Chronicles of the West

Chapter Forty One

Daishi stood before her parents, garbed in the fine silks that she was accustomed too. No longer the child of some small village, but a woman of means. She inclined her head and bowed politely to them. They seemed duly unimpressed by her grace and poise.

"I am surprised you even came" her mother muttered. Daishi eyed her coolly, "That is the action of a good daughter" she replied. Her mother glared at her, "A good daughter would have kept her bloodline from dishonor" she sniffed.

Daishi felt her anger flare and her cheeks heat but she said nothing. Beside her Toga and Ryu growled. Her father eyed them carefully, these were powerful demons, even if one was a only a filthy hanyou. He bore the colors of the west and therefore could not be trifled with.

Several hours later, her groom to be appeared. He was not even capable of holding a full humanoid form. His snout elongated to show his canine heritage. Daishi peered at him from beneath her lashes and held back a shudder. He seemed so cold and selfish and his gaze when he looked at her, made her flesh crawl.

"So you are Daishi" he said. She bowed her head as was expected. He chuffed, "Well at least you aren't ugly" he said baldly, "I would have had to change my mind about taking a shamed woman if she were ugly". She bit her tongue, holding back the scalding rush of words.

Satoru would have gutted him by now and she was itching to do so herself. Toga and Ryu frowned at him, barely restraining their growls. They had to maintain an indifferent façade, for now. Until Shippo made his move at least.

Shippo had made himself scarce, he'd seen the coyote before he'd arrived and was unimpressed. He'd be damned if that stinking bag of flesh married Daishi. He'd been appalled by the treatment of her parent's. Having come from a home where children were treasured, he was stunned.

Daishi listened half heartedly as her soon to be mate, Ronuro, told her of her new life. With each passing word, her heart sank deeper and deeper into despair. There would be no convincing him to return to Satoru's famed academy. He was horrified to know that she had taught, that she could..gasp…read!

"A woman's place is to be rarely seen and even more rarely heard. You will have mending and flute playing and you will bear children. Given your state of station I would think that you would be enthusiastic and grateful of my attention" he'd snapped at her.

She'd retired early, numb to meet her fate in the morning. Her feet moved automatically to the inner most chamber of her parent's home. Her sisters whispered and hissed about her, and she knew that they knew she heard them. They speculated the source of her fine gowns and her many ornaments. Despite all her hopes she was still worthless to them, hated.

Late that night, she was awakened to hear her bridegroom's voice raised angrily. "You may not enter the lady's chambers" Silvana said emphatically. Ronuro snickered, "Bah. There is hardly a lady in there. A man's company is not unknown to her. At least I will marry her in the morning, no reason I shouldn't have her tonight" he said hotly.

Silvana glared at him, wanting to take him on, however in this case, a man was best suited to the task. "Ryu" she called sweetly, knowing that her current partner in guarding was just around the corner. The silver hanyou rounded the corner, and flexed his claws, joints popping.

"Well what do we have here? A late night visit from a scavenger" he growled, his smirk was cold and lethal. Ronuro rounded on him, "Stand aside half breed, this is no concern of yours" he spat. Ryu reacted like lightening, closing the distance between them, and closing his clawed hand around the scrawny coyote's neck.

With said bridegroom dangling from his grip, he snarled viciously, "I really dislike that term. You stay away from her" he commanded, "She is not yours". His nose wrinkled a moment later and he scowled, flinging the weakling from him, "Gah! You pissed yourself, are you serious?" he demanded, looking thoroughly disgusted.

Silvana chuckled with amusement and Ryu gave her a hot glare, "You go stay with Daishi" he ordered her, and then turned his gaze back to the cowering male before him, "And you… you get your beta male ass away from me, go wash yourself, something….pitiful".

Daishi poked her head out from behind the shoji door and met Ryu's gaze, then down to the puddle on the wooden floor. She giggled despite her desperate situation. "Thank you Ryu" she told him and he nodded. "Daishi can we leave now?" he asked her.

She shook her head sadly, "I'm sorry. You don't have to stay here. You've already done so much" she replied. He crossed his arms, "Keh. Shut up, that's just dumb" he said bluntly. She glared at him and closed the door. Ryu looked outside and scanned the woods, Shippo needed to hurry up.

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Daishi knelt in all her finery as the ritual began. Her hands shook and her groom glared at her with hot anger. No doubt he blamed his bad night on her. As the gritty voice of the deer youkai intoned, her mind wandered away to the familiar halls of the academy.

"Daishi!" her father snapped, and she blinked clearing her mind. "Your answer you stupid woman!" Ronuro growled at her. She stared at him, and at her father. Then her gaze swept over her friends. Aislin was shaking her head no, and Ryu looked ready to kill someone.

"I….I" she stammered, feeling her chest constrict, the weight of this fate suddenly too great to bear. Ronuro caught her wrist in his hard grip and pressed the bones together, making her cry out in pained surprise. Ryu stepped forward but Toga stopped him. "Your answer bitch" the groom snarled.

