InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Old Dogs ❯ Chapter 1, Trips ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Old Dogs: Chapter 1, Trips

Kagome stared at her test page, willing the formulas to make sense, but her mind kept returning to her collision with Sesshomaru that morning. She couldn't discern what it meant, or what he was doing in the middle of a Tokyo street at nine o'clock in the morning. Was he hiding among humans? That seemed impossible, considering how he was dressed. `Perhaps,' Kagome thought, `I was mistaken. Maybe that wasn't Sesshomaru at all.'

“You can see me?”

`No,' she decided. `His surprise was genuine. What's going on, I wonder?'

“Pen down,” the clipped voice of her math teacher interrupted her thoughts. “Please pass up the remaining papers. Higurashi? Higurashi! Pens down. Please, pass your paper up!”

“What?” Kagome said out loud, blinking her attention forward. “Your paper,” her teacher repeated, annoyed, “pass it up. The test is over.”

“Over?” Kagome said incredulously and glanced down at her half finished test. She groaned and handed it forward to Eri, who gave her a sympathetic smile. `I'm dead,' Kagome groused. `Dead, dead, dead…'

oooooooooo

“I'm dead,” Inuyasha groused. “Dead, dead, dead…” Inuyasha crossed his arms, sulking, and stuck his lower lip as far out as he possibly could. “I really pissed Kagome off good, this time. I thought the `sits' would never stop!” he bemoaned to no one in particular, staring dejectedly at the well from his high perch on the God Tree. “Test, test, test,” he parroted in a high pitch voice, sticking his tongue in direction of the well for good measure.

`This is the worst time for her to be leaving,' he thought vehemently. `We're on the verge of finding Naraku and she has to run off to her time! That bastard could strike at any moment. I need her here.' That was really the crux of the situation: he needed her; not to find the Shikon No Tama and not to fire her purifying arrows, but to stand by his side. She was always by his side, adding her strengthening presence to his attacks. Now that he had inherited the meidou from Sesshomaru, they were in an even better position to defeat Naraku.

“Why are you in such a bad mood?” a small voice piped up from above him. Inuyasha looked up to find Shippo dangling upside down from a branch several feet up, defying all laws of gravity by holding himself up with the strength of his tiny feet.

“What business is it of yours?” Inuyasha countered, affecting the most indifferent expression he could muster. Shippo hopped down a few branches until he reached one that allowed him to be eye level with Inuyasha. The little fox was silent for a moment, studying his friend intently as he tried to decide if he was really in the mood for a confrontation with Inuyasha.

“She has to go,” the kit said. “You know that. I don't get why you're always so upset about it.” Inuyasha wrinkled his nose and turned away, arms folded. `Stubborn!' Shippo thought.

“Besides, it's not like your powers were sealed beyond your reach by some unknown power,” Shippo continued with an air of sarcasm. “She's probably really scared and all you can do is yell at her!” Inuyasha's ears drooped; he bowed his head, contrite, and stared into the open air.

There was a poignant moment of silence. Then, Inuyasha lifted his head and looked to the well with the most determined expression Shippo had ever seen. “You're right!” he said, sounding very sure.

“I am?” Shippo said with disbelief.

“Yup,” Inuyasha said simply. “You know,” he added, “sometimes you're pretty smart for a measly little squirt.”

Shippo was so taken aback by the compliment; he never noticed the insult. “Thanks?” he said, dumbfounded.

Inuyasha ruffled the boy's fiery bangs and rolled off his branch to land gracefully fifty feet below. Without preamble, he leapt towards the well, a determined twinkle in his eye.

“Okay,” Shippo mumbled to himself. “Well, that was weird.” He never thought that Inuyasha would actually take his advice. “Maybe he's finally maturing,” Shippo wondered. A moment passed as he considered this.

