Chapter 47: Deed and Destiny

Have you ever had a moment where you suddenly, at the very last possible second, had your perfect confidence in yourself waver just slightly... where you wondered for just a fraction of that endless second you were stuck in if you were about to crash and burn before all of civilization, all of eternity?

Touga hadn't...

But he was going through one right then.

As reality and the void began to warp and twist together as Shishinki threw everything he had at him and he countered with his own power, as he was in the very center of the ultimate moment... he wondered.

Have I miscalculated? Is my energy enough to overtake his and force his meidou to close? Force them to my will?

Locked into the final clash of weapons and power, Touga's energy and Shishinki's warred around them, each attempting to overwhelm and dominate the others. To make it submit.

Shishinki was a powerful male. Touga had known that as soon as he'd sensed him. His youki was incredible, even if he was still young and not as accomplished at the use and control of that power as he himself was with his own. So this was what it came down to. In the eye of the storm Touga gritted his teeth, his fangs lengthening and gleaming as he gathered every scrap of his invincible control and his indomitable will, thoughts of his son and his beautiful wife driving him on, and pushed.

Everything froze.

For one long and absolutely still second, time itself paused – and then an elegant, long-fingered hand came up and channeled the meidou from Tessaiga into his own flesh. As Touga forced the energy of the foreign technique through his body, one dry, clinical part of his mind observed and recorded all of the pain and pleasure of it as it flowed through his very veins, even as the rest of him was fully engaged in the physical encounter. It swam through every part of him, intoxicating and agonizing all at once...

And then he punched the other male right through one side of his head.

With an immediate explosion, all of the hurricane of battling energy around them pulsed outward and then sucked rapidly back in to surround that already deadly fist in a rising rush. Potent, hot, and eagerly seeking to overtake and destroy, the youki ate through the stunned male's flesh and bone faster than even Touga could see. Shishinki convulsed, his face frozen in shock as almost half of his head simply vanished in less than an instant of time. The inuyoukai pushed his advantage, managing to throw the other male back into a cliff, which shuddered and fell apart as he impacted with it.

With a savage yell Touga swept forward, Tessaiga raised and ready for the kill. The sword sang a wondrous song of conquest and victory, its master's own energy rising in counterpoint, making the valley ring with the sound as he shot forward.

Just before he collided with Shishinki, perfectly poised to deliver the final blow, a strange pulse of something Touga could not but think of as anti-energy blasted outward from his damaged opponent, knocking him back and into the ground, which fractured beneath him. And before he could shake off the effects of the blow, Shishinki vanished as another wave swept outwards from where he had been, this one comprised of energy.

With barely fractions of a second in which to react, Touga raised his own youki to surround him in a beautiful spiral of power and hoped it would be enough to keep the worst of the blast from him. In the same instant he drove Tessaiga into the earth beneath his feet, strengthening and grounding himself.

He held as he was tested to his very limits. His power indeed shielded him from the worst of the effects though he was pushed back, his sword still buried in the earth as he grasped it and twisted around the blade and hilt. The explosion of sound was enough to deafen him as his power battled with Shishinki's and again triumphed, and when it was over and the dust had settled, Touga was left on the battlefield completely alone.

It was enough.

He had won.

By fleeing the fight Shishinki had surrendered, and thus the challenge was satisfied and the inuyoukai was still alpha, still lord.

Straightening from his crouch, the Inu no Taisho raised his head and howled of his conquest even as his armor crumbled to the ground and his own blood scent tainted the air.

I am Touga, Inu no Taisho, and I am victorious! My lands are safe and still mine! Let all acknowledge my feat and fear the name of the Lord of the West!

His thunderous declaration rang through the air and rumbled the earth as his power whirled around him and sang with the fullness of its strength. The fight had ripped his most primal instincts right to the forefront of his mind, and his blood still high and singing of victory, he turned from the site of the battle and sheathed his sword. Tilting his head into the air, he locked onto his mate's delicate scent, and then disappeared.

Now his blood was burning...

Burning with the need for a very different type of conquest.

The fact that his wife was currently with her father and brother didn't even occur to him.

~oOo~

Oh, kami, please...

Almost unaware of what she was doing Izayoi began praying, every sense turned towards the battle going on so close, yet conversely so very far away. Close, because both males that were fighting were powerful and thus extremely dangerous, yet far because anytime that Touga was in danger he was too far from her.

That was what love did to a person. And she would never trade it for anything fate or the gods themselves could hand to her, even with all its painful emotion, its inherent difficulties. Because love was what mattered. It was what gave her strength, what kept her going no matter what was thrown at her or what she lost in protecting it.

Her thoughts stalled as a strange, heavy weight suddenly pressed in on her, as if the air itself had become heavier than water, and everything froze. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart stuttered.

She'd felt her husband's confidence waver for that slice of eternity, knew he was not certain of his win, and that actually frightened her. Because part of being the master tactician that he was, was being able to calculate his own power against that of his opponent's to a fine point. He was usually very confident of himself and his choices in battle, so the fact that this time he was questioning himself in such a manner – and at such a time - was in itself a dead give-away to anyone who truly knew him.

Incredibly even the wind died, and that weight pressing down against her actually increased, stunning her mind. It was impossible to breathe, impossible to think, to hear, to hope...

