Chapter Sixteen
Ever since the priestess returned to his campsite from her lengthy talk with his despicable half-brother, Sesshomaru's silent, but thoroughly studying gaze was fixed on her being, observing the way she carried herself before him, how she calmly moved across his territory, eventually sitting herself next to Rin and against A-Un's side, engaging in a peaceful conversation with the child regarding countless trivial matters while carefully making sure to avoid discussing any of the morbid themes they had both witnessed only hours prior.
Sitting himself on top of a flat-faced rock slightly outside the boundaries of his campsite, Sesshomaru's golden gaze narrowed.
It had already been a long while since her departure from Inuyasha, yet her unruffled mannerism and unreadable expression still didn't seem to carry an intention of surrendering any information to him about it, the fact only rendering the daiyoukai further interested in the topic of their private exchange, especially since her powerful spiritual aura, much unlike before, was now exuding out of her being in a considerably calmer manner, the waves of her essence engulfing her body and drifting away into the air in such gentle fashion that not even A-Un seemed to be deterred by it.
'Was her talk with Inuyasha that reassuring?' He couldn't help but silently wonder.
But processing the possibility that his cursed half-breed of a brother might have managed to influence his own companion's mind in a way that he couldn't, Sesshomaru clenched his jaw with utmost aversion.
He let out a silent breath, uneasiness soon settling inside him, slowly but surely poisoning his mind and making him set his gaze into the far depths of the forest, against the cold wind meeting with his features and regrettably still carrying the faint scent of fire and blood in it.
Why did he allow the priestess such liberty in the first place? What sort of foolish misconception plagued his thinking at that moment for him to just easily accept her need to converse with Inuyasha like that? Wasn't he the one who made sure she would never even mention the half-breed's name in his own presence, again?
"I have given him my word, and I shall not break it."
Sesshomaru released a mocking breath as Kikyo's words suddenly emerged into his conscious, the same strong-willed, unwavering assertion she had expressed before Inuyasha back when the half-youkai so impudently dared to show himself in his territory while also insolently believing he could convince her into siding back with him and following after his group, all of it assisting the daiyoukai in figuring out the source for his sudden crumbling resolve.
'For I, Sesshomaru, to be so easily influenced by that statement...'
Clenching his hand into a fist, his gaze eventually dropped down to his palm as he re-opened his limb reflected in his golden eyes, blinking at the faint remnant of her attack from that day, the redness now reduced to small singed areas embedded in his flesh, barely even visible anymore, yet still undeniably present, nonetheless.
Just as the memory of her touch against his skin.
He breathed deep, his eyebrows furrowing with displeasure at his own uncalled-for, slight turmoil of mind. Straight-faced, Sesshomaru lifted his attention back up, setting his stare at the high distance, above the tall tree tops and further into the late-night sky.
But before his mind could involuntary dive further into the subject;
Long and pale serpent-like youkai deliberately flew into his line of sight, carrying orbs of light in their grip, soaring the air with a caressing yet haunting whisper and soon passing where he sat, prompting him to straighten up in his seat as his golden eyes chased their movement, all the way until they exited his peripheral vision entirely.
"Is there something on your mind, Sesshomaru?" Kikyo's nonchalant voice followed shortly as she slowly approached his location outside of the camp's area, deep mahogany soon colliding with fierce gold.
He silently maintained his gaze on her presence illuminated by the hovering glowing souls all around, his eyes evaluating her calm expression for a moment, deeming her question as nothing but distasteful, making him turn his head forward, not even answering to her words.
Letting out an amused breath at Sesshomaru seeing though her playful actions, Kikyo dropped her stare to her hand as she raised her palm up, fingers gently curled, granting one of her serpent youkai with a safe area for landing.
"Keeping you guessing regarding my exchange with Inuyasha was not my intention." She admitted frankly through a steady voice, breathing deep, "I simply wished to wait until Rin fell asleep."
Lifting his chin, Sesshomaru kept his silence for another moment.
"I do not care for your meeting with Inuyasha unless you have managed to gather valuable information, miko." He retorted, irritation clear in his voice.
Glancing at his profile, Kikyo observed him in stillness, her sudden lack of words provoking the daiyoukai to soon turn his head and once again meet her impassive gaze as he quietly searched for answers in her expression. She only studied his being for another couple of moments, focusing on the way his keen eyes and silver hair glimmered against the pale radiance of the souls now surrounding them both.
"I have." She eventually replied, her eyes never leaving his.
