Chapter 13: A Gentle Death

The stars looked remarkable in the night sky, shining brighter than normal with the absence of the moon. Princess Rin stood in the center of the labyrinth-like gardens, hidden amongst the tall trees and vines, obscured by the alluring scent of the many flowers. Six guards stood out of view within the perimeter, keeping a close eye on her. She did not seem to notice as she stared up at the night sky.

A gentle breeze blew her free curl tendrils around her face. Her soft pink gown was simple. Strapless, leaving her creamy shoulder and back bear, it fit snuggly in the chest. With an empire waist tied with a bow it flowed down softly sculpting her gentle curves. Her hair was braided back in the front and left a long curling mass in the back.

The soft firelight from the surrounding torches brought a lovely glow to her countenance. She was lovely – an unplucked flower, in full bloom, ready to be taken. It was too bad he had to kill her. He hated to take such a fine beauty from this world that was so filled with ugliness. That's why he hid in the shadows and watched her, to savor the moment, to enjoy these last few minutes of her life. He was happy he had chosen this moment.

Silently he lowered the last of her guards to the ground in a dead heap. He had taken extra precaution in killing them, breaking all of their necks, making sure no blood was spilled. The tiniest drop of blood would alert any of the surrounding demons, especially the inuyokai royals and their keen sense of smell. In order to out run them he'd have to make her death quick. He did not like being rushed in his work. No. He liked to take his time with his kill. If a job was rushed it got messy, and he was in no mood for a mess.

He looked up at her from where he stood, camouflaged by the shadows. She was sighing wistfully, and slowly circling the large fountain in the center of grassy area. Carved out of marble was a statue of a white dog with a fierce snarl on its lips standing on top of a jewel encrusted ledge that resembled a cliff edge, carved out of gold. The dog's eyes were amethyst stones and blue crescent moon was in the center of its forehead. .One the stone where the dog stood the words To My Beloved Wife were inscribed in gold. Water softly funneled from the jeweled cliff edge into the three foot pool bellow.

She eyed it appreciatively and a small pretty smile appeared on her lips. He wondered what made her smile. He wondered how much more pretty she would be when she smiled fully. He would never know. He shook his head to rid the thoughts from his brain. There was no use dwelling on it.

He watched as she sighed and sat on the edge of the fountain on the opposite side so her back was him.

Good. That would make everything easier.

He pulled out a white canvas bag and slowly crept forward. He noticed that the wildlife had stilled. Even the crickets had stopped chirping. They knew what was to come. They knew death was present. She never noticed him approaching, so he was able to savor the air. Slowly he inched closer and listened as her sweet breaths filled and exited her body steadily. The wind blew again and he caught a whiff of her scent, cherry blossoms and roses. He took another moment, to enjoy the smell.

She let out a soft groan. Like something unpleasant had come to mind. He wanted to know what? He wanted to ask her. He wanted to reach out and touch her so badly. So he did.

With inhuman speed, he put the canvas bag over her head and tightened the draw strings. Before she could muster a sound he pulled her back into the pool of the fountain and held her there. With one hand securely wrapped around her throat, the other reached back and stilled her flailing legs as he straddled her midsection. Luckily the pool was deep enough to fully submerge her and her splashing was drowned out by the water falling from the fountain.

Her pulse raised, he could feel the vein in her neck throbbing wildly against his fingertips as she panicked. Her arms flailed wildly s she kicked. Desperately she tried to pry his hand from around her neck, but to no avail. He held her firm against the bottom of the pool.

He was happy he placed the bag over her head. He did not want to watch the life leave her eyes. Not her. He did not know why, but she was different. A part of him, a part that never existed before, wanted to release her. This left him full of doubt and confusion. But he was also filled with rage. He was a killer. He has always been a killer. Killing is what makes him feel whole, so why now, with this human girl did he feel different? He could not turn back now He could not be weak. He had a job to do.

Just when he felt he body convulse and her limbs drop he released her throat, opening her airway and allowing the hard intake of water that filled her lungs. She convulsed again, this time she lay still as her heart stopped.

He let out a deep breath before he loosened the drawstring and removed the bag from her head. Through the water he could see her large dark eyes staring vacantly at him. He grabbed her by the back of her head and lifted her so that just her face was out of the water. He studied her long and hard. Touching her cold cheeks, parted lips, dainty nose, eyelashes and hair, he stared at her; felt her, until her face was engraved in his memory.

Why was she so different?

