Sesshomaru sat in silence for quite some time. Since it was all he was able to do, he thought. Those thoughts ranged from curiosity at the idea of his soul mate— who could she be, what kind of power would she wield, what breed of demoness was she…— to rage at his continued confinement, and even sorrow over time he had lost with his adoptive daughter.
He wasn't sure when the sun goddess returned, and he didn't really care. She was one of those keeping him captive. The surly daiyokai actively ignored her presence.
Amaterasu watched on in amusement as he continued to ignore her. He had actually put so much effort into ignoring her that he'd failed to notice the presence of another being— not a god. They watched him for a few more moments before she nodded to the other being.
Sesshomaru's eyes widened in shock then narrowed in anger when his father stepped in front of him.
Touga's eyes glittered with mirth at the emotions that played across his eldest son's face.
"Tell me, son. Have you found someone to protect?"
Sesshomaru glared at him.
The elder Inu laughed loudly.
"My dear son…" he began. "I've heard of the child you rescued. She is worth protecting, is she not?"
Sesshomaru looked down then nodded once.
"Then why do you fight so?" Touga continued. "The world is coming to a time of change. Yours is one of the great powers that could decide what direction this change will flow. Protect the child. Protect your mate. Accept what the gods charge you to do. There is great honor in this fate, my son."
Sesshomaru looked to Amaterasu. Seeing the questions in his eyes, she reached over and tapped his nose.
"Speak your mind, Lord of the West."
Sesshomaru looked between the goddess and his father.
"What is this great destiny? What is it you say I must do, and how will it affect my ward?" he asked.
Amaterasu hesitated. Touga spoke before she could— he had already been told what was coming.
"You will know when the time is right, son. You must accept what will be without forewarning," he said.
Amaterasu spoke when Touga stopped.
"When you have accepted this, your Soul Rider will be recalled from aiding in your future mate's training. He will tell you more as things come to pass. He will also train with you and help gather necessary resources.
Sesshomaru grumbled in frustration.
"This Sesshomaru has no choice in the matter of mating the unknown female, it seems."
"Indeed son, you do not get a choice," Touga told him. "The female is worthy, I assure you."
Sesshomaru ignored his father, keeping his attention on the sun goddess.
"What is a Soul Rider?" he finally asked. "This Sesshomaru has not heard the term before."
Amaterasu thought quietly for a moment, then sent a silent call to her brother. In a moment, Tsukuyomi joined the small group.
"Brother, dear…" she started. "Do you remember how the other Rider described herself to the female Chosen?"
Tsukuyomi stared at her blankly.
"You didn't start observing until we sent Elias in, did you?" she asked.
He shook his head.
"Idiot…" she muttered, one hand over her face.
The sun goddess looked at Sesshomaru again.
"The Soul Rider is a being called to serve the gods and assist in a time of great need. The being is attached to a soul which holds great potential, as directed by myself or my brother," she explained. The soul goes through many lifetimes with the dormant Rider observing from within. When certain events take place, it marks a changing of times."
Tsukuyomi took over the explanation. "At the changing of times, a Rider is called from their dormant state along with their mate to watch for specific milestones in the lifetimes of their Chosen. Once those milestones are reached, the Riders begin the process of calling their host soul to this plane."
"This is usually done when the Chosen sleeps," Amaterasu interrupted.
"Yes," Tsukuyomi continued, "which is why it's referred to as a 'dream plane.' Normally, the Calling takes two to three nights, but that's with a willing participant. You know, one that sleeps…" here he glared at the daiyokai. "You don't sleep. You had to be brought here by force."
"This has taken considerably longer than it should have," Amaterasu complained. "You should be training with your newly released abilities. Instead, we're still trying to convince you to accept your role in the coming battles!"
Sesshomaru perked up a bit at the mention of battle and new abilities.
Touga sighed audibly at his son's sudden interest.
"Sesshomaru, you won't be able to fight without HER. Unless you stop being so damned hard headed, your soul won't be released from this prison. I'm sure the gods wouldn't mind allowing you to view the battles from here, since you show absolutely no sign of ever accepting the place in the world you've been guided to over multiple lifetimes," the spirit said to his son.
