by Max Jager
"Working on?"
Turning to Shone, Soichiro nodded. "Well first the good news. How much do the rest of you know about the dragon Tikae?"
Pulling his eyes back to him Kiyoshi nodded. "He is Kenji and Shinra's little brother. Father has spoken often about how he wondered what he was doing now."
Turning back to Kiyoshi with a smile, Soichiro leaned forward on the table. "Have you heard that he is now Lord of the Dragons and run his brother and sister further into hiding?"
"Yes. I heard about that twelve years ago and told Kiyoshi while we were here. I also heard that he took a leopard mate." With a smile as he crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat he laughed. "And it was about time that Kenji get dethroned too. Someone more suited to take his place like Tikae taking it."
"Well Tikae is going to be part of the war and play a pivotal part in it as well." Smiling as all eyes were shocked as they met his.
His iced blue eyes extra wide as he looked at him odd, Kiyoshi didn't know what to say. His father and mother both often told him about Tikae and how he was one of four dragons alive they would trust absolute. And now he was going to be a key player in the war that they were about to fight? "He is planning on fighting us?"
"Not fighting us but fighting for us." Taking a deep breath as he looked at the table, Soichiro glared. "He has never liked my brother to start with. Once he took over from Kenji, mine moved and blackmailed him using his mate to do it. He threatened Toki's life he if didn't do what he wanted him to do when he wanted it done. He wants to end him but was never able too. And now during the war at an exact moment, there will be a signal from our side, and Tikae and his army will turn on Motoichi."
His eyes going wide Sanzo gave the leopard an odd look. "And how in the hell did you manage that?"
"Sanzo!"
Flinching as his gold eyes went to the women and then the three small sets of eyes taking it all in. "I am sorry. I just didn't think that with…"
"It was because of Toki actually." Pulling all eyes to her Emiko smiled. "You see Toki, his mate is my twin sister. Kait has always wanted to break free from Motoichi but was never sure how to do it because of the threat on Toki's life if he did anything. He has been planning for war since he took over, and it has stepped up in the last twelve years. Taking big steps while I was pregnant with Nyoko."
His eyes going to his daughter full of regret, Soichiro nodded as he sided. By the time he was able to rejoin his family, she was starting to talk and walking. "That's right. I missed everything with Nyoko from two weeks to when she was walking and talking. I sent them to stay with Toki and Tikae after we convinced Tikae to fight for him against everyone in the war. Though the promise I made him only did so much, it was Toki's tears that she feared what would happen to her niece and nephew that truly pushed him to do this."
"What was your promise?"
His eyes going back to Shone, Soichiro smiled as a look of sadness came over the rest of his face. "To make things right in the North. Once Motoichi is gone, the North will be up for grabs. I won't let it be put to further shame by another power hungry lord. I will follow after my father and assert myself as Lord of the North."
A smile on his face as he closed his eyes, Kiyoshi nodded. "A title everyone here, my parents especially felt you deserved from the get go." Turning serious, his eyes met the silver blue of the leopard. "I am glad to know this though. We can factor that into our planning. When will your nephew be here? And when should the noble be here?"
"Reijiro will be staging an ambush outside the palace with his men. Shoji will be here to see him. I am not sure how long until he would get here. I know that things will change for them when they smell us here. I know Reijiro will know we are helping you. And Tikae knows to play shocked and then rage at our betrayal to Motoichi so he doesn't question him about it."
"That is good. How long?"
Pulling eyes to him, it was Chiren that spoke this time. "Three days from now Shoji will be here." Looking up, he went to all the men then landed on Kiyoshi. "Reijiro I am sure wanted to use me a shield more than anything. He insisted that I train with him for the last year so I can be on the front lines with him. I agreed so that father and Tikae's plans were not discovered or ruined. I couldn't find out much more than when they were leaving and how many men were going. Shoji will strike from the palace somehow, and that will send Reijiro over the walls to fight. Once the word came from the palace that you had a son, Motoichi sent me to tell Father and Tikae. After I did that, we left and came straight here."
With a growl, Kiyoshi looked out the window. "Three more days of peace then."
Wanting to change the subject, seeing how the two pups and Nyoko were absorbing it all, Emiko had a few question she wanted to ask the new Lady of the South herself. "Lady Yokiyo…"
Holding her hand up to stop her, Yokiyo took a deep breath then glared at everyone around the table. "I swear I do not want another person at this table, no matter what age they are to call me anything other than Yokiyo. Understood?"
With a smile Emiko nodded. "Alright then. Yokiyo, we heard of your mating with Kiyoshi. Shocking to say the least but we were happy for you both, even though I had never met either of you. Might I ask how it happened?"
Laughing as she covered her mouth, Imae looked over at her parents. "Well in a roundabout way it all happened because of me actually."
"You?"
