InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dream a Little Dream of Me ❯ Musagai ( Chapter 8 )

A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the reviewers. FF.net, you guys rock. MM.org, you too. I know there's been some issues with leaving reviews on mm, so we'll just believe that to be the reason behind the lack of reviews…*ahem* ;)

 

I had no idea this story was going to be nearly this long, so you guys are my motivation for keeping going. But do not worry, I will never abandon this story - one of my greatest pet peeves. I have the whole thing worked out, but am lacking some small but important details here and there and my muse seems to have left me. So I will work as far as I can and then just figure that stuff out when I get to it.

 

Evilteddybear: yes that last chappy did end a bit more quietly, but I guess we can think of it as the calm before the storm. Things will be exploding soon, though it may take a while to see it all.

 

Eric3D2B: yeah, I haven't seen a hidden youkai village before or any situation where it was the ningens starting to get their control over Japan, as we see they must do by the modern era. (Only extreme AU where it's one holds the other in complete slavery.) There are going to be a couple other things coming up that I haven't seen done before, more motivation for getting this things done, but we'll just have to see what you guys think.

 

Elementalobsession, NordicaVB, and Black Betty: Thank you so much for the reviews! I am glad you guys are enjoying and I hope I can keep updating quick enough for you guys.

 

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Disclaimer: Don't own it. Geez, you'd think people would've figured it out by now…

 

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Chapter 8: Musagai

 

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Kagome woke up when she felt someone gently shaking her shoulders. She looked up to see Inuyasha's serious face. “C'mon Kagome, it's time to go.” His words brought reality rushing back to her and her pleasant dreams from the previous night were forgotten.

 

She groaned as she dragged herself up off the floor. “Well, I guess we may as well get this over with,” she mumbled.

 

Inuyasha was already waiting for her by the door, for once not acting like an impatient puppy. He was prepared to give her all the time she needed, but seeing as Kagome was drawing in a deep breath he figured she was ready. Inuyasha was half-way out the door when Kagome tugged him gently on the elbow of his haori. He looked confusedly at the miko behind him.

 

“Ano, Inuyasha,” she began hesitantly, “but I want to tell you something first.” Her timid look immediately became more determined. “I just wanted to thank you.”

 

Inuyasha's eyebrows immediately went up in surprise at this.

 

“I know I kinda said this last nite, but thank you again, for everything that you've done. And more than that…I know you're my guard and all and that it's your job to be around us, and me, but…you've done more than that. I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you for being my friend.”

 

Inuyasha was so caught off guard by this last statement that his eyebrows were now nearly in his hairline. He quickly recovered and took his normal arms-crossed pose. “Feh. I don't have friends,” he retorted.

 

“Well you do today,” Kagome replied, putting her hands on her hips. “Or at least for a couple more hours,” she joked.

 

“How can you joke about this?!” Inuyasha roared at her. “Don't do that!”

 

Kagome was not backing down. She yelled back at him, “Tell me another way to deal with it other than humor and I'll do that instead!”

 

Inuyasha just stood there blinking dazedly at the girl. Before he knew what he was doing he pulled her to him in a fierce hug. Kagome was caught off guard by his abrupt actions and nearly literally fell into his arms. Her arms were held fast against his chest as was her left cheek and she was showered with the occasional strand of silver hair. At first she was confused by the suddenness of Inuyasha's movement, but as she listened to his heartbeat she let it lull her into a state of unawareness. For this moment everything outside didn't exist and didn't matter. She relaxed herself into Inuyasha's arms, only pulling herself out of her dazed state when she felt him begin to stir beneath her.

 

Gently he pulled away from her and wiped her hair out of her face. She had been glad for the covering because it concealed her most likely very red face, but as she looked up at Inuyasha she saw that his face was the same, and she gave him a wistful smile. “I hate to say it Kagome, but we've got to get going.” Kagome simply nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment.

 

Inuyasha moved aside so she could move out the door first and he could follow her from a couple feet behind, acting out his `guard' duty to make sure she wouldn't run.

 

Kagome allowed herself one last long glance backward at her hanyou friend as the two walked silently toward Kagome's doom.

 

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“It's not fair!” wailed an angry Shippo to the entire youkai court.

 

Inuyasha winced as the kit's voice increased in pitch, assaulting his ears. For once he didn't mind though; it served his brother and the others right, and maybe it would get their attention enough to really listen to what the young kitsune had to say. Inuyasha had to choke back a smile at the scene before him, a child youkai standing to the defense of a ningen, railing against his elders - to their faces!

