InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Taisho's Darling ❯ The Pieces on the Board ( Chapter 20 )

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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 20

The Pieces on the Board

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"I presume the two of you have a reason for being in here?" Sesshomaru asked, pinning his father and Kaede with a glare that promised retribution for disturbing Kagome's rest. His gaze traveled over the burned furniture. "And why are there scorch marks all over the room?"

Taisho placed himself in front of Kaede, shielding her scantily-clad body from his son's view. "She called to me in distress," he said, pointing to the still-sleeping Kagome. "She's having some horrific nightmares. How could you leave her alone and unprotected, in this condition?" he accused. "What if she had hurt herself?"

Sesshomaru had seated himself on the large bed and was currently checking Kagome's state of health. Satisfied that she had come to no physical harm, he tucked the blanket more securely around her shoulders and smoothed back her hair from her forehead. Kagome stirred long enough to give a tiny, pleased whimper at the attention before falling quiet once more.

"I left the mansion on important business, Father, and returned as quickly as I was able. Now perhaps you will enlighten me as to why Kaede is standing in the middle of the room, dripping wet and wearing nothing but a towel?" As Taisho opened his mouth to answer, his son put a hand up to silence him. "No, on second thought, I really don't want to know."

Kaede made a noise of disgust from behind Taisho and stomped her way to the door. "Forgive my manner of dress, Young Master, but I was pulled without warning from my bath. Said bath," her voice began to rise again, "taking place in Miroku's quarters and not mine own, because it was in his room in which I awakened! One would assume that falling asleep in one's own bed would mean awaking in the same location, but that doesn't seem to be the case in thy father's household! Given the events of this past month, I am almost persuaded to seek out a quiet life with a metal-smith!" With this parting shot at Taisho, she exited the room with her nose in the air.

"If you think you'll find peace and quiet with that spying bastard, you'd better think again, Kaede!" Taisho roared after her. "Word on the street has it that Toto-sai keeps his forge right beneath his bedroom!"

"At least I'll remember how it was that I found myself in that bed in the first place!" Kaede hollered back as she disappeared down the corridor.

Sesshomaru looked with interest at the growling inuyoukai, instantly deciding his father was in no condition to hear the news of Onigumo's return. "You are invited to leave the room as well, Father," he said evenly. "Kagome needs her rest, though how she sleeps through this commotion is beyond my comprehension. Given your own condition, I believe it would be to your benefit to lie down for awhile."

His tone failed to hide his exasperation at the sight of Taisho standing on shaking limbs, stubbornly refusing to lean against anything for support. As Sesshomaru moved from Kagome's side to assist Taisho, concern for his father's health laced through his thoughts. It was obvious that his father's enemies had caught up with him, and Sesshomaru found it heart-breaking to see the almost mythically powerful figure of his youth reduced to this wounded, helpless old youkai.

It was a grave error on Sesshomaru's part to dismiss his father as being helpless, and what happened in the next moment proved it. With a swiftness of motion that took the younger demon completely off guard, Taisho launched himself at his eldest child. In less than the blink of an eye, his son found himself slammed against the wall, Taisho's sharp claws pressed to his throat. "You have some explaining to do," Taisho hissed at him.

Countless memories rushed to the forefront of Sesshomaru's mind, memories of times when Taisho's enemies had foolishly underestimated the inuyoukai. Their lives had ended quickly, an oozing puddle of blood the only reminder of their miserable existence. Sesshomaru had no wish to join their ranks. His life was not truly in danger, for his father's eyes still held their normal shade of amber, but he recognized the posture for what it was: his father was reminding him just exactly who was Top Dog. Taisho's breathing came harsh and labored, but the arm pinning his son to the wall was as strong as ever.

"I believed you to have honor, Sesshomaru," the elder youkai growled. "I entrusted you with the responsibility of caring for my Darling Kagome, a young woman as precious to me as a daughter. Would you like to explain to me why she shares your bed but not your mark? Do you deem her unworthy of sharing your lifespan?" The grip around Sesshomaru's neck tightened fractionally, tiny pinpricks of blood welling from the skin nearest his father's claws.

