InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fallen Part Two: For Whom the Bell Tolls ❯ Crawling in the Dark ( Chapter 3 )

Oh my god, guys, I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update!! I have up to chapter 22 planned and up to chapter umm… 12… I think… written so I should be able to get the rest of the chapters out on a more regular basis. Now as far as my excuse… my disk kept deleting my work and I got so frustrated… so yea. Death threats will be accepted with love for my delay. Plus I'll try to post two chapters this time instead of just one. Once again, I'm really sorry guys. From now on, look out for me late night Saturdays. Love my faithful reviewers!!! (you know who your are) as for the rest of ya… HOP TO IT!

Chapter 3: Crawling in the Dark

Sesshoumaru stood stock still for several moments after she passed him. Inwardly he was perplexed, if not, darest we say, confused. Four words drifted at the back of his mind, his unconscious holding onto them for just a moment before burying them. His pride would not allow for confusion, but he still couldn't help but voice those four words.

"What just happened here?"

//I will dedicate
And sacrifice my everything
For just a second's worth
Of how my story's ending//

He should be angry. He should be upset. But he could feel nothing. He never felt anything, save anger. Even that did not actually affect him. That one emotion he felt, in a detached sense, as if it were someone else's anger and not his own that fuelled his actions. His pride demanded anger, but something was holding him back. Something he could not identify, but knew was holding his anger. It only added to his confusion.

//And I wish I could know
If the directions that I take
And all the choices
That I make
Won't end up all for nothing//

He stood there a moment more, before he began walking directly ahead, in the opposite direction from which she had gone. He headed home. Casually, almost, he strolled through the forests of his ancestral lands, lost in deep thought. Most of them revolved around the intriguing girl that was the bane of his existence. She was interesting to say the least, a true puzzle. How she managed to hide her youkai powers was an amazing feat. Also the fact that she was so obviously a rare breed of youkai also stunned him. Her breed was one that he had never encountered in his lifetime. He was not sure what she was, and that fact disturbed him greatly.

//Show me what it's for
Make me understand it
I've been crawling in the dark
Looking for the answer//

She was very young, not fully developed. And yet the amount of power she possessed was great. It was a power that even he did not possess at that age and did not possess until he was well over a century old. Her power rivaled his own. Yes she wielded great power, but she lacked the skill to use it. Could it be that the power she possessed was something she was born with? But, why was she not trained to use that power? It was indeed a puzzle that left him with more questions than answers. Frustrated he decided it would be best to meditate on the subject on a later date.

//Is there something more than
What I've been handed?
I've been crawling in the dark
Looking for the answer//

He looked up at the nearly pre-dawn sky and broke into a run at full speed. In a matter of minutes his fortress came into view, a large field expanding before it and he stopped just at the edge of the forest, on the crest of a small hill. There he watched the sun rise. This was his favorite pastime.

The black velvet sky slowly lightened to a dark gray as the sun neared, the stars fading one by one, the weakest being the first to disappear. Eventually all the of the stars, even the strongest and brightest of them surrendered to the encroaching sun, and became hidden behind a slowly lowering veil of brilliant blue. All that remained after a time was the moon, until even the silver disc became hidden behind that blue veil that painfully reminded him of her eyes. After the glorious sun had completely risen from its bed, Sesshoumaru finally turned and finished the last leg of his journey home.

//Help me carry on
Assure me it's OK
To use my heart
And not my eyes
To navigate the darkness//

As he entered the citadel and walked the great halls of his ancestors, he inhaled deeply. He was home. The patter of small feet on the wood floors alerted him to the small body that would come barreling around the corner and straight into his legs long before it happened. He smiled softly to himself, something he had taken to doing since Rin came into his life, though he only did it when he was alone. He paused in his path and waited. True to form, the young girl shot around the corner and wrapped herself around his legs. She looked up at him from her position and grinned toothily. Sesshoumaru, in response, reached out with his only arm and gently patted her on the head, giving her a slight nod.

"Hello!" the child chirped.

