InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Into the East ❯ The Pass ( Chapter 24 )

A/N: [Edit] Ah… hehe. So I save two different files for my mediaminer and fanfiction crowds… and I guess I left some fanfiction specific comments in this one. I apologize. I DO appreciate my mediaminer comments just as much as those from fanfiction.

 

 

Into the East

Chapter twenty-four: The Pass

Posted: 29 April 2008

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

Everything else © me

 

They were just setting up camp for the night at the foot of mountains that seemed to span as far as the eye could see in either direction when Sesshoumaru first heard them. He paused and cocked his head to listen. It sounded like distant thunder, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. In the haze of the darkening sky to the east he thought he saw… Suddenly he shot into the sky for a better look. There in the distance a broad line of horses drew ever nearer. It had to be the children's people. Who else would have known? They hadn't passed anyone else that day. Then again, they hadn't noticed the children the day before either. Damn.

 

He dropped back down to the ground and met Vanessa's questioning gaze. “Pack everything up. Now. Head into the mountains.”

 

“Now? But where should we go?” Fear edged into her voice, but he didn't have time. He wanted to intercept them before they could get dangerously close.

 

“Walk, fly, I don't care, but keep moving and stay out of sight.”

 

“Sesshoumaru, what's wrong? What's happening?”

 

He stepped forward on impulse and touched her cheek. “Everything will be all right. I will join you shortly… We have been followed.”

 

“Followed?”

 

Sesshoumaru nodded. “I believe they are the tribes people of those children. I will take care of it, and… I won't harm them if I can help it.” For some reason it felt important to tell her that.

 

Vanessa put her hands on his chest and gripped the fabric of his clothes. “Be careful?”

 

He'd never had anyone to worry about him as he set out for battle before - not that he planned to do any actual fighting this time. Atsuko had always been by his side, never waiting at home for him to return, not from war anyway. A strange feeling welled up within him, a combination of pride, and satisfaction. She cared whether he lived or died, not just as a subject for her ruler. Vanessa was concerned for the man Sesshoumaru. It warmed him and gave him confidence enough to offer the barest of smiles. “Don't worry. I will follow you. Now go.”

 

Without a backward look, he sped off across the steppe to meet their pursuers. While they were still a good distance off, Sesshoumaru stopped and casually drew Tokijin. The familiar battle with the demon energy within the sword was almost a comfort. It seemed an age since he had last used the weapon, but it kept him focused. He let some of that energy sizzle along the cold steel in his hand. It too was eager for a fight. It was how they got along, he and Tokijin. He allowed it to quench its thirst for blood - as long as it did it on his terms. Tokijin would have to wait a little longer.

 

The riders arced around him as they slowed to a halt. “Turn back,” Sesshoumaru said, his voice ringing out across the distance between them like a commander on the battlefield. “Leave us in peace.” They wouldn't understand, naturally, but they seemed to guess something of his point. A few of them looked at each other uneasily, but when the rest pulled out their own weapons and lassos, his mind was made up.

 

Without warning, he swung Tokijin and drove the tip into the ground, sending up a flare and a twisting dragon of blue energy. The force of it whipped his garments around him and sent his hair streaming off his neck. The dragon screamed and strained against its bond to the blade as a cloud of energy swirled above it, ready to rain down destruction on them.

 

“Leave!” Sesshoumaru roared over his sword. It took everything he had to keep it restrained and under control. He could feel Tokijin's desire for their blood, but it would be denied. Whether by their riders' command or not, the horses bolted, running as hard and fast as they could away. Horses are intelligent beasts. It would be a long time before they allowed themselves to be led anywhere near here, and by that time, Sesshoumaru and the others would be long gone.

 

When they were out of sight, Sesshoumaru forced the energy of Tokijin back into the blade with a great effort and returned it to its sheath. He grimaced. It would be increasingly difficult if he continued to deny it a real fight. Sesshoumaru liked the relative peace of the journey, but… he also felt a similar restlessness. He couldn't forget the centuries of training as a warrior. But he must. With a sigh, he turned to track down the others. Regardless of what he'd told them, he was certain they weren't that far gone.

