SURVIVE

Dedicated to Sparkling Snowfall for being such a wonderful person and has an amazing nose for holes in the plot. Closed some of those holes for you.

Thank you everyone for the great support. Long chappie chomping at word count :)

Read, review and enjoy. (Yes you can bad pun me for the title, I could not resist)


Chapter 15 : Scent! The nose knows

Footsteps faded down the corridor, and golden eyes gingerly opened. Inuyasha curled up comfortably in the bed, his lips tingled, and his fingers stroked his own lips. A kiss, so that was what a kiss was supposed to be. He remembered how as a human his lips had been smashed, cut and molested by others. In no way would he have considered that a kiss. This had been a kiss.

Suddenly feeling a little strange he pulled the blanket over his head. Under the cocoon of sheets, he inhaled deeply, once, twice, three times. Realization flooded Inuyasha, the growl that had rumbled though his being had been more than a growl, and the kiss was the same. It had been more than a kiss. It had been a cleansing, a claiming.

Inuyasha inhaled again. The complex scents flooded his olfactory system. The Demon Lords saliva , on his face, inside him, just that little bit, administered during the kiss; seemed to be cleansing from his very being the scents of humans, of cold steel, and of the sick metallic scent of blood. The terrible scent of his captivity that had been so much a part of his life, was for the first time being replaced by another scent. The scent of Lord Sesshoumaru, the scent of pack, of belonging.

Scent was important to Inuyasha, no matter what, his nose could not be fooled. The scent said he was not a slave, he was not rubbish, he was not abandoned and alone. He was wanted, he was a member of a pack. Scents did not lie, he was a member of a pack, he actually belonged. A dry choke escaped Inuyasha's lips, he cupped his hands around his nose and mouth, he wanted to breathe in that wonderful scent. A little bit more at ease, Inuyasha drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

A little while later, Lord Sesshoumaru entered the suites. His eyes softened as he gazed at the Hanyou sleeping soundly in his bed. With a flash of amusement Sesshoumaru wondered what his sister would say if she discovered that he was sleeping on the sofa, while a cute little Hanyou curled up in his bed. His earlier impatience had almost led to one irreversible act with his Inuyasha; Sesshoumaru was not one to repeat a mistake. So he would sleep on the couch until he was sure. He watched as Inuyasha moved a little in his sleep, and then inhaled deeply, before sighing and settling down in the bed.

Earlier he had seen how uncertain the young one was. As Jeninji had spoken of family Sesshoumaru realised that the young one was a Shiro Inu that had never had the protection of the pack. Never been part of a family. The thought had disturbed the Demon Lord greatly, his whole life; even before his birth someone had been by his side. His twin sister had been with him, his mother and his father, his pack, his people, his country. He had always had a place, he had always belonged. For his Inuyasha to be so deprived, was unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable. Inuyasha needed to KNOW he belonged in the most basic ways possible amongst the Shiro Inu. He needed to carry a pack marking.

However, Sesshoumaru had dealt with those recovering from captivity often enough to know that any kind of permanent marking would be premature. Inuyasha only just freed from the worst kind of slavery would only too easily misconstrue the meaning of the markings. Sesshoumaru's only recourse was to use the lightest of scent markings. Saliva marking was the most basic mark used mainly on children, and as part of most ritualistic ceremonies. For now it would have to do.

Sesshoumaru had thoroughly enjoyed delivering the marking, and of course, the Hanyou who had very little experience with Demons, did not realize the subtleties of the scent mark Sesshoumaru had placed.

Sesshoumaru had marked Inuyasha with a highly personalized version of his saliva. The saliva was not the same as that used by the Demon Lord when he was healing wounds or when he licked the pulse points of those swearing fidelity to him when he accepted them as his people. No the saliva, he had released into and onto Inuyasha was extremely exclusive, and any Demon who came as close to Inuyasha as Jinenji had got would scent Sesshoumaru's courting claim on his Hanyou. The scent was extremely subtle and only those who came closer to Inuyasha's body than was socially acceptable would scent it. Those that crossed the boundary of proper personal space with Inuyasha would suddenly be hit by a wall of scent warning. The warning was simple and clear, "Mine, Trespass at your own risk."

Sesshoumaru stretched out comfortably on his royal sofa, in a simple act he had succeed in reassuring Inuyasha of his place within the pack, added a layer of protection, and lightly marked Inuyasha as the one Sesshoumaru's was courting, but... best of all he had a chance to savour those delectable lips, and the Hanyou had not reacted in fear. Lord Sesshoumaru did excellent work. Contented the Dog Demon drifted to sleep.

