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So Very Good

His turn on guard Dare sat on the rock and scanned the area, his gaze being drawn up to the sky despite himself. Old habits died hard, he thought to himself with a faint smile. It was a gorgeous night and nothing would have suited him more than to stretch out on the grass and watch the sky until he fell asleep. Stupid Satsuki, this was all her fault too. So many things were her fault and if anything happened to his mother he was going to tear her limb from limb, girl or not.

"I doubt very much she'll be coming from above."

Nearly jumping out of his skin it was decades worth of training that kept Dare from falling off the rock as his head snapped around to stare at his father who'd soundlessly approached him. "You never know with her." Dare answered with what he hoped was a casual shrug, doing his best to pretend that he hadn't just had a couple decades of life scared out of him.

"If you can't keep watch I'll take over."

Okay, so he hadn't bought the excuse, Dare thought with a grimace, knowing that he was in deep trouble now. Slacking off was never a good idea when he was supposed to be doing something his father had told him to do. "No, I can handle it, Father. I'm sorry I let myself be distracted. It's just a beautiful night for star gazing."

"You like to star gaze?" Sesshoumaru asked, curious as to whether or not he and his son shared that favored past time. Of course that led his thoughts to the last time he'd star gazed and that was a night he'd prefer to forget. Irritating woman.

"Sure, you and I would go out star gazing every Friday night after everyone had gone to bed when I was a kid. It was our father son time so to speak." Dare answered with a grin, relaxing now that the subject had changed. Maybe he was safe after all. "When we were little you took an interest in at least one thing we liked and would spend time doing it with us, one on one. You took me star gazing, played Go with Kiyoshi, hikes with Ronin, stuff like that."

After several moments of silence Sesshoumaru spoke again, curiosity getting the better of him. "So you enjoyed these outings?" He'd never enjoyed spending time with his own father. He'd always felt like he was being judged and found lacking no matter what it was they were doing. They certainly hadn't done anything together for mere enjoyment either.

"Well yeah, it was nice to have you all to ourselves every once in a while. I mean we did things as a family that were fun and of course training but it was nice to have your full attention too." Understanding, more than his father could know, Dare decided to tread on what was bound to be touchy ground at the moment. "You're a pretty great dad, you know. Not like grandfather was. We were never really scared of you and we always knew we could depend on you when we needed you. We'll never be the Bradys but really, who'd want to be?"

"The Bradys?"

"Oh, sorry, pop culture reference. Basically what I meant was we'll never be what anyone would consider a perfect family but you have a damn good one if I do say so myself."

"And you're not biased in the least."

"Not in the least." Dare agreed with a cheeky grin.

The next evening they were a few hours away from their destination when Dare stopped and turned around, a large smile on his face that was surprisingly angelic for once. In other words, it made his mother immediately suspicious. "Sonya's back!"

"Who?" Sango asked, looking at Sora questioningly.

"His tiger. Well his and Aiden's. She ran off before they found us and I think they were both getting a little worried about her." Sora answered, nodding in the direction the cat would be coming from. "And she's bringing someone with her too. We should wait and see who it is."

So they all stopped and after a few minutes the large white tiger broke through the brush, a bloodied arm in her mouth that allowed her to drag a demon behind her who was equally bloody and unconscious for the moment. Dragging him all the way over to Sesshoumaru she dropped her load in front of him, bowed her head slightly then ambled over to Dare who'd gotten down on one knee. Ducking her head she made not a sound as he scratched her behind the ears and came perilously close to baby talking her as he told her what a good girl she was.

Ignoring his son's embarrassing display of affection over a cat of all things Sesshoumaru lowered his gaze to the still figure in front of him. He didn't recognize the young man but thanks to the lack of a shirt he could see the long stripes of flesh that had been removed from the boy's back by a whip of some sort. Definitely one of Satsuki's, though a servant rather than a lover. She liked her servants young and pretty, her lovers mature and dangerous. "A scout perhaps." He deduced, assuming the cat hadn't been random in her attack.

"Don't most cat's purr when you do that?" Shippou asked, coming over to see the tiger Dare was petting. It was funny seeing a dog demon go all mushy towards a cat, especially a cat who looked like she was tolerating rather than enjoying the attention. "Kirara does."

"Sonya can't purr." Dare explained, giving Sonya's head one last pat before rising back up to his full height. "I've never heard her make a sound as long as we've known her."

