InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tomaru's Story 2: Prejudice ❯ Chapter 9

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Tomaru: Oi, woman! What happened? You forgot about me!
 
Dragonfly: Ah, gomen, gomen. I've been a little Naruto-obsessed lately and most of my writing and drawing focus has been on my new Naruto fanfic, “Flowers in the Sand.”
 
Tomaru: What the hell? What does that stupid Naruto story have that mine doesn't??
 
Dragonfly: (fangirl-obsessed-dreamy sigh, complete with heart eyeballs and goofy grin) Gaara…
 
Tomaru: Gaara??? That no-eyebrow-ed freak with the tattoo above his left eye? The one who proves his existence by killing others?
 
Dragonfly: (dreamily) That'd be him.
 
Tomaru: Kami, woman! If you wanted someone like that, why didn't you keep old Uncle Yasha alive? Yeah, wench! Plus, I've got dog ears! (twitches said appendages)
 
Dragonfly: (shrug) They're cute, but nothing can beat that emotionless, death-dealer attitude- especially when he's no longer a merciless killer.
 
Tomaru: (shakes head) No wonder you adore my father.
 
Dragonfly: Me and millions of other girls. Now, anything pertinent you want to add before I get started?
 
Tomaru: Woot! I got to kiss Haruko! Beat that, you snot-nosed whelps!
 
Chapter 9
 
Haruko's sapphire eyes flew wide with the kiss as he tightened his hold on her, the sensation of his mouth pressed against hers totally foreign and altogether… too delightful. She put her hands on his chest in preparation to push him away, when her willpower simply dissipated.
 
Marveling at the firm contours of his chest under his haori, Haruko let her eyes slide closed. Tomaru deepened the kiss, dipping his tongue inside her mouth to run lightly over her fangs. She dug her claws ever so slightly into his haori, gripping the material as if it were her only hold on the physical world.
 
As quickly as he had pulled her into his arms, he tore himself away from her. Staggering slightly- so slightly that anyone else might not have noticed- he turned away, clutching his head with one hand as if in pain. “I… I'm sorry…” he whispered hoarsely, his voice sounding much more normal than it had right before he kissed her. “It… it won't… happen… again.”
 
Without giving Haruko time to digest that and respond, he ran off down the hallway away from her, leaving the inu princess standing alone and feeling extremely confused.
 
Okay… did I miss something? What just happened?
 
You got kissed, honey, her youkai replied cheerfully. And quite well, I might add.
 
Oh, be quiet! I hate him, in case you've forgotten.
 
Her youkai chuckled. You weren't hating him a minute ago when he had his tongue in your mouth.
 
The reminder of his kiss brought a well-deserved blush to her cheeks. How could I have let him kiss me? Or worse, let him enthrall me like that?
 
The dog's a magician- that's for sure.
 
I told you to keep quiet!
 
Something's odd though…
 
Haruko huffed mentally. No kidding.
 
I'm serious. Surely you noticed how his voice and eyes changed? And why did his crescent symbol disappear? Something doesn't smell right.
 
She sighed and headed off toward her room. I agree, but it doesn't really matter. As soon as I talk to Father, we'll get this stupid betrothal broken and find someone else to help the Northern Lands. I refuse to marry an unfaithful lecher like that damn Tomaru.
 
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What the hell is wrong with you, old man? Why'd you take over like that? And worse yet, why'd you kiss her?
 
Inuyasha's soul seemed to shrug inside Tomaru's mind. She made me mad. It was either kiss her or kill her.
 
You really are a complete baka! Did you have these same insane urges when you were traveling with Mother?
 
Yeah, but at least then I was able to go out and kill errant youkai instead of killing her. There was no way in hell I was going to kiss her. Inuyasha's soul seemed to blush.
 
Do you know how fucking weird it is to have your mother's old boyfriend inside your head? Why did you have to be reincarnated as me?
 
Hey- not my choice, pup. I just do what the Big Guy tells me.
 
