InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dubious Relations ❯ Chapter 16 ( Chapter 17 )

A’sDisclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended as I’m only borrowing the characters in order to amuse myself. So, in simple terms, Rumiko Takahashi owns the characters and I make no money off this.

Warning: Incest, swearing, violence, mpreg, angst, yaoi, AU, OCs. All spelling/grammatical errors are my own. If you spot some mention them and I will fix them.

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Dubious Relations

Chapter 16

Satori didn’t appreciate being made to wait. She had more important things to do than stand about for undefined amounts of time, wasting away as though she were a lovely flower waiting to be picked. Her foul mood wasn’t at all soothed by her morning bath as the pristine waters of the river behind her were far too cold. She fiddled with the tie she kept the front bangs of her hair back with impatiently, tenderly smoothing down her pure white locks fondly and brushing her well kept claws through them.

The demoness was waiting for the worthless mortals she’d smelt - their scents were of the earth, like dirt and moist leaves - and she could hear them starting to draw themselves closer to her, feet scuffing the ground with a crackling crunch. They appeared to be taking their time, considering she had smelt them a good few minutes ago. She stood straighter, pulled her shoulders back proudly. They didn’t smell elderly or terribly young; surely they could get a move on so she could blast them into oblivion and continue on her merry way.

After three turns of doing her hair up (it had to be perfect) and several moments of examining her forever immaculate claws, she heard the clear voices of humans as they talked nonsense. Two were female, another was male and - her pointed ears perked as she heard the names Inuyasha and Sesshomaru mentioned thrice each. Satori frowned slightly and stepped forward gracefully; that was interesting and certainly unexpected. There were three - no, there was a young fox with them - so four travellers. Satori examined the voices as she planted herself between a huge tree and another of shorter stature, its leaves glistening with early morning dew.

Finding her deceased mate’s castle was proving to be far more difficult that she had first thought, and if these mortals knew where it was it would save her a lot of time and save her from her own temper. Satori idly petted her fluffed pelt, pushing it up and over her elbows.

The travellers appeared like flowers blooming from the ground, starting as specks along the long, dirt path until they were unabashedly staring at her and stood nearly as tall as her. They all stopped and peered at her curiously.

She examined them in return. Satori found that the monk standing at the head of the group was leering at her far too appreciatively, his violet (an odd colour for a human) eyes shimmering with delight. The woman beside him however, looked wary as she grasped at her large hiraikotsu. Satori then scrutinized the small fox demon that had leapt into the arms of a small human girl (who was staring at her as though she were something incredibly amazing, which Satori couldn’t blame her for. Not many humans had been able to witness her in all her glory, without her face hidden behind a fan) in a pink, floral kimono, his teeth chattering like a bee buzzed, except the pitch was higher and far more aggravating. She lifted her chin slightly higher; the only one that could be considered worth her time seemed to be the fire-cat that had leapt in front of the small group, her hair standing on end. At least one of them realized her power…

“I am Lady Satori,” She began slowly, politely, her voice holding an annoying rasp from centuries of silence, “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. Do you know where I can find Lord Sesshomaru?”

The monk instantly responded with a charming smile, the links on his staff jingling as he stepped forward, “If this monk may ask, why are you search for him?”

“That is none of your concern, monk.”

“Well then,” Satori’s eyebrow arched as the man cleared his throat, “I am afraid I can not assist you, Lady Satori.” He inched closer, so that he had covered half of the distance between them and was lessening it further.

Satori bristled, eyeing the monk as he took another miniscule step towards her. She made a show of hitching her pelt upon her elbows, her claws glinting in the sunlight. He halted with a half-hearted chuckle. She calmed herself, before she replied in a softer tone, “Will you not aid a mother looking for her son?”

