AN: Well, I should learn not to make promises when it comes to writing. I
think I said in the last chapter that I'd reveal one of my theories on that
fluffy thing Sess carries in this chapter. And I did, sort of. It's
partially revealed (more to come later on) and, since it has some
importance in this fic, I decided to be respectful and give it a name.
Yes, that's right, a name. Don't remember if anyone's ever done that
before but for this fic, it does have a name. More on that later too.
Anyway, many, many thanks to reviewers who darn near scared me with how many reviews I got the last chapter – who would have thought? But they were all encouraging and I'm glad to see that so many people are enjoying this fic, I'm just sorry I was so slow in getting this chapter out. And, also, thanks again to Claudia and Alexis for beta reading.
-
-
CHAPTER 4: Memories of Old
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Gliding through the darkness rapidly as he headed towards his destination, Sesshoumaru found his thoughts preoccupied with the recent encounter he'd just had with his half-brother. It had turned out to be more interesting than he had imagined it would be, on many accounts.
He should have realized that Inuyasha would know.
Sesshoumaru spared the briefest of thoughts pondering what the hanyou would make of the fact that he'd been without his kaminohogo. Though it was doubtful Inuyasha could know all of what it meant, he knew enough to realize the implied importance. But, in the end, what Inuyasha thought didn't matter as that would not deter him from his goal, which may or may not be the girl who waited for him. Inuyasha, on the other hand, bore no importance to his plans at all and it would be best, though unlikely to happen in his opinion, if the hanyou stayed out of his way. But whether he did or didn't - that, too, mattered little in the end.
After all, his promise to the human concerning his half-brother was only for this night.
If the hanyou interfered too much in the future, he could just kill him.
-
An ominous chill shivered down his spine as Inuyasha made his way back to the village with Kaede. Though he cast a wary eye around, his senses picked up no sign of danger nearby so he ignored it as he turned his attention back to Kaede, resuming his questioning of the old woman.
"Are you absolutely sure I need Kagome to find the Shikon shards?"
"Yes," Kaede confirmed. "Though there are no doubt many, many pieces scattered about, you might stumble across a few by dumb luck. But after you have gathered more and the number of shards left to find becomes less, the rest of them become more difficult to discover and can't be left to mere chance. And since you, Inuyasha, cannot sense the shards, even if you do stumble across someone or something that is in possession of one, how will you be able to tell where he or she has hidden it?"
"Dammit!" he cursed. "That damn girl! She's always giving me problems!"
"I find it difficult to imagine how it is Kagome's fault that your brother decided to carry her off."
"It is. I don't know how or why, but it just fucking is!"
Kaede just heaved a sigh. Though Inuyasha would most likely be the last to deny it, she had the feeling his harsh words and temper stemmed from his own worry about Kagome. Actually, she was surprised Inuyasha hadn't immediately gone rushing after Sesshoumaru when he'd taken off. Oh, Inuyasha had certainly cursed, his foul language increasing with his temper, but he'd still stayed behind with her until he'd abruptly turned back towards the village. It was definitely puzzling.
"Hey," Inuyasha said suddenly. "How can she find the shards if she's blind?"
"That does not matter. One does not need eyes to sense the presence of the shards."
"So she can still find them even if she's like she is?"
"Yes."
"Great!" He gave a feral grin. "Then if she's still useful, that means I have to go get her. Especially if she still has the Shikon shards!"
Kaede cast a baleful glance at the excited expression on his face. It seemed he wanted an excuse to go after her, and not just because of the shards. She supposed it wasn't that surprising since from what she'd seen of him, Kagome was the closest thing he'd ever had to a friend. Once friendship had been sown in the fields of loneliness, it was a difficult thing to go back and part of Inuyasha's desire to go after Kagome stemmed from wanting his companion back. Still, she didn't think Sesshoumaru would let Kagome go so easily.
"Are you not worried about having to confront your half-brother?" she asked.
"Feh! I can deal with him easily."
"Hmm." She eyed him doubtfully.
