InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Daimyo Inutaisho ❯ Six ( Chapter 6 )

CHAPTER SIX

"Why didn't you send for me sooner?" Inutaisho roared. The smaller youkai cowered before him. "Please, my lord! The lady forbid us, she demanded that only her own people be present at this time."

Inutaisho normally didn't think much of people who bullied their servants. Unfortunately he was far too angry restrain himself. He seized the man by the front of his clothing and hoisted him into the air with one hand. "And who do you think you should be more afraid of, me or her?"

The Azaryu squirmed in his grasp. "My lord!" He tossed the man aside and glowered at the remaining Azaryu servants. They bolted out of his way and ran for cover as he strode into the apartments, fairly glittering with youki. He had no time to spare on politeness at the moment. He had been called out of battle drills because his wife was giving birth.

Just like Seshiko to try and keep it from him. He didn't understand her, she baffled him more than any other female he'd ever encountered. A vicious hellcat one moment, a manipulative coquette the next. For the first few months of her pregnancy, she'd avoided him assiduously, hardly leaving her rooms. He'd allowed it, figuring even an Azaryu might want to adjust to the changes in her body with some privacy.

It had been late at night when she'd finally come to him. He was enjoying a quiet evening drinking with a few of his favorite captains, discussing battles past and future in the comfort of his study. Seshiko had calmly entered the room, no tantrums, no demands. They'd watched her warily as she crossed the floor dressed in one of the soft flowing garments she favored. Seshiko had nodded politely to them and proceeded to the bedroom without a word. He and his captains had eyed each other uncomfortably for a few moments before they'd hurriedly excused themselves. Trying like hell not to make his trepidation seem obvious, he went to see her prepared for battle just the same.

She stood in front of the fireplace, looking at him with an unreadable expression. He stood there and returned her gaze thoughtfully. "Seshiko?"

She looked away and started to unfasten her clothing, letting the soft fabric drop to the floor with a whisper of silk. Naked, she faced him for a moment, maybe just to make sure that he could see the slight curve that her belly had developed. Then she turned, still not speaking as she slipped into his bed and lay quietly waiting for him.

Inutaisho was as confused as he'd ever been. He didn't know what to think or what to say, but he sensed that she'd be more comfortable if he didn't speak at all. He undressed silently and eased carefully in next to her. They lay in silence for a few more moments, he listened to the sound of her calm breathing and waited to see if she would approach him. When she didn't, he reached for her himself.

Seshiko permitted him to touch her as gently as he wanted. No retaliations, no challenges and no violent outburst. She responded avidly to his every movement, her lips were feather light under his. For the first time, he allowed himself the luxury of becoming lost in her and to float on the sea of her responsiveness. Seshiko let her hands roam over his body in exploration, caressing the smooth firm muscles of his shoulders, back and arms. Finally she offered him a surrender as passionate as it was honest, letting him hold her gently while their bodies trembled together and she cried out once in release.

To Inutaisho's surprise and pleasure, his wife remained beside him, wrapped in his embrace with her head pillowed on his chest. He lay awake, listening to her even breathing and stroking her soft hair, wondering what the hell had just happened to change her so. At dawn, he awoke to find himself alone, the bed still warm where she'd been sleeping.

Seshiko continued this routine for the next few months, choosing to spend most nights with him. He never asked her what had prompted the change in her behavior and she never offered him an explanation. In fact, she never confided anything to him, rarely speaking more than a handful of words to him at any time. The violence of the sexual encounters had eroded, but not the intensity. As her body had swelled and changed, the tension between them eased, but that didn't mean there was any openness or trust either. She continued to keep her own council and Inutaisho was very aware of the barrier that existed between them everywhere except in bed.

This moment was a prime example of that. He towered over the Azaryu servants, intimidating them with his presence alone. His voice was very calm, very controlled. "I realize that your mistress has ordered you to keep everyone, specifically me, out of that room at this time. I am Daimyo of these lands and I am master of this household. I will not be denied at my own consort's bedroom door! Move. Or die if you do not."