At that moment and despite his contradicting statement from before, Kikyo noticed a different kind of interest flashing behind his pools of gold, his long silence clueing her in on a surprising, hidden need for reassurance, thin eyebrows meeting with avid displeasure and his sharp look so intense, all of it displaying a stir of emotions so incredibly genuine, one which she never expected the daiyoukai to ever show before her regarding this particular subject.
And she found herself suddenly tugged after a consuming strange impulse and a hasty instinct, materializing deep within her and assuming control over her own actions.
"My meeting with Inuyasha was nothing but a way for me to trade information, after all." The words departed from her lips as if carried by a will of their own, striking slight perplexity in the priestess.
Composing herself, Kikyo set the sole Shinidamachu in her hand free to soar the air above their heads, lowering her arm back at her side as she fixed her mahogany eyes forward, tearing away from her companion with a smooth motion. Her expression remained unreadable before him, yet at that moment the daiyoukai noted her spiritual aura had undeniably spiked with a sudden irregular shift in its waves as those shot and scattered around her, the unexpected movement something akin to the act of momentarily losing control, only to quickly regain it once more in a matter of seconds.
Sesshomaru kept his observing gaze on her, watching as the breeze met with her features, the bangs framing her face and her long, dark hair all swaying according to its capricious wishes.
Then, he simply turned to stare at the distance once again, the heaviness residing in his chest only moments prior now significantly decreased, although still felt, weighting his mind with one suffocating thought in particular that never failed to spark his dismay;
The priestess was still successfully influenced by Inuyasha, his pathetic presence somehow managing to provide her with a certain peace of mind, even during such a formal exchange between the two.
For now, however, Sesshomaru knew there was nothing more to gain by further wasting his time on this trivial, yet most irritating matter, and that he should focus his attention on the current situation as a whole, instead.
"Tell me of what you have gathered." He demanded simply, his voice low.
As if in complete contrast to the night beforehand, the following day proved suspiciously devoid of any strange occurrences, resulting in the group maintaining its current location on the high mountain. The sun was already high in the sky, marking the middle of the day as it showered the land below with a rare comforting warmth for the cold season, the wind luckily pushing the morbid smell of the destroyed castle to the west, away from their tall position and granting their campsite with fresh breeze coming from the east.
However, as welcoming as the weather appeared to be, Kikyo found it hard to ease her mind.
Raising her gaze to the clear sky, she closed her eyes, once again attempting to sense any kind of presence in the air; any kind of trace to either the clan of bird youkai or Naraku himself, yet with no luck.
With the gentle wind caressing her features, she exhaled, her tense shoulders easing.
Then, she opened her eyes, a crease forming between her eyebrows with silent discontent.
'How long does Naraku intend to keep accumulating blood in this grim way?' She wondered, her slender fingers clenching their grip onto her ceremonial bow.
Inhaling deeply, Kikyo forced her mind clear, recalling that a certain inu daiyoukai had once already commented on her apparent uneasiness before him, with the same companion currently positioned not that far from where she stood. She blinked with further realization, also taking into consideration that as long as Naraku kept the barrier surrounding the bird's nest up, thus concealing its place completely, there was nothing more that she could do about it;
Right now and regrettably so, they were all idly waiting for his next move, shamefully caught in his web of tricks and most likely acting according to his vile plans, with the only remaining course of action being following along with it.
"A dead woman, pretending to be alive... there's truly nothing sadder than seeing how desperate you've become."
Even if the concept itself was nothing short of immensely irritating.
"Kikyo-sama!" Rin's light voice suddenly called from behind, breaking her out of her deep contemplation and successfully purging every dark and impulsive thought she might carry altogether, "Rin needs help with tying the cloth to A-Un's saddle!"
Kikyo turned around to face the child sitting next to the low campfire, her expression regaining its calmness once again.
Night fell once again, lowering the temperatures around their high area significantly as darkness veiled the land, with not even the moonlight able to shine through the heavy clouds which drifted above, causing the mountain on which their camp was currently positioned to somehow appear even more ominous than usual.
Leaning herself against the tree bark behind her, Kikyo's gaze sharpened.
Somehow, she could feel the approaching move that Naraku was soon to make. Her senses flared inside of her as she raised her chin up, the weather itself making it seem as if somewhere, far away, a certain decision was about to be made, conjuring its charged energy with the purpose of releasing its consequences all at once, just like a feral and deadly storm.
She glanced over to where Sesshomaru stood, his attention focused on the sky above as well.
