InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Facets of the Living Jewel ❯ Secundus: Vade retro, Sesshoumaru! ( Chapter 73 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the other characters, Ms. Takahashi does.

 

Ryuu: dragon

Tora: tiger

Usagi: rabbit

Hebi: snake; scientific note: there is, indeed, such a thing as an Asian Cobra (Naja naja kaouthia) that is found in the wild in Japan, though it is naturalized and not native. Came in from the mainland (West) just like the other Generals. ~_*

 

Fonts:

[Inuyoukai]

(Inuhuman)

 

WARNING: Strong Lime and strong suggestion of non-consensual in the latter portion of the chapter, but that's `cause Kirara is…well, let's just say she's a cat. `Nuff said.

 

 

Secundus: Vade retro, Sesshoumaru!

By Licentia poetica

 

 

“Do not threaten me in my son's territory, fool,” Lady Mizuki, the yin Inu no Taisho, snarled as she stared balefully at the yang Ryuu no Taisho. `Sesshoumaru, you idiot! How dare you Call me and then leave me to guard your human pup and manage the rest of the Generals! If it weren't for the fact that all of us can feel the time instability focused on the two of you all the males would think that you're just insulting them by hiding that little Nekomata from them while she is in heat!'

 

“He protects the cursed Neko! Fetch him or you will pay for this insult to my family's honor!” the Ryuu no Taisho hissed back.

 

“Fetch?” She bared her fangs and growled, “Your father used to try to play word games with my former mate in the same manner, but I will not deign to respond to your juvenile attempts to break the truce. My son and the Nekomata are the focus of the time magic, but they are not responsible for your sister's condition.”

 

“We should kill her. She is cursed! That is why my counterpart is trapped in time!”

 

“My son has taken her under his protection and your sister was bound after he took the Nekomata within.” She curled her patrician lip at the Ryuu no Taisho before looking down at the immobile females at their feet. The yin aspects of Ryuu no Taisho and Hebi no Taisho were immobile, their eyes open and staring back at nothing. She looked back up into the young male dragon's eyes and schooled her features into serenity. “First of all, it is not our time to control the kind of power that could dominate both of them and your sister was trapped before the yang Hebi no Taisho arrived.” She gestured to the massive, coiled, seventy-meter-long male next to her and added, “His time is ascendant but he would not trap his own mate, especially when she was the aspect in control this year. Second,” she continued with a bit more asperity in her voice, “this is not the work of a taiyoukai. These are spider demon webs.” She wrinkled her nose at the odd odor that emanated from the webbing. `A hanyou? It is difficult to tell…what a strange smell.'

 

She watched the dragon reach down to tug at his counterpart's body. The yin Ryuu no Taisho's facial features were frozen in an expression of shock and anger and her left leg and lower torso were completely wrapped in heavy spider's silk. She rotated as her brother pulled at her, but her motionless body did not change position. As he tried to rip through the webs, Mizuki mused, `Sesshoumaru seemed to know what he was doing and he is the aspect in control now, but his cryptic comment about the Tenseiga and a Hell Gate and needing some time with the little Neko is hardly something that I can use to placate the rest of the Generals if another one is trapped. Why only the yin aspect and why is it following the progression of the hours instead of the taiyoukai with the greatest power? Does this mean that I am threatened when our time is ascendant?'

 

The yang Ryuu no Taisho tried to close his sister's blankly staring eyes. His effort was useless; the female did not even blink. He leaped to his feet and roared, “My sister is bespelled, in your territory! Your son is a traitor!”

 

“It is our territory. Do not dare to impugn my son's honor any further,” Lady Mizuki snarled.

 

“He will answer for this. Now!” the Ryuu no Taisho snarled back.

 

“Peassse Hiroto, Lady Mizuki!” the yang Hebi no Taisho hissed, his body uncoiling as he raised his head, which at three meters in length surpassed even Hiroto's tall stature. “Peasssse. Thisss sssolvesss nothing.”

 

`Calling me by name? At least you attached the honorific to mine. So, you aren't the aspect in control this year and you feel you can manifest in your true form and ignore the courtesies? Hhmmph.' Lady Mizuki tapped her foot impatiently and raised one eyebrow in response as she looked up at the swaying head, several body-lengths above her. “Too old to remember the courtessssy due a Taisho, Katsssuo-sssama?” she queried archly, purposefully mimicking his hissing speech.

 

The snake taiyoukai hissed slightly, but Mizuki knew him well enough from their centuries of shared experience to know that he was amused and was indulging in a bit of snake laughter. Unfortunately, the younger male dragon was inexperienced and jumped on her implied insult.

 

“This Hiroto will not obey a Lord of the South!” he hissed venomously as he jumped to his feet. “Even the yin Inu no Taisho does not accord you respect!” He turned to Mizuki and snarled, “Bring him out, NOW!”

