DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Inu-Yasha - A Feudal Fairytale and all related characters are the creations of Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter 3: The Game
By Shadow's Mirror
Sesshoumaru eyed the dark mouth of the small cave before him with distaste. The trail of the kidnapper had brought him here, to the other end of the ravine from where he had last seen Jaken and Rin. The scent had been suspiciously easy to follow. Not once had it faded or misled him on the path. It hadn't even circled around or doubled back on itself. It had just led straight to this cave.
It was such an obvious trap that it almost physically hurt him to walk into it. He was certain that there wouldn't be enough room inside for him to use his sword, Toukijin, effectively. Still, it wasn't his only weapon. Sesshoumaru flexed his claws, his golden eyes gleaming with anticipation as he entered the cave.
He paused for a moment, allowing his eyes to grow accustomed to the darkness, then began walking steadily through the deep cave to the back wall. There was no sign of Rin or Jaken, so he knew there had to be a tunnel. The scent of his prey was stronger in the close confines of the cave so it would be an easy matter for him to sniff it out… if it had been hidden and not merely a gaping hole in the cave's back wall.
Sesshoumaru sighed softly. He was beginning to wonder if this was really one of Naraku's plots. Evil as Naraku was, at least he came up with original and creative ways to hurt people, his plans were always devious and his planning was meticulous in every detail. Sesshoumaru had to grant him that much. The current situation just seemed too… simple… for Naraku to be behind it. Still, perhaps that was part of the plan. To lure him into a false sense of security.
Sesshoumaru sniffed disdainfully and climbed through the hole, then started walking along the long, narrow tunnel that he'd entered. He remained constantly alert for the slightest sign of trouble. He'd already been caught by surprise once that day. He refused to allow it to happen a second time. But when he rounded a corner and found himself at the entrance to a massive underground cavern, lit with burning torches set around the walls, he barely managed to keep himself from reacting.
It took him a moment to notice the two large iron cages hanging on long chains from the cave roof so they were only a few feet above the ground, and a moment more to make out the two small figures within the cages. Rin lay unconscious on the floor of the cage on the left, Jaken was in a similar state on the right.
Sesshoumaru's claws bit into his palm as his fist clenched. He stepped into the cave, but didn't head for either cage. Instead, he tensed and his hand moved to the hilt of his sword. "I am here."
A soft chuckle echoed around the chamber. "Yes, I noticed. Welcome Sesshoumaru. I'm pleased that you could join us."
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" His tone was emotionless with just a hint of ice.
"Who I am is not important. As for what I want… You will find out soon enough." The voice, which kept coming at him from different directions, sounded amused.
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed slightly into his 'I am extremely irritated and will destroy something if I don't get a straight answer soon' look. "I did not come here to play games."
"On the contrary Sesshoumaru, that is exactly why you are here. You and I are going to play a little game. It's called 'The Cage of Death'." The voice now sounded perfectly serious.
Sesshoumaru raised one eyebrow slightly; refusing to reveal the unease the words had created within him. Rin and Jaken were in cages… "What makes you think I will agree to play?"
"You really don't have a choice. Not if you want your minion and little girl back, at any rate."
"Then you are out of luck. Do with them as you will." Sesshoumaru started to turn back towards the tunnel, sure that his plan would not fail him. By reacting in such a fashion, it would confuse his opponent and make him wonder if he had overestimated the value Sesshoumaru placed on Rin and Jaken's lives. Sesshoumaru would then have the situation in his control. It was the same thing he had done time and time again with Naraku and Kagura, so he was confident that it would work. Anyone who went to the trouble of kidnapping Rin and Jaken would not harm them so readily, especially when they had not served their purpose.
"If you leave, the game is over and they will both die."
The words, spoken softly but with a thread of steel through them, made Sesshoumaru pause, but he refused to allow himself to show any weakness. "As I said, do with them as you will."
