Part III
A Culmination of Evil
Chapter 45: Catching Up
A soft breeze wafted its way through the halls of Kangetsu Yamajiro, and the slender figure lifting her face into its fresh whisps closed her eyes for a moment, very happy that the barrier that protected all of Kangetsu kept the temperatures at their elevation actually fairly mild. A small smile lightened her face from gorgeous to sheer inhuman beauty, and it drew the male slowly approaching her like a moth to a flame.
"Izayoi," Touga said after staring at her for a moment as her face portrayed her pleasure in such a simple thing as a peaceful moment and a freshet of air rushing past her face. He cleared his throat as her smile widened and she turned in his direction, her eyes opening and glowing softly at him.
"Yes, my lord?" she asked, contentment in that moment just radiating around her and captivating him.
He cleared his throat, still taken with her beauty and the contentment she was just breathing, and dragged his errant thoughts into order. "Are you ready to leave?"
Her eyes sparked excitedly. "Oh, yes. I can't wait to see father and Ichiro!"
Touga just smiled and glanced down at her feet; a small packed bag was sitting there and he blinked, surprised. "Is that all you are bringing?" he asked, a little confused. Most females usually dragged half of their effects when traveling.
"Yes," she chuckled, amused at the adorable expression on her husband's face. Shaking her head she bent down and picked up her bag and then looked at him expectantly.
With a softening smile of rueful acceptance Touga held out his arm for his wife and once she was settled into his embrace he began to lift away from the terrace and into the air. He paused after a moment and looked down in sudden concern.
"Where's Kirara?"
Izayoi met his gaze and giggled softly, moving a section of her hair away from her neck to show him a tiny Kirara curled up asleep.
"That is fine, then. After everything that's happened-" his grip tightened unbidden as he remembered her being held captive in Ryukotsussei's damned arms and he scowled as flashes of her near rape haunted him, as well, "-I do not ever want you alone. It is not safe."
"I know." She looked sad for a moment as Kangetsu slowly vanished as they passed through the barrier and into the open air, and then shivered at the cold. Touga immediately wrapped his pelt securely around her and allowed extra heat to seep into it.
"Are you alright?"
She just nodded, having lost the inclination for speech as she took in the view around her and the warm pelt blanketing her in a lulling warmth. She woke from her haze in a heartbeat though, as a little, irritated hiss brushed past her ear and a tiny neko finally wriggled her face outside all the fluff around her.
"Was it really necessary to wake me from my nap by trying to suffocate me with all that-" she looked down from her perch on Izayoi's shoulder haughtily, "-puppy fuzz?"
Hand clapping over her mouth to try to strangle the laugh that was trying to force its way out of her throat, Izayoi looked up at her husband's face with mirth dancing in her eyes as she waited for his rejoinder.
He'd have one, she knew - he always did.
Touga cocked a brow at the currently tiny kitten and brushed a bit of cat fur from his sleeve. "I was simply returning the favor," he said haughtily as Kirara fluffed her fur and hissed at him again.
Breaking down into laughter, Izayoi pulled her hand away from her mouth as her eyes twinkled. "You two, stop it now," she remonstrated when she'd managed to get her mirth under control. She reached up and smoothed Kirara's ruffled fur. "I was enjoying the peace and quiet after the last few hectic weeks."
At her words the two subsided, knowing she needed the peace. Truthfully, it hadn't been just the last few were that were the problem - but the last year, really. So much had happened and changed for her, and with all the other added complications like Ryukotsussei, Teruko - he scowled at thoughts of that bitch - Takemaru, the war and her near rape she'd not really had a chance to just sit back and breathe.
She probably won't get much chance of that visiting her family, either. With Takemaru and his enmity towards her and her father and brother it is no odds that Hiraku has been having a great deal of excitement on the political front this winter, and it will no doubt get even worse as the weather clears and spring comes.
A gentle silence fell as Touga flew through the early spring weather - winter was still present but was beginning to fade and soon Yuki Onna would be asleep once more. And while he was enjoying the new year so far - for the most part - there was still an anxious pall over everything for him, because Ryukotsussei was still out there and probably well and healed by now.
Which meant that an attack could come at any time.
Izayoi had more than proved by now that she was perfectly capable of defending herself, but that didn't mean much to him at this point, because he wasn't going to take the slightest chance that the dragon could use to get her into his claws. He never wanted his beautiful and still so seemingly innocent wife to know the depths of depravity and horror that there was no doubt she would at his hands.
Takemaru was a danger, too, but at least he would simply kill Izayoi and not torture and rape her until she finally just died. It didn't matter, he decided as he clenched his jaw almost hard enough to crack - neither male would be getting a hand on her. He'd destroy them both before they had the chance.
And that wasn't even including Teruko and her machinations. It had been fairly quiet on that front since they'd returned from the war with the North late last fall, but he wasn't fooled - she was just biding her time. No doubt with the return of the warmer weather the bitch would get much more active and belligerent.
