InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Spring Fever ❯ Prelude ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4

 

Prelude

 

The inugami daiy?kai was standing to the side of the door and appeared uninterested in the proceedings, his gaze set on the still rising sun. It was going to be a long day if it started off with a story from his half brother, who was acting rather peculiar. It was quite irritating that all of them were trying to keep something secret in this story, even the fox kit who just joined in seemed trained on silence, and things were not made better by the fact that they were succeeding.

 

“When we got to Kagome's ti-... um, home, there was a strange aura around the Family Shr- ah, shack, where they keep all of her miko things.” Inuyasah was a horrible liar... “Anyway, Kagome was pretty out of it still, but I couldn't just leave her in the well, er, well, in the care of herself, and so we ... Sesshomaru, can't you just GO!?”

 

Sesshomaru regarded him with a glance from the corner of his eye. “I enjoy a story with interesting articulation.”

 

The boy was slowly getting red in the face, palms fisted. He didn't know that Sesshomaru just said 'you're a stammering idiot', but was pretty sure it was an insult. Inuyasha was a predictable one. “Why you...!”

 

“Getting back to the subject,” the monk interjected with a clearing of his throat. “So, you took Kagome with you?”

 

“Yeah,” Inuyasha continued with a sigh, shifting where he stood opposite to Sesshomaru. “Not the best of things to do, but I couldn't just leave without checking on her family, and she needed to be protected. Anyway, I no more than step outside when the thing came running at me. Tetsusaiga couldn't cut it either. The shadow demon thing passed right through the blade and then grabbed my haori.”

 

“I thought there weren't any demons in Kagome's time,” the little fox stated innocently enough, seeming to contemplate. He gave an impressively wild flinch for his tiny self when realization hit.

 

There was a dead silence, soon filled with a sound smack and a crying kit. The sick one muttered something and Sesshomaru looked over in genuine surprise when the floor shook and Inuyasha was suddenly in a face-down body plant. Was this normal? If so, it was quite entertaining. What just happened?

 

“Kagome, how do you feel?” Kohaku's sister asked, scooting a few inches to look at her face. Inuyasha's state seemed to be of no concern.

 

“Bad,” the girl replied as she faced no one but the wall. She sounded like she just gargled sand for a few hours, and coughed over a few grains which refused to leave. This must be the result of moaning in deranged agony for a few days.

 

“Kagome! Inuyasha hit me again!” the kit yelled, jumping in front of her with tears in his eyes. They were obviously fake, and the girl gave a small chuckle.

 

“Ready for another round, Shippo?!” Sesshomaru's half brother asked, shooting to his feet. The kit made a well-practiced scream and went running outside, the hanyou close behind.

 

It was then that the girl asked the monk to make them stop fighting, and for help from the slayer in sitting up. The healthy woman glanced at the religious man, who shrugged before leaving, and helped Kagome in leaning against the wall.

 

Sesshomaru blinked. The girl was positively haggard looking. Her skin was pale from a lack of nutrition and taunt in the cheeks from dehydration. Her hair, which as he remembered was usually well maintained, had lost most of its sheen and looked to be the new home of some demon mice. The undersides of her eyes were darkened from a lack of sleep, but retained a sane glimmer of normality.

 

She did offer a fair smile though as she looked at him. “Sorry to like shit,” she began crudely with a short and soft rasped giggle, “this is probably not how people tend to greet you. Before Inuyasha gets back, and don't stop me Sango,” she interrupted herself, addressing her companion, “I want you to know that I come from the future. It sounds really odd but-” She cut off, coughing harshly into her hand. The slayer handed her some water, and she took a few drinks before continuing, tiny hands shaking from the weight of the ladle. Her voice wasn't made any better though. Sesshomaru found it hard to compare this weak essence to the strong and outspoken woman who defied his desires to kill her so long ago, and who slew Naraku not too long ago. Amazing what one bite could do. “Thanks, Sango. My family lives five hundred years in the future from now, and so far only Inuyasha and I can go through the Bone Eaters Well to travel between times.”

 

“Kagome...” the other cautioned as Sesshomaru mulled this over, arms held in opposing sleeves; apparently the miko wasn't just odd, she was logically challenged as well. Then again it explained their suddenly cut off scents in a well. Was that one the Bone Eaters Well? “Is your fever coming back? Are you tired?”

 

“I'm fine Sango, really. Sesshomaru can know. He may be mean to Inuyasha but he hasn't tried to harm any of us so far. … Well, not for a while.”

 

The miko brought up a good point, dragging back the memory of their first encounter. And the second. Tenseiga hummed softly, reminding Sesshomaru of something.

 

“The fox said there are no demons in your time,” he commented, focusing their attentions. He'll play along with her nonsensical story for the time being.

 

“That's right,” the girl confirmed hoarsely. “At least none that people can see.”

 

What a bleak sounding future... Demons hiding from a human-controlled world... And he wasn't even another lifetime away from that apparently... If she spoke the truth, that is. She didn't seem to be lying, but one's senses were not always right. Plus, of all things to lie about, surely she could have configured a tale more believable, even in her condition.

 

The silence stretched. Eventually Sesshomaru was drawn from his mental reprieve when the monk returned, the minutely injured kit staying close behind and Inuyasha following, giving a `keh' as he reclaimed his post, regarding Sesshomaru with a quick glare.

