I'm starting to really get confused and slightly annoyed. I guess I'm doing a good job with my story because I'm getting people who are reading it, but how do I know if I'm messing up at all if I don't get any feedback from said readers?
Then again if you don't want to review that's fine (I don't really care either way), but if you something that I messed up on or something I need to add or do better, then PLEASE let me know. :D
This chapter is longer than I thought, and I know I promised to reveal Inuyasha's new adopted brother, but I decided to move than into a later chapter because if I had revealed him now then the storyline would've been messed up. Whoops.
To make up for my mistake, I've added some battles and...sadly more fluff...I hate you Sam, but you do come up with some really good ideas. :D
Read and enjoy! (And yes, reviews are welcomed)
(DISCLAIMER: The characters/storyline of Inuyasha are not mine! I only own Lee, Raye, and their story lines; including any new characters that just happen to pop from my head and into the story.)
:D
-KB
Chapter 25-
"Wow, can you say dark?" Kagome chuckles nervously, feeling along the walls so that she doesn't trip.
"Dark." Moriko answers.
Kagome rolls her eyes, as if they could see her, and sighs heavily. "I didn't mean that literally, you know?"
"Yeah, I know. I forgot you two are humans so you can't see in the dark." Moriko laughs. She and Sango had been talking when she had entered the cave, so she had let them have their conversation before heading in. They are now friends and comrades just as Kagome had hoped.
With a short movement, Kagome reaches into her backpack and fumbles through it, feeling for her flashlight. When she finds it, she flips it on and sighs happily. "Yay, light."
"Whoa! What is that?" Moriko covers her face with her hands to block out the bright light, but inches closer so she can see the mysterious device.
"Oh, just something...my people use...where I come from." Kagome smiles nervously. She can't exactly go around telling people where she's from or, more importantly, when she's from.
Moriko, touches the flashlight curiously and waves her hands in front of the beam of light. "Is it fire? No, it's too steady to be fire."
"It's a type of fire actually. It's sort of like...heated light...in a way." Kagome hands over the flashlight and lets the demon girl fiddle with it, turning the light on and off a couple of times.
"Oh, I see. It's like Aki's power."
"Aki?" Sango and Kagome ask in union.
Moriko pauses, her eyes falling sadly. "She's our...uh...she was our friend...back at our village before it was destroyed. She had the power to control the heated light from fire itself rather than the actual element."
"Have you found her?"
"There was nothing to find." Moriko answers weakly.
Sango touches the girl's shoulder comfortingly. "I'm sorry to hear that, but it'll be okay. Just think of it this way: she's in a better place and she's not in any pain."
Moriko smiles. "Thanks." She takes a few breathes before shaking her head. "Okay, forget all that heavy stuff. Lee's just up ahead." She flips off the light and things go dark again...almost.
Kagome turns to look down the cave and sure enough a light is filtering in from somewhere. Moriko pushes Sango forward from behind while pulling Kagome along by the wrist gently. They turn a corner and enter into a large cavern about twenty feet high and thirty feet across. It's rounded out and a light from the ceiling highlights everything with the bright sunlight from outside. A crack in the ceiling of the cave provides this wonder.
"Wow, it's beautiful." Kagome whispers in awe.
"Yeah, me and Lee found this place about three weeks back while out on a training exercise. It was about a week before Naraku had our village destroyed." Moriko puts her hands on her hips and looks around the room with a proud emotion on her face.
Sango takes a few steps towards the fire lit in center and follows the smoke up with her eyes to where it escapes through the crack. "Is that your handy work?" She points.
"Yep!" She smiles.
"So...where's Lee?" Kagome asks.
The demon girl motions for her to follow and together they walk across the room, over to the far left side, and she leads her through a tall narrow hole in the wall. Kagome has to duck a few times and turn almost fully to the side to get through, but it's not too bad a walk. It's the perfect hiding spot for someone who's trying to lay low.
They come out into another large cavern, but this one is slightly smaller than the other one, the roof only rising about ten feet above them. A few flat rocks are built up near the back like a pedestal and above it, floating in the air, is Lee. Her body is curled up, arms wrapped around her knees, and face hidden behind them. Her hair is loose, swirling around her as if it's just floating as she is. Her clothes are folded up on the floor, but she's not bare. Bandage-like cloth wraps around her torso like a tube top and her kimono pants are still on her legs. Everything else on her body is bare. Her armor is over by her clothes along with her weapon, the fishnet glove she wore on her hand is on top of her clothes along with the black wrist band she wore on the opposite hand.
"Lee?"
"She can't hear you. At least not right now. She's in a MAC coma...as she calls it." Moriko answers, staring up at her friend.
"A what now?"
"MAC. It stands for Massive Aura Compression. While she's healing herself, her aura kind of compresses around her, building up like a barrier in a way but it doesn't guard her. It's mostly used to scare off smart demons, but others come here to kill her and absorb that power."
"Oh, so that aura that I felt...?" Kagome trails off, turning to stare at Lee again.
"Yep, that's Lee. The time she spent in this state makes her vulnerable and se can't hear anything that approaches her. If something does come near her though, her power lashes out on its own free will. That's why we keep our distance. It's...like a defense mechanism, you know?"
"Oh. I see." Kagome continues to gaze up at her friend floating in mid air in a bright pinkish orb, but a shout has her attention immediately.
"Kagome!"
"Oh, that's Inuyasha!"
The two girls head back into the previous room and stop cold.
