InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Into the East ❯ Insert Witty Title ( Chapter 23 )

A/N: Ugh…

 

Into the East

Chapter twenty-three: Insert Witty Title

Posted: 23 April 2008

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

Everything else © me

 

“Shizu? What are you doing?”

 

Sesshoumaru tore his gaze from the endless horizon at Vanessa's surprised squeak.

 

“I'm flying,” Shizu broadcasted for the rest of them to `hear.' Normally whatever she and her human said together was kept private, save for what he could hear of Vanessa's voice on the wind. So why the deviation from routine now?

 

“Well, I can see that… Why are you going higher?”

 

“You'll see.”

 

His eyes followed them as Shizu strained to gain altitude and a small frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. What was she doing? The mare had certainly gained considerable strength since they started out, but that was no reason to overexert herself now.

 

When they were well above Sesshoumaru and Kaminari, Shizu leveled off again. Was that it? She was merely flying higher? Females… he thought to himself with no small amount of bafflement. He turned his gaze back to the horizon, searching for signs of population and watching for a suitable place to take their noonday break.

 

“Hold on,” he heard Shizu say, but paid little heed. The air currents might be different up there, but in all the time they had flying, Shizu had always been careful with her.

 

“You're not… Shizu, I don't…” Her sudden shriek and the dark form that was suddenly plummeting toward the earth was all it took to send Sesshoumaru off like a shot.

 

He had almost snatched Vanessa from her saddle when Shizu spread her wings and swept back up into the sky, higher and higher until she was level with her father and climbing higher once more, leaving him to hover and wait for the odd pounding in his chest to quiet.

 

What was she thinking? He seethed silently, but as he climbed back up into the sky toward Kaminari, Vanessa's breathless laughter caught him off guard.

 

“Shizu, that was amazing!” she exclaimed.

 

Shizu's eyes were bright with her own excitement. “Don't get me wrong, I love traveling with you, but this landscape… It's getting so boring.”

 

He heard Kaminari chuckle in his head.

 

“Don't be upset, my lord,” Kaminari said as Sesshoumaru dropped once more onto his back. “My daughter wouldn't do anything that would bring harm to Vanessa.”

 

But his assurances did little to calm to anger and, yes, fear that had taken hold of him. What if Shizu hadn't been able to bring them out of that dive? She may have performed such acrobatics on her own all the time for all he knew, but with the added weight of a rider… He tensed as Shizu folded her wings once more, ready to tear after them if he had to, but just as before she pulled up at just the right moment.

 

Vanessa glanced at him on their way back up and cocked her head in puzzlement. She met his eye briefly and then leaned over Shizu's neck to whisper something in her ear. After that they flew level with Kaminari. At least Vanessa knew when to stop pushing his limits.

 

Sesshoumaru's anger had faded by the time they landed for the night, but somehow he needed to impress upon her how worried she had made him - without actually coming out and saying he was worried of course.

 

Shizu gave him a wide berth that evening and seemed to make every effort to avoid his notice, but Vanessa came to him as he prepared their meal.

 

“Hey,” she said.

 

Sesshoumaru glanced up at her.

 

“Look, about earlier -”

 

“That was a foolish thing to do,” he broke in as he stood to face her. It wasn't quite how he'd wanted to say it, but now it was out there.

 

She looked taken aback by the sharpness in his tone, but then she scowled right back at him.

 

“Nothing bad happened.”

 

“Tomorrow you will ride with Kaminari.”

 

Cold fury smoldered in her eyes. “Excuse me?

 

Well. That was unexpected. He'd never actually ordered her to do anything before, but she always seemed to do what he said… No one disobeyed when he gave an order.

 

“No, Sesshoumaru - it's not that I have anything against you, Kaminari,” she began, turning briefly toward the elder horse, but he only lifted his wings in a shrug and ambled off in Shizu's direction. Sesshoumaru could have sworn he saw a twinkle in his blue eye, but now wasn't the time. Vanessa rounded on him again. “No. I'm staying with Shizu.”

