IV: Hanazuki, Lady of Mystery

Author: Nefertili

Fandom: Inuyasha

Rating: PG13

Pairing(s): Sesshoumaru/Kikyou

Genre(s): Romance, Angst, AU, Action

Warning(s): More battle scenes, some violence, fluff... What more can I say?

Disclaimer: None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

Summary: Two years after IMotC, Sess is challenged to surpass an enemy in recovering a mysterious relic left behind by his mother. But can he protect Kikyou, who now carries his child, at the same time?

A/N: Finally, one of the major original characters of the story is unveiled in this chapter! I know you've been waiting ages for this, so read on!

...o0o...

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes narrowed to feel an ever slight trembling on the ground beneath his feet. Though he still maintained an expressionless outer facade, his heart seemed to be beating its way out of his rib cage.

The Lord of the West quickened his usually unhurrying pace. He had to reach Kikyou and Rin, but their auras and scent were weak to his senses. They must have ventured far into the vast forest, but Sesshoumaru was bent on finding them. The other foreign aura in the forest was laced with malice, and such was a thing he could not tolerate.

Out of the blue, Sesshoumaru felt a flare of his beloved's spiritual powers. At once, he knew something was amiss, and he took off with impressive speed towards the source of the flare, his sinewy form blurring as he went. He very nearly missed a little girl running in his direction as far as her human running speed could carry her.

'Rin...' Sesshoumaru stopped at once, and the girl nearly screamed, partly out of relief and partly out of fright to see the figure of her lord materialize before her. Before she could help it, Rin clutched at him, sobbing and shaking. He scanned his surroundings, but they were completely alone, without a sign of his raven-haired mate. 'Where have you gone, Kikyou?'

The Demon Lord almost instinctively placed a hand on her head. What had happened? Rin was obviously frightened, judging by the violent spasms rocking her body as he held her. She muttered almost incoherent words, but Sesshoumaru managed to catch a couple of fragmented phrases.

"A speaking dragon... Kikyou-sama... Kikyou-sama fighting the dragon... Please help her, Sesshoumaru-sama..."

'A dragon, a youkai from the blood of Ryuukossei, is in my realm?' was the thought that angrily formed in his mind. Many 'speaking dragons,' as Rin called them, were enemies of his late father, including the powerful Ryuukossei who managed to seriously injure Inu no Taishou. Sesshoumaru made Rin look up at his stern features, and she gradually quieted down.

"To the fortress, Rin," he commanded in a stern voice, though inwardly, his spirit was screaming in desperation. "Jaken will be waiting for you."

Rin knew better than to question the powerful taiyoukai. With a single nod, she let go of her hold on the silver-haired demon and ran to where he came from, whilst he went the opposite, hoping to reach his mate before it's too late.

'Kikyou, I can't allow our child to suffer because of this...'

...o0o...

Kikyou felt as though she had passed out for an eternity before she regained consciousness. The words of the despicable youkai she had battled earlier were still ringing in her ears, and it gave her no rest to go over them in her mind.

"...Prince of the West, you carry her blood in your veins, and with your death her doom is fulfilled..."

Though she knew that many demons wanted her husband's claim over the Western Lands, it was rare to find a youkai who spoke of him with such hatred. Kikumo used to be one of those, but not even her desire for revenge back in the times of Naraku could compare to half of the flaming anger emanating from the dragon, as though hate was the spirit of the evil being itself. And Kikyou knew only too well that 'the Master' could only be worse, judging by the cruelty of his followers.

'Why do they wish to destroy Sesshoumaru?' Kikyou thought, struggling against the head-splitting headache racking her senses. 'Lady of the Tsukisawa, who are you?'

"Lady of the Tsukisawa...you dared to defy the Master...your bloodline shall pay dearly..."

Her tired eyes caught sight of the sun's failing light peeking among the branches of the old-growth trees towering above her. How long had she slept? They hadn't much time to piece together the many sections of the puzzle surrounding this mystery. If she recalled correctly, the Master was sealed by the so-called Lady of the Moon Marsh, but her seal was beginning to lose its power.

