InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Heart Healed Over ❯ Bonding Reprecussions ( Chapter 42 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: FullMetalArm 
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Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.30.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 7.1K | Visits: 204 | Status: Completed
coucnil
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.30.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 7.1K | Visits: 204 | Status: Completed
Chapter 42
The fact that a demonic council was necessary because of his niece’s conception was one of the many things about his demon side that Inuyasha held some of his more bitter feelings toward. He was allowed to live, yet his unborn niece had to suffer at the hands of a council because she was born to a human and demon lord. Why was he allowed life when she was possibly facing death? The answer was simple, his parents were dead, so the shame brought on by them had dissipated over the past few centuries, along with the death of Naraku, Inuyasha felt that the council gave him a free pass.
Looking up, Inuyasha couldn’t make out what was going on with his Seiya and his brother. And there was no reason for the hanyou to even wonder what was going on. In the fashion that was customary to the situation, Seiya was steering Ah-Un while Sesshomaru gave directions to the castle. The human stunk of fear over having to deal with a castle full of demons while his mate made no attempt to comfort him.
Squeezing tightly, Seiya sped the dragon up a bit and looked down into the fields to barely make out a flash of red sped beneath them. Kicking the dragon’s sides, the pair sped downwards until they were on pace with Inuyasha’s speed. Ah-Un was having a bit of a challenge keeping up with the half breed, though both owners felt proud at the dragon’s ability. Looking over, the human asked his friend, “So, what’s up with Kagome? She feeling sick or something?”
Keeping his head facing their destination, Inuyasha shouted over the rush of wind, “Yeah, she’s been having colds lately and even though I don’t want to leave her, she’s making me come with you.” Sneering at his slightly dozing brother, Inuyasha looked at the huge bulge that was once a flat surface. He knew that the child was a girl for two reasons. The first being the fact that Kagome had told him, the second was because he and Seiya had to drag a bunch of baby clothes around while Kagome had Seiya pay for most of the things while buying a few herself as the kids first gifts from its “auntie.” The problem was that the only gifts they got that day were diapers and some clothes.
Inuyasha was still skeptical about his brother’s parental abilities. Seiya, he knew would be fine since he’d watched the human keep an eye on some of Kagome’s younger cousins at one of the reunions, and how he treated Yari. Sesshomaru was a bit different since his only company had been Rin and Jaken for so many years. Now with his own flesh and blood child on the way, Inuyasha wondered if he would be kind but strict. Or, the gods forbid, completely apathetic toward the child.
Granted he was good to Rin, and never laid a hand on her, but Inuysha still worried. Especially with what was happening with the demon lords. Keeping his mind focused on what was going to happen, Inuyasha said nothing as Seiya took back up to the clouds. Yawning a bit, Seiya asked his husband, “It’s at least another two days of this?” When he’d received an official nod, the human grunted loudly saying, “I should have snuck a jet through the well.”
Growling at the thought of the mechanical flying device, Sesshomaru said to his mate, “Do be quiet and pay attention to how you’re steering. I do not wish having to stay awake for three days worrying about falling out of my seat.” Sesshomaru just felt the slight brush of his mate’s foot kicking his leg at the comment and fell back into his doze.
Seiya on the other hand began to remember what had happened on one of his and Kagome’s many shopping trips after he’d finished his tests. It was on a Sunday, a couple of days before they had left for Canada and he wasn’t exactly thrilled, but as he walked down the street carrying the first of what as to be at least twenty bags, he asked his friend, “Why is it that I’m the one paying for everything? Aren’t you supposed to buy a few things on this ‘day trip?’”
Stopping in her tracks, the nurse stuck out her tongue saying, “Not my fault you haven’t purchased anything yet. Besides, all I bought were some booties for the first few months. Just wait until she starts wearing shoes.” Seiya looked to his brother-in-law asking, “Please tell me she isn’t pregnant.” The hanyou’s eyes bulged out of his head, before he rushed to his mate and gave her a quick sniff.
Seiya watched as Kagome pushed him away shouting, “What the heck are you doing smelling me in public!?” Shouting the command, Kagome walked off in a huff as the people on the street watched a silver haired young man attempt to pull his head out of a small crater shouting at his wife.
The next half an hour was pretty tame compared to what it was before. Inuyasha wasn’t talking as he watched Seiya forcibly pick out some clothes. He’d never done this, but according to Kagome, you always bought baby clothes by the number of months, and you always went a bit bigger because the brats grew like weeds. Had he known how exhausting the shopping would be, Seiya would have had surgery done on his leg before he’d even thought about taking Sesshomaru.
Too late for regrets, was the thought that flowed through his mind as Kagome pulled up with three giant mounds of diapers. The mounds were taller than Seiya in and out of the carts. Gulping he said to the woman, “You honestly don’t’ think my kid will shit this much do you?” Bad question on his part as Kagome tied about three quarters of the diapers to his back making him barely able to carry the heavy load to the car.
Inuyasha carried the remaining quarter as he asked his in law, “So is that bastard worth becoming a father or is he just a dismissive, self-involved prick to it?” Thunk! Inuyasha was covered in half of the humans load saying, “Well I don’t trust his ability as a parent. He tried to kill me as a kid and an adult so why would he worry about a child of his own?!” Another loud thunk resonated as Inuyasha was barraged with the remainder of the diapers leaving him to watch the humans begin chatting non-chalantly to one another.
Some time later, the group was sitting down at an outside café having some cold drinks. A few minutes into their break, Seiya sent a cold stare at the hanyou saying in a low, but oddly polite manner, “I’m sick of you always treating my mate like shit. I know the past you two have sucks, and I may not know what it was like for you. But, he is taking care of himself and our child, so just shut the hell up and don’t worry about how he’s dealing with it.”
Being told off by his friend in such a manner scared Inuyasha slightly. He wasn’t an easy one to scare but he could have sworn on that day he’d seen a bit of red in Seiya’s eyes. The half-breed had spent days after the incident wondering what had caused his friend to gain that color, but producing no results save for the fact that it had to do with the blood from their bonding. It seemed the best and most plausible reason and Inuyasha didn’t dare test the theory.
Nearly three months later, the half breed had seen one other incident that had caused his friend to nearly lose himself in anger. They’d stopped the night before, Inuyasha didn’t want to but Sesshomaru had nearly fallen out of the saddle from fatigue and Seiya had insisted despite the brother’s protest. It was weird that the two brothers agreed on something, yet when Sesshomaru dared to begin an argument with his mate, Seiya’s eyes turned the same colors that Inuyasha’s went when he lost control of himself.
A few hours later they stopped for the night. They’d been making excellent progress and with Seiya and Sesshomaru’s conditions they needed the movement while Inuyasha needed the rest. Once a fire was set up and Inuyasha had drank a couple of jugs of water to himself. Seiya went off for a walk while the two brothers had a staring contest. Both were doing their best not to fight each other for multiple reasons. The first being the fact that they needed Sesshomaru alive for the council, the second was Inuyasha wouldn’t dare hurt Seiya nor his unborn niece. So instead of fighting Inuyasha glowered while saying, “Seiya’s definitely changed over the past couple years. Mostly since you two mated, or haven’t you noticed?”
Showing no emotion, Sesshomaru gently ran a finger over his stomach as he muttered, “He’s always been capable of this. He’s protective and what he can do vastly outweighs anything we’ve seen done by him thus far. However, last night’s outburst at us having to stop does pose a problem.” Sesshomaru had the same worried look as his brother and both said had the thought of the violent eyes the human had obtained.
Shuddering as if a winter gale had hit his bare skin. The half-breed looked to the sky and said in a calm voice, “I think your blood, mixed with the strength of your bond has made your blood even more powerful in his body.” Staring into the fire, Inuyasha remembered Kagome’s outbursts as he said, “Kagome and mine’s bond is as strong as yours, but Seiya has always been one to lash out violently. He’s normally calm and shrugs things off, but when backed into a corner or pushed to his limits. The normally gentle spirit he has turns into something completely different. Almost like that guy from the Shinchinnitai.”