Their reactions were instant, in sync and identical as their mouths fell open and their dark eyes widened comically. The fox demon seemed to be stuttering silently as his mouth opened and closed like a fish nibbling at its food, his tiny hands grasping the front of the younger girl’s kimono tightly. Satori examined the garment. It appeared to be made from silk, it's yellow glowing gold in the speckled sunlight diving through the canopy above them. It was definitely far too expensive for this human to own. The little party didn't seem to be human Lords and Ladies, that much was certain from the lack of guards surrounding them. Satori felt a question bubble in her throat, but did not speak it, just let it pop and settle uncomfortably in her tummy; if they hadn't answered her question by the time they took her home, she would inquire, not before. Humans shouldn't interest her.

The smaller girl stuttered, “Y-You’re Sesshomaru’s mother?” Satori didn’t deign the question with a response; hadn’t she just implied that? Was the girl deaf? “We haven’t heard of you, I apologise.” The girl bowed hurriedly.

Haven’t heard of her? Satori’s grip on her silken pelt tightened dangerously as she shifted it. She clutched to it so tightly she thought she may have shredded the parts unfortunate enough to have been grasped in her claws. Did no one teach mortals of the Lords and Ladies that ruled over them anymore? Was she not spoken of as much as her own mother had been, or her father? Despite the 'dishonourable' act that had warranted her death, she should have been acknowledged for all her other conquests! This was unacceptable. Had her son done nothing to keep the ways of old in practice? Her golden eyes narrowed perilously, “You are close to my son?” She asked. No mere human referred to the Lord of the land without his title, this was peculiar. Was he the one that had given her that kimono? Had Sesshomaru developed a fondness for humans like the one that his father had obviously nourished? If so, what had possessed the fool to mate with a half demon and bear his child?

The girl flushed pink, “Ah - no! No. He’s a friend of a friend.” She seemed downtrodden as she said this, her large, deep brown eyes falling to the ground for a moment before she jumped in her place and exclaimed, “Oh! And my name’s Kagome. This is Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kilala.” She pointed to each being, and they bowed. Satori inclined her head in acknowledgement, at least these humans were respectful, she'd met many that lacked any manners at all since she'd started searching for her home.

Sango spoke up next, “We know where he is. Would you like us to take you to him, Lady Satori?”

The demoness bowed her head again and clipped, “I would like that. I’m afraid I have not visited in some time. The castle has been moved.”

They gave her the shaky excuse that their little demon cat being hurt and unable to carry them all and thus it was quickly decided that they would walk. She had her suspicions, as the younger girl - Kagome - saddened with every mention of the half breed. It seemed that he was staying with Sesshomaru, for reasons that they would not disclose no matter how forlorn and low her motherly tone got. She supposed it was because of the pup that was disgracing her son further. It wasn't proper for fathers to leave their mate's side during pregnancy, though that hadn't stopped Inutaisho from leaving hers... It was beginning to grate of Satori’s nerves.

She walked with graceful steps ahead of the group, the younger girl beside her with the fox demon in her arms. He continuously flicked his bright green gaze up at her before hastily looking a head of them again, much like the girl did. Satori found his fear to have quite the cheering effect on her. The girl’s wondering gaze was slightly uplifting, but not much. Satori wondered what she found so fascinating about her; it was most likely a tiny thing that humans could never gain. The stone gracing her chest was exquisite and worth a fortune. Perhaps she was admiring that? The more the walk progressed, the more Satori began to wonder; the girl wasn’t staring at her chest, wasn’t examining the stone in anyway. Her eyes seemed to drift up towards the crescent moon that graced her forehead, as it showed off the sacred jewel shards and a deep blue outline.

Satori fanned herself delicately, after an hour of walking in near silence. She eyes filthy human farmers as they tended to their crops icily, “Will we be travelling for long?” She would not be walking for days when they could fly and arrive in less than half that amount of time.

“Is everything alright, my lady?” The monk sidled up beside her, an arm placed on the small of her back, “Are you ill?”

