Title: Blue Ruin
Author: Hiko Mokushi
Pairing: NishixIzayoi, SesshoumaruxRin
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Takahashi-san is boss.
Summary: Lord Nishi is bringing home his new wife – Lady Izayoi, humbly beautifully and obviously pregnant. Unfortunately, this does not sit well with most of his court, especially his eldest son and heir: Sesshoumaru. (AU)
Chapter 1 – Disagreements
As the Shimamura Clan mourned the "death" of their eldest daughter, the household of Lord Nishi celebrated the addition of a Lady.
In theory, at least.
Sesshoumaru watched as his father wrapped an arm around Izayoi, who smiled up at the large daiyoukai in turn. The male felt something that felt rather like bile rise up in his throat at the scene before him.
Leaning up against a wall in the shadow of his father's grand dais, once foot bent to balance him, he watched the procession of youkai that bowed before their Lord and new Lady. Lord Nishi had brought out all of those that worked within, supporting the household, to meet their newest addition.
Even from where he stood, far behind and barely paying attention, Sesshoumaru could tell that not all the demons were happy. And it stood so to reason; most of Lord Nishi's vassals didn't even agree with their Lord taking up a human mate.
Topaz eyes swiveled from the position on the commoners of Toride Shinden to his father and his new mate. Izayoi was hardly an intimidating female. Small, slightly, and delicate as a sakura blossom. She was pretty, Sesshoumaru could not at least her that much. He'd seen human women before, and not all were easy to look upon. Yet in the midst of a room full of demons, this Lady Izayoi seemed to blossom more than wilt.
She was dwarfed in comparison to not only her mate, but most of the other youkai in the room. The castle itself seemed to almost swallow her up. It was built so that not only Sesshoumaru and Nishi would be comfortable in their natural, demonic dog forms, but that his vassals such as Sune-kuyasha could move about freely in their innate shape.
Izayoi merely smiled and nodded as Nishi introduced her to the servants.
She wouldn't meet the other vassals until tomorrow.
"I believe that you have yet to properly meet my son, Izayoi." Sesshoumaru almost curled his lip in disgust as his father's eyes beckoned him closer. With the foot that he'd bent against the wall, he pushed away, arms hanging limply at his sides.
Lord Nishi had specifically been holding off on introducing him to his mate. He knew how he felt.
Izayoi's brown eyes followed him the entire way, and he was pleased with the fact that she seemingly braced herself against her mate. Sesshoumaru would have had to find some accidental way to frighten her otherwise. "This is my heir, Sesshoumaru," Nishi told her, craning his head to speak into her ear.
The human woman nodded slightly, though Sesshoumaru noted with grim satisfaction that her fingers trembled in the arms of her yukata. "A pleasure to meet you, Sesshoumaru-sama."
The young daiyoukai bowed, a greeting befitting any Lord and Lady, but when Sesshoumaru's long silver hair fell in a sheet in front of his face, it covered the scowl that had formed on his features. "Likewise, My Lady."
That left a sour taste in his mouth.
He retracted from his bow to see that Nishi hadn't even bothered to acknowledge that Sesshoumaru had done the "good son" duty. Sesshoumaru stood, almost compelled to tap his boots in impatience, but knew his father would not be amused.
"We will be retiring for the evening, Sesshoumaru," Nishi said when he turned back, a few minutes later. Sesshoumaru's impassive said betrayed nothing, but within the folds of his kimono sleeves, his clawed fingers curved into tight fists. "I took the liberty and had Jaken send a tray to your room."
"Thank you, My Lord," Sesshoumaru replied, with another quick bow. "Excuse me."
The sneer was firmly implanted on his face as he turned and walked out of the Main hall and into the outer hallway, following it left, towards his room.
As he walked down the shadowed hallway, he seethed in the darkness.
"Take our supper in our room. Don't bother us." Sesshoumaru echoed in words what his father had told him with his eyes, his tone more a hiss than a growl. "Do as you wish."
He stopped outside of his room and glanced over his shoulder. "Jaken!"
As expected, the pitter-patter of feet instantly followed his call, almost seemingly materializing from of nowhere. "Yes, Milord?"
To anybody else it would have been unnerving, that the little toad could have been at his side that quickly. Any other creature would have had to literally been stalking him to make such a sudden appearance. For Sesshoumaru, it was a natural occurrence. The daiyoukai had little patience. It was far better being Sesshoumaru's shadow than dealing with the demon's wrath if he tarried. "Bring some sake. I'm entertaining company."
The kappa blinked at him, but instantly, replied. "Of course, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken turned on a dime and walked down the hallway, the Staff of Heads scraping light along the wooden floor.