"You have sealed the Master before your death, but the Master had now awakened, and in a sevenday shall break your seal..."

In a week, he will be freed, and his sole purpose of existing is to kill Sesshoumaru...

"...The blood of your one descendant shall be spilled and your doom shall be absolute..."

That mere thought caused Kikyou to sit up, but she fell on her back almost at once, feeling as though her surroundings were spinning around her. What little food she had eaten during the day threatened to be expelled out of her mouth. Of all the hours that nausea could strike...

Kikyou felt into her sleeve for the rinds of citron Rin had given her during the morning, but she almost at once threw them away, as their fragrance had gone stale; their smell only made her feel more sickened. Her baby rolled over in her womb, and her hands carefully went over her stomach area to feel if her child suffered any injury. Thankfully, she felt no breaks whatsoever. She sighed in relief.

'Sesshoumaru, where are you?' Kikyou thought, feeling totally spent. He must have gone looking for her by this time now.

A gentle light appeared from the corner of her eye, causing her to blink for a moment. A most delightful fragrance began to fill the thick twilight air, a strange sweetness that reminded Kikyou of her mate's tender caresses. What she wouldn't give to be back in his arms by now...

"She seems to be in need for help; come, my soul-gatherers..."

A woman's ageless voice reached Kikyou's ears, and she gathered the courage to open her mahogany eyes. The light that surrounded her was bright, yet so gentle to the eyes that she felt not the need to squint. Abruptly, a small eel-like demon began to float over her, to be followed by many others of its own kind. As they carried on their graceful dance in the air, Kikyou recognized them immediately.

They were shinidamachuu, soul-catching demons. Kikyou could control her own soul-catchers, which were of inestimable help to her when she still resided in a clay body. However, this kind of shinidamachuu seemed to be built differently from her usual white demons.

If Kikyou's pets were pure white with red eyes, these demons had a beautiful shade of blue on the heads and claws which faded to white at the tail. Their eyes were violet, and an intricately textured armor-like plate adorned their heads. But a pair of black spines protruded from each of the sides of the creature's eyes where a shinidamachuu's wings should have been.

Its usual soft sail was replaced by dark-colored, hard sails which reminded Kikyou of a saw's edge. At first glance, it's evident that they were more warlike than a usual shinidamachuu, but they reverently floated over her like watchful guardians.

"Worry not," came the lady's voice once again, carrying a ring of authority which sounded like a mellow, gentler version of Sesshoumaru's speaking voice. For some strange reason, Kikyou felt at ease. "They won't harm you upon my command."

Kikyou turned her head slightly to the side to catch a better sight of her companion. She nearly gasped.

From the misty lights emerged a woman, a demoness no doubt by her aura, clad in robes of colors which reminded Kikyou of white fog over a dark blue body of water, while the sky lightened from night to daybreak above. Her hair, which nearly reached the hems of her robes, shone with the deep purple of a sky in late twilight. Her eyes fascinated Kikyou, for they were unlike anything she had ever seen, with the tint of grey-blue, like a moon in full. A light shone upon her breast, but Kikyou couldn't take her eyes off the lady's forehead.

She also bore a mark of a Prussian blue crescent moon very similar to her husband's, except that the sickle-moon faced up, and not to the woman's left as it was with Sesshoumaru. Magenta stripes radiated from the left and right of the crescent, and a touch of light purple was on her eyelids. Kikyou could not help but notice that in overall, her face strangely and strongly mirrored Sesshoumaru's.

A pair of shinidamachuu broke off from their kind and began to float around the ethereal lady. She held out one of her hands as she allowed one of the creatures to grasp at her fingers gently before she sent them back with the others. Kikyou didn't realize she had been staring, and when she felt the other woman's eyes looking at her kindly, she averted her gaze in shame. If she thought Kikumo was beautiful, this lady was certainly even more so.

