VII: Mizutori and the Enchanted Pond
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: My, my, it seems my workload is non-ending, even if it's now my vacation. It took me heck of a time (not to mention lots of tears), to get myself cleared in the various school departments. T.T Now, my Dad commissioned me for a website-making job for the summer...well, it's nice to have something to pass my time, but it's not as easy as it looks. I have to forget my own plans of reactivating my website because of this. Let's hope that I won't have to pause in my ficwriting to meet my deadlines... -.-'
...o0o...
Slender fingers twitched ever so slightly as Kikyou began to show the first signs of returning to the world of the sun after a deep slumber. She shifted her body slightly in order to make most of the warmth and comfort the soft, cushiony pelt of fur offered her. The former priestess did not want to wake yet; worried because of the disturbing events that transpired the previous day, she felt as though she hadn't slept at all. Was Sesshoumaru extremely troubled as well? Kikyou felt through her fluffy blanket, searching for him; she wanted to hold him, feel his comforting caresses...
It took several minutes for her to realize that she was alone on the futon. Kikyou's mahogany eyes blinked open at once and she sat up. The sun had just risen above the mountain peaks, and she flinched at the sudden brightness. The mists made a spectacular display as it took on different shapes and shadows in the mountain light, but nothing could have improved Kikyou's mood.
Where was her husband? How dare he leave her when she wanted him close, when she needed him most...? Kikyou's hands angrily clamped themselves around Sesshoumaru's fur which she had been using as her blanket. Furious tears sprung to her eyes. Although she loved her husband more than anything the whole mortal world could give her, he was her most hated person at the moment. How dare he...how dare he...
Sparing numerous mental curses at Sesshoumaru for not being with her, Kikyou heatedly threw the pelt off her body. Painfully, she rose to her feet, her body feeling unusually black and blue. Her baby seemed to weigh her down like a millstone in her womb, and an equally heavy feeling was on her chest.
Pulling the screens together to grant her a little privacy, Kikyou retreated to a shadowy corner of the room to change her garments. She took off the bellflower-pattered robe and the white kimono she wore beneath. Changing into a scarlet hakama and white blouse reminiscent of her miko days, she paused to catch her breath. The two bumps on her chest strained against the simple cotton robe she wore, and she readjusted the tie which held the cloth in place.
By now, Kikyou was fully aware of the changes her body was undergoing in preparation for her child's birth. Her breasts had swelled, and many a moment, she could feel her nipples aching. She blushed, thinking about what kind of thoughts might have revolved in Sesshoumaru's mind when she told him about her discomforts. But then, he had been extremely protective of her, never even leaving her side whenever she felt too queasy to leave their bed. But now...
"Kikyou?"
Kikyou's temper began to boil the moment she heard him, but she pursed her lips and refused to face him. Sesshoumaru had gently tapped on the closed screens before carefully peering within, wondering what his mate is up to. Noticing that she was in the corner, almost a part of the shadows, he went in and came close to her.
"Are you unwell, beloved?" Sesshoumaru asked her, his brows creasing together slightly in a worried expression. Why wouldn't she want to face him?
"Go away!" Kikyou muttered, her fingers grabbing handfuls of her scarlet hakama and squeezing the cloth tightly in her palms.
'Mood-swinging again, koi?' Sesshoumaru thought to himself as he proceeded more cautiously now. As he had learned over the past months, he knew that he had to be extra-patient with his child-laden mate. Kikyou moping was relatively mild compared to her wrathful temper when Sesshoumaru unwittingly incurred her annoyance at various times during the start of her pregnancy.
"Are you angry at me, Kikyou?" he asked, tenderly placing a hand on her shoulder. Kikyou brushed him away rather roughly, which did not surprise him at all.
"You tend to ask stupid questions sometimes, don't you?" Kikyou retorted, pure irritation evident in her tone that he would ask her such a thing. As if it wasn't obvious! By now, Sesshoumaru can see the furious tears threatening to spill from her dark-colored oculars. "I hate you!"
Sesshoumaru chose to overlook this rather cold statement. He might have taken it personally years before, but he had gotten so used to Kikyou berating him with similar angry declarations that her previous words only caused a momentary flicker in his amber eyes.
"Now, what have I done to upset you?" Sesshoumaru spoke more slowly this time. He didn't touch her; he knew only too well that she did not want that for the moment.
But Kikyou refused to answer. A muffled sob came out of her lips and she buried her face in her sleeves as she began to cry. She moved farther away from Sesshoumaru, pressing her body against the corner of the chamber. To Sesshoumaru, she resembled a poor child who had just received a beating from its parent.
The silver-haired taiyoukai tried to wipe away her tears and coax her back to the light, but when Kikyou swatted him, missing his face a few inches, he let out a defeated sigh and stood up. If she wanted some time alone, then he would give it to her. Such matters that he had wanted to inform her can wait...or could they, really?
