Chapter Seven
"Sesshomaru-sama! They're making their escape!" Jaken called, causing both Sesshomaru and Kikyo to cease their actions and lift their heads up to the sky shimmering with soft rays of the new dawn, noticing that indeed, the rest of the low-ranked youkai Naraku had stored in his mountain changed their course and were now flying away in every direction, escaping the area to hide in the nearest lands, probably using their newfound freedom to kill and feed in order to regain their strength after such a long confinement.
Sheathing back his Tokijin with a smooth movement, Sesshomaru turned to face his companions.
"A-Are you not going after them...?" The imp demon voiced his confusion.
The daiyoukai only switched his golden gaze from the sky to the mountain, observing it for a moment in silence.
"I have no interest in the insignificant." He answered simply.
Then, he looked over to the priestess standing beyond Rin, Jaken and A-Un, watching her lower her weapon as well and then prop it back calmly on her shoulder, her mahogany eyes fixed on the suspicious landform as a solemn expression crossed her features.
'Did Naraku set them free on purpose?' Kikyo wondered, studying the large structure, 'Or has he no use for them anymore?'
A small thought then crept into her mind, one which she tried to suppress at times like these, at times in which she knew she will need to stay focused and not let her own emotions distract her;
'Inuyasha...' His name inevitably flowed through her conscious, leaving a bittersweet trail behind it, 'Is this your doing?'
And just like that, she was suddenly filled with the same longing and need, the feelings which she tried so hard to avoid. The last time she had seen him was back when the Shichinintai attacked the village, looking for Suikotsu. Inuyasha and his group were there, eventually saving her after a fatal blow made her lose her consciousness. The next thing she knew, she was leaning against a tree, with his worried gaze fixed on her.
How she wanted to embrace him at that moment... but the look on his companion's face, Kagome, was of such pure agony... she couldn't bring herself to fully go through with it. In the past, she would have not spared the girl's emotions any thought, however, after everything that has happened, she now understood something about her relationship with the half-breed, a bitter, regretful and inevitable conclusion which she wanted to deny, but couldn't;
Sadly, it was no longer relevant.
And that realization made her step back from this tiresome competition.
She was now only left with these strong feelings for him; feelings which she felt would never waver, occupying a place in her heart that no one else would be able to replace.
"What are your thoughts, miko?" Sesshomaru suddenly asked, his firm voice snapping her back to reality as she blinked and turned in his direction, her mahogany eyes finding his golden ones.
Silence fell between them for a moment as Sesshomaru observed her reaction to his words.
He couldn't help but secretly ponder what was the cause of her expression just now. Although he found these notions to be useless, something about her behavior sparked an unnamed urge in him to question her about it; to step in and intervene, break her out of it.
Kikyo only straightened up, her face once again, impassive.
"The Shichinintai are most likely all dead." She replied, analyzing the situation, "Naraku had also probably finished with his preparations in this mountain, however, for some reason he still remains concealed."
Sesshomaru processed her words, deciding to follow with her actions and focus on the more important matters they still needed to face, as well.
"Sesshomaru-sama." Jaken suddenly stepped forward, sheepishly cutting into their conversation, "Naraku has kept himself hidden until now in order to recoup his strength, he is probably much stronger than he was before."
Sesshomaru shot a cold glare down at his vassal's direction.
"So?" He answered harshly, clear annoyance felt in his tone of voice.
The imp demon only flinched in surprise, losing the grip on his staff as he fell to his knees, apologizing for his lack of respect.
Turning to Rin who was sitting on top of A-Un's back, Sesshomaru said nothing as he kept his eyes on her for a moment. Then, he turned his attention to Kikyo once again, maintaining her studying gaze and making the priestess soon nod with agreement.
Jaken only watched the silent exchange between them with confusion.
"We're falling back, for now." The daiyoukai ordered.
Hearing this, Jaken stared at his master with wide eyes, "Are you not going to pursue Naraku, my lord? The barrier has been dissolved –"
"That vermin is still cowardly hiding inside and yet he sent his pitiful worms to infest the lands all around us." The daiyoukai explained as he cut into his words, lifting his gaze up once again to the mountain, "We shall wait for him to make his next lazy move instead of giving him the luxury of chase."
