For Amalie's Love
Chapter 5: Of Wolves, Balance and Baby Teeth
Amalie
The day went smoothly until noon. Rinee had her special breakfast, we packed all but what she was wearing and a change of cloths into her new, five piece, Disney Princesses luggage set. Then she accompanied me to the restaurant to do inventory where she occupied herself by 'helping' me read the package labels for two hours. After that we went to the park across the street to enjoy a picnic lunch and for her to play on the slides before the evening's Lion King Live performance.
The park was where I met Him again.
It started innocently enough with an encounter with my employer Mamoru's loathsome mother, Watanabe Yumi, a more bitter, and hateful woman I have never met. How she managed to raise such a sweet and out going son I can't fathom.
I was pushing Rinee on the swings after our lunch when I heard her dried, crackling voice call out my name, "Konichiwa, Vercon-san! Stay right there we need to talk!" My first instinct was to grab Rinee and bolt, I could easily out run the old witch and I really didn't need the insane lecture that was about to be addresses to me. Yet, politics or politeness kept me from fleeing. I leaned over and whispered into Rinee's ear, "I'm a goner, run to the slides and save yourself." I was not the only one who had, had a bad encounter with Yumi, the child nodded once and escaped.
"Konichiwa, Yumi-san, what can I do for you today?" I said in my most cheerful tone as I enviously watched the liberated five-year-old's back ascend a slide.
"I see you still need to work on your on your Japanese. Even after living here all these months you do not know how to address your betters." Oh this is off to a great start. "I am sorry Yumi-sama, I will strived to improve myself. What is it I may do for you?" Just get it over with you old bat. The ancient hag seemed to think that because I worked for her son she had some sort of position of power over me and that she could order me to do things, which were far outside my job description. Like taking out the garbage at her home and shampoo her dog. Mamoru and I had worked out a system early on were I suffered her insanity, he took care of his mother's crazy demands and I got free meals at the restaurant for putting up with it all, but with him out of town the fabulous plan went out the window. Poor Mamoru, he will pay dearly for this. I thought envisioning whole chocolate torts and top shelf liquor going home with me for weeks.
"Well, no matter now, I am glad you are here! Mamoru will not be back for another few hours and I need to be driven to my hair appointment right now." How the hell did you get here from your apartment you stupid crow, take the cab you came here in. Yeah, I wish I'd said that.
"Well I'm sorry to disappoint, Yumi-sama, but I am here with my niece and I don't own a car. Nor do I have a license; I believe you will just have to call yourself a cab."
"What no car?! What good are you if you can't drive me around! Wait until my son hears about this, you'll be fired; you are absolutely useless to me! Call me a taxi then this instant!" She screamed at me. I gritted my teeth and resisted the overwhelming urge to make her an old lady smear in the grass. Think steak, think chocolate truffle tort, think a twenty-year-old bottle ofPappy Van Winkle's, think of making Mamoru pay… Wordlessly I pulled my cell phone out of the pocket of my jeans and began to dial the number. I hope she trips getting in and knocks herself out.
The woman's yells must have alerted Rinee; she had abandoned the slide and mustered enough courage to return to my side. Tugging at the evil witch's skirt she asked in halting Japanese, "Excuse me Yumi-Sama, but could you please tell me something?"
The old woman's features softened as she gazed down into Rinee's innocently upturned face, "What is it dear?"
"Was the Lord Buddha a really handsome man?" Her face was a mask of hopeful inquiry. I turned away from the scene to hide my smile and suppressed a laugh as I gave directions to the taxi company's operator.
"Well why would you ask me that?!" Yumi inquired, puzzled.
"Well you are the oldest person I know, so I thought you would have met him when you were a girl."
Yumi turned the most amazing shade of scarlet and her eyes looked like they would pop right out of her head, as the sputtering woman tried to yell through her outrage Rinee fled to the shelter that my body would provide from the inevitable eruption. Hanging up the phone I turned to face the infuriated Yumi, "If I were you young lady I would beat that child within a half inch of her life for disrespecting her elders in such a way!"
"I will address this matter with my niece, Mrs. Watanabe. Rest assured she will get what's coming to her, and I apologize if her youthful exuberance has offended you in any way." I bowed low, more to hide my overwhelming mirth than out of respect, I really hated that woman, "also the cab will meet you at the park entrance it about five minutes." I said straitening.
"Fine I'll go over to that bench and wait, and you," a gnarled finger poked into my chest, "buy a car and teach her," The finger swiveled to Rinee's face, "Some manners!"
