Underneath the Crescent Moon
AUTHOR: Angelhart
GENRE: romance/hurt/comfort
STORY: continuation
RATING: M
CHARACTERS: Izayoi and Inu no Taisō, Sesshōmaru's mother, Takemaru, Sesshōmaru.
DISCLAIMER: InuYasha ©2000 Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan - Yomiuri TV - Sunrise
All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.
THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN REWRITTEN! 2019-07-07
When I reread this chapter (as I always do before I start a new one), it felt unfinished. Also, I wasn't feeling well at the time and it really showed. Not being pleased at all, I decided to rewrite it instead of updating it with a new chapter, that would have forced me to alter the script, as it were from what I had originally planned.
Chapter 7
He muttered his protests in coherent mumbling. No human ears would hear. Besides, there was too much commotion for anyone to even notice a tiny creature like him. But still, he didn't like this one bit. His motions were swift and unseen like a shinobi, but the threat he felt was making all the tiny hairs on his body stand on end. Not on his life, but of his master.
Samurai. Quite a large army. He was hiding in the cracks of the floor boards of the enagawa that was attached to the building that was his main directive. Watching the men walk pass him and eyeing their activities. A building nearby was probably the armory. The scent of metal thick in the air and with the doors of it being open, he caught a glimpse of an imposing harness. Curiosity made him almost jump forward for a closer look, but as he was about to move, he got almost squashed by a waraji sandal that landed on his hiding spot. The crack that was his hiding space was deep enough for him to retreat in and looking up he was staring at the bottom of the footwear. And as it moved again, he caught a glimpse of a katana sheath.
He sighed in relief. Eyeing the building with the harness again, he decided that he didn't want to stay here longer than absolutely necessary. All instinct told him to just forgo it all and leave. But his master would not be pleased if he would abandon the small task that had been bestowed upon him.
He entered the building, hitching a ride on one of the shin guards of the person that had almost trampled him. Not really knowing where to go, he at least got the chance to focus on his surroundings and map the building from a safe spot. Myoga jumped down when he noticed the beautiful painted doors and caught on the scent of death that was behind them. The direction he needed to go in was obvious. Whatever was behind those doors, was dying. Death's scent already upon the noble man as he squeezed himself through the little gap in between the closed doors. Not even the incense burners were able to mask that odor.
The room was simple furnished. Only one large cabinet and one katakana kake daisho, besides the large tabi mat in the centre that was surrounded by large dark curtains. A couple of incense burners were placed on the floor boards, surrounding the curtain square. The room was only lit by a few candles, standing in their holders on the floor.
Close to an incense burner he listened to the sounds coming from outside the room then slowly focused on the sound coming from the person that was lying on the futon. Slow heavy breathing with an occasional wheeze. The struggle for air even more present than the much louder footsteps of the servants in the other rooms and the center hall.
He moved closer, a small opening in the curtains bringing him to the bed. The little creature followed the pattern of the formal wear as it approached the man's neck. Stopping at the high collar he debated on how to proceed. He even felt sorry to take even what could be only just a mere drop of the man's life force, for it seemed like even the smallest injury would end his life. The features of the man were that of a samurai warrior. A lord. Once probably, feared, loved and undefeated. Strangely the man reminded him of his own master. Even though youkai, not immortal. His master would probably outlive even him. And his life own span would already be a couple of thousand years. Or so he guessed. As long as he avoided danger. A life lesson his master refused to remember and uphold. Which made him think about the dragon again. Why were his warnings almost always ignored? What purpose was it to employ an advisor if you were not going to listen to him anyway? It all felt rather pointless. As was meddling with human affairs.
"Her majesty is not going to like this," he muttered quietly.
A deeper intake of breath. The head of the man tilted. It was perfect. Skin became visible and the little youkai moved forward.
He took even less blood than he originally had planned. The rattling sound of the doors being pushed open, made him disappear in the man's knot. Although he had sufficient time to create his escape there were two things that stopped him. The sudden headache and the scent that he recognized as something similar in the taste as he had sampled just now.
"My lord." The tone of the servant woman's voice was soft when she entered. Not enough to wake the man up. Her voice was louder the second time and the man stirred. "My lord, I brought you your soup. Please, my lord. You must eat something."
The curtain was pulled back on one side. A female servant moved closer. When there was no response from the man lying on the bed, she brought her ear close to his mouth and nose. Assured that the man still lived she retreated softly with the words "I will come back later, my lord."
Myoga waited minutes after the female had disappeared. Appearing from the knot he moved closer to the tray with bowl standing on the other side of the curtain. He didn't want to meddle in human affairs, but as he eyed the man he suddenly was overwhelmed with pity. And with conflict.
