A/N: I feel like all the time I'm apologizing for being slow and stuff, but hopefully this is decent.
Thanks to FawnEyedGirl for help with this chapter.
23
Morning mist swirled around their feet as they walked. It filled the valley like a fluffy blanket, obscuring the lake that was nestled between the hills. Inuyasha's keen ears could hear the water splash occasionally. Trees were growing old and thick around them, but they were ordinary trees.
Sesshomaru walked in front of him, his hair and pelt shining against the mist. Neither of them spoke as they made their way from the den to the lake.
It was true that shiro inu guarded the sacred forest, but only the sennin or those guided by a sennin went inside. The Yasha no Mori was said to be at the same time on the island that was surrounded by the lake and in a dimension of its own. Surely it had to be, because otherwise it'd be a very small forest, the valley holding the lake wasn't that big
Inuyasha laid a hand on the hilt of his sword. It was a new thing for him, feeling the weight of the blade against his hip. It was a weapon unlike any other and Inuyasha was eager to test it in real battle.
Last night his father had given it to him, among the burning bonfires scattered across a meadow in the forest. Many inu and other yasha had been present, cheering as he'd knelt before his father.
By tradition an inu would receive an heirloom sword from their sire at the coming of age ceremony. Outstanding ones would later in life create or otherwise acquire a second blade just like his perfect ass brother who casually wore two sleek blades in his belt.
Inuyasha's fingers caressed the wrapping on the hilt of his sword. Its name was Tessaiga and like Sesshomaru's Tenseiga it had been forged from their sire's fang by legendary sword smith Totosai. But while Tenseiga was a blade forged for a sennin, capable of reviving and healing, Tessaiga was a sword for a protector, a guardian. It looked unassuming, rusted and frail. Touga had joked last night it was because the sword had to wait for so long to meet its master. But, when Inuyasha wielded it, Tessaiga transformed to the form of giant fang, which looked either intimidating or hilarious, depending who you asked. It packed a real punch, Inuyasha had learned this when he'd swung the blade last night at his brother and had almost became thee heir.
Sesshomaru was still pouting about it.
Suddenly they left the shelter provided by the trees. They were now at the edge of water, that filed the deeper part of the valley. The sun hung over the eastern border hills,its light hazy and pale in the thick mist, that muffled the the animal noises within the forest.
"What now?" Inuyasha asked his brother, who was looking into the mist swirling over the surface of the water. Sesshomaru glanced at him, but said nothing. With a flick of his wrist he called forth his light whip and sent it above the water, the end of it disappearing in the fog. Then he yanked his weapon back and Inuyasha blinked, seeing that it was wrapped around a statue carved o=n the top of the front of a small boat. Inuyasha didn't know much about ailing, but the thing looked old and rather unsafe.
Still, when his brother jumped onto the boat, Inuyasha followed, doing his best to land gently and not pierce the ancient wood with his feet. The boat rocked on the soft waves. Sesshomaru sat on the front bench and indicated to the two paddles laying on the bottom of the boat. They were carved with spirals and vines and didn't look a day younger than the vessel
"Paddle, little brother," he ordered, his voice hollow in the heavy mist.
"What, with thee old things?" Inuyasha voiced his skepticism.
"You could always use your sword," Sesshomaru replied and lifted his hand to interject a fist headed towards his nose. "This one will be parting the mists and opening the path, you can do some work too, especially because it's your fault this one had to leave his mate early this morning."
Grumbling, Inuyasha reached for the paddles and started to paddle carefully, pushing the boat across the surface of the lake, moving away from the bank. The mist wasted no time to hide the sandy edge of the forest and Inuyasha's eyes couldn't see anything but gray white clouds swirling around them. His ears twitched, catching the dripping of the water falling from his paddles when he lifted them, the distant song of birds, the sound the water made as it parted around the boat, that was surprisingly easy to was all new, pups weren't usually visiting the sacred forest and not many adults made their way there more often than a handful of times in a century. When one could summon their tree to appear next tot hem there was little need to visit the Yasha no Mori itself.
