XXIII
Hunter, Prey
Quietly, on tiptoe, Rin was sneaking down the hallway that led past her bedroom and toward Shippou's, clinging to the wall and holding her breath. Opposite her, moving from the other end of the hallway, Shippou was doing the same, his footsteps even more silent, his eyes wide as he tried to hold his breath and tiptoe at the same time.
They had found a mouse, and they were playing Hunt.
It was a tiny thing, no more than three inches long, and half of that size was its tail. For twenty minutes, stalking with every motion, they had followed it as it made its way from the empty East Wing, where they had been exploring dusty corners, to this place. They had almost lost it twice, and now Rin looked up and met Shippou's eyes. They were five feet away...four...three. The mouse scuttled forwards toward Shippou, and he sucked in his breath, stood totally still.
The mouse raised tiny paws to its whiskers, and then dropped down again on all four paws to sniff at the place where the floor met the wall, seeking invisible crumbs.
The intrepid hunters looked at each other, nodded - and the next moment, they pounced!
The mouse scuttled frantically away from Rin, whose footsteps were louder, and then turned in terror at the scent of Shippou and the patter of his paws closing in. Trapped from forward and behind, the mouse ran in the only available direction - across the hall, towards the other wall.
Rin skidded and fell on her backside with an oh! of surprise, but Shippou darted sideways to avoid her, and leapt straight up at the last moment. Paws splayed, grinning with victory, he came down on the mouse and held up the tiny, struggling creature in both hands.
"I got him! Look, Rin, I got him!"
More pleased now than winded, Rin stood, rubbing her bottom, and then clapped her hands.
"Yes! Shippou is a much better hunter than Rin!"
She paused; her head tilted to one side and then she peered at him contemplatively.
"Are you going to eat him?"
He was so startled by her calm and curious question that Shippou almost let go of his captured 'prey'.
"Wha - what? No, I'm not going to eat a mouse!"
He made a face.
"Oh."
Thoughtfully, Rin peered at him for a moment, and then at the mouse.
"Sesshomaru-sama would not eat a mouse either, but then, Sesshomaru-sama is very big. Shippou is small, so I wondered if you ate smaller things!"
She was still smiling quite congenially, and Shippou was more than confused.
"You mean you don't care that...that youkai eat things that are - um...not...not cooked?"
He winced a little. He had learned early on in his association with humans, and human children especially, that there were certain things it was best not to let them know.
"Nope! Sesshomaru-sama thinks it is strange that humans cook their food, but Jaken always made fire for Ri - for me, so I could cook it. Sesshomaru-sama does not eat food like humans, though..."
Memory made her thoughtful, but she shook it off quickly.
"Sesshomaru-sama hunts, and I can have some to eat, and then Sesshomaru-sama has his."
Her calm recitation was making Shippou twitchy.
"I think Sesshomaru-sama likes the blood - is that true, Shippou? Do you like the blood? Did I guess right?"
Shippou was completely astounded, and suddenly extraordinarily happy. He had not expected her to be so understanding, but it was obvious now why this was so. Sesshomaru was the only one she had, her role model and her teacher.
The thought was almost frightening. Her question, though - that was a different story. He could answer that!
At least, I think I can. Umm...
"It's...it might be hard for you to understand, Rin. Youkai need raw meat and fresh blood to live. My otou-san told me that, when I was this tiny."
He made an exaggerated gesture with his hand, close to the floor.
"But I don't know why. I eat cooked food too, though. I like it! And o-o-okaa-san used to bring these things, these treats from her time -"
"You said o-o-okaa-san! You are talking about Kagome-sama, but yesterday, you said Kagome! Why does Shippou say okaa-san now, and not then?"
There was something almost accusing in her tone, and Shippou crossed his arms with an attitude of superiority, turning aside slightly.
"Sesshomaru-sama said I could when I asked."
Rin's eyes widened, and all the protest went out of her.
