HI everyone, sorry for the long absence! was having problems with its uploading for a week, and then I re-installed my OS on my desktop to deal with a virus problem!
To all my many reviewers, I am certainly overwhelmed and touched. A few special notes to various people:
Yohko no Gothika – Please feel free to do a derivative fan work or take characters. I own nothing, Rumiko Takahashi owns everything. I tried to contact you but you have no email address listed on your fanfiction profile page. Thank you and Bridget so much for your encouraging words.
Evil Squeede – I know exactly how you feel about Sunrise Animation. Let's hope that Guren no Houraijima in December continues the saga for us!
Buyo-chan – I am Chinese too, and I'm glad you picked up the Autumn Moon comparison for Rin's pearls. I always thought that Zhong Qiu Jie had the loveliest moon in the year.
Everyone else – thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope you will all keep reviewing, because I hope to finish this story before the end of the year and you would have been part of something very special to me.
And now, finally, at long last...on with the story!
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Flowers In The Snow
Chapter 14: A Taijiya Is Here
Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha took three days to reach Toutousai, who lived not far from Inuyasha's village in the East. Unfortunately, Sesshoumaru couldn't risk traveling as light energy now, the vast jyaki that required might rouse Naraku's suspicions. Sesshoumaru was worried that if they did not accost Naraku in time, the evil demon would attack the Palace of the West where Rin was. Inuyasha was mad with worry about Miroku and Sango, Naraku's shouki was emanating in the East where his village was. Three days was perhaps more time than they could afford, Tessaiga was reacting violently now and it was all Inuyasha could do to keep it in its scabbard. Neither brother was in the mood for wasting time.
"Well, think harder!" Inuyasha said, cuffing the old man on the head.
"I do not appreciate abuse, you young whelp!" Toutousai groaned, rubbing his forehead. "It was all so long ago, how can an old man like me be expected to remember?"
"Do not pretend, Toutousai," said Sesshoumaru coldly, "This is not the time to try to be funny."
"Who said I was pretending? You young whelps, if your father could see you now, abusing his old friend, absolutely no respect…"
"Maybe this will jolt your memory," Sesshoumaru drew Toukijin and held it towards Toutousai.
"Ah! Oo! Oh, no need for that! Hey, guess what? I remember!" Toutousai giggled nervously. "Why don't you all sit down and have a cup of tea while I tell you about the sanshinken."
"We have no time to spare," Sesshoumaru said, looking disapprovingly at Inuyasha who had already sat down and was drinking a big cup of tea.
"Ahhh, well…I didn't want to tell you two…" Toutousai sighed and took a big gulp of tea, " But since you insist…"
"Get on with it," said Inuyasha rudely.
"It's bad. Bad bad bad."
"We already knew that," Sesshouamru said, "I could not find much in chichiue's library about the swords except for vague warnings that they should never be used together. What exactly would happen if they were?"
"As you know, I didn't forge Souunga. Your father, Inutaisho fought for and won that sword many centuries ago from a demon from hell – Sonkai, I think its name was. Although Inutaisho was a powerful tai-youkai, Souunga proved a troublesome sword even for him: it contained an ancient hell-spirit that sought to dominate heaven and earth. That was one of the reasons he asked me to force tessaiga, it contained the will of humans that could stand against the will of hell. Even that was not enough, eventually, he asked me to forge another sword, tenseiga, to contain the will of heaven. Only togther, tenseiga and tessaiga can control Souunga so it's bad that you have given tenseiga to Naraku. But that's not all…"
Toutousai took a deep drink before speaking again.
"It is true what you have discovered from Inutaisho's scrolls. The sanshinken should never be used together: if one has all three sanshinken, the three swords can combine in power to dominate all life on earth. Mountains will become valleys, the sky and sea can change places, the stars will vanish…truth and reality will merge so that there will be no more reality, everything bends to the will of the controller of the sanshinken."
Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru exchanged glances. Toutousai was right, this was bad.
