Chapter 104

Enemies of Kaga




Mai knew very well, that the stubborn demonic asshole, usually called Sesshomaru, went to hide somewhere in the darkness of the lowest level. She wanted to go get him and drag back upstairs, but reconsidered. Maybe it would be wiser, if he stayed there for the rest of the day… There was this troublesome hair-problem and at the sunrise they were supposed to disembark. Less than a day remained, so keeping a low profile was actually a good idea.

The girl made her way to Akira's chambers with the task to keep the boy occupied, so that he wouldn't whimper, that Sesshomaru wasn't training with him. Speaking of the demon, she was curious, what he wanted to tell her. He had a dead-serious face, when he was about to cough it out, but young Maeda stormed in and interrupted. Mai made a mental note to ask the inu-youkai later.



Master Sekiguchi shook the raindrops off the umbrella and stepped inside his chamber. To his surprise, it wasn't empty.

"Captain Izumi! What a surprise. May I inquire, why are you in my quarters?" the old scholar asked in a calm voice, trying to hide the nervousness. A polite smile graced his face, but a single drop of sweat made its way down his forehead. His eyes darted sideways – two other soldiers blocked the door already.
Izumi stood up.

"I think, you know why." The man said slowly. "Master Sekiguchi, you're under arrest."
The scholar froze in place, as his deepest fears just came true.

"Under what charge?" he demanded. He still tried sounding confidently, but his voice began shaking, as well as hands.

The captain snorted.

"Where to start? Spying, smuggling, but mostly treason." Izumi said, gesturing his retainers to grab the elderly man.

Sekiguchi struggled, but the soldiers held him still with ease, tying his hand behind the back.

"You have no idea, what are you doing!" the man exclaimed.

Izumi took a step forward and leaned down, looking Sekiguchi straight into the eye.

"Really? Maybe you are the one, who made a mistake? To smuggle two greatest enemies of your province onto the daimyo's ship…" Izumi shook his head, as though faking pity. "There is only one way it could have ended."

The captain made a dead-serious face and a gesture, as though he was slicing his throat. Sekiguchi gulped, but the shreds of confidence remained in him.

"They are good peo…" he began, but the rest of the sentence came out muffled, when the man got gagged.



"I'm bored!" Akira complained to Mai, as both of them were sitting by the table, staring at the falling rain, visible through the window. It was raining heavily and the ship was rocking more and more. The girl flinched, as the thunder tore the sky.

"Crap, the storm is coming." She said, not happy because it.

Young Maeda produced an impressive yawn.

"Don't worry. The sailors said, it's all right." He said, closing his eyes and laying his head on the table. Mai didn't share his optimism, but she definitely shared the sleepiness. She was swaying in one rhythm with the ship's rocking. She rested her chin on the hands, repeating to herself, that she had to endure till tomorrow.

Then, the girl heard noise on the corridor and the door opened with a loud slam, as six soldiers, accompanied by Sasaki, stormed into the room. Both Akira's and Mai's heads snapped up.

"What's the meaning of this?!" young Maeda demanded sharply, looking at the military men, who gathered around the table. The boy pulled himself up swiftly and Mai also jumped on her feet. Two soldiers made place for Sasaki, who stepped forward with a horribly self-satisfied smirk plastered across his face. The girl's hand wandered to the hilt of her knife, but before she could grab her weapon, two pairs of strong hands immobilized her. The boy tried to intervene, but the nobleman didn't let him.

"I am sorry, young master, but you must step aside." Sasaki said, stalking forwards, so that he positioned himself between the boy and Mai. He cleared his throat and began explaining in a sweet kind voice. "I understand your attachment to this person, young master, but you have been cruelly deceived."

Mai still tried to struggle in the soldiers' grip, she even managed to kick one of them in shin, but they twisted her arm. She refrained herself from letting out a pained yelp, not to give the bastards any satisfaction.

"Don't listen to him, Akira!" she screamed, but Sasaki continued his speech.

