I'm back! Knew that I kept you guys waiting awhile, so I made this chapter extra long and extra informative. This is a turning point in our story and should answer quite a bit of questions that a few of you may have. Hope you guys like it and enjoy where this story is headed!
Forward!
Chapter 47
Darkness shrouded the sky, only to be broken by the many pinpoints of light that were the stars and the bright moon. Sai looked on at the beautiful sight, not really taking it in, but allowing her thoughts to consume her conscious mind instead. She was sure that she was the only one awake at that hour. Well, her and Sesshomaru, who was standing guard at the edge of the village. It was a depressing thought. Normally on nights where she couldn't sleep, Kaze would be there to comfort her. Unfortunately, tonight that luxury was unavailable. Her mate was still unconscious and lying on a mat next to her, suffering from the evil aura that still raged through his veins. The worst part was that Sai was unable to help him. Under normal circumstances, she would have been able to purify the aura just by her presence. However, her injuries were still too great to allot that sort of energy expenditure. Her mother could have done the same, but for some unfortunate reason, she and her father had chosen that day to take a vacation to a hot spring a good journey away from the village. Sai had sent Kirara to fetch them, but she knew that they wouldn't be back at least until the following afternoon.
Sai sighed and averted her gaze from the night sky to her suffering mate. She knew he was in pain, a lot of pain. That much was coming through her mark. It was a disgusting feeling. Konton's aura made her feel dirty just being in its proximity. Sai could only guess how bad it was for Kaze. Seeing the cold sweat that had built on his forehead and the slight tremble in his form made her demon blood boil. It demanded retribution. It demanded blood. She promised that it would have what it desired. Hell, even her human blood wanted Konton dead, but her demon half wanted to revel in his suffering and taste his blood as it flowed liberally from his body. Sai could almost taste the thick, sweet flavor on her tongue.
Sai immediately shook the thoughts from her mind as she felt her eyes begin to bleed red. She couldn't allow her demon blood to rule her now. At the moment, her mate needed her more than she needed revenge.
"Dammit." Sai cursed softly to herself, "I'm useless! I can't even help my mate when needs me! What good am I?"
"Quiet." Growled the prone form beside her. Sai nearly jumped in surprise. Kaze's eyes were still closed, but his fangs were bared and the tremble had lessened.
"Kaze?" Sai asked tentatively.
"How many times do I have to tell you that you're not useless?" He said through his clenched teeth, "I'm getting tired of trying to force that through your thick head."
"But Kaze it's true!" Sai insisted, "First I get hurt and force our journey to stop. Then you get hurt because of me. What does that say about how useful I am?" Kaze's responding snarl stopped her rant in its tracks. It was low and furious.
"Quit it with the self-deprecation and accept who you are." He forced out. Sai could tell that he would have been screaming if he wasn't in such bad shape.
"And who is that Kaze?" Sai pleaded, "Please tell me because I'd really like to know right now." As if in response, Sai felt a wave of power sweep across the room. It was pure, but also ancient and grand.
Sai raised her eyes to search out the source of the energy and came upon Kaze's sword, Jinsei, which was lying against the wall across the room. The blade was pulsing with energy and glowing red. It wasn't a violent red, like that of a demon's eyes, but more of a soft and welcoming shade. The shade could have easily been used to represent such feelings as affection or love. Altogether, it was an otherworldly sight.
Despite its strangeness, Sai felt herself drawn to the blade. The aura it was radiating contained no malice and was almost familiar. As the blade continued to pulse, Sai felt as though it was calling out to her, calling out for her to take hold of the blade. Sai couldn't refuse. She slowly got up, ignoring the pain in her ribs, and crossed the room to the blade. As she approached, the pulsing increased in pace. When she finally stood before its glowing form, its pulse seemed almost like that of a human heart.
Throwing caution to the wind, Sai raised her clawed hand and grabbed hold of the handle of the sword. Suddenly, the glowing red aura that had surrounded the blade invaded her as well. It encompassed her entire body. However, she felt no fear or trepidation from it. Instead, the incursion felt right and she welcomed it. That's when her vision went white.
The whiteness surrounded her. It seemed infinite and undefinable. Yet, she still felt no fear. Sai felt warm in the whiteness that was her new world. She could sense no threat, but she could sense other presences.