Nodding as she laid her hand on Kiyoshi's arm, Yokiyo looked at Emiko with a smile. "That would be right. At the time I was a loner and wanted to get close to no one as I searched for my brother. I was hunting a cat demon from the other side of the demon woods just over the walls. While fighting it, he took off to go and 'get small human' for its meal. I gave chase, and was there just in time to put a barrier around Imae and me."
Pulling eyes back to her again, Imae smiled as she laughed. "Not long after that Father was there. I was out in the wood because of a guard I had as a little girl Akahito. He thought the demons would kill me before Father got there. I told him, and asked if we could bring her home for protecting me until he got there and he did."
Laughing as she gazed into her mate's eyes, Yokiyo drew all eyes back to her once again. "The first few months though you would have never guessed we would end up mated with three p ups. We did nothing but fight both verbally and physically. But it all worked out in the end, six months after I was brought here we were mated. Two years later Imae was a big sister when we had Kiara and now we have our son."
Laughing as she looked down at Kiara, Imae laughed as she laid her hand on her head. "Though so far it is Kiara who seems to have taken after Father the absolute most."
Growling with annoyance Isamu drew all eyes to him as he glared up at Imae. He had been sitting back and taking everything in. For the most part they were talking about the war and he was fine with that. But he couldn't help it when he heard a human referring to a demon as Father. And he didn't care if he got in trouble for this, he had to say something! "It just isn't right. No human should have the right to call a demon Father like that. Or mate with one." His eyes then turned to Yokiyo and finally landing to do battle with Kiara's dark blue eyes. "No matter if she can have a tainted demon pup or not."
Looking down at Kiara, Yokiyo was ready to tell her to mind her manners as Yuriko turned a glare on her son, but she stopped when she saw the sweet smile that Kiara had. 'And what are you doing now little girl?'
With a sweet smile, Kiara did battle with this wolf's eyes. She hadn't liked him from the second she met him. He was rude, annoying and had a closed mind. Even though both his parents were open and accept her and her mother and sister for who they were. She knew if she said exactly what she felt like, or wanted to say her father would not be pleased. She then opted to folding her hands in her lap with a sigh. "I do not understand what you mean by tainted demon pup? I am a demon."
Growling, Isamu narrowed his eyes. "You may have been born demon but you are still no better than a half demon. Your mother
is human. You have demon powers but that doesn't make you a pure demon like I am."
Holding her head high and proud, Kiara kept her sweet smile. "Well then you have my apologies. My apologies for having a bloodline that I am rather quite proud of. I have shown you respect since you got here and you do nothing but throw insults implying you are superior to me in every way. You have no proof that you are."
Gawking at her for a moment, Isamu growled as he stood up. "I have all the proof I need sitting right here at this table."
Opening her eyes some as she nodded, Kiara kept her smile. "Then by all means please do explain this to me."
Pointing to his father Isamu took a deep breath. "Just like yours my father is a pure demon." He then went to his mother as he smiled a cocky smile. "This is my mother who is also a pure demon. Yours is a miko and that means that your blood isn't pure. It is tainted with human blood. That alone makes me superior to you!"
Kiara had to fight hard to keep her pleasant face as she smiled at this fool. "You are doing the one thing that everyone does when they meet me. You assume a lot. Just like when training for battle, if you underestimate your enemy, it will end in your death. Do not underestimate me either."
"You idiot this has nothing to do with battle!"
Giving her best shocked face, Kiara's eyes went extra wide. "Name calling? Really just how old are you?"
Clenching his fists, Isamu growled as loud as he could as he glared at the pup across the table. "Why you little…"
Dropping her head with a sigh, Kiara held her hand up. "Please say no more. You are only going to bring further shame to yourself and your parents by insulting someone who has done nothing to you. And in her own home at that. Just stop."
Growling at her, Isamu then froze when he heard his mother laugh and turned shocked eyes to her. "Mother you are laughing at this!"
Yuriko couldn't stop the laughter as she looked into her son's eyes. He was so flustered over this, but everything Kiara said was true. "Well it is true Isamu."
"But…"
"You know what she said is true boy."
Jerking around to look at his father, Isamu was even more annoyed by the whole thing as he pointed to her. "What I said is true too!"
Growling loud, Shone sent his son to his seat with a bowed head. "You are only angry right now because she got under your skin and put you in your place Isamu. You know it. I swear really boy? You were not raised to think like that. Where is all this coming from anyway?"
Keeping his head down to avoid looking at his father, Isamu shrugged. "It is how I feel about it."
"Don't you dare give me that boy." Glaring down at his son, Shone sighed. "Fine then. If you don't tell me who you heard talking like that I will question everyone at home. That didn't come from your head alone. It came from someone's ears to yours then out your mouth."
Dropping his head even more, Isamu sighed. "Uncle Sume."
Her eyes going extra wide, Yuriko just looked down at him. "Wait Sume really talked like that?"
With a nod, Isamu took a deep breath. "He does and I figured he was right about it, since Aunt Kisa hears him and doesn't say anything about it."
