I Do Not Own InuYasha
Chapter 1
"We seek Sesshōmaru-sama of the Shikoku InuYōkai Clan," the yōkai bellowed at her.
She stood on the steps of her husband's home, the simple, yet large house was nestled deep within the forest, near the river, by the mountains, it was her husband's preferred home. The air rippled around her, the ends of her hair dancing on the late winter's breeze, she suppressed a shiver from the winter's chill. Even wrapped in her furs and winter's garbs she could still feel the biting cold.
"He is not here," she answered calmly. "May I ask what this is about?"
"You may not wench!" the yōkai barked.
She was taken aback by the harsh address as she stood there on the steps of her husband's home.
"We demand to speak to Sesshōmaru-sama!" the yōkai demanded again.
"As I said, he is not here," she started.
"I smell his stench, wench, do not think me a fool!" the yōkai snarled.
"I did not think you…" she started as gasp escaped her as a clawed hand of extreme strength caught her throat and her back was slammed into the wall. Clawing futily at the wrist which held her captive she struggled to retain air.
"I smell him here," the yōkai growled. "Tell me where he is or I eviscerate his plaything whore of a human."
She couldn't answer, she couldn't breathe, there were black spots dancing before her eyes as she choked for air.
"Your species is so weak; you can't even speak!" the yōkai chuckled ominously.
"Mama!" a small voice screamed.
There was a thunderous snarled which seemed to shake the earth before she was released, toppling to the ground, choking for air as she clawed for purchase to get herself to move for her children.
Suddenly there was warmth splattering on her, red splashed onto the finished wood of the engawa.
"Do not ever touch what is mine," her husband snarled, before the body was flung away. "Rin," his soft, cold, tempered voice said as large hands grasped her elbows and gingerly pulled her up to her knees.
"I'm alright," she hoarsely promised as smaller hands grabbed for her and she found herself with an armful of pups.
Sesshōmaru nodded as he pressed his nose to her hair and slowly stood. Rin buried her face between her babies as she hugged them tightly. The pups, her daughters, were both smart for their age, and small as she held them tightly. Suddenly she was embraced by her husband who walked them into his home and settled her by the fire.
"Who were they?" she asked as he wrapped his mokomoko around them.
"My father's men," he answered gently as he went about securing their home. Then he sat across from her at the fire pit.
"Your father?" she whispered as she released a struggling Towa who tottered over to Sesshōmaru.
"Hai," he murmured as he caught their energetic daughter.
"What does he want!?" she sputtered as she hugged Setsuna little tighter, running her fingers over her daughter's mokomoko and hair.
Sesshōmaru shrugged as Towa clambered up to his shoulder.
"Should we be worried?"
"I will speak to Bokusenō tomorrow, as well as talk to Tsukuyomaru and the yōkai taijiya," he informed her. "Are you…?"
"I'm fine," she promised hoarsely with a smile. "You're cleaning up that blood, I just cleaned the engawa!" she warned.
Her husband gave her a look of pure indifference with an annoyed twitch of his brow.
"Oh no, I was doing laundry when those rude men came, and I just cleaned that engawa, you're cleaning it," she warned as she snuggled into his mokomoko. Setsuna gnawed on her hair as she balefully dared her all-powerful husband to counter her demand. "And don't think to make Jaken do it, poor kappa is overworked as it is watching the twins."
Sesshōmaru frowned a little. "Very well," he conceded.
"Thank you," she smiled.
He inclined his head as he caught Towa before she toppled off his shoulder.
"I thought your father was dead," Rin admitted.
"Not yet," he growled lowly as he set Towa on the tatami mats. The little girl ran to Rin who caught her elder child with ease.
"Mmm," she hummed tiredly as Towa tugged on the strand of hair Setsuna was chewing. Rin rather tiredly detangled her hair from the pups and smiled at Towa who pouted a bit. Her expressive, attention hogging daughter was not amused, while Setsuna forcefully retained her spot on Rin's lap by clinging to her chest.
"What could he possibly want?" Rin sighed tiredly. Sesshōmaru came around and picked up Towa before Towa could push Setsuna off Rin.
He shrugged rather tiredly.
"Very well, we'll worry about it tomorrow," she yawned.
"Rin?" he started.
"I am fine, my lord, just going to have a bruise and trouble talking," she smiled softly as she slowly got to her feet.
"Silence at last," he smirked.
"Ha-ha," she shook her head. "I'll put the girls to bed," she sighed.
He nodded as Towa was passed off to her.
Rin walked to where they put the girls to bed, setting up the small room and futon, pulling out the quilt as well. The girls, for as human as they looked, were rather like regular pups, and got into all sorts of mischief. Turning around she sighed in exasperation to see Towa chewing on a kimono and Setsuna climbing the chest drawers.
Sesshōmaru's curiosity was a prominent trait within both his daughters' personalities. It was rather maddening, because it meant everything had to be put away, locked up or out of reach and with hanyō pups that last one was rather difficult to do. Setting up the girls' futon she started picking up the mess Towa had made and secured both her sleepy pups in their bed before slipping out.
