InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ King Nothing ❯ Demon's death ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

 

The Higurashis' were holding one last dinner for Souta before he left to return to the States to continue his education. Souta insisted on Sesshoumaru being invited despite his bloody history he had with Kagome. “It's my dinner and I can invite whoever I want to!” Souta argued for the umpteenth time. His mother had already given up but his grandfather was stubborn.

“He's a demon and he tried to kill your sister!” The argument was getting nowhere and the bickering between the two only stopped when the doorbell signalled that Kagome and her guest were here. The grandfather glared at the demon as he entered but Sesshoumaru ignored him and refused to the bait that Inuyasha always had risen for. Kagome did rise for it though.

“Gramps! Stop glaring at Sesshoumaru! He's a guest remember?!” Kagome scolded.

“He's a demon and revealed his true nature last time he was here!” Her grandfather argued.

“No I brought it up but I really wish I hadn't! I wouldn't have if I knew this was the reaction I'd get!” Kagome yelled.

Sesshoumaru watched the two for a moment before deciding to interfere; “you humans are quick to categorize everything as `good or evil' aren't you?” He sighed. Everyone stopped and stared at the demon in stunned silence, Sesshoumaru took this as his cue to continue, “has it never occurred to you that perhaps neither exists?” The question even stumped Kagome who knew better than any human alive how big the gray area was. How can neither exist? She wondered.

“What about Naraku, he was evil and we were good for stopping him?” Kagome asked after a moment of thoughtful silence.

“Not even Naraku can be called evil,” the dog demon sat down in a chair and folded his hands on his crossed knee (think of how Alucard from Hellsing sat when he was in the plane that was going to ram the ship *volume 5*). “I'll ask you this Priestess, if Naraku hadn't crossed you, would you have bothered with him?” Kagome opened her mouth to speak but shut it when no words came out. “My point exactly, good and evil are just words to justify what you have done,” Sesshoumaru explained.

“But Naraku,” Kagome started but stopped again when no other words came to her.

“Was a miserable fool who believed power could be obtained from an outside source. He believed that the Shikon Jewel could bring him power and did what he could to get it. That is not evil; stupid yes. But not evil,” Sesshoumaru watched his hosts' stunned gazes for a moment before continuing, “had he let me be, I would not have bothered with him. Seeing as how he did, I took it upon myself to teach him his fatal error. Does vengeance make me evil?”

“Of course it does!” The grandfather yelled.

“Then by that logic, Kagome is evil as well. For her and her companions would have also left him alone had he not crossed them,” Sesshoumaru calmly explained but didn't give the old man an opening he could use. “Face it, good and evil are just four letter words used to make yourself feel better while belittling someone else. Had Kagome not gotten in my way all those centuries ago, I would have left her be. Seeing as how she deemed it necessary to interfere, I responded by attacking; a natural response for both demons and humans.” Everyone was quiet after that and the subject was dropped.

The group was sitting at the dinner table when Kagome's mom asked the demon a question, “why don't demons bury their dead? If you mind me asking.”

“Mama! Where did you even get that idea?!” Kagome scolded.

“It's in the latest King Nothing book,” her mother explained.

Sesshoumaru was silence in thought before he finally answered, “to bury the dead is to keep them on one place for all eternity. Leaving the body to decompose and become the Earth is to free the demon and allow him to wander till the end of time.”

“Then how do you honour your dead?” The grandfather asked.

“Demons don't. Throughout time, demons have paid their respects to fallen friends or foes by watching them die,” Sesshoumaru answered and became painfully aware that there would be no one to witness his death.

“Foes?” Kagome repeated, confused.

“A foe that fights an honest battle is a foe that has the right to have someone witness his death,” the dog demon explained.

Explains why he turned his back when Naraku was dying Kagome mused, “why?”

“So there will be someone who knows you were there. After there is no body, what proof is there that the dead existed?” The dog demon finished.

“So who's going to watch you die?” The grandfather asked.

The ancient demon sat there for a moment before standing up and heading for the door, “no one.” The family stared at the shut door and then Kagome shot a glare at her grandfather before running out after Sesshoumaru. She found him sitting under the God tree in silent pondering.

“I'm sorry for what my grandfather said,” Kagome apologized.

“There is no need. In all honesty, I am more shocked that I didn't see that question coming,” he replied.

“It was still uncalled for,” Kagome responded.

Sesshoumaru gave a light shrug, “not your fault he said it.” The dog demon looked up at the moon in thought, “I've known for centuries that no one would be there to observe my death.”

“What do you mean?” Kagome was genuinely stumped.

“Come now Priestess, I've never been a well liked man. I've known since I was very small that there would be no one,” he explained, “it is a fate I'm used to.”

“But this `no one' is different than the one you had been at peace with,” Kagome stated, “your previous `no one' was that there would still be demons after you were gone, but this `no one' is that once you're gone, that's it.” Sesshoumaru was quiet but Kagome knew she was right. The priestess looked back at the house, “you can leave you know, if you don't want to stay.”

The former lord stood up and brushed the dirt off, “and admit defeat to that doddering old human? I may not have an empire anymore but I still have my pride, Priestess.”

