Well, here's yet another chapter! I can't believe how many reviews I got for Chapter Twelve! Thank you all! :) It's much appreciated!
Hee hee, I'm so happy that no one guessed what's going to happen between Serena and Sesshomaru! I've had this idea in my head for a long time, so it was fun to write this chapter. When this idea popped into my head, I actually started laughing out loud. Good thing I was in my room and not out in public when that happened! :\
X5-452Star: Hmm, now that you mention it, he hasn't been very protective, has he? Well, sorry, it ain't going to happen in this chapter. I have something else up my sleeve! BUT… since you did mention it, I did add a *little* scene into Chapter Fifteen. (Just a little mention… but I promise, once they get into a fight, Darien will get quite protective, per normal. :) )
KhmerGirl: Because it's fun to be evil! :) I hate cliffhangers myself when I'm reading stories, but they're just SO fun to write!!
Henio: Yay! A vote for Serena kicking Sesshomaru's ass! LoL, it doesn't happen… exactly, but you'll see soon enough!
Lara1786: Glad I'm not boring you! ;)
kagome: Yes, yes I am trying to make you go insane. ;) J/K, of course. Sorry, but cliffys are a lot of fun to write! I'll try to not do it so often anymore though. :)
Jabba1: Isn't Rin always near Sesshomaru? I think it's so cute that he keeps her close by... but I digress! Thank you! I really enjoy your reviews! :)
Sakura-ayame33: Hey! I hope you're still alive! ;) Personally, I'd be too busy swooning over Sesshomaru to laugh, but that's just me! (Yeah, I think he's good looking, but I prefer Inuyasha by far! Hee hee) Anyways, I'm glad you like my story!!
Simply a Lady: I can't wait to see how your story finishes! Here's more! (BTW, I know what you mean. I've got so many story ideas floating around in my head that I'll be writing Inuyasha fan fiction until I'm 30! LoL!)
Chelsea c: I'm evil, that's how. :) Hee hee…
Prophetess of Hearts: You just about hit the nail on the head… you've got the closest guess so far!
Yeah, I don't really want to move my story, because the crossover section doesn't seem to get as many visitors, but it's up to the readers. And I gave up visiting it myself because of the inactivity of the stories. ::sigh:: We'll see, but it seems like most people are fine with where the story is now.
Leira1: My favorite animes are Sailor Moon and Inuyasha too. :) If this story moves though, it would be to the Sailor Moon Crossover section.
Oh my, I don't think I'd survive writing more than one ending! LoL, but don't worry, I'm not ignoring either couple when I write. Actually, now that Serena and Darien are together and their secrets are out, the story is kinda moving more towards Inuyasha and Kagome (and a bit of Miroku and Sango, but not much). (That'll please Inuyasha, don't you think? LoL!)
Hey, random anime characters talk to you too? Good, I'm not the only one! ;)
Lady Tristana Rogue: Thank you!
Artemis the hunter: Oh my! Thank you so much! ::blush::
Mage Raistlin: Neither! Hee hee, you'll see! ;)
Oh gee… that sucks! I always go back and reread to make sure I didn't make too many mistakes. But of course, one or two always slip by. In my defense though, spellchecker wouldn't have been much help, because patients is a correctly spelled word. I just didn't happen to catch the mistake. Thank you though! :)
DragonPrincessDynamis: Updating! Updating! :)
Okay, well a few words before I start the chapter.
I have great respect for Sesshomaru, so I almost hate to do this to him… *almost*. I've got to say, it was kinda fun to do! I almost didn't include Sesshomaru in the story at all, because I wasn't sure how to deal with the crescent moon on his forehead. And then this evil little idea popped into my head! What is it? Well… read on…
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Shouts were frozen in throats and too late warnings sat upon lips, unspoken. Jaws hung open as Serena continued to stand, even under the onslaught of poison being pumped into her. Although she had stopped laughing, their was still laughter in her eyes as she stared into Sesshomaru's eyes.
Sesshomaru's eyes on the other hand held a barely contained shocked confusion. No human had ever before withstood his poison claws.
Everyone watched in paralyzed amazement as Serena smiled. Sesshomaru was giving her enough poison to kill ten demons and yet she was smiling? They all watched as one of her arms slowly raised, and she pressed the tip of a finger to Sesshomaru's head - to his blue crescent moon, actually. At that simple pressure, his hand lost its grip, and his arm fell to his side. Sesshomaru and Serena now had their eyes locked to one another's, but both of their eyes were blank, as if they were in a trance.
