Across the Ages

Sorry guys but Kurama is hot! LoL.

Chapter Thirty


Ayeka leaned back against the broad chested fox. Her eyes on the stars that winked from high above. The feast had grown steadily louder and Ayeka wanted to catch up with the fox. He would be leaving soon of that she had no doubts.

They'd made their way out to the gardens, gleaming in the moonlit snow. She had countless questions the fox could almost hear the whirling about in her head. Moving to a stone bench near the barren willow, he swept the snow away and she laid a spare cloak down.

He sat, her beside him, curling his silken silver tail around them for warmth. Ayeka had leaned back into him, tucking her feet beneath her robes and cloak. His arms came around her easily and she tipped her head back against his shoulder.

"You won't be here long will you?" she asked, already knowing his answer. Kurama reached up and pulled the sticks from her hair, letting the mass fall around her shoulders. He had always liked her hair down. "No, I will be here for only a few days" he replied. She nodded against him.

It was the way things were with him. He came and he went. He always had. Even when she'd been small. She recalled meeting him, so long ago. She'd been upset, some village boys had teased her because she was training with her father.

She'd run from them, deep into the forest, not willing, even then to let them see her tears. She'd not been watching where she had been going and tripped over an exposed root. She'd done what any eight year old would do. She'd wailed at the injustice of it all.

"What do we have here?" came a smooth baritone, an unfamiliar voice to her. She'd looked up through tears to see the youkai before her. So tall that she lost his face in the sun that shone down around them through the leaves.

She tried to stand up, intent on running but her twisted ankle had other ideas and she flopped back down at his feet. "Get away from me youkai!" she ordered. Maybe if she sounded mean, he'd leave her alone. The demon slowly knelt down beside her, her eyes widening on his golden eyes and long silver hair and tail.

"You're a fox!" she exclaimed before she thought better of it. He nodded and smiled gently, "Yes I am," he agreed, "And you have hurt yourself". She looked over at her ankle and then back up at him, "Papa says that youkai eat children" she blurted out.

The fox smiled again, her little eyes locking on the points of his teeth, "Some might, I don't little one. Let me see your ankle". His voice was soothing, calming. Ayeka drew her ankle closer to her body, whimpering, "No!". The fox sighed heavily, " I will not harm you, I merely wish to see how badly you are hurt".

She stared up at him, wide green eyes meeting pale gold. "Are you a good youkai?" she whispered.. Was there such a thing? She didn't know. What she did know was that this fox made her want to trust to him. His gentle smiles and soft tone, easing her fears.

The fox seemed to contemplate her question. Finally he answered, "As good as a demon can be I suppose". With a little more coaxing he got the child to let him touch her small ankle. "What is your name?" he asked. His clawed hands were moving softly over the bruised flesh.

"I- I am Ayeka" she told him. He nodded, "Well Ayeka, your ankle is not broken, that's good, but you have sprained it" he informed her. She looked up with liquid eyes, "I fell down" she admitted. The fox smiled softly, "I can see that. Where do you live Ayeka? I will take you home" he announced.

She pointed off through the trees, "In the village over there" she whispered. He nodded and scooped her up into his arms careful of her ankle. She snuggled against the warmth of his chest and smiled, "What are you called fox?" she asked, her little fingers playing with his long silver hair.

He looked down to meet her eyes, "I am Kurama" he said simply and then he began to walk. Through the trees and the forest, to the edge of the village. Playing children paused to stare at the very tall youkai. A few ran whimpering, even some of the mean boys that had upset her.

Kurama had left her with her nurse and patted her head. She'd smiled at him, "You will come back won't you Kurama?" she asked as he stepped through the door. The fox paused and looked over his shoulder at her, "I will" he promised.

Years had gone by and nearly everyone forgot the silver youkai who had entered their village. Ayeka did not. When she was thirteen, he appeared again, at the edge of the village. She'd been training and when she saw him, her face had split into a wide smile.

Her scent had reached him, he knew it was her. Still, he hadn't expected to see that smile, or hear her cry out to him. "Kurama!". She'd run to him, pausing a foot away. "You came back" she said in a happy whisper. He nodded, "I said I would" he answered.

