InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Simple Legacy (I) ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

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 8

 

 

 

The hot springs within Sesshoumaru's compound were enclosed by stone walls with a bamboo roof, giving its occupants the necessary privacy to bathe and to keep the heat in while the gentle sound of the gurgling water soothed them. In addition to that, the curling steam from the pools of hot water surrounded by rounded rocks was almost hypnotic, the perfect way to cultivate one's peace of mind and body.

That, of course, had to be marred by the presence of the miko beside him. Her feelings of embarrassment at his state of undress were acute, as evidenced by the blush on her cheeks and her tentative fingers.

Seated on a warm rock, his body slick with water and only covered by a strip of white cloth across his groin and tied low at his waist, Sesshoumaru glanced down to his right.

After his quick dip, she had cleaned his bleeding wounds with a soft cloth provided by Rin. Now, her hands were hovering over his shoulder wound, barely touching his skin. A soft pearlescent glow could be seen at the junction between his shoulder and her palms, spreading a tingling feeling over his skin. He noted with satisfaction that the claw wounds inflicted by Inuyasha were already closing under her treatment. He glanced at his left arm, now complete with a wrist and two perfect magenta stripes. It looked as if it would be complete in another week, or even less. That arm, at least, had escaped from Inuyasha's attack.

Then a frown marred his brows. Inuyasha in his youkai self was reckless, but the raw animal instincts had given the hanyou an edge that Sesshoumaru had not expected. He had been careless and had gotten himself injured. Something needed to be done. And soon, or else the uncontrollable youkai blood would drive Inuyasha to madness. Much as he disliked his half-brother, to die in such a manner would bring dishonor to the family.

He had no choice. As soon as his arm was complete, he would seek out the hanyou.

Vaguely, Sesshoumaru wondered if the miko would have offered to heal him if she had known what had happened between him and Inuyasha. Although the hanyou was the reason for this entire mess, the miko obviously cared a lot for him. It did not seem to matter to her that Inuyasha had tried to harm her more than once. Instead, she just carried on trying to help the hanyou.

Sesshoumaru was at a loss to explain her odd behavior. How could someone be so selfless, so kind and so…loyal? Granted, she was a miko, but that did not mean that those traits came as a package with the position. He had come across other mikos in the past, and they were definitely not as selfless.

Somehow, something told him that she would try to help anyone who needed it, whether they asked for it or not. She had even healed one of his servants when the lowly beaver youkai had broken his paw while gathering wood a week ago. He snorted in disgust, knowing that ever since then, his servants had been fawning all over her.

“Sesshoumaru?”

His eyes snapped open to find her staring at him questioningly.

The blush in her cheeks spread down her neck as she spoke. “I need to …um… heal your leg.”

“There is no need for embarrassment, Miko,” he told her, slightly amused by her reaction. This was a novelty for him. Usually, when he was in any state of undress, females tended to look at him with lust, not embarrassment. They tended to pounce on him, not avert their eyes shyly.

The miko took a deep breath and placed her hands over his thighs. Sesshoumaru tensed a little at the sudden contact of her warm palm against his inner thigh. Surprisingly, it seemed almost…intimate. Brushing away his wayward thoughts lest they manifested upon his body in an embarrassing manner, Sesshoumaru quickly pinned his attention on the small, trickling waterfall at the end of the rock pool.

His reaction to the miko baffled him.

He should be disgusted at the touch of her hand, the touch of a lowly ningen, but he was not. Could it be that somewhere along the line, he had gotten used to it? After all, he had felt the touch of her hands on his person on a regular basis for the last five weeks.

Her blunt fingernails scraped the inside of his left thigh and he let out a hiss. Not of pain, he realized with consternation, but something else he should not even be feeling in the vicinity of a human.

A pair of shocked brown eyes snapped up to meet his. “Sorry,” she mumbled as she hovered her trembling hands over his wounds, her long black hair brushing his knees.

“Hn.” He pointedly ignored the tingling feeling in his knees.

Her position in front of him was suggestive. It would seem like she was trying to seduce him if he had not known better. But this miko was pure and innocent. She probably did not understand the effect of such things on a male. In another place, in another setting and if she was a female youkai instead of a human miko, his responses would be completely different.

Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth at his wayward thoughts, willing himself not to think about it.

His thigh began to glow where her palms met his skin, and the familiar tingling feeling began.

“Who did this, Sesshoumaru?” she asked.

