Dark Summit
by Kokuei Sogekihei
Kapital Eins
A demoness that appeared to be five-years of age twirled around the room, her long moon-blue hair whipping behind her in elegant patterns. A long, fluffy moon-blue tail floated after her as the child ran to a figure obscured in darkness, looking to be a boy the age of thirteen.
Kagome giggled and pointed at Sesshoumaru, who raised an eyebrow, the gesture almost unseen in the darkness. "Sesshou-chan is hiding! We should play hide-and-seek! Count to a hundred, Sesshou-chan!" she squealed, earning a soft smile from the usually stoic demon.
"One. Two…three," he started. Kagome's eyes widened before she sped off, quitting the room to find a suitable hiding place, her plain light green kimono billowing behind her.
"Ninety-nine. One hundred. Ready or not, here I come!" Sesshoumaru shouted before becoming a blur. He quickly checked the dining room, the public study and her room before heading to the gardens.
Once outside, Sesshoumaru's ear twitched as he heard a snicker. Dashing off into the direction of the sound, Sesshoumaru was led to a bush that twitched. He saw a fluff of silver and reached down, pulling up Kagome by the neck of her kimono. Kagome frowned at being found so easily, but it was turned upside-down when her brother started tickling her.
"Stop! I…give!" she gasped between breaths. Sesshoumaru soon stopped his torture, Kagome still giggling afterwards as she held onto his leg, trying to regain her equilibrium after the disorientation cleared.
Suddenly Kagome felt her brother stiffen and looked up to see her father standing before him, a strange look on his face. Kagome smiled and ran over to the taller, armored demon, hugging his leg. "Hi Chichi-ue!" she greeted.
InuTashio's face softened a smidgen as he reached down to ruffle his daughter's already unruly hair. He smirked when she growled and swiped at the offending appendage. Suddenly he was cold again and Kagome backed away from him and felt herself flop onto the ground as she craned her neck to see his face. "Kagome," came InuTashio's deep voice. "Go to your room. I have something to discuss with Sesshoumaru."
Kagome stared at her father before nodding. She hugged Sesshoumaru's leg before running off, squealing when a butterfly neared her. She swiped at it and wailed when it disappeared. She huffed before running towards her room, wondering why she couldn't play with the butterflies.
Sesshoumaru gazed at his father and noticed slight differences in his countenance, like how he seemed ruffled and his tail looked worse for wear. "You wish to speak to me, father?" he intoned, his face seemingly chiseled out of stone.
InuTashio mentally winced for making his son this way, but knew it was for the best. The great demon heaved a sigh, his tail twitching. "Sesshoumaru, you may have to take over sooner than anticipated. A group of ryuu youkai want my blood and they wield the power of purification. I wish for you to be prepared if I fall. These ryuu will fight to the last and, I'm ashamed to say, are more powerful than I."
Sesshoumaru was silent for a few moments, drinking in his father's words. Dragon youkai with purification powers wanted his father dead and there was a great chance that he would die. A hard gleam entered his eye before he spoke. "I wish to fight beside you, father."
InuTashio shook his head. "Iie. I will not have my son face a death too soon. If you were to die, who would be left to take over the lands? Kagome, I'm afraid, is too young and not strong enough nor skilled enough to fight off any rebels or traitors. No, I will not allow it. You will stay here and guard the fortress in case any invaders wish to attack."
Sesshoumaru nodded and sighed. Though they weren't exactly close, Sesshoumaru did not wish his father to die. Especially not at the hands of some weak dragon demons with captured miko spirits. Sesshoumaru sighed once more. "Alright father. I will respect your request. Do not worry, for no demon shall survive my wrath."
InuTashio's cold face broke out with a small grin. He patted Sesshoumaru's shoulder and the two started towards the castle. "That's my boy."
As soon as they stepped inside, they found Kagome sitting in the hallway, staring at something far away. Sesshoumaru noticed tears on her face and picked her up, the girl resting her head against his chest. "What is wrong Kagome?" he asked softly.
Kagome sniffled before pointing down the hallway, her tail wrapping around his arm with much pressure. "They came with a message. They said they were here to kill me, but Miki-chan told me to run away as fast as I could. I looked back and saw them fighting. After Miki-chan killed them, I went back to her. She was…dead." Kagome's nose scrunched up, tears welled in her eyes, and she pushed her head further into Sesshoumaru's kimono, a cry escaping her lips.
