InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Simple Legacy (I) ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

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 4

 

 

 

The piercing scream tore through his head, jolting Sesshoumaru mid-flight. As his eyes snapped to her free-falling body, he glowered. What possessed the wench to scream like that? With a disgusted exclamation, he efficiently slashed the lowly hawk youkai with his poison claws, tearing the youkai into pieces.

Then he dove.

The wench had already fainted from shock when he snagged her by the back of her indecently short kimono. Weak humans, he thought derisively as he landed in a clearing next to a hot-spring. Placing the wench against the tree, he gave her a cursory scan which told him that she was unharmed.

He sat on a rock ledge bordering the spring and waited.

The intensity of the sun gradually decreased as the glowing orb descended to the west and hid itself behind a cluster of rain-clouds. The gloominess was then further enhanced by the steam from the hot-springs forming a hazy envelop over the area.

He kept his eyes trained on the human girl who was slowly coming back to consciousness. The second her eyes opened, those brown orbs unerringly locked onto his. To his amusement, which he quickly contained lest she detected it, she shuffled away from him before she realized what she was doing.

Then she stilled, blinking in remembrance.

“Um…Thank you for saving me,” she uttered in a quiet voice.

A noncommittal, “Hn” was all he gave her as a reply. He should have just let her fall, but the idea of having his arm returned stopped him.

The girl pushed herself to her feet, glancing at him warily. Then she said, “Well, I'd better get back to camp now. Sango and the rest will be worried.”

For a moment, Sesshoumaru regarded her in silence, noting her increasing nervousness when he did not speak. He had made up his mind, and he would make his intention clear to her. He stepped closer until they were facing each other just an arm's length apart.

“You will restore this Sesshoumaru's arm in exchange for the fang.”

Her nervousness dissipated visibly, and immediately replaced by a hopeful light. Truly, the wench showed more emotions than any typical human.

In any case, the wench had irritated him more than once during his encounters with his hanyou half-brother. She did not seem to understand that her interference was not appreciated. And hence, he decided on additional stipulations to the agreement.

“In exchange for the training, you will not ever stand against this Sesshoumaru, whatever the circumstances may be. Also, you will be bound to honor one request from this Sesshoumaru without question.”

He watched impassively as her jaw slowly dropped. He did not know exactly what he needed from her specifically, but there was not any harm in having a miko in his debt. He smirked inwardly. Especially one so close to his hanyou brother. Perhaps he could use her to manipulate Inuyasha.

“B-But…Inuyasha…” she protested, stuttering as she did so.

He shot her a hard, uncompromising look. “Do not stand in this Sesshoumaru's way, even when the hanyou is involved.”

This slip of a human had interfered many times in his fights with Inuyasha, and as much as he loathed admitting it, she was more than capable of tilting the balance. She had always been the unknown, the surprise element that had always given Inuyasha an unfair advantage.

She stared worriedly at him. “And the request?”

“The nature of the request will become clear when this Sesshoumaru deems it necessary.”

The indecision in her eyes was clear. But this Sesshoumaru was not about to budge from his position.

Ultimately, it would be her choice. If she did not agree to his stipulations, he would just have to come up with another, possibly less refined method of obtaining her agreement. Either way, he was not walking away from the opportunity of regaining his arm.

“If I agree to this, you won't harm me?” she asked.

“This Sesshoumaru would not harm you unduly during the course of the agreement,” he told her. Tempting as it might be, he added inwardly. He was making no promises of that nature for their time after the completion of the agreement, however.

She continued to hesitate, a thoughtful frown on her face as she mulled over his words. His tolerance began to thin.

“Do not try my patience,” he warned coldly.

“I'm thinking, alright!” she snapped irritably.

“Wench…” he growled at her rudeness.

She tilted her chin up, and he watched as her expression solidified into some sort of resolve.

“I accept.”

With a curt nod, he turned and began to walk away.

“Hey,” she shouted to his retreating back.

He gritted his teeth at the insolent manner in which she addressed him. She needed training more in manners towards her superiors than training in combat. Ignoring her, he continued to walk away.

“HEY!” she shouted again, the indignation clear in her tone.

Sesshoumaru reined in his fury at being so thoroughly disrespected. It would not do to kill the human who had the ability to restore his arm. A short pause followed before he heard her call out again.