The pressure suddenly imploded, shocking Izayoi and her father and brother back to life as sound and breath returned and their hearts began beating again.

"Touga," she choked in a broken voice as she tried desperately to draw in enough air to stay conscious. The power that had been released was incredible, and even more so as yet another pulse of pure energy washed across them. She was having to fight with everything she had just to keep from falling into the blackness hungrily waiting at the very edges of her vision to swallow her up.

"Izayoi?!"

The young woman managed to turn her head towards her father and brother, who both looked even more stunned than she did. Her father had actually hit his knees, and Ichirou wasn't much better off, trying to stay upright while half supporting their father as he tried to regain his feet.

"What... is this?" Hiraku gasped out painfully. "What's happening?"

She shook her head and closed her eyes as she tried to gather herself, still breathing heavily even though the pressure in the atmosphere had finally eased up. After a moment more of just sucking in air, she managed to say, "I'm not sure," before her voice was once more stolen by the swell of triumph that almost swept her under yet again.

The air shivered around them as a howl unlike anything any of them had ever heard echoed across the landscape from horizon to horizon, and Izayoi was bombarded by the rush of her husband's emotions flooding through their bond and straight into her mind.

The upsurge of desire that next hit her shocked her, but suddenly she knew-

It appeared that Kirara did as well, as she stood from the crouch she'd been in and mentally prompted her faltering companion. "Kagome! Your mate comes – I will take your father and brother back to their home."

"O-okay," she stammered, blushing terribly as she realized what Kirara already had – she was in trouble, and she most definitely did not want her father and brother to be a witness to what was coming. "Father, Ichirou, you have to go. Kirara will take you home, and Touga and I will follow later." She shook her head as her father opened his mouth to question her, his worried expression not missed by either sibling – though in truth, Ichirou's expression was much the same. "I'll explain later! Just go!"

Both men allowed her to chivy them onto her companion's back against their better judgment, and within bare seconds of Izayoi's knowledge of her husband's victory, the firecat was disappearing back towards Setsuna at speed.

Izayoi didn't have time to worry about anything else any further as her husband's form came hurtling at her out of nowhere. She didn't even have a chance to inhale before she was in his arms and he was kissing her almost brutally.

The young woman knew better than to demur in any way; her mate was too far gone to his most instinctual, bestial nature to even hear her were she to bother to try. And truthfully, she could feel her own emotions being driven by his into a similar state. He was alive, dear kami he was alive, and she wanted him as he wanted her – hard and fast and breathless and just now. Now, now, now.

Skin split and blood tainted the air as clothing was ripped and torn and flung away, weapons dropping unnoticed to the ground with little care as thin scratches bloomed on the pale and perfect skin of both.

Touga growled deeply, his ardor increasing to dangerous levels as he felt her yielding against him, giving in to his desires, his need. And she did so with so much passion and heat, as if she were an inuyoukai that had just won a battle herself. He hadn't been able to control the desperate want that swept through him as soon as he'd realized his victory, and apparently Izayoi did not want him to – she was urging him on with her needy little mews and cries as she attacked him with the same thoughts on her mind.

Mouths fused as naked flesh met naked flesh, and the heat in both their bodies only increased all the more with every burning touch between the two. Wicked, dangerous fangs nipped sharply at soft lips, and Izayoi yielded her ground and opened up her mouth on a broken wail of pleading urgency, welcoming her husband's conquering tongue with alacrity.

"I was so worried," she managed to breath out between biting, sharp nips and sweet, deep sweeps as her husband tasted her and worshiped her all at once.

"I know," he growled against her lips. But he said nothing else, his plundering mouth already moving on to her throat. She was so very sensitive there, and it pleased the inuyoukai greatly – when she tilted her head just so, exactly as she was now, it drove him crazy. With her submission acknowledged by his snarl, Touga tore his pelt from his naked shoulder and threw it into a pile on the ground for his mate to lay on, then took her down onto it faster than the surprised woman could even react.

The daiyoukai drew a fang lightly along his mate's neck, with just enough pressure to leave a red mark on her flesh. It was something personal, but at the same time others seeing it would know that this woman was taken – and by whom. That pleased his deepest instincts in the most satisfying ways, and with a low growl of pleasure he moved on, drawing his fangs lower along her collarbone. He couldn't resist swiping his tongue over the little hollow of her throat – she was so soft there, so sweet and vulnerable. The sight of it reminded him that his wife was human, not youkai. He needed to cherish her, love her passionately but not too roughly. It calmed his aggression just enough, and his wild behavior of moments before changed, something inside him going molten as his touch on his little mate became hot and sultry, slow and deep instead of desperate and fierce.

Izayoi responded immediately to his changing mood, crying out in protest at first as he gentled her back from the precipice. But when he let out a low, calming growl she went slack with a whimper, allowing him anything he wanted from her. He could take all of her and she would not resist, she would willingly give him anything he chose to take - and then some. She loved him, whether he was indulging his wild side or being taken over by a more contemplative mood. No matter the path, the destination was always the same, and it was one she would forever follow him towards with joy in her heart and an eager body. She could literally deny him nothing.

