Disclaimer: Not a chance here...
A/N: For some reason my computer is being ridiculously slow and the site here won't let me put in a horizontal rule thingy. Oh well I guess...I'm having a bad day. Just like Kagome and Inuyasha I suppose, eh? This chapter's title is awesome, I like it alot. (satisfied sigh). Sorry again, this one's long, again. But I had to add the plot twister at the end. Lord help me but I hate High School, someone pray for me hey? please? Almost no one reviewed too...makes me sad (sniffles) I hate the people in my life...(huffs)...well hope that you guys enjoy this...The next chapter is more despair for you...(I know I'm evil) But after that it gets better...so what will that be? (I have them written and named ahead of time(winkwink)) Chapter 12 The New Moon...(hinthint)...think about it...write to tell me if you've figured me out eh? Hope you like!
Curse of the Hanyou
Hybrid: the offspring of two animals or plants of different varieties, races, or species. The mule is a hybrid resulting from the breeding of a male donkey (jack) and a female horse (mare). In almost all cases in animals the hybrids are completely sterile. However, occasionally, as is found in some big cats and in mules, the females may be partially fertile. Genetics…
"…Hybrids…" Kagome breathed, staring down at the page in the encyclopedia below her, dumbfounded. The birth control pills, all of my worries…Kagome felt her body tingle and then go numb, as if every nerve had shouted out its disbelief, ...all of them were meaningless! But the cold type on the white page before her didn't soothe her. Not a second after she began to grasp that she wasn't to blame the next realization set in, and this one blossomed within her like nausea, like poison.
We'll never be able to have a family…there will never be pups…
"Kagome, dear, are you all right?" her mother's voice wavered above her, fearfully, barely managing to catch her daughter's attention at all. Kagome looked up at Mrs. Higurashi, tears sparkling in her eyes.
She made a half-laughing, half-choking sound, "At least I know I'm not the one who can't…who can't…" her voice died and she turned her face back to the cold, white type. A few tears splattered onto it, the shiny pages of the encyclopedia refused to absorb the salty droplets, they rolled straight toward the center binding, leaving little trails of moisture behind.
Completely sterile…but why? She tried to skim the rest of the article with her eyes but it went on to speak of plant hybrids and how useful they were. Damn this thing!
She slammed it shut, angrily, trying to keep the tears from spilling. "Why did this happen to us?! Why…" Kagome's rage died as quickly as it came then, transforming into wracking sobs that tore through her like scissors through the thinnest sheets of paper. Mrs. Higurashi, at a loss, but hating to see her child in such distress, quickly moved to take Kagome into her arms, holding her as if the young woman were ten years younger again, home crying after seeing Inuyasha with Kikyo.
"It's all right honey. Everything will be fine…" she whispered, but the words were empty and meaningless, Kagome's tears kept coming steadily, she knew the truth. It was as cold and black and white as the encyclopedia's pages. No one would give Inuyasha the pups he deserved, the family he longed for. And as long as she remained with him, as his mate, there would never be children in her life either.
Never.
(pretend there's a horizontal rule here kay?)
Mayuko checked once more on the simmering stew, nervously. If she burned it or made any kind of mistake now she knew she was sure to be skewered by her lord's sword Tetsuseiga. Since coming to tend her usual chores early that morning, which happened to be the second morning of Lady Kagome's absence, she'd only seen the ill-tempered hanyou once, and that'd been when he'd opened the gate for her. In any case just seeing the foul expression in his face and eyes told her to stay away. In truth she suspected that he'd never truly forgiven her for being the first to tell him of the curse that the villagers believed lied heavily upon him and his household.
As far as Mayuko was concerned, childless and barren herself, Inuyasha should leave the village behind. What'd kept him nearby in the first place; aside from the fact that it had the well…she frowned realizing that that idea was useless from the moment she thought it up. Of course Lord Inuyasha would remain close to the village—it was his mate's only way home, through the well.
She had no idea where he'd been all day, though she suspected he was lurking in the back of the estate, in his favorite tree. If he was hungry she knew that he'd come to her, or rather, he'd come to the stew. If she were to go looking for him it'd be a grave mistake.
Shippo hadn't been a problem, the young youkai never was. He played, a little like an excited puppy, about the estate, running through the gardens, trying to climb the trees, wrapped within his own fantasies and dreams in which he was the guardian and ruler of all. Seeing the kitsune's happiness each day made Mayuko's time as housekeeper pleasant. Just as Kagome thought of Shippo as a son, so too did Mayuko.
An abrupt gust of wind smashed into the house, making the screens, doors, and walls rattle. The day wasn't too cold for a change, and the sun had even come out to melt away most of the season's early accumulated snowfall…but even so Mayuko felt a chill race through her, and suddenly her heart was pounding within its cage of ribs.
Something wasn't right.
