Sweetest Sin

Chapter Three
The Wolf Prince Alliance

The group watched as Kouga appeared in his usual whirlwind. The three full blooded demons and Inuyasha were the first to realize something was wrong. The scent of blood was heavy on the air, Kouga’s blood.

When he finally reached them and the cloud of dust around him had diminished they were all aware of the wounds covering the wolf demon. His wounds were pouring blood and his complexion from pale from the loss of too much of that precious crimson liquid.

His expression registered their presence a split second before he passed out. Surprisingly Inuyasha caught him. When he saw the disbelieving looks on his friends faces. “What, just because I don’t like him doesn’t mean I can’t help him. It can’t be worse then seeing Sesshomaru not trying to kill us.” He said defensively as he lowered the wolf demon to the ground and began examining his wounds.

“They aren’t too bad, with his healing abilities he should recover in a few days. Infection might be a problem though, they look like cat claws.” Inuyasha said as he looked at the four parallel gashes running down his chest.

Sesshomaru came over and inspected the wounds. “The spacing suggests some sort of leopard demon or possibly adolescent tiger. I doubt any adolescent could touch him so I suggest leopard. You are right Inuyasha even full blooded demons can get infection from a cat demon’s claws.”

“Then help me with him, clean and wrap the ones on his chest, please. I’ll be able to get the rest.” Inuyasha said taking stock of the injuries.

Sesshomaru picked up the bandages handed to him by his younger brother and set to work with him to get Kouga stabilized. Unlike the humans they had helped previously Kouga’s demon blood was able to aid them. His advanced healing powers allowed them to stop the bleeding easier and get them wrapped with less pain inflicted. Soon Kouga was propped up resting with the rest of them.

He regained consciousness quickly. He opened bleary eyes for a moment only to close them a moment afterwards. All his energy was focused on healing his wounds he didn’t have much left for anything else. “Thank you,” he said quietly quite out of character for him.

They let him rest the remainder of the day. The other injured ones were recovering quickly under the brothers careful ministrations. It would be a while before they would be back to full health but they were on their way to it.

“Inuyasha, where did you learn healing? Why haven’t you said anything about it before?” Sango asked as he carefully checked the nasty wound on her lower back.

“It never came up; it was usually you guys patching me up instead of me helping you. As for where I learned it was out of necessity.” He answered as he wound a fresh bandage around her back.

“What do you mean when you say you had to learn out of necessity?” Kagome asked.

“You are aware more then anyone else here save Sesshomaru of just how alone I was before Kikyo bound me to the tree. Ever since my mother died I have been on my own. I had to learn to heal myself if I wanted to live. I never thought I would have to use those skills on another person.” He admitted.

“Inuyasha how old were you when your mother died?” Kagome asked again.

“Not much older then Shippou, we age slower then humans but if you were to compare I was about 9 or 10.” He answered.

“You weren’t much more then a pup, I was unbelievably angry with you. Our father died protecting you and your mother only to have her die of a broken heart a few years later. Before that moment I was willing to just ignore your presence, you were being raised as a human and knew practically nothing of our society. Father had to go off on that stupid suicidal mission letting you know of our world, getting himself killed in the process, and when that happened you became a threat and my enemy.” Sesshomaru added in.

“Is that what started this feud? Inu youkai society is either much more complicated then any of the others or you two are fools.” Kouga’s voice was surprising to every one sitting in the clearing.

“What makes you say that?” Sesshomaru said in his emotionless voice, but no one missed the deadly cast to it.

“In any other demon society I have run across, siblings instead of being pushed apart are pushed together. After all a sibling is only a threat if they want to take over. If they are already ruling jointly there is nothing for them to take they don’t already have a claim to, and yes that includes the rare few times a hanyou has been born into a royal family.” Kouga explained with a grunt when he pulled at the healing scratches adorning his body.

“You mean I’m not the only hanyou with royal blood?” Inuyasha asked.

“Of course you aren’t. Demons and humans have been living on each other’s territories for so long a certain amount of interbreeding is expected. Most people assume a hanyou will be weaker than a normal demon but there are quite a few counter examples for that.” The young wolf demon responded.

