Sesshoumaru Wept

:::The Calm Before The Storm:::

Deep in the unexplored region beyond InuYasha's Forest, she lay underground and prepared herself for another attempt at capturing the foolish half-demon. She felt her soul collectors stirring above ground, getting restless for night to descend so they could begin prowling once more for unsuspecting spirits on which she fed. It was rare for her to be up and moving about during the daylight hours, because humans were more able to tell she wasn't a natural being any longer in bright light than in the darkness. And, unfortunately, she depended on the fickle human heart to turn the villagers against InuYasha and his pack. She snarled upon remembering his betrayal and renewed her vow to drag him to the deepest pits of hell!

Suddenly, her body drew into itself painfully and stole what little breath she had. She remained like that for several tense moments, and then something exploded within her. It felt as if her soul was being ripped from her body again. Immediately, Kikyou knew someone had removed the beads from around HIS neck. There was no other explanation. The damned sorcerer warned her if someone powerful enough removed them, she would be in agony due to the fact her spiritual energy went in to creating the beads of subjugation and the spell he'd cast on it was directly tied to her soul. Even as she writhed in pain, her mind desperately sought to blame someone and could only come up with Sesshoumaru, who she had spoken to only a handful of times. He may have been powerful enough to remove them, but InuYasha was leery of him, at best-causing InuYasha to believe Sesshoumaru hated him was one of her more successful campaigns against InuYasha's family, in her opinion.

As quickly as the pain began, it ended, and left her gasping in a deep, cleansing breath. With a thought, she sent her soul collectors out and came out of the ground in an explosion of dirt; in spite of the soil, her hakama and haori were pristine. A frown graced her once beautiful face as she contemplated her next step, considered the knowledge she now possessed of the dog she sought to bring down.
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Kagome was utterly intrigued by Fukinmaru. Since the rosary's removal, the group questioned the elder inu about his life and experiences, and when the conversation turned to Sesshoumaru, he gently told them they would need to talk directly to the other dog to receive answers. His voice was deep and rich and mesmerizing as he spoke of the different countries he'd visited with Touga. And they laughed at the amusing story of how he'd made a major faux pas in front of the youkai attendant of the middle kingdom's emperor almost thirteen hundred years prior, the determining event which permanently stripped him of the title of Heir to the Western Lands, which he had been immeasurably thankful for.

"Father," Fukinmaru mused, "always believed I threw that rock on purpose, so I would be banned from the Axis Seat." He chuckled. "Some years later, I confirmed he was correct. Being Patriarch has a host of responsibilities tied to it, and so does being the Western Lord. I had no desire to hold both titles, like our sire did, and I couldn't get out of being Patriarch. It still amazes me how well he fulfilled both roles."

Kagome couldn't tear her eyes from him as he spoke, his dreadlocks shimmering in the afternoon sun; his were much smaller and appeared well cared for, rather than the tangled messes of the pseudo-hippie dreadlocks she'd seen coming out of the United States. His hair was begging to be touched, but she didn't know if it was her budding infatuation with him or the demonic power writhing over his skin, making him nearly irresistible to those who would naturally be prey. During the hushed conversation, InuYasha stood and vanished over the wall, and Kagome noticed just as the billowing fire rat robe disappeared in the lush greenery. She sighed deeply and seemed to deflate. She looked back at Fukinmnaru and was surprised when he caught her eye, gestured with his head for her to follow the younger male. She got up quietly and slipped around the wall. Kagome searched for the better part of an hour for InuYasha, and the warrior remained hidden. Her feet were beginning to hurt when she leaned against a tree and looked around, finding herself in visual range of Sesshoumaru's blood streaked face. The corners of her mouth drooped into a frown. Everything she thought she knew about InuYasha's family was turning out to be wrong: it was obvious Sesshoumaru didn't hate InuYasha, and the two of them were not the only children the mighty Touga fathered. What other secrets could this enigmatic family possibly contain? Kagome thought with a deep sigh.

"Why?" she asked the unmoving figure of the Western Lord. "Why have you let InuYasha believe you hate him if you really don't? It has nearly destroyed him." She shifted her weight onto her other foot. "For his sake, I hope you have a damn good reason, Sesshoumaru."

Kagome started as a fat drop of water hit her hand. It couldn't be raining on such a beautiful day, could it? She glanced up to see if there were clouds in the sky, and another fat drop fell on her forehead. She wiped the drop off of her face and brought her fingers to her lips. Salt water. She looked up through the branches of the tree she was under and caught a flash of red high in the canopy. Kagome made a frustrated sound at the inconvenience of her kimono, then tucked the ends into her obi like a paddy worker and began to climb. At some point, she looked down and panicked.

"Big mistake, Kagome," she whispered to herself, clutching tightly to the tree. "Don't look down, just keep going."

InuYasha was sitting on a thicker branch, staring down at the still form of his half-brother. Tears would gather in his eyes and roll down his cheeks, but he didn't seem aware of them. Kagome pulled herself to the branch next to the one InuYasha was on and sat with him. When she had been sitting there long enough to know he was ignoring her, she cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"May I speak with you about something, InuYasha?"

"Keh, whatever," he replied, his voice sounding steadier than his face indicated.

"I know it's not going to mean much right now, but I would like to apologize for not removing the rosary," she said softly. "If I had known they were a threat to your life, I would have removed them much sooner."