Sango has her weapon at ready and glares off at the entrance. Inuyasha stands off a bit farther into the cave leading out, but she can tell he tried to stop the intruder.
"Sesshomaru." Sango growls.
"Excuse me!" A small figure pushes past Inuyasha and Ryu and runs up to Sesshomaru. "Hi, Miss Kagome."
"Rin. You're here too."
"Yes. We're looking for why the demons are drawn here." She smiles warmly.
Instantly, her heart sinks and she glances at the tall narrow hole leading to the other room. How long has it been since Rin has seen Lee? How would the child react when she sees her? Especially seeing her in the state she's in.
"It's..."
"Nothing for you to know." Moriko cuts her off.
"Moriko, they have to know. They're her family too. She told me so." Kagome tries to reason with the demon girl.
"No. Back at the mountain, this guy did squat to help her while she fought Naraku! She wouldn't be in this state if it wasn't for him!"
Kagome grabs her arm and holds her back before she can charge at him. "You don't understand. After you guys left, he did attack Naraku, but he wouldn't die anyway."
"What are you talking about?"
"I don't think...Naraku has a heart anymore. So that's the reason he won't die. Sesshomaru hit him and tore him apart, but he still didn't die. He brushed it off as if he just slapped him."
"That's impossible. He has to have a weak spot, right? He can't be immortal!"
"Kagome, why are you defending him?" Inuyasha demands.
"I'm not. I don't like how he treats her either, Inuyasha, but it's true that he tried to kill Naraku and we all saw the outcome." Kagome closes her eyes, sighing. What could she do? Should she let him go to Lee? Would Lee forgive her if she did? Whatever happened between her and Gensoumaru has really messed with her heart.
"Sesshomaru." She says his name softly, but sternly, picking her words carefully.
He turns his blank gold eyes to her when she calls his name, but he doesn't speak.
Kagome turns a little. "She's there."
Moriko starts to object, but she just looks at her and the demon stops her words. With a stiff movement, she holds her hand out towards the wall and the earth hole widens just enough for him to pass through.
"Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin asks, looking up at him with confusion in her eyes.
He gives her a quick look before taking a step towards the hole.
"Ah! Lord Sesshomaru, wait for me!" Jaken comes pushing through the blockade that Ryu and Inuyasha make and stops for only a second, glancing around for his target and yelping in surprise when he sees him and Rin disappearing into the darkness of a narrow hole. "No, wait, please!"
Once all three of them are inside, Moriko places her hands on either side of the gap.
"Don't, Mori! I know you're not that cruel."
Moriko's claws dig into the wall and her arms begin to shake angrily and conflictingly.
"Moriko." Kagome reaches out to touch her shoulder, but she jerks away and stomps out of the cave past Inuyasha and Ryu.
"Let her go. She needs to cool off." Ryu chuckles softly. "Have you guys eaten anything?"
"No. It's almost dusk isn't it?" Inuyasha asks.
"Yeah..."
Their conversation dies off in her ears as Kagome turns to look at the hole in the wall where Sesshomaru, Rin, and Jaken had all disappeared.
'I wonder how it's going...'
"Ah!" Again, Rin falls, tripping over a rock jutting out of the floor.
"Hurry!" Jaken rushes her.
"I'm sorry, Master Jaken, I can't see where I'm going." She answers. She's about to reach her hand out again and grab for the wall, but a larger hand takes hers and helps her to her feet. "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru.
He doesn't answer as he continues to walk, ducking sideways a few times to avoid hitting his head. Rin grabs onto the long scarf of fur so that she doesn't fall again, trying her best to keep up with his long strides. Behind her, Jaken cross his arms around his staff and remains quiet.
'Why would Lord Sesshomaru be drawn to this place? Especially when it is filled with Inuyasha's group and all these humans. Who is it that he's looking for?' The small imp thinks. He suddenly gets a mental picture of Lee in his mind and a light goes off in his head. 'Ah! I understand. He wishes to find Lee for Rin's sake!'
The narrow walk way finally opens up and Sesshomaru stops just inside the opening, refusing to let either of them pass. His eyes widen a little as he finally finds the aura he was drawn to, the one that rivaled his very own.
It's Lee's.
She floats there in mid air quietly as if time around her has changed to a different speed than theirs outside her bubble.
Her kimono top, weapon, and armor are all set neatly on the floor off to the side of the room. Bandages are wrapped around her torso, exposing her shoulders, arms, and stomach to the elements around her, but it doesn't look as if they could touch her even if they tried. A bright pinkish light swirls around her like a sphere of protection.
"Don't try to get too close." A voice says from behind him, breaking his trance.
He glances back slowly over his shoulder.
Off about two feet behind Jaken is the human who follows his younger brother, the one with the priestess powers. Her hands are folded neatly in front of her while her eyes are staring at him carefully, almost sadly. What is her problem with him?
"That pink light around her will apparently attack anything that gets close to her body while she recovers. Moriko says it's her defense mechanism while she's in this state." She explains.
"What is? What are you talking about Miss Kagome?" Rin asks.
Kagome glances at the small child for only a second before turning back t him. "You haven't told her that Lee's alive?"
"She already knows." Sesshomaru answers, barely giving her time to finish the sentence.
"I see." Again her eyes fall to the floor. What does she have against him? He can see that she doesn't trust him and that there is anger in her voice towards him, but he doesn't know why. "Don't hurt her, Sesshomaru. She may be strong now, but her heart will always be the same: fragile." With that, Kagome turns away and leaves the way she came, disappearing into the shadows once again.
