Inuyasha: The Tail of Three Princes

Chapter Seven

The mood surrounding his new home was dangerous, yet oddly resigned. It took some time before he regained his wits the previous afternoon. He had only become aware of what happened after he woke, Sesshoumaru holding him tightly and sending soothing waves through the bond. A trick, it seemed, that was necessary from years of dealing with Inuyasha’s borderline insanity. The only shame of it was that he had been prevented from beating the kappa to death. No information was as important as shutting that little shit’s mouth forever. They had all the information that they needed at this point, and that was the surprise in this little venture.

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Sesshoumaru stared in surprise and shock as Kouga burst into a rage he had only though possible for his mate. He knew he should stop him, but the whole room was in a haze of pain due to the bonds with Inuyasha being snapped so abruptly. This was all happening far faster than his dazed mind could process. He wasn’t even sure how he was functioning right now. A vicious growl yanked him back into the scene in front of him.

It wasn’t Kouga reacting, he slowly realized. The black hatred wasn’t coming from his new mate, but rather from his other. The one who had done this never counted on the new bonds in place! Kouga was bleeding off the rage and other emotions that triggered the deadly transformation automatically to prevent Inuyasha’s death! Even if the new bond was not there the rush of gratitude Sesshoumaru felt would have sealed the wolf into his heart forever. He moved quickly to siphon the emotions into himself. He was far more used to dealing with the consequences of draining the youngest mate’s excesses. Knowing the collapse it would produce, he moved to hold Kouga securely in his arms. It was the least of repayments for saving his love’s life.

The minute he came back to himself the Wolf Prince grabbed his head. Goddamn, that hurt! He wanted to ask what the hell happened, but it was hard when his tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth. He must have made some kind of noise, because the ice prince looked down and smiled gently. Well crap, he was dead, he decided. Whatever it was blew the top of his head off, brains were splattered all over the floor, and this was his reward for leading a life of misdeeds. Yep, Ginta had warned him not to peek on the she-wolves bathing, or about dropping the skunk in the meeting caves. He should have listened when Hakkaku told him not to tie all the other pup’s tails together with rope and yell ‘Fire!” at the top of his lungs, and now he paid the price. He was in hell, and Sesshoumaru was smiling.

“If you’d kindly cease your rambling, you’d realize that you are still among the living.” He was told tartly.

He brightened, “Then we’re not mated?”

The floor was harder than it looked. He discovered this when he was dropped abruptly.

“Ow! Okay, dead doesn’t hurt this much...” He wheezed

“No, but the living can hurt far more.” Sesshoumaru stated archly.

“What happened?”

“It seems that the powder my retainer so thoughtfully gave to my mate severed the bonds between Inuyasha and me. The only question remaining is for whom would he would be disloyal.” Sesshoumaru calmly stated as he picked up the quivering remnants huddled of the floor. “Who ordered this?” He demanded.

“Gah,” Was the only reply.

He gave an impatient shake and snarled, “Who ordered the death of my mate!”

“L-lady Inari, master, but I only did it for you!” It croaked out, before going completely limp.

It didn’t matter as Sesshoumaru dropped the creature and called for others to take it to the shack on the edge of the manor lands. He picked up Kouga and placed him gently on the bed before kneeling at the edge. His face was bleak.

“Who is this Inari bitch?” Kouga rasped.

“My mother,” He answered tonelessly.

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He couldn’t remember too much more of the night. The rage that had been shunted to him from Inuyasha tired him more thoroughly than fighting an entire flock of the Birds of Paradise. He collapsed and hadn’t woken up until the morning. At least the large drums rattling his skull had changed to a dull throb. Sesshoumaru had entered earlier and brought him some pain potion and food. It felt strange having the demon lord look after him, but oddly comforting. It was nice to relax a little rather than being the one everyone looked to for answers.

