"Broken Mirror" – Part Two
Author's Notes: Welcome to the exciting, fun-filled conclusion of the story. All I can say is: poor, poor Sesshoumaru and poor Inuyasha, though he doesn't know it yet. Oh, and thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far…to the rest of you, please review! I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters. Sorry, I'd share if they were mine…maybe. It all belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. The plot is mine though, so please respect it. Thanks!
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Inuyasha pulled another book absently off of the pile. Kagome had left to take care of a 'personal need' more than ten minutes ago, and that left Inuyasha alone in the library with his brother. Thankfully, they had refused to speak to one another. Sesshoumaru was occupied reading on the floor; his chair had snapped the moment he sat down. He was now able to block the little bits of rock and drips of water that somehow happened to appear wherever he sat without difficulty.
"Keh."
Sesshoumaru looked up from his book to glare at his younger brother. Inuyasha just smirked knowingly. Annoyed, Sesshoumaru returned to reading, ignoring him for the moment. Another chunk of rock fell and was knocked away quickly. How had he gotten himself into this mess? It had been years ago when he'd defeated the rat tribe, taking all of their treasured possessions. Now he regretted getting involved. Sesshoumaru rubbed his temple with frustration.
"Dammit, Kagome is taking too long." Inuyasha mumbled.
Sesshoumaru cleared his throat.
"You got something to say, bastard?"
"Actually, this Sesshoumaru would prefer not to be involved in your meaningless squabbles." He droned.
"Keh. Like I want you involved? No fucking way." Inuyasha spat.
"Then I suggest you find your woman and stop whining like-" A strange sound caused him to stop mid-sentence.
"Was that you?"
He refused to answer.
"Did you just- what the hell?" Inuyasha was jolted out of his confusion as he saw a hand reaching up through a pile of books in the corner. With a hand on Tetsusaiga, he slowly crept over to the straining arm and poked it with his finger. The hand grabbed for him, clutching his necklace.
"Hey!" He struggled back. "Dammit! Get your hand off of me!"
Inuyasha felt a familiar tug and he paled. "Oh shit-" He was dragged to the floor with incredible force.
A moment later, rising against the spell, Inuyasha frantically dug through the books. "Kagome? I know that has to be you! What the hell did you do?" Sesshoumaru glanced over with a slightly amused expression.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome gasped as she finally got her head free from the book pile.
"What-"
"I was coming back from the- um- little girl's room and then it went dark and I was here!" Said Kagome.
Inuyasha slouched back. "We're doomed."
"Huh?"
"I think what he means is- th- quack!" Sesshoumaru started.
"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome tilted her head. "Did he just-"
Inuyasha fell to the floor laughing. "Yeah, the bastard just quacked!"
"I most certainly did no- quack! Damn."
"That's almost enough to make me glad we visited." Inuyasha chuckled.
"As I was- quack! As I was saying. The bad luck has now extended- quack! To you two." Sesshoumaru explained, returning his gaze to the book in hand. Water splashed down onto the page and he frowned.
"Oh."
"Not oh, wench. Let's go, if we leave-"
"You will merely- quack! Die somewhere else." He stated flatly.
Kagome couldn't control herself any longer. She gripped her sides as rolling bursts of laughter cascaded over her. "I- I'm so s-so-sorr-y! I c-c-ca-can't h-el-lp mys-se-self!"
"Let us return to finding a counter-curse. Shall- quack! We."
Kagome steadied herself against Inuyasha. "He's right, we really need to find a cure."
"Keh."
That was as close to a 'yes' as she was going to get today. "I'll take that as a 'yes.' So, where should I look next?" She scanned around the cluttered room and her eye caught a glimmer of something. "Hey, what's that?" Shuffling over to the small green volume, Kagome picked it up and flipped it open.
"Kagome? What have you got?" Inuyasha peered over her shoulder.
"It looks like a-" She wrinkled her nose. "A blank notebook that smells like something out of a toilet."