"Oh." Giving the cat's muscular shoulder a quick pat Shippou backed away just in case. There was still drying blood on its mouth after all.

"Don't worry, she rarely bites without a reason." Aiden assured Shippou with a smile, understanding the fox demon's action. Sonya was larger than most tigers and she was very intimidating, especially since she made no noise as she came and went like a ghost. Some called her their pet but sometimes he got the distinct feeling they were more her pets than the other was around.

"She wouldn't have sent him far, she's likely nearby or on her way. With her abilities she'll be able to disguise her demonic aura so that we won't sense her approach that way." His eyes keen and sharp Sesshoumaru didn't sense her presence. Yet. "We should continue on our way." Not waiting for agreement he started walking again, paying no mind to the still body he'd left in his wake. To his way of thinking, the boy might appreciate dying by the elements rather than stay in Satsuki's clutches till she grew tired of him.

Everyone seeing no choice but to follow everyone's eyes went instinctively to the poor man, each trying not to think about how he'd come by those markings. "Well that's one way to keep your man in line." Mina muttered, pausing briefly over the still form. "I always preferred a more hands on approach myself."

"Hands on approach?" Kouga repeated, giving his eventual mate a weary look.

"I'll show you when you're older."

"Right." God but his future was looking grimmer by the minute.

Amused by her parents Hermione elbowed Aiden teasingly in the side, hoping for a laugh. "The way things are going I'll be lucky to be born huh?"

Looking over at her Aiden tried to imagine a world without Hermione and couldn't quite wrap his mind around the concept. They lived in the same house, had the same friends and relatives, had been together for most of their lives, even when they were in the womb. How could there be a world without Hermione in it? But that wasn't what she was aiming to hear. She was trying to get a laugh out of him because they weren't on the easy terms they usually were. That was his fault, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to help her change that. "Quieter." Was what he said instead.

Her lower lip poking out in a pout Hermione didn't know whether she wanted to cry or kick his ass. She didn't even know what she'd done to make him mad at her for Christ sakes! How was she supposed to make up with him if he didn't tell her what she'd supposedly done that was so horrible? No one else would tell her either and she was sure Mika and Dare knew. They were legally family, they should be on her side, not his!

Always weak under the power of her pout Aiden opened his mouth to take back what he'd said when Triton's words cut him off.

"She's here."

The sound of a husky, definitely feminine laughter filled the air and relying on their delicate sense of hearing all those with demon blood turned to face one direction, their eyes narrowing, their stance combative. In response there was more laughing as well as clapping, a pinkish purple ball appearing before them which gradually faded away to reveal the demoness inside, walking towards them with an amused look on her face.

To be honest, Kouga had expected someone a lot more beautiful and..well..taller. The demon that was approaching them was only a little taller than Sesshoumaru's waist and while she was beautiful he'd seen better, several females in his group coming to mind. She was demurely dressed too, wearing all white which contrasted nicely with the thick black braid that ran down that demoness's back. She didn't look like a female on the prowl to him. She just looked like a well dressed lady demoness of high birth. Or at least that's what he thought until her scent hit his nose. Oh. Now he got it.

Ren didn't recognize the scent but it drew him like a moth to a flame, the only thing keeping him in his place was Hermione's sharp nails digging into his arm as she kept him at her side. Kouga was given similar treatment only Mina had taken a firm grip on his tail instead.

Sesshoumaru, Kohaku and Dare, used to the smell simply did their best to ignore it. Sesshoumaru had never been able to find out where Satsuki got this particular perfume from but she used it liberally, especially when there was male company coming. He'd heard it described many ways, he thought perhaps it had some enchantment to it that made her smell what was most appealing to you personally. The fact that her scent to him had changed to being eerily similar to Sango's was almost as annoying and unsettling as her appearing in front of them so confidently.

Seeing where the woman was headed Rin put herself between her master and the demoness, putting her arms up at her sides. "He's taken." She said in a loud, determined voice. "You can't have him."

Looking down at his ward Sesshoumaru didn't quite know what to make of that statement, other than it amused him more than it should have. But was she stating that he was hers or was she doing it for Sango? Had the slayer put Rin up to this? Stealing a side glance in Sango's direction he saw that she was pointedly looking everywhere but at him. Suspicious behavior as far as he was concerned. He'd have to ask her later.

