InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Taisho's Darling ❯ Trust ( Chapter 11 )

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Disclaimer: I don't own these marvelous characters; they are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I merely torture them at will and put them in uncomfortable situations whenever possible.

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Chapter 11

Trust

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"So all I have to do is cause a distraction?" Sango asked doubtfully. "Inu-Yasha, Kaede's going to be furious when she discovers you're gone. Why doesn't she want you to go to the club tonight, anyway?"

"Damned if I know what's going on in the old bat's head," Inu-Yasha grumbled. He was getting impatient. The sun would be setting soon, and his escape plan wouldn't work if he was in his human form. He knew Jakotsu and Bankotsu were keeping an eye on the entrances to the mansion, so he needed to be able to jump from the roof and land a good distance away. "Look, just follow the plan, okay?"

"Okay," Sango agreed reluctantly. "I must really like you to agree to ruin my cooking on purpose. You owe me big for this, Inu-Yasha."

"I'll make it up to you," Inu-Yasha promised. He moved to plant a grateful kiss on her soft cheek, but stopped himself in time. What the hell had just come over him, wanting to do something like that?

Raising his voice, he began his part of the deception. "Leave me alone, dammit!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, knowing Kaede would hear him from the other room. "If I decide to stay home tonight, that's my business! It's no concern of yours what I'm doing, ya' nosy bitch!"

"Fine!" Sango screeched, playing her role to the hilt. She picked up a nearby plate and tossed it at the hanyou, missing on purpose. The plate shattered against the wall with a satisfactory crash. "Go ahead and sulk in your room, see if I care!"

"What in the - Sango, put that platter down!" Kaede rushed in to see the cause of the commotion. The leftover sushi rolls sailed past the motherly woman's head and scattered across the kitchen. "Children, really! What is the problem?"

"Nothing's the matter, hag!" Inu-Yasha shouted, his ears flattened against his head. "Tell her to mind her own business and stay the hell away from me! And by the way, Sango, that slop of yours is burning!"

"What!" Sango screamed as she grabbed the flaming pot from the burner. "Aghh! Kaede! The dessert I made is ruined!" Sango's mournful wail could be heard throughout the mansion. "I'm a terrible cook!"

"Sango, calm thyself, child! This distress is not good for the child within thee!" Kaede tried to comfort the hysterical woman. Sango broke away from her and ran to her rooms, sobbing loudly.

"See what problems thou hast caused!" Kaede rounded on Inu-Yasha. "The girl is simply concerned for thee, and thou hast treated her with much unkindness! Shame on thee!"

"Keh," Inu-Yasha snorted, smashing his fist against the nearby wall. "You need to mind your own business as well, old woman! Shouldn't you be out finding a mate instead of interfering in my life?"

"Why - impertinent pup!" Kaede gasped, only to be interrupted by another loud wail from the direction of Sango's room, followed by a loud crash. "I will deal with thee at a later time, Inu-Yasha," Kaede threatened as she left the room in search of Sango.

Inu-Yasha checked the time and felt the need to hurry. As the sun slowly began to sink into the horizon, the hanyou raced up the stairs to the attic and leapt from the roof. Freedom never felt so good.

……

Tonight, he would rest. There would be no alcohol-laden misadventures, no miko-induced nightmares, and no interruptions, Sesshomaru vowed. For the first time since he'd set foot back in Japan, he would slip gently into a peaceful slumber.

He shrugged his broad shoulders, allowing his black silken robe to slither into a careless pool at the end of his futon. Sesshomaru looked with disdain at the huge western bed occupying the corner of the room. He might adapt to other western furniture, but he still preferred the traditional futon. Sesshomaru would have ordered the bed removed, but sometimes his daughter would creep into his room. He would wake up to find her lying in the huge bed in the morning, seeming to derive comfort just from his proximity.

It was odd how Rin's entrance never woke him from sleep, Sesshomaru mused as he settled between the cool sheets on the futon. Perhaps it was because he trusted her completely. Rin was incapable of the smallest deception, her large eyes holding an honesty seldom found in humans or youkai.

The laughter that sparked in Rin's eyes when she'd seen her adoptive father walk through the door with his hair full of sticky fruit punch had brought Sesshomaru out of his bad humor. Rin's eyes were so full of emotion lately, giving him hope that she would someday unlock her voice. It tore at him to see her innocent soul so confined. Sesshomaru wanted her to be free to express herself, free to shout with childlike joy.