"Stop for now, Inuyasha" Sesshomaru said and when Inuyasha looked over his shoulder he saw his brother standing up and unsheathing one of his swords. With a swift cut through the air Sesshomaru let his ki swell around them, the mist moving aside, as if pushed by a strong gust of wind.
A path formed in front of the boat and at the end of it Inuyasha spotted a yellow sand covered bank. A few meters away from the edge of the water the sand gave way to grass and trees.
Tenseiga's blunt tip poked him in the ribs, rather painfully. He growled at his brother, who was once more sitting on his bench.
"Stop staring, it's unbecoming of a shiro inu of your father's blood," he commanded. "Hurry up and take us there. This Sesshomaru's pelt is growing damp and it will "be cranky when wet."
"Bossy ass," Inuyasha grumbled.
The boat soon reached the sandy beach. Inuyasha laid his paddles on the damp bottom of the boat and leaped onto the sand in one fluid motion. The silky, sun-warmed sand stuck to his feet and he wiggled his toes in it, enjoying the feel of solid ground underfoot. Beside him Sesshomaru landed gracefully like a cat, his feet bare as well. No yasha would walk on this island in shoes.
Together they looked at the forest. In a way it was just like the one on the other side, all kinds of trees growing over the gentle hills. Some of them were clustered in a bunch of the same kind, some mixed up. Old and young ones grew near each other, some in bloom, some bearing fruit. A few seemed to be recovering from a misfortune, new leaves covering old branches. There was little undergrowth, most of it being grass and tiny flowers.
The air was clear here, the sun shining through the tree tops. Golden and green specks of light danced among the tree trunks like dust balls in a gentle breeze. Inuyasha watched them curiously, they were the will-o-wisps, beings of pure energy, not entirely sentient caregivers of the forest.
"Come, little brother, let's find out way to the Sacred Tree," Sesshomaru said and started to walk towards the trees. Inuyasha followed silently, watching the flowers shining like little jewels against the soft green satin of the grass. Trunks like columns held overhead fragrant petals and fruits of trees that - Inuyasha knew it - each belonged to a yasha.
"Will we meet our trees on our way?" he asked Sesshomaru, who shrugged, his mokomoko swaying gently as he walked over coiling roots.
"It may be," the sage said.. "The Yasha no Mori is not a normal forest, the trees here are constantly moving," he explained. "One day your tree may grow next to this one's, the next it may be soaking in the stink from Kouga's."
Inuyasha looked around again, noticing that a tree - an elm - in a distance linked out of sight. Sesshomaru seemed to notice it as well.
"It was summoned by its yasha," he stated plainly.
Summoning a tree out of the sacred forest had its perk and dangers. A yasha could perform greater magic when their tree was closer, but it was a weak spot of one. You cut the tree and yasha's life energy would disappear as well. That was why it was so important to guard the forest, to ensure everyone was safe.
Only once, during Inuyasha's grandfather's reign as the Inu no Taisho had a human found a way into the Yasha no Mori. It had been a miko named Midoriko and she had gone to the Emperor to beg for help because a band of four great dragons tormented her peers. The Emperor, according to the legend, had given her a stone in which the miko had then sealed all the magic of the four dragons. As a payment she'd been changed into a dragon herself, their trees merging to form her own, so she could guard this immense power. She'd gone to a secluded place and no one had ever hear of her again.
Personally, Inuyasha thought that this legend was a pile of crap made up so people didn't fuck with dragons. They were often as dangerous as shiro inu, but loners who didn't like company of other yasha. For what he knew,that legend could have been made up by one of them so they could just sleep in sunlit spaces or whatever dragons did.
"Pay attention," Sesshomaru's voice brought him from his musings to the present. "We're nearing the Sacred Tree. Try to act as befits one of shiro inu."
Inuyasha grunted, not in the mood for picking up a fight with his brother, trying to prepare for arguing his case again. Only sages could easily pick a way across the Yasha no Mori. For some reason the yasha blessed with oaks were naturally good at this sort of things. One could walk in a straight line for days and ever find the Sacred Tree, but a sage took a few sharp turns and it was just in front of them, as if it had been waiting to be found.