“Sesshoumaru-sama.” Her tone was softer this time, more respectful.

As it should be.

The wench was not stupid after all. His steps slowed to a halt. It was time to lay out the rules to her. With Rin's presence, it normally took him three days to complete the patrol of his territory. Considering the wench's physical state after her demonstration yesterday, it would probably take that long for her to restore her energy. And even if she did not, he had no intention of disrupting his schedule.

Without looking back, he stated emotionlessly, “Every three sunsets in this clearing starting tomorrow you'll be trained in the art of combat, without the use of your miko powers. Alone. Without your traveling companions. The same nights, you will carry out the healing. When this Sesshoumaru's arm is restored, you can have the fang.”

A sputter of disbelief sounded behind him. “But it'll take two months! It's too long. Inuyasha may not last that long,” she protested vehemently.

“Cease your whining,” he snarled. “Until this Sesshoumaru's arm is fully restored, you will not have the fang.”

She slumped visibly, and then reluctantly nodded.

Sesshoumaru allowed himself a smirk of satisfaction.


…***…


The open-pit fire burned merrily, circled by a group of thoughtful travelers resting in the campsite.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground with Shippou in her lap, Kagome watched unblinkingly at the dancing fire. She had just told Sango, Miroku and Shippou about what happened and they were now all sitting there in stunned silence.

Good thing she did not tell them about her training or his final stipulation. The one which basically meant that she had to honor a request from him, whatever it was. She could only imagine what their reaction would be.

It was a stupid thing to agree to. Sesshoumaru now held something over her head. What if he asked for the Shikon jewel when it was completed? Kagome cringed inwardly. But would he? After all, the Shikon shards in the jar had been right in front of his face each time they met, but he had done nothing to it.

What if he asked for something more…personal? Blanching, Kagome closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. No. He hated humans. There was no way he would ask her for that. And anyway, with the way he looked, there must be plenty of willing female youkais throwing themselves at him.

Kagome slumped dejectedly. It was more than clear to her who received the better end of the deal. After all, she had only asked a bit of training and his fang. Not exactly important things to him considering that she would hardly pose a risk to him even fully trained.

“I can't believe he actually agreed,” Sango remarked softly, her features filled with wonderment.

Kagome nodded. She knew how Sango felt. After all, she had also been surprised earlier. “Yeah. But I guess he really wants his arm back.”

“But the agreement means that you can never help Inuyasha again when he's fighting Sesshoumaru,” Miroku noted seriously. “Ah…the Lord of the Western Lands certainly knew what he was doing.”

Kagome's gaze shifted from the fire and went to Miroku. “Inuyasha hardly needs help from me.”

The kitsune in her lap shook his head vigorously. “You're wrong, Kagome-neesan. You were always there when Inuyasha fought Sesshoumaru. And you always helped.”

Gazing down at the perceptive fox youkai, Kagome brightened. “I was, wasn't I?” And with Sesshoumaru training her, she might be able to help even more.

“Inuyasha is not the type to admit it, but you've saved his sorry butt more than once,” Sango added.

“Yeah, Kagome-neesan,” Shippou chirped.

Kagome gave him a gentle smile before she looked up at Sango and Miroku. “I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens, huh?”

“When are you meeting him?”

“We're starting tomorrow.”

Miroku expelled a heavy breath. “I just hope Inuyasha won't find us until we get Sesshoumaru's fang.”

Sango snorted. “You can bet that Inuyasha will be here sooner than we expect. That's what he always does.”

Kagome closed her eyes in a silent prayer. “I just hope that he's not too mad.”

Gravely, the rest of them nodded in agreement.


…***…


Sesshoumaru only spared a cursory glance around the area as he walked through the forest with Rin, Jaken and Ah-Un. The crunch of dry leaves under their feet, the soft calls of the birds overhead, the soothing mineral scent of the hot-springs nearby; he could sense everything around them without actually using his eyes.

But then again, he had been patrolling the same area for a couple of days now, due to the presence of Inuyasha's human companion. So it was hardly surprising that he knew exactly where everything was to the smallest detail.

Tonight would be the commencement of their agreement. Sesshoumaru hated to admit it, but the feeling of anticipation inside him had been growing all day. He wondered how much of his arm would grow this time, and how long would it actually take to completely restore it to its previous state. A small frown graced his forehead as he remembered that the wench had said that it would take approximately two months.

