InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Into the Fire ❯ Lives at Stake ( Chapter 20 )

 

The male blinked.

 

Once, twice, as if to awaken himself from the lurid dreams of the past that occupied him for a while. He could not say he was surprised to find himself recalling that particular episode of his life. The resemblance between the two situations was indisputable.

 

But would they end the same way? Would he allow them to end the same way?

 

Nine times had his grandfather attempted to wipe away Lady Isha's memory, only to perform those failed trials one after another. Her determination to keep the precious memory of her loved ones forced her mind to resist the obliteration. But no matter how strong a creature was, no mind could endure such enormous strain imposed upon it. Ever since that night, that traumatic experience, she was never the same. Her mind and soul shattered into pieces, and her body soon followed, collapsing bit by bit. With each day that passed, she lost a little piece of herself. The suffering continued until two years later, she drew her last breath.

 

And now, Yuusou gazed at the female before him with his fingers still pressed on her forehead, ready for the elimination of her recollections. She was still trapped within the blue sphere barrier that Sesshoumaru had created. Her moist green eyes lingered on him, staring at him with unspoken plea.

 

`…You don't even know what truly happened to your mother…' He whispered inwardly. `You poor creature…You don't even remember…'

 

Only eight years old… Everyone would agree it was a very tender age to watch her mother dying in such a pitiful way. No one was surprised that the young pup was completely crushed. Feared of loosing the only thing her daughter left behind, the Lord of the Eastern Lands did what he thought was right. He erased Shouri's memory…

 

And that day, that time when he surprisingly decided to revive it…

 

“…Grandfather…” Yuusou called as he stepped into the elder youkai's study, soon after Shouri left, soon after her memory was returned to her. She was in such a haste to search for her brother, anxious to be with him after 200 years of separation.

 

But there were no angry words coming out of her mouth. No accusation, no hatred and confusion regarding the death of her mother. And the eastern prince just knew. Her recollection of that particular tragedy had been forged. The trauma that was once stolen from her had not been returned.

 

“…Grandfather…” Once more he called the male who was sitting behind the large, elaborately carved desk. “Why did you not tell her the truth? Why did you not restore all of her memories?”

 

The Lord of the Eastern Lands remained silent, as if he did not even hear his grandson's question. Lowering his eyes to the surface of his black-lacquered desk, he seemed as if he was lost in a deep contemplation. When it was clear that the elder refused to give out an answer, Yuusou sighed. But no matter how hard the youkai lord strived to hide his reasoning, his incisive heir could not miss the quiet distress.

 

And he knew…

 

He could feel his hand started to tremble as he struggled to make his decision. No one needed to tell him that this female would resist the obliteration. She would do everything in her power to keep her memory intact, just like what her mother did. Then, would she survive the process?

 

Would history repeat itself?

 

But what would happen if he left her as she was, drowning little by little in her grief? How long would she last in her condition? How long would she last until she succumbed to her grief and lost her will to live?

 

A difficult decision, it was. A dilemma, so to speak. But there was one thing the eastern prince knew…

 

`…Can't do it…' He thought bitterly as he closed his eyes, his lips curled into a grim smile. He shook his head slowly. `…I can't do it…Your memory is already filled with holes as it is…'

 

He lowered his hand, causing Shouri to stare at him with her widened eyes. Needless to say, the female was taken aback by his decision not to steal her memory, though the reason for the unexpected action was beyond her. Even more stunned she was when she saw him extending his hand to her. And for a moment, she could not believe he would be willing to assist her to escape. She could not believe he would release her. After all, she could not say her cousin was happy with what her mate did to her and her unborn children. And for a moment, she did nothing but glare at the unexpected offering.

 

“…Take my hand…” Yuusou said, confirming what she had in mind.

