InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Chou Shoki I: Learning from Yesterday ❯ Chapter 44 ( Chapter 44 )

CHAPTER 44

Then bring me wine, the banquet bring;

Man was not formed to live alone…

- Lord Byron, “One Struggle More, and I am Free”

 

 

1204 A.D. ~ mid NOVEMBER

 

It was well past two weeks into the new month and my worry had turned into anger. Sesshoumaru had not come nor even thought of sending a message. It is said that bad news travels fast. If something had happened to him, I would have known it by now. Besides, Ujio and Juro would have said something. To avoid any suspicions I would occupy myself praying at the shrine and perfecting my fighting techniques. By now my father had begun spending time with me and tutoring me on my duties as future empress. However, until the time when he could no longer be emperor, he wished for Hiro and me to oversee parts of the empire as training.

 

Hiro attended these meetings as well as all the daimyo. Most of them were not too happy about a woman and a country samurai leading the greatest empire when the okami first announced our engagement. My father, though, made sure to remind them that the direct descendants of Amaterasu were the only ones who could rule. Being the only direct descendant, there would be no room for argument that I would rule after my father and that he, as an embodied Kami, chose Hiro through divine sight. Our Shinto-based government allowed for absolute trust for what the Tenno ever said. With no room for argument, the nobles said no more.

 

There was so little I wanted to offer during the meetings that I usually found my mind wandering. Three things occupied my mind daily. The first and most important was my `painful episodes' that seemed to get worse each time. The agonizing aches left me extremely weak and without the usual “meal”, it was getting harder to heal faster. Kirara was usually the supplier of said meal and under no circumstances had ever mentioned where she got them from. That was what led to my second worry.

 

Kirara.

 

Admitting that I missed her was like admitting that she was right. Yes, I worried about where she was and what she could be doing. Still, both our prides would not allow for swaying. We were the same in that sense. It would be a long time before she would accept that her departure and hostility were uncalled for. I just hoped that that day came by soon. Somehow, my life felt even emptier without her than it did at this moment when Sesshoumaru was not here.

 

And that was the final concern. As much as I loved Sesshoumaru, and missed him to a point that I sometimes found myself almost wanting to go look for him on my own, there was always Yasuhani.

 

Now, more than ever, I was convinced that my dream companion was Sesshoumaru. His physical similarities came in second to the connection I felt with him. The dreams only served to confirm that not only were our paths meant to cross, but also that we were destined to be together. Yasuhani was a link between our souls when we could not be together in the real world. Until now, I had failed to realize this. And the realization allowed me to freely enjoy my dreams for once without the guilt and the darkness of my nightmares!

 

“...and that would make things much easier for the empire. It will eliminate the pressure on my end and on theirs. Do not you think so, hime?”

 

Suddenly I felt all eyes on me. It was a relief when Hiro immediately, noticing my derailment from the conversation, answered for me. “I think that both, Kagome-hime and I would find that more than accommodating.”

 

With the grin of a Cheshire cat, my father simply nodded appreciatively towards Hiro. The other daimyo seemed pleased as well with his answer. Surprising, when only a few moments earlier they all looked down on him from under their noses as if he were an insect they wished to squash.

 

The shuffling sound of clothing and feet caught my attention once more. I looked up from my place on the floor to see that the okami had already dismissed the council and only Hiro and I remained before his throne.

 

His deep monotone voice echoed throughout the great hall. “Is there anything else you wished to address, daughter?”

 

“No, Tenno,” I answered inasmuch the same way.

 

“Very well, you may leave.”

 

Hiroyaki would have reached down for me but I was already half way out of the huge throne room when he lifted himself. As I exited, I felt him come up next to me. “Is something worrying you?”

 

There was. Nevertheless, I wasn't about to let him know that. I snorted indignantly at his question. “Nothing worries me.”

 

“Well, it just seemed that you were not entirely interested in the conversation in there,” he added sheepishly, all the while rubbing the back of his neck.

 

I stopped. “I told you that I accepted this because it is expected of me. I would appreciate it if you realized that by now. I'm not going to change Hiroyaki. I don't love you and I never will. Marrying you is a requirement and necessity for the good of the empire. It's not something that will benefit us in any way. Spending a few evenings together doesn't make us friends much less lovers. It'd be wise for you to understand that the titles of husband and wife are just that - titles.”

