Set Me Free

Great Demon Council

“We have had more reports of strange weapons being used to commit crimes in the North,” shouted Lord Ryokotsei.

“We have had an increase in the number of disappearances in the East,” shouted Lord Kouga.

“Do you think there is a connection between the two?” asked Lady Touran of the South.

“What possible connection could there be?” asked Kouga.

“We have heard more and more rumors lately about the hanyous and their Weapons Masters,” replied Touran.

“Do we have to go over this again?” Lord Inutaisho of the West shouted. “There are no such things as Hanyou Weapons Masters. They are a legend nothing more.”

“Not everyone is as thrilled with the hanyous as you,” spat out Ryokotsei. “Or had the nerve to produce one,” he continued under his breath.

“I heard that, Dragon! My personal affairs are none of your concern!” bellowed Inutaisho.

“It is a concern when you shame the council with your actions, Dog,” Ryokotsei countered. “If you are more interested in muddying your bloodline then setting an example for your people, then why not step down?”

“You will still your tongue or I will rip it out, Lizard!” Inutaisho was on his feet now and yelling. He was being restrained by Kouga and Touran.

“Enough you two,” shouted Kouga. “Why does this have to happen at every meeting? Ryokotsei, you will stand down and apologize for your outburst. You know that Lord Inutaisho breaks no council laws. He has already produced an heir and his mate has passed on. He is free to rut and reproduce with whomever he chooses.”

“Much as I hate to admit it,” Touran picked up where Kouga left off. “Lord Inutaisho has greatly helped relations with the hanyous. They seem to trust him more then the rest of us on the council due to his son. You are the one who has broken the rules of this summit, Lord Ryokotsei. You will stand down and apologize, or it will be you who will be forced to step down from the council.”

Ryokotsei was visibly angry. The Great Dog General had been his rival for years and he wanted to oust him from the council more then anything. He had thought that he had an opening for this when the Western Lord had impregnated a human. Not only did he allow a hanyou to be born, but he had also done so without officially mating the human whore. Allowing a bastard hanyou to be born to his family, it was disgraceful. Now, instead of this shame forcing the dog to resign from the council, it was actually gaining him allies. Touran had never stood up for the dog before. It was usually the North and the South arguing against the East and the West. If Ryokotsei lost favor with the South, he and his people would be in a very bad position.

“I apologize for my words and humbly request the forgiveness of the council and you, Lord Inutaisho,” the dragon stated sounding almost sincere. He even bowed to Inutaisho.

Inutaisho sat back down. He had no choice but to accept the respectfully given apology, even though he really wanted to kill the dragon. “Your apology is acceptable this time, Lord Ryokotsei, but I will not allow you to insult myself and my family at every meeting. No council member should have to put up with this level of disrespect.”

“I second that,” Kouga stated coming to the defense of his long time ally.

“I also have to agree,” Touran added hesitantly. “We need to focus on the issues at hand and cease this infighting.”

“I apologize again, and will no longer bring up the subject in present company,” Ryokotsei stated coldly knowing that he had completely lost this battle.

“Back to the issues at hand,” Touran started trying to get the meeting back on track. “Several of my people have gone missing lately as well. We found a shallow grave filled with 5 of them a few weeks after they had disappeared. They looked as if they were mercilessly tortured before they were killed. What was even more concerning, was that they were all found with the same types of wounds, but with each body it looked like the wounds were more severe and it took less of them to kill the victim. It does look like some type of weapon was being tested.”

“Perhaps someone is testing a new weapon,” Kouga started his response. Like Touran he was calmer this time around and more willing to be logical. “That does not mean that the tester was some mythical hanyou creature.”

“I do have to agree with the wolf,” Ryokotsei very reluctantly entered the conversation. “I have seen many new weapons used in my lands lately, but they were all used by full demons or humans. When some of these individuals were caught and questioned about the weapons, they all stated that they recently purchased the weapons, but none were obtained from a hanyou. That does not mean that they are not somehow involved, but I have no proof of it.”

