One is All it Takes
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
A/N: And so the first part is about to come to a close. I do hope you all enjoy the final part of To Go Back. Please do remember that the next update will see the subtitle changing to reflect the next part of the story.
One is All it Takes – To Go Back VI
The group watched as Inuyasha hopped onto the back of the triple eyed bull, and was carried off. It was at the behest of a flea youkia, Myouga, that Inuyasha was now on his way to see the demon sword smith, Totosai. Yuune could feel the tension rolling off the flea's tiny body, which seemed to gradually spread to the others. Tey all waited until the hanyou was out of sight, before they looked to other tasks. Kagome and Sango began cleaning up from the morning's breakfast, while Miroku doused the fire they had cooked on. Shippo and Kirara did little, both of them still looking out in the direction Inuyasha had gone.
Noriyuune elected to stay where she had been through the night, having separated herself from the group a bit. After she had told them why she could not hate humans, they had fallen into a surprised silence, which she had found too awkward to remain in the center of. So she had situated herself just barely in eyesight of the group, and leaned back into a tree, her mind going to her servant. Alder had yet to return, though she expected he would show some time during the night. So she remained, without sleep, for the duration of the night. After all, this form didn't need as much rest as her human body did.
Even today, aside from the occasional glance in her direction, she was left alone by the group. Which suited her just fine, seeing as Miroku and Sango-chan still seemed to regard her with mild distrust. She was also concerned with her servant's failure to show himself. Just where was he? Had he found a clue? She truly hoped so.
Although at the moment this was not the only thing on her mind. Straining her ears, she tried to find a hint of Inuyasha's heartbeat. When she did not, her attention returned to the group, seeking out the location of the flea. She found him perched on Kagome-chan's shoulder, as the girl was putting newly washed cutlery back into her yellow bag. Yuune had something she wanted to ask this Myouga, and since Inuyasha was now too hear, she figured this was as good a time as any.
So she straightened her frame, absently brushing off her rump before making her way towards kagome. As she neared she could feel the eyes of Miroku and Sango-chan moving to fix on her, as the stopped what she was doing. Soon enough Kagome-chan and Shippo were also regarding her curiously. She disregarded this, stopping a few feet in front of the teen, eyes fixed on the small demon. "Myouga, was it?"
Instead of properly answering her right away, the flea leapt several times into the air. "Who might you be?" he asked her, a slightly wary tone in his voice.
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, or to snap at the flea. She'd inquired about his identity first. He ought to answer her. "Noriyuune," she responded lowly, eyes narrowing just slightly.
"Noriyuune-sama," the use of the honorific, and the careful respectful tone was a bit surprising for her. However she made no true reaction. Likely he had seen the crest upon her brow, and had acted accordingly once he knew just what to call her. "I am indeed Myouga."
She nodded slightly, ignoring the fact that the others were gathering around. "The Tessiaga, what connection does it have to controlling Inuyasha's youkia blood?" She came right out with her question, and could feel the tension become palpable. She gave a small snort at this. "Inuyasha is far enough away that he will not hear. Tell me what you know, Myouga." This was not a question, but a demand. Silence dragged on, and she was beginning to think he would keep his lips tightly sealed. However, a glance around told her the others were now very keenly interested in this, their eyes flicking from her to the flea. It seemed to her that once he did talk, it was more because of the others in the group than because of her demand.
"Inu no Taisho-sama's blood holds an overwhelming power for a hanyou," he began, which she knew already. "So Inuyasha-sama was bequeathed Tessiaga from his great father, in order to hold this blood at bey." She had figured as much. "Because it is a sword made from his father's fang, it hold a great power of it's own. So as long as Inuyasha holds Tessiaga, he can take down powerful foes. Recognizing Inuyasha as it's master, Tessiaga holds the feral blood back, knowing it would be detrimental to Inuyasha's mind."
She nodded in understanding. "So when his sword was broken and he was struck down, Inuyasha's fear for his life woke his father's blood." Eyes moved to her from the flea once more. "It overrun his human blood and mind… subsequently causing a transformation mirroring a full demon lost in his blood lust."
"Indeed," Myouga began again. "And I'm afraid that with repeated occurrences, his youkia blood will slowly devour his human side. Even his human heart."
There was a startled gasp from Kagome-chan. The tension once more was extremely high as this information sunk in. She could understand why. They had been with Inuyasha for a while. Naturally they were concerned about himself losing himself. While she had just wanted an explanation on why this had happened now, but not when he'd been struck by his own attack by Kanna. "I figured as much," she murmured lightly. "But once his sword is repaired, there won't be an issue."
"As long as he doesn't drop it, Yes," Myouga amended. "Now that his blood has awakened once, it will be easier to draw out." That made sense to her, and she nodded in understanding. Now having gleaned all the information she wanted on the matter she turned, making her way back towards her secluded spot away from the group.
