Twelve Lords

by Max Jager

  Moving to sit on a cushion before him, Umarus sighed. "Well first of all we got a message from you parents. Apparently some changes that your father was doing to the Southern Shores is backed up and they are going to postpone their trip here for the full moon. They should be here for the next one."

  "And second?"

  Crossing his arms as he smiled, Umarus kept his eyes on the pup. "So you brought a friend home with you this time then?"

  Growling Kiyoshi glared up at him. It was bad enough that Yukani and Kamui started with him again that morning but now him too! "She is only here long enough for me to figure out why I couldn't make her leave with the miko. The second I know why, she is gone. She wouldn't have been here when they got here had the come on this full moon."

  With a laugh, Umarus headed for the door. Reaching it he looked over his shoulder and winked at him. "I think she is going to end up staying here a lot longer than you seem to think pup."

  "Just get out." Once he was gone, Kiyoshi growled as he pulled another scroll from the pile. "It is what it is. I hate all humans and that includes her. There is no way I care about her and no one will leave me alone about it."

  But no matter how hard he tried to focus on work, he found himself keeping track of where she was and who she was with as she would move around with his sister. Wondering constantly if she was alright. It was almost like he worried about her like he would if she was his daughter. 'But she is a human girl and I am who I am. There is no way that I could care about there.'

  Leaving his study he sighed as he followed his nose to find her in the garden with Yukani eating by the koi pond. Once again shook to his core as he was able to relax and smile. He could see she was just fine smiling and laughing with his sister.

  Turning and headed back to his study he shook his head as he let out another sigh. 'I have to figure out what it is so I can avoid it and send her on her way. She can't stay much longer or I will never be able to send her away. I do care about her. Like a pup. But I can't let it go any further than it is.'

  X

  Late that night, Kiyoshi found himself sitting in Imae's room with a smile on his face as he watched her sleeping in the bed. Just being near her seemed to bring him a feeling of pure peace. Something he enjoyed and didn't know for sure if he was going to get on a day to day basis. Especially with the fact that in a matter of years Motoichi would be starting his war.

  Leaving her room after he reaches out and brushes her bangs from her eyes, Kiyoshi smiled. Somehow that little girl had actually wiggled her way into his heart. A heart that was cold as ice against all humans for so long. But she was there and he couldn't send her away.

  Before he walked into his room, he turned and gave her door a lingering look before he went in. Once inside he flopped down on his bed and looked out the window to where the nearly full moon was visible. "If she doesn't want to leave she won't. In a world where peace for any length of time is going to be nonexistent soon, someone who brings it to me just by being near is welcome. And I can't just send away."

  X

  The next afternoon, Yukani sat with Imae and couldn't help but be sucked into the stories that the little was telling. And just who she was. There was something bout her that no one could deny was special. But she did wonder why this small little girl didn't cower to her brother, but instead humans. "Imae can I ask you something?"

  Looking up with a bright smile for her, Imae nodded as she lay next to the koi pond. "You can ask me anything you want Yukani."

  Moving so that she was laying right next to her on the ground Yukani smiled. "I just wanted to know why the thought of living with other humans scares you so much."

  Her smile never leaving her face, Imae turned to look at the fish in the pond. "Well that is because of how I was treated. The humans were really mean to me because I didn't have a Mama or Papa. Papa died before Mama had me. Mama died having me. I had a big sister that took care of me, but she was killed when I was three. The village hurt me all the time. The kids too. Lord Kiyoshi didn't do that. He let me come home with him. So that is why I want to stay with him."

  "I see." Yukani dropped her head as her eyes half closed. To have went through such abuse, and still have that bright smile when in a palace full of demons. 'To have gone through all that and still be innocent and have that bright smile. She is something special alright.'

  "Yukani are you alright?"

  Sitting up and pulling Imae into her arms on her lap, Yukani giggled. "I am fine. With all you have been through I should be asking you that sweetheart."

  Hugging Yukani back Imae smiled as she laughed. "I am just fine Yukani. I have you, Kamui and Lord Kiyoshi in my life now. Why wouldn't I be alright?"

  Giggling Yukani started to tickle the girl. "That's right. You are here now and going to stay. So why wouldn't you be alright."

  Laughing as she squirmed in Yukani's arms, Imae let a chorus of giggles escape her. "Stop! Stop! I can't stand it when I am tickled like this!"

  "Oh if that is the case I need to do it more then!"

  "No more! Yukani!"

  Standing back as he watched with a longing that would have been clear to anyone in his eyes, Kamui couldn't help but smile as he watched his mate and the little girl. He knew that she would make an amazing mother when the time came for them to be parents. Laughing as Imae reached out and tickled her making her jump the get her again, Kamui shook his head. 'You will be an amazing mother one day. I just know it.'

  Making of a Lord Chapter 40

  Flying on his cloud, Kurosai let his mind wonder as he headed back to the main palace with his mate in his arms. But then just before he would have flown over the wall of the palace he stopped and stared at it in utter shock with wide eyes. "What in the hell is that?"

