InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Light in Guiding Darkness ❯ A Lone Survivor of the House of the Moon ( Chapter 14 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Striking Falcon 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Romance / Fantasy / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.09.2005 | Updated On: 01.09.2005 | Pages: 7 | Words: 9.5K | Visits: 480 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Romance / Fantasy / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.09.2005 | Updated On: 01.09.2005 | Pages: 7 | Words: 9.5K | Visits: 480 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: Ok, I don't own it. So there. Oh, and for those that have asked about Kagome and Kira in the last chapter...I'm not entirely sure. I mean, with Sesshou yeah he has to have the sword in his hands. But Kagome's not Sesshou and she's not a youkai. There's really no telling why the sword acts the way it does. We should expect almost anything. After all, the girl can see and converse with the dead. The unexpected is just par for the course.
Chapter Fourteen: A Lone Survivor of the House of the Moon/ Sesshoumaru's Revelation
I
Naraku walked down the hallway to Kikyou's room, fully intent to see about his little pet as the sound of her humming fluttered down the hallway. He opened the door to her room and stepped inside the threshold. She stood in front of a new mirror, this one silver with blood red rubies encrusted on the golden gilded frame.
Kikyou gazed into the mirror's surface, her eyes narrowed slightly but a content smile on her face as she threaded some wooden beads onto an invisible string.
"Koshii," Naraku whispered in her ear as he hugged her from behind. "What are you doing?"
"Good evening Naraku," Kikyou replied as she casually patted his hand. "And how is my lord this evening?"
"I'm doing well," Naraku answered with a smile and a fanged kiss to her neck. "How is the mirror I gave you?"
"It's working," Kikyou muttered with a slight frown. "But not in the way I want."
"Oh, is that so?" Naraku sat down in a chair near her, crossed one ankle over his knee and waited. "What is it doing?"
"It's not showing the miko at all," Kikyou replied and palmed the beads in her hand. "But it is showing where she's been."
"Really? How so?"
"See here." Kikyou gestured toward the mirror and waited until Naraku was beside her to continue. "The little pink dots are where she has been. It doesn't show where she's going."
"And how do you know this is her?" Naraku inquired.
"Its the energy she leaves behind," Kikyou answered as she pointed to one of the circles. "See, in some places it's pink, meaning she's purified something. In other places its blue, meaning she's healed someone. Sometimes there's a youki with her-"
"Youki?" Naraku interrupted. "What youki?"
"Well, one I assume is her companion. That is the one that starts here." She pointed to an area with both pink and green dots. "But then there's this one, which started not long after Inuyasha's battle with her."
"Where is Inuyasha's youki?"
"Right...here." She pointed to a purple dot with a red dot beside it and a golden dot overlapping the purple. "The red is Inuyasha but I don't know what the golden one is."
"Hmmm..." Naraku rubbed his chin thoughtfully, the golden dot on the mirror's surface reminding him of something...but he couldn't figure out what. "So, how many times has the golden dot appeared?"
"Only twice so far," Kikyou answered. "Once when Inuyasha fought her, and again four nights ago. It was combined with her blue ki."
"So...she used her healing ability in Kyoto, but used something different on Inuyasha. What is the purple anyway?"
"I...don't know," Kikyou admitted with a grimace and a flash of fangs. "I...never got that far in my studies."
"So she's more powerful than you," Naraku guessed and grinned when Kikyou snarled.
"Not possible," she denied angrily. "She's just a child!"
"If you say so my love," Naraku chuckled darkly. "I'm afraid I can no longer stay and chat with you," he said as he made his way out of her chambers. "I will see you later on, correct?"
"Hai," Kikyou nodded. "As you wish my lord." She bowed respectfully as he left, her eyes immediately glowing a fierce black when she no longer detected his presence. "I must get rid of the girl," she whispered as she tapped the mirror's surface. Her fingers sank into the glass surface, becoming the texture of thin pudding as she swirled her fingers into intricate patterns.
"Seek the miko my pets," Kikyou whispered into the mirror. "Seek her out and destroy her, and all that are with her. I want her blood to fall on the four territories like so much snow..."
II
Kagome glanced back at her traveling companions, her heart leaping happily at Kaede as she watched her talk to Shippou and Miroku. Sango floated alongside him and Kirara ran between Miroku and Kaede's feet. They looked like a happy little group...until Kagome glanced farther back.
Aragon walked along behind everyone else, his gaze thoughtful in the early afternoon sunlight as he stared off into forests as deep a green as his eyes. He looked so alone back there, and Kagome's heart went out to him. 'Why are the others treating him like this?' she asked Raphael as she continued onward toward the south.
'They don't understand him,' Raphael answered with a sigh. 'To them, he's little more than the enemy, someone who can't be trusted. They don't know that he's saved your life once already, and that he's the one that left Shippou with you, though his reasons for that are still questionable. I'm sure that once they get to know him, they'll come to respect him just as much as you do.'
'Well until then...' Kagome allowed the others to walk past her, her feet trudging through the thick grass as she waited for Aragon to appear at her side. "Konnichi'wa Aragon-san. How's you're afternoon going?"
"As well as to be expected Chorizon," he answered with a wry smile. "You're friends do not trust me."
"Yeah, I know," Kagome sighed as she glanced away in shame. "They just don't understand you, that's all. I'm sure they'll come to like you soon."
"I'm sure of it as well. Don't worry over it." Aragon leaned over, his face hovering a few inches from hers to get her attention. He gave her a gentle smile, one Kagome gladly returned before grasping his clawed hand and swinging it between them. Aragon stammered at the contact, unused to such friendly treatment after centuries without it.
"Chorizon, I-"
"Let's be friends, ok Aragon-kun?"
He merely watched her for a moment, his confusion evident on his face as she skipped alongside him. "Um...alright then," he relented with a shaky nod. "If you insist. What of your comrades"
"Don't worry. You guys will be friends soon. You'll see!"
'Such a strange woman,' Aragon mused as they continued onward. He ignored the untrusting looks Kaede and Shippou gave him in favor of the wary acceptance in Miroku's eyes. 'Her companions obviously don't trust me, so what makes her so sure I won't fly away with her and simply end her life? She is too trusting...and that may be what draws me to her side...'
"Where the fuck are we going anyway Kagome?" Shippou called back irritably. "We've been going south for at least four days and you haven't said a word. What's the deal?"
"I find myself agreeing with Shippou," Miroku said with a glare toward the young kitsune. "Even if I do not agree with his use of language."
"Whatever man," Shippou brushed aside. "Seriously though, just where are we going?"
"I don't...know if I can tell you guys yet," Kagome answered quietly. They stopped at this, the uncertainty and worry in the young miko's voice giving the others cause for concern.
"What do you mean you don't know if you can tell us?" Shippou demanded. "You mean you don't know?"
"She does know," Miroku answered, his staff against his breast with his arms crossed over it. "She said she doesn't believe if she can tell us, not that she doesn't know."
"Why not?" Kaede asked as she placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "You know you can tell us anything. Why try to keep it a secret?"
"I bet it's got something to do with the bloodsucker over there," Shippou commented with a finger pointed toward Aragon. "He's probably got a spell on her or something that keeps her from telling us."
"What?" Kagome cried out in disbelief as Kaede shot Aragon a dirty look. "Are you serious? He just started traveling with us a few days ago! I've been with you the longest!"
"Yeah well," Shippou stammered as he scratched the back of his head. "I wouldn't do that kind of thing."
"And neither would he!" Kagome zealously defended. "I trust Aragon, and you guys are just going to have to accept that! I'm sorry if you don't understand-"
"Because we sure as hell don't," Shippou mumbled under his breath.
"But you guys are going to have to get used to the fact that he's with us now!"
"But for how long?" Kaede asked, her eyes soft and sympathetic as she grasped Kagome's free hand. "Vampires aren't known for their loyalty toward mortals. What makes you sure he doesn't want you dead? He might already know what you're doing and be trying to stop you."
"I assure you Slayer," Aragon interrupted as he leaned back on a nearby tree. "I haven't the slightest idea what your sister's mission is. All I know is that the vampire shogun, and the new Emperor of the world, wants our little Chorizon for his own. The only reason he hasn't found her is because of this." He pulled an amulet from inside his shirt, the black onyx stones glistening in the sunlight.
"What's that?" Kaede asked. She raised a hand to touch it, but stopped and glanced up at Aragon. He readily handed it to her, making sure to keep it around his neck as she inspected the stones and the blood writing on the back of the large black stone set in gold leaf. "What is this?"
"It's an aura dampener."
Everyone, including Aragon, turned to Miroku as he sat in the middle of the pathway, his staff in his lap and his eyes closed in thought. 'He looks so wise,' Kagome thought as Sango sat beside him. 'This must be the way he was when he was with her,' she thought as the apparition's eyes watered.
"He was just like this," Sango said to Kagome as she continued to stare at the blacksmith. "He was so wise...for a pervert that is."
Kagome snickered at that one, earning more than a few strange looks from the others before Miroku continued. "The writing on the back of the main stone is a protection spell. It keeps him from being sensed by enchanted mirrors and tracking spells."
"Just how do you know this Miroku-sama?" Aragon asked as Kaede returned the amulet to him. "You yourself said you've had no houshi's training."
"I..." Miroku's brow creased in worry, the index finger and thumb of his right hand stroking different sides of his chin as he answered him. "I don't know," he finally admitted. "I hadn't a clue as to what it was, then I felt like something inside me flipped on and 'poof', there it was."
"He's remembering his past life," Sango told Kagome as she and Miroku stood up. "I don't think that's a good thing."
Kagome opened her mouth to ask why when she remembered the others. She stored the question for another day and turned to Aragon, who was currently gesturing to her to take something from her pocket.
"Come now Chorizon," he said as Kaede and the others stared at her. "Show them what I gave you."
"You mean this?" Kagome reached inside her top for a black ribbon and dangled it in front of her. Kaede reached for this too, and was seconds from touching it when Aragon shook his head in disapproval.
"Don't let go of it," he told her, then directed her to return it to her hiding place. "That stone prevents Naraku from finding her by aura."
