InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Invitations to Trouble ❯ Here Kitty, Kitty ( Chapter 13 )

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Ba: "Cluck. Cluck. Cluck."

Ka: "What on earth are you doing?"

Ba: "Nothing. Cluck."

Ka: "There! Right there! What are you doing?"

Ba: "Nothing. Cluck."

Ka: "God, I know I'm going to regret asking you this…"

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Chapter Thirteen

Settled among the decadent furnishings and ancient texts, Lord Enjuku of the Eastern Lands stared down at the innocuous letter set before him on the rich, teak wood of his desk. With a foul word as he crumpled the creamy material in his claws, he listened as it crackled with a enjoyably slow crunch. An ample glass of some rare wine or another sat dejectedly by his elbow since it had largely been ignored by the lord. That changed when haunted green eyes saw it.

Snatching the fragile goblet up, Enjuku drained it in one gulp. The translucent liquid went down smoothly despite the having to pass a heavy, bilious lump in his throat. After hitting his empty stomach, the alcohol-induced heat seeped into every limb as it attempted to settle his nerves, but even with its help he still couldn't relax.

"I am a fool..." Sour and thick, the words rang out in the tome filled room.

'A deal will be struck, a bargain is made.

Only wonder later, at the price you have paid.'

Like a children's rhyme, the phrase had been echoing through his head ever since he had received the letter currently held in his balled fist. Even now, it seemed to be mocking him over and over again.

Glaring at the crushed scroll as if it might hold all the answers to his troubles instead of being the cause of them, Enjuku growled low in his throat.

"How much will you pay? What is the price?! " Threading his fingers through his unruly hair, he hissed with regret.

"Too much, far too much!"

Sinewy muscles rippled and flexed as he rose to his feet and slowly made his way out of his study. As he walked, he tried to think of any way to save himself. 'I cannot believe this is happening to me. It's just unthinkable that something so simple could have fucked me over so badly!'

A short while ago Lord Enjuku had learned that a messenger from the west had arrived at his court. One of his servants had whispered something about a small snake youkai with disturbing physical abilities who needed to deliver a scroll.

Since the Eastern Lord had been gleefully denying requests left and right for the last three weeks, he thought that this new one would be no different than the others and so he'd promptly refused it before he saw what it was about. Onyx claws scored through solid stone as the irksome memory made the neko youkai lash out.

Stupid. He was so damned stupid!

'How was I supposed to know? After all, the time specified in the bargain was nearly up and the girl has proven to be exceptionally gratifying. So how in the hell was I supposed to know that accursed Ookami would get a wild hair up his fat ass and start a border war with Yamatsu!?'

When a servant ghosted by, Enjuku glared at the defenseless thing in a fit of sheer spite until it went completely invisible under the hostile energy being directed at it. Although it was sometimes amusing to have conjured help to bat around and torment, now was not proving to be one of those times. Nearly intangible creations who catered to his every whim was nice, but right now Enjuku wanted to sink his claws into something and watch it bleed!

"Or someone...like that blasted Spider!"

Scarlet robes billowing behind him, Lord Enjuku moved within the luxuriant hallways of his shiro like the dangerous predator he truly was. In his irate state the waves of overflowing youki sizzled in the air just above his skin and fluffed his fur into a wild mane.

'Deny any claims for three weeks he says. Damn the Spider to the tenth level of hell and beyond!! When I find him, I should have him strung up and skinned alive a square inch of skin at a time!'

Honestly, Enjuku knew he was as much to blame as the man he was cursing. That fact alone was a large part of what had the youkai lord simmering in a potent cocktail of rage and self-loathing. The other part was that the last minute request which had come to him today, the very last day of the agreed upon three weeks, had not even been looked at until just a moment ago.

Pausing at a picturesque scene framed by an open window, the lord tried to collect his frazzled thoughts.

'Today started out really nice too. I managed to stick it to that uppity landholder who'd been withholding tithes and somehow helped a peasant keep his family's farm in the bargain, so what went wrong? I remember that I was about to signal for the evening meal and that snake came slithering up out of nowhere!' Still not pacified by the natural beauty before him, Enjuku let loose a roar that caused every single one of the apparitions in the vicinity of where he stood to vanish.

'Since it was the last request, I thought it might make interesting reading material for dinner. I do get such a kick from perusing through the pitiful little claims that come through my door, so why should this one have been any different?' Turning away from the window, he rubbed a hand over the sharp point of his chin and wondered how he could save his skin this time.

'Kami, I should have looked at that thing before I denied it because now I can't even attempt to buy myself some more time by saying I'll look at it tomorrow, when I could actually have agreed to it. My whole court was present to bear witness to my refusal.'

With a groan, he attempted to smooth his fur and calm himself. 'Gods save me, that smooth-talking bastard has managed to set me up quite nicely.'

Enjuku snarled nastily as he recalled the shock on the serpent's immobile face when the request had been denied. What the messenger Hebiki had brought was word from the western ruler requesting both armed men and supplies as per a nearly ancient agreement between the two lords.

