Golden Fire
Chapter 5: Sesshoumaru's Secret
We traveled west for two days. More and more, we began to feel as if we were walking into the lion's den. Thank the gods I had refused to bring Souta. On the other hand, I could have used the company. Inuyasha was completely ignoring me and my sadness over that fact drove everyone else, including Kouga, away.
Sango and Miroku walked behind me. I could hear each and every slap. The monk just didn't give up. I'd have to talk to that boy. Maybe when things were settled with Inuyasha and me. Then I sighed. Things would never be settled between us. He'd always be a stubborn pig and I'd always be alone.
We settled down to make camp at the end of the second day. Kouga had left his wolf brothers to protect Kaede's village, so he himself volunteered to go hunt. Inuyasha shook himself out of his quiet stupor for the first time in days. "No, I'll go hunt."
"What? A dog turd like you? Can you hunt at all? Ha! Leave it to me, dog boy. No one equals a wolf while hunting."
I watched in exasperation as they compared hunting skills. I didn't have the heart to tell them that we still had food that Kaede gave to us.
Suddenly, I felt a demon aura coming. It was coming fast too. I looked at the angry canines. "Hey guys?" I asked weakly.
"I'm the youkai! I'm superior in everything to you, Inuyasha!"
"Guys?" With their superior hearing, you'd think they'd hear me. They continued to ignore my attempts to get their attention.
"Oh whatever, jackass. You think we want to eat some dirty wolf kill? Me and Tetsusaiga will find something that actually tastes like real food!"
"Baka!" I yelled. "There's a demon coming!" They stopped and turned to me. Inuyasha began to sniff the air.
He frowned. "Well, at least we won't have to spend any more of our precious time looking for him."
Yuki stood up, went into the shadows and pulled out her sword. She nodded towards me. "Just in case, Kagome."
"A what do you plan to do with a sword you silly little girl? Cut up vegetables?" The voice echoed over the clearing. Yuki let out a growl similar to Inuyasha's and slipped so far into the shadows that I couldn't see her. I smiled, knowing that if we needed her, Yuki's assassin skills could come in handy in a few moments.
Soon, Sesshoumaru stood before us. He was alone for the moment, but I knew Jaken must be close by. Tokijin was out and in Sesshoumaru's hand. Almost lazily he looked at Inuyasha and said, "Well, little brother? I heard you were looking for me. Time to end it, I suppose? Well, at least I won't be left to wait for the Tetsusaiga anymore."
I walked forward. The youkai lord raised an eyebrow, but waited for me to speak. "Actually, Sesshoumaru, we have a proposal to make. And not about the Tetsusaiga."
He hesitated and then sheathed Tokijin. "And what makes you think I want to make any deals with you?"
"Because we have something you want. Something you're missing." I gestured to his empty left sleeve.
His golden eyes narrowed. "I'm listening."
"Help us kill Naraku and complete the Shikon no Tama. We'll give your arm back and everyone will go their separate ways."
"Why should I care about your little dispute with Naraku? Why should I trust any of you?"
I frowned. "We're all people of our word. In fact, we'll give you your arm back now, if you wish. Once you've promised to help, that is."
Sesshoumaru looked hesitant. I knew my idea appealed to him at the same time as well as appalled him. "Again, I have no reason to fight Naraku. He is no concern of mine."
"Is that correct, my lord?" came Yuki's voice. She stepped out of the shadows, with her sword still drawn. A little girl in a checked kimono was following her. It was Rin. Yuki continued. "Imagine my surprise when I heard a little girl's voice in the forest. She was with someone called Jaken, a name I've heard in connection with you many times, Sesshoumaru. You must care about this little human girl. I bet Naraku has noticed that."
The youkai lord's eyes flashed red. I barely saw him move before I realized he had Yuki by the throat and pinned to a tree. Her feet were dangling two feet off the ground. Why didn't she move? I knew she had her guns. What was she doing?
"Vermin!" she spat. "I can't believe I was willing to give you a chance. And here you are, taking a little girl away from her own kind and exposing her to your violent ways!"
Sesshoumaru's eyes stopped glowing and he began to sniff the air. I saw surprise flash across his face as he let Yuki drop to the ground and stepped back. She knelt and coughed for a few moments while everyone watched in silence. The little girl stood next to her and patted her back. "There, there. Rin will take care of you. Rin takes good care of people, like Sesshoumaru-sama."
I looked back and forth between Yuki and Sesshoumaru. "What just happened here?"