Remembering the conflicted soul that inhabited the body of an unusually gentle and kind doctor. Sesshomaru remembered when the fool had dared kidnap Rin with that cross dressing killer, the pregnant demon could see where his brother’s worry came into play. It was shocking that Inuyasha would come up with such an astute solution, Sesshomaru turned his head to the fire saying gently, “He’ll be fine. If not you have my permission to subdue him if I can’t bring myself to.”
Twitching his ears, Inuyasha gave his brother a hardened stare at what he had just given him permission to do. Growling loudly, Inuyasha hissed loudly, “You’d have me injure him? What kind of a mate are you to allow someone to cause such harm to him?” When he received no answer, the hanyou knew why Sesshomaru gave his consent. Nearly a decade ago the demon wouldn’t hesitate to cause harm to a human if he saw reason to. Now, he couldn’t even bring himself to stop his mate from causing anybody harm.
Sighing loudly, Inuyasha nodded before taking a small sip of sake. Glowering, Sesshomaru was about to break the bottle when his brother poured it out saying, “That’s all I bought, one sip. I needed it after two days of straight running. And that’s my limit for the next month.” Snorting, Sesshomaru laid back against his tree waiting for his mate to return Inuyasha however took out his fang and began sharpening it with a special whetstone given to him by Toutosai.
Hearing the familiar clinking of his mate’s leg brace, Sesshomaru cracked open an eye to find a blade resting in its sheath against his shoulder. Sitting up, Sesshomaru saw that his brother was sleeping soundly against his own tree leaving Sesshomaru to angrily ask, “What the hell are you doing with that? Didn’t I tell you that if you brought a weapon it would cause even more problems?”
Looking down at the blade, Seiya held it out and said, “It’s Rin’s knife, easily hidden inside a bag. Beside, it is possible that I could be attacked and don’t you think it would be safer for me to have a bit of protection than none at all?” Like some of Inuyasha’s comments, or should he believe a lot of them, the timing was off as Sesshomaru grabbed the knife from his mate’s hand and shoved it into his belt.
Glowering Seiya, reached for the dagger only to be stopped as Sesshomaru said, “If this is found in your possession, they will see it as premeditated hostility and attempt to kill us right then and there.” The lord saw the anger rise in his mate’s eyes and suddenly shift to mix of vermillion and purple that both he and Inuyasha had when angered. The scent of violence filled the air around him causing Sesshomaru to reach for his blade and say, “Seiya remain calm. There is no reason for you to get upset. I’m worried about our safety . . . ” The demon was cut off by Seiya preparing to launch at the demon.
A sudden movement showed, Seiya being pinned to the ground hissing loudly as Inuyasha strained to keep him under control. The sight was truly horrific as Seiya’s eyes were blood red and he actually had markings on his face, along with fangs in his mouth. Emanating from him were noises much like the roars of a panther defending it’s territory.
Struggling to keep the human pinned to the ground, Inuyasha brought his fist down on the back of his friend’s head and sighed loudly as it made a light thump on the soft dirt. Leaning back, the half breed crossed his legs and said, “There is something wrong with him and he needs help from Miroku and Kaede. Maybe even Jessy could look into it for us, don’t you think?”
Settling next to the fire, Sesshomaru opened his mate’s eyes and checked for any signs of trauma. Save for a slight bump, the demon felt no fractured bones or cartilage and his mate’s eyes reacted perfectly to the light of the flames. His brother had done something right and he knew a thanks was in order later on, but for now he wanted to tend to the human’s condition.
Placing the human’s head on his bag, Sesshomaru watched the young man the whole night for signs of any uneasiness. Nothing happened the whole night save for an occasional snort or the movement of Seiya turning to sleep on his side until morning broke. Groaning loudly, Seiya rubbed the back of his head as he looked around the camp site to find Sesshomaru staring at him cooly.
Reaching into his bag he pulled out four aspirin and a bottled water and swallowed the pills with loud gulps of water before asking, “What happened to me? I remember being a bit angry about your over reacting to the knife and then everything went blank.” He felt something was wrong instantly as Inuyasha scoffed and went back to eating his ramen as Sesshomaru picked at a piece of dried meat.
Scratching his head and yawning loudly, the human pulled out a granola bar and asked with a mouthful of food, “I asked what happened last night?” When neither of them answered again, Seiya shakily got to his feet only to fall back down and be caught by Inuyasha and set down. Shoving himself away from his friend Seiya said, “I don’t need you to protect me all right!? Just because I’m human doesn’t mean I have to deal with the two of you treating me like a child, so tell me what the hell happened and why my head hurts so bad.”
Choking down the rest of his “meal,” Sesshomaru sipped at some water as he said, “You’re eyes changed last night.” Unsatisfied with the answer, Seiya began shouting about what his eyes changing had anything to do with him not being able to stand. Shaking by the collar, Seiya began shouting for answers when Inuyasha pulled him off as Sesshomaru said, “He had to knock you out because you began attacking me you fool!”
Seiya stopped his shouts before asking, “What do you mean I attacked you? How could an attack from me require Inuyasha to knock me unconscious?” He was let go and slumped to the ground as Inuyasha sat down next to the ashes of their fire. Looking to his mate for answers, Seiya stuttered out, “You mean . . . me . . . almost. How?”
Getting to his feet, Sesshomaru kissed his mate softly saying, “Don’t worry about that now. We have to leave or else risk being late and causing trouble with the council.” Remaining quiet and getting onto the dragon, Seiya kicked off while Sesshomaru clung to the saddle and Inuyasha followed on foot. The trip was a silent one though, as Seiya tried to figure out what was in his eyes that required him to be knocked out, even though the thoughts of what could happen at the council scared him even more.
Though they had a late start, Seiya pushed Ah-Un to his limits despite Sesshomaru’s protests and they arrived at the palace just before nightfall. They had to land outside the castle gates, because it seemed less suspicious than landing inside and once they were let in servants came and helped them off Ah-Un and took him to their stables as a young lady bowed saying, “Welcome to our lord’s castle Lords Sesshomaru, Seiya, and Inuyasha. You are a bit earlier than expected so please follow me.”
It was their luck that Miroku was both married and not there as he would have been hitting on all the women in Orochi’s court. Sniffing deeply, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha both noticed that not every woman was a member of the Snake Lord’s court. Staring around at the vast array of assistants, Sesshomaru asked the woman, “How many of the lords have arrived? It seems that much of the southern and northern lords are here, along with what little ones in the east remain.”
The female smiled saying, “Most are here, but not every lord could make it. Some are having droughts and famine, while some are dealing with weather and territory problems. But, we have many of them here and some managed to send representatives.” Part of what she said was true, those that lived in the harsher regions had a priority to their people and needed to make sure they were fed and had water. But no news of any territory problems had reached his ears and he was usually well informed of such things.
He knew that it was a ploy to keep some of the lords from having to deal with any retaliation should they choose a side against the lesser lords who shared their lands. The hierarchy of their lords stood much like those of the human ones. With a main lord to govern each section and minor lords to govern areas they could get to. Sesshomaru was the main one in the West, while Orochi was the East. Koura had taken over the North without any competition. Her clans sheer numbers and the powers of her and her siblings made it too easy, but some of the area was uninhabitable which is why she went to Sesshomaru for help. And the South was much more evenly divided with at least ten different lords governing equal parts of land.
Keeping silent, the quartet entered the main chamber to find Orochi discussing something with none other than Kouga. Stepping to the pair of demons, Inuyasha shouted, “What are you doing here you mangy wolf?” Ignoring the comment, Kouga excused himself from the snake’s presence and threw a punch at his rival. Catching the fist, Inuyasha smirked broadly as he threw his own punch and got caught in the grip of the wolf as he said, “Don’t you know it’s impolite to fight at one of these things?”
