InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Simple Legacy (I) ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

 

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A Simple Legacy by elle6778 - Chapter 3

 

 

 

 

Kagome fumed as she stormed through the foliage. The tears she had been holding back when she had ranted at Sesshoumaru now streamed unchecked down her flushed cheeks.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!!!

She hated that taiyoukai. She hated his cold indifference, his arrogance and his I-am-Sesshoumaru-therefore-better-than-any-one-else attitude. It was just a chip of his fang after all. What was the big deal? It was not as if it would not grow again.

Slowing down her steps, she sighed heavily. She just felt so helpless.

Poor Inuyasha, Kagome thought sadly. She wondered how he was faring back at Kaede's hut. The spell the old miko had performed would keep him asleep for a few more days, at the most. When he woke up, she had no doubt that he would be furious at them for their treachery and waste no time in hunting them down.

The worse thing was, Inuyasha was right about Sesshoumaru. Without Sesshoumaru's agreement to help, they would have no excuse to stop Inuyasha from obtaining Sesshoumaru's fang in battle.

If only Sesshoumaru would just agree to trade. Inuyasha was his brother, for Kami's sake! Had he no sense of family honor at all? Had he no heart? Had he no compassion?

Kagome's lips twisted. Stupid question. Of course he did not have a heart. And if he did, he did not know how it functioned. He was one of the strongest youkai around after all. Why would he need something like compassion? Why bother with his hanyou brother?

Kagome dashed the tears away from her cheeks. But surely he must feel something. After all, what else could have possessed him to look after a child like Rin. A human child at that. And as far as she could see, Rin was happy to be with him, so he must be treating her well. That should say something, right?

She frowned slightly as something else occurred to her. When Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had been fighting that day, Sesshoumaru had thrown Inuyasha to the cliff. The taiyoukai could gave thrown his half-brother anywhere against the cliff, but had chosen to direct Inuyasha to the spot where Tetsusaiga was buried. Could it be that Sesshoumaru had done it deliberately because he knew that Tetsusaiga was the only thing which kept Inuyasha in control?

Kagome groaned. Whatever it was, it still did not help with her current predicament. She knew it was going to be difficult, but she just did not expect it to be near impossible.

The fang was one thing. She did not know what had possessed her to ask for training as well.

Yeah, right, Kagome, her inner voice mocked knowingly.

Fine, perhaps it had occurred to her that with some training from him, she might be able to protect herself against Inuyasha and other youkais a little better. Hence not having to depend on everyone else all the time. Not to mention this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, because how often would she have something the Western Lord wanted?

The campsite came into view. Even before she could reach it, a red fur-ball streaked towards her.

“Kagome-neesan! You took so long. Where were you?”

She caught the fur-ball in her arms with a smile. “Shippou-chan.”

Shippou's grin fizzled out as he regarded her, his eyes suddenly filled with concern. “Kagome-neesan? You were crying.”

She stared at him, surprised. How did he know? Then she realized that the little kitsune must have smelled her dried tears.

“It's nothing to worry about, Shippou,” she evaded.

Shippou's nose twitched, and then instantly stilled. His green eyes narrowed. “Sesshoumaru did this, didn't he?” His little body trembled in anger. “I'll kill him!”

“Shh…” she consoled him. Shippou had no chance of killing Sesshoumaru, and they both knew it. “It wasn't him. I was just upset, that's all.”

Sango appeared with Miroku close behind her.

“You saw Sesshoumaru?” the houshi asked.

Kagome nodded. “Actually, he found me at the stream.”

“How did it go?” The youkai taijiya looked worried.

Kagome shook her head sadly. “He kind of brushed me off.”

Sango sighed, looking resigned. “To be honest, it's not unexpected.”

Miroku nodded. “Considering how Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha fight all the time, I can't see him wanting to help.”

“But he can have his arm back. He can be stronger,” Shippou exclaimed, clearly not understanding why the taiyoukai refused to help them.

“I don't think the loss of that one arm actually weakened him,” Sango noted dryly.