"Sesshomaru-sama said so? Shippou...do you think that Kagome-sama will be my okaa-san too?"
Shippou pretended to deliberate for a moment, but he really didn't need to decide. He was too happy to have a sister, too happy to be here, in this place, to be able to deny Rin any share in that happiness.
"Well, I guess so. She likes you, and Sesshomaru-sama said you were my sister - so if she is my okaa-san, then she must be yours, too, right?"
She smiled a glorious smile.
"Yes!"
"But...uh...I haven't...I haven't said it to Kagome yet, so maybe..."
"We should say it together! We can surprise her with something good!"
She paused there, though, because she had not yet been around Kagome long enough to know certain things.
"What does okaa-san like, Shippou?"
Shippou moved as if to scratch his head, and then realized he was still holding the little mouse. It had stopped shivering and was sitting quietly in his hands; apparently it had resigned itself to death.
"Oh! Wait, what should we with do with him, Rin?"
The girl cradled her head in her chin thoughtfully for a moment, and then smiled and jumped up excitedly.
"Let's bring him outside and let him go. Sesshomaru-sama doesn't like animals inside unless they're dead!"
Shippou stared at her for a moment, and then grinned.
What a weird girl!
"Okay!
Outside, once their small prey was released, Shippou and Rin sat together in the dim autumn sunlight and discussed their mutual plan in earnest. Shippou knew everything about Kagome that could possibly weaken her to their cause, and Rin was in possession of an earnest, feminine cuteness that was sure to work wonders.
"Should we give her flowers, Shippou? I like flowers..."
Shippou was contemplating this newest idea very seriously.
"Okaa-san likes flowers, but sometimes they make her sneeze. She said she was allergic."
Rin looked vaguely concerned.
"What does that mean?"
Shippou shrugged.
"Dunno, but maybe we shouldn't give her any, just in case."
Rin let out a defeated sigh, and Shippou kicked his feet, shoved his hands in his pockets. He had a few leaves, a rock he had found that was shiny with exposed crystals, and a nub of crayon...
"I know! Let's draw her a picture of us and her, since she's our okaa-san now. All of us, like a family."
Rin nodded gleefully.
"But Sesshomaru-sama too!"
Shippou sighed - but then again, why not? After all, it had been Sesshomaru who had given him the courage to say the words in the first place, right? He nodded firmly.
"Sesshomaru-sama too! Let's find some paper, Rin!"
She was suddenly solemn.
"I will have to ask Sesshomaru-sama."
Shippou blinked.
"You don't have any paper of your own?"
Rin shook her head; she looked calmly confused.
"Why should I have paper, Shippou?"
"Because...because..."
He was thinking of the room Sesshomaru had given him, the desk and the practice manuals, the fine sheets of thick paper laid out beside an elegant set of brushes.
"Rin, how can you write if you don't have any paper?"
She only shrugged.
"I don't know how to write."
"What!"
She seemed surprised at his reaction.
"Sesshomaru-sama said that I was human, so I probably didn't need to know. Also that there was no youkai who would take a human for a student..."
Shippou heard a hint of sadness in her tone that he thought was surprising; he had not expected that she could be less than pleased with any decision her Sesshomaru-sama made for her.
"Well, if okaa-san finds out about that, she'll get really mad!"
He was giggling a little to himself, just thinking of it; he had seen Kagome's fits directed towards Inuyasha, but it was sure to be something new and hilarious if she were to direct that fury at Sesshomaru instead. Rin, though, seemed to shiver and close in on herself.
"Mad? Rin does not want okaa-san to get mad, Shippou -"
"No, no, not at you, silly! At Sesshomaru-sama! Because he did not teach you how to read! Okaa-san always says that a good education is the most important thing -"
"Really?"
Rin was smiling again and Shippou was almost bewildered. How could she be so happy one minute, and then so unhappy, almost frightened - and then happy again!
"Really! Say... Rin, I have some paper! It's in my room - "
"Then let's go! Can we draw in your room, Shippou?"