Suddenly, as they passed a cluster of birch trees, they entered a spacious meadow. All the trees surrounding it respectfully leaving lots of space for the one growing in the center. It had a sleek, smooth trunk, its branches starting high over Sesshomaru's head and spreading wide. Inuyasha gaped at the multitude of shades of green and gold that fluttered in its leaves, the golden birds and lights chiming in the branches. wind whirling and swaying in the magnificent crown of the tree. Dew sparkled on the leaves like colorful gemstones, the aura of the tree deeper and richer than anything Inuyasha had ever felt.
When his gaze finally dropped to the ground, beckoned by a sudden movement, he saw a second sight that would have stopped him in his tracks, weren't he already standing still.
The creature looked somewhat like a deer. Just like horse resembled a donkey, if you squinted hard enough. Its neck was a it too long, its tail was thin and adorned with a brush of long hair on the end. The coat of the creature was most certainly white, but as it moved it seemed to shift, just for a fraction of second displaying the five blessed colors. It was red like flaming sunset, green like summer fields, yellow like summer sun, silvery white like deep snows and blacker than the ancient caverns. It took Inuyasha a second to realize that it wasn't its coat that changed shades, it was its aura, so thick and woven so close to its form, that as it shifted, it created that otherworldly effect.
Its single horn was located in the middle of its forehead, curving gently back like a moon sickle that glimmered like a shard of crystal. Pale pink eye looked at Inuyasha briefly, round and glimmering like a pearl. The waterfall pf luminous white mane swayed when the creature stood from where it bad been laying, golden hooves delicately stepping between the tree roots and grass. When it turned its head Inuyasha gasped.
No one else looked at him like that before. As if it not only saw hm as he stood there, but also as he had been as a pup and was going to be in centuries to one. As if it could see his shiro and kuro sides standing shoulder by shoulder, one from the summer and one from the winter calling.
It greeted him by his true name and Inuyasha shivered, for there was no will pressing on him, demanding his utter obedience. This creature knew him as he was and accepted what it saw. It merely spoke to greet what he was, w h he was, not seeking to bind him.
Without thinking Inuyasha stepped forward and scratched the creature under its chin. Sesshomaru made a choking noise.
"Inuyasha!" he growled in warning and exasperation.
"It is quite alright, young Sesshomaru." the creature spoke, its voice ancient and amused. It twinkled like stars in the winter shy, it carried like the summer breeze before a storm, it made Inuyasha's tense muscles relax as it soothed over him. Still, he pulled his hand back.
"This Sesshomaru will flog his barbaric pup of a brother when we leave your presence, elder one," the older brother actually bowed. Inuyasha stared for just a second at the unusual sight, then huffed.
"The hell you will!" he barked and yelped when one golden hoof landed on his bare foot.
"There is no need for such action, Sesshomaru," the creature said, dancing away from Inuyasha as if it hadn't just stomped on his poor toes. Pearly horn caught sunlight when it tilted its head to look at him. "I quite enjoyed the caress of his claws."
"As you wish," Sesshomaru looked at Inuyasha, who glared at the creature. "Little brother, this is the Kirin. You're not to manhandle our Emperor, unless it's required of you. You will not use foul language in our Emperor's presence. You will most certainly not draw blood in the Kirin's presence. You will remember these three rules, this one prays..Breaking them would shame our whole house."
"I just did two of these things, so I guess it's a bit too late, brother," Inuyasha said sourly and glanced back to the creature, who shook its head and laughed.
"Oh, you certainly are Izayoi's pup," it chuckled and flicked its long perked ears. "But do not fret, no offense has been taken for your actions. I love first meetings with yasha, it's like cresting a hill and seeing a new forest. And you just recently came of age, I'm glad you came to see me so soon."