“Na!” he said, laughing, and bounded out of the God Tree and towards Kaede's hut, hoping for lunch

oooooooooo

Jaken was old, and he was beginning to finally feel that age. The wood floors of the palace were harder on his feet, and the hallways seemed immeasurably longer than when he was a young, spry imp. While he missed the endless travels under summer suns and winter moons, he was eternally grateful that his current position in Lord Sesshomaru's empire, Head Minister, afforded him a soft, warm bed at night.

Jaken had just changed into a white sleeping yukata and was preparing to retire for the evening. The land, under Sesshomaru's rule, had become prosperous and peaceful. Any yokai that had tried to disrupt that peace, whether it was the attack on a Tanuki village by poisonous mantis yokai or an uprising among the kitsune, was dealt a swift and final end by Sesshomaru's claws. In this way, both ancient kami and young oni knew of only a peaceful existence, their realm hidden from the meddling of men. Jaken thought on the past few peaceful centuries with a smile. `My lord is truly amazing in every sense of the word,' he thought with adoring contentment.

Jaken's weary eyes played a hapless course about his quarters. Centuries worth of records bound in book and scroll were stacked in a neat, yet mountainous, pile near a small writing mat made especially for his petite size. The Staff of Skulls was mounted proudly on the wall, next to a painting of the entire yokai country in Nippon. A large, ornate chest of drawers sat in the far corner. It was filled with various things that Jaken used for magic spells, and also ordinary things like tea and cups that he used on a daily basis. Beside that was his wardrobe, far larger than a humble servant such as himself should posses. Finally, there was a simple, cedar table in the center of the room, just a few feet from the foot of his futon. On it he kept three things: a washing bowl and towel, the matching pitcher for said bowl and a small inugami statue carved of limestone that Rin made for him many years ago when she was pregnant with her first child. Copied from the large jade statues that stood proudly at the palace gates, she had loved their design so much; she endeavored to recreate them in miniature.

“Here you are, Master Jaken,” Rin said with a sweet smile. “You have done so much to help me over these many years, and since you are a servant to the House of the Dog, I thought this fitting.”

Jaken stood for many minutes, his surprise tangible. Finally, unable to appropriate gratitude without feeling embarrassed by unnecessary displays of affection, he settled on gruff, old habits.

“Foolish girl,” he chided. “How many times have I told you not to call me `Master?' You are the lord's wife now. No one is you better save him.”

Rin smiled and shook her head in mirth, tucking the statue into his shock slack hands and giggling. “If you say so, Master Jaken.”

It was on this statue that Jaken allowed his gaze to rest as he thought back on the many years. He remembered his young charge very well, and could still envision her face as she presented it to him. Her belly was round with her firstborn, and though she was weary with the pregnancy, her dark eyes held all the bright contentment of a new mother. He remembered her uncertainty. The nights that she would sit with her husband and they would worry over the outcome of the birth. It was Sesshomaru's child, after all, and all hanyou pregnancies held an air of danger to them. Not only was the mother's life risked, but the child, too, could be born so malformed and sickly that it didn't live more than an hour.

However, all turned out well, and while Zatoichi would not be considered lovely by human standards, he was majestic and strong, a testament to his father's house. Though a hanyou he may be, the firstborn son of Sesshomaru knew no equal in battle, and his only weakness was his human night, a secret guarded well by the entire household.

`It's a shame he never married,' Jaken mused. Though, he supposed that Zatoichi suffered from the same stigma that his sister and uncle shared. However, Zatoichi would never find a human mate, as they had. No human woman would find him attractive.

`A face only a mother could love,' Jaken sighed, `I can relate, my boy.' It had been a long while since Jaken thought on his former charge and her offspring. The imp's eyes drooped wearily and he found himself wondering how the heir was faring.

ooooooooo

`The heart of an inugami,' Sesshomaru mused. Under his rule, the house of the dog had grown large and prosperous. Kodomokuno might have just told him his enemies desired to steal every Buddha in Japan, for the good it did him. Besides, he had no idea how vague the riddle was, if it meant that his enemies sought a statue or an actual being. It may have nothing to do with an Inugami at all, for all he knew.

