THANK YOU GUYS! Loved all your reviews! I even got more for the last chapter than I ever got from any of the chapters for Solace of The West. It really made my week! Just so you know, when I wrote this chapter, it kind of just started off as hope of redeeming myself from the lack of excitement that last battle memory had.
Honestly I have no idea whats gonna happen, till I write and I'm like omg this is happening say whaaaaaat. So please bare with me, cause half of these chapters I'm just going with the flow and totally just as surprised as you are where things end up.
Please make sure to read, follow, favorite, review, AND HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Chapter 11: Dream or Reality
Just keep walking. I had repeated that mantra in my mind a million times over in probably just the last hour alone. Every step was torture, the blisters in my feet rubbing against the back of my shoes. For weeks we had wandered the west, searching for clues of Sesshomaru's disappearance.
So far we had nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada. It was frustrating. Still, we stubbornly kept looking, all of us tense with the setting sun.
Tonight was the night of the new moon. The night Inuyasha's hair became dark as the night sky, his cute dog ears turning into human ear lobes, his claws disappearing into rough male fingernails.
Tonight was the night he would become physically helpless.
So I walked without complaint, knowing that Inuyasha had already lost his sense of smell, otherwise he would have known my shoes were filled with blood, that every step was so painful I wanted to cry, that I was five seconds away from plopping on the ground, never to stand again.
Okay, so maybe I'm being a little over dramatic, but dammit, my feet hurt and there was no way any of us would be able to get a wink of sleep tonight knowing that our most crucial member was a sunset away from being nothing more than a human with a rusty old sword for company.
When Jaken had said the West had become restless, he wasn't kidding. It was as if for every demon we killed, five more would appear in its place. Apparently news traveled fast, and when word was spread that Sesshomaru's younger half brother was passing through the western lands, every demon that seemed to want a slice of the pie was on our tails.
It didn't take us long to find out what the whole deal was. There were all sorts of nasty rumors buzzing around. Some said that Inuyasha had killed Sesshomaru himself to take claim of the west. Others said he was taking the grand opportunity of Sesshomaru's disappearance to claim his birthright.
Needless to say, we had a lot of unhappy greedy demons on our hands.
It was a little nerve wracking to say the least. We were currently following Jaken's directions of a possible safe haven a few more miles from here. It was a cramped cave behind a waterfall.
Oh joy…
To be honest, I had hoped we would have found Sesshomaru by now. The incident with Rin, and being able to communicate with the demon lord, had made me think that perhaps I was only able to reach out to him because we were close by.
Those thoughts were short lived however, when we had come to the clearing where his disappearance occurred, yet couldn't find hide nor hair of him.
Demons in the area had concurred that what Jaken had heard of that night was correct, yet no one seemed to know how a 6 foot something silver haired demon lord had just disappeared, despite him being in a catastrophic rage.
Someone knew something. Someone HAD to know something. Yet they weren't coming forward.
It would seem that Sesshomaru had been a little bit TOO good at his job of patrolling the west, considering the mayhem his disappearance had brought.
Glancing at Jaken, I couldn't help but wish Sesshomaru's subjects were half as loyal. It was obvious Jaken idolized the dog demon, practically kissing the ground he walked on. Rin, a human child, also showed an unrivaled loyalty.
So where were the rest of his people? Wasn't he missed? Sure he was a little on the cold side, but anyone with brains could see that Sesshomaru was more than just his ruthless reputation. Or maybe I was just as biased as Rin and Jaken were?
I couldn't stop the groan of relief when I heard the roaring of moving water. We had to be close. We just had to. Colors of sunset were filling the sky, the pinks, purples, and everything in between cracking through the sky in its final bid of farewell for the night.
Inuyasha barely made it behind the waterfall before his transformation started. It was always an incredible thing to see. The way his gorgeous silver hair would streak with black, until every strand had lost its color.
I could hear the cracking of bones in his hands as the structure of them completely changed.
I wonder if it's painful? His eyes were tightly closed, his body falling into his cross-legged stance. When he opened his eyes once more, honey golden hues had changed to a rich dark chocolate.
