InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Bound Together: Danketsu ❯ Disturbances ( Chapter 2 )

Bound Together: Danketsu

Chapter 2 - Disturbances

Sesshoumaru stared at the mist-shrouded peak far to the West. The trees were in a fit of color, wrapping the mountain in a brilliant autumnal cloak that was neatly hemmed by the stretching fields and rice paddies of the village at its base. His large golden eyes traveled lazily up the steep slopes, pausing as they lighted on a spot a short distance down from the jagged peak. The colors were hazy here and slightly blurred, spotted with the unrelenting green points of tall evergreens. Somewhere beneath those brightly colored boughs, shrouded and protected by a powerful barrier, was his home, the ancestral mansion of his clan since time immemorial.

He found himself wondering if Rin was standing out in the gardens, staring at back at him. The thought only fueled his ever-growing desire to leave this ancient forest and return home to a warm bath and meal and, most importantly, his mate's arms. With a sigh, he ripped his eyes from the mountain and shot an annoyed glance at the hulking figure kneeling at his side. Rouyakan droned on and on, his shaggy head bobbing up and down as he spoke about such mundane things as a new human community cropping up on the northern bounds of the forest and the extermination of the few weak youkai displaced by the settlement.

These meetings were tedious and boring beyond all measure, and Sesshoumaru had always loathed partaking in them. However, the forest guardian was a veritable wealth of information. His boulder-sized blue eyes saw everything within his realm, from the movements and goings on of minor youkai and humans to the falling of a tree. Nothing escaped his penetrating gaze and many youkai consulted with him for information pertinent to their territories. In speaking with these visitors, Rouyakan's sight extended even beyond the vast, primordial forest that he called home to the seas.

His father had always relied on Rouyakan's information to keep order within his lands, and in respect to the taiyoukai's power, Sesshoumaru was compelled to continue these consultations, dreary as they may be. Besides the need to maintain his territory, he also had a second reason for meeting with the forest guardian, one that nearly eclipsed his responsibility to his clan. The keeping of a human as a mate was a disgraceful thing for a youkai, particularly for one of his status and reputation. As he had come to understand from his observations of his father's ill-fated affair with the human hime, the pairing of human and youkai never seemed to bring anything but trouble. Humans saw the match as disgusting and aberrant and would fight to reclaim their own kind. Youkai held a similar view, but also exploited the weakness of the human member of the couple to gain territory and standing. He had watched his father tirelessly repel attack after attack, samurai and youkai alike, not once refusing to protect the woman he loved and the hanyou son she bore him. It had sealed his fate, this relationship, as even after receiving a serious wound in battle he ran headlong into another to save his mate and had perished.

He had always found his father's taste for humans embarrassing, a deplorable weakness. Fate had apparently found it amusing, though, to endow him with the same flaw. When Rin had first started following him around a decade or so ago, he had arrogantly denied that she meant anything to him. She asked nothing of him, caring for her own needs as she had done ever since she had been orphaned, and he had feigned indifference to her presence. He had continued to deny his feelings for her even after he began to raise his sword to protect her. His carefully guarded beliefs soon began to crumble, though, as he watched her mature into a beautiful and virtuous woman. He began to waver on a knife's edge of temptation, embarrassed that he would harbor such emotion for her and, even worse, be concerned with how she felt about him.

It was then that he had sent her away to the old, deserted manor house on the lower slopes of the mountain. Out of sight, out of mind the saying went, but apparently it didn't apply to youkai lords such as him. He had been plagued with bouts of uncharacteristic fear for her safety and the most unbearable feeling of loneliness-feelings to which he had always believed himself immune. Then she had landed in mortal danger yet again and, just like his father, he had rushed to her rescue. After that, he knew without the tiniest shred of doubt that he could not do without her.

And now here he was, two months later, falling into his father's footsteps and listening to the mind-numbing prattle of Rouyakan the forest guardian on the off-chance that he might have some news of an approaching threat to him and his human mate. Sesshoumaru frowned. He couldn't decide what was more irritating: the frequent meetings with Rouyakan or the fact that he had ended up in the same situation as his father.

"Several hundred of the lesser youkai were killed. The remains that washed up onto shore were soon consumed completely by the intruder's shouki."

