InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Prophecy ❯ Witch Way ( Chapter 43 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: mshutts 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Psychological / Hentai | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 04.23.2006 | Updated On: 04.23.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 2.5K | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Psychological / Hentai | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 04.23.2006 | Updated On: 04.23.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 2.5K | Status: Work In Progress
The Prophecy
By: mshutts
WARNING: incest
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in
* * * * *
Chapter 42: Witch Way
It had taken them another four days to reach the Western Castle. Over that time, Sturaki had been reminded repeatedly of why she was not overly fond of humans. They talked entirely too much. She had begun to regret her decision to travel with them a day after she had made it.
They had spent the entire morning buffeting her with questions, hoping she would tell them something. She could understand their worry and desire to know what was going on, but it was not her place to explain. Although, the questions were almost easier to take than the inane conversations they started up after it became obvious they were not going to get any information out of her.
She wondered if this was how they always were and, if it was, how Inuyasha could stand it. But, for all her annoyance with them, she did recognize one thing of import. They were all essentially good people. They wanted to help. They wanted to do something. Which, in this time, was a very difficult thing to come across.
She supposed that might be the reason Inuyasha was so fond of them. Because she also knew that Inuyasha himself was an essentially good person. Putting aside how he had been treated due to his parentage, he still tried to help those who needed it. And she also knew that these were the people who had accepted him for what he was. There was much to be said for that.
However, for the seer who was used to spending almost all her time alone, this group was still a bit much. She had been thankful when they had seen the top of the Western Castle’s tower over the tree line. The rest of the group had not realized what it was immediately, but when the trees had cleared, it became obvious.
Before they left the safety of the forest to venture up to the guarded castle walls, Sturaki turned to the group one more time and reminded them to allow her to do the talking. They had had this discussion last night over dinner, but she felt it was best to reiterate. After all, she had not gotten their consent without protest.
She looked to Kagome in particular. That girl had been the most adamant in not wanting to stand silently by while she talked their way into the castle. It was not until she had threatened to leave them entirely while they slept that the girl had given in.
The humans just could not understand why it was so important that she be the only one talking. Sturaki wondered how they ever got anything accomplished if they were always all talking, but put it to the side. She now had to gain them entrance before she could help Inuyasha.
Straightening herself up to her full height, which she knew was not all that impressive, she confidently walked up towards the gates until she was told to stop by the 2 guards. One looked to be there for brute force since he was taller than the tallest man she had ever seen and was covered in muscles. If he was the brawn, then the other must have been the brains, for the second was not overly muscular, but rather lithe in form and looked to be quite agile.
“Who are you and what business do you have here?” the particularly large guard demanded.
“I am the Lady Sturaki and I wish to speak to your healer.”
“No one in your party appears injured. What need have you for our healer?”
“Quite the contrary. I am here to help your healer, not ask for her assistance.”
“Explain yourself.”
“Your Lord has fallen ill, has he not? I know what ails him.”
She saw the two guards look to one another, silently communicating, before turning back to her. “And how do we know that you speak the truth?” the more lithe guard asked.
“I merely ask to speak to your healer. Allow her to determine if I speak the truth. For, if I am not lying, how would it look that you turned away the one who knew how to cure your Lord?”
Sturaki could see that those words made an impression on them. “Very well, we shall retrieve our healer and see if she believes your tale has merit. If she is not impressed, however, your life will be forfeit.”
She bowed her head, “I understand,” and waited patiently for them to bring the healer out to see her.
As they were waiting, she could feel the party behind her begin to get restless. No doubt they were wondering what she had meant when she had said the lord was ill. They had, after all, assumed it was Inuyasha who was in trouble and were undoubtedly wondering why they were here to help Sesshoumaru.
But she had no time for further contemplation when, at that moment, the swan demoness healer who she had seen earlier came to the gates along with a wolf demon she had not seen previously.
She bowed to them and introduced herself once again. The swan demoness looked her over shrewdly before asking, “What do you know of my Lord’s illness, Lady Sturaki? I note that you do not wear the garb of a healer.”
