Chapter 128

Fighting the unavoidable




"Will you accompany your mother on a stroll?" the demoness Sayuri asked, approaching her son. Sesshomaru was gazing at the stars, that shone exceptionally brightly tonight. He turned his attention to his mother and obliged her request by nodding. The both inu youkai were walking in complete silence side by side along the long paths in the spacious garden. Finally, the demoness spoke.

"You have changed, Sesshomaru." She said. Her son glanced at her.

"Have I?" he responded with a question. Sayuri nodded.

"You seem more mature." She said and observed as Sesshomaru nodded, obviously content with the compliment. "However, you have also developed the strange attraction towards humans."

The dog demon frowned at the remark.

"The humans are merely my servants, that is all." He replied quickly.

"What use you could possibly have of the two children and a woman?" Sayuri asked the obvious.

"Hn." That was Sesshomaru's only answer. His mother's question hit the bull's-eye. For the most time his human companions were a nuisance and a distraction. They turned out to be useful from time to time, but so rarely, that it could not serve as an excuse for keeping them. To say the truth, it was surprising for Sesshomaru himself, how he became surrounded by so many humans lately.

Unfortunately his mother decided to dwell on a subject.

"I found it surprising, how quickly you obliged to marry the human girl. I expected you to resist more." The demoness made a remark.

"I was given no other choice. Thanks to you, mother." He replied, glaring at the older youkai. Sayuri sent him a small smile.

"It would not have happened, if you accepted to take Kasumi as your spouse." She said and watched with amusement the frown on her son's face deepening. "In fact, I noticed, that compared to the idea of marrying Kasumi, making that human girl your wife was quite acceptable to you. Could it be, that you have any feelings for that female?"

Sesshomaru looked sharply at his mother, genuine bewilderment in his eyes, as she guessed his greatest secret. True, he was not eager to marry the human woman and father a hanyou child – he knew, that it was wrong and shameful for a well-bred Taiyoukai as himself. On the other hand, he wanted her as a man wants a woman. Normally it would be unimaginable to have her by his side as a spouse, but now the circumstances have changed. Due to the unfortunate incident with his mother's misdirected plot, it was his obligation to take the woman as his wife. Having a human for a spouse did not feel like something repulsive, if it was her. To be honest, Sesshomaru anticipated the wedding day, especially the night after it, when he would be able to hold her in his arms and satisfy his suppressed desire for his little temptress. However, admitting such shameful thoughts was unacceptable.

"Do not be foolish." He retorted immediately. "She is a human. Of course I do not have any feelings towards her!"

Sayuri sighed heavily.

"You are a terrible liar, Sesshomaru." She said, making her son tense at her words. "It did not change since the day you tried to convince me, that you were not hiding that dragon of yours in your closet, when you were still a little boy. I am your mother, I can see through all your lies!"

"Hn." Sesshomaru turned his head away, humiliated by his mother reminding him of his childhood actions. The demoness smirked triumphantly, but she got serious again.

"Under the normal circumstances I would disapprove of your weakness towards the human female, but now it is rather a positive thing. At least you will be pleased with your spouse." She said.

The dog demon nodded, acknowledging her words. Suddenly, he remembered something.

"Mother, where is the human woman now?" he asked. The demoness gazed at the stars.

"In her chambers on the last floor of the castle." She replied. Sesshomaru furrowed his brows.

"Did you leave any servants to watch her?" he inquired. Sayuri looked at her son, surprised by the sudden questions.

"No. There was no need. As I said earlier, the chambers are on the last floor. Why do you ask, Sesshomaru?" she questioned her son, who turned in the direction of the castle, preparing to take off.

"I must retrieve the human woman before she breaks her neck, if you insist on me marrying her tomorrow." He said.

"What do you mean?" his mother questioned him.

"She is fleeing as we speak." The demon stated. Sayuri widened her eyes.

"Fleeing?" she repeated. "That's impossible! It's too high!"

"She will attempt to escape. Trust me." Sesshomaru said and leapt into the air, gliding towards the castle. The female youkai followed her son.

The two dog demons were flying soundlessly side by side, before landing gracefully near the castle.

They lifted the heads to gaze up.

"I told you." Sesshomaru said quietly, as he and his mother observed Mai, who was slowly coming down, using a makeshift rope. The demoness furrowed her brows.

"Your human surely is a resourceful one." She whispered back. "How did you know, that she will be escaping?"

"It is an annoying habit of hers." He replied.




