A1969: are those disclaimers absolutely necessary?
Sango: uh-huh.
A1969:
darn it. –sigh- don't own the show…I own Miroku!
Sango:
WHAT?!
A1969: sorry, don't own him either…Sango does.
Sango: -blushes- I'll get you for this.
Chapter Seven: Takeshi Confronts Sesshoumaru
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Sesshoumaru's eyebrows met in the middle as he walked back towards his camp. The battle between Hakudoshi had played itself again in his head and it bothered him slightly. Hakudoshi's target had been the girl, Clara, Midoriko's reincarnation as he remembered. She must have been a great danger for Naraku if he had decided to attack the girl.
But of course, the girl was now dead, rotting somewhere along-or under-the river. Sesshoumaru stopped in his tracks and he sniffed the air carefully. He could smell blood. Thinking that Rin was in danger and Jaken couldn't help her, he quickened his pace and gradually broke out into a run.
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"There," Rin said triumphantly as she finished bandaging the girl's wound. When she had spent some time in Sesshoumaru's castle, one of the healers had taught her how to do a little bit of first aid. She looked at Clara. They had-she and Jaken-laid her next to Ah-Un who didn't want to be near her at first. The wound was still emitting blood but not as much as before and Rin saw that the bandage would need to be replaced shortly.
"You really think that girl will live?" Jaken asked.
Rin shrugged. "Maybe, Master Jaken…we should try to help her, though."
"Why?" the imp asked, "she's none of our business!"
Rin sighed. "Fine…we should take her to Lady Kagome. They're friends, you see."
"Bah," Jaken scoffed. "Oh? You intend to take her to that Kagome girl? And how are you going to do that without opening her wound even more?" Rin glared at Jaken. Instead of trying to be sarcastic, he should at least try to help her.
"Maybe Lord Sesshoumaru can carry her…" Rin's voice trailed off.
"Ha!" Jaken scoffed. "Do you think Lord Sesshoumaru will dirty his hands with a human?"
A loud rustling made Rin and Jaken turn to the bushes. Jaken raised his Staff of Heads, prepared to protect Rin-and himself-against whatever was in the bushes. To his surprise, Sesshoumaru was the one who came out of the bushes. "Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken said, quickly lowering the staff.
Sesshoumaru stared at Jaken and looked for the source of the bloody scent. His eyes strayed to a girl lying next to Ah-Un. He recognized the girl who was supposed to be dead. "Allow me to explain, Lord Sesshoumaru," Rin said quickly. "Master Jaken and I found her in the river. She was badly injured and so we helped her."
The daiyoukai stared at the unconscious priestess and estimated that she had lost a generous amount of blood though not enough that it could be fatal. He approached the priestess and knelt beside her on one knee, eyes scanning the bandage.
Rin approached him. "Lord Sesshoumaru?"
"You will have to take her to the undead miko," Sesshoumaru said as he stood up. Rin nodded and looked at the pale girl.
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Kikyou walked past the trees and shrubs with a certain elegance that she seemed to possess. She thought of the dead girl, Clara, and scowled heavily to herself. She had not expected the girl to die. She shouldn't have let her go off on her own like that. She stopped and felt a familiar pressure in her shoulder due to the miasma within her. She took an arrow from her quiver and plunged into her shoulder, spilling the miasma and soil from the wound she inflicted.
"How long must I go on like this?" Kikyou said more to herself than to Kochou and Asuka. The latter approached her and held out the clay vessel that contained soil from her grave. She dipped her hand into the soil and poured some into the wound which immediately closed up. "My time is running short," Kikyou said to her companions. "I must find a way to kill Naraku before…"
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Kagome sighed as she made her way to the well. She had decided to return to the modern era and break the news to Clara's mother. She bit her lip as she trudged on. How on earth was she going to explain everything to Clara's mother? The thought of what Mrs. Rose might do and say kept Kagome awake the whole night.
As she approached the well, she saw a man with golden brown hair standing next to it. Kagome stopped in her tracks, wishing that Inuyasha was there with her. The man seemed to be beckoning to her. She bit her lip and was about to run away when the man said, "You are the priestess Kagome?"
"Eh?" Kagome said as she slowly approached him. "Y-you know who I am?"
The man nodded. "You are a friend of Midoriko's?"
"Midoriko?" Kagome asked. Her eyes widened. "Oh! You mean Clara! Who are you? How do you know about Clara?"
"That is not important," he said softly. His black eyes bore into her own. "She is alive."
