The acrid stench of decay permeated the hot summer air, as a white daubed figure could be distinguished behind the moving shadows of trees, the soft steps he made nearly indiscernible below the loud din of buzzing cicadas and flies. A small demon at his back covered his nose with one sleeve as they approached, and made a loud gagging sound.
"What is that terrible smell? Must we go right into the belly of the stench, My Lord...?" Jaken groused, looking up as Sesshomaru paused, then cringed back in fear of his vengeful master.
They came across a patch of land that was completely barren, covered with overgrown roots that had dried up and died, as they crunched loudly underfoot.
"That's odd, these roots... " Jaken murmured, looking down as he walked, then stopped in place as Sesshomaru hopped up, and lept far away to avoid the roots, his long fur trailing behind him.
"Wait up!" Jaken yelled, and scrambled across the roots, which clattered almost like bones as he ran, panting from the sweltering heat.
Sesshomaru landed, softly settling onto a barren patch of land, whereas the rest was drenched in blood. Jaken fell forward, and nearly touched noses with the gooey substance, which had become tacky where it laid.
"Blood! Human blood!" Jaken gasped, and struggled to stand, using his staff of two heads, he got his bearings, and looked all around himself warily. Sesshomaru moved swiftly, and spotted the source, a man and woman entangled in the roots, where as he knocked away the dried roots, the man's hand fell, where it lied open, the prayer beads around it seeming oddly placed. Jaken came forth and poked at him with his staff, then snorted.
"A young monk and female demon slayer, dead. What killed them?" He wondered, as he poked at the female. "Pretty girl, too. Such a shame." He mused, and paused when he felt a cold air at his back, and tensed.
He backed away from the bodies as his master moved forward, and glared down at them a moment, blinking as he examined the wounds with his eyes.
The odd thing was, that there seemed to be no aggressor; it didn't seem that they'd fought each other, but instead, succumbed to the roots. He followed the pattern of the roots, to where, as he gazed, he found a startling sight; enough for him to take a sharp intake of breath. The roots crawled up, and up until they curled around a massive, ancient tree, which was much like the Goshinboku where InuYasha had been sealed away for 50 years, but now... he had become one with the roots.
"It's the young Lord InuYasha! Your half-demon brother!" Jaken gasped, and quickly ran towards the scene, but not before Sesshomaru could make it, and stood before InuYasha. Jaken fell back from the force of his master's landing, watching anxiously as Sesshomaru stepped forward, then pulled away a few vines, revealing the hilt of the Tessaiga.
"Your father's sword! The brat never even took it out to defend himself!" Jaken gasped, and Sesshomaru's eyes widened, What could have possibly prevented him from unsheathing his sword to defend himself...?! Sesshomaru moved quickly to take the sword, but Jaken stopped him.
"Wait, Lord Sesshomaru! Here!" He yelled, and ran over to the two human corpses, pulling away the heavy indigo robe of the monk, where it wasn't drenched in blood. Jaken held out the robe, and Sesshomaru took the blade and its scabbard quickly, and dropped it onto the fabric before it could burn through his palm like before. The little imp wrapped it, and offered it to his lord, but Sesshomaru didn't take it.
"Here! Surely, we can find you a new arm, so that you may wield it!"
Sesshomaru nodded once, somberly, then looked up at InuYasha's face, and reached out to touch it.
"Don't! Don't touch that filthy mutt's corpse!" Jaken cried out, and it was too late. Once his long fingers touched just barely, InuYasha's body crumbled into what looked like dirt, moist and red. Sesshomaru rubbed the substance between two fingers, and sniffed.
"It's clay… mixed in grave soil," He muttered, then receded backward, looking back down at the roots, and the bodies of the dead companions.
"What does this all mean, My Lord...?" Jaken asked curiously, as Sesshomaru sighed, flicking the dirt from his fingers.
"Their souls were absorbed, Jaken. Neither InuYasha's soul, nor body reside here any longer... Something has taken them," He said, but Jaken felt a small shiver, for whatever had killed InuYasha, had taken away Sesshomaru's opportunity. He sensed a spike in anger, as Sesshomaru moved quickly to walk across the wasteland, then paused as the nearby bushes shook. Jaken jumped in his skin, nearly dropping Tessaiga as he ran into Sesshomaru's leg. There was another rustle, then a pop, as a large, pink bubble floated up in mid air, wobbling as it began to moan and cry threateningly.