Finally rid of her, he turns back towards Lee's form, but for some reason the human's words are engraved in his mind.
"Don't hurt her, Sesshomaru. She may be strong now, but her heart will always be the same: fragile."
Fragile.
He knew that...deep down. He had seen it before, or a piece of it anyway. She had cried before him, revealed a shadow of her heart. He had seen her shed away a piece of her old self to reveal someone new. Those tears, released from years of fear and scars that never healed...that would probably never heal. His eyes close, remembering those moments he held her while those tears fell from her eyes. He remembered how badly he had wanted those tears to cease and to see her smile once more. That smile...
The one thing that plagued his memories the most. Why?
"Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin's soft voice echoes up to his ears.
Now is the time to let her know. He takes a step into the larger cavern and allows Rin's eyes to finally see into the room. Her gasp fills the entire space, bouncing off the walls and repeating in his ears.
"What-?" Her eyes go wide and her small body turns to stone. "That's-"
"It is Lee." Sesshomaru answers her.
"S-sister..."
Lee's body remains motionless; it doesn't respond to her voice.
"Sister!"
"No, Rin!" Jaken grabs her arm before the child can rush forward.
"Let me go!"
" No, did you not hear that human? She warned us not to get close." Jaken pulls harder, but Rin continues to fight against him.
"No! Lee wouldn't hurt me!" Rin cries.
Sesshomaru watches her struggle, being careful to watch her movements in case she decides to race towards Lee's body, but Jaken holds fast.
"What's going on in here?" A voice snaps. Rin ignores it and finally breaks free of Jaken's hold. "No! Stop!"
Two strong arms grab her and pull her close, but she continues to struggle.
"Calm down. She's fine; Lee's fine." Rin is turned around and forced to look up into the woman's face. "You have to let her sleep for a bit longer okay? You have to be strong and wait for her."
Rin stops her struggles, wiping tears off of her face, and nods weakly.
"Atta girl." Moriko smiles.
Unable to stop her tears any longer, Rin sobs and buries her face into Moriko's shoulder.
"Sesshomaru." Moriko calls back as she strokes the child's head, refusing to look at him. "The demons are starting to gather around the mountain again. If you're going to stay here and guard Lee then it's your job to help with the demons. If you refuse, then you're going to have to leave."
For a long moment, he doesn't respond to the woman's threat. His eyes bore into the back of her head and then glance at Rin who continues to cry into her shoulder. Could he tear Rin from Lee? Did he even want to try?
No.
The answer is clear in his mind.
He draws his sword and walks past Jaken out of the room.
"Jaken, come." He calls.
"Yes, m'Lord!"
Moriko, totally shocked, follows their vanishing forms with her eyes. He's...going to help?
"A-are those demons...after my sister?" Comes Rin's trembling voice.
Moriko returns to stroking her head. "Yeah, but she'll be-."
"I want to help then." Her voice stops shaking suddenly and she looks up. "I want to help protect her too." Her face is still drawn up tight with worry, but her big eyes hold a fierce determination that not many humans have.
Moriko's eyes widen in shock at her demand. "Uh..."
"Please teach me how to fight! I want to learn." Rin pushes on her shoulders. "Please!"
"I don't think that's such a good idea."
"I'll work hard!"
Moriko sighs. "Lee would kill me."
"She doesn't have to know! Please!" Rin urges.
"Ugh!" Moriko stands up, but the small child just grabs her waist wrap. She stares down into the girl's eyes which only get impossibly bigger. "Gaa! You're too cute to refuse!"
She drops back down to her knees and entangles the human child into a tight hug.
"Thank you!" Rin exclaims happily.
Out of nowhere the whole room shakes and a loud roar of thunder breaks the happy moment. The y both glance around nervously.
"Geez, it feels like the whole mountain side is coming down." Moriko states.
"Huh?" Rin turns big terrified eyes up at her.
"Uh...no, no! No, hun, don't worry, it won't come down. I control earth so we'll be fine." Moriko quickly assures her, giving her another hug. Rin seems to take this answer and hugs her back. Moriko picks her up and heads towards the exit to see what's going on, but a new sound stops her in her tracks.
Someone is angry.
"Uh-oh..."
"Huh?"
Moriko turns back around slowly with a look of horror written squarely on her face. Rin eyes grow even bigger.
Sure enough, the sphere of pink light...is beginning to fall.
"Geez, how many of them are there?" Kagome groans, letting another sacred arrow fly.
"Don't give up yet." Sango calls from Kirara's back, swinging her weapon around and slicing through another horde of demons. Miroku swings his staff and cuts through two more demons from behind her.
"Yeah, but it's still annoying." Inuyasha leaps up and tears his sword through five demons at once. Shippo casts his fox fire at a few smaller demons who make it to the ground.
"I don't know how they're getting this close!"Ryu calls, breathing out a stream of blue flames. "Lee's aura alone should be keeping them at bay, but..." He stops.
"What is it?" Kagome asks.
He glances back for a split second at the cave. "Her aura...it's moving."
"What?"
"Look out!" Inuyasha cries.
Ryu quickly dodges a fire ball from a demon above before shifting form into a giant crow demon and gutting it with his beak. The demon screams in agony.
Not far off, Jaken is blasting fire from his staff and then running away from any demons he misses. Sesshomaru slashes a group of demons apart and then lets his other attack fly. "Dragon Strike." The bright blue lightning shreds the demons to pieces before he lands perfectly on the ground.