"You would have removed them because they were a threat to my life," InuYasha whispered, shaking his head. He gave her an incredulous look. "Did it ever occur to you Kagome that damned word was the biggest threat to my life? Are you really so blind when it comes to me? Did you never hear my nose break, or see the odd angle my arm lay at sometimes? The days I disappeared afterward, I was in hiding from you so I could heal before you said it again on the off chance a fractured bone would send me to my father before my time."

The last words were yelled at the young miko. A tense, palatable sadness hung between them until InuYasha leapt out of the tree, anxious to be away from the egocentric future child. At the base of the tree, Fukinmaru watched the young male soar higher into the canopy and out of sight.
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Sayoko was roughly tossed, spitting and snarling, at the feet of a rancid smelling male human. Her bonds were not enchanted-as far as she could tell-but even so, she was unable to move. It was a conundrum that frustrated her and pissed her off to no end from the very moment of her capture. Dragged across stony ground and through rivers, her youkai had completely consumed her by the time the twin inuyoukai brothers "presented" her to the Daimyou Hideyoshi, and any spark of intelligence was gone, buried deeply within the raging savage. Rancid Man had to raise his voice over the deep chested growling in order to be heard by the lines of soldiers behind him, entreating them to summon Hideyoshi himself to receive the magnificent offering from the Sons of Touga.

Soon, the crowd of soldiers parted and a triangularly shaped man walked slowly down the path created by the exhausted men. He stopped close enough to the thrashing dog demon to be able to touch her, if he so wished. And he did, much to the surprise and admiration of the humans gathered around. Hideyoshi submerged his hand in Sayoko's silky fur, groaning softly to himself at the luxurious texture. The twins exchanged a covert glance, and the tall male with the black sun on his forehead bowed with a foppish flourish. Even kneeling on the ground, the inuyoukai alpha male was almost as tall as Hideyoshi.

"My Lord Daimyou," he fawned, "my mate and I hope she meets... all of your expectations. We would love nothing more than to forge a solid alliance with you and give the West its true leader."

Hideyoshi was thoughtful as he circled the large dog.

"She is certainly beautiful," he said, as if he hadn't heard the inuyoukai speak. "Kaemon?"

"My Lord?" Kaemon said as he stepped forward.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't dogs pack animals?" Hideyoshi asked the samurai.

"Indeed they are, my lord."

"And aren't dog demons the same as dogs regarding pack behavior?" he continued questioning, not taking his eyes from the kneeling dog demon.

"My Lord, we have discovered dog demons have stronger familial ties than mortal dogs," Kaemon replied.

"Ahh. Thank you," the Daimyou said as his man stepped back in line. The air was thick with the scent of the human male's mistrust, so much it was nearly stifling the three demons.

"Forgive me if I do not take your story at face value. I did not get to where I am today by trusting everyone petitioning for my favor."

"My Lord is wise to know inuyoukai have strong family ties," the tall inuyoukai male said calmly. "However, a little known fact in the demon world, much less to humankind, is that those ties can be severed. When we are banished from our homeland, we are released from the service of our family and become outsiders."

"And how does this relate to you?" Hideyoshi asked, crossing his arms.

"We were banished many years ago-centuries now-and have lived in Mongolia since. We have returned for vengeance."

The gears were turning in Hideyoshi's head. It would be a great asset to have such powerful, knowledgeable allies to aid in the infiltration of the West's defenses. It would also be a huge blow to the arrogant Lord of the West when he discovered his own family helped plot his downfall. Poetic, really, Hideyoshi thought. But there was one more thing.

"Why were you banished?" he asked the inuyoukai.

The large male's upper lip curled into an angry snarl. "I have a... proclivity my lord father couldn't live with. I have a taste for the flesh of inuyoukai."
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Kagome carefully climbed down the tree and was met with Fukinmaru's back.

"You must hate me now," she said, brushing off her kimono. "I know I hate me now, and I'm not even related to him."

"Hate you?" he asked, checking over his shoulder to make sure she was covered. "Why would I hate you?"

"I'm not stupid. You're a dog demon. You heard what InuYasha said," she replied, choking on a sob. "I've been injuring him with that damned necklace. How could I have missed that? Am I really that callous?"

"Look at me," he said, lifting her chin. "Children have to be taught how to be considerate of others' feelings, and how to communicate appropriately instead of acting out on emotion. You and he are still children, and neither of you have been shown differently."

Fukinmaru released her chin, caught a tear on his claw and showed it to her. "You are not callous and uncaring because of this."

Kagome sighed deeply. "I feel guilty, though. Like it was obvious to everyone but me just how much I was hurting him."

Fukinmaru smiled gently. "InuYasha has many lifetimes to wallow in what could have been. You have one short human lifetime to be in this world, so don't let your mistakes conquer you."

Before either of them could say anything else, a sharp exhale brought Fukinmaru's attention immediately to Sesshoumaru. The Lord of the West crumpled to the ground, unable to hold himself upright any longer, and the elder male wrapped him in both of his moko, ignoring the large amount of blood smearing on the white fur.

"Sesshoumaru," he whispered, tenderly brushing the lord's silver hair out of his eyes. Sesshoumaru groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked, trying to orient himself, and when he realized he'd returned, he struggled weakly to get up.

"Stop," the Patriarch commanded, and his movement ceased. "You are safe for the moment. Did you retrieve it?"

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes at a wave of dizziness but managed to nod.

"Good. We can stay here until you recover-"

"No," Sesshoumaru interrupted, his voice breaking. "We cannot."

Fukinmaru's scent changed as he hissed out: "Do you dare challenge me, pup?"

"No, Patriarch," he said, looking at his elder brother. "Anubis has declared war against the West."