Forsaken

Hidden Crimes Revealed and Action Not Taken

Miroku, Sango, and Kagome had finally gotten Kouga alone so that they could ask him about the demon law that Inuyasha had referenced them to. They wanted answers to the questions that had been raised from their conversation with Inuyasha the week before. Even Kagome was curious as to why that particular law would be so important to Inuyasha's leaving of the group, though she would never admit that to the others or anyone that asked. That would imply that she was concerned and she wasn't the least bit worried about why Inuyasha would have the left the group without telling them.

"Kouga, friend, we were able to visit Inuyasha the other day and had a very interesting conversation with him. When we asked why he left, he directed us to ask you about Scroll Thirty-Six of the Demon Law Room. What is so important about that particular scroll?" Miroku asked kindly with genuine curiousity. Kouga nearly choked on the air he had just inhaled before he gave the monk an unfriendly sneer.

"It is of no consequence and not something you should carelessly be inquiring into." Having said that, Kouga quickly left the room that they had cornered him in. To say that they were more determined to find the answer to their question would be an understatement. They were going to find out what that law was and how it was related to Inuyasha and Kouga if it was the last thing that they did. Whatever that law pertained to was causing Kouga quite a bit of discomfort and worry while it seemed to have caused Inuyasha an unbearable amount of pain. The next person on their list to ask about demon law was the person that had opened his palace to them of course. They would have to approach him with much more caution and wariness, as he was a very dangerous demon lord.


Sesshoumaru had been enjoying a rare afternoon alone in the quiet of his study and joining a cup of his favorite tea that was loaded with sugar, though he would never admit to anyone living that he had a sweet tooth. His quiet and peaceful moment was disturbed, however, by a light knocking upon his door. He had been hoping that those footsteps were going to walk right by his door, but luck had been leaving him high and dry as of late. Instead of just bidding them enter as he usually would have, he decided to drag his quiet out as long as possible and opened the door himself. On the other side of the door he was surprised to see the miko, the monk, and the taijiya, all of them shifting from foot to foot and unwilling to look higher than the yellow obi he wore.

"How may this Sesshoumaru humor you?" he said with carefully concealed exasperation. The humans never seemed to leave him alone after he took Rin in as his adopted daughter. He did not regret doing so, but he did regret allowing the child to announce it to anyone that would listen.

"We have a question about demon law, about a specific scroll, in fact. When the person we were directed to would not answer, we figured you would be the best source to find the information from." Sesshoumaru studied them for a couple of moments before motioning them to follow him into his study. When the humans had made themselves comfortable, he spoke.

"Well?" he prompted.

"We were told by Inuyasha to find out about Scroll Thirty-Six in the Demon Law Room. None of us have ever heard of such a law and have no other way of finding out than by asking you." Miroku spoke up. Sesshoumaru lowered his eyebrows that had raised during the explanation by the monk and sighed. Leave it to his otouto to be cryptic, but he figured that telling them straight out would probably have them back at square one.

"Scroll Thirty-Six pertains to minor demons, those demons, or in this case half-demons, that have not yet reached three hundred years of age and their first heat. Their first heat is the signal that a demon has moved from childhood to adulthood and is ready to find a mate. Before a demon's maturity, however, they cannot achieve any sexual stimulation. They would not feel aroused by any touch from another or themselves and, thus, cannot achieve climax. This does not mean that they are infertile. Minors bodily functions are completely operational, all of them. Why? Not even the healers know the answer to that question, but they have many guesses with it having to do with the balance of hormones for proper growth. Scroll Thirty-Six is explicitly about any sexual intercourse a minor or the rape of one as no minor can consent to consensual sex. The scroll explains that any party found guilty of the rape of a minor is to be immediately imprisoned and to await the sentencing of their respective law enforcement body. All offenders are supposed to serve some number of years in Exile. Then the offender's law enforcement provides a stable mate for the victim, as most end up pregnant from their experience. While having a mate ensures both the lives of the child and the mother, it usually compounds the fear the minor has of sex. All mates of minors have already reached their maturity and demons are naturally sexual creatures. Since the dominant's needs are attended to by the submissive, the minor usually ends up in the same predicament that forced them to have a mate before their first heat. Inuyasha was extremely lucky to find a mate that compromised his needs to spare Inuyasha that experience." The three humans blinked at the rapid change of pace and focused back on Sesshoumaru's serious face, it was more serious than usual. Kagome was the one to speak out next.