“Indeed, I am not a healer, Healer Yoshehana. I am instead a seer,” she replied, taking in the shocked look on the demoness’ face.
“Of what help could a seer be to my Lord?”
“I have seen what ails your Lord and his young mate. I have also seen what may be done to cure them of this ailment.”
The wolf demon then stepped forward. “How is it you are aware of how to cure the ailment having never seen either patient?”
“As I have said before, I am a seer. I can see much that is unknown to the naked eye. But in this instance, I have also seen both patients previously.”
She saw the swan demoness perk up at that. “So you know my Lord?”
“I know Lord Sesshoumaru quite well, yes. In fact, I just saw him a little over a week ago. There was an issue with who his mate was to be that he wished to have cleared up.”
“If you only saw him a little over a week ago, surely you were aware of the youki draw. Why did you not assist him then?”
“I was indeed aware of the draw, but it was not so desperate at the time. I did not assist him in the matter for, if he had done as he was supposed to, there never would have been a problem in the first place.”
“What do you mean?” asked the wolf demon, suspiciously.
“I mean that the transformation was almost complete when they left my dwelling. It would have ceased drawing youki that very night. The mating should have ceased any continued draw in any event, and yet, it is still being drawn.
“An external force is obviously drawing it now and because he is still unconscious, it is obvious that it is now a problem with the mind rather than the body. You may both have specializations with the body, but I have a specialization with the mind.
“Now, please, allow me to see them before there is any more damage done.”
The demoness thought for a moment. “Very well, we shall see if your claim has any merit. But what of the others with you?”
“They are friends of Lord Inuyasha. They were concerned when he did not return to them at the appointed time,” Sturaki improvised.
She saw the swan demoness’ eyes widen. “I see. Any friend of Lord Inuyasha is welcome here. Please come in, even though you may not see your friend at the moment, I can still have the servants get you something to eat. It is approaching lunch time in any event. Perhaps you would like to join my Lord’s ward for this meal?”
Feeling the shock of the humans standing behind her, they had no doubt been expecting a less than warm reception, she answered for them all. “Yes, we would greatly appreciate it. However, if it is not too much of an inconvenience, I would much prefer to see to your ailing lord and his mate first while they partake in your generosity.”
“Of course, Lady Sturaki. Right this way,” said Yoshehana as she turned around and led them through the gates that lead into the castle. Upon entering the main part of the castle, the swan demoness directed the humans to the appropriate room to receive their meal before turning and taking Sturaki to the place where she had been heading for the last four days.
“In truth, Lady Sturaki, I am glad you are here. Neither myself nor Healer Kisho has been able to determine the cause or possible cure for my lord’s mate’s ailment.
“If I might ask, you said you already knew what the problem was. What is it that ails my lord’s mate?” asked Yoshehana.
“Even I am not entirely sure, I can only see what my sight shows me and since a week ago, it has been dark in relation to Lord Inuyasha. It is why I determined that I had need to come see him.
“I must see him directly so that I may form a mental bond with him and assist him in repairing the problem from the inside out,” replied Sturaki.
“I understand,” the demoness replied, leading her towards Lord Sesshoumaru’s chambers.
The wolf demon had been following behind silently. She could still feel his eyes on her and knew that he did not trust her yet, but had no reason to actually distrust her so was currently holding his peace.
She could tell that there was nothing she could do to convince him that she intended no harm and so, she just continued on her way, mindful of his unspoken presence. As she neared the room that held the dog demons, she could feel the desperation in the air. Any hope for a favorable resolution to this seemingly never-ending sickness had all but fled.
Walking through the doorway that had been slid open, she walked over to the demons on the floor, taking in the scene silently. Inuyasha was lying on the futon as he had been in her dream, unconscious and completely still. It was disconcerting to see the normally active inuhanyou so motionless.
Although, perhaps even more disturbing than that was the sight of Sesshoumaru. He was kneeling next to his mate, his hand on the inuhanyou’s chest, eyes closed in deep concentration. Even without trying to, she could feel how weak both their youkis were and how exhausted the youkai lord was.