"What?" He glowered at her. "You don't believe me?"
"I believe that you should use caution. He is dangerous and if you proceed too hastily, Kagome will be caught between the two of you and may end up being the one hurt. After all, there is no love lost between you, is there?"
"I hate the bastard more than anything and I know he'd say the same," Inuyasha snorted.
"Oh? Then if you despise him so much, why are you not rushing after him?"
"He pretty much said he'd bring her back alive. Since he usually sort of keeps his word, I thought I'd let him deal with the problems of taking care of a blind girl if he wants to so badly." He snorted. "Who would have thought he'd lower himself to associating with humans?"
"You were planning to just hand her off to him?" Kaede gasped, a bit aghast.
"What?" He glowered. "He said he'd give her back after her eyes were fixed. I figured she'd be less of a hindrance if I looked for the shards on my own." He shrugged. "But since you said she can still sense the shards, guess I can still make use of her."
"If the shards are so important to you, then why are you not going off to look for her now?"
"Why do you think?" He cast her a dark glare. "I've got to tell her family not to worry first. How much help do you think she'd be willing to give me when I get her back and she finds out I didn't tell them anything that would keep them from worrying?" He shuddered, thinking of how she'd 'sit' him to death. "It's easier this way."
"But if time elapses, won't it be more difficult to find her?"
"I'll manage. She's blind. That's got to slow even Sesshoumaru down. I'm sure it won't take me long to find her."
"And what if he does not desire to give her back? There is some reason, after all, for him to have taken her in the first place."
"Then it's a fight." He sneered. "I'll be looking forward for another chance at beating that bastard."
Kaede sighed and shook her head. "To have that much dislike for him, do you really think it's wise to leave Kagome in his hands?"
"Yeah." He shrugged, looking irritated and uncomfortable as he tried to justify his actions with his dislike of his brother. "I hate the bastard but he has a use for her so I doubt he'll do much to her. Also, he's not the type to waste his time torturing the weak and since she's human and a girl, I think he'll leave her alone for the most part unless she does something stupid. Hopefully, she's smarter than she looks." He frowned. "Although I have my doubts on that because, from the way Sesshoumaru sounded, it seemed like she made some kind of agreement with him. There's no other explanation that I can come up with since he's not the type to just swing by and tell us how she's doing out of the goodness of his heart. And making any kind of pact with him seems like a pretty stupid thing to do to me considering what she's seen him do before."
"Kagome is a mysterious child. Perhaps she senses something in him that you do not."
Inuyasha just snorted.
"Do you have any idea what it is that he wants from her?"
"No." And the not knowing worried him though he tried not to let it show. "But she is important to him somehow."
"Why do you sound so sure of that?"
"Because he left it with her."
"It?"
"His kaminohogo."
-
'Don't fall asleep. Don't fall asleep. Don't fall asleep.'
She kept telling herself that over and over again but it was difficult to stay awake. It was easier to be lulled into sleep with darkness and that was the one thing she wasn't able to do anything about for now. Even the sounds of the crackling fire became a low chanting lullaby that seemed to be coaxing her into that unconscious other world. And it didn't help that the silky fur that cocooned her held a soothing quality as it blanketed her with its warmth.
But she was determined to stay awake until her mystery rescuer came back so she stiffened her resolve, occupying herself with stroking silky fur in an effort to keep sleep at bay.
-
Tingles rippled across his skin and, while pleasurable, it left him silently cursing as he quickened his pace. But the tingles continued on and on, washing him in a pleasure that was both soothing and stimulating at the same time, a combination that he would have thought impossible until now. However, they only cause his thoughts to grow darker as he rushed as fast as he could, the need to get to his destination pressing down upon him with ferocity.
He had to put an end to it.
-
"His what?" Kaede asked in puzzlement. "What might that be?"
"I don't know all the details exactly. My memories from growing up a bit fuzzy after all these years." Inuyasha frowned as he tried to recall. "But I vaguely recall my dad having one when I was a kid. Sesshoumaru too. Both of them always had a length of fur that was wound around them when they took up human form. Since they were never seen without it, as a kid I used to think that it was a furry tail that all full-blooded inuyoukai had when they walked around as humans did."
