InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Moving Pictures ❯ Bad News... And More Bad News ( Chapter 19 )

A/N: Adult themes in this chapter. Thanks for reading; you guys are wonderful!

 

FFnet: Neisha, Tora Delerium - funny you should mention that… ;) Gothic-Ember - oh, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!, Agent-doo

 

Mmorg: Chiaztolite

 

Disclaimer: I do not own any character created by Rumiko Takahashi.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 19 - Bad News… and More Bad News

 

Charlotte sat on the floor of Kaede's cozy little hut, fidgeting as she tried to come up with the best way to ask her question.

 

The moon had been full the previous night and she hadn't changed into her beast form. She'd left the village before sundown, thanking whatever gods were listening that that they had returned from a shard hunt so that Kagome could take another exam. She certainly could have managed her transformation while on the road, but they would have insisted that she stay close to camp. She'd told them about her nights when she had seen Inuyasha change to his human form. The knowledge that she, too, had to transform once a month seemed to make him feel a little better about his own transformation.

 

The energy had raced over her skin as she stood naked in the little clearing, raising gooseflesh but no fur. Her beast hadn't even put up a fuss, as though it knew something she didn't. She'd stood in that clearing for an hour, waiting for her transformation and watching the moon ride higher in the sky. Finally, she'd dressed in the pale green kimono her new friends had gotten for her to replace her skirt and sweater, whispering a thanks to Kagome for the modern undergarments she'd brought back from her time; feudal panties were hardly fit to wear. With a bemused shrug and a last glance at the fat moon, obviously full, she had wandered the forest until dawn, trying to make sense of it all.

 

Still unable to change to her normal form, she'd thought for sure that the full moon would break whatever was preventing it. She knew the others were curious about her lack of cat ears, but she hadn't let on that anything was amiss. She didn't feel different, could still use her channeling power, but her shape was locked.

 

“What ails ye, child?” Kaede asked as she ground dried herbs into powder with a stone mortar and pestle. The old priestess had reserved judgment on the nekoyoukai who had recently joined Inuyasha's group. A creature from Kagome's time but another place, Charlotte was loud, vulgar, had few feminine manners, and had been Sesshomaru's lover, though no one knew how far it had gone. All of that aside, she seemed decent enough. Kaede really didn't know what to make of her.

 

“I'm not a child, you know. I turned thirty last month.”

 

“Whatever ye say, though I doubt ye came to see me to discuss age.”

 

Charlotte sighed and cocked her head, trying to hear if anyone around. Satisfied that no one was within earshot, she said, “So you're like a doctor, right?”

 

“Aye, but surely different than the ones in your time.”

 

“I've never been to a doctor before. My health plan was to not get sick.” Kaede blinked at her, still grinding at the herbs. “It was a joke. Never mind. And you'll keep everything in confidence?”

 

“Of course, child.”

 

Charlotte let it pass. “Okay. So, there's something wrong with me. I can't change form; I've never looked like this until a few weeks ago.” She gestured to her pointed demon ears.

 

“And what happened a few weeks ago?”

 

“Uhhh, you know, the thing with Yukio…”

 

Kaede did know; Kagome had described the rescue to her when she'd come back to the village, but now Kaede wondered what Kagome didn't know. “Could anything that occurred have affected ye physically?”

 

“Like what, exactly?”

 

Setting aside the herbs, Kaede gestured for the demon to come closer. She did, crawling forward on her hands and knees, and then settling on her haunches, giving the old woman a shiver as she was distinctly reminded of a large cat. Slitted green eyes gazed at the miko anxiously as she placed a hand on the youkai's forehead and abdomen.

 

“Ye must relax and allow me to do this. If ye resist, harm could come to us both.” Charlotte nodded and closed her eyes, dropping the defenses she had acquired in the recent weeks as she had begun to learn how to use her powers. The miko grunted approvingly and let her own spiritual power wash over the demon.

 

Charlotte shivered as Kaede's miko energy flowed through her, resisting the urge to channel it out of her. It was an unwelcome energy, one that she wouldn't be able to control and could easily harm her. After a moment, Kaede pulled away and gave the cat a stern look. “Ye can open your eyes now, child. Tell me, did ye bed Lord Sesshomaru?”

 

Breathing a sigh of relief, Charlotte's brow furrowed, “Yeah, but…”

 

“Anyone else?”

 

“No, not recently, but…”

 

“Do ye love him?”