Wearing an amused smile, Kikyo stared at him in silence.
'An interesting way of saying Rin should be protected.' She noted to herself.
Reaching a slightly higher spot from where they previously stood, Sesshomaru stepped to the edge of its grassy precipice. It had a clear view of the shriveled mountain now plagued with youkai energy and oozing Naraku's putrid scent, while also allowing them all the benefit of higher ground above the obvious lesser youkai lurking in the mountain's base, who were hiding just like their cowardly master, waiting for an unsuspecting prey to fall into their territory and then devour it. The sun was already strong in the sky above them, marking late noon, yet still concealed behind a soft layer of clouds, making it falsely appear much darker.
Rin and Jaken had settled a camp between a few lone trees still growing at their current altitude and he could hear their cheerful discussion about the latest occurrences behind him, causing him to frown with annoyance at a sudden realization;
That damn Naraku had the nerve of gathering them all in this place, and yet that coward was still hiding.
Just what was the reason for him to still conceal himself when the holy barrier has already been long gone?
The answer remained unattainable, only making him more displeased with the current state.
Tired of attempting to read into his despicable prey's motives, Sesshomaru turned on his heel and stepped towards the lively area, through the grassy surface and between the few trees, until he reached their spot. The air was fresh and clean thanks to the restricted greenery around them, but the presence of various small-fry youkais in the area was still undeniable, reminding him not to lower his guard for a moment. He stopped in his place and eyed his companions in silence, then, lifted his golden gaze up, locating the priestess' presence a bit further and deeper into the wildlife, drawing water from a nearby creek in the rocky surface and collecting it into Rin's small, wooden box container.
Watching her actions from afar in stillness for a moment, Sesshomaru raised his head slightly, then, resumed his steps in her direction as he formed his new decision.
Nearing where she was, he made sure to notify his presence to her with his steps as he strode through the grass, observing as she paused her actions for a single moment, only to shortly continue them as she quickly acknowledged his arrival, kneeling down by the creek's side and not even turning around to face him.
Stopping behind her, neither of them said anything for a long while, making the sound of birds chirping and water clashing against the rocky surface to echo all around them. Kikyo only continued with her task, filling up the wooden container to the brim with the fresh liquid, eventually closing it and setting it by her side with a smooth movement.
"Do you want to ask something?" She prompted him, her voice nonchalant and her eyes still set on the small stream before her.
Refraining from answering, Sesshomaru only quietly observed her back for a few more moments, his golden orbs narrowing at her addressing him yet again with such casualty.
"Stay with Rin." He commanded simply, "I am going to cease this foolish wait, alone."
Hearing this, Kikyo's shoulders tensed for a moment, making her turn her head halfway in his direction, her gaze sharp, locking with his.
"I am not here as a caretaker, Sesshomaru." She replied bluntly, closing her eyes and turning her head forward as she grabbed the wooden container to her right and elegantly rose to her feet, still facing away from him, "You are also forgetting that Naraku cannot be slain by your sword."
Sesshomaru lowered his head at her familiar indefinite last words, maintaining his eyes fixed on her back.
"You do not fully comprehend the capacity of my abilities, miko." He insisted, a hint of annoyance heard in his voice.
Kikyo let out a soft breath, finally turning in his direction, her expression stern.
"It is not a matter of strength." She stated.
But instead of further explaining her vague assertions, she only stepped forward, averting her gaze and focusing it beyond where he stood as she passed him completely on her way back to the camp area, ending their exchange. His eyes only followed after her figure as she walked by him, not even sparing him another look.
Letting out a quiet, yet deep breath, Sesshomaru clenched his jaw at the woman.
'So, this is the reason he had asked me to follow...' Kikyo concluded, a noticeable frown crossing her features.
This fact was of no real surprise to her, yet for some reason it still unexpectedly stung.
But why?
Wasn't she there only to care for Rin, after all? Why was this confirmation suddenly bothering her?
Why was she feeling... disappointed?
