Across the Ages

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Chapter Thirty Four

Sesshoumaru allowed one of his personal guard to take her from him when they landed. He snapped out orders for the third regiment to be saddled and ready for departure in twenty minutes. The wounded would be taken to the infirmary and seen to. Ayeka was to be looked after and confined to quarters to keep her from following, should she want to.

Sesshoumaru planned to return to the forest and scour the area. A message had been sent to his father indicating that the need for military action was rising once more. Sesshoumaru growled as he adjusted his sword on his hip, when HE ruled, there would be no more games of intrigue. He'd be seeing to that himself.

His father was too patient, the years of battle making him more willing to negotiate when the possibility remained. Sesshoumaru would not be the same. He would offer terms to his opposition and if they were denied, he would leave nothing alive. It was yet another thing he and his mother had in common.

The bat's treachery was enough to make his eyes bleed red. How dare the bitch parlay for peace and then act so shamefully? No matter, he told himself, she'd die soon enough. The added irritation of military campaigns was not what he wanted to focus on right now.

He'd carefully considered the old Magnolia's words. Woo and win. That was what he'd said. Sesshoumaru thought long and hard about that. Woo and win, kind of like overwhelm and conquer. He was quite suited to that. However, he expected this endeavor to be much easier. She cared for him, wanted him. He would simply tell her that he would have her. Done, easy.

He'd scoffed when Bokuseno had raised his wooden eyebrows. "It might not be that simple" the tree had warned. Sesshoumaru had looked down his nose at the tree, "Of course it will be" he'd said. He believed that with all his being. She was a human true but she was still a female and females did what the alpha male said. Just like everyone else.

Ayeka growled at the nurses around her, as they cleaned and wrapped wounds. She was enraged to find that upon waking she had been confined and was not to join the hunt with the others. "General Ayeka, please, lie back and let us finish. You can take issue with this mandate when the young lord returns" the kitsune healer said insistently.

Ayeka would tell by the look in her brilliant green eyes that she'd not be escaping this time. She folded her arms across her chest and grunted. The effect was ruined however when she winced at the tender cuts there. "You see?" the kitsune gloated.

The small human woman didn't look pleased with her, not that she cared. She was here to patch up the wounded and that included the grumpy ones. She'd even rapped the Taisho smartly on the head a few times to get him to hold still. She'd not back down from the woman.

Ayeka saw the steely glint in those eyes and sighed, "Fine baba I give up" she grumbled. The Kitsune made certain she tugged a tie extra tight for the remark but then settled back into her gentle motions."The treaty was sealed?" she asked. Ayeka nodded, and the kitsune clucked her tongue. "Not that it will serve them when Sesshoumaru-sama storms their palace".

She was quick to fill Ayeka in on the recent finds of the castle. She'd been called to see if the panther might be saved. The young guard thinking it best to hold onto him. Sesshoumaru would have been very angry if that had occurred, however the poison of the master's claws was heady stuff.
Ayeka had fallen silent at the healer's words. She turned over the facts carefully and then reached the same conclusion that the rest of the palace had. The Taisho would exact justice. "Well," Ayeka said as she stood and paced the room, "So much for peace in this house".

The fox had left her to her thoughts, telling Ayeka that she could bathe only if she didn't wet the bandages on her arms. Ayeka hated to have the servants help her but she wanted the stench off of her body. Reluctantly she called for them, and while she stood with her arms raised, they had washed her carefully.

Now, clean and lulled by the fire in her hearth she began to doze in her stuffed chair. Finally, tired of waiting for him to return and offer explanation, she stood and walked to her large bed. She didn't bother to cover herself, but fell face first into the softness. Her sleeping robe fanning out over the coverlet.

Sesshoumaru returned by mid-morning. He'd managed to capture one panther, and as much as he wanted to torture the cat to death, he knew his father would want to question him. So, the guest was locked in the darkness of the dungeons, shackled to the wall.

He'd been furious that the other's had fled. His men had fought hard, and those wounded enemy were too badly damaged to survive the trek to the palace. He'd finished them off with snaps of his youkai whip. He'd been pleased to find one that had merely been incapacitated. Broken limbs were not life threatening. At least not yet.