He was sorely tempted to simply let Satori kill her like she'd been wanting to for years and look the other way. It wasn't his business to get in between every dispute, and challenges and fights to the death were fairly common between youkai. Hell, Kajiko had fought and killed someone who'd had the nerve to insult her within hours of them returning to Kangetsu last fall! He actually kind of missed her straightforward no-nonsense style, but she'd returned to the south with her parents and wasn't due to return for several months.
His arm tightened around his little mate as his thoughts lingered on all those who wanted to murder her for no reason other than stupid, petty power plays. Teruko wanted her out of the way so he was free. She still hadn't gotten it into her head that even were there no Izayoi he would never, ever be stupid - or desperate - enough to mate her. She was a particularly stupid female but that didn't make her any less dangerous.
The others that wanted her dead were no better. It wasn't as if she'd done something to these fools that they wanted revenge for. It was all nothing more than politics – and prejudice.
"You know, it wouldn't matter if I'd married a human, the political scheming would still be the same. Plenty a wife has been poisoned by some other woman out of jealousy, and even by men for more power or money," Izayoi murmured sleepily, and Touga glanced down at her, surprised. She giggled at the look on his face as she tilted her head up and met his startled gaze.
He sighed and smiled at her; it was a small smile, but a true one nonetheless. He just couldn't resist her.
"Are you a mindreader, my dear?" he finally asked.
She winked at him. "Would that it were so - it would make all this so much easier. You are just easy to read, especially lately, and then there's our bond as well, to tell me what you are thinking. But anytime you start getting tense since last fall it's because you're worrying about me."
Inhaling deeply, he held it and then let it out after a few seconds, trying to let the negative energy in his body go and relax. He was only partially successful.
"I cannot help it. Would you not worry were the situation reversed?"
"I already do," she admitted quietly, to Touga's intense surprise.
He looked down at her with a frown.
"Why?"
Izayoi blinked up at him, taken aback at that response. Then it was her turn to frown up at him. "I'm not the only one in danger, Touga! I do not want to lose you. One never knows just what could happen, and taking your presence for granted is a fast way for fate to step in and take you from me as a lesson. Never take anything for granted, because there is one truth in life for every living thing - at some point that life is going to end. Even youkai, with their extended lifetimes, do eventually die."
Well, she was certainly correct there, he couldn't deny. "I did not mean it like that, my dear. I've just never had anyone worry over my safety before," was all he said in return and Izayoi's tension eased at his answer.
"Get used to it, husband," she replied, her eyes softening up at him with forgiveness, and he smiled again at her, a little wider this time.
"Very well, wife," he chuckled suddenly, his eyes spotting their destination. He tilted his head and pointed. "Look - the Setsuna Winter Palace is there."
She looked down eagerly to where he pointed and immediately tensed in excitement. "Oh, I cannot wait! I wonder what's been happening since we left?"
"More politics," he said dryly as he began to descend, heading for the palace towering over the nearby town and the surrounding area. This one was even bigger than the Summer Palace, and Touga couldn't believe how close in size it was to Kangetsu's palace. It would take days to explore it all, if not more.
Izayoi waved a hand at him. "Well, that's a given - but I want to know exactly what maneuvering has been going on. It's all so interesting, don't you think?"
He chuckled at her. "Yes, and you know it. If I didn't enjoy such things I wouldn't bother being a ruler. But it is different when those machinations threaten my wife's life. Then I just get angry."
She tossed him a soft look but didn't have time to say anything, because they were just about to land, and if her eyes weren't mistaken her brother and father had been notified of their arrival and were waiting on the palace's front steps for them.
As soon as Touga's feet touched the ground and he'd steadied her she was off, walking decorously enough but as swiftly as she could.
A great big sigh of relieved tension left her as her father hugged her, and she barely held back her tears.
Father...
~oOo~
"So I was right... Takeda was here to ask for my hand," Izayoi said, frowning. She well remembered the fear that she'd almost drowned in when the man had visited her father at the thought that she'd be married off to him and would never see her home or Touga again. "I'm so glad that was not my fate," she breathed, glancing at her husband with clear relief.
Ichirou grinned at his sister. He was so glad to see her, and looking so very happy. But he wasn't blind, and he could see the new shadows hidden in the depths of her eyes. She'd seen and experienced things that were haunting her, and while that saddened him deeply, there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't protect her from life, and neither could her husband, though he could shield her somewhat from the worst of it. And he had done a good job of that, or else there would be a lot more than just shadows in her eyes, of that the young man was quite sure.
"Well, I certainly wouldn't have chosen him as a husband for you, little sister. And neither would father have done so. He is not worthy of you." His smile darkened as he thought about that. "He would have stifled your spirit and ruined your life. Really – there isn't anyone worthy enough of you save your husband. I guess even fate knew that, eh?"
Touga chuckled as his wife blushed at her brother's words. "I thank you for the compliment, Ichirou," he replied, smiling at him. "I'd like to think that fate knew what it was doing when it gave me your sister."
