InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Between Heaven and Hell ❯ The Wise Companions ( Chapter 8 )

This place, it was serene. The fresh, green oak leaves rustled languidly with the cool breeze, allowing bits of sunlight to sprinkle down from the heavens as they moved. Sesshomaru breathed in deeply through his nostrils, absorbing the peaceful ambiance as he closed his eyes.

 

Here, it was calm. Here, he was free - nothing to hold him back, and nobody to tie him down. This was a place that gave him freedom; freedom, and an escape.

 

He was once heir to the notorious Taisho family, a demon-ruling clan in the west. He had begun serving as his father's general as soon as he had become of age, second in command only to his father, Taisho Kane himself, the head of the great Taisho clan.

 

Sesshomaru recalled all the battles he had fought for that man, helping to obtain control of the lands and the people of the west through sheer force and terror. After their conquests, he and his troops had become more like a “punishment force” to the people. He remembered slaughtering men as if it were for sport, and draining the blood of resistant women for thrill. Perhaps he could have continued living on in that manner, but of course, like all things, it too eventually lost its fervor. It was, in actuality, the responsibility that came with being heir that he had found quite unappealing. He didn't care for political negotiations and managing the daily workload of a lord.

 

Besides, remaining there and fulfilling his role as heir to his father's throne meant having a boundary to his freedom. With the western lands as his number one priority and responsibility, he would have had to constantly worry about its wellbeing with hardly any mind for himself and his own desires. With time, he understood that. He would be limited.

 

And so, he renounced his title and left that cozy little castle, but of course, his father agreed, only after making it so he wouldn't really be on his own.

 

His father had an older brother, although, he was not the typical youkai. In fact, he was a more peaceful and serene being, with an unusual infatuation with the beauties of nature. Say, if one were to hand him a specially fashioned sword along with a camellia, he would appreciate the latter before anything else. Perhaps for a human it might not be so strange, but for an inuyoukai of such a fearsome race, it was quite different and quite out of character. Sesshomaru's uncle had always been unusual in his ways. He was somewhat of a pacifist, one could say.

 

However, his uncle was by no means a weakling. In fact, Sesshomaru's grandfather had been impressed many a time with his son's great displays of strength in battle, when he had still participated in wars and fighting long ago, that is. Even Sesshomaru's father Kane used to look up to his older brother in surreptitious admiration as he fought to surpass him. He could have conquered the western lands for himself with ease if he had so wished it, but he was of a different nature, and chose to live a quiet and blissful life instead. So he traveled and settled in the eastern lands, where he made his home close to the nearby ocean.

 

And so, Sesshomaru's father allowed him to come to the east, where his brother agreed to keep a sound eye on his precious son. Of course his father wouldn't let him escape his fate as heir to the western lands completely. Kane knew sometime he was bound to return to his homeland. But until then, he was free to satisfy his thirst for independence. Or so he thought. Sesshomaru would never let himself return to that hell-hole of chains. And no matter who his father sent to retrieve him, they would meet a hell of a challenge. And fortunately, Sesshomaru found his uncle quite understanding to the situation he was in and let him go his own way about things, as he saw that he and his nephew were similar in many aspects, to some extent.

 

As the trees rolled past him while he made his way through the spring-freshened forest, the sound of the ocean grew louder until he was able to distinguish the rush and crash of the waves. The dense forest thinned, and the light of the early sun grew stronger as it illuminated the border of the woods. Soon, he was able to make out a modest hut-like home nearby the ocean cliff, overlooking the endless stretch of sea. The sight could only be described as peaceful, surrounded by the sounds of water and the chirps of morning birds. The only signs of inhabitation from the wooden home were the whimsical tendrils of smoke that emanated from its chimney.

 

Sesshomaru approached the hut leisurely, opening the shoji door without hesitation.

 

“Ah, Sesshomaru-chan,” a silver-haired youkai greeted him as he entered, “I was wondering when you would show up again.” He turned his head towards his nephew with a welcoming smile, still crouched beside the fireside, fanning the flames alive.

 

“Do not call me by that name, Kou,” Sesshomaru responded petulantly as he took a seat on the elevated wooden floors of the small home. His uncle was as carefree and oblivious as ever, although, he was not particularly adverse to his company. In reality, he found his nonchalant and peaceful personality refreshing at times. But the remainder was exasperating, and slightly irritating.