Sesshomaru swallowed hard, choosing his words carefully. He had a daughter of his own; he understood his father's concern. "Kagome holds my heart," he finally spoke, opting for the simple, unadorned truth. The words were plain, but the depths of his feelings for the miko were evident in his eyes. "I would sooner end my own life than bring shame upon her, Father."

The tight grip relaxed ever so slightly. "Tell me why she is unmarked, then," he ordered harshly. "Give me back my faith in your character."

"I will not take her; she must choose to be with me," Sesshomaru explained softly.

"It would appear she has already chosen," Taisho responded, looking over at the silent girl lying upon the bed. She had curled herself around Sesshomaru's pillow, hugging it to her body.

"Until the slave bond is removed, is she truly free to make that choice?" countered Sesshomaru. "Besides, even at this very moment, she is blocking the emotional bond between us. She must learn to trust me completely, even with her pain."

"And where will all of this lead? She could leave you once she has gained her freedom. What will become of you if that is what she chooses?"

"She will make her choice and I will honor it," Sesshomaru answered somewhat wistfully. "No matter how painful the consequences may be. You would do no less for her, Father."

"I've tried to find her freedom, son, I truly have. All roads seem to lead to her death, however." His father released him then, fatigue evident in the slump of his shoulders. "Perhaps you can find the answers that I could not."

Sesshomaru nodded in the affirmative as his father hobbled over to the bed and reached down to gently ruffle Kagome's hair. "I can only wish you the best, Sesshomaru. Given her past, I am astounded that she can offer you any trust at all." Taisho stumbled against the post of the bed as his injured body lost the strength to hold him upright.

"Father," Sesshomaru pleaded as he caught the elder demon in time to prevent a fall, "allow me to help you back to your room."

"You mean Kaede's room," Taisho said regretfully. "I don't think she'll be welcoming me inside that barrier at the moment, son. Perhaps Kagome's old room, as it seems to be unoccupied?"

His son's response was to haul him bodily down the corridor toward the room in question. "After your words to Kaede this afternoon, not only is the barrier likely to be intact, but booby-trapped as well. If you're going to be staying here on an extended basis, you might want to consider adding extra rooms to the mansion." Sesshomaru struggled to keep from smirking as he pondered the evidence that romantic troubles had no age-limit. "You're not really going to stand by and let Toto-sai win her heart, are you?" he asked his father as he helped him climb into bed.

Taisho's response was a cross between a jealous snarl and a depressed sigh. "You can't possibly understand, Sesshomaru. Things just aren't that simple." Weary eyelids fluttered to a close.

"Try me."

The injured youkai's voice was fading as he began to lose his battle against sleep. "I've played this game for such a long time, son. The pieces on the board are in their respective places, and the battle will soon begin."

"What has this to do with Kaede?" Sesshomaru asked, confused.

"Her life-span must not be entwined with my own," Taisho rasped, his eyes snapping open again and taking on a fevered glaze. He clutched at Sesshomaru's wrist. "None of my Darlings can remain tied to me - you must find mates for them, Sesshomaru! Their lives…" he began to fade from consciousness, "their lives depend upon you…"

Taisho fell asleep then, but Sesshomaru remained kneeling by the side of the bed. His father's words tattooed a relentless rhythm in his head, pounding with ferocity of purpose. What was once an onerous task was now an urgent mission, the timetable hastened by the actions of those outside of his control.

Sesshomaru tried to deny the ugly truth, but he could no longer deceive himself. His father's reason for finding life-mates for the slaves had nothing to do with being weary of the burden of their care. It had nothing to do with wanting them to find a mate and live a life of domestic bliss, although Sesshomaru knew that Taisho desired that as well.

