InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dubious Relations ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 9 )

Dubious Relations

Chapter 8

“We're not heading in the right direction!” Inuyasha said again, for the fourth time that hour, his tone growing angrier with every shout. His ears twitched with annoyance as the only beings that reacted, yet again, was the Brat and the dragon, both of which turned their eyes on him (almost, in the case of the dragon) curiously.

They'd been walking for two days now, in search of Sesshomaru and it seemed as though his companions had taken to ignoring him and his supposed whining. Inuyasha scowled, his chest beginning to ache sharply, as though a spoon was being dug into it mercilessly. At first he had thought it was his heart, calling for him to save Kagome, just as it had in the past. But Kagome was in front of him, so it couldn't be his heart. With a cocked brow, he realized that perhaps it was his lung hurting instead? Either way, something was telling him to head further west of where they were, as though there were a piece of string originating from somewhere in that directing tugging on the said organ. It had been annoying him for the past day and a bit, and he had grown sick of it.

Inuyasha's eyes focused on Kagome. She was walking at the head of the group, her bike by her side as Shippo rode in the basket, his mouth moving with no thought of stopping. Inuyasha also needed to think with out the pesky female around. There was a chance that she was attempting to be the kind hearted person many people had been fooled into believing she was, but… Inuyasha had a feeling that there was something seriously wrong with her. And he wouldn't feel any better until he was sat.

His ears flicked from side to side, and then stood to attention as his mind whirled and swirled with thought. His eyebrows furrowed. But what could have possibly been in that direction if everyone he cared about was walking in front of him? It wasn't possible for there to be two of all of them (Inuyasha didn't think he could put up with two lecherous monks). Inuyasha was forced to hold back a shudder as the image of two angry Kagomes appeared in his head. Dear Buddha, he would gladly offer himself at Sesshomaru's feet and beg him for death should that ever happen.

“Oi! I mean it! We're heading in the wrong direction! Something's that way!” He raised his left hand to point in the direction he meant, his sharp claws glistening in the sunlight.

“We heard you, Inuyasha; you've been saying so for the last four hours.” Sango replied with a sigh, her loyal fire-cat curled up in her crossed arms, cautious eyes trained on Kagome, “But Kagome can sense a jewel shard in this direction. It makes more sense to follow the jewel shard; Naraku won't let one pass him by.”

Inuyasha sneered and opened his mouth to respond, only to be cut off by a small, worried voice, “But Inuyasha said you would help Rin and Master Jaken find Lord Sesshomaru.” The little girl wrung Sesshomaru's dragon's reigns in her tiny hands, “Lord Sesshomaru wouldn't be with Naraku. He doesn't like him.”

“Aye. My Lord isn't so weak as to be harmed by such vermin.” Jaken said.

“I thought you said carrying a pup made him weaker?”

Jaken's slit pupils turned to pin pricks and his eyes widened, as though he'd forgotten that small, insignificant detail, “Yes, well… My Lord knows better than to fight with Naraku in the condition my Lord is in! Lady Chiyo advised Lord Sesshomaru to not over exert himself!” Rin nodded with every single one of the toad's words, looking more and more like the bobble headed toys Inuyasha had seen grandfather's make for their grandchildren's third and fourth birthdays.

Inuyasha's golden gaze was then cast upon Miroku as the monk hummed and stroked his chin thoughtfully. The half breed held back a snort at Miroku's obvious flaunting of his own string of thought.

A minute later Miroku's dark eyes opened slowly and focused on Inuyasha in return, “Kilala and yourself cannot smell Naraku's scent?” He asked then paused. Inuyasha nodded. He hadn't smelt Naraku's stench in ages. The air smelt purer here, despite the slowly dieing forest around them. Miroku nodded as well, “I don't think it will be too difficult to retrieve the jewel fragment then; Naraku is the only foe we've needed your Tessaiga to deal with, Inuyasha. Sango, Kagome, Shippo and I are able to handle lesser demons. Why don't you follow this feeling of yours?”

“But he can't!” Kagome exclaimed with her eyes wide and her knuckles turning white as she clutched almost too hard to her contraption's handle bars.

