InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unrequited ❯ Unrequited ( Chapter 1 )

“It's your move,” the demon said, his voice cool and disdainful.

 

Takemaru started, his mind had been far away. He flushed, not realizing that his companion had been waiting on him. “I apologize, my lord,” he answered, trying not to sound as abashed as he felt.

 

The great dog lord sighed, leaning back on his elbows. He lazily brushed his hair back from his forehead, affecting an air of utter boredom. “If you were not in the mood to play chess,” he said quietly. “Then why did you accept my invitation?”

 

Not meeting his lord's eyes, the human shrugged. “I am distracted, my lord. My father has chosen a bride for me. I don't think I can go through with this betrothal. It feels like a mistake.”

 

The Inu no Taishou grinned, a sparkle to his eyes that made Takemaru nervous and embarrassed at the same time. “Why?” he drawled. “Is she hideous? All women look alike in the dark.”

 

“She's beautiful,” Takemaru confessed. He waited for a moment just to see if the Inu no Taishou would comment further, only to be disappointed when he did not. He cleared his throat and tried not to sound like a child, rather like a man who commanded armies. The Inu no Taishou was not the easiest of companions and Takemaru had always felt a little bit smaller in his presence.

 

“It's a good match,” he said at last. “Our families have been allies for generations, it's only natural for our fathers to make this decision.”

 

“Then what is the problem?” his companion asked.

 

Takemaru was silent, hating himself for being bothered by it, hating him even more for not being bothered at all. As usual, he could sense that his companion was amused by his trite human emotions, his childishness, as the dog lord liked to put it. He was not a child; he was a man of five and twenty summers and had much more experience in the fields of battle than in the battles of the heart.

 

“She's not of my choosing,” Takemaru said at last, somewhat more stiff and formal than he wanted to be. “I feel I must refuse in order to be fair…”

 

The Inu no Taishou laughed harshly, his voice ringing like metal against metal in the quiet room. “Disobedient whelp,” he sneered. “You should concede to your father's wishes. If you were my son, I'd strike you down with my own hand for daring to defy my orders.”

 

Takemaru flushed. “My lord,” he began.

 

“You whine like a girl that your bride is not of your choosing; perhaps you are not ready to be married.” The demon's eyes were full of contempt. “You belong in the kitchens with the other women of your household.”

 

Stung, Takemaru got to his feet. He'd been a fool to expect anything like sympathy from the arrogant demon. The Inu no Taishou was used to getting his own way in everything, he commanded his demon armies with a brutal ease that left his enemies breathless and terrified. Nothing, not his own kin, not justice or a sense of honor, distracted him from his goals. Certainly he wouldn't have hesitated to kill his own offspring if defied, but Takemaru was human and not under his law.

 

“I can see this conversation is boring for you,” the younger man said, reaching for his sword and his armor. “Forgive me, my lord, but I must return to my duties before my men notice my absence.”

 

He hadn't taken a step towards the door when he heard the sound of claws against the rough wooden floor. Ice went down his spine as he felt the demon's annoyance, the cold golden eyes piercing his back. It was as if a chill wind had suddenly invaded the old, abandoned temple. Takemaru swallowed hard, realizing that he might have made an error in trying to leave so soon.

 

“I haven't dismissed you,” the demon lord murmured. “Have you forgotten that am not one you dare to trifle with, Setsuna Takemaru?”

 

He couldn't move, his feet were rooted to the floor. The demon's presence was overwhelming, filling the room with guarded malice. Takemaru's pulse began to race erratically as the Inu no Taishou stalked across the rough floor and stood just behind his shoulder.

 

“Have you forgotten our agreement?” the demon hissed, his breath hot against Takemaru's neck. “It is only by our…friendship…that I have agreed to spare your lands from my invading forces. It would sadden me to find that you no longer honored this friendship.”

 

He didn't have to say anything more, Takemaru's shoulders slumped in resignation and he nodded slowly. “I do value our friendship,” he murmured. “I apologize for my temper, my lord. It will not happen again.”

 

A low, vibrating growl was his answer and Takemaru felt heavy hands rest upon his shoulders. A hot tongue trailed across the nape of his neck and a fang grazed his ear. Takemaru shuddered, sickened by the desire that was pooling in his groin, the utter shame of what he agreeing to. The demon lord's friendship wasn't an easy thing to endure, but his animosity was far, far worse.