 

Sure enough, it was only a short climb up the mountain before Vanessa rushed up to him. “Are you all right?” Did anything happen?”

 

“No. They have gone.”

 

Her relief was obvious. “And you didn't…”

 

“No. No one was harmed.”

 

“I heard that horrible screech, but they wouldn't let me look,” she said, nodding to Shizu and Kaminari. As one, they looked up from their grazing, and then lowered their heads again. He found he was strangely grateful to them. Vanessa had never seen the full extent of what he could do, what he could become.

 

He wasn't by any means ashamed that a part of his nature was canine. It's who he was, and he was proud of his bloodline, but Vanessa was different. Of course she knew that his other form was a dog, but she had never seen it. Wouldn't she be frightened to actually see it? To show her what a dangerous being he could be… He didn't want her to be afraid of him.

 

 

“Everything is fine,” he assured her. “We should find a place for the night.”

 

Without another word, Sesshoumaru started up the rough slope to search for suitable shelter. Light was failing quickly behind the mountains and he wanted them to be secured before it was dark. He finally settled on a shallow cleft in the side of the mountain. The weather was mild and it wasn't too windy, but he knew it would get worse the higher up they went. After some thought and scouting, he decided that it was safe to build a fire. Vanessa seemed grateful for that. He had to remember she was human. The cool nights would grow more and more uncomfortable, even dangerous for her the more winter tightened its hold on them.

 

“Sit with me, Vanessa,” he said once camp was made. She smiled and took the blanket he offered as she sat down beside him.

 

“What's up?”

 

Sesshoumaru watched her wrap the blanket around herself until he was satisfied that she was warm enough, and then he turned his focus to the darkening sky. “You don't need to worry about me,” he told her. “I can take care of myself.”

 

“I know…”

 

“Shizu or Kaminari would take you back to Japan safely if anything happened to me.”

 

“No, that's not it. I just don't want to see you get hurt because you're here with me. You're not just some dispensable bodyguard, you know.”

 

“I see.” He didn't really. It was still so strange to him that someone could want to know him without any expectations, no hidden motives. Even Rin needed something from him. True, he never had to take her in, but she was a child, and now that he had committed to her, she needed to be taken care of, and that was his responsibility. If he'd given her the chance, Vanessa probably would have found a way home on her own, but there was something about her that he hadn't wanted to part with just yet. Sesshoumaru sighed and leaned back against the cleft wall, closing his eyes. He smiled just a little to himself when she tucked herself closer to him to share in his body heat and laid her head on his shoulder.

 

VvVvVvVvVvV

 

Vanessa woke up warm. She was curled up next to the fire with two blankets tucked around her. Sesshoumaru must have moved her. “Good morning,” she said when she spotted him on the other side of the fire. He nodded.

 

“What's the plan?”

 

“We must find a pass over these mountains if you wish to continue westward.”

 

She closed her eyes, trying to remember her geography. “We might not need to… North. I don't think they turn away eventually. We could just follow them, and if a way across turns up, great. If not, we'll get past them eventually.”

 

“Hm.”

 

Without warning, he launched himself into the sky, probably to have a look and see if what she said was true. She watched him go up, up, up until she could barely see him as a pale speck against the pale blue sky.

 

“Where did he go?” Shizu asked.

 

“I think he's going to see if we can follow the mountains or if we should try to cross them.”

 

“There looks to be a pass not far north of here,” Sesshoumaru said, appearing suddenly behind them. Vanessa jumped.

 

“Don't do that!” But he only smirked.

 

“I think we will be able to cross fairly easily without going too far out of the way. Whenever you are ready.”

 

Vanessa started folding up the blankets as he spoke and looked around the camp to see what else needed to be done. They hadn't really unpacked that much.

 

Sesshoumaru glanced up at the horses and pulled her aside. “I know you don't want them to go, but you have said that his `Europe' would be hostile to them. How close are we?”