I felt dead on my feet at finally having a rest, and couldn't help but sink next to him, ignoring his irritated grumble. He could get over whatever crawled up his butt and died, I wasn't moving, not a single muscle.
The small space became crowded to the point that Ah-Un decided to stay outside our little cave and keep guard for everyone. Shippo had long since fallen asleep in my arms, soft snores drowned out by the roar of the waterfall.
Sango and Kirara moved to the back of the cave to lay on the dry moss that grew there, while Miroku sat near the entrance, taking on the first shift. I relaxed for a moment, before shooting straight up on my aching feet.
Where was Rin? Gently, I placed Shippo in Inuyasha's care, before grabbing my bow and arrows and stepping back out past the freezing water.
"Rin?" I called, my eyes searching the darkness for the familiar orange kimono. Ah's head stared back at me, before pushing me towards the other side of the waterfall. The child was sitting on a large rock, staring off into the dark night sky.
I winced as I willed my feet to move closer to her, promising to wrap them as soon as Inuyasha closed his eyes for more than five seconds. With unsteady legs I walked to her, breathing a sigh of relief when I finally sat on the surprisingly dry surface of the rock.
"It's dangerous out here Rin. You shouldn't be sitting out here by yourself," I gently scolded, my hand reaching out to pull her closer to me. She would do this more often then not. Perhaps she still wasn't used to hanging out with a large group.
Normally, it wasn't a big deal. But with Inuyasha losing his demonic blood for the night, it had us all on edge. I could feel her nod, but she made no movement to get up.
"Kagome should take better care of her feet. You were limping for a long time," I couldn't help but smile at her accusation, knowing that she didn't like to be scolded and this was my retribution for it.
"Good point. Come inside and help me wrap my feet than," I joked, already knowing that she would not be coming in for another hour or so. Perhaps she had inherited more from Sesshomaru than just his teachings. That or teenage angst was right around the corner.
I couldn't stop the tilt of my lips at that thought. The idea of Sesshomaru raising a teenage girl was funnier than the fact he had raised a small child.
"When will we find him? Rin keeps searching for him, calling for him every night, but he hasn't answered." I hugged her tightly to me, the forlorn hopelessness in her voice tearing me apart. I felt as if I was failing her.
"I know Rin. You have to know we are trying our best to find him, and we won't stop until we do." She only shook her head angrily, pulling away and jumping off the rock. For a moment, I was confused. Rin never got angry or upset. Something was really bothering her.
Before I knew what was happening, she was on Ah-Un, and with a single word, they were in the air.
"WAIT!" I screamed, not even thinking as I ran after them, not stopping for a moment to realize that Inuyasha and the others probably couldn't hear my scream behind the waterfall, or that I was running off into a dark forest with only a quiver of arrows to protect me.
As hard as I tried, I could not keep up. With frustrated tears, I leaned against a tree and bit my lip to stop the sobs. My feet were on fire, and as I took off my shoes and socks, it took everything inside me to hold back my screams.
I could barely see what the damage was, but even I could feel the hanging skin on the back of my heels and the bottoms of my feet, and smell the coppery scent of my blood. Putting the shoes back on was not an option. Sitting in a dark forest with a bunch of territorial demons wasn't exactly an option either.
Looking around, I had no idea where I was, or how to get back. Not good.
Great. Here I was, once again all by myself, probably about to get eaten by some demon with a power complex. I couldn't blame Rin for this. I could have handled things differently. Could had said something different. I knew she was getting frustrated, could hear her screaming at the mirror in my dreams, yet I did nothing.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and sent a wisp of my spiritual energy in the air, just enough to know what exactly I was going up against. The reality of it wasn't exactly… calming.
Opening my eyes, I took in the glowing orbs in the trees. Everywhere I looked, they were there, staring at me, waiting for the right moment to strike. I sneered, pulling my socks back on despite the pain, deciding that my shoes could take the high road.
Slowly, I stood up, determination and anger filling my body. These weren't their lands. They had no right to gang up on weaker prey just because their lord had taken a temporary vacation. I wouldn't back down.
With that thought, I stood tall, my spiritual power blazing into a pink barrier.
"You want this! Than come and get it!" I taunted, my arrow drawn back when shadowy blurs bared down on me. I ignored them, focusing only on the strongest demonic energy hidden in the forest, waiting their turn in the darkness.
