InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Daimyo's Son ❯ Chapter 13

"Leaving?" Sesshomaru whispered, horrified. "Why are you leaving? Why now?"

Chinatsu turned away, her face saddened. "Because the Daimyo wills it. He demands that I leave here immediately or he'll have me killed. I have to go, Sesshomaru."

He was stunned, he was outraged. Chinatsu sat on the edge of the stone wall, her hands folded primly in her lap and her eyes downcast. "Are you going back to your father?"

She nodded, not looking at him. "Yes. It will only be a matter of time before Barou kills me." He frowned, bit his lip. "There's got to be someplace else, what about the rest of your family?" She shook her head, her dark hair flying around her face. She had to look fetching, she had to sound convincing. "Too afraid of my father and brother. I'm an inconvenience now, Sesshomaru, they won't want me around."

Damn it, there had to be something he could do, some way to reason with his father. "I'll go talk to him," he said harshly and jumped up. Chinatsu caught his arm. "No, don't! It won't do me any good to have him angry at you. Please, Sesshomaru, I want to be with you as long as I can. Just stay with me."

Despairing, he sat back down and leaned over to kiss her. She turned her face to the side, letting his lips land on her cheek instead of her mouth. "No," she whispered. "Someone could see us."

He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. "I don't care! Let them think whatever they want, it doesn't matter." She smiled slightly. "Are you in love with me?"

Sessh blushed. He'd been working up to that, wondering how he was going to tell her. Now he just looked embarrassed instead of confident, boyish instead of the passionate lover he wanted to be. "Yes."

Chinatsu reached for his hand. "Are you sure?" she asked, a sly smile playing in the corners of her mouth. He blinked at her, aware that he was starting to grin like an idiot. "Of course I'm sure," he said boldly. "I love you, Chinatsu."

The girl turned to him and stroked the flyaway white hair out of his eyes. Her fingers were soft, caressing. He was lost in the depths of her eyes. "And would you do anything for me?" she whispered teasingly. His throat was dry and Sessh licked his lips. "Of course I would."

A throaty purr emanated from the girl, filled with satisfaction. She had him. Oh yes, she had him right where she wanted. "Then help me, Sesshomaru. I don't want to die."

"I already said I'd talk to the Daimyo," he began earnestly, gripping her hands. Chinatsu shook her head. "He'd never listen, someone has poisoned his mind against me, against us."

"Who? Who would do something like that?"

Chinatsu looked away from him, flushing. "It was Naota, I'm afraid. He saw us together, told your father everything. As much as the Daimyo hates my father, I can't really blame him for thinking it's some kind of plot."

Sessh was livid. "That rotten spying brat! I knew he'd do something like this to me!" Oh he was just going to kill Naota for this one, and after he'd sworn to Jano to keep his mouth shut. Sessh knew it was too good to be true. "I'll talk to my father, Chi-chan. Once he hears me out, he'll realize this was a misunderstanding." He jumped up and tugged on her hand. "Come on, you come with me. Once we both talk to him he'll have to believe us."

She yanked her hand out of his and fixed him with an icy glare. "Haven't you been listening?" she asked harshly. "It's too late for that. Your cousin has turned him against us. Who do you think the Daimyo will believe, you or his precious hanyou?"

Sesshomaru sat back down slowly and bowed his head. "So there's nothing we can do," he said dully. He was going to lose her forever and there was nothing he could do about it.

Chinatsu stroked his shoulder. "No, there is something we can do, something I have to do. I won't go back to my brother, Sesshomaru. There are still a few of my father's people who care about what happens to me. They can't support me openly against Barou and my father, but they'll help me hide. If you come with me, we could hide together."

"Go with you?" he whispered. Leave the fortress? His father would never allow it. "Chinatsu, I can't. My father…"

"Won't find you," she answered. "I know places where even he can't go, ways to hide ourselves from anyone searching for us. It's the only way we can be together. I'm not letting him send me to my death, but I might as well if I can't be with you."

Chinatsu turned his face to meet hers. "I can't think of living without you," she whispered, her lips almost brushing his. "I need to be with you."