 

“Fool!” Mizuki snarled in response, raising her claws and calling on her poison, but the Hebi no Taisho hissed and the loose skin on the sides of the snake's neck fanned out suddenly as he spread his hood.

 

He moved his massive body into strike position like liquid quicksilver, targeting the young dragon with his forked, sensitive tongue, and continued, “Lisssten, young one. Even thossse with our cold blood know the sssoundssss of an alpha Inuyoukai protecting hisss chosssen.”

 

Lady Mizuki lowered her hands, suppressing a laugh as the youth followed the Hebi no Taisho's every movement with glazed eyes. `Young fool. You will learn not to meet a snake's eyes, especially Katsuo's.'

 

The Hebi no Taisho continued, his voice dropping to a sibilant, soothing hiss. “There are other waysss to sstabilizze the time magic without killing. Your ally hasss already rissssked much by sssseeking anssswersss and you…will...wait…young…one.” As he spoke the last words slowly, his head swayed back and forth in front of the mesmerized dragon.

 

Hiroto subsided, sitting next to his sister with a low growl, but Lady Mizuki smiled and turned her back, secure in her immunity to the Hebi no Taisho's poison and her own predatory skills should either attack. She sauntered over to the human child playing quietly in the shade of the hei. `And if Ryouta is successful, one way or another you will wait even longer, Cold One. Either he will mate her or he'll use my son's protectiveness against him. Either way I will ensure my place.'

 

She let her gaze wander idly over the other Generals, stopping abruptly when she saw the yin Tora no Taisho staring back at her with undisguised contempt. She bowed her head slightly, equal to equal, and continued to meet the female tiger's angry stare. `Of course, if Ryouta is the one who mates the little Nekomata, he will have to deal with Midori's anger. Ah well, it wouldn't be the first time a General has strayed from his first mate and I doubt the little one has power enough to compete with Midori for control of the yin aspect. I certainly had nothing to fear from that human my former mate dallied with.'

 

She almost broke courtesy and smiled a threat as the yin Usagi no Taisho, her long, white, lopped ears elaborately decorated with braids of her gleaming green hair, put a trembling hand on Midori's arm and whispered something to her. The female tiger took a deep breath and broke her stare to look down at her ally and fellow Lady of the East.

 

The screeching of Jaken, scolding the child behind her for getting dirty, forced an irritated growl from Mizuki and the toad-imp lowered his voice to more suitable levels. She shook her head at her own irritation and tried to remain calm. `What a time for my son to choose to be protective...a Pack with his hanyou brother and humans, two with houriki, and the only other youkai besides the kit is a Nekomata! It must be his father's influence. Males!'

 

She stood protectively in front of the girl who was part of her son's Pack and stared at the other Generals, tapping her foot impatiently. `A Nekomata…well, at least she is beautiful enough to keep him on a leash and she'll fit in to my plans quite nicely. Males are fools.'

 

The yin Uma no Taisho suddenly gave a whinny of fear which was cut off abruptly. Her stallion mate screamed in anger and tried to pull off the white strands wrapping themselves around her immobile body.

 

His hands went right through the spider's web and Mizuki growled a particularly awful Inu curse. `Another yin Taisho? If this continues I will be forced to take control…but it is not my time. Must I overthrow my own son?'

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“Sango!” Miroku reached out and grabbed his wife as, three steps from the Goshinboku, she froze suddenly in mid-waddle and began to topple over. Seeing what had bound her feet, he looked into her frightened face and tried to get her to respond. “Sango! Speak to me!” She began to pant, but he could not hear her breathing and she was looking right through him, her eyes wide with terror. He laid her down on her back and tugged at the white mess tangling her feet and calves, but froze as he noticed the same webbing appear, winding around one forearm and binding it to a root of the Goshinboku. “DAMN IT TO ALL THE HELLS! INUYASHA!” he yelled, reaching over to pull the sticky strands away from her, but his hands passed right through the web as it continued to bind her.

 

“What?” came the distant, surly tone of Inuhuman. “I told you, I ain't leavin' Kagome.”

 

“LEAVE KAGOME AND GET OVER HERE! NOW!”

 

`This Inuyasha does not obey a beta.”

 

“Damnit! I want the hanyou Inuyasha back! Where the hell is he?” He closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing, ignoring an odd feeling of weakness that drained him momentarily, but opened his eyes immediately when Sango shuddered in his arms. Something round was pressing against her chest, almost as if a large, unseen foot had landed there. Envisioning the massive legs of Naraku's spider form that he had seen in the void, he tried desperately to push it away but it was something that did not exist in his world. All his training and reason deserted him as he yelled, “FUCK, INUYASHA! THIS ISN'T ABOUT PACK RANK! GET THE FUCK OVER HERE! NARAKU'S TRAPPED SANGO AND I THINK HE'S TRYING TO KILL HER!”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“No! Not you!”

