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Sesshomaru touched his sire's ring around the middle finger of his right hand constantly. The action, a newly formed uneasy habit on his part. Nevertheless, who could blame him? Because the last time that he'd seen this piece of jewelry was nearly three hundred years ago when his father had still been alive.
The ring had served its purpose regardless of the shock that had first afflicted him, because without it he might have found it difficult to ascertain the truth of Kagome's declaration. Now here he was travelling with the fox to see the human emperor with his thoughts troubled.
He'd needed to think everything through carefully then, but there wasn't enough time. Kagome's messages from his father sounded serious; and at the same time little information given as to how and why this mission was deemed so urgent.
He'd departed shortly afterwards leaving Kagome behind whom had wanted to accompany him. He'd objected to the request because she'd seemed extremely tired of late.
However, pondering on the issues did little to unravel the mystery; in fact it only served to darken his mood, thus quickening the pulse at his temples, the signs that a headache would soon become bothersome. He hissed in annoyance at the predicament causing Shippo to glance in his direction wondering at his unlikely mood.
When their conversation had ended, on a whim Kagome had slipped the ring around his finger. He had questioned her as to why she had done so, and she simply stated that she felt an overwhelming desire to do so. Could it be he wondered at the time, that his father's spirit was still with them and directing their actions?
After the ring was placed about his digit and Kagome had stated her position, a wave of power had flooded his consciousness like a gentle breeze; it was as exhilarating as copious rest after a battle. In retrospect he had sensed that his father's will had seeped inside him, taking away most of the tumultuous anxieties, further strengthening the notion that his spirit was guiding them from afar.
"We should hurry," Shippo stated thoughtfully and glanced at Sesshomaru.
He saw for the first time as a ripple appeared in the Daiyoukai's calm and schooled visage. He was in awe by the occurrence, because as he searched his mind he could only recall that Sesshomaru often used the emotion of indifference on them, save for Inuyasha.
Sesshomaru stared at him for a long moment, like he had grown a second head and was seeing it for the first time. Then he nodded. His feet lifted off the ground and Shippo concurred, soon they were lflying as streams of light into the evening sky, hence covering great distances in a shorter time.
Out of the corner of his eyes Sesshomaru caught sight of shadows moving within the trees, just outside of Osaka's main town. His companion saw the images too, without any words or gestures shared between them, they made the descent and landed. Clearly both of them puzzled as they gazed upon nearly ten thousand soldiers armed with cannons and swords.
"What is the meaning of this?"
The words escaped unbidden from the demon lord's lips. Shippo shook his head, because he could not come up with an answer for the question, even though he knew it was not directed at him. Sesshomaru's thoughts had simply tumbled from his mouth being surprised at what he was seeing which was just too incredible.
His eyes were vacant and so would his heart have been if not for the rage boiling up from the very bottom of his soul. It seeped into his pores from a resting place he'd long denied, consuming him. It blinded him and yanked the bunch of muscles in his abdomen into tight uncomfortable knots.
Foolish humans! The sentiment seared his conscience. He'd grown soft, dangerously soft in the luxury of her company; for while they'd basked in the serenity of peace and family, the humans were plotting their demise.
Forcing his mind into blankness he tried to calm his spirit so that he could come up with an explanation for the situation right before him. But nothing he could rationalise on his own or the conversations between him and his mate casted any light on the dilemma. Regardless, he was not a fool, the position of the soldiers and the direction which they marched could only mean one thing. The human world was declaring war on demons.
Shippo studied Sesshomaru cautiously, he could not let him know that he watched, but he felt as sure that he knew what was going on in the elder demon's head. The Daiyoukai, his mate and children, himself and many others have sacrificed a great deal on the road to absolution, and now it would seem as though all their best efforts could be in vain.
Still, Sesshomaru had a lot to lose, so did many others on each dividing line if war was the result. Yes, finally there it was, the first flame of fury rolling off Sesshomaru. Shippo glanced up and blinked, his eyes widened by the cold fury of the lord.
His mouth opened. "Sesshomaru sama," he called, however, the words died with the passing wind as the lord was nowhere in sight.