No, his father wanted the slave bonds removed so the slaves wouldn't - Sesshomaru blinked back the unexpected moisture that formed behind his eyes - so the slaves wouldn't die when Taisho died. And for whatever reason, Taisho believed his time left in this world was short.

"But Father," Sesshomaru whispered in a protest as old as time itself, "I'm not ready for you to go…"

……

"So you're not still mad about last night, are you?"

Sango smiled up at him. "No," she answered with a roll of her eyes. "I've decided to credit you with being smart enough that if you had set up Nazuna and Koharu, you'd at least have told Koga and Hiten not to show up at the mansion." She shook her head in amazement. "What are the odds of those four pairing up like that?"

Inu-Yasha and Sango continued to walk down the pathway of the park, the silence between them a comfortable, companionable sort of quiet. They had tired of sitting in the car, and neither wanted to go back to the mansion yet. Sango's long legs kept stride with the hanyou's, and he couldn't help but feel proud of her as he noticed her athletic form was hardly slowed by her pregnancy.

She was a strong warrior, he reflected. She would make a fine mate and mother - his mate, mother of his pups, Inu-Yasha corrected himself mentally. He wanted to claim Sango and her unborn little ones, wanted it so much it made his heart pound harder within his chest just to imagine it. To feel her soft skin against his every night, to wake up every morning and watch her warm smile as the sleep left her eyes…he took a deep breath, inhaling her scent in order to calm his racing blood.

Maybe he'd revealed too much? He hadn't meant to tell Sango about his relationship with Kikyo, much less spill his guts about the miko's rejection of his youkai side. Now Sango kept sending him these quick little glances, and her expression was something awfully close to pity. He couldn't stand it. He wanted a lot of things from Sango, but he didn't want her feeling sorry for him.

Realizing that talking never seemed to do anything except get him into trouble, Inu-Yasha chose to act instead. He pulled Sango off the path and into his arms, telling her with his touch what he couldn't adequately express with his voice. He kissed her passionately, the hunger he felt for this woman evident in every movement of his hands, every press of his lips.

To his delight, she responded to him, pressing her sweet curves against him and wrapping her arms around him to draw him closer. Inu-Yasha gentled his kiss, easing the pressure against her mouth to a feathery brush that left her softly gasping his name. "Sango," he breathed into her ear, his tongue tracing the spot where her neck joined her shoulder, a spot he desperately wanted to mark permanently. She wiggled against him in obvious approval.

"Still running after the dogs, are you? Interesting to see your tastes haven't changed much, Sango," a caustic voice interrupted them.

Sango broke free of Inu-Yasha's embrace, whirling to face the one intruding on their moment, but it was too late. The woman had continued walking down the path, her back to the couple. A choked sob arose from Sango's throat, and the salty scent of tears crossed Inu-Yasha's nose.

"Who the hell was that?" Inu-Yasha growled, angry at both the interruption and the distress it caused his beloved woman. A deep, rumbling snarl rose from his chest when Sango refused to answer. He grabbed her around the waist and yanked her against him, forcing her head up so she would look him in the eyes. "Who, Sango?" he repeated.

"She's nobody," Sango muttered, tears streaming down her face. She scrubbed at them with an angry gesture. "That's Tsubaki. I used to work with her, and she was at…at that party…she knew I left the party with him…"

It hurt her too much to even finish the sentence, Inu-Yasha realized. "You're talking about the party where you got drunk and this happened?" he asked, resting a clawed hand gently against her burgeoning stomach.

"Yes," Sango burst into a fresh set of tears. "How could I be so stupid? It's bad enough that I had a one-night stand with a sleazy politician, but now I've brought two innocent lives into the middle of this mess! I'm a horrible person!"

His stomach lurched. How could she be so hard on herself? "Sango, shut up!" Inu-Yasha snapped. "You made a mistake! Humans do it all the time, and so do youkai! That doesn't make you a horrible person!" He pulled her close, tucking her soft head beneath his chin. "And sometimes - sometimes good things come out of bad things, okay? These pups you're having, aren't they a good thing?"