 

He looked me in the eye. Imagine my surprise when he only smiled at me, his gaze filled with nothing but sincerity. “I know. That, however, doesn't mean that you will always feel this way.” Then, he walked down the steps and turned half way to the bottom. “I told you that I have waited for you since you left. I'll continue waiting.”

 

I let him walk away. There was no need to correct him on his mistake.

 

Making my way into the city, I stopped by some shops, looking for some things that I still needed for the spell that would conceal my mating mark. As I walked through the streets of the city, I took the time to fully appreciate it. In the years since my return to the home, I hadn't once taken a reprieve or any kind of vacation. What was more, I had not taken the time to walk amongst people. Then again, I hated company and surprisingly, I still did.

 

Men, women and children wove their way around my person, bowing and smiling forcefully. Every living being who knew of me, remembered how much I hated being touched. If my darkened aura didn't scare them away, my condescending glare usually did. I never thought myself above any of them because of my social standing. On the other hand, the Kami had painfully instilled in me that any kind of human contact with me would soil the other person.

 

Nearing Kotoku-in, I noticed several mothers and their children playing by the gardens that surrounded it. I paused shortly to glance at their movements. The mothers talked with each other, sharing the antics of their children and laughing. Every so often, a child would run to their mother and hug them, then run off once more to continue playing in the snow with the rest of his or her friends.

 

At that moment, I felt my blood run down my body and a cold dread settle inside me.

 

How could something so important escape me? How could I have been so stupid as not to realize the possible consequences!

 

“A child,” the word escaped my lips in a deadly whisper. I swallowed.

 

With the horrible realization, came the feeling of rejection. The thought of being pregnant had not once entered my mind since I'd left the Kuroi Hoshi. I'd been too high in the feeling of freedom that had come with being with Sesshoumaru that I'd blocked out any common sense. Now, the truth brought me crashing down to the real world and the thought didn't sit too well.

 

I turned it over my head several times as I looked at the women before me. My gaze turned to a woman whose belly was protruding out of her cheap kimono. I watched as she smiled and caressed her swollen stomach. The other women smiled in return and also placed their hands on her belly and laughed at something she offered.

 

I felt sick.

 

I don't want that! I don't want that! I don't want a child!

 

I was surprised by the voice in my head. Unfortunately, hard as I may, I couldn't deny my feelings. I didn't want to be pregnant. I was not a mother. I was neither warm nor loving. I didn't want a weakness. Because for all its “joy”, a child would be nothing but a weakness to me.

 

More than anything, I realized that this child would be more than a weakness. It would be a hanyou!

 

I growled in disgust. Not so much at it being a half-breed, but at what I had done.

 

FLASHBACK

 

They all ran, but I wasn't about to let any of them live.

 

The males. They would be the first to die. It didn't matter whether they were human or youkai. What they had done, was an unspeakable thing. As I passed by, I drove a purification-infused arrow through the male youkai. To the human males, I cut their heads off.

 

The females. They would die next. I entered every home where human females were crouched clutching their abominations to their chests. I ripped the things away from them and drove my sword through the women's stomachs. Then I killed them. No more abominations!

 

I followed some of the female youkai that had thought to be safe leaving the haven of their village. How wrong they were! It took more effort and several days, but I managed to track each one of them and kill them and their offspring.

 

I had felt no remorse. There was no guilt. I was a messenger of the Kami, a miko. I was sent to rid this land of its pollution and corruption. None of those killings stirred any feeling within me.

 

None. Until her...

 

I found the last one, a half-breed. A female. Sixteen - two years older than me.

 

She was growling at me from her crouched position at the edge of the cliff. I had cornered her. It was either jump off or attack me. I welcomed the attack.

 

“We had done nothing to you! We lived in peace! None of us ever harmed anyone, human or youkai! Why did you do this?!” It yelled angrily at me.

 

I smirked darkly. “I'm a messenger.”

 

She looked at me with anger and fear in her eyes. “You've judged and killed. Have you ever thought about what awaits you? You've killed more innocents than you helped! How can you stand there so self-righteous and judge us?”

 

Her retort caught me off guard. It only served to bring forth the image of the incident from the year before.

 

The old woman from the village... “You were supposed to protect us. We trusted you.”

 

She laughed at my inner struggle. “I won't give you the satisfaction of killing me, psycho-hunter. But I will die knowing you will get what is coming to you.” With those words she jumped off the cliff to her death.

 

Not even a half youkai would have survived that fall.

