InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ War's Shadow ❯ Half-Bred ( Chapter 12 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

12 – Half-Bred

Elif found her attention wandering. She supposed the proper thing to do in such a situation as a burial would be to mindfully mourn the dead, think kindly of them in some way, but she found that her heart was devoid of much feeling for Ashihei. He had gotten what he'd deserved for making such a stupid, suicidal decision. Unfortunately, Ashitera had had to pay for her father's mistake and that thought did manage to dig its claws into her.

Of course Ashihei would attempt to flee and leave the girl to burn to death in the house. The child had been an apparition to him, barely substantial enough to hold his interest for more than a moment at a time. Elif was furious. She was angry for more reasons than she could name, and at more people than her swirling brain could count. The early morning wind ruffled her loose hair, and her eyes flickered coldly from face to face, each rest of the eyes holding that person accountable in some measure.

Her father was responsible for sending the girl off to that damnable fortress to be lost in that battle. She hadn't belonged there alongside all of those carousing, foul-mouthed, drunkard soldiers. Kawahira had been too busy scheming over Sashe to do his job properly, and she supposed she assumed some of that responsibility for distracting him in the first place. And then there was Sesshoumaru ….

She wondered if it was insane in some way to adore him beyond all reason, even when he despised her in return. She also wondered if it was crazy to be certain she would do absolutely anything for him, even if she hated him with an equal amount of conviction. She wanted to know if he knew his thoughtless ransacking of that fortress had resulted in the death of someone completely innocent. But, then again, she doubted he would care. Wasn't that one of the qualities she had always admired in him? The "go-to-hell, I-do-as-I-please" attitude he lived by?

Her head ached from all the contradictions. The morning sun wasn't helping any. It was sending a horrific glare into her eyes, one that would stay blocked if Keito would quit shifting about, but he was clearly restless and as ready for this to be over as she was.

How fitting for Ashihei. We have about as much time for him now as he had for Ashitera, Elif thought bitterly.

As soon as her father turned to move from the grave site, Elif wasted no time in likewise swiveling and walking away. Unfortunately, she did not make her escape quickly enough, because a heavy hand wrapped itself around her arm, slowing her steps to match those of the hand's owner.

"Did you know anything of what Sashe had planned?" Eizan's voice sounded next to her ear, still raspy and not at all as formidable as usual. She was honestly surprised to see him here today, as he still looked as though he was completely capable of dropping dead at her feet. Elif found that that would be terribly convenient, considering the close proximity to the family burial site.

"No, Father, I had no idea," Elif said stiffly, keeping her eyes focused straight ahead of her. But that would be because she was not the one who planned it. For the hundredth time, Elif wondered why she was allowing Sashe to be blamed for it. Half of her wanted very much to take credit for the act. But, of course, the other half didn't want to die.

She glanced at Eizan out of the corner of her eye, wondering if he was truly capable of it. Would he deal as drastically with her as he had with her mother? Or would he behave as Kawahira had, rant and rave at her for it, warn her with idle threats, and then write it off as reckless infatuation?

"She betrayed me," he muttered petulantly.

You betrayed her first. Does an attempt to kill Kanaye ring a bell, old man? she thought snidely. But instead of uttering that she tried to be sweet and consoling. She loosened his grip on her arm and wrapped her hand in his as they walked. Again, she wondered how sane it was to love someone as much as you despised them. It was so normal with her, for that was how she seemed to relate to everyone in her life.

"She wanted to save Inuyasha. You can hardly fault her for that, Father," Elif sighed out.

He did not reply, and so they continued to walk hand-in-hand. Elif could recall how often they had interacted like this when she had been a child. She had clung to him back then as a god to be worshipped. Then she had grown older and let go. And now here I am again, deciding whether or not to let go ….

"Can I trust you, Elif?"

Oddly, that question stabbed at her like a knife. She didn't know if it was the uncertain tone in which he had asked it, its simplicity, or her guilt, but it turned her blood cold. Or maybe it was because it hadn't been very long since she would have responded with a laugh and an "Of course you can trust me, Father! What kind of question is that?"

Now, though, her first thought was, No, you can't, and because of that, don't tell me anything. Her voice, however, betrayed them both. "Yes, you can trust me," she said quietly. She glanced at him to find her own eyes mirrored back at her. She wondered if hers veiled her emotions as well as his did. She released his hand.

"I need to speak with Kawahira," she murmured, falling out of step and turning back toward Ashihei's grave.

Her brother was standing alone, and so she figured this was the best opportunity to catch him out of earshot of anyone else. From three brothers to two, she thought grimly. And, very likely, I'll have none by the end of this.

His expression was unreadable, but she doubted he was taking a moment to grieve, so she approached him. She supposed he didn't even know Ashihei very well, as Kawahira had been grown to adulthood and off taking care of his father's business even before Ashihei had been born. Still, there was something unsettling about any loss such as this. To have a presence taken from one's life, whether good or bad, was jolting.

"That was quite the heart-warming scene between you and Father," he said slyly, the tone ringing with sarcasm as he turned his head to acknowledge her approach.

"I'm ambivalent toward him, but aren't we all?"

"Without question."

They both fell quiet, listening as a crow cawed loudly from its perch in a nearby fir tree; Kawahira because he was prone to silence, Elif because she was summoning her nerve. "Kawahira…."

"Hmm?"

"I'm going to go speak to Sesshoumaru."

"Are you so anxious to die, Elif?"

"You would kill me over that?" she asked, appalled, her carefully repressed anger coming out in the snapped inquiry.

He glanced at her again. "I've never harmed you. You're lucky to have that history with me."

"I'm telling you because I know you watch me and I didn't want it to come as a surprise. It's not as though I can tell him anything. You all keep me completely in the dark."

"What could you possibly have to say to him?

"I need to ask him something. That is all. It's personal."

Kawahira heaved a heavy, uncharacteristic sigh. "Elif …."

She waited for the stern lecture, but it never came. He just fell silent again, and said nothing else.

