" How?" Saeka asked Naraku. She was gripping the neck of her cloak and trying to stay calm. It was getting harder for her as she got older. Naraku turned around one way and then backtracked the other way, scanning the cliffs for any sign of life or threat. His eyes remained fire red.
" Naraku! Answer her!" InuYasha yelled, unintentionally waking everyone up. Saaya sat up, immediately alert and ran to Naraku's side. " What is it?" she asked. " Are we under attack?"
" Saaya, get back with the group. Whatever is near is after you and the half-demons." He said gently, trying to push her back to the group. Saaya shoved his hand away. " No thanks, I'm perfectly capable of self-defense, thank you." She snapped.
" Why am I reminded of you all of a sudden?" InuYasha whispered to Kagome as she came over by him and he handed her Sakura.
" Now that you aren't holding Sakura, SIT!" Kagome yelled.
Thud!!
" Agh! That was a compliment, stupid!" InuYasha yelled as he struggled to right himself.
Suddenly, Saaya shrieked in alarm as something wrapped itself around her waist and dragged her up into the darkness.
" Saaya!" Naraku yelled. He charged forward, jumped up onto one of the rocks and using that as a base, launched himself into the air after her. He stretched his arm out as he spied her. " Saaya!" he cried. " Take my hand! Hurry!"
Saaya's arms were pinned to her body, but she managed to free one of them and reach for him. He pushed off against the rock wall once more and gained momentum. Just as he was about to fall back, he caught her hand. But whatever was holding her was forcibly pulling her up higher and higher to the peaks of the cliff.
" Naraku just let me go! You'll fall!" Saaya cried.
" I'd rather die first!" he replied, tightening his grip on her hand. Saaya felt her eyes grow moist and an overwhelming wave of gratitude wash over her heart as he said this, but she didn't let it get the better of her concentration. She turned backward at the thing pulling her. Naraku had managed to grab hold of the cliff face and was using all of the demonic strength he still possessed to keep them from going any higher. Below, Saaya could hear Kagome and everyone trying to locate them from the ground. She heard Sango warn Miroku not to use the tiny Wind Tunnel he still possessed.
" Saaya, what is that thing?" Naraku grunted, exerting most of his strength. Saaya strained her eyes into the darkness. The thing wrapped around her was plant-like, sort of like Naraku's appendages had been. But this seemed real and alive. Whatever it was had teeth that were digging into her flesh and drawing blood.
" I don't know." She called.
" Saaya!" Saaya heard Sango yelled. She looked up to see the demon slayer on Kirara gliding toward them. " It's a tree that's been infested with demonic spores! Once infected, it comes to life and attacks whatever moves!"
" Great. Now we know what it is, know how to destroy it?" Naraku yelled, struggling to keep hold on both Saaya and the cliff.
" It has to be purified, but—."
" Great, so where's Kagome?" Saaya called.
" Right here!" She heard Kagome cry out all of a sudden. Kagome had taken Kirura and was aiming at the demonic plant with her arrow.
" Go!" she yelled as she let it fly. At the same moment, Sango suddenly screamed, " NO!"
The tree and the arrow exploded in a bright light and fell still. But at the same time, Saaya gasped and started choking. Naraku's eyes widened and he started climbing the plants toward her. He reached where she was and tore the plants holding her apart.
" Kagome, I tried to warn you!" Sango cried. " If you purify the plants, you purify Saaya too!"
" Oh no!" Kagome exclaimed in horror. She gazed at Saaya, terror-stricken as Naraku gathered up her limp body in his left arm, holding onto the cliff with the other. " Saaya?" he said to her. She didn't move. His eyes narrowed. " No."
By now, InuYasha had jumped up to their position and snatched Saaya from Naraku. " Take your hands off of her!" he snapped. He leapt back down to the ground with a bewildered Naraku staring after him. He glanced up at Kagome.
" InuYasha still doesn't trust me, does he?"
" Afraid not." Kagome said. " Can you blame him?"
Naraku chuckled dryly. " No, I suppose not." He said. Kagome steered Kirura over. " Here, get on." She said. Naraku easily transferred himself from the cliff to the fire cat's back and Kagome followed Sango to the bottom of the canyon.
InuYasha, Saeka and Miroku were bending over Saaya, trying to wake her up. Naraku jumped from Kirura's back and hurried over. " Saaya!" he yelled. InuYasha snarled at him. " Stay away from her!" he bellowed.
" InuYasha, come here." Kagome snapped. InuYasha got up and went over.
" What? What'd you want me for?" he demanded. Kagome crossed her arms. " I didn't want Saaya to get hurt. SIT BOY!!!"
THUD!!!
" It would seem that she'd been knocked cold." Miroku said, checking her pulse and temperature. " She's still alive, so the purifying mustn't have affected her too badly."
