InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Loss of Self, Discovery of Truth ❯ Mother ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter Ten: Mother

“What an awful stench!” Kouga said covering his nose with his hand as he and Kagome approached Sesshoumaru's fallen form. He pulled him away from the insect's entrails. “He still looks rather human to me.”

“I don't understand.” Kagome brushed off some of the gunk from Sesshoumaru's face and neck. She felt for his pulse and found it to be weak and thready. “He's not doing well.”

“What are we supposed to do now?”

“I don't know.” Kagome stared down at the fallen Sesshoumaru and felt a great heaviness within the center of her chest. It reminded her of the first time she'd seen Inuyasha in Kikyo's arms in the woods—which she was totally over by now, the thought never even crossed her mind anymore, except now at this moment of course.

“My foolish boy,” a feminine voice intoned behind them. Upon a pink cloud—like the one Sesshoumaru used for traveling—stood a regal female inu-youkai. Upon her arms was a pelt similar to Sesshoumaru's. Her hair was a long silvery-white and an all-too familiar crescent moon tattoo resided upon her forehead.

“Are you Sesshoumaru's mother?” Kouga asked, sniffing the air and recognizing the similarities between this woman and Sesshoumaru's natural scent.

She looked down at him with such an expression of disdain that his tail drooped low to his side. “Yes, I am the mother of the Lord of the Western Lands.”

“You have to help us!” Kagome pleaded, clutching onto the front of Sesshoumaru's tattered shirt. “He was supposed to return to normal after killing this demon that stole his powers but it didn't work!”

“Oh but it did work,” the inu-youkai said. “My son is whole, but not in this world.”

“You mean, he's dead,” Kagome whispered.

“Hardly. But he will be and not even his father's precious Tensaiga could bring him back.” She glowered down at them both. “The last time I saw him he was playing with his food. Honestly, I don't understand why he'd be traveling with that toad and those two children. And now, it's been maybe two months and I find him human.”

Kouga rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously. “You are what you eat?” he suggested.

Sesshoumaru's mother cracked an energy whip in his direction without batting an eye and he jumped away with a yelp cradling his stinging arm. “His useless father gave me an item that opens the gates to hell. I told Sesshoumaru that it could only be used once back when I saved the lives of those worthless humans of his.”

Kagome cleared her throat at the `worthless humans' comment but bit her tongue when the fearsome demoness glared at her.

“If we use this item will we be able to save him?” Kagome asked.

She looked between the two of them. “You will be more likely to join him in death. I would go myself, but it is unbecoming of a parent to bail her child out of such a foolish situation. I must sit back and watch him either fail or triumph. That is my duty.”

“Lady…what do I address you as?” Kouga asked, not wanting to receive another attack from her biting whip.

“I gave you no such name to address me by, you are beneath knowing my name,” she retorted.

Kouga rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to tell her exactly what sort of name he'd be calling her but was interrupted.

“Sesshoumaru's mother, we wish to save him. Please help us to do this,” Kagome asked.

She looked down at her son's body. “If he were to return to this form he'd be better off dead.”

“We need him to defeat Naraku,” Kouga said.

Kagome clutched to Sesshoumaru's shoulders willing him to wake up. His pulse was still thready but at least his heart was pumping. She looked down at his face hoping his eyes would open and that he'd open his mouth to complain about the sticky substance covering him and insulting his sense of hygiene. He remained resolutely tight-lipped. Then, for a moment, his body shuddered and seemed to become incorporeal.

“He's being pulled to the other side to join the rest of his essence,” his mother said.

“We can't let that happen!” Kagome cried.

“It must happen and you two will follow it,” she said holding up a round object in her palm. “This is the Meidou-seki. I shall use it to open a portal into the next world. If you do not succeed you will be trapped in hell.” A bright flash radiated from her hand engulfing Kagome, Kouga, and Sesshoumaru's human body before they disappeared from the earthly plane of existence and were shot down a black tunnel.

“What the hell?” Kouga roared crouched on his hands and knees and shaking his head. “That crazy bitch just sent us to hell? What are we supposed to do now?”

“Calm down, Kouga-kun.” She recognized the place instantly, though she had to wonder why Inuyasha's father had two portals to hell created. And even more strange why he gave one to his former mate and stuck the other one into the eyeball of his youngest son. They were in the same place where she and Inuyasha first discovered the Tetsusaiga and battled against Sesshoumaru in his full demon form. “Where's Sesshoumaru? He was transported here too I thought.”