 

Suddenly, Sesshomaru's brow wrinkled in discomfort as he slapped the side of his neck. Looking down at his palm, he found a lively, flea-like creature wiping his mouth clean of his last snack - the inuyoukai's blood. Frowning, and visibly aggravated, Sesshomaru slapped his other palm down upon the pesky bugger once again with a quiet grunt of annoyance.

 

“Like I always say,” Kou sang patronizingly, “salt is the best cure for itchy and irritated spots!” He tossed a small, brown cloth bag beside him, most probably containing salt. Sesshomaru gave another low grunt as his way of ignoring the comment. And the bag of salt.

 

“Aghh…” the little flea youkai groaned as Sesshomaru lifted his hand off of him. “It's good to see you again, Sesshomaru-sama…” he welcomed him dizzily, as he jumped from his palm to the wood floor.

 

Kou shook his head with a laugh. “You know very well how much he detests that, Myoga-kun,” he said as he took a seat on the wood across from his nephew.

 

“I sincerely apologize, Sesshomaru-sama! However, it's been so long, it's quite difficult to resist, you see,” Myoga sighed as he took a seat mid-distance between the two. “Your blood has such a unique and tasty flavor to it! Just talking about it-!” The flea youkai was cut off quite abruptly as Sesshomaru gave him a quick flick of his finger.

 

“That would be enough.”

 

Kou chuckled heartily at his two companions' amusing display before resting his arm on top of his knee.

 

“So, on that note,” Kou ventured, tilting his head slightly, “where have you been?”

 

Sesshomaru released a breath of air as his gaze gravitated towards the shoji. “Further inland,” he replied shortly, folding his arms.

 

His uncle pursed his lips before stretching out across the floor, resting his hands behind his head. “And… what of the human girl?” he asked coolly, continuing to stare up at the ceiling.

 

Sesshomaru was not completely surprised. He knew the inuyoukai's sense of smell would not fail him. Kou was bound to figure out sooner or later anyways.

 

However, no matter if he was or was not surprised by the question, Sesshomaru did not exactly have an answer, much less any organized thoughts of what he planned to do. So, he settled for keeping silent, allowing his uncle to do the talking. Even Myoga the flea had more to say about this than he did.

 

Myoga hopped onto Sesshomaru's leg with wide eyes. “A human girl? That's quite a surprise!” he exclaimed, sitting cross-legged on the top of the inuyoukai's knee. “As well as a bad taboo! It's dangerous getting involved with those untrustworthy humans you know, Sesshomaru-sama!”

 

Sesshomaru continued to remain silent, with only a `hn' to acknowledge Myoga's words.

 

“Myoga-kun is right,” Kou agreed with an undertone of certain prudence as he sat upright to look at Sesshomaru. “It's unpredictable what they will do; you can never be sure when one will turn on you and betray you. It only takes one move to change the intentions of their hearts.”

 

“If you are concerned about my death, this Sesshomaru can assure you that they have no chance in defeating me,” Sesshomaru replied with self-assurance.

 

“Perhaps…” Kou responded, rubbing his face thoughtfully. “However, what condition will your heart be left in at the very end?” His uncle raised an eyebrow at him, looking much like a wise hermit as he cradled his chin in his hand.

 

Sesshomaru's glare immediately flashed upon Kou. “We are not speaking of love, Kou. Nor of anything near the sort.”

 

“Then what else would it be, Sesshomaru-sama? Boredom? Curiosity?” Myoga the flea demon inquired, hopping energetically up and down on his second master's knee.

 

Sesshomaru chose to ignore the question, slightly unsure of the answer himself. It was not something he was able to express in words.

 

“Well, no matter what your reasons may be, Sesshomaru,” Kou continued, redirecting the conversation back to the point, “keep in mind that not only is the girl a danger to you, but you are a danger to her as well. Her human desires and actions will be unpredictable, however, think of yours as a hundred times more unpredictable.” With that, Kou stood, picking up the clay kettle that sat near the furnace and placing it on the hook dangling above the fire.

 

Myoga jumped off Sesshomaru's leg and hopped over to his busied uncle. “What wise words, milord! Could not have said it better myself! Wise, wise words, indeed!” he praised him as he climbed up on top of Kou's shoulder.