 

Hesitantly, Shouri put her hand on top of his, though still confused as to how he would release her from the spherical prison. The barrier her brother had created especially for her was strong indeed, proven by her own failure to break it even after hours of continuous attempt. But again, Yuusou had somehow managed to infiltrate the sphere, hadn't he? His hand was already within the barrier, enveloping hers in a gentle grip.

 

Slowly, carefully, he pulled his hand along with hers. His eyes were narrowed in concentration as he gradually pulled her out of her confinement. With blatant awe, she watched every limb of her body gradually escaped what was supposed to be an impenetrable barrier, until her cousin completely freed her from the imprisonment.

 

“Go…” He said, earning a sharp intake of breath from her. “Go while your brother still has not noticed that I have broken his barrier, for I will not be able to fool him for long…”

 

Shouri nodded before she went for the door and slid the screen open, only to find the sky that was filled with dark clouds. Her eyes soon saw the black hole that perched on the sky, very close to the peak of the mountain, hovering over the spot where the palace stood.

 

“…He has opened the gate to the afterlife…” She heard her cousin said, heard the approaching footsteps that brought him behind her.

 

“It is not going to be so easy to bring him back, Shouri... Are you certain your quest will be successful?”

 

“…If Ryoushin still retains a little bit of himself in that body…” She whispered without taking her eyes off the distant sky. “…Then I will be able to bring him back…”

 

She gave him a quick glance before stepping out of the chamber, impatient to leave the quarter to search for her mate. At this point, it might not be too late yet, she thought as she started to take off. She startled when she felt his hand grasping hers, causing her to halt her steps.

 

“…Am I sending you to your death…?” Yuusou whispered softly, his voice was filled with unmasked sadness and fear.

 

“No…” She responded as she turned around to face him. “The future… My future…” She said, squeezing the hand she held in her own. “…That is where you are sending me to…”

 

He nodded, though his hesitation was still clearly imprinted in his face. During the 320 years of his life, it was the toughest decision he had to make, yet. But no matter how hard it was for him to let her go, deep inside his heart he knew it was the right thing to do, the only thing he could do. As for now, he could only put his faith in her, believe that she would be able to retrieve her mate from the darkness that trapped the lost soul.

 

“My brother…” She said, snatching his attention. “…Please tell him that…I am sorry, but this is something I have to do…”

 

Once more he nodded, though he could not say he was now less unsure of his own decision. When she wrapped her arms around him, he pulled her into his embrace, holding her so tight as long as he needed to. But then, as much as he hated to release her from his protective embrace, he had to.

 

“Go…” He said, grazing her cheek one last time before the female leaped out into the open air and soon enough, disappeared from his sight…

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~

 

The blue robed man rose to his feet when he saw the swirls of black cloud that formed in the distant sky. From the place where he and his comrades were sitting in, it was difficult to see what was happening at the peak of the Mountain of Gods. Nevertheless, he was not completely clueless as to what was going on.

 

“…The gate to the afterlife is opened…” He murmured, though loud enough for his companions to hear.

 

Kagome too, rose from the platform along the veranda of the quarter where their pack had gathered. With her deep brown eyes, she followed Miroku's gaze. They all witnessed the sea of dark clouds that had taken over what used to be a much clearer sky. The black hole, the black gate which the summoned souls would pass through, seemed to gradually increase in its size.

 

“Is it too late to stop Naraku now?” She whispered with her slightly quivered voice.

 

“No…” The monk answered her. “It means he is now even stronger than he was… And we just have to exert more strength to defeat him… ”

 

“Does that mean Ryoushin had gone to the other side…?” The raven haired school girl asked again.

 

“…What do you expect?!” She startled when she heard Inuyasha grouchy voice. She turned around to look at the red-clothed hanyou who was sitting on the edge of the solid wood platform. His arms were folded in front of his chest, his back was leaning against the wooden pillar. Unlike the others, he was not staring at the darkened sky, but merely at the ceiling of the rustic building.

 

“The fact that he killed his own mate had proved he is no longer himself…” The hanyou continued with a fading voice.

