DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha or the book called 'Hasse Simonsdochter' written by Thea Beckman, nor do I own the characters of these two stories!! But I do own the idea of mixing these two ingredients into a new story.
Italic: thoughts
-- --: locations
"...": spoken words
~*~*~*~*~: time gap
*...* : noises
-by Kittymui-
A forest named after Inuyasha
Previously:
Inuyasha slowly made his way to the broken wall and looked outside at the swarm
of army that was trying to break the castle wall.
He slowly uncovered his wound and raised his Tetsusaiga with two claws on the
hilt.
"THIS IS AS FAR YOU WILL GET!!! THERE'S NO WAY I'M GONNA LET YOU BASTARDS
LAY ONE FINGER ON KAGOME OR SESSHOUMARU!!!!!!" he exclaimed with a loud
growl as he jumped into the air with his blade raised above his head.
"KAZE NO KIZU!!!!" Inuyasha's cry echoed through the forest.
~*~*~*~*~
[AN: For those who want to know the time of the day. Sesshoumaru was lured away
a little past sunrise and he returned to the castle several hours after that.
And this chapter (right now) is starting a little past noon.]
After running several hours, Sesshoumaru arrived at a small cave. After he made
sure it's safe, he entered it and carefully laid Kagome on the floor.
Sesshoumaru then gently picked Yuri up and put her behind him. "Don't look this way Yuri...just stay behind me." he told her before he turned to Kagome again.
Please don't let the bullet still be in her body... he prayed mentally as he moved her into a sitting position and started to take off her haori.
He sighed of relief when he saw the small hole right next to the diagonal scar
on Kagome's bare back. Thank God...it went through her... he thought
relieved.
The wounds had already stopped bleeding and dried blood could be seen on her back and chest.
Sesshoumaru tore off a large piece of his sleeve and wrapped it around her upper body to cover the wound.
~*~
After he finished bandaging the wound and put her clothes back on again, he
carefully laid her back on the floor and turned around to his daughter, who
had obediently stayed behind him.
He gently picked her up and set her down next to her mother. "Be a good girl, Yuri, and do not leave your mother's side." he said to her as he gently stroked her soft cheek with his clawed hand. "I must go back to Inuyasha."
The little Yuri only stared at him at first with two big teary golden orbs but then she suddenly gave her father an almost imperceptible nod, as if she understood what he said.
After Sesshoumaru saw that, he stood up and turned around to walk out of the cave.
Forest spirits...if you do exist, then I beg of you to protect my mate and daughter until I return. he pleaded inwardly as he looked up at the trees.
Without second thought, Sesshoumaru dashed into the direction of the castle.
~*~*~*~
Sesshoumaru lowered his pace and began to walk when he arrived at the clearing where his castle stood.
It was quiet, and no other sound could be heard except for the rustling leaves and gushing wind.
From his perspective, the landscape looked fairly untouched. This side of the castle and this part of the clearing gave the impression that no battle had ever occurred today.
But he knew it was all a lie; he knew that everything that had happened today was real and that it was there...on the other side of the castle.
Sesshoumaru frowned when the stench of blood grew stronger with every step he took towards the place where he last saw Inuyasha.
He stopped when he finally arrived at the other side.
Dead bodies were spread all over the place. The grassy area near the castle, which had always been fresh green of color, was now tainted with an ugly dark red hue.
Several deep gashed could be seen in the earth. The gashes were all gathered
at one spot and they diverged as they went further away from it.
Kaze no Kizu... Sesshoumaru concluded in himself. ...he really used
it...
He scanned the area around him. The human corpses were everywhere in his vision. This isn't all of them... he thought as he recalled the huge army that stood in front of the castle walls before.
Sesshoumaru stopped looking around when his eyes caught a particular trail of
bodies. He moved the battle away from the castle!! he realized and followed
the trail as it leaded into the forest.
This is strange...this scent...it's Inuyasha's but...it's different... he thought puzzled as he continued his way though the forest.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when some faint sound reached his ears. It came from the direction where the trail of corpses and damaged vegetation was leading to.
*sob sob*
It's the sound...of someone crying...? Sesshoumaru concluded surprised.
The sobbing sound became louder as he continued to follow the trail.