"I will take the suggestion about the car under advisement." I guaranteed the woman as she began to hobble to the far away bench. I looked down at my cowering niece. "Hotaru-chan, that was very nice work. You can get anything you want at the restaurant tonight, and extra ice cream before bed."
"So, you are raising your niece to be just as insolent as yourself it seems." The now familiar voice washed over me from behind in a chilling wave that did nothing to cool me. I turned to face Sesshomaru, but before I could say anything Rinee stepped forward, "I know you. You're the man that was in Aunt Amalie's room last night, I heard you." The statement startled me and drew my attention to my niece.
"What did you hear, Rinee?" I asked sharply the worry evident in my voice, how can I possibly explain last nights encounter to a five year old?
"I didn't actually hear any words but I heard voices, yours and his." He finger briefly pointed to the yokai before she lowered it and glance to him and then me thoughtfully, "His wasn't very loud, but it's one of those neat, rumbley voices that kind of goes through walls, and you talked a lot. Were you telling him a bed time story?" her eagerness reassured me that her sensitive ears had not actually heard what was said in my bedroom. She looked at Sesshomaru and giggled, her tail wagging excitedly and she clapped her hands, "Aunt Ama tells the best bedtime stories! Did she tell you the one about the gopher hanyou and the bicycle? Or the one about how the dog yokai escaped hell?" She bounced around eagerly chattering at him, "My Aunt Ama is really pretty; she's the prettiest lady in the whole world. Except my mamma, she's gorgeous! Have you met my mamma? I'm gonna go back and see my mamma tomorrow and I'm gonna live with her forever and we will be a great, big, happy family." Her words momentarily spent, I stepped in to either save the Daiyokai from my niece, or vice versa.
"Hey Rinee, go over their and show Mr. Taisho and me how fast you can cross those monkey bars, way over there." I pointed to the furthest corner of the playground.
"Sure, are ya gonna come over and watch me?"
"No sweetie we get to see everything better from here were we can stand and watch you. Over there all we see is the monkey bars, here we see the whole playground and we can see everything you do."
In a very serious little girl tone Rinee said," Great, so Mr…. um, sorry, I for got your name, anyway… When I'm done with the monkey bars, watch me go down the slide I can do that really fast too." And with that she ran off and left me with my former captor.
Nervously I checked my watch and called to her, "We have to leave in thirty minutes if we're going to get to that play on time, sweetie." Then, the silence stretched while Rinee crossed the monkey bars several times, the turned to the slide and then settled in the sand box to apparently play with a little boy and his dump truck.
I finally turned to Sesshomaru and inquired crossly, "And you're still here, why?"
"Answer my question now." He commanded calmly, Huh?
"What questi... The yokai thing!" I was outraged. "I am not going to go into that right here and now in a public park. I told you when and were we'd finish that conversation and you're just going to have to deal with that." I expected a violent response to my discourteous words, but he just mutely, turned and walked away. What a truly creepy man. I thought as his silent form receded into the distance.
The next day passed in a blur of packing, crying and fretful airport security as I pressed Rinee onto her flight to Detroit at three that afternoon. Then I picked my dog Damocles up from the vet, and we made our sad way home to the now much emptier apartment were I dressed for work.
With Mamoru back in town I regained my role as accountant, stock clerk and Wednesday night floor manager. Normally I only wear a slight brushing of eye shadow, but I put extra care into my makeup that night, and did not analyze my motives very thoroughly as I curled my auburn hair and pulled it back slightly with a single silver clip. The style made my hair look barely tamed, as if the clip would give out imminently and let my unruly locks free at any moment. I wore a bracelet set with DK charms on my right hand, and a pair of earrings also set with the red stones. Useless for anything but decoration, the earrings looked stunning next the single band of black velvet I wore around my neck. Sexy, yet professional, I thought with one last, happy glance at the mirror before rushing to work. The short black skirt road my thighs well and complimented the red, long sleeve v-neck sweater I wore and set my black knee-high boots off fabulously. I felt confident that I was as attractive as I could be.
Walking into the restaurant that night I encountered a circus. Even with three waitresses on the floor, our best bartender and four chefs in the kitchen the place had managed reduce itself to a spectacle of incompetence under the strain of the dinner rush.
"Amalie! I'm so glad you're here, we ran out of noodles and so Mamoru is in the kitchen struggling to find a new dinner special with Yashi and the foods coming out all wrong, or cold or at different times." Kameko rushed to follow me with her tale of woe as I started walking towards the kitchen.
