The Demon's Love

XVI

Byakuya was really getting frustrated. Where the hell was his damn sister? She couldn't have just disappeared. He really wished that he had just killed her when he had the chance. All this searching and tracking was driving him crazy. Why hadn't he at least left a piece of himself behind again? That way he would be able to find them again right away.

He came to a place where he had picked up Naevia's scent that was still fresh. But judging by how strong the smell was, he guessed that he had missed her and the others by just a couple of days.

"I've had enough of this." he growled.

He brought his paper crane in for a landing. Once on the ground, he unsheathed his sword and plunged it into the ground. A bright light emitted from the ground, drawing in the demons in the surrounding area. They were all, what superior demons like him, referred to as lesser demons, similar to the ones that Naraku used.

"Good day." He addressed them. "I am in need of your assistance. You see, I am looking for a few people I need to kill that have recently been in the area. Have any of you seen where they've gone?"

One of the demons floated over to him. "What makes you think we'll help you?" it demanded.

Byakuya just smirked. "I thought we might run into something like this." He said, reaching into his robes. "That's why I'm prepared."

He pulled out small origami soldiers. He tossed them in the air and they flew at the demons. All the demons were possessed by the paper soldiers.

Byakuya smirked. "I trust that you will now be a bit more cooperative."

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"Master Jaken, where do Lord Kael and Lady Naevia go every night?" asked Rin.

Jaken tripped over his own feet, surprised by the unexpected question. He gave Rin a horrified look. "W-W-What? What are you talking about?"

Rin c****d her head to the side. "Well, sometimes Rin wakes up at night and they're not here. Where do they go?"

Jaken made a frustrated growling noise. He knew exactly where his lord and lady disappeared to every night, and what they did while they were away. It had happened every night so far. But sometimes they wouldn't be far enough away and Jaken's demon hearing picked up 'things'.

'Why did Naevia have to be a moaner?' he thought in frustration. Jaken couldn't wait until the mating season was over. He knew that wouldn't stop his masters' so-called 'nightly activities', but the uncontrollable urges that the season brought would reduce greatly, then they could actually focus on Naraku again.

"Master Jaken?"

Jaken shook his head. "That is none of your business!"

Lucretia sighed. Why was Jaken so impatient with Rin? She was only curious. "They go do grownup things." He told her.

"Grownup things?" Rin repeated. "Oh, this is one of those things Rin won't understand until she's older, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Ok."

Kael, who had been listening in on the conversation resisted the urge to sigh in relief. He didn't want to have to explain to Rin about mating yet, not for a very long time.

Taking his eyes off his ward, he settled them on his beautiful mate. He still couldn't believe that Naraku had managed to create a goddess like her. And she was entirely his. He would never get enough of her. In fact, he couldn't wait for tonight when they would sneak away. Just the two of them.

Just the two of them. The thought brought forth frown. As much as he enjoyed their moments alone, he couldn't help but worry about Rin and the others while he and Naevia were away. But mating season made him unable to resist his mate and vice versa.

"Lord Kael, look! Look!" Rin cried.

Kael managed to tear his gaze away from his wind-demon long enough to see what Rin was pointing to. Up in the sky were five of Naraku's poisonous insects.

"Saimyōshō." He murmured.

"Those damn bugs." Naevia seethed. "No doubt they're up to no good."

"Do you think they can lead us to Naraku?" asked Jaken.

"They won't." said Lucretia, wishing he could slay the insects. "With Akago gone, Naraku will be more cautious. The Saimyōshō won't go back to Naraku while we're following."

Naevia plucked the feather from her hair. "Then there is no reason to keep them alive. I'll deal with them."

Kael was reluctant to let his mate go off on her own, but he knew better than to stop her. Naevia held the deepest hatred for Naraku, along with anyone who willingly worked for him.

The Saimyōshō immediately flew away as Naevia went after them. She had wanted to swat some of Naraku's pesky insects for the longest time. So many times there had been things she wanted to do but was unable to because those damn bugs were watching her, always watching her.

"Dance of Blades!"

The Saimyōshō were sliced to pieces. Naevia smirked in satisfaction. "That felt good." She said.

She laid back on her feather, staring up at the sky. She felt happy, which was an emotion she very rarely felt while under Naraku's control. But that bastard no longer could make her do what he wanted. She was free, as free as the wind. And it had been all thanks to Kael.

'Who would have thought that I would end up here?' she thought, with a sigh.