Inuyasha cringed. The highest authority among all yasha was this glorified goat, who just trampled his foot for some minor shit. Part of him, that part he'd once listened to way more than lately, seethed and wanted to give the Kirin a few choice words. But it was reined in by his common sense, there was no gain in making an enemy in the Kirin. So, instead, he took a deep breath, straightened his back and looked straight at the beast.
"You know who I am," he said firmly. "I came because of my father's order, he told me to ask for your judgment and aid," he added, unsure how to word his question. He didn't think the Emperor would've appreciated if he told it that he wouldn't listen to anything that would result in him not seeing Kagome again. He glanced to Sesshomaru and was not surprised to see the other inu watching the play of sunlight on the dew dripping from the Sacred Tree - he hadn't expected his idiot brother to be any help anyway "I was sealed for a century or so in the human lands, where I got these..." he raised a hand to touch one of his cheek marks. "I got free thanks to an amazing friend of mine and..."
"Say no more," the Emperor shook its head. The Kirin was referred to as the Emperor, but it was neither male or female. Kirin were not creatures that were born of other Kirin, from what Inuyasha knew there were but a few of them, ruling over wast expanses of the world. This Kirin was as old as the Isle itself, but was not aware of that fact, time wasn't something that happened to one of its kind. "I can see how troubled you are, your ki is swirling like an eddy of warring emotions. I shall aid you, young one."
"Uh... You will?" Inuyasha blinked and twitched his ears. That was... unexpected. "I mean, I haven't tell you... Kagome and all..."
"There is no need. I have seen many like you over the ages," the Kirin assure in a soothing tone of voice, dancing on its thin legs towards him. :It is perfectly normal for a young adult yasha like you to go through this."
"...It is?" Inuyasha stared at the shining horn and the flowing mane of the Kirin, its pearly pink eyes pale like the light of dawn.
"Of course," the creature assured and rested the dangerously sharp tip of its horn against Inuyasha's chest. The young man stiffened, ready to jump back, but the Kirin's aura held no malice or ill intent. Its aura was soothing and benevolent as it pressed against Inuyasha's.
"Father said there was going to be a trial," Inuyasha said softly, his eyes glued to the shimmering horn. It seemed to pulse with energy that spread across Inuyasha's chest, an oddly pleasant feeling of warmth and fuzziness.
"Ah, yes, it is a trial of sorts," the Emperor agreed. "Relax and rejoice in the knowledge that soon you will be relieved of your dilemma. Here. Now, I want you to find your tree and summon it here." The Kirin ordered and danced back on its tiny hooves. Sesshomaru looked back at his brother in mild curiosity that morphed to wide-eyed stare not many have seen before.
"Keh, that's easy," Inuyasha barked smugly and pointed a finger to the North.
"Child's play," Inuyasha said levelly and gestured towards the West without hesitation
"Fascinating," Sesshomaru commented. "One rarely sees such magic."
"What's so..." Inuyasha started and noticed at what his brother was looking. The Kirin's tinkling laughter filled the area. Inuyasha was too busy staring at himself to make a mental comment that the creature sounded smug.
But as it was Inuyasha was too focused on looking at himself. It wasn't something one could do to such extent without a mirror or other reflective surface.
His hair was of pure white, just like Sesshomaru's sleek and straight like silk. It wasn't its usual white with silver sheen to it, wild and flowing. His eyes were of pale yellow and with thin white brows over them. A slash of blue adorned each of his cheek bones, more pronounced than he was used to. He stood straight and tall, his energy wrapped around him like a blanket.
Jagged were the blue stripes on Inuyasha's face. Tips of fangs showed where he bit on his bottom lip. His eyes the color of old blood blazed from the tangled bangs of his long, wild black mane. His energy writhed around him, picking up the ends of his hair and blowing the sleeves of his robes as he stood on wide spread feet, slightly crouched, as if ready to leap. His ears, unlike the other's, were black and pinned back, while the other's were pure white and poised in lazy alertness.
"What the..."
"Do not speak profanities in the sacred place." Said Inuyasha before his brother opened his mouth to scold him.