"Ah! Welcome back, Kikyo-sama!" Rin happily greeted her, causing her expression to ease.
Jaken stopped talking all at once as he noticed her presence, giving her a suspicious look as he watched her casually make her way towards the child, handing her the freshly drawn water, then move back to sit on the large, thick roots of a nearby tree, disarming herself from her bow and arrows and placing them to her left side at an easy reach.
'What am I getting all unnecessarily worked up for...' She let out a confused breath.
The hours continued to pass and dusk was soon to conquer the vast sky, yet Naraku's presence was nowhere to be seen or sensed except for his obvious current location, which continuously sent pulses of unparalleled demonic energy through the area, as if coaxing all of its attendants, mocking and attempting to lure them into its grounds.
And although he figured this much, Sesshomaru's patience was running thin. There was a limit to how much he could bear that vermin's insulting existence, especially when he was at an arm's reach and begging to be eliminated.
Sitting regally on a flat-faced rock with one of his legs bent and his sole arm resting on top of his knee, he looked over to Rin sleeping on top of A-Un, exhausted by the last few couple of nights which interrupted her sleep pattern. He turned his gaze down to his vassal, who was sitting against a rock, staring tiredly into the makeshift fire they had created once again in front of him.
The daiyoukai pondered his own wishes in silence as a hint of annoyance crossed his features;
All it will take is one strike of Tokijin, that by itself should be enough to kill Naraku.
There was, however, one issue that prevented him from following with his attack plan.
He raised his gaze to a certain priestess sitting across from where he did, on top of a large root and against the tree it belonged to, just outside of the warm circle, her eyes fixed on something far in the distance as she leaned her head back, resting it against the bark behind it. Looking up at the now almost completely-darkened sky, her aesthetic profile and deep mahogany eyes were lit by the reddish reminiscent of the sun as it slowly vanished beyond the horizon, mind set deep into her own cryptic thoughts and yet her expression was as unreadable as ever, not giving him any clues on what those were.
Staring at her in silence, the daiyoukai narrowed his golden eyes.
This unmistakable air of confidence around her combined with her recent words, actions and abilities all pushed him into a strange corner; he wanted to know everything that she did about his prey, and yet he knew this priestess was perhaps the most unforeseeable human he had ever encountered, making it near impossible to guess the correct way to coax her into talking.
This stubborn woman had such trust in her own statements about that bastard, and yet she refused to share her reasons with him. Not only that, but she was also so impeccably poised, seemingly not even bothered by the fact that Naraku might escape once again if they act too late.
The reason had to have something to do with her connection to that worm.
He had to know.
"What are you waiting for, then, miko?" He suddenly asked, his low and clear voice piercing though the silence, making Jaken turn to his master with a perplexed look to his unexpected words, however, the priestess understood perfectly what he was referring to with his question.
Kikyo kept her head in its raised position, resting against the bark of the tree and only slightly turned in his direction, her gaze cold.
"I will see that the area clears out a bit more from Naraku's servants, then, set in the mountain's direction to eliminate him." She replied, calmly.
Sesshomaru's mouth formed a thin line.
"Humph, before you even manage to approach it, my sword would already cut through that bastard's skull." Clear annoyance heard in his tone of voice as Jaken swallowed harshly in silence, utterly confused by their sudden verbal battle.
Turning to glare at him, she raised her head at his direction, her expression eerily calm.
"Do as you see fit." She dismissed him simply, once again avoiding his obvious ways of provocation.
Silence settled all around them as the fire's soft crackling filled the air.
'Is this futile back and forth not tiresome to this man?' She wondered, quietly.
But he suddenly shot her with a look which she had never seen before, causing her to blink with slight surprise.
Was it... frustration, crossing the daiyoukai's features just now?
And then she realized, remembering her talk with him by the river that one night, the way he did not judge her about her condition, followed by his understanding and respect of her wishes to set Saint Hakushin's soul free...
Kikyo suddenly filled with guilt.
She was still refusing to share crucial information with this man, and for what purpose?
Even now, Sesshomaru was surprisingly obedient enough to stay and not follow with his declarations and slay Naraku on his own.