"You're his human brat than." Was all she said, looking down at Rin like someone would an insect easily squashed. Apparently she wasn't any more fond of the average human than Sesshoumaru was. Her gaze sliding over to Kohaku and Dare she smiled slowly, the look on her face pure predator. "Sesshoumaru san, you've made two more of you. Not to mention that girl could almost pass for your mother." She added, nodding in Sora's direction.

"Sora looks nothing like my mother." Sesshoumaru countered, his eyes cold and hard as he waited to see what she would do. Strictly speaking, Sora was nearly identical to him which meant she did have his mother's coloring and face. She did not resemble his mother though because his daughter's face had not been consumed by the effects of years of constant rage and hatred. There was no cruelty or malice in his daughter's gaze.

"And just who is this Sora to you? Or these two men as well?" Satsuki asked sweetly, giving him a coy look from under her lashes. There were so many questions to ask and so little time, she mussed, watching her man for any change in expression. And he was hers, no matter what he said. She always got what she wanted. Could these three mirror images of him be his though? Impossible, she would have heard if he had had pups this old. She wasn't even sure what they were though. They were demons and yet...their scent was strange, foreign somehow. And why was that miserable half breed here as well?

"They're my siblings. You didn't really think my father would be satisfied with one woman at a time now did you?" Was Sesshoumaru's almost sarcastic reply. He'd already explained to his children why he was doing this and they'd agreed that it was the only way to handle this. If the bitch knew they were his children she'd not only be a threat to them but to their mother as well. He got the distinct feeling there was nothing his children wouldn't do for their mother.

Surprised Sango saw no change in expression to indicate any of her children were upset by this announcement, much less surprised. He must have discussed it with them earlier, she thought, annoyed that he hadn't thought to do the same for her.

Luckily, Sora had had the foresight to talk to her uncle before hand so Inu yasha kept his mouth shut, even though it burned his ass not to speak up in their father's defense. Sora was right, they couldn't afford to have this Satsuki make it her goal in life to kill Sango. Judging from the way the demoness was looking at his brother, Inu yasha had no problems believing that that was exactly what she'd do.

"Really?" Inwardly cursing Sesshoumaru's father to high hell Satsuki wished the son of a bitch had learned to keep his interested reserved to one woman at a friggin time! She was sure that the only reason Sesshoumaru refused to become hers was that his father had soured him on taking a mate for life. Then again, this did mean there were now three men in this world who might just be worthy of her, she thought, her interest piqued. The other two were watching her wearily but if they were worth her time, they could be convinced to change their tune. No man could resist her after all. Except for Sesshoumaru. "Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you, two." She purred, having no use for any of the other men in the group but these three and the strange, sea smelling demon standing off to the side. She had no use for wolf demons and none of the others were true demons, therefore beneath her notice. "You two have a most interesting scent. What sort of demon was your mother?" She asked, returning her attention to Kohaku and Dare solely, Sonya moving to stand in front of them protectively.

"I plead the fifth." Was Dare's response to that one.

"Idiot. She won't have any idea what that means." Sora hissed, fighting back the urge to embarrass herself by rolling her eyes at him.

"We prefer to keep that to ourselves." Kohaku answered, his voice cool and so much like his father's it was eerie. It annoyed him more than words could say that her scent was his mate's, offending his senses like nails being raked across a blackboard. The sooner he was away from her the better everything would be. "We've come to speak with your father."

"Have you now? And why would that be?" She already knew Sesshoumaru was looking for some creature named Ferio, but the why was a mystery to her at the moment. What could be so important about this demon that Sesshoumaru would tolerate the company of so many humans and half breeds? Yes, she was very interested to learn that.

"That's his business, not yours." Sesshoumaru responded, not about to give her anything she didn't already have. "Now we need to get going if we're going to reach him before he retires for the evening."

"Well then, I'm sorry to tell you that you're out of luck." She informed him, her voice full of fake sympathy and regret. "Father's getting on in years and he has taken to retiring very early, I'm afraid. By the time we reach our home he'll have already taken his sleeping potion and gone abed." She'd seen to that before she'd left. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait until morning to see him. You will give me the pleasure of your company though, won't you? We have plenty of room and it has been so long since you've graced our home with your presence, Sesshoumaru san."

"All of us?" Sesshoumaru asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"But of course." She responded, her smile belaying none of her distaste at the idea of letting those other people into her home. Sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. And Sesshoumaru was oh so good, she thought with a smile, practically licking her lips at the thought of just how good he really was. He'd managed to escape her grasp in the past but tonight, she was feeling lucky.