Where oh where have my reviewers gone? Oh where oh where can they be?
Disclaimer: Due to lack of reviews, Kinkatia has fallen into a mini-depression, and is unable to say that she does not own anything copyrighted.
"Can't you just leave me alone?" Kishitaro snarled.
"Father wants to see you," Amoyael sneered.
"And what kind of child lets down their beloved father?" Antheron said mockingly.
"It's no use resisting," Amoyael said in an overly pleasant tone. "You're too weak to fight us, and our half-breed uncle isn't here to protect you this time."
"You can't make me go back there, Yael."
"Kishitaro, wait," Kagome interrupted, drying her eyes. "Like it or not, they're your family, and the only one you've got. You can't hide forever."
He looked at her in surprise. Surely she wasn't suggesting he allow his siblings to drag him back home? But one glance in her eyes, with some help from his telepathy, told him what she was thinking; You'll only get your freedom when your parents grant it to you. She was right, too. Perhaps now was the time to stand up for himself, and stop being a coward, running away instead of facing his greatest fear…
"Alright," he consented quietly. "I'll go."
"I'm coming, too," Kagome said.
"And why would we take a mortal to our home?" Antheron asked sarcastically.
"Because I personally know both your parents, and I wish to speak to them," she answered matter-of-factly. "It's been about five hundred years, but I'm sure they'll remember me."
"No human could possibly live that long," Amoyael said, glaring suspiciously at her.
"A time traveling well helps," Kagome replied. "And if you need any further proof, I have this." She reached up to her neck, pulling out a hidden chain; on the end of it was the Shikon Jewel.
"But that vanished five hundred years ago," Amoyael said in disbelief.
"Along with the priestess guarding it…" Antheron finished. The twins looked at each other uncertainly.
Kishitaro was impressed. Kagome had gone from crying her heart out to taking control of the situation in a matter of minutes.
"Alright," Antheron conceded. "We will take you as well. Even if you are lying, you will help us keep Kishitaro in line."
Amoyael turned to his brother, plucking his feather from the cord about his neck. "The human will fly with me, and should you flee from us, I will kill her."
Kishitaro stiffened. He had considered running away, but he would easily be caught in his weakened state. The best choice was to go with them. But the threat to Kagome's life instilled in him a fear he'd never felt before, and didn't completely understand.
"Agreed," Kagome said, jolting him from his thoughts. "Now let's go." Her commanding air startled the demons, but they shrugged it off. There were more important matters to see to.
They arrived at an old building sitting forlornly in an abandoned field, far from any civilization. The journey had taken some time, even with the amazing speed of the demons, leaving human dwellings far behind. Kagome had an uneasy feeling about the place. "Um, where are we?" she asked in a small voice.
Amoyael muttered something about 'pathetic humans' and walked over to join his sister. Kishitaro cut off anything Kagome was about to say when he approached her with a rueful smile. "This is my home," he explained. She looked very confused. "Here." He placed his hands on her head, humming softly. She closed her eyes. A tingling sensation washed over her, and when she opened her eyes again, she saw a vast city spreading out before her, streets crowded with demons of all kinds going about their business. The building they were standing in front of was huge, built for a king. "It's a spell to keep humans away."
"Hurry it up, Father's waited long enough for you," Antheron snapped. She led them into the building, down a long hall, through twisting corridors, finally stopping in an empty room. There were several windows along one wall, and a door on each of the others, one of which was the one they had entered through.
A few moments of silence passed before the door on the far side of the room opened. Two people stepped through it, both clad in red and white. As they silently and regally approached, Kagome could make out their faces. Sesshomaru and Kagura were visibly older than the last time she'd seen them, but their auras were still incredibly strong, if not stronger.
Kishitaro watched them come closer, sheer terror building inside him. He shouldn't have agreed to come back here. He began to tremble, visibly paling. This was the last place he wanted to be. He could only pray for mercy.
"I see you have returned with Kishitaro," Sesshomaru said stoically.
"As you have commanded, Father," Antheron said, just a hint of pride in her voice.
Sesshomaru's eyes came to rest on Kagome. For a moment, she sensed his anger at having a human brought into his home, but then recognition dawned on him. Soon after, Kagura remembered who she was as well.
"You are the priestess Kagome." It was the wind sorceress who had spoken. Kagome nodded. To her surprise, Kagura smiled. "We will speak after Sesshomaru and I are finished with our son." She gestured to the third door. "You may wait-"
"Actually, I'd prefer to stay here," Kagome said with a faked smile. Kagura eyed her suspiciously, but nodded her consent.
All eyes were then turned to Kishitaro. Kagome blinked in surprise; the poor demon was terrified out of his wits. Could he be afraid of his parents?
