Here you go again, everyone! Chapter 6!! There's some... major angst in this chapter, k? Be warned.
-----------------------------------------
Chapter 6: Motte Soukutsu Metsuki; Nain Gozen En Shouka? (With Haunted Eyes; Am I Not Singing?)
It was late in the evening, as the sun was streaking the sky with brilliant magentas and fiery reds, when Sesshoumaru sent his retainer to fetch his younger brother. It was a very good thing that Inuyasha didn't refuse the meeting, for at that time Sesshoumaru knew his patience was most thin, and he would have hunted down the hanyou and demanded an explanation with his sword to the half-breed's neck. Besides, this matter was grave, and there was no time to waste weighing it's outcomes.
Sesshoumaru sat on a woven silk cushion behind a finely carved cherry wood table. His brows were knit in contemplation, and his back was rigid from pressure. Inuyasha seemed quite the opposite, however. Unlike his elder counterpart, the oji reclined on his own cushion and slouched in his relaxation; this annoyed Sesshoumaru beyond words.
"Must you mock the importance of everything, hanyou?" Sesshoumaru asked, forcing his taut eyebrow to rise slightly.
"No, just this," Inuyasha replied coolly. "Why bother with it now? There's still a lot of time left."
"A dozen days hardly counts as 'a lot,' little brother."
Despite Sesshoumaru's stoic face, Inuyasha could see his concern within the depths of his eyes. "If you're so uptight about it, why not just keep the himes and march to the East anyway; it's not like they would be able to stop you. You could have both prizes."
Sesshoumaru shook his head, his strained brain growing weary, though he did his best to hide it. "I am a demon of my word, Inuyasha. I will not renege on my vows." If there was anything Sesshoumaru honoured more than his father's wishes, it was his duty to fulfill his oaths: the thing that separated his royal demon family from their common demon subjects. Inuyasha, too, carried that same sanctity deep within his blood – despite its impurity.
"Then, you're trapped," Inuyasha replied, folding his arms across his chest.
"Indeed, I am at an impasse... for the moment."
Something in Sesshoumaru's voice sounded mournful, and Inuyasha had to repeat the words in his mind before he could believe it. Was Sesshoumaru sad about this choice? Were the himes getting under his skin? If so, why?
Inuyasha smirked wickedly at the thought that crossed his mind then. "Don't tell me the Great and Powerful Sesshoumaru-osama is going soft on humans?!"
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes to that, and glared fiercely at his brother. "Bold words, coming from a half-breed. No, I am not softening; I am considering a possible asset for our land's future. I sense a strange aura around them both."
"A strange aura? Around the himes?"
"Who else?" Sesshoumaru retorted slowly, as though speaking to a child.
"Don't pamper me, bastard! What about this aura?"
"I am not sure yet. It feels like small bolts of lightning flashing around them..." Sesshoumaru broke off then. He wouldn't allow Inuyasha to learn of the affects this strange aura had; the shocks were thrilling to him. For an instant in the hall, Sesshoumaru remembered he had brushed passed Kikyo-hime, and the electricity that shot through him at the simple brush of hands had sent pain ringing through his body – and he found he enjoyed it, and craved for it to occur again.
At first, it had puzzled the demon lord as to why Inuyasha hadn't sensed the aura as well, for he was often seen near Kagome-hime. Surely his brother had touched her, even just by accident. Then it came to him: Inuyasha was a hanyou.
'Half-breeds lack the degree of acuteness that pure-breeds possess.'
Narrow golden eyes met with wild, open ones as the two siblings stared at one another. "Inuyasha, I have sent for my council and nobles to attend a gathering tomorrow evening. We shall present the himes there and observe the public reaction. This may further me in my final decision."
Inuyasha turned his head away in dismissal. "Feh."
"You must be there too, little brother."
Sesshoumaru watched as his brother's eyes widened and his head shot back to look at him. "I—! But—! What did I—? Grrr...! Why?!"
"To accompany Kagome-hime, of course. It would be indecent to have her go without an escort."
The oji's eyes burned at the apathetic face before him in a childish manner and he cursed and swore every cuss he knew. "I HATE crowds, Sesshoumaru!! You know that!"
"I know. I look forward to seeing you there."
"But, she may not want to go with—!"
"Have the two of you exchanged not so elegant words then, Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha pouted and fumed. It pissed him off that he couldn't hide it from his brother. "You could say that. She hasn't spoken to me since this morning."
