Trap of Darkness

A/N: Welcome back to Trap of Darkness, my faithful followers, reviewers and readers. I apologise for the long update. I'm not going to bore you with the details. But thank you for your patience! I'd like to thank those who remain loyal to the story. And I'd like to thank LADY SILVERFOX charita rai the most for her support, reviews and her ideas. The story is jointly owned by LADY SILVERFOX charita rai and myself. We hold no claim over the Inuyasha cast, just our own characters. I thank you for your time and patient. And now, onto chapter fourteen of Trap of Darkness. Enjoy reading and please don't forget to review. Thanks!

For a little head's up:

'Japanese'

'English'

Thoughts

Fourteen

Isolation with the world's most stuck-up male had not been fun. What had made the experience bearable was that she had ignored him for the rest of the school hours and conversed with one of the members of her House. She knew that she couldn't do this each and every time. No, that was just a one off. She knew that he'd be more forceful next time. And he'd start by depriving her of her phone. Not that she cared about the small device personally, however, it was the only means for her to contact her House. She did not want to result to telepathy, considering the major headaches that would come with it.

Sighing, she stepped into her shared dorm with her four friends and immediately froze in the doorway.

'Jasmine, what are you doing?' Akemi asked in English.

'Packing,' the djinn answered immediately, her tone hinting at suppressed anger.

Stepping into the room and letting the door close behind her, Akemi made her way over to her bed, the second to last lined up against the right wall, and perched on the edge. She watched, puzzled, as Jasmine stuffed her folded clothes into her suitcase with more force than necessary. Had it not been the one worded answer, filled with suppressed anger, then Akemi would have immediately recognised something was wrong due to the way she packed. Her movements sang with aggression.

'Why are you packing?' the yōkai asked.

'I need to get away from here for a while,' her pack mate answered.

'Do you want to talk about it?' the blonde asked gently.

'Where are the others?' the brunette asked.

'Sango's with Miroku slaying disobedient yōkai. Kagome's with Inuyasha, who's taken her to Inu Ind. to get tested. Rin went with them to see them off before going into town to shop.'

Upon hearing the news, Jasmine sat on her bed, her eyes downcast. She fiddled with her nails, incapable of looking at Akemi who sat across from her, green eyes curious and worried. She really didn't want to bother Akemi with her problems, seeing as she had her own. But the blonde yōkai knew more about Tōga-ō. It made her the best person to talk to about the man. But could she? Akemi was her friend, almost like a sister. Could she tell her about her feelings towards the King of Japan?

Gentle hands took Jasmine's, snapping her out of her thoughts.

'You do not need to think you're alone, Jasmine,' Akemi's voice was gentle, pure green eyes looking up into Jasmine's brown-green from where she was crouched. 'Pack stays together, no matter what.'

Jasmine nodded and tightened her hand held between Akemi's. 'I got into an argument with Tōga-ō.'

'What about?'

'I couldn't help it, Akemi,' she said covering her face in her hands. 'I didn't want it to happen. I really didn't. But I just exploded.'

Akemi rubbed comforting circles on her back. 'You have nothing to fear. I'm right here.'

'He belittled you, and I couldn't take it,' she blurted. 'I couldn't keep quiet. And because I couldn't control myself, I accidentally set his office on fire.'

Akemi was silent and then burst out laughing.

Jasmine looked at her, tears in her eyes. 'What's so funny?'

Rubbing the tears away with her finger, Akemi looked at her friend. 'Jasmine, you didn't kill him if that's what you're guilty about. It'll take more than a little fire to kill his ass, believe me.'

'That's not why I was guilty…'

Akemi merely gave her a disbelieving look.

'Okay, a little bit,' she relented. 'But what if I get kicked out? What if he deems me unworthy to live around humans? Akemi, what do I do?'

The yōkai merely smiled at her. 'Go with your first plan.'

'Huh?'

'You plan to get away for a while, right? Surely you must have something in mind.'

'Well, I was invited to my friend's wedding back in Illinois. I don't want to miss it, but I can't just skip school either.'

'This friend means a lot to you, right?'

