InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Taisho's Darling ❯ The Waiting Game ( Chapter 29 )

………….

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.

………….

 

Chapter 29

The Waiting Game

 

……

 

Two days…two days had passed, and Onigumo had yet to make his move. Naraku shifted uncomfortably, trying to probe into the human's thoughts. What had once seemed so simple was now difficult, as if Onigumo were purposely trying to shut him out.

 

Perhaps he was, Naraku reflected in a rare moment of self-honesty. The human Onigumo, whom Naraku had so ruthlessly torn from his once-hanyou body, had often proved to be the more cunning of the two. How in the hells had the man survived, if not for his superior intellect? Onigumo should have died after being separated from the hanyou Naraku. It had been so many years - how had the human lived? How had the wretched man possibly obtained the power to enslave not one human, but two? And with a slave bond that promised death before freedom, no less?

 

Naraku had no use for a human heart - or so he had believed at the time - yet he was beginning to wonder if he hadn't made a mistake in casting his humanity aside. True, he was now a full demon and no longer burdened with Onigumo's twisted lust for the ancient priestess Kikyo, but he was also bereft of the man's memories. And somewhere within the wretched confines of Onigumo's mind, Naraku suspected he would find the key to obtaining the Shikon no Tama.

 

The years had taught Naraku patience. He had waited this long; he would wait a while longer. Onigumo had the advantage at the moment - after all, the man was inside the mansion.

 

……

 

“Is he strong enough to do this?” Kanna asked with some hesitation. She followed Taisho down the hallway to the room where Kohaku was sleeping. “I don't want to break him.”

 

“We can't afford to put this off any longer,” Taisho answered grimly. “We've waited two days because he's been so unstable, but we have to restore his memories. We need answers from the lad before Naraku's next strike.” He gave the white-haired void beside him a gentle pat on her shoulder. “Kanna, I don't relish the thought of hurting him, but he must acknowledge reality.”

 

Kaede opened the door to the room, her features lined with fatigue. “He's waiting for you, Taisho-sama,” she told the inuyoukai, pointing to the center of the room. In the middle of the floor, Kohaku knelt silently before them, his head bowed and his hands clenched tightly against his knees. “Kikyo has just removed the memory-erasing spell.”

 

The room was silent save for the sound of Kohaku's choking sobs. Not for the first time, Kanna wondered if this waking nightmare would ever end. Kohaku's betrayal was a bitter thing, leaving a sour taste in her mouth. If she'd had anything left in her aching gut, surely her body would be rejecting it right now.

 

“Kohaku, why were you so willing to allow Naraku access to your mind?” Taisho began. “He cannot do such a thing without your willing cooperation.”

 

“He promised to make me forget,” Kohaku answered, his tones filled with raw emotion. “He did something that made all of those memories fade.” Tears began to track down his cheeks. “Every night, I'd hear them screaming…Sango, Kaede…screaming because I didn't do what I was supposed to do…”

 

“Our first master, a foul snake demon,” Kaede informed the confused void. “He made Kohaku do all kinds of terrible things. If the lad refused, our master would - ” she broke off. Kanna imagined it was difficult for her to relive those long-forgotten memories. “Our master used us to manipulate Kohaku,” Kaede finally finished. “If the child didn't do as he was ordered, his sister and I were the ones who suffered.”

 

“Despicable,” Kikyo spat. She looked thoroughly disgusted. “No wonder you joined the Humanistas,” she continued, turning her attention back to Kohaku.

 

“We saw what the others didn't,” Kohaku told her. “This is a war! We saw humans used as pawns to the youkai, serving no better purpose than to be playthings for their twisted whims! And Kagewaki…he took over the Humanistas, turned us into an organized army!” Kohaku was breathing heavily by this point. “I didn't know he was Naraku until it was too late,” he finished softly. “I was in too deep…and then…and then he offered to make the hurting stop.”

 

“Just tell me this, Kohaku,” Kanna demanded, her eyes revealing her pain, “and answer me honestly, because I deserve at least that much. Did the Humanistas send you to spy on me?”

 

His answer was even worse than she had imagined. “They sent me to kill you, Kanna,” he confessed brokenly. “It was the first time that the Humanistas ever trusted me with an assassination assignment. I'd been following you all day, planning the best way to get rid of you.”

 

The revelation made her stagger. “Dear kami,” Kanna gasped, clutching at Taisho in order to support her sagging knees. “I suppose the only thing that stopped you from killing me was Shiori's presence! All those times you and I were by ourselves - what were you waiting for, Kohaku? Why didn't you kill me that night by the fountain? Or when we were walking alone through the gardens?” Her toneless voice had ascended to a keening wail by this point. “Why didn't you stab me through the heart while we were making love? I was crying out your name; wouldn't you have wanted that to be the last word to leave my lips?” she shrieked.