Snarling, Kouga broke the grip and snarled, “Like you’d know how to handle yourself here. You’re just a mangy mutt that has no right to be here. Which is an excellent question to ask.” Taking a deep breath Kouga shouted, “What the hell is this worthless half breed doing here?!” Sticking a finger in his ear, Orochi gave a warning cough while the trio stayed silent after the wolf’s shout. Getting no answer, Kouga noticed Sesshomaru and realized why and said amusingly, “You need your little brother to protect you now or is this for your mate?”
Baring his fangs, Sesshomaru revealed his blade saying, “I don’t need help protecting myself or my mate. But, given the situation it is better to have as much help as possible. Lest, you forget about all the help, we’ve given you over the years.” When Kouga turned his nose upward, Sesshomaru hid his blade again smirking, “Glad to see you haven’t forgotten your oath. Besides, I doubt that priestess girl wouldn’t like to see you harm her friends or mate.”
Clenching his fist, Kouga said through bared teeth, “I’m allied to you due to our battles against Naraku. You helped avenge my clan and therefore you and I share a common bond which is only repaid through joining forces when needed.” Staring at the half breed, Kouga jumped to the door as he said, “Besides, Kagome needs help venting with this bastard as a mate.” With the comment made, Inuyasha’s ears perked up and he immediately dashed out of the room ready for battle.
Not saying anything about the possible chaos that would soon consume his palace, Orochi stuck out his tongue and widened his eyes as he said, “There is too much demonic presence in my palace. There is should only be the scent of two half breeds filling my palace, your brother and our child. But the scent is a bit stronger than what it should be. Lord Sesshomaru, how is it possible for this to happen?”
Stepping forward, Sesshomaru said to his mate, “Seiya please leave us fo a moment.” He began to complain at the demon’s request but the sad look in his eyes told Seiya that it was a personal matter. Going to his mate, Seiya took the dagger back and exited with the girl toward his room. When the door shut, Sesshomaru took a seat next to the snake grimly saying, “He has somehow become able to emit demonic aura. It’s happened three times that I know of, but I fear for what is happening to him.” Staring at the Snake Lord, Sesshomaru asked quietly, “Do you have any information on this matter?”
Scratching his chin, Orochi got up and stretched as he said, “I’ve heard of such things happening. What is happening to the boy occurs when you have either too much stress or anger built up over a long period of time.” Blinking his slitted eyes at the dog, the old snake hissed out, “He’s basically become a container for any emotions that you cannot afford to have while you’re carrying that child. You can’t become angry or lose control because you fear what can happen. So, your soul subconsciously sends those negative emotions into your mate and when he gets angry he emits demonic aura and can transform, to an extent, due to the blood you two have shared.”
Running a claw along the table in front of him, Sesshomaru softly muttered, “So once our child is born, we won’t have to worry about him lashing out any more?”
Nodding gently, Orochi slithered toward his friend’s son hissing, “Once you give birth, your body will go back to normal. But since he’s gotten this way with your first born. There is a strong possibility that this problem will reemerge with every child you begin carrying. So, I must suggest the utmost care to monitor when you two conceive a child. Only do so in times of peace or else you’ll be dealing with an extremely unruly and dangerous human.”
As this conversation ended, Seiya took a short walk around the palace of the old snake. It was much bigger than his and Sesshomaru’s, he suggested this was due to the fact that Orochi was the council leader, so he wasn’t surprised when Koura ended up walking next to him. Jumping back a bit he asked the ice panther, “What do you think you’re doing spying on me?”
Creating a small ice flower and then destroying it, the Deva chewed on a bit of ice as she said, “It’s dangerous for you to be wandering around alone here. You may be in a safe haven, but that won’t stop those against yours and Sesshomaru’s union from doing anything to disgrace you.” Making a comment about having his daughter’s dagger, Seiya laughed a bit as Koura said, “I’m surprised you snuck that in. Keep it on you at all times. I’ve heard it can make barriers and I’m certain you’ll need it at some point during this meeting.”
The pair walked around the palace, mainly in areas of those loyal to Sesshomaru. He found that although the demon’s were a bit skittish around him, none were disrespectful, and some were even laughing and joking with him. He was having an excellent time when out of nowhere a spot of red hair caught his eye. Grabbing his dagger he rushed out of the room and followed what he thought was a woman as Koura kept in pace shouting at him not to be so reckless.
He paid no attention as he saw the woman sitting around a corner with a smug look on her face, a face that looked identical to a woman he knew. Breathless, Seiya couldn’t ask the question, but the woman said, “I am a servant to a cougar lord. My name is Jade, and you must be that human my lord despises so much.”
Looking up, Seiya nodded and said, “I’m sorry for bothering you, it’s just that you look identical to a woman I know where I’m from.” The woman gave a chilling laugh and said that he was a fool for even thinking that a worthless human could compare to her beauty. She said that she was hand picked for her master’s harem and was the only one who got to stay in his room each night and allowed to make suggestions on how he should handle situations. Standing back up, Seiya was about to start shouting when the womans lord summoned her into his room.
When she left, Seiya stormed back to his room to wait for Sesshomaru as Koura stood guard. He was mad because of the added protection, but the woman had angered him even more. As he seethed with anger, he felt something rise in him that he didn’t like. Breathing deeply to calm himself, Seiya dunked his head into a barrel of cold water and came up feeling much cooler. Wiping the wet hair from his eyes, Seiya soon felt a soft towel on his head and the firmness of his mate drying it for him.
Massaging the soft hair, Sesshomaru pulled off the cloth as he said in a low voice, “When you become angry, you transform into a certain type of hanyou.” Feeling his mates hand on his head, Sesshomaru stared at the golden ring muttering, “It’s our blood bond that does it. Since I’m pregnant, I cannot have any emotions that will cause harm to our child. In rare cases, such as ours, my negative emotions get transformed into your body and come out in a sort of demonic power that causes you to go berserk. That is why you were knocked out last night and caused you to be a bit disoriented this morning.”
Separating himself from his mate, Seiya looked into the barrel and noticed a small bit of purple leaving his cornea. Dropping his face, the human said softly, “I guess that means I can’t get angry tomorrow or else I’ll end up dead. I’m also guessing that’s why you didn’t want me to have Rin’s knife?” Sesshomaru kissed the head of his husband softly and whispered an affirmative reply. Snorting, Seiya headed off to their bed and fell asleep almost instantly as Sesshomaru stayed awake for a few more hours before dozing lightly incase of an assassination attempt.
Morning came without incident and food was brought to their room. After sniffing it for five minutes, Sesshomaru detected no poisons and they ate very little. Seiya set his bowl down only after seven bites of rice and very little chicken. Sesshomaru ate a bit more but succumbed to the anxiety his mate felt. The sound of a bell told them that it was time for the council and grabbing their weapons, Seiya’s hidden inside of his brace, they headed off to the main room where it seemed to be divided into two sections.
One side was occupied by the people he knew to be allies, while the other was filled with many more that objected to their union and their daughter. A quick scan showed that Isayu had arrived at some point. The pair immediately took their place at the end closest to Orochi, who was stationed to stare down the middle as an impartial judge. When they were seated, the Snake Lord’s voice boomed throughout the hall as he began the council.
“We are here today to discuss something that has not occurred in more than two centuries.” A collective growl filled the side to the Snakes left after speaking. Giving the opposers a warning glare, he continued. “The last time this happened, the father or Lord Sesshomaru had mated with a human princess and thus conceived the hanyou Inuyasha. Who has joined us for the first time, and on behalf of the council I welcome you.” A
Although they did not make any noise, Inuyasha could feel the hatred pouring from his enemies at Orochi’s acknowledging him. Smirking in his usual way, Inuyasha gave them a look that said, “Bring it on.” But, before any could launch an attack Orochi’s voice shattered the tense silence as he said, “However, he is not the reason we are here. The reason we are hear is because Lord Sesshomaru has followed in his father’s footsteps and has mated with a human male and has conceived a child. A daughter if I’m not mistaken.” A look to his right told Orochi that the demon was ready to fight if anything should go wrong, the same look filled his mate’s face as well.
