InuYasha Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Breathless ❯ Doubt ( Chapter 61 )

Disclaimer: Naoko Takeuchi owns Sailor Moon, and Inuyasha is owned by Takahashi Rumiko. They created these manga/anime and they're the rightful owners, not me.

 

 

Chapter Sixty.

 

 

`Doubt'

 

 

He still hadn't figured out the reason why her discussing his personal care with Rin had made him so perturbed; was it the chance that someone his Father supposedly `approved of' would find a reason to laugh at him? He didn't need any more potential reasons to imagine his father frowning upon him if he were still alive, than those he already had in mind.

 

 

It was a potential reason and a very stupid potential reason at that; but was it enough to unsettle him?

 

 

He didn't know why he had cared for her opinion to the point of almost blushing. That is, if you actually thought he was capable of it. After all, it wasn't something he normally did. A trick of the light, a weird coincidence… not unlike those when pebbles happened to be in his hand whenever Jaken got his noggin conked by another.

 

 

But we all knew girls and pebbles didn't just as frequently mix.

 

 

…Just may be.

 

 

Sesshoumaru, though, didn't stop to think that if it'd been someone else who'd attempted to laugh at him, for example Inuyasha, someone who'd been also apparently “approved” by his father enough to receive Tetsusaiga, then he wouldn't have been merely unnerved; he would've been a lot more than just irritated, and his reaction would've been perhaps not as `passive'… he certainly didn't stop to think that when she `did' in fact laugh after all, he didn't feel offended, or as much annoyed, or demoralized; he might've wanted to reflect on this a bit further.

 

 

As it was, to get in his thoughts for real, Sesshoumaru knew what he was doing possessed no logic to it at all: to let the girl go, even force her to leave before he got, just when it was so close at hand --for she'd promised to give it and he needed only to ask it, for he doubted she would once again go back on her word--; to let her go now was like wasting the opportunity to find the final answer to the riddle…and one of his devices to force Naraku to confront him.

 

 

…Throwing his chance in the wind for such a fickle thing like a vision.

 

 

…Was he truly doing the right thing?

 

 

She'd already shown she possessed great powers; if they were what Naraku was after, and the girl left, would the vile hanyou still come for the young taijiya?

 

 

He could be making a great mistake.

 

 

So… why was he allowing her games to get to him? This wasn't very smart. He knew this.

 

 

Yet… he couldn't take his words back now; he couldn't bare her presence a day longer… she was confusing him, she played tricks with his mind. It did not make a difference whether was not aware of it or was doing it on purpose: her presence was distracting; he'd confirmed this two nights ago when not even the flight in his true form under the light of the moon had made him get hold a clear mind. It intervened with his reasoning and he didn't have the time to make it or her stop; he had other things to care about.

 

 

She confounded his mind, yet she was the key to lure both Naraku and that `Shishinki' masked youkai… she was both an asset and an obstruction to his goals.

 

 

Once again, the very epitome of controversy. He knew that, in a way, he had acted on impulse…

 

 

…That his reaction was somehow out of proportion…

 

 

…Why had it been so out of proportion?

 

 

…Why had he lost control of himself that way?

 

 

He'd made a decision, but he was no longer sure whether it was a very good one.

 

 

Only the day after, and he'd already begun to doubt himself.

 

 

---

 

 

“Well, it was long overdue, if you ask me” the green toad known as Jaken told the two human children, with a genuine display of wonder and mumbling, as they all sat down for lunch. It was just the three of them and the dragon, since his Lord and the older human female were not present. “It was a wonder she lasted with us as long as she did”

 

 

“I still can't understand why he did it though” Kohaku murmured frowning. “With the sole exception of that time two days ago when she ran off to help the people of her village, her behavior was quite good… she wasn't disrespectful… Mister Jaken,” the boy raised his eyes to look a bit fearfully at the green youkai, “do you think Sesshoumaru-sama will also want to make me leave soon?”

