IX: The Jewel of the Moon Marsh

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: Sorry for the long lay-off. I had some sort of website-making spree the past weeks, causing me to neglect (O.o") my beloved story. And speaking of websites, please, please check out Satsukibare (the link is in my profile). I finally revised the illustrations of In Memory of the Chrysanthemum and the illustrated Unseen Side of the Moon is now open to the public.

...o0o...

Silver waters shimmered, and the illusion was broken. Kikyou blinked once and for a while she was confused.

'What was that?' she thought. 'It was as though I can see a living dream being played before my very eyes...' From the corner of her mahogany eyes, she saw Sesshoumaru's cold and commanding figure. He was silent, his face expressionless. Then, Kikyou remembered. Mizutori had summoned up memories from her pond and replayed it to them. Memories...of a lady with the light of the moon in her face and a lord with the silver hair...

"From their union there came forth an epitome of a perfect youkai," Mizutori's voice broke through the silence. Of course, she was talking about Sesshoumaru. "My Lord, were you pleased to know your parents' story?"

Sesshoumaru's amber-gold eyes narrowed slightly.

"And what has that got to do with the present threat of Karatake?" he demanded rather than asked. An expression of slight concern passed through Kikyou's face. She knew her mate better than anyone. He may not show it openly, but seeing his mother and father...hearing them speak...probably triggered some bittersweet feelings within him.

"Ah, so you finally found out who the Master is," Mizutori said, apparently pleased. She spread her blue wings slightly, making the grasses rustle softly. Her mistress' son clearly took much after his mother. The cold exterior...the quick comprehension...such traits were definitely Lady Suien's. "Your mother would have guessed it as fast if she were you."

Golden oculars narrowed all the more, and Kikyou chose to speak up so as to avert a possible bloodshed. Sesshoumaru was clearly upset with Mizutori comparing him with Hanazuki. The bird demon probably intended it as a compliment, but unfortunately the silver-haired taiyoukai didn't see it that way. Those words probably made him feel more trapped under his powerful mother's shadow.

"Why does Karatake hate Lady Hanazuki so?" she inquired, curiosity and worry emphasizing the color of her dark eyes.

Mizutori let out what seemed like a sigh. She paced once around the pond on her long legs, as though pondering on the answer. Kikyou looked up at the sky. How long had they been here, watching events long since passed? The heavens were still dark; some stars and the waning moon were still visible, but from the east there was a light, faint at first, but brightening with each minute that passed. It was nearly daybreak...

"You may have seen in the memory that I asked the Lady Suien the same question," Mizutori replied finally, stopping on her pacing. She stood still and her sapphire eyes were on them, "and recall that she refused to reveal the answer openly. But I have been with her for a long time and have seen what many have not seen. From what I have gathered throughout the years, I have formulated my own personal interpretation of the cause of misunderstanding between my Lady and her brother to the Moon."

"And what could that personal interpretation be?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly, a little bit dangerously. Kikyou reached out and clasped his hand gently to bid him to be patient for a little while longer. He instinctively returned her hold, but he said nothing. The Demon Prince was getting annoyed with Mizutori, but for the sake of the information they needed he would have to bear the presence of his late mother's retainer.

"I hope that you won't think badly of me for what I will say," she said in reply, bowing her crested head slightly as a gesture of submission. "My theories are not quite as pleasing to the ears, but I have worked hard to piece together many shards of this broken puzzle to at least come up with a most plausible assumption-"

"Don't waste time with useless words that are of no interest to me," Sesshoumaru broke her off. "Why did hahagimi (1) and Karatake contrive to go against one another?"

Mizutori now sensed impending trouble in the dangerous tone of the Demon Lord's voice. Not choosing to incur the wrath of the elder son of Inu no Taishou, she would give him all the information he needed. After all, did not Lady Suien request her to watch out for her only son...?