Kagome shrugged, suddenly feeling exhausted. “We've tried. I guess we need to think of something else.”

Miroku, for once, eyed her with concern instead of his usual lecherous manner. “Get some rest, Kagome. We have a long trip back to Kaede's tomorrow. Since Sesshoumaru is not willing to help, there is no reason for us to remain in the Western Lands.”

Sango nodded in agreement. “We'll talk about it when we get back to Inuyasha.”

“He's going to try to kill Sesshoumaru,” Shippo muttered with a worried frown.

Kagome straightened her spine. “We'll just have to talk him out of it. There must be some other way to do this.”

“I hope so,” Sango said, but she looked unconvinced.

Miroku stood up and walked to the fire. “I'll be on watch tonight.”

With a small, tired smile, Kagome gathered Shippou closer to her and headed for her sleeping bag.


***


Sesshoumaru glanced at his empty sleeve.

The human girl's words refused to leave him. She said she could return his arms to him. But how?

He knew that there was a rumor that she was the reincarnation of the miko called Kikyo. This might explain her ability. Frowning slightly, he compared the two women, finding it hard to believe that they were of the same soul. The undead miko was a disgrace, and there was something about her which repulsed him to the core.

No, he did not believe that the two of them shared the same soul. They even smelled different. He recalled coming across the undead miko's path a few times many years ago, when she had been amongst the living. Her scent and her soul did not feel the same as the wench.

Sesshoumaru shook himself inwardly. He had better things to do than to mull over their souls. All he was interested in was the wench's ability to restore his arm.

It occurred to him that whole thing could simply be just a ruse to make him give up his fang. Should he believe the human girl? If she was the only one who could return his arm, would he be just throwing away his chance just for the sake of distrust and pride? Throwing the opportunity away just because he never liked to depend on another?

And this time it would be his own arm, not some inferior youkai's limbs, or even more abhorred, a human limb.

Sesshoumaru stood up abruptly.

“Rin.”

The child ran up to him, her face glowing from the exertion of playing, or rather, torturing, Jaken. “Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?”

“Stay close to Jaken and Ah-Un.”

Rin nodded. “Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama.”

Without another glance at his companions, Sesshoumaru launched off the ground.

The idea of having his own arm again was pleasing.

He just needed proof that the wench could really do it.


***


Kagome was in the middle of a dream when suddenly something woke her up.

Her eyes snapped open and instantly locked with a pair of cold, expressionless, golden eyes. The face staring down at her was beautifully formed, with a crescent moon on his forehead and magenta stripes on his cheekbones. She stiffened in alarm the moment her brain registered his identity.

Sesshoumaru.

Before a scream could escape her lips, a strong hand clamped on her mouth, silencing her call for help. Her eyes widened further and a feeling of suffocating terror began to consume her. Her heart thumped hard against her ribcage. Gripping his wrist with both hands, she struggled, trying to free herself from him.

Their eyes clashed again. The warning look in his told her what he did not voice out loud. Knowing that she had no other choice, she nodded her head slightly in agreement and stilled her movements.

Apparently satisfied, Sesshoumaru gave her a curt nod. Releasing her mouth, he pulled her up roughly and grabbed her around the waist with his one and only arm. His armor dug painfully into her stomach and shoulders, but she did not think that he would appreciate her complaints.

Kagome stifled a shriek when they launched into the sky, the cold wind rushing past her ears at an alarming rate. Shivering, she clamped her lips together, her fear growing exponentially as they moved further and further away from the campsite.

Where was he taking her? Her face was buried in the fur on his shoulders and she could not see where they were headed to. Vaguely, she realized that Sesshoumaru smelled nice, like the scent of midnight air after a storm mingled with something completely masculine. Her shivers abated a little as she absorbed the warmth from his body, but her fear remained.

She did not know how long they were in the air, but she was relieved when they landed smoothly on the ground. The arm around her immediately retracted, leaving her to stumble ungracefully as she tried to find her footing. A quick glance around her told her that they were at the stream where they had met yesterday.