Kouga walked around, careful not to trip over any protruding bones. “This is disgusting. It feels like I'm walking around the inside of a giant grave yard.”

“You are. This is the grave of Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha's father. We're actually inside of his skeleton.”

Kouga whistled and craned his neck in all directions. “Pretty big. Why's Ino-kuro such a runt then?” He sniffed the air in search of a trace of Sesshoumaru and found something quite interesting. Lying on the ground was a severed arm clutching a large sword. “Was this here when you were here last?”

Kagome's nose scrunched up in disgust until she recognized the familiar striping tattoos on the pale, muscular arm. “That would be Sesshoumaru's lost arm.”

“I realize that from the scent, but why is it so well preserved and holding a sword. Don't you think that's weird?”

“We just got sucked into hell by Sesshoumaru's mother. What part of this strikes you as weird?”

Kouga grinned at her. “You're so smart, Kagome. This is why you'll make a great mate!”

“Kouga-kun, please. Can we focus?”

“Sure,” he agreed picking up the arm. “We should probably take this with us.”

“This is so gross,” Kagome whispered with a shudder. “Come on, we need to keep looking. He's not here.” She led the way out of the skeletal remains. The sky was littered with a few of the bone birds she'd ridden on previously.

“I hate birds,” Kouga complained joining her at the ledge of a tall cliff-like structure. They reminded him of those accursed birds of paradise. “You don't intend that we ride on one, do you?”

Kagome took a firm hold of his wrist and when one of the bone birds swooped down low enough as it came near the ledge she jumped taking the wolf prince with her. Together they landed upon the bird.

Kouga's grip on the arm slipped upon the jostle of the unexpected landing and he almost lost the arm to the deep pit below. “Yo! A little warning next time!” he said recovering possession of the arm.

“We're on a deadline.” She searched the area in hopes for a clue as to where to go. For as far as the eye could see skeletons, hundreds of skeletons large and small littered the landscape. It was rather disconcerting that she was able to recognize at least two other demon skeletons—a large cat and dragon that though dead for fifty years her group of friends had to fight against.

Kouga tried to use his nose to guide him but the stench of death and sulfur made it difficult to differentiate anything useful. He sneezed and for a moment his sense of smell was cleared. “To the right, I smell something that doesn't belong here.”

“Is it Sesshoumaru?”

“Maybe.” If it wasn't the demon lord he'd have to start picking out a nice comfy skeleton to make a home for himself since Sesshoumaru's mother sent them to hell without bothering to explain a way to return. At least Kagome was stuck in this place with him. The bird seemed to be linked to his desire to travel to the right because it shifted course. “These birds aren't so bad after all.”

Kagome gave the creature a pat on the boney-neck. “Rather convenient given our situation.”

“Down,” Kouga said as the scent became stronger. It wasn't Sesshoumaru, but it was familiar. The bird navigated through narrow openings until it reached the source of the smell. Then it flipped onto his side sending them both falling. Kouga reached for Kagome with his arm and pulled her close to him. “Hold on!”

She wrapped her arms around him and he was able to use his free hand and feet to gain purchase on the cliff's side while sending a shower of rocks and dirt flying behind him on the slide down.

When the dust had settled they found the source of the smell standing within the canyon.

It was a giant three-legged white beast with razor sharp teeth foaming at the mouth and its red ferocious eyes were directed at them. The arm in his hand vanished and the creature suddenly had four legs.

“We found him,” Kagome said clutching to Kouga tightly.

“Now what?”

“The sword? We can use the sword maybe?”

“It's gone.”

“What? Where?”

“Disappeared when the arm did.” He shrugged. “Maybe it's like an extra claw or something.”

“What are we supposed to do now?”

Sesshoumaru's beast form dipped its head closer.

“We have to find his human body,” Kouga said.

“This isn't him?”

“No, not all of him. You saw what happened with the arm. If we find his lost humanity and it becomes absorbed, maybe that will be enough to return him to normal.”

“I don't suppose you can track it down from here, can you?”

“Maybe. Hell is a pretty big place after all.”

“Sesshoumaru!” Kagome called stepped away from Kouga and bravely approaching one of her oldest enemies—demon Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru stopped growling and focused his gaze upon her.

“We came to help you, Sesshoumaru! We're your friends!”

He snorted before ramming his head into the cliff's wall and sending rocks sliding down towards the two. Kouga yanked Kagome out of the way of the falling debris. Acidic fumes began to spread out from Sesshoumaru.

