InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Offering ❯ Returned ( Chapter 9 )

Mediaminer fans; I am moving this story slowly over to adultfanfiction.net, this story along with all of my others will end up there. I will continue to post the updated chapters here for all of the stories I currently have posted here; however no new fanfictions I make will be posted on this site.

If you wonder why it’s because mediaminer is the least cooperative site I have ever been on and I really like the format of adultfanfiction.net.

*********CHAPTER 9*********


Sesshoumaru was getting impatient; as he had gone through the guard speaking with them and learning as much as they would reveal in his presence he had lost contact with Akita. It wasn’t unusual the woman separated her mind from his whenever she felt like it, and he himself had been rather distracted. However when he had called out to her mind there had been no response, this was highly unusual for Akita but not unheard of.

Still he felt that she would answer him when he called to her, simply because his mate-to-be was in her care and he would want to know all that was happening. It had been a good fifteen, twenty minutes since Akita and Kagome had left his sight, and each second that went by he found himself growling less and less patient.

One of the things he liked least about deciding on a mate was the emotional part of it; his entire life he had worked diligently to remove any and all emotions from himself. Now this little girl, this woman-child had turned that all around and he felt fear, panic, and a host of other emotions not all of which were bad but left him more vulnerable than he liked.

He cut off the man he was speaking to, already sensing that this particular demon would lay his life down three thousand times or more for his lord. Only a few people in his home weren’t just like him but he was no longer willing to risk even feeling slightly secure. He could revive Kagome if she died but only if there was something left of her and no one in his home was without that knowledge. Additionally it would be hard to win her trust if she died while under his care; regardless of the fact that she would quickly be revived.

“I have some other business to attend to,” he stated simply turning and heading for his room. The lack of contact he had with Akita was worrying him greatly. Kagome wasn’t safe, not even in his home, not until she was his mate would she ever be safe. At least that’s what his mind was forcing him to think giving him a panicked feeling wanting to run as fast as he could to his rooms to check on the small practically helpless human.

What could happen to her in his bedroom was beyond him, however he wasn’t of a mind to let her stay there long the enchanted bath would assure that any scent on her would be removed. There was no reason for him to wait any longer.

His barriers sensed his approach and allowed him past without complaint. That’s when his worry became stronger, Akita should be standing there waiting for him, he’d sent her the mental message that he would be there soon and she had best be prepared to answer him with a valid reason for ignoring him.

He was in the bathroom seconds later; expecting a shocked Kagome holding herself from his view and Akita perhaps smiling smugly at him. Nothing like that greeted him; instead Kagome was naked and unconscious on his floor, with Akita fully clothed but equally unconscious a few feet from Kagome. More astonishing still was the creature sitting close to Kagome. She was definitely a mermaid her tail showed her to be just that. Blue hair and orange eyes confirmed that which he already knew, what he didn’t know was why a mermaid was sitting so close to his Kagome looking away from him and flipping her tail in and out of the bath water.

Instinct made him draw out Tokijin but sense stopped him from killing the mermaid on the spot. She was too close to Kagome and though if she died he could revive her it wasn’t something he wanted to risk. “I will warn you only this once ningyo (mermaid) if you’ve harmed her you and all of your kind will face a slow and painful death.”

The mermaid shivered slightly but looked up at him then. “We’ve not harmed her; at least you won’t see it as such she however may. We offer her as a gift to you White Lord Sesshoumaru.”

His eyes narrowed not understanding her meaning and eager to get Kagome away from this creature. “Speak clearly ningyo; I want nothing to do with your kind’s double speech. How do you intend to offer to me what I already possess?”

The mermaid bowed her head, “We do not offer her person but her life…” She started hesitantly only to find a very menacing sword held to her throat. She blinked then looked up at something few if any had seen and lived. Sesshoumaru the Great White Lord had eyes red as blood.

He would kill her she realized; slay her for this tiny human woman. Fiona didn’t mind though she was laying her life down for her clan; her family. Be that Sesshoumaru’s decision she wouldn’t care but she had to try and shield her family from his wrath. “My Lord please! Hold!”

“Give me one satisfactory reason why I should not kill you when you just threatened my mate?” He demanded harshly. His voice had changed gained expression and so had his eyes in a small way but he still looked intimidating and relatively lacking in emotion. It was as though he lost only a tiny bit of his control when blood lust controlled him.

