Lessons Learned
Author: Shortey 83
Chapter 26 Farewell
Disclaimer: I do NOT own InuYasha or Skyrim
Author's Note: For this fanfiction, I will be referring to InuYasha's and Sesshomaru's father as Tōga.
Story Start:
"I still don't understand," Takara said, her voice heavy with confusion but also awe as she stared at the massive skeleton before her. "Why did Laquhkriin attack me? I've never made a single move to attacking Vulthuryol."
Sahloknir hissed in pain as he adjusted his snakelike body. "As I've said before, he's utterly mad. Whatever 'reason' he had, I doubt it would make sense to anyone else." Sahloknir took time to observe their surroundings. "We've no time to waste. You must hide before they can find you?"
"They?" Takara asked, her fear heightening another level. "I thought it was just Laquhkriin?!"
"It seems he's brought his master along with him."
Takara swallowed, trying to calm herself. "You have to hide too, Sahloknir. You're too badly hurt."
Sahloknir let out a strained laugh as his head settled on the rocks. "I'm afraid not, Vulombrii. I'm too weak."
Takara desperately thought of a way to help her friend, her mind racing to find a solution. "Don't you know any healing shouts, or can you teach me something? I can't just leave you here alone."
He leaned his large head into her hand as she stroked his snout, tears continuing to fall. "I'm afraid not, sweet one. Now please hide before they arrive. There is no telling how many there are. I am not able to protect you like this."
She didn't move, her feet seemingly glued to the spot as tears streamed down her face. "I can help you fight them," she sobbed. "Let me protect you this time."
His tail wrapping around her waist, he lifted her, setting her on a lower portion of the stone tower. "Hide, Takara. If something were to happen to you, your mate would never allow me to live." With that, he pulled his tail back above the ledge, leaving her unable to climb up.
'You would choose them over me?' Sesshomaru's words echoed in her mind as the words formed on her lips to argue but stopped. She didn't want to hurt Sesshomaru like that again, but the pain of leaving her friend was tearing her heart out. There was no right choice yet again.
Finally, seeing no other option, Takara made her way further down the stone tower until she could jump to another one. She kept going, until she found a small cave to hide in. Please be alright, Sahloknir. She wished as she strained to hear anything surrounding her. Sesshomaru, I'm so sorry. Please help me.
Sahloknir could only listen to Takara scramble to safety as well as the approaching sounds of Laquhkriin and Vulthuryol, hoping to avoid a battle. The two of them may have hated humans, but they were not known to kill their own kind. It was probably the one trait that had kept the two of them from so many fights.
"Sahloknir!" came a shout from Vulthuryol, but he found himself unable to answer his call. Vision blurry and breaths shallow, Sahloknir could only wait for his foes to arrive, and he didn't have to wait long as black talons appeared before him.
"Where is the girl? I know she's here somewhere." Laquhkriin growled, his sickly green scales visible beside his masters.
"Why would you attack her? She's never presented a threat to either of you."
"Yet," Laquhkriin interjected. "But she will. It is only a matter of time before she realizes that her demon mate will far outlive her and comes for our longevity."
Sahloknir let a pained chuckle escape him. "From the moment I met her, Takara was always averse to killing our kind. She may be mortal, but not once has she expressed a desire to live beyond her years."
"And yet she has already killed one of us." Vulthuryol finally spoke.
"Before she knew the consequences."
"It matters not," Laquhkriin growled, his claw reaching out to strike Sahloknir, knocking him to the far edge of the stone tower.
"Now, now Laquhkriin," Vulthuryol interjected before his minion could follow his target. "You shouldn't kill him. If you do, his soul will be absorbed by the girl, adding to her power."
Laquhkriin growled in frustration at his master's warning but made no further move to attack.
"instead, why don't we see to their mutually assured destruction. If they both die here, it will be of no consequence."
"You won't find her." Sahloknir assured them, confident that Takara had hidden herself away.
Vulthuryol chuckled as he took flight. "I have no need to find her, nor be the one to kill you. There are plenty here who will do that for me."
