Disclaimer: sigh If I owned Inuyasha, you think I'd be spending my free time writing fucking fanfiction rather than sailing on a cruise with Kathy-Lee Gifford? That's right, you don't. :P
Summary: Okay...chapter two--or possibly three...yay! lol Kagome and Jesira come in contact--though nothing much is said. Sesshoumaru and Jesira have quite a little interlude! Ooh, and Jesira reveals her powers of a siren to Sesshoumaru. Semi-cheese factor played in there, but it works! Ooh, and a Sesshoumaru story wouldn't be complete without a little paternal angst on his part. So, yea, enjoy!
Chapter Two
A Thousand Angels
The rain began to come down lightly at first, but grew steadily more servere at Kagome ran. She had to find out. She had to know: who was this American girl and how did she get here? Was there a well that she came out of? Was she a tourist that simply got lost in Japan? How did she come to posess the Shikkon no Tama? There were far too many questions on Kagome's mind to keep track of. She didn't care if she was defying Inuyasha in some way--she had to see this strange American girl. So what if she only spoke bad English? The girl could speak Japanese.
The rain was at a steady downpour at the twenty-minute mark, and Kagome was walking safely beneath her umbrella, only slightly wet, mostly wet in her shoes and socks. As she came deeper into the forest, the jewel shard concentration became stronger and stronger. There was definately a huge chunk of the jewel shard nearby, and it most likely belonged to that girl. She looked down. Footprints from Sesshoumaru's dragon-horse, Ah-Un, sodden by the rain. Sesshoumaru's prints were near it, as well as the girl's. Her feet were so funny, she thought, so different from the shoes that Kagome wore. Strappy-platforms, Kagome thought, were not practical shoes for the Muromachi period in Japan. A flash of light. The sound of a singing voice. She was there.
Jesira's eyes fluttered open, the warmth of the Shikkon no Tama awakening her. It was all right; sleep did not seem to want to come easily to her. A lost girl in a foreign country could be very scary, and she was very worried about her family, and her sister's birthday party. She was sad, all right, and felt like she was letting her sister down. She hadn't even gotten a chance to wrap the present she had bought for her--it was still sitting behind her shoes at the back of her closet, next to the bright red roll of wrapping paper and the yellow ribbon, which was Waverly's favorite color. Her eighth birthday...would it be happy without her? Would her parents be worried? Of course they're worried! You're lost in feudal Japan! thought Jesira angrily. Maybe, though, just maybe...if I can find out how to use this jewel properly...maybe I can come back to the exact moment I left?
She sat up; their camp was in the hollowed-out trunk of a giant tree in the deep forest. Rain was coming down quite hard, now, and there was hardly any light atoll. Lightning flashed, soon with a clap of thunder to join it, not loud, not soft. She looked around, the only light there was being a few embers from the fire just at the mouth of the makeshift cave, still glowing gently. Rin was there, and so was the toad, who was sitting at attention.
"Excuse me--!"
"Waah!" The toad called Jaken turned around. "You stupid wench! How dare you sneak up on me like that!"
Jesira's eye twitched. "Where's that Sesshoumaru-guy?"
"Y-You brazen wench! How dare you refer to Sesshoumaru-sama in such a casual manner?"
"Tch, gome..." she trailed off. "Fine. Where is Sesshoumaru-sama? Is he out in the rain?"
"Well he didn't abandon us, if that's what you think. Sesshoumaru-sama is a complicated demon, with an intellect beyond your tiny human mind. His great mind must be allowed to rest!" Jaken praised.
"So...he went for a walk?"
"Yup."
Jesira looked over her shoulder to see that Rin was now awake, rubbing her eyes. "Gomenesai, Rin. I didn't mean to wake you up..."
"That's okay. Sesshoumaru-sama just disappears sometimes, but he comes back if we call him."
She raised an eyebrow. "In the rain? Doesn't he know that he could get sick?"
"Silly girl," said Jaken, "demons do not fall ill!"
She sighed, looking out to the rain. "Gosh, that makes me nervous, knowing he's out there... Especially with those people out there."
"What people?" asked Rin. "Do you mean Inuyasha and Kagome?"
Jesira nodded.
"Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru-sama are half-brothers. I thought you should know."
"You stupid girl! You shouldn't just go and tell people that! You know how Sesshoumaru-sama hates how that hanyou Inuyasha is related to him!"
"Doushite?" asked Jesira, which meant 'why?'
"Sesshoumaru-sama is very proud," said Rin, "so he doesn't like that Inuyasha has a human mother and his father. Sesshoumaru-sama's father was a great demon, isn't that so Master Jaken?"
"Yes, he was a great demon. Then again, Sesshoumaru-sama's father was so unfair! Leaving that inferior hanyou Inuyasha the Tetsusaiga and leaving Sesshoumaru-sama the useless Tensseiga--! Hey, where did that girl go!" Jaken stood up, looking around. "Human girl! Human! Come back!"
The rain...
Something about it... It washes everything away...
Rain fell down gently, steadily, all throughout the tops of the trees. A few animals were outside, but they were all scurrying away from the rain, away from the Dog Lord Sesshoumaru. Grass and ground became saturated and soggy with water. If he were to take a step, the ground would give to his weight.
The Shikkon jewel... That girl... Naraku...
Naraku would want the jewel from the girl, and this was something that Sesshoumaru knew well. He also knew that the human that travelled with Inuyasha would want that half of the jewel. If Naraku were to get his hands on the Shikkon no Tama, then what would happen? He'd grow stronger, even though he was an inferior to his 'reputation.'
I cannot allow the Shikkon jewel to fall into Naraku's hands. An inferior demon like that is always trying to get ahead the easy way. Naraku... I cannot allow Inuyasha to obtain the jewel either. This means I cannot let that human girl out of my sight...
The human girl...
Sesshoumaru wasn't a fool--he knew what Inuyasha wanted with the Shikkon jewel. Knowing this, Sesshoumaru simply could not allow it.
That stupid hanyou... I despise you, Inuyasha, I despise that my noble father's blood runs through your muddy veins.
Father... Why did you leave that inferior hanyou the Tetsusaiga instead of me? Am I not your true son? I was to defeat you and take them, but... Tensseiga...
The rain suddenly stopped--at least, over his head. Opening his eyes, Sesshoumaru could see the rain pouring, and yet feel none. Looking up, he saw that even he, the great Sesshoumaru, could be lost so deep in his thoughts not to notice the American human girl. Rain was soaking her from head to toe, the black of her wavy hair falling in streams over her shoulders. He noticed just how funny-looking she was!
The black of her top was so...fitted and tight, like it was painted on. She wore no kimonos but more like the undergarment dresses beneath them. The deep azure and sea green of the bottom part clung to her long white legs, and down to her shoes... Sandals, he recognized, only slightly modified, like they were meant to keep her on her curled toes. He looked to her face, drenched with water and flushed with blood in her cheeks. Her eyes, well, her eyes...
Her eyes...
"... Human."
At the sound of his voice, she seemed to quiver.
"What do you want?"
She shrugged. "You looked cold, that's all. Besides, you're getting soaked."
"How devilishly perceptive..."
She laughed, her cheeks burning pinkish-red. Sesshoumaru could see a few freckles upon her cheeks and across her nose. He looked up--some great blackish sheild seemed to be hovering over his head.
"What's that?" he asked.
"It's an umbrella," said the human girl. "It protects you from the rain and keeps you dry. See?" She pulled the umbrella over her head and performed a skilled turn upon one long leg, her other tucked beneath her. "Ta-da! That's called a pirhouette! It's a dance move..."
Sesshoumaru looked away. "I do not need protection from a trivial thing such as rain. I certainly do not need it from an insolent human like you..."
"Hmph. I didn't know you were really so prejudice. When Jaken told me about Inuyasha, I merely thought it was jealousy, but I doubted that you were prejudice against humans..."
"... Jealousy?"
She sighed. "Forget it..."
Pathetic wench... Me? Jealous of that hanyou Inuyasha? Ridiculous.
She was still there, holding the umbrella over his head. "What do you want now?"
The girl shrugged again. "Nothing, I guess... I just can't sleep is all." She was lying. "Unless...you can tell me...how did I get here?"
"The same way the other wench gets here, I suppose."