"Karatake and Lady Suien are brother and sister in the Moon's eyes," Mizutori explained. "Therefore, it must now be very clear to you, Sesshoumaru-sama, that your mother's prime enemy is now also your adversary...he who is no other than your uncle. Karatake was very taken with his elder sister's beauty. He nursed a...dirty lust for her."

At the phrase of her words, Kikyou looked up. Even Sesshoumaru looked as though he was on the verge of asking the other youkai if she was merely inventing things. Karatake lusted after his own sister? Utterly preposterous! But they were not as horrified as Mizutori would have imagined her to be. Of course, why should they be? In the past, they had been entangled in a web of such dark desires, for Onigumo who was the dead Naraku's human self lusted after Kikyou herself. But then, Kikyou and Onigumo were not even kin, unlike Hanazuki and Karatake...

"Impossible, you might say, but it is built on a basis of fact," Mizutori continued. "As you can see, it was a hopeless case for Karatake. If it is already considered improper even among youkai to mate with cousins of the first degree, what more for one's own sibling? And what's more, Lady Suien was totally put off by his incestuous thoughts. Even as brother and sister they were never close since the time of their awakening, and knowing of his improper feelings for her she loved him even less. Eventually, the shadow that had formed due to his fruitless love for Suien settled into Karatake's heart and soon enveloped his being. If she wouldn't be his, he thought, she would be no one else's. He would kill her for he hated her."

"What makes you think all these things are possible?" Sesshoumaru demanded. Kikyou held on to him tighter. "Don't insult the memory of my mother with such foolish thoughts."

"Sesshoumaru-sama, don't think I am attempting to mar your late mother's honor," Mizutori countered quickly. "I never desired to tarnish Lady Suien's impression on anyone, let alone her only son and his beloved mate, but hear what I say with an open mind. Lady Suien had hinted once or twice to me that her brother had actually made some advances towards her. Take for example, Karatake being one-eyed..."

"Karatake is one-eyed?" Kikyou remarked. Visibly, this little bit of information was quite unexpected.

"It isn't that obvious, Lady Kikyou, right?" Mizutori agreed, nodding slightly in the raven-haired former miko's direction. "But notice that he always allowed his hair to grow long to cover the left side of his face...to cover the eye which his sister destroyed."

At this, Kikyou was silent. Hanazuki inflicting such harm upon her younger brother, no matter how much they hated each other, was as morbid to her as Inuyasha hacking off Sesshoumaru's left arm. And Hanazuki was very gentle to her when Kikyou encountered her in the forest! She can hardly imagine her mother-in-law acting that way...

"Although Lady Suien didn't tell it to me directly, I got the message that Karatake tried to lay his hands on her, and she retaliated by taking out the sight of his left eye," Mizutori said. Her narrow knees shook slightly; clearly, she was also rather horrified at the thought of it. In fact, the only person among them who didn't seem to be affected by this unusual work of violence was Sesshoumaru. "But whether Karatake really lusted after her or not, I leave it to your judgement. But there is one thing that would have given him all the reasons to try to kill his sister."

She paused, and Kikyou asked in anticipation, "What is it, Mizutori?"

But Mizutori appeared to want to build up some suspense. "How do you think did she take out his eye?" She directed the question to Sesshoumaru.

"She would have used her bare fingers, as Father ought to have done," Sesshoumaru replied, a bored expression on his face. Kikyou stared at her husband. Although she loved him, his youkai nature did not fail to disturb her sometimes. It seemed to her that violence was for him a normal part of life.

At this, Mizutori appeared to smile. Her sinewy neck curved into a curving 'S' as she said, "Well, you are quite mistaken, my Lord. Although you have a point, for that was probably what she must have intended to do, but sad to say, it wasn't. Whether it was to warn Karatake to keep his distance or to simply show her power, she used a little bit of her greatest weapon. She used the power of the Jewel of the Moon Marsh to seal that part of his body to the netherworld."

Sesshoumaru and Kikyou spared glances at one another before looking back at Mizutori. Did they hear it correctly? Jewel of the Moon Marsh?

Mizutori's grin appeared to widen at their perplexity. Then, she began to chant.