 

She'd been avoiding thinking about that since the day before, but she knew that sooner or later they would have to say good-bye, and she wasn't going to freak out on him like she did yesterday. “These mountains… form a kind of natural border. We've been fortunate not to come across any major cities yet, but there will be more. I think… I think after we get past the mountains, they should go home,” she finished softly.

 

He took a hesitant step forward, shielding her. “Are you sure? I can avoid cities.”

 

Vanessa nodded. “I don't want to take the chance that someone will see them. Like you said, if children could track us down… I don't want anything to happen to them.”

 

“Very well.” There was concern in his eyes as he looked down at her, but he looked proud too, pleased with her decision. After all, these were his subjects she was talking about and he was there to look after them as much as he protected her. Finally he nodded and turned back to load the bags on Shizu and Kaminari's backs. Vanessa took a deep breath and picked up the food he'd left her by the fire.

 

“Hey there, pretty girl,” she said with a scratch for Shizu's ears. “Ready to get going?”

 

She nodded and pranced in place a little, earning her a stern, “Shizu” from Sesshoumaru, who was trying to fix a bag to her saddle.

 

“Sorry,” Vanessa apologized, trying not to smile at the mare's antics. She would miss her. Would she ever see her again? How must it be for people like Sesshoumaru, who lived so long that they saw people live and die before their eyes? Well, apparently he had hardened his heart from caring for other people with only a few exceptions. Would he fall back into that mindset after she was gone? Or was it arrogant of her to think that she had made any sort of impact on him? She didn't think so. He did seem warmer than when she had first met him. What would he be like if, if she ever saw him again?

 

“Ready?” Shizu's voice in her head snapped her back to the present.

 

“Yep.” Sesshoumaru looked at her curiously, but she only shrugged. It didn't do any good to think about that before she knew whether or not she would even be able to get home. She didn't want to think about the possibility of never seeing him again. That would hurt too much. In fact, it was surprisingly painful. She looked up and found him frowning at her. Their connection. Vanessa had forgotten that he could feel some of what she did. She put on a smile and shook her head. He didn't seem convinced, but he leapt onto Kaminari's back and waited for her to do the same.

 

Having mounts that could fly definitely made crossing the mountains easier. They couldn't simply fly up and over because the air would be so thin and cold that they would never make it, but a short lift over especially difficult terrain in the pass made all the difference. They took an easy pace, and were well into the pass before Sesshoumaru suggested stopping for the night. He looked restless, however, like something wasn't right.

 

Vanessa, Shizu and Kaminari hovered above, while Sesshoumaru inspected several likely places to spend the night on the mountain, but every time he would go in to check things out, he'd come back out and tell them to move on to the next. As far as Vanessa could tell, they were all empty, but she didn't have the senses that he did. Finally, after the fourth or fifth stop, she called him over.

 

“Are you looking for something in particular? Or do you plan to keep hopping all over the mountain the whole night?”

 

He growled and looked back to the broad opening he had just exited. She could feel his frustration, but over what?

 

“I don't know.”

 

Vanessa stared at him, not quite certain she had heard right.

 

“You don't know?” She nodded to the cave he'd been glaring at. “That one looks like it could hold all of us.”

 

“It can.”

 

“So… What's the problem?”

 

He frowned at the opening again. “I don't know. There are too many scents that I do not recognize, feelings that are foreign to me. This whole mountain feels wrong.”

 

Suddenly she noticed the strange silence of the area. Maybe she hadn't noticed before because she was in the air, but they really weren't that high up. There should be birds chirping, squirrels chattering, insects buzzing… but there was nothing.

 

“Let's move on,” she suggested uncertainly. “I'm getting a bad feeling about this place, too so why don't we put our time to better use and leave it behind us.”

 

Sesshoumaru growled once more, but nodded. “Very well. Let's go. Quickly,” he added as an afterthought.

 

She could see now why he might be frustrated. He was used to being in control, at least to the extent of knowing what his senses were telling him, and traveling blindly through an unknown land was hardly a controlled situation.