He nodded.
"Yep! Come on!"
When they were settled, a roll of paper between them on a flat space of floor, Shippou concentrated on drawing himself and Kagome, and Rin on Sesshomaru and her own little figure. For a while, they worked in silence, intent on the outlines and on choosing colors, and then Shippou looked up abruptly. There was a question that had been bothering him for quite some time now, but there was no way he could ask Sesshomaru. Rin, though...
"Rin?"
She looked up at him right away, smiling her perennial smile.
"Yes, Shippou?"
"Can you tell me why you're with Sesshomaru-sama? I mean...how did you get to be here, with him? We...that is, Inuyasha always said Sesshomaru-sama hated humans!"
Rin blinked at him; he could see that she was somewhat confused.
"Well...Sesshomaru-sama does not like humans, but I don't like other humans either. Except Kagome-sama, but she wasn't really human. Rin is special!"
She was, as always, quite pleased with her place at Sesshomaru's side; she had never really bothered to consider why he let her stay with him, why he cared for her.
"How did Shippou get to be with okaa-san?"
Shippou picked up a dark green crayon and used it to wave away her question.
"Uh-uh, I asked first!"
Rin took a deep breath, eying the array of colors in front of her; she chose a bright yellow crayon and began to color the band of Sesshomaru's obi in their drawing.
"It is many seasons now, and there are lots of things I don't remember. I remember, though, that I was running, running from wolves...Rin does not like wolves."
She shuddered, and the little-girl brightness of her face dimmed a little, consumed by memory. Shippou felt suddenly bad for asking her a question which brought up such a horrible remembrance, but the moment of darkness passed swiftly.
"I was running, running through the trees, up a mountain; I was trying to find Sesshomaru-sama, and then...I died."
Her eyes became wide and solemn, her face so still and her eyes so clear that he could not doubt her.
"I don't remember anything of that time, of being – dead. I think, or sometimes I have a feeling, like it was dark, dark like at night, but with no moon."
She continued serenely, as though she were speaking of nothing more interesting than the weather.
"And then I was awake, and it hurt, here, and here - "
She touched her throat, just beneath her pulse, and covered her left side with her other hand.
"- And I was bloody all over, and Sesshomaru-sama was there, only he was blue, blue like light, and he put away the sword that saved me, and asked me my name. After that Rin was alive again, and with Sesshomaru-sama."
She blinked, as though by the action she pushed away the memories, and gave Shippou a proud smile over the paper, exchanged her yellow crayon for a bright blue one.
"I belong to Sesshomaru-sama now; he said so!"
But Shippou was staring at her with wide eyes.
"You died, and you are alive again – he brought you back? How can he have the power to – "
Rin shook her head, scolded him with a fierce shake of her crayon.
"No, no, Shippou did not listen! Sesshomaru-sama is the strongest, but Sesshomaru-sama saved Rin with his sword, not all by himself!"
Shippou shrugged.
"Well, still! You're really lucky, Rin."
Rin beamed, and pulled away a little to look at her work.
"Yes! I got to stay with Sesshomaru-sama!"
Shippou pressed a hand to his forehead.
That wasn't exactly what I meant...
"What do you think, Shippou?"
She was pointing at the picture now; Shippou was quite impressed by her rendition of Sesshomaru.
"Wow! Rin, you're really good!"
"Can I help with the grass now?"
Shippou passed her a green crayon.
"Sure. Should we make it daytime, or nighttime?"
Rin put a finger to her chin, paused thoughtfully.
"Night! Sesshomaru-sama likes the moon; I do too!"
Shippou nodded decisively.
"Right, night then!"
Neither child noticed the golden eye that was peering in at them through the crack in Shippou's open door; Sesshomaru was watching them, and he was more than pleased. He had known for some time that Rin needed a companion, but there had been no possibility of him finding another human, and he could not bring youkai into the fortress to be with her. This was better than if he had planned it - and perhaps Kagome would lose the melancholy that had been following her around when she heard them call her okaa-san.
