InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Of Gods and Monsters ❯ Chapter 14: Intervention ( Chapter 14 )

Thanks to Merith and Everstar for their beta/brainstorming goodness.

Chapter 14: Intervention

To anyone who may have been watching during these early morning hours, it might have looked like a crane falling from flight. The gauzy material of Teles' sheath whipped upwards as she fell backwards into the dense copse of pine trees below that offered only an illusion of safety. The thin needles and branches that appeared so soft from a distance, bit into the falling woman's flesh, rending the material of her garment, leaving bloody welts on her back, arms, and legs. She fell, oblivious of the pain that would have ordinarily come with each thin branch that tore into her skin.

***

"Hera, what in Chaos are you doing?"

Whirling, Hera stared at the entrance to her secluded antechamber. Zeus stood in the doorway, his massive frame nearly taking up the entire space.

In his hand he held the avatar Hera had tossed only a fraction of a second earlier.

"Do not make me repeat myself, Hera. What are you doing?" The god stared in disbelief at his wife, almost unable to believe she was capable of such boundless cruelty. He'd heard the rumors, of course -- everyone had heard the rumors. But it was not until Athena had notified Zeus of the ambrosia taken -- stolen -- for the blessed avatar that he began to believe that the rumors were not rumors at all.

Hera lifted her chin and regarded Zeus with derision. "I am ridding the world of one of your many whores, Zeus. A whore who has soiled OUR line. I am doing a SERVICE to the gods of Olympus."

Zeus shook his head and gently cradled the avatar in the palm of his hand as he crossed the room to approach his wife. "You took this punishment upon yourself. You made a decision without consulting any of the pantheon." He paused for a beat. "You, my wife, have overstepped your boundaries."

"Drop that avatar, Zeus."

"I will not." His large fingers closed around the figurine, gently bathing it in a soft golden light.

***

Teles' body, which had been falling so quickly, slowed considerably before it came to rest on the forest floor.

***

Hera's eyes grew frigid. "How dare you interfere here, Zeus? You have no right to come in here and--"

"On the contrary, I have every right. You have just stripped a goddess of her immortality. You did this with no prior approval. You acted alone. You had no right to make such a decision on your own. You know this is not the way things are done, Hera."

"Poseidon blessed the avatar himself," she said, a sneer marring her delicate features. "Even he wants nothing to do with a whore willing to debase herself with a beast like that."

"That makes no difference. You took the ritual upon yourself. You did this yourself. Do not try to implicate Poseidon; I am of the opinion that you must have manipulated the truth--"

"Do not tell me that you don't BELIEVE it!" she shrieked. "She has lain with a DEMON, Zeus! She is carrying its offspring! How can you stand there and defend that kind of behavior?"

"I am defending nothing. I'm merely pointing out to you that we have rules to follow. We have laws we must obey. Those rules and laws are rendered moot when you don't respect them."

"How can you SAY that?" Hera's voice grew shrill. "How can you lecture me on Olympian law when that strumpet has broken our most sacred one?"

Zeus' eyes blazed at the goddess. "Do NOT attempt to excuse your behavior in that manner. If Teles broke the law, we deal with it in our way. It is not an excuse for you to wreak blind vengeance on her. You know that already, Hera. And you, above all others, should be expected to respect and obey Olympian law." Without another word, the king of the gods turned and left his queen alone in her antechamber.

***

Miroku shuddered awake and blinked at the pre-dawn darkness, unsure of what had woken him. In the dim light of Kaede's hut, he could make out the unmoving figures of his companions; they seemed to be asleep.

Perhaps I imagined it...

He closed his eyes and shifted slightly in an attempt to recover his lost slumber. As he did, he could not ignore the creeping sensation that slid down his spine. Something magical -- powerful enough to send out shockwaves after the fact. His eyes darted to Kagome's still form, Shippou's body curled up snugly against her chest; whatever it was hadn't woken her.

The sensation wasn't something Miroku could make himself ignore. He sat up and closed his eyes, concentrating on the impression. Inuyasha's harsh whisper sounded through the darkness at him. "Miroku? What the hell are you doing up?"

The monk opened his eyes and shook his head. "I sensed something strange, a magical disturbance of some sort."

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment. "Nearby?"

Miroku waited a moment before responding. "I can't tell. We should probably wake the others."

Inuyasha nodded. "Just in case whatever did it is comin' for us."

A soft sigh came from Kagome's sleeping pallet. She lifted her head and groggily regarded Miroku and Inuyasha for a moment before rubbing her eyes. "What's the matter?"

The hanyou stood silently. "Miroku here thinks there might be something up."

The last vestiges of sleep gone from her eyes, Kagome turned her eyes to Miroku, who glanced out the window before speaking. "I felt a strange magical... shockwave. Even now, I can just barely feel the aftershocks. Whatever it was, it was not small."

Sango began to stir. Inuyasha looked at Kagome. "I'm gonna get a head start and see what I can see. Kagome, you're with me. Miroku, fill Sango in and follow on Kirara."

