So I know I haven't posted in a while. Sorry! I really don't have any excuses. I did try to make this chapter extra long though! I won't waste your time here. Read on!
Edited as of 08/24/2020: Grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors fixed. Dialogue reformatted to be more reader friendly, minor details added.
Disclaimer: I own nothing Inuyasha, nor do I own anything by Ed Sheeran.
Recap: In the past, Sesshomaru learned that Mika and her sisters had never actually left the demon village. So he and the fox girl formed a plan. If Sesshomaru found a way for Mika to fight in some actual battles, she promised to help convince his father to let him leave the demon village and return to the western palace. And in the present, Yasuhiro met with Sesshomaru in a secluded clearing. The dog demon demanded the fox tell him why he kidnapped Rin, but before Yasuhiro could answer Inuyasha showed up. Then, Moriko helped Yasuhiro escape by casting her sleeping spell and knocking Sesshomaru out! What could be so important to the fox demons that it made them take Rin?
Loving can heal loving can mend your soul. And it's the only thing that I know. I swear it will get easier, remember that with every piece of you. And it's the only thing we take with us when we die. (Ed Sheeran: Photograph)
His head ached.
And not the normal kind of ache he got from dealing with his brother or from when Jaken complained too much. No, this was a terrible, pounding kind of ache. One that Sesshomaru hadn't felt in centuries.
He felt sick, too. As his senses slowly came back to him, Sesshomaru caught a whiff of burnt fish grilling over a crackling fire. It made his stomach roll.
Sesshomaru opened his eyes, blinking at the sudden, harsh brightness. He sat up slowly, swallowing the bile in his throat as another wave of nausea hit.
"'Bout time you woke up." a familiar, irritated voice said. Sesshomaru looked to his left to see his brother and the priestess seated by the fire. Kagome was tending to the food cooking over the flames. Inuyasha cast a glance over at his brother. "You wanna explain what the hell you were thinking goin' after those two alone?"
"I don't need to explain myself to you." Sesshomaru sighed. His voice was hoarse.
Inuyasha growled. "Like hell you don't. You got knocked out with that sleeping spell. Those foxes could have killed you."
"So? What's your point?" Sesshomaru said, glaring at his younger brother. "Don't tell me you were actually worried about me."
Inuyasha scoffed. "Of course not. Like I'd actually care-"
"So what if he was?" Kagome interrupted. "Look, all Inuyasha is saying is, if you're going to go after the fox demons, let us know. We want to get Rin back from them as much as you do."
Sesshomaru looked away from them. He cast his gaze around their camp, trying to find something else to look at besides the two pestering him.
"Please, Sesshomaru, you are the only one who knows what these two demons are capable of. We have to work together if we want to save Rin." Kagome stressed. It was silent for a few moments.
"I was fine. Yasuhiro would never have harmed me." Sesshomaru muttered, finally deciding that staring into the trees was his best way to avoid making eye contact.
"Yasuhiro? Is that the man?" Inuyasha asked. Sesshomaru nodded. "How do you know he wouldn't have tried to attack you while you were out cold?"
Sesshomaru went silent again, debating on what he wanted to tell his half-brother.
"They... are old allies of mine." the older demon finally said.
"They're your allies? But, why would they kidnap Rin if they're your allies?" Kagome asked. Sesshomaru glared at the plant-life surrounding them.
"That's what's bothering you so much, isn't it?" Inuyasha said, staring at his brother. "It's because you don't know why they'd do this."
Sesshomaru finally looked at them. "No. I know they are doing this to get my attention. I just... don't understand why they thought kidnapping Rin would be the best way to accomplish that."
Suddenly, there was a rustling in the leaves behind Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha leaped to his feet, his hand resting on Tetsusaiga's hilt. To everyone's surprise, Jaken and Ah-Un burst from the trees, the small imp letting out a happy cry at the sight of his master.
"Lord Sesshomaru, you have awoken! I was so worried those fox demons had done something terrible to you!" Sesshomaru glared at his vassal, causing the smaller demon to flinch. "N-not that I think you could ever be overpowered by some pathetic fox demons!"