"…and if you say Tessaiga is acting strangely these days…" Toutousai looked sadly at Inuyasha, "It probably means that Naraku has the other two swords and is searching for tessaiga. It is the combined will of the other two that is calling to Tessaiga. Somehow, Naraku has realized the power of the sanshinken…he will be coming for tessaiga soon, Inuyasha."
"How was chichiue able to control all three swords?" Sesshoumaru asked suddenly. "Why did he not control the world and wreck reality like you say?"
"As if your father would do that!" Toutousai scolded, "I only said the swords were capable of doing that together, but that doesn't mean one has to do it! Your father was very careful not to use all three swords together. Even in his final battle, he did not unleash the fate of the sanshinken on the world. He could have killed Takemaru and saved his life had he done that, but he chose not to and died instead! He was a good youkai was Inutaisho!"
"Now that Naraku has two swords, is there any way to defeat him using only Tessaiga, or some other weapopn?" Inuyasha asked.
Toutousai scratched his head, "I would have to say…er, NO. I think you are pretty much doomed. Youkai swords are powerful beyond anything you can imagine."
Sesshoumaru growled in annoyance, "I cannot accept that, old man, there has to be a way. No weapon, even the sanshinken, can be almighty. There was a hint of something in my father's library, but I cannot understand it."
Toutousai looked askance at the tai-youkai, "What was it?"
"It mentioned the undoing of the sanshinken by a countering force of purity. But it did not mention from where this force should come or how to bring it about."
Toutousai sighed and shook his head at Sesshoumaru, "The sanshinken depend on huge amounts of youkai energy. I suppose an enormous countering force of jun or purity energy could counter them but more than any normal human could generate."
"Human?" Inuyasha said.
"Yes, you don't expect jun-sei to be generated by a youkai, do you? We youkai cannot generate such a force at all, not even you, a hanyou with some human blood in you. There is too much youkai in you. Perhaps a very powerful miko could do it..."
"Kagome?"
"No, Inuyasha. if you remember, Kagome absorbed the shikon-no-tama which is comprised of youkai energy, even she is tainted now though she has just enough miko power in her to keep the shikon-no-tama in check. I was speaking of the powerful mikos of old, like Midoriko, or even Kikyo...but none are alive today..."
Sesshoumaru snorted. "A human can defeat the sanshinken? I find it hard to believe."
Toutousai nodded, "I know what you mean, Sesshoumaru. Although the scrolls write about this jun-sei, I highly doubt it can be generated by anyone any more...So, If I were you, Inuyasha, I would pack up my bags and run as far away as possible. How about you go to the future with Kagome?"
"He will find me even there," growled Inuyasha. "Tessaiga is reacting more and more violently these days!"
"We are leaving now," Sesshoumaru said suddenly.
"Where?" Toutousai said curiously.
"To kill Naraku, of course" was Sesshoumaru's calm reply.
"Haven't you been listening to him you stubborn jerk?" Inuyasha said grouchily, "It's impossible to defeat the swords with just Tessaiga! Worse if he gets all three! We need that fricken' purity force or whatever!"
"Maybe only with the way you handle tessaiga, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru sneered. "The only thing you could probably cut off is your own foot."
"The dog has a point," mused Toutousai aloud, "I have always thought Inuyasha's sword technique resembled the chopping of firewood."
"How dare you!" Inuyasha bashed Toutousai on the head again before whirling round on Sesshoumaru. "Well at least I can use it, you can't even touch Tessaiga! Asshole!" Inuyasha leapt out of Toutousai's cave in front of Sesshoumaru. "And we're not going to Naraku now, I told you we have to go to see Miroku and Sango first! I promised Kagome I would drop in on them first!"
"Suit yourself, I am going to Naraku."
"Then you'll be going my way anyway," Inuyasha spat out.
"What do you mean?"
"Tessaiga is reacting strongly in the direction of my village," Inuyasha sighed, "That's part of the reason I have to go check it out."