Tough chance, I thought, throwing my purification into my arrows and shooting them off with a precision that only practice could accomplish. Was it stupid for me to stand out here on my own and fight these demons? Oh yes. Would I run from them, screaming for someone to save me? Hell no.
Angry screeches filled the air, pained howls and garbled promises of death surrounded me, but still I stayed calm. For a moment, I shrunk my barrier, giving the demons a moment to drop their guard, before pulsing white hot purity through them, easily pushing them away and destroying a lot of the weaker demons.
I prayed this wouldn't go on all night. There was not a doubt in my mind Inuyasha and the others hadn't noticed our disappearance by now. They would come, vulnerability be damned. I could only hope that my spiritual presence drew all the attention away from Rin.
I tried not to think about how I wouldn't last forever. That every large blast I sent at someone, was a chunk of energy that I could no longer defend myself with. When I reached behind me and realized I had no more arrows, I could barely stop the frustration and helplessness from overcoming me.
Why were arrows my only weapon? Why did I keep finding myself in these situations? Why did all I want was to keep my friends safe, yet I always seemed to need someone to come to my rescue?
Still I took calming breaths, refusing to be defeated. So I didn't have anymore arrows. I was smart. I came from the future where women were given an equal education as everyone else. I sure as hell was smarter than a bunch of mindless demons who were only thinking of greed and gluttony.
Looking around, I saw a decent sized stick on the ground and all around me, pebbles and rocks of all sizes. For a moment I just stared, before looking back at the hellish gazes around me.
Well…I always had been good at softball…
I dropped my bow with numb fingers before grabbing the large stick, taking in the girth of it and swinging it to kind of get a feel for the weight. This wasn't exactly what I had planned when I was hoping to relax for the night.
It was strange to fill a foreign object with my spiritual energy, but soon learned that the wood resonated easily with it, just like my arrows did, and with growing confidence, I grabbed a stone and threw it in the air and swung…and missed.
"You've got to be kidding me…" If Inuyasha had seen that, he would have laughed his furry ears off. Talk about swinging like a girl.
Huffing impatiently, I tried again, this time with a slightly larger stone, it flew right through two demons like a comet, and with a grin I grabbed another.
Rocks apparently didn't need nearly as much spiritual energy as arrows, and with my barrier firmly in place, it was like being in a batting cage. I learned the harder I hit them, the more demons I could strike.
Soon, there were more bodies on the ground than standing, in fact, there was only one standing at this point.
"STOP HIDING!" I yelled, exhausted and just hoping to get this over with. My legs were shaking, my well of power drying up. Just one more. You can do this. Just one more bad guy. My barrier was fading, winking in and out in the darkness.
A demonic power reached out to my barrier, easily breaking it with barely a tap. Desperately, I tried to call as much energy from it back to me, knowing I would not be able to form another wall of protection, but hoping that I could at least get a few good shots in.
My legs gave out before my spiritual power did, my arms just barely having the strength to hold me up. Don't cry. Don't bow to him. Get UP! Despite my inner will power, all I could do was raise my head at the shadow appearing before me.
If I hadn't been so tired, I would have recognized that energy. If my vision wasn't so blurry, I would have known that shadowy outline, if my nose hadn't been filled with scent of burning flesh and blood, I would have recognized that familiar scent.
None of those things could have prepared me to see him, to see those golden eyes that haunted my dreams, or the silver hair that courted the wind in a teasing dance. My breath caught in my throat, tears welled in my eyes in disbelief as I continued to stare.
"Sesshomaru…"
Was I dreaming again? Had I passed out from exhaustion? Was this real… or a fantasy?
As he walked closer, I felt my energy completely drain from my bones. There were no more enemies to fight. No more demons hacking away at my barrier to defeat. Just me…and him.
"You…You're free?" I asked, barely able to believe it. All this time we had been searching for him, and here he was, walking as if he didn't have a care in the world. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at the irony of it all.
That was, until I realized we weren't alone in this forest. I hadn't even sensed her presence. Then again, I never could sense it to begin with. The glowing mirror in her hands was what gave her away, still standing in the darkness of the tree line.
