InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Between Sesshoumaru and Pinocchio ❯ The Swords ( Chapter 3 )

BETWEEN SESSHOUMARU AND PINOCCHIO

Author: pratz

CHAPTER 3: THE SWORDS

There was a calm and cozy clearing near by. With grass and wild flowers spread out almost all over it. A small, serene wood with a footpath enclosed by bars of ogre trees on each side. Sound of birds chirping floated through the light and the gentle breeze of the wind.

A perfect picture really it was-of course, if there wasn't fuss like this one.

"Sesshoumaru! Slow down a little, will you?!"

The youkai turned his head lazily. A little behind there's a human girl running a little after him.

"Get a move, human."

"Great! Just blame it all on me! It's you who walks with a nuclear loco-like pace!"

"What is a... loco?"

Kagome clamped her mouth shut. She had just forgotten now she's in a world where a loco didn't exist at all and yet in this world youkai did. Well, one of them was standing in front of her anyway.

"Did you not hear me, human? I asked you."

"Huh? What? Oh. A loco, isn't it?" Kagome tried hardly to hide her amusement. "Well, a loco, a locomotive I mean, is the head of a train. We, human, control the train by machines in the loco, but nowadays we don't really need to after all, since technology do all the works."

"Tech-no-lo-gy," The youkai enunciated that word sound so strange on his tongue. "You humans really are a nuisance-saying such a word like that. What is a train?"

"You'd just told me that humans are nuisance, and yet you ask me what a train is."

"I will ask what I want to ask."

"Yeah, whatever, you arrogant stubborn."

"Watch your manner, human. I will not tolerate any humiliation toward me."

"Humiliation? Dear God! There's only us here, even Myouga isn't here, and you're afraid someone might hear what I say!"

"Myouga has nothing to do with this. Besides, he's not here since I want him to prepare something for me." Sesshoumaru raised his chin-a gesture that convinced Kagome fully how arrogant he really was. "And I like not to be seen by any human or lower creature just to know they'll talk nonsense about me."

"Who will?"

"Everyone will, since I, Sesshoumaru, was traveling around with a low human, and not to mention a girl."

"Who is the low human?!" Kagome hissed indignantly.

"And even doesn't who she was, surely."

"And yet THIS low human knows about a train!"

"Don't change the topic, human."

"My name is Kagome! It's Kagome, do you hear me?!!" the furious girl yelled near Sesshoumaru's ear, having him winced in return. "What?!"

"You hurt my hearing."

"Hurt your what?"

"My hearing," Sesshoumaru hissed dangerously. His eyes narrowed in such way made Kagome shiver slightly. "I am a dog youkai, if I might warn you, and dog youkai has perfect hearing. So you stay away from making noise near me and I may spare your life."

Silence.

Kagome gritted her teeth almost painfully. Her biggest wish now was just to be returned back to her era, with her peaceful family and warm bed. Think about it, how could she stand any longer when the entire person she'd seen was but an irked and ungrateful youkai? It didn't even matter that he's a lord-instead it only added more and more intricacy to her.

"Sesshoumaru?"

"I warn you before, human, you're not allowed to address my by only my name."

"No, I just want to say thank you."

The youkai lord finally had the heart to turn facing her. He raised an eyebrow just to ask her what she meant by saying that.

"You give me this." Kagome stretched her hands a bit, showing him what she wore. It's a lovely piece of silk kimono with color of blue sky and perfect broiders of golden flower.

"I didn't do anything for you." Sesshoumaru said quietly. "Your clothes before surely were strange and uncommonly. My eyes were sick of it."

She remembered the pajamas she wore when she first coming in this era. Matter of fact, no matter how expensive a pajama was, it meant nothing here, in Sengoku Jidai, an era when there's war and demon ruled the land. It would only make her look like an alien from nowhere-which was half true, though.

Wait. Demon ruled the land? And Sesshoumaru's a lord, right?

"Are we going to your land?"

Silence once again, before: "I haven't any lands, not any more."

"You don't?"

"We're going to get my swords back," Sesshoumaru stated, showing that he didn't want to lift up the subject of his land. "We're heading to Ryuukotsusei."

"Ryuu-... what? A dragon?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "At this time, I believe Myouga will have prepared everything about our next meeting with one of my adherent follower. Then, the only thing I have to do is just take my swords back."

That explained why he just put a sheath tied to his belt, Kagome mused. But he said swords. Didn't it mean he has more than one? I think most swordsmen usually only has one lethal sword. Well, except for Roronoa Zoro, I think. She giggled lightly.

Hearing her giggles, Sesshoumaru glanced over her. "Nani desu ka?"

