Sword of Supreme Conquest
- Chapter Two -
The sun shone brightly through the kitchen window despite the sheer half-curtain drawn across it. It warmed Kagome's cheeks as she washed the small collection of dishes in the sink but could not dispel the troubled frown from her brow.
Turning off the faucet, she slapped the sopping rag into the metal basin and braced her hands against either side of the sink. It was getting late. The sun was already low in the sky and the demon, whoever he was, had yet to show his face.
Feeling bloated and heavy, Kagome dragged her body slowly up the single flight of stairs to her old bedroom. Though she was a married woman, her family still kept her room the way she'd left it, except maybe a little neater of course. She paused in the doorway and let her eyes pan across the pink decor.
It was strange being back here. This room brought back so many memories, both good and bad. A ghost of a smile crossed her lips as she remembered how she used to come home from school to find a silver-haired half demon sitting cross-legged on her bed wearing an impatient scowl. He was always there, waiting to take her back so they could search for more jewel shards. Those days seemed like so long ago now…a lifetime had passed since then.
With a sigh she collapsed onto the soft, fluffy pink sheets of her bed. After one last comforting sweep around the familiar features of her old room, her eyes slowly fluttered shut in search of some much needed sleep.
oOo
She couldn't be sure how long she'd been out, but awoke to a dark room and the stifling pressure of a hand over her mouth.
"Shh! Don't make a sound," he implored in a hushed whisper, his face frustratingly hidden from view.
Annoyed at being so rudely awoken, she narrowed her eyes at the ceiling and curtly nodded her head beneath his hand. He removed his hand and her eyes travelled up the length of his body until they met the pair of dark cobalt orbs staring back at her.
She wasn't sure what she'd expected, but was surprised to see that the endless dark seas of his eyes held no malice in their depths. Whoever this demon was his eyes were warm and kind, if a little sad, telling her at once everything and nothing about the man who owned them.
She pushed her body upright and he perched himself atop her old desk. They studied one another in tense silence, neither completely sure what to make of the other. Turning from the demon, she looked out her open window. As memories came flooding back, a small smile played across her lips.
"You know," she said slowly, anxious to break the silence, "for a second there I thought you were someone else."
"Oh?"
She nodded thoughtfully and her smile brightened as she recalled the days when Inuyasha used to climb through that same window to visit her. When she spoke again her tone was lighter and captured her smile perfectly.
"An old friend of mine used to come through that same window to watch me while I did my homework."
"What a strange interest to have. What was this friend's name?"
"Inuyasha."
The name came off her lips easily. She was so lost in her memories she'd almost forgotten who she was talking to. With a tiny gasp she caught herself and looked over at him quickly. She didn't have the first clue who he was and here she was gabbing about her past. She could already picture Sesshomaru's look of disappointment. Hadn't she learned anything?
"I've heard many stories about Lord Sesshomaru's half-brother. I've looked up to him and the Lord all my life."
He faltered there, his cheeks colouring in embarrassment.
Kagome eyed him thoughtfully. The moonlight cascading into her room cast just enough light to illuminate his figure in the darkness. He was wearing dark trousers and a dark knit sweater that hugged his thin muscular frame. She knew he was strong from the night before but he was well proportioned as well. Above his dark eyes was a mane of long silver hair tied up in a ponytail which cascaded elegantly down his back.
His eyes rose to meet hers and he held them for a moment before hopping abruptly off the desk to pace back and forth in front of her bed.
"I had hoped to find some better way of telling you this, but I'm not good with words so I might as well just come out and say it," he began. Kagome raised her eyebrows expectantly and waited for him to go on.
"It's Lord Sesshomaru… He's going to… Well... He's going to die unless you do something to stop it."
Determined, Kagome leapt off the bed with unnatural speed for her size and hurriedly stomped her feet into her running shoes while simultaneously pulling a sweater over her head. Surprised that a woman so pregnant could move so fast, the demon gawked at her a moment before grabbing hold of her shoulders.