He used one of his hands to close her eyes. With his lips by her ear he gently whispered, "I'm sorry." He then placed a chaste kiss on her open mouth before letting her fall into the water again. He hesitated for only a second. Then he took off into the night.

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"Ugh!" Ai let out an irritated sigh and trudged forward through the darkness to catch up with her uncle. "Tell me again why we are doing this?"

"Because Princess Rin is missing," Misho answered shrugging his shoulders.

"Right. So why are we all doing this? Shouldn't they have sent guards to search the palace grounds instead?"

"They did, but your father wants everyone to help."

Everyone had separated into different groups. Her father and grandfather went into their own directions with a group of trusted guards in tow. The Queen and Lady Izayoi were searching the castle along with the servants. The only one not actively searching for the human princess was the Crown Princess, who was still bedridden in her chambers.

Ai was concerned for her mother. Ever since the birth of the infant Prince the Crown Princess' health has been waning. Her father had been speaking to several medical experts and sending doctor after doctor to examine her. No one knew what was wrong. Sure, they all had their own diagnosis: fatigue, stress, depression… Her father quickly dismissed all of them, but Ai was not so sure. She believed that her mother was depressed. A lot has happened the last month here, a lot of changes.

Ai could understand her Mother being depressed, but that isn't what was ailing her. Depression was not what was making her deteriorate from the inside out. Something far more sinister was at hand and Ai wished everyone would show a little more consideration for her mother's needs. She was dying and no one was trying to do anything about it. Instead all anyone can talk about and even seem to think about all day was that damn Rin!

Ai would have rather been sitting at her mother's bedside but Misho had volunteered for him and Ai search the gardens' with a small group of guards. Ai's uncle, Byakuya, offered to help them search in the gardens. He took a small group with him and split off in another direction.

They had been scouring the palace gardens for the last ten minutes. Everyone knew the human princess spent most of her time either in her chambers or in the palace gardens. Unfortunately the palace gardens stretched on for acres. In the time it will take to search the entire area the princess could be anywhere in the city if she really was gone. Ai, however, was confident that the silly girl had just gotten lost in the complex labyrinth-like layout.

"Let's just get this over with," Ai mumbled as they walked down the darkened trail. Lamps and torches weren't required for their superior eyesight.

"You could be at least pretend to care a little bit."

"No. I really cannot. I do not care what happens to that girl. She is no one to me."

"She's your father's wife, your step-mother. Even Sesshomaru treats my mother kindly."

"He is not kind to her, he is cordial. He does not go out of his way to speak to her, nor does he go out of his way to avoid her. I am the same way."

"Well maybe you should get to know her. I mean what would it hurt?"

My pride, she thought bitterly.

When she did not speak, Misho sighed. "I just do not see why you have an issue with her."

Ai rolled her eyes and pressed her lips together. She did not want to have this conversation with Misho. He did not understand. How could he? His was the second son of her grandfather's Second wife – his concubine. Unlike Ai, his hide would never grace the throne, ever.

If it weren't for her obvious favor, he would probably even see the inside of a council room in his future. Ai already had it planned out. When she became Queen, whoever her husband may be – if she even had a husband – she would have Misho as her chief advisor, and siblings she may have as councilmen.

She was not concerned with the birth of her infant brother. Yes, he was a male heir, but that was no threat for her. It would be several years before he would even be considered mature enough to sit on the throne. That was the lesser of reasons, however. Ai knew fully that her father would name her his heiress. Why wouldn't he? He said numerous times that he was proud of her, and had even delayed producing a second offspring.

Sesshomaru had invested a healthy amount in Ai's upbringing. Her mother taught her to sing, dance, read, write, paint, and appreciate music. Her father taught her to the art of negotiation, how to detect a liar, sword fighting, hand to hand combat, and military strategy. She was well rounded in her skills. Her grandfather often said that she'd make a fine wife for a king, and she would smile and thank him politely. Ai disagreed, for she would be Queen with or without a husband.

She would not be like the women in her family, subjected to the whims of men. She would write her own destiny. It will not be decided in the council amongst the King and his peers.

"She seems really nice. I think that she will fit in well here, once she gets used to everything."

Ai rolled her eyes again. Misho did not know when a conversation was over. Instead of egging him on with her silence Ai spoke up. "It's not her personally I dislike, it is what she stands for." Misho flashed his golden eyes to hers in a quick glance. Ai elaborated for him. "To me, Princess Rin seems weak. She allows the men around her to make decisions for her. If she did not truly want to marry my father she should not have. When they first arrived here she had a choice. She could have gone home and forgotten all about the engagement, but she did not. She chose to stay."

