Two halves of one soul
Chapter 1-Injuries and prisoners
The tall dog demon scowled darkly as he drew his sword, his youngest son cowered before him.
“You have disgraced this family, filthy half-breed!”
Inuyasha’s face paled as a single tear ran down his face, he looked up at his father and saw the hatred in his eyes.
“Please, father. I did not mean to…I…I’m sorry.”
The great dog demon snarled and brought down his blade on Inu Yasha’s back cutting a deep groove in the flesh, Inuyasha whimpered softly but stood his ground.
In a darkened room Inuyasha stirred fitfully in his sleep, Rin moved closer to him trying to hear what he said.
The reed door was pushed aside and Jaken entered slowly.
“Lord Sesshoumaru is on his way.”
Rin turned and regarded the small toad-like demon thoughtfully.
“He’s hurt, Jaken. Who is he? Why did you bring him here?”
Jaken scowled at the young mortal girl but happiness bubbled within him, he had finally done something to make his lord proud.
“This half-blooded fool is Lord Sesshoumaru’s brother, Inuyasha. They are enemies and when I saw him lying wounded on the road I knew my Lord would want him taken captive.”
Jaken began to laugh, sure of his master’s approval.
Rin didn’t know why but rage welled up inside her as she watched Jaken laugh, she suddenly despised the demon more than anything. But before she could say anything their tall and powerful master walked silently into the room.
His eyes widened slightly at the sight of Inuyasha in his castle but other than that his expression remained neutral, even slightly disdainful, as always.
“My Lord!” Jaken almost threw himself to the floor in a bow. “I brought you…”
Sesshoumaru cut his words off a slight wave of his hand; he glided gracefully across the room and crouched next to his half-brother’s sleeping body. His keen demonic eyes saw each bead of sweat forming on his brow; he almost fell backwards at the strength of the scent of fear emanating from the half breed.
“Father, please…”
Sesshoumaru glanced around quickly to see if Rin or Jaken had heard Inuyasha’s faint plea, it seemed neither had. Although he knew both were waiting for him to order Inuyasha’s death or simply take the Tetsusaiga lying by his side and wait for him to die he remained silent, something inside him wanted to know what troubled his half-brother – for curiosity reasons only.
“Leave us.”
He heard Rin immediately get up and move to the door but Jaken stayed, when he turned Sesshoumaru saw that Jaken was frozen with shock.
“Jaken, do I have to repeat myself?”
With a squawk Jaken hurried after Rin, the reed door swung gently and they were alone. Sesshoumaru turned back to Inuyasha; he sat on the floor beside him and watched waiting for him to awaken.
As his amber eyes studied Inuyasha emotions he had not felt in 150 years welled up inside him, protective feelings.
“I had a bad dream.” Inuyasha looked at his older brother plaintively.
Sesshoumaru sighed and threw back the light covers that were his bed sheets in these winter months.
“Come now, pup. Dreams cannot hurt you.”
Smiling a little Inuyasha climbed into bed with his brother, he quickly snuggled into the older demon’s arms and soon began snoring softly.
“Sleep little one, I will protect you.”
Sesshoumaru shook his head and growled softly to himself; these feelings were for the past, he hated this half-breed and wished him dead.
“Let the nightmares come,” he whispered vehemently at Inuyasha. “You killed my mother.”
Thursday 23 November 2006
Chapter 2 - Questions and trials
Chapter 2-Questions and trials
Hours past and still Sesshoumaru sat in silence, his thoughts were in turmoil; from the folds of his kimono he drew out a small orb and stared into it intently.
The orb was mounted on a tripod of iron, the three prongs ending in vicious-looking spikes; within the glistening orb shone a shard of the shikon jewel.
‘I could use this to see his thoughts, his dreams, to gain my answers.’
The confusion of recent years once again filled his head, he had never been present at the trial of his younger brother following the death of Sesshoumaru’s demon mother and for years he had assumed his father had killed Inuyasha.
‘Why wasn’t he killed? Why was he given care of father’s tomb? Why did father commission the powerful Tetsusaiga for this bastard half-breed!’
With these questions roaring through his mind Sesshoumaru quickly made up his mind, he would use the orb to go into Inuyasha’s mind, he must know.
Sesshoumaru positioned the three spikes so one was above Inuyasha’s forehead, one above his heart, and the last, and the longest, pointing up at his own heart.
In one movement he plunged all three spikes in, he gasped as the chamber around him span before dissolving into blackness. When his sight returned Sesshoumaru was sat in the same chamber still next to Inuyasha, only there was another Inuyasha stood beside him.
“Why do you trespass here?” Inuyasha’s voice was distant and emotionless.
“I seek answers, I have come to observe the dreams.”
The dream Inuyasha regarded Sesshoumaru silently before nodding and leaving the room.
Once more the room span and dissolved into darkness, this time when his sight returned Sesshoumaru knew he was watching the fevered dreams of his brother; he was sat in the great hall in his castle and a warm summer breeze blew in, with a small thrill of anticipation he realised this must be the trial.
The huge stone hall, usually used for parties and balls was full; but this time the feeling was not one of merriment as the air hung thick with anger and misery. Three sides of the hall were lined with plain wooden benches upon which were sat the most influential subjects of the Western Lands.
The chosen speaker for the day, an ancient fox demon called Ititsu whose fur was balding in places and turning grey, stood and regarded those present with a solemn expression.
“Bring out the half-breed.”
As always a ripple of disgust went through the crowd at the mention of a half-demon; Sesshomaru sat on the end of one of the benches, waiting for the trial to begin.
Inuyasha walked alone into the room, around his neck was a collar of iron and his hands were chained together; although he was obviously in pain, his long white hair matted to his face with blood, he walked with dignity until he stood in front of the speaker.
Ititsu raised his eyes and scanned the room taking in the whole assemblage, his gaze passed over Sesshoumaru as though he were not there; which, the dog-demon thought, he wasn’t.
“For those of you assembled here to decide the fate of this whelp I will give a short account of the happenings in the forest. Early yesterday morning Inuyasha was heard arguing with our Lord’s first wife and mother to Sesshoumaru; he said vile things to her and threatened her for the honour of his mortal mother, who, as we know, died ten years since. Following the argument the noble Lady left for a walk in the forest surrounding the eastern walls of this castle; she was soon followed by Inuyasha and was later found dead. Inuyasha was stood over her mutilated body with claws covered in blood; he is today charged with her murder.”
The silence in the hall was complete, every pair of eyes glared at Inuyasha with hatred; Sesshoumaru found the feelings of hate rise inside him as he recalled the bitter hours he spent weeping for his mother’s death.
The silence was broken as the oak doors to the hall opened with a bang that made all assembled jump; every demon rose and bowed as the great Lord of the Western Lands strode to the front of the hall.
The tall dog demon scowled darkly as he drew his sword, his youngest son cowered before him.
“You have disgraced this family, filthy half-breed!”
Inuyasha’s face paled as a single tear ran down his face, he looked up at his father and saw the hatred in his eyes.
“Please, father. I did not mean to…I…I’m sorry.”
The great dog demon snarled and brought down his blade on Inuyasha’s back cutting a deep groove in the flesh, Inuyasha whimpered softly but stood his ground.
The sword came down again and again until eventually Inuyasha was driven to his knees, his blood making a crimson pool spreading on the cold stone floor; but still he did not cry out.
“I did not kill her.” Inuyasha’s voice was barely above a whisper and yet it carried throughout the hall as though he had shouted.
“Liar!” Many of the demons watching stood in outrage but their Lord restrained them with a wave of his hand.
Ititsu stood forward once again; he laid a reassuring hand on the arm of his old friend and Lord.
“The crime you have committed fills me with such revulsion as I am forced to witness the other lives you have ruined through this; your great and noble father as well as your worthy half-brother. As such this assemblage has decided that your punishment shall not be death as is usual; you shall be cast into exile, forever to live with your guilt.”
As two of the guards arrived to escort Inuyasha away the room faded again, the darkness this time was so complete Sesshoumaru felt smothered; as the room came into focus once more his face hardened in shock before softening into a rare smile.
Hours past and still Sesshoumaru sat in silence, his thoughts were in turmoil; from the folds of his kimono he drew out a small orb and stared into it intently.
The orb was mounted on a tripod of iron, the three prongs ending in vicious-looking spikes; within the glistening orb shone a shard of the shikon jewel.
‘I could use this to see his thoughts, his dreams, to gain my answers.’
The confusion of recent years once again filled his head, he had never been present at the trial of his younger brother following the death of Sesshoumaru’s demon mother and for years he had assumed his father had killed Inuyasha.
‘Why wasn’t he killed? Why was he given care of father’s tomb? Why did father commission the powerful Tetsusaiga for this bastard half-breed!’
With these questions roaring through his mind Sesshoumaru quickly made up his mind, he would use the orb to go into Inuyasha’s mind, he must know.
Sesshoumaru positioned the three spikes so one was above Inuyasha’s forehead, one above his heart, and the last, and the longest, pointing up at his own heart.
In one movement he plunged all three spikes in, he gasped as the chamber around him span before dissolving into blackness. When his sight returned Sesshoumaru was sat in the same chamber still next to Inuyasha, only there was another Inuyasha stood beside him.
“Why do you trespass here?” Inuyasha’s voice was distant and emotionless.
“I seek answers, I have come to observe the dreams.”
The dream Inuyasha regarded Sesshoumaru silently before nodding and leaving the room.
Once more the room span and dissolved into darkness, this time when his sight returned Sesshoumaru knew he was watching the fevered dreams of his brother; he was sat in the great hall in his castle and a warm summer breeze blew in, with a small thrill of anticipation he realised this must be the trial.
The huge stone hall, usually used for parties and balls was full; but this time the feeling was not one of merriment as the air hung thick with anger and misery. Three sides of the hall were lined with plain wooden benches upon which were sat the most influential subjects of the Western Lands.
The chosen speaker for the day, an ancient fox demon called Ititsu whose fur was balding in places and turning grey, stood and regarded those present with a solemn expression.
“Bring out the half-breed.”
As always a ripple of disgust went through the crowd at the mention of a half-demon; Sesshomaru sat on the end of one of the benches, waiting for the trial to begin.
Inuyasha walked alone into the room, around his neck was a collar of iron and his hands were chained together; although he was obviously in pain, his long white hair matted to his face with blood, he walked with dignity until he stood in front of the speaker.
Ititsu raised his eyes and scanned the room taking in the whole assemblage, his gaze passed over Sesshoumaru as though he were not there; which, the dog-demon thought, he wasn’t.
“For those of you assembled here to decide the fate of this whelp I will give a short account of the happenings in the forest. Early yesterday morning Inuyasha was heard arguing with our Lord’s first wife and mother to Sesshoumaru; he said vile things to her and threatened her for the honour of his mortal mother, who, as we know, died ten years since. Following the argument the noble Lady left for a walk in the forest surrounding the eastern walls of this castle; she was soon followed by Inuyasha and was later found dead. Inuyasha was stood over her mutilated body with claws covered in blood; he is today charged with her murder.”
The silence in the hall was complete, every pair of eyes glared at Inuyasha with hatred; Sesshoumaru found the feelings of hate rise inside him as he recalled the bitter hours he spent weeping for his mother’s death.
The silence was broken as the oak doors to the hall opened with a bang that made all assembled jump; every demon rose and bowed as the great Lord of the Western Lands strode to the front of the hall.
The tall dog demon scowled darkly as he drew his sword, his youngest son cowered before him.
“You have disgraced this family, filthy half-breed!”
Inuyasha’s face paled as a single tear ran down his face, he looked up at his father and saw the hatred in his eyes.
“Please, father. I did not mean to…I…I’m sorry.”
The great dog demon snarled and brought down his blade on Inuyasha’s back cutting a deep groove in the flesh, Inuyasha whimpered softly but stood his ground.
The sword came down again and again until eventually Inuyasha was driven to his knees, his blood making a crimson pool spreading on the cold stone floor; but still he did not cry out.
“I did not kill her.” Inuyasha’s voice was barely above a whisper and yet it carried throughout the hall as though he had shouted.
“Liar!” Many of the demons watching stood in outrage but their Lord restrained them with a wave of his hand.
Ititsu stood forward once again; he laid a reassuring hand on the arm of his old friend and Lord.
“The crime you have committed fills me with such revulsion as I am forced to witness the other lives you have ruined through this; your great and noble father as well as your worthy half-brother. As such this assemblage has decided that your punishment shall not be death as is usual; you shall be cast into exile, forever to live with your guilt.”
As two of the guards arrived to escort Inuyasha away the room faded again, the darkness this time was so complete Sesshoumaru felt smothered; as the room came into focus once more his face hardened in shock before softening into a rare smile.
Chapter 3 - Childhood memories
Chapter 3-Childhood memories
Sesshoumaru walked into the familiar surroundings of his old bedroom from when he was a teenage demon; he picked up a book lying strewn across the bed and placed it back on the shelf, as he heard approaching footsteps he stood back by the doorway to see what happened.
A tiny Inuyasha, no more than 3 years old as a mortal would age, tottered into the room carrying a thin stick almost half his height.
“Esso..?” Inuyasha tottered over to the bed; his eyes were barely on level with it. “Esso?”
When he was confident his older brother was not there Inuyasha moved to the centre of the room and raised the stick he carried over his left shoulder and planted his feet firmly apart.
For half an hour Inuyasha swung the thin stick in crude copies of the moves Sesshoumaru used I his daily sword practice; by the end of the half hour the small pup was sweating profusely and had bruised himself all over.
The reed door swung open once again and Jaken entered carrying a kimono that had just been washed and pressed; he laid down the clothes carefully before turning to the young half demon and pushing him backwards.
“What are you doing in here?” Jaken’s voice, as always, grated on Sesshoumaru’s nerves.
“Looking for Esso.”
“My Lord’s name is not, nor has it ever been ‘Esso’. Have you no respect for your elders ‘Lord’ Inuyasha?” The sarcasm was obvious as Jaken addressed Inuyasha as Lord.
Inuyasha’s face screwed up in concentration.
“Essomashew!”
Jaken snorted with derisive laughter and turned back to his work, carefully removing each kimono from the pile he folded in neatly and placed it in the drawers of a wooden chest.
From behind Jaken, Inuyasha began his moves again until he caught his shin with the stick and fell to the floor with a clatter.
“What are you doing, half-breed?”
Scrambling up from the floor Inuyasha held out his stick.
“Inu wants to be like Esso.”
This time Jaken’s laugh was filled with genuine, he snatched the stick from the pup no taller than himself and broke it in half.
“You could never be like the great Sesshoumaru with your filthy half-breed blood”
Still laughing Jaken left the room throwing the broken stick to the floor at Inuyasha’s feet; tears streamed down Inuyasha’s face as he bent to pick up his practice sword, his voice was soft and heart-broken.
“Inu wants to be like Esso.”
As this memory faded Sesshoumaru felt tears uncharacteristically sting his eyes, reminding himself he hated Inuyasha he waited for the next memory.
This time as his sight returned he was surprised to find himself outdoors in the sword-practice meadow; with a shock he realised he remembered this himself and was staring at Inuyasha’s dream version of him.
The two brothers were practicing their sword work together, it was clear that Sesshoumaru was years ahead of his younger half-brother but was being patient.
Inuyasha mopped his brow, in mortal years he would have been 13, he looked up at his, now fully-grown, half-brother.
“I told you not to go easy on me!”
“Very well.” Sesshoumaru smiled slightly and whacked Inuyasha on the side of the head with the flat of his practice sword. “I won’t.”
Growling softly to himself Inuyasha got up and braced himself, he brought his sword up into the ready position and nodded at Sesshoumaru.
After five minutes or so of battling Inuyasha slipped on a piece of wet grass, Sesshoumaru lunged in for the ‘killing’ stroke only to realise, too late, that it was a feint; before he could pull back and defend Inuyasha’s sword was at his throat.
“I won!” Inuyasha’s cry of victory erupted loudly as he dropped the practice sword and leapt on Sesshoumaru hugging him violently.
Sesshoumaru tried to disengage himself but found it was impossible eventually he conceded laughing.
“Yes, pup. You won.”
As the meadow faded Sesshoumaru cracked his claws impatiently, was he going to find his answers or just watch childhood memories?
As if in answer to his questions when the next scene unfolded Inuyasha was much older and just in exile; his bruises were not fully healed and it was obvious he was weak.
Sesshoumaru walked into the familiar surroundings of his old bedroom from when he was a teenage demon; he picked up a book lying strewn across the bed and placed it back on the shelf, as he heard approaching footsteps he stood back by the doorway to see what happened.
A tiny Inuyasha, no more than 3 years old as a mortal would age, tottered into the room carrying a thin stick almost half his height.
“Esso..?” Inuyasha tottered over to the bed; his eyes were barely on level with it. “Esso?”
