InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Time to Heal ❯ Arrivals ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer - Nope, still don't own it.

Chapter 4 - Arrivals

"My lord, the hanyou and the ningen will be here within the hour," the annoying little toad youkai informed his master.

"Very well, Jaken. They are only allowed one room. I do not care to waste any more space then normal. Make sure that meals are served to them there and that the hanyou knows when to leave."

"Yes, my Lord Sesshoumaru, will there be anything else?" Jaken groveled

"No, Jaken, you may leave."

Sesshoumaru turned away from his servant and walked out to the garden. The ningen girl Rin sat against the plum tree's trunk drawing a picture. He smiled slightly at how the tree seemed to embrace the girl. Then just as quickly, he returned to his usual mask of disinterest.

"Rin, I want you to go to your room and don't leave it until I come get you."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama. Did Rin do something wrong, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"No, you did nothing wrong. There will be someone I do not trust here for a few days and I want to keep you safe. Be good for the servants."

Rin nodded and hugged his leg before running off towards the palace.

As his charge disappeared, Sesshoumaru turned towards the tree with a scowl. "You think to change my mind by coddling the girl, you should give up. Soon the hanyou, the miko, and you will trouble me no longer. Your human weaknesses were your downfall. Your weakness made this Sesshoumaru weak. You shall not control me again. He shall be here soon. I will mate with the woman then kill her right in front of him. Then I shall kill him and you will keep the kitchen supplied with wood. Enjoy your last visit with the worthless hanyou, Ume; you shall soon be reunited on the other side."

A few miles away Inuyasha suddenly went still.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong? Why did you stop?"

"I don't know Kagome. I just got a very ominous feeling." Inuyasha said with a shiver.

"Maybe we shouldn't go on. If there is one thing our quest has taught me it's to never doubt your instincts." Kagome advised sagely.

"Kagome, we have come this far, we can't turn back now. Kagome, I promised we would both leave there alive and you know I don't break my promises."

"I'm still worried, but… Ok, Inuyasha, if you think you can handle it, let's go."

Jaken was standing at the gate of the palace waiting for them to arrive.

"Filthy hanyou, you're lucky Lord Sesshoumaru has decided to allow your impertinence. Bringing a disgusting ningen into this palace. Disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful. This is how you repay the great Sesshoumaru his kindness. Absolutely disgraceful."

"You know toad if I didn't know better, I would think you had forgotten about my brother's ward."

"Baka, you know nothing. My lord will soon remember how weak ningens can be. You know the conditions. There will be no changes because of the woman. You know what is allowed." Jaken turned and disappeared into the palace.

"Inuyasha, are you sure it was a good idea to make him angry like that? I mean we are guests, no matter how unwanted, we should try to be polite."

"Feh, I always believed he had something to do with the deaths of Ume and my mother, I just don't know what. We'll go to my parents' graves and then we'll visit Ume."

"Why do you say visit Ume? You make it sound like she's alive."

"Ume's ashes were scattered around a plum tree in the garden. Whenever I got especially lonely, I would sit there and talk to her. She had always been more of a sister to me then just a nanny."

After spending some time on the hillside which held the graves of his parents, Inuyasha led Kagome into one of the most beautiful gardens she had ever seen.

"It seems so peaceful here. It's hard to believe that the lord of this palace is so cruel," she said as she looked around amazed.

"It has always been so. My mother and Ume would bring me out here. We would play for hours," Inuyasha commented with a far away look on his face. "Do you see that fountain over there? That's where we're going."

"Inuyasha, is it normal for you not to run into Sesshoumaru while you're here?"

"Yes, he doesn't want anything to do with me so he is usually elsewhere. Here we are."

They had stopped in front of a large plum tree that was almost dead center in the garden. Kagome stood back slightly as Inuyasha approached the tree, when she suddenly sensed something.

"Inuyasha, there is someone coming."

Suddenly she was grabbed from behind. "A little slow aren't we miko?"

"Sesshoumaru! Let her go!"

"Why should I, half breed?" Sesshoumaru asked a he placed his sword against the girl's throat. "Hand over the Tetsusaiga and I may let the girl live. Then again I will probably keep her anyways."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Revenge, dear brother simply that, revenge." Sesshoumaru said while caressing Kagome's cheek with Toukijin. "You took something very important to me so I am taking something you hold dear. You should have marked her. She is still fair game, you know. I will make you watch while I take her. Then you will watch her die."

"What about Ume? She said she would…"

"That witch is not coming back. You will not use her against me!" Sesshoumaru roared.

As he said this Tetsusaiga, Tenseiga, and the plum tree all started to pulsate with energy. A blinding blue light surrounded them and when it faded, they were still standing under the plum tree but everything was different. The entire garden was overgrown and dying. The plum tree appeared to have many years of fruit lying beneath it.

"What is this?!? If you think this will save your life, miko you are mistaken," Sesshoumaru growled menacingly.

"I… I didn't… I didn't do this," Kagome stuttered.

"She doesn't have the power to cast illusions. Let her go, Sesshoumaru and I will let you live."

"One of us will survive this, hanyou, and it will not be either you or your wench."

Before anyone could say or do anything else a sword snaked around Sesshoumaru's own throat.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Lord Sesshoumaru."