He had taken a step towards the tunnel when the voice came again. "Perhaps I was not clear. Leave this chamber and they will die immediately. Their bodies will then be destroyed, so you will be unable to revive them."
The words froze Sesshoumaru in place as his mind raced. His opponent knew of his second sword, Tenseiga, and it's power over death! As far as he was aware, only a few had such knowledge. He was certain that his opponent was none of them, which meant that it was more widely known about than he had suspected. But that was not his main concern.
He had indeed considered reviving them if they died. How had his opponent known the thought that had flown so fleetingly through his mind that he had barely recognised it himself? Sesshoumaru reluctantly turned back. "You appear to know a great deal about me. Or so you believe."
"I have been watching you for some time now, Sesshoumaru. That is why I am here."
A glimmer of understanding sparked in the youkai lord's mind. "You seek to test me."
"In a manner of speaking." Again, the voice held amusement.
Sesshoumaru frowned slightly and crossed his arms. A part of him was telling him to leave and not look back, but another part of him kept flashing images through his mind. Rin smiling up at him. Jaken running after him. Rin trying to teach Jaken to fish. Their delight when Jaken had actually managed to catch something… As much as he tried to ignore the images, they refused to go away.
"At least hear me out, Sesshoumaru. You can always leave if you decide that the game is not to your liking, after all. If you leave without listening… you are more of a coward than I thought."
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he tensed, shock running through him. No one… absolutely no one… called him a coward and got away with it! "You dare…" The voice interrupted him with a soft chuckle.
"Yes, I thought that would get your attention. But you are, you know. There is one thing that you keep running from. It's a pity really, because you would become far stronger if you only allowed yourself to face your fear."
"I fear nothing." Sesshoumaru's voice was a low growl that promised a painful death to anyone who angered him enough.
"If that is true, then you have nothing to worry about. Play my game." The voice was serious again.
Sesshoumaru knew it was a trap, but he was too angry to care. "If I win…" Again, the voice interrupted him with a laugh.
"Oh no! It's not that kind of game! There is no 'winner' or 'loser'. It's a game of choice, rather than of chance. Allow me to explain."
Sesshoumaru frowned but remained silent. He already didn't like the sound of this 'game'.
"You see before you two cages. Your minion lies in one, your little girl in the other. They are unharmed, merely in deep sleep. Did you recognise the smell of the plant that I used to put them in that state?"
"I did," Sesshoumaru calmly acknowledged.
"Then you may know that there is another plant that, when burned with the first, produces another effect."
Sesshoumaru tensed. He had heard of both plants. When one was burned, the smoke sent all who breathed it into a deep sleep. The effect was similar if the other plant was burned, only instead of sleep it brought on a feverish illness that was very difficult to heal. But if both plants were burned together… "The smoke is poisonous. It causes instant death." His voice was as emotionless as his expression, except for a glint of anger in his narrowed eyes.
"Look at the floor of the cages, but touch nothing."
The warning was unnecessary. Sesshoumaru didn't need to approach the cages. He could see the ring of leaves around the edges of both cage floors from where he stood. A strange uneasiness filled him as he began to understand the fate that would befall Rin and Jaken if he did not play this 'game'. "Leaves."
"Yes. The cages and their chains have been bound to each other. If a cage or chain is touched, the leaves in the other cage will immediately begin to burn and the occupant of that cage will die. There is also a barrier around each cage. It will keep the smoke confined, but it also stops you from doing anything that might get them out. To break both spells on a cage, you have only to break the chain that holds it."
Sesshoumaru immediately saw the trap and his uneasiness became something that he was unwilling to admit to feeling. Dread. He ruthlessly pushed it to the back of his mind. When he spoke, his face and voice revealed nothing of his internal unrest. "If I break the chain on one cage, the spell on the other cage will activate."
"I knew you'd see the catch. Yes, that's right. As I said before, this isn't a game of chance. It's a game of choice. Your choice. Save one and you condemn the other to death. So, which will it be, Sesshoumaru? The life of your faithful servant, or the life of your little girl?"
