Rise and Fall of the False God
CHAPTER 7
When he awoke he was somewhere else? He didn't know where that somewhere was, only that it was not the camp. His nose sniffed at the air, he recognized that there was a mineral spring nearby, but he didn't know which one, and he smelled Kyo as well.
"Where are we?" He asked, his hand coming up to his face when the finally opened his eyes.
"Away." The voice of Kyo responded. The demon lord said nothing about this vague answer; he did not care so long as he was not near the camp. Slowly he allowed his eyes to focus on the area around him. There he could see the mineral baths, and nearby was a freshwater pool where Kibo and Ah and Un stood drinking. He focused on the eagle now.
"This one's head hurts and it feels like it is going to explode." He said stoically. He turned his head some, his neck cracking loudly against the night. Then he rolled his shoulders, another set of popping came. Finally, he looked at Kyo who had chucked as his response.
"That is what happens when you fight yourself into to sleep." He said gently as he looked at his lord. Those orange eyes seemed fiery and heated to any that gazed on them, but Sesshomaru looked at them with the affection of a child to his father. The large bird had been there for him more often than his own father had. Not because InuTaisho didn't care for Sesshomaru, but because he was king, and kings often left the raising of their children to nurse maids. His mother and his father were no different than any other. He let his hand come up and wipe the hair from his face.
"This one does not understand Kyo." He said coldly, but Kyo knew what he was feeling, he understood Sesshomaru in a way no other did. He had watched the caring prince turn into an icy monster in the years following his mother's death. He watched his hate for humans grow as his father went to his mistress only to make her his wife. He saw the loathing he held for the Hanyou that took his father from him, the human wench that took his father's affection from his mother and him. By the time InuTaisho passed on, Kyo knew, that Sesshomaru had not enough love remaining to care one way or another weather the old man lived or died. His death was little more than an inconvenience to the prince, now he had to stop playing games and start having responsibility.
"What don't you understand My Lord?" He asked, knowing that Sesshomaru needed to voice this. That always helped him to understand better.
"That woman was right. I didn't deserve the life that monk gave up for me." He said glancing then to the ground. Kyo canted his head slightly.
"Maybe not." He answered. Normally that would have brought an onslaught of verbal attacks from the Inu, but this time he just nodded as if it confirmed what he believed, so Kyo added: "but Miroku certainly thinks that you did."
"Keh." Sesshomaru sounded, not looking back at him. "Why would that monk give up his life for this one?"
"Monks see things Sesshomaru." He said softly, his large wings flexing behind him. "They know things that are not fit for man or beast to know. Maybe he knew that you were needed, and that you had to live. Maybe he knew that it was his time to go. Maybe he knew that you were protecting his family and that you could do it better than him for your longevity."
"I doubt that." He said softly looking to the bird, his icy eyes locking on the fire eyes of Kyo.
"Do you? Look at it this way My Lord Sesshomaru." Kyo said. "Think for a moment. In the long run, put against the same enemy, that boy, who was better suited to survive it."
"This Sesshomaru." He said softly.
"And put against another enemy, any enemy. Would not This Sesshomaru be better suited to survive?" he asked.
"Hai." Sesshomaru answered.
"Then would it not make since that this Sesshomaru could better defend Mikoru's family and lands and home?" Kyo asked.
"How can this Sesshomaru do that when he cannot even defend the House of the Moon?" Sesshomaru asked solemnly.
"Lord Sesshomaru. Why are you here?" The eagle asked him.
"Because you brought me here." He answered. Kyo's hands went to his hips, his wings flexing.
"No My Lord Sesshomaru, really. Why did you come back here?"
"Because there was all wrong." He answered.
"Tell me My Lord, what do you feel for that human you travel with?" He asked.
"The Miko?" Sesshomaru's gaze iced over. His eyes shifted for a moment. What did he feel when he was with her? That was his brother's wench, but surely, he felt more for her than that. She had tended to him, she had taken him in, she had risked her life to return here… and why? She returned here to say good-bye to InuYasha. Right? Or maybe she had wanted to be with Sesshomaru. Maybe she came to be with him, and to help him as she had helped InuYasha defeat him all these times before. "Nothing." He finally said.
