I Do Not Own InuYasha
Aienkien
合縁奇縁
A couple strangely but happily united;
Uncanny relationship formed by a quirk of Fate;
The mysteries of attraction and relationships or bonds between people
II: 17
Year 1581...
Edo, Japan...
"How could Tōga-sama have known about InuYasha? It is my understanding that he died the night InuYasha was born," Miroku said as he held Ren still. Kaori, Kanon, Akira, and Ken had settled down too in wonderment at Tōtōsai's tale.
"How old is Sesshōmaru, exactly?" InuYasha asked. He knew his older brother was old, humans had had Sesshōmaru as legend with their father for a long time, but there was so little actually known about his brother InuYasha was disturbed at this. Sesshōmaru was an enigma in history, he was renowned figure in the yōkai community, revered, almost akin to a kami, but no one seemed to know anything about him.
"Sesshōmaru was born the day the Kojiki was completed, the day Midoriko-sama and Watatsumi-sama perished," Tōtōsai said carefully.
"Wait, that's in Kagome's books!" InuYasha remembered that, Kagome had these prophetic books telling her all of what had been and what was to be. InuYasha had sat and listened to her do the math once to figure out what year this was in her books. He remembered because it was so bizarre to think about.
"I think that was about nine hundred years ago," Tōtōsai said with a slight frown. "More or less."
"He's that old?" Miroku blinked dumbly.
"Not surprising, some daiyōkai live thousands of years, why your grandfather lived to ten thousand years before dying," Tōtōsai dismissed.
"How old was the old man?" InuYasha asked as he caught Ken who had decided to be interested in InuYasha's ears.
"About five thousand years, right in his prime," Tōtōsai preened.
"InuYasha?" Miroku had a strangled tone. "How old are you?"
"Two hundred and seventy," he answered. "No," he blinked, couple weeks ago when the snow had been falling, it had been a late spring snow, he remembered. His mother had told him that was his birthday. "Two hundred and seventy-one," he corrected.
"You're…?" Miroku blinked rapidly.
"It's not a big deal," he dismissed. He knew he looked like a teenager, but by yōkai standards he was an adult. If he had been a full daiyōkai he'd be expected to maintain his own territory, already have a pack of his own to protect, and probably be ruling beside his brother; if he had been full daiyōkai. However, he was hanyō, and his aging was slow and while he was an adult he was aware he wasn't finished growing, he knew because his bones were aching and his stomach always hungry with his recent growth spurt of height.
Hanyō pups growth rate varied because of the human blood, like Shiori looked about Rin's age and was Rin's age, however her aging was slowing now that she had reached maturity. Same with Ai and Moegi. Jinenji had stopped aging decades ago. Asagi had had an unexpected accelerated growth and died at a human age of seventy years old, looking seventy. It was unpredictable how human and yōkai would mix and what the results would be, he had just been unlucky though. InuYasha was more than well aware he would only have a handful of decades with the humans who had become his pack would perish and he'd be alone with his pups and Shippō again.
However, yōkai like Shippō or Kōga lived long lives. A few thousand if they were lucky. Kitsune were easy to gage their age, they grew another tail every century they lived, but the oldest they would live was nine centuries, they were so hunted after that for their own yōkai power they rarely lived to a thousand, but if they did... Kitsune were powerful at after a thousand years, and were nearly a daiyōkai themselves if they reached that age. A creature like an ookami would live maybe a thousand or two; if they weren't killed or died young of disease or fighting.
It was daiyōkai though who lived millenniums without aging or changing, daiyōkai had such immense yōkai power they could live the span of thousands of years; they held the power that was most revered, most envied, most sought after. A daiyōkai, a pure bred daiyōkai, was so pure that they couldn't be purified, they were akin to kami in terms of power and they were revered. While a yōkai might need aid of the Shikon no Tama or other artifacts to enhance themselves, a daiyōkai did not have much use for those things. Sesshōmaru had never needed the Shikon no Tama, his natural, growing power was already immense, and now that he had surpassed their father, InuYasha knew they should all fear what he could grow to be if Sesshōmaru was merely nine hundred years old and had a millennium before him.
InuYasha had long since resigned himself to the fact he would, as a hanyō of a daiyōkai, have a very long life if he didn't die young fighting. He had aged very slowly compared to other children, and he remembered being a young pup when his mother had been old and with white hair and dying of age.
"How'd the old man know about me if he died the night I was born?" InuYasha asked Miroku's original question again.
"Oh, that, there was a soothsayer who was enamored with saving her lord, she informed Tōga that he would have a second son, a hanyō would need his aid to surpass him in power," Tōtōsai said. "I was a bit confused when Tōga had me forge the two fangs, he had always had the Sō'unga and never needed anything else, but he was insistent, he needed the Tetsuseiga to be able to protect a hundred men, to be able to seal off the more blood thirsty, consuming impulses he possessed, and then the Tenseiga, to return what was stolen, to heal, not to slay."
