InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Delving Into The Mysteries Of The Past ❯ The Past Continuing ( Chapter 7 )

 

To say that I wasn't nervous would be an understatement. I was petrified to the point where even my sarcasm didn't save me.

 

“Why?” I asked.

 

“Why what?” he answered. He had moved away from me, choosing to sit and lean against a tree a few feet away, watching me from emotionless eyes.

 

“Why do you want to kill him?” I asked. The eyes narrowed.

 

“I do not owe you any answers mortal,” he snapped. I shivered, and not from coldness.

 

“Are you going to kill me?” I asked.

 

“If you keep asking me questions I will.”

 

“If you kill me, then you won't get the jewel shards,” I lied. My brain was beginning to work again. One eyebrow went up. “InuYasha has most of the jewel shards now. If you tell him you're holding me hostage, then he'll definitely trade the jewel shards for my life.”

 

“I have no need for jewel shards,” he said, slight amusement now in his voice. “And he wouldn't trade them for your life.”

 

“Why not?” I asked, bristling. “What do you know about him?”

 

“More than you do.” It was then that I noticed a similarity between InuYasha's half-demon form and this demon. They had the same hair color and the same eyes, though the shape was a little different. Could they be…

 

“Are you two…brothers?” I asked, my eyes widening. His already cold glare turned icy.

 

“He's my half-brother,” he snapped. I jaw dropped open.

 

“Then why do you want to kill him?” I asked. He stood up, and faster than I could blink, he was standing in front of me. I yelped, but was so frozen in fear that I couldn't move.

 

“I have my reasons,” he said, his voice dangerously low. “They are of no concern to you.” He moved back to his original place, and I sunk to the ground, knees giving way because I had just realized who he was.

 

I was an idiot for not realizing sooner. Kikyo had told me about him during one of our more `sisterly' moments. She had said to me that time that demon lords were our main enemies, and that if I saw one, I should try not to get involved in any way whatsoever. If she could only see me now. Not only had I managed to get myself kidnapped by a demon lord, I had managed to get myself kidnapped by Sesshoumaru-sama, the demon lord of the west, and one of the most powerful ones. It would be a miracle if I survived this, seeing as he was a merciless killer, who killed demons and humans alike, as was Kaikatsu Gin Kiraitsu. And he and Kage were…half-brothers? Kage could have mentioned that sooner!

 

“He comes,” Sesshoumaru-sama said, looking up. I had the feeling that I had better keep up with the honorific.

 

“What?” I asked.

 

“That miserable half-breed is coming,” he repeated. I flinched at the blatant degradation. Sure enough, Kage came crashing through the trees and undergrowth, with Shippo-chan at his heels.

 

“Kagome!” Shippo-chan wailed, jumping into my arms. “I thought you were gonna be eaten!” I would have laughed, if it were any other situation. I turned to look at Kage. His face had such a look of intense hatred on it, and I took an involuntary step back.

 

“Teme,” he hissed.

 

“I have missed you too, little brother,” Sesshoumaru-sama replied mockingly.

 

“Bastard. You can't wield Tetsusaiga, you should know that!” Kage snarled.

 

“I have long given up on that useless sword,” he said coolly. “I want something else now.” Sesshoumaru-sama lunged at him quickly, knocking Kage back several feet. “Slow as ever, InuYasha.”

 

“I'm just getting started,” Kage said, drawing Tetsusaiga. “Just tell me one thing before I kill you. What is this thing you want?”

 

“Think, you pathetic half-breed,” came the reply, his voice becoming noticeably colder. “Think back two years ago, before you could control yourself.”

 

“What?” I thought. InuYasha stopped suddenly.

 

“I never meant…” he trailed off suddenly as if remembering something that was too painful to bear.

 

“You killed her.” Sesshoumaru-sama didn't wait for an answer; he lunged again at InuYasha, who this time was ready and leaped back. Soon they had both drawn their swords and were leaping at each other, forgetting that Shippo-chan and I were watching.