"Yes, well," Izayoi began, "so am I, but could we speak of something else?" Thinking of such things while in the company of others is simply not a good idea, she thought to herself, feeling just a slight bit overheated. Those kinds of things made her think of her husband in ways that were not appropriate when others were around, and she really didn't need that right now.
Hiraku also smiled as he watched the byplay between the three, and then cleared his throat, his expression going serious. "So, tell me – what is the news on your front?"
Touga looked at him thoughtfully and then said, "The same thing as on yours. Politics. Youkai and humans aren't really that different, we just handle the situations differently in many cases. More directly, in a manner of speaking. But the last few months have been relatively quiet on our end," he admitted softly. "I expect that to end soon as spring takes hold and banishes Yuki Onna back to her sleep."
"What were the reactions of your court to my daughter's presence in your life?"
Brow rising, Touga chuckled. "About what you're imagining. But Izayoi has managed to silence almost all of her detractors, including my own son," he continued, glancing affectionately at his wife before looking back at his father-in-law – it is odd to think of him that way, since I am so much older, but then, much of my life is odd, so I suppose it simply fits right in, he thought ruefully. "You'd have been so proud of her. I begin to think there is nothing she cannot do if she but puts her mind to it."
Izayoi sighed and sent him an exasperated look. "Touga, we have been over this before. I am not one of the kami, and I do have my limits."
"Really?" he shot back with a grin. "Funny that I've not come across those limits, then."
Hiraku and Ichirou both chuckled at the expression on Izayoi's face and the affectionate banter between them. "It will probably take you some time and effort to do so," her father said, smiling lightly at his daughter as he made that statement so that she would see he was being serious in an easy way.
"Most likely," was all Touga said to that. Changing the subject, his expression sobered. "And what of Takemaru?"
The two Setsuna males exchanged serious looks and Touga tensed minutely. What was that about?
"Takemaru is... he is doing what we thought he would do," Hiraku began, looking between his daughter's face and Touga's. "He's gone into the east and has settled in an abandoned fortification. Although I believe he will be moving from there as soon as spring settles in, since his followers have grown and there is no longer enough room in the small compound he took over last fall."
"You believe he will attack soon, then?"
"No, not at all. He still has nowhere near enough of an army to even be an inconvenience to me. But he will have to move to continue looking for warriors he can persuade to whatever lies he's been selling them." Hiraku paused, and then said, "There is something that I wish to ask you, though. Last fall, just about the time you were fighting the dragons, a group of youkai began attacking towns and villages in the area that Takemaru was settling, destroying almost all of them and causing massive fires to rage across the area. What could have caused them to do such a thing? It seems odd to me, strangely convenient, if you take my meaning, that such things would be taking place only in the area a known hater of youkai was staying."
Touga frowned. "What type of youkai?"
"Those with human forms but of much less power than you or Kenji," Hiraku replied.
The frown deepened. "That does sound odd, does it not?" he mused. "I am not sure, but I have the feeling you were right to be suspicious. There's just something about it that is bothering me."
Ichirou spoke up, then. "Well, it was right after Takemaru went out after some town or other to plunder it for supplies that our man reported something strange. Apparently, he had a run-in with a youkai and took him prisoner and then questioned him. The youkai told him something, Takemaru hasn't repeated what was said, and he warned those that were with him at the time not to speak of what was said, but he was very angry about whatever that was. And it greatly increased his hatred of you in particular, Touga."
The inuyoukai chuckled, though he was troubled by what he'd just heard. "That upsets me not, Ichirou. Let him hate me. But it seems to me that whatever that youkai told him had to do with me and Izayoi. I'm willing to bet he told him about my marriage and that's why he's so angry. But why would my marriage be of interest to some random youkai – enough for him to mention it specifically when I doubt very much that Takemaru was asking for such information and probably was still operating under the belief that we wouldn't be wed for some time? Odd, that."
"It seems to me that was part of whatever scheme that whoever set that up had in mind. Whoever did, it appears that the entire thing – the rampaging youkai destroying that entire region and the youkai who told Takemaru about it – was all a set-up to anger him even further. It seems that whoever this is, they want him more than just merely angry." Izayoi looked thoughtfully at the wall, her mind far away. "He's a wild card. And this could only be a move against either Touga or I."
"How do you get that, Izayoi?" her brother asked.
"Because youkai were used as bait. That means this is a youkai scheme that is meant to take advantage of the chaos that Takemaru would bring to our current circumstances."
Touga blinked. "She's right. Now all we have to do is figure out what the goal is, who it is that's masterminding it, and how they knew so much of our situation."
"Is the possible list long?"
"Very," Touga replied to Hiraku wryly. Then he frowned, something passing through his eyes the others didn't understand. "Although not as long as it might seem at first," he added cryptically, though he didn't elaborate.
"Hm," Hiraku murmured after it became clear he wasn't going to. "Well, then that is something we'll leave in your hands."
