InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Converged Destinies ❯ The Stone Goddess ( Chapter 2 )

Converged Destinies

Chapter Two

The Stone Goddess

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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After his hand passed through the barrier (and Sesshoumaru didn't feel dead), he confidently allowed the rest of him though, leaving behind an awe stricken Hachiro.

As soon as the rest of him passed though the barrier, everything became dead silent, not a living soul with the exception of plant life seemed to exist.

Sesshoumaru's molten eyes settled upon the temple, for he knew whatever is inside would change his life forever. If only he knew just how right he was…

……….

The inside of the temple was filled with a thick layer of dust, clearly showing that it hadn't been touched for centuries. Though Sesshoumaru inwardly wondered why there weren't any cobwebs. He soon decided that it wasn't very important and left it at that.

Sesshoumaru looked around with internal frustration when he realized he cannot find the object he sought. For he knew what he sought was within his reach, but at the same time it also seemed too far away to grasp.

Pacing around the small space the temple provided him, a sudden thought struck him. The temple was small…much smaller then from what he had gathered from the outside before entering.

With renewed enthusiasm, Sesshoumaru once more searched through out the abandoned scrolls and ancient furniture that seemed to have just been made yestoday save for the dust.

As he once more passed a bookshelf, he noticed that the `tug' almost unnoticeably grew stronger. Sesshoumaru let a slow smirk engrave itself onto his handsome face, and slowly ran his hand past every book on the shelf.

After mere seconds of searching, he eventually found what he had been looking for. For in front of a book with bluish cover, what had drawn him into the Crystal Forest seemed to call to him through a simple book.

For a split second, the thought of perhaps he came all this way for a stupid book nearly made his eyes bleed red. But he soon cast the possibility aside when he realized that Hachiro couldn't have possibly committed himself fully for centuries to protect a stupid book.

When he came within physical contact with the bluish cover, Sesshoumaru somehow knowing exactly what to do, he tilted the book horizontally and pushed inward, and was soon rewarded with a satisfying sharp `click' as the hidden key slid into the key slot. In mere seconds the whole shelf seemed to shake as if awakened from its deep slumber and reluctantly pushed backwards and slide into a perfect fitting space to its right, revealing a dark hallway.

Without hesitation, Sesshoumaru followed the twisting hallway. Torches lit as he passed them, and soon, even though only mere seconds had passed, Sesshoumaru began to tire of the gloomy hallway. For he knew the temple was relatively small, but the hallway seemed to be making use of as much space as possible by going around in circles.

It gave Sesshoumaru the convenient little idea of punching through the wall that stood beside him to his left, and saving himself the trouble of traveling the distance of another full circle.

But he soon came to the conclusion that he did not fancy an even longer period of time to be wasted on digging up whatever is left of the object he came in search for out of the rubble of the ruined temple.

Though as calm and collected as ever on the outside, Sesshoumaru was inwardly cursing his rotten luck of not being able to destroy anything, and knowing no one was around, he glared daggers at the well polished stone walls beside him.

……….

Even though his journey took only a few moment, it felt as if an hour has passed to the secretly impatient taiyoukai until he unexpectedly came to the place he had sought for three days.

It was a circular room that seemed to be the real centre of the temple. And dead ahead was two bon fires that seemed to burn as if it will never run out of fuel in two beautifully carved bowl shaped ornaments.

Yet even further ahead stood a stone statue, and he immediately knew that it was the real purpose of his coming.

For the longest time he stood marveling at the statue, going over every curve and every fold of its clothing. He was at loss for words, because he knew no words can describe it. For every inch of her was like a goddess.

But it was the face of the statue that really struck a chord within his very soul. For it held such beauty, radiance, and perfection that the thought it of its not being real consumed him in a sadness that he knew he would never admit to anyone, not even to the walls of this very room. So he grieved silently to himself while his features remained placid.

Suddenly, he angrily snapped himself back to reality.

`I am not suppose to feel…these emotions!' he told himself angrily before turning back to the matter at hand.

He once more studied the statue and was surprised when he saw something that he hadn't seen before. For around the statue's neck hung a brilliant pinkish jewel that radiated unthinkable power, and for a moment, found himself mesmerized by it.

Sesshoumaru quickly went over the statue's every detail once more to see if he had missed anything else that might give him a clue as to what it is, and how it got there.

But instead of looking over every tiny detail, this time he looked over the whole thing. And it was truly a magnificent masterpiece to behold, yet for the first time he noticed the overwhelming sadness that was engraved onto the beautiful face of the statue. And how her delicate fingers were laced together in prayer, and her beautiful half lidded eyes sadly looked down upon the very floor she stood.

The statue was so life like that it seemed that it could suddenly just suddenly walk toward him and he wouldn't have been the least bit surprised.

"Is this…what I came in search for…?" Sesshoumaru whispered to himself as he slowly began to walk toward the statue.

`What is…this…? Can it be…another barrier?' Sesshoumaru thought as he suddenly came to a stop, studying the barrier.

The one stood in front of him was relatively small, and seemed to have completely surrounded the statue. But despite its size, it noticeably felt somewhat stronger then the one surrounding the temple.