Was understanding her words that important to him?
Lowering her head to stare down at the grass, the priestess kept her silence, eventually turning to sit fully in his direction, raising a hand to brush through her purplish-black long locks as she lifted her mahogany eyes to him, locking her gaze with his.
Breathing deep, her palm lingered in her hair for another moment while she forced herself to venture into a memory which she would much rather not to.
But it was now the right time and it was only fair.
"Naraku was the one who killed me, fifty years ago." She began her story, lowering her hand to rest on her lap as she lifted her head up at his direction, her expression devoid of any emotion, "However, back then, before that, he was known by the name Onigumo and he was merely a human bandit."
Sesshomaru kept his full attention on her as she continued;
"After surviving through one of his own group member's attempt to kill him, he somehow ended up in our village, where I found him barely alive, suffering from grave burns all over his body with all of his limbs broken. He was brought to a nearby cave, where I took care of him, slowly nursing him back to health."
Kikyo let out a small breath, turning her gaze to stare at the fire.
"Realizing that he will never be able to regain his true strength due to the severity of his injures, Onigumo gave up his body to demons, who knew about the Shikon jewel in my possession and wanted its power for themselves, as well as my demise. Onigumo, however, had a different desire in mind."
Sesshomaru frowned with disgust in response to her words, yet he kept his silence.
"The merge of the bandit and the demons who sought the Shikon jewel created the half-youkai Naraku, allowing him the power he had always wanted, but his demon side was stronger than his human one, and he managed to take the form of a very dear person of mine and fatally wound me, making me believe that I was betrayed, while also achieving the same with them, tainting our relationship forever as we were falsely set against each other."
With that, Kikyo raised her mahogany eyes back to meet with Sesshomaru's golden ones.
"I took the Shikon jewel with me to the grave, making sure that no one would be able to use it for their selfish ill-intentions ever again, but it seems that it had managed to return to this world somehow, and Naraku now seeks it in its whole in order to become a full-fledged youkai."
Processing her information, Sesshomaru kept his strong gaze on her. He already knew what she was about to say next, and somehow, he found himself almost wishing for himself to be wrong.
"That human part that still exists in Naraku, Onigumo's heart which still desires me, is his weakness. And that weakness is what keeps him from hurting me, making me the only one able to purify and defeat him."
He clenched his jaw.
Most of his predictions about the current situation were correct, however he did not guess this miko in front of him was of such an importance to that vermin. Everything she said made him suddenly fill with an impossibly uneasy feeling, something that he hasn't felt for quite a long time; as if his insides were churned and his core struck with rage, a fierce need to smite that disgusting creature's pitiful existence off the face of the earth.
He finally received the information he wanted and yet... why was he so immensely displeased?
Just then, as if only to confuse him further, his mind detained on another part of her story;
A person who was very dear to her was deceived by a false, pitiful imitation of her created by that worm. He didn't even need her to confirm who it was, and that realization only filled him with even more anger.
How is it even possible to confuse the real thing for anyone else?
How is it even possible to mistake her distinctive aura, how it changes depending on her moods, ranging from harsh and alienating, viciously compressing its entire surroundings, to slow, calm and falsely inviting, every variation having a certain scent to it, a pattern which is both easy to see and yet takes a bit of observation skills to figure out entirely.
Kikyo quietly observed Sesshomaru.
He was silent, his expression not revealing anything regarding his emotions as he sat slightly leaning forward, his arm rested on his bent knee and his gaze still fixed on her. Same as when he followed after her that night, she noticed his attention was fully dedicated to her words, once again.
She made sure not to mention Inuyasha's name in front of him since she knew of their bad relationship, but she found herself secretly wondering if the daiyoukai managed to connect the dots.
Neither of them spoke for the longest time as they only stared at each other.
'Just what is he thinking after hearing all of this?' She pondered, not breaking his eye-contact.
The wind picked up through their grassy area, flowing gently though their hair and caressing their features, rustling the tops of the trees above them.
Straightening himself up, Sesshomaru finally spoke;
"You need to stay away from Naraku." He advised, his voice firm.