She must have agreed with some part of what he said, for her sobs turned to sniffles and she nodded, rubbing her nose against the fabric of his shirt. He stroked her wet cheek with the dull side of his claws, enjoying the shiver that ran through her as he brushed away her tears. As Sango buried her face against him, Inu-Yasha privately thanked the fates for arranging this moment. After all, having Sango in his arms was definitely a good thing.

……

The late afternoon sun was warming her face with its rays, and Kagome stretched like a cat as she welcomed the feel of its fading heat. She loved the sun right now, loved the fact that it was unchanging. It rose, it set, and it gave life to the earth, all the while demanding nothing of the hurting miko.

Sesshomaru sat beside her on the stone bench by the fountain, silent and seemingly content to do nothing but watch over her. He had been at her side the moment she had awakened from her sleep this afternoon, his face a mask of concern. He was being kind, he was being understanding, he was being patient - and she didn't know how much more she could take.

She wasn't sure just what it was she wanted from him, but he should stop being so nice to her. Sesshomaru should be disgusted with her, should be showing her nothing but icy disdain. Kagome had believed him when he'd told her she was clean, not dirty, but still…she was a human female, pathetically weak, and certainly beneath the notice of such a beautiful creature!

How long before he tired of her? The pain she felt right now was so bad, so very bad, but she could shove it into the far corners of her soul while she was conscious. Awake, she could control the agony, she could resist the temptation to lessen the hurt of her past memories by re-opening her bond with Sesshomaru. It would be so easy to allow him to take some of this pain away, to share this, but what then? If she was suffering this badly right now, how would she feel when Sesshomaru finally turned away, weary of having to deal with such an emotional wreck?

With a sad moan, she melted against the youkai's chest and allowed him to carry her back indoors. The way he handled her, as if she were a piece of fragile, delicate porcelain, didn't escape her notice; it only strengthened her resolve to keep him distant from her emotions. As great as the ache inside of her was right now, Kagome knew it would be nothing compared to the endless torment she would feel when Sesshomaru no longer wanted her.

……

"Is he in there?"

The smile dropped from the face of Jinenji, Club Lavanda's resident bouncer, as he answered the angry woman. "You mean Hiten?" Jinenji guessed, having seen Nazuna and the elemental demon together at the club on a regular basis for the last few weeks. He cast a nervous look at Nazuna as she ducked behind the velvet ropes at the club's entrance. "He's at the bar, talking to Manten," Jinenji told her.

Nazuna thanked him and entered the club. Despite the fairly early hour of the evening, the place was jumping. Music pounded and lights flashed across the darkened dance floor, glittering off the sweating hoard of youkai and humans packed inside the crowded space.

She felt a pair of clawed hands rest upon her shoulders. "I thought I smelled you come in," Koga yelled near her ear, trying to be heard over the loud music. "Does the fact that you showed up here mean that you've decided to forgive Thunder Boy?"

"Hell, no!" Nazuna yelled back. "Why should I forgive that arrogant, conniving, womanizing piece of dragon-offal? I've come here to kick his ass, and yours too!"

"Aw, c'mon!" Koga whined, dragging her into the hallway leading to his office so they could talk more privately. "We honestly didn't set you up like that! It's just a big coincidence that we met you two that first night at the club; and we certainly didn't know you lived at the mansion!" His face grew serious. "Nazuna, Hiten has spent the entire day just miserable about this. He's really not a bad guy; why don't you give him another chance?"

"Hmph!" Nazuna snorted. "You're just trying to get Hiten and me back together so I'll put in a good word for you with Koharu," she accused. She crossed her arms angrily and leaned back against the wall.

"I don't need you to kiss up to Koharu for me!" Koga said hotly. When Nazuna cocked an eyebrow at him, he flushed. "Okay, so maybe I do need you." His voice cracked with emotion. "You've gotta help, Nazuna! Koharu won't even give me a chance to talk to her! I've tried calling her cell phone all day, and it keeps switching over to her voice mail!"