She had arrived none to soon, she realized with a sigh. She certainly had her work cut out for her.
(Sesshoumaru’s POV)
He had been there for days. His youki had long since taken over all conscious functions. He had not felt the passage of time, but that wolf demon had insisted it had been over a week. Having no real reason to doubt him, Sesshoumaru had instead decided to believe his words, at least until there was evidence to the contrary.
He had been none to happy about this demon touching his mate, but after the significance for it had been explained, he had allowed the intrusion, albeit warily. When it was over and there was still no change for good he was upset, but there was no change for ill in his mate either for which he was relieved. He would have killed the demon had he harmed his mate.
He had almost killed the wolf anyway at the suggestion that he stop assisting his mate. As it was, he had agreed to eat something and the demon had left. Why they were so adamant about him eating was beyond him. His mate was in trouble, desperately in need of his help, and they wanted him to eat? How absurd.
He had only agreed to the eating for it kept them at bay with their bothersome noise. It seemed the quickest and easiest way to appease them was through eating every now and then and so he did. If he had been more aware of what was happening, he would have wondered at why they were not insisting on feeding his mate as well, but he was lost in his own world and his youki was insisting that the lowered youki of his mate was a much more immediate problem than whether he had eaten recently.
As it was, he did not notice her presence until she was right on top of them. As he felt the touch on his shoulder, he responded with a growl. She, in turn, ignored the warning and, leaving the hand there, began to speak to him.
The words came to him as if through a very dense fog. His youki wished to ignore them in favor of the much more important task of looking after his mate, but his rational mind was curious as to what she was saying. Being that his youki had been getting weaker through helping his mate, he pushed said youki aside just enough to make out the words.
“…help you. Lord Sesshoumaru, you must come out of your trance. I know of a way to help your mate, Lord Sesshoumaru. You must come out of your trance so I may help you help your mate.”
At this, he forcibly drew himself back to the real world. If it could help his mate, he had to know what it was. If it did not help him, he would kill whoever had forced him to take his attention off his mate.
He tried to focus on the beings before him, but it was proving difficult. His body was weary. His mind was weary. His youki was weary. It had been a long week. But, if he were to help his mate, he knew that he needed to center. So, drawing on reserves that he had not quite exhausted yet, he focused all his attention on the one who was talking.
“We will discuss how this happened later. However, right now I need you to stop feeding your youki into him.”
Realizing what she was saying, he bared his fangs and snarled at her. “He is MY mate. He needs MY youki.”
“Lord Sesshoumaru, if you do not allow me to see him without the influence of your youki, he will die.”
“Without my youki, he will die!” This witch was obviously trying to trick him. She wanted him to let his guard down so she could kill his mate. He growled again and noted with satisfaction how the other two in the room backed away. However, this damnable woman refused to yield.
“Sesshoumaru! Calm yourself! I will not hurt Inuyasha! I will not hurt your mate! I am here to help him!”
The dog demon looked at her. She did not look like she was lying. She also did not smell like she was lying. And she did look vaguely familiar. He tried to think why that was for a moment but found his thoughts getting clouded once again. No matter how much he wished to deny it, he was in desperate need of rest.
He watched her move over to his mate and growled at her, but, once again, she put a comforting hand on his shoulder and told him that she merely needed to touch his mate. He assented to the touch, but continued to watch her. After a few moments, she pulled away and looked at him.
“I require your assistance. He will not let me in, but, since you are his mate, he should let you in. I must insist, however, that you do not FORCE your way in. Ask him to allow you in. Do not worry, I will be with you.”
Sesshoumaru was perplexed. This entire conversation was making his head hurt. So she wanted him to go into his mate’s THOUGHTS? That did not make any sense to him. One could not just enter another’s thoughts.
His confusion must have shown on his face, for she took his hand in hers and placing it on his mate once again, told him, “Just close your eyes, Sesshoumaru. Focus on Inuyasha. Try to find him with your mind. Look for him, call out to him, let him know you are here.”
