InuYasha Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Breathless ❯ To Go back ( Chapter 47 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, a Feudal Fairytale, or Beautiful Soldier Sailor Moon.

 

 

Chapter Forty Six.

 

 

`Go back'

 

 

It was a few hours later that Sesshoumaru was resting against a tree with his gaze shut, when he heard it.

 

 

“Sesshoumaru-sama?”

 

 

“What is it, Rin?” the Taiyoukai asked without lifting his eyelids.

 

 

“Can Rin speak with Usagi-san?” he heard the little girl ask timidly and with great ingenuousness “Jaken-sama told Rin that Usagi-san is a prisoner so she shouldn't talk to her anymore…” she flustered for a second when she noticed his brow furrowing slightly as the Inuyoukai opened his eyes to stare at her, then she became more subdued and fidgeted with her fingers, rather put off “…Rin won't do it if Sesshoumaru-sama says no”

 

 

With an imperceptible sigh, the Taiyoukai closed his eyes again. “…Do whatever you want” he tried to ignore the child's badly concealed small squeal of happiness.

 

 

“Yes, Sir!” he felt the wind caused by her quick movements as the little girl darted away from his side to run to the `captive's side. …Sesshoumaru could almost, almost have sworn he'd felt a vein pop on his forehead at that moment.

 

 

He was rather curious about what it was about the older female that fascinated the child so much.

 

 

However, he already knew.

 

 

It'd take a dense subject not to know…

 

 

“It hurts me to hear you say something like that” the sentence said in a somewhat wavering voice had made him stop in his tracks.

 

 

He'd thought at first that it sounded like she might be trying to mock him. So he'd tried testing her.

 

 

“After you accepted my apology I had thought that we-”

 

 

Test if she was attempting to laugh in his face for what she had mistaken as `softness'…

 

 

“…I had thought that we could become friends…”

 

 

But even if she hadn't been, she was a `captive' overstepping her boundaries… she'd certainly had a punishment coming her way.

 

 

…What kind of fool did she take him for? He didn't want to get to know her; the mere idea was laughable and… obnoxious. All he wanted to know was what her relation to the Heavenly Sword was and to its intriguing reactions as of late, as well as Naraku and that masked demon, before sending her on her way.

 

 

That is, if she truly was just a pawn, as he'd thought, and didn't have anything substantial to do with all of this. That strange girl…

 

 

The body of a woman with the voice and face of a child… she was a walking contradiction; everything about her was deceiving.

 

 

She exuded youth… yet she was old enough to be considered an adult.

 

 

…Fragility. Yet she had shown she had some power of her own.

 

 

…And…

 

 

…Innocence.

 

 

He didn't want to hurt her in front of Rin.

 

 

That was it.

 

 

Actually.

 

 

The older girl was special in his ward's eyes; almost as much as the taijiya had apparently become. But she had acted as if she didn't have a reason to be scared of him any longer, and he had thought he should try to correct that. Though he'd realized disciplining his `captive' too harshly in front of the child might not be a good idea…

 

 

He didn't get any satisfaction from hurting her, either.

 

 

On the other hand, he'd already tested and confirmed some of his suspicions for the time being concerning the girl's powers…She definitely possessed some sort of soothing aura about her.

 

 

…A miko's?

 

 

Sesshoumaru looked down at the bit of her blood that was still on his claws; there was no better way to know… He licked her blood off his claws, trying to ignore the unexpected shiver that the taste brought upon him. Definitely human blood, as he had thought… but, not quite?

 

 

Human blood had never made him feel so… …weird.

 

 

`This is stupid; she's just a weak submissive ningen'

 

 

Mortal.

 

 

…Human…

 

 

The nerve of that girl. He couldn't remember the last time someone had touched him so freely… He was disgusted at himself because he wasn't disgusted, or quite as angry as he thought that he should be.

 

 

It was somewhat perplexing.

 

 

“Perhaps I, Sesshoumaru, am becoming soft after all…”

 

 

…Or was he?

 

 

Was it that he at least had been attempting to go by his Father's rules for a time, in order to harness the powers of the Heavenly Sword, long enough that somewhere along the way he'd actually thought he really had stopped seeing them like things… …things that he could kill at his leisure?

 

 

`Do not delude yourself…'

 

 

He was a Demon Lord. He had no use for such ridiculous notions. He'd once sought to build and empire. He felt no compassion towards them, the feeble things. They only happened to get in his way most of the time, and when they didn't, they were a means to an end... a quick and easy way to test his prowess.

 

 

…All with the exception of Rin; and the boy…perhaps. But Rin and the boy were just children.

 

 

Thus…

 

 

`…Do not delude yourself…'

 

 

He shook his head.