"Please, find a way to stop all of this."

"It's a little late for that," he answered the request grimly, gesturing toward Ashihei's grave. "Besides, someone needs to put that mutt in his place. He behaves as though he is invincible, untouchable. It is never wise to allow anyone in a position of power, particularly an enemy, to reach that point."

"He'll kill you, Kawahira," Elif said with quiet certainty. It was all starting to weigh so heavily on her. She felt as though she was going to be crushed. No matter how all of this ended, she was going to lose.

Kawahira apparently caught onto her morose mood. He grinned disarmingly and tugged on a strand of her hair, inciting the glare he was aiming for. "So little faith in me?"

"It's not about faith or lack of it, Aniki," she exhaled wearily. "I'm just afraid."

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It had been Rin who had finally convinced Zadi that leaving Ashitera with them was best for everyone concerned. It removed a pawn from Eizan's grasp, allowing Zadi to act with more freedom, as the girl's fate would no longer be held over her head. It also kept Ashitera from being moved to Eizan's home, which was soon going to be a battleground if Kanaye had any say in the matter.

As he walked ahead of them and considered the uneasy quiet that had fallen on the north in recent days, Sesshoumaru decided he would take advantage of the lull to see to something he had been neglecting for a while. A quick conversation with Kanaye had the elder demon volunteering to arrange the details of the meeting. Kanaye was obviously bored, and with that came an incessant sniping between him and Inuyasha, so Sesshoumaru was nothing short of pleased to see him go.

Perhaps it would be best for his temper if he locked them all in the cellar of his home and took care of everything on his own, Sesshoumaru thought, as Kanaye took his leave from their group. Sesshoumaru came out of this satisfying thought to find Inuyasha walking alongside him, hands shoved into his sleeves, apparently attempting a thoughtful expression.

"What?" he asked.

"The girls are getting tired. We probably ought to stop eventually."

"Is that so?" Sesshoumaru asked in a tone of mild boredom. Rather, your girl is getting tired, he thought disdainfully.

Inuyasha glared at him. "What's that smirk about? It's not funny."

"I agree, Inuyasha, it is anything but funny," Sesshoumaru replied seriously. What was funny about another generation of Inuyashas running around, mucking up the entire countryside with their tiresome bravado, excessive trouble-making, and embarrassingly limited vocabulary? He could think of very few things that were less amusing. "If your woman is tired, then stop. It does not concern me, so I can't imagine why you are bothering me with such trivial details."

"Can you force yourself to have one civil conversation?"

"You are still standing upright, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru absently reminded him. "This is civil."

Inuyasha's mouth shut itself then, but he continued to glare for all he was worth. Finally, he asked, "Do you want to fight it out?"

"What are you babbling about?"

"You've obviously got some problem with me. Get the monkey off your back, Sesshoumaru. Come on," Inuyasha said, holding up one hand in what Sesshoumaru assumed was supposed to be a threatening gesture.

Sesshoumaru stopped suddenly and turned to face him, causing the entire group to come up short behind him. "You are the monkey, Inuyasha. The only way to "get you off my back", as you say, is to remove you from this plane of existence. Since I have chosen, for a reason I have yet to determine, not to take the more convenient route and end your life, I am forced to look at you day after day, parasite that you are, because you persist in following me like an unwanted pet. I wonder why this is, but as it is impossible to understand your woefully underdeveloped brain, I have given up and accepted the fact that you intend to shadow me for all of eternity, swinging our father's sword like a tree trunk, bellowing an endless vocabulary of four-letter words, constantly attempting to either drive me mad or gain my attention in some pathetic way, be it positive or negative."

Sesshoumaru stopped his speech and saw Inuyasha staring back at him, open-mouthed and wide-eyed. At least it shut him up … for the moment.

"How long have you been saving that one up?" Inuyasha asked, sounding more awed than offended.

"How old are you, Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru asked snidely in return.

"Man, I don't think I've ever heard you string that many words together."

"Do I need to explain their meaning to you?" Sesshoumaru questioned, turning to glance back at the gawking audience that was Jaken, Rin, Kagome, the wolf, and the dragon beast. Only Ashitera seemed uninterested, likely mostly because she was securely unconscious in Rin's lap. Sesshoumaru looked away from them and started walking once more. Within moments, the heavy lumbering of Ah-Un could be heard trailing behind him. Inuyasha fell into step with him once more, arms folded in his sleeves again.

"So…"

"What?" Sesshoumaru bit out the word. It is truly endless.

"You wanna fight it out?" Inuyasha offered again.

Sesshoumaru stopped short again and glanced dangerously at Inuyasha. "I won't go easy on you."

"Do what you gotta do, just don't give me any more of those speeches. That was pathetic."

"You two …" Rin called warningly, but just as the brothers prepared to go into battle mode, Sesshoumaru's head swiveled quickly to look toward the forest behind him. Wordlessly, he turned and disappeared in a flash.

"Heh!" Inuyasha called after him. "Cowwwwward!"

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To Sesshoumaru, it looked as thought she was just waiting for him. Elif was pacing lightly back and forth, an action she paused only when he materialized in front of her. He was not at all surprised to see her, nor was he shocked to find her demeanor completely changed from flirtatious to something more serious, distanced. He had expected anger, however, something to reflect Ashihei's loss. Instead, he saw … nothing.

"Is this about Ashihei?" he questioned, forgoing the usual desire to remove her from his general vicinity. There was something about her that was throwing him off. She even looked somewhat different, but he couldn't place the change.

"In a manner of speaking," she replied, the words coming out with some difficulty. Now that she was here, Elif was having a problem with deciding what to say … or to ask? She wasn't sure what she wanted to hear from him.

"I did kill him," Sesshoumaru admitted. He eyed her, but she showed little reaction to that. Sesshoumaru found that he preferred the more volatile Elif to the one who had shown up. The uncharacteristic tranquility was disconcerting.