The wind blew gently, carrying a certain scent with it. Naevia's eyes snapped open as she recognized the scent.

"Well, well, this is a pleasant surprise." She said. "Who would have thought I would run into them here."

She sat up and directed her feather towards the source of the scent. This was going to be fun.

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"Kagome!" the little fox-demon, Shippo, cried. "Inuyasha is being mean to me! Make him sit!"

The half-demon turned fearfully to priestess from the future. "Kagome, wait!"

"Sit boy!"

Thump!

The rosary beads reacted to the word of submission, pulling Inuyasha to the ground. He pulled his face out of the dirt, glaring at the girl responsible for his pain.

"Why do you do this to me?" he growled.

Kagome folded her arms and turned her chin up. "Well, you shouldn't have been making fun of Shippo."

Inuyasha was on his feet, looking furious. "Oh, like he never teased me about my love life."

"Inuyasha, Shippo is but a child." The monk known as Miroku told him. "He has a right to have some fun."

"Besides," said Miroku's fiancée, Sango, the demon slayer, "I think Shippo and his knew girlfriend are really cute together."

Shippo blushed, making Kagome chuckle at the coloring in his face. "Oh, Shippo, don't be embarrassed. You and Souten are absolutely adorable together."

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Keh, did you forget that she wanted to kill him when they first met?"

Kagome merely c****d her head to the side. "So, you wanted to kill me when we first met."

Inuyasha ignored her comment. "And don't forget that she's the sister of the Thunder Brothers. Those guys were bad news."

"So, Kael is your brother, and he's not the nicest person in the world."

Inuyasha cut his eyes at her. "You'll say anything to make Shippo happy, won't you?"

"Pretty much." She said, smiling innocently. Inuyasha looked like he was ready to explode. "Oh, come on, Inuyasha. I make you happy too." She began rubbing his dog-ears. At first Inuyasha growled, but then he began purring. Kagome chuckled. "See, you're happy now. That's a good boy."

Inuyasha seemed to snap out of his trance and pulled away. "Hey, you know I don't like it when you treat me like a dog!"

"But your ears are so cute."

"Just stop treating me like…" 'That scent!'

Inuyasha began sniffing around, acting very much like the very thing he demanded Kagome to stop treating him as.

"What's up, Inuyasha?" asked Sango.

Inuyasha continued sniffing. "I know I've picked up this scent before. But it's changed. It smells different."

Shippo looked up to his motherly figure. "Do you sense any jewel shards, Kagome?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't." She turned to the half-demon. "Who do you smell?"

Inuyasha took a whiff of the scent again. "I think… I think it's Naevia."

"Someone say my name?" Naevia leapt off her feather, landing a short distance away from the Shikon Hunters. She gave them a smug smile. "Long time no see. How've you been?"

"It is Naevia!" Miroku gasped. "Stay back, Sango, I'll protect you!"

He threw his arm out in front of her protectively, his hand just happening to land on her breast.

Smack!

"Pervert!"

Naevia chuckled. "Some things never change." She said.

Inuyasha growled. "What are you doing here, Naevia?" He sniffed the air again. "And why is you're scent different?"

Naevia smirked. "Oh, you've noticed. I like my new scent. I no longer have Naraku's stench on me." Then she sniffed the air. "Oh, and it appears I'm not the only one with a new scent."

Both Kagome and Inuyasha blushed, the latter trying to cover up his embarrassment with anger. "Shut up! Tell us where Naraku is!"

Naevia shrugged. "Couldn't tell you." And it was true; she didn't know where the half-demon was, but she deliberately didn't give them an accurate answer, it was fun toying with them.

Sango then asked the question she desperately needed answered. "What about Lucretia?"

"He's fine."

"Where is he?" the demon slayer demanded.

Naevia frowned at her rude tone. "He's off enjoying himself."

Inuyasha growled. "Damn you." He unsheathed his sword, Tetsusaiga. "If you don't give us some answers right now I'll cut you in half!"

Naevia chuckled. "My, someone is in a bad mood today." She tapped her chin. "On second thought, you're always in a bad mood."

"Shut up!"

Inuyasha unleashed the Wind Scar. Naevia just smirked. 'The fool. He should know better than to use that attack against me. I am the wind! I have complete power over it.'

She waved her fan. The Wind Scar immediately subsided. But Inuyasha didn't let that stop him.

"Damn you. Let's see how your fan handles my sword!"