 

The Tora noTaisho ignored Kirara's scream of rage, still kneeling on the floor with his hand clutching at his burned chest. Staring into his angry gaze, she gasped at the pain of losing another kitten. `It can't be real! Golden eyes…I hoped—' her thoughts stopped as the final drops of blood that had spurted from his body earlier landed on the floor with a dull splat. `Time has not passed in this room.'

 

She flicked her gaze to Sesshoumaru, whose head was still cocked to one side as he stared at his right hand. `I am a fool. I am Neko, he is Inu.' She frowned as he continued to focus on his hand; it seemed to be gripping tightly to something in front of him and his left hand was extended toward her, wrapped around something that was thick, round, and invisible. She immediately recalled the glowing strands that had surrounded their bodies. `The strands of power? Did he bring me out of the memory of my kittens' death, or did he drive me into it?'

 

“You have mastered fire?” the Tora no Taisho questioned, getting slowly to his feet and clutching at his burned chest, his youki swirling as he began healing himself. Kirara blinked and almost answered caustically, but belatedly remembered the column of fire that had blasted from Sesshoumaru's hand. “Your mother informed me you were merely an earth—”

 

“Leave!” Sesshoumaru snarled. He unclenched his left hand and Kirara felt a distinct shock.

 

“Oh, I think not,” the tiger calmly retorted. He glanced between Kirara and Sesshoumaru, his eyes calculating and his body no longer projecting any sexual feline messages. “Not yet.” His youki intensified, swirling wildly in the enclosed space, as he reverted to his own Neko dialect and hissed, “You are most definitely in heat, spitfire. It is time to finish this.”

 

Kirara repressed a shudder. `What is going on? His body language does not match his words.'

 

Sesshoumaru growled menacingly and tensed to move forward, but suddenly hesitated for a moment and tugged slightly at whatever was still contained in his right hand.

 

“You are right to reconsider,” the Tora no Taisho sneered derisively. “I have been Taisho for longer than your mother has been alive.”

 

“And yet you are only a Wood Master,” Sesshoumaru snarled as he lifted his right hand, still grasping the strand of power that Kirara knew was there. His youki swirled for a moment and then imploded into his body, and Kirara clasped her right hand closed as an odd sensation of emptiness developed in her palm. Wisps of the tiger's youki began breaking away, streaming toward Sesshoumaru's upraised hand, and the Tora no Taisho frowned in response.

 

`My-Miroku's Wind Tunnel? How?' Kirara gasped as she recognized the characteristic signs.

 

Sesshoumaru snarled, “She is mine. Mine to kill, mine to protect.” His voice lowered to a deep bass as he growled dangerously, “She has submitted to me in the Inuyoukai way.”

 

The Tora no Taisho raised both eyebrows in surprise and Kirara stifled a gasp unnecessarily; it was already muffled by the swirling air currents. `What did I agree to when I submitted to him?'

 

“I will keep that in mind in the Mating ritual,” the Tora no Taisho sneered as he began to pull in his youki, his eyes flickering from Sesshoumaru's face to his upraised hand.

 

Kirara's eyes widened as, in spite of his efforts to control it, the tiger's youki began to enter Sesshoumaru's upraised hand and the residual weakness in her muscles disappeared. `His youki restores mine? How?' Growling softly to herself, `No matter…it is time that I reminded them that I have some say in this,' she furtively toed off her zori to free her feet and gathered herself into a crouch.

 

“You will not be performing a Mating ritual,” Sesshoumaru snarled. “She submitted to me.”

 

“You were barely vocalizing!” the tiger scoffed, but he gave a worried glance at Sesshoumaru's hand and muttered, “Air, too?” under his breath.

 

“She was unconscious. This Sesshoumaru does not rape.”

 

“Unlike some other taiyoukai,” Kirara hissed viciously. Both of them ignored her, focusing on the other male as a greater threat, and she growled in irritation but concentrated her ire on the tiger. `Males! But you will pay for even thinking you could touch me!'

 

“Rape?” the Tora no Taisho laughed, not taking his eyes from Sesshoumaru. “Hardly. You should feel honored, little one. After all, a cursed nek—”

 

He never finished his sentence as she leaped, claws outstretched, yowling the Neko female's rejection challenge and calling on her elemental fire. Intent on doing him as much harm as she could in her weak body, she was startled out of her anger as gouts of muddy water spurted from her palms and she froze in midleap. `Water?' Shocked, she did not even try to twist out of the way as Sesshoumaru whipped his raised arm down and caught her against his side, growling a reprimand. She coughed harshly as his hip connected with her stomach, collapsing against his leg as the water splattered against the Tora no Taisho. She barely registered that the wind eddies from Sesshoumaru's hand had stopped as she focused on the droplets that splashed backwards toward her. `Water! Ugh! I HATE water!' Shaking her hands violently to rid them of the remaining drops, she scrambled backwards, away from the spreading puddles.