 

Kou grinned, rubbing his chin with a wistful sigh. “They were, weren't they Myoga-kun? I believe I'd make a very good father, don't you agree? Although… I think I would rather have a daughter - so lovely!”

 

Sesshomaru shook his head slightly as he stood, beginning to head outside. What demon could be more unpredictable than his uncle?

 

Upon emerging into the open air and sunlight, Sesshomaru took in a deep breath through his nostrils, taking in the earthy scent of the spring blended with the salt of the ocean. The inuyoukai walked around the hut to get a better view of the dark sapphire ocean, waves rolling constantly over the endless sea's surface. With surroundings such as these, perhaps even youkai like himself could become as peaceful as Kou, in all due time, of course.

 

Sesshomaru turned sharply, looking in the direction of the thick forest. The daiyoukai clenched his teeth. Again, he caught the same noise he had heard a second ago, audible to his ears, though faded from the distance. With a frown, Sesshomaru dove through the forest, sprinting in the direction of the familiar voice which hosted the desperate scream.

 

~“*”~

 

Letting out a relieved sigh as she escaped into the edge of the forest, Kagome looked back over her shoulder, continuing to walk forward involuntarily.

 

She had seen Ichirou a little further down the street, but as of their last encounter, Kagome knew she was still quite unprepared to speak with him. The way things were left, she feared their next encounter would be equally, if not, more difficult. As soon as they made eye contact, Ichirou seemed to pause shortly before continuing down the dirt road with a more deliberate pace. With a panic, she turned quickly into another road, a path much less crowded and less defined from its underuse. With no one around to see her, she kept walking until she passed the small huts and into the woods, in hopes of escaping the young taijiya.

 

After peeking through a gap between two huts from a distance, Kagome made her way around a tree and sat behind it. She leaned her head back against the trunk, closing her eyes with another sigh of relief.

 

When she reopened them, her eyes immediately caught on something light violet in color, lying quietly on the ground. Upon further examination, she realized that it was a vine of flowers, coiled up messily as if it were dropped carelessly onto the forest floor. Standing up, she walked over to it, picked it up by the end and began to examine it.

 

She found there were three separate vines, entwined together, much like a braid. One end was fashioned so it resembled a loop and the other end was twined together tightly, looking as if it were only one, thick vine. If one were to tie the two together, it could hang around someone like a necklace. Kagome tilted her head, confused as to why something like this would be lying here.

 

“…D-do you like it?” a young, timid voice said. Surprised, Kagome's eyes moved quickly in the direction of the voice.

 

A young girl peeked out from behind a tree, looking at her with shy eyes. From the looks of it, she looked around eight to nine years old.

 

“It's very pretty,” Kagome smiled, hoping the little girl would come out from her hiding place. When she refused to come out, Kagome went over to the girl and crouched down so she could see eye to eye with her.

 

“What's your name?” she asked gently, still holding the flower necklace.

 

The girl looked down, staying silent.

 

Kagome was slightly disappointed by her unresponsiveness, but continued anyways. “My name is Kagome. I'm Kikyo's younger sister.”

 

Still, the child gave no answer.

 

Kagome frowned. Surely she knew who Kikyo was… Everyone knew the village priestess. Kagome began to be concerned; what was this little girl doing out in the forest by herself anyway? Did she follow her out past the safety of the huts?

 

“You live here in the village, don't you?” Kagome asked gently. “Where are your parents?”

 

The girl only shook her head, but continued to look down.

 

Kagome wrinkled her brow in confusion and at the same time, sympathy. So, this girl didn't have a home here? Or she had somehow lost her parents? Or both?

 

“Here, I'll take you back to the village with me, okay?” Kagome smiled, holding out her hand to the little girl. Relieved as she saw the child reach out for her hand, she hoped she would be a little bit more responsive once they returned to the village. However, her hopes had not turned out as planned.

 

As the girl reached out towards Kagome's hand, her skin completely dissipated from her petite body, tearing apart to reveal a hardened, green complexion. Her arms and legs seemed to lengthen and long claws appeared on the ends of her hands and feet. Hardened, armor-like plates appeared across her forearms, resembling the body structure of a large, green mantis.