"What, you didn't have a big enough pair to go see her personally?" Nazuna scoffed.

Koga frowned. "She wasn't at work. In fact, the place looked like it was closed down for repairs or something; I think the rioters got to it. I asked one of the girls doing clean-up if they knew where she was, but the girl didn't even know anyone named Koharu."

"Huh?" It was Nazuna's turn to frown. "I dropped her off at work this morning and the place was just fine. And what do mean, you asked the girl doing clean-up? That's a small shop, and Koharu's the only employee. Her boss is the owner, and he works any shifts that she can't cover." She gave Koga a searching look. "Just exactly where did you go?"

"I went to that fish cannery." Koga wrinkled his sensitive nose in disgust. "Man, that place stinks! I don't know how she manages to keep the smell from permanently sticking to her!"

"Um, I don't get it." Nazuna plucked at her lower lip. "Koharu has never worked at a cannery. In fact, she's still working at the shop right now; her boss wanted to keep the place open late to accommodate all of the tourists here for the Autumn Festival."

It didn't take a genius to see that the wolf demon's feelings were hurt. "Why would Koharu lie to me about her place of work?" he asked Nazuna. "She said she worked for Long John's Cannery."

This was too much for Nazuna, who burst into laughter. Doubled over with mirth, she snorted her response through her giggles. "Koga, you idiot! Your youkai hearing is trashed from too many nights here at the club!" Her chuckles grew into loud guffaws. "She doesn't work for Long John's Cannery, she works at Long John's - " she suddenly broke off, realizing just why Koharu might not have corrected Koga's erroneous assumption.

"Where?" Koga demanded suspiciously.

"Er…why don't I just give you the address and you can go see her yourself," Nazuna suggested, brushing a sweat-drop from her forehead. "I'm sure the two of you need to talk."

……

"Really, Inu-Yasha, if you're looking for a place to stash the body, I recommend choosing somewhere other than this old shed. It's the first place the authorities will search, seeing how it is all the way out here on the edge of the grounds and covered with anti-theft barriers."

An ancient suit of armor crashed to the floor as Inu-Yasha dug into a pile of weapons resting behind it. "Very funny, Sesshomaru; what do you want?" he asked distractedly as he continued his search, not bothering to look at his brother. He shoved aside a pelt, causing a large cloud of dust to puff up and send him into a violent sneezing fit. "Kami! How many years has it been since this weapons room was cleaned?"

Sesshomaru frowned as he stepped forward to pick up the pelt. "Kindly refrain from covering my mokomoko-sama with your saliva, Inu-Yasha." He shook the dust from the fluffy fur, sending Inu-Yasha into a fresh round of sneezing. "I saw you enter this shed and was curious as to what you were doing."

Inu-Yasha eyed the fur with undisguised confusion. "Why is that thing in here? Don't you need to keep it with you? I thought it became your tail when you transformed."

His brother sighed. "As usual, your ignorance of your youkai heritage is painfully obvious. I don't need to keep it with me; it finds me when I need it. Besides," he added ruefully, "I haven't transformed in over two hundred years. The youki required to do such a thing would likely weaken me to the point of death."

A dragon bridle flew past Sesshomaru's head as Inu-Yasha dove back into the pile of armor. "Is that why Father is in such bad shape?" his brother's voice came muffled from the corner. "He could barely move his head when I was talking to him earlier."

"So you were summoned to his side? I'm glad to hear it; it's about time he quit hiding beneath our very noses. And yes, according to Kaede, he was forced to fight in his inu form in order to survive. Inu-Yasha," Sesshomaru asked as he ducked in order to keep from being hit by a war saddle, "is there a particular item for which you are looking?" A ceremonial cup fell from an upturned table and rolled to his feet.

"The old devil can't be too close to death, if he had the strength to chew my ass for how I've been treating Kaede," Inu-Yasha snorted. "And I'm looking for Tetsusaiga. Why don't you lend a hand instead of running your mouth? Or are you too afraid you'll get your pristine white shirt covered with dust?"