 

“Water? You have mastered two of the elements?” the Tora no Taisho hissed, pulling sodden strands of his hair away from his face and staring at her in astonishment. “A Nekomata? Water?”

 

Kirara hissed at him as she repressed her instinctual desire to lick her palms clean. `It was muddy!' she shuddered in revulsion, “Muddy water!'

 

“Only your status as a General is keeping you alive at this moment. Leave,” Sesshoumaru said coldly. Kirara edged away from him carefully, acutely aware of the coiled, tensed muscles in his body and the dichotomy between that state and his eerily controlled voice.

 

The Tora no Taisho glanced briefly at Sesshoumaru before returning his gaze to her. He opened his mouth to speak but Sesshoumaru leaned forward to block his view and hissed, “Leave!” Kirara could not see his face, but the Tora no Taisho raised his hands in a pacifying gesture and backed away.

 

“I believe my task here is finished. I will return to the negotiations,” he said flatly before turning and walking stiffly from the room, his clothing singed and dripping with mud.

 

`What? His task? I do not understand.' As the door closed behind the taiyoukai there was silence for several seconds as Kirara stared at Sesshoumaru's rigid back, trying to decide which of the threats in the room was the greater one: her angry companion or the puddles of water that flowed toward her, menacing the pristine white tabi on her outstretched feet.

 

The muffled sound of the Toro no Taisho's voice filtered through the door, diminishing in volume as he moved away. “What? Yes, yes of course, but it will have to wait. I don't know if it's possible, she's a hellcat and…,” she had to strain to hear the next words and could only make out a few as he lowered his voice to an angry growl. “Protect…air and fire…warned me!”

 

His voice diminished to a rumble and she couldn't distinguish any more words, so she began to move her feet back toward her body. The slight noise of her movement caused Sesshoumaru to turn around and stare down at her, his eyes a feral red, and she resisted the urge to run. `Where is a nice, tall tree when I need one? Oh, I wish that I could fly!' She tucked her feet underneath her and narrowed her eyes at him, beginning to hiss a threat, but he merely lowered his chin and scooped her up against his chest. She struggled but he held her tightly and spoke through the escalating sounds of his angry growl.

 

“Purr. It will keep me from punishing you for doubting my honor.”

 

“Doubting? How did—”

 

“Your scent was quite informative. Purr!”

 

“Pfffffft Hhhsssss!”

 

Growling fiercely, he sat down on the futon, twisted, and plopped her on her back, leaning over her menacingly. As she reached for his face with clawed hands he grabbed them with his own and forced them down on either side of her face, resting his weight fully on her stomach.

 

“Ooof! Get off me, you…you big ox!”

 

He smirked and brought his face close to hers. “Wrong Taisho. Purr.”

 

As he filled her vision she was vividly reminded of the memory of her three experiences with drowning and the pain of her lost kittens. `My kittens…wait! My-Rin! Is that why he is so angry?' She tried to ignore the strange ache burgeoning in her chest as she asked angrily, “Where is My-Rin?”

 

He pulled his head back and cocked one eyebrow at her. “Purr.”

 

`Oh, something must have happened. Will I ever be strong enough? I am cursed!' The pain threatened to choke her and she panted shallowly in an effort to keep it at bay. “Where is she? Tell me what has happened to My-Rin!”

 

He growled and nipped at her chin. Ignoring her hiss in response to his attempt at discipline, he snarled, “This Sesshoumaru is her alpha. Do you doubt my honor with my own Pack?” The red tint of his eyes, which had begun to fade, returned even more vividly.

 

“She is my kitten!” she hissed. “I need—” she gasped and stopped speaking as the ache of memories and current confusion overwhelmed her and tears suddenly blinded her. “I need to know that she is safe!” she sobbed and shut her eyes tightly. “Damn this stupid, weak, ugly body! A Neko does not cry! Oh, my kittens! I swore I would never be weak again!”

 

Appalled at her loss of control and sobbing helplessly in his grip, she felt him nuzzle her chin and a low, rumbling growl filled the room. His youki wrapped around hers protectively, soothing her as he released her hands and his large thumbs wiped away the tears from her temples. He rolled to her left side and tugged at her waist, rolling her onto her side and pulling her back into his chest as he rumbled, “Stop crying, Little One.”

 

Curling her body around his strong arm and unable to prevent herself from enjoying his warmth, she turned her head and glared up at him, swiping at the remaining tears with one hand. “Little One? After I regain some equanimity I will make sure you regret that.”