 

“Stop it!” Kohaku yelled, his head snapping up and his eyes lit with fury. “Stop it, Kanna!” He moved then, reaching out to grasp her wrists and pull her to him. “Kanna,” he whispered, “I promise you - there was no lie in my kiss! Shiori didn't stop me from killing you - you did! It was you!”

 

He held her sobbing form, refusing to release her. “Your eyes, Kanna,” he told her in a furious whisper. “Your eyes showed so much feeling! You were confused; you'd been broadsided with the injustices of our society; you were suddenly questioning everything you'd been raised to believe! Kanna - I saw that! I didn't see a youkai standing before me, I saw you; I saw your soul. And Kanna,” he pleaded, “you have to believe me when I tell you that I left the park as a changed man. The cause I'd supported for so long suddenly seemed so false, so wrong!”

 

Her shaking body grew still as he continued to speak. “I never returned to the Humanistas, Kanna. I've been hiding from them ever since that day, knowing they'd want my blood as the price of my failure to kill you. I'd thought I'd be able to rid myself of Naraku's influence as well, but - ” his shoulders slumped, “I'm too weak to fight him.”

 

No one broke the silence that followed until Kaede spoke. “Kohaku,” she asked in a weary voice, “these circumstances did not come about overnight. Those years we lived with Inu-sama - how did you cope with the pain of your memories?”

 

“I doubt he had those memories,” Taisho interjected. “Would I be off the mark to suppose that my cousin cast a spell upon you in order to suppress those painful recollections?”

 

“He had to do that,” Kohaku answered. “When he captured the snake youkai's territory and took us into his household, I was almost insane. After Inu-sama cast the spell, I remembered nothing of my first enslavement until our master died and the spell was released.”

 

“That must have been quite a shock, to remember something like that after all those years,” Kikyo noted. “Why didn't you ask Taisho-sama to place the spell back on you?”

 

“With the return of the memories came the desire for revenge,” Kohaku answered simply. “At the time, it was far more gratifying to join the Human Liberation Movement. It was only later that the memories became too much to bear.” He sent a plaintive look in Taisho's direction. “Will you help me?” he asked.

 

Taisho placed a massive paw upon Kohaku's shoulder. “I could erase those memories, lad. I could remove the pain completely, but I will not. To do so would place me on Naraku's level, a youkai manipulating a human puppet. You're stronger than that, Kohaku. It will take time, but you will move forward.”

 

“But it hurts so much,” Kohaku said, his voice tight with pain.

 

“Kohaku,” Kanna spoke, her voice clear, “you closed our bond so I wouldn't know what was happening. Open it, and let me take some of this pain from you. I'm still your mate, aren't I?”

 

He recoiled visibly. “I can't do that, Kanna! I can't ask you to hurt like this!”

 

She slipped her arms around his waist and held him tight. “I know I'm kind of small, Kohaku, but I have strong shoulders.”

 

And with that plain statement, Kohaku broke. “I don't deserve to be loved like this,” he choked hoarsely as a deep sob erupted from his chest. “I don't deserve this, but Kanna,” he groaned, “please don't ever leave me.”

 

“I can't leave,” she answered, tears falling from her own eyes as the bond opened and she knew the truly awful agony of his tortured soul. “You're the other half of my heart, Kohaku. We'll work this out together, I promise.”

 

……

 

His mate was dying, and he was powerless to help her.

 

Sesshomaru sat with his back against the bedroom wall and cradled Kagome's soft form against his chest. He tried to think of something, anything, other than the truth staring him in the face. He would find a way - there was some scroll he hadn't read, some long-forgotten magic that would suddenly resurface. Kikyo would burst through his bedroom door proclaiming she'd found the cure, and Kagome would be healed, she'd live, dammit!

 

The lies mocked him. What use was there in pretending, Sesshomaru pondered bitterly, when there was no cure? With each passing moment, Kagome grew substantially weaker. He had renewed her slave bite so many times in the last two days that he'd lost count.

 

He felt rather than smelled or heard his father's presence, a detached part of his mind admiring the elder youkai's ability to move about virtually undetected. How often had Taisho reduced him to this, to feeling like an untrained pup? He would never know half his father's strength or abilities.

 

He knew his father's grief, though, a raw pain that spilled from Taisho's eyes as the youkai knelt before him. “I renewed her bite two hours ago,” Sesshomaru said, answering Taisho's unspoken question. “Before that, five hours. In all that time, she has not remained awake for more than a few minutes.” His voice cracked as he tried to form the words around a throat constricted with mourning. “I fear…I fear that all I am doing is prolonging her suffering.”

 

Kagome stirred within his embrace, and two sapphire eyes half-opened. “So tired,” she mumbled in a voice so thin that Sesshomaru strained to hear it. Her head lolled to the side, and she sent a weak smile in Taisho's direction. “You look…better…” she whispered.