"Why is Inuyasha lucky?" Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the miko, but because she was not being mean or mocking about it, decided to answer her question.

"When minors are forced to relive the sexual act over and over again without the privilage of being able to gain pleasure from it or find that they can get pleasure from it, they usually go mad and commit suicide to escape their duty to it." Sesshoumaru confessed to the horror of the three in front of him. He took another sip of his tea as he tried to distance himself from the subject because it was making him incredibly angry as well as depressed. Sango gasped as she came to a realization.

"How old is Inuyasha?" Sango asked with fear for the answer. The other's eyes widened in shock as they caught on to what she was implying.

"It will two hundred and sixty one years this winter." Sesshoumaru replied placidly. Kagome asked the next question, shock, hurt, and a bit of anger coloring her shaking voice.

"Do you mean to tell me that Kouga raped Inuyasha, Inuyasha got pregnant and left, then Inuyasha somehow ended up with a mate? How would he be able to do that if Kouga has never been sentenced to be exiled?" Sesshoumaru sat back and looked thoughtful for a moment before answering.

"Kouga is the last of his line, so he would not receive the punishment that is deserving of his crime. Since Inuyasha knew that, he went to the only place he felt safe. Anyone could provide a mate for him, it is usually just the enforcers that do so. Inuyasha met his mate at the village he now resides in and he is quite happy. He was even able to make it to the completion of Mother Earth's blessing upon his mating." Miroku looked confused at the last bit of information and asked the demon lord to elaborate his meaning.

"Inuyasha's mating could not happen without Mother Earth's blessing because he is still a minor. There is a ritual that asks for the mating to be accepted. Should the couple be blessed, the mating mark will take and the natural growth of the minor will be accelerated. Until Inuyasha, one could only guess at how long it would take for the body to reach its accelerated maturity. For Inuyasha, he was able to reach maturity last year if this Sesshoumaru is recalling it clearly." Sesshoumaru gave a visible shudder without realizing it. He definitly remembered when his brother had found he had reached his maturity. He should have left well enough alone, but he just had to be a concerned older brother. Sesshoumaru shook his head to rid himself of the memory.

"So the little girl that Inuyasha has on his back all of the time is actually...?" Kagome started. Sesshoumaru did not like the calculating look in the girl's eye as he could tell exactly what she was thinking. He knew all about her and the wolf's relationship. All of the inhabitants of the palace did, it was hard not to hear their constant arguing. They were mostly demons after all.

"Yes. However, since the child is female, Lord Kouga has no claim over the child in any capacity. Only male children, and only the firstborn male, can be claimed by the father. That is only so that his line can continue should his mate be barren or slain before being able to bear him a child. Wolves only mate once and it is for life." Sesshoumaru gave a small smirk at the girl's crestfallen face. She was not going to trouble the life that his otouto had worked so hard to build. He absolutely would not allow it. Sesshoumaru dismissed the three humans with a curt but strained, polite goodbye. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt the sugar rush overcome the headache that had been bothering him since the girl entered the room. He really disliked her and for more reasons than what she had done to his baby brother. He just did not know what those other reasons were at the moment.


"Inuyasha?" Zinny called as he entered their rooms. He did not receive an answer which was odd considering that the little inu had said that he would be in their rooms for the morning to take care of Aiya who was finally growing in her canines. All inu parents hated that stage of a toddler's growth as the process was painful and as soon as they grew in they fell out so that the permanant ones could begin to come and grow as the child grew. Aiya had been up crying all night and Mozinth had run down into the village to get her some zuzu (I totally made that word and what it is up. I own that even though I do not own any of the Inuyasha characters) to nibble on and soothe the ache in her little gums. Zinny checked Shippou's room and Aiya's room, finding both empty before looking into his own. He saw the cutest sight since he had seen Inuyasha curled up with the terrified Shippou after a night of bad dreams, that was also the only time Inuyasha had not slept with him. Inuyasha was laid out on the bed in complete disarray with his hair barely half up, half down, his outfit wrinkled, and on his back, spread eagle on the bed. Aiya was asleep as well, snuggled comfortably into Inuyasha's right side, the side away from the edge of the bed, with his right arm keeping her nestled there. He walked over to them and placed a kiss upon both of their foreheads before placing the zuzu (think teething ring) on the small table next to Inuyasha's head and leaving the two to get their rest.

