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.
*hugs* Thank you, everyone! Your reviews are much appreciated. I'm sorry for those of you who are angling for a Sesshoumaru & Kagome pairing; it's still too soon in their acquaintance for that to happen. ^^; Please, don't kill me for this. I'll try to make it up to you by making this fic as interesting as possible. As for Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, yes, I *do* plan on a resolution – of sorts – for them. Insert evil laughter It will be a slow and painful process.
July 2001
F U L L
An Inuyasha Fanfiction
Part 7: The Result of
Shading and Tinting
Stories of the Gray Witch were widespread and fantastic throughout the Gray Dimension. They were tales of entrapment, of torture and death. Creatures that survived the experience of meeting the Gray Witch face to face were few and far between, and of those creatures none spoke of their experiences. Because of this, only a handful of desperate souls would ever seek her out. Which was precisely the way that she wanted to keep it. She had never wanted to be Naraku's creation, had never wanted to be his tool of destruction. Like an angry, rebellious adolescent, she often raged at the gods for allowing her empty existence, and demanded to know what right Naraku had for creating her. Yet she was. Had it been in her power, the Gray Witch would have rebelled against her creator long ago. But it was not. Until now, that is. Arrival of the three intruders opened up a whole world of possibilities for the Gray Witch.
**********
Sesshoumaru assessed the old woman before them. She was clothed in faded robes worn out to the point where they more suited to a rag bin, than on a person. Coarse gray hair pulled back into a topsy-turvy bun, skin wrinkled from a lifetime's exposure to nature's harsh elements, she looked very human and very tired. Naraku's aura wasn't very strong on her, but it was there. Faint – still contaminating the air around her stoop shouldered form.
She's very old.
By your standards, yes, she is. He had stopped analyzing
the connection he shared with Kagome days ago as a futile effort. The only
thing he knew about their bond was that it was strengthened by proximity. And
there were few ways that the two could be closer than when Kagome was held in
the circle of his arms – a result of a moment ago when she had thrown herself
there in her blind terror. Kagome didn't seem to be scared any longer, but
Sesshoumaru credited that to the Gray Witch's timely appearance. She smells
like him, yet does not appear to have any obvious malevolent intentions.
I think that we should give her a chance. She seems all
right.
You're too trusting.
Kagome ignored that. She said, "Pardon me, but are you the Gray Witch?"
The elderly woman started out of her blatant appraisal of them. She had not expected such courtesy. "Yes." Said a voice rusty from disuse.
Kagome disengaged from Sesshoumaru and bowed politely, menacing shadows and invasive fingers forgotten for the moment. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Kagome, and these are-"
"Lord Sesshoumaru and the son of the Cursed One," the old woman finished for her.
Kyosuke stiffened at the mention of his father. He stepped forward, half shielding Kagome out of habit. "What do you know about my father, 'Baasan?"
She turned her sharp gaze away from Kagome and upon the young man who had addressed her so rudely. "Your name, young man?"
The houshi fidgeted. He had not meant to be so abrupt. It had simply come as a surprise that the Gray Witch had known about his father and the curse placed upon their family. He had so many questions. To offend her now and risk the chance of alienating her seemed wrong. "My name is Kyosuke, Obaasan," he said more politely than before. "Please accept my apologies for our intrusion into your home. There was no one outside, you see, and we were told that you are the only person who could help us."
Kagome breathed again. For a moment there, she was sure that they were going to lose any possibility of gaining the Gray Witch as their ally. She should have remembered how quick-witted and silver-tongued Miroku could be when he was hell bent on charming someone; charisma must have been a family trait, something passed down to each generation along with the Air Rip.
"I see," the old woman murmured.
The measured tone of her thoughtful words must have triggered an alarm in Sesshoumaru because Kagome could *feel* the change in his posture without looking. This is too weird. Why do I understand him so well all of a sudden? It's like we're linked in some way. How? I don't know whether to confront him or just hope that this connection fades. An unknowing sigh escaped her lips. I wonder how long I can go on ignoring the problem. Kagome had no time to ponder more on the matter for the Gray Witch was already moving.
