-1A/N: Hey! Guess what! At last count, there were 43 reviews for this story! Thank you to all those who reviewed! I really wasn't expecting that many, especially if my English class papers' grades were any scale to judge it by. Thanks again!On a completely different note, I would like to inform you that if I had titled this chapter, I would call it 'Humanity 101: Sessy's Crash Course.' He'll be out of character because, well, remember, he's human now, not demon. That'll probably change your character, just a bit. If Sesshy's not going to change his outlook on life, I'll do it for him. Enough of my ranting and along with the show!
Chapter 9
Kagome suddenly stiffened, searching out mentally. The group was almost to Kaeda's village where they had planned to rest before heading out to Naraku's castle. They would be led by Kagome who could, at last, sense the Shikon Jewel through all of Naraku's barriers. But now she stopped walking- she had suddenly sensed something.
"Kagome?" asked Shippo from her shoulder, causing the rest of the group to turn around to face her.
"I just…I wasn't paying it any attention before…and now….I think he's in trouble….or maybe he's attacking," muttered Kagome, still fazed out from the rest of the group.
"Kagome! What are you trying to say?" barked Inuyasha, not angry at Kagome, but worried for her.
Kagome seemed to come to herself, "I sense Kohaku's jewel shard. He's pretty close and heading our way. I think he's running away from Naraku…or…he could be attacking with Naraku's horde of demons. I'm not sure, I only just sensed it, I was, er, not paying much attention," she finished weakly. True, she hadn't been paying attention to Naraku and his minions, yet she had been paying attention- focused on searching for a certain demon lord's aura. She couldn't sense Sesshomaru's aura anywhere and was beginning to worry.
"Kohaku?" whispered Sango tentatively, staring at the woods surrounding her as if he were hiding behind one of the trees. Miroku closed his eyes until he could feel the evil demonic aura approaching with speed. There was definitely a horde of demons coming in fast. Inuyasha sniffed the air, catching both the scent of the demon horde and Naraku.
They all stood around nervously until Kagome suggested, "Let's go see what's happening. We may be able to help." The group nodded as one and Kirara transformed allowing Miroku and Sango to travel on her back. Kagome took her place on Inuyasha's back, though it no longer felt so…intimate to her. Now, it was just a necessity to be able to travel faster.
The group took off towards the speeding demonic aura. Inuyasha stopped just outside a clearing, Kirara landing beside him to figure out exactly what was going on.
They didn't have to wait long before Kohaku broke into the clearing, his clothes ripped and tattered. He tripped and fell, adding more scratches to his already battered body. He stumbled back to his feet, looking fearfully behind him as the demon horde entered the clearing, gaining on him. He began running again, his breathing frantic and Inuyasha could hear the boy's heart pounding in his chest. Miroku was restraining Sango from running to her little brother.
"Wait," mouthed Miroku to her.
Kohaku tripped and fell again, the demon horde getting closer, now upon him.
"Trying to run, boy? We shall eat you!" hissed a flying centipede-like demon, diving for the boy.
Hiraikotsu!" yelled Sango, throwing her boomerang as soon as Miroku released her. Her weapon flew through the air, ripping off the centipede's head. The rest of the demons paused from shock at the first death. Inuyasha jumped into the clearing, drawing his Tessaiga. He landed between Kohaku and the horde of demons.
"You're all going to die! Wind Scar!" threatened Inuyasha, swinging his sword and releasing the wind scar. The powerful attack blasted apart all of the attacking demons.
Sango ran to her brother as Inuyasha sheathed his sword. To the surprise of them all, Kohaku ran to meet Sango yelling, "Sister! I finally broke free of Naraku!"
Later that night, the gang plus Kohaku were sitting in Kaeda's village eating ramen. Kohaku was explaining his story. "Naraku came back to the castle in pieces. He couldn't regenerate due to the purification. Being as weak as he was, he finally lost control of my mind. I finally came to myself and ran for it. Naraku was too weak himself to follow me, so he sent that horde of demons after me instead. I'm really free of him Sister!"
"Kohaku," said Sango, her voice no more than a squeak as she tried to keep her voice even. Tears began to splash down her cheeks as she gathered her little brother in her arms, hugging him tightly.
