V: Reminiscence
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: I apologize for the long intervals between chapter uploads. We have never been bombarded with so much requirements in school (heck, perhaps even Superman will crack if he were given one project after another)! My account was also suspended for some reason I couldn't understand. Anyway, I would like to take advantage of a lull between requirement submissions to finally go on with Chapter five! WARNING: GRAPHIC AND VERBAL VIOLENCE IN THIS CHAPTER! Don't say you weren't warned!
...o0o...
The light of the newly uncloaked half moon penetrated the deep forest in thin beams, the thick foliage shutting out most of the silver moonbeams as the hours went on. There was almost no sign of animal life aside from the twilight summer calls of a cicada in the distance; the woods stood as though in a peaceful reverie, betraying the true nature of its many inhabitants.
Abruptly, one of the unmoving moonbeams flickered as a shadow flitted through it in the blink of an eye. The regal form of the Prince of the West was like a shining treasure which stood out against a background of rustic wilderness. Many lesser demons, hidden invisible inside any imaginable nook and cranny, stirred within their cramped dwellings and wondered why the powerful ruler of their domain had decided to walk the silent passages in the dead of the night.
Sesshoumaru knew they were watching him, but he paid them the least of attention. They wouldn't dare raise a hair against him, knowing the power he possessed. Neither would they question his ways, at least openly. Sesshoumaru had known that many of his underlings thought ill of him because of Kikyou, but his subjects lived in great fear of him that such scandal (or so as many thought), was never discussed openly in the West, reducing it to a rumor in the lands outside the domain. Likewise, they drew back within their lairs the moment he passed them in his own aristocratic grace.
His face devoid of all emotion, Sesshoumaru strode on, hardly even sparing his surroundings a simple glance. His amber eyes were fixed steadily on the overgrown passage as it stretched before him, and nothing but nothing could seem to break through the invisible wall of utter coldness surrounding the Demon Lord.
'Why now?' the silver-haired youkai thought to himself, and an ever so slight flicker passed over his intensely colored orbs as he went over the recent events once more in his mind. 'What are you trying to tell me?'
His brows creased together slightly in a thoughtful frown.
'Mother, whatever are you trying to tell me?'
...o0o...
Gradually, the vast forest began to thin out. The space between the trees grew wider and wider as grasses began to dominate the untamed wilderness of the West. Sesshoumaru paused for a while, taking in the wide expanse of his domain as it spread out before him in a tree less plain dotted here and there by granite boulders.
He passed one of the many boulders scattered in random groups throughout the field, his platinum hair catching the glimmer of the moonbeams as they shot out of their mother orb in the heavens. Here and there, Sesshoumaru caught random memories as they escaped from his mind, as though the dam which had pent up all those memoirs had suddenly broken, spilling them in a torrent of violent reminiscence.
Sesshoumaru passed several other granite boulders, hardly noticing the gentle breeze that had begun to blow on the grassland, ruffling his silvery tresses. Eventually, he stopped, gazing at the grassy heart of the granite-littered field. Is this the place, the place for which he had ventured so far in one night, a place of such importance that for the sake of visiting it, he momentarily left his beautiful wife in her sleep?
Yes, it is there where his memories are sharpest, so sharp that he can replay the happenings before his very eyes...as though he could see, from the corner of his eye, the small figure of a child who looked about eight or nine years of age in human years, running among the waving grass as though without a care in the world, laughing as he ran against the direction of the wind.
The wind carried a soft voice throughout the field. Hearing his name called, the child immediately turned around, running towards the outstretched arms of a young woman whose inky black tresses contrasted the silver strands of her son's hair. Her face was rather serious and composed, but she smiled slightly as she extended her hands towards the younger one.
Just as the smaller hands touched the fingertips of the older hand, the vision faded into the darkness of the night, like smoke drifting away from a dying fire. Sesshoumaru's steely gaze softened ever so slightly. Did those events really take place? It looks like a memory from a dream...a fantasy wholly untrue and imagined.
