To Doubt The Bonds of Life

Luna Silvereyes

An Unexpected Visitor

Sesshomaru was walking with Saeka outside the village, about a month after the battle at Naraku's castle. He still hadn't told her what he'd done. Naraku was yet again, still alive. But he was certain that he wouldn't last long anyway. Naraku had been very weak and almost dead, even though he'd been revived. But Sesshomaru wasn't sure that either killing him, or reviving him were the best ideas. He knew that Saaya and his greatest enemy greatly cared for each other, but he wasn't going to let that happen. He'd forbidden Saaya to leave the village and had Mononoke keep her under constant surveillance.

But he was slightly nerved at present. Saeka had had a horrible recall on some terrible memories from back when she lived in the valley. She'd woken up screaming and the scars on her arms were mysteriously enflamed. He'd managed to calm her down, but she was quiet. Her memories were eating away at her, forming a knot in the pit of her stomach. He looked across at her. He always marveled at how calm she usually was, even in the face of danger. Whenever he left for a while, she'd wait patiently for him to return. There were often times like this when he stopped to consider what he'd possibly do if he ever lost her.

" Saeka." He said.

" Yes?" she replied.

" I've been wondering. What can you possibly see in me to make you want to stay?" he asked. " I'm just curious."

" Sesshomaru, are you doubting again?" she said playfully. She sighed. " I stay with you because I love you. You're everything to me."

" Why?"

" Sesshomaru, why are you asking me this?"

" Never mind." He muttered. Saeka sighed again. " Sesshomaru, just settle yourself with this; I love you and that's that." She said. He smiled a little. " Okay. Then it's settled." He said. Saeka stared up at the sky. Since she'd met Sesshomaru, her life had taken a turn for the better, much, much better.

Back at the village, Kagome, InuYasha and Saaya were sitting in Kaede's hut watching Sakura toddle around Saaya who was sitting in the middle with a sad look on her face.

" Poor Saaya." Kagome whispered to InuYasha.

" Yeah. She was really broken up over him dying, wasn't she?"

Sakura tripped and fell to the floor, screaming, though she wasn't hurt. Saaya clicked her tongue and scooped up her baby cousin. " Hey Sakura, what's wrong?" she cooed. Sakura giggled at Saaya and tugged her dog-ears sticking up above her ponytail. Saaya sighed and set her down. Sakura then proceeded to run in circles around her, laughing her head off. Saaya looked up at Kagome. " Aunt Kagome?' she asked.

" Yes?"

" What's it like being a mom?"

Kagome was a little surprised. " Well, it's interesting. There's never a boring day in my life. Sakura always learns something new and exciting to show me. It's a process you sort of adapt to." She picked Sakura up and looked at her niece. She was intrigued by how much Saaya resembled her mother rather than where Miharu had resembled her father, and in more ways than one, which was how they found her. Like Sesshomaru, Miharu had been able to create a light whip and had used it in a battle against him when he was going to attack the village.

" Tell me about my sister." Saaya said suddenly.

" Your sister?" Kagome exclaimed. " How did you find out about her?"

" Dad accidentally let it slip for one thing and for another, I know that that's who is buried beside the cabin."

Kagome and InuYasha exchanged glances. " Well, Saaya. I wouldn't bring this up around your parents. It's a tender subject for them and Saeka still isn't quite over it."

" I won't." she promised. " Did my sister look more like dad or mom?"

" Your dad for sure." InuYasha muttered. " That's how we found her."

" What was her name?"

" Her name was Miharu." Kagome said. Saaya could see they were becoming uncomfortable with this subject, but she didn't care, she had to know.

" What sort of demon was she?" Saaya asked, growing more curious by the minute. Kagome sighed. " Saaya, she's dead. Sesshomaru couldn't restore her to life. Tenseiga refused. Just live on." She said sadly. Saaya looked at the ground. She stood up. " I'm sorry. It just gave me something other than Naraku to think of." She muttered. She left the hut.

" InuYasha." Kagome said.

" Yeah?"

" Believe it or not, but I regret Naraku's death." She said.

" You know something Kagome?" he grumbled. He looked up at her.

" So do I."

Saaya hung upside down from a tree on the outskirts of the village, almost exactly in the spot where Naraku's golem had saved her from the wolves. Mononoke hung around by her, sleeping or chuffing at the pollen in the air.

Saaya, can we go back now? I'm all stuffed up. He kept whining. He sneezed.

" Bless you. And no, we can't go back. I want to stay here, to try and feel if his spirit is nearby." She whispered.

Saaya, you're being silly. He's dead. He's not coming back, whether he's spirit or not. Get over it.

" I won't get over it, Mononoke. I loved him and I still do love him and I always will love him. That's that."

Father will disapprove. Mononoke murmured. He sneezed again.

" I don't care. I don't care what father thinks. I'm old enough to do things on my own, now. In fact, since, you could be right…I…I may go to the continent. I want to find a purpose on my life, now the only thing that ever mattered to me is gone." She said so quietly he had to strain to hear her. She pulled her body back and swung off the branch, landing easily on the ground. She put her hands on her hips. " I'm plenty old enough to survive out there." She said confidently. " Tell father I'll send a letter from the continent."

She stalked off and disappeared into the trees. Mononoke sighed.

Five…four…three…two…one. He counted down. He heard a scream and a dull splat.

Saaya appeared again, covered in mud and sighed. " Okay, maybe I'll leave tomorrow." She grumbled, stomping off toward the village. Mononoke chuckled.

She's far too predictable. He said.