"We're not getting anywhere with this." Inuyasha growls.
"I'll clean up the rest." Miroku is about to open his wind tunnel, but a demon hit Kirara from behind and sends them crashing back down to the ground.
"Miroku, Sango! Are you two okay?" Kagome calls, rushing to their sides.
"We're fine."
The demons all continue to swirl around in the air, ever closer than before. Their previous fear from before is long gone and now they approach the mountain, thirsty for blood.
"They just keep coming; there's no end to them. We need more fire power." Miroku yells.
"Then move aside." Moriko, holding Rin's hand, comes running out of the cave and pushing aside anyone in front of it.
"What are you doing?" Inuyasha asks, stumbling forward as she shoves him forward, out of the way.
"Saving you're butts. She's mad!"
"What?" Ryu's eyes enlarge in horror. "Please don't tell me..."
"Yeah...she's awake." Moriko then pulls Rin to the edge rock wall just outside the cave entrance and ducks down, holding the girl close.
Everyone else follows her slowly, not really sure what she's worried about.
From inside the cave, bright red, swirling lights exit out of the darkness, spiraling around a form that seems to be floating across the ground. She stops in the middle of the large ledge overlooking the forest below from the cave and exposing herself to the demons who have swarmed here to devour her power.
"You all have come here for me, so come." She says to the hundreds of demons around her. Her eyes open, revealing cat-like, glowing red eyes. "I'm sick of your presence here!"
The demons pick up of her anger, building her power higher, and they all come at her in one charge with their fangs and claws bared, ready to kill.
She raises one hand out to her side, her claws catching the light and gleaming.
With a single movement unseen to the human eyes, fire explodes in a bright light that would rival the sun and like glass, the demons shatter and blow away from her from the blast. Cries of pain die off into the air.
Those few demons left behind, smartly retreat away from the mountain.
Her eyes close slowly once again. Her arm, which she had brought across her chest, drops back down to her side. The bright swirling lights around her spin faster with her emotions as she turns away, returning to the cave where she came and leaving the others behind staring in shock.
"Lee?"
"I'm going to bed."
"Again?" Moriko snaps.
"I just wasted good energy. I'm going to bed." Lee powers, letting the darkness of the cave swallow her.
Rin pulls out of Moriko's arms and races after her. "Lee!"
Kagome is about to go after her, but Moriko stops her. "Hold on. Let her go. They've been a part long enough. This needs to happen."
Lee takes a step up on the rocks, ready to slip herself back into her coma state, but Rin's screams jolt her to a halt.
"Stop!" Rin breathes heavily from her run. "Sis-."
"Rin, you have to understand something. Your 'Lee' died. I'm not that same person anymore. I-."
"NO!" Rin screams.
Lee flinches, but she keeps her back to her, unable to face her.
"My mommy used to tell me all the time that people change and grow; they may look differently or sound differently, but they're still the same on the inside. Our hearts never change! They just grow!" Rin cries, tears brimming her eyes. "You're still my sister..."
A these words, Lee turns around and their eyes meet after so long. Rin wipes the tears off her face, but new ones just replace them.
"Don't leave me anymore..." She sniffs.
Lee releases a breath she hadn't known that she'd been holding and it feels like dozens of heavy chains lift away off her heart. Her eyes mist blur over and a tear escapes.
Slowly, she steps down off the rocks and smiles at her-the child who is her sister. Rin returns her smile and rushes at her, leaping into the air. Lee catches her in her arms and holds her close.
How long has it been since she was this free? Free from the confusion Sesshomaru caused her? Free from all the anger she had for Naraku? Free from the sadness and mourning she felt after losing her village and friends? Free from the cage she's been held in?
Is this really all she needed? To be accepted again by her sister?
As time passes, Rin stops crying and eventually falls asleep in her arms.
"I can't believe this! She wakes up, waists a tiny bit of energy, and then freaks out over it and goes back to sleep!" Moriko throws her hands up into the air and stomps back into the cave. Kagome smiles, shakes her head, and follows her back in. The others do the same.
All except for Sesshomaru. Jaken stares at the great demon's back as he stares off after the demons who fly off towards the setting sun. For a long while he doesn't move; he just breathes in and out, tasting the still scorched air. It burns his lungs, causing the hair across his arms and on the back of his neck to rise.
So he had not found Naraku, but instead he found the only other being that draws him. Lee; the one who had tamed him. Right about now, he begins to wonder how he had been tamed. When she had been only a single average human, she somehow became his friend. A human!
He, the great demon ruler of the western lands, had let a human befriend him! And even more-he had accepted it in return!
And now, in her new changed life, he had been tamed by a half-demon. Yet, she was not a half-demon. She's something more.
How had he done all the things he said he would never do?
He sighs and turns to enter the cave.
"Wait, please, my Lord!" Jaken cries, stumbling to catch up.
That's yet another thing he didn't quite understand. Since when had he started tolerating Inuyasha's presence? Before, he could barely stand to look at him.
'Aun. Where is he?' Sesshomaru wonders. The second he enters the cave, he takes in a deep breath, being sure to stay in the shadows. When he finds the beast's scent, he follows it back through the narrow passage way and into the room where Lee had once slumbered. He expected to find her once again floating in the air inside that bubble from before, but no.
She leans back against the rocks in the center of the room, breathing deeply in slumber. Rin is right next to her, curled up into her side with her eyes closed. Two sister, probably sharing the same dream.
A slight chill brushes against his arms from behind him and he can see Lee tighten her grip around Rin's body.