 

“I don't see how that has anything to do with me not being able to change. Did you learn something or are you just being nosy?”

 

Kaede pursed her lips, wondering if the cat really didn't know or if she were being dense on purpose, as Inuyasha often did. Deciding to be blunt, she stated, “Ye are with child.”

 

Charlotte felt the blood drain out of her head and pool in her feet as her mind tried to wrap itself around her words. A clawed hand crept over to rest on her belly. “You mean…”

 

“Aye.”

 

“Are you sure? Maybe you made a mistake.”

 

“I made no mistake.”

 

“No. Oh no. This can't be happening.”

 

“It has happened, as it often does when two people engage in that sort of activity.”

 

“Now you sound like my mother. But why I can't transform?”

 

“Perhaps to protect the babe from harm. I know not. Ye might consult Lady Sango or a demon for that lore.”

 

Scrubbing a hand across her face, she sat back and crossed her legs. Her youkai had known about this, she was sure of it. `Make a home for ourselves' indeed. And she was just starting to get used to the idea of living here, had been using the shard hunting as a means to test her abilities. They really didn't need her, but Kagome appreciated the tutoring.

 

How would she tell them? She knew that they wondered about her relationship with Sesshomaru, perhaps likening her jokes to Miroku's boasting, who obviously didn't get laid as often as he let on. And Inuyasha… he'd be an uncle to his much-hated half-brother's child. Would he cast her out of the group? Should she even be training or shard hunting while expecting? Should she go to Sesshomaru with the news? Feudal lords liked heirs; maybe he would forgive the channeling thing if he knew she were pregnant.

 

“What do I do?” she whispered, almost rhetorically.

 

Kaede, who had been thinking along similar lines, picked up the pestle and resumed grinding the herbs. “Ye can go to the father or no, stay here or no, but ye must plan something. Also, ye must understand that the child belongs to his sire.”

 

“He could take it from me?” she asked in shock, her hand tightening over her belly.

 

“Aye.”

 

Charlotte didn't want this pregnancy; it terrified her. But through the fear and uncertainty, a wave of fierce protectiveness surged through her, tingeing her eyes with red. There was no way in hell she'd let someone take away her cub.

 

XxxxxxxxxX

 

Sesshomaru stood outside the door to his mate's chambers, his hand curled over the latch but not making any move to enter. He had not visited her once since the ceremony, not even to consummate the mating as was expected of him.

 

He didn't want to be here now, wouldn't be if she weren't in heat. This was his chance to father an heir and he would rather get it over with than draw it out. Without bothering to knock, he pushed open the door and entered. Leiko stood by the window dressed in a simple robe, her hair piled on her head and held with a long jeweled pin.

 

“My lord, you honor this Leiko with your presence,” her smooth voice spoke the words respectfully but with no affection.

 

“You know why this Sesshomaru is here.”

 

“Yes, my lord.” She drifted out of the sitting room and kneeled on the futon, freeing her hair from the pin but making no move to undress. They would do this as fully clothed as possible, minimizing the intimacy that neither desired.

 

Leiko heard the rustle of his clothes as he kneeled behind her and smiled to herself, holding the hairpin tightly in one hand. She had never met such a cold, arrogant man; his complete lack of interest in her would make her task that much easier. Pushing her robe up, he nudged her knees apart with his own. Seemingly compliant, she bent forward, steadying herself on one hand while the other held the pin close.

 

She felt his distraction as he fussed with this hakama and took her chance, stabbing backward with the pin at his flexed thigh. She was fast and had the element of surprise, but he was faster, leaping backward just before the pin could pierce his flesh.

 

Spinning around, she engulfed her body in flame, harmless to her but deadly to anything else that touched it. She flung herself at him, pin raised high, but again, she was too slow. Standing at the back of the room, unruffled and as impassive as ever, he cut the air with two claws from which his acid whip lashed out, wrapping around the base of the hand holding the pin. Shrieking as the acid burnt into her skin, she tried to send a tendril of fire along the whip, but he snapped it back, taking her hand with it.

 

She knew she was dead, had not really expected to survive this task, but was determined to take him with her. Her mouth already open as she screamed, she released a stream of fire from the pit of her stomach, bathing him in liquid flame. The inferno was abruptly smothered when his whip sliced cleanly through her neck. Blackening and shriveling, Leiko's body crumbled to the floor in a pile of greasy ashes.

 

Unharmed and mildly relieved, Sesshomaru brushed ash from his singed clothes with delicate hands. `Marmoru will not be pleased,' he though without humor.