He'd spent two days near the village. Walking and talking with the growing girl. She was a pretty thing, a bit aggressive, but that was not a fault. Not that he could see anyway. He sparred with her a few times. She was good. She was still not very strong but given her stature he knew that she would never have the strength of a man.

He'd left again only to emerge from the forest on her sixteenth birthday. He'd recognized her only by scent and that fire red hair. She had changed so much. Gone was the gangly thin girl. Before him stood a young woman, with a sword.

She'd run to him then, and he'd let her embrace him. He was perhaps her only true friend, he knew that. Wasn't that why he'd come back time and again? "I missed you Kurama" she had whispered against his chest and he'd hugged her tightly, finding that he'd missed her too.

He'd seen her again just before she left Okinawa. Now nearing her twentieth year. She'd cried against him, "Afraid of going to a new village?" he asked her. She nodded, "They say that a youkai lord rules over that area" she admitted. Kurama had laughed softly, "I hear that his bark is worse than his bite in most cases" he assured her. He didn't tell her that he knew the Taisho.

He had often wondered why she had not yet wed. She had long since reached marriageable age. He supposed that it was because she was considered odd. She fought better than most men, spoke freely like a man and did not act the part of the quiet lady. She was a handful to be sure. He supposed she would go and help her sister for a few months and then return to Okinawa.

She hadn't and the rumors on Okinawa spread. She'd found a place in the house of the Taisho. She was a concubine of demons. That was not the truth, she would never give herself in such a way. He knew that for a certainty. The demons also spoke.

A flower grew in the house of the Taisho. Bright as the moon and hot as the sun. A woman of the blade. He'd known in that moment that it could be no other. The Taisho had sent him to find a spell, kept deep in the dragon's dens. A spell of eternal life. He'd wondered why the dog would require such a thing, but he'd gone and retrieved it.

Now he was here, with her resting in his arms. Had the spell been for her? Did the Taisho value her so much then that he would bend the wheels of time to make her an immortal being? His claws stroked through her hair and she closed her eyes with a happy sigh.

"Are you happy here Ayeka?" he asked. She laced her fingers through his free hand. "I am… mostly" she admitted, "The Taisho is very good to me". Kurama nodded, he'd expected that. Inutaisho was not an unkind soul. Hard, but kind.

"And Sesshoumaru?" he asked. Ayeka stiffened momentarily in his embrace. He looked down at her in question. "Don't want to talk about him" she muttered. He smiled at her, "You sound more like the child I found so may years ago than a great general" he teased. She blushed, "I can't hide anything from you can I?" she asked.

The fox shook his head, his tail tightening slightly. She released his hand to stroke the soft fur. Kurama let himself indulge in a low content growl. She had never seemed to notice or care that he was not like her. Perhaps that had endeared her to him over the years.

"He confuses me" she whispered, staring intently at the gleaming fur between her fingers. Kurama stroked his fingers against her jaw and down her throat to tip her head back to meet his gaze. "How so?" he asked. He had been the confidant of her secrets for most of her life. Her friend, her heart.

"He..I, we are just very different," she said glumly. Kurama caressed the flesh of her throat gently, soothingly. His claws dancing lazy patterns there. "He is the winter and you Ayeka are like fire. Polar opposites" he agreed. She sighed, "But things… I don't know.. Lately" her voice fell away. Could she confide these things to him, would he think less of her somehow?

"When I was given the panther mission, he came to my rooms late that night" she whispered. Kurama was surprised to hear that, "And?" he pressed. She shrugged beneath his arms, "He said he didn't want me to go. That the opposition was too strong for me" she gritted out. Kurama smiled against her hair, "So of course you were determined to prove him wrong". She nodded, he knew her all too well, clever damn fox.

"I shouldn't be telling you any of this, it was a mistake after all by both of us… but" she stammered. Kurama drew her back further into his embrace, she was nearly reclining in his lap now. "He has taken you?" he asked. His voice soft, but firm. If Sesshoumaru had done such a thing, he'd be paying the dog a visit tonight. He sniffed lightly at her, she still smelled innocent, but if it had only occurred once then the lingering scent of dog on her might confuse his nose.