"Yuune-chan!" Sango-chan called after her. She glanced over her shoulder at the slayer, who was now following her. Stopping she turned back to her, cocking her head to the side curiously. "How did you know Tessiaga was holding back Inuyasha's youkia blood?"
"I didn't. It was a speculation," she responded easily. "Inuyasha received more fearsome wounds when he was hit by his own attack before… yet he did not transform then. The only thing that came to mind was that at the time he still firmly held Tessiaga." Sango-chan stopped in her tracks, a slight frown on her face, before she finally nodded in acceptance of that explanation. After all, it only made sense. Noriyuune remained standing were she was for a moment longer, before she once more turned back towards the tree that was her current destination, Sango-chan moving back to the others.
Night fell, Inuyasha returned, and yet there was still no sign of Alder. The knowledge that she would have sensed if he had fallen was the only thing preventing her from leaving the group to try and track him down. Still, as the night continued to progressed, she grew increasingly impatient… as well as frustrated. Torn between the need to pay her debt do Kagome-chan, and to search for her daughter.
The human's left her well enough alone, conversing with Inuyasha for a time, before they prepared themselves to turn in for the night. It was only after all but the hanyou were deep asleep that he approached her. She watched him curiously from where she sat on a branch, feet dangling in the air. "What can I do for you, Inuyasha?" she asked lowly when he was near enough that she would not wake the others with the question.
"Not calling me Hanyou anymore?" he responded with a question of his own, which lacked the growl normally present when he spoke to her.
"I was only calling you as such o get a rise out of you," Yuune admitted softly with a light chuckle, before she slid from her branch. Her feet touched the ground lightly, and she now stood before the white haired male. "The amusement has worn off."
Inuyasha huffed in aggravation, but still did not seem nearly as hostile towards her as was normal. How strange. "You said your daughter is human," She simply nodded to this, as it sounded more like a statement than an inquiry. "How?" The one word question caught her a bit off guard. When no one had asked it the night before, the woman had figured it would not be asked at all. Once again Inuyasha had asked a question she never would have thought he, of all people, would. Perhaps she had misjudged him. If only marginally.
She glanced briefly at the sleeping members of the group, before turning her attention back to Inuyasha. "Her father was a hanyou," she began her explanation, though she knew this would likely cause more confusion. "He would lose his youkia power when the sun rose after a full moon, only regaining it when the moon rose again in the evening." Her green eyes were carefully watching the hanyou now, gaging his reaction. He still seemed confused. "I still have human blood, even though I am more youkia than you, Inuyasha. So about every four moons I lose my youkia powers just as any hanyou would." Still he seemed not quite able to follow where the little tale was going, and she rolled her eyes, which drew a growl from him.
"My daughter was conceived on a day when my own loss of youkia power happened to coincide with her father's." If that didn't adequately explain it to Inuyasha, she didn't know what would. But finally she saw understanding mark his features.
"You must be pretty close to the guy, to share you day of weakness like that," he muttered. "Why didn't he come looking for your daughter?"
She half felt that this was an insult to her. As if he was saying that a male was better than a female. She made no comment on this however. "Rin's father is dead." Her voice was hard as she spoke, her narrow pupils becoming little more than thin vertical lines. Inuyasha seemed clearly taken aback by this new knowledge, which he tried to hide with a growl, before turning on his heal.
"Keh!" he barked, before he leaped away from her to a tree much closer to the group. Her eyes remained on him for a moment, before she leapt back into her own branch, leaning against the tree trunk and allowing her eyes to close. She still did not need sleep, but she figured allowing herself to doze for a bit wouldn't hurt. After all, by the sounds of it Inuyasha wasn't going to sleep any time soon.
The third night after Inuyasha had returned from Totosai's still showed no sign of Alder. The group had traveled during that day, feeling it was not safe to stay in one place for too long. So now they were at the edge of an open grassy plan.
Earlier she had told herself she would go looking for Alder if he did not appear before nightfall… but when she felt Inuyasha's demonic power weakening she realized she couldn't. There was a new moon that night… and it seemed that was the time when Inuyasha would lose his power and be nothing more than a normal human. His injuries had all finally healed the day before… but now he would once again be practically useless should they be attacked. Although Sango-chan was now mobile enough to fight, Yuune didn't think she would last in a drawn out battle. So once more it was really just her and the monk.
Alder had better have a very good reason for his delay.
She moved closer to the group as soon as she realized that Inuyasha's powers were weakening. Currently she was sitting on the opposite side of the fire from Miroku and Sango-chan. Kagome had gone after Inuyasha who had withdrawn slightly, and the demoness figured it was best to allow them some privacy. Even though it was more an illusion of privacy than anything else. She could hear precisely what was being said between the two.
As they night grew older she quickly realized that no one had any intention of sleeping. She supposed that only made sense, though. They were all concerned about Inuyasha who would be unable to properly defend himself from all but the lowest level of youkia. Not that he would ever admit to being that vulnerable.
