InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Embracing Ice ❯ Battle Cries ( Chapter 10 )

EDITED: 7/13/05

Question: Why are your chapters so short?

Answer: Well, its because I have a short attention span, but I like to write my chapters in one sitting so I usually only write for 1-2 hours. Thus, giving you a seven to eight page chapter. They will however start becoming longer, with this one…this chapter is 9 ½ pages, because I can’t really find a decent breaking point before the ones I’ve chosen.

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Embracing Ice

Chapter Ten: Battle Cries

Written By: Yabou

Edited By: Swasdiva & FireAngel8723

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Sesshoumaru watched the young miko, soundly sleeping through the silent sobs that wracked her body. Her ribs would be a definite source of pain when she awoke.

His eyes examined the position of the stars in the late evening sky. It had been twelve days since they had departed from the company of his mother and father. Twelve days.

He had promised to return on the fourteenth.

There was no possible way he could make it. He hated breaking promises. Especially to his father. It was a weakness that needed to be eliminated from his life, but he found himself unable to leave his burden behind to the unknown wilderness. The woman-child had slowed his normal pace considerably, as did his wounds. There was nothing else that could be done.

His gaze shifted to the object of his thoughts. He couldn’t leave her here. She was helplessly and utterly alone. The portal that she claimed allowed her a gateway into the future was only a decrepit reminder of what it once had been. If it had, at one point in time, housed a powerful magic, there was certainly no trace of it now.

Now, it was only a dry well in the middle of an uncultivated meadow that lie in the center of an riotous forest.

No, his honor would not allow him to leave the girl in the hands of whatever creature could find her first. He was duty bound to stay. He had also promised his father that he would see her safely delivered…somewhere.

And, he’d be damned if he’d break two promises. One was quite enough.

His thoughts returned to the miko and the well. Something within his body caused him to hesitate in his accusations of lunacy, and it was slightly disturbing. He considered the fact that she was a miko, and therefore honor and duty bound to protect the importance of justice and truth.

Much like himself.

Maybe, that was why he gave pause.

He could not see himself throwing away his honor and duty for petty lies; thus, he could not see someone with similar beliefs and causes to do anything remotely so obtuse. It was unimaginable.

No, she would do nothing of the sort. It was above her status.

So, why did she make such outrageous claims?

‘Could it be truth?’ He watched her twist her form into a more comfortable position.

The silence around him was suddenly deafening, easily managing to swallow his body whole. ‘When did such calm become so disruptive to me?’ He eyed her again and gave his head a slight shake. A movement he had seen her perform hundreds of times in the past few days. His mind turned to the many chattering conversations the miko had managed in the span of their travels, and found himself examining her loud, obtrusive mannerisms as quite…alluring.

He frowned at himself. ‘Have I gone mad? Why do I find her troublesome habits so charming?’

Kagome gave a quiet sigh, causing him to give a rueful smirk. He wasn‘t supposed to have this kind of headache until he was well into his years of lordship as Ruler of the Western Lands. And yet, a simple human woman was able to throw his brain into a screeching spin, easily upsetting his delicate balance of life.

“S-Sesshoumaru?” Kagome whispered fearfully.

He jumped, unaware of her awakening. “Yes?”

She tightly squeezed her eyes closed, willing the tears away. “I’m still here, aren’t I?”

His head tilted slightly at the strange phrasing. “Yes, you remain under my care.”

She gave a brisk nod. “I thought so.”

“Does this not please you?” His hand touched her shoulder.

She gave a gasping breath when the first few tears fell. “I miss them. I miss my family. I miss my friends.”

“I can no longer linger here.” He frowned. “We must return to Nara. We will send missives to your relatives as quickly as possible. Surely they will-”

She shook her head and gave him a tearful smile. “The well is closed. I can’t go back. Letters will never make it to them.”

“You still wish to believe that you do not belong here?”

“Yes.” Her eyes narrowed, but she was surprised by his dismissive nod.

