A/N: A record number of reviews for chapter 20! And there are officially over TWO THOUSAND reviews for this story (and that's just on FFN)! Wow! Thanks so much!
A lot of you had questions about the ending of the last chapter, but don't worry about that – all of your questions will be answered shortly. This chapter is HEAVY on exposition, but I strongly suggest that you don't skim. I tried to make it as interesting as possible. Enjoy!
The Once and Future Taiyoukai
Chapter 21: Pain
She was perfectly still, poised over the water like the predator she had become over the years. He was silently impressed with her skill after only four years, especially when he had never given her a formal lesson and only passing commentary about her methods. Even now, her hand was slicing through the cold water and expertly plucking out a fish.
"Got one!" she squealed and he raised an eyebrow. She had to work on not scaring the other fish away, apparently.
"Yes, Rin," he murmured anyway.
His ward beamed at him, knowing that this simple recognition of her catch was high praise indeed. "Lord Sesshoumaru, would you like me to catch a fish for you?" she asked. At twelve years old, she had dropped the habit of speaking in third person in imitation of her guardian, but she had not lost her adoration for him. Even now, she bounced on the balls of her feet in anticipation of his response.
But he shook his head. "I am not hungry," he said.
Rin only appeared disappointed for a moment. "Alright," she said, as she hooked her finger through the fish's gill and carrying it over to a smooth, flat stone. She drew the little knife that Sesshoumaru had given to her two years ago for just this purpose, and she began to clean the fish. "Jaken-sama, is the fire ready?"
"It's getting there, you stupid girl," the imp muttered, piling the wood on top of the strengthening flame. "Why didn't you wait to catch the fish until you knew it was ready?"
"A dead fish can wait, but a live one will swim away, Jaken-sama," replied Rin in a sing-song voice, wiggling her knife at him.
"I don't see why you even needed to have fish," Jaken groused. "You have plenty of dried venison."
"That is for the winter," Rin said as she dropped the unwanted bits of the fish back into the stream. "Sesshoumaru-sama says that we should always be prepared for a harsh winter. I will not eat the venison when I can still catch fish, Jaken-sama. You're just being grumpy because you can't fish as well as I can!"
Jaken sputtered. "I'll have you know, you stupid girl, that I've fished for longer than…"
"Jaken," Sesshoumaru said, "be quiet."
"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama," Jaken muttered with a bow.
"And be ashamed that a human girl is more proficient than you at such a simple task," he added.
Rin glowed as Jaken flapped about in silent protest. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama!" the girl said.
Sesshoumaru turned his face up towards the sky. It was early yet, but darkness was already settling upon them. He disliked the winter for this reason. The days were too short and the cold made Jaken complain and Rin shiver. Last winter, Rin was so ill that he had not dared to move her for three days and after that, Ah-Un had carried the girl for another week and a half before he was satisfied that the danger had passed.
Humans were such frail creatures. He wondered why he kept company with even one of their number. She undoubtedly slowed him down.
And yet, the pain did not cut him so deeply when she was with him.
He looked again to the sky and only his eyes could discern the tiny pinpricks of light that would turn into blazing stars soon enough. He pushed his hair back behind his ears and turned away from the camp, choosing his path wisely for the least chance of detection.
Rin and Jaken, and even Ah-Un, were watching him leave. He could feel their eyes upon his back. Rin did not bother to wait until he was out of earshot before turning to Jaken. "Where does Sesshoumaru-sama go at night?" she asked.
"None of your business!" snapped the servant. There was a pause and a change of tone. "How should I know?"
Sesshoumaru kept walking, his pace increasing once he was far enough from the campsite. He had not been able to leave the previous night. A demon had been lurking about, trying to challenge the unbeatable taiyoukai, and he could not leave his ward, servant and steed alone. The demon had been quickly dispatched, but such incidents irritated him, making his aura spike with malevolence. It was not safe to go on these journeys when his aura was in such a state of flux.
He followed the stream for several miles, before turning east and into the wind. The stars were now shining brightly in the blanket of black velvet sky, but he took little notice. He had this timed perfectly and he could see easily in the dark, even if there was only a sliver of moon tonight.
It was late, but not late enough so that they were assuredly asleep when he arrived. They were exactly where he expected them to be, even having missed a night. He was fortunate tonight – he could actually see them, instead of merely sensing their presence nearby. They had chosen a place more for convenience sake, rather than tactical advantage. Typical of them. He could see them perfectly from his place on the hill overlooking their camp. He was out of hearing range and certainly couldn't be sniffed out by the half-breed. Still, if he were a true predator, he would have the advantage.