"I see," Sesshoumaru replied, standing and moving to the door and sliding it open gracefully. "Well, that is your dilemma, little brother. Not mine. See to it that you are both there." With that, he swept out of the room, leaving behind his completely astonished and utterly confused sibling.
*****
Kagome stood before the hanging mirror on the side wall of her chamber. She lifted her right hand and swept the oaken comb through her obsidian tresses; it was the only thing that could make her feel better when she was as distraught as this. She closed her eyes and pulled the teeth through her hair once more, then caressed the midnight waves with her free hand.
It was soft. So soft that the rhythm she had created began lulling her into a dream-daze.
Without even realizing it, she began humming a gentle tune as she stroked the comb through her hair repeatedly. It felt good to hear singing and feel the comb's steady pull; if only the hands holding it were the ones from before... If only it were her mother's voice caroling wordlessly...
After a moment of this completely comfortable ritual, Kagome's eyes snapped open, with new, fledgling tears birthing forth from the corners. She shook her head violently and cried out, not caring if anyone could hear her. It didn't matter if they did, anyway; it wasn't their pain.
Her pain, her fear. Hers alone.
She choked out a quiet sob. "Mine. Mine... alone...!
That word pounded through her frail human veins and chilled her. The beating of her own heart was thundering in her ears as she gasped to control her uninhibited grief! To her, it was a rapidly sounding knell for the dead long passed... Those who couldn't be forgotten or let go of.
Her eyes fluttered to an eerie, far-off look as she peered out her window to the mountains in the east. Her desperate gasps were growing, and her eyes lost their vibrant sheen of liveliness. The pupils shrank and the irises lightened to a pale white around the edges; they were ghostly with the uncontrollable overflowing memory.
She threw away the comb, her throbbing ears only faintly hearing it clatter against the wall and drop to the floor! She raised her hands, letting her fingernails rake slowly down her cheeks, and screamed! She screamed hard and long and without regret or shame! She shrieked with all the agony she could outpour – the years of non-loving, the pain of loss, the feeling of betrayal. It all came out in one vicious magnetic rush! She couldn't stop it; she didn't want to.
She waited until the dripping trail of her scream diminished into silence, and dropped to the floor with a harsh thud. Her knees and elbows stung from the impact, but she didn't care. She felt better inside, at least. She found herself completely spent and exhausted, yet still she forced her arms to drag her over the mats to her warm futon. She pushed back the blankets and rolled inside, her eyes carrying the most lifeless, defeated, and glazed look she could ever have imagined wearing.
It took only a few moments for darkness to creep into the corners of her vision as she lay there, staring at – and not at – the ceiling. She decided better than to attempt a fight against the darkness. She surrendered to it wholeheartedly, letting its emptiness consume her entirely, and free her of her pain, even if only for a little while. The comfortably dismal abyss of sleep fell over Kagome like a funerary veil, and she let it sweep over her.
*****
Kikyo heard the terrifying echo of her sister's scream. The resonating within it spoke volumes to Kikyo where it would have meant nothing but fear to anyone else. She pushed back her tresses and dropped the silken kimono she had been holding in her delicate, ivory hands.
Her slender body drifted passed a woman with waist-long black hair and gorgeous brown eyes. Her destination was the doorway of her chambers, but the woman caught her wrist gently, but with firm command.
"Sesshoumaru-osama wishes you to choose a kimono for tomorrow, Kikyo-hime, and that is what I am here to see you do." Though the words were meant to sound threatening, they came out in a more sympathetic tone.
Kikyo looked at her, pushing back the rare tears that would have otherwise fallen; her poor sister was in pain! "Please... Please, Sango-san, go to my sister...!"
Sango nodded gently, knowing full well where to find the second hime. As of yet, the servant had not been granted the pleasure of meeting Kagome-hime close up, but she had seen her from afar in the dining hall and had heard of her from Kikyo-hime.
The sound of Sango's feet fell hard against the wood of the halls, and as she bounded along her hair whipped around her despite being pulled into a high ponytail. She pushed herself on wildly, until she came upon the illusive hime's door.
Her hands, quivering from nervousness, pushed the screen open, and she gazed into the room. Her eyes met the form of the girl sleeping in her futon gently. On the floor of the room a few meters away, Sango spotted a small wooden comb, broken into two pieces from what appeared to be a massive impact.