"Humans are so pathetic," grunted Inuyasha before turning away from the scene and closing his eyes to sleep.
Kagome sighed at his back while Miroku sighed at Sango, just wishing he could be in Kohaku's place at that moment.
O0o.o0O
"How do humans live this way?" growled Sesshomaru to relieve his stress. He had followed the path only to find that, instead of going up the mountain, it traveled downwards until it came to a near sheer cliff face. He was currently pulling himself up it, sharp hand-hold by sharp hand-hold. The rough rocks had torn his skin away, leaving raw skin. He had already wasted hours of the day climbing and his once useful and beloved swords hung from his waist now hindering him rather than helping. He put his hand up to find his next hand-hold and found it completely flat. That meant he had reached the top of the cliff, finally. He pulled his sore body to the top and collapsed to the ground thinking, "So this is what it feels like to be human. So much pain and so many intense emotions." Yes, Sesshomaru had been hit by human emotions. First, he had felt determined, then he began to feel frustrated as he climbed. Now, he was on the verge of anger as he had just wasted so much time to only progress about 30 feet up the mountain vertically. He tried to calm himself down so that he could think rationally. All he could think was, "This is unbecoming of a demon, especially these emotions."
He fell into an uneasy slumber and awoke feeling stiff near dark. He ripped part of his kimono off and tore it into two long shreds. He used these to bandage his hands and protect them from…well…he didn't know what yet. He continued on his way, starting to feel how heavy his feet were, and longed to kick off his ankle-high boots, yet he resisted this urge and kept pushing himself to make it to the first pole. He would rest there, he promised himself.
The path now rose to a steep slope, and Sesshomaru pushed himself doggedly on. He finally reached the first pole and saw Sasarg waiting for him. The once-great-dog-demon flung his human body to the ground.
"So, you have survived your first day as a human. Have you learned anything yet?" asked the guardian.
Sesshomaru nodded, "Humans are so frail. It amazes me that they even dare to venture out of their own homes."
"So, in other words, you are amazed at what humans have accomplished, even though they are so weak. They do not let fear keep them from living," summed up the guardian, earning him a dark glare from Sesshomaru. "Now, you have reached the first pole. I'm sure you've been anxious to know which of your feeble human abilities I will take. Yes? I will take the one you have relied on the heaviest so far- your ability to see!"
"What!" yelled Sesshomaru, once again unable to control his emotions due to the now human blood in his veins. Before he could get in another word, however, that strange wind picked up again and seemed to rush through his very body. When it had passed, Sesshomaru was staring into a world of blackness. He tried to blink the darkness away, but everything was still a blanket of nothingness. He was now human AND blind!
Sasarg the guardian informed him, "Oh, and by the way, the path next leads through the trees. Be sure to stay on the path, for the creatures in the woods are not all friendly. Learn to trust your other senses."
Sesshomaru felt a small swirling of wind and imagined that the guardian had once again disappeared. On a logical train of thought, he bent down and felt out for some lose rocks to point the way to take on the path, so that when he woke up the next morning, he could be sure he was heading in the right direction. He fell into and uneasy and cold sleep, in which he dreamed of Kagome mating with Naraku.
He awoke abruptly and felt the sun warming his body. His dream still haunted him. He couldn't explain why, but he felt some sort of anger. "This must be jealousy," he told himself, "How irrational to feel this way when I know she would never do that." Yet now a feeling of doubt hung over him as he felt for the rocks he had placed before he had fallen asleep.
He continued along what he hoped was the path. The path itself seemed to be more smooth with small gravels on it. At it's first curve, he accidentally stepped off the path, but instantly knew it as he stepped on the dewy grass. Suddenly, he felt that he might be able to get to the top after all. Not having sight wasn't too bad- until he came to the trees. Without warning Sesshomaru walked right into a tree. If he had had sight, he would've seen it growing in the middle of the path. However, he did not and as a result, he was now picking himself up off of the ground, rubbing his rear indignantly. "What do I care if I look weak? Who is around to judge me now?" he reassured himself. This time he continued along the path, stepping around the tree. He put his hands out in front of him to ward off anymore trees. Yet, no matter how sure he was that there was no tree in his next step, he always hit another tree. His nose was hurting, as was his pride. He fell down three more times before concluding that the trees were moving. He decided to focus his remaining senses. Taking a deep breath, he caught the smell of the trees bark. It had a woodsy scent, mixed with dirt, and fall leaves. He had never noticed that trees had a scent before. He also noticed that the scent seemed to swirl slowly, adding more evidence to his theory that the trees were actually moving. Next, he brought his hands back to his body-no longer were they fanning out looking for trees he might hit. They lay by his sides casually. Sesshomaru concentrated on sensing the trees- not in the ordinary way. No, he was feeling for the warmth off their bark, letting it hit his skin until he had a mental image of the woods around him. He now began stepping forward again, this time being able to sidestep the trees, moving or not. He continued on his way until he heard a rustling behind him.