"Nothing?" Kyo asked, his head canting to the other side now, those orange eyes eating right though him.
"Nothing." He repeated a bit stronger this time.
"You have said before that This Sesshomaru doesn't lie." Kyo said softly. "It sounds to me my lord, that you attempt to fib now to this Kyo, and why? What have you to hide?"
"This Sesshomaru has nothing to hide!" He growled as he came to his feet. What was he implying? Was he calling Sesshomaru a liar? But he was lying. He sighed and fell again to his rear on the rock. "She is a… friend." He said softly. Even Kyo was not sure he had heard him right.
"This shames you?" He asked. Sesshomaru made another ticking sound and turned his eyes away from the bird. Still the same pampered brat as always. That was his way of ending a conversation.
"Where are we?" He asked again.
"Do you not know?" Kyo asked, allowing for the change of subject. "Do you not recognize your mother's hot springs?"
"So close to the House of the Moon? But how?" He asked, he looked around, indeed, he hadn't been here since he was very small, still on his mother's breast. He remembered slightly that she used to bring him here with her, and sing to him, Inu songs, about loyalty and about the beautiful maiden and the handsome king who were desperately in love. He 'knew' she made that song up about herself and his father. Or about herself, for InuTaisho never loved her a day if he did at all. He brought that human to his bed no sooner than the day his mother was laid in the ground.
"I don't know exactly." Kyo said looking at the sky. "I think that it has a shield around it. This is where your mother met her consorts."
"My mother had no consorts." That was said sharply, and he knew that at least for now, he would not hear it. He would work on that one, someday Kyo knew that Sesshomaru's illusions of his mother would have to stop, but for now, it was not unhealthy to have such feeling of love for the woman. With that said Sesshomaru would come to his feet and slide past Kyo, his cold gaze staring right through him, that was his punishments for such ill-chosen words about his mother, what did Kyo know anyway? He was his father's guard not his mother's!
"My Lord Sesshomaru…" He started.
"No more Kyo, I won't hear it." Sesshomaru growled as he reached the edge of the water. The eagle's feathers fluffed, such a brat at times! He had taken this whelp over his knee and beat his ass, and now he was taking orders from him. But he knew that Sesshomaru was serious. He had best reevaluate his timing. He would have the chance to talk.
Sesshomaru's one hand worked at the ties on his Haori, he didn't have his heirloom or his armor, of course not, they had been in the house of the moon when he ran from it.
"Why do you bother taking it off? With all of the blood, it is ruined." Kyo said, he let his three fingered bird-like hand rest on Sesshomaru's back and push him roughly into the water, a maneuver that Kyo knew that only he could get away with.
Sesshomaru resurfaced with the grace and poise that only he could manage, most likely due that cold nature not allowing him to panic. Pushing his body up and out of the warm water he flipped his head back, wet hair flying over his head and plastering against his back.
"Because…" He growled, pulling the sodden haori off of his body. "It is the only one that I have."
"Wrong again Lord Sesshomaru." Kyo said. Sesshomaru's slender brow raised as the eagle grinned at him. "Just because you were not prepared does not mean that I was not."
"Keh." Sesshomaru found he had been saying that a lot lately and mostly in the presence of this man.
"Why do you take this Miko as a friend Lord Sesshomaru?" He asked softly.
"Back to this Miko again?" He growled.
"Indeed." The eagle answered. Sesshomaru thought for a bit, he could not really come up with a reason, in fact he had been asking himself that for some time now. Why had he taken her as a friend? Why was it only that? Surely, he could've seduced her, but that would mean lowering himself to bed a filthy human. But then again, Kagome was hardly filthy. He shut his mind's conversation out and looked at the eagle.
"I have been asking myself the same thing." Sesshomaru answered.
"Might this Kyo be bold enough to speculate?" He asked, always well-mannered Kyo.
"If This Sesshomaru said no, would that stop you?" He asked smiling at Kyo.
"No My Lord, of course not." He answered, "But it would force to keeping only fact, and my opinion aside it would be a very solemn conversation indeed."
"Fine, then say what you will." Sesshomaru said with the air of one who was only half listening, again his feathers fluffed, and he continued.
"Why have you not taken her to your bed." Kyo asked. Sesshomaru's head snapped to look at him, and he grinned, satisfied that he now had his Lords undivided attention.