He charged at her, raising Tetsusaiga. Naevia was prepared to fight back, but it wasn't necessary. There was a flash of white and the next thing anyone knew, Inuyasha was being pressed against a tree, being held a good foot off the ground.

Naevia dropped her fighter's stance. "Aw, you spoiled my fun." She said.

Kael ignored her. All his attention was on his miserable excuse for a brother. His eyes had turned red as he resisted the urge to snap the half-demon's neck with a flick of his wrist.

"Kael?" Kagome gasped, surprised to see the demon lord. "What are you doing here?"

He ignored her as well, keeping his eyes locked on the half-demon he held. "Inuyasha, how dare you raise your sword to her." he seethed. "Neither you, nor your friends, are to ever lay a hand on Naevia."

Inuyasha struggled to pry his older brother's hand away from his throat. "What's it to you anyway? She doesn't concern you. She's just one of Naraku's underlines."

Kael's grip tightened. "You will not show my mate disrespect."

All of the Shikon Hunters', including Kilala, mouths dropped open in shock.

"What?" said Sango.

"Naevia is…" Miroku began.

"Kael's mate?" Kagome finished.

"No way!" Shippo cried.

Naevia smirked. "It took you that long to figure it out?" she mocked.

Inuyasha growled. 'Well, that explains why Naevia's scent is different, and Kael's. It's because they're mated… Wait a minute, they're mated! MATED!' "Kael, are you out of your damn mind? How could you mate her? She's Naraku's daughter!"

Kael didn't show any reaction to this in the least. "I fail to see your point."

"You're crazy!" the half-demon insisted. "Do you even know what it means to take a mate? You can only have one. You're bound to each other forever. You can't reverse this even if one of you dies."

"This Kael is aware of the results of taking a mate." Kael replied. "However, before you judge my decision, you should take a look at yours." He finally took his eyes off Inuyasha to look at Kagome. "You, like Father, took a human as a mate." He turned back to his brother. "A foolish decision. Are you aware that you will outlive her for by least half a century? Are you aware that your children will be less than half-breeds? Are you aware that the mating of a priestess and a creature with demon blood is looked down upon even more than the mating of a demon and a regular human?"

Inuyasha growled. "Don't question my decision!"

"And do not question mine." Kael told him. He tightened his grip. "Especially when I am a second away from ending your miserable life."

Naevia walked over to her mate and land a hand on his shoulder. "Now, now, Kael, don't be too hard on him."

"He threatened you." Kael growled.

Naevia shrugged. "You know what he's like."

"What's that mean?" Inuyasha demanded.

Kael ignored his brother. "Such an act cannot go unpunished."

Naevia sighed. "Fine then, kill him. But before you do, think about Rin and Lucretia."

This seemed to catch Kael's attention. "What of them?"

Naevia shook her head. "Well, your brother is friends with Lucretia's sister. And your brother's mate is close friends with Rin. So if you kill him, his friends will be upset, thus making Lucretia and Rin upset with you for upsetting them."

Kael growled softly, but his mate did have a point. Perhaps he could kill his brother then bring him back with Tenseiga.

"Let me go!" Inuyasha shouted.

"Please, be quiet." Kael growled. He dropped the half-demon, letting him sink to the floor. "Inuyasha, I will spare you this time, on the condition that you never speak disrespectfully to my mate again. If you do, then I will claim your life."

Inuyasha rubbed his neck. "Yeah, whatever." 'Maybe this is just a bad dream.'

"And you are to apologize."

"WHAT?"

Naevia smirked. 'Oh, this is going to be good.'

"There is no way in hell that I'm apologizing to her!"

Kagome sighed. "Inuyasha, just do it." She said, wanting to avoid further fighting.

"What?" Inuyasha cried. "Why should I?"

"Because I'll subdue you nonstop until you do!"

Inuyasha paled at her threat. He knew she would do it too. So he could either apologize to his new sister-in-law, 'AHHH! MY SISTER-IN-LAW!' or get 'sat' into oblivion. It was a very difficult decision.

Inuyasha's face worked furiously as he tried to form the words. It wasn't easy. He'd rather face ten Narakus than apologize. This was harder than wielding the Tetsusaiga when it was extra heavy.

"I-I'm s-s-s-so-sor-or-r-ry."

Naevia raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"I said, I'm s-sorry."

"One more time."

"I SAID I WAS SORRY!" he shouted to the heavens.

Naevia smirked. "Well, since you were so nice about it, I guess I'll forgive you."