Sesshomaru let out an aggravated sigh as the tiny demon's voice caused the pounding in his head to worsen. "Jaken, what were you and Ah-Un doing?"
Jaken walked over to his master as he dug around the front of his robes.
"We followed the fox demons, my lord. Unfortunately, they managed to escape, but we did find something we believe belonged to that strange woman, Moriko." Jaken held out a small, folded white cloth. Sesshomaru took it, surprised to feel something hidden inside. He gently undid the folds to reveal several green leaves. Inuyasha bent over, staring at what was in his brother's hands.
"The hell are those?" he asked.
"Leaves from a magnolia tree." Sesshomaru answered, still staring at the plant-life in his palms. He could feel Moriko's demonic energy pulsing in the leaves, keeping them alive.
"Why was she carrying leaves?" Kagome asked. Sesshomaru folded the cloth back up, taking care not to damage what was inside. He got to his feet slowly (His head was still spinning from the sleeping spell.) and tucked the fabric behind the front of his armor.
Sesshomaru knew exactly what they could use these leaves for.
* The Demon Village, Many Years Ago*
"So, how exactly do you plan on us getting around your sister's barrier?" Sesshomaru asked. A few hours earlier, Mika had dragged him out of his room and down to the field beside the river. The two of them had decided to spar with one another while they brainstormed ideas on how to get outside the village. So far, they had nothing.
Mika sighed angrily as she picked herself up off the ground. Sesshomaru had just managed to land a blow that had knocked the red-headed fox off her feet. "Honestly, I have no idea. Moriko's barrier is very powerful. There are no weak points in it."
"How does she manage to keep it up constantly? Surely she would eventually run out of energy and the barrier would fall?" Mika shook her head.
"No, it's something my mother taught her to do. Moriko paces herself throughout the day so she can keep the barrier in place. As long as she doesn't exert too much energy at once, it stays intact. At night, Father takes her place and shields the village."
Sesshomaru thought for a moment. "So, the only answer is to ask Moriko to drop the barrier so we can leave?"
Mika fiddled with the hem of her sleeve. "That does seem to be the only way, doesn't it?"
Sesshomaru watched the fox for a moment as she nervously tugged on her kimono.
"So then ask her." he said.
Mika glared at him. "What if she says no? Moriko is a lot like my father. She likes to play it safe. I don't know if I could convince her to open up the barrier."
Sesshomaru looked away, irritation at their predicament causing his shoulders to tense. At this rate, he was going to be stuck in the fox demon village until his father decided he'd spent enough time bonding with the crimson-haired girl. He needed Mika to help him convince the old dog to take them back to the west. That was never going to happen though if they couldn't find a way through the barrier so Mika could fight some actual battles.
There had to be a way to get Moriko to do as they asked. Sesshomaru thought hard. Obviously, intimidation was out of the question. He had a feeling Mika wouldn't approve of him bullying her sister and he really didn't want to listen to her complaints. Bribing the girl wouldn't work either. The young dog didn't know the brunette well enough to know what to bribe her with and Sesshomaru doubted Moriko would go for that anyway. She seemed surprisingly honorable for a demon.
So, how to do it then? What could they do or say that would convince her to lower the barrier. Suddenly, Sesshomaru was struck with an idea.
"Yasuhiro." he muttered.
"What?" Mika asked. Sesshomaru looked at her, the faintest traces of a smirk forming on his lips.
"We'll get Yasuhiro to convince her."
"And how exactly is Yasuhiro going to do that?"
"That tricky fox can talk his way in or out of anything. If anyone is going to get Moriko to drop the barrier, it's him."
A couple of hours later, Sesshomaru went to go find Yasuhiro. He found him sitting in the dirt at the edge of one of the overgrown vegetable gardens, watching Moriko playing with Maiko. Sesshomaru sat down beside the fox.
"Hey, what are you doing here? Weren't you with Mika?" Yasuhiro asked. Sesshomaru nodded.
"I was, but I needed to come ask you to do me a favor."