Her eyes went wide, her cheeks pink. "No!" she cried out, embarrassed beyond anything. "Of course not Kurama, what do you take me for?" she demanded. She tried to sit up straight but he held her still, "Something has occurred between you. What was it?" he asked softly.

She let her eyes fall to his lips. She chewed her lip for a long while, "He….kissed me Kurama" she whispered. Kurama let that sink in, so the dog had kissed her. That wasn't so bad. "Did you kiss him back?" he asked, suddenly finding her innocence amusing.

She blushed a little deeper, "Yes… I… think so" she muttered. He smiled at her then, "You think? You mean you don't know?" he chuckled at her. Ayeka stared at him, her expression adorably disgruntled. "Hello Kurama, I am not in the habit of running around kissing men" she bit out.

Kurama almost laughed at her anger. "I know, I know" he soothed. She grunted, a most dog like sound he thought. "Ayeka, do you care for the dog prince then?" he asked. She looked uncomfortable, "I don't know.. No… he's an asshole" she said. Kurama dropped his hand to her mouth, "Don't talk like that" he admonished.

She stared up at him, his handsome features gentle in the moonlight. If she did love anyone, shouldn't it be him? She did love him, very much. But was it the right kind? She mumbled under his palm, her lips pressing against him. He chuckled down at her, "Fight like a man means you have to sound like one too?" he asked. She narrowed her eyes, "Mwat woo you fink?" she asked around his hand.

He shook his head, "Ayeka, you can still be a woman in this place. And he is an asshole I know, but you shouldn't say it" he chided. She pulled his hand from her mouth, "That is just complete nonsense" she snapped, "Men can swear and I can't?" Kurama lifted her slightly, smiling at her womanly indignation.

He leaned forward then, and her eyes widened. "Kurama?" she breathed. "Hn?" he asked softly. She swallowed hard, "Are you going to kiss me?" she asked. He nodded. She gave a small 'eep' when his lips covered hers. Like velvet they slid against hers. His hand cupped her throat, his thumb rubbing over the pulse point there.

She felt the warmth of his moist tongue dance along her lower lip. Her eyes flew open at that. His thumb moved to her chin, pressing just enough to part her lips. She sighed when his tongue swept into her mouth like a slow caress. Her eyes fluttered closed, her hands slowly making their way up his chest.

She moaned softly as his fangs touched her lower lip. Her own tongue slowly moved against his. That felt nice, it was gentle and sweet, leaving her breathless. His kiss so different from Sesshoumaru's. That was hot and demanding as though he were conquering her. It was his kiss she wanted, they both knew it.
Sesshoumaru had finished his bath, disgusted with himself that he had turned to Komi. While she was skilled and was there for the use of the house, he knew she wanted more from him. It was Ayeka's fault entirely. She was the one he wanted and the one thing in all the world that he must not have.

She was human and he was a demon, a prince among demons. Her short years belonged to him. If he could not have her love, then he would have her sword and therefore her life. That was acceptable to him. Now he just had to get rid of Ryu. Not a difficult task.

He strayed to the balcony of his rooms overlooking the gardens. It was quiet out there, peaceful. He breathed in the night air and then his eyes narrowed. What was that smell? Kitsune? Kurama! That thief of a fox that his father was so fond of. He was here in this place?

Sesshoumaru let his eyes sharpen as he scanned the gardens below. There! The moonlight kissed the scene before him. Kurama in his father's gardens, wrapped around a woman who was obviously enjoying his kisses. Then the woman shifted and her hair spilled into the light. Red. Ayeka!

Sesshoumaru did not think about his actions much. He leapt from the balcony to land in a graceful but deadly crouch in the midst of the gardens. His sudden appearance caused Kurama to break his kiss and his hold on Ayeka. He shoved her behind him as he faced the dog.

"Sesshoumaru" the fox said quietly. Sesshoumaru stood to his full height, just shy of the seven feet Kurama had. "Thief." The lord greeted icily. Kurama narrowed his eyes on his would be opponent. He felt Ayeka try to move into the open and put his arm out to block her. Sesshoumaru was obviously riled and he was dangerous when he was.

Sesshoumaru locked his gaze on her, "Ayeka, return to your rooms" he commanded. Kurama growled softly. Ayeka pushed his arm away, "It's okay Kurama. He's probably just upset that he can smell a human so close to his rooms" she muttered.