But Sesshoumaru knew, deep inside, those fantasies as he called them, were not simple fantasies after all. Though fleeting such memories might seem, he knew that at one time, he was a young child who played in this same field centuries ago. And he knew perfectly well that because of a cruel trick of fate, such carefree days of youth were never destined to last.
...o0o...
The sky was bright and cloudless, and the gentle rays of the daystar shone radiantly upon a young boy as he hid among several granite rocks, trying very hard not to make a single move.
No doubt, at first glance, he was no ordinary child. True, he may possess the slender form of a human child, but the striking markings on his face and wrists, not to mention the extraordinary silver hair, proved that he was far above anything one would call human.
He wore the royal garb of a young prince of his era, emphasizing his noble rank among youkai. Born to the Lord of the West and an equally powerful and respected Demon Lady, he was aware of his potential as a great demon, and was not afraid to show it. He crouched silently within the tiny opening of the granite boulder, his amber-gold eyes narrowing as he sought to concentrate on hiding his demon aura.
"I know you're hiding out there, and I am going to find you..." came the even tones a familiar voice. The youkai child could catch a note of jest in the statement, and he was determined all the more to not make himself seen.
Soon, his surroundings were completely silent except for the gentle swish-swish of grass as the wind played with their tiny blades. The young one was perplexed; he still felt the other youkai's scent and aura only a few seconds before, and now he felt not a trace of it, as though it had vanished completely. Was its bearer only hiding itself from him, or had it left him alone?
Letting his guard down slightly, the boy let bits of his youki escape as he warily peered out of his cramped hideout. He looked to his left; he looked to his right. He found not what he was looking for. Had she truly...?
The youthful demon let out a surprised squeal as a pair of hands suddenly grabbed hold of his shoulders and forcefully pulled him out of his dark nook. He tried to escape, but the hands held him firm as he tumbled upon the soft grasses covering most of his surroundings. He struggled for several moments against the sinewy arms that held him before finally surrendering to the far greater force keeping him in its control.
"Mother, you found me again!" the young one exclaimed as he looked up half-admiringly and half-irritatingly at the older face which, disregarding several physical features, extremely mirrored his own. "Did I fail in keeping my aura hidden?"
"Sesshoumaru, you were doing well at the start, but when I myself decided to hide myself, you gave yourself away; how could I not find you?" came her quick reply, releasing her hold on her son. As he sat on her knees, she gently smoothed away several strands of her son's hair which had become tangled due to their game earlier.
Sesshoumaru did not stop gazing up at his mother. Though she was smiling slightly as she said her previous statements, he knew that she was teaching him yet another important lesson, a lesson he would have to remember if he were to become a proper taiyoukai.
"Can we do it again, please?" he asked of the demoness, clutching at her water blue robes in childish enthusiasm. He was eager to do better in the next round. "Can we do it again until not even Father can find me?"
She let out a good-natured laugh. They had been playing their own version of hide and seek for many hours now; still, she could always find Sesshoumaru no matter what nook and cranny he inserted himself into. However, even she had to admit that he was doing pretty well for a demon as young as he. He could so stealthily hide his aura and the trail of his scent that she was confident he will grow up to be nearly as great a Demon Lord as her mate.
"Mother?"
Upon hearing her son's voice taking on a sadder, more pleading tone, she immediately put her musings at the back of her mind to give him her undivided attention.
"What is it, Sesshoumaru?" she asked, lovingly cupping his cheek with one of her hands which bore the same magenta marks on his wrists.
Sesshoumaru was looking directly at her silvery orbs as he said in a little more than a whisper, "Do you think I can be as powerful as you or Father when I grow up?"
The Demon Lady wrapped her arms around her son's small form, and young hands hugged her back as she sought to keep him as close to her as she can. He may be young, but even at this tender age, he was aware that he was living under the shadow of two parents whose powers he had yet to comprehend. Other youkai obviously expected many things from him, and he was determined not to fail in their expectations.
