Across the Ages

Chapter Thirty One

Ayeka knelt before the Taisho early the following morning. He looked down at her as he pondered her request. "You wish to return to your cousin's home?" he asked. She nodded, "For a short time only my lord. I have been remiss in my family duties of late. My service to you has been far too important. I will stay if you wish it of course" she said softly. She had to get away, if even for that short time. Her heart couldn't take much more.

Inutaisho was not a fool, he could still smell the faint tears that clung to her. Kurama was not at fault, It could be none other than his son. He nodded, "Of course Ayeka. You are not a prisoner here, take the time you need. Should you be needed here, I shall send someone for you" he said kindly. She nodded and stood.

"My thanks my lord" she turned and passed through the halls to her rooms. Changing into simple robes, she packed her satchel and headed for the stables. She'd like to take an oni, they were faster but prudence dicated a regular horse would do.

She swung herself up into the saddle, when Sesshoumaru appeared in the doorway, beside his father. She kicked the horse and trotted to stop before them. "I wish to thank you again my lord" she said. Inutaisho nodded and gestured dismissively. Sesshoumaru noticed that she did not acknowledge him.

Sesshoumaru watched as she turned the mount and goaded it into a full run. She thundered through the courtyard and through the gates. Her hair caught in a long braid whipped behind her as she crouched low over the rolling back of the beast. She rode so well. She did many things well, including getting his blood up.

"Where is she off to?" he asked his father. Inutaisho watched her a moment longer, "Home" he answered. Sesshoumaru stiffened, "This is her home". Inutaisho stared hard at his son, "Is it?" he asked, "How much of a home is it when she is only a human?" Sesshoumaru looked at his father,"What are you implying father?" he demanded. Inutaisho walked away from him, "Only that you are losing the one thing that you want so much. I'm not blind you know" he called back, "You are the great and terrible Sesshoumaru what are you afraid of?".

Sesshoumaru spun on his heel and headed for the dojo, he'd train harder today. He'd not think about the words his father had said or his own words to her last night. He would not think of the tiny woman racing across the plains of Musashi at that moment. The woman who had tripped, cursed, and fought her way into his heart. She'd come back before long, he was certain. Not that it mattered to him, but inside - it did.

Ayeka arrived in the village just before sunset. Her horse was lathered and she saw to it before she approached the hut of her cousin. Men in the fields and women too stared at her. Maru, her cousin came out, having heard the horse. Ayeka felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny she was recieving.

Marulooked shocked, "Ayeka?" she asked, "What are you doing here?". Ayeka almost flinched, "I'm sorry, I should have sent word ahead. I wanted to see you" she said softly. Maru nodded, "Well come in, I am surprised that you are still alive. The war and all." She wondered if her odd cousin had been rejected by the youkai court.

They spent the next few hours catching up, Ayeka seeing to the children. Maru was full of questions about life at the palace. "Why haven't you come to see me?" Ayeka asked. Maru motioned to the children, "When would I find time? Besides, I am a human why should I go there?"

Ayeka leaned forward, "I'm human too. It's nice there" she insisted. Maru turned a patient eye to her. "Ayeka you were always different than the rest of us girls. It's not your fault, it's your father's. I know that he meant well but he didn't do you any favors" she said then.

Well Maru had always spoken her mind, "I mean you are happy there? With a bunch of demons?" she pressed. Ayeka nodded slowly, "I am. They are good people". Maru waved her hand, "They aren't people Ayeka, not like us. It's good to have you back though. Will you be here long?"

Ayeka shook her head, "A week at most" she said. Maru smiled and nodded, then began clucking after her children. Ayeka picked at her stew and answered the many questions that bombarded her. The children wanted to know if the demons had long pointed teeth. They did she said. Were they very strong? They were she said. The more she spoke the more she found that her own kind were odd to her now.

She stood and went outside to walk near the stream. She stared up at the stars. She supposed that all the rumors were true. You really couldn't go home. She felt out of place here, and she missed them. The youkai soldiers and their human counterparts. She missed the rabble of the palace guard and she missed her bed.

Ayeka slept propped agianst the wall, her sword tucked at her elbow. Her soldier instincts refusing to rest. This was not home, and only home was safe. She did her best not to think about Sesshoumaru, but his words echoed in her brain. "You should be mine, but you cannot be". Should but can't. If she were youkai would he hesitate? What did he want from her?