Then, his eyes found hers as if both shared the same thought, silently transmitting the readiness of the situation to each other.
There was no doubt now that Naraku was soon to let himself be known before them, most likely taking the last twenty-four hours as a means of preparation for a grand counter-attack.
And just like that, the sudden scent of the birds' nest reached their area, faint as it carried in the wind, slithering into their territory and reaching their senses, causing both Sesshomaru and Kikyo to turn their heads in the direction of its now exposed source.
Naraku himself, however, was surprisingly nowhere to be found in it.
"This foul scent!" Jaken sprung to his feet, shock overcoming his features, "Where is it coming from, all of a sudden?!"
Rising to stand, Kikyo steadily stepped in Sesshomaru's direction, her expression turning stern.
"For Naraku to suddenly lower the barrier only around the birds' nest like this with no further action..." She determined, her voice low, "This is too careless of him."
The daiyoukai silently lowered his gaze to meet with hers, taking her words into consideration.
"Perhaps he is asking to be put out of his own misery." He answered dryly.
But Kikyo's eyebrows only met with slight confusion, turning her head once again to the far location of the nest.
"This must be a trap." She concluded simply.
Then, her vision narrowed with realization.
'Naraku is most likely attempting to lure either myself or Kagome to the border between the worlds, in order for one of us to spot the last shard for him.' She silently acknowledged.
Keeping his studying gaze down on her, Sesshomaru lowered his head, his mouth forming a thin line at the priestess visibly hindered by such a trivial theory, even if true.
"Hmph." He mocked, once again grabbing her attention, "His pitiful trap bears no weight to it, we shall reach there and erase the vermin's existence before he even manages to see his own plan come into effect."
Staring up at him, Kikyo refrained from saying anything for a moment.
And she only nodded once in response to his blunt and confident assertion.
"We are following after the scent." Sesshomaru soon alerted his vassal, causing the imp demon to straighten up with a swift motion, hastily preparing for immediate airborne departure.
"Rin!" Jaken screeched, waking up the tired child sprawled on top of A-Un's back as he hurriedly raked sand onto the fire with his foot, successfully putting it out, "We're leaving! Move over and form some room!"
With everything packed, taken care of and ready to go, the group decamped in the direction of the new discovery. But the new location proved to be farther than expected, leading them beyond the valley and through the high and chilly mountains of the northern lands, resulting in the trip being longer than calculated, especially considering the scent being able to reach their location with such ease.
Landing between the mountains on a raised path amidst of the heavy and cold mist, the Shinidamachu departed from supporting Kikyo's body, moving to hover around her being, instead. But approaching the source of the scent, the group came face to face with nothing but a large, decapitated body of a colossal bird, slumped on top of a destroyed mountain, the entire area appearing as if it has suffered a grand battle, the freshly-wrecked ground scattered with debris and filled with various scents, one of them undeniably being Naraku's, as well as Inuyasha's.
Narrowing her eyes, Kikyo scanned the surface, her gaze soon lifting up to study the grand and headless remains of their previous enemy.
"Seems like we were too late." She stated.
Approaching to stand beside her, Sesshomaru only took another moment to assess the current situation.
'They are already there, huh.' He deducted to himself, the realization making him clench his jaw with silent discomfort, but not only because of himself being late to exterminate his prey;
The fact that Naraku did not wait for the priestess to arrive at this spot... could only mean one thing.
Unaware of his new course of thinking, Kikyo only lifted her gaze up at him, interlocking with his own through a calm expression. Then, she quietly turned on her heel, stepping away and back to both Jaken and Rin, still sitting on top of the two-headed dragon.
The daiyoukai's golden eyes followed after her being, her words not necessary for him to understand her upcoming choice of actions, her nonchalant attitude to the occurrence and its consequences causing him to breathe in deep in an attempt to settle the heavy feeling forming in the pit of his stomach.
"Kikyo-sama...?" Confused, Rin attempted to fish for answers.
But the priestess only smiled softly down at her.
"We must continue on our way to the next location." She informed, causing the child to blink as she tried processing the information, "However, it is too dangerous for you, I'm afraid."
Maintaining his position, Sesshomaru observed their exchange, exhaling his silent displeasure.
"Jaken, remain here." He ordered simply.
"S-Sesshomaru-sama? Where are you heading to, now?" The imp-demon inquired, more bothered by himself being out of the loop rather than once again being told to keep Rin company.
Sesshomaru's golden eyes only found Kikyo's form once again.