"Is that your business?" He asked.
"You are my business My Lord, all of you, your… genitals included." Another sly grin. Sesshomaru narrowed those golden eyes, but the orange orbs never faltered, and he buckled like a child under father's gaze.
"Because."
"Because?"
"Yes Because!" He snarled slightly.
"Don't you snarl at me whelp." He hissed and Sesshomaru sunk slightly deeper into the water, now only his face above it, eyes averting. "Now answer the question and stop dancing around it like a courtesan dancer."
Again, Sesshomaru's golden eyes snapped to him. Again, they narrowed, but when he spoke there was no growl present, carefully calculated tones, but no growl.
"Because she's…" He hesitated. He did not want to say it, but he would tell the truth…
"Because she's?" Kyo bated.
"Because she's a damned filthy human wench!" He yelled. Kyo sighed as if he had not just been yelled at.
"She is actually quite clean."
"What?"
"Clean. She is clean."
"Excuse me?"
"She smells good too." He said shrugging slightly. "Maybe I'll bed her."
"You will not." Sesshomaru said rising to his feet in the water.
"Can't I? And why not?" He asked. "I am not that old yet, and when I am you have my consent to stuff me for your mantle."
"No! It is…" He struggled; he had fallen into the trap expertly laid for him by the only man that could. "It is… forbidden!" HA! He found it!
"That took thought." The eagle chattered raising a brow at him. "Now, who forbid it?"
"Well this one wouldn't know," He growled. "These were your teachings."
"Did I? Well well, maybe I am getting old." Sesshomaru just blinked at him. Ok, so maybe he was not buying that. But it did not matter anyway.
"Don't you do what pleasures you?" He asked.
"Yes." Sesshomaru said, his eyes narrowing, he sensed another trap coming. He thought that perhaps he should stop talking before he fell into it, but then again, it could be hazardous to his health to stop talking, because that might mean that Kyo would resort to physical measures of getting the information he wanted, with that thought he sunk even slightly lower, he needed to stop that or he would be completely submerged.
"Would not having intercourse with this woman pleasure you?" He asked. "She smells innocent enough and you always had a taste for innocents."
Blink. Blink. Snarl. Eek! He slipped a bit away as that wing rounded at him for snarling again, enough times he had been hit by it to be intelligent enough to dodge it. He glared at the offending appendage as it skimmed centimeters from his nose.
"I said no snarling." Kyo said. Now he sounded as if he were the superior officer, only making Sesshomaru's hackles rise more. "Now answer the question! Because if you don't you just might find her marked by my beak." He said thoughtfully.
"Yes, I enjoy innocents." He answered grudgingly.
"That wasn't the question." Kyo retorted.
"No!" He said firmly.
"No what?" He asked.
"Damn you! You have a brain use it!" He growled softly into the water so not to get hit.
"Have you ever heard the term bird brain?" Kyo asked, raising a brow at him. "Now please spell it out for me."
"You are not stupid." He said.
"You are dancing again. Here I was thinking you were a dog, not a courtesan."
"Stop that!" Sesshomaru growled. This time he did not dodge the wing in time, sending him careening back into the water, submerged again he had a moment to think about what he had done wrong. Yes. He had growled, well, how could he get mad at that? Had not he just reminded Sesshomaru he was a dog, dogs growl. Damnit, he needed to breathe, so again he broke the surface, tossing his hair back as he gulped in the air.
"Stop what?" Kyo asked no sooner than had he resurfaced, not even waiting for him to get to the waters edge, he was still swimming.
"No I wouldn't find it pleasurable." He answered.
"Again, that was not the question, you are behind yourself my lord. I asked, stop what?" Kyo asked.
"Stop being purposefully obnoxious!" Sesshomaru exclaimed, careful to guard that growl.
"No." He answered, "Now back to pleasures."
"No." Sesshomaru said.
"Yes." Kyo retorted. Sesshomaru submitted, but not without making it completely obvious, though the ever-present glare of death that the eagle ignored completely, that he did not want to go back to that. "Why not?"
"Because I don't want to." He said.
"Not that whelp. Why would it not be pleasurable."
"This one's hatred of you had significantly increased." He responded.