Sesshoumaru eyed Inuyasha skeptically. He did not sense any bad shouki from that direction, but then if that Mahoumaru youkai had managed to mask his master's shouki again... "Fine."
Toutousai watched as the two half-brothers trailed down the mountain. He scratched his head and sighed.
"Stubborn fools," he said to his three-eyed cow who was tethered at the mouth of his cave. "If Inutaisho were here, he'd give them both a good spanking. Ahh, the good old days…"
Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha reached the foot of Toutousai's mountain both in a foul humour. Inuyasha was mad at his older brother for insulting his sword technique again…and in front of Toutousai at that. Sesshoumaru was angry that his brother doubted his ability to defeat Naraku Tenseiga. Things were different now…Rin was out of the picture, there was no reason why he would have to hold back.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken ran forward to greet his master, "What did Toutousai say?"
Sesshoumaru looked away and sniffed. Jaken knew he was not going to get an answer when Sesshoumaru was in that mood. The green toad turned to Inuyasha instead.
"Well, hanyou? What did he say?"
"Hanyou…hanyou…Take that!" Inuyasha planted a fist on Jaken's head and the toad passed out.
"Do not waste time," Sesshoumaru said suddenly, "I smell fire in the East."
"Er…yeah. Fire…sure, I smell it too." Inuyasha's sense of smell was not as good as his full youkai half-brother's but no way in hell was he going to let that on. Sesshoumaru looked at him skeptically and Inuyasha busied himself with scratching his ears.
"It lies in the direction of your village, it is up to you whether we should make haste or not."
Inuyasha growled and leapt forward, "I don't need you to tell me the decisions to make!"
Sesshoumaru swiftly ran towards the East, keeping up easily with Inuyasha, indeed, often having to slow himself down to avoid over-taking the hanyou.
"What happened?...Aaak! Mate-o!" Jaken sprang to life, squawking with alarm. "Sesshoumaru-samaaaa! Choto mate o! Sesshoumaru-samaaa!"
The toad youkai could hardly keep up with his master in front of him, but years of trailing after the powerful dog-demon had made even Jaken swift of foot. Inuyasha increased his pace. Sesshoumaru was right, there was the smell of burning! It smelt like wood smoke, livestock and humans. For some reason, a village had been set on fire. Thankfully, it wasn't his village – that was too far away to be causing the smell, but certainly a large village was burning nearby.
Suddenly, Sesshoumaru veered off course in front of him and dipped to the right. The tai-youkai hissed as his arm shot out and grabbed a ball of light that was streaking towards them. A piteous yelp escaped from the ball.
Inuyasha ran towards his half-brother to see what he had caught. Jaken caught up with the two youkai and fell to the ground panting. Sesshoumaru was holding the creature at arm's length and shaking him. It was groaning in fear and suddenly it spoke.
"Inuyasha! Where the fuck have you been?" The creature raised its head and stared angrily at him.
"Sh-Shippou!" Inuyasha gulped. "W-what are you doing here?"
The kitsune burst into tears.
"Let him go, bastard," Inuyasha barked at Sesshoumaru who obligingly dropped Shippou on the ground at Inuyasha's feet. Shippou burst into noisy tears.
"Pull yourself together! You're no longer a child!" Inuyasha scolded, but not too harshly.
"It's that kitsune brat that followed the Inu-tachi around!" Jaken squawked, stating the obvious.
Shippou blew his nose into his sleeve noisily. He might have been sixteen years old, but in some ways, he was still like a child. Inuyasha made up his mind to have a stern word with Kagome about Shippou when he met her again.
"What happened? What are you doing here?" Inuyasha demanded of Shippou.
"I was leading the way!"
"What way? Who were you leading?" Inuyasha boxed Shippou's ears. "Don't be so cryptic!"