 

“Inuyasha,” the miko began, eyes closed and chin defiantly lifted, “he knows about the well now.”

 

Sesshomaru was surprised that none of the humans were clutching their ears from the hanyou's sudden and loud demand to know why. What an exasperating mutt.

 

“It's alright,” the miko tried to counter, a small frown on her face. Apparently she wasn't too tired to be peeved.

 

“Is NOT!” Inuyasha fired back, drawing Tetsusaiga. “I can't believe you told HIM!! Of ALL people, HIM!!”

 

“Inuyasha,” the miko warned, voice grated with irritation let alone abuse.

 

“Well I'm not saying another WORD on what happened until this jackass is out of ear shot! And speaking of, WHY is he here! I can't believe this, I-!”

 

“Sit.”

 

Inuyasha hit the floor so quickly that Sesshomaru couldn't enjoy watching the idiot fall.

 

“That wasn't very nice to do in front of his brother, especially with tonight's occasion,” the monk tried to whisper, Sesshomaru easily overhearing it. The `occasion' was obviously in reference to the new moon, when the hanyou lost his powers. Just because they hated one another didn't mean that Sesshomaru and Inuyasha didn't know some secrets. Well, Sesshomaru was better at keeping them, but he knew Inuyasha's weaknesses well enough.

 

The miko sniffed with a touch of disdain. “Well, I warned him, and he's being rude. Just because I'm under the weather doesn't mean he can go around hitting and yelling and fighting.”

 

“Kagome…” the hanyou growled through the floorboards.

 

“Sit.”

 

The wood began to crack around Inuyasha as gravity proved its hatred for him.

 

“Miroku, would you spare him?”

 

The monk sighed. “I'm on it.”

 

The rest of the story was told by Kagome, as Inuyasha's mouth was currently sealed with a sacred sutra. Well, he said he wouldn't utter another word so long as Sesshomaru was there, so it only made sense to enforce the resolution for the sake of all. That didn't keep him from rolling across the floor though like a dog with flees as he tried to rip it off. Very entertaining. Sesshomaru would have to provoke the fool more often in the young miko's presence.

 

He realized what he had suggested, and decided to resume listening to the story. It was his hope to listen, and then be done with his association with the pack of twits.

 

“-jumped back down the well then,” the miko finished. Fabulously brief. There was not much more to cover, merely that Inuyasha freed himself from the hold and leaped backwards into the well again.

 

“So this was a minor demon?” the monk inquired, pensive.

 

The miko shook her head. “It wasn't physically powerful, but its aura was outstanding. More so than… Well, than Naraku, certainly.”

 

The miko had given Sesshomaru a wary glance then, which didn't hide anything. She was ready to say she found a demon stronger than himself. However, only two others were stronger, and those were the Lord of the Northern Lands and Lady of the Southern Lands. The Lord of the Eastern Lands was indeed the weakest, but made up for it with talent and forces. Sesshomaru had yet to truly initiate his rightful rein over his father's lands, but was entitled Lord nonetheless. Declaration was not as large a priority for him as others may think. He could easily remove any obstacle in his way if one should try to hinder his claim. For now though, he was still traveling his new domain, it was only logical to do so and announce by scent one's superiority to lesser demons, killing the dumb and rebellious while he was at it.

 

“It wasn't a real demon though, more like we were fighting a shadow,” the miko finished.

 

“That would explain Tetsusaiga's uselessness, in that situation” the slayer pointed out, choosing her words carefully while in the presence of the son of he who had that blade forged and he who wore it proudly until his untimely death.

 

“I'm actually very surprised that it attacked,” the miko voiced raggedly, changing the track of conversation. “I believe, that that was one of the rare times I've gone home without a part of the Jewel.”

 

“That IS suspicious,” the monk confirmed, brow wrinkled by the discovery.

 

And for once, Sesshomaru found himself agreeing with a human. Here was the miko, charged with the duty of protecting the Shikon no Tama sought by humans and demons alike, who had gathered the pieces dutifully and reclaimed it from the hanyou who wished for it, and when she was weak and bore nothing she was attacked. Perhaps it was coincidence, but something didn't sound right and it grated at Sesshomaru's senses, willing him to puzzle it out. Then again, he had a lot of things to puzzle out of late.

 

There was a sudden sensation of eyes leering into the room and everyone became attentive. Sesshomaru watched as a ghostly hand reached through the wall and towards the heavily protected Jewel like a moth to a flame. He wasn't worried about it being taken, but those occupying the space other than himself were still in a panic over being watched.

 

The demon's face appeared, a hideous looking thing that could have just crawled out of the river, and it sneered at Sesshomaru, believing it was going to become an all-powerful entity.

 

Its hand darted for the Jewel, and then disappeared all the way to its upper arm. Its shriek made Sesshomaru smirk back and the rest jump, and the retreat was made. The unfavorable noise reminded him of Jaken whenever he caught himself on fire. Speaking of, late morning was fast approaching.

 

“Do you need to know anything else?” the miko inquired as he pushed aside the door.

 

He made no answer, and left without pause. Perhaps nothing would come of this. An unsettling knot between his shoulder blades told him otherwise.