-The Road Home-
The next morning the skies over Yurime were still dull and grey. Rin steps out of the house shuddering against the cold; she blows air gently out of her mouth smiling when she sees steam.
She scurries over to Aya who stood next to Sesshomaru looking on as Mio and Lana argued at one another.
Lana wraps Mio tighter in her fur wrap her eyes burning and her cheeks reddened.
"Ugh, you get fatter everday!" she says yanking at the younger girl, Mio looked on the brink of tears now. Clearly she was growing tired of being pushed and pulled.
"Fat, look who's talking blubber monster." She grumbles plucking at a piece on lint on her shoulder.
"You're so annoying!" Lana screeches jerking Mio violently now, she glares down at her and Mio pokes her tongue at her.
"You're so fat!
Aya leans against Sesshomaru whose eyes were closed in annoyance. Aya grimaces as she grabs his upper arm, he peeks an eye open waiting for her to speak.
"I am so sorry for this," she whispers with a small smile.
He looks at the girls again sneering at them before turning his attention back to her.
"You will make up for it I'm sure," he says in a slow whisper, Aya grins pushing lightly against his arm before looking down at Rin who watched Mio and Lana with shocked eyes.
"Hey Rin." Aya whispers putting her hand to the top of her head, Rin turns to Aya nodding up to her.
"Why don't you go and get Ah-un, I'm sure he misses his lord. Aya says in a sing-song voice, Rin gasps clenching her fists.
"Oh yes!"
Aya raises a brow when Rin runs away from her and to the back of the house.
Lana lets out a frustrated breath when she finally manages to close the clasp on Mio's fur, Mio turns away from her.
"You couldn't just let me do it." Mio glances back at Lana who had by now walked away, Lana looks back at her with disdain. Aya sighs in exasperation.
If this is how they behave around me…. They probably cage fight when I'm not around.
Inukimi watched the girls with amusement, way too much for Aya's liking. Aya steps up placing her hands on her hips.
"Stop the fighting now." She cocks her head when she sees a glimmer of protest on Lana's face, Lana grimaces when she notices Aya's change in demeanor. She nods turning away and Mio blows her tongue at her, Aya purses her lips as she lightly taps Mio on the back of her head. Mio's face contorts into a sorrowful one at Aya's gentle reprimanding.
"Sorry Ay." They both say in a low dragging tone.
Aya folds her arms nodding to them.
"Look everyone! It's Ah-un!"
Rin smiles up at Ah-un as she leads him to the group by his reigns, Ah-un bows his heads when Sesshomaru sets his eyes on them. Rin takes a step back gasping when she notices a red tint to his eyes.
"You will be punished as well." Sesshomaru mutters narrowing his eyes at Ah-un.
Ah-un bows his heads letting out a long sigh, Aya places her hand to her chin watching as Rin tries to comfort Ah-un who now looked as though he just wanted to go back to where he'd come from.
Poor Ah-un.
"Do not fear Ah-un." She croons walking over to him, she places her hand to the side of both of his heads.
"Sesshomaru is just a little tired. He does not sleep well in this village. And as you and I both know Lord Sesshomaru has been going through a prolonged dry spell-."
"Aya."
Aya looks back at Sesshomaru who now glared at her, she pats Ah-un's heads poking out her lower lip as she tries to show her sympathy for the demon.
"The children are around. We will discuss this later." Aya turns her attention to Mio now, she walks over to her taking her arm and dragging her over to Ah-un. Mio's eyes grow wide and fearful.
"What do you want me to do?" She pushes her face into the arm of Aya's Kimono, Aya pulls her arm away.
"You and Rin will ride Ah-un. You're small and tire easily."
Rin turns red and she goes to protest but Aya shakes her head holding up her hand.
"You are small Rin," she laughs gently pulling Mio closer to Ah-un, but she stumbles back shaking her head furiously.
"He's so big and tall!" Mio stammers.
Aya raises a brow looking up at Ah-un who was now staring at Mio with boredom, Aya grabs Mio by the hips placing her on Ah-un's back, Mio shudders covering her eyes with the back of her hands. Rin slaps her hands against his back before scrambling onto his back as well.
Aya pats Ah-un's heads again her eyes lowering when he lays his heads against her hands.
"Take care Ah-un. She panics easily." Aya whispers. Ah-un lets out a long breath before nodding his heads.