------------------------------------------
Ah, that felt so gratifying! Hope you enjoyed, see you next time! ^__^
-----------------------------------------
Chapter 6: Motte Soukutsu Metsuki; Nain Gozen En Shouka? (With Haunted Eyes; Am I Not Singing?)
It was late in the evening, as the sun was streaking the sky with brilliant magentas and fiery reds, when Sesshoumaru sent his retainer to fetch his younger brother. It was a very good thing that Inuyasha didn't refuse the meeting, for at that time Sesshoumaru knew his patience was most thin, and he would have hunted down the hanyou and demanded an explanation with his sword to the half-breed's neck. Besides, this matter was grave, and there was no time to waste weighing it's outcomes.
Sesshoumaru sat on a woven silk cushion behind a finely carved cherry wood table. His brows were knit in contemplation, and his back was rigid from pressure. Inuyasha seemed quite the opposite, however. Unlike his elder counterpart, the oji reclined on his own cushion and slouched in his relaxation; this annoyed Sesshoumaru beyond words.
"Must you mock the importance of everything, hanyou?" Sesshoumaru asked, forcing his taut eyebrow to rise slightly.
"No, just this," Inuyasha replied coolly. "Why bother with it now? There's still a lot of time left."
"A dozen days hardly counts as 'a lot,' little brother."
Despite Sesshoumaru's stoic face, Inuyasha could see his concern within the depths of his eyes. "If you're so uptight about it, why not just keep the himes and march to the East anyway; it's not like they would be able to stop you. You could have both prizes."
Sesshoumaru shook his head, his strained brain growing weary, though he did his best to hide it. "I am a demon of my word, Inuyasha. I will not renege on my vows." If there was anything Sesshoumaru honoured more than his father's wishes, it was his duty to fulfill his oaths: the thing that separated his royal demon family from their common demon subjects. Inuyasha, too, carried that same sanctity deep within his blood – despite its impurity.
"Then, you're trapped," Inuyasha replied, folding his arms across his chest.
"Indeed, I am at an impasse... for the moment."
Something in Sesshoumaru's voice sounded mournful, and Inuyasha had to repeat the words in his mind before he could believe it. Was Sesshoumaru sad about this choice? Were the himes getting under his skin? If so, why?
Inuyasha smirked wickedly at the thought that crossed his mind then. "Don't tell me the Great and Powerful Sesshoumaru-osama is going soft on humans?!"
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes to that, and glared fiercely at his brother. "Bold words, coming from a half-breed. No, I am not softening; I am considering a possible asset for our land's future. I sense a strange aura around them both."
"A strange aura? Around the himes?"
"Who else?" Sesshoumaru retorted slowly, as though speaking to a child.
"Don't pamper me, bastard! What about this aura?"
"I am not sure yet. It feels like small bolts of lightning flashing around them..." Sesshoumaru broke off then. He wouldn't allow Inuyasha to learn of the affects this strange aura had; the shocks were thrilling to him. For an instant in the hall, Sesshoumaru remembered he had brushed passed Kikyo-hime, and the electricity that shot through him at the simple brush of hands had sent pain ringing through his body – and he found he enjoyed it, and craved for it to occur again.
At first, it had puzzled the demon lord as to why Inuyasha hadn't sensed the aura as well, for he was often seen near Kagome-hime. Surely his brother had touched her, even just by accident. Then it came to him: Inuyasha was a hanyou.
'Half-breeds lack the degree of acuteness that pure-breeds possess.'
Narrow golden eyes met with wild, open ones as the two siblings stared at one another. "Inuyasha, I have sent for my council and nobles to attend a gathering tomorrow evening. We shall present the himes there and observe the public reaction. This may further me in my final decision."
Inuyasha turned his head away in dismissal. "Feh."
"You must be there too, little brother."
Sesshoumaru watched as his brother's eyes widened and his head shot back to look at him. "I—! But—! What did I—? Grrr...! Why?!"
"To accompany Kagome-hime, of course. It would be indecent to have her go without an escort."
The oji's eyes burned at the apathetic face before him in a childish manner and he cursed and swore every cuss he knew. "I HATE crowds, Sesshoumaru!! You know that!"
"I know. I look forward to seeing you there."
"But, she may not want to go with—!"
"Have the two of you exchanged not so elegant words then, Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha pouted and fumed. It pissed him off that he couldn't hide it from his brother. "You could say that. She hasn't spoken to me since this morning."
