Just As I Am: Truths Revealed

 

Chapter 8

 

By: K.C. Goodman

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru.

 

 

 

Sesshoumaru and Jasmine emerged from their bedroom exhausted and starving. They didn't realize that they still had guests until Inuyasha started snickering at how his normally neat and stoic brother looked worn and disarrayed.

 

“Damn bastard we have been waiting for you for a fucking week.”

 

With that the apartment was filled with laughter from Shippo, Rin, Sango, Miroku, Kagome, Inuyasha and Jasmine's parents. Sesshoumaru and Jasmine both blushed. Taki came out and greeted the couple with a low bow and asked if they were ready to eat. Before they could answer, their stomachs growled loudly. Again everyone laughed.

 

Everyone sat down in the dining area and ate breakfast. Sesshoumaru Rin and Sango talked about how business was running while he was mating. Miroku in rare lecherous form commented about youkai and their stamina. Inuyasha and Shippo fought over the last piece of sausage. Kagome and Yvonne were talking about miko powers and ancient herbs. Curtis was quietly admiring his daughters' glow.

 

Jasmine was tired of being left out of the conversation. She hated that everyone knew that she was intimate with Sesshoumaru but worst that they heard her. “Sess when will my training start?” she asked trying to change the subject.

 

“Today.”

 

With her mouth gaping open her she jumped up “Oh, well I guess I need to shower and get ready huh?”

 

“Yes let us bathe,” Sesshoumaru said coolly as he stood up.

 

“Us?”

 

“We are mates.”

 

Blushing, she silently agreed. Sesshoumaru and Jasmine went to wash the week's sex off of them while the rest of the crew sat and talked.

 

“Well Inuyasha, I have a lot to teach her. She only has one week for each person that will be teaching her,” Kagome said thoughtfully.

 

Inuyasha shoveled the last bit of food into his mouth and said, “Keh. She'll get it.”

 

“Yes Kagome I agree. Jasmine seems to be a fast learner,” Miroku added while rubbing on Sango's butt.

 

SLAP “Hentai!” Sango yelled leaving a red hand print on her husbands face.

 

“When will he ever learn?” Shippo said disapprovingly shaking his head.

 

Yvonne watched with a concerned look on her face. She was solely responsible for raising Jasmine and was worried that she was losing her daughter to demons. She knew of the spell and tried to steer Jasmine towards humans but Curtis would scare them off saying that she needed a strong mate. The priestess within her screamed at her to purify the demons and take Jasmine and run, but Jasmine was a demon now. Kagome is the most powerful priestess ever born and had no problem mating with a demon. She needed to know what was going on and what would be happening to her baby. “What exactly will you be teaching my daughter Kagome?”

 

Seeing the distress in Yvonne's aura Kagome explained. “Basically, how to use her senses and to be the Lady of the West. Rin and I have been running the western palace for centuries. Now that Sesshoumaru has found a mate she must take over and heal the lands.”

 

“How can she heal the lands? She has no miko abilities.” Yvonne asked in disbelief

 

“True, but she is the mate of Sesshoumaru. The primary job of the mate is to become one with not only Sesshoumaru but the lands. She will be able to feel the elements. Through her union with Sesshoumaru her love for him will allow her to nourish the lands.”

 

Satisfied with Kagome's answer Yvonne sat back and thought about all the recent changes. She wasn't happy that Jasmine was a full blooded demon, but at least her daughter was happy. Now came the time for her and Curtis to go their separate ways. She knew that she needed to explain to Jasmine exactly how she remained alive and young for all these years and why she refused to mate with her father. Yvonne only had a few months left to live without Curtis spilling his seed in her monthly. “Before you begin may I speak with Jasmine? There are some matters that I…Curtis and I must tell her about.”

 

Curtis nodded his head in agreement. He hated that his wife was going to wither away and he would be alone once again, but it was her choice. She could choose to stay around or become a hanyou like him, but her stubbornness stopped her.

 

“Sure, tell Jasmine and Sesshoumaru to meet me at my family shrine in Japan. We must be going back home, there is much preparation to be done for her training,” Kagome answered.

 

The Inu-gumi got up and went to leave for Japan after saying their goodbyes. They knew Sesshoumaru and Jasmine would be a while `grooming' each other.

 

Curtis and Yvonne waited in silence. There was so much that needed to be said to the newly mated couple but it was a sensitive topic. Curtis deep down wanted to plea to his wife to think about Jasmine and stay. He knew is love for his previous mate would not allow him to love Yvonne as deeply but he did care for her. He felt that her dying was selfish. “Must we?”

 

“Yes, it is time for me to rest. I do not belong in your world. I am a priestess and I long for heaven,” Yvonne calmly said. She looked at Curtis and asked him “Will you remove me from this Earth?”

 

In shock Curtis looked at Yvonne. He had never seen her look so peaceful. He knew he shouldn't help her die. It had been decades since his last kill and his instincts told him to protect his wife. “Yvonne…I will but only if you tell Jasmine of your wishes. I will not be a murderer in my child's eyes.”

 

She silently agreed and leaned her head into the palms of her hands. Yvonne in human years would be 75 years-old. She still appeared a youthful 25, the age she was when she married Curtis.

