Work Text:
"Mate, must this campaign of yours really happen? You've already united all of Japan under your rule, must there be more bloodshed?" Lady Kagome asked him for what had to have been the tenth time that week as he emerged from the latest of his war council planning sessions.
Lord General Sesshomaru huffed softly in annoyance as he closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them while turning his gaze from his intended travel path to glance over at her as she leaned heavily against the nearby pillar.
"Beloved, you know you shouldn't be out of bed yet; the poison may be gone but your body still needs time to heal," he gently admonished while trotting over to scoop her up into his arms as he carried her back to their bed chambers. It had been one week since the latest assassination attempt against his mate had come from the United Lords of the Mainland Dynasty, an alliance formed against what was seen as a direct threat to their rule from the unification of Japan under the Western Empire. Sesshomaru had no such ambitions to rule beyond his borders but in their subvert attempts to disrupt his rule they have created a provocation that he will not ignore, thus those fools have brought to bear upon themselves the very thing they united in fear against in the first place.
Later, Kagome woke up from a long nap in her bed and retrieved a special ruby from her magic possessions box. Bringing a name to mind, she called forth a small increment of her spiritual powers and formed it into a small shining bead on her forefinger, which she then rubbed clockwise three times around the ruby until the energy disappeared into it. But a moment passed before her powers emerged from the ruby, forming a bubble above into which the visage of Totosai appeared before her.
"My Lady, I take it your latest attempts were unsuccessful?" he said by way of greetings. This was the third time he had contacted her regarding an idea for a project she had in mind.
"As you expected, Master Smith Totosai," she responded sullenly.
"Place no blame on yourself for the path he has embarked upon, your mate had shown admirable restraint thus far for the repeated assassination attempts upon the lives of you and others, but this latest attack was one attempt too much for any lord to ignore the transgressions of, even him," Totosai replied with Myoga nodding in agreement while perched on his shoulder.
"How goes the work on the weapon? Can you have it to me within a week?" she asked while sitting up.
"My Lady, it shall be ready by then, but I warn you, he will not be happy when he learns that you have taken possession of the weapon that he gave a fang to make for his upcoming campaign. When he feels you working on it, he will believe that you have comitted a grave betrayal against him," Totosai said sternly.
She met his hard stare and nodded, "I know, I know he will, but I trust that he'll forgive me once he sees what I've done. Kagome out," she replied before ending the transmission.
'At least, I hope he'll forgive me,' she thought as a single tear rolled down her left cheek.
***
The dawn of the day when the combat for his campaign commenced had finally arrived. Sesshomaru emerged from the cabins on his flagship, the Fangsworn, which sailed at the head of his armada of 300 ships strong. In the end he had opted for a surprise winter campaign, with the goal of smashing his opponent's armies before capturing the capital and executing the ruling lords and a sizeable portion of their retinues. He would occupy the lands until spring in order to ensure the innocent citizens of the lands would be left in good hands and order following his departure.
Towards that end only half of his ships embarked soldiers of both demon and human warriors. The other half carried healers, experienced farmers, laborers, and significant portions of preserved food. Reports had come in from his spies of the commoner suffering undue hardships this winter because of the United Lords attempts to raise a powerful army and build fortifications. Sesshomaru couldn't keep the construction of his fleet a secret from them, but he could feed their spies false information about his progress and a false plan to wait until spring. To this end he had an additional 300 ships under construction for which he had ordered slow progress on. Thus, they thought his planned armada was only half ready yet, when in truth those additional 300 ships would be used for expanded commerce when he opened up his Unified Japan for Trade with overseas civilizations upon his return home.
He turned to face his mate when she emerged from the deck below, carrying his 'gift' wrapped up in fine silk. The sword he had commanded Master Smith Totosai to commission for his campaign, capable of slaying ten thousand human and demons alike with a single swing. He had not been pleased when he had learned that the Smith had given his prize to his mate for a special modification and even now the Elder Smith languished in his dungeons for his role in the conspiracy.
Focusing on the concealed sword he could feel the weapon brimming with both his own demonic essence and a powerful amount of spiritual energy emanating from it. He had been banished from his chambers for two weeks while she labored day and night to infuse it with incredible amounts of her reiki, to what end he had no idea, but he had his guesses. A barrier was the most likely solution but to what end? Merely to prevent him from wielding his own weapon or perhaps a trap to incapacitate him if he tried to draw it?
But she should know better. It had been a long time since he had to display his real power, power that had only grown over the decades that he had ruled alongside the extended life of his mate. He would summon his full strength if needed to break through any barrier and wield his weapon as he had intended it.
Kagome stopped and gulped as she stared at him, seeing the rage and conflict swirling in his eyes as he stared hard at her. Yet she refused to back down on her resolve and so with brave steps strode forward before leveling the sword in her arms to present it to him.
He took it and set aside the fabric, revealing his sword to him. It was elegant and beautiful, exactly as he imagined it to be. Taking a step back and turning to his side, he drew it as he prepared his demonic power to counter whatever effects she had put upon it. But to his surprise no trap was sprung, instead her spiritual power reached out through the sword to caress him as magical writing appeared on the blade, visible only to whomever wielded the sword, no he realized, only visible to him as he turned the blade to read it.
"Whomever wields this sword wields my love, for while you shall have the power to slay 10,000, through my love you shall actually save 10,000. Go forth with Anzeiga and protect what you love, knowing that you shall always be loved in return."
"Anzeiga...," he whispered softly while marveling at the swirls of purifying energy mixing flawlessly with his own demonic energy that he had gifted to the sword when he first commissioned it to be made. Kagome strode forward and ducked under where he held the sword to embrace him directly for the first time in weeks.
"I know what you will do what you feel you must, but just because you have to kill, doesn't mean that they have to suffer for it. Every time you strike down a foe with it, whether they be human or demon, through my gift, my love for you, their souls will be purified, and they will ascend to heaven, ensuring that their last suffering will come at the end of their lives on this Earth," explained Kagome, barely keeping her composure while speaking before dissolving into a mess of tears and sobs while hugging him.
Not since he learned of the betrayal of his trust in the United Lords had felt so foolish but never before had he ever been quite as surprised as felt at his moment, shocked even if such a thing could be said about him. As he sheathed his gift and returned her embraced his thoughts at once turned both bright as day and dark as night. His mate was truly deserving of the upmost love and happiness, yet she was so special that would conquer both the very heavens and hells if needed to keep someone as special as her safe and secure. Any final misgivings about his campaign dissolved in the face of what she had given him, his resolve steeled as he turned and left her, flying off to the mainland, the advance wave of one thousand demons joining him in the skies above.
Later, Kagome watched as a terrific thunderstorm enveloped the skies of Shanghai as she watched from her perch on the foredeck of the Fangsworn, her eldest daughter comforting her as she sobbed while watching lightning strikes originating from the ground cast illumination upon the rainfall of souls that flooded the heavens above. She would never tell her mate this but the price she had paid was that through the sword she felt every death that it inflicted and now she sobbed openly, her tears the only moisture staining the wooden deck on that climatic opening day.