"Why did he need the Tenseiga?" Miroku asked.
"Tōga had never been fond of humans, he had always despised Sesshōmaru-sama's mate and attempted to kill her for years, but the human persisted on living. Then the little soothsayer had informed Tōga of his hanyō son, and warned him of the death of Tōga's True Mate that night, and told him of how to save Izayoi-sama, it would come at a great cost."
"I thought the old man protected humans," InuYasha stated.
"Tōga did and did not, he protected his territories, which had humans in them, he let humans have representatives in his courts at times, but he was never a defender humans feeling them beneath him, until Izayoi-sama.
"When Tōga decided to learn about humans he became enamored with them, and shortly before his death became known as a defender of mankind," Tōtōsai said. "He could not defy his death, he had accepted his fate, so he bequeathed InuYasha everything needed to surpass him in time, to find his True Mate and to live. But it came at a great cost, one not foreseen, Sesshōmaru-sama's mate was the one attacked and as a result her fate was unknown. Tōga could give nothing of equal value or of substantial meaning to Sesshōmaru-sama without it looking like a compensation or an insult after hundreds of year of attempting to kill Sesshōmaru-sama's human, so he bequeathed Sesshōmaru-sama the Tenseiga in hopes to fix his mistake.
"I do not think Tōga expected Rin to be killed so many times though," Tōtōsai admitted.
"He knew Rin?" Miroku asked.
"The well worked for InuYasha and Kagome because of this plan, the well was created for Rin though, a gift from Tōga's own sire upon Sesshōmaru-sama's birth, a gift from Tiāngǒu and his mate Chang'e," Tōtōsai said. "It was always meant to reunite True Mates, I do not believe they knew the ramifications of that though. The well only works because of Rin."
Sesshōmaru looked at her elegant script, neat and too the point. It did not smell of her, but he knew her script anywhere. He had spent the past few years teaching her to write, to read, to wield a blade, to lead, to strategies, to be at his side, so he knew everything about her. He remembered everything about the girl who had grown up with a foot in each world.
He knew that if he went to his private quarters at his mother's shiro his home would smell of her, and her trinkets would be carefully kept in their spots, there'd be dead flowers because he hadn't thought to change them before they had left for Edo. He knew her kimonos would be carefully tucked away, a thousand hairpins would be tucked away in the small boxes Jaken always got her for storing her things, and her bed would be neatly made. There'd be a half done painting of the plum blossoms of his garden on the walls of his own chambers and not hers. She had never asked if she could do it, merely said she wanted him to have something lovely in his private quarters for when she wasn't there with him. Naturally it had been those accursed quarters she had so sweetly invaded, they were hers as well.
Carefully his claws opened the small parchment Myōga and Tōtōsai had finally been able to give him, he could see it had been protected by Bokusenō for a long time, it was a bit fragile, but still here.
Sesshōmaru,
It will be a long wait for us, my lord. However, I succeeded, you are saved and Magatsuhi will not have you, only I will, and once you find me it will be over. I know this eases no pain you must be suffering but know I am home, and we await you to find us my lord. I'm forever yours.
My eternal love,
Rin
He blinked at the next strange part of this little letter, it was a weird image, rather like the ones his brother's mate possessed. A thick white boarder surrounded the image, but it was vibrant and colorful, he was stunned seeing the image for it was a perfect, faded replica of his mate.
She was older; twenty something he would wager, there was no more childhood clinging to the woman in this photo. She was a woman, her smile was bright as the sun, her long black hair was a bit wet and she looked like she was laughing; her brown eyes were bright and alive with mischief and mirth about something happening around her. She was wearing strange clothes, rather like his brother mate's former clothes. Her arms were bare in the photo, so were her shoulders, and there was a good expansion of her chest revealed, but no cleavage. The clothing was a vibrant violet with pink and red flowers, and there was a single tiger's eye gem pendant with the three black pearls that he had crafted her sitting on her neck. There was something ethereal about this image. Her other-worldliness was captured, no portrait from his memory had ever truly done his mate justice.
Carefully his claw traced over the strange parchment to trace the outline of her cheek.
He looked at the image, seeing the vibrant colors of an autumn forest around her, there was still greenery, and behind her was an image of a human hut. She was alive, he saw the scars on her from what would have been Takemaru's final assault on her, but she was there alive, vibrantly alive. The curse mark reacted violently within him at seeing her, but he didn't care even as he sensed Magatsuhi's demand that he hate her for leaving, for dying, for her frailty as a human.
He couldn't though, she was waiting for him.
When would this be? He wondered. Carefully folding up the last evidence of his mate he pushed himself up on the tree, ignoring the pain to go demand answers about this strange imagery from the miko. She would know, of that he was certain. Whenever his mate had landed herself in she was alive, he just had to get to then to find her.