When he was confident his older brother was not there Inuyasha moved to the centre of the room and raised the stick he carried over his left shoulder and planted his feet firmly apart.
For half an hour Inuyasha swung the thin stick in crude copies of the moves Sesshoumaru used I his daily sword practice; by the end of the half hour the small pup was sweating profusely and had bruised himself all over.
The reed door swung open once again and Jaken entered carrying a kimono that had just been washed and pressed; he laid down the clothes carefully before turning to the young half demon and pushing him backwards.
“What are you doing in here?” Jaken’s voice, as always, grated on Sesshoumaru’s nerves.
“Looking for Esso.”
“My Lord’s name is not, nor has it ever been ‘Esso’. Have you no respect for your elders ‘Lord’ Inuyasha?” The sarcasm was obvious as Jaken addressed Inuyasha as Lord.
Inuyasha’s face screwed up in concentration.
“Essomashew!”
Jaken snorted with derisive laughter and turned back to his work, carefully removing each kimono from the pile he folded in neatly and placed it in the drawers of a wooden chest.
From behind Jaken, Inuyasha began his moves again until he caught his shin with the stick and fell to the floor with a clatter.
“What are you doing, half-breed?”
Scrambling up from the floor Inuyasha held out his stick.
“Inu wants to be like Esso.”
This time Jaken’s laugh was filled with genuine, he snatched the stick from the pup no taller than himself and broke it in half.
“You could never be like the great Sesshoumaru with your filthy half-breed blood”
Still laughing Jaken left the room throwing the broken stick to the floor at Inuyasha’s feet; tears streamed down Inuyasha’s face as he bent to pick up his practice sword, his voice was soft and heart-broken.
“Inu wants to be like Esso.”
As this memory faded Sesshoumaru felt tears uncharacteristically sting his eyes, reminding himself he hated Inuyasha he waited for the next memory.
This time as his sight returned he was surprised to find himself outdoors in the sword-practice meadow; with a shock he realised he remembered this himself and was staring at Inuyasha’s dream version of him.
The two brothers were practicing their sword work together, it was clear that Sesshoumaru was years ahead of his younger half-brother but was being patient.
Inuyasha mopped his brow, in mortal years he would have been 13, he looked up at his, now fully-grown, half-brother.
“I told you not to go easy on me!”
“Very well.” Sesshoumaru smiled slightly and whacked Inuyasha on the side of the head with the flat of his practice sword. “I won’t.”
Growling softly to himself Inuyasha got up and braced himself, he brought his sword up into the ready position and nodded at Sesshoumaru.
After five minutes or so of battling Inuyasha slipped on a piece of wet grass, Sesshoumaru lunged in for the ‘killing’ stroke only to realise, too late, that it was a feint; before he could pull back and defend Inuyasha’s sword was at his throat.
“I won!” Inuyasha’s cry of victory erupted loudly as he dropped the practice sword and leapt on Sesshoumaru hugging him violently.
Sesshoumaru tried to disengage himself but found it was impossible eventually he conceded laughing.
“Yes, pup. You won.”
As the meadow faded Sesshoumaru cracked his claws impatiently, was he going to find his answers or just watch childhood memories?
As if in answer to his questions when the next scene unfolded Inuyasha was much older and just in exile; his bruises were not fully healed and it was obvious he was weak.
Chapter 4 - Cat demons and Kikyo
Chapter 4-Cat demons and Kikyo
Inuyasha sat on the forest floor in a small clearing he had found, he licked at a particularly deep cut on his arm and whimpered every now and again. The sun was just setting and Inuyasha looked up in alarm, sure enough as the sun set Inuyasha began to transform until he was nothing more than a mortal, defenceless and injured.
Clearly trying to remain calm the mortal Inuyasha gathered fallen branches and twigs before trying to set them alight, smoke rose from the pile of wood but flames never burst forth so eventually, bone-weary, Inuyasha gave up and lay down to sleep.
As Sesshoumaru watched the night passed without incident, it was almost dawn when he smelt the strong scent of a pack of cat-demons; groaning he wondered why Inuyasha didn’t awaken, and then he remembered that mortals couldn’t smell as well as demons.
Seven powerful cat-demons stalked out of the shadows surrounding Inuyasha’s sleeping form, they communicated silently through hand-signals as they got closer and closer.
As one they pounced, immediately Inuyasha was awake but it was too late, he was held firmly by two of the stronger demons; the leader, evident by his fine silk kimono and long tabby tail stood arrogantly before him.
“Well little mortal, what have we here?”
“I am no mortal, and are you going to be sorry when morning comes. I can smell the dawn.” Although Inuyasha’s words were brave he still trembled.
The laughter of the cat-demon pack echoed in the small clearing as the first of the sun’s rays crept over the horizon; Inuyasha’s claws grew, his fangs elongated and his hair changed colour; he growled loudly.
“A filthy mongrel!”
The cats hissed and the two holding Inuyasha scratched him viciously with their claws, their tails lashed and they crouched preparing to pounce and kill.
The leader, his face twisted with the loathing that all cat-demons and dog-demons feel for one another ordered them harshly to wait.
“For too many long years we have lived in these forests, outlawed by the so called Lord of these lands. Now we have one of his own kind, a dog here in our midst, we can make an example of him – and have our fun.”
The gleam in the leader’s eyes made Sesshoumaru feel sick to the stomach as he stood watching the events unfold, the smiles on the faces of the other members of the group left little to the imagination.
Inuyasha struggled violently as his kimono was torn from him leaving his bruised and injured body bare in the morning sunlight, one of the group closest to him gave him a violent kick to stop him struggling; the crunch of ribs was clearly audible.
Inuyasha struggled more violently, tears were streaking down his face and blood ran freely down his body; he was trembling fiercely as he fell to his knees.
Two of the group pulled him roughly to his feet as two others held him to make sure he could not escape, the leader of the pack walked round the back of Inuyasha his eyes gleaming with a predator’s lust.
As the leader of the cat-demons began to violate Inuyasha Sesshoumaru turned away and covered his ears trying to block out the moans and screams of his half-brother.
“Let me out of here.” Sesshoumaru’s voice was pleading and his voice cracked. “I don’t want my answers, don’t make me watch this.”
His only answer was the tortured screams of Inuyasha.
Hours passed the sun rose in the sky and fell again behind the hills before the cat-demon group had all been satisfied; now they left him, trembling, crying and injured.
Inuyasha’s dog-ears twitched as he heard another approaching, his sense of smell told him in was a mortal girl; he barely had the strength to raise himself up but with an effort he made it to his feet.
A young girl entered the clearing and at the sight of the half demon cocked an arrow in the bow she carried on her back; Inuyasha remembered her from somewhere but he couldn’t think where.
“You have made a mistake coming to this village demon, I am the priestess Kikyo and I protect these people.”
To her obvious surprise Inuyasha fell to his knees in front of her letting the tears flow once again.
“Kill me now.” His voice was hoarse with screaming and his eyes were full of pain.
Kikyo lowered her bow and moved cautiously to him, she snaked one arm around his waist and helped him to his feet; slowly the two walked away into the forest.
Inuyasha sat on the forest floor in a small clearing he had found, he licked at a particularly deep cut on his arm and whimpered every now and again. The sun was just setting and Inuyasha looked up in alarm, sure enough as the sun set Inuyasha began to transform until he was nothing more than a mortal, defenceless and injured.
Clearly trying to remain calm the mortal Inuyasha gathered fallen branches and twigs before trying to set them alight, smoke rose from the pile of wood but flames never burst forth so eventually, bone-weary, Inuyasha gave up and lay down to sleep.
As Sesshoumaru watched the night passed without incident, it was almost dawn when he smelt the strong scent of a pack of cat-demons; groaning he wondered why Inuyasha didn’t awaken, and then he remembered that mortals couldn’t smell as well as demons.
Seven powerful cat-demons stalked out of the shadows surrounding Inuyasha’s sleeping form, they communicated silently through hand-signals as they got closer and closer.
As one they pounced, immediately Inuyasha was awake but it was too late, he was held firmly by two of the stronger demons; the leader, evident by his fine silk kimono and long tabby tail stood arrogantly before him.
“Well little mortal, what have we here?”
“I am no mortal, and are you going to be sorry when morning comes. I can smell the dawn.” Although Inuyasha’s words were brave he still trembled.
The laughter of the cat-demon pack echoed in the small clearing as the first of the sun’s rays crept over the horizon; Inuyasha’s claws grew, his fangs elongated and his hair changed colour; he growled loudly.
“A filthy mongrel!”
The cats hissed and the two holding Inuyasha scratched him viciously with their claws, their tails lashed and they crouched preparing to pounce and kill.
The leader, his face twisted with the loathing that all cat-demons and dog-demons feel for one another ordered them harshly to wait.
“For too many long years we have lived in these forests, outlawed by the so called Lord of these lands. Now we have one of his own kind, a dog here in our midst, we can make an example of him – and have our fun.”
The gleam in the leader’s eyes made Sesshoumaru feel sick to the stomach as he stood watching the events unfold, the smiles on the faces of the other members of the group left little to the imagination.
Inuyasha struggled violently as his kimono was torn from him leaving his bruised and injured body bare in the morning sunlight, one of the group closest to him gave him a violent kick to stop him struggling; the crunch of ribs was clearly audible.
Inuyasha struggled more violently, tears were streaking down his face and blood ran freely down his body; he was trembling fiercely as he fell to his knees.
Two of the group pulled him roughly to his feet as two others held him to make sure he could not escape, the leader of the pack walked round the back of Inuyasha his eyes gleaming with a predator’s lust.
As the leader of the cat-demons began to violate Inuyasha Sesshoumaru turned away and covered his ears trying to block out the moans and screams of his half-brother.
“Let me out of here.” Sesshoumaru’s voice was pleading and his voice cracked. “I don’t want my answers, don’t make me watch this.”
His only answer was the tortured screams of Inuyasha.
Hours passed the sun rose in the sky and fell again behind the hills before the cat-demon group had all been satisfied; now they left him, trembling, crying and injured.
Inuyasha’s dog-ears twitched as he heard another approaching, his sense of smell told him in was a mortal girl; he barely had the strength to raise himself up but with an effort he made it to his feet.
A young girl entered the clearing and at the sight of the half demon cocked an arrow in the bow she carried on her back; Inuyasha remembered her from somewhere but he couldn’t think where.
“You have made a mistake coming to this village demon, I am the priestess Kikyo and I protect these people.”
To her obvious surprise Inuyasha fell to his knees in front of her letting the tears flow once again.
“Kill me now.” His voice was hoarse with screaming and his eyes were full of pain.
Kikyo lowered her bow and moved cautiously to him, she snaked one arm around his waist and helped him to his feet; slowly the two walked away into the forest.
Monday 20 November 2006
Chapter 5 - A mother's death
Chapter 5-A mother's death
By now Sesshoumaru wanted nothing more than to leave but he knew that this was not possible until the dream Inuyasha came back for him; resigned, he waited as the forest dissolved around him. When his eyes adjusted he saw that it was midmorning and he was in the meadows separating the forest from the eastern walls of the castle.
Shioma, Sesshoumaru’s mother, stormed out of the castle muttering about ungrateful step-sons. She jumped over a fallen branch and continued into the forest, filled with curiosity Sesshoumaru followed.
Shioma walked slower now she was beneath the trees and stopped every so often to pick a few herbs which she put in a basket she was carrying, the sound of a twig snapping behind her made her overturn her basket with fright and jump to her feet glancing around nervously.
A high giggling laughter sounded from the shadows, it made the hair on the back of Shioma’s neck rise and her breath catch in her throat.
Before she could investigate a hand was laid on her shoulder, letting out a short scream she whirled and raised her hand to beat off her attacker.
“Inuyasha!” Shioma was only half-relieved to see her step-son.
“Shioma I..well, I..” Inuyasha looked uncomfortable and his ears were flattened to his head. “I came to apologise.”
Shioma smiled suddenly realising how difficult it must be for Inuyasha to grow up in a castle full of pure-bred demons.
“I forgive you, little one. Now help me build a fire to prepare these herbs for tonight’s dinner.”
Glad to have something useful to do Inuyasha quickly gathered a small mountain of logs and leaves, he rubbed two of the larger sticks together vigorously until flames began to crackle.
He turned back after this task was complete to see that Shioma had fallen asleep with her back against a tall oak tree; Inuyasha smiled softly and lay down beside the fire determined to keep watch.
Sesshoumaru sat on the ground almost touching his mother, he realised now he was about to witness her death and he longed for nothing more than to hold her in his arms and protect her.
Inuyasha was awakened by a scream, he sat bolt upright; his eyes widened in shock as he saw Shioma lying in a pool of blood with a human bandit stood over her, he was stuffing his pockets with the coins and jewels she carried.
“NO!”
Inuyasha grabbed a lighted log from the fire and swung it in front of him like a sword, seeming almost possessed he quickly managed to overpower the human beating him with the flaming log.
Burnt badly the bandit was unable to get up and lay there helpless as Inuyasha continued his frenzied attack, an arrow through his shoulder stopped him short with a yell of pain. Turning, expecting to find more bandits, he saw only a human priestess cocking another arrow in her bow.
“Leave him alone, demon!”
A second arrow was loosed which knocked the already injured Inuyasha to the ground, without wasting time Kikyo ran to the badly burnt bandit and helped him to his feet; as they walked away Inuyasha strained to hear them.
“What is your name?” Kikyo’s voice was soft and gentle; the last thing Inuyasha heard before the two were out of earshot was his reply.
“Onigumo.”
Inuyasha pulled the arrows out of his body with a grunt and pulled himself over to Shioma; he pulled her into his arms and cradled her head gently, her eyes fluttered open and she coughed, blood splattered from her lips.
“Shhh, Shioma. Don’t move, I’ve got you.”
“Inuyasha?”
“Yes. It’s me; I’m sorry I slept, this is all my fault. Just hold on, please.”
“No, little one.” Shioma stopped as more coughs racked her body, her breath came in short gasps. “You fought for me, little one. Thank you.”
She coughed once more and then she was still, Inuyasha laid her body down horrified, his claws were stained with her blood; soon afterwards he was found by two guards patrolling the forest, one grabbed Inuyasha roughly and escorted him away, the other lifted the corpse of Shioma and followed.
Sesshoumaru’s mind whirled, his little brother was innocent; a great sorrow settled on his heart replacing the anger and hate he had felt for so long.
‘I will protect you, brother.” Sesshoumaru vowed to himself. ‘I won’t let anybody else hurt you’
But this still didn’t explain why his father had entrusted him with the Tetsusaiga or his tomb if nobody knew or believed he was innocent until now.
By now Sesshoumaru wanted nothing more than to leave but he knew that this was not possible until the dream Inuyasha came back for him; resigned, he waited as the forest dissolved around him. When his eyes adjusted he saw that it was midmorning and he was in the meadows separating the forest from the eastern walls of the castle.
Shioma, Sesshoumaru’s mother, stormed out of the castle muttering about ungrateful step-sons. She jumped over a fallen branch and continued into the forest, filled with curiosity Sesshoumaru followed.
Shioma walked slower now she was beneath the trees and stopped every so often to pick a few herbs which she put in a basket she was carrying, the sound of a twig snapping behind her made her overturn her basket with fright and jump to her feet glancing around nervously.
A high giggling laughter sounded from the shadows, it made the hair on the back of Shioma’s neck rise and her breath catch in her throat.
Before she could investigate a hand was laid on her shoulder, letting out a short scream she whirled and raised her hand to beat off her attacker.
“Inuyasha!” Shioma was only half-relieved to see her step-son.
“Shioma I..well, I..” Inuyasha looked uncomfortable and his ears were flattened to his head. “I came to apologise.”
Shioma smiled suddenly realising how difficult it must be for Inuyasha to grow up in a castle full of pure-bred demons.
“I forgive you, little one. Now help me build a fire to prepare these herbs for tonight’s dinner.”
Glad to have something useful to do Inuyasha quickly gathered a small mountain of logs and leaves, he rubbed two of the larger sticks together vigorously until flames began to crackle.
He turned back after this task was complete to see that Shioma had fallen asleep with her back against a tall oak tree; Inuyasha smiled softly and lay down beside the fire determined to keep watch.
Sesshoumaru sat on the ground almost touching his mother, he realised now he was about to witness her death and he longed for nothing more than to hold her in his arms and protect her.
Inuyasha was awakened by a scream, he sat bolt upright; his eyes widened in shock as he saw Shioma lying in a pool of blood with a human bandit stood over her, he was stuffing his pockets with the coins and jewels she carried.
“NO!”
Inuyasha grabbed a lighted log from the fire and swung it in front of him like a sword, seeming almost possessed he quickly managed to overpower the human beating him with the flaming log.