And, her hand never leaving his, he finally became aware of a presence, a sensation that he was not previously aware of. He felt the manifestation and realized this was his mate. This was the very essence that was his mate that he was feeling. He could feel his own being sinking into the presence. It was so comforting to him.
But even as he was beginning to feel lethargic basking in the essence of his mate, he remembered why he was here and felt a push to find the consciousness of his mate. He somehow knew that it would be at the center of this presence. Following his instincts, he passed through the outer layers and into the center, being drawn to the feeling of his mate that was becoming stronger and stronger.
It was not until he was in the heart of his mate’s being that he realized there was not one individual there. There were two. One appeared to be his mate in his full demon form, the other appeared to be his mate in his full human form. He had not even been in the core for a moment when both sets of eyes turned to him. One shining with love, adoration, and desire. The other burning with hate and malice.
Before he even fully comprehended what he saw in those eyes, he found himself being tightly held by a very submissive full-demon Inuyasha who was rubbing and licking and nipping at him all the while making happy subvocalizations. That, in addition to the scents that were currently being emitted by the full-youkai in his arms, was making it rather difficult to concentrate on anything else. He had missed his mate terribly.
Just as he was beginning to get comfortable in the grip of this half of his mate, he heard a scream come for the human Inuyasha who was rapidly approaching them, hate flashing in his eyes. “How dare you come here?” was demanded in a slightly higher pitched voice than the one he was used to hearing from his little brother.
The demon in his arms suddenly became less submissive as he turned to face the human who was still approaching them without fear. “He is our mate. He has every right to be here,” answered the demon Inuyasha in a voice that was lower and more guttural than the one that his younger brother normally used.
“I do not accept him as my mate.”
“He IS your mate. You bear his mark.”
He saw a wicked grin appear on the human’s face. “Look again, Demon, I do not bear his mark.” At this, he turned and dropped his haori down low enough that it was obvious that he did not, in fact, bear the mark.
He felt his eyes widen fractionally in shock. How was that possible? He had never heard of only partially marking an individual. But before he could say anything, demon Inuyasha was responding. “How is it you do not bear his mark?”
“I have told you before, he is not my mate. He is not worthy of being my mate.”
At these words, the demon who had been standing beside him released an enraged growl and flung himself at the human. Sesshoumaru just stood and watched them rip into one another, unsure of what to do. If this was all inside his mate’s head, could the two sides actually hurt each other? The human side appeared to be holding its own against the demon side, however. Which made him wonder if his mate’s human side was truly that physically strong or if it was just a manifestation of his human side’s mental power.
He was pulled from his musings as another voice, one he was much more familiar with, broke into the melee. “What the fuck is wrong with you two?! You have been at this for days! I swear to God, once I get out of this fucking cage, I’m gonna kick both your asses to the netherworld!”
He shifted his attention to the direction that the yelling was coming from and saw, much to his shock, his half-demon brother banging on what appeared to be an invisible barrier. Ignoring the other two who were still fighting, he turned to this version of Inuyasha. The demon and human might have been facets of him, but this one, this was his real mate. This was the brother he had known for so many years. This is the one that his youki had chosen to mate with.
Drawing closer to him, he unconsciously allowed one word to fall from his lips, “Inuyasha…”
* * * * *
Ooooo, evil cliffie strikes again! But we did get Inu and Sess in the same room together again. That’s gotta count for something, right?
A/N: Regarding Sesshoumaru and OOCness: It has been over a week since the guy slept last. He has only been eating enough to get the healer off his case. And, on top of that, he has been feeding his youki into his mate night and day. I don’t know about you, but I tend to get a little blurry after missing one night of sleep, not to mention several in a row. Given the circumstances, I’m not so sure you could really claim that he was out of character at all. And on the sentimentality issue, his youki still has its claws pretty far in him. Even if he won’t admit desire for Inu, his youki sure will.