Nodding, Kagome eased Shippou's sleeping form onto the pallet, taking care to cover him snugly. She looked around briefly for her shoes and socks, and before long was ready to go with Inuyasha.

"'Bout time," he muttered as she crawled onto his back.

"Not everyone can walk around barefoot," she riposted, holding on.

Inuyasha only responded with a dry "Keh," before taking off into the forest. Kagome's fingers dug into the soft fire rat's fur as she watched the forest fade into a grey-green blur. The sun was barely up and she could hardly see a thing. Situated on Inuyasha's back, Kagome couldn't imagine how clear the world must have looked to him, even in this dim light. They wove around trees, eventually moving upward, leaping from limb to limb, Inuyasha's keen sight scanning the area, searching for anything that might have been capable of the disturbance that had woken Miroku.

"Do you see anything?" she asked, her mouth by his ear.

He shook his head briefly. "Unh-uh." As they moved from tree to tree, Inuyasha kept eyes, ears, and nose alert for anything out of the ordinary, but wasn't picking up the slightest scent of trouble.

Kagome closed her eyes in an attempt to feel whether there were any jewel shards about -- perhaps something using shards to stir up trouble. After a moment she frowned -- she sensed no shards nearby.

"Hey Kagome," he said. "Can you sense any of what Miroku had picked up? He said it was a pretty big magical surge." With any luck, Kagome could at least tell him if he was heading in the right direction or not.

After a few moments of silence, Inuyasha could feel Kagome shake her head. "I can feel a tiny twinge of something, but not enough to tell where it's coming from."

Muttering an invective, Inuyasha dropped gracefully to the earth, letting Kagome slide from his back. "I don't get it. You'd think somethin' with the ability to make that much of a disturbance wouldn't be able to hide so damn well."

Pursing her lips, Kagome started walking, the sun starting to burn through the mist, giving the grey of the forest a faint pink tint. "Whatever it is, it's being quiet now."

Inuyasha nodded, a faint frown appearing. He inhaled deeply, taking in the heady scent of the forest. His mind picked through the layers of scent: pine, grass, dew, wood-smoke from the village... and blood?

He hadn't caught the scent in the trees, but now, on the ground, he caught the faintest whiff of human blood.

"Climb on, Kagome."

Surprised, she lifted herself onto his back. "Did you get a feel for anything?" she asked as he began running through the woodland again.

"Don't know yet."

They moved further and further into the forest where the sun had yet to permeate the densely wooded area. Kagome blinked, straining her eyes to get used to the darkness again. Inuyasha had come to a stop and Kagome lowered herself to the ground once more. "Inuyasha, what do you--" she stopped suddenly, her eyes finally adjusting enough to make out something white, lying on the ground. Tilting her head, she moved closer and lowered herself down on her haunches. "Inuyasha?"

The hanyou shook his head and crouched down by Kagome. It was a person -- no doubt about that. The scent of blood was definitely stronger now, but mingled with that smell was something else -- something he couldn't put his finger on, but was familiar all the same. The body was on its side; Inuyasha reached out and, grasping the shoulder, carefully rolled it onto its back. Cringing when he saw the distended abdomen, he turned his eyes to the woman's face. When he got a good look at her, he swore softly, suddenly identifying the smell that was so intertwined with her blood.

She smelled of Sesshoumaru.

Kagome looked down, forcing her eyes to adjust to the shadowy forest. Slowly, as her pupils continued to dilate, she was able to make out the features of the fallen woman, she frowned, confused. "Inuyasha, is that--"

"Yeah," he said gruffly. How the hell is it possible? She smells like a human. Her blood... it smells like human blood. How the hell'd this happen?

Kagome's eyes were on the rounded stomach. "But she's..." she trailed off, unable to finish.

"I know," he replied, twitching his ears forward and listening carefully. She was breathing -- that much he was sure of. Closing his eyes, Inuyasha leaned forward, training his ears on the pup.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome breathed.

"Shh..." He shook his head, concentrating. After several long seconds, he was finally able to make out the quick heartbeat. "It's okay," he murmured. "She's alive and so's her..." Inuyasha paused, blinking. Sesshoumaru's mate. Sesshoumaru's human mate?

Correction: Sesshoumaru's pregnant human mate.

"...pup," he finished weakly.

There was a soft thud behind them as Kirara landed and Miroku and Sango crawled down from her back. "This is where the shockwave originated," Miroku murmured. "I'm sure of it." They strode to where Inuyasha and Kagome were standing. Miroku looked down, his eyes already used to the dimness. What he saw gave him pause. Is that... Wait, how is this possible? Her aura is completely different...

"Well, if it originated here, it ain't here no more," the hanyou said gruffly.

"What happened?" Sango breathed, staring at the still figure.

"How in the hell should I know?" Inuyasha said brusquely. "She must have fallen."

"But a goddess can't fall," Miroku murmured, shaking his head in disbelief. He paused, thinking about his words, a sense of trepidation settling in his stomach.

