Chapter Nineteen: Home
Inuyasha's excitement woke everyone at dawn the next morning. It wasn't intentional, but he packed up as much as he could without waking anyone. By the time their grogginess faded, he was done and ready to go. Sesshomaru did not suffer from the fatigue the others did; he observes his younger brother's behavior, finding his excitement both surprising and entertaining to witness. When everything was ready, Inuyasha became a little pushy and tried getting everyone to hurry without angering them. Their frustration was quelled by his endearing excitement.
"It's nice seeing this side of him." Sango said.
"He's just excited about seeing his family home." Miroku said.
When it came time for departure, Inuyasha insisted that Kagome ride with him. The number of travelers created an issue. Sango, Miroku, and Kohaku hopped on Kilala's back. Shippo stood on Miroku's shoulder, and Rin was in Sesshomaru's arms. Kagome insisted that Kikyo ride with Inuyasha for the sake of both Kikyo and herself, but Inuyasha wasn't giving in.
"I understand why Inuyasha is having a hard time with this." Kikyo spoke up, shortening the argument between Inuyasha and Kagome.
"Do you know why he's being so stubborn?" Kagome asked, an exasperated sigh following the question.
"Kagome, before your memory was taken, you found Inuyasha and I speaking near the Sacred Tree." Kikyo said and Kagome nodded. "That night, I was explaining to Inuyasha that repeatedly coming to my side was going to ruin any chances for you two to have a future. I was making him realize that I was dead, and that was not changing. In that moment, you walked in on us, quite literally, saying goodbye."
There was a silence among the group. It was filled both with confusion and realization, but in Kagome's case, it was guilt. She clenched her jaw and placed her hand over her face. After a deep breath and a bit of thought, Kagome shook her head in shame.
"I understand. I'm sorry." Kagome said.
"What are you sorry for? Inuyasha asked.
"There's something I need to tell everyone."
"What is it, Kagome?" Miroku asked.
"I should have said this before, but finding the words to explain such a strange situation is difficult. After this realization," Kagome said, gesturing to Kikyo, "I fear continuing without this being known will only cause more problems. Though my memories have returned, the timeline in my mind is this: my life with my family in my time, my time with all of you, the two hundred years in the blade, and then my time with Sesshomaru."
There was a fat silent pause between the group.
"Wait. Are your memories of us… old?" Miroku asked.
Kagome nodded, "Yes, they are."
"Fascinating." Kikyo said.
"With such powerful magic, some strangeness is expected." Miroku spoke up, breaking another long silence. "Your care for us have proven to not be diminished; your actions have proven that."
"Of course. I love each of you, even if it's not expected." Kagome said and turned to Kikyo. "I was young, foolish. I let wild emotion guide my way, and because of that, I often acted selfishly. I believe my years among the other spirits within the blade allowed me to grow. I see the world differently. I see much of myself differently too, and Inuyasha… I'm sorry, but I don't feel the way I used to."
"But you said you still lo-."
"As cherished friends, and my son, yes." Kagome interrupted Inuyasha with her honesty. "I know this change is sudden for you all, but my soul has gone through… so much. There was pain, fear, happiness, loneliness, love. Centuries went by, and I lived multiple lives, learned so much."
"All this is giving me a headache." Shippo said, holding his head.
"Yeah, same." Inuyasha added.
Inuyasha looked away. To Kagome's surprise, he did not look that upset. He looked more thoughtful than anything.
"We do understand though." Sango said, a clear smile on her face.
After some silence, Inuyasha looked up to see everyone watching him. He took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his head.
"Look, I got a lot to think about, alright?" Inuyasha said. "I still wanna see my brother's home, so we ready to go or not?"
"Sure." Kagome said. "He took that way better than I thought."
The argument that brought all of this about didn't come up again. Sesshomaru carried Rin in his arms and Kagome on his back, so Inuyasha carried Kikyo. The group made the long journey to the Western Lands. The trip was mostly uneventful. With this number of power houses traveling close together, any demon that did make an appearance refused to make a move. Half of the day went by before they reached the castle. Two breaks made sure the kids could stretch their legs and Kilala wouldn't buck anyone off out of frustration.
