Across the Ages

Chapter Thirty Three

Sesshoumaru read the reports carefully, his concentration difficult today. Something was bothering him. He couldn't name it and he couldn't find it. The region was quiet. Quiet enough that his father was helping a neighboring lord in more mundane matters. The choosing of an acceptable mate.

Sesshoumaru pushed the documents away. He had found one, and now that he had finally made up his mind on the matter, she was nowhere to be found. Half way across Japan in the night court of the bats. It was taking her too long to seal the treaty.

He doubted it was any fault of her own, he was well aware that the old bitch of that castle was tempermental and difficult. It was because of his reaction to her that the Taisho had sent Ayeka instead. His son might have killed off half the court and annexed it into their own growing empire. It would have been faster, the young demon lord sulked.

He'd not yet confided his decision to his father, but he knew that there would be no challenge there. He had a sneeking suspicion that his father had a hand in many of the events between them. Now, that he'd decided to make Ayeka his, he was most anxious to see it done.

"Calyx!" he shouted to a warrior who was training in the gardens below his study. The soldier shouted back. "When was General Ayeka to return?" he shouted down. Peering over his shoulder at the gray inu youkai. The soldier seemed to ponder this for a moments. "Within the month my lord!" came the reply.

Sesshoumaru grunted and went back to his reports, his eyes falling over them smoothly and swiftly. One report caught his eye, it told of panther activity near the borders. He quickly dispatched men to see about it. If it were true then Ayeka and her company might very well ride into insurgent activity.

Ayeka wanted to hand her head in defeat. Why was this so damn hard to do? She met the bat's gaze and saw the flicker there. The bitch was toying with her, using the belief that Ayeka would not tarnish the Taisho's name with rude actions.

Ha! Said lord did a fair job of that himself. Finally Ayeka rose from the table. "My lady, I see that we are no closer to reaching an agreement," she stated coolly, "I will not rename the Taisho's terms, you will accept them or I am leaving".

Ha! That had the bat off balance. The demoness narrowed her eyes shrewdly, was the chit bluffing? "You were sent here to fix the alliance" the queen reminded her. Ayeka locked eyes with her and stated in a calm voice, "I was sent to do my best to reach peace with you of course my lady, since I am unable to do so, I will return and report to my lord at once".

The bat wanted the alliance, her fighters were not as skilled at the Taisho's. She also wanted to buy a bit more time for the panther insurgents. She didn't really care about the cause they were pledged to. They had paid her well for her help and she was after all a woman of her word.

She didn't worry about being punished by the Taisho when all was said and done. There was nothing tie her to the panthers, save the young man gracing her bed. He'd not be saying anything to anyone. She knew that for a certainty.

Ayeka turned and headed for the door, this was gamble, but she was almost sure that the bat would crack under the thought of losing the alliance. However, the closer she came to the door, the more Ayeka began to doubt her plan. Sure Inutaisho would shrug off the failure, but that is what it always would be to her. A failure in his service.

The bat glared at the back of the retreating girl. She was far too smug for her own good. She'd get hers when the panthers met her on the road. She had after all killed the beloved battle prince of the cats. They'd not be forgetting that. A cat's vengeance was angry and deep.

"Wait General Ayeka," she finally called in a gruff tone. The general paused but did not turn. The bat grumbled under her breath and Ayeka schooled her features to keep from smirking in victory. She looked over her shoulder with detached interest.

The bat slammed her hand onto the arm of her chair, "Very well," she snapped, "I accept the Taisho's terms!" Ayeka did smile then, a bright victorious smile and returning to the queen's side. She set the scroll before the woman and tapped the bottom. "Affix your seal my lady so that I might carry it back to the west once".

She was tired of playing and the bat knew it. She nodded and reached into her sleeve withdrawing her seal and set it to the paper. Her face a pinched mou the entire time she did so. "You will not consider leaving in the morning?" she asked politely. Ayeka rolled the item and stood, "I fear not my lady" she replied.