'If I didn't owe that fucking dog my life, I might have turned Yamatsu down anyway, Spider or no spider. But I do owe Yamatsu and turning my back on him now is going to plunge me right in the middle of this goddamned war!'

Rounding a corner, the taiyoukai burst through the pearly doors of his bedroom with the full intention of taking every ounce of his frustration out upon his "gift".

Seated on the edge of the bed, Kenami watched his approach with indifference dulling her blue eyes. The sight of her sitting so calm and unruffled in the midst of his personal crisis, only stoked his ire further.

"Little lie, I think you should pay for your master's treachery."

The girl made no move to get away from him when he pounced on her, driving her deeply into the mattress with the weight of his body. Even when the furry fingers wrapped around her throat and tried to squeeze the life from her, she did nothing to stop him.

Small gurgling noises issued from her smooth throat and Enjuku knew that right about now, spots should have been dancing before her eyes from the lack of air.

Still, she remained slack and unresisting. Inch by inch, the pressure eased up until it was removed completely. With a noise of disgust, he released his prey and watched as she struggled to sit up. Jewel-bright green eyes rolled up as Kenami fell back against the bed when her shaking arms wouldn't support her. A petal pink tongue curled as the lord yawned in boredom.

"You are pitiful girl."

Although the jeering words were meant as an insult, they lacked any real force. Throughout the brief encounter, those fathomless eyes of ice had never left him. 'A good servant who was waiting to receive whatever else her new lord might wish to do to her?' The thought made his stomach turn oddly.

"Get up woman."

Wintery orbs widened at the defeated tone. For the first time since he'd acquired her, Kenami spoke, shocking him with the musical quality of her voice.

"Have I displeased you in some way, milord?"

Blinking, Enjuku frowned and grasped her wrist, bruising it cruelly. She didn't flinch at the harsh touch, only waited. Exasperated, he released her again and turned away to pace back and forth in front of the expansive doorway. Without her fear, any attack would lack the essence he desired and render it pointless.

Although the brief tussle had loosened her robe enough to show off the valley between her breasts, he no longer found the sight thrilling. 'Demon's balls! I can't even get aroused by her any longer!' The furred length of his tail twitched and snapped in irritation.

Coming to a decision, he cocked his head at her.

"I will be suffering soon because of your master girl. I think I should make him suffer in return." When she said nothing, the half-formed plan solidified in his mind. "Yes. Instead of returning you to him tomorrow, I will let you go."

"You're letting me go?"

Talons flashed wickedly but it was only to call for servants. When one materialized, he spoke harshly to it. "Supply her with whatever she asks for and find a suitable mount to get her to the borders of my kingdom by dawn." A gasp from the bed caused the triangles on the top of his head to swivel and catch the sound. "What?"

"N-nothing." Sliding to the floor, she bowed low. "It is just that you are being most generous."

"Do not be absurd!! I want to be able to say without a doubt that you are no longer within my domain when that accursed Spider comes to collect you!!" Needle-sharp teeth glittered coldly, "The look on his face will be satisfaction enough for me."

Turning on his heel, he called out, "Get ready. You have ten minutes to get to the front gate and out of my hair."

"Wait milord!"

"What?!" Severely irritated beyond his meager limits, the dark, bushy mane of his hair stood on end as he faced her. The lord hadn't realized that he'd carried the offending scroll with him into the room until he saw that she had smoothed it out and was looking at it strangely.

Shocked, Enjuku realized that in all this time, he had never asked her anything about herself. 'Can she even read that? Hell, does she know anything at all besides how to please a man?' He found that the lack of knowledge actually bothered him.

Without a trace of trepidation, Kenami shot forward to stand before him. Frowning down at her, he told himself that the only reason he was leaning down at her request was to satisfy his own curiosity.

'I am a lord, not a pet.'

Stretched up on her tiptoes, the girl was still woefully short of her goal, so he leaned closer still. Warm breath tickled the fine hairs as she whispered into the swiveling triangle of his ear.

Laboriously, the settled scowl on his face smoothed out to be replaced with a wide-eyed amazement that melted into wicked glee. 'I was wrong, she knows a hell of a lot more than I thought!' Placing a quick kiss on her open lips before she could move away, Enjuku tossed back his head and roared again but this time with laughter.

"Forget the ten minutes woman, you have thirty and the mount will take you wherever you want because it's yours from now on!"

Whooping with joy, the cat bounced out the door, calling out for more of his vaporous servants as he went. When he was lost to her eyes, Kenami tossed out her arms and twirled in a slow circle on the tips of her toes. At that moment, she felt something pull at her lips that she hadn't experienced in over twenty-five years.

A smile.

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Nestled within the heart of the towering mountains was a lush and sheltered valley. Completely hidden from the casual traveler, the verdant depression was filled to the rim with teeming packs of wolves. Every throat within the rocky bowl let loose a howl to greet the man who had brought them together.

Gorotsuki had seemed preoccupied as of late, but now he was back in his element which was leading his people. Hunkered deeply in the mountain pass, the armies of the north gathered together around their lord.