Kikyou's sobbing only increased in intensity the moment she heard Sesshoumaru's footsteps moving away from her. This time, she chose to abandon her place in the corner and she threw herself at her beloved, her fists beating at him like a child in a temper tantrum. It took Sesshoumaru some time to calm her, but after several moments of awkward caresses and furious beatings, Kikyou lay quiet in his arms. Sesshoumaru noted her garb, how extremely reminded him of her days as the keeper of the Shikon no Tama. Such old days seemed so long ago...
The Demon Prince could not help but smile slightly, half out of amusement and half out of irony. He never understood her human nature; how she could manage to smile at one moment and then cry in a single heartbeat. But oh! How he would suffer through all that...just to be with her...because he loved her.
"Are you all right now?" Sesshoumaru whispered as Kikyou rubbed her face against the hollow of his neck. He felt Kikyou nod, and they pulled apart slightly to meet each other's eyes.
"I wanted you close yet you were not here when I woke up..." Kikyou muttered, her eyes beginning to turn misty once again. Sesshoumaru kissed her trembling lips. She closed her eyes, and he wiped away the few drops of tears that had trickled down his beloved's soft cheeks. When their lips parted, Kikyou sniffled and bowed her head.
"I am sorry, darling," Sesshoumaru whispered, placing a finger underneath Kikyou's chin and raising her head to meet his eyes. "I thought you did not want me close..."
"How could you think of such a thing?" Kikyou half-screamed, clutching on tightly to her beloved's red and white haori. "You know I could not bear to watch you die...!"
She broke off, and by then she remembered the present threat to her husband's life. Kikyou urgently held his hands, saying, "What about the person who wants to kill you? We have to do something. We cannot just wait for him to strike you down-"
"Hush, Kikyou," Sesshoumaru said, placing a finger on her lips. Kikyou's eyes widened, and for a moment she considered retorting, but the serious look in Sesshoumaru's golden oculars made her change her mind.
"Don't think I am being idle," he explained. "I spent the whole night thinking up of a plan, and I guess we have just the right time to clear up my mother's mystery before our enemy breaks its seal."
"How can you be so sure?" Kikyou replied doubtfully, her eyebrows crinkling together in a frown.
Sesshoumaru's lips curved up in a grin. "We are going to pay a visit to a certain friend of Mother's."
...o0o...
In a short while, they had left the fortress, Rin and Jaken sparing their older companions rather puzzled looks as to where and why they were going.
"Kikyou-sama, where are we off to?" Rin chirped of Kikyou, her chocolate brown eyes expectant.
Kikyou, riding on Ah-Un with the little girl, was too deeply absorbed in her thoughts that Rin's words barely penetrated her ears.
"Uh...go and ask Sesshoumaru, Rin," she replied, feeling a little bit too lethargic to formulate a structured and intricate reply. The former priestess had brought along her bow and arrows, obviously a cautious gesture which resulted from their encounter with a malevolent youkai the day before.
Rin tilted her head slightly in confusion, but she asked the same question to Sesshoumaru, who was walking slightly ahead of them.
"Where are we going, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"Ask Jaken," Sesshoumaru replied immediately. Evidently, he was in no mood to talk.
"Jaken-sama, where-"
"Oh, shut up, Rin!" the toady demon retorted even before the little girl could finish her question.
Rin pursed her lips and turned away with her nose in the air. "Fine, Jaken-sama!" she replied, and hardly spoke again for most of the trip's duration. In truth, Jaken himself could not answer her question. Why, indeed, did Sesshoumaru-sama and this woman suddenly choose to go off and travel, especially considering Kikyou's state? But Jaken was too dominated by his fear and awe of Sesshoumaru to even question his decisions, and trust that former miko to not reveal to her mate's retainer any of their lord's whereabouts which he told her alone.
Sesshoumaru's sharp sense of hearing caught a nearly indiscernible whimper from his beloved, and he at once looked over his shoulder to check on Kikyou.
"Are you all right, Kikyou?" he asked, a slightly worried edge in his voice.
Kikyou looked up with a bit of surprise written in her eyes, but she nodded quickly to ease his troubled spirits at least a bit. The Demon Lord gazed at her carefully, but in a moment, he returned his gaze back on the path they were taking. Kikyou bit her upper lip slightly.
Alas, he can sense her misgivings; he was aware of her uneasiness, and his heart reached out to her. Kikyou ran a hand over the growing bulge on her belly, noticing that their child was not as active as usual. Did it feel its mother's pain and worry, too? Was it even aware of the possibility that it might not even have the chance to gaze at its father's face? Kikyou was unsure, but the mere thought of it, raising their child alone, was enough to drive her into despair.
