CHAPTER 7 - Revised 11/12/18

Shippo had made it to Kouga's territory. He easily scaled the mountain and reached the entrance to the village. Shippo waved at the guards on watch duty and headed straight for the main house that Kouga had built for his growing family.

Shippo walked up the steps and was met by the maids. "Greetings Shippo-sama." They bowed.

"Hi, is Kouga here?" He said as he gave them his bag.

"Yes, but he is with a guest Shippo-sama."

Shippo sighed. "I see." He suddenly felt a presence. He sniffed but couldn't locate it. A gently tug brought his attention to the toddler next him. His bright red hair and blue eyes gazed up at him with a toothy smile. "Ah! Seijiro!" He knelt down and smiled at the pup ruffling his hair. "You've grown. You remember me?"

The pup nodded. "Papa said get da kitsune."

Shippo chuckled. "Did he?"

He nodded again and pulled Shippo to follow him. They walked across the room and down the hallway to the main room. Seijiro opened the sliding door and stepped inside. Shippo followed and noticed Ayame sitting next to Kouga but also a beautiful blonde oni with long hair and two small horns on her forehead. The woman looked to be gossiping with Ayame. The man next to Kouga had black hair like Kouga with red eyes. His smooth horns much larger then the female's. This must be the Oni that border Kouga's lands.

Seijiro ran over and sat next to a small oni child with short blonde hair and red eyes. The child was sitting proudly next to his father until Seijiro sat next to him rambling. The boy smiled as he listened to the young wolf.

Kouga looked over at the kitsune and smiled. "Welcome back kit! Have a seat!" He turned to the male oni. "This is Shippo, the hanyou's kit." Looking over at Shippo as he sat at the end of the table. "Shippo, this is lord Nobaru, his mate, Aiza and their heir Shoutamaru."

Shippo bowed while seated. "Nice to meet you."

Nobaru smiled at the kit. "No, it's nice to meet you! Anyone affiliated with the hanyou, will always be a guest in my lands. Especially if they had been in the fight against Naraku."

Shippo bowed again. "I will pass the message to Inuyasha when I return." He said politely smiling at the oni. Shippo had noticed the small oni listen to his father as he spoke with him and Kouga. Bringing pups to meetings like this was important and normal for youkai. This is where they learn how to be good leaders.

Shippo smiled at the boy. "He looks like his mother." He moved his gaze to Aiza who giggled.

"Yes. He already attracts females. He won't have trouble finding a bride with his mother's beauty." Nobaru chuckled and smiled at his blushing mate.

Kouga laughed as well and looked at the kit questioningly. "So...I heard news of an attack on the slayer village."

Aiza turned to the kitsune. "An attack? Who would be foolish enough to attack the slayer village? Is it not still protected by Inuyasha?"

"It is…" Shippo nodded and met Nobaru's ruby eyes. "A transformed oni and what looked to be a female oni attacked the village trying to kill our miko."

Nobaru scowled at the table. Kouga glared at Shippo. "What miko? Kagome?"

Shippo nodded still watching the oni lord. "She just returned and just so happened to be attacked the same day. Seemed odd since no one knew she had returned except Sango, Miroku, and I."

"Is she alright? Where is she?" Kouga demanded.

Ayame patted Kouga's shoulder. "Our friend should be fine and mostly likely with Inuyasha…" She glanced at the kitsune to confirm before turning back to her mate. "What we should ask is how they knew she was there." She cast her gaze on the scowling oni lord.

He scoffed. "It must have been Gorou and Hatsume. My older brother and sister. My father didn't see them as fit to be his heirs. They were cruel and sought power. They were also after the Shikon no Tama." He lowered his head and glanced at the kitsune. "If they have caused any trouble, then I greatly apologize. They should have been watched."

Shippo nodded. "But how would they know about Kagome?"

The oni shifted uncomfortably. "We used to have a mage that could see bits of the future. He said a miko from another world would hold great power, more than the Shikon no Tama could contain. He knew when she would arrive. My sister must have sought her out with this information. We found him dead after she and my brother had left."

"What would she have done to Kagome to gain that power?" Kouga asked. Maybe she would have been safer where she was. As much as Kouga wanted to aid in her protecting, he could not leave his pack or his family.

"She wanted to kill her." Shippo added. Nobaru could see the the results of his siblings efforts in his eyes. They were dead and rightfully so.

The lord lowered his head embarrassed of his siblings. "Stupid woman." He growled. "The mage had told me that it couldn't be extracted. It is gifted. She will be the creator of a new generation. She supposedly will be able to craft us to her liking. Demon to human. Human to demon." He looked to the kitsune. "This is all I know."

Shippo's nodded, stood and bowed his head. "Thank you. I must inform my pack."

Nobaru stood and bowed as well. It was strange for a lord to do so but out of deep regret and shame, he lowered his head. "I should accompany you to see this miko and apologize for my siblings."

Shippo smiled appreciatively. "Now may not be a good time...the miko, my adopted Okaa-san, is Inuyasha's future mate."

The oni chuckled raising his head. "I see...I will send gifts then and visit after she is marked. I will also visit the monk and slayer. I should renew peace after what has happened."