"A shard of the moon,
O'er mist coming and going..."

To Kikyou's surprise, in a soft voice, Sesshoumaru joined in the next words.

"...A jewel of doom,
O'er water still, unmoving..."

Then she remembered why those words were so familiar to her. Did not the dragon of the forest intone it too? And how it had stayed in her mind...

"...O'er depths endless, awaiting..."

Mizutori and Sesshoumaru were rather surprised that Kikyou was able to complete the rhyme. Sesshoumaru gently placed an arm around her shoulder whilst asking, "Did hahagimi tell you of the rhyme when you met her in the forest?"

"It was not Lady Hanazuki," Kikyou replied thoughtfully. "The dragon, the minion of Karatake...before I banished it to hell, it also chanted the rhyme."

"You met the Lady Hanazuki in person?" It was Mizutori's turn to inquire. "You encountered a minion of Karatake?"

"It was not her in a way..." Kikyou whispered. "She was no mortal; she appeared as a spirit with her shinidamachuu... to aid me after I came across a dragon that made mention of Karatake as its master."

Silence came over them for a while. Finally, Mizutori spoke, "Lady Suien is an admirable person indeed, continuing to watch over Sesshoumaru-sama and his mate from beyond the grave. I do not doubt what you said, Kikyou-sama. And if you must know, Karatake's minions are literally his 'children'. If I am correct with his feelings for Lady Suien, her rejection of him triggered a certain distaste for females in his part." Mizutori's blue eyes darkened slightly. "Karatake would make off with numerous she-youkai to produce them, but he always killed their mothers afterwards. He would not permit them to call him as a father, but rather as a master, as you might have seen."

"That is extremely cruel of him..." Kikyou said quietly, becoming lost in thought. Her unborn child kicked her from within, as though knowing that the little bit of life in her belly was the prime focus of her thoughts at that moment. She gently caressed her belly, and after a few more stirrings, her baby was still again. She sighed; it was a child created out of love... Karatake created children to carry out his own evildoings.

"The Rhyme speaks of my mother's Jewel," Sesshoumaru said. Noticing that they had begun to stray from their topic, he sought to bring them back to the right way. Besides, he would not want to hear more on his uncle's filthy deeds. (He flinched slightly at the thought of it, that such a shameful creature was related to him.)

Mizutori blinked, but she nodded in agreement. "Yes, or at least that was what Lady Suien told me. As the Lady of the Tsukisawa, she is also an extension of the Moon Marsh. This jewel, Mitsuseki (2) it was called, was an embodiment of the Tsukisawa's powers, which of course, only she can command. I have not seen it myself, but I presume it is a necklace of some sort. Lady Suien was aware of its great power, so she chose to keep it hidden, and I presume no other person but Karatake had seen it yet."

"Lady Suien used the Mitsuseki to seal her younger brother's left eyesight into the Other Side..." Kikyou said. Her eyes widened, finding out that she had answered her own unasked question. "The Mitsuseki's power is banishment to the Meidou (3)!"

"The intelligence of the younger generation never fails to amaze me," Mizutori sighed. She didn't expect them to get the answer that quickly. They were truly well-matched, Sesshoumaru and Kikyou; never mind her human origins... "You are correct, Lady Kikyou. With the Mitsuseki, Lady Suien can seal practically anything of mortal nature into the Netherworld. Why she didn't fully seal Karatake into the Meidou when she had the chance was something I could not quite understand. But then, like the Inu no Taishou, she has her own reasons for doing so, no matter how capricious they may be. But let's leave that for a while.

So, Karatake was probably the first being to be able to taste the true powers of the Mitsuseki, and he was made aware that with it, his sister will always have an edge over him, that she was close to invincible. Thus, he was all the more determined to kill her. And when Karatake found out that the Inu no Taishou had taken Lady Suien for his mate, he burned with mad jealousy.