 

Quietly, Kagome observed the male. Although this dog demon before her appeared to be the regular grumpy and ill-tempered Inuyasha, the soft spot in her heart could sense something different. He seemed… quiet, more reserved than his usual impatient-self. Though Shouri's death had forced them to delay their plan to attack, he had not uttered many complaints. He did show his disappointment in a surprisingly brief session of grumbling, but there was neither curse nor ear-piercing shouts of frustration. An improvement, she thought. And better than anyone, the girl knew that waiting, especially when Naraku was concerned, was not Inuyasha's forte.

 

As she fixed her eyes on the hanyou who was now staring blankly down the dark, seemingly endless corridor, she mused,

 

`…Inuyasha… Could it be that you're…'

 

But the sudden movement of Sango shattered her thought. The taijiya who was just standing quietly to her side had stepped forward, her hand was on the tip of her giant boomerang. She seemed restless, alert, as if she had seen something that might cause danger to all of them. Her eyes were glued on the vast expanse of trees only a few feet before them. The unknown creature she saw caused her fingers to tighten the clutch on her hiraikotsu.

 

“Sango… What's the matter?” Kagome asked, affected by the woman's anxiousness that was contagious. In mere seconds, the rest of the pack had taken their poses for battle, though the foe was still invisible to them. For a few moments, they remained in their stance, yet nothing happened. Only the wind rustling through the trees...

 

“…I thought…” The agile demon-slayer responded, her voice sounded unsure of what had roused her to such state of alarm. Then slowly, she lowered her weapon. “…I thought I saw a pale blue, almost white blur moving rapidly through the trees…”

 

But there was nothing but the trees, the wind, and their own presence. A false alarm it was, the pack agreed, and they soon retreated to take shelter underneath the roof of the veranda. Only Sango was still thinking about the vision, a glimpse of the indistinguishable form that she witnessed earlier.

 

`But whatever it was…' She thought as she returned her gaze towards the cluster of trees. `It sure was in a hurry to get somewhere…'

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~

 

Something had been bothering him…

 

The unsettling sensation was so vivid that he could almost taste it, though he was unsure as to what the cause of this distress was. Currently, the youkai lord was walking down the corridor that led to Shouri's chamber. His keen sense of hearing could capture the conversations of his half-brother and the pack of humans. They were not far, he thought. They were probably gathering at the end of the corridor.

 

Whatever they were discussing, he could not care less. Not only because the talks of the humans provided no interest to him, but also because at the time, his mind was preoccupied by the thought of Shouri, his troublesome little sister. Several hours had passed since their last conversation, since their latest dispute that once again ended in infuriation. Just like the time when he first met the tiger, just like the time he laid a slap on her cheek for the second time, just like the time when he severed the ties between them as siblings…

 

“…Your sister is a whore…”

 

Those harsh words he had uttered in shameful recklessness, one of the few moments in his life he secretly regretted ever since… He realized that such thoughtless action was not the best way to handle Shouri, his free-spirited sister who was still so young, careless, and spontaneous in so many ways. The youkai lord could only hope that these few hours of solitary moments had put some sense into her head.

 

But interestingly enough, most of the quarrel between them was about that loathsome tiger. He was right, he thought as he stopped to observe the black hole that was forming in the distant sky, an obvious proof that Ryoushin, or whatever his name was, had completely lost himself. His intuition was right from the very first moment he laid eyes on that tiger. That curse creature could only bring a series of bad luck and unfortunate events.

 

“…It wasn't him…” She had wept when she begged him to release her, when she pleaded him to let her search for her so-called mate.

 

`It wasn't him?' He repeated her lamentation inwardly.

 

How ridiculous.