Leaving the warmth of the kitchen behind, as well as her little steaming teacup, Mayuko stepped cautiously toward the front door. Though she thought herself silly for it—Lord Inuyasha and his powerful sword were enough protection any day—she felt every individual hair on her arms, and the back of her neck stand on end. Her hands were white as the melting snow outside when they gripped the door and slid it open slowly…
The nervous housekeeper looked out, biting her lips against the cold that snuck passed her, trying to invade the house like ants descending on a picnic to pillage the sweets. She could clearly see the gardens, the trees leafless and barren, the pebbled path, so beautiful in the summer and spring, strewn with the last night's remaining snowfall. Nothing seemed amiss out there…and yet…
Mayuko pushed her feet into her sandals at the door and stepped out into the chill, tucking her arms into the sleeves of her simple gray-colored kimono. Something needed her attention at the gate…she walked slowly, as if taken by a spell, toward the large, looming gates of her employers' estate.
The gates were cold and stolid. Snow that'd stuck to the tops of the walls had now melted away into water in the sunlight of the afternoon. Mayuko could see the darker color on the wall where the water had settled into its foundation. She paused a moment, her body hunched in the cold, aging her another decade, staring. There seemed to benothing wrong, nothing out of place. Surely she should head back before Inuyasha spotted her outside and thought she was neglecting her duties…where was Shippo?
She started to turn round to call for him when the wind rose again, abrupt, without the slightest warning. A few gusts tore through her kimono, making Mayuko hunch further into herself, trying to preserve what little warmth she had. And then, from the gate…
A loud, obnoxious rattling joltedher toattention, rivetingher gazeon the gate. As she watched, still stunned and dumbstruck, the gates seemed to jump in their place again, rattling loudly, demandingly. It was as if they'd come alive and were trying to pull free of their hinges…
"Hello?" she queried, her voice faint and nervous. She didn't expect an answer; surely this was some sort of mischievous spirit playing with her mind…where was Inuyasha? She felt the chills race through her as she waited to see if there would be any answer to her call.
The wind settled, falling dead as suddenly as it'd come. Just as Mayuko was beginning to think she'd imagined it all a voice came from behind the gates, strong, proud and clear. And female.
"Open the gates! I must speak with the mongrel!"
Mayuko gaped in the voice's direction, mute suddenly. What?! Mongrels? She wanted a dog? Did she mean Inuyasha? Who would dare be so rude? Not even the villagers, who so clearly despised Inuyasha, would come to his home and demand to speak to him, calling him a mongrel. This couldn't be a mere mortal. At such a thought Mayuko shivered. Every cell within her screamed for her to flee, to pretend that there was no one home. Yet even as she turned on her heel to abandon the demanding feminine voice it called again, louder this time, arrogantly.
"I demand to speak with the mutt Inuyasha!"
Despite her fear Mayuko felt a slight shock of indignation rush through her. Who was this arrogant girl? Before she could stop herself she'd cried out toward the gates, "Who is it that makes such demands?"
Now there was silence from the gate. Perhaps whoever had been waiting there had just given up and left. For a few moments Mayuko considered turning her own tail and fleeing as fast as possible, even if the rude guest on the other side of the gate had heard and was about to answer…even if they did answer…
"I am a messenger from the Inuyoukai ruler of the Western Lands!"
Mayuko felt her heart jolt; her hands shook. The Western Lands?! The villagers say such things of that youkai…they say the curse is his creation. She was dumb, speechless, and mute. Her mouth worked the cold air a few moments, the air fogging about her parted lips, a mist that quickly diffused and died in the winter's unfriendly air. She'd have remained so forever, not answering the demanding messenger of the powerful Inuyoukai, but luckily for her at that moment the snow crunched behind her, there was the sound of billowing robes, and a flash of red…
Inuyasha has come to deal with her…The hanyou threw the petrified Mayuko a quick glance, flicking his ears in what she took to be annoyance, and then growled at her, "Stay back." she looked to his waist and saw that both clawed hands gripped the Tetsuseiga firmly. Overwhelmed, she was incapable of doing anything but obeying, and quickly turned and ran back to the house, her mind absorbed with finding and protecting Shippo…
Inuyasha, barefoot as usual, despite the freezing snow, stepped forward toward the gate, his eyes wide, his emotions stilled. The wind wasn't blowing the right way for him to scent anything from the other side of the gate, but nevertheless he didn't sense a demon presence. Certainly the creature on the other side wasn't his brother, at least.
"Who are you?!" he shouted toward the gate, irritated.
"I am a messenger from the Lord of the Western Lands. You are the mongrel Inuyasha?"
"I may be a hanyou, wench," he snarled, "but I can cleave you into two just as well as that bastard that sent you."
At this he clearly made out the sound of a cynical chuckling, "The bastard that sent me, huh?"
