Chained: In More Ways Than One
Mission
***
Sesshoumaru had been having some problems with a virgin eating demon on the eastern border to his lands. Whenever he would get even close to it; the stupid thing would sense him and retreat back into the Eastern lands. As he was Lord of the Western lands he knew he could not venture there without asking permission from the council elder, or, the Eastern lord himself.
As Sesshoumaru wasn’t on very good terms with the Eastern Lord he quickly decided a trip to the elders was in order. He had sent a letter ahead to the council dictating that he would be dropping in to discuss a potential border dispute. He couldn’t well let a virgin eating demon keep running around amuck in his lands or else he might have no virgins left. This leads us, to his current predicament.
***
(Demon Council Headquarters)
“Announcing, entrance of Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands.”
Sesshoumaru walked into the council chamber to find the elder sitting on a throne with his advisors to the left and right of him. He really resented having to ask for help but this demon was causing him a lot of paper work. There was nothing that he hated more than paper work. Except maybe his loud mouth hanyou little brother.
The elder had the most say in demon politics because he had lived so long and had the most life experience. He was an owl demon. No body really knew how old the elder was for he had lost count himself long ago.
“Remind me again why you have called this meeting” said the elder with a cackled voice, as he squinted at the letter Sesshoumaru had sent previously. Wisdom was not the only thing that comes with old age; bad eye sight, as well as memory loss.
“This Sesshoumaru wishes to ask permission to venture into the Eastern lands to slay a virgin eating demon, which has been terrorizing human villages in my lands near the border.”
“I think you are in the wrong place. This should have been brought to the attention of the Eastern lord, not the councils.”
“I am not on very good terms with Lord… I was hoping you could contact him for me and inform him of my dilemma.” The whole point of the demon council was to keep peace between the four lords and be the mutual party.
The elder narrowed his eyes and looked a little put out for a second. Sesshoumaru couldn’t help but feel the erg to shift his feet. For only the elder could make someone who was centuries old feel like a young pup again.
The elder leaned back in his chair and signaled with his hand for his advisors to come closer. They started to whisper so that even Sesshoumaru’s advanced demon hearing could only pick up on a scarce few words but of which made no sense to him.
All a sudden one of the advisors suggested something and all the others stilled.
Sesshoumaru suddenly felt like his coming here was a bad idea and that he would let the demon eat all the virgins he wanted as long as he wasn’t in in current location. For after the shock look left the elders face, a predatory evil grin replaced it which was sent in his direction.
“We have anonymously decided, that the council will take care of your problem, but for our services, we wish to send you on a simple mission.” Sesshoumaru had a suspicious feeling from the way the elder said it.
“May I ask what this mission is?” Sesshoumaru was still on the fence of the issue and that there was an underlying secrete they weren’t telling him.
“We want you to fetch a person for us and return them to this council.”
“Who is this person?” Sesshoumaru said trying to keep a sigh from his voice. He knew this was going to be harder than it sounded.
“You should know them; she travels with your brother.” And there would be the reason to be suspicious.
Sesshoumaru had to think for a minute and check off his brothers companions in his mind. As far as he knew his half brother traveled with only two females if he didn’t count the fire cat. Their was the frustrating indecently dressed Miko who refused to die, and the demon slayer. So he quickly came to the conclusion of which one they wanted.
“You mean the demon slayer?” Adding in his mind ‘for what could they want with a clumsy Miko’.
“No, the other one.” The elder corrected him in an amused tone.
“You want me to fetch my brothers Miko?” He actually had to try to remove the surprised from his voice.
“Precisely.”
“What purpose would she serve you?” Sesshoumaru asked in a confused tone.
“She is the reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo and has inherited her very powerful Miko powers as well as the abilities to sense the jewel shards. Figure it out yourself.”
“If it’s so simple, why do you want me to do it?”
“We the council, have been contemplating how to accomplish this for a while now. We find this the perfect opportunity to accomplish it. You know your broth...”
“Half brother.” Sesshoumaru received a glare from the elders advisors for cutting him off to add his correction.
“…Half brother and his attacks and have been in close contact with the target. It should be simple enough for the great Lord Sesshoumaru to handle a simple ordinary young woman.” To him it felt like they were mocking him and calling him a coward. And no Inu could stand being called a coward.
Sesshoumaru wanted to contradict the elder. That is no simple Miko and she can cause a lot of trouble without putting any effort into it. But thought better of it. He decided it best that he try. Hey maybe he could even bug his brother a little bit.
“This Sesshoumaru accepts your mission.” The elders grin widened.
“That is great news to hear. To help you get the Miko back hear we have an item for you.”
The elder reached into his robes pocket and pulled out a long silver chain. He stood and walked across the room and handed it to Sesshoumaru.
“What purpose can this serve me? It is but a simple chain.”
“Awe, to the eyes it is at first but it is so much more. This chain has magical properties. All one must do is tie it on the wrist of another and they will not be able to remove it. Also if you tie it around your own wrist she will not be able to harm you with her Miko powers”.
“You want me to chain myself to a Miko?” The elder and his advisors shook their heads in unison. He thought they were crazy, but then he realized they weren’t just crazy but also old.
“How am I to remove it?” Sesshoumaru had to know what his escape root was.
“Only the chains master can.”
He accepted that answer as ‘only he can’ and didn’t contemplate it no more. He bowed to the elder and decidedly, took his leave. Sesshoumaru thought it best to start his mission straight away and get it over with.
The elder retook his seat and dismissed his advisors with a flick of his wrist. As the door closed behind them a figure appeared behind the elder in the shadows.
“Do you think we should have lied to him?” Asked the worried elder to the shadowed figure.
***