 

He moved his head and shoulders so that he was leaning over her, but his eyes were reverting to their normal golden color so she resisted the blatant intimidation by narrowing her eyes. “It suits you,” he smirked, moving back a bit and resting his head against his right fist.

 

“You will not make me forget my question by either insult or intimidation.” She reached up and tapped him on the nose with her left hand but he let go of her waist and trapped it within his large one, growling softly at her in warning. “Where is My-Rin?” she persisted as she futilely attempted to free her hand.

 

“I should punish you for that,” he growled softly, threading his fingers through hers so that the back of her hand nestled in his palm. “Purr and perhaps I will forget to do so.” His thumb began to stroke up and down along the sensitive skin of her wrist and the side of her hand, wrestling slightly with her own thumb as she resisted his touch.

 

“Pfffffft Hhhsssss,” she responded, lengthening the susurrations of the name so that it became a warning hiss.

 

“Pfffffft Hhhsssss?” he rumbled as he raised one eyebrow. “You are rather free with your own insults, Little One.”

 

“It suits you,” she parroted back at him, trying to ignore the tingling sensations created by his thumb caressing her wrist. Forcing her mind to ignore her body's acute awareness of his warmth at her back, she narrowed her eyes and said through gritted teeth, “Where. Is. My-Rin?”

 

He frowned and his thumb stopped its distracting caresses. “You will be more likely to get a response if you do not insult this Sesshoumaru and obey him. Now, purr.”

 

She stared at him for one long minute and his eyebrow rose infinitesimally higher. Sighing in resignation, she turned her face away and petulantly hissed “Pfffffft Hhhsssss” before she began a rough, angry purr.

 

His silent laugh vibrated against her back and she felt his chin stroke the top of her head. `Arrogant, willful, STUBBORN male!' Why do I put up with him?'

 

He began to rumble a soft growl as he settled his arm over her waist again, still keeping their hands joined, and after a few moments he offered, “Rin is with my mother and the other Heavenly Generals allied with the West. The Generals are sworn to protect her kind, and I am aware of the youki of twenty-one…no, twenty Generals outside.” He growled quietly and rumbled, “Why would—”

 

“Has one of them taken My-Rin?” She tensed and tried to get up, but he pulled her close and grumbled irritably, “I have also ordered Jaken to guard her with the Staff of Two Heads, so there is no safer place other than at my side. She is there and safe! My mother would inform me if it was otherwise. Now keep purring, for your sake and mine.”

 

“Ah, that is why I tolerate you,” she said with false sweetness. “You can be reasonable. Sometimes.” Sighing in relief and snuggling into his warmth, Kirara allowed her body to relax and purred in satisfaction.

 

After a few moments of her own song she was lulled into relaxation and stretched languorously, rubbing her head against his lowered jaw and continuing a lazy purr. He growled softly in a throbbing accompaniment to her sounds and began to move their joined hands in slow, small circles on her stomach. Even through the heavy layers of fabric swathing her she could feel both her own fingers and his larger ones caressing the sensitive skin. Oh…oh, that is wonderful! The disgusting tiger had at least one thing correct…this body is more sensitive!' She allowed herself to respond to the pleasure and arched into his touch, purring a Neko paean to the absolute comfort and security she felt.

 

Until his wandering hand pulled hers lower and their entwined fingers brushed the fabric over her sex. She stopped purring and pulled her legs upward to protect herself, fighting the sudden sensation of being in full heat as her action pulled the linen of her hakama taut against her sensitized flesh.

 

`No! I forgot! How could I have lowered my guard!' She tried to roll away, but cursed her weakness as he captured her easily with their combined hands, holding her against his hard body while he nuzzled the hair at the nape of her neck.

 

He lifted his head and his warm breath tickled her ear, causing her to flick it irritably, as he growled softly, “You are as skittish as a scalded Neko, Little One.”

 

She didn't have to turn her head to know that he had a smirk on his face. “Pfffffft Hhhsssss!” she snarled and tried to ignore her body's demands as his male scent and her anger drove her closer to losing control. “Do not make jokes at my expense!”

 

“But you are so easy to anger, Little One.” He pulled on her left hand and began to move it in a soothing circle, stroking her thighs with the back of his hand while he led her own fingers as far down her belly as her fetal position would allow. His voice lowered to a low rumble as he whispered, “I find I like you angry…it enhances your aroma.”

 

“Aroma?” She turned her head and stared up into his half-lidded eyes for a moment, watching his nostrils flare as he took in her scent. `It is the heat madness…for both of us, but he will come to his senses later and try to kill me and any kittens…though I doubt there could be any. He does not know my body's secret.'

