CHAPTER NINE
*
The room was high and dark, with only a window that looked out over the valley. Sitting in an ornate chair in the shadows was a tall man in heavily embroidered clothing, with long white hair, gleaming golden eyes and a shadowed, quiet face. His slim, clawed hand held a cup of what looked like wine. He was looking out the window, apparently ignoring her.
She felt her stomach twisting at the sight of the dog-demon Sesshoumaru. He looked a lot like his brother -- but his face was cold and guarded where Inuyasha's was fiery. And only now she realized how dangerous he was. In the past, Inuyasha had always been standing in front of her when they confronted Sesshoumaru. Now, she was completely alone.
Sesshoumaru took a sip of his drink, still staring out the window. Even though he had assumed an air of preoccupation, Kagome knew that he knew she was there. He was trying to unnerve her.
Finally she cleared he throat. "Excuse me..."
Sesshoumaru's golden eyes flicked over to her, then back to the window. "I am unsure why you are here. Inuyasha is dead. Surely there can be no reason for you to bother me now that my halfbreed brother has died."
Kagome swallowed hard. "I-I wanted to speak to you."
Sesshoumaru took another sip, and leaned back in his chair.
Kagome had to force herself to speak the next words. She was almost voiceless with fear, fear that Sesshoumaru would tell her that the answer was no. "When I first saw you, Jaken claimed that you -- that you could summon up spirits from the netherworld, and even give them bodies. I need to know if that's true."
Sesshoumaru looked at her for a moment. "It is. Though it is not the trifle he would claim it is." He turned back to the window.
"I want you to resurrect Inuyasha."
A tiny smile touched Sesshoumaru's mouth. "I have spent long years attempting to kill Inuyasha, as his life was a constant irritant to me. Why would I return him to life for the mere whims of a human girl?"
"I'd give you anything if you brought him back," Kagome said in a strained voice.
Jaken, who had stayed respectfully silent up until then, suddenly jumped in front of Kagome. "How dare you?" he spluttered, waving his staff at her. "How dare a mere human try to make a deal with my lord-" His complaint was cut short as Kagome kicked him down the staircase; his muffled squawks faded away.
Sesshoumaru watched with a look of vague boredom, then sat back. "You have nothing that interests me."
"That's not right. I have the Tetsusaiga."
The silence rang out like a thunderclap; the only sound Kagome could hear was her own breathing. Sesshoumaru hesitated, with his cup halfway to his mouth. He carefully set it down, staring out the window, before saying quietly, "What is the Tetsusaiga doing... in the hands of a mortal girl?"
"Inuyasha left it to me before he died," Kagome said.
"Is it with you?"
"No. I didn't bring it with me."
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance. Probably at the idea of a human having the Tetsusaiga, Kagome thought. He had been crazy about that sword before. She squirmed as another heavy silence fell. Sesshoumaru rose from his carved chair and stood at the window. The sun was being obscured by clouds, and it threw his pale features into shadow.
"But if you bring Inuyasha back," she said in a rush, "I'll give you the Tetsusaiga. I know that full demons can't touch it, but I can break the spell on it that burned your hand. I'm sure I can." At least, I think I can, she thought. "That way, you can use it. But I won't break it until Inuyasha is back."
Sesshoumaru looked at her, with one hand resting on the Tenseiga. "You would give me the Tetsusaiga," he said in a low voice. "A sword of ultimate power... in exchange for Inuyasha's life."
"Just so long as you make sure he... you make him strong enough that he won't go crazy without it," Kagome quickly said.
"I am capable of that..."
"And I don't want him... I don't want him to end up like... someone else I met, who was resurrected. She has a new body made out of grave dirt and steals the souls of the dead to keep herself alive."
Sesshoumaru said coldly, "I would not do such shoddy work."
He slowly turned to look at her. "You realize," he said, "that you would earn my brother's hatred if you gave me the Tetsusaiga in exchange for his life."
Kagome nodded. "I know," she said quietly. "But I can deal with that if he comes back."
Sesshoumaru sat down at the window, watching the wind ripple over the treetops. "I find it distasteful to make deals with a human," he said meditatively. "Even more so, if I am bargaining for the life of my halfbreed younger brother. But the benefits outweigh the costs." He turned his unwavering gaze at Kagome. "Very well, girl. You have yourself a deal. Bring me the Tetsusaiga in three days' time, and I will fulfill my end of the bargain. But be warned," he added ominously. "If you are deceiving me, I shall kill Inuyasha again, and you with him."
"I got that," Kagome said, trying to sound defiant. "And keep in mind that if you don't bring Inuyasha back the way I've said, I won't break the spell on the Tetsusaiga."
Sesshoumaru returned to his contemplation of the landscape. Kagome waited for him to reply, then realized that she was being dismissed. Trying not to shiver, she turned and vanished behind the screen. It's a deal, she thought. I just hope I didn't make the biggest mistake of my life. But the vision of the poisoned, bloodied Inuyasha of her dreams haunted her mind, and she fiercely told herself that she had made the right deicison.
Sesshoumaru watched the human vanish down the staircase, with a strange expression in his narrow demon eyes. With any other human, I would be skeptical of such claims, he thought. But she has cancelled the Tetsusaiga's transformation. Perhaps she can break the spell as well.