Sango placed a consolidating hand on her friend's arm, “Kagome, we know you and Inuyasha have always traveled together, but Inuyasha feels he needs to be else where. It would be quicker for us, should he go and seek what he needs to alone. We can then continue collecting the jewel shards and Inuyasha can meet with us later.”

“Yeah! And it'll be peaceful without him whining all the time!”

Inuyasha glared and appeared - seemingly out of thin air - beside Kagome and her bike, only to reach down and squash a clenched fist to the top of the small, smug looking, fox demon's head. Shippo whined as his eyes became teary and he covered his head with his tiny hands and he collapsed inside Kagome's contraption's basket.

“Watch your mouth, runt! You make more noise than me!” Inuyasha ground from between his clenched, sharp teeth. He then turned his eyes on Kagome, who looked extremely worried. Inuyasha found that he didn't want her to worry, “If it makes you feel any better, I'll join you again by the time the new moon rises.”

Kagome nodded slowly and Inuyasha couldn't help but wonder when he'd last realized there was a chance that should he die, he'd be missed. Certainly not since Kikyo had `betrayed' him… Kagome's quiet response knocked him from his musings, “Do you promise?”

Inuyasha snorted and folded his arms over his chest jerkily, “Yeah. Whatever.” He continued in a mutter that all of the group could hear, “Anyone would think there was a chance I'd die. Some faith you have in me.”

“What was that?” Inuyasha flinched and hastily made his escape as he heard Kagome grit her teeth with annoyance. He needed to get far away before his least favourite word was shouted after him, there was only so much the easily enraged female could take after all… Even with her attempting to not use her `sit' command with him.

But no order followed him. Inuyasha scowled; so much for that idea. He'd just have to come up with a few more plans to annoy Kagome. The half demon dodged another tall tree, then landed and lifted of a large boulder smoothly, his long grey stained hair flying out behind him. After a moment, Inuyasha found that he had no conscious thought of where he was going; his lung directing him and pulling him forward.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sesshomaru heard the human holding pale mane back whimper quietly as he lurched forward for the third time that morning, his newest companion sitting on his folded right leg, his right hand clasping its edge as he tilted it towards his contorted face. The demon Lord winced and swallowed slowly, his throat burning as his golden eyes looked down at the now crimson stained, vile smelling liquid in the bucket with deceptively uncaring gaze. He was starting to vomit up blood, he needed to eat, something his pride wouldn't allow unless it were fit for a demon Lord. Sesshomaru would not eat human food.

As if hearing his last thought, the human girl said in a small voice, her hands carefully pulling at his platinum white hair, brushing it away from his face and untangling the small knots that were appearing from his lack of a proper bath or comb, “The food Naraku brought for you should still be edible. Why don't you have some? It isn't healthy for you to starve yourself, even if it is human food; you'll kill the baby.”

He didn't respond with movement or his now raspy voice; he was not going to eat human food, it didn't matter if the pup died. On the contrary, Sesshomaru hoped it would!

“Sesshomaru?”

She sounded just like Rin when she used her tiny, curious voice. Sesshomaru looked and nodded her way, which was only displayed as a slight inclination of his head, so that his chin was resting against his collar bones like a feather against the ground.

He had begun to acknowledge her spiritual power the day before, after the human had yet again aided his being. He was weaker than he liked from malnutrition, and he needed water (and a lot of it) or demon food. Naraku had attempted to steal a kiss, only to have a bowl thrown at his over sized head. Sesshomaru couldn't help but allow his lips to quirk up into the tiniest smirk as the movie rolled in his head; the image of the annoyed glare Naraku had bestowed upon the human girl as she'd yelled at him to move away. She had been brandishing Sesshomaru's own emptied bowl, ready to launch it at the half-breed much like the one before it was. Sesshomaru couldn't remember the last time he had enjoyed watching someone pelt another with some form of ammunition. Surely he had only been a child when he had.

“Er… You said that you were mated, right?” The demon Lord didn't respond; he was tired of denying what he knew was not. He was bonded to his half-breed half-brother against his own will; he would never acknowledge the half breed as his mate. Idly he lapped at the roof of his mouth as he watched the girl move to sit beside him from the corner of his eyes, “Wouldn't your mate be able to sense that you're in danger and come looking for you?”

