Inuyasha is the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi. I make no money off this chapter.
A/N: I don't really have a lot to say about this chapter but please enjoy. -Theores
Chapter 7: To Hell and Back
"Sesshomaru?" Rehema said, giving the group an odd look. "You mean that elfish looking guy?"
"Yea," Kagome responded with an amused grin. "He's Inuyasha's older brother. I would have said something yesterday, but I thought you already knew."
Turning to Inuyasha the doctor asked him, "Your brother is an elf?"
The half demon smirked. "What's an elf?"
"Then that answers my question." Rehema countered, sighing to herself. If he didn't know what it was, chances were his brother wasn't one.
"He's not an elf, but he is a full demon." The priestess said, trying her best to keep her composure when really all she wanted to do was break out in laughter. "That's why we wanna go ask him about your necklace, he might know something about it."
"Okay?" Rehema responded, still unsure about their plan. "And where exactly is he?"
"Keh. Oddly enough the bastard's in the woods. He must not have left after dropping off Rin the other night."
Feeling rational, Rehema tried to break down the plan step by step. "So….you want me….to casually walk up to your brother….and just ask him to tell me about the secrets of dark magic?"
"Yes, that's pretty much it," Miroku responded with a nod.
Her eyebrows rose. "Okay, and after telling me about how he tried to melt down Kagome and then literally put a hand through Inuyasha's gut….nobody sees any holes in that plan?"
"Oh he's not as cold hearted as he was before!" Kagome said understanding Rehema's apprehension. "And besides, we'll be right there when you ask him."
"Uh….Actually, it's more like right behind you." Miroku piped up while taking a step forward. "We'll be in the bushes watching. More than likely he wouldn't answer our questions if we all came to him as a group."
"You're afraid of him aren't you?"
"No! It's not that!" Shippo said from his perch on Kagome's shoulder. "We just don't wanna get in the way is all!"
"You know I never really asked for you all to help get this necklace off me." Rubbing an agitated hand behind her ear, Rehema tried to quell the feelings of anxiety that were threatening to boil over. "After three hundred years it just seems like a waste."
Sango frowned at her declaration. "But don't you wanna remember your past?"
"To be honest, not really," Rehema answered staring at the ground. She shrugged. "I've been this way since waking up three centuries ago…there's no point in changing now." And I don't know why but it feels like it's something I wouldn't be able to handle.
"But…."
Miroku intervened. "But, your past might be the answer as to why you were brought here in the first place." Glancing over at Kagome he shrugged. "And fate works in mysterious ways."
Rehema lifted up. "True…."
Seeing her calm expression he continued his thought pattern, "Zakari-san if I'm not mistaken, you're a healer in your time period correct?"
Rehema nodded. Doctors and healers were all the same to her.
"And if our worlds coexist on a similar time scale, then there just might be people who need your services in your world and can't get them because you're here refusing to face your fears." At seeing her the slight widening of her gray eyes, Miroku immediately knew she cared about the people she treated. Finishing his assessment, the monk waited for his words to sink and a possible argument but surprisingly there was none.
Instead, the foreign doctor merely stood up and addressed Inuyasha who flinched slightly when Rehema turned to him. "Where's your brother?" She exasperated, ignoring the bemused looks the rest of the group was sporting.
Standing up from his previous position against a forest tree, Sesshomaru watched as the odd woman from the other night slowly walked up to him; her eyes locked on the ground while her hands seemed to be dug into the pockets of the weird hakama she was wearing. Lifting her gaze, the doctor let out a breath of air as she stared at the impassive man, her mouth opening and closing a bit while she tried to figure out what she wanted to say.
Inuyasha and his group of comrades were hiding out in the woods from what he could sense, apparently not wishing to approach him directly themselves.
The close proximity gave him a chance to better examine the exotic female. Observing the way the brown skinned woman tensed when he took a step forward, Sesshomaru fleeting wondered why that mere show of discomfort bothered him. She had been unconscious the last time he saw her, but now that she was alert and standing at her full height, it gave him a chance to look over her entire exotic form.
