InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sesshoumaru's Secret Life ❯ Trouble At Home ( Chapter 18 )

Chapter 18: Trouble At Home

 

Inuyasha took a large breath of fresh air as he leapt up into the tree in Sesshoumaru's private gardens. He had no idea being a lord was so completely boring and tedious. He had to hand it to his sister, this was certainly not a job he wanted to be doing for the rest of his life. He was quite proud of his sibling, to do what she had done, to garner such respect from other important people, human and demon alike and keep the secret she had kept was amazing to him. He even felt a bit of jealousy at how easy she had made it look.

 

Inuyasha sat in the tree and carefully rubbed his tender ears that he had let loose, sighing. He missed his sister and Kagome. He even missed that lecherous monk and couldn't wait for them to return with his new niece or nephew. Only a few more weeks, I can stand it till then, he thought. He leaned back into the branches intent on just relaxing when Jaken came out into the gardens.

 

“My lord,” he called out in his squawky voice. Inuyasha looked down though the leaves and decided to ignore him in the hope he would just go away. Jaken didn't have much of a sense of smell but he did have excellent eyes and his sharp vision soon spotted the hanyou high in the branches.

 

“Get down from there,” he yelped, looking back the way he had come. “Have you forgotten the village councillors are here for a meeting this afternoon?” he hissed at him so the men wouldn't hear if they should have followed him.

 

Inuyasha groaned and hopped down, fixing his clothing and getting back into character. “Hey,” he yelled grabbing his head. The toad had just given him a good thump with his two headed staff. “What the fuck was that for?”

 

“Your ears, my lord,” Jaken said sarcastically.

 

Inuyasha reached up sheepishly and put his ears back in place under his hair. “You didn't have to hit me,” he reprimanded. “Bet you don't do this shit to Sesshoumaru,” he continued to grumble as he followed the little retainer into the castle.

 

Jaken smirked happily. He was just having way to much fun in tormenting the hanyou every chance he got, knowing that the half demon would not react the way his true lord would. Besides Inuyasha was way to slow to catch him, unlike Sesshoumaru who was deadly fast.

 

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Inuyasha sighed as the group of men finally left, satisfied that their concerns were going to be met by their lord. He stretched and wandered towards the back of the castle where the door to the gardens was. At the last minute he changed his mind.

 

I need to go somewhere that stupid toad can't find me for awhile, he thought as he changed direction and went through the kitchens and out the servants entrance. He received some odd looks from the kitchen maids as he passed through but he ignored it and glided regally by them, keeping a cold, disinterested look on his face.

 

Finally outside he took a quick look around to make sure no one was about and then bounded off into the forest as quickly as he could. He grinned happily as the fresh, evening air blew past him bringing the wonderful scents of the woods to his nose. How he had missed this. He continued to run, enjoying the freedom from the confines of the castle. He wondered if his sister did this as well, he couldn't imagine not wanting to take a good run and feel the grass underfoot, the air on your face and the wind in your hair. I'll have to ask Sesshoumaru to do this with me sometime.

 

He came to a halt at a quiet meadow and looked out over the tall grass that was blowing gently in the wind as he allowed his breathing to come back to normal. The moon was almost full and it put a silver glow over the scene before him. Looking at the view made him feel more peaceful now than he had since taking on this job. He reached up to set his ears free but stopped when he heard a sound behind him.

 

“Sesshoumaru,” a deep male voice said. Inuyasha spun around, his eyes large in surprise.

 

“An-Anoki,” he stuttered out. “What are you doing here?”

 

“I followed you. I saw you leave the castle so I thought I would take the opportunity to talk to you.”

 

Inuyasha frowned, he did not like the idea of being alone with his demon cousin, especially since said cousin was looking at him in a most disturbing way. The disguised hanyou put his hand on the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. “What do you want?”

 

Anoki pointedly looked at Inuyasha's hand on the sword. “Are you going to hurt me cousin?” he asked as he took a step forward. “I only wish to talk, nothing more.”

 

Inuyasha relaxed slightly. “Talk then,” he stated as he retreated a step from his imposing cousin.

 

Anoki smiled. “Sesshoumaru, why do you pretend you do not want me? I may have been to bold in my declaration but it was truthful. I only want you to give me a chance, as you did the human.”

 

“Look,” Inuyasha replied. “There are things going on you're not aware of.” The hanyou tried to keep his voice even. He kind of felt sorry for Anoki that his love would go unrequited but he figured this was something his sister needed to deal with.

 

“You have so many secrets, Sesshoumaru. Don't you know by now you can trust me?” Anoki questioned stepping a bit closer.

 

“Anoki, I don't even know you and I am not interested in taking a mate right now,” Inuyasha replied in aggravation.

 

“That human meant that much to you? You would keep your heart frozen from another because of him?”