He had noted Inuyasha's protectiveness of that girl before. Evidently, he thought with a smile, she lavishes that same love on my worthless halfbreed brother. Enough to provoke his hatred.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
The room was high and dark, with only a window that looked out over the valley. Sitting in an ornate chair in the shadows was a tall man in heavily embroidered clothing, with long white hair, gleaming golden eyes and a shadowed, quiet face. His slim, clawed hand held a cup of what looked like wine. He was looking out the window, apparently ignoring her.
She felt her stomach twisting at the sight of the dog-demon Sesshoumaru. He looked a lot like his brother -- but his face was cold and guarded where Inuyasha's was fiery. And only now she realized how dangerous he was. In the past, Inuyasha had always been standing in front of her when they confronted Sesshoumaru. Now, she was completely alone.
Sesshoumaru took a sip of his drink, still staring out the window. Even though he had assumed an air of preoccupation, Kagome knew that he knew she was there. He was trying to unnerve her.
Finally she cleared he throat. "Excuse me..."
Sesshoumaru's golden eyes flicked over to her, then back to the window. "I am unsure why you are here. Inuyasha is dead. Surely there can be no reason for you to bother me now that my halfbreed brother has died."
Kagome swallowed hard. "I-I wanted to speak to you."
Sesshoumaru took another sip, and leaned back in his chair.
Kagome had to force herself to speak the next words. She was almost voiceless with fear, fear that Sesshoumaru would tell her that the answer was no. "When I first saw you, Jaken claimed that you -- that you could summon up spirits from the netherworld, and even give them bodies. I need to know if that's true."
Sesshoumaru looked at her for a moment. "It is. Though it is not the trifle he would claim it is." He turned back to the window.
"I want you to resurrect Inuyasha."
A tiny smile touched Sesshoumaru's mouth. "I have spent long years attempting to kill Inuyasha, as his life was a constant irritant to me. Why would I return him to life for the mere whims of a human girl?"
"I'd give you anything if you brought him back," Kagome said in a strained voice.
Jaken, who had stayed respectfully silent up until then, suddenly jumped in front of Kagome. "How dare you?" he spluttered, waving his staff at her. "How dare a mere human try to make a deal with my lord-" His complaint was cut short as Kagome kicked him down the staircase; his muffled squawks faded away.
Sesshoumaru watched with a look of vague boredom, then sat back. "You have nothing that interests me."
"That's not right. I have the Tetsusaiga."
The silence rang out like a thunderclap; the only sound Kagome could hear was her own breathing. Sesshoumaru hesitated, with his cup halfway to his mouth. He carefully set it down, staring out the window, before saying quietly, "What is the Tetsusaiga doing... in the hands of a mortal girl?"
"Inuyasha left it to me before he died," Kagome said.
"Is it with you?"
"No. I didn't bring it with me."
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance. Probably at the idea of a human having the Tetsusaiga, Kagome thought. He had been crazy about that sword before. She squirmed as another heavy silence fell. Sesshoumaru rose from his carved chair and stood at the window. The sun was being obscured by clouds, and it threw his pale features into shadow.
"But if you bring Inuyasha back," she said in a rush, "I'll give you the Tetsusaiga. I know that full demons can't touch it, but I can break the spell on it that burned your hand. I'm sure I can." At least, I think I can, she thought. "That way, you can use it. But I won't break it until Inuyasha is back."
Sesshoumaru looked at her, with one hand resting on the Tenseiga. "You would give me the Tetsusaiga," he said in a low voice. "A sword of ultimate power... in exchange for Inuyasha's life."
"Just so long as you make sure he... you make him strong enough that he won't go crazy without it," Kagome quickly said.
"I am capable of that..."
"And I don't want him... I don't want him to end up like... someone else I met, who was resurrected. She has a new body made out of grave dirt and steals the souls of the dead to keep herself alive."
Sesshoumaru said coldly, "I would not do such shoddy work."
He slowly turned to look at her. "You realize," he said, "that you would earn my brother's hatred if you gave me the Tetsusaiga in exchange for his life."
Kagome nodded. "I know," she said quietly. "But I can deal with that if he comes back."
Sesshoumaru sat down at the window, watching the wind ripple over the treetops. "I find it distasteful to make deals with a human," he said meditatively. "Even more so, if I am bargaining for the life of my halfbreed younger brother. But the benefits outweigh the costs." He turned his unwavering gaze at Kagome. "Very well, girl. You have yourself a deal. Bring me the Tetsusaiga in three days' time, and I will fulfill my end of the bargain. But be warned," he added ominously. "If you are deceiving me, I shall kill Inuyasha again, and you with him."
"I got that," Kagome said, trying to sound defiant. "And keep in mind that if you don't bring Inuyasha back the way I've said, I won't break the spell on the Tetsusaiga."
Sesshoumaru returned to his contemplation of the landscape. Kagome waited for him to reply, then realized that she was being dismissed. Trying not to shiver, she turned and vanished behind the screen. It's a deal, she thought. I just hope I didn't make the biggest mistake of my life. But the vision of the poisoned, bloodied Inuyasha of her dreams haunted her mind, and she fiercely told herself that she had made the right deicison.
Sesshoumaru watched the human vanish down the staircase, with a strange expression in his narrow demon eyes. With any other human, I would be skeptical of such claims, he thought. But she has cancelled the Tetsusaiga's transformation. Perhaps she can break the spell as well.
He had noted Inuyasha's protectiveness of that girl before. Evidently, he thought with a smile, she lavishes that same love on my worthless halfbreed brother. Enough to provoke his hatred.
TO BE CONTINUED