InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Demon Slayer Sango ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

 

Chapter 6

 

After a leisurely bath in hot water scented with jasmine flowers and gardenia Sango dressed carefully in a delicate robe of pale green silk and darker green sash. Beautiful sandals made of polished wood and rich velvet had been given for her to wear, and she admired the way they looked on her feet. Her abundant hair had been brushed out and now floated over her shoulders in a glossy dark fall. She felt like a princess. A knock at the door halted her daydreaming.

 

"Exterminator-san we must leave now," said a voice through the door. Sango opened it to reveal Yoshiro, the messenger who had been sent to retrieve her from Kaede's village. His eyes widened slightly on recognizing her. 'Surely this couldn't be the same human female from before-- is it?' He blinked. 'She is stunning.'

 

"Yoshiro. Yes, I'm ready. What does his lord and master want anyway?" What indeed. She half hoped the stiff youkai would simply forget her presence in his home and let her go after looking up to see she had been there a while.

 

"I don't know the answer to that, huntress. You will find that one does not question the master here. We only obey." He cleared his throat as if remembering the purpose for his presence and then motioned that she follow him.

 

While proceeding through the halls of the palace Sango took in the sight of large reception rooms and elaborate ceremonial chambers. Fancily dressed youkai she took to be court attendants and a few servants passed by, all of whom eyed her suspiciously. She wasn't surprised that humans were barely tolerated in a place like this, one that seemed the ultimate reliquary of inuyoukai tradition and ceremony.

 

She followed Yoshiro up a flight of wooden stairs and into another wide corridor. The surroundings now took on an even more pronounced regal air if that were possible. Delicate parchments filled with odd looking text occasionally graced ancient walls. Marble sculptures and luscious plant life set in beautifully decorated pots lent a grace to the long corridors. There were pillars with odd carvings and vases made of precious metals, all things obviously placed to impress the visitor.

 

Eventually they reached a set of elegantly carved wide double doors trimmed in gilt. 'This must be the library,' she thought.

 

"I will announce you. Wait here," said Yoshiro before disappearing behind the large doors.

 

Sango looked around and felt butterflies in her stomach. It had not been clear to her how important a figure Sesshomaru really was until now. It wasn't so much the riches of the castle-- they were impressive but still only a material manifestation of power. What struck her most were the reverent attitudes about him from the youkai under his roof. So far every demon she'd encountered regarded him with profound respect, and spoke of their lord in hushed, reverent tones. It went beyond mere etiquette. What kind of demon was Sesshomaru to inspire such deep loyalty?

 

"Huntress. My lord will see you now."

 

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"Now Jitsuo-sama?" asked Noguro.

 

"We must wait. There are too many of those blasted human vermin about. We may have to wait a few days yet." Jitsuo peered menacingly from his hiding place. The gruff, thickly muscled inu demon spat on the ground as his henchman Noguro continued to observe Kaede's village from afar. The plan was to kidnap the whelp of the hanyou Inuyasha.

 

Jitsuo saw that the time to strike against the arrogant taiyoukai Sesshomaru drew near. This pup, a blood relation of the demon lord, would be an important part of the plan. He rubbed the scar on his face that had been inflicted on him several years ago after he and his youkai warriors destroyed a weaker inu settlement that dared to steal from his storehouses. He had been within his rights and yet the tyrant Sesshomaru had taken violent action against him. Jitsuo hadn't forgotten the looks on the faces of his captains after his beating and disfigurement. Oh yes the arrogant cur would pay for that, and pay dearly.

 

"Jitsuo-sama, what if the central authority discovers our plan? Surely it is already aware of the growth of our army--"

 

"Fool. Let me worry about that. Focus on getting the hanyou whelp. Then we will strike."

 

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Sesshomaru faced a wall filled with parchment and linen scrolls laid out systematically on numerous wooden shelves. Remaining silent he did not immediately acknowledge her presence, nor did he for several moments. Sango watched while he seemed to study a document held in elegant but deadly hands, and after a time began to wonder if he was aware of her presence at all.

 

Finally the imposing youkai lord spoke aloud in a calm, distinct voice but did not turn around and seemed to address the scrolls in front of him. "Huntress. You have defied me. This is unsatisfactory."

 

She froze. 'Oh no. Not this again.'

 

"You will soon learn that when I give an order it must be obeyed."

 

Sango eased forward cautiously. "Lord Sesshomaru, I had to stay with Kagome. She was in labor-- I had to be sure she would be well, and the child..." She defended herself quietly but without meekness. There had been a good reason for 'defying' him. 'How petty can he be?' she thought angrily.

