InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Once Upon an Inuyoukai ❯ Green Eyes ( Chapter 18 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Empatheia 
Lots of side-story.
....Uh-oh, who's that?
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Hentai / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.19.2006 | Updated On: 02.20.2006 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.4K | Visits: 260 | Status: Work In Progress
Lots of side-story.
....Uh-oh, who's that?
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Hentai / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.19.2006 | Updated On: 02.20.2006 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.4K | Visits: 260 | Status: Work In Progress
A/N- This chapter is a little fragmented- lots of side story, and the main story splits in two temporarily here. Please let me know if you find any spelling or grammar or contextual errors. Also let me know if I’ve contradicted myself at all.
Sesshoumaru lovers, this should make you happy! (wink)
Music while writing: Imogen Heap, My Sweet Religion
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Chapter XVIII: Green Eyes
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Bokuseno had seen many things in his centuries of life. A few more years, and he could legitimately begin to count his time in millennia. It had been a long, long life. Hours upon days upon months upon years upon decades, he’d sat completely unmoving, still and contemplative. The goings-on of the world were rarely of concern to him. However, to keep himself occupied, he learned things. He kept his ears, such as they were, open to everything that happened within range of his knowledge. As this was basically everywhere, Bokuseno now knew most things worth knowing in the island land of Nihon.
The only downside to his fairly peaceful and enjoyable existence was his inability to move. All those years, and he hadn’t moved an inch.
This was because Bokuseno was a tree. A tree demon, to be sure; but a tree nonetheless. The leaves were his ears, the swaying branches his hands. As he’d grown older and stronger, he had learned to use the leaves of other, duller trees to listen as well, spreading his network far and wide. Thus, he had basically negated the nastiness of enforced stillness.
However, there were rare moments when he deeply wished for the ability to pick up his roots and run.
This was one of them.
Sesshoumaru was angry. Angry in a way that Bokuseno had never seen him angry in before. Furious enough to chop down a largish corner of Bokuseno’s forest before dropping by to visit. All his poor, poor trees; lying in slaggy heaps of mangled wood and half-melted foliage. It was almost enough to irritate him, except that acting irritable with Sesshoumaru right now seemed an express way to join the ranks of newly-slagged.
So he stayed silent and waited for the red-eyed young man to speak first.
Wait– red eyes? I seem to remember that being a bad sign. Oh, what I wouldn’t give for feet!
“Where is he?” Sesshoumaru asked finally, voice utterly flat and hair-raising.
Bokuseno wasn’t at all certain who the pup was asking about, but from what his branches to the north had told him, the Lord was having difficulties with the East, and so it seemed safe to assume.
“You mean your father?”
“Of course I mean my father!” Sesshoumaru grated. “Where. Is. He?”
“South,” Bokuseno answered honestly, feeling the faint pulse of Sou’unga’s sheath. The clever sheath had been carved from Bokuseno’s heartwood, as had Tenseiga’s, though the latter’s was little more than indestructible dead wood. Sou’unga’s sheath, Saya, was alive, though embarrassingly stupid and cowardly. He remained, despite his faults, part of Bokuseno, and the old tree youkai could feel him far to the south.
Sesshoumaru waited expectantly for more. “South?” he prompted, unsettling crimson eyes fixed on Bokuseno’s ridged face on the trunk.
“Can’t say exactly where, but somewhere on Kyushu. He’s too far away for me to tell much more than that.”
“You are not much help, old man. How do you even know that much, anyways?”
Bokuseno grinned shiftily, cheeks creaking.
Sesshoumaru scowled. “Never mind. I will find out some other time. Thank you for your assistance, jii-san.”
Bokuseno blinked, and the white-clad dog youth was gone. He sighed in open relief. Those claws had looked mighty painful, and the boy was angry enough to cause some serious damage. Especially since all Bokuseno could do to defend himself would be put up a rather flimsy shield that would never stand up to a demon of Sesshoumaru’s caliber.
He ruffled his tingling leaves, feeling highly off-balance. Things were happening outside his little forest, and the other woods were strangely silent. He felt alone and cut off.
Ah, well. Nothing for it but to buckle down and wait for it to pass. And hope it passes soon.
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Ryuunomei washed the blood off his hands, and felt deeply frustrated. The woman, last in a long, long line, lay naked on the futon in a welter of gore. It had not brought him any pleasure at all, this time. Her long dark hair was shining with blood, deep hazel eyes staring unseeing at the ceiling. The juices of his pleasure lay strung across her pale thighs, gleaming. Between there and her face was nothing identifiable, just a random heap of innards and shredded flesh.
She’d screamed quite beautifully, at least. It made nothing better, but at least there was that. When she’d screamed, that last time, he’d closed his eyes and almost succeeded in believing she was the one he wanted beneath him. Of course, she’d gotten the little hitching hook on the very end wrong, and broken the illusion. It wasn’t her fault; but he needed no excuse to be angry or to kill her, so he’d done both. There had been no satisfaction in it.
