by: Del_kaidin and Tiranth.
Chapter 16 - Searching
She didnt know what to do. After Leena had gone, so had Sesshomaru, but not physically. He knelt on the ground before her but he was not there. His golden eyes stared straight ahead of him. Taka put her hand on his shoulder, shaking him slightly. "Sesshomaru...Grandsire?" He didnt respond. Taka bit her lip, then sensed Leena's return. "Leena!" The pup threw herself at Leena hugging her tightly, "I didn't know what to do, he just..."
She was gone. Naraku would kill her now. Sesshomaru sank to the ground, not hearing his companions words, only feeling again the cold emptiness.
"Shhhh, it will be allright." Leena stepped away from Taka. She knelt in front of Sesshomaru she met his blank stare. "Ask me." He looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "Damn it ask. All you have to do is ask Amatasuotome to find her. Then I can use all my magic to do it. We might even get lucky and there be an Amatasutome in this world then two would assist. SO ASK!"
She watched Leena try to break through whatever trance held Sesshomaru. Please, she begged him silently, biting back her tears, ask her. Taka started to wonder when she began to care so much. She had thought she'd lost that ability, that the only one who mattered to her was her own Sesshomaru but now...she cared.
He fought against the steely grip of hopelessness that tried to claim him. Akisame was not dead, he could still help her. He had to do something. A voice broke through the cloud surrounding him. "Ask me to find her," it was saying. Sesshomaru blinked, the whiteness gone from his gaze, Leena was kneeling before him. Words poured from his lips, "Please Amatasoutome, please help me find my mate."
Sitting back on her haunches Leena relaxed. Pulling the magic she began, her senses expanded. Scents that had before been a mere teasing became clear. Subtle differences in the ground were now visable. Her mind circled outward in ever an ever increasing circle. She felt each village her mind passed, each villagers fears and desires. Finally her mind touched the one for which it searched, she was awakening. Carefully she foucsed her mind and thought to her companion 'Akisame, let me see through your eyes.'
Angrily she clawed her way out of the darkness. Someone had taken her away from her friends, away from Sesshomaru. Then she heard Leena's voice in her mind. Opening her eyes she took in her surroundings. It was a lavish room, even in its simplisity. The fouton which she lay upon was of the finest Egyptian cotton, the wardrobe of mahagony. Then she saw him, Naraku, kneeling on the floor in a corner watching her. Quickly she looked to her hands, the ring was still there. Raising her eyes to him she waited for him to speak.
"So, Akisame, you are awake." He rose and moved towards her. Refusing to give into the fear she straigtened her shoulders. She felt Leena help her build a barrier around her mind. "They will now think you have betrayed them. Why not tell me who they are?"
"No. They will know I did not come willingly." She watched as his hand reached out to touch her. The desire to push him away grew with in her, she imagined him being yanked back by Sesshomaru's clawed hand. Her eyes widened as suddenly Naraku flew backwards as if her wish had become real.
He sat stunned, she saw it in his eyes. A slow smile spread across her lips. He wouldn't touch her now. Her own mind would defend her against it. "Go away, Naraku. I may not be able to escape you but I can prevent your touch."
Returning to her own mind she opened her eyes to look at her companions. "Your mate has been kidnaped by Naraku. She has developed a new ability, she prevented him from touching her with only her mind."
The battle was approaching. They would fight Naraku soon. She was nervous and excited at the same time. The fight would be dangerous but she would have accomplished something important. Taka wished Enshi were here, she felt that she might be more of a help if he were with her. She waited patiently for the others to decide what to do next.
Akisame was safe. In the back of his mind he was impressed with her growing talent. He would have to ask her about it when they were reunited. "Naraku," he snarled. He stood, eyes once again ablaze with fire. "Where?" he asked Leena. The bastard would taste the posion from his claws.
"North, true and straight north." She smiled at Sesshomaru. She could only hope that somewhere burried deep within him this Sesshomaru was in her sire. She picked up the small kitten and scratched her head. Tossing her into the air she saw the familiar shape of the fierce Fire Cat Youkai. She leapt to the cats back pulling Taka with her. "Let's go, Kirara." Through the link with Akisame she sent a message 'We're coming.' "Sesshomaru use the mateing link. It will lead you to her."
She heard Leena's assurance that they were coming and rose to her feet. Naraku had left her after reasserting he was master of this castle. She didn't care. She walked to the window and looked out on the baren white landscape before her. She let it fill her mind hoping that Leena and Sesshomaru could both understand the image she sent.
As Taka and Leena boarded the fire cat, Sesshomaru turned North. He reached out and found his Akisame. 'I'm coming, love, I'm coming.' He raced along the shadow dappled forest floor, new deterimination in his eyes. He would find Naraku and with the help of his companions, they would destroy him.