 

She struggled against her heat as she turned her head and tried to slip out from under his arm, but he pulled her tight against his body as he growled a warning and nipped the angle of her jaw, easing the sting by immediately nibbling at the same spot. Her toes curled at the delicious sensation and her sex throbbed against the taut linen, robbing her of coherent thought for a moment. `Ooh, that feels…no! I must stop him!' Panting as she fought for control, she wondered how she could escape. `Perhaps if I appeal to his need for control while reminding him that we are completely unsuited?' Trying to keep her voice steady as he moved their combined hands up to her hip and began to stroke along the edge of her thigh, she began, “Pride Leader, I—oooh!” The low moan of pleasure managed to escape her as he brought their hands down the back of her thigh and pulled her fingers backwards, slowly and purposefully stroking her sex from behind through the tight layers of fabric. The sensation of his long fingers reaching past hers and pressing against the sensitive area robbed her of reasonable thought. `This…this is not like before when I was a slave to my heat. I like this! This body is so sensitive…ooh.' She writhed in pleasure as he circled their fingers up over her hip again and repeated the action, his throbbing growl escalating into a true Mate Call. `This is so different from before…wait! I must stop this!'

 

She abruptly straightened her legs, trying to form coherent words as she resisted the pull of his hand where it stroked her hip. She reached up awkwardly with her right hand and tried to capture his fingers, but he pulled their joined hands just out of her reach and stopped, his long fingers continuing to massage her rump as she stammered, “This…this, ohhh!” She lapsed into incoherence again as he nibbled at the angle of her jaw, but she brought her shoulder up and tucked her head against it, forcing his mouth away from the area as she managed to stammer, “This isn't possible! I have heard of taiyoukai mating other species, but an Inu and a Neko?” He began to nibble on the nape of her neck and she gasped at the sensation. “You…you cannot mean this!” His free hand slipped around her neck and his fingers began to insinuate under the fabric of her innermost kosode. “I…oohh…I am in heat! You despise me and—” she subsided in a long, low moan, dropping her shoulder and arching her body into his touch as his claws lightly stroked the sensitive skin of her left breast, gently flicking against her nipple in passing.

 

His Mating Call stopped and he stilled his hands, holding her tightly to his body for a moment as he nuzzled at her exposed neck. “I am acutely aware that you are in heat,” he growled. He lifted his head and stated arrogantly, “You have once again submitted to me as you did this morning; as an alpha bitch submits to her mate.”

 

She blinked, surfacing into lucidity without the stimulus of his touch. Taking one, shuddering breath, she stiffened and quivered in anger. “I am no bitch!” she hissed. “I am Neko! I choose my mate, I do not submit to him, and I would not choose a mate who despises me!”

 

There was silence for a moment, as if he was processing her abrupt change in behavior, before he replied, “Despise you? Right now, despising you is hardly uppermost in my mind.” At her angry hiss in response, he added a bit irritably, “You are mine now; there is no choice. Whether or not you are Neko has little to do with it.”

 

“I always have a choice!” she snarled.

 

He spoke to her carefully, as if tutoring a child. “You have submitted to me as your alpha. You accepted me and I have accepted your submission.” Pulling his right hand free of her clothing, he gently nibbled at her pulse point and put pressure on her hip to turn her on her back, then pulled back to look at her, raising one eyebrow.

 

She stared up at his heavy-lidded eyes, fighting both her heat-induced madness and her instinctive reluctance to be in such a vulnerable position. “If I accepted you, it is only the heat madness,” she whispered, almost too angry to speak. As he growled angrily in response she suddenly sat up and tried to leap away, but her left hand was still tangled with his and he sat up behind her, snarling as he jerked her back down.

 

“Let me go!” she snarled, desperately tugging at her hand as he wrapped his arm around her waist, his fingers still entangled with hers. She tried to claw at him with her free hand but he trapped that arm against her side and held her tightly, lifting her up in the air as she bucked backwards against him, trying to dislodge his hold.

 

“Be still!” he barked.

 

“I will not obey you!” She twisted wildly in his grip, her desperation to be free stronger than her heat-induced madness. “This is insane!” she snarled as she fought his hold, her own youki clashing with his as he sought to contain her with it. “When you come to your senses you will kill me for this, and if you do not, the other Generals will! They call me cursed!”

 

“I agree, we are both mad,” he growled irritably, “but you do not understand.”

 

She managed to get her feet under her and tried to leap upward, but he followed her motion easily, still clasping her to his chest. “Release me!” she screamed, fighting his hold even more desperately. “Why have you used your spells to trap me in this weak, ugly body? Why did you steal my youki and take me to that dark place filled with jyaki?”

 

“I am your alpha! I protect!” he snarled.

 

“That is protecting?” She began kicking violently with her feet, wishing that she had left her zori on so that she could do more damage. “Why did you make me relive the worst moment in all of my lives, the death of my kittens because I was too weak to save them? Why taunt me with the hope of another one to care for?”