 

I could feel my heart beating painfully in my chest, and it wasn't from worry that one or the other was going to get killed. It was also from that previous conversation. From the sound of it, InuYasha really had killed someone. Some girl that had seemed to be close to Sesshoumaru-sama. And what was that whole thing about `before you could control yourself?' What did that mean? InuYasha was yelling again.

 

“You could have brought her back,” he yelled as he blocked his brother's strikes.

 

“With her body as broken and mangled as it was, she would have died again,” Sesshoumaru-sama said. He was beginning to lose his icy exterior, his anger evident.

 

“Why should you care?” InuYasha asked tauntingly. “Were you in love with her?” That struck a nerve. Faster than anything I had ever seen, Sesshoumaru-sama punched him, hard, sending InuYasha flying into a tree, where he fell to the ground unmoving. I almost ran over to him, if Shippo-chan hadn't yelled, “Don't!” I froze midway into a step and forced myself to think rationally. If I ran in there, I would probably be killed. And I didn't have my arrows either. I could have screamed in frustration.

 

“Look,” Shippo-chan whispered suddenly. I turned to see InuYasha getting up, but something was different. His movements were detached, and for the first time, I noticed rosary beads around his neck. The string holding them together had snapped, and even though InuYasha was trying to hold them together, a few of the beads had fallen off. But there was something else. His demonic aura was different. It was more powerful, more evil. I was standing off to one side, so when he lifted his head, I couldn't see what happened. I couldn't even move, that was how powerful his aura was. All I saw was Sesshoumaru-sama freeze in mid-stride, eyes widening for an instant, before he pointed his sword at InuYasha and a loud explosion rocked the ground, causing me to fall over. That done, he turned around and began to leave.

 

“You're just going to leave after all that?!” I yelled after him.

 

“Yes.” That stopped me for a few seconds.

 

“What did you do to him!?”

 

“I rendered him unconscious. You might want to make yourself useful human, and fix the rosary before he regains consciousness.”

 

“Why?” He never answered. He disappeared into the shadows. I bit my lip, resisting the urge to scream again and examined the broken rosary. It would be easy to fix, seeing that all I had to do was replace the fallen beads and retie the string. I examined them when I had found all of them. There were black circular ones and a few white ones, shaped something like a claw. I put them in what seemed to be the correct pattern, and with a little help from Shippo-chan, tied the string. For good measure, I picked up Tetsusaiga from where it had fallen and put in back into its sheath, watching as InuYasha's silver hair faded to the black of Kage's. On an impulse, I began to stroke his head, running my fingers through his hair. I was surprised to find that it was softer than I had imagined it to be. I had thought, since he was a dog demon from the looks of it, that his hair would be coarser, more like a dog's.

 

“Shippo-chan, do you have any idea about hat's going on here?” I asked him. He didn't answer as I had expected him to. He was just as confused as I was, if not more. I looked at Kage again. He was such a mystery. No doubt, when Kikyo and Great-Aunt Kaede found out about this little episode, there would be hell to pay. I wondered if they knew that he was a half-demon. I couldn't sense any demonic power coming from him when he was in his human form, but then again, I wasn't exactly the world's greatest priestess.

 

Kage returned to the world of the living in a few hours, and had quite effectively cursed out his older brother, while I held Shippo-chan's ears shut. After a few more grouses and muted obscenities, we headed out in search of more jewel shards. While we found more demons than I could keep track of, we only found three more shards. We also heard a rumor that there were more people looking for them, one of them being a demon only known as Naraku and nothing else. Anybody we questioned either knew nothing or was unwilling to tell us anything. It had gotten us kicked out of several inns, so we learned not to bring up the subject unless someone else mentioned it first.

 

And then there was Sesshoumaru-sama. He seemed determined to kill Kage for whatever had been done to him two years ago. He had ambushed us several times already, even though each time, I had noticed he had chances to kill Kage and never took them. And Kage didn't make things any easier. He would not for the life of him answer any of my questions about what had happened two years ago.

 

“Did you really kill someone?” I asked. He was beginning to realize that I wasn't dissuaded easily.

