Tertium Non Datur by PhoenixBlade

A Half Does Not Equal A Whole

I didn't intend to write this story... but its been pestering me since last week and I just had to write it... really bad!  I was hoping to make it into an uber long oneshot... but that wasn't gonna work well... so here it is, a chapter story. Yay... Not really. *groans* Not another one... *sighs dejectedly* I'll get to updating Snow Pearl soon... and I'm also in the works of rewriting a previous story of mine that went on hiatus once upon a time ago...

Anyway, the title of the story is Latin and translated, it means "A Third Not Given".  Actually, the meaning is somewhere along the lines of "Take It Or Leave It"... but I prefer "A Third Not Given" so I'm going with that. (I don't know latin by the way. It just looked kinda cool so many apologies to you Latin-knowers out there!)

I hope you enjoy this...and review...?

~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`~

 Chapter 1: A Half Does Not Equal A Whole

by PhoenixBlade

~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`~

Disclaimer: There will be some stuff in here not for little kiddies. Some language, violence, mature stuff maybe, maybe some dark stuff and some angst.  Not sure what'll come yet actually, but when it comes, it'll come...and I'll come back and edit this...

~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`~

“Just a little bit farther!” Kagome grunted out between pants, hoping that it sounded more motivational than tired.

She looked behind her, feeling her heart sank at the sight she saw.  Tired and fatigued men and women dragged their weary bodies slowly behind her, some carrying the injured with them.  Though it was her most earnest wish to let them rest, they were pressed for time.  There was danger everywhere and anywhere.  There had been several assassination attempts that she had wormed some of the entourage out of (the others had been killed sadly), especially that of their important person whom she had to protect, a ningen diplomat who was being sent to youkai lands to negotiate and discuss peace.  If they did not reach the place she had in mind by sundown, she did not know what would happen to everyone, especially to the diplomat.

She grabbed onto the hilt of her sword, gripping it in hopes of lessening the unease of the situation they were in and another that she knew would soon come.  Her eyes moved to the carriage carrying a few occupants, one of which was the most important figure of her mission.

“How fares Akitoki-sama?” she asked Kaede, the old miko, once her mentor, now an aging healer for the House of Akitoki.

The wise woman looked up from where she sat in carriage and let out a deep sigh that made Kagome apprehensive.

“Milord’s condition grows worse by the minute.  How much farther be this place ye speak of? I fear for milord if we be too late…” she answered, shaking her head.

Kagome suddenly let out a shuddering sigh, not knowing that she had held her breath.  Her eyes swept over the shivering figure of the wounded lord.  His condition was getting worse.  This would not do, no; it would not do well at all.  They only had a limited amount of time left, but she knew that they would soon arrive at the place.

The faint rustling of the trees above her took her attention and she stopped, hand ready to draw out her blade.  Everyone else stopped when she rose her hand, unsure and deathly afraid at her pause.  She waited on baited breath when no more was heard.  A slight grin graced her mouth

“Worry not, sensei,” she answered, letting her hands drop, “we are almost there.”

 ~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`~

The Lord of the West was staring at the worn bow that adorned the wall beside his father’s sword, the Tessaiga.  It was made of sturdy wood and tough hide.  Truly, it was nothing to look at as many ningen bows looked the same, even similar to those of common youkai bows… but this particular one held something of a special quality to it, something that made his heart wrench and break.  Why did it hurt so much to look upon this single object that looked to be of no interest to a passerby at all?  Why did he come to this room, a room meant specifically for training and meditation, only to do neither of the two, but to look upon the two items that made him hate and ache?

His eyes moved over to the sword lying upon the pedestal.  He reached out his hand to touch the sword, feeling flawlessness of it.  Flawless; meaning that it was in perfect condition, undamaged, and never been used.  Anger surged through him, and he was inches away from grabbing the damned thing and chucking it at the nearest wall, but restrained himself.  It had been a gift from his father, a father who abandoned his family and his lands to lay with a ningen and have a hanyou with her.  The cursed sword had been presented to him by his father on the day of his ascension to the title of Lord of the West, yet it was a dull and pointless blade.  It was trash, like his father and his new family.  Though his father now sat upon a seat among the council of elders, he wished to have nothing to do with the former youkai lord.  

Tearing his eyes away from it, he returned to the bow on the wall.  The anger from moments ago lessened, but did not go away.  Now, it was joined with pain, a pain that stemmed from a broken heart. It was a pain that had been unfamiliar with him until he had met her, his mate and the mother of his beautiful daughter and healthy young son… but she had left him.  She had said nothing to him until she was simply gone when he returned from patrolling his lands.  All that was left of her was a letter on their bed, a letter full of apologies; apologies that did nothing to assuage the pain in his heart.  He needed her, not a damnable letter to tell him why she had to leave!

A muffle from behind the doors to the dojo tore him from his painful thoughts.

“Speak!” he barked.  He had no patience today.

There was a slight hesitation, but the guard behind the doors spoke, “There was a group of ningens that some of the scouts found in the forest.  Their leader asked us to escort them here.  They are currently waiting inside the gates and... their leader wishes to speak with you.”

Ningens?  He wanted nothing to do with them!

He scowled, “Ningens? Why would you let ningens into my home? Throw them out!  I wish to have nothing to do with ningens.”