~*~
After walking a while, he reached a small clearing. The sun shone brightly,
causing Sesshoumaru to avert his gaze as he stopped next to a tree at the edge
of the clearing.
He looked up again after he got used to the bright light and scanned the area.
It was a small circular clearing with a big and old tree standing alone in the middle.
The trail of bodies stops here... he realized as he saw the last group of bodies that was spread all over the place.
Suddenly, the sound of someone crying could be heard again, drawing his attention.
Following the sound, Sesshoumaru realized that there was someone else there
in the clearing.
*sob...sob...*
He narrowed his eyes and looked more carefully.
It was a little girl, around the age of seven or eight. She was standing in
front of the big tree with her back to him. The girl was wearing strange clothes
that he had never seen before. It was a sleeveless green dress with fresh green
leaves attached to the edges of the garment.
But what caught his eyes the most was the color of her long hair that almost
reached her small waist, for it had the exact same shade like Kagome's.
"G-gomen nasai..." the girl sobbed.
Sesshoumaru froze. She's talking to me...?? he wondered but then shook off the thought. No...she doesn't know I'm here...who is she apologizing to then...? he mused and decided to walk a little bit closer to the tree, without making a sound.
Then he found out that the girl was indeed talking to someone in front of her and took several soundless steps more towards the tree to see whom it was.
Sesshoumaru widened his eyes and stopped walking as soon as he could look over
the little girl's head.
There he was, sitting at the base of the old tree and resting against its huge
trunk. One leg pulled up, while the other was stretched out in front of him.
In his one hand he was still holding the hilt of his transformed blade that
rested against a thick root above the earth, while the other was resting on
the base of the gap between his waist and leg that was pulled up.
His eyes were closed, his head was slightly tilted aside and forward and his
beautiful silver bangs, which slowly billowed on the passing breezes, were framing
his pale face. All this made it seem as though he was sleeping.
But Sesshoumaru knew it wasn't true...for he could not sense any signs of life coming from him anymore.
Inuyasha... he called his name inwardly.
His mouth and throat felt dry.
His fingers were tingling.
His eyes were burning.
And there was an indescribable pain coming from his chest.
This feeling...I had felt it before...the last time I have felt like this... he thought as he closed his eyes and memories started to wash over his mind.
~*~
In his mind, a small boy appeared. He had beautiful long silver hair and dark stripes on both his cheeks, while a crescent moon mark decorated the center of his forehead.
The boy was crying.
Suddenly a huge bed appeared in front of the boy. It was a queen size bed made of pure gold and it had snow white sheets and pillows. Someone was lying on the bed and looking up at the boy.
It was a woman. She had the same beautiful silver hair like the boy, but it was much longer and they were spread evenly over the large pillow where her head was resting on. On her forehead and cheeks, there were the same crescent moon mark and stripes, only hers were gold of color unlike his dark purple ones.
"Do not shed any more tears, my dearest." her gentle voice spoke as she raised her pale yet soft hand to cup the boy's cheek and looked at him with a pair of sky blue orbs that were filled with love. "Promise me...that you will take good care of yourself."
The boy grasped her hand and replied with a nod.
"Here..." the woman said as she took something from her neck and handed it to the boy. "...keep this with you."
The boy shook his head as tears streamed down his small red cheeks.
"Please...protect it for me...okay?" she begged, opening her hand and revealing a silver necklace with a silver pendant attached to it. The pendant was shaped like a flame and a small pearl-shaped silver-blue colored cat's-eye stone was embedded at the center of the flame.
The boy hesitated a while before he finally reached out his hand and took it from her palm.
"Give it...to the most important person to you when you grow up...give it...to the one you want to protect most..." she said with a weak smile. "...and love her...with all your heart..."
The boy held the jewelry close to him and nodded, although he didn't understand much of it. [AN: Recall that he's only 4 years old (see chapter 11).]
"Be strong...my...sweet...little...Sesshou...maru..."
After saying that, the woman closed her eyes forever.
The boy widened his eyes when he felt her hand leave his cheek and saw it drop to the edge of the bed.
"Haha-ue!!!" he cried. "Haha-ue!! Please don't leave me behind!!
Haha-ue!!!"
