InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Divergence ❯ Chapter 11

Divergence

 

Canto XI

 

“Great use they have, when in the hands
Of one like me, who understands,
Who understands the time and place,
The person, manner, and the grace,
Which fools neglect; so that we find,
If all the requisites are join'd,
From whence a perfect joke must spring,
A joke's a very serious thing,”

 

-The Ghost, Charles Churchill, Book IV, lines 1379-1387

 

 

Ninfu was a level headed youkai. She prided herself on not overreacting. She was cool, calculating and intelligent. She was vassal under her Lord Sesshoumaru and had known him for as long as she could remember. Hopefully he would take her as his mate soon. She was after all a pure-blooded Inu-youkai, one of her Lord's distant cousins if she wished to trace her ancestry. She expected to be called to court by her Lord soon. The village that had been raided had been under her domain, after all. So Ninfu waited impatiently for her messenger to return. Her sister, Otonoran watched her expressions shift from the seat next to her but only raised an eyebrow at the messenger. She hummed thoughtfully but that was all. Ninfu managed to gain control of her tongue because she suddenly shrieked, “A mate!? Lord Sesshoumaru has a mate?! Noooooo!”

 

Otonoran just blinked at her elder sister silently before looking to the messenger again. “Did Lord Sesshoumaru actually give us a message?”

 

Haguki nodded but didn't give the missive right away. Instead he turned to look thoughtfully at Ninfu's anguished face. “I do not think that the half-breed was Sesshoumaru's mate.”

 

Ninfu looked hopeful and began to calm her breathing. At her side Otonoran blinked pale blue eyes and looked between her sister and the messenger silently. Finally she let her gaze settle on the messenger and tilted her head to the side.

 

“Explain.”

 

“Yes my Lady,” he said enthusiastically. He drew his slightly pudgy body up and dove right in. “I sensed no mating mark on the half-demon, nor on Lord Sesshoumaru. Although I cannot sense the mark as well as other Inu-youkai, I'm very sure that there isn't one there. I think that the half-demon is more of a consort to Lord Sesshoumaru.”

 

“So I still have a chance?” Ninfu asked tearfully, looking between her sister and their messenger.

 

Otonoran shrugged but Haguki nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yes my Lady! No man, not even Lord Sesshoumaru can resist you!”

 

Ninfu sighed in relief and fanned herself with her hand, as if she'd just exerted a huge amount of energy. Otonoran just stared at her silently for a moment before looking back to Haguki.

 

“Message.”

 

Haguki blinked dumbly before laughing heartily to himself causing Ninfu to giggle with him softly.

 

“Of course!”

 

 

Otonoran paced the open walkways of the palace, feeling the sea spray on her skin as it was thrown against the cliffs over and over again. She paused and leaned against the stone railing, looking out over the sea as the sun sunk into it causing the sky to turn a wash of colors. She and Ninfu were not pure blooded Inu-youkai. They were born of an Inu-youkai father who had been a distant relation of the last Inu no Taisho and a mother who was a demon of the sea. As far as she and Ninfu knew their mother had stuck around long enough to give birth to her youngest daughter before disappearing into the sea again. Their father had followed her, leaving Ninfu to rule over the small seaside domain. Otonoran cured her mother for leaving and her father for following before continuing on her walk, trying to ignore the sounds of the sea behind her.

 

Their palace was more of a ruin really. Perched high on the sloping cliff face, the sea threatened to claim it completely. Every time a storm collided with the shore a piece of the palace fell away. Even now the pathways that Otonoran walked had been broken away from the main structure and had settled on a piece of cliff that had broken away with them, causing a dangerous riptide to form between the piece of cliff and the main face. She hated it. She hated the sea and she hated this place. As Otonoran stared silently out at the sunset, her pale hair, a trait from her father, fanned out behind her, she looked amazingly like her mother, if she could remember the wretch's face. With a soft huff Otonoran began the trek back to her chambers so she could prepare herself for the upcoming trip to Lord Sesshoumaru's keep.

 

 

“Here you are my Lord,” the servant gushed softly as she handed Inuyasha the tea he'd requested.

 

Honestly he hated the stuff, but it could do wonders if one wanted to stay awake. He took the tea from the young demon servant and grunted his thanks. She giggled and rushed out the door where there was more giggling from multiple parties. From across the room Kagura almost choked on her saliva she was laughing so hard which earned her an angry glare. The wind witch waved it off and collapsed on her side, still laughing.

 

“Oh my Lord Inuyasha! I am not worthy to touch your hand!” She stuttered out which only caused her to snort and begin laughing harder. She fell over, clutching her side, gasping.

 

Inuyasha glared at her, hoping it would get her to stop but when she stared rocking side to side he gave up. The half-demon looked back down at the report Daiki had handed him and wondered what he was supposed to do with it. It should have gone to Sesshoumaru but things had gotten so mixed up lately he wasn't even sure his bastard brother knew exactly what was doing on. That little power struggle couldn't have turned out worse. But that was the only way it could have turned out. He'd yet to talk to Sesshoumaru about it, or even talked to Sesshoumaru at all except for in passing. It wasn't as if they weren't in the middle of a war right now, but now all Sesshoumaru's vassals had sent missives stating that they were on the way here, to observe Sesshoumaru and his new consort.

