Nocturne - Chapter Twenty-One: Summons
Rated - M (for suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, and coarse language)
o - o - o - o - o : Indicates scene or POV change
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
o - o - o - o - o
Inuyasha watched his elder brother take off to who knew the fuck where. What that meant was that now he was saddled with all of Sesshomaru's baggage.
He growled aloud in annoyance and aggravation. Of course, his honor-bound brother would run off and leave Kagome and her whelp. It had been surprising enough that he had even bothered to come back after all the damage he did. Now, Inuyasha was left to clean up the mess.
What a fucking mess it was. None of this was even his fault! Why did he have to put back the pieces? He didn't break this. It's not as if he had pushed Kagome into his brother's arms and knocked her up.
He scoffed and rolled his eyes — fucking bullshit. Kagome didn't even want him around anyway. She'd made that abundantly clear when she left him.
And then she dared to try and apologize and pretend that this was all a long time coming. No! He'd been happy. Why was it his fault she wasn't happy?
Before he knew it, he found himself outside of his old home — the one he had built for Kagome and himself. His nose turned up in a grimace. His brother's scent still lingered here, mingled with Kagome's and her kid's scent. He blew air out of his nose to rid himself of the smell.
It was still early, and Kagome probably wasn't up yet. She claimed to be a morning person, but he begged to differ. The woman may rise before the sun reached its zenith, but she was lucky to rise as early as most of the village.
She'd probably come out soon to start on her usual routine of chores. Fetching water, making breakfast, running to the village to deal with other people's bitching.
He leaned up against the side of the house and closed his eyes.
Kagome finally appeared outside moments later, just he'd expected. She had the baby strapped to her back and carried a pole over her shoulders. It took her a minute to realize he was standing there, and she gasped with surprise, bringing her hand over her chest.
"Kami! Inuyasha, you scared me!" she hissed. Her eyes narrowed as her adrenaline lowered, "Why are you here?"
"Cuz I care," he touted.
"Or a certain elder brother asked you to keep an eye on me," she responded dryly.
He gave a noncommittal shrug. Sometimes the woman was too observant. He could smell the saltiness of dried tears on her, but she didn't look as though she'd been crying recently. Her face wasn't all red and puffy like when they'd fought in the past, and she had cried. Instead, she looked resigned, if not a little determined.
Kagome rolled her eyes and walked off without another word to him. As she walked past, he could see the baby's head swivel to watch him with her dark eyes. Like her mother's, they were bright and lively and held an air of superiority about them. It would figure that any child of Sesshomaru's would look at him that way.
Breaking the cold gaze, the baby cracked a grin and cooed, pushing out her tiny fist in a grabbing motion. Kagome looked back, noticing the attention little Setsuna was paying to him. "For some odd reason, she seems to like you. It can't be because of your charming personality."
"Keh," he scoffed.
She softened, smiling. "Setsuna."
His first inclination was to ignore her and walk along without a word, but he was curious, and as much as he wanted to hate her and the baby...he could not bring himself to do so. "What?"
"It's her name."
"Hmph. About time."
o - o - o - o - o
Sesshomaru spent the next few days preparing. It was only a matter of time before a messenger arrived, or worse, Tsering and her brother himself.
He lingered in the estate he had procured for Tsering's arrival those months ago. It would be best that his enemies thought the palace to be the only place he could be found. Nothing good could come from his lingering near the woman and child. The timing had always been ill; now, it plagued him incessantly. Taking on a woman and pup-child was still a tenuous business at best and a relationship best sealed with time spent in close vicinity to one another. Being together made them vulnerable when he needed to be at his peak. His inner beast would be distracted by the woman and its constant desire to mark her with his scent. This was not a time for distraction.
His reasoning for leaving the woman and child behind was also for those enemies to be misled. Better they thought he was done with them. They had been caught in a compromising situation, but his discontinued presence in their vicinity spoke louder than words. Now he was free to deal with whatever they thought they could dole out to him for breaking the engagement.
"Milord," a voice broke into his thoughts.
Sesshomaru glanced down to see Jaken before him. His retainer, small in stature, but large in nervous loyalty waited for his master to acknowledge him with a look.
"It would seem your plan has worked! There is a messenger in the courtyard. Shall I let him in?" The imp shuffled from foot to foot in an agitated manner.
Sesshomaru sat upon a chair in the great room, musing over his current circumstances. He stood and grabbed the hilt of Bakusaiga. "No."
"No?" Jaken asked. He scratched at his head. "But, my great Lord, I do not understand. Was it not your intention to receive a messenger here?"
"Sesshomaru has no master but himself and shall not answer a call from any who would assume otherwise," he admonished. "Advise the messenger that I shall receive him at my convenience."
"Lord, when shall that be?" Jaken asked, still perplexed. The imp had not been informed of the entirety of Sesshomaru's plans, but that was also for the best.
"Whensoever I feel the inclination to do so, Jaken." Sesshomaru turned his back on the retainer.
"Y-yes, of course, milord. I shall do as you request straight away. Apologies!" Jaken bowed and left the room.
A couple of days of waiting would have been preferable in Sesshomaru's eyes, but he did not want to push the issue any further than necessary. Making the messenger wait would only cause to insult its master further, and that was something he needed to avoid. Instead, he allowed the messenger to remain in the courtyard for a few hours. Sesshomaru did not bother calling for Jaken to announce him, choosing to arrive with quiet dignity.