He'd listened to the report from the healer. They had lost another man in his absence, internal bleeding that wouldn't stop. He'd been a good man, had a mate who was carrying his pup. She'd been told, Sesshoumaru ordered her to be cared for, though they didn't expect her to live long after. It happened with mates, perhaps her pup would prolong her life.

Ayeka was not hurt, her injuries small, paltry. That was good. He made his way to her room, opening the door without knocking as was his way. He strode to the bedside, seeing her careless pose, her face relaxed in sleep. Her fire was burning low and a chill wafted through the room. With a quirked brow, he tugged her quilts over her.

He left her afterwards, barking at a maid to stoke the fire. General Ayeka was not be disturbed. He had many things to see to, not the least of which was the need for his father to return. His conversation with Ayeka would occur later. He supposed that with enough pressure on servants he could send the invitations to the demon nobles by week's end.

Ayeka would need to be fitted for new gowns as befitting her new status as lady of the west. She'd be moved to the family wing of the palace as well. To the rooms adjoining his. He wanted that done by tomorrow at the latest. By demon custom once intent was made clear the female could be taken by her mate. However, she was human and he conceded that he would have to wait a little longer before he made her his.

He'd go through her new schedule with her when she woke. She would have several additional duties to see to and he'd make certain that she was well trained for that as well. He sat back against the bath wall and looked upwards, it would be a most gratifying mating he was certain.

When Ayeka woke it was to servants bustling about her room, but quietly. She blinked bleary eyes at them, "What's going on?" she asked, her throat scratchy from her shouting the pervious night. She noted then, that the servants were carefully packing her personal items away.

Ayeka sat up straighter, "What the hell is going on?" she demanded. The servants bowed before her, "General Ayeka we have been ordered to move your belongings to the family wing of course" they told her. Ayeka blinked in confusion. The family wing? Why would the Taisho order that?

The servants kept moving and she supposed that if she wanted the answer she'd have to find it out herself. She shrugged into her haori and hakamas, buckling her armor as she went, strapping sword in place as she stomped down the hall.

Sesshoumaru had caught her angry scent moving towards him and so he barely looked up when the library door flew open. Ayeka stood in the doorway, chest heaving, eyes flashing. She looked delicious. He finished his writing and set the scroll aside. At last, he lifted warm golden eyes to her.

"General Ayeka," he said smoothly. Red brows furrowed, "Care to tell me what this is about?" she asked. Sesshoumaru sat back in his seat and studied her. "Perhaps if I knew what the issue in question was" he commented. Ayeka gritted her teeth, he was being deliberately obtuse. She was sure of it.

Patience, she reminded herself. She walked into the library, letting the door close. Sesshoumaru watched as she walked closer to his desk. Casually, almost too casually she leaned against the corner, her thigh lifting to take half her weight.

"Pray tell me why I woke to find servants moving my belongings?" she asked sweetly. A flash of question flitted over his features and his reaction made her wonder if perhaps he was innocent. "They woke you?" he asked. She nodded. He frowned, "They were supposed to let you be" he muttered.

Green eyes sparkled with angry ice. "What's going on?". He grunted as he stood, her eyes following him. "You are being moved to the family wing" he told her. She sighed, why was nothing ever easy. "I am aware of that, the servants told me that much. I am asking you why".

He seemed to contemplate her question. She was getting irritated with him. He could tell, and it amused him. Ayeka hated not knowing things. No matter how small of a thing it might be, if she felt it was kept from her, she got angry. He'd used it against her many times.

"Because it is so" he said finally. The sparks were practically shooting off her. "I would think that you would feel honored to be elevated in this house". Her features schooled like a contrite child. Her head bowed and she removed herself from the desk, "I am of course honored my lord, " she said softly, "I merely wondered what I had done to deserve it".

Was this a reward for her service perhaps? If so, then she must look much like a shrew and just as ungrateful as one. She wanted to kick herself soundly. Sesshoumaru watched her, seeing the play of emotions across her face, that was until she saw him and the mask dropped into place.

