InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Of Gods and Monsters ❯ Chapter 4: Blood and Water ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer in Prologue

A/N: Kudos to Merith, the best IY beta in the world!

Chapter 4: Blood and Water

The sun lifted slowly over the horizon, shading the entire world in hues of pink and gray. Teles bathed at the base of the waterfall, her hands moving slowly through her hair. The previous night she had felt rather than heard Sesshoumaru leave the area. When he had, she had come out of the cavern and watched his form disappear into the night sky. Her earlier laughter had disappeared, her mirth replaced by thoughtfulness. His taste had clung to her lips, invading her mouth. It was mingled with the taste of her own blood - he'd bitten her lip during the bruising kiss. The tear in her lip had healed, but the taste had remained. The tang of him remained even now, regardless of how deeply the goddess drank from the cold water she surrounded herself with. She seethed at the realization.

"How dare he? How dare he be so audacious?" she growled, stepping under the cold cascade, relishing the chill as the force of the water attempted to blast away the memory of his hands. "Demon lord or not, he's nothing but a demon."

A demon. A lowly, filthy youkai with no right at all to touch me without permission, no right at all to tell me what I will and will not do.

A demon whose taste would not leave her mouth, whose touch would not leave her memory.

"Damn it!"

A small, hesitant voice interrupted her thoughts. "Teles-sama? L-Lady Teles?"

Teles stepped out from beneath the falls at the sound of her name. There, perched on one of the rocks, was a delicate bird covered in glossy black feathers, its long elegant neck leading up to a pair of bright blue eyes and a vibrant orange beak.

"Teles-sama, Lord Ryujin has sent me to summon you. He wishes to speak with you as soon as possible."

Something heavy settled in the goddess' stomach. "Is there... a problem?"

"Your father has requested to see you, Teles-sama."

The trepidation vanished and a faint smile tugged at her lips. "Thank you. I will be along momentarily - I need only to dress."

The bird ruffled its feathers slightly, preparatory to flight. "I will let him know, Lady Teles." Its graceful body lifted into the air, becoming one with the wind as it flew back towards the ocean.

Her irritation momentarily forgotten, Teles stepped out of the pool and padded back into the cavern. Her father had requested to see her? Her initial elation ebbed slightly - Poseidon was not a particularly sentimental god. He certainly wasn't here because he missed her. She sighed deeply as she dressed, her eyebrows drawn together.

Teles sincerely hoped that Hera hadn't decided to add to her punishment. No, if that had been the case, her father would not have come - Hera would have come herself. And she would have relished the task.

***

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

The demon's eyes, which had been focused on an imaginary point in the middle-distance, turned to the diminutive girl. "Yes?"

Rin worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "May I sit with you?"

Sesshoumaru stared at the girl, noting the way the sunlight filtered through the trees, creating a dappled effect on her smooth dark hair. He nodded once and immediately felt the small form drop next to him, leaning gently against the soft fur of his pelt. "Do you wish for us to return to the den, Rin?"

"No," she said, rubbing her cheek against the fur. "It's nice outside. Sesshoumaru-sama, were you hunting last night?"

The youkai exhaled softly. He'd been trying not to think about that. "I had business to attend to last night, Rin."

"You left your armor."

"I did."

"Why?"

"It was not necessary."

She seemed to accept this answer and the two sat in serene silence, nothing but the sounds and the smells of the forest around them. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes. Just at the edge of Sesshoumaru's range of hearing, he could make out the gentle trickle of a nearby stream. They were far from Teles' falls, but the soft sounds of the stream still caught his ear. Unbidden, a crisp memory returned to him: the sensation of her hands hovering over his chest, immobilizing him. He ground his teeth - how dare she? She had no respect for his power or his status - instead she had held him there like a pup, leaving him to rage against it.

Then she had released him.

"You were not hurt, were you, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

He blinked, suddenly yanked away from the previous night's encounter. "No, I was not." He was not wounded, but was left with an overwhelming sense of annoyance at this female's ability to monopolize his thoughts.

"Are you sure?"

Amber eyes rested on the small face. "I'm sure. Why do you ask?"

"You seem... distracted."

He paused for a moment. "Perhaps, but I am not wounded."

***

Lord Ryujin's castle was located far beneath the water. It was a structure of incalculable proportions, constructed out of coral and polished rock. The floors were tiled with gleaming pearls while exotic undersea plants and flowers grew from the brightly colored coral. Its beauty made it difficult to leave, but Teles made it a point never to stay more than an hour - less if she could manage it. The outside world changed too quickly for her when she was there. It would have made her exile pass more quickly, but Teles had too great an appreciation for the surface world to give it up completely.

