DISCLAIMER: All Inuyasha characters are the creation of, and © to Rumiko Takahashi, and subsequent parties. Full Circle is the creation of my demented mind, and © to Shun'u Hanashiro 2000-2001.
Author's Notes: Italicized text (or //) can indicate private/unvoiced thoughts – or – flashback sequences. Colons [::] indicate insinuated thoughts by another character into one's subconscious. Be forewarned that all of the events prior to tankouban 14 of the manga are up for grabs in this story.
A special thanks to everyone who has emailed me or reviewed about this story. It's wonderful hearing from you, and your positive feedback has been a great incentive for me to write more. Hope that you continue to read as the story unfolds.
July 2001
F U L L
An Inuyasha Fanfiction
Part 5: Caveat Emptor
(i.e., Buyer Beware)
"How do you know this, Oneesama?" Kaede asked when it was apparent that no one else would.
Inuyasha was frozen and unresponsive to pointed looks from all present. Shippou was simply too frightened of the undead priestess to do anything other than tremble and clutch onto Inuyasha's sleeve. Miroku was looking at Kikyou, but his expression revealed great disgust and antagonism. Therefore, Kaede decided to intervene before harsh words could be exchanged.
Kikyou spoke to her sister without removing her unwavering gaze from Inuyasha's bowed head. "Because I happened to interrupt Naraku in the middle of one of his games. He dropped this," she handed the water-stained and battered parchment to Kaede. "I believe this is the answer to some of your current problems."
"Why?"
A single blink was her only reaction to his brusque tone of voice. "Why what, Inuyasha?"
He finally looked at her. Eye to eye, they were on equal ground despite the fact that he was still sitting and she was standing over him. The sheer starkness and intensity in his expression caused a prickle of fear to run through her; for the first time since being reawakened by Urasue, she felt as if *he* saw *her* as an enemy, and not the other way around... Her right hand clenched within the folds of her priestess garb when he continued to speak.
"You know what I'm asking. Why are you here? Why are you telling us this?"
Kikyou was bewildered though she hid it well behind her cool façade. When she had entered the small hut earlier, she had not seen his face because he had been staring at the floor. Now that his face was upturned, she could see the crimson eyes with pinpoint pupils and unearthly glowing white skin: characteristics only a full-blooded youkai would have. Questions flooded her mind.
What happened to you, Inuyasha? How did you become a full youkai without using the Shikon no Tama's powers to purge your human blood? …Why are you treating me like this?
Snapping back to reality when she realized the direction of her thoughts, Kikyou turned her back to him and began walking back to the entranceway. On the threshold she spoke. "I do not appreciate Naraku's interference," she stated. "Only *I* am permitted to destroy you… and no one may come between us, be it in life… or in death."
Inuyasha whispered, "Kagome's your reincarnation, Kikyou."
"That is something that I shall never forgive, Inuyasha." With that truth hovering between them, Kikyou departed.
Once the priestess was out of earshot, Shippou shuddered dramatically and rubbed his little arms as if to reestablish warmth. "Boy, I'd hate to be in your shoes, Inuyasha."
Miroku absently patted the kit's head. He said, "What is that scroll, Kaede-baasan? Is it true that Kagome-sama could have survived?"
"It seems to be a spell…" Kaede squinted to see the tiny writing on the scroll. Her aged eyes ached from the strain. "According to this scroll, a spell can be cast on one's enemy to cause them to be lost in the fabric of time, never to return to this life."
"Hmm…" Miroku thought about all of the spells and wards in his repertoire, trying to see if this one bore any similarity to one that he already knew.
Kaede peered closer at the tiny print. "There is mention of a black hole."
"Feh," Inuyasha grumbled and crossed his arms. "Sounds like the Air Rip to me. And we already know that's what Naraku used." He refused to bring his hopes up only to have them dashed again.
Miroku sat up. "May I see that please, 'Baasan?"
Seeing Miroku's eager expression, Inuyasha was unwillingly curious. His eyebrows arrowed into a frown. "What's up with you, Houshi?"
"Kikyou may be a manipulative, hateful bitch," Miroku ignored Inuyasha's low growl. He didn't care if Inuyasha knew of, or objected to his dislike and distrust of the priestess. "But she doesn't do anything without reason. And she doesn't lie." Inuyasha silently agreed with him on that point. Miroku continued, "If she says Kagome's alive, and Naraku was using this scroll, that could mean only one thing."
"What are you getting at, Miroku?" Shippou hopped onto the houshi's shoulder to better see the manuscript that Miroku held. "Is Kagome alive? Can we save her?"