"I should think that question is not needed" he said quietly, "Your service to this house is far famed after all". She stared at the floor, a blush heating her cheeks. She was ashamed of herself. "Forgive me my lord, I did not mean to sound unhappy or ungrateful" she murmured.

He had moved to the high shelves and began looking for something. He paused in his actions to study her again. Shame most apparent on her face. He would let her feel it, at least for a little while. "Have you," he asked slowly, "Seen your new quarters?". She shook her head.

He pulled a slim volume from the shelf. "Perhaps you should then". It was a clear dismissal and though it chafed to hear his haughty tone, she bowed and left him to his work. She made her way through the winding corridors and to the family wing. There were so many doors. At one time this palace had been full. The Taisho family had dwindled considerably since that time.

She knew the Taisho's rooms at once. They stood at the end of the hall, two massive and foreboding doors emblazoned with a large white dog greeted those who dared to enter this area. There were three similar sets of doors and she wondered which were Sesshoumaru's.

A maid swept past her and into a set of doors. Ayeka was quick to recognize her belongings in the girl's hands. So she followed after her. The maid didn't seem to mind and continued on her way. Ayeka paused before a large set of double doors.

Hardly the size of the Taisho's doors but obviously intended for a demon in true form. They dwarfed her. The maid noticed her look of wonder at the size of the doors and chuckled softly. "My lady?" she called out gaining Ayeka's attention. There in the main door was a smaller one, one that Ayeka could easily open herself. "Not everyone is so large" the maid commented.

Ayeka followed her into the room then, amazed at the sheer size of it. It was easily three times as large as her previous room, that said quite a lot as her rooms were anything but small. She took in the rich furnishings surrounding her. The bed was so large that she imagined six people could sleep side by side and never touch.

"Are you sure this is my room?" she asked the helpful maid. The maid nodded and bowed, "It is, and I am to be your hand maid" she informed Ayeka. Ayeka almost blanched, she did not want a hand maid. She disliked fuss, especially around herself. "What is your name?" she asked. The woman inclined her head, "I am Tomika".

Ayeka nodded, obviously Tomika was youkai, her orange eyes gave her away, as did the black flecks that extended from her temples into her hair. "You are a hawk youkai" she commented. Tomika smiled and nodded, "I am, and you are human and we have many things to do today General Ayeka" she replied.

Ayeka bit back a smile, Tomika was very straightforward, and she felt an instant kinship with her. For the next half hour, the hawk explained the layout of her chambers, there was a very large wardrobe in the corner and this she explained was stocked with Ayeka's kimono's as well as a few others. More were to be sent.

Her uniforms were neatly stored in a large chest in the opposite corner. There were two doors on either side of the room. One led to the baths, Tomika told her, the other led to other chambers. Ayeka nodded and looked around. The servants had settled her in the new rooms swiftly.

She moved over and sat on the edge of the bed, cradled her head in her hands. She should have been so pleased with this action. The lovely new chambers. The problem was that now she was on the same hallway as Sesshoumaru and that was hard. She had decided it wa best to be nothing more than what they had already become, but it was also wise to limit contact. She was a woman after all and he was drop dead gorgeous man…err demon.

They had honored her with this, and she had snapped and snarled about it, demanded explanations for the actions. Now, alone in her large rooms, she felt cold and suddenly very unworthy of them. She bit her lip until it hurt. She would not allow herself to cry, not for any reason. The pricking at the back of her eyes called her a liar but she stamped the feeling down viciously.

Finally, she stood and made her way to the tilt yard, training would ease her mind. She wandered to the infirmary, checking on the men who had been wounded. She knew that if Sesshoumaru had not arrived when he did that she would be here, or more likely in the cold subterranean caverns beneath the castle, where the dead were prepared for burial rites.

He was amazing in true form. Massive, yet graceful, his every move calculated. She'd seen him in this form but a few times and it still took her breath away. A stark reminder that the beautiful man that made her blood hot was not a man at all, but a beast. A large demonic dog with the power to crush and kill.

