InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Forgotten ❯ Ultimatum ( Chapter 40 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Black Wren 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Hentai / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.20.2013 | Pages: 8 | Words: 14.2K | Visits: 136 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Hentai / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.20.2013 | Pages: 8 | Words: 14.2K | Visits: 136 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone else from the hit anime
series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC’s and plot i n this story.
Kakiboufuu = Inuyash a Sr.
Chapter 30: The Line of&n bsp;Tyranny
149 years before the&nbs p;search for the jewel shards.
The y say geniuses walk the line of insanity . Well leaders walk the line of ty ranny.
That thin line between not enough power and too much. Failure to&n bsp;walk that
narrow thread could doom t he people. You have to be willing to do things that are
unthinkable to&nbs p;the common man yet stay your hand at&n bsp;the appropriate time. Have
I walked the line well? Where have I misse d my step? When will I be held&nbs p;
accountable for my misdeeds?
-I nuyasha
Part 1: Ultimatum < br>
The morning dawned bright and&nbs p;clear. The fresh scent of grass and&n bsp;leaves filled the
air. Droplets of& nbsp;water glittered in the light of the ;early sun. Birds sang and
flickered&nb sp;from tree to tree. Squirrels scampered&nb sp;from one place to the other seeking < br> nuts and seeds, gray bushing tales bobbin g and twitching behind them. There were
only a few small clouds catching t he sunrise’s pink to contrast a gainst the blue.
Kakiboufuu stood in the middle of the field going through his morning exercises.
He enjoyed ;the peace of dawn the most. It wa s easy to forget a war was raging.
Sesshomaru had returned last night, pra ctically dragged back by the girls. The
hanyou’s smile of amusement&nb sp;was bittersweet. Honestly, what right doe s he have
to complain? Win or ;lose he still has people who love him,& nbsp;he thought.
His thoughts stra yed to his uncle who had so coolly dismissed him as worthless
when he had&n bsp;failed to achieve early glory. In t he middle of a complicated set, he
stumbled, his turmoil costing him his focus.& nbsp; Kakiboufuu suppressed the urge to
growl and stood still, concentrating on his&n bsp;breathing. The rhythmic count helped to& nbsp;
steady his heart and mind. He ;needed to work on his control. He ;shouldn’t have
allowed such a& nbsp;trivial thing to ruin his focus.
&n bsp;
“What’s wrong, Oto uto?†asked Sesshomaru, stepping into the morning light.
Kakiboufuu glanced&n bsp;over his shoulder at his brother. S esshomaru was fully dressed
again. His& nbsp;white kimono with red flowers and armor& nbsp;making him look the lord he
had&nbs p;been only yesterday. Kakiboufuu was naked& nbsp;to the waist, wearing only his blue ;
hakama. His wounds were already closed with bright pink flesh; the only betray ing
mark of yesterday’s fight.& nbsp; However, Sesshomaru looked as if he&nbs p;could use a change
of clothing. The rough life style and constant battles&nbs p;had taken their toll even on
the demon silk. Frayed areas had appeared a nd some old stains were refusing to
disappear, causing the white kimono to appea r dingy and common. It hardly
befi tted an aristocrat.
Kakiboufuu narrowed his golden eyes, wondering what Sesshomaru&a circ;€™s game was.
He could tell his older brother was still sore ov er the defeat. Despite the dog
dem on’s stony expression his aura was flaring with suppressed hostility.
Kakiboufuu didn’t know Sesshomaru an d was wary of his intentions. Being&nbs p;
brothers didn’t mean they und erstood one another.
“It& acirc;€™s nothing. I lost focus f or a moment,†the hanyou replied before turning away. It
was true, in a way.
Sesshomaruâ€&trade ;s golden eyes narrowed. He hadnâ&euro ;™t missed the suspicious look
Kakibouf uu had given him. He was still ang ry about his lost status, but he had&nbs p;
promised his mother he would try to&nb sp;help his younger brother. However, it&nbs p;seemed
that was going to be harder&nbs p;than he thought. Kakiboufuu’s&nbs p;guard was up and he
didnâ€&trade ;t appear to be willing to make friends.
A different attitude from a several days ago when the panthers had b een driven off.
He had been much&n bsp;more open and friendly then. The ho stility hadn’t begun until
the& nbsp;lady elder of Kou had brought up th e ascension ceremony. Now he was
u napproachable. Sesshomaru sighed.
Othe rs started to emerge into the morning li ght. Reminded of the need to bring ;his
people to a safer more stable place; Sesshomaru asked, “Do you&nbs p;know a safe route to
friendly forces&n bsp;that we could take?â€
Ka kiboufuu tensed and said in a deep tone, “I believed I mentioned having issues
with going back there.â€&n bsp;
Sesshomaru thought back to the ;only conversation that even hinted at the&nb sp;problem.
“Since Iâ&eu ro;™m the one who did the reporting;&nb sp;yes I’m certain and no, they couldn’t have
been. You& nbsp;might say that is the reason why I& acirc;€™m out here instead of with ;my
comrades.â€
Sessh omaru folded his arms and said, †œAll you mentioned was being stuck out& nbsp;here
due to a report on Kuromakaze. You did not say what about that&n bsp;report caused you
to be out here&nbs p;or anything else.â€
Kakiboufuu& nbsp;sighed and said, “I can gu ide you back to safer lands but when&nbs p;we
arrive is when we part. I&nbs p;cannot enter that territory at this time.&a circ;€ He turned
around just at the elders came forward. â€&oe lig;I was planning to lead you there onc e
everyone had recovered but then you&nb sp;insisted on that ceremony. If I lead you to
safety I have to give up being the Inu no Taisho. There is no point in having a
leader if&n bsp;he isn’t around to lead.â& euro; He stared hard at the people ;before them.
“You really have only two choices. Return to Tenji with Sesshomaru as the Inu no
Taisho or stay out here in the wilds&nb sp;with me as your Inu no Taisho.â&euro ; He paused to
let his words sink in. “I would choose Sesshomaru if I were you,†said K akiboufuu
then crossed his arms and wait ed.
Sesshomaru eyed his brother. & nbsp;“Whatever did you do to en d up exiled?†he asked.
Kakiboufuu met his gaze then looked away.&n bsp; “That’s war,â&eu ro; he muttered. “You anger&nb sp;
the lord during wartimes and he tosse s you away with the trash.†;He turned away.
“Like yo u, he didn’t want to hear that Kanzaki Sagara was still alive, but ;he had
the power to discredit and silence me.â€
Sesshomaru stared,& nbsp;wondering how much his brother was still hiding; how much he
was not saying . Kakiboufuu’s ears were lying flat against his head and his fingers&n bsp;
pinched his arms; his claws threatening&n bsp;to puncture his skin. There was emo tional
trauma behind the exile, trauma t he hanyou did not wish to voice at that time. At
least not in front&n bsp;of the entire clan.
â€&o elig;That is not a choice we can make,&a circ;€ said the lady elder, stepping for ward. “You are
the Inu&nb sp;no Taisho now. We cannot change that fact no matter what inconveniences
it&n bsp;might mean for us.
Kakiboufuu eyed her for a moment then closed his&nb sp;eyes and shouted, “What about&nbs p;
the rest of you? The elders are& nbsp;speaking for you but I want to hear the opinions of
the rest of the&nb sp;clan. The elders don’t have to battle, so they don’t have to fight with
chipped blades a nd broken armor. The elders, due to&nbs p;their status, get the choice
bits from every hunt, so they don’t ;suffer hunger as frequently. They also ;get the
best places to sleep or re st, so they don’t suffer from&n bsp;the cold or the wet when
shelter&nbs p;is limited. With this in mind do ;you really want them speaking for you? I
can lead you to safety, shelter, fresh clothes and meals. The only ;thing you will
have to do is accep t Sesshomaru as the Inu no Taisho from&n bsp;now on without question
or further p rotest no matter how the situation may c hange.â€
Sesshomaru wondered at&n bsp;his brother’s audacity. He ;had publicly dismissed the
eldersâ€&tr ade; voice. The lady elder’s&n bsp;face was a mask of disapproval. He& nbsp;knew she would
not forgive this ins ult. The entire clan was now out i n the open and they were
murmuring to themselves. Sesshomaru could understand w hy. They were all tired
of the&nbs p;constant threat of battle, of being out&nbs p;in the elements, of living little better&nb sp;
than the packs of wild dogs that ;roamed the countryside. Even the ones of lowest
station had enjoyed a life&nbs p;far better than this before the insurrectio n. They could
have it back and&nbs p;all they had to do was accept Kakibouf uu’s surrender of power.
Sesshomaru waited and tried to ignore th e whispered words, but he felt his spiri ts
falling. Minutes later the conversat ions died and everyone looked at Kakiboufuu,& nbsp;
their expressions equally grim and deter mined. Not one looked at Sesshomaru. &n bsp;
The former lord felt their lack of&n bsp;attention like a cold breeze. The s ilent vote had
been cast; they would&nbs p;follow Kakiboufuu even if it meant remainin g out here.
Kakiboufuu lowered his gaze and sighed, muttering, “M ina wa OOkii aho desu.†He
rubbed his left hand against his face&nb sp;then asked, “Last night I as ked for a place
where we could sett le. I don’t think we want to work from caves. They grant a& nbsp;false
sense of security. Anyone kn ow of any abandoned castles or temples w e could
occupy?â€
&acir c;€œOne,†said Sesshomaru, overcoming his bitter disappointment in the clanâ €™s choice.