It had not been an order, but it had not been part of the discussion, either. He could end it. End the man's suffering, right here and now. No human would know and it would be painless. It seemed the man had endured enough. But then he thought of the commotion it would stir. And what if, due to the man's death, people would visit the shrine for prayers?
Silentl as he had entered, the little demon retreated. Hitching rides on sandals, shin guards and body plates, he moved around the premises. Since he was here, and had fulfilled his task, he took his time to map the surroundings and store all useful knowledge about this place in his head. It was best to know once enemy. So, he took a ride on a patrolling warrior. And another with a different route. And another. Seven times he switched, taking an occasional stop at a residence to peek inside and he realized he had not even seen the full extend of the property yet. But he had seen enough to give him enough concern about the risk of his master prolonging his visit.
The place was well guarded and as the day slowly ended, the watch in samurai warriors doubled. Torches, lanterns and candles were lid and the decorations of the samurai helmets were projecting imposing and ominous shadows. Like demons from the underworld that had made their appearance.
Myoga took another shin guard ride. A route that got him pretty close to the gate that would lead to the shrine. Otherwise it would have been quite the distance to cross for someone the size like him. Even with his jumping skills. In between the gate and the wall, he discovered a gap large enough for him to easily move through. For a moment though, he looked back. Close to a koi pond it all seemed peaceful and serene. Yet, this place… there was something about it. It was something imminent and he could always trust his instincts on that.
The rain had stopped a few hours ago. There was a tiny bell somewhere he had noticed. It sounded whenever the wind was able to reach it. Which wasn't often. It was probably on a branch somewhere and perhaps entrapped within other branches and leaves. Only allowed to move whenever a strong direct wind would give it a little freedom.
During the rain, the wind had become stronger and it was the first time he heard it. It was surprisingly cheerful even and it brightened his spirit. It was like this shrine was slowly coming back to life again. The little bell defying nature's attempt to silence it forever.
Light was slowly fading and daylight creatures becoming silent only to be replaced by those that preferred the night. His eyesight was slowly adjusting to the darkness that entered the abandoned shrine like a hungry spirit. The sun's retreat cascading a black veil across the tiles. He watched it like a dark pool spreading, almost as if it was after to consume all the remaining light. And somehow it seemed to spread much faster from the location of the sword. As if it was in a hurry to absorb all before it would disappear completely.
He turned his head to the opening when he felt the energy of his servant. His senses picked up on the distressed feeling and he wasn't surprised as his small servant voiced out yet another warning about the danger of him staying at this location the moment the little youkai came into view. No, the dragon sword in the hands of a human samurai, would not be a good idea, although it was not the danger Myoga referred to. But, nevertheless, as he assessed his healing wounds, he decided it was indeed time for him to go.
His body obeyed him enough that he could control the transformation that he needed to take him back. He had no desire to let the beast of him run free and destroy in what he tried to salvage. A part of him felt the urge to track the dragon down and to finish it off. He could feel the hunger within him to do so lurking and longing to be released. It wasn't helping that he felt the same urge from the sword. Like an invisible string pulling on him. Now that he knew the dragon was still alive, he knew it was probably better to seek it out than to wait out its revenge when it was fully healed. But despite their enormous size, dragons were extremely talented in hiding. And even with his skilled and sensitive nose he wouldn't be able to track it down that easily.
Ignoring his servant's warnings and descriptions of the danger that the army of this castle opposed, he addressed the actual matter he had Myoga investigate. The lady's father.
The continues rambling about the risks stopped and the little youkai looked up noticing his master now standing. "Ah yes, a pitiful sight indeed. The human lord who is her father is indeed dying."
"And it is not a curse, is it?"
"No. It is not."
"Hm." He sighed as he passed the altar. He had already figured as much. Any demon placing a curse would not keep it silent. He moved to the opening of the shrine building and took a first glimpse of the area surrounding it.
When he had sought the nearest thing that could provide him with shelter, he had not taken a lot of interest in its surroundings. Something he would hear from his tiny advisor for probably weeks to come. The opening that had been covered by green so much could easily be mistaken for a natural cavern. He didn't remember much of that night. Only that he had lost a lot of blood and wasn't in the best of shapes and that anything that seemed remotely secluded at that time would be approved as a temporary dwelling.
Now, standing outside, could see that this place had been secluded due to human neglect. Nature was going to take back that had been stolen. The torii gate standing at the bottom of the long stairs was broken at the top. The wood splintered and green was trying to cover all the red. Vines, moss, branches. The left pilar had already been split in half. The only thing keeping it upright were branches supporting the first horizontal beam. The moisture on the ground and in the air had created a fog, perfect for his cover as he explored his surroundings. Where the tree branches above his head weren't touching each other, he was able to look at the night sky in between the gaps.