Upon their approach, a small army met the entire group. When they realized Sesshomaru was traveling with them, there was a lot of confusion and a few looks of silent disapproval that pushed Sesshomaru to make a few quick rule changes about the treatment of humans and half-demons. Sesshomaru also made it clear that certain behaviors have reached his ears about when he is absent, so if anyone had a problem with these changes, they had the right to leave, silently, on this night. If they chose to stay, they accepted the rules and will deal with them.
There was some evidence of resistance and chances a few of the demons might leave, but Sesshomaru did not care. He dismissed them and called on Yukino and two other young female demons that had recently been hired on. They were instructed to ready each guestroom on the third floor, a request that surprised them, but they hurried off either way.
"What's so special about the third floor?" Inuyasha asked.
"No one is allowed on the third floor but me and Lord Sesshomaru." Rin explained. "There are ten rooms up there that are never used."
"There are also two large guest bathrooms that you can use when you like." Sesshomaru explained. "I doubt after such a long trip that training will begin. Instead, relax here in the courtyard until the rooms are prepared. Yukino will come escort each of you, and give you a tour before dinner is ready. I'll see you all then. Rin, do you mind acting as their guide, if needed, while I take care of a few things?"
"Of course, Daddy!" Rin said, giving Sesshomaru a hug before he left.
The first thing Rin did was show everyone her favorite flowers in the garden. When they came to a dead tree, the story of Naraku coming to the castle came about again.
"So, this is where that was?" Miroku asked.
"Yeah. He showed up behind me." Kagome said.
Miroku ran his fingers in the dirt, then along the trunk of the dead tree.
"You know, I'm not sure this tree should stay here." Miroku said.
"What do you mean?" Rin asked.
"Well, Naraku is a very evil creature and what his demonic aura did to this tree may not be naturally healed. I believe this tree is dead, and if left unchecked, can infect the rest of the courtyard." Miroku said.
"He's right. This is corruption at it's strongest." Kikyo said, though she chose not to touch it.
"We gotta get it out of here then." Rin said. "I'll tell the guards when I see them. I wanna show you guys the training area first."
Rin brought the group to the training grounds. She showed them the shed where the equipment was kept, the areas for sparring, and the archery range. She then pointed over one of the walls and explained that a large clearing for bigger practice is on the other side.
"Kagome was training so hard that she almost hurt herself real badly." Rin said.
"Luckily, I was stopped before things got irreversible, and Sesshomaru's healer helped." Kagome said.
The group returned to the courtyard about ten minutes later. They waited for a while before Yukino showed up and escorted them to their rooms like Sesshomaru requested. Each of them got their own separate room. Sesshomaru's room was at the end of the hall. Moving from Sesshomaru's room and backwards down the hall, an office, Sango, Miroku, Rin, and Jaken's room were all on the left. On the right was Kagome, Shippo and Kohaku, Inuyasha, and Kikyo. A stairway separated Inuyasha's room from Shippo and Kohaku's. Each room was adorned in well crafted furniture: a comfortable bed, a dresser, wardrobe, a table, a chair, and a large window that providing a beautiful view over the castle grounds and surrounding land.
"Our room is so nice." Shippo said.
"Yes, it is." Kohaku said.
"Mine is too. It's beautiful." Sango said.
"We don't have guests often, so it's nice to see these rooms being used." Yukino said.
"Oh, everyone, this is Yukino. She helped me get through a lot of my time here." Kagome said. "While others weren't happy with another human being under Sesshomaru's care, she has treated me kindly and become a good friend."
"Oh, thank you, Kagome." Yukino smiled and gave Kagome a hug.
"Thank you. You and Rin kept me sane here." Kagome said.
A small voice came from the staircase and a young demon woman with blue hair and blue eyes stepped into the hallway. She reminded Kagome of the healer that saved her. She was shorter, younger, and kept her hair cut short, unlike Aikanna.
"Yukino, dinner is ready." The girl said.
"Oh. Okay, Mizuki. We'll be down soon." Yukino said.