As it turned out, everyone being on edge was not a waste. The sky was still dark when the group felt a wave of malicious energy heading towards them. Noriyuune was on her feet a moment before Miroku and Sango became aware of the approaching evil intent, though not by much. Soon the whole group was facing the direction that the rather unpleasant feeling was coming from.
A tree fell to the ground, followed by a second and third. It was after the third began to fall that a scent met the demoness's nose. It wasn't exactly familiar, but she realized she did know it.
The malicious power ripped through the ground between the group and the trees. The hate in the energy was so powerful it manifested itself in the form of an eerie red glow. Said glow erupted upwards into the air in an almost blinding burst of light and power. When it cleared a male youkia stood where it had been, his eyes possessing that same red glow, a sword held in one of his hands. It was from that sword that the smell was coming from.
Noriyuune flexed her claws, most of her attention shifting immediately to the sword. She recognized it as the source of the powerful thirst for blood that now hung in the air. The demon proceeded to ask which one of them was Inuyasha, which caused Inuyasha to ask who the demon was. Honetly she didn't know why the Hanyou would care to know, seeing as it was pretty obvious that this demon was here for blood.
The response the demon gave was certainly not expected. He was a swordsmith? And the sword he held, Tokijin, wanted Inuyasha's blood… that knowledge made her realize just how she knew the scent. It was Goshinki's smell. The sword was made out of his fangs!
She felt a pulse of power from the blade, and momentarily after that the Swordsmith, Kaijinbo went on about how the sword had identified Inuyasha… and how he was disappointed that Inuyasha was human.
"Inuyasha, can you think of any reason for this swordsmith to hold a grudge against you?" Mirkoku asked, eyes shifting to the currently human male, though he still held himself at the ready.
"None," was the hanyou's response. Noriyuune nearly let out an aggravated hiss. Of course it wasn't the smith who was after the hanyou… but then he couldn't smell what she could with his inferior human nose. She wasn't about to wait for the swordsmith to clarify though. She really didn't like the aura of this sword… This needed to be ended quickly.
"That's how it i-" Miroku was saying before she launched herself at the man, swiping towards his head with her poisoned claws.
Kaijinbo's arm almost seemed to move of it's own accord, swiping towards her. She hissed, leaping back to avoid the blast of energy that came from the sword. "It's not the smith with the grudge!" she hissed back at the group. "It's the sword! It reeks of Goshinki!"
"Goshinki?!" the startled voice of Kagome-chan reached her ears.
"Sword smith," she hissed out next, trying to find an opening for an attack as she spoke. "You made that sword from the fangs of a Oni, did you not?"
Kaijinbo laughed loudly. "I don't know how you know that, woman, but I did indeed make this blade from the fangs of an oni that bite in half Tessaiga, a sword made by Totosai!" The way he said Totosai made her believe he personally knew the smith that made Inuyasha's sword. Knew him and greatly disliked him.
"Keh! I'm tired of hearing you talking!" Inuyasha spat out. "Come on and fight me, Kaijinbo!" Was the boy mad? He didn't stand a chance how he was. He was charging towards Kiajinbo, claiming he would turn the demon to mincemeat. Clearly an impossible feat for him at the moment. She growled in aggravation, seeing Kagome-chan going after Inuyasha in an attempt to stop him. She jumped back behind the monk and slayer, hand reaching out to catch the half breed's shoulder as he ran past her. "The fu-"
"Don't be foolish Inuyasha!" Miroku cut off his protests.
"Leave this to us!" Sango-chan added, ready to through the hiraikotsu. With a mighty swing the weapon was flying through the air, seeming missing the demon, but in reality moving around behind him. Again his arm seemed to move with a mind of its own, sword coming up to cleave Sango's weapon in two.
As Sango and Kagome stared at the weapon in shock, Miroku was making his own move. He threw an ofuda at Kaijinbo, before he brought his staff down on the demon's head where the talisman had stuck to. The attack combined with the monk's holy powers split Kaijinbo's skull open, but the malice from the sword did not fade.
The sky was slowly beginning to lighten, as Miroku turned his back on the demon he believed to be felled. Yuune released Inuyasha's shoulder now, eyes still fixed on the demon. It seemed Inuyasha noticed it a moment before she did, as he called out to Miroku just before the sword gave a strong pulse and began to pull the smith back up onto his feet. Knowing that Miroku wouldn't have quite enough time to avoid the attack, Yuune leapt between the human and the smith, sending her youki out in a powerful wave to try and diver the blades course. The sword skimmed by her body, and she hissed as she felt it's energy bite into her arm, breaking the skin slightly.
