Chapter 150

Nothing lasts forever

Mai slowly opened her eyes and yawned. Then, she closed them once again, wanting to take a short nap. She was laying on her side. The floor was hard and uncomfortable, but her back was pressed against something pleasantly warm. She felt the same sensation around her waist too. Then, her eyes snapped open, as she realized, what it could be. Her gaze met the strangely familiar cloth, she was laying on – white with red pattern. Crap! – the girl thought, suddenly remembering, what happened the last night: unfortunate incident with Shinji, Sesshomaru’s outburst of jealousy and their fierce lovemaking short after that. She blushed at the memory. The numb pain between her legs was an undeniable proof of it, and the strange warmth…

“Good morning, wife.” Sesshomaru’s deep voice whispered to her ear, as the demon kissed her behind her ear. 

Mai stiffened, realizing that the inu-youkai was spooning her and both were completely naked, not that they had been dressed the night before.

“Hello, husband.” She answered, tensing, when she felt his hand slowly move over her hip, lazily making its way towards the apex of her legs. 

Blushing, her hand darted under the covers of her kimono and snatched Sesshomaru’s wrist before his palm reached its destination. The girl heard a disappointed growl right behind her.

Suddenly, the demon freed his wrist from Mai’s grip.

“Gah!” the girl yelped, as the inu-youkai flipped her on her back and casually laid his hand on her belly, supporting his head with the other one, while he was gazing at her, a smirk playing on his lips. 

Mai narrowed her eyes at Sesshomaru, noticing how awfully self-satisfied he looked. Well, he had every right to be – he made her spread her legs for him last night, ignoring all her protests. True, it felt ecstatic and there was nothing wrong with the two of them making love, since they were already married, but still she felt a little bit angry at the demon for practically forcing and tricking her into giving in to him.

Mai pushed Sesshomaru’s hand off her belly and sat up, tightly wrapping the kimono around her frame. The inu-youkai’s smirk fell from his face. 

“Lay down, woman.” He said in a demanding voice. 

The girl made no move neither to get away further from him, nor to obey him.

“I won’t, you thief!” she exclaimed, demonstratively turning her head away from him, pouting.

Sesshomaru pulled himself to the sitting position and glared at the woman, wondering why she was behaving so strangely. She should defy him no longer, now when they spend the night together.

“Why do you call me a thief?” he asked, arching his eyebrow. 

Mai peeked at him.

“You stole my virginity.” She accused the demon.

“Hn.” The inu-youkai abruptly pulled the girl onto his lap, ignoring her protests. “As I remember it was given willingly to me.”

Mai glared daggers at him, as she felt his hand sliding down her back.

“I didn’t want to do it yesterday!” she kept complaining. Sesshomaru smirked mischievously.

“I distinctly remember you screaming my name.” he stated, observing with satisfaction, as the girl’s cheeks flushed from embarrassment.

“It’s… it’s just…” Mai mumbled, not wanting to admit to the demon, how wonderful and exciting the last night was for her. 

This was just too embarrassing! The inu-youkai brushed his clawed fingers over her cheek, moving his face closer to hers. The girl closed her eyes, expecting a kiss.

“Sesshomaru!” she exclaimed, as his tongue licked the side of her face. 

Her eyes snapped open and she gawked at him, surprised. Then she giggled, thinking, that her husband was a dog youkai, after all. Mai gently touched his cheeks, tracing her fingers over his demon markings, before wrapping her arms around his neck. Suddenly she felt foolish for picking up the fight right after waking up. She loved Sesshomaru and that was all, that mattered. Now she was truly his wife and she was happy because of it. The girl closed her eyes and gently pressed her lips against Sesshomaru’s in a kiss full of fondness, expressing her love for her husband.

The demon enthusiastically returned the kiss, embracing Mai tightly. Then, the both of them grew more passionate, when the kiss was deepened, while the girl tangled her fingers in Sesshomaru’s silver strands. The inu-youkai gently laid her on her back, not breaking the kiss. This time she didn’t resist at all, but let herself enjoy the pure bliss of being close to her beloved. Now she knew, that there was nothing to be afraid of.