 

 

“Don't be ridiculous,” the servant snapped “that'd be the same as handing the last jewel shard over to Naraku… That won't happen”

 

 

“Oh”

 

 

“It's unfair though…” Rin said, a bit depressed. “Once awake, she was only with us for three days…”

 

 

“…Rin…” the young taijiya looked at the small child sensing how she felt.

 

 

“It's just… she was so nice, I'd really begun to like her” The little girl's head was bowed so much that her face was hidden by her hair.

 

 

“I know” Kohaku said to her with sympathy. “However, we can't go against the wishes of Sesshoumaru-sama… he protects all of us… He must've had a good reason, Rin”

 

 

“Do you really think so? Sesshoumaru-sama… I thought he liked her” Rin told them in a wistful whisper as she lifted her head, looking at the two of them with question.

 

 

“Eh…?!” Kohaku's eyes widened for the fragment of a second, before turned a bit red and frowned, smiling with incredulity. “You're just a kid, Rin, you can't possibly know what you're talking about”

 

 

He laughed a bit for good measure. The little girl only blinked at him.

 

 

“Huh?”

 

 

She turned to the servant demon. “Master Jaken, don't you think Lord Sesshoumaru liked Usagi-san as well?” she asked in all her childlike innocence. The toad grew furious.

 

 

“That's the stupidest thing I've heard!”

 

 

“Huh…? But why? Jaken-sam—”

 

 

“Grrr, forget it! Why don't you and the taijiya boy go now to collect our stuff for when Milord comes back? The woman will eventually finish with her bath and that human settlement she said she came from wasn't that too far away; once they're back from the hot springs it shouldn't take him long to escort the woman back to her village… You should take this chance and make yourself useful!”

 

 

“…Eh?” Rin blinked again; she could not understand what she'd done or said to make the retainer now so angry. “Jaken-sama, I don't understand...--”

 

 

“Leave it be, Rin” Kohaku told her then, getting up from the ground and taking the little girl's arm to help her up. “This is their business. We shouldn't interfere…”

 

 

And with that, and despite the little girl's protests, he took her away from there in the direction of the dragon to collect all their stuff.

 

 

The green retainer watched them go with narrowed eyes.

 

 

“As much as I'd like to deny it” he muttered to himself, “I can't help but admit I've thought the same some times… These two… they're just children; whereas her… she's no child. She looks sometimes even otherworldly… it wasn't the same as when Lord Sesshoumaru let Rin and Kohaku join in our group; it just wasn't. It was all the better that he sent her on her way before it got any worse or any of the rest of us could truly get attached”

 

 

---

 

 

 

“I have a feeling… something's going to happen,” Hitomiko muttered to herself as she looked up at the clear blue sky.

 

 

It was a fine day. Too beautiful.

 

 

Skies shouldn't look like this two days after a massacre had happened.

 

 

It had been too days since the massacre; a bit more than twenty four hours since the night they'd stumbled upon this scorched township. Finally, the elderly priestess Hitomiko was tending too had recovered consciousness.

 

 

She hadn't said much though.

 

 

Flashback

 

 

“Kaede-sama, Kaede-sama… are you alright, can you hear me? Do you hear my voice?” the younger priestess asked with concern as she leaned over the wounded. She'd seen her toss and turn a few moments ago and everything gave the indication she was going to wake up.

 

 

The older woman moaned before finally opening her eyes, giving the impression for a moment that she didn't know where she was. She blinked a couple of times and gazed around her before her eyes came to rest on Hitomiko.

 

 

“Who are you?”

 

 

“I am Priestess Hitomiko, Lady Kaede. I've been treating the venom in your wounds for the last two days; the people of your community asked me to. Your village had suffered a tremendous youkai attack, Kaede-sama… Do you remember?”

 

 

“Oh. I… I remember” the older priestess tiredly put a hand to her temple, her lips in a thin line as she struggled with a great emotion. Hitomiko could guess it was powerlessness. “How… how are the people? Is it… is it too bad?” she asked this warily and with the eased acceptance of someone who lived in a world where humanity co-existed with these everyday supernatural menaces.

 

 

This was when Hitomiko frowned. This woman knew something.