 

Finally Sesshomaru lay down the scroll he'd been studying and turned to face her, intent on continuing his speech. "That is of no consequence. Yoshiro was given a direct order to bring you here. That you refused is unacceptable. I am not interested in your--" The words died in his throat. Sharp eyes travelled searchingly up and down, taking in a sight that caused him to stop in his tracks. 'What is this? Beautiful...surprisingly so. Most exquisite.'

 

Continuing to silently take in the gentle contours of Sango's body, Sesshomaru's eyes roved slowly from her face to her shoulders and bust and down to her feet. Enticing feminine curves filled out the well-fitting silk robe; he wondered if her body was as soft and delicious as it looked. Her flawless pale honey colored skin glowed fresh and smooth in the subdued light, and her luxurious hair framed gorgeous, velvety eyes. At that moment Sesshomaru thought her one of the most charming females he had ever encountered, demon or human. To that point he had seen her garbed only either in an unflattering taijiya costume or an old worn yukata.

 

For her part Sango wondered at his sudden interest in her appearance. His silent gawking was making her uncomfortable and she fidgeted. Wasn't he about to ream her for 'disobeying' him? Distracted herself now, she began to realize that up close he was incredibly good-looking and perfectly groomed. She noted with approval the fineness of his angular features, the smoothness of his pale skin and the breadth of his shoulders. An unexpected shiver raced up Sango's spine as his golden eyes claimed her.

 

He commented quietly. "Your garments flatter you huntress."

 

Sango could swear she detected faint kindness in both his voice and searching eyes. She blushed and smiled shyly at the compliment, taking note of his straight white teeth and a hint of fangs. 'Amazing.' "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru. Lady Hisako left them for me."

 

"Is the wound troubling you still?" he asked, taking another step forward. "Does it need looking after?"

 

'Gods he is beautiful...Hmmm? He must mean my leg...' She shook her head. "No. It doesn't bother me at all. I am well." Suddenly shy, she looked away and took an unsteady breath. Her heart raced. 'What is this? Am I going insane? What am I feeling? This is a demon!'

 

Sesshomaru was now so close that she could tell that the sleeve of his robe would soon brush against her. Never touched intimately by a man, Sango had little experience with the business of attraction, 'if that is what is going on.' Frankly after Miroku she believed the likelihood of ever dealing with such situations again to be slim. Her heart pounded even harder in her chest as she watched him take yet another step closer, coming to stand only a few inches away. He was now close enough for her to make out the distinct flecks of gold and green in his remarkable eyes.

 

"You are very beautiful Sango but I sense you don't believe it," he said. To Sango's utter shock a fine elegant clawed hand then reached up and lightly brushed her cheek. "Yes, very pleasing...quite lovely."

 

She could feel the warmth of his breath on her face. It was sweet. A distinct tingle flowed from her toes up her legs, and flooded into her back and raced up to her cheeks. Trembling, she studied his face. His golden eyes were filled with...approval? Tenderness? How could a demon who inspired such fear in others be so changed? 'Did he actually say something nice to me? Sesshomaru?'

 

And he had spoken her familiar name. Sango liked the way he said it...low and with a pleasant lyricism. His soft, gentle touch thrilled her. She closed her eyes to savor the moment. No one had ever made her feel this way, so lighthearted and excited, and with only a few words and a slight caress.

 

After some time her hand went to his to stroke the back of his palm, and Sesshomaru felt a burning need within him begin to take shape. 'What would it be like to taste this woman, to explore her?' he wondered. Her scent intoxicated him. He detected delicate flowers mixed with-- yes, arousal. Clasping her hand briefly in his own he then pulled away, consciously resisting the urge to kiss her.

 

Shaking himself mentally the demon lord tried to come back to his senses. Although an attractive female, he reminded himself that the huntress was nonetheless human. 'Unacceptable Sesshomaru,' he thought, 'allowing a human female to lead you to this state.' He could imagine Inutaisho laughing from beyond the grave and berated himself. Humans were inferior creatures. They were not to be entertained, much less consorted with in the way some part of him deep down wanted with this wench. He would not allow himself to make the same mistake his father had, he had more self control. 'What has got into me?'

 

Stepping back, he suddenly remembered the reason for her presence. He pushed away the insistent and bewildering sensations that now wracked his being and spoke firmly. "Huntress, you are a demon fighter are you not? I have a particularly troublesome bear youkai imprisoned behind the fortress. You are to destroy it. I trust you have brought your-- weapon with you."