She tried to hold the image of his form in her mind, to imprint that he was the dog. However, her vision blurred into moonlight satin skeins of flowing hair, and skin of sun kissed pearl. Of eyes golden like sunlight on water. Of a baritone voice that mocked and soothed. The ethereal face of Sesshoumaru. She murmured soft words to the soldiers and nodded to the stern kitsune healer. Then Ayeka turned and left the stone halls for the training yards.

She was still stiff and sore from her fight with the panthers and her rough landing, but she focused past that. She needed release of some sort, release from the hurt and confusion that was floating in her mind. The simple, smooth, actions of the drills calmed her. She didn't like to drill, she never had, but it was familiar to her and that alone gave her comfort.

Sesshoumaru peered out into the yard from the study window, his eyes landing on her almost immediately. Those golden eyes narrowed, she was supposed to be resting. He let his eyes scan her movements, but while he saw the residual stiffness in her gait, there was no indication of pain. He would let it be. For now.

It was nearly sundown when Ayeka dragged herself from the yard, her arms trembled from the abuse of her actions but she didn't care. She was so tired, she could fall asleep on her feet, that meant no time to think about things that were best left alone.

She had just finished her bath and was tugging on a sleeping robe when Tomika knocked lightly on the chamber door. "Enter!" Ayeka called out, and the hawk stepped into her line of vision. "General Ayeka, you are requested at dinner" she said quietly.

Ayeka had planned on skipping dinner, but the maid's tone told her that she wouldn't be allowed to do so. With a grumbled 'coming' Ayeka pulled on a loose kimono and pulled her hair back at the nape. She hadn't really bothered with her appearance. She didn't need to after all.

Sesshoumaru was standing near the hearth when she entered the dining room. He didn't look at her when he spoke, "Are you ill?". Ayeka sighed, "No, just tired" she admitted. He nodded and turned to see her. She looked irritated at having her evening plans disrupted but he didn't care about that. "Unless you are ill, you will be present at dinner" he softly instructed.

Ayeka didn't bother to argue, she didn't have the energy to do it right now. Sesshoumaru motioned her to the table and together they sank into the tall seats. She was silent as the servants appeared and began setting the dishes before them. They were not to speak, but merely touched a dish and if the person in question wanted some they would nod.

Sesshoumaru noticed that she ate only a small amount and seemed preoccupied. He waved the lingering servants away and waited until the door had closed. "Ayeka," he said and waited until she had complied with the unspoken order to look at him.

"I wish to discuss your movement to the family wing" he told her. She nodded, perhaps now some questions would be answered. Sesshoumaru stared at her while he spoke, "You have been moved, because I have come to a decision….. Regarding you and I".

Ayeka guessed that he would tell her that stolen kisses had been wrong and that this was to make up for that. She held up her small hand, stopping his words. "It's fine," she said quietly, "I do not need your reasons my lord, I understand that you are a demon of high rank and I am merely your human servant. Your actions are for you alone".

Sesshoumaru was amazed that she would use the gesture to silence him, but he listened, anxious to hear what she had to say. "I appareciate being elevated in this house, but I am wise enough to know what that means. I will not touble you further" she said and slowly stood.

Sesshoumaru watched her as if from a distance. She had almost reached the door when he spoke, "What is it that you think I have done?" he asked her. She wouldn't look at him, "You have made the same decision I have. To be lord and servant and nothing more. You are obviously comfortable in that decision as you have moved me" she whispered.

Her hand fell to the door and she began to pull it open, "I did not give you permission to leave Ayeka" he pointed out. She stiffened for a moment and then spoke as calmly as he had, "I didn't ask it my lord". Then she stepped into the hall and let the door shut behind her.

Sesshoumaru was quite stunned by both words and actions, of course he didn't show it. So she thought she knew him so well did she? So be it. She'd understand soon enough that her chambers adjoined his. He planned on heading up there this moment and telling her in no uncertain terms what she would be.

Ayeka had just climbed into bed and was tugging the blankets up to her chest, when the other door snapped open smartly. She was on her feet reaching for her sword in a moment. Sesshoumaru stood there. He watched the question and realization move across her face. Clever girl, she understood.