 

“It doesn't matter,” he said, looking away.

 

“That's not what I'm asking. I'm asking if you've killed anyone.”

 

“No.”

 

“Then why does he insist on you killing someone?” I asked.

 

“Because he's a bastard,” he suggested. I sighed.

 

“You know you can tell me. I won't tell anyone else,” I said. He looked at me, and his eyes seemed hollow.

 

“There are many things you don't about me,” he said. “And it's for the best that you don't find out.” That was the end of that conversation.

 

About a week and a half after that conversation, I found myself wandering through yet another forest, this time looking for acorns for Shippo-chan. The little Kitsune had a slight thing for acorns and since we had nothing to do anyway, I had volunteered to find them. Kage was too busy cleaning Tetsusaiga to even notice that I had gone.

 

“It is dangerous to wander around in a forest by yourself human. Where is your beloved Kage?” The voice directly behind me made me choke on air, and spin around, dropping all my acorns.

 

“Why?” Was all I could get out, the side effects of choking on air still holding me in their grasp.

 

“I am here because I want to be here,” Sesshoumaru-sama said simply. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Doing that could mean death.

 

“You two should stop fighting,” I said. “It's really annoying when you're walking all calm and relaxed and then you're suddenly thrust into battle.” He had no answer to that, instead he just studied me, which naturally mace me very uncomfortable.

 

“You should go back before they begin to look for you,” he said, turning around to leave. I had the sudden crazy urge to pick up the nearest stone and throw it at him so that I could ask him some questions, but the sensible part of me told me I really would die if I did that. So I picked up the fallen acorns and walked back to where my friends were waiting, trying to figure out how I was going to get answers.

 

It had been about a month since I had broken the Sacred Jewel, when we acquired two new friends. It turned out that they had been traveling together since they had found out by chance that they were both looking for jewel shards. One was Sango-sama, one of the last of the demon slayers. She was looking for her brother, who had disappeared after their village had been destroyed. The other was Miroku-sama, a traveling monk, with a Wind Tunnel in his hand, a tribute from the ever-infamous Naraku. Neither one of them had made a first good impression on Kage, Sango-sama trying to kill him with her Hiraiktsu, and once that was over with, Miroku-sama coming on to me.

 

“So tell me Kagome-sama,” he said smoothly. “Do you have any boyfriends?” The question caught me off guard.

 

“No,” I said.

 

“Then will you do me one favor?” he asked.

 

“Sure?” I said, not very uncertain where this was leading.

 

“Will you bear my children?”

 

“What?!” I screeched, jerking my hand out of his. Sango-sama promptly hit him over the head with her Hiraiktsu.

 

“I told you to stop asking women that!” she yelled. “I'm sorry Kagome-sama. He's harmless,” she said, turning to me.

 

“It's okay. I'm more worried about Kage,” I said, and we both turned to see him glowering at Miroku-sama.

 

“He deserves it,” she said. “You don't have to call me Sango-sama. I'm far from a lady,” she said laughing. I smiled. She was very pretty.

 

“Fine, but then you can't call me Kagome-sama then,” I said. She nodded. I could tell, that we would become great friends. Besides, it would be nice to have another girl traveling around with us. It got kind of boring with only two guys to talk to.

 

“So how many jewel shards do you have, Kagome-sama?” Miroku-sama asked me.

 

“Ten,” I said.

 

“We have eight,” Sango-chan said.

 

“Maybe we can work together and find the remaining ones,” Miroku-sama suggested.

 

“That's a great idea!” I said. “What do you think Kage?”

 

“I think it's stupid, but if you want to fine,” he replied. He was still upset over the whole Hikariktsu incident.

 

Not surprisingly, since we had no way of telling which direction we were supposed to be headed, we found that we had managed to circle back to the forest where I had first met Sesshoumaru-sama. Kage cursed a bit at the lost time, but Miroku-sama said that it was all for the better, and that we could stay at the inn there. However, when I relayed all that had happened there, he quickly changed his mind, and we decided to camp out outside again. While Kage and Miroku-sama were bickering over the newly arrived letter, courtesy of a girl that looked very suspicious, I felt the presence of a very familiar demonic aura, and quietly slipped into the forest unnoticed.