With no interruptions, Orochi gave a nod to allow any comments to be made. Getting to his feet, a cougar demon snarled, “This is an atrocity and a forbidden act among the lords. His father paid with his blood and the his half breed brother’s disgusting mother is at least dead, so why not take the pup and kill it when born or at least kill one of the parents? It is only fair and some sort of sacrifice must be made!”
A mingling of disagreements from the right, mixed with agreements from the left filled the room and began to turn into screams of protest and threats. When a bear roar filled the room, the council grew silent as a bear lord said, “Lord Sesshomaru’s father was powerful and fair. He never once attacked anybody unless he though there was no other choice and he needed the land. Even then he was merciful to those who begged for life and even resurrected a few of his enemies people. If his son chooses to do this then leave him be. Lest you wish to deal with my clan who gives him undying support.”
Giving a nod to the kuma youkai, Sesshomaru climbed to his feet and said cooly, “My child has done no wrong and does not deserve this malice. I too have felt hatred toward those of half human blood and have learned the error of my ways.” Looking to his brother for a moment, Sesshomaru then said in the same tone, “To an extent.” A small thud as his brothers fist hit the table gave him reason to continue.
“I ask that none of you do anything to either me or my mate until our child is born. And should you incite a war, you will be met with even more ferocity than you will have seen me give to most of my enemies. And don’t even think to harm my mate. I may have disgraced or kind by performing a human wedding and submitting completely to his touch, but let it be known that I’m much stronger and my mate, despite a limp leg, is a human to be feared when angry. He may not be as physically strong as us, but when angered he is more fearsome than most bear demons.”
When he finished his speech, Sesshomaru was about to sit down when out of nowhere a weak dragon demon lunged at him. Before he could withdraw Tokijin, a stream of blood erupted from the table as Seiya planted his knife in the demons arm before pulling it out and slicing it off. Getting to his feet, the human’s body gave off a violent aura as he said, “Come at him or my daughter again and you’ll have to face my real blade!”
The opposing side was silent, save for the howling of the dragon as it cursed him while being taken to it’s quarters. When it was gone, Seiya blinked a few times as he looked around and looked down at his body to see the blood on him. Dropping the knife, he walked quickly from the room and out to the stables to be near Ah-Un for a quick escape. With the help of his comrades, Sesshomaru made his way to the stables and hopped onto the dragon in front of his mate.
A few moments later, Inuyasha and Koura appeared with their bags. Kouga stood near the front gate after Inuyasha gave tied the bags to the steed. With two escorts on the ground, the group flew for nearly 12 hours before stopping. It was nine at night and Seiya’s butt was sore from sitting for so long.
Settling next to the fire, Seiya stared into the flames as he said, “What the hell did I just do? I could have started a war!” Shrugging his mate away, Seiya stared into the flames for the whole night thinking about what he’d done. When they left the next morning, he said nothing for that whole day nor the next as they landed outside of Kagome and Inuyasha’s house. Sesshomaru was worried since he hadn’t spoken in two days, nor eaten anything as well, along with not even changing his blood drenched clothing.
Climbing off, Seiya began marching toward Kaede’s when out of nowhere Kagome let out a loud scream. Silencing his mate, Inuyasha whispered, “He’s fine Kagome. A demon attacked Sesshomaru at the council and he fought it. The blood isn’t his, but he’s not exactly himself lately.” Quivering slightly, Kagome caught up with her friend and stopped his walking, said some words, and led him back to the house.
As they sat in the backroom, Sesshomaru began washing the dried blood away from his mates body. Some of it had sunk through his clothes and Seiya paid no mind as Sesshomaru cleaned him. With the blood soaked rag set aside, Sesshomaru put a fresh set of clothes on the human and tied his brace on as Seiya said, “I’m sorry for anything that happens after this.”
Tightening the final strap, Sesshomaru bent his mate’s leg and satisfied that it was working said, “You reacted like any demon would have. And now they know to fear you and to watch their step. So in short you did a good thing for us. But in the long run, we may have some troubles ahead.” Placing his hand on his mates leg, Sesshomaru softly whispered, “This leg may hinder your ability to react to those dangers.”
Smirking, Seiya held up an arm saying, “I’ll take ‘em out even with a bum leg.” Kissing his mates lips softly, Sesshomaru and Seiya were interrupted by a stern grunt that could only belong to Kouga. Looking through the corner of their eyes, Kouga told them that if they needed a guide to the well he’d take them. Scooping himself up off the floor before helping his husband, Seiya grabbed his bag and said good bye to Kagome.
Hugging her friend, Kagome kissed his cheek saying, “I just came back this morning since I had things to do on the other side, and I stopped by your house and cleaned a bit. Ya know Tater is getting awfully lonely.” Catching what his friend was saying, Seiya gave her a kiss and followed Kouga through the village. He said hi to a few of the people. Most were giving them odd looks because of Sesshomaru’s condition. After letting a few of the kids ask questions, Sesshomaru made his way to the forest while Seiya apologized for his behavior.
At the well, they said goodbye to Kouga and made the slow free fall to the other side. After exiting the well, they saw that the shrine was abandoned, so they caught the subway back to Seiya’s house. Sesshomaru didn’t bother changing and nobody questioned him since there was a sort of Japanese Renaissance festival going on somewhere and thought he was working at it.
Once their stop was reached the two made the short walk back to the house and noticed that some lights were on in Rin’s room. A bit surprised that she was at the house, Seiya unlocked the door to the loud barking of his Bulldog and immediately began making stupid baby noises at him. Hearing the commotion, Rin bounded down the steps and hugged her father’s saying that she was happy they were home before setting them down at the table to eat a meal she had made.
A week later, Seiya was sitting in the nursery getting some things organized. While he was gone, Kagome had some things delivered that he’d paid for a long time ago, and had set up in what was once a spare room. For company, now it was a cozy little baby room set for a girl or a boy, and all her clothes and toys were neatly awaiting to be shattered and used.
Some light knocks came from the door and Seiya turned to find his mate standing in it with his hand on his stomach. Smiling slightly, Seiya muttered, “All right, we’ll go and see my dad now. I just wanted to make sure that everything was the way I left it after last nights little fiasco.” The “fiasco,” he was referring to was after Tater got out of the bath tub and had Rin chase him around the upstairs trying to get him dry. Needless to say he knocked over a few things and had to spend the next couple of days outside as punishment, while Rin spent the night at Kagome’s for Souta’s birthday.
Once in the car, Sesshomaru buckled himself in as Seiya headed around and hopped into the drivers side. Backing out, he turned onto the highway and after about twenty minutes, he turned off onto a somewhat empty street in one of the small residential areas. Tapping his hands to the music, Seiya made his way into the street after the light turned green.
All was going well until just as the front end of his car reached the painted lines for the cross walk, a violent crash sounded throughout the area as he was slammed into another car, hitting his head against the window. His neck hurting, Seiya could see that the entire passenger side was smashed in and Sesshomaru lay with his head near his thigh. Blood was staining his clothing and silver locks. His shoulder looked out of place and his stomach was still round, but something didn’t look right as his mate’s chest barely moving.
His eyes filling with blood, Seiya made out the shape of a huge truck on Sesshomaru’s side. The windows were tinted and he couldn’t make out any faces. The pain too much, Seiya dropped his head against the deployed air bag and listened to the static like voices of people shouting for help and talking to emergency operators. The last thing he could make out was, “Oh god tell them one of the victims is pregnant!” Before a loud crash of the door hitting the ground muffled out all other sounds except for his own mind thinking, Just let us live.