 

 

Sesshoumaru and Jasmine washed each other tenderly. The quiet of the bathroom and the warm water of the tub soothed Jasmine's aching thighs and mind. “Something is wrong Sess. I can sense dread but I don't understand why.”

 

Sesshoumaru knew that Jasmine was still adjusting to her knew senses. “It is your mother. Can you hear the conversation?” She shook her head no. “Well, let us make haste. We will continue our mating after your training today.” Sesshoumaru picked Jasmine up dripping wet and carried her to their room. He reached for a towel and slowly dried her off.

 

“If you keep that up then I will never start training,” Jasmine said playfully.

 

“Indeed,” Sesshoumaru said after nipping her navel.

 

 

After the couple dressed Sesshoumaru and Jasmine walked out in the living room where her parents were sitting. She saw the dread on their faces. Her new youkai senses picked up fear and some other unknown emotion. Her father motioned for her to sit down and looked at her with a broken heart.

 

“Jasmine there is much we must discuss with you. I know that you have had some type of awareness in your dreams now that you have found a strong mate. Now we must fill in the blanks for you,” Curtis said.

 

Yvonne looked at Curtis and decided she would be the one to tell her daughter everything. “I am not your biological mother. I am a priestess. I did not mate your father because I don't believe in mingling with demons. However, Curtis felt the need to keep me around so instead of mating me he filled me with his seed monthly so that I may stay alive and youthful. My true age is 75,” she said impassively.

 

She looked at the tranquil expression on her daughters face. Seeing that she was taking this all well she continued. “Now that you have found a mate it is time for me to leave this world. My soul is weary.”

 

“Jasmine, do you have any questions?” Curtis asked soothingly trying to cushion his child.

 

“Yes just one. Why did you refuse to mate with my father?” Jasmine asked on the brink of tears.

 

“He is a demon and I am a priestess we do not mingle with their kind,” Yvonne replied harshly.

 

Jasmine winced at the statement while her mate and father growled lowly. “But I am a demon.”

 

“Yes. I tried to get you to marry a human so you would have a normal life. But Curtis frightened them all away. He felt like you needed a strong mate. Humans are strong but not by demon standards,” she answered sternly.

 

Having heard enough Sesshoumaru asked, “This Sesshoumaru wants to know your reason for taking on such a task as raising Jasmine. You knew of her curse yet you became her mother.”

 

“True. I hoped she would become a human and thusly a priestess like me. That's why I told Curtis to go away,” Yvonne replied again callously.

 

“Then she would have despised me for being a hanyou. Now, you are selfishly ending your life,” an angry Curtis added.

 

Jasmine was now breaking down visually. Her body was shaking but she quelled her emotions and asked, “Father, who was my mother? Was she powerful? Why was she murdered?”

 

Sighing he responded. “She was a powerful white tiger youkai with the ability to love a lowly hanyou. I was the reason she was murdered. Full blooded youkai prides did not want the disgrace of dirty blood. Your grandparents ordered the concealment spell that was placed on you. I smelled their deceit but I wasn't quick enough to act…to defend my mate. Then her aura merged with yours and you transformed into a small tiger and slew them. You protected me.”

 

Jasmine couldn't handle anymore. She broke down crying. The flood of information made her head hurt and her heart break. The mother she had always loved wasn't her birth mother. Yvonne seemed so detached. Yet her father whom she always thought was the outsider stepped in and reassured her. She was now a full demon with unknown abilities. She had to train to be a strong mate of the Taiyoukai of the West and she was also still a college student. In less then a month her life changed. She was no longer just Jasmine now she was Lady Jasmine of the Western Lands mate of Lord Sesshoumaru the Inu no Taisho.

 

Feeling her distress Sesshoumaru picked her up and cradled her in him arms. “That is enough for one day.”

 

“I agree, she still needs to train. There is one more thing she must know. Her mother, Yvonne, wants me to…give her peace,” Curtis regretfully added.

 

“Do as you must,” Sesshoumaru impassively said while glaring coldly at Yvonne.

 

Curtis also scowl at Yvonne and said, “My lord, my last kill is long removed. I can not murder my wife.”

 

“MURDER? NO, WHY MOTHER? WHY MUST YOU DO THIS NOW? WHY NOT JUST MATE FATHER? BECOME A YOUKAI. KAGOME IS MORE POWERFUL THEN YOU WILL EVER BE AND SHE IS WITH INUYASHA. WHY?” Jasmine yelled.

 

“I do not love Curtis as Kagome loves Inuyasha. Curtis owes me this. I refuse to wither away,” soullessly replied Yvonne.

 

“Do as you must.” Sesshoumaru said matching Yvonne cold tone.

 

Sesshoumaru picked up his mate and transformed into his energy ball. He had heard enough and so had Jasmine. He took off in the direction of Japan.

 

 

 

A/N: Thanks to my wonderful beta Faerie Demoness for taking time to deal with my craziness. One more thing for all those who read fics we authors really appreciate you taking your time to do so. We love reviews, most of us use them a motivation to keep writing. So please Read and Review. Thanks