Chapter Seven

A Game of Dominance.

Sesshoumaru stood in silence, watching the empty space where Kagome stood moments before. He had fucked up, royally screwed any hope of ever convincing her to return to the past, he feared.

Would we ever meet as we were meant to? Could I live the rest of my life having never loved her?

Bitterly he contemplated that he may be able to live without Kagome, he had done that for long enough, but he could never live without having known his children. His want for Kagome had been so much more than the love they shared. They had created life- two beautiful beings that had grown and matured into amazing people he could not bear the thought of never meeting. Fatherhood and marriage had changed him, morphed him into the person he was today. He was scared of who he might have become without them. He sighed, a dull ache of longing in his chest. Were they truly always destined to be out of sync?

The questions continued flying through his head. Why would Kagome of all people ignore the Well's call? It was so out of place with the person he knew. Kagome would put the world before herself, she called it her "Higurashi Bravery". She explained it as something she learnt from her father and grandfather, that the Higurashi's faced their fears head on, no matter the obstacle. They chose bravery in the face of fear even when the odds were miles high and stacked against them. Sesshoumaru, who was rarely ever in a position where the odds weren't in his favour, due to his station, wealth and power, had always been in awe of the little miko who stared unflinchingly at youkai several times her size and come out victorious. She had inspired him in a way he had never thought possible. Kagome had been the one to teach him what it truly meant to be fearless. The Kagome he had just met was nothing like his memory of her and none of it made sense to him. His heart was beating fast as the thought that he may never see her again fluttered across his mind. He sought solace in his mind, in his memories.

Sesshoumaru let the memory of the first day he had met Kagome wash over him. He had been only two hundred and fifty years old or so, just around the physical and mental maturity of a twenty-three-year-old human being. She had collided with him, quite literally crash landing into him, in search of an evil witch that was destroying the western lands and killing unsuspecting youkai. She had attacked him, upon their first meeting and he could see her now, her arrow soaring across his face as she notched another. Her hair was long, touching her waist. Her eyes were hardened from war and he remembered the confusion he felt when they softened at the sight of him. He had been raised to expect a fight to the death, should he ever encounter a miko but this strange woman had lowered her weapon as if she recognized him. Kagome had taught him for the first time that mikos weren't only responsible for killing demons but kept the balance of magic throughout the world. After a rocky start, they had joined forces against the dark miko and saved the Western Lands.

He strained his recollection, delving deeper into the version of Kagome that may never exist now. She had been tired, yes. Angry, definitely. Resentful even, in her need to continue her quest for the great evil she was destined to defeat. But beneath all that, the Kagome he remembered was resilient. The woman he had met today was a cold shell of who he had come to know, with a white knuckled grip on fear that permeated her aura. She was a shadow of the woman she was supposed to be and all signs pointed to the Well. Something life altering had happened to Kagome in that Well that affected the path she was meant to take. There was something else, someone else that tampered with the Well's magic. Something that had the very power to alter time itself. He thought of the changes he had seen in Kagome. The venom that she had spoken to him with shocked him to his core, an echo of a past fight long resolved. Sesshoumaru pinched the bridge of his nose. The longer he tried to focus on a memory of Kagome, the fuzzier the edges of it became, as though it threatened to slip through his fingers into nothingness.

Sesshoumaru was frustrated. He had spent his life, hundreds of years, waiting for a moment that now may never come. His head was swimming and his knees felt weak. He tried to draw on a memory of Kagome, of their life together to calm himself down. But his mind was so scattered he only drew a blank. Despair was at his doorstep; his children had left him, his brother wanted very little to do with him and now, his hope for finally sharing a life with Kagome was quickly dissipating. Despite all his efforts to the contrary, Sesshoumaru was alone. Rage replaced the echo of loneliness that filled him and he felt his eyes burn red. He clenched his fist, drawing back his arm and launching it toward the tree Kagome had leaned on for support. His hand stopped just short of connecting with the bark, as logic flooded into his mind. If he were to hit this tree with the full brunt of his power, it would explode, causing havoc and drawing the attention of the blissfully unaware humans in the streets around him. It was stupid anyways, childish even, to think he could deal with his complex and raging feelings by destroying something. He had long grown past those asinine and thoughtless displays. He sighed, letting his fist fall to his side, still clenching in tension.

