SURVIVE

Long post – wrote yesterday as well, but held off posting cause it was rather short – have mentioned the point in the story. I am very very happy that you all like Pup. Thanks so much for the support. NaNo is such a fun stress – but you guys all make it easier to continue.

Fluffy GC – OUCH :P

Read, review and enjoy.

Chapter 11 : The naivety of Youth

Sesshoumaru felt a rare sense of anticipation. This was his Hanyou's last day of induced sleep. Jinenji would be arriving later to wake his Hanyou if he did not awaken on his own. Since the 'incident' last night, no one was allowed into Sesshoumaru's room without him there. The Lord of the West had not shared that little incident with anyone, it was his secret. There was very little that caused a sense of wonder in the world weary warrior and leader, but this Hanyou.. Sesshoumaru did not know what to make of it. And for now, he was not yet ready to share.

Sesshoumaru walked into the room, and silently acknowledged his sense of disappointment when the Hanyou lay sleeping on the bed. He had been secretly wishing for the reappearance of the tiny figure. Sesshoumaru shrugged it off, he reached out and ran his finger down the forehead and nose of the sleeping youth. Controlling his desire to touch more of the smooth skin, he sighed softly and walked to a side cabinet to pour himself a glass of rice wine.

The wine sloshed in the glass, but not a drop spilled as Sesshoumaru spun around in response to a flash from behind him. His eyes narrowed at the toothy grin of the figure that was crouching on the bed. He raised an eyebrow... interesting.

The figure that was crouching on the bed, was slightly taller than his Hanyou, jaggered purple marks lined both his cheeks. The long white tail was slowly swaying from left to right, not quite wagging, simply proclaiming his intentions as non-aggressive. The white hair was long, without the silvery sheen that Sesshoumaru had noted of the Hanyou and Pup, and most disappointing of all the Lord Sesshoumaru, the triangular years that made his Hanyou so unique had been replaced by normal Youkai ears.

The eyes of the Shiro Inu Youkai before him were bright and bold, there was a slight nervousness and hesitancy in them. But... but the eyes did not possess the pain and hidden depths that he had noted in the Hanyou and Human versions of his Hanyou. Sesshoumaru wondered absently how many more versions were there – they were all interesting – and he wanted to see them all.

Sesshoumaru allowed his Youki to rise, proclaiming himself the dominant and the leader in the encounter. He was a little amused as the golden eyes flashed a little in annoyance, and then the demon before him also raised his Youki. That was what Sesshoumaru had wanted, the Demon Lord quickly assessing and measuring the energy output of the young Demon.

Sesshoumaru's face did not give away his surprise. That the demon before him was strong, with a great deal of Youki and potential did not surprise him. That the young Demon would have been matched with the highest level of elite guards when they first entered training did not surprise him. What surprised him, was the rawness of the Demon's energy. The Demon before him looked at the least 300 years only, but his energy signature did not match. The Demonic energy streaming from the Demon, was untested, undeveloped and forming. It was the Energy signature of a much, much younger, Demon. One that was hardly older than the Pup that had hidden under his bed. A tiny hint of s smile crossed the Demon Lord's face, even as a pure Demon his Hanyou still managed to intrigue and delight him.

The young Demon was trying to challenge the Demon Lord's raised Youkai, and instead of reacting to the challenge as if it had come from a warrior, Sesshoumaru added a gentle twist to his Youkai. It was the energy equivalent of an adult dog, nipping the nose of an unruly adolescent dog. Sesshoumaru was unsurprised when the young Demon flinched, his face giving away his surprise. Then with what was a slightly insulted pout, the young Demon's energy receded.

The young Demon processing the event quickly, decided that it was best if he did what young ones in potential trouble did best. Pretend the little incident had not happened.

"Keh, I told them that things would be better when we found honorable Demons, I knew you were a Demon of honor." The Shiro Inu Demon said as he jumped off the bed and stood with a slight swagger. Sesshoumaru's face was unchanged, he noted the bravado, but he could also see the jump of uncertainty in the young Demon's eyes. While the young one claimed to 'know' they were demons of honor, his need for reassurance was almost palatable. The young one desperately feared disappointment.

Sesshoumaru had no intention of disappointing his Hanyou, not in any way.

He simply nodded at the young Demon, keeping the small reassuring smile on his face. He wanted the young one to take the lead in this encounter; he wanted to see what the young one had to say; he wanted answers to his many questions.

The young demon seemed to relax, when the Demon Lord nodded, his toothy grin flashed as he eagerly took a few steps towards the Lord.

