I do not have any affiliations or attachments to Q model management nor Soul Cycle. Any resemblance to any actual person is coincidental. I also don't own any Inuyasha nor Avengers characters. They are not my property
Sesshomaru and the Astral Plane
*(*
"You don't look like you're from around here." Sesshomaru's ears pricked up, a human woman had just sat down on the bench next to him in front of the ice cream shop. She was attractive, even by Demon standards, had long blonde hair, large green eyes and subtle facial paint. She like Romanoff, was fit, and athletic with curved features. Was she attempting to engage in conversation with him?
"You are correct." He wished not to engage in conversation, yet he knew he had to discover more about this realm, and she seemed particularly harmless.
"Lord Sesshomaru, I can't understand anyone here except Polly!" Rin exclaimed from beside him and the blonde woman's finger pointed up in recognition.
"Ah, you're from Japan, I recognize the language, the 'sama' part. My son loves their cartoons." She turned to him, looking at his left hand. Sesshomaru looked down at it, then back at her.
"Are you maybe some sort of artist? I know a lot of artists do the whole facial tattoo thing. Yours suit you though. I know how tough it can be to be a single parent, if you have any questions like where to find things in the city or maybe things to do with your daughter you can text me." The woman added, looking to Sesshomaru. He merely blinked. Single father? She handed him a card. Yet another card!
"I'll accept this." Sesshomaru nodded, he may indeed need help procuring Rin vital items.
"I'm Cadence, I'm a Soul Cycle instructor. Stop by for a spin! Usually I don't give freebies but for you I'll make an exception." She flashed a smile at him and winked Sesshomaru's ears went up. He had no idea what this cyclic soul spinning was, but it appeared she attempted to show a physical interest in him. How bizarre.
"Well, I got to run, have to pick up Tyler. Enjoy the city!" She stood and waved, and walked off with her ice cream. Sesshomaru looked back down to Rin.
"Lord Sesshomaru, did another human give you a communication code?" Rin stared at the card he held in his hands and pocketed it.
"Yes, Rin." Sesshomaru nodded as Jaken emerged from the shop as well, holding his staff of two heads.
"Lord Sesshomaru, I must say that the human men and women of this realm act most untoward to you!" Jaken shook his staff grouchily and Rin nodded in agreement.
The whole day had really perplexed the Demon Lord, especially one particular encounter.
"Jaken, go investigate and find this Ice Cream." Sesshomaru ordered and Jaken nodded and hastily set out to ask a human where this Ice Cream could be located. The Demon Lord monitored as he found a lone human male standing the corner of the street. Sesshomaru flipped his sunglasses up, finding himself in shade.
"I am on a quest to find Ice Cream! Where can I locate some?" Jaken asked the man and he looked down at him, eyes wide.
"Little boy, are you alone?! Where is your mother? Does she know you are dressed in costume?" He asked, sounding concerned. This caused Sesshomaru to tilt his head in confusion. Did they think Jaken was a boy?
"I am most certainly not alone! I am with my Lord Sesshomaru! Do you know where we can locate some ice cream?!" Jaken cried and pointed as the young man, again quite attractive for a human, looked up, eyes lighting in recognition.
"Oh, I see! You're playing some sort of game…Oh wow, this is your father?!" He approached Sesshomaru and he simply nodded. He stood in front of him, blue eyes darting over his body, he had his blond short hair pushed back, and dressed similarly to himself. He also looked down to Rin who stood beside Sesshomaru looking up at him.
"Hello there, I'm Jason Sisson, Q Model Management...You definitely have that 'IT' factor. Have you ever thought of modelling? I mean, you are the perfect height and build. not to mention your androgyny and bone structure are perfect for editorial. Your hair! I can spot extensions from a mile away, that's all natural. We have signed tattooed models before so we can make that work. And your eye color! Never seen anything like it, again, can't be contacts. I bet I can even get some commercials for your little girl." The tall man, Jason, leaned back, putting his hand under his chin in appraisal. Sesshomaru just stared at him and narrowed his eyes.
"Modelling…explain." Sesshomaru demanded, what was he going on about?
"Oh, just take my card call my assistant and make an appointment." Jason scribbled down a number on the back of the card "I'm sure you're a busy man, but we could all use the extra dollars, your kids gotta eat. I see no ring on that finger, alimony and child support in this city sure aren't cheap either!" Jason winked and Sesshomaru tilted his head to the side slightly.