"Shall I start a fire for them, m'Lord?" Jaken asks, raising his staff.
"No."
"But it will be night soon, Lord Sesshomaru. The cave will no doubt get much colder."
Sesshomaru glances off at the two girls in thought. "Go to sleep, Jaken."
"Ah! Uh...yes, m'Lord." Jaken skips off over towards the rock wall, where Lee's kimono top and the rest of her things are folded up, and then curls up against it, keeping his staff at hand. within seconds, he's fast asleep.
Sesshomaru doesn't move for the longest time, staring at them all. Sleep wouldn't come easy for him tonight, not with his...His? His what? He shifts his eyes back to Lee's sleeping face.
'Tamer...' The word echoes through his mind. His brows furrow in anger. His fists clench together until his knuckles turn white. Even the new demon arm he had acquired not too long ego hurts from the tight grip. His teeth click together as his jaw locks.
Lee shifts. "Sesshomaru..."
Her sleepy mumble washes away his anger, leaving him a blank slate of shock and confusion. Is she awake? had she seen his rage?
Rin continues to sleep while Lee mumbles, but neither of them stir awake. Something pulls inside him. Again.
With a few long strides, he makes his way over to the two sleeping sisters. He sits down close to Lee's left side, leaving Rin to have her right, and leans back against the rocks too. Hopefully, sleep will make it to him tonight. Closing his eyes, he takes a few deep breathes through his mouth. Her scent brushes across his tongue, sweet and deadly. With only a few inhales, he's addicted to it. it only twists his insides even tighter into knots.
His mind is about made up its decision to leave, it would be better for him, but she shifts again. Her head falls over onto his shoulder, her soft straight hair falling in threads around her. she snuggles into the fur around his shoulder as she unconsciously seeks out warmth.
She goes still once more and he sighs. It'll be even harder to get to sleep now. Wanting to make it easier for himself, he leans up, being careful not to wake her, and slowly removes his armor. The hard metal doesn't do much to help him sleep when there are rocks to his back.
As he leans back again, Rin stirs this time, waking up, but not fully. She sits up, rubs her big eyes, looks around sleepily, and then crawls over Lee to lay her head against his left knee.
He closes his eyes, trying to calm his annoyance. These two are just trying to make his life a living hades.
He reaches over, grabbing the fur over his shoulder, and wraps it around Lee's shoulders, across his lap, and then drapes it over Rin's sleeping form. She grabs it and snuggles into the fur like a teddy bear.
This would be a very long night.
It's a bit after dawn when Rin wakes up from her warm dreams. She untangles herself from the fluffy scarf that Sesshomaru carries and glances up at him. She smiles.
His arm and the fluff circles around Lee who is snuggled into his side. They breathe deeply from sleep, but she still takes her time to be quiet anyway. She follows her stomach out of the room and back out into the bigger cavern, passing right by Moriko who is asleep against the wall next to the narrow passageway.
"Are they sleeping?"
Rin spins around, gasping. Moriko opens her eyes to stare at the young child. "Oh, yes. I'm just hungry."
"Hmm..." She turns her eyes to the entrance. "There's a river near here, I believe. Want to get fish for breakfast for everyone?"
Rin clasps her hands together excitedly. "Yeah!"
Moriko gets to her feet with a smile. "You really are a cutie, you know? I can understand why Lee loves you so much."
Rin takes her offered hand and together the two leave the cave giggling.
In her dreams, Lee is surrounded by a group of people.
Her mom, her little brother, her big brother, her baby sister, all her friends, and her boyfriend. That's when she realizes it's a dream. She never had a boyfriend back home; she didn't like any of the big-headed boys around her neighborhood. The boy holding onto her arm is surely her boyfriend though, in her dream, but something is missing. His face. All the people around her she can see perfectly; all but him. His face is blurred over, like a wash of colors. It's almost like she's blind to only his face. Who is he?
When that question goes across her mind, his face clears up and she jerks back in horror. Gensoumaru!
"Am I not who you expected?" His voice echoes to her as his face becomes serious and he reaches for her. She backs away again, bumping into her mom who vanishes like smoke. "Do you not want me? Are you still obsessed with that demon who you say cares for you?" He asks again.
She backs away more, the bright world around her washing away into darkness until only they are the solitary things left. He continues to come at her, his form dressed in the normal clothes a boy would wear back in her time. His eyes turn more gentle, inviting her to come to him. Her heart throbs and pounds in her chest like a painful pulsing.
"No." She tells him, but her voice is weak. "I don't want you."
"So you are still addicted to him." He chuckles, his tone becoming darker. "Then I'll have to break that addiction..." His normal hands become the clawed ones she knew he really had and he reaches at her, faster now than she had ever seen him move before.
"No! Get away from me, Gensoumaru!" She yells.
"Lee...?" A new voice calls. She tears her eyes away from Gensoumaru and glances around. Where was the voice coming from? Who is it? "Lee?"
"No..." Gensoumaru growls. He reaches one last time for Lee, aiming for her throat and she screams again.
The invisible floor gives way from under her feet and she falls into the darkness below. It swallows her and she only screams louder.
"Lee." The voice has turned demanding now and Lee rips open her eyes.
Where is she? What happened?
She shakes her head, trying to break the fog of sleep from her mind so that she can figure out her surroundings. 'That's right. I fought Naraku and lost. Now, I'm underground resting to recover my strength. Inuyasha and his group are here as well and Sesshomaru. Where are Moriko and Ryu?' She reaches out with her senses to find them, but she only locates Ryu, still sleeping in the other room.