Mai was tightly gripping her makeshift rope and slowly making her way down. She did everything not to look down. If she did, she would panic for sure and fall. The way down was long, but the girl was making progress with every minute. She felt her arms aching already, but she didn't pay any attention to the pain – escaping the cursed castle was a priority. Besides, there was no going back now. Mai wanted to know exactly how close to the ground she was, but was too afraid to check it.

However, she could count the distance by knowing which obi she was gripping. She was holding onto the third sash out of four, so there should be only one left. She smiled to herself – it was easier than she thought. With newfound energy, she began sliding faster, till she lost her footing.

"Gah!" she yelped, desperately clutching the obi with her hands. Did she miscalculate the distance to the ground. She glanced down. Mai let out a relieved breath, as it turned out, that she was dangling only a little more than a meter over stone floor. She let go of the sash and landed on the ground. Smiling widely, she turned around to make her way to the stables.

Mai's happy smile dropped from her face, when she saw two pairs of golden eyes gazing at her.

"Crap." She muttered. Sesshomaru and his mother were standing right before her. It seemed, that they were observing her futile attempt to run away for some time now and were apparently amused by it.
It was the dog demon, who broke the awkward silence first.

"I will return you to your chambers." He said, approaching Mai with an intention to grab her and fly to her room. The girl took a step back and glared at him. Now she had the chance to talk some sense into him and she was set on making use of it.

"Don't come closer, you egoistical idiot!" she shrieked at him. Sesshomaru stopped, frowning at the insult. Mai took a deep breath. "What the hell were you thinking agreeing to this stupid marriage?! I'm a human, for god's sake! Besides, what made you think, that I'll want to marry such a heartless, cruel, pompous demonic asshole like you?!"

"Enough, woman!" the demon growled, but Mai ignored his warning. She stalked closer to him and lifted her head to glare at him.

"I'm not finished with you!" she yelled at him. The demon glared back at Mai, towering over her.

"You are!" he bellowed. The girl narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to continue ranting, but the demon suddenly flung her over his shoulder.

"Let me go, you bastard!" Mai shrieked, when he leapt into the air. The demoness Sayuri smirked and followed her son. Both youkai flew through the window into the Mai's prison. Sesshomaru unceremoniously dumped the girl on the bed.

The dog demoness excused herself and went to call the maidservants.
Mai looked at Sesshomaru.

"What's wrong with you?!" she spat at him. The demon looked at her indifferently.

"I do not know, what you have on mind." He retorted, averting his gaze from her. Mai tugged his sleeve to get his attention.

"How could you drag me into this!" she said to the demon. "I won't marry you because you selfishly want travel around Japan!"

Sesshomaru glanced at Mai sharply.

"You will." He stated confidently. The girl folded her arms.

"Are you so sure about that?" she asked the inu-youkai in a mocking tone. "Have you thought about a certain minor detail, namely that the bride has to consent during the wedding ceremony? You'll get no wedding vows from me tomorrow, you can be sure of this!"

The demon studied her face, uneasiness noticeable on his face, as he stayed silent. Mai smirked. He didn't expect this. Her plan B was simple – during the wedding ceremony she will just say "no".

Simple as that. However, the youkai apparently didn't take such a simple solution into consideration.
Soon after that, lady Sayuri returned along with two demon maidservants and left with Sesshomaru. Now, when Mai had not only a prison, but also prison guards, she had no choice but to act along the bitchy mother's plan till the wedding. Seeing nothing better to do, she threw herself onto the bed, not bothering to take off her kimono.



As the both dog demons landed on the ground, Sesshomaru turned to his mother.
"She will not say her vows." He shared the news. The demoness looked at him sharply.

"What do you mean?" she asked, tensing. Her son clenched his fist.

"That is what she said. She will not consent." He explained. Lady Sayuri looked uneasy. If the human girl publicly refused to marry Sesshomaru, it would not only ruin her plans, but also humiliate her son and herself in front of all the guests. It would be a major disgrace.

"Have you tried to convince her?" she asked.

The younger youkai nodded. Sayuri sighed. Knowing her son, he threatened the girl and, considering the stubborn nature of his bride, she refused to give in to his demands. The boy inherited his father's insufferable attitude, but he hopelessly lacked the charm of her late husband. When it came to women, Sesshomaru was just terribly blunt. No wonder, that the human girl resisted so much… However, something must be quickly done to make her say her vows tomorrow. Sayuri furrowed her brows, thinking of possible solutions.

"I may have the idea to convince her. Leave it to me." She said to her son with malicious smirk playing on her lips.