 

“Two days of forced inactivity will do wonders for one's health,” Taisho told her with a sad smile. “Kaede and that sister of yours combined their efforts and placed a binding spell upon me. I'm not sure what I've done to merit such insubordination.”

 

The miko in his arms giggled faintly, as Sesshomaru knew she would. “You likely deserve everything you get from Kaede and Kikyo, and plenty more,” the younger inuyoukai told his father. “Those two deserve a medal for putting up with you.”

 

“I'd like to deny that,” Taisho said ruefully, “but it would be a weak argument at best.”

 

“Inu-Yasha?” Kagome asked with some effort. “How…is he?”

 

“When I left his quarters he was snarling at everyone, including his mate. I took that to be a sign that he's on the mend,” Taisho answered. “His physical transformation is complete; the ears and fangs made an appearance this morning.”

 

“That's…wonderful…”

 

Sesshomaru listened to the steady thump of her heart as she once again faded into slumber. “Rest,” he murmured, smoothing her bangs from her forehead. Kagome's skin felt cold beneath his hand.

 

“May I hold her?”

 

His father's voice was hesitant, as if what he was asking were a great boon. Perhaps it was, Sesshomaru reflected. He really didn't want to let go of Kagome; he wanted to hold on to her while she was still here with him, still breathing and alive. And yet…Kagome was a beloved daughter to Taisho, and the events of the past few weeks had ripped her away from him. Acknowledging his father's own grief, Sesshomaru placed his precious bundle into Taisho's arms.

 

“She has seldom allowed me to embrace her,” Taisho said after a moment of quiet. “I understood why, of course, and I've been content to cherish what little physical affection she offered. But all the same, I need to hold her; I need her to know just how very much I love my Darling Kagome.” The youkai rested his golden eyes upon the miko as he spoke, a wistful look upon his face.

 

“She knows you love her, Father,” Sesshomaru assured him softly. “She knows.”

 

……

 

“Sharp claws - check. Fangs - check. Silver hair instead of black - check.” Inu-Yasha took an inventory of his physical features.

 

“Fuzzy ears - check,” Sango piped up.

 

He scowled at his grinning mate. “Aren't you supposed to be resting? Get back in that bed or I'll sic Kaede on you.”

 

“No, don't do that,” Sango protested, scooting back under the covers. “I don't want her and Kikyo hitting me with one of those binding spells. Really, Inu-Yasha,” she complained, “I feel just fine. There's not a thing wrong with me or the pups, so why can't I get up for a while?”

 

“Because you cause a lot less trouble when you're in bed,” her mate growled. “I'd think you'd want to rest, considering you were almost raped and killed.” He turned back to the mirror and resumed his study of his fangs.

 

“Inu-Yasha, we need to talk about what happened in the city.”

 

He cringed. He'd been avoiding this subject successfully for the last two days, and he was in no hurry to discuss it now. Of course, it hadn't been too difficult to dodge the topic, considering the state he'd been in when they arrived at the mansion. Hell, up until yesterday afternoon, he'd been too weak to open his eyes, let alone carry on a conversation.

 

“What's there to talk about?” he grumbled. “That piece of shit was attacking you, and I killed him. In the process, I depleted my youki so much that I turned human for a couple of days. End of story.”

 

“Not `end of story,'” Sango argued. “I'm talking about the transformation, Inu-Yasha. I want to understand what happened!”

 

Inu-Yasha sighed and sat down beside her on the bed. “My blood's unstable,” he told her. “When I saw that man forcing himself on you, my demon blood overwhelmed my human side. When that happened…well, you saw the result. I turned into a - a beast, something mindless.” He took a ragged breath. “I don't even remember what I've done when I'm like that.”

 

“Taisho-sama explained that much to me,” Sango responded slowly. “What I don't understand is why this happened. I thought hanyou blood stabilized after adolescence. At least, that's what was mentioned in this book…” She fingered the well-worn copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting a Demon Child.

 

This was the part he didn't want to explain, but Sango wasn't going to let it alone. “It's the pups,” he told her with a trace of frustration. “They're the reason my youki is so unstable.”

 

He could have predicted the dismay crossing her features, but he hadn't realized how much it would wound his heart. “The pups?” Sango cried, placing her arms protectively over her rounding stomach. “How could they be the cause of this? They're not even born yet!”

 

Her cringing motion made him feel sick. “Sango, you've got to understand that I'd never hurt them,” he assured her as he pulled her close. He racked his mind for the best way to explain the situation. “Look, the demon part of me operates at a very primitive level, understand? It's almost like he's a separate being, even though he's not. And Sango,” Inu-Yasha continued softly, “he knows the pups aren't his.”

 

Her head bowed in sorrow. “No, they aren't yours,” she swallowed. She stared at her hands within her lap, refusing to look at him.