She shot the dog an icy glare. Sesshoumaru drew on what patience he had remaining. "Your rooms" he reminded her. She stomped her foot at him, "I am not your child, don't order me around" she snapped out. Kurama's ear twitched lightly. He was going to have to save her from the damnable dog. He knew Sesshoumaru's temper and she'd no doubt just set the fuse afire.

"Ayeka" he said in warning. She huffed. Sesshoumaru stared down his nose at her. Her chin lifted in reaction. She sucked in breath to give him a scathing set down. Sesshoumaru seemed to know this and he raised his hand, halting her words. "Be silent woman" he growled, his eyes clashing with Kurama's.

Kurama wondered at the dog's restraint. Sesshoumaru spoke then, "Ayeka come here". She moved to stand before him. His eyes never leaving the kitsune. Kurama tensed ready to spring on the other if needed. "Go upstairs and wait for me" Sesshoumaru said softly to her. His tone surprisingly calm.

She looked over her shoulder at Kurama. He nodded slightly, "There is much unfinished business between he and I" he told her. She looked back up at Sesshoumaru, he steadfastly ignored her. She bit her lip, "If you harm him, I will never forgive you Sesshoumaru. This isn't finished my lord" she whispered to him hotly. Indeed it wasn't.

She thundered into the palace and up to her rooms. Angry and confused, and fearful of what would occur in the gardens. From her estimation the two men were equally matched. She didn't know who would win though, and she didn't want either of them hurt.

She paced back and forth before the windows. Wringing the flowing sleeves of her robes. Wait for him, he'd said. Why? So they could argue and fight again? It was exhausting, this caring for him. Why the hell did she love him anyway? Her movements stopped and her eyes grew wide. She did NOT just think that.
She loved him? Ha! That was so far from the truth. Wasn't it. She reflected on Kurama's kiss, pleasant and she had been affected, but not like with Sesshoumaru. He could set her blood and body afire with a mere glance. What was the matter with her?

Far below in the gardens and unknown to her, the two demons faced off. "When did you get here Kurama?" Sesshoumaru asked. Kurama eyed him carefully, "A few hours ago" he answered. Sesshoumaru wanted to throttle him. "And you managed to compromise her in so short a period?" he demanded.

"She has not been compromised" "Mauled then. Pawed at"
"I think you could answer that for yourself"
"What are you implying?"
"Why did you do it Sesshoumaru?"
"This Sesshoumaru knows nothing that you are speaking of"
"You kissed her"
"Perhaps. That is not your concern fox."
"She is my concern"
"Ha. Where was your concern when she came to this place? Where was it when she killed the panther and marched into battle?"
"I keep busy Ayeka knows that"
"Does she know what a complete bastard you are Kurama?"
"No, but she knows how much you are"
"You stay away from her Kitsune or I shall present your head to her on a plate of gold"
"And wouldn't that win her heart for you?"
"She is human."
"And you want her anyway. How far the mighty do fall"
"At least I was not ravaging her in the gardens" Not yet anyway.
"With a kiss that she compares to yours"

Sesshouamru paused. Kurama no longer in a defensive position, stood arms crossed over his chest. "She is dear to me Sesshoumaru," he warned, "I want to know what game you are playing with her". Sesshoumaru snorted, "You are nothing to me, you do not command here."

Kurama eyed him carefully once more, Ayeka might not be pleased at what he was about to do. "Do you know why I kissed her?" he asked lightly. Sesshoumaru growled in answer. The image rising in his mind again, "I don't care but I will kill you for it". His whip of light shot out from his fingertips.

Kurama dodged it easily. "I kissed her so that she could see the difference". Sesshoumaru attacked again and again, but the fox was aware that he was partly listening. "When you kissed her did she react?" he asked. Sesshoumaru glowered at him, "Instantly", the answer was out before he knew it.

Kurama leapt into the boughs of a tall tree. "Not so for me" he admitted. Sesshoumaru cracked the branch in half, singing the pale slippers gracing the fox's feet. "You stay away from her Kurama. The goings on of this castle are not your concern, nor is she".