"Kagome?"
Sesshoumaru glared. "Do not mention names like those in my presence."
"Gome... But...could she show me how to get home?"
He shrugged.
"You're still helping me get home, right? I mean... You said that you'd help me get home if I let you use my grandmother's Shikkon jewel or whatever."
"Sesshoumaru-sama...may I ask...what is wrong, exactly, with your Tensseiga?" asked the human girl, leaning her side against the tree trunk they were beneath.
"Hmph."
Brazen wench...
"Sesshoumaru-sama...where are we going in the morning?"
Why doesn't she just go back to sleep?
"Sesshoumaru-sama..." she began. He looked up in annoyance. "Do you mind if I just sit with you for a minute?"
"... What?"
She smiled, her teeth like pearls. She crossed over to the other side and sat by him at the base of the tree. "It's all right," she said, propping the 'umbrella' up in a knook of the tree to it sheilded them both, "we're just friends, is all... And I'll do my best not to bother you--just tell me if I am?"
"Hmph. Ridiculous."
She smiled again, her cheeks and lashes dancing with tiny droplets of water. "You're positively wicked, do you know that?"
He raised an eyebrow in question.
"I mean that in a good way, you know? Where I come from...sometimes...to be wicked is to be merely misunderstood, or to oppose. It's sad, though, to be wicked. You're an enemy to everyone...a hero to few...sometimes even evil. It must be a burden to be wicked, you know?
What is she saying...?
"The sad thing, really, is that...no one mourns the wicked when the die. But...demons don't die for a long time, do they? How old are you?"
"Five-hundred and seven."
"... You look really good for your age..." Her face was as red as a fresh apple from a tree. "You know, there's a song from musical--a modern-day opera called "Wicked"--that reminds me of you a little... It's sad, but it's such a pretty song."
The shikkon no tama about her breast began to glow as she began to sing.
"No one mourns the wicked--
No one cries "they won't return!"
No one lays a lily on their grave.
The good man scourns the wicked.
Through their lives, our children learn
What they miss, when they misbehave..."
Her voice broke out into a climbing vibratto, like a western opera all about the acoustic forest in a sweeping melody, a smile gracing her face. Music seemed to come from the jewel. The forest seemed to be bowing to her voice.
"And goodness knows
The wicked's lives are lonely...
Goodness knows
The wicked die alone...
It just shows,
When you're wicked, you're left only...
On your own...
Oh, gooness knows
The wicked's lives are lonely.
Goodness knows
The wicked cry alone...
Nothing grows for the wicked, they reap only...
What they sew..."
Thunder began to crack, as if to bow to the siren of her voice. Sesshoumaru felt a strange pang in his chest as he listened. People--human men, to be precise--came into the forest, singing along to her voice, as if they knew the words, as if they were under a spell. The human girl stood, beginning to dance, taking the roll of prima donna. The men began to dance and harmonize with her in a great minor chord. The shikkon jewel along with the magic of her voice had bewitched them.
"No one mourns the wicked...
Now at last, he's dead and gone!
Now at last, there's joy throughout the land
And goodness knows...
We know what goodness is,
Goodness knows
The wicked die alone
He died alone!
Don't you know
(those you know)
Those who sprun what goodness is...
They are shunned...!
NO one mourns the wicked!
Good news!
No one mourns the wicked
Good news!
No one mourns the wicked
Wicked--
Wicked!"
That was it--the song cut off, as did the magic of her voice with a clap of thunder. She was now standing in a field of confused men, soaking wet with her long hair coming down along her shoulders. Sesshoumaru needed only to flash the red in his eyes to cause them to run in panic, screaming of a demon. She suddenly looked embarassed.
"G-Gomenesai... ACHOO!"
This girl...this human...she's powerful... She can influence men with her voice. At least I don't have to spend every moment protecting her otherwise useless self.
"Have you someone to protect...?"
Father...? What are you doing to me? Father... Naraku, you'll want her for yourself, won't you? Yes, that inferior demon would gladly take the power of her voice for his own. That means...she'll be my bait. Naraku, my prey...will come to me.
Sesshoumaru stood, bringing the umbrella over the girl's head. "Human--"
"Jesira."
