Forbidden

Chapter Nine: Cursed

Nanami returned to her sleep and Sesshoumaru left the mansion. After about an hour of walking, he reached the castle. It was unusually quiet and gloomy. The castle looked like a ghost town; no one was in the streets, there were no signs or decorations that remained from the festival, doors and windows were shut; nothing moved. Sesshoumaru frowned and walked up the stairs to his home. He walked into the main hall and was shocked to see his mother on the floor, crying hysterically rocking back and forth. He walked up to her and looked at her in concern. She looked up, her eyes red from crying all night.

"What happened?" He muttered.

" Your father left to see his precious little human, who had given birth to a sniveling half demon. Some poor bastard tried to kill her for having an affair, and of course your father had to do the 'honorable' thing and save the bitch..." She mumbled angrily through tears.

"Where is he now?" Sesshoumaru feared something might have happened. His mother frowned painfully and started to sob even harder. At that moment, it hit Sesshoumaru; he was gone. Sesshoumaru dropped to his knees and caressed his mothers face. "Where is he?" He asked again, knowing the answer, but not believing it.

"He's dead! Gone, Sesshoumaru, gone!!" His mother bawled. Sesshoumaru felt tears well up in his eyes, and swallowed a lump in his throat. He hugged his mother, trying to comfort her, but she pushed him away.

"Stay away from me! I can smell that witch on you! She's the one responsible for your father's death, and you run off with her and let her cast her spell on you. Are you blind Sesshoumaru?! Look at what trouble she brought to this family! How do you think your father met the human? Your precious Nanami saved her from some demon then introduced her to your father. She brought her to him every seven days until he left for her himself."

"You lie."

Sesshoumaru's mother scoffed and looked at her son. She placed her hand on his cheek. "Do you honestly think that she lured you away from the castle because she 'loved' you and wanted to be with you? Ha. She knew that your father left and she warned that samurai about it so that he would get rid of him, before the festival. I saw her leave into the woods. Then she took you away from this castle so that you would have no chance to save your father. Stop being so naive. Look past the innocent, beautiful mask of that girl. She wanted your father dead, that's why she wanted to join your army so that she would have a chance to easily get rid of him and turn the rest of the army against all of us. Her father was a warlord, for heaven's sake, do you think his child would be a peaceful, innocent little girl that plays with dolls? She could shoot arrows better than the guards of the palace when she was 9... Just think through it Sesshoumaru. The closer you get to a person, the easier they are to kill. Which was exactly what she did to your father... and what she is doing to you..."

"That's impossible."

"Is it?"

Sesshoumaru stood up and rushed out of the mansion and followed his father's path to the human village. He knew his father had an affair and he was slightly upset about having a half-demon brother, but he did not know about Nanami being behind everything. The whole town was burned to the ground, and there were two charred bodies inside what probably used to be a home, surrounded by his father's royal guards. Sesshoumaru felt his heart drop down to his ankles and a cold sweat drench him. He walked up to the corpses, one of the samurai, the other of his beloved father. The guards cleared a path for Sesshoumaru, who dropped to his knees next to his father's body, tears rolling down his face. He wrapped his arms around his dead father, sobbing into his chest. His mother's words began to make sense. -How could I let this happen? Mother was right... all along... I should have listened! My father would have been alive!... Forgive me father for being such a fool... but I will have my vengence.- Sesshoumaru growled furiously, bolted up, grabbed a sword out of a guard's hands and ran back toward Nanami's mansion. On his way, he ran past Ryuu, and completely ignored him.

"What the- Sesshoumaru!" He yelled and chased after his friend. Sesshoumaru kept running until he reached the front door and kicked it open. He stormed into the mansion, checking every passing room for Nanami. He walked into the bedroom, Nanami was sitting on the bed, wrapped in the white bed sheet, sewing her ripped kimono. She turned around, faced Sesshoumaru and smiled, but her smile faded as she noticed how outraged he looked and the sword that hee held in his hand. Sesshoumaru stomped closer to Nanami, who dropped the kimono to the floor and backed up. Sesshoumaru grabbed her by the neck and slammed Nanami against the wall. She frowned and stared at Sesshoumaru, confused by his behavior. Sesshoumaru was a mere inch away from her face, staring at her in agony and anger.

"I trusted you. My father trusted you. And after all he has done, this is how you repay him?! Have you no conscience what soever?!"

"What are you talking about?!" Nanami was completely lost.

"Don't play innocent! I have fallen for your tricks all these years..." Sesshoumaru slammed the woman against the wall once more. At this time, Ryuu walked into the room quietly. Sesshoumaru was too heartbroken and furious to notice him, and Nanami was too frightened and confused to care.

