Sesshomaru gazed around him, trying to see through the dense fog. He'd been traveling virtually blind for several hours, relying on his senses of smell and hearing so as not to walk into things. He was getting frustrated. He had no idea where he was going and what he was doing in that valley anyway. However, he continued on, unperturbed.
He heard the telltale sound of a stream and picked his way through the mist toward it. He was oddly thirsty.
He found the stream by chance, having actually taken a step into it. He glanced down at the dark water swirling around his feet. He sighed and stepped out, kneeling down on the bank. He reached a hand in and gently moved it through the water. He brought some up in his cupped hand and looked at it. He grimaced. The water was dyed red and slimy, probably from sediment at the bottom. It was either that, or a battle had occurred recently. He let it slide back into the water and straightened, disgusted.
Right then, his sixth sense of danger started to spark and he whirled around, his claws at the ready. He could see nothing. He felt his heartbeat quicken in anticipation, something he couldn't mask like he could his emotions. There was something out there and it knew he was there. It was waiting for him to slip up and let his guard down. Well, whatever it was was in for a disappointment. He hadn't let his guard down since Miharu's funeral. He wasn't about to do so now. He found himself surprised that he was thinking of Miharu at a time like this. She was gone; there was no point in it. But then, she had been his first daughter, so he couldn't help but remember her. But he wouldn't let her memory get in the way of his battles. He'd only make a mistake.
Nothing charged at him from the dark mist, nothing made any more noises. He could see nothing coming toward him, and therefore saw no more reason for a battle stance. He hummed and turned around. It was time to be moving on.
As he picked his way along the jagged ground alongside the stream, he suddenly recalled Saeka's face for but an instant and accidentally zoned from reality, his thoughts a hundred miles away.
He didn't see it until he felt the agonizing pain of a blade slashing into his back.
Saeka stared around them absently. It was getting dark and they'd only been traveling a few hours. Winter was fast approaching and the daylight was dimming much more quickly than usual. She knew their only hope of catching up with him was to travel at night too, with a few people taking turns staying awake. Saeka knew that if she transformed, she'd be able to stay awake for days at a time. But she also knew that she was severely limited to time when it came to her true self. If she transformed too often, her baby would be warped. She certainly didn't want that. She was allowed to assume the dragon once or twice without too much risk, but any more than that could cause harm to the baby, so had to be careful.
Her plan with the nightly rotating guard was working so far. She, InuYasha, Kaede and Naraku were still awake. Kirura and Kirara were each carrying a couple of passengers. Kagome and Sango were back to back on Kirura, fast asleep. Saaya was asleep leaning on Miroku's shoulder. He seemed only half-asleep, his right hand gripping Kirara's fur and the left hand supporting Rona. InuYasha carried Sakura all the while throwing furious glances at Naraku walking several feet before them. Naraku's eyes had gone bright purple as night fell and had kept himself a good ways in front of them. Kaede had been informed prior of his strange ability to paralyze enemies and had therefore warned InuYasha not to startle him, lest he wind up unable to move until Naraku taught him how to throw the spell off. InuYasha hadn't been happy about this, but he didn't say anything. Now that Naraku and Saaya's relationship was blown, InuYasha and Saaya weren't on the best of terms. He seemed to be getting a little overprotective of her and she didn't appreciate it one bit. InuYasha didn't want to admit that he saw Naraku had changed greatly in the last nine years and being with Saaya had helped tremendously.
He glanced at the half-demon before him. Naraku seemed alert and tense as he scanned the dark ground, eerie purple eyes casting a strange glow in the darkness. At one point, he turned around to make sure he hadn't gotten too far ahead of them. Rona had been awake and had seen his eyes. It had terrified her to the point of crying. He had hurriedly turned back around and hadn't made the same move since. Every now and then, someone in the group would deliberately make a noise to let him know they were still there so he wouldn't turn around again. It was usually Kaede or Saaya.
Saeka glanced at InuYasha and then her daughter, asleep on Kirara, a peaceful expression on her face. She was glad that InuYasha cared about his niece, but Saaya was old enough to make her own decisions, and she knew that Saaya knew it. Saeka had long accepted that Saaya loved Naraku and vice versa and that nothing she said or did could change it. She'd just have to accept it.
