Me: I kinda like this story thus far.
Sesshomaru: am I in this chapter?
Me: you are.
Jun: Am I?
Me: Not sure yet.
Edo: She owns nothing.
Edo sank to the smooth stone floor of his pool in his adopted father's room. Gills fluttering he decided on a good snooze. It seemed that's all he did these days. He polished his tail with his fingers, diligently rubbing each scale until it shone. A process he did several times a day. He used his mother's red coral comb to brush his hair, multiple times a day. He would hoist himself up onto the stone edge of his pool and brush his long hair out until it was almost dry…and very shiny.
Edo then would take the time to sleep. There was nothing to do. He could swim in circles all day long (It wasn't a big pool, but Inutaisho was no fool, he had made it large enough) but it got boring. Even when he wasn't bored, he compulsively polished and combed. Inutaisho said this was normal from what Akimitsu, Edo's father, had told him before he died.
Speaking of Akimitsu, there was a mural of him, on the far wall, that Edo sometimes spent hours staring at, he may have called it a mural, but it was really a painting that took up the whole wall.
Edo was snapped out of his reverie by a knocking. Instinctively he swam under a shaded ledge under the floor. He waited for a few moments until the telltale splash said something had been tossed into his little space.
When Edo peeked out, all he saw was the little red thing floating in the water, he hastily shot a finned arm and webbed fingers up, snatched the apple, and popped up on the far side of the pool.
"You're late today, Sesshomaru."
"Sorry, Edo, lessons ran long, can I come in?"
"Have I ever said no?"
Edo politely shifted his eyes while eating the apple so Sesshomaru could disrobe and slide into the pool. Edo was fairly certain Inutaisho didn't know about this going on in his room. It wasn't like they ever did anything, much. But he had the vaguest idea that Inutaisho had intended them to be brothers, not…more. The daily swims and chat sessions were nice though, just as good as the kisses. And Edo was smart, sometimes, though it happened rarely, Sesshomaru would bring work to the pool for help. Sesshomaru studied with other regional heirs, Edo got private tutors, as while he could hold his breath far longer than Akimitsu (According to Inutaisho) they didn't want to test how long.
"Tell me again why you do that?" Sesshomaru questioned
"Do what?"
"Well, you only come up for apples or my fingers if I splash them and wiggle them for a while, why is that? Have you ever told me?"
"I don't think I have…Your father said my dad used to feed me pieces of apples, and other vegetation, so my teeth never developed to eat meat, nor did my palate. But when he died, I got scared, and Inutaisho didn't want to scare me by reaching in and fishing me out every time, because I was two. He used to throw apples, because I was scared all of the time, and I recognized apples as comforting, so I knew the one giving me apples wouldn't hurt me. Though if you wiggle your fingers I eventually realize it's you, so I come up right there."
"Why do you still do it? And you come up on the other side of the pool from the one who threw the apple."
"The same reason I polish my damn tail every day multiple times and comb my hair a million times a day, it's compulsive, and I'm apparently a member of a very wary race. I guess I come up far away, because I realize that anybody could toss an apple and maybe they want to hurt me. It's illogical, I know."
"One more question?" Sesshomaru asked with a smirk
"What?" Edo asked carefully
"You always look away when I'm getting in the pool. Why?"
Edo blushed, the blush became more pronounced when Sesshomaru scooped him up around the waist, just above the beginning of the blinding fin and pulled him into the demons lap. Sesshomaru had been delighted at the similarities to a demon his ningyo possessed. He sat on the area a rear would be on a demon, and his fin bent in the same way to lift himself as a demon would use his knees.
"Isn't it rude to watch someone undress?"
"Mmm, sometimes." Sesshomaru muttered pulling cold lips to his. Edo always felt like he had been in an ice box, which was an unattractive comparison, considering Edo was not underground and wasn't used to store meat and milk. Sesshomaru didn't mind the cold, not with Edo. All he could think was more as he pressed their mouths together harder and began to play with the blushing ningyo's tongue. These meetings had been getting progressively less innocent as Sesshomaru got closer to mating age, Edo was headed the same direction. And Inutaisho couldn't figure out why his son was uninterested in mating.
