InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Moving Pictures ❯ Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow ( Chapter 18 )

A/N: Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. I really do appreciate it.

 

FFnet: Gothic-Ember: oh, wow. Thank you! Agent-doo, Neisha, kagomemikogoddess

 

Mmorg: Chiaztolite - Thanks! Sesshomaru is a tough one to keep in character.

 

Disclaimer: I do not own any character created by Rumiko Takahashi.

 

 

 

Chapter 18 - Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

 

“My lord?” a soft, tentative voice reached him through the fog of sleep, but it was the wrong voice, the wrong words. Disoriented, Sesshomaru struggled with the last cobwebs of a dream that clung to his mind. `Rest easy. Rin and Jaken will be here soon. I…' He wanted to stay asleep and reach for her, catch the hand that caressed his face, make her finish what she had been about to say.

 

“My lord Sesshomaru?” Why was Rin in his bedchamber? She sounded worried…

 

“Quiet, Rin. You're disturbing him,” Jaken snapped harshly.

 

`It's the other way around,' Sesshomaru thought irritably and opened his eyes in the gloom that permeated the overgrown jungle in which he lay. Glancing around and flaring his nostrils, he took in the tall, gray trees with their fingerlike branches stretching into the thick canopy above. Rich, damp earth and the heady perfume of jasmine hung in the air. Delicately pointed ears caught the slightest of sounds made by the forest's inhabitants: the low drone of insects, the hiss of reptilian skin against bark, a small rustle as a rodent dove down a burrow.

 

Except for Rin and Jaken, he was alone here. Where was his brother's group? Where was Charlotte? He could smell the two-tail; her scent was all over the forest floor and his clothes, as was Charlotte's, but of his brother's group, he could smell nothing.

 

Dappled in faint afternoon sunlight, Rin sat on her knees in front of him in the viney undergrowth, staring solemnly at her hands. Jaken was puffing up his chest, a sure sign of a rant to come, and Sesshomaru decided to nip it in the bud.

 

“Jaken, what happened at the tower?”

 

Deflating like a balloon, Jaken glanced at him with wide eyes. “My lord, you're awake! We were so worried!”

 

“That doesn't answer my question.”

 

“I led Rin safely from the fight and out of the tower, just like you commanded me. We waited for you for several hours, then decided to come look for you.”

 

“Where are the others?”

 

“I don't know, my lord. You were alone when we found you. We did see that two-tail of theirs flying high over the trees, but the rest have shown neither hide nor hair since we escaped.”

 

So they had the firecat drop him off before they left. But why had he been unconscious in the first place? Thinking back to the battle in the tower, he replayed the scene in his mind. Charlotte and her brother had been about to go through the painting when Yukio had attacked her and he had lost control. Charlie had vanished into the blue light as Sesshomaru had torn into the fire youkai's back, and then a searing pain had ripped through him, igniting nerves endings and boiling his insides. Dimly, he had been aware of screaming, of Yukio's dying shriek as he was reduced to ashes, then nothing but darkness.

 

So it was over. Yukio and his ill-fated plot had been destroyed and the cats had gone home to their infernal city. Safely back in its cage, his youkai howled in his head, despondent cries filling him to overflowing and it was all he could do to maintain his impassive mask and not throw his head back in a howl of his own. He'd been too late, too slow, and true to her word, she'd left.

 

Then again, maybe it was better that she had left; channeling was forbidden and the ability to do so meant certain death. But did it really have to? He was angrier that she didn't tell him, not that she could do it. He could have kept her safe; no one in the Western Lands would have dared question him, even about that.

 

“My lord?” Rin gazed up at him, deep brown eyes sad.

 

“Yes, Rin.”

 

“Did Kitty go home for good this time?”

 

“Yes, Rin.” She nodded, twisting her hands in her lap.

 

“And good riddance,” Jaken huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “She was insolent, rude, vulgar: hardly a lady. Not to mention that she was a mix-breed channeler that should have been drowned at birth.”

 

“That's enough, Jaken,” he growled, his veneer beginning to crack at the edges. The imp was right on all points, but she also had been vibrant, passionate, and beautiful. A channeler, maybe, but his in a way he'd never though of a female before. And he had rejected her, threatened to kill her, refused to protect her from Yukio. For one of the first times in his life, he found himself regretting his actions.

 

“What now, my lord?” Rin asked quietly.

 

Sesshomaru pushed off the trunk against which he was leaning and rolled gracefully to his feet. With Yukio dead, a new Southern Lord would be needed. As far as he knew, Yukio had not left a male heir, which gave him the opportunity to seize the South, adding to his already large holdings. Without answering the young girl, he summoned his demon cloud and gestured for her to climb on. Her strangled gasp and wide eyes gave him pause.