 

XxxxxxxxxX

 

Stroking the Kirara's head, Charlotte trilled quietly to her, letting her know that she wasn't mad at the two-tail for telling her. She was mad at Sesshomaru, that bastard, for mating, and Yukio's daughter no less. She didn't blame the little firecat, that would be stupid, and as much as the news hurt her, she was glad that she knew. She would have been devastated if she had returned to his mansion only to find another woman in his bed. Well, more devastated than she was now, if that was possible.

 

`He thinks you left,' she repeated to herself as the pit of her stomach started swallow up the rest of her insides. `He wouldn't have mated you anyway.' Kirara bumped her head against her leg, purring reassuringly. Charlotte's breath hitched, a sob struggling out despite her hand pressed against her mouth.

 

Twigs cracked in the brush behind her and she squeezed her eyes shut, wiping the tears from her face. She'd thought she'd found a private spot in this clearing in Inuyasha's Forest, away from the village so that she could mull over her next moves without worrying about people bothering her. Apparently, she was wrong, because not only had Kirara found her, but Kagome as well.

 

“Hi Charlotte!” she chirped, her yellow backpack bouncing on her back. “I passed that test with flying colors! My math teacher was so surprised, he-” she stopped short, her brown eyes widening.

 

“Are you crying?”

 

Charlotte dabbed at her leaking eyes with a corner of her sleeve and managed a shaky laugh. “No! It's just allergies.”

 

“Uh huh,” she dropped the bag on the ground and sat next to the demon on the fallen log. “Do you want to talk about it?”

 

Giving up the war against her tears, she let them roll down her cheeks. “You don't want to hear it.”

 

“You're my friend, that's what friends are for. Besides, it can't be that bad,” Kagome rubbed the her shoulder, trying to offer the cat demon some comfort. It wasn't like her to be so emotional and she was positive that this was the only time she'd seen her crying freely.

 

Kagome's warm hand on her shoulder crumbled that last bricks of poise she had left and Charlotte's shoulders slumped as she gave into great, wracking sobs. Wrapping her arms around the weeping woman, Kagome held her tightly, making shushing sounds and stroking her back until sobs faded into hiccups.

 

Sniffling, Charlotte pulled away and wiped her face. “I'm too old to be bawling like a fucking baby.”

 

Kagome shook her head. “We all do it sometimes, and you've been through a lot.”

 

Laughing short and humorlessly, Charlotte raked a clawed hand through her hair. “Kagome, you don't know the half of it. I really screwed up this time.”

 

Waiting patiently for her continue, Kagome gave her shoulder a small squeeze.

 

“I… I'm pregnant.” The last words came out in a rush, as if saying them was a curse.

 

“What?” Kagome reared back, thinking for a moment that she'd heard wrong.

 

“I'm single and barefoot and pregnant!” Charlotte wailed, scrunching her hands in her hair and throwing her head back.

 

“Oh Charlotte…”

 

“And Kaede told me that he could take my cub away!”

 

“He?” Kagome asked stupidly, her mind was whirling.

“Sesshomaru! Who else?”

 

“So you did…?”

 

“Yes, yes,” she said impatiently. “When I dropped him off, I couldn't just leave him injured so I channeled him a little and one thing led to another-“

 

“But why would he want to do that when you were channeling him?”

 

“Well… probably because that's what we were doing the last time I was channeling him.”

 

“Oh.” Kagome blinked several times as she tried to absorb this news. Charlotte had settled down and was now staring off into space, her lips pursed and eyes narrowed. “Maybe you should go to him-“

 

Charlotte snorted, “He mated Yukio's daughter. Kirara heard it through the grapevine.” Refusing to break down again, she twisted the hurt into anger and scowled down at the soft grass carpeting the clearing.

 

“Oh.” Feeling a little helpless, Kagome offered up the only encouragement she could think of. “We won't let him take your baby.”

 

“We? Inuyasha will be furious! What if-“

 

Kagome cut in quickly, “It's true that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru don't get along, but he wouldn't abandon you or your baby.”

 

Unconvinced, Charlotte plucked at the grass, uprooting small clumps and then pressing them back into the earth. “You won't tell anyone, will you?”

 

“They'll find out eventually,” Kagome pointed out reasonably.

 

“I know, but… not yet.”

 

XxxxxxxxxxxX

 

Mamoru glanced from the pile of ashes to his lord, then back. “An assassin?” The old bear demon used a booted foot to separate the long hairpin from the remains of the former Lady of the Western Lands.