 

He flew just outside Shizu's wingspan, close enough to guard, but far enough not to get tangled up in her wings.

 

“Look at the path,” he said, pointing to the ground below as they flew. “It doesn't look like it has been used in quite some time.”

 

“Sesshoumaru… What is that?”

 

He glanced up in the direction Vanessa was pointing, and then he froze, head cocked, listening. Suddenly he whirled and sped toward them, slamming into Shizu's shoulder, knocking them out of the path of a second fireball. Vanessa shrieked as she fell from Shizu's back and felt the wave of heat pass her by. Then the air was forced from her lungs as Sesshoumaru snatched her out of the air and swung her around onto his back. “Move!” he cried as Shizu recovered and regained altitude. “Separate and don't stay in one place.”

 

Vanessa coughed and tried to catch her breath. “Are you all right?” Sesshoumaru asked over his shoulder. She nodded then, realizing he couldn't see her, held on a little tighter. “Fine,” she coughed.

 

“Hold tightly.”

 

Sesshoumaru zigzagged across the sky, weaving in and out of Shizu and Kaminari's paths, and as he rolled away from another jet of flame, Vanessa caught sight of a huge winged beast behind them. It could only be a dragon. A real dragon! A second followed close on Shizu's heels, its horned snout snapping inches from her tail. “Look out, Shizu!” Vanessa cried, just as she tucked her hind legs under her and kicked. The dragon pulled up and screamed in pain and surprise before retaliating with fire. But Shizu apparently anticipated this and dove, letting the fire sail past her.

 

Hot air blew Vanessa's air around her face. She didn't need to look behind her. “Sesshoumaru! Drop!”

 

He didn't need to be told twice, and Vanessa clung to him as her stomach lurched up into her throat. A dragon blew past them and took off after Kaminari. It was gaining quickly.

 

“Papa!” Shizu cried, too far away to do anything to help, small as she was. Sesshoumaru drew a sword from his sash and with a crack, a bolt of energy shot toward the dragon on his tail. It singed its scaly shoulder, causing the beast to stumble in the air and give Kaminari a precious few extra meters.

 

The land was already dropping away below them. Had they crossed the mountains already? When the foothills rolled down below, the dragons each shot off one more spout of flame and bellowed after them before turning back to their mountain home. They flew hard for a while longer, until the pass was far behind them then Sesshoumaru called them to ground. He watched the sky behind them intently for any sign of pursuit, while Vanessa dropped off his back to check on Shizu and Kaminari. Both were panting, lathered in sweat and trembling.

 

“I'm not as young as I used to be,” Kaminari said with a wry chuckle.

 

“Can we stay here?” Vanessa asked Sesshoumaru. He squinted into the distance and finally nodded. “Let me rub you two down,” she offered and began taking the bags from their backs.

 

“Please,” responded Kaminari gratefully.

 

“Shizu, sweetie, I need you to move.” The younger horse had been huddling close to her father, relieved that neither had been hurt, and obviously still frightened.

 

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly and stepped aside to let Vanessa get to work with a towel and a brush.

 

“That was a nice kick you got in there,” Vanessa commented as she started on Kaminari. Shizu dropped her head modestly, and if she'd been human, she was sure she would have blushed. It wasn't until she moved on to the mare that she noticed that she was favoring her left foreleg.

 

“Shizu, are you all right?”

 

“Did I hurt you badly?” Sesshoumaru asked, appearing by her side and stepping up to Shizu to feel the soundness of her leg.

 

“No, I'll be all right. I think it's just a bruise.”

 

He took the towel from Vanessa's hands and dropped the brush at his feet for use later, and began rubbing her down himself. “We will go easy until the pain goes down,” he said.

 

“Really. I'd rather be bruised by you, than burned up by… whatever that was.”

 

Sesshoumaru looked back over his shoulder at Vanessa. “Yes… What exactly was that?”

