Love's Consequences
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor do I make any profit from this story.
Warning: Spoiler alerts! Just make sure you've seen the whole series, Final Act and Movies included, for I touch upon pretty much everything at one point or another.
Warning: There will be lemons in this story later on. Full versions will be posted on Adult fanfiction under the same story name (Author's name Sylean). Summarized (a.k.a. butchered) versions of the lemons will be posted here. Also, there will be character deaths in this story at a later time.
Chapter 37: Blood
(A/N: Written while listening to the song Rise by Katy Perry on repeat, of which I do not own, profit from, etc. It just goes well with this scene.)
War, revenge, failure to protect; the spider's loose tongue had done it again, given Sesshomaru a deeper look into her than he expected, or wanted. Memories stirred, memories that had no place here, and he left her to her mourning.
She adamantly refused to tell him of her family, but let things of far more consequence spill without thought. He understood now, why she had spoken sourly about letting her blood out; he could feel the chaos in her aura as his steps led him away. Half-demons, he was not unfamiliar with their instability; Inuyasha could not control his blood either. Was the girl the same; would it devour her very soul? If she was so weak as to allow such to occur, then she deserved the fate brought onto herself; he would not intervene.
The flames of rage licked up her legs, across her skin, and seeped into her eyes. Anger, it was a far easier emotion to process. Sorrow and guilt hurt worse than being impaled with Bakusaiga, but with anger, it was the enemy that would suffer. It was no accident that the Siamyosho targeted Tamari, but it would be soon enough when she got through with them.
Pulses of demonic energy cascaded over the forest, growing stronger each thrum. A low hiss reverberated behind Sesshomaru as the beast inside Kiseki struggled to free itself, to take control of the slight body. She was entering the beginning stages of transformation, but she was fighting it. Could she keep it at bay? Several lesser demons began fleeing, some nearly crashing into his legs as her power swelled; she was not the helpless prey these pathetic vultures originally thought she was. Turning back revealed the girl levitating above the forest canopy, enshrouded in dark energy. Her body shook and bent in time with her surging powers, the physical manifestation of her struggle. Fangs out, eyes glowing a solid red, and claws growing to lethal points all indicated the same thing: she was losing.
Thoughts of black death, of bloody torture, and poisonous agony whirled around in Kiseki's twisted mind. The decades of repressing the darkness inherited from her father only made it that much stronger now. Insistence, like a growing whisper in her soul, called for blood to be spilled, for vengeance to be brought upon her enemy. The manipulative spider in her core used her humanity to darken her thoughts; taunting her with memories, with graphic sights. What was left of Kiseki succumbed further into the fiery haze of fevered wrath.
The promise of her enemies demise, the terror on their faces as she would rend their bodies and devour still beating hearts, brought a sickening smile to her soft face. She would not only kill them, but devour the entire hive, just as her father could.
Her father? A light sparked amongst the dark swirl of power. An image came to her; a portrait of warmth and acceptance. An imposing figure, tall, with dark, wild hair, and cunning grin; Naraku. At his side, smaller and more petite, hair darker than black, and an expression as soft as silk itself; her mother, Kagome. Others multiplied around them; the rest of her family; Senzai, Yasei, Shippo, Inuyasha… The list went on, friends as close as family, people she cared for above her own life, and finally, Tamari. Wings of glittering scales spread wide, growing in size until they dwarfed the gathered figures. Lethal darkness encroached and the vision's expressions' showed fear, worry, despair, but it was repelled when those shining wings encompassed the group; a shield to the darkness. She, Kiseki, was that darkness; she was the biggest threat to all of them. If she lost control now…
Sesshomaru took no more than three strides, certain the half-spider had been overtaken by madness, when he felt the most peculiar sensation prickling at his skin, 'Holy power?' Returning his gaze to the still risen figure, he could barely believe what he was seeing. Her transformation had been completed, but now, far more swiftly than the demonic energy had, pure power flooded the area. He braced his heels into the earth, lest it push him back. A scream of intense pain rent the air; she was purifying herself! Half-demon or not, the pain of purification was sure to be great, probably the only substance more scathing than even his own poison.