"Welcome Saiai." Greeted a deep voice from behind her.
Sai turned to face the voice and was met by a strange sight. There were three people there to greet her. One, the owner of the voice, looked to be a demon of great importance. His armor was grand and decorated in a way befitting a man of high military rank, like a general or a warlord. The demon's long hair was silver and tied in a high ponytail. Blazoned on his forehead was the symbol of the crescent moon, while on each cheek were the distinctive purple stripes that marked a dog demon. To the demon's right was beautiful woman. Her long flowing hair was jet black and her eyes were a striking hazel. The woman wore the traditional clothing of a priestess, but covered it with a set of green armor that appeared to be made from the bones of demons. On the opposite side stood a handsome man with long inky black hair. His irises were blood red, marking demonic blood, though he had no distinctive markings to suggest the same. By his scent, he was a half demon, though not in the same way she was. His flowing purple kimono suggested that he had occupied a position of royalty or aristocracy at some point.
Sai knew that she should have been confused by the assortment of people before her, but something in her told her that it was alright. Something said that she knew who these people were and that they were only here for her benefit.
"Hello." Sai finally returned, bowing slightly to the trio before her. The demon smiled and stepped forward.
"You are just as beautiful as I imagined. Not to mention your power is greater than I could have ever predicted." He praised, while examining her from head to toe. Sai could not help but beam from the compliments as she stood for critical eye, "But I should have expected as much from my granddaughter." Sai's jaw dropped.
"Y-you're my grandfather?" She stuttered, almost unable to believe it, even though his statement rang true to her instincts. The demon smiled and bowed.
"Indeed. I am the great Inu no Taisho, Lord of the Western Lands. Though to family, I am simply Toga." He told her. Sai didn't know how to respond to the new information, so she simply nodded dumbly and prayed that he would continue. He happily obliged, "Saiai, my granddaughter, we have brought you here for a reason, as I'm sure you have surmised. We would not go through the trouble of arranging such a meeting if the purpose were not well worth it. Are you ready to hear it." Sai answered without thinking, based solely off instinct.
"Yes grandfather." She said confidently. The demon smiled warmly in response.
"Then let's get started shall we." With that the demon raised two of his clawed fingers to Sai's forehead.
Suddenly the claws sparked on her skin and the vision before her faded. In it's place, a new scene appeared. Toga was still in front of her with his fingers on her head, but the surrounding area had been transformed completely. She was now in a beautiful open courtyard. There was a koi pond and several cherry blossom trees that were in full bloom. The courtyard was surrounded on all four sides by the walls of a traditional Japanese palace. Its scent was calming, strangely reminiscent to that of a home that she had never known.
"What is this place?" Sai asked in wonder as her eyes scanned the courtyard and the clear blue sky that floated above them. Toga chuckled and lowered his hand to his side.
"This is a memory, Sai." He told her, "My memory to be exact." Sai's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Why did you bring me here? What's so special about this place?" She questioned, making her grandfather laugh.
"You are just like your father." He commented, "This was my home. Specifically, the home I shared with Izayoi before it was burned to the ground." Sai nodded, taking in the information. The familiarity of the scent now made sense. It was what should have been her ancestral home. Something that had been denied her.
"I see." Sai said slowly, rethinking the way she was addressing the place, "So what brings us here? I'm sure it's not just to reminisce. You said as much earlier." The demon general nodded and smiled warmly.
"Indeed I did. You are here to learn from my mate. This is my memory and it shall do as I please." He explained, "We will seek out Izayoi in this palace and you shall listen to her story. It is one that you need to hear." Sai nodded. All of this was exceedingly exciting, though she kept her emotions under wraps. They did not seem appropriate at the moment. But she still couldn't help but be excited to meet her grandmother, someone that her father had talked about all of his life as one of the best women the earth had ever known.
"Lead the way." Sai consented. The demon nodded and turned on his heels towards the palace. Sai followed close behind.
On their way into the palace, they passed several people. Each and every one of them stopped what they were doing and bowed in deference as they went by, not only to Inu no Taisho, but also to Sai. All of them seemed to know who she was in relation to their lord. It was a strange feeling to be treated like royalty.