Looking at her mate's direction, she sighed slightly at the sight of his silvery hair. Sesshoumaru had tried to discourage her from going. Kikyou understood that he had her best intentions at heart, but being stubborn and restless creature that she was, she would not have herself left out simply because of her pregnancy. Kikyou sought to help her husband in any way she can, but now she was having doubts if she will be of any help at all. She might only be extra luggage in his eyes; but for the love of the former priestess, Sesshoumaru wouldn't express it to anyone, let alone her.
Kikyou hastily shook off those dismal thoughts from her mind. 'He needs me,' she scolded herself. 'My bow and arrows are beneficial to him. I carry his child; he would not abandon me...'
Or would he, really?
"I value your love as much as I value hers."
Hers? Of course, who else can it be, but Hanazuki? Her mate's words from the previous night rang in her ears. Doubt, like an old companion, began to envelop her being. Is it really possible that Sesshoumaru, the great youkai lord, ruler of the Western Lands, took her, a human, as his mate? Is it really possible that he would care for a woman and her hanyou child, especially considering his distaste for his late father's liaison with a human lady? To be respected and remembered like Hanazuki before her...a rather impossible thought, isn't it?
Kikyou's mahogany eyes roamed to her surroundings, but she hardly saw the majestic trees that rose at towering heights around them, or even heard the chirping of birds as they flew from branch to branch. She only felt this kind of doubt once before, back when Kikumo was still alive. Kikyou had also questioned Sesshoumaru's love back then, equally aware of her rivalry with the youkai princess. But Kikumo had died...and so had Hanazuki. Strange, isn't it? How one can be in the shadow of people long since dead...
As inconspicuously as possible she reached into her sleeve, and Kikyou's fingers made contact with a slender object she had placed in the pocket-like portion of her sleeve. No one, not even Sesshoumaru, had seen her insert the hair stick there shortly before they left. When Kikyou was packing her weapons, she came across the hair ornament lying on the floor, forgotten. Without a thought, she picked it up and brought it along, the only relic the Deer youkai left behind in her care.
After wiping away the dust that had accumulated around the object, the hair stick had regained its original beauty, the tiny glass chrysanthemum glistening at the top of the blue jade handle. As Kikyou ran her fingers through the soft green tassel dangling from the chrysanthemum, she wondered if she would ever have the chance to return it to Kikumo's kin, the shikayoukai.
Although Kikumo never stated that she wanted to have the hair stick returned to her people, Kikyou thought that it would be better off back to those who had brought it to being. She had never used the powers of the hair stick, choosing to keep it only as a reminder of Sesshoumaru's past lover. In the hands of the Deer Demons, surely, they would be able to make most of their late Princess' relic...
None of those in their company noticed that several little birds that had been fluttering above them for many moments now had flown away, bringing with them a message meant for one of their kin...
...o0o...
Hours passed. By now, it was late in the afternoon, and the sun would set in an hour. Neither Kikyou nor her other companions had any idea as to where Sesshoumaru was taking them, but she knew that she had to trust him. Only he knew their path; only he knew the person they are searching for...
If there was a person among them who was most affected by the arduous journey, it would be Kikyou. Sesshoumaru had ordered them to halt many times throughout the day so his mate could get some rest. At one point in their journey, he had ridden with her and she had fallen asleep leaning against him. But not once did Kikyou complain, and he was touched at how silently she bore the discomfort of traveling while with child, for the sake of her beloved.
Sesshoumaru was extremely worried about Kikyou. If only she had stayed at home, she wouldn't have to bear all this. But then, if she stayed in their fortress, he was unsure if she would remain safe. Who knows what other minions the Master would set loose upon them...
By now, it was too late to change things. They were near their destination, and now what was left to hope for was that the trip was worth the while. Sesshoumaru had led them to a place none of his other companions had ever been before, much farther than they had ever gone through the vast lands of the West.
After passing many a hilly region laced with countless streamlets and boggy pockets, they had finally come upon a stretch of land covered with a kind of weed which grew taller than a man. Belts of mist constantly floated over the desolate region, making it look even gloomier with the coming of dusk. Sesshoumaru would have made their journey shorter by flying, but the mist, not to mention the possible danger of revealing themselves to the elusive danger of his late mother's enemy, made him choose otherwise.
"Stay here with Rin and Ah-Un, Jaken," Sesshoumaru ordered his toad-like retainer, who hardly heard the order because he was dozing off on Ah-Un's rear. Rin, herself, was sleeping soundly on Kikyou's lap. Some kind of demon energy emanated from within the grasses, and he decided that it was time that he should go on his own. Sparing his wife a rather concerned look, he added, "I don't see any reason to make you suffer further. You do not have to go."