Yasuhiro turned to him, a curious look in his red eyes. "Sure. What is it?"
"Mika and I want a way past the barrier." Sesshomaru said, lowering his voice . He didn't want to risk the brunette girl overhearing them.
Yasuhiro looked confused, but he still said with a hint of teasing in his voice, "What do you want that for? Not planning on running away, are you?"
"Of course not. It's just, Mika told me that she and her sister have never actually been outside of the village before. They've never even really fought an enemy. So I promised Mika I would help her find a way out so she can."
"They've never been in battle before? That... that's not good. How does Lord Minoru expect them to survive once they leave if they're completely inexperienced?" the fox asked. Sesshomaru shrugged.
"Who knows? But Mika is determined to leave so she can learn. She doesn't want to be helpless."
Yasuhiro looked at Sesshomaru suspiciously. "You're not exactly the helpful type, Pup. What's in it for you if you help her?"
Sesshomaru hesitated for a moment. He wondered if he should try lying to the fox beside him. That never seemed to work though. Yasuhiro knew him too well.
"Mika is going to convince my father to let us leave and go back to the west." The younger boy turned away from the sad look on Yasuhiro's face. " I know my father will be back in a few weeks, but I'm not foolish enough to think that as soon as he returns he'll take me home. No, I know he will want to stay longer so he can see for himself that I'm trying to get to know Mika better. But I can't stand it in this filthy little village. If I'm back in the west I'll try and do as he asks. But I need to get home first."
Yasuhiro let out a sigh. "But it's like you say, Sesshomaru, your father is determined to have you stay in the village. At least for a while. What makes you think you can change his mind? Do you two even have any idea how to do that yet?"
Sesshomaru bit the inside of his cheek as his friend questioned him. He'd spent half the night wondering about those same things. Sesshomaru liked to think he knew his father very well. Once the man had set something into motion, he was never the type to let someone change his mind. He was stubborn, and always believed he knew best. But it wasn't like Sesshomaru wanted to call off the whole marriage or anything. He just wanted to be back in his own lands.
"No, we haven't really thought of how we're going to do that yet..." Sesshomaru finally muttered.
Yasuhiro sighed again and then stood. Sesshomaru got to his feet as well. The fox gave the dog a determined look and clapped him on the shoulder. "We can figure that out later. Just tell me what you want me to do now, and I'll do it."
"Convince Moriko to drop the barrier so we can leave." Sesshomaru said. Yasuhiro thought for a moment.
"I don't think that will be too hard. I'm sure I can manage it." He looked at the brunette girl in the field. Moriko was pointing out different herbs to Maiko now. Every time the red-head child correctly identified what each plant could be used for, her older sister would let out a cheer. A faint smile formed on the older boy's face. He turned back to his friend. "Give me a day or two though, okay. Just so I can make sure I ask her at the right time."
Two days later, Yasuhiro came into the room Sesshomaru stayed in and shook the dog awake. Sesshomaru shoved the older boy off of him. Yasuhiro simply grinned at his friend and told him to hurry so they could meet the girls down by the river.
The dog quickly followed the impatient fox down into the field. He could see in the distance Mika and Moriko waiting by the water's edge. When they neared them, Sesshomaru could see that Mika had two swords hanging from her hips and that she seemed excited. Moriko looked a little nervous.
"About time, you two! You really need to work on being on time, Sesshomaru." Mika teased. The dog glared at her while Yasuhiro laughed.
"I've been telling him that for years, Mika. I doubt he's ever going to change."
Sesshomaru sighed, annoyed. "What do you two want?"
Mika smiled at him. "Moriko's going to let us through the barrier."
Sesshomaru's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the brunette girl.
"Really?"
Moriko nodded. "Yasuhiro talked me into it. He said he thought you and Mika would be able to get to know one another better if you weren't stuck in the confines of the village and I agreed with him. I do have a few stipulations though."
"Stipulations?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Yes. You both have to promise to be back by the barrier's edge by sunset so that I can let you back into the village. If one of you gets injured while you're out there, you need to come back immediately. And finally, you cannot leave our father's territory." Mika and Sesshomaru shared a look, before nodding.