"Wait, let me finish!" he pleaded, trying to keep his voice down. She wrestled out of his grasp and picked up the small bag she'd brought with her, slinging it over her shoulder.
"Get out of my way!" she demanded, her eyes flashing with annoyance at the demon blocking her exit.
His eyes were pleading with her but she didn't care. Looking towards the open window she stubbornly waddled towards it despite the fact that there wasn't a chance in Hell she'd fit through it. With a growl of frustration, he left off guarding the door and threw himself in front of the window his arms outstretched.
"I heard you were as stubborn as an ox but this is unbelievable!" he cried out breathless.
She paused at his words and watched his heaving chest with curiosity. There it was again… He knew about her life and the way she was though he always spoke about her in the past tense. A sudden shiver ran down her spine and her arms wrapped around her body to block out a chill that had nothing to do with the open window.
The demon lowered his hands and shot her a reproachful look.
"Lord Sesshomaru is in mortal danger, but not yet. There's still time, but we must act quickly if we want to save him."
Growling in frustration, Kagome gestured to her blatantly pregnant belly and shot the demon a scathing look.
"Well what exactly am I supposed to do about it?" she demanded with her hands on her hips.
"In case you haven't realized, I'm pregnant. I move slow, I eat every two hours, I fall asleep after dinner and I'm in constant pain. How can I do anything to help Sesshomaru like this? I can't even protect myself!"
"You don't understand," the man said shaking his head back and forth. "You have to be the one. My hands are tied. I can't explain it right now but you have to trust me. Pregnant or not, you're the only one who can save him. "
Crossing her arms in front of her chest Kagome settled herself back down on the edge of her bed. She looked up at the demon expectantly and he stepped forward, taking a seat in her office chair.
"Fine," she began warily, "I'm listening. Tell me what I need to know."
Bunching a few pillows up behind her back, Kagome relaxed against them, folded her hands over her stomach and stared at him expectantly. The demon rocked nervously back and forth in the office chair, oblivious to the tiny squeaks of protest offered up by its rusty hinges.
"I suppose I should start at the beginning…"
"I suppose so," Kagome replied with a flat look.
The demon frowned slightly, but nodded and continued on resolute.
"Yes…well…somewhere around this time in the feudal era, the Great Lord Sesshomaru will think it necessary to fashion himself a sword made from his own fang, one that has the power to overcome both Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga. It will be called the Sword of Supreme Conquest. It is this sword, or rather the battle to retrieve it from an enemy, that will result in his death.
"There will be a great war amongst the tribes for power once the sword is fashioned. Many innocent will die, including the child you carry now, though he will be a grown man by then," he said with a nod at her protruding stomach.
Kagome placed a protective hand around her belly and her brows knit together with concern as she listened to his words. Her life in the feudal era seemed to peaceful and complacent now that Naraku was dead. It was hard to imaging such a dismal future. She found herself wishing she'd paid more attention in history class.
"Your second son will be left an orphan by this horrific war – the only survivor of the great dog demon family. As a hanyou he will be alone, a social outcast and the Western Lands will quickly be engulfed by the other tribes. For obvious reasons you see why this cannot happen."
"My second son will be an orphan? So you're saying…"
Without hesitation the demon nodded, confirming her unspoken fears.
"You die shortly after giving birth to him."
Kagome gaped at the stranger in front of her, her features frozen in shock. He said it so matter-of-factly…you will die shortly after giving birth she wasn't sure how to react. How should one respond when being told exactly when and how they are going to die?
Her eyes stared unseeingly at the floor as thoughts about the implications of this new information ran rampant through her mind.
She would die young, and Sesshomaru would follow her, leaving their son to grow up alone and parentless. No child deserved that fate. She knew how hard it was for Inuyasha growing up after his mother died. She didn't want that for her own son too.