She tensed as Touga's wandering mouth flirted with the edge of a breast, anticipation driving her entire body taut. Hissing as his tongue flicked lightly along that sensitive flesh, she whimpered pleadingly as he continued on to lick and kiss all around her tightly furled nipple without once touching it. It hurt... oh, it hurt, but in the best of ways. Her entire body was bowing, arcing into him with desperation.

"Oh, please," she moaned, begging shamelessly for what she knew her husband could give her. "Please, Touga..."

"Shh," he said between nibbles, his hands rubbing along her sides gently yet firmly. He now wanted to savor this mating, not rush it. "Be calm, Izayoi," he whispered just loud enough for her to hear. "Be calm and enjoy what I'm about to do to you."

"But-" she began, that same desperate edge to her voice that her body was showing.

It made him smile inwardly with immense satisfaction. That his mate wanted him so deeply and fiercely, in the same way he wanted her, stroked something feral and ancient inside him. But it wasn't enough to stop his determination to have his way, and he put a finger to her lips for a moment.

"Hush," he murmured, his rich voice low and deep in response to her need – and his own. "Let me."

It was all he said, yet Izayoi knew exactly what he meant. She whimpered, her bottom lip peeking out in an unintentional pout that charmed Touga completely.

His lips quirked in a slight smile. "Good girl," he said softly. It was as clear to him as it was to anyone who had seen them together – his wife would always give him anything he desired from her. It was the same for him. He would do anything for her, give anything just to see her happy. Many males would scoff at this, calling it weakness; he sinply shrugged, unconcerned. He was far from weak because of his love for his mate, as he'd just finished proving earlier most satisfactorily.

Now, on to the best part of a victorious battle – the need to establish his dominance over his mate, as well.

Oh, it wasn't the same sort of dominance he'd just taken in battle, and it was more to point out said dominance to others rather than truly being about dominating her. After all, there was no need to – she had already acknowledged that he was her alpha, in more ways than one. Just as she was doing right that very moment as she writhed beneath his tender caresses, begging with the language of her body for him to ease her pain, to give her desire surcease by merging their bodies together.

"Now where was I?" he mused aloud. "Oh, yes... right about here," he added before swooping down on her breasts and thoroughly taking his fill of them.

He suckled her in long, determined draws, teasing out her pleasure bit by bit. One long suckle, then a just slightly sharp nip, and his little mate was sobbing with the tension that was twisting her young body in ways she'd only recently – relatively speaking - become acquainted with.

But Izayoi wasn't the type to just lay back and leave all the fun to her husband, and she firmly reminded him of that as she reached down and took his hardness in her hand and squeezed. Touga lost his breath at the feeling; all sharp need and honeyed desire combining into one inside his lust-filled mind. So she wishes to play, does she?

Moving to hover just above her as she lay in ravished abandon across his pelt, the inuyoukai purred into her ear. The subsonic sound vibrations nonetheless were evident to her in a way she would never actually be able to articulate, and she shivered in intense reaction to the deep sound. Her hand spasmed in reaction, and Touga broke off the purr on a snarl, which sound was quite well within human hearing ranges. But as Izayoi thought to smirk inwardly in mischievous pride, she was immediately drawn back under by the feel of her husband's claws lightly tracing over the extremely sensitive skin of her inner thighs as he moved lower, and promptly forgot her minor triumph in the pleasure that surged over her.

Tongue lightly tracing behind his claws, Touga drew ever nearer the one place he knew she needed him the most, yet did not touch her there. Instead, he licked a line up the crease in her thigh, lightly dragging one fang behind – a touch of pain with her pleasure. He nibbled his way over towards her navel, swirling his tongue in the tiny indentation. She was so frangible there, so soft and delicate-seeming, and it drew his every predatory instinct to see such a soft place bared to him. He nuzzled her there for a moment, worshiping at the altar of her fragility and power with a tenderness many would deny a youkai capable of.

So delicate and so much more deceptively fragile. And yet she is the least vulnerable human I've ever known. And I love her so for the seeming-dichotomy of her very nature. It has become as necessary as air to me.

One last sweet swipe across her lower abdomen, and finally Touga approached that place both he and she had been wishing he were already arrived at.

With that first touch, Izayoi was lost to her body as an orgasm unlike anything she'd yet felt swept her under. It was more intense than the fire of a thousand suns, choking her voice in her throat as she exploded and melted into space and time. Nothing held any meaning anymore, nothing beyond the pleasure raging through her body, mind, and even her soul.

She was left sloe-eyed and trembling as a heavy lassitude crept into her behind the wave of pleasure.

Pleased with his wife's reaction to his lovemaking, still Touga was a touch surprised at how receptive to his caresses she seemed to be. He certainly hadn't expected her pleasure to have already overtaken her, so early into the mating. There was so much more to come, after all. He watched her fall into oblivion with a rather enigmatic smile, his desire only strengthening at the sight of her in such disarray.

And so Touga set about seducing his wife all over again. It would be some time before they would make it back to Setsuna's palace.

~oOo~

Lethargic and almost too tired to stay awake as she lay wrapped in Touga's arms, nonetheless Izayoi couldn't help the thoughts that kept running through her exhausted mind. She had the strange, unshakable feeling that something of great importance had happened that day, something that tied her lifetime as Kagome and this one as Izayoi together in some terribly fundamental way. But what that was, she simply couldn't tell.