"Your trust have been abused, young master. This person is not who she appears to be. She may wear an innocent mask, but beneath an unimaginable monstrosity is hidden." The nobleman kept speaking.
Akira furrowed his brows and glanced at Mai.

"What do you mean?" he asked Sasaki. The man made an overly dramatic gesture.

"This woman… she is none other than princess Amayami, the daughter of your greatest enemy, a villain herself and a demon's lover." He said, pointing Mai with accusation.
Maeda's eyes widened, as he stared at the girl.

"It's not possible…" he whispered, turning his attention back to Sasaki. "She can't be Asakura… and the teacher… the teacher is a youkai?"

The boy had shock written all over his face. He refused to believe this vile accusations, but deep down he knew it was true. He looked at Mai, his eyes begging her to say that Sasaki was laying. She gazed back at him, but didn't even try to defend herself. How could it be?
He turned to Sasaki.
"Sasaki, what will happen to them?" he asked quietly, turning his back away from Mai, not wanting to look her in the eye.

"For such crimes there is only one suitable punishment." He said with a merciless glint in his eye. "Death."

Mai's eyes widened, Akira flinched and looked at Sasaki sharply.

"Death? But… " the young boy protested, but the nobleman interrupted him.

"My lord, it is a fate, that awaits such criminals, it is stated by law and tradition. A daimyo's obligation is to ensure, that the letter of law is followed. Surely, as a future ruler of Kaga's province you understand it. Even if it is painful to bear, it is the right way." Sasaki lectured the boy.
With every word, that came out of the man's mouth, Akira's defiance was weakening, till it broke completely. Without saying a word nor facing Mai, he nodded, giving his silent agreement to the pair's execution. Sasaki made a gesture and the two soldiers led the struggling and screaming girl out of the cabin.

"Akira, remember, what I told you!" she screamed to the boy, while putting up a resistance. "Remember!"

The boy was standing with his head hung, clenching his fists, as Mai's screams slowly died away. Before leaving, Sasaki put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"It was a right decision." He said, nodding with approval. "Your father would do the same."

With that words he left Akira, placing the guards outside the chamber for his safety. Young Maeda twisted his lips in a sad smile.

"Father, huh?" he muttered to himself.



Mai glared at her captors with resentment, as she got dragged to the bow of the ship. The soldiers tied her up brutally and tossed beside master Sekiguchi. The girl tried to get up, but one of the men threatened her with naginata, the blade nearly touching her nose. She hissed from anger and stilled.
Sasaki slowly stalked towards the prisoners, busy with the conversation with general Shimada.

"Did you find him?" Sasaki snapped, irritated, that there were only two prisoners instead of three. The military man, who was using crutches to walk shook his head.

"My men are still searching for him." He replied. The soldier made a worried face. "But, Sasaki.

 When we find him, I doubt, that any man on this ship could withstand him. As a samurai, to whom fighting is life, I can tell you this: he can easily slay anyone on board without difficulty."

The nobleman smiled widely and made a dismissive gesture.

"Do not worry, Shimada. He may be invincible, but he will not fight." He said. The general furrowed his brows, so Sasaki decided to explain it further. "We have a trump card. Isn't that so, Amayami-hime?"

The last words he said, directing them at Mai. The girl gritted her teeth, glaring back.

"Sesshomaru will kill you all." She hissed out a threat, refusing to be afraid. Sasaki laughed, as though she just told him a good joke.

"Kill us? I doubt that." He responded, taking out his fan. "If he tries, your head will roll. I trust, that it will convince the demon to be reasonable. Now, let's take a little souvenir."

Sasaki gestured to one of the soldiers. Mai recognized Izumi. The captain approached the scholar Sekiguchi and cut his bonds. He wasn't setting the man free, though. His companions grabbed the man's both arms and held him still. The captain took a hold of Sekiguchi's finger and cut it off, operating his knife without hurry.