She squeaked with surpries when Leena pulled her up onto Kirara, but managed to wrap her legs around the fire cat to keep her balance. The feel of racing through the air was exhilarating. Taka wrapped her arms around Leena's waist for added support. "This is it isnt it?" she whispered in Leena's ear.
"Yes, we will face him soon. I didn't want to say this in front of Sesshomaru but I don't know if we can beat him. I'm beginning to think that Naraku's defeat is something that must happen. As if it is a major event in the world. Why else would Akisame not be able to see past it." Silence gathered, her thougts tried to think of anything that could help and a memory came to her.
"Before the journeys end, no matter the outcome.... This Sesshomaru will be awaiting the birth of his first child."
A fear she had never knew gripped her heart. She turned to Taka. "She's pregnant."
She gasped and looked at Sesshomaru, who leapt from branch to branch ahead of them. "We can't tell him. He's already angry, if we tell him..." Taka let the thought fade away.
Suddenly it became clear, why it had taken so long for Inu Yasha and Kagome to defeat Naraku. "SESSHOMARU! We need to stop for a moment." Knowing he wouldn't she yelled again "It's about how to defeat Naraku. We need a plan." Kiarara landed easily and Leena slid to the ground scratching the cats shoulder, waiting she would go no further until they spoke. As Taka dismounted she told her by eyes alone to be silent.
He heard Leena's cry, ignoring it at first, he wanted to get to Akisame as fast as possible. When she yelled again he did pause and return to them. "What is it?"
Walking up to him, she met his golden eyes with her own silver. "Did Akisame tell you anything about what would happen before we fought Naraku?"
He considered her question carefully, it must be important if she had refused to go any further. "She said that we were to be together and that...oh Kami..."
Taka remained silent, what was Leena up to? What was she thinking? Absently the pup stroked the fur of the fire cat. She had thought that reminding Sesshomaru of Akisame's visions of the future would be a bad idea so what did Leena know about the final battle that they didnt?
"I need to ask both of you a question. When Naraku was defeated in your world was it before or after Kagome and Inu Yasha admitted their love?"
Now that he remembered Akisame's words about their future, he was even more anxious to be on the way again. "After," he looked to Taka for her answer, curious to see her response and Leena's thoughts behind her question.
Taka thought carefully, trying to remember the stories she had been told. "It was after, Kagome was pregnant during the final battle and Inu Yasha had promised to help her raise the child. Why?"
"I thought as much." Looking at Sesshomaru she felt his anxiousness to continue on in their search. Still she sat giving the others no choice but to either stand and be uncomfortable or sit with her. "In my world, Inu Yasha and Kagome never told each other of their love. At the time of the final battle they had admitted it to themselves. Inu Yasha did not want to take her as his mate until he had fulfilled his promise to Kikyou. He was also afraid he might die in the final battle. I know it may sound strange, but as strong as we are on the battlefield, it will not be that which defeats Naraku. Though I may forget all this when I return to my world, I hope I don't. I have grown to care for each of you. Taka, your determination to better yourself. You turn to me as if I was the mother you lost long ago, and I find myself thinking of you as my child. Sesshomaru, you have shown me that I did nothing to deserve the treatment I recieved from my sire. You have made me realize that no matter how I denied it, I needed his love. I thank you for giving me that. Akisame, she like Kagome is the precious flower that brought our warring spirits together. I love her as a friend and a long lost sister. I arrived in this world sad, angry and alone. No matter the outcome of the fight. I go into to defend the ones I have come to love. For you see, that is the one thing someone as evil as Naraku can not understand. The willingness to give your life to protect someone no matter the cost to yourself. For that is the true nature of love."
He sat, listening to Leena's words. When she finished he was silent. Then he reached out and took her hand in his, giving her his characteristic small smile. "I do hope that one day your true sire will see what I have seen in you. You are correct. I have also come to see the two of you as family. We will defeat him, together."
She smiled, Leena was right, she looked to all of them as family, now. She took Leena's other hand. "Together, for love."
"Well let's not hang around. We have to reunite the family." Standing she used a power she had never before. She concentrated on Akisame, on getting to her. She felt the power grow within her answering her summons.
She felt her power augmented and a voice entered her mind the Amatasoutome of this world. 'Sister, I will assist you for I heard his summons as well.'
'Thank you sister.' she answered. and watched as the world moved by at incredible speed. When it stopped they stood in a snow covered field in the distance a castle. On the morning breeze the scent each of them wanted to find, Akisame.
From her window she saw a whirlwind form in a distant field. When the snow settled back to the ground stood four figures she knew well. She watched as one they started towards the castle. The final battle was about to begin.