Ryuunomei was a twisted, corrupted creature. He did not own a conscience, or anything even remotely resembling one. However, he did have a heart, and he did feel things. Very strong things, very often. Anger and hatred were the most common, his daily companions. Joy made an occasional appearance, when things went right, and he was capable of feeling satisfaction on occasion.
He was also capable of love. It was an abominable, crawling thing, but it was love. He had loved her. She had belonged to him. He had never been happier than when he was with her: whether she was smiling or screaming had never made any difference to his contentment. The smell of her had intoxicated him, as had the way she submitted and abased herself so exquisitely. His greatest pleasure had been the feel of her trembling body against him as she shook with silent tears.
At the very memory, he shuddered and closed his eyes. When his brother returned with her, he would be sure to welcome her home properly. Her anticipated shrieks rang sweetly in his ears as he watched the servants clean up the latest not-her.
You are mine. Izayoi.
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Ryuukotsusei pressed a bagful of silver coins into the man’s hand. “You will receive the other half on delivery, as agreed.”
“Hmph.”
The man was short, stocky, and dressed all in black. His eyes, where they squinted out of his face mask, were cold and black as well. Everything about him screamed ‘ninja.’ He pocketed the little bag and straightened.
“What’s so special about this woman, anyways?” he asked. His voice was highly unpleasant, like the sound of a cat being dragged through rocks by its tail; a sort of yowling rasp.
“I am not paying you to find her interesting. Just find her, and as quickly as humanly possible.”
The ninja grinned, displaying unnaturally sharp teeth and a forked tongue. “Who said anything about humanly possible?” he whispered, and vanished into the shadows. Literally vanished.
Ryuukotsusei’s eyes widened. He had not felt a hint of youki from the man until he’d pulled the little disappearing act. It took great skill to conceal youki, especially at such close quarters. He relaxed. The man would have no trouble carrying out the mission with those sorts of abilities at his disposal. “Nii-sama will be pleased,” he said to himself out loud, and then walked out of the dark alleyway into the sunlight.
Izayoi would not know what had hit her.
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“You look like a smart lot, so I expect to see you with us tomorrow morning,” Katsuro finished, leaping off the box and rejoining Izayoi in the small house.
She looked at him and raised an eyebrow curiously.
“They’ll come,” he assured her. “You’ll have a fine army by the time I’m done: don’t worry.”
“You make speeches look so easy,” she grumbled, secretly pleased.
“They are easy,” he replied affably. “You’re just shy.”
“Shy!”
He laughed and patted her on the head affectionately. “Well, I’m sure the others are expecting us back. We should get going.”
OooooooooooooooooooooO
“You know you don’t have to come with me to these, right?” he asked quietly while they walked back through the dead leaves and cold wind.
“I don’t like being afraid of things.”
“Ah.”
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He&# 8217;s back. I mean... they’re back.
Naruka stared at her hands and blushed painfully. She was very wise, despite her young age, and knew exactly what it was she was feeling for the tall general. Knew it, and knew that there was nothing she could do about it but dream and tear herself to shreds. It hurt.
She loved being a priestess. The day she’d begun training under Midoriko had been the second happiest day of her life. The only day happier than that was when her sensei had proclaimed her training over, and ordained her. Since then, she’d lived every day from a deep place of ease and surety, knowing that she’d found her place in the world. People were healed under her hands, and blessed. The world was right when she was doing what she’d been born for.
Never, never, never had she wanted for even a moment to be anything but a priestess.
Until he’d walked into the circle of their campfire with the stars caught in his hair and laughter in his eyes.
Stupid, stupid.
She stared at her hands and wished there was a way to be a priestess and love this way at the same time. So far, nothing had come to mind. She could never surrender her life as a miko, but the need to touch him, to run her fingers through that hair, to press her face into the warm hardness of his chest, was driving her mad.
He collapsed into a long-limbed heap a few feet away, and she felt every moment like the air between them was solid.
“Hope you weren’t bored without me,” he joked.
Not bored. Hanging.
“We managed to keep ourselves occupied,” Sakenmaru dryly shot back. “So? How did it go?”
“They’ll be with us in the morning. I must say, it’s actually easier than I thought it would be. Somehow the threat of total extinction is motivating them beyond usual measures.”
“Inexplicable. Humans are so strange.”
Their playful banter faded into the background, and she just listened to his voice without trying to comprehend.
“Naruka?” A soft voice, a hand on her shoulder. Izayoi.
“Eh?”
“Are you all right? You’ve been awfully quiet.”
All right? No, nothing’s right. It’s broken and I don’t remember how to fix it. I dropped my life and it shattered. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
“I’m fine,” she murmured. “Just tired.”
She knew Izayoi didn’t believe her, but her sister was kind enough not to push.