Freedom. Sesshomaru's thoughts turned dark as he contemplated the fate of his father's slaves. The entire business was appalling, with the hopes of the slaves lying in Kagura's ability to attract the right mates for them. And Kagome, who tormented his dreams and enflamed his senses, what would become of her if Inu-Yasha could not be persuaded to take her as a mate?

Of course, unlike the other slaves, Kagome was young. She would survive being set free, if only a way to break the artificial slave bond could be found. Perhaps this avenue of escape had been discarded too quickly.

Sudden heat flared through his arm, causing Sesshomaru to utter a soft curse. He sat up to examine his burning limb and tried to find the cause of his pain. A bright sheet of lightning lit the darkened room, showing his arm to be in perfect condition. So why was it hurting him so?

The answer came to him, accompanied by the distant boom of thunder. He was feeling Kagome's pain, not his own. Her slave bond needed renewing. This caused Sesshomaru some concern, as it had been just a few days since he first administered the bite. Had he performed the spell incorrectly? Then again, his magic was not quite as powerful as his father's; perhaps that was the reason he needed to refresh the bite more frequently than his father had. Sesshomaru clamped down the thrill of anticipation that shot through his body when he thought of tasting her sweet skin once again.

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"Sango? Let me in the door, child." Kaede rapped her knuckles against the bedroom door insistently.

"I don't want to talk about it right now, Kaede," Sango replied through fake tears from the other side of the door. She sorted through her meager supply of blouses that still fit her blossoming figure. Holding up a low-cut number made of red silk, Sango debated her choice. It was rather risqué for her personal tastes, but at least she could pull the darn thing over her enlarged breasts.

"Sango, thou must forgive the hanyou's rudeness. He is particularly vulnerable tonight, for 'tis the night of the new moon." Kaede's voice floated through the door, causing a pang of guilt to chase through Sango. She didn't like deceiving the only mother she'd ever known, but she'd promised to help Inu-Yasha. Besides, Kaede had been keeping him close to the mansion unnecessarily.

"Kaede, I'll be all right," Sango said, sniffling for effect. "I just want to be alone for awhile, okay?" She listened to Kaede's retreating footsteps as she squeezed into the red blouse. It was pretty snug across her bosom, but it would have to do for tonight. The delicate silk of the material gathered underneath her chest to fall loosely over the gentle swell of her stomach.

Great, I look like a tomato, Sango thought critically as she surveyed her reflection in the mirror. Then again, who have I got to impress? She ignored the golden eyes and silver hair that floated into her vision in response to the question.

Slipping quietly out the back door, Sango walked to the end of the long driveway and waited for her taxi. A fat drop of rain hit her face as she entered the cab. For some reason, the sudden onset of the storm matched her depressed mood. Forget this; I'm going to have fun tonight if it kills me, Sango thought. She straightened her shoulders and willed the gloomy thoughts to leave.

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Kagome whimpered and clutched her arm. This was happening to her at the worst time possible. After allowing her temper to get the better of her this afternoon, she was now forced to approach the master she had angered and beg for his aid. Knowing the pain would only get worse as the night wore on, Kagome squared her shoulders and headed to Sesshomaru's room.

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"Oooh, when I get mine hands on that son-of-a-Taisho, I'm going to wring his sneaking little hanyou neck!" Kaede muttered angrily as she stomped along the darkened corridors to her room. Her disguising spell flickered along with the storm outside, alternating eerily between wrinkles and smooth skin. "How dare he use such deception with me?"

She entered her private quarters and slammed the heavy wooden door behind her. Taisho-sama's architect had designed the interior of the mansion after the manner of the medieval fortresses of Europe, with stone walls and thick doors. At the same time, the architect had left the outside appearance of the mansion in graceful, sweeping lines so as to blend in with the surrounding areas. The overall effect was brilliant - and the sturdy doors stood up to the constant abuse from the mansion's residents.

Kaede kicked her door a few more times for good measure. She was frustrated beyond belief by Inu-Yasha's actions, especially since she was certain the half-demon was headed for the club and a rendezvous with Kikyo. Inu-Yasha's obsession with the reincarnated priestess would be the death of them all!

Having discovered that the hanyou enlisted Sango to aid his escape hadn't improved Kaede's mood, either. What was Sango thinking, allowing Inu-Yasha to use her like that? It suddenly occurred to Kaede that Sango might not be aware of the reason behind Inu-Yasha's departure. If the half-demon was toying with Sango's affections as a means to sneak around with his inamorata, there was going to be hell to pay!