Before Sahloknir could figure out or even question what he meant, an icy chill ran down his spine in anticipation of a shout that most were unable to use.
"Slen Tiid Vo!"
At his words the ground beneath them began to rumble, bones rising into view that appeared to grow tendons, blood, and flesh before his eyes until it was the creature it had been during life.
Sahloknir felt the ground shake as the creature began to trample everything in its' path. "And just to be sure, I succeed in eliminating the both of you, a battle between these creatures would be best." Sahloknir watched Vulthuryol turn his head in the direction of the massive skeleton clad in armor and repeated the shout.
A sinking feeling had already settled in the pit of his stomach, but at the sight of the massive demon returning to life, Sahloknir could only feel defeat and surrender. Sinew reattached itself to bone, layers of muscles, winding streams of nerves and veins wove their way through them until a final layer of skin and eventually white fur covered the creature. The red eyes with turquoise irises left no doubt that the creature was in fact a demon.
With a devious chuckle, Vulthuryol instructed Laquhkriin to ensure both Sahloknir and Takara died before he flew off and shouted his way back to the world of the living.
With a roar that even seemed to echo throughout the vast emptiness of the world they were in, the first creature charged the second and Sahloknir could only pray Takara found a way to avoid their battle.
Takara had heard the unfamiliar shouts and emerged from her hiding place, once the ground began to shake and bits of rock began to fall from the cave ceiling. The scene outside wasn't any more comforting as she watched two massive creatures fighting. Judging from the red glow of their eyes both of the massive beings appeared to be demons. She peeked around the corner, looking back to where Sahloknir's tail hung off the rocky tower far above her.
Well, it's either here by myself or up there with Sahloknir. She thought, as a sickly green dragon came into view, watching the creatures in the distance fighting. Doing her best not to attract the dragon's attention, Takara quietly and carefully crept back towards Sahloknir.
With the ground shaking from the demon's fighting, Takara nearly fell from the tremors they were causing several times, but after a while she finally managed to make her way back to her dragon friend, gently using his tail to climb back up to the ledge. Peeking over the edge, she could see the pale green dragon, his back turned from them, watching the demons battle one another. As the creatures moved closer and closer to the stone tower they were perched upon, the dragon backed away, preparing for flight.
As he turned towards Sahloknir, Takara backed down his tail to avoid detection. "Well, it seems as if this battle will end soon. Perhaps now others will see reason and side with their own kind." Takara felt the vibrations of Sahloknir's weak growl before she heard a strong thump, followed by a jerk on the dragon's body. "When the girl is dead, perhaps I'll return and allow your soul to make it back to the world of the living. Then again, I could leave it here for all eternity as an example for those who would choose humans over their dragon kin."
Without another word, Takara heard the sound of Laquhkriin's laugh as he took flight and poked her head up enough to see the sight of the dragon's retreating form. Once he was a safe enough distance away, Takara pulled herself over the edge and quietly crawled over to her injured friend's head. Terrified because of the danger, sad for the condition of her friend, and devastated from her lack of power, Takara leaned against Sahloknir's head and wept.
Sesshomaru felt his stomach drop as he watched the dragon appear behind Takara before shouting her into some sort of hole. He rushed to the void, trying to follow wherever the creature had sent his mate, but the pale green beast seemed to have no intention of letting that happen, diving straight for him.
He watched as the hole began to shrink as he desperately tried to out maneuver the beast who had attacked Takara. Without warning, the blue beast that Takara called Sahloknir dove into the vanishing path. The creature battling him took advantage of his momentary distraction and used the same shout Takara had used on him once before to slow time. However, unlike Takara, the dragon was able to flee at a rate which he could not follow. A moment later creature was able to shout again, this time disappearing into another portal.
Worry faded to rage and Sesshomaru could feel Takara's fear through their bond as it shifted to surprise and finally to sadness- devastated sadness. His inner demon clawed to break free to track her down, to soothe her and bring her back to safety. The only thing that kept him in check the was red dragon calling his name as he limped closer.
