InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Demon Nature ❯ Demon Nature Chapter 28 Under the Sea ( Chapter 28 )

Demon Nature Chapter 28 Under the sea………..

I don't own the Inu Yasha Characters, but of course you know that. ^_^

Akemi dismissed his attendants, all but Michiru, who sat down at his feet looking up at him. He was his latest favorite, and he reached out and tousled his hair. His skin was lightly scaled, bluish green in color here, his long hair pale green. His eyes were greenish gold, and when in full youkai form, he was a tremendous sea serpent with eyes that burned like sulphur. On land he could make himself look more human, but only for short periods of time. It had been in that state that he had first met Sesshoumaru, and the pure maleness of him, the strength of the body beneath the flowing garment and armor, had been almost more than he could bear. And the bastard had let him talk, had let him touch him and expose himself only to laugh. Akemi had thought at first that Sesshoumaru was playing a game, how many times had males said no, then secretly said yes, but the canine had meant no, and he'd retreated with a mysterious smile on his lips. Akemi had been sorely, literally, disappointed, and he'd headed back to the seashore, preoccupied perhaps, and he'd not sensed the attack until too late. They had almost succeeded in killing him, but torn, bleeding, he'd made it into the calming waters of the sea, the healing waters of his ocean, where it had taken months for his body to heal. It had been Michiru who had stayed at his side, and who now shared his bed.

"Akemi-sama, you can't hide from him. You must face him."

Akemi glared at the young demon, his skin color going from bluish green to deep magenta with anger.

"When I want you to tell me how to run my affairs, I'll ask you. You are here for one reason, and if you're going to insist on voicing opinions on things you barely understand, you can be easily replaced."

"I am sorry my Lord," Michiru said, hanging his head.

"Leave me."

"I…"

"Leave me!!!!!!!!!!" he roared, and Michiru scurried out of the room, leaving Akemi alone, which was what he wanted.

Of course the little bastard was right, he was still deathly afraid of Sesshoumaru. The day Sesshoumaru had come to his shrine, walking in just as he called him an overgrown dog, was still vivid in his mind. The golden eyes had laughed, knowing exactly what Akemi was thinking about when he saw him. Akemi had been fully aroused, Sesshoumaru not even remotely interested. And now he had to muster his forces against the demon that now controlled demon kind on three quarters of the island if the reports were true, and Yukio had quietly lined up behind his father. If his bloodthirsty hanyou son came this way…

Akemi cursed, walking over to his mirror that showed him the goings on on the surface world, and he watched as the humans left petitions for his aid. Some left food, some left written tribute, and he'd have someone retrieve them later. He turned away, his mind on what he was sensing from above, and how he could approach it so that he would not meet the same fate as Leiko, who was rumored to either have been killed in the slaughter that had accompanied the taking of her den, or to have left and gone to a secret place to birth her cubs. Sesshoumaru had made a triumphant visit to the den, putting an end to the rumors that he was dead, or gravely wounded. His hanyou brother, Inu Yasha, bearing a fully charged Tetsaiga, had been at his side.

Sesshoumaru was a land demon, he could not easily control the sea since he couldn't live under it, Akemi thought to himself, so he would have to use someone who could, someone who could get close to him. And his only action could be to out wit the Demon Lord, he refused to call him as others already did, the Great Demon. That would come over his dead body.

Wattan poured out soup she had made for her mother Tama, who smiled at her.

"I love it when you come and spend time with me."

"You sound as if I never come," Wattan smiled, handing her mother the soup, which was thick with sea food and vegetables.

"I always worry you'll get involved with your father and all his intrigues," Tama said, lowering her eyes to sip her soup.

"Believe me, he doesn't want me involved. When I'm there, it's as if I'm a princess in a bubble or something. No one talks to me unless they have permission…"

"It's not that bad Wattan…"

"It is. Mother, I really want to be normal, to live like any other woman, to have kids, get old, and hug my grandkids."

"I know. When I was pregnant with you, my mother told me that I would regret it, that my child wouldn't be like other children, and that at some point the child would have to decide where he or she wanted to be."