The bat nodded, it was out of her hands now. She waved the girl away and Ayeka went to the door where her captain waited patiently for her. "Alert the men," she ordered, "We leave at once". The inu was more than happy to relay it. If they road through the night, they could reach the western borders the day after tomorrow.

Ayeka headed to her chambers, collecting those personal items of hers. She traded her fine silk kimono for battle gear and strapped her armor on, latching buckles on her armor as she paced down the stone hall. It was clear to all that she wanted to leave quickly.

She told herself that she disliked being away for so long, and that it had nothing to do with Sesshoumaru. She'd reached an epiphany regarding him a few days ago. He wanted her and she wanted him and they had no future. That was fine. She could serve him, nothing more. She could even serve if he took a youkai mate. She was his soldier, his sword. Nothing more.

Her life was better for having met him, and she was grateful to him and his father for all the things she had now. The position in the army, the ability to rest safely each night. The ability to have a real home. If nothing else, they had her loyalty for that. Mind made up, she'd resolved to get back quickly and tell him, so that this tension between them could fade.

Her men waited in the smaller courtyard, the oni's ready and saddled. Her's grunted at her as she passed and she slapped an affectionate hand to it's neck. The scaled beast tossed it's head. "Ready to go home?" she crooned. The beast sidled and stomped, the most tempermental in the Taisho's stables, aside from Ah-Un.

She gave the signal and the men mounted easily. They would fly until sunset, the night would be spent on foot. Oni's were still fast on the ground though. She didn't want to overtax the animals though. With a nod of farewell to the bats, Ayeka tugged the reins, the beast pivoting on it's rear legs and then rose into the air.

Ayeka breathed a sigh of relief as the palace vanished from her sight. "General Ayeka?" called her captain, "Yes Domi?" she called back as he came abreast of her. He smiled, "You seem eager to get home". She laughed, "Well aren't you?". Her words washed over the others and they howled in agreement.

Turning her face into the westward wind she let her eyes close for a moment, her own bed. Her own baths, home. Ah, it would be so wonderful. The men were as happy to be going as she, she listened to the soft comments drifting through the ranks. Domi was saying that he planned to speak to Mira. A housemaid, seems he wanted a wife.

Ayeka laughed over at him, "Well I can vouch that you are a good man Domi" she assured him. The inu blushed brightly and the others chuckled over her light ribbing. Dam but it was good to be out of there!

The panthers were indeed moving around the border. Sesshoumaru stared down at the bound captive at his feet. His nose wrinkled, cats stank to heaven. "Where did you find it?" he asked his scouts. The inu was covered in cuts and claw marks. Apparently the cat hadn't gone down easily.

"Just inside the border my lord," he replied evenly, "I found traces of others but it is my belief that they had moved on. This was left behind.". Glittering hate filled yellow green eyes locked on the dog prince. Left behind, ha! He'd been relaying messages to and from the bat court. Luckily, he'd had no missives on him when caught.

Duganmaru was already moving, to intercept the dog company and the red haired hellion that led it. His oni squad was to survey the air and if needed force them to ground. He had no doubt that he'd be dying here in this place. But his leader would be avenged and that bitch would follow not far behind.

Sesshoumaru saw the smirk flit across the cat's features and stepped closer. "You seem very happy about your impending death," he remarked. The cat spat at his feet. Sesshoumaru dodged and side stepped, sniffing disdainfully. His booted foot came down on the cat's neck.

"Why are you in the west?" he asked softly. His tone was bored, he might have been talking about the weather. The cat snarled and the pressure on him was increased. He might not look it, but Sesshoumaru was damn heavy.

"Why are you in the west?" he asked again. The cat struggled against his bonds. The dog leaned down and cuffed him aside the head. "I WILL have the answer," he assured his enemy, "You can suffer a lot of pain for it, or you can suffer a lot more". Not great options, true. He liked those best. The cat growled beneath his boot. Sesshoumaru cracked his knuckles and set his poison to moving through his fingertips to his claws.