In that moment, I realized that this was no dream or fantasy. That he was not free. That the Sesshomaru I knew, from memories that were not my own, was not here to say hello. He was not here by choice.
Taking in the cold gleam of his eyes, and the way he slowly unsheathed his sword, I knew things were about to get ugly. That I should get up. That my barrier needed to get it together pronto.
Yet all I could do was wilt in my own sorrow, at the realization that we hadn't been able to get to him in time. That he had held out as best he could for months, and that somehow they had broken him. I had broken him.
A sharp prick to the back of my head brought on the realization that something sharp was against my skull. I didn't bother to look behind me, knowing Kikyo would be there, that this was part of some ridiculous plan.
Instead, I never tore my eyes from his, didn't blink as he slowly raised Tenseiga to my neck. One slash of his sword could send me into a meido, lost in a time warp that not even I could escape from.
"You don't want to do this," I whispered, "Lord Sesshomaru doesn't take orders from anyone." Despite my determined words, I saw nothing in his gaze. No recognition. No anger. I could scream from frustration. They couldn't do this. But they were…
In that moment, when all hope was lost, came a beam of light.
Or more like a crack of pissed off lightning.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. Both Kikyo and Sesshomaru jumped back from the crackling demonic energy that had just fallen from the sky. I couldn't even think as the back of my jacket was grabbed in Un's mouth, before launching back into the sky.
I could only stare as the man we'd been chasing all this time became a tiny little white dot.
"Rin! Go back! It's Sesshomaru. We can't leave him there!" I begged, trying not to move too much for fear the dragon would drop me.
"That's not Lord Sesshomaru," was all she said, before we were flying off into the darkened night. We found Inuyasha and the others on Kirara, her flames lighting up the night sky.
"WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN!" Leave it to Inuyasha to get right down to the nitty gritty.
"I…," I started, before being shook like a rag doll by Un. His message was clear. Shut the hell up or I'll drop you.
"Rin is sorry! Rin got upset and Kagome chased after Rin. Rin won't do it again." I could only stare at Ah's head as he rolled his eyes at her lack of explanation. Rin was …lying? Why? Didn't she want to find Sesshomaru? She had just seen him, in the flesh, yet she rode away without a second thought and lied about it?
Not knowing what else to do, I just kept quiet, and soon, we were back in front of the waterfall.
Jaken was waiting with Shippo anxiously as we all once more settled inside the cave. Rin didn't say a word, despite Inuyasha's angry tirade. When she silently laid down to rest in the back of the cave, I picked up my backpack and followed her.
Gently, I asked Shippo if he wouldn't mind sleeping with Kirara tonight. He took the unspoken cue that there was girl chat involved, and sleepily snuggled back into the now small twin tailed feline.
Even with Inuyasha's limited hearing ability, I knew there was no way I would be able to talk to her without the others listening, even with the deafening roar of the waterfall. Everyone was just too hyped up and I didn't want to risk it.
Instead, I gently set out my sleeping bag and changed into warm flannel pajamas. Quite frankly, I was passed out before my head hit the pillow.
Normally in Rin's dreams, I would see a flashback of some happier time. This time, we were back in the familiar void, where I knew there would be a mirror holding the arrow I had shot at Kanna all those months ago.
Looking down, there was a bright golden orb in my pocket, and with a sigh, I pulled it out and held it in front of me.
"So…gonna explain what is going on Rin?"
Don't kill me! To be honest, this was not at all how I had planned to bring Sesshomaru back at all. In fact, this whole chapter was not how I planned it lol. But when it came to the part with the shadows in the tree, I just knew it was time. (Plus god dammit I missed him and needed him back!)
Also, don't be upset with Rin. You have to take into account that she is a 12 year old girl, and at that age (believe me we all know) rational thought and frustration don't go well together. I thought about maybe having more of a fight scene with Rin leading the helm, but figured that if I were her, and I saw what was going down, there was no way in hell I'd be able to fight Sesshomaru knowing he wasn't the man she knew.
If you need a little bit more of a KagomexSesshomaru fix, please read Solace of the West.
So with those thoughts, that is how this chapter came to be. Please tell me your thoughts, ideas, was it good, was it awful, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!