Part 5: A Thousand Blessings and a Curse

Hiten's final blow was horribly exhilarating. After months of physical battle Honoseitayo was fighting exhaustion. Hiten-sama took advantage of this as soon as Hono-sama let his guard down. Everyone watching gasped as Hiten's Thunder Pike pierced his foe's armor causing his whole body to crackle with electricity. Hono's face displayed horrified helplessness as his enemy hoisted his body on the pike, causing it to rip even deeper into his chest. Hiten laughed when he saw Hono's eyes begging for mercy then jerked his weapon upward, tearing his enemy's chest and head in half. Hiten stood on top of the steaming pile that was once Honoseitayo. He gave a triumphant shout which was joined by a mix of cheers and cries of anguish. Hiten was victorious. He had won the hand of Kazegami no Aori. After a hot bath and a fresh set of clothing he'd be ready to take his beautiful bride. Manten, Hiten's younger brother, waddled up to him to give his congratulations.

"Excellent form, brother! You were superb as usual! That bastard didn't stand a chance!"

"You couldn't be more right brother! Now to fetch my bride!"

Everyone automatically looked at Ugoisu.

"I supposed it's up to me to fetch her," she sighed. She really wasn't looking forward to giving her already depressed princess the bad news. She flitted off to Aori's bedchamber only to discover that is was empty. Ugoisu's sadness quickly turned to panic. She had to quickly decide whether or not to return and tell Lord Kazegami his daughter has gone missing or try to find the princess herself. After seeing visions of torture in her mind she decided to forego the explanation for the missing Aori. She transformed to her bird form and fluttered out the nearest window.

Back at the scene of the battle, Hiten-sama was getting impatient. The longer it took for his bride to arrive the longer it would take for the ceremony, though simple, to take place and the longer it would take for them to seal their union. He had seen the Princess with her smooth, dark complexion and soft young features and couldn't wait to consummate that union. She looked even tastier than all his courtesans combined. He even licked his lips in anticipation at the very thought of seeing her in all of her delicious glory. The more excited he got the more impatient he got. Finally he spoke up.

"I mean no disrespect, Kazegami-sama, but where the hell is my bride!"

"Patience, son-in-law. Ugoisu should be bringing her any minute. We'll give them time to dress her in all of her finery for the wedding," her father explained. Unfortunately that time never came and the tension between the two clans was quickly turning to anger. Hiten was beginning to think he had be deceived and Lord Kazegami had no explanation for where his daughter could be. He was furious that she would embarrass him like this. In his furor he sent her brothers, Ryuuja, Fusumi and Kofu, to search for their sister.

The sister in question had put quite a bit of distance between her and her ancestral home. She was so caught up in the excitement of her elopement that she was unaware that someone was following her. That is until Sesshoumaru stopped in his tracks. Just as Aori turned around to see why her love had stopped something slammed into her chest. Fortunately and unfortunately she had Jaken in her arms. His body had shielded her from the fast moving object which fell to the ground after the impact. They all looked down to see a dizzy and flustered Ugoisu.

"Oh, princess, am I glad to see you are well! And greetings Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-chan!"

Sesshoumaru merely blinked in response as Jaken mumbled something about 'annoying females.' As Ugoisu brushed herself off Sesshoumaru watched for any indication from Aori that her servant's presence would be a problem. He would have no issues with dispatching of the small demon if necessary. Fortunately for Ugoisu Aori didn't seem to mind her presence. Sesshoumaru then concluded that she was no threat to their plans.

"Ugoisu-chan, how did you find me?"

"Well, princess, I assumed you would be with your love so I flew towards the last place I saw Lord Sesshoumaru!" Ugoisu chirped as she flitted about Aori's head. She then fluttered down to Jaken's head. "And I also assumed that his servant, Jaken-chan would be here also!" she twittered in a teasing tone, causing Jaken to try to swat her. The two vassals didn't notice until moments later that the two lovers had gone from their sight. A flustered Jaken began to search for his master.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Where are you, Milord? Ahck!" He was suddenly cut off by his collar tightening around his neck. He swung his staff behind him but the bird demon was too fast for him.

