Author's Note: This was a hard chapter for me. It contained the second section I was unhappy with in the first version, but it went beyond that. I ended up gutting the whole thing and starting the chapter from scratch, but the heart of the story hasn't changed. I also want to thank everyone for all the feedback, constructive criticism, and other helpful tips. They're always welcome and never a bother. One of the many reasons for fan fiction in my eyes is to help improve my writing. I do take your comments to heart and have gone back and made some minor changes where needed.
~*Flame
Disclaimer: InuYasha & Final Act are all owned by Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Viz Media & Madmen Entertainment.
Chapter Nine
"Forgive my rudeness!" The imp, Jaken, scurried in front of me, bowing low. He might now know who I was, but he know I was one of great power and deserved respect. "It may not have been your intention, but you have saved my life!" Of course, that was my intention. He was my subject and had my protection. That he was an imp that seemed to be keen on the idea of traveling outside of their territory was a bonus.
But traveling by my side would be no easy feat. And even though Jaken had potential to be the imp I was looking for, it wasn't a guarantee that he was. So, I continued walking past him. Should he, in fact, be the imp I was looking for, he would continue to follow. "I beg you! I beg you! Make me your servant!" It wasn't uncommon for noble youkai like myself to have retainers. Father had at least three. It was a dangerous job, and if I was going to take an imp as a retainer, I would want only one. I didn't respond to his request, mainly as a test to see what he would do. Would he follow me without question? After a brief pause, a quiet gasp of awe, and a request to wait, I had my answer.
Jaken continued to follow me, never straying far behind. I made certain not to change my pace, not wanting him to lose track of me with his much smaller gait, but not making it easy for him, either. So far, everything was pointing at him being the one I was looking for. So, that left only finding the Nintoujou before my search for Tessaiga could truly begin. There wasn't much to go on in terms of locations. If Kagome's legend was to be believed, I would find it behind a waterfall, likely behind some kind of barrier. It wasn't the most helpful of clues. There were hundreds of waterfalls in the Western Lands alone, and there was no guarantee the Nintoujou would be in the West.
But that didn't stop me from being hopeful. I would need to return to the Western Fortress and report the demise of Bikuni before word spread and rumors changed what truly occurred on the battlefield this day. Taking the time to check any of the waterfalls along the way wouldn't hurt anything, especially since the first of them wasn't far from here. I could clearly hear the crashing of the water a few miles away. What better way to test Jaken's dedication?
We traveled in silence until we came across the river that was fed from the very waterfall I was tracking. Large boulders broke the otherwise still flow, reminding me of the boulders in our grotto in the Dream Realm. Leaping from boulder to boulder, I approached the waterfall. I could hear Jaken behind me struggle to follow in my path, but he was determined and resilient and made it across the boulders to likely bow on the one behind me while waiting for my instruction. Were all retainers like this? It was no wonder Father's hid Tessaiga in such a way. Even in his death, they were loyal to a fault.
I stared intently at the falling water, at first trying to decide if this would be a waste of time. But there, just past the water itself, I could feel it. A barrier. Could I truly be this lucky to have found the Nintoujou so quickly? Using my right hand, I pushed past the water; the barrier pushing against my claws. It was old, far older than even Father was, but that also made it weak from lack of upkeep being so forgotten and lost behind the fall. With just a little Dokkasou, I broke through the barrier.
At first, I felt nothing. But there wouldn't have been a barrier there if there wasn't anything to hide. Reaching further, I felt the brush of hair against my fingers. Using my whip, I extended my reach, not allowing it to destroy whatever was inside. As I pulled back on the whip, I could feel the smooth wood of a staff in my hand. It really couldn't be this easy, could it? With no resistance, I pulled the staff from the waterfall.
It was an ugly, crude thing. Though I had read in the Western Library that the staff was created from the tribesman of the Imp King, I wasn't quite prepared to see the preserved, decapitated heads resting atop the staff. They looked more human than imp, a testament to its name. There was no question that this was the Nintoujou. I only hoped that Jaken could use it. If not, I would need to find a way to create a new barrier. I could feel the power of the staff as it hummed in my hand. It was not something that be left for just anyone to find.