 

Her head spinning, Sango marveled at his ability to mentally shift focus so quickly. Had she just experienced what she thought she had? Hadn't something significant just passed between her and the now cold demon lord? Yes of course it had. Maybe she misread him. Could it be that he wasn't drawn to her in some way? No, he was. It was as plain as day even now, even as she could sense him struggling to regain the cold neutral mask that was his regular expression. Sango shook her head slightly and pulled herself together to focus on what he was now saying to her.

 

"Hiraikotsu? Yes of course. But why do you need me to kill this creature? Surely the youkai around here are powerful enough to do the job."

 

"I don't need anything from you human." The door that had opened before to reveal a milder side of the youkai lord was now firmly closed and he spoke in a clipped, unemotional monotone. "Many of our warriors have tried to kill it conventionally but have failed. It is a particularly troublesome specimen. You will take care of the situation as punishment for defying me. Some observers may be present. You must do this in the morning three days from now. In the meantime you will attend Rin. Now leave me. Yoshiro!"

 

Sango spoke up, puzzled. "But Sesshomaru-sama, you said it was imprisoned. How difficult can it be for you--"

 

He glared at her, unsympathetic. "Unsatisfactory. You do not question, human. You will do as you are told. I have decided it will be your punishment for disobeying my earlier summons, " he repeated.

 

"You called my lord?" The tall inu messenger reappeared.

 

"Escort the exterminator back to her rooms. Leave me now, I have much to do here." He dismissed them with a wave of a clawed hand and turned away. Yoshiro took Sango gently by her arm but she resisted and stood her ground.

 

"I am not some tool for your amusement, Sesshomaru. You mean to make a spectacle of me, don't you? You don't need me to kill that beast!" She hissed in anger.

"You can easily destroy the creature yourself-- you just want to make a display of me! I won't play your games!" Sango became furious when it sunk in exactly what the arrogant demon meant to do. She imagined a stage surrounded by benches, an audience full of sneering youkai watching the stupid human woman who claimed to be a demon fighter. They meant to see her torn apart by some ferocious bear youkai!

 

"Enough!" snapped Sesshomaru. How dare she shout at him as if he were a common dog? The insolent wench! He could strike her dead as she stood, didn't she realize that?

 

Noting the banked fury in Sesshomaru's eyes Sango said no more but fumed and allowed herself to be led away by Yoshiro, comprehending that there would be no arguing with him for the time being.

 

In fact it interested the demon lord that the spirited huntress displayed so much fury and resistance. By contrast inu demonesses were normally submissive, especially to him as the alpha inuyoukai in the land. If he said something was required, a demoness obeyed instantly. This was something instilled from the time of their whelping and it served a purpose. This human female seemed not to know the meaning of the concept. It intrigued him and fed his imagination. He allowed the memory to creep back into his consciousness-- the intoxicating scent of feminine arousal, so delicious. It had stimulated him as he caressed her silky, smooth skin.

 

Sesshomaru saw that he had a problem. The Lord of the Western lands was not supposed to be able to stand humans, let alone feel attraction for one of them, and for a demon killer at that. 'Surely it is just some odd physical curiosity,' he reasoned. Presently unable to resolve the situation he turned to face the documents awaiting his attention on his desk. On top was a plan for the upcoming feast of the full moon, scheduled to take place in some six weeks.

 

An important symbol to the inuyoukai, the full moon served as an ancient device of worship. The court honored every fourth one with a reverent display of feasting and ceremony. Inuyoukai from all over the territory would come to the palace to share in the festivities.

 

It suddenly occurred to Sesshomaru that this was the event he had chosen to begin his search for a mate. He needed to read the background summaries of the various eligible demonesses who would be attending the feast compiled for him by his staff, but saw that it would take a long time indeed. And then there waited the troublesome business of the southeastern border. He'd need to call a conference of advisors. Sighing, the demon lord buried himself in his work.

 

 

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

 

"Inuyasha will you watch Takeo for me while I go to the stream to get water? I could use the exercise..." She lifted the baby from his cradle.