Sai quickly learned that her grandfather's palace had been huge. Their walk was taking quite a long time, even at the brisk pace that Toga had adopted. Eventually, though, they came to what appeared to be a living room of sorts. In the center of the room was a low table already set with tea. At the table, a beautiful woman in a flowing pink kimono was kneeling. Her hair was long and jet black and it cascaded down her back, while her eyes were a soft, loving brown. Those eyes turned to meet Toga's as he walked into the room. A warm smile appeared on her face that was mirrored on Toga's. Her scent made her easily identifiable to Sai. It was one that, even after more than two hundred years, lingered strongly with her father. The woman at the table was none other than her grandmother, Izayoi. She was every bit as beautiful as she had been told. Perhaps even more so.
As per the traditions that dictated aristocratic respect, or at least the little she remembered from her lessons from Sesshomaru, Sai bowed to her grandmother. Much to her surprise, the woman chuckled at the display of respect, but dipped her head in return.
"My dear, there is no need for such pleasantries." The woman said, "We are family. Now come here and let a proud grandmother dote." Sai laughed, but obeyed. She walked to where her grandmother was and knelt beside her. Toga followed and knelt on the opposite side of the table. Breaking tradition, he poured the tea for the women and then himself. Izayoi took her time in looking over Sai. Nobody said anything during the examination. Sai simply drank her tea and allowed herself to be looked over. Suddenly a broad smile crossed Izayoi's face. She was clearly pleased by what she saw.
"I see Inuyasha mated well." She commented as she used her hand to brush a few strands of loose hair behind her ear, "Your beauty is like that of legends, your strength is beyond belief, and your heart is pure and incorruptible. It makes me proud to be your grandmother." Sai blushed at the praise. She didn't really believe what was being said about her. None of it seemed to fit how she saw herself, no matter what kind of front she put up to others. Toga noticed her reaction to Izayoi's comments and chuckled.
"And now we have come to the reason why I have brought you into my realm." He stated calmly, "You do not believe yourself up to the task that has been set for you. For some reason, you take every opportunity to point out aggrandize each flaw you manage to find or imagine within yourself, while making out your enemies as invincible." Sai averted her gaze. Her grandfather's words struck true in her mind, but she refused to believe them.
"Let's say you're right." Sai began defiantly, "What here is going to make me see otherwise? I mean, it's amazing to meet my family, but I don't get what you're trying to teach me grandfather. It doesn't make sense." Toga smiled at her and shook his head.
"Indeed it doesn't. Not yet, at least. This is only the first of piece of your lesson." He explained, "As for this part, we shall examine your view of yourself in relation to your mate. From what I have seen, you see yourself as an incapable mate. Kaze has been injured on multiple occasions on your watch and he has been put in danger on many more occasions because of you or your actions. At least, that is how you see the situation." Sai immediately narrowed her eyes. She didn't like where this was going.
"It is my fault that he's hurt!" Sai countered, "Kaze has been put in danger countless times on my account and has been hurt and nearly died because of me. Hell, he'd probably be better off without me!" Toga's face immediately hardened at her words. Sai could easily tell how he had been an intimidating demon general.
"Without you, your mate would be dead." He said flatly, "He would have been slaughtered in the demon purges alongside his entire family. You are the only reason that several hundred humans and the united wolf and panther tribes still have their lives. Without you, Konton's armies would have overrun them within weeks." Sai's mouth slammed shut. She couldn't argue that. Without her, more than one of Konton's armies would still be roaming the countryside.
Gently, a soft small hand gripped her shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. Sai looked over to see her grandmother's concerned, loving eyes gazing deeply into her own.
"He's right you know?" She affirmed, "No mate is ever useless. Even I served my purpose to Toga. As a human, I may not have been able to fight at his side. Yet, in a way, I was his strength. I gave him the support he needed." Toga nodded as he looked lovingly at his mate before returning his gaze to Sai.
"She was my reason for living, my inspiration for fighting, and the love of my life." He admitted, "Without her, I was nothing. It is why I laid down my life defending her, despite the protests of my son and advisors. I did it without a second thought." Tears came to Izayoi's eyes as she remembered the day.