"I see you're a man of few words. Love it. Talk is cheap, and time is money. I saw a family owned ice cream shop down that way too authentic. I'd totally join you but I gotta fly. I put my personal number on the back in case you're interested. Ciao!" He flashed a bright smile pointed in the direction they were currently heading and handed Sesshomaru the card. He flipped it over, two communication codes. He watched as the man held out his hand and a yellow vehicle stopped for him and he got inside. How odd. Jaken approached.
"Let us go find this ice cream." Sesshomaru pocketed the card, he would have to investigate these 'dollars'. He had no idea what this modelling entailed however, he was a Demon Lord and capable of anything these humans could do.
'Well, at least Polly, the ice cream vendor proved herself useful. She qualified as even more tolerable than most of Thor's friends. Her approval of his barter for the ice cream was most advantageous since apparently humans in this realm use a mystifying means of trade. These "dollars", I must understand them.' Sesshomaru ensured the paper she gave him was in the back pocket of his tight jean hakamas, with the others he collected.
Ping!
'Of course that Mischief God would compromise the plan even before I could take Rin to the woods. Ever fickle his magic.' Sesshomaru fisted his clawed hand.
"Lord Sesshomaru did you feel that?! Bakusaiga and Tenseiga are in peril!" Jaken felt the ping as well and Sesshomaru bent down to pick up Rin with one hand, Jaken with the other. He took to the air, shielding Rin and Jaken from unnecessary wind with his youki and bounded back towards the tower. He landed softly on the balcony, assessing the situation inside.
"Lord Sesshomaru, Uncle Loki and Storm God's ice creams are melting! Can we get more ice cream tomorrow?" Rin bit her lip, holding a cone in each hand, one of cookie dough, the other mint chocolate chip. Sesshomaru had no taste for the sweet foods of this realm, but he made a note of their labels to be sure Rin obtained the one she desired. He nodded as they entered.
Sesshomaru winced upon hearing the shouting, yelling and crashing. His ears still rang from being outside.
He observed Loki was no longer shapeshifted, but still wore Tenseiga and Bakusaiga. Stark and Romanoff stood in front of Rogers, who was thankfully not in bedclothes, Barton, who was now livid with bow drawn arrow knocked, and Thor who was swinging Mjolnir. The Berserker and Lady Potts were nowhere in sight.
'Perfect. Loki has riled them all up. I am in no mood to deescalate emotional humans.' Sesshomaru marched towards the room.
"I swear Nat I'll shoot right through you. I won't give a damn. How dare you defend him!" Clint's face had flushed purple in anger.
"Heed my last request! What have you done with Son of Taisho, Lady Rin and little Jaken?! Have you slain them?! If you have..." Thor threatened lowly, a rogue thunderclap cracked outside.
"Clint. I'm not defending him; we have new intel that we need to go over. There is a lot at stake. I would never defend what he did to you." Romanoff had her hands out in a clear 'no harm meant' pose.
"This is low even for you Tony. Is there even a Sesshomaru? This is practically treason!" Rogers stood directly in front of Stark, looking betrayed.
"Yes, there is a Sailor Moon, and treason? You know the track record I've had with the government; they did put Hammertech all over one of my suits. This is just a bit of payback." Stark grinned but Steve's frown deepened. "But seriously, need you to hear us out." Stark back peddled, stammering for the right words.
'Irksome gods, troublesome humans.' Sesshomaru sighed through his nose
Sesshomaru didn't need his sense of smell to know that matters were about to become out of hand. He sauntered into the room, behind Barton, Thor and Rogers.
He noticed Loki's emerald eyes flicker to him and reflexively relaxed. Stark's dark, intelligent eyes widened and looked him up and down. Romanoff looked annoyed and pleased at the same time. His ears flickered down.
"I instructed you not to do anything unwise Loki." Sesshomaru's stoic tone cut through the tension Three more pairs of eyes were on him in a second.
Barton's bow remained on Loki but his brown eyes burned with malice and shock at Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru flipped up his aviators in response.
"Fashionably late I see." Romanoff responded.
"Son of Taisho and company! You are safe!" Thor decreed and Rin scampered up, between a now confused Thor and Loki with melting ice cream cones.
