InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Condition of the Souls ❯ Blinding Confusion in the Clearing ( Chapter 8 )

Hey everyone! I am back! I can hear all the cheers! I would've had this up even earlier but I had some work to do. I'm doing better though and the more reviews I get, the easier it gets. I will still happily write the story anyways…

 

About this Sesshoumaru twist- yes I will write exactly how his mom died, as I tell IceRayven below, it's actually kinda important. It's a neat twist and I think you'll all like it. Also, I have a question- eventually he will have a mate, a youkai mate- but should he have another mate that dies or something- maybe half human or maybe youkai? SEE POLL AT THE END!

 

Responses- thanks to Divine-Heart and Kagome-Inuyasha- thank you so much for your encouragement! I'm glad that you both are enjoying this!

IceRayven- Sorry about the cliffhanger… and yes, I will tell exactly how his mom died. It's kinda important, but it will be up soon. I have a plan!

 

Part 8- Blinding Confusion in the Clearing

“Heaven is in the palm of my hand and it's waiting here for you. What am I supposed to do with a childhood tragedy? If I close my eyes forever, will it all remain unchanged? If I close my eyes forever, will it all remain the same?” Close My Eyes Forever, by Lita Ford & Ozzy Osbourne

(break)

 

Wishing that she has youkai senses, Kagome dashes through the forest and tries to guess where Sesshoumaru went. After an hour of searching, she is tired, sweaty, and almost ready to abandon her search to go back to the village where everyone is waiting for her. The modern miko wipes her forehead of salty liquid sweat and looks up into the trees. A breeze refuses to come to cool her off. As a result, the exhausted female sighs heavily.

 

Enough of this nonsense! I don't even know exactly why I followed him in the first place. He certainly doesn't need me to protect him or to help him fight… and I wasn't sure that anything was wrong. After all, I've never seen him express any type of emotion… maybe he doesn't feel… because he's a youkai? No, that doesn't work. When Inuyasha loses control, he revels in killing other living beings. Also, I keep forgetting seeing kawaii Sess-kun… he certainly felt emotions back then! There is no doubt in my mind that Sesshoumaru must have emotions that are buried somewhere.

 

She nods to herself for emphasis. Why I am trailing him? I am only following what my instinct tells me. I feel compelled to follow and discover the truth.

 

Every clearing looks like the other clearing and every tree resembles every other tree. Oh look, another large mushroom… or it is the same one I passed thirty minutes ago? She sweatdrops and realizes that she's lost. I better abort this mission and change my objective from finding Inuyasha's older brother to finding my way back.

 

She makes an about-face and walks through a few more congruous clearings when she sees a flash of white through the trees. No way that's him because that would be truly ironic. What do I have to lose? At the very least, whoever it is might be able to help me get home. It could be him. How many white-haired beings do you know that want to wear mostly white so that they can be easily spotted?

 

She shrugs to herself and moves on. Quickly and yet quietly, Kagome begins to walk towards the taiyoukai. Surely, he'll be able to hear me. I don't know how to conceal the sound of my footsteps and even if I can't hear any tiny rustles from the leaves below, he will most likely be able to hear them. I'm glad I can't really take him by surprise, because that would be extremely dangerous.

(break)

 

Meanwhile, back in the clearing, Sesshoumaru relives the memories that he has of his mother and the chaos that ensued when she died. For years, I believed what my father told me about her death. He told me that in that day and age females often died in childbirth. Although I know that to be true, I never questioned him about it- not until the whelp was born. Giving birth was so easy for her… and he brought in a special midwife to make sure that she was safe. Only then did I remember the evil glint in her eyes- the eyes of the miko that delivered me. She made sure that Mother died… I just know it. Father lied to me because he did not care to avenge Mother's death. If I ever met that miko again, I would gladly sink my claws into her flesh. His anger fully aroused, Sesshoumaru wills his claws to lengthen and swipes them in the empty air. Almost unbeknownst to him, a savage growl trembles in his throat.