A high pitched, whistling laugh struck his ear drums like a gong. The hair on the back of his neck raised in an instant, a distinct warning of danger. He sniffed the air, siphoning through thousands of smells in an instant. A briny, heady scent filled his nose. It reminded him of the open seas filled with fish and life and the unknown. There was a lightness to the scent that reminded him of the moon blossoms his mother had harvested centuries ago. He sniffed the air again, two short, swift intakes of air, detecting the clear scent of youkai magic. Sesshoumaru growled.

"Oh no, don't stop on my account. By all means, you show that tree who's the boss," a chirpy voice called behind him on the otherwise empty sidewalk. It was a woman's voice. She had a strange accent that hurt his ears with the high pitched sound, the "o", "e" and "i" vowels when she spoke took on a whistled quality that reminded him of a dolphin's call.

Sesshoumaru snapped his head in the direction of the unknown youkai. The woman was impeccably dressed, standing nearly eye level with Sesshoumaru in an all-white suit, tailor made for her body. Her suit clung to her curvaceous figure, much wider than the average petite Japanese woman and the blank colour matched her pale-almost translucent white skin. Her skin shone with a reflective sheen, making her look sleeked with a thin layer of sweat or water. Despite her size, she stood with the self-assurance of an agile hunter. Her wet hair was slicked back, as though she had just come from a shower. It was, for the most part white, a silky mane similar to his own except for a darkened streak that swooped at her forehead. The darkened streak was not quite black, but was more of a tone of grey, adding to her ghastly paleness. Her blue eyes were dark and bottomless, like the depths of the ocean. They sat on her face slightly far apart, and she had a wide, big forehead with a flat nose. She was not ugly, per se, but she had an off look about her. Most humanoid youkai looked entirely human unless you knew what to look for. But this youkai did not quite look fully human to Sesshoumaru's trained eyes. The roundness of her features and the animalistic glint in her eyes sent a shiver down his spine as he pondered her origin and purpose.

"Well, if it isn't the Mighty Sesshoumaru, in the flesh," she chirped, drawing out the word flesh in way that made Sesshoumaru narrow his eyes.

"With hair as bright as ever gleaming moonlight! What an honour to meet a fellow child of the moon," the youkai bowed mockingly at him, making no move to step closer. To invade a youkai's space without a familiar connection was an act of aggression. They both maintained their distance, neither taking their eyes off the other. Sesshoumaru scanned her body, assessing that she had no observable weapons on her. There was the imprint of a bottle in her pocket, small and round. He doubted she came alone. To avoid raising her suspicions, Seshsoumaru opted out of utilizing his magic to survey the area. Instead, he let his reiki, flood out a few feet in diameter. That internal force separate from his youkai magic, allowed him to project his mind outwards. He detected the presence of one other youkai, a being that hid in the trees a few feet behind the female youkai.

"Fellow child of the moon? I did not know Tsukyomi and Ryujin had patched up their feud," Sesshoumaru responded evenly, dusting imaginary lint off of his pale, corn blue linen shirt.

"Ah, can't you tell by my hair, my Lord? It's hard to hide the moon god's blessing, is it not?" this, was said with an edge in her voice. It was subtle, something Sesshoumaru took note of without a reaction.

"Would the lady be so kind as to give me her name? It seems impolite that you know my title and name I have not yet been introduced to you."

"Ah!" she squealed and Sesshoumaru had to do everything in his power not to wince at the pitch of her voice. He refused to show any signs of weakness in front of this stranger.

"A terrestrial gentleman! How rare indeed! My, my, Lord Sesshoumaru, you are certainly living up to all expectations," the youkai grinned, her eyes flashing in delight.