Inuyasha growled, looking ready to tear the wind-demon to pieces. Kagome saw this and quickly stepped in. "Naevia, we know that you want Naraku dead, so could you tell us where he is."

Naevia shook her head. "Sorry, I wish I could, but I really don't know where he is. I haven't since I betrayed him. Trust me, if I knew where he was hiding, I'd be over there right now paying him back for all the misery he put us through."

"But what about my brother?" asked Sango, desperate for information on her lost sibling.

Naevia gave her a smile. "I told you, he's perfectly fine. Better than fine." A familiar scent hit her nose. "In fact, why don't you see for yourself."

Naevia nodded up. Ah-Un was coming in for a landing. Jaken, Lucretia, and Rin were riding on his back.

"Milord, here you are." Said Jaken. "You left so suddenly that you didn't even say where you were going."

"Kagome!" Rin cried happily, rushing to hug the priestess. "Rin is so happy to see you again."

Kagome patted the girl's head. "I'm happy to see you too, Rin."

Rin giggled. "Look who Rin has with her!" she cried, pointing to Lucretia.

But Lucretia wasn't paying any attention to Rin. His gaze was fixed on Sango, who was staring back at him with a similar expression.

"K-Lucretia?" she whispered.

"Sister." Lucretia replied, indicating that he recognized her.

That one word was enough to break the trance the elder sibling was in. She dropped her Hiraikotsu and ran to him, enveloping her brother in a tight hug.

"Lucretia!" she cried, tears of joy running down her face.

Lucretia hugged her back tightly. "Sister."

Naevia gave the two an envious look. "I wish I had that kind of relationship with my siblings."

Sango held her brother tightly. "Oh, Lucretia, I missed you so much."

"Sango, forgive me." Lucretia said. He too was crying.

"No!" Sango shouted. "Don't you start blaming yourself even for a second! It was all Naraku's doing! You were a victim! A victim! I'm just glad to have you back."

Lucretia managed a small smile. "I have Naevia to thank for that."

Sango released her brother long enough to give the wind-demon a look of surprise. "You helped him?"

Naevia shrugged. "We were in a similar predicament."

Lucretia nodded. "We were. Naraku had Naevia's heart, and was forcing her to do his bidding."

Kagome gasped. "I never knew that." She said. "That's terrible!"

Miroku nodded in agreement. "Naraku will resort to anything. He uses people in the cruelest of ways."

At Miroku's words, Kagome suddenly realized something. "The jewel shard in Lucretia's back! It's gone!"

"What?" Sango gasped. She turned her brother around, feeling for the jewel shard in his back. But she realized that Kagome was right. There was only a small scar from where the shard used to be. "It is gone. But how?"

"Kael saved me." Lucretia explained.

Sango blinked. "Kael?" She looked at the demon lord in disbelief.

Kael gave her a dark look. "Do not look into this. I do things for my own reason."

Rin giggled. "Oh, Lord Kael, you're such a kidder." She turned to Sango. "Lord Kael used the Tenseiga to bring him back after the jewel was removed."

"Where's the jewel now?" Inuyasha demanded.

Rin frowned. "Byakuya has it."

Inuyasha looked confused. "Who the hell is Byakuya?"

"Inuyasha, watch your language!" Kagome snapped.

"He's Naraku's newest incarnation." Lucretia replied.

Inuyasha growled. "Great, now Naraku has another jewel shard."

"Actually, since Lucretia was under Naraku's control, the jewel shard was technically in his possession the whole time." said Shippo.

"Shut up!"

Pow!

"Ow! Kagome, Inuyasha hit me!"

"Inuyasha…"

The half-demon looked terrified. "No, not again."

He quickly laid down on his stomach, hoping to lessen the pain to come.

"Sit!"

Thump!

"Is that anyway to treat your mate?" he shouted.

Rin beamed at Kagome. "You're Inuyasha's mate?" she asked.

Kagome blushed. "Um, yeah."

Rin squealed happily. "Then you're Rin's Aunt Kagome!" She began hopping up and down, circling around Kagome as she chanted, "Aunt Kagome! Aunt Kagome! Aunt Kagome!"

Kael was getting bored with all this. "It is time to take our leave. Let's go."

"Right behind you." said Naevia.

Rin waved goodbye to the others. "Bye, everyone! Bye, Aunt Kagome!"

The only one who stayed behind was Lucretia. He was torn two ways. He was finally reunited with his sister, and now Kael expected him to leave her. Sometimes Kael was still a cold-hearted individual.