"I know. That wasn't surprising. He acted without thought to the consequences."

"You're inordinately calm."

She shook her head, smiled slightly and, absent of that haughty expression she normally wore, Sesshoumaru could pinpoint some of what was bothering him about her. She reminded him very much of the shy, quiet girl who had routinely visited his father's house as a child. It was as though something had recently been sucked out of her; something overbearing and obnoxious.

"That's interesting because I don't feel calm at all," she admitted. Her expression changed some then, became sadder, and he had a horrified suspicion that she was considering crying in front of him. He unconsciously took a step backward, as though to distance himself from that.

"You're all just going to kill each other, aren't you?" she asked. "I've realized that recently and I'm not sure why it took me this long. Before … it was fun and games, I suppose. Sesshoumaru made his move, we made ours, and back and forth …."

"Elif, why are you here?" he questioned, wondering if she was in the process of some sort of mental breakdown that she was going to force him to witness.

"I suppose …," she paused, then went on, "I think I'm trying to see if my friend still exists." She caught the frown he immediately leveled on her and kept talking, words tumbling out in an effort to say themselves before he decided to chase her off. "You see, my problem is very similar to Sashe's. She latched onto and defended something that was never real to begin with, except in her own mind. I wonder if I have done the same. Have I done this much damage for someone who hates me so much? You're the only one that can tell me that."

He said nothing, simply stared back at her.

"I am not angry with you for Ashihei's death," she went on in an even quieter voice. "Because, ultimately, the responsibility lies with me. If I had looked the other way, you would not have been at Inuyasha's village that night, my father would not have been incapacitated, there would not have been that confusion, and Ashihei would not have involved himself."

"There is no answer that I can give you to alleviate your feelings of guilt," Sesshoumaru finally replied.

Elif nodded and swallowed back a growing lump in her throat. It was strange how she hadn't been aware of just how upset she was by all of this until she had come here, and seen him, and said all of this. "Then maybe you can give me some information to help the one thing I do hate you for."

"And what is that?" he asked with mild curiosity.

"Did you see a child while you were there? A little girl?"

Sesshoumaru's mind came up with several replies to that. The kind one would have been the revelation that the child she was referring to was alive, well, and among his group. Sesshoumaru, however, did not consider himself kind and did not feel an explanation was in the best interests of anyone at this point. "No child died on that island," he finally stated truthfully.

Immediately, she opened her mouth to argue that. "You may not have seen her, but she---!"

"Elif," Sesshoumaru broke in impatiently. "I did not say that I didn't see a child."

She didn't say anything, just stared back at him in awe, as though trying to decide if he was lying. "Where is she?"

"I'm not going to discuss it further."

"Sesshoumaru!"

He frowned at her. "Your brother is dead. His child is not. You have the information you came for, now go home."

"So she's a hostage!"

"When have you known me to take hostages?" he asked curiously. "That is cowardly, which is why it is fitting that Sashe is one."

"She's a prisoner, not a hostage. There's a difference."

"Her status will change as soon as it's convenient for Eizan." Sesshoumaru smiled thinly. "Tell your father that he will be fortunate if his death comes from me. Kanaye is planning something slower for him, and he has a cruel streak that often exceeds my own."

Elif shook her head slowly, more disbelieving than negative. "I can't tell him anything for you. It's in my best interests for him not to know that I even came here," she revealed half-questioningly.

Sesshoumaru caught on. "At this time, your best interests coincide with mine. I have no intention of speaking to Eizan about anything."

Nodding at that, Elif smiled genuinely this time as she turned to take her leave. She laughed lightly and added, "I think there's something sad in my feeling better about Ashitera being with you, rather than us."

Sesshoumaru's face remained impassive. "I never said she was with me."

The enigmatic exchange was broken up when Inuyasha came striding through the trees, ears and eyes already perked up at the sight of Sesshoumaru conversing with a random female demon. Sesshoumaru expected a stupid comment, because that's what one tended to receive from the hanyou, and Inuyasha failed to disappoint him.

"Two-timing?"

Elif caught the look of pure loathing Sesshoumaru sent toward the half-demon, and decided now was time to leave. "Warning you that night saved your brother and killed mine," she said, inclining her head toward Inuyasha. "I hope he was worth it to you, Sesshoumaru."

"Heh … she's got us figured out all wrong, doesn't she?" Inuyasha finally broke the silence after her departure.

"We agree on that much, brat."

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Kagome had decided to liken the whole affair with Eizan to some sort of Feudal Era boxing match. He and Sesshoumaru would both come out with the intention of tearing each other's heads off, then fall back to their own respective corners. She supposed Sesshoumaru's sudden decision to return to his home was, in essence, the same as him retiring to his corner. It was still a decision that caught her off guard, but then she had little idea of what was going on beyond what occurred within their own little group. Sesshoumaru was as tight-lipped and condescending as ever, and never gave reasons to them for his decisions, which was likely the main source for the building tension between himself and Inuyasha.

Inuyasha was used to being the leader. He didn't like being told what to do, most especially by Sesshoumaru of all people. That was why Kagome had been forced to listen to their childish sniping while trailing behind them on the way to the house.

But, then again, at least it kept Inuyasha's attention diverted from her, she thought guiltily. She still wasn't completely convinced that Sesshoumaru was telling the truth about the baby, and there was certainly a side of him that loved to torment people, so there was precedent for a lie, however ….

I'll have to tell Inuyasha. Then we can fight it out. If he makes me go back, he's coming with me, she thought defiantly. She must have been wearing an expression to match that defiance, because Inuyasha looked back at her and did a double-take.

"What…?" he asked suspiciously, one ear flicking.

"Hmmm? Nothing," she replied with a shake of her head, looking away from him and eyeing instead the massive wolf that was loping a few steps behind herself and Rin. For her part, Rin was studiously ignoring it, but Kagome could guess at her feelings by her stiff posture. The girl looked like she was going to break in half. She was constantly on the alert, as though prepared for the moment when he would give in to his baser instincts and decide that she looked like lunch. Thankfully, Rin was also consistently distracted by the little half-demon girl.