Sesshoumaru had stopped and talked to him for a while. He had summoned his mother since Kouga had been ill, and she was due to arrive in a few hours. He would not leave his mate vulnerable again, he declared. Seeing the sad look in his eye one couldn’t help but be glad for the loyalty of the Pack. Wolves within a pack literally couldn’t betray each other intentionally the pack-bond was too strong. Still, he was grateful that while he had been mated by force, at least the two that chose him seemed honorable, and only desperation had driven them this far.

He spent the day in bed, far lazier than he wished to be, and recovered. Sesshoumaru had stayed with him for the most part and they talked about what had happened to him. Kouga didn’t really care. His entire conversation was ‘It’s over, it hurt, but I didn’t die.’ Sesshoumaru on the other hand worried at it like a dog with a bone. He wanted to plan, to know the weaknesses, to have assurances that the enemy could be crushed at any given moment! It seemed he didn’t like loose ends, especially when it concerned his mates. He was also worried about the missing member of their group.

Kouga was surprised at how nice it was to be included in the obvious care that given to the youngest mate. He had carried the weight of his pack for far longer than most, since his skills placed him as a leader early in life, but this was the first in a while that someone cared more for him than where he would be in a few years. His two friends had been his family, but even they looked to him for guidance. Sesshoumaru planned around his abilities, but they weren’t the central focus. He began to realize that the demon lord was a far better leader than many of his ilk.

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Lady Inari was stunning. She was tall, thin and graceful, with skin like snow and a cascade of hair the color of moonlight. It was amazing to think of the villainy hidden within. She came into the throne room with a swan-like sway that had the attention of everyone in the room.

“Sesshoumaru, my son, it has been too long.” Her throaty voice floated through the room.

“Mother,” He nodded his head. “I believe you are as aware as I why you have not come to my home.”

“Is it wrong for a mother to only wish the best for her son?”

“Do not play the repentant mother now. Your behavior toward my mate is deplorable.”

“Why talk of such unpleasantness when I see a new addition to your realm? Besides, I

would rather the past stayed where it is, wouldn’t you?”

“You have never allowed such a concern before.”

“I never believed my son would stay apart from me for two hundred years.”

Her voice was sharper than any blade, yet wrapped in silk. Every hair on the back of Kouga’s neck stood at attention watching the two of them spar, but it was a small price when his sanity was at risk. He was the involuntary sacrifice here and it wasn’t very nice. Inuyasha had more rage than anyone thought and he was walking a finer line than nearly anyone knew. If there had been no bond between the two of them, Kouga knew any ties to this earth would have snapped like brittle twigs and the prophecy would have come true. He also knew that Sesshoumaru was keeping both minds calm through his bonds. Any questions he might have had about the brothers devotion to one another was erased; only love would put up with all this crap.

Her eyes came to rest on the wolf lips arching in a subtle sneer, “Who is this new addition, son? You seem to surround yourself in such an… unusual manner.”

“Be careful, mother, you come close to offending my mate.”

“Your mate? Have you rid yourself of your father’s indiscretion then? If you had told me I would have surely found you a more suitable match.”

“He is Kouga, Wolf Prince and Lord of the Northern Winds, and the one I find suitable. I need no other recommendation than that.”

He found himself reassessed swiftly, and dismissed as quickly. If he had no manners as the bitch implied he would nave been growling. The two of them were talking as if he weren’t there. It seemed that breeding did not equal class, regardless of what they said.

“Surely you could do better that the Wolf Clan, no matter his position. They are not highly placed within the courts, and you deserve better. One does not advance in our world with lodestones dragging at their heels.” She scolded fondly.

“Does that mean you plan to rid me of this one as you did the last?” The strike was smooth and deadly as he dropped all pretense of ignorance.

The Lady proved her intelligence by not inciting her son’s anger with denial, “You should have never allowed the attachment to occur.”

“It is not your place to judge what happens in my life, nor my companions, mother. I made this clear when you left my home.”