Burnt badly the bandit was unable to get up and lay there helpless as Inuyasha continued his frenzied attack, an arrow through his shoulder stopped him short with a yell of pain. Turning, expecting to find more bandits, he saw only a human priestess cocking another arrow in her bow.
“Leave him alone, demon!”
A second arrow was loosed which knocked the already injured Inuyasha to the ground, without wasting time Kikyo ran to the badly burnt bandit and helped him to his feet; as they walked away Inuyasha strained to hear them.
“What is your name?” Kikyo’s voice was soft and gentle; the last thing Inuyasha heard before the two were out of earshot was his reply.
“Onigumo.”
Inuyasha pulled the arrows out of his body with a grunt and pulled himself over to Shioma; he pulled her into his arms and cradled her head gently, her eyes fluttered open and she coughed, blood splattered from her lips.
“Shhh, Shioma. Don’t move, I’ve got you.”
“Inuyasha?”
“Yes. It’s me; I’m sorry I slept, this is all my fault. Just hold on, please.”
“No, little one.” Shioma stopped as more coughs racked her body, her breath came in short gasps. “You fought for me, little one. Thank you.”
She coughed once more and then she was still, Inuyasha laid her body down horrified, his claws were stained with her blood; soon afterwards he was found by two guards patrolling the forest, one grabbed Inuyasha roughly and escorted him away, the other lifted the corpse of Shioma and followed.
Sesshoumaru’s mind whirled, his little brother was innocent; a great sorrow settled on his heart replacing the anger and hate he had felt for so long.
‘I will protect you, brother.” Sesshoumaru vowed to himself. ‘I won’t let anybody else hurt you’
But this still didn’t explain why his father had entrusted him with the Tetsusaiga or his tomb if nobody knew or believed he was innocent until now.
Chapter 6 - Two halves of one soul
Chapter 6-Two halves of one soul
The forest faded once more and a small stone room replaced it, a fire burnt casting warmth over the room; Sesshoumaru did not recognise the room at first but, when his father entered, he realised that this room was his father’s study; a room that he had not dared enter even after he became Lord of the Western Lands.
The great demon Lord sank to the floor in silence, tears streaked his usually emotionless face and his hands gripped his sword hilt tightly.
Suddenly he slapped himself on the neck, a small groan could be heard as a middle-aged Myoga floated to rest on the floor.
“You asked to speak with me, Myoga?
“Yes, my Lord. I came to ask you if you are sure it is wise to entrust the great new sword you have commissioned to your son Sesshoumaru.”
The great demon growled warningly.
“Of course it is wise, he will use the mighty power of this sword to strike Inuyasha down.” His face hardened in anger. “I will not deny my son the pleasure of killing his mother’s murderer, therefore I have decreed he is to be banished.”
Myoga bounced up and down in agitation.
“My lord, you cannot let Sesshoumaru kill Inuyasha, remember the priestess?”
The demon lord’s face crumpled and his shoulders sagged, as he began to speak it was almost as if he were reciting a book from memory.
“The priestess Junami placed a curse upon Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha when the younger one was born; she knew I would never allow a half-breed to live and stain the family honour so she split each of the brothers’ souls and mingled them meaning if one dies then so does the other.”
Sesshoumaru blanched, his face paled and his eyes widened, he shared a soul with Inuyasha! No wonder he had always felt protective despite himself.
“My lord, give Inuyasha the Tetsusaiga to protect himself from Sesshoumaru’s attacks.”
At first the great lord shook his head vigorously but then he smiled slyly and nodded once.
“Very well, old friend. But he must prove his worth before he can find it.”
As the small flea bowed and left the room Sesshoumaru’s father turned to his writing desk and wrote a short letter to Ititsu.
‘My dear friend Ititsu, Please do not question these instructions but fulfil them to the letter; I promised a dear friend of mine that Inuyasha shall have protection in the form of the great sword, Tetsusaiga; however, I am reluctant that he should ever wield this sword. Therefore, I would ask that when I am buried you bury the sword with me, then hide my tomb in the last place he shall look but that he has the sword with him always. That way my promise is fulfilled.
Thank you
As the great lord finished writing the letter the dream Inuyasha placed a hand gently on Sesshoumaru’s shoulder, his face was sympathetic as he firmly led his elder brother away
“Come now, my brother. Your questions have been answered, the rest is up to you.”
Sesshoumaru nodded mutely as the room span and disappeared. A tight pain in his chest where the spike of the orb pulled out brought Sesshoumaru back to the living world; he immediately pulled out the orb’s spikes from his brother and raised up Inuyasha to make him more comfortable. Inuyasha’s fever increased as he lay in Sesshoumaru’s arms.
“Sleep little one.” Sesshoumaru whispered. “I will protect you.”
The forest faded once more and a small stone room replaced it, a fire burnt casting warmth over the room; Sesshoumaru did not recognise the room at first but, when his father entered, he realised that this room was his father’s study; a room that he had not dared enter even after he became Lord of the Western Lands.
The great demon Lord sank to the floor in silence, tears streaked his usually emotionless face and his hands gripped his sword hilt tightly.
Suddenly he slapped himself on the neck, a small groan could be heard as a middle-aged Myoga floated to rest on the floor.
“You asked to speak with me, Myoga?
“Yes, my Lord. I came to ask you if you are sure it is wise to entrust the great new sword you have commissioned to your son Sesshoumaru.”
The great demon growled warningly.
“Of course it is wise, he will use the mighty power of this sword to strike Inuyasha down.” His face hardened in anger. “I will not deny my son the pleasure of killing his mother’s murderer, therefore I have decreed he is to be banished.”
Myoga bounced up and down in agitation.
“My lord, you cannot let Sesshoumaru kill Inuyasha, remember the priestess?”
The demon lord’s face crumpled and his shoulders sagged, as he began to speak it was almost as if he were reciting a book from memory.
“The priestess Junami placed a curse upon Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha when the younger one was born; she knew I would never allow a half-breed to live and stain the family honour so she split each of the brothers’ souls and mingled them meaning if one dies then so does the other.”
Sesshoumaru blanched, his face paled and his eyes widened, he shared a soul with Inuyasha! No wonder he had always felt protective despite himself.
“My lord, give Inuyasha the Tetsusaiga to protect himself from Sesshoumaru’s attacks.”
At first the great lord shook his head vigorously but then he smiled slyly and nodded once.
“Very well, old friend. But he must prove his worth before he can find it.”
As the small flea bowed and left the room Sesshoumaru’s father turned to his writing desk and wrote a short letter to Ititsu.
‘My dear friend Ititsu, Please do not question these instructions but fulfil them to the letter; I promised a dear friend of mine that Inuyasha shall have protection in the form of the great sword, Tetsusaiga; however, I am reluctant that he should ever wield this sword. Therefore, I would ask that when I am buried you bury the sword with me, then hide my tomb in the last place he shall look but that he has the sword with him always. That way my promise is fulfilled.
Thank you
As the great lord finished writing the letter the dream Inuyasha placed a hand gently on Sesshoumaru’s shoulder, his face was sympathetic as he firmly led his elder brother away
“Come now, my brother. Your questions have been answered, the rest is up to you.”
Sesshoumaru nodded mutely as the room span and disappeared. A tight pain in his chest where the spike of the orb pulled out brought Sesshoumaru back to the living world; he immediately pulled out the orb’s spikes from his brother and raised up Inuyasha to make him more comfortable. Inuyasha’s fever increased as he lay in Sesshoumaru’s arms.
“Sleep little one.” Sesshoumaru whispered. “I will protect you.”
Chapter 7 - Graves and ghosts
Chapter 7-Graves and ghosts
Kagome stared at the flames of the campfire as they licked higher; she bit her lip nervously as she tried not to think about all the dreadful things that could have happened to Inuyasha in the past few days since he had gone missing.
A comforting hand on her shoulder brought her back to her present situation; she looked over her shoulder into the worried face of Sango and smiled wanly.
“I’m sure he’s alright, Kagome.”
“Of course he’s alright!” Shippo’s voice was wavered although he tried to keep it steady. “He’s got too much of a thick skull to get hurt.”
Miroku moved around the campfire to sit by Kagome, the smile on his face was hopeful as ever.
“Of course, if you want any comforting..”
TWACK!
Miroku moved away with a hurt expression on his bruised face; Kagome sighed as she turned back to Sango and Shippo.
“Are you sure we’re going the right way?”
Shippo nodded.
“His scent is easy to follow, especially after we found that….er…never mind.”
Shippo fell silent as Kagome paled, she vividly remembered following the trail until they had come upon a large pool of dried blood; Shippo easily identified it as Inuyasha’s by the scent.
Fighting back tears Kagome stood up and looked around, for miles all she could see were fields and a forest.
“This is useless! We’re never going to find him here, if he was injured he could never have walked this far.”
Sango and Miroku exchanged nervous glances; each knew the other was thinking that Inuyasha must have been taken, probably by Naraku.
Kagome caught the glances and she glared fiercely at the pair as if they were responsible for Inuyasha going missing; haughtily she lay down in her bedroll and closed her eyes.
Once they were sure Kagome was asleep Miroku and Sango crept closer together to carry on an earlier conversation.
“Have you remembered why these lands seem familiar yet?” Although Miroku’s voice was barely above a whisper it woke Kagome, however, she stayed still and listened.
“No, but I know that I’ve been here before. These fields, that village we passed and that forest; I know I’ve seen them before.”
“Have we traveled here searching for the jewel shards?”
“No. This memory is old; from my childhood, I remember running through these fields when I was eleven or twelve.” Sango gasped suddenly in recognition. “My father brought me here when I was young to teach me about the more dangerous demons; the ones even the exterminators tried to avoid. These are the Western Lands.”
“What’s so bad about the Western Lands?” Shippo’s shrill voice cut the still night air like a knife.
Kagome could pretend to sleep no longer; she was too interested in why the Western Lands held such dread for even the exterminators.
“I’m interested too.”
Sango and Miroku jumped at Kagome’s voice and smiled guiltily.
“We didn’t want to worry you.”
“Tell me.”
“Alright,” Sango took a deep breath. “The Western Lands are the most fertile and beautiful in all the world; therefore, of course, all the demons wanted to be the ruler of such a place – only the most powerful of demons won the right to make this land his family’s. Despite his power he was a just and fair ruler and the people loved him dearly; he had 2 sons, when he died the title of Lord passed to his eldest son – Sesshoumaru.”
“So this is where we’re heading?” Kagome’s voice was shaking; Sesshoumaru disturbed her more than most demons. “Sesshoumaru’s home?”
“Yes, it seems Inuyasha must be in the castle itself.”
Kagome almost jumped to her feet; thoughts of Inuyasha in pain and at the mercy of his older brother swam in front of her eyes; she had her bedroll packed away in an instant.
“Then what are we waiting for, lets go! Shippo, lead the way.”
“Erm, okay Kagome.” Shippo seemed a little taken aback but did as she asked setting off towards the forest; anxiously Miroku and Sango followed behind.
Soon the group was walking under a canopy of leaves which made the dark night even darker, barely even able to see her own hand in front of her face Kagome concentrated on following the sound of Shippo’s voice as he argued about food with Miroku.
With a grunt Kagome pitched forwards onto her face, rubbing her shin where she had caught it she twisted round to look at what she had fallen over.
“Sango! Miroku! Shippo!” Kagome’s scream cut the air making the others run to her; Miroku already had his wind-tunnel half uncovered before he realized what had caused her to scream.”
“Graves, but whose?” Miroku murmured bending down to get a closer look.
Crudely inscribed on each was an inscription in the same hand.
‘Here lies Shioma, beloved mother.’
‘Here lies Ukil, simply beloved.”
(Meanwhile)
As Sesshoumaru slept cradling Inuyasha in his arms the orb, which was lying forgotten on the floor began to glow brightly.
Bright tendrils of light snaked out and surrounded the two brothers wrapping them in a rainbow together; a shadowy face seemed to emerge from the lights and smile sardonically.
“My son,” it’s voice came from the depths of the orb as it stared at Sesshoumaru. “My son, I tried to warn you about half-breeds but you wouldn’t listen. Perhaps it is better if you find out for yourself.”
The light blazed like the sun just once and then the room was dark and silent once more; the two brothers slept soundly unaware that their lives had been changed forever.
Kagome stared at the flames of the campfire as they licked higher; she bit her lip nervously as she tried not to think about all the dreadful things that could have happened to Inuyasha in the past few days since he had gone missing.
A comforting hand on her shoulder brought her back to her present situation; she looked over her shoulder into the worried face of Sango and smiled wanly.
“I’m sure he’s alright, Kagome.”
“Of course he’s alright!” Shippo’s voice was wavered although he tried to keep it steady. “He’s got too much of a thick skull to get hurt.”
Miroku moved around the campfire to sit by Kagome, the smile on his face was hopeful as ever.
“Of course, if you want any comforting..”
TWACK!
Miroku moved away with a hurt expression on his bruised face; Kagome sighed as she turned back to Sango and Shippo.
“Are you sure we’re going the right way?”
Shippo nodded.
“His scent is easy to follow, especially after we found that….er…never mind.”
Shippo fell silent as Kagome paled, she vividly remembered following the trail until they had come upon a large pool of dried blood; Shippo easily identified it as Inuyasha’s by the scent.
Fighting back tears Kagome stood up and looked around, for miles all she could see were fields and a forest.
“This is useless! We’re never going to find him here, if he was injured he could never have walked this far.”
Sango and Miroku exchanged nervous glances; each knew the other was thinking that Inuyasha must have been taken, probably by Naraku.
Kagome caught the glances and she glared fiercely at the pair as if they were responsible for Inuyasha going missing; haughtily she lay down in her bedroll and closed her eyes.
Once they were sure Kagome was asleep Miroku and Sango crept closer together to carry on an earlier conversation.
“Have you remembered why these lands seem familiar yet?” Although Miroku’s voice was barely above a whisper it woke Kagome, however, she stayed still and listened.
“No, but I know that I’ve been here before. These fields, that village we passed and that forest; I know I’ve seen them before.”
“Have we traveled here searching for the jewel shards?”
“No. This memory is old; from my childhood, I remember running through these fields when I was eleven or twelve.” Sango gasped suddenly in recognition. “My father brought me here when I was young to teach me about the more dangerous demons; the ones even the exterminators tried to avoid. These are the Western Lands.”
“What’s so bad about the Western Lands?” Shippo’s shrill voice cut the still night air like a knife.
Kagome could pretend to sleep no longer; she was too interested in why the Western Lands held such dread for even the exterminators.
“I’m interested too.”
Sango and Miroku jumped at Kagome’s voice and smiled guiltily.
“We didn’t want to worry you.”
“Tell me.”
“Alright,” Sango took a deep breath. “The Western Lands are the most fertile and beautiful in all the world; therefore, of course, all the demons wanted to be the ruler of such a place – only the most powerful of demons won the right to make this land his family’s. Despite his power he was a just and fair ruler and the people loved him dearly; he had 2 sons, when he died the title of Lord passed to his eldest son – Sesshoumaru.”
“So this is where we’re heading?” Kagome’s voice was shaking; Sesshoumaru disturbed her more than most demons. “Sesshoumaru’s home?”
“Yes, it seems Inuyasha must be in the castle itself.”
Kagome almost jumped to her feet; thoughts of Inuyasha in pain and at the mercy of his older brother swam in front of her eyes; she had her bedroll packed away in an instant.
“Then what are we waiting for, lets go! Shippo, lead the way.”
“Erm, okay Kagome.” Shippo seemed a little taken aback but did as she asked setting off towards the forest; anxiously Miroku and Sango followed behind.
Soon the group was walking under a canopy of leaves which made the dark night even darker, barely even able to see her own hand in front of her face Kagome concentrated on following the sound of Shippo’s voice as he argued about food with Miroku.
With a grunt Kagome pitched forwards onto her face, rubbing her shin where she had caught it she twisted round to look at what she had fallen over.
“Sango! Miroku! Shippo!” Kagome’s scream cut the air making the others run to her; Miroku already had his wind-tunnel half uncovered before he realized what had caused her to scream.”
“Graves, but whose?” Miroku murmured bending down to get a closer look.
Crudely inscribed on each was an inscription in the same hand.
‘Here lies Shioma, beloved mother.’
‘Here lies Ukil, simply beloved.”
(Meanwhile)
As Sesshoumaru slept cradling Inuyasha in his arms the orb, which was lying forgotten on the floor began to glow brightly.
Bright tendrils of light snaked out and surrounded the two brothers wrapping them in a rainbow together; a shadowy face seemed to emerge from the lights and smile sardonically.
“My son,” it’s voice came from the depths of the orb as it stared at Sesshoumaru. “My son, I tried to warn you about half-breeds but you wouldn’t listen. Perhaps it is better if you find out for yourself.”