Miroku's confident grin was an answer in itself.
*******************************
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha, snap out of it; it's a trap!" Kagome
yelled the warning from her position against a large tree trunk.
A few moments ago, Kikyou had trapped her there after she had
stumbled upon the priestess by accident. Now she became an unwilling witness to
the touching reunion between Kikyou and Inuyasha. It was so confusing. Her mind
told her that this was all wrong, that Kikyou was dead and this was only a
false body of earth and bones that housed vengeful thoughts and feelings. And
yet… her heart inserted that it was right that the star-crossed lovers should
be together again after the injustices they had fallen victim to half a century
ago.
Heart and mind waged a silent, noisy war. In the end, neither
won, as her weary soul could take no more of the turmoil they stirred up and
simply ordered them to shut-up. Both did. After all, soul was the ultimate
ruler of them all.
And her soul watched as Kikyou proceeded to bewitch Inuyasha
into a trancelike state, to the point where the hanyou could no longer
distinguish between mortal danger and everlasting peace. The innate cruelty of
Kikyou's actions finally drove Kagome into action once more. Now Mind and soul
joined forces to tie heart down hand and foot - adding a gag for sure measure -
and they screamed out a warning to Inuyasha.
He finally heard the cacophony and broke from the enchantment
to see Kagome not even a leap's distance away. She sighed in relief when his
eyes cleared up and awareness returned. Though she was still angry with him for
falling under Kikyou's spell, relief overshadowed all else. He was safe.
Sesshoumaru woke with a start. His heart was beating abnormally fast in his chest, as if fighting to escape from its natural prison of bones and flesh. Sweat dotted his brow; and if a mirror were available to him at the moment, he would have been able to see that his pupils had dilated to the point where only a thin rim of gold was visible around jet-black pupils. He ran a shaky hand through sleep-tousled hair, encountered a tangle, and cursed.
What the hell happened?
The only response to his question was the trilling of a nightingale in the lightening shadows. Knowing that he was much too wired to return to sleep, Sesshoumaru leaped down from his perch on a tree branch to the even ground below. Before moving further, he extended his senses, letting tendrils of power snake through the chilly pre-dawn morning to feel for possible enemies. He found none. Satisfied that all was well for the moment, Sesshoumaru began to head in the direction of a spring he had found the prior evening.
Two seconds later he remembered Kagome – a missing Kagome.
His curse could not have been more succinct.
**********
"C-c-c-c-cold! Mou! Why don't I ever wind up anywhere with *hot* water springs."
However, as much as she complained, the prospects of being clean and cold, versus dirty and sweaty, were just too tempting to deny. Sucking in a resolute breath and braving the chance of hypothermia, Kagome went from dipping her toes into the icy pond to diving head first from the boulder upon which she was balanced.
Sesshoumaru shook his head in disbelief as Kagome resurfaced
with teeth chattering and slim arms hugging her pale shoulders. He absently
wondered how her fetish with bathing had developed, recalling another time when
he had found her bathing beneath a canopy of green leaves and dappled sunlight.
Sesshoumaru scowled. That's definitely the wrong thing to think about when
she's naked, idiot. He didn't know exactly whom he was calling an idiot,
but it sounded suspiciously as though he was talking to himself. Again. Damn.
Since going in to get her would only arouse her fury, he chose to take the wise course and return to their camp and await her return.
**********
Kyosuke heard the humming first. Soft and lilting, it had no place being in such an ugly world. And then he found his water nymph, a lovely creature of glowing ivory skin and glossy midnight hair.
He had thought that he was in hell. Literally. But perhaps not, as his angel couldn't possibly have been cast into the realm of the dead. Surely she could not have committed any sin so great that she would be forced to endure a life in darkness. Kyosuke sighed a great sigh. Maybe she was a test, he thought. Yes! She was a test of his will, of his resolution - only a day old, mind you - to reform his ways and follow the way of Buddha.
He happily tossed that resolution to the winds as his angel glided beneath the waters for the edge of the spring.
**********
What is this feeling? My heart races…
A dark scowl graced his refined features.
Damned girl. I wouldn't be in this predicament if you only
knew how to use your powers correctly. Then I wouldn't have been forced by
circumstances to shield you in the void. And *then* I wouldn't be suffering
from this cursed sympathy for you.
And who asked you to save her, idiot?
Shut up.
You did it because you like her. That other voice loftily intoned from its perch on a high horse.