"Naraku," Shippou growled suddenly, his hands in tight fists that bled from the abuse. "You're working for him."
Aragon shook his head while Kagome set to work bandaging his hand. "If I were, she would not be here. As I said earlier, I don't know what her plan is or where she's going. All I know is that Naraku-sama wants her..." His eyes flashed blue suddenly, ignoring the others as they went for their weapons and surrounded Kagome.
"Right now, I'm all that's keeping her from him."
"I'm sure," Kaede said, her sword unsheathed and pointed in his direction. "You stay away from my sister."
"Again, if you guys would stop!" Kagome said as she pushed her way toward the front of her 'protection'. "He's not going to hurt me! Weren't you guys listening?!"
"He knows what your doing Kagome," Shippou protested. "He's here to stop you!"
"How can he know huh?!" Kagome yelled, her patience finally snapped in two. "How can he know when I HAVEN'T TOLD ANYONE YET?!!!!"
"Then I'm right," Miroku said as he motioned for Kaede and Shippou to lower their defenses. "You do know, don't you?"
Kagome hung her head, her hands clasped in front of her as she nodded miserably.
"Then what is it?" Kaede asked. "What is it you're not telling us? It can't be that bad."
'Raphael?' Kagome called out as the others questioned her. 'What do I do? You said not to tell anyone.'
'Ask them if they're sure they want to know. They can never go back to what they were once they find out about your mission. They either come or they die...but they have the choice to leave you, should they not want to travel with you before finding out. There is too much depending on your success Kagome-sama and you must come to terms with the fact that you may make this journey alone.'
'You're right, as always Raphael,' Kagome thought with a mental sigh. She glanced up at her friends, taking the time to look at each one before clearing her throat. "Before I tell you anything, I want to know if you're coming with me."
"Of course we're coming with you," Kaede said as Shippou huffed in agreement. "What made you think that we weren't?"
"No, that's not what I mean," Kagome said with a shake of her head. "I want to know if you're coming with me for the rest of this journey. I...have to do something, and I don't want you coming if you don't want to."
"What is it?" Miroku asked, his head tilted to his right side in curiosity. "Whatever it is, you can tell us."
"No, I can't." Kagome hung her head and sniffed, tears already in her eyes as the thought of losing her friends weighed heavily on her spirit. "See, I can't tell you anything unless you swear to come with me. Once I tell you..." Kagome sniffed again, and a large tear slipped down her cheek and flashed in the afternoon sunlight.
"Kagome, onegai-"
"Iie," Kagome held up her hand, her eyes closed as she waited for silence. "Once I tell you, you can't leave me. If you change your mind anytime afterward, I'll have to kill you."
Silence met her declaration with nothing but the chirping of the birds from high in the trees to pierce the air before Aragon chuckled. "Now love," he snorted as the others turned and glared at him. "You don't have to worry about harming me."
"Just what does that mean?" Shippou demanded as weapons were drawn once again. Kagome merely stared at him, dual colored irises watching him as Aragon shook his head. "You don't know Kagome, so you don't know what she can do!"
"I promise you fox, I know exactly what the young priestess is capable of," Aragon assured him with a slight grin. "But she doesn't pose a threat to me-"He flinched and stepped back when the air around Kagome shifted, clouds of red and green suddenly surrounding her like wisps of jeweled smoke. The colors fell behind her and took the form of a man, his brown eyes glaring from above her head as great wings of jade and ruby unfurrowed from behind him. The wings folded in front of Kagome protectively, the red tips overlapping in front of her slippered feet as a single hand came to rest on Kagome's shoulder.
Kaede noticed the vampire's wide eyes and glanced at Kagome, who merely stood waiting for him to finish. She turned back to Aragon just as he gave Kagome a deep bow. "My apologies Chorizon," he said as he straightened. "I had no idea who's favor you were in."
"Huh?" Shippou muttered, but received no answer. Aragon watched as the man nodded and slowly disappeared, his narrowed eyes the last to fade as Kagome smiled. "You're fine Aragon-kun. I didn't take offense. Now," here she sobered and glanced from Aragon to Kaede. "What will it be? Are you coming with me or will we part ways here?"
"I'm coming," Kaede said with a strong nod. "I've spent so long looking for you. There's no way I'd leave you now, even if I have to follow you to Hell."
"Thanks nee-chan. Shippou, Miroku, what about you two?"
"Ah hell," Shippou shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do. I've got a good sword and decent food out of this. I'm coming."
"And I will accompany you as well Kagome-sama," Miroku said as he stood up and brushed himself off. "I have a feeling that whatever you're supposed to do is important, both to myself and to others around us. I will be more than happy to follow you."
"Me too!" Sango chirped. "I wouldn't leave you guys alone! Who'd protect you from Miroku's wandering hands?"
Kagome grinned at this, her eyes twinkling merrily as she nodded in acceptance. "And you Aragon?" she asked. "What are you going to do?"
"So long as your plan involves the downfall of Naraku, I am yours to command," Aragon told her with another bow. Kaede snorted in response. "We won't fall for your tricks," she told him. "Don't pretend as if you hate your fellow devils."
"I am a vampire, not a devil," Aragon disagreed. "And yes, I desire the destruction of my own clan for reasons that are my own." Everyone merely shrugged and turned to Kagome, deciding that the DayWalker's reasons would surely be explained in the course of their travels.
"Alright Kagome, what's going on?" Shippou asked as he sat down on the forest floor. "What's the deal?"
"Well, I kinda have to tell you something first," Kagome said as the others sat in a semi-circle around her. "It's...a dream I had before leaving my village."
"Oh come on Kagome," Shippou moaned miserably. "No one wants to hear about a dre-"
"Quiet kit," Kaede snapped. "I want to hear what she has to say." Kaede turned back to Kagome, remembering that as a child any dream Kagome had would have significant meaning.
"Well," Kagome cleared her throat nervously, her fingers twiddling in front of her before a gentle hand rested on her shoulder. 'Do not worry mistress,' Raphael whispered to her. 'Only tell them what you know. They will believe. You will see.'
"I had this dream about five months ago. It started out pretty strange and since I believe that most of it was for me to see, I'll leave out those parts and get to what I want to tell. I need to know if this is true or not, so please be honest with me about anything you know."
"Of course Chorizon," Aragon nodded as he reclined back on his right hand. "Please, continue."
"Alright. Um..." Kagome struggled to remember, her eyes closed as flashes of the dream returned to her like snippets of a b-movie. "I remember seeing a youkai standing on a cliff overlooking a stronghold with a large red castle in the middle. He looked so mad, but his face didn't show it. It was more the look in his eyes, you know? That's what told you what he was feeling.
"He just stood there, staring at this fortress like there was nothing else in the world. All of a sudden the wind started blowing around him. It was kinda calm at first, but it got to be bad. It was like he was standing in the middle of a hurricane but he never flinched. The wind died down just as soon as it started and he kinda stood there again, like he was waiting for something."
'Surely she's not speaking of Tepes' stronghold,' Aragon thought to himself as Kagome continued. 'She wouldn't know of Constantinople's destruction, no less how it came to pass...would she?'
"The vision moved to the fortress itself then," Kagome said, her voice quivering slightly as the others looked on. "I watched as necromancers and sorceresses walked past me, each with spellbooks and torches in their hands. They walked toward a courtyard where-" She sniffed again and choked back a sob as he remembered then raised the back of her hand to her cheek to wipe away the stray tears. "The bodies of children were impaled on long, thick wooden poles. Most were dead but others, others would twitch just a little." Kagome's voice faded and choked on the lump in her throat. "Just enough to know that they still lived, and that their agony was worse than anything I could have imagined."
For the first time in his existence, Aragon felt real and true shame as he watched the priestess cry over those she'd never met, nor would in this lifetime. 'To think,' he thought as he turned away from her and glanced into the woods beyond. 'I had a part in that, and in this. Never would I have imagined how powerful doing nothing could be.'
"The sorcerers began chanting and a powerful protection spell was cast around and above the fortress...strengthened by the suffering of those poor kids. The monsters were so confidant, so uncaring in their work. They didn't care, and neither did Tepes as he came out onto the courtyard.
"It was then that a single spark lit in the middle of the yard, like a candle flame or the birth of a torch. It spread quickly and the walls broke free from each other."
"They moved," Kagome said and shook her head as if she didn't believe the very words coming from her mouth. "They moved as if they were men and the wind howled around them. The wind fed the flames and they danced like demons in the moonlight.
"It was then the protection spell broke, the necromancers too scared to concentrate on the magic. They ran for their lives as the fire swept through the fortress completely out of control. The stone creatures smashed anything in their way and in the madness a giant dog landed in the center of the courtyard."
"A giant dog?" Miroku questioned. "I myself have trouble with that concept Kagome-sama. Ow!" he yelped when a sizable branch fell from the tree above and landed on his head. He rubbed the resulting bump as Sango smirked from above and waved at Kagome from where the branch used to be. Kagome smiled back and if she would have been paying attention she would have noticed that both Aragon and Shippou had paled considerably since her last words.
"A giant...dog?" Aragon repeated. "Please Chorizon, what did this dog look like?"
"Well," Kagome drawled thoughtfully, her right index finger taping her chin as she looked up to the clouds above. "He was white!" Kagome said finally. "He was white, with-"
"Jagged purple streaks on his face?" Shippou asked.
"And a blue crescent moon on his forehead?" Aragon added. He and Shippou glared at each other as Kagome stared at them in surprise. "Yeah," Kagome nodded. "That's it. That's him!"
"Hey, what did he look like in his human form?" Shippou asked. "You know, what did he have on and that kind of stuff?"
"Was it a gi of some sort?" Aragon asked. "All white, with a red hexagonal signal on his left shoulder?"
"Yeah. Hey," Kagome pouted, her fists planted at her sides as she glared down at him. "How do you guys know?"
"I've seen this youkai," Aragon admitted. "Yeah, me too," Shippou said. "How the fuck do you know him?" He winced when Kaede smacked him upside the head and growled at her as Kagome shrugged.
"Like I said, I dreamed this. How do you guys know him?"