“An aba ndoned temple, fairly large. We were th ere before so I don’t know ;if it is
still standing or not.â& euro;
“Were you driven&nb sp;out or did you get skittish?†asked Kakiboufuu.
Sesshomaru growled at the implication but replied, “ We had a battle nearby but, no,
we& nbsp;didn’t have a fight at the temple itself.â€
â€&o elig;Then the chances are good that itâ €™s still standing,†said Kakibo ufuu. “We’ll head&nbs p;
there. After that, I’ll ;need to think of an appropriate way to& nbsp;introduce myself to our
delinquent membe rs.†The smile that spread acros s the hanyou’s face at those&nb sp;
words put ice into Sesshomaruâ€&trad e;s veins.
****
5 days& nbsp;later…
Temari paced ;back and forth within Noriko’s ;camp. A fortnight had passed since
the treacherous female had come to Noriko&n bsp;to inform her of Sesshomaru
engagement&nb sp;to Himawari. Several rumors had stated&nb sp;that not only had Noriko
failed to&nb sp;kill the girl but that Sesshomaru was ;the one who had died on the end of
Noriko’s poisoned blade, Shouk ijin. Worse, the panthers had come nort h soon after.
Noriko’s pe ople had escaped but it was unlikely Ses shomaru’s had. Now Temari
was trapped within the camp of her hate d rival with no way to leave.
;
The only good thing about her predicame nt was that for the first time in d ecades
she no longer lived like some&nbs p;wild animal. The camp was well organi zed with tents
and even pavilions. ;Work areas for armor and weapon repair were near the
outskirts so the smoke&nbs p;and the smell didn’t bother t he sleeping tents and their
inhabitants. The largest pavilions held eating area s and war meetings. The
smaller on es were the private quarters for Noriko and the generals. Thin walls
were erected around the entire parameter to preven t casual entry and exit, but they
w ouldn’t stop an attack. Not&nb sp;that they ever were. This was the&nb sp;difference between
the hunted and the ;hunter.
“There is not&nb sp;much purpose remaining where we are,â&eur o; she heard a general say.
â ;€œThe panthers will soon come further& nbsp;afield and I don’t think w e should risk the
younger ones on f ighting them. We have been fighting for a long time while they
are fresh.& nbsp; We need to withdraw for the time&n bsp;being.â€
“Withdraw&n bsp;to where?†inquired another. &aci rc;€œTo Tenji? What do we tell&nb sp;them when we
fail to have Sesshomaru& nbsp;amidst us? Especially with the castle&n bsp;destroyed? Going to
Tenji would pro ve fatal!â€
Temari flinched. ; That was the main reason why so f ew complained about taking
Sesshomaru alive.& nbsp; Sesshomaru had been their link to the tenko and Tenji. A
hostile tak eover wouldn’t be approved of a nd would cost them their privilege of equality they had enjoyed while under the& nbsp;Inu no Taisho. That was the best&n bsp;
outcome, the worst was exile. To&nb sp;establish themselves elsewhere meant constant < br> battles for centuries from a less than&nb sp;secure position. Not impossible, but not& nbsp;
something anyone in the clan preferred;& nbsp;especially with the number of clan enemi es
lying outside Tenji’s border s.
“Well, there is n o help for it. If we have to start over then the sooner we get to&nbs p;it the
better,†said another ge neral. Temari ran her fingers through h er pale blonde hair
wondering what this& nbsp;was all going to mean for her when& nbsp;a shadow passed overhead.
The sound of great wings flapping in slow, lazy strokes filtered down to h er, as well
as a scent she had ;not thought to smell again. She looked up and gasped; the
demon of concer n was flying high over the camp. & nbsp;
****
Sesshomaru circled over the camp several more times then&n bsp;flew to the edge of the
trees. His men lined the wooded area but didn’t move. They had their&nb sp;orders.
Sesshomaru’s fly ov er was nothing more than a means to ;gain their attention. He
landed and&nb sp;turned to face Noriko’s campgroun d. It annoyed him to find Noriko h ad
done well for herself despite being&n bsp;abroad this whole time. Then again Noriko had
had plenty of time to pr epare since she had picked the date of&n bsp;the initial attack.
Norikoâ€& trade;s men rushed forward and stopped just&n bsp;outside their makeshift walls.
Noriko&nb sp;stepped forward and eyed Sesshomaru and th e others. “I’m p leased to see
your still alive, Sesshoma ru, even if I don’t understand& nbsp;how,†she said, her gaze
fli ckered over the gathering. “Ho wever, why are you and your men here?&nb sp; Are you
finally surrendering?â€&nbs p; She smiled at her own question.
Sesshomaru wanted to comment but mainta ined his stony expression and said
nothi ng. Their orders were very specific. &n bsp;They were to be silent witnesses;
em phasis on silent. The entire group watc hed Noriko and the others with similar < br> empty expressions as they waited for Kaki boufuu to make his move.
Noriko&ac irc;€™s blue eyes narrowed and she ;took a step closer. “If you are not here to
surrender then why don’t you attack already?⠀ she demanded. Sesshomaru just
st ared at her. The female leader growled& nbsp;in anger and opened her mouth to sa y
something or perhaps to give an o rder to her men when Kakiboufuu walked o ut
from behind Sesshomaru.
He ;stepped forward and positioned himself so he was directly between his brother
and&nb sp;the ambitious woman. He wasnâ€&trad e;t that impressive a sight. With no&nb sp;spare
clothing available in their party,&n bsp;he was still dressed only in his pri est robes of
white kimono and blue& nbsp;hakama. White socks and straw sandals&n bsp;covered his feet.
There were still& nbsp;some blood stains on his hakama from&nbs p;the ceremonial duel. His
hair was&nbs p;tied back in his usual horsetail. He& nbsp;was wearing Rokukafuga, but the
blades&n bsp;had yet to be extended.
Noriko was in full armor. A light blue&n bsp;kimono and hakama with a heron pattern&nb sp;
decorating it was underneath and her long, silver hair was braided high. Her sword
hung at her left hip and&nbs p;black wraps, identical to Sesshomaruâ€&tra de;s, covered her feet.
Gloves, with&nb sp;light armor plates, protected her hands an d wrists.
She lifted her head,&nbs p;looking down her nose at Kakiboufuu. “What is this?†she
asked, her voice dripping scorn at the sight of the hanyou.
Kakiboufuu sm iled that cold smile again and said, &ac irc;€œMy apologies, Noriko, but I
ordered them to remain silent. I will&n bsp;be the only one speaking today. I&a circ;€™m here to
introduce myself.&acir c;€ Sesshomaru watched as Norikoâ&euro ;™s men glance at each other and < br> even Noriko blinked in surprise.
“Ordered? You?†she said, voicing the group’s confusion.
“Yes,†replied&nb sp;Kakiboufuu. He raised his left hand, ;pointing it at the gathering
before him . “By the right of victor y of the combat trial held during the&nb sp;ascension
ceremony, I am now the new& nbsp;Inu no Taisho. Sesshomaru-aniue, these men and
even all of you are now&nbs p;under my authority.â€
Noriko&nb sp;entire group gasped in shock at the a nnouncement and Noriko growled.
â&euro ;œYou lie! Sesshomaru has no siblings! †she shouted.
â&euro ;œAniue has been aware of my existence& nbsp;from before I was born,†replied& nbsp;Kakiboufuu
in an even tone. â ;€œHe kept his silence for the sam e reason Oyaji did. He lived as th e
acting Inu no Taisho until I coul d grow old enough for the rigors of ;the ceremony.â€
Teeth bared,&nbs p;Noriko crouched in preparation to attack, s ome followed her example
but others sudd enly looked undecided. Kakiboufuu’s cold smile faded and his
expression&nbs p;grew stern.
“Und er ordinary circumstances this may have been& nbsp;the time to allow for past sins to& nbsp;
be forgiven,†he said, fire ignited on his outstretched hand and his ;gold eyes flashed.
“However,& nbsp;I cannot allow your crimes to go un punished. Your betrayal of the
Reihane& nbsp;family cannot be overlooked.†Fi re wreathed him as he spread his wings.& nbsp;
Several inuyokai backed away in&nb sp;terror. In the camp women, children and elderly
peered out from tent entranc es. Kakiboufuu wiggled his ears and the entire camp
was engulfed in flames.&nbs p; Chaos reigned. Most of the men ran back to rescue their
screaming wives and children. A few charged forward.&n bsp;
Sesshomaru growled but he and the others held their position. Kakiboufuu&n bsp;dove
forward; Rokukafuga’s fangs fully extended. His opponents went dow n one after
the other; most with ju st a single slash. Noriko launched hers elf at Kakiboufuu but
her Shoukijin stru ck the guard. She then leapt back to avoid being stabbed by the
other ;hand. She hurled a bolt of celestial&n bsp;lightning at him. It disintegrated befor e
even reaching him. Noriko stood dumbfounded, He didn’t even gesture!