"Nothing really."

"Human," he said in disdain.

For the first time, Kagome took no heed to argue him. "Uhm, Sesshoumaru, still anxious about a train, aren't you?"

"I told you, human, do not call me..."

"Well, a train is vehicle with a dragon look-a-likes appearance," she cut shortly. "Except that it's made by iron, steel, or another metals."

"Ve-hi-cle," For Kagome, Sesshoumaru looked like a kindergarten boy learning how to spell a word. "An iron dragon, then? So a powerful youkai does exist in the place you're coming from. I would be glad to have a fight with him."

"With... a train?" Kagome almost laughed heartily if only she didn't remember that Sesshoumaru was so sensitive on hearing. "Oh God, you're really a quaint one."

He only cursed softly, not noticing how near she was to him and that she was now walking beside him.

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Higurashi Kagome always thought that the scariest thing ever in her-normal-life was a nightmare. Well, it WAS. Now, it looked like she had to change that point of view.

First of all, her life wasn't that normal anymore. And save for that, all those scariest things had been spoken among humans, a nightmare is just a piece of cake compared to SOMETHING in front of her now.

"Who said size doesn't matter?" she muttered shakily, her body trembled slightly but her legs were paralyzed on the spot she's standing.

Right before her eyes, there was really BIG dragon pinned onto the wall of solid rock mountain. She even wondered if Saint George could kill that dragon with his spear. Like Sesshoumaru before on the Shinboku, the dragon was also sealed by something stabbed through its chest.

"That's my father's fang."

Kagome gulped nervously, knowing that Sesshoumaru indicated the thing sealed the dragon. If a fang only were that big and that strong it could hold a dragon in place, the fang's owner who was Inutaisho-the youkai who definitely had been responsible for her arriving in Sengoku Jidai-must be very, very undoubtedly powerful.

The dragon stirred, causing the earth to tremble and the land around the two standing before him to shake. A low-pitch growled erupted from its throat and slowly, the red eyes opened. A face in the middle of the dragon's head started to talk, finally registering the lanky youkai standing before him.

"Sesshoumaru."

"Ryuukotsusei." Sesshoumaru answered in the same tone. "You're still alive, I see."

"A fang will never be able to kill me," the dragon hissed, "and we dragon could heal ourselves."

"I didn't come just to talk about my father. Now, give me back my swords."

"Your swords, eh? You never entrusted your swords to me as long as I remember."

"I never did. My servant did that so no one could gain anything from my swords."

"Ah, your servant. Who's his name? Jaken?" Ryuukotsusei smirked evilly. "How is he?"

"It's not your concern."

"How cruel. Aren't we supposed to be a good fellow to each other, Sesshoumaru-san?"

This time, it's Sesshoumaru's time to snarl. Kagome even could see a vein popped up on his neck.

"Still the short-tempered Sesshoumaru, ne?" Ryuukotsusei smirked. "Just as I always thought. You never suit the position of the heir of my eternal rival."

"How dare you to claim yourself as my father's eternal rival. I wonder why my father didn't kill you."

"Isn't it the other way round, Sesshoumaru? He died because of gashes and wounds from our last battle. But I, Ryuukotsusei, am still alive."

"Yet you're sealed."

The dragon narrowed his eyes to the source or the voice, only to found a human girl standing a bit distance behind Sesshoumaru.

"A human girl?"

"So what if I'm a human girl?" Kagome defied blatantly, though her voice was trembling from all demented escapade she'd experienced by herself, especially this meeting with a dragon.

"A human girl once again, Sesshoumaru?" Ryuukotsusei bantered in sarcastic way. "Like father like son, I believe. What a disgrace to the name of the Western Lord."

"She's nobody," Sesshoumaru snapped, his self-control almost waning. "Just give me back my swords and I'll leave you all alone to have your time here."

"I'm nobody?! You da-..."

"Shut up, human, or I'll feed you to Ryuukotsusei." Sesshoumaru cut Kagome's words so quickly.

"I don't give it a damn about a dragon who can talk and a lord who acts like he's the ruler of the world!"

"Neither do I to such a mere human girl."

"You're lucky this fang prevents me from using my power, human." Ryuukotsusei interrupted. "Or I..."

"Where are my swords, Ryuukotsusei?"

The dragon kept quiet for a while, then, "Sesshoumaru, I dislike your family heritage, you know, but I like your father since he was my only and eternal rival. I hate him for sealing me here and I hate him even more when he died. I want to fight him again, to finish our unfinished business though, because I never believed he was stronger than me. Besides Tessaiga, one of the two swords your servant entrusted to me also has the same ability to kill me. You already knew that, didn't you?"

