A/N
Chapter 53! So, school starts in two days. T_T Horrible.
However, usually I am able to write more because 1) I'm away from my distracting man 2) I'm away from the distracting dog. lol
I hope you guys enjoy it.
Enjoy and review!
~SMO
Chapter 53
"So, why did she want me to come along again?" Inuyasha asked with a smirk wide along his face. He felt an amused chill run through him. It almost felt victorious when he saw Sesshoumaru's fingers clench into fists. The knuckles turned white with the flex of the small muscles.
"Do not make me kill you prematurely," Sesshoumaru growled out warningly. "The only reason you're alive is because father told me not to kill you."
Inuyasha's smile only widened. He couldn't stop grinning. The mere knowledge that Kagome had wanted him to go as Sesshoumaru's babysitter in her stead made him want to rub it in Sesshoumaru face at every turn. "Shouldn't you two have some sort of trust?" He asked, trying to pour salt into the wounds.
Sesshoumaru's head snapped to him, and he was staring into the red eyes of his demon brother. He growled. His fingers curled around Inuyasha's throat. "Do not utter another word!" Sesshoumaru snarled. Much to his disappointment, Inuyasha only continued to laugh.
The car pulled to a stop. Sesshoumaru kicked open the door and tossed Inuyasha out. The half-demon grumbled something under his throat as he picked himself off the ground. Sesshoumaru followed. A strong gust of wind came over them. Sesshoumaru shook his head, making sure his hair was perfect once more as they entered the cemetery grounds.
The large gates were already open. Some dead vines were hanging loosely along the top. However, the other trees surrounding the graves were lush and filled with green life. Some tombstones were crooked, and as they walked along the grounds, Sesshoumaru felt the sword on his hip begin to tremble around all the souls. Over the centuries, he had gotten better with controlling the sword. The first few hundred years he had merely followed its command. He hummed, maybe this would turn out good.
He was a bit doubtful of the sword's latent powers. It had been in the main Taisho house for decades. When Inuyasha had first opened it, dust had fluttered off the sheath and scattered around the table. Small cobwebs were around the hilt, and for the first time in a while Sesshoumaru felt bad for letting such a thing happen to his father's fang, even if it was a bit useless.
The sword had been a mystery to him since his father's death. A sword that heals instead of kills, who was his father kidding? He shrugged; it didn't really matter anyways. In this day and age, hardly anyone waved swords around. His youki responded to the sword as they continued to where he could sense Jaken, who had escorted the brothers here.
"Evening," Jaken said. His short and chubby figure making Sesshoumaru want to laugh. He was so use to seeing the toad. He nodded in return and stared at the three figures standing over a certain grave. The tombstone had been cracked. Sesshoumaru looked at the graves surrounding them. The soil was loose. It was quite obvious that someone had escaped. Vaguely, he wanted to remind the graveskeeper that it should have been brought to his attention as Commissioner.
The older brother, Bankotsu, if he remembered correctly, cleared his throat. "Commissioner Taisho," he greeted. Then, his smirk widened. "Or, should I say Lord Sesshoumaru of the West?"
Sesshoumaru shrugged his shoulders and tipped off his hat. "Depending on how long your brother has been in the ground, and how long he's given in to death, it may not work," he explained. He saw the three brothers stiffen before shrugging his shoulders. "We can only attempt to do it."
He nodded his head once more and gave Jaken the sign to continue. His servant gave a grunt but grabbed the shovel and slammed it into the ground. Sesshoumaru tried not to gag at the overwhelming stench of rot and decay as the casket grew nearer and nearer.
After a few more tosses of dirt, the shovel came in contact with polished wood. Sighing and wiping the sweat from his brow, Jaken tossed his shovel to the side and looked to Sesshoumaru for the next order. Sesshoumaru swallowed the bile rising in his throat and reached out to the casket with his hand.
Five tendrils of green shot out from his fingertips. Each one did as he commanded as they slid along the right hand side of the casket and peeled the lid back. The body was lying there. Thankfully, they had preserved him in the demonic form. Therefore, his body had minimum decay along it.