“Very well, we will return at once.”

“No,” she quickly argued. “I can’t leave. What if the well opens? I have to be here so that I can go back.”

“I will not leave you here alone. You are unable to protect yourself properly.”

“Well, you’ll have to because I’m not-”

He clinched the nerve at her wrist and watched her eyes roll closed. It was better this way. He could travel much faster if he ran, and if he was going to run he couldn’t have any distractions. And, Kagome was the Empress of Distractions.

His feet became a blur against the scenery, darting through trees and across open fields without so much as a passing thought. Two days. He felt a strong sense of foreboding building in his chest - a trait passed on by his mother, no doubt. There had been something about the peculiar way his father had spoken during their last moments together. Something about his voice.

He remembered the last few words that passed between them…

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“You leave within the hour. I will have need of you here in a very short period of time, so I must warn you against any prolonged absence.”

“What brews, Father?” He questioned. The worry present in the great youkai’s voice was reason alone to fear a great gathering of evil.

Turning away, Lord Konton whispered, “I am unsure.”

(Chapter 6)

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His father was never uncertain of anything. During his entire life, he had never been present to an occasion where the Inu no Taisho could not make a firm decision within a moment’s notice. He was a man built on character, and his indecision created a sort of hole in the perfections his young son had circled him in.

Two days.

He willed his body faster, clutching the girl hoisted on his shoulder a little tighter. She wasn’t going to be happy when she woke up. He could hear her shrieks already forming. It was a terrible thing, this intuition of his. It was terribly picky too; while he wanted to know what was happening in Nara, the only thing it allowed him to ‘see’ was a red-faced Kagome screaming his ears off.

He supposed that if his intuition had a gender it would be female, and she was definitely out to get him for all of the evil things he had done in his lifetime.

Kagome groaned from her tussled position; he prayed that she would not yet awaken. He needed to be several days away from the well before he knew that she would give up on trying to run back… She was a very stubborn woman.

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Lord Konton sighed as he glanced over the missive in his hands, the second to be received in only a few days. Lady Kiri, Ruler of the Northern Lands, had decided that she was not happy with her smaller, less fruitful proportion of their island Nation and had taken it upon herself to redistribute the spoils.

He pulled the first, crisp sheet of rice paper out of a cherry box and laid it out on the table, quickly re-reading its contents.

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Lord Konton,

I, Lady Kiri, Ruler of the Northern Lands, have received information as to the violation of my ally, Lord Karyuudo of the East, by a member of your dominion. While it displeases this Lady to do so, the Northern Lands declare an Act of War against the West and their allies.

Lady Kiri, Ruler of the Northern Lands

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Lord Konton gave a disbelieving snort. ‘Displeases you my ass, you arrogant bitch.’

He then turned to the second missive; one handed to him by a frightened samurai only three hours before. Lady Kiri was moving fast. It was an unmentioned point of honor to announce to your offenders when you declared war, but it was also usually an honorable point to give them at least a month to surrender or prepare for the oncoming battle by removing their women and children from the vicinity. Lady Kiri was offering no such choice. She was cold and uncaring, believing that anyone who was unable to protect their own body was not meant to live.

He sighed and read its contents carefully.

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Lord Konton,

I am frustrated to hear of the deceit Lady Kiri spreads among her domain. I am honored to join you in your quest to destroy corruption. Peace has been absent from our Great Nation for many years. These Southern Lands will accept the alterations necessary to achieve tranquility and harmony among Our peoples. Let us pray that Lady Gemmei is able to see through her treachery when the time for appointed Judgment comes. The Kamis be with us.

Lord Risou, Ruler of the Southern Lands

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His wife appeared in the doorway. “At least,” she attempted to comfort him. “We are not alone.”

“I fear,” he replied. “That their combined armies will vastly outnumber our own.”

“Numbers are not always the most important point.” She smiled. “The strength instilled in our men will overcome Lady Kiri’s endeavors.”