Mizuki hurried back downstairs. Once the group was ready, they were led downstairs and to the dining room. Everyone enjoyed the ornate decorations and demon architecture. It was fascinating to get a close look like this. Inuyasha stopped at a large painting of two people he did not recognize. He stared at them until the group realized that he stopped. They came back over to see the painting as well.
"She's beautiful." Kagome said.
"That's my mother." Sesshomaru said, catching everyone's attention.
"Who's the guy?" Inuyasha asked.
"Our father."
"So, that's what he looked like?" Inuyasha said.
"Right." Sesshomaru snickered. "You weren't born yet. You never even got to see him."
Inuyasha shook his head and stared at the floor. Sesshomaru set a hand on his brother's shoulder and motioned for him to follow.
"Come on, let's eat."
Sesshomaru led the group the ret of the way. Everyone sat down around the table. Rin sat at Sesshomaru's left side with Jaken next to her. Kagome was about to take the seat next to Sesshomaru, when she motioned for Inuyasha to sit there and left the seat next to Inuyasha open for Kikyo. Once everyone else had their seats, there was some small conversation before the food arrived. A nice dinner was prepared for everyone. It wasn't a massive feast, but it was substantial enough to be impressive. The group had not enjoyed a large meal in a while. Everyone chowed down happily, though Inuyasha's manners left people stunned. Kikyo had to calm him down.
"Remember, you're in your family home. Here, we eat calmly and with respect." Kikyo said.
"Right." Inuyasha said, sheepishly, "Sorry, Sesshomaru."
"That's alright."
During dinner, conversations went smoothly. There was a warmth around the table that Kagome wasn't used to. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha spoke like friends and seemed genuinely interested in what the other had to say. Rin asked Kikyo tons of questions about using a bow and becoming a priestess. Sango was excited about training with her little brother again. Miroku and Kagome seemed to enjoy watching everyone. When dinner was finished, Rin requested desert. Unfortunately, the cooks didn't have anything prepared.
"It's okay. I know we are supposed to ask ahead of time. I just wanted to sit here with everyone longer." Rin said.
"I am still so confused. What happened when I left, my lord?" Jaken asked.
Sesshomaru had to reiterate a lot of what happened since Naraku kidnapped Kagome. Sango told some of what happened when she and Kagome were in Naraku's clutches. Jaken got the gist of it.
"So, training tomorrow?" Jaken asked.
"That's the plan." Inuyasha said.
"Until then, I think I need some rest." Sesshomaru said.
"It's just after dinner; are you okay?" Rin asked.
"Just tired."
"Why don't we take the night to relax. Tomorrow, we'll be working at a different pace." Kikyo said. "Training won't be easy, especially for you, Kagome. We're going to be focusing on raising your powers as a priestess and as a warrior. To get your body to meld well with the powers you now have, you must strengthen yourself both physically and mentally. It's going to be exhausting work."
"I know. I admit, I am a bit worried, but I'm sure with you all here, I can do it." Kagome said.
"Yeah, we can do it. Hey, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha turned to his brother, "You think you could train me up some? If I had more technique behind my swing, maybe I wouldn't mess up so much."
"You want me to train you?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Yeah, I mean, if you don't mind."
There were a few moments of silence, but Sesshomaru nodded, "I can do that."
"Sweet!" Inuyasha said.
"Until then, we rest." Miroku said.
After dinner, everyone said their goodnights and dispersed to their own rooms. Sesshomaru watched Kagome kiss Shippo goodnight and tuck him into bed. He looked down the hall toward Rin's room, spotting her little head quickly hide behind the wall. Sesshomaru chuckled at Rin and turned back to Kagome. She was smiling at him. She walked over and gestured for Sesshomaru to go down the hall.
"Come on. You got to watch how it's done, so go give it a try." Kagome said.
Sesshomaru snickered and walked down the hall toward Rin's room. As he turned the corner, the young girl scurried to her bed and quickly got under the covers. She laid down and pretended like she ways already going to sleep.
"Rin, you never sleep with the door open." Sesshomaru said.
