InuYasha Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Breathless ❯ Prayer ( Chapter 45 )

Disclaimer: Sigh… Haven't you learned by now? Inuyasha and Sailor Moon are not mine!!!

 

 

Chapter: Forty Four.

 

 

`Prayer'

 

 

It was dawn the following day when the Demon Lord and his discreet dragon companion descended from their flights and touched land again. Most of their charges were still asleep, though it was not very long after that the small demon retainer woke up, in time to peer at his master as he deposited the human with the strange outfit on a particularly thick patch of grass that served the likes of a comfortable bed, carefully.

 

 

Too carefully for his taste.

 

 

He observed as the Demon Lord stood straight and looked down at the sleeping female with intent.

 

 

The servant gave a sour look of his own.

 

 

`Poor Sesshoumaru-sama has had to deal with this human and her friend enough already, trying to discern the enemies' plans…At least, he's finally been able to get rid of the lavender haired menace. I'm sure he's very pleased about that'

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, as if unaware of Jaken's pious stare, Sesshoumaru's train of thought was going a different path. As he stood in his own pensiveness, he recalled why it was that he was staring down at the girl so intently.

 

 

She was still holding the broken pieces of the Sacred Fang between her arms. Like she wasn't afraid they'd cut through her fragile skin… almost as if she knew, or thought that she knew the sword would never hurt her.

 

 

And, as if agreeing with the sleeping girl's implied statement, the two parts of the Sword of Heaven were softly pulsing in synch with her heartbeat.

 

 

He'd felt it'd been doing it for the entire time that she was asleep.

 

 

`Even broken, Tenseiga seems almost content to be in her arms…'

 

 

Somehow, when he'd turned around and exited the house the day before, back at the cabin, he hadn't cared for retrieving the Fang, already knowing his retainer would do it without need for being told, once he noticed he'd left it there on the floor.

 

 

The toad was usually that kind of a loyal, thoughtful servant; nothing surprising about that.

 

 

No. What'd been surprising, though, was that she would be the one to pick it up first before she went to follow him out of the house. He hadn't been truly testing her faithfulness to their bargain when he walked away, but the fact that she'd confirmed it so subtly was something, if may be not totally unexpected, a bit disconcerting in the humble way that she'd carried it out.

 

 

And then there'd been the way she'd fallen asleep under his arm…without a care for the world, for him… And he'd just let her.

 

 

The Demon Lord furrowed his golden gaze, attempting to figure out the reason for that; for that small favor… It'd been the fact that he'd decided to accept her apology this time.

 

 

But why… what had been different about her apology the last time? Had the transition she'd undergone weeks prior been the cause for him changing his mind? …The fact that he now knew that she had some certain power? He almost growled.

 

 

He wasn't one to be biased by that kind of occurrence.

 

 

…Then… … why…?

 

 

He should show her things hadn't changed at all, that she should still be wary of him.

 

 

He should make sure she made a realization of that.

 

 

Thus, why was it then that a small insolent voice, from deep inside, kept warning him that he should keep his distance, for the next time she looked at him with those large regret-filled eyes, he might once again feel that it wasn't important… for her stare would once again soothe him… …in the end.

 

 

…Like in those two previous times when he could have killed her: the first time they met, and the second time when they were… arguing… back at the cabin.

 

 

He could have killed her then. Perhaps, he should have.

 

 

But he just, didn't.

 

 

…Was Rin's almost recent death… what was affecting him this way…?

 

 

…Compassion...

 

 

Again; that word.

 

 

And the pulsing sword; resting comfortably in her arms.

 

 

`…Father, why… is this your message…?'

 

 

Everything about the human girl was disconcerting. She never turned out quite they way he thought her out to be.

 

 

She was…

 

 

…Confusing.

 

 

`…Has it… been your doing, that this woman crosses paths so often with mine?'

 

 

Why?

 

 

Was it about the manner in which she protected herself from her enemies? …By inspiring them into quenching their rage and their will to hurt? …It was a rather peculiar power that she apparently had; of bewitching her foes into her naïve sense of… was it, once again, compassion?

 

 

Such an intriguing miko; if that's what she really was.

 

 

However, he somehow doubted she'd possessed the soberness of mind at the time to actually try manipulating him on purpose, and he cursed himself for having gotten so close to a moment of weakness.

 

 

`Woman… …what is it that Tenseiga senses about you?'

 

 

Jaken frowned. His master had already been staring at her for too long.

 

 

He didn't like it.

 

 

“Sesshoumaru-sama?”

 

 

“Jaken” he saw his master turn towards him.

 

 

“Milord?”

 

 

“We will set camp here till midday” The Inuyoukai told him, turning his gaze far away.