Turning to look at Jaken, I nearly smirked at seeing him bowing, just as I suspected. "Here!" My voice rose just enough for him to hear me over the waterfall. He looked up just as I tossed the Nintoujou to him. He barely caught it in time, arms flailing in the air as he anticipated where it would land. He briefly looked at the staff, confused, before turning his attention back to me.
"Um… What is this?"
"If you can use it, I'll entrust it to you." There really wasn't much I could tell him about it. It was an imp weapon, and something I had no knowledge of how to work. If he wasn't the Imp I was looking for, he wouldn't be able to use it and I would take it from him. But I didn't believe that would be the case. The excitement that shown in Jaken's eyes was more than enough to know that if he couldn't use it yet, he would learn. He bowed over the staff, as any retainer would when receiving a great weapon from their lord and shouting his assent for all to hear.
He looked up, a question in his eyes. Though he seemed hesitant to ask, the acceptance of his status of my retainer spurred him on. "Err… your name?" He paused, almost as if to gather the courage he had shown before when facing Bikuni. "Please tell me your name!" I was wondering when he would ask. He might not recognize who I was, but he would know my name.
"Sesshoumaru." I was not dissapointed. He gasped in surprise before complete joy filled his bulbous yellow eyes. He may have originally thought he demoted himself when leaving his status of tribe leader to become my retainer, but that was far from the case.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" He bowed low, not just out of respect for my power, but out of respect for who I was.
"So it was just sitting there behind the waterfall, just like the legend said?" It was clear from her tone, Kagome was completely surprised. When she asked me about how my search for the Nintoujou was going, she must not have expected me to have found it yet.
"Hn," We were lying side by side in the grass along the treeline staring up at the sky. It was peaceful, even if she spent more time talking than gazing at the passing clouds, as she claimed she wished to do.
"What are you going to do now?" It was a question I had been asking myself for a while now. Jaken hadn't yet mastered the Nintoujou, so finding Tessaiga wasn't an option at the moment.
"What I have been doing, protecting the West the best I can." Kagome rolled over, propping herself up with her elbow. I could see her staring at me from the corner of my eye, but didn't turn to look back at her.
"I asked Ji-chan about the West." My breath stopped. Never in my mind had I considered asking Kagome about the fate of our lands. A deep part of me didn't want to know in case I failed.
"Kagome," I swallowed, knowing that once I shut down this conversation, there would be no way to return to it. Did I dare hear what she had to say? Would the knowledge change anything? If she were to say the West wouldn't fall, would I grow lax in my protection and change the future? Or, if it were to fall, would I work all that much harder and cause the future she lives in never to happen? It was a risk I wasn't willing to take. "I appreciate the offer, but I do not wish to know."
"But I hate not being able to help you." She pouted, flopping back down on her back. "All I ever do is complain to you about school, and how my friends have been trying to set me up on dates, and here you are fighting for the survival of everything you know and care for." No… not everything I cared for. But I understood what she meant.
"You help more than you know." Against my better judgement, I shifted my hand to pat her own, letting it rest there for a heartbeat longer than it needed.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken shouted; snapping me awake. As irritated as I was at the impromptu wake-up, I was also grateful. It was growing harder and harder to spend time with Kagome, as we once did. Though I knew there could be nothing between us beyond this friendship displaced by time, it did nothing to change what my instincts were calling for. She was beyond my reach for so many reasons.
Jaken stumbled into the clearing I had taken refuge in while connecting with Kagome in the Dream Realm. I had sent him out on a scouting mission, mainly to help him learn more about the Nintoujou but also for some peace. Having a retainer wasn't like I imagined it to be. Jaken was loyal, just as Father's retainers were. But he was also quite boisterous in his praise. After growing up with the whispers of doubt from the Western Court, it was a dramatic change.
"Forgive me, Sesshoumaru-sama," he groveled, bowing as soon as he noticed my gaze upon him. "I overheard a youkai hunting a hanyou in the woods." I raised an eyebrow, not remotely impressed with the gossip. "My Lord, the Lady Izayoi is dead; the hanyou they were discussing was Inuyasha." I frowned at the implication. I knew humans lived only a fraction of the lifespan of youkai, but I expected that human to live longer. Inuyasha was still a child and could not protect himself. I had to find him.