There was a brief pause and Misho stopped at the entrance to an enclosure and faced his niece with a serious expression. "And that makes her weak?"

"Why do you think she stayed, Misho?" Before he could respond she answered, "Because she knew that is what her father wanted her to do. Instead of standing up for herself and being her own women, she caved to the wills of the men around her."

"Perhaps she was trying to escape a worse fate." Misho argued.

Ai scoffed and rolled her eyes. "No. You saw how all of those Southerners treated her while they were here. They loved her, worshipped her even. She was more than a princess to them."

"Yes, and she left all of that to marry a male who ignores her, who's family treats her as an unwanted guest, her only companions are her servants, and an unknown enemy has trying to kill her for reasons that are also unknown… and yet, she still smiles like a good princess should. You are right, Ai. A total weakling." Misho's sarcastic tone was not missed by Ai's ears.

She narrowed her eyes dangerously at her young uncle. He only smiled smugly at her before brushing past her into the clearing ahead. Ai crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. It was not often that Misho bested her in anything but when he did… Oh it made her blood boil.

Without pulling her face from its scowl, she followed behind him. Immediately her eyes were drawn to the large fountain in the center of the stone clearing. Her grandmother's fountain, gifted to her by the King long before Ai's father had even been born. Back when the Inu no Taisho still loved his queen. I quickly looked away and surveyed the surrounding area. It was empty. Misho stood several feet away, on the other side of the fountain, with his back to her looking in the shadows.

"She's not here, let's move on," Ai stated.

Misho nodded slowly but did not move. A strong wind blew, causing a sharp whistling noise to make her ears ring. She shook her head to get rid of it. When she brought her eyes back to Misho he was bent over and picking something up off of the ground. Slowly he rose back up looking apprehensive.

She frowned down and walked over. "What is it?" She asked. Misho held out the object.

Ai immediately recognized the intricately beaded shoe. It was one of Princess Rin's Southern styled slippers.

Ai's stomach dropped and suddenly her throat got very dry. She did not know why, but her senses were all going off. She suddenly took in how quiet it was. The air grew very still, and it seemed like the area they stood in was overcast by a huge shadow. Her instincts were shouting at her that something bad was near. Misho's eyes met hers.

"You feel that too?"

She only nodded at him and took a slow step back. Misho looked toward the fountain; the only noise was the sound of the water coldly splashing. A sound meant to sooth but only seemed to make the hairs on Ai's arms and neck stand on edge.

Misho turned to the fountain and took three steps. When he reached the rim of the fountain he just froze –literally. He did not move, he did not speak, and he did not breathe. He stood there and stared into the pool with stark horror.

Ai was afraid to move. Whatever it was that Misho saw she did not want to see. She stared at her uncle with her own look of terror, but hers was a fear of the unknown. Whatever it was that had Misho shocked still was obviously bad. At the edges of her brain thoughts started to gather and form conclusions. None of them were any good, and the one that stood out most to her was only confirmed when the cold, foul smell of death invaded her nostrils.

She involuntarily gagged. Her throat ached painfully as her eyes burned and hot tears blurred her vision. She quickly blinked them away and gathered herself as best she could. She swallowed some saliva to ease her aching throat but it did little to help. "Misho," her shaky voice barely cracked above a whisper. "What is it?"

He did not speak. He merely began to shake his head slowly. She would have to see for herself, she knew that.

Please be a servant. Please be a servant. Please be a servant. Please be a servant…

She recited her mental mantra as she approached the fountain. She took a deep breath through her mouth and began to walk forward. Four steps and she too stood at the rim of the fountain with Misho and steeled her nerves before looking down into the pool…

"No!" She cried out covering her face with her hands.

It was not a servant.

It was the missing princess.

Rin.

She lay at the bottom of the fountain with her arms splayed out at her sides. Her dark hair floated in thick tendrils around her small face. Thin shadows of the water's ripples danced across her flesh. Her skin looked so pale under the cold moonlight. The thin fabric of her dress flared out around her feet, almost like a mermaid's fin.

She could have been a mermaid. The way she looked now, Ai could easily see her as one of the beautiful water sprites that her grandfather used to tell her about when she was younger.

Suddenly everything seemed unreal. Like the world she was standing in did not actually exist. She felt disconnected.

"Go get help," she heard someone say in the distance. She blinked and looked around, then over at Misho, but he was no longer standing beside her. He was in the fountain, pulling the human girl out of the water.

