Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters in this fan fiction are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. The original characters and plot are the property of Chiaztolite, who is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Summary of Previous Chapter:

Using the bond between Tessaiga and Tenseiga, Inuyasha sent a message to Sesshomaru to come. He came, but at first refused to use Tenseiga on Kagome. He changed his mind later, but could not see the pallbearers he needed to destroy in order to bring Kagome back to life. He took Kagome away despite her comrades' protests.

The Way to Elysium

Chapter 3: Bond

The metallic tang of blood emanating from the limp body he cradled in his arms assailed him throughout his journey. It was not an unpleasant scent, but it was disturbing nonetheless. Sesshōmaru wished he could shutter his sense of smell just a touch, but he needed his nose to guide himself to his destination. He was accustomed to the sight and smell of blood, having maimed countless yōkai and participated in many battles throughout the hundreds of years of his life, yet this woman's scent was unlike those he had encountered before. It smelled pure, unsullied, he almost felt sorry that her death was such a waste.

He could pick up other scents too: Inuyasha's, for one, his other human comrades, and…

He frowned. He knew it was the scent of the yōkai that killed her, for it was strongest at the gaping wound on her torso. But there was something strange about the scent. Something very subtle, something familiar. Something he could not quite put his fingers on.

Vexed, he pushed the thought aside for now as his destination came into view. He accelerated his speed, eager to land on a hard surface and release himself from the unusual burden he had been carrying. In the distance he saw a lone female figure at the edge of the palatial dwelling in the clouds. Her bearing was regal as she stood, as though she had been expecting his arrival the entire time.

So his mother was in residence. That would make things easier.

And infinitely more difficult.

Resisting the urge to sigh, he made a smooth landing, making sure he was a few arm's length away from her. As usual, she merely perused him from head to toe.

"Sesshōmaru," her lilting voice said in greeting. Then, those astute golden eyes landed on the woman he carried in his arms, and they narrowed in what he could only interpret as mild interest.

Even to him, his mother's inner thoughts remained one of the greatest unsolved mysteries.

Yōhime always believed the bond between mother and son, though they were often far apart, was not something that could easily be severed by something as trivial as distance. And so, she sensed through this bond just mere minutes ago, that her son had departed on a journey to seek her out. She had waited — rather impatiently, going back and forth between excitement to see him again and concern over the reason why he was coming.

And now he was here. He scarcely looked older than the last time they met, but that was to be expected. The impassive way he looked at her was perfection, and she would have been proud to wear that expression herself. Though she sensed he still had quite a long way to go, he had grown up to be the most magnificent yōkai lord indeed, having surpassed his own father when he created Bakusaiga from his own power. If only this… who was this? A human? And a female nonetheless. If only this female was not there, covering up a good portion of her son, she would have been able to inspect him properly.

"Another human, my son?" She asked, carefully modulating her tone so she sounded more amused than bothered. "How many more do you intend to bring here, just so this mother of yours may prepare herself?"

Sesshōmaru did not answer, because just then, they both saw quite a number of newcomers — both humans and yōkai, approached her palatial dwelling and landed just behind her son. They must have followed his scent, or perhaps the little imp yōkai — her son's retainer, had led the way.

"Hmm. Never mind," she said, quite amused now. She took one step towards the group.

"I am glad to see you are well, little yōkai," she said, greeting the imp holding the reigns of a two-headed dragon. The minuscule creature looked affronted for some reason, though she could not think of why. Perhaps it was better to leave him to it, she thought. She looked around, but she did not see the young girl she had revived the last time her son had visited. Instead, there were new faces she had never seen before. A monk in a blue robe, interesting. A demon slayer? Oh my. And…

She fixated her gaze on the hanyō, at once recognizing the red Fire Rat robe he was wearing. But even if he had not donned the robe, she would have recognized him anywhere. Yes, she saw the uncanny resemblance. He inherited much from her deceased mate, both in physique and in temperament, though a large part of him was human too.

"You are all welcome to stay for… well—" She flashed Sesshōmaru, still carrying the deceased human female, a glance. "For however long this may take."

"Thank you for your hospitality, my lady," the blue-robed monk said, bowing low. Evidently, based on appearance alone, he surmised she was related to Sesshōmaru and therefore was most likely nobility. "How should we refer to you, my lady?"

That little smile on her lips widened a touch. "You may call me Yōhime, little monk."