"Get baaaack, get baaack! I'll eeeaaat you!" It growled, not before Sesshomaru gently poked it with one poison claw, and the ball shrank back, wailing loudly as it sputtered and deflated as it flew up into the air like a balloon rapidly losing air. A smoke cloud poofed, and a small kitsune child fell from the air, and landed, before scattering back in fear of the tall Inu-Yokai towering over him. The beautiful, white haired demon's vast height was only overshadowed by the calm, yet threatening gaze in his yellow eyes, with slit pupils like InuYasha.
"I-I-I'm warning you! L-Leave this place, and never return!" Shippo whimpered, and attempted to throw his spinning top, which was easily batted away by Sesshomaru before it could even enlarge. Shippo scampered back in fear, tears budding in his eyes as he attempted to appear fearsome.
"Enough. Tell me, what happened here?" The odd man intoned with a silky baritone voice; just flexing his powerful fingers was enough to put Shippo into submission.
"You aren't- f-friends with Naraku, right?" He queried, shaking.
"Naraku...?" Sesshomaru mused, narrowing his eyes.
"Uh-huh... he's this awful demon! He lured me and all my friends into this trap, him and Kikyo, then they k-killed them all!" He wailed, his eyes overflowing with tears. Jaken stepped forth as his master was silent, leaning on his staff as he eyed the little demon. He felt a small tinge of pity. Why, that strange maiden, and InuYasha seemed quite strong before, when he cut off Lord Sesshomaru's arm! This does not bode well.
Jaken took pause, as Sesshomaru tilted his head back to the air, and shivered. He's caught the scent of whatever that thing, Naraku, is...
Sesshomaru moved swiftly, and lept up levels in the rock, until he reached the cavern where Kikyo had let Kagome fall to her death. Jaken ran along with the little fox demon in tow and they came up the hill, panting once they'd finally caught up. Sesshomaru was squatting down to pick up the demon puppet, with two long, black strands of hair wrapped loosely around it. It dissolved in his hand, but he had more than enough to go off, as he stared down into the bubbling miasma, whereas a bubble popped, a white skull surfaced, and bobbed there.
"She fell down there, eh? Eugh. That's most certainly an unpleasant way to die.." Jaken shuddered.
"Kagome!" Shippo cried, picking up her broken bow and arrow, and holding it to his chest as he sobbed. Sesshomaru straightened, readying himself to leave, then felt an odd throb of the Tenseiga at his hip. It sang, calling to him. He reached one hand over it, and hesitated.
What could Tenseiga possibly want? All of these mortals are long dead. He pulled out the blade, and looked down into the miasma, and saw the demon messengers from the world beyond, gathering up the girl's bones, bundling them up with chains, and putting them on their backs.
"My Lord? What do you plan to do..?" Jaken asked, puzzled. I've never seen Lord Sesshomaru actually use his blade, but why? What can he do with it?
"Nothing, this blade does not cut," He said, frowning as the messengers disappeared, along with the remains of the girl. Jaken eyed him, and gasped, as he saw a frown on his master's pale visage, and wondered, Does the lord feel pity...? Or is he dissatisfied that he was unable to be the one to kill InuYasha?
He then sheathed the sword, and began to turn away, when he took notice of the incessant sobbing that had been going on in the background.
"You, where's your kin?" He demanded, and Shippo's crying grew even louder, until Jaken struck him over the head with his staff, and the boy was stunned into silence, a red bubble forming in his red hair.
"-sniff- They're all dead too... I'm all alone.." He murmured, blinking hard to try and stop the tears.
"...Jaken. Watch he doesn't fall behind," Sesshomaru said quickly, before looking up, as Ah-Un lowered, and sent Shippo scampering back in fear.
"Hop on, then! Hold on tight!" Jaken said, and pushed him up onto the two-headed demon steed, taking a seat as well, as Sesshomaru flew up ahead.
Well, my lord certainly is acting strange these days... can't say I blame him though, what with all the odd things going on! Jaken thought while looking over at the small fox demon huddled in a frightened ball. "I j-just can't believe it's all over now, and they're all g-gone... " He whimpered, and Jaken groaned, looking up at the sky as it seemed to have dark storm clouds rolling in, that encompassed most of the horizon.
"It'll be fine, hush," Jaken snapped, and Shippo stiffened, shivering from his shock, as the imp relented, and simply ignored his cries. I just hope that whatever got InuYasha doesn't have a chance against Sesshomaru.
A/N: Hey! I didn't think Sesshomaru would make an appearance, but yay! And Shippo lives! :) Do you all like these short chapters? Please let me know in the reviews what you thought about this chapter!