Mozinth was on his way to the dojo to meet up with the other fighters from their village when Sesshoumaru flagged him down. It was unusual to see the royal doing his own dirty work and Zinny decided that the guys could wait, as it had to be pretty serious if Sesshoumaru was handling it himself. He walked over to the demon lord that immediately started off in another direction, probably to be away from prying ears. He caught up to the lord's long stride with ease as his own gait was about the same length.

"What may I do for you, Nii-sama?" Sesshoumaru glowered at him for the formal useage, but it could not be helped while in public. Even Inuyasha had to address him as -sama because of their differences in status.

"I want you to keep an extra eye on Inuyasha. That miko is planning something. I do not expect it to be effective or to even work, but I want to air on the side of caution. I also had some very curious humans come into my office today asking about a certain law that pertains to your submissive." Sesshoumaru raised a questioning eyebrow at his companion.

"I gave him leave of the conversation as he saw fit. I have to admit he was surprisingly sly about it. I thought he would have just told them everything out flat. That is unless he is planning something. That would not surprise me. He is definitely of your kin when it comes to his little schemes." Sesshoumaru barked at that.

"Oh really? How did you come to that conclusion?" Sesshoumaru's eyes sparkled with amusement that no one other than family would have been able to pick up on.

"The wolf lord still has not figured out that Aiya is of his seed even though he has seen her twice now. I believe I heard him speculating with his mate that Aiya is another orphan that Inuyasha took in. That wolf truly lives in denial, does he not?" Sesshoumaru smirked and nodded his head in agreement. Both were fully aware of said wolf's presence within hearing range behind them and had pitched their conversation just right. It had taken Mozinth a moment to figure why Sesshoumaru had wanted to talk about 'that' when he had felt the presence.


Kouga could not believe what he had found out that. No! He did not want to believe, but he knew it to be true. The child had his dark hair and she had a tail that was the mark of royalty within his family. After a moment, he was estatic because he had a daughter. He had a healthy, beautiful little daughter and then reality crashed in. He had no claim to the girl because she was not the firstborn heir and her mother was mated to another. He was mated to another and that other still refused to give him a child. He felt himself despair because should he try to meet the little girl in any capacity, he would eventually have to explain his reasons for visiting the child so much. He wanted to know her, but he also knew that there was probably no way that Inuyasha would let her anywhere near him after what he had did. He had never felt regret for that day until then.

He just decided to put his thoughts on the matter aside for the moment. He and Kagome needed to have a talk about her latest transgression againt Lord Nihai. He was seriously thinking that a couple of days on the post would be the thing to knock some sense into her thick skull. She was even worse than the mutt had been, at least he accepted his role with dignity and a flawless grace. With a sigh, he went off to his task.


"Do you think Inuyasha will accept what we did graciously?" Zinny questioned his brother-in-law. Sesshoumaru raised an elegant silver brow.

"Are you doubting this Sesshoumaru?" Zinny laughed at the aloof lord and shook his head.

"Fine, but you are telling him and you might want to do it privately because I just don't have the heart to punish him after all he went through last night. He is on a short fuse with the lack of sleep due to Aiya's baby canines coming in." Sesshoumaru winced. He knew from some of his generals that that stage for a toddler was not a pleasant experience. Why did no one tell him this before he followed through with his plan. Inuyasha was stubborn on a normal basis, but a sleep deprived Inuyasha was stubborn and explosive. Those memories were best left alone as he had already promised himself not to visit his brother anywhere near the time for his heat. The younger was just a bitchy as any female.


A/N: So Kouga finally found out, Kagome still hasn't accepted her role, and poor Inuyasha is all puckered out. He was cute, though, in his exhausted sleep. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW PLEASE!!! I feed off reviews likes M&Ms.