Chapter 4

"A kingdom prospers only when there is a strong foundation. And the basic element for strength is trust" Inutaisho held his chin high as a silent challenge towards his eldest heir to defy the words spoken.

"True father, but the history sings the great downfalls of mighty beings. While 'trust' does play a major role, it cannot be casually sewed upon." Sesshomaru confessed his thoughts and his eyes avoided the threatening gaze of his father's.

"And you have so little hope on my judgement? Is that it? Do you doubt my decisions on placing my trust on them?" Inutaisho roared, his hands gripped the wooden carve of the nearby chair and the cracks on the design was deep enough to scrap the furniture.

"Father, I thought you want to discuss about the elements of a strong rooted rule-"Sesshomaru defended and was duly stopped with another piercing stare from his sire. The Prince knew that his father had called for him this morning to ask why he was disturbed. The whole signing the contract with the humans and the miko had put him restless and Sesshomaru was surprised that his facade was transparent to his father.

"You are the heir to the throne. What is it that makes you frown whenever the miko is mentioned?" The sire asked. His approach seemed direct enough and frankly the sudden aloofness from his eldest made him frustrated. This whole concept of cold stares and exchange of smirks for the past two days between his guests and his sons were driving him crazy. The queen had refused to talk to him, to spend the night on his chambers and it nerved him that he still couldn't get what great sin he had committed. When he had sorted the help of Inuyasha, his son had rolled his eyes and closed the doors right on his face. The King had promptly returned to the throne room with brimming anger and there was almost steam from his ears when he had witnessed a series of verbal spars between Sesshomaru and Kagome.

"There is something that is strange about the miko" Sesshomaru blurted out. His voice was as low as it always has been, smooth, confident and precise. His claw once again chipped out to scratch his chin. He had never doubted his father's judgement before but he just couldn't sit aside when he could sense fragments of deception from her whenever she was questioned on her origin.

"Huh. Did you think that I have ruled this land these many centuries with blind eye? I could sense deception and ruse when I see one. While the Miko is a trusted friend, she does hold some secrets, but nothing that would bring harm to our reign in this land." The king strolled across the wide spread room and his ivory cape that was draped from his strong shoulders blew from the evening breeze.

"I do not doubt your sense of judgement and rule. And while I do believe in your principles and methods, I just can't sit idle and lay my scepticism aside. Go ahead father, if you have so much trust on the humans and miko why is it that the signing is deferred? Why is it that I sense fragments of demur from you?" Sesshomaru questioned his father, he was tired of contemplating the hidden agenda and it drove him nuts to think that he had been ignored from whatever plan his father was having in his mind.

"The contract clearly states that we extend our protection to the humans of North if their demon king plans to start a war against them. The North King and his army can be easily defeated, but that would forever imprint in the minds of other Demon Kings that we are their foe. While the very idea of defeating and bringing the North under our rule is something that I look forward to, making an enemy out of the Eastern and the Southern King is something that could bring a down fall to our empire." The King breathed out and he could almost see the gears in his son's head calculating.

"The contract is clearly an 'if' position. I don't think the Northern King would waste his time in killing a bunch of humans and even if it ever comes to such a situation, I would gladly go in to the war with the South. It would give me an intense satisfaction in killing the bastard king with my own hands." Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed in a slit and for few seconds he could only see red. His blood pounded in his chest and it took precious few seconds to calm his frantic nerves.

"Sesshomaru! Clear your head. I do know you have a personal grudge against the Southern King. I do know that what he did was extremely wrong but-" Inutaisho walked around in attempt to soothe the effervescing anger out of the Prince's heart but was duly stopped with a growl from his son. The Prince's eyes seemed diluted and his nostrils flared out a bit, his chin was tilted high and Inutaisho could almost see the oncoming debate.