"I watched him destroy Constantinople."
"You WHAT?!" the encampment shouted at Aragon in disbelief. He flinched in shock, then settled himself and nodded. "Hai, I was there when he destroyed the capital."
"What happened?" Kagome asked. "What made him so mad?"
Aragon gave a small laugh, the smile on his face more wary than cheerful as he blew up a stray ebony curl. "This youkai and another, a young miko that looked exactly like you, first appeared at least five month ago, long before Constantinople was threatened no less destroyed. One of Tepes' sorceress noticed a strange, but powerful pure aura coming from one of the villages under Tepes' control. He sent out someone to investigate and found the miko. He took the miko from the youkai despite my warnings not to and brought her to Constantinople to be turned.
"He told the inu youkai that if he would surrender and join him, he would return his miko. The youkai sent back the messenger, missing certain key 'appendages'-"
Shippou and Miroku winced and covered their lower selves.
"And said that Tepes' subjects will die by the thousands until the miko was returned, unharmed. Tepes ignored this and the youkai went on a killing spree. He left no village untouched as he followed what I think was the miko's scent to Constantinople."
"Woah," Miroku muttered as Sango finally returned to his side. "Sounds as if this youkai was powerful."
"The most powerful I've ever seen," Aragon admitted with a slight shiver. "He was cold and ruthless. He took no joy in killing, but he did not flinch away from it either."
"Sounds like you're scared," Shippou snorted. Aragon shook his head. "To the contrary young fox. Power such as this deserves to make men wary."
"But what about my dream?" Kagome asked. "Was everything I saw true?"
"Hai, but it hadn't happened quite yet," Aragon nodded. "Before reaching Constantinople, Tepes sent out his human army to stop him. I think he knew they would fail, but he didn't know how badly they would until everything was over. It took less than three ticks to slaughter the entire lot, and it only took two strokes of his swords."
"Nope, that can't be who I'm thinking then," Shippou said. "The youkai I'm thinking of only had two swords and he only used one in battle."
"This one had three," Aragon said. "What of yours?"
"Mine had three as well, but there was one that stayed by his side," Kagome nodded. "What happened Aragon-kun?"
"The battle was over, just as I said. With one sword, he froze the troops on sight. With the other, he shattered their frozen bodies and left their bits in the dust. It was the most horrid thing I've ever seen."
"Yeah, but you come from a place that impaled children," Kaede countered. "You're sense of horror is a little twisted."
"Hai, of that I am aware," Aragon admitted, his head lowered in shame. "Tepes enjoyed the suffering of others, of this I cannot deny. I however could have done without such extremes.
"Afterward, I warned Tepes not to touch the girl, that she would result in our destruction. He did not listen and his fate was sealed at the end of the youkai's blade."
"What about this youkai?" Miroku asked. "What does he have to do with us?"
"Ano, what does the crescent in the middle of his forehead mean?" Kagome asked, and was surprised when Shippou (of all people) answered.
"If it was blue, then it means that he was the taiyoukai of the west," Shippou huffed in answer. "But that's not possible because he's dead."
"I know," Kagome whispered. "And...that's what I plan on correcting."
"Excuse me?" Kaede said as the others leaned forward to hear Kagome better. "Care to run that by us again?"
"That's...what I'm supposed to do," Kagome said as she once again turned to the ground for solace. "I'm supposed to bring him back."
"Bring him back?" Kaede repeated as the others stared at her in shock. "From the dead? Is that possible?"
"I don't know," Kagome shrugged. "I just know that that's what I"m supposed to do-"
"I don't see what the fuck for," Shippou snarled angrily, his eyes narrowed and his hands fisted at his sides. "What's he supposed to do that he couldn't do 500 years ago?"
"Huh? Shipp, what are you talking about?" Kagome asked. She gasped when he growled, the sound deep and guttural as he turned away from her to glare into the woods. "If I had known that that's your mission, I would have told you to go to hell, friend or not," he growled softly, his hands finally unclenching and rivulets of blood trickling from between his fingers.
"You don't know the bastard like I do. He can't help us. We may as well go kill Naraku by ourselves."
"But Shipp-"
"I know, I know," he said with a wave of his hand. "You've got to go get him because some holy power told you to, right?" He sighed at Kagome's nod. "Yeah well, I've got no choice now. I've got to go with you, or you'll purify me."
"I'm sorry Shippou," Kagome whispered as she hugged his shoulders. "I wish there was some other way, but Naraku can't find out. It's the only way to be sure."
"Yeah well, I understand. I roped myself into this and I'm a youkai of my word...unlike some cowards." He brushed her aside and stood up, the others following his example as Kagome gazed up at him.
"Heh. Let's get moving. We've been going the wrong way."
"But Shippou," Kagome interrupted as she pointed in the other direction. "The west is that way."
"Yeah, but the citadel's not that way," Shippou told her as he began to walk southeast. "It's this way. Trust me."
"Hey," Kagome called as she ran to catch up with him. "How do you know where to go?"
"Easy," he replied with a sad smile. "I used to live there." He brushed aside her questioning look as he led the way further into the woods. "Look, let's discuss this later. We've got a lot of ground to cover, and talking is slowing us down."
III
Kagome leaned back in her sleeping bag and watched the stars that peeked through the tree limbs above, her aura spread about as she waited on Aragon and Shippou to return. 'What is taking them so long?' she wondered as a shooting star streaked across the midnight sky. 'I know they have to hunt, but I hope Aragon doesn't have to kill anyone to feed. But...isn't that the only way for him to survive? By killing off others? But that's the way of youkai as well. What if-'
She turned toward the fire and watched as Shippou landed in front of it, Kirara coming to a rest behind him. "Where's the blood drinker?" Shippou asked as he took his place on the other side of the campfire.
"Present," Aragon announced as he fell from the treetops above and landed a few feet in front of Kagome's sleeping bag. "Forgive my tardiness," he growled as he wiped a red smudge away from his lips. "It took longer than necessary."
"I don't see why," Shippou mocked as Kaede grimaced in disgust. "Don't you just kill your victims like any other vampire?"
"I try not to," Aragon admitted with a toss of his head. "I take bits of what I need from numerous people, so they live afterward. They are a little dizzy, but otherwise unaffected."
"But I thought you turned once you were bitten," Kaede said. Aragon shook his head. "Not exactly. That is a part of it, but if the victim isn't infected unless the vampire allows him to drink some of it's blood. In a few days, their wounds will heal over and they'll go about their daily lives without harm."
"That's awfully thoughtful of you," Miroku nodded in approval. "I've never known a vampire so ...generous with his victims."
"Well, I thank you Miroku-san but I'm rather sensitive about my feeding habit," Aragon replied. "Besides, now is not the time to think of such things."
"He's right," Shippou agreed. "We've got a long couple of days ahead of us. It's going to take at least a week and a half to reach Hidalgo Island."
"What's that?" Kagome asked as she reached inside her pack and handed Aragon a spare blanket. He politely declined, and Kagome shrugged and passed it to Kaede. "Just where are we going anyway?"
"We're going to the western citadel, a large island fortress by the name of Hidalgo," Shippou said with a yawn. "That's where we're more likely than not to find out what happened to Sesshoumaru-sama's body."
"You said you lived there?" Kaede remembered. "When? As far as I know, the western lord has been dead for 500 years."
"Yeah, I lived there," Shippou snorted angrily. "And for a while, I was happy. We were all happy before he betrayed us."
"Who?" Kagome asked. "What are you talking about?"
Shippou sighed heavily, his eyes closed as a stray wind blew through his ponytail. "I don't know anything about the inu youkai before him," he began with another sigh. "That was way before I was born, but I do know that the next youkai, Sesshoumaru, became taiyoukai 100 years before I was born. I was born right before the end of the Golden Age, what the time was called before Tepes first set foot on Japan and Naraku first surfaced on the Great Taiyoukai's concerns.
"My otou-san was a general for the western armies, second only to Sesshoumaru-sama himself. My okaa-san was his nursemaid, so that made my family pretty important in the youkai household. I remember being happy then, and playing with other kids that were my age or close to it. There was always a guard protecting us, and there wasn't a safer place in the world than in Sesshoumaru-sama's gardens. We lived ordinary lives, I guess, with our teachings, recitals and play.
"Like all good things though, it ended when I turned twelve, what would be about 6 in human years. That's when Naraku first appeared. I remember my otou-san telling my okaa-san about the hanyou on a crazed power trip, apparently fueled with the Shikon no Tama."
"I've heard of the legendary jewel," Kagome interrupted suddenly. "It was supposed to grant the wish of anyone who possessed it, right?"
Shippou nodded. "Yeah, at least that's the way it went. Anyway, the four tai ignored him, deciding that he was nothing more than an insane youkai that didn't deserve their attention....that is, until he killed the southern and eastern tai's. That's when everything shifted. The then tai of the north, Meharo-sama, and Sesshoumaru-sama chose to divide the lands equally, splitting Japan down the middle into two sections. Meharo-sama became Tai of Upper Japan and Sesshoumaru-sama became Tai of Southern Japan. At that time, Sesshoumaru-sama's younger half brother, Inuyasha, began traveling with two humans in search of Naraku.
"From what I was told, Naraku kidnaped Inuyasha's mate, a powerful miko from what was Edo. The humans and Inuyasha looked for her while Sesshoumaru-sama, my father, and the rest of the army prepared for war. I think it was sometime during then that Tepes first approached Naraku and afterward Naraku turned Inuyasha cause after that Inuyasha just disappeared. Sesshoumaru-sama sent soldiers to look for him, but they never returned. So after a while we thought he was dead, that Naraku had killed him or something.
"That was when Sesshoumaru-sama brought Inuyasha's old traveling companions to Hidalgo. I remember that, because it was the first time I'd ever seen a human," Shippou mused. "One was a onna, obviously a taijia. I remember her best because she gave me candy. The houshi with her I don't remember as well, except I always smelled wind whenever he was around."
"What do you mean?" Miroku asked, his head propped inside his open hand as he scratched Kirara's stomach. "How do you smell wind?"