Suddenly, Mai’s stomach rumbled, spoiling the moment. Sesshomaru broke the kiss and pulled back to look at her with amusement in his eyes. Her face flushed from embarrassment.

“I’m hungry.” She admitted. The demon nodded and pulled himself back to the sitting position, yanking her up with him.

“I will bring you food, then.” Sesshomaru said, reaching for his hakama. 

Mai smiled, thinking, that her husband was more considerate than she expected. She had a good feeling about her future life – Sesshomaru may not be perfect, but he was a good man, and most importantly he was the one she loved. The girl got up and gathered his haori, handing the clothes to her husband, while sending him a grateful smile.

“It would be nice of you.” She said, climbing on her toes and giving him a peck on his cheek. The demon looked Mai in the eyes.

“I would not let my wife die of starvation.” He replied, leaning down and briefly kissing her sweet lips, before getting dressed. 

Sesshomaru decided not to put the armor on today, but tied his sash around the waist and reached for his swords. He slid Bakusaiga behind the obi and looked around, searching for Tenseiga. However, his father’s fang was nowhere to be seen. Having searched the entire room, he stilled, baffled by the sudden disappearance of one of his swords.

“Sesshomaru, something’s wrong?” Mai asked, seeing her husband’s strange facial expression. The inu-youkai furrowed his brows.

“I cannot find Tenseiga.” He stated after a moment of silence. 

The girl gasped, surprised. It wasn’t like him to lose things. However, there was a possibility. She sighed.

“If I were you, I would ask your drinking companions if they haven’t seen it. Maybe Inuyasha or Totosai have something to do with it.” She suggested. 

Considering, that her husband had been slightly drunk yesterday, there must been one hell of a party last night. It could be possible, that Inuyasha or someone else stole the sword, meaning it to be a prank.

“Hn.” Sesshomaru turned his head away. “I will be on my way.” He announced.

Mai smiled, tying her obi and straightening the kimono. He was so silly sometimes, that it was funny. The demon stalked towards the exit and the girl ran after him.

“Sesshomaru, wait!” she called after him, making him stop and look back at her. 

She came closer and kissed him lightly on the lips.

“Come back quickly.” The girl said quietly. Sesshomaru nodded and walked away.

Mai watched him cross the courtyard and vanish behind the corner. Now she felt, that a new chapter in her life had just begun and she had a hunch, that it would be the best one so far. Critically, she cast a look at their new house – quite a ruin plus the ever-present weeds in the courtyard and the remains of the door, that was kicked in by Sesshomaru last night. She sighed heavily. If she and her demonic husband were to lead their lives here, the place must be somehow repaired. She decided to start with cleaning the debris and making a pile outside. With a newfound determination, Mai rolled her sleeves and got to work, carrying the door’s remains outside. Once nearly done, she wiped the sweat of her forehead and grabbed the last fragment. She dragged it to exit and threw it on the growing pile. She decided, that it could be used to make a fire. When the girl was turning around to go back inside, she noticed a glimpse of something shiny at her feet. She looked down and gasped, covering her mouth with the palm.

At her feet was laying her silver hairpin with the emeralds – the same Sesshomaru gave her once and the same one she threw away near the Asakura castle. What was it doing here, at her doorstep? The girl felt a shiver go down her spine – it was like a situation in a horror movie, when items just find their way back to the owner in some mysterious way. Feeling nervous, she looked around, but noticed no one. And yet she was sure, that a while ago the hairpin wasn’t here. Damn, she wished, that Sesshomaru was here. Hesitantly, she picked up the hairpin.

Mai gazed at the piece of jewelry and examined it. This was definitely hers – she recognized the small details. Slightly freaked out, she turned around and went inside the house. Once in the room, she heard a noise behind her and stiffened from fear. There was someone in the house! She whirled around to see the intruder, regretting, that she didn’t have anything, which she could use as a weapon.