" She'll be okay?" Naraku inquired. Miroku glared at him at first, but then his gaze softened. " Yes. She'll be fine." He said gravely. He watched as his ex-enemy carefully picked her up and carried her a ways away, setting her down against a pile of rocks. He raised her head up a bit and placed his arm beneath it to support it.
Kagome smiled and turned to her friends and family. " I think we should stop for the night. It seems the danger her predicted is gone." She announced. Sango nodded. " Yep. He was right on the guess for that. That plant demon would have been tricky if it had gotten a chance to take her."
" I'm glad he did sense that. I would have lost my daughter—again." Saeka groaned.
" I'm convinced that Naraku truly wanted to save her." Miroku said. " But, I can't help but get the feeling he's after something." He said, folding his arms and glancing to the side suspiciously. Sango rolled her eyes. " Of course he's after something. He's after our trust so he can be with Saaya. We aren't stupid."
" Does that account for all of us?" Saeka asked, rejoining them and looking over at InuYasha who was just flipping himself upright.
They all burst out laughing.
" His son? You are Amanamaru's father?" Sesshomaru said, stunned. Golgiroth nodded weakly. " Yes. He was of my mate's brood. However she is long since passed on along with many of my children after the humans and demons drove us away. Amanamaru was always different from his siblings and that showed in how he behaved then."
" What happened?" Sesshomaru asked. By now, several young dragons were crowding around him curiously. Sesshomaru felt his arm being nudged by the same Saeka clone he'd seen earlier. Golgiroth made a low, rumbling noise in his throat. The little dragon sat down, eyes staring up at Sesshomaru.
" That is one of my brood." Golgiroth said proudly. She's distantly related to my son. But to return to your question, many, many years ago, the Dragon Clan of the north was thriving alongside the demons of the domain. But somehow, a feud broke out amongst us and we were driven back into the deepest recesses of the north. Amanamaru was powerful and strong and he fought for us, even though many of us didn't accept him because of his physical differences. He led a good deal of us through the north to a safer region in the mountains. However, many of us became separated from Amanamaru and the other dragons who were with him. Those of us who remained with me made our way into these underground chambers where we have lived for decades. I never heard much from my son, although he told me at one point that he had begotten a son of his own to fight for us. After that one message, he vanished and I've never heard from him."
Golgiroth shook his head sadly.
" I know what has become of him." Sesshomaru said. Golgiroth's ears perked up. " My son? You know of his whereabouts? If so, then you must know what has become of his son as well. Please inform me!"
Sesshomaru bowed his head. " Amanamaru is dead." He announced. " It was I who killed him. I apologize. He was attacking a close friend of mine. I had no other choice but to allow what occurred."
Golgiroth whined in a high, whistling sound and shook his head sadly. " I hold no grudge against you. A dragon goes by the code of rules and one is to never cause harm to innocents if at all possible. It's one of our ancient laws, but too many wrongdoers have broken these laws and given us bad names. That is why the world viewed us with distaste and drove us away. But, although it is sad that our leader Amanamaru has perished, we would at least have his son to guide us. Tell me, young demon, but do you know of Amanamaru's son's whereabouts?"
" I regret to inform this to you as well." Sesshomaru murmured. " I'm afraid Amanamaru sent you the news of his own son before the child was born. His son turned out to be a daughter."
Golgiroth snarled, not at Sesshomaru, but at his son's ignorance. " Curse him! Knowing his temper, he probably even killed the mate who bore the child!" he hissed. His empty gaze fell on Sesshomaru. " How do you know all of this?" he asked.
" His daughter's name is Saeka. She was the one he was attacking, claiming he wanted her dead because she wasn't the son he desired. She killed him with a sword made from the bones of her mother. It opened a portal that swallowed him and I prevented him from taking her with him into it." Sesshomaru explained.
" So you are close with this daughter of Amanamaru's. Do you know her well?" Golgiroth asked, cocking his head to the side. Sesshomaru smiled ever so slightly. " Not really, she's the mother of my daughter." He said, a touch of amusement in his voice. To his surprise, Golgiroth erupted in a hacking laughter.
" You are mated to my granddaughter! How splendid! Then you would be able to find her and convince her to lead us back to our domain." Golgiroth said, leaning off the rocky surface he was laying on. Sesshomaru looked away.
" I'm afraid I cannot." He said. " Over the past nine years since we met, Saeka and I have gone through many hard times and much ill luck. We lost our first daughter to a city far into the future and we almost lost our second daughter to an old enemy whose heart she captured. I left Saeka behind in the village we had been staying at, in the hopes that she would be safe and start a new life without me. I pray you will understand." Sesshomaru said blankly, looking up at the dragon leader. He heard several murmurs of suspicion in the background, but paid them no mind as Golgiroth digested what he just told him. " I see. You were concerned for Saeka's life and abandoned her to protect her."