"All these years I loved you... blindly, like a fool... and I thought you felt the same... but you have no care. Well, congratulations, beautiful, your wretched plan had worked! You crushed my family to pieces, you killed my father, drove my mother insane and drained all the humanity out of me! What the hell did we ever do to you to deserve this pain?!"

"How can you say that?! What is happening with you?!" Nanami began cry, utterly confused and upset.

"My father is dead! Because of you! You knew he was going to go to Izayoi after the festival, so you warned your little assassin and then you lured me away from my father so I would not be able to stop him from leaving! You knew I would follow you to the end of the earth, and you used me!"

"Have you lost your mind?! How could I possibly do that?! Just listen to yourself, you're not making any sense!! I've never left the castle for two months! I was in the training fields with you! And it was you who took me here!"

"Stop spinning lies and excuses! I will not fall for them any longer!"

"Sesshoumaru! What lies?! What excuses?! I have never done any of these things that you accused me of! I don't have what it takes to do such evil!"

"That's enough!" Sesshoumaru shouted in Nanami's face and threw her down to the floor. She cried hopelessly, not understanding why Sesshoumaru hated her all of a sudden. Sesshoumaru wiped the tears from his eyes and headed toward her, tightening the grip on his sword. At this point, Ryuu jumped in front of Sesshoumaru and snatched the sword out of his hands.

"Stop, Sesshoumaru! You're acting insane!" Ryuu tried to calm his friend down.

"Stay out of it Ryuu!" Sesshoumaru growled and pushed his friend out of the way.

"You're not thinking straight! Leave the girl alone!" Ryuu pushed Sesshoumaru against the wall. He saw this incident as a perfect chance to get in Nanami's good graces and win her heart, and get back at Sesshoumaru for 'stealing' the girl he wanted for himself. But he didn't realize that she was too heartbroken to even look. She was on the floor, crying into the palms of her hands. Sesshoumaru punched Ryuu in the face and pushed him once more. He headed toward Nanami again, thinking he will kill her, but not sure that he would really be able to follow through with it. Nanami looked up at him, but she didn't hide. She sat up straight on her knees and stared deep into Sesshoumaru's eyes for what she feared would be the last time. He picked up the sword and Nanami kept her eyes fixed on his.

"Go ahead, then, if I am so cruel and heartless, kill me..." She whispered. Sesshoumaru thrust the sword's point toward her heart, but stopped, the blade barely touching her skin. Then he dropped the sword to the floor and kneeled in front of the woman, grabbing her by her jaw. He leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Leave and never, NEVER, return, or you will die." Then he stood up and left the mansion, leaving Nanami in tears.

Sesshoumaru spent the whole day locked up in his room, staring at the wall. He decided he does not want to remember anything having to do with Nanami, or her to remember him. Late in the rainy night, he left the castle and walked toward the mountain behind the palace, where an old, kind witch lived in a cave and brewed the town's medicines and various potions. Sesshoumaru walked into the cave, lit by large torches, with an old, gray haired woman sitting and humming in front of a fire pit. Without turning and looking at the young man, she handed him a strange, purple colored liquid in a glass vile.

"Drink it all before you go to bed, and you will never remember her or anything she is responsible for, and she will never remember you." She said in a raspy voice and resumed her humming. Sesshoumaru remained silent and accepted the vile.

As he sat in his bed and toyed with the vile in his hands, Sesshoumaru could not forget Nanami's eyes, but he had to, he wanted to. He uncorked the vile, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and whispered goodbye to a girl he once loved, still loves, and will love again.

Sesshoumaru's eyes opened and he was back in the present. The most joyful and painful memories of his life have been unlocked, and he looked at the woman before him in a new light. He recognized her as the very same Nanami from so long ago, and his heart skipped a beat. Before that horrid morning, he was an optimistic, energetic young man, but afterwards he became cold, emotionless and in control. And now, after two centuries, the woman who turned his world upside down and inside out had returned, and he was not going to let her do that again.

"Now do you remember, my friend?" Ryuu asked, wrapping his arm around Nanami's shoulders, who growled at him. Sesshoumaru glared at Nanami with angry eyes, remembering all that went on between them. Meanwhile his mother smiled a wicked smile and slowly left the room.

"You should have never come back... " Sesshoumaru kept looking at the girl, still unsure about the shock of realizing who this stranger is was real or a bad dream. She was different now; more withdrawn, apprehensive, afraid, cold and dangerous. The Nanami that was like a blossom, happy and hopeful, even when oppressed, a naive, pretty and smart girl was gone. In her place stood a powerful, wise, deadly goddess; an ice queen made bitter by the cruel realities of the world.

" All this time I blamed Inuyasha for my father's death, for my broken family... when it was you all along... why have you come back, what else can you take from me?"
"Tell me, Sesshoumaru, where is the logic behind your accusations, where is the reason?" Nanami's temper for the 200 year old dispute was wearing thin.