"What?"
"My name is Jesira--not 'human.'"
"... You'd best get back to Rin and Jaken."
"ACHOO!"
"...Are you ill, human?"
"My name is--ACHOO!--Jesira, and no, I'm not--ACHOO!--ill." She wiped her nose with her soaked arm.
"So stop sneezing, it's becoming an annoyance."
"... Gome... Will you come with me?"
He shook his head. "Later." He handed her the umbrella.
"Wait a second!" called Jesira. "Are you really going to walk around out here in the cold rain?"
"I do not need protection from something as trivial as rain."
She looked down. "Sesshoumaru, won't you take my umbrella until the rain is over? Please, I'd feel much better if I knew you would have it."
He looked at her oddly, as if she was crazy. "I do not need pity, either."
"It's not pity, it's consideration." Her cheeks were red as apples. "How about this? I'll give you my umbrella and whether you use it or not is up to you. I promise that I'll leave you alone if you take it..."
She held out her pretty white hands, as if to selflessly offer him the world. He reached and took the strange object called umbrella, being uncharactaristically careful as not to scratch her hands with his claws. Her hands were pretty, he thought, very pretty indeed. It reminded him of his mother, almost, as her hands were small and white with long spidery fingers.
"Well, it's time to keep my end of the bargain..." said she, pulling a few long tendrils of hair away from her face. Her lips and cheeks were both flushed pink now, her eyes wide and bright. Her lashes and hair...all soaking wet now, because of the rain. The fabric of her strange garments were now clinging to her body, rain and water falling off her shoulders. She was beautiful; this was something Sesshoumaru had neglected to notice when he first saw her, and was now seeing as she was walking away through the rain, humming some tune along the way.
Don't think about that, said Sesshoumaru to himself, holding the umbrella over his head. Remember, you have control. Do you remember what Father taught you?
Control and purity--those were Sesshoumaru's mantras. Father was a wise demon, albiet a little passionate for Sesshoumaru's tastes. The Taiyoukai died because of Inuyasha's mother, of his passion for her--he had no control over his emotions. He was a hypocrite to what he had taught Sesshoumaru during his younger days.
"Sesshoumaru, if there is one thing I can teach you, I can teach you that the key to being a great warrior is control. Do not let your emotions get ahead of you, my son. Emotion can cloud the mind, dull the spirit--only when you can calm the storm of your mind, may you reach absolute focus."
The water pounded hard upon the rocks, foam spraying up into a cloud of water. A flock of geese were flying overhead as if to dance with the pink blossoms in the breeze. This would be Sesshoumaru's first summer as a man, a real demon. It was now Father's responsibility to train and groom him into a great demon like himself. After all, great demons are not born, they are made. Father's estate...
"What of women, Father?" asked a young Sesshoumaru, who was just beginning to bud into a young man--he resembled the human age of fourteen.
"Women... Women are beautiful creatures, like your mother was... Your mother was a ruthless killer, as clever as she was merciless. Women can cloud the mind, my son, and you must not let them lure you away from your path--that goes for men as well. You must stay true to yourself, to your path. You must have ultimate control over the desires of the flesh, as such things can be...well..." He trailed off. "One day, when you are ready and grown, you will find the Perfect mate. She will be honest yet demure, patient yet corageous...gentle, yet strong. And she will love you, lean on you as her rock, even if you are distant and appear cold. My son, when you are ready and grown, she will appear--your Perfect mate."
"Was that my mother for you, Father?"
"... Your mother... I did love her, Sesshoumaru, I did. Your mother was...wreckless, impulsive. I'm sorry that she cannot be here now to see how well you are growing. You can rise against your mother's mistakes."
Mother...
"Sesshoumaru...I know you desire power, strength. A great lesson to learn is that power is nothing unless you can share it, use it to protect someone... Have you someone to protect?"
"Honest and demure...gentle and strong...patient and corageous? What sort of woman could ever exist in my time? Even if 'the Perfect mate' were there, she'd be with another for being so perfect. Ridiculous."
He looked at the umbrella in his hands, twirling about the handle like a sword--this could never be a weapon, it was too poorly designed as such. He held the peculiar object like Jesira was holding it earlier. Rain skirted round the surface and fell off the sides. ...Jesira... Her name was Jesira. And her voice...almost dizzying.