The look of shock on Inuyasha’s face was priceless to his usual companions. The half demon was easy to anger but shock was something totally alien. Without a word Inuyasha leapt up into the nearest tree and just started running. Sesshomaru felt him settle on a branch far enough away for privacy but close enough for safety.

“What’s wrong with him?” Shippou asked the adults.

Sesshomaru sighed heavily before answering the fox kit. “Inuyasha has spent most of his life running from people calling him a half breed or worse. He has just been told that other hanyous have been born into and accepted by ruling demon clans. How do you think you would feel?” He got up and bound after his brother, he hoped the hanyou wouldn’t do anything stupid, they needed him too much.

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Sesshomaru had barely gotten within the sight of Inuyasha before he was pounced on questions pouring from the others mouth in an accusing tone of voice. “Why wasn’t I told of this?”

“I was too busy trying to kill you to trouble myself with teaching you anything, and you never were around demons long enough to ask were you.” Sesshomaru pointed out.

“I spent my life running from nothing than?” He asked letting a hint of defeat enter his voice.

“Certainly not from nothing. Just because hanyous have been accepted before does not mean full blooded demons like them any better. The only reason the ones Kouga spoke of were able to keep their power and lives was because they proved they were worthy of holding the title. I have already told you demons respect power those hanyous proved they held power equal to any full blood demon.” Sesshomaru explained patiently.

“I have to assume responsibility for the reason you were never given the chance. I knew of the past but when I looked at you I was consumed by rage. You weren’t old enough to claim your title when father died, when you finally reached the right age we had been fighting as enemies so long telling you of this would be pointless.” He finished off.

“What about when we are finished with this mission? Do we just go back to ignoring each others existence, or do I get my chance to claim my title?” Inuyasha asked with fire in his voice.

“If we both survive I had expected you to want a joint title with me, if one of us dies the other rules. You already said you wanted the name not the power. Well if you stand at my side then you receive the title and some of the power. It would help with a little problem I have run into lately.” Sesshomaru explained quietly.

“What problem?” Inuyasha asked.

“My council has been pushing me to produce an heir, there are circumstances preventing that, if you are my joint ruler then you can produce the heirs.” Sesshomaru explained.

“What circumstances?” Inuyasha asked curiously.

Sesshomaru actually got a touch of pink in his cheeks for a millisecond before the cold mask dropped back over his features. “I can’t father children, I’m a uke.” Sesshomaru explained haughtily.

Inuyasha definitely wasn’t expecting that. In demon society ukes weren’t just the submissive of a sexual partnership they were male demons who had the body chemistry necessary to carry pups but not father them. For a Demon Lord to be a uke it generally ended up in disaster. Lords were extremely picky with mates and the selection for a uke demon was limited to semes that had the ability to beat them. Their bodies would not produce pups to just any seme they must have equal or greater strength then the uke, and Sesshomaru is so powerful

“For some reason you never struck me as a uke. I’m sorry but your personality does scream seme.” Inuyasha said in answer to his half brother’s revelation.

“That’s only if you know nothing about demon ukes which I can see you don’t. Think about it father gifted me with Tensaiga, a sword of protection. The patience and coldness you are so happy to point out in my personality are necessary for a uke we must posses those qualities or we can be taken advantage of by semes who think ukes are weak, not unlike the prejudice against hanyous. Our job is to protect the young, and raise them which takes way more patience than most of us assume.

I can also tell you are a natural seme, even if you are a touch immature. You are built for defense and have Tetsuaiga, your hotheaded personality and quickness to anger are necessary for a seme. Your job is to defend your mate and pups, and destroy all threats to you, your lands, and your family.” Sesshomaru explained.

“I must ask what your intentions with that miko are? If you chose her to bare your heirs their will be problems. Most hanyous have a similar lifespan to full blood demons but if you dilute the demon blood anymore your pups will not have a long lifespan. I don’t think you want to have to outlive your pups and mate by several hundred years.” Sesshomaru explained. “I am guessing you haven’t told them exactly how old you are have you?” he added on as an afterthought.

