InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Before There Was You ❯ Chapter Four: Almost Immortal ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I do own, 11 packs of juicy fruit. . .

A/N: Once again, thanks to my few reviewers. Sometimes I really need to just know that people ARE actually reading this stuff to inspire me to continue. In this chapter, we get a little bit of actual plot and some angst. Not much else though. Wonder what'll happen in chapter five. *thinks about it and realizes she hasn't got a clue* Well, as always, r&r if you want to try to get me to update quicker. It might work. Heck, r&r is half the reason my other inu arc became an arc in the first place, so anything is possible. And okay, wow, I'm tired, ranting and have to be up in six hours. Going to bed now would be logical, wouldn't it? I never much liked logic. Bed, on the other hand. . . *yawns* Banshee Puppet signing off.

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"Before there was You"

by: Banshee Puppet

Chapter Four: Almost Immortal

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Old habits die hard, as they say. That was something Inuyasha was discovering all too quickly as he found himself suddenly pinned by the throat to the wall of Kaede's hut by an older brother who looked as if he was ready to kill him. It could be a bluff, but given the rage in his eyes and the snarl escaping his lips, not to mention the hand tightening somewhat less than comfortably on his throat, Inuyasha doubted it.

"Sesshomaru let Inuyasha go right now!" Kagome demanded, but wasn't even graced with a glare in her direction.

"What did you do to my woman, hanyou?" he hissed dangerously. "And heavens help you if I don't approve of the answer."

Inuyasha coughed and pulled on Sesshomaru's wrist, to little avail. `Like I can talk with him clamped down on my windpipe!' He would have muttered enough curses to make a sailor blush, if he was capable of speech at all at this particular moment.

Kagome was seriously considering sitting Inuyasha to get Sesshomaru's hand off of her boyfriend's throat, especially since his lips were starting to turn purple, Shippo had already tried biting Sesshomaru to no avail, and to Sango and Miroku's dismay, logic didn't appear to be working on the taiyoukai just now.

It would seem though, that once again, Inuyasha owes his extremely too-fragile life to Rin, who chose that moment to wake up and gasp. Groggily, she asked, "what is Sesshomaru-sama doing to Uncle Inuyasha?"

"I should think that is rather obvious, Rin," Sesshomaru said coolly.

"No!" the girl whined. "Sesshomaru-sama can't kill Inuyasha-sama! Rin likes Inuyasha-sama!" she whined.

With a disgruntled growl, Sesshomaru dropped his younger brother, with an unceremonious THUD to the ground. "Start talking," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall with a sneer pasted on his lips.

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!" Inuyasha snapped loudly. `At least we know his vocal cords weren't damaged,' Sango thought, cringing at the too-loud tone. "YOUR woman walked in her with NARAKU'S SCENT all over her! YOUR woman, is hiding something, and I'll be damned if I'm not gonna find out what!"

Sesshomaru's eyes widened a fraction. `Naraku,' he growled mentally. `What do you think you're playing at?'

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"Greetings, Master Swordsmith. It has been many a moon since you have visited the castle to pay homage to our Lady Ajika," Haioh stated sweetly, giving an inward smirk at the fidgety youkai chewing his lip beside the old man, Zaru, if memory served him. He had been given to Oudabi as an apprentice, and a gift, by Ajika some ten years ago after his tribe had been, conveniently, wiped out. And Zaru happened to be a little skiddish, terrified of Haioh, truth be told.

"I have been busy with the many tasks she's put to me in these past decades," Deraku Oudabi answered coolly. "I am, an old man, after all, and not as fit as I used to be. What does her ladyship desire?"

"She would like to know why the sword does not do as expected," Haioh stated frankly.

"The sword was designed to draw out youkai blood and evil tendencies. The first, it has done quite well. Unfortunately, the young lady I was bidden give the weapon to does not appear to have any evil tendencies," he said calmly, not looking the other demon in the eyes.