Feeling the child within her womb kick at her ribs she felt a deep well of sadness form inside her chest. It was mirrored in the demon's eyes when they met hers and she wondered if he'd been there. Had he fought alongside Sesshomaru and her son? She was tempted to ask, but the words never surfaced.
"What must I do?" she asked softly instead.
The demon took his time evaluating her before answering.
"Once you return to the feudal era, you must convince Sesshomaru not to create the Sword of Supreme Conquest. However, you must not, under any circumstances, tell him what I have told you. He cannot know what is to come. The only reason I have told you is so that you understand exactly what is at stake. Failure cannot be an option. Do you understand?"
Kagome nodded silently and pondered how, exactly, she was supposed to tell her mate not to make a sword that he possibly hadn't even thought of making yet. How was she going to do this without making him suspicious?
Her eyebrows knit together as she thought of possible scenarios in her head, all of them turning out badly. Sesshomaru was no fool, he would know in an instant that something was up.
Seeing the lines of discouragement etched on her face, the demon hopped off the desk and bent down on one knee in front of her. Taking her hands in his, he offered them a reassuring squeeze.
"I know you can do this. I have faith in you. You just need to have faith in yourself."
Kagome nodded unsteadily.
"What if- What happens if I fail? Is there any way…"
The demon frowned and stood up, pacing back and forth in front of her bed. His long silver hair swished elegantly back and forth across his back with each step he took.
"If you are unsuccessful, you must come back to this time immediately. I will find you and we can try to figure something out from there."
Kagome frowned in thought and stared down at her protruding belly.
"How long after I…die does this war happen?"
The demon eyed the ceiling while doing a mental calculation in his head. He turned back to her, his eyes flashing in the moonlight.
"About 300 years or so. It's hard to say for sure since the dates are kind of fuzzy."
Kagome pondered this thought. Three hundred years was a long time. It was hard to imagine anything she did now having that much impact on the future. She wasn't about to doubt him though. Turning her attention back to the demon, she tentatively asked the next question that'd been pulling at her heart.
"Tell me, after I die does Sesshomaru…does he re-marry?"
He raised an eyebrow at that and casually folded his arms across his chest.
"From what I know, he did not officially take another wife. As for mistresses or whatever he did in his private time…that I can't be sure of. I do know he cared for you a great deal though. There was an incredible sadness in the lands when word spread of your death, or so I am told."
Kagome nodded her head, somewhat dumbfounded by his response.
A great sadness throughout the lands? She'd always thought of her position in the Western Lands as tenuous at best. It was only by sheer luck, force of will and Sesshomaru's superior diplomatic skills that the tribe hadn't turned against her. Maybe things were going to change? Maybe the birth of their first child truly would cement their people, and Sesshomaru's power, the way she'd hoped it would. It certainly seemed promising.
The sound of her window being pushed open caught her attention. The demon had his hands braced on the windowsill and looked ready to leave.
"Wait! Before you go, I have one last question!"
He paused and looked over his shoulder at her, one eyebrow raised in curious speculation.
"I want to know your name. You don't have to tell me who you are or how you know all of this, but you can at least give me your name can't you?"
A half smile graced his lips and he bowed his head to her reverently. "You may call me anything you wish, priestess, but my given name is Akira."
With that, he disappeared into the night leaving the curtains fluttering in his absence.
Easing herself off the bed, Kagome shuffled over to the open window and peered outside. The yard was completely deserted but for the moonlight, which illuminated the carpet of sakura blossoms covering the ground.
"Akira…"
She rolled the name off her tongue, tasting it in her mouth. It was a good name. It suited him, she thought.
Rubbing her belly, she silently prayed to the gods to give her strength for the days ahead. The child responded with a soft kick that radiated against her palm. Her faint smile faded with her sigh of resignation.
The sun would rise soon and she would have to be on her way. Forgoing any thoughts of sleep, she shuffled over to her long discarded travel bag, undid the clasps, and began to shoving clean clothes inside.
And so it begins…