Sesshomaru had gone out. Kaede was nowhere to be found nearby, probably at Kikyo's shrine. Saaya and Mononoke were out in the forest and InuYasha, Kagome and Sakura were somewhere else. Saeka was all alone in Kaede's hut, brewing lavender for a special throat lozenge one of the villagers had requested. Now that her life had calmed down, Saeka was able to return to her practice and thankfully, found herself not the least bit rusty.

" Let's see." She said. She breathed in the sweet scent. " It needs more sugar water."

As she was adding it, she heard a knock at the door. Figuring it to be either a villager or one of the others, she got up and made her way over. She opened the door.

Saeka suddenly found herself pinned to the wall by a sharp knife poised at her throat. She gasped and looked into the face of her attacker.

" Nice to see you again, Kisho." She growled. He pushed the knife further, irritating her skin. She cringed away from it.

" I've finally tracked you down, half-breed." He hissed. " We've got some unfinished business to settle."

He seized her arm and threw her across the room. She landed in front of the hearth and glared up at him. " What are you talking about, Kisho? I never did anything to you because it was you who did everything to me. By the way, how are you even still so young? It's been over eighty years, shouldn't you be a bent old man?"

True, Kisho's hair was as blond and spiky as ever and his body was still as thin as a post, but stronger than he looked. He glowered at her. " There's a lot of things you'll never know." He said. He advanced with the knife held in front of him. " Strange," he said with a vengeful air. " This knife is drawing me toward you. It seems to believe you're a sheath."

Saeka growled and backed away. She shut her eyes and called to Sesshomaru mentally. She'd fight Kisho, but it was the eve of the new moon and her powers as a demon were starting to vanish. All she could do was spell the brews she'd been working on.

Sesshomaru! Please! Come! She called in her mind, praying that he'd hear her. Kisho charged forward and threw her to the ground, his hands clasped around her neck and trying to force her head into the embers. Saeka pushed against him with all of her remaining demonic strength, her neck starting to cramp as it gave way. She could feel the searing heat of the embers against her skin and she knew that if Sesshomaru didn't come soon, she'd be done for. She knew he often wondered how he'd possibly survive without her with him. If he didn't come quickly, he was going to find out.

Just as her strength was giving out, she heard the door open and Sesshomaru call, " Saeka, what—Hey!" he yelled furiously. Kisho yelped and hurried to shove her head down. Saeka screamed as she felt the coals touch her head and singe away some hair. Kisho's hands were cutting off her air and she was growing dizzy. But as quickly as it started, it stopped when his hands were wrenched from around her neck and she felt herself being lifted out of the heat. She opened her eyes. " Sesshomaru." She murmured. He had carried her over to the opposite wall and set her down, using his sleeve to smother the tiny tongues of flame in her hair.

" Saeka, are you all right?" he inquired anxiously.

" I'm fine. He tried to kill me." She snapped in Kisho's direction. Sesshomaru turned on him, his eyes glowing red. Kisho shrieked and cowered in the corner, his arms covering his head.

Sesshomaru got to his feet and Saeka copied him. Both were glaring at him angrily. Sesshomaru approached and snatched the boy up by his neck, holding him aloft effortlessly.

" Who are you? Why were you trying to kill her?" he demanded. Kisho clawed at his hand in an attempt to escape. " She killed Midori! I want revenge for her!" he cried. Sesshomaru dropped him hard. " Do you know him?" he asked Saeka. She nodded. " He's Kisho, a boy from the valley who caused me much pain." She said quietly. Sesshomaru glared at Kisho and raised a clawed, glowing hand. " I'll just pay him back, then." He muttered. Kisho's eyes widened. " Wait! You're a true demon, right?"

" Yes."

" I can sense you're a very powerful demon. Do you realize that this girl is a half-breed?" he said with a sneer. Sesshomaru sighed. " Yes, I know what she is." He said.

" Why are you, a powerful true demon protecting a weak half-breed like her?" Kisho yelled.

" I'd appreciate it if you didn't speak of my companion like that." He hissed. Kisho's eyes widened.

" What? Saeka, you know him?" he yelled. She folded her arms.

" Not really. He's the father of my daughter." She said snippily. Kisho blinked. " D-Daughter? What? You mean someone actually loves you?"

He jumped up. " That's crazy! A true demon is your companion? You just got lucky!"

Saeka went to stand by Sesshomaru, who put his hand on her shoulder.

" Luck has nothing to do with it, Kisho." She said. He made a face.

" Just wait, Saeka. I'll get you." He hissed. He started to back away.

" Just a moment." Sesshomaru said. " I won't take the chance that you'll kill her, so we'll have to lock you up until further notice."

He ran forward and grasped the skin on Kisho's neck, applying pressure to the nerves on the back of his neck. Kisho made a gasping, choking noise and fell to the floor, unconscious. Saeka sighed. " Thank goodness you showed up when you did." She said.

" You aren't leaving my sight until he's taken care of." Sesshomaru said gravely. " I don't want to lose you."

Saeka looked up at him warmly. " You won't." she said.

A/N: I told you to remember Kisho. Now, this is the story that actually isn't done yet. I was working on Beneath The Endless Sky when I published The Healer way back then. And for those of you are reading this and the one preceding it, I highly suggest you go back and read from the beginning if you don't want to end up all confused by terms about Saaya's sister and things like that. It really bugs me and if you insist on continuing in the dark, don't dare ask me questions like, " Who was Miharu?" or something like that. It's your own fault by not starting from the beginning. Seiko-no-Neiko, I went through and edited as best I could. Think you can beat me?