Through the hazy purple mist, he could see them--the two angels, each with part of the Shikkon jewel, one with half, one with more than half which hung among precious pink pearls. Their hair was dark and glossy in the rain, their clothes clinging to their bodies, supple and lithe. Their lips were pink and flushed, ready to be kissed as they spoke to each other, hesitant of what the other would do.
Kagome was a beauty, he thought, but this new one...this siren...Jesira. Her voice was amazing. Her voice had the power to call out to the hearts of men to sing along with her, to be with her. The strongest and wisest of men would buckle to the sound of her voice; just think of what one note from her tongue could do. Her blithe smile and pearly teeth, her rosy cheeks and long fingers... Her legs...her beautiful dancing legs. These dances were new to his eyes, the dances she did. Perfect spins on the tips of her toes, long leaps upon her legs, powerful arms supported perfectly to form shapes and gestures. Kagura's dancing had once seemed so lovely, and yet nothing compared. This beauty...this siren...this new one...Jesira... ...Jesira.
"Naraku," said Kagura, entering his chamber, "you sent for me?"
"Yes, Kagura, see this girl," said he, waving his hands over a pool of myasma, his looking glass to the outside world. "Look at this beauty."
"Not Inuyasha's wench!" said Kagura in surprise.
"No, you fool! The beauty with long hair...look, there hangs a strand of precious pearls and well over half of the Shikkon jewel at her breast. The beauty here, with pink lips and cheeks... This one, the valuable one."
Kagura was confused, and--suddenly--a little threatened. What was so special about this girl?
"You'd like me to collect her jewel shard?"
Naraku twirled a few waves of his hair between his knuckles, fondling his sculpted chin. "Her jewel shard..." He looked down at the beauty, shyly smiling at what ever the girl Kagome was saying. Her lashes were perfectly long and curled--this fertle beauty was a sheer vision.
"...Thanks...Listen, Kagome, can you tell me why Sesshoumaru hates Inuyasha so much? I know I can..."
He must have her. Just think, what Sesshoumaru would do if she was taken from him. Naraku knew that he could use the beauty to lure Sesshoumaru to him. Even better, any man who heard her voice fell under a spell--he'd attract every demon in all of Japan. This beauty would prove quite useful to him--he didn't need her jewel shards until she became old and useless, when her voice went. After all, this beauty was from the future as well, wasn't she? That meant the Shikkon Jewel was still about--and with the full Shikkon jewel as well as her half, he'd be the most powerful demon in Japan, nay, the world. He must have this beauty for his own. Jesira...with the voice of a thousand angels.
"...you probably don't want to get mixed up with a guy like Sesshoumaru..."
"Why?"
"No, Kagura, you must bring her to me. Do not harm her, to not upset her, and certainly do not do anything to hurt that voice. The voice of a thousand angels..." He leaned back on the tatami mat. "Do take care not to scratch her, especially those legs...those strange dancing legs..."
He smirked and waved. "Now, leave me, I want to watch more..."
Kagura bowed, hiding a grimacing face. "Yes... Naraku-sama..." With a bow, she exited the chambers. Naraku looked over his pool, watching Jesira run in the rain, waving goodby to Kagome. She was wringing out her hair to no avail. He had to smile at the beauty, this dark-eyed beauty, this beauty with the voice of a thousand angels... Jesira...you shall be mine...
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! NARAKU! AAAAH! lol That was awesome...btw, if you know where this song is from, you are a GOD! HOOYEA! lol NEwayz, that's a pretty cool chap, if I do say so myself. Sorry it took me so long to get up though! I'm just trying to solve the great-ness of conspiracies.
BTW, a preview for the next chapter: Sesshoumaru begins to show his tender side to Jesira, while showing the merciless side. As a break, the Sesshy-chan gang heads home(aka Sesshoumaru's FABULOUS palace!) for planning/strategic crap. It's gonna be a hoot! BTW, I found this awesome sesshy site. Go to and enter "The Killing Perfection." It's thanks to this site that I have some inspiration for my next chapter! yay!
Kinsei