InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ New Dawn ❯ A New Purpose ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru or anyone from the hit anime/manga. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC’s in this story.

Chapter Six: A New Purpose

Kira parked the hover car inside a cavern that lay at the base of a mountain. The tunnel had taken an immediate right turn just past the entrance, shielding them and everything that lay beyond from the damning rays of the sun. Sliding the sun shield back she and Sesshomaru hopped out of the vehicle.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked for the umpteenth time. The dog demon simply stepped away from the car and looked around in the dim yellow lighting of the interior. “I mean priestesses and priests have spiritual powers and are supposed to fight us. Why do you want to see this Priestess Higurashi so badly? Why do we need these swords? I mean we have lots of weapons that can do the job, probably better, than some ancient relics.”

He ignored her and began walking toward the only opening, besides the one that led outside, they could see. Kira growled and ran after him. As they approached the entryway, two figures leapt out of the shadows and shouted, “Halt! What demons dare to approach the holy shrine?!”

Kira stopped and stared. The two guards were young priestesses, each armed only with staves, but she wasn’t fooled. She knew they had to have a large number of holy spells prepared and ready to be hurled at her and Sesshomaru at a moment’s notice.

Sesshomaru stopped before them and stated, “I believe Akima Higurashi is expecting me.”

The two looked at each other then back and demanded, “Name yourself, then!”

“I am Sesshomaru,” he replied and waited.

Both girls gasped and jumped to the side. “Our apologies, Lord Sesshomaru! We did not realize it was you! Yes, Priestess Higurashi is expecting you. She is in the main temple of the shrine.” Nothing in their manner expressed fright of the demon, only embarrassment in having impeded his way.

Sesshomaru wasted no further time as he walked between them and up the stairs behind them. Kira could only stare. ‘Guess, he was telling me the truth or should I say she was telling him the truth.’ She ran to catch up with the dog demon.

They ascended in silence, exited the stairwell, and entered a garden. Sunlight filtered through green leaves. Kira was familiar with the purpose and build of shrines, but this was first time she had ever been in one. She was awed by the beauty of a world from the past. Shadows cast by the crossbeams above were the only sign that they were inside a building; a huge biosphere that covered entire mountain ranges and valleys within them. Inside these greenhouses lived the ecosystems that had been lost to the outside world, unable to cope with the radiation that poured down upon the Earth each day.

Sesshomaru stopped to gaze about him. He was surprised by what he was seeing, but it wasn’t the same awe Kira felt. To him this was how the world should be.

“It didn’t take you long to get here,” said a woman to the right. Both turned and there stood an aging priestess. She held a bouquet of golden flowers as she gazed at them. “I, myself, have only just arrived.”

“You said you possess the swords, Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga,” stated the dog demon, his golden eyes staring at her in a mixture of distrust and anticipation.

“In good time, but first there is something I need to do. You may accompany if you wish,” Priestess Higurashi said as she turned away from the duo. In times of old the Lord of the Western Lands would have been irked by her behavior. Now Sesshomaru merely followed after with Kira, with great reluctance, tagging along. However, she couldn’t quell her rising curiosity and her steps didn’t drag as much as they would have at other times.

They strode deeper into the compound. As they cleared the trees, Kira spotted a large tree encircled with sacred sutras. The dog demon paused as he came abreast of it and looked at it.

“This tree…” he started then fell quiet as he face became thoughtful, almost sad.

“Do you remember it?” asked Priestess Higurashi, turning toward him. “It is not the sacred tree you knew, but its daughter.”

“Daughter?”

“The mother tree you knew was destroyed along with the original Higurashi shrine five thousand years ago, during the war that led the world to this sorry state. My ancestor, the priest Sota Higurashi, got wind of an attack on his ancestral home. He, his daughters, and his son gathered sacred objects, the ashes of their ancestors and family, and a cutting from the sacred tree and moved them away from the shrine to a safe location as fast as they could. However, as they were gathering the last items, the sacred Shikon no Tama and the cutting of the sacred tree, Katagai’s men attacked. As grenades started landing and exploding, Inuyasha and Koga barreled into the shrine and carried Sota and his daughters away from the burning shrine. One of the girls held the cutting; sadly, Sota’s son perished. He had been retrieving the Shikon no Tama from its place in the shrine when the attack occurred. No one was able to reach him. To this day the sacred jewel’s whereabouts are unknown.”