"That's probably for the best."
"So... anything else interesting going on?" Izayoi prompted when it looked like nothing more was going to be said on that matter.
"Not really," Ichirou said with a small smile at his sister. "But what about things on your side? What's your new home like?"
Touga and Hiraku smiled indulgently as the two siblings talked, Izayoi describing things and then answering the rapid-fire questions her brother shot her way.
The inuyoukai was pleased that he'd been able to bring his wife to visit her family, because with the way the year was shaping up to be he didn't think he'd be getting the chance again anytime soon, and she'd needed this.
So he simply reclined comfortably on his cushion and let his own thoughts wander as his wife described the palace and city and the youkai she'd met and befriended, as well as those she'd fought to her family.
~oOo~
Takeda Nori sat in his study, sipping tea and pondering on his next move.
He'd been considering the matter since he'd returned from the Hojo clan's holdings last fall after being informed of Izayoi's marriage, and here he'd sat for most of it as he'd tried to figure out just how to destroy Hiraku of Setsuna.
It hadn't really taken long to decide on his best chance, but with the winter came Yuki Onna, and he didn't feel the need to try to move from his seat of power to find the person he was going to be needing.
But the days of the Snow Lady's ascendancy over the earth and all those upon it were fading, drawing to a close, and by next week he knew he'd be able to send a messenger off to find his target. He was absolutely certain they'd be be able to come to an easy accommodation, and by this time next year the other man would be a puppet ruler over Setsuna and Takeda would be the real ruler, while having shown Hiraku and his heir why it had been a bad idea to refuse him his desires.
And especially to sell her to a filthy youkai.
It just infuriated him every time he thought about the situation – he'd wanted the girl from the moment he'd seen her, standing in the gardens with her hair down and the wind whipping her clothes against her body, showing the slender, delicate outline of it in almost full detail. That a youkai was being granted the privilege that he'd so desired – to be the one between the girl's pale thighs – just sent him into a rage that so far he'd not managed to calm.
Even now his hand trembled and his insides boiled, and he was forced to deep breathing while blanking his mind to control it. It took several minutes, but he finally managed to regain a calm demeanor and he looked down at the scroll he was currently working on.
It was an offer he knew Takemaru would be unable to resist.
But the wording had to be just perfect, or the madman it was addressed to would become suspicious. Or rather, more suspicious, because there was no way the man could not be suspicious of his motives in offering his assistance and allegiance out of the blue as it were.
So what do I say to convince him that I am sincere?
Before he could get into any planning however, a servant knocked on the frame of the shoji and requested his attention, and with an impatient scowl he beckoned his man in, wondering what could be so blasted important that he would disturb his master's ruminations.
What the man told him destroyed his ire and left him with the perfect excuse to feed Takemaru. When the man left he immediately went back to his letter, and it didn't take long to craft it to say what he wanted it to say. He set his brush down and looked over the missive, smiling proudly at his skill with words.
Yes, this was just what he was looking for, and soon all of Nihon would know the name Takeda as the greatest player of the great game of politics that had ever lived.
He could live with that. And hell, if he played his cards right the youkai that had stolen Izayoi would die, and he could then take the woman for himself. No, she could never now be the lady of Takeda, but he could take her for a concubine. Either way, he'd have her and Setsuna, and that was all that mattered to him.
Folding the missive up and sealing it with his sigil, he summoned another servant and gave him instructions for its disposition, and the letter that would in the end bring them all together at the Shikon no Tama's bidding was on its silent way.
~oOo~
Teruko turned from her window with a placid expression that didn't fool her maidservant one little bit, and the young female cringed inwardly, waiting for what she knew was coming.
Even knowing didn't stop her from flinching though, a small cry escaping her mouth before she could stop it, earning another slash from the angered female.
"... just when my plans were about to come together that bastard takes her and up and leaves on some stupid vacation?" she grated, wanting to scream with vexation but knowing better. "Now I somehow have to change the entire plan around! Ugh!"
Paying no attention to the servant shivering on the floor, Teruko began spouting out orders and her little maid memorized every bit of them, not wanting to anger the volatile female any further. When dismissed she disappeared with alacrity, leaving her mistress to fume and pace and plot even further. It was time to go to Touga with what she knew and beg asylum from him, because Teruko was crazy and she didn't want to take the coming fall with her mistress. She liked living quite well, thank you very much, and she was only doing what she had to in order to survive.
With Touga and Izayoi out of the palace she would have to approach Kenji first with her knowledge, and then stand and face the inquisition that would surely come afterward. But that was better than she'd get from Teruko, and she knew it. Maybe it would be better to move back home and maid for one of the many small lordlings that didn't bother coming to court. This game of spying and plotting was not for her – give her the boring but safe life she'd have in the backwaters anyday over the tension and fear here in the citadel.