I noticed Sesshomaru immediately; he was sitting between the bar and the kitchen entrance, wearing black dress slacks and a white silk shirt. He was perfectly positioned to observe the tragic comedy unrolling before him as he sipped what looked like cognac. "We have sixteen tables, and seven, including the Taisho Corp VIPs, only have one or two of the orders on them and no hope of finding the rest of their food. Table two got their entrees before their appetizers and salads and the husband is spitting mad…"
I cut Kameko off abruptly as I opened the kitchen door, "I'll handle this; you go to table two and offer them a complimentary bottle of wine and free desert, tell them I'll be by in a moment. Also, tell table fifteen their meals are on the house and they should also expect a visit from me, also make a list of the tables that are still having issues and I'll get to them too." I entered the kitchen and closed the door in her face without waiting for a reply.
The scene before me was not encouraging. "You idiot, not green peppers, red, RED, you color blind dolt, if you destroy the presentation you destroy the whole meal!!" Our new executive chef, Mochizuki Yashi, a hanyou of dubious temper, and Kameko's new beau, screamed at a cowering Toyo, "Now Yashi I'm sure that Toyo would have taken care to present it right if you'd given him a chance." Mamoru's calm, placating voice broke it.
"Give him a chance to ruin it!" Yashi replied raising a threatening fist above Toyo's head, as the entire kitchen stood stock still watching the drama, all pretenses at working were forgotten in the excitement.
"ENOUGH!" I roared, "Frankly I don't care if it looks like steaming piles of dog shit. I want more plates to start hitting more tables in the right order in ten seconds or I will close this restaurant and fire every last person in here without recommendation or compensation pay." I shout and then lowering my voice to a calm threat, I asked "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes'm." The kitchen staff replied in unison and threw themselves back into their work. Indignantly Yashi exclaim, "This is an outrage, how dare you threaten me and my kitchen staff, you aren't the boss here, missy."
I glared pointedly at the nervous Mamoru, "I think the lady may have a point there, uh, Yashi. If we don't get food out in a timely manner then our patrons may find um, another restaurant." He always seemed to have a problem just taking charge.
"I can't work like this, no woman orders me around in my own kitchen! Perhaps your restaurant should find another Chef!" Mamoru blanched in the face of Yashi's obvious rage.
"If you would like to relinquish your position as chef so soon I am quite open to the idea. However, Mr. Mochizuki, if you were to quit I would personally make sure that a certain lady of our mutual acquaintance would know it was a solely cowardly act on your part and that any comments to future prospective employers on your behalf would not be flattering to your abilities in anyway." I threatened coolly.
"You wouldn't dare!" the Hanyou yelled.
"Try me." I challenged quietly as I turned and left the kitchen, with Mamoru at my heels. "Nicely done, Amalie, now if you have this all under control I'll just, um, be off now I have a late um, business meeting with a um… prospective investor."
I sighed and rolled my eyes heavenward, "Sure thing, boss, give Shina my love and try not to grab her ass so much. I'm sure that it'll help your cause if you make an attempt to be a gentleman."
He smiled sheepishly and pecked me on the cheek; "I leave this place in your capable hands!" He called already on the run to the door. I regarded the fleeing manager with disgust. That cowardly bastard is leaving me to clean up the mess, I sighed, oh well time to deal with table two, I thought resignedly as I strategized damage control. As I put on my most apologetic and polite face. The ensuing butt kissing and crisis management consumed the next three hours. I didn't have a chance to spare the corner booth even a backward glance, and had almost forgotten my much anticipated appointment by the time I slumped onto a bar stool in front of Kameko.
"I just want a really large cup of coffee, Kam." I said, "With an equally large shot of Kahlua in it."
"Um, Amie-chan, aren't you still on shift?" My friends replied.
I sighed heavily and rolled my eyes at her. "Kam, my dear, you are such a party pooper. Fine, I'll just take the coffee, black."
"Good choice." She gave me an exaggerated smile and slid the cup of coffee down the bar to my waiting hands. Taking a sip of the heavenly elixir I let some of the tension of the night drain from me, everything is gonna be ok, two more hours and I'll be soaking in a bubble bath. I cheered at the thought, but my daydreams of bubble baths evaporated with the interjection of an icy voice behind me.