"I see," Sesshoumaru replied, standing and moving to the door and sliding it open gracefully. "Well, that is your dilemma, little brother. Not mine. See to it that you are both there." With that, he swept out of the room, leaving behind his completely astonished and utterly confused sibling.
*****
Kagome stood before the hanging mirror on the side wall of her chamber. She lifted her right hand and swept the oaken comb through her obsidian tresses; it was the only thing that could make her feel better when she was as distraught as this. She closed her eyes and pulled the teeth through her hair once more, then caressed the midnight waves with her free hand.
It was soft. So soft that the rhythm she had created began lulling her into a dream-daze.
Without even realizing it, she began humming a gentle tune as she stroked the comb through her hair repeatedly. It felt good to hear singing and feel the comb's steady pull; if only the hands holding it were the ones from before... If only it were her mother's voice caroling wordlessly...
After a moment of this completely comfortable ritual, Kagome's eyes snapped open, with new, fledgling tears birthing forth from the corners. She shook her head violently and cried out, not caring if anyone could hear her. It didn't matter if they did, anyway; it wasn't their pain.
Her pain, her fear. Hers alone.
She choked out a quiet sob. "Mine. Mine... alone...!
That word pounded through her frail human veins and chilled her. The beating of her own heart was thundering in her ears as she gasped to control her uninhibited grief! To her, it was a rapidly sounding knell for the dead long passed... Those who couldn't be forgotten or let go of.
Her eyes fluttered to an eerie, far-off look as she peered out her window to the mountains in the east. Her desperate gasps were growing, and her eyes lost their vibrant sheen of liveliness. The pupils shrank and the irises lightened to a pale white around the edges; they were ghostly with the uncontrollable overflowing memory.
She threw away the comb, her throbbing ears only faintly hearing it clatter against the wall and drop to the floor! She raised her hands, letting her fingernails rake slowly down her cheeks, and screamed! She screamed hard and long and without regret or shame! She shrieked with all the agony she could outpour – the years of non-loving, the pain of loss, the feeling of betrayal. It all came out in one vicious magnetic rush! She couldn't stop it; she didn't want to.
She waited until the dripping trail of her scream diminished into silence, and dropped to the floor with a harsh thud. Her knees and elbows stung from the impact, but she didn't care. She felt better inside, at least. She found herself completely spent and exhausted, yet still she forced her arms to drag her over the mats to her warm futon. She pushed back the blankets and rolled inside, her eyes carrying the most lifeless, defeated, and glazed look she could ever have imagined wearing.
It took only a few moments for darkness to creep into the corners of her vision as she lay there, staring at – and not at – the ceiling. She decided better than to attempt a fight against the darkness. She surrendered to it wholeheartedly, letting its emptiness consume her entirely, and free her of her pain, even if only for a little while. The comfortably dismal abyss of sleep fell over Kagome like a funerary veil, and she let it sweep over her.
*****
Kikyo heard the terrifying echo of her sister's scream. The resonating within it spoke volumes to Kikyo where it would have meant nothing but fear to anyone else. She pushed back her tresses and dropped the silken kimono she had been holding in her delicate, ivory hands.
Her slender body drifted passed a woman with waist-long black hair and gorgeous brown eyes. Her destination was the doorway of her chambers, but the woman caught her wrist gently, but with firm command.
"Sesshoumaru-osama wishes you to choose a kimono for tomorrow, Kikyo-hime, and that is what I am here to see you do." Though the words were meant to sound threatening, they came out in a more sympathetic tone.
Kikyo looked at her, pushing back the rare tears that would have otherwise fallen; her poor sister was in pain! "Please... Please, Sango-san, go to my sister...!"
Sango nodded gently, knowing full well where to find the second hime. As of yet, the servant had not been granted the pleasure of meeting Kagome-hime close up, but she had seen her from afar in the dining hall and had heard of her from Kikyo-hime.
The sound of Sango's feet fell hard against the wood of the halls, and as she bounded along her hair whipped around her despite being pulled into a high ponytail. She pushed herself on wildly, until she came upon the illusive hime's door.
Her hands, quivering from nervousness, pushed the screen open, and she gazed into the room. Her eyes met the form of the girl sleeping in her futon gently. On the floor of the room a few meters away, Sango spotted a small wooden comb, broken into two pieces from what appeared to be a massive impact.
------------------------------------------
Ah, that felt so gratifying! Hope you enjoyed, see you next time! ^__^