Thanks to all who are still reading and/or reviewing. (Can you believe how long this story is? 203 pages in Word. Yikes. Talk about a ‘don’t start reading if you have anything to do today’ fic.)
By: mshutts
WARNING: incest
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in
* * * * *
Chapter 42: Witch Way
It had taken them another four days to reach the Western Castle. Over that time, Sturaki had been reminded repeatedly of why she was not overly fond of humans. They talked entirely too much. She had begun to regret her decision to travel with them a day after she had made it.
They had spent the entire morning buffeting her with questions, hoping she would tell them something. She could understand their worry and desire to know what was going on, but it was not her place to explain. Although, the questions were almost easier to take than the inane conversations they started up after it became obvious they were not going to get any information out of her.
She wondered if this was how they always were and, if it was, how Inuyasha could stand it. But, for all her annoyance with them, she did recognize one thing of import. They were all essentially good people. They wanted to help. They wanted to do something. Which, in this time, was a very difficult thing to come across.
She supposed that might be the reason Inuyasha was so fond of them. Because she also knew that Inuyasha himself was an essentially good person. Putting aside how he had been treated due to his parentage, he still tried to help those who needed it. And she also knew that these were the people who had accepted him for what he was. There was much to be said for that.
However, for the seer who was used to spending almost all her time alone, this group was still a bit much. She had been thankful when they had seen the top of the Western Castle’s tower over the tree line. The rest of the group had not realized what it was immediately, but when the trees had cleared, it became obvious.
Before they left the safety of the forest to venture up to the guarded castle walls, Sturaki turned to the group one more time and reminded them to allow her to do the talking. They had had this discussion last night over dinner, but she felt it was best to reiterate. After all, she had not gotten their consent without protest.
She looked to Kagome in particular. That girl had been the most adamant in not wanting to stand silently by while she talked their way into the castle. It was not until she had threatened to leave them entirely while they slept that the girl had given in.
The humans just could not understand why it was so important that she be the only one talking. Sturaki wondered how they ever got anything accomplished if they were always all talking, but put it to the side. She now had to gain them entrance before she could help Inuyasha.
Straightening herself up to her full height, which she knew was not all that impressive, she confidently walked up towards the gates until she was told to stop by the 2 guards. One looked to be there for brute force since he was taller than the tallest man she had ever seen and was covered in muscles. If he was the brawn, then the other must have been the brains, for the second was not overly muscular, but rather lithe in form and looked to be quite agile.
“Who are you and what business do you have here?” the particularly large guard demanded.
“I am the Lady Sturaki and I wish to speak to your healer.”
“No one in your party appears injured. What need have you for our healer?”
“Quite the contrary. I am here to help your healer, not ask for her assistance.”
“Explain yourself.”
“Your Lord has fallen ill, has he not? I know what ails him.”
She saw the two guards look to one another, silently communicating, before turning back to her. “And how do we know that you speak the truth?” the more lithe guard asked.
“I merely ask to speak to your healer. Allow her to determine if I speak the truth. For, if I am not lying, how would it look that you turned away the one who knew how to cure your Lord?”
Sturaki could see that those words made an impression on them. “Very well, we shall retrieve our healer and see if she believes your tale has merit. If she is not impressed, however, your life will be forfeit.”
She bowed her head, “I understand,” and waited patiently for them to bring the healer out to see her.
As they were waiting, she could feel the party behind her begin to get restless. No doubt they were wondering what she had meant when she had said the lord was ill. They had, after all, assumed it was Inuyasha who was in trouble and were undoubtedly wondering why they were here to help Sesshoumaru.
But she had no time for further contemplation when, at that moment, the swan demoness healer who she had seen earlier came to the gates along with a wolf demon she had not seen previously.
She bowed to them and introduced herself once again. The swan demoness looked her over shrewdly before asking, “What do you know of my Lord’s illness, Lady Sturaki? I note that you do not wear the garb of a healer.”
“Indeed, I am not a healer, Healer Yoshehana. I am instead a seer,” she replied, taking in the shocked look on the demoness’ face.