"Ai! Go get help!" His voice was a harsh bark.

Unable to take her hands from the dead body in his arms she stumbled as she walked backwards. Finally she turned and bolted from the clearing. She ran and ran through the darkness, desperately searching for someone, anyone.

Her heart raced, making it nearly impossible for her to breathe. The heavy weight of her kimonos slowed her down. She rounded corner after corner hoping to find anyone to come and help, but again she was met with empty shadows and hollow pathways. Ahead she could see the dim light from torches that lined one of the main pathways to the castle ahead. Once there she spun around desperately, her eyes raking in her surroundings, and still she found no one.

Finally, desperately, she opened her mouth and called, "Help! Somebody, please! "

Her voice traveled far and she was sure she was heard, but she did not wait. She knew it was foolish of her to expect someone to appear in front of her miraculously, with everyone spread out so far, but they needed to hurry. Rin was dead.

Rin is dead.

And with that thought the dam broke. Tears she had not even known were there poured from her eyes and seemed to have no end. Her chest was heaving as she struggled to breathe normally. She took a strong deep breath again before screaming as loud as her throat would allow.

"PAPA!"

She followed her ear shattering scream with a slow high pitched howl that left her own ears ringing. She knew her father would recognize immediately her cry.

"Ai!"

She opened her eyes and before her was her father. She let out a relieved sob. Her relief was very short lived when she remembered why she had been calling for him in the first place. He approached her and held her shoulders in his hands firmly. At this point she was hyperventilating, shaking, and sobbing, all at once.

Sesshomaru's frown was deep. He looked deep into his daughter's eyes seeing her distress. He quickly pulled her into his arms, fitting her head under his chin. A low rumble emitted from his chest, immediately calming the young inuyokai female in his arms.

Ai's tears did not stop but her sobs did. She calmly breathed in through her nose and heavily exhaling out her mouth. They stood like that for a few seconds and Ai could hear several sets of footsteps coming toward them. She leaned away from her father's chest to look back up at him.

"We found her," she rasped out through her now abused throat.

Sesshomaru's eyes briefly flashed and Ai watched as they slowly pinked. He dropped his arms to face the shadowed pathway Ai had just come from. Misho emerged holding Rin's soaked form in his arms. Her head was against his left shoulder as his arms held her under her knees and at her back. Misho himself was soaked from the chest down it seemed. The look in his eyes was lost.

As he came to view several gasps were heard. Sesshomaru stepped forward, as if he was going over to him, but then stopped. At the sound of Misho's vacant tone.

"She's not breathing. I tried to bring her back but…"

No one spoke for a very long time. The King came forward with his arms stretched out before him. "Give her to me."

His voice seemed to pull Misho out of whatever trance he was in. The youth blinked several times before his eyes focused on his father. "She's not breathing."

The Inu no Taisho nodded as he took the girl out of his son's arms. She was weightless it seemed in the other man's arms. The King spared his oldest son a somber look before he marched toward the castle with the human princess's lifeless body in his arms.

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"Inuyasha, calm down, you are being irrational." The king told his second born in the calmest tone he could muster.

Irrational was a severe understatement. Inuyasha was blindly irate. The death of the human princess was more of a blow to him than they had all expected. Even the old woman was startled by his reaction. Now the king's desk was split in half, there were several dents in the stone walls, and fragments from what used to be three different chairs were now scattered across the floor.

They were all shocked at the amount of strength he displayed- especially while in his human form. It was because of this reason that he had not been with Rin tonight. Instead his father had entrusted his 'best' guards to go with her to the gardens.

Inuyasha was pacing madly and spun on his heal with a harsh scowl on his face. "Irrational? The Princess was murdered behind castle walls, while under my protection. How am I being irrational? Everyone should be just as angry as I am!"

The Inu no Taisho stood in in front of his destroyed desk with his arms behind his back. He watched his son with patient eyes. Sesshomaru was sitting on a window ledge staring out at the night sky. Ai was on the opposite side of the room by the door, sitting in one of the few chairs left now, with a vacant expression. Misho leaned against the wall beside her with his arms and legs crossed, frowning deeply.

"We are all upset, my son, but there is nothing we can do. If Princess Rin thought that killing herself –"

"Will you stop saying that?! She did not kill herself!"

"Inuyasha there is no argument otherwise."

"No argument otherwise? Did you forget about the first assassination attempt?"

"Of course not, but the culprit was stopped. Besides, she was not found brutalized."