“When you want to talk about it, whatever it is, just let me know, all right?”
Naruka nodded, not trusting herself to look at Izayoi’s concerned face.
Whatever it is. It’s nothing much, really, I’m just a woman sworn to celibacy who suddenly desires that man over there more than breath, more than food, more than sleep. I can’t touch him, and it’s killing me. Aneue... help me!
“Good night, aneue.”
It won’t be. I don’t foresee a ‘good night’ anywhere in the near future, or the distant one. All the nights I’m alone will be bad nights, and all my nights must be alone if I’m to keep my calling. Which I also love. Why? Why?
Her eyes filled with tears. It made no sense– she’d never believed in love at first sight, had even regarded love as mere frippery. Just something to make the unhappy lives of everyone else a little more tolerable. It had made her uncomfortable whenever people displayed it, because she couldn’t see how they could commit themselves to care for one person like that. She had compassion for everyone, and it was a very great sort of love.
But nothing, nothing like this.
She looked up and realized with a shock that he was looking at her. His dark eyes were fathomless, and he seemed as though he was trying to puzzle something out. When she met his gaze, he didn’t flinch or drop his eyes– simply returned it calmly.
She could only hold it for a few seconds before breaking it, but that lock of eyes was the most painful and most beautiful thing that had ever happened to her. Her head sank onto her knees and she caged the swelling sobs within her unyielding ribcage.
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry.
She prayed he wouldn’t move. If he moved... if he moved, she would be lost. It was not a ‘possibility’– it was certainty. If he moved, to ask her what was wrong or to lie down or to yawn... she would fall apart, throw herself at him, weep, die. Something.
Please, please don’t move.
He didn’t move; and in a few minutes she felt composed enough to stand up and walk to her bedroll. It was cold and empty. She slid beneath the woven blankets, shivered, and shut her eyes.
Across the fire, she heard him sigh and move to his own roll. Far away from hers. But still far too close for comfort. While he lived, he would always be too close for comfort.
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When they woke in the morning, Izayoi was gone. They were not immediately worried– she often rose early to wash herself in a nearby stream or to hunt. Inutaisho was still asleep, so Naruka, Sakenmaru, and Katsuro made breakfast. Jaken had apparently found his own, as he had slightly moldy-looking bits of foliage and what looked like insects piled in his lap, and was busy munching. Ah-Un was grazing on the dying grass.
They began to wonder after an hour had passed, the sun had risen, and she still was nowhere in evidence. Still, there was no panic– there was of course a logical explanation for her lengthy, uncharacteristic absence.
The panic began when Inutaisho woke up, stretched, and sniffed the air. “Who visited the campsite last night?” he asked groggily. “I smell a stranger.”
That, coupled with the missing Izayoi and the fact that none of them had seen a stranger, quickly exploded into fear and then panic. They searched the surrounding area frantically, but even the taiyoukais’ superior senses could not track the mysterious intruder.
Inutaisho could smell her leading away to the south for a while, but was certain that it was a false trail. It was too neat, too perfect, and made no sense. He already knew who had taken her, and they would not have gone south.
It sank in when they all returned to the campfire empty-handed. The gap in their ranks glared at him accusingly. He should have protected her.
It unsettled him deeply that he hadn’t sensed the intruder, who had to have walked right past his head on their way to Izayoi’s bedroll. Especially since, by the scent, it was a demon. Inutaisho should have sensed its youki the moment it came within a half ri of them. That he hadn’t was not a good sign– it spoke of great skill in the arts of concealment. A ninja, most likely.
Damn! he thought with agony. Right out from under his nose! She was in the enemy’s hand, possibly dead, possibly tortured.
Black hair red blood. Pale skin gaping open, drooling fluids. Shivering screams in dead air.
He shuddered, put his head in his hands.
Think! They have gone north, probably to Ryuunomei’s castle. If he wanted her dead, he would not have bothered to kidnap her. She is alive. At least there is that.
Naruka was weeping, Sakenmaru looked blankly shocked. Katsuro alone was composed, though he looked severely shocked.
“North,” Inutaisho said flatly. “They have gone north, and I am going to follow them.”
Nobody asked how he knew. Those who knew the history did not have to, and those who didn’t could see that there was history and chose not to.
“I do not want to leave you without protection,” he said, “but I hope you understand that I cannot just leave her to... whatever they have planned.” Torture. Pain. Agony.
“We’re not exactly defenseless,” Kasturo reminded him. “We’ve got Sakenmaru here, he’s a pretty powerful demon, and an army at our backs.”
Sakenmaru was old, and tiring, and had just been through an energy-sucking ordeal. He would not be much help if they were attacked, and the army was nowhere near them at the moment. They would be as good as defenseless if Ryuunomei got serious.
He agonized. Sakenmaru could not go in his place, he was not strong enough to survive in the Eastern castle. The humans simply could not travel fast enough. He was the only one who could save her, and the only one who could protect them.
