Hope you like this chapter. Give me reviews, please!
Btw, keep your eye on the story if you wanna know how Sessh's sys admin job works. It's like Balmung's gig, and that's all I'll say.
Ch. 5: Family Matters
Inuyasha, go wait outside. I'll join you in a few minutes."
"Uhm. Okay."
Sesshoumaru turned on his heel and headed back to the front desk.
"Is my father stable again?"
"He's just re-stabilized, Taisho-san."
"Excuse me," Sesshoumaru said with mock scoff. Out of work, Taisho-san would be my father. Sesshoumaru will suffice, or Sessho-kun, if you really don't like the length of my name."
"Well, Sesshoumaru-kun, you can see your father now."
"Arigato."
Sesshoumaru walked into his father's room.
"Konnichiwa…Chichi-ue…" he said. His tone was as plain as ever, but it did soften a bit for the occasion. "I…I hope that you are doing a little better. I remember the creature that killed you in the World, you know. I remember how you sacrificed your health to save me from that dragon. I vowed to save you, so please hold on. I know Inuyasha shouldn't be involved, but it was not my choice. The World is hypnotic in the way it holds the players it wants. He is now fated to be a part of it. Just like you, and just like me…"
Sesshoumaru put a hand on his father's face. It was clammy and pale, but yet Touga was still alive.
"Just hold on a little while longer…"
Sesshoumaru bowed slightly and left.
"Good luck, Father."
After finding Inuyasha in the parking lot talking to a girl from his school, Sesshoumaru was ready to go home.
"See ya, Katie!" Inuyasha called.
"Bye, Inuyasha!" the girl called.
The brothers walked in silence for a while, until Inuyasha finally asked his brother a question.
"Hey, Sessh?"
"Hn?"
"Have you ever seen a Cat-Player?"
"WHAT?"
Sesshoumaru turned around and began to walk backwards so as to see his brother and ascertain whether he was lying or not.
"Me and Kags saw a Cat-Player Character in Bursting Passed over Aqua field. It looked more like a hare with those flop ears, but she said it was a cat…"
"I wouldn't suggest association with Cat-Players. The two I heard of seemed to have been illegal. The first, Mia, was in league with ones who could destroy the World. Maha…she was just illegal data that existed for the sole purpose of amusing a little Wavemaster in the World. Feh, they're all corrupt if you ask me…"
Inuyasha scoffed, then his eyes fell upon his brother's paralyzed left arm. He wondered…
"Let me guess: 'Hey, Sesshoumaru, why is your arm paralyzed?' That's what you were going to ask, correct?"
"Well…yes, 'cause I know it wasn't always…"
"Well, Nosy, I'm not telling you now…"
"Oh, jeez, Sessho, you always say that when it comes to Dad, your arm or sex. You're gonna hafta tell me eventually, so why not get it over with sooner!" Inuyasha ranted.
Sesshoumaru would have loved nothing more than to tell his brother everything about the World and what it had done to their family. He could still hear the screams at night. His father's screams…
Sesshoumaru's fingers curled into a tight fist. Night time was the time when he became most frightened himself. Hellish night terrors plagued him—the leading antagonist being the elusive and illusory creature he had dubbed the "Data Drain Dragon."
"Tell you what, you need to see a shrink," Inuyasha sneered.
"Don't take that tone with me, boy!"
As they arrived, Sesshoumaru shakily fished out their apartment key and opened the door. As he entered, he slammed the unlocked door so that it rattled dangerously. Inuyasha soon made his way into the apartment just as Sesshoumaru pulled a plastic cup from the cabinet. His younger sibling pressed further.
"You know what I mean, Sesshoumaru. I can hear you at night. Moaning, screaming, and thrashing like an animal. Sometimes you even sleepwalk too."
Sesshoumaru's fingers crushed the cup onto a small ball.
"That's right. You sleepwalk at night. Remember when you woke up at 2:00 at the balcony? I had to splash you with water before you jumped off…"
"Enough."
But Inuyasha didn't stop.