Instinct said run. Kouga listened to his instincts. “I don't think he wants to talk. We'll have to look elsewhere.” He lifted her into his arms, not waiting for permission, and used his talent for running to get them out of there before either the entire structure collapsed upon them or their lungs melted from the acid fumes.

There was a breeze of air that seemed less sulfuric and he hurried in that direction. Not far away there was a bridge that seemed to separate the graveyard from a dark gray place.

“You can put me down,” Kagome huffed hitting his chest in annoyance.

“Not with an angry dog-demon on our tails,” Kouga said glancing behind him to see Sesshoumaru leap out of the canyon and run straight towards them. The wolf prince pushed his strength to the limit and the fastest his legs could take him sending a whirlwind of dust in his wake. It would do little to slow down a determined demon lord but his priority was to get away from danger.

“I don't think the bridge is a very good idea,” Kagome shrieked when Kouga ran across the glassy surface. Below them hot molten lava radiated heat and he could feel his heels being scorched.

Sesshoumaru paused on the other end of the bridge and turned his nose up in distaste before settling himself comfortably on his side. His large white muzzle was propped on his paws as his hungry red eyes watched them.

“I'm certainly not going back in that direction.”

“But what is this direction?”

“The humans,” Kouga said. He could smell them now. It would seem that even in death the demons and humans were segregated.

OOOOOoooooOOOOO

“So why are we still here? Kagome's in danger!”

“Yes, well, we don't exactly know where she went,” Miroku pointed out calmly.

Inuyasha's face grew red and he pointed to his nose. “You think this is for aesthetics?”

“Have you been reading Kagome's school books again?” Shippo asked waving his finger accusingly.

The hanyou grew flustered and began to sputter unintelligibly.

“I think that means yes, houshi-sama.”

“Just shut up! I'll track her down.” He turned to Kikyou. “I'll carry you and Miroku and Sango can ride on the cat.”

“I can travel quite well on my own,” the priestess answered quietly as she affectionately ran her hand across one of the slippery bodies of her snake-like soul stealers the shinidamachu.

“I'll ride with you, Inuyasha-sama!” A set of bushes parted to reveal a young girl that was usually in the company of a fearsome demon lord and his annoying toad henchman.

“Rin? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the palace with Jaken.” Inuyasha patted the girl awkwardly on the head. She'd been drawn to him while he had gone to Sesshoumaru's palace even though his stay had been extremely brief. It was odd that she was the one person in his brother's household that he could stand to be around. She was the only one that seemed to care and was genuinely interested in him while the others merely did their duty.

The girl pouted. “But Inuyasha-sama, Jaken-sama and Kohaku-chan wanted to come here.”

Au-Uhn stepped out from behind the bushes with Jaken grumbling at his heels. There was also a familiar young boy bearing a striking resemblance to a certain demon slayer.

“Kohaku,” Sango gasped taking a step back. Only a few hours had passed since she was engaged in mortal combat with the young man.

He looked at her with sharp, intelligent brown eyes. “Kagura dropped me off with Rin and the others, but I don't understand.” Kohaku directed his attention to Kikyo. “Where's Sesshoumaru-sama?”

“Why do you care where that prick is?” Inuyasha shouted. “We're missing Ka—our shard detector! That's certainly more important than that pompous—”

A hard jab in the ribs with Miroku's staff knocked out the air in Inuyasha's lungs effectively silencing his tirade. “Kagura brought you to Sesshoumaru-sama's group? That must mean she's helping them. Considering Inuyasha's sanity—more or less—was returned that must mean Sesshoumaru-sama was successful in slaying the parasitic demon that stole their essence.”

“What does that have to do with Kagome?” Inuyasha asked straightening up.

“Kohaku, you're you.” Sango took a tentative step towards her younger brother. “But, how?”

“I took the liberty of purifying his shard,” Kikyo explained.

“When?” Miroku asked.

“Kagura says we need to hurry if we intend to help Sesshoumaru-sama,” Kohaku interrupted.

OOOOOoooooOOOOO

Naraku was at his weakest but that didn't mean he was ignorant. Kagura thought she had outsmarted him, but what she failed to realize was that on the nights he was separated into his many forms it was easiest to create and mold a new detachment.

Tonight he would form his greatest and most loyal ally. One created without the interference of Onigumo's influence and with a mostly completed shikon no tama. He would be more powerful than any of his other off-spring.

Byakuya stood across the cellar from where Naraku's main torso and head were splayed across the wall. He was a demon of great illusions.

And he would be the death of Kagura.