"Daughter," the lady addressed her softly, kneeling gracefully beside Kikyou's supine figure and examining her with the doting atmosphere of a mother. Her soft grey eyes fell on the ever so slight bulge on the younger woman's waist. "What brought you and your child to this place?"

Kikyou was amazed that the lady knew at one glance that she was pregnant. Her belly had not yet swollen to the point that it will be noticed from afar, and only her companions at home knew that she carried a child.

"My companion and I were attacked," Kikyou replied softly. She felt so weak that her vision was beginning to darken. Desperation began to lace her voice. "I must go back to him... There is so much that he needs to know..." A wave of nausea passed over her, making her body lurch as she threatened to throw up.

The violet-haired demoness laid a hand gently on Kikyou's shoulder to calm her. The lady's scent wafted over to her, and Kikyou felt her nausea beginning to drift away as though it had never been.

"I know," she whispered softly, and Kikyou looked at her with wonder. What, and how, could she know?

The lady answered her question even before Kikyou formed the words in her mouth. "My spirit had traversed the Western Lands for many years, and I know of the happenings within its deep forests. Kikyou, your encounter with Ryuukossei's kindred did not escape my attention."

Kikyou's eyes narrowed without her knowing it. Though she could feel no evil intentions whatsoever from this woman, her past life had taught her to be more cautious. The more powerful of demons are those that could take on a human form... Her experiences with Sesshoumaru, Kikumo, and even with Naraku and her past lover Inuyasha, were more than enough to justify that statement.

"How came you to know my name?" she asked, inching a little bit from the beautiful demoness who knelt by her side.

An unreadable expression passed over the Demon Lady's eyes. Kikyou didn't know if she had offended the demoness, but the lady let out a most charming laugh as though to quell her fears. By now, Kikyou can tell that she was quite amused. She couldn't help but think that this trait was definitely so like Sesshoumaru.

"Do not fear," she said, smiling at Kikyou. "I know perfectly who your Lord Sesshoumaru is, and that the child you now carry is his. Besides," her eyes twinkled as she paused, "my bark is worse than my bite."

As cryptic an answer it might seen, it gave Kikyou the assurance that she could trust this mysterious lady. Besides, her last statements proved that she had a pleasant sense of humor that Kikyou knew she herself lacked. However, Kikyou was too agitated to reply as wholeheartedly.

"Then you must have heard what the dragon said," Kikyou said, struggling to get up. "Please, I have to get back to him..."

The lady smiled softly, quietly stroking Kikyou's raven hair like a mother to gently encourage her to lie down again, lest she hurt herself.

"You are not the only one who cares for him," the woman said. "I am worried for him as much as you are. Furthermore, I am worried for you two." In her weakened state, Kikyou could see that the previous twinkle in the lady's grey orbs had worn off and was replaced by a thoughtful expression, as though she was pondering on something that made her extremely sad.

"Do you disapprove of me as his..." Kikyou broke off, unable to continue. She knew for a fact that her relationship with Sesshoumaru was scorned upon by both humans and demons, and heaven knows how his pride was greatly scarred to hear unfavorable remarks from even the lowest of youkai being aimed at him.

"Though it breaks my heart to see you both suffer, I see no fault in a demon loving a human," the demoness replied. "Nor do I disapprove of you, Kikyou, as his mate. But your relationship has a deeper purpose than the fulfillment of the love of two persons; only with your bond can a hidden vow be finally accomplished."

"What do you mean?" Kikyou murmured, but the lady evaded her question.

"He will come for you," she answered. "Do not yet trouble yourself with what I said." Her hand passed briefly over Kikyou's eyes, and she barely saw the magenta stripes snaking her wrist or the silver sheen of her fingernails as sleep began to overwhelm her. "You must recover your strength, daughter..."

Kikyou, however, wanted to stay awake for a moment longer.

"I must know your name, Lady..." she whispered.

Her gray eyes glistened slightly. "Since the beginning of my existence, I have borne the name Suien, but I am known as Hanazuki by many," she said. "I prefer that you address me by the latter, but either name is acceptable to me."