“Of what help could a seer be to my Lord?”
“I have seen what ails your Lord and his young mate. I have also seen what may be done to cure them of this ailment.”
The wolf demon then stepped forward. “How is it you are aware of how to cure the ailment having never seen either patient?”
“As I have said before, I am a seer. I can see much that is unknown to the naked eye. But in this instance, I have also seen both patients previously.”
She saw the swan demoness perk up at that. “So you know my Lord?”
“I know Lord Sesshoumaru quite well, yes. In fact, I just saw him a little over a week ago. There was an issue with who his mate was to be that he wished to have cleared up.”
“If you only saw him a little over a week ago, surely you were aware of the youki draw. Why did you not assist him then?”
“I was indeed aware of the draw, but it was not so desperate at the time. I did not assist him in the matter for, if he had done as he was supposed to, there never would have been a problem in the first place.”
“What do you mean?” asked the wolf demon, suspiciously.
“I mean that the transformation was almost complete when they left my dwelling. It would have ceased drawing youki that very night. The mating should have ceased any continued draw in any event, and yet, it is still being drawn.
“An external force is obviously drawing it now and because he is still unconscious, it is obvious that it is now a problem with the mind rather than the body. You may both have specializations with the body, but I have a specialization with the mind.
“Now, please, allow me to see them before there is any more damage done.”
The demoness thought for a moment. “Very well, we shall see if your claim has any merit. But what of the others with you?”
“They are friends of Lord Inuyasha. They were concerned when he did not return to them at the appointed time,” Sturaki improvised.
She saw the swan demoness’ eyes widen. “I see. Any friend of Lord Inuyasha is welcome here. Please come in, even though you may not see your friend at the moment, I can still have the servants get you something to eat. It is approaching lunch time in any event. Perhaps you would like to join my Lord’s ward for this meal?”
Feeling the shock of the humans standing behind her, they had no doubt been expecting a less than warm reception, she answered for them all. “Yes, we would greatly appreciate it. However, if it is not too much of an inconvenience, I would much prefer to see to your ailing lord and his mate first while they partake in your generosity.”
“Of course, Lady Sturaki. Right this way,” said Yoshehana as she turned around and led them through the gates that lead into the castle. Upon entering the main part of the castle, the swan demoness directed the humans to the appropriate room to receive their meal before turning and taking Sturaki to the place where she had been heading for the last four days.
“In truth, Lady Sturaki, I am glad you are here. Neither myself nor Healer Kisho has been able to determine the cause or possible cure for my lord’s mate’s ailment.
“If I might ask, you said you already knew what the problem was. What is it that ails my lord’s mate?” asked Yoshehana.
“Even I am not entirely sure, I can only see what my sight shows me and since a week ago, it has been dark in relation to Lord Inuyasha. It is why I determined that I had need to come see him.
“I must see him directly so that I may form a mental bond with him and assist him in repairing the problem from the inside out,” replied Sturaki.
“I understand,” the demoness replied, leading her towards Lord Sesshoumaru’s chambers.
The wolf demon had been following behind silently. She could still feel his eyes on her and knew that he did not trust her yet, but had no reason to actually distrust her so was currently holding his peace.
She could tell that there was nothing she could do to convince him that she intended no harm and so, she just continued on her way, mindful of his unspoken presence. As she neared the room that held the dog demons, she could feel the desperation in the air. Any hope for a favorable resolution to this seemingly never-ending sickness had all but fled.
Walking through the doorway that had been slid open, she walked over to the demons on the floor, taking in the scene silently. Inuyasha was lying on the futon as he had been in her dream, unconscious and completely still. It was disconcerting to see the normally active inuhanyou so motionless.
Although, perhaps even more disturbing than that was the sight of Sesshoumaru. He was kneeling next to his mate, his hand on the inuhanyou’s chest, eyes closed in deep concentration. Even without trying to, she could feel how weak both their youkis were and how exhausted the youkai lord was.