A soft groan emanated from behind the screen separating her bed from the rest of the room, nearly causing Kaede to drop the flashlight. She grabbed an antique fireplace poker used as a wall decoration and approached her bed. "Reveal thyself!" Kaede ordered, raising the piece of iron to strike at any sudden moves. She jerked the light screen to the side and brandished the poker over the prone figure.

"Kaede…" the rasping groan was familiar. She cast the light on the face and gasped at what she saw. "Taisho-sama! What is the meaning of this? Thou shouldst not be here!" Kaede cried softly. The poker in her hand fell to the floor with a clang as she clambered up on the bed beside the great demon.

A flash of lightning lit up the room, followed by a loud clap of thunder. During the momentary brilliance, Kaede could see her master was terribly wounded. Dark stains covered Taisho's shirt and the smell of blood was strong enough to permeate Kaede's human nostrils. She flinched as she touched her master's chest, pulling back a hand covered in blood. Taisho's breathing was quiet but labored, as if he were expending every bit of energy he had in order to remain alive.

She looked around for something that would shed more light than the thin beam of her torch. Her flashlight fell upon an oil lantern resting on the mantelpiece, an antique she had picked up in a Parisian marketplace on a whim. The oil should still be good, she thought with a flash of appreciation for something that did not become obsolete when modern electricity was lost. She grabbed the matchbox from the fireplace mantel and lit the lantern before placing it nearby the bed. The light was weak, but it was better than nothing.

Her master was a wreck. How had Taisho managed to get himself into her bedroom in this condition? She began to inspect his wounds and shuddered at what she found. The deep gashes had every appearance of being caused by sharp claws and teeth. Taisho's own claws were drenched in blood and gore, leaving Kaede to doubt her master's opponent had survived the fight. With a curse directed toward a certain stubborn youkai for refusing to stay hidden from his enemies, Kaede hurriedly left the room to find Miroku.

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"How did you get here?" Inu-Yasha asked angrily. This wasn't part of the plan at all. Sango was just supposed to provide the distraction, not join him here at the club!

"Unlike you, I was able to call a taxi and walk out the door to greet it," Sango replied lightly as she stood next to his chair and rested a hip against the desk. "I figured being treated to a night at the club was the least I deserved for agreeing to ruin my cooking and lying to Kaede. I take it drinks are on the house?"

"Only if you're drinking juice!" Inu-Yasha insisted, raking a hand through his now-ebony hair. His violet eyes snapped at the former taijiya. "Don't you know what alcohol does to unborn pups?"

"You really are grumpy when you're human," Sango observed, leaning forward to finger a lock of his hair. The different color seemed to intrigue her. "That is, grumpier than usual. I don't think I've ever seen a sweet side to you. Who peed in your drink?"

"Look, I'm not here for pleasure," Inu-Yasha snarled. "I have a meeting in less than ten minutes, so you need to make yourself scarce. And keep your mouth shut, because no one but the guys I'm meeting with know I'm here. I don't need anyone at this club recognizing me in my human form."

"Fine," Sango replied airily. "I'll be out on the dance floor if you need me. It's been forever since I've been out on the town."

"You will not be out on the dance floor," Inu-Yasha argued. "Are you trying to damage the pup's hearing before it has a chance to develop? That music is way too loud!"

"What am I supposed to do, then, stand around with my thumb up my - " Sango's heated retort began.

"Boss?" Koga interrupted as he entered the back office. Intense blue eyes took on a predatory gleam as he surveyed the beauty standing next to Inu-Yasha. "And who might this lovely creature be?" he asked, advancing toward the desk.

"This is Sango, and you'd better keep your stinking hands off her, Koga!" Inu-Yasha retorted, pulling Sango off the desk and into his lap. Koga was his friend, but he had no intention of letting the wolf-demon get within sniffing distance of the pretty slave. Sango needed a steady mate, not this impulsive, brainless idiot. Besides, he rationalized, ookami youkai could be unpredictable around pregnant females.

Meanwhile, Sango was looking at him as if he'd grown a second head. "Let me up right this minute," she hissed at Inu-Yasha, struggling to stand. Inu-Yasha reluctantly released her. "Honestly, Inu-Yasha, what is it with you tonight? I don't think I've ever seen you act this - this overly protective!"