"Come." I told Jaken as I stood. It wouldn't be easy to find him, so the sooner we stated our search, the better. And there was no better place to start than the village that woman took refuge in after Father perished. It wasn't too far from her father's home, as she was in no condition to travel far after giving birth. Most humans didn't leave their villages, marriage or desperation, the only reasons to do so. Father's human was desperate after his death and had no way of surviving for long without finding a new home. The first village she came across, she stayed. With the hanyou in her arms, she was lucky to have been welcomed. Very few humans accepted hanyou.
Jaken and I were already making our way back to the Western Fortress, and were thankfully near to the village the woman ran to. Turning towards the North, I set a sedate pace, not only to ensure Jaken could keep up but hopefully catch Inuyasha's tracks before we reached the village. With the woman dead, there was no doubt in my mind he would have been run out of the only home he had ever known. How far and where he ran to was the question. Even at this pace, it didn't take long to reach the village, or at least the smell that wafted from it upon the wind.
Taking a deep breath, I sorted through all the scents, much to my displeasure. Below the sour smell of sweat, waste, and death was the old, faded, and stale scent of Inu. He hadn't been here for a while, and the stench of humans was too overpowering for me to follow whatever weak trail remained… at least in this form.
Transforming into my true form was nothing like it was in my youth. My inner beast and I had become one, as many youkai did with age. I was in full control in that form, though abet more animalistic. Instincts ruled my actions opposed to higher thoughts of this form. And though my thoughts became rather boorish, it had its own benefits. One of which was the pack bonds. I would be far more in tune with them in that form, and considering how weak they were, any perk was necessary.
Changing forms was as easy as a snap of the fingers. One moment my youki was at rest and the next it exploded around me. Mokomoko-sama and my hair flailed in the wind caused by the youki surrounding me. I felt my eyes bleed red; the pupil shrinking and focusing on the trees directly in front of me. Fur spread across my skin as my jaw lengthened. I could hear Jaken's awed gasp as my youki wrapped around me tightly, sending me into the air… stretching… pulling… changing…
The ground shook as I landed, paws curling into the earth. Shaking to settle my fur, I looked down at Minion. He was bowing, speaking praises, waiting for direction. "Come." I growled, expecting Minion to understand. But he didn't stand when I turned. Could Minion not understand my words? Huffing, I started walking, following the old trail Pup left. Minion would follow. He was loyal. I didn't need to worry. Not about Minion. Pup was different. Pup was scared. He needed his pack.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Minion shouted after me as I ran through the trees. He would follow, and I created a path he could use to find us. Pup had run far from the humans. He was still young, and could not have slept much to get this far. He would be safe soon. Pack was coming. The sun fell with each step and I had to find Pup before night fell. It was dangerous for him to be alone.
Pup's trail finally grew stronger, and I ran faster. He was close… Pack was close… Leaping over a stream, I nearly missed the quiet gasp of fear. Skidding to a halt on the bank, I looked around. He was here! "Pup!" I barked. Silence answered. Scanning the trees, I needed to find him. He was good at hiding. It had to have kept him safe while he waited for Pack. "Pup!" I barked again. He had Alpha's blood and should be able to understand. But still nothing but silence.
Growling, I inhaled deeply, taking in all the surrounding scents. There was prey in the trees to the right. If Pup was hungry, they would be easy to hunt. Minion was still far behind, the wind carrying his scent with it. By the time he arrived, Pup should be safe. Looking up at the trees, I finally spotted him. Bright red stood out amongst the leaves, preventing him from hiding. Dangerous. Pup will need different clothes if he were to hide this way. "Pup! Come down!"
"Sankon Tassou!" Pup shouted from the trees as he lept at me, youki shooting from his claws. I leapt back, not wanting to get hit regardless of what little damage it would have caused. I growled at Pup. He should know his pack by scent and not attack. Landing on the bank, Pup glared and growled right back. Before Pup could attack again, I released my own youki, transforming back to my other form. The wind whipped around us, and surprisingly, Pup stayed where he was. My youki tightened around me, forcing my true form back into its cage of flesh. With a final flash of youki, I once more stood in my humanoid form.