The fact that a demonic council was necessary because of his niece’s conception was one of the many things about his demon side that Inuyasha held some of his more bitter feelings toward. He was allowed to live, yet his unborn niece had to suffer at the hands of a council because she was born to a human and demon lord. Why was he allowed life when she was possibly facing death? The answer was simple, his parents were dead, so the shame brought on by them had dissipated over the past few centuries, along with the death of Naraku, Inuyasha felt that the council gave him a free pass.
Looking up, Inuyasha couldn’t make out what was going on with his Seiya and his brother. And there was no reason for the hanyou to even wonder what was going on. In the fashion that was customary to the situation, Seiya was steering Ah-Un while Sesshomaru gave directions to the castle. The human stunk of fear over having to deal with a castle full of demons while his mate made no attempt to comfort him.
Squeezing tightly, Seiya sped the dragon up a bit and looked down into the fields to barely make out a flash of red sped beneath them. Kicking the dragon’s sides, the pair sped downwards until they were on pace with Inuyasha’s speed. Ah-Un was having a bit of a challenge keeping up with the half breed, though both owners felt proud at the dragon’s ability. Looking over, the human asked his friend, “So, what’s up with Kagome? She feeling sick or something?”
Keeping his head facing their destination, Inuyasha shouted over the rush of wind, “Yeah, she’s been having colds lately and even though I don’t want to leave her, she’s making me come with you.” Sneering at his slightly dozing brother, Inuyasha looked at the huge bulge that was once a flat surface. He knew that the child was a girl for two reasons. The first being the fact that Kagome had told him, the second was because he and Seiya had to drag a bunch of baby clothes around while Kagome had Seiya pay for most of the things while buying a few herself as the kids first gifts from its “auntie.” The problem was that the only gifts they got that day were diapers and some clothes.
Inuyasha was still skeptical about his brother’s parental abilities. Seiya, he knew would be fine since he’d watched the human keep an eye on some of Kagome’s younger cousins at one of the reunions, and how he treated Yari. Sesshomaru was a bit different since his only company had been Rin and Jaken for so many years. Now with his own flesh and blood child on the way, Inuyasha wondered if he would be kind but strict. Or, the gods forbid, completely apathetic toward the child.
Granted he was good to Rin, and never laid a hand on her, but Inuysha still worried. Especially with what was happening with the demon lords. Keeping his mind focused on what was going to happen, Inuyasha said nothing as Seiya took back up to the clouds. Yawning a bit, Seiya asked his husband, “It’s at least another two days of this?” When he’d received an official nod, the human grunted loudly saying, “I should have snuck a jet through the well.”
Growling at the thought of the mechanical flying device, Sesshomaru said to his mate, “Do be quiet and pay attention to how you’re steering. I do not wish having to stay awake for three days worrying about falling out of my seat.” Sesshomaru just felt the slight brush of his mate’s foot kicking his leg at the comment and fell back into his doze.
Seiya on the other hand began to remember what had happened on one of his and Kagome’s many shopping trips after he’d finished his tests. It was on a Sunday, a couple of days before they had left for Canada and he wasn’t exactly thrilled, but as he walked down the street carrying the first of what as to be at least twenty bags, he asked his friend, “Why is it that I’m the one paying for everything? Aren’t you supposed to buy a few things on this ‘day trip?’”
Stopping in her tracks, the nurse stuck out her tongue saying, “Not my fault you haven’t purchased anything yet. Besides, all I bought were some booties for the first few months. Just wait until she starts wearing shoes.” Seiya looked to his brother-in-law asking, “Please tell me she isn’t pregnant.” The hanyou’s eyes bulged out of his head, before he rushed to his mate and gave her a quick sniff.
Seiya watched as Kagome pushed him away shouting, “What the heck are you doing smelling me in public!?” Shouting the command, Kagome walked off in a huff as the people on the street watched a silver haired young man attempt to pull his head out of a small crater shouting at his wife.
The next half an hour was pretty tame compared to what it was before. Inuyasha wasn’t talking as he watched Seiya forcibly pick out some clothes. He’d never done this, but according to Kagome, you always bought baby clothes by the number of months, and you always went a bit bigger because the brats grew like weeds. Had he known how exhausting the shopping would be, Seiya would have had surgery done on his leg before he’d even thought about taking Sesshomaru.
Too late for regrets, was the thought that flowed through his mind as Kagome pulled up with three giant mounds of diapers. The mounds were taller than Seiya in and out of the carts. Gulping he said to the woman, “You honestly don’t’ think my kid will shit this much do you?” Bad question on his part as Kagome tied about three quarters of the diapers to his back making him barely able to carry the heavy load to the car.
Inuyasha carried the remaining quarter as he asked his in law, “So is that bastard worth becoming a father or is he just a dismissive, self-involved prick to it?” Thunk! Inuyasha was covered in half of the humans load saying, “Well I don’t trust his ability as a parent. He tried to kill me as a kid and an adult so why would he worry about a child of his own?!” Another loud thunk resonated as Inuyasha was barraged with the remainder of the diapers leaving him to watch the humans begin chatting non-chalantly to one another.
Some time later, the group was sitting down at an outside café having some cold drinks. A few minutes into their break, Seiya sent a cold stare at the hanyou saying in a low, but oddly polite manner, “I’m sick of you always treating my mate like shit. I know the past you two have sucks, and I may not know what it was like for you. But, he is taking care of himself and our child, so just shut the hell up and don’t worry about how he’s dealing with it.”
Being told off by his friend in such a manner scared Inuyasha slightly. He wasn’t an easy one to scare but he could have sworn on that day he’d seen a bit of red in Seiya’s eyes. The half-breed had spent days after the incident wondering what had caused his friend to gain that color, but producing no results save for the fact that it had to do with the blood from their bonding. It seemed the best and most plausible reason and Inuyasha didn’t dare test the theory.
Nearly three months later, the half breed had seen one other incident that had caused his friend to nearly lose himself in anger. They’d stopped the night before, Inuyasha didn’t want to but Sesshomaru had nearly fallen out of the saddle from fatigue and Seiya had insisted despite the brother’s protest. It was weird that the two brothers agreed on something, yet when Sesshomaru dared to begin an argument with his mate, Seiya’s eyes turned the same colors that Inuyasha’s went when he lost control of himself.
A few hours later they stopped for the night. They’d been making excellent progress and with Seiya and Sesshomaru’s conditions they needed the movement while Inuyasha needed the rest. Once a fire was set up and Inuyasha had drank a couple of jugs of water to himself. Seiya went off for a walk while the two brothers had a staring contest. Both were doing their best not to fight each other for multiple reasons. The first being the fact that they needed Sesshomaru alive for the council, the second was Inuyasha wouldn’t dare hurt Seiya nor his unborn niece. So instead of fighting Inuyasha glowered while saying, “Seiya’s definitely changed over the past couple years. Mostly since you two mated, or haven’t you noticed?”
Showing no emotion, Sesshomaru gently ran a finger over his stomach as he muttered, “He’s always been capable of this. He’s protective and what he can do vastly outweighs anything we’ve seen done by him thus far. However, last night’s outburst at us having to stop does pose a problem.” Sesshomaru had the same worried look as his brother and both said had the thought of the violent eyes the human had obtained.
Shuddering as if a winter gale had hit his bare skin. The half-breed looked to the sky and said in a calm voice, “I think your blood, mixed with the strength of your bond has made your blood even more powerful in his body.” Staring into the fire, Inuyasha remembered Kagome’s outbursts as he said, “Kagome and mine’s bond is as strong as yours, but Seiya has always been one to lash out violently. He’s normally calm and shrugs things off, but when backed into a corner or pushed to his limits. The normally gentle spirit he has turns into something completely different. Almost like that guy from the Shinchinnitai.”