"You don't exactly smell it," Shippou explained. "It's more like you smell what it's moving. I know it sounds weird, but leaves smell much stronger when the wind blows past them and carries the smell to you than when you're just standing there. That's what he smelled like. Like things were constantly being blown about by the wind. Anyway, they didn't stay long. They left and soon afterward Sesshoumaru-sama started staying away for long periods of time too. Otou-san said that he would travel in search of Naraku with the humans.
"Things quieted down after that and soon Sesshoumaru-sama stopped staying away. He returned to the fortress and returned to his regular duties, leaving another soldier with the humans to search while he prepared for war. Not long after that, a messenger from the north arrived on the ferry, all bruised and bloodied from what we thought was a wild youkai attack. He gave Sesshoumaru-sama a scroll and died right there in the courtyard. He delivered a challenge from Inuyasha for the western crown.
"We weren't worried," Shippou said. "I mean, there was no way that one weak hanyou could defeat the most powerful youkai in all of Asia, so we didn't worry about it. Sesshoumaru-sama could have chose to ignore it, but he went and accepted the challenge. At the most, he was supposed to be gone three, maybe four days then come back and go on with daily life. Well, four days went by and no Sesshoumaru. No problem, maybe he just went on some unofficial business you know? We honestly didn't start worrying until two weeks went by and no sign of him. We sent his pack youkai, a two headed ryuu youkai, to look for him. When he came back, it was with Jaken and his swords, but no Sesshoumaru.
"The little gami youkai screeched on about how Sesshoumaru-sama was killed by Inuyasha, and how even then Naraku's forces were coming to storm Hidalgo. Of course we didn't believe it, so my father went out to see for himself. He came back four days later, having not seen anything of Sesshoumaru but finding at least four thousand youkai on the way to Hidalgo. He gathered up what servants that would follow him, including myself and my mother, and evacuated the fortress."
"You just left?" Kagome interrupted yet again. "Without so much as a word from Sesshoumaru?"
Shippou shook his head. "Nope, not one word. We never heard anything about him, but we knew what happened. The little gami wasn't lying. Sesshoumaru was dead, but what was surprising to find out was that Inuyasha was dead too."
"How do you know that?" Kaede asked. "How could you know the fate of either brother without seeing them?"
"The land was connected to them," Shippou answered. "As long as one of the brothers lived, the land they ruled would prosper and be rich and fertile. Without them, the land suffered. It withered in some places, while it quickly became wild and uninhabitable in others. My otou-san led us to a forest on the North-South border and tried to rebuild. The others followed him willingly and we soon were well enough to trade with other villagers. I think that village lasted three, maybe four years.
"The vampires didn't take long finding it, and when they did they killed everyone they could, including my otou-san. Myself and another, a little bat hanyou named Shiori, only escaped because my okaa-san hid us in a hidden cellar and placed a protection spell on our hiding place."
"What happened to your okaa-san?" Miroku asked. "You said that your otou-san was killed. What happened to her?"
"They infected her."
Everyone quieted at the pained look on his face, the tears that he had been struggling with almost overcoming him as he blinked furiously, his head down and his face hidden from the others. "I didn't find out until years later, after Shiori and I started stealing. Okaa-san became a part of Naraku's pack and she attacked a nobleman we were robbing. I tried to talk to her, but it was like she didn't know me. She...killed Shiori right before my eyes and in turn...I had to kill her. I've been alone since then."
Kagome sat up then, her cheeks stained with the tears Shippou was too proud to shed as she walked across the encampment to him. "Oh Shippou," she sobbed as she hugged him. "Gomen, gomen nasai."
"It's not your fault," he told her as he gingerly patted her back. "It's that bastard youkai's. He knew what would happen if he left us, but he chose to let some hanyou beat him! He left us to be hunted down like animals! A ruler is supposed to protect his people!" Shippou spat venomously, his claws unconscious digging into Kagome's shoulder. She winced but stayed quiet, choosing instead to hold the shaking kitsune closer as the tears finally fell from his eyes.
"He left us," he whispered before burying his head in Kagome's hair. "He just left us! My okaa-san, my otou-san, they were loyal to him! We were loyal to him and he just left us!"
"Shhhh," Kagome whispered as she untied his ponytail and petted his hair. "It's ok Shippou. You're ok. Everything's ok." The others looked away while he cried, emotions long held in released in a torrent as his claws continued their descent into Kagome's fragile flesh. She winced again and gasped, but held him tighter still as he hugged her back and curled into her. Kagome continued to whisper encouragement to him as the back of her kimono darkened.
Kirara meowed in their direction, her tiny voice concerned as Kagome swooned in Shippou's lap. 'Must be blood loss,' Kagome reasoned to herself as her world began to darken around the edges. Her head lolled to the side just before Shippou smelled blood, her eyes closed and she fainted without a word. Her hand brushed against the sword at her hip as her head fell back, completely unaware of the others cries of concern as she slipped into dreamland.
IV
Kagome landed quite rudely on her rear, having fell from some great height to her dreamscape. "Ow," she mumbled as she stood up and dusted off her rear. "That kinda hurt. Where am I?"
She looked around her and found herself at the foot of a high cliff with forests at her back and the full moon high in the sky. She looked ahead and found another standing at the tip of the cliff looking down at the abyss below, silver knee-length hair billowing in the breeze and dancing against Kagome's cheek.
"Sesshoumaru-sama?"
He continued to stand there, never acknowledging her as he stared ahead, his obsidian robes snapping in the wind. Kagome approached him cautiously and soon was by his side, mere inches from the silent youkai before peering into his face. "Sesshoumaru-sama? Is everything alright?"
"Tell me young miko," he began, his golden eyes still on the stars above. "Have you ever done something that you thought was best, only to have what you did not want come to pass?"
"Um...well, I suppose," Kagome answered. "There's lots of things I've tried to do that blew up in my face. Why? What's wrong?"
"The kitsune is correct," he whispered then. "I truly am a coward.... of some sort."
"What?" Kagome stammered. "I don't understand."
"To allow my kingdom to suffer, or to allow my own kin to suffer. The choices one must make when one is in charge."
'Dear gods, he's losing it,' Kagome mused to herself. "Sesshoumaru-sama, what are you talking about?"
"I speak of honor little miko, something that I once thought I had," Sesshoumaru told her, the same stoic look on his face as he finally looked at her. "I speak of the past."
"Oh, I see," Kagome nodded knowingly. "You heard Shippou somehow, right?"
"I remember his otou-san," Sesshoumaru mused instead. "He was a powerful youkai. He served in my otou-san's army as well. It was only natural for him to lead mine. It...disappoints me to know that he came to such an end."
"Are you disappointed in him?" Kagome asked while taking a seat at his feet. "I think he did the best he could to protect those with him."
"Hai, as do I."
"Then what's so disappointing?" Kagome asked as she tipped her head back and looked up at him. "The way he died?"
"...Hai..."
"Oh. I don't think so."
"Honto ne?" Sesshoumaru said as he stared down at her. "How so?"
"Well he died protecting others, youkai that served in your court. I think he was still loyal to you in the end."
"Even though his son calls me a coward?"
"Yeah, there is that," Kagome sighed heavily. "But, I'm sure after a time Shippou will see that you were trying to do something. You didn't have to take the challenge. Why did you?"
"It was...something that I had to do," Sesshoumaru answered hesitantly. "There was a promise that had to be fulfilled."
"Oh. Ok." Things became quiet around them, with Kagome and Sesshoumaru staring up at the night's sky in her dream. 'This onna,' Sesshoumaru said to himself as he looked down at her. 'Is strange. She allowed the kitsune to hurt her in favor of comforting him. Is there nothing this baka ningen will not do for the sake of others?'
"You know Sesshoumaru-sama, I've realized something tonight," Kagome said, interrupting his thoughts as she drew her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. "That we're all trapped in the past in some way."
"Of what do you mean little onna?"
Kagome sighed and shook her head, her irritation to his name for her paling in favor of what she wanted to say. "Well, look at us," she replied. "Deep down, we all wish that we could change the past. I don't know what yours is, or what Shippou's is, but all I want is my family back the way it was. I can't have that...and I know that now. I think I realize that I'll never be able to go back and change things. I'll always love and miss my okaa-san and otou-san, but I can't bring them back. I can't forget them either."
"And that concerns this Sesshoumaru how?" Sesshoumaru asked, an ebony eyebrow quirked when she frowned.
"I'm just saying that the past is the past," Kagome huffed as she flicked a stray lock off her shoulder. "We can't do a lot to change it, so we may as well learn from it and move on. How can we help those that are with us now if we're stuck in perpetual mourning?"
Sesshoumaru considered this a moment, his brow furrowed only slightly. "......Perhaps."
"I mean, all I'm saying is that we have to look to the future," Kagome said. "And that future is you, and getting you out of wherever you are. I haven't mourned yet, but I know I will be able to someday. Someday, everything will be at peace. Then I'll give my okaa-san and otou-san the respect they are due. I can't now though. If I let myself, then my sister and all of my friends might not be there when I come back and you might be lost forever. I have to keep going if I'm going to survive."
"I see..."
"Do you really?" Kagome asked, her eyes hopeful as the sun began to rise in the distance. Sesshoumaru nodded. "I do. I believe your words were more for me than for yourself."
"Maybe," Kagome grinned. "But they helped, right?"
"Maybe," he answered and quirked a brow when she huffed. "What ails you now miko?"
"Oh, I don't know," Kagome replied. "Maybe...you. You're exasperating Sesshoumaru-sama."
Sesshoumaru smirked then, somehow feeling better than he had when her dream first began. "Miko-san, that is the nicest thing anyone's ever said to this Sesshoumaru."
(End Chapter)
SF: Another chapter in this series, done and completed! I think this is winding down pretty good, don't you guys?
Inu-chan: Fuck no. I'm ready for this to be over too.
SF: And no one asked you with your rude ass!
(ZAP!)
SF: Anyway (blows out flame on Inu-chan's ear) this story has grown considerably since I last checked. I actually had planned 15 chapters...but I have a feeling that that's not going to happen.