"Sesshomaru, where is Takara?"
"She fell through the portal the other dragon created." Sesshomaru growled back to the creature. "How did it appear behind her so quickly?" He noted how the dragon kept pressure off of his hind leg, a nasty gash exposing the flesh normally hidden by scales.
"Laquhkriin has become quite the crafty individual. As was stated before, he is completely mad so for him to plan such a deception is unheard of." Yolheimin hissed as he lowered his snakelike body to the ground. " Vulthuryol has to be the one behind this attack."
"Why?"
Sesshomaru growled that one word, a thinly veiled attempt at composure, his beast roaring to come out and destroy this Vulthuryol.
"Because Takara exists. She is probably the only living mortal who can slay a dragon by absorbing its' soul. You must understand that individuals with her abilities are incredibly rare."
Perhaps he didn't understand her abilities as much as he had thought. True, he was impressed to see what she could do after destroying her first dragon, but it seemed he didn't quite understand what she was capable of.
"You see, Takara may be mortal, but she possesses the soul of a dragon herself. The only way for this to happen is for a mortal to be born without a soul at the precise moment a dragon passes on."
"How can a mortal be born without a soul?"
"In other words, the child must be stillborn."
That revelation shocked Sesshomaru. It meant that had a dragon not been slain at the correct moment, he would've never found Takara. Rage flared again, not at the dragon, but at his own carelessness. Had he not been so focused on the dragons before him and had he heeded Sahloknir's warning, he would not have lost her.
"Where did he take them?" Sesshomaru finally asked once he had taken a moment to compose himself.
"I am unsure where he took them, but it had something to do with the afterlife. He did not kill them, but the shout used was one to transport them from one place to another. The words he shouted meant 'Death, Life, Beyond', so by that it means that he took them somewhere between life and death."
"Can you not use the same shout to follow them?" Sesshomaru asked.
The red dragon shook his head. "It is difficult to explain, but it requires a lot of meditation to learn a shout. We are not born with this knowledge."
Sesshomaru snarled and spun away from the dragon but he stopped midstride. Wait, he thought. Death, Life, and Beyond? Could they be...
"I think I know where they may be. I must go to the Land of Fire. Are you able to follow?"
He watched the dragon stand as quickly as he was able to and lifted off the ground. "Lead the way."
With a nod, Sesshomaru hurried to the door that lead to the border between this world and the next.
As Takara had expected, the second demon to have been revived was ultimately victorious over the first. The first creature was a quadruped of some sort that resembled a scaly boar with a long lizard like tail, while the second creature was bipedal, that resembled a dog or wolf like creature.
With a final twist, the dog like demon had snapped the boar like creature's head off, flinging it away before roaring its' victory so loudly Takara's ears nearly bled. However, it seemed not to notice her and Sahloknir, turning away and heading in another direction.
"Seems we got out of that one, for now." Takara whispered to Sahloknir, stroking his massive head despite the fact that he didn't respond.
"Or so you thought," Laquhkriin's voice came from behind her.
Turning her head, she saw the pale green dragon floating behind her. "Master Vulthuryol said you wouldn't be far away, but now I will make sure you don't leave this place alive. Rii Vaas Zol!"
A wave of purple light rushed towards her, sending a burning sensation throughout her body, but that was it. "What is the meaning of this?!" Laquhkriin demanded rearing back stunned.
He never got a chance to question his shout further as a large pillar of stone flew over her head and sent the green dragon flying like a bird struck from the air with a slingshot.
"Sesshomaru?" His name flew out of her mouth as she turned to look for him only to see the massive demon starring her down. Fear crept its way into her stomach again as his red gaze focused on her, but she remained still. It wasn't as if she could outrun it, nor could she fight it. Either way, she was done for.
I'm so sorry, Sesshomaru. She thought, eyes closed as she waited for the creature to make its' move. A gust of hot air rushed against her face a moment before she felt the creature's inhale, as if testing their scents. She opened her eyes, watching the creature pull its' massive head back before tilting it to the side.