Conquest was not part of his plan; his prime goal is to exterminate his older sister. He didn't really intend to take over the West, but because of your father's association with her, Karatake included the Inu Taiyoukai in his list of enemies. Not that they weren't enemies already; Karatake had sired too many minions of dragon descent, and we all know of your father's long strife with Ryuukossei's kindred.

But note this, my Lord and my Lady: the Mitsuseki answers only to Lady Suien and to those descended from her. Those who carry a strain of the power of the Tsukisawa in their blood, as you might say. Although Karatake is considered brethren to Lady Suien because they were both born out of the power of the Moon, they were never blood siblings.

Since the Lady Suien is gone, the only one who can wield the Mitsuseki is you, Sesshoumaru-sama. Karatake's sister may be dead, but her blood lives on. As long as she has any descendants, the Mitsuseki can still be harnessed against him, rendering his revenge futile. That is why Karatake wishes to kill you so, to make Lady Suien's bloodline fail forever. Without the proper wielders to harness that power, the Mitsuseki is good as useless."

"Where can this Jewel be found?" Sesshoumaru asked in an even tone. By now, it was clear that the Mitsuseki was the way to defeat their enemy.

At this question, Mizutori hung her head. "You may remember, Lord Sesshoumaru, the events of centuries passed. Remember the time when your mother left you in the forest and surrounded you with spells of enchantment to keep out Karatake's minions which had gone after you."

Sesshoumaru raised his head slowly. A flicker went over his eyes as he recalled the memory. Mizutori, herself, had assumed a melancholy expression. "I felt your mother's distress due to her mortal wounds and I went out of my pond to help her, but she told me to look after you and not her. The Tsukisawa would have healed her, but it was a time of the full moon; the Waters were a poison and could not be of any help to her. It was with a heavy heart that I yielded to her will, and I never saw her again. But I presume that she has sealed the Mitsuseki in the place of her birth before she died in the hands of her brother, and had woven a barrier around the Tsukisawa which only those of her blood could pass through."

Mizutori's sapphire eyes glistened like jewels as she said her next statements. "You are your mother's son. As such, you have a strain of her powers. Your Dokkasou, Souryuuha... the ability to speak to swords...your mother also possessed those abilities."

"Tenseiga would speak to me on its own," Sesshoumaru countered. "I could not speak to it if it wouldn't wish so. If I could indeed 'talk to swords' as you put it, that power is confined in the Tenseiga alone."

Mizutori was silent for a moment, as though contemplating on his words. "You may be right, Sesshoumaru-sama. But think on it this way: you can manage to make your younger brother's Tessaiga to transform into its functional form at times even if you were not really 'protecting' human life. That can count as speaking to the sword to work in your will."

"How are you to know these things?" Sesshoumaru questioned rather warily. Sure, he very clearly recalled the time when that evil bastard Naraku had given him a Shikon shard-embedded human arm so he can wield Tessaiga freely. He had managed to make the sword transform and had even fired a Wind Scar. If the human arm successfully broke through the barrier of the human blood, something else helped him defy the barrier of the sword which says that only those with the purpose of protecting human life can manage to use it fully. He had long attributed it to the Shikon shard, but now that Mizutori told him of the power he never knew his mother had, he was able to look at this incident with a new understanding...

"I have friends among non-youkai birds," Mizutori answered. "At my request, they would give me tidings about you, my Lord, especially after you left the West to search for the Tessaiga nearly fifty years ago. Your mother's last words to me were to keep watch over you, and I have been keeping up with my promise faithfully over the years."

"I am flattered that someone had successfully spied on me for such a long time without me knowing," Sesshoumaru retorted icily. He never approved of such tactics.

Mizutori shivered slightly at the dangerous glare. What was he so angry about? She only wanted to make sure that the only person who could fulfill Lady Suien's unfinished will would live yet still... To avert any mishap, Mizutori returned to the topic about the Mitsuseki.