Trying not to draw any attention to herself, the young female flittered cautiously through the halls and rooms of the palace, maintaining an air of being on an errand to explain her presence in areas of Kangetsu she would not normally venture into. Most of the youkai paid her no mind, which suited her just fine, and she steadily made her way to Touga-sama's study with myriad thoughts whipping through her mind and fear just touching her scent.
In the end it was Arata that found her.
"What is it that you do here?" he asked as he slipped into the study, looking around and frowning when he didn't see Kenji.
The little female bowed deeply, keeping her face down with respect and fear for the much more powerful youkai, "My lord, I have been a maidservant to Teruko-sama for many years, and always followed orders as any good servant should. But now... I find myself in a place I had never thought to, and have chosen to honor my ultimate allegiance to the Western Lord as the alpha. Teruko-sama plots for Izayoi-sama's death, and she has tasked me with things that I find would violate my allegiance. And so I have come to speak to Kenji-sama and inform him of what she plans."
Arata began to grin as he heard the female out, quite pleased with what was about to go down... namely Teruko.
She had finally overstepped herself and he was going to enjoy watching her fall just as much as almost everyone else in the palace would.
He settled himself on one of the cushions scattered before the Lord's desk to wait for Kenji and leaned idly back. With a disaffected voice he told her to take a seat and wait for the other kitsune to appear, and began a mental guessing game as to just what the stupid bitch might have plotted while they waited on the temporary ruler of Kangetsu to appear.
~oOo~
Sesshoumaru swept regally down the halls of the palace heading for the dojo. The idle thought crossed his mind just as he entered the huge room that it would have been preferable to have Kajiko as a sparring partner, but since she'd gone home on leave from her duties here he'd been left with rather slim pickings for decent partners. That was frustrating, though he wasn't fool enough to always spar with one person, as variety was needed for a well-rounded regimen.
Kenji was always a good choice, but as he had been left in nominal charge while his father was out of the palace he would be too busy.
Normally that fact would have angered him greatly, that his sire had passed over him for authority during his absence. He would have taken it as a measure of his father's disdain for him and his bitterness would only have increased. But not this time, because before his father had taken his leave of the palace he had called him in and spoken with him, explaining his wishes and what was behind them.
While Kenji was in nominal charge, final decisions on anything major that happened would be his. Touga had a good reason for that choice, and once he'd explained to his son what those reasons were, Sesshoumaru had been quietly pleased rather than angered.
First was Takako.
She had been freed from the dungeons after their triumphant return from the war last fall, but as her sire had escaped she was still staying in Kangetsu under political asylum. It was one of his duties while his father was gone to watch her closely, as well as protect her if need be. Now that she was free once again word might get back to Ryukotsussei somehow, and another assassin could be hired.
That was why as of this morning she would be wherever he was. Perhaps he should spar with her – while he had no doubts she was nowhere near his caliber, she was a dragon and might pose him at least some small challenge.
His other task was to listen. His father wanted him to take the reigns of their spies and get his fingers wet in the great game of espionage that was always going on here in Kangetsu. He'd had little opportunity before this to do so, and Touga had decided that now was as good a time as any to initiate him into this facet of being a ruler.
Sesshoumaru had to admit he was intrigued. He had dabbled a little in such things, of course, while his sire was away last summer courting Izayoi, but it had been precious little and he'd gained nowhere near enough experience with it to please his sire.
His ruminations were interrupted as Takako and her bodyguards arrived, and he turned to study her as she came to an uncertain halt in the middle of the room.
After watching her for several long seconds that he was inwardly amused to see rattled her, he spoke.
"Tell me... have you any experience in sparring?"
Takako's eyes narrowed in anger; the insult was hidden under a mild manner but she didn't miss it, for what higher youkai was untrained in the ways of combat?
"Must you ask such an asinine question?" she returned coolly after a few moments, ignoring her guards completely. "If you wished to spar, all you had to do was ask."
One side of his mouth turned up in a thinly disguised smirk, and he drew his weapon. "Then join me," he rejoined, waiting patiently as she strode towards him after choosing a weapon from one of the many weapons racks in the gigantic room. He was interested to note that she'd chosen a katana that was one of the better swords here in the dojo. She had a good eye - perhaps he wouldn't be as bored as he'd thought.
The two stood there in icy silence for several seconds, and then both blurred as they sped towards each other and engaged, the high, clear ring of steel echoing loudly in the cavernous room.
~oOo~
"My lord, your tea?"
Tamotsu turned from his thoughts as one of his pack-brothers addressed him, and nodded at the young male. With that permission the male settled his Lord's morning tea on the small table at his side and then bowed and turned away when no further orders were forthcoming.
Picking up the cup, the Eastern Lord sipped it approvingly. It was perfect yet again, and he made a mental note to permanently assign the male to make his tea – he was excellent at it.
Now that winter was waning it was time to turn his mind to figuring out who had torched so much of his lands last fall. A great deal of the plains near the mountains had burned, and it was youkai that had done it. That meant vengeance on his part for someone daring to damage the eastern lands, because such a thing was a direct insult to the wolf clan and an affront to him personally.