He thought of his quarry as 'them', but even he knew it was much more particular than that. As if he would have any interest in being near to his half-breed brother!
Sesshoumaru shifted uncomfortably from his perch, quite conscious of the fact that he should not have any interest in being near to any of them, especially one so commonplace as the young miko. Even so, it was comforting to see her. She had disappeared for a long time and he was still reveling in her return.
She had her back to him tonight and he ignored the small disappointment that he felt deep within his chest. The important part, he told himself, was that she was simply nearby, so that she could ease the pain.
He took a breath and let it out slowly, trying to relax his muscles. The pain that racked his body lessened to the point that it was actually bearable. He let out another breath of relief and sat down at the base of the tree, hidden in the shadows in case one of the group decided to look up. Inuyasha's dulled sense of smell could not pick up his scent at this distance when Sesshoumaru stood downwind, but any one of them could see his white clothes against the dark forest.
As he settled into his place, he studied the girl, just as he did every night he was able to do this. Every night he wondered why it was her. Why was she the only one that allowed the pain in his body to release? Why was her presence the only presence that made him feel as if he were not dying? He still had no answers to that, and it frustrated him.
He knew that it had something to do with his memory loss, those lost weeks from three hundred years ago of which he could recall nothing. That was when the constant pain started after all. It was too much of a coincidence for it not to be connected.
When he had dragged himself back to his father's castle, he had been nearly dead from the agony. Toga had had him taken to his room, sequestered from everyone except for himself and the healers, although he now used that word loosely to describe any creature that claimed to be able to help the suffering. The "healers" could only lessen the pain superficially, but they never got to the core of the problem. Toga had thrown three out of his home for suggesting that Sesshoumaru was faking the illness, and he brought in countless others to see his only son. Not just healers, but herbalists, lore-masters, warlocks, witches and he even trekked out to consult the 2,000 year old tree demon, Bokusenon. But neither those that doubted the son of the Great Dog General, nor the ones that sympathized with him could find out what was wrong.
Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to sigh as he remembered what Toga had said to him when he had finally visited his son's room.
"Well, Sesshoumaru, you have truly stumped them all on this one," the Lord of the West said as he stepped inside. "Was it too much to ask for you not to nearly kill yourself again?"
Sesshoumaru was still weak at that point, in so much pain that it felt like his heart was trying to burst out of his chest but was content to rip apart everything else on his insides first. "I will try to obey such an order in the future, Father," he breathed.
Toga frowned. "I hope so." He walked up to the foot of the bed and stared down at his son. "I have asked every healer in every corner of the Western territories. I have even sought out those who live with our enemies. No one can tell me what is wrong with you. Pain means there is an injury, an infection, something. But you have nothing, Sesshoumaru."
"Do you think I am not telling the truth too, Father?"
The older demon scoffed. "If I thought that, I would have you on your feet and training in the dojo this very moment." He sighed. "You have never been one to lie, Sesshoumaru. I do believe you, but I am also mystified."
"I regret being a burden to you, Father," said his son.
Toga raised an eyebrow and sighed. "I cannot help but wonder if all of this has something to do with Kagome," he said.
Sesshoumaru frowned at him. "Kagome?"
"Yes. Kagome. You haven't mentioned her once since your return."
"I have no idea who 'Kagome' is, hence I do not mention her," replied his son.
Toga stared. "The human girl," he said. "You loved her, Sesshoumaru."
Even through the pain Sesshoumaru managed to look disbelieving. "When would I ever stoop to love a common human?" he asked.
"But she was not common…" Toga trailed off and scrutinized his only child. "Do you truly not remember her? I knew that you were having problems with your memory, but to forget Kagome! It's unthinkable."
Sesshoumaru winced as a jab of red-hot pain went through his heart. "I would thank you, Father, not to mention this girl again. Who cares about a human wench?"
"I do," said the taiyoukai. "And so did you, once. I would think that she was the one to do this to you, except that she would rather die than harm you. She loved you in return, after all. I cannot believe that you've forgotten! What happened to you?"
The younger demon frowned. "Obviously, I do not know. I do not remember any human girl. Nor do I care about any human girl."
Toga took a deep breath. "I suppose it doesn't matter," he murmured. "She's gone. If you remembered her though, this pain would be nothing. I am almost grateful."