"I am not accustomed to being ignored or stood up. We had an appointment, Amalie Vercon." My name from his lips startled me. How did he know? I thought dazedly, but then dismissed the stupid thought. Duh, I march around the restaurant every day with a nametag on. He had a million opportunities just tonight to learn my name. It sounds nice coming from him, and I longed to hear him say it again but I brushed the irrational thought aside.
"My apologies for not coming over and saying hello, Sesshomaru-sama," throwing my distaste for his attitude into the title, "and making you feel ignored, but our appointment was vaguely for this evening, and to my knowledge the night is still not over." What is it about this guy that just gets me bent around the wrong way?
"Is this guy bothering you, Amie-chan?" I looked up at Kameko's question to see Yashi behind her glaring dangerously at the confrontational yokai, his ears twitched in annoyance. Oh crap, Yashi's still pissed about earlier and spoiling for a fight.
"No, Kameko, in fact Mr. Taisho and I have some business to discuss," I gave the emptying restaurant a quick glance. "I would appreciate it if you would keep an eye on the floor, we'll be in booth eight if you need us."
"Hai," she replied tentatively still eyeing the yokai, without another word to my companion or my friends I took my coffee and headed to the secluded booth it the far corner of the restaurant, Yashi just continued to glare as we left the bar.
"You conducted yourself well this evening. You are evidently a skilled administrator and businesswoman when you wish to be. It is obvious why the owner of this establishment puts up with your poor attitude and insubordination." Well it was almost flattery.
"With such a moving compliment, it is no wonder you resorted to stalking, coercion, assault and breaking and entering for our initial meeting." To those words, he blushed and I was filled with gleeful delight. I made the ice king blush! Why is he blushing, could he really be embarrassed by his invasive behavior the other night? He really is quite attractive. I had to wrestle the urge to discover a way to make him blush again.
"It seemed like the most direct tactic to obtain necessary information." his down turned face muffled his quiet reply. The deep voice was calm, but his eyes were focused on the button of his shirt cuff and would not meet my own. Awkward! The amused voice in my head sang it's satisfaction and I realized I was enjoying this conversation immensely. In fact, I had been looking forward to his company all night. This is NOT a date; he is a yokai for God's sake! I scolded myself, the sooner I tell him this, the sooner he goes, the sooner I can forget about him and find a decent, human man to obsess over.
"I received my yokai from a jewel a wolf yokai named Hiroshi held in his possession, he granted me this gift during our fight to save his family and himself from the DK council, three years ago. He died at my own hand soon after." My clipped tone belied all the emotion that short statement held for me.
"I believe you misunderstand my request, I wish to know the full story behind how you came to posses this power. You may start with how you came to know the wolf yokai and were he obtained the jewel." Sesshomaru demanded in an agitated voice.
"I fail to understand why it interests you so, what does it matter?" He did not reply he just waited expectantly, "Fine." I said crossly and without any further conversation, I abruptly launched into my story.
"Three and a half years ago the council obtained our first Japanese demon, as well as his human wife, their half-demon daughter, and his journals as they departed a private plane at a secluded landing strip in the Mojave Desert. The false emergency stop had been arranged by the council in order to obtain information prior to our attack on the demons inhabiting Japan, but it was my plan." I never took my eyes from him as I recounted this tale, I had this nebulous idea that by gauging his reaction to my past misdeeds and my attempted redemption I would know if anyone on either side of this conflict would approve. I believe that I was looking for validation, proof that by betraying my clan, my world, I had done a noble thing and not committed the sheer weak act of perfidy I secretly felt it was, not even Hiroshi knew the whole truth.
"As the council's Lead Huntsman I was placed is charge of the crucial and delicate operation. During the strategy phase I was struck by the fact that the demon Hiroshi traveled with a human, and I was stunned to learn that he was married to her. In my experience, demons would often mate with humans but the mortals were often killed, or in some cases, left to give birth to their monstrous off spring, but never married. It was not uncommon for a demon to claim his half-human offspring but initial reports indicated that this one was genuinely fond of his daughter, and even doted upon her and his wife. I can say with out reservation now, that I found the situation not only bewildering, but also quite repulsive.
"Initially I considered using the safety of his much weaker companions to ensure his cooperation, but the emotional ties of demons are fickle at best and unreliable all the time. The show of affection could have been a very shallow one, and was not something I was willing to bet lives on, my orders were to take all inhabitants on the plane alive for two reasons, the first being that humans are easier to break than half demons, and if the child could not be used against the father a threat to her continued well being would open the mother up like a dropped egg." My eyes had drifted down to my nearly empty coffee cup; it had become impossible for me to meet his piercing gaze. What does he see when he looks at me?