"Hello, Rin," Sesshoumaru replied. The child's smile grew and she detached herself from his legs. At that moment a green and brown blob holding a staff hobbled around the corner at an attempted run.

//Will the ending be ever
Coming suddenly?
Will I ever get to see the
Ending to my story?//

"M-my lord," the toad like creature stuttered as he prostrated himself before his master.

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru said, arching his eyebrow in silent question.

"All has run well in your absense, my lord," the toad reported as Sesshoumaru began walking towards his study.

"Rin," Sesshoumaru said over his shoulder, "Amuse yourself outside."

"Yes, my lord!" she enthusiastically called before bolting out the door from whence Sesshoumaru had just entered.

"Jaken," he said to his retainer. "Watch her," the undertones of a subtle threat evident under the soft tone.

//Show me what it's for

Make me understand it
I've been crawling in the dark
Looking for the answer//

Jaken bowed and quickly followed the young girl down the hall and out the door. The whole way he could be heard the imp muttering about filthy humans and being reduced to a baby sitter. Sesshoumaru merely smirked, amused, as he continued towards his study. The toad's voice quickly faded to nil as the door closed behind him.

Sesshoumaru sighed softly as he continued on his way. He had a great deal to meditate on. When he reached his study, he reached for the screen, but paused before his hand reached it. Delicately he scented the air, searching for the foreign element that alerted him to the presence of another. An unfamiliar scent wafted to him through the door and he scowled.

//Is there something more than
What I've been handed?
I've been crawling in the dark
Looking for the answer//

Slowly, he slid the door open. In the room sat a woman that he had never seen before. Her crimson hair fell to her waist, blond highlights peppering the fiery length. Sharp silver eyes looked out from a lightly tanned face. Familiar flamed wings sprouted from her exposed back. Her kimono was unlike any Seshsoumaru had ever seen. The fabric dipped low so that her entire back was exposed. The front also dipped low, revealing ample cleavage, while two thin straps held it up. A wide skirt belled out from her slim waist and reached just above her ankles. Silver bangles adorned her wrists and a single silver anklet lined with bells wrapped around her left ankle, perfectly accenting her black and silver kimono. Her bare feet were silent on the wood floor as she rose and made her way to stand before the young lord. The only sound in the room was the chiming of the small bells on her anklet.

"My lord," she said in a chime like voice, as she bowed to him.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at the youkai and then brushed passed her, seating himself on the scarlet cushion that she had just vacated. Before him lay a low table covered in various scrolls, papers, and ink. Quietly the woman turned and seated herself across from him.

"Speak," he commanded.

"My lord, I have a proposition for you."

Sesshoumaru scoffed lightly before he replied, "What could you possibly have to offer me that would be worth my while?"

"If you help me dispose of a… pest, I know of someone who could regenerate your arm."

The young lord raised an eyebrow, regarding the woman before him before he spoke. "If you cannot dispose of such a nuisance yourself then do not seek my assistance. I am not an assassin for hire."

The woman before him bristled slightly, her wings twitching slightly behind her. "And what of my generous reward?" she asked, demurely looking down at her folded hands in her lap.

"I would not trust someone who sneaks into my home like a common thief. Would you?"

Flames burst to life around the woman with her ire, dancing in a beautiful display of power. But just as quickly as they sprang to life, they were extinguished as she put a firm clamp on her anger. The only other indication as to her emotional distress was the rapid twitching of her wings as they flexed and relaxed. "Well," she purred as she leaned forward, and crawled over the low table, "is there anything else I can give you in addition to restoring your arm?"

Sesshoumaru waited for several moments, giving the flamed woman a gleaning of hope only to have it smashed as he roughly shoved her from his person growling angrily. "Remove yourself from my lands, wench!"

Angrily she rose to her feet, and glared at him for all she was worth. "Fine," she spat, flames dancing in her eyes and about her person. "You'll regret this," she screeched as she stormed out.

~X~

alrighty guys, you know the gig. Read, enjoy, review if you so feel the need. Until next time.