00...00

The next day, Lord Sesshoumaru had eaten breakfast with Inuyasha, and had informed Inuyasha, who had fully recovered, that he would present himself at court at noon. Jinenji would be coming to escort him and Inuyasha had to be prepared. Sesshoumaru had absently stroked Inuyasha's hair and ears as he spoke. Once they had eaten he picked up Inuyasha's hand placed a kiss on his palm, and licked the throbbing pulse point at Inuyasha's wrist, reinforcing the pack mark. Then the Demon Lord had left.

Inuyasha watched the demon lord leave with serene eyes, inside he was not quite sure if he was disappointed or relieved that they Demon Lord had not even tried to kiss him on he lips again.

Later, Inuyasha dressed in simple white top and pants, followed Jinenji into court. The Hanyou was dispassionate, though everything around him was new, he seemed to pay his surroundings no heed. His ears and nose scanned for danger all the time, and Jinenji was a little saddened that even when they walked through a beautiful garden, his little brother had not overtly acknowledged or enjoyed the beauty of his surroundings. Only the slight lifting of his neck, and an increased depth in his breathing were proof that the young Shiro Inu Hanyou had been moved in some way by the garden.

Inuyasha did not make eye contact with any of the demons that passed them, nor did he hang his head. He looked at the area above their shoulders, and always nodded politely to those who called out to them as they walked pass. He relied almost solely on scent and sound to identify people, Inuyasha had never been allowed to look at more than a handful of individuals in the temple of light, but from scent and sound he could identify every single being that had been in the same room with him in the temple of light. So much so, that no impersonator or assassin had ever managed to fool him, not even for a moment.

Now, he was doing the same thing, his ears and nose identifying individuals, categorizing them, identifying small traits that would give away an impostor or indicate to the Hanyou that the individual was over stressed or unnatural. Of his surroundings Inuyasha was clinically assessing everything. He noted the beauty, but that was the least important item, instead his focus was on the shadows, the nooks and the niches, the escape routes that may prove to be a flaw in their defenses. Inuyasha could sense that his behaviour was disappointing Jinenji, but his new big brother seemed too trusting, too gentle. Inuyasha knew better. He would bear the disappointment over ever seeing those around him unnecessarily hurt due to his inattention. He had a new pack, and he would protect it.

Finally they came to the great doors of the court, the guards opened the doors and the two Hanyou walked in. Inuyasha knew power, what ever else said of Lady Kikyo, she was one of the most powerful humans alive, and Inuyasha was subconsciously been aware that Lady Kikyo's greatest asset was that none seemed to realize that she only showed about half of her true powers. Inuyasha had consciously discovered that when he was 16. Lady Kikyo had immediately known that he had seen more than he should have. She had set about purging the memory from his mind. In spite of all that he had been through; the 5 minutes of torture he had received directly from Lady Kikyo's mind as she tore though him; still made him break out into cold sweat. She had believed she had purged his memories, but he had instead buried them deep. Leaving behind only the memory of the torture, he had attributed the cause to him displeasing his owners. Only now that he was one with Pup, did he have access to those thoughts again.

So Inuyasha knew power, and though he remained outwardly impassive, behind his barrier all four aspects had one thing to say, as they gazed at Lord Sesshoumaru a shining being of silvery alabaster seated on a throne of ebony and crimson, WOW! Power and beauty radiated from the Demon Lord, the other Demons in the room were powerful as well, but Lord Sesshoumaru led them all. He was not just powerful in terms of Youki, but also in terms of charisma, physical strength of arms and intelligence. More then that, his rough kindness in his dealings with Inuyasha, made the Hanyou feel more than was wise for one in his situation to feel.

Following Jinenji's lead, he bowed to the Demon Lord. Sesshoumaru rose and made a brief introduction of Inuyasha to the court, saying simply that the Shiro Inu Hanyou, Inuyasha was now an honoured member of the court, for the time being his status was that of a General Apprentice, allowing him to learn, study and develop his skills, strength, knowledge and abilities, in order to earn a permanent position. It was a standard position given to young adults, but just the acknowledgment had Inuyasha bowing to hide the burning sensation in his eyes.

When he raised his head, his mask had snapped into place once again.

