InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Into the East ❯ Revelation ( Chapter 2 )

A/N: Ok, I'm going to try something here for the next few chapters, and if you hate it… well… give it a chance. Basically I want to show the thought processes that occur on either side of our little “barrier,” so, what I'm going to do is change the point of view between chapters. There will be a little overlap, but I think that we'll get a better feel of the characters when the exchange is not entirely one-sided. As always, please review - let me know what you think!

 

 

Into the East

Chapter two: Revelation

Characters originally appearing in the anime/manga Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Everything else, including Vanessa © me

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sesshoumaru heard the youkai approaching long before he sensed it, which was considerable because he had a very keen ability to sense such things. A passing thought alerted him to the fact that Rin had not yet returned. He was not concerned however, as he was certain that the young human would call for him if she were in the least bit of danger - or bored, or happy, sad or excited... Humans really are insufferable. Still, he continued to suffer her presence willingly and, for reasons he had not yet discovered himself, he kept the girl by his side.

 

He smoothly rose from his position against the tree and idly wondered what sort of youkai he would have to deal with this time. It was inconsiderate, after all, to wake a taiyoukai as great as he from a much-desired nap. The youki he sensed was not particularly strong, though it was approaching, and the youkai responsible was loud! That would simply not be tolerated in his quiet, peaceful forest.

 

Standing relaxed and ready for any opponent, Sesshoumaru was not prepared for the youkai to be a slight female. No… it is not hers- The panicked female apparently did not notice his presence - irksome - and she collided with him at a dead run, interrupting his thoughts. She had been looking over her shoulder, probably - and unwisely - looking for the obviously stronger youkai pursuing her. This Sesshoumaru was not so weak as to be unbalanced by a mere slip of a female, though he did give a small involuntary grunt as her body slammed into his.

 

A million thoughts crossed Sesshoumaru's exceptionally expansive mind, and he chose one to hold onto for the moment. He really had no desire to solve whatever problem she had gotten herself into, however… There was something strange about this female. By her appearance alone, he would have guessed her to be youkai, or at least hanyou since her ears were distinctly rounded, rather than the pointed ears of a full youkai in humanoid form. He had never seen anyone like her before, and his curiosity was piqued in the rather short amount of time he had had to inspect her before all that was visible was the top of her head. Now was not the time for further inspection, however; the pursuing youkai was nearly upon them.

 

The bull-youkai burst into the clearing and had the audacity to bellow at Sesshoumaru. The display was proof enough that this was the sort of brute that gave a refined youkai, such as Sesshoumaru, a bad name. One simply cannot run around thrashing whomever one pleases. Punishment for this insolence is hardly worth my time. Wasting as little energy as possible on so unworthy an opponent, Sesshoumaru, with the barest flick of his wrist, made short work of the bull-youkai with his poison whip. Satisfied with the eradication of the brutish, lesser demon, he finally consented to take notice of his most recent cling-on and turned his gaze down to the panting, trembling female at his chest. Hn. he thought, only slightly amused, Clearly she knows not who I am. He smirked mentally, his outward appearance remaining stoic. Few who have dared to come so close as to actually touch this Sesshoumaru have lived to tell the tale. We shall see how this one fares.

 

Eventually, the strange female cast a tentative glance over her shoulder at the fallen youkai. Interesting… She did not seem at all fazed at the sight of the body neatly sliced in two. Either she has much experience in blood and battle - unlikely - or she is shocked with fright and knows not what she sees. Sesshoumaru continued to look down unblinking upon the female before him, when finally she turned her own gaze up to him. She started only slightly when she found him staring back at her so intently. He caught her gaze and held it, but she merely stared back, barely blinking herself. She didn't cringe and avert her eyes like the rest of Sesshoumaru's subordinates, and… she was still touching him. Hn… Very foolish, or very brave.

 

Neither had yet said a word and Sesshoumaru watched as she broke her gaze and began inspecting his face. He was not unsettled per se, but surprised when she began her inspection; few dared look him in the eye, let alone scrutinize his features. His forehead threatened to quirk an eyebrow - an annoying habit that did indeed have its uses, yet tended to creep up on him at inopportune moments. This one was one of those moments, but the taiyoukai had long ago learned to school his features and would not allow them to regress now. It seems as though she has never seen one such as myself. Of course… there are none such as this Sesshoumaru. Curious… where does this creature come from that she does not recognize a youkai of great power when she sees it? It was more thought than he had given concerning any one person - with the exception of Rin and perhaps Jaken - in a very long time, and it made him wonder what was coming over him. He watched as the female's eyes moved smoothly from his own to the crescent moon on his forehead, down to the markings on either cheek and finally up to his hair.