Koga watched her straighten her rumpled blouse, his eyes not failing to take in her rounding belly. He flashed a curious look at Inu-Yasha, receiving nothing but a scowl in return. "Don't mind him, Sango," Koga said as he gave a casual nod in greeting to the woman. "He's always a little weird on his human nights. It must feel like shit, not being able to smell or hear anything," he added, unable to resist giving his boss a dig.

Sango frowned at the wolf demon's teasing. She moved a hand to calm the hot-tempered Inu-Yasha and accidentally knocked a stack of papers to the floor. "Whoops! No, I'll get those," Sango waved away Inu-Yasha's assistance as she kneeled behind the desk to retrieve the paperwork.

Hiten chose that moment to walk into the office, quickly shutting the door behind him. "Hey dogboy, how's life at the mansion?" he asked with a smile. "I'm still waiting for you to introduce me to those women, you know. Which beauty's heart do I get to break first?"

Oh hells, he'd completely forgotten about his rash agreement with Hiten. Sango's head snapped up, and her face lost some of its color. Inu-Yasha froze with fear at the dangerous look in her eyes. "Sango," he stammered as the former demon-slayer rose to her feet from behind the desk, "I can explain this, really!"

Moving faster than he could blink, Sango placed the tip of a sharp letter opener at his throat. "You'd better have a damn good explanation, hanyou," she threatened. "Because if you don't, I'm going to make sure you personally never get to enjoy the mating ritual."

Inu-Yasha gulped as the sharp point moved lower. He didn't need his demon senses to understand the implied threat. As thunder from a heavy storm boomed outside, he swallowed hard and began to speak.

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"Have a care, Miroku," Kaede snapped at the former monk. "Thou wilt make the master's wounds re-open with such rough handling." She handed Miroku a tube of ointment.

"Kaede, the master is a youkai," Miroku reminded her calmly as he treated the wounds. "He would have healed just fine even without our intervention. Turning his body to inspect the damage is hardly going to make things worse."

"Art thou certain?" Kaede asked again nervously. "His countenance is so pale! Perhaps he hast lost too much of his life-blood or - "

Miroku drew a deep breath and prayed for patience. "Kaede," he cut the woman off mid-rant, "either calm down or leave the room. The master will survive his wounds, but you are going to send us both to the grave with your fretting. Although I must admit, I don't understand why he is so weak," Miroku commented as he surveyed his work. "His wounds are already beginning to close; shouldn't he be conscious by now?"

"Thou canst not tell?" Kaede sniffed. "Taisho-sama wouldst not be so weakened by a mere fight. He hath allowed his youki full reign this night," she said sorrowfully.

"You mean he changed into his inu form?" Miroku gasped. "That requires a huge amount of energy, Kaede! Taisho-sama hasn't transformed in over two hundred years; what makes you think he did tonight?"

"This reveals more to me than anything else, child." Kaede brushed back a shock of white hair from Taisho's neck, revealing a damaged ear. The slightly pointed tip of the ear was missing, the flesh torn and mangled. "Hast thou never seen a fight between two inu? The master's ear hath been bitten, as is customary when inu fight. Such an injury is unlikely when in human form."

"So not only was Taisho-sama in his inu form, his opponent was as well?" Miroku frowned at the slowly-healing ear. "If his attacker was willing to expend that amount of energy, then he must have been very powerful. Assuming, of course, that his attacker was male and not female…"

"Nay, 'twas a male attacking him," Kaede decided. "An inu bitch would have attacked a more, ah, vulnerable part of the body. Also, a female inu is not often found these days; whereas male inu are still plentiful."

"Good point," Miroku observed. "Taisho-sama must have been facing death if he chose to take his inu form, though. The risks are too great otherwise. He could easily have died on the field of battle, not from his wounds but from allowing his youki to become so depleted." Miroku covered the injured demon with a light blanket and turned to Kaede. "It's going to take several days before he'll have enough energy to sit up, let alone move about. How are we going to keep him hidden?"

Kaede chewed her fingernail as she thought, the old habit resurfacing in times of stress. "A strong masking spell is needed," she said at last. "And the others must be distracted."

"Our powers combined should be able to handle the masking spell," Miroku said thoughtfully. "And as far as distractions go, we have plenty of those already." He paused for a moment, thinking of the electronic messaging between Inu-Yasha and Hiten he had intercepted. "In fact, by the time Inu-Yasha finishes his mischief, we'll probably have more distractions than we can handle."

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"Enter, Higurashi Kagome," Sesshomaru spoke aloud before the woman could knock on his door. Did she think he could not hear her breathing, could not feel her distress? Even if he did not have his superior hearing, he would know her scent. The delicate smell invaded his waking thoughts and permeated his dreams at night, completely wrapping him inside its intoxicating warmth.