The light blazed like the sun just once and then the room was dark and silent once more; the two brothers slept soundly unaware that their lives had been changed forever.
Chapter 8 - First loves and broken hearts
Chapter 8
Bone weary and his mind exhausted from all the new information he had just discovered Sesshoumaru slept soundly on the cold floor of his own dungeon; his arms tightened protectively around his injured half-brother as memories of his own began to assault him.
Ukil laughed softly as she brushed aside strands of silver hair that were blowing into Sesshoumaru’s eyes; she sat back on her heels and regarded him in silence for a moment, counting her blessings.
“What is it, Ukil?” Sesshoumaru’s face was once again solemn.
“Nothing, I was just thinking about how lucky I was.”
Sesshoumaru blushed not able to help himself, his face turned slowly crimson as he smiled shyly. Unable to help himself, he pulled Ukil towards himself and kissed her passionately, drawing back from lack of air he kissed her softly on the top of her head before releasing her.
“It is I who is lucky, beloved.”
This time it was Ukil’s turn to blush, her chocolate brown eyes looked up at her betrothed sparkling with happiness.
“I was so afraid when my father told me I was betrothed.” Ukil’s voice was serious as she clasped Sesshoumaru’s hand tightly. “Especially when he told me I was to marry the future Lord of the Western Lands; I had seen you from afar, of course, as you had passed through my village but you seemed world’s above me. After all, what am I but a lowly half-demon.”
Sesshoumaru pulled her into his strong arms and held her in a warm embrace.
“Beloved, never think that being a half-demon makes you lowly or unworthy; my own younger brother, whom I love dearly, is only half-demon and he is already growing so very strong. Whatever you are, beloved, I love you.”
As they sat together in the summer sun Sesshoumaru found himself wishing time would stop so he could stay this way forever.
In the dungeon Sesshoumaru’s normally expressionless face was twisted in anguish and terror.
Sesshoumaru wept over the mutilated body of his mother; she had been washed and dressed in her finest robes but even the skilled servants of the castle had not been able to erase the marks of the attack.
Hate towards Inuyasha rose in him again as he remembered who had done this; in his long years of life his father had tried to warn him of half-demons, had tried to forbid his marriage to Ukil but he hadn’t listened.
Ukil!
He hadn’t thought of her before this but now he did he realized with a wrench of his heart that he could not love or trust a half-demon after this day; he resolved to put her from his mind and, before he could change his mind he called for a messenger.
“Go to Ukil and tell her that I will not see her again on pain of death; I will allow no half-demons with their filthy blood to ever walk in this land again.”
Slightly startled the messenger did as he was bidden; as he left Sesshoumaru turned back to the body of his mother and all thoughts of Inuyasha or Ukil fled from his thoughts.
As he wept he was simply a boy crying for the mother who would never return.
Outside the reed door Rin was arguing quietly with Jaken; they had stayed outside after being told to leave but all they had heard were some whispers of their lord and moaning, now the moans were loud and clearly Sesshoumaru’s.
“We must go back in to my Lord, foolish mortal girl!”
“No!”
“Yes!”
“No!”
“Yes!” With a sigh of exasperation Jaken tried to push past Rin but the young mortal girl had gained strength in the months she had traveled with Sesshoumaru, she easily held him back; just then the room went deathly quiet.
No matter how he tried to convince himself that all half-breeds were scum who deserved death Sesshoumaru could not rid Ukil from his mind, his thoughts were always turning to her and he longed for her touch, her kiss.
“Perhaps I should go to see her,” he mused. “That might explain why I cannot forget her.”
Pleased to have reached a decision Sesshoumaru left immediately, the village where Ukil resided was barely fifteen minutes from the castle and he was soon there; the village was unnaturally quiet but he assumed it was fear of him that kept the villagers in check.
Gracefully he walked through the small streets until he reached a tiny wooden hut, swinging aside the reed door he entered the room beyond, inside Ukil’s mother sat weeping to herself.
“What ails you, Samu?”
The mortal woman looked up in fear, but that was quickly replaced by a burning anger; she launched herself at Sesshoumaru taking the demon by surprise, she clawed at his face with her fingernails and managed to make his cheeks bleed before he threw her off.
“Bastard!” Samu spat the word at Sesshoumaru, she threw a piece of parchment at him before turning on her heel and stalking into the bedroom of the small hut.
Bemused, Sesshoumaru unrolled the parchment; as he read the words in the familiar handwriting of Ukil he seemed numb.
‘My dear parents,
I am sorry I must leave you now but my heart has been wrenched from my body; I know not what I have done to Sesshoumaru but only that my crime against him must be heinous indeed. I cannot live with myself knowing I have wronged my love so grievously; please understand that I am not angry at him nor at you.
Goodbye, Ukil.’
Tearing the parchment accidentally with his claws Sesshoumaru almost ran into the room Samu had disappeared into; on the bed lay Ukil, her eyes were closed and her face peaceful but her chest did not rise and fall.
He realized in that moment what a terrible mistake he had made and a strangled cry tore from his throat; he collapsed to his knees as the bedside and sobbed clutching her hand, Samu watched on expressionless.
“Beloved Ukil, please do not leave me. Please, please.”
She lay lifeless as ever upon the bed; Sesshoumaru rose to his feet, the tears blurring his vision, he picked up the body of Ukil tenderly and walked from the hut; Samu let him go, she knew her daughter could come to no more harm.
Back to the castle Sesshoumaru walked; being careful to not let anybody see him he stole back to the room where his mother’s corpse lay ready for burial; he let his strong arms lift his mother and silently as a ghost he carried both women into the eastern forest.
There he buried them at sunset, his tears washing down his face as he remembered them both in life. After he had buried them he broke a nearby boulder into two slabs and, painstakingly, he carved them both with an inscription.
‘Here lies Shioma, beloved mother’
‘Here lies Ukil, simply beloved’
In the dungeon Sesshoumaru awoke with a cry of grief, to his surprise he found his face was wet with tears; he stood slowly letting the memory fade, he laid his brother gently on the floor and prepared to leave.
He had not gone five paces when a blinding pain stopped him in his tracks and left him gasping for breath; when he had recovered he walked forward again only to find at the same point the pain returned.
Sesshoumaru growled loudly at the shadows.
Bone weary and his mind exhausted from all the new information he had just discovered Sesshoumaru slept soundly on the cold floor of his own dungeon; his arms tightened protectively around his injured half-brother as memories of his own began to assault him.
Ukil laughed softly as she brushed aside strands of silver hair that were blowing into Sesshoumaru’s eyes; she sat back on her heels and regarded him in silence for a moment, counting her blessings.
“What is it, Ukil?” Sesshoumaru’s face was once again solemn.
“Nothing, I was just thinking about how lucky I was.”
Sesshoumaru blushed not able to help himself, his face turned slowly crimson as he smiled shyly. Unable to help himself, he pulled Ukil towards himself and kissed her passionately, drawing back from lack of air he kissed her softly on the top of her head before releasing her.
“It is I who is lucky, beloved.”
This time it was Ukil’s turn to blush, her chocolate brown eyes looked up at her betrothed sparkling with happiness.
“I was so afraid when my father told me I was betrothed.” Ukil’s voice was serious as she clasped Sesshoumaru’s hand tightly. “Especially when he told me I was to marry the future Lord of the Western Lands; I had seen you from afar, of course, as you had passed through my village but you seemed world’s above me. After all, what am I but a lowly half-demon.”
Sesshoumaru pulled her into his strong arms and held her in a warm embrace.
“Beloved, never think that being a half-demon makes you lowly or unworthy; my own younger brother, whom I love dearly, is only half-demon and he is already growing so very strong. Whatever you are, beloved, I love you.”
As they sat together in the summer sun Sesshoumaru found himself wishing time would stop so he could stay this way forever.
In the dungeon Sesshoumaru’s normally expressionless face was twisted in anguish and terror.
Sesshoumaru wept over the mutilated body of his mother; she had been washed and dressed in her finest robes but even the skilled servants of the castle had not been able to erase the marks of the attack.
Hate towards Inuyasha rose in him again as he remembered who had done this; in his long years of life his father had tried to warn him of half-demons, had tried to forbid his marriage to Ukil but he hadn’t listened.
Ukil!
He hadn’t thought of her before this but now he did he realized with a wrench of his heart that he could not love or trust a half-demon after this day; he resolved to put her from his mind and, before he could change his mind he called for a messenger.
“Go to Ukil and tell her that I will not see her again on pain of death; I will allow no half-demons with their filthy blood to ever walk in this land again.”
Slightly startled the messenger did as he was bidden; as he left Sesshoumaru turned back to the body of his mother and all thoughts of Inuyasha or Ukil fled from his thoughts.
As he wept he was simply a boy crying for the mother who would never return.
Outside the reed door Rin was arguing quietly with Jaken; they had stayed outside after being told to leave but all they had heard were some whispers of their lord and moaning, now the moans were loud and clearly Sesshoumaru’s.
“We must go back in to my Lord, foolish mortal girl!”
“No!”
“Yes!”
“No!”
“Yes!” With a sigh of exasperation Jaken tried to push past Rin but the young mortal girl had gained strength in the months she had traveled with Sesshoumaru, she easily held him back; just then the room went deathly quiet.
No matter how he tried to convince himself that all half-breeds were scum who deserved death Sesshoumaru could not rid Ukil from his mind, his thoughts were always turning to her and he longed for her touch, her kiss.
“Perhaps I should go to see her,” he mused. “That might explain why I cannot forget her.”
Pleased to have reached a decision Sesshoumaru left immediately, the village where Ukil resided was barely fifteen minutes from the castle and he was soon there; the village was unnaturally quiet but he assumed it was fear of him that kept the villagers in check.
Gracefully he walked through the small streets until he reached a tiny wooden hut, swinging aside the reed door he entered the room beyond, inside Ukil’s mother sat weeping to herself.
“What ails you, Samu?”
The mortal woman looked up in fear, but that was quickly replaced by a burning anger; she launched herself at Sesshoumaru taking the demon by surprise, she clawed at his face with her fingernails and managed to make his cheeks bleed before he threw her off.
“Bastard!” Samu spat the word at Sesshoumaru, she threw a piece of parchment at him before turning on her heel and stalking into the bedroom of the small hut.
Bemused, Sesshoumaru unrolled the parchment; as he read the words in the familiar handwriting of Ukil he seemed numb.
‘My dear parents,
I am sorry I must leave you now but my heart has been wrenched from my body; I know not what I have done to Sesshoumaru but only that my crime against him must be heinous indeed. I cannot live with myself knowing I have wronged my love so grievously; please understand that I am not angry at him nor at you.
Goodbye, Ukil.’
Tearing the parchment accidentally with his claws Sesshoumaru almost ran into the room Samu had disappeared into; on the bed lay Ukil, her eyes were closed and her face peaceful but her chest did not rise and fall.
He realized in that moment what a terrible mistake he had made and a strangled cry tore from his throat; he collapsed to his knees as the bedside and sobbed clutching her hand, Samu watched on expressionless.
“Beloved Ukil, please do not leave me. Please, please.”
She lay lifeless as ever upon the bed; Sesshoumaru rose to his feet, the tears blurring his vision, he picked up the body of Ukil tenderly and walked from the hut; Samu let him go, she knew her daughter could come to no more harm.
Back to the castle Sesshoumaru walked; being careful to not let anybody see him he stole back to the room where his mother’s corpse lay ready for burial; he let his strong arms lift his mother and silently as a ghost he carried both women into the eastern forest.
There he buried them at sunset, his tears washing down his face as he remembered them both in life. After he had buried them he broke a nearby boulder into two slabs and, painstakingly, he carved them both with an inscription.
‘Here lies Shioma, beloved mother’
‘Here lies Ukil, simply beloved’
In the dungeon Sesshoumaru awoke with a cry of grief, to his surprise he found his face was wet with tears; he stood slowly letting the memory fade, he laid his brother gently on the floor and prepared to leave.
He had not gone five paces when a blinding pain stopped him in his tracks and left him gasping for breath; when he had recovered he walked forward again only to find at the same point the pain returned.
Sesshoumaru growled loudly at the shadows.
Chapter 9 - Stuck on you
Chapter 9
Inuyasha’s nose twitched and in the depths of his fever began to regain consciousness; he recognised that scent.
“Kagome.”
Sesshoumaru turned back to his brother quickly and helped lift him up, to his surprise Inuyasha’s eyes opened and a growl sounded deep in his throat.
“Let me go, Sesshoumaru! What have you done with Kagome?”
“The wench?”
Refusing to answer Inuyasha pulled himself to his feet slowly, he gripped the Tetsusaiga for support as he faced Sesshoumaru; gradually he realised that Sesshoumaru was making no move to attack him, this unnerved the half-demon more than he wanted to let on.
“It doesn’t matter why you are here, pup, you simply are.”
Inuyasha, not as skilled in keeping his emotions hidden as his brother, let his mouth gape open; he had not been called pup since they were children, it had been a term of affection.
“I don’t have time for this, I have to find Kagome.” Inuyasha, using the Tetsusaiga like a walking stick, painfully walked towards the door. He hadn’t gone more than five steps beyond Sesshoumaru when he fell to his knees gasping with pain; in an instant Sesshoumaru was at his side easing him to the floor.
“What have you done to me?” The pain was already lessening.
“I have done nothing, although, it happened to me as well. If I try to leave your side it causes me pain and visa versa.”
Inuyasha snarled in disbelief and anger; he drew his sword and held it before him pointing straight at Sesshoumaru.
“Well then, if I’ve got to walk with you to get anywhere then let’s get going. I have to get to Kagome.”
Rolling his eyes Sesshoumaru walked around the Tetsusaiga to his brother’s side, he snaked his arm around Inuyasha’s waist and supported his weight.
“Get off me, bastard.” Inuyasha spat through clenched teeth.
“Don’t be stupid, pup, you can barely stand on your own let alone walk through the castle.”
Sheathing the Tetsusaiga Inuyasha pulled away from the full-demon furiously.
“Don’t call me pup!”
With a fresh determination Inuyasha turned away and started to walk back towards the door, as no pain hit him he assumed Sesshoumaru was following; if he had looked behind he would have seen the lone tear that streaked down Sesshoumaru’s face.
(Meanwhile)
Shippo looked up at the huge stone castle rising before them and gulped audibly, he edged closer to Kagome trying to look brave.
“Maybe I smelt wrong, maybe Inuyasha isn’t here.”
“Shippo,” Kagome smiled down at him. “Don’t be afraid.”
“How are we going to get inside?”
Kagome turned to look at Miroku and shrugged, usually Inuyasha would carry them up; she turned to look at Kirara appraisingly.
“Could Kirara carry us all?”
“No, she is not strong enough for that.”
Kagome sighed and turned back to looking at the huge castle home of Sesshoumaru; it was so large she had to crane her neck to see the topmost battlements and so wide it filled her entire line of vision, built out of a rare black stone it looked ominous and evil.
“Even if we do get in there we don’t know where to look for Inuyasha!” Shippo’s voice rose to a wail as he began to cry, he was tired from tracking all night and clearly overwrought.
Sango bent down to pick him up and cuddled him comfortingly, Miroku looked at the young fox-demon with barely disguised envy.
Just then the front gates swung open with a crash that reverberated in the quiet of the morning; silhouetted in the doorway were two figures, one was stooped and leaning on what looked to be a walking stick; the other, who walked slightly behind, was much taller and walked with a predator’s grace.
“Kagome!” Inuyasha’s voice carried easily over to the small group; he began to run as best he could but, caught unawares, Sesshoumaru did not catch up in time and the younger half-demon fell to his knees cursing.
“Inuyasha!” Raising her bow she pointed it at Sesshoumaru. “Don’t take one step closer to him Sesshoumaru!”
Ignoring Kagome, Sesshoumaru walked to Inuyasha and helped him to his feet; together they walked to meet the small group.
“What’s going on?” Miroku, Sango and Shippo chorused as one.
“Are you alright, Inuyasha?” Kagome’s voice was trembling as though she were about to cry.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Inuyasha glared at Sesshoumaru over his shoulder. “But somebody’s done something to us; I wouldn’t care if it was anything but this.”
The look on Inuyasha’s face was so full of horror that Kagome felt sure that someone had cursed him and he was at death’s door.
“What is it?”
“We’re stuck together!” Inuyasha snarled.
Looking at their non-plussed faces Sesshoumaru sighed internally; he would never get used to the stupidity of mortals.
“Watch.” Sesshoumaru told them irritably and walked away from Inuyasha, sure enough five paces later he was on his knees moaning from the pain.
As one the small group began to laugh, Inuyasha, his face a dark scowl clenched his fists and yelled.
“Stop laughing! It’s not funny, we have to find whoever did this and kill them. NOW!”
A small voice from the grass made everybody look down; Myoga, his face serious hopped onto Inuyasha shoulder.