Kagome's eyes widened even further. "Alive? But how? I saw that she fell, wounded, into the waterfall…how can you say that she's alive?" Kagome wanted to believe him. But there was something strange about him. For instance, how did he know that they all thought that Clara was dead?
"She is alive," he said again, his voice was so low that Kagome had to strain her ears to hear him.
"Well, where is she?" Kagome asked.
The man turned his back on her and started to walk off. "Hey!" Kagome shouted. "If you're not going to tell me where she is then why did you tell me that she was alive?!"
The man turned slightly to face her. "You must find her on your own…then…" he lowered his voice, "I can take her back." With that he left.
Kagome looked dumbstruck for a moment. Then she turned and ran back towards Kaede's village.
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"You're a fool, Hakudoshi," Kagura said dangerously as she leaned on the railing of the balcony.
Hakudoshi glared at her. "Do continue."
"Why did you kill Midoriko's reincarnation? She was our ticket to freedom."
"I had no choice," Hakudoshi defended. "Naraku ordered me to think of a way to get rid of the girl…it's quite obvious that he fears her or rather, feared her…besides, do you want me to end up like poor Akago? He was absorbed by Naraku because he tried to disobey Naraku and destroy that bastard's heart."
Kagura fanned herself and wondered how the bastard Naraku could be killed.
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"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted as she quickly ran back into Kaede's village. Inuyasha and the others rushed out of Kaede's hut as soon as they heard her screams.
Seeing that she was in no apparent danger, the hanyou asked, "What is it? Did a bird frighten you?"
Kagome was panting by the time she reached them. "No," she said as she glared at him. "I met a man near the well and-"
"A man?" Sango asked, taking the chance to tease Inuyasha. "Kagome-chan, you sure have an eye for such things!"
Kagome gave her friend a gentle shove as Inuyasha glared at her. "What man?" he asked, jealousy immediately lacing his voice.
Kagome's tone grew serious. "I mean…the guy I met…it was as if he was waiting for me…he said that…Clara was still alive."
"What?!" Everyone asked in unison.
The priestess nodded. "He said that she was alive and that we had to look for her…I think…he was that guy Clara was talking about!"
"Guy?" Inuyasha asked.
"You know…the guy that told her how to get down the well…the guy named Takeshi!"
Miroku looked thoughtful. "If this Takeshi indeed speaks the truth…then we should find Lady Clara and quick."
The others nodded in agreement.
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As Clara slowly regained consciousness, she became aware of a sharp pain in her side. She knew that she was conscious and yet she didn't want to open her eyes. She remembered the fight with Hakudoshi, remembered falling into the waterfall, the rush of the water smothering her. She had managed to swim to the surface where the current carried her to more calm waters where Rin-although she didn't know it yet-found her.
She slowly opened her eyes-and managed not to scream. She was lying beside a…two-headed dragon? She slowly sat up. It was dark and she looked around. The little girl, Rin, she remembered, was sleeping next to a…toad?
Clara remembered that Rin traveled around with Inuyasha's half brother whose name she had once again forgotten. What was it? Oh, right, Sesshoumaru. She glanced around, hoping that he wasn't there. Ever since Shippou had told her that he was a sort of killer, she feared him. Thankfully, he wasn't there.
She glanced at the woun at her side and saw that someone had bandaged her wounds, which were still bleeding and which were still very painful. Her first thought was that she had to leave and return to either Kikyou or Kagome. Not wanting to wake the little girl, she slowly stood up and swayed slightly. The pain was immense.
She slowly and painfully walked out of the camp, clutching her side as she did so. When she was a few yards away, she leaned against a tree and breathed hard. "Unh!" She slowly looked at the wound and found that it was bleeding again. I have…to find…Kikyou…she thought as she continued walking on.
A sharp pang of pain made her cry out. "You will open that wound even further if you insist on walking like a fool," a cold voice said.
Clara looked up sharply and felt her heart skip a beat. Sesshoumaru was regarding her coldly. She held her side even tighter to slow the bleeding. She took a deep breath in hopes of dulling the pain. "I…have…t-to…get to Kikyou," she said as she panted from the pain.
Sesshoumaru regarded her. She was indeed foolish. Did she actually wish to die? He could help her if she wanted. "You humans are indeed foolish." He voiced out the obvious.
Clara glared at him and was about to say something when another cry of pain escaped her. She fell on all fours, pain making her dizzy. Sesshoumaru looked at her; she was in great pain, which he could tell. He watched as she collapsed in a faint.
"What a bother," he muttered to himself as he approached her. He had no choice; he had to help her.