"There is nothing in the world that is right and wrong. There is only Power and weak" He said and walked away without being dismissed by his sire. His steps on the polished marble were harsh, faltered, and against the poised walk that he usually displays. His stride slowed down a bit when he reached the huge mahogany doors, almost coming to halt when he sensed a presence of human outside the main doors to the throne room. His eyes narrowed further and pushed the huge doors with just his finger and promptly causing the human on the other side to fall on the hard corridors.

"Spying on a royal subject amounts to treachery against the empire and the punishment is immediate death" Sesshomaru crossed his arms and stared hard at the human girl who was currently kissing the dirt. Her little fingers curled inside her tiny palms and her eyes swam across the floor, hesitant to meet the eyes of the Prince.

"I-I wasn't" She voiced out and the panic in her words was just too evident. Her fingers curled the hem of her orange checked kimono and she raised her eyes to meet the Prince's. She had honestly not eavesdropped whatever that had happened inside the throne room. She was lost on her way to her wings and she had felt waves of demonic aura from inside the huge mahogany doors and was glued to the floor awing at the sheer force of power from the Prince. She had heard something about personal grudge against the Southern King and had just gotten curious about it.

"Now now brother, are you seriously threatening a harmless, defenceless human girl?" Inuyasha stepped in from behind the huge velvet curtains that were draped to cover the fencing alcoves. Rin almost exhaled in relief when the eyes of the eldest were no longer pinning her down to the hard Earth. She blushed when Inuyasha's golden iris had a free reign on her to check whether she was hurt from her clumsy fall.

'Hn, and what do we have here? A Knight in shining armour to save the whimpering girl? Honestly Inuyasha, have you ran out of the entire demon females in the lands that you had to play this act to get her warm your bed?" Sesshomaru sneered and he knew that he had played low. But his nerves were still in a frantic rage and he badly wanted a release. He knew that Inuyasha would never back down from a hit to his pride and he just wanted to lure his half brother in to a bloody spar that would make him forget about certain past.

"Tcch, oh my dear brother, I'm no Knight and the one wearing a ridiculous armour is you. Now if you want to insult me, you must try harder" Inuyasha smirked at his brother. He could very well get the picture his brother was drawing. Few minutes ago he had sniffed out the sweet scent of the human girl, decided to follow her and sneak a chance to talk to her. Everything was ruined when his brother had let out a surge of anger from the throne room. Rin was spellbound and he could smell the wonder in her face. Inuyasha almost puked with disgust to see his interest having any sense of interest towards his brother. Respect – he could tolerate, but anything more than that, he just can't take it. The half breed could interpret the emotional debate his brother was having and though he usually puts up a good fight with Sesshomaru, any fight with an emotionally raged Sesshomaru would only mean blood and bruise to Inuyasha. And Inuyasha was not in a position to lose a fight with his brother in front of a beautiful girl.

"What was I thinking? A knight? You surely don't have any fight in you, young brother" Sesshomaru gritted his teeth and walked away with the final word. His mood was just getting worse and it seemed like he needed to clear his head. He headed to the royal dragon stall to unleash his dragons and to soar away to nowhere in particular.

He was however not prepared to see the sight in front of him. The miko was petting his dragons in the most dignified and perfect way. His brow arched in a perfect art at the scene that was unfolding before him. Petting a dragon was something only the higher demons were capable of and even the stable staffs who were demons themselves had been terrified in the beginning to touch Ah-Uh. The growing pain in the back of his head only intensified further. His doubts on the miko increased a notch and he couldn't help but feel a wave of omnipotent waft tingle the depth of his skin. Rationalism was something that seemed to adore Sesshomaru and had never abandoned him. His pragmatic brain cells were gearing up. He has to find out who exactly she is and she has to leave his land before she could achieve whatever she had come for. The contract was a mere cover for her plans and the Moon Prince was determined to stripe her facade off.

~.~.~.~.~.~

"Thank you" Rin had finally come to her senses and stood up to offer a bow to the younger prince who had managed to save her. She felt her cheeks burning when his eyes trailed to her frame. The lump in her throat grew a bit and she felt hard to just breathe out and breathe in the much needed air.