 

There was a grunt as the heel of one foot connected with something soft. “Little One, you test my patience!”

 

Smashing her head backwards, she felt it glance off his chin before it thudded into his collar bone. She pressed the flat of her feet against his stomach and pushed away, screaming “Why do these things if you accept me as your mate?” All of her strength was ineffectual, but she continued to push. “Why would a Pride Leader even want a weak mate? You despise me! Why do you want me?” As her legs began to tire she dropped them and struggled wildly with her remaining strength, striking out at his enveloping youki with her own. Suddenly she slumped in his arms, panting dispiritedly, “Weak. Oh, my lost kittens.”

 

“Kirara,” he panted, and his use of her name for the second time shocked her into the awareness that his breathing was almost as labored as her own. “You are…not weak. I…do not…despise you.” He took two deep breaths and stated in an unnaturally calm voice, “You will not run away, nor will you fight with me. We must speak.”

 

Releasing his hold in increments, he set her down on her feet gently and released her hand, relaxing his arms so that they draped over her shoulders, but she could feel that his muscles were still poised, guarding against a further attempt to escape. She stood rigidly in front of him as they both managed to get their breathing under control, her youki continuing to resist his.

 

She began to tremble as her stiff posture stole energy from already drained muscles and her body's burgeoning heat begged for relief. `I can control this. I have controlled my body, just not in this form.' His warmth seeped through her clothing and his youki felt entirely too protective, so to prevent her traitorous body from relaxing back into his she spoke first, harshly, to drive him away. “Do not order me, Pfffffft Hhhsssss. Ask, and I may choose to agree.”

 

“Stubborn. Willful,” he growled softly. “I will ask, but you are fortunate that I find you worth the trouble.” At her warning growl he shifted his hands to her shoulders and asked, “Will you cease fighting me and trying to escape? You do not understand.”

 

“Let me turn around and face you. A Neko does not turn her back when threatened.”

 

“I am no threat to you.”

 

His preternaturally calm voice made the hair on the back of her neck stand up and it took all her control not to run from him. “That is debatable.” She took a few deep breaths and tried not to leap away. `He is an inu…if I run he will only chase me.' His male scent surrounded her and her deep breathing brought it abruptly to her attention, causing a wave of heat to flow through her body. As she shook from the intensity, she felt his hands tighten on her shoulders and another wave, stronger than the first, almost made her moan with longing. `It's too strong, too soon! I must bring this to a close, quickly!' Clenching her hands so tightly that she could feel her claws lance through her skin, she focused on the pain to help her maintain control. “I will not try to escape. If you are civil I will return the courtesy.”

 

His hands fell away from her shoulders and she turned around so swiftly that her tabi slipped on the floor. She would have fallen if he had not caught her and held her upright against his body.

 

She gasped and stared up at him, digging her claws deeper into her palms to prevent herself from reaching out to touch him. The pain focused her will and she stepped back slightly, though her body immediately protested the loss of his warmth. “Why have you trapped me and stolen my youki? How can you use my fire and My-Miroku's Wind Tunnel?”

 

He let her move away and stoically returned her gaze, but his growl was quietly furious as he answered, “Do not accuse your alpha of dishonorable crimes. I have neither trapped you nor stolen your power. It is you who block the power flow.”

 

“I…block?” She gaped at him for a moment, then frowned and growled, “You did not use a spell to trap me in this body and rob me of my youki?”

 

“No,” he returned, his answering growl softly menacing as his eyes narrowed. “This Sesshoumaru does not steal, nor would I act with such dishonor, you lit—” he stopped and snarled, “I am your alpha!” Taking a deep breath as she withdrew slightly he obviously forced a neutral tone and continued, “I am your alpha.” He took another controlled breath and snapped, “Stop that.”

 

“Stop what?”

 

He reached out and gently pulled her claws away from her palms. "Your scent is already distracting enough. Now, answer me, so that I may understand why you act so strangely when you do not trust your alpha. Why do you follow me through the portal into that strange hell when you have no way of returning?”

 

“I do not follow you anywhere.” She closed her eyes and breathed through another wave of heat when he let go of her hands by stroking his claws along her fingers. When she opened her eyes he was watching her with one eyebrow raised, obviously waiting for her to continue. She had a moment of confusion as she tried to remember what the conversation was about before she stammered, “I do not! You dragged me there while forcing me to relive my deaths!”

 

“I did not drag you. Explain what you mean by reliving your deaths,” he frowned.

 

She narrowed her eyes and reminded him, “I am on my fourth life, because you drowned me.”

 

He glared at her and retorted, “I saved your life. What about the other `deaths'?”