"That is a choice you have to work hard for," she explained wisely, "a choice only you can take. You have the blood of the inuyoukai and the Elementals of the Moon flowing in your veins, and if your father and I had managed to go this far, you can, too."
Sesshoumaru said nothing, but he rubbed his face against his mother's silken robes, smiling at the fragrant scent which clung to her wherever she went. Words were not enough to explain how fond he was of Hanazuki. To him, no female could probably be better than her, and she understood his thoughts better than anyone else. He loved the way she spoke to him, for Hanazuki did not address him as a child like other youkai would. She always spoke to him as though he was her equal, patiently answering his questions of the world of grown-ups which no one else might have answered for him.
She knew he wasn't simply a child; she knew he would succeed in his prime endeavor…
A sudden burst of demon activity made both of them look up. Sesshoumaru stood up quickly; his mother followed suit, though in a more cautious manner. She had a very bad feeling about this...
"Mother, what is happening?" Sesshoumaru asked, without much a trace of worry in his voice.
They both felt the presence of unfamiliar youkai, masses and masses of them, stampeding their way. However, Sesshoumaru was not particularly mindful of them, for he believed that no other demon would dare face even a child as he because of his mother and father. Furthermore, he had Hanazuki with him. She was the most powerful female youkai alive; she could defeat any others of their kind. She would keep him safe...
Noticing that Hanazuki wasn't even answering, Sesshoumaru glanced at his mother. He was surprised to see her usually calm and impassive face laced with worry. Sesshoumaru knew instantly that something was not quite right.
"Mother...?"
The single word was drowned by the high and screechy laughter that arose around them. Nearly at once, the young silver-haired demon caught sight of human or humanoid figures in spiky armors that gleamed dully in the sunlight. Most of their faces were grotesque and disfigured, but there were a few whose faces were still recognizable enough to be human. Hanazuki made him move behind her, which only served to increase Sesshoumaru's confusion. Never had she made an action in the past to conceal him from other youkai; what was the matter with her?
Before he knew it, the multitude had encircled them both, surrounding them in a closely tightening circle. By now Sesshoumaru can see their evil-looking eyes and crooked smirks. He also noted that each one of them carried a weapon of bamboo spiked at the end to resemble spears.
They regarded him with what looked like cruelly amused looks on their faces, conferring with each other in a crude language. Sesshoumaru clutched at his mother's hand, and she instinctively returned his hold. She still stood tall and unmoving, and her grey eyes had assumed a steely glaze. As her son, he knew that this meant business. He regained his proud composure, glaring at the several unsightly entities near him. They laughed scornfully, and Sesshoumaru felt anger welling up from inside him. How dare they mock him, the Prince of the West...?
"The Master desires that Thing you possess," said one of them, directing the statement at Hanazuki. "He is particularly displeased that you wouldn't give in by friendly persuasion. It appears we have to resort to other means to get what we have come here for..."
Hanazuki let out a derisive laugh. She flicked away a few locks of her black violet hair from her face while her silvery oculars flashed.
"Friendly persuasion?" she said with an ironic edge in her voice. "Had Karatake ever used friendly persuasion? Your 'master' is nothing but a fool; who is he to think that I will yield to him?"
"To not yield to the Master has severe consequences..."
"Go back to that master of yours and tell him that if he wants It, he has to get through me first."
"He ordered us that we are not to return until we have gotten It."
"You amuse me with your stubbornness, worms of the earth," Hanazuki said coldly. Sesshoumaru can feel her aura beginning to flare up dangerously. "Your mere presence here disgusts me. Leave before you meet death in my hands."