So far he had little clue as to who it could have been, and that was quite aggravating. The only thing he could be sure of at this point was that it hadn't been the work of Touga or Atsushi. Ryukotsussei could just possibly have been the one to order such before the war began, but he doubted it. The youkai involved had been mostly lower-level youkai – and they hadn't been any that normally allied with the deceitful and dangerous dragon.
But that left a myraid of lesser lords in all the lands that could have orchestrated such an event... though somehow, thinking about it now, he was pretty certain he could take any that lived in the southern lands off the list, as well. So that left the West...
With a snap of his wrist some of his wolves hurried to settle his writing desk at his feet and gather his writing accoutrements. Once everything was settled to his liking, he began preparing a carefully worded letter to Touga asking for any information his spies might have gathered on the events in the East – as he knew they would have, just because Touga was thorough like that – so that he could then begin seeking justice for the damage to his lands.
His own wolves had gathered precious little when they'd gone looking – precious little about that particular matter, at any rate. They had, however, gathered a nice little bit of information about Takemaru, and since he was well aware of the interest the Western Lord had in that particular human, he offered an exchange of information.
He sat back when done with a small smile, knowing that Touga would be at least a little surprised at Tamotsu's knowledge of Takemaru, but though the wolves tended to be less structured than those youkai that lived in the West, he did have spies and he sometimes did use them to ascertain as much as possible about important events or things that might be of interest to him and his pack.
No, Touga was no fool, but neither was he. He was older then the inuyoukai, and though not as powerful as the other male he was no slouch, either. And it was time to remind the other lords of that fact...
His ruminations were interrupted by the arrival of his son, who scampered over to him and threw himself down at his father's side with a small, precocious grin.
"So what ya doin?"
Tamotsu sighed wearily – his son had far too much energy for an old male like himself to keep up with. Sometimes Kouga made him feel a million years old.
"I am writing a missive to the Western Lord, my son."
The boy's eyes lit up for a moment and then he nodded, smiling a little slyly, which put his father on alert – the cub was up to something again, which was never good for his parents. "When the old dog dies I'm going to mate Izayoi-sama," he said matter-of-factly to his flabbergasted father. "She's going to be my woman someday, just you watch."
Unable to help himself, the old wolf smacked himself in the forehead and sighed. Kami, please give me patience! Gathering himself, Tamotsu growled at his son threateningly. "Boy, did you not learn your lesson on that matter already? To challenge the Western Lord in such a manner is suicide for you, because you will never have his power! Why are you so insistent on mating a human female, anyway?!" he finally asked, totally exasperated with his cub.
Kouga slouched back a little but didn't back down. "I didn't say I was going to fight Touga-sama for her, father! I'm just going to wait until he dies. After all, he's much older than me, which means I'll outlive him." He met his sire's gaze earnestly, big blue eyes meeting his fathers amazed ones with innocent zeal. "And of course I want to mate her, father – she's the most beautiful female I've ever seen, and she has so much power! Doesn't every wolf want a female like that for a mate?"
Very tempted to just slam his head into his desk, Tamotsu closed his eyes and breathed deeply to calm himself. Why, oh why had the fates given him such a son? The boy was nothing but trouble though he loved his cub, but he was just too old to be dealing with such an excitable and scatterbrained heir. He was beginning to think he should breed another cub from his mate and leave the East to him, and though doubtless Kouga would hate him for such a thing he couldn't leave his lands in the hands of one with no seeming self-control.
"Kouga, I will not warn you again," he began sternly, opening his eyes and staring at his son seriously. "The Lady Izayoi will never be your mate. When Touga goes no doubt she will too, because she shares a great bond with her mate and would not choose to live on without him. And though you are right and all males wish a strong, powerful female to take to stand beside them, some are just out of our reach - and that includes her. You will find another strong female for yourself someday, so let me not hear another word about this matter, are we clear?"
His son looked properly cowed, but he was well aware that meant nothing when it came to the boy, and wasn't fooled. He knew the matter wasn't closed, and sooner or later he'd be hearing about it again. He shook his head minutely and sighed inwardly. "Why don't you go find Ginta and Hakkaku? I'm sure Ginta could use some cheering up – I have noticed him still grieving his father. It is a pack-brother's duty to protect and care for all his pack's needs, and this is something you must learn if you are ever to one day be Lord."
His words were greeted with a saddened, chastened look. "Yes father, I know. I care about my pack, and I've tried to cheer Ginta up, but nothing seems to be working. He misses his father so much, even his mother cannot get him to cheer up. What do I do?"
Tamotsu's heart pinched at his son's sad eyes, and he exhaled deeply as he thought about the matter. The winter had been hard for his pack this year, with so many of the males dying in the war. They'd lost fully half of the pack to the dragons, and there had been much grieving, leaving the cave feeling claustrophobic and close. Especially for him, for it was of course at his orders that they had marched with the other lands. And while he knew that none of his pack blamed him – the dragons had needed to die, as far as all the pack had been concerned – he blamed himself for every death, and the burden was becoming harder and harder to carry.