Mai managed to fall asleep scarcely one or two hours before the dawn, as the presence of two demonesses, who were staring at her all the time, wasn't really creating the most peaceful atmosphere for the rest. Constant worrying about the participation in the wedding ceremony wasn't helping either.
The girl rolled onto the other side, as someone's voice was nagging and she felt the slight tugging. She moaned something incoherently and continued sleeping.

"Get up, you lazy human!" a female voice shrieked over her head. Mai's eyes immediately snapped open and she pulled herself into the sitting position. Rubbing her eyes, she looked up and flinched, seeing Sesshomaru's mother towering over her, glaring at her in the most intimidating way. The two demonesses were crawling behind lady Sayuri, bowing and apologizing for failing to wake Mai up.

"Get up and put on something presentable." Sesshomaru's mother told the girl. "You are to join me in the gardens."

Having said that, she turned on her heel and left. Before she had the time to wake up completely, one of the demonesses was already yanking her up effortlessly and the other began undressing her.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" Mai protested, as the maidservant tried to pull her kimono off.
The demoness sent her a scared look.

"You must hurry and dress. Lady Sayuri isn't patient!" she hurried the girl. Mai nodded, understanding, that the both demonesses were probably scared of Sesshomaru's mother. And not without a reason – the woman was a bitch, in every possible way. The girl quickly dressed and followed the youkai women to the gardens, where lady Sayuri was already waiting for her. Mai was surprised, that the demoness wasn't alone.

The garden was resounding with the children's laughter, as about thirty kids were playing happily among the sakura trees. The girl found herself suddenly in the middle of the children's attention. The kids instantly, like on the mark, ran to her and gathered around, gawking at her with curiosity. Mai noticed, that they were no demons – all of them were human. One of them, a boy, pushed by his friends aside and came closer to Mai.

"Are you the lady, that is getting married today?" he asked shyly. Mai smiled at the kid faintly.

 "I guess so…" she mumbled, not happy at the fact. However, the children didn't notice her reluctance.

Encouraged, they came closer and began shooting the questions at Mai.

"How old are you?" some girl asked, tugging her sleeve.

"Eighteen." Mai answered.

"Do you have a white kimono? Is it pretty?" another kid kept asking. "My sister didn't have a white kimono, but we are poor."

"What food will you have on your wedding? Will you have meat? It is expensive, you know?"

"Is your groom handsome? Is he a demon like that lady over there? Is he nice too?" a little boy kept nagging. Mai was opening and closing her mouth, not sure which question should she answer.

Fortunately, lady Sayuri decided to save the girl from the children. She came closer and clapped her hands, gaining the kid's attention. Once all eyes were on her, she spoke with a charming smile:

"Children, do not bother Mai anymore, she must rest before her wedding!" she called to the children.

Mai was slightly surprised, that the demoness knew her name. Perhaps Sesshomaru told her. The children obeyed and continued playing with each other. The youkai woman looked at the girl. "Shall we take a stroll?"

"Okay." Mai agreed, knowing that the question was rather an order than a request. Sesshomaru's mother wasn't speaking for a while and the girl wasn't eager to begin the conversation either. She set her gaze on her feet. Finally the demoness broke the silence.

"The children are nice, aren't they?" she asked casually. Mai nodded.

"Um… yes." She uttered. She was wondering, what the children were doing in this castle in the first place.

"The children were just brought here." Lady Sayuri spoke, as though reading Mai's mind. "All of them come from poor peasant families. I gave their parents some food supplies and the children are supposed to assist at the wedding in exchange. They will hold the decorations during the ceremony and will be returned to their families afterwards."

"Oh." The girl was baffled by the kind gesture. She didn't know, that charity laid in lady Sayuri's nature. "That's nice of you."

The demoness smiled modestly at the compliment.

"However, shall you refuse to exchange the wedding vows with my son, they will end as a main
 course." Lady Sayuri said with the unchanged charming smile.

Mai froze, having heard her words.

"What?" she uttered. The demoness sighed theatrically.

"Their life depends on your behavior during the ceremony. If you obediently become Sesshomaru's spouse, the children will return to their families safe and sound. Should you reject my son, they will die. The choice is yours. Remember, the fate of those children lies solely in your hands."

The girl stared at the demoness, dumbfounded. She didn't believe, that the youkai woman used the kids as hostages to blackmail Mai into marrying Sesshomaru. She didn't want to be the demonic asshole's wife, she hated the thought… but being guilty of the death of so many innocent children would be unbearable for her. She couldn't live with such thing on her conscience. Sesshomaru's mother was more of a cruel bitch, than she had thought – she was an evil incarnated.