Remembering the conflicted soul that inhabited the body of an unusually gentle and kind doctor. Sesshomaru remembered when the fool had dared kidnap Rin with that cross dressing killer, the pregnant demon could see where his brother’s worry came into play. It was shocking that Inuyasha would come up with such an astute solution, Sesshomaru turned his head to the fire saying gently, “He’ll be fine. If not you have my permission to subdue him if I can’t bring myself to.”
Twitching his ears, Inuyasha gave his brother a hardened stare at what he had just given him permission to do. Growling loudly, Inuyasha hissed loudly, “You’d have me injure him? What kind of a mate are you to allow someone to cause such harm to him?” When he received no answer, the hanyou knew why Sesshomaru gave his consent. Nearly a decade ago the demon wouldn’t hesitate to cause harm to a human if he saw reason to. Now, he couldn’t even bring himself to stop his mate from causing anybody harm.
Sighing loudly, Inuyasha nodded before taking a small sip of sake. Glowering, Sesshomaru was about to break the bottle when his brother poured it out saying, “That’s all I bought, one sip. I needed it after two days of straight running. And that’s my limit for the next month.” Snorting, Sesshomaru laid back against his tree waiting for his mate to return Inuyasha however took out his fang and began sharpening it with a special whetstone given to him by Toutosai.
Hearing the familiar clinking of his mate’s leg brace, Sesshomaru cracked open an eye to find a blade resting in its sheath against his shoulder. Sitting up, Sesshomaru saw that his brother was sleeping soundly against his own tree leaving Sesshomaru to angrily ask, “What the hell are you doing with that? Didn’t I tell you that if you brought a weapon it would cause even more problems?”
Looking down at the blade, Seiya held it out and said, “It’s Rin’s knife, easily hidden inside a bag. Beside, it is possible that I could be attacked and don’t you think it would be safer for me to have a bit of protection than none at all?” Like some of Inuyasha’s comments, or should he believe a lot of them, the timing was off as Sesshomaru grabbed the knife from his mate’s hand and shoved it into his belt.
Glowering Seiya, reached for the dagger only to be stopped as Sesshomaru said, “If this is found in your possession, they will see it as premeditated hostility and attempt to kill us right then and there.” The lord saw the anger rise in his mate’s eyes and suddenly shift to mix of vermillion and purple that both he and Inuyasha had when angered. The scent of violence filled the air around him causing Sesshomaru to reach for his blade and say, “Seiya remain calm. There is no reason for you to get upset. I’m worried about our safety . . . ” The demon was cut off by Seiya preparing to launch at the demon.
A sudden movement showed, Seiya being pinned to the ground hissing loudly as Inuyasha strained to keep him under control. The sight was truly horrific as Seiya’s eyes were blood red and he actually had markings on his face, along with fangs in his mouth. Emanating from him were noises much like the roars of a panther defending it’s territory.
Struggling to keep the human pinned to the ground, Inuyasha brought his fist down on the back of his friend’s head and sighed loudly as it made a light thump on the soft dirt. Leaning back, the half breed crossed his legs and said, “There is something wrong with him and he needs help from Miroku and Kaede. Maybe even Jessy could look into it for us, don’t you think?”
Settling next to the fire, Sesshomaru opened his mate’s eyes and checked for any signs of trauma. Save for a slight bump, the demon felt no fractured bones or cartilage and his mate’s eyes reacted perfectly to the light of the flames. His brother had done something right and he knew a thanks was in order later on, but for now he wanted to tend to the human’s condition.
Placing the human’s head on his bag, Sesshomaru watched the young man the whole night for signs of any uneasiness. Nothing happened the whole night save for an occasional snort or the movement of Seiya turning to sleep on his side until morning broke. Groaning loudly, Seiya rubbed the back of his head as he looked around the camp site to find Sesshomaru staring at him cooly.
Reaching into his bag he pulled out four aspirin and a bottled water and swallowed the pills with loud gulps of water before asking, “What happened to me? I remember being a bit angry about your over reacting to the knife and then everything went blank.” He felt something was wrong instantly as Inuyasha scoffed and went back to eating his ramen as Sesshomaru picked at a piece of dried meat.
Scratching his head and yawning loudly, the human pulled out a granola bar and asked with a mouthful of food, “I asked what happened last night?” When neither of them answered again, Seiya shakily got to his feet only to fall back down and be caught by Inuyasha and set down. Shoving himself away from his friend Seiya said, “I don’t need you to protect me all right!? Just because I’m human doesn’t mean I have to deal with the two of you treating me like a child, so tell me what the hell happened and why my head hurts so bad.”
Choking down the rest of his “meal,” Sesshomaru sipped at some water as he said, “You’re eyes changed last night.” Unsatisfied with the answer, Seiya began shouting about what his eyes changing had anything to do with him not being able to stand. Shaking by the collar, Seiya began shouting for answers when Inuyasha pulled him off as Sesshomaru said, “He had to knock you out because you began attacking me you fool!”
Seiya stopped his shouts before asking, “What do you mean I attacked you? How could an attack from me require Inuyasha to knock me unconscious?” He was let go and slumped to the ground as Inuyasha sat down next to the ashes of their fire. Looking to his mate for answers, Seiya stuttered out, “You mean . . . me . . . almost. How?”
Getting to his feet, Sesshomaru kissed his mate softly saying, “Don’t worry about that now. We have to leave or else risk being late and causing trouble with the council.” Remaining quiet and getting onto the dragon, Seiya kicked off while Sesshomaru clung to the saddle and Inuyasha followed on foot. The trip was a silent one though, as Seiya tried to figure out what was in his eyes that required him to be knocked out, even though the thoughts of what could happen at the council scared him even more.
Though they had a late start, Seiya pushed Ah-Un to his limits despite Sesshomaru’s protests and they arrived at the palace just before nightfall. They had to land outside the castle gates, because it seemed less suspicious than landing inside and once they were let in servants came and helped them off Ah-Un and took him to their stables as a young lady bowed saying, “Welcome to our lord’s castle Lords Sesshomaru, Seiya, and Inuyasha. You are a bit earlier than expected so please follow me.”
It was their luck that Miroku was both married and not there as he would have been hitting on all the women in Orochi’s court. Sniffing deeply, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha both noticed that not every woman was a member of the Snake Lord’s court. Staring around at the vast array of assistants, Sesshomaru asked the woman, “How many of the lords have arrived? It seems that much of the southern and northern lords are here, along with what little ones in the east remain.”
The female smiled saying, “Most are here, but not every lord could make it. Some are having droughts and famine, while some are dealing with weather and territory problems. But, we have many of them here and some managed to send representatives.” Part of what she said was true, those that lived in the harsher regions had a priority to their people and needed to make sure they were fed and had water. But no news of any territory problems had reached his ears and he was usually well informed of such things.
He knew that it was a ploy to keep some of the lords from having to deal with any retaliation should they choose a side against the lesser lords who shared their lands. The hierarchy of their lords stood much like those of the human ones. With a main lord to govern each section and minor lords to govern areas they could get to. Sesshomaru was the main one in the West, while Orochi was the East. Koura had taken over the North without any competition. Her clans sheer numbers and the powers of her and her siblings made it too easy, but some of the area was uninhabitable which is why she went to Sesshomaru for help. And the South was much more evenly divided with at least ten different lords governing equal parts of land.
Keeping silent, the quartet entered the main chamber to find Orochi discussing something with none other than Kouga. Stepping to the pair of demons, Inuyasha shouted, “What are you doing here you mangy wolf?” Ignoring the comment, Kouga excused himself from the snake’s presence and threw a punch at his rival. Catching the fist, Inuyasha smirked broadly as he threw his own punch and got caught in the grip of the wolf as he said, “Don’t you know it’s impolite to fight at one of these things?”