Kagome: There will be a little history in this story, and we get to go to Hunadora Castle, home of the REAL Vlad Dracul!
SF: Thanks Kagome. Ruin the surprise. The responses are below, plus a little insight on the next chapter.
Chapter Fifteen: Hidalgo Bound
Shippou and the others scramble to help Kagome/ Aragon's desperation leaves Kaede at a loss for words/ The past is quickly becoming the present for Miroku/ arriving at Hidalgo
Chapter Fourteen: A Lone Survivor of the House of the Moon/ Sesshoumaru's Revelation
I
Naraku walked down the hallway to Kikyou's room, fully intent to see about his little pet as the sound of her humming fluttered down the hallway. He opened the door to her room and stepped inside the threshold. She stood in front of a new mirror, this one silver with blood red rubies encrusted on the golden gilded frame.
Kikyou gazed into the mirror's surface, her eyes narrowed slightly but a content smile on her face as she threaded some wooden beads onto an invisible string.
"Koshii," Naraku whispered in her ear as he hugged her from behind. "What are you doing?"
"Good evening Naraku," Kikyou replied as she casually patted his hand. "And how is my lord this evening?"
"I'm doing well," Naraku answered with a smile and a fanged kiss to her neck. "How is the mirror I gave you?"
"It's working," Kikyou muttered with a slight frown. "But not in the way I want."
"Oh, is that so?" Naraku sat down in a chair near her, crossed one ankle over his knee and waited. "What is it doing?"
"It's not showing the miko at all," Kikyou replied and palmed the beads in her hand. "But it is showing where she's been."
"Really? How so?"
"See here." Kikyou gestured toward the mirror and waited until Naraku was beside her to continue. "The little pink dots are where she has been. It doesn't show where she's going."
"And how do you know this is her?" Naraku inquired.
"Its the energy she leaves behind," Kikyou answered as she pointed to one of the circles. "See, in some places it's pink, meaning she's purified something. In other places its blue, meaning she's healed someone. Sometimes there's a youki with her-"
"Youki?" Naraku interrupted. "What youki?"
"Well, one I assume is her companion. That is the one that starts here." She pointed to an area with both pink and green dots. "But then there's this one, which started not long after Inuyasha's battle with her."
"Where is Inuyasha's youki?"
"Right...here." She pointed to a purple dot with a red dot beside it and a golden dot overlapping the purple. "The red is Inuyasha but I don't know what the golden one is."
"Hmmm..." Naraku rubbed his chin thoughtfully, the golden dot on the mirror's surface reminding him of something...but he couldn't figure out what. "So, how many times has the golden dot appeared?"
"Only twice so far," Kikyou answered. "Once when Inuyasha fought her, and again four nights ago. It was combined with her blue ki."
"So...she used her healing ability in Kyoto, but used something different on Inuyasha. What is the purple anyway?"
"I...don't know," Kikyou admitted with a grimace and a flash of fangs. "I...never got that far in my studies."
"So she's more powerful than you," Naraku guessed and grinned when Kikyou snarled.
"Not possible," she denied angrily. "She's just a child!"
"If you say so my love," Naraku chuckled darkly. "I'm afraid I can no longer stay and chat with you," he said as he made his way out of her chambers. "I will see you later on, correct?"
"Hai," Kikyou nodded. "As you wish my lord." She bowed respectfully as he left, her eyes immediately glowing a fierce black when she no longer detected his presence. "I must get rid of the girl," she whispered as she tapped the mirror's surface. Her fingers sank into the glass surface, becoming the texture of thin pudding as she swirled her fingers into intricate patterns.
"Seek the miko my pets," Kikyou whispered into the mirror. "Seek her out and destroy her, and all that are with her. I want her blood to fall on the four territories like so much snow..."
II
Kagome glanced back at her traveling companions, her heart leaping happily at Kaede as she watched her talk to Shippou and Miroku. Sango floated alongside him and Kirara ran between Miroku and Kaede's feet. They looked like a happy little group...until Kagome glanced farther back.
Aragon walked along behind everyone else, his gaze thoughtful in the early afternoon sunlight as he stared off into forests as deep a green as his eyes. He looked so alone back there, and Kagome's heart went out to him. 'Why are the others treating him like this?' she asked Raphael as she continued onward toward the south.
'They don't understand him,' Raphael answered with a sigh. 'To them, he's little more than the enemy, someone who can't be trusted. They don't know that he's saved your life once already, and that he's the one that left Shippou with you, though his reasons for that are still questionable. I'm sure that once they get to know him, they'll come to respect him just as much as you do.'
'Well until then...' Kagome allowed the others to walk past her, her feet trudging through the thick grass as she waited for Aragon to appear at her side. "Konnichi'wa Aragon-san. How's you're afternoon going?"
"As well as to be expected Chorizon," he answered with a wry smile. "You're friends do not trust me."
"Yeah, I know," Kagome sighed as she glanced away in shame. "They just don't understand you, that's all. I'm sure they'll come to like you soon."
"I'm sure of it as well. Don't worry over it." Aragon leaned over, his face hovering a few inches from hers to get her attention. He gave her a gentle smile, one Kagome gladly returned before grasping his clawed hand and swinging it between them. Aragon stammered at the contact, unused to such friendly treatment after centuries without it.
"Chorizon, I-"
"Let's be friends, ok Aragon-kun?"
He merely watched her for a moment, his confusion evident on his face as she skipped alongside him. "Um...alright then," he relented with a shaky nod. "If you insist. What of your comrades"
"Don't worry. You guys will be friends soon. You'll see!"
'Such a strange woman,' Aragon mused as they continued onward. He ignored the untrusting looks Kaede and Shippou gave him in favor of the wary acceptance in Miroku's eyes. 'Her companions obviously don't trust me, so what makes her so sure I won't fly away with her and simply end her life? She is too trusting...and that may be what draws me to her side...'
"Where the fuck are we going anyway Kagome?" Shippou called back irritably. "We've been going south for at least four days and you haven't said a word. What's the deal?"
"I find myself agreeing with Shippou," Miroku said with a glare toward the young kitsune. "Even if I do not agree with his use of language."
"Whatever man," Shippou brushed aside. "Seriously though, just where are we going?"
"I don't...know if I can tell you guys yet," Kagome answered quietly. They stopped at this, the uncertainty and worry in the young miko's voice giving the others cause for concern.
"What do you mean you don't know if you can tell us?" Shippou demanded. "You mean you don't know?"
"She does know," Miroku answered, his staff against his breast with his arms crossed over it. "She said she doesn't believe if she can tell us, not that she doesn't know."
"Why not?" Kaede asked as she placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "You know you can tell us anything. Why try to keep it a secret?"
"I bet it's got something to do with the bloodsucker over there," Shippou commented with a finger pointed toward Aragon. "He's probably got a spell on her or something that keeps her from telling us."
"What?" Kagome cried out in disbelief as Kaede shot Aragon a dirty look. "Are you serious? He just started traveling with us a few days ago! I've been with you the longest!"
"Yeah well," Shippou stammered as he scratched the back of his head. "I wouldn't do that kind of thing."
"And neither would he!" Kagome zealously defended. "I trust Aragon, and you guys are just going to have to accept that! I'm sorry if you don't understand-"
"Because we sure as hell don't," Shippou mumbled under his breath.
"But you guys are going to have to get used to the fact that he's with us now!"
"But for how long?" Kaede asked, her eyes soft and sympathetic as she grasped Kagome's free hand. "Vampires aren't known for their loyalty toward mortals. What makes you sure he doesn't want you dead? He might already know what you're doing and be trying to stop you."
"I assure you Slayer," Aragon interrupted as he leaned back on a nearby tree. "I haven't the slightest idea what your sister's mission is. All I know is that the vampire shogun, and the new Emperor of the world, wants our little Chorizon for his own. The only reason he hasn't found her is because of this." He pulled an amulet from inside his shirt, the black onyx stones glistening in the sunlight.
"What's that?" Kaede asked. She raised a hand to touch it, but stopped and glanced up at Aragon. He readily handed it to her, making sure to keep it around his neck as she inspected the stones and the blood writing on the back of the large black stone set in gold leaf. "What is this?"
"It's an aura dampener."
Everyone, including Aragon, turned to Miroku as he sat in the middle of the pathway, his staff in his lap and his eyes closed in thought. 'He looks so wise,' Kagome thought as Sango sat beside him. 'This must be the way he was when he was with her,' she thought as the apparition's eyes watered.
"He was just like this," Sango said to Kagome as she continued to stare at the blacksmith. "He was so wise...for a pervert that is."
Kagome snickered at that one, earning more than a few strange looks from the others before Miroku continued. "The writing on the back of the main stone is a protection spell. It keeps him from being sensed by enchanted mirrors and tracking spells."
"Just how do you know this Miroku-sama?" Aragon asked as Kaede returned the amulet to him. "You yourself said you've had no houshi's training."
"I..." Miroku's brow creased in worry, the index finger and thumb of his right hand stroking different sides of his chin as he answered him. "I don't know," he finally admitted. "I hadn't a clue as to what it was, then I felt like something inside me flipped on and 'poof', there it was."
"He's remembering his past life," Sango told Kagome as she and Miroku stood up. "I don't think that's a good thing."
Kagome opened her mouth to ask why when she remembered the others. She stored the question for another day and turned to Aragon, who was currently gesturing to her to take something from her pocket.
"Come now Chorizon," he said as Kaede and the others stared at her. "Show them what I gave you."
"You mean this?" Kagome reached inside her top for a black ribbon and dangled it in front of her. Kaede reached for this too, and was seconds from touching it when Aragon shook his head in disapproval.
"Don't let go of it," he told her, then directed her to return it to her hiding place. "That stone prevents Naraku from finding her by aura."
"Naraku," Shippou growled suddenly, his hands in tight fists that bled from the abuse. "You're working for him."
Aragon shook his head while Kagome set to work bandaging his hand. "If I were, she would not be here. As I said earlier, I don't know what her plan is or where she's going. All I know is that Naraku-sama wants her..." His eyes flashed blue suddenly, ignoring the others as they went for their weapons and surrounded Kagome.