Kakiboufuu pressed the attack and ;Noriko backpedaled; it was all she could&nbs p;do to
block the stabbing blades with&n bsp;her own solitary one. One of her&nb sp;loyal men dived in
at Kakiboufuuâ&eu ro;™s side. The hanyou sidestepped the attack with little trouble, but
Noriko& nbsp;was able to escape his onslaught.
& nbsp;
“Retreat!†she shou ted, keeping her eyes fixed on Kakiboufuu.&nb sp; The hanyou was
alone in his ass ault but he had sent her warriors scramb ling in all directions with
his fire.&nb sp; She needed time to figure out how&nb sp;to address this new development. Those&nb sp;
who could move helped those who could n’t as they hurried away from&n bsp;the area.
Kakiboufuu stood where&nb sp;he was and watched them withdraw, his ;face unreadable.
When the camp was&nbs p;clear he raised his hand and slashed, sending the Kaze no Kizu
in among t he burning tents. The fire went out&nbs p;and Sesshomaru and the other men
stare d. Aside from the carved earth from&nbs p;the Kaze no Kizu, the camp bore only&n bsp;
slight scorch marks. The fire had&n bsp;been mere show.
Sesshomaru&n bsp;broke into a cold sweat. So little& nbsp;damage, yet those weren’t illus ionary
flames, he thought and glanced at his brother. He controlled the fire&ac irc;€™s movement
with his will eve n while he was fighting? One moment&nbs p;of lost focus and everyone
within the& nbsp;camp would have burned to death.
&n bsp;
The few hitenko who could control fi re to such extent had their names foreve r
carved into the annals of history.&nbs p; It was generally understood that if a large scale
fire jutsu in battle w as used then people were going to burn&n bsp;to death; friend and foe
alike. &nbs p;So hitenko generally used small, one-to-one ;fire jutsu. Sesshomaru was
gladder tha n ever that he hadn’t challenge d his brother to a battle of sorcery.&nb sp;
“Go to the camp a nd take whatever you find useful down th ere and bring it back to
the temple ,†ordered Kakiboufuu, the blades of&n bsp;the Rokukafuga shrinking back into
its&nb sp;original form.
“Weâ&e uro;™re looting them, now?†asked&nbs p;Raiken, still perplexed why Kakiboufuu had
restrained himself earlier.
â ;€œRaiken!†shouted Kakiboufuu, glari ng at the general. “Am I& nbsp;not the Inu no Taisho
now?â€& nbsp; Raiken retreated a step and cringed&nbs p;beneath the hanyou’s intense gaze.
“Then do as I say&n bsp;and don’t whine. I explain myself when it is necessary, not for&nb sp;
every little order I give.†&n bsp;He turned and leapt toward the destroyed& nbsp;camp.
The men grumbled but fo llowed his orders without further protest. &n bsp;Sesshomaru
stared after his brother. &nbs p;Impressive as it was to restrain himself,&n bsp;why did he
bother? Why didnâ& euro;™t he finish them off when he ;declared he wouldn’t forgive them?& nbsp;
With no answer he moved to jo in them before his brother decided to pu ll rank on
him!
****
&nb sp;
Kakiboufuu sat leaning against the outside support beam of the temple watching
the forest beyond the gate. A number& nbsp;of guards were on duty along the br oken
walls of the temple grounds as ;the night dragged on. Everyone else wa s asleep in
their various assigned quart ers. The supplies they had plundered ha d been a
welcome relief, with fresh ;clothes, armor and weapons as well as f ood and tools.
The men had stopped grumbling about “bandit behavior&ac irc;€ after Kakiboufuu
suggested they ki dnap the pretty young women next time. < br>
Sesshomaru stepped out into the nig ht and sat down next to his brother.&nbs p; “Why do
you feel the&nb sp;need to stay awake, Otouto? We have& nbsp;plenty of guards.â€
â& euro;œI’m waiting,†replied& nbsp;his brother without taking his eyes of&n bsp;the trees.
“Waiting?â ;€ repeated Sesshomaru but Kakiboufuu didn&ac irc;€™t respond. Then a call came
from the wall by one of the w atch. Sesshomaru turned his attention to&nbs p;the gate and
saw several shadows movin g among the trees. “An at tack!†he said and rose with a&nb sp;
growl.
“Matte,â& euro; said Kakiboufuu, his hand raised in&nbs p;front of Sesshomaru, forestalling any
furth er action. It was then that Sesshomaru& nbsp;realized his brother had removed the
Rokukafuga sometime earlier. The hanyou ro se to his feet and hopped to the ba se
of the stairs. “Let&nb sp;them pass,†he called to the w atch. They turned to regard him.
In the light of the crescent moon t hey could see his raised eyebrow and rem embered
his earlier statement about explainin g orders. They didn’t argue.&n bsp;
The shadows froze. Kakiboufuu ;glared at them and shouted, “S tep forward and be
recognized or return& nbsp;to where you came from. I have&nbs p;no patience for indecisive
fools.â€&n bsp;
Sesshomaru came up behind Kakiboufu u and gasped. Inuyokai stepped from the
forest and through the gate; Noriko&aci rc;€™s inuyokai if the singed clothing& nbsp;was any
indication. He also recogn ized several from the battles as well as from earlier.
They didn’ t look proud or hostile, their heads wer e bowed and many shuffled
instead of&nbs p;walked. They reeked with the sour odo r of fear. There were more, many < br> more than the grounds between the temple& nbsp;and the gate could hold, out in the
forest.
The heads of the&nbs p;families as well as their sons and, am ong the matriarchies, their
daughters stepped into the opening once they saw how ;small it was. The rest
remained o utside. The watch looked nervous as the y eyed the assembly.
Sesshomaru shared& nbsp;their sentiment but Kakiboufuu was calm. ; He heard the shoji
slide open as& nbsp;those within woke from the commotion. &n bsp;Footsteps padded up behind
him but S esshomaru didn’t turn to look.
“Chichiue, what is going& nbsp;on?†It was Naomi. Pale&nb sp;cloth flickered in the corner of his
eye from the right. Sesshomaru glanced& nbsp;in that direction and saw the silent&nbs p;and
deadly Xeno standing on the engawa . More footsteps from the engawa signal ed the
movement of others as the&nb sp;positioned themselves for a possible fight.&nbs p; The air was
thick with tension.
Then the men and women prostrated& nbsp;themselves. With their faces to the&nbs p;ground
the one closest to Kakiboufuu s poke, “Kakiboufuu-sama, we have come to offer our
surrender. We wish&n bsp;to serve you and pledge our loyalty to the Inu no Taisho.â€
Sesshomaru gasped then glanced at his brothe r. Are they all defecting from
Nor iko? Did he know this would happen?&nbs p; Is that why he didn’t k ill them earlier?
Sesshomaru sensed his daughter’s building anger. He could understand her rage.
They h ad the audacity to come before them and& nbsp;surrender after one defeat? His
pe ople had suffered more for longer and ha d stood by their decision. How could&nb sp;they
trust a people so fickle?
& nbsp;
However, he understood what this meant&n bsp;as well. Noriko had just lost a&nbs p;substantial
amount of support. Within ;the space of a single day the feud ;had turned in their
favor. Sesshomaru& nbsp;took hold of Naomi’s trembling& nbsp;hand. When she glanced at him,
he shook his head to signal the need&n bsp;for calm. He then focused on his&nb sp;brother. He
would have to put h is trust in Kakiboufuu. Naomi squeezed his hand and placed
the other one o ver it; complying with his silent request.&nb sp;
Kaiyoshinju was not nearly so p erceptive. “You think a little bowing and begging is
going to wip e your hands clean of all the blood ;that stains them?†she shouted
m arching forward. She raised her staff. “I kill you worthless scum&nbs p;myself!â€
“Kaiyo!&acir c;€ shouted Sesshomaru, spinning around. &nbs p;The half-dragon was headstrong
and used&nbs p;to doing things her way. A fine attitude to have when you were alone and
standing guard over something as danger ous as the Jewel of the Sea, but sh e was
now part of a group. Sh e had bullied Sesshomaru after joining up&nbs p;allowing her to
do as she pleased.&nbs p;
“Hahaue!†Naomi& nbsp;cried at the same time. Kaiyoshinju&nbs p;had never had to submit to
anyone ;before. She complied with Kenhoshi because& nbsp;she admired him and he had
never&nb sp;demanded much from her. She had neve r before been forced to restrain
herself . Then again she had never before been in a war situation either. Neither
Sesshomaru nor Naomi were certain they& nbsp;could stop her as they turned to fa ce the
raging half-dragon.
Kaiyosh inju stiffened then collapsed without warning.&nbs p; Kakiboufuu stood behind
her, his expr ession cold, his right hand held as if&n bsp;it still lay against her back. &aci rc;€œYour
opinion in noted, dragoness,& nbsp;however, I’m the one who d ecides their fates, not you,â€
he& nbsp;said in an even tone. He stepped&n bsp;over her and walked back to his plac e before
the newcomers. The ones t hat had risen to their knees at Kaiyoshi nju declaration
quickly prostrated themselves ;again.
“Kisama! What&nb sp;did you do to me?†demanded Ka iyoshinju as she struggled to raise
her& nbsp;head.
