A Taste of Humanity
Disclaimer: Sesshomaru and all characters from Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, not me (Zukiko and Aimi are mine though). This story is for entertainment purposes only; I make no profit from it.
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Chapter 9: Danger
A small tug roused him from a nap he hadn't realized he took. Golden eyes looked up at him innocently. When she saw him looking at her, she stopped.
"Hungry," she said softly, a hand on her tummy. Getting up, he picked a jar labeled 'rabbit' and a spoon. He sat back on the bed and opened the jar. It contained minced bits of meat in a reddish sauce. He noticed the pup leaning towards the jar, nose twitching. She did not reach for the jar so he scooped some of the meat onto the spoon and offered it to her. She opened her mouth obediently and he placed the spoon inside. He noticed her teeth were just starting to come in so more solid food would pose a problem for her. A small tug pulled him from his musings and he took the now-empty spoon and refilled it for her. He repeated this until the jar was completely empty. He discarded the jar and spoon. Without thinking, he gently licked the meat that had collected on the sides of her mouth instead of using one of the rags provided. It was an instinctive dog demon behavior that seemed to have remained though he was human for now. Zukiko seemed to expect it from him and did not resist the gesture. 'From what she said occurred, it is likely it was her father that was the demon. Though I smell human, I am male thus she is probably associating the behavior by gender.' He wondered what her reaction would be once the curse ended. Would she fear his powerful aura? Would she recognize him as the same person? He found himself hoping she would still run to him like she did now.
A loud crash and terrified screams interrupted the peaceful moment. He had a feeling a demon had gotten into the village. 'It will smell the pup and come here.' Though unsure how he would battle a demon in his current predicament, he felt determination well up within him. Glancing about the hut, he found a small hand axe. He hoped it would be enough. The crashes were getting closer. Chancing a quick peak outside, he saw the demon lumbering steadily towards the hut. Villagers were running at it with spears, while the women and children sought shelter away from the beast. It resembled a giant centipede, its red segments armed with a pair of black spear-like limbs and a huge head equipped with enormous pincers. He glanced down at the hand axe. It was barely the length of his lower arm, its curved blade designed for wood-cutting. Turning to the girls, he saw them huddled together.
"Rin," he said, trying to keep the growing fear from his voice, "You need to get Zukiko out of here. Find Kagome and remember to take the bag." He saw her nod and he strode out the hut, wishing he had something better than a small wood-cutting axe to fight the demon with. He felt the girls rush out of the hut behind him. The demon sensed their movement and, with a huge roar, lunged towards them.
"You will not have what is mine!" he cried, swinging the axe at the centipede's head. It plunged deep into the demon's head, causing it to scream and thrash about. Before he could let go of the axe, the demon threw its head up into the air, rearing its body up in defiance. He clutched the axe desperately. He noticed a figure rushing away from the demon, hardly able to recognize the bright orange of Rin's kimono at his current height. Scrambling and picking some colorful words that would be more likely to be heard from his brother's mouth than his, Sesshomaru managed to climb onto the centipede's head. The demon shook its massive head, trying to dislodge the frantic Sesshomaru from his precarious perch atop the monster's head. He felt his insides trembling, his whole body panicking. The axe slipped free. Grabbing the tiny weapon in both hands, he swung it down into the prior wound with all his might. Thick black blood poured from the wound and the centipede shuddered. His grip on the axe weakened, the blood making the handle slick. With a final death throw, the demon whipped itself like a bucking horse. Having lost his hold on the axe, Sesshomaru was flung from the demon's head as it crashed down in a heap, dead.
As he felt his body sailing unprotected through the air, he realized he was about to die. 'At least Rin and Zukiko are safe,' he consoled himself, 'I wonder if Aimi survived the attack…' He didn't know which hut had been hers, though he had a feeling very few were still standing now. He felt his body stop flying up into the sky and begin its plummet to the ground. 'And so it ends… the great Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands dies saving two helpless girls…' Even though he felt it a poor end to his quest for power and conquest, he found he did not regret his actions. Closing his eyes, he spread his arms out, letting the wind dance about him as he fell.