"Why do you want it?" Sesshomaru asked, taking up the search in another corner. A cobweb hit his face as he moved aside a bolt of silk covered with a painted mural of a battle scene. "You always waved that thing around like a log, Inu-Yasha. Have you decided to take up the art of sword-fighting, now that the sword is useless?"

A scowl crossed the hanyou's brow. "You're one to talk, with that sword of yours that doesn't cut," he tossed his silver hair at Sesshomaru, sending a new wave of dust in his brother's direction. "So I never learned how to master all of Tetsusaiga's attacks; big deal. Like you said, it's useless to me now. No point in wielding a sword that would kill you by completely draining you of your youki."

"Tenseiga has a different sort of cut," Sesshomaru reminded him haughtily. "By mastering that sword, I could raise the dead. And at least I learned how to use it."

"Oh yeah?" Inu-Yasha asked. "Who did you bring back from the dead, then? I didn't think you liked anyone enough to do that."

"I revived Jaken," his brother admitted glumly. "The damn toad gave his life in order to spare mine. I was honor-bound to bring him back, and the energy it required to do so left me helpless for weeks on end."

"Only Jaken? No one else? No wonder you thought the blade was useless!" Inu-Yasha hooted.

"So why do you wish to find Tetsusaiga?" Sesshomaru asked, returning to the search.

"Mate present," was the hanyou's reply. "It's tradition to offer your mate-to-be the gift of your sword. Tetsusaiga has got to be around here somewhere…ah hah!" He dragged the battered, rusting sword from where it had been stashed beneath a pile of old scabbards. "Hey! I found Tenseiga, too! Ouch!" He licked at the mark on his hand where Tenseiga's protective barrier had burned him.

"Hmm, I see the theft-deterrents are still intact after all these years," Sesshomaru mused as he picked up his long-forgotten blade. "Otouto, did I hear you correctly? You wish to take a mate?"

Inu-Yasha shrugged as he fastened the scabbard around his body and sheathed Tetsusaiga. "You shouldn't act so surprised, aniki; it was bound to happen eventually." He smirked. "Or don't you remember our conversation over lunch yesterday? You were all but begging me to have Kagome as a mate."

"The situation has altered since that point in time," Sesshomaru said, a low rumbling sound rising from his chest.

Yanking his brother's chain was entertaining as hell, Inu-Yasha thought with considerable amusement. "Oh, so you want her for yourself, do you?" He cocked a mocking eyebrow. "I thought she was nothing but a human nuisance, Sesshomaru. You mean you aren't going to thank me for taking her off your hands?"

A furious howl was the only warning the hanyou received before finding himself knocked to the floor by his elder brother. "You will never have Kagome!" Sesshomaru roared from over him, baring his fangs and raising his claws to strike.

"Relax," Inu-Yasha protested, trying to contain his laughter and failing miserably. "I'm interested in another one of the human slaves, not Kagome, you idiot!" He pushed himself up, shoving his brother backward. "You're so jealous you can't even think straight!" he accused.

He was still laughing at Sesshomaru as he left the shed, Tetsusaiga bouncing with an old familiarity at his hip. It was hilarious to watch the stoic youkai act like he hadn't just thrown a tantrum over a tiny slip of a human miko. Where Kagome was concerned, his brother had fallen completely over the edge.

……

Sesshomaru felt a strange mix of emotions as he watched his brother leave. It was a relief to know he wouldn't have to fight his own brother over Kagome. But that meant…

The image of Inu-Yasha, clad only in a bright red towel and sneaking out of Miroku's room this morning hit Sesshomaru full force. He rubbed at his neck tiredly, pondering this new development. While it was true that Sesshomaru would have one less slave to worry about, he'd been hoping Inu-Yasha would choose one of the women. Miroku was such a…a slut; was he even capable of being faithful to his brother?