"The reign of the Dog will come to an end, and we will be the ones to do it!! Now are you with me?"

A riotous roar met him. Within his twisted little soul the wolf lord crowed in triumph.

More than three weeks ago, he had sent out the call to gather the tribes From every corner of his domain together with the order that each one would bring along whatever they could get for the fight ahead.

The black wolves have managed to bring some weapons and food stock as well as a meager cache of armor. Although small in number, the tribe of red wolves had somehow brought an entire brace of cannons and various armaments. When asked how they got it by some of their astounded cousins, the slender youai had muttered something about 'lazy gaijin' but refused to provide further comment.

The only ones missing were the white wolves. With a curse, Gorotsuki couldn't believe the old bastard Kenjin and his granddaughter Ayame had both turned down his offers.

'A bigger holdings for that doddering old man and marriage to Kouga for that breastless twit he's raising! What more could he possibly ask for? It's not like she's going to be receiving better offers from anyone with a higher rank than my son anytime soon! The lot of them are almost as bad off as the golden wolf tribe.'

Deciding to focus back on the crowd before him, the Ookami no Taisho whipped them into an even greater frenzy.

"We will be victorious!! We know where the Dog sleeps and even as I speak to you here, a pack has been sent to stab him where he is most vital." A beefy finger pointed in a south easterly direction, "By this time next week, we will meet with the groveling peons of the Dog on the field of battle and do you know how we will greet the great and noble lord?"

Nasty murmurs rippled through the assembly, reaffirming Gorotsuki's confidence. "Yes. We will give him the head of his new wife and family as a welcoming gift!!" At the news, the already excitable mob grew even more blood thirsty and wild, howling and snapping at youkai and wolf alike. With a shout, Gorotsuki brought instantaneous quiet.

"But, you mangy sack of curs can't fight shit if you don't have armor to protect your miserable hide." Something wicked lit his rotund face as he pointed to a small mountain covered with sack cloth.

"Even the human pawns of the Dog have better armaments than you do right now." A collective hiss of denial rose at that statement, but he stopped it with a gesture. "However, our generous benefactor has seen fit to provide us with a small token of his regard."

For the last week, the ookami packs had been making midnight raids upon local villages to scavenge for armor and weaponry of any kind. Despite the few caches they had scraped together, the actual amount the ookami had on hand was woefully short. It had seemed that the war would go to Yamatsu for numbers and provisions alone.

As crooked as a worm with stomach cramps, Gorotsuki's thoughts twisted and slithered over each other as he bolstered his men with more fiery speeches. 'But thanks to the Spider, that will all change very soon.' Just the night before, the devious lord had met with his mysterious benefactor.

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"Spider! Where the hell are you?"

At the base of the mountain pass, a figure in white chuckled darkly.

"Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Why everyone of course!"

In no mood for the usual jaunty banter that had become a part of their exchanges, Gorotsuki went right up to the other man and fisted his thick hand in the dense fur.

"What the fuck is Kenami doing back here?!" Black orbs burned as they tried to pierce the shadows hiding the other man's eyes. "When I sold you that meddlesome bitch, you swore to me that would be the last time I ever laid eyes on her."

Suave and unruffled, the man known as Spider removed the hands tangled in his cloak. "I assure you, she is currently with the Eastern Cat. We had a deal and I always keep my end of a bargain."

Taken back by the information, Gorotsuki rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "So who the fuck did Tsuki, Mimo and Intu drag into the cave?" Fixing his supplier with a harsh look, the ookami youkai gave a gravelly cough that turned into a growl.

"Now that might be a mystery that you need to unravel Lord Gorotsuki. I assure you, Kenami is gone."

"You had better not be lying to me Spider. I'm not some simpleton you can just jerk around and hope to get away with the shit."

"I never considered you to be a simpleton of any kind my lord. The girl Kenami was fostering rebellion in your son and I removed her influence at your behest did I not?" Moving away, the white garbed figure turned to bow low before departing.

"But as a gesture of good faith, I have left another gift for you in the Valley of the Moon where you and the other ookami will meet tomorrow. Hopefully, it will restore some of the lost trust between us?"

"It had better be damned good Spider." With a grunt, Gorotsuki shifted into the form of a giant wolf and galloped back up the mountainside, leaving the shadowed figure behind. An ominous hum in the air scattered with the flick of a lean hand as the figure faded into the night.

"It is ookami. It is very good indeed."

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A knowing leer twisted the ookami's mouth as he looked out over the massive crowd and removed the covering, revealing new and gleaming piles of various armaments. Even Gorotsuki was momentarily taken back by the sheer volume of cold steel and forged death before him. Stepping over to the deadly "gift", he gave the gathering another telling look.

"I think this will do for the moment, don't you?"