The youkai lord growled. "Why don't you ask your demon friend?"
I turned to Kouga and Shippou. They both just shrugged. Sesshoumaru growled louder. "Not them! Her!" He pointed to Yuki.
Everyone stared at Yuki, until Kouga scoffed. "No way." He paused and saw Sesshoumaru's glare. "Um, I mean, I hate to disagree, my lord, but she doesn't smell at all like a youkai. I would have noticed before now."
Yuki stood up and I watched her blush. Wow, I thought, a crack in her emotionless mask. Then I realized what the blush must mean. "You mean, you are a youkai?"
She met my eyes but didn't answer. Sesshoumaru walked up to her. "Are you Kaiya?"
Yuki stiffened and was slow to answer. "No, I am not. I am Yuki."
He stepped closer to the assassin. She didn't back up. "Then, why do you smell like her?"
"I do not smell like her."
Sesshoumaru growled. "Yes, you do. And she's dead. Who are you?" He grabbed her and tugged on her jacket, exposing her shoulder. I moved to get a better view and my eyes widened when I saw the mark on her shoulder. A crescent moon, just like Sesshoumaru's. "This is the mark of my family. I put this mark on the shoulder of my future mate. When she died, I never thought I'd see it again. Yet you are here with this mark. Again, I ask, who are you?"
"Wouldn't we all like to know," piped up Inuyasha. He was glaring with mistrust at Yuki.
She sat down and leaned back against the tree. Closing her eyes, she began. "Kaiya was my grandmother. Sesshoumaru's father, Inutaisho, and Kaiya's father, Haruko, were best friends. Haruko commanded the armies under Inutaisho's lordship. Kaiya and Sesshoumaru were betrothed. A perfect match, everyone said. But Kaiya fell in love with a lieutenant in Haruko's army and became pregnant." Yuki glared up at Sesshoumaru. "This monster found out and killed Kaiya's lover and banished Kaiya. She went to China to bear my mother. I was also born in a foreign land and lived there for many years until finally returning to Japan for good in the 1920s."
"You lied, you bitch!" Inuyasha was furious. "I should have known you were planning with Sesshoumaru from the beginning!"
I sighed. He was a real idiot sometimes. "Inuyasha, sit!" He landed face- first as I walked to Yuki. "This is the secret that the Yakuza knew, wasn't it? This is what you tried to tell me all those times?"
Yuki nodded. "The Yakuza kept the secret of my long demon life in return for my service. If they hadn't done that, I'm sure someone in the government would have noticed me. Questions would have followed."
I looked at Miroku and Sango. They smiled at me and nodded their acceptance. They had already forgiven Yuki. I turned to Inuyasha. "She tried to tell me, Inuyasha. And as for Sesshoumaru, she hardly loves this jerk. He totally ruined her family name."
"I will not stand around to be insulted by some human," the youkai warned. Rin stood next to him and grinned at Inuyasha and me. I smiled back.
"Sesshoumaru, our offer still stands," I said. "Yuki is right. Naraku will learn about Rin and take her. Or worse, hurt her."
"She is human. Nothing more than a whim," he argued. I noticed that he said it so that only Inuyasha, Yuki and I could hear. Rin had started to pick flowers out of earshot.
"Hmm. Of course. Well, Naraku could also encroach upon your lands. You don't want that, do you?"
"Let me worry about my lands. If you think that I'll lower myself to travelling with a group of humans and dishonorable youkai, you must be more delusional than I thought, girl."
Yuki looked up at Sesshoumaru. "If you come and help, I will come with you to your castle afterwards and talk to my great-grandfather. Assuming he's still alive that is."
Sesshoumaru nodded. "He is, but what good would that do?" I noticed that he was uncomfortable and could not insult her. Her family must be of high birth, no matter how dishonored.
"If I can talk to him, he can free you from the contract you have with our family. It takes all three of us to break it and until you do, you cannot have a bed companion. I'm thinking that it has been about seventy years, right? That is a long time to be without a woman around."
He looked away. "Eighty-three, actually." I noticed that Miroku had failed to cover Shippou's ears and the little fox demon was tugging on his robes with a questioning look.
"But no one's counting," I chimed in, ending that particular thread of conversation. "What do you say, Sesshoumaru? Peace?" I held out my hand.
He paused and glared at it. Rin tugged on his clothing and held up wildflowers to him. Sighing, he shook hands with me. "I must be insane. But there will be a peace. For now."
