Chapter Eight: Consequence
Kagome sat by Inuyasha's bed, watching Shishinki and a healer examine him. She had never been in Inuyasha's room, and would've taken the opportunity to observe it in detail if she hadn't been so worried. Shishinki shook his head.
"I've never seen it before. His yoki is...fluctuating rapidly, " he said to Sesshomaru, who was hovering across the room. He was trying to seem disinterested, but his concern showed through in the nervous tapping of his claws.
"It's like he was possessed," Kagome said, echoing Rokuro's words. Shishinki scoffed.
"Demons can't be possessed, only humans can," he said cruelly. Kagome scowled.
"And Inuyasha's half human!" she snapped, too tired and worried to tolerate the death demon's superior attitude.
"That doesn't make a difference-" Shishinki started to say, but the healer raised a hand.
"My lord, perhaps it does," she said. Shishinki, irritated, asked:
"How? He already had a demon in him." The healer nodded.
"We don't know much about half demons, because so few of them survived for very long. But he is half human and half demon, normally functioning as some balance of the two. However, we do know that hanyous have periods of weakness, where their demon leaves them. What if the demon could also take over?"
"You mean he was a full demon?" Kagome asked. The healer shook her head.
"I don't know, my dear. It's possible," she said. Kagome sat back, looking at Inuyasha's unconscious face. He had been cruel and bloodthirsty, unable or unwilling to speak. Killing without reason. Was that who he was as a full demon? Sesshomaru wasn't like that. Naraku wasn't even like that.
"The House of the West thanks you for your aid," Sesshomaru said to Shishinki.
"Just don't let him loose like that again," Shishinki replied, "Killing Hyoga traitors is fine, but I don't want any of my Clan cut down by your out-of-control half-brother."
"My brother protected members of your clan today," Sesshomaru snapped, "Now get out of my house." Shishinki scoffed and walked slowly to the door, mocking Sesshomaru's threat. The healer followed him sheepishly, not knowing what to do in the midst of such a clash of powers.
Kagome would have been warmed by Sesshomaru's protective anger, but she wasn't paying attention. Instead she was running her fingers through Inuyasha's hair. Her hand found his fuzzy ear, and she brushed the fur softly.
When Shishinki was gone, Sesshomaru approached the bed.
"I've locked the sword away as you requested," he said. Kagome nodded.
"Thank you," she said.
"Jaken has detained the youkai witch who sold it to you. She says it is not an evil blade, simply one that brings forth the ultimate power of the wielder," Sesshomaru continued. Kagome felt a pang of guilt. This was her fault. She had given the sword to him, had asked him to protect her with it.
"There will be another council meeting today," Sesshomaru said when she didn't respond. Kagome nodded.
"I'll be there," she said.
"I'll send Myoga to fetch you then," Sesshomaru replied. He left her alone then. Kagome could hear Rokuro and Sango on the other side of the door, peppering him with questions when he appeared.
Alone now, Kagome leaned back in her chair and let her shoulders slump. She was angry at herself, and angry at Kunko. She should've listened to her instincts and taken that sword back the minute it made her uncomfortable. Now Inuyasha was laying here, fluctuating.
Kagome picked up her journal. She had brought it in earlier and laid it on the nightstand. Flipping to the most recent page, she resumed her writing:
I can feel his yoki growing and fading. It's like a light I cannot see, that warms my skin in intervals. I'm not sure what will happen when he wakes up, if he will be the hanyou I know, or the youkai with no restraint. It's like there are two of him now, a Jekyll and a Hyde, fighting over control of one body. I want to help him fight, but I don't know how.
She put the pen down, a thought coming to her. Her spiritual energy had been mostly replenished, and she drew on it as she took Inuyasha's hand in her own.
Carefully, she concentrated on what she wanted to do. If his yoki were the problem, perhaps she could purify some of it. Perhaps it would stabilize him. She pushed her pink energy towards him, and his body jerked in response. Her grip on his hand was tight though, and she refused to let go.
"Please, please," she murmured. In his sleep, Inuyasha growled and lashed out at the air. Kagome grabbed his other hand to stop him from swiping at her, and his growling intensified.
"I'm not gonna hurt you," she whispered, leaning in and putting her mouth by his ear. She felt his yoki begin to stabilize, flickering less violently within him. He stilled, and she pulled away to look at his face. It was screwed up in a distressed expression, and sweat had started to bead up on his forehead and neck. Slowly, Kagome started to pull back her energy. His yoki stayed stable, only flickering occasionally accompanied by a jerk of the head or twitch of an eyebrow.