"Regarding the Mitsuseki," she continued. "As I said, you have a strain of the abilities your mother possessed. But since you are part inuyoukai and part Moon Elemental, the blood of the Tsukisawa which flows in your veins is thinner than it was with Lady Suien. It is so with the other powers you inherited from her, including the authority over the Mitsuseki. Thus, you may not be able to harness the power of the Jewel like your mother before you. Farsighted person that your mother is, she sought to give all that she can to keep this from happening. She told me that if you find the 'right sword,' you will be able to awaken the Mitsuseki's powers and be able wield it."

She paused for a while, and a sorry expression seemed to appear on her blue eyes. "Forgive me, Sesshoumaru-sama. I have tried to recall any possible information I might have missed regarding this sword, but as far as I can remember, that was all your mother told me. I really wish to aid you against Karatake, my Lord, I really do. I am sorry if that is all I can give you."

"All that you have told us is vital in itself," Kikyou replied, smiling slightly. "But please, where exactly is the Tsukisawa? We may not have the sword, but if we can at least secure the Mitsuseki, it may help us a little."

"Oh, I wish I knew!" Mizutori exclaimed, distress evident in her tone. "The Marsh of the Moon is now hidden away into the realm of the unseen. I have tried going into the place where I once thought the Moon Marsh was, but illusion would twist my path. Flight has no use, for the enchantment reaches even up to the path of the air. Soon, I gave up."

"But where, exactly, in the place of old, is the Tsukisawa?" Sesshoumaru continued to ask.

Mizutori glanced at the couple, marveling at their determination and persistence. Sighing, she replied, "In the uncharted regions of the borders of the West, close to the realm where the Deer youkai live."

"The shikayoukai..." Kikyou found herself saying.

Mizutori appeared to read her thoughts. "Yes, the Deer Demons. Lady Hanazuki actually had a close friend among them, Azami, their future Queen. When Lady Suien became the Inu no Taishou's mate, it so happened that the great Lord of the West was allied to the heir of the shikayoukai, Hisano. The Lady Suien's association with Inutaishou brought Azami and Hisano together, and so you can tell that the royal family of the Deer clan owes your parents a great deal. Sesshoumaru-sama, do you remember the times when your mother would take you often to the realm of the shikayoukai?"

A slightly confused expression flashed over Sesshoumaru's amber oculars and for a while he peered into space with a thoughtful expression, trying to recall the events Mizutori stated. The lands of the Deer clan... bits and pieces of memory flashed across his mind, of towering pinnacles of land thick with vegetation...the roaring sound of a waterfall from the peak of bush-clad rock...a little girl with emerald eyes and fawn hair who looked rather familiar...

...o0o...

"Hey, give it back!" a young demon girl screamed. Her brightly colored robes flowed about her as she chased after another boy who was about her age. But unlike him who has a moon mark on his forehead, she bore two sharp black arcs over her eyebrows as a mark of the Deer clan. "Give it back!"

The boy stuck out his tongue in her direction. "If you want your silly toy back, you would have to get it," he taunted, waving a blue hair stick with a tiny glass chrysanthemum in her direction. The little girl let out an angry shout as she ran after him.

They bounded around columns covered with moss and ivy, cut through neatly-trimmed hedges and stamped through newly-cut grass, sending the old gardener shaking his fist in their direction. But nothing could have driven the two young souls out of their youthful banter.

The young Deer demoness' deep green eyes were already misty with tears, but the other silver-haired demon refused to give up. He had been mercilessly picking on her, and he had gone as far as to pull at her long fawn tresses to take her hair stick. She was fast, as it was with her clan, but in her pure irritation, he managed to outrun her.

Eventually, there came into sight two full-grown Demon Ladies in deep conversation with one another. The young boy was paces ahead of the little girl, and he ran straight up to the taller of the two demonesses, the one with violet-black tresses and a similar mark of the crescent moon on her forehead.

"Mother! Mother!" he exclaimed, holding up the hair stick. "Look what I have got for you!"

By this time, the little girl was crying openly, and had sought refuge in the embrace of the other demoness. Her hair was also fawn, but unlike the little girl, the tips of the strands would end in a blond color. Though not nearly as striking as the silver-eyed Demon Lady, her emerald eyes were perhaps more kind and less fiery. She gently stroked the fawn tresses of her daughter which was in disarray, whispering kind words into her ears.

