Chapter Three
Several months passed. Sesshomaru was once again on his quest to visit the families of Rin's descendants. This time however a little surprise awaited him. Usually Rin was always eagerly waiting for him at the entrance to the village, sensing his upcoming presence with the aid of her youkai awareness inherited from her mother, but this time she was not alone. Right beside her stood Kagura, holding the girl by the hand she wasn't waving with.
"Welcome back, Sesshomaru-sama," Kagura uttered wheedlingly with a deep bow.
Sesshomaru passed not paying attention to Kagura's mockery. And mockery it was. Tanaki instructed Kagura to show respect to their patron and protector. She had no reason to grovel in front of the youkai, she was free to be who she was, to make her own choices and decisions. Yes, he was powerful and all that, but she was no slave.
The trio proceeded to Tanaki's hut. Inside the tea was served by Kagura – the perfect housewife.
"Here is your tea, Sesshomaru-sama," she said, giving him the bowl, her head once again bowed low. He took the bowl and for a moment their eyes met. Kagura almost dropped the innocent piece of pottery, seeing in the golden eyes' glance a spark of amusement. He knew, 'Sesshomaru-sama' knew that it was only a show on her part. So what? A small smirk graced her ruby-colored lips, which she didn't bother to hide. Another smirk was sent in response.
Kagura kept avoiding Sesshomaru the whole evening.
…..
The next day a village council was assembled. A storm was coming their way, a cloud of locust – an uncontrollable flock of insects that destroy everything and everyone on their way. Moreover the rumor was the youkai possessed the locust to pick up the fruits of locust raid.
Kagura was present on the council by accident; she was serving sake to the members who were pouring over a primitive, but accurate map of the lands. From the discussion Kagura understood that the villages of the Western Lands, to which the current one belonged to, had pretty much a full proof protection by youkai slayers assembling in every village to enforce the surrounding walls and with mikos and priests to create shields for the locust to bypass the whole territory.
The Head of the village showed the course the locust flock would take and right at that moment Kagura was near enough to see the map and the villages that would fall victims to the monsters if they couldn't acquire needed protection means. The sake bottle flew to the ground, its contents spilling onto the map. The men cursed and looked for the culprit, but Kagura was long gone.
She ran blindly in the dark, knowing her route well enough not to stumble into anything or anyone. She burst into Tanaki's hut that had become her home as well and called for Rin in desperation rarely expressed by her.
"What's the matter, Kagura-san?" the sleepy girl mumbled.
"Please, Rin, tell me where he is. He hasn't left yet, right? Please, tell me!" Kagura pled her voice full of urgency.
"Did something happen?" Rin drawled half asleep.
Kagura shook her awake. The girl didn't deserve it, but she had to. "Just tell me where he is!"
"Do you know the meadow with purple flowers? He is somewhere there."
Kagura quickly hugged Rin and ran off, leaving the flabbergasted girl to wonder about Kagura-san's reason to look for Sesshomaru so late at night.
….
Kagura found him exactly where Rin told her. He was standing on the meadow, a lonely figure of white in complete darkness. For a moment she was paralyzed by the view – so serene and collected, like Kami-sama itself.
Her trance was broken when Sesshomaru turned his head to acknowledge her presence. He didn't ask why she was there, just waited for her to approach and state her business. If she dared.
And Kagura did, she had nothing to lose, only one thought on her mind. She made several steps towards him, finding herself in the midst of beautiful flowers, but she didn't notice them. She slowly kneeled down, put her hands onto the ground and bowed so low that her forehead touched the surface.
"Great Sesshomaru-sama, the powerful taiyoukai, Lord of the Western Lands, I beg of you to spare my village from locust attack. I will do whatever you ask to repay you."
Sesshomaru remained impassive to Kagura's sincere plea. "Whatever I ask?"
"Serve till the moment I die, fulfill your every desire, just save my village and my parents."
"The parents that wanted to get rid of you by marrying you off? The village where your rapists may reside? The village the head of which rejected you and called you a whore?"
"They are still my parents who brought me up and cared for me. And others are people… who I grew up with. Even if some deserve punishment for their past misdeeds, they don't deserve to die this way. Please, help them. Only you can."