 

He eyed her in mild reproach, as though she should have told him what to expect. “Those were… dragons, I think. They're not supposed to be real,” she finished softly.

 

“Those look like no dragons I have seen.”

 

Vanessa shook her head. “They are. Western dragons look different than the ones you know.”

 

“Hm. No matter. We must have trespassed into their territory. That would explain why the path hasn't been used.”

 

“Do you think we're safe here?”

 

Sesshoumaru nodded. “I don't think they would have turned back if we were still in their territory. It could be that they have a nest that they were protecting.” He tossed the towel and brush aside and disappeared into the woods, only to return a few minutes later with firewood.

 

Vanessa draped Shizu and Kaminari's blankets over them and went over to the fire to get herself ready for bed. Sesshoumaru sat back on his haunches beside her. “Will you be speaking to them?” he asked softly. “They can't go back the way we just came.”

 

She nodded silently. “I'll talk to them,” she whispered after a minute. “Tomorrow.”

 

“We can stay here tomorrow… I want to be sure Shizu's shoulder is just bruised.” He paused. “I… I didn't mean to hurt her, or to let you fall.”

 

Vanessa reached out and gave his hand a squeeze. “I know.” He raised his eyebrows in surprise. He was trying to show her he wasn't heartless, and she knew it was an effort. Honestly, her own ribs felt a little bruised from when he caught her, but she wouldn't tell him that. It seemed like he felt bad enough already that he'd inadvertently hurt Shizu, and he wasn't one who tolerated a guilty conscience. “I think we would have liked the alternative even less. You got us out of there safely. That's all that matters.” She let go of his hand and he stood.

 

“I am going to have a look around. Are you hungry?”

 

“No… I'll wait `til morning. I think I'll just go to bed now.”

 

“Very well… good night.”

 

With that, he disappeared to prowl in the woods. He was trying not to care, that much she could tell by the link they shared, but he was betrayed by that same connection. Still… he never took off the bracelet to hide his feelings. He obviously hadn't forgotten about it, since he was constantly reminded by her rampant emotions. She should learn to keep them in check, if only to save him the trouble of wondering if he needed to do something. He hadn't complained about it so far, but then again he wouldn't, would he? In the end, she decided not to worry about it and curled up to sleep. She didn't have much time left with Shizu, and she wanted to be able to get up early enough to make the most of it.

 

The next morning, she awoke to the smell of meat sizzling over the fire. She hadn't heard Sesshoumaru come back last night so she assumed he'd been out thinking or brooding, or whatever he did when he went off alone. That was fine. He certainly hadn't gotten any time to just be alone on this trip so she couldn't blame him for needing to step away and clear his head once in a while.

 

Shizu trotted up to her without any sign of a limp. “Good, you're awake. Sesshoumaru-sama said we're going to stay here today. I asked him if it was because of me, but he said no. What do you want to do today?”

 

“That's a good question.” There was what she wanted to do and what she needed to do, and she wanted to put off that particular conversation as long as she could. “I guess I could find some water and do some wash. Sesshoumaru?”

 

He looked up from his seat by the fire.

 

“Do you have anything that needs to be washed?” He nodded and went to one of his bags.

 

“Want to come with me, Shizu?”

 

“Sure!”

 

Sesshoumaru handed her a bag of clothes and grabbed her shoulder gently as she turned to finish gathering her own things. “Do you need any help?” His gaze flicked over to Shizu and back.

 

“Nope,” she answered brightly. Maybe too brightly. He studied her for a long moment, and finally nodded once before returning to his seat.

 

“Take some with you,” he said, indicating the meat he'd cooked up.

 

“I will, thank you.”

 

Vanessa tied her bag to Sesshoumaru's and slung them over Shizu's back before wrapping something for her breakfast. “Can you point me in the direction of some water?” she asked Sesshoumaru, and he pointed.

 

“About twenty yards that way is a stream.”