Snarling, Kouga broke the grip and snarled, “Like you’d know how to handle yourself here. You’re just a mangy mutt that has no right to be here. Which is an excellent question to ask.” Taking a deep breath Kouga shouted, “What the hell is this worthless half breed doing here?!” Sticking a finger in his ear, Orochi gave a warning cough while the trio stayed silent after the wolf’s shout. Getting no answer, Kouga noticed Sesshomaru and realized why and said amusingly, “You need your little brother to protect you now or is this for your mate?”
Baring his fangs, Sesshomaru revealed his blade saying, “I don’t need help protecting myself or my mate. But, given the situation it is better to have as much help as possible. Lest, you forget about all the help, we’ve given you over the years.” When Kouga turned his nose upward, Sesshomaru hid his blade again smirking, “Glad to see you haven’t forgotten your oath. Besides, I doubt that priestess girl wouldn’t like to see you harm her friends or mate.”
Clenching his fist, Kouga said through bared teeth, “I’m allied to you due to our battles against Naraku. You helped avenge my clan and therefore you and I share a common bond which is only repaid through joining forces when needed.” Staring at the half breed, Kouga jumped to the door as he said, “Besides, Kagome needs help venting with this bastard as a mate.” With the comment made, Inuyasha’s ears perked up and he immediately dashed out of the room ready for battle.
Not saying anything about the possible chaos that would soon consume his palace, Orochi stuck out his tongue and widened his eyes as he said, “There is too much demonic presence in my palace. There is should only be the scent of two half breeds filling my palace, your brother and our child. But the scent is a bit stronger than what it should be. Lord Sesshomaru, how is it possible for this to happen?”
Stepping forward, Sesshomaru said to his mate, “Seiya please leave us fo a moment.” He began to complain at the demon’s request but the sad look in his eyes told Seiya that it was a personal matter. Going to his mate, Seiya took the dagger back and exited with the girl toward his room. When the door shut, Sesshomaru took a seat next to the snake grimly saying, “He has somehow become able to emit demonic aura. It’s happened three times that I know of, but I fear for what is happening to him.” Staring at the Snake Lord, Sesshomaru asked quietly, “Do you have any information on this matter?”
Scratching his chin, Orochi got up and stretched as he said, “I’ve heard of such things happening. What is happening to the boy occurs when you have either too much stress or anger built up over a long period of time.” Blinking his slitted eyes at the dog, the old snake hissed out, “He’s basically become a container for any emotions that you cannot afford to have while you’re carrying that child. You can’t become angry or lose control because you fear what can happen. So, your soul subconsciously sends those negative emotions into your mate and when he gets angry he emits demonic aura and can transform, to an extent, due to the blood you two have shared.”
Running a claw along the table in front of him, Sesshomaru softly muttered, “So once our child is born, we won’t have to worry about him lashing out any more?”
Nodding gently, Orochi slithered toward his friend’s son hissing, “Once you give birth, your body will go back to normal. But since he’s gotten this way with your first born. There is a strong possibility that this problem will reemerge with every child you begin carrying. So, I must suggest the utmost care to monitor when you two conceive a child. Only do so in times of peace or else you’ll be dealing with an extremely unruly and dangerous human.”
As this conversation ended, Seiya took a short walk around the palace of the old snake. It was much bigger than his and Sesshomaru’s, he suggested this was due to the fact that Orochi was the council leader, so he wasn’t surprised when Koura ended up walking next to him. Jumping back a bit he asked the ice panther, “What do you think you’re doing spying on me?”
Creating a small ice flower and then destroying it, the Deva chewed on a bit of ice as she said, “It’s dangerous for you to be wandering around alone here. You may be in a safe haven, but that won’t stop those against yours and Sesshomaru’s union from doing anything to disgrace you.” Making a comment about having his daughter’s dagger, Seiya laughed a bit as Koura said, “I’m surprised you snuck that in. Keep it on you at all times. I’ve heard it can make barriers and I’m certain you’ll need it at some point during this meeting.”
The pair walked around the palace, mainly in areas of those loyal to Sesshomaru. He found that although the demon’s were a bit skittish around him, none were disrespectful, and some were even laughing and joking with him. He was having an excellent time when out of nowhere a spot of red hair caught his eye. Grabbing his dagger he rushed out of the room and followed what he thought was a woman as Koura kept in pace shouting at him not to be so reckless.
He paid no attention as he saw the woman sitting around a corner with a smug look on her face, a face that looked identical to a woman he knew. Breathless, Seiya couldn’t ask the question, but the woman said, “I am a servant to a cougar lord. My name is Jade, and you must be that human my lord despises so much.”
Looking up, Seiya nodded and said, “I’m sorry for bothering you, it’s just that you look identical to a woman I know where I’m from.” The woman gave a chilling laugh and said that he was a fool for even thinking that a worthless human could compare to her beauty. She said that she was hand picked for her master’s harem and was the only one who got to stay in his room each night and allowed to make suggestions on how he should handle situations. Standing back up, Seiya was about to start shouting when the womans lord summoned her into his room.
When she left, Seiya stormed back to his room to wait for Sesshomaru as Koura stood guard. He was mad because of the added protection, but the woman had angered him even more. As he seethed with anger, he felt something rise in him that he didn’t like. Breathing deeply to calm himself, Seiya dunked his head into a barrel of cold water and came up feeling much cooler. Wiping the wet hair from his eyes, Seiya soon felt a soft towel on his head and the firmness of his mate drying it for him.
Massaging the soft hair, Sesshomaru pulled off the cloth as he said in a low voice, “When you become angry, you transform into a certain type of hanyou.” Feeling his mates hand on his head, Sesshomaru stared at the golden ring muttering, “It’s our blood bond that does it. Since I’m pregnant, I cannot have any emotions that will cause harm to our child. In rare cases, such as ours, my negative emotions get transformed into your body and come out in a sort of demonic power that causes you to go berserk. That is why you were knocked out last night and caused you to be a bit disoriented this morning.”
Separating himself from his mate, Seiya looked into the barrel and noticed a small bit of purple leaving his cornea. Dropping his face, the human said softly, “I guess that means I can’t get angry tomorrow or else I’ll end up dead. I’m also guessing that’s why you didn’t want me to have Rin’s knife?” Sesshomaru kissed the head of his husband softly and whispered an affirmative reply. Snorting, Seiya headed off to their bed and fell asleep almost instantly as Sesshomaru stayed awake for a few more hours before dozing lightly incase of an assassination attempt.
Morning came without incident and food was brought to their room. After sniffing it for five minutes, Sesshomaru detected no poisons and they ate very little. Seiya set his bowl down only after seven bites of rice and very little chicken. Sesshomaru ate a bit more but succumbed to the anxiety his mate felt. The sound of a bell told them that it was time for the council and grabbing their weapons, Seiya’s hidden inside of his brace, they headed off to the main room where it seemed to be divided into two sections.
One side was occupied by the people he knew to be allies, while the other was filled with many more that objected to their union and their daughter. A quick scan showed that Isayu had arrived at some point. The pair immediately took their place at the end closest to Orochi, who was stationed to stare down the middle as an impartial judge. When they were seated, the Snake Lord’s voice boomed throughout the hall as he began the council.
“We are here today to discuss something that has not occurred in more than two centuries.” A collective growl filled the side to the Snakes left after speaking. Giving the opposers a warning glare, he continued. “The last time this happened, the father or Lord Sesshomaru had mated with a human princess and thus conceived the hanyou Inuyasha. Who has joined us for the first time, and on behalf of the council I welcome you.” A
Although they did not make any noise, Inuyasha could feel the hatred pouring from his enemies at Orochi’s acknowledging him. Smirking in his usual way, Inuyasha gave them a look that said, “Bring it on.” But, before any could launch an attack Orochi’s voice shattered the tense silence as he said, “However, he is not the reason we are here. The reason we are hear is because Lord Sesshomaru has followed in his father’s footsteps and has mated with a human male and has conceived a child. A daughter if I’m not mistaken.” A look to his right told Orochi that the demon was ready to fight if anything should go wrong, the same look filled his mate’s face as well.
