InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ In Dreams ❯ Mortality ( Chapter 5 )

~*Disclaimer: Whoever can figure this out on their own gets a cookie.

"…" - speech

'…' - thoughts

--- - change in scenery or time

-

Rating: PG-13

Genre: General

-

Mortality -

--Sesshoumaru-

-

This is strange.

I stand in a field that stretches as far as I can see.

That is not unusual.

But the humans… I am surrounded by humans…

And yet I cannot smell them.

There are young ones, old ones; so many humans are around me, laughing, playing, and yet I cannot detect their scents…

They do not run away from me.

How can this be?

I, the great Sesshoumaru, of the Dog Clan, should be feared and respected, but these… these insignificant fools have not the intelligence to act in the correct manner?

I know they can see me; sometimes, a younger one will stare at my face, and without even flinching back, return to his activity. The elder ones are no better. While they play with their young, they look at me, almost as if inviting me.

Fools.

I do not wish to be in the company of mortals.

They must die.

The tendons of my hand tighten, and I wait for the feeling of poison flowing into my nails.

…

What is this?

No poison?

I bring my hand up, and discover that they are smaller. The nails are shorter, and blunt; they are that of a human.

I can feel my face twitch, and the corners of my mouth drop into a frown.

A frown?

I, Sesshoumaru, am frowning?

I look around, and see a near-by lake. My limbs seem unusually heavy, as I begin to walk towards the water's surface. I cannot feel the usual lightness of my legs; the strength I expect is gone. I am walking at a pace that matches that of a human, and I find that I can go no faster, unless I am to use excess strength.

What is happening?

Reaching the edge of the lake, I look down.

But-

What is this?

Who is that, reflected in the water?

Surely, that… man cannot be me.

But, as my hand reach up to touch my head, the reflection follows my motions. I bring a lock of hair to my eyes, and find that it is black.

Black as ebony.

Black as night.

Black… like the hair of a human.

Looking back at my reflection, I find that my eyes are wide. They are a deep, violet colour, a far cry from the usual golden amber. The markings that announce my royal blood and demonic heritage are gone.

What is this?

I am… surprised?

How can this be possible?

My appearance is the same as those around me.

I look like a human.

My senses are that of a human.

My demonic powers are gone.

I cannot feel the power of my youki.

Can… can it be?

That I have become human?

No!

I will not be mortal!

Mortals are weak! Mortals feel pain! Mortals die!

I, Sesshoumaru, cannot be mortal!

"Sesshoumaru-sama!"

My head snaps up.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" It is her, the girl: Rin. She runs up to me, seeming not to notice my condition. "Look at what Rin has found!" She holds out a small collection of flowers to me, much like the ones she has given me before. "There are lots in the meadow!"

She grins.

And I find that I cannot resist the brilliance of her smile.

I can feel myself… smiling.

She does not seem to be perturbed by my silence, and instead, is ecstatic about my expression. "Sesshoumaru-sama likes them!" Hopping from foot to foot, the girl smiles happily, and turns around, racing back towards the field, probably to pick more flowers.

The limitless capacity of her energy is astonishing.

I can still feel the smile on my face.

It abruptly slides off.

Damned mortality.

Emotions are not something I am to be bothered with. They weaken the mind, and bring complexity into simple problems. They cause demons and humans alike to act foolishly.

My father was foolish.

Chichi-ue sacrificed his life for a simple human bitch. His injuries had still been fresh, from the battle with Ryukotsusei, and yet he left. He sentenced himself to death, when he went to the aid of that girl.

That girl and the child. Inuyasha.

And for what?

"Do you have anything you want to protect?"

I suppress a snort.

What do I, Sesshoumaru have to protect?

Nothing holds me down.

I am strong; independent.

Jaken and Rin simply follow me for their own amusement.

I owe nothing to them, lest of all their protection.

They are nothing to me.

I look up, and find that the field is emptier than before. Also, the sky has darkened, and many people seem to be concerned about something. Suddenly, seemingly from nowhere, a wind of arrows blows into the field. Each one strikes a mark, and one by one, the humans fall.

And one by one, dead bodies litter the ground, until their blood stains the grass red.

The terror is absolute.

Those remaining panic.

The old ones protect their young, hiding their weak bodies from death.

But another wind comes.

And more fall dead.

If I were still a demon, then the stench of blood would have been almost too much to bear. It runs on the ground, forming a shallow river that flows into the lake.

Disgusting.

Now, there are only a few humans left.

I wonder.

Why do they not fight back?

And indeed, who are the ones attacking?

My eyes narrow, as I try to find the source of the arrows; of death.

But it is in futility. With these senses and this body, I can do no more than watch and wait.

Another wind of arrows strikes. And now, only I remain.

I can feel the terror; it grips at me, and throws my senses into disarray. The silence is almost unbearable.

I can feel the shame within. And I know that I am afraid.

My eyes are searching desperately for a way out of this, even when I know there is none.

All will end in death.

And even as I expect it, the last arrow speeds towards my body, hitting me full in the heart.

A hot, sudden feeling explores in my chest.

I can feel my eyes widening, as the intensity of the foreign feeling surrounds my body; consumes my soul.

"Ahhh…" The moan escapes my lips, unbidden.

Is this…?

My sight is becoming blacker.

Can this be…?

My hand search desperately for something to hold on to, but there is nothing.

"It…" My words are strangely quiet, and seem to be muffled. "It…

"It…

"It hurts…"

For the first time, I feel real, pure, pain.

The pain that mortals experience.

And all goes black.

--

My eyes open, and I find myself leaned up against a tall tree.

What is this?

I lift my hand, and find that it, as usual, ends in sharp, pointed claws.

Just for experiment, I allow the poison to seek through my fingers, and cut swiftly through the bark of the tree.

It melts.

I bring a lock of my hair to my eyes.

It is silver.

As usual.

My hand roams across my armour, and feel my chest.

There is no wound.

The slightest touch of a frown crosses my face.

It had been… a dream?

It has been long since the last time I had dreamed.

I never allow myself to fully enter the unconscious world- that would be equivalent to a period of weakness.

And I am not weak.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" The rough voice of my retainer cuts through the silence. "Sesshoumaru-sama!" He appears before me, adorned with flowers. "Tell the girl to stop!"

Soon, following close behind him, appears an overly energetic girl. "Jaken-sama! Hold still! I'm not done with making you pretty!" The toad demon gives a defeated squack, and deflates while Rin adds more flowers to his appearance. "There. Now you're pretty!"

Beaten, Jaken looks towards me.

I make no move.

He sighs.

Stiffly, I get up, my expression staying neutral. "Let's go."

"Oh! Where are we going this time, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin bounces up immediately, her attention all at once focused on me.

I pause, glancing at her from the corner of my eye. "You will see."

She grins, and grabs hold of Jaken, pulling him to his feet. "Forward!" She marches off towards where Ah-Un is resting.

I watch, forcefully pushing away the unwelcome emotions that are surfacing.

I will have no emotions.

I am not weak.

And above all, I am not mortal.

--

--It's been a long time since we last met, no?

Ah… Sesshoumaru was a hard one to write for. His… unfeeling-ness makes it hard for one to express him using the correct language. Hopefully, I got his character down close enough…

Okay.

What this segment is basically about- Sesshoumaru is afraid of mortality. More accurately, he despises it. He hates weakness, and strives to move as far as possible from being human.

;)

Till next time…

Ja!--