~*~
Sesshoumaru slowly opened his eyes again as the boy's cry still echoed in his
head. ...it was...when mother passed away... he remembered as he looked
at Inuyasha again.
His thoughts were cut off as the little girl in front of him spoke again.
"G-gomen...nasai...onii-chan...hontou ni...gomen nasai..."
Why is she apologizing to Inuyasha? Who is she? Sesshoumaru wondered. Her scent...it's waterfalls and forests...just like Kagome, but there's something else too...
Suddenly a gush of wind blew past them and lifted the girl's long hair up to
the air.
Sesshoumaru widened his eyes when he saw her back.
It was hidden behind her long black hair before, but now he could clearly see two parallel vertical gashes in her dress.
It's the scent of blood...her blood!! he realized when he saw the stains of dried blood around the gashes in the garment. "You...you are hurt..." he suddenly spoke before he realized that he should not have, since she didn't know he was standing right behind her.
The girl almost jumped up of shock by his voice and turned around.
The word 'shock' was written all over her face when her teary pale green orbs met his golden ones.
Before Sesshoumaru could say anything to reassure her, he saw that she had already recovered from the shock.
"Are you...Inuyasha's onii-chan...?" she asked, scanning him from
head to toe.
He nodded.
" G-gomen nasai...it's...it's all...my fault..." she sobbed as tears flowed down her cheeks.
"Why are you apologizing?" he asked, a bit surprised.
The girl dropped her gaze. "Onii-chan...he asked me to warn you and Kagome
onee-chan...for Naraku...and his army..." she sobbed. "...so...I used
my wings...and flew as fast as I could...but..." She started to sob louder.
"T-there was this horrible...horrible youkai...he...he ripped them off...he
took...away...my wings...I didn't...make it...in time...I-I'm so sorry..."
Sesshoumaru knelt down before the child and cupped her cheek with his clawed
hand. "Shhh...it's okay now..." he comforted her.
"NO!! It's not!!" she cried, lifting her gaze to Sesshoumaru as more tears appeared. "It's all my fault...if I just flew a bit faster...Inuyasha onii-chan...he...he wouldn't have___"
She was cut off when Sesshoumaru suddenly picked her up and gently set her
on one of his arms. The little girl was now basically sitting on his elbow and
lower arm and her head was now a little bit higher than his.
As she was afraid to fall, the girl quickly wrapped her arms around his neck
when Sesshoumaru stood up and walked closer to the tree.
Sesshoumaru carefully set her on his lap as he knelt down in front of Inuyasha. "Look at him." he said to her.
The girl released his neck but didn't dare to look at the one who's death she thought herself to be the cause of.
"It's okay...it's not your fault...don't cry...can you not see his peaceful expression?"
After hearing that from Sesshoumaru, she finally turned to look at Inuyasha, who indeed looked peaceful. After a while, her sobbing became softer than first.
"I thank you, little one..." he suddenly spoke again.
The girl turned to Sesshoumaru again, giving him a puzzled look.
"You must have been the one who healed all the wounds and cleaned all the blood on his body, have you not?" he asked, looking at Inuyasha, who didn't have any wounds or bloodstains on his body or his clothes.
The girl nodded slightly as she dried her cheeks with the back of her small hands.
"What is your name, little one?" he inquired.
"My name is Phly." she replied.
"You are an elf, aren't you?"
The child widened her eyes of surprise. "H-how__"
"You have the same scent as Kagome," he explained. "and the same unique haircolor."
"H-how is...Kagome onee-chan?" she asked after a moment of silence.
Sesshoumaru gently set her on her feet and stood up. "She is safe, don't worry." he replied as he patted her head reassuringly with his clawed hand.
His expression saddened as he took one last look at his little brother and turned to walk away.
~*~
Just when he almost reached the edge of the clearing he felt a strange presence in the clearing and turned around.
Nothing really changed in the landscape -or so he thought- until he noticed another person standing next to Phly in front of the tree.
It was a woman. She was dressed in a white robe with long sleeves and a graceful
upright collar that almost reached the bottom of her lower-jaw. The edges of
the robe were decorated with golden leaves of the Acer pseudo-platanus (Sycamore
tree) and its length allowed it to reach her bare feet as she stood on the grass.