 

"How long will you be gone?" The hanyou accepted his son but glanced nervously at Kagome. He hadn't yet kept him on his own for any length of time and wasn't sure what to do if something went wrong. Two weeks had passed since little Takeo had been born, and in that time his blotchy skin had cleared to a shade of pale porcelain and his crown of white hair had become slightly fuller. He had long, straight limbs and already the makings of tiny claws. Deep, dark eyes looked out on the world with an open, quiet expression. His looks were striking and promised to become even more arresting with time; Inuyasha and Kagome were fiercely proud of him.

 

"Just for a few minutes. I need to stretch my back and legs...he likes it when you hold him-- look he's smiling." Sure enough a toothless grin spread across the face of the tiny quarter demon as Inuyasha cradled him.

 

"Oh alright. But you'd better get back here before he needs changing. I ain't doing that."

 

Kagome laughed. "I said I'd only be gone a few minutes. Relax." With that she slipped on her sandals and exited the front door of their cottage. "Come on, Shippo!" The kitsune bounded after her.

 

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

 

"Look! There is the priestess...should we go now," asked Noguro anxiously.

 

"Not yet. See, the pup isn't with her...the hanyou probably has it."

 

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

 

"Kagome...I smell something strange," said Shippo.

 

"Like what?" asked Kagome as she bent over and scooped clean water into a wooden pail from the stream.

 

"Like demons..."

 

Kagome looked up and searched the area with her eyes. She didn't see anything out of place. "Well we can tell Inuyasha when we get back...he'll probably come out and take a look around."

 

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

 

"You fool the kitsune brat nearly found us!" growled Jitsuo.

 

"The hanyou will find us when he comes..." replied Noguro.

 

"We have to leave for now. I won't have our plans destroyed. Not when we are so close..." The pair of stocky inuyoukai quickly retreated. Jitsuo was annoyed that their plan to kidnap Inuyasha's child had been delayed. 'But we will get the brat. We must.'

 

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

 

"Be careful Rin-chan! We don't know how deep the stream is!" Sango shouted at the little girl who now recklessly crept out into the rushing water to look at the numerous fish swimming by. For some reason Rin had got it into her head that one had to see a fish before it could be caught. Sango went after her.

 

"Come. We can just sit on the edge and throw our lines out. The fish will take the bait and then we just pull them in."

 

"Can't I just reach in and take one with my hands?" Her little brow furrowed and she bent at the waist to get a closer look.

 

Sango laughed. "You can try, but I believe you'll find it more difficult than you think."

 

She laughed even harder as Rin plunged her little hands in the water to try and grasp one of the iridescent fish swimming below her and around her legs. Getting very wet and very frustrated, the little girl soon stood up again.

 

"Here, watch me." Sango took her handmade fishing pole fitted with thin twine and a little chunk of bait set on a hook at the end and thrust it outward so that it landed downstream. They waited a few minutes and then snap! The line went taut and Sango pulled out a wiggling, nice-sized fish, much to Rin's delight. The little girl clapped and watched as she deftly pulled it in and strung it on a separate line.

 

"Okay, your turn Rin-chan!"

 

The day after her tense audience with Sesshomaru Sango had risen early and changed back into her yukata. Rin had come to her room and asked to go fishing. Squealing happily when she'd agreed, the girl ran off to prepare for the trip. Deciding to make a day of it, the demon slayer gathered a blanket and other things they would need.

 

Now as she helped Rin to set a line so that she could catch her first fish, she reflected. This visit to the Inuyoukai Palace was becoming more than she had bargained for. Sure, spending time with Rin had been delightful so far. The little girl made her feel needed and admired, and she drank in the ebullient enthusiasm the child displayed for everything around her.

 

On the other hand, Sango also had to fight a bear youkai.

 

'Crabby spiteful demon,' she grumbled to herself on remembering the perverse assignment she'd been given. Still fuming that Sesshomaru would make her do something he could easily take care of himself, she nonetheless had few doubts about her ability to defeat the creature. Bear youkai were big and loud and strong but famously stupid. She would simply press her advantage of swiftness and intelligence in order to dispatch it.

 

What really bothered her was the fact that the youkai lord appeared to view her as nothing more than an object to manipulate. Her feelings apparently meant nothing, her dignity worth nothing to him. Even more confusing was the fact that he did this after being tender with her, caressing her cheek and saying he found her beautiful. If he felt that way then why did he want to turn her into a performing monkey?

 

'Creepy stupid youkai.' Sango had a feeling she would never figure him out in a million years.

 

"That's it Rin-chan! Now gently pull it towards you...that's it." She helped her pull in a small fish, but it might have been as big as a whale for the smile that spread over the little girl's face.

 

"I caught a fish!!!!"

 

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