 

 

He had though that a bit of lone meditation would help put his chaotic thoughts in order, but it seemed quite apparent that putting distance between the pale golden haired girl and himself wasn't enough to put an end to his inner confusion. Once again, a battle of wills with the sailor suited youth had ended in nothing but uncertainty. Sesshoumaru didn't like it… …he didn't like the way this mere slip of a girl had the ability to make him so bemused. However, looking down at the broken Tenseiga by his side, he thought he realized it wasn't just her. She was only the unlikely proof of a long process that he might have undergone without noticing.

 

 

`Because of you, I've surrounded myself with these mortals'

 

 

`Father…what kind of game was he intending to play…?'

 

 

It was his fault. “This is annoying” He might just throw Tenseiga away. It was broken, after all.

 

 

That…… or he should just get rid of the girl…Whichever came first.

 

 

However, even he knew he wouldn't, couldn't do either for the time being.

 

 

“…”

 

 

Out of the blue, the Demon Lord's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a soft melody; the melody of the star shaped locket.

 

 

“See, Usagi-san? I've kept it for you!”

 

 

“Oh, thank you so much, Rin-chan! Thank you so much for keeping it safe for me. This means a lot to me” the blonde said as she took the object in her hands, staring down at it with a smile of sweet remembrance.

 

 

`That locket…' the Inu Lord thought. He also noticed the way the hair from one of the girl's ponytails was sprawled over her injured shoulder. Sesshoumaru's brow quirked …Was she actually attempting to hide the small wound from the child on purpose?

 

 

Rin had seen him do so much worse.

 

 

“KOHAKU! Come back you irresponsible child, you haven't finished with your task yet!” he suddenly heard his servant, Jaken demand in a shout “Where are you going?!”

 

 

“…That music is so comforting” the Demon Lord watched the taijiya boy say timidly as he reached the two females “Um, miss, do you mind if I too listen for a while?”

 

 

“Not at all” the blonde's smile to the younger boy was so kind, warm and reassuring; it made the taijiya flushed.

 

 

“T-Thank you… Rin would always make me listen to it when she thought I was feeling down” he explained shyly as he went slowly to sit beside them.

 

 

“That's because it's such a beautiful melody! Don't you think so, Jaken-sama?” raising her arms up in childish enthusiasm, the little girl asked the toad youkai who had just arrived to where they were reunited, grumbling.

 

 

“NOT when it does nothing but distract you two from what you should be DOING!” he crossed his arms stubbornly. Neither of the four noticed that Sesshoumaru was listening.

 

 

“Oh!” blushing, the blonde decided to intervene “I'm sorry for the problems I'm causing, sir” she said gently, the Neo Queen's regal persona still inside her kicking in right then more than ever before without her knowledge, making the small demon's jaw fall to the floor, rather appalled that she would address him so politely, and call him `sir'

 

 

“Eh!!?”

 

 

“It's not really their fault. They're just children, please don't get angry at them” she added in a soft whisper then, unaware of her small change and because she sensed the small youkai wasn't truly cruel at heart.

 

 

“You remind me of someone…” Kohaku, told her bashfully, quite awed at the regal aura she was unconsciously emitting “…could you, are you by any chance… a miko?” `Kikyo-sama…'

 

 

“No, unfortunately, I am not” Usagi told him with a grin, now more back to her old self. This young boy, `Kohaku', was acting so shy around her, she couldn't help but like him “I tried to become one…but…”

 

 

“I see” the taijiya wasn't able to hide his disappointment. He had hoped she could purify his jewel shard if needed, like Kikyo-sama used to do when alive, if she was miko “It's just, when I saw that object that played music, I had thought that…”

 

 

“…That I was a miko or a witch if I could've done such sorcery?” she finished for him with a small giggle.

 

 

“Y-y-yeah” he stuttered nervously, this time VERY embarrassed.

 

 

`He's so cute!' the blonde thought mischievously `He kind of reminds me of Shingo and Asanuma'

 

 

“It's alright” she said with sensitivity, trying to ease the younger boy's discomfort “The truth is, though, I am neither of those”

 

 

`So, she's not a miko?' the Inuyoukai reflected on this.

 

 

“Then how come Lord Sesshoumaru said, ningen, that the last time he found you, you broke his sword with your power?” Jaken awoke from his previous shock to say this skeptically.

 

 

“I…- it's a long story” she sighed uneasily.

 

 

“Yeeaaah… I'm sure it is” the toad youkai once again snorted sardonically.

 

 

“This locket; it was merely a gift” the sailor suited female tried to explain softly “the music from this locket…I don't remember where it comes from, but I can't help wanting to listen to it… It is all I have left to remind me of my loved ones” the toad and two children watched as she pressed the artifact up to her chest with a strong emotion.

 

 

“…Your youkai friends?” Rin inquired.