"Where did you come from?" she demanded, "What are you doing in here?". He moved easily into the sanctuary of her room. "I came from my rooms, " he said with a smirk, "Since you decided to leave the dining room, we can talk here".

She shook her head. That was his room? The chamber next to hers? How the hell was that supposed to work? She was willing to accept the circumstances of their lives but that was just torture to her. Knowing that the embodiement of her desires was sleeping but a few steps away.

Sesshoumaru remained still, watching, waiting. When no explosion of temper erupted he spoke again. "You have been moved to this room, because I wish it to be so." He told her, "This is where the wife of the western lord resides". Ayeka listened, but the words didn't reach her.

She stood there, looking confused so he decided to he helpful to her. "You are to be my mate Ayeka. I have decided." His words penetrated the hazy layer and seeped into her skull, revererating in her head. Sesshoumaru waited for her to kneel and express her gratitude for such an honor.

Then of course he would lift her up and tell her how things would be between them and what duties she was expected to see to. Ayeka searched his eyes for any sign that this was farce. However, she knew that she would fine none. Not about this.

He watched her eyed widen, grow moist, her lip trembled. Ah, now she would show that female happiness. Her mouth thinned into a hard line and the moisture receded from her eyes, leaving glittering anger in it's wake. He was somewhat surprised by her reaction.

"You've decided?" she asked, far too sweetly. He should have been warned, his every instinct barked at him that she was dangerous. Her green eyes narrowed to slits. Before he could even react, her hand flashed before him. A loud slap resounding in the room, and Ayeka knowing full well what she'd done didn't cower away from him.

His eyes widened and then narrowed. The wench had just slapped him! That anyone would acost him in such a way was unthinkable, that it was his own woman, his bitch was that much worse. He growled softly in warning to her. His every motion was telling her that she had just crossed a dangerous line and that she should beg her mate's forgiveness.

Ayeka had no plan to do any such thing. "Who the hell do you think you are?" she demanded of him, her hands settling on her hips. "You think you can just decide the course of my life in a day?". His eyes still narrowed, were now pink. He nodded once, curtly.

She laughed at him. Adding insult to injury. "I suppose that you thought I would be overjoyed by this idea?" she asked him. He growled again, "Any woman would be more than pleased with this decision" he reminder her. She nodded, "Oh I am certain they would be, if they had no backbone and were content to let a man rule them forever. I am my own person you know"

He shook his head, giving her pause. "You are mine and mine alone" he insisted. Ayeka flung her arms wide, "I am HUMAN, or perhaps you have forgotten that fact?". He let one sharp fang at her, a silent warning. "I forget nothing" he snapped.

She nodded, "Then I suppose you recall the last time we talked and you said that we could never be more that what we are now. I listened when you said that, and I want you to know that I have also made a decision". He waited, allowing her to go on. "I have decided that you are my lord, nothing more. Like your father you command me, I can accept that," she told him, "I do want other things in my life so perhaps I will reconsider Ryu's offer or perhaps I will consider Kurama".

Eyes brilliant red now, he shook his head. "You will do no such thing" he snapped out at her, his fangs longer now than a moment ago. "You are mine, you will be my mate and you will accept that." Her eyes widened at his words, would be force this on her.

"You all but said that you didn’t want me and now you change your mind and I am supposed to understand it?" she asked, "Your words upset me, they hurt me and I don't like that." He listened to the raggedness of her breath. Smelt the salt of her unshed tears. "I regret the pain you felt Ayeka but you are mine" he told her.

"You would force me?" she asked. Sesshouamru snorted, "If needs be". She shook her head at him, "That is absurd, you can't possibly, your father won't let you" she threatened. He smirked darkly at her, "Oh but he will. You see, my mother also denied him".

Ayeka hadn't known that. "H- How did he convince her otherwise?" she asked softly, not sure she wanted to know. Sesshoumaru smiled then, "He pinned her to the bed and pupped her". Ayeka felt the color drain from her face. The Taisho had raped Sesshoumaru's mother? It was unthinkable.