 

Inuyasha had stared at the adviser in a mixture of shock and horror when he had been told before he managed to control himself and snap his mouth shut. Kagura had snickered next to him but by then her presence had been noted by everyone and she was ignored.

 

“A party?” Inuyasha drawled slowly as if processing it just now.

 

“Yes my Lord, a gathering of all the Inu no Taisho's vassals to observe the union between my Lord and his mate or consort,” the adviser had answered brightly.

 

Inuyasha had stared at the old demon oddly for a few moments before shaking his head, muttering to himself. Finally he managed to say, “I am not a mate or a consort to Sesshoumaru.”

 

Kagura had snorted next to him but didn't say anything. Inuyasha had been profoundly glad. The adviser however had looked confused.

 

“But-,”

 

“No.”

 

Inuyasha shook himself free of the memory and pushed the report to one side under it were a few missives from the vassals but he knew that this wasn't all of them. Some of them must have been delivered to Sesshoumaru then. The hanyou rubbed his eyes tiredly and opened his mouth to ask Kagura to go get the other missives from the vassals but stopped when he saw that she was still laughing. He waited impatiently for her to stop but she just kept on going, muttering to herself before breaking into another fit. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her as he got to his feet. He slid the door open and turned back to look at the wind witch who hadn't even realized he'd moved. He slammed the door shut before opening it and slamming it again. Kagura just broke into more hysterical laughter. Inuyasha gave a growl of frustration and turned on his heel to stalk away but ran into something solid causing him to fall into Kagura who had opened the door to find out where Inuyasha had gone. He landed at her feet and her face twitched as she tried to hold in another burst of laughter. Sesshoumaru looked down at his brother, who hadn't made any move to rise and was hitting his head against the stone floor, moaning to himself. Kagura looked between Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru her face still twitching before she turned sharply and ran back into Inuyasha's study, slamming the door shut behind her. The sounds of her laughter could be heard clearly and Inuyasha groaned louder.

 

Sesshoumaru stood still, so confused that he couldn't even be bothered to try to hide it. He blinked slowly at his half-brother and looked between him and the closed door, frowning.

 

“What. . . .?”

 

Inuyasha just shook his head against the floor and began muttering to himself.

 

“Inuyasha?”

 

The half-demon shook his head again as he stood up. He glanced at the door and paused for a moment before rushing over to it and slamming it open again. Kagura's laughter stopped abruptly as Inuyasha glared at her.

 

“I'll deal with you later,” he snapped sharply.

 

Kagura blinked up at him from the chair she'd collapsed into and made herself look subservient. “Oh yes my beautiful Lord Inuyasha. I am not worthy to listen to your soft sexy voice.”

 

He turned and slammed the door shut behind him, almost walking into Sesshoumaru again, who hadn't moved. The dai-youkai shook himself and glowered angrily at his brother.

 

“Stop slamming the doors.”

 

“Bite me.”

 

Sesshoumaru heaved a calming sigh and closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. “We must talk.”

 

Inuyasha had calmed down by now and nodded in agreement running a hand through his hair. It didn't help at all and only made it look even more like a bird's nest. Sesshoumaru's hand twitched at his side and he turned away, looking over his shoulder.

 

“Come.”

 

Inuyasha did as told, walking slightly behind and to the left of Sesshoumaru as they made their way through the corridors through Sesshoumaru's study to the balcony that looked over the grounds. Inuyasha leaned against the railing and Sesshoumaru stood stiffly, both of them silent. Finally the hanyou broke it, his voice soft and his tone as bland as he could make it.

 

“This isn't working.”

 

“I'll assume you mean both of us trying to run a household without conferring with each other?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I agree.”

 

They fell silent again and looked over the grounds. The sun was setting and the tips of the trees were turning golden. Sesshoumaru leaned against the railing as well and let his face relax.

 

“The Hyouga wishes for talks.”

 

Inuyasha hummed thoughtfully. “A trap?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Inuyasha looked at his brother out of the corner of his eye, his mind working furiously. Something was off here. There was a missing piece.

 

“Spill Sesshoumaru.”

 

The dai-youkai looked amused for a moment before it was gone, his expression pensive. “The vassals-,”

 

“Are a bunch of idiots,” Inuyasha interrupted, causing Sesshoumaru to snort softly in agreement.

 

“They believe that you are my consort. We will act accordingly.”

 

Inuyasha looked genuinely confused. “Why? Why not say fuck you and do what we want?”

 

Sesshoumaru blinked slowly as if actually thinking over the proposal. Then he blinked again and frowned disapprovingly. “We cannot afford to loose their support.”

 

“So basically, you want me to put on a show for all your little cronies so they'll be happy and you can get them to do what you want without lip?”

 

“Yes,” the dai-youkai answered without hesitation.

 

Inuyasha didn't look pleased with this but gave a suffering sigh before shrugging.

 

“And the Hyouga?”

 

Sesshoumaru looked thoughtful but said nothing. Inuyasha summed up his thoughts for him.

 

“Fuck him?”

 

“Quite.”

 

“We really should have done this in the beginning.”

 

Silence.

 

“I'm gonna go kill Kagura.”

 

“Don't slam the doors.”

 

A joke's a very serious thing