"You removed the collar, and now you are allowing me to recover. Am I to serve you now. I am really strong, and a very good fighter." The young one boasted eagerly.

"If you are eager to serve the Demons, why did you refuse to eat? Why did the Hanyou almost allow the human to die?" Lord Sesshoumaru asked quietly.

The young demon froze, his jaw clenched and his muscles clenched. His dropped his head, covering his eyes, and he whispered, his voice was shaking with anger, he was barely able to control himself. "We did NOT allow Inu to die, as long as we have something to fight with, we will fight... but.. but.. we had nothing! Until the strange Half breed came, we had nothing left."

"That Manten brought food to the South Tower is undeniable. Why did you reject the food?"

The young demon jerked his head up, his eyes were swimming with moisture, but the tears did not fall. He drew himself up and stood tall. His tail curl protectively around one leg, reducing the target points to hurt him. He had no power here, the Demon Lord was his owner and the pure Demon aspect had no chance against Demonic energy streaming off the Lord. Still his golden eyes snapped with defiance, like Pup, this was the first time he had risen to the physical world. This was the first time he had a chance to say the words that he had so wanted to say.

"We are owned, we are controlled. As a Hanyou, everything has been stripped away, the collar forced us to say what ever the damned Humans wanted. The took everything from him but still Inuyasha protected us. As our owner – you can take our lives – but we will not GIVE you our honor. We are one, and - Demon, Hanyou or Human as long as I can control my own words, I will NEVER BEG for our life. We have honor as well. If you want us to beg, find another collar! We will never, never beg anyone to save us, we would rather take our chances with Death!"

The demon drew himself tall, his body shaking from anger and fear, maybe it had been a big mistake for him to rise. Maybe he had spoiled it all. Maybe the Demon Lord would kill him for his insolent words- words Inuyasha would never have said. His fists clenched, for once he would protect the others. If the Demon Lord attacked him, he would bear the brunt of the attack. This time he would face death in the physical world. He would not beg and he would NOT back down.

(FYI : This is what I wrote earlier – If I had posted this without the rest – I think the grumbles of cliffie, would have been LOUD and LONG... hehehe.. :) )

Ice flashed though Sesshoumaru, cold, hard and unforgiving; the air around the Demon Lord seemed to freeze as the expressionless Demon's energy chased the warmth from the room. Yasha tensed further, his spine was ramrod straight, tense to the breaking point. He would not cower.

"Manten wanted you to beg for food?" Sesshoumaru's voice was without inflection.

"YES! Demons of honor do not do that! They DON'T! They have HONOR! Demon's don't do that!... Do they?" The last words were whispered desperately, as Yasha dropped his head unable to ook at the Demon anymore. Yasha's words were the word of the idealist. The cry of one who wanted to believe, needed to believe, but was coming to the point of losing the idealism. So close to losing the belief in the dreams of youth that had fed hope to a being trapped in a hopeless situation.

Sesshoumaru saw that clearly, and the air became a few degree colder. With effort he ensured his voice was calm and smooth. "No young one, Demons of honor do not do that. We are upfront, we are just and we are deadly. We do not taunt our enemies, strip them of everything. Honorable Demons do not put collars on other demons, humans or Seraphim. We respect strength, we seek justice, we fight and we kill our enemies with honor. We do not prey on the weak, we respect honor."

Yasha's head slowly rose as he gazed with a dawning wonder and disbelief at the Lord. It was wanted to hear, what he needed to hear, and he was a little afraid to believe.

"I am Sesshoumaru, Lord of the West, and young one I do not lie, I have no need to. Manten is being investigated and he will be punished." Sesshoumaru said firmly his eyes holding the eyes of the young one demanding he believe.

Yasha nodded, but he said nothing. He stood there silently, allowing the words to sink in.

"When he asked you to beg, I assume that you told him what a dishonorable piece of filth he was?" Lord Sesshoumaru asked when the silence seemed to stench longer then even he was comfortable with.

Yasha blinked a little confused, then he understood. "Oh I wanted to say that. That would have been so fun." He said with a flash of his returning brashness, "But Inuyasha put a barrier on me, so I could not really get direct contact with the demon, Inu said it would not have been good for me. Inuyasha does not say much, so I don't think he said anything to the Demon."

Sesshoumaru put his anger aside, and focused on the young Demon's words. "What is your name young one?"

The young demon flushed a little, and the shine returned to his eye. "What this is so cool, I had heard about this. I gotta do this right." He seemed to dither a little, than straightened, and bowed rather awkwardly to the Demon Lord, "Umm... I have a name its Yasha, and I am honored to serve you."