"Is no" came the calm, deadly, all too male voice from behind them. All eyes turned to see a very angry kitsune. "Let go of my wife before I fucking kill you" he said. Daishi's eyes went wide, "Shippo" she breathed. He strode forward and faced her outraged father.

"What is the meaning of this? You disrespect my house?" he demanded. Shippo silenced him with an icy green glare. "I am Shippo from the house of Taisho" he announced, "My cousins stand witness. I wish your daughter's hand in marriage". Her father stuttered, "But…but she has a suitor, she is married!". Shippo rested his hand on his sword, "She isn't married yet. Give her to me or I shall take her by force".

Ronuro stood, touching his own sword, "The bitch is mine fox!". Shippo strode forward and stared down at him, "The woman is mine, and your head will be as well, if you do not stand down" he growled. Ronuro visibly shrank, turning irate eyes to her parents he snarled, "This is an outrage, I demand this be remedied!"

Shippo brushed past him to pull Daishi to her feet, and then glared at the deer youkai. "Do it" he commanded. The deer seemed hesitant, "Now!" Shippo ground out. The deer began again, his voice halting. Daishi felt the arm around her waist and looked up at him, "Shippo, don't.. you don't have…" she began but he cut her off with a vicious growl. "Hold your damn tongue" he told her.

She stared at him in wide eyed shock. Ronuro still babbling behind them. "Just kill him already" Ryu said, "He's giving me a headache". The soft scrape of a blade being drawn reached Shippo's ears and with amazing speed, he'd pushed Daishi behind him, drawn his own, and leveled it at the coyote's neck.

"Unless you are incredibly skilled with that blade I suggest you put it down and admit defeat" Kurama cautioned. Ronuro glared at Daishi from around Shippo, "This isn't over bitch, I will not suffer this outrage" he hissed at her. Her father spoke up, "How wonderful to be allied with the powerful west".

Shippo tapped him in the chest with his blade, "Are you threatening a lady of the west?" he asked coldly. Ronuro blinked at him, as though suddenly understanding his tenuous position. "My lord…" he said slyly, "I understand that she is quite lovely, but this a woman of low character. She isn't even a virgin, hardly worthy of your time".

Shippo was on him in a moment. Toga sighed before wading into the fray. His blade slashed between them. "Shippo make the choice" he commanded his voice cold and hard. "Let him go or kill him now". Aislin covered her mouth with her hand. She didn't like the thing anymore than the others but she wasn't certain she wanted to watch him die.

Shippo growled. "Ladies" Toga said aloud, "Don't watch". Silvana and Aislin looked away, but Shippo lowered his blade. "You aren't worth the effort. I hear even a whisper that you've been running that mouth of yours and I will hunt you down and slaughter you and yours. Understand?" he asked in a steely voice.

Ronuro, true to form, wet himself and slinked away. The deer was asking for the responses and Shippo angrily barked his. Daishi was still silent, looking at Shippo in an odd way. He looked down at her finally, taking in the shocked expression. "Say it Daishi or I'll claim you without the marriage" he whispered.

She gasped and stuttered the words. Shippo grinned to himself, well the shock tactic worked, the words were said. Shippo, gently peeled the silk from her throat, baring only enough to mark her, feeling her tremble terribly beneath his hands, he decided quick was best. He bit down, hearing her hiss of pain. His tongue swept out to seal the wound, and she slumped against him.

Her energy exhausted from the day's events. "It's ok now" Shippo breathed against her ear, "Your safe now". She nodded slightly, unsure if she was dreaming. Silvana came and led her gently away. She was pale and unsteady. Shippo waited until she had gone to turn to her parents. "Not a virgin?" he asked as though it was news to him. They blinked and hung their heads. Shippo listened with growing rage as they told her story.

"Enough" he said finally cutting them off, "Listen up. You are to have no contact with my wife unless she wishes it. You are not to speak of her to anyone, and you will remember that if anyone here has done anything wrong, it's you. Not her."

They stared in awe at him as he turned to Ryu and Toga. "We're leaving. There is a village a few miles up the road with a comfortable inn. We have rooms" he said. The others nodded, not wishing to remain in this place any longer than they had to.

Ryu stared at him, and Shippo glanced his way, "What?" he asked impatiently. "Do you know what you have done?" he asked. The fox shrugged, "Sure, I got a wife" he replied. Ryu slapped his shoulder, "Well, I imagine that your wedding night will be very interesting to say the least. If you need a place to sleep" he offered, "Knock on Kurama's door".

His words drew a chuckle from Toga. "I guess this means that you will end up back at your brother's school" he ventured. Shippo sighed, a long drawn out affair, "If she wants, I am not opposed". Ryu snorted, "Beaten already". Shippo smacked him in the back of the head, "Am not".