InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Love and Deceit ❯ Dwelling on the Past; Reunited Siblings ( Chapter 4 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Kate the InuYoukai01 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Drama / Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.11.2010 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 242 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Drama / Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.11.2010 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 242 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter Four: Dwelling on the Past; Reunited Siblings
He paused. The scent of blood wafted to him from a distance. It was human blood, and the scent was rather alluring; unmistakably female. He beckoned his retainer and followed the smell to a small mud path that led to a tiny village that he had traveled through just the previous day.
A little girl, maybe six or so, lay dead in her own pool of blood. Her body had been chewed savagely, suggesting that something rather hungry had tried their best to consume as much of the small girl as possible.
A pack of wolves? He questioned himself as he came to a stop a few inches away. The smell of death and freshly-spilled human blood was heavy in the air, and Sesshomaru surmised that the rest of the girl's village had been wiped out.He recognized her from the day before; he had seen her playing with three other children that by scent he concluded to be her siblings. He heard Jaken shuffle over and squawk sadly.
"This poor wench is a goner," the toad looked over his shoulder questioningly. "Milord, why have we come here?" he asked.
Sesshomaru did not answer his retainer. He couldn't answer the question even if he wanted to. The girl's scent was still thick in the air and he found it to be rather pleasant, though it was laden with fear and death. So instead of answering, he merely stepped over the girl and began walking away when something pulsed.
He paused.
Looking down at his right hip, Sesshomaru pinned a perplexed gaze on his father's old blade Tenseiga, nestled in his obi. It seemed to have its own pulse, and it was pleading with him. For what, Sesshomaru did not know. His left hand lifted up and grasped the hilt.
Tenseiga... Why do you weep?
The blade pulsed again, causing Sesshomaru's brow to furrow. He turned, the pulsations coming more often the closer he came to the child's corpse.
Do you wish that I save her? the blade seemed to give him an approving pulsation, From what?? he thought as his hand tightened on the hilt of the blade.
He had yet to master this particular blade, unlike Tetsusaiga which was what he had been traveling to find. All he knew was that no matter how much he slashed and swiped, the sword would not cut, but seemed to help the demons he had fought against raise in power. He had finally gotten tired of it and used his claws to finish them off, and deemed the Tenseiga a useless piece of scrap metal. Though it had been rumored during his father's rule to be the most majestic sword that Totosai, the legendary demon blacksmith, had ever made, along with the Tetsusaiga.
Smoothly, he unsheathed the blade and watched in curious fascination as it pulsated once more. Translucent imps appeared, putting their tiny webbed hands on the girl's body. Her wounds began to glow a faint blue, engulfing the child in the eerie light. Somewhat instinctively, Sesshomaru sent a swift downward sweep on the girl. He knelt, still holding the blade, and waited. And once again, he did not know what for. He lifted the child into his lap and stared at her face; hoping for something he was not yet sure of.
Suddenly, the child's eyes flashed open; a strange blankness in her chocolate eyes; like death's eyes. Her wounds webbed and healed themselves, not even leaving a scar. A distant thud resonated in Sesshomaru's ears. A heartbeat…The child was resurrected...
----------------------------
Sesshomaru's eyes snapped open the next morning, his heart thudding in his chest like the first heartbeat from the child of which he had just dreamed.
Rin... he thought as he lifted himself from the trunk of the tree he had been leaning against. He felt a tight knot at the nape of his neck and at the small of his back from sleeping against the tree. He sighed inwardly and, deciding to ignore the slight pain, sent a sweeping gaze across the campsite.The girl he'd saved was still sleeping, and he could tell from the sweat beading her forehead and the way she clutched her hands to her chest that she was having an unpleasant dream, probably revisiting the night before just as he had revisited years past. He unconsciously covered her with the thick furs as a cold breeze passed by and moved his gaze from the girl to his male comrade.
Souta was still sleeping as well, though he seemed in a more restful state of sleep. Now knowing that he would not be disturbed for a time, Sesshomaru decided to slip into his own thoughts.He had saved a total of three humans in the past two decades, he realized. He was having trouble coping with the plain and simple fact that he had begun to take a liking to humans. It had started with Rin. As she got older and Jaken died, she had become the light of his life, his only meaning of existence other than his obligation to keep the western lands from the rule of the leopard tribe. After he lost her, he went back to the western lands and sent out a search party to find the half breed that killed her. He never saw the demons sent out again. He left the western lands soon after, and put it in the protection and care of his most honorable servant; Setsuka Takashi. Though a woman, she was his best warrior other than his General, Mitsu Takahashi, and always took care to make sure that all of the problems brought forth were meticulously taken care of.