Kikyo immediately frowned at his odd deduction.
"Did you not hear what I just said?" She asked him calmly, tilting her head slightly to the side.
But sesshomaru's expression only turned solemn.
"Do not be rash, miko." He began, lowering his head at her direction yet maintain her eye-contact, "Naraku had most likely dedicated his time of pitifully hiding in this mountain to find a way and get rid of whatever it is which prevents him from killing you."
Hearing this, Kikyo kept silent for a moment.
"He cannot do that." She determined, leaning against the tree behind her with ease, "Onigumo's heart is an inseparable part of his being."
Letting out a silent breath, he only lifted his head back at her.
"It is a matter of his pathetic pride." Sesshomaru reluctantly explained, giving her a sharp look as he forced the unpleasant words out of his mouth, "Men will go to impossible lengths to pursue their obsessions, especially when their pride is on the line."
Kikyo stared at him in silence as she took in his words, her eyes widening slightly.
Regardless of whether he was right or wrong, this type of observation was not something she would normally expect out of him.
Did someone like Sesshomaru really know the full extent of true obsession? Of the same kind of obsession she was speaking of?
'To determine if he truly understands...' She promised herself.
"Have you ever been obsessed, Sesshomaru?" She inquired bluntly, her mahogany eyes studying him.
The inu daiyoukai raised his head to her question, surprise glinted in his golden orbs for a mere second. He only closed them and gracefully rose to his feet, turning his back to the human priestess and stepping away in the opposite direction to the mountain behind them.
"It is of no difference than an obsession for absolute strength." He determined.
"S-Sesshomaru-sama?" The utterly confused imp demon inquired, calling after his master.
"I will be back shortly." He only answered as much, as if reassuring that his actions were not with the purpose of slaying in mind.
"Good grief." Jaken sighed deeply, watching his master's unexpected departure.
Releasing an amused albeit disappointed breath at his answer, Kikyo raised her head once again to stare at the now completely dark night sky above them. Night had already fallen, and yet the area gradually cleared out of Naraku's servants as time passed, only minor traces of them could be sensed on the lower grounds below them.
She turned her gaze to Rin who was still compensating for her recent sleepless nights on top of A-Un.
Keeping her eyes on the child, her expression crossed with sadness while she kept her silence for a few moments.
Then, she only rose to her feet, grabbing her bow and arrow quiver and propping them on her right shoulder as she turned on her heel, beginning to step in the direction of the cliff, facing the cursed mountain.
Straightening up in response to her sudden actions, Jaken rose to his feet as well, quickly running after her, his expression pure alarm.
"H-Human!" He attempted to keep his voice down as to not wake up Rin, stepping back when he watched her call on her Shinidamachu, the long, serpent-like youkai quickly circling her feet.
The wind was harsh and aggressive where they stood, wildly flowing through Kikyo's hair and robes towards the demonic grounds, as if luring them both in its direction.
"What is it?" She asked, her gaze still fixed on the mountain before her.
Swallowing his fear and doubt, Jaken stepped forward, clenching his staff.
"P-Please reconsider... Sesshomaru-sama is most likely right..." He said, reminding her of his master's deduction.
Kikyo stopped for a moment at his words, then, turned her head halfway down in his direction.
"Take care of Rin, Jaken." She only answered this much, the Shinidamachu engulfing her feet and elevating her in the air, guiding her in the direction of the shriveled mountain's large form, eventually disappearing into the fog enclosing it.
She clenched her grip on her bow in her right hand as her eyes narrowed with resolve;
Onigumo's heart was still alive and beating within her enemy, and destroying it along with Naraku was her duty, not anyone else's.
A/N
A bit short, but next chapter is gonna be quite long and lively, and this needed to end where it did.
Also slight creative liberties! yay! Am I the only one who thinks letting Rin run off to hide in demon-infested lands was not such a good idea?
Thank you so much Western White Tiger for the nice, well thought review! As well as my other beautiful reviewers! I shall continue giving you all more of this lovely pairing. I'm still amazed this extremely specific crack pairing fic even has any followers at all, danke!