“I have not threatened her!” She protested quickly.

Sesshoumaru’s eyes narrowed further on the mermaid. She had said she was offering them her life; as they didn’t have control of her life it suggested strongly that the mermaids were promising not to kill her. Though a single reason for the mer-creatures to kill her had not presented itself it mattered little to him. Any perceived threat to his soon-to-be mate was enough to send him into a blood rage.

“I distinctly heard you say that you were offering her life to me. You are lucky to be alive this moment so I suggest you explain very quickly or I will have the need to call someone in here to clean up the blood your throat will bleed.” His tone was slightly husky but he was impressed with the coldness it possessed. Something he’d been working on for a long time indeed was maintaining his monotony should he go into a blood rage as he was in now. Full control was difficult during these times but he had not in fact killed the mermaid… Yet.

She gulped but spoke quickly, not for a second doubting that Sesshoumaru meant every word. “Kagome is a human woman; her life span at best would have been eighty or ninety years. You will live centuries past that there is no way to change that without asking for the aid of oni and having her become a hanyou. No way save one; we mermaids have the ability to grant eternal life. For your generosity in the past we give you her life; not for eighty or ninety years but forever.”

Sesshoumaru felt shock for the first time in a very long time; since the moment he had realized he’d wanted the tiny human woman crawling out of a well in the middle of Inuyasha’s forest. He didn’t want to trust the small mermaid, however her scent hadn’t spiked and her heart rate hadn’t changed suggesting she was telling the truth.

Kagome would be his… Not just for a small time but forever. She would be able to raise his pups from childhood into adulthood instead of leaving them with vague memories of her when they were just small children. It was far too good a thing to be true and he found himself doubting this mermaid’s claim.

“What reason do the ningyo have to offer such a thing to me?” he demanded harshly. In truth he had never met a ningyo. They never approached males unless they planned on killing them and eating them, which in this case would be useless as he could not be swayed by them to fall into a trap. If that was what they planned to gain from this they were sorely mistaken and would die for such foolishness.

The mermaid’s eyes got impossibly wide, showing that she was originally a child of the pale people. “Do you not remember, My Lord? You slew the great water dragon about six months ago! Ridding our people of the predator that took nearly half our number!”

The great water dragon? He did slay a water dragon about that time but it hadn’t been anything “great” just something he could kill and use its arm for a time. However it seemed that act of selfishness had returned in his favor tenfold. “Indeed,” he said coldly knowing his eyes and stance were showing that his blood lust had completely vanished. “Very well ningyo, but answer this; how did you know I wanted this human as my mate? I know that your kind must always touch the water or die so there was simply no way of knowing through any means of careful observation.”

She tilted her head down but not too far. Sesshoumaru had yet to remove the blade from her throat; she no longer feared that he’d be seeking retribution through her family but he obviously wasn’t through with her. However her Queen had instructed that the Lord Sesshoumaru was to get any and all answers he desired and she was to promise him anything that they could offer. “But we do have the means to see without leaving the water. If we did not then surely we would have died by now, from starvation or from hunters.” She drew in a deep breath this was a secret shared with none. She did not wish to share this information with Sesshoumaru despite her precarious position but knew that it was necessary all the same.

“If there is even the smallest amount of water we can use it to see anything that we want. Sailors on ships with mugs of water; men on land with sake, and most recently we have been looking through the hot springs and lakes this woman has been bathing in.” she looked up at Sesshoumaru, his face had remained impassive so she decided to go ahead and continue.

“We can also move through the same means though the water has to be big enough to hold us. We’ve watched Kagome for a while and we’ve noticed how much attention you’ve been paying her. We owed you a debt and couldn’t fathom a single way to repay it; until we discovered that nearly every time this woman bathed you watched her. It became clear that your intentions with her weren’t just…” She struggled to find the word; she hadn’t been on the surface in a long time so such a thing had nearly been forgotten, “Lustful. So in the end we decided to wait for you to make your move then we would make ours. Give you that which you desired most and was within our means to give to you.”

She didn’t reveal that they had been trying to watch him but every time they went to do so Kagome had appeared. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on. Though they did have some of the best minds humanity had ever offered analyzing everything. Kagome had been the perfect creature with which to offer their gratitude; as a female she could be brought into the heart of the mermaid’s home without worry. Also she was relatively helpless unlike Sesshoumaru she COULD be grabbed and forced about should the need arise.