Then came Souta. After he had resurrected the boy, he had been able not only to teach a worthy student, but battle a worthy opponent. He found humans, though felled easily by disease and emotion, were rather fast learners. Not only Souta, but he found the more time he watched almost any human, the more he realized this. There was good, evil; pure, impure.He looked down at his right hip to the withered hilt of his father's fang. The only reason he had been able to acquire the Tetsusaiga was because of his profound need to protect Rin; to protect a human. If it weren't for her, then Sesshomaru would have lost the blade to his younger brother because of the human blood that ran through his veins and the love that he had for his human mother. His hand rested on the hilt, the feeling of the fringed leather rough against his fingers. He had won many battles with the blade, and he found it to be quite useful in battle. If he would have gotten to the hut quickly enough, he would have discovered Inuyasha defiling what was his and would have easily slain him.
I was too late, he thought as he closed his eyes. Unacceptable...
He was brought out of his thoughts when his sharp ears caught the rustle of cloth. He turned his gaze to the dying fire to see Souta rising from his furs.
"Good Morning, Sesshomaru-sama," the boy said with a slight yawn.
"Indeed."
He watched his ward's eyes move from his own and land on the pile of furs, distinguishably a human from the long hair fanning out across the ground.
"Who is that, milord?"
Sesshomaru's gaze moved to the girl as well, "I saved her from a lecher last night during my walk."
"And you brought her back to camp?" Souta asked suspiciously.
"She can not walk on her own," Sesshomaru answered honestly. "She injured her ankle in the struggle."
Souta raised an eyebrow as he stood, "May I look, milord?"
Before he could answer, the furs shifted slightly. Sesshomaru noticed that the girl, Kagome, his mind supplied, was awake and looking up at him with wide eyes, as if she were asking him a silent question. Slowly, she raised herself into a sitting position, seeming to be afraid to turn around. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as she turned and looked over her shoulder.
Her breath caught in her throat, "Otou-tou..."Time stood still all together in that moment. Kagome staring dumbfounded at the young man, and Sesshomaru looking in between them in slight bewilderment. He found that this made sense.
Things were beginning to fall into place, their appearance and scent alone should have been enough to tip him off. The two must have left the village on an errand before the attack, and when they returned and saw their village destroyed and their sister either fatally injured and dying, began to take her with them. Something must have happened or they were too weak to carry her, and they left her bleeding corpse on the road. He turned his gaze back to Kagome, who had been staring as if in a trance at the nineteen-year-old now identified as her younger brother.
I was right... Kagome thought coldly. He wasn't dead... I was right...
She had no idea that it would actually be true. She thought that since the demon's description was close to the one who had killed her brother, that she might hunt down the demon and see if the man traveling with him looked familiar. Was this regal demon the one that had tried to kill her brother, or had he saved him from another? Kagome wasn't sure. It wouldn't make sense if her brother actually was traveling with the one that tried to kill him. Her thoughts were interrupted by the subject of her thoughts.
"Kagome..." he took a step forward. "Why have you come here?"
She lowered her head slightly, sticking her hand in her obi and pulling out the scroll that had given her the incentive to come and seek him out.
She lifted it to him, "Because I knew you were alive."
He took it and unrolled the parchment. As he read, his eyes widened, "How did-"
"When you were claimed to be dead three years ago," she whispered, her head still downcast, "I asked..." she paused momentarily, "Jin to send notice to each village. They were to document every demon sighted in the area in detail and send it to the shrine. This was so I could hunt down the demon that had supposedly killed you and kill him for his transgressions." Her head lifted then, her eyes brimmed with unshed tears and fiery anger, "Then I discover my only family running all around Japan, safe and free and alive... with a demon lord no less-"
"Ane-ue, you misunderstand-"
Sesshomaru, who had remained silent for quite long enough, decided to speak, "He was indeed dead when I discovered him, miko."
She sent an icy glare at him, "That is not possible; once dead, a mortal can not return. My brother is clearly here."
"He was killed by my enemy," Sesshomaru centered his own icy glare on her. "I am not a deceptive demon, miko. You should do well to remember who you are talking to."
Kagome seemed to flounder for a moment. Then seemed to find a suitable comeback.