“Not at all, monk. I simply want to see my son. Sesshomaru must be exceptionally strong now; it's been years since my last visit.” Satori held her tongue as thoughts of what her son must look like stormed through her head; the boy would look like his father; his skin tinged crimson, his eyes a piercing turquoise, a seemingly permanent self-satisfied smirk upon his face. Really, what good was a name as noble as Sesshomaru when the one wearing it acted like a spoilt child? He most likely possessed little to no markings; the symbols of their dog demon lineage... Her actions would be obvious; her sleeping with a dragon demon.

“Ah,” The monk sounded, taking a hold of Satori’s smooth hand and clasping it gently. She stiffened and drew her claws along the scratchy material covering his palm. Any smart human would have seen it as a warning of many painful things to come should they not stop their actions right that second. He didn't seem to notice and instead asked, “Would you like me to tell you of him? I’m afraid I don’t know him all that well as a person, but I can tell you of his physical appearance.”

Satori examined the smiling monk, finding the warmth of his hands still gracing hers and her back, “Go on.” She pushed before adding with a pleasant tone that was lined with a threatening hiss, "And remove your hands from my being now, lest you not want them attached to your own for much longer."

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The castle’s bathing room was expansive and richly decorated with natural rocks that were of a cold grey, carefully selected fauna and was steamy, hot and smelled of sweet, healing minerals. All of this was a welcomed change from the putrid scent and appearance of his chambers. The demon Lord had awoken that day to the scent of sweat and sick, itchy, sticky skin, oily hair and a warm, sleeping half-breed pasted to his front, a peaceful expression on his childish face. He’d ached like he was then, as though his entire body was throbbing and being pulled down. That in itself was an unpleasant surprise, however, paired up with the news that the pup had been practically eating away at him from the inside out, thus causing him to fall into a comatose state for a week hadn’t made the situation seem any better. He felt far too weak, unable to lift a finger to wash himself or remove the annoying strand of hair falling across his vision, let alone protect his pride or being. Inuyasha was lucky, or he would have slaughtered him where he’d laid that morning.

It had taken a lot of debating on Sesshomaru's part to have Chiyo allow him to have a bath. She'd been worried he'd drown himself or Inuyasha in his angered state, despite his being unable to move without aid and because he was unable to do so. She was a stubborn demoness and despite his wishes had stuck by her sentence. Her initial decision had been shifted once Inuyasha had rudely interrupted with a crude: "Fucking hell lady, he wreaks worse than Naraku! Let him have a bath!"

Sesshomaru examined the cream wall opposite him as he waited impatiently for Inuyasha to rid himself of his own garments (which included his fire-rat haori; it seemed the half breed refused to be seen completely bare by him again, especially as he fidgeted beneath his cold gaze). The demon Lord was sitting with his stomach protruding from his body far too much and his bottom feeling pleasantly warmed from the stone bench beneath him, a thin, pale robe draped around his sickly coloured body. Sesshomaru would have run a large, clawed hand over it and the slowly stretching skin, just to be sure he still wasn’t suffering from the effects of the pup’s gestation and thus, wasn't hallucinating, had he possessed the strength to lift his hand.

Inuyasha’s feet squished against the ground, his entire being looking soaked as he moved towards Sesshomaru, his hakama hanging around his thin hips. Sesshomaru clenched his teeth as Inuyasha moved to his side and wrapped a skinny arm around him, stumbling slightly as he lifted the demon Lord onto shaky legs that felt as though they were made of straw. Sesshomaru wouldn't bite the half breed's head off, not yet. Inuyasha was the reason he'd been allowed to bathe in the first place, he was to be allowed a brief respite. Inuyasha threw Sesshomaru’s arm around his shoulders with a grunt and garbled grumble.

Sesshomaru struggled to keep himself in the somewhat upright position he’d managed so far as the pair hobbled across to a large spring, its water practically begging Sesshomaru to submerge himself in it as it steamed and fizzled with minerals, his inner demon's anger causing his blood to bubble and boil. Sesshomaru felt weak, sore, heavy and terrible, as though he were a child being put through a training regime that was far too sturdy to knock down. Sesshomaru, however, saw his situation as being much worse than that; training allowed you to lose weight and grow stronger, and Sesshomaru had gained it and had weakened. It was infuriating! This was all that foolish, disgraceful, half-breed Inuyasha’s fault! He’d done this to him! He was the one that had marked him and sealed his fate as a prisoner to his own wishes!