The speaker of the malformed humanoid youkai appeared to take the threat seriously, for he readied his bamboo weapon and pointed it in combat position, to be followed by the rest of his army. Sesshoumaru did not move an inch, and neither did his mother. He couldn't understand what Hanazuki and the filthy entity were talking about. What did they want from his mother? Why can't they simply leave her alone?
The lesser demon Hanazuki spoke with earlier finally noticed Sesshoumaru, standing behind his mother. He noted that the youngling bore striking resemblance to the Demon Lady. No doubt this little dust of life was her son.
"Ah, so Lady Suien got busy with the Inu no Taishou and produced this dog of a child, eh?" he said with a jeer. The rest of his ugly underlings laughed alongside him. Sesshoumaru bit his lips, but Hanazuki gently squeezed his shoulder in a silent warning that he should control himself. To provoke an enemy would be a great mistake...
Although Sesshoumaru obeyed his mother instantly, he couldn't help but wonder why the other youkai called her Suien. She had told her son once that Suien was her true name, but not many youkai knew it. The fact that these vile animals knew Hanazuki's true name was already enough to trouble Sesshoumaru.
"Suppose we take your little boy and pull those pale tresses from his scalp before your eyes, would you still not hand It in to us?" the evil demon said craftily, his smirk widening.
"We can laugh while we hear him cry like the child that he is!" another of the disfigured demons added with malice.
Although they laughed evilly as one, Hanazuki said not a word in reply. They continued to taunt her and Sesshoumaru for a few more moments, but when they realized that mother and son refused to budge at their empty threats, they finally charged, their fury unleashed.
At once, Hanazuki sprang up and launched an immediate counterattack. She had been waiting for them to make the first move, and now it was her turn. She would kill them like the animals they were.
She gave several of the demons a taste of her bare fist, and they fell back with their faces smashed as though hit with a heavy iron club. She grabbed several of the bamboo spears as they were aimed at her, and they melted at the potent quality of her Dokkasou. She lashed out at many others, taking off their heads with a poisonous slash of her nails as they tried to go nearer.
Beside her, Sesshoumaru was also in action, all the lessons that he had learned so far under the guidance of his mother and father coming into play. He struck with the agility of a bird in flight, and many of the lesser demons were killed wondering how a young child could execute such deadly moves and exterminate them like his mother can.
However, due to his youth, he was not quite experienced with the flows of battle, and one of the furious youkai managed to pin him to the ground with its greasy claws clamped around his neck, squeezing the air out of him with a twisted smirk on its dark face, obviously enjoying the sight. A strangled cry left his throat, which immediately reached Hanazuki's ears.
At once, Hanazuki came to Sesshoumaru's aid. Abandoning her combat with the others, she placed a hand through the demon's heart and threw the sagging bulk of the dead body away from Sesshoumaru. But in her desire to protect her son, a humpbacked youkai which was larger than the others struck out with his bamboo spear and pierced her on her unprotected side.
Sesshoumaru's breath caught in his throat to hear his mother's grunt of pain. All of a sudden, a great wave of youki escaped from him as he leaped up and valiantly drove away the evil entities that were closing in on her.
"Leave my mother ALONE!" he shouted, spreading his arms wide as though to prevent them from nearing Hanazuki, who was crouched close to the ground, clutching her side in pain.
The malformed humanlike youkai drew back in fear at the great energy radiating from the small silver-haired demon child. The magenta stripes on his cheeks had begun to widen and turn jagged; his amber color of his eyes was drowned by the angry shade of red that spoke of his true demon form. Were they to witness the transformation of the only son of the great Inu no Taishou and Hanazuki-sama?
"Sesshoumaru!"
He looked back at his mother to hear her call him by his name. Sesshoumaru only had a few seconds to discern the gratitude and admiration in her beautiful silver orbs before she carried him in her arms and took advantage of their enemies' momentary state of trance to cut through their mass with her speed and escape to the nearby forest.
...o0o...
Hanazuki paused for a moment, looking anxiously around her before she put her son down in the little thicket covered with a dense layer of brush and leaves. She was breathing heavily, and her side still dripping blood.