“I can explain, and I can tell you how to break the curse.”
Inuyasha’s nose twitched and in the depths of his fever began to regain consciousness; he recognised that scent.
“Kagome.”
Sesshoumaru turned back to his brother quickly and helped lift him up, to his surprise Inuyasha’s eyes opened and a growl sounded deep in his throat.
“Let me go, Sesshoumaru! What have you done with Kagome?”
“The wench?”
Refusing to answer Inuyasha pulled himself to his feet slowly, he gripped the Tetsusaiga for support as he faced Sesshoumaru; gradually he realised that Sesshoumaru was making no move to attack him, this unnerved the half-demon more than he wanted to let on.
“It doesn’t matter why you are here, pup, you simply are.”
Inuyasha, not as skilled in keeping his emotions hidden as his brother, let his mouth gape open; he had not been called pup since they were children, it had been a term of affection.
“I don’t have time for this, I have to find Kagome.” Inuyasha, using the Tetsusaiga like a walking stick, painfully walked towards the door. He hadn’t gone more than five steps beyond Sesshoumaru when he fell to his knees gasping with pain; in an instant Sesshoumaru was at his side easing him to the floor.
“What have you done to me?” The pain was already lessening.
“I have done nothing, although, it happened to me as well. If I try to leave your side it causes me pain and visa versa.”
Inuyasha snarled in disbelief and anger; he drew his sword and held it before him pointing straight at Sesshoumaru.
“Well then, if I’ve got to walk with you to get anywhere then let’s get going. I have to get to Kagome.”
Rolling his eyes Sesshoumaru walked around the Tetsusaiga to his brother’s side, he snaked his arm around Inuyasha’s waist and supported his weight.
“Get off me, bastard.” Inuyasha spat through clenched teeth.
“Don’t be stupid, pup, you can barely stand on your own let alone walk through the castle.”
Sheathing the Tetsusaiga Inuyasha pulled away from the full-demon furiously.
“Don’t call me pup!”
With a fresh determination Inuyasha turned away and started to walk back towards the door, as no pain hit him he assumed Sesshoumaru was following; if he had looked behind he would have seen the lone tear that streaked down Sesshoumaru’s face.
(Meanwhile)
Shippo looked up at the huge stone castle rising before them and gulped audibly, he edged closer to Kagome trying to look brave.
“Maybe I smelt wrong, maybe Inuyasha isn’t here.”
“Shippo,” Kagome smiled down at him. “Don’t be afraid.”
“How are we going to get inside?”
Kagome turned to look at Miroku and shrugged, usually Inuyasha would carry them up; she turned to look at Kirara appraisingly.
“Could Kirara carry us all?”
“No, she is not strong enough for that.”
Kagome sighed and turned back to looking at the huge castle home of Sesshoumaru; it was so large she had to crane her neck to see the topmost battlements and so wide it filled her entire line of vision, built out of a rare black stone it looked ominous and evil.
“Even if we do get in there we don’t know where to look for Inuyasha!” Shippo’s voice rose to a wail as he began to cry, he was tired from tracking all night and clearly overwrought.
Sango bent down to pick him up and cuddled him comfortingly, Miroku looked at the young fox-demon with barely disguised envy.
Just then the front gates swung open with a crash that reverberated in the quiet of the morning; silhouetted in the doorway were two figures, one was stooped and leaning on what looked to be a walking stick; the other, who walked slightly behind, was much taller and walked with a predator’s grace.
“Kagome!” Inuyasha’s voice carried easily over to the small group; he began to run as best he could but, caught unawares, Sesshoumaru did not catch up in time and the younger half-demon fell to his knees cursing.
“Inuyasha!” Raising her bow she pointed it at Sesshoumaru. “Don’t take one step closer to him Sesshoumaru!”
Ignoring Kagome, Sesshoumaru walked to Inuyasha and helped him to his feet; together they walked to meet the small group.
“What’s going on?” Miroku, Sango and Shippo chorused as one.
“Are you alright, Inuyasha?” Kagome’s voice was trembling as though she were about to cry.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Inuyasha glared at Sesshoumaru over his shoulder. “But somebody’s done something to us; I wouldn’t care if it was anything but this.”
The look on Inuyasha’s face was so full of horror that Kagome felt sure that someone had cursed him and he was at death’s door.
“What is it?”
“We’re stuck together!” Inuyasha snarled.
Looking at their non-plussed faces Sesshoumaru sighed internally; he would never get used to the stupidity of mortals.
“Watch.” Sesshoumaru told them irritably and walked away from Inuyasha, sure enough five paces later he was on his knees moaning from the pain.
As one the small group began to laugh, Inuyasha, his face a dark scowl clenched his fists and yelled.
“Stop laughing! It’s not funny, we have to find whoever did this and kill them. NOW!”
A small voice from the grass made everybody look down; Myoga, his face serious hopped onto Inuyasha shoulder.
“I can explain, and I can tell you how to break the curse.”
Chapter 10 - Completing the Shikon Jewel
Chapter 10
Naraku smiled from within the depths of his baboon skin cloak, it was a sardonic smile that made Kagura’s skin crawl; once again she found herself wishing for the courage to run from this despicable monster – or better yet, kill him.
Naraku stared intently into the mirror Kanna held before her; it showed a small stone room, empty except for a broken orb and a small jagged shard of the sacred shikon jewel; almost unconsciously his hand reached inside his cloak and withdrew the almost complete shikon jewel, complete except for one jagged piece.
Closing his eyes Naraku steeled himself mentally before thrusting his right arm into Kanna’s mirror; the small child-demon gasped in surprise as the mirror shattered, Naraku gritted his teeth as sharp slivers of glass cut his arm and buried themselves deep into the skin.
He could still partially see the stone room in the broken shards of the mirror, it was still empty except for an arm seemingly suspended in mid-air; slowly Naraku’s hand closed around the tiny piece of the sacred jewel before withdrawing back out of the mirror.
Kanna fell to the floor – lifeless.
“Thank you, Kanna. Your duty to me is fulfilled.”
Naraku turned away from the corpse of his incarnation and beckoned Kagura to follow him; nervously the wind sorceress did as she was commanded.
When the two were sat in Naraku’s private chambers the half-demon lord reverently replaced the final piece of the jewel; there was a blinding flash of light before the jewel melded as though it had never been shattered.
Naraku turned to Kagura and opened his arms wide; she backed away with a look of revulsion shaking her head.
“Come to me, Kagura. I need you no longer, come back to me where you belong.”
“No, please. I can help you, I can serve you.”
Kagura fell to her knees pleading, she no longer cared that she was a servant to Naraku’s every whim; at least she was alive.
“You cannot help me, I need no help now I have the sacred jewel.”
Naraku’s arms closed almost tenderly around Kagura, as she felt herself slipping away into oblivion she sighed.
The smile spread across Naraku’s face and soon a deep laugh could be heard echoing in the corridors that made all who heard it tremble.
(Meanwhile)
“So you’re saying the two of them,” Shippo paused to take a mouthful and wave his chopsticks in the direction of the two brothers. “They share one soul?”
“In essence, yes. Although what actually happened was that each soul was split and then mixed and joined again, so they each share the other’s soul.”
Inuyasha growled and leaned forward to pick up Myoga, he squeezed him tightly between two claws.
“I know all this; this isn’t helping to break the curse.”
“I don’t believe it is a curse, Master Inuyasha.”
“Not a curse! If you don’t call being stuck with Sesshoumaru a curse then I’d like to know what is a curse.”
Struggling to retain his ruffled dignity Myoga wriggled free from Inuyasha’s claws and stood on his hand; but before he could speak Miroku chipped in.
“I think Myoga has a point; I’ve heard of this sort of thing happening before. It happens when a ghost, usually emotionally attached to the victims in some way, makes a sort of wish. It could be that this spirit is hoping that by making sure you two can’t separate you’ll make friends.”
Everybody turned to look dubiously at Miroku; for the first time in hours Sesshoumaru looked up at the group and spoke in a cold voice.
“Or it could be that whoever this spirit is, they want us to kill one another.”
“But who would do such a thing?”
“Naraku!” Kagome burst out. “He hates you both and would do pretty much anything to get you out of the way.”
“It’s not Naraku.” The words were spoken from within the shadows, the voice was melodious but seemed somehow distant.
Within moments the group were on their feet and ready to fight, all except Sesshoumaru who took a couple of steps towards the shadows with a look of confusion on his face.
“Get back here!” Inuyasha shouted, unwilling to follow Sesshoumaru. “Where are you going?”
“Be quiet, pup! I know that voice, but I have not heard it in many years.”
A delighted laugh came from the shadows; it was filled with warmth and friendship. A young woman stepped into the flickering light of the campfire, she was dressed in a simple dress and her feet were bare; she glowed with an ethereal light and seemed slightly transparent, as she smiled at Sesshoumaru her whole face lit up with joy.
Sesshoumaru stood as if struck dumb, when he found his voice it was only to whisper one word.
“Ukil?”
Naraku smiled from within the depths of his baboon skin cloak, it was a sardonic smile that made Kagura’s skin crawl; once again she found herself wishing for the courage to run from this despicable monster – or better yet, kill him.
Naraku stared intently into the mirror Kanna held before her; it showed a small stone room, empty except for a broken orb and a small jagged shard of the sacred shikon jewel; almost unconsciously his hand reached inside his cloak and withdrew the almost complete shikon jewel, complete except for one jagged piece.
Closing his eyes Naraku steeled himself mentally before thrusting his right arm into Kanna’s mirror; the small child-demon gasped in surprise as the mirror shattered, Naraku gritted his teeth as sharp slivers of glass cut his arm and buried themselves deep into the skin.
He could still partially see the stone room in the broken shards of the mirror, it was still empty except for an arm seemingly suspended in mid-air; slowly Naraku’s hand closed around the tiny piece of the sacred jewel before withdrawing back out of the mirror.
Kanna fell to the floor – lifeless.
“Thank you, Kanna. Your duty to me is fulfilled.”
Naraku turned away from the corpse of his incarnation and beckoned Kagura to follow him; nervously the wind sorceress did as she was commanded.
When the two were sat in Naraku’s private chambers the half-demon lord reverently replaced the final piece of the jewel; there was a blinding flash of light before the jewel melded as though it had never been shattered.
Naraku turned to Kagura and opened his arms wide; she backed away with a look of revulsion shaking her head.
“Come to me, Kagura. I need you no longer, come back to me where you belong.”
“No, please. I can help you, I can serve you.”
Kagura fell to her knees pleading, she no longer cared that she was a servant to Naraku’s every whim; at least she was alive.
“You cannot help me, I need no help now I have the sacred jewel.”
Naraku’s arms closed almost tenderly around Kagura, as she felt herself slipping away into oblivion she sighed.
The smile spread across Naraku’s face and soon a deep laugh could be heard echoing in the corridors that made all who heard it tremble.
(Meanwhile)
“So you’re saying the two of them,” Shippo paused to take a mouthful and wave his chopsticks in the direction of the two brothers. “They share one soul?”
“In essence, yes. Although what actually happened was that each soul was split and then mixed and joined again, so they each share the other’s soul.”
Inuyasha growled and leaned forward to pick up Myoga, he squeezed him tightly between two claws.
“I know all this; this isn’t helping to break the curse.”
“I don’t believe it is a curse, Master Inuyasha.”
“Not a curse! If you don’t call being stuck with Sesshoumaru a curse then I’d like to know what is a curse.”
Struggling to retain his ruffled dignity Myoga wriggled free from Inuyasha’s claws and stood on his hand; but before he could speak Miroku chipped in.
“I think Myoga has a point; I’ve heard of this sort of thing happening before. It happens when a ghost, usually emotionally attached to the victims in some way, makes a sort of wish. It could be that this spirit is hoping that by making sure you two can’t separate you’ll make friends.”
Everybody turned to look dubiously at Miroku; for the first time in hours Sesshoumaru looked up at the group and spoke in a cold voice.
“Or it could be that whoever this spirit is, they want us to kill one another.”
“But who would do such a thing?”
“Naraku!” Kagome burst out. “He hates you both and would do pretty much anything to get you out of the way.”
“It’s not Naraku.” The words were spoken from within the shadows, the voice was melodious but seemed somehow distant.
Within moments the group were on their feet and ready to fight, all except Sesshoumaru who took a couple of steps towards the shadows with a look of confusion on his face.
“Get back here!” Inuyasha shouted, unwilling to follow Sesshoumaru. “Where are you going?”
“Be quiet, pup! I know that voice, but I have not heard it in many years.”
A delighted laugh came from the shadows; it was filled with warmth and friendship. A young woman stepped into the flickering light of the campfire, she was dressed in a simple dress and her feet were bare; she glowed with an ethereal light and seemed slightly transparent, as she smiled at Sesshoumaru her whole face lit up with joy.
Sesshoumaru stood as if struck dumb, when he found his voice it was only to whisper one word.
“Ukil?”
Chapter 11 - Together again
Chapter 11-Together again
For once Sesshoumaru’s expressionless mask cracked as his amazement at seeing Ukil again swamped him.
“But, you’re dead.” He realized even as he said the words that they sounded stupid; but Ukil, to his surprise laughed and ran up to him.
“Oh, Sesshoumaru. You haven’t changed.”
Inuyasha stepped forwards, his ears twitching involuntarily.
“You are dead, you have no scent.”
“Yes, I am dead. But I couldn’t pass on, when I saw how upset and angry Sesshoumaru was becoming I couldn’t leave him. Now I finally have enough energy to gain solid flesh and speak with you, but it will not last long.”
Miroku stepped forwards brandishing his staff, his hands already clutching exorcising sutras; Sesshoumaru stepped between them and cracked his claws menacingly.
“You said something about our father?” Inuyasha, curious despite himself, stepped forwards.
“The wish made to keep you two together was that of the spirit of your father; like me he could not pass on. He was too worried that Sesshoumaru would once again befriend Inuyasha; however, because what tied him to this world was so full of hate and bitterness his spirit became locked in a self-induced hell. He is no longer sane and is willing to sacrifice his son and heir to teach him to hate half-breeds. He can no longer remember the curse placed upon you and seeks only destruction; this is the reason he has joined you together.”
Silence fell over the group as each tried to process this information; Kagome looked over at Inuyasha sympathetically, his face was darkened with internal pain which quickly cleared into anger as he broke the silence, his voice was low and controlled but shaking with suppressed rage.
“Of course this is all my fault; I knew father wanted me dead. But why wouldn’t he want to kill half-breeds? We’re filthy! Dirty! Disgusting polluted versions of you pure and wonderful demons!”
Sesshoumaru, his eyes filled with pity moved to stand by his younger half-brother; he placed a hand comfortingly on Inuyasha’s shoulder.
“Don’t say such things, pup.”
Inuyasha turned and, eyes blazing, slashed Sesshoumaru across the face with his claws.
“DON’T CALL ME PUP!”
With that he stalked away into the forest that surrounded them; for a moment all was quiet.
“How come he was able to walk away from Sesshoumaru that time?” Shippo’s voice was nervous as though he was worried about incurring either demons wrath.
“I am able to nullify the effects of the curse, for a short while, but it will only last until my strength wanes and my solid body dissipates.”
Kagome’s heart ached for Inuyasha, the pain and anger she had seen on his face as he scratched Sesshoumaru seemed unbearable; she wanted nothing more than for the curse to be fully broken and this ordeal to end.
“That’s all very well, but how do we break the curse forever?”
“As this is the wish of a powerful spirit the only way to reverse the effects is by wishing on an object of greater power. The Shikon jewel is the only object powerful enough to grant such a wish; but remember that only one wish can be granted by this jewel and then it ceases to exist.”
Instinctively Kagome’s hand went to her throat where she kept her shards of the jewel, she only just remembered in time that they had been taken barely a week beforehand by Naraku.
“Then I guess it’s time we battle Naraku!”
Everybody stared at Kagome as though she had gone mad, Sango cleared her throat nervously.
“Kagome, we’ve been looking for Naraku’s castle for months now and still haven’t found it. What makes you think we’ll be able to find it now?”
“We’ll find it, he has the jewel now so he’s not afraid to take us on; he wants this battle between us to end as much as we do, he’ll let us find him.”
As Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kagome debated about how to find Naraku’s castle and what to do when they got there, Sesshoumaru and Ukil slipped away quietly down to the river; the moonlight made the water look like molten silver as they sat together on a boulder.
“Ukil, I…” Sesshoumaru looked down into the water in confusion, how did you apologize for driving your fiancée to suicide; he almost broke into hysterical laughter when he felt a slight pressure placed on his shoulder.
He turned to face Ukil and before he could say anything more she kissed him; all other emotions were lost as the two lovers were reunited, the world seemed to exist only for them as they kissed tenderly.