"Alright then," she smirked. "If one can be brought back from the other side... how is it done?"
Sesshomaru felt a headache forming at the back of his eyes. He growled lightly, "Woman, you are truly insufferable."
She gave a triumphant laugh, "Ha! You see, it can not be done!"
He unsheathed his blade and stood, taking a predatory step forward, "Maybe this will give you a taste of what power I possess."
She gave a surprised gasp as she fell back from the force of the thrust and felt the slashing force of the blade run from her chest to her hip. He had slashed her with his sword! She stayed there for a moment, confusion reigned. Why do I feel no pain? Why am I not dying?
Slowly she sat up, only to find that the wound that was supposed to be there was nowhere to be seen. She actually felt better than she did before he had done it.
She looked up at him, "Didn't you strike me?" She turned angrily to Souta, "Why didn't you stop him!!??"
Souta gave a small laugh, "The Tenseiga can not harm a living being, Kagome. It is the blade that brought me back from the other side." He indicated the sword now sheathed at Sesshomaru's hip, "It can save the lives of one hundred mortals in one swing."
"So," she looked up at Sesshomaru in awe as she stood, putting more weight on one side so as not to irritate her already aching ankle, "you really saved my brother?"
"Indeed-"
His words stopped when Kagome wrapped her arms around his chest and held him tight against her in a mighty hug. His breath caught in his throat and he felt color blaze to his cheeks beyond his control.
"Thank you," she smiled against his neck, making him suppress a shudder. "Thank you so much!"
He didn't hug her back, merely stood there as she hugged him. And as she pulled back he willed the blush from his cheeks. Though insufferable, she was very beautiful and looked much like his lost love, and it was Sesshomaru himself that decided this.She pulled back fully, accidentally putting more weight on her ankle than she should have, and gasped as she quickly went into a sitting position. Her ankle was purple and swollen, and she couldn't really move it all that much.Sesshomaru, noticing this, moved his gaze to Souta.
"Her ankle is twisted harshly," he watched Souta's face melt into a look of worry. "Take her to the hot spring and get her cleaned up, then go to the stream and get some of the bandages in the satchel wet and bring her and the wet bandages back here."
"Yes, milord," He quickly moved to Kagome's side. "And what about her clothing?"
Sesshomaru looked over her bloodied miko garb. "I will worry about that."
He paused. The scent of blood wafted to him from a distance. It was human blood, and the scent was rather alluring; unmistakably female. He beckoned his retainer and followed the smell to a small mud path that led to a tiny village that he had traveled through just the previous day.
A little girl, maybe six or so, lay dead in her own pool of blood. Her body had been chewed savagely, suggesting that something rather hungry had tried their best to consume as much of the small girl as possible.
A pack of wolves? He questioned himself as he came to a stop a few inches away. The smell of death and freshly-spilled human blood was heavy in the air, and Sesshomaru surmised that the rest of the girl's village had been wiped out.He recognized her from the day before; he had seen her playing with three other children that by scent he concluded to be her siblings. He heard Jaken shuffle over and squawk sadly.
"This poor wench is a goner," the toad looked over his shoulder questioningly. "Milord, why have we come here?" he asked.
Sesshomaru did not answer his retainer. He couldn't answer the question even if he wanted to. The girl's scent was still thick in the air and he found it to be rather pleasant, though it was laden with fear and death. So instead of answering, he merely stepped over the girl and began walking away when something pulsed.
He paused.
Looking down at his right hip, Sesshomaru pinned a perplexed gaze on his father's old blade Tenseiga, nestled in his obi. It seemed to have its own pulse, and it was pleading with him. For what, Sesshomaru did not know. His left hand lifted up and grasped the hilt.
Tenseiga... Why do you weep?
The blade pulsed again, causing Sesshomaru's brow to furrow. He turned, the pulsations coming more often the closer he came to the child's corpse.
Do you wish that I save her? the blade seemed to give him an approving pulsation, From what?? he thought as his hand tightened on the hilt of the blade.
He had yet to master this particular blade, unlike Tetsusaiga which was what he had been traveling to find. All he knew was that no matter how much he slashed and swiped, the sword would not cut, but seemed to help the demons he had fought against raise in power. He had finally gotten tired of it and used his claws to finish them off, and deemed the Tenseiga a useless piece of scrap metal. Though it had been rumored during his father's rule to be the most majestic sword that Totosai, the legendary demon blacksmith, had ever made, along with the Tetsusaiga.