He was tired. He'd seen too much in his years, done too much, and his spirit was now weary and beginning to look forward to the peace of death. But while he was weary, he wasn't ready to let go quite yet, and at this point he didn't dare let himself go even if he wanted to – because of the youth of his son. Kouga was nowhere near ready to rule the pack, if he ever would be – he was still a cub right now, and so Tamotsu would continue to hang on and hope that as his son grew he would sober and become capable of holding his birthright.
"Kouga, you will find that death is a youkai's shadow. We dance with it and flirt with it every day of our lives. This is something you will have to learn – as Ginta will also. His father died with honor, and no youkai can ask for more. Ginta should be proud of that."
He smiled just a little as his pup nodded soberly for once and stood up and bowed towards his sire. "Yes, father. I will go find Ginta and Hakkaku. What should we do?"
After a moment's consideration, Tamotsu said, "Take your guards with you and go on a hunt. This should distract Ginta from his upset well enough, at least for a while."
The wolf cub grinned then, and scrambled away with another, "Yes, father," thrown over his shoulder as he disappeared into another part of the cave after his companions. His father chuckled a little at his son's eagerness and wondered if any of the cubs would manage to take any prey – they were still learning the intricacy of the hunt, after all. With a fond but still exasperated shake of his head he turned his mind back to his previous concerns and finished his letter to Touga, signing it and then sealing it.
Once done, he called for one of his messengers and handed him the scroll. "This is for the Western Lord. Take it to Kangetsu as quickly as you may and wait for a response."
The messenger bowed and slipped the scroll into his pouch, then turned and made his way out of the cave before disappearing in a cloud of dust towards the west.
Tamotsu sighed as he watched the wolf fade into the distance, once more pushing his weariness away as he turned his attentions to other more minor problems within the pack itself.
~oOo~
A small breeze pushed playful fingers through the hair of the male standing on the compound walls and looking out over the still-bare plain with a pensive expression.
Takemaru pushed his locks back with a bit of preoccupied annoyance, his intent gaze not moving an inch as he stared into the distance. But he wasn't taking in anything that was before him, his eyes far away.
The fires of last fall had done much damage to this region. The once fertile plain had become dead and barren, everything burnt to ash in the flames. They had spread over a great distance, burning out several towns and villages and leaving many dead in their wake. Death hadn't stopped there, though. Most of the survivors of the fires had then died in the ensuing winter, their homes and food supplies gone with no chance of recouping those losses before winter's vicious grip descended.
Damn all youkai for their black hearts. I pray kami give me the strength to eliminate their threat from our world forever, he thought, a dark sea of hatred welling up from within him. He could hardly wait for spring to start and watch how the world repaired the damage that had been done, to see the sweet-smelling prairie grasses grow again and wave gently in the soft winds of the season of hope and renewal.
He sighed. Over the fierce winter he had gained many followers, but it was only a start. He needed far more men than he currently had to even begin to be a problem for Hiraku of Setsuna and he knew it. But where would he be able to find willing warriors in the numbers that he needed? Ronin were plentiful, but not that plentiful – not in the amounts he needed, anyway.
I need an ally. A powerful one. But what could he offer? If he took Setsuna he would claim it for himself, so a promise of conquest with the chance of plunder was out as a bargaining tool. He had no personal wealth, and he certainly wasn't willing to be a puppet ruler that was under someone else's thumb.
Of course, I could always offer such a thing, but then refuse to deliver. Once the battle is over and Setsuna under my control there are very few that would dare to stand against me with my own men added to the Setsuna army ranks – I would be untouchable.
A thunderous pain swept through his mind and he frowned, suddenly confused. Why was he worrying about holding Setsuna after he'd killed Hiraku and his heir and the Western Lord? He didn't plan to live through that – once his enemies were dead, let another worry about ruling a broken clan and its fractured assets. He would be joining his family in death... right?
Shaking his head as his eyes fell tightly closed, Takemaru's even features twisted as bewilderment went through him. Why am I so confused? Was this not my plan – to destroy Setsuna and the dog they've allied themselves with and then die?
No, no, no. Why would I do that? If I take Setsuna then I will rule it. A sudden stillness halted the babble in his mind. But such an idea... if I could approach another lord with an offer of wealthy new lands to rule with the only cost to him some of his men to assist in taking the prize, then perhaps I might persuade whoever I choose. And once Setsuna is taken I can simply refuse to hand over the lands.
His brow furrowed as he thought about that. It certainly was an idea... and as he lost himself in such thoughts he didn't even notice that his honor had truly deserted him, for what honor was left to an oath-breaker?
But Takemaru was too lost to notice such a thing, and he continued to stand and plot as the morning breeze freshened and swept the area with a chill, but also just the faintest hint of renewal and rebirth. Not that he noticed that either, too blinded by his increasingly evil thoughts to do so. He certainly wasn't aware of how far he'd already fallen – or just how much farther he was going to fall before all was said and done.