 

END OF FLASHBACK

 

“Kagome? Are you all right?” Kazuo asked concerned. Even he avoided touching me in fear of my reaction.

 

Blinking away the memory, I nodded stiffly and walked behind him into the inner yard. Stopping at the entrance, I removed my sandals. The sounds of the chants echoed throughout the temple as we entered. We winded though several passages until we arrived at the center of the temple. In the middle, sitting in meditation with other students, Eriko sat perfectly still. I commended Kazuo on that particular feat. Kami only knew that the girl couldn't sit still for the life of her.

 

Waiting for her daily meditation to end, Kazuo took the time to explain the progress of the miko-in-training. I listened intently noting how fast she was picking up and how far ahead of her classmates she was. Soon, it would be time for me to train her on using her powers as an offensive strategy and teaching her Kyudo. Physical training would come much later in her teaching, after I knew that all other areas had been mastered.

 

“She has easily learned to control her power. Her barrier-erecting capabilities are excellent and she is also good at keeping her emotions in check despite the influence of outside sources. All in all, I think that she is ready for the next phase.”

 

I looked at him. “The girl has only been training for one month Kazuo. It is far too little time. I need her to be in complete control. No miko, even those that began training at the appropriate time, have mastered self-control in such a short period.”

 

“You did,” he responded quickly.

 

Keeping my eyes on her, I replied. “You're wrong on that. I'm the only one who never learned self-control.” I lifted myself. “I need you to keep practicing with her. She isn't ready yet. Take her with you to Minami Ashigara by the end of the month.”

 

Already several feet away from him, he questioned me. “Sumimasen, Kagome, but I thought you just said for me to take her to Minami Ashigara. I couldn't possibly be hearing right, could I?”

 

I turned around and fixed him with a bored stare. “You heard right.”

 

He walked up to my side, accompanying me to the exit. “Kagome, I know you haven't forgotten what exactly lives in that particular region. So, please tell me why you want me to take an apprentice to her death in youkai territory.”

 

Giving him another bored look and a roll of my eyes, I explained. “I'm not asking you to go leave her there. My intention is for you to expose her to danger and see what kind of reaction she has. After the incident with the cheetah, I want to keep exposing her to danger so she may get used to it and not cower. She's had Kirara, me and now you to take care of her. I am well aware of her progress and I know what she's capable of. If I'm right, which I know I am, you will see why I'm asking this.”

 

“And if you're wrong?” he asked worried.

 

I shrugged. “Well, then, that's one less apprentice to worry about.”

 

He stopped and looked at me horrified. When he realized it was only a sarcastic comment, he shook his head at me. “You better be right about this Kagome. Because if you're not, I will forget you are Kyo's sister, our hime and a messenger of Buddha.”

 

I growled at this response. “Don't ever call me that again!”

 

“Whether you like it or not, you are the okami's daughter and our princess. And someday, you will be our empress. You can't escape who you are, no matter how many people you scare away or how many dark layers you dress yourself in.”

 

“Yeah, well, tell me that when you've lived the life I have.” His eyes saddened and I walked ahead. I hated when anyone looked at me that way. With pity.

 

“That aside, I want to tell you something else that concerns you.”

 

“What?” I tossed over my shoulder as I continued through the turns. This particular temple tried my patience with its many twists and turns. Most of the time I ended up lost.

 

“There's been a change in the flow of auras in our city.”

 

“Yeah, so? Nothing new.”

 

“Kagome, stop,” and I did. “I've lived here since I was born and I know what each and every aura feels like. Every man, woman and child - even the animals within and outside the borders of our city. But for some time now, a particular aura has rippled differently.”

 

“Different? How?” I asked, dreading where this was going. However, I remained calm.

 

“It's changing. It's...reshaping - for lack of a better word.” Kazuo walked around to face me. “It's your aura.”

 

I stared at him. For a few seconds, I didn't know how to respond to that. Anything I said could steer him toward Sesshoumaru. It was bad enough that he knew about the other two brothers already. Breathing steadily, keeping my appearance blank and trying to slow my erratic heartbeats, I crossed my arms and leaned on the wall next to me.

 

“My aura?” I asked uninterested.

 

“Usually, and don't take this the wrong way, please,” he added rapidly. “Usually, your aura is menacing, unpredictable, overbearing...it was impossible to be with you in the same room without feeling suffocated by you. But since you came back a month ago...it's somehow...trying to rearrange itself around something else.”