“No.” Sesshomaru replied bluntly, pausing before he continued, “He would be able to feel his mate. Not the distress said mate may be in.”

“Oh. That seems kind of silly. Wouldn't demons want to protect their mates?”

“Perhaps, but I disagree.” Sesshomaru said, his eyes still focused on the vines sealing the entrance to their chamber; Naraku would be visiting them shortly, if his inner clock was right. From the corner of his eyes, he could tell the priestess looked surprised, “It is most beneficial that a demon cannot feel his mate's emotions. Should mates not be bound as they are, and should they possess the ability to feel what their other is feeling, there is more likelihood that he will be distracted by his mate. A ruler would not be capable of making sound decisions should he not be able to concentrate. His mate may cause him to construct a fatal mistake that could possibly destroy his lands or decimate those that live under him. To a Lord, their lands and people must be put first.”

“But what if your mate was in danger?” The girl asked frantically. “You'd save Inuyasha wouldn't you? If he were a full demon and lived with you. You two are brothers.”

Sesshomaru regarded her with deceptively soft eyes; humans were far too emotive, “No. If I were to choose between my family and my lands, I will choose my lands.”

“That's terrible!”

“That is how it must be.” As the girl nodded mutely, with an exasperated sigh. Sesshomaru found it to be a strange occurrence that she'd fallen silent and that she'd given up at all. He had observed that she had a habit of vocalizing her every minute thought until she'd won an argument. This was not as he'd predicted this discussion ending.

Sesshomaru once again lifted his gaze to the door, a small tugging in his chest causing his gaze to drift momentarily to the eastern wall of the dark, musty room, “I am feeling odd, priestess.”

"Ah!" She gasped with wide eyes, "You're not feeling ill again are you? I need a new bucket! Kanna!” Sesshomaru watched with annoyance as the girl grabbed the still bile filled bucket and rush clumsily to the vine covered door.

Sesshomaru blinked slowly. How was it his brother hadn't killed this eccentric, loud creature? The demon Lord was sure his brother held no such patience for the smallest of things, let alone such a bossy being. The girl once again yelled for the albino child, causing Sesshomaru's elegantly pointed ears to ring and he found his own patience was wearing thin.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Lord Inuyasha!”

The half demon blinked at the small, bark brown bird now flying beside him. He quirked an eyebrow and stared as he launched himself off yet another smooth boulder, “Myoga?” He ventured testily.

“Yes, m'Lord! I come bearing important news!” The flea demon appeared atop the bird's head, before he hopped onto his master's crimson clad shoulder and despite the sharp whizzing air passing them, bounded so that he was tucked snugly inside and behind Inuyasha's matted hair and rough haori. The flea wiped his brow and turned his beady eyes up towards his master.

Inuyasha felt the tickling movement and gruffly warned, "Don't even think about it Myoga. I don't have a qualm about squashing you." The half demon's mouth felt gummy as the wind he was bounding into swept into his opened mouth as he spoke. With seemingly little effort, Inuyasha scaled a small cliff.

The flea mumbled something before he returned to their original topic, "My Lord! I have just received word that your brother, Lord Sesshomaru is pregnant!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and barked ferociously, "I know that! His fucking toad's told me already!"

"What was my Lord doing conversing with his brother's retainer?" Myoga asked with a curiously, distracted tone. Inuyasha could feel his gaze travelling up and down hiw neck, "I was under the impression, my Lord, that you were not on speaking terms with anyone that was linked with Sesshomaru." Myoga's last syllable flew up a few notches in pitch as Inuyasha abruptly stopped, his ears perked and his small nose twitching. The flea demon's eyes flew about the rocky field his master had stopped in. "My Lord?" He questioned hesitantly.

"The Brat and toad think he's been kidnapped or hurt or some shit like that. I think that's bull; that bastard probably sick of them and abandoned them. The bastard would do it." Inuyasha's large, golden eyes scanned the clearing from the submerged rock he'd landed on, looking for something, anything, that could clue him into where exactly his lung was pulling him. As he sniffed he caught the scent of the many different types of flowers this area had to offer, like the sweet smell of cherry blossoms and the strong scent of the many herbs. The wind was now softly caressing his face, now that he'd stopped running into it.