“It's not important,” he said, aware that his entire body had tensed at the question. Something told him that it would be better if he did not reveal the truth about the origin of his injuries.

She gave him a puzzled look. “It must have been someone pretty powerful to cause this much damage to you.” The glow on his thighs receded, signaling that the healing was complete.

His irritation rose and his claws closed into a tight fist, piercing the skin of his palm. Inuyasha powerful? He snorted inwardly. Hardly. It was just pure luck that the hanyou had managed to injure him so.

“No,” he replied tersely.

She dropped her eyes down to his thighs. To his distress, she began to stroke the fresh, pink scar tissues gently with her fingertips, as if to check if her work was satisfactory. Unfortunately for him, her motions were causing his hair to stand on its end, the unfamiliar sensation acutely discomfiting.

And it was not to be tolerated.

Quickly, he stood up.

Startled at his sudden move, the miko tumbled back, staring at him in bewilderment. He made no move to help her up. Instead, he spun around and made for the bamboo door.

“Hey, a `thanks' would be nice, you know,” she pointed sound indignantly.

He paused, the miko's words ringing in his ears. She had provided him with assistance when she was under no obligation to do so. Much as he hated to admit it, she was right. It would be uncouth not to extend his gratitude after her efforts.

“Thank you.” His tone was clipped.

Then he continued to the exit.


***


The cheerful sounds of birds chirping filtered through the open window to Kagome, bringing her out of her slumber. With a groan, she cracked open her eyes to the bright sunlight shining through the window. She immediately squeezed her eyes shut against the glare.

Rolling over her futon to face the other direction, Kagome yawned and opened her eyes again, blinking away the last vestiges of sleep. Pushing herself up into a sitting position, she stretched.

And immediately winced when her joints popped.

She felt different this morning. Brows furrowing in confusion, she wondered what she had done yesterday to cause her body to feel achy like this. There had been no training session with Sesshoumaru, so that could not be it.

She suddenly grinned. Sesshoumaru's arm was almost complete. All that was left was the tips of his four fingers. Soon enough, he would have to hand over his fang. Her excitement dimmed a little. She just hoped that he would not back out of it at the last minute, but she doubt that he would. The taiyoukai was honorable in that sort of way.

A little over five weeks, she thought. It had taken just over five weeks instead of the two months she had anticipated. Then another thought came to her as she counted the days and she immediately brightened.

It was her birthday today. Her eighteenth birthday.

A wistful expression crossed her face. She would be spending it here with Sesshoumaru, Rin and Shippou instead of her family at home. Back home, eighteen birthdays were special, but she doubted that that was the case in Sengoku Jidai. At eighteen, most women were already married with kids.

Perhaps Sesshoumaru would consider letting her leave just for one day. After all, he did not need her for anything today, right? She would just have to tell him when she saw him today.

Brightening further at the prospect of returning home, she figured that perhaps a bit of exercise would probably do her some good. After all, her next training session would not be until tomorrow. In the meantime, she could try to figure out some moves to bring the arrogant taiyoukai to his knees. Well, at least, she would attempt to. She knew fully well that Sesshoumaru held back during their sparring sessions, but it did not stop her from wanting to go further.

With that thought, she jumped up and changed into the plain black hakama and a matching cream hakamashita given to her by one of the servants.

Breakfast with Rin and Shippou was a quick affair. After setting some simple writing tasks for the children, she headed for the dojo.

Practicing her swings alone indoors soon became tedious. A glance out of the window told her that the sunny courtyard would be a much better place to practice in. And since Sesshoumaru was not around, he could hardly stop her, could he?

With a grin, she dropped the katana she had been using and picked up her favorite kodachis. Soon enough, she was outside in the courtyard, practicing various techniques. She was so involved in her practice that she almost missed the sound of swishing silk nearby.

Stopping mid-swing, she turned around to face a stony-faced Sesshoumaru. She knew him well enough by now to realize that behind the façade, he was holding back something. Something which looked suspiciously like annoyance.

What was eating him now, Kagome wondered irritably. Then she remembered the question she wanted to ask him.

“Sesshoumaru…sama,” she added at the last minute, hoping that the honorific would make him more amenable to her request.

He turned around.

“You don't need me here today, so can I go home for a day?” she asked.

His eyes narrowed. “No.”

Taken aback at his blatant refusal, Kagome just stared at him for a second before she managed to choke out a, “What?”

“You heard me, Miko,” he said flatly.