"Come this way. It seems that we have much to discuss."
**********
They were guided to an inner chamber of the castle that opened into an enclosed garden overgrown with wild flora. From all appearances it had once been carefully tended. Now it was sadly neglected. Weeds sprouted from uneven ground along uprooted rocks that had once lined a path meant to guide people through the garden. There was nothing left of that path but for occasional rocks and patches of dirt. Kagome stared out at this scene as she half listened to what was going on about her.
"You are Naraku's spawn?" Sesshoumaru stated more than asked. Kagome was tempted to rebuke him for being rude, but the old woman didn't seem as bothered by his attitude as she had been by Kyosuke's, so she let it go unvoiced. That didn't stop her from glaring at him from across the room. Sesshoumaru pretended not to notice. He lounged comfortably by the doorway. This was partly because he did not want to be very near Kagome – who had been telecasting thoughts without pause since she'd been spooked in the corridor – and partly due to the fact that he could react better to an ambush if he were standing.
The Gray Witch answered his question. "Yes, you could say that. He created me over fifty years ago. I was his first "child", as he likes to put it." Then she asked, "Lord Sesshoumaru, may I ask, what are you doing in this world? I would think that you would not have fallen so easily to Naraku's deceit."
"What do you mean by that, Obaasan?" Kyosuke asked. Why was the Gray Witch deferring to Sesshoumaru?
"Kyosuke-sama," she said in earnest, "it is well known throughout the lands that Sesshoumaru is a force to be reckoned with. Even Naraku would never openly attack him."
"I didn't know that you were so infamous," Kagome said to him.
He merely raised an eyebrow. I didn't either. Then he answered the witch. "There were… unusual circumstances."
The old woman nodded as if what he said made perfect sense to her. Kagome thought that he was oversimplifying things, but refrained from comment, verbal or otherwise. She was beginning to feel those shadows creeping in on her again.
Kyosuke asked, "Obaasan, if you're Naraku's child, then… why?" He gestured with his hand to encompass his companions. "Why aren't we fighting?"
The witch considered his question. He had reason to be concerned, but she needed their help as much as they needed hers, and to gain that she had to first gain their trust. The question was, how to go about it. Would telling the truth be enough to convince them?
She said, "As much as you need me to get out of this dimension that Naraku created, I need you to help me escape his chains of slavery."
If she had tried to offer empty platitudes or insincere words of trying to help them because it would have been the "right" thing to do, none of them would have believed her. But in stating it so baldly and giving them a reason that was plausible given Naraku's pattern of behavior, she gave her motives credence. And credibility was what she desperately needed at the moment, for she was outnumbered against people of unknown abilities who were able to make Naraku feel fear. This fact simultaneously gave her pause for worry and hope for freedom. Her greatest desire was release from this world where the only creatures and places to exist were those swallowed by the Air Rip, an aberrant plane that was not meant to exist, but somehow did due to Naraku's meddling with the laws of nature.
**********
Inuyasha felt dizzy from his journey through the void. Kikyou might have given him warning of its possible damaging effects on him, but she had failed to mention anything about the vertigo aftereffect. Said condition made him sway on his feet after landing ignominiously on a bush of questionable origins. All in all, Inuyasha was not a happy camper. He hoped that Kagome and Sesshoumaru would be easy to find; it hadn't taken him very long to figure out that he would hate this place.
Inuyasha grumbled, "Great. Of course I land in the middle of nowhere on top of a prickly bush. It would have been too easy to just land on Sesshoumaru." With the pleasant thought of knocking his brother out, even if inadvertently, in his mind, Inuyasha began his search with renewed determination.