She entered the room and sank to her knees at the end of his futon. Sesshomaru observed her pale face, the light from the candle casting shadows across her thin nightgown. She spoke, breaking the silence. "My mark needs to be renewed," Kagome said simply. Her voice was calm, but Sesshomaru could sense her distaste.

Sesshomaru suppressed his instinct to pull her to him and comply. She had angered and embarrassed him thoroughly today, causing him to lose face at the office. He'd be damned if he was going to let her off the hook so readily.

"I fail to see what benefit this holds for me," Sesshomaru said in a cold voice. He lay back down upon the futon, propping himself up on one elbow. "If I renew the bite, not only do you live to insult me another day, but I put myself at risk of arrest for engaging in a highly illegal activity."

Kagome remained silent, but Sesshomaru could sense her loathing. "How disgusting you must find this whole process," Sesshomaru continued. "To be forced to beg for enslavement must be humiliating beyond belief. I'm surprised you don't plead for your death, Higurashi Kagome."

"I need to live," Kagome choked, stung into speech. "Shippo - how can I leave him an orphan once more? No matter how much I hate it, there's a lot to anchor me here in this life."

"Then we are back to my original question, slave," Sesshomaru hissed softly. "What's in this for me? What can you offer me in return?"

She stiffened, and Sesshomaru could feel her horror at his words. For the life of him, Sesshomaru didn't know why he was tormenting her so badly. Something in Kagome made him want to lash out at her for failing to understand him, for failing to realize he would never harm her, for failing to trust him, dammit!

"I must pay the price required to live," Kagome bit out. "No matter how much I despise it. What does my master wish from me?"

"Do you not know what it is I want from you, slave?" Sesshomaru asked. He rose from the futon and stood before her shaking form, the candlelight highlighting the marks on his face and arms. Her mark flared once again, causing her to gasp with pain. Sesshomaru found he could actually hear her tortured thoughts within his mind.

*You deserve this, bitch! You deserve everything I'm going to do to you tonight!*

*Demon's whore, lower your eyes when in my presence!*

"Kagome," Sesshomaru whispered hoarsely. He grasped her hand and raised her from her knees. "Come here, Kagome."

Trembling so badly she staggered, Kagome followed him to the large bed in the corner of the room. "My futon has room enough for only one of us, Kagome, so the bed will have to suffice," Sesshomaru breathed next to her ear. His pulse was racing at the feel of her small hand grasped within his own slender fingers.

Sesshomaru knew he needed to end this torment, if not for Kagome's sake then certainly for his own. He was rapidly losing control of this situation. He climbed beneath the covers of the bed and pulled Kagome next to him. Unshed tears filled her eyes, but he knew this proud woman would not allow them to slide down her beautiful face.

"Relax," he ordered as she stiffened within his embrace. He needed to feel her soft skin next to his. Sesshomaru stroked her satin hair from her eyes and nuzzled his face into her warm neck. Gradually, the tension left her body as he used the existing bond between them to soothe her.

"Give me your arm, Kagome," he prompted gently. She opened her arm and spread it before him. "Are you right or left-handed, Kagome?" Sesshomaru asked, trying to distract her as he ran his fingers across the silken skin.

She blinked at him, confusion etched across her features. "Right or left…um, I'm right-handed. Why do you ask - ah!" she let out a yelp as he sank his fangs into the crook of her arm. "Oh," she panted as she noticed Sesshomaru licking the wound to stop the bleeding. "No one has ever done that before…that feels…different, but kind of…nice…"

Sesshomaru lapped at her mark a final time before folding her arm against her warm body. "Now for my payment, Higurashi Kagome," he told her. Kagome froze once more as he moved her body into a more comfortable position against his own. "I want something you have yet to give me," he murmured into her sweet ear. "I want your trust."

"My - my trust?" Kagome asked, surprised.

"Yes, my foul-tempered little hellcat," Sesshomaru replied sleepily. "Stay with me tonight so we can sleep peacefully. And trust that I will never ask something of you that you cannot willingly give."

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A/N: Eeek! I keep forgetting to give credit for the lyrics used in Chapter 8. They are part of the song "Worlds Apart" from the musical "Big River", written by Roger Miller. I confess to enjoying an addiction to Broadway musicals.

Many thanks to my beta reader TitianWren and to all of my readers! You're the greatest!

Lavender