Inuyasha ignored her, "Why were you sent?!" he demanded, losing patience. What the hell did his stupid brother want with him? Inuyasha hadstayed clear ofSesshomaru for years,keepingto himself. Why should his brother bother with him? The way Inuyasha saw things it was live and let live. Simple.
"The great and prestigious Lord Sesshomaru—"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, skip the courtly bullshit would you?"
There was a long pause and Inuyasha wondered, amusedly, if perhaps he'd insulted the messenger, who seemed to be as stuck-up as his half-brother, and she'd decided to leave him alone. But, much to his disappointment, a moment later the messenger's voice came again, noticeably more annoyed and demanding.
"Open the gates!"
Suspicious, and cautious, Inuyasha scowled, though of course he knew she couldn't see him, "Why?"
"Just do it!"
"No, I'm afraid you'll have to give me the message through those gates. Or, you could save us both the trouble of enduring one another's company and you could leave and tell my stupid brother I said he could piss up a tree."
The wind rustled and howled then, tickling and chilling Inuyasha's ears, it sent a chill down his spine as well. He sensed something wrong with it, but although he tried to scent it, tried to discern whatever it was that was bothering him he couldn't. In fact he couldn't even scent the stew from in the kitchen even though the wind was coming from the right direction—it should've carried that scent in it. Suddenly he felt his body grow cold, though it wasn't the wind that touched him to the bone, sucking his warmth from him.
Tonight…the new moon…The messenger spoke again, snapping his attention back into the present, though the chill of apprehension never left him. "In one week—hanyou—I'll return for you."
"Oh, I'm honored," Inuyasha spat, sarcastically, "But I won't be going anywhere with you and I won'topen the gates for you then either."
"Lord Sesshomaru has summoned you, Inuyasha. You have no choice. You will either submit and come with me when I return or Lord Sesshomaru will kill you."
Inuyasha felt the bile rise in his stomach, but he spoke without hesitation, without showing emotion or any such weakness, "Oh but he's been saying that for years! I keep waiting and waiting for him to pay up…"
The girl's voice replied, darkly, carrying with an almost inhuman quality that made Inuyasha's ears quiver, "This is no joking matter, hanyou fool…he may not take your life, but he can kill you…at any time…" she laughed then, gruesomely and Inuyasha felt as if he'd be sick, "One week hanyou! One week! Mark it well!"
He heard, to his relief, but also his terror, a horse whinny, protesting some rider's vicious spurring, and then the sound of hooves grinding into the cold earth, charging away at full speed. But the sound wavered in his ears, as if afraid or uncertain, it faded in and out of clarity. I didn't even smell the horse! Such a beast reeks after a ride; I shouldn't have needed even the wind! Damn the new moon! Damn my weakness…and damn…
"That bastard Sesshomaru!" he raged, baring his fangs at the gate, amber eyes wide and enraged. For a moment he felt his powerful demon-half grow and stir within him. Had it not been so close to the new moon he might've had to fight it and regain control, but instead it died all on its own, like a fire eating itself out of fuel and ending in ashes.
What could his brother want with him now? Had he done something? No, the only thing I've ever done is to draw breath…and be only half-demon. Inuyasha looked to the gate and suddenly felt his knees give way beneath him. He sank to the ground in a sitting position, tucking his hands into the sleeves of his haori, ignoring the numbness of his feet from the cold ground.
What had the messenger said? As if chanting to himself Inuyasha muttered the threat his brother's strange messenger had left, and although it seemed cryptic, inside his heart he knew exactly what his brother had meant. His stomach broiled and clenched and Inuyasha fought the urge to sob and gag at once.
Curses, curses. Everything's a curse. The curse of the hanyou. The curse…The messenger had assured him that Sesshomaru could kill him at any time—but she hadn't meant that his half-brother would draw a sword against Inuyasha. She'd been saying he would use someone else to destroy Inuyasha, to kill him with collateral damage…and Inuyasha knew full well what his brother and the messenger were thinking: Kagome. She was vulnerable, and she was his whole world…
Endnote: Maybe it's better that not so many reviewed eh? Then I won't write as much...anyway...So-chan-neko77 hey, glad that I can make you happy (winks) it's the little things in life eh? Like writing this story and hearing from you guys...THANK YOU! (By the way since having said above that I had a bad day just so you know that's like old news now...better days since writing that...) PisxiePam hope this satisfies! Sorry for fluff lovers (I'm one too by the way) but there's one more chapter of angst before things lighten again...hehehe....Blackrose going to nag me eh? lol, I wouldn't mind if you did. I'm honored to make you happy (grins) but...I'm evil as well...hehe...things may not turn out well...LadySword04 You guys are all TOO smart!! Lol, I've had a couple people now either figure me out or come up with something I'd never thought of before...sheesh...oh well, you guys brighten up my day (BIG grin!) Love you all! Sorry this was a little longer than my usual...hope you like! REVEIW! You don't know how much I love seeing those botfanfiction messages from readers...(!!!!)