"Oh, uh. I just forgot to close it." Rin said, her cheeks red.
Sesshomaru walked in and sat next to Rin's bed. Kagome, Sango, and Inuyasha all snuck towards Rin's room and peeked around the corner to watch Sesshomaru. He tried thinking of what to do or say, but forehead kisses weren't something he was comfortable doing.
"Are you okay, Daddy?" Rin asked.
"Yes, I am." Sesshomaru said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Rin, I don't know how to tuck a child in bed."
"And that's okay. Everyone has to learn when they're new at something, right? I couldn't read, but I know how to now because I practiced."
"So, I just need practice?"
"Uh'huh!"
"Well, I'll start practicing now." Sesshomaru said.
Sesshomaru pulled up Rin's blanket and tucked her in by pushing the sides under her, wrapping her up nice and tight.
"There, all tucked in. Did I do it right?" Sesshomaru asked.
"No, I can't move!" Rin said, wiggling around until one arm popped out the top.
"Ah, an arm popped out. Gotta put that back." Sesshomaru said, taking her arm and trying to tuck it back in.
"No, you're packing me up like a sleeping bag!" Rin wiggled herself out of most of the tuck-in.
"Hm. See what you did. You're un-tucked." Sesshomaru said.
"I just want a hug!" Rin said.
The girl giggled cheerfully as she hopped up and threw her arms around her dad. He chuckled and returned the embrace before she slid back in bed.
"Goodnight, Daddy."
"Goodnight, Rin."
Sesshomaru blew out a candle on the side table and the light went out. The eavesdroppers tiptoed to their rooms as quickly as they could before Sesshomaru shut Rin's door. Though everyone made it to their doors on time and quickly hid, Kagome stood in her door way and smiled at him. He raised an eyebrow at her as he walked to his room.
"You know we were watching." Kagome whispered.
"I'm aware." Sesshomaru whispered back.
"You're a natural."
Kagome smiled sweetly at him. He glanced back down the hall. All doors were closed and the lights were off. He quickly leaned down and placed a small kiss on her cheek. She smiled and turned her head until her lips met his. She kissed him again and again, and then their lips locked for a few seconds before she ran the tips of her fingers along his cheek down to his neck.
"Thank you." Sesshomaru said.
"Now get to bed. You're hiding it well, but you're exhausted." Kagome giggled and slid the door shut between them, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Kagome blew the candle out in her room and curled up into her blankets like a happy, giddy school girl. She brought her fingers to her lips, remembering the feel of his kiss. It was the second time they were that close. The idea of doing it again sent her heart racing. It took a little time to calm herself down. She had to think of less exciting things, but they helped her feel tired enough to relax.She soon fell into a comfortable sleep, feeling somewhat at home for the first time in a long while.
As Kagome slept, that feeling of warmth and safety faded. Her dreams turned to nightmares. She saw her friends being killed, spitting up blood, and reaching out to her. She saw Sesshomaru being stabbed in the back time and time again. When he called out for her, Kagome finally woke up. Her eyes snapped open and she shot up from bed. She held her stomach and quickly tried to control her breathing. Looking around her new bedroom, she remembered where she was. With training tomorrow, she wanted to go back to sleep, but something felt off.
"What is that?"
Kagome closed her eyes and calmed herself down more, soothing her speeding heart. As she did this, her senses reached farther than she expected. She sensed a strange hostility to her right. Her skin crawled with the intention to kill. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Kagome did not like that new feeling. It was startling, frightening even. She got up about of bed without hesitation. She had not been invited into Sesshomaru's room, but she didn't care.
Kagome slid the door open quietly. Standing on the other side of Sesshomaru's bed, a dark silhouette loomed over the sleeping demon. A glint in the moonlight revealed a blade as it sank into Sesshomaru's chest. Sesshomaru's eyes widened and growled into a hand that covered his mouth as the blade pierced his skin. The person repeated the process two or three more times before Kagome got the chance to move.
"No!" Kagome screamed.
