InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Across the Ages ❯ tears of the wife ( Chapter 14 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

FourteenSesshoumaru held the tiny woman close to his body as she slept. Her head was nestled against his shoulder, her face pressed beneath chin. At least, he mused, in sleep she was submissive. He could smell a hint of rain on the breeze coming through the window, the storm was perhaps a day off. She had always loved the storms. The thunder and the lightening. The fury of it.His hand found hers among the linens and he lifted it into view. It was so tiny compared to his. Her splayed fingers would fit within the palm of his hand. Her fist could easily be enclosed by it. He'd done that before. He studied the pale hands, palm slightly rough from long hours of labor in the service of humans. Her little finger tipped with elegant nails. Utterly feminine and perhaps unsuited to the battle fields she had made her lives on."So," he whispered, "Now you have claws too." He expected no answer and didn't get one. Instead he lifted that little pink palm and pressed a kiss to it. There, faint to his eyes were tiny silvered scars. Almost, like wire. He traced the tip of his tongue over them, lost in recollection."What are you doing?" she'd asked him from across the fire. She'd woken a few times in the night. First when he'd covered her in his fluff. She'd nodded sleepily up at him. Later, when panic touched her dreams and the scent of her fear reached him, he'd gone to her.The scent of her blood reached his nose then. He pushed the fur away and found a small hand buried there. Her palms were bleeding again. The soldiers were paying no attention and he carefully unfurled her fingers. The wire. It was the only explanation. He lifted her palm to his lips and his tongue descended to lap away the blood. His saliva cleaning and healing the wounds. He'd not have her die of infection as so many humans did."What are you doing?" she'd asked him. He met her gaze squarely, "I am perhaps saving your life." he told her bluntly, releasing her hands. They were clean now and she noted that the sting in them had lessened. She stared at the wounds. Then looked back up at him. "Thank you." she whispered.Sesshoumaru said nothing, merely sat near her. Her blood sang on his tongue, calling to his demon. He stamped the urges he felt down with a ferocity that would have terrified his most hardened soldier had they been aware. As it was they were not. He leaned his head back against the cool stone of the cave and closed his eyes. Behind his lids he could feel the red flashing over gold and back again.He recalled seeing her in that thin robe. Curves set aglow by lamplight. The panther touching her. It had been enough to make him kill then, but he'd held back. Wishing to see if she was capable of the task she'd been appointed. He'd scowled at Kendi, masking them both as the scene played out in the framed window.Now, here she was, somehow less innocent having taken a life. She was by no means less appealing. He might have lost her tonight and that was unthinkable. He was a demon, a lord and she was his human servant. He'd bathed her for Kami's sake! Licked blood from little hands meant to fight for him."How does it feel?" he asked, "Now that you have killed?" Beside him, she stiffened. She remained silent for so long that he assumed she was not going to answer him. She did though. "I did not care for it, though I accept that I can do it." He opened his eyes, golden once more to stare over at her, "Why do you fight? You have a warrior's spirit but your heart is..... not a cold one." he asked her then. Ayeka looked up a the darkness above her. "My father." she said quietly, "He had no sons. So he left his legacy to his one child. Me. I suppose the choice was made for me." Sesshoumaru had never bothered to ask. "Do you regret this life?"Ayeka shook her head a moment, "I do not regret my service to your house my lord." she admitted, "But I often wonder what my life might have been like." Sesshoumaru read her words, and the ones she left unspoken. Chances are, she would have married a soldier from the village and been widowed young. She would have raised human whelps alone until another man came to take her. Her looks ensured she would not always be alone.still, all of them would have been beneath her. She was too bright to wither in a field or beside a hearth. She as too bright to dance on a battlefield and he knew that deep inside perhaps what she wished was for a stronger heart than hers would make that choice for her. Leave her with life she imagined and the inability to feel guilt for abandoning her father's path. Sadly, there was no human in the world that he could think of that would ever be match enough for her. Despite being a human herself, her own people were unworthy of her. He knew who WAS strong enough to grant her the peace to be a woman. That was his father, or himself. His father cared for the mortal, charged her with leading half of his forces. He also gifted her with the trappings a woman would want. He was always one to sense internal conflict. Sesshoumaru also sensed it, he just cared less. Until now. He suppressed a soft growl. "You'll not catch infection in your hands, but do try to keep them clean until we reach the main army." he told her.Ayeka watched him rise and leave the cave. He seemed to desire the company of the howling wind and bitter cold instead. That chafed. She muttered a curse and snuggled into his fur once more. She inhaled his scent from it. So this was