"Inuyasha," I kept my gaze steady, not wanting him to run. "Come." Unlike with Jaken, I didn't turn away with the expectation of him to follow. Instead, I continued to watch Inuyasha as he stood on the other side of the bank, debating his next move. I could clearly see the way his eyes shifted from side to side, looking for an escape. That would not do. "Escape is futile." I would easily catch him.
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" The vehemence in his voice was shocking. I could clearly feel the pull of the pack bonds. Could he not? Was his human side keeping him from knowing who I was?
"I am your half-brother, Sesshoumaru. We are pack. Now, come." I held out a hand, as I would try to coax a frightened creature.
"I know exactly who you are." His growl deepened rather impressively for a hanyou. "You're the reason my Father's dead."
Time stopped.
My blood ran cold and my hand, once outstretched seeking the bond of pack, fell to my side. How… how could he believe such a thing? I had nothing do to with Father's death. It was all his choices, his decisions that lead him to the underworld. Inuyasha knew nothing about that time, nothing save for what that human whore told him.
"Lies," I snarled. "That woman filled you with nothing but lies."
"No! She saved me! She protected me from you!" What nonsense was this? Scoffing, I flipped my hair over my shoulder, a familiar gesture to help keep myself calm when all else failed. The motion reminded me of Kagome and how in our youth she would spend hours playing with my hair. If there was ever a time I needed the extra calm, it would be now.
"Stop this nonsense. I am pack and will protect you now that your mother is gone."
"I'm not stupid!" His shout scared away any prey that hadn't already run. "You just want to get revenge because Father never loved you like he did me!"
"Love?" I snorted. "What a weak human emotion." I turned, no longer caring about his fate. Let him go through the rite of courage and cowardice. His life is his own, but I would make sure it wasn't snuffed out too soon. I didn't look back as I walked away from the only other to share Father's blood.
Every instinct within me was telling me to go back; throw Inuyasha over my shoulder and force him to accept my help. But from our brief encounter, I knew better. He was as stubborn as any untrained Inu, and that human whore of a mother clearly fed him lies about his heritage his entire life. There was no way he would ever submit, and I had no experience trying to coax someone to do anything. Not even with Kagome. She was the one to always coax me into doing things I'd rather avoid. Which was exactly why I was waiting for her in our grotto.
I didn't care how long it took for her to arrive; I refused to go anywhere. It was dangerous for Inuyasha to be left on his own and not trying everything in my power to change that would be a stain on our great bloodline. As it was, the only thing I could think of now was to allow him to continue to believe me to be his enemy. Fight him in order to train him. Herd him away from truly dangerous areas and true enemies. It wasn't the most ideal of options, and one I knew Kagome would be highly against. I just needed her to show up.
Sitting and trying to relax had long ago failed me. I was too impatient, needing to act before Inuyasha came to any actual harm. Now, I focused my attention on Tenseiga. Though I had been trained in kenjutsu, a sword wasn't my weapon of choice. I had always been more focused on controlling and manipulating my youki. But that would need to change. One day I would find Tessaiga. And what better way to practice than with Tenseiga? Should Kagome sneak up while I was focused as she so often did, there would be no risk to her. It was a win-win situation, as she would say.
As always, I started my katas slowly; getting used to the movements and centering my focus on the task. With each completed pattern, I increased the speed. It wasn't long before I was training at the speed I would use in battle. My hair whipped and floated about with each movement, something I was proud to have mastered to avoid it becoming a distraction in battle; at least not a distraction for me. There were many times I would catch my opponents entranced with the falling strands or blinded by the shine when the sun hit just right.
I couldn't say how much time passed before I felt her presence not far behind me. Without looking, I knew she was watching me and I couldn't help the pride that filled my chest at being able to show her my battle prowess. It was silly, but in the end would cause no harm. Besides, no longer did I have someone to show off to. Not the way I did as a pup. Finishing the kata I was working on, I turned to face Kagome. Her eyes blazed with something I had never seen before; her cheeks tinted pink like the petals of a delicate flower.
"That was amazing…" I preened at her awed words just a moment before putting Tenseiga away. "I can only imagine how majestic you look in actual battle."
"Hn."
"Anyway," Her blush deepened a bit before she turned away, scratching the bridge of her nose as if embarrassed by something. "I was hoping I'd see you today."