She had arrived none to soon, she realized with a sigh. She certainly had her work cut out for her.
(Sesshoumaru’s POV)
He had been there for days. His youki had long since taken over all conscious functions. He had not felt the passage of time, but that wolf demon had insisted it had been over a week. Having no real reason to doubt him, Sesshoumaru had instead decided to believe his words, at least until there was evidence to the contrary.
He had been none to happy about this demon touching his mate, but after the significance for it had been explained, he had allowed the intrusion, albeit warily. When it was over and there was still no change for good he was upset, but there was no change for ill in his mate either for which he was relieved. He would have killed the demon had he harmed his mate.
He had almost killed the wolf anyway at the suggestion that he stop assisting his mate. As it was, he had agreed to eat something and the demon had left. Why they were so adamant about him eating was beyond him. His mate was in trouble, desperately in need of his help, and they wanted him to eat? How absurd.
He had only agreed to the eating for it kept them at bay with their bothersome noise. It seemed the quickest and easiest way to appease them was through eating every now and then and so he did. If he had been more aware of what was happening, he would have wondered at why they were not insisting on feeding his mate as well, but he was lost in his own world and his youki was insisting that the lowered youki of his mate was a much more immediate problem than whether he had eaten recently.
As it was, he did not notice her presence until she was right on top of them. As he felt the touch on his shoulder, he responded with a growl. She, in turn, ignored the warning and, leaving the hand there, began to speak to him.
The words came to him as if through a very dense fog. His youki wished to ignore them in favor of the much more important task of looking after his mate, but his rational mind was curious as to what she was saying. Being that his youki had been getting weaker through helping his mate, he pushed said youki aside just enough to make out the words.
“…help you. Lord Sesshoumaru, you must come out of your trance. I know of a way to help your mate, Lord Sesshoumaru. You must come out of your trance so I may help you help your mate.”
At this, he forcibly drew himself back to the real world. If it could help his mate, he had to know what it was. If it did not help him, he would kill whoever had forced him to take his attention off his mate.
He tried to focus on the beings before him, but it was proving difficult. His body was weary. His mind was weary. His youki was weary. It had been a long week. But, if he were to help his mate, he knew that he needed to center. So, drawing on reserves that he had not quite exhausted yet, he focused all his attention on the one who was talking.
“We will discuss how this happened later. However, right now I need you to stop feeding your youki into him.”
Realizing what she was saying, he bared his fangs and snarled at her. “He is MY mate. He needs MY youki.”
“Lord Sesshoumaru, if you do not allow me to see him without the influence of your youki, he will die.”
“Without my youki, he will die!” This witch was obviously trying to trick him. She wanted him to let his guard down so she could kill his mate. He growled again and noted with satisfaction how the other two in the room backed away. However, this damnable woman refused to yield.
“Sesshoumaru! Calm yourself! I will not hurt Inuyasha! I will not hurt your mate! I am here to help him!”
The dog demon looked at her. She did not look like she was lying. She also did not smell like she was lying. And she did look vaguely familiar. He tried to think why that was for a moment but found his thoughts getting clouded once again. No matter how much he wished to deny it, he was in desperate need of rest.
He watched her move over to his mate and growled at her, but, once again, she put a comforting hand on his shoulder and told him that she merely needed to touch his mate. He assented to the touch, but continued to watch her. After a few moments, she pulled away and looked at him.
“I require your assistance. He will not let me in, but, since you are his mate, he should let you in. I must insist, however, that you do not FORCE your way in. Ask him to allow you in. Do not worry, I will be with you.”
Sesshoumaru was perplexed. This entire conversation was making his head hurt. So she wanted him to go into his mate’s THOUGHTS? That did not make any sense to him. One could not just enter another’s thoughts.
His confusion must have shown on his face, for she took his hand in hers and placing it on his mate once again, told him, “Just close your eyes, Sesshoumaru. Focus on Inuyasha. Try to find him with your mind. Look for him, call out to him, let him know you are here.”