A throat being cleared behind him drew his attention outward and he turned his head to glance over his shoulder. He inclined his head slightly when he saw who it was.
"Shinji," he acknowledged shortly.
"Sir. We've received a message from Akemai town. They say that they have a group of about twenty ronin that have begun cutting up and causing damage, and would like to know if we will come take care of the matter," the older man said.
A brow rose in slight surprise and then he turned his head back around and a small smile crossed his face. As if the kami are listening to my every thought and granting me what I need... "Have my horse readied and a group of forty of our men also gathered to attend me. We will most definitely go relieve the town of their ronin 'problem'. While we are gone make sure that we find a place for the extra men – we will soon be able to leave here, but it will be quite crowded for a little while. And look into our supplies and figure how long what we have currently will last with the extra mouths to feed – we may have to take out a foraging party one more time before we leave. Have the information ready for me when I return."
The other man bowed even though his leader was not looking and said, "Yes, sir. When do you wish to leave?"
"As soon as possible."
"I'll have the men ready in half a mark. Is that acceptable?"
Takemaru waved a hand in agreement and the sounds of Shinji's footsteps faded, leaving him once more to his thoughts.
Little by little it's all coming together...
~oOo~
The heavy thud of a large carcass hitting the ground pierced the stillness of the cave, and Ryukotsussei in true form began his meal, tearing at the meat savagely.
It had been months since the war and he was just finally finished with healing – mostly thanks to the severe reiki burns he'd suffered from the dog's bitch. They had burned and festered, leaving him weak and exhausted and too worn for more than a month to go looking for something to feed his body's fierce hunger. Even once he'd been able to move again he'd still been slow and unable to take his true form, reduced to going after smaller game like deer and the like in his human form and each time he had to leave his cave to hunt, especially in the dead of winter, it had set his healing back even further.
Normally the cold weather would not really bother him, but with his weakened body and the fact that he'd been forced to go far from his cave deep in the mountains to find any kind of sustenance, it had only made things worse and added more time to his healing.
But within the last week he'd finally felt his health restore itself and his power levels come back to normal, though this last month of healing had drained him greatly – leaving him hungering for flesh as though he'd been starved for a year. He could not believe how that bitch's power had diminished him – and he'd been lucky, he knew, that he'd already been right at his escape point and she'd had little time to do more damage to him than she had.
The little wench had been playing him all along. From the moment he'd grabbed her she'd played weak, and he'd fallen for it. He was also fairly sure now that she'd somehow showed Touga how to get through his illusory walls, though he was uncertain how she'd managed such a thing.
He could be forgiven for his arrogance on the matter of the dog lord's conquest. After all, never had there been a human with anywhere near her power levels or skill, and even his erstwhile allies the sisters had been completely sure that her prowess had been exaggerated. Of course, it was no odds that they'd both died at her hands, or she'd not have been wandering around inside his palace for him to grab, so that said much for their own apparently overrated power.
Snarling at his enraging thoughts, he bit viciously through the carcass, the loud snap of breaking bone and cartilage sounding loud even above his growls and snarls as he fed and raged at thoughts of his most hated foes. Only Touga had ever engendered this level of hatred from him, but now his wife had garnered the same amount and he would enjoy making her pay more than he'd ever enjoyed anything else in his entire life.
And he would. The bitch would suffer more than any human had ever been made to suffer in history, he would make sure of it, and even once she was gone her screams would continue to echo from horizon to horizon as a warning to anyone who ever thought to cross him again.
The last of his small meal disappeared into his maw, and once finished swallowing the hunk of flesh he shimmered back into his human form and headed deeper into his hideout, ready for one last deep sleep before it was time for him to begin planning the Western Lord's downfall... along with his former first mate and her father's demise, as well.
No one turned traitor on Ryukotsussei and lived to tell the tale.
No one.
~oOo~
(unbeta'ed version)
A/N: I deeply apologize to all the readers and fans of this fic for the long delay in posting. I just kind of ran out of steam for a while, and couldn't figure out how I wanted to begin the third and final part of this story.
As well, I find myself in the position of also apologizing for continued delays. I have been signed to a contract by a publisher to produce an original novel with a deadline of June 4, so I don't have much time to get it all done. That's going to leave me little time for fanfics, especially detailed and long ones like this one and Trading Yesterday, as well. I'm also probably going to find my mind pretty tapped out, which means I'll more than likely have some more block with my fanfics. Writing all day, only to turn around and spend the evening writing too will fry your mind, and I don't want to bring on another attack of writer's block like the last one I had, which lasted more than a year.
That's not to say I won't post at all in the ensuing five months. I may, though I can't guarantee that. So again, I apologize in advance to all my readers for whatever delays in posting that come, and I hope you all can forgive me.
Happy New Year to all my readers,
Amber