Finally they broke apart and Sesshoumaru’s doubts and fears came rushing back.
“Ukil, I…I’m sorry.”
“Beloved, you have nothing to be sorry for. We’re together now and that’s all that matters.”
Turning his face towards hers again she kissed him sweetly; as the moon rose and fell in the sky the kiss turned more passionate and all fears about Naraku and battles not yet fought fell away as the two lovers joined together for one night of happiness.
For once Sesshoumaru’s expressionless mask cracked as his amazement at seeing Ukil again swamped him.
“But, you’re dead.” He realized even as he said the words that they sounded stupid; but Ukil, to his surprise laughed and ran up to him.
“Oh, Sesshoumaru. You haven’t changed.”
Inuyasha stepped forwards, his ears twitching involuntarily.
“You are dead, you have no scent.”
“Yes, I am dead. But I couldn’t pass on, when I saw how upset and angry Sesshoumaru was becoming I couldn’t leave him. Now I finally have enough energy to gain solid flesh and speak with you, but it will not last long.”
Miroku stepped forwards brandishing his staff, his hands already clutching exorcising sutras; Sesshoumaru stepped between them and cracked his claws menacingly.
“You said something about our father?” Inuyasha, curious despite himself, stepped forwards.
“The wish made to keep you two together was that of the spirit of your father; like me he could not pass on. He was too worried that Sesshoumaru would once again befriend Inuyasha; however, because what tied him to this world was so full of hate and bitterness his spirit became locked in a self-induced hell. He is no longer sane and is willing to sacrifice his son and heir to teach him to hate half-breeds. He can no longer remember the curse placed upon you and seeks only destruction; this is the reason he has joined you together.”
Silence fell over the group as each tried to process this information; Kagome looked over at Inuyasha sympathetically, his face was darkened with internal pain which quickly cleared into anger as he broke the silence, his voice was low and controlled but shaking with suppressed rage.
“Of course this is all my fault; I knew father wanted me dead. But why wouldn’t he want to kill half-breeds? We’re filthy! Dirty! Disgusting polluted versions of you pure and wonderful demons!”
Sesshoumaru, his eyes filled with pity moved to stand by his younger half-brother; he placed a hand comfortingly on Inuyasha’s shoulder.
“Don’t say such things, pup.”
Inuyasha turned and, eyes blazing, slashed Sesshoumaru across the face with his claws.
“DON’T CALL ME PUP!”
With that he stalked away into the forest that surrounded them; for a moment all was quiet.
“How come he was able to walk away from Sesshoumaru that time?” Shippo’s voice was nervous as though he was worried about incurring either demons wrath.
“I am able to nullify the effects of the curse, for a short while, but it will only last until my strength wanes and my solid body dissipates.”
Kagome’s heart ached for Inuyasha, the pain and anger she had seen on his face as he scratched Sesshoumaru seemed unbearable; she wanted nothing more than for the curse to be fully broken and this ordeal to end.
“That’s all very well, but how do we break the curse forever?”
“As this is the wish of a powerful spirit the only way to reverse the effects is by wishing on an object of greater power. The Shikon jewel is the only object powerful enough to grant such a wish; but remember that only one wish can be granted by this jewel and then it ceases to exist.”
Instinctively Kagome’s hand went to her throat where she kept her shards of the jewel, she only just remembered in time that they had been taken barely a week beforehand by Naraku.
“Then I guess it’s time we battle Naraku!”
Everybody stared at Kagome as though she had gone mad, Sango cleared her throat nervously.
“Kagome, we’ve been looking for Naraku’s castle for months now and still haven’t found it. What makes you think we’ll be able to find it now?”
“We’ll find it, he has the jewel now so he’s not afraid to take us on; he wants this battle between us to end as much as we do, he’ll let us find him.”
As Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kagome debated about how to find Naraku’s castle and what to do when they got there, Sesshoumaru and Ukil slipped away quietly down to the river; the moonlight made the water look like molten silver as they sat together on a boulder.
“Ukil, I…” Sesshoumaru looked down into the water in confusion, how did you apologize for driving your fiancée to suicide; he almost broke into hysterical laughter when he felt a slight pressure placed on his shoulder.
He turned to face Ukil and before he could say anything more she kissed him; all other emotions were lost as the two lovers were reunited, the world seemed to exist only for them as they kissed tenderly.
Finally they broke apart and Sesshoumaru’s doubts and fears came rushing back.
“Ukil, I…I’m sorry.”
“Beloved, you have nothing to be sorry for. We’re together now and that’s all that matters.”
Turning his face towards hers again she kissed him sweetly; as the moon rose and fell in the sky the kiss turned more passionate and all fears about Naraku and battles not yet fought fell away as the two lovers joined together for one night of happiness.
Chapter 12 - Old memories and New deaths
Chapter 12-Old memories and New deaths
The group walked slowly and, for the most part, silently. Inuyasha kept his head turned to one side completely avoiding looking at Sesshoumaru, as usual Sesshoumaru seemed made out of stone for all the emotion he showed – but underneath his mask his thoughts span.
Seeing Ukil after all this time had reopened the old wounds of her death, and along with that his mother’s death and the exile of Inuyasha.
His thoughts turned once again to the days after he buried Ukil.
The door to his bedchamber opened but Sesshoumaru did not look up; he stayed still on his bed hoping that the visitor would believe him to be sleeping and leave. His eyes were red and swollen from weeping and his head hurt, his throat seemed dry as sandpaper when he swallowed, and he wanted nothing more than to be left alone with his grief.
“Sesshoumaru.” The voice was deep and commanding; Sesshoumaru gasped and immediately sat up.
“Father, what brings you to my chambers?”
The great demon lord did not respond, he simply walked to the bed and took hold of Sesshoumaru’s face and jerked it roughly up to face him.
“Why do you let tears fall?”
Sesshoumaru, although he made no move to pull his head free, cast his eyes downwards and sighed.
“The deaths, of my mother and Ukil, they feel like a knife through my heart. And to be betrayed by..by..Inuyasha..”
Sesshoumaru’s words failed him as tears blurred his vision again; he was startled when he felt a stinging pain in his cheeks as his father pierced them with his claws, Sesshoumaru tried to suppress a whine but could not stop the tears falling again.
“I warned you about half-breeds, my son, but you did not listen to my counsel. Now, because of your reckless trust, you have allowed one to kill your mother and two to invade your heart.”
Now Sesshoumaru found the courage to look his father in the eyes; a red-hot rage burned in him now, his claws cracked involuntarily.
“I will never allow that to happen again, father. I will be worthy of you.”
Finally the great demon lord released his son and took a step backwards, his eyes were clear and determined as he started to walk away.
“Never forget, my son, that emotion is weakness.”
From that moment Sesshoumaru dried his tears forever and the impregnable mask of neutrality settled over his face
Conflicting thoughts warred in Sesshoumaru’s mind as he glanced over at Inuyasha walking behind him; once more a half-demon threatened to break the barriers surrounding his heart and make him weak with emotion, he thought back to the time when he let his feelings show.
Sesshoumaru looked down in amusement; his little half-brother was clutching to the leg of his kimono with determination.
“Esso take Inu!”
Sighing, Sesshoumaru gently lifted Inuyasha into his arms and looked into his eyes seriously.
“No, pup, I have to go hunting today. A dangerous demon is trespassing on our lands and I must kill it; too dangerous for little pups.”
Inuyasha scowled and tried to growl but all that came out was a gargling sound.
“Esso take Inu!” The tiny half-demon’s voice rose to a wail and his bottom lip trembled; he fixed his large amber eyes on Sesshoumaru and whined.
“Fine!” Sesshoumaru snapped. “But you have to stay close to me and listen to what I say.”
Instantly Inuyasha was all smiles, Sesshoumaru berated himself for falling for an old trick like that but laughed softly at his brother’s excitement.
The journey to the plains where the demon was camped out took twice as long with Inuyasha tagging along than it would have done had he been alone; Sesshoumaru found a thick patch of tall grass and placed Inuyasha in the centre, immediately he was hidden from view.
“Stay here, Inu, and don’t come out until I call for you.”
Sesshoumaru moved slowly now keeping close to the ground, he cracked his claws and felt his senses heighten as the adrenaline of the hunt rose inside him. Straightening he looked ahead to where the scent of the demon was strongest but was surprised to see no trace of the huge beast; a small scuffling sound and then a high pitched cry made him spin around with supernatural speed.
The sight that confronted him filled him with terror; obviously sensing the easier prey the demon had skirted around the plains and gone to the patch of grass that hid Inuyasha, it now held the tiny half-demon in it’s jaws – Inuyasha no longer struggled and blood dripped from him to the ground.
With a roar of rage Sesshoumaru felt his body transform into the huge dog that was his purest form; unable to think clearly or feel anything but the anger that ripped through his veins Sesshoumaru pounced – a few seconds later all that was left of the demon was a pile of bloodied entrails.
Changing back to his human form, Sesshoumaru rushed to Inuyasha’s inert body and picked him up tenderly; inspecting him all over he was relieved to note that all the wounds were superficial and his brother had merely fainted, probably from shock or fear.
Wrapping Inuyasha in his thick luxurious tail Sesshoumaru started for home.
‘Emotion cannot be weakness’ Sesshoumaru thought. ‘I defeated that demon far faster and easier than I ever could have done had I not feared for one I loved.’
He suddenly realised the party had halted and were drawing whatever weapons they held; he followed their gaze up the road and was surprised to see Naraku standing and waiting for them. Furious with himself for letting his memories cloud his mind Sesshoumaru quickly took stock of the situation; he smelt enormous power radiating from Naraku in waves – but he also sensed a distance to this power.
“It’s a decoy.”
Inuyasha growled in the affirmative and started to unsheathe Tetsusaiga.
“Wait, we should not fight him. If we fight we may be injured and weary; this then gives Naraku the perfect opportunity to kill us. I for one will not waste my energy on this copy.”
Without warning Naraku raced forwards with inhuman speed drawing a long and powerful axe from under his baboon-skin cloak; he raised it and swung it towards Kagome, unable to react Kagome simply stood in terror.
“KAGOME!”
Inuyasha’s shout echoed across the road and he ran to protect her, he was stopped as the blinding pain seared his head; he turned his head savagely to Sesshoumaru who simply sat and watched.
“I will not fight a copy.”
Unwilling to hear Sesshoumaru’s words, Inuyasha turned his head back to Kagome, striving against the pain he fought to get to her but was too late.
It seemed in slow-motion that he watched the axe sever Kagome’s neck, a brief spasm of pain and surprise flickered across her face before relaxing into death; with a dull thud her body hit the floor.
“NO!” A primal scream tore at Inuyasha’s throat as he watched Naraku stoop to pick up the severed head and walk away.
Miroku, Sango and Shippo stood paralysed by the event they had just witnessed; Inuyasha launched himself at Sesshoumaru no longer caring about the curse or the shikon jewel, all he cared about was killing the older demon.
The last thing Sesshoumaru heard before the sharp claws ripped into his chest and blackness claimed him was Inuyasha’s broken voice screaming at him.
The group walked slowly and, for the most part, silently. Inuyasha kept his head turned to one side completely avoiding looking at Sesshoumaru, as usual Sesshoumaru seemed made out of stone for all the emotion he showed – but underneath his mask his thoughts span.
Seeing Ukil after all this time had reopened the old wounds of her death, and along with that his mother’s death and the exile of Inuyasha.
His thoughts turned once again to the days after he buried Ukil.
The door to his bedchamber opened but Sesshoumaru did not look up; he stayed still on his bed hoping that the visitor would believe him to be sleeping and leave. His eyes were red and swollen from weeping and his head hurt, his throat seemed dry as sandpaper when he swallowed, and he wanted nothing more than to be left alone with his grief.
“Sesshoumaru.” The voice was deep and commanding; Sesshoumaru gasped and immediately sat up.
“Father, what brings you to my chambers?”
The great demon lord did not respond, he simply walked to the bed and took hold of Sesshoumaru’s face and jerked it roughly up to face him.
“Why do you let tears fall?”
Sesshoumaru, although he made no move to pull his head free, cast his eyes downwards and sighed.
“The deaths, of my mother and Ukil, they feel like a knife through my heart. And to be betrayed by..by..Inuyasha..”
Sesshoumaru’s words failed him as tears blurred his vision again; he was startled when he felt a stinging pain in his cheeks as his father pierced them with his claws, Sesshoumaru tried to suppress a whine but could not stop the tears falling again.
“I warned you about half-breeds, my son, but you did not listen to my counsel. Now, because of your reckless trust, you have allowed one to kill your mother and two to invade your heart.”
Now Sesshoumaru found the courage to look his father in the eyes; a red-hot rage burned in him now, his claws cracked involuntarily.
“I will never allow that to happen again, father. I will be worthy of you.”
Finally the great demon lord released his son and took a step backwards, his eyes were clear and determined as he started to walk away.
“Never forget, my son, that emotion is weakness.”
From that moment Sesshoumaru dried his tears forever and the impregnable mask of neutrality settled over his face
Conflicting thoughts warred in Sesshoumaru’s mind as he glanced over at Inuyasha walking behind him; once more a half-demon threatened to break the barriers surrounding his heart and make him weak with emotion, he thought back to the time when he let his feelings show.
Sesshoumaru looked down in amusement; his little half-brother was clutching to the leg of his kimono with determination.
“Esso take Inu!”
Sighing, Sesshoumaru gently lifted Inuyasha into his arms and looked into his eyes seriously.
“No, pup, I have to go hunting today. A dangerous demon is trespassing on our lands and I must kill it; too dangerous for little pups.”
Inuyasha scowled and tried to growl but all that came out was a gargling sound.
“Esso take Inu!” The tiny half-demon’s voice rose to a wail and his bottom lip trembled; he fixed his large amber eyes on Sesshoumaru and whined.
“Fine!” Sesshoumaru snapped. “But you have to stay close to me and listen to what I say.”
Instantly Inuyasha was all smiles, Sesshoumaru berated himself for falling for an old trick like that but laughed softly at his brother’s excitement.
The journey to the plains where the demon was camped out took twice as long with Inuyasha tagging along than it would have done had he been alone; Sesshoumaru found a thick patch of tall grass and placed Inuyasha in the centre, immediately he was hidden from view.
“Stay here, Inu, and don’t come out until I call for you.”
Sesshoumaru moved slowly now keeping close to the ground, he cracked his claws and felt his senses heighten as the adrenaline of the hunt rose inside him. Straightening he looked ahead to where the scent of the demon was strongest but was surprised to see no trace of the huge beast; a small scuffling sound and then a high pitched cry made him spin around with supernatural speed.
The sight that confronted him filled him with terror; obviously sensing the easier prey the demon had skirted around the plains and gone to the patch of grass that hid Inuyasha, it now held the tiny half-demon in it’s jaws – Inuyasha no longer struggled and blood dripped from him to the ground.
With a roar of rage Sesshoumaru felt his body transform into the huge dog that was his purest form; unable to think clearly or feel anything but the anger that ripped through his veins Sesshoumaru pounced – a few seconds later all that was left of the demon was a pile of bloodied entrails.
Changing back to his human form, Sesshoumaru rushed to Inuyasha’s inert body and picked him up tenderly; inspecting him all over he was relieved to note that all the wounds were superficial and his brother had merely fainted, probably from shock or fear.
Wrapping Inuyasha in his thick luxurious tail Sesshoumaru started for home.
‘Emotion cannot be weakness’ Sesshoumaru thought. ‘I defeated that demon far faster and easier than I ever could have done had I not feared for one I loved.’
He suddenly realised the party had halted and were drawing whatever weapons they held; he followed their gaze up the road and was surprised to see Naraku standing and waiting for them. Furious with himself for letting his memories cloud his mind Sesshoumaru quickly took stock of the situation; he smelt enormous power radiating from Naraku in waves – but he also sensed a distance to this power.
“It’s a decoy.”
Inuyasha growled in the affirmative and started to unsheathe Tetsusaiga.
“Wait, we should not fight him. If we fight we may be injured and weary; this then gives Naraku the perfect opportunity to kill us. I for one will not waste my energy on this copy.”
Without warning Naraku raced forwards with inhuman speed drawing a long and powerful axe from under his baboon-skin cloak; he raised it and swung it towards Kagome, unable to react Kagome simply stood in terror.
“KAGOME!”
Inuyasha’s shout echoed across the road and he ran to protect her, he was stopped as the blinding pain seared his head; he turned his head savagely to Sesshoumaru who simply sat and watched.
“I will not fight a copy.”
Unwilling to hear Sesshoumaru’s words, Inuyasha turned his head back to Kagome, striving against the pain he fought to get to her but was too late.
It seemed in slow-motion that he watched the axe sever Kagome’s neck, a brief spasm of pain and surprise flickered across her face before relaxing into death; with a dull thud her body hit the floor.