"Who are you trying to convince, you or me?" Kyo asked sighing as if bored. Which of course made Sesshomaru guard a growl as he was cast aside with a bored gesture of the eagle.
"You." He said. "Because I already know it is a fabrication of my imagination."
"The Miko tangle in your sheets, covered in sweat still panting your name, while you lay beside her trying to regain that icy façade is a fabrication of your imagination." Kyo laughed. "And I thought I was a dirty old bird."
"You are!" He exclaimed. "I didn't say any of that!"
"You were fabricating remember, you don't say what you fabricate." Kyo turned a sharp eye to him. "And if none of that turned into a fabrication that you might, I don't know, enjoy thoroughly prove it, walk out of that water."
"No." Sesshomaru answered. He didn't dare move, the visual had been received, understood, comprehended, and possessed by his brain with a speed that shamed him slightly, only of course, because said visual involved the aforementioned Miko.
"No?" Kyo asked "And why not?"
"Because." He answered.
"Because?" Kyo asked.
"Yes because!" Again, hadn't they done this before? He sighed. "Because it would be… indecent."
"Really?" Kyo asked leaning on his hand. "And if she is so filthy than how could she attract such… 'indecent' reactions of your body?"
"This one's hate of you knows no bounds." He answered.
"You know… I do believe you already said that." Kyo said,
"True, however I am one step closer to meaning it now." Sesshomaru responded.
"No, you are one step closer to hating yourself Lord Sesshomaru." He said, all playfulness gone from his tones. "You are afraid of what you feel because it might make you like your father. A man that you only half knew and understood even less."
"This one will not be like him!" Sesshomaru snapped. "Not now, or ever!"
The conversation spanned long over several hours. Touching on every subject that Sesshomaru had promised himself that he would never discuss in any company. He had everything he believed in questioned by this bird that refused to silence. And so as it ended, he finally rose from the baths and dressed in the full grandeur of Sesshomaru. His armor and heirloom again in place, his colors well and clean, and provided for him by Kyo, as well as, as many family heirlooms Kyo could steal from the castle, and that had not been easy considering Rimiku's careful eye on the bird.
"There, now you look presentable Lord Sesshomaru." Kyo said with a smile. Those icy eyes looked upon him and Sesshomaru moved away, headed to Ah and Un and on his way back to Kagome, he had been away from her too long; she could have gotten herself into trouble.
Kagome was confused; she did not know what she was supposed to do now. Sesshomaru had vanished off the face of the earth, the sleeping pills that she had given to the hysterical Sango were starting to kick in, and she was helping the people clean up. She had managed thus far to keep her tears down to a minimal, but it became harder with each grave she helped dig, each body she helped move, and each marker she helped carve. It had taken almost all night for them to create a huge cemetery outside of this little town with the number of dead now exceeding the number of living.
"Kagome, you should get some sleep." The she wolf said from behind her.
"Thank you Yuki, but please leave me alone." Kagome sobbed as she knelt on Miroku's grave.
"Kagome?" She questioned.
"Just leave me alone!" She yelled pulling herself to her feet and running. She did not know where she was running too, she just ran, and ran. Running felt good, it seemed like maybe, just maybe she could outrun this demon that was following her, this vile rank creature that was gnawing at her heart and her mind. Everyone she had was dying, she knew that she was working to change it, but still everyone she knew was dying. She wanted to scream, just scream, and scream until nothing came out anymore, but she had no voice she could find and so she continued to run.
She wished she were InuYasha, his speed could outrun any pain that hurt Kagome. The pain of loosing him, and of the death of Rin, and of Miroku and of those two boys that died because Rimiku was controlling them, he could have out run torment that was tearing at Kagome in the form of ragged shards of glass across skin, the torment that she, Kagome Higurashi had killed. She had killed people on that field. Not purified a vicious demon but killed! And even scarier still, she had killed people that were not in control of their own actions. Innocents in a manner of speaking, innocents!
She closed her eyes and ran, feeling the scalding tears pour from her eyes, her feet hurt, and her legs were on fire, but she just kept running, she couldn't bring herself to stop. The pain ran sharp through her body as she clipped her shoulder off it, sending her sprawling to the ground, her eyes opening she looked up at the scared face of the God Tree. She stared in wonder, how had she run this far? She was not sure how she had done it, but she was here. Kagome gently pulled herself to her feet and walked up to the scar, she could see where the earth had been torn up recently and she collapsed.
