(author: this is gonna be a long one)

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(Inuyasha)

The first thing I noticed was the strange smell.

I was not in my bed.

Opening my eyes I gasped then sat up looking around the large white and blue bedchamber. "What the..? Where the hell am I?"

My head was hurting a bit when I remembered bits and pieces of what happened in the gardens. I remembered what they told me about what Sesshomaru did.

I clutched the fabric tightly right where my heart is. Yes...I was hurt and yes I was pissed…but…..

"I still love him" I whispered to myself sadly.

Despite everything that he did....I gave my heart to my older brother and I didn't stand a chance in hell even if I wanted to get it back. What he should have done is have more faith in me.

It wasn't that I was angry at the fact that he totally disregarded the council and their wishes…..it was that he didn't have enough faith in my love. He could have told me and while yes…I would have been pissed at first but I loved him enough to forgive him. Just like I knew I was going to forgive him again.

There was a soft knock on the door making me tense when it opened to allow the kind elder demon in followed by Sesshomaru's mother.

I eyed them suspiciously, not trusting them since I also remembered that I was taken against my will, and I didn't trust Sessh's mother.

"Relax child" she said smirking "I am not here to kill you…unfortunately I am not permitted" she said sourly looking at the elder next to her.

"Of course you are not permitted; it is not her fault that Sesshomaru's father did not mate you" he retorted back at her.

"No…it's the fault of that little half demons' mother!"

"For the last time! she is not to blame for the actions of others!"

I raised my eyebrow at the two strange demons, oh geez, I just want to go home.

"Ah…"I said "Is there a reason why I'm here?"

They stopped glowering at each other to turn and look at me, I gave them a small wave "Yeah...hi...remember me? The demon you kidnapped?" I said pointing to myself.

The elder chucked at me "You have fire in you little one; it is no wonder why your brother wanted to covet you for himself"

I frowned at him in confusion "I think there is a misunderstanding" I said putting my hands on my hips "First of all…I never saw him as my brother, he will always be an icy bastard in my eyes. Second….it's not like I didn't know what he wanted from me; he courted me and slowly weaseled his way into my heart. Which brings me to number three" I said softly as I caressed my swollen stomach where our pup lay growing "I love him" I whispered then looked at their shocked faces.

The elder cleared his throat "Be that as it may, he still acted dishonorably and perhaps if you had been courted by others, it would have allowed you to develop affections for someone else"

"No, I wouldn't have" I said knowing deep in my heart that no matter what, I would have ended up with him anyways.

Sesshomaru's mother scoffed "Love" she said the word like it was disease "You are without a doubt the daughter of Inu No Tashio" she said as she went to sit on a royal blue chair.

"Yes love" I said to her "You know that emotion that allows you to feel joy and happiness when the person that holds your heart looks at you. The emotion that you didn't think your son knew about. Well he does….and I would say that he knows it better than I do"

She snarled at me "Then he is a fool"

"No you are" I said snarling at her "I know you love your son…why can't you be happy for us? Happy that he is no longer alone huh? Is it because you're alone?" I snapped back at her.

She stood up "Why, you insolent little…"

"Enough Lady Inukimi" barked out the elder who then looked at me "Lady Inuyasha, now is not the time for family squabbles"

I folded my arms to my chest "Keh" I said turning my nose at the stuck up bitch "I want to go home" I said.

"This will be your new home until you come of age" said the elder making me blink at him for a while then laughed.

"If you honestly think that Sesshomaru won't come after me then you are in for a very rude reality check" I said then took a deep breath as I shook my head at them sadly "My mate is going to come….and when he gets here.…he's going to kill all of you" I said calmly making both of them squirm a bit as they looked at each other.

"He will be made to see reason" said the elder, but I caught the slight hesitation in that statement.

I was already shaking my head at him "No he won't. You honestly don't know him well enough if you think that" I said then walked over to look out the window "He will slaughter everyone in this palace for daring to take me from him" I turned to look at his mother "Want to know what happened when one day he came home to find me gone?" I said my voice going eerily calm in order to make them understand what they were up against.