Well, if it's some sort of dog, maybe I should avoid eye contact with it. She thought. After a tense few seconds, the creature began to glow and with its' massive size, the light was nearly blinding. Takara closed her eyes tight against the glare.
A gust of wind and the sound of footsteps in front of her drew her attention, opening her eyes to see a pure white hakama before her. "Sessho-" she stopped herself, looking up to find a demon that resembled Sesshomaru, but it definitely wasn't him. The demon male before her was every bit as handsome as her mate, but his eyes, while they held a glow of suspicion in them, weren't nearly as icy as her husband's. In fact, they had the same color eyes and hair, even their attire was similar. There was no doubt, this demon was of some relation to Sesshomaru.
The demon squatted down in front of her, allowing him to be nearly eye level with her. "You smell strongly of my son. Who are you?"
"Son? Are you Sesshomaru's father?"
The demon, Sesshomaru's father it seemed, nodded his head. "Oh.. I'm..uh.. I'm his wife- I mean his mate or whatever you prefer to call it."
In an unexpected turn, the demon in front of her, so similar in appearance to her husband, smiled and her heart did a flip in her chest. "I see," he said with a chuckle. "So, my son isn't as hopeless as I thought him to be."
He stood up and looked at his surroundings, lifting his head to sift through any scents that may have lingered. "Now then, how is it that I have returned to life after so long? From the looks of things, a lot has transpired here."
Takara gave him the simplified story, starting with a breakdown of her abilities, the fight between Sahloknir, Yolheimin and Laquhkriin, and finally his resurrection.
"You say the other dragon used a... Shout... to bring myself and the other demon back to life?" he questioned, curiosity in his eyes.
Takara nodded. "Yes, but I don't know what it meant. What I heard was Slen Tiid Vo, however I don't know what those words mean in the dragon language. I hadn't learned them yet."
"What about the one the green dragon used on you?"
"I'm afraid not. That one was Rii Vaas Zol. I know Vaas means rip, but that's about all."
Before she could say another word, a loud roar echoed through the mist and a flash of green darted straight for Sesshomaru's father. It seemed that Laquhkriin wasn't through with the battle as that he may have been as mad as she had been told. It didn't take long for him to attack the creature that had just struck him from the sky with a massive stone pillar.
A weak growl rumbled from Sahloknir as he opened his eyes. "Vulombrii?" he asked, his voice strained.
"Shhhhh" Takara soothed him, "I'm right here, Sahloknir. I'm ok."
"For now. You must return to the world of the living before you are stuck here."
"I can't, Sahloknir. I don't even know if there is a way out." She felt tears welling up in her eyes once again. "Besides, I can't leave you and Sesshomaru's father here."
A breathy laugh escaped him, "I'm afraid it's too late for me, Sweet One."
Before she could argue with him, he shushed her and continued. "Please don't argue with me, Vulombrii. I don't have much time, but you still do."
A thousand excuses on her lips, but she didn't say any of them. Her heart breaking into a million pieces, Takara didn't utter a single word.
"Are you ready?"
Unable to speak with the lump in her throat, a stream of tears falling from her eyes she could only nod.
"Very well," Sahloknir used what little strength he had left and maneuvered his body to face the center of the pillar he rested on. "Bo Sil Lein"
As soon as the shout left him, Sahloknir collapsed down onto the stone, his strength gone.
A strangled sob left her as she backed away from him towards the portal he had opened.
"I wish you happiness, Sweet One." He whispered. "You will be a wonderful mother."
Finally able to speak, Takara sobbed. "I can't leave you here, Sahloknir. Please come with me."
"I am sorry, Takara. I have lived a long time, but at least now I will always be with you." With a final exhale, Sahloknir's silver eyes shut for the final time as his body began to glow.
No! Takara thought as she stumbled back away from the approaching glow of Sahloknir's soul. If I absorb his soul, he can't come back!