He sighed inwardly. But first, he had to train the wench. It would not be pleasant, but he had every intention of honoring his words. He had even ordered Jaken to find a suitable weapon. Jaken had grudgingly found an old katana of his and brought it along, holding it under his arm. That would serve well enough for this evening's training.

The wench was already there when they arrived at the clearing next to the hot-springs. The moment her eyes landed on him, she stood up from the log she had been seated on. The wary gaze which he had been subjected to the last few times they had met was now replaced with a glint of excitement. Perhaps the wench had thought that training under this Sesshoumaru would be easy. He smirked inwardly. He would just have to prove her wrong.

The wench waved her hand at an excited Rin. “Hello, little one.”

“Kagome-neesan!” Rin chirped as she gave the older human a hug.

“Sesshoumaru-sama,” she greeted when he narrowed the distance between them.

He acknowledged her greeting with a curt nod. “We will commence with the training.”

Her expression brightened.

He tossed her the katana and watched, un-amused, as she caught it with unsteady hands. If she could not even catch a katana, what were the chances of her being able to wield it as it deserved to be wielded?

A tug on his sleeve caught his attention. “Can Rin watch, Sesshoumaru-sama?”

He gave his ward a quick glance. Seeing no harm in her request, he nodded once. It would probably do Rin some good to be exposed to this sort of training. After all, she had to leave him at some point. A sinking feeling appeared in his stomach at the thought, but he quickly brushed it away. It would not do to get attached too attached to Rin.

“Jaken.”

The small youkai stepped closer, glancing warily at Kagome. With a respectful bow, he asked, “Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?”

Sesshoumaru inclined his head towards Kagome. “You will be her opponent.” From what he could see of her without her miko powers, Jaken would be more than adequate for the task.

Jaken sputtered, obviously offended at the task he had been asked to carry out. At Sesshoumaru's cold gaze, the toad youkai stilled.

“Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama,” he said with a long-suffering expression.

As he settled himself on a large rock, Sesshoumaru gestured for her to stand near Jaken.

“Stance, wench. Shoulder's width apart,” Sesshoumaru pointed out, his sharp eyes noting the unsteady manner she was holding herself.

The girl shifted slightly, her brows followed in concentration as she found her centre. Then she looked at him questioningly.

“It is acceptable. Grip the katana firmly and hold it up.”

He carried on, correcting her basic stances, blocks and holds. The girl was a quick student, but it was becoming painfully clear to him that she had next to no chance of defending herself against anyone when it came to this form of combat, let alone that hanyou, Inuyasha. He groaned inwardly. This was going to take forever.

When he had all but exhausted all the basic stances, blocks and hold he could think off, Sesshoumaru decided that it was time for some real practice. Time to see if she could react under pressure against a real opponent.

“Jaken. You attack.”

The toad youkai's eyes gleamed with malice.

Then Sesshoumaru turned to the girl who was watching him with no small amount of apprehension. He could guess what she was thinking. Jaken might be small, but he was still a youkai and possessed a lot of power.

“Wench. Concentrate on your blocks.”

Without warning, Jaken swung his staff down.

Sesshoumaru watched impassively as the girl moved. She was not fast enough to counter with a block and was hit on the shoulders. She hissed in pain, but did not take her eyes off Jaken.

Jaken launched an attack again. This time, the girl managed to block the green youkai's descending Staff of Heads, deflecting the blow sideways as she had been taught earlier. But when Jaken swung the staff around the second time, she barely managed to sidestep. The staff glanced off her shin lightly. Off balance, she wobbled and tumbled to the ground.

“Your stance is weak, wench,” Sesshoumaru pointed out, his face displaying bored indifference as he stood up. If he had to tutor her in the art of combat, he would endeavor to do it in the manner it deserved. He would not disgrace his art, even if she was just a mere human. “Get up.”

The human girl picked herself up and glared at him.

Ignoring her expression, Sesshoumaru proceeded to demonstrate the correct stance. She kept her eyes on him, careful to emulate his moves. Not far beside her, Rin was doing the same. However, instead of using a real katana, the child was using a long stick she had picked up from somewhere. Hardly aware of his own actions, Sesshoumaru gave the child an encouraging nod.

An hour of practice had passed before Sesshoumaru decided to call a halt to it. It would not do to push the wench too much, not if he wanted her to heal his arm.