Aya smiles at him before turning to Lana.
"You can walk, right?" Aya asks almost teasingly of the girl, Lana's face burns red and she presses her lips tightly together. Aya raises a brow at Lana's resolved face.
"Of course!" Lana bellows folding her arms and turning on her heel.
Aya glances at Sesshomaru who shook his head in disbelief, Aya smiles standing upright when Lana turns to her again.
"How long will it take?" She mutters, Rin closes her eyes and scratches her cheek when Aya sighs.
Inukimi moves to the middle of the group smiling at Lana.
"For us demon's half a day if we're going slow." She says flipping her hair over her shoulder, Aya rolls her eyes at the sky folding her arms. Inukimi doesn't seem to notice when she says "about two hours if we're running."
Aya now glances at Jaken who nodded his head furiously, she grins toothily deciding to rain on his parade.
"Except Jaken." She quips shrugging her shoulders.
"If riding Ah-un a half hour."
"Once again everyone except Jaken."
Jaken glares at Aya who waves at him coquettishly, Jaken turns away grumbling to himself
"But with cargo. A day." Inukimi concludes nodding her head.
Lana frowns at the word cargo and does Aya.
"Cargo?" She mutters glancing at Aya who had now turned to Inukimi.
Let's not get carried away.
Aya nods moving next to Lana.
"Maybe if other's left we could move even quicker, preferably someone old and decrepit."
Lana gasps and Mio laughs into her hands. Inukimi however doesn't react, she shrugs shaking her head. Sesshomaru grabs Aya's hand looking down her with hardened eyes.
"Do not start a fight." He whispers close to her ear. She narrows her eyes at him before pulling her arm away.
"If we're going to make it there by tomorrow we'd better get moving." Aya hisses grabbing Ah-un by the reigns and leading him past Sesshomaru and Inukimi.
Inukimi stiffens when Sesshomaru turns to her with annoyance writ all over his face; she scratches her head smiling apologetically.
"Sorry son, I know that this is a sensitive for the both of you. But she's being so…confrontational." She sighs raising her brow at him.
Sesshomaru snorts turning to follow Aya and the children, Jaken pats Inukimi's hand as he glares at the back of Aya's head.
"Do not fret Mi'lady, this will not last for long."
Inukimi shakes her head walking ahead, Jaken folds his arms.
"What a unladylike display of stupidity!"
Aya sighs when Sesshomaru walks next to her, she could feel his eyes on the side of her face.
Better get this over with.
"I'm sorry." She whispers bowing her head.
"For what." He asks in his usual monotone.
"For saying that to your mother." Aya shudders when she feels his hands against the side of her neck, she closes her eyes when he begins to stroke her there.
"I understand your anger." He mutters pulling his hand away, Aya sighs opening her eyes.
"I shouldn't have said that. She's your mother, it's disrespectful. I wouldn't have liked it if it were my mother." She stretches her arms now.
"I can't wait to get to the castle," she whispers looking at him.
Sesshomaru looks back at the group shaking his head in annoyance.
"I want to leave them behind." Aya slaps his arm gently smiling in amusement at his naughty idea.
"We can't do that!"
She waits for him to smile or smirk but his serious expression does not crack nor fade, she gasps.
"You're serious!"
He nods looking at her, she wraps her arms around his.
"Well we really can't do that."
Sesshomaru looks back at Mio and Rin who told Mio grand stories of the castle.
"Yes, and at dinner time we usually have like four courses…plus dessert!"
"Wow really!"
"Yup, and the grounds are huge so we'll never get bored!"
"That sounds like fun!"
Aya looks back as well when Jaken jumps in.
"Yes, it is grand. But I suggest that you don't get too comfortable. You won't be there for long."
Mio snorts and Rin sighs.
"Well aren't you an evil little toad!" Mio exclaims raising her arms, Lana looks back at them ready to stop them if it got too heated.
Jaken gasps before going into a long diatribe on how much he disliked her.
Mio took his words and forked them back at him.
"I know you are but what am I? I know you are but what am I? Yes, and I know you are. But what am I?"
Aya could see Sesshomaru's annoyance growing by the second.
"No more Mio!" she warns.
"B-but Ay!"
"No more," Aya says shaking her head.
Mio nods folding her arms and pouting, Jaken however still continues his rant. Sesshomaru gently pulls away from Aya to walk behind Jaken who was too busy digging into Mio to notice. Sesshomaru growls kicking Jaken over Aya's head into a large thicket of bushes in the distance.