"He massacred all of the palace guards when he realized I had escaped on their watch" I said to her making her eyes go wide "For your sake…I hope you get as many people to safety before it's too late" I closed my eyes and linked to my mate…he was beyond angry…he was itching for blood "He is very angry you know" I said serenely as I opened our connection "He is following our bond as we speak"

"She's opening their link!" cried out Sesshomaru's mother "Seal the bond now!"

I hissed when I felt the palm of the elder cover my mark as he muttered under his breath. My connection to Sessh faltered but not before he realized what they were doing and his rage filled my head. I cried out and fell to my knees; I placed my hand over my mating mark then looked at the kind elder.

"What did you do?" I said horrified "He felt that!" I screamed at him, I was suddenly very afraid for him "He's going to gut you alive and drink your blood you idiot! I may have been able to calm him before….but now?" I shook my head at him "This is beyond even my ability to smooth his demon"

"Do not worry my dear; he won't lay a hand on you"

I growled in frustration "You fucking moron! It's not me I'm worried about! I'm the only person here that is not in danger of being injected by his poison! Of being melted from the inside out! His demon knows me, it protects and desires me"

"We have a shield around this place and now with your bond sealed, he won't be able to track you"

I barked out a laugh "Okay….sure…..but don't say I didn't warned you when you face his wrath"

"He won't ever kill his own mother" said Lady Inukimi silkily from her chair.

"I'll be sure to engrave that on your shrine" I muttered then turned to the elder "I'm hungry"

"Of course my dear" he said fondly making me feel a bit sick…he didn't seem like a bad guy….just seriously stupid, I wondered if I could at least save him from Sesshomaru's anger….

"I'll have the kitchens bring you a tray of raw rabbit morsels for you and the pup"

I grimaced "Can you cook them slightly? I have a hard time eating raw meats, I can't keep them down"

He blinked at me "But my dear….you must eat raw meats for the nutrients you will need as the pup grows stronger. He is Sesshomaru's offspring after all; no doubt the pup will have its father's strength. As such your body should be craving blood"

I shook my head at him "I don't, I can't stomach red meats. I can barely keep soups and breads down, I throw everything up"

"Then why have you not been drinking your mate's blood then? He's blood would have helped with the nausea"

I looked at him for a long time "What?!"

"His blood my dear" he said exasperated "This is the perfect example of you being far too young to carry a youngling. If you can't stomach raw meats then the only thing that will help is the blood of your mate. I'm and surprised that Lord Sesshomaru did not know of this" he said frowning

"Well he didn't, because if he did he would have shoved his blood down my throat by now" as soon as I finished that sentence I imagined drinking Sessh's blood. To my surprise….my mouth watered both startling me and scaring me a bit. Now that I thought about how his blood tastes…I was craving it…. making me hungry.

"You see my dear" said the elder gently "Your body is craving your mates blood" he then muttered an oath "This complicates things. You need your mate's blood in order to survive the birthing...but if you allow Lord Sesshomaru to come near you, you will be back in your brother's clutches"

I smiled kindly at him "Look…I know you're worried for me" then I glared at Sessh's mother "And I am sure I know the reason behind it" then I looked back at him "But you have to believe me when I say that I want to be with Sesshomaru. My place is by his side because he is my alpha, and that is where I want to return to" I said looking up at him "And I am sure that if you return me to him…..he may spare you lives"

The elder looked a bit torn but soon after another council member entered. It was the one who was a bit aggressive with Sessh. He looked at me then gave me what seemed a pleasant smile, but it made my skin crawl a bit.

"Ah…the beautiful Lady of the western lands" he said sickly sweet smile at me "Welcome…I hope your rooms are to your liking"

I rubbed my arms as if a chill came over me "I rather be home" I grumbled.

He smirked as he walked closer to me making my demon growl low in my throat…I was suddenly feeling very threatened. He smiled at me like my actions merely amused him rather than frighten him, it was then that I noticed that he had a block on his scent; he was masking it on purpose.

"Ah yes….it's rather unfortunate that we can't do that" he said looking down at me now. While with Sessh my height no longer bothered me….I was suddenly feeling at a disadvantage. This demon was almost as tall as Sessh and it seemed to amuse him on how small I was because he was invading my personal space.

"And why the hell not?" I said, my teeth clenched, I backed away from him a bit.