 

Shippo had somehow finagled his way to be a character witness by claiming Kagome as family. Kagome still didn't know how Shippo had gotten the right to speak to the court, and Inuyasha was surprised the kit had come up with it on his own. Sesshomaru had been surprised too. In fact, so much so that he had cornered Inuyasha that morning as soon as he and Kagome had arrived in the courtroom, asking I the whole thing had been Inuyasha's idea. As much as he would've loved to take credit for the brilliant act, Inuyasha told his brother that he hadn't known anything about it.

 

The look on Sesshomaru's face was priceless. Inuyasha thought Shippo's efforts were worth it all just for that, if nothing else. Well, of course he hoped Kagome would be set free. He still didn't see much chance of it, but he did hope it. Why he did he still didn't understand though.

 

He glanced aside to the miko seated next to him and saw an almost horrified look marring her face. He followed her gaze to the kit standing in front of them and realized he'd tuned out the last few minutes of debate and therefore quickly snapped his attention back to the moment at hand.

 

“Kit,” Sesshomaru was saying, “I realize that you have some…affection…for the miko--”

 

“Affection! No, I love her. She's my new mama now!” Exclaimed Shippo with determination.

 

Kagome's astonished gasp ran in Inuyasha's ears.

 

“Please,” Shippo begged, “I lost my okaa-san once. Don't take my second one from me too!”

 

“Enough!” Sesshomaru barely spoke above his normal timbre, but the seriousness to his voice made more impact than had he shouted at the top of his voice. Calmly he closed his eyes and his right hand made his way to his temple, messaging it gently as if to erase the evidence of strain that had made its way public in his last statement. The entire courtroom waited on baited breath while he sat in deep thought, almost pensive had anyone been able to see past the well-maintained façade.

 

Finally Sesshomaru spoke. “Inuyasha, come forward.”

 

Inuyasha's ears perked forward at the sound of his own name being called. This was not something he expected. Kagome's head spun to stare at him in confusion, as did everyone else in the courtroom. No one knew why Sesshomaru would call on the miko's guard to testify in the case, especially when he was a hanyou who was usually relegated to the edges of society. Unfortunately Inuyasha thought he had an idea of where his brother might be going with this and he dreaded the notion.

 

Slowly he stood to take his place, his eyes not leaving Kagome's the entire time, trying to give her some semblance of reassurance now that he would not be by her side. He knew he would have to be very careful of what he would say; Sesshomaru was very crafty in his own right.

 

He turned to his right, away from Kagome and toward Sesshomaru, and walked to the open space up front. He carried with him an air of nobility that left many wondering if this was the same hanyou they saw romping in the fields day to day with the ningens.

 

Shippo took Inuyasha's approach as his sign to leave the floor and he quickly scurried over to where Sango and Miroku were sitting along one wall. He would have run over to Kagome to give her a quick hug first, but a new youkai guard had taken over Inuyasha's post, and he did not seem the very forgiving type. So he settled for a quick wave, a small smile, and the comfort of Sango's arms as she grabbed the kit in a tight hug meant just as much for her comfort as for his.

 

Meanwhile, Inuyasha stood staring at his brother and it was though the two were waging a silent war, eye-to-eye, until finally Inuyasha decided he was sick of the games.

 

“Why do you call on me Sesshomaru?” The absence of the formal -sama on the end of Sesshomaru's name was almost shocking in the setting, but no one spoke up seeing as Inuyasha was his brother, although only half-brother. It was obvious Inuyasha meant to get down to business.

 

“Inuyasha,” began Sesshomaru gravely, “would you hold out your hands for the court to see.”

 

“Kuso!” Inuyasha muttered under his breath as he complied. He most definitely knew where that bastard was going with this, and there was little he could do to stop it.

 

Those closest to him had the best view and they were the first to gasp as they noticed the hideous burn marks running all the way down his arms. None of them still knew what this meant though. Sesshomaru was quick to enlighten them.

 

“These marks were caused by the miko's power when she went over the edge. Inuyasha, in order to prevent her from causing harm to the two youkai guards nearby, tackled her and got her into one of the paddies of water, thereby ending her `episode.' In doing so Inuyasha was swept up in the miko's power field and was exposed to strong currents of her energy that burned his skin. That was two days ago.”

 

This brought a murmur from a crowd. First it was surprising that the hanyou had risked himself to help the situation, although it wasn't clear if his intention was to help the guards or the miko. Secondly, Inuyasha's youkai blood should have healed him more than his hands were showing. In two days he should have been good as new again. This meant that either the burns had been severe enough to begin with that they were near fatal, or that there was something special in the miko's energy that the youkai blood found hard to fight.