“Hello.” A cloaked figure said to Mai. The girl gasped and took a step back.

“Who are you and what do you want?” she demanded, gathering the rest of her courage and calculating the best escape route at the same time.

The stranger laughed melodically. Mai narrowed her eyes, hearing the feminine voice. It was a woman!

“Do you not recognize me, Sesshomaru’s little bride?” the stranger asked, taking a step towards Mai, making the girl back away, till her back slammed against the wall. The woman laughed again, but the laughter was humorless and dry. “You do not even recognize me, after what you did to me.”

“I don’t know, what you’re talking about.” Mai answered quickly, thinking who may have a grudge against her. The mysterious woman let out a furious sound.

“You stole my life from me!” she screamed, as her pale, clawed fingers reached to unfasten the ties of the cloak. Once the fabric slipped onto the floor, Mai gasped, recognizing the person.

“Kasumi!” she exclaimed, shocked, seeing the crane demoness before her. 

The ethereal beauty was graceful as ever, clad in the finest attire, her silky jet black hair swooshed, as the cloak fell to the floor. The cold sapphire eyes gazed at the human girl with pure hatred. Mai felt herself sweating. The demoness must want revenge for her marrying Sesshomaru instead of Kasumi.

“You came to kill me.” The girl stated the obvious, terrified, when the demoness took another step towards Mai, driving the girl into the corner.

She felt like a prey, waiting for the hunter to deliver a final blow. Kasumi smiled, the graceful smile playing on her perfect lips contrasting with the hatred in her eyes.

“Kill you?” she repeated, casually examining her  sharp claws, before looking back at Mai. “No, I will not kill you. It would be too simple.”

Mai narrowed her eyes, her heartbeat racing from stress. What the hell was Kasumi planning?

“What do you want to do, then?” the human girl demanded. The demoness’s smile vanished, her face turning into the mask of cruelty.

“You will see,” she began, suddenly closing the distance between them, using her demon speed. The girl yelped and attempted to get away, but Kasumi snatched her wrists with her clawed hands, making Mai drop her hairpin on the floor. The crane-youkai laughed dryly and looked the girl into the eyes, before saying: “Mai.”

For a moment nothing happened. Then, the girl saw the demoness changing. The blue demon markings paled, before completely disappearing. Her long dark hair was getting shorter with every passing second, changing its color to a lighter tone. Mai stopped struggling, startled by the transformation, that Kasumi was undergoing before her eyes. The shape of the demoness’s face changed, the bone structure was different. She seemed also to shrink. The crane-youkai was a head taller than Mai, but she was shortening, till their height was even. Then, her height decreased even more, making the human girl the one, who was taller by a head. The hair was now dark-brown and reaching past Kasumi’s shoulders. Mai watched as the sapphire eyes darkened, gaining a brown color with a touch of green in them.

Mai inhaled the air sharply, when she recognized into who Kasumi was turning – into herself. Once the transformation was complete, before her stood an exact copy of herself. The demoness smiled, showing her teeth with no pointy fangs. Before releasing Mai from her steel grip, she snatched the girl’s fingers and scratched her own neck with them, cutting the skin and letting the blood stain the green kimono. Then, she let go off Mai’s wrists and jumped back gracefully. The human girl was staring at her carbon copy, speechless. Why did Kasumi do it?

“Perfect!” the demoness exclaimed, whirling around and touching her face. She examined her hands and looked at Mai, who was still plastered against a wall. “You like the illusion, Mai?” she asked.

The girl narrowed her eyes.

“What was that for?” she asked sharply. Kasumi smiled with Mai’s lips.

“It is a mean to exact my revenge upon you and Sesshomaru.” She explained. “You two will pay for the humiliation I suffered!”

“Sesshomaru won’t fall for your illusion!” the girl exclaimed. The dog demon used not only his sight, but also nose. She was nearly positive, that an illusion couldn’t change a person’s scent, especially when Kasumi still had her demonic reflexes. He would surely be able to tell them apart.

