Chapter 12: Apology
"Any moment now, I will be complete. Perhaps I could let you join me." Naraku said to Rin and Maya as he watched the mound of tentacles work away.
Just as the mound of tentacles grew any smaller, it was surrounded by a green glow.
"What the..." Naraku gasped out surprised as the mound of tentacles evaporated.
Rin and Maya's eyes brightened when they saw Sesshomaru appear from the tentacles.
His claws were outstretched, his eyes were flaming red, his magenta streaks on his cheeks were sharply jagged.
"Move. Away." Sesshomaru said in a low growling voice.
Rin grabbed Maya as the two went over to the unconscious Austin.
The Tensaiga in Rin's hand pulsed as if hearing a command, and suddenly, the familiar red barrier surrounded the three.
Maya and Rin watched as Sesshomaru moved in inhuman speed, and a very large, bright green light filled a large portion of the forest.
Austin had awoken sometime during the apocalyptic light, and as if he knew the barrier wasn't going to hold up the whole weight of the house and block out the power, he carefully, but quickly crawled closer to Rin and Maya, still in his dog form, and he curled around them.
"Austin." Rin and Maya gasped.
He couldn't reply, he just closed his eyes as the whole house came down, and the green light became blinding.
Minutes and minutes passed like that, and suddenly stopped.
Austin uncurled himself, and everyone found that all they could see, was the outside forest.
"Is everyone ok?" Sesshomaru asked, as he turned his attention to the three, seeming to immediately calm down.
Austin made his human form as he stood, moving away from Rin and Maya.
"Maya? Maya! Come on. Wake up." Rin immediately panicked when she noticed that Maya had gone unconscious.
Sesshomaru knelt down next to Rin, and his claws glew light green, and he laid them on Maya's punctured neck.
"She is only unconscious, but her pulse is very faint." Sesshomaru said.
"Where did Akuma go, that bastard." Austin said.
"They have fled. Naraku is destroyed though, which for now, is all that I'm concerned about with that family...Rin." Sesshomaru said, removing his nails from Maya's now healed neck, and focused on Rin's wound.
"I'm fine." Rin said.
"I will not allow my family, especially my mate, have ANY wound or mark on them." Sesshomaru said, and he soon had RIn's small bite mark healed.
Sesshomaru then had Maya laying in his arms.
"Come. She will probably sleep for a day or two."
Rin and Austin silently followed after Sesshomaru.
"What was the Tensaiga doing here?" Rin asked as she glanced at the sword she held.
"Akuma must have manipulated Maya to steal it, and give it to him." Austin said, upset with Akuma more than his sister.
The four arrived back at their house, and Sesshomaru laid Maya in her bed.
"Here." Rin sighed, as she handed the Tensaiga back to Sesshomaru, who simply set the sword down next to Maya's bed.
"I will stay with her tonight. Get some rest." Sesshomaru told Rin.
*3 days later*
Sesshomaru wasn't the least bit surprised that so many days, Maya had remained unconscious.
That night, as Rin and Austin had gone to bed, Maya began to stir, her eyes opened.
"Daddy." Maya croaked quietly.
"I'm here. Maya, are you ok?" Sesshomaru asked, as he sat at her bed.
"I'm... Sorry." Maya whispered, which confused Sesshomaru.
"For what?" He asked.
"For taking your Tensaiga. I put all of us in danger, I don't even deserve to live right now..."
"Stop it Maya!" Sesshomaru snapped, "I would lay down my life for you than to worry about some rusty old sword!"
"But, I helped bring back Naraku, I couldn't stop him from draining my life...It's all my fault." Maya said sadly.
"I have taken care of Naraku, he won't return this time. Don't punish yourself for this!" Sesshomaru said.
"But I deserve it. You should have taken care of me too, you should have just left me to die. I deserve it." Maya said.
"No, you don't deserve it!" Sesshomaru almost cried out, as he hugged her tightly, "You are my daughter, my own flesh and blood, I love you more than life itself. I couldn't live with myself if I lost you, Austin, or your mother. You three are what keeps me breathing, what keeps me alive." Sesshomaru said.
Maya cried into Sesshomaru's shoulder, and he held her securely.
"It's ok, Maya. You're safe now, that's all that matters." Sesshomaru said.
"I'm sorry that I took the Tensaiga." Maya said, again.
"Don't be. You are forgiven." Sesshomaru said as he released her, his golden eyes glistening with tears that threatened to fall.
"Ok, you get some more sleep, and we'll talk more in the morning." Sesshomaru said, and laid Maya down, who was still tired.
"Night daddy." Maya whispered, as she fell asleep again.
Sesshomaru sighed as he watched her sleep for a few minutes, before standing, and going to his room, where Rin slept.
His heart ached at the thought of Maya telling him to kill her, it was heart-breaking.
Now, after three days, he could finally rest.
*1 week later*
"Austin, slow down!" Maya panted as she chased after him.
It was a nice afternoon, and Austin and Maya had gone to play.
"You are too slow, sis." Austin said, returning to Maya's side.
"Uh-huh, I've heard that before." Maya said, rolling her eyes at him.
"Hello Maya." A familiar voice sounded a few feet away.