"Those terms are fair." Mika told her sister.
"So, how are you going to drop the barrier?" the dog demon asked.
"I won't drop it, exactly." Moriko said.
She motioned for everyone to follow her. The foursome walked until they reached a fallen tree that covered the expanse of the river. They carefully crossed the dead log and stopped at the edge of the thick forest. Moriko gestured to the trees in front of them.
"I can form a small hole in the barrier that the two of you will be able to pass through. Father won't be able to notice the change since during the day I'm the one controlling the barrier." She turned to look at Sesshomaru and Mika sternly. "But that is exactly why you must be back before the sun sets. When night falls, Father takes over controlling the barrier. If you aren't back before then, you'll have no way to get into the village. And I doubt your absences would go unnoticed."
Mika leaned forward to grab her sister's hand. "We understand, Moriko, and we promise to be back in time. Thank you for doing this."
Moriko smiled. "Just don't get hurt."
Mika laughed. "Like that would ever happen!"
After telling Sesshomaru how far the old fox demon's lands stretched, Moriko focused her energy on forming the hole. The forest in front of them began to shimmer, just as the field had done when they'd first arrived in the demon village. Soon, a small opening appeared in front of them. The brunette girl motioned for Sesshomaru and Mika to leave. They made their way through, turning around when they heard the fox girl shout their names.
"Remember, be back before sunset. Yasuhiro and I will be waiting!"
"Have fun you two!" the older boy shouted. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes while Mika waved goodbye. Once the barrier was closed again, she turned to the silver-haired boy beside her.
"Ready to go?"
They didn't head far from the village. Neither of them knew the territory on the outside of the barrier very well and Sesshomaru didn't want to risk anything happening that would jeopardize this new freedom. Mika seemed a little put out at not being able to travel farther, but she understood the dog's reasoning, so she didn't argue.
Sesshomaru asked the red-headed fox who she would like to fight first. Did she want to find a weaker demon, or did she want to warm up with a couple of annoying human bandits? Mika chose the bandits, saying since she was always forced to stay inside the village, she had honestly never seen a human before. Sesshomaru was surprised by this, but assured her she wasn't really missing out on anything. Humans were pathetic creatures.
They traveled for another few hours. Sesshomaru was trying to pick up the scent of any nearby humans. Mika, on the other hand, was amusing herself with exploring the forest they were in. Suddenly, the scents of blood and smoke reached the dog's nose. He called for Mika. The younger girl walked back to him.
"There's a human village nearby. In that direction." he told her, pointing west of them. Mika nodded and they set off in the direction the scent was coming from.
It didn't take long for them to reach the village. Smoke was billowing in the air from the countless buildings that were set ablaze. Sesshomaru could smell the blood from slaughtered animals and humans hanging in the air. Mika glanced out of the corner of her eye to see Sesshomaru wrinkling his nose in disgust.
From where they were standing in the forest, they could see the bandits that had attacked the small village preparing to make their leave. The two demons watched as the men loaded up a small rickety wagon with goods. Sesshomaru looked at Mika.
"Well, go ahead." he said. Mika stared at him, confused.
"What?"
Sesshomaru motioned towards the people in front of them. "Go kill them."
"Now?"
"Yes, now. What, are you waiting for an invitation?"
Mika glared at him. "No. I just thought we were going to wait for them to attack us first."
Sesshomaru stared at her, an impatient look in his golden eyes. She watched him cross his arms and begin to tap the fingers of his right hand against his bicep in a clearly aggravated way.
"Alright. I'm going." she huffed.
Mika stepped out of the forest and headed towards the group of men in front of her. They were dirty and smelly and covered in the blood of the villagers they'd slain. When they noticed her approach, a tall skinny man who was missing one of his front teeth shouted at her.
"What are you doing in a place like this, pretty girl? This wasn't your village was it?" The men around him laughed. Mika didn't answer, (Sesshomaru had told her not to bother. He'd said talking to humans like these was always a waste of time.) she just drew both of her swords.