 

“Sesshoumaru-sama,” I said, once I had found him. He must have known I would find him; his demonic aura was too great to miss, even for me. I sat down, leaning on a tree a few paces away from him. I was still a little edgy around him, even though I sad seen him countless times in the past few weeks. The memory of him trying to kill me was still fresh in my mind.

 

“Why are you here mortal?” he asked me. I would have thought that by now he would have realized that I wouldn't leave. Even though we had only met like this twice, he was beginning to understand my personality, and I his.

 

“Because I can,” I answered. I deemed it safe enough to use cheek when talking to him. I didn't think he would pin me to tree as he did before.

 

“They'll be looking for you,” he said. I shook my head. They were too wrapped up in their letter that had recently arrived. It had nothing to do with me, so I was safe for the time being until they realized I was gone.

 

“I'll go back when I hear them calling for me,” I told him. He didn't say anything, and I took that as a good sign, and stayed there in silence. That was how it usually was, with the two of us saying nothing for the longest time until I started babbling about something.

 

“Why do you come?” he asked suddenly. I looked at him in surprise.

 

“What?” I asked.

 

“Why do you come here?” he asked again. “You know that I want nothing more than to kill the one you call Kage, and I easily kill you now.”

 

“But you don't,” I said. “You haven't tried to kill me since we first met.”

 

“That does not mean that I cannot.”

 

“Once again, you don't,” I said.

 

“You remind me of someone,” he said.

 

“Hm?” I asked, not really paying attention.

 

“You remind me of a woman I once knew. She was not afraid of me either.” That was a lie. I was still frightened of him, just not as much as before.

 

“Really?” I asked.

 

“She was more mature than you are.” I had the feeling that he said that just to make me angry. It worked.

 

“I'm very mature for my age!” I said, sitting up straighter and tossing my hair back.

 

“How old are you?”

 

“Sixteen,” I said with pride.

 

“She was eighteen.”

 

“Oh,” I said, deflating a bit. “What was her name?”

 

“Rin.” I was getting tired of monosyllable answers.

 

“What happened to her?” As soon as I said that, the air became very tense, and colder. I regretted saying anything.

 

“She's dead,” he said, surprising me with an answer.

 

“I'm sorry,” I said in a small voice.

 

“I don't want your pity human,” he said.

 

“I'm not giving you pity,” I snapped. “I was just trying to be nice!”

 

“Do you want to know how she died?” he asked suddenly. I was so taken aback from the question, that all I could do was nod my head mutely. “She was killed,” he said. “By a demon.” As soon as he said that, I realized exactly who she was. She was that mysterious was that girl, woman, who Sesshoumaru-sama said Kage had killed two ears ago, before he could control himself, what ever that meant.

 

“You mean Kage killed her,” I asked slowly.

 

“No,” he said. My jaw dropped.

 

“Then why do you insist that he killed her?” I asked.

 

“Kage did not kill her. Rather, it was another part of him that did,” he explained, confusing me even more.

 

“I don't understand,” I said, annoyed.

 

“When the rosary he wears breaks, his other self, his true form, comes out,” he said.

 

“His true form? Like his half-demon form?” I asked.

 

“No. He transforms into-“ he was cut off.

 

“Kagome-sama!” Miroku-sama was calling me. I looked over to where his voice was coming from and then back to Sesshoumaru-sama, but he was gone. I sighed. My life was getting too complicated and too confusing. I wanted to know what InuYasha's true form was. The un-answered question was burning a whole into my brain. And what exactly was this Rin to Sesshoumaru-sama? Was she that important to him that he would still be angry even after two years?

 

All these questions I wrote down in my diary. I had brought a new one with me so I could record everything that happened to me while I was looking for shards. Usually, I only started a new one when the New Year came around, but I hadn't wanted to run out of pages.