When Kodomokuno had mentioned the new moon, Sesshomaru's thoughts went immediately to his eldest son. Now he stood in front of the cave that Zatoichi had sequestered himself in after his sister's death. Covered by moss and grass, in the gathering dusk the cave looked disarming enough. Its mouth was wide, and the plush foliage continued for some ways into the cave itself. Inside, the play of light on the quartz wall gave the cave a natural luminescence. Sesshomaru entered the mouth walking several feet before he stopped at a steep drop, about thirty or so feet, to the lower floor.

Zatoichi greeted him there. His white coat stood in stark contrast to the dark walls, and his size did nothing to hide him. It was just as well that this place was situated deep within the realm of yokai. His son had no hope of hiding from humans. A two story tall white dog would be obvious no matter where it lived. Zatoichi turned his head leisurely, his yellow eyes level with his father's, even though he was sprawled across the cavern floor.

“Greetings, Father,” his voice boomed. It had taken decades for Zatoichi to acquire human speech, and only towards the end of Rin's life, was he able to communicate with her when he wasn't bound by his human night. Still, his voice was powerful, gruff and inhuman, and reverberated over the entire cavern, shaking some dust free from the ceiling. It peppered down upon father and son.

“And you, Zatoichi,” Sesshomaru answered stiffly. There was a tense air between them, though Sesshomaru did his best to shrug it off. Relations between the two of them had been strained since his daughter's death, even more so since the birth of his youngest son, Jinan. Zatoichi had always taken Sesshomaru's second, arranged marriage as an insult to Rin's memory, even though Sesshomaru and his second wife had the union dissolved not long after Jinan's birth. Though Zatoichi did not despise his younger brother, in fact Jinan was the only reason Zatoichi would leave his cave, and he understood his father's desire to have other children, Zatoichi had never fully recovered from his mother's death, and his sister's passing only fueled his bitterness. Added to his personal loss, was the fact that he lived a life of social and self-imposed solitude. Sesshomaru did not begrudge Zatoichi his anger and grief, though a secret part of him longed for the days when they were close.

A quiet moment passed between father and son. “Zatoichi,” Sesshomaru began, “a force will move against me on the night of the new moon. I think it would be prudent if you returned to the castle for that time.”

“Is that so,” Zatoichi replied dispassionately. “I hardly see how I can assist you - “

“I believe it is you that they will go after,” Sesshomaru cut him off. Zatoichi stared at Sesshomaru thoughtfully, and, not for the first time, Sesshomaru wished that he had not taught his son the traits of reticence.

“I will not see you die for a fool's greed,” Sesshomaru elaborated. Zatoichi turned his massive head away, and stared into the darkness of his home. It was any guess what he was thinking. The cave seemed to breathe all around them, their silence erected like a wall. There were times, such as these, that Sesshomaru wondered if either of them had the courage to heal the rift between them. And there were times, such as these, that he felt Rin's absence keenly. She would know what to do. She always had a flair for dealing with messy family relationships and stubborn, silent dogs.

“Zatoichi,” Sesshomaru grunted, almost losing his patience. `The night of the new moon is tomorrow,' he thought crossly. `Will you risk your life to spite me?'

Zatoichi said nothing, but lifted his massive body off of the ground, to stand before Sesshomaru, who had to crane his neck to look his son in the face. Sesshomaru turned on his heel and left the cave. Behind him, he heard the scuffing of Zatoichi as he wriggled through the cave's mouth and into the sunlight. The dog gave a little whine when the sun hit his face, his eyes unaccustomed to heavy glare of the late afternoon sun. Idly, Sesshomaru wondered how long it had been since Zatoichi last left his cave. With a brisk shake, Zatoichi regained his composure and followed his father. Sesshomaru took his canine form, twisting and morphing to become the size of a small mountain. As he had grown in power, his True Form grew in size as well. Now it was Zatoichi who was dwarfed by the massive form of his father.