The skinny bandit laughed again as he looked at her weapons. "You even know how to use them things, sweetheart? Maybe you should put 'em away so you don't hurt yourself."
Mika narrowed her eyes at the ugly man, her two tails flicking behind her in irritation.
One of the other thieves, a short man with a scarred face, noticed this and gasped. "Look, Boss! That girl's got tails. She ain't human!"
The skinny man who'd first spoken to Mika glared at her, fear and rage shining in his eyes. He pulled out a rusty, blood-covered blade. "You a demon, girl? That means we have to kill you!"
He charged forward with a yell, swinging his sword at Mika. She dodged easily and swung the blade in her right hand at the bandit. With a sickening thump, the hand holding his weapon fell to the ground. The man stared in shock at the place his missing limb should be, before suddenly letting out a bloodcurdling scream. He fell to his knees, grasping at the bleeding stump with his other hand. Mika watched him for a moment, and then used the sword in her left hand to take off his head. Blood splattered everywhere as the lifeless body crumpled to the ground in a heap. Mika grimaced as a few drops hit her in the face.
The other bandits stared at the fallen form of their leader. Suddenly, several of the thieves let out shrieks of anger and charged at the fox girl. Mika dodged their attacks with ease and then preceded to use her weapons to kill them all in the same manner she had killed the first bandit in. When she was done, only one bandit still stood. He stared at her as he slowly backed away, his body shaking with fear.
"P-please... don't kill me!" he cried as he took off in the other direction. Mika stood there, watching him flee. She didn't really see a point in chasing him.
Out of nowhere, a bright whip of light came flying out of the forest. In a matter of seconds it had reached the bandit, striking him in the neck. His body fell to the ground, lifeless.
Mika watched as the whip was retracted back towards its owner. Sesshomaru was standing a few feet away from her, a bored look on his face.
"Make sure you always finish them all, or else they could come back later and cause trouble."
Mika looked around at all of the fallen thieves. "Seriously? But these guys were so weak. How could they possibly cause me any trouble?"
"He could have left and gotten allies to come and find you. And I think Lord Minoru would notice an army of humans marching through his territory."
Mika sighed, glancing around at the decimated village. "I suppose you're right. Why were the bandits destroying this village in the first place?"
"They were stealing from the other humans." Sesshomaru answered. Mika looked at him. "That is how some humans survive. They steal things like food and money from those weaker than them"
The fox frowned. "That's awful. I don't think I like these humans."
Sesshomaru shrugged. "That is just how they are. There are even some demons who live that way as well. I, personally, couldn't care less about what they do. It's a waste of my time."
Mika nodded her head and looked up at the sky. She frowned again. "The sun will be setting soon."
Sesshomaru looked up as well. "We should head back then."
They reached the part of the barrier they had exited through just as the sun began to set. Moriko seemed to sense their approach because it didn't take long for the girl to form another hole in the barrier and let them back inside. The other two foxes greeted them happily, eagerly asking how everything had gone. Mika told them all about the bandits while Sesshomaru stayed off to the side, staring at the river. When she had finished, the foursome turned to head back towards the village. Sesshomaru called for Mika to stop, so Yasuhiro and Moriko went on ahead without them.
Sesshomaru bent down and dipped the edge of his sleeve into the cool water of the river. He stood and motioned for the fox girl to approach him. Mika watched him, confused, as the older boy used his sleeve to clean her face. When he was finished, he bent down again to rinse the blood from his kimono.
"It wouldn't be good for you to head back to the village smelling like human blood." he told her.
"Oh. Thank you." she said. She smiled at him. Sesshomaru stood, looking very uncomfortable. Mika laughed quietly at the boy's awkwardness, before nudging him lightly in the shoulder.
"Come on, let's head back."
The next few weeks passed in a blur. Every morning, Sesshomaru and Mika met Yasuhiro and Moriko by the fallen log that led them to the forest's edge. The brunette girl would remind the two demons of her conditions for their freedom, and then open the small hole in the barrier so they could exit the village. Mika told Sesshomaru she didn't want to bother with fighting humans anymore. The bandits were crude and weak. She wanted to fight something challenging. Sesshomaru suggested they find some demons to battle. He also stressed to the younger girl that any demons they came across would have to attack them first. If Minoru heard of two younger demons causing trouble in his lands, it would put their entire plan at risk.