Kagome raised the disgusting book away from her face and right under Inuyasha's nose. He immediately grasped his nose and turned away. "Man, that reeks!" He grabbed the book with one hand, and held his nose pinched with the other. "I'm gonna go chuck this thing outside." With a bright glow, the book shook itself free from Inuyasha's surprised hold. Sesshoumaru stared. The smelly book hovered in front of Inuyasha and writing appeared on the turning pages.
"A magical book!" Kagome squealed.
"Let this Sesshoumaru take a look." He rose from the floor and felt another drip of water land on his head. Grumbling slightly, he once again attempted to cross the room. Kagome and Inuyasha just watched, wide-eyed as the Lord of the Western Lands walked. First, he stubbed his toe, then he tore his fuzzy pink robe. Ignoring it, he walked into a falling bookshelf, then tripped over the fallen books, landing face-first on a surreptitiously placed inkwell. After stubbing his toe for a second time, he smeared the ink across his face and grimaced. He stopped, "Never mind. Just- quack! Tell me what the book says."
"Keh. Why should I?" Inuyasha grunted.
"Inuyasha!" She snatched the book from his hand. "Here. It says- Hey!" The ink vanished from the pages, the luster dissipating. "It's gone?"
"Lemme see that, wench!" As his hand gripped the cover, the book started shining and floating again. He grinned widely. "I guess this thing only works for me!"
"It probably- quack! Damn this- quack! Only works for- quack! Demons." Sesshoumaru tapped his foot sharply against the floor with frustration. A large chunk of rock promptly hit him on the head.
"Ouch." Kagome winced.
"Keh. It serves him right." Inuyasha glanced down at the book in his hands. It had opened to a page that read: 'Mirror of Arcanum Spectus –see description.' "Hey, bastard. I think this might have the cure. Too bad you can't read it." He taunted.
Sesshoumaru looked like he wanted to growl. It was just his luck that Inuyasha and his woman had shown up to see him at his worst and to top it off, they were the keys to rescuing him. He would never own a mirror again.
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Several hours later, Inuyasha sat with Kagome, trying to figure out the book's cryptic message. "Okay, so the mirror was used to see the unseen."
"What the hell does that mean?" Inuyasha huffed.
"It means that the mirror reflected things that you couldn't see even with your keen eyes." Said Kagome.
"Humph." Sesshoumaru had resorted to guttural sounds as every time he tried to talk, he only quacked. It had been very interesting when Rin found out. She'd bounced up and down, urging the great dog demon to 'do it again! It sounded just like a real one!' Needless to say, even with the magical book, research was slow-going.
Inuyasha re-read the page, "It says here, 'the Mirror Arcanum whatever has a Gemini and this is the key to breaking the curse, should the first one be broken.' So what does that mean?"
"Not sure. What's a Gemini again?" She pondered for a moment, her deep thought indicated by how tightly she wound her hair around her index finger. After several blank stares and a few 'hmmms' Kagome's face lit up. "Now I remember! Gemini is an astrological term! It means the twins!"
"What does a mirror have to do with twins?" Inuyasha furrowed his brows. She was just so frustrating some days.
"Everything! A mirror shows a twin!"
"Big Deal." He huffed.
"It is a big deal. Anyway, I don't think that's what the message means-"
"It means that- quack! There- quack! Quack! Two!" Sesshoumaru managed.
"Two?" Kagome puzzled.
"Two mirrors, idiot."
"Hey! Osuwari!" She fumed, clenching her fists in anger.
Inuyasha braced himself for impact with the stack of books at his feet, but it never came. Instead, he turned to watch in befuddled amusement as Sesshoumaru crashed to the floor in a heap. He looked up, struggling against the spell. Fury evident in his eyes.
"What the hell just happened to me? You indignant woman! How dare you pull this Sesshoumaru to the ground like a common mongrel? Damn it all!" He screamed.
Kagome stood; mouth agape. "Did Sesshoumaru just get- And then did he-" She couldn't make herself finish the sentences.
"Hahahahah! This is great! Now the subjugation spell works on him instead of me! This couldn't get any better." Inuyasha smiled broadly. "I don't care how this stupid mirror thing happened. He'll be funny until he dies!"
Sesshoumaru snapped off of the floor, eyes blazing red. "Quack! Quack! Quack! Qua-" he hung his head, somehow rage couldn't be held when one sounded like a duck.