What was the same in both was the timbre of the voice, even if the one on the left more growled than spoke, and the one on the right intoned his words in a way akin to the tone Sesshomaru often used. They regarded each other in silence for a while, then turned to look at the Kirin.
"What have you done to me?"
"And may I inquire as to why have you done so?"
The Emperor flicked its ears.
"Many a time I have seen one such as yourself, Inuyasha, torn between the warring sides of your nature. I never forbid unions between different breeds of yasha, but all children of such unions sooner or later find themselves facing the issue of lack of balance," the Emperor explained kindly, but with an air of exasperation of one who has given this explanation hundreds of times before. "One nature holds way but then the other rises and challenges it."
"His parents are both inu," Sesshomaru pointed out. The usual look of utter boredom was replaced on his face by one of mild interest, which meant he was really curious about the spell and its effects on his brother.
"Aye, but kuro and shiro inu have different natures. For example shiro inu are pack creatures by instinct, while kuro inu are generally loners. It's not a big issue when the half-breed is young, but as they approach maturity, they need to find the balance within them or suffer something akin to having two beings within them, struggling for control," the Emperor looked to Inuyasha "Now, you have to meditate and reach within you. Only by finding that balance between two sides of your being can you summon your tree. Otherwise you will sense it in two different locations and will not be able to do so. For a long time your shiro side has reined in your kuro tendencies, but now you can..."
"Oh, shut up already!" Inuyasha made a swipe of his hand not to threaten, but showing off his long claws anyway. The stupid ass was full of air and liked to listen to its own voice.
"And this will be my trial, ye?" Inuyasha tilted his head, making a move to stop himself from approaching the Kirin if his annoyance reached the pint when he'd just punch the creature. 'We just have to balance each other and summon our tree and then you will give us our blessing to proceed with our plans? With my elder brother as a witness/"
"I shall rely what I am seeing to any and all who will ask it of me, little brother," Sesshomaru said in a surprising show of compliance. The white-haired Inuyasha gave him a nod of acknowledgment, never looking away from the Kirin. The black-haired Inuyasha stared at the older inu with open mouth.
"You will?" he asked. Ears of each Inuyasha twitched in the same moment.
"Most certainly. I presume it will be quite an entertaining story to tell," Sesshomaru gave Inuyasha a smirk that always made him annoyed. Then he turned to the Emperor. "Will you glue this one's little brother together when he fails?"
"I believe there will be no need," the Kirin said, ignoring both parts of Inuyasha voicing their outrage at his brother's lack of faith. "He is a warrior and he will not stop until victory is achieved. Now, Inuyasha meditate and call forth your magnificent tree."
"Of course," the shiro Inuyasha said and dropped to a cross-legged sitting position on the ground to obey the Kirin. When he focused he could sense the tingle of his tree and reached for it, beckoning it to his side.
A shape glimmered in the empty space a small distance away from the Sacred Tree, shimmering like moonlight and too pale to reveal colors. The kuro Inuyasha snorted at the look of concentration on his other side's face.
"Hm," Sesshomaru tilted his head when his seated brother blinked in surprise, for the shape flicked away from existence as soon as he stopped focusing.
"That's a part of it," the Kirin informed. "Refrain from meddling, Sesshomaru."
"This one shall not dream of it," the elder inu assured.
"It didn't work,: the shiro Inuyasha stated the obvious. He felt embarrassed, summoning their tree was the first thing a child learned. A young adult such a himself shouldn't fail at such an easy task - and in front of Sesshomaru and the Emperor, too! How could he protect Kagome and others in his care if he couldn't do this little thing?
"Of course it didn't work, you idiot!" the kuro Inuyasha snorted. "You did it wrong! Watch and learn, you piece of fuzz!"
With that he dropped to the ground in a similar position and started to focus. It was just like his shiro side, getting all stuff wrong because he let silly ideals cloud his mind. It had been always like this, at some subconscious level of his mind. His shiro part always strove for honorable ways of doing things, listened to authorities and wanted to prove himself in eyes of others. His kuro part did stuff because he felt like it and he sure as hell never listened to opinions of someone else opinions. During puberty these different points of view had often caused him to act irrational and rash, then feel either embarrassed or sulk because of a just punishment for his mischief.