Noticing that he wasn't following, Rin turned to Lucretia. "What's wrong, Lucretia?" she asked.

Lucretia looked nervous, looking back and forth between Rin and Sango. "I… um…" He lowered his head.

Sango held her brother tightly. "It's ok, Lucretia. I told you that you have nothing to worry about. We're together again. I won't let Naraku hurt you anymore."

Kael stopped walking and turned back to Lucretia. "Are you coming?" he asked coldly. He wasn't about to give up the boy. He had already given the boy his blessings to be with Rin, and he wasn't going to let him walk away.

Before Lucretia could answer, Sango spoke up. "We'll take care of him now. I can't thank you enough, Kael. You gave me back my brother."

Rin looked very unhappy at the thought of Lucretia not coming with her. "Lucretia?"

The boy turned to her. She looked close to tears. He couldn't stand to see her so upset. Sighing, he turned to his sister. "I'm sorry, Sango. But I can't go with you."

Sango looked shocked. "What? Why not? Lucretia, if this is about when Naraku controlled you-"

"It's not that." He interrupted. "I have to go with them."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Why would you want to go with them of all people?"

"I have to stay with Rin." Lucretia explained.

Miroku nodded, thinking he understood. "I think I know what the problem is. Lucretia, if it is Rin's safety you're concerned about, you need not worry. She is perfectly safe with Kael. He alone is very powerful, and now Naevia is with him. Rin will be fine."

Lucretia shook his head. "No, it's not just to protect her. You see… well…" 'Oh boy, here it comes. How is she going to react to this?' "Rin is sort of… my fiancée."

There was a pregnant silence as this information sunk in.

"Your fiancée?" the Shikon Hunters cried.

Lucretia turned beet red as Rin nodded happily. "His fiancée! That's me!"

"What do you mean she's your fiancée?" Sango demanded.

Lucretia nervously rubbed the back of his head. "I sort of agreed to marry her when we're the proper age."

Inuyasha cut his eyes. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of."

"No, it's adorable!" Kagome cried, with stars in her eyes. "You two are so cute together!"

"They're kids!" Inuyasha pointed out.

Miroku nodded. "He has a point. They are rather young."

Shippo cut his eyes at the monk. "Really? And just how many girls under 14 did you promise to marry when they grew up?"

Miroku sweat-dropped. "Um, that was nothing. Sango is my one and only love." He said, laughing nervously.

"Who cares if they're young?" said Kagome. "It's not like they're getting married right now. People get betrothed at young ages all the time. The important thing is that they love each other." She looked at Lucretia and Rin. "You guys do love each other, right?"

Rin's head bobbled up and down as Lucretia nodded nervously. Sango looked back and forth between the two, trying to digest the situation. Finally she sighed and smiled. "We'll as long as you're happy." She said.

Rin hugged Lucretia's arm. "We are, Sister Sango."

Sango blinked. "Sister?"

Rin nodded. "Yup. Lady Sango is Rin's sister now too."

Once she got over her surprise by being addressed as 'sister', Sango gave the girl a smile. "Yes, I guess I am." She said, and hugged the girl.

Kael's finger tapped at his side impatiently. "If you are through, can we be on our way?" He for one didn't know the joy of having a sibling he got along with.

Rin nodded. "Coming, Lord Kael!" She looked at Lucretia, not releasing his arm. "Lucretia?"

The demon slayer paused for a moment. "Yeah, I'm coming." He gave Sango one last hug. "Goodbye, sister. I'll see you again soon."

Sango embraced him tightly. "I'm happy for you." she said. "And I'm glad you're alright."

Lucretia smiled. "Thank you."

"Lucretia, Rin, we are leaving." Kael said in a final tone.

"Coming." Said Lucretia, releasing his sister. "Goodbye."

That was it. He was leaving her again. He was sad about it, but also happy and relieved that his sister didn't hate him. Rin gave him a curious look, wondering if he regretted his decision to stay with her.

"Lucretia, are you happy with Rin?" she asked.

Lucretia looked surprised. When he saw her worried face, he gave her a smile. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

Rin beamed and hugged his arm tightly. "Rin is so happy!"

As the two rejoined Kael and the others, Sango watched them leave as her friends eyed her worriedly.

"Sango, are you ok?" asked Kagome carefully.

The demon slayer wiped her eyes and smiled at her friends. "Yes, I'm happy knowing that he is no longer under Naraku's control."