It was an odd building heat in his stomach that made Sesshomaru take it one step forward, slowly tracing one delicate clawed hand from Edo's face and dragging it slowly down his neck, then to his chest, to his stomach, which made the young ningyo shiver, to the top of his fin, the little abnormality in a ningyo's tail always surprised him. The tail formed around the lower back and hip area, except for in the front where there was a low V. The front dipped down to about an inch where a man's genitals would begin before the scales started. It really surprised Sesshomaru, that he wasn't sensitive there. Sesshomaru ran his claws down the shape, taking note that his partner was beginning to squirm sliding his hand down farther into foreign territory. He touched an odd spot, maybe five inches down from the tip of the V and the scales became very soft. Edo threw his head back and screeched.
Stunned Sesshomaru retracted his hand in favor of holding the young man close. "Shhhh, shhh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's okay. Are you hurt?"
Edo twitched and pulled himself into a more comfortable position resting his head on Sesshomaru's chest and curling up in his lap. The muscles in his tail spasming sporadically.
"Fine, didn't expect you to touch…there. Is your father here? I screeched, someone will come check on me…"
Sure enough a knock came at the door a few moments later while Edo lay gasping against Sesshomaru.
"Lord Edo? Are you well?"
"He's fine!" Sesshomaru called back "I startled him, you may take your leave." The retreating footsteps told them the guard had left.
"What was that?"
Edo blushed heavily and motioned to the floor, allowing Sesshomaru to lift him up the extra few inches. His blush seemed to intensify as he took one of his partners clawed hands and brought it just above the soft scales.
"We need to go slow for me to show you." He said softly
Taking a loud gulp and his gills fluttering he slowly let Sesshomaru's hand down painstakingly slow.
A low purring groan fled from his lips as Sesshomaru touched the soft scales.
"Can you talk with your mouth?"
'mm…oan…only'
No words, just animalistic groaning, moaning or screeching, only things from the throat, sirens wordless songs suddenly made sense. He wondered if Edo would sing for him some day.
Sesshomaru felt something wet that didn't feel like water, very carefully and very lightly he slid a finger over the scales pulling his hand up to look closer at the white fluid.
Edo ducked his head
"It's more watery than mine." Sesshomaru stated before licking the finger clean. "Salty…in a good way." He murmured reaching down to investigate more. Slowly tracing the soft scales as Edo whimpered softly. At least he knew his companion enjoyed it. The soft scales he measured with his fingers. All of the scales were very fine, and smaller than the others, the entire area was three finger lengths wide and tall, though in that general area there were smatterings of smaller scales that were sensitive. Sesshomaru played for a few moments longer before he noticed the swelling.
"Are you okay?" he asked again.
Edo blushed hard again 'v..vent swells. Not op..pen…when….sit."
Sesshomaru slowly pushed Edo on to his back, watching the lines of soft scales separate to make an opening, there was something there but….oh.
Ningyo's sexual organs were inside to prevent damage. Proven by the impressive specimine slowly freeing itself from the 'vent' which appeared to be muscle that contracted to hide the precious organ, but pulled into a wide circle when stimulated.
" ….you…help…it…..body..nn….t…..qui….k"
The way Edo looked to the side he obviously thought this was a problem. Sesshomaru didn't, it was survival, you needed to be safe to couple. If you were safe you had time.
"May I help?"
Edo nodded shyly as best he could and Sesshomaru carefully inserted a finger, a muffled screech coming from Edo who covered his mouth with his hand. He felt around to find the best grip slowly tugging as Edo thrashed on the floor. The full organ was something to appreciate, large, without undermining the beautiful creature beneath him and all of its slender wonder.
"May I taste?" Sesshomaru said mischievously
Edo looked nervous, almost guilty.
"You can return the favor in the water." He reassured
Edo hesitantly nodded.
Sesshomaru wrapped one hand around the farthest part he could reach of the shaft, gently licking the top.
Edo muffled another screech.
Ningyo were hypersensitive here, more so than humans or demons.
Slowly Sesshomaru took it in, sucking gently. Due to the sensitivity, it didn't take long and Edo was soon gently deposited back in his pool, held closely as his fin was still spasming.
"my turn?"
"Are you up to it?"
Edo nodded and sank below the water.
For a man who couldn't speak with his tongue he knew how to use the damn thing. Soon Sesshomaru's hands were buried in long white silver tresses, knees almost at his chest as he let go, spasm's wracking his body.