"Oh InuYasha!" She sobbed. "I can't save them! Any of them! I can't fix what has happened. Miroku is dead! Amniboshi and Suboshi are dead! You are dead! Rin is dead! And there is nothing I can do to help any of you! I am useless InuYasha!" She had the sudden and irrepressible urge that she just wanted to lay down here, to curl up in this grave with his charred body and go to where ever it was he was. "I want to come to you InuYasha. I want to stop hating Yuki because of some emotion I cannot even control. I do not want to know what Kouga is doing and feeling… I just want to die…" The words came out and surprised her.
"No. You don't." The icy tones came and her heart stopped. Suddenly she flushed, how long had Sesshomaru been standing there. "Or maybe you do, but you will not." And with that said she broke into tears again. She was only vaguely aware of herself being lifted off of the ground her face pushed against his neck and one arm around her waist. She felt herself move as he leapt landing on Ah and Un, and as the massive monster started to amble slowly along. She felt his clawed and slender fingers combing through her long hair as her body got heavy and she fell into an uneasy sleep.
She awoke some time later, as the darkness faded into light she felt herself lowered into hot water with the smell of roses all around her. She didn't open her eyes at first as she slipped down into the water and was sat on an outcropping. It was not smooth, so it was not a bathing tub, it must have been a hot spring.
"Thank you Kyo, now leave us and go hunt, you have not done that in a while." Sesshomaru's voice came, it was somewhat softer as he spoke to the eagle, she felt the water ripple as the massive bird launched itself out of the water and into the air. She still didn't move, she didn't want to yet. Her head hurt from crying, her legs were on fire from running, and on top of that she didn't know where she was.
She reflected some that there was a time when being alone with Sesshomaru would have earned little more than complete and sheer terror from Kagome. She remembered how she hated to be left with him because she thought he would try and kill her. But then she couldn't erase the image of him, covered in sweat, clinging to her, begging her not to leave him. She knew that he thought she was his dead mother then, but it didn't matter to her at all, it had shown her something in Sesshomaru she never thought was there. Compassion. Emotion. Fear.
"I know you are awake." His voice interrupted her quiet contemplation; she was amazed to find herself so calm about it, so… together.
"Yes." She answered, just to inform him that she heard him, she didn't open her eyes still, nor did she make any other motion other than to sigh deeply. A slight blush crept into her face, she could feel his eyes on her, and she knew that she was naked in the water, and that most likely, the water was crisp, clean and clear! Her arms moved up slowly and crossed over her own chest to protect her from any prying eyes, her long legs, which mind you didn't want to mind or work at all, crossed slowly under the water, even the weightless feel of her legs didn't save her from the burning muscles.
"Rest Kagome." Sesshomaru said, she heard him moving now and opened her eyes as he passed the hot spring walking toward Ah and Un.
"Where are you going?" She was aware of the slight panic in her own voice now.
"To the village to help." Sesshomaru said. He stopped but did not turn back to face her, and she was very glad for his delicate touch in the matter.
"The burials are done." She answered. She could see Sesshomaru's head cant slightly as if in thought.
"Do you want me to stay Kagome?" He asked. Suddenly she was in motion, with a boldness that surprised her she flung herself out of the water and clung to his back, one hand clinging to the fur of his heirloom, the other around his waist under the armless sleeve.
"Don't leave me!" She sobbed, her naked body shaking against his back, covered in rose pedals. His hard body didn't relent any, no relaxation, he remained just as rigid but she didn't care, her head coming to rest on his back.
"Kagome." He said. A tone in his voice that she almost could not identify, she was sure she had never heard it before.
"Y…yes?" She stammered, wondering what was coming, Sesshomaru turned then, his hand expertly taking the heirloom and coiling it around her so that she was covered, again she was thankful for his tact.