"You must learn that you are everything to your mate, just as your mate is everything to you. No matter what happens, you are never useless to your mate." Izayoi choked out, "Each of you would happily lay down your life for the other. It hurts to see your mate injured, but it is a fact of life. Pain is unavoidable. All you can do is get past it, learn from it, and become closer because of it. That is how love works." Sai balled her fists into her kimono. Her grip was so tight that her claws would have shredded it if it were normal silk. She couldn't restrain the tears behind her eyelids, so they flooded down her cheeks. Sai hated the fact that they were right. She hated the fact that she had no one to blame for Kaze's pain. She hated the fact that she had to accept that she couldn't stop pain from being apart of their lives together. She hated it all, but couldn't argue against it. As much as she hated it, she had to accept it.
At some point, unbeknownst to Sai, she had been taken into her grandmother's embrace. She had buried her tearstained face into her grandmother's bosom and allowed the tears to soak the flawless pink kimono. Her grandmother was whispering words of encouragement into her ears, but she couldn't process them. What she could process, however, was her grandfather standing behind her. He was emitting a comforting aura that seemed to calm her.
After a moment, her tears stopped and her mind was at ease yet again. Her resolve was back. Somehow, her outlook had been altered. Her confidence had returned and, along with it, her strength and will to keep fighting. With her grandmother's help, they stood and faced the great demon lord. He held out both of his hands to her and, as if by instinct, she put both of her own in his with her palms facing the ceiling. Slowly, he began to bleed his aura into her palms. The aura swirled within her hands until it settled down into a definite form. Now, staring back at her, was the symbol of her clan. A purple crescent moon was blazoned in the center of each palm. They glowed softly for only a moment before fading back into her skin, leaving no trace that they had been there.
"You have received my blessing Saiai." The demon lord said softly.
"And mine as well." Izayoi added lovingly. Sai looked up from her palms to her long dead family members. Both were staring at her, almost like they were waiting for something. Sai smirked and nodded confidently. Toga returned her smirk and the palace around her began to fade.
Only a moment later, Sai was back in the land of white. Her grandfather still stood in front of her, but now the other two had returned behind him. They stood perfectly still with their hands clasped behind their backs. An untrained observer would think that they were completely oblivious to the events that had just transpired. However, Sai was a bit more clever than that. She could tell easily by the glint in their eyes that they were impressed.
"I believe my portion of this endeavor has come to an end." Toga commented, stepping back to his place in the middle of the other man and woman.
"Indeed it has my lord." The armored priestess agreed as she stepped forward, "Now I believe it's my turn." Sai looked at the woman. It was clear that the woman was priestess. However, what was surprising was the sheer amount of power radiating off the woman. The only one that Sai had seen with spiritual power so great, besides herself, would have to be her mother. No other priestess had such awesome reserves of power. If there had been another, Sai would have been able to feel them from the other side of Japan. That simple fact gave away the identity of the warrior that stood before her.
"You are Midoriko, I presume." Sai guessed with a bow of her head. The woman returned the gesture.
"My my. You are a clever one Saiai." She praised with an impressed half smile gracing her beautiful face, "Indeed. During my time on earth, I was Midoriko. For all intents and purposes of this meeting, I am her still." Sai nodded. From what her mother and Miroku had explained to her during her training as a priestess, she knew that upon death a soul did not necessarily maintain a specific identity. It was what allowed for reincarnation. The souls of great priestesses were especially famous for this.
"I understand." Sai assured the woman.
"Good." She said shortly, before placing two fingers on Sai's forehead as her grandfather had done previously.
Before she knew it, Sai found herself in a dark cave, lit only by the combined spiritual power of her and Midoriko. The warrior priestess removed her hand from Sai's forehead and turned to stare into the darkness of the cave. Silence pervaded the cave for a long while. It became palpable, but not necessarily uncomfortable. The silence seemed more out of respect and reverence of days of old than anything else.
"Do you know this place?" Midoriko asked suddenly, her voice barely above a whisper. Sai thought for a moment. The place struck her as familiar, too familiar for her liking. It seemed to be somewhere that held great significance, not only to the two women inside at the moment, but to the world. Yet Sai still could not identify it.
"No. It's familiar, but I have no idea where we are." She admitted. Midoriko chuckled softly before turning back to face the girl.
"I didn't figure you would. The fact that it is familiar at all is a surprise. You are more talented than I thought." The priestess said cryptically. Sai furrowed her brow in confusion. She didn't like mysteries, especially ones that involved her own fate.
"So where are we?" Sai pressed making Midoriko smile.