"So because her head wasn't chopped off she wasn't killed? That's your explanation. Her death was too gentle." Inuyasha's violet eyes shimmered with rage as his face contorted into a deeper frown.

"I just don't want you jumping to conclusions."

"JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS!" Inuyasha's voice raised at least two octaves as he stared flabbergasted at his father. "Are – Wha – Who are you right now?! Do you hear yourself? An innocent girl was killed in our house!" There was a long silence. "She was killed…" Inuyasha whispered, "And I wasn't there…"

"My son," Inu no Taisho began slowly. "This was not your fault. There was nothing we could do. If the Princess Rin was unhappy…"

"Stop. Just… stop. Even if she did kill herself, how would you explain all six of her guards being found dead not too far away from where we found her? Did she kill them before she killed herself? I know you don't believe the words you are saying. Why you are saying them I have no idea, but please stop insulting my intelligence with this bullshit. I may be in human form but that does not make me a fool."

There was a long drawn out silence between them. The other three people in the room did not dare intervene, not wanting to bring Inuyasha's wrath upon them.

Finally, when no one thought anyone would speak, Inu no Taisho said in a gentle voice. "I know you are not a fool, Son. Listen, our alliance with the South is very delicate. The tiniest transgression can ruin everything we seek to build with them. If the king ever hears that his daughter was killed while here it could have catastrophic ends. The Princess Rin committing suicide sounds far better than she was murdered by one of our kind behind our own walls."

Inuyasha just stared at his father for a long time. When he finally did speak he directed his question to his older brother who had, up until now, done a very good job separating his self from what was happening.

"And how do you feel about this? She was your wife, if only in name."

Sesshomaru did not look at Inuyasha. He kept his gaze on whatever it was that had captured his interest far off in the horizon. "I stand by my King in all of his decisions."

Inuyasha spun on his heal and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" The Inu No Taisho demanded.

"To my chambers," Inuyasha grumbled. "It's not like I can do anything like this."

The door opened and slammed violently behind him. It was at this time that Ai too stood, and without excusing herself left the room, closing the door gently behind her. Misho soon followed after her but he followed the lead of his older brother and slammed the door, his strength actually making the fixture crack.

The king let out a very tired breath before casting his oldest son and heir a cautious look. The entire time Sesshomaru had been far too quiet, even for him. Despite what he said earlier, the Inu no Taisho knew his son well enough to know that he did not stand by all of his decisions and this one was no different.

Before he could even voice his thoughts the younger male rose from his seat on the window. He gave his father an apathetic stare before speaking. "I'll send a message to the Southern King. He deserves to know that his only daughter is now dead."

"What will you tell him?"

"What is necessary."

With a curt nod, he dismissed his son. Once alone in the room sighed walking over to the wall and leaned his forearm against it, resting his forehead there. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but it was the only way to keep things peaceful. He did not want another war. Not when he was just starting to get used to palace life again. Not when his grandson had just been born.

The door opened with a loud groan it never had before. It was closed gently and his ears did not hear any footsteps, albeit, he heard the soft whisper of fine silk being dragged across the floor. Honey and milk. His nose twitched as he deeply inhaled the rich scent of his Queen.

"I assume you heard everything," he stated blandly. "Have you come to give me a piece of your mind as well?"

Inukimi came around and leaned her back against the wall so that she literally stood just beneath his chin. With small cool hands she framed his strong jaw. Her silver eyes were hard, but understanding.

"Touga," she whispered. Her gaze was penetrating. He wanted to look away but knew better than to. She would not accept his withdrawal.

It was a trying game that he played. Having to go from the assertive alpha that he had to be for the public and his peers, to the kind and gentle lover Izayoi needed him to be, a strong leader and teacher for his sons, and a vicious bloodthirsty military General. It was exhausting, and very rarely did he ever get to let his guard down. He only ever did it with her.

He bent forward and rested his cheek on her head and wrapped his arms around her. He was grateful that she had taken out all of those ridiculous hair ornaments. Her silver tresses hung down freely ending only two feet from the ground. She was still dressed richly but she wore a silver embroidered robe over her white sleeping kimono. Being with her like this reminded him of the early days of their marriage.

He felt her hands rest on his shoulder blades when she brought her arms around to embrace him. "Tell me what troubles you."

He did not speak for a long time, enjoying the moment. "I am at a crossroad and don't know which way to go. Either way I know I cannot win but… I simply wish to make things better."

"Sometimes things must all go wrong before they get better." He did not speak. "What do your instincts tell you?"

