(A/N) Hello, here is Chapter Four.

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Death, Emotion and Everything In Between

Chapter Four

           I see one of my favorite servants reduced to tears as I look at the almost lifeless human she holds in her grasp. She is shaking her fiercely, screaming at her to wake up, thinking she is dead, though she is still breathing, then she sobs into her chest and tells her she's sorry. Why? She has known her for not even three full days and still she grieves for a stranger. Why does this demon show such sympathy for a human, it is beneath her!

           The sobs will soon turn my headache into a migraine, I'm sure. I study the face of the wench. Her facial expression was out of focus. She wasn't dreaming because her eyelids didn't show any motion. But, how is this possible? Maybe, she is under a spell that makes her sleep, or she really is dead, but is under an illusion spell that makes her appear alive. I do not know, but tears are not worth her sake.

           I look down at Tenseiga. The sword could bring her back from the dead if the latter were true. Maybe it could even break the spell that she may be under. I grasp its hilt then slowly and gracefully raise the sword. The metallic sound caught my servant's attention and she stopped her sobbing to look at me. I look at her and understanding appears in her eyes. She moves away to prepare room for me.

           I raise the sword higher, preparing for the little imps to appear. I study the girl. Nothing is happening. Suddenly, the room darkens. I see something, but it is not an imp. At first sight, it looks like a girl. Light brown hair and green eyes shine for a second as her tall figure faces me. What is this? Some kind of barrier, I think. But no matter, if this is what is keeping the girl in this state, and my servant in hers, I will have to strike it down. I bring down my sword heavy on her, but the metal doesn't seem to touch anything. The thing had turned into a silver mist and the room was once again light.

           Kashiwagi looked at the girl, but since she did not move, she stared at me. A question formed in her eyes. I did not know how to answer. How could I say that I did not know what had happened? There is only one solution for this. Because the girl may pose a threat to the Western Lands, I would have to kill her. I place the Tenseiga into its sheath and I draw another sword. This is a demon sword, just as the Tenseiga, but it isn't special, just capable of slicing the thickest youkai skin without a problem. Though the wench seems to be under some kind of spell, there is no spell on her, that I see, which protects her fragile skin. I walk toward the girl and raise the sword, preparing it for a quick, clean slice.

           But a tug on my arm stops me. "No! Sesshoumaru-sama, please no!" Kashiwagi is trying to prevent me from committing this death. This halts me for a moment.

           "Are you a fool? Do you realize that something unknown can bring down the whole Western Lands? Do not be an idiot. She is just another human, her life means nothing!"

           "I know that Sesshoumaru-sama! But it is disrespectful to her to die so barbarically. Please, after a few months, she will die of starvation, or some other natural cause. And what if she wakes up? Then she could tell us of the unknown. Besides, not only has it just been two days since she fell, like you had said, she is just another human, how can she be the downfall of the Western Lands?"

           "But, neither me nor you, nor anybody else has a use for her, why do you even bother to save her. You are disrespectful to yourself because a human deserves no respect!"

           "But please, Sesshoumaru-sama! Just give her a single room to sleep in, a little one. I'll do the cleaning there everyday if I have to. But, please, let her die of natural causes. Or, if she is still, somehow alive, in a year and a half, you can use her for the sacrifice, and I will not stop you."

           The word sacrifice rang in my mind a few times. Of course! Why had I been so stupid as to simply throw a gift like this away? I turn around. "Do as you please" I tell her as I walk out of the room, putting my sword back into its sheath. I stop in the hallway. I turn around once more. "Why?" I whisper, knowing that she is able to hear me.

           "She is too pure." She says and returns to sobbing uncontrollably.