" Hey Saeka." InuYasha said quietly. She blinked twice and looked at him.
" Hmm?"
" What'cha thinking about?" he asked casually. Saeka looked at the rocky trail before them. " Just, stuff." She murmured. He raised one brow. " Stuff? Like what kind of stuff?"
" Nothing of importance. I should be thinking of name ideas." Saeka said with a dry chuckle.
" Need any help?"
" Suggestions are appreciated."
" Well, for a girl, maybe Noriko and for a boy, how about Kaoru?"
" I kind of like Kaoru for a boy. I'm not too sure about Noriko, though. I kind of hope it's a boy this time. You know what I mean?"
" Yeah, I get ya." InuYasha said. He made a face of anger. " Damn that Sesshomaru. Why couldn't he have waited a few days?"
Saeka sighed. " I wish I knew. I suppose staying in the village wasn't good for him. He needed to be a nomad again."
InuYasha thought he detected a note of sadness in her voice. He shifted Sakura into one arm and placed his hand on her shoulder. " Stop worrying, Saeka. You'll only make yourself sick and that won't help your kid none. We'll find him, you have my word."
Saeka smiled and faced the road.
Suddenly, Naraku stopped abruptly about five feet away. He turned to them, his eyes now a flaming red.
" We're in danger." He announced.
Sesshomaru resisted the urge to yell and bounded forward, feeling whatever had been jammed into his back jar loose. He could feel his blood pouring from the wound, but he paid it no mind as he whipped Tokijjin from its sheath. He whirled around to see a coiled snake-like creature huddled on the ground, fangs glistening and forked tongue flicking out of its mouth. As his eyes deciphered what it was, he saw that it was similar in shape and color to Saeka's true self.
"Skey no mo, senai?" It hissed. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. " What was that?" he asked. The snake thing cocked its head and opened its mouth, revealing sharp inner fangs as well. " Krilga motono 'iil'prefarvarr? Esban, Dlaghan Clana!" It rasped out, its mouth moving clumsily in speak. Sesshomaru tried to make sense of what it was saying. " I'm afraid I don't understand you." He said, trying to ignore the searing pain in his back. The snake grumbled in what seemed to be impatience.
" Gou cret'ila no speaeka Dlaghanspeaek?" It said.
" I do not understand what you are asking me." Sesshomaru said calmly. The snake bobbed its head back and forth. It raised it to the sky, as though pondering something and then looked at him again.
" Gou speaek, Einglesh?" it rasped clumsily. Sesshomaru realized it was referring to whether he could speak English or not.
" I speak it." He replied. The snake nodded. " Ki. Gou, folloh meh." It said, turning around and looking back at him. Sesshomaru was gradually picking up what it was saying to him. He figured that it thought he was a trespasser and had attacked him for that reason. He guessed that now, it wanted him to follow it. Since it was inferior to him power-wise, he had nothing to fear.
" You want me to follow you?" he said, making sure.
" Ki." Which he figured meant yes. It turned and slithered off into the darkness. He followed at a careful, but quick pace. He wasn't sure where this was going to lead him, but he hoped that it would give him some answers.
As they wound through the narrow passages, he saw that somewhere along the line since it had appeared, the creature had acquired four scaly legs and was using these to move swiftly through the caverns. Occasionally, it would turn and look to see if he was still following. When it saw that he was, it would continue on. At one point, it had stopped and grumbled some nonsense to itself in its mother tongue and then kept going. Sesshomaru wanted badly to know what was going on, why this once hostile creature was now attempting to help him, or so it appeared. He wanted to know who it was, or what it was and what it was doing on what was supposed to be Saeka's lands. He had recently brought this to mind as he traveled deeper into the northern domain, that Saeka's father had once ruled these lands. He knew that that made Saeka the legitimate heir to them.
His eyes fell on the snake-like thing leading him through the maze of rocky passageways.
" Can you tell me who or what you are?" he asked it. The creature's head swiveled back a bit.