Sesshoumaru stretched out a hand to Inuyasha, and the youth following directions given to him earlier, knelt and pressed his lips to Lord Sesshoumaru's knuckles. He then offered his right hand to Sesshoumaru, who accepted the hand, and mimicking his earlier actions, placed a kiss on the open palm before licking the Hanyou's pulse point. The only thing that had spared Inuyasha utter embarrassment was that he assumed the actions of the Demon Lord was totally traditional. The lick was, the kiss on the palm however had every single individual in court raising their eyebrows. More importantly those who had been impressed with the Hanyou exotic ears, silvery hair, golden eyes and shock black eyebrows, were quick to divorce themselves from any such potentially lethal attraction.

Bankotsu smiled, after that little gesture none would dare insult the Hanyou in any way. Sesshoumaru had just declared that the Lord's honor rested in the Hanyou's palm, and any insult to the Inuyasha would be equivalent to a direct insult at Lord Sesshoumaru. Bankotsu approved. There was something about this young one, the more they found out about him, the less they seemed to know. After what the young one had survived, it was only right that he receive the best, some balance had to be attained.

Inuyasha stood tall, none the wiser of all the subtleties at play. He bowed again, and was grateful when Jeninji took him to sit at the outer most layer of the hall, where others of his status sat. He nodded to them all but now that he was no longer distracted by Lord Sesshoumaru, began a minute examination of the court room.

After about an hour, Inuyasha was still engrossed in his assessment rather then the court proceedings. A scent hit his nose, and his whole body tensed. Yasha roared inside him. In unison, the three adults pushed the confused Pup into the inner sanctuary and closed it tight. Hyper alert the three stood together, as the Demon who had almost killed them walk into court... in chains. Inuyasha was unable to stop his gasp of surprise as the pretty Demon, now walked into court disheveled and chained, misery radiating from his being.

Jinenji laid a gentle hand on Inuyasha's clenched fist. "Little brother, did you not believe Lord Sesshoumaru when he told you that such behaviour was dishonourable and unacceptable in our lands?" Inuyasha blinked at Jinenji, he had believed, kindda, sortta – but perhaps the crux was that he had needed to see. He had not realized such a need existed within him. He glanced at Lord Sesshoumaru, and the Demon Lord was looking directly at him. The Demon Lord did not smile, but there was a look in his eyes that reached out to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha may not have realised it, but Sesshoumaru had known. He knew that Inuyasha would have to see justice being carried out on his behalf, in order for him to take his next few steps down the down of recovery. That is why Lord Sesshoumaru had delayed Manten's sentencing, he wanted Inuyasha to witness the proceedings.

Hiten, Manten's older brother and advisor to the heir to the Demon Throne had come to represent Manten. From his demeanor he made it clear, that while he loved his younger brother, and would defend him, he would accept the court's rulings.

Magic filled the air. None in court would be allowed to lie.

One by one witness came to speak of the events leading to that day. Hachimon spoke of how when he had left all had been in order and Manten had volunteered for the duty of caring for the Hanyou. The badger nurse, came and spoke of how the Hanyou had been in a coma the whole time she cared for him, of how easy and wonderful he had been to care for. She made it clear she did not remember how she fell, but she sincerely believed that the Hanyou had nothing to do with her accident. Her final words were a miserable whisper of "I am kind of clumsy, so as unlikely as it sounds I may have simply stepped on the back of my skirt or just tripped on my tail again. I'm sorry."

Guards, other healers and servants all came forward to give witness of how Manten had warned them away from the tower, how he had taken food to the tower daily and how he had reinforced the idea that Lord Sesshoumaru had wanted the Hanyou isolated because he was dangerous and that the Hanyou had hurt the nurse deliberately. Commander Kagura and Jakotsu spoke of Manten's behavior and his awakening them that night. Jinenji than spoke of how the Hanyou had been found almost starved to death, and how horrendous his physical state had been, Jinenji prudently left out details surrounding his visitation with death.

Then finally it was Manten's turn to speak. The Demon stuck to his story, of how he was defending everyone, how the Hanyou was tricking every one and was a pawn of their enemies. He Manten was the real Hero and they Hanyou realizing that Manten who did not believe him was a true threat, and engineered his supposed starvation. Manten had taken food for the Hanyou but the sly creature never choose to eat.

Manten ranted on and on, becoming less and less coherent.

Finally he began to say how the disgusting Hanyou was beguiling Lord Sesshoumaru, and Sesshoumaru's patience snapped. "Enough! Are you insinuating that the Royal Blood of a a Shiro Inu Youkai is so weak that it can be controlled?" Sesshoumaru's voice chilled the temperature in the room by several degrees.

The words snapped the Youkai back to reality. He paled and dropped to his knees, crying. His eyes were confused but a darkness swirled in their depths. "My Lord, I have always served you loyally, I have always been loyal, please My Lord I meant no offense."