Sesshoumaru glanced briefly at Rouyakan's shaggy form, instantly regretting the action as the large blue eyes met his. Encouraged, Rouyakan continued.

"Since then, I've heard many reports of battles occurring near that area, the corpses always melting away from the shouki. In fact, I recently learned that just last week, youkai were seen battling on the northern boundaries of the Yourouzoku territory, though I highly doubt that-"

"You waste my time, Rouyakan." The forest guardian gaped as the youkai lord turned briskly on his heel and began to walk away.

"Wait, please, Sesshoumaru-dono! There's more to tell!" he pleaded, his large, furry hands beckoning him to return.

"I'm not concerned with the trifling conflicts of a few worthless youkai," he snapped.

"But that's not all I-"

"Enough! I'll waste no more time on this nonsense!"

Rouyakan cringed, hands rising above his head in a defensive gesture. He watched silently as Sesshoumaru stalked off between the trees, jaw trembling slightly. After taking a deep breath to steel himself, he clumsily rose to his feet and darted after him. He fell on hands and knees before the stately youkai, shaggy head bent to the ground more in an effort avoid the icy glare he knew was directed at him than in a show of respect.

"Get out of my way, Rouyakan," Sesshoumaru growled quietly. His patience was waning quickly.

"There…there was something that I thought you should know, Sesshoumaru-dono," Rouyakan said slowly, voice quavering. There was no response, and, taking this as a good sign, he continued.

"Youkai aren't the only creatures disappearing."

"Nani?"

"Near the places where the battles have occurred, humans have been going missing as well. Entire villages are gone."

"Baka. That's nothing surprising considering that youkai were fighting nearby." Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed menacingly. Despite his desire to return home, Rouyakan's statement had piqued his interest.

"No bodies were found, and there were no signs of a struggle."

"They probably fled."

"I don't believe so, Sesshoumaru-dono. They left everything behind. Meals were found half-eaten on the tables, laundry hanging out to dry, tools left out near unfinished projects. No fresh tracks were found leading out of the village. It's like they just disappeared." He fell silent, eyes searching the other youkai's face for a reaction.

Sesshoumaru stared blankly at a distant point on the horizon, deep in thought. He made neither movement nor sound. Rouyakan would have thought him an artfully carved statue had it not been for the fresh autumn breeze teasing at his clothing and long silvery hair and the slow, steady pound of his heart resounding loudly in his sensitive ears. After what seemed like an eternity, Sesshoumaru's eyes focused on him.

"Where has this occurred?" he asked quietly.

"Far to the north, on the uppermost boundaries of the Yourouzoku lands."

"Do they know what happened?"

Rouyakan pushed himself back to a kneeling position and frowned. "Not that I'm aware of. Naraku decimated the wolf clan over ten years ago, so the remaining members keep close together. Emissaries from Kouga show up here every now and again, but I haven't seen any lately."

"Is it possible that they could have been attacked?"

"I doubt it. Last I heard, the Yourouzoku weren't involved, and knowing Kouga, I would definitely be hearing about it if they were."

Sesshoumaru regarded this information carefully for a moment, then turned his attention back to Rouyakan, who was gazing raptly up at him. "I'll look into the matter," he replied curtly, ignoring the broad grin that spread across the forest guardian's face.

The sun was sinking slowly toward the western horizon, silhouetting his mountain in sharp relief and burning his eyes as he exited the forest. He cast a look back between the trees, but Rouyakan had departed. A sphere of brilliant, yellow-white light enveloped his body and he rose slowly into the air. For a moment he considered traveling to the Northern lands immediately in search of the source of these disturbances; however, from what he had gleaned from Rouyakan, it didn't seem that they were moving very quickly. He would have plenty of time to explore this in the following days, and he felt a pressing urge in his mind to return to the mansion and see Rin. Perhaps it was a result of the guardian's strange tale, but he had an unsettling feeling that she was in danger.

* * * *

Ooh. I'm having fun with this one. Maybe I can actually develop a long-lasting plot of sorts that I'll be able to pull throughout this story. I think I've been inspired by the Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child book I'm reading right now. They're always really good at starting things off with a mysterious note and keeping everyone in the dark. Please leave me any comments, criticisms, or ideas that you may have (and ideas for a title yet?).

1