"Lee."
This time the voice is still demanding, but softer in a way. She turns around, to find Sesshomaru sitting next to her. The fur he carries around is wrapped around her waist, keeping her warm. She closes her eyes and takes a few deep breathes to lower her heart rate, still hammering away in her rib cage, and then collapses back against the rock with a sigh of relief.
"Nightmare..." She mumbles to herself.
"It sounded like a bad one." He answers, sinking back onto the rock as well after she calms down. She opens her eyes.
"You heard me?" She asks.
"You were screaming." He answers, closing his eyes again. His face turns to hard stone and she blinks twice in surprise.
"Really?...What exactly...did I scream about?"
"You were calling for your mother and then you really started to yell. Something about 'get away' and then you said 'no' a lot..."
Lee sighs in relief. Good, nothing else was said. She closes her eyes again.
"And then you said 'Gensoumaru'."
Her body jerks back to its previous stiff state. Crap, he heard! "Uh...who?" She decides to play it off.
"Gensoumaru." Again, he says the name, his voice flat and expressionless like always.
The word make heat burn in her veins. "Odd." She chuckles. "I wonder who that is?"
"You're a poor liar."
"Huh?" She barely gets the word out before his hand slams into her shoulder, knocking her over onto the floor on her back. In a flash he towers over her, casting a shadow over her body. She stares up at him in shock. His clawed hand he had used against her, presses heavily on her shoulder again, pinning her to the ground, while the other, his newly acquired hand, remains at his side. "Sesshomaru-?"
"Who is Gensoumaru?" He cuts her off, his voice as sharp as a blade. His eyes have turned colder than ice, the ice even Gensoumaru had used, but his face is expressionless and distant.
"I..." She reaches up, survival instincts kicking in, and pushes against his chest. "Get off of me, Sesshomaru." She says sternly.
His grasp on her shoulder tightens, almost painful. "Answer me."
"I don't have to do squat if you're going to talk to me like that!" Anger finally breaks out of her, but she keeps her voice down. She doesn't want her fire to hurt him unless it's absolutely necessary. She pulls her hand back and slams it into the center of his chest, aiming carefully away from his heart. The blow knocks him up, widening his eyes in surprise and she uses her newly freed legs to flip him off to her right and onto his back. She leaps up before he can move and pins him down, straddling him across his waist. "Gensoumaru attacked me back at the mountain. He's one of Naraku's incarnations, that's all." She growls at him, feeling her eyes glowing with rage.
Was Gensoumaru right? Does Sesshomaru really only desire her? Pain fills up in her heart, creeping up her face and invading her eyes. The glowing in her eyes dims as the tears fill up.
'No!' She wipes them away, refusing to cry in front of anyone ever again.
"So what? He was nice to me! He messed around with my feelings!" She snaps. "He's Naraku in every shape and form and he's nothing! What else you want to know, huh? Are you going to tell me to stay away from him? Yeah, I know that already! Are you going to tell me that he doesn't care about me and that all he said was lies? Then say it! I've had enough of people playing with my heart and I'm tired of it!"
She lowers her fist that she had raised in case he tried to move. Her other hand that she was using to hold down his shoulder loosens. She covers her face, the tears finally breaking free. "I'm tired of it..." She repeats again through her sobs.
In the thick silence and pain around her, she doesn't even feel him there with her. It's like he's gone. That gap, the one that had taken root by uncertainty, opens up wider. The words Gensoumaru had seeded in her heart come rushing back.
"That was his mistake. Can you honestly tell yourself that he loves you? Or does he just desire you?"
"You shouldn't have to second guess anything. You should be sure of who you love. You deserve love that is true, that is strong."
"You should never be unsure, Lee."
A heavy sob racks her body and she gets to her feet slowly, leaving him where he lies. Bit by bit, she makes it over to where her kimono lies folded up with her armor and weapon. She stares down at it as the tears fall onto it, without shame. Why did this always happen? Why did she always end up hurt around him? Is this all she'll have here?
'I want to go home.' She thinks to herself. She falls to her knees by her things and closes her eyes again. Kiyoshi would know what to do. She'd know what to say. Just like her mom would know too.
Lee can hear him get to his feet then, why he had stayed on the ground so long she'll never understand, but ever step he takes in her direction feels like a stake driving through her heart again and again. She should tell Jaken to wake up so that he won't be able to say anything with someone in here, but even through her blurred vision, she can't seem to find him anywhere.
He stops right there behind her. He doesn't move. He doesn't speak.
She refuses to give him the time it takes to breathe, so she too remains silent.
Reaching down, he places a hand on her shoulder. At first she doesn't know what to do, but then her anger strikes back and she jerks him off. He doesn't take this too well, so he grabs her again, but this time he pulls her straight up to her feet. She about to argue, but his form engulfs her and his mouth finds hers. His arms hold her to him tightly, crushing her against him.
With every ounce of her strength, she fights against him, but he doesn't release her.
He finally breaks away and she's not the only one breathing hard.
"Stop it!" She growls through her tears. "Get away from me. You don't mean it at all." She tells him, as if he had said something to her. "You don't care."
"Did he also tell you that?" Is his response.
"Was he wrong?" She snaps, glaring up at him through her tears. "You don't care. I know you don't. If you did, you wouldn't enjoy making me miserable." She pulls out of his arms and tries to walk away to the crowded room at the front of the cave, but he grabs her arm to stop her.