To his astonishment, she did not look tired. Instead, she was glowing healthily from the exercise. Her eyes were shining in excitement and her skin was flushed, slick with sweat. Sesshoumaru had expected himself to be disgusted, but much to his consternation, he found her presence, and even her scent, tolerable.

He watched her silently as she rolled his sleeve up carefully. Like the last time, she placed a hand against the end of his stub and the other on his shoulders. Recalling what happened the last time, he tensed involuntarily.

“Relax,” Kagome coaxed, her eyes still fixed on his arm.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. He could never allow himself to be fully relaxed, not when there were others around him. Relaxing could cost him his life. He needed to be alert at all time, ready for whatever fate decided to throw at him.

A feeling of warmth flowed at the point of their contact, and Sesshoumaru felt his anticipation grow. He looked down at her to see her eyes flutter shut, her lips slightly parted as she breathed deeply, channeling her miko power to heal his arm. As before, there was a translucent glow to her skin.

Her brow furrowed in concentration as the tingling in his stub slowly intensified. A twinge of apprehension nudged at Sesshoumaru when he sensed her inner struggle at controlling her powers. The wench needed to get a better control of her powers, he thought irritably.

After a few minutes, the pearlescent glow grew unsteady, flickering in and out in an alarming manner. Sesshoumaru frowned as his apprehension grew. What was the wench trying to do? The glow continued to fluctuate erratically as he watched. Something was not right.

“Wench…” he ground out in warning.

Her eyes flew open. The glow sputtered an instant before bright sparks erupted from her fingers at the point where their skin met. She gasped in horror.

Sesshoumaru jumped to his feet instantly. His eyes honed in on his folded left sleeve and narrowed in annoyance when he saw grey smoke wafting up from the blackened fabric. Somehow, the human girl had managed to burn his sleeve. On closer inspection, he noted that his arm had grown another inch or so, the new pinkish flesh tender to his touch. At least something went right.

He locked a pair of disdainful eyes onto her nervous ones. “Your control is lacking, wench.”

Surprise flared in her eyes for a moment before her expression turned mutinous. Pointing to his left arm, she said smugly, “But it grew, right? And anyway, you're the one who interrupted me.”

“Your miko powers were fluctuating unpredictably,” he pointed out stonily. Did she think that he was just going to sit there while she fumbled disgracefully with her own power?

She planted her hands on her hips, glaring at him in annoyance. “Look. I'm doing the best I can, alright? Deal with it. At least you'll have your arm back.”

“Hn.”

He looked at her thoughtfully. Considering the manner in which she spoke to him, it was clear that the wench no longer feared him. How did this happen? She had feared him before. He could not have mistaken the pungent scent the last few times they had crossed path.

“And what's that supposed to mean?” The light in her eyes was nothing short of challenging.

“Watch your words, wench. This Sesshoumaru does not tolerate insolence,” he warned.

Her eyes flashed indignantly. “I have a name, Sesshoumaru-sama. It is Kagome. Get that? Ka-Go-Me.”

He just stared at her. Did she think that he did not know her name? How could he have avoided knowing her name with that hanyou, Inuyasha yelling it at the top of his lungs each time they battled?

Obviously unperturbed by his stare, she merely grumbled under her breath. His heightened sense of hearing picked up the words. Something about unreasonable youkais. Sesshoumaru felt his jaw twitch.

She lifted her eyes to stare at him expectantly. “So? Anything else? Can I go now?”

“You would be wise to discipline your power.” Sesshoumaru practically choked the words out. It galled him to give her this sort of advice, but if he did not, she might never be able to completely heal him.

The human girl threw her hands in the air, her expression showing her frustration. “Easy for you to say!”

“It requires practice,” he told her impatiently.

She pointed at his arm, smirking. “Yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing now. Practicing.”

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed by a fraction. He did not like the thought of being an object she practiced her powers on. “You will practice away from this Sesshoumaru.”

She looked amused. “Scared of being purified?” she mocked.

He glanced down at her, knowing that his expression showed her his disdain. “You can never purify this Sesshoumaru.”

Her brows furrowed as she appeared to think. “What makes you think that? You're a youkai and I can purify you.”

“This Sesshoumaru is resistant to purification such as yours and the barrier around Mount Hakurei.”