If he went to save her, they would be in danger. If he stayed and protected them, she would be left to the tender mercies of the dragon lords’ torturers.
No!
There was no way out that he could see. It was a dilemma, one he did not have time for.
“Damn!” he cried. “What am I supposed to do?”
Sesshoumaru chose this exact moment to arrive, with his natural sense of when the perfect time for a grand entrance was. “Chichi-ue,” he bellowed from the sky.
Inutaisho looked up with wild hope, and when he confirmed who it was, nearly collapsed from joy and relief. “Sesshoumaru!” he cried. “Son, your timing could not have been more perfect.”
The youth landed gracefully. “Excuse me?”
“Stay here. Protect them. I will return as fast as I can.”
Sesshoumaru stared at him as though he’d grown an extra nose. “Father, I came to tell you that your house is lost to traitors. Why are you all the way down here? Why are you not fighting for your people?”
“I am. I promise I will tell you later. Right now, there is something extremely urgent that I have to do and I need you to protect them.”
Sesshoumaru’s gaze swept the small group disdainfully. “Sakenmaru-sama,” he greeted with a small bow. His eyes narrowed when he registered the humans. “Humans?”
“Sakenmaru will introduce them. I will return.”
He launched frantically for the skies and rocketed northwards as fast as he could propel himself. As soon as he got high enough above the trees, he transformed to his great dog form and galloped through the clouds.
Faster, faster!
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The first thing Izayoi saw when she woke up was a very familiar pair of cold green eyes. She sucked in a desperate breath, and then found she could not expel it.
“You’re awake,” Ryuukotsusei said. “Good. Nii-sama is waiting for me to return with you. Stand up.”
“Ryuukotsusei-sama,” she breathed, more terrified than she could ever recall being before in her entire life. She knew what this meant– if she was here with him, then they were going back to Ryuunomei. Once she was back in his hands, he would never let go.
His hands curled around her shoulders, and she could almost feel his cool breath in her ear. Her muscles seized. “Iya!” she shrieked, and threw herself away, scrabbling frantically at the dirt.
Her feet were tied, she discovered a scant second later when she tried to stand.
“I thought you’d try that. Stupid girl.”
“No, no, no, no...” she sobbed, pulling herself along by her hands. “I don’t want to go back! Don’t make me!” She slipped and banged her head on the floor. Dazed, she rolled over onto her back and waited for the spinning to stop.
“Tch. As if you have a choice. Nii-sama’s missed you, you know. He was very sad for a long time when you left.”
She couldn’t hear him over the blood roaring in her ears. Her terror was blind, animal, instinctual. He would hurt her again, much worse this time. But he would never let her die, not until he was good and finished. He was a patient man– it would be a very long time before she would be allowed to die.
“No, no, no, no, nonononononononono...!”
Pretending not to hear her, Ryuukotsusei crossed his muscular arms and leaned back. “What were you doing traveling with the dogshit and the old cat? Never mind, I’m sure you’ll tell us all about it once we get home. Won’t you be glad to be home at last?”
“No, no, no, save me, no!”
“Nii-sama’s been nearly out of his mind he missed you so much. The servants ask after you all the time. Won’t you be glad to see them all again?”
“No, no, no, save me, save me, savemesavemesaveme...”
“I missed you. Aren’t you glad to see me?” He reached out with one hand, lifted her struggling form, and dropped her in his armored lap. His arms settled around her and he buried his nose in her hair. Purple braids fell around her head, smooth and shiny like snake scales. She trembled.
“Hush, hush. No need to be so afraid. I won’t hurt you. Nii-sama wants you back unharmed.”
Oh, kami, I’m going to be tortured and then I’m going to die. After I beg for it for a long time. Save me, somebody please save me!
“You smell exactly the same,” he remarked, “just like flowers. I missed the way you smell.”
He was so much larger than her. She felt like a child cradled on his lap. He stroked her arm, and she shuddered.
“Izayoi-chan?” He tipped her head up. She shut her eyes. “So, it’s that way then. Ah, well. Some things just can’t be helped.”
He kissed her, ferocious but careful not to bruise. His fangs grazed her lip but did not puncture.
Save me, save me, save me. Inutaisho...
Ryuukotsusei’s tongue ravaged her mouth. She fell slack and let him do what he would. Her strength was nothing to his. Resistance was pointless and would be unnecessarily painful. Better just to give in...
Just surrender.
His hands tightened around her back, crushing her to him. She was running out of air.
Maybe I’ll pass out and be spared the rest of this.
He pulled away, and she sighed with regret. It seemed there would be no blissful reprieve.
“Just the same, exactly the same. I’ve missed you so much.” He stood, pulling her up with him. She hung in his grip like a rag doll, completely unresponsive. “Come on then, nii-sama’s waiting to see you. Time to go.”
Her eyes drifted shut and she gave up all hope.