"Fall back, Monk," she hissed at the human man, and he was willing enough to comply, seeing as he immediately began backing up towards the others. Tokijin moved through the air in a wide ark, its trajectory aiming for her shoulder. She jumped to the side, but found she was not quite quick enough to avoid the energy that came from the blade. Once more she felt it bite into her skin, before warm blood trickled down her left arm and cheek. The damaged flesh began to knit itself back together only moments after it was pulled apart. She let out a low hiss, eyes narrowing on the sword. If she just kept avoiding the blade in order to prevent these small nicks, she wasn't going to bet anywhere with defeating her opponent. As long as the blade itself didn't touch her skin, she should be fine.
Noriyuune leaped once more at Kaijinbo, this time her focus on his arm. If she could separate him from the sword, the battle would be one. Unfortunately the sword clearly was controlling Kaijinbo's limbs on it's own, as it once more arched through the air towards her. She avoided the blade, and ignored the minor cuts that opened on her body, attempting to drive her claws into the smith's forearm. His body twisted about, and her claws struck him in the abdomen instead, before the sword let out a stronger pulse of energy. It was enough to force her back, several more cuts opening up.
"Are you too afraid to fight me that you would hide behind women and children, Inuyasha!" Kaijinbo called out, even as Tokijin moved to slash her from shoulder to thigh. She avoided the blow, jumping back to a position beside the monk, eyes momentarily flickering back to Inuyasha to gauge his reaction. Shippo was attempting to tell Inuyasha not to fall for Kaijinbo's taunts… but when she saw the hanyou life the kit of his shoulder, she knew his attempt had failed.
"I'm the one he wants," Inuyasha was saying, as he released Shippo. The kit landed on his feet and made to jump back on Inuyasha, but his target had already begun moving. "I'm not going to run, or hide!" She bite back a curse, turning her eyes back forward completely. The foolish boy was just going to make the battle more difficult. If she had to, she'd knock him out herself. Keeping her ears trained on Inuyasha, she focused the rest of her attention on the smith and his sword.
When she heard the sound of something tearing through the air behind her, she nearly jumped. It struck the ground, and flooded the area with a blindingly light for a moment. She nearly turned to see just what had caused the phenomenon, but dared not turn her back on Tokijin. "Totosai!" she heard the exclamation from Sango-chan, but she still did not dare to turn around.
"Is Tessaiga repaired?" This came from the monk. Shortly after his question, Inuyasha jumped onto the back of the three eyed beast that the smith Totosai sat upon.
"I was wondering what all the fuss was about…" this voice she did not recognize, so she assumed it was from the demon sword smith.
"Totosai!" Inuyasha sounded rather aggravated. "You're late!" Strangely, Kaijinbo was yet to make another move, as Inuyasha snatched his sword out of Totosai's hands before jumping back off the bull. Seeing as her adversary was doing nothing, Noriyuune decided to back up slowly, hoping to put Inuyasha into her line of sight so she could better. She could vaguely hear the flea, Myoga, telling the hanyou that the sword would not transform for his human self. Of course it wouldn't. There was no youki for it to respond to. That clearly wasn't going to stop Inuyasha, as he stepped around the demoness, drawing his sword from its sheath.
Inuyasha wasted no time in rushing at Kaijinbo, trying to bring his sword down on the demon's shoulder. Yuune began to move after him, when she felt the energy of Tokijin flare, as it was brought up to block the attack. This stopped her in her tracks, and she let out an aggravated hiss as she watched several gashes open up on the currently human boy's body. Inuyasha was thrown back, hitting the ground hard and sliding several feet. He was back on his own feet momentarily however. She didn't want to watch the boy rip himself to shreds with his futile attacks, so she quickly moved herself back between him and Kaijinbo.
"Outta my way!" Inuyasha yelled at her. "This is my fight, woman!" And a moment after that, she saw him run past her. She quickly caught his shoulder to stop him from trying to assault Kaijunbo again. "Fuck off!" he shouted again, and she was surprised with the strength he was able to use to shrug off her grasp. She watched him rush at Kaijinbo once more, before letting out a curse of her own. For a second time, Inuyasha tried to bring his sword down on the demon, to be blocked by Tokijin. This time when he was flung back he landed on one knee instead of on his back, hardly skidding. She could smell new wounds on him though.
Her eyes flickered to the horizon. It was nearly dawn. Attention returning to Inuyasha again she watched as Kaijinbo made to strike at him this time. He'd be able to withstand one more attack from the blade if he could block it in time. She hesitated in moving, and sure enough Inuyasha was able to bring his tessaiga up to block Tokijn. Once more Noriyuune looked over towards the horizon at the light that told her the sun was just about to rise.
Somehow Inuyasha managed to push Kaijinbo back, and get back onto his own feet. Kaijinbo seemed rather amused. "You'll break before your sword does," he said with a laugh.