"The Realm of Fire."
Following with Inuyasha's instructions and what he could describe before Kikyo regarding the other gateway to their current objective, both Sesshomaru and Kikyo detected the entrance to the underground cave, located in the middle of the Realm of Fire, right between the burning grounds of several active volcanoes, discharging their steam into the air and preventing the sun from shining through its heavy density, causing the area to both appear much darker, as well as devoid of any wind blow, settling in the stifling scent of the smoke and sulfur in the air while unfortunately dulling the daiyoukai's senses.
However, as soon as the soles of his shoes met with the dry and dirty ground below them, Sesshomaru stopped as his sharp and stern gaze set forward, onto the entrance of the large crevice, with the priestess standing not far behind him.
He kept his lengthy silence, soon turning to face her being with a smooth motion.
But the eerie knowing look in her mahogany eyes only opened a door for further disturbance in his mind.
Staring at each other through impassive expressions, neither Sesshomaru or Kikyo uttered a word to the air between them, the lack of wind in their area laboring their quiet exchange with further discomfort the more it carried on, almost amplifying the sound of their breathing along with the faint whistle of the priestess' serpent helpers as if to reimburse for their sudden stillness.
"We are wasting time, Sesshomaru." Kikyo finally spoke, her voice firm.
But her words merely prompted the daiyoukai to lower his head before her, his fierce gaze never leaving hers.
"Rin is now incapable of hearing." He began, watching her closely, "Unless you wish to never see that child again, I suggest you refrain from entering this cave."
Letting out a mocking breath, she tilted her head slightly to the side.
"Has the rumor of this path being unwelcoming struck that much fear in you, Sesshomaru?"
Hearing her condescending tone, Sesshomaru stepped forward in her direction, irritation clear in his expression as he quickly reached where she stood, stopping right before her, the Shinidamachu soon circling them both as they glided through the air in smooth motions.
"Now that Naraku had already crossed the path to the next world, your presence is no longer needed, miko." He shot down at her.
But Kikyo only glared up at him in response.
'This again...' She mused.
"I had a feeling you would attempt to push me away from this potential chain of events." She admitted with annoyance, letting out a deep breath, "However, do not foolishly mistaken yourself, Sesshomaru. I bear no intention of backing up from this chance of slaying Naraku."
And with that fierce statement, she stepped to the side, striding past him as her spiritual aura once again regained its urgent pattern, the same tension from before now combined with undeniable anger, all of it exuding from her figure, making him clench his jaw at the unpleasant alienating sensation, as well as at the quiet understanding that, in contrary to what he was certain of until this moment, the priestess was only neatly concealing her uneasiness through all of this time before him.
'This woman...!' Sesshomaru could only watch as Kikyo stubbornly made her way through the entrance of the cave, the bright red of her traditional priestess outfit soon engulfed and consumed by the darkness and residue of the dense steam in the air finding its way inside, the sight fueling the cursed heaviness in his insides, once more.
And he soon followed after her, entering into the low depths of the rocky tunnel, where the gate was located.
'Such arrogancy!' Kikyo exhaled deeply, fists clenched and sharp gaze aimed forward, stepping down the angled surface with her companion following shortly behind, 'To think that he would follow my prediction and dare to try and prevent me from joining him, after all...'
She wanted to retain her anger at the subject, but the more Kikyo processed what Sesshomaru said, the more she found herself filling with disappointment, instead.
"Stay with I, Sesshomaru, and I guarantee you will see your plan through."
Her eyebrows furrowed at his bold offer from that night. Perhaps too bold for him to fully understand the weight that declaration carried with it, as well as the concept behind what it meant regarding their mutual alliance.
With every new step she took down the stifling cave, Kikyo further analyzed his recent words, each of them contributing to her growing silent puzzlement regarding his contradicting actions.
And she only narrowed her eyes in silence.
Of course there would be danger lurking in their mutual chase after that bastard, situations in which Naraku would not hesitate to use the lowest of actions to achieve his objective, areas carefully weaved into his plan that would grant him with leverage in the exact, precise way he wished to and people used as mere pawns in his game, following after his every command, be it by will or against it.
So why should that concept suddenly strike Sesshomaru with such avid disagreement?
Was this not the reason they had both agreed to form their alliance in the first place?
