Chapter Twenty-Nine:
Transformations and Traitors
InuYasha's demon was in an uproar as the Taishos began to all shout at once. Some against InuYasha and Kagome's union and the child that resulted from it while others were defending the hanyo's right to be with whomever he chose and the Lord's right to name his brother or his brother's young as his heir.
Danger! InuYasha's demon snarled in his mind as he held his wife close to his side. Kagome shouldn't be here, its too dangerous for her and the pup!
InuYasha growled softly in annoyance. She'll be fine no one is going to be stupid enough to attack a Lady of the Western Lands with her whole pack present.
Sesshomaru stood at Kagome's side stoically but inside his nerves where on end with a pregnant female in the midst of angry demons. Things could get ugly fast.
"That child will be more human then it's father!" The Dragon demon shouted so he could heard. His words caught the attention of the others and he continued. "That is if her mother's powers don't kill her first."
Kagome glared at the haughty dragon and she took a step forward.
"My spiritual powers are as strong as they were before I was mated to InuYasha and they protect my baby not harm her!" the young mother to be was outraged. How dare someone suggest that she would allow her powers to harm her sweet baby.
"Hah!" the ox demon Ronin scoffed. "So you will bare a weak creature that won't be able to protect itself let alone lead a demon kingdom."
"ENOUGH!" Sesshomaru yelled as his demonic aura grew to practically smother the room.
The increased aura of her uncle and alpha frightened Izayoi causing the infant to lash out with her spiritual powers from inside her mother's womb.
Multiple Lords that had been near by, Tatsuo, Satoshi, and Hisoka the rat Lord being the main ones affected, where knocked into the walls behind them.
"What the hell was that?" the Rat Lord snarled as his red eyes found the Miko standing between the two powerful dog Lords.
"That bitch attacked us!"
Aiko's laughter brought the attention of the room to her. "It wasn't Kagome, it was the babe in her belly. The Princess has her mother's spiritual powers as well as her father's demon heritage."
At that the council stared in stunned shock then suddenly Ronin charged.
"That thing is unnatural," was his battle cry. "It must be killed!"
InuYasha moved like lightening in a thunderstorm as he wrapped his mate in his arms and dashed away from the charging demon. He quickly passed Kagome to Sango and Kimi who ushered her away before turning with deadly red eyes.
He threw a punch that hit the ox in his snout and snarled.
"Don't you fucking touch her!"
The a dog like snarl and frightened scream made him turn around to see Tatsuo and Yuu trying to pry Kagome from the females hands. Their tough skin made the dog demoness's claws useless as Kimi held Kagome as securely as she could. But the assault didn't last long before Koga and Asako moved to knock their fellow lords away from the women. Once she could release Kagome, Kimi jumped over her and transformed into a great silver bitch with the same lavender markings under her eyes, which were red with rage. Her sisters, niece and grandmother in law followed suit keeping the Miko hidden by their white fur and Sango stood in front of them with her weapons drawn.
"Back off you bunch of idiots!" Hissed Asako. But they didn't have a chance before InuYasha jumped on the Dragon in anger.
InuYasha wanted them dead! They had put their hands on his mate and he would not allow them to get away with it!
Tatsuo stared wide eyed as he was attacked by a full blooded InuYasha in a fot of rage.
The snarling, growling demon on top of him was truly frightening. Then suddenly he was gone.
Sesshomaru grabbed his brother off the lord and shoved the hanyo turned demon toward the females and his mate. With Raiden by his side the lord sneered down at the wounded Dragon that had dared to lay hands to a woman of his family.
"Get up wretch," he snarled as his eldest uncle growled down at the dragon Lord.
Kagome was huddled in the middle of very large, very angry female dog demons as she sat on her knees curled around her bulbous stomach and unborn child, scared tears rolled down her pale cheeks as she shook, fearful for her child's life.
Then she felt the strong arms of InuYasha curl protectively around her and from his voice she knew his blood had taken control. She turned in his arms and buried her face in his chest ignoring the blood that was splattered in his armor.
"It's okay mate." He growled as he soothed his beloved. "None will touch you, I'll kill them all first."
Demon InuYasha could care less if the Taishos heard his words; he wanted them to fear him so they'd understand that his family was off limits.
"InuYasha come here."
The hanyo turned demon snarled angrily but obeyed knowing his woman was safe. Six of the council members had come to stand with Sesshomaru in defense of his family.
Koga of the Wolf Tribe, Asako of the Cat demons, Hisako of the Rabbits, the weakest of the twelve tribes and clans but still very powerful, Akahana of the Kitsune, Shin the leader of the Horse demons and a distant relative of Jinenji, and the old monkey lord, Yoshito.
Sesshomaru gestured his younger brother forward.