“NO!” A primal scream tore at Inuyasha’s throat as he watched Naraku stoop to pick up the severed head and walk away.
Miroku, Sango and Shippo stood paralysed by the event they had just witnessed; Inuyasha launched himself at Sesshoumaru no longer caring about the curse or the shikon jewel, all he cared about was killing the older demon.
The last thing Sesshoumaru heard before the sharp claws ripped into his chest and blackness claimed him was Inuyasha’s broken voice screaming at him.
Chapter 13 - Becoming a God
Chapter 13
As Sesshoumaru awoke he felt a searing pain in his chest and abdomen; he gingerly lifted his arm to where it hurt only to find his skin bare to the morning air, he opened his eyes slowly and saw that his ripped and bloodied kimono had been taken off him and strips torn from it to bandage his wounds.
Turning his head to one side he saw Sango and Shippo digging a hole feverishly; they kept their eyes cast to the ground and did not try to hide their tears. Turning his head to the other side he saw Inuyasha, the half-demon was crouched almost on top of him growling fiercely but not moving; behind Inuyasha stood Miroku, the young monk’s face was perspiring with effort as he held Inuyasha still with his staff and sutra’s.
As Sesshoumaru sat slowly, Inuyasha’s eyes flashed with hatred and anger; Sesshoumaru gracefully backed away to the full five paces they could be apart and looked at Miroku with a questioning expression.
“Why am I not dead, monk?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Well, I can’t imagine it’s because you like, trust or respect me. So I must assume it has to do with Inuyasha.”
“Well, duh!” Miroku’s eyes narrowed as he regarded Sesshoumaru. “We can’t let him kill you or he’ll die too; you’re not worth Inuyasha’s life.”
“Do you truly think that once the sutra’s holding him are gone that he will leave me be?”
“He isn’t foolish enough to throw his life away just to kill you; he knows Kagome wouldn’t want that.”
At the mention of Kagome, Inuyasha fell silent and closed his eyes tightly against the tears that filled them.
“The wish on the shikon jewel won’t be to separate your bodies now; it will be to separate your souls, then, when the wish is complete, Inuyasha will be free to kill you with no repercussions.”
Sesshoumaru fell silent pondering this new turn of events.
Perhaps I should have fought and helped the human girl’ he thought, but then dismissed the idea as foolish. The girl was foolish to let herself get in the way; Inuyasha should realise she is no great loss and concentrate on the battle ahead. All the same, Sesshoumaru couldn’t help remembering the grief he suffered when Ukil died.
As the others in the group buried Kagome and started making plans on how best to attack Naraku’s castle, Inuyasha simply sat and stared at the pile of flowers that marked Kagome’s grave.
She was everything to me and I never told her how I felt; the way she smiled, how she smelt, and even how she was always so nervous about those exam things in her world. I can admit it now that I love her…no….loved her, she’s gone. Dimly he heard Miroku discussing the new wish he was supposed to make on the shikon jewel; wishing to separate his soul from Sesshoumaru’s so Inuyasha could finally kill the older demon for the part he had played in Kagome’s death – at first this seemed like the perfect wish but as Inuyasha gazed at the flowers on the grave a new thought came into his head that gave him hope and purpose.
If I had the shikon jewel in my hand I could wish for Kagome’s life to be returned to her body; to wish she was alive again and by my side.
With that thought filling his heart and soul he felt calm enough to address the other members of the group.
“Let me move again, remove this sutra; I swear I won’t hurt him.”
Miroku looked dubious as Sango and Shippo exchanged glances, Sesshoumaru looked at him with a mixture of pity and impatience; almost as though he understood the sorrow Inuyasha felt but abhorred the very idea of sorrow at a time like this.
“Then you’ll go along with our plan?”
Inuyasha nodded slowly and smiled to himself; Miroku removed the sutra and Inuyasha joined the others – soon they were shouldering what belongings they had and carried on towards Naraku’s castle.
Inuyasha allowed himself one moment to gaze on Kagome’s grave; “Soon,” he muttered to himself and then, tearing his gaze away, walked away with the others.
(Meanwhile)
Naraku looked at the shikon jewel in his right hand with an expression as close to fear as he ever came; in his left hand he held a jug of highly scented water and around his feet candles burnt brightly casting eerie shadows on the wall.
Naraku walked forwards slowly, his feet slipping slightly in the warm blood of the young servant girl he had just killed; the blood ran slick over the whole floor, drained purposefully.
As he reached the wooden altar at the far end of the room Naraku knelt; he poured the jug of water over the altar before scooping some of the blood into the jug and pouring that over the altar as well, the blood and water mixed giving off a pungent odour; smoke started to rise where the two substances mixed on the altar.
“I come before the Gods, humbly I pray to them and beg of them to allow me to fuse my body with their holy shikon-no-tama.”
In his hands the jewel began to glow softly and vibrate against his sweating palm; sweat dripped from his forehead into his eyes but he ignored the distraction, this ritual was something never before attempted – he wanted more than to just possess the sacred jewel and its power, he wanted the power to become part of his very spirit and soul.
“I have spilt the blood of the innocent to cleanse myself before You; I place my life in your hands and she placed hers in mine. I pray, grant me this power.”
All at once the jewel glowed so brightly Naraku was blinded, it vibrated so hard that it was painful simply to hold it and the candles blew out as one; Naraku felt the shikon jewel melt away in his grasp and slowly he felt the awesome power of the Gods flood his veins and fill him with euphoria – standing he crowed in triumph, he no longer prayed to the Gods, he was one of them.
As Sesshoumaru awoke he felt a searing pain in his chest and abdomen; he gingerly lifted his arm to where it hurt only to find his skin bare to the morning air, he opened his eyes slowly and saw that his ripped and bloodied kimono had been taken off him and strips torn from it to bandage his wounds.
Turning his head to one side he saw Sango and Shippo digging a hole feverishly; they kept their eyes cast to the ground and did not try to hide their tears. Turning his head to the other side he saw Inuyasha, the half-demon was crouched almost on top of him growling fiercely but not moving; behind Inuyasha stood Miroku, the young monk’s face was perspiring with effort as he held Inuyasha still with his staff and sutra’s.
As Sesshoumaru sat slowly, Inuyasha’s eyes flashed with hatred and anger; Sesshoumaru gracefully backed away to the full five paces they could be apart and looked at Miroku with a questioning expression.
“Why am I not dead, monk?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Well, I can’t imagine it’s because you like, trust or respect me. So I must assume it has to do with Inuyasha.”
“Well, duh!” Miroku’s eyes narrowed as he regarded Sesshoumaru. “We can’t let him kill you or he’ll die too; you’re not worth Inuyasha’s life.”
“Do you truly think that once the sutra’s holding him are gone that he will leave me be?”
“He isn’t foolish enough to throw his life away just to kill you; he knows Kagome wouldn’t want that.”
At the mention of Kagome, Inuyasha fell silent and closed his eyes tightly against the tears that filled them.
“The wish on the shikon jewel won’t be to separate your bodies now; it will be to separate your souls, then, when the wish is complete, Inuyasha will be free to kill you with no repercussions.”
Sesshoumaru fell silent pondering this new turn of events.
Perhaps I should have fought and helped the human girl’ he thought, but then dismissed the idea as foolish. The girl was foolish to let herself get in the way; Inuyasha should realise she is no great loss and concentrate on the battle ahead. All the same, Sesshoumaru couldn’t help remembering the grief he suffered when Ukil died.
As the others in the group buried Kagome and started making plans on how best to attack Naraku’s castle, Inuyasha simply sat and stared at the pile of flowers that marked Kagome’s grave.
She was everything to me and I never told her how I felt; the way she smiled, how she smelt, and even how she was always so nervous about those exam things in her world. I can admit it now that I love her…no….loved her, she’s gone. Dimly he heard Miroku discussing the new wish he was supposed to make on the shikon jewel; wishing to separate his soul from Sesshoumaru’s so Inuyasha could finally kill the older demon for the part he had played in Kagome’s death – at first this seemed like the perfect wish but as Inuyasha gazed at the flowers on the grave a new thought came into his head that gave him hope and purpose.
If I had the shikon jewel in my hand I could wish for Kagome’s life to be returned to her body; to wish she was alive again and by my side.
With that thought filling his heart and soul he felt calm enough to address the other members of the group.
“Let me move again, remove this sutra; I swear I won’t hurt him.”
Miroku looked dubious as Sango and Shippo exchanged glances, Sesshoumaru looked at him with a mixture of pity and impatience; almost as though he understood the sorrow Inuyasha felt but abhorred the very idea of sorrow at a time like this.
“Then you’ll go along with our plan?”
Inuyasha nodded slowly and smiled to himself; Miroku removed the sutra and Inuyasha joined the others – soon they were shouldering what belongings they had and carried on towards Naraku’s castle.
Inuyasha allowed himself one moment to gaze on Kagome’s grave; “Soon,” he muttered to himself and then, tearing his gaze away, walked away with the others.
(Meanwhile)
Naraku looked at the shikon jewel in his right hand with an expression as close to fear as he ever came; in his left hand he held a jug of highly scented water and around his feet candles burnt brightly casting eerie shadows on the wall.
Naraku walked forwards slowly, his feet slipping slightly in the warm blood of the young servant girl he had just killed; the blood ran slick over the whole floor, drained purposefully.
As he reached the wooden altar at the far end of the room Naraku knelt; he poured the jug of water over the altar before scooping some of the blood into the jug and pouring that over the altar as well, the blood and water mixed giving off a pungent odour; smoke started to rise where the two substances mixed on the altar.
“I come before the Gods, humbly I pray to them and beg of them to allow me to fuse my body with their holy shikon-no-tama.”
In his hands the jewel began to glow softly and vibrate against his sweating palm; sweat dripped from his forehead into his eyes but he ignored the distraction, this ritual was something never before attempted – he wanted more than to just possess the sacred jewel and its power, he wanted the power to become part of his very spirit and soul.
“I have spilt the blood of the innocent to cleanse myself before You; I place my life in your hands and she placed hers in mine. I pray, grant me this power.”
All at once the jewel glowed so brightly Naraku was blinded, it vibrated so hard that it was painful simply to hold it and the candles blew out as one; Naraku felt the shikon jewel melt away in his grasp and slowly he felt the awesome power of the Gods flood his veins and fill him with euphoria – standing he crowed in triumph, he no longer prayed to the Gods, he was one of them.
Chapter 15 - The Battle - Part 1
Chapter 14-The Battle-Part1
The more Sesshoumaru dwelt on Kagome’s death the more he regretted his decision not to help; his heart ached when he looked at Inuyasha and he knew with certainty he had lost whatever chance of friendship between the two he had ever had.
The half-demon walked as though asleep, his eyes were cast down to the floor and his steps monotonously regular; often his companions tried to rouse him from his depression but their pleas and attempts fell on deaf ears.
Although only a few days since the death of Kagome, Sango felt it had been months of trudging in the seemingly never-ending gloom.
“There it is!” Shippo’s high-pitched voice cut through the air and made them all jump in shock.
“Oh my God.” Sango breathed as she took in the sight before her.
Naraku’s castle rose before them, unimpressive in itself, it still seemed to exude an aura of almost palpable evil; the two stories, built from the finest wood, looked forbidding even in the harsh midday sunshine.
A figure in a baboon skin cloak stood halfway between the castle and the companions, he bowed slowly and vanished.
“Another copy.” Sesshoumaru whispered to Miroku who, stood on the demon’s right hand side, shook his head warningly.
“Look!” shouted Shippo pointing to the roof of the castle; there stood the figure clad in baboon-skin again, once again he bowed.
Sango drew the boomerang bone from he back and threw it with all her might at the figure; to her surprise he caught it deftly in one hand.
Naraku smiled to himself as he felt the smooth bone under his skin, he jumped from the roof and landed barely a metre away from the demon exterminator; he glided to her side and placed the bone in her hands, leaning in so his lips were inches from her ear he whispered to her.
“Your weapon, my dear. You’ll need it.”
Sango shuddered despite herself and was about to back away when she felt a comforting pressure on her left shoulder; turning her head she saw Miroku looking angrier than she had ever seen him.
“Leave her be, Naraku. We have a score to settle.”
At the monk’s words Naraku threw his head back and laughed, the laughter was cold and filled with no real mirth.
“You cannot fight me.” It wasn’t a boast, it was simply a statement. “I am a god now, I can control nature itself.”
As if to illustrate his words a loud groaning creak came from behind the group; Sesshoumaru was the first to turn seeing, with disbelieving eyes, the forest they had just travelled come alive. Thousands of trees were pulling up their roots and moving to attack the small band; their movements were rolling and eerie and, although slow, seemed intelligent and immeasurably strong.
For the first time since Kagome’s death Inuyasha seemed to come alive, he drew the Tetsusaiga with an almost satisfied smile and faced the approaching tree-army; with a growl he launched himself at the nearest tree – luckily Sesshoumaru anticipated his move and followed drawing Tokijin.
At another word from Naraku the winds rose until a gale was whipping the dust from the ground making it impossible to see more than a metre in front and blowing the companions around.
Miroku fought until his muscles burned with the effort of swinging his staff but still more came, each foe blended into the next as he threw paralysing sutras and attacked with his staff. He had long since lost sight of any of his friends and the foremost thought in his mind as he fought was Sango.
The wind whipped his hair in front of his face as he planted his staff in the ground to try and keep from blowing away, just as he was about to move away something hit him from behind bowling him over.
When he came to a stop it was sheltered behind one of the trees that had been successfully defeated, looking round quickly to see what had hit him he saw Sango lying not three paces from him; he ran to her and tenderly lifted her in his arms.
Her face was mottled with bruises and blood flowed from her nose and mouth, her body was covered in cuts and gashes, and several bones were obviously broken; she fixed her eyes on Miroku’s face and a slight smile curved her lips upwards.
“”Sango will you marry me?” Miroku blurted out the words before he thought and then turned crimson, he hadn’t realised how much he loved her until that moment; to his mortification she seemed to be laughing, even though it obviously pained her to do so.
“Oh Miroku,” she gasped. “You never think of anything else do you? Even in a situation where we’re fighting for our lives.”
“I was serious this time, marry me.”
Something in his voice made Sango stop laughing and try to raise herself up despite the pain rushing through her body and the blackness threatening to claim her.
“You….you mean it?”
“Yes.” Miroku’s answer was simple and honest.
Before she could reply Miroku cried out in pain and arched his back; from behind him she could just make out one of the tree-men as he removed one of his sharper branches from Miroku’s back, it was coated with slick red blood.
As he pulled it away and moved on Miroku fell to the ground, lifeless. Sango, feeling her strength ebb away, crawled into his arms and closed her eyes.
“Of course I’ll marry you.”
The battle raged on around the two lovers as they lay dead in each others arms.
The more Sesshoumaru dwelt on Kagome’s death the more he regretted his decision not to help; his heart ached when he looked at Inuyasha and he knew with certainty he had lost whatever chance of friendship between the two he had ever had.
The half-demon walked as though asleep, his eyes were cast down to the floor and his steps monotonously regular; often his companions tried to rouse him from his depression but their pleas and attempts fell on deaf ears.
Although only a few days since the death of Kagome, Sango felt it had been months of trudging in the seemingly never-ending gloom.
“There it is!” Shippo’s high-pitched voice cut through the air and made them all jump in shock.
“Oh my God.” Sango breathed as she took in the sight before her.
Naraku’s castle rose before them, unimpressive in itself, it still seemed to exude an aura of almost palpable evil; the two stories, built from the finest wood, looked forbidding even in the harsh midday sunshine.
A figure in a baboon skin cloak stood halfway between the castle and the companions, he bowed slowly and vanished.
“Another copy.” Sesshoumaru whispered to Miroku who, stood on the demon’s right hand side, shook his head warningly.
“Look!” shouted Shippo pointing to the roof of the castle; there stood the figure clad in baboon-skin again, once again he bowed.
Sango drew the boomerang bone from he back and threw it with all her might at the figure; to her surprise he caught it deftly in one hand.
Naraku smiled to himself as he felt the smooth bone under his skin, he jumped from the roof and landed barely a metre away from the demon exterminator; he glided to her side and placed the bone in her hands, leaning in so his lips were inches from her ear he whispered to her.
“Your weapon, my dear. You’ll need it.”
Sango shuddered despite herself and was about to back away when she felt a comforting pressure on her left shoulder; turning her head she saw Miroku looking angrier than she had ever seen him.
“Leave her be, Naraku. We have a score to settle.”
At the monk’s words Naraku threw his head back and laughed, the laughter was cold and filled with no real mirth.
“You cannot fight me.” It wasn’t a boast, it was simply a statement. “I am a god now, I can control nature itself.”