 

Since he didn't make any move to follow, she assumed that there wasn't any sort of threat nearby so she smiled and set off with Shizu trailing behind her. It wasn't easy washing clothes by hand, and it certainly wasn't fun, but it had to be done, and Vanessa was the most able to do it. Besides, it made her feel like she was doing something to contribute.

 

She started with Sesshoumaru's and marveled at the way the scorch marks from yesterday lifted off in the water. He must have changed while she was sleeping and she hadn't even noticed. Her own clothes were ordinary linen and cotton and would take a little more scrubbing to get clean. Despite their natural cleaning abilities, Vanessa gave them a once over with the bar of soap. It was mildly scented, which she figured Kagome selected because of her experience with Inuyasha's nose.

 

Shizu chatted with her while she worked, and when she was finished with Sesshoumaru's clothes, helped her hang them over branches and bushes to dry.

 

It took a little longer to clean her own clothes and a few other things, but when they were hanging to dry, too, Vanessa took a moment to glance around and just to be sure no one was there and called back toward camp, “Sesshoumaru, I'm taking a bath.” Just in case he decided to check on them. With some men, like that monk Miroku, she knew such an announcement was an invitation for trouble, but not Sesshoumaru. He was about as honorable as they came, and she knew she didn't need to worry about him sneaking a peek.

 

So Vanessa stripped down in the chilly autumn air and dunked herself in the stream. She came up gasping, much to Shizu's amusement, but quickly cleaned the clothes she had been wearing, and diligently scrubbed until her hair didn't feel grimy and her skin was pink - and she was shivering too much to hold onto the soap. Feeling like a drowned poodle, she hauled herself back onto the bank and gratefully took the clean towel Shizu held in her teeth. “Wrap up and sit with me,” Shizu said and folded herself up in a sunny patch, extending one wing for Vanessa to take shelter under while her clothes dried.

 

“Th-thanks,” she muttered through chattering teeth.

 

“You humans… Don't get me wrong, you smell better than most humans I've met, but risking illness just to be clean…”

 

“Sesshoumaru bathes in cold streams too,” Vanessa reasoned.

 

“Yes, but he is youkai, and he doesn't take ill.”

 

“Well, that's why I have you here, my walking furnace.”

 

“Thanks…”

 

And it was warm, huddled next to Shizu's warm body and sheltered from the wind by her feathered wing.

 

“Nee-san… Vanessa, I couldn't help hearing you last night… It will be time to say good-bye soon, won't it?”

 

Vanessa turned and buried her face against Shizu's shoulder. She nodded. “Yes,” she whispered. “Very soon.”

 

Shizu sighed. “I'm glad to know you, and I'll never forget you.”

 

“It's not that I want you to go, I really don't, but after those people came try and catch you and your father… It will only get worse, and I don't want anything to happen to you.”

 

“I know. We've known from the beginning that we wouldn't go with you all the way to the end, but we are happy to have helped as much as we could.”

 

“It will be tomorrow,” Vanessa said. “I don't know how far out of the way you'll need to go, but you can't go back over the pass we came through.”

 

Shizu shuddered. “No, I don't think we'll try that. Don't worry, we'll find a way home.”

 

“Please be careful. The worst part is that I'll have no way of knowing that you got home safely. I don't know if I'll ever see you or Sesshoumaru, or anyone else again.” Shizu tucked her wing around Vanessa a little tighter in a comforting gesture.

 

“What about that other human girl, the miko. Will you try to contact her when you get home?”

 

“Of course. She's done so much for me I want to find a way to thank her.”

 

“We could get a message to her to pass on to you.”

“Would you?”

 

“Sure. She's already met us, after all. And who knows, maybe we'll be there waiting when you cross over again.”

 

“That's a nice thought.” But she didn't want to get her hopes up. Five centuries was a long time, and anything could happen.

 

They talked and reminisced until the sun was high in the sky. Reluctantly, Vanessa emerged from the shelter of Shizu's wings and stretched. The clothes were dry, and she decided it was time they got back to camp. She dressed quickly and began folding the laundry, sorting her clothes from Sesshoumaru's and placing them in their separate bags. Soon it would be too cold to wash in streams, and she could only hope to find an inn with clean hot water she could use to bathe in. Vanessa shuddered to think of the hygiene practices of this time period, but she's have to make do.