Kiseki's blood beast thrashed at her defiance; her body convulsed violently. Freedom had been so, so close, only to be ripped away. 'I will kill them,' she assured that part of her even as the pain split from her throat, 'but not like this.' Her back arched sharply in the air as the excruciating experience tested her limits; she could not stop, not yet. The opposing energies swirled and clashed, fighting for control. She wanted to stop; to black out would cease this agony, but she could not afford to lose consciousness. It was not only her life at stake. 'They will suffer, but not at the cost of those I care for.' Darkness continued to cover her, but everywhere the bright light emanating from her chest touched, it evaporated like mist. Shrinking under the intense assault, the swirl of demonic energy receded in a final, blinding explosion.
Shielding his eyes from the brightness with a long white sleeve, Sesshomaru glimpsed the result; Kiseki, back to her conscious self, the illumination of her holy powers dimming as her form descended back below the canopy. He could tell by scent, burned flesh and ash, that any demons that had foolishly stuck around, overestimating their strengths, had been turned to a ring of dust around her silken defense. Her explosion of power killed all but him, and her. Despite the ordeal, she appeared untouched.
A brief grin creased his lips, lasting only a blink of an eye. She was stronger in heart than he expected, and this inexplicably pleased him. Why? Was it because he wanted her to be strong? This spider who had caught him unawares, did he want her to prove herself? "Ridiculous," he spoke to his own errant thoughts. What did it matter if she were strong? So long as he made sure there was no threat, from her or her family, her merits were none of his concern. He turned towards the forests depths; her scent was once more absent from the wind.
Relief washed over Okumo castle when Kiseki returned, control intact. Her dull eyes held no color, but she returned her mother's embrace anyways. Looking over Kagome's shoulder, she saw Naraku watching her critically. Kagome sensed the lack of response, the questions and sentiments going unheard, and followed her daughter's stern gaze, "Kiseki, what's wrong?"
"You will not keep me from taking their lives," Kiseki spoke with an air of finality towards her father. It was one thing when she was fighting on principle, but now… now this was personal. The Siamyosho would perish. There was no holding her back. If he tried to restrict her… She would fight them alone if that was the only way. She could not stay out of it; her nature demanded blood, stronger than ever before.
Silence stretched between them, watching eyes darted between the two spiders, before Naraku issued a single command, "Come." It was not the response she expected; not what she was bracing herself for. She stared at his retreating form before slipping out of her mother's arms to follow. Was he planning on testing her again? Try to beat her into submission? Her demonic energy was pathetically low; she wouldn't have a chance after purifying so much of herself. And in such a state, she could not read him either; what did he have planned?
Naraku felt it the moment she returned, drained, exhausted; not just emotionally, but her energy. It was no stretch to assume what happened; she must have purified her demonic self to keep it chained. Such desperation, such impetuousness, she needed to understand just what they were up against. She could not afford to act without thinking.
"Tamari's death, is only the beginning," Naraku spoke, even as he kept walking. "The Siamyosho aim to wipe us out."
There had to be a way to counter them. Kiseki's steps slowed and she struggled with the words, "But, if I had gone with her-"
"Then they would have killed you, too," Naraku cut her off, turning to face his unusually broken offspring. She was always filled with such life, unbreakable in spirit like her mother; seeing her like this, it was what convinced him to fill her in on their subtle threat. "They are after you, because they seek to destroy everything I care for."
Flashback
He was the first to detect their arrival, followed shortly by Kiseki. "They're here," he vibrated to her. The Siamyosho had arrived at his castle.
"Their intentions are dark," Kiseki verified his earlier suspicions, using the same method of communication.
"Introducing, Lord Bazu and Lady Suzume of the Siamyosho," the human doorman announced across the room and Naraku watched as the pair approached his daughter. Exact words were not caught, but their effect was; Kiseki's wrath rang clear through the room. Pulling away from the shadow he had been reclining in, Naraku strode with a purpose towards the impending disaster.
"You think my life here is not comfortable?" Kiseki's voice, pitched with incredulity, traveled over the other sounds of the room. Her body thrummed dangerously, vibrations declaring her outrage; he intervened just in time.
"Ah, Naraku," the Siamyosho queen addressed as he approached, disregarding the younger spider, "we were just talking about you and your sure to be long and prosperous reign." She didn't even try to disguise her lie; she seemed to want him so see through her façade.