"Is this child the same one who accompanied you to the park?" Sesshomaru's question made me glance at his face again, but it was unreadable.
"Yes, Rinee was only two at the time." My reply only elicited a thoughtful, "hmmm" from him; looking back to my coffee cup, I took a sip and continued my tale. "The attack on the plane went smoothly, it was a good plan, the only miscalculation on my part was my underestimating how hard the demon would fight to protect his family, and I had not expected the Diane to fight at all. Yet she was almost as fierce as her demonic lover, and I am not ashamed to say, her ability with the sword out matched my own. We had to resort to knockout gas to stop her and threats to the child's life to compel Hiroshi to stop struggling. All in all, the encounter left me shaken, it was not at all the way I had become accustomed to dealing with demons. His behavior was baffling and when I found that he was not using any tricks to control her actions completely amazed.
"I started the interrogation that night. My Japanese is not perfect, but I know the rudiments of fourteen spoken languages and twelve written, including four dead languages, it was not difficult for me to converse with him, but for the first three hours all he would speak about was his family and their welfare.
"We moved all of them to La Peza the next morning. Initially, what I learned in his journals was of more use to me, and it became apparent quite early that while there were many demons in Japan that resembled what we had encountered in the past, these oni, were out numbered by other yokai who were not malevolent towards humans and kept the destructive oni in check, but you know all this. The point is that, at the time, it was news to me and I interrogated Hiroshi on the subject and I came to believe, as he did, that by removing all demons, all yokai, from the world we would be upsetting a balance of power that has been maintained for eons between this world and the next.
"I learned from Hiroshi that periodically the next world would assault this one and yokai such as the Inu-no-Taisho would go to war to keep the balance. Hiroshi apparently served under this dog general in one such battle and was given the gift of a small canine tooth encased in an amber jewel. It was one of the artifacts we had claimed from Hiroshi's person." At the mention of the dog general, Sesshomaru sat forward more intently and gave me a painfully focused look. Inu-no-Taisho, Taisho… Could he know the dog general?
"This living tooth was, tiny, almost infantile, but was apparently from a very powerful demon. The jewel kept the tooth alive is some way to be used as Hiroshi saw fit, it would increase the power of any lesser yokai who used it ten fold.
"Hundreds of years after the Inu-no-Taisho's death Hiroshi learned from a sword smith named Totosai that the tooth came from one of the Dog General's own sons and it could also grant Hiroshi's wife yokai power and immortality, but it could only be used once, and only by him. It was only at her wishes that Diane remained mortal and the tooth had fallen into the hands of the council. The council, however, could not find any demonic aura or power in the jewel and had discarded it as a trinket. It had been included in the items I received with the journals; initially we thought it might have been a plaything for the child.
"During the six months I interrogated Hiroshi and his family I learned the secret of the jewel and I also became convinced that our strategy for exterminating the demons in Japan was reckless and need to be reconsidered. I found that I had become genuinely attached to this yokai and his family. In my own mind, they had become something other than the demons I had been raised to hate and trained to destroy. His words, actions and manner were completely unlike the purely malevolent and monstrous creatures I had previously encountered, and his arguments made a great deal of sense to me. Yet his regard for his family and their well-being is what impressed me the most. We had formed a true bond of friendship in the short time I had known him. He told me stories of his life, taught me sword techniques and begged for my help. I went to the council and pleaded for their freedom and for a re-evaluation of our plans for Japan.
"The council responded to my pleas by ordering the extermination of the females, and to prepare Hiroshi for archaic study. He possessed the strongest demonic power they had ever seen, and with it they hoped to achieve their goal of immortality. I was outraged. Never before had we murdered a human woman for associating with demons, but the council called Diane an abomination and traitor to her kind and would not yield on the death sentence. I again entreated that we still had much to learn from them both, I declared that by torturing and killing the yokai in Japan we would be jeopardizing millions of human lives and possibly the balance of the cosmos, but the council would not hear it. Hiroshi's power was too great and represented to tempting a prize, and they were now eager to obtain more.