Mika agreed with the older boy. So, everyday they walked through the old fox's lands, waiting for an arrogant demon to come upon them and attack. There were a few days where no one approached them. The two demons were a little disappointed on these occasions, but neither of them could deny that even the simple freedom of being able to go wherever they pleased felt amazing.
On these calmer days, Mika spent the majority of her time finding things to talk about with the dog demon. It was hard sometimes. She knew Sesshomaru preferred the silence, but the young fox couldn't stand being quiet for very long. So Mika talked about everything and anything, all the while patiently waiting for the dog to respond. Several times she was rewarded with a response from the boy. Sometimes, out of the corner of her eye, Mika could see that Sesshomaru was biting the inside of his cheek to stop from smiling at something she had said. Whenever this would happen, she would steer the conversation further down that path, always hoping she would be able to keep the boy's interest.
Most of the time, Sesshomaru would go silent again. On a few occasions though, he would turn and give the girl his full attention, his golden eyes turning into shimmering windows to his thoughts. Mika always stared deeply into his eyes as she spoke, watching as his emotions and thoughts played out across them as he listened.
Mika didn't like to lie to herself. So when she realized, as the weeks went on, that she was growing very fond of the silver-haired boy, she didn't waste any time trying to deny it. Instead, she found more ways to spend time with the dog demon. When they returned to the village at sunset, she would stay with Sesshomaru in the room he slept in, long after night fell and the stars twinkled in the sky. She would sit by his side, until finally one of her sisters was sent to get her.
Sesshomaru was surprised to find that he didn't mind the fox demon's sudden desire to constantly be near him. Her presence was far less annoying than he had anticipated. She talked a lot, but she never expected a response from him, so Sesshomaru didn't mind this much either. Sometimes the conversation even managed to catch his interest. When this happened, the boy would give a short reply to whatever the girl had said. Mika's face would light up when he spoke. Sesshomaru was surprised to find a small part of him actually liked it when this happened.
One morning, the dog was awoken very early by someone gently shaking his shoulder. Assuming it to be Mika, Sesshomaru turned away, not even bothering to test the air for the scent of the person disturbing him. He just grumbled sleepily under his breath. A voice beside him chuckled and called his name. Sesshomaru rolled over again and opened his eyes. He was confused when he saw that it was Yasuhiro in his room and not the red-haired girl he'd been expecting. The older boy looked half asleep. His long brown hair was out of the high ponytail he normally kept it in. Instead, it fell in wavy tangles all around his face. Yasuhiro yawned hugely and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands as he waited for his friend to sit up.
"What do you want, Yasuhiro?" Sesshomaru asked, his voice still hoarse from sleep.
"A message from our fathers has just arrived. I figured you'd want to know immediately."
"Will they be back soon?" Sesshomaru remembered his father saying they would be back in a few weeks time. Yasuhiro frowned.
"No. Apparently something important has come up and they are going to be gone much longer than they had originally expected."
"What 'came up?'" the dog demon asked. He could feel a sudden surge of anger at his father churning in his stomach.
"They weren't specific in their message." Yasuhiro sighed. "They just said for us to remain patient and they would come back for us as soon as they could."
Sesshomaru just sat there, quietly seething. He was sure the reminder to stay patient was directed towards him. His father must have been assuming that Sesshomaru was having a hard time keeping his promise about trying to get to know Mika better. The dog wondered what his father would say if he knew what the young demons were up to. Would he be furious? Sesshomaru hoped so.
Yasuhiro nudged the younger boy. "Are you angry, Pup?"
"Of course I am. That doesn't really matter though, does it?"
Yasuhiro shook his head sadly. The two boys were quiet for a moment, when suddenly an idea popped into the fox's head. "Why don't Moriko and I join the two of you today?"