The crane youkai laughed again and said in Mai’s voice:

“Are you so sure?” she asked.

“Of course I am!” Mai exclaimed. 

The girl tensed. Something was off. Her voice! It wasn’t hers – Kasumi’s voice sounded like it, but the one coming out of her own throat didn’t. Slowly, she lifted her hand to examine it. The girl froze, as she saw, that the skin on her palm was pale as a porcelain, her fingers long and ending with razor-sharp claws, stained with Kasumi’s blood. Panicked she reached to her hair and discovered, that it was so long, that the jet black strands were reaching her knees. In this moment she realized, what exactly the demoness did.

“So you have noticed.” The crane-youkai said, mocking the girl’s shock. Then, something averted Kasumi’s attention, as she sniffed the air. “Oh, it seems, that Sesshomaru is coming. He must be so worried about you…”

Out of sudden, Kasumi inhaled the air and shrieked in Mai’s voice:

“Sesshomaru! Help me!”

Sesshomaru was on his way back, displeased, that neither his useless hanyou brother nor Totosai were able to tell him anything coherent about Tenseiga. Perhaps he should return later, once they regained the strength and clarity of thinking, and try to obtain some information once more. It bothered him to had lost the sword – it was the only thing, that was left from his father, after all, even though it was mostly useless. The demon flipped off the thought – Bakusaiga was more than enough for him. A Taiyoukai like Sesshomaru needed his sword to be a powerful weapon. He would not have any use for Tenseiga now, that Inuyasha stole Meidou Zangetsuha, so he should not regret loosing it that much.

Suddenly, his attention had been averted from the thoughts of the missing blade, when he picked up a familiar scent of a demon in the vicinity. That particular scent was not his favorite – it belonged to his former betrothed Kasumi. Sesshomaru’s eyes widened, as he realized, what the presence of the female crane-youkai meant. Mai! His wife must be in danger! Then, he smelled Mai’s blood.

The dog demon threw away the food, Kaede gave him, and darted towards his house with all the speed he could manage.

“Sesshomaru! Help me!” Mai’s voice screamed. 

The demon cursed, hearing fear in his wife’s voice. He had to get to her, before Kasumi killed her! He passed the courtyard in one leap and rushed into the house.

Inside, there were two females. Sesshomaru felt a wave of relief, seeing his wife alive, only a shallow wound on her neck. She looked at him with the same relief.

“Sesshomaru!” she exclaimed, running to hide behind his back. Once he made sure, that Mai was safe, his attention turned to the enemy – the crane demoness, who was standing on the opposite side of the room, her back  pressed against the wall. The sapphire eyes were widely opened and staring at him, as though in shock. The inu-youkai cast a quick glance at her right hand and saw, that her claws were stained with blood. His nose confirmed, that the blood belonged to his wife. It was an undeniable evidence, that Kasumi had attacked Mai, while he was away. Sesshomaru felt his blood boiling at the thought of someone hurting his woman.

“Sesshomaru, she tried to kill me!” Mai exclaimed from behind his back, pointing at the demoness.

Mai stared in shock, as Kasumi, who looked exactly like her, hid behind Sesshomaru, posing as the human girl. He didn’t recognize her! She didn’t expect that coming. For a longer while she could only gawk at those two, unable to utter a word. Then, she saw Sesshomaru turning his attention to her, fury in his eyes. She realized, that he must think, that she was Kasumi and had just attempted to kill his wife. She wanted to take a step back, but behind her was the wall. She looked at her husband, wanting to make him understand, what happened.

“Sesshomaru, wait! It’s me, Mai!” she exclaimed desperately, knowing, that she had to explain things quickly, before the dog demon acts. “Kasumi used some illusion to make her look like me and me like her!”

The inu-youkai narrowed his eyes, baffled by Kasumi’s strange excuse. Mai gripped the hem of his haori.