The guard hesitated again, seemingly more so after Sesshoumaru’s show of disgust in the word ningen.

“Sesshoumaru-sama, the leader insists that she speak with you,” he reiterated to him.

He let loose a growl.  Truly, did someone wish to die today by his hands? If they wished to meet their deaths at his hands, he would be all too willing to end their life!

Wait… she?

“woman? Why would an woman wish to speak to me?” he spat.

Since his mate had left, women from all over the youkai lands came to him to seek his bed or his hand in marriage.  He had no patience left for them, no matter what they were, ningen or youkai.

Again, the guard hesitated.

“Speak!” he snarled.

Yet again the guard hesitated, but a sudden bark sent the words stumbling from his mouth, though only barely a whisper.  Yet as soon as the name left his mouth, the doors were flung open and the guard was thrown to the floor from a sudden and violent gust of wind.  When he got his bearings back, he looked up.  His lord was gone.

 ~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`~

Kagome watched as the youkai servants of the large estate helped the injured and the weary.  One of the youkai guards held his hand out to Kaede as she slowly made her way down the carriage.  She felt her unease lessen a bit, but it did nothing to calm her as she knew that the lord of the estate would come barreling down for answers.  He could, quite possibly, order the guards to throw her and the others out, but she had to stand her ground. 

They were on a mission and were still being targeted for assassination.  They needed a place to lay low for a while.  Though she managed to save some of the entourage and the diplomat from their pursuers, it would do them no good to continue to their destination with wounded people.  Every single one of them, she had slain, but it would only be a matter of time before the people, who wanted them dead, were able to sniff out where they were.

She suddenly felt a large wave of youki wash over her, sending chills down her spine and her hair stand on end.  She closed her eyes as it pushed and pulled against her own powers.  Her powers rose to meet the challenge, but she held it back and instead submitted to its weight.  Despite the fearsomeness of its ferocity and awesome power, she reveled in its familiarity.  How long had it been since she had been embraced by this power?

She could feel him, his presence as it was in one area and suddenly shifted to another, that being… in front of her

Opening her eyes, she was met with the figure of a tall male standing not more than a few feet from her, dressed in a simple yet stylish kimono that was white and had few designs of sakura upon it.  She held her breath as he stared back at her, his eyes as a vibrant gold as she remembered it, though it was hard and cold, perhaps because of her.  She took in his hair, still long and a silky silver color.  Her eyes traced his pointy ears, very un-ningen-like but she had loved caressing them at one point.  His skin was still as pale as before and marred with the marks that spoke of his noble and youkai lineage; magenta lines lining his cheeks and a blue crescent moon laid upon his forehead.  He was still beautiful, still breathtaking, still the same…almost.

They stood there, staring at one another, neither knowing what to say as conflicting emotions filled the air.  The servants, youkai and ningen stood watching their leaders, feeling anxious from the tension that spoke volumes in the air, but none daring to speak in fear of the wrath and fury of the youkai lord.

Knowing well of the silent examination of the youkai lord, Kagome looked down in submission, closed her eyes and sighed.  The youkai lord did not move or speak until she opened her eyes and gave him a very small smile, full of warmth and sadness.

“Hello Sesshoumaru. How have you been?”

The youkai lord said nothing, for he knew not what to say.  He wanted to scream obscenities at her and demand to know why she had returned after she had broken his heart with her abrupt departure.  Yet another part of him wanted to embrace her fully in his arms, taking in her sweet scent and enjoying the softness of her body against his once more.  Fates be damned, he had missed her… but he felt like unleashing the fury of hell upon her for leaving him and their children.

For a long while, Sesshoumaru merely glared at her.  Those ningens who knew how to wield a blade and held Kagome in great esteem reached for their swords, wary that the youkai lord would tear her head off.  The youkai guards flexed their claws in anticipation of a fight as it was in their raw nature to enjoy a good fight, and these ningens seemed able to fulfill that wish.  However, wariness and anticipation was slid aside when the youkai lord finally spoke.

“Woman, what is your purpose for coming here?” he asked-no-demanded her, words which were seething with unspoken resentment and rage.

The youkai lord had always been a blunt man, direct and straight-to-the point…it was also a point of his that she had loved.

Before she could speak, Kaede interrupted.

“Kagome.  Sesshoumaru-sama.  Apologies, but his condition grows worse by the minute! We must tend to him immediately!” she pressed.

Kagome nodded and before Sesshoumaru could speak, she ordered the youkai guards to help the unconscious diplomat off the carriage, of which they complied.  She returned her gaze to him, but his eyes were still watching the scene with the injured man before him.

“Who is that man?” he asked with a slight curiosity and disdain in his voice.

“Akitoki-sama,” she replied and turned to look back at the scene taking place, “he is the ningen diplomat sent to negotiate peace between the youkai and ningens.”

The youkai lord said nothing, but she knew that he knew what she was talking about.

“I am traveling with him as his guard…” she started to say, unsure of what to say next.

When he made no attempt to have her continue, she spoke, though her voice had soften some.

“...and as his wife.”

 ~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,`~*~,~`~

miko - priestess

ningen - human

youkai - demon

Fairly easy stuff you'd probably already know...though I might have forgotten to do a few...