"For those of you with concerns for my niece's humanity, this is the form in which InuYasha whelped his bitch and so the child will be born half demon. And yes the infant will have spiritual powers and she will be trained in them and her demonic abilities as well. Any that wish harm on the child or her mother will die by my family's hand." The stoic Lord then looked to The Ox demon Ronin. "We wouldn't want history to repeat itself right Lord Ronin?" he asked and the temperamental demon glared.
For minute all was quiet then Asako stepped forward her long hair was a fiery orange with black strips, bellying her tiger demon heritage. She wore a simple green kimono with slits up the side so she could fight and tight legging like pants on under to preserve her modesty.
Her yellow eyes glowed as she looked to the hanyo and Lord of the West. The cats and dogs had never been chummy, where as cats like the foxes and rabbits were matriarch tribes the dogs were patriarchs, there for putting most of the power in the male's hands. This was only one of the many reasons her people and the dogs never got along but the fact that this proud warrior would make a female his heir impressed the cat and she also loathed the thought of a innocent child being murdered before it even drew breath.
So with her mind mad up the Neko no Taisho walked toward InuYasha as Sango lead Kagome to him. Kagome had calmed herself but she wanted her husband and so she clung to him though he made no move to acknowledge her as he watched the cat wearily.
Then Asako bowed.
"Lord InuYasha of the West, I, the Neko no Taisho, Asako here by pledge my services and my allegiance, as well as the allegiance of my people to your child. May she a strong leader with mercy and honor."
InuYasha was so shocked that his demon side reverted as the golden eyes is wife loved so much returned.
"We accept your pledge Lady Asako," he said as if by instinct. "Thank you."
Hisako and Akahana as well as Shin soon followed the cat and Yoshito as they all gave pledges to the Inu heir and her parents as well as the family.
Koga was the last. He did not bow only smirked.
"The Lady Kagome has always had a place among the wolves as our pack sister and the same will extend to her cubs. The wolves will stand with the dogs."
Kagome smiled as grateful tears filled her eyes.
"Thank you." She said to all that had made the choice to support them.
"You are all fools. What worth does a hanyo have? Even if the child has powerful demon blood it is still nothing more then a mistake, a disgrace. I will not support this."
"Nor will I," said Yuu. "Women belong in the bedroom not in seats of power."
The pig's comment made the female Taishos and noblewomen snarl in outrage.
Gobodō-sama came up and gently took Kagome in her arms.
"Come child you must rest," she said. "You don't need to hear this vulgar talk."
Glaring at the ones who decided that they had the right to demand the life of her great grandchild, the matriarch of the Silver clan lead the tired priestess back to her room with Emi as well.
Once they made it back to the rooms that InuYasha and Kagome shared, the rooms that had been Izayoi's the short time she had been there with them, Katsumi gently tucked the mother to be into bed while gently ordering her to sleep.
"I wish my family could be here too." Kagome whispered as the feeling of the kind demon woman running her clawed hands through her hair reminded her of her own mother. Her eyes closed shortly after her whispered wish and Gobodō-sama smiled.
"If you wish it little one then you shall have it."
InuYasha returned to the rooms not long after Kagome had fallen asleep. The meeting had pissed him off. Though six of the Taishos had sided with them there were still five racist bastards that he wanted to gut, six if you include Dai who hadn't even moved to protect Kagome when Tatsuo had attempted to harm her.
"How is she?" he asked as he knelt next to the futon.
"She is well, tired and home sick, but well." Gobodō-sama answered. "Tomorrow Aiko and I shall go retrieve her family. She misses them."
InuYasha looked at her surprised.
"You can do that?" he asked and she laughed. "Of course pup, I spelled it in the first place to make sure your mate was able to save you from the seal."
InuYasha looked at his grandmother in awe. He had never known anyone cared so much for him the way this woman did, only his mother and Kagome had shown such love a devotion to him, but this demon woman had been caring and worrying over him all his life and he had never known it.
"Grandmother…" he whispered. "I- Thank you… so much."
The dog demon lovingly kissed her grandson's head, tweaked and ear affectionately, then stood and left the couple to sleep and inform her youngest of their plans the next day.
And InuYasha lay down and held his family safely in his arms as he allowed himself to fall into a light sleep.
Meanwhile
Dai snuck into the forest under the dark night sky. He could not believe that over half the council sided with the half-breed. Did non of them remember the days when humans feared and demons had honor and dignity? Were they all mad?
He stopped when came across the scent he was looking for and soon Naraku stepped from the shadows.
"Lord Dai, you bring news?" he asked with a dark smirk.
Dai nodded. "Yes the Council is divided, we could use at the most five of the Taishos to kill the mutt and his spawn."
Naraku chuckled evilly as he nodded. "Good. And soon you will avenge your elder brother and I shall have the jewel shards as well as InuYasha's precious child in my grasp.
A/N: Below are the Lords and Ladies with a little background on them plus the meaning of their names. Please review and let me know what you all think.
