24
"Who is Kagome?"
The question made Inuyasha's smug smirk falter. He lowered his head a bit, his ears twitching to dislodge a few petals that landed on his head. The surge of power and pleasure of his tree appearing subsided at the sound of the Kirin's voice. The illustrious Emperor sounded confused and genuinely curious.
"She's Kagome," Inuyasha grumbled and scowled at the fact that the inquisitive stare and tilt of the head of the Kirin didn't shift to realization.
"You will have to elaborate, little brother," Sesshomaru stated the obvious.
"She's the reason I am here in the first place," the youngest inu glared at his brother before turning to look at the Emperor, who was observing him curiously. "She freed me from the binding spell I was under and is my friend. I want to visit her and stuff, but my family is against that. I will meet her whenever I want, but I'd rather not have to fight my pack to do that."
"Ah," the Emperor finally nodded. "I was under the impression that you were, as many of mixed heritage, struggling with duality of your nature and came to seek my aid in reaching balance."
"No. I came here because I want to meet Kagome and not have to fight my family over it," now Inuyasha glowered. How dared that idiotic being make assumptions like that about him? He'd come here expecting the Emperor to be smarter than that. A part of him wondered how many a yasha had come here over the eons, asking for the shit Inuyasha just went through for no other reason that for being of mixed blood. As he pondered this, the brilliantly beautiful being continued speaking in this slow, thoughtful tone.
"I see. I was surprised you managed to find your balance so easily when you invoked her name, but it makes much more sense if you are emotionally attached to her. Still, the ease with which you merged together again was remarkable. Have you maybe meditated over this matter?" the Kirin asked, flicking its tail and absentmindedly creating a path of dandelions in the grass.
"Keh! I spent a century locked in a room with no company other than mice!" Inuyasha ran his clawed hand through his hair, tugging at the silver tresses in exasperation at the question. "Of course I had been thinking a lot about all kinds of stuff!"
"This one has to admit you seem to have matured a bit over that time," Sesshomaru agreed graciously. "This one wonders for how long you have to be locked away to realize that befriending a human spells only misfortune."
"Oh, shut up!" Inuyasha shook his fist at the elder inu. It took all he had to keep from attacking the idiot or swearing up a storm, but he had to follow the rules set by the Kirin.
"A human?" the Emperor asked, lifting its head, ears perking up and the whole front of its body rising to then fall graciously back to the front hooves, blood root sprouting where they had hit. The pearly eyes focused on Inuyasha, this time lacking some of the serenity; alert and focused. "Explain, young one."
So, taking a deep breath to once again gather his thoughts, Inuyasha told the tale of his reckless escapade into human lands, his capture and time under the seal. Like the previous day he woven a story about Kagome coming to live with her grandpa, finding him and befriending him despite fearing him at first. He described their banters, their games, their conversations. He even reached into his ear to pull out his flute and played some of the tunes he'd played for her, then he told the now keenly listening and silent Kirin about how she and her brother undid the spell. He told them about how he'd taken them for a night run, how Kagome had danced with him around the ookami fire, how she'd refused his proposal. He could almost see her, smiling that shy smile of hers, brown eyes gleaming with mischief and kindness.
As he spoke, neither of the listeners interrupted him. The Kirin observed the young man talking, often with his hands. Inuyasha's scowl dissipated, replaced by a genuine smile, his eyes twinkled as he revisited the memories of his last days of captivity, of the moonlit night. Inuyasha didn't even notice the wince that passed briefly across his brother's face when he mentioned his failed marital attempt. Inuyasha positively glowed and so did his tree, his aura swirling smoothly around him and lifting the ends of his hair to sway it gracefully about him as he played his flute. The Kirin glanced away from the boy only once, when his aura lapped at its hooves. The blood root growing among the grass turned in red camellias.