"We are in the cave that claimed my life." She said matter-of-factly. Sai's eyes widened. That explained more than a few of her questions.
"This is the birthplace of the Sacred Jewel? But I don't see evidence of your battle." Sai pointed out.
"As with your experience with Inu no Taisho, this is my memory. Clearly, I don't remember the events after my death, even though I am aware of them. That is why this memory shows the cave as it was while I prepared for my final battle." Midoriko explained.
"I see. My grandfather took me into his memories to reestablish my will to continue on fighting alongside my mate. I'm assuming that you have a similar purpose for bringing me here with you." Sai surmised. Midoriko smiled and nodded, clearly impressed.
"Kagome raised a clever child. I should have figured as much from the little I saw of her during her time trapped within the Sacred Jewel." She said, "Yes, my purpose is in encouraging you in your fight."
"In what way?" Sai questioned, "I've already agreed to put everything into my fight against Konton. I've accepted my fate and place as a mate. I'm ready for blood. What else do I need to be encouraged for?" Midoriko chuckled and shook her head.
"My dear, those are all things born of your demon blood." She pointed out, "That is why one of the greatest demon lords of all time took on the responsibility of instilling them into you. My place is to encourage your pure human blood as a priestess and make you reconcile yourself to your abilities in that realm."
"What?" Sai said dumbly, "What don't I get about being a priestess? I've been raised as one since birth. It's who I am." Midoriko sighed, frustrated at having to explain this one piece of information.
"It's not your identity as a priestess that is in question." She stated, "It is your unique position as such. You are being called to do something that no other priestess has ever been called to do, nor even able to do. As you have been told several times, you are the only one that can defeat Konton and return peace. Saiai, it is your job to purify and thus repair the rift that has been torn in our world. Konton has ripped the natural order of the world to shreds. Animosity between human and demon has never been greater and balance no longer exists. It is your job to change this. Essentially, the fate of the world relies on you." Sai swallowed hard.
"Oh." She said lamely. There was no way that Sai could have expected this. Hell, there was no way that she could even begin to think about how to approach such a monstrous and monolithic objective.
"Indeed." Midoriko agreed, "I can see it in your eyes that you doubt yourself. You do not think yourself capable of such a task. That is why I have brought you here."
"So how the hell am I supposed to save the world?" Sai demanded. Midoriko smiled knowingly, but shook her head.
"That is for you to figure out Sai, and you will, when the time comes." She assured the frantic girl, "My place is to make you see that you can. And I will do that by letting you see your own true potential. You true power, if you will."
"How?" Sai's question was simple, only one word. However, the answer was a little more difficult and not something that could just be explained away. Midoriko turned from Saiai to stare into the darkness. Incidentally, the place she chose to stare at was the exact place where she stood upon her death.
"Do you know why I died here?" She asked, seemingly avoiding the question. Sai arched her brow. She was a little annoyed at having her question blown off, but was more curious as to the nature of the one now posed to her.
"Of course." Sai assured the woman, "Every priestess worth her salt knows that. You used your soul to imprison the souls of the demons gathered around you."
"You're right, at least, on the surface." Midoriko said, "No, the real reason for my death was my own folly, my own lack of foresight." Sai was taken aback. This was a side of the story that she had never heard. In every telling of it, Sai had always heard that Midoriko's final act was valiant and ingenuous. Now the object of such praise was refuting it and calling the action that made her a legend foolish.
"I mean no offense," Sai began cautiously, "but that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. How was your act folly?" Midoriko chuckled and changed her gaze to peer deeply into the darkness that shrouded the ceiling of the cave.
"I did not realize one simple piece of information." She began, regret entering her voice for the first time, "No priestess is ever presented with a task that is beyond her power. We can only be undone by our own doubt of that power." Sai's jaw dropped.
"So that means-" She began before being cut off.
"That I was a coward? A fool? A little girl terrified of the job presented to her that did everything she could to run away from it? Yes, it does." Midoriko finished bitterly, "But for you, the meaning is a bit happier. It means that you have the ability to fulfill your duty and to bring peace to the world by repairing the damage done to it."
The warrior priestess turned to stare intently at Sai, looking for some reaction from the girl. However, she got none. Sai's face was hard and her eyes almost showed the thoughts swirling around behind them. None of them were discernable from the outside, so Midoriko simply had to wait for gratification.