 

Eying him wearily, I dug deeper into his ponderings. “Something else?”

 

“Yes. It's as if you're trying to blend yourself with another aura.” I almost slipped off the wall at how close he came to the truth.

 

“I'm still young in terms of miko. My powers could still be changing and adjusting. Remember that I, unlike other miko, have developed differently. My physical growth is too closely linked to my powers.”

 

“Yes I know that, too. Yet, it's not the same.” He grabbed the edge of my sleeve.

 

“Kazuo, as a man of the cloth, you're the only one whose opinion and wisdom I respect because you have somewhat of an idea of how hard it is to be in a place like mine. It's hard to be bias. It's hard to follow what those Higher Beings tell us to do. Sometimes going beyond our own morals. But you're treading into dangerous grounds with me. If I tell you that I'm fine and that there is nothing to worry about then drop it.” I finished with an arctic tone.

 

“If you hate the Kami so much, why follow their orders? You have always had a choice, Kagome. You could always leave the Shikon in someone else's care and walk away from everything.” He replied, not at all fazed by my previous tone.

 

Half angry, half exasperated, I turned my back to him. “All of you think this is so easy. That just like all you houshi and miko, I can just wake up and say `I don't want to do this anymore' and just continue living. You think I wanted this - this life?”

 

Whirling back to face him, I continued. “You think I like being both judge and executioner to everyone? Well, I don't. But they just won't go away. Every day...every night...they whisper in my ear. Every time I sit down to meditate, I hear their orders. They won't let me go. I was cursed from the very moment Kyo died. It was my mother's burden to carry...and now its mine. But unlike her, I wasn't given a choice. I was branded and I am now a slave to them.”

 

My voice didn't betray my rage. I had remained rooted to my spot, only glaring in his direction. My eyes were the only indication of my anger.

 

“I know all too well about the orders. You're the one that receives them and gives them to us. You're the only one the Kami will talk to.” he murmured.

 

“Then don't insult me by saying I can just leave and forget! It is my price to pay so all of you can have your freedom!” I left without so much as I goodbye.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Kazuo regretted bringing up the issue the moment her eyes darkened and her aura sizzled once more with the electric force that choked and constricted his airways. He'd only brought up the topic once when Kagome had just returned from her training up in the monastery. He'd still been angry at the forced life he'd had. And just like that day, he lamented his words.

 

That fateful day, he had learned the price she would pay for all of them - miko, houshi, priests. Any one with spiritual powers was given a gift when she was offered in payment. He had never really wanted to become a houshi. His lineage consisted of such people, but all he had wanted, was to be a farmer.

 

He had envisioned a peaceful life with a wife and children. However, his father had taken him to the city's Buddhist temple as was customary at his young age, and left him there without even explaining anything. He'd been angry at his father for a long time after that.

 

Nevertheless, he overtook his duties and tried to excel in everything. Four years later the head monk had taken him under his wing at the same temple and remained there until this very day.

 

It wasn't until Kagome came back and he told her about his own training that he understood that last day at the temple - that option he was offered. Not till then did he really comprehend his role in life and the sacrifice that was offered for such gift.

 

Kazuo watched her leave the temple. After Kyo had been beheaded, he had tried to be as close to a brother-like figure as possible. However, Kagome had been so overcome by her own darkness and that of the world that she still refused to let anyone in. No one had been able to take away the anger and hatred she seemed to gather for herself.

 

Weeks ago, though, things had changed. He noticed a change in her person and her power. She seemed a little more at ease in the presence of others. And her aura...

 

He only hoped that whatever was changing her was for her own good. He would keep an eye on her whether she like it or not.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

A few days after Chuntao's death...

 

The three Daiyoukai were not particularly happy that Chuntao had been disposed of in that manner. However, they had all agreed that given the circumstances, the cheetah had signed her own death warrant. Kagome was in her right to kill the cat and would not be held responsible for her actions.

 

After the northern and southern Daiyoukai had left, the Inu no Taishou had a very long (and painful) talk with his two sons. He demanded to know how they had found the miko when her location was nowhere near the eastern village. Of course, they had explained that the scent of the cheetah had `accidentally' led them to the human. They had been suspicious of Chuntao's motives for being in Nihon and knowing what the youkai was capable, had followed her. Not quite content, but more calm with their explanation he sent Ujio to the Northern lands to a meeting with Yasu-sama's general. Ujio would soon become the Western army's first non-Daiyoukai general and he needed to begin forming the alliances with the other generals.