"It was then that I saw the depth of the council's greed and hunger for power. Their corruption had led to their utter disregard for anything but their own gain and I publicly railed against them in the council chamber. That night, at the council's behest, my betrothed, Jacob, attempted to kill me in my bed. I will not bore you with many of the details of our escape. Suffice it to say I managed to knock Jacob out, retrieve the jewel, arm myself, Diane, and Hiroshi and with the baby we fled to the helicopter pad at the top of the mountain. By that time Hiroshi had the jewel, but he was weak from injuries he had sustained in the fight to the helicopter and needed my support. Tansy and her regiment of hunters had us cornered near the transport, but with the baby in her arms and in the confined space Diane was unable to use her sword. I faced my sister and her men with Hiroshi behind me fighting unconsciousness, and no hope of getting the helicopter off the ground in time.
"That's when he grabbed my hand and forced the jewel into it. 'Save my family and forgive me.' Was all he said as the jewel exploded around me and I was filled with…" I glanced down at my hands struggling to find some way to describe what I felt, "Word fail me, there was an over powering need to shed blood and rage that threatened to burn right through my body and at the same time I felt stronger than I had ever felt in my whole life, the injuries I had sustained in the fight were no more than scratches and when I looked upon my sister her and twenty men I knew with utter certainty and calm that I could kill every last one of them with a wave of my hand…" The memory sent an uncontrolled shiver of delight through my body. The memory may have faded, but the feelings, the power and the knowledge are still there.
"The change only took seconds, and when I came to myself again, Hiroshi had transformed into his true yokai self and had thrown himself at the mob. I to was different, I was no longer in my human shape, and when I leapt at the attackers it was on four clawed paws. I was an inu-yokai, but I was too angry to question the change and the bloodlust had completely taken over. Their screams were delicious has I tore through their ranks. Between Hiroshi and me, we slaughtered all but my own sister, whom I chased to the roof door. There is no doubt in my mind I would have torn her to shreds if I had been able to reach her, but in my yokai form I was far too massive to fit through the exit. Instead I tore into the frames housing and collapsed the structure onto the stairs; her retreating footsteps told me she survived.
"The end of the battle… No at the end of the massacre, for there was no resistance or mercy after I changed, was nothing but bloody carnage and Hiroshi's wolf form was lying still, Diane and Rinne were sobbing at his side and it chilled my raging blood. My body returned to normal of its own accord and I rushed to them to find my friend mortally wounded.
"I begged him to change so we could fit him in the chopper, but he said his energy had all been spent. He begged me to kill him, so that the council could be denied their prize, and then to save his family. There was much pleading and crying, I railed against him using the jewel on me instead of himself, and his wife implored me to do the honorable thing and concede to his wish to die.
"In the end I thanked him for the great gift he had given me, for his friendship and then I cut his throat before gathering his family into the helicopter and flying us to safety." I stared down at my hands as I relived the memory, expecting to see them darkened by the lifeblood of my comrade, and to hear the wails of a confused hanyou child. It seems impossible that there isn't even a little left under my claws. I thought as I curiously studied my curved human fingernails and ran my tongue over my teeth.
When did it become normal for me to look and my hands and expect claws instead of these manicured fingernails and miss the feeling of fangs in my mouth? It took me so long to figure out how to even look human again, and it feels like a lie even to me. I was so lost in my own thoughts I had been unaware the passage of time and the world around me. Until a hand firmly grasped my own and pulled me from my memories and contemplation, Sesshomaru's pale hand on mine was a jolt and I looked up. Unconcealed confusion and embarrassment colored my face pink. My turn to blush; I wonder were else he has those purple markings…
"They are closing, do what you must and I will see you home." His uncharacteristic gentleness and my own preoccupied thoughts caught me off guard and without thinking I nodded my agreement. With a few short orders to Kameko, and an assurance that I felt comfortable and safe alone with him, Sesshomaru and I left the restaurant together.
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Sesshomaru
He knew the moment she entered the restaurant. Now that he had spent several hours in close contact with her he would always be able to know when she was near, even covered in kitchen refuse he would recognize the scent that was completely her own and even concealed with jewels he knew her yokai aura like his own; they were, in fact, incredibly similar to each other.
Her auburn tresses dancing, eyes bright and alert, she breezed through the entrance exuding an air of quiet control into the pandemonium that was occurring in the restaurant. The skinny raven-haired bartender descended on her immediately with an appearance of relief. His sensitive ears picked up every word of their conversation and he smiled at how smoothly she took charge and gave her decisive instructions before entering the kitchen.