"Uncle Loki! I got you ice cream! Yours is green because Lord Sesshomaru says that's your favorite color. Here eat it before it all melts!" Rin handed a very surprised Loki an ice cream cone then scampered off to Thor.
Romanoff, impressed, lifted her shoulders and nodded to Stark in a 'good job'.
"Rin got you an ice cream too Storm God! The vendor Polly said it was the sweetest one! Rin is also sorry she gave Uncle Loki all of your pastry of toasters!" Rin confessed and Thor also took his ice cream cone in befuddlement.
"Good job Rin. Now go play with Jaken." Sesshomaru's said neutrally and Rin saluted and skipped off with Jaken who was still wearing the AC/DC sweatshirt.
Pause.
"Brother you ate my pastries?" Thor accused and Loki put his palm to his forehead slowly.
"What fresh hell is this?" Barton gritted his teeth.
"So it worked. You broke Loki out of Asgardian prison and brought him here. Super." Rogers was at a complete loss.
"This Sesshomaru is no thief. As I have stated earlier, if Loki coveted liberty he would have it." Sesshomaru looked bored. Barton looked ready to murder. Rogers and Romanoff regarded the archer carefully.
"Why did you deceive us so Son of Taisho? Why the mind games with shape shifting?" Thor licked his ice cream cone. Steve glared at him and Thor shrugged and ate more of it.
Sesshomaru knew he had to practice extreme discretion with his movements and emotions. Tensions were still spider silk tight in the room. He was thankful his current attire made him appear less of a threat and that Loki still had Tenseiga and Bakusaiga.
Tenseiga was pulsing deeply and Bakusaiga bristled in agitation.
"This Sesshomaru has deceived no one." Sesshomaru replied mildly, looked to Loki who was hiding his left hand.
"Deceived no one?! You had Loki pretend to be you to meet Fury, maybe the one guy who dislikes the guy more than me!" Barton boomed and Sesshomaru's ears twitched in protest.
"I never vowed to meet this commander of yours." Sesshomaru tilted his chin up in defense.
"Under advisement from Romanoff, Stark, and Lady Potts, they compelled me to employ a gambit for Sesshomaru. This tactic would ensure the life of your commander and prevent undue complications for you." Loki spoke for the first time, his voice rough. Rogers looked like he was starting to come around.
Sesshomaru fought the urge to crack his knuckles. He did not fully understand the ire behind the archer.
Then Lady Potts and the Berserker entered the room, the latter looking worse for the wear.
"Good. You're here. I'm glad the clothes fit. Can you do your thing where you make Bruce calm down?" Lady Potts greeted. All poise and authority with a hint of nervousness.
Sesshomaru examined the Berserker and indeed his heart rate was elevated, breathing labored, and skin a sickened green, he was clawing at his own skin. Sesshomaru scented a pang of fear from Romanoff.
Sesshomaru closed his eyes, held out his left arm, and concentrated his youki into a perfect sphere. He flicked his fingers and shot the bubble of youki at the writhing Berserker.
"Stand down Berserker." Sesshomaru commanded.
And the Berserker gradually did.
"And just when were you going to let us know Loki was here?!" Barton still shook with rage.
"The plan was that Loki remain as our lovely Sailor Moon here until the real deal showed up and we explain everything, you know, big reveal. Abracadabra." Stark responded and the tension, except Barton, began to fade and turn to confusion.
"Plausible deniability. The more of you who thought he was the real one, the less Fury could use against you in the future. It would also make any adverse reactions more believable." Romanoff explained. Rogers shook his head, still looking betrayed.
"I do not like these schemes." Thor frowned, still eating his ice cream to the disbelief of Rogers, Loki was letting his melt, daring not to move.
"We can't operate this way Tony, Natasha. We all need to be on the same page. Now Fury thinks we are hiding something, and we are!" Steve, stressed, flung out his arms in frustration. "Why deceive Fury in the first place, why aren't we turning Loki over to him?" Steve finally asked the question that he wanted to ask.
"We have reason to believe that Loki wasn't the true leader of the first invasion of Earth three years ago. Last night he also revealed to Pretty Boy that there may be a second invasion to occur in less than three months by the real perpetrators. We needed to run it by you before Fury found out about Glow Stick over there, or before he antagonized Pretty Boy." Natasha explained and Thor finally stopped swinging Mjolnir and Steve looked to Loki who merely waved his fingers meekly.