He turned to leave the gardens then. Kurama's words stopped him, "You hurt her, you dishonor her, and I WILL take your head Sesshoumaru" he promised. The dog lord kept walking. Kurama looked up at the battlements and bowed. Inutaisho looked down on him and nodded before turning away.

Ayeka was still pacing when her chamber door was flung wide. Youkai wind snapped around Sesshoumaru, his silver hair moving on it. His eyes, she noticed her golden. He seemed calm. "Where is Kurama?" she demanded as he stepped inside.

The door closed softly behind him. The click seeming to echo far too loudly. "I have not slaughtered your kitsune lover" he assured her. He stood before her like death itself. Cold and hard. "He is not my lover" she told him, her voice barely above a whisper. Sesshoumaru cocked a silver brow, "Indeed. The wife of a wolf is it then?"

Ayeka almost groaned, damn that Ryu. She shook her head. Sesshoumaru separated from the doorway shadows. His movements seemed sleek and smooth, showing the predator he was. Ayeka instinctively backed up a step.

"Are you or are you not to be the wife of Ryujoji?" he asked then. She shook her head, "No. Why would you think that?". Sesshoumaru growled low in his throat, "Because he came to take you from here." Ayeka nodded, "Yes, he asked me" she confirmed. His eyes narrowed as he slowly advanced on her. She would retreat no further from him.

He loomed over her, silent and deadly. She would not look up at him, her gaze fixed on the floor as though all the answers to all the questions could be found there. He waited, nothing more. He'd been infuriated to see her in the arms of the fox. Kurama was odd like that, always testing. As if he knew things that others didn't. His actions seemed to prove points that only he argued.

She had not responded to Kurama's kiss. The fox didn’t lack experience. Most females swooned at his merest touches. But she, the one who was closer to him than most others, had not. That thought had calmed the dog lord considerably as he strode down the halls to her rooms.

He'd spared the fox for that reason alone. Kurama was a proud being, like himself. To admit that she had not fallen under his spell must have been hard for him. Good, cocky bastard. Now she stood, so small before him. Her long hair tumbled around her shoulders to below her waist.

"I…I couldn't" she said finally, breaking him from his thoughts. He stared at her, wanting her to meet his gaze. What the hell was so wonderful about the floor anyway? "Because you love the kitsune" he snapped. Her eyes flew to his face, "No! I…yes, I do, but not like that" she insisted.

"How then?" he asked. She shrugged, "He's been my best friend since I was small. He means the world to me, but.." Her voice trailed away. Sesshoumaru grunted, "Well from what I saw that was more than a kiss between friends". She nodded, "It was, but it….." Again she fell away and he saw it. That flicker in her eyes.

"Didn't you like his kisses?" he pressed. Amused by her red face. She shrugged, "It was nice," she said. Sesshoumaru stepped closer until their clothing brushed. "But you like mine better" he told her. Her eyes locked with his, her pupils constricted and then widened again.

She licked suddenly dry lips and swallowed hard. She would not give him the pleasure of an answer. Cocky bastard. He smirked at her, "You don't have to tell me Ayeka," he assured her, "Your body tells me for you. Your eyes, your scent, even the flash of your throat when you breathe."

She opened her mouth to offer her argument but his fingers were there. Pressing softly, her words dying in her throat. His finger touched the small cut that remained unhealed fully. He stared at that spot, then leaned forward. Ayeka's eyes slid closed as his tongue danced over the tiny wound.

He was healing her, nothing more, she told herself. Even so, a nearly silent sound escaped her. His ears caught it easily and he pressed his lips to hers fully. Tongue sweeping past their softness to invade her mouth, to erase the faint traces of the fox from her.

His large hand splayed at her waist, drawing her ever closer to the length of his body. His other hand tangled in her hair to hold her captive to his assault. He nearly smiled in victory when he felt her press against him, her tiny hand moving to his nape. Her little fingernails scraping over the skin there. Her other hand slid up to cover his silk clad heart. Ayeka let her tongue brush against his, earning a low growl and a tighter embrace.

He tilted her head just so and deepened the kiss further. Her small tremors passed into his body and he revelled in them. She was so responsive to him. The wolf had lost and the fox could go straight to hell for all he cared. Her little tongue curled around his fang and he stroked his fingers through her hair.