Smoothly, he unsheathed the blade and watched in curious fascination as it pulsated once more. Translucent imps appeared, putting their tiny webbed hands on the girl's body. Her wounds began to glow a faint blue, engulfing the child in the eerie light. Somewhat instinctively, Sesshomaru sent a swift downward sweep on the girl. He knelt, still holding the blade, and waited. And once again, he did not know what for. He lifted the child into his lap and stared at her face; hoping for something he was not yet sure of.
Suddenly, the child's eyes flashed open; a strange blankness in her chocolate eyes; like death's eyes. Her wounds webbed and healed themselves, not even leaving a scar. A distant thud resonated in Sesshomaru's ears. A heartbeat…The child was resurrected...
----------------------------
Sesshomaru's eyes snapped open the next morning, his heart thudding in his chest like the first heartbeat from the child of which he had just dreamed.
Rin... he thought as he lifted himself from the trunk of the tree he had been leaning against. He felt a tight knot at the nape of his neck and at the small of his back from sleeping against the tree. He sighed inwardly and, deciding to ignore the slight pain, sent a sweeping gaze across the campsite.The girl he'd saved was still sleeping, and he could tell from the sweat beading her forehead and the way she clutched her hands to her chest that she was having an unpleasant dream, probably revisiting the night before just as he had revisited years past. He unconsciously covered her with the thick furs as a cold breeze passed by and moved his gaze from the girl to his male comrade.
Souta was still sleeping as well, though he seemed in a more restful state of sleep. Now knowing that he would not be disturbed for a time, Sesshomaru decided to slip into his own thoughts.He had saved a total of three humans in the past two decades, he realized. He was having trouble coping with the plain and simple fact that he had begun to take a liking to humans. It had started with Rin. As she got older and Jaken died, she had become the light of his life, his only meaning of existence other than his obligation to keep the western lands from the rule of the leopard tribe. After he lost her, he went back to the western lands and sent out a search party to find the half breed that killed her. He never saw the demons sent out again. He left the western lands soon after, and put it in the protection and care of his most honorable servant; Setsuka Takashi. Though a woman, she was his best warrior other than his General, Mitsu Takahashi, and always took care to make sure that all of the problems brought forth were meticulously taken care of.
Then came Souta. After he had resurrected the boy, he had been able not only to teach a worthy student, but battle a worthy opponent. He found humans, though felled easily by disease and emotion, were rather fast learners. Not only Souta, but he found the more time he watched almost any human, the more he realized this. There was good, evil; pure, impure.He looked down at his right hip to the withered hilt of his father's fang. The only reason he had been able to acquire the Tetsusaiga was because of his profound need to protect Rin; to protect a human. If it weren't for her, then Sesshomaru would have lost the blade to his younger brother because of the human blood that ran through his veins and the love that he had for his human mother. His hand rested on the hilt, the feeling of the fringed leather rough against his fingers. He had won many battles with the blade, and he found it to be quite useful in battle. If he would have gotten to the hut quickly enough, he would have discovered Inuyasha defiling what was his and would have easily slain him.
I was too late, he thought as he closed his eyes. Unacceptable...
He was brought out of his thoughts when his sharp ears caught the rustle of cloth. He turned his gaze to the dying fire to see Souta rising from his furs.
"Good Morning, Sesshomaru-sama," the boy said with a slight yawn.
"Indeed."
He watched his ward's eyes move from his own and land on the pile of furs, distinguishably a human from the long hair fanning out across the ground.
"Who is that, milord?"
Sesshomaru's gaze moved to the girl as well, "I saved her from a lecher last night during my walk."
"And you brought her back to camp?" Souta asked suspiciously.
"She can not walk on her own," Sesshomaru answered honestly. "She injured her ankle in the struggle."
Souta raised an eyebrow as he stood, "May I look, milord?"
Before he could answer, the furs shifted slightly. Sesshomaru noticed that the girl, Kagome, his mind supplied, was awake and looking up at him with wide eyes, as if she were asking him a silent question. Slowly, she raised herself into a sitting position, seeming to be afraid to turn around. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as she turned and looked over her shoulder.
Her breath caught in her throat, "Otou-tou..."Time stood still all together in that moment. Kagome staring dumbfounded at the young man, and Sesshomaru looking in between them in slight bewilderment. He found that this made sense.