 

“Put your hands on the wall,” the Inu no Taishou ordered. Takemaru complied, spreading his legs and bracing himself. It always hurt, but it was a pain he'd learned to become accustomed to. The demon had no concept of gentleness, of mercy either, but Takemaru's body had adjusted to the lord's rough ways. Resistance would only mean more pain, but his acquiescence held the promise of pleasure.

 

Pleasure too intense for words, pleasure filled with shame and longing. Endless hot moments of desire and release, preceded by pain, followed by guilt, and matched by a sickening want that left him ashamed to be a man.

 

Takemaru gasped as the demon entered him with a single, swift thrust, his knees almost buckling from the strain of keeping his body upright. Claws like sharpened steel traced over his hips, steadying him in their incalculable strength as a warm fist engulfed him. He shuddered as that hand stroked him lazily, a demon's grin pressing into the back of his neck.

 

“So hard already?” the Inu no Taishou asked in mocking tone. “You are quite the whore, Setsuna Takemaru.”

 

So he had become, in the last three years since their first meeting. Takemaru closed his eyes as the demon lord set him a harsh pace; his own gasps and moans echoing while his partner always remained strangely silent. No endearments, however false, ever fell from the Inu no Taishou's lips, only a dark chuckle of amusement at the human's uncontrollable reaction.

 

Three years. He'd been fighting for his life against his father's enemies, having been separated from his men. There were no less than a half dozen of them and Takemaru was already wounded. Driven to his knees, his broken sword sent flying away from him, Takemaru had looked up to meet his death with angry eyes. Then, like dawn breaking through sullen clouds, he'd seen a flash of golden light.

 

Power had surged over him, knocking him cold, and when he'd awoken he'd looked up to see a radiant figure standing over him, and blood dripping from a massive sword.

 

“I dislike humans,” the glowing creature had said easily. “I dislike even more those who would use the advantage of numbers to defeat a single foe.”

 

Three years. Takemaru couldn't hold back a moan, feeling the demon's heat moving inside him, his body rising to meet his partner's slow thrusts. His wrists were numb, his hands taking most of the Inu no Taishou's force when his feet were lifted from the ground. The hand on his cock contracted, squeezing him hard and Takemaru cried out, his voice ragged as his climax tore through his body like an unrelenting and unstoppable invasion.

 

He felt the demon's spill running down the inside of his thighs then, hot and sticky, the musky scent of his inhuman lover filling his senses. It made Takemaru dizzy and he leaned heavily against the wall and would have slid to his knees if the Inu no Taishou hadn't supported his weight.

 

For three years now, he'd been the proxy of a demon's lusts, the recipient of an odd and untenable friendship. In return, the Inu no Taishou had taught him much about tactics and strategy, allowing Takemaru to reap the knowledge of his centuries of warfare. The dog general had also brought peace to a war-torn region, using his dark armies to quell those demonkind who would have attacked the human settlements.

 

Takemaru rather thought the Inu no Taishou just enjoyed the game, a whimsical benevolence for his human lover. He asked no tribute from Takemaru's people, no payment for his protection, only demanded that his young ally meet with him on the first night of the full moon and submit to whatever dark desires he had in mind. He never confessed any affection for him, never any acknowledgment of their relationship being anything more than that of lord and liege.

 

And each time Takemaru felt more like a whore, like a common prostitute that followed after an army's camp to ply her trade. He meant nothing to this man, this demon who enjoyed his subjugation enough to make it worth his while.

 

“I will see you again on the next moon,” the Inu no Taishou said, picking up his swords and sliding them into the brightly colored sash he wore over his armor. His golden eyes flashed with wicked amusement. “I suggest you adopt a more agreeable disposition for our next meeting, Setsuna Takemaru. I find this childish pouting of yours to be such a bore.”

 

Takemaru flushed with shame, his clothing still hanging open around his legs and a demon's seed drying on his skin. Impulsively, he dove forward and caught the sleeve of the elegant lord, getting a raised eyebrow in response.

 

“Do I really mean so little to you?” he asked urgently, his dark eyes fixed on the pale features of the Inu no Taishou's face. “Am I just a convenience, a toy that you'll throw away when you tire of me? You don't even care that I'm being forced into a marriage that I don't want…”

 

Laughing, the demon shook him off. “Of course I don't care,” he said lightly, his eyes sparkling with annoyance. “Our agreement doesn't change just because you take a wife. Take a dozen, have a dozen brats by each of them. Your problems do not concern me, Setsuna Takemaru. Only your body, and when I tired of using you, I will let you know.”