As if to illustrate his words a loud groaning creak came from behind the group; Sesshoumaru was the first to turn seeing, with disbelieving eyes, the forest they had just travelled come alive. Thousands of trees were pulling up their roots and moving to attack the small band; their movements were rolling and eerie and, although slow, seemed intelligent and immeasurably strong.
For the first time since Kagome’s death Inuyasha seemed to come alive, he drew the Tetsusaiga with an almost satisfied smile and faced the approaching tree-army; with a growl he launched himself at the nearest tree – luckily Sesshoumaru anticipated his move and followed drawing Tokijin.
At another word from Naraku the winds rose until a gale was whipping the dust from the ground making it impossible to see more than a metre in front and blowing the companions around.
Miroku fought until his muscles burned with the effort of swinging his staff but still more came, each foe blended into the next as he threw paralysing sutras and attacked with his staff. He had long since lost sight of any of his friends and the foremost thought in his mind as he fought was Sango.
The wind whipped his hair in front of his face as he planted his staff in the ground to try and keep from blowing away, just as he was about to move away something hit him from behind bowling him over.
When he came to a stop it was sheltered behind one of the trees that had been successfully defeated, looking round quickly to see what had hit him he saw Sango lying not three paces from him; he ran to her and tenderly lifted her in his arms.
Her face was mottled with bruises and blood flowed from her nose and mouth, her body was covered in cuts and gashes, and several bones were obviously broken; she fixed her eyes on Miroku’s face and a slight smile curved her lips upwards.
“”Sango will you marry me?” Miroku blurted out the words before he thought and then turned crimson, he hadn’t realised how much he loved her until that moment; to his mortification she seemed to be laughing, even though it obviously pained her to do so.
“Oh Miroku,” she gasped. “You never think of anything else do you? Even in a situation where we’re fighting for our lives.”
“I was serious this time, marry me.”
Something in his voice made Sango stop laughing and try to raise herself up despite the pain rushing through her body and the blackness threatening to claim her.
“You….you mean it?”
“Yes.” Miroku’s answer was simple and honest.
Before she could reply Miroku cried out in pain and arched his back; from behind him she could just make out one of the tree-men as he removed one of his sharper branches from Miroku’s back, it was coated with slick red blood.
As he pulled it away and moved on Miroku fell to the ground, lifeless. Sango, feeling her strength ebb away, crawled into his arms and closed her eyes.
“Of course I’ll marry you.”
The battle raged on around the two lovers as they lay dead in each others arms.
Chapter 15 - The Battle - Part 2
Chapter 15-The Battle-Part 2
Shippo ran blindly to and from small scenes of battle; too small to be considered a threat by the attackers he was left alone to call out miserably for the others.
Purely by chance he stumbled upon Sango and Miroku, their faces wore an expression of serenity even though their bodies were damaged beyond repair.
Half-blinded by tears he turned and ran, retching and calling out to Inuyasha – the sounds of battle seemed to fade in and out and after a time which seemed infinite to the distraught fox-demon cub he saw the two half-brothers facing Naraku up ahead.
Naraku was smiling as he regarded the two stood against him readied from battle; with a faint metallic swish both brothers withdrew their swords – Tokijin glittered brightly in the sunshine but Tetsusaiga didn’t transform, Inuyasha looked at it in surprise before realising with a pang that the mortal he used it to protect was gone.
“You cannot win,” Naraku’s voice was soft and yet carried easily. “I have become the monster that all other monsters fear.”
“Where is the shikon jewel?” In comparison to Naraku’s soft voice Inuyasha’s sounded as harsh as a crow’s call.
Naraku spread his arms wide and spun slowly, for all the world like a gentleman displaying his fine new outfit.
Inuyasha suddenly saw a small streak of red fur flash towards Naraku and only realised too late that it was Shippo; the small demon, overcome with rage over the deaths of his friends, was charging recklessly to the god-like form of Naraku.
Without even turning from his observation of the two half-brothers Naraku’s hand whipped out and grasped Shippo’s skull holding him tightly in his claws, Shippo struggled and cried out but to no avail.
A small trickle of blood ran down Shippo’s face and dropped to the earth, the trickle soon became a river and Shippo stopped struggling as Naraku squeezed his claws together in one sickening crunch of bone.
Inuyasha’s mouth shaped the word no but no sound issued from between his lips; instead it was Sesshoumaru who growled a warning challenge and, gripping Inuyasha’s forearm tightly to make sure he followed, advanced upon the smiling Naraku.
Naraku dropped the small broken corpse on the ground and cracked his claws menacingly.
The battle that ensued was long and tiring, Inuyasha did little more than sit in stunned silence on the ground while Sesshoumaru worked to protect both himself and his younger half-brother.
After an hour had passed Sesshoumaru had several deep gashes in his arm and a slash across his face, his eyes flashed with anger and the longing to transform but with the limitations of the curse he could not.
Holding Tokijin before him like a lance Sesshoumaru shouted a battle cry before rushing headlong at the still-smiling Naraku, he felt his sword make contact with flesh but before he could feel any elation he felt the unmistakable sensation of cold steel entering his stomach; as he sank to the floor grasping at the hilt with bloodied hands he felt the life ebb out of him with each beat of his heart.
With the last of his strength Sesshoumaru thrust his claws upwards underneath Naraku’s ribs and ripped out his heart; Naraku’s face froze in a mask of triumph before he fell to the ground.
With his fading vision Sesshoumaru saw the heart in his fist glowing and he realised he was holding the complete shikon jewel; he tried to make his mouth form the words that would save his life but the pain was too great, as he slipped into black oblivion only one thought went through his mind.
I wish everything could be as it was
As Sesshoumaru’s breath grew shallower the heart still grasped in his fist began to vibrate faster and faster before disappearing – it had fulfilled a pure hearted wish and was now no more.
Shippo ran blindly to and from small scenes of battle; too small to be considered a threat by the attackers he was left alone to call out miserably for the others.
Purely by chance he stumbled upon Sango and Miroku, their faces wore an expression of serenity even though their bodies were damaged beyond repair.
Half-blinded by tears he turned and ran, retching and calling out to Inuyasha – the sounds of battle seemed to fade in and out and after a time which seemed infinite to the distraught fox-demon cub he saw the two half-brothers facing Naraku up ahead.
Naraku was smiling as he regarded the two stood against him readied from battle; with a faint metallic swish both brothers withdrew their swords – Tokijin glittered brightly in the sunshine but Tetsusaiga didn’t transform, Inuyasha looked at it in surprise before realising with a pang that the mortal he used it to protect was gone.
“You cannot win,” Naraku’s voice was soft and yet carried easily. “I have become the monster that all other monsters fear.”
“Where is the shikon jewel?” In comparison to Naraku’s soft voice Inuyasha’s sounded as harsh as a crow’s call.
Naraku spread his arms wide and spun slowly, for all the world like a gentleman displaying his fine new outfit.
Inuyasha suddenly saw a small streak of red fur flash towards Naraku and only realised too late that it was Shippo; the small demon, overcome with rage over the deaths of his friends, was charging recklessly to the god-like form of Naraku.
Without even turning from his observation of the two half-brothers Naraku’s hand whipped out and grasped Shippo’s skull holding him tightly in his claws, Shippo struggled and cried out but to no avail.
A small trickle of blood ran down Shippo’s face and dropped to the earth, the trickle soon became a river and Shippo stopped struggling as Naraku squeezed his claws together in one sickening crunch of bone.
Inuyasha’s mouth shaped the word no but no sound issued from between his lips; instead it was Sesshoumaru who growled a warning challenge and, gripping Inuyasha’s forearm tightly to make sure he followed, advanced upon the smiling Naraku.
Naraku dropped the small broken corpse on the ground and cracked his claws menacingly.
The battle that ensued was long and tiring, Inuyasha did little more than sit in stunned silence on the ground while Sesshoumaru worked to protect both himself and his younger half-brother.
After an hour had passed Sesshoumaru had several deep gashes in his arm and a slash across his face, his eyes flashed with anger and the longing to transform but with the limitations of the curse he could not.
Holding Tokijin before him like a lance Sesshoumaru shouted a battle cry before rushing headlong at the still-smiling Naraku, he felt his sword make contact with flesh but before he could feel any elation he felt the unmistakable sensation of cold steel entering his stomach; as he sank to the floor grasping at the hilt with bloodied hands he felt the life ebb out of him with each beat of his heart.
With the last of his strength Sesshoumaru thrust his claws upwards underneath Naraku’s ribs and ripped out his heart; Naraku’s face froze in a mask of triumph before he fell to the ground.
With his fading vision Sesshoumaru saw the heart in his fist glowing and he realised he was holding the complete shikon jewel; he tried to make his mouth form the words that would save his life but the pain was too great, as he slipped into black oblivion only one thought went through his mind.
I wish everything could be as it was
As Sesshoumaru’s breath grew shallower the heart still grasped in his fist began to vibrate faster and faster before disappearing – it had fulfilled a pure hearted wish and was now no more.
Chapter 16 - A New beginning
Chapter 16-A New Beginning
Blackness.
The darkness was so complete that not even with his keen youkai eye-sight could Sesshoumaru see anything.
Instinctively he knew that this was the boundary between life and death, he felt it when he wielded the Tensaiga – and yet now he was here himself.
In a sudden flood of memories he remembered the battle and the cold steel if Naraku’s blade entering him.
I’m dead.
Strangely the thought held no terror for him, he merely felt a terrible sadness that his death must also have meant the death of his half-brother who he had only just forgiven.
Without noticing when exactly it happened, Sesshoumaru noticed that the darkness had faded into a grey twilight which seemed to stretch into infinity – before him stood three women smiling kindly.
On the left was Shioma, his own mother, in the centre was Ukil and on the right was Retya, Inuyasha’s mother; in turn each came forward and kissed his hand in silence.
“Am I dead?” Sesshoumaru’s voice sounded strangely muffled and distant to his own ears.
“Yes my son,” Shioma nodded. “But you will not dwell in this land of the dead long for the power of the wish you made on the shikon jewel calls you back.”
Bleakly Sesshoumaru thought of the battlefield and all those dead, his eyes stung with uncharacteristic tears.
“I do not want to go back to that.”
“Beloved, your wish was that things could be as they once were. You have been given a new chance to make things right and only you will remember the events of the past. Many who you knew will not be there and most will not know you yet.” Ukil stepped forwards with a small smile on her face.
His mind reeling, Sesshoumaru shook his head.
“What about Rin, Jaken, the wench, the monk, the exterminator and the fox cub?” He hesititated, unwilling to ask the next question as he was afraid of the answer. “And what of Inuyasha?”
“As far as we can tell your wish has altered the fabric of time completely wiping the slate clean on several accounts; Kagome has never left Tokyo as she knows it, of the others we are not sure but feel sure most are alive.”
“What of Inuyasha?” Sesshoumaru’s voice was a little louder and more nervous; if time had been altered would his brother still hate him or would they have a chance to be friends?
All three women smiled cryptically.
“You will see.”
With that the blackness returned and Sesshoumaru felt himself spinning.
(Meanwhile)
“Kagome! Buyo’s run into the shrine!” Souta’s voice wobbled, he was too nervous to go near the spooky family shrine.
With a sigh Kagome ascended the steps to the shrine and started looking for the cat, a knocking from the well distracted her and she went closer to investigate.
Souta stayed long enough to see his sister grasped by the weird insect lady before running for his life.
Kagome climbed out of the well and looked around the strange world, in front of her was a huge tree – she recognized this tree as being one still growing outside her house.
The tree was bare and the forest peaceful, completely bewildered Kagome wandered off with no concrete sense of where she was going or what she was doing.
(Meanwhile)
A loud noise startled Sesshoumaru into consciousness and it was a full minute of listening to the harsh unsteady sound before he realized it was his own terrified breathing.
He felt cold stone beneath him and, apprehensive of what kind of world he would be confronted with, he opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was a pair of tiny feet, he moved his eyes upwards over chubby little legs, a small red kimono, a cherub face sparkling with happiness, two large amber brown eyes and finally a luscious mane of silver hair topped by two soft ears.
“Inu…Inuyasha?”
The tiny hanyou pup threw himself on his older brother.
“Esso!”
Smothering his surprise he wrapped his arms around the tiny pup and held on tightly; looking around he realized he was in the Lord’s chambers of the castle.
“Where is father?”
“Gone to visit Oka, gone ages Esso. Just you and me.” The smile on Inuyasha’s face dimmed as he looked at the serious expression on his older brother’s face. “You’re not leaving Inu too, are you Esso?”
With his bottom lip trembling and his eyes full of tears the tiny hanyou grasped hold of Sesshoumaru tightly; his head still spinning Sesshoumaru gently disentangled Inuyasha’s hands and stroked his hair.
“No pup, I could never leave you.”
“Promise?”
“I promise. Do you know why?”
Inuyasha shook his head dumbly and gazed at Sesshoumaru out of adoring eyes.
“Because we are two halves of one soul, little brother.”
Blackness.
The darkness was so complete that not even with his keen youkai eye-sight could Sesshoumaru see anything.
Instinctively he knew that this was the boundary between life and death, he felt it when he wielded the Tensaiga – and yet now he was here himself.
In a sudden flood of memories he remembered the battle and the cold steel if Naraku’s blade entering him.
I’m dead.
Strangely the thought held no terror for him, he merely felt a terrible sadness that his death must also have meant the death of his half-brother who he had only just forgiven.
Without noticing when exactly it happened, Sesshoumaru noticed that the darkness had faded into a grey twilight which seemed to stretch into infinity – before him stood three women smiling kindly.
On the left was Shioma, his own mother, in the centre was Ukil and on the right was Retya, Inuyasha’s mother; in turn each came forward and kissed his hand in silence.
“Am I dead?” Sesshoumaru’s voice sounded strangely muffled and distant to his own ears.
“Yes my son,” Shioma nodded. “But you will not dwell in this land of the dead long for the power of the wish you made on the shikon jewel calls you back.”
Bleakly Sesshoumaru thought of the battlefield and all those dead, his eyes stung with uncharacteristic tears.
“I do not want to go back to that.”
“Beloved, your wish was that things could be as they once were. You have been given a new chance to make things right and only you will remember the events of the past. Many who you knew will not be there and most will not know you yet.” Ukil stepped forwards with a small smile on her face.
His mind reeling, Sesshoumaru shook his head.
“What about Rin, Jaken, the wench, the monk, the exterminator and the fox cub?” He hesititated, unwilling to ask the next question as he was afraid of the answer. “And what of Inuyasha?”
“As far as we can tell your wish has altered the fabric of time completely wiping the slate clean on several accounts; Kagome has never left Tokyo as she knows it, of the others we are not sure but feel sure most are alive.”
“What of Inuyasha?” Sesshoumaru’s voice was a little louder and more nervous; if time had been altered would his brother still hate him or would they have a chance to be friends?
All three women smiled cryptically.
“You will see.”
With that the blackness returned and Sesshoumaru felt himself spinning.
(Meanwhile)
“Kagome! Buyo’s run into the shrine!” Souta’s voice wobbled, he was too nervous to go near the spooky family shrine.
With a sigh Kagome ascended the steps to the shrine and started looking for the cat, a knocking from the well distracted her and she went closer to investigate.
Souta stayed long enough to see his sister grasped by the weird insect lady before running for his life.
Kagome climbed out of the well and looked around the strange world, in front of her was a huge tree – she recognized this tree as being one still growing outside her house.
The tree was bare and the forest peaceful, completely bewildered Kagome wandered off with no concrete sense of where she was going or what she was doing.
(Meanwhile)
A loud noise startled Sesshoumaru into consciousness and it was a full minute of listening to the harsh unsteady sound before he realized it was his own terrified breathing.
He felt cold stone beneath him and, apprehensive of what kind of world he would be confronted with, he opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was a pair of tiny feet, he moved his eyes upwards over chubby little legs, a small red kimono, a cherub face sparkling with happiness, two large amber brown eyes and finally a luscious mane of silver hair topped by two soft ears.
“Inu…Inuyasha?”
The tiny hanyou pup threw himself on his older brother.
“Esso!”
Smothering his surprise he wrapped his arms around the tiny pup and held on tightly; looking around he realized he was in the Lord’s chambers of the castle.
“Where is father?”
“Gone to visit Oka, gone ages Esso. Just you and me.” The smile on Inuyasha’s face dimmed as he looked at the serious expression on his older brother’s face. “You’re not leaving Inu too, are you Esso?”
With his bottom lip trembling and his eyes full of tears the tiny hanyou grasped hold of Sesshoumaru tightly; his head still spinning Sesshoumaru gently disentangled Inuyasha’s hands and stroked his hair.
“No pup, I could never leave you.”
“Promise?”
“I promise. Do you know why?”
Inuyasha shook his head dumbly and gazed at Sesshoumaru out of adoring eyes.
“Because we are two halves of one soul, little brother.”
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