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"Mistress Kagome, master Shippo, Lord Enjuku and the last two are human. I think that should just about do it." Satisfied that all was in order, the serpent youkai rolled up the scroll and tucked it away in an inner pocket as he slid over the ground. It had been more than a week since he'd arrived at the doorstep of the young miko and kitsune. After a somewhat successful delivery of his missive, Hebiki had parted ways with the armed escort taking the girl back to the mansion in order to make it to the palace of the Eastern Lord in time.

'I cannot believe that the Lord Enjuku refused to honor the agreement between him and the Lord Yamatsu!' Saddened and more than a little confused , Hebiki wove back and forth as he moved forward. 'Although I will admit that when I showed up, he looked as though he'd been sprayed by a skunk. I wonder why?'

Deciding that the whims and notions of the noble class was beyond his understanding, he turned his attention back to the disused trail before him. "After this, I can report back to my lord and maybe go home." More than anything, Hebiki just wanted to get this whole thing over with.

'Why did it have to be cats?'

The Eastern Lord was a quite amiable fellow on whole but his neko features often reduced the normally collected messenger into a boneless heap of jittering nerves.

Hebiki looked down at the last two names on his list and ardently prayed that this would go smoothly. 'The lengths I go to in order to serve my lord amazes me sometimes.' Which was true. Hebiki had one closely guarded secret that was proving to be quite a handicap on this trip.

"Why did it have to be cats?"

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Weaving through the trees as he made his way to his next assignment, Hebiki ducked under a bush and hurried on. 'One last stop and then I am going home.' Lost in the reverie of a nice soak in a hot springs, he didn't see the two figures until he was right on top of them. One minute he had been speeding along and the next he had run head first into a pair of travelers going the opposite way.

BAM!

"OI! Watch where you're going!" With a twist of his mid-section, he righted himself and turned to glare at the rude party. Slitted brown eyes belonging to the one he had actually hit, glared right back.

Gulp. A fit of shivering seized him hard enough to make his scales rattle as Hebiki beheld a very upset neko youkai. Thin black lips parted to reveal tiny sharp teeth as a rumbling voice queried, "What did you say to me?"

'I don't want to be kitty litter!'

"Um, n-nothing at all ma'am. I was just about to apologize and ask if there was anything I could do to assist you and your companion since this entire grievous incident is totally my fault."

If it sounded as though he'd become a babbling idiot, Hebiki didn't notice and honestly didn't care! His entire world was suddenly focused on a pair of tawny paws kneading the packed dirt with long, sharp claws at the end of lean, powerful arms that looked as though they could rip through him like rice paper

The noise made by those ivory slivers as they scrambled over the occasional stone and pebble didn't help his rapidly crumpling composure. With each pass made, it conjured the image of those wicked talons lightly scoring his scaly hide.

Hebiki would have blanched if he'd had skin to do it with. As it was, his normal mustard coloration faded to a dirty beige. Dredged from his past, the short phrase rang clearly through his fear-clotted mind.

'I don't want to be kitty litter!'

"Excuse me sir, but might I ask where you were going in such a hurry?" The new voice was dimly noted in the recesses of his brain since he couldn't seem to take his eyes off that cat! His distraction was apparent with every word that fell from his mouth as he angled his head towards the speaker, but never took his eyes from the object of his morbid fascination.

"I was going to go get some people. Do you have to scratch like that? The lord Yamatsu sent me off to do things today, do you have to scratch like that? Somebody lives near here that he wants me to find for him, DO YOU HAVE TO SCRATCH LIKE THAT?!"

When the last outburst left him, Hebiki fully expected to be cleaved in two, but he was saved from imminent death by the person standing to the side of the cat.

"Keimba, cease that at once." Like a magical wand, the chiding words brought heady relief to the messenger as the neko stopped her deliberate pawing and sat back on her haunches. However, his relief was to be short-lived.

Instead of scratching at the ground, the golden-furred female chose to yawn as though it was her last chance to engage in the act. Once again, the serpent was transfixed by row upon row of pearly death. Beside her, the cloaked figure made an exasperated noise.

Since it was covered from head to toe in a creamy hooded cape, Hebiki seriously doubted that he'd could have seen it shake its head as well.

Quick as a wink, his tongue shot out to test the scent of the hidden person. 'Female, like the cat. Oddly familiar too.' Any thoughts on that bit of information was shot to hell when he suddenly found that he was the focus of the svelte neko's unnerving attentions. When he flickered his tongue again, he understood why.

'She's staring at my tongue like it's a chew toy! I don't want to be kitty litter!'

Again, the garbed speaker took advantage of his preoccupied state. "So where exactly is your lord, scaled one?"

"I think he's near the northern border, quit staring at me. Something to do with defending the villages there from ookami raids, quit staring at me. The Lord Yamatsu thinks the wolves are stealing weapons to use in the battle, QUIT STARING AT ME!" His voice had been getting more and more shrill with each tense demand he made to the object of his darkest nightmares. A dark hand reached out and rudely tweaked an ear.

"Keimba, leave him be!"

Abashed and more than a little put out, the neko dropped to the ground and muttered a short apology that didn't sound as contrite to Hebiki as it should have.

'Stupid cat.'