Sesshoumaru raised a delicate eyebrow, waiting for her answer.

"I am Otohime, granddaughter of Shachihoko, Queen of the Pacific Oceans."

Sesshoumaru bristled. The orcas were braver than he thought. It was rare for them to come on land but what struck him most was how much Otohime seemed to know about him. Shachihoko was brazen to send her granddaughter to their shores without an invitation. Sesshoumaru was minutes away from considering this an invasion, but Otohime seemed as playful as she felt dangerous. Sesshoumaru decided to let the conversation play out.

"And here I was thinking that the oceans had no clear ruler since the death of Ryujin. Silly me, then again, the high seas do tend to be lawless."

That had riled her up, he could tell. Her grin became strained and her eyes hardened as they bore into him.

"We're not so different then, aren't we. I've heard you terrestrials have a number of issues with the law yourselves," Otohime said, her strained smile still in place. She was the picture of feigned diplomatic politeness.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes, thinking back to his meeting earlier that day with Chief Agawa.

"We're more alike than you think, Lord Sesshoumaru."

"I doubt it. The moon and the sea have been at war for eons. Tsukyomi and Ryjun have always hated each other. It is what led to the sea god's death."

"Oh not quite, my lord. You see, the moon and the sea work in tandem. They represent the never ending cycle of balance, a push and a pull. Together, they create the tides, the currents, the waves that bring life to the ocean and the land. They bring forth the flow of time itself."

"Ah yes, they were simply to die for at co-operating, weren't they?" Sesshoumaru said dryly, referencing the fact that Tsukyomi was rumoured to have killed Ryujin with his bare hands. His eyes were glued to every twitch and subtle change in Otohime's expression.

"Hmm, yes. Families can be difficult in that way, not so? They were brothers after all, the moon god and the sea god. Sometimes a brother is the one who can most easily strike a killing blow, wouldn't you say?" Otohime cocked her head to the side, making a clicking sound in her throat. The vibrations from the noise reverberated against his once missing now re-grown left arm. Sesshoumaru felt a tingle down his spine. Orcas and many intelligent sea creatures were known to use something called echolocation. They emitted noises at certain soundwaves and the vibrations caused by the sound created a mental image in their mind. Sesshoumaru wondered if she could tell that the bones in his left arm were younger than the rest of his body. He had the distinct suspicion that she knew of his past fight with Inuyasha that resulted in one of the greatest shames of losing his arm.

Sesshoumaru was running out of patience with the orca. "Let's get to the point, shall we? Why are you here, Princess Otohime? More importantly, why are your people circling Japanese waters and revealing your higher morph forms to humans?"

And why are you peddling drugs to terrestrial youkai?

"Such a stickler for order and clarity, aren't you Lord Sesshoumaru. Quite like your moon god in that regard. If you must know, my lord, I am here as a sentry for peace on behalf of my grandmother."

Sesshoumaru raised his eyebrow again in silent questioning, his only cue that she ought to continue. In the periphery of his senses, he felt the other youkai presence in the trees above them move closer. Sesshoumaru stood at silent attention, on high alert. Otohime may try to give off the air of a giggly schoolgirl, but Sesshoumaru recognized a fellow predator when he met one.

"You terrestrial youkai seem to ignore a very real and very pressing matter of concern; the oceans are dying. Humans have been allowed to run rampant for centuries. Do you know how many children of the sea are killed each year from fishing nets alone? Do you know how many die from starvation while the humans gorge themselves silly on the fruits of the oceans? Somehow, youkai have gone form the top of the food chain, to allowing humans to dominate us all. It is absurd and against the natural order of life. An order that is a mandate from the moon god himself, might I add, so I would hope this is of concern to you to, my lord. There is no balance in this world anymore, the humans are putting us all, oceanic and terrestrial youkai alike, on a path of mutually assured extinction in the next couple centuries. And you, our brothers on land seem to have no plan to stop that from happening."