The moment she had shut the shoji her husband was looming over her.
"Rin," he murmured as his mouth crashed onto hers, his claws tangling in her hair as she tilted her head back for better access.
Sesshōmaru tightened his hold on his mate as he pulled her closer to him, her fingers tangled in the silks he was wearing and her scent was intoxicating to him as he deepened the kiss. His fangs tugged on her bottom lip to demand more from her, and she responded in kind. Good kami this human was going to be the death of him, but what a way to go. She kissed him twice as passionately, and determinedly as she struggled for dominance against him. His claws traveled down her delicate form before gripping her hips to lift her up. Rin struggled for a moment before her legs were wrapped around his hips and her kimono was indecently bunched around her hips.
"Kami, Sesshōmaru," she gasped as her eyes fluttered shut and he kissed his way to his mark.
"You cannot die," he whispered to his mate.
"I'm not going anywhere," she promised as his tongue moved over the mark.
Rin had always been a blind spot for him, an unexpected weakness he had never calculated for or anticipated, and one that continuously surprised him since the moment they had met. Pulling her along he got them to their room, where he had spread out the futon, furs, and quilts when she had been bedding down the girls. Tōkijin and Bakusaiga were already put away where he could grab them swiftly, and his armor put up and away.
Crashing onto their futon he kissed his way along the hemline of her clothing.
"He had your throat," he growled. "I wanted to kill them all right there," he snarled as he sliced her obi away.
"You did," she rasped.
"No," he murmured. "I hid our girls first," he whispered.
"That's why you're a great daddy," she moaned as he tossed her clothes aside. He took a moment to appreciate his mate's naked form now that he had torn off all her layers. Pert breasts which were slightly larger than they had been, wider hips, loose skin across her pelvis where their pups had resided, soft skin that had reshaped on her lithe frame. Kami she was stunning, he loved her like this, he had loved her before too, but this was different. He had done this to her, their pups had done this to her, and it was stunning. His eyes flicked to hers again.
"I am?" he questioned as he came over her.
"Hai," she whispered as he neared her. "I'd kill you if you were anything less to our girls than a great father," she promised.
He smiled a little as he leaned over and kissed her again. He had never been so scared as he had been today seeing his mate and soul pinned by an enemy yōkai wearing his mother's colors. He had never anticipated his father would actually find him, but now that he was found Sesshōmaru needed to plan his next steps to protect his mate and pups.
Tōga stood in his mate's dying gardens and stared out at the yōkai realm. It had been well over two hundred, nearly three hundred years, since he had seen his eldest son.
He still remembered that night, when Kimi had died saving him and Sesshōmaru from Ryūkotsuse. He remembered the way his son had looked at him before leaving with his mother's body and disappearing into the night. That night Tōga had lost both his mate and son and had barely saved his mistress and new born from a fate worse than death.
It was a difficult thing though, losing his eldest heir.
Tōga did not know how to replace his heir. His other sons were too brash, too impulsive and too eager to prove themselves as heirs to be good heirs. Sesshōmaru, for all his flaws and character shortcomings had at least been a level headed, patient creature by nature. InuYasha and Kōga were not like their elder brother, no, they were both too brash and narrowminded in thinking to be anything close to good leaders. But Sesshōmaru, like Kimi, was politically savvy as well as a brilliant strategist and so focused that he used to succeed at whatever Tōga demanded of him. Sesshōmaru had been an expert assassin, a brilliant general, a dangerous politician, a lethal warrior, a patient ruler, and a quiet creature, all of that was almost by instinct and nature than design. Tōga could not design a more perfect heir, despite his attempts with his other pups.
Sō'unga was killing him, he needed to call back Sesshōmaru, he needed an heir who could unite the people or at least have the power to attract followers. He feared his death would be like Taigokumaru's if he did not have an heir; without Tsukuyomaru the hyakkikoumori had turned on themselves and fell into civil war. Taigokumaru's death had given Tōga a glimpse of what it would be like to die without an heir, a strong heir, to take over for the Shikoku InuYōkai Clan and the packs within the Clan. For they would turn on each other without a strong leader.
Besides, the Shikoku InuYōkai Clan would only ever truly follow someone of Kimi's bloodline, for it had been her father who founded the Clan. Sesshōmaru would have to lead.
Tōga had sent out messengers to all the realms to find and bring back; by force if necessary, Sesshōmaru. It was for the greater good that his eldest return to rule.
It was his birth right after all.
And Kimi's ghost could finally stop haunting him if he found their son.
By all the forces in the world he would find his eldest son, before his death. He had to. The world needed Sesshōmaru to accept his birthright. If Sesshōmaru didn't, Tōga feared the daimyō, the pack leaders within the Shikoku Clan, they would tear the Clan apart.
Sesshōmaru's claws traced his sleeping mate's cheek as he watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest. Sesshōmaru vowed to destroy everything his father had stolen from him if Tōga came near his mate or pups.