Sesshoumaru looked up at his father and followed him down the hall. When they turn the corner, they winced. Sesshoumaru held Kagome's head in place so she wouldn't see the bodies. The servant Miki was slumped against the wall in a pool of her own blood, her claws and uniform caked with the two ryuu youkais' blood as they lay only a few feet away.
InuTashio turned to his son and gave him a meaningful glance before departing to find some servants to dispose of the bodies. Sesshoumaru sighed and looked down at Kagome, only to find her asleep. Sesshoumaru headed to her room and lay her in her bed, tucking her in. Sitting next to her inert form, Sesshoumaru swept the long bangs from his sister's face, understanding his father's reasoning.
He had to protect Kagome from harm.
Sesshoumaru held no pity for the limp and bloody demon before him. With a sigh, Sesshoumaru wiped his claws on the demon's clothing before quitting the room, three servants stepping in behind him as they began to clean up the bloody mess.
With his head bowed, Sesshoumaru was lost in deep thought, aimlessly walking the giant halls that could easily support two of him in his true form. The attackers were becoming more frequent and vicious. Really, when was his father going to kill off those annoying ryuu? After the castle was destroyed?
The most recent attacker had been a lower middle level dragon that couldn't keep a humanoid form, but was one hell of a fighter. He had been training his sister when the stupid dragon barged into one of their seven expansive dojo. Luckily, the weapons went unscathed.
That had been his mother's dojo. Every weapon that sat on the imposing stone walls his mother had collected from her travels around the four territories and the few islands beyond.
He had trained Kagome in that dojo so that they could remember together, her sweet scent of summer rains and lightning. He could reminisce and would sometimes tell Kagome of their mother that the young demoness viewed as a goddess, too lovely and enchanting for this world.
Sesshoumaru's head snapped up when he heard a very feminine giggle from a nearby room. Looking at the doors of some opaque alloy, he instantly knew it was one of three private dining rooms. He didn't even have to look inside to know that his father was seducing some human wench from a nearby village.
It was a routine that Sesshoumaru and even Kagome despised.
It would grow late into the day and their father would return with a new wench every night, the same adoring look in their eyes. Of course, their bloodied corpses would usually have surprise or pain etched into them the next morning when he left.
Sesshoumaru saw this as betraying his mother's memory. It angered him to watch the powerful demon lower himself to rut with a human wench every night, pretending to be her pet until his moment of ecstasy was over and he would slice off their pretty little heads.
Kagome would only stare wide-eyed at the onna before asking Sesshoumaru why their mother didn't "come down and slice off her head and gouge his eyes out?"
While Sesshoumaru found this display of imagination amusing in its own right, he knew it would never come true and simply didn't respond to Kagome's question. He knew it was hurting her. Her eyes would dim when she laid the silver-green orbs on their father's form, a slight pain resident. She hardly knew her own mother, and yet here were these ningen onna sluts waltzing in as if they owned the place, an arm always around InuTashio.
That was because they knew that the second InuTashio was out of sight, Sesshoumaru would devour her fear and gut her like a fish, her entrails splayed across her unmoving form. He had done it before and word had spread to the villagers.
Sesshoumaru turned the corner and saw Kagome twirling around in her usual carefree manner. She spotted him and ran over to him, her grasp immediately centered on his leg. "Sesshou-chan look angry! What happened, aniki? Did InuTashio get another woman?" she asked innocently.
InuTashio.
She never called him father anymore, especially not with the honorific. With the constant presence of the human women, Kagome's respect and childhood adoration for her sire dissipated more and more, while her love and reverence for Sesshoumaru seemed to grow day by day.
Sesshoumaru nodded once and Kagome's happy features darkened and she released him to kick at a nearby statue. Luckily, it did not break. Kagome huffed and flopped down on her bottom, glaring at nothing in particular as she crossed her arms.
While Sesshoumaru found this amusing, he knew it was not healthy for the younger pup to be in such a state of mind. Crouching down, Sesshoumaru picked up his still tiny sister and held onto her with two arms, watching as she looked up at him, her face softening until a small smile was on her face again. She wrapped her small arms around his neck. "Suki desuaniki!" she squealed.
Sesshoumaru nodded and headed towards her room, opening the door and laying the child in her futon. He pulled the covers up to her chin and swept back the bangs framing the light blue crescent. Sesshoumaru's face softened and he rubbed noses with Kagome before kissing her cheek and standing.
He stood, turning towards the door. "Goodnight Kagome." As he opened the door, he glanced back her small form. "Suki desu," he murmured, knowing that she could hear him well enough.
Kapital Eins ist tot.