However, despite how his eyes searched, Inuyasha couldn't find a village, marked by the ash grey smoke that grew from their fires, nor could he find a castle. There wasn't anything to indicate he was actually heading somewhere and wasn't just chasing someone who he couldn't care less about. Inuyasha frowned, unimpressed by his left lung's aching.

Myoga hopped and grappled with his dirtied off-white strands to gaze at the crowd of trees his master was gazing over, "What are you searching for, my Lord?"

Inuyasha wasn't surprised to hear the flea demon question his actions. "I have this feeling." Inuyasha admitted solemnly with furrowed, dark brows, "My... Instincts want me to go in this direction. I don't have any idea what's lies in this direction though; I've never been this far west."

The flea demon hummed with thought, "You're instincts you say, m'Lord?"

"Yeah. Or some shit like that."

Suddenly, Myoga had leapt upon his nose, causing Inuyasha's head to spin dizzily as his eyes strained to stay on the flea and crossed in order to do so. Myoga spoke speedily and with a inquisitive, almost pleased, tone, "My Lord, am I correct in assuming you have finally mated, Miss Kagome?"

Inuyasha's face instantly began to glow an apple red, his eyes wide as he grabbed for the demon perched on his nose, "What? No! We're friends! Friends!" There was a minute pause in his spluttering, "What do you mean 'finally'?"

"But my Lord," Myoga reasoned breathlessly from where he was clasped in Inuyasha's claw bearing hand, "Your instincts, the way they are causing you to feel, they have a likeness to those that of a mated demon searching for their mate feels!" Myoga's face continued to darken as he was squeezed tighter.

"There's no way I'd take a mate and not know about it, Myoga! So stop saying shit like that! For all we know, it could have been something I ate!"

"Sir, if you would be so kind?" Myoga gasped, his face mimicking the colour crimson as his miniscule hands waved and pounded on Inuyasha's hand with barely a sound. They felt as though blunt pins were being hit against the tough skin between his thumb and forefinger repeatedly. Inuyasha half maliciously tightened his grip further, idly wondering if the flea demon's head would explode if he squeezed hard enough. When it continued to redden he released Myoga and watched as he fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

It took only a moment for Myoga to find his place upon his nose again, “Master Inuyasha, it is essential that you are telling me the truth. If you did not mean to mark a woman, we must find her and explain what has happened immediately.”

"Marked someone?" Inuyasha questioned with a curious flick of his triangular ears.

"Yes," Myoga replied, before his eyes widened and he blinked up at his master with frantic confusion, "Do not tell me your mother did not explain demon mating to you, m'Lord? You are of mating age! It is dangerous for you to be participating in sexual acts - ah!”

“Say something like that again and I will find a way to kill you.” Inuyasha ground out as he took the tiny flea demon between his thumb and forefinger and squashed him. His face had once again turned bright crimson, “Mother didn't tell me how demons mate. But it can't be that different from the way humans get married.”

Myoga shook his head and waved his arms by his sides frantically, “My Lord! You misunderstand; there is a difference between the mating ceremony and a demon actually mating themselves to another!” The flea seemed almost frenzied now as though he knew Inuyasha had done something stupid, “There are two components to demon matings. The actual mating, which takes place usually after the pair have participated in sexual intercourse, and the mating ceremony which is held so that family and friends can celebrate their union!”

Inuyasha's blood had frozen the moment the mention of sex had left the elderly flea demon's mouth. In order to mate with someone a demon had to have sexual relations with them? He could barely hear Myoga's warnings over the blood pounding in his ears. Inuyasha's stomach felt as though he'd eaten a couple of bricks; he'd only ever had sex with four people; not many wanted to share their bodies with a half-breed disgrace. Three of them had been whores, ready to do it with just about anyone should they have the right amount of money, which Inuyasha's had at the time. But his lung had only just started to ache and those trysts had been committed more than fifty years ago. That meant that he had… And Sesshomaru was…

Inuyasha felt physically ill. “Ah, fuck!”

Why? Why? Why that bastard? He'd have preferred that cowardly wolf, Kouga to that jack ass! It was no wonder why the bastard had wanted to kill him! How the hell could he have marked him?