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Chapter 5: Sesshoumaru's Secret
We traveled west for two days. More and more, we began to feel as if we were walking into the lion's den. Thank the gods I had refused to bring Souta. On the other hand, I could have used the company. Inuyasha was completely ignoring me and my sadness over that fact drove everyone else, including Kouga, away.
Sango and Miroku walked behind me. I could hear each and every slap. The monk just didn't give up. I'd have to talk to that boy. Maybe when things were settled with Inuyasha and me. Then I sighed. Things would never be settled between us. He'd always be a stubborn pig and I'd always be alone.
We settled down to make camp at the end of the second day. Kouga had left his wolf brothers to protect Kaede's village, so he himself volunteered to go hunt. Inuyasha shook himself out of his quiet stupor for the first time in days. "No, I'll go hunt."
"What? A dog turd like you? Can you hunt at all? Ha! Leave it to me, dog boy. No one equals a wolf while hunting."
I watched in exasperation as they compared hunting skills. I didn't have the heart to tell them that we still had food that Kaede gave to us.
Suddenly, I felt a demon aura coming. It was coming fast too. I looked at the angry canines. "Hey guys?" I asked weakly.
"I'm the youkai! I'm superior in everything to you, Inuyasha!"
"Guys?" With their superior hearing, you'd think they'd hear me. They continued to ignore my attempts to get their attention.
"Oh whatever, jackass. You think we want to eat some dirty wolf kill? Me and Tetsusaiga will find something that actually tastes like real food!"
"Baka!" I yelled. "There's a demon coming!" They stopped and turned to me. Inuyasha began to sniff the air.
He frowned. "Well, at least we won't have to spend any more of our precious time looking for him."
Yuki stood up, went into the shadows and pulled out her sword. She nodded towards me. "Just in case, Kagome."
"A what do you plan to do with a sword you silly little girl? Cut up vegetables?" The voice echoed over the clearing. Yuki let out a growl similar to Inuyasha's and slipped so far into the shadows that I couldn't see her. I smiled, knowing that if we needed her, Yuki's assassin skills could come in handy in a few moments.
Soon, Sesshoumaru stood before us. He was alone for the moment, but I knew Jaken must be close by. Tokijin was out and in Sesshoumaru's hand. Almost lazily he looked at Inuyasha and said, "Well, little brother? I heard you were looking for me. Time to end it, I suppose? Well, at least I won't be left to wait for the Tetsusaiga anymore."
I walked forward. The youkai lord raised an eyebrow, but waited for me to speak. "Actually, Sesshoumaru, we have a proposal to make. And not about the Tetsusaiga."
He hesitated and then sheathed Tokijin. "And what makes you think I want to make any deals with you?"
"Because we have something you want. Something you're missing." I gestured to his empty left sleeve.
His golden eyes narrowed. "I'm listening."
"Help us kill Naraku and complete the Shikon no Tama. We'll give your arm back and everyone will go their separate ways."
"Why should I care about your little dispute with Naraku? Why should I trust any of you?"
I frowned. "We're all people of our word. In fact, we'll give you your arm back now, if you wish. Once you've promised to help, that is."
Sesshoumaru looked hesitant. I knew my idea appealed to him at the same time as well as appalled him. "Again, I have no reason to fight Naraku. He is no concern of mine."
"Is that correct, my lord?" came Yuki's voice. She stepped out of the shadows, with her sword still drawn. A little girl in a checked kimono was following her. It was Rin. Yuki continued. "Imagine my surprise when I heard a little girl's voice in the forest. She was with someone called Jaken, a name I've heard in connection with you many times, Sesshoumaru. You must care about this little human girl. I bet Naraku has noticed that."
The youkai lord's eyes flashed red. I barely saw him move before I realized he had Yuki by the throat and pinned to a tree. Her feet were dangling two feet off the ground. Why didn't she move? I knew she had her guns. What was she doing?
"Vermin!" she spat. "I can't believe I was willing to give you a chance. And here you are, taking a little girl away from her own kind and exposing her to your violent ways!"
Sesshoumaru's eyes stopped glowing and he began to sniff the air. I saw surprise flash across his face as he let Yuki drop to the ground and stepped back. She knelt and coughed for a few moments while everyone watched in silence. The little girl stood next to her and patted her back. "There, there. Rin will take care of you. Rin takes good care of people, like Sesshoumaru-sama."
I looked back and forth between Yuki and Sesshoumaru. "What just happened here?"