"This Sesshomaru does already own your life, Kagura."
"Please," Kagura begged, holding back sobs. "I'll do anything."
The heart-wrenching silence lasted for several minutes. Kagura started to get cold, feeling the earth dampness soaking her kimono, but she remained on her knees, afraid to show disrespect and thus seal the terrifying fate of her village.
"I will do what you ask, Kagura, if till the end of your living days you take care of Rin and bring flowers to the grave in Inuyasha's village."
Kagura's brain stopped all rational thinking. She surely didn't ask what grave he was talking about, but was that all? "Is this the only thing you ask?"
"I ask you to devote your whole life to another. You will never have a family, nor can you have your own children. You are giving your life up for the lives of the inhabitants of your former village. This Sesshomaru doesn't need your life, but Rin does. Thus she will have it."
"So be it."
"So be it."
Sesshomaru was long gone, but Kagura remained on the meadow crying the night away.
…
The next several weeks were busy ones. All women and children were transported to Inuyasha's village for safety. Kagura didn't leave Rin even for a second. Somehow they both ended up in a shelter with Hitomi and her little son. The serpent hanoyu was breast feeding the baby, but her mind seemed to be elsewhere. She kept looking out of the nearby window.
"Is your husband out there too?" Kagura asked in a hush tone, not to disturb the baby.
"Yes, he said it would be the last quest. Then he will return to the family. I know that the barriers are set, and I know he is strong. I've seen him in battle many times, fought alongside him… But what if he doesn't return this time?"
"Don't worry, they are not supposed to fight them this time, right? Youkai slayers stay guard just in case," Kagura said in a weak attempt of reassurance. "How did you meet?" she asked to distract Hitomi from her fears.
"My youkai mother turned mad after the death of her human mate – my father – for centuries she was wreaking havoc on innocents. I didn't understand much while I was growing up, but when I reached maturity I understood that it had to end."
"By she is your mother!"
"She wasn't anymore, believe me. All that was left was a primal beast that destroyed everything around her. I sought help in the form of youkai slayers and found Kijasoku family. When my mother… was relived of her burdening existence, I joined the slayers' group. And well… it went on from there."
"But still, she was you mother. How could you kill her? Even through others' hands?"
"Can you imagine what it is to live for hundreds of years? Alone? Basically in confinement from human eyes? It's torture."
"It is," Kagura agreed, but wasn't thinking only about Hitomi's mother.
After that the shelter was filled with silence. Silence and anticipation. Were the rumors true? Were the locust accompanied by youkai? It became known in less than an hour.
First the horizon turned black, then an enormous black cloud crept over the sky, not a single hole in it for the sunlight to pass through. The flock neared with every second destroying everything that came on its way. The moment it neared the first houses of the village a loud hiss echoed through the night – the barrier was working.
Only two hours later the end of the cloud became visible. It almost passed the village when a sudden light blazed through the locust which broke it in half from the beginning till end.
"Oh look! It's Sesshomaru-sama," Rin cried, hopping up and down on Kagura's lap and pointing towards the skies her eyes full of excitement.
Out of pure curiosity Kagura looked out of the window. It all happened high in the sky, but it was impossible not to see a giant canine, swirling, biting his way through the midst of youkai.
"So beautiful," escaped Kagura's lips.
Yes, Sesshomaru's true form was enormously powerful, but it wasn't enough to defeat the quantities of foe. So he followed the only possible course of action. Baited the youkai with a treat that they couldn't pass up and drove them back to where they came from thus preventing the damage to any other village. That bait, however, was the taiyoukai himself.
The next morning was a sunny one. Nothing indicated of the great danger on the night before. Women and children brought from the neighboring villages were packing to get to their husbands and homes. Kagura, tightly holding on Rin's small hand, was searching for the wagon that was heading to their village when she passed three silver-haired men and couldn't help but overhear their conversation.
"I don't get what got into him!" Inuyasha grunted, tossing another large bag onto the wagon as if weighted not more than a feather. "What was the point to drive them away? The usual show off? For what? I really don't understand that cold blooded bastard anymore, not that I ever did."