“Is there a stone or something that I can sit you on in there?” The half breed asked with a huff, his molten gold eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the spring. Sesshomaru doubted he could see a finger's width beneath the water, it was murky with so many minerals. Inuyasha continued, despite his displeased stare, “I don’t want the hag to bitch at me because you went and drowned yourself.”

“Yes. On the western side.” Sesshomaru’s legs gave way gratefully as he was laid on the floor, leaving Inuyasha to slide into the obviously hot water as he hissed and then reached for Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru didn't move into the half breed's grasp, simply shakily tugged at the obi at his waist, allowing his robe to slide off and allowed Inuyasha to pull him close, so that his head and left shoulder were against his skinny chest. Sesshomaru frowned as Inuyasha shakily stepped back, "Don't dare to drop me, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha snorted, "I'm not stupid, you know."

"Your actions don't show so."

"Shut up."

Sesshomaru's mouth closed as Inuyasha dropped him onto the hot stone of the step, before he caught his wider shoulders and kept him upright. Sesshomaru gingerly lifted his trembling arm onto the small, natural armrest, leaning against his side heavily. It was strange... Sesshomaru felt his skin thrum pleasantly at Inuyasha's contact, despite his violent aggravation towards the disgrace. His skin felt comfortably warm, especially as Inuyasha scooped steaming water up and over Sesshomaru's bared shoulders, neck and face, and then rubbed gently as though he would break him should he use anymore force than he was. Despite his annoyance at being held as though he were made of the finest glass, Sesshomaru almost couldn't keep the frown gracing his face where it was; everything was soothing him...

"Don't you have a bucket or something?" Inuyasha asked abruptly, his harsh voice kicking Sesshomaru out of the calmed, dreamy state he'd lulled himself into. The half breed hesitantly left Sesshomaru's side to peer around the small rock formations framing the springs, "You can't expect me to hold you up in the water, do you?" The scratches of Inuyasha's claws hitting warm stone echoed throughout the room, "And don't you have any bathing oils or something to wash you with?"

Sesshomaru's heated gaze left Inuyasha to focus on a smaller stone to the half breed's left, "It lifts up."

The half breed mumbled heatedly, his ears standing to attention as he yanked off the lid, the small stone acting like a handle as he did so, "You know, when I said you should go take a bath, I meant alone, as in, me not being in here with you. I've had enough of your face to last me a lifetime." He snatched up an assortment of bottles, all shining and elaborately decorated, before he tugged out a dry cloth from the little niche in the ground. He turned and trudged slowly back to Sesshomaru's side, "That bitch knew what I meant and she still forced me to bathe you. What does she think you are? A baby?"

Sesshomaru ignored Inuyasha's ranting, and flexed his hand. Though still shaky, he felt somewhat better at the sight of his hand's moving when he told it to. It was good progress, his muscles were strengthening, "I do not need your help. If you had not noticed, I'm growing stronger already. An hour in these waters and I will be able to bathe myself."

Inuyasha scrutinised him, "Like with the stupid starving yourself incident? I don't trust you..."

"It is my body, Inuyasha."

"It's my pup you're carrying, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha retorted as he examined the white cloth he was carrying, dipping and wringing in his clawed hands.

Sesshomaru frowned, "I do not want this child, Inuyasha."

"Well too bad, you should have thought about that before you asked me to fuck you." He retorted, whilst his golden eyes remained on the bottles now lined up along the side of the spring.

