Inu Yasha let Catriona slide off his back gently as they came to a stop outside the tall walls of what appeared to be a large fort. Inu Yasha looked up at the towers that over-looked the lands & cleared his throat. �Is anyone up there?� He hollered, looking back & forth slowly between towers.
�State your name & business for being here!� Shouted a voice from the left tower, but when Catriona searched for the source of the voice, there was no one in sight.
�Kowagaru, is that you?� Inu Yasha questioned loudly. �It�s Inu Yasha; I wanted to come see how you & your village were doing.�
Catriona watched as a man appeared over a ledge, waving down at them. -Weird people...- She thought as she sighed softly as a wind blew against her from behind, making her hair dance around her head.
�Give us a couple of minutes to have the gates opened for you Lord Inu Yasha,� the one called Kowagaru hollered down then turned around & rung a bell loudly six times.
After the last of the six rings, a commotion was heard behind the gates & a woman appeared over the ledge of the right guard tower. �Lord Inu Yasha,� she hollered. �How is the weather from where you come?�
�Fuseijitsu!� Inu Yasha hollered, a smile coming to his face. �Last night we got a little bit of rain, & then oddly enough it was followed directly by snow.�
�Rain, then snow?! That�s very odd indeed! Who is the woman with you?� She hollered, nodding in Catriona�s direction.
�She is my friend, Catriona,� Inu Yasha replied as the gates opened up to reveal a slightly large crowd waiting for them within. �Meet me in your hut tonight; I want to talk to you about something!�
When Fuseijitsu waved an okay to Inu Yasha, he walked inside with Catriona by his side, her hand in his; as if to give her a comforting reminder he was there with her. He heard Catriona sigh softly as they walked through the crowd of people in the direction of the elder�s hut. �Are you okay so far?� He asked her.
She nodded. �I�m fine,� she answered, although it was a lie. She hadn�t been alright since she found out this morning that Totosai, the youkai she�d had a long conversation with just last night, wanted her & Inu Yasha to leave the caves simply because she was pregnant with Inu Yasha�s child. �It isn�t fair that I have to be away from an already familiar cave just because I�m unwillingly pregnant�- She thought.
When they came to a stop outside an old looking hut, Inu Yasha walked inside, leaving her alone where people took a moment to stare at the new-comer who had come here with their protector. This wasn�t bothering her; until the murmurs & hushes whispers settled in & people began looking away from her, talking to those who they were walking with.
-What is going on with this village?- She thought.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
�Inu Yasha, it is so good to see you,� spoke the elder of the village as she clasped his hands within his own. �You have been away from us for so long that we thought something had happened to you. You are alright, then?�
�I am fine, elder Hoshi,� Inu Yasha answered, bowing his head in respect. �Has your village had any problems while I was gone?�
�Nothing our men couldn�t handle,� she laughed softly before limping over to her tea that she left to brew long enough to greet her guest. �Might I ask what business took you away from us for so long?�
�My brother, Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands, once ruled by our great father, Lord Isamu, needed me to relay a message to Koga of the Eastern ookami pack. It took a little longer than I expected it to. But when I intended to return to your village to check on you & your people, I received word from Koga that my brother�s mate needed me.�
�Your brother has a mate?� Hoshi gasped softly since the idea sounded far-fetched to her. She knew Sesshomaru�s reputation & had never expected to hear that he had taken a mate.
Inu Yasha nodded. �Her name is Catriona Delaney; she comes from a land across the seas that only she & my old friend, Kagome, can get to. She was trained to speak out language & is quite fluent with it, since she speaks it a majority of the time. Is there anything you need me to explain so far?�
�No, Lord Inu Yasha, continue with your tale.�
He nodded his head slightly. �As I was saying, Catriona met my brother when she got separated from me & my traveling group one night & they fell in love.�
�Pardon me for interrupting, Lord Inu Yasha, but I take it she is a powerful youkai then? That is, if Lord Sesshomaru has mated to her, then she must be.�
�Actually, elder Hoshi, she is a pure-blooded ningen.�
�Are you serious? Then, why would he choose her as his mate after what happened in his life?�
�Love makes you do crazy things�� He shrugged. �Anyway, they had a son together, Prince Isamu, who was born a hanyou, & because of this, Sesshomaru asked Catriona to leave behind the life she knows in her country, to be with him in our country. But so she wouldn�t make a mistake & choose yes when she should have chosen no, or vise versa, she asked to spend time away from him to think of her options� That is why I was sent to Koga.�
�To ask if she could stay with him until she thought of what her decision would be.�
�Right� But during her stay with Koga, Isamu was bitten by a snake youkai & died; that�s why I was called to Koga�s. I�m her friend & she needed me. I convinced her to come here with me so we could spend some time together before Sesshomaru can come for her.�
�Why would he need to come for her? Does he not trust you, or Koga, to return her to him?�
�It�s not that. Have you heard of Lord Mottomorashii of the Eastern Inu Youkai?� When Hoshi nodded, he said, �A few days after Catriona left Sesshomaru�s Lands, Lord Mottomorashii started a battle with him & he has been fighting it ever since. That was when the winds were starting to show signs of cold & there wasn�t even a snow cloud in the sky.�
�I have heard of this battle you speak of,� Hoshi spoke before taking a sip of her tea. �Would you like some, Lord Inu Yasha?�
�No, I�m fine� Do you mind if I invite Catriona in here? I�ve left her outside this entire time.�
�Oh, but of course.�
Inu Yasha rose to his feet & went to the doorway, poking his head out. He smiled when he saw Catriona standing there, looking around; but his smile faded when he noticed she seemed nervous about something, but all the scents mingling around her made it hard to find the most recent one or at least one that might have upset her. �Are you alright Catriona?�
She snapped her head in his direction & nodded. �What�s going on in there?�
�I�m telling the elder of the village, Hoshi, about you & why I have you here with me,� he answered. �You can come in now if you want to.�
Catriona nodded & walked inside without even saying anything & smiled at the old woman that rose to greet her. �Hello,� she smiled, bowing her head in respect to the old woman. �Thank you for allowing me to enter your home, elder Lady Hoshi.�
�It is a pleasure,� Hoshi replied, bowing her head in return to Catriona�s own bow. �Lord Inu Yasha told me about you & I am grateful that you bring such a sparkle into his eyes. You must be a very special ningen woman to bring a sparkle to Lord Inu Yasha�s eyes, & to have captured the heart of the great Lord Sesshomaru.�
Catriona blushed deeply as she looked at the elder. �Your compliment touches me deeply elder Hoshi.�
Hoshi sat down where she was once before & motioned for Inu Yasha & Catriona to sit down, which they did, before she smiled at Catriona once more. �Would you like some tea dear?� She offered.
�Of course,� Catriona nodded.
Inu Yasha noticed that as Catriona took the tea from Hoshi, her hands shook slightly. �Catriona, is something wrong?� He asked.
Catriona looked at him & shook her head. �No, I�m just a little nervous with being in a still new to me village,� she answered, lying to him through her teeth. �I�m sure I�ll be fine once I�ve settled down.