"In everything you say and do."

"Is it? If I truly wanted anything else from you, then for the past half of a month, when we were both clueless about the past, was I after you? Did I stalk you and make multiple attempts to kill you or steal anything from you? In fact... was it not you who killed me just hours ago?" Nanami tried to open Sesshoumaru's eyes, no matter how frustrated she was with him.

"You're falling for it again, Sesshoumaru... You know, I'm starting to think I found your greatest weakness..." Ryuu cut in, trying to prevent Sesshoumaru from believing Nanami. "How interesting... the 'invincible' Sesshoumaru, son of the great dog demon, is wrapped around this pretty little trickster's finger." He teased, and as he did so, ran his fingers down her neck to her collar bone. Nanami lost her temper and pulled tightly on the chains.

"Keep your Goddamn hands off!" She snarled at him.

"Or what? You're chained, princess." Ryuu snickered and rattled the chains. Nanami shot him a death glare and lit the chains on fire. Ryuu saved his hand and backed up nervously.

"Enough of this charade. I am making it easy for you, Sesshoumaru, you can get your revenge, here and now. All I ask is that you help me kill her. You know you want to slit her little throat and see all of your family's suffering cleansed by her blood. All I want is her power, nothing more... and if you help me, I will make you warlord of all Asia. You will be the most powerful man next to me in this world. You are no longer my concern as an enemy Sesshoumaru. Contrary, I could use an ally such as yourself. Help me and I will rid you of all your enemies, even Inuyasha. With her power, we will be gods... I would bring the world under our control. Help me, and I will even bring your father back to life..." Naraku tried to buy Sesshoumaru's trust. "All you have to do is kill her..." He clarified, but Sesshoumaru looked unconvinced. In the moment of silence, Nanami let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head slightly.

"You imbecile... have you any idea what you are saying? Do you honestly think that it is that simple- you kill me and now you are more powerful than anything on this earth? Ha! If that was indeed true... then why isn't Sesshoumaru in control of the world?" Nanami said in an 'as a matter of fact' tone. Naraku had a look as if someone threw rotting vegetables in his face. She sighed as if pitying them and tugged on the shackles and they collapsed to the floor in ashes.

"If it was so simple... this power... this curse... why would it still be in the original blood line after thousands of years? After whole armies were sent to find this power that humanity does not even need? This power is eons old and it has existed since the beginning of this planet, since the beginning of everything. Such immense power is not attained by simply running a sword through the guardian's heart. It has great costs, and is nearly impossible to find and obtain. And you think you are the one, that after whole seas of blood have been spilt, thousands of greedy lives wasted... that it is you, a filthy, pitiful, cowardly mutated insect that will overcome all odds set by nature and thousands of years of secrecy and take it from me?" Nanami closed in on Naraku like a predator on its prey. The half demon snarled and seemed to shrink in his corner. Nanami seemed more terrifying with every second, like she was drawing on every ounce of her power. "Go on. Try it. Maybe you will succeed. Just maybe..." Nanami taunted the half demon. Naraku growled menacingly and with all his might thrust his bone spears at Nanami. But they collapsed in dust.

"You'll have to do better than that." Nanami teased. Sesshoumaru's mother rushed back into the room. Nanami turned and naraku seized the opportunity to escape, disappearing in a cloud of poison. -Pathetic coward...- Nanami mumbled to herself.

"Why is she still breathing?!" Sesshoumaru's mother protested to her son. "And who let her go?"

"She freed herself." Ryuu answered. The woman growled and stepped in front of Sesshoumaru.

"You're letting her live?! After everything she has done to our family?! After all the havoc she created in our home? She killed your father, Sesshoumaru!"

"Did my sword pierce his chest?! did I set the damn castle on fire?! Was it my fault that after I saved that girl that your father happened to be hunting and decided to walk by?! Was it my fault your parents could barely stand each other since we were kids, Sesshoumaru?!" Nanami exploded, tired of the lies hung like heavy chains around her. She desperately tried to make Sesshoumaru understand that she had nothing to do with any of this. "Did I control his heart and tell him what to do, what to think and who to love?!"

" Your wicked kind has a way of deceiving people and making them do all sorts of wrongs!" Sesshoumaru's mother hissed at the girl.

"My people?! The explain to me, your honorable, honest, noble highness, what the hell are you doing right now?!" Nanami seemed to snarl more fiercely than any bloodthirsty wolf could manage. Sesshoumaru's mother flushed red and stammered before talking.

"Im revealing the truth to my blind son."

Sesshoumaru looked at his mother coldly and stepped to the side, losing even more faith and trust in his mother, yet not gaining any in Nanami.