 

Before he left though, he asked a question that had been nagging at him.

 

“Chichi-ue, there was something that was said to Kagome,” he looked at his father. The Inu no Taishou was livid, but his demeanor was calm. “Kagome was told that she smelled like `him'. Like a `general'.”

 

They watched as a shadow passed over his features. His nostrils flared a bit, but then he composed himself. “Where did you hear this?”

 

Juro responded. “Chuntao told Kagome. She said that she was going to take her head to the general that turned her away. What did she mean?”

 

Lord Keiji stood and walked to the balcony outside, holding tightly to the railing. He stared down at the armies on the southern edge practicing. He closed his eyes for a moment. This was not good. Chuntao had been a liability since the beginning and he had known it. But Kagome's father had not seen that and had allowed her to return to the Mainland knowing that it could be dangerous. He hated to admit that he was relieved to know that Chuntao wasn't a threat to them anymore.

 

“Are you that general? Is that why you refuse to acknowledge any kind of relationship between her and Sesshoumaru?” Ujio asked.

 

The Inu no Taishou let out a sarcastic laugh. “Ignorant pups! Is that what you think? That I betrayed my own mate? That Kagome is my pup? Don't you think she would have my scent?”

 

Ujio stood and walked next to him. “Well, yes. But you have to admit that it wouldn't be too farfetched. It would stand to reason why you go out of your way to include her in our family. Why you defend her against anyone and why you won't allow Sesshoumaru to mate her.”

 

Keiji looked down at his eldest. He turned back to his desk and sat down. Ujio followed him back but didn't sit. Juro had been thinking the same since Chuntao uttered those words.

 

“If that isn't true, then what was Chuntao talking about?” Juro questioned.

 

Lord Keiji looked at his hands that were holding tightly to the edge of his desk. “Kagome is a human. She is the daughter of a human ruler and a miko. She is not my pup. Her mother and I only had...we had...an alliance. And before Midoriko died, she had me promise to look after Kagome. It was the least I could do after all the help Midoriko had given to me. She knew Kagome would need all the help she could get.”

 

“Then what other general could Chuntao be referring to?”

 

He growled low in his throat. “Her father had been a general. It has been rumored that he had dealings with youkai before he came to rule. One of those deals included Chuntao, and as far as I know, it didn't go as planned. Eventually, the okami mated Midoriko and the rest you know of. That is why he taught Kagome to hate youkai.”

 

Both demons absorbed the information. It explained everything. Still, it was just too perfect. Why would their father even bother with the miko?

 

“I can understand Chuntao's hate for Kagome's father. Why did Chuntao hate Midoriko?”

 

For a brief moment, Juro didn't think his father was going to answer him. He had been staring at his hands the entire time he had been talking. “She was infatuated with Kagome's father.”

 

They hadn't expected that answer!

 

“Now go and do what I asked. I don't want to talk about this anymore.”

 

They stood and left without any more words. Ujio headed for his room and gathered his weapons. Making sure he was completely alone, he reached inside his obi and took out the thin blue ribbon. It had been left on the snow-covered ground after Kagome left. He had crouched to pick up his sai and found it lying next to it. He was going to give it back to her but instead had tucked it in his obi.

 

Using one of his claws, he tore it in half and wrapped each piece to the knuckle of his two sai. Laughing at his stupidity, he covered them with their usual leather straps and placed them at his sides. He jumped off his balcony, bade farewell to his brother and sprinted off.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

That same night...

 

Juro was sitting on the roof of the hut that housed the weapons of the Western army, entirely ignoring the light fall of snow. It was long past midnight but he couldn't sleep. There were just so many things going through his mind. Closing his eyes, he laid back using his arms as a pillow.

 

There was a crescent moon tonight.

 

Just like the one that was beginning to form between Kagome's perfect brows. He opened his eyes and scowled.

 

As much as he had tried to understand why he was so bothered by this, he still couldn't figure it out. He shouldn't feel like this. Not just because it was Sesshoumaru she was mated to, but also because he had long ago chosen someone else. However, the notion of forgetting completely about the miko was something he had yet to accomplish. Something inside kept pecking at his mind, repeating over and over that until she was bonded to Sesshoumaru, there existed a small chance.

 

A chance for what, he didn't know.