He was being unreasonable. It was just for one day and it was not as if he needed her here for something. At least Inuyasha has the Shikon shard hunt as an excuse for refusing to let her go home.

Indignant, she snapped, “Look, out agreement does not include me being housebound over here. So whether you like it or not, I'm going.” Turning around, she prepared to stomp away.

A strong hand clamped on her arm firmly, halting her in her tracks. “You dare defy this Sesshoumaru and dishonor the agreement?”

Her eyes widened incredulously. “Did you hear a word I just said?”

“Our agreement states that this Sesshoumaru shall not hurt you during the course of the agreement, correct?”

Wondering what Sesshoumaru was trying to get at, Kagome nodded uncertainly. With him, one could never be too sure where they stood.

“Should any harm be inflicted on you during your journey, this would mean that the responsibility lies on this Sesshoumaru for allowing you to leave,” he explained, his expression displaying just a slight hint of smugness.

Her jaw dropped. “You're just twisting things around to suit yourself!”

“Nevertheless, it is true.”

Why the sneaky… “I need to go home, Sesshoumaru!” she wailed in frustration.

It occurred to her again just then how familiar this entire situation was. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were both as hardheaded and stubborn as each other. The only difference was, Sesshoumaru's mind was simply sneakier. Talking her way out of it would not work this time.

“By tomorrow night, this Sesshoumaru's arm would be completely restored, and you are free to go.”

“It's not the same!”

“Why?”

She threw her hands up in the air. “Because it's my birthday today!”

His eyebrow arched as he waited for her to explain further. Rolling her eyes, she let of an exclamation of exasperation.

“Eighteen birthdays are supposed to be special in the human custom,” Kagome gritted out irritably.

“Hn,” he exclaimed disinterestedly before turning around to walk away.

Incensed beyond belief, Kagome's arm struck out before her brain registered her action, hitting Sesshoumaru's back with the heel of her palm.

The taiyoukai froze.

“Don't turn your back on me!” she snapped, too irritated to care what he would say about her actions.

He turned around slowly. “Miko, you would be wise to learn your place.” His voice was icy.

“My place at the moment is back home with my family,” she bit out.

“That is not possible.”

Her eyes glittered angrily. “Sesshoumaru, you're a bastard, you know that?”

“Do not speak such untruths.” But there was a glint in his eyes which told her that he knew fully well what she was calling him.

With a sharp shriek of frustration, Kagome threw the sheath of her weapon at him.

He caught it easily with his hand before it managed to hit him.

“Miko. If you insist on challenging this Sesshoumaru, then do so in the proper manner,” he bit out, tossing the sheath back at her.

Her eyes narrowed. “Would you let me leave if I beat you?” she asked, knowing that she had no chance whatsoever at beating him. But if she could not go back, then at least she could relieve her frustrations on the person who deserved it the most.

She stared at him challengingly.


***


When he had first spotted her in the courtyard, his temper had been inexplicably foul. The fact that he did not know what was it which ruffled his fur made it even worse.

And now, Sesshoumaru could not help himself from smirking at the opportunity to take it out on someone. So, the wench knew that she could not beat him but still had the nerve to challenge him. Yes, she was stubborn, persistent and brave. And Sesshoumaru did not know if that odd tingling feeling in him was pride or disgust. What he knew was that his foul mood had dissipated the moment she had issued her challenge.

They were not meant to be training today, but if the wench wanted a fight, she would get one.

“You are foolish. Your skills are still lacking,” he pointed out evenly.

Her eyes flashed. “Now, whose fault would that be?”

Sesshoumaru raised a brow. “You blame this Sesshoumaru for this lack of ability to master the art of combat?”

“You're the one teaching, aren't you?” she challenged, quirking an insolent brow.

“An apprentice always has a personal limit. Especially one who is a human. And one should pick their fights.”

Angry at his taunts, the miko flipped to her feet and launched herself forward, one kodachis further out than the other. The miko's thoughts were transparent to him. In her rage, she had forgotten to mask her expression.

“Eyes, Miko,” he pointed out dryly.

Her eyes flickered uncertainly and then the stubborn look he had come to recognize appeared. With a loud battle cry, she swung her arms, placing her kodachis into the opposite direction just as she reached him. He blocked with his katana. Sparks erupted from the contact. Sesshoumaru quickly twisted, letting her own momentum carry her away from him.

Their eyes locked for a split second.