 

“What is it, Rin?”

 

“My lord, your arm…”

 

Running his claws through his hair to dislodge the leaves and bits of bark that tangled into it, he gave his right arm a cursory glance, but it seemed to be okay.

 

“Oh my!” Jaken gazed up at him with bright, watering eyes. “You're whole again! Not that I'm saying you weren't whole before, even though you were missing you left arm. But it was a crippling injury that your brother gave you. Not that you're a cripple! Ohhh!”

 

Tuning him out as the imp dug himself deeper into a hole, Sesshomaru realized that he had been inspecting his right hand while combing his hair with his left. Pulling it free of his silver mane, he brought it in front of his face. It was his left hand, certainly, the maroon stripes twining over his wrist and up the back of his hand. Fascinated, he pulled up his sleeve to reveal where it had regenerated, leaving only an ugly scar where the severance had been.

 

Rin clapped her hands and bounced a little, a sunny grin lighting her face. “How did it happen?”

 

Sesshomaru gave his arm an experimental bend, and then flexed his claws. Cracking noisily, the tips began to ooze with poison. Everything seemed to be in working order, though he had no idea how it had regenerated so quickly, not that he would admit that aloud. He had expected to wait a century before the arm grew back and was usable again. Would his wretched half-brother know? Did he really want to ask?

 

He didn't. The only reason he had been with his brother's group was to help the cat, and she had left him. Now, there was work to be done. He'd lost his woman but would gain the Southern Lands. For some reason, it gave him little consolation.

 

XxxxxxxxxxxX

 

Charlotte sat cross-legged in the grass staring into the flames of the campfire and fingering her ears for the umpteenth time since leaving Sesshomaru in Yukio's forest. It had been a week now, but felt like an eternity. Stoic he may have been, but she yearned for him with an aching that took her breath away. He filled her dreams to the point that she couldn't sleep well. She'd jerk awake, bathed in sweat and burning with the feeling of his claws on her skin, or almost crying out loud as he turned his back on her: “Dirty blooded vermin. I should have killed you the moment I set eyes on you.”

 

Tired and listless, she hadn't even had the energy to come up with suitably scathing responses to Inuyasha's teasing about her “pining for that black-hearted bastard”. Of course, that was after he had gotten over the smell of his brother all over her. He'd avoided her the entire day that she'd joined them with Kirara, casting suspicious glances at her as he sniffed in her direction. Whether or not he actually knew what they had been up to, Charlotte did not care.

 

Charlie's absence also left a void in her soul. Though they had lived hundreds of miles apart, she could always reach him by phone or email. Now that he was unreachable, she felt like a part of her was missing. Would she ever see him again? Would the well take her back to modern Japan or would she have to wait out the centuries?

 

She gave the now prominent point of her ear a firm tug. She hadn't been able to take her normal form since that night, and now had these long, pointed ears and permanently slitted pupils. So on top of a broken heart (she had to admit it to herself, even if she wouldn't admit it to the others), her body wasn't working right.

 

Tomorrow, they should reach the Bone Eater's Well. Kagome had been very upbeat, assuring her that there was a very good chance that the well would accept her since she wasn't from this time, but Charlotte could hear the doubt in her voice and did not share her enthusiasm. She felt cosmically fucked, and had a creeping feeling that the worse was yet to come.

 

“Eat something, will ya?” Inuyasha shoved a skewered squirrel at her, waiting until she took it before he stomped back over to his seat next to Kagome.

 

Sango swallowed a mouthful of squirrel and glared daggers at the hanyou. “Lay off, she misses her brother.”

 

“Keh.”

 

Charlotte chose not to comment. Yes, she missed her brother but she missed Sesshomaru just as much, or more, especially knowing that he was relatively close but just as inaccessible. Worrying a piece of flesh from the scrawny squirrel that was entirely too cooked for her taste, she tried to look like she was enjoying it. Later, when no one was looking, she'd give the rest to Kirara.

 

Surreptitiously setting aside the squirrel kabob, she unzipped the computer bag that Kagome had managed to save for her and pulled out the computer. Strange how her laptop, which had once been an unpleasant reminder of work, was now the thing that gave her the most comfort. Despite the fact that she may not see her home for another five hundred years, she'd done some work on the project her boss had given her. Her battery was almost dead, but it had enough juice for her to record a few thoughts that had occurred to her while they had been traveling.

 

“Um, Charlotte?” Kagome's timid question broke her train of thought and she squinted up at the girl.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I was wondering… would you mind helping me with my math homework? I'll probably have a make-up exam tomorrow and I have to pass it.”

 

“Sure! I'd love to,” Charlotte grinned suddenly and snapped closed the computer, sliding it back into her bag. Finally, here was a chance to feel useful, to help these people who had taken her in as one of their own.