 

It was at this point that the pervasive stench of the dead bull-youkai dissipated enough that Sesshoumaru noted the obvious scent of human on the female, though somehow different from that of the locals he tolerated on his land. His innate hatred of the species immediately triggered a low growl, too low for human ears to perceive. The female - woman - glanced at her hands, still clutching at Sesshoumaru's armor; she felt the rumble rising from his chest, though she could not hear it. When at last he raised the pitch to a level that she could hear, her head snapped around to the bull, as though she thought he had somehow come back to life. Seeing the figure still on the ground, she turned back to Sesshoumaru with a slightly puzzled expression until the realization hit that it was he who growled and that it was directed at her.

 

The woman leapt back, staring wide-eyed at him. For the first time, they were both able to take a good look at one another, and Sesshoumaru surprised himself again with his train of thought. The woman was stunning - a male of any species could recognize that - and she looked so completely different from any human he had ever seen. The first difference he noticed was her hair: pale ringlets, nearly as pale as his own hair, though with a golden touch rather than his silver, cascaded from a knot high on the back of her head - surprisingly neat considering her run through the forest. He imagined it would fall to the middle of her back if she were to set it free. The taiyoukai had only ever seen shades of black and brown on a human and wondered at her peculiar hair color. Her eyes were large and round, not almond-shaped, but the color was more surprising even than the shape. They were a deep violet and he had the feeling that they might change, grow lighter or darker, with her moods. At the moment she was clearly very frightened. It astonished him to see anything other than brown, black or the rare blue. He thought only youkai physical traits ranged such that they included the hair and eye color of this human woman.

 

Sesshoumaru's final observation of note was the woman's attire. It reminded him vaguely of the indecent clothing of that miko Inuyasha insisted on dragging with him everywhere. The miko… That's it… That scent. Both Inuyasha's miko and this woman had a similar quality to their scent, though even they were not entirely alike. Sesshoumaru's eyes continued to linger on the woman's strange attire. Even on the miko he had never seen anything like it. The hem of the garment reached her ankles, like any proper kimono, but the cut and fit of it were something else entirely. It flowed and flared when she moved and occasionally the taiyoukai caught a glimpse of her even stranger footwear. The soles were held onto her foot by thin straps, much like sandals, though the tall heel caused her to walk and the balls of her feet. That is not practical at all.

 

Sesshoumaru's gaze climbed back up the length of her body to her torso. He couldn't help but to stare. How is that garment staying on the woman? Her shoulders were completely bare save for the sheerest fabric he had yet seen tied about her slender neck to hang down her back. Surprising that the bull did not snatch that up and strangle her. Well, he probably would not have had the capacity to think of it anyway. She was still breathing heavily, and it seemed that her chest threatened to burst from the confines of her clothing, but somehow she remained modest. The full effect, however, was not lost on Sesshoumaru. Her hair, her eyes, the shimmering silver fabric - all gave the woman an air of ethereal beauty. She must be someone of some standing, but from where?

 

It was clear that the strange woman was sizing him up as well. She had yet to take her eyes off of him, when suddenly her eyes grew wider still and she brought a hand up to cover her mouth. Then she said… something. At first, Sesshoumaru thought he had misheard, but it was unthinkable that his sensitive ears should fail him. When the woman spoke again, this time he did quirk a brow as he stared. This only seemed to make the woman more animated and she continued in what Sesshoumaru could only guess was a strange language - or simply hysterical gibberish.

 

Sesshoumaru glanced away for a moment as he heard Rin enter the clearing. The woman turned as well and once again covered her mouth with one hand, leaning forward slightly while the other seemed to involuntarily point at the young girl - Sesshoumaru pointedly looked away lest that strange garment give up its battle to keep her covered Strange human - as she said something directed at Rin. Unable to comprehend what the woman could possibly be saying to his ward, he decided that he did not like the gesture and took a step toward Rin, eyes narrowing slightly.

 

The woman jumped as she watched Sesshoumaru insinuate himself between the child and her. She looked up at him, puzzled then back to Rin, who had begun to speak.

“Sesshoumaru-sama! You have made a new friend! But why does she talk funny? Rin cannot understand what she says.”

“Be silent, Rin.” He looked down at the child as she clutched the leg of his hakama and peered at the woman with wide brown eyes.

“Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!” Immediately realizing her mistake, Rin covered her mouth and stepped back behind Sesshoumaru's leg. Humans… He turned back to the woman who wore a stricken expression. She turned her gaze from where Rin had been standing to Sesshoumaru's face. She spoke again, the inflection suggesting to Sesshoumaru that she might have asked a question. He raised a brow at her and gave a sidelong look. He did not wish to appear ignorant, only to make it clear that she made no sense to him. It seemed that he had just confirmed her fears, as she collapsed on the ground, staring up at him with panicked tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

 

In an odd moment of expression, Sesshoumaru sighed, barely noticed by the human, and turned his gaze toward the night sky, as if beseeching whomever might be watching to please stop throwing human females in his path, especially females who stirred a certain… pity that he could not ignore. He growled low to himself, startling the woman on the ground. Scenting her fright again, Sesshoumaru looked down. She was trying to back away from him and was tangling herself miserably in the folds of her clothing. He rolled his eyes - mentally of course - and stopped her. It wouldn't do to have an hysterical woman causing trouble in his forest; though he could let the next youkai or hanyou take care of the problem - the idea had crossed his mind several times. Still…

 

The woman froze and stared wide-eyed in fear when Sesshoumaru knelt and grabbed her wrist. Mentally cursing his half-brother for “relieving” him of his other arm, he let go and held his hand up, making it clear that she shouldn't move. He turned and pulled Rin to his front and sat her down before the woman.

“Sessh-” Rin looked up at him, but he silenced her with a look.

“Wait, Rin.”

 

Sesshoumaru returned his stony gaze to the woman and noticed that she had recovered well. There was still a trace of fear on her scent, but puzzlement and curiosity had won their battle with fear in taking precedence in her expression. She couldn't know that her puzzlement was mirrored on his own mental image of himself. Surely he must be growing soft. Of course not. This Sesshoumaru does what he wishes when he wishes to do it. His actions now were clearly no exception.

 

The woman looked at him now, apprehensive yet curious. Sesshoumaru hoped that she was more intelligent than the average human; he was unused to making himself understood without resorting to violence. Where to begin… He pointed to Rin, keeping he gaze on the woman before him, “Rin.”

“Hai? Oh…” The child had twisted and looked up at him, but saw that he was not actually speaking to her and turned back, fascinated by the strange woman.

It seemed that Rin's response actually helped Sesshoumaru in his cause, for the woman's eyes flicked down to the girl and back up to meet his gaze again. She pointed at her, “Rin?” Sesshoumaru nodded once and held his hand out to the woman, raising an eyebrow in question. She looked from Rin, to his face again and down at his hand.

“Oh!” She smiled widely and pointed to herself, “Vanessa,” to Rin, “Rin,” and finally looked up at Sesshoumaru, smiling in expectation.

 

He straightened and looked down his nose at her, “Sesshoumaru,” surprising himself yet again with the exclusion of the honorific. He reasoned that it meant nothing if she did not understand the significance. He would simply instill the importance in her later. Later? Don't get too deeply involved. The woman - Vanessa - paused, turning the name over on her tongue and looked up at him, “S-Sesshoumaru?” Sesshoumaru nodded once more, rose smoothly to his feet, and strode toward the trees, leaving Vanessa to stare after him.

“Rin, she will be with us for a while. See that she follows.”

 

The girl practically squealed in delight, “Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!” and took Vanessa's hand to help her to her feet. Out of the corner of his eye Sesshoumaru saw that the girl did not let go and began pulling the woman in her move to follow her guardian, chattering away in a distinctly “Rin” fashion.

 

Sesshoumaru listened as Rin began to point out plants and other objects, giving Vanessa a name to repeat for each. Eventually, Vanessa turned the game around and Rin was repeating words in the strange new language. The two humans behind him began trading terms, laughing together as they struggled over the strange new sounds. He listened absently, remembering each exchange for anything that might be useful in the future. His eyes softened in what some might recognize as a smile, though the rest of his face remained blank. It would be good for Rin to have a female influence - at least for a little while.

 

A/N: So, this is how I think Sesshoumaru thinks. He's very reserved conversationally, but I think his mind is wild with thoughts that he needs to filter through with every encounter - thoughts to himself - or about himself, rationalization, decisions… The words he speaks are really only the tip of the iceberg that makes up our beloved Sesshoumaru. I tried to portray his ego and self-importance without making him too… cheesy. I hope I succeeded?

 

I will try to update once or twice weekly, but classes are starting to get crazy, so for the next 6 weeks, bear with me, please!