Astounded, Sesshoumaru blinked. He could have sworn that her youki had flared into something he had never seen on her before just a second ago. Anticipating a counter-attack, he turned around quickly. But the girl was lying facedown on the ground, unmoving. Puzzled, he frowned. She had done better than this last time. Why was she in this state today?

He walked to her and knelt down. Prodding her shoulders with a finger, he called out, “Miko.”

She did not move.

“Miko!”

There was still no response from her.

Sighing in resignation, he bit out reluctantly, “Kagome. Get to your feet.”

She remained unmoving.

Slightly anxious now, Sesshoumaru grabbed her shoulder and turned her to her back. She was really unconscious. How could this be? She had taken worse than this before and had bounced back without a problem.

Then he watched, slightly alarmed when she began to glow. Before he could blink, a bright flare of light burst from her, hitting him right in the chest, the force of it throwing him backwards.

Sesshoumaru quickly stood. For a second, he thought that he might have been hit by a flash of her purification. A quick inspection of his person told him that he was unharmed. Instead, there was a tingling feeling which extended itself from his chest to the back of his head. His brow furrowing, he wondered what had just happened. It was different from her usual purifying energy. Peering at the still unconscious miko, he took a cautious step towards her.

Her youki hit his senses and he drew back involuntarily. Shock swept through him. He could still recognize it as the miko, but it was now subtler and darker, a trait he could recognize without doubt.

It reminded him of a youkai.


***


Kagome cracked her eyes open to find herself lying in her bedroom. An involuntary groan escaped her lips.

Pushing herself into a sitting position on the futon, she leaned back against the wall. The throbbing in her head made her wince. What happened, she wondered. The last thing she remembered was attacking Sesshoumaru. How did she get here? Did he knock her out?

She grimaced. No doubt this would give him another reason to push her even harder. For someone who had started off so reluctant to train her, he had been surprisingly meticulous and merciless that it seemed almost sadistic. Not that there would be many more chance for him to do so considering that their time was almost up.

She took a look out of the window to find that the sun was already setting, painting purplish red streaks across the sky. Her heart sank. There was no point in going home now. It was too late, she thought dejectedly. And it was all Sesshoumaru's fault.

Shuffling off the futon, she proceeded to fold the mat and the covers into a neat pile against the wall. Just then, the shoji slid open. She turned around to find Sesshoumaru walking towards her with an odd expression on his face. He did not stop until he was just an arm's length away from her.

Before she could say a word, he reached out and tilted her chin up, staring intently into her eyes. Her breath caught. She had never been this close to him. Not voluntarily, anyway. At this distance, she could even see the individual bright gold flecks buried in the molten gold background. Why was he looking at her like this?

“Hn.” That was all he uttered before he dropped his hands.

Shock rooted her to the spot. When she finally regained her composure, Sesshoumaru was already at the shoji.

“Hey!” she called out hurriedly. Then she quickly corrected herself. “Sesshoumaru!”

He halted, but did not turn to face her. She could almost feel his hesitation like it was her own. There was something he was not telling her. But why was he giving away his thoughts so easily today? Normally, she could not read a single thing from him. It was the strangest thing.

“What's that all about?” she asked cautiously, wondering if he was alright.

“Nothing,” came the curt reply.

He was evading the question, she could tell. Confused, she chased after him as he made his way out into the hallway. “What do you mean, nothing? That was just weird. What's going on?”

“Nothing to concern yourself with.” Another evasive move.

Just how stupid did he think she was? Her irritation level rose. “Of course it has something to do with me, otherwise you wouldn't have done what you just did.”

“Wench…” he warned.

She could feel her temper bubbling. “And stop calling me wench. Or Miko. How many times must I tell you? I have a name. It's Kagome. Ka-go-me. Get it?”

He spun around slowly and gave her a disinterested look. To her surprise, she could feel waves of curiosity and wariness emanating from him, in complete contrast with his expression.

“Do you recall anything…strange earlier?” he asked.

It was a sincere question, she knew, but she had no idea what he was referring to. “What do you mean by strange?”

“I do not repeat myself, Miko.”

Her eyes flashed. “Well, I can't answer if I don't know what you're talking about!” she snapped, confused by his questions.

As he stared silently at her, Kagome felt herself being surrounded by a feeling of impatience and uncertainty. Sesshoumaru feeling uncertain? Well, that was a new one, she thought with a smirk. It was good for the arrogant lord to feel a little perturbed once in a while.