Sesshoumaru opened his eyes as the memory faded. His father had brought up the human girl once or twice after that, but Sesshoumaru could not even remember her name. It seemed like it just dribbled out of his brain whenever anyone avoided mentioning her for more than two minutes. He could only remember it now when he looked down at Inuyasha's wench. Her name escaped his memory too, but that was not so troublesome. Except for Inuyasha himself, whose name was spiteful to him, he could not recall the names of anyone down in that valley.
All that mattered was that the pain eased in her presence. It was the only thing that helped at all. Even after Sesshoumaru summoned the strength to leave his bed three hundred years ago, the pain followed. He had simply learned to live with it.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, he heard a human woman say once to her children. And he found it to be true, except that the pain was actually killing him.
It was killing him, despite the fact that the pain had actually lessened on its own over the centuries. Not by much, just enough for Sesshoumaru to recognize it.
Meanwhile, his father had given up on him. Toga would barely speak to his son anymore, sick of the lack of answers he received, tired of the silence. Sesshoumaru could not bring himself to care though, and Toga had found one last moment of happiness with Izayoi and the birth of his second, half-breed son, Inuyasha. And then he had died a fool's death, and Sesshoumaru was the Lord of the West.
He had thought he was ready for such a role. In the last years of Toga's life, Sesshoumaru had even idly plotted to become the next Great Dog General by his own devices. He had never seriously challenged his father, but their relationship had been approaching a breaking point. When he died, Sesshoumaru had banished his father's memory in retaliation.
It was fruitless. Eventually, Sesshoumaru had had to return to his father in whatever form he could find, because he had no idea how to run the territories and he had needed help desperately. It was embarrassing to think back on those days, when enemies closed in upon the West and friends fled from his side.
In the end, a path to which was drenched in blood, he managed to establish himself as a worthy successor, though by different means than his father would have employed. His pain became the fountain for unbridled cruelty and he wasted none of it. Demons cowered before him, seeing that he had no fear of death. Who could fear death when they were already dead, after all? Eventually, the enemies slunk off into the shadows and the friends slunk back from them.
After the last great battle, Sesshoumaru shut up his father's mansion and began to wander his countryside. He managed to pick up a couple followers – Jaken and Ah-Un. And then Rin, but she came much later. By that point, he had been wandering for almost two hundred years. None of the other territories stepped into the West. He had made it clear that although he had no formal army any longer, he could defeat them alone.
It was the way it was meant to be anyway. The territories of the East, South and North were crumbling under their own bureaucratic weight. The humans were spreading everywhere, their own wars interfering with the remaining orderliness of the youkai lands. While the humans built up a system based on warlords and territorialism, the demons' system was fading.
So although the territories still technically existed and he knew the other royal families by face and name and rank, they were now like him. They wandered and fought their own battles and met demons that once would have been under their thumbs but now did not know their names. Sesshoumaru was not sure it would ever return to the way it once was, nor was he certain he wanted it to. This life suited him, more than it suited any of the other taiyoukai.
And then came the day when he had met Inuyasha again. Well, he actually sought him out. It had been time to collect his birthright, he had decided, and he had finally discovered where Toga had hidden it. More than building an empire, finding Tetsusaiga had been his goal for several decades at that point.
He had been surprised to find a girl with his brother. He had been even more surprised when the agony in his body had ceased as he drew near to her to take the Fang. It was like a moment of silence after a thunderstorm. He could hardly believe it. And he certainly did not connect the two – the girl and the pain. Not then.
After recovering from Inuyasha's mutilation of his arm, he had gone back. This time he was suspicious and carrying his gift from Naraku – a human arm with a jewel shard. It was the first time he had seen one up close and he hadn't cared for it. It seemed too malevolent and twisted, even for him. But at the same time there was something familiar about it. On a certain level, it comforted him.
The shard was forgotten though, when the pain eased again. It disappeared completely in one moment. That girl had shot him with an arrow. It had actually broken his armor, surprising even him. But then he realized that the pain was gone and his horrible suspicion was confirmed – the girl could take away his agony.
He had thought long about taking the girl after that and keeping her, but he knew that she would resist constantly and Inuyasha would only follow, now with his additional friends. That would have been too tedious, so instead he settled upon this plan instead.
Following around his brother's ragtag team was not something Sesshoumaru relished, but he was willing to do what it took to get rid of the pain, even for a short amount of time. It had even led to some decent leads on Naraku. For all Inuyasha and his friends knew, it was mere coincidence when he showed up at the same time as they did.