Deraku Oudabi knew well enough what those eyes were capable of. He had seen them break much stronger men than himself. And he really had no desire to mention that there were other youkai who had also shown an interest in the weapon, and who had offered him things which, made him at least consider their proposals. And he also knew, it was the Kagura that hid the hanyou girl from Ajika's Kunukanai now.

"You know, Master Swordsmith. It is rather rude to not look a person in the eyes when you speak to them," Haioh commented offhandedly, arms crossing his chest as he leaned against the wall with a small smirk.

"It is also, young Master Haioh, rather rude to threaten a man in his own home. I know what your eyes can do. I have seen it break many men. But I'm telling you that the fault is not in the sword, but in the girl that it was given to. One who is kind can be enslaved to act on the will of one who is not so kind, but evil tendencies can not be drawn out of someone who possesses none of them."

`The day that she draws the kagura in cold-blood. That is the day its task will be complete. And I do not believe she will ever do that. I do not believe that she can. She does not have it in her,' Oudabi thought.

"Let us try this another way, Master Swordsmith," Haioh said easily. "How fond are you, of your apprentice?"

"What!?!" The old man's back stiffened. `Zaru!' He hadn't thought, hadn't noticed. Of course Zaru must have caught the gaze of those hypnotic eyes by now. And, in spite of himself, he cared for his apprentice, it was like having a very respectful grandson to pass on all your secrets to, even if, thanks to certain would-be-youkai with very powerful blood, it was not likely that you would die any time soon.

Letting out a defeated breath, Deraku Oudabi turned around. "What do you want to know?" he asked, voice leaden and body tense.

"Look into my eyes, swordsmith. I'll take the knowledge I need, to be certain you aren't lying to me. And should you. . . struggle. . .I have permission to use the full extent of my abilities, so I suggest you let me rape your mind quietly."

The old man nodded. "Zaru, there is much work to be done. Take care of it while I'm entertaining our guest," he said flatly. And Haioh nodded, allowing the young wolf youkai to leave.

Unnatural silver orbs expanded out the white of the eye, pupil fading into black shadowy clouds that drifted around the silver tempest seas behind them, and the old swordsmith fell easily to their sway.

Haioh sifted through the man's mind, disregarding much that was unimportant, `show me old man, the kagura.'

He saw his own image, coming here to demand the sword be made in Ajika's name and let this pass quickly.

Then another memory, that irritating servant of the taiyoukai of the west. "Sesshomaru-sama wishes a sword made," Jaken said, fidgeting slightly, but resolute.

A conversation was held, payment was decided. Deraku Oudabi, at that time, wondered at his luck that he should gain monetary compensation for a sword he was already ordered to make.

Haioh let the memory pass quickly. It was unimportant and harmless. It did not affect the kagura's purpose.

Then, his mind hissed, as if burnt, as another memory came to the surface. `Naraku.'

The powerful hanyou stood before Deraku Oudabi. "I am willing to make a deal with you. Unlike Sesshomaru of the West, I know it is Ajika who demanded you make this sword, and I know who it is for. I would like to give you a gift, to see that it finds its proper owner," Naraku said.

"A gift to do my job, how generous of you, Naraku," Deraku Oudabi had sai;, he knew there was a catch.

"Two drops of my blood, demon. One, to use in the creation of the blade, and one, for your own purposes, whatever you desire," Naraku had said, smirking wickedly. "We both know you are growing old, sword-maker, and a single drop of my blood, it can make you, almost immortal."

Oudabi had easily accepted this deal. Naraku's blood in the sword, he knew it would displease Ajika, but the bargain, to be almost immortal, it was too good to pass up. And now that very drop of blood protected the hanyou girl from her mother's eyes. `I am a lucky man indeed,' Deraku Oudabi had thought at that time. But it seemed his luck was running out.

Haioh hissed as he broke the contact. "I see. So it is in Naraku's promises you rest your life these days, Master Swordsmith," he said smoothly. "Ajika will hear of this betrayal. And then, we shall see whether or not your faith has been misplaced."