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As the stars continued twinkling, everyone in feudal Japan was sleeping-except for those who weren't. Kikyou was one of those whom Sleep could not claim. The undead miko was sitting on one of the large roots of an equally large tree. Her brown eyes scanned the heaves, looking up at the stars.
A presence was nearby.
Kikyou immediately stood up just as someone walked into the clearing. The priestess narrowed her eyes at him. He had golden brown hair and was wearing armor. "Who are you?" Kikyou asked her voice stern. She looked at the man standing before her, narrowed her eyes at him. He was a demon that she could tell. But his aura seemed…suppressed.
"You are the undying priestess they call Kikyou?" he asked.
Kikyou inwardly scoffed. Undying huh? She thought savagely. "Yes, I am Kikyou," she said, hand resting on the bow on her shoulder. "Who are you? How is it that you know my name?"
"I am the one called Takeshi," the man said, eyes staring indifferently at her. "Miko…you are the one who is training Midoriko?"
"Was," Kikyou corrected, narrowing her eyes at him and wondering how he knew that. "Midoriko is dead. She was killed by an incarnate of Naraku's."
Takeshi gave her an amused smile; a smile that Kikyou did not like. He seemed to taunt her, as if he knew a secret that Kikyou didn't. "Dead? Do you think Midoriko could be killed so easily?" There was amusement in his voice.
"Then she is not dead?" Kikyou asked as she narrowed her eyes at him. "She lives?"
"She lives as much as you and I."
Kikyou gave him a deadly glare; that was an insult to her. "Where may I find her?" she asked. Takeshi turned his back on her.
"She will come back to you when she will." He left the clearing leaving Kikyou in a silent reflection.
"Asuka," Kikyou said.
Asuka bowed. "Yes, milady?"
"Seek out Inuyasha…there are important matters that I wish to discuss with him."
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Inuyasha was sleeping, leaning against the wooden wall of Kaede's hut. His ears twitched. His eyes snapped awake and he stared at his companions for a moment. Kagome was sleep, Shippou in her arms. Sango was sleeping beside her; Miroku was leaning against the wall opposite Inuyasha, the wall near the doorpost. Kaede was sleeping near the now dead fire.
The hanyou looked through the wooden bars of the window. A glowing light was headed toward them. Kikyou's shikigami, he thought. He stood up not as quietly as he hoped because Miroku soon asked, without opening his eyes, "So, are you going to leave again?" His voice was barely more than a whisper.
"I Just want to see what Kikyou wants," Inuyasha said as he quietly stood up.
Miroku opened one bleary eye. "And you want to see Kikyou."
Inuyasha was silent. "I gotta go. If Kagome wakes up, tell her I went for a walk."
As he went out the door, unknown to him, Kagome narrowed her eyes sadly.
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Asuka guided Inuyasha to Kikyou. As soon as he saw her, the hanyou embraced her but Kikyou pulled away and narrowed her eyes at him. "I did not call you here on a whim, Inuyasha," she said, her tone foreboding.
"Then…why?"
"It is about Midoriko…she is alive," Kikyou said.
Inuyasha nodded. "I know…I mean…Kagome met a guy-we think he's the one called Takeshi, he said that Clara was alive." He wondered why many referred to Clara as 'Midoriko.'
Kikyou's eyes became tiny little slits as she narrowed them. "Takeshi?"
The hanyou nodded. "Yeah…Clara said that he was the one who led her to this era in the first place…"
"Inuyasha," Kikyou began. "A man named Takeshi came to me, he said that Midoriko was still very much alive, but he refused to tell me where she was."
"Who is he?" Inuyasha asked out loud.
Kikyou looked up at the sky and frowned. "Someone we should neither take nor trust lightly."
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Clara tried to open her eyes. She felt her body awaken but she willed her eyes to remain shut. She tried to remember what happened yesterday. She remembered seeing Sesshoumaru before falling into another faint. Grudgingly, she decided to open her eyes.
"Ah! You're awake!" Rin cried happily as she gave the injured woman a smile.
Clara smiled weakly at her. She glanced around. Sesshoumaru wasn't there.
"Hmm…" Rin said as she checked on the bandages she had placed on Clara. "Have you changed these, Clara-chan?"
Clara looked at Rin and shook her head. "Oh," Rin said. "They're new."
Clara looked down at the bandages and wondered for a moment if Sesshoumaru was the one who had changed her bandages. The thought almost made her blush. Not quite, but almost. She stood up and swayed for a moment. The pain had dulled but it hurt quite a bit.