 

He wasn't even sure if he would ever want to mate the miko. While the idea was not bad - in fact, he could definitely savor its advantages - he didn't want to do anything that could do permanent harm.

 

For one thing, there was Sesshoumaru. They were brothers, family. He'd seen how full of life his brother had been when they had fetched him weeks ago. The youngest of the three had never been this happy. Sesshoumaru deserved to be with her.

 

But...

 

But didn't all three of them deserved to be happy? Didn't all of them deserve the same chance to be with the one they wanted? Didn't they all deserve the chance to fight for Kagome?

 

He sat up suddenly, angry at his own selfishness. This wasn't like him! He had never acted this way with any of Sesshoumaru's females. Not even when he had chosen `her'. And that was just another thing that circled in his mind. He had to admit that part of him didn't quite trust his brother. Sesshoumaru changed females just as easily as he changed his clothes. Would Kagome have the same fate? Would he throw her away when he grew tired of her?

 

A furious rumble escaped his lips. Kagome wasn't the most innocent and definitely not a delicate flower. Yet, even she didn't warrant such treatment.

 

An image of her confused face appeared in his mind. He would forever remember the look on her countenance when he gave her the ribbons he had bought for her. He hadn't even given it a second thought when he had seen them on his last trip to that specific youkai village. But the moment he saw them, something inside told him they would be perfect for her.

 

She was headstrong, powerful, and intelligent.

 

Perhaps that was what he liked about her. He had only encountered women that pretended or tried to be something they weren't. All the females that surrounded them had only seen opportunity. The miko was different. She held no fear of anything or anyone. Like a powerful untamed beast, she was defiant and bold. Unyielding in anyone's presence.

 

Eccentric and idiosyncratic to the extreme, she is a living legend among all living beings. No one ever knows what to expect when Kagome enters a scene. He had to agree with human - and most youkai males - when they said that there has never been a mortal who could equal her physical perfection. She possessed a raw, rare kind of charisma. To look at her is to want her. To see her is to ache to touch her. It's as if she was built to please and trained to pleasure. Everything about her from the perfect curves of her body to the deep, erotic richness of her voice seduced anyone that came in contact with her. Like a lethal wild animal, she moved with a primal promise of danger and feminine power. With the promise of sexual fulfillment.

 

His groin tightened with that thought. Images of her legs wrapped around his waist as he pounded into her with wild abandonment surged forward. He could almost hear her soft moans of pleasure as he suckled on her breasts and his hands wondered, touched and caressed every last inch of her. He could hear his name whispered as he continued to drive himself further into her. Feel her hands as she touched him and pulled him closer to her.

 

Juro ran a clawed-hand over his face to drive the image away.

 

Unfortunately for him, he hadn't dallied with any females for quite some time. Unlike Sesshoumaru, who enjoyed filling every single one of his sexual desires or Ujio who only sought female companionship when he couldn't fight the urge any longer, he found an inner strength that allowed him to restrain himself. Back then, he had made a promise. Too bad that promise would never come true. Unless by some miracle, the Daiyoukai changed his mind.

 

Or Sesshoumaru changed his.

 

He growled again. What the hell was wrong with him? Lusting after a mated female? Fate was surely having some laughs at their expense.

 

Yes! `Them'!

 

Ujio might want to deny it all he wanted, but there was so much more to his visits. He hadn't missed the way Ujio had looked at Kagome when they had interceded in her fight with Chuntao. He was just as lost in those eyes as he had been.

 

God, what the hell was happening to them? The worst thing, he had to recognize, was that the miko was doing absolutely nothing!

 

Pushing himself up, he jumped down and quickly made for his room. He needed an ice cold bath!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Kami, she's going to kill me!

 

That was all that ran through his head as he leapt and destroyed everything in his path. He was more than a few days late. He'd return home on time but duty and family had kept him home.

 

Days on end during his trip had had him on edge, snapping at every and any who'd so much as glanced his way. He'd counted the days till his return and the chance to seek her, whisk her away for some time and bask himself in her.

 

Earlier this evening, when his father stepped into his study to have his monthly meeting with the other two Daiyoukai, he saw his opportunity. Agreeing on their stories, two very reluctant older inu brothers helped him escape.

 

Hopefully a months waiting without news wouldn't go as bad as he saw it play in his head.

 

Deep down inside he knew what awaited him! And he wouldn't be disappointed.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~