The bound daiyokai looked around at the three beings in the space with him. His father stared with hard eyes. The two gods simply nodded their heads, confirming everything Touga said.
Sesshomaru looked toward their feet and sighed.
"Father, you said only my soul is here…" he started. "What has happened to my body? Am I… Am I dead?"
Touga snorted. Tsukuyomi sighed.
Amaterasu gestured to a space to her side, where an image was coming into view. Sesshomaru watched with interest as the inside of a hut grew clearer. He could see a female sitting near the door and a younger female kneeling by a sleeping mat, her back to them blocking a covered body as she worked.
Sesshomaru looked at the goddess questioningly.
"That female by the door… Is that her?" he asked.
All three beings laughed at that, knowing which "her" he referred to.
Tsukuyomi sobered when he heard Sesshomaru's low growl.
"No, boy. That's Inari. She's one of us, only there to help your human daughter," he explained.
Touga spoke after. "She would rather kill you, son."
Amaterasu quickly spoke up. She could see things getting out of hand.
"Young one, Inari doesn't feel you are worthy of your soul's mate," she said with an amused tone. "Watch, Sesshomaru. She is not what you were looking for."
His eyes flicked back to the image.
The younger female had turned to the side. He smiled when he recognized Rin's profile. She was lightly wringing a small cloth before turning again to touch the body on the sleeping mat. A few seconds later, she leaned back to stand and Sesshomaru looked at his own face.
Confusion, concern, and anger warred on his face in the dream plane.
Tsukuyomi eased his concern. "You are merely unconscious."
They saw Inari's head turn toward the door as the mat swept aside. The newcomer spoke as Rin stepped toward him.
"Kaede sent some more broth," Inuyasha said softly. "We have to keep the bastard's body nourished, she says."
Rin just shook her head.
"Must you be like that, Inuyasha?" she asked the hanyou. "He is still your brother."
Inuyasha watched as a tear rolled down the young girl's cheek. He reached out with his empty hand to brush it away before wrapping an arm around her shoulders in a hug.
"Keh. He's gonna be fine, kid," Inuyasha mumbled against the top of her head. "Takes a whole hell of a lot more than this to kill him."
Rin sighed and leaned into the hug. "I know, but when will he wake up?"
"He cannot return to his body until he accepts what is to come," Inari spoke up. "This has already been explained, little one."
Rin rolled her eyes and took the broth from Inuyasha. As she sat beside Sesshomaru's still form to gently feed him the broth, they heard someone outside.
Inuyasha went outside to greet the new arrival. His voice could be heard through the door as they came closer.
A three-tailed kitsune male with auburn hair and emerald eyes walked inside, his eyes trained on Rin. He appeared to be about 15 to 16 in human years.
"Still out cold, huh?" the kitsune asked.
Rin carefully sat the bowl of broth down and ran into the waiting embrace of the young yokai.
She answered him with her own question. "Still no sign of Miss Kagome or Lady Kikyo, Shippo?"
Amaterasu touched the vision of the two young people and the image faded. She turned to Sesshomaru.
"Your inability to cooperate here and accept things as they come affects everyone, young pup," she told him.
"Even your brother has kept a vigil waiting for you to awaken, son," Touga said.
Sesshomaru's brow furrowed in thought.
"How long has it been?" he asked.
Tsukuyomi answered, "in the mortal realm, five weeks have passed."
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a/n: Sorry it's been a little bit, lovelies. Life happens... And this chapter was a complete pain in the butt! Stubborn dogs, indeed... Because I do have a few OC's in play in this story, I'll give a brief list at the end of the next chapter so no one gets confused on who's who, 'kay? Well, I mean... Aside from the obvious peeps, lol. I know it's a little slow moving... I promise, things are gonna get a little more "froggy" soon. :) And the explaination for Shippo's drastic change will come soon, too. Don't worry. The world in my head will make sense, eventually!
And please... If you see any editing errors... Keep in mind I'm self edited. I may miss something.