The demon Lord found his skin prickling with irritation as Inuyasha’s eyes drifted towards him but stopped before they reached him, falling back to what he was working on. Since they'd arrived at the baths, Sesshomaru had noticed Inuyasha's eyes straying from his being. He had not looked at him for more than a second at a time before he made sure something else captured his attention. Was he not pleased with the way he looked? He certainly seemed to enjoy it before, even if it was on a purely physical level. Just as Sesshomaru still thought Inuyasha was attractive, despite the feeling of hatred he held against him. This realisation caused Sesshomaru to frown further, his resolve to somehow rid himself of the pup growing stronger as he watched Inuyasha pull the stopper from each of the glass bottles, sniff them, wrinkle his nose and thrust them back into the niche. He would not have the pup destroying the beauty Sesshomaru was so proud of and had always aimed to maintain. Many had commented on how he resembled his mother, and hearing it from the other Lords, not Chiyo, had always made it seem far more believable; the elderly demon had made a mantra out of her: "You are like your mother, my Lord" line, it had lost its meaning a long time ago.

And then there was his alerting the other Lords of Japan to his pregnancy (a deed he was supposed to have done two weeks ago). Sesshomaru glared at the water in front of him, as he drew his claws over the stone beneath his hand, attempting to calm himself. He would be stripped of his lands and position lest he found a mate he truly cared about and was strong enough to help him defend them. That was, if he managed to find a way to remove Inuyasha from that position. Sesshomaru wouldn't allow everything he'd worked so hard to gain and keep fall from his grasp in a tarnished mess simply because his half breed, half brother couldn't do something as he wanted it done for once.

"You don't realise how this will effect us." Sesshomaru commented, as Inuyasha finally picked a deep blue, round bottle and upturned it, "You think I am simply worried about my own well being. All of my lands are in danger of being overturned into the claws of the winning demon Lord, should I not destroy this monstrosity." He rubbed his tummy, surprised by the pleasant tingliness his action caused to bloom all over him.

Sesshomaru met Inuyasha's heated gaze, both of their stares hard and searching. There, Sesshomaru thought smugly, Inuyasha wouldn't allow the humans living under his rule to suffer unnecessarily; surely he wouldn't be so stubborn. The demon Lord continued, his voice deep, flowing, smooth, like ink from a brush, "I am sure your human girl will appreciate the act. She is angry that you are with me and a father to be with another being other than herself. Chiyo told me she had Kazuo let your friends know." Sesshomaru tipped his head to the side, laying the heavy appendage on his right, upper arm, hoping for some relief as his neck cracked awfully, "It was a stupid decision on her part; how are we to be sure they will not tell the rest of my lands, or a Lord's spy of my health? It is extremely dangerous."

"Feh," Inuyasha's hand clenched around the cloth he'd just drenched in oil - lavandar oil, should Sesshomaru's nose be working properly - making it squelch unattractively, "Listen, I’ve had a lot of time to think about this and I don't care if you're fucking made to stand on your head and sing whatever stupid song amuses those bastards, but I'm not letting you kill off my pup. Kagome and I'll take him off your hands when he's born, until then you're just going to have to put up with him."

"What of the humans?" Sesshomaru asked lowly.

"I'm sure I can send anyone stupid enough to try me away. Until the pup's born, I'm your mate. We've got until then to find some way to get rid of these stupid mating marks."

Sesshomaru’s molten eyes narrowed as Inuyasha swept the cloth along the line of his shoulder and neck, “And if we cannot?”

Inuyasha snorted, “Like hell I’m not.”

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Chiyo had seen many strange things in her long, long life, but watching her Lord and his younger mate arguing over what yukata her lord was to wear was the most amusing she’d seen in ages. Or it had been, until she realised they were both as stubborn as each other and wouldn’t stop until they had won. She stood by the door, watching silently.

“There is no way I’m letting you wear that.”

“What is wrong with it?”

“It’s too short!”

“I will be in bed, Inuyasha. It is essential for me to wear something that isn’t going to hinder my movements.”

“It’s not like you can move now, anyway. You might as well wear something that's longer!”