           The answer to my problems has arrived. Years ago, because the Fourth Miko had not been found for the Western Lands, the world had been unbalanced. Every half decade a sacrifice was to be made, to keep the balance unnoticed. But, the sacrifice had to be a human close to the Lord at the time. That is why I had always had one servant of mine human. But, about three years ago, during the last sacrifice, my servant was sacrificed as usual, and I had once again searched for a human to reclaim its status somewhat near me. This servant had been a girl of fourteen, now sixteen and was currently Rin's personal servant. Losing her would have been very bad for Rin, and I had not thought of finding another human to take her place as the sacrifice. I wouldn't be able to stand another one anywhere close to me, nor, as I see now, grow even remotely attached to her in the next few years.

           But now, this girl, Kagome who is already fairly 'close' to me, as my late brother's mate, who is currently unawares to her doom, would be perfect for delaying the search for another servant by quite some time. Rin would be safe as well, and I would not have to deal with her for some time in addition to the future servant.

           But, something clicked. My late brother's mate? There was certainly something wrong with that. Her soul is indeed one of the purest I had come upon, even for a demon of royal status, and there wasn't a single mark on her. Come to think of it, hadn't my brother chosen the walking corpse over this girl? I fix the problem, turning the mate part into 'companion'. She was my late brother's companion, I think as I continue on my way to wherever my feet take me.

~One Year, Four months and Seventeen Days Later~

           In a dull gray, small room equipped with only a see-through glass coffin with a silver base, a single servant cleans the window. She glances at the fogged up glass. Over a year's time had passed and the glass was no longer see-through due to the million or so breaths the sleeping miko had taken. Miraculously, the miko was still alive and breathing after such a long period of time.

           Kashiwagi sighed. "I'm afraid, little miko, that no matter how many times you live or die in that coffin, as long as you are still breathing, I cannot save you from an unnatural death. I do not know what Kami-sama is thinking about, but it seems, that you, miko, are not natural. Tomorrow, during the Gisei no Iwai, I fear that some force from above wishes you to die an uncivil death. Gomen. Dounimo." She said as she left the room. But even though those words were spoken, the miko's heart still beat as she took another breath.

~Sesshoumaru's Study~

           Bouen and I wait in pure silence for the conformation from Kashiwagi. The door to my study creaks open as the nervous servant enters the room.

           "Is she still alive?" I ask her, hoping for her answer to be 'hai' as it was yesterday and the day before, for the last week and a half.

           Her scared eyes focus on my own as she responds with a nod. "Hai" she whispers. Such sweet melody my ears have hardly ever heard.

           I turn to Bouen. "Then, is it fine?"

           "Hai" she says. Such a peaceful day it is, that everyone sings the same wonderful song.

           "All preparations have been made. The Three other Lords and their Miko's are here as well. Outside of your castle, some five villages are waiting and another three will arrive tomorrow along with anyone that wishes to see the sacrifice. The food has been prepared as well, all of the cooks are busy and the villagers have brought their own offerings. The Youkai, even the slime balls of the darkest corner have agreed on your five-day peace offering, as long as you will give them one day without your patrolling the grounds. This of course, simply means that you will not harm them for one day if they do not hurt anyone for five, no problems there since only one or two take advantage of that. All decorations are ready, and the only thing we need is for the celebration to actually take place." Bouen read her report.

           "Good, very good." Because I had captured the miko at the end of fall, beginning of winter, the good weather of spring made itself known as the world regained its color once again. Everything seems perfect. I will not make the same mistakes my father did. After all, this is how the hanyou came to be in the first place. The sacrifice was Inuyasha's mother. Unfortunately, Inu taisho had fallen in physical and even partially emotional love with the stupid woman and had sacrificed my mother's closest servant instead. What a disgraceful being my father was. I shall never follow in such muddy footprints. Disgusting. Right now, I live in peace, and I do not take peace for granted. Tomorrow the ceremony will take place, and I shall be done with it. All of it, and I shall live in peace once again, for five years.

~One Day Later~

           I was once again sitting in my study. Bouen nodded to me and I stood up, ready to face the yelling screaming, shrieking, bawling, screeching, crying (a/n not in the teary way), shouting crowds below the balcony. Everything was set, and everyone was here. The only thing missing was me. But, I did not want to be there; my sensitive ears have already had enough. "Quiet them down first" I tell Bouen. She nods with understanding.

