InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Reflected Past ❯ Midoriko's Last Battle ( Chapter 9 )

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

Chapter Nine - Midoriko's Last Battle

Just as she had predicted, the horde of demons diverted their course in order to match Midoriko's movements. She and Sesshoumaru stood together on the cold slush that was the ground, a frigid wind whipping past them, stinging Midoriko's eyes. She could not dismiss the feeling of foreboding that had accompanied her even now that she was safely at a distance from the village. At least she had finally convinced Kirara to stay inside the village and help protect it. Unlike Sesshoumaru, the cat had no magical sword to prevent her death should she accidentally find herself in range of one of Midoriko's attacks.

Surprised to see that her hand was very steady, Midoriko drew her sword and waited as her enemies approached from the west, an enormous conglomeration of youkai that was writhing and whirling like a storm. Sesshoumaru stood tensely beside her, radiating a ferocity that would have made Midoriko take a step back if she had not been assured that he was safely on her side. He was in a terribly foul mood.

He must have picked up on her nervousness because he attempted to give her some last minute advice. "Fight as though you have nothing to lose. Even your life can be returned," he assured her. "Don't be afraid. It will only interfere with your decisions."

She inhaled a deep steadying breath and nodded, smiling briefly at the instructions. "Is that how you face a battle, Sesshoumaru?"

"As a child, yes. That was advice that was once given to me by my father long ago."

"And now?"

"Until I meet my equal, I have nothing to fear," he answered with conceited certainty.

She nodded in agreement, but before she could reply, the steady pressure that had been building inside her skull demanded all of her attention and, for the second time in a conscious state, she heard the voice. The oncoming storm of youkai became background noise as her ears were filled with words that belonged to someone else.

Are you prepared, Midoriko? I decided to make this simple. We'll destroy them one horde at a time, won't we?

She inhaled a surprised breath at the words, looking wildly around as though expecting them to have come from someone standing beside her. The grip on her sword's hilt loosened, confidence waning, and she was suddenly highly aware of who was standing beside her, recalling what that foreign intruder had prompted her to try to do....

Come now, don't fall apart on me. I can help you. You have to destroy them all, you know, or they will decimate your village. The exterminators cannot possibly handle the numbers of youkai that are approaching you.

"What is it?" Sesshoumaru asked suspiciously, his voice breaking into her distraction. His gaze had turned away from the coming enemy when he sensed her sudden discomfort, and now he was watching her with that feral intensity.

"It’s..." Midoriko began breathlessly, but the voice inside her head spoke again and her throat constricted as though a hand had clamped around it, cutting off the words she had meant to say.

Now is hardly the time, my dear. Focus on the task at hand. The dog can be attended to later.

Get OUT! her thoughts shrieked at him, feeling panicky. She felt her hand come up to her face, covering her eyes as though hopeful that blocking sight would force him away.

Midoriko...

STOP! The mental demand came with enough force to briefly loosen his grip, and it was then that she saw the image of a familiar face, a face that practically snarled its fury at her. As soon as his identity was revealed to her, it was swept away once more and Midoriko's frustration intensified. Her hand dropped back to her side, clenched into a tight fist, and she distantly heard Sesshoumaru speak again, but the words did not reach her.

Stop struggling, you insolent wench!

You sent this horde, she silently accused, eyes flickering upward once more to the demons that were careening toward her, a dark beacon being expelled from a gray sky.

Obviously. And if you intend to survive, I suggest you cooperate.

Bastard...I'll kill them...and you, she swore.

We shall see.

She gripped the hilt of her sword hard enough to bruise her palm, clinging to it like her savior even though she was just as convinced that it could easily become the opposite. "Sesshoumaru," she finally spoke through clenched teeth, avoiding eye contact with the demon who was lingering, eyeing her as though convinced she was about to have some manner of breakdown. "Let’s make this quick."






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The sprawling temple that served as Ashrem's home stood starkly silent when Inutaisho arrived. Not even the barest hint of wind circulated, almost as though in fear of the vengeful youkai lord that had appeared so suddenly in its midst. Despite the stillness of the place, Inutaisho was certain Ashrem was here. The entire area reeked of him, and he intended to find him.

With purposeful strides, he ascended the stairs that led into the building, following the scent of the man he was about to render into a corpse. He passed several small, empty rooms; the whole place giving off a closed, unused feel. The place smelled of incense and strange herbs, strongly enough that it interfered with his sense of smell, but it did not hinder him in locating his target.

He found Ashrem kneeling on the floor of a dark room, which appeared to house some sort of shrine. A large statue loomed in front of him, apparently meant to appear vicious so as to invoke a sense of awe and fear in its worshippers. But, unfortunately for Ashrem, there was not nearly enough divine protection in this room to save him.