 

She folded her arms under her chest and stared at him just as he stared back at her. It was ridiculous. “I don't think that is wise.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Vanessa, she could barely lift you and the bags into the sky. She should not be trying such acrobatics.”

 

“She's gotten stronger! Even you have said so.”

 

“But to take such risks with you… She is too young to have such a responsibility.”

 

“Too young? If that's what you think, then why did you let her come in the first place? I know she wouldn't do anything to put me in danger. You can't send her back on her own.”

 

“There is no reason to. She can still be of use. You will ride Kaminari, and Shizu will continue to carry the packs that she has carried until now.”

 

“That's not fair. It would tear her apart to take that away from her!”

 

“Then perhaps it is time we said good-bye to both of them. We can carry the necessities ourselves.” The moment the words were out of his mouth, he wanted to take them back. The look on her face… “Vanessa, I…” he took a small step toward her with his hand half raised, but she just stood there, staring at him in shock. The stabbing pain, the fear that traveled through their bond to him, even in its diluted state was heart wrenching.

 

“Not yet,” she whispered and rushed up to him, pleading. “Please, it's too soon. They can't go yet. A little longer, Sesshoumaru, please? I'll make sure we don't do anything stupid, just… let her stay.”

 

How had their disagreement turned to this? He couldn't stand to see her look so… upset. “O-Of course. A little longer.”

 

“Thank you, thank you Sesshoumaru!” she cried and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you,” she whispered in his ear. “And… I'm sorry. I know you're only looking out for me.”

 

“I promised to keep you safe,” he said softly. She pulled back and cupped his face in her hands, looking into his eyes. With a small smile she turned away and jogged over to Shizu standing a fair distance away.

 

She left his heart pounding in his chest with just that small touch. He could still feel her fingers on his face. No, he told himself. You can't… He looked up at the pair of females. Vanessa was petting Shizu's neck, and Shizu herself looked absolutely miserable. She wouldn't look anywhere near his direction. Sesshoumaru sighed; he'd have to speak with her.

 

“You are rather attached, aren't you, Sesshoumaru-sama?” Kaminari said in his mind. Sesshoumaru growled.

 

“You don't know what you are talking about,” he muttered and set his attention to salvaging their dinner.

 

Before too long Vanessa came back and sat beside him to take her meal. She'd smile at him every now and then, and as he tried searching along their bond for her feelings, he found nothing out of the ordinary. Everything seemed to have returned to normal. He reminded himself that he ought to talk to Shizu… Well, he wasn't very hungry anyway.

 

Sesshoumaru excused himself and stood. He could hear hooves approaching and meant to intercept them.

 

“Shizu,” he said quietly so he didn't startle her, but even so she drew up short and didn't come any closer. Kaminari kept moving, seeming to know that he had no business there.

 

“Sesshoumaru-sama, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have -”

 

He held up a hand for silence and she obeyed immediately. “I… may have overreacted,” he allowed and with a hand on her neck guided her a little deeper into the darkness for privacy. “You see I made a vow to myself that Vanessa would arrive home safely, and by my presence here I hope you can see that I take it very seriously.”

 

“I do, Sesshoumaru-sama, and I wouldn't do anything I knew would harm her.”

 

“I know. You have grown remarkably in strength since we left home,” he told her and was amused to note that her ears pricked forward and her neck arched with pride at his praise. “Have fun, enjoy each other's presence while you can. I only ask that you not take any unnecessary risks.”

 

Shizu nodded vigorously. “Of course.”

 

“Good. Come then.” They walked back to the others in companionable silence and noticed there was a spring in her step again. She responded well to praise and gentleness. A hard hand on her would only cause her to draw in on herself, whereas trying to exert his will on Vanessa only seemed to raise her resistance. He shook his head as entered the camp. Females… He didn't think he would ever learn how to handle them, but… he was trying.

 

Shizu trotted over to her father to settle for the night, while Sesshoumaru resumed his seat beside Vanessa. She watched him with a small smile.

 

He raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

 

Her smile widened. “Nothing, just… thank you,” she finished softly. “I'm going to bed. Good night, Sesshoumaru.”