“Don’t listen to her, Sesshomaru! She’s trying to trick you! Trust your nose!” the woman exclaimed. 

The dog demon considered her words. His wife must have been right, for the scents matched the appearances. Kasumi must be trying to confuse him in order to use it as an advantage to escape. It was obvious, that the demoness would attempt to save herself in any way possible, even if it was the most absurd, for there was only one fate, which awaited the ones, who tried to murder his precious wife – death. Sesshomaru flexed the fingers of his right hand, locking the target on.

The human girl panicked, when her husband didn’t believe her. Mai’s eyes widened, as she saw the dog demon readying himself to attack. Oh no! Then, Kasumi’s plan became clear for her – the demoness didn’t want to kill her. She wanted make Sesshomaru do it. That way it was double as cruel.

“No, Sesshomaru! It’s everything according to her plan! I’ll prove to you, that I’m Mai! Let me…” she was shouting desperately to him, but the demon didn’t seem eager to listen. 

Behind his back, Kasumi smiled wickedly with Mai’s lips.

“She broke into the house and was trying to kill me!” she shouted. 

Mai opened her mouth to protest, to say, that it was all lie, but…

Suddenly, Kasumi took out a knife from behind her back and pointed it at Sesshomaru, ready to strike. Mai gave out a small cry, fearing for her husband’s life. She wouldn’t let anyone harm him!

“No!” she screamed and instinctively leapt forward in an attempt to protect Sesshomaru.

However, the dog demon took her sudden movement for an attack and rushed to meet his opponent. He had doubts earlier, but in this moment, as she leapt to deliver a blow, Kasumi proved her words to be a lie. Sesshomaru’s sharp claws gleamed, as he swiftly moved his arm.

Mai gasped from shock, as the inu-youkai leapt towards her, so fast, that she didn’t even have the time to shout a warning. Then she felt a horrible pain in her stomach, as though her belly was just ripped apart. She let out a ragged breath, all her nerves on fire, as she clutched Sesshomaru’s haori for support. Her legs were about to give up. Slowly, she looked down. Mai saw the dog demon’s hand buried deep past wrist in her belly, the stain of blood on her kimono getting bigger. Shaking, the girl looked up, to meet Sesshomaru’s golden eyes, that gazed back at her with coldness and hatred.

“Sesshomaru… why…” she whispered faintly. 

The pain was unbearable, her vision began blurring. Yet, the worst was the knowledge, that she was dying of the hand of her beloved. Mai didn’t want to die, not now, when everything was perfect… Her weak legs bent under her, unable to support her weight anymore. The girl clenched her teeth, as the pain in her stomach flared, when Sesshomaru ripped his hand out of her stomach. She fell on her knees, clutching the wound and trying to slow the flood of the blood, that was leaking between her fingers. 

The dog demon was looking at the demoness, he just had wounded fatally. Her death was a matter of minutes. He could deliver a final blow instantly, but decided, that the person, who wanted to hurt his dear wife should suffer before the end. Then, something glittering caught his attention. He glanced in that direction – in the middle of the room was a small item laying. He recognized it instantly, for it was the hairpin he once had given Mai. Had she not lost it? Something was not right here. The hairpin was not supposed to be here…

Then, the realization struck him. He glanced down at Kasumi, who was kneeling and clutching her bleeding stomach, looking at him with teary eyes. They were of a color of sapphires, but there was something very familiar to him in them, there was the affection, he knew Mai had for him. Sesshomaru’s eyes widened in horror, as he learnt, what he just had done. 

The woman behind him laughed in Mai’s voice. The demon whirled around to face her. Suddenly, she began changing before his very eyes – the short brown hair turned black and grew, till they reached the woman’s knees. The kimono also changed the shape and color. Mai’s bone structure had been replaced by other, more perfect. Soon, before him was standing no one other than the demoness Kasumi, laughing at him.

“How does it feel, Sesshomaru?” she asked, malicious gleam in her sapphire eyes. “How does it feel to kill your beloved wife with your own hands?”