Lord Konton growled. “I hate that vicious woman. She is the only one who causes my head to ache.”

Lady Bishou smiled and gently ran her fingers through his pure, silver hair. “Our son will prevail, koi. There is no need to worry overmuch.”

He gave her a hopeful look. “You are certain?”

“My head does not show me the Truth,” she shook her head. “But my heart tells me what will be. This miko woman-child, Kagome, will make our Son invincible.”

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He closed his eyes, reassuring himself that he would only take a moment’s rest to regain his strength for the last few hours of their journey. They were almost there. Almost. He had taken four days to run as swiftly as possible back to Nara, and in only three hours, at most, they would arrive at the walls surrounding his family’s political home. It was a comforting thought.

He would be glad to see his parents again and reassure himself that nothing was wrong. A knot tightened in his gut. Damn intuition.

Kagome yawned and sat up in her bedding. Ah yes, the devious vixen. In the past four days, she had tried to get away from him at every turn. At one point, she had even thrown her makeshift backpack at him and just attempted to run away. He smirked. She could be quite dense when cornered. Not to say that her other nine attempts weren’t just as charming.

Charming.

‘Why does this word keep appearing with this girl?’ It was remarkable. He found her confounded tactics amusing.

She gave him a weak smile.

And she probably knew what he was thinking too. He narrowed his eyes, watching steadily for her next failed escape. She hadn’t tried anything for several hours, so she was far overdue.

She waved one hand at him dismissively before burying her body back into her blankets. “I’m not going to try again,” she moped. “Besides, I’m too confused as to where we are anyways.”

Sesshoumaru gave her a slight inclination of his head. “We are mere hours from the gates of Nara.”

“What are you so worried about?” She questioned.

“I worry not.” He replied simply.

She rolled her eyes a little. “Oh, come on Sesshoumaru. You’ve been acting weird since before we even got to the…” her eyes slightly misted over. “Well. Something has to be wrong.”

He sighed. “In truth, I fear for the safety of my family.”

“Why?” She inquired. “Is something going on?”

“I know not. I am only aware of the fact that my father was over anxious for my hasty return, and that is reason enough for my concern.” His gaze shifted to watch the yellows leap and blend into the crimson tips of the fire.

Kagome nodded in return; Lord Konton didn’t seem like a person who would worry over nothing. Powerful youkai worried about powerful things. “When do you want to leave?”

He gave her a slightly disbelieving look. “You will not flee once more?”

“No,” she responded. “I want to help your family… I’ll find my way back soon.”

He was shocked to say the least. This woman was able to put away her obvious sadness in order to aid a youkai family that she knew nothing about. It left him wondering what she would do next. “Sleep.” He distracted himself. “We will travel again at day break.”

She yawned again and collapsed into her makeshift futon. Morning would come soon enough.

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Kagome stood, stunned, at the edge of the hill that led to the entrance of the political home to Sesshoumaru and his family. It was ridden with fire and warriors. The overwhelming scent of smoke tainted the air and gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, causing her to cough harshly. She watched Sesshoumaru as he began to walk once more, toward his destroyed home.

Fear shot through his heart. He could see the different colors on the backs of the samurai. There were so many blue and black; they were drastically overtaking the smaller forces of red and green. So this is what his father had meant. ‘Why was I not notified that we were on the verges of attack? What caused such actions?’

He felt Kagome’s small hand grip his. “Let’s go Sesshoumaru.” Her stormy blue eyes shined with tears for the people fighting below. “You’ve got a family to save.”

He saw the images begin to blur around him. He was running again. Toward his home. Toward his family. He had to find them.

Kagome stood behind him, watching his body fade into the mass of smoke and debris. She heard his howl fill the air. A sound of rage and passion. It was disturbing, yet stunning in its intensity. A rush of goosebumps covered her arms as she closed her eyes in prayer. ‘Let them be all right.’

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