Sesshoumaru took a deep breath, trying desperately to ignore the foul odor that crept up his nostrils. The putrid smell would be hard to forget. He let his youki come over the sword. The metal turned into a navy blue with hues of purple sparkling through it. The sword fought for a moment. It was simply because the corpse had been dead for quite some time. The chains that Sesshoumaru could now see were fastened tightly, but they were still wrapping around the being in the ground.
With one powerful slice, he watched the chains fall apart. Still, the corpse remained in the ground, and Sesshoumaru patiently waited for what he knew would come next. The small gnomes of hell slowly appeared. They were grumbling and cursing about what had happened but seemingly unaware of the powerful taiyoukai standing above them. Sesshoumaru waited for them all to materialize before he released three powerful attacks. The sword pulsed and whistled with each clean swipe as the gnomes screeched in pain and faded.
They all waited. Bankotsu and the two brothers watching the grave with anxious eyes. A small doubt was filling their gazes as the moments ticked by and nothing happened. It was as if they were slowly realizing Sesshoumaru had failed. The mighty dog only laughed at their reactions. They obviously did not know that this Sesshoumaru never fails.
A gasp of air followed by several chokes entered the quiet surroundings. Bankotsu stared in shock as the brother, who had once been dead, grabbed at his chest which now heaved uncontrollably. "He will need food and nourishment," Sesshoumaru released, as if a doctor prescribing the right medicine. "After that, we will have begin our next meeting. Tomorrow night you four are invited to my home to discuss the next turn of events. Be careful not to be followed."
The words left his mouth with no emotion as he watched the brothers exchange excited hugs. The skin was sagging from his newly revived bodies. His eyes were filled with exhaustion. After a few brotherly moments, he turned his head to greet the two descendants of the mighty dog. "You revived me? What is going on?" He asked, clearly confused over the recent turn of events.
Before any of them could open their mouths to reply, his saggy eyes roamed over Inuyasha's, filled with something akin to desire. "Please, tell me you revived me so I can indulge in that fine specimen," he moaned out, leaning over the pit and cradling his head in his hands. The fragile fingers looked ready to snap off at any moment. He made a humming noise as if he'd just enjoyed a three course meal. "I have been missing out!" He exclaimed while waggling his eyebrows at Inuyasha.
He then threw his head back, gesturing towards the casket. "There's enough room for two, honey. Trust me, I've been in it for a while; I should know," he added. Sesshoumaru bit his tongue to keep from laughing at the disgusting look his half-brother gave the demon in front of him.
"Are you serious?" Inuyasha's clever mind responded. He grimaced, turning around and beginning to walk back to the car. "Fucking weirdos," Inuyasha cursed, shaking his head in bewilderment.
"Wait!" Bankotsu shouted, causing Sesshoumaru to turn halfway and look over his shoulder at the man. He looked as if he were debating something.
"Naraku wants to use your woman for more power. He realized that she was a priestess and wants to use her as his mate. If I were you, I would quickly mate her, even if he does get his hands on her, at least she will be protected by your seal," he tossed back to Sesshoumaru. It was information he had already thought about. However, hearing the word 'mate' and Naraku in the same sentence made him want to snarl and tear up the nearest person.
"The only way he will get her is after he kills me. I will take your words into consideration," he replied, turning around once more. His driver was standing beside the car, the door already opened. Sesshoumaru looked at the other being sitting across the bench. He sighed, hoping that she would have already been gone. Her assistance was no longer needed since everything had gone smoothly.
"Kagura," he greeted as he slid in beside her. Inuyasha took the front seat. He nodded to his driver to carry on home while he turned his attention back to his ex-mistress. "I thank you for the assistance, but you could have left."
She pouted, shrugging her shoulders as she flicked the feather in her hair behind her ear. "I am curious. The demon world has been filled with rumors that last few weeks. I figured who better to go to for details than the dog causing all the ruckus," she soothed out with a smirk on her lips. The red eyes almost glowing in the dark car.
Sesshoumaru released a sigh as he thought over what Kagura was saying. She was strong, but he did not know how loyal she would be to him after he released her from his protection. She remained in the townhouse he had bought for her, but she would get no more presents or surprise visits from him. Did she feel dumped? Sesshoumaru tried not to sigh once more. Females were almost too much work.