“You can restore my arm.” It was a question, but he made it sound like a statement.

She looked up at him, unsurprised at his abrupt manner by now. A twinge of hopefulness began to grow within her. Maybe he was willing to help after all.

She nodded quickly. “Yes. But only if you keep to your end of the bargain.”

His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, but Kagome noticed it and immediately took a nervous step back. Perhaps she should attempt to approach this another way.

“Prove it,” he stated in his usual uncompromising tone.

Her mind froze at his words. She stared at him, tongue-tied. His expectant gaze unnerved her, making it hard for her to remember what Kaede had thought her few days ago.


***


Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed dangerously as the human girl continued to hesitate. It was as he had thought; she was lying about her capabilities. His blood began to boil. How dare such a slip of a human girl try to trick him this way?

He was incensed that he had fallen for it, but he kept his expression carefully blank.

Although he had been skeptical about it, there was a part of him which had been hopeful. After all, being crippled was a sore thing for him. He craved perfection in every way, even from himself. Missing a limb was an imperfection that he could do without.

And now, to be tricked this way…It was simply unacceptable.

An angry growl escaped his lips before he could stifle the sound.

The girl's eyes shot up in alarm and she took a few hasty steps backwards. His hand snapped out and closed like a vice around her wrist, preventing any further movements.

“Where do you think you're going?” His voice was hard.

“Let me go,” she pleaded.

His eyes narrowed dangerously. “You tricked this Sesshoumaru.”

Her eyes widened even further. Then, to his surprise, she shook her head vigorously. “No. I did not.”

Loosening his hold on her, he narrowed his eyes. “You're lying.”

To his surprise, right before his eyes, her trembling stopped and she straightened her spine. Her expression displayed her annoyance. “Sesshoumaru, in order to do this, you're going to have to trust me a little. I said I could do it, didn't I?”

The girl had guts, he admitted grudgingly. A white eyebrow arched in challenge. “Then, prove it to this Sesshoumaru.”

Her eyes flashed. “Fine.” She looked around and her eyes settled on a log. Gesturing to it, she said, “We'd better sit.”

“This Sesshoumaru will stand.” Human or not, he was not about to place himself in a vulnerable position.

Exasperation clouded her features. “Just in case you haven't noticed, you're much taller and it'll be harder for me to reach you when you're standing. I'll need all my energy to do this.”

He searched her face, looking for signs of trickery. Finding none, he finally nodded and went to the log. The human girl lowered herself next to him and he resisted the natural impulse to distance himself from her. Obviously noticing his displeasure at their close proximity, the girl rolled her eyes. Sesshoumaru thought to glare at her but decided that it was not worth the effort.

“I'm going to have to touch you,” she said, rolling his empty sleeve up.

He nodded curtly. He would suffer this indignity for the sake of his limb.

The first contact of her finger against his skin sent a shock through him. Pearlescent sparks flew between her hand and the stub connected to his left shoulder. Annoyed, he hissed at her in warning.

Grimacing, she muttered sheepishly, “Sorry. Too much energy there. You're making me nervous.”

“Hn.”

Frowning, he looked down at her, noting her concentration as she endeavored to control her miko powers. Then her eyes fluttered shut.

His sensitive ears picked up the sound of her heartbeat slowing and the hair at the back of his neck stood the moment he felt her miko power surge forth unsteadily. A tiny moment of doubt crossed his mind. This human girl could attempt to use her miko powers to harm him and he was just sitting here letting her touch him.

No. He knew that her miko power would not cause him harm him unduly. Her purifying energy would give him a bad burn, that was all, but hardly likely to kill him. And if she had any intention of purifying him, she would have done so already, wouldn't she? Why wait until now?

Trust. She said that he should trust her. His lips tightened. Trusting humans would be a mistake. No. He did not trust her, but he would tolerate her.

