InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Together Forever ❯ Sesshoumaru's Mate ( Chapter 21 )

Chapter Twenty-One: Sesshoumaru's Mate

Lia walked aimlessly through the large and elegant marble hallways of the Western palace. Servants went about their business, some sparring a nod and smile which she returned. Reaching a set of doors that lead out into one of the large gardens she smiled and went out into the bright sunshine. Following a stone path deeper into the heart of the garden she sighed and let her mind drift. Sitting down on the edge of a pond decorated with a water nymph statue she looked at her reflection.

Looking back up at her was the image of a girl around the age of seventeen with pale skin, a heart shaped face, short blonde hair with a purple streak down the right side, and dark blue eyes framed by thick dark lashes. Dipping her fingers into the water, shattering the image, she frowned slightly. Was this how her mother looked, maybe her father, or a mix of both? She didn't know, she could never know. She had no memories of her family; if she had any siblings, what her parents were like, or even the village she grew up in. As far as she knew her parents and family were dead. She didn't even know her true form. At the moment she was a neko youkai, her most favored form. Her brow furrowed at her current thoughts. She didn't care to think about her past to much, to her there were just too many loose ends. She had been living on her own since the age of five.

She came to the Western Lords palace when she was around the age of fourteen. The Western Lord, Sesshoumaru-sama, had needed a shape shifter to spy for him at a suspicious meeting of lower lords. She was young and cocky; full of energy and a bit of foolishness. Still, she had talent. Her fighting skills were much better now than they had ever been. She had gone as the spy for Sesshoumaru-sama and she was still a spy for him now. She chose not to stay at the palace to often but liked it more than ever since Sesshoumaru-sama had gotten a mate. She smiled fondly at the memory of meeting the Lady of the Western Lands for the first time. Lia was a kind person but a loner most often. When she had shied away from the Lady of the Western Lands, the Lady had just pulled her closer, and had thus become her closest friend.

She found comfort whenever her friend was near and she looked forward to seeing her each time she came to the palace. She knew that Sesshoumaru had become a better man, so to speak, because of his mate. Standing, she listened to a faint humming and followed it to a grove of sakura trees. There in the center of the grove next to a small pond, sitting on a large flat rock was the Lady of the Western lands. Lia listened to her humming and quickly recognized the song to be the same one she had sung once when her friend was with child. She gently wrapped her arms around her friends shoulder and hugged her. "Hey you, how've you been?" she asked. The humming stopped and her friend stood, returning the hug. "Fine, as always. What about you?" "I get by." She replied smiling. "Ah, I see. Meaning you've been fighting, traveling, and getting roughed up a bit, right?" A chuckle escaped Lia. "Smart ass." "But of course." Replied the Lady of the West.

Shaking her head Lia couldn't help but wonder how life would be without friends like hers. "I guess Sesshoumaru is rubbing off on you?" she asked playfully. Sapphire eyes twinkled mischievously. "What ever do you mean by that dear?" "Oh nothing; nothing at all." Lia said waving her hand as though to dismiss the question.

"LIA-CHAN!" Both women turned in time to see a silver blur running at Lia. Stooping, she caught the blur, which in truth was the prince and heir to the Western Lands; Rath, the only pup of the Lady and Lord of the West. "I missed you Lia-chan!" Rath cried snuggling into her warm embraced. "I missed you too Rath." She replied giggling slightly at his brightly smiling face. "Let's go in and have lunch." "Hai." Lia said following her friend inside with Rath still in her arms.

Lia smiled as she sat before the great fire in the prayer room. As she sat, her knees folded under her, the fire danced and leaped, its light making her hair shine a deep copper and her faded blue yukata and off white obi seemed laced a deep orange, she let the peace and power that radiated from the room wash over her and ease her as she thought. After a delicious lunch she had went to the prayer room to wait for the Lady of the west who had taken her son to his room for a nap. Lia chuckled out loud, remembering, the look that crossed Rath's face when he learned his mother wanted him to take a nap. It had taken ten minutes for Rath to be caught by his mother and carried off to his room all the while he still begged and struggled to avoid the nap. Lia almost felt bad, she had missed him but she knew that he was still young and needed to nap so he would be well. "Lia." Lia jumped to her feet and looked around. No one was in the room neither with her nor outside of it. And yet, she knew she had heard her name, spoken as if the owner of the voice was whispering. "Lia." Again she heard it and her breath caught as chills ran down her spine like icy fingers. She breathed and was shocked when she saw the cloud of white as her breath touched the now frigid air.

"Lia-sama, m'lady asks that you be ready to leave in ten minutes, she wishes for you to accompany her, she is going to go see m'lord Sesshoumaru-sama." A servant called through the finely carved oak doors. "I'll be there in a moment." Lia called, wrapping her arms around herself as the air once again warmed. With one last look at the fire she turned and left the room.

"My lady, are you sure that you'll be ok? Why not have some guards escort you?" Lia came to the front gates hearing Namiko, the ningen miko and friend to both her and the lady of the west, firing questions at her friend. "Yes, I'll be fine, Lia is going with me. No, I don't want the guards, I'd prefer to just go see him, and I'll be back within four days. Just watch Rath for me and keep things in order here." The lady of the west said as she checked to make sure she had everything she needed in her bag for the few days of travel. "Are you ready to go?" Lia asked.