 

The fact that one would be so weak and foolish to let a spirit from the past invaded his consciousness was preposterous, if not laughable. Not to mention allowing the invader to gain control, to force him to stain his own hand with the blood of his mate and children… Such weakness, such fragility and helplessness should not even exist in the race of demons. Such disadvantages were only suited for lesser beings. There was no excuse for a youkai to be defeated by that sort of insignificant force.

 

Why she still wanted to go to that degradation was beyond him. Had she been a mature female, the whole situation would have been easier to handle. She seemed to be forgetting her own delicate condition, that she was harboring her offspring in her womb, that she was a mother-to-be. For a female youkai, during the twelve moon cycles of their pregnancy, and even for years after, their lives were not their own. Some females, including the stronger ones, even decided to hide themselves deep within woods or caves to avoid battles against their enemies. All were done for the survival of the offspring, the precious descendants of their bloodlines.

 

But this one dog wished to go to the male who had proven himself to be a threat not only to her, but also to her unborn pups. Such foolishness proved that it was 100 years too early for her to take the responsibility of a mother.

 

`Not enough wind pushing through the windows of her mind…' He grumbled inwardly as he proceeded with his journey to Shouri's chamber.

 

He knew Yuusou was reluctant to erase her memory. While it might seem to be a harsh, excessive action, the youkai lord believed it was truly necessary. Judging from her condition when he left her, she did not seem capable of coping with the pain her own mate had caused her. Should they leave her be, it would not be impossible for her to lost the will to live and starve herself, which would eventually kill her and those pups.

 

He had to talk to his cousin again, he thought as he stopped at his destination. His hand moved to slide the screen open, revealing the chamber that lay beyond the partition. What he saw caused his amber eyes to widen. Or perhaps, what he did not see was a more proper way to describe it…

 

The sphere was empty.

 

The barrier was still intact yet it was empty.

 

“…She is gone…” A low voice behind him said.

 

The owner was no doubt the culprit who had released Shouri from her imprisonment. Slowly, the youkai lord turned around to glare into the cool green eyes of his cousin. His own eyes narrowed into a pair of amber slits, a pair of enraged amber slits…

 

“You helped her escape…” Sesshoumaru hissed. What he uttered was more of a statement than a question. The palm of his hand was already pressed against the hilt of Toukijin, ready to unleash the power of the sword whenever he willed it. The eastern prince soon responded, placing his own hand on the sheath of his sword. Sesshoumaru's will to fight was clear, and he had been ready to take the consequences ever since he decided to let Shouri go. His eyes never left those of the taiyoukai's, reading the anger that was blatantly displayed in those two fiery amber orbs.

 

“…I did…” He admitted.

 

Those two words triggered the youkai lord to unsheathe his sword and released a set of blue lighting towards his cousin. Yuusou quickly leaped backwards and gracefully landed on the quarter's spacious courtyard. Promptly, he pulled his sword, Toueijinmaru, out of its casing to block the taiyoukai's aggressive attack. Though he managed to skillfully defend himself against that first strike, the sparks from those lightning blinded him. When he finally regained his clear sight, the second attack came as swift, as vigorous as the first. This time, Sesshoumaru attacked from above, descending on the other male who was once again prepared to receive his sword.

 

Their blades collided with a loud crash, sparks of blue and green formed from where those two swords made contact. Sesshoumaru increased the pressure on his sword, yet his cousin was not yet ready to yield. Their eyes met, and Yuusou used that opportunity to try bringing the youkai lord to his senses.

 

“…Sesshoumaru…” He hissed between his clenched teeth. “…She left because she must…”

 

But what he said seemed to anger the golden-eyed male even more. Sesshoumaru leaped backwards, only to release another series of blue lightning. This time, Yuusou chose to dodge the attack, leaping swiftly to his side as he watched his cousin's power destroyed the trees of the forest behind him.