But Kikyou had taken hold of his hand and shook her head defiantly. "I have gone so far," said she, gently rousing Rin and helping her move onto Ah-Un. "I don't want to turn back now." After several moments of thinking and carefully observing the determined look in her mahogany oculars, Sesshoumaru acquiesced and helped her dismount.
"Will it take long, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin said with a yawn.
"It might," Sesshoumaru replied, guiding Kikyou on to some stable spot on the muddy ground. "I suggest that you sleep it out."
Rin nodded, still half-asleep. The moment Sesshoumaru and Kikyou disappeared into the sea of tall grass, the little girl yawned once again and lay on the two-headed dragon's back to continue dreaming.
...o0o...
"Who resides in these grasses, Sesshoumaru?" Kikyou asked softly, feeling the demon aura which was growing stronger the deeper they went into the field. It was not nearly as strong as Sesshoumaru's youki, but Kikyou was curious nonetheless. Her husband had not told her anything about his mother's friend whom he said they were meeting.
"A youkai who resembles a heron takes abode in this region," Sesshoumaru answered. He constantly held on to Kikyou's hands with one of his own while clearing a path among the greens with the other. They went slowly, for the marshy ground squished beneath their feet and it wouldn't do to be stuck in a mudhole. "...A demoness by the name of Mizutori, my late mother's retainer. The last time I had seen her was far back when Father was still alive."
"Do you think she can help us discover the identity of the Master?" Kikyou looked upwards. The sky had assumed the color of ultramarine, and a few faint stars which were uncovered by the mist were visible up ahead.
"If she doesn't, I doubt who else can," Sesshoumaru replied gravely, and Kikyou caught sight of a rare look of sadness in his amber eyes as he said so.
...o0o...
After what felt like an eternity of walking through the ocean of swaying grass, with only the demon aura guiding them both to their destination, the tall wall of green abruptly gave way to a small clearing. It wasn't really a clearing, but rather, a pond edged in flat builders large enough for several men to stand on. The pond itself wasn't large, a pool of clear water collected in a hollow about ten meters in diameter. At its very heart stood a glowing creature which illuminated the scene brighter than the waning moon above.
"Welcome, Lord Sesshoumaru and Lady Kikyou; I knew you would come tonight," the creature said the moment the pair came out of the grassy fences. Kikyou beheld the form of a long-legged water bird with its long, slender neck bowed in their direction. Mizutori, as Sesshoumaru said, was a heron larger than any bird Kikyou had yet seen.
Standing straight, the demoness was three times taller than the Demon Lord. Her eyes were a watery blue, and so was a majority of her plumage. But she was white around the neck and on her back, and a golden crest was on her head. Her webbed talons and her long, narrow beak were also golden, and the sight of this radiant creature prostrating itself before her caused Kikyou to be a little self-conscious.
"I have come to ask about my mother," Sesshoumaru said coldly, neither noticing the beauty of the pond nor the brilliance of its owner. Kikyou noted that he did not show any sign of surprise that the other demon knew they were going to pay her a visit, or that she knew of their names for that matter.
"Ah, Lady Suien, of course," Mizutori said, nodding with understanding. "With her rival on the verge of freeing himself from her seal, I am glad that you finally heard her call, and turned to me for enlightenment. Well, young Master, your mother's story goes back, farther back even before you were born. I am sure she would be pleased that you would choose to delve into her past to understand how things are unraveling at present."
"I want straight answers," Sesshoumaru replied, still as cold as ever.
Mizutori gently stirred the placid waters of her pond with her talons, and with each ripple that spread out from her webbed feet, a mysterious light emerged.
"Alas, my Lord," she answered, "your mother's story is not something that could be compressed into a simple package that others will understand at one glance. This pond...it carries a collection of memories which various beings, including your mother and even your father, had given me. Ah! Inu no Taishou and Lady Suien! How glorious those two were, and how beloved among us! There had been no two youkai as powerful and as great them, and there had been none ever since they passed."
"Then waste no time speaking about unimportant things and tell us what we need to know," Sesshoumaru broke her off. Clearly, he was getting a little annoyed.
Mizutori appeared to smile, and she gracefully curved her sinewy neck.
"I will not tell you, my Lord, for I am by no means a good storyteller. But I will show you."
And the wind, previously still and quiet, began to blow among the threadlike weeds, creating a soft swishing sound which echoed deeply into the night
...o0o...
Hehe, end of chapter! Whee... I know the concept of Mizutori and her pond looks like some sort of Riddle's diary or some Pensive /puts away her Harry Potter books, but hey! I am doing my best here! Please review and tell me a thing or two about what you think of it, thank you! ;p
Lady Fabmel: Oh yes, yes, yes! Here's a familiar name who gave me a review! You haven't forgotten me, I am touched/huggles/ I honestly thought no one was reading this fic anymore. T.T
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