"You little fool!" she chirped. "Don't you understand anything? They left us behind on purpose!"

"Why would they do that?"

Ugoisu sighed at his ignorance then perched on a branch before him.

"Let me guess. You're a eunuch, aren't you?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Well then…you'll get the point when I do this…"

Little Jaken was taken aback by Ugoisu's suddenly sultry tone. He was even more surprised when she planted a kiss on his mouth. Beyond annoyed, the toad-like demon threw the other off of him then threatened her with the fire breathing head on his staff.

"Touch me again and you'll feel my wrath, you little wench!"

"Oh, Jaken-chan, why so harsh? Don't you like attention from a female? You seem to like attention from Milady."

Ugoisu smiled when she saw the color drain from the other's face.

"Yes, Aori-sama is very beautiful, is she not? And she's so kind to you. And I see you don't mind when she hugs you to her bosom…"

"Silence, wench!"

"Why? Don't want your master to hear that you desire his love?" Jaken slapped a hand over her beak.

"I said quiet! Are you trying to get me killed? My master has excellent hearing!" Ugoisu then removed his hand from her beak.

"Oh, I won't say a word, Jaken-chan…if you do something for me."

"Uh…like what?" When he saw the wicked grin on her face Jaken feared the worst. Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru had found a hot spring nearby. Aori's mind raced with nervous thoughts as she gave her love shy glances. Ugoisu had given her some idea of what to expect when this moment came, but this was the real thing and she wasn't sure how to handle the situation. Sesshoumaru could sense her nervousness. He felt her muscles twitch as he pulled her into an embrace. His kisses were feather light at first. He could hear her heart pounding and her breath quicken. He figured the waters in the hot spring would relax her, but first he had to remove her clothing. He turned her so that she was facing from him then untied her sash. As he removed the two layers of her kimono he kissed and nipped at her shoulders. He admired her tan complexion as she stroked a finger down the curve of her neck. He loosened her cerulean locks allowing them to cascade down her back. He felt her tense as he caressed her breasts from behind. He gave her a reassuring kiss on the ear and instructed her to get into the hot spring.

Aori watched with interest as the inu youkai removed his armor and clothing. She tried her best not to stare in awe as he joined her in the soothing waters. Sesshoumaru noticed she was sitting about two feet away from her staring at him as if he'd just stepped out of another world.

"Come closer, koibito." Aori quietly obeyed as he positioned her on his lap facing away from him. He could feel her muscles flutter as he stroked a hand across her belly. With one hand he squeezed her breasts as he spread her legs apart with the other. He could tell that she was relaxing as he traced a claw up one of her thighs. "Aori-chan, I need you relax as much as you can. I'm going to use my claw to break the barrier." Aori looked back at him with a hint of fear in her eyes. "It will be better this way. And it won't take long."

By this time he was teasing her sensitive nub with one finger while working his way in with another. Aori let herself relax and leaned back against her love. She reached back taking hold of one of his ears, stroking it with her wet fingers. In spite of the effect that was having on him, he was able to concentrate on the task at hand. Once he was in far enough he was able to break through quickly. She felt very little pain and was grateful that her beloved Sesshoumaru was so thoughtful. It was also fortunate that her stroking of his ear provided him with what he needed to consummate their love.

This time he turned her so that she was facing him. He sucked on her bottom lip as he eased her down onto him. Aori was so caught up in the moment their flesh became one she didn't feel the bite on her neck. The waters of the hot spring echoed the rhythm of their love-making. Neither of them blinked as they shared an intense gaze. Sesshoumaru was aware of every muscle twitch, every subtle gasp of pleasure, and the heat building up between them. He couldn't take his eyes off of her face, which appeared to be caught between tears and laughter. He made a sound that was something between a growl and a whimper as he felt as if his very essence was being released into her. Aori stared in amazement as she saw the most beautiful, peaceful smile form on her lover's lips. She returned the smile before resting her head against his shoulder.