Inuyasha's brain stopped momentarily as he barked, interrupting Myoga's lecture, “How the fuck do mates `mark' each other?”

Myoga visibly pale, “It is usually by biting their mate, my Lord. But the beta must bare their neck, as is the case with dog demons, as a sign of acceptance before a mark will be seen as an official mating mark. This makes sure betas aren't forced into becoming a demon's mate.”

Bite? Inuyasha searched his memory, ignoring all the erotic images of Sesshomaru as he writhed and moaned, lips practically bitten red, skin flushed and - fuck! He shouldn't be thinking about that! Never again! With a violent shake of his head, Inuyasha shook all his perverted thoughts and memories away, before his golden eyes narrowed; He did remember biting Sesshomaru, he remembered Sesshomaru pressing his neck against his mouth and gasping insistently, and him thinking that perhaps Sesshomaru was a masochist or something strange like that (it certainly wouldn't surprise him) and wanted pain. Inuyasha remembered sinking his teeth into his brother's neck and drawing blood - a lot of warm, richly flavoured, crimson blood. But that stupid thought of his couldn't have caused him to feel as though the organs in his chest were being pulled from his torso!

“My Lord, please do not tell me you marked someone you regret marking?”

Inuyasha's eyes fell upon Myoga and he, surprisingly, felt no urge to crush the miniscule demon. Instead Inuyasha wished a giant hand would squash him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The forest was coloured in hues of purple and dying green, the soil choked by the miasma that had soaked into it. A head of the two demons laid a hill, covered in leaves and crowned with a darkly coloured castle.

Naraku had to be there; Inuyasha could taste the asshole's vile miasma in the air, let alone smell its rotten scent. From on his shoulder, the half demon heard Myoga mutter about the stench as Inuyasha neared the foreboding, miasma surrounded castle, he heard the flea call into his flattened ear, “My Lord! Is it really necessary for me to accompany you, I am but a mere servant?”

Inuyasha's brows furrowed further with annoyance, “You're coming to help explain to Sesshomaru what happened, and that I really didn't know that biting him would make him my mate.” Inuyasha growled, his heart hammering from the unbearable pace he'd set himself running at.

He supposed he was still in shock from Myoga's news on him and mating and Sesshomaru and Inuyasha was having trouble wrapping his head around the concept! But he knew that should Sesshomaru see him (which he undoubtedly would) Inuyasha knew there was a huge chance Sesshomaru would slice him into the finest ribbons before he brought him back to life in order to do it again.

Inuyasha leapt - practically glided - through the trees as he reached the base of the small hill, his eyes narrowed as he reached for his Tesseiga, drawing it smoothly and with a sharp swish, quickly raising it above his head. It began to glow red as he neared the last barrier protecting Naraku's hideout, “This time, I'm definitely going to kill the bastard!”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sesshomaru's decorated eyelids lifted and he cast his gaze towards the eastern wall leisurely. Inuyasha was here, he'd heard him. The demon Lord's movement hadn't gone unnoticed by the priestess and he found himself being watched.

The girl wrung her hands together, her hands were most likely cold; it was nearing sunset and it was getting cooler, “What is it? You're not feeling sick again, are you? I really don't understand why they call it morning sickness when you can have it all day.”

With a slow blink, Sesshomaru lifted himself to his feet, for seemingly the first time in three days (thankfully, Naraku had allowed them both to tend to their daily needs in a civil manner). He found his knees wouldn't move as they were made to; every one of his limbs below his waist line was stiff. Sesshomaru had to stop himself from lashing out when he felt two smaller hands help him remain upright.

“I told you to eat. This is because you've been starving yourself!” She hissed at him. Sesshomaru ignored her and willed his legs to move and support his weight; if he'd heard right, his brother was going - if he didn't decide to grow manners and enter through the front gates - to appear from the wall he'd been sitting beside. Both the girl and himself had to move away from that wall before Inuyasha used their father's sword to slice the plaster and wood wall away as though it were nothing but wet paper.

“Hey, slowly. You're weak.”

“I am nothing of the sort, priestess.”

He heard the girl sigh exasperatedly.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Master Inuyasha! Stealth would be most beneficial in this sort of situation!”