Ashitera was proving that she was quite the rambunctious little thing. She alternated between sleeping soundly on Ah-Un, and waking up with new reserves of energy that were spent flitting about in childish play. Kagome thought how odd it was that she had adjusted so well with them in such a short amount of time. She had taken very well to Rin and herself, adored the wolf with a passion that made Rin sickeningly nervous, and routinely pestered Inuyasha once she had discovered that he, like her, was only half demon.

The only person she seemed to consciously hold back from was Sesshoumaru, which Kagome found not terribly surprising. He didn't exactly give off an aura of welcome and ignored the girl so thoroughly that Kagome was beginning to wonder if he actually realized she was still following behind him.

The entire group was caught off guard when Ashitera caught sight of an adorable, lop-eared bunny and ran off toward the forest with all the speed her short legs could gather. In a motion that looked to all but give Rin a heart attack, the wolf leapt up and hauled after the girl with a four-legged sprint that easily caught up with her. Horrified, Kagome expected to hear shrieks of terror, as apparently did Inuyasha, whose own distrust in the wolf manifested in his own chase after the beast.

Frozen, Kagome and Rin watched as the hanyou grasped the wolf around the throat from behind, tackling the enormous creature in a completely undignified sprawl. The wolf clawed, struggled, and snapped, until Kagome was certain it had finally gone mad just as Rin had feared it would. When Inuyasha refused to loosen his hold, the beast's enormous head turned around and its jaws latched onto his shoulder with a ferocity that incited the half-demon to bellow a curse.

Sesshoumaru, appearing bored and above it all as usual, finally seemed to take notice and moved to intervene. Kagome expected him to end the conflict by dispatching the wolf, but instead, he surprised them all by halting just behind Ashitera, who was kneeling down in the tall, wild grass, only the top of her head visible.

She was just reaching a hand into what looked to be a rabbit's burrow when he caught her wrist and pulled her backward. A red-eyed, fanged creature snapped outward, as though in a last ditch effort to secure its lunch, but it was dead with one claw swipe. Instantly, the wolf released its hold on Inuyasha and calmed.

"So … was that a rescue or a coincidence?" Inuyasha questioned Sesshoumaru of the wolf's bizarre behavior, poking irritatedly at the fang holes in his fire rat's fur coat. "Because I'm inclined to kill it either way."

They watched as Ashitera, completely unperturbed by it all, held out a trusting hand and called the wolf, which immediately trotted over to her with a wagging tail to find itself rewarded with a good ear-scratching.

"It appeared to be defensive, which is its purpose," Sesshoumaru stated.

Inuyasha got back to his feet, still glaring at the beast. "I bet that bastard Kouga trained it to eat me."

"Then I am continually discovering reasons to keep it around," Sesshoumaru announced coolly.

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"Can I touch them?"

With a mixture of appall and offense filtering across his face, Inuyasha glanced at Ashitera who, along with the wolf, was perched on one of the top steps that led up to the house, likely as bored as he was. The girl was eyeing his ears with rapt fascination and looked to be holding back from reaching for them by the barest thread of restraint.

"No," he growled. "Grow your own."

Instead of being chastised, the child giggled hysterically at him. "I can't! I've already got some!" she replied, little fingers gesturing toward the two pointed ears on either side of her face.

"Tough luck then, kid," he muttered in reply as the wolf gave a loud yawn and dropped its head back on its paws. It had to be the laziest creature Inuyasha had ever encountered. But, then again, it had come from Kouga so that was certainly not a shock.

"Please?"

"You do need to grow new ears. Yours don't work. I already said no."

She apparently thought that was amusing, too, because she gave another cackling giggle and reached over to rub on the wolf's ears instead. What a strange little kid, Inuyasha thought, then swiveled his head back and forth, noticing that he was alone with her. And just when did I become the baby-sitter?

His nose automatically sniffed as it picked up the oncoming scent of a returning Kanaye, along with a few strange scents that he did not recognize. Inuyasha got back to his feet, disappointed that the old dog was rejoining them. It would have been better if he had decided to go torture another group of people for a while. Or, better yet, if he had met some unfortunate accident while en route to do whatever chore Sesshoumaru had sent him off to complete.

Inuyasha glanced down at the girl that was still seated at his feet. "Hey, smell that?"

She nodded her dark head in response.

"That's the smell of pure, youkai-grown evil. He may look like a dog demon, but he's actually some child-snatching ogre. Steer clear, got it?" Ashitera nodded again, and Inuyasha hopped down from his perch to go meet the visitors. What he had said to her had not exactly been true, but it was best to scare the brat off of Kanaye. He could only imagine the bloody mess that would immediately follow a request to touch his ears.

Inuyasha set off toward the distant ring of trees, wondering if what was coming his way was going to manage to break through the sheer boredom that had settled over the house. There was certainly a bizarre mixture of youki coming from that forest. The dog stench he recognized as Kanaye, but the rest of it was completely unfamiliar

Without warning, a cloud of what looked to be vapor descended directly in front of him, a sheer wall of mist that instantly coalesced into a solid form. Inuyasha's hand automatically went to Tessaiga as the creature finished taking on human form. The newly-arrived youkai eyed the hanyou's aggressive reaction and smiled disarmingly.

"You must be Inuyasha," Isamu easily guessed.

"And just who the hell are you?" Inuyasha growled back in a confrontational tone.

"He's a defensive little pup, isn't he?" another voice asked, this one belonging to an enormous youkai who strode out of the forest with Kanaye at his side.

"You ever had your ass handed to you by a 'pup' before?" Inuyasha snarled back, wondering who he should go for first, that cocky bastard, or the smug-looking water youkai who was still staring at him with an eerily intense gaze, like he was looking through him.

Furu nodded, looking completely unconcerned. "Soundly and often, actually," he replied honestly. "By your Dad. He was a scary old mongrel, that's for sure."