"It is my instincts that lead us here. I fear I may be…" He broke off suddenly. "I know that girl's death is my fault."

"Her death could not have been prevented. Someone wanted her dead and they would not stop until they succeeded. Everything happens for a reason, Touga."

He cracked a faint smile. "Now you sound like, Izayoi."

"She may not be the smartest person I conversed with but the woman does have a pretty clear understanding of life. That's surprising for a human."

Inukimi released her hold on him and stepped back. Immediately he wanted her to pull her back in but knew better. He was winning her back, slowly, but he was winning her back. He did not want to damage this new friendship of theirs with being too needy.

"Thank you," he whispered.

She smiled beautifully up at him and stroked his cheek affectionately. "Everything will be fine. Follow your instincts and everything will be fine. Perhaps when this is all over you can take some time to think about possibly stepping down and giving Sesshomaru reign."

His brows lowered slightly in a small frown. "You mean hand over the crown?"

"It's not handing over the crown when you're willingly allowing your heir to ascend. What's the point in waiting until you die to make Sesshomaru king when you could be much happier?"

He thought about it for a moment before bringing his eyes back to hers. "This will make you happy?"

Her smile faltered and she swallowed. "This isn't about me."

"It is. If I step down, will it make you happy?" Will it make you want me?

She let out a light sigh and smiled up at him again. This one was forced. "I believe it would be less stress for everyone."

With that she withdrew completely and began walking towards the exit. He watched her go and nearly choked as he stifled a pitiful whine that was coming up from his chest. He loved her. He had never stopped, nor would he ever. She was his true mate. He had just made a mistake, but he would never cast Izayoi aside. She meant too much to him.

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Takemaru was on edge. He was on his way out to meet up with Miroku and Hojo when his father sent for him. King Ryukatsu was in his study standing behind his desk. His mask was calm as Takemaru entered and glanced up at him greeting him with a nod.

"This won't take long."

"Is something wrong?" Takemaru asked cautiously hoping to get a good answer.

The last week around the palace had been very tense. He knew for a fact that his father's spies were tracking his every step, making it hard for him to do business with his cohorts.

"When was the last time you have heard word from your sister?"

Takemaru had been completely thrown off by the question. "Erm… I haven't… I suppose. Why?"

Ryukatsu nodded and sat down in his chair, placing his boots on the desk crossing tem at the heels. Takemaru took note of the strange gesture. His father had never been one to be so informal before, even in front of his own son. Something was not right here.

"I was just thinking it was strange that we have not heard from her," he heard his father say, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Surely she is busy with being a new wife."

"You should go to her!" He jumped from his seat and walked over to the window and gazed out of it. "Go see if she's all right. For all we know those demons could have eaten her and are wearing her bones as jewelry." He let out a hearty laugh.

Another red flag – on top of several. Takemaru always knew his dad was a mean bastard, but never when it came to Rin. Even while negotiating before her marriage, he was certain it was his unwillingness to see the girl go that drove his father to act so unreasonable… Now he was unsure. This man who looked like his father and acted like his father was not really his father it seemed, though impossible he knew.

"So you want me to go check on Rin?"

"Yes. Leave immediately, and take that little pretty boy with you. The one who is always smiling."

"You mean Miroku…"

"That's his name!"

"You forget the name of your own nephew?" The question was asked before he could stop himself. He watched his father's back stiffen.

Gotcha!

When Ryukatsu turned to face him, Takemaru plastered the cheekiest grin on his face that he could muster. "You're getting old, your majesty. Perhaps it's time for you to step down and I take lead." He said it in jest, but he meant it.

He watched as the dark expression on his 'father's' face changed to a casual smile. "Ah, I think not my son. This old war horse has plenty of fight left in him." His tone matched Takemaru's but the depth behind the words were the same. It was a threat. Takemaru was no fool.

"I suppose I should prepare to leave then."

"Indeed. I would be disappointed if you did not leave as soon as possible."

"Of course… Father." Takemaru bowed and left the office.

Unfortunately he was not able to leave the tension in his body behind. If he was concerned before he was an anxious mess now. Things were clearly bad, and his father needed him gone for some obvious reason, and he wanted Miroku gone with him… Why?

He needed to talk to Miroku and Hojo. They were they only ones he could trust right now. A storm was coming, and they would most likely be caught in the eye of it.

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

(Cue dramatic music)

I know you guys are all like WTF?!

Haha. I guess you just have to wait to see what happens.