She was standing in front of Inuyasha, turned so that Sesshoumaru could only
see the side of her face but narrowly miss the corner of her eye. Phly had also
turned so that her back was facing him as she looked at Inuyasha.
She has the same raven black hair and the same scent...who is she...??? Sesshoumaru thought surprised as he saw her long black hair that reached the height of her knees. He was even more surprised when the woman knelt down in front of his brother and cupped his cheek with her hand.
What is she planning to do?? he thought suspiciously, narrowing his eyes.
"Don't worry, I'm not a dangerous person." the woman spoke as she
straightened herself up again without turning to Sesshoumaru. "I just came
to see the ones who had risked their lives to protect my daughter."
The woman finally turned to face him completely. "And the one who is willing
to protect her for the rest of his life." she added.
Her robe had a V-shaped neckline and around her neck, she was wearing a beautiful
golden necklace with a pendant that consisted of one golden leaf accompanied
by two smaller ones; all three of the same kind like those decorating her robe.
On her forehead, there was a thin silk thread visible. It ran loosely from the
one side of her forehead horizontally to the other side. Attached to the thread,
were three shimmering crystals in the shape of small dewdrops.
The woman was also wearing a pair of earrings in the shape of a leaf, but unlike
all the others, this pair was transparent. The only parts visible were the edges
and the veins of the leaves, which were also gold of color.
Sesshoumaru widened his eyes when he saw her face. K-Kagome...!? he thought
shocked as his eyes met the dark blue ones. No...it's not her... he concluded
as he looked more closely.
The woman resembled Kagome by her haircolor, scent and eyecolor, but her eyes were more slit (like Sesshoumaru's) and she looked more mature and older than Kagome. She was also taller; she was about the same height as Sesshoumaru.
"Y-you are__" he started.
"I thank you, your brother and your friends for protecting Linwé, my daughter...who should now be known as Kagome." she explained. "I am forever in your debt...that is why...this is the least I could do for you..."
With that said, she closed her eyes and pulled the bigger leaf from her necklace. She stretched out her arm and released the leaf.
As soon as the leaf touched the ground, the earth beneath them started to glow.
The light was so bright that Phly and Sesshoumaru had to close their eyes.
The scent of blood...it's disappearing...!? Sesshoumaru realized inwardly. He opened his eyes a little to see what was happening and he could not believe what he saw.
All the bodies except for Inuyasha's started to sink into the glowing earth
and all the damaged vegetation started to glow together with the earth.
Like a miracle, the damaged vegetation started to regenerate itself. The trees that were ripped apart, sank into the earth together with the bodies and made place for healthy new sprouts. Dead flowers and plants were given new lives and all the grassy areas were given back its fresh green color again as the blood dissolved into the air.
Sesshoumaru turned to look at the woman again, only to find her smiling at him with her eyes opened. "From this day on...this forest will bear the name of your dear brother and it will be known as a Sacred Forest." she said with a gentle voice. "Us elves are obliged to guard a Sacred Forest so don't worry...we will protect this forest...we will protect Inuyasha's Forest as we will guard and protect his mortal coil with our very lives."
After she said that, she closed her eyes again and the earth gave off a flash of blinding light.
Sesshoumaru closed his eyes of the bright light and averted his gaze.
~*~
After a while, the light disappeared and he opened his eyes again. His eyes
widened at what he saw.
Everything that was damaged before, seemed now untouched, as if the battle had
never taken place. Dead trees were gone, dead flowers were healed, the grass
was green of color and the stench of blood had completely vanished from the
air.
But what he found most extraordinary was that on each place where a body lied before, a flower could be seen.
The only thing that remained unchanged was Inuyasha, who was still sitting at the base of the tree and resting peacefully against its trunk. But his blade was not in his hand anymore, it returned to its sheath that was tied to his owner's waist.
Then Sesshoumaru suddenly thought about something and quickly looked around.
The woman...she disappeared...!! he realized.
"Onii-chan...?"
He turned to the voice and saw it was Phly who called him. "Who was that?" he asked.
"That was Myrna-sama, one of the oldest and wisest among the elves." the little elf replied.
"She...is Kagome's mother...?"
Phly nodded. "But Kagome onee-chan doesn't know that..." she added.
Without saying anything else, Sesshoumaru turned around to walk away.
"Wait!!" Phly cried after him.