The evident verbal brawl that had been emanating from that room for the past hour had been amusing Sesshomaru greatly. Yet, as Amalie raised her voice demandingly her powerful aura of authority, and her determined, well placed intimidation and commands, all impressed him. The rabbit has fangs and can use them well. I wonder what it would take to completely cow her. His experience from the evening before told him it would take a great deal and he was filled with an eager desire to be the one to do it.
When she left the kitchen he watched her visibly square her shoulders and wade into the fray. It was obvious to Sesshomaru that she was a master at this game; flitting from table to table she seemed completely in control. Knowing what people desired and wanted to hear to appease them seemed like second nature to her. Yet not even in the face of the most angry and unruly patron did she lose her temper or cringe and she continued to cajole, flirt and negotiate customers into better dispositions. She would be a devil in the boardroom.
It drew his mind back to the day he first saw her, hooded and cloaked in yokai power, her magnificent form as she intentionally cut down only those attackers that came to close, comfortable in the knowledge she could kill them all at once, at any moment. She exuded the same air of confidence and fearlessness then. Even when she intentionally caged her yokai, she never once appeared to fear the out come of her battle with Jacob, nor did the smell of anxiety ever reach his nose from her, unlike the other night.
The exquisite quality of her fear when she awoke in her own bed pinned beneath his body was an excruciatingly sweet memory and brought a smile to his face as he watched her almost dance through the restaurant. That elegant hair looks even better mused up, and those bright eyes are more tantalizing in fear, or exhaustion, without that steel they carry now. The impulse to go to her, tear out her barrette, and muss up her hair immediately was very strong. Yet he controlled it and thoughts of the changeable nature of her eyes haunted him.
They were a dark, forest green with flecks of amber that night, but yesterday they were golden with liquid blue crumb, and today they are violet with shards of flint. Why won't they even look in my direction, she has not looked this way more than once this whole evening. Why does she ignore my presence? Is she avoiding looking to me? Does she think so little of me that I should be ignored? It annoyed him that he has spent so much of the day considering which garments to wear to this meeting, it annoyed him still further than the damn ningen didn't even seem affected by his facade. Three grueling hours passed in is own silent musings as his anger mounted, the empty glasses of scotch accumulated and his eyes never left her industrious form. When she sat at the bar, he leaped into action.
"I just want a really large cup of coffee, Kam, with an equally large shot of Kahlua in it."
"Um, Amie-chan, aren't you still on shift?" A tired sigh escaped her lips and sent a shiver down his spine as he stepped behind her.
"Kam, my dear, you are such a party pooper. Fine, I'll just take the coffee, black."
"Good choice." The bartender commented as she sent a full cup of coffee down the bar to the waiting manager, and the first sip caused Amalie's body to visibly relax. His hands gripped reflexively into fists as he fought the urge to rub her slumped shoulders and the suppressed yearning caused him to address her angrily.
"I am not accustomed to being ignored and stood up. We had an appointment, Amalie Vercon." Her expression was inscrutable as her eyes met his and made his heart race.
"My apologies for not coming over and saying hello, Sesshomaru-sama, and making you feel ignored, but our appointment was vaguely for this evening, and to my knowledge the night is still not over." Even laced with scorn he liked the way she said his name. I would make you moan that, bitch. The unbidden thought and accompanying longing that filled him was an excruciating temptation.
"Is this guy bothering you, Amie-chan?" The silly bartender and his seething younger brother behind her drew his attention, and way to vent his pent up emotions came to him in a quick bloody image of the hanyou's broken face. Yes, let me please be bothering you.
"No, Kameko, in fact Mr. Taisho and I have some business to discuss," She took the two occupied tables in at a glance of the restaurant and continued. "I would appreciate it if you would keep an eye on the floor, we'll be in booth eight if you need us."
"Hai," Kameko replied uncertainly and without a word to his brother, Sesshomaru and Amalie walked away.
The still fractious yokai was eager to do some sort intense act to alleviate the pressure he felt inside. The need to say something about his hours of compulsive observation of her burned in him, your hair, your eyes, your body, your restraint…This Sesshomaru is a master of control, and I will master myself to ignore this unseemly hunger that this ningen stirs in me. "You conducted yourself well this evening. You are evidently a skilled administrator and businesswoman when you wish to be. It is obvious why the owner of this establishment puts up with your poor attitude and insubordination."
"With such a moving compliment, it is no wonder you resorted to stalking, coercion, assault and breaking and entering for our initial meeting." Her lips forming those words to describe his unreasonable actions the night before made him feel angry and ashamed, before he could stop himself, he blushed. How does she manage to reduce me to feeling like a self-conscious little boy? I am older than her by at least five hundred years!