"Right now, I'm all that's keeping her from him."
"I'm sure," Kaede said, her sword unsheathed and pointed in his direction. "You stay away from my sister."
"Again, if you guys would stop!" Kagome said as she pushed her way toward the front of her 'protection'. "He's not going to hurt me! Weren't you guys listening?!"
"He knows what your doing Kagome," Shippou protested. "He's here to stop you!"
"How can he know huh?!" Kagome yelled, her patience finally snapped in two. "How can he know when I HAVEN'T TOLD ANYONE YET?!!!!"
"Then I'm right," Miroku said as he motioned for Kaede and Shippou to lower their defenses. "You do know, don't you?"
Kagome hung her head, her hands clasped in front of her as she nodded miserably.
"Then what is it?" Kaede asked. "What is it you're not telling us? It can't be that bad."
'Raphael?' Kagome called out as the others questioned her. 'What do I do? You said not to tell anyone.'
'Ask them if they're sure they want to know. They can never go back to what they were once they find out about your mission. They either come or they die...but they have the choice to leave you, should they not want to travel with you before finding out. There is too much depending on your success Kagome-sama and you must come to terms with the fact that you may make this journey alone.'
'You're right, as always Raphael,' Kagome thought with a mental sigh. She glanced up at her friends, taking the time to look at each one before clearing her throat. "Before I tell you anything, I want to know if you're coming with me."
"Of course we're coming with you," Kaede said as Shippou huffed in agreement. "What made you think that we weren't?"
"No, that's not what I mean," Kagome said with a shake of her head. "I want to know if you're coming with me for the rest of this journey. I...have to do something, and I don't want you coming if you don't want to."
"What is it?" Miroku asked, his head tilted to his right side in curiosity. "Whatever it is, you can tell us."
"No, I can't." Kagome hung her head and sniffed, tears already in her eyes as the thought of losing her friends weighed heavily on her spirit. "See, I can't tell you anything unless you swear to come with me. Once I tell you..." Kagome sniffed again, and a large tear slipped down her cheek and flashed in the afternoon sunlight.
"Kagome, onegai-"
"Iie," Kagome held up her hand, her eyes closed as she waited for silence. "Once I tell you, you can't leave me. If you change your mind anytime afterward, I'll have to kill you."
Silence met her declaration with nothing but the chirping of the birds from high in the trees to pierce the air before Aragon chuckled. "Now love," he snorted as the others turned and glared at him. "You don't have to worry about harming me."
"Just what does that mean?" Shippou demanded as weapons were drawn once again. Kagome merely stared at him, dual colored irises watching him as Aragon shook his head. "You don't know Kagome, so you don't know what she can do!"
"I promise you fox, I know exactly what the young priestess is capable of," Aragon assured him with a slight grin. "But she doesn't pose a threat to me-"He flinched and stepped back when the air around Kagome shifted, clouds of red and green suddenly surrounding her like wisps of jeweled smoke. The colors fell behind her and took the form of a man, his brown eyes glaring from above her head as great wings of jade and ruby unfurrowed from behind him. The wings folded in front of Kagome protectively, the red tips overlapping in front of her slippered feet as a single hand came to rest on Kagome's shoulder.
Kaede noticed the vampire's wide eyes and glanced at Kagome, who merely stood waiting for him to finish. She turned back to Aragon just as he gave Kagome a deep bow. "My apologies Chorizon," he said as he straightened. "I had no idea who's favor you were in."
"Huh?" Shippou muttered, but received no answer. Aragon watched as the man nodded and slowly disappeared, his narrowed eyes the last to fade as Kagome smiled. "You're fine Aragon-kun. I didn't take offense. Now," here she sobered and glanced from Aragon to Kaede. "What will it be? Are you coming with me or will we part ways here?"
"I'm coming," Kaede said with a strong nod. "I've spent so long looking for you. There's no way I'd leave you now, even if I have to follow you to Hell."
"Thanks nee-chan. Shippou, Miroku, what about you two?"
"Ah hell," Shippou shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do. I've got a good sword and decent food out of this. I'm coming."
"And I will accompany you as well Kagome-sama," Miroku said as he stood up and brushed himself off. "I have a feeling that whatever you're supposed to do is important, both to myself and to others around us. I will be more than happy to follow you."
"Me too!" Sango chirped. "I wouldn't leave you guys alone! Who'd protect you from Miroku's wandering hands?"
Kagome grinned at this, her eyes twinkling merrily as she nodded in acceptance. "And you Aragon?" she asked. "What are you going to do?"
"So long as your plan involves the downfall of Naraku, I am yours to command," Aragon told her with another bow. Kaede snorted in response. "We won't fall for your tricks," she told him. "Don't pretend as if you hate your fellow devils."
"I am a vampire, not a devil," Aragon disagreed. "And yes, I desire the destruction of my own clan for reasons that are my own." Everyone merely shrugged and turned to Kagome, deciding that the DayWalker's reasons would surely be explained in the course of their travels.
"Alright Kagome, what's going on?" Shippou asked as he sat down on the forest floor. "What's the deal?"
"Well, I kinda have to tell you something first," Kagome said as the others sat in a semi-circle around her. "It's...a dream I had before leaving my village."
"Oh come on Kagome," Shippou moaned miserably. "No one wants to hear about a dre-"
"Quiet kit," Kaede snapped. "I want to hear what she has to say." Kaede turned back to Kagome, remembering that as a child any dream Kagome had would have significant meaning.
"Well," Kagome cleared her throat nervously, her fingers twiddling in front of her before a gentle hand rested on her shoulder. 'Do not worry mistress,' Raphael whispered to her. 'Only tell them what you know. They will believe. You will see.'
"I had this dream about five months ago. It started out pretty strange and since I believe that most of it was for me to see, I'll leave out those parts and get to what I want to tell. I need to know if this is true or not, so please be honest with me about anything you know."
"Of course Chorizon," Aragon nodded as he reclined back on his right hand. "Please, continue."
"Alright. Um..." Kagome struggled to remember, her eyes closed as flashes of the dream returned to her like snippets of a b-movie. "I remember seeing a youkai standing on a cliff overlooking a stronghold with a large red castle in the middle. He looked so mad, but his face didn't show it. It was more the look in his eyes, you know? That's what told you what he was feeling.
"He just stood there, staring at this fortress like there was nothing else in the world. All of a sudden the wind started blowing around him. It was kinda calm at first, but it got to be bad. It was like he was standing in the middle of a hurricane but he never flinched. The wind died down just as soon as it started and he kinda stood there again, like he was waiting for something."
'Surely she's not speaking of Tepes' stronghold,' Aragon thought to himself as Kagome continued. 'She wouldn't know of Constantinople's destruction, no less how it came to pass...would she?'
"The vision moved to the fortress itself then," Kagome said, her voice quivering slightly as the others looked on. "I watched as necromancers and sorceresses walked past me, each with spellbooks and torches in their hands. They walked toward a courtyard where-" She sniffed again and choked back a sob as he remembered then raised the back of her hand to her cheek to wipe away the stray tears. "The bodies of children were impaled on long, thick wooden poles. Most were dead but others, others would twitch just a little." Kagome's voice faded and choked on the lump in her throat. "Just enough to know that they still lived, and that their agony was worse than anything I could have imagined."
For the first time in his existence, Aragon felt real and true shame as he watched the priestess cry over those she'd never met, nor would in this lifetime. 'To think,' he thought as he turned away from her and glanced into the woods beyond. 'I had a part in that, and in this. Never would I have imagined how powerful doing nothing could be.'
"The sorcerers began chanting and a powerful protection spell was cast around and above the fortress...strengthened by the suffering of those poor kids. The monsters were so confidant, so uncaring in their work. They didn't care, and neither did Tepes as he came out onto the courtyard.
"It was then that a single spark lit in the middle of the yard, like a candle flame or the birth of a torch. It spread quickly and the walls broke free from each other."
"They moved," Kagome said and shook her head as if she didn't believe the very words coming from her mouth. "They moved as if they were men and the wind howled around them. The wind fed the flames and they danced like demons in the moonlight.
"It was then the protection spell broke, the necromancers too scared to concentrate on the magic. They ran for their lives as the fire swept through the fortress completely out of control. The stone creatures smashed anything in their way and in the madness a giant dog landed in the center of the courtyard."
"A giant dog?" Miroku questioned. "I myself have trouble with that concept Kagome-sama. Ow!" he yelped when a sizable branch fell from the tree above and landed on his head. He rubbed the resulting bump as Sango smirked from above and waved at Kagome from where the branch used to be. Kagome smiled back and if she would have been paying attention she would have noticed that both Aragon and Shippou had paled considerably since her last words.
"A giant...dog?" Aragon repeated. "Please Chorizon, what did this dog look like?"
"Well," Kagome drawled thoughtfully, her right index finger taping her chin as she looked up to the clouds above. "He was white!" Kagome said finally. "He was white, with-"
"Jagged purple streaks on his face?" Shippou asked.
"And a blue crescent moon on his forehead?" Aragon added. He and Shippou glared at each other as Kagome stared at them in surprise. "Yeah," Kagome nodded. "That's it. That's him!"
"Hey, what did he look like in his human form?" Shippou asked. "You know, what did he have on and that kind of stuff?"
"Was it a gi of some sort?" Aragon asked. "All white, with a red hexagonal signal on his left shoulder?"
"Yeah. Hey," Kagome pouted, her fists planted at her sides as she glared down at him. "How do you guys know?"
"I've seen this youkai," Aragon admitted. "Yeah, me too," Shippou said. "How the fuck do you know him?" He winced when Kaede smacked him upside the head and growled at her as Kagome shrugged.
"Like I said, I dreamed this. How do you guys know him?"
"I watched him destroy Constantinople."
"You WHAT?!" the encampment shouted at Aragon in disbelief. He flinched in shock, then settled himself and nodded. "Hai, I was there when he destroyed the capital."
"What happened?" Kagome asked. "What made him so mad?"