The elderly demoness smiled as she watched as her Lord frowned and his dark, elegant brows furrowed with annoyance. He was sitting in the robe she'd had Inuyasha place him in before his bath and was currently seated against the northern wall. Inuyasha was standing in front of him, his claws filled with and tearing the pale blue yukata that would have reached his knees should he have worn it. She imagined it would have reached mid-thigh on Sesshomaru. She sighed and sat down on a plush, scarlet mat, either being ignored or having not been noticed yet.

She supposed Inuyasha didn’t know that her Lord preferred manoeuvrability whilst he slept or laid in bed, hence, he’d ordered for half of his yukatas to be shortened. But it seemed the younger half demon wasn’t listening. It was peculiar, Chiyo thought, that he was as protective as he was of Sesshomaru. No mating mark she’d seen had caused a demon’s feelings to morph into their opposite counterpart and act so violently. It was as though Inuyasha was afraid he was going to lose –

Aah…Now she understood. Chiyo carefully tugged a bang of silvery hair back into her bun, finding her emerald eyes still trained on the boys. Inuyasha would not have had much to call his own in his short 200 year long life. He could call his clothes his and now the Tesseiga was also his possession, however, he wouldn’t have had a living being to call his own since his mother’s passing. Be them a familiar or a loved one. Sesshomaru, as Inuyasha’s mate and his child’s ninsoku, was – traditionally – supposed to fill in the roll of wife: to attend to his needs, to clear up any problems that wouldn’t need his attention and to give him the love and support even the most frigid of demons needed. Even if Sesshomaru did not kiss him or hold him, the attention the demon Lord sent Inuyasha’s way would be addicting to the young half demon. And Inuyasha would not – and possibly, could not – deal with his mate’s attention being stolen from him.

“Inuyasha, it is my body,my health, my bed and they are my clothes-”

Chiyo wasn’t able to hear the rest of her Lord’s statement as a timid knock sounded from door. The boys’ bickering didn’t cease nor halt at all, continuing as naturally as one breathed. Chiyo heaved a sigh and creakily lifted herself to her aching feet, finding her elderly bones screeching for rest; she hadn’t received much since Sesshomaru’s falling ill and wouldn’t for a while yet.

She slid the shogi open easily and was greeted by a demon servant, her red head bowed passively, “Lady Chiyo, your guests have arrived and-” She hesitated, her clawed hand finding her lips for a moment as she looked frantic, “M-My Lady, L-lady S-Satori is with her.”

Chiyo’s reaction was quick, silent and unobtrusive as she flung her short self out the door, gently shut the shogi and ushered the servant down the hall, her voice a rasped hiss, “What are you talking about, child? Our Lady was put to death, I bore witness to the process myself and claimed her so!”

“I-I know, my Lady, however - I was only young at the time – but, she truly does remind me of our Lady. She also has the Meidouseki stone, my Lady. I couldn’t help but hear that it was missing.”

Chiyo’s gaze hardened and narrowed as she hurriedly scuttled back to her Lord’s chambers and rushed across the room, ignoring the boys as they turned their golden stares on her, watching with curiosity as she quietly peeked out of the window. Her bright green eyes widened, her pupils thinned as the image of her Lady, her supposedly deceased mistress, standing in all her demonic glory imprinted itself in her aged mind. She looked as she had before her death, stunning, perfect, it was extremely confusing. Inuyasha’s voice rang out as she hastily drew away from the window and turned her gaze on the robe clad Sesshomaru.

“My Lord, please do as Lord Inuyasha asks. We have a visitor and I am not sure I will be able to hinder her meeting you, despite your state of ill health.”

Sesshomaru’s glare wasn’t at all pleased as he shakily grew his hair away from his face, “She would dare to defy an order?”

Chiyo regarded him with a level look, her voice as shaky as Sesshomaru's being, “Oh, she would dare, my Lord. She has every right to.”

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Woffy: You know, I wouldn't want to act my age around most of you reviewers. I have to say I'd act in the same way as she is, so don't go bashing the poor girl.

I send a huge thanks to those that reviewed! So that includes: erisincognito, polka dot and ladytokyo.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Now, please review. The next chapter should be up in two weeks!