It was driving her crazy.

She watched a little blearily as what memories she had of that life drifted in and out of her mind, taunting and teasing her with possibilities while yet leaving her confused and frustrated at the lack of any real solid answers. She almost wanted to cry – since the day she'd been called home from her time on the shrine her life had spiraled so crazily out of control. Nothing of her life was as she had once thought it would be, and while most of the time she was truly thankful that was so, at times like these she just wanted to find whatever kami had done this to her and shout at them. Was it too much to ask to know your own mind? Apparently s-

Her degenerating thoughts were brought to a halt as reality intruded with her husband's voice, and she blinked in surprise when she realized that it was almost fully dark. Just how long had that dog of a husband of hers kept them out here with his over-inflated libido?

"What is disturbing you so, Kagome?"

The young woman's thoughts were once again derailed as his deliberate use of that name caused a new upsurge of frustration, as it exacerbated her earlier mental meanderings and the aggravation that her inability to just remember was causing.

"The feeling that something important happened today, something that ties me to all of what my life has been. And yet for all that, I cannot grasp even a hint as to what that might be! What is the purpose of the kami sending me here, but without whatever memories might actually help me figure this all out? How can they expect me to understand their will, understand how I should rid the world of the Shikon no Tama without them?" she burst out as all her unsettled emotions finally began to overwhelm her normal even temper.

The inuyoukai's arms tightened around his wife. "I comprehend your irritation, little one," he replied softly, pulling one arm up and settling a gentle hand over her mouth before she could say anything. "I truly do. But you need to let it go for now. There is nothing to be gained by stressing yourself out over the matter." Then a wicked little smirk settled on his lips, and Izayoi felt her thoughts start to go hazy again. "And especially not after I spent so much pleasurable time earlier relaxing you."

A slight flare of feminine pique settled her, and she harrumphed at him. Cocky dog. "Which reminds me, Touga," she began sweetly as her eyes darted around for a moment before returning to his, "just how long have we been out here?" A stray evening breeze darted quick fingers across her back, and suddenly she was starkly aware of something she'd paid no attention to earlier. She pushed away from the now smugly smiling male with an outraged look. "And what on earth do you expect me to wear back to Setsuna, Touga? You shredded my clothes! I'll never be able to face my father or Ichirou again!"

Unable to help himself Touga started laughing, only continuing as his little wife took affront at this and began chastising him heatedly for his perceived infraction. He shook his head and then stood with her in his arms in a swift, graceful movement that halted the flow of words, settling her on her feet as she gained her balance after blinking several times to process the swift move.

"Fear not, little mate," he said once he'd regained his ability to speak without laughing at her. "I can take us directly to our rooms, and no one will see anything. In that way I will protect your reputation, my love. It is the least I can do - I would not want anyone to think ill of you. Sometimes I forget how modest human females are compared to most youkai."

He picked up his already repaired warrior's kimono and handed it to her, magnanimously ignoring the mock growl that came from her throat. He was too relaxed, too contented at that moment to take any offense to her not-so-irritated grumbling. He merely smiled at her, which had the effect of rendering her mute – as he was all too aware.

Rolling her eyes at her very complacent mate's rather arrogant thoughts, as she could just tell what they were without even needing to access the bond, Kagome took the cloth from him with an arced brow and knowing stare. "Hmm," was all the sound she made as she drew her arms into the far too-large sleeves and tied the whole thing closed in a neat knot with what remained of her own obi.

Touga chuckled inwardly this time, not wanting to truly get his little wife's back up. It was rapidly getting cooler now, and he wished to get her back to the shiro so that she could redress out of the reach of the elements. As he tucked the last of his attire into place she looked at him, her expression oddly seeming solemn to him before moving directly into an easily seen weariness, and he thought that maybe she wouldn't need to redress once back in their rooms. Perhaps she would just go to their bed, instead. It wasn't as though she didn't need the rest after the day they'd had, and the inu sighed quietly as she looked up at him in the deepening dusk.

It's impressive that she manages to keep up with youkai as she does. Can she really flourish at our pace of living? His own mind took a contemplative turn, and he wrapped his arm around her as his orb closed around them and they began to move. With just a thought he sent his pelt to wrap her shoulders and body in his warmth.

It took mere seconds for them to reach their destination, and when they re-materialized, true to Touga's word they were inside their room with the shoji closed. Izayoi looked around and sighed tiredly.

Unraveling his pelt from around her, he clasped her upper arms and looked at her seriously. "Will you sleep now?" he asked.

The young woman nodded wearily. "Yes," she said softly eyeing the futon longingly.

Touga smiled slightly at her. "Then perhaps I could have my clothing back?"

She huffed at him but was clearly too tired to think of anything clever to say in return, and simply slipped the kimono from her shoulders and handed it to her husband. As soon as he took the cloth from her she went straight for the bed, not noticing her husband's suddenly intent stare.

Touga reined in his wayward thoughts and ever-present desire for his mate, simply watching as she climbed into the futon and pulled the bedclothes over her.

"Will you stay up, Touga?" she asked him in a voice already heavy with sleep.

"Yes," he replied. "I believe your father and brother are still awake and I should go quiet the concerns I'm sure they have after this afternoon's events. I will see you in the morning, love."

