InuYasha Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Breathless ❯ Treasures ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Sailor Moon.

 

 

Chapter Four.

 

 

`Treasures'

 

 

It was earlier the following morning that Lord Sesshoumaru decided to go on his own to make another visit to the old sword smith.

 

 

The old youkai who had been outside his cave, working away in the heat on forging a katana set with his fire blowing, stopped to wipe the sweat from his forehead and raised his eyes to look at the young Demon Lord in surprise.

 

 

“My my, Sesshoumaru… It's been no more than a couple of days since the last time I saw you… You working on the Tenseiga's technique of `Meidou Zangetsu-ha'?”

 

 

“Totosai, I need you to… answer some questions”

 

 

The aging demon raised his eye-brows. “I see… Still haven't mastered it full circle, have you?”

 

 

The Taiyoukai scowled.

 

 

“That is not of your concern” he replied icily “I came to you because, as the Tenseiga and the Tessaiga's creator, you must have an idea of where their Blessings came from”

 

 

The weapon master stared at him in confusion “Their… blessings you say?”

 

 

Sesshoumaru's cool gaze became a glare.

 

 

“Don't test my patience”, he warned.

 

 

Irked, Totosai glared right back.

 

 

“I swear to you, Sesshoumaru, I don't have any idea what you're talking about!”

 

 

The Demon Lord lifted a clawed hand.

 

 

“The Blessings of an Omnipresent Higher Entity… the blessings that allowed Tenseiga, Tetsusaiga and Sounga to invoke the powers of Heaven, Earth and Hell at will” he all but hissed as he approached the now retreating Totosai “What did Father tell you of Hecate's three ancient relics?”

 

 

“What are you on, Sesshoumaru?” a flustered, confused sword smith questioned. “…Hecate's relics?! What do you mean by—”, he suddenly paused, eyes wide in recognition. “Oh! …Hecate no Megami's Three Ancient Treasures!”

 

 

Trust a senile demon to make a fuss out of such an insignificant difference in wording; the Taiyoukai could have growled in aggravation.

 

 

He instead ceased approaching him and lowered his hand.

 

 

“I take it you remember now”

 

 

The weapon-crafter giggled sheepishly.

 

 

“Well, it's been a long time since I last thought about it” he said scratching his head “What surprises me is that you would know about it”

 

 

“And why is that, old man?” Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes.

 

 

He really was loosing his patience for the old youkai…

 

 

“Um, well… you're actually too young to have learned a legend as ancient as that, Sesshoumaru” Totosai took the easier way out, careful not to accidentally offend the Taiyoukai's dangerously irascible ego yet another time.

 

 

“What legend are you talking about”

 

 

The old sword smith closed his eyes as he began digging in his memories.

 

 

“Your Father once told me, if I recall right, the Treasures were supposed to be Hecate no Megami's mementos, capable of bestowing their keeper with the power to control the three primordial worlds, Hell, Earth, and Heaven” he explained, scratching his chin in deep thought.

 

 

“And you say these `Treasures' were not the swords themselves; Sounga, Tetsusaiga, and Tenseiga” the Youkai Lord stated.

 

 

Totosai hastily shook his head.

 

 

“Of course not. The swords came from your Father's fangs and no mortal being, demon or not, could have given birth to such powers just by themselves; I don't think they're forces that creatures of this world are meant to so easily tamper with… Your Father was no such fool: the three ancient Treasures I speak of were put under his care due to him being the West's Sacred Guardian; that's the reason he'd ever had them in his possession in the first place, and that their powers were eventually passed onto him, making it possible for his fangs to be used in the crafting of such mighty swords”

 

 

“Are you saying those relics are the reason the Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga were made to be so powerful, thus the Sounga could've been made out of one of his fangs as well?” Sesshoumaru asked the first question that popped into his mind.

 

 

“He never told me for sure” the weapon smith sighed, already not liking where this was going, “but it is possible”

 

 

The Demon Lord raised an eyebrow.