"Too bad, Kaijinbo," Inuyasha began in response, holding his sword in two hands in front of him. "I'll admit, your sword is pretty strong… but you don't have the skills to handle it." As he said this, Noriyuune could smell a change beginning in his blood. "You should have killed me in one strike," the hanyou went on, the returning of his youki causing his hair to rise a bit, almost as if a wind had caught hold of it. His grip shifted on his sword, holding it now in only the one hand, as his claws began to grow back. "Before this happened," as he growled this, his eyes and hair shifted to their normal colour. Yuune let out a relieved sigh, relaxing now. There was no point in allowing herself to take some damage when Inuyasha was now back in his Hanyou state. He could fight his own battle.
"I'll test my repaired Tessaiga on you!" the white haired man was saying, as Tessaiga transformed. To Yuune's milde surprise, Inuyasha seemed incapable of holding the sword up with one hand as he was before. It's tip fell until it hit the ground. "Totosai!" Inuyasha exclaimed, looking over his shoulder at the old demon. "What the hell have you done to Tessaiga!" Confusion was soon evident on the faces of the others. "Answer me!" Inuyasha barked when Totosai was not immediately forthcoming with the information demanded of him.
Totosai seemed just as confused as the others, scratching the top of his head. "You having some sort of problem?"
"Shut up!" Inuyasha growled angrily. "It's fucking heavy! What did you do?" he demanded an answer again, even as he brought his other hand to grasp the hilt of the sword.
"Oh," Totosai didn't seemed bothered by this news. "That's from the fang I used to bond the sword together." He said it so nonchalantly gave Yuune the impression he thought that much would be obvious. "Don't worry about it." He added dismissively.
Kaijinbo laughed in glee, "No use having a sword you can't even use!" Kaijinbo took hold of Tokijin in two hands, before he rushed at Inuyasha. "I'll cut you and your sword in half!"
Inuyasha grunted, before he managed to heft the Tessaiga up over his shoulder, charging at his oncoming adversary. As they neared each other he swung the sword down, and the two blades met, sending sparks flying. It seemed to be a draw at first, neither managing to push back the other. Finally Inuyasha managed to deflect Tokijin, but Kaijinbo was quick to make a slash at the hanyou's legs, causing him to jump back to avoid the attack. Once more Inuyasha hefted his sword up, managing to block the strike Kaijinbo next aimed at him, sparks flying once more. She felt Tokijin's energy surging, but Inuyasha did not yield.
Kaijinbo laughed once more, "Totosai, your sword isn't much!" Tessaiga responded to Tokijin's flaring energy by flaring it's own, which brought out more power from Tokijin. This in turn tore into Kaijinbo's body, and he was destroyed by the very sword he held. Inuyasha's sword met the ground once more, and the opposing weapon was flung through the air, landing about a yard away, blade biting into the ground, Kaijinbo's hand still holding its hilt. With another wave of hateful power, the hand was disintegrated.
"No use having a sword you can't handle," Yuune murmured under her breath. It was clear that the enemy had been Tokijin and not really Kaijinbo. The smith couldn't handle the combined energy of the two demonic weapons. She kept her eyes on the sword, which was now emitting a troubling aura. They certainly couldn't leave it there to posses someone else.
She ignored the interaction of Inuyasha and Totosai when the hanyou made his way breathlessly back to the rest of the group. Instead she cautiously moved towards the sword. She doubted she had power enough to supress it, but she wouldn't know without making at least some sort of an attempt. She stopped a few feet away, debating on whether or not it was worth it to risk being caught by the swords aura of malice. As she did so, the others approached the sword cautiously as well, the monk seeming to be surprised that the evil intent had not faded from the blade.
Totosai moved past the others, and Yuune averting her attention to him. He reached out cautiously towards the blade, but his hand was still about half a foot away when he drew back. "Its aura is to strong… I can't touch it," he was saying as he retreated back from the sword. Noriyuune turned her attention back to the offending blade. "Who could have commissioned Kaijinbo to make such a blade?'
Who indeed. Whoever had asked for the sword to be made was either a fool with a hell of a grudge against someone… or they were very powerful. Powerful enough to supress the evil of the blade and make it submit to their will. "We'll have to construct a barrier for the sword," Miroku began, "Or we won't be able to contain its malice." She still didn't know if she could handle the blade… but after witnessing Totosai's attempt she decided it wasn't worth trying. She could feel a slight pull on her own will from just standing within two feet of it… actually touching the sword was certainly ill-advised.
She stepped away from the sword, instead bringing one hand up to her cheek to rub off the half dried blood. She looked at the blood that was on her hand as a result. It had been awhile since her blood had fallen. But if it wasn't for Tokijin, Kaijinbo would never have managed to draw it from her. This made her all the more curious as to who could have commissioned the sword.
The others were discussing ways they might be able to contain the weapon, though Inuyasha clearly had an alternate idea, drawing Tessaiga once more. "I'll just use Tessaiga to blow it to bits!" He announced, hefting the heavy blade up over his shoulder once more. He jumped at Tokijin, swinging his sword with as much force as he could muster. When his sword made contact with Tokijin, the blade pushed out its energy once more, flinging Inuyasha back. She figured such would happen. If Tessaiga could break Tokijin, the sword would already be broken.