 

XxxxxxxxxxxX

 

“So this is it?” Charlotte peered into the darkness at the bottom of the well. It wasn't impressive, could have passed for an ordinary dry well.

 

Kagome nodded and hefted her yellow backpack onto her shoulder. Inuyasha snorted and grabbed the strap, yanking it off and onto his own back. “The time slip opens before you hit the bottom, if it's going to open at all.” Uncertainty crept into her voice as she joined Charlotte at the edge of the well and perched on the short wooden wall.

 

“And if I don't get through, you'll mail that letter to Charlie?”

 

“Right, and I'll charge your laptop battery once I find an adapter.” Conveniently enough, their time periods in the modern world were only a few months off, Charlotte's being a little earlier than Kagome's. In the event that Charlotte was trapped in the feudal era, she had written a letter to her brother explaining the situation and Kagome had promised to send it when the time came.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Grinning, Kagome bobbed a quick bow from her seat on the well. “It's the least I can do, considering that I'll ace that math test!”

 

“Are you gonna yap all day or what?” Inuyasha griped and snatched Charlotte's computer bag from her, lifting the strap over his head so that it lay across his chest, and then slipped an arm around Kagome's waist.

 

Kagome rolled her eyes but grinned anyway, “I'm ready, dog-boy. Don't rush me. Are you sure you don't want to go first, Charlotte?”

 

“Yeah, I'm sure. If I don't show up after you, don't worry about it.” She tried a reassuring smile, but it came out more like a grimace.

 

Inuyasha grunted and launched into the air, Kagome held firmly to his side, and dropped down the well. Moments later, light glimmered from the bottom of the well, then vanished, taking the hanyou and human with it.

 

Charlotte sighed heavily, her heart pounding in her chest. She hadn't been this nervous about something since her college speech class, where each speech had left her jittery and drained. `Relax, it will work or it won't. There isn't anything you can do about it.'

 

“Right, that didn't look so hard,” Charlotte perched on the lip of the well as Kagome had done, staring down at the darkness between her feet. Glancing back at Miroku and Sango, she saw them give her encouraging nods. Kirara, in her tiny kitten form, mewed. She waved, her goodbyes already spoken, and pushed off the edge.

 

XxxxxxxxxxxX

 

Mamoru shifted his massive bulk from his left foot to his right, trying to gauge his lord's reaction to the news. As Lord Sesshomaru's oldest general, he had taken on the task because the others were intimidated by the lord's cold wrath. He, on the other hand, had first been his father's general, when Sesshomaru had been a whelp at his nurse's skirts. However, he had been acting strangely this last week and Mamoru just didn't know what to expect.

 

Steepling his clawed fingers, Sesshomaru stared at the scroll in front of him. “A daughter.” Now that he thought about it, he did remember that Yukio had a child. It had been quite a blow for the lord, his mate producing a daughter then dying soon after. He must have never re-mated. Perhaps he had wanted the cat for a dual purpose. His youkai seethed within him, but nothing was reflected on his impassive face,

 

“Yes, my lord. Lord Yukio's only child, and only living relative. Mating her would secure the Southern Lands without a fight.”

 

Silence stretched for several minutes, and Mamoru shifted onto his left foot. When it was obvious that his lord was not going to say anything, he sighed inwardly. He had really hoped that his lord would sire pups on that concubine he'd brought home, but she'd disappeared. Lady Leiko was his next best hope of heirs to the Western Lands. Hoping to incite a little interest, he offered up another bit of information. “If you don't mate her, any minor lord could usurp the Southern Lands. They are in chaos now, and need a strong leader. Lord Yukio's murderer may even make a bid for the Southern Lands.”

 

“Unlikely.”

 

“So you do know who killed him?”

 

Silence again, and Mamoru crossed his arms over his barrel-shaped chest. He had a strong suspicion that his Lord knew much more than he had been willing to share. Rumor was that a band of powerful demons had broken into Lord Yukio's private lair, reducing the lord and his tower to rubble. Lord Sesshomaru had discredited some of the theory, saying that the lord was dead but his tower still stood. However, he had shed no more light on the event, nor on the reason why his arm had regenerated overnight instead of the century it should have taken. “Shall I order the documents drawn up for your mating?”

 

Irritated, Sesshomaru tapped his fingers together. He did not want to mate this Leiko woman. However, he understood the need for heirs and this would be an expedient way to take over the Southern Lands.

 

Could he even perform his duties as mate? He'd accosted one of his staff in desperation, trying to chase the cat out of his thoughts. A female was a female, he'd told himself, but had hardly been able to kiss her. The scent was wrong, the demur cast of her eyes was wrong, the feel of her body under his hands was wrong. Finally, his youkai had rebelled and he'd thrust her away from him, storming back to his private chambers and ignoring her yelp as she hit the floor.