"He is nothing like Inutaisho," Kanaye commented, leering at Inuyasha with an ill will that was nearly palpable.

"I disagree with that," Isamu instantly chimed in, still peering at Inuyasha as though he was some sort of interesting insect. "He is here, displaying family loyalty despite the history. That's very like Inutaisho, wouldn't you agree, Kanaye?" Isamu questioned with upraised eyebrows, finally turning to stare down the dog demon. Kanaye did not reply. Isamu lost interest and turned back to Inuyasha. "Your heart is not youkai ---"

"Care to test that?"

"But you're a good boy," Isamu finally pronounced with a confident nod.

Kanaye snorted. "That's where you're supposed to roll over and play dead, mutt."

Inuyasha instantly rounded on him, pointing a tapered claw into Kanaye's face. "I'll be happy to discuss death with you, old man."

"You're displaying yourself in fine form as our half-witted accident. Keep your mouth shut," Kanaye hissed back.

With a growl, Inuyasha moved to launch himself at the smirking Kanaye, but was suddenly grabbed by the collar from behind and hauled backward. Sesshoumaru's voiced snapped out at him, "Since you refuse to behave, I expect you to finish this today. The more permanent the resolution, the happier I'll be."

"And we all know I live to make you happy," Inuyasha sneered, pulling himself loose from his brother's grasp. "But that's a request I'm fine with granting."

Washing his hands of the outcome, Sesshoumaru left Kanaye and Inuyasha to snarl at each other, gesturing for Furu and Isamu to follow him. He led them across the wide expanse of grassy field that sprawled outward from his home in a carefully tended circle. Ashitera stopped romping about with the wolf for long enough to stare curiously at them as they passed, Furu and Isamu looking at her with an equal mixture of confusion and interest, an expression that was mirrored when they passed Rin and Kagome on the way inside.

"This place has certainly become---" Furu began, noting the frosty glance Sesshoumaru turned his way. "---domestic," he finished with a diplomatic smile.

Sesshoumaru did not reply, but led them into a sparsely decorated room that was awash with afternoon sunlight. He seated himself cross-legged on the floor at a table, and waited for the others to do the same. An unsettled quiet immediately filled the room.

"You asked us to come. Now why are we here, Sesshoumaru?" Isamu finally queried.

"I have a better question. Why are they here?" Furu asked with a furrowed brow, referring to the strange assortment of beings that were currently crowding the house. "You've always been one to work alone. Why the increased entourage?"

"You are here," Sesshoumaru began, completely ignoring Furu's question, "because you have both been unnaturally quiet throughout this conflict with Eizan. And as I am sure we are all aware of what will come of its end, I am surprised that I have not heard from either of you. That leads me to believe that you favor Eizan."

"Jealous?" Furu asked with a lazy grin.

"Hardly," Sesshoumaru answered coldly. "I do not care, but I intend to draw the lines clearly and know who stands on what side."

"Hence the display of dominance by making us come to you," Isamu guessed.

"Think of it as you will," Sesshoumaru replied. "There is also the possibility that it is more politically expedient to avoid declaring loyalties until the conflict is decided. That way you do not run the risk of alienating the eventual winner."

"That would be the smart thing to do," Furu agreed, "if I actually gave a damn about Eizan's bruised feelings. And I know I don't have to worry about yours, because you don't have any."

Isamu exhaled a slow breath. "Sesshoumaru, I have discussed this with you before. I have told you that if you need help, I will lend it. That should be enough loyalty, I think."

"I do not need your help," came the swift reply.

"Of course not," Isamu said blandly.

"Apparently not, since I heard that you nearly sent Eizan packing off to the youkai graveyard," Furu voiced the rumor. "A shame it didn't work out, since I came up with some great things to say at his funeral. I could have almost made him come off looking respectable. Still, Ashihei's a consolation prize. What an annoying little bastard."

"If you need no help, then why are Kanaye and your brother here?" Isamu questioned Sesshoumaru.

"They are here because I cannot seem to get rid of them," Sesshoumaru complained sullenly and, as though to underline his irritation, the distant sound of a roaring attack reached their ears. Isamu and Furu's eyebrows rose in perfect unison.

"Kanaye's a big guy and can take care of himself, but the hanyou kid…." Furu trailed off uncertainly.

"Inuyasha does not belong here," Isamu agreed in his whispery voice. "He does not have the experience or the strength necessary to fight taiyoukai. The fact that he has to rely so heavily on his father's sword reinforces that."

"If you can convince him to leave, I will personally thank you," Sesshoumaru muttered.

"He makes a good target, a weaker link in the west. Eizan will come at you through him first because he understands that."

"One can not "come at me", as you say, through Inuyasha, because I do not care about Inuyasha. He defends himself and if he does not, he dies. It is a very uncomplicated arrangement," Sesshoumaru stated with complete dispassion.

"If he loses his sword, he's done, but I think you know that," Furu said. "Your Dad would bust an artery over what happened to Tenseiga. Make sure Tessaiga doesn't follow it."

"That is for Inuyasha to worry about," Sesshoumaru insisted.

"Send him away before he turns human again, Sesshoumaru," Isamu warned in an odd tone.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at that statement. "Do you know something?"

A flurry of movement at the doorway caused all three to look up as Ashitera appeared, her gaze fixated on Sesshoumaru with what looked to be some urgency. She fidgeted for a moment, as though waiting to speak.

"What?" he questioned unwelcomingly.

"They're fighting," she said simply.

Everyone listened as another loud explosion rocked the house, this time much closer and accompanied by an eye-searing flash of light and a shrieked expletive. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, as though controlling the immediate impulse to go outside and end lives. A moment later, another attack shook the floor.

"That's some aggression they're working out," Furu said conversationally.