He had had to help the girl out once or twice, of course, since his brother was an incompetent nitwit who would surely get her killed on his own. He had told her about Inuyasha and the effects of losing Tetsusaiga, so that she would never let him become a monster again and risk that he hurt her. He saved her from that poison master, Mukotsu, who was trying to force her to marry him. He even resurrected an otter demon with Tenseiga, because she had asked him to.
Sesshoumaru preferred not to think about that last incident. He had realized then that he was not doing a very good job of separating her purpose of making the pain go away from her mere existence. He had restricted their contact after that.
Until that incident several weeks ago, that is.
He was still mystified as to what exactly had pulled him to meet her that night by the well. She was clearly emotional and crying and everything else human. He hated that. And yet, he had felt it was necessary for him to be there that night. Something compelled him to that place at that very time.
He had been so close that he could have touched her, but there was no need, nor desire, for that. Such proximity took the pain away entirely as usual. And he had held back the flinch as she disappeared down the well and the pain returned.
He sighed inwardly. It didn't matter. It would not happen again. This was as close as he would get to her, barely within sight. It was enough.
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Kagome sat next to the fire, trying to shake off the feeling that someone was watching her. Inuyasha would notice if anything dangerous was close, she told herself. Her eyes flickered up to look at the hanyou. He was staring at her too, but she was getting used to that. All of her friends had been scrutinizing her since she had shown up a few days ago in a kimono without her hair and without her memory.
Kikyo was across the fire from her, sitting in the light for once. She had stared at her the most. Kagome wished that she didn't. She was amnesiac, not a caged animal and being stared at by an undead priestess was slightly different, more unnerving for obvious reasons. Did the rules of etiquette apply to walking corpses?
When Kagome had shown up a few days ago, Kikyo had paled beyond her normal icy white complexion. Even Miroku had inquired after her health, which had earned him a baleful stare. But Kagome was probably the only one to notice Kikyo's subtle nervousness. The miko had always been so calm and collected, but her eyes had been flickering about more often, resting upon Kagome with surprising frequency. She acted like a cat held over water and Kagome wondered when she would scratch.
At least Sango and Miroku were trying to act normal. They sat next to each other, discussing where Naraku had gone and what exactly he was planning this time.
"Probably another reincarnation," Miroku said, the weariness in his voice pronounced. He had been getting more and more tired lately. Kagome often caught him rubbing at his cursed palm. "What number are we on?"
"I've lost count," muttered Sango, sounding equally tired. "Ten? Twelve?"
"Something like that," Kagome said. All of their eyes moved to her for a moment, as they did every time that she proved that she hadn't completely lost her memory. She stuck her hands in her sleeves and tried not to glower. "I'm only missing a few weeks," she reminded them. "Not everything from the last four years."
Sango smiled. "Of course, Kagome. We know that. We just keep hoping…" She trailed off and shrugged.
Kagome nodded. "I know. I want to remember too."
"Maybe we should leave Naraku to the side for a time and concentrate more on recovering Kagome's memories," Miroku said.
"The doctor in my time said they'd come back on their own," Kagome said with a shrug. Her mother had insisted upon the visit to the hospital once her daughter couldn't explain where she had been. She had only allowed her back to the Feudal Era once the doctor confirmed that she didn't have any head injuries. They suspected some sort of psychological trauma, but Kagome had firmly put that idea to bed. She felt fine! Except she had amnesia. But she had convinced her mother to send her to a therapist only once they had figured out if there was indeed psychological trauma, which meant waiting until the memories returned. And if they never came back, so what? It was only a few weeks missing.
That was what she told her mother and her friends at least. In truth, Kagome had suffered constantly for the past few days. Pain reverberated through her body soon after she had emerged from the well and it had not abated yet. Popping painkillers didn't do a thing either. Luckily, it seemed to ease at night, so she was able to sleep. Even now, she could feel her muscles relaxing after being tensed in agony all day. One saving grace remained then. She wondered if it could be night forever.
"Still, Kagome," said Sango, "we know that there might be more to this than what the healers told you. You've told us that no one believes in spells or curses in your time."
"Well, that's not entirely true. They just like to depend on science," Kagome replied.
The demon slayer shook her head. "Someone here will be able to explain your memory loss. I'm sure of it. We just need to search a bit."