"Yes!" Kagome exclaimed, excited. Rokuro and Sango appeared, throwing the door open to find Kagome leaning over Inuyasha with both her hands clasping his. She dropped his hands quickly, turning to face her friends with pink cheeks. Rokuro raised an eyebrow.
"Are we interrupting?" he asked with a grin. Kagome shook her head violently.
"No! I just-I think I might have helped a little," she said. On cue, Inuyasha groaned and his eyes opened. Normal gold, no scary red to be seen. He sat up, putting a hand to his head.
"What the hell happened?" he asked, feeling for the long-gone arrows in his chest and abdomen. Instead he found smooth skin under a linen shirt. The wounds had healed themselves before doctors could examine him. He looked to Kagome, confused. She sat back down and took a deep breath.
"There are a few things you should know," she said.
"Fuckin' sword! Fuckin' witch! Fuckin' moth demon shits!"
Kagome could understand Inuyasha's anger. She watched him pace around the room from her spot on the bed. She had asked Rokuro and Sango to give them some space to talk, and they had reluctantly obliged. Inuyasha stopped and turned to her, anger still flashing in his eyes.
"So what the hell does this mean? Am I cured now or what?"
"I don't know," Kagome responded, "You're stabilized, for now at least." She focused on his yoki as she spoke, it's now gentle flickering worrying her. It seemed like at any moment it could spike back up again.
"Godammit!" Inuyasha yelled. Kagome felt like crying.
"I'm sorry," she said. He froze, seeing the tears pricking at her eyes, and backtracked quickly.
"No, no, no, it's not-I'm not saying-ah, shit, I'm sorry Kagome." The tears spilling out now, Kagome shook her head.
"But it's my fault! I gave you that sword."
"Geez, you didn't know what it would do! That stupid witch didn't tell you," Inuyasha said fiercely. Kagome couldn't help but smile at his loyalty. Even if he was wrong. She had a feeling she should've taken it back from him and didn't.
"I'm still sorry," she said. Inuyasha sighed, crossing his arms. Kagome looked him up and down. He was wearing all white, which was a strange look on him-especially with his silvery hair. He didn't look any different than before, but something about him felt off. A chaos that wasn't there before. He caught her staring, and frowned.
"What?"
"Huh?" Kagome said.
"You're looking at me weird."
"I'm sorry!"
"Don't be sorry, just tell me why." When Kagome hesitated to answer, he approached her. Unknowingly, she flinched away from him and he froze.
"What is it, Kagome?" She shook her head.
"It's nothing-"
"Bullshit," Inuyasha said quietly.
"You weren't you!" Kagome exclaimed, frustrated that he wouldn't let it go. She felt bad as soon as she said it, especially when Inuyasha's ears drooped and his face fell. But he stepped towards her again and took her hands in his.
"I'm me now," he insisted. The gravity of the moment hit Kagome then, him tenderly touching her hands and speaking vulnerably with her. He was usually so gruff. Again, tears started to flow. He let go of her hands, and brushed his fingers over her cheeks, wiping the tears away. He leaned in to her, staring into her eyes. Her breaths became shallow. Closing the distance between them, he kissed her.
Kagome had never been kissed. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but the soft pressure against her lips was a pleasant sensation. One quick moment, and then it was gone. He had pulled back and was watching her. She fluttered her eyes open to meet his. They held each other's gaze, and then his flickered to her wrist. The pinpricks from his claws had scabbed over there. Taking her wrist, he lifted it to his nose and smelled.
"I did this," he said then, distraught. Kagome pulled her hand away.
"You didn't-"
But Inuyasha had already moved away from her.
"We gotta go, Jaken's coming to get you," he said, a growl back in his voice. Kagome reached out to him, but a knock at the door stopped her. Inuyasha walked over and opened it. The small goblin, Jaken, stood in the doorway.
"My Lord Sesshomaru requests your presence at a meeting of the Youkai Council!" he exclaimed, voice grating.
Kagome followed Inuyasha into the grand council chambers. He had changed back into his fire-rat robes, looking exactly as he had when he was pinned to the tree at her family shrine. His ears flicked back and forth, on high alert. His shoulders were tense, like a drawn bow, and his hands clenched at his sides. All the while, his yoki flickered angrily within him. As they entered the room, Kagome saw the clan leaders seated around the table react. Taigokumaru's pale eyes turned to them, his fingers knitting together on the tabletop as he seemed to see them without seeing. Lady Toran's claws extended involuntarily, and she seemed ready to pounce as they drew near. Empress Kaguya looked up from her manicure to see the half-demon oddity. The room was devoid of a crowd as it had previously been, which worried Kagome. What did the clan leaders not want their people to see?