Aragon gave a small laugh, the smile on his face more wary than cheerful as he blew up a stray ebony curl. "This youkai and another, a young miko that looked exactly like you, first appeared at least five month ago, long before Constantinople was threatened no less destroyed. One of Tepes' sorceress noticed a strange, but powerful pure aura coming from one of the villages under Tepes' control. He sent out someone to investigate and found the miko. He took the miko from the youkai despite my warnings not to and brought her to Constantinople to be turned.
"He told the inu youkai that if he would surrender and join him, he would return his miko. The youkai sent back the messenger, missing certain key 'appendages'-"
Shippou and Miroku winced and covered their lower selves.
"And said that Tepes' subjects will die by the thousands until the miko was returned, unharmed. Tepes ignored this and the youkai went on a killing spree. He left no village untouched as he followed what I think was the miko's scent to Constantinople."
"Woah," Miroku muttered as Sango finally returned to his side. "Sounds as if this youkai was powerful."
"The most powerful I've ever seen," Aragon admitted with a slight shiver. "He was cold and ruthless. He took no joy in killing, but he did not flinch away from it either."
"Sounds like you're scared," Shippou snorted. Aragon shook his head. "To the contrary young fox. Power such as this deserves to make men wary."
"But what about my dream?" Kagome asked. "Was everything I saw true?"
"Hai, but it hadn't happened quite yet," Aragon nodded. "Before reaching Constantinople, Tepes sent out his human army to stop him. I think he knew they would fail, but he didn't know how badly they would until everything was over. It took less than three ticks to slaughter the entire lot, and it only took two strokes of his swords."
"Nope, that can't be who I'm thinking then," Shippou said. "The youkai I'm thinking of only had two swords and he only used one in battle."
"This one had three," Aragon said. "What of yours?"
"Mine had three as well, but there was one that stayed by his side," Kagome nodded. "What happened Aragon-kun?"
"The battle was over, just as I said. With one sword, he froze the troops on sight. With the other, he shattered their frozen bodies and left their bits in the dust. It was the most horrid thing I've ever seen."
"Yeah, but you come from a place that impaled children," Kaede countered. "You're sense of horror is a little twisted."
"Hai, of that I am aware," Aragon admitted, his head lowered in shame. "Tepes enjoyed the suffering of others, of this I cannot deny. I however could have done without such extremes.
"Afterward, I warned Tepes not to touch the girl, that she would result in our destruction. He did not listen and his fate was sealed at the end of the youkai's blade."
"What about this youkai?" Miroku asked. "What does he have to do with us?"
"Ano, what does the crescent in the middle of his forehead mean?" Kagome asked, and was surprised when Shippou (of all people) answered.
"If it was blue, then it means that he was the taiyoukai of the west," Shippou huffed in answer. "But that's not possible because he's dead."
"I know," Kagome whispered. "And...that's what I plan on correcting."
"Excuse me?" Kaede said as the others leaned forward to hear Kagome better. "Care to run that by us again?"
"That's...what I'm supposed to do," Kagome said as she once again turned to the ground for solace. "I'm supposed to bring him back."
"Bring him back?" Kaede repeated as the others stared at her in shock. "From the dead? Is that possible?"
"I don't know," Kagome shrugged. "I just know that that's what I"m supposed to do-"
"I don't see what the fuck for," Shippou snarled angrily, his eyes narrowed and his hands fisted at his sides. "What's he supposed to do that he couldn't do 500 years ago?"
"Huh? Shipp, what are you talking about?" Kagome asked. She gasped when he growled, the sound deep and guttural as he turned away from her to glare into the woods. "If I had known that that's your mission, I would have told you to go to hell, friend or not," he growled softly, his hands finally unclenching and rivulets of blood trickling from between his fingers.
"You don't know the bastard like I do. He can't help us. We may as well go kill Naraku by ourselves."
"But Shipp-"
"I know, I know," he said with a wave of his hand. "You've got to go get him because some holy power told you to, right?" He sighed at Kagome's nod. "Yeah well, I've got no choice now. I've got to go with you, or you'll purify me."
"I'm sorry Shippou," Kagome whispered as she hugged his shoulders. "I wish there was some other way, but Naraku can't find out. It's the only way to be sure."
"Yeah well, I understand. I roped myself into this and I'm a youkai of my word...unlike some cowards." He brushed her aside and stood up, the others following his example as Kagome gazed up at him.
"Heh. Let's get moving. We've been going the wrong way."
"But Shippou," Kagome interrupted as she pointed in the other direction. "The west is that way."
"Yeah, but the citadel's not that way," Shippou told her as he began to walk southeast. "It's this way. Trust me."
"Hey," Kagome called as she ran to catch up with him. "How do you know where to go?"
"Easy," he replied with a sad smile. "I used to live there." He brushed aside her questioning look as he led the way further into the woods. "Look, let's discuss this later. We've got a lot of ground to cover, and talking is slowing us down."
III
Kagome leaned back in her sleeping bag and watched the stars that peeked through the tree limbs above, her aura spread about as she waited on Aragon and Shippou to return. 'What is taking them so long?' she wondered as a shooting star streaked across the midnight sky. 'I know they have to hunt, but I hope Aragon doesn't have to kill anyone to feed. But...isn't that the only way for him to survive? By killing off others? But that's the way of youkai as well. What if-'
She turned toward the fire and watched as Shippou landed in front of it, Kirara coming to a rest behind him. "Where's the blood drinker?" Shippou asked as he took his place on the other side of the campfire.
"Present," Aragon announced as he fell from the treetops above and landed a few feet in front of Kagome's sleeping bag. "Forgive my tardiness," he growled as he wiped a red smudge away from his lips. "It took longer than necessary."
"I don't see why," Shippou mocked as Kaede grimaced in disgust. "Don't you just kill your victims like any other vampire?"
"I try not to," Aragon admitted with a toss of his head. "I take bits of what I need from numerous people, so they live afterward. They are a little dizzy, but otherwise unaffected."
"But I thought you turned once you were bitten," Kaede said. Aragon shook his head. "Not exactly. That is a part of it, but if the victim isn't infected unless the vampire allows him to drink some of it's blood. In a few days, their wounds will heal over and they'll go about their daily lives without harm."
"That's awfully thoughtful of you," Miroku nodded in approval. "I've never known a vampire so ...generous with his victims."
"Well, I thank you Miroku-san but I'm rather sensitive about my feeding habit," Aragon replied. "Besides, now is not the time to think of such things."
"He's right," Shippou agreed. "We've got a long couple of days ahead of us. It's going to take at least a week and a half to reach Hidalgo Island."
"What's that?" Kagome asked as she reached inside her pack and handed Aragon a spare blanket. He politely declined, and Kagome shrugged and passed it to Kaede. "Just where are we going anyway?"
"We're going to the western citadel, a large island fortress by the name of Hidalgo," Shippou said with a yawn. "That's where we're more likely than not to find out what happened to Sesshoumaru-sama's body."
"You said you lived there?" Kaede remembered. "When? As far as I know, the western lord has been dead for 500 years."
"Yeah, I lived there," Shippou snorted angrily. "And for a while, I was happy. We were all happy before he betrayed us."
"Who?" Kagome asked. "What are you talking about?"
Shippou sighed heavily, his eyes closed as a stray wind blew through his ponytail. "I don't know anything about the inu youkai before him," he began with another sigh. "That was way before I was born, but I do know that the next youkai, Sesshoumaru, became taiyoukai 100 years before I was born. I was born right before the end of the Golden Age, what the time was called before Tepes first set foot on Japan and Naraku first surfaced on the Great Taiyoukai's concerns.
"My otou-san was a general for the western armies, second only to Sesshoumaru-sama himself. My okaa-san was his nursemaid, so that made my family pretty important in the youkai household. I remember being happy then, and playing with other kids that were my age or close to it. There was always a guard protecting us, and there wasn't a safer place in the world than in Sesshoumaru-sama's gardens. We lived ordinary lives, I guess, with our teachings, recitals and play.
"Like all good things though, it ended when I turned twelve, what would be about 6 in human years. That's when Naraku first appeared. I remember my otou-san telling my okaa-san about the hanyou on a crazed power trip, apparently fueled with the Shikon no Tama."
"I've heard of the legendary jewel," Kagome interrupted suddenly. "It was supposed to grant the wish of anyone who possessed it, right?"
Shippou nodded. "Yeah, at least that's the way it went. Anyway, the four tai ignored him, deciding that he was nothing more than an insane youkai that didn't deserve their attention....that is, until he killed the southern and eastern tai's. That's when everything shifted. The then tai of the north, Meharo-sama, and Sesshoumaru-sama chose to divide the lands equally, splitting Japan down the middle into two sections. Meharo-sama became Tai of Upper Japan and Sesshoumaru-sama became Tai of Southern Japan. At that time, Sesshoumaru-sama's younger half brother, Inuyasha, began traveling with two humans in search of Naraku.
"From what I was told, Naraku kidnaped Inuyasha's mate, a powerful miko from what was Edo. The humans and Inuyasha looked for her while Sesshoumaru-sama, my father, and the rest of the army prepared for war. I think it was sometime during then that Tepes first approached Naraku and afterward Naraku turned Inuyasha cause after that Inuyasha just disappeared. Sesshoumaru-sama sent soldiers to look for him, but they never returned. So after a while we thought he was dead, that Naraku had killed him or something.
"That was when Sesshoumaru-sama brought Inuyasha's old traveling companions to Hidalgo. I remember that, because it was the first time I'd ever seen a human," Shippou mused. "One was a onna, obviously a taijia. I remember her best because she gave me candy. The houshi with her I don't remember as well, except I always smelled wind whenever he was around."
"What do you mean?" Miroku asked, his head propped inside his open hand as he scratched Kirara's stomach. "How do you smell wind?"
"You don't exactly smell it," Shippou explained. "It's more like you smell what it's moving. I know it sounds weird, but leaves smell much stronger when the wind blows past them and carries the smell to you than when you're just standing there. That's what he smelled like. Like things were constantly being blown about by the wind. Anyway, they didn't stay long. They left and soon afterward Sesshoumaru-sama started staying away for long periods of time too. Otou-san said that he would travel in search of Naraku with the humans.