(break)

 

At this inopportune moment, Kagome appears behind him. An uncomfortable hush falls over the forest in anticipation and fear. The taiyoukai's anger makes his youki begin to swirl around him, faster and faster. He feels the disturbance in his youki where Kagome is standing. Her white, blue and silvery gold aura shines through his aura and purifies it. He turns to face her, but does not completely break out of his reverie. His eyes do not see her as she is, but only as a miko. The growl in his throat freezes for a moment before it strengthens in volume and depth. Narrowing his eyes with their thinly slitted pupils, he stands up.

 

On the stage of his mind, pictures begin to spin; perceptions and expectations merge to create a face. Mistaking Kagome's miko energy for that of the miko midwife, he stops processing Kagome's face and instead sees only that of the one he despises.

 

Kagome notices that his unemotional front has fallen, but instead of noting to herself that she is again seeing his emotions play upon his features, she feels a cold fear pass through her heart. Seeing his reddening eyes glaring at her, she begins to feel frozen. With each split-second, her heart rate increases. Naturally, the sight of an enraged Sesshoumaru is not completely unfamiliar to her since she has seen his battle-rage pointed at Inuyasha countless times over the years. At those times, she would feel afraid in her heart, but she was not so completely alone then. Feeling like a sheep gazing into the hungry eyes of a wolf, she takes a deep breath and tries to remain rational. Surely, she could break him out of this trance. He gave his word not to harm Inuyasha so that promise must extend to the rest of us too. We all need to work together! He's a rational being, more rational than many I have met.

 

“Sesshoumaru?” Her voice is more tremulous than she would like. “It's me, Kagome, Inuyasha's friend?” He growls even more at the mention of Inuyasha and comes closer. “Don't you remember me? You gave your word that you wouldn't hurt us so that we could all go after Naraku together!” Maybe he doesn't hear me. What happens if he doesn't hear me? I can't fight him! First, he's no ordinary, semi-weak youkai! He's unfathomably strong and he's also Inuyasha's half-brother! I'm not allowed to hurt him, even if I had brought my bow and arrows with me. Oh, God what am I going to do?

 

As her internal monologue goes berserk, Sesshoumaru continues to move forward, totally uninhibited by the girl's greeting and argument. He doesn't seem like the Sesshoumaru that I know. Does he even know who I am? Furtively, she glances down at his claws and stares as she notices a new ring with a familiar symbol. What kind of ring is flat on top like that? Wait… I do know the term… it is a signet ring! In the back of her mind, she feels proud of herself for being able to dredge up the word.

 

Now, the taiyoukai is within an arm's reach of her and she finds herself momentarily frozen in place. What are you supposed to do when cornered by a wild animal? Stay still so that they won't give chase. Ok, he's too smart for those rules to apply. She shakes her head and realizes that she's not cornered yet. As quickly as possible, she backs up quickly and barely misses one swipe of his claws.

 

“Sesshoumaru, stop! You gave your word,” she begs. Her cries of appeal fall on deaf ears. He does not respond at all, except to attack her more forcefully. Momentarily, she wishes that she had at least Inuyasha's hanyou speed and reflexes to help her counter his brother. She dodges again, but notices how his speed increases with each movement. A cruel smile appears on his face as he obviously sees her distress.

 

Shocked, her eyes widen in pure fear as time seems to slow down. She watches as he raises his arm above her. She is cornered without a place to run. Flinching, she braces herself for the impact and puts her hands over her face in despair, but no claw comes down to rip her to pieces.

 

Suddenly confused and unafraid, she looks up and sees a barrier around her. The outside of the barrier is golden while the inside glows a deep blue. Above her head, the colorful bubble holds back the threatening claw.