“How did the sacred jewel end up in your ancestor’s shrine?” asked Sesshomaru, staring at her.

Kira, who had been struggling to process all the information Priestess Higurashi had just delivered, suddenly realized something and asked before the priestess could answer Sesshomaru, “Wait a minute! You mean the Katagai family had your ancestor’s shrine marked for destruction?! Why?”

Higurashi looked between the two then sighed, “I think I can answer you both with a single name: Kagome.”

Kira stared at the priestess, perplexed, as Sesshomaru, eyes narrowing, asked, “That girl who was always with Inuyasha seeking shards of the jewel?”

“Yes, her. You see Kagome was Sota’s elder sister. She was murdered by Katagai two years before the war began while standing on her family’s temple grounds. Sniper fire. You understand the power of today’s projectile weapons don’t you?” The dog demon nodded, his expression guarded. “Katagai was believed to have possessed a high powered rifle that allowed him the ability to kill Kagome while sitting somewhere far away from the temple. She had been conversing with Inuyasha in front of the sacred tree when it happened. That coward was probably a mile away when he blew her brains out.”

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Sesshomaru was inwardly reeling from all that she had said. ‘Koga? Inuyasha? Kagome?’ Names he had known from before and yet she was now telling him that spirited girl that his brother had loved so dearly had been killed. Kagome had not only been murdered in a cowardice way, but she had been talking to Inuyasha; she had been murdered right before his eyes!

‘Just like Rin. Why did he leave Inuyasha alive? Why did he kill Kagome and not Inuyasha? I’m sure he could have killed them both but deliberately killed the human and left the hanyou alive. Why? To make him suffer?’ A dangerous new thought occurred to the dog demon. ‘Is he the same one that killed Rin? Is he in truth a demon and not a human?’ Sesshomaru started growling as the thought of his beloved Rin’s murderer was still alive.

He heard Kira words as if from a distance. “So Sota refused to join with Katagai because he murdered his sister?”

“That and Higurashi shrine didn’t believe in Katagai’s words. You see Koga and Inuyasha were demons. Sota had grown up calling Inuyasha brother, because he was always hanging out with his sister,” replied the priestess.

“You mean your ancestors were on the side of the demons in the war?” Shock and disbelief intertwined with her words.

Sesshomaru, though, was torn; he had to know but was afraid to. Finally he asked, “What happened to them? What happened to Koga, Inuyasha, Jaken, and Shippo? Tell me their fate if you know it.” He looked up and saw her hesitating to speak. His heart plunged. “Tell me!” he roared. Anyone else would have retreated from his wrath the Priestess Higurashi only looked down at her feet before she answered him.

“Koga and his wolves were cut down by machine gun fire.” He stared at her, determined to hear it, though, he felt his insides quake.

‘I had respected Koga. He was always a strong fighter as well as strong willed.’

“Jaken was killed during a bomb raid conducted by Katagai’s people.”

‘I wonder how he reacted to my disappearance and Rin’s death. He was always such a loyal fool.’

“Shippo was slain by the powers of priests from another shrine.”

‘All I remember of him is this little kitsune trying to be a man when he was still just a child. Always teasing Inuyasha and running to Kagome for protection.’

“Inuyasha…”

‘I don’t want to hear it!’ some part of him screamed.

“…was killed in battle…”

‘Shut up!’ His face remained passive despite his inner turmoil.

“…by Katagai.”

‘No! I was supposed to kill him! Me! No one else! I was supposed to end his meaningless existence! I was supposed to…’

“How?” he said, his voice betraying him by cracking with suppressed emotion.

