InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Blue Anshan ❯ Unexpected 2 - The New Direction ( Chapter 20 )

The Blue Anshan

By Alesyira

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho are not mine. I made a few OCs to fill in my gaps.

Summary: News of death had spread far and wide. There are questions, but not many answers.

Chapter Rating: T.

Arc 3 - Unexpected 2 - The New Direction

1525-1526

I spent much of the next few months sleeping my time away in the mogura dens, tended by a few people that reminded me of home. I couldn't be sure who anyone was during the time I spent recovering, but there were only scents that were familiar to me.

My senses eventually started functioning clearly enough to make out the differences in people, and I was surprised to see both Kuusai and Hu hovering over me.

Kuusai was… well, apologetic could be a bit of an understatement. "I've been wearing a path around there for the last seven years. Didn't want any scavengers to dig you up. Never thought you'd dig yourself up in between my visits."

He absolutely could not believe that I hadn't been dead as dirt when he'd found me in that battlefield. There had been no sign of life. No motion. No breath. No heartbeat. He did mention that I hadn't started turning into a rotting mess like the half-melted remains of the black miko, but he had incorrectly assumed a number of reasons that could explain that, except me not being dead.

"You told me you didn't need me to hold your hand," Hu chastised. She placed her hand on my shoulder and pushed a steady stream of her energy through me as Kuusai checked the progress of the still-healing wound in my torso. Her sunshine warmth made me smile for the first time in what had apparently been years. She sighed and said she wasn't surprised that yet another weird thing had happened in my life. "Too bad you did not get another tail from it, though."

Kuusai joked that I had probably dragged my trailing guts through every filthy thing possible while wandering through the forest, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been walking around with my insides dangling on the outside.

I paused and considered that for a moment.

I was right, wasn't I? Surely, I wouldn't have done such a reckless thing and risk infection or further injury…?

Maybe I looked a little too pale and horrified at the thought. Kuusai was quick to assure me that it wasn't actually the case. I had been in terrible shape, though, when he'd found me after I'd dug myself out.

He'd been traveling to my grave every new moon to do whatever mourners do: flowers, prayers, incense. Loyal fellow.

He just couldn't stay put. Something had nudged him to leave the mogura dens. Travel. See the world. He couldn't quite bring himself to cross to the mainland, so he kept returning to the clearing to try and understand what it was that he wanted.

What the strange wanderlust had meant.

About a year after he'd buried me, he'd finally crossed paths with Hu.

She laughed and bit her lip as she told me briefly of that first meeting, and how shocked he'd been to have a strange female unexpectedly tackle him in the middle of the woods. "He no longer resembles the human he once was, but I still knew him on sight." She brushed her hand over his face with a joyous smile, and he leaned into her touch. "I am not surprised that his sight is now so sensitive that he cannot bear to have his eyes exposed to the light of day." She smiled ruefully and then winked at me, "but he is still just as responsive to my magic."

Kuusai cleared his throat and, even in the dim red light of the room where I'd been recovering, I noticed his face darken with embarrassment.

When I recovered enough to travel home, Hu and Kuusai refused to allow me to head out on my own because they were convinced I'd no doubt run into another dangerous situation.

Which, of course, I did (in a manner of speaking).

Word had inevitably spread of my "death", and as we traveled, a scout spotted me with two strangers heading toward Inuyasha's Forest. After having dealt with more than their fair share of impostors, reincarnations, and reanimated corpses, I guess no one wanted to take any chances.

Sesshoumaru himself dealt with the disturbance.

That was a little awkward. I let Kuusai try and explain himself, because I had zero answers as to what had really happened. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the story, looked me up and down, then ordered me to follow him.

One does not argue with an order from Sesshoumaru-sama.

Kuusai and Hu accompanied me for the days-long journey to Sesshoumaru's keep, a sprawling series of simple structures surrounded by a small community.

I was still thin and weak. The journey took up more of my energy reserves than I thought it would. I didn't really have the mindset to absorb what I saw.

Someone brought me to a room.

I slept.

Time passed.

miko

"Shippo-sama?" A very quiet feminine voice whispered from some distance away.