" Gou wiell fiend ot sun." it said. It was attempting to speak English and it wasn't doing well. Sesshomaru had no idea what it said, only that the word 'gou' was beginning to seem to him as the word for 'you'. He gave up trying to speak with it as it led him to a vertical rock wall. It stopped and glanced back at him.
" Diestenaci'on." It said. Sesshomaru stared forward. The creature approached the wall and vaulted up onto its front legs, pressing against the rock. With a rumble of protest, the rock suddenly fell inward to reveal a dark corridor leading into the mountainside. The creature looked back at him.
" Folloh." It commanded. It started forward into the inky blackness. Sesshomaru gripped the hilt of Tenseiga and obeyed, trailing after the thing in silence. As he entered, the little moonlight wafting suddenly vanished as the rocky doorway suddenly reappeared in the entrance, sealing the cave mouth away from the world. Any other in his place would probably panic and try to flee, but not him. He was Lord Sesshomaru and he wasn't about to become scared. His eyes were very strong and could penetrate the darkness with ease. He could barely make out the dark shape of his strange guide.
" Where are you leading me?" he asked.
" Golgiroth." It replied. This one word was said so clearly and well, that Sesshomaru figured it must be the name of someone. Or something.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of twisting passages and turns, his odd guide stopped and looked over at him. " Nu diestenaci'on." It whispered.
" New destination?" he said. The thing nodded.
" Gou ies liearn." The thing then turned to the wall and suddenly rammed it with its head. The wall rumbled and shook and to Sesshomaru's surprise, a large entryway opened and a bright light flooded into the corridor. Sesshomaru shielded his eyes for a moment until they adjusted to it. Then, he lowered his sleeve and stared forward.
" What is this place?" he wondered aloud. They had arrived in a large underground cavern brightly lit with flaming torches adorning the walls around them. Alongside the path that led down the center of it, were two small rows of gems of every sort. Sesshomaru could identify at least ten of these gems, his personal favorite being in there: Emerald, and not just because Saeka's eyes were of the same shade. Now that the room was alive with light, he could clearly see his guide. And he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
" You…you look just like my companion." He said, shocked.
Indeed, the snake thing turned out to be a serpentine dragon identical to Saeka. But this one had deep blue eyes instead of green and a mane the color of Topaz. Also, something about it seemed male instead of female. It appeared more colorful and somewhat bigger. It eyed him wisely. " Folloh." It instructed again. It turned and walked gracefully down the aisle of gems. The tendrils flowing from its muzzle would occasionally snag a gem from the floor and attach it to the scales about its neck. It glanced back at Sesshomaru and one of the tendrils reached down and gestured to the gems.
" Klriege." It said. The tendril pointed from the gems to Sesshomaru.
" You want me to take one?" he chanced. The dragon nodded. Sesshomaru knelt down before the gems, studying each one carefully. The dragon patiently waited while he made a selection. He spied a beautiful emerald amidst a cluster of other gems whose names he wasn't sure of. He gingerly reached out and touched it. He glanced at the dragon again, as though questioning his permission. While Sesshomaru often disregarded rules in other domains if he was searching for something, he wasn't by any means rude and strived to hold up to his status when visiting the demons of other domains. The dragon nodded consent at his choice. Sesshomaru's hand closed around the gem the size of a peach and heard the small crack as it was dislodged from its resting place. He straightened up and stared at the sparkling jewel in his hand. It was pure and rich in color and reflected the light from the torches flickering to his right and left. He looked at the dragon once more.
" Do I keep this?" he queried. The dragon nodded and proceeded down the aisle, tail swaying leisurely back and forth. Sesshomaru placed the jewel in his sleeve pocket and followed, wondering why he was asked to take it in the first place.
At the end of the corridor, the dragon paused at yet another rock wall. This time, it opened without any contact and the dragon stepped inside. Sesshomaru saw light from this room as well. But when he stepped inside, a startling surprise met his eyes.
Dragons. Hundreds of white serpentine dragons with manes and eyes of all colors lay about the giant underground cavern on rock ledges, by small earthen streams and in little crevices scattered throughout the walls. A few of them glanced up at the newcomers, but the majority paid them no mind. Sesshomaru couldn't help but stare in awe at the vast number of dragons there were here.