“You’ re still awake?†he asked, though ;he didn’t turn to regard her&n bsp;and his manner
was unconcerned. &ac irc;€œI devoured your vigor. All that remains of it is just enough to&nbs p;
keep your body functioning. So I ;suggest you give in to your exhaustion and get
some sleep. If you continu e to waste energy like this, you†™re going to die.â€
Ka iyoshinju growled then her head hit the wood planking and her violet eyes closed.&nbs p;
Fearing the worse, Sesshomaru listened&nbs p;then relaxed. He could hear her stron g
heartbeat settle into a slow rhythm&nb sp;and knew she was in no danger of ;death. She
had fallen asleep. He turned back to his brother and stared.& nbsp;
When did he get behind h er? A vague memory of a warm gust& nbsp;as he had spun
around to face Kaiyoshinju came to mind and he bit his& nbsp;lip. Was that when it
happened?&nb sp; Was that his tell?
â&eur o;œJust as you pledged your loyalty to& nbsp;Noriko?†asked Kakiboufuu as if t he whole
incident with Kaiyoshinju had n ever happened.
“My lord?& acirc;€ asked the leader glancing up.
A sandaled foot landed on his h ead and pushed his face back down to&nbs p;the earth.
“When did I& nbsp;say you could look up?†demanded& nbsp;Kakiboufuu with a snarl. â€&oelig ;You are
here to beg for your lives ; you don’t have the status&nbs p;necessary to lift your faces from
the& nbsp;ground when addressing me.â€
;
“My lord? I donâ€& trade;t believe I understand,†said th e leader, this time keeping his face
down.
“You donâ€& trade;t? How very dense of you,†said Kakiboufuu. “You saw&nbs p;earlier how easy it
would be for me to erase your existence. You†™re surrender is an attempt to save&nbs p;
yourselves and your families from my w rath. Let me ask you one question: ; Why
did you turn on Sesshomaru-aniue?& acirc;€
Sesshomaru smelled salty s cent of their sweat increase as they tho ught of how to
answer the question. ; Why does he care about the reason?&nbs p; It is irrelevant at this
point, he thought as he glanced at his brother.
“No answer?†;said Kakiboufuu. His gold eyes flashed ;red for a moment and he
growled. & nbsp;“Cowards!†he spat at&nb sp;them. “That’s why& nbsp;you betrayed the Reihane
family. Y ou saw Aniue as being weak, in spirit&nb sp;or in arms, and latched onto the
powerful Noriko. You caught wind of he r coup and wanted to be on the winn ing
side. However, I’ve&n bsp;appeared and the title of strongest has&n bsp;come to me. You’re
ch anging sides to the perceived winner, again!& acirc;€
“No!†;shouted a voice. Kakiboufuu and Sesshomaru& nbsp;turned to regard a young man
as&nbs p;he rose to his feet.
â&eur o;œSaben! Get down, you fool!â€& nbsp;shouted one of the older men. Sabe n’s hair was blood
red and his eyes brilliant orange. One gold&nb sp;stripe slid down each cheek from the
lower eyelid ending at the curve of ;the jaw. Unlike the others who gathere d in their
family groups, he was al one. Kakiboufuu regarded him for a mome nt then started
walking toward him.
“You speak boldly in the presence of the one that could order&nb sp;you and your family
killed,†s aid Kakiboufuu.
“Chichiue ;believed Noriko-san’s words that sh e could lead the clan better than
S esshomaru-san,†said Saben, not backing&nbs p;down despite the ominous presence
striding& nbsp;toward him. “He was among those pushing for a marriage alliance. He
thought Sesshomaru-san was being foo lishly stubborn.â€
Kakiboufuu sto pped when he was within arm’s&n bsp;reach of the scarlet youth. â&euro ;œDid he
approve of the coup?â&eu ro; he asked. “Did he app rove the murder of so many clansmen?â&e uro;
“Noriko-san said she could convince Sesshomaru-san, but it would& nbsp;be better if we
were gone from ;the castle when she did. She never&nbs p;said she would kill anyone,â€
ad mitted Saben, looking away for a moment. ; Then his attention snapped back to
Kakiboufuu and, meeting his golden gaze, he said, “After the castle fell&n bsp;I argued
with Chichiue that Noriko-san&nb sp;had deceived us. Chichiue believed me&nbs p;at first and
confronted Noriko-san. H owever, Noriko-san told him it was the r esult of
Sesshomaru-san’s stubbornne ss. That she hadn’t meant ;for things to carry that far.
Chichiue believed her but I continued to&nb sp;have doubts. However, Chichiue would not& nbsp;
listen to me and scolded me for&nbs p;continuing to voice doubts about Noriko-san.&nbs p;
Chichiue still believed that Noriko-san&nb sp;was the best choice for the clan and& nbsp;turned a
blind eye to everything th at accord because of her actions. But&n bsp;I couldn’t, I only
stayed&n bsp;because I did not wish to abandon my family. I swore that as soon as&n bsp;I could
I would lead my family away from Noriko-san.
â&eu ro;œYou killed Chichiue during your attack&n bsp;today. Due to the chaos caused by&n bsp;the rout
I was able to talk my& nbsp;family into leaving. These others saw&n bsp;us leaving and decided
to follow. &n bsp;Those who didn’t come either&nbs p;have heads of family that are still al ive and
loyal to Noriko-san herself or&n bsp;are refusing to do anything because they& nbsp;have lost
their head of family. &nb sp;But I want to make one thing clear;&n bsp;I made the decision to
return to&nbs p;Sesshomaru-san with my family before you ev er appeared. So don’t
com pare me to these others.â€
Saben finished and stared hard at& nbsp;Kakiboufuu. The hanyou continued to pee r into
his orange eyes for a minute more. Then his hand struck, grabbing&n bsp;the young man’s
throat and& nbsp;lifted him above the ground. Saben ;gripped the wrist and gasped but
otherw ise didn’t struggle. Kakiboufuu&aci rc;€™s gaze didn’t leave him as he held him above
his head.& nbsp; Then he tossed Saben away from the group and turned toward the
prostrated& nbsp;men and women. Saben remained where&nbs p;he landed and didn’t move. &n bsp;
“Does anyone else&nb sp;wish to voice an opinion?†demanded Kakiboufuu, eyeing them
with disdain. & nbsp;The group remained silent. â€&oel ig;I take it that my earlier assessment
stands then?†Still no protests& nbsp;sounded. The hanyou growled in disgust. “Then I
have this t o say on the matter. You’ re families may rejoin with this group, however,
only if you comply with these&n bsp;conditions. If you refuse to accept ;them you can try
returning to Noriko&nb sp;and see if she is willing to allow&nb sp;it after your desertion.â€
Everyone, newcomers and loyalist alike, hel d their breaths. “First, you&a circ;€™re families
lose all former ;status and rank. Every loyalist will b e of higher rank than you,
including&nbs p;the vassals,†he said. Several ;gasped echoed from the gathering and
in cluded people from his own group. &acir c;€œSecond, your heads of family will&n bsp;now perform
seppuku.â€
S everal family members cried out in shock ;and fear. “My lord!â€&n bsp;shouted several of
the men, forgetting&nb sp;his earlier warning and raising their head s to look at him.
â€&oe lig;There will be no quiet ascensions in ;power by your chosen heirs. They will& nbsp;have to
prove they will not make&nb sp;the same cowardly decision you have made,& acirc;€ continued
Kakiboufuu, ignoring the&nb sp;protests.
“My lord, wh y must we kill ourselves before you will allow our families to return?†< br> demanded one of the men.
&acir c;€œYou are unfit for the post,â& euro; replied Kakiboufuu, his eyes colder tha n ice. “You have
dishonor ed yourselves, your families and your office& nbsp;with the decisions you made.
You&n bsp;have no loyalties to either Sesshomaru-aniue&n bsp;or Noriko. So why should I
bel ieve you will have any loyalties to me?& nbsp; Look around you at the number of&n bsp;
families that all of you represent. Without your support, Noriko could not have
challenged Aniue. Before Norikoâ& euro;™s insurrection, Aniue still held the&n bsp;support of 46%
of the families in&nb sp;the castle. Not a clear majority, no , but looking at your numbers I
can see that Noriko had only the loyalty&nb sp;of around 12%. Not one major family& nbsp;was
involved with her.
;
“You were the deciding factor& nbsp;at that time and now you desire for giveness? The
massacre at the castle&nb sp;and the continued losses are as much your responsibility as
Noriko’s.&nbs p; As the ones who led your family down such a road you are responsible for
bearing the burden of the consequences. Your deaths will serve as a messa ge to the
next generation. Loyalty is not something so trivial as to be cast aside when it is no
longer& nbsp;convenient.â€
“You& acirc;€™re punishing us for not remaini ng with Noriko?†demanded a female&nbs p;family
head.
“No, you idiots,†said Saben, rising to&nbs p;his elbows. “You never had&n bsp;any convictions or
loyalties. Heâ& euro;™s punishing you for your fickle n ature. Ah!†Saben yelped when&n bsp;
Kakiboufuu stepped on his back pinning&nb sp;him to the ground.
â€&oel ig;I’m waiting,†said the&nbs p;hanyou without removing his foot from Saben ’s shoulders.
He looked o ver his shoulders at the group. â €œThose are my conditions for you
rejoining us. If you don’ t like them then return to Noriko. ;Just know that this is
the only op portunity you’ll have. After t his point, when I destroy Noriko, the families that follow her will be dissolved , the adults executed and the children m ade
servants to the loyalists. There&nb sp;will be no exceptions.†His e yes didn’t waver and
his e xpression was uncompromising. The ultimatum had been made.