"I don't care if Loki is the second coming of Jesus. He brainwashed me, made me his puppet and Fury still doesn't fully trust me. Can I please put some arrows in him already?!" Barton shouted to no one in particular and everyone looked around.
Sesshomaru straightened and his eyes went wide. 'Puppet. Kagura.'
He turned to Loki whose eyes completely dimmed and his face crumpled. Sesshomaru cracked his knuckles and his ears raised, Bakusaiga gnashed her blade within her sheath.
'I am disappointed, perhaps Storm God was correct in that Loki has changed. Could he have turned into a Naraku? No. Too soon to make that judgment. Circumstances have not been fully brought to light. I understand the pain of Barton now. Only a good soldier, like Barton, would keep seeking for affirmation from his comrades after such a deed. They are foolish to not understand his frustrations, to not see his struggle. This archer and Kagura, what each befell them is not dissimilar.' Sesshomaru assessed, chest clenching when thinking of Kagura, shrouded in purple black smoke, fading in the field of flowers Rin loved so much.
Pause.
"Can you Barton?" Sesshomaru replied evenly. All the Avengers whipped towards them, Berserker, now clear-headed, the only one catching on to his meaning.
"Is that a challenge Fancy Pants?" Barton's voice was almost shrill and Sesshomaru fought the urge to massage his temples. Sesshomaru tossed his hair.
"It is an earnest request. He impugned your honor. You deserve to amend it." Sesshomaru's gold eyes almost glowed and he looked around for protest. The Berserker's jaw dropped, floored and the pallor fully returned to his face.
Sesshomaru turned and caught Loki's green gaze and found a strength there.
"You don't need to ask twice Fancy Pants." Barton's fiery gaze smoked out to embers and the room's energy turned to one of uncertainty.
"I am not sure I can condone this..." Rogers looked around to assess the opinions of his comrades and Sesshomaru decided to remove himself from the situation.
He put his leather jacket down on the back of a chair and extended his right hand out facing Loki with a flourish. For the briefest of seconds, a look of betrayal entered Loki's eyes identifiable to Sesshomaru only. His hand glowed blue.
"Tenseiga, Bakusaiga to me." Sesshomaru's order reverberated deep and the swords rattled and shot by Stark, sheath first, and adhered to his left side on the leather belt. Sesshomaru caught Loki's gaze one last time, noting the hint of betrayal was gone.
'He thought I aimed to strike him. Foolish God. If I had wanted to harm him, I would have done so by now.' Putting on his sunglasses once more and with a swish of hair, he strode out of the room for the rooftop access.
Tenseiga was silent. Bakusaiga murmured.
"Ok, that was cool. You gonna eat that Bambi?" He heard Stark ask as he disappeared from the room.
He arrived on the roof, and closed his eyes, turning over the new information in his mind. He didn't know what to make of it. He was so deep in thought he was almost surprised by the Berserker standing beside him.
"You're pretty terrifying you know." The berserker sighed. Sesshomaru didn't open his eyes.
Sesshomaru flicked his sunglasses back up, gazed at him, quirked an eyebrow and flashed a fang at him. The Berserker chuckled in agreement.
"Yeah, trust me, I know the other guy is terrifying. Thanks again for the...you know." Sesshomaru exhaled through his nose.
"Do not act on pretense it will be a regular occurrence." Sesshomaru quipped, claws flexing.
"Of course, wouldn't want you too." The Berserker's usually passive gaze held something hard within and Sesshomaru just felt tired.
He heard clacking, and wiggled an ear, seeing Lady Potts, with the mint chocolate chip ice cream cone, and Romanoff approach, both looking agitated. Sesshomaru inhaled deeply, closing his eyes, dreaming of sloping grassy hills, a breeze that would call his name, glistening creeks and verdant forests.
"You've just started a real argument down there. Steve is aghast about starting an Avengers firing squad, Thor is waffling between understanding your point of view, returning Loki to Asgard or breaking Clint's arm, and Tony is trying to convince Clint not to immediately contact SHIELD." Romanoff, stern as concrete, bit out and Sesshomaru had had enough.