Four days later, and Sesshoumaru was acutely aware of her absence. What was so great in the village anyway? Her family never came to the palace in all the time she'd been away. They might have locked her away in the palace or killed her. Had they cared? No, ayeka was running and he knew it was from him. He had to do something.

He paced and growled at his men. Could it be that he missed her? The palace seemed darker without her, as though the sun refused to shine in his world, without her. Her hot tempermental barbs no longer flew his way and he often found himself passing her door for no reason. Perhaps his father was correct. He was a great and terrible demon, there were few in the world strong enough to challenge him. Why was he resisting himself?

Four days later, and the villagers still excluded her. She'd heard the whispered comments. Demon's concubine they said, traitor to humanity they hissed. She wanted to scream at them and tell them how wrong they were but she couldn't fight all of them. They only served to show how different she was from them. Different from them, different from Sesshoumaru. what the hell was she anyway?

She was inside the hut when a shout drew her attention, "Youkai!" one of the men called. While the Taisho was the overlord here, it didn't mean that his human subjects didn't fear him or his kind. Ayeka lifted the flap and stepped into the winter morning, squinting against the glare of sun on snow.

A shadow passed overhead, and she looked up. "Ah-uh?" she muttered. Maru was beside her, "What is that?" she asked pointing upwards. Ayeka knew of only two people who could ride the two headed creature. The Taisho or Sesshoumaru. AS if to confirm her worst fears, the wind lifted the unbound silver locks.

Before she could gather her wits a movement in the trees drew her attention as did the shrill scream of a child. She spun around to see a large snake youkai snap up a small girl. The child thrashed in it's jaws. Ayeka shoved Maru out of the way and ran toward it, drawing her sword as she went.

Sesshoumaru's youkai flared and snake fled with it's victim. The human woman was no threat but the dog, well he was. Ayeka narrowed her eyes and chased after it. Sesshoumaru nudged Ah-Un to follow. Ayeka tracked the creature to the cliffs outside the village. Her side ached from running but she wouldn't stop.

The snake spun to face her. "Let that child go!" she shouted. The snake spit the whimpering child onto the hard ground and hissed at Ayeka. "Who are you to stop me?" it rasped at her. She adjusted her hold on her sword, "I'm the one who will kill you" she said. Hey, it always worked for the Taisho and Sesshoumaru.

She moved slowly to place herself between the child and the demon, "Can you walk?" she asked the girl. A few bite marks, the child could make it back to the village and be treated. The girl nodded, sniffling loudly. "Then go," Ayeka told her, "Run home to the healer".

The child ran, though not as fast as Ayeka would have liked. The snake sought to bypass Ayeka and snag the girl again. Ayeka had expected that. She swung her sword in a vicious arc and impaled the snake through it's belly. It shrieked and flopped, turning on her.

Ayeka yanked her blade free and attacked again, this time she stabbed into a red eye. The snake reared back, shaking it's wounded head. Ayeka lunged again, slicing open it's stomach. A weak youkai, luckily. But it was a youkai that intended to take her with it. It's tail thrashed, sweeping out to knock her feet from beneath her. She fell back and too late realized that there was no ground to catch her.

Her arm flailed out as she sought purchase on anything that would slow or stop her descent. She shut her eyes tightly, she'd won only to lose. Suddenly she was jerked to a halt. She opened her eyes to see Sesshoumaru above her, leaning over the neck of the oni. His striped wrist peeking from his sleeve. He'd grabbed hold of her wrist.

"Sesshoumaru!" she cried out, tears filling her eyes. He grunted and hauled her up in front of him. The snake demon still writhed on the cliff, Sesshoumaru finished it off with a crack of his energy whip. Ayeka panted hard in his arms. she shook terribly, falls like that could do that to you he supposed.

"Are you hurt?" he asked. She shook her head. He nodded, "Then we are returning to the village". She held on as Ah-Un flew over the trees and snow covered fields. They touched down before the hut and Ayeka slid to the ground without his help. He reached behind him and tossed her a satchel. She looked at it in question.