"Since when did the meaning of truth change to manipulating all of those around you to get your way and scape-goating your mistakes on an outsider?"

"How dare you speak to me that way?!"

"Well some one has to put you back in your place! You don't deserve to even walk on these lands and yet you call me a monster? What the hell have I ever done to you to deserve your cruelty?!"

"You know what you have done! look at my family!"

" Family?! You hate your family!! You drove your husband away, you stole your son's position as ruler of these lands, and then you accuse me of destroying everything! All you have ever done is torture me and use my torment as entertainment for yourself and your snotty friends!"

"Barbarian! You killed my husband!"

"Why in the world would I kill your husband if he already had an heir, one who is much stronger than me? Why would I want to kill the most powerful man in Japan?!"

"You wanted his power, you-"

" Why would I want his power if I already possess one that is greater than his 10fold?! Why would a 17 year old, beaten, weary girl want all that power if I hate my own?!" Nanami screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks, frustrated beyond understanding at the extent of the queen's rotten, immoral, brutal accusations and behavior and Sesshoumaru's unresponsiveness. His heart was torn in half, one hated his mother, the other was afraid of having to do anything with Nanami.

"Just prove to me how I killed your husband, how I ruined your life!"

"No one knows but you." The queen finally responded. Nanami slumped from disbelief.

"If I was ever going to kill anyone, it would have been you..." Nanami growled.

"Then go ahead, do it."

"You are not worth my time and effort... There would not even be an effort."

"Precisely. Because if you even attempt anything, I will kill you in a heartbeat."

"Ha! Then why didn't you kill me after every time you threatened to? Who are you trying to convince? You're terrified of me."

"What?!"

" Why else would you try so hard to have someone kill me, yet you won't do it yourself. That is why, even after 200 years, you go to great lengths to have me gone from this world." Nanami was sick of arguing because she knew it was pointless, Sesshoumaru's mother would never admit the truth. She walked toward the door, passing by Sesshoumaru silently in tears.

"You and your kind are inbred swine of rejects from the darkest pits of hell. Who would want you alive?" Sesshoumaru's mother spoke her mind with a menacing smile, hissing like a cobra, her words poison.

Nanami stopped in her tracks, blood boiling. The air in the room turned dense and still. It got very hard to breathe. Nanami turned and opened her teary eyes. They were unearthly, blindingly bright white with a hint of blue. She looked fierce as she slowly approached the woman, who looked terrified and disgusted at the same time. The two men were confused about why they could not move, why they could barely breathe and why they felt like they were drowning. Nanami walked as if she was underwater, her hair and dress floating as if in water. She stopped in front of the woman, and stared at her with otherworldly eyes. The queen found that she could not look away. Then, no one could breathe or move and the men and queen felt as if their bodies were shutting down on them. Sesshoumaru's mother began to look older and older, until her long fingers were gnarled, her skin wrinkled, her eyes dull.

"May you live forever, to remember all your misdeeds, to see everything you hold dear come and go, to see all that you cherish crumble and disappear in time, while you remain forever old, forever guilty, forever heartless... May you live forever, that is my gift to you." Nanami's whisper sounded like an eerie breeze and echoed around the room as if in a cave. Then, within a second, the normal atmosphere returned and all three could breathe and move again. Ryuu became nauseous, collapsed to the floor, vomited and fainted from the moment of almost no bodily function, a moment brushed with death. Sesshoumaru dropped to his knees, dizzy, but he never took his eyes off of Nanami. She stopped in front of the doorway and looked at Sesshoumaru with sad eyes, no longer glowing, her lips parted as if she was about to say something, but kept silent. Sesshoumaru held on to her look as long as he could, but was afraid to speak as he watched her leave. His mother was on her knees, sobbing and trembling as she surveyed her skin and her hair.

"You filth! You rotten harpy!" She wheezed. Then she turned to her son and scowled. "How could you let her live?! Look at what she has done to me! You let her do this to our family! I warned you about her when you were just a child, but you ignored me, you betrayed your father, your betrayed me! You have strayed far from yourself, Sesshoumaru, all because of that little temptress! You became weak, Sesshoumaru... She can easily wrap you around her finger and control you, yet you refuse to acknowledge it. Go ahead, go run to your little bitch."

Sesshoumaru let out a low threatening growl and grabbed his mother by her neck.

" I decide what I do in my life, not you. And don't play innocent with me, I am not blind nor ignorant. You have done your share of bad deeds to deserve this. I will decide what went wrong, who I trust and where I go. Never intervene in my life again." Sesshoumaru threatened and left the room, still a bit dizzy and weak.

Note:I hope you like it so far! I hope i made it clear what Nanami's power is, and if I didn't, it's time. Thanks for reading!