"Will you marry my son or not?" lady Sayuri asked harshly, hurrying Mai. The girl lifted her eyes and glared at the demoness, clenching her fists. Damn, she didn't have any choice.

"I.. " she began, biting her bottom lip. "I will do it."

"Splendid!" the youkai woman exclaimed, clapping her hands. "The children are lucky then. Come, we must prepare you for the ceremony!"




Mai was thrown right in the middle of the preparations for the wedding ceremony, that was supposed to take place in the afternoon. Lady Sayuri ordered the two maidservants to wash the girl thoroughly, ignoring her protests. Once washed and dried, she was made to try the wedding kimono on. The servants were fastening all the layers and Sesshomaru's mother was circling around Mai, eying her critically.

"You are much shorter than Kasumi, but higher sandals will do." She muttered, readjusting the kimono's collar. "Not a beauty, but you are not ugly either."

"Thanks." Mai muttered sarcastically, feeling insulted at the remark. She didn't need to be reminded, that she wasn't the prettiest girl on Earth, especially compared to the perfectly beautiful demonesses.

Lady Sayuri flipped off her sarcasm and kept examining her like an item, one was about to buy.

"Was your mother fertile?" lady Sayuri asked suddenly. Mai gawked at her.

"Eh?"

"Do you have any siblings? How many?" the demoness inquired.

"No, my mother died when I was two." She answered. Sesshomaru's mother nodded, looking slightly disappointed.

Mai felt the youkai woman tugging her hair. She gazed at her and saw, that lady Sayuri was holding her silver hairpin between her clawed fingers.

"Give it back!" the girl exclaimed, reaching for the hairpin, but the demoness swiftly took a step back, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"Is this item precious to you?" she asked, looking at the piece of jewelry. Mai glared at her.

"I want it back!" She insisted. Lady Sayuri laughed.

"Why? Did someone dear to you gave it to you? A man perhaps?" she asked, studying the girl's face. Mai felt a blush covering her cheeks out of sudden.

"It's not…" she began, stuttering. Amused demoness took a step closer to her, hiding the hairpin behind her back. Suddenly, all humor left her face.

"What is it?" she questioned harshly. Mai looked at her, confused and cursed inwardly, seeing the youkai woman brushing her hair out of the neck and revealing the faint hickeys. The kiss marks were done some time ago, but they refused to vanish quickly. Now they were just barely visible marks, but the keen eye of the demoness spotted them anyway. The girl's face turned scarlet.

"Those are kiss marks." Sesshomaru's mother stated the obvious in a harsh tone, before grabbing Mai's chin and forcing the girl to look her in the eye. "Does Sesshomaru know about those?"

"Umm…" Mai felt the blood rushing to her face, as she shifted under the youkai woman's stern gaze.

"He… he was the one, who made them."

"Oh?" Lady Sayuri released her chin, surprised by the news. "I did not know, that my son could be that bold towards a human woman. And the hairpin?"

Mai sighed, feeling defeated and ultimately embarrassed.

"He gave it to me." She admitted. The demoness was staring at her with wide-opened eyes.

"Are you sure, that you two are not lovers?" she asked tilting her head.

"WE'RE NOT!" Mai yelled as loud as she could.




Mai was getting more and more nervous as the time of the ceremony was nearing. She realized, that now were the last normal moments – after the wedding her life would never be the same. The servants put the make-up on already and were dressing her in the purely white kimono.

"Don't make such a face." Sesshomaru's mother scolded her. "You're going to your wedding, not the funeral."

The girl discreetly wiped her sweaty palms. To be honest, she felt not like a happy bride, but like a convict waiting to be fried on an electric chair. Lady Sayuri explained to her, how the ceremony would look like in detail, so she was technically ready. Once the girl had the wedding kimono on, the demoness approached Mai and scanned her critically up and down.

"Much better. Sesshomaru should be pleased." She commented. "One more thing left."

Lady Sayuri placed the silver hairpin carefully in Mai's hair and reached to take a white cloth. She covered the girl's head with it and stepped back.

"Now you are ready."



Author Note:

Hello!
 It seems that Mai missed her chance to escape... and she was so close... Perhaps she could make a last-minute escape. What do you think? Any suggestions or guesses?
Of course thank you for all the wonderful reviews. So, goodnight and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please comment because there will be a tiny break in uploads next week (probably).