"What is going on here?!" Darien exclaimed, not liking what he was seeing. He had wanted to run to her aid as soon as she was 'attacked' by Sesshomaru, but he knew that she did not need his help. Normally when she was in trouble, he felt a pull at his heart that told him so. Yet, he had not felt that pull for even a moment. It was as if Serena knew that she had control over Sesshomaru, and knew that he could not hurt her. But how? And why?
No one had the answers, and everyone was too surprised and confused to even hazard a guess. They all settled with standing aside and carefully watching for any movements from Sesshomaru.
Inuyasha's hand rested on Tetsusaiga. Miroku's staff, always at hand, was poised and he was ready to call forth a barrier for Serena if needed. (And that was the only reason he was standing so close to her, really.) Sango's arm was tensed, ready to grab her boomerang. (And if Miroku dared to touch Serena it would come in handy.) Kagome had an arrow notched to her bow, ready to hit Sesshomaru with a purifying arrow if absolutely necessary. Shippou hid behind Kagome, because he was not going to mess with the demon lord. Kirara sat by Sango, in her small form, but ready to transform to protect her friends if it came to that. Darien twirled a rose in his fingers, more than ready to lodge the deadly stem between the dog demon's eyes. Pull-at-the-heart be damned! He would not let the demon near her again.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
Serena was once again in another's mind, yet it was very different this time. Violent images flooded by her as blood splattered and shrill screams of the dying were heard. She even felt emotion - joy. Sesshomaru enjoyed killing, maiming, spilling blood.
"If you don't like it, leave."
She turned to see Sesshomaru behind her, looking none too pleased that his mind was being invaded.
"Nah, I've seen plenty of blood spilled before. I've even split some. Just can't say I liked it wall that much."
He raised an eyebrow. "You have killed? Peculiar. How is it that my lousy brother," he spit out the word brother, like it lay vile on his tongue "ends up traveling with all the strange women?"
"Just lucky, I guess," Serena said with a cheeky smile.
"Enough of this! Why are you here?"
"To inform you of your destiny."
"I choose my own destiny!" He roared, angry that such a slip of a girl would dare try to tell him what to do.
"Oh, but you don't have a choice, and you know it. Those stories that were told to you as a child were true, Sesshomaru. They weren't scary stories told to amuse."
A look that can only be described as horror crossed his face before his cold mask settled back down.
"Lies! You know nothing! Demons are better than humans in all ways and I will never believe differently."
"You uselessly defend yourself, Sesshomaru, because you know it's true. You can feel that it's true. And, on another topic, you're not as heartless as you seem."
Sesshomaru crossed his arms. "You know nothing, little girl."
Serena had to hold back a giggle, but Sesshomaru say the amusement on her face.
"What?"
"You remind me of Inuyasha when you do that - but hey!, I thought you were missing your left arm."
Sesshomaru scoffed, again in an Inuyasha-like way. "This is my mind. If I want two arms, I can have two arms."
"Why do you want two arms?" It was a stupid question to ask, but she felt compelled to do so.
Sesshomaru did not deign to answer, but he had no reason to. The images that flashed by were reasons enough. It was a small group of images though that caught Serena's attention, and she suddenly understood. She filed the information away for later. And then an idea came to her.
"Why do you hate Inuyasha so much?"
"Because he is naught but a dirty half demon, and he is unworthy of my Father's blood."
The images that flew by belied his statement though. She understood Sesshomaru's hatred of humans now, and felt a sort of pity for him.
Serena stood up tall, regally almost, and looked at him straight in the eye.
"You understand that I cannot allow you to hurt Inuyasha or his friends." It was not a question, it was a statement.
Sesshomaru said nothing, just glared.
"Good. And when the final battle against Naraku, you will aid Inuyasha and his friends."
"I was planning to fight Naraku anyway."
"Ah yes," Serena nodded. "You will never forgive him for kidnapping Rin, will you?"
"Never," Sesshomaru agreed, seething with anger.
"Rin means a lot to you."
No answer, but again the images gave him away.
"You may retain your lands, Lord Sesshomaru." He gave an almost imperceptible nod.