He flushed again, starting to sweat from the nearness of her. "I need you, too," he said softly. "But, to leave the fortress…"

"I thought you loved me," Chinatsu said, her eyes deep and serious. "I know it will be hard for us, we'll have to hide all the time but we won't be alone. I've been alone a long time, Sessh. I want you with me now, I love you."

Sesshomaru smiled faintly. "You really love me? I wasn't sure that you felt the same as I did."

Her hands cupped his face. Looking him straight in the eyes, she made sure he wouldn't mistake her. "I love you. I love you more than anything, if you won't go with me I will want to die."

He was scared, he hated to admit it, but this was his home. He wasn't sure he was ready for a life as an outcast. But if she loved him…wasn't that worth it?"

Chinatsu saw him wavering and decided to play her hand to the hilt. Leaning close to his ear, she gave it a soft lick. "I need you with me, I can't do it alone. If I die, our child will die also. I'm pregnant, Sessh. We need to leave before your father finds out."

*****

Naota rolled over, gagging. His head was throbbing, his pulse was racing so fast he thought his heart might explode. Everything was spinning and weaving in and out of focus. Helpless, he cried out against the pain, unable to twist his arms out from where they were bound behind him back.

"Shut up! I'm sick of your whining, brat!" A harsh blow caught him in the ribs and Naota curled up defensively, aching all over.

"Easy Hasuke, you'll kill him if you aren't careful."

Hasuke swore viciously. "I had to carry that puking rat all the way here. I say we slit his throat now and be done with it!" Naota shivered. Through his pain and illness, he recognized that voice, it was Chinatsu's accomplice. A rough hand rolled him onto his back and Naota tried not to react as a callused finger pried his eyelid up. "Just like I thought," a bemused voice said. The same voice that had told Hasuke to be careful. "Little brat was awake and listening to us."

The man slapped his face roughly and Naota groaned. It brought all the pain in his head to a sickening frenzy. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his sight. He was frankly shocked to see the man leaning over him. "D…Dazu-san?"

"Thought you'd recognize me, little Naota. Stupid of you to spy on lady Chinatsu like that, but then again, you're not exactly very bright."

Naota didn't answer, didn't trust himself to answer. Fury was welling up in his heart. Dazu was one of the Daimyo's most trusted battalion commanders, even Izitaki had praised the man's cunning and ruthlessness on the field. Naota's eyes flicked over Dazu's shoulder and realized he knew Hasuke too, one of the senior members of the household guard. Dear gods, what was going on here? Sho-kun in love with a conniving witch, the Daimyo's most loyal men turning on him. Nothing made sense and Naota wished he was back home in his bed and knowing nothing about this treachery.

Dazu chuckled at the young hanyou's lost betrayed expression. "Don't hurt yourself thinking it over," he said at last, a faint smile of cruelty on his lips. "It's all about revenge, something your father would have understood, kid."

My father? Naota's eyes closed painfully. He didn't want to know, he didn't want to hear about it. Rumor said that his father was a traitor too. Unless the Daimyo himself said otherwise, Naota refused to believe it. Even Sho-kun, mad as he could get, never said anything about it. Summoning strength from somewhere deep inside him, he found his voice. "Fuck you."

Hasuke growled angrily, but Dazu raised his hand to stay his companion. "Mouthy whelp, all that spoiling has gone to your head. The Daimyo always did have a soft spot for you, probably because of that half breed brother of his." Dazu's hand touched his hair, mockingly gentle. He leaned close to the boy. "I bet your uncle never told you the real story, never mentioned how your mother died, did he?"

No, I don't want to hear this, Naota thought, wincing. He flinched away from Dazu's hand. Anything he says has to be a lie.

"It must have been awful," Dazu smirked. "I was there when we went to the old estate, part of the team the Daimyo sent to hunt his brother down. I still remember how you bawled when Razani pulled you out of the rubble. I would have left you there to die, I have no use for youkai born with human blood."

Naota hated himself for it, but he wanted to know. "Y…you were with them when they found me?" Morbid curiosity had always surrounded his thoughts of that day. A helpless baby, surviving a terrible, mysterious tragedy. He'd had brothers, sisters, a mother and a father once. Then it was all gone in one terrible day that he'd never remember. All he had after that was his uncle and Sho-kun. They were his world.