"Things quieted down after that and soon Sesshoumaru-sama stopped staying away. He returned to the fortress and returned to his regular duties, leaving another soldier with the humans to search while he prepared for war. Not long after that, a messenger from the north arrived on the ferry, all bruised and bloodied from what we thought was a wild youkai attack. He gave Sesshoumaru-sama a scroll and died right there in the courtyard. He delivered a challenge from Inuyasha for the western crown.
"We weren't worried," Shippou said. "I mean, there was no way that one weak hanyou could defeat the most powerful youkai in all of Asia, so we didn't worry about it. Sesshoumaru-sama could have chose to ignore it, but he went and accepted the challenge. At the most, he was supposed to be gone three, maybe four days then come back and go on with daily life. Well, four days went by and no Sesshoumaru. No problem, maybe he just went on some unofficial business you know? We honestly didn't start worrying until two weeks went by and no sign of him. We sent his pack youkai, a two headed ryuu youkai, to look for him. When he came back, it was with Jaken and his swords, but no Sesshoumaru.
"The little gami youkai screeched on about how Sesshoumaru-sama was killed by Inuyasha, and how even then Naraku's forces were coming to storm Hidalgo. Of course we didn't believe it, so my father went out to see for himself. He came back four days later, having not seen anything of Sesshoumaru but finding at least four thousand youkai on the way to Hidalgo. He gathered up what servants that would follow him, including myself and my mother, and evacuated the fortress."
"You just left?" Kagome interrupted yet again. "Without so much as a word from Sesshoumaru?"
Shippou shook his head. "Nope, not one word. We never heard anything about him, but we knew what happened. The little gami wasn't lying. Sesshoumaru was dead, but what was surprising to find out was that Inuyasha was dead too."
"How do you know that?" Kaede asked. "How could you know the fate of either brother without seeing them?"
"The land was connected to them," Shippou answered. "As long as one of the brothers lived, the land they ruled would prosper and be rich and fertile. Without them, the land suffered. It withered in some places, while it quickly became wild and uninhabitable in others. My otou-san led us to a forest on the North-South border and tried to rebuild. The others followed him willingly and we soon were well enough to trade with other villagers. I think that village lasted three, maybe four years.
"The vampires didn't take long finding it, and when they did they killed everyone they could, including my otou-san. Myself and another, a little bat hanyou named Shiori, only escaped because my okaa-san hid us in a hidden cellar and placed a protection spell on our hiding place."
"What happened to your okaa-san?" Miroku asked. "You said that your otou-san was killed. What happened to her?"
"They infected her."
Everyone quieted at the pained look on his face, the tears that he had been struggling with almost overcoming him as he blinked furiously, his head down and his face hidden from the others. "I didn't find out until years later, after Shiori and I started stealing. Okaa-san became a part of Naraku's pack and she attacked a nobleman we were robbing. I tried to talk to her, but it was like she didn't know me. She...killed Shiori right before my eyes and in turn...I had to kill her. I've been alone since then."
Kagome sat up then, her cheeks stained with the tears Shippou was too proud to shed as she walked across the encampment to him. "Oh Shippou," she sobbed as she hugged him. "Gomen, gomen nasai."
"It's not your fault," he told her as he gingerly patted her back. "It's that bastard youkai's. He knew what would happen if he left us, but he chose to let some hanyou beat him! He left us to be hunted down like animals! A ruler is supposed to protect his people!" Shippou spat venomously, his claws unconscious digging into Kagome's shoulder. She winced but stayed quiet, choosing instead to hold the shaking kitsune closer as the tears finally fell from his eyes.
"He left us," he whispered before burying his head in Kagome's hair. "He just left us! My okaa-san, my otou-san, they were loyal to him! We were loyal to him and he just left us!"
"Shhhh," Kagome whispered as she untied his ponytail and petted his hair. "It's ok Shippou. You're ok. Everything's ok." The others looked away while he cried, emotions long held in released in a torrent as his claws continued their descent into Kagome's fragile flesh. She winced again and gasped, but held him tighter still as he hugged her back and curled into her. Kagome continued to whisper encouragement to him as the back of her kimono darkened.
Kirara meowed in their direction, her tiny voice concerned as Kagome swooned in Shippou's lap. 'Must be blood loss,' Kagome reasoned to herself as her world began to darken around the edges. Her head lolled to the side just before Shippou smelled blood, her eyes closed and she fainted without a word. Her hand brushed against the sword at her hip as her head fell back, completely unaware of the others cries of concern as she slipped into dreamland.
IV
Kagome landed quite rudely on her rear, having fell from some great height to her dreamscape. "Ow," she mumbled as she stood up and dusted off her rear. "That kinda hurt. Where am I?"
She looked around her and found herself at the foot of a high cliff with forests at her back and the full moon high in the sky. She looked ahead and found another standing at the tip of the cliff looking down at the abyss below, silver knee-length hair billowing in the breeze and dancing against Kagome's cheek.
"Sesshoumaru-sama?"
He continued to stand there, never acknowledging her as he stared ahead, his obsidian robes snapping in the wind. Kagome approached him cautiously and soon was by his side, mere inches from the silent youkai before peering into his face. "Sesshoumaru-sama? Is everything alright?"
"Tell me young miko," he began, his golden eyes still on the stars above. "Have you ever done something that you thought was best, only to have what you did not want come to pass?"
"Um...well, I suppose," Kagome answered. "There's lots of things I've tried to do that blew up in my face. Why? What's wrong?"
"The kitsune is correct," he whispered then. "I truly am a coward.... of some sort."
"What?" Kagome stammered. "I don't understand."
"To allow my kingdom to suffer, or to allow my own kin to suffer. The choices one must make when one is in charge."
'Dear gods, he's losing it,' Kagome mused to herself. "Sesshoumaru-sama, what are you talking about?"
"I speak of honor little miko, something that I once thought I had," Sesshoumaru told her, the same stoic look on his face as he finally looked at her. "I speak of the past."
"Oh, I see," Kagome nodded knowingly. "You heard Shippou somehow, right?"
"I remember his otou-san," Sesshoumaru mused instead. "He was a powerful youkai. He served in my otou-san's army as well. It was only natural for him to lead mine. It...disappoints me to know that he came to such an end."
"Are you disappointed in him?" Kagome asked while taking a seat at his feet. "I think he did the best he could to protect those with him."
"Hai, as do I."
"Then what's so disappointing?" Kagome asked as she tipped her head back and looked up at him. "The way he died?"
"...Hai..."
"Oh. I don't think so."
"Honto ne?" Sesshoumaru said as he stared down at her. "How so?"
"Well he died protecting others, youkai that served in your court. I think he was still loyal to you in the end."
"Even though his son calls me a coward?"
"Yeah, there is that," Kagome sighed heavily. "But, I'm sure after a time Shippou will see that you were trying to do something. You didn't have to take the challenge. Why did you?"
"It was...something that I had to do," Sesshoumaru answered hesitantly. "There was a promise that had to be fulfilled."
"Oh. Ok." Things became quiet around them, with Kagome and Sesshoumaru staring up at the night's sky in her dream. 'This onna,' Sesshoumaru said to himself as he looked down at her. 'Is strange. She allowed the kitsune to hurt her in favor of comforting him. Is there nothing this baka ningen will not do for the sake of others?'
"You know Sesshoumaru-sama, I've realized something tonight," Kagome said, interrupting his thoughts as she drew her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. "That we're all trapped in the past in some way."
"Of what do you mean little onna?"
Kagome sighed and shook her head, her irritation to his name for her paling in favor of what she wanted to say. "Well, look at us," she replied. "Deep down, we all wish that we could change the past. I don't know what yours is, or what Shippou's is, but all I want is my family back the way it was. I can't have that...and I know that now. I think I realize that I'll never be able to go back and change things. I'll always love and miss my okaa-san and otou-san, but I can't bring them back. I can't forget them either."
"And that concerns this Sesshoumaru how?" Sesshoumaru asked, an ebony eyebrow quirked when she frowned.
"I'm just saying that the past is the past," Kagome huffed as she flicked a stray lock off her shoulder. "We can't do a lot to change it, so we may as well learn from it and move on. How can we help those that are with us now if we're stuck in perpetual mourning?"
Sesshoumaru considered this a moment, his brow furrowed only slightly. "......Perhaps."
"I mean, all I'm saying is that we have to look to the future," Kagome said. "And that future is you, and getting you out of wherever you are. I haven't mourned yet, but I know I will be able to someday. Someday, everything will be at peace. Then I'll give my okaa-san and otou-san the respect they are due. I can't now though. If I let myself, then my sister and all of my friends might not be there when I come back and you might be lost forever. I have to keep going if I'm going to survive."
"I see..."
"Do you really?" Kagome asked, her eyes hopeful as the sun began to rise in the distance. Sesshoumaru nodded. "I do. I believe your words were more for me than for yourself."
"Maybe," Kagome grinned. "But they helped, right?"
"Maybe," he answered and quirked a brow when she huffed. "What ails you now miko?"
"Oh, I don't know," Kagome replied. "Maybe...you. You're exasperating Sesshoumaru-sama."
Sesshoumaru smirked then, somehow feeling better than he had when her dream first began. "Miko-san, that is the nicest thing anyone's ever said to this Sesshoumaru."
(End Chapter)
SF: Another chapter in this series, done and completed! I think this is winding down pretty good, don't you guys?
Inu-chan: Fuck no. I'm ready for this to be over too.
SF: And no one asked you with your rude ass!
(ZAP!)
SF: Anyway (blows out flame on Inu-chan's ear) this story has grown considerably since I last checked. I actually had planned 15 chapters...but I have a feeling that that's not going to happen.
Kagome: There will be a little history in this story, and we get to go to Hunadora Castle, home of the REAL Vlad Dracul!
SF: Thanks Kagome. Ruin the surprise. The responses are below, plus a little insight on the next chapter.
Chapter Fifteen: Hidalgo Bound
Shippou and the others scramble to help Kagome/ Aragon's desperation leaves Kaede at a loss for words/ The past is quickly becoming the present for Miroku/ arriving at Hidalgo