"In my opinion this is all Loki's fault. He brought Sesshomaru here, right? Besides, Sesshomaru was right about Clint and Loki." Lady Potts defended and Sesshomaru felt the bottom fall out of something. What was he doing this for? Loki? Their friendship? It had been five hundred and fifty years for the God. He must have found other sources of amusement and kinship. Could he be using him like Barton? If there were truly no Demons left in this region, he wouldn't be saving his own realm, he would be saving this dying realm of stinking humans.
Sesshomaru heard the huntress reply and he heard another voice, probably the Berserker's. He didn't care. Let these humans champion themselves. Let Loki explain himself. He was done being talked about as if he wasn't in the room. He was done being regarded as an oddity when they themselves made little sense.
Bakusaiga chirped.
'This endeavor is truly a waste of time. Loki, the Mad Titan, invasions, honor, communication codes, the ice cream vendor Polly and her music suggestions, Stark and his armor, Romanoff and her bullets. I should not have been transfixed by such delusions that these humans and the Gods were capable of cooperation and clarity, despite how strong and capable they seem. It is truly a delusion that what happens here is somehow any responsibility of mine.' Sesshomaru's eyes remained closed.
He felt his senses drift. He heard Bakusaiga warble.
What exactly was he even desiring to achieve? He received his answers. Loki will return him, Rin, and Jaken when the magic gate reforms. These humans and Gods have neither want nor need for his expertise. It was truly an exercise in futility. Let their realm fall, or not. Loki could escape to another distant realm, rebuild, or not. He could search for his kind in the meantime. His people, who would not look upon him as a novelty, nor a pawn in a game, but as his true station of Lord.
Bakusaiga began to sing.
Sesshomaru felt his senses meld, his youki, his sight, smell, touch and hearing. They turned dark, a darkness Sesshomaru could taste. They all melded into a pool, deep and dark yet somehow resplendent.
The pool, endless and smooth, lapped at his now bare feet, drawing him in. He could see his reflection, only his eyes bled fully red and he wore no clothing. All his markings were black and his stripes ran long and curved across his body like calligraphy strokes.
He stepped into the pool, it felt warm and slightly viscous. Inviting and foreboding in the same breath, or could he even smell the invitation? He tasted the metallic pang with his feet. Blood. Demon blood. Thousands of Demons had to have bled out to create this pool. He waded out into the endless blood pool slowly.
Ever so carefully, as the blood became chest high, he kicked out his legs and floated on his back. The blood, like thousands of small hands tugged his skin, gripped his hair, crept into his ears. The blood lurched and pulled him under suddenly, and Sesshomaru allowed himself to submerge.
Bakusaiga's melody chorused high. He spoke back, mouth filling with blood. He had to find them, his kind. He had to know their fate. All of the Demons.
Ah-Un. A ripple beat out of his heart like a pebble being thrown in a placid lake. He became the pool, his whole body liquefied. The hands had their prize.
Inuyasha. Another ripple...ripple.
Kagura. A third ripple...ripple.
Bokuseno. Ripple…ripple.
Totosai. Ripple...ripple.
Myoga. Ripple...ripple.
Kouga. Ripple
Kirara. Ripple
Shippo. Ripple
Mother. The ripple hit an invisible edge and bounced back, echoing. His mother? She remained in this realm?! Where?
The pool glowed red, and began to drip upwards towards the black sky, he began to drift up with it. Above him he saw two wide golden eyes glow.
A girl formed in the sky, young, Rin's age, yet clearly a Demon. Her white hair pinned up in twin tails on her head billowed out like streamers above her pointed ears. Her golden eyes shone with a cunning glint, but still held a wide, childlike shape. She had the same markings he did, except all her markings were violet, even the moon and she had only one stripe on each cheek. She even wore the same outfit he did, only where his was red, hers was a matching violet, and she had no fur nor armor. Around her thrashed a familiar green aura.
"Hello Father! It is I, your beloved Bakusaiga, the most powerful weapon in existence! I heard your despair! I have been awakened, and I shall guide you to where Tenseiga cannot." Bakusaiga's voice tinkled like a bell and she tilted her chin high with pride. He felt himself stand in front her, yet somehow still liquefied.
"Bakusaiga. Father? What… is this?" His voice didn't come from his mouth, but rather echoed from everywhere and nowhere.
"Father, this is our destiny. Together the three of us cannot be defeated! United we are the strongest entity in existence, yet we must go to Grandmother. Right Tenseiga?" Bakusaiga's clear voice held a honed arrogance. She dramatically gestured next to herself and appearing next to her was another tall figure, as tall as he.