Izayoi mumbled some sort of acknowledgment and within seconds was asleep, a soft sigh barely escaping her parted lips as she slipped into unconsciousness.

Touga watched her with a furrowed brow and slowly mounting concern. She'd certainly succumbed to sleep faster than he'd ever seen. What was making her so tired?

Concerned frown deepening just a little, he watched her for a few more moments, and then left the room. As he slid the shoji into the hall open, Kirara stalked inside and headed straight for her mistress.

"It's about time," she hissed acerbically at him in passing as her fur fluffed up. "You dogs. You barely let your poor females breathe between ruttings. How they find time to do anything else, I'll never know."

Absently amused, Touga didn't say anything in return, simply slid the door closed and with one last glance at it he turned and headed for Hiraku's aura. He would see how she was feeling in the morning before worrying any further.

~oOo~

"You've returned," was the first thing to greet the inu as he stepped into a room within the palace he had thus far not yet been in. The sound was greatly relieved, and Touga's brow furrowed a little with amusement, wondering just what Izayoi had told them before sending them back.

"Yes," he answered, his quizzical expression calming certain fears the two men sitting in the room playing shogi had held. "Was there some cause for doubt?"

A relieved smile met his query, and the atmosphere in the room lightened immediately. "I suppose not," Hiraku allowed with a rueful twinkle.

"What did Izayoi tell you?" he asked curiously as he moved to take a seat near the two on a comfortable cushion.

"Nothing really," Ichirou chuckled, shaking his head at the worry that seemed like such folly now, though it hadn't earlier. They truly shouldn't have been concerned. "I think that was the problem. She simply pushed us onto her neko companion and said she'd explain later. But she did seem to be in a minor panic of some sort, so I suppose we picked up on that?" he finished almost questioningly, as if he wasn't sure that was the right way to describe the feeling they'd gotten from her, but couldn't think of any better way to put it.

"Ah," it was Touga's turn to chuckle as he preened inwardly. So his little mate had known what was coming, had she? Aloud, he merely said, "I suppose she wasn't certain how you would take seeing me in a more primal state than normal. The challenge to my rule had been satisfied most gratifyingly, and such challenges are always of the greatest import to youkai. It brings out our most animalistic instincts, and it is not wise to have... others around at that kind of time."

Both men blinked, looking interested, but Touga simply put up a hand with an enigmatic smile. "Perhaps we should move on," he said simply, but with enough of a firm tone that the two knew prodding him further would prove futile.

Now very intrigued, nonetheless both father and son allowed a change of topic without protest as Touga made one last remark on the subject.

"Izayoi is safe and sound asleep in our bed," the inuyoukai said with a smile. "She was very tired when we returned. Such things as we encountered earlier can be draining, especially for someone who is not youkai, and she has been tiring a little easier than normal lately, anyway."

Hiraku chuckled and then grinned knowingly. "Are you certain that she isn't with child? Women seem to be perpetually tired during such times, I've found."

Now it was the inu's turn to be surprised, and he blinked blankly. And then he laughed. "No. I do not believe that is the problem. Her scent has not ripened."

"Ah, yes, that scent thing again," Hiraku teased lightly as he waved a hand at the daiyoukai. "So you can even tell something such as that?"

Touga inclined his head. "Oh, yes. You would be surprised how many things can be told by scent alone to those with a nose for it."

"But how far along would a woman need to be for her scent to alert you to her state?" Ichirou asked, clearly intrigued.

Looking thoughtful, Touga slowly said, "It would depend on the species of youkai. Some have more developed senses of smell than others. But speaking for myself, within the first few days certainly." He remembered back to the time after he had bred Satori, as they both eagerly waited for her scent to change – and the gratification on both their parts when it had happened... and for more than one reason, if the truth were to be told. If he were to get his little mate with child... he hadn't really thought about the matter, far too much going on since they'd wed for him to do so, but...

A slightly disappointed voice interrupted his train of thought for the moment.

"Hm. So, no grandchild yet, then? If you don't hurry I may not be around to see him or her," he teased lightly. Although the thought was no less true...

A more somber mood settled over the occupants of the room, then.

"Truthfully, with all that is yet to be played out with Izayoi and the Shikon, as well as the matter with Ryukotsussei-" he growled lowly as his mind touched on that particular bastard, "-and a few other things besides, now would not really be a good time for her to conceive." A frown furrowed the inu's perfect skin, and the two others in the room could easily tell that those dangerous circumstances were never far from his mind.

Hiraku cleared his throat and when Touga looked over at him, he said, "But would there ever really be a good time for her to be vulnerable in such a way? In any way? Our politics and power plays may not be as... direct as what would be found in a youkai court, but they still exist. Any member of a ruling family is in danger just for their position within the clan." He paused, and his face seemed suddenly much more aged and tired than even a moment ago. "When... my wife was with child I worried, even though she was in much less danger than many women would be, as I did not take more than one wife and had no concubines. Still, even beyond danger from jealous females trying to curry favor, there are other dangers to a ruler's wife. There are always dangers to a ruler's wife - and any children, as well."