Sesshoumaru did not reply, instead pointing to Ashitera. "Come with me," he ordered and swept from the room, leaving the little girl to come running after him. Stepping outside into the glare of daylight, Sesshoumaru's sight instantly locked onto the source of his irritation. He lashed out with his whip attack, separating a surprised Kanaye and Inuyasha from their weapons.

Tessaiga fell to the ground with an earth-disturbing thump, followed quickly by Kanaye's own sword, which Sesshoumaru bent to pick up. He then glanced at Ashitera and pointed at Tessaiga. "Pick that up and take it into the house."

"What the hell do you think you're---" Inuyasha growled, making a move back toward his sword. Sesshoumaru turned Kanaye's weapon toward him as Ashitera bent to reach for Tessaiga's detransformed hilt.

"I'll advise you not to try to take it from her, hanyou," Sesshoumaru said with venomous sincerity. "Now finish your fight. Hopefully I'll have the privilege of burying both of you this evening."

With that accomplished, Sesshoumaru turned and stalked back toward the house, the hanyou girl following after. He tried to ignore the fact that his father's sword was being dragged along in the dirt like some peasant's hoe, but the child did as she was told and trailed behind him with it all the way back to the room where Isamu and Furu were still waiting.

Wordlessly, Sesshoumaru placed Kanaye's sword on the table with a loud thunk and gestured for Ashitera to do the same with Tessaiga. She managed it with some difficulty, then stepped back and smiled confidently at the guests, as though thrilled with herself for being helpful.

Isamu's eyes flickered from her to Sesshoumaru. "Is she yours?" he asked with a trace of uncertain humor, immediately rewarded by the chilly glower Sesshoumaru lowered on him.

"Your sense of smell is embarrassingly inadequate, old man."

"That is true, Isamu, you can't deny it," Furu agreed. "So … then is she breakfast?"

"And you are ridiculous," Sesshoumaru accused in turn.

"Perhaps that is so, but the rumor is you eat humans for breakfast," Furu said with an expression of mock horror.

"She is a hanyou, not a human. And that rumor is false. Now if you are both finished mocking me, we can continue," Sesshoumaru replied warningly, clearly displeased at being the conclusion of their collective joke.

"It wouldn't be nearly so much fun irritating you if you had something resembling a sense of humor," Furu sighed. "Maybe Tenseiga was meant to help you grow one of those, too. It failed on all counts, it seems."

Isamu turned his head toward Ashitera, who was still watching with open curiosity. "If she is not yours, then who is she?" he questioned.

"She reeks of the north. She must be Eizan's," Furu concluded.

"She's Ashihei's," Sesshoumaru supplied, ignoring the sarcastic comment Furu muttered upon hearing that revelation.

"Ah," Isamu said brightly, "and since this is such a vitally important meeting, one that we are not taking seriously, according to our host, then perhaps it would help to have a representative from the north included as well." Isamu extended a long-fingered hand toward Ashitera. "What is your name?"

"Ashitera," she replied, hesitantly eyeing the hand before reaching out to take it.

"All right then, Ashitera-sama, can you tell us what exactly Ashihei was up to in his fortress?" Isamu asked, ignoring the look from Sesshoumaru that appeared to be questioning his sanity.

"Probably creating lots of little half-breed brothers and sisters for her," Furu remarked snidely.

"Where is Ashihei-sama?" the girl questioned at the sound of his name, looking from face to face.

Furu did not even blink at the question, instead choosing to follow Isamu's lead. "I don't know. Where do you think he would be?"

Sesshoumaru looked on as the girl's brow furrowed in concentration. "Is he with Ji-sama?"

"It'd be best for all concerned if 'Ji-sama' was with him, but he's a lucky bast ---- man," Furu finished lamely.

"No, he's not," Isamu informed the girl. "Where else would he be? Did Ji-sama ask him to do anything special recently?"

Ashitera shook her head, looking disappointed that no one seemed to know the location of her missing guardian. Suddenly, her face brightened up and a smile spread across her face. "He might be at the mountain!"

"Mountain?" Sesshoumaru repeated instantly, unconsciously leaning forward. His mind instantly sifted through the various things he had been hearing about northern dog youkai snooping around the mountains at the border, the ones Kouga was supposed to be watching.

"It's an evil mountain," Ashitera confided. "Ashihei-sama was afraid of it, I think, but he was supposed to watch it for Ji-sama."

"Is that all you've heard about it?"

The girl seemed to think for a minute before finally nodding. "He'll come back for me when he's done watching it," she said confidently.

"An evil mountain," Sesshoumaru repeated thoughtfully.

Furu grinned at him. "Never underestimate the ears of a child, Sesshoumaru. She makes a good little spy, doesn't she?"

------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------

Ashitera was supposed to sleep with Rin in her room, but once the sun fell and she found herself in a house full of strangers, the child seemed to become more fearful and nervous. She was prone to tearing up for very little reason and Rin did not know if it was because she actually missed Ashihei and Eizan's family, or if she was just exhibiting stress from being tired and surrounded by conflicting youkai and their ill-tempered dispositions. That was something Rin could sympathize with, and so it made her inclined to give in to Ashitera's request to have the wolf sleep inside the room with her.

Apparently the child placed a trust in the beast that Rin did not, but as he had shown that he knew to be gentle with her, Rin looked the other direction as Ashitera called the wolf inside. That meant that Rin was going to have to find a secondary place to sleep, because her comfort level where the wolf was concerned was still nowhere near Ashitera's level of attachment.

At first she decided to sleep with Kagome, but then figured that perhaps it would be best not to do that. As was typical, Inuyasha had refused to sleep inside Sesshoumaru's home, but it was likely only a matter of time before Kanaye tortured him out of whatever tree he had climbed, which meant he would quite possibly return to Kagome. Rin certainly didn't want to be the third wheel in that situation ….