Well, down here I'm the big guy, so you need to start listening to me and stop taking over like that! Girls find me repulsive enough because I'm a hanyou- I don't need the one female I'm trying to attract to run off screaming because I've got a dual personality.
 
I don't trust that wolf, pup. Never did trust that mangy wolf and that rolls over to his spawn.
 
Niji is not spawn! She is the most beautiful youkai I've ever seen!
 
That Haruko's one pretty hanyou, though. Why toss her aside like that?
 
Tomaru growled, clenching a fist against the wall. She's… she's…
 
She's not a full youkai. And you want a full youkai as your mate.
 
Strange bit of insight for the old dog to have. Tomaru scowled and continued walking down the hallway, heading outside for some fresh morning air. It's not like I wouldn't still help the Northern Lands, he thought lamely. But if Niji would become my mate… then both the Western and the Southern Lands could help out. Those Toras wouldn't have a chance.
 
And you call me a baka! What makes you think Kouga would agree to that, even if you did mate Niji? Kouga would probably completely bypass you and have his son mate Haruko!
 
The thought of that cocky wolf and the inu princess mated, with a litter of little wolf/dog hanyou pups, almost made him explode. There's no way Kouga would do that, he replied, but there was no conviction behind his thoughts.
 
Inuyasha snorted. I know that mangy wolf, pup. And he'd do it, if only to mess with me, because he knows that you are my reincarnation.
 
Damn! He hadn't thought of that. Kouga still bore a friendly grudge against Inuyasha, but he would be the type to deny Tomaru the chance to mate with Niji.
 
And here's a final thought, whelp, Inuyasha added. Just because Niji is a full youkai doesn't make her any better or worse than Haruko. In fact, I think you've met your match in that spitfire wench.
 
Hence the reason you kissed her, eh? Tomaru snorted.
 
Inuyasha's soul seemed to blush again. Hey- you weren't making any moves, so I thought I'd just… give you a nudge in the right direction.
 
Tomaru sighed. I wonder if I can find an exorcist…
 
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“Father, you have to call this off!” Haruko pleaded with Kuroki. “He's just a faithless hentai! I saw him!”
 
Kuroki regarded his beloved daughter coolly. “So I hear. Faithless, no. Hentai- that remains to be proven. So far, he only kissed you. And he has that right as your betrothed.”
 
Haruko blushed furiously. “How… how did you hear about that?”
 
The Lord of the Northern Lands chuckled. “I am your father, Hime,” he reminded her, using his pet name for her- not just because she was an actual princess, but because she was his princess, his little girl. “Surely by now you've realized that I know everything.”
 
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, how remorse of me to have forgotten that the almighty Lord Kuroki knows all and sees all,” she replied drolly.
 
He nodded as if her words weren't spoken in sarcasm. “Part of being your father, I'm afraid. It's a job hazard.”
 
“That's not the point, Father,” she protested. “The point is that he was openly flirting with that… that… bitch… and I was standing right next to him!”
 
He chuckled again. “Are you jealous, Haruko?”
 
She blushed furiously, her ears twitching madly. “Of course not! But if he's supposed to be my betrothed, he should bloody well act like it!”
 
“You are jealous. And it delights me, Hime.”
 
“Grrrr!” Haruko howled between clenched teeth and whirled around, proceeding to stalk out of her father's amused presence.
 
Sesshoumaru watched her go from his spot in the shadows. “She reminds me of someone,” he murmured with a hint of humor in his normally stoic voice.
 
Kuroki stroked his chin thoughtfully, with a half-grin on his face. “Two someones, actually… Kagome-“
 
“And Kumiko,” Sesshoumaru finished, allowing himself a tiny smile. “Both ningen, both stubborn to a fault.”
 
“Ah, my sweet Kumiko,” Kuroki said, growing quite sad. “I wish…”
 
“I know, old friend,” Sesshoumaru replied softly. “You have been hanging on for nearly two decades- if it was not for your need for Haruko to mate and supply an heir, you would have followed your mate soon after her demise.”
 
The older inu youkai sighed heavily. “Oh, how I long for death. Being parted from my beloved brings more pain than physical wounds. Pain that never relents.”
 