"But it is not?"
"No. It's not."
-
It was cool and familiar as it shivered down her spine.
She straightened at the tingling sensation, perking up as the drowsy lassitude that had been threatening to overtake her and pull her into the land of sleep no matter how much she tried to distract her tired mind by engrossing herself with stroking the silky fur. That repetitive action had taken on a soothing rhythm of its own and she'd nearly been on the verge of drifting off to slumber again. But now she felt herself becoming more alert, her mind shaking off its sluggishness as she gazed expectantly in the direction where she thought the entrance to this place was.
He was coming.
-
He was almost there.
Relief at the realization was nearly as strong as the rage that was bubbling beneath his cool exterior. He felt on the verge of snarling as his newest charge consumed his thoughts, none of them very pleasant at all. He silently cursed the complications his life had taken, reviling himself, this situation, and especially her because all of this was because of her. It didn't matter whether she understood what was going on or not, it was still her fault that his life was undergoing this strange twist that he could see no good coming from, no matter what the scryer had foretold.
But the fortune had been vague and not given to names. There was a chance that he had chosen the wrong one. He'd just have to make sure whether or not she was the one that he needed. And if she was, things would definitely undergo a major change, one that she might take it into her mind to protest. It was not a pleasant prospect for him for he was sure that she would bring her own share of trouble into the mix.
Well, he'd find a way to deal with her. He was sure of it.
Another tingling wave washed over him, fueling his furious ire that rode him with increasing urgency as his destination came into view. Gold eyes flashed in the darkness as he approached in a rush, purposeful determination swelling within him as the distance between him and her shortened.
It was time to make her stop.
Grim resolution, laced with a fury that seethed within, ran rampant through every fiber of his being as he reached his destination. He approached and passed through the darkened point of entrance, continuing on until the light from the fire became brighter and she appeared within his line of sight, causing him to come to an abrupt halt.
He stared.
-
"Then what is it?" Kaede asked.
"Feh," he snorted. "I'm hanyou. You think anyone wanted to lower themselves to answer my questions as a kid? Aside from my mother, I hardly ever talked with anyone else. I never learned much about it other than its name."
"What about your father? Did he not tell you anything about it?"
"He was gone most of the time." Inuyasha scowled. "And the few times I remember him coming to visit, he usually spent it with my mother."
"I see. Then you really do not know much about what it is."
"No," he admitted grudgingly. "But I do know that it's very important to him. I remember one time when I was very small, I accidentally ran into Sesshoumaru. For the most part, he ignored me as if he was too good to associate with me in any way but I was fascinated by his kaminohogo and, without thinking, reached out to touch it." He grimaced. "I'd never gotten so much reaction from him before. I almost thought I'd never be able to walk again. Probably wouldn't have if my dad hadn't come along and put a stop to it. And I remember my mother taking me aside afterwards and warning me very seriously to never, ever go after an inuyoukai's kaminohogo although she never told me exactly why." He paused in deep thought. "I'd never seen her as serious as she was then."
Kaede's wrinkled face creased in frown. "Then what does it mean that Kagome seems to have possession of it?"
She cast him a worried glance, troubled at the distant look she observed upon his face. Gold eyes flickered with what might have been concern as they gazed out into the darkness beyond.
"I don't know," Inuyasha finally said. "I don't know."
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Here's the explanation for the name (for those who care – those who don't can just ignore the rest of this) since I didn't want to clutter up the AN section too much just before the chapter.
Anyway, the name. Japanese names frequently have layered meanings. Yes, the fluffy thing is dubbed 'kaminohogo' which is something I came up with after playing around with Japanese words. The word 'kami' means 'god' or 'deity.' The 'no' is the particle 'of' while 'hogo' means 'protection.' So my translation of the meaning is 'god's protection' or 'protection of god.' But it's also a kind of pun since, if you can's see the kanji or character for what the word stands for, another meaning for 'kami' is 'hair.' And considering Sess's ego, of course the 'kami' really stands for 'god' but I just like the little bit of silliness it could be.