She held a darker complexion than most Japanese, but it was almost like a deep tan rather than a full darkening of the skin. Her deep black hair was different from others as well, curly and reaching just past her breast line. It was sure to be much longer if straightened though the loose waves she held now suited her symmetrical features well. The most standout feature, however, were her eyes, which were a light gray color; standing out attractively against her warm skin tone. Running his eyes quickly over her figure once to feel out the rest of her body which he saw no problems with, his gaze all at once returned to her face which was still pinched up in an odd expression of uncertainty.
The imp promptly made his way in between the two, breaking the silence. "What do you want Gaijin? (foreigner)"
Rehema stiffened at the term but nonetheless responded tensely. "I need to talk to you….Ah….Sesshomaru….sama."
"And what could you possibly require from my lord woman?" Jaken retorted, waving his staff angrily at the doctor. "Sesshomaru-sama doesn't answer to just anyone!"
"I need to….to ask him something….well….you...no…." Rehema trailed off, unsure of who to address in this situation. Sesshomaru's consistent stare was nerve-wracking, those golden eyes making her temporarily ignore the annoying squawking the green toad-like creature was doing. Taking a deep breath, the doctor tried again. "I need to ask Sesshomaru-sama about Kokumajutsu…..and what he possibly knows about Sokubaku…."
Sesshomaru's eyes widened a fraction, taken aback at her words. How does she know…? His thoughts were disrupted by Jaken's cry.
"Black magic!" The imp growled out, sounding appalled. "A mere mortal shouldn't dabble in such atrocities, much less a Gaijin! You would find no good in…."
"Jaken enough." Sesshomaru abruptly ordered. Shifting his eyes away from her momentarily to look at his retainer, he commanded the imp, "Go to the village and wait with Rin."
"Ah...But Sesshomaru-sama…."
"Now." As an afterthought, he added, "And tell Inuyasha and his group of miscreants to do the same."
A bit aways a number of bushes rustled and after a bit of harshly whispered words, followed by a crash and the pained groan of the half-demon, the scents of his brother and group of cronies began to fade a bit as they all proceeded to head back to the village, allowing the two to be in complete privacy.
Waiting a bit until he was sure Jaken was out of earshot as well, Sesshomaru returned his attention to the foreigner who involuntarily flinched at his gaze. Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, the demon lord simply asked, "Why do you ask about such things?"
"Because...I have this necklace…." She muttered out, unsure of how to explain it.
Luckily he knew what she meant. "And you think it is cursed by the Sokubaku?"
"Yea….I mean...Yes." She responded, attempting to remain formal.
"The Sokubaku is a spell meant to seal a specific power for all eternity," Sesshomaru said, remembering lessons on the subject in his younger years. "The curse does not reveal itself until one attempts to either use the ability it was meant to subdue or they seek to remove the object after it has been placed on the intended wearer."
"I know….that's why I'm stuck wearing it now."
He furrowed his brow. "You actually bear the item?"
"Yes."
Sesshomaru took another step closer, curious. "Hn. Show it to me."
Rehema's eyes shot up in surprise. "Huh?"
"Show me this necklace you claim to be cursed."
"Uh….But I can't remove it." Rehema stated, taken aback by his now much closer proximity. "And if you try to touch it it'll send you crashing into a tree." The last part made her blush as she realized how ridiculous the threat sounded.
"I have no intention of actually placing my hands on it woman," Sesshomaru said, the ghost of a frown on his face as her unnerving behavior in his presence got to him. Why is this bothering me? Where others feared him he felt an odd empowerment but now watching how uncomfortable this foreigner was being at arm's length from him made him feel….strange. Not quite how he thought he would feel if Rin were to someday treat him the same way. No longer sure if he wanted to continue a conversation with her, the demon lord took a few more fast steps forward and dauntlessly grabbed the bit of silver chain revealed under her shirt, pulling it forward so that the pendant dangled out in the open.
Unintentionally, Rehema screamed at the sudden movement and cringed, expecting the pendant to send him back, but paused when instead of a blast of energy appearing, the black opal began to glow red at the center with a familiar light, hurting her eyes and causing the mother of all headaches to form. Blindly reaching out, the doctor gripped the demon by the top of his armor, desperately trying to remain upright while figures and words began to appear in her mind. After the while the images began to take form, and recalling a similar instance found herself no longer in the forest but standing on a bridge; Just like in my dream...