 

“Wrong,” Inu-Yasha corrected her. “They are mine.” He cupped her sad face between his hands. “They're part of my heart, just as you are, Sango. But they aren't his. That bestial side…he can't reason like that.”

 

She fell quiet, and Inu-Yasha wondered what was chasing through her mind. “The night you took me as your mate,” she said at last, “there was a moment when I saw those markings on your cheeks. It was brief, though; I only saw them for a moment.”

 

“Just long enough for my youkai side to claim you,” Inu-Yasha explained. “He marked you as his, and believe me, that's probably what saved you back there in the city.”

 

“He called me `Hanyou's Bitch,'” Sango pointed out, frowning in confusion. “But then, he also said `Mine.' Aaugh!” she ground out in exasperation. “I don't understand!”

 

“Some part of the beast acknowledges my claim on you,” Inu-Yasha told her. “He also recognizes his own claim. It's the pups that are confusing the hell out of him, because the smell doesn't belong to either of us. A pregnant female's scent should be a combination of her and her mate's smell, but yours has someone else's scent added to it. To him, that's completely unnatural. Instinctively, he wants to remove the pups from you, but at the same time, he doesn't want to hurt you. He just doesn't know how to react.”

 

“Neither do I,” Sango fretted. “So what does this mean? I can't keep a scent-masking spell on all the time, or your youkai side won't recognize me at all! That would be more dangerous than having him smell the pups!”

 

“I know,” he agreed, placing a kiss upon the top of her head. Inu-Yasha breathed in her wonderful aroma, relishing the perfume that was uniquely Sango. “I don't think I could handle it if you masked your scent all the time,” he admitted. “I guess we'd better hope like hell that I don't transform again.”

 

He removed himself from her arms and reached over to pick up the battered sword lying by the bed. “You need to keep this with you all of the time, at least until the pups are born,” he said as he handed Sango the ancient weapon. “There's a tiny bit of ki left in Tetsusaiga,” Inu-Yasha noted, “but I doubt it's enough to stop my transformation. It might be enough, though, to - to protect you from me.” He stumbled over the words, loathing both the truth and himself.

 

“You're not the one I need protection from,” she reminded him, wrapping him in a fierce hug.

 

……

 

Kikyo stood before Taisho, finding herself at a loss for words. It was not the first time, she reflected, and it was somewhat annoying that the youkai could intimidate her like this. Even more galling to her was the knowledge that Taisho was very aware of his power.

 

“Something has come to the front of my memories that requires your attention,” Kikyo finally said, facing the demon with determination. “I - ” she found it difficult to continue. How to explain what she barely understood herself? She flicked her tongue over her dry lips. “What does Kagome do?” she suddenly blurted out, cringing at the awkwardness of her question. “I mean…when she wants to talk to you about something important?”

 

His confusion was apparent. “I'm not certain what it is that you're asking, Kikyo,” he answered slowly as he adjusted his position in the over-stuffed chair. “When my Darling is in need of something, she merely tells me of it.”

 

“Yes, but what does she do?” Kikyo emphasized, her frustration at being on such unfamiliar ground overwhelming her. “I need to speak with you; this is so important, and I don't know what to do!”

 

Thankfully, the youkai seemed to understand what she could not articulate. “Come here, Kikyo,” Taisho beckoned to her. He pointed to the empty spot on the floor near his legs. “Kagome likes to sit at my feet and put her head on my knee.”

 

Warily, Kikyo approached the chair and did as Taisho instructed, seating herself on the floor a short distance from his feet. “She sits a little closer to me than that,” the demon prompted. As she scooted next to him, Kikyo gave the inuyoukai a quick glance, searching his eyes for any sign of amusement. She found none; if anything, he seemed a bit sad.

 

“I've never done this before,” Kikyo told him as she placed her cheek against his knee. Her sister had the right idea, she realized. This was comforting.

 

“Have you never allowed yourself to be vulnerable, Kikyo?” Taisho asked her softly. “You lead me to believe that you have never let your guard down, never allowed another to pass through your defenses. Has no one been worthy of your trust?”

 

“Only you,” Kikyo confessed. “The other Kikyo doesn't allow me to trust anyone else.” The miko forced herself to relax, her head resting against the demon's leg as his large, clawed hand slowly began to comb through her long hair. It was an entirely new sensation, having someone touch her without demanding anything in return. And Taisho would demand nothing of her, she noted with a sense of awe. If she were to thank him and leave the room right now with nothing more than an apology for disturbing his peace, he would not press her further.

 

“One of the original Kikyo's memories came to me,” she began. “I think it explains the confusion regarding Naraku. Taisho, Naraku was a half-demon.”

 

His hand stilled, and Kikyo smiled. Surprising Taisho with anything could be considered a victory. “Yoko Kurama said something similar, but the Naraku I met was a full demon,” Taisho reminded her.