Sai stood stock still. Her thoughts had immobilized her, requiring every neuron her brain had available. If what Midoriko had said was true, that meant she couldn't lose. It would be physically impossible if she simply believed it as such. The only problem with that was that it seemed much too good to be true. Nothing in life was ever supposed to be so easy. Yet at the same time, the thought of the implications set her spiritual power aflame. By its very nature, it seemed to scream the validity of what Midoriko was saying. Her own soul shouted its acceptance of a truth that had never been known by anyone among the living. The heart of the matter soon revealed itself to her. In reality, it was a simple fact that she had been over complicating and running from for a long time. She could win.
"So when do I start?" Sai asked suddenly, confidence filling her voice. A broad smile crossed Midoriko's face.
"Soon my dear. Soon." She assured her.
As the last word left Midoriko's mouth, Sai felt an electric sensation burn up her arm. She looked down to see blue sparks jumping their way up her sleeves. Each set of sparks reached her shoulders and turned in towards her chest. The two individual trails met in the middle, just below her neck, with a flash a bright blue light. Now, in the place where they joined, the image a burning flame glowed blue. This mark, just like the ones from her grandfather, soon faded without a trace of their existence.
"Now the blessing of humanity resides with the blessing of demons." Midoriko said as the world before her faded away to the familiar, warm white.
Once again, Sai was faced by the three people that had come to help her. She had the blessing of two and now only one remained to advise her. There was mystery surrounding this last man. Sai had been able to identify the previous two with relative ease, though her grandfather had surprised her a bit. However, she had no clue who this last man was. All she knew was that he had been a half-demon in life and that his piercing red eyes were unnerving, to put it mildly. In truth, if the man wasn't smiling, those eyes would be utterly terrifying.
Midoriko stepped back to join her comrades. She looked thoroughly pleased with her pupil. Apparently, Sai had performed well.
"Alright, that's two out of three lessons done." Toga commented happily. Midoriko nodded, but looked as though she was trying to hold in a laugh.
"True enough." She agreed, "But she still has one left."
"Indeed." The third man added. His voice was deep, smooth, and almost as unnerving as his eyes, "And it's a lesson I sincerely hope she passes." Sai cocked an eyebrow.
"Is there a reason I wouldn't?" She questioned, curious and offended at the same time, an interesting sensation to say the least.
"My dear Saiai, there are a thousand reasons why you wouldn't." He told her without a single doubt evident in his voice. It did nothing to help Sai's newfound confidence, "But we can always hope can't we?" Sai rolled her eyes defiantly.
"Yeah. I'm sure we can." She commented sarcastically, making the man smirk.
"You're just like your father, you know." He observed. Sai's gaze immediately snapped to meet the man's, "Though, fortunately enough for you, you inherited your mother's looks. An interesting combination, to be sure."
"How the hell do you know my parents?" Sai demanded. The man simply laughed at the ferocity in her voice.
"You could say that we were familiar with each other. However, I think my name would provide a better explanation." He suggested mockingly. Sai growled in frustration at the man's roundabout antics.
"Then what is your name?" She questioned, doing her best to modulate her growl and failing miserably.
"I am Naraku." The red eyed half demon stated confidently, without a hint of deceit or sarcasm. Sai's growl stopped cold as her jaw dropped. She closed her eyes and shook her head vigorously to try to organize her thoughts and make sure that she had heard correctly. Much to her disbelief, she did.
"Wait what? My parents defeated Naraku, who was really evil." Sai pointed out, "How could he be here in an assembly like this?" Naraku simply chuckled.
"Your mother purified my soul when the Sacred Jewel was destroyed." He reminded the girl, "That means that my soul is no longer tainted with evil. It is pure, much like yours. For that, as much as I hate to admit it, I owe your parents a debt. This is how I intend to pay it. By helping you rid the world of an evil even greater than I was." Sai paused for a moment. She had to massage her temples in order for her brain to be able to take in the new information without causing a migraine. The man's logic was sound, no matter how much Sai wanted to argue it. This man was none other than the Naraku her parents had defeated.
"Well then Naraku," Sai began, the name feeling strange on her tongue, especially when not being spat in hate, "Lead the way." The man in question smirked.
"But of course my dear." With that, Naraku stepped forward and placed two fingers onto Sai's forehead and the whiteness that was her world faded away yet again.