Sesshomaru's mind began to fade from her sight and she knew her time was up. Before she was completely gone though, she left him with a parting thought.
"There is nothing weak about showing emotions. In fact, the strongest people in the world are those who show their love to others." And with that, she was gone.
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Back in reality, her friends were looking on worriedly. At some point earlier on into Serena and Sesshomaru's trance, Rin had skipped into the clearing, Jaken running close behind her. Of course, Jaken had been whining on and on asking what they had done to Sesshomaru, but he had quickly been silenced by a shard rap to the head from Miroku's staff. Rin on the other hand went right to Kagome, who put down her bow and arrow and picked her up, holding her as they both watched the unmoving pair.
Finally Serena seemed to be coming out of her trance. The first thing she did was touch her left hand to the crystal in her brooch and bring he right hand up to where Sesshomaru's left arm used to be. The crystal began to glow and before their eyes, the demon lord grew a new arm. This was much to Inuyasha's displeasure. Moments later Sesshomaru came out of his trance.
At first he made a move as if to attack Serena, but he abruptly stopped a second later. He stared at Serena for a long moment before suddenly seeming to realize that he had a left arm. He raised the arm and scrutinized it with wonder in his eyes. He looked at Serena, his question obvious in his eyes.
"A gift," she said with a smile. He nodded. Then he turned and walked towards Kagome and Rin. He ignored Inuyasha's warning growl, and merely held out his arms. Kagome handed Rin over to the waiting arms, shock clear on her face.
Sesshomaru began to walk away. "Come, Jaken." The little lizard demon scrambled after him.
Serena was about to explain everything to her waiting friends when a final thought trailed from Sesshomaru's head to hers. She whipped around to face the retreating form of Sesshomaru.
"No!" Her voice was commanding, and everyone turned to look at her, including Sesshomaru. "No, Sesshomaru, you are wrong. Inuyasha is not under my command, I am under his. I know that you understand what that means." Sesshomaru did not look completely convinced, so Serena rubbed salt into the wound with a regretful sigh. "Do you see a mark on his forehead?" She pointed back to Inuyasha's obviously clear forehead. "No. That means that he is free. He serves under no one. That means, that he is superior to you." She hated to do it, but Sesshomaru's arrogant pride had to be broken.
Sesshomaru stared at her for a long moment before hesitantly nodding. He then turned around and quickly left, Jaken following behind.
When Serena turned back to her friends they were all gaping openly at her.
She sighed. "Story time… again." With that she sat down, and everyone else did the same.
"Back on the moon we had two breeds of - allies - I guess you could say. There were the Lunar Cats, of which Luna is, and the Moon Dogs. Sesshomaru is descended from a Moon Dog.
"Both Lunar Cats and Moon Dogs have humanoid forms, as you can see from Sesshomaru, and they spent most of their time in that form when not on duty. The Lunar Cats were royal advisors while the Moon Dogs were the guards of the Moon Castle.
"The reason why Moon Dogs - dog demons - are on Earth is because after Beryl took Endymion's guards, I ordered some of the guards to go and protect Endymion's home. I guess his palace was where Japan is today, so that's why dog demons are in Japan. I guess that once the old kingdoms of Earth fell to ruin, that the Moon Dogs cast aside their roles as guards and took lordship over the lands of Japan. Yet, I still have the ability to control them, and am impervious to their powers."
"So, you can control me?" Inuyasha asked, not liking the thought at all.
Serena rolled her eyes. "Didn't you hear what I said to Sesshomaru?! You don't' have the mark of the Moon Kingdom, therefore I have no power over you. You are free…"
"And therefore superior to Sesshomaru," Kagome finished for her, and Inuyasha looked very happy about that. "But what does it mean that you are under Inuyasha's command?"
Serena winced in sympathy for Sesshomaru. "Ah… oh man, Inuyasha is going to get a big head for this one."
"It can't get much bigger. Go on," Kagome encouraged.
"Hey!" Inuyasha huffed. Kagome just smiled sweetly at him.
"I am the Princess of the Moon and technically Sesshomaru is under my command. Since I put myself under Inuyasha's command…"
"I can order Sesshomaru around!" Inuyasha interrupted, leaping up in his excitement.
"But only through me," Serena said. Then her eyes turned hard and a warning entered her voice. "But I wouldn't suggest trying that." Inuyasha gulped and sat down. A smile sprung to Serena's face and she beamed at him. "Good!"