They scattered before him. Good, he thought, pleased he hadn't been forced to make good on his threat of violence. It seems they weren't as stupid as he'd taken them for. Boldly, he walked to the bedroom door and opened it fearlessly.

A sharp throwing knife embedded in the wood next to his head. "Oh thank the gods!" A blubbering healer threw himself at Inutaisho's feet. "She's being completely unreasonable, my lord!" Inu looked around the room. The midwife and her assistants were cowering the far corner. The fire provided the only light in the room. Across from him, Seshiko's eyes glittered ominously from where she lay on the bed.

"Leave!" she shouted, brandishing another throwing blade. He raised his eyebrows. "No." She snarled angrily at him, her eyes bright with youki and raised the blade for another throw. Seshiko dropped the knife and gasped painfully as a contraction suddenly demanded her full attention. He used the distraction to cross the room safely and stand beside her bed.

Seshiko groaned and pulled herself into a sitting position, clutching at her swollen belly as she panted. "Get out of my sight, all of you. Leave me now!"

Inutaisho clucked his tongue at her, amused. "You wish to give birth alone in a cave like a common beast? Is that the Azaryu way?"

She bared her teeth at him, enraged by his sarcasm. "Bastard!" Her face twisted again and she screamed loudly, held in the grip of a force more powerful than her own will. He slipped quietly behind her, bracing her against the pain. "Easy girl, you're stronger than this."

Her body twisted against him as he gripped her arms to support her. "It's killing me!" she shrieked.

Inu held her against his chest as she collapsed against him, her breathing harsh and ragged. The girl's face was soaked with sweat, her hair matted around her where it had come loose from a single plait down her back. Seshiko protested weakly as the midwife dove forward to pull the laboring she-demon's knees apart. "Excellent timing, my lord. The baby is crowning, your heir will arrive soon."

Seshiko screamed again, writhing helplessly against the pain. Her hands clawed desperately for support and found his, squeezing compulsively as she tried to endure the contractions. He mouth was in her ear, whispering encouragement and praise. "Just push now, you're doing fine. I'm right here, you can do it."

"Shut up," she hissed. He growled menacingly at her, stirred to a primal response by the smells and sounds in the room. She cried out again, her body moving helplessly. Inutaisho bit down on her shoulder to bring her back to herself and concentrate on birthing her child. Youkai females rarely had an easy time in labor and he could tell that Seshiko's strength was nearing its breaking point. He supported her as much as he could, bracing her against the pain and soothing her during respites from contractions. All his instincts were focused on her as her body heaved and gathered itself for the final effort.

Seshiko cried out loudly and fell against his chest. A thin wail sounded then and Inutaisho peered over his wife's head to look between her knees. "A fine son, my lord!" the midwife announced triumphantly. She placed the wet, whimpering infant on Seshiko's chest while she attended to the mother's needs. Instinct guided the tiny boy to suckle at his mother's breast and Seshiko's face softened suddenly in maternal love.

Inu nuzzled her cheek. "Leave us," he murmured to the midwife and her people. The new mother lay easily against her husband's body, aware of nothing else but the baby nursing at her breasts. Her arms curled around the tiny pup, feeling contentment, protective and protected by her husband's embrace.

*****

"A son, so you say?" The old clanlord laughed, pouring sake for himself and his guest. "My daughter amazes me, such beauty and strength. A formidable woman."

Inoki drained his cup and reached into his shirt. He drew out several smallish scrolls, results of the past month's work. "Intelligence. Troop movements. Supply routes. Just what you asked for. It should be an easy victory, lord Kashikoto."

The old dog smiled. "Ah, who needs to speak of such things now, Inoki? I have a grandson. Tonight the Azaryu celebrate, tomorrow is soon enough for plotting." He met the hanyou's eyes and felt a distinct chill in his bones. Inoki's eyes had an almost feverish gleam. They were the eyes of a man who is lost and prepared to find his way home by any violence necessary.