"He got my hair stick!" the young girl accused, pointing a finger at the little boy, who made a face at her.

"No! This is for Okaa-sama!" he retorted, continuing to hold up the hair stick for his mother.

The beautiful silver-eyed Demon Lady smiled slightly and said, "I would only take it if Kikumo would allow it, Sesshoumaru."

At his mother's words, Sesshoumaru looked up at her enigmatic face before looking back at Kikumo's tear-streaked eyes. For a little while, it seemed that he would not yield to her, but finally, he slipped from his mother's loose embrace and shyly approached the little girl who held on tighter to her mother.

He held out the hair stick whilst saying under his breath, "Sorry, Kikumo."

The young demon girl peeped warily from the many sleeves of her mother's robes. She stopped crying, but she was cautious as she reached out one of her hands to take the hair stick from him, as though anticipating him to pull it back any moment.

Amazingly, he remained still even as she took the blue jade from his hands, his amber eyes looking the other way. Then, as her idea of a joke, she flung her little arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. Sesshoumaru's amber-gold eyes widened and he slowly began to turn red. It seemed that he had turned into stone, for he remained transfixed even as she pulled apart from him, saying in a coy voice, "Thank you, Sesshoumaru."

The two Demon Ladies began to laugh good-naturedly.

"She's a romantic little one, isn't she, Azami?" Hanazuki said to her emerald-eyed companion.

"Aye, it seems Lord Sesshoumaru is at a loss for words, my Lady," Azami replied just as good-humoredly. Kikumo began to giggle, and Sesshoumaru only turned even redder to see them, including his own mother, laughing at his blunt reaction.

...o0o...

"Sesshoumaru?" Kikyou's gentle wont brought him back to the present world. Kikyou was looking at him with a concerned expression, and he regained his regal composure. He gently squeezed her shoulder, but otherwise he spoke not of what he was thinking of.

Mizutori, however, seemed to know what he was thinking. "I presume you also recall the little shikayoukai girl who played with you during those visits? She who was the daughter of the Queen Azami, who was your mother's friend? Well, she is no other than Kikumo-hime, but you were both very little at that time. I doubt if you would recognize each other if we went back in time."

These words startled Kikyou. Sesshoumaru and Kikumo actually knew each other far longer than they admitted? Unconsciously and against her will, a tiny thorn of jealousy began to pierce at her heart. She struggled hard not to let it show.

Mizutori once more began to stir at the crystal waters with her webbed feet. "That just made me remember the time when the Inu no Taishou decided to take on a human lady for his mate a good many years after Lady Hanazuki died," she added, a hint of sadness lacing her tone. "The West was clearly shocked and rather revolted at his decision to do so, for not only was the inferiority complex between youkai and demons at its peak, but also Lady Hanazuki was well-respected among her husband's people.

She may not be a social type of person, but if there was a person who held any sway over your father, it would be her. She was able to restrain him from acting out of pure rage, which was his way from the very beginning. For short, Hanazuki-sama was a mellowing influence on the Inu no Taishou, and the inhabitants of the West are forever thankful to her for that.

Suien-sama's death greatly affected the Inu no Taishou, and you very well know that, Sesshoumaru-sama. He became a different person, but thank heavens that was for the better. Many of us believed that for the Inu Taiyoukai, taking on a new mate is a healthy way of getting over the death of his beloved wife. But the fact that he fell for a human caused great disappointment among us. And probably, no other youkai is more disappointed with him than the Royal shikayoukai family and me, for we were the precious few people who shared a close friendship with your mother aside from your father."

...o0o...

"Have you forgotten the Lady Hanazuki, my Lord?" Mizutori said crossly. "Has she truly been replaced by that woman?"