The messenger was a bird from the mainland. Not just any bird, he determined. It had the look of a large raptor; its curved beak looked menacing and capable of tearing flesh from bones. It perched upon the stone railing preening its feathers when he approached. There was something rather innocuous about the bird. The bird's inconspicuous feather colorings likely hid something more sinister underneath. The bird was likely Zhennaio - a yaoguai from the mainland. A cousin to the yokai of Nippon.
The messenger raised its head, turning it from side to side, eyeing Sesshomaru with each of its large yellow eyes.
"Greetingssss, Lord Sssesshomaru," the messenger said in a trill voice. "Waited long enough, I have. How dissssrespectful to not offer refreshmentssss and resssst after sssssuch a long journey. Dissssressspect!" it repeated with shrill accusation.
Sesshomaru ran a hand through his fur, looking undisturbed at the accusation. "What is your message Zhenniao?"
"Asssstute, you are inuyokai," the messenger warbled with laughter. It had not slipped Sesshomaru's notice that a poisonous Yaoguai had been sent into his court. Whether they thought to intimidate him with the presence of the assassin bird or were attempting to mollify him, it did not matter.
He did not respond, and the Zhen bird clacked its beak. "The great and honorable Fan Tsssenpo, Lord of Shangshung and the Wessstern Reach, ssssummons you, Sssssesshomaru, Lord of the Wesssstern Lands in the lesser kingdom of Nippon, to hissss court."
Sesshomaru had to consider his answer carefully. To refuse would have possibly dire consequences, and accepting could prove just as disastrous. "To what does this one owe such a gracious invitation?" he asked.
The Zhen bird clucked, "Tch, Tch. My masssster wishes to disssscuss many thingsss. Matterssss involving hisss most honorable sssissster."
"It is known that I have broken any involvement with Tsering Dawa." Sesshomaru glared at the bird, messenger though it was.
"Yesss, that isss known," the bird assented, nodding its beaked head. His head bobbed up and down, waiting for a suitable answer.
Sesshomaru nodded his head, "I shall travel to Fan Tsenpo's court within a fortnight." The Zhen bird clucked again, accepting the response. "If there is no more to your message, you are dismissed, Zhenniao." He turned and began to walk off.
The messenger bird flapped its wings, creating miniature gusts of wind and grabbing Sesshomaru's attention. "Underssstand thisss, Lord Sssesshomaru. My mossst honorable massster wishes you to know that hisss mercy is sssignificant, but hisss patience isss only tempered by obtaining what he desssiresss. Possst hassste."
"Hnn," he responded in near amusement. Of course, the brother would demand him to make haste. He continued to walk away.
The Zhen bird flapped its wings again and flew to another perch within Sesshomaru's line of sight. "Ssso eager to depart, thisss one."
How vexatious to be followed by this creature. He grit his teeth and took a leveling breath. "We are done."
The Zhen bird raised its wings, exposing those vibrantly colored feathers hidden underneath. "I have been authorized to share information with you if only to embolden your effortsss."
He glared at the bird in annoyance. What more could the vassal have? He was already obligated to appear before the man. "What is that?"
"Lord Fan Tsssenpo hasss particular tassstes," the bird squawked.
"It is not my concern where Fan Tsenpo's tastes run." Sesshomaru knew the yaoguai was attempting to rile him.
"One may need concern himssself," the bird advised in a mocking tone. He flapped his wings, gaining height. He was well out of Sesshomaru's reach now, and there was no way to match the bird's speed. The Yaoguai had been sent specifically for this purpose. "Before I take my leave, I impart upon you a name. I do not know the sssignificance behind the name, but I am alssso sssupposssed to disssclose it asss well," the bird clucked in amused observance.
"Say your piece and begone." Sesshomaru snapped irritably.
"Ryūkotssssusssei."
Sesshomaru's eyes widened in surprise, and he turned quickly, drawing his sword. The Zhen bird was already a tiny dot in the evening sky and growing smaller by the second.
His concern grew. The name the Zhen bird had casually dropped was none other than the dragon daiyokai that had inflicted a mortal wound that ultimately led to his father's - Inu Taisho - death. While it was common knowledge that the dragon had directly caused Inu Taisho's demise, Fan Tsenpo's veiled admission in his complicity was a grave insult. The claim could be a trick to force his hand or worse, and much more likely, the words were true. Sesshomaru had trusted his brother to watch over the woman, but Inuyasha would be no match for the DaiOzuko. The clan was as old as time itself and comprised of several daiyaoguai who were as mysterious as they were deadly. Sesshomaru only knew what his mother, who hailed from the mainland, had told him.
Jaken ran out to the balcony once he determined it was safe to do so. He gripped his staff with both hands and looked to his master imploringly. "Milord, what did that miscreant have to say?"
Sesshomaru looked down on him and said aloud, "This Sesshomaru has been invited to Fan Tsenpo's court."
"F-fan…" the imp gulped, "Tsenpo? You are not really considering going, are you, lord?"
"It displeases me for you to question my decisions, Jaken," Sesshomaru retorted coldly. Of course he was going! What choice was left to him?
"B-b-but, Master, you must know the stories?" Jaken trembled, cowering behind his staff.
Sesshomaru refrained from kicking the toad across the room, though the desire to do so was nearly overwhelming. No, now was not the time to react like a spoiled child. "I am departing on the hour. There is a task for you while I am gone."
"Anything you ask, milord, it shall be done!" Jaken assured.
"This one would expect no less," Sesshomaru replied.
A/N: He has what kind of tastes? Guess we will find out later...
Maybe...
Oh...before you skip on over to the next chapter...leave a review?