Inutaisho... I’m sorry. I just can’t fight them. I hope you understand.
Oh, Inutaisho.
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A/N- Concrit welcome and appreciated. Please don’t hesitate to offer formatting criticisms or suggestions to make the story flow better. I appreciate every comment very much! Thanks so much for reading!
Til next time,
Empatheia
Sesshoumaru lovers, this should make you happy! (wink)
Music while writing: Imogen Heap, My Sweet Religion
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Chapter XVIII: Green Eyes
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Bokuseno had seen many things in his centuries of life. A few more years, and he could legitimately begin to count his time in millennia. It had been a long, long life. Hours upon days upon months upon years upon decades, he’d sat completely unmoving, still and contemplative. The goings-on of the world were rarely of concern to him. However, to keep himself occupied, he learned things. He kept his ears, such as they were, open to everything that happened within range of his knowledge. As this was basically everywhere, Bokuseno now knew most things worth knowing in the island land of Nihon.
The only downside to his fairly peaceful and enjoyable existence was his inability to move. All those years, and he hadn’t moved an inch.
This was because Bokuseno was a tree. A tree demon, to be sure; but a tree nonetheless. The leaves were his ears, the swaying branches his hands. As he’d grown older and stronger, he had learned to use the leaves of other, duller trees to listen as well, spreading his network far and wide. Thus, he had basically negated the nastiness of enforced stillness.
However, there were rare moments when he deeply wished for the ability to pick up his roots and run.
This was one of them.
Sesshoumaru was angry. Angry in a way that Bokuseno had never seen him angry in before. Furious enough to chop down a largish corner of Bokuseno’s forest before dropping by to visit. All his poor, poor trees; lying in slaggy heaps of mangled wood and half-melted foliage. It was almost enough to irritate him, except that acting irritable with Sesshoumaru right now seemed an express way to join the ranks of newly-slagged.
So he stayed silent and waited for the red-eyed young man to speak first.
Wait– red eyes? I seem to remember that being a bad sign. Oh, what I wouldn’t give for feet!
“Where is he?” Sesshoumaru asked finally, voice utterly flat and hair-raising.
Bokuseno wasn’t at all certain who the pup was asking about, but from what his branches to the north had told him, the Lord was having difficulties with the East, and so it seemed safe to assume.
“You mean your father?”
“Of course I mean my father!” Sesshoumaru grated. “Where. Is. He?”
“South,” Bokuseno answered honestly, feeling the faint pulse of Sou’unga’s sheath. The clever sheath had been carved from Bokuseno’s heartwood, as had Tenseiga’s, though the latter’s was little more than indestructible dead wood. Sou’unga’s sheath, Saya, was alive, though embarrassingly stupid and cowardly. He remained, despite his faults, part of Bokuseno, and the old tree youkai could feel him far to the south.
Sesshoumaru waited expectantly for more. “South?” he prompted, unsettling crimson eyes fixed on Bokuseno’s ridged face on the trunk.
“Can’t say exactly where, but somewhere on Kyushu. He’s too far away for me to tell much more than that.”
“You are not much help, old man. How do you even know that much, anyways?”
Bokuseno grinned shiftily, cheeks creaking.
Sesshoumaru scowled. “Never mind. I will find out some other time. Thank you for your assistance, jii-san.”
Bokuseno blinked, and the white-clad dog youth was gone. He sighed in open relief. Those claws had looked mighty painful, and the boy was angry enough to cause some serious damage. Especially since all Bokuseno could do to defend himself would be put up a rather flimsy shield that would never stand up to a demon of Sesshoumaru’s caliber.
He ruffled his tingling leaves, feeling highly off-balance. Things were happening outside his little forest, and the other woods were strangely silent. He felt alone and cut off.
Ah, well. Nothing for it but to buckle down and wait for it to pass. And hope it passes soon.
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Ryuunomei washed the blood off his hands, and felt deeply frustrated. The woman, last in a long, long line, lay naked on the futon in a welter of gore. It had not brought him any pleasure at all, this time. Her long dark hair was shining with blood, deep hazel eyes staring unseeing at the ceiling. The juices of his pleasure lay strung across her pale thighs, gleaming. Between there and her face was nothing identifiable, just a random heap of innards and shredded flesh.
She’d screamed quite beautifully, at least. It made nothing better, but at least there was that. When she’d screamed, that last time, he’d closed his eyes and almost succeeded in believing she was the one he wanted beneath him. Of course, she’d gotten the little hitching hook on the very end wrong, and broken the illusion. It wasn’t her fault; but he needed no excuse to be angry or to kill her, so he’d done both. There had been no satisfaction in it.
Ryuunomei was a twisted, corrupted creature. He did not own a conscience, or anything even remotely resembling one. However, he did have a heart, and he did feel things. Very strong things, very often. Anger and hatred were the most common, his daily companions. Joy made an occasional appearance, when things went right, and he was capable of feeling satisfaction on occasion.