Sesshoumaru slid the shoji to his room open, walked inside and then slammed it shut behind him with enough force to rip the rice paper.
"Don't let all that repressed rage get to you." A tall, slim figure slipped from the shadows near his futon. A handsome male, with long black hair, and violet eyes smirked, his fanged grin somewhat feral. "It's not good for you. Harms the heart and all that."
Another male youkai, this one slightly taller than the first, with eyes more blue than purple, and with shorter, spikier hair materialized beside its fellow. "You really are angry about this, aren't you Sess?" he asked quietly. His voice deeper than the first.
Sesshoumaru scoffed.
"It is an insult to my mother's memory," he growled, marching past them and settling on the edge of his futon. "To bring a human to the Toride Shinden. It's insulting. I can smell her even here."
"You have to admit," the first demon that appeared remarked with an even wider grin. "I see where the big guy is coming from."
Sesshoumaru glanced at his dinner, which was sitting on a tray on the small table next to his futon and grimaced, looking sick to his stomach even as Jaken walked into his room through the other doorway.
"Leave the sake, Jaken," instructed the second demon, with a glance at Sesshoumaru to make sure it was okay that he ordered around the servant. "Then leave." The toad nodded jerkily, twitching slightly as he placed the bottle down. He spun and nearly ran out.
"Now," Sesshoumaru sighed, pushing his food away with a finger and turning his topaz eyes towards his two friends. "What do you want?"
The first demon looked mockingly insulted. "Demo. . . Sesshoumaru-chan!" he exclaimed, batting his eyelashes. "Don't you love your two friends anymore?"
"Every day, Jigokuyaiba," Sesshoumaru groaned, closing his eyes and rubbing his temple with a finger. "I wonder why I just don't kill you."
"Because then you'd have nobody fun to drink your sake for you." The youkai helped himself, pouring sake into three bowls before grabbing one and tipping it at Sesshoumaru good-naturedly. "Isn't that right, Nii-san?"
Sesshoumaru chuckled. "Tsuinkaen, I'm surprised you haven't killed him yet."
Tsuin grinned and sat down next to Jigo on the floor, shaking his head. "I ask myself that very same question."
Jigo sipped his sake loudly, the grin still on his face. "Ah, but you haven't asked me what we're doing here."
"So there is a reason." Sesshoumaru finally lifted his sake glass to his lips, though he only sipped it lightly. He had wondered if Tsuinkaen and Jigokuyaiba had come with a reason or had just done what they did often: randomly show up within his room and insist that they get piss drunk. Before this moment, he'd figured that they had just been missing the time that they'd spent together when they were children. "I had wondered."
Her husband seized the man's outstretched hand and clapped his shoulder with the other. "We are sorry for your loss, Takemaru-san. She would have made you a beautiful bride." He glanced at Nanka and nodded his head. "I suspect. . . that you will be given Nanka-chan to be your future wife?"
The blonde girl stiffened at the words.
"Nothing has been decided yet, Matsumuko-san," Takemaru answered, not meeting the elder man's gaze. "Such short notice."
The man's wife nodded absently as she patted Nanka's hands rather roughly with one hand. "But of course!" she crowed, her eyes wrinkling at the corners.
"Gomen, Matsumuko-san, Koriine-san," Takemaru interrupted, gently taking Nanka's hands into his own. Covertly, she tossed him a sideways glance through narrowed eyes. He pulled her towards her slightly, and she stumbled, almost falling into his chest. "The funeral has long since been over. Let us retire in peace. Nanka is devastated at the loss."
The elder man nodded and pulled at his wife. Koriine seemed to hesitate, before giving the pair a bow and allowing herself to be led away by her husband.
Nanka stared after them for a few moments, before she felt the incessantly strong tug on her arm again. "Takemaru-san, we're not supposed to leave," she whispered frantically, glancing over her shoulder to where her father, his two wives, and her younger brother were settled amongst some friends. "Not until Otou-san says –"
Takemaru's dark brown eyes narrowed. "Then let your oyaji scold me." His fingers wrapped tighter about her wrist and pulled, dragging her into the shadow of the house. She followed uncertainly, her feet tripping every once in a while before he managed to pull her inside and into an empty room.
"Where is Izayoi-hime, Nanka-hime?"
Nanka gasped, not only at being addressed by her formal title (like anybody bothered to remember she was a princess when Izayoi was around), but the blunt tone in which he spoke.
"I know you know, Nanka," he continued, grabbing her shoulders and giving her a rough shake. It was hardly enough to rattle her. "Onegai. . . Tell me where she is!"
"I cannot!"
Nanka drew away from him with a sharp jerk, and for a moment, she feared she'd almost ripped her kimono. She clutched at her elbows and shook her head. "I made a promise, Takemaru-san. Please, understand that."