Things were beginning to fall into place, their appearance and scent alone should have been enough to tip him off. The two must have left the village on an errand before the attack, and when they returned and saw their village destroyed and their sister either fatally injured and dying, began to take her with them. Something must have happened or they were too weak to carry her, and they left her bleeding corpse on the road. He turned his gaze back to Kagome, who had been staring as if in a trance at the nineteen-year-old now identified as her younger brother.
I was right... Kagome thought coldly. He wasn't dead... I was right...
She had no idea that it would actually be true. She thought that since the demon's description was close to the one who had killed her brother, that she might hunt down the demon and see if the man traveling with him looked familiar. Was this regal demon the one that had tried to kill her brother, or had he saved him from another? Kagome wasn't sure. It wouldn't make sense if her brother actually was traveling with the one that tried to kill him. Her thoughts were interrupted by the subject of her thoughts.
"Kagome..." he took a step forward. "Why have you come here?"
She lowered her head slightly, sticking her hand in her obi and pulling out the scroll that had given her the incentive to come and seek him out.
She lifted it to him, "Because I knew you were alive."
He took it and unrolled the parchment. As he read, his eyes widened, "How did-"
"When you were claimed to be dead three years ago," she whispered, her head still downcast, "I asked..." she paused momentarily, "Jin to send notice to each village. They were to document every demon sighted in the area in detail and send it to the shrine. This was so I could hunt down the demon that had supposedly killed you and kill him for his transgressions." Her head lifted then, her eyes brimmed with unshed tears and fiery anger, "Then I discover my only family running all around Japan, safe and free and alive... with a demon lord no less-"
"Ane-ue, you misunderstand-"
Sesshomaru, who had remained silent for quite long enough, decided to speak, "He was indeed dead when I discovered him, miko."
She sent an icy glare at him, "That is not possible; once dead, a mortal can not return. My brother is clearly here."
"He was killed by my enemy," Sesshomaru centered his own icy glare on her. "I am not a deceptive demon, miko. You should do well to remember who you are talking to."
Kagome seemed to flounder for a moment. Then seemed to find a suitable comeback.
"Alright then," she smirked. "If one can be brought back from the other side... how is it done?"
Sesshomaru felt a headache forming at the back of his eyes. He growled lightly, "Woman, you are truly insufferable."
She gave a triumphant laugh, "Ha! You see, it can not be done!"
He unsheathed his blade and stood, taking a predatory step forward, "Maybe this will give you a taste of what power I possess."
She gave a surprised gasp as she fell back from the force of the thrust and felt the slashing force of the blade run from her chest to her hip. He had slashed her with his sword! She stayed there for a moment, confusion reigned. Why do I feel no pain? Why am I not dying?
Slowly she sat up, only to find that the wound that was supposed to be there was nowhere to be seen. She actually felt better than she did before he had done it.
She looked up at him, "Didn't you strike me?" She turned angrily to Souta, "Why didn't you stop him!!??"
Souta gave a small laugh, "The Tenseiga can not harm a living being, Kagome. It is the blade that brought me back from the other side." He indicated the sword now sheathed at Sesshomaru's hip, "It can save the lives of one hundred mortals in one swing."
"So," she looked up at Sesshomaru in awe as she stood, putting more weight on one side so as not to irritate her already aching ankle, "you really saved my brother?"
"Indeed-"
His words stopped when Kagome wrapped her arms around his chest and held him tight against her in a mighty hug. His breath caught in his throat and he felt color blaze to his cheeks beyond his control.
"Thank you," she smiled against his neck, making him suppress a shudder. "Thank you so much!"
He didn't hug her back, merely stood there as she hugged him. And as she pulled back he willed the blush from his cheeks. Though insufferable, she was very beautiful and looked much like his lost love, and it was Sesshomaru himself that decided this.She pulled back fully, accidentally putting more weight on her ankle than she should have, and gasped as she quickly went into a sitting position. Her ankle was purple and swollen, and she couldn't really move it all that much.Sesshomaru, noticing this, moved his gaze to Souta.
"Her ankle is twisted harshly," he watched Souta's face melt into a look of worry. "Take her to the hot spring and get her cleaned up, then go to the stream and get some of the bandages in the satchel wet and bring her and the wet bandages back here."
"Yes, milord," He quickly moved to Kagome's side. "And what about her clothing?"
Sesshomaru looked over her bloodied miko garb. "I will worry about that."