What he was saying was clear, and Touga acknowledged his words with a rueful shake of his head. "I understand you, but..." he trailed off, seemingly hesitant for the first time since they'd met him face to face. Surprise kept both Setsuna males silent as the daiyoukai struggled with his words, before finally exhaling heavily. "In this case, however, the danger is even greater. I do not know how Izayoi's body would react to carrying a hanyou child. Some women seem to do no worse than with a fully human child, but others suffer much more. She cannot afford to be weakened and possibly ill with a difficult pregnancy, especially right now."

And that's not even considering how Sesshoumaru would react to such a circumstance. I do not wish to drive him any further away than I already have with all my mistakes in rearing him. Yet if he reacted badly to the thought of a hanyou sibling and attempted to do anything to Izayoi because of it, we would be forever estranged, because I would not hold back my anger or instincts to protect my mate - even from my own son.

We would become deadly enemies...

Becoming even more troubled as those thoughts just added to the many disturbing ones already in residence, he growled with frustration as all his earlier good mood from his victory – on both fields of battle – faded and was replaced with yet more worry. "Why must everything always be so difficult? For once, couldn't the kami keep their problems to themselves and not involve those bound to the mortal coil, as we all are? There's enough trouble just dealing with the foibles of those that live on this earth – and then they saw fit to throw their problems at us, as well. I'll say again what I've said before – the kami are not kind."

"Never have truer words been spoken," Hiraku agreed in a low tone, his eyes far away as he looked into the past. Neither of the other two needed to be told where his mind had wandered.

Into this now somber atmosphere a servant intruded. He bowed and waited for his Lord's permission to speak.

"What is it?" Hiraku asked, his tone slightly clipped.

"My Lord, there is a message. The courier is awaiting your pleasure outside your study – or should I direct him here?" the man asked quietly.

"No, I will go to him there," the lord of Setsuna said after a moment. He glanced at his son and Touga. "I will return after I've attended to whatever the matter at hand is."

After the two had acknowledged his words he stood and left the room, his footsteps seeming heavier than usual. Touga frowned and looked over at Ichirou, who was staring at the once-more closed shoji with a worried expression that he didn't even try to hide.

"Is there something going on that I should know about?" Touga asked with a pointedly raised brow.

"Not really," Ichirou sighed, glancing at Touga and then back towards the door. "I suppose it is simply natural as one ages to tire easier. But he had seemed so much better after Izayoi healed him last summer. And now, to see him like this again... it reminds me that he won't be around forever. I... dread the future," he muttered under his breath, though the inuyoukai heard him clearly enough. He understood him, too.

It brought back memories of his parents, both long dead now. But he remembered feeling the same when he thought of the future, a future that would one day not include them. And worry for how he would do ruling, in relation to his sire. He'd had many doubts when young that he would ever be wise enough to hold his inheritance half so well as his father had.

Even now he couldn't say for sure if he had surpassed his father or not. Would he have been pleased if he could see what his son had done with what had been left to him?

"I... comprehend your meaning," he said into the heavy silence slowly, his own countenance now as solemn as Ichirou's. "Every son feels the same at some point, I believe. But if I cannot quell my own concerns and questions on that topic, I can at least possibly ease some of yours. Hiraku is rightly proud to call you his son. I, as well, believe in you."

"But how can you b-"

"Perhaps I should have said, I believe in your father," he interrupted the young man. "He has taught you well. And you have learned his lessons even better than he could have hoped." Touga smiled a little. "You will lead Setsuna to even greater heights than it now enjoys when it becomes your time to do so."

Ichirou still looked troubled, but he nodded. And then he flashed a small return smile sideways at his brother-in-law. "You know," he began slyly, "you should take your own words to heart."

A curiously cocked brow met his glance. The inuyoukai looked confused, but then surprised as what was being intimated sank in. His smile became a rueful grin, then. "Ah. Perhaps I should take your most pointed advice," he chuckled a little sadly.

Silence fell between the two then, and though it was a somewhat troubled silence, it wasn't an uncomfortable one as both lost themselves in their own thoughts. Time passed slowly, but finally Hiraku slid the door open and stepped back into the room with a questioning look at the contemplative expressions on both of the faces that met his.

After a moment, when nothing was forthcoming from either, he shrugged and his expression became serious. Both males perked up when they saw that look and exchanged interested glances.

"What has happened, father?" Ichirou asked.

"I've heard back from the man I have planted in Takemaru's entourage," Hiraku said dispassionately as he sat down in his previous spot. He paused, waiting to see what reactions he would garner from his companions. He wasn't disappointed.

Ichirou sat forward eagerly, while Touga's expression became almost forbidding at the naming of that particular one of his enemies.

The inuyoukai was the first to speak. "And...?"

"And it seems that I was correct. Takeda has indeed been in contact with him. We already knew that Takemaru had audience with him early last autumn after he was ejected from Setsuna lands," he said to Touga, with an incline of his head in his son's direction. "He was so kind as to pass on word of who Takeda's request for Izayoi's hand had been denied in favor of. As I'm sure you can guess, the man did not take the news well. We have had an interesting winter waiting to see what he would do, though I was almost certain this would be at least one of his reactions. He also tried to talk Hojo into siding with him openly against me."

"So it would seem that Takemaru's very serious need for soldiers has now been answered," Touga mused after a moment. "Has he managed to amass very many men of his own men?"