 

“Sleep well.”

 

Eventually, he was the only one awake in their little camp, and it didn't seem he would be getting to sleep any time soon. There was too much on his mind. But… he needed rest. He had learned long ago how to do without sleep so he tried to release the tension in his limbs and closed his eyes, reaching out with his other senses instead, and tried to chase away errant thoughts, he focused only on his breathing. In… Out… In… Out…

 

He heard the breathing of the others, and beneath that, their heartbeats. For a moment his own pulse thudded in his ears, but he tuned it out. There. The scratch of a mouse in the grass. And over there. The sniff of a larger animal, perhaps a predator, but Sesshoumaru was the larger menace, and this one seemed to know it and veered off in another direction. They all had so far. He reached out with his less tangible senses and found no evidence of youkai at all. It was strange not to be surrounded by that familiar sense of the others of his kind. Maybe they just hadn't come across any of their villages yet.

 

Sesshoumaru let his mind wander while his ears and nose kept watch. He thought back to Rin in Inuyasha's village, Saburo and Rai… How was everyone faring in his absence? He didn't want to come back only to have to crush a rebellion or rebuild his realm. Humans were an ever-growing problem, but that wouldn't change too drastically in the coming months… he hoped.

 

He could feel a change in the wind and thought they might be moving toward less arid climates. There was also that chill in the air that suggested that full winter wasn't far off. They had some time before he had to worry about that.

 

What was that?

 

A sound that didn't quite fit. All thoughts of anything but his immediate surroundings retreated to the far corners of his mind as he focused on that sound. The scuff of sand… a shoe? What more would this day throw at him?

 

There shouldn't have been anyone out there. They were far from any of the small pockets of human inhabitants. He listened intently. There were two sets of footsteps: light, careful and controlled, and anyone with hearing less sensitive than his wouldn't have heard them. And they were coming closer, as though stalking him. Sesshoumaru growled low and opened his eyes. He would show them what it meant to stalk a taiyoukai; he would not be so easily hunted.

 

Sesshoumaru moved quickly to his companions

 

“Vanessa,” he said softly, gently shaking her awake. “Wake up. Quickly.”

 

“Hm?” she mumbled sleepily.

 

“Wake the others. I will return shortly.”

 

She sat up abruptly. “Is something wrong?”

 

“I will soon find out.”

 

He ignored the worried look on her face and left the camp in search of the pair creeping closer to them. Sesshoumaru practically glided across the sand, making not a sound as he sped toward the sound of creeping footsteps.

 

The moon was high and bright, and cast the landscape in sharp relief. Even so, he relied on his hears and nose. It didn't take long for him to find them, and what he saw surprised him into pulling up short.

 

Children?

 

Two horses were tethered a short distance away and their small riders crept slowly toward the camp. They hadn't noticed him yet so he watched. What were children doing out in the middle of nowhere? They hadn't passed any sort of village near enough to house these two. What did they want?

 

He followed them for a short while, stalking them as they tried to stalk him and his pack, but where they were nearly silent in the sand, Sesshoumaru was silent.

 

When they drew too near for his comfort, he made his move. He wouldn't hurt them, but a small fright might show them what they were dealing with. Of course, two hands would have served his purpose better… but he had to make do with what he had. With a growl and one swift movement, Sesshoumaru took both children by the collars of their tunics and carried them whimpering back to camp.

 

Vanessa sprang to her feet when Sesshoumaru dropped the pair by the fire.

 

“Who are they?” she asked and knelt in front of them. They shrank away at first, but her soft expression and maternal gestures soon showed them that she meant them no harm. They huddled beside her and eyed Sesshoumaru warily. Now that the hunters had become the hunted, they weren't so confident.

 

“Where did you find them?” she asked again.

 

“They were out there,” he answered, nodding toward the darkness. “They must have followed us.”

 

“How? Where did they come from?”

 

Sesshoumaru shook his head. “I don't know. Their horses are still where I found them.”

 

“You just left them there? What if something happens to them? How will these two get home?”