"Don't worry, I won't tell her." he reassured her as he continued to walk away, leaving the elf behind in the clearing.
-- Back at the cave --
When he arrived back at the cave, he was relieved to see Kagome and his daughter unharmed.
Kagome was still unconscious and Yuri had curled herself up on top of her stomach and was sleeping.
Sesshoumaru couldn't help but feel a bit relieved to see that she hadn't woken up yet, for he didn't know how to tell her about Inuyasha's death if she had.
Silently and carefully, he gathered her and his daughter into his arms and walked
out of the cave again.
~*~*~*~
"Uhn..."
Kagome slowly opened her eyes as a gentle breeze caressed her cheeks.
"You're finally awake..." a familiar voice spoke.
She looked up and blinked several times before she realized that she was in the arms of Sesshoumaru. "S-Sesshoumaru..." she said weakly.
Her gaze shifted from him to Yuri, who was sleeping on top over her stomach. Yokatta...Yuri's fine... she thought relieved.
When she looked up at Sesshoumaru again, she saw that he wasn't looking down
at her anymore but at something in front of him. She slowly turned her head
and followed his gaze.
Her eyes narrowed to focus on her vision and they slowly widened as Kagome finally
saw what Sesshoumaru was looking at.
She gasped, covering her mouth with her pale hand. "I...Inu...yasha...!!"
Sesshoumaru slowly set her on her feet as he took Yuri from her embrace. "Go..."
he said to her with a gentle voice.
Without taking her gaze off of Inuyasha, Kagome slowly made her way towards
the tree. Now and then, she would lose her balance and almost collapse to the
floor but she gritted her teeth and managed to remain on her trembling feet
as she marched forward.
She finally allowed herself to collapse to her knees when she reached the tree.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she leaned forward and raised her hand to his
pale cheek. "Baka..." she whispered, stroking his cheek. "Inuyasha...no
baka..."
With that she dropped her gaze to the floor as tears streamed down her cheeks
and fell onto the clawed hand of Inuyasha that was resting on his stomach.
"Kagome onee-chan...?"
She jerked her head to where the voice came from, only to find herself looking
at a young girl dressed in green, who had the same raven black hair as she.
"You...you are...?" she asked, slightly taken aback.
The little girl suddenly raised her hand and handed something over to Kagome.
It was a necklace made of shark teeth and black beads.
"This is..."
"Inuyasha onii-chan wanted you to have it." the girl explained.
Kagome widened her eyes and her gaze reciprocated between Inuyasha and the girl.
The girl smiled warmly. "Don't be afraid, being able to communicate with spirits is one of my abilities."
Still feeling a bit surprised, Kagome slowly reached out her hand and took the
necklace.
"He told me that it will protect its wearer when he or she's in grave danger." the little girl added.
Kagome looked up at the girl. "T-thank you..." she said awkwardly.
She looked down at the necklace in her hand and then at Inuyasha, who looked more peaceful than ever. Inuyasha... she thought as her expression saddened.
Suddenly she realized something. "W-wait a minute, how did you__" she started her question as she turned to the girl again, but didn't get to finish the sentence as she saw that the girl wasn't there anymore.
"What's wrong?" Sesshoumaru asked as he approached her from behind.
"The little girl, did you see her? Where did she go?" Kagome asked as she stood up and turned to him.
"I didn't see anyone else but you near Inuyasha." he replied.
Kagome dropped her face. "So ka..."
"What is that in your hand?" he asked, pointing at her hand.
She looked at her hand. "This necklace...Inuyasha gave it to me..." she replied.
"Can I see it?"
Kagome nodded and gave it to Sesshoumaru.
Sesshoumaru took it with his free hand and examined it more carefully. "This...this
is..." he started.
"Sesshoumaru...? What's wrong?" Kagome asked, noticing the surprised look on his face.
"This necklace...Inuyasha made it himself. These are the teeth of the shark that he managed to hunt down when he was 12." he explained as he pointed at the teeth of the necklace.
Kagome was surprised by the story behind the necklace and turned to Inuyasha as she retrieved the necklace from Sesshoumaru again.
Inuyasha...I was the one who caused your death...yet you...you still care about me...? she thought as her look saddened and tears welled up in her eyes. I...I'm...