 

 

Interesting…

 

 

“What else did my Father tell you?”

 

 

“He only said the Queen of the Heavens herself had given the relics to him, charging him with their protection so they wouldn't fall into the wrong hands; for if that were to happen, only disasters would occur for sure... He was to hide them all in three separate places of the Earth, which only he knew the whereabouts of”

 

 

“The queen of the heavens?” the Demon Lord inquired aloofly “Do you speak of the Queen of the Moon, of Queen Neherenia?”

 

 

The sword smith turned to him flabbergasted.

 

 

“Yes; I mean, no. She was ruler of the moon… …but that was not her name…”

 

 

“Koumokuten” a tall, long-haired silhouette called.

 

 

“My Lady?”

 

 

The royal figure beckoned him to follow her into a less spacious, shadowy private room.

 

 

“These three items you see here are the Triple Lunar Goddess, Hecate's memento” she informed him.

 

 

The man gazed down at the three objects ceremoniously laid on a carpet with an expression of curiosity.

 

 

“The Key opens the gate to the Underworld” the woman explained “it unlocks the secrets of the occult mysteries and knowledge to the afterlife. The Rope, on the other hand, symbolizes the umbilical cord of rebirth and renewal; such is the prerogative of Nature…”

 

 

“And… the Dagger?” he asked when she didn't continue.

 

 

“The Dagger, the Athame, is a symbol of ritual power. Its purpose is to direct energy, building a bridge between what's visible and that which isn't…The Bridge which enables us to seize our own destiny and truly change it by borrowing the secrets of Heaven. Do you know the name of that bridge, Koumokuten?”

 

 

The man didn't hesitate.

 

 

“Magic”

 

 

The royal nodded, pleased.

 

 

“These ancient relics, I will give to you”

 

 

“My Queen” the silver haired General was startled, “I don't understand…”

 

 

The regal woman put a hand softly over his mouth, effectively silencing him, before giving a tender understanding smile.

 

 

“Darkness is closing on us, so these treasures are no longer safe here. You must take them to Earth with you now, I entrust you with their protection. What you must know though is that, as sentient beings as they are, their presence will change you. The longer you have them, the more they'll be mixing their essence into your own, enabling you to harness their soul”

 

 

She grew even more serious as she finished in a warning tone.

 

 

“Use them to aid you in your duty as Cardinal Guardian, my dear Inu no Taisho, but never underestimate their power, never abuse it, or use it for personal gain… for when you do, it'll bring their curse on you and upon your bloodline”

 

 

To Be Continued.

 

 

 

 

GLOSSARY

 

 

`Meidou Zangetsu-ha' means Path to the Underworld Morning Moon (or Cutting Moon) Destruction, and is the offensive technique which the Sword of Heaven, Tenseiga gains after Totosai reforged it.

 

Inu no Taisho' is the title by which Myoga and Hosenki address Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's late father, and means “Lord of Dogs” or “Dog General”.

 

 

`Koumokuten' is one of the names used to refer to the Cardinal Guardian of the West in Chinese and/or Japanese mythology. Here I use it only as another title.

 

`Hecate no Megami' means the Goddess Hecate.

 

 

`Hecate' in Greek mythology “…was the Godddess of the Moon, of the Underworld and of magic (...) She rode a chariot pulled by dragons —does the name "Ah-Un" ring any bells?— (...) She was called the triple goddess (because of) her threefold power (...) namely in Heaven, in Earth and in Hell —Tenseiga, Tessaiga and Sounga, the three swords of Sesshoumaru's late father, ring any bells?— (...) At night, during the dark moon, Hecate would be seen walking the road of Greece with her howling dogs and torches (...) Hecate and her dogs are said to journey over the graves of the dead to search for souls of the departed and they carry them to refuge in the underworld... (…) …Her sacred emblems are a Key, a Rope, and a Dagger (symbols of her threefold power)…"

 

 

A/N: Yes, the `Queen of the Heavens' is NOT Queen Neherenia… (wink and evil grin)