To be continued&aci rc;€¦
series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC’s and plot i n this story.
Kakiboufuu = Inuyash a Sr.
Chapter 30: The Line of&n bsp;Tyranny
149 years before the&nbs p;search for the jewel shards.
The y say geniuses walk the line of insanity . Well leaders walk the line of ty ranny.
That thin line between not enough power and too much. Failure to&n bsp;walk that
narrow thread could doom t he people. You have to be willing to do things that are
unthinkable to&nbs p;the common man yet stay your hand at&n bsp;the appropriate time. Have
I walked the line well? Where have I misse d my step? When will I be held&nbs p;
accountable for my misdeeds?
-I nuyasha
Part 1: Ultimatum < br>
The morning dawned bright and&nbs p;clear. The fresh scent of grass and&n bsp;leaves filled the
air. Droplets of& nbsp;water glittered in the light of the ;early sun. Birds sang and
flickered&nb sp;from tree to tree. Squirrels scampered&nb sp;from one place to the other seeking < br> nuts and seeds, gray bushing tales bobbin g and twitching behind them. There were
only a few small clouds catching t he sunrise’s pink to contrast a gainst the blue.
Kakiboufuu stood in the middle of the field going through his morning exercises.
He enjoyed ;the peace of dawn the most. It wa s easy to forget a war was raging.
Sesshomaru had returned last night, pra ctically dragged back by the girls. The
hanyou’s smile of amusement&nb sp;was bittersweet. Honestly, what right doe s he have
to complain? Win or ;lose he still has people who love him,& nbsp;he thought.
His thoughts stra yed to his uncle who had so coolly dismissed him as worthless
when he had&n bsp;failed to achieve early glory. In t he middle of a complicated set, he
stumbled, his turmoil costing him his focus.& nbsp; Kakiboufuu suppressed the urge to
growl and stood still, concentrating on his&n bsp;breathing. The rhythmic count helped to& nbsp;
steady his heart and mind. He ;needed to work on his control. He ;shouldn’t have
allowed such a& nbsp;trivial thing to ruin his focus.
&n bsp;
“What’s wrong, Oto uto?†asked Sesshomaru, stepping into the morning light.
Kakiboufuu glanced&n bsp;over his shoulder at his brother. S esshomaru was fully dressed
again. His& nbsp;white kimono with red flowers and armor& nbsp;making him look the lord he
had&nbs p;been only yesterday. Kakiboufuu was naked& nbsp;to the waist, wearing only his blue ;
hakama. His wounds were already closed with bright pink flesh; the only betray ing
mark of yesterday’s fight.& nbsp; However, Sesshomaru looked as if he&nbs p;could use a change
of clothing. The rough life style and constant battles&nbs p;had taken their toll even on
the demon silk. Frayed areas had appeared a nd some old stains were refusing to
disappear, causing the white kimono to appea r dingy and common. It hardly
befi tted an aristocrat.
Kakiboufuu narrowed his golden eyes, wondering what Sesshomaru&a circ;€™s game was.
He could tell his older brother was still sore ov er the defeat. Despite the dog
dem on’s stony expression his aura was flaring with suppressed hostility.
Kakiboufuu didn’t know Sesshomaru an d was wary of his intentions. Being&nbs p;
brothers didn’t mean they und erstood one another.
“It& acirc;€™s nothing. I lost focus f or a moment,†the hanyou replied before turning away. It
was true, in a way.
Sesshomaruâ€&trade ;s golden eyes narrowed. He hadnâ&euro ;™t missed the suspicious look
Kakibouf uu had given him. He was still ang ry about his lost status, but he had&nbs p;
promised his mother he would try to&nb sp;help his younger brother. However, it&nbs p;seemed
that was going to be harder&nbs p;than he thought. Kakiboufuu’s&nbs p;guard was up and he
didnâ€&trade ;t appear to be willing to make friends.
A different attitude from a several days ago when the panthers had b een driven off.
He had been much&n bsp;more open and friendly then. The ho stility hadn’t begun until
the& nbsp;lady elder of Kou had brought up th e ascension ceremony. Now he was
u napproachable. Sesshomaru sighed.
Othe rs started to emerge into the morning li ght. Reminded of the need to bring ;his
people to a safer more stable place; Sesshomaru asked, “Do you&nbs p;know a safe route to
friendly forces&n bsp;that we could take?â€
Ka kiboufuu tensed and said in a deep tone, “I believed I mentioned having issues
with going back there.â€&n bsp;
Sesshomaru thought back to the ;only conversation that even hinted at the&nb sp;problem.
“Since Iâ&eu ro;™m the one who did the reporting;&nb sp;yes I’m certain and no, they couldn’t have
been. You& nbsp;might say that is the reason why I& acirc;€™m out here instead of with ;my
comrades.â€
Sessh omaru folded his arms and said, †œAll you mentioned was being stuck out& nbsp;here
due to a report on Kuromakaze. You did not say what about that&n bsp;report caused you
to be out here&nbs p;or anything else.â€
Kakiboufuu& nbsp;sighed and said, “I can gu ide you back to safer lands but when&nbs p;we
arrive is when we part. I&nbs p;cannot enter that territory at this time.&a circ;€ He turned
around just at the elders came forward. â€&oe lig;I was planning to lead you there onc e
everyone had recovered but then you&nb sp;insisted on that ceremony. If I lead you to
safety I have to give up being the Inu no Taisho. There is no point in having a
leader if&n bsp;he isn’t around to lead.â& euro; He stared hard at the people ;before them.
“You really have only two choices. Return to Tenji with Sesshomaru as the Inu no
Taisho or stay out here in the wilds&nb sp;with me as your Inu no Taisho.â&euro ; He paused to
let his words sink in. “I would choose Sesshomaru if I were you,†said K akiboufuu
then crossed his arms and wait ed.
Sesshomaru eyed his brother. & nbsp;“Whatever did you do to en d up exiled?†he asked.
Kakiboufuu met his gaze then looked away.&n bsp; “That’s war,â&eu ro; he muttered. “You anger&nb sp;
the lord during wartimes and he tosse s you away with the trash.†;He turned away.
“Like yo u, he didn’t want to hear that Kanzaki Sagara was still alive, but ;he had
the power to discredit and silence me.â€
Sesshomaru stared,& nbsp;wondering how much his brother was still hiding; how much he
was not saying . Kakiboufuu’s ears were lying flat against his head and his fingers&n bsp;
pinched his arms; his claws threatening&n bsp;to puncture his skin. There was emo tional
trauma behind the exile, trauma t he hanyou did not wish to voice at that time. At
least not in front&n bsp;of the entire clan.
â€&o elig;That is not a choice we can make,&a circ;€ said the lady elder, stepping for ward. “You are
the Inu&nb sp;no Taisho now. We cannot change that fact no matter what inconveniences
it&n bsp;might mean for us.
Kakiboufuu eyed her for a moment then closed his&nb sp;eyes and shouted, “What about&nbs p;
the rest of you? The elders are& nbsp;speaking for you but I want to hear the opinions of
the rest of the&nb sp;clan. The elders don’t have to battle, so they don’t have to fight with
chipped blades a nd broken armor. The elders, due to&nbs p;their status, get the choice
bits from every hunt, so they don’t ;suffer hunger as frequently. They also ;get the
best places to sleep or re st, so they don’t suffer from&n bsp;the cold or the wet when
shelter&nbs p;is limited. With this in mind do ;you really want them speaking for you? I
can lead you to safety, shelter, fresh clothes and meals. The only ;thing you will
have to do is accep t Sesshomaru as the Inu no Taisho from&n bsp;now on without question
or further p rotest no matter how the situation may c hange.â€
Sesshomaru wondered at&n bsp;his brother’s audacity. He ;had publicly dismissed the
eldersâ€&tr ade; voice. The lady elder’s&n bsp;face was a mask of disapproval. He& nbsp;knew she would
not forgive this ins ult. The entire clan was now out i n the open and they were
murmuring to themselves. Sesshomaru could understand w hy. They were all tired
of the&nbs p;constant threat of battle, of being out&nbs p;in the elements, of living little better&nb sp;
than the packs of wild dogs that ;roamed the countryside. Even the ones of lowest
station had enjoyed a life&nbs p;far better than this before the insurrectio n. They could
have it back and&nbs p;all they had to do was accept Kakibouf uu’s surrender of power.
Sesshomaru waited and tried to ignore th e whispered words, but he felt his spiri ts
falling. Minutes later the conversat ions died and everyone looked at Kakiboufuu,& nbsp;
their expressions equally grim and deter mined. Not one looked at Sesshomaru. &n bsp;
The former lord felt their lack of&n bsp;attention like a cold breeze. The s ilent vote had
been cast; they would&nbs p;follow Kakiboufuu even if it meant remainin g out here.
Kakiboufuu lowered his gaze and sighed, muttering, “M ina wa OOkii aho desu.†He
rubbed his left hand against his face&nb sp;then asked, “Last night I as ked for a place
where we could sett le. I don’t think we want to work from caves. They grant a& nbsp;false
sense of security. Anyone kn ow of any abandoned castles or temples w e could
occupy?â€
&acir c;€œOne,†said Sesshomaru, overcoming his bitter disappointment in the clanâ €™s choice.