Growling as he shook his head at his son, Shone didn't know what to say right now. "He is most certainly not right. And I will deal with him when we get home. You on the other hand, the two of us are going to have a talk later tonight."
"yes father."
Holding a hand up, Sanzo blinked as he looked at Shone. "Shone who is Sume? You only have Kisa, and I never heard of Yuriko having brothers."
Turning to Sanzo as he relaxed some, Shone nodded. "That's right she was an only pup. Sume is Kisa's mate. They also have a daughter that is twenty five, her name is Hiroko." Giving his son a sideways glare again, sending his head down again, Shone let out a long sigh. "Sume never had any good dealings with humans to start with. Though I never thought that his way of thinking would carry over to my son. It is bad enough Kisa agrees with him anymore I am not going to let Isamu start it and not do anything about it."
Pulling eyes to her as she sighed, Yokiyo then stood up. "Well that I am sure you will take care of in time. For right now though, seeing as everyone is done eating and here. I think now is as good a time as any to go and see the reason why you are all here."
Jumping to her feet and tugging on her mother's clothes, Kiara had a pleading look on her face. "Mother may I go on ahead?"
"Go on." She then laughed as Yoite had to rush to keep up with her as a streak of black flew from thee room. She then joined her mate and lead the way through the halls toward her son. Wondering what all their reactions were going to be when they finally saw him.
A New Heir Chapter 85
Looking up as the door flew opened, Kurosai smiled as he watched Kiara run in and stop next to her brother who rested in his mate's arms. He swore that nothing good would ever come out of his son mating with the miko twelve years ago. And yet, this ten year old and one week old pup prove to him how wrong he was each and every day.
Reaching out Kurosai laid his hand on her head and smiled bigger as she looked up at him. "Kiara tell me this, since they are all on their way this way anyway. Does my nose deceive me or is there a leopard named Soichiro with your father and the others?"
Turning back and making a face at her brother, Kiara nodded. "There is. His mate and cubs too."
With a bright smile, Sorae let Kiara take her brother and hold him with her silly face making him giggle. Looking up at her mate as relief flooded through her to know that he was alive and well and had a family of his own. "He is here. I so hoped that I would get to see him again. It has been too long since he was here."
"Indeed." Kurosai put an arm around his mate then they looked up to see Kiyoshi and Yokiyo coming in. "So where is Soichiro at?"
Watching as Yokiyo lifted their son from Kiara's arms with a smile, Kiysohi sighed. "In the room that was Yokiyo's at first. Since we are doing this presentation basically like you did with me, they are all waiting there so that Shone, Soichiro and their mates and children can see him all at once."
"I see then." Nodding to Yukani and Kamui, Kurosai lead Sorae toward the door. "We we are going on ahead so that your mother can see him."
"Right." He then turned and looked down at Kiara as she gave a hard tug on his pants. "Kiara?"
Now that it was only her parents, brother and herself Kiara gave her father a serious look. She so wanted to do this, and had the perfect reason for everyone to get them to do this. "Father when you are going over the plans for the war can I come and sit with you?"
A glance to his mate as she jerked wide eyes to them, Kiyoshi then looked back into his daughter's eyes. "You are not going to war."
"I know that Father." She then blinked as she kept her serious face and her hand on his pants. I have read lots of strategy stuff in the library. I want to see how it is done with others input not just reading it."
Bouncing her laughing boy as he waved two fists of her hair in the air, Yokiyo gave her daughter a cross look. "Why do you need to know any of that stuff? Like your father said, you are not going to war."
Looking up at her mother with the same mask, Kiara had the perfect reason why. "I need to know all I can about it Mother. That way when Katana is Lord I can help him."
Full of pride in his family, Kiyoshi smiled as he tapped her head and brought her eyes back to his. "Indeed you do. You can come and stay with us for a while. Right now it is time to let everyone meet your brother."
"Thank you Father."
X
Looking up to see the door opened, Soichiro stepped just away from his family as he welcomed a hug from Sorae. She had always been like the mother he wanted, but never had. "Sorae."
Letting a few tears fall from her eyes, Sorae hugged him tightly. She was always a favorite and would have taken him in to raise for Chirio if he wanted her too. "Oh it is good to see that you are well after so long Soichiro. When we got the message from your brother about what he had d
one, I feared we would never get to see you again."
Easing her out of his arms and stepping back to his mate, Soichiro nodded with a smile. "It is good to be here again. It was one thing that kept me strong through the years. Knowing that there was one place I could come and enjoy the memories of Father and fell safe at all times. The other is my family." He then looked at Emiko and his cubs. "My mate Emiko. My son Chiren, and my daughter Nyoko."
Smiling as both cubs bowed to them as he came up next to his mate, Kurosai nodded. "I see so your son was named partly after your father like you were."
"Indeed he was." Soichiro then reached out and shook his hand. "It has been a while Kurosai."