 

When she looked up, her face was no longer sweet and innocent. Now, fangs protruded from her wide-open and screeching mouth, and her eyes grew dark and beady. Kagome froze in place, so stunned by the realization that she had made yet another terrible mistake. Why had she been so careless again? The sheer fear that engulfed her body convinced her that this time, fortune would not be so kind to her. The now clawed, green hand closed the distance between it and Kagome's arm, wrapping its slender yet angular fingers - if they could even be called as such - around her wrist forcefully.

 

As soon as it made contact with her, Kagome finally awakened to the situation before her. Snapped out of her daze, the young woman gave out a scream of desperation and began to struggle. The mantis demon bared its fangs and yanked Kagome towards itself, intent on dragging her deeper into the perilous forest, away from the safety of her village and away from any means of help.

 

Kagome fell backwards, kicking with all her might, trying to pull away from the grasping talons, but in vain. She knew she was no match for a youkai, not even close. She screamed again, hoping someone from the village would come to her rescue. Kagome was frustrated to tears by her own helplessness, knowing this would be the end of her if no one heard her cries for help.

 

Feeling the mantis' claws tighten around her ankle, Kagome gave a violent kick to its forearm, freeing her from its grasp for a short while with the small price of her blood as the sharpened serrate-edges of its limbs snagged her flesh. Ignoring the stinging pain to take this slim chance, Kagome crawled backwards as quickly as her disoriented muscles would allow her. With wide eyes and breathless pants, she watched in horror as the demon began to inch forward towards her, almost mockingly, as if it knew it already had the young woman in its grasp.

 

Kagome felt the hopeless tears run down the sides of her face. She no longer had the strength to call for help; she was physically and emotionally drained.

 

Though she was practically at the end of her rope, Kagome couldn't help but feel confused. Of course, she knew demons were not all good, nor were they creatures for one to acquaint themselves with. She recalled the demon slayers' many encounters with them, remembering all the people they had hurt. Then why would this surprise her so?

 

Cringing as the mantis gave her a menacing hiss, she wondered what Ichirou would think. Would he think this ironic? Dying by the very same race she had tried to defend so ardently? Mentally scolding herself, she knew this was not the time to be pondering about such irrelevant things. Safety was only a couple hundred feet away. She would make it out alive.

 

Kagome staggered to her feet, biting the inside of her lip as she felt the aching pain from her abused ankle. Turning, she stumbled into a sprint, as fast as her yukata would allow her. Kagome's heart pounded in her chest as she heard the mantis take after her over the loud rush of wind in her ears. Suddenly, her feet were swept from beneath her by the demon's long, stretching arms, and Kagome felt her body thud against the cold grass. Unwelcome exhaustion and faintness from her loss of blood would not allow her to utter another cry for help, no matter how desperate she felt at the moment. Kagome shut her eyes tightly, trying to hold in the terrified tears as she anticipated the death blow to be delivered.

 

But instead of hearing the sound of her own gurgling lifeblood leave her as the demon slashed through her body, the sound of metal against the mantis' hard-plated armor rang through the woods.

 

Kagome turned shakily to see Ichirou holding off the demon's assault, its shielded forearms acting as two swords against Ichirou's one.

 

The hilt was a simple, hard wood; no guard, no pommel. From one end of the cylindrical hilt protruded a long and slender, single-edged blade. From the other end, a shorter - but none the less lethal looking - curved blade projected. Kagome knew that no two taijiya wielded a weapon exactly alike. Each had their own weapon unique to them, often times melded in a fashion fitting to their personality and fighting style. This, was Ichirou's.

 

The young taijiya thrusted the mantis back with considerable force. Catching the demon off-guard before it could acquire its bearings, Ichirou penetrated his dagger-like sword through the green armor of the mantis. With a distressed screech, the demon bared its saliva coated mandibles one final time before thudding to the ground, lifeless.

 

But simultaneously with its death, Ichirou sensed the presence of a more foreboding force, watching the scene in morbid silence, dead straight ahead of him.

 

“Go back to the village, Kagome…” Ichirou uttered under his breath. His grip tightened on his weapon, readying for a much more challenging exchange of blows.

 

However, Kagome did not budge from her spot upon the ground, for she recognized the maroon markings and the lavender crescent moon gracing the arrival's forehead, and those long silver tresses that fell around his shoulders so smoothly.