Built solidly and tan, he too had golden eyes, yet his white hair was pushed back and fell and flipped out over his shoulders, just like Loki's. His face had no markings but atop his head perched a pair of triangle ears like Inuyasha's, designating him as a Half-Demon. He had a strong jaw, straight nose, high cheekbones and his intelligent eyes were friendly and warm. He donned a different outfit, the top being one that Loki preferred from his distant realm with pointed shoulders, blue and white with intricate designs, while his pants were the ones his father and he typically wore. He had no visible aura around him.
"Greetings my Lord, I see you have become quite troubled. You must trust in these good humans and the Gods. Bakusaiga, while young and a bit irate, will guide you in the Astral Plane." Tenseiga smiled and bowed, his voice warm like the blood he himself had dissolved into. Sesshomaru stood speechless, never had he thought his swords had humanoid forms. Bakusaiga looked just like him, and Tenseiga a strange hybrid of his father and Loki.
"Trust, in the humans? Tenseiga, you are a half-Demon?" Sesshomaru heard his thoughts come out in drips. Tenseiga merely nodded and smiled, triangle ears flicking out in acknowledgement. Bakusaiga turned to Tenseiga, aura flaring a sinister green.
"You give them too much credit Tenseiga! Your love for those weaklings almost caused harm to my father. Your. Lord." Bakusaiga hissed, turning her attention back to Sesshomaru. "That magic wielder, an incapable imbecile, has gotten you into a terrible plight! Yet, I suppose I must credit him since it was the magic gate that awoke Grandmother's gift in you." Bakusaiga yelled and pointed at Tenseiga who merely face palmed.
"Please do refrain from referring to one of my forgers as an 'incapable imbecile' Bakusaiga. He is most intelligent and as you said earlier, this is my Lord's destiny. Their friendship is a key part of that destiny. Do respect that and the rest of his companions. Oh and don't bite him again." Tenseiga's smooth, placid warm voice attempted to extinguish Bakusaiga's anger.
"He hit me! My Father said for that fool not to touch me and that uncoordinated, clumsy magic user hit me! I hope that archer turns him into a porcupine Demon! He is the only human there with any sense at all! And don't get me started on that hammer Mjolnir. That oaf swinging that dull hunk of metal like it could seriously damage me. Ha! I'll best that stupid mace yet. Father, after this quest you must wield me so I can defeat that weak Mjolnir." Bakusaiga punched her small clawed fist into her other hand, eyes set. Tenseiga simply smiled and shook his head.
"You bit Loki?" Sesshomaru blinked.
"I think we've confused our Lord; this is the first time he has truly met us." Tenseiga's triangle ears popped up. Bakusaiga nodded, walking towards Sesshomaru.
"It's ok Father, Grandmother will explain everything. She has sought you for a long time now, she kinda became obsessed. You must find Grandmother before her tomb becomes silent and desolate." Bakusaiga grabbed Sesshomaru's left hand and kicked up, returning to her sword form. Instantly he found himself, still in the blood pool, but stars and astral bodies glittered and swirled around him, all murmuring and velvet soft.
"This is the Astral Plane, don't worry, Grandmother will guide us to her." Bakusaiga returned to her humanoid form, standing beside Sesshomaru as the stars bled out and another image appeared.
He saw another human metropolis. Smaller, with snow covered mountains in the background and a large, square white elegantly spired building. He smelled salt, and saw a vast expanse brilliant flat white earth. He felt grit beneath his claws and bones beneath his feet, different bones but from one body, all smooth and worn. He smelled his mother's hair, felt the silk of her tattered kimono, he palmed a white haired skull and...
A strike on his backside.
Tenseiga immediately disappeared and he saw Bakusaiga cry out before she too vanished.
Sesshomaru's eyes flashed open. The pool gone, he stood face to face with a mask of armor.
Threat.
Startled, his senses failed to fully snap back from being on the Astral Plane. He reacted on instinct and backhanded the armor but failed to properly assess his surroundings. Unknown entities to his front, Rin and Jaken to his left. Vulnerable. Utilizing his full speed, he bounded, scooped up Jaken and Rin, pivoted and leapt to strategic high ground, atop the Quinjet.
"He's fast!" He heard a male voice.