His hand comes up and, surprising her, his finger gently brush over her eyes, his claws barely even touch her as he wipes away a lingering tear. "if I enjoyed making you cry so much, then I'd be a fool."
"Huh?" She stares wide-eyed up at him, a small paper-thin strand of hope whisking through her heart.
He turns away, walking back to wear her kimono top is folded up neatly. Reaching down again, he picks it up and stares down at it thoughtfully. "I won't repeat myself, so don't ask it of me." He tells her sternly.
"But..." She stares at his back for the longest time, confused again like he usually always makes her feel. His face is turned away from her, but she can see his new hand, smooth and pale, but a darker blue like the last demon arm he had had. Just like last time, the demon hand has three fingers and a thumb, but it's still a normal length. The hand is balled up into a tight fist, the knuckles pressing against the flesh as if they would tear out. Why is he so stiff? He's usually the calm and collected one.
"I don't know what this Gensoumaru told you..." He starts, still refusing to face her. "But..."
She expected him to say something nice like 'he was wrong' or 'he lied and I do care'. Instead...?
"...You really shouldn't believe everything you hear without getting the truth."
Her eyes narrow in annoyance as she glares at his back. Well, there goes her hope strand.
"You should've asked me directly." He finishes.
"Would you have told me? I know you don't like showing your emotions or saying stuff you don't want to, but don't you think it'd be fair to try at least once?" Lee asks. Suddenly, she regrets the words. He had risked his life to save hers when her soul had shattered. He had kissed her through her tears and said that he had forgiven her for leaving. Then again, there's always that small chance he did it because he needed a heart to play around with. Sadly, hers is weaker than most. She pushes the regret aside. There's no way she's going to go easy on him.
"Gensoumaru..." He says the name like a disease and that demon fist tightens impossibly more.
'Huh...is he...?' She glances from the hand to the back of his head. 'There's no way he's...' She shakes her head clear of the thought.
"Forget it. It's over and done." She says, walking up behind him and taking her kimono out from his grasp. With a few extra steps, she leans down to pick up her armor.
"It sounds like you're saying that you're leaving again." His voice is dead, blank, cold.
"Rin is still my sister. I'll come by to see her as soon as I can." Lee grins secretively to herself. Play with him a little, maybe he'll start talking. Out of nowhere, his hand lands heavily on her shoulder and she jumps in surprise, dropping her things.
He still stares at the floor. "Don't."
"Don't what?"
"Leave."
She spins around, leaving his hand motionless in the air between them. "Then give me a reason to stay because from where I'm standing, I don't see much to hold onto."
The words are cold, but she doesn't care. He gets what he gives.
Like a flash of light, he takes a step in her direction and he towers over her again. With his armor off, he looks much less demon-ish. Bravely, she stares up into his gold eyes, refusing herself the chance to look away.
A second later, his eyes shift again, turning dull, and he lowers himself to his knees in front of her. As he drops, her eyes get wider and wider. His hand rests on her waist gently, the other he places on his knee. "Tell me what to do."
Shock slams into her heart, stopping it for a fraction of a second. She stops breathing for as long as she can, not wanting to believe this is just a dream. It's too unreal. She's not sure what to say. "What...I...?"
Her words stumble.
"G-get up! What are you doing!" She tries to chuckle as if to make herself believe he's just joking around, but he doesn't move. His face is lowered, his eyes are closed.
Kiyoshi had spoken of this before. She called it 'Submission'. She said a demon only 'Submits' when his or her heart is set. Kiyoshi had also told her about an act called 'Marking'. When a demon 'Submits' his heart to one person, it's almost the same as being 'Marked' by the 'Submitting' demon. She had told her the act binds them to the one their heart is set on. They would never be able to lie to the person again, but if they 'Marked' the person, they would never be able to betray that person. It's like marriage in a way, but more binding and permanent. It's nearly impossible to break a 'Mark'. A 'Submission' thought isn't as strong as a 'Mark' so it can be broken if a stronger one is placed above it.
Knowing all this, Lee doesn't even bother to stop the tears. This time, they're not burning hot. They're warm and soft like a candle flame. A few land on Sesshomaru's head and he looks up at her.
"Don't. Don't...say that..." She says from behind her hand.
"Say what?" He asks. "You told me you wanted me to."
"I didn't mean it like that...I just wanted you to be more open with me...to tell me the truth, so that...I didn't want you to mess with my feelings like Gensoumaru had." She sobs.
"His words were lies, as you said."
"And yours aren't?" She asks, opening her eyes to look into his face. Her hand still covers her mouth.
"If they were..." His voice trails off and she knows he can't and won't say it.
"You wouldn't be here right now? You wouldn't be 'Submitting'?"
He turns his eyes back to hers.
"I know about 'Submitting', yeah. Kiyoshi told me." Lee closes her eyes again, a deep heat touching her face.
"Then...yes." He lowers his head again.
She sobs again, louder. For some reason, the warmth won't go away. Her tears won't stop.
"Would you stop crying." He sighs.
"I...can't help it...they won't...stop." She laughs.
Her laughter has him looking up again to stare at her. The pain in her face is gone, replaced by something else. Something he had seen long ago when he had left his body to find her soul. She's...happy.
He stands up again and pulls her hand away from her face. "Stop them or I won't." He threatens softly before once again pressing his mouth to hers. This time the kiss isn't forced. It isn't crushing and angry.