He reached for his tree and gave his bond with it a firm yank instead of gentle beckoning. It needed a decisive summoning, not a pansy call.
"Ha!" the tree grew nearer in his mind and then the particles of sunlight started to shimmer in a shape of a tree, just like they did before. And, just as before, as soon as his focus swayed a little, the bloody thing dissipated into nothing. "Huh?"
A snicker could be heard and he glared at the one trying to smother it. It wasn't the airbag Kirin and neither was it his asshole brother. No, it was the idiot idealist part of him.
"I'm sorry," he dared to apologize for his snicker. He actually felt a hint of relief at the failure of his kuro part. He'd worried that it was a fault of him alone that the tree didn't come. That, somehow, he would have been proven less of a yasha than his impulsive, egoistic part., not worthy on his own.
"You dumb lapdog, don't make it worse by apologizing like a wuss!" frustration took over and the kuro Inuyasha leaped at his other self to punch him nice and good.
Sesshomaru flinched, ready to step in, but the Kirin shook its head.
"Observe only. He is unable to cause any harm," the Emperor said with benevolent air of one who had seen many instances like this.
The shiro Inuyasha dodged and rolled away from the upcoming punch that made a dent in the forest floor. He didn't have time to jump to his feet, because the growling other self of him didn't stop to ponder his agility. Besides, really, they were matched in speed and strength, being the same being. The kuro Inuyasha sat on his other self's stomach and tried to punch him, but for some reason his fists went through his other self's body like through mist, hitting the ground under him. Confused and annoyed at that he stopped his attempts and patted the shiro Inuyasha on the chest. This time he made contact with solid body. Grinning wickedly he made a fist and...
...Made a hole in the dirt.
He wanted to curse, but as soon as his mouth opened for a juicy string of vulgarities, the formerly motionless shiro Inuyasha's hands flew to his mouth and prevented him from uttering more than a growl.
"Sometimes I really hate you," he said when after a short struggle he peeled his hands away from his face The odd feeling that accompanied the parting spell was getting on his nerves and not helping things. .
"The feeling is sometimes returned." the other assured, eyes blazing not unlike the kuro Inuyasha's. "I didn't deserve a hit and it's hardly a time for a brawl."
"Keh! You used some kind of a spell!" he accuse.
"I did not!" the shiro Inuyasha said hotly. "I bet it is one of the Emperor's spells to make sure we can work things out and complete out task." he saw that the kuro Inuyasha turned his head to glare daggers at the noble creature watching them from beside his elder brother. He knew that glint, he knew that scowl. "It's for Kagome!" he yelled, hoping to get his other self on the right track again. It wouldn't do for his kuro self to attack the Emperor.
The growl vibrating in his throat stopped and the kuro Inuyasha looked down at his shiro self.
"You know what, you are right. I'm here so I can see Kagome," he said.
'An still have my pack,' the shiro Inuyasha pointed out, earning a shrug. "Don't shrug at that, I love them and they are mine as much as I am theirs."
"Keh, true," the kuro Inuyasha smirked. Yeah, it was true, alright. It was his family and he didn't want to lose his place among them. If he could get the Kirin's blessing they would have to be nice doggies and stop whining at his friendship with Kagome. Heck, maybe he could introduce them to her. "I'm doing this to get my point across. And to see Kagome."
"To see Kagome."
Together, one sitting on top of the other, his hands still holding the laying one's wrists just in case, they focused at their mutual goal and called.
With a woosh and rain of fluttering red and white petals the cheery tree appeared not even a meter away from him. Leaves rustled as the air moved to make way for the suddenly appearing flora, branches swayed overhead.
His ki swirling around him, Inuyasha rose to his feet and shook himself, silver hair flowing around him. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked at the other two.
"Who," the Kirin said slowly. "Is Kagome?"