"I would rather be here, with you, but I have to go back to the sea, you know that."

"Yes, I do. Do you hate me for what I did?"

"What?"

"Have you?"

"No, I don't. I just wish my friends had stayed my friends, and not run away from me."

Tama looked down.

"I lost my friends because of Akemi too."

They ate in silence for awhile, and Wattan worked up the nerve to ask her mother about her father's male lovers. Tama was quiet for a long time.

"It started when he was very young," she sighed. "When he met me, and his parents disapproved…and so did mine."

"But…"

"But because he must return to the sea, and I can't be there…it just made things that much harder."

"Have you ever been with any other man mother?"

Tama looked down. She'd had no other man but Akemi, and still loved him.

"We were young together Wattan. And he is still young, and I am old. Humans shouldn't fall in love with demons, or gods."

Wattan sighed, taking the empty bowl from her mother's hands. Her mother was old now, white was spread liberally through her hair, and her once delicate features were now soft with age. Wattan appeared to be no more than nineteen or twenty, when in fact she was close to sixty human years old. Her hair was a light brown, and fell to her knees, covering her gills. Her eyes were the green of the ocean.

"I have to go for my swim mother."

"Of course Wattan. I'll be here waiting for you."

Wattan smiled, and walked down to the shore, stashing her clothes on a ledge above the water line in a cave that was hidden away from prying human eyes. Naked, the moonlight reflecting the pale scaling of her skin, she slipped into the water, her extra eye lid covering her eyes as she dove, heading as deep as she could, away from the surface world and her mother's impending death, and to her own space here deep under water, away from her father and his court. By the time she entered it her body had shifted into her youkai form, a large sea serpent like her father, and she entered the rooms. This form took the depths better than her human form. Her mother had never seen it.

She lay on the floor of the ocean, listening to what was happening above through the filter of the water. When her mother passed on she would have no reason to spend so much time on land, and she sighed, her breath escaping in bubbles that rose slowly towards the surface. She could spend no more than a human hour here, or her mother would worry, and it seemed as if the time flew by. Emerging in the cave she sat still, letting her skin dry, something it did quickly, and dressed. When she got back to her mother's house she was shocked to see her father sitting and talking with her. They were laughing as if it was old times, and Akemi was holding her hand. He turned and looked at her, understanding that she'd taken a swim, and that she now had a place of her own, away from him.

"Father."

"Wattan. Please. Sit down."

She sat, bowing to him.

"I am glad I waited for you daughter. Your mother and I have talked, and she feels I should explain things to you."

"Please listen to your father Wattan. This is very important."

Wattan was afraid, and she didn't know why.

"Have you felt the change in the tides daughter?"

She met his eyes, nodding.

"There is a threat, a war that we must fight if we are to preserve our home, and our family."

"Father…"

"The Demon Lord of the West is bent on assuming control over all demon kind for himself and his children…"
"Who are hanyou like me. The demons won't accept them…"

"It has already happened in the North. Leiko has disappeared, her army was routed, and now the hanyou Lady Sakura rules with a bloody fist. The south has capitulated to the West, leaving us the only independent domain."

"What will we do father?"

Akemi felt himself get warm inside at her use of the term we.

"Your mother must be protected. I've asked her to go live at the temple for her safety. Sesshoumaru doesn't care who he has to kill to achieve his goals."

"Will she be safe there father?"

"The monk there gives as much to me as he does to the god of the sea. He will do as I ask him."

"And then what?"

"Then we must prepare."

"He is a dog. How can he attack us?"

"Sesshoumaru is very resourceful, and will use guile where force doesn't apply. We will fight him politically, not physically."

Wattan nodded.

"And it is time you thought about mating Wattan."

"Not now, not when my mother is threatened…"

"I am an old woman Wattan. I have had my love, and my child. It is time for you to love."

"I need to fight at the side of my father."

"And in this case aligning ourselves with one of the great families here on land may be the best move."