She frowned. Something must be really bugging Sesshoumaru if he let his guard down so much that she could feel his emotions.

The next thing she knew, his annoyance washed over her and he disappeared in a swirl of white silk, leaving her gaping silently at the closed shoji door.


***


It irked him that he did not know what was going on with the miko. She had not been lying. Her body language and her confusion were too real, too honest for that. But he knew what he saw. He knew what he sensed. And his senses were never wrong. How could a mere human miko possess the youki of a youkai? It was subtle, a barely recognizable change, but it was glaringly clear to him that it was what it was.

Sesshoumaru frowned. Apart from the flash of her eyes that he had caught earlier, there were no other signs which indicated to him that anything else had changed with the miko.

Perhaps he was going about this the wrong way. After all, she was one of the few humans he had met thus far. And apart from Rin, he had very little contact with human females. It was entirely plausible that the miko had undergone some normal change that he was not aware of. After all, she had implied that there was something special about eighteenth birthdays. Sesshoumaru wanted to roll his eyes at the foolish human notion.

Nevertheless, he would keep his senses open just in case there were more changes to come. Other than that, he would not waste his valuable time or energy pondering over a miko who was only living on a temporary basis in his castle. A couple more days were all she required to complete his fingers.

His mind made up, Sesshoumaru felt the easing of the confusion which had plagued him ever since their short-lived fight in the courtyard.

Reaching out to the stack on his desk, Sesshoumaru prepared himself for the endless paperwork ahead. He was completely immersed in a missive from the Lord of the Northern Isles when his senses went on the alert.

Straightening from his cross-legged position on the mat, he stood up and went to the window. The breeze carried a faint scent, and there was no mistaking who it belonged to.

Inuyasha had gotten past the barriers. A frown made its way to Sesshoumaru's brows. He realized that he should have expected it. After all, Inu-no-Taishou's blood ran in their veins, so it was hardly surprising that the barrier let him through.

Feeling irritated at being disturbed yet again, Sesshoumaru let out a soft growl before he reached out for the sheathed katana resting behind him against the wall. Making sure that Toukijin was securely fastened to his hips, he jumped out of the window and waited for the inevitable arrival of his unwanted guest.

Inuyasha arrived in a flurry of red and white, his blood-red eyes so filled with rage that even Sesshoumaru felt a twinge of unease. He had left Ah-Un to return Inuyasha to his camp only four days ago. And now, it seemed that the youkai blood madness was already taking over Inuyasha's sanity.

“Sesshoumaru!” the hanyou snarled, baring his teeth. “Where is she?”

Sesshoumaru have him a hard look. “You are not welcomed here.”

“Give me Kagome!” he demanded, his chest heaving in tandem with his pants.

“You're not in a state to demand anything, Inuyasha.” His tone was chilly.

“How dare you hold her here?”

Sesshoumaru smirked. “Your miko came here willingly.”

“You tricked her!” Inuyasha snarled, obviously in no state to listen to reason.

“INUYASHA!”

Sesshoumaru stiffened at the miko's shout.

The hanyou immediately locked his gaze on her approaching figure. Sesshoumaru stifled an exasperated sigh. Her presence would complicate matters. Inuyasha was bad enough without her here.

“Stay back, Miko,” he said, tossing her a warning look. She halted, staring at both of them with alarm.

Inuyasha growled. “Don't stop her from coming to me, you bastard!”

The miko stepped closer. “Inuyasha, please. Sesshoumaru's not doing anything wrong.”

Inuyasha glared at Sesshoumaru before turning back to her. “Don't defend him, Kagome!”

“I came here for his fang, remember?” the miko explained, obviously trying to placate the irate hanyou.

“Keh, you don't need to stay. I'll get his fang.” Inuyasha's eyes narrowed menacingly. “…after I kill him.”

Sesshoumaru felt his annoyance rise, but he kept his voice level. “You overestimate yourself, little brother.”

“DON'T call me little brother!” Inuyasha snarled, and then he charged forward. “Die, Sesshoumaru!”

Sesshoumaru's eyes glinted. “It's you who would be taught how to respect you superiors today.”

“Don't do this, Sesshoumaru!” she pleaded, her anxiety piercing at him in a way which it should not.

Sesshoumaru's brows furrowed. Why was he suddenly feeling her emotions in such an acute manner? Granted, the miko was not hard to read, but he was not even trying to read her this time. But her emotions were washing over him in waves.