  Giving her mate an equally shocked look Sorae had wide eyes as well. "Why do I smell a human in there right now?"

  Looking down at Sorae for a second then back to the palace he floated down and landed in the court yard. There was a human in the palace, but it wasn't like someone coming to complain or to have council. Wat he has noticed that his mate still hasn't yet is that his son had the human smell just as strongly on him as the human had his. Stopping in the middle of the court yard he glared as he paled. "He didn't!"

  Her eyes worried, Sorae jerked her eyes up to him. "What is it? What happened?"

  Looking down into her dark blue eyes Kurosai kept his eyes extra wide. "Focus on Kiyoshi's scent. Then the human. What do you smell?"

  Closing her eyes the gasping as she grabbed hold of his clothes as her heart started to race. "You don't mean to tell me that Kiyoshi took that human as a mate do you?"

  "Nothing like that Mama."

  Both turned to see Yukani and Kamui walking toward them, and confused. Stepping away from her mate to hug her daughter, Sorae sighed. "What are you talking about Yukani? If not that then why do they smell so strongly of the other?"

  With a bright smile as Kamui put his arm around her wasit, Yukani laughed as she turned and headed on toward the palace. "Well it actually happened last month Mama. Just a couple weeks before you were supposed to come for that full moon. He came home and he had a human little girl with him. Sleeping soundly in his arms at that. He said he didn't know why he couldn't make her go with a miko that wanted to take her to a village so he brought her home. And this is just where she has staied."

  "But you said her?"

  Laughing as she looked over her shoulder at her mother Yukani winked. "Don't get worried Mama. Even for as fast as humans age she is far too young for that. She is only five. But just wait until you see him with her. When he is with her he isn't the same Kiyoshi that he would be with any other human he has ever had to deal with it. It is so sweet."

  Dropping his head to sigh, Kurosai shook his head. "The fact that he didn't drop her somewhere and leave her for dead shocks me."

  Smiling as Yukani walked in first, Kamui looked back at Kurosai. "I would prepare yourself for this then My Lord. When it co
mes the the girl, he isn't the same as he was last time you were here."

  Walking on in and going to sit to the side where Imae was, Yukani giggled. "Mama and Papa are here."

  Without even looking up from his reports, Kiyoshi had his usual emotionless mask on his face. "I know this."

  Walking in behind their daughter and her mate, both Kurosai and Sorae stopped just inside the door with wide eyes. There lying on the floor beside their son, her head resting on the edge of his seat cushion really was a small human child. Sleeping soundly with a fist full of his hair and a thin blanket over her.

  As he walked on in the room Kurosai looked from his son, the kid and then back to his son. There was something really off about what was going on here and not like his son at all. "Kiyoshi why…."

  "Her village was destroyed. After I lifted a wall off of her she followed me. Ryu kept going back to get her. By the time the rounds were done I couldn't send her away with anyone. So she came home with me. Here is where she wishes to stay so she will stay as long as she wants. It is that simple Father."

  Kneeling next to her daughter while her mate still stood, partly in shock, but she could feel the rage rising. "But she is a human child son. And we all know how you feel about humans in general. So why…."

  Growling as he closed his eye, Kiyoshi didn't even look up at his parents. "I do this because I wish to. That is all that matters is it not?" Opening his eyes he looked down at the child next to him and pulled gasps from his parents as his eyes softened and relaxed. "She is different."

  "How?"

  Turning a glare to his father Kiyoshi growled again as he crossed his arms. "Many reasons. One is that she shows respect without question better than any demon child I have seen."

  With a giggle, Yukani leaned into her mate's arms as he sat next to her. "He actually cares about her though. He won't admit it to anyone or even himself it would seem but he does."

  "Shut up Yukani."

  Feeling her mate's rage, Sorae dropped her head. Hoping that in a few years when she grew up, that he would send her away then. "Okay Kiyoshi how about this one. What about when she gets older? Are you still going to let her stay then?"

  Taking a deep breath as he placed his hands in his lap, Kiyoshi sighed. "If she wishes to stay here until she passes from old age then she will. I will not force her out of this palace if she doesn't want to go. I don't care who wants me to do it."

  Growling, Kurosai crossed his arms as he glared at his son. "This is a demon palace. A human kid has no place here and you know it. Not one of us in this room really like humans anyway. We only deal with them because we have too, not because they are our best friends. At best she is like a pet to you. Get rid of her."

  Growling Kiyoshi didn't move but tensed his body. "I will not."

  Not budging either, Kurosai growled louder. "I don't care if you are nearly a thousand and Lord or not. You are still my pup and I will make you see reason in this if I have to kick your ass to make you see it. All a human under your protection is going to do is cause nothing but trouble. Do you realize that we are less than twenty years away from war? What then?"

  Seeing where this was going with his father, Kiyoshi pulled a growl from him and a startled gasp from his mother. Turning to Imae he gently pulled his hair from her hand and handed her to a now standing Yukani. "Take her to her room and sit with her."

