Chronicles of the West

Chapter Seventy Five

Silvana woke with a pain in her neck, courtesy of her uncomfortable position against the wall. She blinked slowly, clearing the strange cloud from her mind. She could move, that must mean she wasn't bound as she'd once been. Captured…again. Joy.

"Well this is familiar" she muttered under her breath. She found herself in a large room. Sprawled across a large bed. Rolling over to her side, she heard the metallic rattle of a chain and sat up. Something tugged at her ankle and she peered down.

A single shackle of silver, so delicate it might easily have been crushed in her hands. The holy inscriptions covering it warned against that. She would be purified if she tampered with it. She nibbled her lower lip as she considered her possible options. There didn't seem to be many.

Casting a weary glance around the room, she sighed, "Hurry Ryu".

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Ryu was in a rage, his powers rolling over him like waves in the ocean. His eyes blood red as he snapped and snarled. Sesshoumaru stood his ground in the ring against his son. "Your rage will not bring her back" he reasoned.

Ryu's beast was nearly frantic, the scent of his female fading with the passing minutes. He had to find her, and punish the ones who dared touch her. His fangs, longer now, protruded over his lower lip, his claws more deadly, clicked in impatient irritation.

He'd already wounded several soldiers, and now a larger threat loomed before him. A rival in alpha standing. Deep within himself, Ryu clamored for control, his father's stoic face swimming in his vision. The voice urging him to calm.

Ayeka tried to go to her son, but Sesshoumaru caught her around the middle and pushed her behind him. "He will not hear your voice" he told her. She watched with wide, moist green eyes as her son's humanity fell away.

"Took bitch" Ryu growled. Sesshoumaru nodded, "We will find them" he assured Ryu. The hanyou grumbled, but did not advance. His growls resounding across the yard and several courtiers cowered. Inuyasha had once been this way and had been mindless.

Ryu's beast fought for full control. They were wasting time, his female had been taken and his instinct demanded that be remedied….quickly. Sesshoumaru sighed, and unsheathed Tokijin. There was no time for this. Ayeka's gasp did not go unnoticed, "You can't!" she cried.

He pulled away from her restraining arm and narrowed his eyes, carefully measuring his power he let loose a small volley. Ryu dodged the first, snarling in anger. The second volley collided with him and he flew backwards. His body carving a large furrow in the earth.

Ayeka was appalled that her mate would attack his own child. Kagome was already running across the yard towards him. "It worked Sesshoumaru" she called, "He's been brought down". Ayeka blinked..it…worked?

She looked at her husband and he frowned at her, "I would not kill my own pups if I could help it. I would have imagined that you of all people would understand that best". His words filled her with shame and she hung her head, before going to join Kagome. Souta had already heaved Ryu over his shoulder and was carrying him towards the residence. He would wake shortly and hopefully, he'd be himself then. Hopefully.

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Madu paced restlessly. Why were they waiting? Why weren't they out there scouting for the captured? He growled and punched a willow tree in the gardens. Silvered leaves fluttered down around him. His father growled as he approached, "There is no scent to follow" he told his son.

The younger wolf refused to accept that. "There has to be a scent" he snapped, "There is always a scent". Koga shook his head, "Sesshoumaru is not a fool, he has been systematically searching since they were taken. We don't know all the pieces of this puzzle but this is big".

The youkai court had stared in awed repulsion at the winged bodies that littered the yard. Sesshoumaru's soldiers had taken a good number of them, dealing death with the austerity commanded by their lord. The others had come forward to view the made beings. Such a creature was unnatural and by nature's law must die.

Madu glared at his father, "So inaction is the way we proceed?" he demanded. Koga growled at him in warning, "Sit pup" he barked. His son grudgingly took up a position on the stone bench. His arms crossed over his chest.

"A long time ago, before you were born, we faced a clever bastard, and we learned that inaction was better than rash rushing" he said quietly. "That Naraku…..made my skin crawl. He was an enemy that had no honor but he was hard to find, hard to catch. He stole people, brought back the dead. Made minions. I hope I'm wrong but I think this guy is worse…. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think I am"

Madu had never heard his father speak so candidly about Naraku. "Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha feel it too. The last time we faced an opponent like this it was for the survival of all Japan" he pointed out, "Now the stakes are higher, we're talking about the whole damn world" the older wolf growled.

Cobalt eyes locked with aqua. "We will not lose, but we can't rush headlong into what we don't understand" he cautioned. He knew his son was having a hard time accepting his words. Hell, when he was that age, he'd have been gone, convinced he could take on anything…and all on his own.

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Amari slowly became aware of himself. He felt warmth and softness. Was this death? He tried to move but couldn't. His body refused to obey him. He was able to move his head, and his fingertips. Other that that he was paralyzed. That was unsettling. Death wasn't supposed to be that way was it?

He became aware of a soft sound near him. Breathing. Steady and rhythmic. A scent reached him. Medicinal herbs and fresh lemons, sweet grass newly cut. He knew that scent. Not the bearer of it, but the scent itself.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, silver blinking up at a ceiling. Did the afterlife have ceilings? Did te afterlife have silk bedding and glaring sunlight? Amari, focused on the scent that lingered in the room, on his bedding, on him.

The source of the scent was close. He slowly turned his head, still unsure of the limits of his movements. His fingertips fluttered, feeling the smooth of silk, the smooth texture of.. Hair? His eyes slid sidelong to see a fiery head, resting on folded arms.

Female. The scent. The hair. He could vaguely recall a soft voice, whispering to him. He couldn't recall what had been said, only that he found peace in that voice. His fingers pulled gently at the hair, catching a bright curl between the clawed digits. He wished he could see that curl, but for now feeling it was enough.