They all looked towards Inuyasha, who huffed. "We find the shards. Kagome's memory will come back."
Sango scowled at him for a moment. "What if a piece of her missing memory will tell us how to kill Naraku? Or where to find all the shards?"
"Or even one shard?" piped up Shippo, who everyone had thought was asleep. He turned his green eyes towards the irritated hanyou. "Kagome needs her memory back!"
Inuyasha glanced at the girl. "It's okay, Inuyasha," she murmured. "We'll do what you want."
His jaw clenched. "Fine," he muttered through his teeth. "We'll talk to some people. Who exactly did you plan on asking, monk?"
Miroku raised an eyebrow. "I have a few names in mind, but Lady Kikyo would surely know more."
Kikyo turned to the monk. "I know of no one that can help her," she murmured.
The monk narrowed his eyes. "I see," he replied. "Well then, if you don't know anyone at all, I think that we should ask Jinenji."
Kagome smiled. It had been a long time since she had seen her friend. "He'll know something," she said. "Or have something to bring my memory back."
"I don't know if Jinenji's herbs can heal magical curses," Sango said thoughtfully. "We should visit him, of course, but is there anyone else, Miroku? Jinenji's farm is pretty far from here."
"Hm, true," Miroku replied. "Perhaps on the way we can see Mushin. He might know. Or Myoga might. And ah… well, there's always Jaken."
"That little twerp that runs after Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha asked with a look of disgust. "How in the hell would he help Kagome? Why would he even want to?"
Miroku shrugged. "Well he might not want to, but he is quite knowledgeable about magical curses, or so I've heard. He's not my favorite person either, Inuyasha, but if he can help, maybe we should try to convince him."
Inuyasha crossed his arms. "No way. We haven't seen my brother for months and that's the way I like it."
"Inuyasha," Kagome began, brightening, "you never said you had a brother! I can't believe you kept that from me!"
There was a pause as they all turned to stare at her again. "Stop joking around, Kagome," muttered Inuyasha at last. "That's not funny. We're helping you, okay?"
Kagome blinked. "I know. I just wanted to know about your brother. What's wrong with that? What's he like?"
"My brother's a jackass! You know that! I don't want to talk about him!"
The young miko looked towards Sango, Miroku and Shippo. "Have you guys met him?"
"We all have, Kagome," said Shippo. "He tried to kill you lots of times!"
"Don't you remember, Kagome?" Sango asked softly.
Kagome scoffed with a smile. "No, why would I? Did you guys meet him while I was gone?" She looked at each of them and her smile faltered. "You… didn't meet him in the last few weeks, you mean?"
They all shook their heads. "You met him four years ago," Miroku said. "You met him before you met any of us, except Inuyasha."
"Why don't you remember?" demanded the hanyou.
The girl shrugged as she stared into the fire. "I don't know."
Inuyasha frowned. "What happened when we went to get Tetsusaiga, Kagome?"
The young miko bit her lip. "I don't know. I remember that you wanted the sword and so… well, I don't remember how we got there, but I pulled the sword out of the stone. I remember thinking that I was just like King Arthur," she said beginning to smile again, but no one smiled back. "Um, and after that, we had to leave. Something was wrong. I don't really remember."
"Do you remember the panther tribe?" asked Sango.
"Yeah. Inuyasha beat them after they kidnapped me," Kagome said.
"What about when Inuyasha became a full-fledged demon?" Miroku asked quietly. "How did he change back that first time?"
Kagome shrugged. "He was hurt, I think." She shifted uncomfortably under their stares. "Are you saying that… what's his name again?"
"Sesshoumaru," they said in chorus.
"Sesshoumaru was there every time?" she asked, her voice weak.
Inuyasha was almost bright red with rage. "We're finding that bastard tomorrow," he snarled towards the others. "I should have known he had something to do with this!"
"There's no proof of that, Inuyasha," said the monk. "It doesn't seem like something your brother would do. What if Sesshoumaru isn't the only thing she's forgotten? And what good would it do to Sesshoumaru for Kagome to have forgotten him? I think he prefers to be remembered."
"No, it's that bastard," the hanyou said. "I'm going to kill him!"
"But he's your brother!" Kagome said.
Sango let out a soft sigh and moved Kirara out of her lap so that she could move to sit by Kagome. "I think we'll have to tell you the whole story. If any of us say anything that isn't familiar to you, tell us, okay?" Kagome nodded and Sango smiled humorlessly. "Alright, get ready for a long tale."