 

“The demon Naraku was formed from the powerful lust of a human bandit,” Kikyo told him. “The ancient Kikyo cared for the wounded bandit, and he desired to taint her pure soul. He called upon the evil spirits that fed on those desires, and offered his body in return for their combined aid. Thus, Naraku was born.”

 

“But his human origins made him a hanyou,” Taisho finished. “If he's a full youkai now, he must have discarded the human part of his body. Kikyo, I wish you'd remembered this story earlier,” the youkai grumped.

 

“So do I,” Kikyo retorted. “My predecessor's memories are selective at best. You'd think she'd be more of a help…Anyway, by the time the original Kikyo came to realize what was happening, she was unable to destroy him. Shortly after she gave you the Jewel to protect, she died in battle against Naraku. Her love for Suikotsu had weakened her,” Kikyo finished.

 

“Love does not make you weak, it makes you whole,” Taisho replied sharply, tugging on a lock of her hair. “Who believes that love makes you weak, Kikyo? You or the other miko?”

 

Kikyo thought about this for a moment. “My predecessor taught me that,” she decided. “She's never allowed me to love anyone, so how would I know?”

 

Taisho grew quiet, seeming to digest this bit of information. “This is the second time in a matter of minutes that you have mentioned her control. How much power does the original Kikyo have over you?” he asked. “Is your will not your own?”

 

“As long as she is present, she influences my actions,” Kikyo said in a tight voice. “In fact, she wants me to leave this room right now, to stay as far away from you as possible. Even though she trusts you enough to form an alliance, she doesn't want me to get too close.”

 

“And yet, you choose to ignore her,” Taisho mused. The demon's long fingers rested beneath her chin, tilting her head up to look at him. “There is something more you wish to discuss, Kikyo. What is it?”

 

“We must defeat Naraku, and we must purify the Jewel,” Kikyo said. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see Taisho's face as the next words fell from her lips. “It is the second part of our quest in which we are most vulnerable.”

 

“We are vulnerable in many areas, Kikyo.” Taisho's voice carried a sorrow that made the miko's own heart ache for him. “I'm not certain that I can be of help to you, Kikyo, but I can promise to try. Tell me of this weakness,” he prompted.

 

“The weakness is her,” Kikyo said. The ancient Kikyo's shrill arguments within her head rose to a feverish pitch, and young woman struggled to get her words out. “The other miko's emotions and memories will be our downfall, Taisho! She is irrevocably connected with the Shikon Jewel, and she wishes to use it once again! I cannot guarantee control of her! Please, I beg of you - ” she broke off her sentence as a wave of pain poured through her, “seal her away, Taisho, before she makes another selfish wish!”

 

“You would have me perform a task that you are perfectly capable of doing on your own?” Taisho asked, gripping her shaking shoulders as she buried her face against his knee. “Why do you not do this yourself? Is it because you fear what will become of you when you can no longer hide behind her?”

 

“Will there be anything left of me?” the miko said through clenched teeth. “Taisho, I've always had the other Kikyo with me. Her feelings, her emotions - they were always there. What if I don't have feelings of my own?”

 

“If you truly believe that, then why are you here?” Taisho questioned. “You wish to lock away the part of you that cannot tolerate the touch of a demon and so you sought me out; therefore, you must disagree with the original Kikyo's beliefs. And if you disagree, that means you have opinions and feelings of your own. Your soul is your own, Kikyo, in spite of the other miko's influence.”

 

“But what if you're wrong? What if I'm just some clay puppet, completely empty?”

 

He frowned. “What if you are?” he asked. “If you have no feelings of your own, you won't care what happens to you.”

 

“But no one will want to be around a soulless human, Taisho,” she pointed out.

 

A look of understanding crossed his face. “Ah, we're back to that again, are we?” he said as he slid from the chair onto the floor, seating himself next to the forlorn priestess. The youkai placed his arm around Kikyo's shoulders and drew her against his side. “Your fear of being alone is needless,” Taisho continued. He lifted a lock of hair and tucked it behind her ear. “Don't underestimate your own worth, Kikyo. You are more than a reincarnation, more than the protector of the Jewel. You have a lot to offer the world.”

 

“Really?” She studied his face, wanting to believe him. Taisho was not one to use empty platitudes, so he must think she held some value. “Still,” Kikyo sighed, “I don't think I can do this on my own, Taisho. Even as I speak, the original priestess is fighting me.”

 

The youkai leaned his head back against the edge of the chair and stared at the ceiling. “Kikyo,” he said tiredly, “I promise you, we will rid you of the other miko eventually, but now is not the right time. I'm going to ask you to wait for just a while longer - can you trust me in this matter?”