Determined to make good time, for the palace was easily several hours away from them, even at a brisk pace, Sesshomaru started towards his home at a quick lope. It was not long before he heard Zatoichi panting heavily, so he slowed his pace to allow his son some rest. It surprised Sesshomaru, because he could not remember the last time he needed to accommodate Zatoichi.

Even when he surpassed his son in size, Zatoichi had always been uncommonly swift and nimble, almost to a gravity defying point. Now, even at a slower pace, Zatoichi seemed hard pressed to keep up. Sesshomaru hazarded a glance back at his eldest. He hadn't noticed it in the darkness of the cave, but there was weariness to his son that had not been there before. His coat was a bit duller, his claws seemed brittle, and Sesshomaru wondered how old he appeared in his human form. With bitter distaste, he realized time was beginning to steal his son away from him. It had happened suddenly with his daughter. She aged more in the span of a decade than in her past four centuries. Zatoichi's youki was stronger than his sister's, so Sesshomaru had hoped it would stave off for another century. Still, was the reason he saw the necessity of Jinan. If anything happened to the current Lord of the Dogs, someone needed to be there to take his place. Jinan was still a boy, and Sesshomaru had no intention of dying any time soon, but it became painfully clear that he would outlive his eldest son in spades.

`Like his mother and his sister,' Sesshomaru thought sadly, `he will leave me soon as well.' Sesshomaru focused his attention on their destination, and concentrated on keeping his pace reasonable for Zatoichi.

oooooooooo

Tick, Tick, Tick

`Almost there,' Kagome thought with unbridled anticipation, unable to hide her excitement. The second hand of the school clock beat a steady rhythm to her freedom. Fortunately, her language and social studies tests had gone much more smoothly than her math exam, and she had finished her history quiz in record time. `The sooner I get home, the sooner I can get Inuyasha, and maybe he can help me figure out what's going on here.'

Tick, Tick, Tick

While Sesshomaru's appearance that morning had thrown her for a loop, careful consideration had revealed that this was a mystery that needed solving, and no one could sniff out Sesshomaru like Inuyasha. Kagome had no doubt that he would be just as interested in his brother's future self as she was. `He may know what happened to Naraku,' she couldn't keep from thinking excitedly. `He knows how all of this is going to end. Maybe he can warn us, or help us, or - `

R-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-nng

“Whoot!” Kagome exclaimed, jumping up from her seat.

“Miss Higurashi!” her history professor admonished, “what do you think you're doing? Sit down! Thank you. Now, class, before I let you go, I wanted to remind you about the mandatory field trip the day after tomorrow. Do not forget you money for the bus and your permission slips. Remember, a large part of your grade will come from the paper you will be writing on this historic site!” Her teacher's eyes grew starry, as she clasped her hands and sighed in bliss. “Remember, this is one of the oldest palace ruins discovered in Japan!”

“Mandatory field trip? On a Sunday?” Kagome gulped. Inuyasha was going to kill her. “Who comes up with these things anyway?” she complained. Eri turned towards her friend and classmate as she gathered her things.

“It should be a lot of fun, Kagome,” Eri consoled. “I'd rather write a paper based on a trip than reading some stuffy book!”

“Besides,” Eri added, looking conspiratorial, “you could sit next to Hojo on the bus ride. Two hours sitting next to your Bo!” Eri smiled and made kissing noises at her friend.

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Great,” she muttered sarcastically.

Eri giggled and waved her hand in front of her face, like she was clearing out the bad imagery. “Just teasing,” she said brightly as she gathered the books from her desk in a haphazard pile in her arms. “Are you still seeing that rough guy, Inuyasha?”

Kagome wondered if it was possible to blanche and blush at the same time. “Eh he,” she laughed nervously, “sort of.” Eri smiled knowingly, leading the way out of the classroom and down the hallway.