Sesshoumaru thought that through, knowing that the mermaid wasn’t telling him everything. Still he had no reason to keep her any longer. “Very well, you may return to the ningyo with this message: Do not spy on me or my mate ever in the future, nor shall you use water to reach us for any reasons accept to warn us of some unforeseen danger. If I discover that you have been doing so all of you will die in my poison, is this clear?”

She nodded slowly; she had the authority to promise him anything but she didn’t have to like it. Spying on anyone and everyone was one of the perks of being a mermaid. However if that was what he wished she would grant him that; simply because not doing so would result in the annihilation of her species.

“Good, now what did you do to my general?” he looked briefly over at Akita who was still very unconscious. Either very powerful magic had been used on her or she’d been hit in the head… hard. As he could see and smell no blood the former was most likely.

“A small sleeping spell, nothing more its power is only effective due to the means through which it and all of our magic is applied.” She nodded over towards the girl. “I will remove the spell once I leave, but Kagome’s lack of consciousness is not something I can correct.”

Again his eyes narrowed on her and she started to shrink back, knowing that was a mistake but unable to prevent herself from doing so all the same. “What did you do to her that she is in this state?” He demanded, pushing his sword more into her neck, allowing one small drop of her blue blood to drip out onto his sword.

“Nothing!” she squeaked, knowing that Sesshoumaru’s patience had been sorely tested. This was likely going to be the last straw. “My lord! It is only an after affect from the means of making her life endless! We could not prevent that small bit of compromise in order to give her to you!”

Sesshoumaru’s mouth moved up in a slight snarl but he pulled his sword away sheathing it quickly. “Leave here. Now.” It had also better be the last time he encountered one of these ridiculous creatures; he thought to himself none too pleased with the recent turn of events. It did give Kagome to him forever, but he didn’t have to like that it was ningyo who he owed his gratitude.

Fiona didn’t hesitate before turning and diving back into the water, disappearing within seconds.

The moment she was gone Akita began to stir, groaning lightly before she shot up and stared at the water. Not able to immediately recognize that Kagome and Sesshoumaru were both there.

“Akita,” his voice was cold, he wasn’t pleased with his general. Though in the end everything had turned out for the better it didn’t take away from the fact that she had not been able to protect Kagome.

She turned in panic to her lord only to sigh with relief at seeing him now holding Kagome. She was unconscious but her even breathing was detectable. Sesshoumaru was doubtlessly upset with her and he had every right to be; she had been appointed to guard and assist Kagome and mere moments into that task she had failed, and failed miserably.

“I offer no excuses my lord,” Akita said getting onto her knees then pressing her forehead against the ground. “If you wish me to forfeit my life for this then I offer no complaint.”

Sesshoumaru looked at her carefully. He did not wish to kill her but her lack of ability to protect his mate could have cost her life, however he now knew that only he was to be able to protect this small human. “Stand up Akita and leave here. I will not kill you but I warn you that if ever in the future you fail me as you have today I will be forced to punish you.”

Akita’s eyes widened and she looked up for a second. Truth was that she did not feel that she deserved to continue living after what she had done; but Sesshoumaru’s word was law and she would abide by anything he said. If he wanted her to remain alive she would and she would never fail him again in the future, not as she had today. “Thank you my Lord.” She stood, bowed once again and left the bathing chambers; lucky to be alive though she didn’t’ quite feel that way.

Sesshoumaru watched Akita leave then looked down at the unconscious miko in his arms. How had things escalated to this point? Why did everyone and everything come after this tiny woman? On more occasions than one he had killed an oni to keep it from reaching the group she’d been traveling with, protecting her from afar as best he was able; whenever he hadn’t something terrible inevitably happened.

Kagome would not be safe, no matter how much he protected her if she didn’t become his mate. As that had been his intention in the first place it wasn’t such a great burden of knowledge. However he would have to rush things and that was the last thing he desired. Now though instead of having only a tiny portion of time with her she would stay with him. He would have the time necessary to heal her wounds and get her used to the idea that she would never leave him, AFTER the mating instead of before.

It would be a difficult task to say the least for matters but at the very least he would know that she would now and forever be safe.