The first encounter he had with something living – other than the bush – was actually dead. Inuyasha cringed at the stench that assaulted his sensitive nose. Rotting flesh smelled bad on the best of days, but when the day was sunny and warm, it was especially potent. Inuyasha had this incredible urge to gag that he held back by sheer will alone. Something about the half corpse was bothering him, something familiar about it. The only way for him to figure out what that something was, unfortunately, was to get a closer look at the thing. Pinching his nose, Inuyasha stepped up to the half corpse.
It was once an Oni. That was clear by the horned head and brutish face that stared at him from its place with sun-dried, brown cheek pressed against dusty ground. Something had caused its death by ripping the Oni's upper body from its lower body. Whatever the Oni had faced in its last moments, it had to have been powerful to cut the Oni off in such a manner. The demon had been immense. Now, there wasn't even the bottom half lying around to be pieced back to the severed top part.
Inuyasha wondered why the Oni looked so familiar, then brushed off the feeling as combination of coincidence and his overactive imagination. Once you saw one Oni, you saw them all. Right?
**********
Naraku was quite easy to find when he was complacent. Kikyou found him amusing when she did not think about how he had masterminded the misunderstanding between her and Inuyasha fifty years ago that had lead to their subsequent "deaths". Luckily for them, death was but a temporary nuisance. At least in their cases, it was. She had to admit that the hapless souls she consumed in order to stay alive weren't liable to ever return to the living world again.
Deep in thought, Kikyou traced the path to Naraku. Where he awaited her arrival. They had become adept at sensing each other's presence.
"We meet again, Kikyou." Naraku's greeting was almost cordial. "To what do I owe this singular honor?"
Kikyou regarded him. The first impression that anyone would make of the handsome young man was that he was harmless and effeminate. Naraku's image of cascading raven hair and slanting violet eyes made him pretty. Weak. False impressions if one knew the perverse creature behind that human visage. He liked to play games, Naraku did. But like a child, he played too roughly with his toys, and more often than not his games ended up with people hurt or broken beyond repair. Kikyou had not relished her experience as one of his pet projects.
Resentment flared within her, overriding the constant hatred of Inuyasha. It took conscious effort for her to tamp it down and smother it beneath a cold smile. She said, "You look well enough for someone who has failed miserably in dealing with his enemy. Or should I say enemies, Naraku?"
Naraku lifted a delicately tapered hand to brush stray locks over his shoulder. "Enemies?"
"Still playing your games after all this time. You'll never change, will you?"
"What is there to change? I am who I am. You helped create me, Kikyou. Surely you of all people understand the reasons for my actions. After all, we are the same, you and I." A cruel parody of a smile twisted his lips. "We are both products of our hatred."
She took offense to his comparison of them. "Don't compliment yourself. There is nothing similar about us."
"How sweet. Such naïveté is difficult to find in these times." Naraku encroached her personal space with that maniacal grin still in place. Kikyou tracked him with her eyes, neither flinching nor giving ground. What did she have to fear? Death had already been conquered. "But let us discuss another matter that lies between us, hm, Kikyou?" He stopped a hair's breadth away. Leaned close to whisper into her ear. "Why did you interfere?"
A turn of the neck, black hair brushing against a white shirt, and cheek-to-cheek Kikyou whispered back to him, "He is *mine*. Don't ever get in my way again."
Naraku expelled a soft laugh. "Possessive aren't we?" Neither shifted from their positions against one another; every subtle gesture they made was a move in their silent battle. "Do we really need to fight over who gets him? I'd be willing to share if you will."
Here was something she understood: an exchange of gifts. In the end each would get what they desired, but Kikyou wasn't foolish enough to believe that theirs would be a fair trade. "That would depend on what you want out of this. And who is to say that I will agree? You haven't been known for your trustworthiness."
He made clucking sounds of disproval. Long fingers smoothed back her straight hair, cupped her face to frame it within his smooth hands. Kikyou gave him a cool stare. He stared back. "Shame on you, to think so poorly of me. Let me assure you that everything will come out to our mutual benefit. In the end you will get Inuyasha. And I will get the entire Shikon no Tama without threat of your retribution. Nothing more; nothing less."
