A.N~ Wow… That was probably the quickest chapter I have ever written AND ITS ALMOST 4000 WORDS! I was going to start it after March break, but then I started it this Friday morning and finished it Friday evening…. So that was good. I wanted to get this out of the way so I could give attention to my other severely neglected stories, but I won't forget about this one I swear!
Yes people, this is OFFICIALLY A YAOI STORY! XD I was trying to decide once and for all whether I wanted this to be family or not, when I started drawing some INUXSESSH art and I decided I like how cute they look together XD…. (If you want to see my art work just ask for my deviantart account and I'll tell you)….. Sorry for anyone who wanted this to be a family fic .….
I also want to say that I had SO MUCH TROUBLE WRITING IN SESSHOMARU'S POINT OF VIEW! So don't expect his point of view too often… I know… cowards way out, but whatever…. I don't like this chapter, but it was basically just me setting some plot…
FINALLY! I want to thank Nikkie23534, JSinuYasha, Melissa(anon), Sola05, dashllee, Inumimi1, Ashlan(anon), Seto K4ba1, ajj7sunhawk, sesshinulover(anon), starlight(anon), Amari-Chan(anon) and syron(anon) for reviewing….All of your reviews made me smile, THANK YOU!
DISCLAIMER!: I do not own Inuyasha, If I did… god help us all (Kagome would be the first to go…)
EDIT: It was brought to my attention that one of the paragraghs in the story DIDN'T MAKE SENSE! I would like to thank Inumimi1 for pointing it out! I hope it makes more sense! and for anyone who is just reading this... dont worry about it XD
****IMPORTANT*****
For anyone who is experiencing the FANFICTION ERROR shit, I found this out while googleing the error like crazy... When you get the error screen in the URL change the word "property" to "content"! FIGURED I WOULD SPREAD THE WORD!
"The future's open wide, beyond believing.
To know why, hope dies.
Losing what was found, a world so hollow.
Suspended in a compromise.
The silence of this sound, is soon to follow.
Somehow, sundown.
And finding answers.
Is forgetting all of the questions we called home.
Passing the graves of the unknown."
~Trading Yesterday – Shattered~
Chapter 3: Reunions
You can only forget someone for so long before reality crashes down. The past can never be buried, no matter how long you lock yourself away in the artificial security created to shield you from the truth. Reality is always hidden underneath the lies. Sesshomaru had forgotten that…and now he was paying for his insolence.
He knew from the beginning when he gained control over the west after the early death of his father that if certain measures weren't taken, his rain would be short. He had become too comfortable with the easy life he had made for himself and had lost the stability in his rule.
He was fairly young to rule the west, though because of his strict rule, no one objected his crowning. However, the people were becoming restless. He wanted to put this off as long as possible, but now how could he. Should he bend to the elders wish or risk mutiny, which could result in civil war? If there was no other way, then he would do whatever it took to keep what was rightfully his. He had waited too long, put up with too much disobedience, and now he was paying for it.
"I will do all that is in my power to keep my kingdom. Lady Keiko and the mutt will be gone by next moon." Sesshomaru couldn't look at the youkia as he spoke. How could he? He didn't want to, more than anything that was the one thing he didn't want to do. Would he be able to do it? Keiko had grown up in the castle her whole life. It was all she knew, and she would fight to keep it. She would fight, and she would lose. It was all he could do but hold his stoic expression in front of the spider youkia. Regardless of the situation, he refused to show how much he wanted to take back those words.
"Excellent My Lord, I will alert the elders of your decision." Sesshomaru didn't look to see if the man left, as he stared out into the pond. What was he doing?
A sudden noise caught his attention to something towards the rose bushes and he was grateful for the distraction, though he was slightly annoyed that the person had caught him off guard. "Who's there?" He growled to the intruder, lifting up his left arm, ready to strike.
He waited for what seemed like hours, listening to the subtle rustling of the branches, before a figure finally shot up from the bushes.
He furrowed his brow at the boy, who wore a red kimono, with long silver hair, much thicker than his own, with golden skin, unlike his own pale complexion, and Sesshomaru couldn't help but stare for a moment. He remembered him from around the castle; he was usually the boy who sat in the background with Keiko so he never bothered with him, though the boyhad an air around him that was almost hypnotic and Sesshomaru had found himself watching him at times, much to his dismay, but then again, he was a lot easier to look at than any of the nobles throwing themselves at him.
The boy blinked at him, his golden eyes wide with shock, and maybe…fear?