"We should distance ourselves from Tokijin for now," Miroku was saying, turning his back on the blade. Totosai and the two women readily agreed, following after him. Inuyasha let out a huff, before he sheathed his sword and followed suite. This left Noriyuune to regard Tokijin for a moment longer, before she too followed the others away from the blade… it was rather unconfortable to be near.
"It's almost as if it's alive," Shippo was saying.
"I wonder who ordered it," Kagome-chan added. Everyone was now regarding the sword from a distance. Yuune looked back over her shoulder at the blade.
"Whoever it is… I don't think we should hang around to find out," Miroku piped in, Totosai nodding his agreement. She had to agree as well, even though she was curious. Either they would end up with another possessed fool on their hands… or a terribly powerful potential foe.
"You're saying we should run away?" Inuyasha instantly protested.
"Whoever is able to draw such an evil blade will have enormous power," Totosai told the hanyou. He turned his gaze from the sword to Inuyasha then. "As you are now you wouldn't stand a chance," he went on to admonish. Inwardly Yuune winced. That was definitely not the right thing to say right now. Inuyasha turned away, crossing his arms with his hands in his haori sleeves, before he lowered himself to sit cross legged.
"I'm waiting here," he announced like a petulant child.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome gave protest, shippo soon adding his own bit in.
"It'll be dangerous to wait around here," The kit said from behind the hanyou.
"That's right!" Sango chipped in, the group trying to get Inuyasha to stop acting so immaturely and listen to reason. "It's wiser to get away for now."
Their protests failed to achieve the desired result. "No!" Inuyasha barked stubbornly, shifting to support his head on one of his fists, raising one knee to rest his elbow on his leg. "I'm not moving from this spot."
Realizing that everything they were saying was just making the hanyou more stubbornly insist on staying where he was, Miroku began to whisper to Kagome. Pointlessly as even Yuune could hear it from her slightly withdrawn position. Inuyasha clearly heard their plan, though his only reaction was to growl lowly. Even so, there was nothing the group could do but wait.
Noriyuune spent another night with no sleep. She didn't even bother to try and make herself comfortable, standing about a yard away from the group, eyes fixed on Tokijin. The sword, and whoever commissioned it, weighed heavily on her mind. How was it that Goshinki's anger towards Inuyasha had been imbued into the sword so heavily? Whomever had commissioned the blade must have happened upon Goshinki's remains soon after they had left the village. She found it very hard to believe that whomever had the sword made was a stranger to Kagome-chan's group.
There was the possibility it was this Naraku character, but that didn't seem quite right to her. From her short time with the group, she gathered that their foe was one who liked to rely on traps and trickery. Having his own incarnation made into a sword didn't quite seem to fit the bill. Unfortunately she hadn't been with the group long enough to know of anyone else it could be. Nor did she feel comfortable conversing with them anymore. Though it seemed that Miroku was no longer gazing at her warily, she could tell that Sango-chan was still on edge with her presence. And she couldn't blame her. She had, after all, hidden the truth about who and what she was… why would the slayer trust her?
The night dragged on slowly, Inuyasha and herself the only ones who remained awake. The hanyou had moved to sit nearer Tokijin, and as such he was only a few feet away. They watched the blade in silence for nearly two hours after the other's had gone to sleep… and she was honestly a bit surprised. He hadn't even growled at her during that time. She knew though that the silence would not last, so she wasn't surprised when the boy finally did speak. What did surprise her was what he chose to say.
"How old are you, woman?" Her eyes snapped from the sword to him… but he wasn't looking at her. She wondered what exactly had brought on such a question. Why did he want to know?
"Not very old as Youkai, or even Hanyou go," She responded slowly. "But why do you want to know, Inuyasha?" Of course, she knew he would likely get aggravated that she hadn't actually answered his question. That didn't stop her from wanting to know why he'd even asked it. It didn't seem like him at all.
"Keh!" he barked, still not bothering to look at her as he once more supported his chin with one of his hands. "The way you act so superior… I figured you're probably older than me and that makes you full of yourself."
The woman rolled her eyes at the response. She should have known. He even turned his answer into an insult. Silly boy. "Actually, I'm probably younger than you, Inuyasha." This really grabbed his attention, as his head snapped towards her.
"How would you know that?!" Inuyasha demanded in a low growl, and she could practically see him thinking that this was exactly what he had just been talking about. She had to bite back a laugh.
"Well, even though very little youkia history is recorded, Some is known of the Daiyoukia of the past." He seemed to dislike where this was going, as he was growling at her again. "Though no one knows exactly when your father, the Inu no Taisho of the west, fell… we do know the time period," His growling grew a bit louder, but she ignored it. "You would have to have been conceived before then… and I reckon that the time now is probably two hundred to two hundred and fifty years after his death." Inuyasha's growling quieted, but the anger didn't leave his face.