"A sentry of peace you claim yet your words sound awfully close to laying blame at our feet."

"Perhaps we're not too far off from that. But yes, you are correct to remind me that I am here to talk peace. The oceans have been in turmoil since the disappearance of Ryujin, king of the seas."

"Disappearance? I heard the moon god killed him for his lecherous ways. Besides he's been "missing" for nearly fifteen hundred years. I think it ought to be safe to presume him dead, don't you?"

"I most certainly do not. King Ryujin is missing, not dead. That the seas have not risen up and swallowed the land whole already is proof he is still alive, out there somewhere," Otohime's conviction shone in her intelligent eyes as she continued her pitch for "peace".

"Queen Bensai-tan has withered away since the king's disappearance, locked in her coral palace she refuses to tend to any political matters. We are and have been in a civil war for centuries, with every crustacean, porpoise and fish foolishly claiming themselves to be a king and a queen."

"Your grandmother being among them, I suppose?"

Otohime's strained smile dropped. "Careful, Lord Sesshoumaru. I was just beginning to think we were having fun."

Sesshoumaru ignored her icy tone, noting instead how quickly she appeared threatened by his statement of fact. Shachihoko's grip on power seemed to be slipping. The old whale may not be as big of a problem as he and Kouga had initially thought.

"So, what is it you want from us?"

"We need allies on land as much as we need them in the sea, my lord."

"And you think by hooking my subjects on oceanic opium you'd convince me to join your cause? How profoundly inept for the apex predator of the seas," Sesshoumaru drawled, feigning boredom with the conversation.

Otohime's eyes grew wide for a microsecond before she schooled her features back into their playful impassivity. She clearly hadn't expected him to know about the opium oceanic youkai were distributing on land.

"I know not what you speak of, my lord. Opium is a highly regulated substance in the seas, used strictly for religious purposes and divination with the gods. Any use contrary to that is grounds for execution in our domain."

"And yet, somehow it made its way to our shores the same time that you have arrived. How coincidentally peculiar that a substance that appears to be so grievously habit forming, with some youkai showing their true form to humans and others drowning themselves at sea, comes on the heals of your proposal for peace. If I were more of a fool, I would suspect you were thinning our forces down before your arrival."

Otohime's strained grin was in place again. There was something eerie and unnatural about her, like every movement was practiced, a performance of who she wanted him to think she was.

"You have such little faith in us, my lord! We would never seek to compromise our tenuous peace. Besides, we have much more in common with each other. We ought to be allies, not enemies. We are related, after all."

Sesshoumaru scoffed, "Related? Indulge me in strange workings of your mind. How did you come to this conclusion."

"We share a god, don't we? Tsukyomi is a god of order. I was blessed by him at birth. My grandmother said I am to be the bridge between the sea and the moon, a heavy task for any young youkai, I must admit. I'm still trying to understand what it fully means. What I do know is that I, am the sea and you are the moon, and you are so far away," Otohime gestured to the distance between. Neither party made a move forward, a silent game of chess and strategy playing out before them.

Otohime continued, "It is but a blessing from the kamis and one not given lightly, wouldn't you say?"

"I don't dare try to speak for the kamis," Sesshoumaru responded carefully.

"And what of you, my lord?"

"What of me."

"What is your blessing from Tsukyomi? Don't tell me the moon god has only blessed you with beauty?" Otohime's eyes were alight with curiosity. She looked at Sesshoumaru as if he were a puzzle to be figured out.

The smile he offered to her was closer to a baring of his teeth. It revealed no mirth.

"Beauty, my dear princess is often a precursor for misery. My blessing is rather closer to a curse, I fear. A curse for those who stand against me. You see our god," he said mockingly, "has made it so that I am the shadow of suffering that falls on those I call my enemies."

Otohime's eyes danced with excitement.

"Are we enemies, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru maintained his bared smile as he carefully responded, "It depends on how this conversation ends, Princess Otohime."