" I wish I had had some other option." Sesshomaru said, trying to keep the subject on track. He wasn't sure what these dragons were capable of. If they held him responsible for some reason and joined up as one against him, he'd never leave this cavern alive and he knew it. Not unless he transformed and he could do that. He'd end up killing Saeka's people she didn't even know about. Golgiroth hummed. " I understand, young demon. It is in the nature of dog demons such as yourself to put others before their own interests in most cases. You have performed well. I will not judge you for your choice."
He coughed a few times. " However, I do wish for you to pay us a favor for our hospitality." He said.
" What is it?"
Golgiroth fixed him with an iron stare in his misty, blank eyes.
" I want you to lead us." He said quietly. Sesshomaru's eyes widened.
" You want me to lead you? You just told me you wanted Saeka." He said. Golgiroth grumbled low and bobbed his head once. " True, but you are her mate, so you would be just as helpful. Unless, you are willing to track her down and inform her of this situation. She must know who she is and what her destiny is to be if she should reclaim her place amongst the Dragon Clan of the north."
Sesshomaru looked at the ground. " I cannot accept. I am the ruler of the western domain. I can't lead you back to your territory."
Golgiroth lowered his head sadly. He turned upon his family sitting all around, watching anxiously for news. " Look upon my tribe, young demon." He said sorrowfully. " See how small they are in comparison to me? Each year, our blood grows thinner and our minds grow weaker. Our bodies grow smaller and we lose our power with each generation. We are the last of The Northern Dragon Clan. My son, Amanamaru was our one and only hope and he went and got himself slain by his own child. I am nearing the time of my passing into the afterlife. I cannot lead my people back to our lands, now that they are clear of demons and humans. If I should die and leave them, they will soon follow me if they stay in this chamber. You must help us somehow."
Sesshomaru glanced to the side. " I don't know how I could help. I don't understand your language, so it's likely your people won't listen to me. Aside from that, I am a dog demon. I was born in order to rule the western lands after my father. The only one who would help you is Saeka. I don't know where she is. And, since I left her so suddenly, she wouldn't allow me to return. She'd run before I could get close enough to explain."
Golgiroth flapped his tail on the stone floor thoughtfully. " This does pose a problem. If Saeka is anything like her father, she'll be stubborn and let pride win over love. Hmm."
He looked away, pondering. His eyes closed and he hummed. " Very well. We shall dwell on this. For now, you shall accept our invitation to stay here awhile until we figure this out. I won't let you say no. After all, you're my granddaughter's mate; it's the very least we can do."
He gestured to the young dragon that had led Sesshomaru to the cavern.
" Crin, gou so montamo se'iil prafarvarr ati'oona."
The young dragon growled in reply and stepped down off the platform. He looked at Sesshomaru and grumbled, " Folloh."
He led Sesshomaru past Golgiroth's rock platform toward a small crevice in the rock wall. He stopped beside it and gestured inside.
" You want me to go inside?" Sesshomaru said. He wasn't concerned about it that much. He nodded.
" Gou stah heh. Gou ah gist. Golgiroth seah soh."
Sesshomaru carefully stepped inside and sat down against the rock wall. The dragon stuck his head in a ways. " Rist. Golgiroth seah soh."
Sesshomaru nodded, only half sure of what was just said to him. The dragon left him alone to collect his thoughts. Mostly, they were on Saeka, and how thrilled she'd be to discover that she still had family up in the north. He sighed and leaned his head against the wall.
" 'Cuse me?" a small voice said from the mouth of the crevice. Sesshomaru opened his eyes to see a small girl with greenish hair tied back in a tight braid and tied at both ends so it stuck to the back of her head and hung down. Her eyes were the same shade of green as Saeka's and she held a cup filled with a reddish liquid in her hands. He noticed she had tiny claws at the tips of each of her fingers.
" Who are you?" he asked carefully. She came further in and sat down.
" Forgive intrusion, I named Saysuku. I Dragon Clan daughter. Father Crin, gou guide here. I still liearn speak good Einglesh." She said, stumbling over her words as she struggled to make it so he could understand her.
" Saysuku. Is that your name?" he said evenly so she could understand him. She nodded. " Ki. I understand good Einglesh, no speak, yet."
" You seem to do very well. Your father couldn't speak it very well." He pointed out. Saysuku shrugged. " I want liearn. Grandsire Golgiroth teach Saysuku. I want liearn good Einglesh like grandsire Golgiroth and be com…uh, communi…communic…uh…."
" Communicator?" Sesshomaru said for her. Saysuku nodded exuberantly.
" Ki, ki. That right. I want be that."