"Th-The villagers are heading to the W-West for protection of the Lord of the West…I was supposed to be leading them to…to…" Shippou stared at Sesshoumaru and trembled, "…your half-brother's palace. These villagers believe in an ancient contract made by Inutaisho and his Lady Akemi-Sama to shelter humans in their time of need!….but…b-but…I don't really know where we're going, or what I'm doing, or if I'm even going in the right direction, or if w-we're all gonna…if we're gonna…. DIE! WAAAAAH!" The kitsune burst into noisy tears and buried his face in Inuyasha's fire-rat cloak. He had been strong for too long now, leading the homeless villagers into the unknown, convincing them they would soon be at the palace, looking after the injured…and all the while not even sure if he was going in the right direction or whether his friends were dead… "WAAAAAH!"
"Why are you leading them?" Sesshoumaru asked, with narrowed eyes. He remembered the ancient contract which his mother had persuaded his father to agree to. But he had never thought it would have to be put into use.
"W-we were attacked a few days ago by eagle youkai…our taijiya could not fight them off…th-they were all killed…Some of us survived and we met with other villages who had been made homeless. It is said those who are killed are resurrected as zombies to serve in the palace…"
"Palace?"
"The mysterious Black Palace that appeared near our village some days back. There is a rumour that Naraku rules the palace and turns the villagers into his slaves and zombies. It is a Palace from hell."
"Miroku? Sango and the kids?" Inuyasha feared the worst.
"Sango went ahead with Myouga-jiji to the Western Palace on Kirara, she was going to call you and Kagome back! Myouga knew the way, I am following their scent. B-But Miroku…M-Miho and M-Miru…WAAAAH!"
"Pull yourself together!" Inuyasha shook Shippou sharply, "Are they dead?"
"WAAAAAAAAH!"
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Kagome and Rin sat in Rin's room, near a window looking out to sea. Rin was embroidering a border around a silk handkerchief, in an intricate design of birds and flowers.
"Where did you learn to embroider so well, Rin?"
Rin put down her embroidery and stretched. "Reka taught me…Would you like to embroider too, Kagome-sama?"
"Me?" Kagome burst out laughing, "No, I hate it. When I was in school, my teacher used to tear her hair out in frustration at anything I sewed. The stitches were big and clumsy, nothing like your little stitches here."
"Oh no! My embroidery is very bad. Every time Reka says I'm making progress, Sesshoumaru will ask me to go traveling again, and I never have time to perfect my technique. I much prefer traveling to sewing." Rin put away her sewing and turned to the sea.
"You miss him, don't you?" Kagome said, smiling.
"Yes." Rin sighed. "He seldom leaves me alone, but I can't really expect to go along this time without being properly healed yet."
Kagome wondered if she should ask Rin a little bit more about her relationship with Sesshoumaru. When Rin was a little girl of seven, it was clear that Sesshoumaru looked after her like a good guardian and parent. But Rin was no longer a little girl. At seventeen, most women in the Sengoku Jidai were married, with children, what did Rin intend to do? What did Sesshoumaru intend to do with Rin?
"Rin-chan…has Sesshoumaru ever spoken about your future?"
"Oh yes, Sesshoumaru-sama would like me to remain with him forever, which is my wish too," said Rin happily. Her face darkened, "But he has been searching for the elixir of immortality for eight years without success, so one day, I may die. But as long as I live out the rest of my life with Sesshoumaru-sama, I will be happy."
This news was surprising to Kagome. Sesshoumaru actually liked this human girl enough to search for the elixir of immortality for her? That was very odd, what could his intentions be?
"Have you never wanted to re-join a human village? You could come back with Inuyasha and I, and live with us in our village. There are many good young men in the village who would be eager to marry you."
Rin laughed, "Thank you for your kind offer, Kagome-sama, but I could never stay with humans again! I know no other life, Sesshoumaru-sama has been most kind to me, this is my home now."
"But what about a husband, and children?"
"They are not important, besides…"
"Besides?" Kagome peered at Rin who had begun to blush.
"I-I-I cannot imagine a human man ever comparing to Sesshoumaru-sama."
"Rin-chan." Kagome said softly, "If you have eyes only for Sesshoumaru-sama, perhaps you are blinding yourself to other possibilities out there. There are many good men in my village."