He was also capable of love. It was an abominable, crawling thing, but it was love. He had loved her. She had belonged to him. He had never been happier than when he was with her: whether she was smiling or screaming had never made any difference to his contentment. The smell of her had intoxicated him, as had the way she submitted and abased herself so exquisitely. His greatest pleasure had been the feel of her trembling body against him as she shook with silent tears.
At the very memory, he shuddered and closed his eyes. When his brother returned with her, he would be sure to welcome her home properly. Her anticipated shrieks rang sweetly in his ears as he watched the servants clean up the latest not-her.
You are mine. Izayoi.
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Ryuukotsusei pressed a bagful of silver coins into the man’s hand. “You will receive the other half on delivery, as agreed.”
“Hmph.”
The man was short, stocky, and dressed all in black. His eyes, where they squinted out of his face mask, were cold and black as well. Everything about him screamed ‘ninja.’ He pocketed the little bag and straightened.
“What’s so special about this woman, anyways?” he asked. His voice was highly unpleasant, like the sound of a cat being dragged through rocks by its tail; a sort of yowling rasp.
“I am not paying you to find her interesting. Just find her, and as quickly as humanly possible.”
The ninja grinned, displaying unnaturally sharp teeth and a forked tongue. “Who said anything about humanly possible?” he whispered, and vanished into the shadows. Literally vanished.
Ryuukotsusei’s eyes widened. He had not felt a hint of youki from the man until he’d pulled the little disappearing act. It took great skill to conceal youki, especially at such close quarters. He relaxed. The man would have no trouble carrying out the mission with those sorts of abilities at his disposal. “Nii-sama will be pleased,” he said to himself out loud, and then walked out of the dark alleyway into the sunlight.
Izayoi would not know what had hit her.
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“You look like a smart lot, so I expect to see you with us tomorrow morning,” Katsuro finished, leaping off the box and rejoining Izayoi in the small house.
She looked at him and raised an eyebrow curiously.
“They’ll come,” he assured her. “You’ll have a fine army by the time I’m done: don’t worry.”
“You make speeches look so easy,” she grumbled, secretly pleased.
“They are easy,” he replied affably. “You’re just shy.”
“Shy!”
He laughed and patted her on the head affectionately. “Well, I’m sure the others are expecting us back. We should get going.”
OooooooooooooooooooooO
“You know you don’t have to come with me to these, right?” he asked quietly while they walked back through the dead leaves and cold wind.
“I don’t like being afraid of things.”
“Ah.”
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He&# 8217;s back. I mean... they’re back.
Naruka stared at her hands and blushed painfully. She was very wise, despite her young age, and knew exactly what it was she was feeling for the tall general. Knew it, and knew that there was nothing she could do about it but dream and tear herself to shreds. It hurt.
She loved being a priestess. The day she’d begun training under Midoriko had been the second happiest day of her life. The only day happier than that was when her sensei had proclaimed her training over, and ordained her. Since then, she’d lived every day from a deep place of ease and surety, knowing that she’d found her place in the world. People were healed under her hands, and blessed. The world was right when she was doing what she’d been born for.
Never, never, never had she wanted for even a moment to be anything but a priestess.
Until he’d walked into the circle of their campfire with the stars caught in his hair and laughter in his eyes.
Stupid, stupid.
She stared at her hands and wished there was a way to be a priestess and love this way at the same time. So far, nothing had come to mind. She could never surrender her life as a miko, but the need to touch him, to run her fingers through that hair, to press her face into the warm hardness of his chest, was driving her mad.
He collapsed into a long-limbed heap a few feet away, and she felt every moment like the air between them was solid.
“Hope you weren’t bored without me,” he joked.
Not bored. Hanging.
“We managed to keep ourselves occupied,” Sakenmaru dryly shot back. “So? How did it go?”
“They’ll be with us in the morning. I must say, it’s actually easier than I thought it would be. Somehow the threat of total extinction is motivating them beyond usual measures.”
“Inexplicable. Humans are so strange.”
Their playful banter faded into the background, and she just listened to his voice without trying to comprehend.
“Naruka?” A soft voice, a hand on her shoulder. Izayoi.
“Eh?”
“Are you all right? You’ve been awfully quiet.”
All right? No, nothing’s right. It’s broken and I don’t remember how to fix it. I dropped my life and it shattered. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
“I’m fine,” she murmured. “Just tired.”
She knew Izayoi didn’t believe her, but her sister was kind enough not to push.
“When you want to talk about it, whatever it is, just let me know, all right?”
Naruka nodded, not trusting herself to look at Izayoi’s concerned face.
Whatever it is. It’s nothing much, really, I’m just a woman sworn to celibacy who suddenly desires that man over there more than breath, more than food, more than sleep. I can’t touch him, and it’s killing me. Aneue... help me!