Sesshomaru wrinkled his nose at the boys scent… He was no doubt a hanyou; he could sense it in his demonic energy. So this was the hanyou that his father had died for? He stepped towards the red clad boy with dog shaped ears atop his head.
As if on cue, the hanyou dashed out of the garden, and down the hall, seemingly heading nowhere in particular.
Letting out a growl, Sesshomaru sprinted after the boy. He could care less about him over hearing, but he knew Keiko had taken the hanyou as her own, and he could easily inform Keiko before he was ready to tell her. She didn't need to know yet.
It didn't take him long to catch up the boy. Once He was close enough, he gripped his kimono and pinned him against the wall. The hanyou thrashed against his hold, but was easily immobilized, when his grip tightened.
"Get off me you fucking bastard!" The hanyou spat, bucking his hips in an attempt to throw his attacker off, making Sesshomaru's breath hitched from the uninvited friction. Sesshomaru fought to keep his stoic expression, disgusted with himself that he had allowed a hanyou to affect him like that with such simple contact.
Sesshomaru wrapped his claws around the boy's neck, lifting his higher up the wall. "What gives a filthy hanyou the right to use such vulgar language in the presence of his Lord?"
"Fuck you!" The boy kicked his feet, in an attempt to reach the ground, his hands trying to pry the iron grip from around his throat. "You might be the Lord of the west, but you don't fucking own me you, you heartless bastard! And the names Inuyasha!"
Sesshomaru curled his lip at the crude language, finding the boy's disrespect only slightly amusing. It had been awhile since someone had challenged his authority. It was refreshing, though highly agitating. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Keh! None of your fucking business! I knew you were cruel, I didn't know you were the fucking devil! How could you do that to her?" Inuyasha pulled at his fingers, and thrashed wildly, until his wrists were forced above his head. "Fuck off!" Sesshomaru smiled to inwardly, deciding he liked the hanyou like that, his face flustered, breathing ragged, and his face in an angry scowl. He looked like a tempered child who refused to accept their punishment.
"Count yourself lucky hanyou, that you still have your head." He leaned in closer, until their breath mingled, Inuyasha's, ragged and labored his, calm and collected. "Shouldn't you be a little more grateful…?" He suddenly cursed himself for leaning so close to his brother; he had smelled better than he originally thought the hanyou would. He thought for a second that he wouldn't pull away until a growl pierced through his trail of thought.
"I have nothing to be grateful for. You did nothing for me, okasan…" Inuyasha hissed the last word as if it were a disease on his tongue.
Sesshomaru bit back his anger. The worthless mutt would have been dead had it not been for him, and he dared to speak out against him? "Hold your tongue vermin. We may share the same blood, but I will break you if you aren't careful!"
"I'm fucking shaking!" Sesshomaru growled, fully prepared to snap the hanyou's neck, when a piercing scream had him dropping the boy at his feet. "Fucking coward!" Sesshomaru glared down at the boy, wishing he had killed him while he had the chance.
"Sesshomaru!" Similar golden eyes stared in horror at the sight they had witnessed, a long black braid flowing behind her as she ran to the hanyou's side, who was coughing violently from being choked. "What do you think you're doing?" She looked between the two brothers, waiting for answers.
"Yes, Sesshomaru, why don't you tell her what the fuck your doing." Keiko narrowed her eyes on the boy and roughly pinched his arm, earning an uncharacterized yelp from the hanyou. "Damn it Keiko!"
"Watch your language Inuyasha." She glowered at him, before turning her attention to her cousin, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What happened Sesshomaru?"
She didn't know he betrayed her; if she knew, it would break her."Nothing you need concern yourself with Keiko." He kept a stoic expression on his face. Keiko could read him too easily at times, and this was something he didn't want her to find out. He turned away from her, heading in the way she had arrived from. "It's late, you should rest."
He could almost feel the angry glare, being etched in the back of his skull, but the diayoukia didn't turn back until he was greeted with the familiar white wooded door leading to his chambers. He reached for the door knob but stopped when the cool metal touched his skin.
What was wrong with him? Would he betray his only true family?
Flame which lit up the halls illuminated silver hair, giving it an eerie glow. The diayoukia found himself absentmindedly reaching for the flame, reviling in the pain as the deadly flames licked at his fingers.
Beautiful, wild, and untamable; untouchable by those whom revel in its beauty, he had always admired the resilience of the red flame, as it whipped back and forth with the wind, who threatened to douse it's fury. Such anger, power, and heat…so dangerous and untouchable…
His felt his anger rise as thoughts of his brother filled his mind. He was interesting if not infuriating, he had an air around him that was hard to describe, but it made him want to see how far he would go before he snapped. He was strong for a hanyou, he could admit to that, and the thought of battling the red clad demon brought a rare smile to his face.