This time it's soft and warm. His hands come to rest of her waist, but stop there. He isn't pushing her. He doesn't try to hurry her. He doesn't take the chance to rip at the bandaging around her torso. She stands there frozen by the realization of this and tries to figure out why. Her eyes close and she lets go. Technically, he hadn't told her straight out that he cared about her, but, more importantly, he had showed her. She grabs his hands and pulls him closer, so that he'd have to wrap his arms around her. He opens his eyes a little to make sure she wasn't tricking him before he leans into her and pulls her against him.
The confusion is gone now.
She wraps her arms tighter around his neck and he brushes his claws up her spine, sending shivers through her.
The uncertainty is gone.
He threads his fingers into her hair and she does the same only she holds it so that he couldn't pull away until she was ready for him to. He doesn't object at all, turning the kiss deeper until fire was exploding inside her heart.
Joy replaces everything.
When she pulls away for a fraction of a second she finds him breathing just as heavy as her. His breath enters her mouth, letting her taste him. She kisses him again and this time she sucks in a deep breath and allows him to let his lips wander; trailing down her jaw line and then down her neck and across her collar bone. Fire rips at her skin and explodes inside her heart and down into the pit of her stomach. She pulls his face back to hers before he can have a chance to pull away and kisses him again.
It lasted forever, but it ended too soon, Sesshomaru sighs and gently pulls at her tightening arms.
She groans in annoyance, refusing to let him step away from her and she buries her face into his kimono that had come loose around his neck and breathes deeply until his scent is burned into her memory.
"Must I be the one to have the control." It's a statement not a question.
"Don't talk to me about control. Wasn't it you who jumped me last time?" She chuckles, breathing into his neck. She can feel him shiver softly, but he quickly covers it up and sighs. "So I'm right." She smiles.
"You shouldn't sound so proud." He covers her mouth again with his, quickly distracting her attention.
"Hey, uh, where's...?" Lee enter the main room, Sesshomaru right behind her.
"How the hell should we know?" Inuyasha answers, digging around in Kagome's bag. "Man, I'm hungry."
"Inuyasha, get out of my bag! If you want something then why don't you try asking?" Kagome snatches her bag away from his clawing fingers and wraps her arms around it.
"I think I heard her and Moriko walk out somewhere around dawn." Ryu says, sitting up out of his corner and stretching.
Lee pauses for a second. "Walked out?" She lets the words run through her mind over and over again. Moriko has a weakness for cute human children, sure, but to just up and walk out with Rin? She hardly knows her. Lee's eyes narrow.
'I get it. She's trying to win Rin over to her side so she can steal her away from me.' She grinds her teeth. 'Darn that annoying little...! There is no way she's going to take Rin away and win my sister!'
She spins on her heel and returns to the back cavern to get her weapon, her loud stomps echoing away with her.
"What's up with her?" Sango asks.
"I'm sure it's just rivalry." Ryu chuckles.
"What do you mean?" Kagome again, pulls the bag out of Inuyasha's reach when he tries to use her momentary distraction to get it back.
"Well, Moriko just adores cute human children. We don't know where her obsession came from or when it started, but we just know that she'll do anything to win them over so that they'll be her loyal siblings for life. She probably got jealous when she heard that Rin is Lee's little sister by adoption, so now she's apparently going to try and steal her." Ryu explains. "This should be one heck of a battle."
"I agree." Sango covers her mouth and muffles her laugh.
Out of nowhere, a blood hurtling scream shatters the morning.
They're all on their feet in seconds.
"What was that?" Miroku demands.
"I don't know, but it didn't sound good." Inuyasha grips his sword.
Sesshomaru, who had quietly been waiting for Lee to return and doing his best to ignore the annoying chatter, instantly goes stiff and takes a step towards the cave entrance, but Lee is faster. She races past him like a blur and exits out into the morning air.
"Lee! Wait up!" Ryu grabs his belt and heads out after her, followed closely by Sesshomaru and then Inuyasha's group.
They all come to a halt at the edge of the ledge overlooking the valley of trees below. Lee has her weapon secured in her hand, released from the line it dangles from by the hook on her armor, and her eyes have begun to almost glow again.
"Lee stay here. You're not fully recharged. We'll take care of it." Ryu rests his hand on her shoulder, getting a glare from Sesshomaru which he ignores, but Lee brushes him off.
"My sister is down there, Ryu. I don't care how weak I am; I'm not going to let her get hurt." With these words hanging in the air behind her, she leaps off the cliff and disappears into the trees below them. Sesshomaru follows after her without a word.
They all stand there, glancing at each other.
"Well, I'm going. I've missed a good fight that I can actually win." Sango shrugs. "Come one Kirara!" She leaps onto her feline companion with Miroku climbing on behind her and they take off into the sky.
"Well, we can't let Lee have all the fun. Let's go Kagome."
"Okay." Kagome pulls her bow onto her back and lets Inuyasha pull her onto his back.
Ryu watches all of them go, momentarily speechless, but then he chuckles and a smiles breaks out onto his face.
"Lee, you've been given some really good friends. Don't lose them." He says into the wind, taking one last look into the sky before leaping off the ledge and shifting into the new form he had learned nearly a month ago. The demon crow takes off into the blue morning sky, letting the wind carry him to the battle awaiting below.
Yeeeaah, I think I went a little overboard with the length on this chapter...sorry! :D
Thanks again to all the people who faved, alerted, and at least read this story. You guys are awesome!
Yes, I'm still taking contribution from people if they'd like to put some of their own ideas into the story, so if you got one then please let me know.
Please read and review!