The youkai lord growled. "Why don't you ask your demon friend?"
I turned to Kouga and Shippou. They both just shrugged. Sesshoumaru growled louder. "Not them! Her!" He pointed to Yuki.
Everyone stared at Yuki, until Kouga scoffed. "No way." He paused and saw Sesshoumaru's glare. "Um, I mean, I hate to disagree, my lord, but she doesn't smell at all like a youkai. I would have noticed before now."
Yuki stood up and I watched her blush. Wow, I thought, a crack in her emotionless mask. Then I realized what the blush must mean. "You mean, you are a youkai?"
She met my eyes but didn't answer. Sesshoumaru walked up to her. "Are you Kaiya?"
Yuki stiffened and was slow to answer. "No, I am not. I am Yuki."
He stepped closer to the assassin. She didn't back up. "Then, why do you smell like her?"
"I do not smell like her."
Sesshoumaru growled. "Yes, you do. And she's dead. Who are you?" He grabbed her and tugged on her jacket, exposing her shoulder. I moved to get a better view and my eyes widened when I saw the mark on her shoulder. A crescent moon, just like Sesshoumaru's. "This is the mark of my family. I put this mark on the shoulder of my future mate. When she died, I never thought I'd see it again. Yet you are here with this mark. Again, I ask, who are you?"
"Wouldn't we all like to know," piped up Inuyasha. He was glaring with mistrust at Yuki.
She sat down and leaned back against the tree. Closing her eyes, she began. "Kaiya was my grandmother. Sesshoumaru's father, Inutaisho, and Kaiya's father, Haruko, were best friends. Haruko commanded the armies under Inutaisho's lordship. Kaiya and Sesshoumaru were betrothed. A perfect match, everyone said. But Kaiya fell in love with a lieutenant in Haruko's army and became pregnant." Yuki glared up at Sesshoumaru. "This monster found out and killed Kaiya's lover and banished Kaiya. She went to China to bear my mother. I was also born in a foreign land and lived there for many years until finally returning to Japan for good in the 1920s."
"You lied, you bitch!" Inuyasha was furious. "I should have known you were planning with Sesshoumaru from the beginning!"
I sighed. He was a real idiot sometimes. "Inuyasha, sit!" He landed face- first as I walked to Yuki. "This is the secret that the Yakuza knew, wasn't it? This is what you tried to tell me all those times?"
Yuki nodded. "The Yakuza kept the secret of my long demon life in return for my service. If they hadn't done that, I'm sure someone in the government would have noticed me. Questions would have followed."
I looked at Miroku and Sango. They smiled at me and nodded their acceptance. They had already forgiven Yuki. I turned to Inuyasha. "She tried to tell me, Inuyasha. And as for Sesshoumaru, she hardly loves this jerk. He totally ruined her family name."
"I will not stand around to be insulted by some human," the youkai warned. Rin stood next to him and grinned at Inuyasha and me. I smiled back.
"Sesshoumaru, our offer still stands," I said. "Yuki is right. Naraku will learn about Rin and take her. Or worse, hurt her."
"She is human. Nothing more than a whim," he argued. I noticed that he said it so that only Inuyasha, Yuki and I could hear. Rin had started to pick flowers out of earshot.
"Hmm. Of course. Well, Naraku could also encroach upon your lands. You don't want that, do you?"
"Let me worry about my lands. If you think that I'll lower myself to travelling with a group of humans and dishonorable youkai, you must be more delusional than I thought, girl."
Yuki looked up at Sesshoumaru. "If you come and help, I will come with you to your castle afterwards and talk to my great-grandfather. Assuming he's still alive that is."
Sesshoumaru nodded. "He is, but what good would that do?" I noticed that he was uncomfortable and could not insult her. Her family must be of high birth, no matter how dishonored.
"If I can talk to him, he can free you from the contract you have with our family. It takes all three of us to break it and until you do, you cannot have a bed companion. I'm thinking that it has been about seventy years, right? That is a long time to be without a woman around."
He looked away. "Eighty-three, actually." I noticed that Miroku had failed to cover Shippou's ears and the little fox demon was tugging on his robes with a questioning look.
"But no one's counting," I chimed in, ending that particular thread of conversation. "What do you say, Sesshoumaru? Peace?" I held out my hand.
He paused and glared at it. Rin tugged on his clothing and held up wildflowers to him. Sighing, he shook hands with me. "I must be insane. But there will be a peace. For now."
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