A warm tingle at the stub where his left arm used to be drew his attention back to her. The girl's eyes were closed and there was an eerie translucent flush to her skin. The tingling intensified and Sesshoumaru glanced down to his left to see the stub glowing bright. His eyes widened slightly, amazed at what he was seeing.

The glow intensified suddenly, shooting out light sparks.

Then it was gone.

The suddenness of it left him frozen for a moment before he registered that the human girl had fallen to her side, obviously exhausted after her ordeal. From the sound of her steady heartbeat, he knew that she was still alive, just drained.

Anticipation filled him as Sesshoumaru brought the stub up for closer inspection.

Then the corner of his lips tilted. It was slight, but he could see the protrusion of his bone stretching the end of the stub, the new skin pink.

His arm had grown out just a little. But it had grown. And that was all that mattered to him.

He lowered his arm and glanced again at the human girl. Her powers were extraordinary, raw and untamed. Too raw and untamed, he thought, feeling a little worried. She barely had any control over it tonight. He could sense how hard she had been trying to keep it in check. And that was probably the reason why she had collapsed. Not from the outpouring of power, but more due to the exertion of controlling it.

He got to his feet. A decision needed to be made, and he suspected that he already knew what it was going to be. But he was never one to rush into anything. He would give himself a few days to mull over this, to make sure that he was indeed taking the correct step forward, and then he would decide.

“Ah-Un,” he called, knowing that his command would be heard by his servant even with the large distance between them.

It took a few minutes before the two-headed beast landed on the bank of the stream in front of him.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the girl, mildly appalled that he had to touch her, but he knew that it was necessary. And after tonight, it was possible that touching her might be something he just needed to get used to.

Quickly, he hauled her up and dropped her on Ah-Un.

“Take her back to her companions. Make sure they awake to tend to her.”


***


“Kagome?”

“Kagome-neesan?”

Slowly, she cracked her eyes open and instantly blinked against the brightness of the midday sun. Shippou came into focus, followed by Kirara's, Miroku's and Sango's worried faces.

“Huh?” She blinked again, trying to clear the cobwebs in her mind. Her entire body felt lethargic. Like she was weighed down by something heavy.

“Are you okay, Kagome?” Sango asked, placing a cool hand against her brow.

“I don't know…Um… Yes. I think so,” she replied uncertainly.

“We didn't know you left,” Miroku remarked, sounding very curious.

“Sesshoumaru's two-headed beast brought you back,” Shippou added, his fluffy red tail twitching worriedly.

Kagome sat up abruptly as the memories of the previous night came back to her. She almost could still remember the feel of Sesshoumaru's warm skin under her fingers. And then the sudden overload of miko power which had caused a spark to erupt between them. She groaned, realizing now that she had passed out before she could see if it had worked.

“Was Sesshoumaru here last night?”

Shippou shook his head. “No. Just the beast. Where did you go, Kagome-neesan?”

Miroku waggled his brows. “Did Sesshoumaru take you to…um…Did he…Did you…” he faltered as his fingers began to twitch uncontrollably.

Comprehending the perverted monk's unspoken implications, Kagome's eyes widened. However, before she could raise her hand, Sango's Hiraikotsu landed on Miroku's head, instantly knocking the perverted monk out cold.

Kagome glanced at his still form for a moment before she raised her eyes to Sango. “Sesshoumaru wanted proof that I could heal his arm.”

Sango, Shippou and even Kirara leaned forward.

“So?” Shippou prompted.

Kagome shrugged helplessly. “I don't know if it worked. I kind of collapsed and the next thing I know, I'm back here. I guess since Sesshoumaru is gone, the healing didn't actually work.”

Sango closed her eyes and leaned back. Shippou groaned. And even Kirara looked disappointed.

Kagome sagged. “I know…I know… I should have tried to stay awake to make sure. But if it had worked, don't you think he would have said something?”

“It's alright, Kagome,” Sango soothed gently. “At least you're back here and safe, right?”

Shippou nodded. “Yeah, Kagome. And Sesshoumaru did not harm you. That's something, right?”