Sesshomaru's smile turned into a scowl at his own thoughts, for such a creature to cross his thoughts was enough to make him sick, but he couldn't help but think of him as he watched the beauty of the flame engulf the air around it… angry beauty, dangerous to the touch….just like his brother…
Inuyasha was – for lack of a better word – pissed off. It figured that the first conversation he ever had with his brother consisted of threats and name calling on his part, though he had to admit, he did get the excitement he was searching for, it wasn't exactly fun.
He had tried to tell Keiko of their exile after Sesshomaru had left, but he couldn't. As much as he hated to keep things from her, this was something he would handle himself. He shuddered involuntarily at the thought of another "conversation" with his brother.
As weird as it sounded, he wasn't afraid of his brother. Intimidated, yes, but not afraid. He didn't mind being close to Sesshomaru, in fact the thought of his brother talking to him again in his deadly voice was almost enough to made him track the diayoukia down, though he immediately cast aside the thought the moment it entered his mind.
That was his brother. He knew that it was wrong to think about him like that – even if he was a heartless bastard – Sesshomaru was his brother! And more than that, he was a guy, not some clingy bitch with a weird obsession, he shouldn't be thinking about him like that. It wasn't like he liked him or anything, – in fact the only word strong enough to describe his feelings for his brother was hate, he was a pompous prince with everything he had every wanted simply handed to him, and after "meeting him" Inuyasha wanted nothing to do with him – but he would be naïve to say he wasn't attracted to him… He couldn't have imagined the way his brother had looked at him last night with something other than hate in his eyes…Right?
What was he thinking? He snapped at himself. Even if there was anything in the air last night, he still wanted him gone. He was even ready to kill him, had Keiko not walked in on them – though he did provoke it, it didn't change what he did, or what he was going to do.
Sesshomaru had no heart…
Inuyasha shook his head from the thoughts. He shouldn't be thinking about that when he had a bigger problem to worry about; like what he was going to do about Keiko. He knew he should tell her, she would be more equipped to deal with whatever needed to be done. But he couldn't shake the feeling that told him to leave Keiko out of the dispute.
Was he being selfish? Should he deprive Keiko of her right to know because of a 'feeling' he couldn't place? Would she even be able to stop Sesshomaru if she knew of his plan? Somehow he knew he could do this on his own, he just didn't know how.
Inuyasha sighed. It was too quiet, and he had been alone with his thoughts for too long. Just as the thought crossed his mind, he felt a sudden pain shoot through his side causing him to lose his footing sending him falling towards the grass with a horrible crack.
Inuyasha groaned, holding his head that had hit a little too hard on the floor and attempted unsuccessfully to push against the body lying against him. "Urgh! Get the hell off a me!"
Familiar laughing only helped to further piss him off as the pressure on his chest was released and he was able to sit up and glare at the wolf sitting cross legged at his feet.
"What the hell was that for you stupid wolf!" Inuyasha glared dangerously at his friend and kicked him hard in the chest so he was lying on his back, still laughing uncontrollably. "Would you shut up; I'm not in the mood…"
"I could tell." Koga teased, throwing his head back in another fit of laughter causing his ponytail to whip back and forth. "You should know better than to let your mind wander while I'm around mutt."
Inuyasha sighed, usually he would think of some kind of response or insult, but he had too much on his mind to care. He could tell by the look on his face that Koga could tell something was wrong. Besides Keiko, Koga could read Inuyasha's emotions better than anyone. He always said it was a "wolf thing", but regardless, Inuyasha could keep few things from Koga without him noticing one way or another.
He had known Koga almost for as long as he had arrived there. Koga normally lived with his tribe in the south, but was at the castle whenever his parents had business with the west. He had met Koga after the wolf had snuck out of a business meeting his parents had dragged him into, and wandered into the garden where Inuyasha had been sitting.
The boys had become instant enemies, Inuyasha, annoyed at Koga's constant showing off, and Koga angered that someone refused to be in awe at his attempts for attention. Eventually, the hate had somehow turned to friendship, though neither could tell exactly when the hate dissipated to respect.
"Did Keiko hit you again..?" Koga guessed, a grin never leaving his face as he asked.
"Shut up, she hits hard." Koga raised his hands in defense, and Inuyasha sighed, he really wasn't in the mood to deal with this.
Koga grinned and patted Inuyasha's shoulder sympathetically. "Never said she didn't…" He studied his friend's face and his eyebrows shot up in realization. "Is it a girl?"