Sesshomaru tilted his head to the side, curious. "Why would you want to do that?"
Yasuhiro shrugged. "I figured it might be fun for the four of us to go together. I'm also rather annoyed at my father for not giving me a better reason for his continued absence. Sneaking out of the village is directly disobeying the orders he gave me when we first arrived so it feels like exactly the right thing to do right now."
Sesshomaru let out a small laugh before he could stop himself. "Join us then. I'm sure Mika would be happy to show Moriko all the different places in their father's territory we've been to."
Nearly an hour later, the foursome met by that same old log. Moriko seemed very nervous about leaving the village, but Yasuhiro assured her it was safe and that they would be back in the village before anyone even noticed they were gone.
They didn't travel too far from where the village was. Mostly because the two sisters couldn't help but stop and gawk at every little thing they passed. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes. It wasn't like there weren't rocks and trees in the demon village, and Mika had already been through this part of the forest countless times. Yasuhiro smiled at the girls.
"They're only like this because they're excited about being out here together." he told the younger boy. Sesshomaru sighed.
"I know. Doesn't make it any less irritating though."
By the time the sun had risen high in the sky, the young demons had found a very large field to rest in. Yasuhiro and Sesshomaru were sprawled out in the tall grass far away from the girls. Both boys were completely at ease listening to the girls chatting while the warm sunlight danced across their faces. Sesshomaru was considering letting himself drift off to sleep. He'd smelt humans nearby when they first arrived, but he knew Mika was capable of defeating them on her own should they try and cause trouble. Not only that, but Yasuhiro was with them. Sesshomaru had a strong suspicion that the older boy would never have agreed to stop in the field had he thought Moriko might be in any danger. So the dog saw no reason why he couldn't take a short nap.
In what seemed like no time at all, someone was waking the boy up with a sharp kick to his side. Sesshomaru's eyes shot open as he readied himself to lash out at whoever had decided to do that. (He was pretty sure it was Yasuhiro.) When the young demon looked up, squinting as the light from the sun blinded him ever-so-slightly, he saw an older man standing over him. A human man.
A monk.
Before Sesshomaru could leap to his feet, the monk pressed his staff against the dog's throat.
"It would be wise of you to remain where you are, demon." he said in a deep, angry voice.
Sesshomaru stayed still. Since he couldn't move, Sesshomaru used his nose to try and find where the others were. He sniffed the air and was greeted by several scents. There were many humans in the field, though most of them seemed to be standing in a large group several yards away from the dog. Yasuhiro's unique scent of burning wood was the next to reach him. He was no longer beside the silver-haired demon. Sesshomaru guessed he'd gotten up to protect the girls, (whose scents were drifting towards him from the center of the large group of humans.) but was stopped somehow only a few feet away.
"You know, it isn't very impressive to sneak up on someone while they're sleeping." Sesshomaru heard his friend say.
"Shut your mouth, fox demon." The old monk growled. "What are you beasts doing here anyway?"
"Napping, obviously." Yasuhiro answered. The monk looked away from the dog and glared at the boy to Sesshomaru's right.
"Subdue that demon! I'm growing tired of hearing his mouth."
"Yes, master!" a younger voice called. Sesshomaru heard the crackle of a spiritual spell and a grunt of pain from the fox. The old monk looked back down at the dog demon on the ground.
"I think it's time we rid the world of you foul demons."
Suddenly, before the monk could even try and harm the boy, there was a cry of shock from the large group.
"The demon! I think it's attacking!"
Sesshomaru couldn't see what was happening, but out of nowhere a new smell reached his nose. It was sickly sweet, and it clung heavily to the boy's nose and throat as he breathed. Suddenly, the monk standing over Sesshomaru crumpled to the ground. The dog tried to sit up, but his vision was blurring and his movements were becoming sluggish. When everything started to go black, Sesshomaru felt himself panic. He forced himself to his knees as quickly as he could, but that only seemed to worsen whatever was happening to him.
A hand grabbed hold of his arm as he started to sway. "Stop. Lie down." a voice told him. His head was too fuzzy to make out who was speaking to him.