The scent of her fear spiked around him, "She did enjoy it greatly I am told" he told her. Ayeka shook her head, the room was suddenly far too cold. "Who told you that?" she spat, "Your father?". He shook his head moving closer, "She did".

Ayeka mulled over that as best she could with him towering over her. So, she'd wanted him as much as he'd wanted her. He'd just taken her options of running away from her. She could picture an arrogant Taisho doing such a thing.

"You will not pup me" she said in the dead quiet. He arched a silver brow at her, "I will do what I wish" he told her. She backed away from him, "If you force me, I will hate you forever, you know that" she whispered. He nodded, backing her against the wall to press against her body, "I know that" he agreed.

She pushed ineffectually at him, "Why then?". Sesshoumaru nosed in her hair a moment before answering. "Because I want you. I do not know much of love and care but if I did, they would fall to you" he told her. Tears were standing in her eyes, "You can't do this. You can't make me do this" her voice wavered.

He smiled down at her, before leaning in to pressed a fanged kiss to her throat, "I will not have to Ayeka. You will come to me willingly" he assured her. She started at that. "You mean to woo and win?" she asked. He chuckled moving his lips to hers. "More like overwhelm and conquer" he whispered against the satin softness of her lips.

Ayeka called on her last vestiges of strength and shoved at him as she ducked under his arm. He looked at her oddly. She was still resisting? "We'll see how well you do then" she told him, trying to catch her breath. He cocked his head, "Demons and humans do not woo in the same manner" he told her.

"How does a demon do it?" she asked. He supposed that she deserved to know. "Demons want to mate with stronger demons. So I would demonstrate my strength and power to you. Then I would claim you and it would be done" he told her. She nodded, "Well, humans show strength too, but they show the softer side to the one they want" she told him. He looked appalled by the very notion. "What do you mean, the softer side?" he asked, "This Sesshoumaru is NOT soft".

She might have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious. "No is implying that you are" she told him in exasperation. "It means that you show gentleness to one you care about, you honor their feelings, you are tender with them. Romantic, sweet".

He didn't seem pleased by that. "I would always be gentle in my handling of you Ayeka, I show honor to your feelings by taking you as mine." Ayeka sighed, this was giving her a headache, "You do small things for the other , to let them know that they are first in your heart" she explained.

Sesshoumaru grunted, "See you any other wives?" he asked, "Of course you are first. That is foolish". She sighed, once again she wondered why nothing was ever easy. She reached out and took his big hand in hers, slowly she led him over to the large bed and at down on it. He took his place beside her.

"When a human man loves a woman, he does everything in his power to please her and make her happy. This shows the woman that he will take care of her and give her a good life. They spend time together and they talk so that they understand each other" she told him.

Sesshoumaru mulled over her words, it wasn't so very different from demons he supposed. A demon generally only show his feelings for his mate in the bedroom, or when she was pupped, as femaled tended to be more easily angered.

"I am not going to your lap dog," he announced and stood, "But I will try and think on these things that you have told me". She smiled softly up at him, "That is all I would ask" she told him. He grunted, "That does not change the fact that you are to be mine, I merely wish to make the transition easier for you".

Ayeka nodded, and then smiled again, "I am still wounded from your words earlier Sesshoumaru and I do hope you understand that you will have to convince me that you are the best choice for a mate for me" she held up her hand to signal she wasn't finished speaking.

Sesshoumaru growled and curled his fingers over hers, "Of course I am the best choice. I am the strongest, the most powerful, I have the most wealth and…" he leaned closer to nip her ear lightly, "You already adore me". Her scent of arousal spiked and he bit back his groan.

She stepped back, "Prove it to me then my lord, but I warn you. I will not make this easy on you in the least. I am not yours." she remarked. He kissed the top of her head and headed back to his rooms, "Of that I have no doubt, you are a difficult woman Ayeka, princess of dogs" he replied, stressing her soon to be title.

Ayeka leaned back against the wall and smiled gently. She then wandered to her desk and penned two messages. One was to Ryu, inviting him to the palace. With the bat's betrayal, he would be summoned shortly anyway. The second she sent to Kurama. So... the game was afoot.