With no interruptions, Orochi gave a nod to allow any comments to be made. Getting to his feet, a cougar demon snarled, “This is an atrocity and a forbidden act among the lords. His father paid with his blood and the his half breed brother’s disgusting mother is at least dead, so why not take the pup and kill it when born or at least kill one of the parents? It is only fair and some sort of sacrifice must be made!”
A mingling of disagreements from the right, mixed with agreements from the left filled the room and began to turn into screams of protest and threats. When a bear roar filled the room, the council grew silent as a bear lord said, “Lord Sesshomaru’s father was powerful and fair. He never once attacked anybody unless he though there was no other choice and he needed the land. Even then he was merciful to those who begged for life and even resurrected a few of his enemies people. If his son chooses to do this then leave him be. Lest you wish to deal with my clan who gives him undying support.”
Giving a nod to the kuma youkai, Sesshomaru climbed to his feet and said cooly, “My child has done no wrong and does not deserve this malice. I too have felt hatred toward those of half human blood and have learned the error of my ways.” Looking to his brother for a moment, Sesshomaru then said in the same tone, “To an extent.” A small thud as his brothers fist hit the table gave him reason to continue.
“I ask that none of you do anything to either me or my mate until our child is born. And should you incite a war, you will be met with even more ferocity than you will have seen me give to most of my enemies. And don’t even think to harm my mate. I may have disgraced or kind by performing a human wedding and submitting completely to his touch, but let it be known that I’m much stronger and my mate, despite a limp leg, is a human to be feared when angry. He may not be as physically strong as us, but when angered he is more fearsome than most bear demons.”
When he finished his speech, Sesshomaru was about to sit down when out of nowhere a weak dragon demon lunged at him. Before he could withdraw Tokijin, a stream of blood erupted from the table as Seiya planted his knife in the demons arm before pulling it out and slicing it off. Getting to his feet, the human’s body gave off a violent aura as he said, “Come at him or my daughter again and you’ll have to face my real blade!”
The opposing side was silent, save for the howling of the dragon as it cursed him while being taken to it’s quarters. When it was gone, Seiya blinked a few times as he looked around and looked down at his body to see the blood on him. Dropping the knife, he walked quickly from the room and out to the stables to be near Ah-Un for a quick escape. With the help of his comrades, Sesshomaru made his way to the stables and hopped onto the dragon in front of his mate.
A few moments later, Inuyasha and Koura appeared with their bags. Kouga stood near the front gate after Inuyasha gave tied the bags to the steed. With two escorts on the ground, the group flew for nearly 12 hours before stopping. It was nine at night and Seiya’s butt was sore from sitting for so long.
Settling next to the fire, Seiya stared into the flames as he said, “What the hell did I just do? I could have started a war!” Shrugging his mate away, Seiya stared into the flames for the whole night thinking about what he’d done. When they left the next morning, he said nothing for that whole day nor the next as they landed outside of Kagome and Inuyasha’s house. Sesshomaru was worried since he hadn’t spoken in two days, nor eaten anything as well, along with not even changing his blood drenched clothing.
Climbing off, Seiya began marching toward Kaede’s when out of nowhere Kagome let out a loud scream. Silencing his mate, Inuyasha whispered, “He’s fine Kagome. A demon attacked Sesshomaru at the council and he fought it. The blood isn’t his, but he’s not exactly himself lately.” Quivering slightly, Kagome caught up with her friend and stopped his walking, said some words, and led him back to the house.
As they sat in the backroom, Sesshomaru began washing the dried blood away from his mates body. Some of it had sunk through his clothes and Seiya paid no mind as Sesshomaru cleaned him. With the blood soaked rag set aside, Sesshomaru put a fresh set of clothes on the human and tied his brace on as Seiya said, “I’m sorry for anything that happens after this.”
Tightening the final strap, Sesshomaru bent his mate’s leg and satisfied that it was working said, “You reacted like any demon would have. And now they know to fear you and to watch their step. So in short you did a good thing for us. But in the long run, we may have some troubles ahead.” Placing his hand on his mates leg, Sesshomaru softly whispered, “This leg may hinder your ability to react to those dangers.”
Smirking, Seiya held up an arm saying, “I’ll take ‘em out even with a bum leg.” Kissing his mates lips softly, Sesshomaru and Seiya were interrupted by a stern grunt that could only belong to Kouga. Looking through the corner of their eyes, Kouga told them that if they needed a guide to the well he’d take them. Scooping himself up off the floor before helping his husband, Seiya grabbed his bag and said good bye to Kagome.
Hugging her friend, Kagome kissed his cheek saying, “I just came back this morning since I had things to do on the other side, and I stopped by your house and cleaned a bit. Ya know Tater is getting awfully lonely.” Catching what his friend was saying, Seiya gave her a kiss and followed Kouga through the village. He said hi to a few of the people. Most were giving them odd looks because of Sesshomaru’s condition. After letting a few of the kids ask questions, Sesshomaru made his way to the forest while Seiya apologized for his behavior.
At the well, they said goodbye to Kouga and made the slow free fall to the other side. After exiting the well, they saw that the shrine was abandoned, so they caught the subway back to Seiya’s house. Sesshomaru didn’t bother changing and nobody questioned him since there was a sort of Japanese Renaissance festival going on somewhere and thought he was working at it.
Once their stop was reached the two made the short walk back to the house and noticed that some lights were on in Rin’s room. A bit surprised that she was at the house, Seiya unlocked the door to the loud barking of his Bulldog and immediately began making stupid baby noises at him. Hearing the commotion, Rin bounded down the steps and hugged her father’s saying that she was happy they were home before setting them down at the table to eat a meal she had made.
A week later, Seiya was sitting in the nursery getting some things organized. While he was gone, Kagome had some things delivered that he’d paid for a long time ago, and had set up in what was once a spare room. For company, now it was a cozy little baby room set for a girl or a boy, and all her clothes and toys were neatly awaiting to be shattered and used.
Some light knocks came from the door and Seiya turned to find his mate standing in it with his hand on his stomach. Smiling slightly, Seiya muttered, “All right, we’ll go and see my dad now. I just wanted to make sure that everything was the way I left it after last nights little fiasco.” The “fiasco,” he was referring to was after Tater got out of the bath tub and had Rin chase him around the upstairs trying to get him dry. Needless to say he knocked over a few things and had to spend the next couple of days outside as punishment, while Rin spent the night at Kagome’s for Souta’s birthday.
Once in the car, Sesshomaru buckled himself in as Seiya headed around and hopped into the drivers side. Backing out, he turned onto the highway and after about twenty minutes, he turned off onto a somewhat empty street in one of the small residential areas. Tapping his hands to the music, Seiya made his way into the street after the light turned green.
All was going well until just as the front end of his car reached the painted lines for the cross walk, a violent crash sounded throughout the area as he was slammed into another car, hitting his head against the window. His neck hurting, Seiya could see that the entire passenger side was smashed in and Sesshomaru lay with his head near his thigh. Blood was staining his clothing and silver locks. His shoulder looked out of place and his stomach was still round, but something didn’t look right as his mate’s chest barely moving.
His eyes filling with blood, Seiya made out the shape of a huge truck on Sesshomaru’s side. The windows were tinted and he couldn’t make out any faces. The pain too much, Seiya dropped his head against the deployed air bag and listened to the static like voices of people shouting for help and talking to emergency operators. The last thing he could make out was, “Oh god tell them one of the victims is pregnant!” Before a loud crash of the door hitting the ground muffled out all other sounds except for his own mind thinking, Just let us live.