Sesshōmaru felt Magatsuhi's reaction through the mark being one of violent objections, but Sesshōmaru didn't care, Rin was alive sometime after Takemaru's attack.
Year 1308...
Setsuna Castle...
Izayoi was alone for a moment, having escaped the wedding planning, the union would be soon, and then she would be Takemaru's and life would go on. Izayoi was disappointed in herself for not loving the man who so clearly adored her, but she couldn't find it in her to love him, she was looking forward to the children of their union, she was so eager for children. Alone in her gardens she rubbed her brow as she tried not to dwell on the guilt of her emotions for Takemaru or her dreams of the Inu no Taishō.
"Where's Rin?" a sharp voice demanded which had her head snapping up to look into the tree where the large inuyōkai loomed over her. Fear went streaking through her as she backed up a few steps.
"Laundry," she squeaked.
The inuyōkai growled and his big fur seemed to twitch in agitation. Then his gold eyes were on her, assessing her carefully, Izayoi wanted to run, but she didn't think it was a good idea because he'd probably chase her. He looked very unlike any harmless inu they could take in, he looked very dangerous and predatory.
"Who are you?" he asked, dropping to the ground. Izayoi had never really noticed how tall he was, true she knew he was huge; he had grabbed Rin like she was a mere rag doll or child's play thing and thrown her around. The beast was huge, unnervingly so, but he was tall now, he stood up straight with his head high and proud, but there was a curious frown on his lips.
"Izayoi…" she whispered.
"Izayoi," he repeated her name carefully as if tasting it on his tongue. "And what are you, Izayoi?"
"I am lady of Setsuna, and you should leave, Takemaru will not like you being here," she said softly.
His lips curled into a feral smirk; made a bit boyish with the snaggle tooth he seemed to have at this moment. "And you think your puny human could protect you?"
"There's over a hundred men here," she reasoned.
"They mean nothing."
"Then I will be very crossed if you do not leave because your presence will unsettle my patients," she tried.
"Patients? You're a healer?" he deduced. "That explains the blood," he muttered.
"There's no blood on me!" she retorted. She should know, having bathed to rid herself of its last night to be ready for today's activities with Setsuna's household and her people.
"Your hands reek of blood even if there's no blood stains, and lavender, and jasmine," he said as if she were a moron. Izayoi glared at him for his attitude. Fear was still in her but now she was furious he dared act like she was a slow child! She was the praised wide and far for her intelligence!
"You can take that attitude back and go back to where you came from," she warned him lowly.
"Attitude?"
"Do not speak to me as if I were a dimwitted child, I'm human, not stupid," she snapped.
"One could argue that those are mutually exclusive," he countered.
"If that's what you think then leave Rin alone and go home," she snapped.
"The little soothsayer owes me some explanations," he countered.
"I sincerely doubt Rin owes you anything," she replied furiously. "You have been rude and murderous to the woman who has been nothing but patient with your own idiocity, you should be thanking her for not killing you for your disrespect of her."
"You think that?"
"Know it," she cut him off as she glared at him. "Stupid dog go away!" she seethed as she now turned in a flurry of robes and marched for Setsuna and her quarters. Suddenly there he was right in front of her as he caught her.
"You dare to disrespect me human!?" he seethed.
"After all the disrespect you decided to unleash upon me and my lady in waiting, yes," she retorted. "Respect is earned, you have earned none of mine, dog!"
"You have fire, I'm amused," he decided.
"I am not here to amuse you, and if that is all, you may leave," she dismissed as she tried to push past him. The yōkai though was built like a brick wall! She was stunned! He was always so solid in her dreams but actually being here with him so near, it was stunning how solid he actually was.
He grabbed her wrists but hissed as if he had been burned as he ripped his hands away and stared at her dumbly. Izayoi finally pushed past the stunned inuyōkai and walked into her home, shutting the door firmly behind her as she released a shuddering breath. Where he had touched her, it was like there'd been lightning searing through her body creating an unimaginable ache and throbbing in her blood. She wanted him, she wanted him, and he had merely touched her wrist, she was disgusted with herself; why couldn't she feel this for Takemaru!?
The moment he had actually touched her he had been startled by her overwhelming emotions, which had flooded him. The fear, the righteous fury, and her longing for something that wasn't him. He knew she had felt his lust for her, but he was so stunned at the fear he had hissed in pain to break contact.
Now he was merely stunned standing there in strange gardens having felt everything from that woman. It was said that True Mates could always feel the other's emotions, he didn't like this. He didn't like the fear she had felt for him though, he wouldn't have harmed her!
Sō'unga was grumbling that they thirsted for her blood, but he stomped on that voice. He wasn't his brother, he wasn't his father, these adopted lands were his home and these were his people and he would not dishonor Kimi-sama by falling for a mortal!
He was not Sesshōmaru! He would not fall for something so fragile and weak!