Dazu smiled at him, still stroking the hanyou's hair. "Your father was quite insane by the time we caught him. He was covering in blood, screaming with rage. It took seven of us to restrain him, even then he managed to gouge and tear at us. Ozuki lost an eye, I had a scar on my face for years from it. Eventually we had no choice but to beat him into unconsciousness. Believe me, we didn't want to stop after what we'd seen."

Hasuke snorted loudly. "Why are you wasting your time with him? He's dead meat soon enough. When the rest of Himishima's men get here and the lady completes her mission, they aren't going to keep him alive. You might as well slit him now and save us from hearing his whimpering."

With a grin, Dazu pulled a short, sharp knife from his belt and traced the point over Naota's throat. The boy froze at the feeling of icy steel on his skin. The tip of the blade traveled lightly over his neck, around his ear and across his face. "Do you want to know why hanyou are so inferior to full youkai?" he whispered. The point of the blade pressed deep and Naota tried not to cry out as a burning line was traced down his face. Something warm and sticky trickled from the slice and mixed with the tears he wasn't able to stop.

Dazu was amused to see the boy fighting the pain and trying to keep silent. "The reason you are so inferior, half breed, is that your human blood makes you so weak you can't control your youkai nature. You're incomplete, pathetic. That's why your father went insane. First he betrayed his brother, then he turned on his wife. He slaughtered your mother, she was ripped apart. Your brothers and sisters were so badly mangled we couldn't identify who was who. The Daimyo had no choice but to burn their remains together because we couldn't sort out what was left."

"Stop it," Naota whispered. He didn't care that they were going to kill him, he couldn't stand thinking about it. It wasn't true, it couldn't be true. The Daimyo would have told him if it was something this awful.

A sadistic laugh answered him and he felt Dazu get up and leave him. "A full youkai would have never turned on his own mate and offspring. Only human blood would explain that deviation. Your uncle understood that, knew he had to put Inoki down like the animal he was. I saw him do it, saw him take the Tetsusaiga and cut the bastard's head right off…"

"Stop it!" Naota screamed. "Why are you doing this to me, why are you betraying my uncle? He trusts you!"

"Inutaisho trusts no one," Dazu snarled. "Never did, except for that bastard brother of his. That son of a bitch never should have been allowed to sire you, filth. That's why I'm doing this. I'm cousin to your bloodline and my own parents served your mother's family. They died that day just like the rest of the unfortunate members of that household. It was unthinkable that your father was ever allowed to marry your mother, she shamed her entire family by having half breed children like you!"

Naota shivered at the hatred that was blackening Dazu's voice. Sickness welled up in him again and he fought to hold himself together. "It doesn't matter," he said thickly. "You're still a dirty traitor. Whatever Chinatsu and her father have been planning, it won't work. You won't win."

Hasuke laughed harshly. "It's not about winning." Dazu's eyes met his with a fiery zeal. "It's about revenge. Himishima doesn't expect to win, he just wants to return a bit of pain to your uncle in fair trade. There's no devious coup at work here, stupid hanyou."

"Then what does he want?" Naota asked. Betrayal and revenge, it all went over his head. He wasn't stupid but he couldn't keep up with the kind of plots and games that clanlords liked to play. "What is Chinatsu trying to do?"

Dazu leaned over him again, breathing hard in his face. "She's going to kill your cousin, little Naota. In revenge for her mother, for my clan, for the Azaryu your uncle slaughtered. She will the kill his son. Your death is just a sweet bonus."

Sho-kun! Naota shook his head. NO! The movement made him ill again and he started to vomit helplessly. Hasuke and Dazu turned away in disgust. "Should we watch him?" Hasuke asked disinterestedly.

Dazu shook his head. "Not our fault if he chokes to death. The lady's poison is working its way through his system. If he doesn't suffocate on his own spew first, the spasms will take him. He'll be dead by morning at this rate anyway."

*****

"What the hell do you want now?" Inutaisho growled. His son had burst in on him without announcing himself, something he knew drove his father up a wall. "Some new complaint, I imagine."