"Mother!" Sesshoumaru held on to her, refusing to let go. Amidst the pain on her waist, it caused Hanazuki more distress to see tears threatening to spill unchecked from her precious one's eyes, which had returned to amber. "Please don't leave! You're hurt, Mother!"
Hanazuki knelt and met her son's eyes with her own. Sesshoumaru wanted to embrace her, but she pried his hands away and held them in her bloodstained palms.
"Don't cry now, Sesshoumaru," she said sternly, and he had no choice but to obey. He sniffed and forced himself to meet his mother's gaze.
Once he was completely calm, Hanazuki lowered her voice and said, "Do you remember all the times when we played hide and seek in the field?"
Sesshoumaru nodded, trying his best not to break with all the weight of emotions those memories gave him.
Hanazuki's lips broke into a painful smile. "You understand the danger of our situation. I want you to hide, Sesshoumaru. Hide yourself; hide your aura...everything that could give you away."
"But you always found me..."
"Oh, I would always find you, yes, but those insolent cowards won't. Don't give them a chance to find you." Hanazuki paused for a moment to let Sesshoumaru take in her words. Her wound throbbed, but she had to make sure he was safe, that he knew what to do just in case...the worst happens. The cries of their pursuers were growing louder in the distance.
"No matter what happens, don't transform to your true form, Sesshoumaru. Don't leave this place until your father comes to find you himself. I have placed a spell of illusion around this place; no one will find you unless you get out yourself. But if you need a sure weapon against them, I give you this."
From within the folds of her robes she drew out a knife about as long as a hand sheathed in simple black leather. She unsheathed the blade, and Sesshoumaru could see that the tip of the knife was broken off.
After giving him a look of the weapon, Hanazuki returned it to its sheath and pressed it on her son's palm, saying, "Use this only when all else fails. And..." a flicker of unreadable emotion passed through her eyes "...I would like you to pay close attention to this last request."
Sesshoumaru nodded fervently, closing his fingers over his mother's gift. Hanazuki's voice dropped to a mere whisper; clearly, she wanted no one but him to hear her.
"Do you still remember the Rhyme?"
Sesshoumaru tilted his head slightly. He struggled hard to remember the correct words, in the tenseness of their situation. His mother had taught him a mysterious rhyme, very much like a chant, since the first time he first learned the language of words. They had recited it together many times, but he didn't see much meaning in the words as they came from his lips.
Not waiting for his reply, Hanazuki whispered with an air of quiet pleading that was so rare of her, "Remember the Rhyme, Sesshoumaru. It will help you in the future, in ways that have yet to reveal themselves. Remember the Rhyme, and you shall remember me."
The pulse of his mother's words threatened to break Sesshoumaru's mask. "Mother, you can't..."
Hanazuki, however, kissed the Prussian blue crescent on his forehead and embraced him for quite a long time. Sesshoumaru tried very hard not to look at all the blood that had spilled on her robes, and he felt quite at fault for his mother's present state.
Another cry of their enemies pierced through the air, much closer than before. Hanazuki pulled apart from Sesshoumaru, whispering, "I love you dearly, my son."
Those were the last words Sesshoumaru ever heard from his mother. Once she disappeared out of the thicket, she never returned to him again. He needed no more words to understand what became of her. He knew that she had gone.
From the moment her aura faded from his senses, he knew that she had left for a place where not even he cannot follow her.
...o0o...
/Sniffles/ Well, that was kinda sad, wasn't it? And violent, too... Sorry for that and all the long delays. u.u Please, please, review please? (Goes on her knees...)
Arwen, Dark Sorceress of Fate: Whoo, I am glad someone checked out my drawings! Hehe, great minds think alike, huh? Sure, sure. ;) Sad to say, Bleach is not yet showing in our local TV stations, and we have no cable TV. See you around!
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