Kikyou weighed the factors.
"What do you say, Kikyou? With our combined efforts, nothing can stand in our way. I'll even get rid of that reincarnation that causes you so much trouble. There will be nothing left to stand between you and your love." Naraku had always been a master at manipulation. And he knew his enemies. That was what made him so very good at his games.
"I do not love him." Kikyou was curiously upset. She spoke forcefully. "Hate was the last emotion I remember and the only thing that drives me. I hate Inuyasha."
This time Naraku's smile was condescending. Tinted with bitter, self-aimed derision. Honest. "Of course, dear. As much as I do you." A fact lost on Kikyou as she was absorbed in recouping her composure.
**********
Night had fallen. Gray opacity cloaked the evening like a coarse woolen blanket. Not light, neither was it truly dark; the shadows were driving Kagome up the wall. Literally. Long since she had been shown to her modestly furnished room to retire, Kagome had been staring into space in a futile endeavor to meditate and block out the presence of the miasma that coated the castle walls. She wasn't a person who was normally given to meditation. Which explained why it was so bloody difficult to do in a moment's desperation.
After an hour of wasted effort, an exhausted Kagome was resigned to her fate. There was no question that she couldn't go to Kyosuke for help. The houshi was sweet and kind but, like his son, his hands had a penchant to roam even with his best intentions. As for Obaasan, she seemed nice enough, but she was a stranger; and there was no getting around the fact that she was still Naraku's child. Which left Kagome at a crossroads. The only other person left was foul tempered and had violent tendencies. These weren't too bad to deal since she had become inured to such attributes in her time spent with Inuyasha. It was the fact that she and Sesshoumaru had been having very odd reactions to each other lately, with propinquity being the catalyst.
And here she was seeking him out. Kagome would have screamed in frustration if she weren't so desperate to get away from the negative aura of the castle.
**********
Took her long enough. Stubborn girl.
A slide of shoji sounded Kagome's arrival. Sesshoumaru glared in her general direction. She had kept him up with her mental static for an hour because she was too mule-headed to ask for help. – In truth, he probably would have been worse had he been in her situation, but since he wasn't, he felt little remorse in making things difficult for her. After all, she *had* kept him up for a good portion of the night.
"Sesshoumaru-san," Kagome whispered. She stood indecisively on the threshold, not quite able to draw up enough courage to enter the room. It was darker in here than everywhere else. And cool… so cool that Kagome shivered in her multi-layered kimono. Maybe I should leave. Tears sprung to life in her eyes. She was exhausted and there was no hope of sleep in her own room where malevolent shadows loomed in the corners just waiting for her to fall asleep before attacking.
"Close the door. You're letting in a draft."
Kagome started. He had been silent for so long that she had lost hope of him being there, or at least of him being awake. "Sesshoumaru-san?" She slid the door shut.
"Were you expecting someone else?"
"No." Kagome braced herself. "Ano… Sesshoumaru-san, would it be all right if I stay with you tonight?" He was probably going to toss her out of his room any minute now. She rushed to explain her request. "I c-can't sleep. I keep feeling like someone's watching me."
"…" He really hated to be nice. Truly, deeply detested being
nice. It went against every natural inclination of his being. Hell, he even
went out of his way to be mean to everyone he met. Jaken was verbally if not
physically abused on a regular basis; Inuyasha was easily aggravated with a few
well-chosen barbs; even Rin received the barest hint of his attention and
toleration. But there had been that little quiver in her voice that tugged at
his heartstrings much the same as Rin was able to do whenever she was upset.
Sesshoumaru was in a quandary. He didn't like to see her upset. How had he come
to such a pass?
Kagome's shoulders slumped when no answer was forthcoming. "Oh, never mind. I'm sorry to have bothered you." She would return to her scary room. She would ignore the oily presence. She would try to get some rest. Oh yes, all of that would happen – just as soon as she could uproot her feet and leave the youkai lord's comforting company.