Maya looked at the figure that stood before them.
"Akuma?" Maya whispered, but not in relief, but in fear.
"What are you doing here?" Austin stood slightly in front of Maya, his claws tensed.
"Calm down Dog Demon, I've not come to fight." Akuma said gently, and Maya was slightly surprised on how Akuma sounded so... Grown up.
"Well then you'd better leave, because you are standing in the wrong presence to be talking." Austin said, and little by little, his eyes filled red.
"I have only come to apologize." Akuma said, and risked taking a couple steps forward, his eyes on Maya.
Austin growled lowly, a sound coming from his inner demon, which stopped Akuma.
"Maya...I..."
"Don't." Maya stopped him, walking up to him, but Austin stopped her.
"Austin." Maya sighed, annoyed, which calmed him down, and Maya stood a couple inches in front of Austin, facing Akuma.
"I can't accept your apology, I can't trust you anymore. We were good friends, but I guess I was just your tool. Your key. And now... I'm scared of you Akuma." Maya said, tears in her eyes.
Akuma held the same expression as her.
Austin moved Maya back behind him.
"You've brought enough harm here. I want you out of our territory, out of this forest, and out of the western lands by sun down." Austin said smoothly, although his now golden eyes held glares as if to kill.
Akuma held no expression, and for a minute, Maya thought he was going to stay and fight.
"Goodbye Maya. I know that I am no longer worthy of earning your trust, but I honestly didn't want any of this to happen. I thought I could protect you...I'm sorry." Akuma said, and without waiting, he turned and walked off.
Maya watched him pitifully. He was just a kid, yes he betrayed her, and yes he was the son of a killer, but, above all, Maya liked him, she wanted to stop him and tell him it was ok, but, he was already too far, and soon, his form faded into the shadows of the trees.
"Maya, are you ok?" Austin asked, breaking her concentration.
"Yeah." Maya said.
"Let's head back home." Austin said, and took her hand, and the two walked the opposite from Akuma.
Maya tried to clear Akuma from her head, he would no longer see her again.
She reflected Austin's protective repulses to her dad's .
Maya was barely a demon, she was more like her mom than anything, but Austin was more like her dad.
Fierce, protective, and sometimes self-centered.
As Austin gre, he even looked more and more like Sesshomaru. His familiar silver hair, his golden eyes, the exact same magenta colored, two lined, V-shaped marks on his cheeks, and a small blue crescent moon on his forehead.
"I want you out of our territory, out of this forest, out of these western lands by sundown." Austin's threatening voice echoed in Maya's head, he sounded just like Sesshomaru.
Before she knew it, they had arrived home.
"How did your run go?" Sesshomaru asked, as the two came in.
"Everything was fine." Maya said.
"Akuma has been chased out of the western lands." Austin said.
"What?" Sesshomaru asked.
"He came to say goodbye." Maya said, stopping Austin from speaking.
"Ok. As long as he doesn't use you again." Sesshomaru said.
"I'm tired." Maya said, dropping the subject, and went into the living room to sit with Rin.
"We are returning to school tomorrow?" Austin asked.
"That is for you to decide, I think you and Maya are already well mastered on your demons." Sesshomaru said.
"But, we still haven't learned to protect ourselves from..."
"Austin! You fought a powerful Spider Demon to protect your sister, I would have done the same. I actually have once, to protect your mother, you and Maya are already ready to take my place when my time comes to leave this world." Sesshomaru said.
"W-what? I-I...Father, I can't take your place, I still don't know how to do all that, I know you are strong, and I've seen you fight many times to protect us, I'm not strong..."
"You are strong, Austin. You just don't know it yet. You are still young, but when you grow, you will realize how much power you hold. Just promise me one thing..." Sesshomaru paused.
"Yes?" Austin asked.
"Never let your powers consume you. Never use your strength to kill those weaker than you. Unless they mean harm." Sesshomaru said.
"I wouldn't want to hurt people. Why would you say that?" Austin asked confused.
"Because, before I met your mother, I used to be someone like that. I thought of everyone as an easy opponent, I used to kill people. Now, I've changed, and I want you to promise me you will never walk down that road." Sesshomaru said.
"I promise." Austin said.
"Good. I am proud of you both. Tomorrow. Maybe we can take a trip, and let you two see more of our kind." Sesshomaru said.
Austin smiled, "That would be great."
"Ok. Let's get some rest. Night is fastly approaching." Sesshomaru said, and they joined Rin and Maya in the living room.
Rin loved her children, and Sesshomaru.
Maya loved her mom, she looked up to her most of the time.
Austin was always protective of Maya, but now, he realized how important he thought his mother was, and was even more protective of her. Just like his dad.
Sesshomaru...Was happy. He had a family that he never thought he'd have, he had children that he said he would never grow to like, yet, Maya was his little girl, and Austin was his fast growing son, that wanted nothing more than to look up to him.
Soon, his children would become what he is...
The rulers of the Western Lands.
A/N: Well that is the end.
I thank "SquirtlePokemon" for sticking with the story, I enjoyed how you saw the events and enjoyed them like I did when I was typing this.
Now this is the end of my Four Sequel Stoy... The End :)
Feel free to leave reviews!
~Wolflover235