"There was a reason that your father struck you, Nanka," challenged Takemaru quietly. "You may have done your best in an attempt to hide that bruise you have on your cheek, but I still know a bruise when I see it."
The blonde girl's hand instinctively inched up towards her cheek, where she cupped it lightly. It was still tender, and felt slightly warm to the touch. "It is none of your business, Takemaru-san. Leave it be."
Takemaru almost felt like growling, but he settled for gripping his hands into fists at his sides. "If you care for your sister," he whispered vehemently, though it wasn't really directed at Nanka as much as just the situation, "then you'll tell me where she went." With this last remark, he slid the shoji door open and left, shutting it again. Nanka stood quiet for a few minutes, not wanting to leave so quickly after Takemaru left. Finally, she slid the shoji open and, glancing left to right, she sprinted down the hallway as fast as her kimono could allow.
She reached her room within minutes, slipping the shoji shut even as she pulled at the ties of her kimono. She wished she could tell Takemaru where Izayoi had run off too. Despite the fact that she wasn't the one who had been betrothed to the man, she felt like she could trust him. More so than anybody else in the house. Now, not only was she hiding things from her father, but she was hiding things from some one she considered a friend.
"Nanka-sama?" The soft voice on the other side of the shoji caused her to start.
Dropping to her knees, her kimono half-open, she pushed the rice paper door, facing the older girl with something akin to relief. "Rin-chan, thank goodness you got away okay!" She leaned forward and hugged the seated girl.
The woman was smaller than she; just about the same height as Izayoi. Her hair was the same color of night, if a little shorter. Her bangs were slightly longer, shifting into the top of her gaze. Like Izayoi, her eyes were brown, but where Izayoi's were dark like chocolate, Rin's were light like caramel. She kept her long hair pulled loosely back into a single tail that hung down her back. Compared to Nanka's kimono, the pale blue one Rin wore looked like very childish.
Nanka pulled back and got to her feet, motioning for Rin to come in and she started to take down her hair.
Rin smiled and nodded her head, sidling into the room and shutting the door behind her. She sidled further into the room, putting off a full bow, and merely dropped her head in respect. "Shiryo-sama is a very picky woman," she replied with a small chuckle. 'But it wasn't too difficult to get her to excuse me."
Nanka pulled out of her outer kimono and sat down in front of Rin, pulling a comb through her shoulder-length blonde hair. Rin made a noise and reached forward, seizing the comb and continuing to brush Nanka's hair. The younger girl sighed, wrinkling her under-kimono in her fingers.
"You said you had something important about Izayoi-sama that you wished to tell me," said Rin quietly, raking her fingers through a rather obtrusive knot at the bottom of Nanka's hair.
Nanka nodded, as much as Rin's ministrations would allow. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed that tears had formed in the older girl's eyes. Nanka bit her lip. Her father knew that Izayoi was alive. Whether or not he had found out that she had left to go with the demon lord of the Western Lands, their Clan's sworn enemy for nearly the last three centuries. . . Well, she could only hope that he hadn't found out yet. She certainly knew that he hadn't done anything to her since two nights previous, when he had slapped her and thrown her to the floor. She had been sworn to secrecy. There were seven people in the entirety of the Northern lands that knew Izayoi was not dead.
Rin had been Izayoi's closest friend – the sister that the eldest Shimamura had never found in Nanka. She was already heartbroken the idea of her best and closest friend dead. What else could she do, but tell her the truth? She gently took Rin's hands in her own and patted them, looking deep into the girl's toffee-coloured eyes.
"Rin-chan, Izayoi-chan is alive."
Rin gaped at her, her mouth hanging open. "Demo. . . how. . .?"
"You remember the demon Otou-san fought, nearly ten year ago? The great dog-demon of the Western Lands?" Rin nodded mutedly, her brown eyes wide. "You were terribly close to her; you should understand how smitten with the demon she was."
Rin bit her lip, thumb rubbing against Nanka's palm. "D-demo, Nanka-sama," Rin whispered, shaking her head slightly. "Izayoi-sama may have found him incredibly pleasing to look at, but she wouldn't have run off to meet with him."
"She did," Nanka sighed, looking thoroughly depressed. "I should have stopped her. I helped her instead. The nights she snuck out, I covered for her." The blonde girl's grip on Rin's hands tightened and a tear slipped down her cheek. "We may never have been close, like normal sisters should. I love Izayoi-chan, however, and I don't want to see her hurt. Nor her child."
"Her. . ." breathed Rin, "child?"