"About four hundred, so far," Hiraku replied.

It was quiet for some little time as Touga thought about that, his eyes narrowed in concentration. He hadn't kept up much on the situation with Takemaru, since he had so many others that were more immediate than the disaffected human samurai. Truthfully, normally he probably wouldn't even be bothered with the man at all. He wouldn't have the reach necessary to be a real threat to Izayoi, especially not into youkai realms. But he believed his wife's words about Takemaru's danger to her and her family. And with the jewel all wrapped up in the matter, as well, that human samurai could become as much a danger to her as Ryukotsussei or anyone else.

"And how many do you think he will gain from alliance with Takeda? You would know more about the numbers he could afford to field for Takemaru while still protecting his own holdings than I."

Surprisingly, Hiraku looked at his son. "Ichirou?"

The younger man straightened a little on his cushion as he pondered that. "At full muster he has a little over four thousand men that answer to his banner. I would say he would not loan out more than a thousand, though his terms would be steep for their use, I've no doubt." He glanced at his father. "Still, it's not like Takemaru has much choice but to agree. It would take him far too long to gather enough men to his side to be any real threat to Setsuna otherwise. Though he'd certainly renege on whatever promises he'd made if they ever actually came due."

The other two made sounds of agreement. Yes, neither had any doubts on that score – Takemaru had lost whatever honor he might have had when he lost hold of his own sanity. Takeda was a fool to ally himself with the insane samurai – though it was only fair to note that he had not really had any contact with the man before he'd become a slave to his own darkness, and so couldn't realize that he truly was lost to all sense.

Unfortunately, that meant that Takemaru was now a crazy man in charge of an army, because he had no doubts that the man would promise anything Takeda asked of him to gain those soldiers without any intentions of ever making good on his word.

That alliance was a foregone conclusion, Ichirou was right about that.

So where did that leave them?

"Is this a danger that Setsuna can withstand on its own?" Touga asked outright, startling the other two a little with his forthright question.

Hiraku recovered from his surprise first, and nodded. And then he chuckled. "You refer to Setsuna's numbers?"

Touga tilted his head. "Yes."

"In numbers, then, we can," the human lord inclined his head.

"And in other ways?"

Hiraku laughed aloud, delighted. "Ah, you question my phrasing, then. It is good that you do. But at least this time I only meant to point out that nothing in life is ever certain. Is there a way that Takemaru could possibly defeat us? Yes, I'm sure there is. It is not a very likely scenario, but anything is possible, after all. Am I not right, Touga?" he asked with a grin.

The inuyoukai carefully studied his human ally, friend, and father-in-law. And then he returned the grin. "You are. So perhaps I should be asking what you are doing to counter those unlikely possibilities."

The air in the room changed yet again as the three put their heads together and tried to out-think a madman. And if Touga and Ichirou noticed any further hint of weariness on Hiraku's part, neither said anything.

~oOo~

It was quite late when the three men finally decided to seek their beds and parted company amiably. Touga, however, wasn't really feeling tired. His mind was too taken up with one of its oldest pastimes - politics and plotting. Sliding the shoji into he and Izayoi's rooms open and then closed once more in complete silence, he stood still for a long moment as his gaze fell on his wife contemplatively.

She was sleeping deeply and at least for the time being, peacefully enough, Kirara curled up in the little hollow of her body as she slept curled up on her side. He was well aware of her disturbed sleep since their return to the lands of her birth, and wondered why she seemed to rest easier in Kangetsu than she did in either of the two palaces she'd grown up in. Was there something specific to Setsuna in the situation with the jewel? Something that would leave her sleep haunted and riddled with nightmares whenever she sojourned within its borders? But if there was... that meant that there was some other, additional connection between Setsuna and the jewel besides Izayoi/Kagome... which there shouldn't have been, as far as he could tell.

He sighed deeply, the sound more a deep exhale than anything else and finally moved over to slide open the door into the gardens, settling himself down in front of it so as to enjoy the cool night air while thinking.

His previous thoughts continued on unabated.

If Izayoi is not the only thing that links Setsuna and that damn jewel, then this whole thing is even more complicated than I'd originally thought. Far more. But what could that be? And why would whatever it is not have appeared already, since Izayoi has and things seem to be moving to some sort of final resolution at a rather rapid pace?

It was odd to think of the last year as a 'rapid pace', but in this case it was appropriate. The game pieces had been arrayed on the board and were even now being maneuvered towards some as-yet unforeseen end. Unfortunately, it seemed as if the jewel itself were doing most of the maneuvering, and that was bad. It left them at a major disadvantage against an article that seemed to have as much power as many gods, and even more than some. The damned thing didn't need any more advantages than it already had.

That brought up the question...

Why did the kami seem so determined to insinuate themselves into this matter? Most of the time the gods stayed to their own realms and concerns, not really paying attention to much outside them except in a broader sense. They had always interfered with the mortal realms as little as possible. So why was a bauble that had been formed from the soul of a miko and the youkai she was fighting drawing so much of their attention, and even their enmity? That they had become involved at all was noteworthy, but going to the lengths they had to be rid of it - as far as to pull a young woman from an almost incomprehensible future a far seven hundred or so years away from the current era?