In the meantime, Ugoisu was issuing out her special type of torment. She was treating Jaken to some of her sordid tales about her life in the Kazegami stronghold.

"Lord Hiten was persistent, but of course I had to protect the honor of my dear princess. So I did the only proper thing a loyal servant should do! I offered myself to the thunder daemon in her place until the time came for them to wed. Of course, that time never came because Aori-sama is with Sesshoumaru-sama now. I never told Aori-sama about my sacrifice, but she does know that I would do anything for her and protect her with my life if need be…"

The bird demon's captive audience cringed at how she described everything in such detail. Jaken was sweating profusely as he tried to figure out how to release himself from the restraints. He could only stand being tied to a tree for so long. And he had already had enough of the nightingale's babbling. Just when Jaken was about to resort to desperate measures, Ugoisu suddenly became quiet. She began to look around in wonder as a gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the surrounding trees. Soon her gaze of wonder became a look of fear and dread. She then jumped up and fled as if death itself was pursuing her. Jaken hollered after her as she fled some unseen pursuer.

"Ugoisu, you fool! Come back here and untie me at once!" he screeched after her, spitting insults until he sensed something. It was a powerful demonic presence. It was neither good nor evil, just powerful. The stronger the presence became the stronger the breeze got. Soon the leaves on the ground began to dance in mini whirlwinds around the tree he was tied to. He could hear the bird youkai crying out in the distance. Her voice didn't seem to be coming from the direction she had run. By the time Jaken realized the voice was coming from above him something came crashing down through the branches and landed with a thud on the ground before him. It took him a moment to realize that the mass of twisted flesh was Ugoisu. By now Jaken was in shock at the sight and didn't really notice the three youkai that had landed before him until they approached him.

Meanwhile, the youkai couple had stopped in the middle of their lovemaking when something jolted their senses. Sesshoumaru smelled blood while Aori sensed an unusual increase in atmospheric pressure. Giving each other wordless confirmation they decided to go investigate. Moments later they came upon Ugoisu's twisted remains and Jaken tied to a tree. As his mate leaned over to mourn the loss of her deceased companion, Sesshoumaru sniffed the air. He smelled three distinct demonic auras. He didn't recognize them but they were very similar to Aori's scent. Aori slowly stood up with tears moistening her eyes but refusing to fall.

"Sess-kun, they are here. My brothers have come for me."

As she spoke these words three figures were now clearly visible in a clearing just beyond the tree line. When they started to approach the inu youkai's eyes flashed red as his claws increased in length. He looked over at his mate when he felt her embrace him about the waist.

"Sesshoumaru, I will take care of my brothers. This is a family issue after all." His nostrils flared when he smelled her demonic aura suddenly increase. He growled softly as she approached the other youkai. This Sesshoumaru wasn't going to let anyone lay a finger on his beloved mate. He followed several meters behind Aori in case any of them made a move to attack. He planned to kill all three of them if they did.

"Sister," the tallest one called to her, "Why are you with this disgusting fleabag when you're suppose to be home getting married?"

"Ryuuja, you should not speak of your brother-in-law in such a manner. Show some respect!" All three brothers began to laugh.

"Sister, don't be silly," the second brother, Fusumi, snorted. "Your groom is waiting and Father is getting quite impatient, so let's go."

"Iie, I will not," came Aori's cold response. The brothers could sense anger in her voice. They figured it was because of them killing her servant. "You should have never touched Ugoisu."

"Ahh yes, the traitor. She was supposed to report back to us when she found you, but apparently she didn't know how to follow orders…so she deserved to die."

As this conversation got even more heated Sesshoumaru continued his approach from behind with killing intent in his eyes. The three bothers now surrounded his mate, who looked over at him begging him not to interfere. He then felt great pressure from four strong demonic auras right before they all shot straight into the sky. He completed his transformation and followed them, his canines dripping with poison. All the while no one paid any attention to poor Jaken, who was still tied to a tree.

"Umm…Sesshoumaru-sama…anyone…could you untie me? PLEASE?!"

To Be Continued in the next Chapter…