Sesshomaru was doing no better. Bringing his free hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, the demon lord growled as an odd feeling overcame him; followed by a number of identical images that shot through his vision. "What is this…" He muttered out, surprised at his own voice which sounded weak.
"Hema…."
"Yes?"
Reaching out with a clawed hand, Sesshomaru ran his fingers lightly over the bruise on the woman's cheek, the area still purple despite nearly five days of healing. "You shouldn't be out of bed right now."
"I needed to get out of that room," She replied, her eyes looking down as they refused to meet his gaze. "And besides….I needed some time to think…."
"You can do that without making your injuries worse." He stated in a matter of fact tone.
"No...Sess….I couldn't…."
"You can barely walk….how did you…." He started, hesitating when the answer immediately came to him. "Kazu…." He muttered out, baring his fangs.
"I asked him to bring me here…." Rehema explained, pulling his hand away from her face. The opposite side still showed the marking under her eye, luckily having remained untouched. Seeing the way he frowned at the action, she tried to make up for it by keeping a few fingers still wrapped around his paw. "I wanted to go back to the Shiro but he would only let me come as far as the bridges…."
"The Shiro…."
Sesshomaru opened his mouth to say more but it was unclear what his words were, the sound leaving his throat as the world began to fade to black. Almost as fast as it had happened, the moment was over, and the couple blinked and stared at each other as they were returned to reality, the hand that had once been clinched around her necklace now absently caressing the gray-eyed woman's cheek that in his vision had been bruised and swollen. Confused the two backed away from each other slowly, Rehema openly crying as tears began to freely flow down her cheeks. "What….What…."
Narrowing his own golden orbs at her, the demon lord growled in warning. "What are you?," He demanded to know. The perception was distinct, but there. She was obviously that same woman from his vision though dressed differently and lacking the markings the other she had possessed. "The Sokubaku…." It was covering up her true form, making her appear to be an absent minded mortal. "You aren't human."
"I….I know…." She sputtered out, still backing away from the stoic lord.
This was the problem with Kokumajutsu, not even the strongest of youkai could detect its presence often until it was much too late. "Then what are you?!" He snapped, not caring about his lack of composure. That illusion had understandable rattled his senses and knowing how dangerous Kokumajutsu could be, the desire to understand what was happening overtaking his need for control. "Answer me!"
"I….I…."
"Rehema!" Turning around the two watched as Inuyasha raced up to them, his expression angry while he tried to assess the scene. Behind him Kagome was trying desperately to catch up, the half demon having dropped her at the tree line before speeding ahead. "What happened?"
The doctor continued to stutter, her body shivering as though she had been exposed to below degree temperature. "He….I…."
Mistaking her behavior for pain, the half-demon spun around fully to address his brother, watching as Rehema ran past him deeper into another part of the forest. "Bastard!"
"This has nothing to do with you Inuyasha," Sesshomaru growled out at last, at last having gained enough composure to appear in control.
"The hell it doesn't!" Inuyasha shouted in response, drawing his sword. "What did you do to her?!"
"Fool I did nothing!" The demon answered, his temper obviously breaking against his desire to remain calm.
"Then why is she crying?!" He demanded to know.
Hearing his tone, Sesshomaru stood up to his full height and scowled "I don't have to answer to you." He responded darkly. "If you wish to know why don't you ask her."
"Keh." Turning around intending to do just that, Inuyasha wavered when he only saw Kagome behind him looking worried, Rehema herself nowhere to be seen. "What the…."
"Zakari-sensei!" Kagome yelled, gasping when she got no answer. Panicking, the priestess called out her given name in hopes of getting a response. "Rehema, where are you?"
Breathing in slightly, the half demon blinked when he smelled her scent from the direction she bolted in. "The Well."
"Huh?"
Resheathing his sword, Inuyasha grabbed his wife and rushed towards the well, a grimace on his face as the smell of blood reached his nose. Coming into the clearing, the half demon gently set Kagome down and peered down into the wooden structure, confusion replacing his grimace when he didn't see anyone at the bottom.