Her frown deepened as her eyes went to his arm. “But it burns you.”

“It burns the silk. This Sesshoumaru merely felt a jolt. Lowly youkais would suffer a worse fate under your purification. And even weak hanyous like Inuyasha.”

Eyes flashing, she retorted, “Inuyasha's not weak! And I will never harm him like that.”

“This training would not be necessary should you decide to utilize your miko powers against Inuyasha,” he pointed out flatly.

Any normal being would have utilized whatever power they have within to protect themselves, but not this wench. She had enough miko power to subdue Inuyasha, and yet, she chose not to use it. Had she no sense of self-preservation?

She just stared at him disbelievingly.

“However, you will refrain from killing that worthless hanyou, even accidentally. Inuyasha's worthless life is this Sesshoumaru's to take.”

The look of disbelief on her face intensified, and Sesshoumaru began to feel strangely unnerved. It was an unfamiliar feeling and he did not like it.

Finally, she sputtered, “You're warning me to make sure I don't accidentally kill Inuyasha just so that one day you might kill him?”

“This Sesshoumaru will kill him,” he corrected.

Shaking her head, she began to chuckle.

His eyes narrowed into slits, but she did not notice it. Why was she chuckling? Sesshoumaru failed to see the humor in the situation.

Her chuckles became outright laughter as she bent double, clutching her midsection.

Perhaps the utilization of her powers had strained the wench to the point where she could not control herself. That was certainly explained her lack of fear towards him. There was no other explanation for her insolence.

Feeling somewhat baffled by the situation, Sesshoumaru decided that he should just walk away, lest he gave in to the almost overwhelming urge to strangle her skinny human neck. He would deny himself that satisfaction, at least until he regained full use of both his arms.


…***…


Kagome groaned as she turned around in her sleeping bag. Unwilling to wake up just yet, she kept her eyes shut tightly against the bright glare of the sun seeping through her closed eyelids. She could hear her companions stirring around her.

It had been a week since her agreement with Sesshoumaru had come into effect. Just last evening, she had been to see him in the designated clearing. And like the two other times, she had woken up the next morning feeling achy and completely drained.

She did not know if her condition was the result of Sesshoumaru's relentless training or the side-effect of exerting her miko powers for a prolonged amount of time.

According to Kaede, she should only feel weaker for a few hours before she regained her usual strength. However, that had not been true for her. She had slept through the whole night and yet, this morning she was nowhere close to feeling fresh. It occurred to her that she might be doing something wrong. But what?

She rolled over again, stretching her sore muscles. At least something was going right. Sesshoumaru's training was rigorous, and he was a tough taskmaster, but Kagome felt that in those three lessons, she had actually begun to improve. She had even managed to land a few hits on Jaken now, she thought with a grin. Remembering Jaken's livid expression when she had managed to knock him down, her grin grew wider.

She heard shuffling nearby, but kept her eyes shut. Maybe they would get the hint and leave her to sleep for a while longer.

She heard a whisper from Miroku. “She must be having a good dream.”

Then she felt a wandering hand on her backside. Her eyes snapped open instantly. “MIROKU!” she yelled in outrage, jack-knifing into a sitting position.

Her fist connected with his chin and he flew backwards, landing with a thump on the ground. Kagome jumped to her feet and glared at the sheepish-looking houshi. He chuckled nervously, rubbing his sore chin.

Sango stepped up beside her, shaking her head disapprovingly. “He'll never learn, will he?”

“Kagome-neesan!” Shippou exclaimed as he bounced into her arms.

“Good morning, Shippou,” Kagome greeted. Resigning to herself that she might as well begin the day, she bent down to grab the necessities for her morning routine.

“You look tired, Kagome-chan,” Sango observed, her concern showing on her face.

Kagome nodded. “Just a little.”

Still cradled in her arms, Shippou's ears suddenly perked up. “Did you hear that?” he asked in a nervous whisper.

The three of them frowned.

“Heard what?” Miroku asked, getting up and dusting himself.

Shippou's eyes rounded in fear. “T-that…” his voice wavered unsteadily.

“KAGOME!”

“SHIPPOU!

Kagome swallowed hard. It was a distant sound, but she heard it alright. There was no way she could mistake the voice, or the tone for that matter. Eyes large in her face, Kagome turned to Sango.

“Inuyasha,” both of them said together.


…***…