I hummed a response, barely on the edge of sleep. I'm not sure how long I had rested, but I felt better. I heard the gentle scrape of a wooden door being slid open and soft footfalls approaching my side. "I have brought some tea and soup for you, Shippo-sama, if you'd like them."

"Just Shippo," I corrected, rolling onto my side to squint at the female. Something about her seemed familiar. Dark brown hair and grey eyes. Human. She set the tray down on a nearby table and then touched the back of her fingers to my forehead to check my temperature. A tiny spark of holy energy zipped through me. Kagome's magic warmed in my chest and I gasped in surprise, feeling much more awake than I had in weeks.

She clapped her hands to her mouth. "Oh! I'm sorry, are you ok?"

That cute widening of her eyes clicked the memory into place. "Hisako?"

She smiled and nodded, pleased that I'd remembered her name.

"What are you doing… here? Where am I?" I looked around, not recognizing the room.

"You're a guest of Sesshoumaru-sama. He requested my presence to help with your recovery."

I blinked at her. She wasn't a teenager anymore.

I'd forgotten how quickly humans grow up.

I'd forgotten how long I'd been… away.

I managed half a smile. "So, you ready for that kiss, now?"

She giggled, "No. You are to rest. No mischief. Orders from Sesshoumaru-sama."

I didn't have the energy to be disappointed, and she knew it.

Hu and Kuusai had only stayed long enough to ascertain that I was in good hands. I didn't blame them. Those two would probably keep themselves entertained for the next few decades.

I couldn't wrap my head around the idea that the scrawny teenager I'd befriended decades ago on my first grownup solo outing had turned out to be Hu's reincarnated friend. There was no doubt in his mind, though. It was a small blessing that he had no recollection of his past life and its gruesome end, but from the first moment they'd touched, he'd never wanted to let her go again.

(I was a bit jealous. Or a lot. Very. I was very jealous.)

tea

Hisako handed me a fresh set of clothes and showed me where I could bathe, then escorted me to a quiet room where Sesshoumaru lounged behind a low table covered with carefully stacked papers.

He fingered a cup of steaming tea as he looked me over with a critical eye. "How do you feel?"

I eased myself down onto a cushion and accepted a cup of tea from Hisako before she left us alone. "I'm feeling much better. Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama."

He inclined his head. "You have been missing for seven years. Have you no recollection of what happened?" He sipped his tea as he waited for my answer.

The last thing I remembered was killing, or assuming I'd killed, the black miko. There was nothing between then and when I woke to find a tree growing through me and had to literally dig myself out of trouble. I told him as much, wishing I had something interesting to share. I'm sure he had his ideas, but he didn't look very talkative.

"Your friend showed me where you emerged from the ground." He took another sip of tea and watched me in silence for a few minutes. I nodded a bit ruefully, looking down at my fingers. The skin was no longer paper-dry and translucent. Recovery had been slow, but I felt more like myself every day. "Hisako is here to monitor your progress and also to ensure you haven't been corrupted by an outside influence."

I paused, mid-sip. Is that what he thought had happened? Had I truly been dead and some malevolent force thought to use my reanimated body for some terrible purpose?

I didn't feel any different… aside from being horrendously weak and flimsy, like a mild sneeze could knock me over.

Kami, I hoped I hadn't been resurrected by a bad guy. I was glad he'd taken the precaution. "Thank you, again."

It was all I could say.

When he turned his golden gaze on me again, I had the strong impression of disappointment. He tilted his head slightly to the side and the corners of his mouth turned into the smallest of frowns. I wondered if I imagined it. "While I applaud your initiative to seek out your answers, did you not consider that this Sesshoumaru might have access to information that could prove useful?"

If we'd had this conversation before I'd met Baikal Khan and lived in his community for those ten short years, I probably would have face-palmed for a week straight and still not gotten enough of it. However, I'd learned to value the journey and the experiences gained, so I just politely nodded. "You're right, Sesshoumaru-sama. I hadn't considered your resources. I did not learn what I had hoped, but what I discovered instead was equally valuable."

He nodded once and seemed mollified at my thoughtful answer. I didn't dare dwell on this idea for more than a few seconds, but could he have been worried about me? Surely not.