A dragon with a golden mane and scarlet eyes met his strange guide halfway down the path, having accidentally left Sesshomaru standing at the entrance.
The golden haired dragon approached cautiously and grumbled something low in its throat. This one must have been a female. As he watched, curious, he saw the golden haired dragon rub its muzzle affectionately to his guide's. His guide rumbled something to what was obviously his mate as he returned the gesture. He pulled away gently and she turned and made her way back to a small group of dragons, all sitting quietly, their tails pulled around their bodies and their legs folded beneath them. A few of them had topaz colored manes like his guide and they crowded around the golden haired one excitedly. Sesshomaru almost smiled when he realized that they were his guide's family. He suddenly had a longing for his own family, but he forced it down as his guide turned to him.
" Golgiroth wiell siea gou." He said. Sesshomaru nodded. His guide started down the path, past his mate and family who watched both him and his strange guest. Sesshomaru cast one quick glance at the dragons before averting his eyes to the avenue before him. One dragon that was exactly identical to Saeka in every way looked up, green eyes watching him curiously. This one was tiny and another dragon with coal black hair and eyes nudged it back a ways, growling at Sesshomaru warningly. He respectfully kept his distance and continued following his guide.
Finally, the dragon stopped and moved off to the left. A large cave hollowed into the mountainside was in view and something told Sesshomaru to stop and wait for further instruction. He could see something moving about in the darkness. He suppressed a slight gasp when he saw exactly what it was.
An enormous silver dragon lay there, moving slowly with what appeared to be age. The tendrils floating from its muzzle moved just as sluggishly, as though trying to keep up with the body. Sesshomaru's guide said something in its native language to the aging dragon. The old one heaved itself to its feet and turned weary eyes to Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru's own eyes widened when it saw the milky film covering the greenish eyes of the old one. The old dragon sniffed the air and raised its head.
" A demon." He grumbled in perfect English.
" You speak my language?" Sesshomaru said. The old one nodded, but the young guide suddenly snarled and grumbled something quickly. The old one growled back warningly and turned to Sesshomaru.
" What did he say?" Sesshomaru asked.
" He said you should wait for permission from me to speak." The old one mumbled in a shaky, warbled voice. He settled on the stone, his tail swaying up and down and his front legs crossed in front of him for support. His mane was inky black with many silver hairs showing his age. His pointed hollow ears moved constantly, picking up the slightest sounds and vibrations. He could probably even detect heartbeats.
" My apologies, then." Sesshomaru said. The old one shook his head. " No need. You are not from here, though you have the dragon scent as well as the dog scent. You do not know our customs, young demon. Tell me, dog-demon, but what might you be called?"
" I am Lord Sesshomaru, of the western domain." He replied. Many a dragon's head shot up in alarm at this, but the leader's calm composure silenced anything they might have been thinking of saying. The leader hummed low in his throat. " A demon lord. Very interesting. It's been awhile since we had a visitor from one such as yourself. I am Golgiroth, the leader of the Dragon Clan and the last of the Ancient Ones."
" The Dragon Clan?" Sesshomaru said.
" Yes. Are you familiar with us?"
" Not exactly. I once met a dragon that claimed to be the leader of the north. His name was Amanamaru."
The leader's head rose slowly. " A-A-Amanamaru?" he stammered. He started to shake in obvious fear. " It can't be."
" What is it?" Sesshomaru inquired. Golgiroth shook his head and stared in Sesshomaru's direction. Suddenly, his head moved outward and sniffed carefully at him, blind eyes narrowed in concentration. He hummed again and pulled back. He sighed and shook his head wearily. " I smell it. The scent of the dragon on you." He said.
" Did you know Amanamaru?" Sesshomaru asked, suddenly curious. The leader chuffed weakly which resulted in several hacking coughs. " Of course I knew him." He wheezed. Sesshomaru's head turned sideways suspiciously.
" How?"
Golgiroth made a face that seemed dragon style to be a leer.
" Amanamaru was my son."
A/N: How's that for a surprise? So Saeka's facts are a little off about her past. I had to work this out as I went and since I'm going to be rather busy the next few days, I had to get this out while I still could and had time to do so. Kinkatia seems to approve of this chapter. Tell me what you think!