The cat eyed the green glowing claws. "I will tell you nothing!" he shouted out. Sesshoumaru smiled, and the cat felt his blood freeze over. That was not an expression he liked on the stoic face of the prince. "My poison claws tell me otherwise" Sesshoumaru told him.

Extending a single finger, Sesshoumaru allowed one drop of carefully positioned poison to fall. The green fluid made it's way into the cat's eye. The cat yowled and struggled, the pain unbearable. Sesshoumaru tipped his claws upwards again. "Why are you in the west?".

It took a few more attempts, but with poison burning it's way through the cat's eyes and nose. He gave a watery sounding cry, "The girl!" he relented. Sesshoumaru ceased his tortures. "Explain". The cat gave a pitiful whimper, his eyes damaged badly, his nose no longer telling him where the dog was at.

"She killed the prince and we lost the war. My p-people are angry, they want vengeance. If she were caught then the dog general's hand would be forced and the war could begin anew. But she, the killing one, would fall" the cat stammered out. Blood running down his throat from his melting nasal cavity.

Sesshoumaru glared down at him, so they were after Ayeka. "And the bats?" he demanded. The cat shook his head, "Only the queen knew, it was why she delayed the alliance. The general departed yesterday. Please… no more" the cat whimpered. Sesshoumaru looked down at the cat, "No more?" he asked. The cat shivered. Sesshoumaru stood straight and called for Ah-Un to be readied.

He turned back to the cat on the floor, "One more dose of poison would have assured you a quick death" he informed the cat, the he looked at the inu scout, "Let him lay there and choke to death on his blood, make sure it's gone when I return". The scout nodded.

"My lord where will you be?" he ventured. If that Taisho returned, he'd wonder. Sesshoumaru shrugged, "Tell my father, should he return that I have gone to snatch my mate from the insurgent's claws". The scout nodded, wow this was a turn of events. Ayeka hated him. Right?

Sesshoumaru knew from the cat's words that Ayeka was nearing danger, if she hadn't already encountered it. Her company was quite capable but the scouts believed that there was at least a battalion of cat's moving around the craggy border. Damn them to hell anyway.

A beaten foe should accept his fate and die with grace. Damn cats always coming around causing problems. Now the bats were implicated. This would not be an easy fix. He and his father would have their hands full. He didn't need this right now.

The sounds of shouts and snarls drew his attention and he focused on the treeline below him. Inu's and panthers were engaged in warfare. The oni's drawn into aerial combat, he scanned for Ayeka, but didn't see her. He motioned for his own detachment to join the fray and they streamed past him.

"You son of a bitch!" came a female shout from far below and he ordered Ah-Un down to see. Ayeka was being forced down, her oni injured. The panthers prowled below her, waiting for her to fall. They'd tear her to bits on impact.

Sesshoumaru was about to intervene when the trees suddenly splintered around them. A huge panther in true form was lumbering toward them. Ayeka saw it and decided that in the air she was a sitting duck. She bent low over the oni back and urged it down. The beast was dying anyway.

The animal hit the forest floor hard, jarring it's rider and Ayeka rolled a few times before catching herself in a low crouch. The panthers were advancing and she heard the snarl from the large one. Apparently, she was his target. She couldn't win against something that large.

She faced him anyway, her sword drawn against him. "You want to fight furball?" she taunted, might as well make her last moments memorable. She could hear her men fighting to reach her. Of all the youkai with her, none of them was quite as large as this one. "Where is the Taisho when you need him?" she muttered.

Above her, Sesshoumaru watched with narrowed eyes. Damn woman, she hadn't a chance but there she stood. Growling out insults to an enemy ten times her size. The other panthers had caught sight of him and they wanted to part of him. They hung back. The beast stomped it's foot and the forest shook, knocking Ayeka off her feet.