His ears strained until he caught what it was saying, "A traveler has wandered off the path. How unfortunate for him. If he continues the way he is going, he shall fall into one of our traps and we will eat him."
Now that Sesshomaru's ears were straining, he could hear more voices in the woods. He silently cursed himself for not staying on the path, but in the woods, there was no difference between the surface of the path and of the forest floor. He listened to the other voices.
"He hears us now. Let us lead him back to the path."
More voices called out in front of him, "Here! Come this way! We shall lead you back to the path!"
Sesshomaru almost obliged and followed the voices until he remembered the guardian's warning of the evil creatures. He also remembered the earlier voice saying something about a trap up ahead.
"I will not trust you creatures," he called out into the woods. He heard the voices laughing at him.
They continued speaking, "Don't you understand? There is no path through these woods. You may stumble around in the dark till you die of hunger and thirst or you could follow us now and die a quick death."
"I shall never give up," replied Sesshomaru coolly. The voices laughed again.
"Yes you shall. Death will force you to." They continued to laugh, but stopped abruptly when a stout wind blew through the forest. Sesshomaru could smell grass in the air.
"Sasarg. Is that you?" he called out.
"Indeed it is. So you've strengthened your senses. Good for you. Not many people ever get this far into the trees. Most of them only get a couple of feet." Sasarg was taking too much joy in his pain, Sesshomaru decided.
"Guardian, where is the path? There is a path right?"
Sasarg sighed, "No, there never was a path through the trees. You must make your own path. Listen to the voices that you trust. They come from your own mind. I hope you know at least one person you trust, but judging by that expression on your face, you've never trusted anyone with your life, or less. You must learn to trust someone if you are to make it through these woods alive. If you make it through, you'll find another pole on the other side."
With that, the wind picked up again and Sesshomaru knew he was by himself again, except for those voices and the creatures they belonged too. He tried focusing again, trying to find a voice he trusted.
"My Lord," said a voice behind him. It was Jaken. "My Lord," he repeated, "Why do you stand such trials for a human? It is beneath you. Go back, my lord. Save yourself, don't worry yourself over their sakes. Come back this way and turn away from them."
"Sesshomaru!" came Inuyasha's voice from his right, "You kissed Kagome! You bastard! She's mine! Come this way and I'll show you a sure way out. You lying, cheating, stealing bastard! I'll kill you myself, just come this way!"
"Lord Sesshomaru! Will you remember me when I die? Come Lord Sesshomaru, I can show you a tree! A tree that will allow me to stay with you forever! This way!" It was Rin's voice, he took his first step in her direction, to the front and a bit to the left. He continued to follow her voice, finding himself stumbling less as she led him through the trees. But then he came to a ravine. He almost fell as his foot tried to step into air. He pulled himself back from the edge quickly.
"Rin?" he called out into the woods. All the other voices were still calling his name and directions for him to follow. He tried to focus on her voice, but all he could hear was her sobs. "What's the matter Rin?" he asked.
Rin answered pitifully, "I'm sorry Lord Sesshomaru! I'm not strong enough to save you! I don't know how!"
"That's why I'm here," said a new sweet, soft voice.
Sesshomaru couldn't explain why it comforted him so much. "Kagome?" he whispered hoarsely.
"Of course it's me silly. Why would I not be here? Do you not trust me?" asked Kagome voice.
Sesshomaru thought about it, and suddenly realized that, without a doubt and by no logical explanations, he undeniably trusted Kagome. "I do trust you," he whispered.
"With your life?" she inquired. All his focus was on her voice now. He didn't even recognize that the other voices were still speaking to him.