"Suzume, is it," he stated more than asked.
"Queen Suzume," she corrected, even though she left off his title earlier. He raised an eyebrow but did not add her honorific. This one was a real piece of work; he would enjoy taking her life.
"I did not expect your attendance," Naraku falsified right back. She was the very reason he made these arrangements. "Our merchants must travel far to have reached your ears."
"My servants can gather information from all over the land, even across the sea," she boasted, but he already knew this to be true; he had used them just the same. Still, he had no doubt they would find another decimated caravan before long. "A thriving estate, a spider with a human miko for a mate, three unique children; it certainly makes for interesting gossip." He searched her face. She knew the superficial, but she did not know everything, it would seem. He only had one weakness, one fear; she was not aware of the one demon he hid his family from. If she had, then Sesshomaru would have already found them. There would have been no warning; there never was when it came to him. "With such a bright future ahead of you, I find it curious why you would be preparing to hand this domain over to a mere child." Suzume acted as if she were speaking to herself. "What a shame would it be if your favored offspring failed to defend such lands."
End Flashback
"I believe they targeted Tamari specifically, in an attempt to get to you, to get you to act rashly and rush into their hive, only to meet your death," his telling, his summary, his words buried Kiseki in her own thoughts. There had been nothing she could have done.
"She died," Kiseki choked out, "because of me…" Her thick hair kept her face shrouded in shadows. "Suzume was testing me, at the bicentennial; she wanted to see if I was volatile, if I would act without thinking. And I played right into her ploy." Fangs glinted between lips, a snarl rising.
"Their rancor is directed toward myself, and they wish to use you to get it," her features settled as he spoke. "You are not to blame for my past resurfacing."
"That is why; why you didn't want to let me fight," Kiseki identified resignedly, "isn't it?" He forbade her, because he was trying to protect her, just as Tamari had said. She didn't need a verbal answer to know it was true.
"I will not forbid your participation," Naraku announced. Disbelief caused her blackened eyes to spark up once again, color returning to their depths, "If you promise not to do anything foolish." Was he really telling her she could fight them? All she could manage was a dumbfounded nod. "We will face them together, when the time is right." He moved to leave her, tossing a dark smirk over his shoulder with his last words, "You will get your blood."
A pattern was emerging. Sesshomaru had encountered the spider, Kiseki, three times now. The first was along his border, primarily by her will, though he had sought out the barreling disturbance when she neared his lands. It told him east. The second two were in the same general vicinity; the same forest, and both at times when she was not prepared to face him. It could thus be assumed that her den lay nearby, in or around that forest. Even having an area to search did not mean he would find her castle, though; her missing scent could only mean that a barrier protected it. Even if he found it, could he break through? There was a chance that he could not. A barrier of one type of energy he could wear down with time, but both?
He needed to learn more about this creature. Was her kin to be counted as ally or enemy? The nature of her power was intriguing and perplexing. How did she come to be? How did opposing sides coexist? If the need to destroy her arose, how was he to counter such energy?
Such answers would be difficult to attain, likely only possible with continued exposure, continued opportunity to observe. He needed to convince her, and had several means to go about it. She spilled her guts to the forest; cried over someone dear, spoke of war and revenge, and flirted with unleashing her demon blood. It was the last one that caught his attention the most. She certainly had power, but it was errant. Her disordered transformation was that of a wild animal, a beast that would be incapable of rational thought. Her solution was to drive it back down, restrain and chain that part of her behind the potency of holy light. It had worked, but at what cost? Surely, she must have suffered.
The power he felt from her, the demonic power that flowed unchecked; she was far from weak. Why had she never used that power in battle? Was she unable to utilize it, just as she could not order the primal side to herself?
The more he thought over the contradicting dynamics she exhibited, the more questions that arose. Next time, he would ensure she did not escape. Watching her with sharp eyes; the secrets of her blood would be laid bare to him.
(A/N: Anyone notice how Kiseki has a strange form of Arachnophobia? Quite literally, she is afraid of the spider within her. My sister caught that little tidbit, and I couldn't stop laughing.
On a different note, I've decided to try posting two stories a week again. "To Protect the Alpha Female" will be posted on Sundays.)