“Sota didn’t witness the battle; however, he wrote down that he recalled hearing swords clashing and as he ran along the base of the cliff. He realized they were fighting above him. He couldn’t see them. He heard Inuyasha scream then saw him fall from the cliff. He came to the hanyou’s side and saw he had been killed by a sword wound. Tetsusaiga was lying on the ground near him. Sota carried both sword and body to the boat his family was retreating from Japan on. When they were a fair distance from the island they looked back and saw Japan, burning and sinking beneath the waves.”

“Katagai wielded a sword against Tetsusaiga and won?!” Terror infused his voice as his mind flashed on the image of Tokijin flying from his hand.

‘No!’ His body weakened as realization set in. ‘No!’ He leaned against the sacred tree. ‘No!’ Images of people now gone flashed through his mind. People he had dismissed. People he had never shown or known to care about.

“Hey you! You tried to kill me, didn’t you! Don’t think you’re going to get away with it, mister.”

‘Kagome…’

“I would be honored if you allowed me to serve under you.”

‘Jaken…’

“Nice try, jerk! She’s been dead for years and we both know it! Like I’d really fall for some stupid trick like that.”

‘Inuyasha… I was the one who was supposed to kill you. I was the one who was supposed to…’

An image of a child Inuyasha looking up at him in both awe and fear, flashed before his eyes.

‘I was supposed to…’

The betrayed look on the child hanyou’s face.

‘I was…’

The look of hatred when they met again.

‘I was supposed to…’

“It is you… Sesshomaru!”

‘…to protect you.’

Sesshomaru was thrown backwards as Tokijin flew from his hand…

“Still have some fight left in you after all, Lord Sesshomaru,” sneered the attacking demon. The demon looked human but stank of demonic powers…

“Maybe I’ll have her after I’ve killed you,” the demon snickered.

His nails shot out and impaled the young woman stopping her in her tracks.

“She actually thought she could hit me?” said the demon. His extended nails shrank back to their normal size. “Humans are such foolish creatures.”

“Rin,” gasped Sesshomaru in disbelief.

“Lord Sesshomaru,” whispered Rin as she toppled forward. She was dead before she hit the ground.

He held a hand to his wounded face and glared with his remaining eye at Sesshomaru.

“One day I’ll get out of this and then your head will be mine!”

“The crystal is unbreakable; you’re never getting out.”

‘I was supposed to protect you both and I failed.’

“Katagai has only one eye,” said Sesshomaru as he pushed himself away from the tree. A horrible realization was taking form.

“How did you know?” asked Kira.

The dog demon roared as her question confirmed in his mind his growing suspicion. He ignored the number of terrified eyes they looked his way. Nobody dared to move. Eyes glowing red, he snarled, “Katagai is a demon! I will avenge my mate! I will avenge my brother! I will make him regret the day he ever crossed swords with me! I made a promise back then and I always keep my promises; his head shall be mine!”

Priestess Higurashi was the only one staring at him calmly. Everyone else, including Kira had backed up several steps and looked on in horror.

“So that is truth of Katagai,” she said to no one.

“Katagai’s a demon?!” gasped Kira.

“Rin, my mate, Inuyasha, my brother, just wait a little longer. I shall bring you peace with the blood of the one who took it away,” he whispered as he flexed his claws.

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Update needed because when I was rereading this I realized I had made tons of errors. This should be better now. I am working on chapter seven. Also I have started a new book called “Forgotten” that is unrelated and has nothing to do with this that is a prequel to the series and will involve both dog boys.

Yeah, yeah, I know I took a long time writing this one up.

My petty excuses for the long delay are:

I was inspired to work on my original story “A Princess Among Wolves”, which I am still working on.

I was uncertain as to how to proceed, lamest of all excuses on this list.

I had discovered ear-tweak.com and read the newly released Inuyasha manga chapters from shonen jump that depicted Sesshomaru breaking Tokijin and gaining the ability to attack with Tenseiga. Since I have decided to not ditch Tokijin Tenseiga will not have its nifty new attack either. Which is just fine since he will be using Tetsusaiga to blow things up, mwhahahaha!

I had a two week period where I couldn’t get on the internet.

I don’t know when I’ll get to the next chapter but hopefully it will be within the month or else you’ll be out of luck until mid August. Mwhahaha!