With deadly, lightning speed Sesshomaru vanished, then materialized in front of a human soldier. He screamed but none heard his desperate cries as he was spirited away unseen by all. He felt drugged; he was moving way too fast that bile rose into his mouth. He swallowed hard clearing the bitter taste away. A short time later the swirling in his head and queasiness passed, and then he was thrown carelessly to the ground.
Rising on shaky legs the soldier tried to take stock of his surroundings, fighting through a veil of disorientation. Shippo kept quiet as he watched the spectacle play out. He knew instantly when Sesshomaru reappeared with the human what had prompted him to do so. The Daiyoukai's thought process was quick, and even though he was angered he did not let that emotion overrun his sense of reasoning.
"Why do you march against my people?" Sesshomaru asked in disgust, while eying the human suspiciously.
The soldier stared at the demon's cold expression and eyes; eyes that narrowed while his slits spread out with rage that he was trying to hold back. The image it presented was frightening, although the orbs were seated in a beautiful face.
Gathering his wits about him the soldier stood with both feet firmly planted on the ground; fully aware that if the demons now facing him wanted him dead he would be. He lowered his eyes as the demon lord's glare unnerved him and spoke.
"Sir, we march to defend our own existence from your kind."
The silence that followed was palpable as both demons pondered on the soldier's statement, and in any case it made little sense to them. They had no real quarrel with humans that would see them engaging in an all out war.
Shippo intervened as Sesshomaru remained silent for much too long eying the human warily.
"Your kind and ours have no quarrel…So tell me what this is really about?"
The laughter that followed thereafter was scornful and frowned upon by the two as they did not comprehend the man's expression.
Small brown eyes peered up on the two after the laughter had died, and Sesshomaru thought that he had seen a glint of mischief in them. He hadn't the time to fool around, because while they were being civil to this human, the others continued to march towards his territory that had no idea that war was just two days away.
Swiftly he turned on the balls of his feet and grabbed the man by the collar lifting him high off the ground, a clawed finger pressed down on his jugular dangerously. One flick of his finger and the human would die, drained of his life's blood. The man panicked and thrashed uselessly trying to free himself.
"Talk or you die," the command was cold like the strike of a serpent causing the hairs to rise and goose pimples to form on the soldier's skin.
The man's voice rattled and broke as he tried to speak with bravery. "Demon, your kind attacked three villages in our town, burning innocent children, adults and their homes into nothingness merely four days ago."
The shock that widened his eyes did not go unnoticed by the human. Sesshomaru let him go suddenly, and he fell onto his bottom with a thud.
The soldier's arrogance was gone; however now he was nervous as he could clearly see that both individuals knew nothing of the assault. In the moments that followed he explained about the ghastly acts, recounting eyewitness's reports that stipulated that the deed was done by a lone dragon.
They were also informed that the last act of the perpetrator was to inform the emperor that the lord of demons had declared war on the humans. It didn't take any superior brain power to decipher that he was being set up by Ryoma's clan. He shook his head slightly in thought at that point; almost regretful that he had taken two years just living and being contended, if this was to be the repercussion of his idyllic lifestyle.
Sesshomaru and Shippo took the human with them as they made their way to the emperor's castle. Having the soldier as a willing hostage would increase the possibility that they would have in gaining an audience with the king, and that his men would not attack. He could only hope that there wouldn't be any need for violence, and here they could make a stand, putting them into a positive light.
All were tense as they waited for the king to join them. Sesshomaru had always known that a human and demon alliance would be necessary; it was what he and Kagome as well as others had strived for initially before they were betrayed by his mother and the council. Hopefully it was not too late to put that plan into action because of mitigating circumstances.
This was not the way things were supposed to happen, and as he thought on those things the king entered surrounded by two dozen guards. The first thing that he did after he recognized that the demons present were not his enemy, and that feat alone took quite a bit of undertaking, because the scroll that the emperor received was stamped with the west's royal seal, was to send a general out to the troops to call off the attack.
Four hours later the meeting ended, a quiet Sesshomaru exited along with Shippo. They had dragons to hunt to appease the emperor. None could fault the human ruler for the decision; he only wanted to safeguard his people. The Daiyoukai had volunteered to destroy the beasts because they were a demon problem, and now a human one as well.
On that note it was decided that after the creatures were killed and were no longer a threat, then talks and negotiations could begin. As he stepped out in the dying rays of the sun, he had inkling, a premonition even, that the winds of change were blowing.
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