"With my life," he answered.
"Then jump," she commanded.
"Jump?" he asked skeptically.
"I thought you said you trusted me. Jump!" Kagome's voice said sternly.
Sesshomaru took a deep breath and jump into the ravine. He felt the air go by him on his way down, stopping quite abruptly as his feet hit the bottom. The 'ravine' had only been about four feet deep, and had he been able to see, he would've called it a ledge, for it had no other side leading back up and he was now standing back on the path. He could feel its gravel beneath his feet. He began to smell the air, walking forward slowly. He was defiantly out of the woods now, he could no smell the trees' bark, and the voices had disappeared.
"Over here!" he heard Sasarg calling him. He walked towards him. The guardian looked him over. "I'm impressed," he said, "Not many have ever made it to the second pole, and you're the first blind human to ever do such. What have you learned?"
Sesshomaru's old coldness came back, and he refused to answer, choosing to remain silent than to speak of his realization in the woods. It would hurt what was left of his pride to have to say it aloud.
"Oh, not this again," scorned the guardian, "Remember, I control everything. Speak now before I choose to take even more away from you or make the path more complicated."
Sesshomaru closed his blind eyes while speaking, as though it would make everything go away, "I must be going soft to say it, but I learned that I have people in my life that I trust. Are you happy now?" said Sesshomaru all very quickly sounding a lot like Inuyasha. "Stupid human emotions," he cursed himself silently once more.
"Ah, so you did," chirped Sasarg, obviously happy. "You also learned the value of an ability you took for granted before- sight. AND you strengthened your abilities of smell, hearing, and touch, even if it was unconsciously done so."
"How do you know?" asked Sesshomaru.
"I can read your soul, and your mind, even your memories."
"Then why did I have to tell you what I learned if you already knew?" bitterly asked Sesshomaru.
"Because I want you to admit it to yourself out loud. Any more questions before I take your next ability away?"
"Just a few, like, what were those things in the woods?"
"Those were creatures created by me who could take on the voice and form of people in your memory."
"What is the next danger?"
"I can't tell you that. IT would ruin the..um...surprise."
"Then, what is the next ability you're going to take?"
"Your ability to smell, of course."
"Of course," repeated Sesshomaru bitterly. "Just one more question then."
"Ask away!" exclaimed the guardian.
"Where can I find some food? I'm starving," said Sesshomaru, his stomach giving a sudden grumble in agreement. He had been trying to ignore the human's need for 3 square meals a day, but now he could no longer stand the feeling of emptiness. He also had a raging thirst.
This seemed to amuse Sasarg. "I'm afraid I have none with me, but there is food at the end of this trial. Humans can go 18 days without food. You'll be fine for a while. And if that's all, then I'll be taking your ability to smell."
The wind blew through and Sesshomaru was left alone, now only able to hear, speak, and feel. He started following the path again, seeing no reason to pause as it would only make him focus on his hunger. So, he continued on the path that went at a steady inclining angle until the noise of water reached his ears. He stumbled along, his weariness leaving him as he found a fresh steam to fuel himself. He fell to his knees at the water's edge, scooping up a mouthful of water and bringing to his mouth.
After satisfying his thirst, he rested by the side of the stream, though by the sound of it, was more of a mess of swirling rapids. The path had ended by its bank, so he assumed that must mean that he had to cross the flowing water to find the rest of his path. He ears listened to the melody of the waters, crashing on rocks and swirling around them. "That must be it," he thought. He had to cross over the stones in the rapids to get across. He stood back up and turned his ear towards the water. The peak of the waters crashing should be on the edge of the stone- a small jump to the first one, he judged. Taking a leap of faith, quite literally, he landed on the sleek stone, nearly losing his balance and falling into the swirling water. He took a deep breath and listened for his next jump, this time prepared for the slimy surface, lest he would fall. He slowly made his way over the broad stream, which he had decided must really be a river. The further he went, the faster he caught the sound of the water crashing around the rocks and the better his balance became. Soon, he was nearly gliding from rock to rock carefree. He reached the opposite bank some time later, quickly finding the path again, well, quickly for a blind human with no sense of smell.