But it was too late. With a final rush, she felt the warm, gentle stream of her friend's soul merge into her own as she fell back into the vanishing void. The fall this time hadn't been far as she fell into a dark, damp place. The last thing she remembered was a sharp pain as her head struck something solid, sending her into oblivion.
Once again, the gate guards provided him with no resistance, opening the gate at his request. Sesshomaru and Yolheimin stepped into the light of the border between worlds, the misty clouds surrounding them as gravity took effect. He noted the dragon was slower to react to the change, but he soon righted himself, rushing to keep pace.
The subtle breeze in the air that wound through the empty land brought scents to him, mostly those of long dead bodies, but mixed in with them was the slightest hint of Takara. He had been right in his suspicion, but with such a vast area to explore, where then did he begin? This also seemed to bother the dragon accompanying him.
"What a strange place," he noted. "I assume you have been here before, so where do you suppose we begin our search?"
Before Sesshomaru could answer, a loud rumble could be heard in the direction of his father's tomb. "This way."
He was glad that the beast didn't protest but altered his course to follow his lead. The closer they came to their destination, the stronger and clearer the scent of his mate became. He felt his rage beginning to burn again as the scent of her terror wafted to him followed by the salty scent of her tears. Perhaps what disturbed him most was the fact that he could feel her, but he felt nothing of her emotions.
She was alive, but she was most likely unconscious.
He knew she wasn't asleep. There had been many times in the past few months that she had fell asleep in his arms and he could still feel something from her; happiness, contentedness with her pleasant dreams and fear and occasionally terror in her nightmares. He could feel those things from her- relaxing when she was having a pleasant dream and holding her tighter, stroking her head or back through a nightmare. Either way, she was alive.
At least that was his original thought as an even more familiar scent greeted him. He had smelled the scent of his father's tomb several times in the past, but the scent that met him was the same as when he had been alive.
He can't be...
A few moments later as he approached the spot his father's remains were supposed to be and found them gone, he began to doubt his sanity but only briefly as the pale green body who had cast Takara into the void was thrown up and out of the mist, slamming into one of the many stone outcroppings that dotted the landscape.
No sooner had the beast crashed into the stone than Sesshomaru watched his father, alive and in the flesh, barreling to the creature, pummeling him against the stone until it crumbled. The green dragon roared weakly as he fell back below the mist, not rising up again.
It seemed that his father's senses were as keen as ever, his gaze immediately finding his own. Neither of them spoke, but both landed on an outcropping, the primal part of them sizing one another up, but a stray breeze caught Sesshomaru's attention and the strong scent of Takara lingered.
It was the dragon, Yolheimin, who spoke first, but only a single, pained word. "No..."
Sesshomaru looked to the red beast, following its' gaze to another outcropping a short distance away. Dripping from the top of the outcropping were several small trails of blood, but at the top were more bleached, white bones. Turning away from his father, followed Yolheimin to the pile of bones.
The bones were that of a dragon and judging by the few remaining scales that littered the ground around them told him they belonged to Sahloknir. The scent of Takara's fear and grief were strongest here, but she was nowhere to be found, her scent slowly being swept away by the wind.
"She's gone, Sesshomaru."
Sesshomaru dreaded what his father was about to say.
"The dragon that died opened a path that she fell through." Relief washed over Sesshomaru with the confirmation that at least she was alive.
Yolheimin spoke up before he could. "The words," he began. "What were the words he used?"
Sesshomaru watched as his father thought to recall the words Sahloknir used. "I was in battle with the green dragon when he used them, but I believe they were 'Bo Sil Lein'."
"Then how...?"
Sesshomaru watched the confusion play across the dragon's face as he studied the remains of his dead friend. "What is it?" Sesshomaru asked when he didn't continue.
"The words he used mean Go, Life, World and yet I did not feel the tear in the worlds. She is no longer here, nor is she in our world."
"Where is she then?" Sesshomaru asked, the tide of his anger rising.
"I don't know," the dragon finally acknowledged, placing a claw on the remains of his friend. "But I will do all I can to help you find her. Sahloknir gave her his life to save her."