"Mother." She could hear impatience bleeding into her son's voice now. Undoubtedly, he felt he had tolerated enough of the asinine exchange. There was a collective gasp coming from the strange band of comrades. She supposed they were surprised to learn he had a mother after all.

"Will you lend me the Meidō stone?" Sesshōmaru asked.

"Hmm? And what do you plan to do with it, my son?"

"Tenseiga was unable to revive this woman even though she had never been revived before. I would like to see if your Meidō stone could."

"And if I told you my Meidō stone is not your toy to use on a whim?"

Yōhime watched her son's tawny gaze narrowing in displeasure. She wanted to scold him for this petulant display, not at all befitting a yōkai lord, but she could not deny he reminded her so much of her young self. She had always been careful to not meddle in her son's life, knowing the path to become the greatest daiyōkai required independence and the strength of oneself, not the coddling from a parent. Though, looking at the group of assorted humans and demons surrounding her son, although his journey might be difficult, it seemed it was not necessarily a lonely one.

Sighing heavily, she lifted the circle of necklace around her neck. Sesshōmaru might be opaque and can be quite enigmatic, but she knew he always had a good reason for everything he did. At this point, she could only trust her son knew what he was doing.

Sesshōmaru took the necklace from his mother's hand and lowered himself to one knee to place it on Kagome's chest, the same way his mother had done when she revived Rin. He observed the body, searching for a sign that she was coming back to the realm of the living.

Nothing. Not even a twitch.

It was peculiar, and certainly did not bode well for the probability of her return.

Rising to full height, he left his brother's miko lying on the floor, still looking like she was merely sleeping. "Will you summon the path, Mother?" He asked without taking his eyes off of the cold body of the dead woman.

A soft gasp came from her, betraying her previously calm and composed air.

"Sesshōmaru." Her voice had acquired a hard edge it did not have before. He turned to look at her. "You cannot be thinking about crossing to the underworld again? And for what? Who exactly is this woman to you?"

He did not answer. Or, more accurately, he could not. He scarcely understood his own reasoning, only that there was something inside him that urged him to do this, told him he needed to do this.

After moments passed and he still did not answer, Yōhime said: "Sesshōmaru, heed my warning. The fact that even the Meidō stone failed to revive this woman, it could only mean her soul has travelled deep into the nether realm, further than you've ever been." She hesitated, pursing her lips. For a split second, he thought she almost looked like a mother concerned for her son's safety. "When you are that far into the underworld, the Meidō stone will not be able to open a path for you to return to the world of the living. I won't be able to watch you through the crystal. Sesshōmaru, you will have to find your own way back, if that is even possible."

He never expected to do anything less than finding the way out by himself, so her warning was irrelevant and did not discourage him one bit. He merely stared at her, wordlessly waiting.

She must have seen something in his face that convinced her he would not be deterred. Sighing heavily, she relented. "Very well."

"Sesshōmaru!" Inuyasha called out. "I'm going with you. I'm going to get Kagome back."

Sesshōmaru scoffed at his half-brother's passionate declaration. "You wouldn't last a minute in the underworld."

"Is there no way I can go with him?" Sesshōmaru heard Inuyasha asked his mother.

"No, hanyō," Yōhime replied. "No mere mortal can. I would be surprised if even Sesshōmaru can come out of this alive."

She had thought something similar when he went deep into the underworld to save Rin, and yet he proved her wrong. All he needed to do was to keep his wits about him, that was all.

"Hnn. If you want to be useful, Inuyasha, look after her body until my return," Sesshōmaru said over his shoulder.

"Yeah, you don't need to tell me," Inuyasha countered, sounding irate. Then, his voice took on a serious tone. "I'm counting on you, Sesshōmaru."

The hole appeared, yawning large and dark, eerie and mysterious. It showed nothing but a pitch black landscape as far as the eyes could see.

Without looking back, Sesshōmaru strode into the darkness.

Author's Notes:

The character of Sesshōmaru's mother has always been an enigma. Not much is known about her. We don't even really know her name. So far she has been mostly described as cold and unaffectionate towards her son, though she did show concern when she realized Sesshōmaru's grief over Rin's death, which prompted her to bring her back to life. I'd like to look at her character in a slightly different way, and perhaps give her a bit of a backstory (this will come later). Not sure if this is successful yet, as the scene is short because much of the attention needs to be on Sesshōmaru's quest to figure out why even Meidō stone could not bring Kagome back to life, and what else he has to do to revive her.

In any case, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!