Otohime smiled at him, a real smile that replaced her strained grin. Her lips pulled back revealing two thick rows of spaced out, horrible teeth.

"Oh, I was right, you are going to be fun."

Pictured: the teeth of an orca.

Sesshoumaru had not lied. He was well acquainted with suffering and something in his instincts told him to lean into that experience to decipher the youkai before him. Orcas, much like wolves and dogs, were pack animals. They traveled in pods and even when executing strategic hunting methods, the pod was always close by. Unless other members of her pod were cloaked in some unknown oceanic magic that hid them from his senses, Otohime had come to see him alone. Sure, he had sensed a youkai hiding in the trees above them, but he was certain this was not another orca. He regarded her, thinking about her position as the granddaughter of a self-appointed queen, with a "blessing" from a god who was the enemy of the seas and who was believed to have killed Ryujin the sea god himself. This alone ought to have ostracized her, which would account for the fact that she was strangely alone, far away from the support of her pod. Sesshomaru pondered the possibility that she had come alone because she was desperate to prove herself worthy and part of the pod. Sesshoumaru stared at her pale, translucent skin, noting another factor that set Otohime apart from her youkai counterparts. Most orca youkai he had seen had dark skin, allowing them to camouflage themselves in the depths of the ocean. Everything about Otohime would have surely made her stick out like a sore thumb, rendering her to a solitary and desperate existence.

"Seems you came to play all on your own, princess."

Her smile fell away and her spine grew stiff. He had been right. He smirked internally. Two could play the game of psychological warfare. The conversation brought him another thought he had never considered. Perhaps suffering was truly his blessing in disguise.
"Why reveal yourselves to the humans. What purpose do the oceanic youkai have in upending the decision of all youkai to remain unseen to the humans?"

Otohime was flippant in her response, "Oh that was for a little fun. You terrestrials need to learn to let loose a little. Living your lives pretending to be human must be so exhausting for you. As a daughter of Tsukyomi I know the value of the shadows, but the light is fun to play in too, don't you think? That's the difference between us. The moon is about order and the sea is freedom. Plus, it was an even more pointed way to get your attention."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. Otohime was strangely open with her thoughts and her plans. She was not a stupid enemy, he could tell. She was no Chief Agawa, spouting off with no thought or concern for the next step. She would not reveal all her cards unless it was part of her plan, such was the way of a true predator.

Otohime continued in Sesshoumaru's silence, "It seems, however, that your attentions lie elsewhere, my lord."

Sesshoumaru's hair stood on edge.

"What do you mean?" Sesshoumaru allowed his magic to flood his palms as his acid whip conspicuously formed in his hand, unbeknownst to Otohime. The youkai in the trees moved closer.

"The miko you were speaking to earlier. How did you come across her? I could feel her power, below her skin. It was tingly with her rage. Quite a fiery one, isn't she. I could almost taste the energy biting through her words. It was electric."

Sesshoumaru forced himself not to growl. Instead, he took one step towards Otohime. It was done. He had made the first move, a clear sign of aggression in youkai tradition.

"If you touch her, I will burn the seas to ash."

When Otohime smiled her horrible smile, her ugly spaced-out teeth gleaming at him, he realized he had made a mistake. She knew his weakness now.

"Why, of course my lord. On land, I bow to the top dog," Otohime bowed in mock deference to Sesshoumaru.

"It seems you've decided for us to be enemies, my lord. How patently disappointing."

The youkai in the tree rustled, with a quick flick of his wrist Sesshoumaru let his acid whip dart out from between his fingers. It struck the unseen youkai with precision, avoiding the branches of the tree. The pleasure Sesshoumaru felt as the youkai screamed in pain and dropped to the floor, writhing in the space between him and Otohime was euphoric. Otohime did not spare a glance at the scaled human-like youkai before her whose screams somehow avoided drawing the attention of the humans around him. Sesshoumaru smelt the burning rancid scent of the youkai's skin rotting away from the strength of his acid.