 

“What cha writing?” Shippo-chan asked, looking over my shoulder.

 

“Don't look!” I scolded. “It's rude to read someone else's diary.” Kage rolled his eyes.

 

“What a waste of time and ink,” he said. “Human women are such strange creatures.” I didn't know whether or not that was an insult.

 

“Now, now Kage,” Miroku-sama said. “You shouldn't pick a fight with a lady.”

 

“Feh, she ain't no lady,” he said. I bristled.

 

“Of course not. You're much more of a lady than I am,” I said sweetly, enjoying the furious blush that spread across his face and the laughter of the others.

 

“Shut up! It's not funny!” he yelled. We only laughed harder, especially when Shippo-chan transformed into an exact likeness of Kage wearing a pink dress. By that time, Kage had enough, and he was chasing Shippo-chan around a tree, yelling threats to anyone who tried to stop him.

 

“He's so energetic,” Miroku-sama observed.

 

“He's an idiot,” I said. Sango nodded.

 

“A true simpleton,” she agreed.

 

“I see you're all having fun. Give up on trying to find the jewel shards?” My sister's voice stopped me cold.

 

“Kikyo!” I said, jumping up. “Why are you here?”

 

“Mother wants to have a few choice words with you,” she said. I paled. Mother was generally a very nice person unless someone did something terribly wrong. I had the sinking feeling that this was one of those times.

 

“How did you find us?” I asked. She smiled, though it wasn't a warm one.

 

“It's not that hard, seeing as you have eighteen jewel shards. I could sense them from a mile away.” There she went again, looking down at me as if I was lower than dirt. Of course, I couldn't say anything, and I didn't have a choice except to follow Kikyo back home with my friends and hope that Mother wasn't too mad at me.

 

It was pretty bad. I could tell from the moment that she looked at me that I was in deep trouble.

 

“You broke the Sacred Jewel?” she asked.

 

“Yes,” I said bowing my head. She didn't see me; she had turned back to the window.

 

“And you're traveling around with a half-demon who could be potentially dangerous, a lecherous monk, and a demon slayer whom you know nothing about?” I didn't bother asking her how she knew all this. Kikyo must have had somebody follow us and report back to her.

 

“Yes.”

 

“And do you have any feelings towards any of them, particularly Kage or Miroku?”

 

“No!” I said desperately. I knew exactly where this was going. Even my mother, who could accept anyone or anything, harbored a dislike of half-demons and demons in general. I couldn't blame her; Kaikatsu Gin Kiraitsu did kill her husband. Still, this interrogation was unfair. “We're just friends, that's all,” I said.

 

“Are you sure?” she asked. I nodded, realizing that she could see my reflection in the window. “And what about your secret meetings with that demon lord?”

 

“What?!” I asked. This interrogation was completely unfair. I wanted nothing more than to run out of the room.

 

“Don't lie to me Kagome,” she said. “I know you've been meeting him. Care to tell me what exactly you were talking about?”

 

“Mom!” I pleaded. “It's not what you think! I was just curious!”

 

“You're too curious for your own good,” she said. “I'm beginning to wonder if maybe sending you to find the shards was a bad idea. Kikyo would have been the better choice.” I was almost crying from the injustice of to all.

 

“But don't you need Kikyo here to keep the house safe?” I asked. Mother began to think.

 

“Yes, we do need her here. But I can't have you running around the countryside with these new friends of yours,” she said. I was ready to beg her to let me. It was the first time in my life that I had felt like I belonged, like I was needed.

 

“Mother, you can trust me,” I said. “I'm not going to do something stupid.”

 

“You do realize, to maintain your stasis as a junior priestess, you can't have feeling for men,” she said and I detected some sympathy in her voice. “To keep your powers, you have to remain a virgin.”

 

“Mom! What do I look like!?” I asked, shocked that she would even imply something like that. “I told you! I'm not going to do something stupid!”

 

“It's not you whom I do not trust. It's those around you who I do not trust.”

 

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