Inu no Taishou's eyes were dark, but his tone was even. "Sesshoumaru asked me that very same question, Mizutori. That was the first time he spoke of his mother in a hundred years... And the answer is this: though I love Izayoi, she cannnot, nor ever will fill in the place in my heart that Suien -my Hanazuki- alone holds. Hanazuki..." Unexpectedly, his tone became a lot sadder and more withdrawn. "She even requested me to let go of her and move on just in case the worst happens. It was as though she knew that her time was near...but I have never fully let go of her, and I know that the memory of her will be the last images that I will see in my mind when my own time comes."

Mizutori, however was far from moved by his words. She rolled eyes and replied with a sarcastic edge in her voice, "You actually spared a thought for Hanazuki-sama after all..."

...o0o...

"A human lady?" a young man on the royal platform exclaimed. His wife was beside him, and her expression was no less surprised and disapproving as his. Dejection was in their eyes as they gazed upon the other taiyoukai who sat across them.

"That was how most my own subjects reacted," the silver-haired demon replied glumly. "I am not surprised that you would add to their number."

Hisano and Azami glanced at each other rather guiltily. The Lord of the Deer Demons then asked, "And Sesshoumaru-sama? How does he feel about this?" His hair was pulled up in a ponytail similar to the Inu no Taishou's, but unlike his silver-gray tresses, his hair was a slightly wavy mane of rich auburn which when loose reached a hand's span below the shoulder level.

The defeated sigh from the Lord of the West was all they needed as an answer. But before any of them can say a word, the delicately painted sliding door of the chamber opened and in entered a willowy young demoness carrying a koto. The grace of her movements and the way her long fawn hair flowed down her back made it impossible for them to take their eyes off her for a moment. The Inu no Taishou noted the beautiful face and the powerful aura. She so resembled Hisano that he guessed that she was one of his close relatives.

She set the koto on the ground bowed deeply before them, her emerald eyes soft and gentle; Hisano nodded approvingly to her.

"Our dearest daughter, Kikumo," he told the Inu no Taishou. "You may not believe it, but her power is greatly advanced for a Deer youkai her age. I would not be surprised if she grew up to be more powerful than me."

For a while, he was speechless. Kikumo's lithe hands began to pluck the strings of the instrument and soon they were spellbound by the music of her fingers. The amber-eyed taiyoukai can hardly believe that she was Kikumo. The Kikumo he remembered was the scrawny little girl from many years before. It may just be because he hardly saw her as the years came by, but by now he can hardly recognize her. The previously featureless flower bud had bloomed, and a beautiful bloom, she was.

Just then, he thought of his own son, Sesshoumaru. He was very powerful for his age, and heaven knows what pains Hanazuki went through to guide him in the brief time they were together. He also resembled his beautiful mother, and thus it was quite obvious that his looks could break anyone's heart. But alas, Sesshoumaru cared for nothing but power. Can this demoness melt that unfeeling heart of his? If Sesshoumaru and Kikumo joined their two families together...then two powerful bloodlines would be fused, and the friendship of inuyoukai and shikayoukai would finally bear its fruit...

Kikumo plucked the last chord of the piece, and the Inu no Taishou went back from his musings. Inwardly, he sighed.

'No, I must not let my own scheming prevail this time,' he scolded himself. 'Hanazuki...' He recalled the Tsukisawa...the moon...the night. How they met...how they loved...and her final request. Although he would very much like to give his son a secure future, he knew that it might not be to Sesshoumaru's own liking, and their philosophies have clashed many times throughout the years. Besides, it's a choice his son alone could make.

'Only you can find the one who is destined to share her life with you; whether she is Kikumo or not, let it be so...'

...o0o...

A strangled sob which she had been striving to keep back for so long finally escaped Kikyou's lips. She tried to run away, run far to escape the haunting emotions which had emerged because of the memory just played before them...but she knew that there was no escape.

"Kikyou!" Sesshoumaru caught her in his arms before she can disappear back into the tall grasses. He cradled her close, and she began to cry against him.

"I was never meant to be your mate!" she sobbed. "Kikumo should have lived! I should have died! Even your father favors her over me!"