 

It was nothing he hadn't guessed, but it hurt and made him feel wretchedly used. Defiantly, he surged at the arrogant demon, wrapping his arms around the lord's neck and taking him by surprise with a hard kiss. He thrust his tongue into the Inu no Taishou's mouth so recklessly that he grazed a sharp fang and tasted his own blood.

 

It was their first kiss.

 

The Inu no Taishou backhanded him so hard that Takemaru crashed into the wall, hitting his head and sliding to his knees. Stars of light danced before his eyes and he was helpless to resist when the powerful lord grasped him by the throat and hauled him to his feet.

 

“You dare presume,” the demon hissed, his eyes sparkling with rage. He slapped the young man hard with his open palm. “I should tear out your tongue for that insolence!”

 

“I love you,” Takemaru gasped painfully, slowly strangling in his lover's grip. “Gods forgive me for it, you heartless monster, but I love you.”

Disgusted, the Inu no Taishou dropped him, leaving Takemaru crumpled on the floor. “I'm not interested in your love,” he muttered. “You forget your place, human. Mend your ways or the next time we meet, I will not be so merciful.”

 

“There's not going to be a next time,” Takemaru whispered, watching as the great dog lord strode away and vanished in a flash of light. “I'd rather die than let you use me anymore. Farewell, Inu no Taishou.”

 

~o*O*o~

 

The next moon came and went with no sign of his human lover, and then another before the Inu no Taishou decided he was angry enough to do something about it. He hated to be defied, but he'd been prepared to spare the boy's life in return for his contrite apologies and abject submission. He briefly considering laying the countryside to waste in retribution, but realized with sullen clarity that it would be expected.

 

He was a dark and violent demon lord, but he hated to be thought of as predictable. No, Takemaru's defiance would have to be answered with something more subtle and more worthy of their friendship. Such were the thoughts that turned in his mind as he walked the lands, slowly gnawing at his anger until the taste became familiar in his mouth.

 

Then he found his wayward Setsuna Takemaru, and luck was with the Inu no Taishou because he also found her.

 

The girl was quite lovely, a soft, round face and large eyes. The Inu no Taishou felt contempt stirring his blood as Takemaru laughed and blushed, obviously enjoying the company of his betrothed. He found himself vastly annoyed with the way she simpered up at the young man, so proper with her maidenly blushes and attending ladies. He leaned against a tree, wondering how Takemaru could find himself attracted to such an innocent creature.

 

She'd never be able to answer the dark lusts he had given the young man a taste for. She'd be a wench in his bed, sliding out brat after human brat. She'd wither and age, her soft face growing lean and leathery with the swift years of her kind. She'd never shine so brightly as a single star, she'd never burn her husband to the core with raging passion.

 

But she'd be his wife, the mother of his children and his solace on the dark and lonely nights when Takemaru couldn't help but remember…

 

I love you…

 

“Maybe not,” he murmured, watching as Setsuna Takemaru took his leave of his sweet-faced human princess. The young man impulsively plucked a flower from the garden where they were walking, dared to put it behind the girl's ear. The Inu no Taishou watched as she giggled with her ladies, letting them pull her towards the manor house.

 

“Sickening,” he muttered. A brisk wind caused the women's clothing to flap suddenly, pulling their hair into long, black tendrils. He watched as the flower Takemaru had picked was carried over her garden wall.

 

Such a delicate thing is a flower. Once plucked the freshness of the bloom can only fade.

 

The Inu no Taishou walked slowly towards the manor house, a faint smile creasing his lips as he considered his options. He knelt to pick up the escaped blossom, idly twirling the stem between his fingers as he thought.

 

Seduce the child away from her betrothed, fill her with his seed and have her bear his offspring. Have her renounce her betrothal, her family, her race and cling to him, a wild monster whose motivations she would never be able to truly understand.

 

He crushed the flower between his fingers, letting the dark red petals fall to the ground like drops of blood. Takemaru would learn the foolishness of declaring his love so rashly and then forgetting the value of friendship.

 

The Inu no Taishou laughed softly to himself. He was going to enjoy this.