"It seems you decided to be my enemy all on your own, princess," Sesshoumaru responded, holding her gaze. "And now, comes the suffering."

Otohime stepped closer to youkai on the floor, reaching into her pocket to withdraw the small bottle Sesshoumaru had observed earlier on. She uncorked the vial and dropped two drops of liquid onto the youkai. In the corner of his eye, Sesshoumaru saw the still screaming youkai melt into the ground, the liquid of his essence evaporating immediately. Sesshoumaru did not spare him a thought, never once taking his eyes off Otohime.

"You know, Sesshoumaru," Otohime began, markedly refusing to use Sesshouamru's title a clear sign of disrespect, "you remind me of a little leopard seal I knew long ago. He was full of spunk and impulsive displays of violence, quite like you. Dogs and seals are distant relatives, did you know? You smell like him too."

Sesshoumaru did not move. Otohime's thick pink tongue darted out of her mouth as she licked her lips sensually.

"He was delicious. I can't wait to taste you."

Otohime threw the vial of mysterious liquid at her feet. She melted to the floor and evaporated before him like the youkai had done second ago.

Sesshoumaru was rooted by Otohime's words. For the first time in a long time, Sesshouamru felt fear. On land, he was arguably the most powerful youkai in centuries. He had proven himself to be so countless times before. Not since his father, had he felt like another youkai could best him. For the first time in his life, Otohime had made him feel like prey. And she knew about Kagome. The orcas were clearly seeking power, something to tip the scales of the civil war in the ocean in their favour. They had seen the destruction the orcas brought on land with the Kanju, the tide ebbing jewel. What would they accomplish with the Shikon? Fear choked him. He looked around the street, making sure no humans were paying attention to him as he gathered his magic cloud and rose into the skies in search of Kagome.

Pictured: Tsukyomi, the moon god. Taken from /blogs/japanese-mythology/tsukuyomi

Pictured: Ryujin, god of the seas. Taken from: /2023/03/28/ryujin/

Author's note:

When the updates are this close together, just know I have a shit ton of work to do that I am decidedly avoiding lol. Pray for me that I keep my job while I do not go gently into the coming night, and brave the allnighter immediately on my horizon. I feel myself getting more into the groove of things and I hope that you found some entertainment in this instalment.

I hope you enjoyed the latest developments in this story. Feel free to leave any criticism and tips for improvement.

I make the distinction between aura, reiki and magic a lot so far. For avoidance of doubt, this is how I interpret the three and some other definitions of words I've used so far:

Aura- a physical manifestation of emotions and thoughts seen as colours surrounding a person, youkai or creature.

Reiki- an internal force, quite similar to willpower, distinct and separate from one's magical ability. The source of the reiki is a being's soul. It is a higher form of magic which at times requires a greater degree of control. Reiki allows a being to detect the presence of another, to heal oneself or another and much more. The use of reiki is mostly undetectable by other magical beings as they are unable to read the spiritual essence of a soul. Only mikos can detect the use of reiki.

Magic- simply put, it is the ability to alter reality. It is a baseline accomplishment for youkai but their ability to utilize magic to its fullest potential varies from youkai to youkai. It is similar to varying degrees of athleticism; everyone can run, but not everyone is Usain Bolt. In most beings, the source of magic is in their blood. It is replenishable and the limits of its use can increase as a being grows stronger. Mikos blessed with spiritual power also draw magic from their blood. Kagome can access the external source of the Shikon, allowing her to supercharge her magical capabilities once she taps into the jewel's power. The Shikon is like a battery pack and can supercharge anyone's magic, hence it is highly sought after.

Higher Morph Forms- the true demon form of humanoid youkai. This is the "demon" that lies beneath the human façade. When a youkai is in higher morph form, the full brunt of his/her energy is released. Not only does the youkai increase in size and take on a beat-like appearance but, if the youkai is strong enough, its higher morph form can continue to grow larger and larger. A humanoid demon is not considered to be a fully matured adult until he/she can access the higher morph form.