The area that she occupied now surprised her greatly. Not for any special significance that it held, but instead for the opposite reason. Sai felt no attachment to the area as she had with the place in which she now stood with Naraku. How could she? All it was a grassy hill that overlooked an immense green field. A light breeze floated through air and tickled Sai's face. There weren't even any telltale scents on said breeze that could reveal why Naraku had chosen such a place for the lesson he was supposed to teach.
Naraku dropped his hand to his side and moved to stand on Sai's left. And like that they stood, silent and unmoving, for several minutes. Sai couldn't take it.
"Alright, I'll bite, why the hell are we here?" She asked, clearly frustrated, "What significance does this damn field have? Because I don't see it."
"Well aren't you the curious one?" Naraku chuckled, "This field has no significance. In the years following this memory, it would become the site for a massive battle, but that held no sway in my choice of it. No, we are here for no other reason than I find it a beautiful spot." Sai's eyes widened in surprise. She couldn't believe this man.
"Are you kidding me?" She asked incredulously.
"Not in the slightest my dear." He said plainly, "I came upon this field while I was still a human by the name of Onigumo. That day, my legs were tired and my body needed a rest, so I took it on this hillside and admired the view for a few hours. It was relaxing and calmed my mind, if only for the moment."
"I see." Sai commented, already annoyed. However, she couldn't help but agree that the area had a certain calming effect on her, "Well, in honor of your rest that day, I say we sit down." Her sarcasm was enough to make Naraku laugh.
"I could not agree with you more Saiai." He said as they both settled down into the grass and stared out at the field as the breeze blew over the grass.
"So what is your lesson about?" Sai asked, her annoyance now forgotten.
"Balance." Naraku answered simply, "The most essential thing in our world. Without it, the world falls into chaos and nobody wins. I learned that lesson at the price of my life." Sai nodded, understanding his words.
"I know that I'm supposed to restore balance. The other two did enough to explain that and how to go about doing it." Sai told him, "So I don't understand why you feel the need for this third lesson if it's about balance." Naraku smiled warmly.
"This lesson is not about balance in the world, but about the unique balance within you Saiai." He explained, "You hold portions of the world within you that would seemingly rip each other apart upon even the slightest contact. In reality, there are three distinct pieces of you, that of heaven, hell, and earth. In more simple terms, divine, demon, and human. As we know, the two extremes manifest themselves in union with humanity quite often. However, never in history have all three existed in union. That is, until you Saiai. You are the bridge of all three. That is why, in some sort of poetic justice thought up by those more powerful than even we the dead realize, you were chosen to repair the balance of the world. But as I said, this lesson is not about that. It is about you." Sai nodded, taking in the information. She already knew all of it, of course, but there was something about how it was being put to her now that made it seem new and fresh. Something about Naraku's words made the knowledge seem much more meaningful than it ever had before in the many times she had heard it.
"So what do I need to learn about balance within myself?" Sai asked, "I've lived with all three parts of me for my entire life and I've never had a problem. I mean, I've never suddenly burst into flames or anything." Naraku chuckled at her words and shook his head.
"Indeed. That is true." He agreed, "But what you must learn is that the three parts that make you up are not really opposites. Rather, they are simply three different manifestations of the same thing. That means that they don't cancel each other out or destroy each other by nature. Instead, it is the opposite. It is the nature of these three to unify and create something more. This balance of the three worlds creates the greatest power this universe has ever known, which hasn't existed since the worlds split. That power is manifesting itself again through you Sai and you must be the one to harness it through balance within yourself." Sai was speechless. First, she was the one responsible for saving earth, only one of the three worlds. Now she was responsible for marking the return of the power of the three worlds united, which hadn't existed since the inception of the universe. Her day was just getting better and better.
"So how do I do that?" Sai asked, utterly confused to how to go about her task.
"You must let the three portions of your soul to flow together. Divine must join with demon on the plain of humanity." Naraku told her cryptically.
Sai took a deep breath and looked inside of herself. It wasn't hard to find the three portions of herself. She had trained herself to tap into them at will during battle, so finding them while sitting calmly was almost easier than breathing. Each portion held its place within her. The problem was that they were all separate. She would have to forge the paths between them. It was a task that, before now, she would have thought of as crazy and suicidal but now seemed like the most logical thing in the world.