 

 

“Not just them… but also my human friends and family”

 

 

“Oh” the little girl tilted her head to the side in childish curiosity “Where are they?”

 

 

“I-I wish I knew”

 

 

“They are… lost?” the boy, Kohaku, questioned.

 

 

“You could say that” the young woman said with a grieving smile.

 

 

“Is that why you're sad?” Rin asked with innocence “Then, then may be we can help you find them!”

 

 

Usagi turned to look at her then with her luminous gaze.

 

 

“I'm sure we can help her find them! Right, Jaken-sama? …Kohaku?”

 

 

“Um. I guess we could try” the older boy answered, not wanting to spoil the younger child's spirits as the young woman was staring, whereas the toad, still very much in shock, just snorted because he didn't know very well what to say.

 

 

“Thank you… That's so very kind of you all” she gave a sigh to control her growingly shaken voice and her desire to reach out and once again hold the little girl to her tight “but I think… I think they're already…” she lowered her head down so that her bangs ended covering her face from everyone's sight “…gone…”

 

 

“Oh” Rin repeated with a sad look.

 

 

“Then, you are just like Rin and I, Usagi-san” the young slayer said as if confirming his suspicions.

 

 

“Ah!?” her head rose to look at him “You mean, that you too…?”

 

 

Rin nodded sadly “He no longer has his Pa, Ma and family, either, and for a long time, he didn't even remember them” she didn't notice the way Usagi's eyes got wide, but Kohaku did.

 

 

“Oh…I'm so sorry…I think… I think I know what that feels like…” she offered him with a resigned and unhappy smile, and Kohaku couldn't help but feel she was talking from personal knowledge. Hence, he asked.

 

 

“H-how?”

 

 

“The last time I met you, guys; the first time I talked to Rin… I actually didn't even know who I was…” she said with a mix of concession and defeat. These two children were being so nice to her; they made her feel so at ease…

 

 

There was no point in hiding absolutely everything from them all, was it?

 

 

“REALLY!?” shocked, the two children said at the same time.

 

 

“That is a lie, woman! You told young Rin here your name, didn't you?” the toad intervened in a protest.

 

 

`Indeed' was Sesshoumaru's inner muse.

 

 

The blonde nodded. “That is right. All I knew was what some youkai friends had told me: that they'd found me passed out one day, and when I woke up I had no memory, and they didn't know where I'd come from. They took me in… and gave me a name”

 

 

`…Now that I think about it, how did Niraya-sama ever come up with the idea to call me `Usagi'?' she silently wondered to herself.

 

 

“Oh…Usagi-san, so you remember who you are now?” the little girl asked her with great inquisitiveness.

 

 

“A bit; some details here and there, but I don't think it's nearly enough to assure I've remembered all of my life. Everything's still so mixed up, and my memory is just so blurred. It's…still too painful…to remember. Because I know there is almost no one, nothing left, of the life I used to have” she said with undisguised grief.

 

 

“I- I know what that feels like” the young taijiya hesitated in an echo of her previous words, which made the blonde give him a somewhat bittersweet sympathetic smile of camaraderie, which he found himself returning..

 

 

“Those friends of yours who are youkai, was that person who was with you yesterday one of them?” Rin wanted to know more.

 

 

“Yes, his name is Aku”

 

 

“He…he seemed to really care about you, Usagi-san” the taijiya boy said with his own grin, feeling now more comfortable around her.

 

 

“He is a very special friend. I think he does”

 

 

“So you are not alone anymore, Usagi-san…” Rin turned to look up at her as with a beam “And perhaps, if Sesshoumaru-sama agrees… and if you want to, may be… may be you could even stay for a while with us!” the look of understanding discreetly turned to an eager, hopeful one.

 

 

“WHAT!” the green retainer tried to holler, but it was so subdued by his own surprised squawk that they didn't even hear it.

 

 

The statement from the small child had made the blonde's stare fill with tenderness. It was then that, above little Rin's head, her gaze suddenly met up with the distant one of Sesshoumaru's, who was watching them from his far away position against the tree.

 

 

What surprised the Demon Lord, though, was that even when her stare had become a bit bright and heavy with inner sorrow, he thought he noticed the determination, doubt and tenderness still inside piled hard against each other, battling.

 

 

“I would love to” the blonde said as her blue eyes still met his sunlit ones “…but I'm afraid that, when this is all over, I will have to go back”

 

 

`To where?' was the question in everyone's minds.

 

 

They all fell silent after that.

 

 

As for Sesshoumaru…he was trying to decipher why her statement had left him even more intrigued…and not quite as satisfied as he would have wanted.

 

 

To Be Continued.

 

 

A/N: Another chapter that needs your kind opinion… it seems like it gets harder to write the more I get into the story, heh. (author sweatdrops)