 

She looked away from him and backed up slightly. “I will answer you because I have acknowledged you as Pride Leader, and only for that reason. I lost My-Midoriko to the Shikon Jewel when the evil hanyou defeated me and backhanded me into a river. I drowned and returned to my third life further downstream.” She paused for a moment, breathing hard to control her body's unusual response to the painful memories, but managed to control her voice enough to continue, “I lost my first life and my newborn kittens when humans tied us up in a sack and threw us in a lake.” She took a deep breath and backed away again. “I was too weak to break open the sack in time. I swore then that I would never mate with a male until I was strong enough to defend my kittens.”

 

He took a step forward and erased the distance between them. “Why did your mate not defend you and your pu—kittens?”

 

She arched one eyebrow at his verbal slip. “I was a Neko then. A male Neko takes his pleasure and leaves. It—” she stopped herself before she gave away her body's secret and growled at the memory of the tiger's taunt. She spat, “That is also what your new ally the Tora no Taisho wanted to do with me, only he was sure that my `exquisitely' small size would enhance his pleasure and increase my pain, though I would be too maddened to care for anything but—” she stopped herself again as he stiffened slightly and she realized that she had unintentionally brought the conversation too close to the subject of her heat. Panting and edging away from him, she tried to redirect the discussion. “When you fought with him and the Ryuu no Taisho you drained my youki to move as you did. It is obvious that my youki is linked to yours somehow.”

 

“As it should be.”

 

Her bloodied hands twitched as she barely restrained her impulse to leap up and claw his face. “Is it customary in an Inuyoukai Pack for the alpha male to rob his females of their youki?”

 

“You deliberately misunderstand me.”

 

“You continually assume my understanding without explaining yourself!”

 

He growled and closed the distance between them again, his hands coming up to grab her shoulders. He flexed his fingers before visibly controlling himself and growling out, “I have accepted you as my bi—” he snapped his mouth closed and shut his eyes. Taking a short, irritable breath, he opened them again and continued, “Our youki is linked, yet you block mine. I have accepted you and will protect you with my life.”

 

Too shocked to pull away from him, she stared up and whispered, “I block…you…you accepted me? It was not just that a female submitted to you and acknowledged your power and gave you Pride Leadership…you meant…me? Does that mean that you want me to choose you?”

 

He gave a long sigh and stroked her arms from her shoulders to her hands, leaving trails of warmth that burned in her heat-enhanced sensitivity. He ran his long fingers over the backs of her hands and turned them palm up, holding her gaze the entire time. “Yes,” he asserted calmly. “Though from my point of view you have already chosen me twice, and I have accepted you both times.” He held her gaze in the long moment that followed, absently rubbing his thumbs over the healing wounds in her palms.

 

Blinking in astonishment, she finally ventured, “You truly accept…want…me? A Nekomata? As your…mate?” She pulled her hands away. “Are you insane?”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Translation:

Vade retro, Sesshoumaru! Latin; Second: Get thee behind me, Sesshoumaru! Though I think Kirara is succumbing to the temptation at this point. Maybe. Such a cat.

 

Japanese:

Mizuki: female name. Mi, "beautiful" and zuki, "moon", my preferred meaning, but it can also come from mizu "congratulations" and ki "hope”. My name for Sess-Mom (works with her moon marking in the manga).

 

Hiroto: male name; yang dragon. Hiro, “large, great" or "command, esteem" combined with to, "soar, fly"

 

Katsuo: male name, yang snake. Katsu, "victory" and o, "hero, manly".

 

Ryouta: male name, yang tiger. Ryou "cool, refreshing, clear, or good" combined with ta "thick, big". Yeah, I know…he doesn't seem to be a good guy, does he?

 

Midori: female name, yin tiger. “Green”, the color associated with the tiger.

 

Zori: Japanese; sandals worn by a lady

 

R&R thanks:

 

PM: Neko-sama (check out http(colon)//en(dot)wikipedia(dot)org/wiki/Vajra to answer your question), Fenikkusuken (still chuckling `bout Fenik's new name)

 

FF: KyriaHitomi, Folle, AwesomeHachi1521316, TaiYoukai-Lover, and thanks to all the new people who put me or `Facets' on their favorites list!

 

MM: Leo-mae, Ranuel, angel-up-above-heaven, lunatickat, Snowfall

 

I thought I'd answer one of Snowfall's questions here. No, the Inu no Taisho is not explicitly designated as one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals in the manga; however, I think there are strong indications that Sensei Takahashi was thinking along those lines and I ran with it. After all, the dragon is opposite the dog in the zodiac and the Inu no Taisho (Inuyasha's father, not Sesshoumaru) was mortally injured by the dragon youkai Ryukotsusei. For those of you who think that the Taisho should be more peaceful, remember that they are nature spirits who protect…that doesn't mean that they are passive and easygoing. Even rabbits can be vicious; most people are used to the wimpy domesticated kind.

 

Thanks for reading!

iPoe