"Hm, he is right though. It's a serious crime" Inuyasha voiced in and his smirk just made his tone even more nefarious.

"But I didn't" She said and took a step back when he had taken one forward. His arms were crossed and the silver hair that framed his face glimmered under the kiss of the Sun. The shining strands curled around in the edges and his forelocks begged to be touched. Rin had to fist her palm from obliging the urge to twirl those locks in her fingers. Another back step was taken when the prince took his towards the demure girl. Her raven tress was enticing to his and he was drawn, almost pulled towards those warm brown eyes. He wanted to run, chase and hit his brother for speaking so low about Rin, as if she is a common slut who would be willing enough to take him in. Her eyes spilled purity and innocence and Inuyasha was confused over this feeling of sudden urge to protect her, to cradle her in the crook of his arms, to cherish her and to give her nothing but pure warmth.

She was cornered against the wall, never realising that she had taken that many steps until the hard wall had made it clear that she has no means to thwart the forward steps of the Prince clad in royal attire of red. Inuyasha's lips twitched in to a defining smirk and he just couldn't get enough fill of her sweet scent. The demon in him roared with approval when her eyes met his. His palm rested against the wall towering her head and he leaned down, just to get a whiff of the fruit that was painfully forbidden to taste. Her warmth was capturing and he could almost trace the small lines in the pink of her lips. Her tongue clipped out to wet those tiny cracks in her seams and he almost lost the control to stay away from her. His nostrils flared when her pearly teeth dipped her lower lip and how he prayed to the heavens above to have a sip of the red wine pouting in front of him. Her eyes closed and she cringed when he was close enough to define that he had invaded her personal space. His eyes trailed below her chin and he wasted to nuzzle in the inviting arch that bled in to her shoulders.

"Maybe you didn't. I believe you" He whispered, his breath coated the rim of her ears and the delicious pink was back in her cheeks. Her curved lashes rose and she drowned in the melting gold of his eyes. She gave a small nod and he smirked, clearly satisfied with the effect he had on her.

He walked away with amusement perched in his eyes when he saw her going lump against the wall. She was clearly catching her breath. His prayers were almost silent pleads to the above, for her not to know that he was equally affected.

~.~.~.~

"You can have as much as blood that you need from me, Myoga. All I ask is very little as a return." Miroku tilted his head to offer his neck and the blood running below it as a bribe to get the desired information.

"Oh, your blood is too sweet to resist the temptation. Fine, you can ask two questions and my answers would only be in 'yes' or 'no' type" Myoga, the Royal flee demon bargained, purging the remains of guilt from his system. It wasn't his fault that the Royal Kingdom hadn't offered him with any delicious blood and this was his way of surviving.

Miroku hesitated and his eyes were focused in asking the one question that he almost already had an answer for. He was at a loss in framing the question properly in a way that would quench his thirst. Kagome was in so much pain and he could see through her fake smiles and fake smirks that she had artfully built around her to fool the others. Her silent whimpers from last night almost made him cringe, and he thanked all his good fortunes as none of the demon family had heard from their wings the cryings from the previous night. Kagome was like a sister to him and even though he won't be able to change the things in his time realm, he was sure if things fall as per their plan he would be able to see a semblance of peace in her face.

"I heard that Sesshomaru was in love with someone decades back and was deceived. Is that right?" The monk asked.

"Yes"

"And the woman, who broke his heart, is she a wind sorcerer by the name Kagura?" Miroku asked, his eyes focused on the little demon in front of him to catch even a subtle movement of the demon flee. He was not surprised when the flee demon's eyes went wide with a shock. Seconds strolled by and the air around them got a lot more deadly and cold.

There was a single word from Myoga that made him breathe out the air that he had held in his lungs.

"Yes".

~.~.~.~

A/N : Thanks for the reviews. Sesshomaru seem little OOC and there is a reason behind it. The character would be developed in future chapters that would define the Sesshomaru we know of.

Leave a review ! : )