 

 

“No… surprisingly enough, most of them are alive… It was only some wounded that unfortunately died from their wounds a lot of time after the demons had already left the town alone. But the rest of them… they're all miraculously alright,” Hitomiko decided to leave the details for later. Kaede-sama…are you feeling okay? Is your wound hurting?”

 

 

“A little bit, I'm afraid… but I also suppose it can't be helped” the elderly woman wearily said as she put a hand to her shoulder, smiling at the younger one gratefully. “Still, what's most important is my people's wellbeing. I thank you greatly for what you've done”

 

 

“Yes,” Hitomiko smiled back understandingly “it can't be helped that the wound will probably still hurt in the next few days… though it's already begun to get better. Lady Kaede, do you mind if I ask you a question?” she then became serious. “How `did' you get that venomous wound? Was it during the assault?”

 

 

Kaede's face became grim. She appeared to hesitate for a few seconds before answering. “No… it was before that. One of the youkai got me alone, he… he told me what was going to happen to the village, before he poisoned me. He…,” she fidgeted with her hands “he's a youkai I've known and been enemies with for a long time”

 

 

“Oh…” Hitomiko looked at her surprised “Do you think he was the one to organize the demons assaulting your community?”

 

 

“I am sure of it, he has a great hatred for a member of my family” This time, the old lady's voice became thicker with the deep emotion. “This is… it was all my fault; Naraku was after someone I know, but she wasn't here at the village. I couldn't tell her where she was so he sent his minions to hurt everyone…” she explained bitterly, then looked at the younger miko. “How is it you're here, Lady Hitomiko, if you don't mind my asking?” she looked at the younger woman curiously.

 

 

“I was traveling with a group of monks… I happen to know their master from long ago, he was having his entourage escort me back to my own village after my visit to some relatives in another town. It was during our travel that we came across this place a while after what had occurred with the monsters” Hitomiko frowned, noticing the subtle change of subject.

 

 

Still, if this older priestess didn't want to confide in her, Hitomiko felt she didn't have the right to pry; besides, the old woman had already suffered enough and was still too weak to keep answering questions, so the young miko decided to leave her alone and let her rest for now.

 

 

End flashback

 

 

However, despite the fact that Kaede's explanation had been enough for Hitomiko, it hadn't been at first for Lord Monk Ungai. Once he'd heard earlier that morning that the local priestess had awakened, he'd gone to see her to her hut and described the entire situation to her. He had told her of the three individuals who'd been seen nearby right after the attack and calmly explained how he thought it was utmost important that they knew what they were dealing with, for one of these monsters, a Taiyoukai by the name of Sesshoumaru, had once bewitched a little girl and taken her away.

 

 

Lady Kaede's eyes had visibly widened in shock at this, hence Hitomiko had a feeling she'd already heard that name. Indeed Kaede explained to them then she'd already heard of this Taiyoukai and from what she'd heard she could assure them this demon had nothing to do with Naraku's show of aggression, for this demon didn't care for the dark hanyou and did not preoccupy himself with humans enough to hurt them, unless they purposely got in his way.

 

 

Had that been enough to ease the stoic monk's concerns, though? Hitomiko couldn't tell, for the man had gone to meditate not long afterward.

 

 

Thus, Hitomiko found herself doing something sort of the same now: she was going to take a walk by herself in the nearby forest, and let the wooing echoes and beauties of Nature calm her recently stressed senses.

 

 

Initially, she had thought she wasn't going to go that far…

 

 

To Be Continued.

 

 

A/N: I edited the previous chapter a bit because I didn't like some parts… You don't NEED to read it again to understand this chapter, though. The changes aren't substantial to the general plot, just the characterization. Messing with their characterization, their MANGA characterization, was something I vowed to avoid doing as much as I could, that's why this story's been getting so long: to make it plausible by standards of correct characterization… I hope you guys appreciate the effort… trying to think like them all the time while writing sometimes starts making me feel like I have a split personality…

 

 

Okay, I will stop whining now. T_T (cries at her fans' lack of appreciation)

 

 

Just kidding… XD

 

 

Anyway, please don't forget to share with me your thoughts!