Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, all rights are reserved for Rumiko Takahashi and affiliates.
Chapter nine is here, my friends! *gives computer screen really happy crazy eyes* I know you again don't really care about what I have to say right now, so here's chapter nine!
Chapter nine: Reunited
Aikotsu stays square behind Jakotsu, not wanting to see the man who scared the living daylights out of her. Although, this man seems leagues less dangerous to her now, in sharp contrast to the crazed lunatic that stabbed her.
"Start. Talking." Bankotsu orders icily, holding Banryu in a way that is by no means just a scare tactic. "And we better like your answers." His dark blue eyes bore holes into the demon man's scarlet ones, positively enraged. He'd been cautious of the man at first, but willing to let him stay since he'd found Aikotsu. However, the minute Aikotsu identified him as her first attacker, all prior courtesy went flying out the proverbial window. The demon man would be lucky if he isn't killed for his actions.
"Now, now," A calm, somewhat effeminate, voice calls from the foliage, and a man with long black hair emerges. "No need to get all up in arms about this."
"Byakuya.." The first black-haired man mutters. The other raven-haired man smiles widely.
"Hi, big brother! How are you?" His cheerful face and words dimmed as he asked the question, and the first man's mood seemed to follow.
"Could be better, could be worse."
"Um, hello?! You still have a load of explainin' to do! Like why you saw fit to attack our sister and terrify the daylights out of her!" Bankotsu roars, holding Banryu up threateningly.
"Alright, now, let's take a step back and calm down. Then we can explain." Byakuya interjects calmly, waiting out "Hurricane Bankotsu" like it's nothing.
Although the saner of the brothers had - begrudgingly - allowed the man to explain himself, Jakotsu and Bankotsu plastered themselves on either side of Aikotsu, both their weapons in reach. She kept her eyes on the ground, not even blinking when Mukotsu offered her a flower crown he'd made for her. Suikotsu had made her lie back down again after redressing her wound, with the very stern warning to not do that again. And to be honest, she had no intention of doing so again. She hadn't wanted to backflip while having a gaping wound in her side, but it was a knee-jerk reaction. She'd just seen the man who had tried to attack her. In her position, anyone would react as she had.
After everything had calmed down, the demon man took the chance to explain himself. "My name is Lord Naraku of the South. Nine years ago, I left my kingdom on business with the East, and came back weeks later to find my people and my mate dead, and my pup missing. I've been turning over every stone I could, just to try and find her. I could feel it every time she was sad or hurt, and it killed me inside, that my pup needed help and I couldn't offer it." His hands clench into white-knuckled fists, his whole body trembling with grief.
Aikotsu had been listening carefully, feelings conflicted, however she pauses when her wrist starts burning, looking down as much as she can at the bracelet that seems to almost be scorching her skin. She scratches at her wrist, narrowing her eyes as the burning stops abruptly. Her eyebrows furrow, wondering what all of that was about. However, she's distracted when Naraku begins speaking again.
"The day I first saw your sister there, it was by a stream and she had been catching fish," Kyokotsu's teeth set to a grind, remembering the day Aikotsu had burst from the trees in a frazzled panic, calling his name in terror. Judging by her clenched jaw, Aikotsu clearly remembered it too. "I suppose I didn't give myself the best introduction there, did I?" Naraku at least has the decency to look sheepish. "For that, I am sorry. Aikotsu-san, I'm truly sorry that I frightened you that day. I'd been up for several days at that point, and had caught your scent upon entering the clearing and was overwhelmed. I know it doesn't excuse how I scared you, but I do offer my humblest apologies."
From next to Naraku, Byakuya smiles brightly. "My name is Byakuya. I am Naraku's younger brother, and myself and our two siblings can confirm his story. We can even prove it. Big brother, your barrier?" Sensing what his brother is asking, Naraku nods and calls his barrier up easily within seconds, far quicker than even Aikotsu can accomplish. And just like hers, his barrier is a transparent pinkish red shade.