Okay, lesson over. See you next time around!
Anyway, many, many thanks to reviewers who darn near scared me with how many reviews I got the last chapter – who would have thought? But they were all encouraging and I'm glad to see that so many people are enjoying this fic, I'm just sorry I was so slow in getting this chapter out. And, also, thanks again to Claudia and Alexis for beta reading.
-
-
CHAPTER 4: Memories of Old
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Gliding through the darkness rapidly as he headed towards his destination, Sesshoumaru found his thoughts preoccupied with the recent encounter he'd just had with his half-brother. It had turned out to be more interesting than he had imagined it would be, on many accounts.
He should have realized that Inuyasha would know.
Sesshoumaru spared the briefest of thoughts pondering what the hanyou would make of the fact that he'd been without his kaminohogo. Though it was doubtful Inuyasha could know all of what it meant, he knew enough to realize the implied importance. But, in the end, what Inuyasha thought didn't matter as that would not deter him from his goal, which may or may not be the girl who waited for him. Inuyasha, on the other hand, bore no importance to his plans at all and it would be best, though unlikely to happen in his opinion, if the hanyou stayed out of his way. But whether he did or didn't - that, too, mattered little in the end.
After all, his promise to the human concerning his half-brother was only for this night.
If the hanyou interfered too much in the future, he could just kill him.
-
An ominous chill shivered down his spine as Inuyasha made his way back to the village with Kaede. Though he cast a wary eye around, his senses picked up no sign of danger nearby so he ignored it as he turned his attention back to Kaede, resuming his questioning of the old woman.
"Are you absolutely sure I need Kagome to find the Shikon shards?"
"Yes," Kaede confirmed. "Though there are no doubt many, many pieces scattered about, you might stumble across a few by dumb luck. But after you have gathered more and the number of shards left to find becomes less, the rest of them become more difficult to discover and can't be left to mere chance. And since you, Inuyasha, cannot sense the shards, even if you do stumble across someone or something that is in possession of one, how will you be able to tell where he or she has hidden it?"
"Dammit!" he cursed. "That damn girl! She's always giving me problems!"
"I find it difficult to imagine how it is Kagome's fault that your brother decided to carry her off."
"It is. I don't know how or why, but it just fucking is!"
Kaede just heaved a sigh. Though Inuyasha would most likely be the last to deny it, she had the feeling his harsh words and temper stemmed from his own worry about Kagome. Actually, she was surprised Inuyasha hadn't immediately gone rushing after Sesshoumaru when he'd taken off. Oh, Inuyasha had certainly cursed, his foul language increasing with his temper, but he'd still stayed behind with her until he'd abruptly turned back towards the village. It was definitely puzzling.
"Hey," Inuyasha said suddenly. "How can she find the shards if she's blind?"
"That does not matter. One does not need eyes to sense the presence of the shards."
"So she can still find them even if she's like she is?"
"Yes."
"Great!" He gave a feral grin. "Then if she's still useful, that means I have to go get her. Especially if she still has the Shikon shards!"
Kaede cast a baleful glance at the excited expression on his face. It seemed he wanted an excuse to go after her, and not just because of the shards. She supposed it wasn't that surprising since from what she'd seen of him, Kagome was the closest thing he'd ever had to a friend. Once friendship had been sown in the fields of loneliness, it was a difficult thing to go back and part of Inuyasha's desire to go after Kagome stemmed from wanting his companion back. Still, she didn't think Sesshoumaru would let Kagome go so easily.
"Are you not worried about having to confront your half-brother?" she asked.
"Feh! I can deal with him easily."
"Hmm." She eyed him doubtfully.
"What?" He glowered at her. "You don't believe me?"
"I believe that you should use caution. He is dangerous and if you proceed too hastily, Kagome will be caught between the two of you and may end up being the one hurt. After all, there is no love lost between you, is there?"