 

“No…” Sesshoumaru growled, snatching Yuusou's attention back to him. “…She left because you let her…”

 

The youkai lord held his sword before him, his narrowed eyes were still watching the other male inu with rage that was not decreasing, but seemed to escalate to a greater height. Yuusou's decision to release her, he thought as he clenched his jaws tight, it was unforgivable…

 

“…Ougi…” He mouthed the start of his attack. “…SOURYUUHA…!”

 

The youki that was accumulated for the strike caused the wind to whirl around them, lifting dust and dry leaves off the ground. Yuusou only had the chance to widen his eyes before Sesshoumaru unleashed his youkai power, launching waves of charged air that went straight to him in a great speed. Exerting his utmost speed, he dodged the swirls of lightning, alas it was not fast enough to get his right arm out of harm's way. He grimaced when his cousin's materialized energy struck his limb, cutting deep into his flesh. After the attack subsided, Yuusou stood there with his uninjured hand clamped over his wound. His blood was streaming down his arm, beads of red were dripping onto the ground.

 

The eastern prince returned to his stance, his hand was clutching the hilt of Toueijinmaru, preparing himself for another attack that he was sure the taiyoukai would soon launch. But much to his surprise, Sesshoumaru returned his sword back into its sheath. With unfaltering grace in his composed demeanor, he stepped forward, gradually shortening his distance to where Yuusou stood. And when he was close, very close… When they stood face to face, he stopped.

 

“If she died…” He hissed. His voice was low and cold, menacing. “I will kill you… and your chopped head is the last thing your grandfather will see…”

 

Once the last spiteful word was spoken, he walked passed his cousin who stood there with lips still sealed tight.

 

A small green imp who had been watching the whole fight came out of its hiding place when it saw its master leaving. Desperate to catch up to his lord, it tried to run as fast as its short legs would allow it.

 

“…My Lord…!” Its ear-piercing shriek broke the silence in the courtyard. “…My Lord Sesshoumaru…! Please wait for me…!”

 

Yet the youkai lord, who seemed to have decided to ignore his vassal, was not willing to halt his steps. Out of desperation, the poor creature flung itself towards its uncaring, unstoppable master. It was fortunate enough to land on the tip of its master's furry pelt, but only to be thrashed back onto the ground by the owner of the soft boa. The unwanted vassal could only watch its lord leaping into the forest before he quickly disappeared beyond the trees.

 

“Sesshoumaru!” Yuusou yelled out for him, for he now realized where his cousin was heading to. “…Sesshoumaru, wait!”

 

“…Lord Sesshoumaru!” The imp continued its whining on the ground. “…Where are you…”

 

“SESSHOUMARU…!”

 

A nearly deafening shout of another creature drowned the whimpers of the green youkai. The red-clad hanyou came running, incessantly calling his half-brother's name.

 

“Sesshoumaru…! Wait, you bastard…!”

 

Needless to say, no one answered his call, no one came back from the woods. And soon enough, the hanyou had the strangely-clothed girl and the young fox up his back. They too raced for the forest, followed by a large fire cat that carried the monk and the taijiya. That strange group soon disappeared beyond the shadows of the trees, following the path that had been started by the youkai lord.

 

Meanwhile, Yuusou was left to heave a deep sigh in the middle of a nearly empty courtyard, with the exception of the whining green imp.

 

`…What a bunch of hot-headed creatures…' He mused as he shook his head slowly.

 

Just when his hand moved to put his Toueijinmaru back into its sheath, an elder tiger youkai came approaching. He was none other than Kishi, Ryoushin's wisest, most faithful retainer.

 

“…Shall we follow them, Master Yuusou?” He asked.

 

“…They did not even bother to stop and ask you to guide them…” Yuusou answered after another deep sigh. “They did not even realize they could have entered the palace from a different route… Now they are heading straight to where the undead army is summoned…”

 

Once more, he shook his head. His eyes were now fixed on the black hole that seemed to grow larger with each passing second.

 

`…Shouri…' He whispered inwardly. `…You better make it quick…'

 

 

 

To Be Continued…