 

Kikyo pondered this. She wanted so badly to put the other Kikyo to rest, but even more, she decided, she wanted to trust the demon beside her. The original miko was still screaming within her mind, warning her not to place her faith in Taisho, but Kikyo ignored her. If she was making a terrible mistake, she reasoned, then that just proved she was human - and right now, being human felt so good. With a peace she hadn't known before, she closed her eyes and rested against Taisho, content to allow the youkai's comforting touch to ease her soul.

 

……

 

“Anything interesting on the map, Bankotsu?”

 

“As you can see for yourself, the only thing interesting is Kikyo leaving Taisho-sama's room,” the guard answered carelessly as he turned to Jakotsu.

 

“And now Kaede's paying Taisho-sama a visit. This is boring as hell,” Jakotsu complained. “I detest being under siege. Why doesn't Naraku do something?”

 

“I wonder…”Bankotsu mused. “Do you think it's possible that maybe he already has?”

 

“Huh?”

 

……

 

“Has Bankotsu spoken with you concerning this matter?”

 

“What matter?” Taisho asked, pulled from his thoughts by Kaede's entrance into the room.

 

She tossed a heavy dagger to the floor, where it bounced a couple of times and landed by his feet. “This matter, Taisho-sama.,” she said, pointing to the weapon. “I'll not have secrets between us.”

 

“Bankotsu has not made any mention of this,” Taisho said flatly, wondering why his guard had omitted such a revelation. Curious, he retrieved the dagger from the floor and turned it over within his hand. “Nasty piece of work,” he commented. “Taijiya-crafted, no doubt?”

 

“It belonged to the children's father,” Kaede informed him.

 

“How did you come by this?” Taisho asked her, interested. “Aside from the fact that it's illegal for a human to be in possession of a demon-slaying weapon, I feel certain that you weren't holding on to this during your first enslavement. Where on earth did you get it?”

 

“Several years ago, I was traveling through the inner city with your cousin and we happened across an arms-trader. He was most anxious to rid himself of this particular knife,” Kaede told him. “I recognized the distinct pattern on the hilt.”

 

“And you batted your eyes at my cousin in order to persuade him to purchase it for you, hn? Well, now I don't feel so guilty for giving Sango her Hiraikotsu,” Taisho chuckled.

 

“Sango has her boomerang bone?” Kaede was obviously startled. “I've never seen her with it. However did you find it?”

 

“After my cousin's death, Sango and I were doing an inventory of his fortress and came across it. I imagine your original master kept it in his arsenal and it survived Inu's takeover.” Taisho smiled at the memory of Sango's delight over finding the weapon. “My Brave Darling promised to keep it a secret if I allowed her to have the cursed item.”

 

Kaede arched a brow. “It's a brave youkai who arms his women,” she stated.

 

“Or a foolish one; that has yet to be determined,” Taisho grinned. “Kaede, do I want to know what you and my cousin were doing in those inner-city neighborhoods in the first place? It hardly seems like a place to take a pleasure stroll.”

 

“If you knew Inu-sama as well as you claimed, you'd know there was a woman involved. Your cousin was ever in pursuit of the ladies.” Kaede's mouth twisted. “I was brought along in my `old-lady' disguise in order to lend some sense of respectability to the entire affair.”

 

“Always the chaperone, eh, Kaede?” He studied the weapon for another moment. “The slayer would feel a cosmic sense of justice if this blade were to end up buried in my heart,” Taisho noted. He handed the dagger back to her. “Thank you for trusting me with this knowledge, Kaede.”

 

The woman took the weapon with some reluctance. “He would be horrified to see our circumstances,” she said, referring to her former love in a voice thick with tears. “In his eyes, the most dangerous demons of all were those who walked about on two legs. He loathed humans who gave themselves to youkai, and he insisted the youkai could never be trusted.”

 

“Perhaps he was right.”

 

“He was wrong,” Kaede hissed. “He never witnessed Kanna's willingness to share Kohaku's pain. He didn't see Inu-Yasha risk his own life in defense of Sango and her unborn babes. He didn't know them and he most certainly did not know you, Taisho-sama. He was a good man at heart,” she swallowed, “but I did not share all of his beliefs; not then, and certainly not now.”

 

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, and Taisho caught himself wanting to take her into his arms. He forced himself to resist the temptation, for it would only aggravate the aching scab upon his heart. “Have you spoken with Toto-sai?” he ground out, changing the topic. His words came out more sharply than he intended.

 

A frown settled upon the woman's face. “Yes, he called me earlier to tell me Kurama's mother had arrived at the designated place in safety, although I'd love to know just how you got her out of here unobserved,” Kaede answered sullenly. “Toto-sai also wished to re-emphasize his offer for my hand, complete with a dreary picture of what was to become of me if I refused. He did this at your instigation, no doubt.”