           As she leaves for the balcony, I find it amusing and very ironic at the amount of people who had shown up for the ritual. Humans simply love to see death. That is very curious about them. Usually, when someone dies by the hand of a youkai, or even another human, they scream and shout and cry, but in a different way. But at a ritual or even at a village hanging, they seem to enjoy the victim's last reach for air or a criminal's neck breaking. Fools.

           The crowds seemed quiet at last. I look at the other Three Lords. With them are their mates and Mikos. But with me, I have a human child and her human servant. The first Lord, Lady, and Miko enter the balcony. They are of the North. The crowd whistles for a moment and the next trio enters, then the next. Rin, who had never seen this celebration before, clutches my clothing and looks at me with fearful eyes. "Stop, Rin." I tell her and she lets go, transferring to Shizuka, her servant of Eighteen [years].

           As the crown quiet's from the Southern Lord's entrance, I step out into the light, followed by the two humans. The cheering once again erupts from the crowd, and I raise my hand to quiet them down. My ears were greeted by Silence. I took a small breath to begin my speech.

           "Greetings, great inhabitants of the Western Lands. As well as the Greats from All of the other Lands," I gesture to the three trios behind me and the crowd erupts in cheer once more. "Throughout time, it is we, The Western Lands, who have had to pay the price for this world's balance. And we take upon this Burden as well as Honor, gladly. Kami-sama. I hope you are listening to the cries of your people today and continue to search for the Fourth. In return, we give this sacrifice to you today as our hope that She is to be found soon, and for the balance to be returned to us once more." The crowd erupted in such Sound, all at once, my ears were about to burst. I, myself yelled out, 'Proceed' to Bouen, so the ceremony would to start. She nodded in return.

           Suddenly, the Three Mikos rose simultaneously and began to chant an eerie youkai-chant that these Three have perfected over time, The Music of the Immortals. Meanwhile, the previously concealed 'coffin' of the sleeping girl rose up, 100 feet above the crowd and the Three Mikos circled around it. "What is this some kind of joke? How can a dead person be offered? This is a disgrace!" The Lady of the Southern Lands spoke up.

           I look at her, understanding the misunderstanding. "The girl inside is quite alive, but is in a forever sleep of some kind. I, Sesshoumaru, would never offer a dead being to the great Kami."

           "Of course, Lord Sesshoumaru, excuse my mistake." I do not give her an answer. She is not the only one that is confused. I could hear whispered conversations below, even from the humans.

           The Three Miko's on the other hand, continue with their ritual, hearing the steady heartbeat from within the fogged-up coffin. They Sing and they circle in midair, giving the spectators something to think about other than the mystery of the coffin. One-minute passes, then another. Finally, Bouen joins them, still in the balcony. Her words are different, but they are very important, for they open our eyes to the unbalance. Slowly, a window to the unbalance of this world appears. It is the vast emptiness. But, if this emptiness is unbalanced, it will turn on the whole world of ours. That is why we need the sacrifice, to take place of the Fourth Arrow.

           The Three Mikos return to the balcony, and prepare to shoot. They grab their Immortal-made bows of the Great Wood, and draw a single arrow from each of the three quivers. Each made by the very hands of the Great Kami-sama. They stop singing, and Bouen is left alone. Her words, still in the Immortal Language, remain eerie and musical as ever. The window finally reaches its maximum size and the First Miko fires her first arrow. The window decreases in size. The Second Miko fires her arrow. The window is reduced to the size of a door.  The third arrow shrinks it to the size of a small square.