 

 

“Yes, milord” he watched as his master turned around the other way from where he was looking and walked off. Jaken watched him go… He began to realize there might be something wrong going on with his Lord…something he would not reveal out loud; however, he thought he'd realized what was going on Sesshoumaru-sama's mind.

 

 

`…That wench is nothing but a difficulty; I wish milord is able to also get rid of her very soon'

 

 

 

 

Miles from there, back at the village, Kaede was still looking at the horizon where she'd just seen Inuyasha, Kagome and their friends disappear. They had decided to part the day after they'd stayed the night, and the priestess hoped with all of her heart they were able to find her…

 

 

Flashback

 

 

“Consort of the Land of the Star of Crescent Shadow” Kagome repeated in a whisper, and then added aloud “I don't know what it means, but… it doesn't sound good…”

 

 

“Heh! Tell me about it” Inuyasha said as he roughly picked up a part of the elegant furisode that the old priestess had shown to them “you say she arrived wearing this?! It STINKS of Naraku and I'll bet my Tetsusaiga it's no coincidence she was wearing his colors!” he turned to the priestess irate “What is wrong with you, old hag?! You shouldn't have taken her in! So tell me; if she'd shown up wearing a baboon pelt, would you have suspected something?!”

 

 

“Inuyasha, SIT!” the command of the girl from the future was inevitable, and so was the loud crash that immediately followed after.

 

 

“Ack! What in the world was that for?!”

 

 

“Because it's someone dear to Kaede-baba you're speaking of” Kagome flared up “and you should be able to tell she is very worried! Besides, even if you're right, Kaede-baba had no possible way to know, so you shouldn't talk to her like that”

 

 

“Pfhmp!”

 

 

Deciding to concentrate on more pressing matters, Miroku took his attention from the pair to ask a rather relevant question. “So you're saying, that this person with strong untapped spiritual powers could be the one responsible for the cataclysm? Even if it could have been against her will?”

 

 

“I am certain something must have happened to her…”Kaede assented “I felt her aura cry out to me in grief for a moment… and then nothing.”

 

 

“I thought it could have only been Naraku using the power of the complete Shikon no Tama, but we are not certain whether he's been able to get a hold of Kohaku's shard yet” Miroku reasoned with a nod.

 

 

“So the only way to know for sure…” Shippo started.

 

 

“…is to find Kohaku” the slayer finished for him with her eyes closed.

 

 

“Sango?”

 

 

“It's okay… That was what we were going to do before Kanna lured us into battle, wasn't it?”

 

 

“Sango is right; the cataclysm didn't leave any lasting effects, so nothing's really changed” Inuyasha stated while getting up from his crater and standing up. “Whether it was that Usagi girl or Naraku that caused the cataclysm, the circumstances are the same for us and our goal is still the same”

 

 

“Inuyasha…?” a dubious girl from the future mumbled.

 

 

“He has a point, Kagome-sama” the monk interjected “We know actually too little about the cataclysm and this spiritual woman in particular to be pointing any fingers, so the only way we can really help Kaede-sama here is to get back to our quest as soon as we can and see what we find out”

 

 

“It's the only way we can ever know if Naraku, the battle with Kanna, the cataclysm and this girl are related at all, Kagome” Sango agreed too.

 

 

“And if that Usagi-san is truly, as Kaede-baba thinks, like that warrior Suikotsu that you guys fought” the kitsune suggested all of a sudden “perhaps, if we find Naraku, we might even find her too!”

 

 

Everyone felt silent.

 

 

“Yes… you are right” Kagome said nodding and frowning with new resolve “if Kaede-baba's apprentice is being held by Naraku against her will, then I think we must do whatever we can to help her”

 

 

“Keh! If she truly is being held against her will, you mean” the inuhanyou piped in as he crossed his arms, sounding rather skeptic.

 

 

Kagome didn't respond anything to that. She knew he had a right to have his reservations.

 

 

“Whatever may be, we have to find Naraku, and the only way to find Naraku that we have is…through Kohaku” she sighed “I just hope he's alright and that scoundrel hasn't done him any harm” she tightened her risen fist and shut her eyes overwhelmed by the hatred.

 

 

“Sango…” Kagome whispered, sensing her friend's pain.

 

 

“If he did anything to your brother yet, Sango, we will make him pay” Inuyasha assured her.

 

 

“I am sure Kohaku is alright, Sango-chan… I know, I know Kikyo wouldn't have left him without a good protection”

 

 

“Huh, Kagome?!”· the slayer and the hanyou turned to look at her at the same time.

 

 

“I…I want to have faith in her”

 

 

End Flashback

 

 

Kaede wanted to have faith in her sister too, and prayed Kagome was right.

 

 

“Onee-sama…” she whispered with veiled breath “…big sister, please protect them, help them find her… and let it all be alright”

 

 

To Be Continued.