His face twisted in confusion; something about this scenario just didn't seem to fit. What was it Kaede had said when she was arguing with his father? She had been shouting something about waking up in Miroku's room. Did that mean she was in there with Inu-Yasha and Miroku?

Sesshomaru ground his teeth in frustration. The longer he stayed at the mansion, the more he questioned his own sanity. Ultimately, he decided, he simply wished for his brother's happiness, a revelation which shocked him considerably. To realize that he actually cared about Inu-Yasha was more than a little strange. He'd been successful at freezing out any emotions for so long; what had happened to him?

He knew the answer, and she had blue eyes that looked right through his soul.

……

"All right, Nazuna," Manten said in a warning tone, "whatever it is that you're plotting, you'd probably better not do it. I know you're mad at Hiten, and knowing him, he probably deserves whatever you're sending his way. I just don't want to get caught in the middle."

"He deserves it all right," Nazuna muttered. "Even if he didn't play me for a fool, he certainly agreed to do so back when Inu-Yasha first asked him." She gave Manten a sideways look and grinned wickedly. "I just thought I'd give Hiten a taste of what it feels like to be seen as nothing more than an object for a male's lust. Is that drink ready yet?"

Manten slid the foaming concoction across the bar, but kept his reptilian hand upon the glass. "I'm not giving this to you until you tell me what you plan to do with it," he told her. "You are not, I repeat not, drugging a drink in hopes of slipping it to my brother. Not while I'm the on-duty bartender, anyway."

"Oh, don't be silly, Manten!" Nazuna said brightly, wresting the drink away from the worried bartender. "I'm not drugging this; I'm merely, um, altering it a bit." She dropped a bright pink pill into the liquid and stirred it with a finger until it dissolved.

"What's that?" Manten asked, his homely features etched with concern. He leaned across the bar for a closer look. "And why is it turning that horrible shade of pink?" he asked Nazuna, who was moving her lips in near silence. She didn't answer his question, so Manten repeated it.

"Sh!" Nazuna placed a finger to her lips and glared at him. "I'm trying to do the incantation. It's hard enough without you interrupting me."

"Incantation?" Manten's voice dropped to a whisper. "Nazuna, may I remind you that it's illegal for humans to cast spells? Do you want to get arrested?"

"There!" Nazuna said triumphantly. "Done! I've just cast a gender-switching spell," she confided to the bartender. "If a man drinks this, he'll change into a woman. Don't worry!" she put a hand up, quelling Manten's protests. "It's only a temporary. I just want Hiten to go through what women have to put up with every day!" She closed her eyes in enjoyment at the thought of a womanly Hiten being groped by an unsuspecting male. She wondered what Miroku was doing at the moment…

"Nazuna," Manten's voice sounded odd. It was high-pitched and softer than usual. "Is it possible that you didn't do the incantation correctly?"

"Um, why?" she asked, opening her eyes.

She squeaked. A very ugly female youkai stood before her, wearing Manten's clothes. "You didn't drink this, did you?" she gasped, grabbing the cup of pink froth. The cup was still completely full.

"Oh no!" she wailed, recognizing what had gone wrong. "I was supposed to specify that the spell was local to the drink, not universal to the entire room! Why does this stuff always have to happen?"

A very unusual silence was her response, and Nazuna realized, far too late, that the music had stopped. A quick glance around the room showed that every male in the place, including the DJ, had turned into a female and was now staring at the loud human girl sitting at the bar. "Heh heh," Nazuna laughed weakly, a scared look covering her features as she noticed the murderous intensity in the red eyes surrounding her. "Oops?"

……

A/N: Sigh. Not enough Kag/Sess fluff in this one, even for me. I just had too much to fit in plot-wise, and I don't like making the chapters too long. I have too many problems with the upload when I go over fifteen pages. Take heart, though - more is on the way!

Thanks, as always, to TitianWren for her beta work. You guys should check out her story, 'Rising Sun' on ff net (Lavender shamelessly pimps her beta) - Lavender