“Will you shut up Myoga?!”

Inuyasha had just bounded over and carved through the outer most walls of the castle, his now normal looking Tesseiga held between both hands, by his side as e ran. He was now eyeing a room on the ground, his lung telling him that Sesshomaru was there and that once he'd destroyed the remaining wall separating them, he'd have to stay on his toes and watch all his limbs lest he lose one to Sesshomaru's wrath.

He bounded closer, slowly raising Tesseiga until it was over is right shoulder, “Perhaps dissimilating the wall isn't the best way to ensure my Lord's brother is in a good mood?” Myoga attempted, though his advice was given far too late as Inuyasha swung his blade, and with a wave of debris, brought down the wall.

Inuyasha covered his face with his arm and haori sleeve, before his large eyes opened and he began to shout, “Oi! Bastard, you in there?” He could hear coughing and - was that Sesshomaru hacking, from somewhere behind the still settling dust fog.

“Inuyasha?” He heard a feminine voice he knew too well call out, “Inuyasha?”

“Kagome?” Inuyasha asked incredulously. In the room, as large chunks of wall and roof were pushed away violently, Inuyasha could see Kagome and Sesshomaru, crouched together as the for mentioned demon threw the debris around them from their path.

Kagome didn't wait for Sesshomaru to clear all of it, “Inuyasha!” She cried as she bounded over to him and clung to his neck. The half-breed could feel her sobs rack her thin frame as she cried into his haori and he wrapped his arms around her slim waist, “Kagome? H-How'd you get here before me? Did Naraku attack you and the others after I'd left? Where are the others?” He attempted to sound soothing, though his older brother's presence through off his concentration; even more so was the feeling of possessiveness that washed through him like a tsunami, when he noticed his brother's less than perfect posture.

“I was kidnapped! I don't know where the others are, or if they're even alive!” Kagome said through her tears.

“But you were all fine this morning,” Inuyasha remarked, “I doubt Naraku would, huh?” Inuyasha's eyes widened and he stepped back so he could make sure Kagome was still conscious; she'd gone rock still, her sobs and tears silenced.

Inuyasha cringed at the waves of despair that came from Kagome, “This morning?” She said slowly, her tears drying on her face, “This morning!” She reiterated louder, “I've been here for two weeks, you jerk! Don't tell me you fell for Naraku's plan!”

Inuyasha blinked stupidly, his eyes wide, “Two weeks?” He echoed.

“Yes! I've been sitting here, alone and miserable and bored and you - you thought that fake was me!?"

In the attempt to defend himself, Inuyasha opened his mouth to reply, “But you were-”

“That was Kagura!” Kagome practically growled as she pointed to the ground and yelled, for the first time in two weeks, “Sit boy!”

Inuyasha couldn't remember the last time he'd hit the ground with such a large impact as his ears began to ring and his nose throbbed mercilessly, the beads around his neck glowing brighter as the command was repeated thrice more. There was no doubt in Inuyasha's mind that she was the real Kagome.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Woffy: My school work's driving me bonkers! So I took a break from it in order to write this. Also, I'd like to apologise if any of my review responses sounded rude in anyway. As mentioned before, I'm slowly losing my sanity (piece by tiny, effing piece) and I usually sound grumpy or am intolerant when I am.

In other news: I am temporarily calling the pup (in my author's notes and review replies) D. -thumbs up- Speaking of which, I need names and meanings should anyone be able to direct me to some good sites or give me some good names. They must have meanings though, I need one that will suit D. As for the gender: that's a surprise, it's been decided though.

Thank you for the reviews lovelies! So that's:

Polka Dot: Thank you, glad you liked it. However, I doubt I'll be continuing Chiyo's thoughts.

Kamakura Yuri: Sesshomaru's mother's fate hasn't been revealed yet, but you should be able to guess and get it right. It's pretty straight forward. Thank you for reviewing.

And gen50: Who's reviews I love and adore. Thank you again, dearie. I'm revising all my chapters up till this one in the hopes of conveying what I wanted better. Thank you for the critique. Oh, and no, I don't know snow. Should I?

I reiterate; review please. You have no clue how much they help me write. Toodles!