the fur that dog demons had cut when they reached a thousand years old. Good god, he wasn't human! Inutaisho had two such pelts, he was twice as old. Sesshoumaru stalked through the moonless night uncaring of the snow that clung to his lashes. Ayeka's words reverberated in his brain. "I suppose the choice was made for me." He imagined a red haired child, handfuls of flowers laughing gaily. "Made for me." Then he saw her, little lips drawn into a thin line as she practiced. It wasn't right. He suddenly hated her father for the life he'd thrust upon her small shoulders. But that damned his own father, and him too.Sesshoumaru blinked slowly, becoming aware of a movement against his body. He focused on the ceiling of his rooms. Not a starry snow filled night. The subject of his thoughts had laced her fingers with his in her sleep and snuggled closer. She seemed slightly fretful in her slumber and Sesshoumaru let the near silent vibration float up from him chest, easing her back into peaceful dreams.Ayeka woke alone an hour before dawn. The sheets beside her were cool, indicating that Sesshoumaru had been gone for at least an hour. So like him. Never enough daylight hours to conquer something. She yawned and stretched before getting out of bed. Was that rain she smelled? She hoped so.The days seemed to pass in a haze of training for her. she fell into the routine of greeting the sun with her weapon in hand, eyes scanning the line of her men for imperfection. The clouds had been rolling in and the evenings grew a little cooler, the storm season was nearly upon them.When she wasn't drilling, she was going over maps and strategies with Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. The half demon intrigued her. From what she could tell he was fairly young by demon standards, barely out of pup fur. Less that three hundred years old. His face looked only years apart from his brother and she supposed that human blood did that.He was foul mouthed, bad tempered, arrogant, violent and she liked him immensely. They shared an easy banter, quarreling often. Kagome only had to sit him twice. Ayeka had decked him about that many times. "what was that for?" he demanded, rubbing his chin where she'd planted a solid hit. Ayeka pulled herself up to her full though unimpressive height. "Because I won't have any dog eared men messing up the battle plans. you can listen to those who know or you can stay the hell home." she'd sniped.Kagome had flinched wondering what Inuyasha would say. To her surprise he merely "Keh'd". The second hit had come in sparring. Sesshoumaru grinned behind his steepled fingers as he watched Inuyasha throw off her thrust, but he failed to see her come in close and she struck him soundly on the jaw.The half demon had glared at her and she had laughed at him. "Oh DO get mad Inuyasha. Your lines are beautiful when you let your demon flare." she told him. It was true, when he allowed his demon to move in the fights, his movements were smoother, sharper.Inuyasha watched the battle plans by day and made love to Kagome at night. He reveled in her touch, her inquisitive nature exerting itself in the bedroom as she eagerly sought her pleasure as well as his. Sesshoumaru had said nothing about the mark on her throat, but his eyes lingered over it. Ayeka had noticed it as well. She once carried a mark like that.She forced those thoughts away and focused on what Rin was saying to her. The child seemed like her shadow and Ayeka didn't mind. She did have to warn the child away from the training yard. "You could get hurt Rin." she told her. The child smiled up at her warmly, "Oh my Sesshoumaru-sama would not let that happen. He keeps me safe." she announced. Ayeka laughed lightly, "Oh he does, does he?" she asked, the object of the discussion standing a few feet away, unseen as yet by Rin. Ayeka locked eyes with him and gave a small smile, "I am certain he does Rin, lord Sesshoumaru has always been most brave and honorable." Rin nodded and hurried away, eager to go and pick her lord's flowers.Sango stepped from a nearby corridor. She saw the small sad smile playing on Ayeka's face. "What is it?" she asked. Kagome had been watching as well. She'd decided days ago that something had to be done about these two. Sango and Miroku were moving along nicely, now it was time double her efforts on the Taiyoukai."I was just thinking," Ayeka mused, "That this is not the Sesshoumaru I left behind." Inuyasha, perched above on the roof listened in. Women talked about some damn weird things when men weren't around. This was how you found out the good stuff. Kagome walked right up to Ayeka. Her gaze like fire, "Oh yes it is." she said matter of factly, "You must have seen some goodness in him or you wouldn't have married him."Ayeka bristled, "Yes well, that was before he slaughtered a village. Would you have stayed Kagome?" Kagome was heartless, "I DID!" she told the older woman, "You ran the hell away and now you wonder if you made the wrong choice." Ayeka dropped her eyes to the ground. Inuyasha was about to call out to Kagome, to get her to let up. Clearly Ayeka wasn't ready to talk about this."I've missed it." she whispered and Kagome and Sango strained to hear her. Inuyasha heard it loud and clear. "I've missed my chance at being happy with him. Now I can only fight for him. That is all I can be." she said softly. Kagome was on her an instant, arms wrapping around her in a fierce hug. She was good at that. She let Ayeka cry against her for a long time. "No you haven't Ayeka. I promise you haven't missed it." she soothed.