 

Sesshoumaru scowled and held out his hand, palm up. “I couldn't very well hold all four of them, could I?”

 

“Oh. Right. Sorry,” she said, blushing and looking properly chastened. “So what do we do with them?”

 

“They must go back to where they came from.” He thought it was obvious.

 

The little hunters were a boy and girl, approximately Rin's age, perhaps a year or two older. They appeared to be siblings, if he was any judge, with the same dark, curly hair, tanned skin, and expressive brown eyes.

 

“What are you two doing out here all by yourself?” Vanessa asked, sitting back on her heels in front of them.

 

The pair looked at one another and spoke. Of course they would have to speak yet another strange tongue. Sesshoumaru was beginning to wonder how Vanessa's `global' world functioned when no one spoke the same language.

 

They chattered at one another a while longer and then stood and looked around the camp. Apparently they had decided that he and Vanessa weren't going to hurt them, but they never moved from their spots.

 

Vanessa stood as well and went to Sesshoumaru's side.

 

“What are they looking for?” she asked him quietly.

 

“I don't know.”

 

Finally, they turned back to Sesshoumaru and Vanessa. With one last glance at each other, the bolder of the two, the boy, stepped forward and spread his arms out, flapping them like wings.

 

“They want to see Shizu and Kaminari,” Vanessa whispered.

 

The horses watched from the darkness outside the circle of firelight; they were all but invisible behind the glare from the fire.

 

“We can come out and meet them,” Shizu offered. “They are just children after all. They say that this must be the right place, but that `they' aren't here. I think you are right, Vanessa. The young ones are looking for us.”

 

Sesshoumaru couldn't entirely agree with the suggestion that the children were harmless. They couldn't do much themselves, but when their parents came… He'd rather not have to shed unnecessary blood. They wouldn't know what they were getting themselves into in defending their offspring. And - wait a minute…

 

“You can understand them?” he asked into the night where darkness concealed them.

 

He could just see the bob of Shizu's head. “The same way I can understand Vanessa.”

 

“Very well. Come into the light.”

 

Shizu and Kaminari appeared to materialize out of the darkness. The children spun at the sound of hoof beats and squealed in delight before running up to them.

 

“Shizu,” Vanessa began and slowly approached. “Tell them that they shouldn't be here.”

 

“Ask them where they came from,” Sesshoumaru suggested. They couldn't stay. He was having enough trouble keeping Vanessa in one piece, and two additional hangers-on would only make his life more difficult.

 

Sesshoumaru watched in mild amusement as they searched for Shizu's disembodied `voice' as she spoke to them for the first time.

 

Once they got used to the idea of a horse that could speak into their minds, the children talked animatedly with her.

 

“The boy says that they belong to a traveling people camping not far from here, and the girl tells me that they saw us flying this afternoon. They were just curious. And… their parents don't know they are here. They snuck away after they were put to bed.”

 

Sesshoumaru growled in annoyance. If children could find them this easily… So could the adults - and they would when they realized that the children were missing. It wasn't safe to linger. These were children. They could claim innocent curiosity, but if the adults had seen them flying too… If the entire clan were to come at them out of the darkness while they were distracted…

 

“Wait here,” he told Vanessa and launched himself into the sky without waiting for a response.

 

When the campfire was just a bright speck below him, Sesshoumaru slowly turned in place until he saw a faint glow to the northeast. That must be the children's camp. Between the pale ground and the bright moonlight, he would have had no trouble seeing intruders, and after circling a few more times, he saw no one. Perhaps it was nothing more than simple paranoia, but a healthy amount of suspicion had served him well so far in life. As yet, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Would the adults have chalked the children's tales of flying horses up to fantasy? Perhaps, but he didn't want to wait until they noticed their children missing. He thought of what he would do if Rin were taken from him - of what he had done to get her back. It would be best to send them home and pack up and leave.

 

Sesshoumaru landed near the tethered horses and brought them back to camp. He dismounted when he entered the circle of firelight and held their reins.

 

“Send them home,” he ordered.

 

“What? Sesshoumaru, it's the middle of the night.”

 

“They found their way here in the dark, and they can find their way back.”