           Now it is time for the sacrifice to change into an arrow and close the window entirely. Usually, it takes a small moment for it to change. The Three Miko's utter a small note, which rises to a very loud echo. Nothing happens. "She is dead!" The Southern Lady cries. I look at her. All of a sudden, a loud crash is heard. Glass is breaking. I think that the arrow couldn't escape the coffin and shattered the glass, but I am surprised with a human-looking hand sticking out of it. A purple blast shatters the rest of the glass, and the girl inside lowers her hand. I could not see her face, but it definitely was not my late brother's companion. The creature, back turned to me, created a bow out of pure energy as well as an arrow and shot it into the small window. The window closed and the bow disappeared. The Southern Lady gasped. "No, it can't be!"

           The whole coffin disappears as a blast of purple energy erupts from the sitting girl. She sits in midair; her too-small, beige kimono hangs tightly on her well-figured body. She stretches her legs and turns to me. Stares at me. No, it couldn't possibly be my brother's companion. Her black hair had white streaks and her eyes turned silver. Her hands supported things that looked like claws. No, she was definitely not youkai, nor was she human. She floated towards the balcony and sat by my side, moving Rin to her lap. She stared at me with her silver eyes, as though unable to speak. I could have gasped myself, just then. Her eyes, they had the same dead look as the girl had. Her hands had no claws, but long fingernails that she hadn't cut for over a year. And her hair had grown; the white streaks were simply there signifying stress or old age, or some other human disadvantage. This had to be her. She coughed twice, blood displaying on her pale hands. She wiped it on her beige kimono.

           "The Fourth Miko has awoken." A voice whispered to my left. I stared at the silver girl who owned the voice; it was the guardian of the spell. "Treat her well." She said as she left. I did not know what to do. How was I to explain all this? Meanwhile, the three trios were confused as well and not to mention Rin who was worried about the silver eyed girl that held her in her lap. The Fourth Miko once again coughed and wiped away the blood. She looked as if she were about to faint. "Come girl. Rin, Shizuka. We leave. Bouen, fix this." I stand up; the curious gazes from about 5,000 spectators follow my movements on the balcony. Once inside, the girl tried to walk instead of float, but failed miserably and hit her head against the cold floor. She stood up and continued to float. The words, Treat her well, repeated in my mind.

Vocab

Youkai: demon

Miko: Priestess

Kami: God

Gisei: Sacrifice

No: of

Iwai: Celebration/ Festival

Gomen: Sorry

Dounimo: Nothing can be done

Hai: Yes

Hanyou: Half Demon

Shizuka means peace and quiet, for all those who care to know.

Sp: Okay That took long enough

Brian:  Only 'cuz u suck a typing

Sp: -.-*

Brian: Yup, and you suck a writing too

Sp: -.-*****

Brian: No ideas in your head

Sp: -.-*********

K: Watch it she's gonna blow…

Brian: And too much homework from all ya teachers

SP: AHHHHHHH RYUU-FURAIPAN-UTSU! [dragon frying pan attack]

Brian: X_X

Sp: He never dies does he…

K: Anyway, see you next time!

Responses to Reviews:

Sesshoumaru13: Thank You, and no, It is Brian C…..no.. well, I dunno if I can give you his whole name, so just stick with brian, mai friend YEAH!

Me-dreaming-zzz: Hmm, that's a toughie, I think she does look Western Style 'cuz when I drew her (I usually draw my characters.. ^-^ like to draw) she did look Western style, so… I don't know, you choose. And, about S/K , I've grown tired of reading fic about Sesshoumaru just letting Kagome stay at his castle, so I thought maybe it would be a bit more fun to make him forced to let her stay ^-^

Kayrin: Thx! I do that sometimes, which is why I wrote about it. People think I'm weird when I tell them I 'ignore' pain…so… yeah, it does add to mystery. Hey, you should try it to! Just go outside, hurt yourself and convince yourself you didn't harm anything. XD

Inudemoness247: ::few days after your review:: I updated YAY ::claps:: ^-^ thx for staying with mai story!

That it

yawn

Okay, now to go to Document manager. ::Drags Brian off the stage::

~Spoken

Ja Ne