"But offend you did! Inuyasha is the victim in this, and he has informed me that the reason he did not eat is that Manten wanted him to beg for the food. I have delivered Inuyasha's words and give my word that the young one spoke true. He will not be traumatized further by this situation. You have all heard what you need to hear, none here have spoken a lie from their understanding of their situation. Elders you are to decide if Manten acted with malicious intent to murder an innocent within the palace and deliberately committed a treasonous act or not. Consider well, for death is a possible punishment for either of these crimes. Elders your verdicts!"

Six leaders of various departments or groups acted as elders in the Demon trails. The departments were chosen based on which department was most neutral and the least involved in the matter. All the 'Elders' this time had been chosen from the city, as none within the palace walls was truly neutral in the matter. The Elders were not allowed to discuss, instead each held on to a staff. If their verdict was innocent the staff glowed white, if their verdict was uncertain the staff turned green and if the verdict was guilty the staff glowed a dark brown. In face of a tie, or pure uncertainty Lord Sesshoumaru would cast a deciding vote.

The staffs were lifted in the air, three staffs turned verdant green, and three more staffs turned brown. Sesshoumaru smiled coldly, "With the weight of my vote, I pronounce Manten guilty of the crimes committed. Since none believed in the possibility that he was innocent, I will evoke the full sentence of the law. Manten you sentence is De..."

Sesshoumaru's words were interrupted when Inuyasha silently appeared kneeling between the Demon Lord and Manten. "Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru said his voice immediately softening on the word.

"My Lord, I did not die. The sentence of Death would be unfair." Inuyasha said quietly.

"It is not just the matter of your death young one, he is also a traitor, who has knowingly twisted my words, and disobeyed. The punishment for that crime, is also death. Deliberate acts of treason, cannot be ignored." Sesshoumaru explained gently, he had sensed the Hanyou would not allow an execution on his behalf, the charges had been deliberately worded to ensure that Manten's sentencing was not linked to Inuyasha's state of health.

Inuyasha glanced back at Manten, the Demon was staring at him, not in relief, but with a mixture of confusion, and pure dripping hate. Inuyasha met the gaze with poised calm. He turned back to Lord Sesshoumaru, "That is just it my Lord. Though it is a poor excuse, my alertness in the cell was impaired, forgive me for allowing this to slip my guard. My Lord, I do not believe this Demon Manten was acting deliberately. Please, Lord Sesshoumaru summon one with Miko-like powers to do a 'seeing' of this Demon, there is a scent about him that is wrong. A scent of darkness that is vaguely familiar to my .."

Inuyasha did not finish the sentence. A burst of power exploded out of Manten, sending Inuyasha and most of the demons crashing to the ground. Manten screamed in agony, his body melting, twisting and writhing, they could hear the Demon's bones breaking, as his back was torn open and a mass of darkness rose like a gigantic serpent from the shattered body of the Demon.

Before any could react, the mass split into three and aiming its attacks simultaneously at Sesshoumaru, Bankotsu and Bakusen'O the three most powerful Youkai in the court, all three braced for battle. The darkness hit their guards, and shattered, all three attacks had been a ploy, Three pairs of eyes turned and watched in horror as the Mass sped at its true target, the Shiro Inu Hanyou, half squatting on the floor.

Sesshoumaru, Bakusen'O, Bankotsu, Jakotsu and Hiten blasted energy at the true Mass. Thanks to the feint their attack was a moment too late.

The Mass shattered under the force of demonic powers, but it had struck flesh.

Blood and wind filled the court room.

Blood splattered on court members standing more than 15 feet away.

Only the panting of Demons was heard, as the smoke and darkness cleared.

Inuyasha lay in a pool of blood, his eyes wide with horror.

Kneeling above him, her blood dripping, her fans shattered and the whole top part of her shoulder torn away was Commander Kagura. Her pink red eyes shining with grim satisfaction, "This time I protected you Young One. I'm sorry I.." her eyes rolled back as she collapsed in a heap on to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha screamed for a healer.

-tbc-

Well NO cliff hanger! I was tempted to stop at "blood and wind filled the courtroom." As Watanaki yells so uselessly at Domeki - "BE GRATEFUL!" hehehe I expect the same reply Domeki gives Watanaki from the readers, a rather flat "Ahou!" hehehe (From XXX-holic)

Well, hope you enjoyed it, and understand Sesshoumaru a little bit better. He is arrogant but he is truly not a jerk in this fic – he has an older sister after all. :D heheh. Please review.. did I clarify anything?.. ideas on what's actually going on anyone? Review and tell me please.