Her thoughts went to Sesshoumaru then … and she literally stopped in mid-step in the darkened hallway. I can sleep with him, she thought hesitantly. No …. he might say … she trailed off, then frowned at herself. Say what? He wouldn't say no to me, but he might take it as …. She blushed furiously at what he would think, then reminded herself that it was he who had instigated the encounter at the lake, not her. Clearly he was not as … opposed … to things as he used to be.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she stormed down the hallway, ordering her nerves away. It was ridiculous. Why should she be shy with him? He was the only man she was ever going to love, why shouldn't she allow herself the chance to become closer with him? It's not as though a request to sleep in that bed was a request to …..

That thought nearly stopped her in her tracks, but she surged forward, face flaming as she all but led an invasion into his bedroom to find him seated amidst an innumerable amount of ancient-looking maps and drawings. He looked up at her sudden defiant arrival and frowned lightly at her flushed appearance.

"Rin …."

"I'm sleeping with you," she announced boldly, tossing her head in a manner that she hoped was authoritative.

Golden eyes widened perceptibly. "All right," he said agreeably.

They stared at each other in complete silence until Rin finally felt the overwhelming compulsion to explain herself. She stepped forward, unconsciously reaching to pull her light kimono more tightly around her, as though her modesty had just been questioned by her own brazen behavior. "The wolf is with Ashitera ….."

"And so it takes a wolf to chase you to my bed?" he asked with some humor in his voice.

"No!" she said, horrified that he would come to that conclusion. "It's not like I don't want to be here. I wasn't chased …"

"Then it is you who wishes to sleep with me, and the wolf is merely an excuse," he accused, face as impassive as ever, but Rin could swear he was fighting back one of those bemused expressions.

"Of course I want …," she stopped, feeling tongue-tied and embarrassed. "You're purposefully torturing me," she finally realized miserably.

"I am," he agreed.

"Jerk," she grinned at him, relieved to feel her face slowly turning back to a normal shade of color. "What are you doing?" she asked, stepping forward to take a look at what he was so carefully studying. A book containing very careful, methodical writing was lying open on the desk, the maps were spread around it, and all of them seemed to focus in on the mountain range to the north.

"I am looking for an 'evil mountain'," he replied, looking back over the carefully arranged grouping of papers. "The hanyou girl made herself useful today."

"She's a sweet little girl, Sesshoumaru," Rin murmured, looking suddenly troubled. "Should we tell her about Ashihei? She's waiting for him to come back …."

"False hope or grief. I will leave that decision to you," he answered quietly, turning to look at her. A sudden gust of wind blew in from the outside, extinguishing the oil lamp on the desk and throwing the room into a shadowy dimness that was only vaguely illuminated by another across the room.

"I'll go relight ….."

"Don't bother," he told her. "I am finished for the night."

"You seemed … busy …."

"You came into this room and announced that you intend to sleep with me. I took that to mean that your sleeping would include me."

Rin stared ahead at him, a shadowy wall that stared back at her. She knew he could likely see her quite clearly even in the dark. Goosebumps rose up on her skin as the wind blew through again, this time disturbing his hair so that his shadow looked as though it had suddenly sprouted wings. He reached out a hand and very lightly touched her shoulder, trailed a clawed finger lightly across the side of her neck, finally resting at a pulse point, and, as though in response, her heart picked up its pace.

"You are very nervous."

She nodded, knowing that he would be able to see the motion.

"It is my own fault. I don't make things very clear for you, do I?"

"There's no way to make this clear," Rin answered with a nervous laugh.

"I disagree."

That fluttering pulse stopped with a startling swiftness as his hand, the one he had become so used to favoring for all of those years when the other had been absent, crept behind her neck, claws dragging across her skin in a way that made the nerves tingle. The other circled around her waist and pulled her forward in a loose embrace, shadowy face descending to kiss her firmly.

"Sesshoumaru …," she said, not sure in her own mind if that was a warning or a request, but the moment she felt the kimono begin to slip off her shoulders, she made a last effort to clutch at it. "You said …."

"I have an excellent memory."

"But we can't …."

"Is that so?"

She gave another nervous laugh, hoping it didn't actually have the shrill tone to it that she was hearing. He apparently seemed to find her honest confusion amusing, because she could hear him laugh lowly in response, this one tinged with something darker and more evil than her own near-hysterical giggle.

"You're laughing at me," she accused in a mixture of complaint and awe.

"You want something completely natural and are appalled at yourself for it. A human idiosyncrasy, I assume. And, yes, I admit that I find it funny in some measure."

Rin cursed herself when her neck and face heated up at his statement. This had to be the most simultaneously thrilling and mortifying experience she had ever had.

"How often do I say no to you?" he asked with his usual calm demeanor. His hands left her and made shadowy movements in the dark. Rin watched in a mixture of nervous tension and fascination as her eyes registered a youkai that was completely and quite casually disrobing himself.

"I wasn't asking for …"

Nor did she protest when his hands crept around her again, this time pulling her forward into what she assumed was meant to be a comforting embrace. She rested her cheek against bare skin, listened as his heart surged from underneath, pounding loudly against her ear. As if of its own accord, her hand reached up, fingertips brushing lightly over his uncovered arm and shoulder.

How long had she shared his life, and his home? At this point it seemed like forever, and yet she had never been allowed such an intimate moment with him. Or maybe it was she who had not allowed it instead of the other way around …? It was confusing now, but a kind of disorientation that she was content with. More than content. Blissful was a better word. Seizing on a moment of bravery, she removed her other hand and allowed the kimono to slide away from her.

His hand resumed its position around her waist and pulled her forward again until they were pressed together skin to skin. She felt herself begin to shiver lightly, not because she was cold because she had certainly never been less so, but because of some thrilling sensation that was running through her nerves. It was a sort of sensory overload that came with his sudden, unexpected behavior and her own shock at how quickly things were changing.

Sesshoumaru's own mind was immeasurably relaxed. In fact he felt … intensely comfortable. Her fingers trailed across his skin, the darkness of the room apparently allowing her enough bravery to overcome her innate shyness. As he allowed her those moments of exploration, he tried to remember, with no small degree of difficulty, exactly why he had held off of this sort of familiarity. Her feelings were certainly not in question. Nor, he could admit, were his. Over the past year, she had unknowingly been extracting his certainty that a degree of detachment was best.