"She can when she ain't a goddess no more," Inuyasha muttered. He stepped back, rolling his shoulders, trying to ease some of the tension from them. "You guys get her on Kirara and follow me."

Kagome turned her head to stare at him. "What? Wait. Inuyasha, where are we going?"

Inuyasha regarded Kagome for several seconds. He could either give her a straight answer, which would require an explanation, or an evasive one, which would probably wind up with him getting sat until he gave her a straight answer. He weighed his options for a moment and decided that he didn't have the time to waste evading her, or getting sat after the fact. "We're taking her to Sesshoumaru," he said, his voice low.

Kagome blinked. "What? Sesshoumaru? WHY?"

"Damn it, do you always have to argue with me?!" he yelled, hands fisted at his sides. After a moment, he inhaled deeply and expelled that breath. "Kagome, there's no time to explain, okay? Put her on Kirara and head toward the western lands. I'm going to go on ahead."

"Wait, Inuyasha," Sango said, sidling up beside Kirara. "How are we supposed to know where we're going?"

"For that matter," Kagome added, tilting her head, "how do you know where you're going? I don't remember you ever paying Sesshoumaru social visits before."

Inuyasha looked away for a moment. "In the center of the western lands, there's a den. Doesn't look like anything special from the outside -- just a plain ol' cave. It's visible from a mountain range that's about an hour west of here. I'll keep an ear out for you." There were several beats of silence. "I know it because it's where I was born."

Kagome stared at him in quiet shock. "What?"

Shrugging, he turned his attention to the branches of a nearby tree. "Some things you never forget." Without another word, Inuyasha leapt upward. In seconds, he was gone.

The three companions stared at each other for several moments. Miroku was the first to break the silence. "Did I hear him correctly? Did he just say we're taking her to Sesshoumaru?"

Kagome nodded wordlessly, still processing Inuyasha's words.

Sango glanced at the pregnant woman, a thoughtful frown etched on her features before looking down at her long skirt. "I'm going to get changed." She paused, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "Just in case."

***

Had Inuyasha been completely truthful, he would have admitted that he was not entirely sure where the den was located. But once he started westward, he felt his body take over, instinct and almost-forgotten memory sending him where common sense could not. He knew where to turn without really knowing, each footfall sure. As he leapt from tree to tree, the clean scent of the air and the leaves rustling around him only succeeded in dislodging memories long dormant.

Shaking his head, he dropped to the ground and regarded the cave's mouth. The morning sun was still fairly low in the sky and the air was thick with the scent of dew as it was warmed off of the grass. He swallowed, scenting the air for any trace of his half-brother. Let's see how serious he was about the whole not wanting to kill me thing.

He searched around the den, but wasn't able see Sesshoumaru anywhere, and the scents were all cold, long settled into the ground. Slowly, he walked back to the mouth of the cave. Chances were, Sesshoumaru was still inside.

He paused on the threshold, unprepared for the flood of memories that came with being there, seeing the old place again, smelling it. His own scent was long gone from the place, but it still seemed so strangely familiar. Shaking off the old ghosts, Inuyasha stepped inside, intent upon finding the youkai lord. He wandered through the dimly lit halls before coming to a large open space, from which different halls shot off, like spokes on a wheel. Inuyasha paused, suddenly uncertain. He could no longer rely on instinct to guide him.

"What are you doing here?!"

Inuyasha whirled around, only to see the small toad youkai gaping at him. "What are you doing here, you foul, lowly creature, sullying Lord Sesshoumaru's home? Shoo! Shoo!"

And Sesshoumaru thinks I have bad taste in friends... Arching an eyebrow at the toad, Inuyasha reached down and lifted him up by the collar of his robes. "Listen, you slimy little kiss-up, Kagome told me she cuts up frogs like you."

"Put me down this instant!" the vassal cried, thrashing about wildly.

"I will, when you tell me where Sesshoumaru is."

Jaken's eyes bugged out at Inuyasha. "I will do no such thing! How dare you come here, and waltz in like you have the right? I will watch as Lord Sesshoumaru cuts you into--"

The familiar voice sliced through Jaken's tirade, silencing him. "Put him down, Inuyasha."

The hanyou turned, dropping the toad youkai. "It's about damn TIME you showed up."

Sesshoumaru blinked. "I was unaware that you were searching for me." Narrowing his gaze, he regarded Inuyasha. "Why are you looking for me?"

"I found something that belongs to you, and I was wonderin' where you were so I could give it back."

"I see," Sesshoumaru replied, somewhat puzzled. "Well, as is certainly obvious, you have found me. What is it that you have of mine?"

Inuyasha shifted slightly. "Your, ah, mate." He paused, watching his half-brother's face -- the expression hadn't changed. "I found her."

There was a perfect beat of silence. "You found her." The words were not a question, but rather a statement, as if Sesshoumaru were simply clarifying what Inuyasha was saying.

"Yeah. I did."