"This Miko is touching This Sesshomaru." He said, a very, very slight grin coming to those pallid lips, but Kagome knew that was like a full blown smile for Sesshomaru, it even showed in his eyes watching them seem to light up slightly. "Again." Humor had been what she heard in his voice, he was trying to lighten the mood. She was suddenly struck by that gesture, that he would do something like that for her. Maybe he really did consider them friends? She wondered for a moment what Kyo would have thought about that and chuckled, of course she had no idea that Kyo had been trying to get Sesshomaru to bed her, she simply assumed that like every other youkai, he would have thought her a vile and crass human.
"Mmhmm." She answered, the tears were falling again, she wasn't sure why, but they were. Sesshomaru sighed gently, not an annoyed one, or disappointed, just a sigh. He stepped back out of her tight grasp and knelt, his hand coming around her side and pulling her against him, she collapsed into the fluffy heirloom, her arms coming around his hair. She was too grieved to notice how soft it was, or how good he smelled, it was something that she would reflect on later. His arm then coiled around her waist, the elbow in the small of his back, his long slender figures gripped his own Haori on the other side of her as he stood she felt herself lifted off her feet again.
"You need to wash, then rest." He said, as he was moving, he would stop and kneel again, placing her feet on the outcrop of rock that she was sitting on before. She looked at him for a moment as she released him and he stood. He had all of his attire back, something about that was comforting to her.
"Don't leave." She gasped as he took a step back from her.
"I will be right there." He said, his hand pointing to a rock about ten feet away. "I have some plans to write up, I will do it here."
"I have nothing to wear." Kagome said softly. Sesshomaru's eyes averted for a moment and Kagome then slid into the water, realizing the truth of that, and the fact that she was now in a state of complete undress.
"I have something for you, now wash." He said and he turned sharply, walking over to his planning place.
Kagome sat down in the water of the hot springs.
"Where are we?" She asked.
"About half a click from the House of the Moon." Sesshomaru answered as if distracted, "My mother's springs are protected, he can't get to us here, thus we are safe."
Kagome nodded and accepted that as the only answer she was libel to get anyway. It was all right though, she wasn't here alone and that was what was important. She soaked in the water for what seemed like eternity, thinking of all the things that had happened to them, and all of the things that had gone wrong since they had arrived here. When she was finally starting to prune in the water she cleared her throat and then felt his eyes against her as he looked to her.
"I am ready." She said softly. She heard him stand and move to her side and a towel was placed down next to her and she heard him move away and she took the towel and wrapped herself up in it. Once wrapped she would stand and start plucking the rose petals from her hair.
"Don't. " He said. She stopped instantly, just staring his way, her fingers still mid pluck, as she had been when he spoke. "The petal's will soften you hair. Like that 'conditioner' from your world."
Kagome nodded and left the petals there. She would walk over to where he was, she could see that he was writing up something, and most of it she could understand slightly, but there were many characters he used that she didn't understand, enough of them that the rest of it looked like English to her. He moved over to Ah and Un, leaving her standing there and retrieved a garment from one of the saddle backs, running the fabric, which was a brilliant navy blue with flares of violet and a very dark pink, between his fingers as he looked at it as if making a choice. He then took out a red, yellow and orange obi, the pattern on it almost the same as his, and a pair of ankle high boots like the ones he wore only smaller. He moved over and allowed her to get the Kimono on. It was so soft and the silk gave the impression that it was chilly even though it was not. She tied the ties of the Kimono; she had worn similar items before, but nothing so beautiful. The fabric pooled around her feet more than it should, showing her that she was smaller than the woman for whom this Kimono had been made originally. He then guided her through the proper way to wrap and tie the obi and finally he told her too, leaving the rose pedal's there, put her hair up. She thought that the beautiful sunset and sunrise colors were stunning together.
"I feel like a queen." She said as she ran her hands down the beautiful silken Kimono.
"You should." Sesshomaru answered as he lifted her, on armed onto Ah and Un's back. "It was my mothers."
She couldn't find the words, so she didn't speak, instead Sesshomaru took Ah and Un's reigns and started back toward the village, the massive creature just ambling under her, leaving her lost in thought. And that was when she came up with it. Ingenious, perfect! She had the idea they needed to defeat Rimiku, or at least to stop the semi constant assault on this world. She glanced over at the stoic prince and sighed, he would never go for it, but if it had to happen than she would make it happen anyway. She smiled at him when he looked at her and then he turned away.