"But it did look kinda cool, Otou-san, (father)" Yasha retorted. "It was the first time I saw Oji-san's true form and I am eighty nine years old."
"Well now there is this bloody stench in the air," Inuyasha grumbled, sniveling his oversensitive nose. "Must be lying in some cave, leaking his wounds."
"Are you talking about Sesshomaru?" Kagura cut in.
"Obviously," Inuyasha replied. "Mister Rationality made a total fool of himself."
"But he saved the other villages."
"And since when something besides his lands did become Sesshomaru's business? I wonder how long he will recover from this stunt of his. I bet it will be at least a month."
"How can you talk like this? He is your brother!" Kagura yelled outraged.
"Well, he's never given a damn about me, only about me being killed by him. Disgrace of the family and all that," Inuyasha parried, looking Kagura over with a strange glance. As if he was checking something.
"Is he wounded?" she demanded.
"Well, what do you think?" Ryou joined the conversation, more an argument really. "I am not surprised he is still alive, but taking so many youkai at one time… Really not healthy for one youkai not matter how strong."
"Take me to him," Kagura ordered.
"What for?"
"Well, it is far from your comprehension, cold-blooded bastards."
Inuyasha flashed his fangs in a grin, but not because he and, most importantly, his sons were insulted. "Ryou, take Rin to Tanaki after finishing helping everybody with their bags. Yasha, take Kagura to Sesshomaru, but don't land too close to him. We must spare the great Sesshomaru some dignity, or he will really come after our cursed souls. You can follow the scent, right, Yasha?"
"It's really hard to miss. Others may've caught it too."
In a matter of seconds Rin was taken away from her and a wide back in blue haori appeared in front of her. Along the back ran a long silver plaid. Kagura became disoriented for a second, but got her wits together, hearing Yasha bark, "Well get on, we are not going to walk there."
And once again Kagura was in the air. This time the trip was jumpy and unexpectedly long. Finally they landed in thick woods near a shabby, half downfallen hut.
"Why are you here exactly?" Yasha questioned sniffing around for any unwelcome presence.
"It is my fault he is in this state."
"How come?"
"Don't you have places to be?" Kagura asked, irritated by the non-stop questioning. How could she answer if she didn't know it herself? Wasn't simple compassion enough? Compassion towards a youkai? Her way of thinking seemed to be really screwed. Has she changed so much during those six months of her new life?
"I am going to get rid of two pretty nasty things creeping up here, but after that you are on your own."
Left alone at last, Kagura stepped to the ancient dwelling. Upon entering she was swallowed by darkness – there was no light source in the hut, except for a small window. The moon shown through it, reflecting from Sesshomaru's pale skin.
Now even Kagura could feel the iron smell of blood. But even if Sesshomaru was obviously seriously wounded, his aura emitted strength and supremacy. The only thing that was missing was his humbling gaze since his eyelids were closed in slumber. Peaceful or not it was hard to tell.
Kagura went through the ruckus of fallen beams and sat down beside the sleeping youkai. "I am sorry I made you to go through that… that monstrous ordeal. I didn't think it would be so big."
"Do you, a mere human woman, imply that it was too much to handle for this Sesshomaru?" came response in a low but steady voice.
"I am here to apologize and all he is thinking about is his bruised ego, bloody hell!" Kagura snapped under her breath.
"Why are you here? Your place is beside Rin."
"Who are you to tell me where my place is?" she blew up, not even attempting to keep her voice down this time.
"If you need a visual assessment that your parents are indeed alive-"
"I do not. We have an agreement and I will fulfill it, but for Kami-sama's sake, she has a father and isn't totally helpless herself. I shouldn't be and can't be stick to her all the time. In any case I came to help you so you better appreciate it."
"I will, if you at least stop shouting," Sesshomaru groaned, flinching. So far such displeasure was the only indication of his weakened health.
"Sorry," she said in a low whisper this time.
"Still, you are not needed here. I will recover in less than seven days."
"Then I will stay to count."
Nothing was said afterwards. Kagura got comfortable wrapping herself into the monomoko and eventually fell asleep. Through the night she heard rumble and rustle of numerous creatures around the hut, but nobody dared to draw closer. She wondered what was protecting them.