 

Realizing that he is not longer moving, Sesshoumaru's eyes widen slightly. Both Sesshoumaru and Kagome both look down at their respective rings and realize that the light is coming from their rings. The blue light emanates from Kagome's ring and golden light comes from Sesshoumaru's. As the taiyoukai backs away from her, the gold brilliance shines back into his eyes. He begins to blink. After a moment, he sits back and shuts his eyes as if he has a headache.

 

As she relaxes further, Kagome notices the blue light fade from around her to return back into her shining ring. Still shaking from the ordeal, she collapses onto a nearby tree stump. Sesshoumaru shakes his head, looks over and finally sees Kagome. Closing his eyes for a moment, he regains full control. “Miko, why are you here?”

 

Looking over at him, she laughs to herself to remind herself of how lucky she is. “Sesshoumaru, I simply felt compelled to follow you- I'm not sure why. What just happened? Why didn't you know who I was? Why did you attack me?”

 

His eyes narrow. “You have no right to ask me anything, miko!”

 

She sighs and shakes her head. “Oh really? You have joined our team for your own reasons, but you are working with us. Yet a moment ago, you tried to kill me! You gave your word that you would help us! What would your father say?”

 

Sesshoumaru stops as his father's words re-enter his conscious thoughts. `I suppose that you recognized the ring and bracelet that we gave to Kagome and you know the implications involved. She will be Inuyasha's mate one day and I hope that you will also protect her, your future sister-in-law.'

 

She has a point… that would have been a dishonorable act. Father would not be pleased. She is the one who travels through time; she could tell him of this event. Although there is little that he could do to me, who knows what else is in store for me... “I apologize for the dishonor, Miko.”

 

Somewhat appeased, Kagome throws him an awkward half-smile. “What happened to you? What's with the ring? I thought it was from Inutaisho-sama, but he wouldn't give you anything that would hurt you.”

 

Sesshoumaru thinks… Sure he wouldn't. I put it on and I doubt it would come off. I will succeed through this, no matter what. “He gave it to me and that is more than a woman needs to know.”

 

“I wonder if Inutaisho-sama knows what happened just now…”

 

“You will not tell him anything of this incident.”

 

“Why not? You are not my Lord or ruler, Sesshoumaru.”

 

“You impudent…”

 

“Remember this; it would be a dishonor to hurt or kill me. Besides, I could tell your father about this. Just tell me why you attacked me and I'll keep it a secret.”

 

He raises his right eyebrow. “Blackmail?”

 

“It may appear so to you, but I am only concerned about you. I wouldn't tell anyone without your consent. I give you my word; you can trust me… even stubborn Inuyasha does.”

 

After a moment of silence, he dispassionately explains, “I mistook you for someone else.” Then he hardens his face more than usual. “Your pretty words mean nothing, because a miko's word is completely worthless. Enough of this nonsense, it is of no consequence to you. I will return now to the human village. I assume that you were lost, so I will allow you to follow me. Keep any impertinent questions that are stirring in your head to yourself; you will not receive any answers, so bite your tongue. Let's go.”

 

Kagome shakes her head and follows a few steps behind him. Together, they return as the sun kisses the horizon and the air begins to cool. Crickets begin to tune their instruments and the forest smells of sweet grass. Kagome feels exasperated with Sesshoumaru's answers, but she tries to reconcile herself with what she has learned. Besides, tomorrow is a new day- the day that she will go to the past. After all, there is no time to waste.

(break)

 

 

Ok that's it for this chapter. In the next chapter, Kagome will go back in time to the time of the Shikon no Tamas.

 

Poll: Sesshoumaru will eventually have at least one youkai mate (only one at a time). Here are the different possibilities; vote on your favorite! (Either way it goes, there will be Sesshy romance.)

-One youkai mate

-two youkai mates (one who would die)

-one hanyou mate (who would die), one youkai mate

-one human mate (who would die), one youkai mate

 

Please review and tell me preferences. Even if I have updated, you can give feedback- I'll take this part down or put the choice in when the voting is closed! Thank you everyone!