"No!" Mai screamed, as the elderly scholar was wailing from pain.

"Now find the demon and tell him if he doesn't show up here at once, the next souvenir will be made of his woman's fingers. With every passing hour we will be cutting one off till none remains." Sasaki said, lazily fanning himself, and stepped aside, waiting for the guest.

The rain was falling heavily and lightning bolts were lightning the clouded sky. The water was splashing on the deck. Mai was completely wet. She shifted her position to look at the elderly scholar. He was sitting with his head hung, blood mixing with the rainwater, as his palm was injured, lacking a finger now. Mai felt tears on her face, she wasn't sure though – maybe it was rain? The feeling of guilt was overwhelming her, as so many bad things were happening around her, so many innocent people lost their lives because of her… Only during the journey from Mount Tate, there were victims, for the Echizen troops wanted her – Matsuko made her daughter an orphan, captain Harada lost his live to save her. Now master Sekiguchi was suffering, because he helped them. As for Sesshomaru… she thought once, that she lost him. She didn't want to experience this again.



Sesshomaru could not refrain himself from thinking about his new problem – since the sunrise he attempted to tell the insufferable woman of his decision to make her his mistress, but was interrupted every time. Tonight, when they would be alone in their bed, he would do it. Trying to voice his resolve verbally proved ineffective, so the practical approach would be more reasonable, not to mention pleasurable. However, there was one significant issue – without his youkai senses, he was unable to determine if she was fertile or not. Her scent changed subtly during the month, but in his current state he could not tell the difference. Should he ask her?

The demon frowned, as he found himself in the beginning point. Then, Sesshomaru heard creaking. Instinctively, he gripped the bundle, where he carried his swords. The footsteps of numerous people. Soon enough the demon saw candles. Staying in the shadows, he approached them, cautious not to make a sound. The inu-youkai furrowed his brows, when he saw, that the newcomers were not sailors, but soldiers, their weapons drawn.

"Search the entire place! He must be here!" captain Izumi commanded to his men, who split up, wandering between the boxes.

Sesshomaru discerned, that the man was holding something in his palm. He narrowed his eyes, determining, what the object was. A human finger. Suddenly, a disturbing feeling overwhelmed the demon. They captured Mai. He was certain of it. He did not know how, but their identities must have been revealed and these soldiers came to kill him. Sesshomaru felt an urge to run upstairs and search for her, but that would be unwise, for he would have the enemy behind his back. A soul of a hunter awakened in him.

"Zanzo?" one of the soldiers called his companion's name, sure, that the man was somewhere near. However, no one responded. The man stilled, thinking, that he heard a sound. "Nah, must be imagination."

He turned around, when Zanzo's knife slid through the base of his skull from the back., extinguishing his life momentarily, so that he didn't even manage to let out a single sound. Before the body fell to the floor, it was caught and gently laid down, so that there wouldn't be any noise. Golden eyes gleamed in the darkness, as the predator set off to kill another prey.

After some time, captain Izumi noticed, that something was wrong. None of his men reported back nor gave out a sound. Slowly, he began retreating towards the stairs. Then, he felt a cold touch of steel on the back of the neck.

"Where is the woman?" a deep voice sounded from behind his back. Izumi laughed nervously.

"We've got your little princess, demon." He said, leaving no doubts, that their identities were known.

"One bad move and she would lose her lovely head. Here's a gift for you – it belongs to the old scholar. If you don't hurry and show on the upper deck, the general will start cutting your lover's fingers one by one, till none remains…"

The captain didn't have the chance to finish the sentence, for his head rolled down, when Sesshomaru swiftly separated it from the body, as soon as he obtained the information. He clenched his fingers around the hilt of the sword and rushed upstairs. Hastily, but methodically, he was killing anyone, who stood in is way, leaving no one alive.