If Kagome had been among the daiyoukai, she would've seen they were not reacting only to Inuyasha's unstable power. She, too, was humming with energy, though it was a controlled heartbeat compared to random static. She nearly glowed pink beneath her jeans and black sweater. Her hair, which was uncombed and loose, swayed in a wind of its own.
Even Princess Abi, who was once again in debt to the Priestess and her hanyou, wondered how such a power could be allowed to roam freely here. The girl had exhausted herself just the day before, and yet here she was, fully replenished. Not even a daiyoukai could do that. The boy was a barely caged animal of demonic energy that thrashed against the purifying power placed around it. Kagome may not have had much training, but her instinct to make a confining barrier may have saved Inuyasha from a mercy killing in his rabid state.
Kagome took her seat beside Sesshomaru, Inuyasha standing behind her as before. Sesshomaru-just barely-leaned away from her and her purifying aura. How Inuyasha could stand to be so close, he did not understand.
When none of the clan leaders spoke, Kagome took it upon herself to start the meeting.
"Why are we here and not tracking down Menomaru?" she demanded. The Hyoga clan had the cruel nerve to attack a hospital with doctors and patients. Obviously they were above no atrocious methods, and to what end was unclear.
"Lady Kagome speaks sense," Sesshomaru said to the rest of the room, "His clan is weakened, now is the time to strike."
"That is not why we are here, son," Taigokumaru said. There was a pain in his voice, a sorrow that surprised Kagome. Sesshomaru crossed his arms over his chest and glared. Not that Taigokumaru could see it.
"Explain," he growled.
"Enough, Sesshomaru. Surely you understand why we have called this meeting," Lady Toran said.
Sesshomaru's eyes panned the table. He understood, but he would not give them the satisfaction of bringing the topic to attention. Shishinki was more than happy to take on the task.
"Your brother is a danger to this city and our peoples, and we're getting pretty tired of you and yours suffering no consequences when you bring death and destruction down on us all."
"I don't know what you mean," Sesshomaru sniffed. Huffing, Shishinki leaned back in his chair and motioned to Taigokumaru.
"Your turn, old man," he said, "Or we do it my way." Kagome didn't want to know what Shishinki's way was. Taigokumaru nodded, and spoke:
"The Hyoga clan has clearly targeted Lady Kagome in their attacks. More of our people have died in the last two days than in centuries-and not solely at the hands of Menomaru's warriors. We once understood that peace among clans was tantamount to our survival, but now we are at war. Can you agree with this, Lord Sesshomaru?"
Sesshomaru nodded. There was nothing untrue in what Taigokumaru said. Kagome, however, didn't like where his argument was going.
"We cannot tolerate such a war if we are to continue as a species," Taigokumaru continued, "And we cannot tolerate the actions that further conflict. Though we sympathize with the plight of your family, your half brother is now a threat to our very existence."
Kagome could feel Inuyasha tensing behind her, a growl in his throat. She had half a mind to growl, herself.
"What are you suggesting?" Sesshomaru asked, a fragile calm about him. Lady Toran leaned in to the table, her claws digging into the wood.
"Inuyasha must be placed in an environment that is safe for him and all of us," she said. Kagome looked from face to face at the table, searching for an ally among them. None showed any sign of shock at Lady Toran's suggestion. They had discussed it, had decided without Sesshomaru. Anger filled her and she stood, her spiritual aura nearly knocking Sesshomaru from his chair. Inuyasha took a half step back before steeling himself and letting her energy wash over him.
"He saved your people today!" Kagome yelled, "He doesn't deserve to be locked up for that!"
"Maybe not," Empress Kagura said from across the table, her distance from Kagome's aura allowing her some confidence, "But if he goes out of control and kills any of mine, it'll be the last thing he does."
Inuyasha growled at the threat, and Kagome reached back to grab his hand in solidarity. When they touched, his yoki seemed to calm, thrashing less violently around in its prison. The council members watched, fascinated.
"He has control now," Kagome said. Taigokumaru cleared his throat, drawing her attention. He shook his head, his sightless eyes watching the two great powers before him. Inuyasha's energy rivaled Sesshomaru's, the daiyoukai a faint light beside the Priestess and Hanyou.