 

Sesshomaru picked up the thread of whisperings around the room and picked up there. “Yes, Inuyasha's youkai blood should have healed him nearly completely by now. While his burns were worse immediately following the ordeal, they were not to the fatal proportions they would have been had he been full-youkai. In this he is at an advantage in that his human blood actually saved his life. However, he is healing slower than normal so there is something about the miko energy that is rejecting the youkai healing power and is causing him to heal slightly closer to a normal ningen rate.

 

“What is most disturbing about this though is that Inuyasha was trying to help the miko. Whether it was his intention to help her or the guards does not matter, it only matters that he was trying to prevent her from taking life. I think that we can agree that while Kagome is in her full awareness she is somewhat of a caring individual, as is evidenced by her work in the orphanage and by Shippo's testimony. However, it is not those times that we must worry about. Even if Kagome were completely trustworthy and were to swear by every sacred oath under the heavens that she would not intentionally use her miko powers, there is the chance of it happening unintentionally again like it just did.

 

“Will there be someone there every time to stop her?” Here Inuyasha saw Sesshomaru send him a rather piercing look, but he wasn't sure what it was for. “When she is not under her own control she is a danger to all those around her. She showed no care for life and no discrimination between those she viewed as enemy and those trying to help her.

 

“For this she is a threat beyond anything. She has phenomenal powers and no means of control, enough that could destroy a large part of this village if not properly dealt with.” He sent Inuyasha another glance. “Since my first priority is to protect this village from any menace that means I must get rid of this threat in any way possible. Unfortunately, since at the moment my only means to do so is this, I must invoke the death penalty.”

 

There were gasps heard across the room along with a few self-satisfied grunts. A small group of the youkai still did not like that they had ningens living among them, and others simply saw the miko as a threat. However the majority of the youkai, although they could see Sesshomaru's reasoning and the need that drove him to such drastic measures, still held the miko in their hearts. She had befriended many of them and took care of their children. She gave herself to this community and it was shocking and sad to see her ripped out of it.

 

Shippo's wailing could be heard above the din of everything else and Sango had to hold onto him with a death grip to keep him from running at Sesshomaru. Kagome called out to the kit but in his frantic state he didn't even hear her. She looked to Sesshomaru for permission and at his slight nod she ran to the kitsune and grabbed him out of Sango's arms. Shippo clung to Kagome like she was his lifeline as he sobbed into her chest. Kagome did the best she could to choke back her own tears, not wanting to upset the little boy anymore than he already was. She would be strong, if only for him.

 

When Inuyasha had told her about her possible death sentence she hadn't thought about how hard it would be to leave Shippo. She didn't even notice when it was he had become like a son to her. She sat there gently stroking his head, at a complete loss of words. What could you say at a time like that? Miroku and Sango came up on either side of Kagome and wrapped her in a large hug until they were all together in one tightly knit little sobbing unit. The tears were running down Sango's face, but in her lifetime she had learned to cry quietly. Even the houshi had tears falling out of his eyes, something no one in that room had ever seen before.

 

 

Inuyasha stood at the front dazed for a moment. He couldn't believe what he had just heard his brother say. Death? Kagome would be sentenced to death? The words rang in his ears over and over, mocking him as he stood there as a testament that sealed Kagome's fate. Damn his brother, why had he brought him up here. Damn the bastard! Since at the moment my only means to do so…the death penalty. Wait, why had he said “at the moment”? Sesshomaru had said it softly enough that Inuyasha, even with his inu hearing, could only barely hear it and he was standing right in front of him, so there was no chance anyone else in the room had heard it, not even the wolf youkai since they were standing in the back. What the hell was his brother doing with that baited phrase and his stupid little glances. Was there something he was missing?

 

He looked over at Kagome, or at least what he thought was Kagome - he could barely tell by all her `surrogate family' hovering around her. He wanted to go over to her, to tell her what she meant to him, but for some reason his feet wouldn't move from the spot he was standing in. FUUUCK! He yelled in his head. Fucking feet won't move, fucking brother, fucking situation, fucking village, fucking…everything. Just fuck it all! Still he stood as if dazed, none of his thoughts evident on his face and his body still refusing to move forward.

 

Slowly Kagome made her way out of the huddle of people around her. Gently she lifted Shippo up and gave him a kiss on the top of the head before handing him back to Sango. “Sango and Miroku are going to be your new family now. They'll take good care of you.” Before she could give in to more tears or let the kit argue her she quickly turned to Sango and Miroku giving each of them one last hug. (Miroku, aside from being happily married now also understood the gravity of the situation, so the hand was at rest.) “You two are going to be happy together and live a good long life with lots of kids, okay? Who knows, maybe we'll meet again one day.” She gave them one last wistful smile as she wiped the tears off her face and pried herself away from her family.