He slowly broke the kiss to let her breathe, his fang tugging lightly on her lip, making her lift against him. "Why?" she asked when she had regained her breath. He looked at her, refusing to release her just yet. "Why?" he asked in turn, tracing fingertips over her cheek, "Because you are strong and beautiful".

She stared up at him, it seemed for once she was speechless. Her voice returned with her anger as he continued, "Of course we can never be more than this as we are now," he mused, half to himself, "You are human and I am youkai after all". Ayeka pushed herself from his grasp and he wondering what was wrong let her go.

"Tell me if I have this right then Sesshoumaru?" she said, her tone cold, "You can desire me, but because I am not a demon that is all I am? Desire, not care?". He cocked his head as though considering. Whar did she want from him, what was he to say? That everything was fine and they would live happily ever after? Not bloody likely.

"What is is that you want woman? If not my desire?" he demanded. She flung her hand out, "Well more than a bed partner!". He let his gaze rove over her, "Being that we not, I fail to see your point. Is that what you want? To bed me?" he asked. He supposed that he could offer to let her be his mistress. A concubine only for his pleasure. But no, the woman he knew would not feel honored by that.

She turned away from him, staring out the window. Feeling her eyes burn. "I am not a whore Sesshoumaru" she snapped. Of course she wasn't. He'd not said she was. "Explain." He bit out. She glared at him over her shoulder, "Do you think so little of me that you believe I would just lay down for anyone?"

He shook his head, "Absolutely not," he assured her, being his mistress would not make her a whore. This was something that should have pleased her. It would have pleased any youkai woman but not her. Her human heart and pride would not allow that.

"It's all so damned logical to you isn't it?" she asked then, her little hands balled into fists. "I want to be a wife and mother one day Sesshoumaru! I was made for more than war!". He looked at her confused, hadn't he just said the same thing? "You will not kiss them" he ordered her sharply.

She grunted, and why should he decree that? "Why shouldn't I?" she asked. He glared at her, his patience at an end, "Because you should be mine!" he bit out, "But you cannot be". Ayeka felt her heart shatter into glittering fragments at this. She kept her eyes on the window, refusing to turn.

She was ignoring him, glaring out the window. The line of her back so stiff and straight. He'd upset her without meaning to. Most women would have jumped at the chance to be so close to him. But Ayeka was not most women and she hadn't. The differences between them seemed impossibly large before him. Yes, he wanted her.

Coming to stand behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist. He inhaled the scent of her hair, not happy to catch Kurama's scent there as well. He chose his words carefully, "If, this Sesshoumaru was to care for anyone, it would be you. Do you not see the danger that puts you in? We are too different Ayeka. To be more than what we are."

She remained silent, unmoving. In a backhanded way, he'd admitted that he cared about her. He desired her, he might want her but he didn't want her enough. She turned her head on her shoulder, looking at his chest, "Please go" she said softly, calmly. She refused to break in his presence. He looked down at her, feeling that he'd just lost ground in an important battle.

"It is late my lord and I have men to train in the morning" she said politely. She turned from him and moved across her rooms towards her bed. Sesshoumaru watched her go, her proximity to the bed made him entertain the notion of tossing her there and making her like it. The rest to be sorted out in the morning. She straightened and met his gaze. "Good night lord Sesshoumaru".

He moved to the door and paused with his hand upon it. "If I had asked for you, would you have denied me?" he found himself asking. He watched her closely for any reaction. She turned and smiled at him, "That is something that we will never know my lord, since I am not worth your asking. Pleasant dreams my lord" came her soft reply.

He gritted his teeth. So that was how she saw this. That he didn't see her as worthy. Hell, he'd just told her that she should be his. That alone should have shown that she had worth in his eyes. A youkai woman would have seen that. He pulled the door open and stepped into the hall, shutting it firmly behind him.

Ayeka waited a minute or two, to be certain he was gone. Then she hugged her pillow to herself and wept. On the other side of the door, Sesshoumaru smelled her tears, heard her soft sad sounds. He'd done that. He told himself that in the long run his honesty would spare her pain. He hoped that was so.