It was only after letting out a gusty sigh of relief that it suddenly occurred to him what he'd just done. Rounding on his cowled savior, the snake rose up as high as he could to hiss down at the woman. Topping her by half a foot, he tried to puff out his non-existent chest as he glared at her.

"Why are you so curious about the whereabouts of the Taisho anyway?" Leaning closer, his voice dropped to a sibilant and throaty rumble that he hoped sounded somewhat intimidating.

"Are you a spy?"

As if drawn from thin air, a large parchment bearing the official seal of the Lord of the West sprang up before his nose .

"What the-?"

"I am a cook sent by the Lady Shinaki to prepare meals especially for her husband, the Lord Yamatsu!" At the unexpected announcement, the only thing the poor man could do was gape at the parchment as though it might sprout wings and fly away.

"A-a cook?!"

"Yes! Lady Shinaki told me that lately her husband has been feeling poorly and she is very concerned about him receiving proper nutrition. I was sent to ensure that he gets exactly what he needs."

Something in the way the last words were spoken sounded a bit funny to the messenger, so he grabbed the pass with his tail and brought it closer to his eyes in order to see it better.

"Is something wrong?"

A smile could be heard clearly in the husky voice coming from the folds of cloth as Hebiki inspected the paper closely for any signs of forgery. When he couldn't see any, he pulled back and shook his head at his own foolishness.

'Of course she's an ally! Although it is a little old looking, I would recognize my lord's seal anywhere. Besides, no one from the ookami tribes could have gotten so deeply into the Lord Yamatsu's territory without getting themselves killed.' With a silent laugh at the logical explanation, Hebiki bobbed his head to her as she turned to leave. 'I know she didn't come from the south. I would take six months to get this far from the nearest border and she doesn't appear to have enough provisions for a trip that long.' With a snort, his tail thumped distractedly against the ground.

'The most telling thing is that this whole incident didn't start until two or so weeks ago!' Still, prudence won out and he watched carefully as the neko rose to her bare feet and trailed after her friend.

Together, the two slipped into the underbrush and vanished from his sight like a mirage. Despite the fact that he didn't have any, the messenger still managed to look like he shrugged his shoulders as he turned and made his way toward his next goal. As he slid between the trees and the cool grasses, he found his thoughts traveling back to the curiously colored neko who had just left.

'I do wonder why the cook has a cat that big with her though. Perhaps the girl's there to catch mice?' His empty stomach growled at the thought of vermin that would require a predator that large to kill them and idly wondered if the ningen could make stir fry with any of them.

'Argh! Snap out of it man! Come on Hebiki, just one more stop and then you will be going home to get a decent meal and soak in a tub until you shed! After all, don't you deserve a little peace with all the cats you've had to deal with today?'

Committed to the dream of a good soak and never seeing anything that looked even remotely feline, the serpent pressed on.

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Right now though, a soak in molten lava would have been preferable to spending one more minute fighting the cumbersome plants blocking his path.

'First the lord Enjuku sends me away without dinner, and then I get harassed by that weird youkai and human just now. Why in the world are there so many cats around today who want to give me a hard time?'

Moving swiftly through the high grass, the messenger recalled the curious conversation.

'Even though she never said a word, that youkai from earlier made her intentions pretty damned clear!' he thought sourly. 'I mean, how am I supposed to have a civil conversation with someone when all I see are teeth and claws?' If he'd had hands, Hebiki would have thrown them up in the air in exasperation.

"Stupid cat!"

With his dusky, ochre scales rustling against the dying grass, he knew that he was all but invisible to anyone nearby even in the harsh light of the afternoon sun shining down on him. As he drew closer to his destination which was an odd village that lay on the outskirts of a mountain top, the messenger viewed the impending climb with more than a little dismay.

'Just remember to make some noise Hebiki and you should be fine. You don't want to startle anybody, or anything.' Vivid and blue, his tongue shot out nervously. 'And I definitely do not want a repeat of the incident with the miko.'

Incident. Personally, he thought is was a lovely way to say 'deadly assault by an arrow flinging ningen'.

Indeed, the poor messenger was still mourning the loss of his beloved robe. 'I really did like that color!' With a wistful hiss, Hebiki approached the dilapidated wall of towering logs and slipped in through a large gap. Once inside the wall, his tongue flickered briefly in distaste over the disrepair he saw within the shabby fortifications.

'Why on earth would the Lord Yamatsu wish to retrieve anyone who lived in such squalor?' Knowing that it was not his place to question his lord, not even in his own mind, Hebiki glided forward to conduct a search of each of the huts.

"Hello? I am seeking two humans." Gulping loudly, he added, "And the c-cat who travels with them?"

The half hearted call was a study in the attempt to get someone's attention while simultaneously doing one's best to avoid detection. 'I don't want to be kitty litter.'

"Hello? I am here at the behest of the Inu no Taisho, Lord Yamatsu to get you!"

His slender body swayed like a blade of grass in a typhoon as Hebiki tried to stay as exposed as he could while also trying to hide himself behind a dusty barrel left behind in an open area that must have once served as the town square. All the while, he kept thinking one solitary thought.