“An aba ndoned temple, fairly large. We were th ere before so I don’t know ;if it is
still standing or not.â& euro;
“Were you driven&nb sp;out or did you get skittish?†asked Kakiboufuu.
Sesshomaru growled at the implication but replied, “ We had a battle nearby but, no,
we& nbsp;didn’t have a fight at the temple itself.â€
â€&o elig;Then the chances are good that itâ €™s still standing,†said Kakibo ufuu. “We’ll head&nbs p;
there. After that, I’ll ;need to think of an appropriate way to& nbsp;introduce myself to our
delinquent membe rs.†The smile that spread acros s the hanyou’s face at those&nb sp;
words put ice into Sesshomaruâ€&trad e;s veins.
****
5 days& nbsp;later…
Temari paced ;back and forth within Noriko’s ;camp. A fortnight had passed since
the treacherous female had come to Noriko&n bsp;to inform her of Sesshomaru
engagement&nb sp;to Himawari. Several rumors had stated&nb sp;that not only had Noriko
failed to&nb sp;kill the girl but that Sesshomaru was ;the one who had died on the end of
Noriko’s poisoned blade, Shouk ijin. Worse, the panthers had come nort h soon after.
Noriko’s pe ople had escaped but it was unlikely Ses shomaru’s had. Now Temari
was trapped within the camp of her hate d rival with no way to leave.
;
The only good thing about her predicame nt was that for the first time in d ecades
she no longer lived like some&nbs p;wild animal. The camp was well organi zed with tents
and even pavilions. ;Work areas for armor and weapon repair were near the
outskirts so the smoke&nbs p;and the smell didn’t bother t he sleeping tents and their
inhabitants. The largest pavilions held eating area s and war meetings. The
smaller on es were the private quarters for Noriko and the generals. Thin walls
were erected around the entire parameter to preven t casual entry and exit, but they
w ouldn’t stop an attack. Not&nb sp;that they ever were. This was the&nb sp;difference between
the hunted and the ;hunter.
“There is not&nb sp;much purpose remaining where we are,â&eur o; she heard a general say.
â ;€œThe panthers will soon come further& nbsp;afield and I don’t think w e should risk the
younger ones on f ighting them. We have been fighting for a long time while they
are fresh.& nbsp; We need to withdraw for the time&n bsp;being.â€
“Withdraw&n bsp;to where?†inquired another. &aci rc;€œTo Tenji? What do we tell&nb sp;them when we
fail to have Sesshomaru& nbsp;amidst us? Especially with the castle&n bsp;destroyed? Going to
Tenji would pro ve fatal!â€
Temari flinched. ; That was the main reason why so f ew complained about taking
Sesshomaru alive.& nbsp; Sesshomaru had been their link to the tenko and Tenji. A
hostile tak eover wouldn’t be approved of a nd would cost them their privilege of equality they had enjoyed while under the& nbsp;Inu no Taisho. That was the best&n bsp;
outcome, the worst was exile. To&nb sp;establish themselves elsewhere meant constant < br> battles for centuries from a less than&nb sp;secure position. Not impossible, but not& nbsp;
something anyone in the clan preferred;& nbsp;especially with the number of clan enemi es
lying outside Tenji’s border s.
“Well, there is n o help for it. If we have to start over then the sooner we get to&nbs p;it the
better,†said another ge neral. Temari ran her fingers through h er pale blonde hair
wondering what this& nbsp;was all going to mean for her when& nbsp;a shadow passed overhead.
The sound of great wings flapping in slow, lazy strokes filtered down to h er, as well
as a scent she had ;not thought to smell again. She looked up and gasped; the
demon of concer n was flying high over the camp. & nbsp;
****
Sesshomaru circled over the camp several more times then&n bsp;flew to the edge of the
trees. His men lined the wooded area but didn’t move. They had their&nb sp;orders.
Sesshomaru’s fly ov er was nothing more than a means to ;gain their attention. He
landed and&nb sp;turned to face Noriko’s campgroun d. It annoyed him to find Noriko h ad
done well for herself despite being&n bsp;abroad this whole time. Then again Noriko had
had plenty of time to pr epare since she had picked the date of&n bsp;the initial attack.
Norikoâ€& trade;s men rushed forward and stopped just&n bsp;outside their makeshift walls.
Noriko&nb sp;stepped forward and eyed Sesshomaru and th e others. “I’m p leased to see
your still alive, Sesshoma ru, even if I don’t understand& nbsp;how,†she said, her gaze
fli ckered over the gathering. “Ho wever, why are you and your men here?&nb sp; Are you
finally surrendering?â€&nbs p; She smiled at her own question.
Sesshomaru wanted to comment but mainta ined his stony expression and said
nothi ng. Their orders were very specific. &n bsp;They were to be silent witnesses;
em phasis on silent. The entire group watc hed Noriko and the others with similar < br> empty expressions as they waited for Kaki boufuu to make his move.
Noriko&ac irc;€™s blue eyes narrowed and she ;took a step closer. “If you are not here to
surrender then why don’t you attack already?⠀ she demanded. Sesshomaru just
st ared at her. The female leader growled& nbsp;in anger and opened her mouth to sa y
something or perhaps to give an o rder to her men when Kakiboufuu walked o ut
from behind Sesshomaru.
He ;stepped forward and positioned himself so he was directly between his brother
and&nb sp;the ambitious woman. He wasnâ€&trad e;t that impressive a sight. With no&nb sp;spare
clothing available in their party,&n bsp;he was still dressed only in his pri est robes of
white kimono and blue& nbsp;hakama. White socks and straw sandals&n bsp;covered his feet.
There were still& nbsp;some blood stains on his hakama from&nbs p;the ceremonial duel. His
hair was&nbs p;tied back in his usual horsetail. He& nbsp;was wearing Rokukafuga, but the
blades&n bsp;had yet to be extended.
Noriko was in full armor. A light blue&n bsp;kimono and hakama with a heron pattern&nb sp;
decorating it was underneath and her long, silver hair was braided high. Her sword
hung at her left hip and&nbs p;black wraps, identical to Sesshomaruâ€&tra de;s, covered her feet.
Gloves, with&nb sp;light armor plates, protected her hands an d wrists.
She lifted her head,&nbs p;looking down her nose at Kakiboufuu. “What is this?†she
asked, her voice dripping scorn at the sight of the hanyou.
Kakiboufuu sm iled that cold smile again and said, &ac irc;€œMy apologies, Noriko, but I
ordered them to remain silent. I will&n bsp;be the only one speaking today. I&a circ;€™m here to
introduce myself.&acir c;€ Sesshomaru watched as Norikoâ&euro ;™s men glance at each other and < br> even Noriko blinked in surprise.
“Ordered? You?†she said, voicing the group’s confusion.
“Yes,†replied&nb sp;Kakiboufuu. He raised his left hand, ;pointing it at the gathering
before him . “By the right of victor y of the combat trial held during the&nb sp;ascension
ceremony, I am now the new& nbsp;Inu no Taisho. Sesshomaru-aniue, these men and
even all of you are now&nbs p;under my authority.â€
Noriko&nb sp;entire group gasped in shock at the a nnouncement and Noriko growled.
â&euro ;œYou lie! Sesshomaru has no siblings! †she shouted.
â&euro ;œAniue has been aware of my existence& nbsp;from before I was born,†replied& nbsp;Kakiboufuu
in an even tone. â ;€œHe kept his silence for the sam e reason Oyaji did. He lived as th e
acting Inu no Taisho until I coul d grow old enough for the rigors of ;the ceremony.â€
Teeth bared,&nbs p;Noriko crouched in preparation to attack, s ome followed her example
but others sudd enly looked undecided. Kakiboufuu’s cold smile faded and his
expression&nbs p;grew stern.
“Und er ordinary circumstances this may have been& nbsp;the time to allow for past sins to& nbsp;
be forgiven,†he said, fire ignited on his outstretched hand and his ;gold eyes flashed.
“However,& nbsp;I cannot allow your crimes to go un punished. Your betrayal of the
Reihane& nbsp;family cannot be overlooked.†Fi re wreathed him as he spread his wings.& nbsp;
Several inuyokai backed away in&nb sp;terror. In the camp women, children and elderly
peered out from tent entranc es. Kakiboufuu wiggled his ears and the entire camp
was engulfed in flames.&nbs p; Chaos reigned. Most of the men ran back to rescue their
screaming wives and children. A few charged forward.&n bsp;
Sesshomaru growled but he and the others held their position. Kakiboufuu&n bsp;dove
forward; Rokukafuga’s fangs fully extended. His opponents went dow n one after
the other; most with ju st a single slash. Noriko launched hers elf at Kakiboufuu but
her Shoukijin stru ck the guard. She then leapt back to avoid being stabbed by the
other ;hand. She hurled a bolt of celestial&n bsp;lightning at him. It disintegrated befor e
even reaching him. Noriko stood dumbfounded, He didn’t even gesture!
Kakiboufuu pressed the attack and ;Noriko backpedaled; it was all she could&nbs p;do to
block the stabbing blades with&n bsp;her own solitary one. One of her&nb sp;loyal men dived in
at Kakiboufuuâ&eu ro;™s side. The hanyou sidestepped the attack with little trouble, but
Noriko& nbsp;was able to escape his onslaught.