"It seems we both have need of the other." I smirked, walking past her to take my customary seat against her boulder. She snorted before joining to sit atop it, her legs crossed and out of my sight.
"I find that very hard to believe. You haven't needed me in years." My chest tightened at her words. Yet, as much as I wanted to refute her claim, doing so would cause more pain than not. Even without my duty to the West taking precedence, she and I were never to be. I was not blind to the feelings she had developed or of my own. But all we could be were figments within a dream. That was no way to live. If I were truly honorable, I would stop coming to the Dream Realm and force her to seek affection elsewhere. But I was selfish.
"What troubles you, Kagome?" She was silent for a heartbeat and I knew she was hoping I would refute her claim. When it became clear I wouldn't, she just sighed, resigned to face the reality of our situation.
"My friends are just being a pain. We're going to be entering our last year of middle school soon and all they can think about are boyfriends." This… was not something I wanted to hear about. It was fine to keep our relationship strictly as friends against both of our wishes, and I knew that one day she would move on to be with another, but that didn't mean I wanted to hear about it. Regardless of what the future would bring, I would always consider her mine.
"Aren't you a little young by your time's standards?"
"Ugh, you sound like Ji-chan," she groaned. "Personally, I'd rather wait until after high school entrance exams. I have a hard enough time with math that I don't really need the distraction of a boyfriend. "
"Hn."
"And what about you, oh great Lord?" She flicked the side of my head, something she would only do when incredibly irritated by my standard grunt of acknowledgement. "You might be busy with fortifying the West, but don't you have a sweet youkai waiting for you at home?" Aghast at the idea, I turned at looked up at her as if she lost her mind. The pain she tried to hide in her eyes was clear to see and only then did I realize the true reason behind her comment. She didn't like my lack of reaction at the idea of her being with another. Oh, my sweet Kagome… if only things would be different…
"No. I am still too young to look for a mate." I turned away once again, focusing my gaze on the waterfall. "If they are truly your friends, they will respect your wishes."
"Yeah," she sighed, uncrossing her legs to allow them to dangle on either side of me. "That's what Mama says. It's kinda nice knowing you think the same." She stayed quiet for a while, and I focused harder on the waterfall, trying to ignore the smooth skin of her legs brushing the very tip of my ear. Taking the opportunity to speak also added to the distraction.
"How do you influence people the way you do?"
"What do you mean?" Of course she had no idea. Perhaps that was her secret?
"How do you get people to do things they don't want to do?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." I could not keep the small sigh from escaping. To be honest, I wasn't all that surprised. Kagome was unlike anyone else, a truly selfless creature that would never want to control another. Had she realized the influence she had over others, she would be horrified. "Sesshoumaru? What's happened?"
"My half-brother is terrified of me."
"You have a brother? Why didn't you tell me? What's he like? How old is he? What's his name?" Had I been human, I likely could not keep up with her many questions. It wasn't too often she got this way anymore. Unfortunately, I had little to share with her.
"His mother recently passed and from my encounter with him, she told him lies about his youkai side. He ran from me." Even with my tone conveying none of the emotions I felt, Kagome could still feel the pain at the memory.
"Oh Sesshoumaru…" She bent down, resting her head on top of mine. "I'm so sorry." Her arms wrapped around my neck as she tried to hug the pain away. I fought myself not to reach up and rest my hand on her arm in gratitude.
"Regardless, he is pack. I need to protect him and teach him how to control his youki." I paused, allowing a smirk to grace my lips, prepared for her reaction to come. "I had thought of hunting him down and forcing him to learn through battle."
"Sesshoumaru!" Her arms quickly slide away before she flicked my head again and sat up. "Don't you dare!"
"This is precisely why I am here, to gain your wisdom on how to approach this."
"I'm glad you did! I can't imagine how scared he would be. I don't think anyone would want to fight you if they had a choice." Her praise, as always, stirred things inside me. "Hum… if he's scared of you, he just needs to know you're not the one helping him. Is there a vessel you can send to help him?"
I didn't have any other vessels outside of Jaken, but Father did. And out of all of them, the best for the job would be Myouga. With his notorious cowardly nature, he could keep Inuyasha safe better than anyone.
"Thank you, Kagome." I briefly rested my head against her leg. "I honestly don't know what I'd do without you."