"Why are you sending Chinatsu away?" Sesshomaru demanded. He'd sworn to her that he wouldn't try to change the Daimyo's mind, but he couldn't help himself. He had to reason with his father, had to make him see that Naota was wrong. Chinatsu wasn't the enemy, she was just a girl caught up in the political games their fathers were trying to play. She was innocent and the Daimyo had to realize he was sending her to her death.

Inutaisho leaned back in his chair and studied the ceiling. It was dusty, the staff really needed to make an effort in cleaning it properly. "It's my decision. That's all you need to know."

Sesshomaru was furious. "And if she dies because of you sending her back to her brother? That's your decision too?"

The Daimyo favored him with a pleasant smile. "Hardly my concern is more like it. I've been as patient as possible with Himishima's conniving, let him sort them out. Doesn't deserve to call himself clanlord if he can't settle a squabble between his children."

"That's not fair," Sessh shouted. His father's gaze sharpened. "Boy, the day has not yet come where I'm about to allow you to speak to me in that tone. Keep a civil fucking tongue in your head when you're talking to me or so help me, gods above, I'll rip that tongue out."

"Try it," Sesshomaru hissed. He was so mad he was really losing his good sense. Why wouldn't he listen, just for once, really listen to his side? Nothing he said ever made a difference to Inutaisho. All that garbage about learning to be a leader, all that bullshit about self control. None of it meant anything to Sesshomaru anymore.

Inutaisho felt anger rising in him and fought it down. "Why is it so important to you?" he asked finally. He'd heard all about the rumors, that his dear young son was wrapped around that she-bitch's finger. He didn't like it, but it was for sure another good reason to send the miserable wench packing. "Are you in love with her?" he asked sarcastically.

Sesshomaru drew himself up. "And if I am?"

Inutaisho's laugh rang harshly against the walls. He stood up and stalked around the desk to confront his son. "Then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought," the Daimyo sneered. "Don't tell me you believe a word she says. She doesn't love you, boy. That little whore is using you for her own reasons. Did she fuck you good? Is that why you're defending her? I thought I raised you to be smarter than that, to fall for some worthless slut who wants to lead you around by your…"

He didn't finish his sentence. His son attacked him, flew at him, hissing and snarling like a feral beast, driven to rage at last. Inutaisho neatly sidestepped his son, didn't let the boy so much as put a claw on his silken robe. Moving so fast that he couldn't be seen, the lord of the West moved to grasp his son by the hair and throw him hard into the wall. He held the younger demon by the neck, cruelly grinding his face against the hard stone.

"Don't think you're ready to challenge me," he hissed, his voice gone icy with calm. "You're supposed to be able to control your anger better than that, Sesshomaru. That bitch has your head twisted if you think you can take me." He rapped his son's forehead against the wall sharply. "Are you paying attention?"

"Bastard," Sessh ground out. It had been stupid to attack his father, but his anger was seething out of him, had to have some outlet. "You don't care about what I feel, you never have."

Inutaisho's fingers eased slightly on his neck. "You don't know what I care about," he said softly. "You can't see because you're blinded by that bitch's lies. Even Naota has better sense than that."

Sesshomaru twisted in his grasp. "Don't compare me to him! You always believe him and not me. You spoil him like a baby, and that's just because you feel so fucking guilty over your brother it makes you sick when you look at him."

Inutaisho's face went dead. How he held himself back from killing Sesshomaru for that, he never did know. Just for a second, his father's face swam before his eyes and it was like looking in a mirror. His last memory of Inoki also invaded his mind, kneeling on the ground, his face a mask of rage and bitter hatred. The way his chin raised up defiantly, just like Sesshomaru's did now, begging him to kill him, end it. No small truth in what his son said, no small concession to admit that to himself either. Slowly, moving like he'd never felt a flicker of pain over anything, moving deliberately like he knew where he'd find answers, he took Sesshomaru by his collar and dragged him to the door where he flung it open and threw his son into the hallway.

"If you ever say anything like that to me again, I swear I will make you wish you were never born." Coldness was seizing his heart, he felt ice water in his veins. The darkness was very close now, it was crying for his own son's blood. He shut the door on Sesshomaru's anger and leaned heavily against the thick wood panels. Inutaisho closed his eyes and breathed deeply, fighting it hard. I won't give in, he told the darkness and heard the ghost of his father laugh. I won't be like you.