'I don't want to be kitty litter.'

As you can tell, Hebiki was deathly afraid of cats.

"Hello? Is anyone here? I-what was that?" A barely audible noise behind him made him pause in his call. Since everyone knows that true snakes do not have ears, many people mistakenly think that the messenger was completely deaf because of the lack of any visible audio receptors. To say that they were usually flabbergasted when they learned that his hearing was exceptionally good would have been an understatement.

Frankly, Hebiki was damned glad for that exceptional sense.

'Why does that sound like the old 'stalking the unsuspecting victim' sound?' Whipping his broad head around, the nervous youkai slid backwards toward the gap. Another noise made him freeze.

'Okay, now that was the 'catch the victim from behind since he's still looking for the source of the first noise' sound!' Despite the natural inability to sweat, Hebiki was suddenly feeling a tad bit clammy.

From the corner of one eye, he saw a small fireball dance and sway as it turned in midair and headed for him. Two lidless eyes once again performed their miraculous feat of blinking when Hebiki saw that.

'Oh, that's right. Mistress Kagome did say something about a firecat.'

Hebiki didn't have time to put more effort into recalling the tidbit of information because he suddenly realized that if he stayed perfectly still, he was going to die.

Instead of a magic-powered arrow, it seem that this time death was coming for him cloaked in hell and fury. Bearing down on him with malevolence shining from blood red eyes as white hot claws tore up the ground, the massive creature of scorching fur smashed through the gutted remains of a hut as it tried to get at the terrified youkai fleeing from it.

The force from the blast of oven baked air surrounding the apparition would have driven Hebiki to his knees, if he had any. As it was, it slammed him flat unto his back right before a massive paw settled firmly over his neck. Sabre-like fangs yawned wide in the dark muzzle as they descended with the full intention of relieving the body pinned beneath the fiery youkai's claws of the burden of its head. Hebiki suddenly wished he had eyelids, because he desperately wanted something to block out the sight of his impending doom.

Now some people handle the unstoppable certainty of their death with dignity and aplomb. Some with a quiet resignation and good humor. Still, others rage and roar in defiance of fate. What did Hebiki do?

He screamed with the heart and soul of someone who wasn't going out without first trying to collapse a lung in the effort to deafen his attacker.

"AAEEEYYYIII!!!" Fear lent strength to his tail as he whapped the cat hard across the nose, the sharp scale slicing open the tender skin as he hit it. Snarling and pulling back from the assault on its face, the fire cat leapt away to rub at the shallow wound. Seeing his chance to flee, Hebiki took it gratefully and raced for the gap he had come through earlier.

A disappointed growl sounded in the air behind him and urged him to slither faster.

'I will not be kitty litter! I will not be kitty litter!'

As a hatchling, he'd had an unfortunate encounter with a litter of feral neko youkai. For what felt like hours to his young mind, he had been batted around playfully and released only to be pounced on again and again by the energetic kittens. Even though he had eventually escaped and hadn't been seriously injured, the memory still haunted him and the current situation coupled with the week in general, wasn't doing a damned thing to banish that age old fear.

"I don't want to be kitty litter!!" Nearly in tears, the scream trailed behind him as he shot forward like a streaking comet.

Just up ahead, the hole in the wooden wall loomed like sweet salvation as he left the fire cat in the dust. Whoever said that feet and legs were requirements for running had never seen a snake in the grip of mortal terror.

Hammering fitfully against his narrow chest, Hebiki's heart sang as every fiber of his being trembled with joy. 'I-I think I'm going to make it!'

WHAM!

Out of nowhere, a large, pale object introduced itself to the underside of his jaw with all the delicacy of a raging bull.

"Erk!" was the only sound he managed before hitting the ground for the second time that day.

Right before he slipped into unconsciousness, Hebiki heard a woman call out to someone he couldn't see.

"Hey Miroku, come look at this youkai! How can a snake wear a robe? I mean it doesn't have any shoulders!"

Even through the pain radiating from his mouth and the spots gathering behind his glazed eyes, the poor messenger automatically tried to answer.

Sango and Miroku looked at one another in utter bafflement when the intruder she had decked with the hiraikotsu muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'practice.'

{}

After weeks of traversing the land on foot, Sesshomaru had come to a few conclusions about his life. One of them was that he would kill the meddlesome Thing behind him just as soon as he found his wife. Last night, Anbu had tried to gut him in his sleep, something he had taken great relish in persuading her to never, ever consider attempting again.

In fact, a small moan behind him signaled that not all of the bruised flesh had healed with the rising of the sun. Under any other circumstances, what the young lord felt when he heard that plaintive noise could be called enjoyment but not any more. Brushing aside a lock of silver hair, Lord Sesshomaru grudgingly denoted the sensation as nothing more important than a learning experience.

'Now I understand why the miko 'Sits' Inuyasha so frequently. It is somewhat intriguing to watch and gauge the varying degrees of pressure one can cause with the simple variance of the command word.'