 

“Come on,” she said, and led the way back to camp. It didn't seem real that in a few short hours, she would be saying a final good-bye to Shizu, but still tears burned her eyes. She forced them back.

 

Vanessa left Shizu with her father and pulled a pad of paper from Kagome out of her bag before going hesitantly toward Sesshoumaru.

 

“Sesshoumaru… Could you help me with something?”

 

He looked up at her curiously. Maybe it was the struggle she was fighting to control her emotions or maybe he really didn't mind, but finally he nodded, taking the paper gingerly in his claws when she passed it and a pen to him. He eyed the writing utensil dubiously, but looked pleasantly surprised when she urged him to try it out.

 

“I'd like you to help me write a letter.”

 

VvVvVvVvV

 

Sesshoumaru felt his lip begin to curl in disgust - not at the girls, but at himself. This was what happened when he allowed himself to grow too attached. This was what his weakness earned him: the knowledge that he would soon have to say good-bye to yet another person he cared for. Yes, he cared. He couldn't deny it. But it was no use going back now. He couldn't take back the words he had spoken, couldn't undo the things he had done.

 

He didn't want to.

 

Would she shed tears for him? He could see her shoulders shaking as she clung to Shizu's neck. This wasn't something he should be watching. This was… personal, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. She had been there only a short time. How could she have made such an impact on them all?

 

When she left she would simply vanish from his world as suddenly as she had come. Somehow that seemed so… ordinary. But that's what she was - an ordinary human girl, and that's what was most baffling.

 

“Kaminari-san,” he said softly, as much to distract himself of these thoughts as to finish an actual item of business.

 

“My lord?”

 

“Take these to Saburo when you return. I have written him an update of the progress of our journey as well as further instruction until my return.” He paused and touched a second packet he had just tucked into one of the packs returning with the pair.

 

“There are also letters from Vanessa. See that a messenger is sent to Rin in the village of Inuyasha's forest.”

 

The day before, he had sat by the fire with Vanessa and wrote out everything she wanted to say to the ones they left behind. That was an odd experience. He'd never thought about being someone else's voice before, and she didn't even balk at telling him what heartfelt sentiments she wanted him to pass along to Rin, Saburo, Rai, Kagome - even the two serving women who had attended her during her stay.

 

Such an odd creature.

 

He didn't get a letter… It was surprisingly disappointing, but then again, he was going to be with her until the end.

 

“I will take it to her myself, Sesshoumaru-sama. It will be no trouble. Shizu might like to see the child again, too.”

 

“I thank you, Kaminari-san. Your assistance this journey has been greatly appreciated.”

 

“We were honored to help.”

 

Sesshoumaru gave him a pat on the shoulder and turned back to the females. It was time. They couldn't linger in this place forever. He walked slowly, giving them a few more moments before gently placing his hand on Vanessa's shoulder.

 

She flinched and tensed under his touch.

 

“Vanessa,” he said softly. “It is time.”

 

“I know,” she whispered.

 

She took a shuddering breath, kissed Shizu on the nose, and turned and walked away. That… wasn't the response he'd expected.

 

Kaminari stepped up to his daughter then and there was no more stalling.

 

“Take care on the journey home,” Sesshoumaru told them. “We will speak more when I return.”

 

Shizu nodded, but it was Kaminari who spoke. “Yes, my lord, and you also.”

 

Sesshoumaru eyed Shizu.

 

“Shizu.”

 

Her wings drooped, but she looked up at him.

 

“I would like to speak with you when I return.”

 

She nodded again. “Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama.”

 

“Good girl.” He rubbed her nose and turned to go to Vanessa.

 

“Sesshoumaru-sama?”

 

He paused and looked over his shoulder as Shizu trotted up to him.

 

“Do you think… do you think we'll ever see her again?”