He was no kami and he certainly didn't know everything, but he could say with absolute certainty that he'd never heard tell of anyone else ever having the same kind of story to tell. Kagome was the only one that the gods had needed so seemingly badly as to do the unthinkable and manipulate even time itself to deliver her where they wanted her.

It appeared that his wife was literally one-of-a-kind, though he'd really known that from the moment Kenji had started training her and sending him letters about her and status reports on her quick intelligence and almost mind-blowing power – as well as her loving nature. And yet she could be so fierce, too...

If anyone was able to conquer that blasted jewel, it would be her, he decided. The kami had definitely known what they were about in entrusting it to her, despite her first try as Kikyou not getting anywhere, and her second as Kagome not failing, yet not really succeeding, either.

His brow drew down a little as his eyes lingered on the moonlit garden without really taking any of it in. He wondered why the fact that she'd not been able defeat it so far did not bother him, make him worry that she would yet again miss the mark. But as he looked deeply into his own mind he found that he truly wasn't concerned about those past misses. He fully believed that this time, in this incarnation, this life, she would succeed. She would do it, she would find the right wish to end the Shikon no Tama forever.

Glancing back over his shoulder at her tiny form almost completely hidden by the blankets, his frown softened and he had to admit that he was completely thankful that she hadn't managed to defeat the thing in either of those past lives... because then he would never have known her, never been given the privilege of having her as his own. And even though it might be selfish of him, knowing the things she'd been through in those lives even in the peripheral way he did, he couldn't really feel badly for it beyond a fleeting, guilty regret. Yes, he was a selfish being. He would never deny it. And the only way to perhaps make restitution to her for the suffering she'd been through in those lives was to love her with all of the passionate nature of his soul with the hope that would heal her of all her past hurts. Love her intensely and forever, so that she would never come to regret either of those lives and where she'd ended up because of them.

He faced forward again, frowning once more at the memory of her disclosures to him following her acceptance of his suit about the truth of Kagome's attachment to this Inuyasha she'd told him of. He wondered if she'd remembered anything more of him, of what part he'd really had in the matter – and if he might yet have some further part to play in whatever was still to come. His frown deepened almost into a scowl as something else occurred to him.

Did some part of her, some deeply buried part, regret the loss of the male? Wish that he could have returned her feelings, and that she had defeated the jewel in that life as Kagome so they could have been together? A bit of jealousy flared up for a moment, and then he sighed and deliberately relaxed the muscles that had immediately tensed at even the possibility of such a thing. No. He knew better. While she might regret the past in some ways and the pain she'd gone through because of it all, he knew that she did not regret him or the love they shared. With their bond he would have known immediately upon its formation if such was truly the case.

Lowering his head into his hands, he massaged his temples for a moment as a headache threatened. Pondering on such things that were usually the sole province of the kami could give anyone a sore head, even a daiyoukai such as he. And that brought his mind right back to the beginning of his frustration-inducing thoughts on this night – the advantages that damned tama had over the forces arrayed against it. It was the only other thing in this situation that had full knowledge of all the past moves made besides the kami.

So how do you defeat a source of such incredible power when it is so far ahead of you in the game?

He knew his wife thought about this same thing frequently, as her earlier lapse of control had told him most emphatically. Not that he'd not already known that, but still. It showed just how deeply the whole thing was affecting her, and all he really wanted to do was protect her from all of it, make the entire situation just go away. But he couldn't... the only thing he could do was support her through all of it unquestioningly and help as much as he was able – or allowed. He almost chuckled at himself as he realized his own slight hypocrisy from earlier in the evening, when he'd told her not to worry overmuch and just let come whatever would. And here he was, going against his own advice.

A yawn split his face then, and he stretched, carefully tensing and then releasing each muscle in his body. The movement felt far too good, and he surged to his feet as the need to really stretch his body kicked into high gear. With a final glance at the futon behind him to make sure his mate was still asleep, he stepped out the open shoji and then quietly slid it closed. He stood for a moment to let his senses take in the full measure of his surroundings, and finding nothing threatening or off anywhere within miles, he flashed away, leaping over the battlements and outer walls of the palace before allowing his true form to take him over.

And even though a joyful howl at the feeling of freedom to be found in the change wanted to rip itself from his throat, he waited until he was far enough away from the shiro so that his vocalizations would not disturb those resting there.

All of his earlier musings were pushed from his mind, and he allowed himself to do something he rarely got the chance to – hunt. Red eyes fairly glowed in the dark and he grinned, his blood and youki surging right along with all his instincts.

I hunt!

~oOo~

Far, far away across the land, a now only dozing jewel flared just slightly with darkness as destiny tightened its arms around all those involved in the game the kami had instigated with it.

The last stage of the entire business had finally arrived, and soon it would be time to fully awaken.

A bare whisper of a wicked laugh shivered the air in the cave that was its prison, and then all sound and awareness faded away into the cool darkness as it fell once more into a light slumber.

~oOo~

A/N: And here is yet the next chapter. I hope it pleases!

On a side note, please do not be offended if I don't respond to all your reviews. There are just too many, but let me stress yet again that I DO appreciate and love them all, and I STILL keep all of them. I really do. I also do try to answer all that leave me questions, but if I have missed or do miss one, please just re-message me with the question, and I'll get back to you.

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