“Silence, Miko!” he ordered, trying to shake off her anxiety from himself.

Her presence was distracting. And with Inuyasha in this state, he could not afford to be distracted. The full-youkai blood made Inuyasha reckless, and that was enough to make him less unpredictable than usual.

“Please, Sesshoumaru!”

“Miko. Are you quite incapable of maintaining silence?” he gritted out.

“Don't kill him!” she went on as if he had not spoken.

Tossing an irritated glance at her, he growled threateningly, “You WILL maintain silence. And you WILL remember your part of the agreement.”

He felt rather than saw her stiffen. He was not going to justify his actions to her, even though he had no intention of killing Inuyasha. It would be dishonorable to do so when the hanyou was so overcome by his youkai transformation.

He pulled his eyes away from her and focused on the battle. With a snarl, he clenched and unclenched his hand in preparation just as Inuyasha yelled, “You will die today!”

Unperturbed by Inuyasha's foolish declaration, Sesshoumaru just smirked.

“What are you smiling at?” Incensed, Inuyasha's entire body trembled.

“You're pathetic. You disgrace our father's name.”

Inuyasha snarled. “The old dog's dead and he left us alone, so who cares?”

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at the insult. “You will cease your disrespect towards our father. Father died as a result of his infatuation with a weak human. Your mother,” he gritted out.

Inuyasha's blood red eyes glittered malevolently. “Do NOT insult my mother, you bastard!”

“STOP IT! Please!” the miko yelled desperately. “Can't we just sit down and talk?”

Without removing his eyes from Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru said coldly, “This worthless hanyou is not fit for conversation at this moment.”

“Shut up, Sesshoumaru!” Inuyasha snarled. “And prepare to die!”

A red blur streaked towards him just as Sesshoumaru flicked his wrist to release his Whips of Lights. The golden strands snapped, temporarily slowing Inuyasha down but the hanyou was persistent in his madness.

With a roar, Inuyasha launched into the air and dipped down with his claws extended, his fangs bared in anger. Sesshoumaru zipped to one side, managing to avoid the descending attack. He retaliated with another snap of his whip, catching Inuyasha's side, but the hanyou seemed unaffected.

Remembering what had happened the last time they fought, Sesshoumaru knew that he had to take Inuyasha down as soon as he could. As Inuyasha charged again, he unsheathed Toukijin, holding it firmly in front.

The hanyou's claws came at him, reaching perilously close to his face. As Sesshoumaru zipped to the side, Inuyasha followed again. His annoyance growing, Sesshoumaru finally saw his chance.

He swung Toukijin in an arc, painting reddish streaks in the air, and let the flat of the katana land on Inuyasha's side. With an outraged roar, the hanyou was thrown some distance away.

Toukijin still held firmly in his grip, Sesshoumaru launched himself at the prone body lying on the ground. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the miko running towards them with a look of absolute horror on her face.

“Don't kill him!” she yelled.

Paying no attention to her words, he bent down towards Inuyasha.

“Sesshoumaru, please!” she pleaded as she ran towards them.

“Stay where you are, Miko,” he ordered. The fact that she continued to run towards them did not surprise him. The girl's sense of self-preservation was non-existent.

With his right hand, Sesshoumaru yanked Inuyasha up by the neck, wanting to make sure that the hanyou was truly out for the count. Accidentally his left hand brushed the hilt of the katana, dislodging it from Inuyasha's hips.

He froze involuntarily.

But nothing happened.

With a puzzled frown, Sesshoumaru threw the hanyou some distance away and stared at Tetsusaiga. Slowly, he crouched down beside the katana and reached for it with his left hand. He gripped the hilt with a perfect thumb and four half-fingers.

To his surprise, Tetsusaiga did not reject him.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the katana he held in his half-formed left hand, the hand given back to him by the miko. That must be why he could now touch the Tetsusaiga.

Wanting to test the theory, he dropped it to the ground reached out again to touch the katana with his right hand. A spark appeared and a painful jolt ran up his right arm.

So, his thoughts were proven correct.

The sound of broken sobs reached him and the odd sensation of a pressure in his chest made him wince involuntarily. He glanced at the distraught miko before turning back his attention to Tetsusaiga.

Much as it pained him to realize it, he knew what he had to do. He could not delay the inevitable any longer.


***

A/N: Check out my spin off PWP - "Simply Hard", which was inspired by this chapter!