Aikotsu's mouth falls open, staring at the barrier identical to her own with shock and fascination. Barriers are unique to each person, unless related through demon blood. Mimicking a barrier is impossible, Sango told her. The only way for two barriers to be exactly the same...
Her hands tremble, mind racing at the thought.
A father. She has a father? And, if she has a father...she had a mother? But, she's dead now. Inexplicably, a deep sorrowful feeling grips her, feeling absolutely horrible, mourning the loss of a mother she hadn't known she had. She turns her head away, wanting to just fall asleep and forget it all. She doesn't want to think anymore. Her life was so much easier before. Now she has a father and a dead mother and a psychopath who nearly killed her. Her hand grasps the bracelet around her wrist, desperate for any sense of normalcy. Her life has just been thrown on its head. All she wants is something familiar.
Unbidden, she begins to hum her lullaby, hoping that she can just fall asleep and be free from this craziness for a while.
Naraku had just been in the middle of giving the brothers more information when he heard a hauntingly familiar song. It was soft, but undeniable. Tears prick his eyes, letting the tune wash over him like a soothing balm.
"Words are born into air, and quickly fade out in the wind. But they find their way inside you, where they live on forevermore..." He watches as Aikotsu pauses her humming, turning her head back to stare at him, dumbstruck. "You can see just how much you've grown. How strong you are..."
Aikotsu is baffled, noting just how perfectly the words and the tune match. She isn't sure what is, but something tells her to continue. So she does, and together, they revive a song from a time long gone by.
As the final note fades into the wind, the two are left to stare at each other in silence, one contemplative and the other wearing a sad smile. The silence is broken by Byakuya, who sniffles into his sleeves, trying not to cry. "That was beautiful!" He coos, choked up.
"It's funny, you know? Your mother Midoriko used to sing that lullaby to you every night." Naraku informs her, a rueful smile curling his lips. "She sang it to you the night I left for business. The last night I saw either of you. And somehow you remembered it, even after nine years." At this, Aikotsu furrows her eyebrows, honestly not sure how to process this.
"To be fair, I could only remember the tune, not any of the words." She retorts, vaguely catching the sound of Jakotsu snorting under his breath. After casting him a small glare, she sets her eyes back on the man.
...
After that emotional rollercoaster, Suikotsu had been quick to put his sister back to bed, assuring her that everyone would be there when she woke up. While she slept off her stress and injury, the Band of Seven and Naraku and Byakuya began going further into depth. The boys were sad to know that their sister's mother had died such a horrific death, and they felt indescribably bad for the man for losing everything in one fell swoop, but they refused to let her go. Aikotsu was their baby, specifically Bankotsu's, and no one would take her unless they got through them first.
Unbeknownst to them, Naraku had no intention of taking Aikotsu from her brothers. In spite of the short amount of time he's known them, he can tell just how close they are, and splitting them up would only upset her. That's the last thing he wants to do. They all continue to talk well throughout the rest of the night, and when it's time for bed, Naraku calls upon a powerful barrier to keep them all safe while they're asleep.
Bankotsu smooths Aikotsu's bangs once more, glad they have her back. True, she got hurt, by some psychopath, but they got her back. They can all discuss the most shocking news tomorrow, after everyone's well rested and not asleep on their feet. With his sister at his side, Bankotsu is quick to drift off.
Naraku is the last one left awake, contemplatively gazing down at the grass. The stench all over Aikotsu's wound spoke legions, all signs pointing to who her attacker was.
'So, you've finally made your move, brother?' Naraku's dark red eyes narrow, a dangerous sneer twisting his lips. 'Well if you think you'll win this time, you're sorely mistaken.' Reinforcing his barrier, along with adding a second one just for precaution, Naraku finally succumbs to sleep. Even though he's slumbering peacefully, his barriers are still strong, his immense demonic energy enough to effortlessly keep them up through the night.
Wow! Naraku is Aikotsu's father! Can you believe it?! I bet you won't believe who the actual villain is though! I can give you a hint; he is a canon villain "partnered" with Naraku during The Final Act. ;D
I'll put together all the Easter eggs in chapter ten. I wonder how many you picked up on?
-Silver Sin