"Go and change General, we have work to do" he told her. She ducked inside, gathering her belongings and donning her uniform. She stepped into the light clad in her white silks and armor. He nodded, this was how he wanted her to look. He was standing beside the oni watching her. "Get on". She hooked the satchels onto the oni's harness. "What about your father's horse?".

The villagers were gathering. They were staring at Ayeka. She was an impressive figure in her fine silken uniform, with her armor and her rank in plain sight. This was the girl they had shunned, now they knew why. She was strange. she consorted with demons. Who knew what they did in that palace?

Sesshoumaru eyed the villagers. They looked fearful, and he noticed that the girl Ayeka had saved was clinging to her mother. Not one word of gratitude. They looked at Ayeka like she was a demon herself. "A patrol can fetch the animal later" he told her. She nodded. Before she could react, Sesshoumaru had grasped her by the waist and lifted her onto Ah-Un.

"Where are you going?" Maru asked. Sesshoumaru turned to eye her critically, "She is going home" he replied. Maru was afraid of this one, he was far too beautiful to be human. This was the Taisho's son. "This is her home" Maru told him, bravely. He snorted, "It never was".

"She's the demon's whore I tell you" came a voice from the back of the crowd. Sesshoumaru glared the village into silence. "I'd not say that again if I were you" he announced. He leapt up behind her. Ayeka was stiff and silent, the little girl she'd rescued waved to her and she smiled at the child. Until the mother stopped her actions and glared at Ayeka.

"There wouldn't have been any reason to save her if she hadn't brought the demons here" they muttered amongst themselves. Sesshoumaru growled loudly and they fell silent again. "You rely on the protection of the Taisho" he reminded them, "He'll not be happy to hear that general Ayeka was not welcomed here". He felt Ayeka tug slightly at his sleeve. "Don't" she whispered.

He growled again, and looped his arms around her to grasp the reins. He tugged her back against him and gave the silent command for Ah-Un to take to the air. In a great leap the beast was airborne. Ayeka watched the village grow smaller and smaller beneath them.

"Your visit was less than pleasant" Sesshoumaru stated from behind her. She nodded sadly. "I thought if I went back that these confusing thoughts would go away,but it made them worse". He cocked a brow in question as she turned to see him. "I feel like I don't belong in the palace because I am human but I didn't belong there either."

She relaxed against him. He leaned down to whisper against her ear, "The palace is your home and you belong there Ayeka. Not in a village with such foolish people." She felt his warm breath on her ear and shivered a bit. He smiled against her flesh. Her hair flying around them, her scent sweet and light. She worried about her place, but he knew where it was..... with him, wherever that was.

He noticed the dark circles under her eyes then, "You've not been sleeping" he pointed out. She shook her head, "I... didn't feel safe there" she whispered. Sesshoumaru grunted and adjusted her so that both her legs fell to one side. "Sleep for a while then" he told her. She looked up at him, her brow furrowed, "I thought we had work to do" she said.

Sesshoumaru made a non-commital noise. "Back at the palace. Your men missed you" he replied. Ayeka waited until he lowered his eyes to hers. "Did you?" she whispered. He didn't answer her, but he gave her a little squeeze. Maybe the fight was behind them, she thought. They'd had their say and time apart. Now they would go forward to whatever lie ahead.

Sesshoumaru walked into the palace with her trailing behind. Inutaisho looked at them both and then at the missive in his hands. " General Ayeka, I am afraid that I need you" he said to her. She bowed and nodded. Sesshoumaru looked at him strangely. Inutaisho handed the missive to him. Sesshoumaru scanned the contents and snapped it closed.

The bats wanted a treaty, and their queen was most insistent that Ayeka parlay the peace between them. The bat queen was a crafty demon, and she probably thought that a woman would give into her terms easier than a man. How wrong she was. "Will you go?" Sesshoumaru asked her. She smiled, "I will".

How hard would it be to negotiate peace with the bats. They were the ones asking for it after all. She'd argue the terms and come to an agreement most beneficial to the Taisho or she'd leave. The Taisho after all did not need treaties. He was strong enough without them.

Sesshoumaru wasn't certain about her going alone and so Inutaisho ordered a full company of men to ride with her. She'd be back in a week if all went well and with Ayeka he was sure it would. Sesshoumaru would have wanted to go as well, but Ryu needed his assistance with a territorial dispute. There was never a dull moment in the house of the Taisho.