& nbsp;
“Retreat!†she shou ted, keeping her eyes fixed on Kakiboufuu.&nb sp; The hanyou was
alone in his ass ault but he had sent her warriors scramb ling in all directions with
his fire.&nb sp; She needed time to figure out how&nb sp;to address this new development. Those&nb sp;
who could move helped those who could n’t as they hurried away from&n bsp;the area.
Kakiboufuu stood where&nb sp;he was and watched them withdraw, his ;face unreadable.
When the camp was&nbs p;clear he raised his hand and slashed, sending the Kaze no Kizu
in among t he burning tents. The fire went out&nbs p;and Sesshomaru and the other men
stare d. Aside from the carved earth from&nbs p;the Kaze no Kizu, the camp bore only&n bsp;
slight scorch marks. The fire had&n bsp;been mere show.
Sesshomaru&n bsp;broke into a cold sweat. So little& nbsp;damage, yet those weren’t illus ionary
flames, he thought and glanced at his brother. He controlled the fire&ac irc;€™s movement
with his will eve n while he was fighting? One moment&nbs p;of lost focus and everyone
within the& nbsp;camp would have burned to death.
&n bsp;
The few hitenko who could control fi re to such extent had their names foreve r
carved into the annals of history.&nbs p; It was generally understood that if a large scale
fire jutsu in battle w as used then people were going to burn&n bsp;to death; friend and foe
alike. &nbs p;So hitenko generally used small, one-to-one ;fire jutsu. Sesshomaru was
gladder tha n ever that he hadn’t challenge d his brother to a battle of sorcery.&nb sp;
“Go to the camp a nd take whatever you find useful down th ere and bring it back to
the temple ,†ordered Kakiboufuu, the blades of&n bsp;the Rokukafuga shrinking back into
its&nb sp;original form.
“Weâ&e uro;™re looting them, now?†asked&nbs p;Raiken, still perplexed why Kakiboufuu had
restrained himself earlier.
â ;€œRaiken!†shouted Kakiboufuu, glari ng at the general. “Am I& nbsp;not the Inu no Taisho
now?â€& nbsp; Raiken retreated a step and cringed&nbs p;beneath the hanyou’s intense gaze.
“Then do as I say&n bsp;and don’t whine. I explain myself when it is necessary, not for&nb sp;
every little order I give.†&n bsp;He turned and leapt toward the destroyed& nbsp;camp.
The men grumbled but fo llowed his orders without further protest. &n bsp;Sesshomaru
stared after his brother. &nbs p;Impressive as it was to restrain himself,&n bsp;why did he
bother? Why didnâ& euro;™t he finish them off when he ;declared he wouldn’t forgive them?& nbsp;
With no answer he moved to jo in them before his brother decided to pu ll rank on
him!
****
&nb sp;
Kakiboufuu sat leaning against the outside support beam of the temple watching
the forest beyond the gate. A number& nbsp;of guards were on duty along the br oken
walls of the temple grounds as ;the night dragged on. Everyone else wa s asleep in
their various assigned quart ers. The supplies they had plundered ha d been a
welcome relief, with fresh ;clothes, armor and weapons as well as f ood and tools.
The men had stopped grumbling about “bandit behavior&ac irc;€ after Kakiboufuu
suggested they ki dnap the pretty young women next time. < br>
Sesshomaru stepped out into the nig ht and sat down next to his brother.&nbs p; “Why do
you feel the&nb sp;need to stay awake, Otouto? We have& nbsp;plenty of guards.â€
â& euro;œI’m waiting,†replied& nbsp;his brother without taking his eyes of&n bsp;the trees.
“Waiting?â ;€ repeated Sesshomaru but Kakiboufuu didn&ac irc;€™t respond. Then a call came
from the wall by one of the w atch. Sesshomaru turned his attention to&nbs p;the gate and
saw several shadows movin g among the trees. “An at tack!†he said and rose with a&nb sp;
growl.
“Matte,â& euro; said Kakiboufuu, his hand raised in&nbs p;front of Sesshomaru, forestalling any
furth er action. It was then that Sesshomaru& nbsp;realized his brother had removed the
Rokukafuga sometime earlier. The hanyou ro se to his feet and hopped to the ba se
of the stairs. “Let&nb sp;them pass,†he called to the w atch. They turned to regard him.
In the light of the crescent moon t hey could see his raised eyebrow and rem embered
his earlier statement about explainin g orders. They didn’t argue.&n bsp;
The shadows froze. Kakiboufuu ;glared at them and shouted, “S tep forward and be
recognized or return& nbsp;to where you came from. I have&nbs p;no patience for indecisive
fools.â€&n bsp;
Sesshomaru came up behind Kakiboufu u and gasped. Inuyokai stepped from the
forest and through the gate; Noriko&aci rc;€™s inuyokai if the singed clothing& nbsp;was any
indication. He also recogn ized several from the battles as well as from earlier.
They didn’ t look proud or hostile, their heads wer e bowed and many shuffled
instead of&nbs p;walked. They reeked with the sour odo r of fear. There were more, many < br> more than the grounds between the temple& nbsp;and the gate could hold, out in the
forest.
The heads of the&nbs p;families as well as their sons and, am ong the matriarchies, their
daughters stepped into the opening once they saw how ;small it was. The rest
remained o utside. The watch looked nervous as the y eyed the assembly.
Sesshomaru shared& nbsp;their sentiment but Kakiboufuu was calm. ; He heard the shoji
slide open as& nbsp;those within woke from the commotion. &n bsp;Footsteps padded up behind
him but S esshomaru didn’t turn to look.
“Chichiue, what is going& nbsp;on?†It was Naomi. Pale&nb sp;cloth flickered in the corner of his
eye from the right. Sesshomaru glanced& nbsp;in that direction and saw the silent&nbs p;and
deadly Xeno standing on the engawa . More footsteps from the engawa signal ed the
movement of others as the&nb sp;positioned themselves for a possible fight.&nbs p; The air was
thick with tension.
Then the men and women prostrated& nbsp;themselves. With their faces to the&nbs p;ground
the one closest to Kakiboufuu s poke, “Kakiboufuu-sama, we have come to offer our
surrender. We wish&n bsp;to serve you and pledge our loyalty to the Inu no Taisho.â€
Sesshomaru gasped then glanced at his brothe r. Are they all defecting from
Nor iko? Did he know this would happen?&nbs p; Is that why he didn’t k ill them earlier?
Sesshomaru sensed his daughter’s building anger. He could understand her rage.
They h ad the audacity to come before them and& nbsp;surrender after one defeat? His
pe ople had suffered more for longer and ha d stood by their decision. How could&nb sp;they
trust a people so fickle?
& nbsp;
However, he understood what this meant&n bsp;as well. Noriko had just lost a&nbs p;substantial
amount of support. Within ;the space of a single day the feud ;had turned in their
favor. Sesshomaru& nbsp;took hold of Naomi’s trembling& nbsp;hand. When she glanced at him,
he shook his head to signal the need&n bsp;for calm. He then focused on his&nb sp;brother. He
would have to put h is trust in Kakiboufuu. Naomi squeezed his hand and placed
the other one o ver it; complying with his silent request.&nb sp;
Kaiyoshinju was not nearly so p erceptive. “You think a little bowing and begging is
going to wip e your hands clean of all the blood ;that stains them?†she shouted
m arching forward. She raised her staff. “I kill you worthless scum&nbs p;myself!â€
“Kaiyo!&acir c;€ shouted Sesshomaru, spinning around. &nbs p;The half-dragon was headstrong
and used&nbs p;to doing things her way. A fine attitude to have when you were alone and
standing guard over something as danger ous as the Jewel of the Sea, but sh e was
now part of a group. Sh e had bullied Sesshomaru after joining up&nbs p;allowing her to
do as she pleased.&nbs p;
“Hahaue!†Naomi& nbsp;cried at the same time. Kaiyoshinju&nbs p;had never had to submit to
anyone ;before. She complied with Kenhoshi because& nbsp;she admired him and he had
never&nb sp;demanded much from her. She had neve r before been forced to restrain
herself . Then again she had never before been in a war situation either. Neither
Sesshomaru nor Naomi were certain they& nbsp;could stop her as they turned to fa ce the
raging half-dragon.
Kaiyosh inju stiffened then collapsed without warning.&nbs p; Kakiboufuu stood behind
her, his expr ession cold, his right hand held as if&n bsp;it still lay against her back. &aci rc;€œYour
opinion in noted, dragoness,& nbsp;however, I’m the one who d ecides their fates, not you,â€
he& nbsp;said in an even tone. He stepped&n bsp;over her and walked back to his plac e before
the newcomers. The ones t hat had risen to their knees at Kaiyoshi nju declaration
quickly prostrated themselves ;again.
“Kisama! What&nb sp;did you do to me?†demanded Ka iyoshinju as she struggled to raise
her& nbsp;head.