Sooner than expected, he felt his body jerk to a stop. Though it was unpleasant, he could not say the stop was all that painful. Before he could register what had happened, he felt his body being thrust sideways in gentle, sloping arcs. Opening his eyes, he saw red. He blinked, confused. He turned his head to orient on the rest of his surroundings, but all he could see was a slightly billowing mass of red. He stopped and noticed he wasn't quite on the ground, a green blur seeming a bit too far down. He groaned and found himself dropping a bit further down, the green blur rapidly getting closer. He squeezed his eyes closed and prepared for pain. Again the pain did not come. He felt himself being propped up against something rough. He tried to make sense of his surroundings a third time. He sat against a tree in a forest of some kind. The mass of red moved closer and his vision finally cleared enough for him to recognize his little brother. He crouched in front of him, white ears alert.
"Keh," Inuyasha muttered, checking him for injuries, "I thought you said you were helpless? What the heck made you go and act all selfless and heroic anyway?"
"Are they safe?" he managed to choke out. "Rin and… Zukiko… are they…?"
"I don't know," his brother admitted, "I was trying to catch a demon that got passed Ah-Un and I when I saw it throw you and then collapse. I imagine Rin was smart enough not to be under the thing when it fell… who is Zukiko?"
"She's a hanyou, like you," he explained, "She's just a pup, her parents were killed. The demons were after her."
"So you risked your life… you would not have survived that fall you know… for a hanyou pup?" He nodded, knowing it sounded as crazy now as it had when he stepped out of the hut holding a small axe. He tried to move and pain lanced through his side. Inuyasha noticed him wincing in pain and found the wound. The smell of the demon's torn limb must have masked the smell of blood from his brother's keen nose. He could see the spear-like leg protruding from his side, surprised it only began to hurt now. "Don't move," his brother commanded, "I'll go get Kagome." He watched his brother disappear, a swift, red blur in the deep, green forest.
He felt hands on his side and realized he had fallen asleep. Opening his eyes he saw the demon leg lying on the ground beside him. He glanced down at his side, noting the excessive amount of blood pooled on the ground and soaking his clothes. White bandages covered the wound. Though he hadn't moved, he felt dizzy. He unsteadily leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes.
"You've lost a lot of blood," he heard Kagome explain. "You will feel weak and dizzy for awhile until your body restores your blood supply." He opened his mouth to ask about the girls, but she seemed ready for him. "Rin and Zukiko are fine." He felt a smile tug at his lips and decided he was too tired to keep it hidden. He heard something land nearby and glanced up to see Ah-Un approach. The two-headed dragon gently nuzzled him and he gave it a reassuring pat. With some help from his brother and Kagome, he mounted the steed. Kagome sat behind him, making sure he did not topple out of the saddle, which Inuyasha ran alongside. When they landed in the village, a chorus of cheers erupted. 'They are cheering for me,' he realized, 'the same villagers that shrank in fear of me when I visited Rin now are treating me like a hero.' He found it felt quite nice to be honored by these humans. As he scanned the crowd for the two girls, he heard them shouting above the cheers.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" they chorused. Zukiko opted to run to him on all fours instead of waiting for Rin to carry her up to him. He had barely slid down off the saddle when the little hanyou pup careened into him. Luckily, she was extremely light and he easily scooped her up into his arms. She nuzzled his face affectionately and he felt her warm, wet tongue licking his nose. Smiling, he gave her nose a lick in return. Rin eyes widened at the sight of his bandages, but greeted him with a gentle hug anyway. Balancing the pup in one arm, he wrapped his other around Rin. He heard the cheers die down as Rin led him to their hut, one of only three left standing. The crowd dispersed and the villagers got to work rebuilding their homes and burying the dead. Before entering the hut, he turned to Kagome.
"Did Aimi…?" Kagome looked sad and shook her head.
"She was in one of the huts that the demon crushed," she replied sadly, "I'm sorry you never got to say goodbye." He nodded his understanding, sadness filling him.
"…or thank you." he said softly. He entered the hut and sat on the bed. Rin curled up beside him as Zukiko snuggled deeper into his arms. His heart felt heavy at the deaths the demons caused. Zukiko's parents, his aunt Aimi, and many other villagers he did not know the names of. He found he was grateful that Rin and Zukiko were safe as well as Kagome and even his younger brother, Inuyasha. He heard a tiny yawn and looked down at Zukiko settling into his arms for a nap. Rin also seemed to be tired from the day's events as he felt her leaning into him and felt her breathing even out. Content that all would be well, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.