 

Turning around she made her way over to Inuyasha. She hadn't expected it would be so hard to say goodbye to him either. A prick of a guard turned friend, and a good friend too. Who would've thought? Kagome stood directly in front of him, the tears streaming down her face again. She gave up trying to stop them. Ironic how the tears made her feel weak when the whole reason she was to be killed is because they feared her too powerful, enough so that she couldn't control herself. She looked up into Inuyasha's face and to her everlasting surprise she actually saw a single tear running down his left cheek. With her right hand she reached up and gently brushed it away. “I think we've said all we can say. But again, thank you…” She stood up on her tiptoes and gave him the barest of kisses on his cheek where the tear had been, a mere whisper of her lips against his skin. “…For everything.”

 

With determination in her face she stepped over to Sesshomaru. “I'm ready,” she said.

 

No, this can't be it, thought Inuyasha. She's too good to go. There has to be something I can do! At this point I'd die for this stupid wench, kami knows why. But that wouldn't fucking do anything right now!

 

Kagome knelt down in front of Sesshomaru and pulled her hair to the side, revealing her neck to him.

 

What the hell was Sesshomaru hinting at…what other option, what other means could there be? `Will there be someone there every time to stop her?' `…If not properly dealt with.' `…at the moment my only means.'

 

Sesshomaru released his whip as it came appearing from nowhere and formed on the end of his fingers.

 

Damn it, he was a fighter, not a mind reader! He was used to the heat of battle, self-sacrifice, all that kind of stuff. Wait, self-sacrifice, that's it! He couldn't sacrifice his life, but he could do that, couldn't he? But what would Kagome think, would she be able to live with the consequences?

 

Sesshomaru raised his arm above Kagome's head. He was looking at Inuyasha.

 

No time, no time! Have to do it now! “WAIT!” bellowed Inuyasha. Commanded was more like it. The air of nobility he was carrying earlier had only magnified and he now seemed regal standing in front of them all.

 

Sesshomaru paused but did not lower his hand - not yet - that would all depend on what his brother said, if he had a legitimate claim.

 

“I invoke the right of Musagai,” demanded Inuyasha.

 

Sesshomaru still would not lower his hand and Inuyasha held his breath as he waited to see what would be the outcome of his request. Inuyasha knew this all hinged on the other youkai in the room accepting his claim on youkai blood and youkai privilege. As much as he wanted to spin around and see what the room's reaction was and to stare down those who weren't being…cooperative, he knew that he must stand tall and straight and not show any signs of doubt. He had to prove to them and show them the royal blood that flowed in his veins.

 

Sesshomaru took his time to stare at each individual youkai in the room to gauge their reactions. While some looked disgruntled, most notably the wolf-youkai in the back, most of the youkai looked either apathetic or surprisingly in favor of Inuyasha's youkai claim.

 

Inuyasha had to fight every instinct he had against turning around to face the bastard wolf-youkai guard behind him. He could feel the fleabag's stare on his back, the unspoken challenge lying beneath. All he could do at the moment was pray to the kamis that the wolf would not act on the challenge. The two hated each other and fought every chance they got, but that was on more of a personal level and Inuyasha hoped he would leave it at that.

 

Sesshomaru did not miss the look in the guard's eyes and called him on it. “Do you wish to challenge Inuyasha's claim on the Musagai?” he asked in the guttural tones of the youkai language.

 

The wolf hadn't expected to be called out like that, but he knew what he had to do. He looked back and forth between Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, his eyes finally coming to rest on the small miko. She was still kneeling patiently under her captor's waiting whip that carried her death on its end. She wasn't even looking around the room; she was just waiting there. The guard let out a soft growl as he turned back to Sesshomaru. “If anyone here has the right to challenge it is you since he his your half-brother and it is your father's blood he defiles. However, since you accept this so will I.”

 

Sesshomaru showed the barest hint of a smile, visible only to his brother. Sesshomaru changed to traditional Japanese for this simple phrase to show all present what had come to pass. “Very well, Inuyasha.” He added in the youkai language, “Take her, but make sure to use your cabin. I do not want to hear any noise.”

 

Inuyasha nodded curtly at Sesshomaru and turned to the woman who's fate he had just sealed. Kami, I hope she doesn't hate me…

 

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A/N: Sorry about the ending spot. I had planned to take this chapter further, but some serious crap has gone down with the family meaning I either will not have a chance to write in this at all the next couple days or I will bury myself in it. Since the first is more likely, I wanted to get this up for you guys.