She reached out to tenderly clasp Kikyou's clammy hand, whispering, "You have to sleep, Kikyou. He will come for you."

Suien...mist over water... Hanazuki...flower moon... They were both lovely, as beautiful as the face of their bearer.

"I thank you, Lady Hanazuki..." Kikyou murmured before she finally gave in to the trappings of sleep numbing her senses. It then occurred to her that she hadn't inquired of Hanazuki why she so resembled Sesshoumaru, in her manner of speaking which could easily ensnare one's attention by a mere word, and in the look from her fascinating eyes, which was composed yet in a way, carried a whisper of sadness within.

A shard of the moon

O'er mist coming and going,

A jewel of doom,

O'er water still, unmoving,

O'er depths endless, a-waiting...

Neither was she able to ask if she knew of the Lady of the Tsukisawa.

...o0o...

'Kikyou, where have you gone?' Sesshoumaru thought heatedly to himself. Dismayed he was at the damage the dragon had caused the forest, he still hadn't found Kikyou. This worried him more than a wide area of land flattened as though a wind of hurricane winds had swept the trees.

He could hardly feel her aura anymore, and the trail of her scent was too weak to be discernible. The sun was beginning to set, but Sesshoumaru vowed to himself that he wouldn't stop until he had found his mate. She carried his child, and for that he cared for her twice as much, and loved her ten times more. If she died, well, he might as well likely follow her.

Sesshoumaru knew that he had already searched the forest twice, or at least the portions of it accessible by ordinary youkai and humans, if he ever allowed their presence in his woods. There were pockets of it which were more dangerous, which not even the most daring of his underlings would dare to penetrate, for fear of some sort of hidden power which could match even his own.

With a snort, the taiyoukai disregarded the warnings of his mind and decided to venture deeper within the woods. After all, Kikyou was an extraordinary woman, brave beyond belief, and had survived a hellish dimension before she became his.

He did not even pause for a moment as he crossed the safe boundary of the forest. Sesshoumaru felt the other demons which had been watching him shrink away in fear at the area he entered. There, the trees were darker and more hostile-looking, the shade beneath them gloomier and thicker. The evening mist began to waft among the trees, and the surroundings were as silent as death.

A flash of white caught Sesshoumaru's attention. The Demon Lord's amber eyes narrowed. It looked just like a trick of mist, but he knew that it was more than a wisp of cloud over the ground.

He stood motionless for a while, waiting for the entity to reveal itself. Soon it did, and a small demon emerged from the darkness, its elongated body like a lamp in the darkness.

It was a shinidamachuu, but Sesshoumaru knew that it was not one of his wife's pets. This soul-catcher looked as though it was built for combat, and though he could not deny that he was familiar with this type of shinidamachuu, the Demon Lord was surprised to see one of them, for it had been centuries since he had laid his eyes on one. This could only mean...

The shinidamachuu regarded the taiyoukai with its violet eyes before drifting back into the darkness. Sesshoumaru followed it silently down the gentle slope, and his nose gradually picked up a perfume, a fragrance which like the shinidamachuu, had been hidden from him for a great many years before he finally beheld them now. And like the soul-catcher, it reminded him of a single person...

A soft voice began to fill the blank spaces of the trees with a song it hummed, and Sesshoumaru stopped in his tracks. It was definitely not a trick of his imagination. He knew that voice; it had been calling to him...

Just as he thought of it, Sesshoumaru caught sight of a faint halo of light moving among some trees, and he shed his paralysis to go after it, the bodiless voice echoing its song in his sharp ears.

His heart beating like a wild bird caught in a cage, he stepped like a sleepwalker over the thick blanket of leaves that had settled undisrupted on the forest floor. The fragrance, the soul-catcher, the voice, the light...was it some trick of fate that brought them all together this dark night?

Before he knew it, Sesshoumaru was only a few steps away from the bright miasma, which had also stopped moving, as though anticipating his reaction.