After our tea was gone and the cups had been collected, he tapped on his table twice and a messenger appeared. He handed a folded note to the youkai, who bowed and left as quickly as he'd come.

"The messenger will send inquiries. You will stay and recover, and I would hear of what you learned from the mainland." This was a pretty fair trade. I had quite a few interesting tales to tell.

Over the next few weeks I gave him an accounting of places I'd been and the people I'd met. He was most interested in hearing about Baikal Khan and his community past the North Sea, especially the role that his imaginative daughter had played in helping me gain a greater grasp of my capabilities.

I spent the time between storytelling sessions loitering in and around the taiyoukai's keep. This felt rather like the time I'd twiddled my thumbs underground, waiting to hear those silly stories from the mogura matron decades ago. At least this time there was far less embellishment, because Sesshoumaru could tell when my stories veered away from the truth and the snap of his youki reminded me to stick to the details.

Now that I had the energy to wander outside again, I had discovered that the community around Sesshoumaru's keep was reminiscent of what I'd seen in the khan's domain, although there were fewer humans and much younger hanyou present.

Maybe Sesshoumaru's open adoption of the little girl Rin had been what pushed the local acceptance between humans and youkai. I knew not every place held this level of peaceful balance, but I hoped it would spread. Rin's hanyou children were perfectly well behaved while within sight of the lord, but crazy quick little troublemakers as soon as they thought no one could see them. Oh, the things I would teach them as soon as I could keep up again. (Kitsune plotting: commenced.)

I wondered idly who might win in a fight: Sesshoumaru as a humongous acid-drooling canine or Baikal as a towering water dragon. Baikal might feel more intimidating, especially after watching him chew on Erdene, but I'd seen Sesshoumaru in a fight.

It was hard to be certain that either of them were actually scary to those who knew and trusted them, but I really hoped to be present the day they ended up meeting.

cousin

Barely past dawn on what would be a very warm summer day, I sat beneath the branches of a wide tree, leaning sideways against the rough bark with my eyes closed. I hadn't tried this since I'd awoken, but it was time. I reached out to the green things and gifted tiny brushes of my ki, smiling at the warmth that echoed back to me from each life I'd touched.

"There are better ways to regenerate your energy, little cousin."

I turned to peer over my shoulder at the unfamiliar voice. Sesshoumaru stood next to a youkai male I'd never seen before, with tall kitsune ears poking up from his long, wild silver hair and bright golden eyes. I couldn't help but glance between the two males to note the very slight differences in their coloration and height. I had a brief pang of nostalgia wondering if Inuyasha might have eventually gotten that tall. Silver hair, fuzzy ears, golden eyes. They would have made quite the pair.

I sighed and stood, forcing away the memories. Wouldn't do me any good to dwell on losses right now.

I stepped toward the stranger and nodded. "Sure, I could go stand in some fire, but it's not as relaxing. You seem to know who I am, but I'm afraid I don't recognize you. Have we met?"

The stranger tilted his head as he looked me over, then glanced at Sesshoumaru. "You were right." He got no response, because of course the inu-taiyoukai was right. (About me, though? I might never know what had been said, but they're probably wrong. I'm special.) "Youko Kurama, at your service." He gave a little bow, but the curl of his lips clearly showed he was not actually at my service.

The name was vaguely familiar. This was thieving cousin from my mother's stories?

"I understand you're looking to reconnect with distant family."

I nodded. "Had some questions about life in general, and finding this stuff out on my own has probably been more painful than it needed to be."

Youko smirked. "Growing up is painful for everyone, even when you have the answers."

This seemed very likely to be true. "It would be nice to know what I'm looking for instead of stumbling into the knowledge at really bad times."

He nodded. "We are not blood relatives, and your mother's cousin is no longer amongst the living, but there are undoubtedly answers to be found where I spent much of my youth. When you have recovered your strength, I will escort you."

This sounded promising. I didn't want to seem ungrateful, but I wondered why someone with such a reputation as his would bother with me. Our familial connection was tenuous at best.

He must have spotted the suspicion on my face, because he indulged me with a single explanation. "I like a good puzzle."