"It seemed like the most direct tactic to obtain necessary information." He replied examining the stitching of the button of his shirt cuff unable to meet her gaze. How very awkward he thought, why was I ever looking forward to this? Why did I seek her out yesterday just to stand near her and make an ass of myself?
"I received my yokai from a jewel a wolf yokai named Hiroshi held in his possession, he granted me this gift during our fight to save his family and himself from the DK council, three years ago. He died at my own hand soon after." Her tone was short and hinted at a profusion of undeclared emotions and her eyes reflected sorrow and unshed tears.
But how did you obtain myyokai power, were did this jewel come from and how was I unaware of its existence?? "I believe you misunderstand my request, I wish to know the full story behind how you came to posses this power. You may start with how you came to know the wolf yokai and were he obtained the power." Sesshomaru demanded in an agitated voice.
"I fail to understand why it interests you so, what does it matter?" He did not reply he just waited expectantly, "Fine. Three and a half years ago the council obtained our first Japanese demon…" He listened to her tale intently, his eyes never leaving her face, though many times she was too overcome by memory or emotion to meet his own gaze. He appreciated her plan of attack on the plane and it's inhabitants and while understanding her reasoning he was faced again with her disgust and derogatory views towards his own kind, though they mirrored many of his feelings towards ningen he had to wonder, Is her view of me different? What does she see and feel when she looks my way? Is that why she cannot meet my gaze? But those thoughts made him look towards the longing in his private heart and he was not ready to face the betrayal of his own standards that certainly resided there.
To distract himself he asked "Is this child the same one who accompanied you to the park?" Her sad eyes looked at him questioningly, and he wanted to know very much what they were asking of him. All he could say to her affirmative response, all he could say to those troubled and inquiring eyes was, "hmmm…" And even to him it sounded wrong.
He heard his father mentioned an realized the fang must have been from his own infant mouth, and he recalled being told the tale of that battle by his father, but did not have a recollection of the fang, or how and why his father would have removed it. It takes less than a day for his teeth to grow back; it took over two hundred years to regenerate his arm after his own brother cut it off. Why father? Then again, why would you put a gateway to your tomb in the form of a black jewel in Inuyasha's eye? Will I never understand you motives? "…It could also grant Hiroshi's wife yokai power and immortality…" Totosai, if only you had not been killed, I would have had from you what you knew of this; if this jewel granted her immortality as well as yokai power is she still a truly ningen?
The mention of the council's actions, their disregard for the balance between the worlds, as well as their greed and power lust angered him. He had spent his whole life looking for conquest, for more power and for more influence, but even at his most obsessive he had an intense respect for the balance and an enormous sense of honor that these council members lacked.
When Amalie reached the part of her tale that mentioned her change and the bloodlust he was astonished. There was no evidence at the bank of her ability to fully change, and if she can then there is a possibility that she is no longer a ningen at all. I too have felt that same bloodlust. She may fully possess power that is equal to my own. Kami, her power could be my own. What would a child of that union belike? How do I test her to be sure either way? Her tone changed as she told the last of her tale, and it drew his attention. She reveled in the bloodshed, and was repelled by it all at once. When she reached the death of her comrade and friend, even moving through it quickly her voice cracked with unshed tears and her very body seemed to recoil inwards. When she was finished he studied her troubled countenance for several moments. It was obvious to him that even though her anger was directed towards the council and their obsessive ways, she directed all the blame for Hiroshi's death inward, and despised what she had become because it meant his death. She cannot accept her yokai self because she believes the cost was to high. Baka. Why can she not see that his death was his own choice and what she did was honorable? An unaccustomed need to comfort her drew his hand to hers causing her to blush attractively. Desire once again rose in him.
He looked around and noticed they were the only ones in the darkened restaurant. They had been sitting in that booth for hours as the employees went about the business of closing. "They are closing, do what you must and I will see you home." She nodded meekly in agreement. Standing she went to a back office and he heard her give orders about bank deposits and such to the bartender, Kameko.
Then he heard a short discussion about whether it was wise for him to escort Amalie home unaccompanied. Amalie's insistence that she felt both comfortable and safe alone with him made Sesshomaru's heart fill with an unnatural elation and wonder as they left the restaurant together. After everything she feels safe with me, and despite his disgust, his heart sang, and a plan formed in his mind.