"…and you get pushy about things that involve Dad," Inuyasha drilled on.
Before he could say anything more, his brother pinned him to the wall by the neck.
"I said enough!" Sesshoumaru snarled, lower lip trembling violently. His eyes shone with anger and pain.
"It's enough when I say so, jackass!" Inuyasha growled, not noticing his brother's reactions.
Without warning, Sesshoumaru punched his younger brother in the face.
"What's wrong with you!" Inuyasha cried, shoving Sesshoumaru.
"When I say something, I expect it done. You know I do not drive you hard. Now respect me."
"No!"
Inuyasha kicked his brother, by accident, squarely between the legs.
Sesshoumaru gasped, then fell back wheezing, doubled over in pain.
"Sessh, I…" Inuyasha began. "…I didn't mean it…"
Sesshoumaru stood up, still wheezing, and winced as he walked to his desk. Tears were now flowing freely from his eyes as he attempted to block out his pain. He threw Inuyasha a look that just dared him to come closer.
"I'm sorry," Inuyasha said, head bowed in shame. He then went to bed.
Next Day (After School
"Hyaah!"
Inuyasha used his huge sword, a Kikujyumonji, to dispatch a Dragon puppy.
INUYASHA HAS GAINED A LEVEL (3)
KAGOME HAS GAINED A LEVEL (3)
"No need to thank me for my expertise," Inuyasha boasted, puffing his chest out proudly.
"Don't worry…Ani Kruz!"
Kagome shot a blast at a goblin that was closing in on Inuyasha.
"I won't."
"Ha ha, very funny," Inuyasha snarled.
ALL FIELD PORTALS ARE OPEN
"Well, I guess we should sell our things," Kagome said. "We need GP for health drinks."
Suddenly, an enormous bug creature with draconic features appeared.
"What the hell?" Inuyasha yelped. "I thought we beat all the monsters!"
"It's a Parasite Dragon! They're special high-level monsters!" Kagome cried. "They're not supposed to be here in a newbie level!"
"What do we do!"
"Run!"
Kagome dragged Inuyasha with her into a run.
"Is that all we can do?" Inuyasha hissed. "It's gonna get us anyway!"
Suddenly, the Parasite Dragon took a swipe at Kagome.
"Damn you!" Inuyasha yelled.
He then knew what he had to do. He used a Speed Charm on Kagome. However, the time it took to cast it allowed the dragon to hit him.
"Urk!"
"INUYASHA!"
"…run…Kagome…"
PLAYER INUYASHA IS DEAD
"…"
Inuyasha's hair flowed like a white fire as he found himself sprawled in nothingness.
"Am I dead?" he wondered. "What…what happens when you die in the game without saving? Aren't you supposed to be a ghost?"
Without warning, a bright light blinded him.
"Aaghh!"
A girl with black flowing hair came to him.
"Huh? Who are you?"
The girl bent to his level, her large topknot brushing his forehead.
"You are the chosen one. The Third Chosen."
"The Third?"
"You are the third in the Triumvirate of the Twilight. One has failed. It is up to you and the Second to save the World," she said in her sugary, yet melancholy voice.
"And who is this Second?" Inuyasha asked. "Besides, isn't The World just a game?"
"Things are not always what they seem, young one…"
"Hey, I'm not so young," Inuyasha said softly. The girl seemed not to notice as she placed her silken hands over Inuyasha's rough ones, which were clutching his sword.
"You no longer need this sword…"
His Kikujyumonji digitized from his grasp.
"Hey!" he snapped. "I traded a lot for that high-level sword! Newbs usually can't get hold of one…!"
"You no longer need it. You merely need the Third Sword of the Twilight. It is every bit as strong as the others and from a holy fang was it forged. It is brother to the Second's sword. Tetsusaiga is its name…"
A battered-looking katana appeared in Inuyasha's hands.
"That's it? This piece of shit?"
"Trust your sword…"
Just as unexpectedly as her appearance, the girl suddenly leaned forward and kissed him.
R and R