 

However, he was Tai-youkai and he had certain obligations to fulfill, including begetting heirs. He'd be damned if his half-brother were to inherit the title and territory.

 

“Order it. This Sesshomaru will mate Lady Leiko of the Southern Lands.”

 

XxxxxxxxxX

 

Charlotte landed on her feet on the floor of the well. No light. Well, maybe it would take a second to open. She stood perfectly still, holding her breath as she waited for something, anything, to happen. A shadow passed over the sunlight streaming into the well and Sango's voice called down to her.

 

“Charlotte? Are you there?”

 

She screwed her eyes shut against the tears that threatened to fall. Despite her best efforts to not get her hopes up, she was crushed. Everything she had known, worked for, cared about was gone, wouldn't exist for five hundred years. What had she done to deserve this? Where had she gone wrong? Try as she might, she could not find a reason her current predicament. It had been an accident, her powers going out of control and destroying Yukio's painting. When she was certain that her voice would remain steady, she morosely answered the taijiya, “Yeah.”

 

She sat on the cool earth floor, cross-legged with her head propped in her hands. `Now what?' she thought to herself as she stared at the dirt wall cluttered with roots and insects. Her beast growled in her mind, `Just give up? Wait for someone to figure out what you can do and destroy you?'

 

Shaking her head, she brushed away a tear that had managed to slide down her cheek. `No, but…'

 

`Pussy cat, learn to use your ability!'

 

`And then what?'

 

`We'll make a home for ourselves.'

 

Charlotte sat quietly, processing what her beast had just told her. That had been the weirdest conversation she'd had with it yet. For the most of her life it had been quiet, offering advice or insults on the odd occasion, but since she'd met Sesshomaru it had gotten quite vocal. Now it was making decisions for her?

 

“Hentai!” Sango's voice echoed off the well's walls, followed by a sharp slap.

 

And it wasn't like she was completely alone. Her new friends had accepted her, mix blood, channeling and all. Train up and find a home. Well, it would give her something to do. Pushing to her feet and wiping away any moisture from her face that would betray her, she leapt into the air and out of the well.

 

Sango, dressed in a traveling kimono and seemingly quiet harmless with her hair down, stood next to Miroku, who was rubbing the side of his face and looking quite put out.

 

“I'm so sorry,” Sango said, trying not to notice the tell-tail smudge of dirt on the cat's chin.

 

Miroku nodded. “If you need anything, a shoulder to cry on, a comforting arm, a warm bed at night…”

 

“Uhhh, thanks but I'll be okay.” Charlotte was keenly aware of the taijiya fuming next to her.

 

“The offer is always open if you change your mind.”

 

“Can it, monk. She already said no.”

 

`Stupid ass,' Charlotte thought fondly. `If he'd put some of that effort into wooing the Sango, maybe he'd get laid.' Breaking the uncomfortable silence, she turned to the demon slayer. “You said there was a good place to bathe around here?”

 

Perking up, Sango nodded. “There's a hot spring not too far from here. Very secluded and private,” she glared daggers at the monk who was moving to follow. He stopped, almost wincing in reflex. With a satisfied toss of her head, Sango led the way.

 

XxxxxxxxX

 

Lady Leiko arrived with all of the pomp and circumstance required for the mating of a Lord and Lady, though the event was solemn and subdued. She'd waited as long as she could to reply to his summons, sending back her acquiescence weeks after the missive had arrived. Waiting for a better offer, many guessed, but apparently she hadn't received one.

 

Dressed in a black kimono and red obi, her long red hair loose and flowing down her back, she glided through the main hall with tiny steps, her hands clasped in front of her and her eyes on the floor, her pretty face strained with fear. Two of Yukio's former generals flanked her and an entourage of ladies in waiting trailed behind.

 

Sesshomaru stepped from the dais and inclined his head, nothing on his face showing the disgust he held for this woman. It wasn't the Lady's fault that he didn't like her; normally he wouldn't have cared one way or the other. No, it was his youkai that despised her, finding fault in everything from her almost smoky scent to the fiery color of her hair. The officiator spoke, declaring the mateship to his court to resounding applause, but Sesshomaru barely heard the words over the protesting of his youkai.

 

The officiator stepped between them, taking their hands and bringing them together. Leiko kept her eyes on the floor, Sesshomaru stared over her should and into space. Her skin was hot and repulsive against his, but he kept his hand steady, as did she, though he could feel her discomfort.

 

Had his father felt like this when presented with his own mate? Or had he gladly accepted her, only learning later that they were not compatible? For years, Sesshomaru had worried about succumbing to his father's curse and falling for a human. Perhaps he should have learned from his father's first mistake instead and taken a mate for whom he cared.