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes, clenching the teeth.

“Kasumi.” He growled the crane-youkai’s name, his heart crazy with fury. The demoness send him a brief smile.

“By choosing the human girl over me you humiliated me beyond imagination, Sesshomaru! I cannot bear such shame on me and my clan!” Kasumi exclaimed and the contented smile appeared on her lips.

Before Sesshomaru had time to kill her, she ripped out a knife from her sleeve and with one swift move she plunged the blade into her heart.

 “Now my revenge is complete.” She uttered, the blood flowing from the corner of her mouth, as she fell on the floor.

The dog demon turned around to look at Mai. There she was – now looking like herself, laying on the wooden floor in a pool of the blood. She was still clutching the wound on her belly with her palm, but the red liquid kept flowing, painting her green kimono red. Sesshomaru’s heart felt like exploding from the overwhelming guilt and sadness. It was his fault, that his beloved wife was blooding to death on the floor of their house, he was the one, who gave her death.

Mai didn’t feel the pain anymore, her body was getting numb. She was cold and so sleepy… She focused her eyes and looked at Sesshomaru, who was standing over her. She reached her hand to him.

“Sesshomaru.” She said weakly the name of her beloved husband. The dog demon fell on his knees by her side and took her in his arms. Mai tried to return his embrace, but her body wouldn’t listen to her anymore. She gazed into his golden eyes, the eyes she used to hate and yet she grew to love so much… The girl’s eyelids were heavy…

“Mai!” Sesshomaru said her name, shaking her slightly and not allowing her to close her eyes. 

The woman’s skin was so pale, her eyes glassy, as though she saw the next world already. The demon felt a painful stab of grief in his heart, seeing her like this – barely alive, hanging limply in his arms. He clenched his teeth. This Sesshomaru will not let her die! The inu-youkai reached to his hip to rip out Tenseiga from its scabbard. He had to save her no matter what!

The demon tensed, as his hand met only the hilt of Bakusaiga and he remembered, that he did not possess Tenseiga anymore. Impossible! He could not save Mai’s life?

“Sesshomaru.” Mai said quietly his name, speaking with effort. He held her closer to his chest. The woman smiled at him faintly. “I’m glad, we met, even if we were together for a short time. I love you, my husband.”

Her frail body shook, as she coughed blood. She felt, that the life was leaving her. At least she would die in the arms of the man, she loved.

“Mai…” Sesshomaru whispered. He had so much to tell her and yet no words were able to leave his throat. He stared in disbelief, as the once bright flame of Mai’s life was fading before his eyes.

“Kiss me.” She whispered. “Kiss me one last time.”

Sesshomaru leaned down and pressed his lips against Mai’s pale ones in a gentle kiss, feeling the taste of her blood. This kiss was their goodbye. He kissed her till he was not hearing the weak beating of her heart anymore. Slowly, the demon pulled back and looked at the lifeless body of his wife, sorrow in his eyes. He refused to believe, that she was gone. Sesshomaru pressed her tightly against his chest and clenched his teeth. How could he have let her die? He felt unbearable guilt, for he was the one, who ended her precious life. If not for him, she would have lived… If not his selfish desire to keep her by his side… If only he did not lose Tenseiga… If only…

There was so much he regretted, but he did not regret meeting her – Mai was like fire, illuminating the darkness of the night. She was the only woman, he ever loved… and now she was gone, died without him ever telling her that because of his foolish pride.

Sesshomaru buried his face in her tangled hair.

“I love you.” He whispered, as a tear streamed down his cheek.

Author Note:

I’m sorry, but I’ll write a longer note in the epilogue. I’m crying myself after I reviewed this last chapter. I know, that you were expecting something different, but that’s how I would like to end the tale of Mai and Sesshomaru. I hope, that you enjoyed reading my story.

I’ll post the epilogue tomorrow. Everyone, please leave a comment and wait for the Epilogue: The Funeral.

PS. Were you expecting this?