Misreading the expression her husband was making, the priestess thought it best if she didn't look in herself, instead choosing to ask what it was he saw. "Inuyasha…," Kagome asked, sadness gracing her features. "Did Rehema jump in?" The beginnings of tears formed at the corners of her eyes, the mere thought that the woman had committed suicide being enough to nearly send her into hysterics.
Bracing himself against the side, Inuyasha was silent until he muttered out, "She's not there…."
Kagome stared. "What?"
Reaching a brief hand into the dry hole, he withdrew an odd square object, holding it out for Kagome to inspect. Stepping closer, the priestess gasped at seeing the bandage strip that had once been on Rehema's forehead, a few stains of blood still visible on the inside. "This is all there is."
"She jumped in?" Kagome asked again.
"I'm sure of it," Inuyasha confirmed. "But apparently the well like Miroku thought it would…."
"So….she went back?"
"I think so…."
Plucking the bandage from Inuyasha's hands, her face contorted into a mixture of relief and uneasiness."But how…."
"I don't know the answer to that." The half demon admitted, still staring into the well with a look of apprehension.
"But the well just started working again…."
"And it's probably stopped just the same."
"But Zakari-sensei didn't find out why she's the way she is…."
Inuyasha gave her a grim look. "I don't think she was all that interested in knowing to begin with."
"What...What do we do now?" Kagome asked, still clutching the doctor's band-aid in her palm, careful that the side that touched her skin didn't end up on her hands.
"If she's gone back, then that might be the end of this…." The half demon stated.
"But she's still wearing that necklace….and she's over three hundred years old…."
"She didn't seem all that interested in figuring out why….maybe that's why she returned." Inuyasha suggested, tucking his hands back into his sleeves.
"So….What do we do?" The priestess asked again, a few tears escaping her eyes though she didn't know why.
"I guess just move on with our lives…." Inuyasha suggested, placing a comforting hand on one of his wife's shoulders.
Still not convinced, Kagome sighed as she worried about the woman who had once saved her life. "Rehema…." Are you okay? She thought, falling into her husband's embrace.
A ringtone was the first sound to reach Rehema's ears as she regained consciousness, her phone vibrating wildly in her back pocket. Opening her eyes, the doctor looked up at the top of the well house with a wavering gaze, her vision blurry while she tried to readjust to the light.
The phone which had begun to ring again jolted her senses back to attention, causing her to grab the device and press accept on the call. "Hello?"
"Zakari-san!" Fukuro said, nearly screaming through the receiver. "Blue Baby, Rooftop!"
"Blue Baby?"
"Yes! How soon can you be here?!"
"I…."
"Zakari-san, the child has flatlined twice in the past four hours, he needs surgery now!"
"I don't have my car…" Rehema responded absently, her free hand slowly running along the ground.
"Nevermind that, I'll come and get you, be outside and ready in ten minutes!" And with that, the phone call was over, the annoying beep of a disconnected line making her hit the button on her own end. Sitting up, the doctor glanced at the well she was in, her mind still in a daze as she stood and casually reached up and grabbed the ladder that hung just within reach on one side.
Squinting as she stepped outside the shrine and walked out to the temples steps, Rehema jumped slightly as a dark gray Mercedes honked its horn at her impatiently at the bottom, Fukuro looking agitated behind the wheel as the doctor continued to look around confused. Rolling down the passenger's side window, the hospital administrator called sharply, "Zakari-san, get in the car! We'll get you strapped up to an IV as soon as we get back to the hospital!"
"Why do I need an IV?"
"You're drunk aren't you?!" Fukuro asked, getting the suggestion from her dirty clothes and confused demeanor. "We need to hurry, this kid's on route from Kyoto!"
Bewildered, Rehema followed her boss's orders, climbing into the car and rearing back when Fukuro sped off towards the city the minute the door was closed, not even having bothered to wait until she'd strapped on her seat belt before hitting the gas. The trip was completely silent as they made their way to the medical center, the administrator only glaring at her still swollen forehead once before refocusing his eyes back on the road.
Staring off into space, only one question stayed in Rehema's mind, the answer only serving to make her headache once. What the hell just happened to me? She thought, just as Fukuro came around to the passenger's side and opened the door, jerking her from the car roughly by the elbow to drag her towards into the hospital elevators nearby.
A/N: There's another chapter up….Yep Yep… Hope you enjoyed!