"Koga what the fuck?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes and pushed himself to his feet, feeling his cheeks turn red. It wasn't a girl…but... "Let's not do this Koga…"
"Come on Inuyasha, I told you about Ayame!"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, ignoring Koga as he stood up so he was next to him. "Keh, you wanted me to keep her from you. She was forcing you into marriage".
"Details…"
"I would tell you to shut up, but I think the novelty has pretty much worn off by now."
"Maybe you should talk to Sango; I can only assume she's good with girls."
"It's not a girl!" He groaned his frustration, realizing he was never going to win like this and turned to face Koga. "I don't want to talk about it, alright?"
Koga narrowed his eyes, he wasn't one to give up on anything and by the look on the mutt's face he was hiding something big. "Alright…" Koga frowned at him, but didn't mention it again. He would find out eventually…
Such beauty….
The youkia watched from the shadows as the purified demon tended to the patch of yellow daffodils like a loving mother. Such light and tranquility in a being made to kill... It was sickening, and yet so fascinating.
Such a power of light in something so weak… It was almost cruel. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch the black hair that fell around her body in long locks instead of its usual braid. He wanted to touch the pale markings on her cheeks and look into pure golden eyes while he tainted her, and consumed her lifeless corpse.
He could easily kill her now and save him all of the trouble he was in store for. She was after all, all which stood in the way of him and his Lord Sesshomaru along with his hanyou half brother - who she had conveniently adopted as her own. He could kill her now and make it much easier… but then where was the fun in that…?
To know such a disgusting creature lived around the castle seemingly undetected was sickening, and to know she was what was stopping him from achieving his goal was even more so. No… She needed to suffer, along with those who cherished her. He would make sure of it.
"If you are just going to stand there and watch me, I would suggest you leave." He furrowed his brow, taken back by the comment. Did she know he was there the whole time? He was sure he had concealed his demonic energy. He growled low in his throat. He had put this off for too long, soon she would be untouchable.
He had wanted to humiliate her, have her thrown out of her only home by her closest companion, but now he would need to speed things up.
"Lady Keiko, beautiful as always…"
"Naraku…" She didn't turn to look at him, but nodded her head to acknowledge his presence. "What do you want?"
If there was one thing he respected about the dog demon, was that he didn't have to hide with her. She could see past all of his deception. He laughed at the irony of it all. The one person, who knew of his treachery, didn't know she was the only one who could stop him. "I want to play a game."
She finally turned to face him, her golden eyes shining with determination. "I won't be a pawn for your amusement."
Naraku smiled, though it was undetectable from behind his baboon belt. "Of course not. Why you, when I have two little demons who are so easily manipulated?"
He saw something like shock in her eyes and laughed at the reaction. "You don't need to include them."
"But I do. What's the point of playing, if you don't get a prize?" He walked closer to her, and knelt down beside her, causing her to flinch away.
"You won't hurt them…" She warned, though it sounded funny coming from her. "Do whatever you want with me, just don't hurt them."
"I plan on it…" He reached down to touch a flower that immediately wilted under his touch. "Don't you want to know why I'm here, what's my master plan?" She stared into empty red eyes and nodded her head. She looked confused; it was exciting to see so many emotions run through her eyes. He leaned in so he could whisper in her elf like ear; "I'm going to kill you…"
She seemed unfazed by his words and turned her gaze away from him. Naraku frowned. He wanted to see those eyes fill with fear, and hate, all because of him. It was only fair. But she turned away. With a growl Naraku shot up, and stared down at the youkia until she looked up at him.
"You can't save them both." Naraku's voice was sharp with anger and echoed with violent intentions to the dog demon.
She looked up at the youkia, the sun's glow casting an almost heavenly glow around her face, making her smile even brighter and at the same time, more mournful. "I know…"
"finding answers.
Is forgetting all of the questions we called home.
Passing the graves of the unknown."
A.N~CLIFF HANGER!... I know, Keiko seems like a big character in this thing, but I promise she won't be the main focus….. I know how annoying some O.C's can be when they're always there so just bear with me now….. And yeah, Updates will get a lot less frequent now, but I'll try to make the longer to make it up XD…. I have a lot of writing to do if I want to get my other stories where I want them by the deadline I gave myself, plus there's homework now and chores, so I'll be busy, but don't worry, you'll hear from me again eventually! Unless I pull another one day chapter – which I doubt, but whatever…
I might redo this chapter…. I'm not sure…. And if anyone has any ideas or suggestions I'd be happy to hear them… I'm a newb writer, so criticism would really help me!