Kagome ran at Sesshomaru's attacker, but the shadowed figure jumped away from her and out the window. Kagome was about to chase the person, but hurried to Sesshomaru's side. She covered the wound in his chest, only to see that there were nine or ten more.
"No, no, no…" Kagome said.
It wasn't long before everyone was up and in Sesshomaru's room. Miroku tried helping Kagome cover Sesshomaru's wounds by putting pressure on them. Kagome was already covered his so much of his blood. Kohaku and Shippo stood in the doorway shocked. A tired Rin walked into the room, rubbing her eyes. She saw the amount of blood on Sesshomaru and didn't even scream. She just passed out.
"What the hell happened?" Inuyasha asked, pulling the blankets from the bed.
"Someone tried to kill him." Kagome said, "Find Yukino and Alwin!"
"Kagome, I'll be fi-…" Sesshomaru was cut off.
He began choking on his own blood. Kagome rolled Sesshomaru onto his side to face her, allowing him to cough it up easier. As the blood dripped from his mouth, it formed a puddle on the floor. Sesshomaru gasped for air, wheezing as his chest tightened.
"Kikyo, is there an-…" Kagome said.
"No, our powers can't heal a demon." Kikyo said and then rushed out of the room, yelling for Yukino and Alwin.
"He shouldn't be bleeding this much. I don't even bleed this much." Inuyasha said.
Yukino was the first to arrive with Kikyo. She was shocked by how hurt Lord Sesshomaru was and went to a nearby closet to grab some bandages and herbs she had. She hurried back, and by the time she returned, Alwin was rushing up the stairs.
"No, Alwin. Turn around and find Mizuki. Tell her to get Aikanna here now. Summon her instantly. No messages. Mizuki can do that. Now go. Lord Sesshomaru is gravely injured." Yukino demanded, taking an air of authority in the room.
Sesshomaru was rolled onto his back again when Yukino returned. She opened the sack of herbs and gave them to Inuyasha.
"Crush them quickly. You're Sango, right?" Yukino asked and Sango nodded. "I need water, clean water. Second floor, turn left, first door on your right."
"Got it." Sango nodded and ran off.
"Boys. Take Rin to her room and keep her there until someone here says otherwise. She's going to panic." Yukino told Kohaku and Shippo.
"Right."
Yukino used the blankets to wipe as much of the blood away that she could, but it kept coming. She examined the wounds, taking note of the shape, width, and depth. However, as she got closer, she caught a whiff of something strange. Yukino looked at Sesshomaru and then Kagome.
"What?" Sesshomaru said through spitting up a bit more blood.
"My lord, you've been poisoned." Yukino said.
"Is he going to be okay?" Kagome asked.
"I don't know." Yukino said.
Sango showed up with another servant, two buckets of clean water, and clean rags. Alwin and Mizuki suddenly rushed into the room. Mizuki was covered in her own blood. On the opposite side of the room, they kicked some furniture and a rug away until there was enough space. Mizuki used her blood to draw some sort of ritualistic circle on the ground. She was muttering some incantation and the circle began to glow. Within a minute, Aikanna was in the room, a few gallons of seawater following her.
"What is going on? Why did you summon me, Mizuki?" Aikanna asked.
"Lord Sesshomaru is hurt." Mizuki pointed over to him.
"Oh, god." Aikanna's eyes widened.
"Help him, please." Kagome said.
Aikanna stepped up and quickly examined Sesshomaru's wounds. Before she said anything Sesshomaru fell unconscious. This threw Kagome in a panic. Inuyasha had to pull the sobbing woman away from him to let Aikanna work. Aikanna froze water over his wounds to get the bleeding to stop, but the process brought him a lot of pain, causing him to wake up and pass out again. She pulled the tear drop from her neck.
"I didn't think I'd need to use this again so soon." Aikanna said. "But he's unconscious. If he can't swallow the potion, it won't work."
"Kikyo, can you watch over Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.
Kikyo came over and held tightly onto Kagome, who was starting to hyperventilate. Kikyo forced Kagome to sit down and tried talking to her.
"He'll be okay." Kikyo said, blocking Kagome's sight to Sesshomaru. "Look at me, Kagome. He will be okay. We'll make sure of it."