Sesshoumaru curbed his irritation again at the young Demon's choice of words, "Who is Inuyahsa?" He asked softly, he already had a pretty good idea but he wanted to confirm it.

"I am Inuyasha." The young demon answered immediately.

The answer was not what the Demon Lord hand been expecting. But he was not going to repeat himself futilely. "Hmm.. and how did you get to be here?" Sesshoumaru asked instead,

"Umm.. Inuyasha was sleeping, and with the collar's layer gone, I could finally rise. I wanted to meet you so I rose." Yasha flushed charmingly, "I am so happy to meet you Lord Sesshoumaru, you are our owner and I will serve you a Demon of Honor in any way I can."

"How can you be Inuyasha if you are sleeping?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Yahsa frowned in confusion, "I am Inuyasha, we are one."

"But you said you rose while Inuyasha was sleeping, so Inuyahsa is different from you." Sesshoumaru persisted in a reasonable voice.

"No, we are one. What are you saying I dont understand you, we are one." Yasha said unhappy at this turn of conversation.

Sesshoumaru eyed the demon, unlike the Hanyou, this demon version much like the Pup seemed unable to hide or contain his feelings. The young one was honest and straight forward, his confusion genuine. Sesshoumaru had a sinking feeling that his answers would not be forthcoming.

"You said you wanted to serve me, is that true?" Sesshoumaru asked changing the subject. He may not get answers but at least he could clarify some roles for the young one.

Yasha nodded eagerly.

"What can you do for the Kingdom of the West?" Sesshoumaru a little amused by the enthusiasm of the nodding. The demons tail was finally uncurling from around his leg, and beginning to wag with increasing energy.

"Oh anything my owner wants. Errr.. when I rise that is. I am really very strong, and I can fight, and fight. No matter what I will not give up. I can take a lot of damage, and I know enough about priest magic to act as a shield for other Demons. And I heal pretty fast, I wont die easily. I am really strong my Lord. You saved me from the collar, you are a Demon of honor. You can use me in any way my Lord, the priests trained me in many things. I will do anything for you. Anything." The bright eyes shone with an eagerness to serve, with the need to be accepted by the Demons, to find a place for him to belong. It was Yasha's dream to serve honorable Demons It was a simple, humble dream. Given their circumstances even Yasha had dared not dream of more than that. For him to serve a Demon that radiated power and honor like the Lord of the West, without the collar weighting his soul down -was more so much more than he imagined. He would not beg, but he would do anything to make his dream come true. Not so much for himself, but for his other aspects that had fought so hard to protect him through all the years of torture.

"Yasha will serve you in any way you desire." The young one said, his smile was open and engaging. He stood dressed much like pup, in a simple gray houri, eager to do his new owner's bidding.

"Hmm," Sesshoumaru was a little surprised by the words, the young one as a Demon was as handsome as he was as a Hanyou. Only he felt younger, and that to an extent made Lord Sesshoumaru take a step back. But the young one's body was fully mature, and the offer was sincere, eager even. It was likely that the humans had caused the young Demon to mature in this way, perhaps only his fighting Youki needed to mature.

Lord Sesshoumaru, was definitely more interested in dealing with the Hanyou, but the nights of watching and the light touches were making the Demon Lord ache. Since the demon seemed so eager, perhaps he he would just have a taste of what the priests had trained the young one to do.

"Kneel before me." Sesshoumaru instructed, and with a grin Yasha knelt on one knee before the Lord, he had heard out this in some of the stories told by the Priest trainers. They had spent hours on guard while the Priests and Priestess had learned their lessons and listened to stories. The lessons had bored him and fascinated Inu, the stories both of them had enjoyed. And they would repeat the stories to Pup and Inuyasha in their sanctuary, so for a short time their dominant aspect could actually enjoy the story. On hyper alert when he served, if Inuyasha had been so careless as to actively listen and enjoy what was going on around him, the priests would have 'seen' his mind wondering from his task. Them would deem it a failure and his punishment for his inattention to his sacred duty as a guard dog, was swift and extreme. By his 11th year, Inuyasha had learned to not take any pleasure in the world around him when the priests were around. It was nit his place to even partake passively in the enjoyment of the far superior priesthood.

