesshomaru looked at the fox beside him in distaste.
"Why do I have to bite you, though. My claws would work just as well."
Yasuhiro rolled his eyes at the younger boy as the girls giggled.
"No, they wouldn't. I know your fangs produce a lot more venom than your claws do, plus it's more potent. I wouldn't shout out in pain if you scratched me, but I just might if you sunk those fangs of yours in me."
Sesshomaru groaned. "Fine. I'll do it."
That afternoon, the four demons split up. The girls headed towards the edge of the garden that held the herbs they needed and the boys walked towards the center of the village. It was crowded here. Most of the southern clan spent their day meandering about this part of the village. Sesshomaru and Yasuhiro stayed close to the edge of the crowd, waiting for the perfect moment.
When it looked like the other foxes had forgotten about the young demons' presence, they moved. Sesshomaru walked a few steps ahead of Yasuhiro. He eased his way into the cluster of demons, slowing down when he was completely surrounded. Yasuhiro took this as his cue. He took a deep breath and then rushed forward to shove Sesshomaru as hard as he could.
Sesshomaru let out a yelp as the force of the push knocked him into the dirt. A few heads turned in their direction at the noise. Sesshomaru angrily pushed himself to his feet and twisted around to look at the laughing fox behind him.
"What was that for?" he shouted.
"Aw, is the poor little mutt mad he got all dirty?" Yasuhiro taunted in between snickers. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the older boy and then leaped forward to shove him back. Yasuhiro let out a pained grunt as he fell roughly to the ground. He glared at the dog demon.
In just a matter of seconds, Yasuhiro had tackled the silver-haired boy to the ground. They rolled around in the dirt, punching and kicking each other furiously. Some of the demon villagers shouted for the boys to stop. Others called for Lord Minoru's guards to separate them. Yasuhiro glanced up just in time to see Lord Minoru standing on the worn steps of his dusty home, staring in bewilderment at the two young demons.
"Now!" he whispered to his friend.
Yasuhiro aimed his next punch at the younger boy's face. Sesshomaru twisted his head so the blow would miss and then, just as they'd planned, opened his mouth wide. Yasuhiro saw his friend's eyes flash red, and then watched as Sesshomaru's fangs sunk into his arm.
The terrible yelp that tore through Yasuhiro's mouth as he ripped his arm away from the dog demon caused several of the guards to pause on their way over to the boys. The scent of blood and burning flesh soon filled the air though, and the next thing they knew, the boys were surrounded by fox demons.
"Out of my way!" a deep voice boomed. The crowd parted as Lord Minoru rushed forward. He stared down at the young demons. Sesshomaru's mouth was covered in blood, and the sickly, tangy smell of venom was wafting from his lips. Yasuhiro was clutching his injured arm to his chest. His face was scrunched in pain. Blood poured from the wound, but what disturbed Minoru the most was the sight of the young fox's flesh slowly dissolving from its contact with the dog demon's venom.
"What is the matter with the two of you?" he roared. The boys flinched at his anger. "Are you trying to kill one another?"
They looked down at the ground, shame covering their faces. Minoru reached forward to grab both boys by their collars and haul them to their feet.
"You both will come with me immediately!" He pushed them towards his home. Sesshomaru and Yasuhiro remained silent.
When they got inside the house, Minoru barked at his servants to get medicine for Yasuhiro's arm. The old fox cleaned the young boy's wound himself, all the while angrily scolding the boys for their ridiculous behavior in the village. When he was finished wrapping bandages around Yasuhiro's arm, he sent the boys to the rooms they were staying in and told them that he would be sending word to their fathers. Sesshomaru winced at this. He didn't even want to imagine how angry his father was going to be when he heard about his and Yasuhiro's "fight."
Later that night, after they were sure Lord Minoru had gone to sleep, the girls and Yasuhiro slipped into Sesshomaru's room.
"Nice job guys," Mika said, grinning at the boys. "I don't even remember the last time Father was this mad."
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes. "Did you two get the herbs or not?"
Moriko smiled at him. "Of course. We have them hidden in the dead log we use to cross the river. No one should find them there."
"Great. Then all we need to do now is find a secluded spot that no one would have searched yet," Yasuhiro said as he leaned against the wall.
"Moriko and I already have a place in mind." Mika said as she moved to sit beside Sesshomaru. She studied his face for a moment. "What's wrong with your mouth?"
Sesshomaru glared at her and then looked away.
"Uh, it's swollen." Yasuhiro muttered, giving his friend an apologetic look.
"Swollen?" Moriko asked. Yasuhiro nodded.
"When he bit me, I sort of yanked my arm out of his mouth and Sesshomaru accidentally bit his lip. He's obviously not venomous to himself, but his mouth is still going to be swollen from it. Most likely for the rest of the night." Moriko look at the silver-haired boy in concern while Mika tried to stifle her laughter. Sesshomaru huffed angrily at the red-haired girl.
"Are you going to tell us about the place we can use or not?" he grumbled.
"Sorry, sorry." she giggled. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself. "There's a part of the riverbank near the gardens that's hidden by a lot of thick bushes. You can't see it unless you're right beside it. Moriko and I checked today, no one's been down there. It's the perfect place to use."
The boys nodded.
"Well then, it sounds like tomorrow we can move on to the next part of our plan." Yasuhiro said, a sly grin on his face. Moriko smiled.
"Until tomorrow then."
There you go! Again, I apologize for the ridiculous amount of time it took me to get this chapter out. Let me know what you thought of this chapter! I'll see you next time! :)