"You still hungry?" asked Sasarg all of a sudden, spooking Sesshomaru who couldn't smell him in the air. Sesshomaru nodded, following the voice of the guardian. The old man continued, "I thought so. You have made it across the river. I must say I'm impressed once again. You picked up on the stone thing quite quickly, perhaps I underestimated you when I set up this challenge. Never fear. There will be plenty more chances to challenge you in the path ahead. But now, you may eat. There are two whole bushels of apples here."
Sesshomaru searched around when his hands until he came in contact with the basket and then the plump, firm fruit. He grabbed one and went to take a bite but was stopped by Sasarg, "I wouldn't do that if I were you," the guardian warned.
"Why not?" asked Sesshomaru, barely able to keep his hungry lips away from the fruit.
"Apples have a way of attracting bugs..worms and such. I just happen to know that all of the apples in these two bushels have insects crawling within them," informed the old man.
"Is that all?" asked Sesshomaru nonchalantly, so hungry, a few bugs would taste good. He again went to take a bite only to have Sasarg interrupt him again.
"No, that is not all. The worms in the apples are poisonous. One bite, and you'd be dead in a few hours. Take my word for it, I created them," finished Sasarg smugly. Sesshomaru threw the apple away from his mouth. He wasn't feeling too hungry anymore.
"Why did you show me the apples if I can't eat them?" asked Sesshomaru angrily, what little patience he had was now gone.
"Let me finish," responded the guardian, "Anyway, as I was saying, all of these apples have poisonous worms in them, all except one. Consider it a challenge. I'll see you when you're through."
Sesshomaru was left alone with a grumbling stomach and two bushels of delectable apples he couldn't eat. "How unfair," he thought, grabbing one of the bushels and pulling it towards him, wondering what would be the best way to distinguish them.
First, he separated them into three piles on the basis of how firm they were. The squishy ones got marked off the list and thrown into one pile, medium ones were thrown in another pile and the really firm ones had their own pile as well. Then Sesshomaru went through the abilities he had left: he had already used the ability to feel, or touch; he still had the ability to speak, though that wasn't helping him any, and the ability to argue wasn't getting him anywhere either. He silently wondered if he might be able to shout at the apples. It might not help him find the right apple, but it would make him feel better at least. Pushing that thought aside, he came to the conclusion that the only ability he had left of any use was his sense of hearing. Maybe the bad apples sounded different than the one good one.
He tentatively put an apple up to his ear, already aware of how stupid he looked. He allowed his breathing to settle as his tried to find anything out of the ordinary. Seconds, went by, maybe minutes even, yet he intently listened to the apple. He could hear...munching. He could hear the worm eating away at the inside of the apple. His heart leaped for joy at his discovery. He threw that apple away, turning to the pile of the firmest apples. He did the same thing for each of them, yet in the end, he had thrown all of them away.
Now he turned to the pile of medium firmness. One by one, he threw each of them away too. So it was down to the pile of mushy apples. All this work for one mushy apple. He found it on his third try, yet checked the rest anyway, just to be sure. The apple felt bruised yet Sesshomaru got ready to hungrily take a bite out of it until-
"Sir, please mister. Could I have your apple? I'm so hungry mister." It was a small boy's voice yet it reminded Sesshomaru of Rin.
Sesshomaru was not fazed. There couldn't be a real human child up here. Sasarg had told him that he was the first in centuries. Besides, he was hungry too, and he had been the one to do all the work to find this apple. Yet the child went on whining and pleading.
"Sasarg, quit the games," ordered Sesshomaru fiercely.
"Oh, I'm not playing," answered Sasarg, coming in on a wind. "I nabbed him from a local village when you completed the last challenge with such ease. A little urchin he is, and very much alive and real...for now. I expect he won't last another day if he doesn't get something to eat soon. Could you live with the fact that you had the chance to save this little boy's life and you let him die?" inquired Sasarg.
Sesshomaru thought about it while he licked his lips. He could live with it, he was pretty sure he could, but then, if he actually accomplished what he had set out to do, what next? He would turn Kagome into a demon and then take her as his mate. What would he tell her of his journey? "I let a little boy die so that I could eat an apple and continue along the path?" The thought just turned his stomach in something he imagined must be guilt. These human emotions were still so new, so different. He wished for his demonic control over them to be returned so badly.