"I'm sorry Sesshoumaru, I didn't mean for it to-" He held up a hand and she paused. "Well, at least you had your voice normal for a few sentences. Even if you did sound like Inuyasha." She heaved a sigh. "That was scary enough."
The sound of quill on paper distracted her momentarily. She looked around to find Sesshoumaru scribbling quickly on a scrap or parchment. "What's he- oh! He's going to write it out since he can't say it!"
"Keh."
"Okay, he says," she grabbed the parchment, "The other mirror, the Gemini, it's here in the castle too!" Kagome jumped with excitement, before slipping onto the floor. A rock hit her in the head.
Inuyasha scowled. He was hoping that she wasn't really cursed so that he didn't have to cure his brother. So much for that. "Let's go find the damn mirror."
His retort was answered by what felt like an earthquake.
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"What's that?" Rin looked up from her shaking soup bowl. She'd been fighting off a cold for a while now. It just seemed like she couldn't get rid of it. "Is the ground shaking? Jaken-sama?"
"I don't know!" Jaken screeched, rushing for the window. He turned a deeper green and fell back yelling, "Sesshoumaru-sama!"
Rin approached the window and stared. Outside was an enormous pink elephant demon? She rubbed her eyes just to make sure it wasn't some strange dream. "That thing is really weird."
"Sesshoumaru-sama!"
There was shouting upstairs. "What the hell is it now?" Inuyasha was getting extremely tired of these cursed things happening. Then again, they were happening to his brother, which made them bearable. "Let's go check it out. Your stupid toad is calling you." He motioned towards the stairs. Kagome rubbed her head and nodded. Sesshoumaru lifted his nose and silently headed for the stairs. Of course, the silence lasted for about ten seconds before a torrent of water ran down into the door jam, effectively drenching him.
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Sesshoumaru threw the door open wide. The rain poured down in buckets. Lightning crashed and a gigantic pink elephant stared down at Sesshoumaru expectantly; he closed the door. "There's no way in hell I'm going out there to get knocked around by a pink creature!"
"You're doing it again!" Kagome shook slightly.
"Doing what, wench?"
"Huh?" Inuyasha blinked. "When did you start talking like me?"
Sesshoumaru cleared his throat and held back his temper. "I did nothing- quack! Quack! Oh damn it all to hell!" He shouted.
"Keh. Doesn't matter. I'll go deal with that idiot." Inuyasha walked towards the door, unsheathing Tetsusaiga as he went. The large door slammed shut behind him.
"Why is he unaffect- quack!"
"Maybe the way you talk triggers the quacking?" Kagome ventured.
He looked at her with a scowl to rival Inuyasha's, but it was much colder. "Listen here, bitch, if I wanted advice from a human, I'd go ask Rin!" Sesshoumaru flared.
"You- your hair!" She pointed.
"What about it?"
"It's back to normal!"
"What could have done- quack!" He growled. "I mean, There's something damn strange goin' on here and I'm gonna find out what it is!"
Outside, Inuyasha was about to strike the finishing blow on the strange creature when his hair frizzed around his eyes and he was temporarily blinded. "What is going on?" He yelled, falling to the ground.
"I think this Gemini thing has something to do with Inuyasha after all. First the glowing book, then how he doesn't seem to be affected by the bad luck at all, now when you sound like him, the bad luck magic is reversed." Pondered Kagome.
"This doesn't make any damn sense!" He found it very difficult to emulate his brother's speech and habits unless he made himself furious. Being Inuyasha required far too much work.
The half demon in question chose that moment to fly through the door, literally. Large pieces of wood splintered and skidded through the main hall. Kagome covered her face to prevent the chips from hitting her. As he grinded to a halt, bloodied and fluffy, Kagome stared. "I think we'd better go get that other mirror now. This is really starting to creep me out!" She fought off the urge to rush to Inuyasha's side. How could she though? He looked so funny, his hair all puffed and unruly, she wouldn't be able to keep herself from laughing.
With another burst of speed, she raced for Rin's bedroom. "Jaken? Rin?" The two in question spun from their position at the window to face her.