After a nod and last good bye the two women set out, heading for the small summer palace Sesshoumaru was currently resting at. "So…what exactly do you need to see him for that it's so urgent that you gotta go to him when you know he's gonna be pissed?" Lia asked after they had been running northwest for a good three hours. "I'm going into heat by tomorrow night. He's been gone and I've been eating certain herbs to stop my heat. There is only one draw back though, it may keep other males from touching me and all however, if I take the herbs every month for a long while it will make me less fertile or if worst comes to worst, I will be unable to conceive all together." "No wonder your going to see him, but is that the only reason?" "No, I need to talk to him about some things." Lia nodded and looked ahead, knowing better than to prod. They stopped and made camp when the sun began to set. After eating a small dinner that had been sent with them by the palace cook, both women settled down and slept soundly after putting up powerful barriers to protect them.

Sunrise saw both women bathed and dressed while eating a light breakfast of fruit as they walked for the moment, letting the calming sounds of the forest wash over them. "This forest is to quiet." Lia snapped back to reality and looked over at her friend. "Yes, it is but, I don't feel anything evil here." "I know, you're not meant to feel it, but I do." "Where is it or better yet, what is it?" "Better to ask; who is it?" Lia felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. "Well who is it?" she asked, she was starting to feel the immense dark energy surrounding them. "Naraku....you can come out now." "Kukukuku...how nice to finally see you, Lady of the West." Naraku said as he slipped out from the shadows and stood before the two women.

"What do you want Naraku?" Lia watched as her friend raised her head high and spoke with Naraku. "Well, I merely came to see if the rumor was true." Naraku replied with a grin. The Lady of the West stood silently, frowning for a moment as Naraku looked her up and down once then grinned again. She shifted to her right and placed a hand on her left hip, making her crimson red dress with thigh high slits sway slightly and the silver chain that bore a dark waning moon crest brush against her hips. Her other hand came to clasp the silver chain around her neck with the same crest as the crest upon the chain that draped her hips. One leg was drawn slightly back, as if she was ready to run or dodge an attack, her red knee high leather and heeled boots making her seem slightly taller than she really was.

"And what, exactly, is this so called "rumor"?" The Lady of the West asked emotionlessly. "That Sesshoumaru really does have a mate, and that she really is beautiful like they say. It's no wonder they call you the beauty of the west." Naraku said with false adoration. "Well, now that you have seen I think its time for you to leave." Naraku smirked then bowed slightly. "As you wish m'lady." He said and in a swirling column of miasma he was gone. Lia looked around perplexed then turned to her friend who was chanting something under her breath. A glowing silver light radiated from her body and spread through the forest and seeped into the earth and rose like a mist into the sky. Lia looked on in awe as her friend used her power masterfully.

Looking up, the lady of the west smiled at Lia. "Let's go, Naraku can't come back into the Western lands for a while now." Lia nodded and followed her friend, they broke into a run and didn't stop till they reached a small palace, or at least it was small compared to the palace they had been at. Not wasting any time the two jumped right over the wall and into the garden. It was getting late; the sun was setting and almost hidden behind the mountains in the distance. Lia turned when she heard a small gasp, only to see a small human girl. "Hello sweetie, what's your name?" she asked. "Rin! Who're you?" Lia nodded to her friend who went off in search of Jaken.

"Jaken." Jaken spun around at the call of his name. "M-m-m'lady, wh-what are you doing here!?" he sputtered as his large yellow eyes got larger. Sapphire eyes narrowed and a small displeased frown formed on cherry red lips. "I am here to see Sesshoumaru, where is he?" "In the library m'lady. Shall I tell him you're here?" Jaken asked bowing low. "No, go play with Lia and the child." "Hai, m'lady, call if you need." Jaken said before scrambling away. Shaking her head, the lady of the west started towards the library, while masking her scent and presence.

Sesshoumaru looked over the books on the shelves for the hundredth time, sighing and yawning a bit as he found nothing interesting. He failed to notice his mate slip into the room as he picked up a book decorated in gold stars and crosses then put it down again and turned to his desk. "Sesshoumaru..." he looked up and nearly choked when he saw his mate. She smiled at him softly. "I needed to see you love." She whispered walking over to him. When she reached him he wrapped her in his arms and breathed in her scent of lavender, roses, and the faint scent of her starting to go into heat. He smiled as the faint smell of their pup, Rath, reached his sensitive nose. Hugging her closer to him he whispered her name softly, "Suaru."

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Special Thanks: Thanks soooo much to: Everyone who has reviewed, and a HUGE Special Thanks to: My muse and good friend KagomeReborn. She's the one making me update!

Suaru: Yay, they know who I am now!

Jade: *nods and continues to work*

Sess: SUARU!

Sua: SESSHY!!! *glomps him*

Sess: *cuddles with her*

KagomeReborn: *looms* REVIEW PLEASE!

Jade: Ja! *doesn't even look up*