“You’ re still awake?†he asked, though ;he didn’t turn to regard her&n bsp;and his manner
was unconcerned. &ac irc;€œI devoured your vigor. All that remains of it is just enough to&nbs p;
keep your body functioning. So I ;suggest you give in to your exhaustion and get
some sleep. If you continu e to waste energy like this, you†™re going to die.â€
Ka iyoshinju growled then her head hit the wood planking and her violet eyes closed.&nbs p;
Fearing the worse, Sesshomaru listened&nbs p;then relaxed. He could hear her stron g
heartbeat settle into a slow rhythm&nb sp;and knew she was in no danger of ;death. She
had fallen asleep. He turned back to his brother and stared.& nbsp;
When did he get behind h er? A vague memory of a warm gust& nbsp;as he had spun
around to face Kaiyoshinju came to mind and he bit his& nbsp;lip. Was that when it
happened?&nb sp; Was that his tell?
â&eur o;œJust as you pledged your loyalty to& nbsp;Noriko?†asked Kakiboufuu as if t he whole
incident with Kaiyoshinju had n ever happened.
“My lord?& acirc;€ asked the leader glancing up.
A sandaled foot landed on his h ead and pushed his face back down to&nbs p;the earth.
“When did I& nbsp;say you could look up?†demanded& nbsp;Kakiboufuu with a snarl. â€&oelig ;You are
here to beg for your lives ; you don’t have the status&nbs p;necessary to lift your faces from
the& nbsp;ground when addressing me.â€
;
“My lord? I donâ€& trade;t believe I understand,†said th e leader, this time keeping his face
down.
“You donâ€& trade;t? How very dense of you,†said Kakiboufuu. “You saw&nbs p;earlier how easy it
would be for me to erase your existence. You†™re surrender is an attempt to save&nbs p;
yourselves and your families from my w rath. Let me ask you one question: ; Why
did you turn on Sesshomaru-aniue?& acirc;€
Sesshomaru smelled salty s cent of their sweat increase as they tho ught of how to
answer the question. ; Why does he care about the reason?&nbs p; It is irrelevant at this
point, he thought as he glanced at his brother.
“No answer?†;said Kakiboufuu. His gold eyes flashed ;red for a moment and he
growled. & nbsp;“Cowards!†he spat at&nb sp;them. “That’s why& nbsp;you betrayed the Reihane
family. Y ou saw Aniue as being weak, in spirit&nb sp;or in arms, and latched onto the
powerful Noriko. You caught wind of he r coup and wanted to be on the winn ing
side. However, I’ve&n bsp;appeared and the title of strongest has&n bsp;come to me. You’re
ch anging sides to the perceived winner, again!& acirc;€
“No!†;shouted a voice. Kakiboufuu and Sesshomaru& nbsp;turned to regard a young man
as&nbs p;he rose to his feet.
â&eur o;œSaben! Get down, you fool!â€& nbsp;shouted one of the older men. Sabe n’s hair was blood
red and his eyes brilliant orange. One gold&nb sp;stripe slid down each cheek from the
lower eyelid ending at the curve of ;the jaw. Unlike the others who gathere d in their
family groups, he was al one. Kakiboufuu regarded him for a mome nt then started
walking toward him.
“You speak boldly in the presence of the one that could order&nb sp;you and your family
killed,†s aid Kakiboufuu.
“Chichiue ;believed Noriko-san’s words that sh e could lead the clan better than
S esshomaru-san,†said Saben, not backing&nbs p;down despite the ominous presence
striding& nbsp;toward him. “He was among those pushing for a marriage alliance. He
thought Sesshomaru-san was being foo lishly stubborn.â€
Kakiboufuu sto pped when he was within arm’s&n bsp;reach of the scarlet youth. â&euro ;œDid he
approve of the coup?â&eu ro; he asked. “Did he app rove the murder of so many clansmen?â&e uro;
“Noriko-san said she could convince Sesshomaru-san, but it would& nbsp;be better if we
were gone from ;the castle when she did. She never&nbs p;said she would kill anyone,â€
ad mitted Saben, looking away for a moment. ; Then his attention snapped back to
Kakiboufuu and, meeting his golden gaze, he said, “After the castle fell&n bsp;I argued
with Chichiue that Noriko-san&nb sp;had deceived us. Chichiue believed me&nbs p;at first and
confronted Noriko-san. H owever, Noriko-san told him it was the r esult of
Sesshomaru-san’s stubbornne ss. That she hadn’t meant ;for things to carry that far.
Chichiue believed her but I continued to&nb sp;have doubts. However, Chichiue would not& nbsp;
listen to me and scolded me for&nbs p;continuing to voice doubts about Noriko-san.&nbs p;
Chichiue still believed that Noriko-san&nb sp;was the best choice for the clan and& nbsp;turned a
blind eye to everything th at accord because of her actions. But&n bsp;I couldn’t, I only
stayed&n bsp;because I did not wish to abandon my family. I swore that as soon as&n bsp;I could
I would lead my family away from Noriko-san.
â&eu ro;œYou killed Chichiue during your attack&n bsp;today. Due to the chaos caused by&n bsp;the rout
I was able to talk my& nbsp;family into leaving. These others saw&n bsp;us leaving and decided
to follow. &n bsp;Those who didn’t come either&nbs p;have heads of family that are still al ive and
loyal to Noriko-san herself or&n bsp;are refusing to do anything because they& nbsp;have lost
their head of family. &nb sp;But I want to make one thing clear;&n bsp;I made the decision to
return to&nbs p;Sesshomaru-san with my family before you ev er appeared. So don’t
com pare me to these others.â€
Saben finished and stared hard at& nbsp;Kakiboufuu. The hanyou continued to pee r into
his orange eyes for a minute more. Then his hand struck, grabbing&n bsp;the young man’s
throat and& nbsp;lifted him above the ground. Saben ;gripped the wrist and gasped but
otherw ise didn’t struggle. Kakiboufuu&aci rc;€™s gaze didn’t leave him as he held him above
his head.& nbsp; Then he tossed Saben away from the group and turned toward the
prostrated& nbsp;men and women. Saben remained where&nbs p;he landed and didn’t move. &n bsp;
“Does anyone else&nb sp;wish to voice an opinion?†demanded Kakiboufuu, eyeing them
with disdain. & nbsp;The group remained silent. â€&oel ig;I take it that my earlier assessment
stands then?†Still no protests& nbsp;sounded. The hanyou growled in disgust. “Then I
have this t o say on the matter. You’ re families may rejoin with this group, however,
only if you comply with these&n bsp;conditions. If you refuse to accept ;them you can try
returning to Noriko&nb sp;and see if she is willing to allow&nb sp;it after your desertion.â€
Everyone, newcomers and loyalist alike, hel d their breaths. “First, you&a circ;€™re families
lose all former ;status and rank. Every loyalist will b e of higher rank than you,
including&nbs p;the vassals,†he said. Several ;gasped echoed from the gathering and
in cluded people from his own group. &acir c;€œSecond, your heads of family will&n bsp;now perform
seppuku.â€
S everal family members cried out in shock ;and fear. “My lord!â€&n bsp;shouted several of
the men, forgetting&nb sp;his earlier warning and raising their head s to look at him.
â€&oe lig;There will be no quiet ascensions in ;power by your chosen heirs. They will& nbsp;have to
prove they will not make&nb sp;the same cowardly decision you have made,& acirc;€ continued
Kakiboufuu, ignoring the&nb sp;protests.
“My lord, wh y must we kill ourselves before you will allow our families to return?†< br> demanded one of the men.
&acir c;€œYou are unfit for the post,â& euro; replied Kakiboufuu, his eyes colder tha n ice. “You have
dishonor ed yourselves, your families and your office& nbsp;with the decisions you made.
You&n bsp;have no loyalties to either Sesshomaru-aniue&n bsp;or Noriko. So why should I
bel ieve you will have any loyalties to me?& nbsp; Look around you at the number of&n bsp;
families that all of you represent. Without your support, Noriko could not have
challenged Aniue. Before Norikoâ& euro;™s insurrection, Aniue still held the&n bsp;support of 46%
of the families in&nb sp;the castle. Not a clear majority, no , but looking at your numbers I
can see that Noriko had only the loyalty&nb sp;of around 12%. Not one major family& nbsp;was
involved with her.
;
“You were the deciding factor& nbsp;at that time and now you desire for giveness? The
massacre at the castle&nb sp;and the continued losses are as much your responsibility as
Noriko’s.&nbs p; As the ones who led your family down such a road you are responsible for
bearing the burden of the consequences. Your deaths will serve as a messa ge to the
next generation. Loyalty is not something so trivial as to be cast aside when it is no
longer& nbsp;convenient.â€
“You& acirc;€™re punishing us for not remaini ng with Noriko?†demanded a female&nbs p;family
head.
“No, you idiots,†said Saben, rising to&nbs p;his elbows. “You never had&n bsp;any convictions or
loyalties. Heâ& euro;™s punishing you for your fickle n ature. Ah!†Saben yelped when&n bsp;
Kakiboufuu stepped on his back pinning&nb sp;him to the ground.
â€&oel ig;I’m waiting,†said the&nbs p;hanyou without removing his foot from Saben ’s shoulders.
He looked o ver his shoulders at the group. â €œThose are my conditions for you
rejoining us. If you don’ t like them then return to Noriko. ;Just know that this is
the only op portunity you’ll have. After t his point, when I destroy Noriko, the families that follow her will be dissolved , the adults executed and the children m ade
servants to the loyalists. There&nb sp;will be no exceptions.†His e yes didn’t waver and
his e xpression was uncompromising. The ultimatum had been made.
To be continued&aci rc;€¦