Kagome flashed them a weak smile. She knew that everyone had hoped that everything would turn out well. Studying her hand, she wished that she had more control over her miko powers. If she did, they would not be sitting here, all feeling low.

She was disappointed in herself.

Picking up her toiletries, clothes and her bow and arrow, she turned to Sango. “I'm going to take a bath, Sango-chan. Do you want to come along?” she invited.

Sango shook her head. “No. I had one last night.” And then she shot a warning look at a wide-eyed Miroku. “I'll stay here and make sure Miroku doesn't wander.”

Kagome managed to crack grin. Tossing them a wave, she made her way to the hot-springs nearby. Humming absently, she padded through the forest, pushing low tree branches out of her way. The morning sun filtered past the dense foliage, casting bright rays around her. Birds chirped and insects buzzed lazily.

All in all, the forest was peaceful. Unlike her current mood.

Her mind went back to their current predicament. With Inuyasha in the state that he was, it was going to be difficult for them to hunt for the shards together. Since it was highly unlikely that Sesshoumaru would give up his fang, she guessed the only thing they could do at the moment was to ask Totousai if he could reforge the Tetsusaiga with another youkai's fang.

But which one? Kagome frowned. According to Totousai, the fang must belong to a strong youkai. The only one that she knew of, apart from Sesshoumaru, was Naraku. And Naraku was not even a true youkai, but more like a hanyou.

In her preoccupation, she had neglected to keep her eyes peeled for danger.

A loud squawk sounded overhead, startling her just a moment before she picked up the sound of wings flapping. By the time she found herself facing a large hawk youkai, it was too late for her to run.

Her eyes widened in fear.

The hawk youkai has a male human form. He was standing on two human-like legs, covered in a smattering of dark brown feathers. Large wings extended from his arms. His face was graced with a hawk beak and a glittering pair of black eyes. The bright glow of a Shikon shard drew her eyes to his neck.

“You have the Shikon shards,” he stated in a nasal tone.

“So do you,” she pointed out flatly.

The youkai flapped his wings violently as a response.

Kagome's eyes widened further, but she stood her ground. Running now would be pointless. There was no way she could run faster than the hawk could fly.

Stepping back slowly, she pulled out her bow and arrow. The tip of the arrow began to glow pink.

The hawked eyed her, and then squawked in disgust before he sped forward.

Kagome aimed and released the arrow. Unfortunately for her, the youkai's eyes were sharp and he managed to dodge the arrow. She attempted another shot, but the arrow went wild. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she decided that the best course at the moment would be to run back to the campsite.

With that thought, she swiveled round and ran. She heard the rapid flapping of wings as the hawk youkai pursued her. Breathing hard, she pumped her legs faster, desperate to reach Sango and Miroku.

“Sango! Miroku!” she yelled, hoping that they would hear her.

A loud flap sounded just behind her, and she felt the air shift around her. The next thing she knew, she was airborne. The forest fell away under her at an alarming rate and she let out a piercing scream.

“LET ME GO, BIRDBRAIN!” she yelled, struggling frantically to free herself from his claws. Vaguely, it occurred to her that if the youkai had heeded her words, she would by falling down through thin air.

The hawk youkai laughed evilly. “I shall have the Shikon!”

Her eyes hardened. “NO!” she yelled, renewing her struggles.

Then, suddenly, a white blur streaked up from below. Her eyes widened in recognition.

Sesshoumaru.

“Sesshoumaru!” she yelled, uncaring that the youkai was not exactly a friend. Anything would be better than this hawk youkai.

Obviously noting Sesshoumaru's rapid approach, the hawk youkai did a quick turn and flew in the opposite direction. Kagome renewed her struggles, but the youkai's claws held fast onto her shoulders. Knowing that it was futile to continue struggling, Kagome ceased her movements.

Just then, she heard the sound of something whipping fast through the air and the hawk youkai squawked in outrage. Kagome's eyes widened as the grip on her shoulders loosened.

And then she felt herself falling.

She closed her eyes and screamed.


***