Who would it hurt to let her stay? Really, there was mean and then there was thoughtlessly cruel. He had never been a thoughtless person. "Come here."
She didn't need to be told twice. Kagome followed his voice into the chilly darkness. Not able to see anything with her human eyes, she tripped on the futon and took a headlong tumble with arms wind milling wildly to keep her balance. None of that helped in the least as she landed in a tangle of limbs. The gods had an odd sense of humor. Kagome snapped her eyes shut and fervently wished that this were all some crazy dream. The nature of her dream would have to be decided on later because she was very busy trying not to notice the fact that she now had her arms wrapped about Sesshoumaru's chest and sat straddling his lap. He had been sitting up when she had fallen.
"Are you always this clumsy?"
Mortified, she mumbled into his shoulder, "Not usually."
"…Kagome?"
"Yes?"
"You're kneeling on my tail."
Kagome scrambled. "Oh, I am so sorry, Sesshoumaru-san!" Would this horrible day never end? She knelt next to him and reached out to touch his arm. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." He couldn't account for why her concern touched him. Lacking a suitable reason that would not confuse him further, Sesshoumaru was short when he spoke. "Now go to sleep. Dawn will be here soon." Tossing half of the covers across to Kagome, he turned on his side and faced away from her. He didn't normally sleep on his side, but that was as far as he could get to ignore Kagome's presence in his bed. Kagome took his cue and scooted as far from him as she could without falling off of the futon.
Guilt let itself be known by gnawing on her insides and not allowing her to sleep. Kagome sighed and turned onto her back to stare up at the ceiling. Now that she had adjusted to the darkness, she could make out faint shapes of bare furniture about the room and the outline of shoji. Great. Now that I'm comfortable, I can't sleep. It's nice not having to worry about those creepy shadows anymore. Kagome pulled the soft coverlet down to her chest and freed her arms to drum restless fingers on her stomach. Is he asleep yet? She had this insane urge to talk. He's gonna kill me if I wake him up again… Kagome, just close your eyes and count…
At 178, Kagome couldn't take it anymore. "Ne, Sesshoumaru-san?"
He thought she would never stop counting. "What is it?" he asked over his shoulder.
"Why do you think we're able to talk mentally now?"
That question had been bothering him for a while now. "It's because of what happened in the Air Rip."
"What do you mean?" she turned on her side to face his back. An arm came up to prop her chin in one hand.
"You aren't very aware of your powers, are you?" he asked.
She admitted, "I was never trained."
"If I hadn't shielded you then, there was no telling how you could have reacted to the transition into this world. Gambling on our lives wasn't an option, so I had to shield both of us in the interim. I hadn't anticipated that resurrecting you with Tenseiga, followed so closely by my mental shield, would result in this strong of a bond."
"Bond?" A chill shot through her spine at his odd choice of words. "What kind of bond?"
"Go to sleep, Kagome."
She wasn't to be deterred. "Wait, Sesshoumaru-san, I have one more question."
He sighed. "Only one?"
This guy… She said, "Yes, only one. Can you hear all of my thoughts?"
"…Yes." He really couldn't read all of them – only superficial ones, and then only when she was agitated – but she didn't need to know that.
"What?!"
Sesshoumaru gave up on sleep. He rolled over to find her eye-to-eye with him. He glared. "Woman, you are trying my patience. Now, go to sleep."
A yawn snuck up on her. Eyes drooping shut, Kagome fell into a deep slumber before her mind could catch onto the fact that her slumber was induced.
Sesshoumaru shook his head. So much trouble just to get her to rest; and now he was wide-awake. The illogicality of it all struck him as typical of their relationship thus far. Sesshoumaru's lips lifted into a small smile. She looked so peaceful laying there in repose with one hand tucked beneath her face and the other curled into the sheets. He wanted to trace the slender fingers that were so near his face, had actually reached out to do so, when he caught himself.
