I do not own any of the anime or other real world things that I may use in this fanfiction. I do not make money by writing this.
I have gotten some reviews for this story. I will say they do not make me write faster, you can ask almost anyone, few things make me work faster. But I have been working on this chapter and well got an email today about a review. Kittens-Are-Fluffy your review made me laugh out loud. So I got to my mom's and worked on this chapter until I was finished.
Thank you to all my readers and those of you who review.
Chapter 12
He would love to say it was foggy and he was calm and collected, but Bufan was not living in a drama crime flick. The dragon Daiyoukai of the Eastern Lands was standing on the edge of a village. It was were the bounty on Sesshomaru's head said one could collect their prize. The day was clear, and sunny. It was a let down to an extent for the dragon. He would have to amp up this story when he retold in to the next generation, this would simply not due.
Long fingers, tipped with sharp claws, dragged their way through his collar length, blue locks. The Eastern Daiyoukai was a dragon, his aura alone could clear the streets, but he was controlling how much energy he was allowing to escape his body. Let the village be happy, as long as they were not part of this crazy man's plans of taking over the West. There was a small inn and tavern in the village, the place were the Benefactor of the bounty was to meet him.
The tavern was not much more than an open room with a small bar. The bartender did not look happy to be there and the few people in the room looked like the glass in front of them was their only friend. Bufan was not the type of person to spend his time in this kind of atmosphere. He had his loving mate at home, and his lands to rule. The few whispers that were reaching his ears were of the Western Lord's fall. Bufan smirked as though they were speaking of his handy work. The long hall had few private rooms down it, but the one he was looking for was at the end. The back of his knuckles rapped on the wooden frame, announcing his presence.
She was beautiful, the kind of beauty you would find in the noble houses around the Makai. Long hair, sliver tented with a soft cool color that was almost unnameable, laid over her shoulder as she sipped her tea waiting for the dragon lord to be allowed to enter the room. The rumors were spreading across the Makai that the Western House had fallen. Sesshomaru was dead, at the hands of Bufan, the Eastern Lord. It was too perfect, Sesshomaru's human daughter's mate was the one that ended up killing the inu. Dragons were greedy, everyone knew that. He had been the Western Lord for the last four and a half centuries, and he wanted the title back.
The tall dragon walked into the door that opened for him and was greeted by an surprising sight. The woman was clearly proud of herself. None of them had expected that the Benefactor would have been a woman. Women did not generally wish to crush their foes the way this woman wanted Sesshomaru to suffer. Bufan fixed a smirk on his face. Oh, he was going to have to play a different game with this one. It would be the only way their mission would be successful.
"Are you who I need to speak to about once again becoming the Western Lord?" Bufan smirk was turned to full on evil as he took the chair across from the woman.
o.O
Hiei, the two generals and the former thief made sure their auras were concealed as they followed Bufan from a reasonable distance. "Hiei-sama, will Bufan-sama be safe alone?"
"Yes," was the only answer that Hiei gave the shorter of the two generals. They both nodded their head and continued to follow their lord. The village was something one would have found back during Sesshomaru's first reign as Daiyoukai of the West. It was calm and peaceful. Almost as peaceful as the village Kagome used to describe to him. But even that village had it's problems. It was often attacked before of the jewel. This village just had the person that wanted his mate dead in it.
They found the tavern in the same atmosphere at Bufan. The few patrons were drinking alone. The place reeked of self loathing among other negative emotions. Chanas didn't know what to think of these people. The Western Lands was not like some of the other places in the Makai. It was beautiful, there was work, they was no reason for them to sit here and go hungry. She wanted to speak up and yell at these fulls, but then she remembered that they were mourning the loss of their Lord. Sesshomaru was dead to the outside world. It was the only way that their plan would work. So with Hiei's and Kurama's faces hooded, herself and her mate's face fixed in deep mourning they walked up to the bar. "Can we each get something strong to drink?"
"Mourning the loss of Sesshomaru-sama also?" The bartender asked offhanded as though he really didn't care.
Chanas nodded her head in reply. "I remember when he was the Daiyoukai five hundred years ago. Other than Naraku, we were at peace. And he helped the miko take down the evil hanyou." They were each served drinks and each drank them slowly as though they were truly in mourning. They were waiting for the signal from Bufan that the person that he was meeting with was in fact the Benefactor of the bounty and not some lackey they would have to deal with to find the boss.
O.o
Bufan was flirting. If felt wrong and he would have to go home and shower his mate with the love and affection that the Queen of the Makai deserved. He loved his mate, he loved her from the first time that he laid eyes on her. When they first met it was the love one feels toward a god-daughter and as she grew mature so did his feelings for her. And here he was flirting, trying to seduce a woman in to seeing if she was indeed the person they were looking for. "Why did you want Sesshomaru dead?"
"Oh for many reasons, the first being he ruined my life long ago and I was just returning the favor by ending his."