 

“They're children.”

 

Sesshoumaru was unmoved. “Precisely why they should be with their parents.”

 

Vanessa looked to Shizu and the children. “We should at least make sure they get back safely.”

 

Sesshoumaru growled, causing the horses to shy away from him. “Fine. Shizu, tell them.”

 

The children made protesting noises behind him while he quieted the horses.

 

“Vanessa, pack up and wait with Kaminari. Shizu will carry the children. She is strong enough and perhaps experiencing flight will sate their curiosity enough to leave us alone.”

 

“Pack up?”

 

“Yes, we will not stay here where they might find us again.”

 

She started packing her bedroll. “So you're going with them?”

 

“Someone must take their horses back.”

 

Vanessa gave him an odd little smile and continued breaking camp, while Sesshoumaru helped the children onto Shizu's back. He tied the reins of one horse to the saddle of the other and mounted.

 

“Their camp is to the northeast. Don't let them tell you otherwise.”

 

He felt a little uneasy leaving Vanessa behind, but Kaminari would be with her. They would be safe, and he would return to them soon.

 

Shizu flew low and slowly, and when she pulled too far ahead, she circled back so that Sesshoumaru never lost sight of her. He was proud that he never had to tell her to do so. Perhaps the threat of his anger did some good - even though these children didn't match his level of commitment to Vanessa's safety. But that look on Vanessa's face when he left… She was pleased that he was helping these children, and he had the absurd desire to see that look again.

 

Above him the children giggled and squealed with joy. It was good he never learned their names. They made him think of Rin. How was she doing in the care of Inuyasha's village? Were Jaken and Ah-Un protecting her well? Was old Kaede providing for her as she should? He couldn't think of that. He'd made this commitment and thoughts of what he left behind would only distract him. The glow of fire crew brighter as they neared the camp, and Sesshoumaru knew that very soon he would be able to get back to his normal travel routine. Then again… when had `normal' come to include a stray human woman?

 

“Shizu, come down,” he called softly to the trio above him as they continued to draw nearer to the children's people.

 

Reluctantly the siblings said good-bye and clambered onto their own horses to ride the remaining distance alone.

 

“Tell them they are to go straight back to their parents… Tell them it is dangerous to be out alone at night.”

 

“I will.”

 

Finally the children waved and turned their horses toward home, and Sesshoumaru waited until they disappeared beyond the line of tents and pavilions before starting back toward Vanessa and Kaminari.

 

“Would you like a ride, Sesshoumaru-sama?” Shizu asked from the air above him.

 

“No need.” He leapt into the air and glided beside her under his own power.

 

“Will we be going far tonight?”

 

“Not very. Only far enough to put some distance between us and where the children found our camp.”

 

Since they could fly, they would leave not trail to follow.

 

“Do you think the adults would really come after us?”

 

“I don't know, but we have come far. There is no reason to take unnecessary chances.”

 

They soon arrived where they had left the others, and as he had asked, Vanessa had packed up their meager camp, but hadn't loaded everything on Kaminari as he thought she would. Wordlessly she tied the rest of the packs to Shizu's back and went back to Kaminari.

 

“What are you doing?” Sesshoumaru asked as she prepared to mount up. She paused.

 

“You said…”

 

He shrugged nonchalantly. “You can make your own decisions.” He may be protecting her, but he had no right to treat her like a child.

 

For a moment she just looked puzzled, but then she grinned. With a friendly pat on his neck, Vanessa left Kaminari and hurried over to Shizu.

 

“Let's go,” he said. “We will not fly long, just far enough that anyone who might look will not pick up our trail.”

 

It was pleasantly peaceful after that, no unwanted intruders, no unwanted feelings. They were simply companions traveling together - and that should have alerted Sesshoumaru that trouble was coming, that and the mountains looming ahead of them.

 

 

A/N: It was going to be longer, but… It's been just over a year (seriously. The last one was posted on April 22 last year and now it's the 23rd of this year) and I didn't want you to think I'd forgotten about you. More to come after the last finals I will (hopefully) ever take.