Eternal wishes

The night of near death

"You're going to have to do better than that, Sesshomaru, son of the Great Inu no Taisho!" a greasy-haired dragon demon sneered to him.

Sesshomaru let a low growl escape into his throat unwarranted as he faced his opponent. He had just been knocked to the ground for the first time since his youth, by a large snarling cat demon. It spread its black wings and bared its teeth, promising him a swift death should he let his guard down. He looked into its glowing red eyes, and wondered why it did not pull its weapons into combat, two dull-colored wind and fire weapons hung by its right side. It seemed to be a puppet of Ritsuo's, the overweight dragon demon laughing at his plight, and wishing for his death due to Inuyasha killing his father, Ryukotsusei.

The cat demon stepped closer, giving him a better look at it. It had the body of a tiger, dull stripes shining through black fog that surrounded it, part of a spell it seemed, but stood up like a human, towering over even his large frame. Black wings spread out menacingly, as if to make itself bigger. The power exuded from the demon gave even him pause when he went in for an attack. It wore a leather vest armor with an unreadable shape on its left breast, covering from under the arms to the waist, with leather pants going down to under its knees. It was dressed as if at some point in time, it was in a human form. What looked out at him at this moment though, seemed far from human.

"Alright Ayame, quit playing with your food, get it over with and end his life..." Ritsuo ordered the Tiger demon with a nonchalant wave of his hand, as if he became bored with the scene.

Letting out a roar that deafened his sensitive ears, the Tiger demon named Ayame lunged at him, claws and teeth bared, for a death blow. He raised Bakusaiga and aimed for her heart, using her momentum to pierce her breast. Just as they came together, a bright light flooded his vision, blinding him completely as he felt weightless in a void. What seemed like minutes, but in realty was only a few seconds, he found himself with sword still drawn, within his mother's chambers.

"Hello my son." Inu Kimi drawled to him, her jeweled necklace, the one she used to open the gateway to hell and to save Rin, held in her hand.

"Mother." He responded without emotion. Lifting a brow, he wondered why she chose to interfere with his battle, pulling him away as if she thought he would lose his life.

"It's come to my attention that you have found yourself face to face with a certain demon named Ayame..." He scoffed at that mundane term 'face to face', when he thought it more claw to tooth. "I should tell you son; it would not be wise to battle her. Now now, I am not saying you wouldn't be successful", she quickly interjected at the dark look he threw her way, "what I am trying to tell you, is that it wouldn't be in your best interest to kill her. Though even I would have to admit she'd be a challenge to dispose of."

"Who is she?" he murmured in confusion at his mother's familiarity to the demon that about killed him.

"She, was your Father's ward and one of his generals for many years...and my companion."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened with surprise. That explained how she stood toe to toe with him in battle, seeming to know his next move before he made it. They had to have been trained the same. Why would a subject of his Father's try to kill him?

As if reading the question on his face she told him "...she is under Ritsuo's spell. I've been tracking her for some time. I wish for her to be released from his power, he has forced her to wreak havoc upon the countryside for a while now, and it is time for it to stop."

"Why do you ask me now?"

"Because, you are no longer wrapped up in Naraku's games and fights, and besides, what else do you have to do?" She asked him with a lifted brow that matched his own.

"I've never known you to care about those that are beneath you, Mother. Why play the benevolent leader now?"

Moving in her seat uncomfortably, it dawned on Sesshomaru that he was not the only one uncomfortable with discussing one's feelings, so this Ayame must mean something more to her than just a 'subject'.

"It so happens, Sesshomaru, that after you left to journey the countryside, and before your Father...met with his end...that I viewed Ayame as a sort of daughter I suppose. When your Father would come home after a battle that she assisted him with, we would sit and talk..." Inu Kimi's eyes seem to drift to another time, no longer focused on him, but on pleasant memories. Sesshomaru shifted slightly, not used to seeing the fond look that came into her eyes. Snapping back to the present at the slight sound, she replaced the mask of indifference upon her face and continued, "your Father found her as an orphaned demon child, and raised her in combat. I raised her as a Mother would when I was able. Needless to say, if the kingdom was what it once was, she would have been rescued long ago..." She stayed silent to let the rest of the untold story sink in, and let Sesshomaru fill in the blanks. When she was satisfied that he followed where she was heading with this story, she continued, "The night that your Father faced Ryukotsusei, she fled from the palace before your Father went into battle with the dragon. She was not heard of until three weeks of searching were conducted, and news of a 'Black Tiger' killing other demons and human villages reached our ears. I knew it had to be her, under someone's spell, for she did not hurt the innocent as well as the fact that she is a White Tiger demon, the spell of evil will turn its subject black on the inside, as well as the outside. She will not know about the Inu no Taisho's death, as well as how many lives she has taken. She will not be within her senses to realize what she is doing, only what Ritsuo bids her to do..."

"Hn. So, you want me to play the hero. Even you know me better than that Mother." He told her with a look of skepticism on his face.

"Of course, you would need a benefit to this rescue, you wouldn't be you otherwise, now would you? How about having a warrior at your side that fights as well as you do? How many times would that have been useful?" She remained quiet, letting him think everything over as he stared into the crackling fire behind her right shoulder, taking in the dark room, realizing he never even thought to come to her to 'sit and talk' as she described this Ayame doing. He always thought it to be a woman thing to do. But, what would life have been if he had been closer to both parents? He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts, Rin was making him to be more soft-hearted than he wanted to be.

He turned on his heel to leave and stated over his shoulder a resounding, "No" as he took his leave.

"Sesshomaru..." Inu Kimi stated in a raised voice as she rose, her mask of indifference replaced with something more alarming, she was upset. "Please."

With his back still turned towards her, he let the look of utter shock appear on his face. Taking a moment to compose himself, he slowly turned and studied his Mother, thinking about someone actually meaning enough to her for her to ask him to 'please' do something. His lip curled, exposing one pristine white fang as he was giving in to his Mother's wishes.

"How do you expect me to defeat her, without killing her?"

With the smile that women use when they know they've gotten their way; she lifted the jeweled necklace between them. "With this. It will lift the spell, as well as show her everything, once placed on her neck. She will see that your Father is dead, all the events that have taken place since then, and what Ritsuo has been having her do while under his spell. What a better way to find an ally to end Ritsuo's life and put down his army, wouldn't you think?"