Jasmine nodded. 'A lot.'

'Then go.'

'But-'

'Don't argue!' Akemi said. 'School will still be here when you get back. If you miss this wedding, you'll live with regret for the rest of your life. It's her first time getting married. She's going to need you there.'

'What about you? You said we're pack, family. We're supposed to stay together.'

'She's your family too,' Akemi said with a soft smile. 'She was there long before me. Now hurry up and pack.'

Jasmine smiled at her. 'Thank you, Akemi. You're the best.'

Akemi looked at her. 'No, you're the best, Jasmine, for keeping an important promise.'

'How did you-'

'Woman's intuition,' Akemi cut her off. 'I'll distract the big guy so he doesn't come after you, because he most certainly will try.'

'Why would he?' she asked, her face morphing into a frown at the reminder of the man who had dissed her friend.

Akemi looked at her surprised. 'I guess even djinn can be quite innocent when it comes to matters of the heart.'

'What does that mean?' the djinn asked.

Akemi smiled. 'Nothing important,' she answered. But it might go deeper than the heart, Akemi thought. Soul mates? Jasmine and Tōga-ō? Could it really be?

Now what do I do? Tōga-ō thought pacing the office floor. I meet a djinn for the first time and I completely fucked up. But what did I do wrong? Why did she get so angry?

'What are you doing?'

Turning, Tōga-ō's golden eyes clashed with his eldest son's, who stood just in front of the office double doors.

Sesshōmaru wasn't an expressive type of person. He was far too guarded, his face a mask of indifference. But he knew his son far too well. He could see the simmering anger in his eyes. In fact, Sesshōmaru had never looked so alive before, not since Akemi's disappearance over seven hundred years ago. As always, she sparked a fire within him, challenged him, and forced him to face reality when no one else had come even close. That anger was comprised of more than being challenged. Sesshōmaru didn't know it himself, but Tōga-ō could see that his son was clearly angry that Akemi had disappeared without saying a word to anyone.

Tōga-ō recalled the way Sesshōmaru had thrown a temper tantrum when Akemi had disappeared. His steadfast rival had vanished without a trace. Of course he'd be angry. But now that she was back, was he ecstatic?

Tōga-ō couldn't see his son ever being so overjoyed. He was far too prideful. Like his mother.

'Where's that ridiculous human?' he sneered.

'Are you still unaccepting of the fact that there's another species out there, Sesshōmaru?' Tōga-ō asked as he sank into his leather chair.

'Humph, she acts far too human to be anything other than a human,' he said as he stepped up to the desk.

Cold eyes stared down at the scorched desk, a glimmer of green and blue shimmering across the surface like the dying embers of a fire. It was the biggest hint, besides the scorch marks, that a fire had taken place in the office. Given his father's speed, it was no wonder the fire alarm hadn't burst to life. But the fact that the two colours played inside the wood while there was no fire said that the creator of the flames was far from human. It was impossible for a yōkai to leave behind such a uniquely beautiful mark.

'Jasmine,' Tōga-ō clarified. 'As uncontrolled as fire itself.'

'Fire is only tamed under careful watch,' Sesshōmaru said, eyes tracking the movements of the two colours on the desk.

'Exactly,' Tōga-ō said on a sigh. 'She's the one on guard, and if she's not careful, her powers go rampant.'

'Teach her control,' Sesshōmaru said as if it were the most obvious thing.

It was, but the problem was the species. A yōkai cannot teach a djinn to control their unexplored powers.

'I would, if it were possible.'

'What do you mean?'

'Yōkai cannot teach djinn control. Why? Because we're of entirely different species, and I have no idea how to treat a djinn. They're a foreign species, Sesshōmaru. They are nature itself. Not even we yōkai know how to probably care, control and counter nature itself. They're a force to be reckoned with. I understand that even without seeing the tip of Jasmine's power. That's how formidable the djinn are. We cannot approach them carelessly.'

Sesshōmaru crossed his arms over his chest. 'Akemi has djinn as members of her House. Why do you not talk to her about this and arrange for one of her djinn to teach the girl control?'

Tōga-ō's eyes furrowed.