Suddenly she felt something wrap around her waist from behind and slightly pull
her backwards until she was leaning onto something warm. When she looked up
and behind her, she realized it was Sesshoumaru.
He had pulled her backwards to his chest with one arm while the other was still holding the sleeping Yuri. "He would not have wanted to see your sad face or watch you shed any more tears for him, Kagome." he gently whispered in her ear.
Kagome turned around to look up at Sesshoumaru, only to receive a warm and comforting smile that he was giving her.
"Y-you're not...angry...? You don't...hate...me...?" she asked. "Inuyasha...he
was your only family...your only brother...he___"
She was cut off when Sesshoumaru suddenly leaned closer to her face and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
She looked at him with wide eyes when he finally pulled away and looked down at her.
"Silly woman...what gives me the right to hate you? Inuyasha would never forgive me if I did...and I do not think I could ever allow myself to hate you." he smiled and stroked her cheek with the back of his clawed hand.
Kagome leaned her head onto his chest and sobbed softly. "Thank you...Sesshoumaru...thank you..."
He stroked her hair comfortingly as he placed his chin on top of her head.
Suddenly a voice could be heard from a distance.
"Take good care of yourself and Kagome..."
Sesshoumaru looked down at Kagome at first but then realized that she didn't
hear the voice so he looked around. He stopped when something white caught his
eye.
It was the woman again, she was standing at the edge of the clearing and looking at them together with Phly, who was holding onto the woman's hand as she stood next to her. "Please take good care of onee-chan." the little elf smiled.
Sesshoumaru gave them both a determined look and nodded. When he looked down at Kagome and back to the edge of the forest again, they were already nowhere to be found. Whatever the reason was for the separation of the mother and daughter and of two blood related sisters...don't worry...I will take care of her. he vowed mentally as he looked down at Kagome again.
"Come Kagome, let us leave." he said as he released her from his embrace.
Kagome nodded and took one last look at Inuyasha before she took Yuri into her arms again.
Sesshoumaru carefully scooped her up in his arms and turned around to walk away from the tree. Rest in peace Inuyasha...I promise you...I will protect my family for the rest of my life. he thought determined as he followed the trail of flowers out of the clearing.
~*~
"S-Sesshoumaru..."
"Hmm?" Sesshoumaru responded as he continued to walk through the forest with Kagome in his arms.
"Where...are we going? What are we going to do now...?" Kagome asked.
"Right now, we are going back to our castle." he replied. "As for your second question, we will decide that after you have recovered from your injuries."
Kagome frowned. "But the castle...it's__"
She was cut off when the bright sunlight shone on her face as they finally exited the forest and reached the clearing. When she looked up at Sesshoumaru again after she got used to the bright sunlight, she saw the smile on his face as he looked up at something in front of him.
Kagome trailed his gaze and turned her head, and just couldn't believe what
she saw. "The...the castle...!!" she gasped.
The castle was whole again and not even a scratch could be seen on it, as if
it was never damaged before. Beautiful white doves descended from the skies
and landed on the castle walls to rest and wash their delicate wings.
"B-but how is it possible...!?" she asked as she looked around and
realized something else. "The huge army of humans...is gone...!!"
Then she remembered Renkotsu and Kyoukotsu's death and quickly looked at where
their bodies lied before.
Her eyes widened. "H...how...?" she gasped as her eyes found only two beautiful daffodils standing next to each other in the grass that moved along with the kind breezes. She turned to Sesshoumaru with wide eyes. "How...??"
Sesshoumaru smiled and placed a gently kiss on her lips. "Let us just call
it a small miracle that the kind spirits of the forest has granted us."
he whispered after he broke the kiss.
Kagome thought for a small moment before she returned a warm smile. "A miracle...it is...then..." she agreed.
Vocabulary:
Kaze no Kizu: Wound of the Wind, a powerful technique that can be used
with Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha's blade.
haha-ue: mother
gomen nasai: I'm sorry
hontou ni: really
onii-chan: brother
onee-chan: sister
yokatta: I'm relieved
so ka: I see
Inuyasha no baka: stupid Inuyasha
Posted: 24 December 2003
Last Edited: 12 February 2004 (re-edited because of tag problems)
Spelling check: YES