He scoffed. No such thing. She's another encumbrance that I don't need. And she's human. He added that last as an afterthought.
How the mighty doth fall. Laughter.
He frowned deeper and tried to take comfort in imagining killing the voice in his head. Unfortunately, every time he tried to picture that voice, the image he always conjured was his own reflection. There was nothing worse to his peace of mind than knowing that he was internally divided. Greatly irritated that he was fractured in his feelings, Sesshoumaru decided to hunt. He hoped that there were youkai in this world that he had landed in, because killing humans was too easy and unsatisfying. He wanted a good fight.
Huh, the one time Inuyasha's presence would be welcomed, and he isn't here. How ironic.
**********
She's coming out! Should I look away? Kyosuke briefly fought with his conscience. In the end desire won out over long unused morals and he peered around the tree trunk he was hidden behind to watch the girl rise from the pool. Any weaker man would have suffered a severe nosebleed at the sight, but not Kyosuke. He was made of sterner stuff. He edged closer.
Wrapped up as he was in what he was doing, Kyosuke never heard the youkai approach from behind him until long, pale fingers wrapped themselves around his neck, and squeezed.
"Kisama…"
Kyosuke jerked and gasped for air through a now closed airway. Is that a growl? The low rumbling confirmed his initial suspicion. Yes, definitely a growl. Oh, shit… this guy's *strong*.
**********
The surge of youki was Kagome's first sign that there was trouble nearby. Hastily dressing herself, Kagome twisted the excess dampness from her long hair as she ducked behind a boulder. The little droplets of water that dripped from tangled black locks made very loud plopping sounds in the absolute silence. Apparently all of the forest's other inhabitants were also hiding from the impending explosion.
When nothing more than silence could be heard, Kagome carefully peeked around her stone barricade and looked towards the source of the power. At first she could see nothing but trees and grass. Then she saw it: a flash of white. Her mind connected that color with only one person.
Sesshoumaru-san?
Almost in answer to her unvoiced question, she felt a sense of reassurance wash over her. Yes, it was definitely the youkai lord – and a very angry lord, at that. As with so many other things in her life lately, she didn't question how she knew these facts. She simply followed her instincts.
**********
"Let
"Me
"Go."
Kyosuke could only gasp out one syllable at a time as he dangled in the air from the taller creature's hold. His feet kicked ineffectually behind him, intending to hit his captor, but only getting empty air, as he could not see his opponent.
Sesshoumaru ignored the human's words and actions as he pulled back his right hand; palm flat and fingers extended into a spear hand, he began to draw on his innate power. Wisps of eerie green light pulsed about his hand and wound up his arm as the only indication that he was about cause the human an excruciating death by poison.
Earlier, he had had every intention of going hunting to vent his frustration, and had only come back to the spring to let Kagome know of his whereabouts so that she wouldn't worry about his disappearance. That was when he had found this, this voyeur, he thought with disgust. For some reason the notion of anyone intruding on the girl's peaceful moment did not sit well with him. Even worse was the thought of this human taking advantage of her innocence. It brought all of his heretofore-unrealized protective instincts to the fore and made his blood boil.
Sesshoumaru-san?
He was startled to hear her call to him telepathically. When did *this* develop? Her powers…
Once his initial surprise was over, he calmed down enough to know that Kagome was now aware of his whereabouts and, in all likelihood, would not take well to his killing someone in cold blood - however justified he felt he was. Especially when that someone might be able to help them get out of their predicament. Sesshoumaru frowned, unhappy at his own compliance to her unspoken wishes. He noticed that the human was turning an interesting shade of purple. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the lecher flying into a tree and tumbling to the ground. Then he took his time dusting his hands and adjusting the fall of his kimono as he waited for Kagome to arrive. She wasn't long in coming.
Skidding to a halt, Kagome spared a quick glance for the fallen man to make sure that he was still breathing before turning to her companion. Smoky blue eyes flicked over him to scan for any obvious injuries.
"Sesshoumaru-san? Are you all right?"
Sesshoumaru was a little surprised and, disturbingly, a lot pleased to find that she was worried about him foremost. He was even feeling the beginning tugs of a small smile, when she decided that he was fine and turned to check on the fallen human. His pleasure died a quick death. Miffed at how quickly she dismissed him, he tried for his habitual mask of indifference but could only manage to glare at her retreating form.