"I don't think you should stand, Lady Clara," Rin said. She smiled at Clara. "I asked Lord Sesshoumaru if you could stay with us until the wound healed and he said,"-she scrunched up her face so that she could imitate Sesshoumaru's expression-"do as you wish, Rin."
"Why would you bother to?" Clara inquired.
Rin shrugged. "Well…you saved my life."
Clara smiled at the girl. It was hard not to like her. Jaken suddenly came into the camp and looked sharply at the girl. "Lord Sesshoumaru wishes to speak with you," he said grudgingly. Clara looked at him her blue eyes wide with interest. Jaken gestured beyond the trees. "What are you waiting for, human?" the toad asked. "Don't keep milord waiting!"
Clara glared at him. I hate frogs from now on, she thought as she walked past Jaken. She made her way to the place Jaken had indicated to, a bit slow because of her wound. She made it past a few trees and came upon a cliff where Sesshoumaru was looking down at the valley below. His silver hair blew softly in the breeze and she thought that he looked quite majestic.
Is he really a blood thirsty killer as Shippou said he was? She thought.
"Girl," he said, without looking at her.
"E-eh…?" He had caught her off guard. "I mean, yes?" From what she heard from Shippou, Sesshoumaru was not the kind of demon you could take lightly.
"Why was Naraku's incarnate so intent on killing you?" he asked, his tone indifferent.
She looked at him and bit her lip. His cold tone and emotionless demeanor made her hesitant so she didn't answer him for a moment. "I…don't know," she said as she looked at his back. "Maybe…it has something to do with the fact that…well…they say that…I am Midoriko's reincarnation…"
He turned slightly and looked at her from over his shoulder; his suspicions were correct, Naraku was afraid of the girl. His eyes met hers and she saw that they were narrowed. Midoriko's reincarnation? He thought. The deadly priestess whom demons feared?
"I see," he said softly as he stared at the sky. The breeze grew stronger as he stared at it. "When your injuries have healed, you may leave."
Clara nodded and turned to leave. She stopped and looked back at him. "Um…Sesshoumaru?"
He turned slightly towards her. "Uhm…thanks for changing the bandages," she said as she walked off. He turned back and looked up at the sky. So the girl was Midoriko's reincarnation; that explained why Naraku wanted her dead.
"You would do well to respect her, Lord Sesshoumaru," a voice said. Sesshoumaru immediately spun around, eyes scanning for the person who had managed to sneak up on him without being detected. His eyes landed on a man with golden brown hair and dark eyes.
"I do not heed lesser demons," Sesshoumaru said dangerously, narrowing his eyes.
"You must not underestimate her, Lord Sesshoumaru," the man said again, narrowing his eyes at Sesshoumaru. "She has great power within her and that deserves respect."
"Who are you, low life?" Sesshoumaru asked as he placed a clawed hand on the hilt of Bakusaiga.
"They call me Takeshi," he said blandly. "I am a friend of Midoriko's…and I shall not allow you to harm her."
Sesshoumaru gave Takeshi a death glare. Did that guy actually think that he was going to harm the girl? If he did, then he wouldn't have allowed Rin to help her. He drew out Bakusaiga and pointed it at Takeshi. "Leave," he said coldly, "while you can still use your feet."
To his slight surprise, Takeshi turned and left. He replaced Bakusaiga in its sheath and went back to their camp where he found Rin teaching Clara how to make a wreath of flowers. "Rin, why do you enjoy making these?" she was saying as she held a wreath gently in her hands.
"Because I like them!" Rin said with a toothy smile. "Besides, I like putting them on Ah-Un."
Clara raised an eyebrow. "Ah-Un? You should put it on yourself!" So saying, she gently placed the wreath on Rin's head.
The little girl laughed. "I never thought of that before!" she said. Seeing Sesshoumaru, she said, "Look, Lord Sesshoumaru, I'm a princess!"
"Very nice, Rin," he said without looking at the little girl. He seated himself under a tree and was immediately lost in thought.
Clara looked at him. If he hates humans so much, then why does he travel with Rin? She thought. His gaze met hers and their eyes locked for a moment. Blue locked with gold and she felt her heart beat a little bit faster. There was just something in his gaze that…
He slowly looked away, eyes looking back at the sky. Clara inwardly sighed. Indeed, he was a demon not to be taken lightly.
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A1969: I know it's a bore, got a little distracted here.
Miroku: let me help you, sweet-
Sango: -hits him on the head-
A1969: er…they kinda have issues, anyway, thanks to those who reviewed!