Whoever it was though helped the dog back onto the ground. As soon as he was in a safe position, an exhaustion like he'd never felt before came over him. Sesshomaru couldn't even bring himself to fight it. He closed his eyes and slept.
The pounding in his head was what woke the dog demon. Sesshomaru wasn't sure he'd ever felt an ache quite like this before.
"Pup." a voice beside him whispered.
Sesshomaru squinted up to see Yasuhiro's worried face peering down at him. It was night now. The sky had turned an inky black. He could hear the sound of rushing water close by. We must be near the river... by the village. When the fox saw that his friend was awake he smiled and called for Moriko.
While the brunette girl made her way over to them, Sesshomaru pushed himself into a sitting position.
"Oh, no, Sesshomaru you shouldn't move just yet!" She called to him.
The dog was about to tell her he was fine, when a sudden wave of nausea hit him like nothing else ever had. Sesshomaru barely had time to push himself away from the fox beside him before completely emptying the contents of his stomach onto the dirt. He felt Yasuhiro pulling his hair away from his face as he gagged.
When he'd finally finished, Yasuhiro slowly tugged him backwards until his back was pressed against the fox's chest a good bit away from the mess on the ground. Moriko was there in a matter of seconds, pressing a cool, damp rag against the dog's forehead. Though he wanted to, Sesshomaru found himself too weak to push away their gentle touches.
"What happened?" he asked in a raspy voice.
"Moriko's sleeping spell." Yasuhiro answered.
"That was your sleeping spell?" The brunette smiled at the shock in the boy's voice.
"Yes. I'm sorry. It was the only way to defeat all of those monks at the same time. The effects seem to have hit you pretty hard. Though, I expected as much, what with you having such a strong sense of smell."
"Why were none of you affected?" the dog asked.
"It doesn't affect me. As for Yasuhiro and Mika, I was able to reach them in time and give them this."
From inside her kimono, Moriko pulled out a folded red cloth. She gently undid the folds to reveal a small stack of green leaves.
"What are those?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Leaves from a magnolia tree. They are the only things that can keep you safe from my sleeping spell."
"How do leaves manage to do that?"
"I infuse the leaves with my demonic energy. Then, when I cast the sleeping spell, those around me can press these leaves to their mouths to act as a sort of mask. As long as you breathe in the scent of the leaves and not my spell, you will be unaffected." She folded the cloth back up and tucked it into her kimono. "Your sense of smell is so strong, there was no way I was going to reach you in time to give you one of the leaves. I'm sorry."
Moriko stared at the older boy, an apologetic look in her yellow eyes. Sesshomaru shook his head at her, wincing at the pain the small movement caused.
"No. Don't apologize. You did what you had to."
Yasuhiro got to his feet, carefully helping the dog up with him. "We should get back to your home, Moriko. Mika will only be able to stall Lord Minoru for so long."
"She's stalling him?" Sesshomaru asked. Yasuhiro nodded.
"It's quite late. She said it would be suspicious if he came out here looking for us and you were asleep. Moriko isn't really allowed to use that sleeping spell all that often. So Mika went ahead to make sure Minoru wouldn't come out and try to find us before you had a chance to wake up."
Sesshomaru had to be thankful to Mika for that. If Minoru began to suspect anything, they might never get to leave the village again.
"So, they'll protect us from Moriko's sleeping spell?" Kagome asked.
"Yes." Sesshomaru answered. "If you hold them to your face like a mask while you breathe her sleeping spell will have no affect."
"How exactly is this going to help?" Inuyasha asked.
"Because we were never going to get near Rin as long as Moriko could use her sleeping spell. Now that we have a way to defend ourselves against it, they've no way of stopping us from getting close to her."
"So, we can finally rescue Rin? Great!" Kagome said, happily. Sesshomaru turned and faced the direction the two foxes scents were now coming from. They could get her back now, yes, unless Yasuhiro had even more tricks hidden up his sleeve. And Sesshomaru had a strong suspicion that he did.
There you go! Let me know what you thought! See-ya next time!