Covered in blood, he stepped out into the heavy rain. The lightning lit his bloodied face and clothing, causing the men on the deck feel a shiver going down their spines. The cripple, they mocked, was standing before them in his youkai glory, as the rainwater was washing away the black dye, showing the natural silver.

Mai gasped, seeing the dog demon. Didn't he know it was a trap? Sesshomaru scanned his surroundings, counted the opponents and estimated the chances of getting Mai out unharmed – they were minimal. Fortunately she was not harmed yet.

"So you came." Sasaki said calmly, but the dog demon didn't answer him, standing motionlessly in the rain. The noble smirked smugly, knowing, that he was the one in control now.
"Release the woman." Sesshomaru demanded, but his adversary only snorted, covering his face with the fan.

"You are in no position to dictate the conditions, youkai." Sasaki called to the demon, outshouting the howling of the wind, saying what the demon already knew. "However, I have an offer for you: put your weapon down, give up without any resistance and your princess's life will be spared. Otherwise, she will die."

To emphasize his words, he gestured to one of the soldiers to grab Mai by her hair and put a knife against her throat, making the threat more real. The girl winced from pain, but struggled not to lose her courage.

"Don't listen to them, Sesshomaru! They'll kill us both!" she called to the demon, before she got slapped across her face.

"Shut up, bitch!" the soldier, who hit her, hissed.

Sesshomaru clenched his teeth, murderous intent in his eyes, as Mai was abused before his eyes and he could only watch. He was considering the offer, Sasaki made. The chance, that the woman would be set free, shall he surrender, was almost non-existent, but it was the only solution. Even with his youki, he would not be able to reach her in time, before those vile humans sliced her throat. He did not want to watch the woman die before his eyes with the knowledge, that he could have prevented it.
With a metallic clank, the sword fell from his fingers to the deck. Not averting his furious gaze from Sasaki, he reached to the bundle on his back and dropped it too. In a surrendering gesture, he lifted his arm. Mai shook her head.

"Sesshomaru, no…" she whispered, seeing the inu-youkai giving up for her sake.
Sasaki smiled triumphantly.

"Cuff him to the mast." He ordered. The soldiers were looking at each other with nervousness in their eyes, not eager to get themselves killed, but slowly, they made their way towards Sesshomaru, encircling him. The demon stood motionless, when one of the men took his swords, including hidden Tenseiga. He didn't resist, when the soldiers closed the shackles around his wrist, neck and legs. Then, they led him to the mast – the inu-youkai was walking with his back straight, showing how prideful creature he was. Even, when cuffed to the mast, he gave off an air of superiority over the humans.

"That was easy." Sasaki said in a disgustingly cheerful voice. "To think, that a demon would be so naive… Cuff the Asakura bitch too!"

The noble gave an order and Mai got yanked up and cuffed in the heavy iron shackles, the same as Sesshomaru's. Seeing this, the dog demon growled with fury.

"You gave your word to spare her!" he hissed out, glaring at Sasaki. The man offered him a mocking snort.

"And you believed it? So pathetic! At least you will be able to spend the last moments of your worthless lives together. Once the sun sets, I will return for the execution. You can settle with each other, who wants to go first." The noble said.

"You bastard!" Sesshomaru growled, as struggling Mai was being cuffed to the mast on the opposite side of the pole. The girl was shouting curses at her future executioners. Sasaki looked, as though he was amused by the touching show. He turned around and called to the soldiers:

"Take the scholar to my quarters. We will be bringing him back to Kanazawa for the lord to judge him."

Soon Sasaki and his men left, dragging master Sekiguchi along. Mai and Sesshomaru were left alone in the heavy rain falling on them, as the waves were splashing through the deck. The girl tried to struggle with the shackles, but there was no point in it – they were so heavy and massive, that even a strongest man wouldn't be able to bend the metal. Moreover, they were almost completely immobilized, with hands and necks cuffed to the mast and the chains around their waists. After a longer while Mai gave up, but she heard, that the demon was still fighting, struggling and giving out furious growls, like a wild animal.