Edo popped up licking his lips.
"Sweet. I liked it. You may throw this in instead of apples now." he said with a smile stretching his lips.
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and gathered up the ningyo again, letting him sleep on the demons chest, sitting in his lap and the rest of his tail, and the gossamer fins at the end wrapping around his legs.
That was the only way he could bend his tail, the knee part folded toward his head, the lower fin would bend back to his rear. On that topic Sesshomaru stopped stroking the long hair.
"Edo? Can I ask you something, I won't do anything with it, I'm just curious…"
"I know. Here." Edo grabbed a hand and leaned forward, presenting some of the backside of his fin. Pressing the hand to where his rear would be Sesshomaru felt some give, much like with the vent.
"And here."
Sesshomaru had only expected one, but Edo led his hand to his front, just several inches below the vent and pressed, he felt more give.
It was in a good place at least, were a man of Sesshomaru's height to take him in that spot, it would put them face to face. The fin was longer than most demons or a humans legs.
"Why two?"
"I think my kind come in threes. I will have two mates, I feel it."
He frowned sadly at Sesshomaru "That made you uncomfortable, I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure that's what's going to happen, I don't want to make you sad. Never you."
Sesshomaru shook his head "I love you."
"what?"
"I love you, so I don't care. You could have said you'd have five and I would have started a larger bedroom." He paused "Do you think I'm one of them?"
"Positive. You smell like it, nobody else smells like you do to me."
"Well that's good."
"I love you too."
Four Years Later
Edo snatched the apple from the surface of the outdoor koi pond.
"Sesshomaru, Inutaisho? What brings you both here?"
"Before your father died, he gave me something to pass on to you. It looks intimate, so with your relationship, I brought Sesshomaru so he would understand."
"Father, what do you mean?" Sesshomaru asked coldly. His father had been sniffing around a mortal princess, she was pregnant. Why would anybody bother with a human?
"Edo, I must kiss you."
Edo shrank back, bewildered.
'You senile old man!" Sesshomaru snarled
"It is how they pass information, Edo, come here, I'll tell you how to work it."
"I only have to do it once? Then never again?" Those lips had kissed his father as he died, a demoness before that, and now a human. He had begun to wonder if the Demon Lord had loved his father or if it was the other way around, and it was merely mercy. Inutaisho never mentioned Akimitsu, and in the last years he had been starting and ending dalliances with mortals like crazy. Like Sesshomaru, Edo had begun to resent the demon lord. He understood his father was dead, but Inutaisho never seemed to acknowledge his memory. Even Sesshomaru's mother received some recognition.
"You just need to focus on taking what I give, okay?"
Edo gulped and nodded, hesitantly swimming closer and glancing fearfully at Sesshomaru.
Said demon strode fully clothed into the water to hold his intended mate close.
"You are closer than I thought. I thought maybe it was only experimentation." Inutaisho said
"We are going to be mated, soon preferably."
Inutaisho looked at the ground as he kneeled "It's good you haven't yet. Your father left important instructions to keep you safe during the mating."
Inutaisho reached over to grab both sides of Edo's face, loosely so that his resistance wouldn't hurt.
"Open your mouth wide, I will place mine over yours and then you need to inhale and focus on my mind." Inutaisho said softly
"How the fuck do I focus on your mind." Edo asked, frustrated.
"Language."
Edo rolled his eyes and opened his mouth, closing his eyes to focus. A soft awareness tingled in his mind, latching on to it was like opening a floodgate. Some Akimitsu, some Inutaisho. It was dizzying.
When Edo pulled away, he was tired and dazed, Inutaisho's memories in his head with his fathers. "You don't talk about him, because you still miss him. And it hurts still."
"Yes. I didn't realize that you didn't know. I'm sorry."
Edo hugged the man that had been his father "I'm sorry for not understanding, Father."
"You've never called me father before…"
It would be the last time.
"Izayoi is going into labor, I must take my leave."
Sesshomaru approached him angrily, but failed to say anything but 'Father' before the dog demon flew away.
68 Years Later
"Milooooooord!" The green irritant shouted
Snapping Sesshomaru out of his pleasant moment with Edo. Youki did not age normally after fifteen. So at eighty three the two looked twenty.