Staring at his left arm, Sesshoumaru was reminded of the day when he had lost it in the first battle for Tetsusaiga. Carelessness had been his enemy on that day.
What had his father always taught him?
"Never underestimate your opponent, Sesshoumaru. Be they
great or small, you must respect them. An enemy might not be powerful at first
glance, but that does not mean anything in the long run. Because it is who is
standing in the end that matters. If you take for granted that you're faster or
stronger than them, that will be your downfall. Even the slowest and weakest of
enemies can be your death if they have the will to live."
They were lazing underneath a tree by a small creek near
their home. Just yesterday his mother had finished her painting of the
fisherman and Sesshoumaru had been curious enough about the activity that he
had persuaded his father into taking him fishing. Now they were each armed with
a long thin branch of pliable wood. Silk threads were attached to the branch
ends and off of these were small hooks that dangled their bait for the fish to
latch onto. Their current conversation had begun when Sesshoumaru had voiced
his boredom of training with Jaken. He wanted a *real* opponent, as he told his
father.
"But Chichiue-"
"Sesshoumaru, listen to me." His lodged the pole between two
large rocks and placed his hands on his young son's small shoulders. "I know
that you feel like you're not being challenged, but you have to learn what
Jaken has to teach you."
"But he's so *slow*, Chichiue!"
His father frowned at him. "Sesshoumaru. You will not
disrespect Jaken. He may appear to be silly at times, but he is wise and, more
importantly, he cares for you. As you grow up, you will find it very hard to
find loyalty in these bloodthirsty times. To have that and throw it away would
be a grave mistake. Don't ever forget that, son."
Sesshoumaru watched the glittering water. He still thought
that training with Jaken was boring, but he knew his father was right. Jaken
did take care of him. He was always the one to take the brunt of blame whenever
Sesshoumaru pulled a prank. He was always there when Sesshoumaru needed help.
Jaken was always the one to find Sesshoumaru when he was sad about his father
being away so much.
"Can I still train with you sometimes, Chichiue?"
How could he resist his son when he turned those amber eyes
on him – beautiful eyes that he had inherited from his exotic mother. The
Western Lord did not look forward to the day when other Lords would come
knocking on his door, wishing to betroth their daughters to his son.
"Yes, Sesshoumaru. You may train with me on occasion." He
said, "Now watch this."
Sesshoumaru looked at what his father was pointing to. Amber
eyes widened. There was something biting at his line.
"Never underestimate your opponent, huh." Sesshoumaru curled his fingers through Kagome's loose hair. "It seems that I did not learn my lesson very well." He shifted to lie next to Kagome. "Inuyasha… you are near. Will you understand? Nothing is black and white anymore."
[End Chapter 7]
Author's Notes:
If it's confusing about Sesshoumaru and Kagome's emerging telepathy, that's because you have to remember that this chapter takes place *a week* after the events of the last one. There have been a lot of things happening that we didn't get to see/read first hand. Hence there are a lot of allusions to what has developed in our absence. I have to admit that this chapter was difficult to write. I'm still not quite satisfied with it and might end up revising the whole thing.
(For some reason my mind kept wandering to my new Angel Sanctuary fic… ^^; But never fear, I won't abandon this one.)
The last bit of this chapter's dedicated to every Sesshoumaru x Kagome fan out there. ^_^; Sheesh, I might have to write another fic just to appease you guys.
Definitions:
'Baasan/Obaasan: Both of these words mean grandmother, in both the literal sense and also as a polite way of addressing someone of an older generation who is beyond the age of being called an aunt (Obasan). The lack of an honorary "O" in the first form makes more familiar and less polite. "Obaasan" is the more correct way of addressing an elderly woman beyond middle age.
Houshi: Buddhist monk.
Shoji: Those sliding doors in traditional Japanese homes that are constructed of wood squares and lined with thick paper.
Ano: an expression similar to "um…" in English.
Chichiue: old and formal way of saying "Father".
Hahaue: old and formal way of saying "Mother".