In the village, there was a minor shouting match going on between the old miko, Kaede, and the resident houshi - Miroku. The dawn had been kind, had gathered itself up and leapt between the leaves, but then the day had darkened, become heavy with speckled granite clouds and infrequent patches of slate sky. Gusts of wind from the south swayed children in their steps and brought a marshy smell with them, thick and salty. It was a perfect atmosphere for arguing, and the villagers could only do their best to ignore the sound of raised voices coming from Kaede's hut.
Women preparing vegetables in the dark for the midday meal came to peer beyond their doorways and scolded the impending raindrops under their breaths. Men gathered in the common house with sticks and dice, and drank cup after cup of hot sake to keep back the chill.
The stone sky overhead gave way quickly to a boiling fume like an angry black sea, ultramarine at all its corners. Thunder brooded in the distance, beckoning, and almost instantly an answer of drops pattered through the wavering heads of the trees and onto rooftops.
Beneath the thunder, the angry words continued unabated.
"You heard what I said, Kaede! She told me herself; if you try to hurt him -"
"He is a demon! Do not compare Kagome to him, or Shippou, or even Inuyasha - this one, this Sesshomaru - to allow him in this village is madness! And Kagome! Whatever has possessed her, I can only hope she comes to her senses and returns to us soon!"
Kaede was standing in the center of the floor, her arms crossed firmly over her chest, her single eye glaring harshly into Miroku's face. He had begun much more calmly than she had; all things considered, he supposed this was only to be expected. Despite himself, though, he was surprised at how vehemently she was objecting - at how fiercely she insisted they should bring violence to Sesshomaru!
As if it would do any good anyway! As if any of us could harm him, especially if - especially since Kagome does not want it!
"You really mean it, Kaede? You think all would be well if Kagome were to return here? I don't think that is true."
"Miroku!"
"No! I'm serious, Kaede - I think this may be the best thing for her - I think...I think Sesshomaru may be the best person for her."
The rings at the head of his staff jingled sharply as he pointed it in her direction; his voice became harder, demanding.
"Tell me you ever really believed that Inuyasha wanted Kagome for her own sake, and not for Kikyou's - never mind his best intentions, never mind what he may have wanted to believe!"
She was speechless; Miroku continued more softly.
"Tell me that you truly believe she didn't know it, even as she was trying to love him - even as she was trying, every day, to make it not so."
Kaede took a deep breath, her brows contracted as if for speech, but Miroku didn't stop long enough for her to speak.
"Kaede, Sesshomaru may actually care for her; someday, even love her. Do you think he's the type of person to do something he doesn't absolutely want to do? There is no shadow between them, no cloud hanging over them. Even Inuyasha's death seems to have done something to draw them closer together."
He paused, and his staff retreated to rest once more on the ground.
"I have talked to him, Kaede, and he is cordial. Not friendly, not warm in the least, but polite...willing to reach out for her sake - and I can tell, I can see it is for her sake. Only a fool would think that anything less has the power to move him."
Kaede had finally been silenced, and he shrugged a little and continued in a quieter voice.
"The point is, Kaede, no matter what any of us want, or think, the only one who can choose is Kagome herself...and she's done that. None of us is any threat to him - to either of them! You never saw, Kaede, the terrible power Sesshomaru holds in check; Kagome has seen him transformed, in the giant shape of the Inu - she described it to me, and the description was more than enough."
"Are you telling me to accept this because we can do nothing else, Miroku?"
He sighed, shook his head.
"No, I'm telling you to accept this because it's what Kagome wants. Is it fair to abandon her because she wears a different skin, Kaede? Does that mean her judgment is wrong, now? If she had come to you when she was still human, and had explained that she was the mate of Sesshomaru, would you have this fear of him? Or would you believe in her enough to let it be?"
He could see she was struggling with this.