As a woman Wattan had always known love would have very little to do with who became her mate, and while she cringed inside, knew she would have to do her duty. Tama reached out and took her daughters hand.

"I wish you could know love the way I have Wattan."

"I'm part demon mother. I know what I have to do."

Akemi and Tama looked at each other, worry clear on their faces. Her acceptance was too easy, and they wondered if somehow a young man had caught her fancy, that she had escaped their vigilance. For her part, Wattan smiled to herself. For once she'd fooled her parents.

Later Akemi and Wattan walked together on the seashore, the silence between them peaceful, not at all threatening to either of them.

"Who is he father?"

"He is from a good family. They've been attentive, and left offerings for me. In fact, the human approached me about it. I had thought to mate you with one of my kind."

"Father, I don't know who that would've been."

"When you were younger you used to play with Nami, and I thought that he would be a suitable mate for you."

Wattan didn't respond, and Akemi looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. Wattan had her eyes turned down, and her silken hair fell over her face.

"You told mother you wanted to marry me to a human. Why mention Nami now?"

"Because I think he's already in your heart…"

She looked up sharply, and he smiled, her reaction confirming his suspicion.

"Have you been with him?"

"No father."

He nodded.

"The demons would accept your offspring with him easier than that of a human. I may want to challenge Sesshoumaru, but I'm not him, and I'm not sure I want you to go through the humiliation you would face from the humans."

It was the first time Akemi had spoken of how the humans had treated him, and why he and her mother had not dedicated themselves to being together.

"Her family hated her with me, no matter what I did. And they were right to an extent. I am a demon, and my reactions would always be as such."

"So why the men and not another woman father?"

He gave a sad smile, and reached out, touching her cheek gently.

"You mean you don't know?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do I have anymore children Wattan?"

"No…"

"And I never wanted any more unless your mother had them for me, and her family would've killed her if we'd tried to have more. She is the only woman for me, always will be until she dies."

"And when she does?"

"I had planned on turning my kingdom over to my child and her husband."

"Why tell me this now?"

"She is very ill, and she knows it. She wants to think you will try with a human, and what can I do? I want her happy."

"So she knows it's a lie."

"She knows I love her very much."

They continued walking, and she looked at him.

"What about the war father? Is that true?"

"Yes."

"Will we survive?"

"Sesshoumaru is a cunning dangerous demon, and so is his hanyou brother. They used to fight bitterly, but now seem to have put that behind them. It was his brother who cut his arm off at one point."

"I will stand at your side to fight father."

"I know you will dear. You, and Nami."

"Has he spoken to you?"

"He asked to see me. That is why I had to talk to you…"

"You are truly devious father."

"I do what I must."

"When mother dies father, promise me you will give up the males."

"Wattan…"

"You don't love them, you use them…"

"And so I do."

"One of them will betray you, and you know that."

"It means that much to you?"

"Yes."

They slid effortlessly into the water, changing into youkai form as they plunged into the salty depths, content to be in each others company. Nami would come and see him in the morning, and all would be settled.

The large silver dog sat in the shadows, his eyes glowing red, his mouth open. So, the pervert was going to try and go straight for his daughter's sake. Not likely he thought to himself. He sniffed the air, and transformed, waiting for the being to leave the water and come to him. The young man emerged from the sea slowly, his long yellow green hair falling to his knees.

"Lord Taisho," he said, bowing deeply.

"Hello Nami. I was beginning to think you wouldn't come."

"The old man agreed to see me tomorrow. It should be over then."

Taisho looked the young demon over before speaking.

"He is going to offer you his daughter in marriage."

Nami reacted in spite of himself, giving Taisho all the information he needed about Nami and Wattan.

"You love her," Taisho said softly.

"Yes."

"Then mate her first. And it might be wise not to let yourself be the one who slays him."

"Who…"

"You figure it out. When you've consolidated your position, let me know in the usual manner."

"Of course. I won't fail you."

Nami went back to the sea, and Taisho waited until he was gone before taking to the sky and heading back to the north and his sister's protection. For his part, Nami went looking for Wattan, to talk to her about their future together.