Sesshoumaru was temporarily at a loss. He turned angrily towards Mizutori.

"I should kill you for choosing to spite her," he said softly, his amber eyes slightly turning into a shade of red.

"Oh my Lord, I bear no ill-feelings for Lady Kikyou!" Mizutori said in a panicky voice, lowering herself to the lowest she can get. "I didn't know I was doing wrong..."

Sesshoumaru then gently pushed Kikyou away and he made for the other demon's sinewy neck. A frightened squawk escaped Mizutori's throat as his cold fingers clamped themselves tightly around her neck close to the base of her head.

"Please, my Lord!" she pleaded. "I meant no harm! I was only trying to help!"

"In this way you would help us best," Sesshoumaru replied icily, and his hand began to glow a poisonous green. Mizutori began to struggle against him. She knew perfectly well what that attack meant. She had seen the Lady Hanazuki execute it many times. She would become a puddle of melted rigor mortis if he had his way.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kikyou interceded. She placed her hand over his fingers which were wound around the bird demon's throat, and with her touch the glow of his hand faded. "Don't. Let us go home, please."

Sesshoumaru hesitated, looking first into his mate's tearful eyes then to Mizutori's frightened ones. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, he let go of Mizutori. She slumped down the water, as though her knees have lost all their power.

"You should be thankful Kikyou chose to spare your life," he said softly, placing an arm around Kikyou. They were just about to go back into the sea of grass when he stopped for a while, thinking of something. He looked over his shoulder at the cowering youkai. "But before we go, answer me this: where did my mother seal Karatake?"

"To the Minetetsu," Mizutori replied immediately, fearful that he will strike her down if she hesitated for even a moment, "in the Barren Wastes of the Western Lands."

Sesshoumaru looked down at her coldly for a moment, but when at last they went away, Mizutori spread her exhausted wings over the water and rested her head on one of the rocks, tears escaping freely from her sapphire eyes.

...o0o...

Additional story notes:

(1) hahagimi - a term used to refer to one's own mother (counterpart for father: chichiue)

(2) Mitsuseki - mitsu (light); seki (barrier); thus means 'Radiant Barrier'

(3) Meidou - the Other Side, where the dead dwell


Whaa! This chapter really drained me! I had to rewrite it, for I found out that I was kinda revealing too much information such that the thrill of the next chapters will be gone! But for now, let's leave it at that. Let me sleep for now... (-.-) zzz

Lady Fabmel: Whoo...thanks so much for the review! I was totally caught up with work I barely had time to type up anything. My muse is practically dying! (OH NO!)

ninalee-chan:You really think the chapter title is appropriate? I originally thought of using another title, but I thought, "Nah, this one's better." I actually based the sceneries of my stories on real-life places, especially so on the upcoming chapters.

Cold Kikyo: As usual, thank you for dropping in a review! ;P

TheDisruptiveOne: Hehe, it's kinda long since I took up my pencil and pen to draw again, but it's a good thing my drawings didn't turn out horrible or anything. I am more into landscape, but I have yet to draw all the sceneries I described. -.-

Moon Mannequin: Nunu, Inupapa didn't cheat on Hanazuki. (I would NEVER allow it! Just he dare...) Hana-sama died even before Inupapa met Izayoi.

The East Wind Melts the Ice: Oh, you remember that scene from IMotC? Good, good!

Azn kawaii kikyo the devil: (gulps) Really, you think the last chapter was THAT nice? Boy, am I flattered. Thanks so much!

Absent of Grace: Thank you! I will REALLY try to update sooner! I want to finish this fic by the end of May!

Gossamer Wind: I sorta did some parallelisms on Voices of the Mist and the last chapter. ;P

Sapphire Snowflake: My pwend! I miss ya! Sayang at via internet na lang tayo nagkakausap. But that's what friends are for, right? ;P Keep in touch, ha?

-meow-: Thank you! (-miaw- Ahem, I do love cats. No offense meant, Inupapa and Sesshy! o.o)