" Seems like you're heading down the correct path." He said. Saysuku sighed and looked away. " I no even master true form, yet. I do this form with charter." She admitted, looking down at her human body.
" It's hard when you're learning. After awhile, it becomes second nature." Sesshomaru said. Saysuku smiled. " I glad. It very hard keeping form." She said. Sesshomaru gave a curious glance to the cup she was holding. " What is that?" he asked. Saysuku looked at the item in her possession. " This for gou. Grandsire Golgiroth tell Saysuku bring to gou. What name, again?" she asked.
" Sesshomaru."
" Sehchomaroo." She said clumsily.
" Close enough." He said. He was used to funny pronunciations of his name. He'd heard much worse from the village children in their attempts. She beamed at him. He was suddenly reminded of his first meeting with Rin. He couldn't understand why she had smiled at him when he inquired on the bruises she'd had. He now knew that she realized he cared at the moment, even if he didn't at the time.
" Here." Saysuku said, handing him the cup. He took it and inspected it.
" What is this?" he asked, smelling it cautiously.
" Special cold weather. Mama make it special. Kills chills." She said. He sniffed it again and looked at her.
" Try." She said. He sighed and looked at it again. He supposed if he wanted to stay on their good sides, he should try it. His blood would kill anything in it anyway. He carefully brought it to his lips and took a tentative sip.
" Interesting. It tastes like pepper." He said.
" Saysuku leave now. Buinagiordia." She said, exiting the cave. He set the cup down as far from him as he could. He couldn't stand how it tasted and thanked the heavens he was able to keep a straight face. That stuff tasted horrible.
Suddenly, he felt extremely dizzy and exhausted. He wasn't sure what it was, only that the room was spinning. He shook his head and gasped. His vision was going black, just like it had the day The Crush started working its effects on him.
" No." he murmured. He felt himself falling. This shouldn't be happening. No way would a simple sleeping potion have this sort of effect on someone as powerful as him. But whatever was happening to him, it was happening fast.
He thought he saw Saysuku at the entrance once more, watching him sadly as his vision failed and he lost consciousness.
Saaya moaned in pain and opened her eyes. The remains of a fire were dying out as the first rays of morning met her tired eyes. Everyone was asleep around the embers. She couldn't recall much of the night before, only that she'd been captured by something and Naraku had said something. She wasn't sure what it had been, only that she had been deeply touched.
She felt something move beneath her head and turned to the left a bit. She smiled when she saw him watching her, his arm underneath her head supportively.
" Hey." He said. " Good morning."
" Good morning." She replied. She looked blearily around. " What happened? Last night, I mean? What was that thing?"
She tried to move, but fell back with a groan of pain. The purification arrow had affected her greatly.
" Don't move." He said. " You were almost purified by Kagome's arrow. You were pretty lucky."
" Sorry. I must have worried you." Saaya mumbled. She squeezed her eyes shut. " I don't remember ever being scared like that before. When the thing whipped me off into the darkness, I thought I was going to be eaten alive." She said shakily. He shifted his arm under her head and pulled her closer with his other one. " You weren't." he whispered. " I wasn't going to let that happen. Not while I'm alive."
She smiled weakly. " Thanks." She said. But she still seemed about to cry from fear and shock. He carefully leaned in and kissed her trembling mouth gently. " Be still." He said. " You have to recover and might as well take advantage of this quiet while your nutty uncle is still asleep."
She nodded and snuggled closer to him, closing her eyes and sighing wearily. " Thank you." She said again. Within minutes, she was fast asleep. He smiled warmly at her and leaned his cheek against her smooth hair. It had been a long night, but it had been worth it. Perhaps it had given InuYasha insight on how much he truly cared for her.
He gazed up at the sky through rolled eyes so as not to disturb her.
Unknowingly, he smiled.
" Key somo tenaii, Golgiroth." Crin said. Golgiroth nodded. " Excellent." He said to both himself and the dragon who could understand what he was saying, but was unable to speak it. "I had a feeling that the dose was strong enough. It worked quite well. He'll sleep for just the right amount of time. And we need all the time we have. Fetch the Senshess, Yukoto. She'll have just the right charter."
Golgiroth focused his gaze on the crevice in which the young demon lay unconscious from the dosage. Perhaps, it had been a little too strong, Golgiroth thought to himself. But, his blood is powerful and might have ridded his system of it too early. He has to stay asleep.
He watched as the aging female approached the cave, passing a sobbing Saysuku beside her mother, in her original dragon form. Golgiroth sighed and shook his head.
" This had better be worth It." He grumbled.
A/N: I know that I had Sesshomaru end up being drugged into sleep. Sorry. But there's a reason and this reason will help enormously. Kinkatia approved the chapter so it's going in! Make sure to tell me what you think! Also, people seem to like fluff, so I put some in.