In a momentary flash, an image of Inutaisho and Izayoi came to mind with a quietly whispered word: hypocrite. In complete defiance of his mind's condemnation, Sesshoumaru pulled the girl in his arms even closer. I am a hypocrite? he thought wonderingly. He was becoming less and less opposed to wearing such a title, it seemed ….

It was also because of his father and the human woman that he made a rare selfless decision, squashing some of the more primal instinct for her benefit. "I am not breaking my word," he told her. "You asked only to sleep with me, and that's all that will take place."

Unlike his father's penchant for such mistakes, there were some things Sesshoumaru would not curse her with, he thought, as a final image of a dog-eared hanyou boy came to mind and was promptly shoved aside.

----------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------

Sesshoumaru did not sleep often. He required far less than the humans that surrounded him, and even approximately half of what Inuyasha needed. This meant that he rarely dreamed, and generally the few dreams he did experience were brought on by something that followed him into sleep, bothering him in one way or another. If he wasn't awake to mull it over in thought, his mind carried it with him and set it in front of him in picture form while he slept.

Perhaps this was why he was enjoying the warm presence of Rin tucked securely against him, and only moments later, walking up the steps to Izayoi's home. As always, his sensible nature reigned supreme and he instantly recognized the scene as unreal, a manifestation of some unnamed problem. And clearly, that thing that was bothering him, whatever it was, had something to do with Father.

He didn't even have to physically touch the door, because suddenly he was inside. The place was exactly how he remembered it from the few times he had ever set foot in the door, neat and clean, tastefully decorated. The perfect abode to represent the perfection Inutaisho had found in this human woman; the woman who had failed in successfully gaining any sort of importance in Sesshoumaru's own heart.

He was somehow not surprised to see his father's body laid out on a table, though he supposed he should have been, as the actively rational part of his sleep-numbed brain reminded him that this had never actually occurred. He had seen Inutaisho alive one day, and then the next thing he knew, his father was dead, entombed, and beyond Tenseiga's reach.

Tenseiga. The word thumped into his head like a heartbeat, as though a forgotten memory had just come to the front of his mind..

He could not tear his eyes away from Inutaisho's face. He appeared regal as ever, yet … that formidable presence that had always clung to him was gone. Lost to that other world. This was just the shell of the youkai lord that had raised him alone, taught him everything, reveled in Sesshoumaru's accomplishments, lectured against his failings. One of those failings being …

Lack of compassion. Sesshoumaru could remember all the explanations. Inutaisho would always attempt to tell him precisely why he would do benevolent acts, kindnesses that were meant for just that sake alone, not for any personal benefit. Those were the lessons Sesshoumaru had always failed to grasp. His heart had simply never been one to freely give itself.

Sesshoumaru believed that Inutaisho had felt he had corrected that in his second son; the one that had been born with the heart, but not the innate skills necessary to survive with it. Tenseiga. Tessaiga. Inutaisho had hoped to "repair" these things he had failed to instill on his own by passing those swords on to correct his sons' weaknesses.

Yes, Inuyasha was precisely what I was not ….

It was then as though his entire brain seemed to assault him at once, as though speeding this dream along to get to its conclusion, to hurry and show him what he apparently wanted to tell himself. The scenes and images changed so rapidly, that he had trouble sighting them long enough to try to grasp their meaning … Inutaisho extending Tenseiga toward him, then switching to what looked to be a lecture that was too distant for him to hear; Izayoi, clutching a bundled, baby Inuyasha, tearful and distraught, trying to hand the child off to him, but withering to dust before his very eyes when he would not reach out to accept the boy; then the miko, Kagome, clutching yet another identically-wrapped infant, also appearing mournful, accusatory, before she, too, withered away into nothingness, leaving the child behind.

He took a step toward it, hearing all of those lectures, about being better, kinder, more benevolent … from Toutousai, Myouga, his father, Inuyasha, Kagome, an endless string of warnings, anger, frustrations, disappointments. And his heart rebelled against all of them.

Damn you all. My heart is what it is. This is ridiculous.

He peered down at the child Kagome had left behind, but before he could get a good look at it, it began shrieking with an ear-splitting volume that dragged him back to reality.

He was out of bed, half-clothed, and down the hallway before his senses completely snapped back on, fully intent on making this unearthly shrill screaming stop. He found its source in the mostly vacant area of the house, in a dusty, empty room that was lit by one large patch of moonlight beaming in from a window to highlight an utterly bewildered-looking little girl.

"Be silent!" he roared at the hanyou child, his ears gratified by the instantaneous stop in racket as Ashitera turned to look at him with eyes the size of plates. She opened her mouth again, and in absolute terror that she would restart the horrific sound, Sesshoumaru pointed an authoritative finger. "Don't."

"What are you murdering this time?" Inuyasha moaned as he appeared at the doorway looking half-asleep. "Dammit, I could hear this all the way out in the forest." He blinked at the pale child that stared back at them both. "Terrorizing the kid now, eh? Do you have a mode other than 'Colossal Jerk'?"

"Go climb back into your tree," Sesshoumaru sneered at the hanyou exasperatedly as the faces of Rin and Kagome arrived and tried to peer over Inuyasha's shoulders. Rin ducked past him when she saw Ashitera.

"What's wrong? Were you looking for us?"

The girl just stared back at them, as though not quite remembering why she was here with them instead of home with people she knew. The two demons and their overly-sensitive hearing watched in absolute horror as the child's face changed and she began wailing at the top of her lungs.

Inuyasha instantly plugged his hears with two fingers, then turned to eye Sesshoumaru, gesturing his head toward the direction of the sobbing little girl as he turned to take his leave. "Good luck with that."

"Get out," Sesshoumaru snarled at him, and Inuyasha did not wait for a second invitation.