“Good night, aneue.”
It won’t be. I don’t foresee a ‘good night’ anywhere in the near future, or the distant one. All the nights I’m alone will be bad nights, and all my nights must be alone if I’m to keep my calling. Which I also love. Why? Why?
Her eyes filled with tears. It made no sense– she’d never believed in love at first sight, had even regarded love as mere frippery. Just something to make the unhappy lives of everyone else a little more tolerable. It had made her uncomfortable whenever people displayed it, because she couldn’t see how they could commit themselves to care for one person like that. She had compassion for everyone, and it was a very great sort of love.
But nothing, nothing like this.
She looked up and realized with a shock that he was looking at her. His dark eyes were fathomless, and he seemed as though he was trying to puzzle something out. When she met his gaze, he didn’t flinch or drop his eyes– simply returned it calmly.
She could only hold it for a few seconds before breaking it, but that lock of eyes was the most painful and most beautiful thing that had ever happened to her. Her head sank onto her knees and she caged the swelling sobs within her unyielding ribcage.
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry.
She prayed he wouldn’t move. If he moved... if he moved, she would be lost. It was not a ‘possibility’– it was certainty. If he moved, to ask her what was wrong or to lie down or to yawn... she would fall apart, throw herself at him, weep, die. Something.
Please, please don’t move.
He didn’t move; and in a few minutes she felt composed enough to stand up and walk to her bedroll. It was cold and empty. She slid beneath the woven blankets, shivered, and shut her eyes.
Across the fire, she heard him sigh and move to his own roll. Far away from hers. But still far too close for comfort. While he lived, he would always be too close for comfort.
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When they woke in the morning, Izayoi was gone. They were not immediately worried– she often rose early to wash herself in a nearby stream or to hunt. Inutaisho was still asleep, so Naruka, Sakenmaru, and Katsuro made breakfast. Jaken had apparently found his own, as he had slightly moldy-looking bits of foliage and what looked like insects piled in his lap, and was busy munching. Ah-Un was grazing on the dying grass.
They began to wonder after an hour had passed, the sun had risen, and she still was nowhere in evidence. Still, there was no panic– there was of course a logical explanation for her lengthy, uncharacteristic absence.
The panic began when Inutaisho woke up, stretched, and sniffed the air. “Who visited the campsite last night?” he asked groggily. “I smell a stranger.”
That, coupled with the missing Izayoi and the fact that none of them had seen a stranger, quickly exploded into fear and then panic. They searched the surrounding area frantically, but even the taiyoukais’ superior senses could not track the mysterious intruder.
Inutaisho could smell her leading away to the south for a while, but was certain that it was a false trail. It was too neat, too perfect, and made no sense. He already knew who had taken her, and they would not have gone south.
It sank in when they all returned to the campfire empty-handed. The gap in their ranks glared at him accusingly. He should have protected her.
It unsettled him deeply that he hadn’t sensed the intruder, who had to have walked right past his head on their way to Izayoi’s bedroll. Especially since, by the scent, it was a demon. Inutaisho should have sensed its youki the moment it came within a half ri of them. That he hadn’t was not a good sign– it spoke of great skill in the arts of concealment. A ninja, most likely.
Damn! he thought with agony. Right out from under his nose! She was in the enemy’s hand, possibly dead, possibly tortured.
Black hair red blood. Pale skin gaping open, drooling fluids. Shivering screams in dead air.
He shuddered, put his head in his hands.
Think! They have gone north, probably to Ryuunomei’s castle. If he wanted her dead, he would not have bothered to kidnap her. She is alive. At least there is that.
Naruka was weeping, Sakenmaru looked blankly shocked. Katsuro alone was composed, though he looked severely shocked.
“North,” Inutaisho said flatly. “They have gone north, and I am going to follow them.”
Nobody asked how he knew. Those who knew the history did not have to, and those who didn’t could see that there was history and chose not to.
“I do not want to leave you without protection,” he said, “but I hope you understand that I cannot just leave her to... whatever they have planned.” Torture. Pain. Agony.
“We’re not exactly defenseless,” Kasturo reminded him. “We’ve got Sakenmaru here, he’s a pretty powerful demon, and an army at our backs.”
Sakenmaru was old, and tiring, and had just been through an energy-sucking ordeal. He would not be much help if they were attacked, and the army was nowhere near them at the moment. They would be as good as defenseless if Ryuunomei got serious.
He agonized. Sakenmaru could not go in his place, he was not strong enough to survive in the Eastern castle. The humans simply could not travel fast enough. He was the only one who could save her, and the only one who could protect them.
If he went to save her, they would be in danger. If he stayed and protected them, she would be left to the tender mercies of the dragon lords’ torturers.
No!
There was no way out that he could see. It was a dilemma, one he did not have time for.
“Damn!” he cried. “What am I supposed to do?”