Inu and Yasha however, hidden beneath the collar, did manage to enjoy the stories. And Yasha remembered clearly of how the human warriors would kneel before the King r the Lord, and be given duties and titles. His eyes sparkling with anticipation he knelt, as his mind tried to remember the words in the story. He could not remember it exactly – but he would try. He cleared his throat, put his fist on his heart and tried to make his voice deeper as he said, "I, Yasha, give my pledge to Lord Sesshoumaru to serve him with ummm.. honor and.. and .. darn what was it.. ah yes! To serve him with honor and devotion. My word is my bond, and I give my body, my heart and sword... wait I don't have a sword. Well... ummmm... oh! Who needs swords? I give my body, my heart and my claws (They are much better than swords) to Lord Sesshoumaru so that I may bring honor and protect my Lord, the Land and the country. I offer you this tithe, as a mark of my pledge to you." Yasha beamed at Sesshoumaru – rather proud of himself. He did not know what tithe actually meant but that was the last words that the knights had said in the story. "How's that?"

Lord Sesshoumaru could not hold back his smile, the young Demon was offering himself to the Demon Lord, and it would be curlish of him to refuse. "That was excellent, and yes claws in many cases are better than swords. Lord Sesshoumaru accepts your pledge, and you have my permission to give me your tithe immediately. You may begin." Sesshoumaru said with a vague gesture to his waist, it would not be good too seem too eager.

Yasha blinked at him. "Umm.. how exactly do you want your tithe my Lord?"

Sesshoumaru actually chuckled, "You prefer clear instructions young one, very well, I shall tell you my preference..." Sesshoumaru reached down and cupped the young demonic face, he stroked the velvet markings. He leaned forward, until he was almost nose to nose with the young Demon. "What I want you to do is.."

Before Sesshoumaru could complete the sentence, Yasha's eyes rolled back, and Sesshoumaru just managed to close his eyes before the flash.

When the demon Lord opened his eyes, he stared into the deep gold eyes of the Hanyou. The layered depths hiding many, many things. Cropped hair brushed his face and neck, and triangular puppy ears, flicked, alert to the dangers of the world. The ancient eyes, in the young face, lowered as the Half Breed went on both knees, and bowed low before his owner.

"Forgive the Demon aspect my Lord. He is young, and he does not understand what he has promised my Lord. He was quoting from a story where a landless human knight had offered much gold and jewels to his king, and had received much honor and land in return. Though he has matured physically to my level, mentally, emotionally and sexually he is very much a Demon of only 20 years, barely out of puppy-hood. He thinks of serving you only as a warrior my Lord, he truly offered nothing more. He does not have the skills, nor the ability to serve you. He is too young to make such a tithe." The voice was horse and low. Hollow and empty, the half breed waited for a reaction. There was none.

oooo

Inuyasha had been asleep, the healing sleep had been amazing. Then he had felt Inu's frantic energy around him, becoming more and more concerned. He fought off the last layers of the drug and was surprised to find that he was in the outer sanctuary, Yasha having risen to temporary dominance. The half breed aspect had immediately understood the situation, his heart hurt.

"I will go, be prepared to receive Yasha, and you will all join Pup in the sanctuary." Inu caught the arm of his dominant aspect. His eyes haunted. "Why did they save us? Why do we..."

"Hush!" the Half breed reached out and hugged the human, "This time you will be in the sanctuary as well, there is no we, in this... we are one, but only this aspect will rise for this. There is no 'why' there is just what is. At least this time the best parts of me will all me safe, and as for this part.. well with you all safe, it is enough, we will survive."

Both aspects heard the pledge that Yasha was giving, and shared a poignant smile, at the adolescent Demon's naivety. Then the Lord had reacted, and there was nothing more to discuss. The half breed, jerked his Demon aspect back, and sent him and Inu deep into the sanctuary. He buffered the barriers and effectively sent his subservient aspects to sleep. He alone would pay the price for their life and for the Demon Lord accepting their service. He rose to consciousness. He would do what was needed.

Oooo

Making sure his head was bowed low, the half breed raised his torso. "Mongrel as a half breed is well of age, and understands all that is required, the pledge is therefore Mongrels. If it pleases you, Mongrel has been well trained my Lord. Mongrel will service you in any way that suits your desires, allow this half breed the privileged of seeing to your pleasure." The half breed reached out with clawed hands, but he did not touch the rich cloth. He would be careful to wait for permission, his position, kneeling, neck exposed, hands lifted, put him in an openly vulnerable position. In this position he could be kneed, whipped and kicked before he could protect himself – not that the collar had ever allowed him to protect himself.

Still this was the position of submission he had been trained to put himself on, if not for Yasha's pledge without the collar, he would not have chosen to take this position. But things that are owned had no choice, all he could do was protect what was important and ... survive.

"Your orders, my Lord?"

-tbc-

4000 words – made up for two days of writing – now dont you think this was a MUCH BETTER cliff hanger to leave you at... *evil evil chuckle. Review please. I know its complicated... but what to do its is not just Psyche 101 .. so please review, give comments and ideas.