"Celebrate all you want," Inoki muttered, dropping Kashikoto's gaze. "I will only celebrate when we can put an end to this and have achieved our goal."

"Are you so anxious to see your brother's blood?" Kashikoto asked him quietly. Inoki looked up, a fierce expression on his face. "I'm anxious to have it over with," he bit out. "I'm anxious to see my dear brother get what he deserves. If I could be there to deal him the final blow, it would please me even more."

Kashikoto gave him a stern look. "We've been over this, Inoki. Leave it to Seshiko, it's her call. Not yours."

Inoki growled softly to himself and downed another cup of the fine sake. Getting drunk was all he could do for now. The anger gnawed at his gut, burning painfully inside him. He had chosen not to tell Kashikoto anything about his last visit home. Or the conversations he'd had with his asshole brother or his bitch Anuki. He reached under his shirt to touch the newly healed scarring.

It hadn't hurt as much as he'd expected. He'd enjoyed it, kneeling on the ground, stripped to the waist and sweating in front of a few dozen Azaryu warriors. He closed his eyes to remember the smell of his flesh sizzling under the glowing red brand. Kashikoto himself had made the mark, a great honor he'd been told. An Azaryu girl had darted forward after the branding to smear a pungent herbal concoction into the wound. It would ensure that the burn scarred and healed properly, instead of simply fading away as most youkai wounds did. She met his gaze with an intense, aroused expression of her own, affected by the ritual and the smell of sweat and pain filling the room.

For the first time in his life, he felt like he belonged. The Azaryu stamped their feet and howled as he rose from his knees, welcoming him into the clan as one of their own. For obvious reasons, he'd had to forgo the cheek scarification. It would raise too many questions. Question he couldn't answer, as it was Inutaisho was becoming suspicious of him, his absences and his cold behavior. Anuki certainly noticed the changes in him.

You fucking bitch, he thought. You miserable lying cow! He could hardly restrain himself from lashing out at her the few times he'd forced himself to go home and pretend to believe her.

"I don't understand you, Inoki! Why won't you talk to me. You disappear from home for weeks at a time. Now when you are home you're like someone else, I want to know what's going on."

Yeah, I bet you do, he thought bitterly, ignoring his wife's distress, her anguish. He turned away, not trusting himself to look at her. He still loved her, gods knew it was insane but he did. And the part of him that was still in love with her was the part of him that screamed in agony when he saw her face. She could have no idea how much she'd torn him up with her betrayal. It was killing him to live within this lie. He heard Anuki's soft step behind him and swore he didn't have the strength to do it, to leave, to just walk away this time. The end was coming and after it did, he wouldn't have to pretend anymore.

Anuki felt like she'd been torn in two. Part of her was so angry with Inoki, his bitter silences and icy rejection. The other half was heartsick with longing for her husband. If he would just tell me what I've done to make him treat me this way, if he would just talk to me about it, I know we could find a way through it together. Timidly, fearing yet another rejection, she approached her husband's back and touched him. Inoki flinched but for the first time in months he didn't push her hands away.

Encouraged, she ran her hands up his backbone, pressing lightly on the rock hard muscles of his back. She felt him shudder slightly through the thin fabric of his clothes and hesitated a moment. He was so tense, so unpredictable. Anuki hardened her resolve, she had to get through to him somehow. The fact he hadn't shoved her away yet was the only lifeline she had.

Swallowing nervously, Anuki circled her husband to stand in front of him, her hands resting lightly on his chest. He refused to meet her eyes, looking steadily away and over her head. Gently, she began to undress him, slipping her hands under his clothes to touch his skin. A tiny frown creased her forehead. His body had changed, become more muscular and leaner, even his skin had darkened somewhat due to be outside so much. Her fingers found an odd roughness and she pushed aside the cloth to look. A scar, raised and rough against the smooth skin over his right pectoral muscle. She didn't know the complex pattern but she could tell it wasn't from an accident or injury. "Oh Inoki," she whispered. "What have you been doing to yourself?"