"My Lady, it is you who have control. We cannot be certain if that control will last when your energies are depleted or you are distracted. If your barrier around his violent yoki is broken, he may be as he was before and will kill indiscriminately. We cannot risk that. If we seal him unconscious for-"
"No!" Inuyasha shouted, speaking to the group for the first time. His fingers squeezed Kagome's hand, claws pricking at her palm. All eyes turned to him, and the thin sheen of sweat that had formed on his forehead and upper lip. His eyes were wide, betraying his fear. He had been sealed away once before, after all. When he realized how tightly he was holding Kagome's hand, he dropped it and clenched his fist in on itself.
"We can find a way for him to control it!" Kagome said quickly, knowing that Inuyasha looked exactly the opposite of in control at the moment.
"How?" Shishinki sneered. Kagome shot him a glare, and he struggled to keep from shrinking back. Kagome, of course, didn't know how. She knew nothing about yoki, she needed time to talk to Rokuro and Myoga about what to do. But the Council did not seem willing to give them any sort of time. It was Sesshomaru's suggestion which saved her from having to reply.
"We have a witch who knows the answer," he said. Kagome looked at him, wide-eyed. He meant Kunko, of course, but she had no idea how to control Inuyasha's yoki. Hell, she had given Kagome the sword that caused the whole problem.
"Bring her here, then," Princess Abi said. She looked to Kagome's shocked face and hoped Sesshomaru was telling the truth, for the girl's sake.
Kunko was brought to the room with a bag over her head by two of Sesshomaru's guards. When the guards had left and the doors had closed, Sesshomaru stood and walked over to her. She sighed as he approached, hands tied behind her back.
"My Lord, please dispense with the theatrics," she said. Sesshomaru reached up and pulled the bag from her head. She eyed him shrewdly, seemingly not disturbed by his glare and his height. After a moment, he turned and walked back to his seat, which drew her attention to the council seated before her. She gave a quick bow in respect, then waited to be spoken to. Lady Toran was the first to address her.
"Witch Kunko of the House of the West, you are brought before this Council to explain the current condition of Lord Inuyasha, brother to your liege lord," Lady Toran said.
"He is my lord's half brother, not his brother," Kunko replied. The daiyoukai exchanged glances.
"Half-brother to your liege lord, then," Lady Toran amended. Kunko nodded.
"Quite important, blood relations. Our blood is the essence of who we are, you know. That's why it's the most powerful ingredient in spells," she babbled.
"Do you wanna talk about the spell you put on halfbreed, here?" Shishinki asked. Kagome bristled at his language, but the rest of the Council ignored it. Kunko looked Shishinki up and down, and grinned.
"You know a thing or two about blood," she said, "King of death, surely you can understand the boy's condition?" Shishinki stared at her blankly. When he noticed the other council members looking at him he sneered and shook his head, humiliated.
"Not my specialty," he said begrudgingly. Kunko chuckled.
"Of course, I forgot. Lords and Ladies, I put no spell on Half-Lord Inuyasha. I knew nothing of his fate when Lady Kagome received a sword from my shop. All I know of the blade is it brings out the greatest power of the one who wields it. If I'm not mistaken, that is exactly what happened." Kagome frowned, annoyance blooming within her.
"How do we reverse it, then?" she asked angrily. Kunko's gaze turned to her, and she was surprised to see fondness in the woman's eyes.
"Hello dear," Kunko said, "I see you have realized quite a bit of power yourself." Kagome crossed her arms and glared.
"Just answer the question," she said. Kunko sighed sadly. Kagome felt a twinge of guilt, but forced it down. She would NOT feel guilty for this demoness.
"I told you, what happened to Inuyasha was no spell, of mine or otherwise. Spells can be reversed, even curses, but not the effects of a demon sword. It was written into the sword in blood, and it is now written into the blood of your dear hanyou."
"So this was a waste of time and we should just lock him up now?" Empress Kaguya asked to the room.
"No," Kagome snapped, "There has to be some way to help him!"-then, to Kunko-"Tell me how to fix it!"
"Even the power you have now cannot fix what has been done to him," Kunko said. Her tone was kind, even if her words weren't. Kagome felt like crying. But she wouldn't-not here! She squared her jaw.
"Then what can I do?" she said. Kunko tilted her head, watching Kagome carefully. Kagome held Kunko's gaze, unwilling to look away first. Finally Kunko nodded.
"May I see the boy's palm?" she asked, gesturing with her head to Inuyasha. Reluctantly, Inuyasha approached the old woman and held his hand out, palm up. She leaned over him, staring into the lines of his skin and reading something there Kagome couldn't see even with her spiritual energy.