A large sea turtle, whose age Teles could not begin to fathom, led her into an antechamber where Lord Ryujin was waiting. She lowered her head in an elegant bow. "You have requested my presence, Lord Ryujin."

"Indeed," he responded. "Your father has wished to see you - he will be here shortly. Thank you for arriving so quickly."

"My lord, you have been exceptionally hospitable during my stay in your lands. Hopefully my punctuality will convey in some small part my gratitude for your kindness."

The dragon laughed, a deep, pleasant sound that seemed to make the walls of the castle vibrate. "Teles-sama, you do not need to be so formal. You are my guest."

She blushed deeply. "I'm sorry, Ryujin-sama."

The massive dragon shifted slightly, apparently gazing down a long corridor. "Since you have arrived before your father, I would like to take advantage of your presence here."

Teles blinked quizzically. "My lord?"

Huge black eyes fixed themselves on the goddess. "A youkai lord came to me a short while ago inquiring about your presence in these lands."

Dread pooled in Teles' stomach. He didn't. He couldn't have. He hadn't-

"Are you familiar with Lord Sesshoumaru?"

Her jaw tightened. He had. "Familiar?" Her green eyes showed nothing but complete composure. "Lord Ryujin, I would hardly call us familiar. The youkai and I have met in battle twice."

Ryujin's attention was now completely on the goddess. "Battle?"

"Yes, my lord."

Another rumbling chuckle escaped the water god's massive mouth. "Teles, are you familiar with what kind of youkai Lord Sesshoumaru is?"

"I am aware that he is the Great Demon Lord of the Western Lands - he did inform me of that."

"He is a dog youkai."

Teles' eyebrows came together in a frown. "I'm sorry, Ryujin-sama, I don't quite understand the relevance-"

The soft sound of a throat clearing caught the two speakers' attention. Another sea turtle was poised at the door. "My deepest apologies for the interruption, Lady Teles, but Lord Poseidon has arrived."

The dragon dipped its large head. "Go, Teles. I should think you would prefer to be alone with your father."

Nodding slightly, Teles offered the dragon a parting bow. "Of course. Thank you, Ryujin-sama." She began walking for the door when Ryujin's voice stopped her steps.

"He is an honorable youkai, Teles."

But he is still a youkai. Teles closed her eyes, her head dropping slightly forward. "I will keep that in mind, Ryujin-sama." Without another word, she followed the sea turtle through a series of doorways and corridors eventually leading to Ryujin's garden. Teles could see her father's familiar outline and she felt something tighten inside of her. Good news, or bad?

Poseidon stood, moving out of the half-light. He was large, even by gods' standards. Having the ability to control his size, he could appear the size of a mortal or as tall as a mountain. His long hair and beard were grey with shocking streaks of white interwoven within. It only served to remind her of his age - a staggering figure she never could recall with accuracy.

"Teles," the god said, his voice far smoother and more melodious than his appearance would have suggested. "I apologize for making you wait."

"Please, Father, don't trouble yourself with that concern. I am quite happy to see you regardless of the circumstances."

A rare smile lit his lips. "Your circumstances are what I have come to discuss with you." He gestured at the vast garden. "Please - why don't we walk?"

Teles hesitated, if only for a second. Her confusion at her father's presence was overwhelming. She had been in Japan for nearly a century and a half. Why visit her now? Perhaps Hera is not above sending her own brother on such an errand. The goddess swallowed hard. "Father, I would much prefer knowing - without pretense - what further punishment Hera intends to inflict on me."

Eyes a deeper green than his daughter's stared at her in shocked silence.

Too late, Teles realized that she might have misjudged the situation.

"Teles," the god began, his voice low. "Is that what you think I came for?"

She paused. "Yes, Father." Her eyes were fixed on Poseidon's face. "But I am starting to reconsider my apparently... brash assumption."

"I see."

The silence between god and goddess was overwhelming.

Poseidon spoke first. "Teles, I believe that you have been away from Olympus for long enough. Several of the other gods and goddesses are in agreement with me. I will be speaking with Hera on your behalf in several weeks."

Teles' heart began pounding in her chest. "Hera, Father? To what end?"

He lifted one thick, bushy eyebrow. "Do you not want to return to Olympus?"

A smile - joyous, unrestrained, brilliant - lit the goddess' face.

The Greek water god nodded, hiding his own grin beneath the folds of his beard. "I shall deliver your response to the council upon my return."

"Thank you, Father."

"You should return to the surface, I have matters to attend to with Lord Ryujin."