"Miroku, I do not...I do not wish to deny that she is still Kagome - it is not her that worries me! You know that! She was like - she is like a daughter to me. But I am not pleased at the thought of this Sesshomaru wandering freely through our village, without even a word against it; he is a demon in every sense of the word, Miroku!"
He smiled grimly and shook his head a little.
"I can't deny it. Didn't I just say I had heard more than enough to make me fear him? No...I understand, Kaede, I do! But I don't think he will be willing to let Kagome out of his sight for long...not soon, at any rate, and soon for demons is a different thing than soon for us. If you want to see her, there may not be any way around seeing him, too."
Kaede grimaced.
"That thought had occurred to me. But Miroku, does this mean you expect to have him at your wedding? Not only a miko to officiate instead of a priest, but an Inu-miko - and the son of the Inu no Taisho hovering in the background? That surely won't be comfortable for you..."
"You're right."
Suddenly, Kaede was the one who was uncomfortable; his grim face had become a grin with lightning speed.
"That's why Sango and I decided we're going to invite him ourselves."
"What?"
"That's why I came over in the first place; to tell you that we were going to go and bring the invitation. Before she left Kagome made sure we had good directions; it's a huge fortress surrounded by a white stone wall, apparently, so I don't think it will be too hard to find..."
"Miroku! Are you sure that you can go there safely?"
He spoke firmly, as if to make sure it was the final word on the subject.
"Yes. Or Kagome would not have told us we could. We won't be leaving today, though - not in the rain. Whenever it stops - we'll go then."
The silence was complete; the wind was the only thing that spoke, and only in seeming, loud by its absence, the complete stillness of the air. A shimmer moved, and solely a shimmer, but at the center of a circle of silence was an agony; a cry came from a figure distorted by pain, but the figure was invisible to most eyes, inaudible to most ears.
A whisper rose in the stillness after that cry. It came from many mouthless voices and was hidden by the thickness of the air, claiming that thickness with a promise of vengeance. It arose in the empty place where the wind belonged and screamed defiance, Challenge, promises.
Within the waiting silence was Kasuka, and blood, and Power.
A moan seeped from her mouth, a thin wail of weakness, and she lay almost spent on white, hard ground, in a dark pool of redness she had painted with her own flesh. Crimson had dyed the surface of the mirror she had taken from a secret place, and she held it delicately, touching it with only the tips of her claws. The bright color of the shining surface promised life, and also death – it was the source of the call that had fractured the land around her.
Slowly, heedless of the warning of her slow pulse, heedless of the spreading red circle, Kasuka summoned her power, and felt a wave of strength return to her from the mirror she had fed so well.
I need…my kin. Warriors and Warmasters, the will of my people, the will of my ancestors – for my father's sake. For the sake of our House.
Kasuka focused her will, and through her eyelids, she saw movement as if of red mist, rising from the tension between her blood and the mirror, coalescing into reflection-shapes with pitted eyes full of darkness and slow-moving wings, each one Dragon, powerful, moving from the shape of the Beast to one more restrained. It was her will that summoned them from the dust of Hell, and one after another, filling the silence, filling the empty space, they came to her, congealed to her.
She lay still, feeding the growth of this her promise, these, her summoned deaths. They were reborn of her blood, sustained by it, and when the immediate brightness of that Blood had gone they were each different, with their own face, but their eyes were all the same – the ice-blueness, the cold color that had been the mark of her House, her clan, in the days when such things had mattered.
She smiled at them, and they crowded closer, filling their emptiness from her as she built the binding union, the mastery of will that would be necessary in the days to come.
When I summon the other Dens, they will come – and when I show them what I have done, what I can do, they will answer my call – they will throw themselves to my will, and when I ask for a sacrifice, they will throw themselves at my feet. We will restore the rule of Blood, the way it ought to be – it is my right!
But despite her confidence, she heard the echo of ancient words and had to shake her head to dislodge them – they were thunder in her awareness, the voice of the dead Inu no Taisho.