 

“And your response?” Taisho barked, knowing the answer. After all, she was still at the mansion, wasn't she? If the stubborn woman had agreed to Toto-sai's proposal, the elemental demon would have whisked her away immediately.

 

“As you're well aware, I refused,” Kaede pointed out. “Toto-sai deserves a mate who cares for him, not a woman whose heart has already been given to another.” She stared him in the eye as she spoke, daring him to feign ignorance of her love.

 

Taisho snarled in frustration. This matter had to come to an end; he'd put this off as long as he could. “Unbind yourself from me, Kaede,” Taisho ordered bitterly. “Go and live a happy life with Toto-sai as your mate. The metal-smith has many flaws, but I cannot fault him for wanting you.”

 

“Not a chance,” she huffed. “I'm not leaving, Taisho-sama. I'm staying here with you.”

 

He pulled her toward him with a sharp yank of her arm. “You will go with Toto-sai and get to safety,” he growled. “The bastard desires you for a mate; accept his proposal and leave!”

 

“Has your hearing departed with your good sense?” Kaede questioned. Her brows were drawn together in an angry line. “I said I wasn't going, and I meant it!”

 

“The choice is no longer yours to make!” Taisho roared. His gut clenched tightly. He had to do this, no matter how much it ripped his heart to pieces. With a swift motion, he removed the enslavement spell from her arm. Now she would have to accept Toto-sai's offer! “Get out!” he yelled, pushing her away from him.

 

Kaede stumbled as he shoved her, catching herself against the wall. “No,” she choked, tears in her eyes. “I won't go, and you can't make me!”

 

“The guards can toss you out of the mansion easily enough!” he barked, furious at her defiance of his wishes. She would die if she stayed, another beloved woman whom he couldn't save. With Toto-sai, she at least had a chance at a happy life. He opened the bedroom door, his anger nearly causing him to rip the heavy wooden slab from its hinges.

 

Her next word, however, made him stop. A broken name fell from her lips, a combination of a cry and a sound. Every bit of her compassion, her forgiveness, her endless patience and her love, was wrapped into that simple word.

 

“Toga.”

 

A name no one had spoken in hundreds of years. He'd been Taisho, the Taisho, for so long…a general on the fields of battle, a leader in the modern world, and that other name of his had been forgotten, left to the dusty scrolls of history. But she had not forgotten. Kaede, wonderful Kaede, had been alive long enough to know and remember.

 

Taisho gripped the half-open door in his claws, leaving deep gouges along the wooden surface. “I can offer you nothing,” he rasped after regaining the use of his frozen voice, “nothing at all. I can give you no promises of security or happiness. And after we meet with Naraku, I cannot even grant you life.”

 

“I have not asked for any of those things,” Kaede spoke slowly. Her voice was a deadly quiet, and all color was absent from her skin. “As the property of your cousin, I have lived a comfortable life. I have lived secure and happy, and I have lived long, and what has it brought me? It's over-rated. Dammit, Toga!” she swore, her voice rising as she reached past him to push the door shut. “What makes you think I want a life without you in it?”

 

It was difficult to say what shocked him more - that she'd actually cursed, or the meaning behind her words. Kaede knew the risks, knew he didn't expect to survive the battle with Naraku. And still, the woman remained by his side, steadfastly refusing to leave him, refusing to do anything other than love him.

 

In the face of such devotion, he was forced to acknowledge his own defeat. Taisho fell to his knees before the human he loved and grasped her capable hands within his own. “Stay with me then, Kaede,” he sighed, pressing his face against her soft palms. “Stand beside me and know this - not even the taijiya's dagger can carve you from my heart.”

 

……

 

“What are you talking about, Bankotsu? What do you mean, `what if he already has'?” Jakotsu asked, puzzled.

 

Bankotsu pursed his lips in thought. “I mean, what if the damage has already been inflicted, and we just don't know it?”

 

Jakotsu thought for a moment. “Naraku pulled back from the attack quite unexpectedly. It's a good thing he did, too, or the others wouldn't have made it back from the city unharmed,” he added as an aside. He shook his head. “Nothing seems to be amiss, though.”

 

“Other than Kagome's worsening condition,” Bankotsu noted. “Naraku doesn't have anything to do with her, though. That's the result of Onigumo's deteriorating slave bite. Nothing else has happened, has it?”

 

Silence fell upon the room as the two guards pondered this idea. Eventually, Bankotsu gave up and focused his attention back on the map of the mansion. He was making note of the lengthy time Kaede was spending with Taisho-sama when another thought occurred to him. “Jakotsu, why does Onigumo's name sound so familiar to me?”

 

“It sounds familiar because we've heard a million oaths from Taisho-sama concerning the bastard. He hates that man more than Naraku, and that's a pretty intense level of hate.” Jakotsu's mouth twisted in amusement. “The Boss has some rather descriptive ideas of how he wants to kill the spider-bandit, and they all involve a slow and painful death.”