"I hate the bastard more than anything and I know he'd say the same," Inuyasha snorted.
"Oh? Then if you despise him so much, why are you not rushing after him?"
"He pretty much said he'd bring her back alive. Since he usually sort of keeps his word, I thought I'd let him deal with the problems of taking care of a blind girl if he wants to so badly." He snorted. "Who would have thought he'd lower himself to associating with humans?"
"You were planning to just hand her off to him?" Kaede gasped, a bit aghast.
"What?" He glowered. "He said he'd give her back after her eyes were fixed. I figured she'd be less of a hindrance if I looked for the shards on my own." He shrugged. "But since you said she can still sense the shards, guess I can still make use of her."
"If the shards are so important to you, then why are you not going off to look for her now?"
"Why do you think?" He cast her a dark glare. "I've got to tell her family not to worry first. How much help do you think she'd be willing to give me when I get her back and she finds out I didn't tell them anything that would keep them from worrying?" He shuddered, thinking of how she'd 'sit' him to death. "It's easier this way."
"But if time elapses, won't it be more difficult to find her?"
"I'll manage. She's blind. That's got to slow even Sesshoumaru down. I'm sure it won't take me long to find her."
"And what if he does not desire to give her back? There is some reason, after all, for him to have taken her in the first place."
"Then it's a fight." He sneered. "I'll be looking forward for another chance at beating that bastard."
Kaede sighed and shook her head. "To have that much dislike for him, do you really think it's wise to leave Kagome in his hands?"
"Yeah." He shrugged, looking irritated and uncomfortable as he tried to justify his actions with his dislike of his brother. "I hate the bastard but he has a use for her so I doubt he'll do much to her. Also, he's not the type to waste his time torturing the weak and since she's human and a girl, I think he'll leave her alone for the most part unless she does something stupid. Hopefully, she's smarter than she looks." He frowned. "Although I have my doubts on that because, from the way Sesshoumaru sounded, it seemed like she made some kind of agreement with him. There's no other explanation that I can come up with since he's not the type to just swing by and tell us how she's doing out of the goodness of his heart. And making any kind of pact with him seems like a pretty stupid thing to do to me considering what she's seen him do before."
"Kagome is a mysterious child. Perhaps she senses something in him that you do not."
Inuyasha just snorted.
"Do you have any idea what it is that he wants from her?"
"No." And the not knowing worried him though he tried not to let it show. "But she is important to him somehow."
"Why do you sound so sure of that?"
"Because he left it with her."
"It?"
"His kaminohogo."
-
'Don't fall asleep. Don't fall asleep. Don't fall asleep.'
She kept telling herself that over and over again but it was difficult to stay awake. It was easier to be lulled into sleep with darkness and that was the one thing she wasn't able to do anything about for now. Even the sounds of the crackling fire became a low chanting lullaby that seemed to be coaxing her into that unconscious other world. And it didn't help that the silky fur that cocooned her held a soothing quality as it blanketed her with its warmth.
But she was determined to stay awake until her mystery rescuer came back so she stiffened her resolve, occupying herself with stroking silky fur in an effort to keep sleep at bay.
-
Tingles rippled across his skin and, while pleasurable, it left him silently cursing as he quickened his pace. But the tingles continued on and on, washing him in a pleasure that was both soothing and stimulating at the same time, a combination that he would have thought impossible until now. However, they only cause his thoughts to grow darker as he rushed as fast as he could, the need to get to his destination pressing down upon him with ferocity.
He had to put an end to it.
-
"His what?" Kaede asked in puzzlement. "What might that be?"
"I don't know all the details exactly. My memories from growing up a bit fuzzy after all these years." Inuyasha frowned as he tried to recall. "But I vaguely recall my dad having one when I was a kid. Sesshoumaru too. Both of them always had a length of fur that was wound around them when they took up human form. Since they were never seen without it, as a kid I used to think that it was a furry tail that all full-blooded inuyoukai had when they walked around as humans did."
"But it is not?"
"No. It's not."