Aya sighs watching him fly.
"Yay Lord Sesshomaru!"
Rin looks at Mio smiling as Mio did a victory dance.
Sesshomaru rejoins Aya at the front of the group his eyes slightly tinged with red, Aya rubs his arm and he closes his eyes.
"Do not worry Sesshomaru this will be all over soon. We'll be home and in bed." She whispers hinting at the deed they'd soon be immersed in.
He sighs looking away this makes Aya gasps and drop his arm.
"What's that supposed to mean!?"
He ignores her looking by placing his attention on the ground, Aya bites her lip watching him.
Inukimi walked at a distance behind the group with her eyes on the Meido stone, it seemed to be reacting to something but there was nothing around that would make it shake the way it did. Inukimi looks up and into the trees but she finds nothing.
"Lord Uryen will not be happy with this…not happy with this at all."
Mio hops into the next tree crawling to the end of the branch she crouched on.
"That necklace…it has the power to open the gates to Hell…."
"But father is down there," Mio says feigning surprise, she cackles to herself, Aya's reaction to the stone had been wonderful to Mio. Seeing the pain and anger in Aya's face fed Mio's darkness but it also worried her.
"What if they use it to speak with him, to find out Uryen's weakness. Aya doesn't seem to know it."
Mio slides her tongue against her jagged teeth, she hops into the next tree. Her girlish appearance was beginning to melt away and shadows were beginning to cover her body. She sighs, Uryen wouldn't keep the façade if he didn't have to.
"Maybe I can snatch it. Oh the rewards!"
Mio hops into the next tree above Aya's head. She and her demon lord were too wrapped up in their private conversations to pay attention to the rest of the group.
"What should I call you now? Hm? Sesshomaru outside my Lord in the bedroom…perhaps not you could be bad in bed. Ugh mating session over if that's the case…no time to waste."
Aya looks up at Sesshomaru as if searching for some sort of answer, he glares down at her and she lets out a noise of shock.
"You were supposed to address me as lord from the beginning."
She blushes rubbing the back of her head.
"Well when I stopped you didn't complain."
"Some women call their mates by their title even after their married." He mutters looking ahead.
Aya purses her lips.
Well we're not them….
"So is that some sort of "respect your husband you lowly woman" sort of thing?" She mutters bringing her hands up to form quotation signs with her fingers.
"It goes both ways."
She nods folding her arms.
"Well my father and mother did it in public but while they were home-."
"Worthless drabble," Mio utters rolling her eyes.
"Time to report back to Master Uryen.
She disappears into a bunch of shadows.
Seven hours later, Lana trailed behind the group with Jaken glared at her with angry eyes.
"Are we there yet!" She shouts over the group to Aya who rolls her eyes.
That's the fifth time she's asked.
"Yeah, are we there yet!?" Mio echoes cupping her hands around her mouth.
Aya yanks at her sleeves, part of her wanted to bash the girls but the other side was too excited about the next day. She could smell the castle now, all Sesshomaru all the time.
"Almost." She grumbles looking back at them.
"Ugh!" Lana groans.
"Oh god!" Mio screeches.
We're falling behind now, we should have been closer.
Aya turns to them placing her fists to her hips, Lana grimaces stopping in her tracks and Mio closes one eye covering her head.
"Ah-un can you take two more passengers?" Aya cocks her head when one of Ah-un's head nods and the other shakes.
"Oh come on Ah-un I know you can do it," Aya pleads.
Ah-un sighs nodding both of his head, Aya smiles.
"Well get on Jaken and Lana." She says in a deadened voice, Lana runs over to Ah-un climbing on and Jaken gasps.
"I don't need to be carried by that…barbarian!"
Ah-un starts to walk again leaving Jaken in the dust, Aya folds her arms.
"Why do you have to be such an ass," she whispers shaking her head. Sesshomaru suddenly walks past her, she raises a brow when Jaken flies over her head.
"I'll make sure you get there," Sesshomaru mutters following Jaken's trail.
"Oh a game!" Aya says clapping her hands. Jaken screams when Aya comes running toward him but Sesshomaru make it first kicking Jaken far into the distance. Lana smiles at Aya who looks at her with a wink.
"We'll be there in no time."
Next Chapter: While the Cat's Away….