"You have broken the most important of our laws, Kishitaro," Sesshomaru said sternly, maybe even, angrily? "You must never have contact with the mortals. If our existence is discovered, the peace of our city would be destroyed, and the world would be thrown back into the warring of past centuries."
Kishitaro bowed his head in defeat. "I'm sorry, Father." It came out as a small, fear-filled squeak.
"This is the third time you have ventured into the mortals' domain. You can no longer be allowed to roam unsupervised. You will remain in this house unless escorted into the city. Is that understood?"
Kishitaro could barely comprehend what his father had told him. He was to be confined to the house. Indoors. At all times. The very thought was enough to shake his control. His telepathy wavered, reaching out for something to calm him. He found only one thing, one single thought. Kagome's thought. Come on, stand up for yourself.
"N…no." It was a whisper, barely audible, even to the sensitive ears of the demons. But that one tiny word was enough. The dam cracked. "No," he said louder, a bit of confidence returning to his voice.
Sesshomaru's eyes flashed red. "You dare to defy me?"
"You can't lock me away!" Kishitaro shouted.
Sesshomaru slashed out at him, raking his claws across his son's face. Instantly, fear returned to Kishitaro, and he fell to the ground, his quaking legs unable to support him. Kagome had seen enough.
"Stop this right now!" she demanded, stepping forward and shocking everybody. "That is no way to treat your son, Sesshomaru! No wonder he keeps running away! He's scared to death of you! At least hear what he has to say!" Kagome was mad, and no one messed with an angry Kagome. When she had finished berating Sesshomaru, much to the utter and complete shock of all three of his children, silence reigned. No one stirred for quite some time. (A/N: Cue the crickets!)
Kishitaro rose to his feet, caught somewhere between fear, anger, and disbelief. No one had ever defied his father and escaped unharmed. Yet he had shown no signs of aggression or anger toward Kagome. Slowly, his courage began to build.
"I want to be free," he said softly, his voice sounding out of place amid the resounding silence. "That's all I've ever wanted, Father." Sesshomaru's eyes came to rest upon him yet again, his gaze piercing. Still, Kishitaro went on. "I feel trapped here, in Okirei. It's suffocating at times. And I feel as if I don't belong here. Everyone hates me, because I will not learn to fight. I can't help who I am, Father. But you know I would never betray you, any of you. I just…I just want the freedom my soul longs for." He looked at the floor, waiting for his father to say something. All eyes were still on him; no one saw the single tear that slid down Kagura's face.
"He's right, you know. It isn't his fault he's telepathic. Everything else branches from his ability," spoke a sweet and gentle voice. Everyone turned to see who had spoken. Through the third door, someone else had entered the room.
"Lady Ai." Both Amoyael and Antheron had spoken as one, bowing respectfully.
"Ai?" Kagome asked quietly. It was indeed the same half-demon girl Kagome had helped to rescue from the Four War Gods. She was all grown up now, dressed in a flowing green robe, her dark hair hanging down to her waist.
"Lord Sesshomaru, hear me out, and you'll understand what I mean. When two people, such as yourself and Lady Kagura, have been together for a long time, they sometimes develop the ability to communicate without speaking. It is a mild form of telepathy, and you both know you have it. But because of it, you passed the ability onto Kishitaro. His telepathy, however, is strong, a rare and powerful gift. He could destroy entire nations with it if he so desired. The only drawback to using his gift for harm is that he will feel the anguish of each victim as if it were his own, and it would eat away at his soul. Telepathy was meant to be used to help people. It is very important that you understand that." Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed at the thought of his youngest son wandering around helping complete strangers. It would be a disgrace, going against all he stood for. "And know, that by performing these selfless acts of healing, your son will bring upon your family the greatest of honors; respect, not out of fear, but out of love, and this kind of respect lasts much longer than power ever could, and brings forth the greatest kind of loyalty."
Kagura lightly touched Sesshomaru's arm, and they looked at one another, their facial expressions clearly indicating that they disagreed on something. After a few moments, Kagura stepped forward, placing her hands on Kishitaro's shoulders with a soft smile. "Isn't it strange that the same girl who helped me to achieve my freedom, has also helped to give my son his."
"Y…you mean it?" Kishitaro stammered. Kagura nodded, and he hugged his mother happily, saying, "Thank you so much!" Then he turned to Sesshomaru, who was clearly not happy. "Thank you, Father."
Kagome smiled. All it took was a little encouragement, and he was able to stand up for himself. Once he had learned to do that, his allies came forth to help. Whatever happened next, she would be happy knowing that Kishitaro had found his happiness.
Ha-ha! Kagome totally told off Sesshomaru! I was laughing so hard just writing it! Heeheehee! Let me know how you like it!!!!!! I need encouragement to do the boring final chapters!!!!