-
It was cool and familiar as it shivered down her spine.
She straightened at the tingling sensation, perking up as the drowsy lassitude that had been threatening to overtake her and pull her into the land of sleep no matter how much she tried to distract her tired mind by engrossing herself with stroking the silky fur. That repetitive action had taken on a soothing rhythm of its own and she'd nearly been on the verge of drifting off to slumber again. But now she felt herself becoming more alert, her mind shaking off its sluggishness as she gazed expectantly in the direction where she thought the entrance to this place was.
He was coming.
-
He was almost there.
Relief at the realization was nearly as strong as the rage that was bubbling beneath his cool exterior. He felt on the verge of snarling as his newest charge consumed his thoughts, none of them very pleasant at all. He silently cursed the complications his life had taken, reviling himself, this situation, and especially her because all of this was because of her. It didn't matter whether she understood what was going on or not, it was still her fault that his life was undergoing this strange twist that he could see no good coming from, no matter what the scryer had foretold.
But the fortune had been vague and not given to names. There was a chance that he had chosen the wrong one. He'd just have to make sure whether or not she was the one that he needed. And if she was, things would definitely undergo a major change, one that she might take it into her mind to protest. It was not a pleasant prospect for him for he was sure that she would bring her own share of trouble into the mix.
Well, he'd find a way to deal with her. He was sure of it.
Another tingling wave washed over him, fueling his furious ire that rode him with increasing urgency as his destination came into view. Gold eyes flashed in the darkness as he approached in a rush, purposeful determination swelling within him as the distance between him and her shortened.
It was time to make her stop.
Grim resolution, laced with a fury that seethed within, ran rampant through every fiber of his being as he reached his destination. He approached and passed through the darkened point of entrance, continuing on until the light from the fire became brighter and she appeared within his line of sight, causing him to come to an abrupt halt.
He stared.
-
"Then what is it?" Kaede asked.
"Feh," he snorted. "I'm hanyou. You think anyone wanted to lower themselves to answer my questions as a kid? Aside from my mother, I hardly ever talked with anyone else. I never learned much about it other than its name."
"What about your father? Did he not tell you anything about it?"
"He was gone most of the time." Inuyasha scowled. "And the few times I remember him coming to visit, he usually spent it with my mother."
"I see. Then you really do not know much about what it is."
"No," he admitted grudgingly. "But I do know that it's very important to him. I remember one time when I was very small, I accidentally ran into Sesshoumaru. For the most part, he ignored me as if he was too good to associate with me in any way but I was fascinated by his kaminohogo and, without thinking, reached out to touch it." He grimaced. "I'd never gotten so much reaction from him before. I almost thought I'd never be able to walk again. Probably wouldn't have if my dad hadn't come along and put a stop to it. And I remember my mother taking me aside afterwards and warning me very seriously to never, ever go after an inuyoukai's kaminohogo although she never told me exactly why." He paused in deep thought. "I'd never seen her as serious as she was then."
Kaede's wrinkled face creased in frown. "Then what does it mean that Kagome seems to have possession of it?"
She cast him a worried glance, troubled at the distant look she observed upon his face. Gold eyes flickered with what might have been concern as they gazed out into the darkness beyond.
"I don't know," Inuyasha finally said. "I don't know."
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Here's the explanation for the name (for those who care – those who don't can just ignore the rest of this) since I didn't want to clutter up the AN section too much just before the chapter.
Anyway, the name. Japanese names frequently have layered meanings. Yes, the fluffy thing is dubbed 'kaminohogo' which is something I came up with after playing around with Japanese words. The word 'kami' means 'god' or 'deity.' The 'no' is the particle 'of' while 'hogo' means 'protection.' So my translation of the meaning is 'god's protection' or 'protection of god.' But it's also a kind of pun since, if you can's see the kanji or character for what the word stands for, another meaning for 'kami' is 'hair.' And considering Sess's ego, of course the 'kami' really stands for 'god' but I just like the little bit of silliness it could be.
Okay, lesson over. See you next time around!