He laughed in his chest and leaned down "Because, it is not fair to the other Inu males who could have courted you. Had Lord Sesshomaru waited and had you been presented to the courts as is customary….you would have had the opportunity to meet and be courted by other males" he said then walked around me. My hackles rose as I turned so that my back was not exposed to him. Then he let his scent drop….just for a second and since he was close to me I was the only one able to smell it.

I froze.

He laughed silently at my reaction "While I can't do anything while you're carrying the pup of another...there is no telling when you may have an...accident" he whispered before moving away from me, his face back to that of a phony.

I felt sick. When he lowered the block on his scent the only emotion I was able to recognize was lust. He was so aroused that I was amazed he was able to walk. Automatically I backed away, crouched down a bit and growled low in my throat.

"Isn't this cute" said Sesshomaru's mother, sarcasm thick in her voice "Did the little demon get upset?" she gave a small laugh "I can now see why my son calls you by that ridiculous name…you truly resemble an angry little kitten than an Inuyoukai…disgraceful"

"Fuck you bitch" I snarled feeling my youkai blood starting to rise when she first threaten my pup and now hearing her mock the word that was more of an endearment from my mate than an insult.

"Lord Ryouma" said the sharp voice of the kind elder "She is here to be protected and guarded….nothing more. Is that understood?"

I watched as the demon called Ryouma bowed low, but I could also tell that it was more of a mockery than out of respect "Of course my lord" he then turned to look at me last time before he smirked and walked out of the room.

"Lady Inukimi….I think it is best to leave Lady Inuyasha to rest and eat her meal in peace, she's had a very rough day" said the kind elder as a servant came in and placed a tray of food on a low table before scurrying out of the room.

Once they left I plopped myself on the bed and buried my face into a pillow and screamed. I was pissed, scared, and anxious. Sniffling I pulled my face out of the pillows and took deep calming breaths before placing a hand on my swollen belly then rubbed it gently as if trying to smooth my pup.

"It'll be okay my little munchkin" I said softy "Your daddy will come for us…he'll come" I said absently as I walked over to the window and tried to open it but couldn't. It was sealed closed.

"Of course" I muttered darkly. I patted my mating mark and hissed. The elder placed some sort of a plug on it.

"Idiot" I glowered but then remembered that this was Sesshomaru's mark…that had to count for something…didn't it? The elders seem to think that they could out smart him, which of course was laughable, but that never stopped stupid people from making stupid choices.

"Well...it's worth a shot" I said to myself, walked over to the main door and clicked on the lock.

Going to sit on a large cushy chair I sat took a deep calming breath and forced my body to relax and go blank.

Then I focused on Sesshomaru and everything that made him what he was. I remembered the feel of his power as he caressed me with his youkai, calming me and giving me strength, I focused on how he smelled...spicy, masculine, clean and predatory and how I would want to drown in his scent, I remembered his rich deep voice that always sent chills down my spine and straight to my belly every time he spoke, I focused on how he looked, how he spoke, the way he looked when pissed and finally on the day he claimed me as his mate in body.

By the time I was done I was so wrapped up on what made my mate the man I loved that I almost missed the tiny trace of his emotions.

His mind was dark, angry and enraged.

I almost recoiled away from his anger….having always been a bit afraid of it. I wasn't a nitwit…I knew how powerful he was, knew that he carried far more power than he let on. The council were either in denial or just plain idiotic.

Shaking my head I strained to focus on his rage making sure that I had a good grasp on the flow where his emotions were coming from. I had to breathe deep once more….it was taking some effort and energy…..energy that I didn't have because of my lack of blood. Steeling myself, I shoved my discomfort aside and reminded myself that if I succeeded then Sessh would be able to find me and in turn feed me. Licking my lips feeling hungry once more I poured as much of my emotions into the direction where his emotions where coming from.

The response of immediate and fierce.

He poured so much of his power into the flow connecting us that I felt it becoming stronger, the plug on my mating mark tingled.

Almost sobbing in relief, I poured my anxiety and fear into the flow…letting him know wordlessly that I needed him. I wasn't sure if he was uncertain of how I felt about him now that his little secret was out. Sure I was still irked as hell that he tried to keep me in the dark…and I was going to make sure to make him beg for forgiveness…but for now, I poured my love into our connection.

"Find me Sessh...I want to go home, take me home"