'So that's how it is,' Sesshōmaru stated with a frown.

'What are you talking about?'

'It's no wonder she got angry with you, chichiue. It seems that even djinn are prideful. They refuse to let another belittle and dis their family.'

'I did not-'

'Didn't you?' Sesshōmaru challenged.

Tōga-ō snapped his mouth shut, his frown deepening.

'Tell me you didn't doubt Akemi's power.'

'You doubt her,' Tōga-ō said, as if it made things better.

'Of course I'd doubt her. We've been rivals since we were children. I've got to show her that I'm dominate and better than her. It's not right for a woman, a little girl in Akemi's case, to stand above a man. She needs to learn her place. And even though I doubt her, I do not doubt her power. I'm extremely confident in her abilities, even to the point that she could prevent a disaster without having to rely upon another. She's grown powerful. Fitting for my rival. But that's all.'

Tōga-ō sighed. 'It's been seven hundred years and you still believe in her.'

'Believe?' Sesshōmaru scoffed. 'No. I trust her. That's all.'

'And where is Akemi?'

Sesshōmaru fell silent.

A smirk formed on the King's lips. 'She escaped you, didn't she?'

Sesshōmaru remained silent.

He laughed. 'She's always been an escape artist. I should have known better. Whenever you're involved, she'll always try over a hundred percent to beat you or get away from you.'

'You're quite attracted to that girl,' Sesshōmaru said immediately turning the tables against his father.

'What if I am?'

'At least it's better than falling for another human,' he grumbled.

'You're so prejudice, Sesshōmaru,' Tōga-ō said disapprovingly.

'Humans are too weak, too inferior. They'll never live up to us yōkai. It's better if they learn that fact, and fast.'

Tōga-ō sighed. 'What am I going to do with you?'

'What?!' the man bellowed and slammed the bottom of his fist against the wall, creating a sizable dent into the wall surrounded by deep cracks that spider webbed around the indent.

'Don't destroy our hideout,' another man said deadpanned. 'I'm getting tired of having to fix your mess.'

'How the hell are you so calm about this?' the first man exclaimed. 'Doesn't it piss you off?'

'Of course it does, but destroying buildings will certainly not help the situation.'

'You're right, it doesn't, but it certainly makes me feel better.'

'You're such a child.'

The first man glowered at him. 'Watch your tongue before I cut it out.'

'If it was easy for you yōkai to kill us djinn, we'd be extinct by now.'

'Tch, sometimes I regret teaming up with you.'

'But then neither of us would have gotten this far,' the djinn said to him.

'Can't argue with that,' the yōkai said calmly. He ran a hand through his long black hair, briefly revealing the black star on his forehead, and took a seat on the plush leather sofa. He crossed his right leg over his left as he spread his arms on the back of the sofa. 'So what's the plan?'

'We're going to have to be careful. We're not the only ones who have their sights on that school.'

'Tch, that hanyō bastard again?'

'Unfortunately,' the djinn agreed. 'Due to his connections and his position, we can't do anything against him. Well, not yet. We'll stick to the shadows and wait.'

The yōkai groaned. 'More waiting. At the moment, it's all we're good for.'

'Patience,' the djinn growled out. 'Our perseverance will reward us soon enough. Just bite your tongue and bear with it.'

'Fine,' the yōkai said waving away his words.

'If you're that frustrated, why don't you seek out some female company?'

The yōkai glared at him. 'I'm not touching no filthy whores. I'm not the type to bury myself in every female flesh that's available. I'll wait.'

'Suit yourself. Just don't come barking to me when you're sexually aggravated.'

The yōkai scoffed. 'Speak for yourself, tree hugger.'

'Shut it, mutt.'

'Well, we mutts piss up trees,' the yōkai said smirking.

'I'm going to flambé you one day.'

'Now if that were possible, you would have done it the day we met.'

'Tch,' the djinn said gritting his teeth. 'You're a pain in my ass.'

'I haven't bitten you yet,' he said with a grin.

'Try and I'll burn you.'

The yōkai laughed. 'We'll see.'

Word meanings

Chichiue - father