InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Burning Secrets ❯ Chapter two ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter Two

 

After close to an hour Inuyasha finally found what he'd been looking for- a knife. Not just any knife, though. The knife was one his grandfather had passed down to his father to protect his wife, and the demon lord had passed it down to his own son to protect his mother. The knife itself was beautiful, a black hilt weapon with a plain, elegantly simple blade that was wickedly sharp.

 

Inuyasha jumped high into a tree and settled on one of the larger branches, the knife clutched tightly in his left hand. Leaning against the trunk of the tree he held the blade against his right wrist, dragging it slowly across the back. Some part of his mind kept him from cutting the underside- he'd be even more useless dead than he already was- but he had no such qualms about mutilating other parts of his body.

 

He watched with gruesome pleasure as the blood welled up along the jagged cut, spilling over his paling skin. He wasn't sure why his skin paled when he cut, but it caused an intoxicatingly beautiful contrast as the nearly crimson liquid trailed lazily down the bone white skin of his arm and hand.

 

He grinned inwardly, a look devoid of amusement, at the sight of the blood and moved the blade higher up on his arm, determinedly making a second, then a third cut. He repeated this over and over, pausing each time to watch as the fresh blood joined the rest in a slow race down his arm. He moved then to his left arm, and finally his chest, where he forced the stained blade deeper, nearly crying out from the pain. He never made a sound.

 

 

Finally, with the moon high in a near black sky, fatigue and blood loss began to catch up with him, threatening to overcome his consciousness. He stared into the blank space before him, his eyes glassy and distant. His pupils were dilated, pushing the once bright gold to the edge where it formed a dull rim around dark, unseeing eyes. Just as he slipped into the darkness before and inside him the blade slid from his now lax grip. His reflexes dulled to a minimum, instinct still granted him the ability to just barely catch the edge of the knife.

 

“Kagome, I…I'm sorry. I…”

 

The soft words escaped his nearly steel strong control before he could stop them. Catching them he cursed himself sharply both mentally and aloud for being so incredibly weak. He almost raised the knife once more- and then everything went black.

 

 

 

Unknown to Inuyasha two pairs of eyes, one as cold as solid gold, the other a tortured, warm violet, watched Inuyasha's sickening display of loathing and self-hatred. Only one of the spectators heard the whispered words of the hanyou as he lost his grip on reality, and the golden-eyed demon growled in disgust, but also partially in distress- though he could not think of a reason the latter would apply to him.

 

He reacted before Inuyasha had even fallen finally off his precarious perch, jumping soundlessly up to him. The other observer, Inuyasha's Buddhist companion, rushed from his hiding spot as his friend fell off the branch. The demon reached him first, obviously, catching the hanyou easily in the air.

 

As he took his little brother's weight, Sesshoumaru noticed a few things that annoyed him. Aside from the self-mutilation it seemed as though Inuyasha had been neglecting to eat, as well. He weighed much too little for someone of his size. The demon landed lightly on his feet before the clearly startled priest. The knife- when had it fallen from Inuyasha's hand? - struck deeply into the dirt between them. Neither man flinched, or even showed that they had noticed it at all.

 

Staring into the priest's steady gaze the older brother found no trace of fear there, only shock coupled by concern and determination. Maybe the human felt he would not harm them, or maybe his worry for his companion took precedence over anything else. Either way he did not react immediately, and when he did it was with little reluctance and much relief.

 

“Sesshoumaru, I will not hound you with questions about why you are here as you have undoubtedly saved Inuyasha's life. But I would like to thank you for what you did,” he said, bowing low. Sesshoumaru nodded his head slightly, just enough to acknowledge the priest's respect without returning it.

 

“Who is Kagome?” Sesshoumaru demanded coldly. “Is she the human wench he is hung up on?”

 

“Y-yes,” Miroku answered, clearly confused.

 

“She is the reason my brother is harming himself.” It was a statement, not a question, and the human dipped his head, his aversion answer enough. “Either you make this stop or I will.”

“I swear to you that I will, Sesshoumaru,” the Miroku said solemnly. “I give my word by Buddha and my honor as Inuyasha's friend.”

 

Sesshoumaru seemed to accept this, though he said nothing. When the human moved to take Inuyasha from his brother, however, he uttered a growl that was heavily coupled by the threat in his icy eyes. The priest sighed impatiently and drew his hands back.

 

“If I cannot take him from you then how will I be able to bring him back home?” he challenged pointedly. They did not really have the time necessary for this. Sesshoumaru growled again, this time less menacingly, and started to walk in the direction he'd seen the priest come from earlier.

 

Said priest got the point immediately and positioned himself in the front, leading Sesshoumaru to Kaede's hut. The walk was accompanied by a heavy silence, though it was thankfully short. When they arrived Sesshoumaru stopped outside of the hut an d looked at the human.

 

“Monk, what is your name?” he asked suddenly. The human stared at him in surprise and he lifted an eyebrow impatiently.

 

“Miroku,” the priest said hastily, adding as an afterthought, “And I'm a priest, not a monk.”

 

Sesshoumaru nodded, and apparently satisfied, and allowed Miroku to pass him, opening the front door and preceding him into the small house. The demon immediately looked around, taking in his surroundings. A woman Miroku's age- the demon hunter with the bone boomerang- an old priestess, a small flame-headed kitsune, and a two-tailed demon cat occupied the room, all asleep. Sesshoumaru did not see the human girl among them, though he could smell her scent here, less than a day old.

 

Miroku led Sesshoumaru to what he could only assume was the monk- no, priest's- own pallet as his seemingly ever-present gold staff was placed beside it.

 

The human watched in silent wonder at the gentleness Sesshoumaru displayed when he placed his brother on the futon, carefully keeping from laying him on his wounds. His surprise grew as Sesshoumaru almost absently covered the boy with a blanket. When he stood again and left, the priest followed.

 

“Sesshoumaru, thank you for helping to take care of Inuyasha. I'm pleasantly surprised to see that you have a good side after all,” Miroku said, looking up so he could see the dog demon's face.

 

“I do not have a `good side.' I merely wish that when my brother dies it be by my own hands and not his. He disgraces our father's memory with such actions,” Sesshoumaru answered in his usual flat, bored tone. Miroku gave him a knowing smile and nodded before going back into the hut.

 

Outside, Sesshoumaru stood silently for a moment, allowing himself a brief almost-smile. Then he was gone, disappearing into the night.