Nanka furiously nodded her head. "The child will be hanyou. Izayoi-chan was certain that Otou-san would kill the babe if he should find that it was the spawn of that demon. He knows though, I am sure of it!" She sniffed and wiped at her face with the back of her hand. "I know not how he knows, but why else would he have gone to such lengths to hide her disappearance in the secrets of death."
Rin took her hands back and curled them on her kimono, tightening and un-tightening them until she had well-wrinkled the normally smooth material.
Her breathing was calm, but her caramel eyes were wide with tears.
Iza-chan?! she thought, blinking back the sudden rush was warm moisture that prickled uncomfortable at the corners of her eyes. Alive? How can that be? Why wouldn't she have told me?
"Don't blame, Izayoi-chan, Rin-chan," Nanka said quietly, sighing, as she slid her kimono from her shoulders. She shook her head like a dog, her blonde hair fluffing for a moment before lying at odd angles against her shoulders. Her pale cheeks were flushed sickeningly. "I know you'll miss her, but its better this way. I may not understand her love of that beast, but I do understand that her life will be safer."
"I would never blame Izayoi-sama, Nanka-sama," Rin replied in a breathy voice, mortified that her lady would even suggest such a thing. "I love Izayoi-sama like a sister. I'm just going to miss her."
Nanka sighed, "We may see her again. But first of all, I'm going to father and having you set free. With Izayoi-chan no longer around, and me already with two servants, I don't need another one – especially one I personally consider a friend." She glanced at the girl before nodding.
Rin looked scandalized.
Nanka blinked at her. "What? Don't you want to be free?"
"I discussed this very topic with Izayoi-sama, when we were twelve years old, and she wanted me freed. Just because you get me my freedom doesn't mean that your father won't then send me off to live with somebody else. Or try to marry me off." Rin shook her head, absentmindedly folding Nanka's abandoned kimono. Her hands worked quickly, folding the funeral garment in exactly the right position so that it wouldn't wrinkle. "You and Izayoi-sama and Kyo-sama have been the only family that I've ever known."
"Then you'll become a lady-in-waiting for me," Nanka replied with a sigh. "I won't have you a servant to me, Rin-chan. When Izayoi-chan wished you free, she didn't need ladies-in-waiting. You becoming a handmaiden was the only thing you could do. You're older now, and of perfect age, especially to me, as I'm younger than you."
"I accept. Arigatou, Nanka-sama."
The blonde narrowed her eyes before jumping forward and seizing the girl.
Rin returned her embrace wholeheartedly, allowing the younger girl to sob against her, merely making soft shushing noises and stroking her hair.
"Why did she have to go, Rin-chan?"
Rin stared off at the wall, her hand never faltering, but tears slowly leaked from her welling eyes. "I don't know, Nanka-sama. I doubt we'll ever understand."
The moon was high in the sky, storm clouds rolling across it and covering his face in shadows for only a moment. He inhaled deeply, the weed within the pipe he held curling black and orange-red for a moment, lighting his face an ashen gray, before the clouds rolled away and returned it once to its pale, silvery-like sheen.
That is odd, he thought to himself as he blew a ring of smoke from between his lips.
The daiyoukai stared down the long, straight hallway at the shoji that blocked Sesshoumaru's room from view, his eyes narrowed slightly in confusion. It was late; already past midnight, and yet his son's room still shown with a yellow-tinted light, obviously from a burning candle or oil lamp.
While ever living being knew that demons rarely required sleep, and when they did it was in small amounts compared to a human, it was normal for those who could to sleep at leisure.
Sesshoumaru, unless accompanied, rarely had a reason to remain up in his room past midnight.
A shuffling behind him caused him to turn, and he glanced over his large shoulder, to find his new mate sitting up in bed, staring at him. He almost smirked, but instead brought his pipe again to his lips, taking a long drag before blowing the gray smoke out in one long blast.
"Come back to bed, anata," Izayoi called to him, brushing hair from her face with one hand as she wiped the sleep from her eyes with another. She wore nothing but a light white kimono, which opened in front, sparing none of her from his demonic eyes, but with enough decency one would think her accustomed to a normal act.
Wordlessly, he tipped the concoction in his pipe into the large urn that he kept beside his door. He made to return to her side when his acute hearing picked up on the light sounds of the shoji door being opened.
Topaz eyes met topaz eyes as Sesshoumaru emerged from his room, looking rather grim, his expression directly straight to his father.
Nishi sighed, and grabbed the shoji, sliding it shut halfway with him on the other side. "I will rejoin you when I can, koishii," he murmured, staring lovingly at the human woman in his bed. "I suspect that I shall be busy tonight."
Reviews always appreciated constructive criticism always welcome, and Flames/Flamers punished.
-Hiko Mokushi