Inuyasha knew that he had to tell the Kirin as much as he could about Kagome and her brother. He had to do his utmost to describe them to the ageless yasha that never left this forest. It had assumed wrong about his balance issue, but it was the highest authority among all kinds of yasha, it had to have some wisdom in that deer-like head. No sane creature could think Kagome was capable of doing something bad. She wouldn't harm a yasha, Inuyasha was sure about that.
Oh, it was just a few days and he now realized how much he missed the wench already. He wanted to go back to her and tell her about meeting the Emperor, she'd be so curious and awed, he was sure of it. He could just imagine himself sitting on the sill of her window at dusk, her sitting on the edge of her bed, brushing her hair before going to sleep, watching him as he told her about wonders of yasha lands. Oh, he'd love to tell her about anything she wanted to, as many times as she wanted. All he'd ask in return would be to spend time with her. He could almost see the amazement in Souta's eyes at the tale about the Tessaiga and other blades his family possessed.
Finally, after a long while, Inuyasha fell silent, his smile fading a bit as he finished his tale and looked at the Kirin, The ageless yasha stood there for a moment, silent and motionless, light seemingly drawn to its coat.
"I can't allow this," the Emperor spoke quietly, but firmly.
"What? Why not?! I told you all about her, how can you possibly..." Inuyasha exclaimed, his ears laying back as he glared at the Emperor.
"She is a human. A kind, gentle human, according to what you told me," the Kirin said. "But she is still a human. She might be harmless to you, for now, but someone else can use your trust for her to do ill things. I can't do otherwise than to forbid you from going to that girl. I have seen too many loosing their life or facing even worse fate by hands of humans."
"She won't do anything! And she won't tell about me, so no one will ever know!" Inuyasha tried to influence the Emperor, his body tensing as if ready to fight. He noticed that Sesshomaru shifted his stance, just in case he'd have to jump in front of the Kirin. Stupid Sesshomaru, Inuyasha was no idiot, he wouldn't attack the Kirin, no matter how much his kuro part wanted to punch its face in. He controlled himself just enough to stay still, and growl.
This whole escapade was a huge waste of time after all. He'd been put through a stupid, unnecessary spell by an arrogant ass, who was now insulting Kagome's goodness and declining his official and polite request. Damn that goat to hell, he'd go see Kagome no matter what it told him!
"But there is a way for her to be allowed seeing you," that was when Inuyasha realized the Kirin had been talking all the time he'd been busy being angry and defiant. Hus ears perked up to attention. "She will be even allowed to enter and travel through the yasha lands."
"Where's the catch?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously after the first twinge of joy at the thought of actually showing Kagome all the places he liked.
"She must be one of us," the Kirin shifted its stance so it could tap one of its front hooves against the ground as it spoke. "You told us she is spirited. Spirited humans are most unhappy among their kind nowadays, they are more attuned to us than they are to other humans. You told me she wishes to cultivate her ki and be a priestess - it is most frowned upon among her kin. But as a yasha she would be welcome to follow any path she wishes, to e a priestess is no shame among us. She will be kin to people accepting her and she will find untold joy in expressing herself without the restrictions human society puts on their females. She will be safe among us and you will be free to be her friend or even mate her if you both so desire."
Inuyasha cursed inwardly at the blush those words brought to his cheeks.
"But... Is there a way to change a human to a yasha? I mean without the human dying first, like my mom did?" he asked, trying to focus on other things than the visions the Kirin's words brought to his mind.
The Kirin nodded, but it was Sesshomaru, who replied.
"It is possible but it requires a very rare ingredient to make the spell work.
"What is it?" he wasn't agreeing to this just yet, he was just asking. He had to know the price. He didn't feel it right to change Kagome with a spell without her leave and without knowing all that there was to be known about the effects of this kind of magic. But this was an option, an option that would, maybe, be to Kagome's liking. So often had she complained about the ways of humans, about her grandpa treating her worse because she was a girl, making decisions for her. He was going to learn and then teach her, so it'd be up to her to choose. Not that it'd change much, if she'd decided to remain human he'd find a way to meet with her anyway.