Kagome smiled as she watched him go back to the house then realized that Sesshoumaru had called her grandfather `a doddering old human', “hey! Don't call my Gramps that!” If Sesshoumaru heard her, he didn't show it and returned inside. She stood out there dumbfounded for a moment before running back in as well.

The house was tense as Kagome's grandfather continued to try and push Sesshoumaru's buttons. Good luck with that Gramps Kagome thought and mentally smirked.

The grandfather had tried everything he could to annoy the dog demon but nothing worked. The mighty demon had only one sore spot but attacking that one would be hitting below the belt. The dinner was finished and all sat in the living room discussing whatever came to mind. “So, Sesshoumaru, have you ever been married?” Her mother asked innocently.

“Once,” Sesshoumaru nodded, “a long time ago.”

“What happened demon? She see you for what you really are?” Her grandfather sneered. Kagome was about to protest but Sesshoumaru beat her to it.

“Actually she dies near the end of World War Two,” he replied, effectively shutting the old man up. The dog demon saw a chance to keep the old coot silent and took it, “she and our child were in Hiroshima at the time. I got to see them vaporized before my very eyes.” Sesshoumaru never took his eyes off the old man, “I spent decades mourning their deaths and it is still a rather touchy subject for me,” The grandfather looked at the floor and didn't say a word. “What's wrong? All night you've been looking for my nerve and there it is,” he asked and leaned back in the chair he was in.

“Sesshoumaru! How!” Kagome started but was stopped by her grandfather.

“No,” he shook his head and looked up at the demon, “I apologize for my actions tonight. I see now that everything I've said to you this evening has been uncalled for.”

Everyone was quiet after that and the demon stood up, breaking the silence with his movements, “as I said, good and evil does not exist. Only us. There is no higher force dictating what we should be. Perhaps you will keep that in mind.” The dog demon grabbed his jacket and walked out the door. Kagome contemplated following him but decided against it. He needs some time to himself right now. She looked back at her grandfather who went upstairs and into his room.

“Has Sesshoumaru always been like that?” Souta asked.

“He used to be worse actually. He played a different mental game. He would expose your weakness and then either would make you suffer for it before he killed you or, depending on his mood, would just kill you,” Kagome answered.

“Damn,” Souta muttered.

 

Sesshoumaru returned to his apartment and stuck his keys back into his pocket. The dog demon stopped in mid-step when a certain scent caught his attention. “Damn!” He cursed and grabbed Tensaiga from its resting place on the wall moments before his ceiling came crashing down.

Kagome pulled into her parking space and saw Sesshoumaru's car was parked at an odd angle. It was almost as if he had been incapacitated when he was driving. “I doubt he's drunk,” Kagome muttered and walked over to the car. Still sitting in the driver's seat was Sesshoumaru. He was slumped over the steering wheel with one hand precariously balancing on the top of the wheel. “Sesshoumaru!” She cried out and opened the car door. The dog demon was a mess to say the least. He was covered in gashed and cuts. Most were deep but were healing nicely thanks to his demonic heritage. The worst seemed to be an injury to the side of his head that still oozed blood. The former priestess unbuckled him, causing him to stir a bit.

“Priestess,” he muttered, his voice hoarse and strained, “I was worried you weren't going to come back tonight.” His eyes were glazed and unfocused; he started to close his eyes again.

“Sesshoumaru! Come on, stay with me,” Kagome shook him, “you're too heavy for me to carry!” The dog demon started to stir again. The former lord pulled himself sluggishly from the car and leaned heavily on Kagome when he tried to stand. She slung one of his arms over her shoulders and slowly headed for the door. The dog demon tried his best to walk but often stumbled when he put too much weight on his injured left leg; there was nothing broken but the limb couldn't support the massive weight of the injured demon at the moment and his right leg was strained trying to carry him step by step. Kagome was also straining under the mass of his muscle bound body. Somehow they had managed to get him inside and onto her bed without too many problems. Kagome disappeared and reappeared with the first aid kit and began treating his wounds. The former dog lord lay there, drifting in and out of consciousness but never once letting go of Tensaiga. The sword was silent so Kagome knew his life wasn't a danger but she still why he clung to his sword like someone was going to take it from him.

She had almost finished when Sesshoumaru started to talk, “someone blew up my apartment,” he muttered with half-lidded eyes. Kagome was surprised that he was still conscious after that blow to his head. She figured what he had to say was important and him telling her the message was all that was keeping him awake at the moment. “They knew I was a demon,” he continued.

“What? How?” She asked, gripping his free hand tight to keep him awake when she saw his eyes starting to shut again.

“They went to great lengths to make sure I couldn't get a proper scent off of them,” he answered and his eyes opened up to the halfway point again, “they were after Tensaiga. The wall it was on was the first to crumble. I barely noticed in time to grab it.”

“So whoever did this knows you aren't humans and knows what Tensaiga is capable of,” Kagome gathered and looked at Sesshoumaru for confirmation but he was out cold. His message had been passed along and both his mind and body had given out under the strain or staying awake. The former priestess sighed and covered him up with her blanket and left the room, “I guess I'm sleeping on the couch tonight.”

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Sorry it took so long to update! After my finger healed up, I reread the chapter and didn't like how it ended so I had to redo a lot of it. I like how it turned out. The other ending just gave too much away and I like keeping you guys on your toes