So she was the Benefactor. This knowledge caused Bufan to smirk. Leaning in he gave a fanged smile to the woman whose name he did not even know. "I killed Lord Sesshomaru of the West. I want his lands, and I want you to take the blame for his death."
She nodded to him as though he was asking if she would pass the salt, not take the fault on the death of Sesshomaru, a death that would have her killed by any loyal to the lord. Bufan leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes. 'Hiei you better be listening. She is the benefactor. She has confessed to wanting Sesshomaru dead and being willing to give the Western Lands to anyone that would kill him for her.'
'We will be right there.'
Bufan sipped the drink in front of him carefully killing time until the rest of the team walked into the room. Kurama was the one that entered the room first. He was gorgeous, all knew it was just a cover for the greedy thief. The kitsune set down in Bufan's lap and looked over to the woman across from them. "Bufan, lover, is this our Benefactor? She's beautiful. We should bring her home with us."
"Kurama, we are here to discuss business not possible extras in our bed. It's hard enough blocking you from my mate." Bufan nuzzled the kitsune's neck but never breaking eye contact with the woman. "She has agreed to take blame for Sesshomaru's death."
"So we can have the Western Lands as a place to play our of naughty desires?" Kurama said nipping at Bufan's ear.
"So there is more to you than the public knows."
"Yes, my loyalties to Sesshomaru died when he walked away from his lands and left them to me. I mated Rin so I could insure that no one would take them away from me. When he resurfaced, I started to plan his death right away. I think that you gave me the greatest out."
Bufan felt like his stomach was twisted, he loved his mate more than he could ever express in words. And here they were speaking ill of not only her but those feelings. He was sure Kurama felt just as bad. He and Yusuke were not mated yet, but that was a yet. The Northern Daiyoukai loved the vixen that was sitting in his lap, and the emotion was mutual.
"So, you two both wanted the Western Lands for a place to keep your affair a secret. Understandable. I can grant you the lands, you have killed Sesshomaru, word of his death has spread across the lands." Her eyes glowed a harsh gold as she spoke. "You of course would have gotten the lands anyways as mated to Sesshomaru's only hire. Why did you come to me?"
"I wanted to insure that you were only after Sesshomaru and not the House of the West." Bufan said stocking Kurama's hair casually. "I will not really look for you, if you don't come after me agreement."
"I can agree to this."
"Then let's drink to our agreement." Kurama said standing up and walking over to a table off to the side to pour fresh drinks for the group. Using any of his plants would be noticed right away so they were forced to used a more direct approach. Hiei and the mated generals would be coming in the room very soon to capture the woman. She wasn't so strong that one of them alone could not take her, but they were not taking any chances. And now they had everything they would need to prove that she was in fact the person they were looking for.
o.O
Hiei was listening in through a mental link he had established with Kurama. Just as they had believed, the woman was paying more attention to Bufan, as Kurama was more of eye candy. Kurama was serving drinks. Good, that would relax the woman a bit and hopefully when they busted into the room she would be arrested with little fight from her. From what the Master of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame could tell she was strong, but not extremely. She was barely an A class youkai. This would be an easy take down.
"I think you two should be ready to leave at any moment."
"Yes," both generals said having to force themselves not to say my lord after their agreement. They did not know who was working with the woman, and did not wish to tip her off any.
'Hiei, I think we are ready for you three.' Kurama's voice came through their link. It was laced with Youko just slightly and caused Hiei to think of the tall silver thief. The older version of Kurama was not someone you wanted to face off with in a battle. The master of his trade was someone that was not to be trifled with.
Hiei set down his glass and motioned to the generals to follow him. They made their way to the door and opened it to where the little meeting was taking place. "So you are the one that has ordered my mate's death?"
o.O
If Sesshomaru were anyone else he would be pacing the floor; as it were, he was sitting in his study alone trying to sip tea. Hiei had sent word that they had captured the woman that had ordered his death. She was pissed off to hear that the Western Daiyoukai was still very much alive and they had tricked her in relieving herself.. The report said she had put up a slight fight but nothing that they could not handle. (1)
Soon, the Western Daiyoukai felt his mate at the front gate. On his way to meet the returning party he was joined by Rin. The Queen of the Makai looked just as worried as he was feeling. She would forever be someone to express herself openly. The group of five that left the Western Cathedral were returning with an extra person. The benefactor of the bounty was bounded and walking in center of the circle the other five were creating. No one appeared to be injured, that was a relief to many standing around, Sesshomaru and Rin included.
As they approached Sesshomaru finally got a good look at the woman that was now a prisoner of the West. "Lila?"
End Chapter
1. I can not write fight scenes. I have always had Rain for that and well with no practice I don't care to try and fuck it up.
Another chapter complete! I do have an outline for the rest of the story. And we are looking at three more chapters. Yes, one of those three chapters will be a just fan fair lemon. I told my husband that I may have to watch some yaoi hentai to get some ideas...he laughed at me!