But before she could contemplate any further, they soon reached the end of the cave, greeted by a vast and ancient space carefully carved into the sturdy, rocky soil, the steam accumulated and covering its low ground granting the area with a true otherworldly feel to it, as you'd expect from the gate leading to the land of the dead. Stopping in her place and lifting her evaluating gaze upwards, Kikyo's eyes met with the two famous and large stone henchmen guarding its round entrance, sealed by a heavy-looking metal chain which draped all over its closed doors.
Wearing a calm expression, she turned to the daiyoukai positioned slightly behind her, mahogany once again clashing with fierce gold.
This time, however, she noted something unnamed had shifted in them.
"Are you truly going to pass your life to that bastard so easily, miko?" He pressed with a low voice as his words echoed against the walls of the cave, his expression crossing with irritation.
Clenching her grip on the bow in her left hand, Kikyo only kept her quiet before him.
"I will not allow fear to overcome me, preventing me from achieving my goal, Sesshomaru." She answered simply, narrowing her eyes at his direction, "Were you not the one who had previously offered we deal with Naraku's cursed being together?"
Hearing this, he stepped towards her, this time stopping at a fair distance.
"Assess the situation before you, properly." He steadily insisted, eyebrows meeting with intent, "That vermin did not choose a location in which you cannot sustain your powers by mistake, nor did he hurry to cross to it for no reason."
She kept her studying gaze on him, maintaining her silence to his explanation.
"Taking your life is his main objective, miko." Sesshomaru reminded her, his expression quickly returning to its composed nature, yet his golden eyes flashing with undeniable tension, "His current plan is designed with your exploitable weakness in mind, and for this reason he had only allowed himself to safely appear as a pitiful illusion before you, until now."
Processing his words, the priestess kept her slightly annoyed expression for another moment.
"I am aware of that, Sesshomaru." She countered, letting out a silent breath, "However, conflicting situations of the sort would inevitably repeat themselves countless times in this journey."
"Is this truly the extent of your insight, miko?" His harsh question almost cut into her reasoning, "Or are you simply that blinded by your quest for revenge?"
Confusion flashed behind her mahogany eyes for a moment, one which did not escape Sesshomaru's senses.
However, before she could even answer;
"Do you want to pass? Or do you not want to pass?" A low and heavy voice suddenly emerged into the vast space causing both of their attention to shift to it source, the eyes of the stone keepers protecting the gate flashing open above them, their pupils directed down at their forms.
Staring up at the lethal guardians, Kikyo stepped forward with poise.
"I wish to pass, please." She answered simply through a steady voice.
Furrowing his eyebrows with silent anger, Sesshomaru quickly unsheathed Tokijin, striding forward and readying his weapon at the upcoming threat.
But instead of fully returning to life and shortly attacking them both as Inuyasha had previously described would occur, the two stone henchmen remained in their place as the round gate slowly parted open before the priestess, the pale light showering the dark cave and illuminating its rocky insides with a brilliant glow, instead.
"You may pass, one who is no longer part of the living." The low voice informed.
Without saying anything, Kikyo raised her palm up, inviting one Shinidamachu to land on her index finger and soon sending it towards the open gate, only for it to fail the test and disintegrate against an invisible field, right before her very eyes.
Standing slightly behind her with his sword still drawn, Sesshomaru's stare bore into her being as she kept her position before the open gate, her form bathed in the unearthly glow as it called to her, inviting her to step past it and enter her desired location, one which carried the evident presence of the Shikon Jewel shard.
'If I must destroy Naraku in exchange for my own life, so be it.' She reminded herself, breathing deep, 'There is no room for any more distractions, after all.'
Suddenly, the image of Rin rose in her memory, halting her movement before she could take a step forward and follow with her resolve, the recollection filling her insides in such a nostalgic way, a mixture of worry and somewhat of regret as well, something that she had almost forgotten existed.
Kikyo swallowed hard, forcing herself to detach from the restricting feeling and focus on her current objective, instead.
But as soon as she took the first step forward towards the bright light;
"The weak follow their designated path, and the strong create a new one for themselves to follow."
Naraku's vile words shot through her mind, however, this time, the memory as if shaking her conscious and shedding a different kind of light on the situation before her altogether, causing her to blink with silent realization as her shoulders tensed with the new understanding coursing through her very being;
She was once again about to blindly follow after Naraku's paved plan for her, just like that night on Mt. Hakurei, a situation which Sesshomaru managed to read and figure out far better than she ever could, with nothing but her own vanity clouding her better judgement, assisting her in falling straight into her enemy's scheme and resulting in the daiyoukai rushing to seek her existence, eventually saving her life...