Sesshomaru, for the first time in a long time, was completely perplexed, his mind a jumble, he couldn't even concentrate to produce his toxin or his youki. He felt his stomach go inside out.
Restrain the armored threat. Sesshomaru couldn't focus. What could be use? Pelt?
He summoned his pelt and it twined around the armored man sending him to the ground.
"This is why I cautioned you not to startle him." His ears twitched. A pained voice coming from the left.
"So." Clanking and whirring of metal sounded and the armored man struggled with the pelt."Worth it for scaring him. Do you need a new pair of underwear Sailor Moon? You look like a boxer briefs guy...Can someone help me with Cruella Deville's coat?!" The voice sounded familiar and a name formulated: Stark. He heard laughter.
'Oh. Yes, he was in the future realm. Reunited with Loki. Rin and her ice cream, intelligent dark eyes, an archer maybe? Something about a Titan?' Sesshomaru felt light-headed, but tried to calm his racing pulse anyway. His stomach turned again and he fought the urge to retch, did he swallow the blood? Blood?
"Can you explain what just happened?" A female voice. Potts.
"You gave us quite the scare Son of Taisho." A deep voice sounded relieved. Storm God. Sesshomaru's breathing was labored and erratic, what was he standing on? It isn't dirt or rock.
"Yeah, I thought Demons did the possessing, not the other way around." Another, clean voice affirmed. Bedclothes. Rogers.
"You like horror movies?" A woman's hard voice sounded stunned. Romanoff.
"What in the Nines were you thinking?" Loki cursed. Sesshomaru managed to look his way, seeing a complete image for the first time. Loki's shirt was covered in blood but Sesshomaru could smell no open wounds, he did see arrows on the smooth ground. He felt a tug and saw Rin gazing up at him, concerned, her cheeks wet and eyes puffy.
"Lord Sesshomaru! We are so glad you're alright! You wouldn't respond to anything! You were completely engulfed by Bakusaiga's energy!" Jaken cried and also hugged Lord Sesshomaru's leg.
"Bakusaiga...my daughter?" Sesshomaru murmured, his voice sounding not like his own. And he saw Loki shoot to his feet, looking completely infuriated. He tried to categorize the other human's emotions, were they hostile? Why was Loki here again? Did they spar here? At night?
He felt as if underwater. Under blood?
"What you attempted could have easily rendered you mindless. You cannot go that deep into a scry! Ever! You are fortunate that we were able to reach you through Stark's armor!" Loki's eyes were venomously green and Sesshomaru's mind still muddled, realized he smelt intense fear off Loki.
'Fear for him? Loki concerned for his wellbeing? Scry? The blood pool! Mother! I need to find her. Ah Un. Inuyasha. Kagura. I need to find everyone. I need...' Sesshomaru couldn't lasso his thoughts coherently. He felt jostled, he bent over suddenly and straightened just as suddenly as if his muscles couldn't agree on how to behave. Sesshomaru managed to still himself.
"...Scry? Explain." Sesshomaru uttered, voice garbled. Sesshomaru took a step forward preparing to step down from the jet, ensuring Rin and Jaken remained on high ground. But his vision swam, and his balance felt off kilter, he couldn't smell anything. The sky spun.
He slipped off the slick wing of the Quinjet and barely managed to recover his dignity by landing in a last-second crouch. His stomach had enough, he wretched and all that came out was a torrent of viscous blood.
Tenseiga remained silent, Bakusaiga glowed weakly.
'Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.' Sesshomaru slumped, knowing that these humans would kill him. Perhaps Loki would protect him. Something about an invasion?
"Whoa. He doesn't look too good." The Berserker? He couldn't defend himself against his rage. He would surely perish, he couldn't even transform, had he forgotten how? Sesshomaru flicked his head up and saw the Berserker rushing to his side. He braced for impact as he saw a puff of dark green smoke before his mind swelled and he lost all consciousness.
Authors Note: this is an AU story, In my fic, the third Inuyasha movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler, never happened. This is important later on.
Also, the rating on this fic will be subject to change due to explicit sexual content, of which I will be editing to adhere to the rules of If anyone is interested in any later chapters reading the full, uncensored version, my fic is available on Archiveofourown, the link is in my profile though my author name is the same for both this website and archiveofourown!
Thank you for reading, as always I appreciate feedback!
-TL