His hands came up to grip hers harshly. Anuki stared up at her husband, feeling caught like a small animal in the claws of a hunter. His eyes burned into hers, his jawline tense and angry. Anuki felt lightheaded just looking at him, her breath becoming shallow. For a second, she thought he might strike her, she didn't know this strange, wild person in her husband's body.

Inoki pulled her to him roughly, crushing her against his body as he covered her mouth in a brutal kiss. Anuki gasped from surprise as much as pain but didn't recoil. His lips bruised hers cruelly and she submitted to his embrace like a woman with no will of her own. If this is what he wants from me, needs from me, I will give it, she thought and passionately tried to return his kiss. Inoki left her no room to respond lovingly, he barely left her enough room to breathe. Her vision was starting to blur by the time he released her mouth and started to tear at her clothes. He ripped them away, deliberately shredding the soft fabric in his claws. Anuki closed her eyes and stood still as her husband's hands and mouth roamed over her body possessively. Her hands buried themselves in his thick hair, gasping aloud as his sharp teeth grazed her sensitive nipples.

He moved farther down her, taking in her scent and growling angrily against her thighs. Anuki trembled with a strange combination of fear and arousal. He'd never been like this before, Inoki had always been such a gentle, considerate lover. Now he sounded as if he wanted to eat her alive. He ground his face against the soft, yielding flesh of her belly, his fingers digging painfully into her buttocks. Inoki suddenly yanked her legs out from under her, catching her against his body and lowering her to the floor.

She reached for him lovingly but he took her wrists and pinned them to the floor on either side of her head. He held her there while he shrugged angrily out of his clothes. It chilled her that he wouldn't look at her face. Instead he focused on the floor above her head as he spread her legs and mounted her, intent on having her here and now in her study instead of moving to the more secluded bedroom. She hoped the servants had enough sense to keep their distance and make sure none of the children walked in on them.

He took her hard and fast on the floor, the texture of the carpet burning into her hips and shoulders. It hurt too, she wasn't ready for him after months of abstinence. Anuki held onto him, grinding her teeth against her husband's angry thrusts. Her knees were clamped around his hips in an effort to match his frantic rhythm. Her hands ached from holding him so tightly. "Inoki!" she cried out finally. "Please! You're hurting me!"

"Good," he hissed and nipped her earlobe hard enough to make it bleed. "I want it to hurt," he explained harshly. "I don't want you thinking of anything else while I'm fucking you."

Anuki moaned, his words stirred a primal response in her body and she matched him intensely. She didn't care that it hurt, she only wanted him. His breath was hot in her ear, ragged and desperate as he continued to ride her mercilessly. She growled at him, clawing his shoulders and digging into his flesh as she cried out when the orgasm ripped suddenly through her body. "Inoki!"

She held him tightly with her arms and legs, cradling him as he shuddered violently on top of her. Anuki stroked his hair, kissing whatever flesh she could reach as Inoki's shivering subsided and his harsh breathing slowed. She wasn't prepared for it when he jerked away from her abruptly, pulling himself up to kneel between her legs with a mixture of fear and pain in his eyes. "Inoki?"

He left her lying there, naked and sticky from his sweat. Inoki staggered out the door, carrying his clothes and not looking back as if the sight of her terrified him beyond words. Anuki turned on her side and curled into a tight ball, the sobs shaking her body and tears she couldn't stop rolled down her cheeks. For the first time, she realized her husband was completely lost to her and her heart ached with grief and loss.

*****

Inutaisho wandered down the empty corridor, a strange and remarkable feeling of contentment filling him. Seshiko and the babe were asleep, he hated to leave them. Almost he couldn't, so powerful was his instinct to stay and keep watch over his mate and child. He waved casually to his guards and they grinned back at him.

"Congratulations, my lord." "The guards' compliments, sire." He nodded an acknowledgement, aware of the happy and slightly goofy smile he wore. Inutaisho sighed deeply as he entered the quiet of his own quarters. He intended to bathe, maybe a quick nap, before going back to them.