Rin closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh scent of the sea, "I belong with no one else, Kagome-sama. I owe Sesshoumaru-sama my life many times over. When I died as a child, he revived me with tenseiga under no obligation at all. Whenever I was hungry, he fed me. When I was tired, he carried me. When I was afraid, he was always there. Never have I gone without when it was within his means to provide it. Even if he stops caring for me, I will serve him as his servant without acknowledgement or praise."
"Rin-chan, I do not think Sesshoumaru will ever stop caring for you." Kagome said confidently, "Has he never said anything about how he feels for you to reassure you?"
"Sesshoumaru-sama never speaks much about his feelings," Rin said, "He has told me he values me, that I am worth more to him than tenseiga, and that makes me happy. The fact that he has been searching for ways to prolong my life shows me he values me, he does not need to say anything more." Rin's eyes lit up, "Oh yes, I nearly forgot to give you this, Kagome-sama." She handed the kotodama rosary to Kagome.
"Eh? Aren't you wearing it any more? You are still susceptible to ill health and need protection."
"Iya, Kagome-sama, yesterday before he left, Sesshoumaru-sama gave me an even more powerful charm." Rin unselfconsciously moved aside the collar of her kimono and pulled out the pearl kubikazari. "It is beautiful, ne?"
"H-He gave that to you?" Kagome gasped and her eyes widened. This was no mere pretty trinket to amuse a young girl! This was a necklace to beautify a princess, a sign of status and value in a royal household.
"It is much too grand for me," Rin laughed, "But Sesshoumaru insisted I wear it. It is mine whatever decision I make."
"Decision? What do you mean?"
"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama asked me in what capacity I wanted to continue by his side. I am to think of the answer and tell him when he returns."
"And have you put any thought on it?"
"I will tell him that I am happy to follow him as his humble servant or friend for the rest of my life. I do not want to be a burden to him, or a weakness that his enemies can exploit."
Rin's broken fingers played with the pearls on the necklace, rolling each perfect luminescent orb against the milk-white skin of her throat. Looking at that delicate skin on her throat and the luster of the fine pearls, a sudden realization hit Kagome. Inuyasha had once told her about the marriage rituals of demons, the ritual that he intended to go through with her next spring. It involved a 'marking' of each other by a small bite-wound to each other's necks, and an exchange of some precious jewellery; a brooch, or earring, or necklace, to be worn close to that marriage mark.
Rin's fingers continued sliding the perfect string of pearls around the soft skin of her throat. It was so obvious. Kagome was filled with the greatest desire to laugh and clap, if only Rin knew what Sesshoumaru's intentions toward her were, the girl would not speak of being his friend muc, less his servant! All the fine things that Sesshoumaru gave her: the silk kimonos, the pretty paintings, the rosewood shamisen, books, her own private garden…all items belonging to a royal lady of a palace… and now, this kubikazari that even the Empress of Japan would envy! It was so obvious.
"Rin-chan," Kagome patted the hand of the young lady gently. "I think you misunderstand Sesshoumaru."
Rin looked confused. "How so?"
Kagome smiled, "I think, Rin-chan, that the decision Sesshoumaru was asking you to make was not whether you wanted to continue staying with him as friend or servant."
"He was not?"
Kagome smiled, "Sesshoumaru was asking you to ...."
Someone burst into the room and interrupted her. Kagome and Rin leapt to their feet in surprise. Reka, the kitsune handmaiden, wore a worried look.
"Forgive me for intruding so rudely!" the kitsune panted, "A taijiya is here and insists on seeing you!"
"Taijiya?" Kagome was instantly on alert.
"Taijiya?" Rin asked, surprised.
"Kagome-chan!" Sango burst into the room, pushing the kitsune servant aside. Her black ninja armour was badly ripped and blood dripped from many wounds. Sango's face was streaked with tears and blood as she fell exhausted in Kagome's arms. "They have taken my family!"