“He is beneath you!” She hissed. “Your father was a great lord with legions of warriors beneath his rule, but he threw it away to be with that whore! You were to be above all others, but his selfish action threw away your future!”

“I am below none. With Inuyasha by my side we have risen far beyond your petty machinations.”

“That half breed whelp?” She scoffed. “Your father tried to introduce him at court once, but I stopped that quickly. Trying to introduce that abomination as if he was one of our own? He needed to be put in his place. I tried to tell him, I begged him to think of you and kill the whelp as he should, but he refused. He refused! They were more important to him than you, his rightful heir!

“I had the brat taken out to the woods, and left to die, but he turned you from me and you rescued it. I knew as you grew older you would need to understand, but he would not let me take you back. ‘A boy must stay with his father’ he said. Lord Ryukotsusei was his enemy and easily manipulated into fighting your father, but the fool got himself sealed into a mountain instead. He did weaken the bastard making him vulnerable to my poisons, so I will give him credit for that.”

Apparently the confrontation had triggered a frothing rage toward their mate never seen before. Sesshoumaru and Kouga looked on in stunned amazement as the list of her transgressions grew with every word out of her mouth. She was clearly insane, but it would never have occurred to anyone how many plots and intrigues had originated with her. One thing was clear; she could not be allowed to continue.

“So you have saved me from him, but I need to know for sure he is gone from my side forever,” He coaxed, trying to get information from her. “Tell me he will no longer bother me or keep me from my rightful place.”

“Don’t worry, son. Naraku may be easily manipulated, but he will kill the usurper for you. Thanks to me, he of all demons has cause for destroying that half breed.”

“Perhaps you should lay down, mother. The journey was long and I am sure that this audience has not been easy on you. My servants will escort you to your room.”

“No, I can’t rest yet! The half breed yet lives and he must be crushed, his body destroyed and the ashes salted to show the other abominations clearly that rising above themselves is no to be tolerated!” Her voice was magnificent in it’s rage, tones flowing in a hypnotic flow that nearly drew Kouga in.

Sesshoumaru on the other hand was well used to his mother’s hysterics, and remained calm motioning the servant in. “Mother, such things are beneath your notice. Such graceful hands should never be sullied efforts intended for menials. I shall take care of my former mate so that you shall never have to be concerned with him again.”

She gave him a fond smile, “There is the beautiful boy I gave birth to. You are more than your father could have ever dreamed to be. I seem to be fatigued, but I will rise soon to assist you in the creature’s destruction.”

He managed to keep his mouth shut for a while, waiting for the sensitive ears of the dog bitch to be out of range, but he was waiting to explode. He watched his new mate sink into the throne tired and drained, and the anger moved to a secondary concern.

“Are you going to be able to do this?” He asked warily.

Golden eyes narrowed, “You will not question this Sesshoumaru’s competence.” He growled.

“Well excuse the fuck all outta me! Gods all know why, but this bond actually makes me concerned about your sorry ass. You think I would actually care otherwise?” He hissed.

“Indeed, it seems to have an unusual effect for me as well. Perhaps I never noticed the reactions since I loved Inuyasha already.”

“Good,” He grumped. “That means you should stop being an ass.”

A slight smile raised the corner of his lips, “Inuyasha would say it is a natural part of my personality.”

“He’d be right.”

“Perhaps,” The lord allowed.

“What are we going to do? She’s completely out of her mind, you know.”

Sesshoumaru nodded and sighed, “But she is out only source of information, and I do not wish to kill my mother. The servants will sedate her, and I will deal with her at a later date.”

“Looks like we’re going to go to war.”

“Yes, Naraku and his followers will receive no mercy. There have been too many threats to my mate. It is time for all to learn why I am Lord of the Western Lands.”

His mate’s face was pure ice with the fire of rage beneath. Kouga was suddenly very glad he had never challenged the demon lord, as a shiver chased it’s way down his spine.


TBC...