"What is this right you speak of, this right you claim? It answers only to death, that right – it is power that rules among us, not right! Blood is power, and power is life, over death. But you will never understand!"
She shivered, but it was not enough to turn her away from the path she had chosen.
The echo of Kasuka's power, Kasuka's mirror, flowed over the land like the movement of a waterless sea.
In the northwest, deep in the Dreaming Wood, the one who was called Eldest felt the breaking of that land-born tide as she sat by a dark pool in her solitary house. She shuddered, and closed her eyes against the memories of events that were to come. When she opened them again, her gaze settled on a few things that had been set aside long ago in preparation for these moments. By nightfall, she was readying herself for a journey southward, to a place she had not seen in six thousand seasons.
In that place in the south, Kagome stood on a bridge in the contemplation garden and shivered, felt the power moving, a miko-memory in it, and blinked widely in confusion. She ran her hands over her arms, trying to rub a sudden chill from her skin. There was a swelling in the distance, of which her Sight-beyond-sight revealed a glimpse like a shining dome to the northeast. It was a glittering of Power that dissolved almost immediately, as if the mere touch of her awareness had destroyed it.
She tried, but could not find it again; it was as though it had never existed at all.
A/N: Phew! I find it so much easier to work on this story than the others; poor Yuuko has been stuck for a month now...and the epilogue of Ukime is just dragging along...ah well. Anyway, you guys are lucky because Bloodlust sprouts plots and twists like a forest. Apparently about half of that forest is full of citrus fruits...interesting, right? :D Anyway, YAY, play date! A little unusual, but then, Shippou is kitsune and Rin has been...raised, shall we call it, by Sesshomaru? I see the potential for so much mayhem in that combination. Anyway, Coming Soon: The Demon Slayer, The Houshi, and Why it is a Bad Idea to Leave Your Mother Waiting At The Gate. Also Coming Soon: Kouga! (need more be said?) And now, reviews!
Kouga's Older Woman: Of course! Kagome needs some support of her own that isn't completely based on Sesshomaru...and he doesn't quite get it yet, but all things in time! Kagome is going to try as hard as she can to be useful - and now that she' s youkai, she going to find that it entails some difficult things. Kouga, by the way...is on his way! I don't want to promise him in the next chapter, but I think that's where he's going to be!
iiSquint: At first this was going to be an oh no! But since you've been able to read the chapters, I guess that's not necessary! Much thanks for your extremely kind reviews! Hopefully I can keep up to your standards!
lunarcat12: Ah-ha! I wondered when someone was going to figure that out. Heh. Remember, though, Sesshomaru was sort of...out of it when she first showed up - and he is not aware that Kasuka saw Kagome. He will, of course, shortly be made aware...and won't that be fun! And I think you're right - intense is good - but I wonder if poor Kagome can handle it!
AMUTOLOVER09: Hehe we'll see about that...but really, if she was a pushover she'd be in big trouble! As far as the veils go, remember, Sesshomaru didn't want to share her, according to tradition (and because he's selfish like that) as far as where the tradition itself comes from - that we're going to find out very soon!
Clara954: Much thanks! I'm hopelessly in love with the ancient world, so I try to paint it as much as I can with words; I'm glad you like it!
Anime Lady PIMP: Kagome is TOTALLY scary. Or as least, capable of being scary. I always imagined her as the type who would stick up for the little kids in the schoolyard, you know, yell at the bully? Which is basically what this amounted to, only with youkai, which equals with blood! Poor Kouga...he'll be back soon, clueless as always - for a little while. The cosmic two by four of 'Finally Getting It' will hit him very shortly...
Avarenda: Much thanks! Compelling is an excellent word to find in a review!
darlingangel0565: And much thanks for you as well! Behold: more is here!
Final Revisions, Complete! Ah, working on Sunday sucks, but...eh. Time to edit, right? :D R&R!