He damn near jumped out of his skin w hen a voice addressed him from the darkness. "Might I offer my congratulations, lord Daimyo?"

"Inoki?" Inu had been so distracted that he hadn't felt his brother's presence. Inoki sat in the darkest corner of the room, his black hair blending into the shadows as did his dark clothing. "What are you doing here," Inutaisho asked stupidly.

His brother stood and crossed the room soundlessly, his feet a bare whisper on the carpet. Inu felt uneasy, something was wrong, very wrong. His nerves came alive at the nameless threat, the malice filling the room. Inoki's voice was quiet and cold, absent of all emotion. "I heard lady Seshiko was in labor. She has given you a son, am I correct?"

"Yes," Inu said, not taking his eyes off the hanyou for a second. "A healthy boy."

Inoki nodded. "So the terms of the treaty have been completed."

That wasn't what he'd been expecting to hear. The brother he knew cared nothing for treaties or politics. He forced himself to answer casually. "That was the deal, a child of mine by Seshiko. I will be sending word to the Azaryu immediately."

Inoki smiled slyly. "Of course, I'm sure her father will be most pleased." Inutaisho frowned, irritated by the condescending, sarcastic tone of his brother's voice. "Inoki, just what the hell is your problem? If there's something you want to say to me, just fucking say it already."

"I've said all I came to say, dear brother." Inoki shot him a filthy look. "I'll be glad to leave your exalted presence now. I have no desire to linger in your company." That did it, Inutaisho was furious, hurt by his brother's bitter tone and stung by his contemptuous words.

"You snotty little brat," he said, resorting to using the same kind of language on him from childhood. Inoki glared at him and Inutaisho met his furious look. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, Inoki, but I'm sick of the attitude. You've always been a moody son of a bitch. I've tried to talk to you, no I've begged to talk to you but you won't even hear me out. I'm done with it, you can just take your sorry ass out of my sight. Fuck you anyway!"

"Fuck you too, dear brother," Inoki snarled, balling his fists in anger. He was pushing it, he was pushing himself right in Inu's face. He watched as the anger filling his brother's eyes made them darken and glow with ruddy energy. Inu flashed out a hand and caught his brother by the throat. "Is this what you've been looking for?" he asked, digging in with his claws.

Inoki said nothing, just hung there in his grip with hatred and a sick eagerness in his gaze. Inu read that and felt his angry youki fade and drain out of him, realizing that it was indeed what Inoki wanted. It sickened him, knowing his own brother was longing to be killed by him. "No," he whispered and with an effort released his hold on Inoki's neck.

"You don't have the balls," Inoki said softly. His face was a mask of disgust and sadness. "You weak, miserable bastard." Inoki stormed out the door, leaving his brother alone with the pain building inside him. Inutaisho sat down heavily, raising his hands to his face and pressing his fingers against his eyes, willing himself to not be sick on the floor.

A few deep breaths later, Inutaisho snapped back into himself. He had no time to vent his grief or drive away the pain. He had work that needed done immediately. A lot of it, or the bloodshed would be immeasurable. Mind focusing with that peculiar Tai-Youkai ability to separate his personal anguish from what needed to be done, Inutaisho felt his body gearing up for battle. "Ari," he called out sharply. "Izitaki!"

His two favorite bodyguards ran into the room. "Lord?" they asked, looking at him questioningly.

Inutaisho stood, very inch of his body radiating with authority and his eyes flashing ominously. "Wake my captains and their lieutenants, the ones that are still here anyway." Damn, far too many were already in the field. Why had he ever been so blind and stupid?

"Sire?" Ari said, looking confused by his general's order. Inu gave him a twisted smile. "Send them in here, I don't care what bed you have to drag them out of, I want all of them here in a quarter hour. Now move!" The guards ran, their voices waking the rest of the staff, ringing his orders against the cold stone walls. Alone again, the demon lord of the West closed his eyes briefly and with heartfelt regret, stopped trusting his brother.

END CHAPTER SIX