Disclaimer: Do I really need to say it? Okay, I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA!
I tried to give the Taishos names that reflected their personalities. Koga and Sesshomaru are not mine. Also I looked up Jinenji and his profile on InuYasha Wiki says he's a half horse demon, since I am not sure where else to look and am going in faith, Shin would look very much like Jinenji's father except with light purple hair and eyes, almost a pale lavender.
Taisho Council
Females:
Asako: Neko no Taisho (Cat General); Leader of the cat clan. She is shrewd and cleaver and has a very low tolerance for arrogant males. As one of only three female Taishos, Asako must be ready to prove that she is just as strong as the males. She is one of the Taishos that are for Izayoi as the future Inu no Taisho.
Name Means: Child born in the morning.
Hisako: Usagi no Taisho (Rabbit General); Like the Neko clan, the Rabbit Yokai are a matriarchal tribe which means they are lead by a female. Hisako is quiet and mild mannered and though she despises confrontation she is willing to fight to make sure her clan as a voice amongst the council. She is also in favor of Izayoi's birthright.
Name Means: Enduring Child
Akahana: Kitsune no Taisho (Fox General); though she is a fox demon, Akahana is brutally honest. She stands for her beliefs and hates dirty politics. She finds InuYasha a breath of fresh air with his blunt and straightforward attitude where as the other Taishos aside from Koga, find him rather uncouth and rude. She sides with Izayoi.
Name Meaning: Red Bright, Flower
Males:
Koga of the Yoro Clan: Ookami no Taisho (Wolf General); Koga is an old ally of InuYasha and Kagome's. He was recently named as the Ookami no Taisho and so is the youngest among the council. Koga had once loved Kagome but when he discovered InuYasha had taken her for his mate he backs down, after getting his butt kicked, and vows that though Kagome is not his mate she would always be a member of his pack as well as her children.
Koga is loyal to InuYasha and Kagome and so he also supports Izayoi
Name Meaning: Steel Fang
Tatsuo: Ryuu no Taisho (Dragon General); As the leader of the dragon clan, Tatsuo is malicious and evil and he desires the West for himself and would like nothing more then to see Sesshomaru and his family fall from power. He is against Izayoi.
Name Meaning: Dragon Man
Ronin: Osuushi no Taisho (Ox General); Ronin is by far the dumbest of the Lords. He is much like InuYasha since he tends to act before he thinks. He is a fan of chaos and despises the Silver Pack since Ryo killed his father in a skirmish before Ryoichi formed the council. He is against Izayoi
Name Meaning: Samurai Without a Master
Satoshi: Hebi no Taisho (Snake General); Satoshi is a sneaky and deceptive as a snake. Satoshi also wants the West for himself as well as the land that belongs to the other Lords. He is against Izayoi
Name Meaning: Quick Witted
Shin: Uma no Taisho (Horse General); kind and gentle Shin, very much like his distant relative Jinenji, is very rarely willing to vote on any issue if it harms another he detests the evil members and wishes that the world was simpler and much more gentle. Despite his kind personality he is fearsome in battle and willing to fight to protect the innocent. He sides with Izayoi
Name Meaning: Truth
Yoshito: Saru no Taisho (Monkey General); Tricky with a love for anything funny but completely on the side that benefits both his clan and others, Lord Yoshito is a lover of peace and well known for being quiet the drinker. He and Sesshomaru often have sake together in his study.
Name Meaning: Lucky Man
Sesshomaru: Inu no Taisho (Dog General) Sesshomaru is the first-born son of Ryoichi and the current Inu no Taisho. He is known for being cold and ruthless yet he often demonstrates his since of mercy and fairness and in the presence of his close family and Rin he often reveals a warmer softer side. He has hated his younger half brother since the his conception but in recent times, due to their shared desire to see Naraku defeated, he and InuYasha have grown a little closer though the half demon still does not trust his elder brother. Sesshomaru desired to make InuYasha's son his heir to avoided becoming mated and siring his own offspring for the time being. He does not change his mind after he discovers his brother is expecting a girl and feels that she will be a strong Lord and Inu no Taisho just as the three female Lords that currently hold council seats are.
Name Meaning: Killing Perfection. (Figures Right?)
Yuu: Inoshishi no Taisho (Boar General); Basically a pig demon, Yuu is a pig in every way from the way he eats to his view of women, demon and human alike, as well as hanyo. Not the brightest but certainly smarter then Ronin, Yuu has not made it clear who side he favors though Sesshomaru would not be surprised to find that he favored and sided with Satoshi and the others that are against the West.
Name Meaning: Superior
Hisoka: Ratto no Taisho (Rat General); Hisoka is even more uncertain then Yuu. He is cleaver and manipulative and the brothers hold no trust for the creature. He is against Izayoi.
Name Meaning: Secretive