It was well past midnight before they finished and confirmed that Kagome only had a blank spot in her memory to do with Sesshoumaru. She even forgot his name three times over the course of Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha telling her their own history. It wasn't that she had forgotten him entirely. When pushed, Kagome could remember someone else being there, fighting with them or against them. But she couldn't recall his face or his insults or anything else. He was a shadow figure in the edges of her memory.
"I wonder if it's the same for him?" Miroku asked. He had not let go of the theory that Sesshoumaru was similarly suffering.
"Keh. Sesshoumaru only took notice of Kagome once, when she was the one to pull Tetsusaiga from the stone instead of him." A wry smile touched Inuyasha's face. "I've never seen the bastard more surprised in my life. Well, maybe when I chopped off his leg a little later," he said, grinning.
"Inuyasha! You cut off your brother's leg?" Kagome asked in horror.
They all sighed. "We just told you that a few hours ago, Kagome," Inuyasha said with a frown. "And besides, it was his arm, not his leg. The jerk can still walk. Although it's not a bad idea, now that you…"
"Not the time for that, Inuyasha," Sango warned, her eyes narrowing. "If we go to find Sesshoumaru tomorrow, you can't immediately start a fight."
Inuyasha scowled. "Whatever."
Miroku looked up at the hanyou. "If Kagome cannot remember Sesshoumaru and she cannot remember several weeks of her past," he said, "is it possible that she was with Sesshoumaru while she was gone?"
"How?" Inuyasha said. "She was home. She never came back through the well."
The monk sighed. "I suppose. But her mother had not seen her for weeks either, isn't that what you said, Kagome?"
The miko nodded. "Yeah, I guess I wasn't here or at home all that time."
"So," the monk continued, "there are two places you could have been. Since Inuyasha would have known if you had come through the well during that time, you couldn't have been here and us not know it. But you could have escaped your family's notice and been in your time. Or… or you could have been somewhere completely different."
"That's a lot of help," Inuyasha groused.
Miroku shrugged. "It's still possible that she could have been with Sesshoumaru."
"Except that she would be dead," Inuyasha pointed out. "Sesshoumaru hates humans!"
"He travels with one," countered the monk.
Inuyasha crossed his arms and looked away. "Keh, we'll know as soon as we find the bastard. He'll tell us."
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"Oh, there he is! Sesshoumaru-sama!"
The taiyoukai turned to see his ward running towards him, a package in one hand and the other pulling up the hem of her kimono, so that she wouldn't step on it. It was still new, bought for the colder months out of the year. She had finally torn the orange and white one beyond even Jaken's capability of repair. Said servant was lagging far behind Rin, panting as he jogged along with the Staff of Heads.
Rin caught up, her cheeks glowing red from the cold. "I bought a new blanket, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, opening the corner of the package and showing him a thick blanket that could actually cover her growing frame.
He nodded at her purchase, pleased that she had chosen something warm and simple, rather than the girlish things most children her age would want.
"Lord Sesshoumaru!" squawked Jaken, catching up and out of breath. "Lord Sesshoumaru, the villagers…" He doubled over and took a few deep breaths as Rin patted him on the back. "The villagers were talking about Inuyasha and his worthless friends, my lord."
The taiyoukai inwardly frowned. He did not like being so close to them that they frequented the same village markets. "What of it?"
"They said that Inuyasha was looking for you, my lord. He was asking everyone if they had seen a… um, you," he finished lamely.
Sesshoumaru arched a delicate eyebrow, knowing exactly what description his brother was giving to the villagers. "When?"
"This morning," Jaken replied, glancing up at the sun. It was only early afternoon. They hadn't missed them by much.
The taiyoukai stepped away from Ah-Un, whose musky animal smell often masked old scents. He resisted the urge to sigh when he almost immediately picked out his brother's scent. He turned and began to walk, taking a path that would cut across the gap he kept between himself and his brother on their parallel travels.
"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken called, quickly following. "Are we really going to see your brother?"
The dog demon shot him a dismissive glance. "If we do not seek him out, he will not stop looking for me," he said. His one remaining hand slid over Tokijin's hilt. "I wish to finish it."
Rin and Jaken exchanged a look. "Do we have to stay here?" the girl asked.
"No."