He closed his eyes, tilted his head and sniffed the nights air. Then taking a deep breath he looked back at the entrance of the shrine. Some of the vines covering it were broken. He could recognize the cut of an untransformed Tessaiga everywhere and he had not realized how severely he had been injured until he noticed this. If his own sword, disguised in its rusty form, would not even use his demonic energy to transform, then he had been closer to death than he had liked.
His tiny servant jumped upon his shoulder. "Are we leaving?"
He laughed softly at the desperate tone of the creatures voice. "Yes," he replied and it was followed by a deep sigh of relief. "But I need to fulfil my end of the deal first."
He went back inside and eyed Sou'unga as it was still standing against the wall. "Don't worry, I won't forget you."
An aura of despise was directed at him which he ignored. As if he was going to leave the demonic blade here, surrounded by an army of warriors. That would be a one-sided feast and a slaughter that even his blood thirsty son would find distasteful.
His feet stopped inches in front of the tantō. He picked it up and felt the weight in his hand. Light, delicate. Deadly.
Two times he had stared death in the face in a very short time span. The second one was a far prettier face to stare at, than the first one. He smiled as he placed the short blade on the altar. He looked around and found a piece of wooden board around the size that would serve his purpose. With the claw of his index finger he carved into the tablet and then placed the object next to the kaiken.
"Now we can leave."
The moment he took hold of Sou'unga its energy surged through his body like an unpleasant sting. He could feel it testing his resolve and when it noticed it couldn't dominate his spirit the evil infestation that had seeped into his soul for exploration, retreated. It had taken years for him to get used to that uncomfortable feeling before he could withstand it without having that cold shiver whenever his body was invaded by that foul spirit. Yet it still felt reassuring to have its weight on his back. Whether he liked to admit it or not, the sword had saved life that night.
Standing in the nights air he felt refreshed. He looked up from underneath the broken torii towards the wall on the other side of the stairs. The lights coming from above it. The sound of human life on the other end.
As if on queue a thicker mist was transported from the mountains on the wind. He closed his eyes and surrendered to the energy that was allowed to take control. Deep down inside of him it roared, releasing an anger of a promised battle that had been forced to flee from days ago. Entrapping his body and absorbing everything of him. His flesh, his bones, his clothing, his armor and his weapons. And then it was free.
The white beast roared as it jumped out into the air and disappeared into the fog covered night.
Izayoi looked up to the sky her heart skipping a beat at the sound. She noticed the samurai warriors take a fighting stance as a reflect. A perfect distraction she could not let go to waste even though the terrifying roar had startled her.
Before the men would discard it as the sound of a wild forest beast, she used the slight commotion it had caused to cross the distance of the open terrain of the large Koi pond. Her figure disappearing behind a bush before the two guards would continue their rounds. She waited until they disappeared from sight and she could make her way to the gate.
At first, she thought the mist would be a blessing but as it spread across the land it had only made the warriors more edgy. And it had raised security making it harder to remain unseen even though she had nature covering her.
As a child she had often played 'shinobi' much to her father's amusement as well as his aggravation. But stories heard by a child, feed imagination turning a dangerous profession into a children's game. But being raised as a lady she could not have foreseen the profit she was gaining from it now.
She descended the stairs slowly, the thick mist making it harder to see. She did not want risk any injury. The other upside of roaming around and night was that she wasn't wearing the jūnihitoe. It meant less layers of clothing. Less risk that she could trip over her own robes.
The rain had made everything become more lively. The sounds of the variety of insects, the scents. And it saddened her that the shrine even looked more abandoned now. And with the fog it became an even eerie scenery. She entered the structure quickly and noticed immediately something was off. The huge sword that had been standing at the wall close to the entry was gone. And when she looked at his spot, so was he.
For a moment she felt both sad and angry. She felt tricked. Tricked by a demon. But then she noticed her kaiken on the altar and as she moved closer a piece of wood with what appeared to be kanji. The signs carved into it were somehow even more disturbing than the roar that had spooked her of which she now realized had been his.
Two words were written. The answer to her family's misfortune.
Poison.
Servant.
A/N: While being in Japan I was amazed by the huge and beautiful castles of Osaka and Himeji and I caught a glimpse of the life of samurai. It was shame I had to choose in visiting as much sights as I could or only a few and absorb all the details. As I wrote this chapter, I wished that I would have had more time, for I could really have use for more details to help me out with this fic.
Although, I have only returned shortly it feels like it was all a dream. Somehow that country makes it feel that way. All the shrines, temples and castles are like amazing fantasy realm. The moment you pass a torii gate you enter a different world.
I hope that these experiences can aid me in keeping this story as realistic as possible and turn this story into a worthy prologue to the InuYasha series we so love.
The update schedule for this fic and other fics can be found on my 'Work in Progress' page on tumblr. Please note that blog pages cannot be accessed with the tumblr app. You will have to use a browser.