Sesshoumaru roared loudly, the sound echoing over the miles. A bright light shone over the trees and the transformed panther looked away from the burning light. Ayeka lay on the ground panting, her arms covering her head, she expect the killing blow to come.

It didn't. She looked up from her face down position to find two massive paws on either side of her. Massive white paws! The Taisho! She wanted to weep with relief. She knew not to move just yet, in true form it was too easy to step on her.

The great dog barked and snapped at the panther. Ayeka stood slowly, looking up at the massive white belly above her. Wait. The Taisho was larger than this, not by much though. "My lord I am moving back!" she shouted up to him. The chuff that answered got her moving. She fled behind him.

The inu's had pushed back the main body of the panther attack. She rallied them. Her battle cry rising over the din. "Taisho the victor! Bring them death!" She felt her injuries then, though they were not serious, they stung and her exertions had made her ache.

Sesshoumaru waited for the panther to lunge and when it did, he leapt into the air, driving down with his paws. The resulting crack of the pather's spine was loud and resounding and Ayeka thought she might be sick from the sound. The panther flopped on the ground, snarling and hissing. Sesshoumaru lowered his muzzle swiflty snaring the cat by the throat.

With a mighty snap of his head, the panther fell limp. Sesshoumaru allowed his prey to fall and then for good measure he bit down on the panther's skull. There would be no healing this time. He released the deaqd thing and stepped backwards, growling at the fleeing panthers.

Ayeka braced herself against the tree and looked up at him. He turned, his magenta stripes and moon full for her to see. She moved away from the tree, stumbling a little as she approached him. He was dangerous in this form. His beast ruled now.

Her sword clattered to the ground, her fingers too limp to hold it anymore. Blood ran down from a large gash in her arm. Her landing had not been smooth. Sesshoumaru watched the tiny form move closer. He stood stock still. He lifted his head to the sky and howled, rallying his troops to return to him.

"Sesshoumaru" she whispered. His large ears swivled at the sound of her voice. A small breathless sound. He lowered his head to sniff at her. Her blood and sweat clung to her. When his nose was level with her, Ayeka fell against him.

He looked at the woman sprawled across the bridge of his nose, though it made him slightly cross eyed. Domi pushed his way into the clearning. He took in the scene in an instant. Then he was moving to Sesshoumaru and gently removing Ayeka from him. Sesshoumaru growled at the soldier, "My lord, you must change back" the youngster reminded him.

With a last warning growl, he transformed. His hair and clothing spotless once more. He headed back to the men to find that those still alive were mounted, the dead strapped to spare oni's. A glance told him that the young captain had Ayeka. Sesshoumaru said nothing at first, mounting Ah-Un.

He rode alongside the captain. He took Ayeka from Domi. "I want you to search the woods," he told the men, "Those wounded will return with me now". Ah-Un crouched and sprang into the air. Sesshoumaru wanted the cats found and killed of course.

In his arms, Ayeka stirred. He looked down at her, as her eyes opened. "Sesshoumaru?" she asked. He nodded. She tried to sit up straighter but he would not allow it. She shook her head against the grogginess she wanted to give in to.

"How did you know?" she asked him, looking back at the fading forest. He grunted, "The scouts caught a cat" he told her. She frowned, that implied a great many things. "But why are YOU here?" she pressed. He smirked at her tone, "Because this Sesshoumaru wanted to make sure that a very important person was ok" he admitted.

She looked at him oddly, then her little hand reached up and slapped itself against his brow. "What are you doing woman?" he demanded, pulling her hand down. She frowned up at him, "I am making certain that you do not have a fever my lord," she snapped, "Since you aren't making any sense".

He growled at her, "Just be silent and rest" he ordered. She grumbled about his lack of manners but she did snuggled against him and close her eyes. Getting her back to the palace came first and then he could tell her what he wanted to.