"Good." Shippo bowed once more. "I will take my leave and notify oto-san." He headed out, taking his bag from the maids who bowed as he left the wolf lord's home. Now he must head west.

WWWWWWWWWW

ONE WEEK BEFORE

He sat in his study sifting through the pile of scrolls on his desk. The door opened and the toad walked in. "My lord, Joichiro has arrived."

Sesshomaru briefly glanced at Jaken."Send him in."

"Yes my lord." Jaken scurried back out and the old kitsune youkai entered. He was quite old but very wise. He had been close with his father seeing as the old youkai had the ability to see glances of the future. Sesshomaru did not care too much for the old fool but he did owe him a bit of gratitude seeing as he saved the future of the West and his brother's sanity. Joichiro had seen the hanyou after loss of his potential mate, leaving him alone would have been catastrophic for all of Japan. Inuyasha had inherited too much of his father and as much as Sesshomaru hated to admit, Inuyasha's power is still endless. Even though he is hanyou, he has the great power a taiyoukai would have. Sesshomaru could not ignore this and decided it was best to put aside his petty racism towards his brother and mend fences. Doing this did more than create a bond he never had with a family member before. It brought peace to all of the Sengoku Jedai.

The kitsune bowed. "My lord."

Sesshomaru nodded. "Please sit."

Joichiro smiled and sat at the chair in front of his desk. "I saw a vision of a woman, a miko climbing out of a well.."

Sesshomaru paused in thought. 'Kagome.' He sat back, meeting his eyes, giving the kitsune his full attention. "Go on."

"She will arrive in four days."

Sesshomaru watched the old youkai ramble about the woman he saw. "Why did you not tell Inuyasha?"

"Her future intertwines with many different people including your brother...I fear what may happen if I presented this to him." Joichiro looked to be deep in thought trying to piece together the visions he had seen.

"Hm." Sesshomaru turned back to his work. "If that is all, you may leave. Tell Inuyasha I will see him in seven days. We are meeting with the new North taiyoukai to renew our peace treaty." He said as he gathered another scroll from the pile to read over.

The door opened gently as a servant walked in with a tray of tea. The young female youkai was sweet looking with her short blond hair and bright green eyes. Quietly she entered and set the tray to the side. She gracefully poured him his tea but when she went to serve her lord, Joichiro noticed the small blush on her cheeks as she stole glances at the unmated taiyoukai. Joichiro waited for the woman to leave before he continued. "My lord." Joichiro started. "Maybe it is time to take a mate. Umami gets worse with time."

"Heat." Sesshomaru corrected. "I'm not like my brother. I can do without a mate."

"I can see that." He smirked earning him a glare from Sesshomaru. "Might I suggest Yuuna? The daughter of the north taiyoukai would be a perfect match considering your fondness of your destined mate when you were a pup." He remembered, back when he served his father, the pup would follow the young inu girl around the garden doing anything she wanted. He thought they would be mated in the future. He had seen it. What had happened to change it?

"No." Sesshomaru remembered the girl. Her scent still ingrained in his mind. She was fiery and demanding. He believed she could move mountains with a single claw. "She's mated." He growled. He had not meant for his mask to slip but Joichiro already noticed.

"How do you know?"

"I had met with the north taiyoukai a year before his death. He mentioned his daughter mating a Tengu." Such cowardly creatures. She deserved much more than the company of birds. Unfortunately for taiyoukai, when it came to mating, only the strongest and most influential are available to mate. His mother did not like the Northern Taiyoukai much less his daughter.

"That can't be right." The kitsune shook his head. "I saw-"

"It doesn't matter. If that is all, you can leave." Sesshomaru stood. Joichiro stood and bowed his head as Sesshomaru strode from the room.

Sesshomaru walked down the hall toward the baths. A nice bath would ease his frustration. As he entered, the maid from before organizing the oils. She noticed him and blushed. He caught her gaze and began to undress. Her stare did not waiver knowing she would be punished if she did. She began to undress as well. She understood his needs immediately and he hated himself for it. She stepped into the water and waited for him. He walked into the water and grasped the back of her head pulling her lips to his. Her body pressed to his responding to him.

He broke from the kiss and gazed at her lips. Would Yuuna's lips feel like this? No, they would be much softer. Bringing one hand down, he cupped her small breast. The Yuuna he dreamt of would be fuller in her breasts. Her skin soft as it it should be for a woman of her status. Her dark tresses would be much longer and as soft as silk. 'Yuuna..'

He felt the girl need his shaft. When had he become so hard? She lowered to her knees and took him into her small mouth. He hissed at the contact and grabbed her hair pushing himself in deeper. She took him without complaint sucking and licking him fully. He closed his eyes and the dark haired woman haunted his mind. He imagined her lips on him. With a groan he came. His hips rocked into her mouth with each release. Sesshomaru let the girl go and layed back in the bath. He glanced at the girl with his seed dripping from her lips and her growled. "Leave."

The girl quickly left grabbing her clothes as she left him to himself. He growled. 'What have I become?' His vision turned red.

A howl raged down the hall of the palace as the servants ran to avoid their lord's rath.