"So, what was Sesshomaru's mind like?" Sango asked.
Serena grimaced. "Bloody. Full of screams. He loves to kill." Serena shuddered.
"So than why did ya give him back his arm?!" Inuyasha said, anger biting at the words.
Serena closed her eyes. "Because he's not all bad. His greatest fear was that one day he would not be able to protect Rin because of his missing arm. He cares for Rin, and even he is not sure why. He does not have the same burning hatred for humans that he used to, all because of Rin. She is more important to him than anyone or anything else in this world." When she reopened her eyes, she was surprised to see that Inuyasha's ears were drooping and a sad frown on his face. Even as she watched, Kagome noticed too and took his hand into her own. He grasped it back thankfully.
"Did you happen to catch a glimpse of why Sesshomaru hates humans so much?" Miroku asked out of curiosity.
Serena nodded with a frown. "When he was a child he was different, very different. He smiled and laughed and played, just like Shippou does." Shippou smiled at her from Kagome's lap. "When his mother left him - I didn't catch if it was abandonment or death - was when his heart first began to chill, to harden. But it wasn't much and it had nothing to do with humans at the time. In fact, he liked his father's new mate, he thought she was beautiful. He was eager for his brother's birth." Inuyasha's head shot up in disbelief.
Serena closed her eyes, remembering the images. "Right after you were born, Inuyasha, your mother put you in Sesshomaru's arms. He was happy to finally have someone to play with and to boss around - in a brotherly way. But that would be one of the few times he ever held you, because your father died the next day. He was given a choice to go with you and your mother to her childhood home, or to stay with your father's family. He choose to go with you and your mother." Surprise registered on Inuyasha's face. "Yes, he loved you that much. But once at your mother's home, everything went wrong. You were given over to some maids while your mother rested from the strenuous journey. Sesshomaru - he tried to see you so that he could hold you again, but the maids wouldn't let him. They called him an evil demon, unworthy of contact with humans. They even kept their contact to you to a bare minimum, but tolerated you because of your human blood. That angered Sesshomaru to no end. He stayed for a few weeks, but after that couldn't take it any more. He was sick of humans telling him that he wasn't good enough. So he left to go back to the Western Lands. He was young, very young, but he made the journey alone. When he left your mother's home, his heart was already hardening to humans, and by the time he got to your father's home, it was frozen over. I didn't get a good look at what had happened, but I think that a lot of humans tried to kill him. Because he was a demon. It didn't matter that he was young and couldn't really hurt them, they still wanted to kill him. He decided along the journey that he would never again let a human tell him he wasn't good enough, and that he would give them reason to think he was evil. Somewhere along the way the feelings of love and care for Inuyasha got deeply buried - because he too had human blood. And thus the Sesshomaru that you all know and loathe."
Nobody said anything for a long while. It was Inuyasha though who finally broke the silence.
"Damn it!" A hand slammed to the ground. "I actually feel sorry for him." He was angry at himself for letting himself feel anything but hate towards his brother. It did not matter if Sesshomaru had once cared for him, because the brother he knew was only out for his blood.
"I feel bad for him too," Kagome said, squeezing the hand that she held and running her thumb over the back of his hand in a soothing fashion.
"I think that we may see a new Sesshomaru when we see him next," Serena said. "He already has orders from me not to hurt any of you, so you don't have to worry about that anymore. Besides that though, I made him remember hidden memories, so that may change him."
"Hmm," Sango said, obviously mulling over something.
"What is it, Sango?" Miroku asked. Kagome took note of the discarding of the formal title of 'Lady' with a smile.
"Well, did you notice how he held Rin in his arms? He's never done that before. He could have, even with only one arm. I think he's already changed."
Kagome shrugged. Then, remembering why they were traveling in the first place, she stood up, reluctantly letting go of Inuyasha's hand. "Guess we'll find out next time we see him. Now let's get going. Kagura is probably long gone, but maybe we can get a lead where to find her." With that she started down the path, and everyone scrambled to get up and catch up with her. Inuyasha went right to her side. She looked up at him when she noticed him there, and he smiled at her. She looked a little surprised but smiled back before looking back to the road ahead.
Inuyasha looked behind him to Serena who smiled and nodded. It was a good start.