Chapter Seventeen
Sacrifices
Sesshoumaru stood silently, gazing into the distance as the breeze played with his hair. His left sleeve rustled in the wind; he remained, to that day, lacking an arm, though so many years had passed he barely noticed the disability.
It was hard to believe that this tall and regal creature was the youkai lord Sesshoumaru from years past. His stature and clothing had not changed, though his white kimono was now patterned with blue instead of red, and his sash was now also blue with streaks of white. He wore his old armor, and still carried his two swords of opposite nature – the healing sword Tenseiga, and the sword of destruction Toukijin. To simply look at him, one would not have noticed any differences besides the slight color change in his clothing. But inside, his mind was very different.
The youkai lord who had loathed humans for so very long, who had attempted many a time to destroy his younger hanyou brother because of his tainted blood and had not thought twice about slaughtering any human in his way, had allowed himself to fall in love with a human. Sesshoumaru told himself that Rin was different; she did not fear him, instead showering him with all of her affection. Certainly as an adult she was not a typical woman, for having been raised by a youkai she was much more wild and spirited. Had she grown up with her own kind, Sesshoumaru had no doubt that she would be the same as the rest of the humans, but his presence hovering over her had made her different. He liked that difference.
Living with Rin during her short human life had softened Sesshoumaru's heart towards humanity. He still felt them beneath him, and if one got in his way he would kill it, but that was his way with all creatures, not just humans. He would do the same to any youkai who annoyed him. But his heart was still softened, and he found he could no longer hate his brother for what he was.
The years spent living with Inuyasha after Rin's death had been quite an experience for both the youkai and the hanyou, though the more time they were together, the more fond Sesshoumaru had become of his brother, though it was not obvious in any way. Now, he felt almost lonely without the stubborn hanyou constantly making racket and bringing chaos to his quiet castle.
Of course, now there was a new occupant who brought equal chaos into his life.
Sesshoumaru sensed Inuyasha's arrival, and the youkai continued to stand where he was, seemingly oblivious to the hanyou standing behind him.
"So this is where you have been hiding," Sesshoumaru said evenly.
"Hmph." Inuyasha snorted, looking at his brother's back. "Who said I was hiding?"
He was answered by silence, and began to grow edgy. "Look, is there a reason for this visit, or did you just come to say hi?"
At that, Sesshoumaru turned towards him. "I've come to invite you home again."
Inuyasha frowned. "You mean to your castle? Heh, in your dreams. Your woman hates me, remember?"
The youkai cocked an eyebrow. "My 'woman' as you call her no longer resides with me. She was…discharged."
"What's this? You talk like she was a piece of property or something. I wouldn't let her hear you say stuff like that, aniki."
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes slightly in annoyance. Inuyasha smirked.
"So you lost your lover and have come crawling to find me again, is that right? Just can't stand to live alone since Rin died, can you, mighty Sesshoumaru-sama?"
The youkai's eyes narrowed further at the dead human's name, and when he spoke it was with restraint. "I was going to offer you a home again, but it seems now you have found another human to play games with. You must be destined to corrupt every miko you meet."
The remark stung, and Inuyasha looked away. "Kimiko…" he said softly. "I think she's Kagome's reincarnation. If she is…" …then I can't stop myself from loving her, he finished in his mind.
Sesshoumaru turned away, and the brothers stood in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. If Kimiko is Kagome, then I can love her, Inuyasha thought. That wouldn't be breaking my promise. And since she has her soul, she'll eventually love me back.
Finally, Sesshoumaru turned to face his brother. "You are a fool," he stated. "In all of your years, you never learned not to fall in love with humans."
"I seem to recall you falling in love with a human once, aniki," Inuyasha said quietly. He could practically feel his brother's youki swirling around him in anger.
"That I did," Sesshoumaru admitted finally. He turned his eyes away from his brother, refusing to look at him. "Who you chose as a mate is your own decision. But remember how short a mortal life is, Inuyasha."
"There's also the matter of the Shikon no Tama." Sesshoumaru glanced at him. "Kimiko has it. It's in her body, and I'm not about to get it out. But she needs a lot of protection, and…"
"You truly are a fool," Sesshoumaru interrupted. "Do you have any idea what could happen?"
Inuyasha looked at him blankly.
"If this is a reincarnation before your mate, it means the jewel surfaced first in her and then later in the body of your Kagome. In this miko, the jewel must remain pure, for if it does not, your past lover will be born in the future with a corrupted jewel inside of her, and she herself will be corrupted. If you fall in love with this miko, or rather, if she falls in love with you…"
"…she will be soiled," Inuyasha realized. "And the jewel will be corrupted, and Kagome will be born corrupt instead of pure."
"And our past will be drastically changed. It is bad enough the jewel came into the world through her in the first place. It would be many times worse if the jewel came corrupted."
Inuyasha punched a tree trunk, frustration radiating off of him. "I can't corrupt the jewel or Kagome! What do I do?!"
"Come home with me, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said. "Leave this village, and this miko. If you leave, she will never love you, and she and the jewel will remain pure."
Inuyasha suddenly glared at his brother. "Why do you care anyways? This will all affect me!"
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "I lived the same story, and fought Naraku as well. Do you think you would be the only one affected by this? This would change everything, not just your life and your Kagome."
The hanyou's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Then I guess…I guess I have no choice, do I? I can't risk changing the past. I…I can't let her love me."
Besides, it's not like I had any feelings for her, he thought. But, if not…why do I feel so heartbroken suddenly?
* * *
"Where is he?" Kimiko said to herself, growing more and more worried with every moment that passed. It had been hours since Inuyasha had ran off into the forest, demanding that she stay behind. The sun was beginning to set, and still she couldn't feel his youki anywhere.
Entering her house, Kimiko was surprised to see a torn piece of paper lying on the wooden floor. Picking it up, she saw that it was a note written by someone with poor penmanship who was apparently in a hurry. The words seemed to blur together, but she could still read it.
"Do a good job of protecting the jewel. Sayonara, miko-sama."
It was signed, "Hanyou".
Kimiko stared at the paper, a million thoughts running through her head at once. There was no doubt about what was meant by the message; Inuyasha was gone, leaving on the same note he had arrived on with the names they had given each other. It was obvious he was not going to return.
But why? She thought, unable to tear her gaze from the sloppy characters on the paper. He seemed happy. He wanted to protect us. Why would he just leave?