Sesshoumaru sat down again in his previous position across a small Shogi table from Kuroki. “Whose turn was it?” he asked, changing the subject deftly.
 
“Yours, and you know it,” Kuroki muttered good-naturedly. “But I doubt that you will be able to save yourself from defeat from my superior strategy.”
 
“Superior strategy, my left foot. It is just pure, blind luck.”
 
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Kagome looked up from where she sat on the grassy hill, reading aloud to Haya. Komichi and Shippou were playing- or rather, wrestling- not too far distant, and only two of her remaining four daughters were present- Rin and Aiko, who were busy talking about some girlish topic, gauging by their giggles. “Tomaru… what's wrong?”
 
Tomaru flopped on the grass- a sure indication that something was bothering him. Whenever he had a problem, his “tai-youkai” attitude and demeanor went right out the window. And for the past few months, that aloof manner had been completely absent, meaning that he'd been under some pressure for some time. “Nothing.”
 
“Liar,” his mother replied as Haya crawled off her lap and into her brother's. “Try again.”
 
He sighed. “Mother, how… do you feel about… Uncle Inuyasha?”
 
Whatever she had been preparing herself for, that wasn't it. She blinked in utter surprise. “Inuyasha? Why do you ask?”
 
Silence. “I think… I think he's trying to take over. I think he wants to… be me.”
 
Kagome looked utterly perplexed. “Sweetie, I don't think he can. He's your soul- you're him and he's you. You're not two different people.”
 
“But we are!” Tomaru protested loudly. “He's inside me! He took over when I found out Father was arranging my marriage to Haruko, and he took over again just now and kissed her!”
 
She blinked again. “You kissed Haruko? Willingly?”
 
“Yes… no! No, Uncle Yasha did it… Oh, I don't know!” he managed to say. “All I know is that one minute she and I were fighting and the next, Uncle Yasha had taken over my body again and was kissing her!”
 
“And this upset you?”
 
Tomaru ran a clawed hand through his hair, his ears drooped. Haya looked at her mother worriedly. “I don't love her, Mom,” he whispered. “I can't love her.”
 
Something deeper was going on here than Kagome suspected. “Why can't you? She's a lovely girl, and she's absolutely delightful with your siblings. I've never seen such a friendly girl, youkai, hanyou, or ningen.” She smiled. “Well, except for your sisters, of course.”
 
Tomaru leaned forward so that his silver bangs fell over his eyes, shadowing them. “I can't. I… I want Niji. I want Kagetsuniji as my mate, not Haruko.”
 
Kagome could hear something in his voice, something that indicated that there was more to his declaration. “Niji is a stunning woman,” she agreed, “but there is more to a woman than just what meets the eye. Why is having Niji as your mate so important to you?”
 
“Just… because!” Tomaru finally exploded. He stood up, unmindful of the fact that Haya was still in his lap. “Forget it. I'm going to the Wolf Dens and find Kouga. I'm going to tell him I want Niji as my mate.”
 
“Are you a complete baka?” Kagome cried, looking extremely irate. “You agreed to marry Haruko! You can't just break off a betrothal that you agreed to just because you're attracted to some other girl! I raised you to be better than that!”
 
“I still plan to offer aid to the Northern Lands,” Tomaru informed her with his back to her. “And with Niji as my mate, the Southern Lands can help as well.”
 
By now, Kagome was nearly fuming. “What in the name of Kami happened to you, Tomaru?? You're acting as hardheaded and as short-sighted as Inuyasha!”
 
“Exactly, Mother,” Tomaru replied, his voice back to emotionless coolness. “As you said- I am him and he is me.”
 
“And he agrees with your choice?”
 
He didn't answer her, which, to her, was answer enough. “Farewell, Mother. Next time we see each other, you will have a daughter-in-law.” He strode away, heading for his rooms to change before leaving for the Southern Lands.
 
“Oh, Inuyasha,” Kagome whispered, hanging her head and letting the tears fill her eyes. “What have you done to my son?”