**********
In the background, Kyosuke pulled his abused body into a somewhat sitting position. His back ached and his throat hurt like the devil. All in all, Kyosuke was really tempted to use the Air Rip on the youkai who had attacked him. In fact, he had already started to unwind the prayer beads that sealed his cursed hand when the girl he had been watching appeared. Kyosuke resealed his hand and decided that looking pitiful right then might be in his favor. No sooner had the thought occurred to him did he remember the very real pain he was feeling. The little moan was more real than he would have liked as he rubbed his sore throat.
"Are you all right?"
Playing his trump card, Kyosuke rose, got halfway there, then slumped back to the ground again. His angel was appropriately sympathetic.
"Oh! You're hurt. Is there anything that I can do?"
She knelt by his side and laid her hand on his shoulder. Kyosuke let her place his head in her lap, and blessed his luck. Upon closer inspection she was even more ethereal than he had thought possible for a human girl. So beautiful… Drifting in contentment, Kyosuke forgot about the youkai who was still present and watching everything with a sharp eye. That is, until said youkai spoke.
"Kagome, get away from him."
Kagome? So that's my angel's name. He opened an eye to see that the youkai had gotten alarmingly close. A cold shadow fell on Kyosuke.
"But he's-"
"Playing up his injuries," the youkai finished.
Kyosuke cursed his luck. Catching the other man's suspicious narrowed gaze, he decided to retreat for the time being. He managed another moan and whispered, "Please, miss, I'm all right."
Kagome looked at him in concern when he tried to stand on his own. "Are you sure you're all right? You seem a little wobbly on your feet."
"Oh no, I'm fine," he said. "Just a little worse for wear."
Accepting his answer at face value, Kagome bowed politely and introduced them since it was obvious that Sesshoumaru wasn't about to. "I'm Kagome," she said, "and this is Sesshoumaru. Pleased to meet you."
Sesshoumaru… where have I heard that name before? Out loud, he said, "I am called Kyosuke."
"Ano… Kyosuke-sama, how is it that you came to be here?"
**********
You've got to be kidding me… Kyosuke kicked another harmless rock out of his way as he followed the pair walking ahead of him. Ideally he would be side by side with the lovely girl, but no, Sesshoumaru was having none of that. And it became obvious after dropping some not so subtle and rather useless hints that Kagome was willing to let the pretty-boy demon call the shots so long as he didn't go on a killing rampage. Needless to say, Kyosuke's day had darkened drastically from that morning. How the hell did I get myself into this predicament? He sighed.
Kagome's long explanation of how she came to be in this world had amazed Kyosuke. To hear that his enemy, the hanyou who had cursed his father and everyone male in their lineage with the Air Rip, was still alive and causing havoc in the world… Kyosuke fingered his sealing prayer beads. Naraku… there's still a chance that I can avenge my family… and… I have a son…
"Kagome-sama," he called to her. Kagome turned to look at him. He paused to take in her lovely features. "You mentioned this Miroku…"
"Yes," Kagome waited for him to catch up with her and Sesshoumaru, ignoring the youkai lord's dark glares at the Houshi. Kyosuke did the same, much to Sesshoumaru's annoyance.
"Tell me more about him, please."
Kagome thought about this for some time before saying, "He's a lot like you."
Kyosuke felt his heart constrict, "Really?"
"Hai," she said gently. "You're his father, aren't you Kyosuke-sama?"
His brown eyes widened. "H-how did you know?"
"Because you have the same looks," being sensitive to Kyosuke's feelings Kagome spoke carefully, "and you're both very kind although you don't like to show it very much." Then she remembered the fact that he had been watching her bathe and her charitable mood waned. "And you're both lecherous."
A few paces in front of the two humans, Sesshoumaru heard Kagome's comment and fought the unexpected grin that threatened to break his cold mask. Of course the Houshi vehemently denied what she said, but Kagome was no fool as the youkai lord was gradually coming to understand. The tension in his neck eased and he shortened his strides so that he wasn't quite so far ahead of them.
**********
That evening, Kyosuke somehow managed to find a castle and talk the master of the house into letting them stay for the night in exchange for his services as a monk – despite the fact that there weren't any demon possessions occurring on the estate, and despite the fact that Kyosuke was bringing a demon into the castle himself. Sesshoumaru ignored the Houshi's dealings when Kagome made it clear by her calm expression that she had expected something like this to happen. He didn't care what the Houshi did. He simply wanted a soft futon to sleep on. The arguments didn't start in until they were shown to their rooms. Or rather, two rooms.
"You are not sleeping in the same room as me." Sesshoumaru stared down his nose at the shorter man. Even sitting cross-legged with his hands tucked into his voluminous sleeves, he was able to do this effectively.