 

“That's not it.” Inuyasha was beginning to get angry at the stubbornness of this guy. “I just don't want a mate,” he growled to his cousin. Why can't he just get it though his thick skull?

 

“I think you do,” Anoki purred and grabbed Inuyasha, pushing him against the tree behind him. He pushed his body against the hanyou and grabbed his chin in his long claws holding his face still. The demon brought his lips down hard on Inuyasha's in a crushing kiss.

 

Inuyasha struggled in the grip of his stronger demon cousin. He was angry at himself that he had been taken so easily by surprise. Suddenly Anoki released his lips from him and stepped back, holding the half-demon's arms at his side, a look of complete shock on his face.

 

“Who are you? You're not Sesshoumaru.” He pulled the left sleeve of Inuyasha's kimono up, grabbing the arm that should not have been there. Anoki began to snarl and he shook the hanyou in his grip. “I asked you a question, impostor. What have you done with Sesshoumaru?”

 

“H-h-how…” Inuyasha tried to question.

 

“You think I don't know the taste of my beloved?” Anoki raged as he wiped the marks off Inuyasha's face.

 

Inuyasha pushed the taller demon back, twisting out of his grip and unsheathing the Tetsusaiga. “Sesshoumaru is not here and he already has a mate,” the hanyou fumed. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand staring daggers at his cousin. Looks like another family member I'm going to have to fight.

 

“You lie!” Anoki yelled. His eyes narrowed and he glared at the impostor in front of him. “Where have you hidden Sesshoumaru? Who the hell are you?” The grey haired demon unsheathed his own sword, the moonlight glinting off the very thin, sharp edge of the blade.

 

Inuyasha reached up and loosed his ears from their bindings and then began to circle the inu demon trying to get into a better defensive position.

 

Anoki gasped. “Inuyasha. What have you done? Did you kill your brother to take his place, is that it?” The tall demon lashed out with his sword cutting Inuyasha on the arm, drawing blood. “That's why you're dressed up like him, you know the court would not accept a hanyou lord.”

 

Damn he's fast, Inuyasha thought trying to keep some distance between himself and the agitated demon. “Stop, I didn't kill Sesshoumaru. I told you she's not here.” The half-demon realized his mistake too late.

 

“She? What do you mean she?” Anoki still kept his sword pointed at Inuyasha.

 

Damn it! “Look, this is something you should talk to Sesshoumaru about,” Inuyasha replied.

 

Anoki moved quicker than Inuyasha could see and he was again held tightly in the demons crushing grip, his sword pulled from his hand and thrown to the ground. Anoki didn't even flinch when the sword burned his hand before he could toss it away. “If you want to live, hanyou, you better tell me what's going on now.” Anoki had sheathed his blade but he pressed his rather long fangs against his cousin's neck in threat, growling low and deep.

 

Inuyasha tried to squirm and twist away unable to loosen his cousins strong grip, Anoki nipped hard enough to tear into the white haired boy's throat, allowing the blood to pool and drip down his neck. “Be still and tell me what I want to know or I swear I will rip out your throat and feast on your blood.”

 

Inuyasha yelped in pain from the bite. “Sesshoumaru is female, she went away with her mate.” He was not about to tell him anything more, wanting desperately to protect his sister even though his canine instincts were screaming at him to submit to an apparent alpha.

 

“Female? That damn monk; that was Sesshoumaru I saw being wed to him and not a human wasn't it?” he asked, remembering when he had thought the scent of the human woman was off. At the time he had been so relieved that the monk had turned away from his beautiful cousin that he hadn't paid it much mind.

 

Inuyasha nodded his head. “I'm just taking her place for a little while until she comes back. I am her brother and the true heir to the western lands,” the half-demon continued with a hint of defiance. “It is my right to rule.”

 

Anoki released the hanyou and stood momentarily in stunned silence. He then smirked as his half-demon cousin. “If you were the true heir, why have you not taken your place as lord? Why do you hide behind your disguise? I'll tell you why,” the demon said before Inuyasha could answer, “because nobody will accept a half-breed to rule over them. They would demand a full youkai and since I am the only male full demon in our family, I would be the rightful heir.”

 

Inuyasha leapt towards his sword when he saw his cousin pull his from its scabbard. “If you care about Sesshoumaru as much as you say you do you wouldn't do this, you'd leave her alone and go.”

 

Anoki laughed bitterly. “She has made a fool of me, she had her chance to tell me but she chose not to. A female cannot be lord, not according to the laws of our kind. She has to know this and this is why she has deceived her way into the position. She has claimed a right that was not hers to take. She has acted with dishonour, as have you, so I will take what is mine to claim.

 

“Not if I can help it,” Inuyasha ground out as he launched himself at his angry cousin.