Chapter 2: Gathering Sorrow
"…In short, we must form an alliance, a combination of all the demon tribes. For if we do not stand together as one people, the humans, with their underhanded ways and their demon poisons, will surely defeat us in this upcoming war."
Lord Oniyuki sat down after making this speech. Even when he was seated, though, his stature and pure strength radiated outward, affecting the other lords in council.
"I agree with you, Oniyuki," one lord spoke out first, "alliance is the only way." This lord was a wolf demon, Resuke. In nature, dogs and wolves were close kin, so this was not surprising.
After a short pause, there were many other grunts and murmurs of agreement. All but one.
"Oniyuki," a smooth voice drawled from the opposite end of the council room, "do you honestly believe that the demons will fall to those puny humans if we don't unite?" The dark-haired demon laughed deeply, a short, throaty chuckle. "I find that most amusing."
Oniyuki kept his face impassive, but inside he was fuming. Lord Naraku was not liked by any of the demons in the council, but he was powerful. They could not doubt that. If they had excluded him, all of them would have surely faced his wrath.
They continued deliberating for some time, citing the positive aspects of alliance, while Naraku continually spoke out that the entire idea was pointless and a sign of weakness.
And where were Sesshomaru and little Inuyasha in all of this? They were sitting just outside the room, keen ears pressed to the stone door, as the guards had explicitly been told not to let either of the Oniyuki sons into the council room.
Inuyasha frowned at Naraku's last comment. "Naraku doesn't want to make an alliance?"
Sesshomaru, too, was wearing a similar look on his face. "Bastard," was all he could whisper.
The young boys waited to here more, but something strange began to happen to them. They could no longer hear through the door, and Inuyasha soon lost the scent of his father and all the demons. Sesshomaru was quick to follow in these sensations, and both looked at each other with alarm. Their strength seemed to be failing them, for when they tried to stand, their limbs could not support them, and they crumpled.
"Sesshomaru! What's happening?" Inuyasha cried out, eyes wide with fear.
Sesshomaru looked frustrated beyond reason. "I don't know!" He ground out in his fury.
The boys lay there, crouched at the door, with no strength and little senses. The guards on either side of them fell and lay still, knocked out.
Inuyasha was the first brother to black out, his head sliding against the door and landing with a thud on the ground. Sesshomaru saw this, and knew he was next. He tried with all his might to stay awake, and just before his eyes grew dark, he heard, and saw, something he would never forget.
The sound was faint, due to his lack of hearing; but he heard it. It was the sound of his father's voice crying out in pain.
"Father!"
With a newfound strength built up by his rage, Sesshomaru staggered upward to stand, and pushed aside the double doors of the high room.
A human stood over his father's body, a bloody sword in its hand. The human was dressed all in black, and when it turned to look at Sesshomaru, the demon son could not help but cry out,
"Stop! Get away from him!"
The human seemed to pause, but in an instant was running at Sesshomaru, sword raised high. The boy did the only thing he knew to do, and held up his arm to cover the blow.
The pain was numbed due to his lack of senses, but Sesshomaru stumbled back, staring in shock at the spot where his appendage had once been. He fell overtop of his brother, and thought fleetingly, before he joined him in sleep, that at least Inuyasha looked dead lying underneath him. Maybe then he would not be killed like their father.