Sesshoumaru chose this exact moment to arrive, with his natural sense of when the perfect time for a grand entrance was. “Chichi-ue,” he bellowed from the sky.
Inutaisho looked up with wild hope, and when he confirmed who it was, nearly collapsed from joy and relief. “Sesshoumaru!” he cried. “Son, your timing could not have been more perfect.”
The youth landed gracefully. “Excuse me?”
“Stay here. Protect them. I will return as fast as I can.”
Sesshoumaru stared at him as though he’d grown an extra nose. “Father, I came to tell you that your house is lost to traitors. Why are you all the way down here? Why are you not fighting for your people?”
“I am. I promise I will tell you later. Right now, there is something extremely urgent that I have to do and I need you to protect them.”
Sesshoumaru’s gaze swept the small group disdainfully. “Sakenmaru-sama,” he greeted with a small bow. His eyes narrowed when he registered the humans. “Humans?”
“Sakenmaru will introduce them. I will return.”
He launched frantically for the skies and rocketed northwards as fast as he could propel himself. As soon as he got high enough above the trees, he transformed to his great dog form and galloped through the clouds.
Faster, faster!
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The first thing Izayoi saw when she woke up was a very familiar pair of cold green eyes. She sucked in a desperate breath, and then found she could not expel it.
“You’re awake,” Ryuukotsusei said. “Good. Nii-sama is waiting for me to return with you. Stand up.”
“Ryuukotsusei-sama,” she breathed, more terrified than she could ever recall being before in her entire life. She knew what this meant– if she was here with him, then they were going back to Ryuunomei. Once she was back in his hands, he would never let go.
His hands curled around her shoulders, and she could almost feel his cool breath in her ear. Her muscles seized. “Iya!” she shrieked, and threw herself away, scrabbling frantically at the dirt.
Her feet were tied, she discovered a scant second later when she tried to stand.
“I thought you’d try that. Stupid girl.”
“No, no, no, no...” she sobbed, pulling herself along by her hands. “I don’t want to go back! Don’t make me!” She slipped and banged her head on the floor. Dazed, she rolled over onto her back and waited for the spinning to stop.
“Tch. As if you have a choice. Nii-sama’s missed you, you know. He was very sad for a long time when you left.”
She couldn’t hear him over the blood roaring in her ears. Her terror was blind, animal, instinctual. He would hurt her again, much worse this time. But he would never let her die, not until he was good and finished. He was a patient man– it would be a very long time before she would be allowed to die.
“No, no, no, no, nonononononononono...!”
Pretending not to hear her, Ryuukotsusei crossed his muscular arms and leaned back. “What were you doing traveling with the dogshit and the old cat? Never mind, I’m sure you’ll tell us all about it once we get home. Won’t you be glad to be home at last?”
“No, no, no, save me, no!”
“Nii-sama’s been nearly out of his mind he missed you so much. The servants ask after you all the time. Won’t you be glad to see them all again?”
“No, no, no, save me, save me, savemesavemesaveme...”
“I missed you. Aren’t you glad to see me?” He reached out with one hand, lifted her struggling form, and dropped her in his armored lap. His arms settled around her and he buried his nose in her hair. Purple braids fell around her head, smooth and shiny like snake scales. She trembled.
“Hush, hush. No need to be so afraid. I won’t hurt you. Nii-sama wants you back unharmed.”
Oh, kami, I’m going to be tortured and then I’m going to die. After I beg for it for a long time. Save me, somebody please save me!
“You smell exactly the same,” he remarked, “just like flowers. I missed the way you smell.”
He was so much larger than her. She felt like a child cradled on his lap. He stroked her arm, and she shuddered.
“Izayoi-chan?” He tipped her head up. She shut her eyes. “So, it’s that way then. Ah, well. Some things just can’t be helped.”
He kissed her, ferocious but careful not to bruise. His fangs grazed her lip but did not puncture.
Save me, save me, save me. Inutaisho...
Ryuukotsusei’s tongue ravaged her mouth. She fell slack and let him do what he would. Her strength was nothing to his. Resistance was pointless and would be unnecessarily painful. Better just to give in...
Just surrender.
His hands tightened around her back, crushing her to him. She was running out of air.
Maybe I’ll pass out and be spared the rest of this.
He pulled away, and she sighed with regret. It seemed there would be no blissful reprieve.
“Just the same, exactly the same. I’ve missed you so much.” He stood, pulling her up with him. She hung in his grip like a rag doll, completely unresponsive. “Come on then, nii-sama’s waiting to see you. Time to go.”
Her eyes drifted shut and she gave up all hope.
Inutaisho... I’m sorry. I just can’t fight them. I hope you understand.
Oh, Inutaisho.
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A/N- Concrit welcome and appreciated. Please don’t hesitate to offer formatting criticisms or suggestions to make the story flow better. I appreciate every comment very much! Thanks so much for reading!
Til next time,
Empatheia