"So you're telling me that you aren't even two hundred?!" This came out in a barely contained huff, as he seemed to be wary of waking the others. Probably just Kagome-chan, actually.
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," she responded easily. "I'm a hundred and sixty three." Inuyasha's face took on a look of disbelief, before he let out a huff and turned his eyes away from her. It seemed he was not intent on ignoring her presence.
It was then that she became aware of the presence of a familiar youki. It was faint, but most definitely Alder. She figured the reason why it was so hard to feel was because he was still in his small Kitsune form, suppressing most of his power. Where the hell had he been though? She let out a low hiss, turning her back on both Inuyasha and the sword so she could seek out her servant.
Inuyasha let out a growl of his own. "Where the hell are you going?"
She stopped to look over her shoulder. "That's none of your business. I'll be back before morning," her voice came out in a low hiss, before she once more turned fully away from him. His response was a low 'keh', but he made no move to stop her. Good.
She walked briskly towards the trees, and was moving through them in moments. Her senses were trained on the half kitsune, who seemed very much away that she had noticed him. He was no longer moving towards her, but waiting where he was. Her servant presumed to make her come to him? The bugger.
Now even more aggravated, she quickened her pace. Her eyes easily cut through the dark, allowing her to quickly navigate through the trees. As such it was about fifteen minutes later that she saw him, sitting at the base of a tree. When his eyes met hers the fox got to his feet, and turned, walking several paces away before he stopped and looked back at her. Then he proceeded to disappear around a tree.
She let out an aggravated growl, and was tempted to dash after him to grab him by the scruff of the neck. However she knew he couldn't explain just where the hell he had been or what he was doing when he was in that form. And he couldn't change to his humanoid form while they were still so close to Inuyasha. She didn't want to give the hanyou another reason to act like a petulant brat towards her.
Growing increasingly frustrated with her servant, the demoness followed after him quickly, and they walked quietly through the night. It was just over an hour later that he finally stopped at the base of another tree. He pawed at the ground, and to her mild surprise she saw a shimmering in the air, before a small barrier dropped. What sat behind the barrier was definitely unexpected.
Clothing in predominately green colouring was neatly folded on top of a square of burlap, presumably to prevent it from gathering dust from the ground. Next to the clothing was several pieces of armour she recognized. As she was distracted by this unexpected development, Alder had already begun to change.
"Noriyuune-sama," Alder's voice met her ears as he completed his transformation. He spoke softly, his head lowering in respect to her. "I have taken the liberty of procuring some more appropriate clothing."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, snapping back to him. Was he gone all this time simply to go back to the future to get this? What reason would he have to do so without informing her? Why was so much time when he probably could have easily procured some clothing from this time?
With a soft huff she stepped past him, scooping up the pile of clothing. In any case, while she hadn't bloodied her Kimono, it was covered in dust from their travels, and was starting to irritate both her nose and her skin. So since she had fresh clothing, she might as well change into it. Quickly, as she wanted an explanation from her servant. One that better be satisfactory.
Her nose picked up the scent of hot water, and she briskly moved towards it. She wasn't surprised when she found the spring not far away. Alder had probably chosen this location for that reason. Setting the clothing down on a rock she all but tore the Kimono from her frame.
Once she had rid herself of her clothing, she made quick work of cleaning her body in the warm water, not bothering to relax once this was done. As she pulled herself out of the water, she used her youki to speed the drying process, running her clawed fingers through her hair to prevent tangling. Satisfied with the results her attention finally moved to the pile of neatly folded cloth. A frown presented itself when she thought she recognized the clothing she was looking at. Another huff escaped her, before she proceeded to unfold the clothing to get a better look.
Yes, she was looking at the less than traditional Ruqun her father had had made for her perhaps twenty years prior. The blouse was of a pale green, while the sleeves were sheer. She wrapped this around herself before grabbing the garment that took the place of the skirt. For all intents and purposes she might as well call it Hakama, in a dark green. Once they were situated properly just below her breasts she fastened the braided yellow rope with its jade ornament to the sash holding the pants in place. Next she grabbed the pale yellow banbi coat, which secured in the front with two yellow ties. Finally was the medium green waist skirt, which covered the bottom hem of the short jacket, and was secured in place with a yellow sash, embroidered with elegant flowers in a shimmering green thread.
Once more she huffed, using her youki to disintegrate the kimono and call her hair sticks back to her, before she moved back towards where Alder was patiently waiting. The whole process had probably taken her barely twenty minutes, as she could just make out the barest hint of the coming dawn.
"Noriyuune-sama." Alder greeted her as she moved around a tree back into the small clearing he had waited at. He bowed his head once more to her, before holding up a comb. She regarded him for a moment before nodding her head slightly. He was behind her in a moment, moving the comb through her long hair, before he gathered half of it into a bun at the back of her head. She was not sure when he took the hair sticks from her hands, but he secured her hair deftly with them, before he braided the rest. Absently she hung the braid over her shoulder as he stepped back around her, once more bowing his head.