His face was illuminated by the unearthly glow, and his silvery hair began to flutter although there was no wind. He reached out one of his hands to touch the white sphere, which seemed to have a solid quality to it. The song of the forest began to fade from his ears, and a tiny part of him began to despair at the thought that the ethereal voice that sang it would be gone...again.

Just as the tip of his claws had penetrated the outer shell of the swirling haze, a figure appeared within the sphere of light. Sesshoumaru's amber eyes widened as the outlines became clearer and more defined. And as swiftly as he finally recognized the figure in the whiteness, the miasma disappeared, breaking off in formless ribbons that became one with the floating mist of his surroundings, bringing with them the fragrance and the voice. The shinidamachuu, too, had vanished as though it had never been.

The great youkai Lord of the West stood there in a daze for a few moments, as though still held captive by the spell of the figure in the miasma. Just then, his nose caught the scent of his mate, her aura reaching out for his.

He found Kikyou immediately, asleep among the roots of a centuries-old tree nearby. Sesshoumaru rushed to her side, wondering why he had only found her now.

He whispered her name, but she seemed to be too deeply asleep to respond. In the dim light, he surveyed her to check if she was all right. As far as he can see, she was nonetheless unharmed, with one of her hands placed protectively over her belly.

Sesshoumaru was touched by her position, and he took in the beautiful features of her soft face and raven hair before he gently hooked his arms under Kikyou's legs and shoulders to carry her home. At this, he felt her stir.

Kikyou's mahogany eyes opened briefly, and seeing that she was finally in her husband's arms, she asked softly, "Where is Lady Hanazuki?" But before Sesshoumaru could answer her question, she had fallen asleep again, her face sinking into the soft fur on his shoulder.

...o0o...

Sesshoumaru gently laid Kikyou down on their futon and placed a warm blanket over her body to ward off the chill of the night. He had ordered Jaken and Rin to stay away, so as not to disturb Kikyou from her rest. Sesshoumaru stayed with the sleeping figure of his mate for some time, watching over her as she lingered in the world of dreams.

But his thoughts drifted somewhere else, deep within the shadows of the forest where he encountered the white miasma. He had seen her, the lady his wife spoke of earlier. Sesshoumaru had seen her exactly as he remembered her several hundred years ago, as beautiful and as ageless, smiling as she used to when she held him in her arms.

The Lord of the Western Lands closed his eyes briefly and stood up from his sitting position. He spared one last look at his sleeping wife before he went out of the room like the passing of a shadow. He looked up at the half-moon, which was beginning to be cloaked in a robe of clouds, and as its light was hidden, he disappeared into the forest beyond.

After he saw the vision of his mother, there welled up from within him a torrent of memories and emotions which he sought to reminisce, once again.

...o0o...

Arwen, Dark Sorceress of Fate: WOW! Are you reading my mind? You could guess so well how the events would unfold! ;) I am glad you liked the name of 'Tsukisawa.' I thought of the names I would use rather carefully, and I had to browse many Japanese-English dictionaries to get them right! And, yeah, I agree. How else could have Sesshie gotten his handsome looks? A pretty mommy and a cute daddy would be the likely formula, ne? ;p

SilverRogue: Thanks for the compliment; I will try to update more, as I now have restored access to the net.

hipkid727: Aaaw, thanks for your patience. I really am glad to have loyal reviewers who believe in me more than I do believe in myself.

ninalee-chan:This chapter answered your question, right? ;) I am not exactly an expert on dragons, but I'm glady ou think that the dragon scene was fine.

Absent of Grace: Yep, Hanazuki aka Suien is the lady in the Prologue. A mean guy, this Karatake is, right?

Cold Kikyo: Thanks for liking the story! It's going to get more interesting, promise! ;)

So, now you know who the Lady from the Prologue is! ;) What could Hanazuki mean when she said that 'only with your bond can a hidden vow be finally accomplished'? And you may want to check out the hand drawn illustrations of TUSotM I posted in my profile.You have no idea how many times I revised Hanazuki's looks before I'm satisfied. o.o