 

“There are a great many years separating our time and hers. We cannot know what will happen between now and then.”

 

“I see… Travel safely, Sesshoumaru-sama. Take care of Vanessa… And come back to us!”

 

With that she whirled and ran past Kaminari before springing into the sky.

 

“I will, young Shizu,” he said softly. “Go now, Kaminari-san, before you lose more daylight.”

 

Kaminari bowed and leapt into the sky after his daughter.

 

Sesshoumaru watched them go for a moment and turned back to Vanessa. She had her back to him.

 

“Vanessa?”

 

She turned around with a smile. Her face was blotched and her eyes were puffy from crying into Shizu's neck, but she seemed… fine. Again, not what he was expecting. Something wasn't quite right here.

 

“Ready to go?” she asked and picked up her pack before turning back toward the west.

 

Sesshoumaru eyed her warily. She had been in knots all last night and in the hours leading up to this. She hardly slept, and when she did she was nestled under Shizu's wing. And now… It was just strange.

 

“You did not see them off.”

 

She paused for a heartbeat and then started walking.

 

“We said our good-byes. We're done.”

 

Now that didn't sound like the Vanessa he knew at all. Should he try to get her to talk as she so often coerced him? If he were to start down that path… how was he to go about it? He sighed. Humans…

 

“Vanessa,” he called and she paused long enough for him to grab the remaining bags and catch up. “I thought you might have wanted to spend a few more moments with Shizu.”

 

“What's the point?”

 

“Vanessa, stop this.”

 

“Stop what?”

 

“This,” he said, waving his hand. “You are not yourself.”

 

She surged ahead. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

 

Sesshoumaru wanted to throw up his hands and be done with it. Why was she doing this? She was close to Shizu, even he could see that and he was supposed to be the unfeeling bastard - he knew was people said - not her. It was what he liked about her. Her freedom with her feelings intrigued him. This… was not her.

 

He caught her wrist, forcing her to stop and face him. She scowled and tried to pull her hand free, but he held on firmly.

 

“Why do you act as though you don't care that she left?”

 

“What do you want me to do? Fall apart because I'll never see her again?”

 

Sesshoumaru let her go. “I want you… to be you.”

 

“I can't be `me' right now.”

 

“Vanessa… I don't expect you to be cheerful and happy all the time. I expect you… to be honest. You are hurting. I can feel it so don't hide it.”

 

Tears welled up in her eyes and she practically threw herself at him. This was the response he had been anticipating, what he had prepared himself to handle.

 

He held her, resting his cheek against her hair until she quieted.

 

“You knew this was coming,” he said gently.

 

“I know.”

 

She sniffed and twirled a lock of his hair around her finger.

 

“You lied to me, you know,” Vanessa accused.

 

“When?”

 

“You said it was easier to pretend you didn't care.”

 

Sesshoumaru sighed softly. “It is only easier if one does not care from the start. It is futile to try to deny your feelings.”

 

“It's going to be harder when I leave you behind,” she whispered, and he didn't know what to say to that. He agreed, but what could he tell her to make it easier?

 

He gave her another moment, but the day wouldn't last forever. “Let us be on our way,” he said finally and Vanessa nodded.

 

They would walk for now, until they could find some horses that is, but it would take little effort for him to bring them into the sky.

 

He was looking forward less and less to the end of this journey. He almost wished it would turn out to be a failure. Almost.

 

 

 

 

 

A/N: A little longer than last time…

 

It's 3 in the morning and I should have had an actual assignment finished by now, but I couldn't seem to get this out of my head, so there you have it.

 

I just want to thank all of you who commented. I've had a few pretty big personal upheavals lately and every “[MM.org] New Comment…” that popped up in my mailbox was a little burst of sunny happiness. So thank you ^_^ I missed that when I wasn't getting chapters done. I was writing ahead - as I have been since the beginning, I guess - so I've got about 4 different endings I need to choose from now lol. But you don't need to worry about that just yet. There's still a lot to tell.