"As if I would want to," Kyosuke retorted. His eyes began to shine as his imagination took off without his sense of self-preservation. "I would much rather spend the night in Kagome-sama's lovely presence."
Kagome ignored the both of them and continued to sip on her tea. She was on familiar ground in this instance and was confident that matters would resolve themselves in due time. Sooner or later one of them would end up either outside or knocked out. That was how it always happened with Inuyasha and Miroku. She didn't take into account that this was Sesshoumaru they were dealing with, and he was nowhere near as sweet and innocent as Inuyasha could be.
A mellow voice intruded on her quiet meditation.
"Kagome-sama, would you mind if this humble monk were to share-"
A low rumble of power echoed throughout the castle. At the opposite end of the estate, the middle-aged master of the house emitted a terrified shriek and huddled deeper under his covers as if they would protect him from vengeful demons. He uttered prayers that the monk he had taken in would be able to ward off all evil from his home.
What's he so upset about now? Failing to decipher Sesshoumaru's frame of mind, Kagome shrugged it off as being another one of his erratic mood swings. She smiled at Kyosuke to take the bite out of her words. "That might not be a good idea, Kyosuke-sama. We wouldn't want you to die in your sleep from poisoning or from having your heart ripped out of you, would we?"
Kyosuke stifled a shudder when Sesshoumaru managed a pleased smile at the gory image. Okay, if *he* smiles, it's a bad thing. No he did not want to think about what Sesshoumaru was capable of doing to him in cold blood, let alone with his temper riled. It had taken all day but at some point in the late afternoon he had remembered precisely where he had heard of the youkai lord before: in villages where parents told their children horror stories about Sesshoumaru in order to keep them from sneaking out at nighttime or from misbehaving. At temples that he had visited throughout the Land of the Rising Sun, monks warned him of crossing certain territories, in case he would encounter the youkai who was capable of killing hundreds of demons without remorse. Yes, he remembered the tales now. And although he was certain that most of it was exaggerated, where there was a story to tell, there was certainly some small grain of truth.
But he was not so easily deterred. Kyosuke sighed dramatically and took hold of Kagome's small hands, folding them within his own. "Kagome-sama," he paused for dramatic affect.
Kagome resigned herself to the inevitable. This too was
familiar. "Yes, Kyosuke-sama?" she asked absently. She was busy keeping a wary
eye on Sesshoumaru whose jaw was clenching and unclenching in a steadily
increasing tempo. She could have sworn a vein was throbbing at his temple.
What's gotten into him?
"Would you do me the honor of bearing my child?"
Sesshoumaru stood.
Kagome was distracted from him by Kyosuke's question. "Umm… Kyosuke-sama?"
"Yes?"
"You already have a son, remember?"
He had forgotten. Kyosuke bore his chagrin with aplomb. "But I don't know if he'll fall victim to the Air Rip like myself, Kagome-sama. This is so that my line can be guaranteed to continue."
Kagome would have beaten him into the ground for that one, but someone beat her to the punch.
"That hurt, you know," Kyosuke groaned from where his face was plastered against the wall he had been thrown into with the power behind Sesshoumaru's strike.
The trembling master of the house began to cry in his room as a loud crashing sound came to his ears. He pulled out a blank scroll, ink and a horsehair brush to write a will for his descendents. He was certainly going to die that night if the monk was not able to overcome the evil in his castle. And to think, he had never even noticed the dark forces that hovered over his home until the monk had brought it to his attention. He decided to include a small amount for the monk in his will and testament as well.
Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru was seriously contemplating killing the Houshi. He was pretty sure that annoyance wasn't grounds for killing someone in Kagome's viewpoint, but for him it certainly was.
[End Part 5]
Definitions:
-baba: a (not really polite) suffix used by Inuyasha when addressing Kaede. Basically, he's calling her "old woman", but we can interpret this to mean "grandmother".
Hanyou: half-demon [In Inuyasha and Naraku's cases the other half is human. But you never know about other demons… ^^;]
Kisama: "bastard", a very rude way of calling/addressing someone. Usually said by males (^^;).
Ano: "Well…" "Um…" (Can mean any of these things.)
Hai: Yes, okay, sure
Hanase: I didn't use this term when Kyosuke said, "Let me go," simply because I wasn't sure about its correct usage. As with many things in Japanese, some words are more appropriate when said by a man, and others by a woman. Since I've mostly heard "hanase" used by female characters, I didn't want to mistakenly have Kyosuke say it. Like Miroku, he is in no way feminine, and would definitely use the masculine form of the verb.