“It is very disturbing to me that new weapons are being developed during what should be a time of peace,” Inutaisho added. “And if Lady Touran is correct, they are being tested on poor unassuming victims. The thought is reprehensible. I would like to enter a motion that we assign a group to investigate these new weapons, how they are being made and who is making them. I suggest that we each appoint one member since they will need to cross land boundaries in order to investigate in all 4 lands.”

“I second the motion,” Kouga stated. “All in favor?”

Four hands were raised. “The motion is unanimously accepted,” stated Touran. “Lord Inutaisho, since it was your motion, I assume that you would like your representative to lead the group. Who do you appoint?”

“I appoint my son and heir to the West, Lord Sesshomaru,” Inutaisho stated proudly.

“Very well,” stated Ryokotsei. “I will appoint my niece, Kagura. She is exceptionally bright, especially for a female.”

“I will appoint my sister, Lady Ayame,” stated Kouga. “She is smart and strong. She will be an asset.” He was pleased to be able to send Ayame away. This little mission would keep her out of his hair. He had made the mistake of seeking her opinion on a few delicate matters and now she seemed to think that her opinion was always welcome. It was not.

“Is there any objection to having a hanyou in this group?” Touran asked.

The lords were stunned!

“But you were the one who brought up the possibility of hanyou involvement,” questioned Ryokotsei.

“All of the more reason to have one in the group,” replied Touran. “If there really is a group of Hanyou creating weapons, it is bound to be some small faction. Most hanyou have been very pleased with things as of late. A hanyou in the group will be anxious to prove the innocence of the majority of their race.”

“I agree that most hanyous have been happy lately,” added Kouga. “We have fewer problems with them then the humans.”

“I have a hanyou in mind that I have known for over a century,” stated Touran. “He started to work in my household a few years after the treaty was signed. He may be the smartest person I know. He has worked his way up to advisor. Not an easy task for anyone, but especially for a hanyou. Unfortunately, I think he is growing a little bored in his position. I feel that that he would be more then up for the challenge. I will of course, leave the final decision up to you, Lord Inutaisho, since it was your motion.”

Inutaisho had a bad feeling about this. Over the years he had developed such a strong sixth sense that there were times he could accurately predict the future. This was not one of those times, but there was a strong sense of foreboding. Touran had acted out of character by coming to his defense earlier, and now she was acknowledging the intelligence of a hanyou. This was highly unusual, but also left him in an awkward position. If he did not allow a hanyou in the group, then he would be admitting that he felt them to be inferior. This would hurt his place on the council due to his hanyou son. Perhaps Touran wished to test his conviction on the subject of the hanyou. ‘Crafty Cat,’ he thought.

“I do not see an issue with a hanyou on the team. He may be able to gain information from other hanyous who would be reluctant to speak to full demons,” Inutaisho replied.

“Excellent! I appoint Naraku from the South,” said Touran excitedly.

The meeting adjourned shortly afterward. The team of investigators would meet in the South at the next full moon to start looking into the weapons issue. Inutaisho knew that Sesshomaru would be pleased to head up a team that was hand picked and appointed by the Great Council. When the investigation was over and the perpetrators found, Sesshomaru would be viewed as a hero in all 4 lands. That along with his impressive battle record in both the human and hanyou wars would make his station as Heir to the West all the more accepted by his people.

‘My son is indeed positioned for a great future,’ thought Inutaisho proudly. ‘Now I just have to think of a way to keep him from killing me when I tell him that his team will consist of two females and a hanyou. Sesshomaru will not be pleased.’ Inutaisho laughed at the expression that was sure to be on his son’s face when he told him the news. Sesshomaru would always try to hide his emotions, but his father could read him like a book.

‘This will certainly be one of my more memorable meetings with my son,’ he thought with a smile. The he took his giant dog form and headed for his home in the West.

----------I do not own any part of Inuyasha of any of the characters that I used.