  "Yes brother." Once Yukani and Kamui were out of the room she smiled down at her as she let out a sigh. "She is such a sweet thing. I know if Mama and Papa would just really give her a chance with an open mind and heart they would see what we do. Kiyoshi is right. She is nothing like the other humans at all."

  Opening the door for Imae's room Kamui smiled as they walked in. "In time Yukani in time. You have to look at it this way. Your parents are both well over a thousand years old and have never liked humans. I mean it took Kiyoshi three weeks before he would finally admit that she was going to be here forever. And still won't admit that he cares about her."

  Lying the girl down in her bed and covering her up Yukani smiled as she sat down next to her and let her grab her hair like she did her brother all the time. "I know that I have to give it time. But they can also be rather stubborn to say the least."

  X

  "Don't tell you what to do! Damnit I am your father and I can sure as hell tell you what to do!" Now in his son's face, Kurosai was more than irate with this pups. Hundreds of years and no problems. And now he wants to bring home a stray human and keep her! No way in hell!

  Standing toe to toe and nose to nose with his father, Kiyoshi was not about to back down. He didn't know what it was, but Imae calmed him. He did care about her, like she was his very own pup. She wasn't going to be going anywhere and that was final. He didn't care who didn't like it. "She stays. End of story."

  Not liking seeing where this is going, Sorae pushed her way between her mate and son as she sighed and turned to her son with her cross face she got when he was young. "First of all Kiyoshi, I don't care how old you are you are not to disrespect your father by talking to him like that. And you know as well as we do that you really don't care about the girl. It is more of a fascination at best. She doesn't belong here. She belongs with her own kind and you know it son."

  Turning away from his parents, Kiyoshi went and looked out the window to the koi pond that Yukani would take Imae too every day after her nap for lunch. His parents either had to deal with it or accept it and he didn't care which one it was. "I will make you a deal."

  "What kind of deal?"

  Turning back to them he narrowed her eyes. "I will not be sending her away and that is final. I don't care if you don't like it. However, Yukani takes her to the gardens by the large koi pond each day after she takes a nap. Talk with her, and spend one afternoon with her. Hopefully you see why she stays and I don't care if you don't like it."

  Growling Kurosai started to walk toward his son but stopped when Sorae stopped him. "You expect us to waste our time and….."

  Reaching up and touching his face to stop him, Sorae turned her arms to her son as she sighed. "Why do you want us to do this? You should know that it won't change our minds about it."

  "You will see when you speak with her. Either way it goes I am not sending her away." Sitting down at his desk, Kiyoshi sighed. "Perhaps you may see why she stays. And if you have an open mind you will understand the choice I have made about her this morning."

  "What choice!?"

  Reaching out and lifting a scroll, Kiyoshi sighed. "If you wouldn't mind Father. I do have reports to do. She should wake up soon and take her to the koi pond."

  Her mate's growl and her son's stubbornness, Sorae sighed. This was going to go nowhere but a physical fight between the two if one didn't go away from the other. Taking her mate's hand she pulled him out of the room and down the hall. "Kurosai stop. Unless you want to kill your own son to take the title back, there isn't much that we can do about it. Like you tell me all the time, he is grown and doesn't have to do what we tell him to anymore."

  Growling as they exited the palace Kurosai kept his arms crossed. "I know that. I just can't believe that he would bring a pet human home and then be so damned resistant about sending her back to be with the vermin she is. And I want to know what this other choice he made is."

  "I don't know. We just have to wait and see I guess. And hope he listens to reason soon."

  Rounding a flowered hedge, they spied Umarus coming toward them. With a sigh Kurosai put an arm around her waist. "I hope so. He doesn't need to keep that thing around here much longer."

  Stopping and giving a bow for his friend, Umarus let out a laugh as he crossed his arms. "If you are talking about the little girl and your pup, I wouldn't count on it My Lord. He would never admit openly, but everyone sees it when they see him with her. He is quite fond of that little girl."

  Growling as he walked past him, Kurosai narrowed his eyes. "Not what I wanted to hear. She doesn't belong here in this palace. He should have
left her where he found her."

  Turning to go on toward the palace, Umarus looked back at him and laughed. "I don't know about that one My Lord. Just wait until you see her when she is awake and with him. They may just shock you."

  Making of a Lord Chapter 41

  Both looking up when they heard a happy giggle from where they stood by the koi pond, Sorae and Kurosai both had shocked eyes. Running from the palace was the little girl racing from the palace with a smiling and laughing Yukani on her heels followed by Kamui. Crossing his arms Kurosai growled as he watched them headed for them. "It would seem by the look at that, our daughter and her mate seem to care about the little thing as well."

  Nodding Sorae sighed. "Indeed. I think things just got a whole lot harder to try and get the kid out of here."

  Holding Imae's hand as she walked up to her parents Yukani smiled down at her. "Imae these are my parents. I am sure that they would have you call them Lord Kurosai and Lady Sorae like you call my brother Lord Kiyoshi."