"There is a sword meant to be in this palm," Kunko said, "That sword is as strong as the one which changed you, and it will keep your power in check. To reach the blade, travel to the land of the dead and seek out your father."
Inuyasha drew his hand back, and looked to Sesshomaru and the council.
"Well?" he said, "That good enough for you assholes?"
"All in favor of letting the hanyou seek this demon sword?" Lady Toran asked. Shishinki and Kaguya were the only nay's.
"Very well," Lady Toran said. Since the last meeting, there seemed to have been an undiscussed shift in power between council members. Sesshomaru ran all the official goings-on before, but now Lady Toran had taken over. Suddenly Kagome felt on the outs, like any control she may have had slipped away with Sesshomaru tucking his tail. Her fears were only confirmed with Lady Toran's next words.
"Our next order of business is in regards to the Lady Kagome. Before, I had moved to let her stay under the protection of Sesshomaru's house. I retract that movement, and instead support Princess Abi's suggestion. She needs to be sent back to her own kind."
Both Kagome and Inuyasha protested in the same moment, though Inuyasha's protest was far more profane.
"You can't send me away, Taigokumaru said so!" Kagome exclaimed, forgetting all etiquette. Lady Toran looked to Lord Taigokumaru, raising an eyebrow. He nodded.
"Until the hanyou's yoki is under control by some other source, I believe Lady Kagome must stay by his side. Else her barrier might lift," he said. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief.
"See? I have to go with him to find the sword," she said.
"Hold on, that's dangerous!" Inuyasha protested. Kagome glared at him. Shut up! She was trying to help him!
"Yes, it is," Shishinki said, "Maybe if we're lucky, they'll both die on the other side." Empress Kaguya chuckled. No one else did.
"In any case, Kagome must go back to humans eventually. Once Inuyasha is stabilized, she will be sent home. All in favor?"
Everyone but Sesshomaru said 'aye'. Kagome's heart sunk. She had been brought here to encourage integration, to show the council that humans and demons could live alongside each other. But she had only caused conflict and war. Now they would never see a world where integration was possible.
Shishinki walked the room, dragging a scythe behind him. The table had been pushed aside and all the daiyoukai watched as he summoned a portal to the land of the dead. He had complained about it, and at first refused, but eventually acquiesced under pressure from Abi and Toran. Still grumbling, he went about the summoning ritual with the ease of practice. Apparently it was much easier to go to the world of the dead if you were actually...well...dead. Blood flowed down his scythe to the ground from a cut in his hand. It left a sticky red line behind it, and as he reached the center of the room, he finished his large spiral path.
Raising the scythe high, he plunged it down into the floor. The stone cracked and gave, and the staff stood straight in the center of the spiral. Inuyasha and Kagome watched, arms brushing together in the face of such danger. Kagome felt a little bad that Sango and Rokuro weren't with them, but the mission was dangerous enough with just two. The world of the dead didn't like the trespasses of the living.
"Promise me you'll be careful," Inuyasha muttered to her. She rolled her eyes.
"I should be telling you that," she said.
Shishinki held his hand out and beckoned to them from the center of the spiral.
"Come on," he said, "Follow the path." Inuyasha stepped forward first, following the path of blood towards the center of the room. Kagome followed, and the minute she stepped onto the path she started to feel strange. At the center, Shishinki began chanting in some ancient language they didn't understand-or at least, Kagome didn't. The further they walked along the spiral, the more pressure Kagome felt on her skin, like she was climbing a mountain. Her ears popped, and she cried out in pain. Inuyasha reached back and grabbed her hand, pulling her forward.
"Come on!" he called, and she realized that a great wind had picked up in the room, spiraling away from the center and pushing against them. He had to yell for her to hear him.
They circled closer and closer to Shishinki, who had become almost a shadow figure in the distortion of the wind. It wasn't until they were on the third circle from the center that Kagome realized he had disappeared, and in his place a pitch black hole in space had appeared. Inuyasha was pulling her along now, his claws giving him purchase on the stone floor to move ahead. Kagome reached forward and put her arms around his middle, drawing close.
"We're almost there!" he yelled, his voice sounding like a whisper against the wind.
"Keep going!" Kagome yelled back, unsure if he could hear her. He kept going anyway, and then they were in the last circle, right in front of the portal. Inuyasha looked over his shoulder to her.
"Ready, Kagome?" he asked. She only knew what he was saying because of the movement of his lips. She nodded, and he leapt forward into the blackness, pulling her with him.