"Toukijin."

"I will only give your swords back if only you promise to kill me after."

"What?!" Kagome cried out.

"You keep your mouth, human. I'm not talking to you," Ryuukotsusei concentrated again to Sesshoumaru. "So, Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru didn't answer immediately.

"I'll take it as yes. Now I'll tell you. Your servant had wanted me to keep your swords from the most dangerous enemy of yours, which I didn't care who, and I guarded the two swords since then. How many years passed actually? Seventeen? Well, time is running out, Sesshoumaru, and I still don't know yet why your father gave you a sword like Tenseiga instead of the first sword of his, Tessaiga."

"I don't know either."

"Whatever. Now just get your swords back from inside my head and send me to hell."

Sesshoumaru didn't say anything. He just leaped forward and landed gracefully on top of the dragon's head. Kagome looked so small from his position now. Above the visage on Ryuukotsusei's head, two swords embedded across each other. One was a sword like any classical Japanese sword, while the other one had a style of usual double-edged sword. Sesshoumaru soon registered them as his.

The dragon growled restrainedly as Sesshoumaru withdrew slowly one of the two swords from his head. Seconds later, the sword finally eased out from Ryuukotsusei's head. In no time, the wounds the sword left behind were completely healed as if nothing had happened. Sesshoumaru stared at the sword on his hand before slipped it through his tie-belt.

Kagome only could see dimly from far. But she did notice there was one sword left.

"What about the other swords, Sesshoumaru?" Ryuukotsusei asked.

"You can have it if you want. I don't need it."

"Take it back! I don't want any damn gift from Inutaisho's heritage!"

Sesshoumaru smirked devilishly, narrowing his eyes so that his face looked eerie. "I said I don't need it, Ryuukotsusei. Take it as a goodbye."

"Goodbye? What about your promise? Are you trying to disavow your own words?!"

"I never said that. It was only your own perception."

"You bastard!"

Sesshoumaru took no need to care, flowing to get himself down on earth with only a sword on his waist. The dragon roared frivolously in such clamor, cursing the youkai lord and his family and everything about him. In return he had made great earthquake which almost destroy everything surrounding him.

"You damn bastard, Sesshoumaru!! I would be glad to see you killed and rot in hell! I'd watch you die like your father!" Ryuukotsusei roared furiously even louder.

"Hey!" Kagome yelled to Sesshoumaru while protecting her head from rocks and slabs of land. "Take the other swords right now!"

"We should go from here unless you desire to die, human."

"Just take the other sword!"

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

She never had held any sword before. But today, her hands gripped the sword Sesshoumaru gave to her earlier.

Sesshoumaru gave?

Well, actually it was that he didn't want to bring the sword with him. He seemed satisfied with just one sword-the first sword he pulled from Ryuukotsusei. The sword she brought with her now was just like another Japanese sword she'd seen on pictures and films. Its sheath was deep black, but she never dared to pull the sword out. Strangely, it looked like the sword beamed some strange aura from it.

It's called Tenseiga, he had said before.

"Why?"

Sesshoumaru didn't stop walking, but he heard her question perfectly.

"Why what?"

"Why don't you bring this sword also?"

"I don't need it."

"But two is better than one, right?"

"That sword," Sesshoumaru took a glance to the sword in her grip, "never suits me-like Ryuukotsusei said before."

Kagome's mind played the scene from moments before. Ryuukotsusei'sanger, Sesshoumaru acts, and the two swords. They're far away from Ryuukotsusei's mountain but even now she could hear his angry growls and roars.

"Never suits you? And the one you bring with suits you?"

He didn't answer her.

"Why?"

"That's twice, human."

"You never answered."

"I'll answer what I desire to answer and will not answer what I don't want to."

"Hey! I just want to know."

"You don't have to."

Kagome grumbled silently, cursing whatever or whoever brought her here with this jerk and even cursing Myouga for leaving her only with his so-called Lord of the Western Land.

Someday, Sesshoumaru, someday I'll make you tell me what I want to know. I'll even make you tell me before I ask you.

And suddenly, something hit her.

Wait. Didn't Myouga say before that Inutaisho supposedly pay me a visit in my dream? It's the third day I'm here and yet nothing happened save from Sesshoumaru's arrogant manners.

Kagome sighed softly. She just hoped that Sesshoumaru wouldn't kill her before she had the chance to meet the one who had caused all of this.

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p.s.: the word 'Tetsusaiga' written in hiragana read as 'Tessaiga', because the little 'sa' character after 'tsu' is formed 'tessa' not 'tetsu' in written language --- but it's right in spoken language to say both.