"Kagome!" Rin gathered herself up from the floor and raced to hug Kagome's legs.
"Jaken! I need to know where the Gemini of the Mirror Arcanum Spectum is!" She huffed, catching her breath. "Now!"
"Why should I tell you?" He hissed.
"Do you want to die? I'm pretty sure that bit of bad luck outside would really like to get you." What was it, Inuyasha day? Even she was starting to sound like the fussy half demon.
"Uh- okay." Jaken gulped. "It's in the second room on the right side of the lowest floor."
"What does it look like?"
"I think it's a hand-mirror with a plain silver frame." Jaken grunted.
"Thanks!" And she was gone again, racing through the castle. Her heart pounded in her ears as she ran. Inuyasha should be okay for a while, right? He couldn't just get himself killed by a giant pink elephant. She chuckled. That would be terrible, but somehow the thought made her laugh. "I think I'll blame that stray thought on the bad luck."
Finally, she careened to a stop in front of a small door. Pushing with all of her might, she cracked it open enough to slip inside. Kagome jumped when several braziers on the wall lit themselves. "Okay, that was scary. Now to find that mirror."
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Sesshoumaru miraculously pulled the Tokijin from his belt. "How the hell did that get there? Oh well, let's go take care of business." He could feel a large part of his mind screaming at how he had to act, but if he wanted to go on without dying a horrible, humiliating death, almost anything was worth it.
"So you overgrown pink nightmare, you wanna mess with this Sesshoumar- quack! Dammit! You wanna mess with me, you bastard?" With that, he swept forward, slicing the monster effectively into little pieces with little trouble.
"You see. Sometimes my brash methods are best."
"You?" Sesshoumaru stared in disbelief.
"Though I do with that this spell did not have to directly involve this Inuyasha."
Sesshoumaru burst out laughing. He didn't know why, but this was the funniest thing he'd seen in his entire life.
Kagome returned to the scene, mirror in hand. She was, however, not prepared for what she found. Inuyasha was standing up straight, no expression on his face. His hair was still a mess, and his clothes were pink and in tatters. Bits of rock kept throwing themselves at him while Sesshoumaru leaned back against the far wall, sword over his shoulder, smirking. "What happened?" She gasped.
"It would appear that the curse is affecting me now." Inuyasha sighed slightly.
"Yeah, no shit."
"Okay, I've got to fix this." Kagome couldn't bear to look at Inuyasha when he felt so much like Sesshoumaru: cold and distant. "So what do I do?"
"Well, the writing said that the mirror held the key to breaking the curse. Nothing more." Inuyasha said blandly.
"Just give it to me! I'll shatter it, that'll break it all right!"
"No! What if that's not the answer?" Kagome held the mirror tight against her chest. "It's got to have something to do with the-" She was cut off as a bolt of lightning struck the ground right outside the door.
"We've got to do something before we're all killed!" She shouted.
"Let us think on it." Inuyasha sat cross-legged on the stone floor.
"Less thinking more action!" Sesshoumaru sounded.
"You know, for once I agree with him!" Kagome clutched her head, trying to make sense of the situation. The twin holds the power to break the curse. She groaned. This was too hard.
"Perhaps if you let someone with demon blood observe the mirror?" Inuyasha suggested coldly.
"Why should she just give it to you? You're obviously too dumb to know how to use that thing!"
"Humph."
"You bastard." Sesshoumaru mumbled.
From her space out of the fray, Kagome was studying the mirror again. "Okay, so maybe I do need to break it? That can't be right." She scratched her head.
"Idiot!"
"Arrogant half demon." Spat Inuyasha.
"No kidding. Did you think that one up all by yourself?"
They both started to growl.
"Maybe there's a switch?" She held the mirror up high and turned it around. Kagome blinked. For a moment she thought that she'd seen the arguing brothers blurred together.
"What the hell were you breaking that mirror?" Bellowed Sesshoumaru.
"That's it! I can't think when Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru are acting like total opposites!" She cried. "It's just too weird. I can't take it!"
They seemed to be ignoring her. She was rapidly degrading into a bundle of nerves.