Finally, he had made up his mind, handing the apple to the little boy while asking Sasarg, "So, how long did you say a human could go without food?"
Sesshomaru couldn't see the guardian's smile as he answered, "May you never have to find out. Eat, there is now a full meal in front of you. I shall return the boy to his village now."
Sesshomaru was left in the silence of nature as he ate the best-tasting meal he had ever had. He soon fell asleep on a full stomach, thinking about a new type of pride he found in himself- the pride that he a done the right thing without expecting any profit to come from it. He was coming dangerously close to creating a conscience.
Sesshomaru awoke the next morning Sasarg's humming.
"Stop that infernal noise," growled Sesshomaru, trying to stretch out the soreness in his limbs.
"Ah, you're awake! You had no idea that you were sleeping right next to the third pole, did you? No, of course not," Sasarg answered himself not giving Sesshomaru time to respond. The guardian continued, "Well, welcome! Now, that you have had time to sleep on it, can you tell me what you learned since the second pole?"
Sesshomaru moaned, yet answered tonelessly anyway, "I learned that there is more than one kind of pride."
"Congratulations!" exclaimed Sasarg, "and I didn't have to threaten or beat it out of you. You have always shown pride, in your heritage, in your blood, in your powers. However doing the right thing, such as giving up your apple to save the little boy, gives you a deeper, more meaningful, earned pride. It's a pride you can have in yourself for the decisions you've made. Okay, so now you have one stretch of the path to finish. I'm sure you've realized the pattern of the trials by now: each part of the path tests and strengthens one physical aspect of your body while teaching you a new emotional skill. The first quarter of the path tested your brute strength, improving it, while teaching you to be more understanding of humans and their faults. Then, you lost your sight, and you had to improve you sense of hearing, smell, and touch to get you through the trees. You also had to consider what trusting someone with your life would mean. Next, you lost your sense of smell and saw vast improvements in your hearing and balance which allowed you to make it across the river. Then you arrived at the apples which taught you another form of pride and sparked something near a conscience, if I'm not mistaken. The last quarter will not follow this pattern. It will test your heart and help you discover who you truly are, perhaps even re-evaluate your priorities in life. Now, it's time for you to continue on your journey, so you must lose another ability- hearing this time. Now you'll be human, blind, unable to smell, AND deaf. You will still be able to hear me though, if I decide to speak to you, that is."
The familiar wind picked up and soon the world was completely black, odorless, and silent for Sesshomaru. He stood back up and searched for the soft gravels of the road under his feet. Finally finding it, he continued on his way.
O0o.o0O
Kohaku was awoken in the middle of the night by a gentle buzzing. He looked around to find its source and found some Saimyoshu above him. They were holding something. "My Kusarigama," he thought as he reached out to grab it. The instant it was in his hands, he felt a pulse in his back.
"Kill her," Naraku's voice whispered to him.
Kohaku's eyes glazed over as he stepped over his sleeping sister who turned in her sleep. He made his way to Kagome's sleeping bag. He raised the chain-blade weapon above his head, his hand shaking.
"Do it," whispered Naraku's voice again.
Kohaku closed his eyes as he brought the Kusarigama down on Kagome's heart. There was a soft cling of metal through flesh before Kagome's blood splattered onto the floor of the hut the group was sleeping in. She had never even woken up to feel the pain.
"Kohaku!" Sango's voice rent the night air in a ragged breath. "What have you done?" she asked desperately, hoping that she was just dreaming.
Her voice woke up the rest of the gang. As Inuyasha jerked awake, the smell of blood instantly met his nose. He jumped to Kagome's side, knowing it was too late already. He punch Kohaku into unconsciousness as he ran past. Inuyasha was in too much pain, too much grief. He had lost Kikyo just a few days before and now..."Kagome.." he whispered taking her cold, dead hand in his, "...I couldn't protect you..."
O0o.end of chapter.o0O
A/N: Hey! No flames! I got something up my sleeves. She's the main character right? I wouldn't leave her dead. I wouldn't be that cruel...or would I? I really have the power here...muhahahaha! You'll just have to wait and see. More reviews less wait. Hold on, before I go, I need to get out one more evil laugh: Muhaahahahhahhahaaha. clears throat Now I'm good. Catch ya later, Tiki Rane Gobell