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Kuma was still by the well when Sesshomaru found her. She didn't know where to go, what to say. This well held so much meaning now. It was, in its way, both a place of dying and a place of being born. And yet, she knew, neither of these things was true.

It was, however, the things which MIGHT be true that haunted her. What if he was? What if Naraku was her father. She had to admit that he bore a slight resemblance to her previous, more human form. But even in this. . . She was sure that she was just looking for things that weren't there. All the same, she couldn't help but wonder, what if it were true. What would it change? And she knew, in her heart, she was certain, the answer to THAT question was, `It would change everything.'

It would change everything because Naraku was their enemy, because Sesshomaru hated him, because he was Inuyasha's enemy, and because, if he WAS her father, she might not be able to harm him, in spite of everything, or because of it. And because she knew, no matter how tough she acted, how much she pretended it didn't affect her either way, it did. If he really was her father, if the dream was real, then it affected her; it mattered, and she hated that it mattered. `Why is he doing this to me now, of all times?' she wondered with a frown when Sesshomaru came up behind her and knelt by her side.

He said nothing. He'd been watching her sitting in the clearing for almost five minutes. She'd known he was there, and he knew that she knew that he was there, which she also knew. Confused yet? Sufficed to say, there weren't any secrets in the clearing that night, except for one, which hovered over everything, and which was Kuma's alone to bear.

"He didn't hurt you?" Sesshomaru asked finally.

They both knew who she meant. "No," she answered, her voice sounding somewhat hollow. "He didn't hurt me. I don't think he can."

Sesshomaru furrowed his brow at her. What did she mean? And what had happened between herself and Naraku that had her so worked up. It wasn't like her to show so much, was all, but she was hurting, and it was a sort of hurt that radiated out onto everything, not the sort that was hidden so only she could feel it, so only he, who knew her best, could know that it was there. This was something much deeper.

A long silence passed between them before he asked the question that had been looming in the air for weeks now.

"You're leaving me, aren't you?"

Kuma nodded. "I am."

"For good?" his voice cracked slightly as he asked this.

She looked at him now, the agony in her eyes so deep that she couldn't hide it with one of her false smiles and didn't try to. And as she turned away from him, he knew the answer. She didn't know.

"I hope not," she whispered, standing. "Because I really do love you more than anything." She stared up at the stars again. "But. . .there is something that I have to do. I didn't realize it until just now but, it's too late for turning back. I will come back to you, if I can. I promise."

"Don't make promises," he said simply. "It isn't like you to do that sort of thing."

Kuma nodded. "Then I. . ." She stopped. She didn't want to say goodbye, and `see ya around' might not be true either. What was she supposed to say, in this sort of situation, the sort of situation when the end was so up in the air, when everything felt this. . . anti-climactic. "Make sure to let Rin outside to play when it's nice. It isn't good for kids to be cooped up indoors all the time. And don't give Jaken such a hard time. He's annoying, but he works hard and he really respects you. When you get back to the estate, make sure to tell someone to clean the drapes. They know it needs to be done, but they won't do it unless you tell them to," she told him.

Sesshomaru nodded. "I understand."

And with that, Kuma walked away from him once again, this time, for longer than all the others, maybe even, for always. He didn't know. But there was something else that needed to be said.

"Kuma, I hope you find what you're looking for."

"So do I, Sess. So do I."

And a wreath of darkness covered her swift retreat.

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Well! That's the longest amount of time it has EVER taken me to write six damn pages. For all the time, I wanted to have a bigger chapter/update, but as usual, the work takes on a life of its own. I'm just so blocked lately, I dunno. All things Inuyasha seem to be somewhere just beyond my grasp. I hope to have the next chapter out soon, or chapter two of "A Fragile Heart" which is, as predicted, taking me forever to write, but I just don't know at this point. It was hard enough getting this far and I haven't the slightest idea what happens next at all! Well, poop. With any luck, adult swim will inspire me.

`till next time, happy haunting, Banshee Puppet.