"Or are you simply that blinded by your quest for revenge?" Sesshomaru's question rang fresh in her head, causing her to let out a silent breath at her own newfound forgetfulness;
The real reason for her forming this alliance... was to forge a new path for herself in this quest.
One which Naraku could not ever possibly hope to control.
Easing her shoulders, Kikyo lifted her head slightly, soon turning to her companion and once again meeting his fierce gaze. This time, granting him with nothing but deep understanding residing in her features, the sudden change in her mahogany eyes prompting him to lower his blade back at his side, straightening up before her as he could now tell his words had finally sunk in, successfully deterring her from once again performing the same mistake.
"Do you wish to pass? Or do you not wish to pass?" The voice pressed above them, but their gazes remained locked with one another.
"I do not wish to pass." Kikyo answered calmly, hearing the gate proceed to close behind her as she moved towards Sesshomaru. Stopping right before him, her eyes ventured over his features, soon returning to study his keen golden orbs.
And neither of them spoke for a long moment.
"I shall respect your deduction this time, Sesshomaru." She told him, noticing the unmistakable hint of relief in the muscles of his eyebrows, his expression quickly composed to cold perfection before her.
'To think that he would go through such lengths in order for me to understand...' She wondered, all of her silent musings from before vanishing as if they never even existed at the fascinating feeling conveyed to her from his deepest shades of gold;
An avid look of satisfaction, and of a certain achievement.
Maintaining her gaze, Sesshomaru quietly observed her.
And he could only focus his attention on calming his nerves and heart once again, displeased by the fact that the priestess still managed to possess this much effect on him, even after being so unconventionally difficult.
"Send Jaken on your way back." He said firmly, attempting to occupy his mind with anything else as he stepped around her being and closer to the two guards, breaking away from her presence.
"Stay safe, Sesshomaru." He heard her say behind him after a long silence, soon sensing the now once again composed waves of her aura beginning to gradually separate from his being.
"Hmph." He mocked in response, his vision narrowing at the unnecessary thought, "I shall exterminate the insect quickly. For I, Sesshomaru, to be lured after that bastard this way is already shameful in itself."
Turning to glance at his back, Kikyo analyzed his words.
"An attempt at comforting?" She deducted bluntly through an impassive expression, her voice hinted with tease at his obvious and uncalled-for statement.
She could sense his sharp look all the way from where she stood.
"Be grateful that you do not require to take part in this pitiful game of tag, miko." He hissed, his tone hinted with annoyance, "That is all."
Letting out an amused breath, Kikyo tilted her head slightly to the side.
"Slaying Naraku was not the sole reason I had wished to join you in there, Sesshomaru." She admitted, noticing him straightening up at her sudden confession.
And he simply turned his head halfway back, crossing her gaze once again as he patiently waited for her to further explain her vagueness.
"My grave was violated by a sorceress with a selfish desire of obtaining the Shikon Jewel shards, after all." Kikyo informed, turning on her heel and facing away from him, "Memorial grounds should not be disrespected, and especially not over such a trivial matter. I wished to prevent the same from occurring again."
His golden eyes lingered on her being as he quietly watched her step her way out of the cave until her form disappeared beyond the stone walls surrounding their space.
Then, Sesshomaru turned back to face his next target.
But as soon as he took another step forward, approaching close enough in relevance to the two stone figures, the familiar rattle of Tenseiga at his hip caught his attention, prompting him to lower his gaze to the unsheathed weapon.
'Tenseiga...' Sesshomaru mused, his vision narrowing down at the troubled sword.
"Do you wish to pass? Or do you not wish to pass?" The familiar low voice filled the space around him once again, causing the daiyoukai to focus his attention upwards at the open eyes of the statues now evaluating his being, glaring down at him from their elevated location.
But Sesshomaru only maintained his composure, refraining from answering to their inquiry.
"Perhaps this is what your father wished for you to see."
Driving the blade of Tokijin into the rocky ground below him with great force, he placed his now unoccupied hand on the hilt of his father's legacy.
'Let's further test your words, miko.'
Then, he silently drew it out.
A/N:
Another very interesting canon parallel that I've noticed is that only Sesshomaru and Kikyo are potentially permitted of crossing over the underground gate to the next world (Sesshomaru having Tenseiga and Kikyo literally not being part of the living anymore) so I definitely wanted to weave that detail into this story.
Also, sorry to whoever guessed the gate would be over at Inukimi's palace! lol. This story follows the canon route with minor changes, therefore there's a long way until we reach that part!