Tohru felt a soft tug at her long hair and roused herself. She groaned softly, muscles stiff from her long hours of watching over her charge. She felt the tug again.

Amari sensed her wakefulness, and gently tugged once more, wishing to see the face of his captor. She groaned and shifted, her muscles seemed to be stiff. Had she been here the entire time?

Tohru lifted her head slightly to find a lock of her hair, clutched in the claws of the winged fox. Her gaze flew to his face. Wide golden eyes locked with half lidded eyes the shade of quicksilver. Such strange eyes. Haunted, haunting.

She opened her mouth and he growled softly. She fell silent. He was no threat, he was not capable of harming her. That growl asked for silence and she allowed it. Wondering just what he was thinking. He was so handsome, she blushed to find the thought spinning through her mind. She looked away quickly.

Amari held her prisoner by that small amount of hair. Refusing to relinquish his hold on it, as though she might vanish forever if he did so. "Where….am I?" he rasped, his voice hoarse from it's lack of use. The female hadn't looked at him and he found he disapproved of that. Was his form so beastly to other demons?

"You smell like dog" he muttered. Golden eyes snapped to him in irritation. Temper, temper, he mentally chided. "And you smell like a dozen beasts sadly pieced together" she told him coolly. Silver eyes narrowed condescendingly, "What would a bitch know about it?" he grumbled.

Tohru fought the urge to slap his face, instead she reached over and neatly flicked his ear. He yelped and she smirked. "I would watch my mouth if I were you" she reminded him, "Seeing that I have full mobility and you do not". He growled menacingly, but she merely stood over him.

"Now if you can maintain a civil and respectful tongue, I can answer some questions. If not, I'll be forced to flick you again. I might even toss cold water on you and leave you lie in it". She said lightly. He glared at her. Long minutes ticked by as they stared each other down.

His gaze was unnerving to say the least, but she refused to look away. He had nothing on her father after all. Amari seemed to understand that she would not bend. Slowly, with deliberateness, his gaze lowered from her eyes, to her lips and then over her form, before moving back up to take her eyes once more.

Tohru could not believe the nerve of the arrogant male, looking her up and down like that. She ought to slap his face for it. Her spine stiffened under the mocking look on his face. With a small grunt, she had a look of her own, reaching out she snagged the sheet from his nearly bare form. Ignoring the embarrassed yelp that came from him. His…er…important parts were covered.

Golden eyes moved indifferently over his tanned form. Amari felt his cheeks flush at her blatant inspection. What the hell was the matter with her? With a small grunt as though to say he was sufficient, she tossed the sheet back over him.

Somehow she'd managed to hold back her blush as she looked on him, even managed to assume a look of abject boredom, as though he was an insect and nothing more. She was quite proud of herself. She neatly tucked the silken sheet around him again and arched a bright brow. "Well?".

Amari watched her warily, "I….. Will….remain civil" he muttered. She smiled then and sank gracefully into her seat once more. Reaching to the bedside table, she poured him some water and then slid her hand beneath his head, lifting him.

"Have some water, you sound terrible" she told him. He felt the rim of the cup at his lips and then the soft line of liquid. Keeping untrusting silver eyes on her, he parted his lips and let the cool liquid slide down his parched throat.

When he was done, she lowered him again and set his cup aside. "You are in the west" she told him, referring to his previous question. "You were found near the border, and brought here". Amari let the information sink in. He was in the west? He looked over at her, she had golden eyes. Like the female he'd injured. She looked similar but not the same. Not with red hair like that.

"Who are you?" he asked. She smiled, "I am Tohru, princess of the west" she replied easily. Amari refused to let his surprise show. She was a daughter of the very house that would fall. "You don't have silver hair" he pointed out. She shrugged, "Neither does my mother".

He was silent for a moment, "How did I survive?" he asked then. He'd been certain that life was lost to him when that winged fiend had grabbed him. The memory of pain and the overwhelming scent of blood and the burn of holy energy came back to him, "And why can't I move?".

"You nearly died. Father stood ready should that happen" she told him, "And you have been bound…until that time you are no longer considered a threat". Simple, direct answers, that gave him nothing at all. He glared at her. "Why?".

She shrugged, "Because it pleases us to spare you for the time being". He grunted and looked away. She rose and moved to the window. "When I found you, I didn't even know what you were. You were battered and bloodied. I had never seen something like that before. Your wings had been ripped from you. We didn't know you had them until Aunt Kagome healed you" she whispered.

Silver brows lifted, "Healed?". She turned back to him, "Yes, she is a priestess. The Shikon priestess". Amari looked ill, and Tohru laughed lightly. "Not to worry, she won't purify you, she is after all mother to demons herself".

She moved across the room, to the tall door. "I must tell my father that you are awake at last" she told him, "He will want to speak with you". She saw the flicker in his eyes and wished she could put him at ease, but the truth was she couldn't. "Wait!" he called out, his youth showing in his tone.

She turned back to him, her golden kimono draping gracefully in that half turn. "Yes?". He swallowed, "How long have I been here?" he asked her. She turned from him pushing the door open, "A little over a week". He looked away as though processing the idea that he'd slept that long. Looking back up silver locked with gold, "Were you here with me all that time?" he asked.

Tohru blushed, "I helped with your care" she allowed. Before he could ask anything further she stepped into the hall and closed the door behind her. He was not what she'd expected, she wasn't sure what she had, but whatever it was…he wasn't it. He was arrogant and brave and mysterious. With a grim expression she made her way to her father's study.

Amari was glad to be whole and alive. He had wanted to warn this house, to prevent it's fall. His own people spoke of the great house of the Taisho and the peace they had wrought. He was grateful to them. Grateful, but he knew that the safety of the west was not given lightly. There would be a price. He didn't want to think what that might be.