"I wasn't the one who dragged us into it!" Sesshoumaru started to yell louder if possible.
"It is not my fault. I do not need to reason with the likes of you. Leave my castle at once."
"Wait just a minute. Your castle?" Kagome stood confused. Inuyasha had said that hadn't he? And just a minute ago, Sesshoumaru mentioned that Inuyasha broke the mirror.
"ENOUGH!" Kagome screamed at the top of her lungs. Immediately the room silenced and turned to her. "I don't understand this yet, but I can't take it anymore!" With a loud yell, Kagome raised the mirror above her head and smashed it to the floor. As it shattered, she shivered. "Oops." She'd lost her temper again.
Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru stared in disbelief, their eyes wide.
A bright flash erupted in the room.
And the room was changed. "Am I alive?" Kagome shyly asked. "Guess so? I feel alive." She quickly felt for her pulse. Her heart was racing. "Definitely alive."
"What the hell happened to me? I feel like I got hit by one of those purification arrows again." Inuyasha said, slumping to the floor slowly.
"I believe that this Sesshoumaru is unharmed."
"What happened?" Kagome bent down to look for the broken mirror. There were shards of white glass on the ground. Quietly, she picked one up. It didn't reflect at all, it was just white. "This is odd."
"It is not." Sesshoumaru brushed his clothes clean with his arm. Suddenly, Kagome realized that he was wearing his usual robes and looked normal. "I was unable to tell you what to do while my mind was in such disarray." He continued in her silence. "But I must ask that you depart my castle now before my loathsome brother decides to start another quarrel."
"Oh, okay." Kagome managed. "Inuyasha?"
The half demon braced himself with Tetsusaiga and clambered to his feet. "Just you wait, you bastard, when I'm rested I'll-"
"You will leave my castle now." He commanded icily.
"We were just on our way out!" Kagome shoved Inuyasha towards the door. He went without much difficulty; his mind was still fuzzy. Waving briefly to Rin, Kagome and Inuyasha headed for Kaede's village. The rain had stopped.
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"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken sidled up to his master.
"Jaken. You will speak this to no one."
"Y-yes- sir!" He stuttered.
"Come Rin."
"Yes!" She called cheerfully, noticing that her cold had finally gone away.
Quietly, Sesshoumaru strolled through the castle, walking Rin to her bedroom. It was very simple when thought about logically. The mirrors were twins, their magic equal in power. Inuyasha served as his twin, having fortuitous luck while his own turned worse. For once, his having a brother completely opposite of his own character had served him well. Sesshoumaru paused at Rin's door. There was no way of knowing if breaking the mirror was the intended solution. After all, the miko, when upset, was capable of some very unusual things. He cringed slightly at the memories.
At least it was over now, and no one would know. No one would believe Inuyasha. His pride was safe. Rin tugged at his sleeve. Apparently he'd walked her right up to her bed already.
"Sesshoumaru-sama! Look at all the pretty pictures I drew while I was sick!" She smiled.
"Hmm?" He glanced down to the parchment in the child's outstretched hand and slipped back a step. His eyes narrowed.
"Rin. You will never show this to anyone else." He commanded sternly.
"Okay!"
Backing away, Sesshoumaru closed the door and growled deep in his throat and retired to his room slightly miffed.
"He must like it so much that he doesn't want anyone else to see!" Rin chirped, sliding under the covers. "Goodnight, Sesshoumaru-sama!"
There, pinned on the wall in crayon, was a drawing of Sesshoumaru wearing his pink, torn bathrobe, hair mussed, ink smeared on his face, several rocks in a pile next to him and one falling on his head. It was Rin's greatest artistic accomplishment to date, and the only record of Sesshoumaru's humiliation. It mysteriously disappeared that night, never to be seen again. But Kagome still had the letter, and she taped it to her diary.
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A/N: It got so long in the end! I didn't mean for it to go so long, but it just happened. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the story. Please review! I love reviews! It also looks like I'll be writing another short one soon as my story, "The End to the Feudal Fairy Tale" is rapidly approaching 100 reviews! Hooray! Please read if you haven't yet!