 

“Hn.”

 

`Now why doesn't he seem more upset?' Mamoru wondered sarcastically as he picked up the pin in the claws of his thumb and forefinger. Inspecting it closely, he noticed that it was hollow with a tiny stopper wedged into the wider end. Pressing the tip gently with his thumb, he saw that it was very thin and easily broken. At his low rumble, a soldier stepped forward and took the pin, holding it gingerly. “I think she was trying to poison you. Sei will confirm this with the healer.”

 

A chambermaid bustled in and swept the ashes into a plain, ceramic pot. Working efficiently, she had the floor spotless within minutes and left, leaving only Mamoru and Sesshomaru in his mate's bedroom.

 

“My lord, this puts us no closer to an heir,” Mamoru remarked, too casually for Sesshomaru's taste.

 

The bear had rarely used his seniority since Sesshomaru had assumed rule from his father, but from the stern knitting of the old youkai's eyebrows, he knew that Mamoru was about to take a liberty that few dared. Out of respect for his father and his elders, Sesshomaru allowed it, hiding his annoyance behind a taciturn expression.

 

“And without Leiko or an heir, your hold on the Southern Lands is fragile.”

 

“I am aware of that.”

 

“Perhaps you should fetch that cat of yours.”

 

“Impossible.” Sesshomaru turned abruptly, ending the audience with a swirling of silver hair.

 

`Just as stubborn as his father with none of his good nature,' Mamoru watched the tall, lithe figure sweep out of the room. He did not believe that the pretty kitty was all that unreachable. His lord may have his reasons for not pursuing it, but Mamoru had seen how he'd looked at her; recognized that look from the lord's father when he'd met the human woman.

 

Sometimes lords needed a little push from their vassals, and this seemed to be one of those times. He'd have the cat tracked down and brought before Sesshomaru, and for finding things, there was no demon better than Kato. How far could one female go on an island, after all?

 

With a decisive nod of his head, Mamoru lumbered out of the room and toward the barracks.

 

XxxxxxxxxxxX

 

Sesshomaru fumed the entire way back to his private chambers, slamming the door on of one of his maids as she hurried out of his room with a pile of laundry. If she were at all attainable, he would have brought her back already. Alone, he allowed his mask of indifference slip. Growling, he lashed out with the claws of his left hand, rending jagged holes in the fabric of an innocent wall hanging. What use was the arm if he couldn't touch her with it? He had been fine without it, would trade it for her if he could.

 

And yet… he could almost remember holding her, both hands on her hips as he took her, both arms wrapped around her as they slept. It had to have been a dream, though disturbingly realistic.

 

His youkai squirmed in objection and he squelched it. It was his youkai that had been upsetting him lately, and frankly, he'd had enough. If he hadn't listened to his instincts and simply carried on as he always had, he would not be longing for something he couldn't have. It was unseemly for tai-youkai.

 

The landscape painting still hung in his sitting room, a stationary reminder of golden hair and a quick smile. Raising his claws to destroy it, he paused at a quiet knock on his door. Almost instantly, his aloof demeanor was back in place, as if his tantrum had never taken place.

 

“Come in, Rin.”

 

The door swung open and the little girl stepped hesitantly into the room. Though groomed for court with her black hair pulled back by two silver combs and wearing a blue silk kimono, she still managed to have a disheveled air about her. However, the playful twinkle in her eye was darkened by worry.

 

“My Lord?”

 

“Yes, Rin.”

 

“They say that Lady Leiko tried to kill you. Are you alright?”

 

“As you can see, I am unharmed, which is more than I can say for her.” He quirked an eyebrow to lighten the mood.

 

Grinning, Rin giggled behind a hand. “You're the best, my lord.” She sighed suddenly, the smile running away from her face. “Kitty wouldn't have done that. Why did she have to go?”

 

`I'd be a concubine until you found a mate… I don't want that life.' She'd never meant to stay, she'd told him as much. `I should have killed you the moment I set eyes on you.' But he hadn't exactly encouraged her to stay, either.

 

“When you are older, you will understand,” Sesshomaru said finally, at a loss to console her, so not even attempting. Foul mouth aside, the cat would have been good for Rin, filling in the gaps of her care that he and Jaken left.

 

Rin nodded, accepting his word as truth, as she always did. With a sad little curtsey, she padded out of the room and closed the door behind her, leaving the tai-youkai alone with his thoughts.