`I have already passed though one barrier…and I can pass though another…If this is what I toiled over for the last three days, nothing is going to stop me from getting it!' Sesshoumaru thought arrogantly as he stepped up within a touching distance to the statue.

With more confidence than last time, he cautiously raised his hand to touch the protective shield, and as expected, his hand passed though the barrier without any difficulty. Satisfied that he can enter the barrier, Sesshoumaru retrieved his hand and gently unwrapped his tail from his shoulder and penetrated the barrier with it, noting that this barrier was slightly harder to cross then the other.

With more caution then he had ever used, he gentle wrapped his tail securely around the beautiful masterpiece, and with that, left the ancient temple.

……….

Hachiro tried to wait patiently, but found that he cannot contain his excitement. After all these years, he might finally get to meet his mistress. Oh how he had missed her, especially the way she would smile encouragingly at him when he doubted himself, and how she would always be so kind and understanding when he makes a mistake.

Suddenly his almost still childish bubbly face darkened, Him…it was `him' who put her though all of this…so many times he had swore to avenge the goddess, but was afraid to leave her side.

Hachiro swore at that very moment that as soon as his savior was safe, he would avenge her with his very last breath if needed. `He' will pay for what his evil deeds.

`Yes…as soon as she is safe…Naraku will pay…' Hachiro though bitterly to himself.

Finally, Hachiro convinced himself not to think of anything unpleasant and concentrate on the fact this may very well be the happiest day that he had seen in over two hundred years.

While Hachiro's mind was busy thinking of ways to restore his lady to her true form when she comes out, he had not noticed a certain demon lord emerging from the barrier, and carrying with him…the reason that he had guarded this glade for over two hundred years.

"Hachiro" Sesshoumaru said with his usual placid tone.

Hachiro seemed to instantly snap out of his stupor and immediately gave Sesshoumaru his full attention, that is…until he saw what Sesshoumaru held within the confinement of his tail…

With an excited cry, Hachiro immediately ran up to the stone statue. Sesshoumaru choose that time to put the statue down gently on the ground.

For a few moments, Hachiro simply stood looking at the statue's face without blinking, for fearing that if he did, this might just only be a dream.

…….

Sesshoumaru noticed the way that Hachiro seemed to look at the statue, to the seemingly young warrior the statue didn't just seem like a magnificently carved masterpiece, but something more.

The warriors face held such contentment just to look at the face of the statue that it seemed that he could just stand there and forever marvel at it.

Just as Sesshoumaru's patients were beginning to run thin, he saw Hachiro turned his back to the statue to look at the waiting taiyoukai, but not before casting one regretful glance at the statue.

"I suppose you will want some answers now…" Hachiro started slowly.

Sesshoumaru inclined his head slightly and asked "Tell me…why is it that this statue is so important to you?"

"The Lady…she saved my life…and she has always been so kind to me, I would not be who I am today if I had never met her…I would not even be here…I can never repay the kindness she had bestowed upon me. So I will follow her to the end of the world if she only but asked or gladly block an arrow for her if the situation should arise."

"You speck of her as if she is real, but what I see in front of me is only made out of stone" Sesshoumaru coldly remarked.

"She is real, at least she once was…over two hundred years ago, a curse of some sort was placed upon her, turning her into stone. I can only tell you that much, for when I met her, I was but a young child, and even I myself do not know the full details of how she became so." Hachiro paused and looked towards the temple.

"I believe that she can be returned to her true form…but it is how that I am not sure of. You are the destined one my lord…it is you that shall break that curse" Hachiro said while looking fondly at the statue.

"Explain, why is it that I sense you are not fully human." Sesshoumaru asked in a tone devoted of any emotion.

"That is because I'm not, I am also part dryad. When I was young…I was… different…the lady took me in…and had been like a mother to me…" Hachiro said.

Sesshoumaru could plainly tell that Hachiro was holding something back, but did not press the matter.

"My lord, I'm afraid there is something that I must fulfill, please take good care of the lady. If when it ends and I still breathe, I will come back to her side and guard her for the rest of my life."

"Now before I take my leave, will you kindly allow me the honor of knowing your name?" Hachiro asked and waited as a silence took place.

"I am Lord Sesshoumaru, ruler of the Western Lands." Sesshoumaru replied with indifference.

"You honor me my lord, but now I must take my leave. Farewell, I hope we will meet again, and if the Lady is to wake before my return, send her my best regards." Hachiro said as he with one mighty leap and jumped from tree to tree and was soon out of sight from the place he had spent over the last two hundred years guarding.

Sesshoumaru turned to face the life like statue, his thoughts slightly doubtful of what to do with it. In the end, he decided that he was to take it back to his own castle, and perhaps try find out more about it. Then, once more wrapping his tail around it, a cloud of dust arose to bid farewell to the taiyoukai.

If only he knew how important his doings were that day…

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A.N. I apologize for the first chapter, it seems none of the symbols I put in to mark where the change of scene is showed up.

Next Chapter: Kag and Sess meets. (And about Hachiro being part dryad…er…that I'll explain it later…*evil grin*)