"Okay…" Kagome said, closing her eyes and forcing herself to calm down.
Inuyasha lifted his brother into a sitting position and held his jaw open. Aikanna poured in the whole potion. Sesshomaru almost coughed it up, but Inuyasha didn't let him. He made sure Sesshomaru drank it. When the potion was gone, Sesshomaru gasped for air. He did not wake, but he was breathing. For a while, everyone waited around the room. When Aikanna removed the ice around his wounds, it was because his demonic healing was finally doing its work. The potion accelerated that further and within about an hour, Sesshomaru's body was healed.
"His wounds are gone, but he looks so pale…" Kagome said.
"But he is okay, right?" Sango asked Aikanna.
"I don't work with poisons. If he is indeed poisoned, that could still be working through him." Aikanna said.
"What type of poison was it?" Alwin asked.
"I smelled three." Yukino said. "I've trained a bit to identify poisons, especially those used by demons. I'm sure two were on the blade, and those I don't recognize. However, the first he had to consume, so it must have been in his dinner. It's a mere sleeping poison. It's not too powerful, and demons still use it to help them sleep in stressful times, but that would explain why Lord Sesshomaru couldn't sense his attacker coming."
"If he had to consume it, it must have been someone who worked on our dinner, right?" Miroku asked.
"Yes, I'm going to start questioning the staff immediately." Alwin said and left the room.
"Daddy!" Rin shouted from down the hallway.
Kagome stood up and hurried to Rin's room. She opened the door to find Rin fighting with Kohaku and Shippo to leave the room. When Kagome entered, Rin stopped. Kagome was still covered in Sesshomaru's blood.
"Is Daddy going to be okay?" Rin asked.
"I hope so." Kagome said and knelt to look Rin in the eyes. "Right now, the three of you need to stay in here. Do you understand me, Rin?"
"But…"
"No buts, not this time." Kagome said, shaking her head. "Someone hurt your dad badly. We are trying to take care of him, but we will have a harder time doing that if we're worried about whether you kids are okay. For now, you need to stay calm, and when Sesshomaru is well enough to talk to you, I will tell you immediately. Okay?"
"You gotta promise."
"I swear it."
Rin nodded and sat down. Kagome turned to the boys.
"Watch over each other. Try and rest."
Kagome closed the door as she went back to Sesshomaru's room. Everyone was suddenly surrounding the bed. She picked up her pace and went back inside. Sesshomaru was awake, but sweating heavily and had bags under his eyes.
"Did you recognize the scent of the person who attacked you?" Inuyasha asked.
"No. I still can't smell anything."
"That's another effect of that sleeping poison. It's a good choice to put someone with a keen nose at a disadvantage." Yukino said.
"You can't tell what the other two poisons are?" Aikanna asked.
"If I had to guess, I'd say it's one that stops his healing and the other causes excessive bleeding." Yukino said.
"How much blood did I lose?"
"Well, there's a puddle of what you spit up over here." Inuyasha pointed at the floor. "Everything else is on you, me, your blankets, or Kagome."
The group looked over to Kagome. She looked utterly drained, but managed to make it over to Sesshomaru's side of the bed.
"Someone tried to assassinate you today." Kagome said. "I woke up and could sense something wrong. If I hadn't…"
"Let's not think about that." Kikyo said, putting a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "Your intuition saved his life."
"Yeah, nice job, Kagome." Inuyasha said.
"We should get all of this cleaned up." Kagome said.
"Oh, we servants will take care of that, don't worry." Yukino said. "The priority is getting Lord Sesshomaru cleaned up."
"I have his bath ready." Mizuki suddenly spoke up from the doorframe. "It's warm."
"I'm going to return to the sea. Mizuki, well done with the summoning ritual." Aikanna said, kissing the young demon girl's forehead before waving to everyone else. "Be well, and if you need me, I prefer the regular method of contact."
"See you later, big sister." Mizuki waved Aikanna off. "Thank you."
"Come on. Let's get you cleaned up." Kagome said.