Tuning out everything else, Sai brought her focus completely within herself. Her concentration was complete and unbreakable. Slowly, she began the arduous task of forging new paths for the power that raged within her. Each piece cut its way through the darkness and struggled to find her center. Her demon was the first to arrive. With a jolt, her spiritual powers unified with it. Now all that was left was her humanity. Sweat poured down her brow as she forced it through the unknown territory to the center of her being.
Suddenly, her humanity flashed forward and met the other two. Immediately the unified pool spread throughout her body and filled her being completely. A blinding flash of white light within her blotted out her thoughts and drove her deeper with herself. The power continued to swirl and tumble within her. However, as Sai continued to fall within her mind, the power calmed to a point of utter peace and stability. It was now under her control.
Using this newfound strength, Sai pulled herself from the fall and ripped herself upwards. The sensation was incredible. She had never felt more alive. Sheer energy was coursing through every portion of her inner being. It was almost as if she held the fate of everything solely within her. The power coursing through her screamed that, indeed, it did. She wasn't going to dare to argue with it.
With one last jolt, Sai came flying out from within her own mind and actually left the ground, only to land a few feet behind where she had been. Cautiously, she opened her eyes and was met with the warm white that signified the start of all of this. She didn't have to look to know that the image of a sword was glowing bright red upon her back. The tingling from it faded, along with the image, and that's when she knew that she had successfully received Naraku's blessing. Not only that, but she had successfully unified the three worlds.
Sai struggled to her feet in the white world and was met by the pleased and happy stares of her grandfather, Midoriko, and Naraku. She had done well.
"Well that was an interesting exit." Naraku joked.
"Indeed it was." Midoriko agreed, doing her best not to laugh as Sai tried to steady her feet, "I must say that it was not how I expected her to come back to us."
"The important thing is that she is back." Toga concluded, while he himself fought back hysterical laughter. Sai rolled her eyes.
"I'm right here, you know!" She pointed out, annoyed, "And I'm fine thanks."
"For once, my granddaughter," Toga began softly, "I believe you are right in saying that." Sai smiled triumphantly and approached her three mentors.
"So what now?" She asked, curious. The three of them smiled.
"Now it is time for you to put into practice what you have learned." Midoriko told her, "You have received all of our blessings and are ready to progress."
"She's right." Naraku affirmed, "The world is now ready and willing to be saved by the one and only Saiai."
"The granddaughter of Inu no Taisho, the great general and Lord of the Western Lands." Toga added proudly, eliciting chuckles from the other two. Sai, though, only smiled weakly. She actually was hoping to stay a bit longer.
"I'm going to miss you guys." Sai said tearfully. The three in front of her gave her knowing smiles.
"Actually, you won't have to." Midoriko said teasingly.
"Because we all know that you couldn't live without us." Naraku added, drawing a laugh from Midoriko. Sai's brow furrowed in confusion.
"What do you mean? It's not like you can come with me." She pointed out.
"Well, in a way, we can." Toga corrected, "We've always been with you, actually."
"I wasn't lying when I said that I was no longer who I once was." Midoriko said, "In reality, none of us are."
"Our souls are not our own. Instead, they belong to you." Naraku explained, though Sai did not fully understand his meaning until her grandfather spoke up.
"Our three souls make up the three pieces of yours, which you just unified." He clarified, "We will always, and always have been, inside you, beside you, and fighting alongside you. This was just the only way that we could get you to realize your full potential." Sai's heart warmed at the realization. These people were apart of her and would always be there for her when she needed help. It was an encouraging thought.
"Alright then!" Sai said excitedly, "Let's get back then! We've got a world to save!" The three pieces of her that stood before her nodded and raised there hands to Sai. Midoriko and Naraku each grabbed a shoulder, while Toga put his hand on her head and ruffled her hair affectionately. With that, the white world faded to black and the welcome smell of her home filled her lungs once again.
Fun right? Little bit of cliche at the end, but hey, everybody loves cliche every once in awhile. Anyways, hope you liked it. I would LOVE to hear what you guys thought, good or bad. Also, if this chapter didn't answer the questions you had, please ask because I will answer them. That is, unless you ask what happens next... Yup, well, I enjoyed writing this and hope you enjoyed reading it. Til next time guys!