The car stopped in front of his house once more. Inuyasha pulled open his door and as Sesshoumaru lifted himself out, he realized that Kagome was waiting outside of his house, sitting on the top step to his front door. She stood up, smiling at him as he neared her. He saw her eyes flash to Kagura. A small look of confusion pass through them, but it was just a quick moment.
"Did everything go well?" Kagome asked while opening the door and allowed all of the to pass through. She shut it gently behind her, looking to Sesshoumaru, who remained silent as he and Kagura went into his study.
She tried to remain indifferent to the woman. However, she knew that Kagura had been his mistress. Maybe, she still was his mistress. After all, he had not told her otherwise. Kagome took a deep breath to clear her mind, releasing it with all her worries and insecurities. She would face it when Sesshoumaru came back out. For now, she wanted information. "Inuyasha?" She asked.
She turned to look at the half-demon. His ears had popped free from the concealment. They were almost like two insect antennas, feeling out the air for any discrepancies. They faced her before Inuyasha even looked her direction. "Come on," he said, throwing his head towards the parlor room and waggling one finger for her to follow. "Everything went okay. They will be here tomorrow to figure out the plans concerning Naraku. Sesshoumaru had Kagura go in case it didn't work. We would have been outnumbered," he explained, quickly summarizing the events of what had just happened.
Kagome saw him shiver vaguely. Her brow rose curiously. "What happened?" She pressed on further. His reaction was telling her that something bigger had gone on.
He shook his head, shrugging his shoulders. "The new guy is disgusting," he grumbled under his breath, his shoulders shaking once more as if he were a dog drying off. Kagome couldn't help the giggle that followed.
"Did you speak to Kaede like Sesshoumaru wanted you too?" The question threw her off guard. She didn't know that Inuyasha knew about the meetings her and the elderly women were indulging in. Then again, Inuyasha was close with her daughter.
"I-I have," Kagome answered, her thoughts wandering back to the last meeting. "She taught me ways on how to focus in and channel these powers, but I am still a bit scared over handling them. I-I have seen what Sesshoumaru could do with his, and I don't want to have such a pull."
Inuyasha snorted. "Trust me, your powers are a lot different. They are harmless to humans but deadly to demons. They could heal pain and cure illnesses. However, be careful. In this day and age, people would rather lock you up and experiment on you than actually use you for good."
Kagome gave one, simple nod. She looked down to her hands and took in a deep breath. Instantly, she felt the powers leak into her fingers. The tendrils of her essence leaked out and curled around her body, sending prickles of warmth over her flesh as they caressed it. "I still can't form a barrier though. I wish I could. It would protect Shippo or Sango," she whispered. A look of defeat passed over her features.
Inuyasha uttered a gruff sound. "You'll get it, takes time," he added. Turning away as he gave the advice. Kagome let a small smile come over her before the door behind her opened. Kagura and Sesshoumaru stepped in. They both were looking at her as if she'd grown a third eye or head.
"What is it?" She asked nervously. He looked to Kagura. The effect was astonishing. She remembered seeing the demoness at Sanctuary, but her overall beauty was still hard for Kagome to grasp. The silky strands and red eyes could tray a man for eternity. She held this air of danger and mystique around her.
"You were using your powers," Sesshoumaru added, drawing her attention back to him from his ex-mistress. Kagome swallowed, he saw her throat clench from the gesture.
"I-I was showing Inuyasha what Kaede told me to do," Kagome explained. She then turned her eyes back to the demoness while giving a welcoming smile. "It has been quite a while, Kagura. I am glad you were there to support them."
"A priestess," Kagura noted, not at all offering a nod to Kagome's show of gratitude. "That is surprising," she trailed off, casting a glance to Sesshoumaru. She gave him a silent nod, before bowing to everyone else in the room and leaving.
As soon as the door clicked close, Kagome crossed her arms over her breasts and looked at Sesshoumaru pointedly. "What was that about?" She asked.
"She confirmed my suspicions," Sesshoumaru explained. A look of worry filled his eyes. "I think Naraku is after your powers, and if he gets them... I think he will destroy this city."
Inuyasha snorted from behind them. "No pressure, huh?"