At Sesshomaru's look, Edo bent his tail up so that the gossamer fins at the end blocked his smiling mouth and silent laughter. He had learned over the years that he could lift the fin out of the water and flick certain parts up to block his mouth, now he simply flicked up the very end. It seemed he was getting more serpentine. Less water spirit, more siren.
"What, Jaken?"
Casting a dark look at the ningyo who had been Sesshomaru's intended mate for many years he continued "Inuyasha has been sealed to a tree by a priestess!"
"That is not my concern." Dismissed.
Edo moved closer to lay a hand on each shoulder and massage the tension from his intended's shoulders, causing Sesshomaru to growl and lean back. Why did Jaken interrupt them in the bath? Sesshomaru rarely had time for a leisurely bath in the hot springs in the bowels of the castle, but when he did, he carried Edo there too; Edo couldn't tolerate hot water for too long, so he slid him to the cold pool, after a while.
"We never mated." Sesshomaru stated sadly
"I haven't left to find my third, like my father said to, I learned everything about being a ningyo that day. I can even handle oxygen for long periods of time. But I can't leave you to find our other piece."
"I am supposed to do some scouting in the east end of the territory." Sesshomaru stated "There are many rivers and pools, if I travel by them, I see no reason you couldn't come with. We can work up to a longer separation; you feel where I am always, right?"
Edo nodded happily; he was pleased that Sesshomaru was one of his destined mates so he could always find him.
"Then we will start searching."
Southern Lands
"Fuck, hell, shit, damn!" The demon snarled the wound in its side was definitely poisoned "I am a fucking viper demon!" it hissed "I am fucking immune to poison. Why do people refuse to believe this?"
Stooping by the river it was by the demon dipped long claws into the water to wash away the poison, it wouldn't sink in, but it stubbornly slowed his healing process.
The demon stood once more and shot forward at incredible speed, stopping several miles away in a mere two minutes.
Brushing its long black hair behind a pointed pale white ear, it narrowed its silver orb eyes, until the slitted pupil was invisible. This was what he had scented, a demonic release. Thousands of demons shot overhead. Something nasty was going on. He couldn't get to what it was, the demons were flying away from his home and into the savage islands below. It took a while to get there, he reasoned. But to watch humans consume each other wasn't fun. He went for herbs and plants to make poisons or potions, even as a disowned heir to the southern lands, he held no sway there.
The demon inhaled sharply and quickly "Totosai, what is it?" He rasped in a hoarse voice sounding of crushed silk. A farewell present from his brothers. Shoji got in a lucky shot and now his vocal cords didn't work right.
"Did you see that, Lord Jun?"
"I'm not a lord, blacksmith, but yes, I saw it." He smiled faintly, showing teeth, and his fangs.
Totosai backed up a few steps. They called the man The Blood Viper, a viper demon that consumed blood, he looked hungry now.
"I brought the blades you commissioned me." Totosai stammered
"Ah, yes, blades made of two separate dragons that tried to kill me. I was so pleased when their council let me keep their fangs in apology, poison and death, such a shame they went rogue."
"Are you going to pay me? Or talk to yourself?"
Jun snarled, showing his impressive canine teeth, they looked like the far south natives drawings of the blood drinker. It was almost cute; they even let him stay inside in a specially made hut during the day. He didn't need it, but servants were useful.
Jun reached inside the black hakama he wore. And retrieved a handful of diamonds. He didn't need them.
Totosai eagerly counted them, reluctantly handing three back. Two of which Jun gave him anyway, the third was tucked into the scarlet tie around his waist and abdomen, meant to draw attention to his slim waist, and make him faster, with less air resistance. If you weren't bulging with muscle, people attacked you, Jun liked a good kill. The only other color he wore was the red ribbon holding his hair in a high ponytail. Or occasionally a severe braid.
Jun took the excellently crafted twin blades from the smith. Whisper, crafted of the rogue poison dragon, and Abyss, crafted of the rouge death dragon. One mimicked corrosive poison if held in contact long enough, one killed if he landed fifteen cutting blows. He decided to use that for overly powerful foes. Sliding the blades into the sheathes he continued north. There was a wolf tribe that once offered him sanctuary. He could use a place to sleep.
With Totosai long gone after payment, Jun stole one last glance up. The demons had vanished, the sky was clear, but there was definitely a storm coming.
REVIEEEEEWWWWWW! PLEASE!