"Alder, for what reason do you have to deem such formal attire to be appropriate?" Her current state of garb was how she normally dressed when she had went to formal events with her father after all. She was his heir, so she had to look the part.
"I have located your daughter, my lady," he responded easily, before he fixed an almost stern glance on her as she practically rose up on her hackles, ready to call him out on waiting so long to tell her, and wasting time on clothing. "And it is because of who's company she is currently in that I felt it prudent to fetch your formal wear and armour."
She exhaled sharply, fixing him with a glare which seemed to have no real effect on the half snake youkai. "Who's company is my daughter in, Alder. Speak quickly, I have no patience left to spare you."
"The Lord Sesshomaru of Japan's western Lands."
And again she exhaled sharply, this time in shock. "You are sure of this?" she asked in barely more than a whisper.
He nodded in confirmation, and she could feel her blood running cold. "I can think of no other Silver Inu of such power at this point in history." Just why was Rin with Sesshomaru? Of all demons… Even if their history was not well recorded, everyone knew his name… yet even in her time they hardly dared speak it. Even if he wasn't as powerful as he would be eventually, he was still a demon she had to be wary of. Her power likely would never compare… after all it was diluted by her human blood, even if she had less of that than her siblings.
With this realization came another. She knew just why Alder had gone back to the future to retrieve the clothing and her armour. In order to stand a chance at getting close to her daughter she had to play the part of a lady. But not just any lady. If she merely had to be a lady, then formal clothing for a demoness in this time and country would have better served their purpose. No, she had to portray a Lady who was the Heir to her father's own lands. A Lady who was beautiful and gentle, but proud and powerful in her own right. "My Armour, Alder," she commanded, her voice quivering just slightly.
He moved in a blur even to her eyes, and she nearly gave a startled jump when she felt the weight of the chest piece being fastened around her. Talking a calming breath she closed her eyes, allowing her servant to next strap her arm guard in place, before she heard the muted sound of something being placed at her feet. Without looking she was aware that it was a pair of boots, which she stepped into, before she felt him fastening her shin guards into place… not that you would see them under the billowing legs of her hakama. Finally he began to strap into place the customized gauntlet for her right hand, and its adjoining arm guard. The gauntlet actually only really covered the back of her hand, her palm being covered by thick leather, and the underside of her claws exposed. The top of her claws were reinforced by metal claws that would allow for her to strike with poison she allowed to build up in them for more potency. She flexed her hand, making sure all the small joints were in working order. All her armor was in a matte, dark slate grey, so it would not catch the light and give her away with a metallic shine.
She felt Alder step away from her person, but remained standing there with her eyes closed for a few moments longer. It had been a long time since she had felt the weight of her armour on her body. In fact, she'd only ever used it on two occasions. But this was not the time to think of it.
Her eyes snapped open and she gave an aggravated hiss, before she walked past Alder back towards the others. She still owed Kagome-chan a great debt… but she finally knew were her daughter was. She would pay her debt to the miko one day… But her first priority had always been retrieving Rin. She absolutely did not need Sesshomaru being biased against her because their first meeting happened to be while she was with his half-brother's group. She had no reason to believe they would encounter Sesshomaru, but likewise she had no reason to believe they wouldn't. It was not a risk she was willing to take.
Alder followed behind her silently, the sun soon breaking over the horizon. It was then that she heard it, faint but most certainly coming from the direction she had left the others. The sound of two blades meeting in battle. Had the one who commissioned Tokijin showed himself? She bit her lower lip lightly, not noticing Alder once more shifting to his Kitsune form, or when he leapt up onto her shoulder. She very nearly broke into a run, concerned about Kagome-chan… and to a lesser extent her traveling companions.
She reached the edge of the trees and stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes took in the scene before her. Inuyasha was crouching, his demonic blood bursting back to the surface. However this was not what caused her to stop. It was who Inuyasha's opponent was that left her frozen in place. She could only stare in disbelief, before his countenance was hidden from view by the wall of flame Totosai created between Inuyasha and this adversary. Still, even if she had never seen him before, there could be no mistake.
Sesshomaru.
A/N: And At last we reach the end of To go back. A few notes to share with you here.
Ruqun is a Chinese blouse and skirt ensemble. It's changed frequently through Chinese history, but my vision is similar to that of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368)
Banbi is a Chinese jacket worn with a Raqun at some points in Chinese history. Yuune's has sleeves that end at her elbows.
This chapter is the biggest one so far, with 8255 words without the notes. The next chapter will be up between August 23-25th. I haven't been to work to see the schedule since I was on vacation, so I will post the exact date on my profile by tomorrow, after I see when I work. Just remember, the subtitle will be changing to: To Follow.