Yes, the little necklace was becoming quite useful. If it weren't for the control the rosary provided him, the Thing might have escaped from him long ago.

Sesshomaru lifted one immaculate brow as he strode forward purposefully, subconsciously noting shifts in the weather and the surrounding landscape. 'Tonight is the night of the new moon. I'd forgotten all about it, but no matter. A full moon or no moon, I will be home soon enough.' A furtive clicking brought his attention back to the necklace strung on his new retainer.

While the blue beaded rosary was a tool of the miko, the purple one was special. A fang peeked out from the corner of his mouth before being hidden once more. Known far and wide as a youkai forger extraordinaire, Totosai had proven himself adept at making many things besides weaponry and armor.

The rosary around Anbu's neck actually contained four of the youkai lord's own teeth so its wearer could never travel beyond a certain radius from him. Originally, Sesshomaru had asked the smith to fashion it when he'd learned of his impending nuptials to Kuroi. The wizened old smith had thought it was for a fictitious pet of the young lord.

Wine dark stripes flared and briefly darkened against alabaster skin as elegant fingers ripped through a nearby tree youkai with the kousen. Lord Sesshomaru didn't even pause to watch the hapless creature crumble into dust.

'Unlike the hanyou, I desired something that would let me keep track of my mate. Not have her calling for me like the obedient pup Inuyasha has let himself become.' As he walked, Sesshomaru could sense the invisible tether that ran from the magical jewelry to his youki hum as Anbu trailed behind him.

'It can try to run, but the Thing cannot escape from me unless I wish It gone.' Yellow eyes narrowed coolly. 'And until I learn Its secrets, It will not be going anywhere!'

Something about Anbu displeased him, and it was far more than the Thing's resemblance to his mate. There was something about It that he simply did not trust.

'Not that I trust anyone. But this Thing is as far from becoming my 'bosom buddy' as the hanyou's mate once said, as any creature that I can think of in this world.' An outcry behind him signaled that Anbu had stumbled but he ignored the sound and pressed on.

'I will have to find a place to put that Thing, where It will not be a nuisance.'

The young lord knew for a fact that he was drawing nearer to the western palace, since that was his destination. He had decided to forgo the mansion since both Jaken and Shinaki would be there. While he could care less about what his retainer thought of It, he didn't think it would be appropriate for the lady to see Anbu at all.

'I do not trust this Thing not to attempt some form of mischief should I bring It to the mansion. Both for me and my father's new mate.' As he walked towards his destination, Sesshomaru considered the smiling blue woman his father recently married.

'Although she isn't of noble lineage, at least he married a youkai this time.' Shaking his silver head at his sire's little quirks, Sesshomaru casually put his lean fingers through the head of an oni who'd had the misfortune to cross his path.

As he flicked the drops of ichor away, he held out his other hand expectantly. Immediately, a thin towel as placed across his palm. After wiping his stained fingers clean, Sesshomaru tossed the soiled scrap aside and kept walking.

Furtive rustling behind him signaled that the hand cloth had been dutifully picked up and secreted away for cleaning later. A look of minor acknowledgment slid across his features before vanishing beneath his usual mask of stoicism.

'At least the Thing can cook. That alone places It leagues above Jaken.' Angling sharply to the left, he estimated that two day's travel remained between him and the palace. While he was contemplating a deep and unpleasant place as possible storage for the Thing behind him, the youkai lord also found himself considering his sibling. Inuyasha's existence was another idiosyncrasy he'd come to a conclusion about as he'd traveled.

Yes, the second thought was that he, Lord Sesshomaru, might have to consider killing his own flesh and blood.

'Fairly simple. The hanyou is far weaker than me so he will prove easy enough to finish off.' There was no noise as the young lord slipped through the brush followed closely by his unwilling new retainer.

While he had no wish to go to the mansion, Sesshomaru had gone by there to check for signs of either Kuroi or Inuyasha. While he had quickly scented the hanyou's mate and adopted son, there had been no sign of the people he'd been looking for. When he'd realized that neither his mate nor his half brother had gone to the mansion, there had seemed to be only one reason.

Coupled with the bizarre vision he'd had at the cottage, the thought continued to plague him. 'The two are somewhere.' Freshly cleaned, his nails bit into the meat of his palm, 'Together.'

Since anger was so closely linked to drawing out his youki, Sesshomaru had kept that mercurial emotion during the purging. Now he felt it heating his blood, making him lean forward and break into a run. His youki hummed in a deeper pitch as the tether snapped cruelly, forcing Anbu to either race and keep up with him or be strangled by the beads.

Either way, the lord did not care.

All this time, he'd believed her when she'd told him that she didn't feel more than sisterly affection for Inuyasha. Hell, even the half-breed had denied an attraction to the girl over and over again.

'But they'll lay with one another in an instant if it strikes their fancy.' The image of Kuroi wrapped in Inuyasha's arms intruded into his thoughts, reminding him of their unique attachment. One that was all the more galling because he did not share it.