“Kagome and I were never meant to be. Not long before you joined us we had a long discussion on just that matter. I didn’t know then that there might be a place for me in the west so we discussed options. For us to be together she would either have to live like a wild demon in this time or I was to go back with her and become a full human. Either decision would leave one of us losing something important to them.

Plus, when my heats come it isn’t females I am drawn to. I have managed to keep it hidden from them, but it hasn’t been easy. I think they might have some idea that I go into heat simply because there is a certain period of time I routinely disappear. I wasn’t sure if they would understand the attraction.” Inuyasha confessed.

“You aren’t alone aniki,” Sesshomaru said quietly.

“So it’s common for demons and hanyous to be attracted to members of the same sex?” Inuyasha asked again.

“How do you think uke demons evolved? Yes it is a fairly common thing. I should also say this so you don’t go embarrassing yourself if we run into such a pairing at some point. It is common for demons to mate inside their families. It strengthens the purity of the blood line. I know that concept is foreign to humans, the two types of blood react completely different to certain mixes, in reality hanyous shouldn’t exist the blood is too different but somehow it mixes.” Sesshomaru explained.

“How would my human blood react to mating with a family member?” Inuyasha seemed bizarrely curious about this subject, but Sesshomaru only had himself to blame for his brother’s lack of education.

“It would depend on which side of the family you mated with. I don’t suggest mating with any of Izayoi’s relatives that would probably not end well, but on father’s side you would be fine your demon blood will protect your pups.” He explained again.

“We need to go back and see what the wolf wanted. Can you get yourself pulled together on the trip back?” Sesshomaru stated.

“Yes,” Inuyasha replied huffily.

“Than let’s go.” Sesshomaru stated and began moving through the trees back to where the others were resting. Inuyasha caught up with him and soon enough they were back amongst their companions.

To Sesshomaru’s surprise they were already beginning to move around. They were made of tougher stuff than he had given them credit for.

“Kouga what happened to bring you here?” Inuyasha asked no trace of his previous out burst was present in his voice.

“My clan kicked me out with an ultimatum I have to fulfill or I cannot return.” He explained, “I was ambushed on my quest to fulfill this ultimatum when I was caught of guard by one of those horrid cat demons.”

“What was the ultimatum?” Sesshomaru asked catching something familiar about the wolf demon’s story.

“Find a mate or don’t come back.” Kouga replied simply. “An alpha male can not be without a mate.” He finished off in a tone that implied he was impersonating the demon who had delivered the ultimatum.

“What about Ayame? It seems to me she would jump at the chance to be your mate?” Kagome asked.

“She would, I wouldn’t, and a female mate is not in my future.” Kouga said bluntly.

“What about all those times you came on to me?” she asked indignantly.

“You were the perfect cover. I knew you wouldn’t say yes, but saying you were a potential mate kept the pack off my back for awhile.” He explained. “I do care for you but I just can’t mate with a female.”

“Why not?” Miroku asked openly curious bout it.

“For the same reason our dear Lord of the Western lands over there never took a mate.” Kouga explained.

The humans in the group were lost but the demons, and Inuyasha, understood immediately. Kouga was a uke too. This was highly unusual for two uke Lords to be born at the same time. It did not bode well for the future of both races if the two males couldn’t find adequate mates.

“Well it’s obvious you can’t travel on your own. Those wounds might have killed you if you hadn’t reached us that quickly. You will just have to travel with us, and we can overlook the times you go off looking for a mate. I know you wolves track them by scent.” Surprisingly this was Sango speaking.

“Only if the mutt agrees my ears are a bit delicate to keep listening to abuse all day.” Kouga answered with a slight grin.

Inuyasha looked at the faces of his companions for their votes and detected something bizarre. The wolf demon was attracting appraising stares, and they weren’t coming from the females in the group. Seeing that made him curious to know where that would lead. With a huge sigh he answered the wolf. “If I can handle having Sesshomaru with us and not trying to kill us, I geuss I can handle your presence. We could use your speed.”

The look on Miroku’s face was hilarious, but only if you knew where to look. He was over the moon with the news. The girls observed this change and exchanges small smiles between themselves.