 

“What?” The chair Bankotsu was sitting in rocked forward as the guard shot to his feet.

 

“Hn? I said Taisho-sama has some ideas for a slow and painful - ”

 

“Death for the spider-bandit,” Bankotsu finished in a rush. “Jakotsu, why do you call Onigumo a spider-bandit?”

 

“Because he has the same name as that thief who used to pillage the countryside,” Jakotsu answered. His face cleared. “That's why the name seems familiar to you, Bankotsu. No wonder you didn't remember him; that was centuries ago.”

 

“What happened to him?” Bankotsu asked, settling back into the chair uneasily.

 

His companion thought a bit. “I believe he was killed in a fire.” Jakotsu observed the expression crossing the other guard's face. “Bankotsu, the man was a human. He died a long time ago; he couldn't possibly be the same person.”

 

“We're still alive,” Bankotsu pointed out.

 

“True,” Jakotsu acknowledged, “but we're a special circumstance. There aren't that many of us who were resurrected by that blade. We'd have heard if Onigumo had been raised.”

 

“I suppose you're right,” Bankotsu sighed. He shifted his attention back to the map of the mansion. “Kaede's still with Taisho-sama…think those two have finally worked things out?”

 

“That, or she's carried through with her threat to slit his throat and is trying to figure out how to dispose of the body. Tests her patience, Taisho-sama does. Let's see…Sesshomaru and his brats are in the kitchen, Sango and Inu-Yasha are in their room, Kohaku and Kanna are in Nazuna's old room…”

 

“And Miroku and Kagura are in his room,” Bankotsu noted.

 

“Do those two ever leave the bed?” Jakotsu was mildly disgusted.

 

“Actually, I'll bet they spend all of their time watching soap-operas,” Bankotsu countered. “Looks like Kikyo's joined Sesshomaru in the kitchen. I'd love to overhear that conversation; the Young Master doesn't care much for the miko.”

 

“Neither do I,” Jakotsu scowled. His eyes focused on a movement in another corridor. “What's Kagome doing out of bed? The last time I checked on her, she could barely move.”

 

“She's probably looking for her mate.” Bankotsu watched Kagome's symbol with interest. “Now why would she be going into the room where Hojo is resting?”

 

“Well, she does know him,” Jakotsu reminded the other guard. “The youth works at Taisho-sama's company.” He shrugged. “Maybe she wants to thank him for saving her from Onigumo the other night at the club.”

 

“What?” Bankotsu was surprised. “That wimpy little human pipsqueak was the one who rescued her? The man's symbol on the map is a mouse, for heaven's sake.”

 

“Well, he didn't exactly rescue her,” Jakotsu amended. “He just happened to show up at the right moment and Onigumo ran off.”

 

Bankotsu paled. “Jakotsu, don't you think that's awfully…coincidental?”

 

The companion and lover who knew him so well stared at him. “Oh, shit!” Jakotsu said succinctly before tearing from the room with Bankotsu on his heels.

 

……

 

Kagome awakened with the afternoon sun shining into her eyes. Squinting, she cast her head about, searching for Sesshomaru. She felt so very, very odd…

 

Her mate was nowhere to be found, and the bond between them seemed - she paused, trying to figure out what was so different about it. Frequency, she finally decided. The bond between her and Sesshomaru seemed fuzzy, as if she were listening to a radio station from far away. There was a vague sense of being connected, but the signal wasn't strong.

 

Her head was throbbing, but a restless energy ran through her. She climbed from the bed, willing her shaking legs to work properly, and toddled from her room. Sesshomaru had to be in the mansion somewhere, didn't he?

 

By the time she reached Koharu's old bedroom, her sudden bout of energy had evaporated. Panting, she leaned against the door to catch her breath and nearly fell when it suddenly opened inward. A muffled sigh from the vicinity of the bed caught her attention.

 

Blinking into the dim lighting, Kagome could make out the figure of a sleeping human male. Curious as to the identity of this stranger, she approached the bed and gasped in surprise at the sight of the battered human. It was Hojo, she recognized, wondering what on earth had happened to the poor boy. He looked like he'd been on the losing end of a fight with Sango's food processor.

 

Hojo opened his eyes and sent a weak smile in her direction. “What was that?” Kagome asked, leaning in to try and understand his mumbled words. “Do you need something?”

 

A strong hand shot out from under the covers and gripped her throat tightly. “All I need is you, Precious Kagome,” Hojo said. As she blacked out, Kagome realized with horror that the voice didn't match the human.

 

“Onigumo,” she gurgled, before falling into the darkness.

 

……

 

A/N: Heh heh…evil cliffie…bad Black Lavender…*author thanks her beta, TitianWren, and hands her a spare flame-proof blanket*

 

Thanks for reading! - Lavender