'For Kami's sake, they can feel each other's souls!' A hard knot in his stomach began to bother him as he pondered his wife, but since he couldn't identify it, Sesshomaru chose to ignore it instead. Jealousy was no longer a part of him, so what could he call what he had felt just then?

'I was a fool to think that anything Kuroi told me was real.'

With a simple jump, he cleared a vast fjord. Behind him, the Thing easily cleared it as well. Sesshomaru didn't look around to make sure of his retainer's safety. If It died then that would be one less thing to concern himself with, would it not? In an effort to steer his mind away from its troubling path, he focused it solely on his brother.

'The only reason that Inuyasha has survived this long was because it amused me to allow him to live. Well I am no longer amused.' Sunlight fell warmly over his cheeks and hair, but he no longer recognized the ghostly touches it held. Confronted with the edge of a cliff, he paused to look out across the distant horizon.

'Ukiyo… I am going to murder your treacherous son. I wonder what would you say about that?'

}

Plodding along behind the young lord, Anbu tipped her head back to enjoy the sunshine around them. Inexplicably, the light filtering through the leaves grew strangely dim, before flooding back as strong as ever. Blinking, she wondered what could have caused it since the sky overhead was free of even wisps of clouds.

A sharp command cut her break short though. "Move along Thing. This Sesshomaru does not wish to dawdle."

Thing.

For nearly a week 'Thing' was all he'd called her, or 'It'. Anbu wanted to growl at her imposed master, but she'd learned before that it would be unwise to indulge in such a petty display. With a word from those unsmiling lips, she could be dragged down to smash into the unforgiving earth, struggling to breathe past the crushing weight of the rosary settled around her neck.

Yes, a simple word.

'Koimizu. Tears of love. What an odd phrase for such an unfeeling bastard to choose.' Pushing back a white strand, she popped a sweet into her mouth, savoring the succulent flavor.

'Maybe he's not as unfeeling as he wants me to think.' Catching sight of his flawless profile, Anbu reconsidered her opinion when she saw the vacant eyes.

'Or maybe it's deeper than he lets on.' A hard smile stretched her mouth.

"Perfect."

{}

'Father, I need to speak to you.'

The figure opened his eyes and arose from his bed at the ghostly touch in his thoughts. Beside him, a woman moaned and rolled closer to the fleeting warmth of his body. With a smile, he stroked the dark head until its movements settled and even breathing resumed.

Satisfied that his partner was resting once more, the man stood and wrapped himself with a heavy robe before stepping outside to contemplate the twilight garden. Dusky, bluish-purple light from the encroaching night picked out deep shadows beneath his eyes and the angular hollows of his cheeks.

Outside of those few traces of darkness, his face was quite handsome. Stifling a yawn, he responded to the call when it came again.

'Yes daughter?'

'The young lord has done just what you predicted. He will be of no further trouble to your plans.'

The man pushed aside a lock of wavy hair as he gave a humorless smile to a nightshade blossom. "Good. Then I am halfway to my goal." His thoughts flowed smoothly to his child.

'Are you unharmed?'

'Yes father. Although he did manage to surprise me once or twice.' There was a brief pause before the feminine voice resumed, 'I'm running out of candy.'

A dark chuckle rippled through the air, stirring up a heavy mist. 'Then daddy will bring his little girl a treat as soon as he can. Alright?'

'Yes father.' With a final affectionate touch, the presence in his mind retreated, leaving him alone. After going inside to lay back down, the corners of his mouth quirking up in a genuine smile when two arms wrapped themselves around him.

"Did you miss me after so short a time then?" he asked lightly. The dark head nodded as pale blue eyes looked up at him through sleep smudged lids.

Turning in the circle of her arms, he pulled the woman close and whispered into her ear, "You will be left here for a little while tomorrow, but Kanna will be with you so you won't be completely alone." When she made a noise of protest, he shushed her gently, pushing the black, sleep-tousled hair away from her cheek.

"Now, now. I do have to go in the morning Yuumei. Our little Anbu does want to see her father after all."

}

*heehee* oops.

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Ba: "Cluck."

Ka: "Ba, why are you clucking?"

Ba: "Practicing. Cluck."

Ka: "…practicing what?"

Ba: "Chickenese!"

Ka: "… I … hate … you …"

}

}

}

A/N: Yeah, the daughter of the villain angle. You think that explains it all, don't you?

Heeheehee.

Trust me, it doesn't. Not in the least.

Once again, please stop thinking inside the box my dears.

Beyond its four dull, even walls are unlimited horizons to explore.

I'm going there.

Won't you come along?

}

Super-uper sorry for this taking so long!! I had chapter fourteen all written out and ready to go, but Ch 12 and 13 were being complete and total monkeys! Why not cut them out? HAVE YOU READ THEM? (stupid question, of course you did if you're reading this!)

They were totally necessary, especially for filling in Sessy's frame of mind, or lack of one at the moment. Fear not, the Sesster will be going through a lot of interesting things real soon.

I hope he survives it.