And, her hand never leaving his, he finally became aware of a presence, a sensation that he was not previously aware of. He felt the manifestation and realized this was his mate. This was the very essence that was his mate that he was feeling. He could feel his own being sinking into the presence. It was so comforting to him.
But even as he was beginning to feel lethargic basking in the essence of his mate, he remembered why he was here and felt a push to find the consciousness of his mate. He somehow knew that it would be at the center of this presence. Following his instincts, he passed through the outer layers and into the center, being drawn to the feeling of his mate that was becoming stronger and stronger.
It was not until he was in the heart of his mate’s being that he realized there was not one individual there. There were two. One appeared to be his mate in his full demon form, the other appeared to be his mate in his full human form. He had not even been in the core for a moment when both sets of eyes turned to him. One shining with love, adoration, and desire. The other burning with hate and malice.
Before he even fully comprehended what he saw in those eyes, he found himself being tightly held by a very submissive full-demon Inuyasha who was rubbing and licking and nipping at him all the while making happy subvocalizations. That, in addition to the scents that were currently being emitted by the full-youkai in his arms, was making it rather difficult to concentrate on anything else. He had missed his mate terribly.
Just as he was beginning to get comfortable in the grip of this half of his mate, he heard a scream come for the human Inuyasha who was rapidly approaching them, hate flashing in his eyes. “How dare you come here?” was demanded in a slightly higher pitched voice than the one he was used to hearing from his little brother.
The demon in his arms suddenly became less submissive as he turned to face the human who was still approaching them without fear. “He is our mate. He has every right to be here,” answered the demon Inuyasha in a voice that was lower and more guttural than the one that his younger brother normally used.
“I do not accept him as my mate.”
“He IS your mate. You bear his mark.”
He saw a wicked grin appear on the human’s face. “Look again, Demon, I do not bear his mark.” At this, he turned and dropped his haori down low enough that it was obvious that he did not, in fact, bear the mark.
He felt his eyes widen fractionally in shock. How was that possible? He had never heard of only partially marking an individual. But before he could say anything, demon Inuyasha was responding. “How is it you do not bear his mark?”
“I have told you before, he is not my mate. He is not worthy of being my mate.”
At these words, the demon who had been standing beside him released an enraged growl and flung himself at the human. Sesshoumaru just stood and watched them rip into one another, unsure of what to do. If this was all inside his mate’s head, could the two sides actually hurt each other? The human side appeared to be holding its own against the demon side, however. Which made him wonder if his mate’s human side was truly that physically strong or if it was just a manifestation of his human side’s mental power.
He was pulled from his musings as another voice, one he was much more familiar with, broke into the melee. “What the fuck is wrong with you two?! You have been at this for days! I swear to God, once I get out of this fucking cage, I’m gonna kick both your asses to the netherworld!”
He shifted his attention to the direction that the yelling was coming from and saw, much to his shock, his half-demon brother banging on what appeared to be an invisible barrier. Ignoring the other two who were still fighting, he turned to this version of Inuyasha. The demon and human might have been facets of him, but this one, this was his real mate. This was the brother he had known for so many years. This is the one that his youki had chosen to mate with.
Drawing closer to him, he unconsciously allowed one word to fall from his lips, “Inuyasha…”
* * * * *
Ooooo, evil cliffie strikes again! But we did get Inu and Sess in the same room together again. That’s gotta count for something, right?
A/N: Regarding Sesshoumaru and OOCness: It has been over a week since the guy slept last. He has only been eating enough to get the healer off his case. And, on top of that, he has been feeding his youki into his mate night and day. I don’t know about you, but I tend to get a little blurry after missing one night of sleep, not to mention several in a row. Given the circumstances, I’m not so sure you could really claim that he was out of character at all. And on the sentimentality issue, his youki still has its claws pretty far in him. Even if he won’t admit desire for Inu, his youki sure will.
Thanks to all who are still reading and/or reviewing. (Can you believe how long this story is? 203 pages in Word. Yikes. Talk about a ‘don’t start reading if you have anything to do today’ fic.)