But the idea of Kagome being free and traveling through the wild yasha lands with him, having adventures and sharing things, it was more than appealing.
"Come, Inuyasha," the Kirin started to walk around the Sacred Tree. "i will show you."
Inuyasha followed the Kirin with a frown on his face, his brother trailing behind them as they encircled the massive trunk of the tree and its roots. On the other side of the meadow, illuminated by afternoon sunlight, stood a wooden well. Curious, Inuyasha approached the structure that reached up to his waist. The Kirin peered inside and the young man next to it did the same, the darkness inside the well silky and much too thick for a sunny day.
"I saw it in your face," the Emperor said softly. "Even when I forbid you to continue your friendship with that human, you would defy me."
"Keh," Inuyasha shrugged.
"So, I decided that I would give you this option, this chance. Whether you obtain the divine water is up to you, I can only show you the way" one pearly pink eye looked sideways at Inuyasha, who nodded with determination on his face. It made sense;, to get something rare and powerful one had to fight for it.
"When I came to be, my tree rising from the foam of the sea along with he Isle," the Emperor continued. "I brought forth into existence three artifacts.:
"One is the Grasscutter, one of father's swords," Inuyasha muttered. It earned him a nod from the Kirin, still peering inside the well.
"Yes. It is most pleasing that he protects the lands for all of us. The second is the mirror, which is currently in human possession and the third is the Jewel of Souls, which was lost for centuries. Each one of these contains some of my essence and power. When you enter this well, you shall find it dry. Yet, you have to draw water from it, the divine water that carries power capable of changing destiny."
"What? How am I to do that?" Inuyasha's ears quivered. He pointed a finger at the well. "You have to know how it works, it's your doing, right?".
"This well was left here by the Kirin before me, from the time before the Isle had been submerged and resurfaced with me again," the Emperor said slowly, almost sorrowful. "From the wood of their tree came this well and I honor my predecessor by valuing their gift. But to know its power one has to venture within and that I cannot do. To learn what lays ahead of you and to obtain that which you desire, the divine water, you have to turn to none other than your elder brother. He'd gone within the well to obtain Bakusaiga and that which comes with it."
Stunned and somewhat dizzy with the revelations dumped on him, Inuyasha turned to face his brother, who was looking within the well as if unaware of their discussion. He felt so young - the Kirin was millennia old and it spoke of things that had happened even earlier in time. He'd heard that the Isle had been destroyed and resurfaced from the sea a long time ago, but it had been always somewhat of a myth to him. Here stood a being that spoke of it as if it had happened a decade ago. It mentioned the Kirin of that ancient land with a hint of melancholy and longing. A part of him wondered if it felt lonely and wanted to meet others of its kind. And then the Emperor casually mentioned his idiot brother as one who'd gone into this old ass well and had brought the sword he was now carrying on his hip.
"Sp? Sesshomaru, what shit is in this well? How am I to get water from it?" he asked, growing more than a bit anxious when his brother just stared at the well.
Golden eyes blinked, as if Sesshomaru was waking up from a dream. Then they looked at Inuyasha, emotionless and calm.
"All sennin are allowed to enter the well as a test of their skills and power," he said. "Some of us pass the challenge that awaits there and carry back this which we most desire or need. Each time it's a different challenge, brought forth by the magic of the well to suit the one entering it. Do not stall, Inuyasha, the evening approaches and this one can smell the rain in the air.'
Inuyasha growled at his unhelpful brother, but before he could yell at him, a horn touched his shoulder. He looked to the side and saw the Kirin twitching its big ears.
"Go. You lack the discipline and tree of a sennin, but you have the resolve. Remember the name of the girl you so adore."
"Feh! I don't adore her, we're just friends!" Inuyasha grumbled, blushing and turning towards the well to hide that. Without fanfare he jumped into the well, clutching at the hilt of his sword and gasping when a blue light flashed out from the darkness that had no end.