“You really should go,” Eri said, sobered. “It's required after all. You miss so much class already, Kagome, and this should be a lot of fun. The girls and I almost never see you anymore.”

“Yea,” Kagome said, her eyes softening, “it really has been a while since we all hung out. Oh! I better go get a permission slip from the teacher.” Kagome turned back towards class, determined to catch her teacher before she left. “See you later, Eri!” Kagome called, waving her free hand as she backtracked.

As she filled out the permission slip on the train ride home, leaving the space for her mother to sign blank, she wondered how she was going to convince Inuyasha to let her stay for a few more days. Kagome rested her head on her hand, gazing at soft glow of Tokyo as the lights blinked on in the faraway windows and on neon signs.

“Mikadzuki castle,” Kagome mused. “It sounds interesting. I suppose this whole business with Sesshomaru can wait for another time.”

oooooooooo

The pitch of night had gathered over the House of the Dog by the time that Sesshomaru and Zatoichi reached the palace gates. Standing among the giant, jade dog statues that guarded the entrance was Jinan. He was a young adolescent now and had just begun the more vigorous aspects of his physical training. Sesshomaru's youngest was still dressed in his training uniform. With its shorter sleeves, Sesshomaru could tell that Jinan's forearm had been recently bandaged before the light scent of blood hit his nostrils.

Sesshomaru morphed into his smaller form, gauging Jinan with a cool eye. "You have been injured," Sesshomaru stated calmly. The boy nodded, keeping his eyes down.

"I struck when I should have blocked," he said evenly, risking a glance up to judge of his father's opinion. Sesshomaru walked up to inspect his son. Jinan's gaze fell to the ground once again.

Stopping in front of the boy, Sesshomaru sighed silently. "It happens," he said, surprising Jinan, who lifted his eyes to meet his father's. "Just don't let it happen when you face an enemy," Sesshomaru clarified. Jinan nodded, stepping aside to allow his father to enter the castle. Zatoichi stood quietly, hanging back. Jinan fixed his brother with a hesitant grin.

"Are you staying at the castle now, elder brother?" the boy asked, trying in vain to hide his enthusiasm. Sesshomaru slowed his pace a bit, attempting to eavesdrop. It had been some time since Zatoichi had come here, after all.

"Just for now," the massive dog replied. "It's not permanent," he continued. Jinan's expression fell a bit.

"Are you going to stay in the rear courtyard tonight?" Jinan questioned. Zatoichi nodded, beginning to walk around the perimeter so he could reach the courtyard without crushing the buildings in between. "Can I stay with you?" Jinan continued, beginning to follow.

Zatoichi looked back at him from the corner of his eye. "Don't you have studies to attend to?"

"Not right now," Jinan replied. "I'm done for today, and my instructor has given me the morning for my arm to heal."

Zatoichi woofed quietly, a sound that resembled both a huff and a sigh. "Do as you like, little brother," he relented, not sounding all that put out. "Just don't get yourself in any trouble."

Jinan turned towards the doorway, knowing his father was still there. Several guards had gathered at the entrance and Sesshomaru was speaking quietly with them.

"Father?" Jinan called to him. Sesshomaru turned from the guard he was speaking to.

"You heard your brother," Sesshomaru said, glancing up at Zatoichi, who had turned his attention towards the outer laying forest. "Do as you like." Jinan took his canine form, a smaller size than his massive brother, and followed the older dog to the rear of the palace.

Sesshomaru watched the retreating silhouettes of his sons with a mixture of pride and grief. 'Let them enjoy this time together,' he though, remembering Zatoichi's weariness, 'they will not have it forever.'

0000000000

AN: Chapter two was already written, and just needed a bit of tweaking. Before the massive flames start on the S x R aspect in this story, I'd like to remind everyone that this is fan fiction, Inuyasha and its characters don't really exist, and I am entitled my artistic expression. Let's all try to be adults, and pretend that fandom is mature.

Super mega thanks goes out to "Northstar," my kind and saintly beta.