She let out a soft breath of relief. If Sesshoumaru allowed her to come, that meant there would be no fighting. Nothing that he would start, anyway. She knew that Inuyasha could be rash and attack, but she wanted to see Shippo and Kagome. It had been years, but she remembered everything they had done for her and she missed them. If her lord didn't hate Inuyasha and anyone associated with him, she would have asked to see them a long time ago.
They walked quickly, so quickly that Rin and Jaken had to get on Ah-Un's back or be left behind. The short winter days meant that there was not a lot of sunlight left and if Sesshoumaru did have to fight his brother, he wanted to do it while the sun was still up.
The advantage of having a dragon around to carry around your servant and your ward was, of course, that you moved much faster than a bunch of humans on foot and so it was not long before Sesshoumaru could feel the pain easing away and smell their scents on the wind. Soon, he could hear Inuyasha warning the others that he was arriving.
Sesshoumaru stepped out of the shadow of the trees with Ah-Un following close behind. Rin waved and grinned as Shippo waved back.
Inuyasha crossed his arms from where he stood beside the undead priestess that smelled of the grave. "I can't believe you came," he muttered.
"I do not run from a fight," Sesshoumaru said, arching an eyebrow.
"You saying that I do?" Inuyasha growled.
Miroku swept in, placing a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "I'm sure that's not what he meant, Inuyasha," lied the monk. "Perhaps we should just tell him why we were looking for him."
The hanyou folded his arms and glared at the taiyoukai. "Fine," he gritted out. "Oy, you bastard! What did you do to Kagome?"
Sesshoumaru's eyes slid over the humans, but even as he looked at them, the name that Inuyasha had just spoken slipped out of his mind. "Why would I care to do anything to your human women?" he asked.
"I… I don't know!" Inuyasha spat. "But you did something to Kagome! And you better reverse it!"
Miroku and Sango rolled their eyes at each other. "My lord, we have sort of a problem that seems to involve you. You see, she," the monk said, pointing at the young miko, "disappeared for awhile. She returned with no memory of the time she was gone. In addition, she seems to have forgotten every encounter you have had with her. We thought that you might know what happened, since you seem to be the only one she has forgotten."
"Aside from the time she was missing," Sesshoumaru said, intrigued despite himself.
Miroku looked pleased that he got any answer. "Yes, my lord. Exactly."
The taiyoukai took a breath, studying the girl. She seemed physically fine, although she had a sort of distant look in her eyes that he was not accustomed to seeing in those that he inspected. "I do not know what is wrong with the girl," he said. "Although an interesting plot, it has nothing to do with me."
"Then," broke in Sango quickly, before he could turn away, "could Jaken take a look at her? He's said to know a lot about curses."
Sesshoumaru paused before nodding minutely, allowing the imp to stroll forward with his chest puffed out. "What makes you think it's a curse, human?" he asked.
"She ain't physically hurt, you idiot," Inuyasha bit out. "Has to be a curse."
Jaken turned his nose up and looked away. "I won't be insulted by a half-breed like you! It's my prerogative whether I look to the girl's problem and…"
"Jaken," interrupted Sesshoumaru, causing the imp to cower, "figure out what is wrong with her."
"Yes, my lord," he said with a sigh and a bow. He hurried across the grass towards Kagome. "Alright, girl, get down here. Let me see your eyes. That's where you can see a curse, you know."
Kagome blinked and looked down. "Oh, hi. Sorry about that. I didn't see you."
Jaken frowned. "I just came from over there, girl!"
Her eyes flickered up, looking towards the line of trees and straight through Sesshoumaru. "Sorry," she said, laughing. "Sometimes my head gets into the clouds and I don't notice what's right in front of me!"
The imp shoved his hands into his sleeves. "You have that right," he muttered. He turned to look at the taiyoukai. "A simple diagnosis. She has a mystical block against you, my lord. You've been banished from her mind, her memories, even her sight."
"Hm." The dog demon turned and began to head back towards the trees.
Inuyasha stepped forward. "Hey, wait a minute! Just because you don't think it's a problem, it is a problem for us! I can't have a priestess with a blind spot, especially where you're concerned, you bastard!"
"Just let him go, Inuyasha," said Kikyo, speaking for the first time. "Lord Sesshoumaru has done enough."
Kagome turned to look first at the elder priestess and then at the figure in white that had suddenly, briefly flickered in her vision.
"Sesshoumaru?"
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A/N: Ah, another cliffhanger. I apologize, but trust me when I say that you would REALLY hate me if I stopped at any point in the next chapter. It's moving quickly, so you won't have to wait long anyway.