Inutaisho’s sudden appearance apparently alarmed Ashrem, who glanced up quickly at his unexpected arrival. A mixture of fear and anger contorted his features into something barely recognizable. The man's muscles were coiled stiffly and he was sweating profusely, as though struggling with something internally. Inutaisho had an idea of what that meant, and he felt a small unbidden smile cross his face, malicious and mocking.

"And so the puppet master continues to pull the strings. I am here to cut them, Ashrem,” the demon lord informed him, flexing his claws. He would not dirty his sword with the filth that was this creature.

Looking distinctly nervous, but making a valiant attempt at projecting an air of confidence, Ashrem replied, "If you attempt to harm me, I will have to draw on her powers to save myself. Would you want to be responsible for her death? That would, after all, distract her from her battle."

"Battle?" Inutaisho inquired with distant curiosity.

"Yes. It seems a horde of very angry demons has come to retaliate against her. But, then, it was bound to happen sooner or later, correct? All because of your interference."

"Then it seems as though I would be doing Midoriko a great service by killing you now, correcting a mistake. I find it difficult to believe that it is easier for her to see to destroying her assailants with you cowering inside of her head."

Ashrem gave him a pained smile. "Inutaisho, just as I can draw from her power, I can lend her my own. With my aid, she will survive this fight and continue on to another." Almost as an afterthought, he carefully added, "Your son is there as well, you know."

"Is he?" Inutaisho replied coolly, eyes flickering lazily about the dark room. "Hardly surprising. Sesshoumaru thrives on conflict."

"I assume that you have a vested interest in his survival. That is why I ask you to leave now. If you do not, I will be glad to turn Midoriko's sword on him. As you surely have heard, she came very close to killing him just a few nights ago. I will be more than happy to see that she finishes the matter today."

Ashrem expected an enraged retort or even an assault at his words, but Inutaisho shocked him utterly by laughing outright, arms crossing in casual amusement, as though Ashrem's death was a foregone conclusion and could be brought about at his whim.

"Ashrem, you cannot kill my son," Inutaisho assured him in a tone that still hinted at suppressed laughter. In his mind's eye, he could see the expression on Sesshoumaru's face when this bit of conversation was relayed to him; the very idea that a human felt secure enough to threaten him would probably sound just as audacious to the boy. Sesshoumaru had never been one to suffer from lack of self-confidence, and Inutaisho's own certainty was backed up by Toutousai's genius in sword-form: Tenseiga.

"Are you so certain of that?" Ashrem asked, sure that the demon lord must be bluffing, but he did indeed look thoroughly unconcerned. What being could not be killed by something? Purification was an instant means to an end for any youkai, depending on the amount of strength behind it.

"Absolutely," Inutaisho answered, his amusement fading into something more grim. "He will walk away from his battle. You, on the other hand, will not walk away from yours."

With a movement that registered as little more than a blur to the eye, Inutaisho rushed at Ashrem, clawing at him with a ferocity that the human was barely able to repel. Inutaisho stepped back, eyes narrowed as his claws made contact with a swirling purple barrier, fingers stinging from the collision. It encapsulated the kneeling Ashrem who looked up at his attacker with an expression of triumph.

"As I warned you, I am fully capable of using her abilities now that she is under my control."

"Then you had better keep the girl alive, Ashrem. If she dies, your shield falls and so will you," Inutaisho reminded him.

"You will be waiting for a long time, demon. I can keep this up for as long as it takes,” Ashrem answered nervously, looking slightly desperate.

Inutaisho's face lowered toward Ashrem's until they were separated only by that barrier, eyes sparking with deadly intent. "I have all the time in the world."



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Confusion and chaos reigned on the battlefield around Midoriko. Demons fell before she realized that she had struck them. Her arm made movements that were not her command, each attack carefully and skillfully manipulated by another. All the while the sickening pressure inside her head grew, finally sweeping down to envelop her entire body, causing her muscles to scream in pain. Somewhere nearby, Sesshoumaru's glowing whip attack was cracking viciously, mangling his opponents into pieces. It was difficult to keep track of him amidst the menagerie of youkai.

Her head suddenly cleared with a swiftness that made her feel unsteady, but she quickly regained her footing and took control of her own movements. In her head, she swore she could hear another voice, a low dangerous growl whose exact words she could not make out. The screeching of dying youkai filled her ears and the nauseating smell of dismembered body parts invaded her nose. The ground beneath her had quickly turned from muddy slush to a gory red slurry that was proving to be even slicker to negotiate.

Taking advantage of having regained control of her own mobility once more, Midoriko doubled her efforts, cutting down the snarling, snapping youkai one after another. Thoughts of the nearby village that was tensely awaiting its own battle swirled through her racing mind and she realized that victory was essential. These creatures would not spare anyone, which made it all the more imperative that she not give them a chance to get past her.

While in the midst of purifying a hissing bat demon, Midoriko felt a sudden pull, like a river current tugging at her. It intensified and, to her horror, she felt the barrier that had been protecting her back weaken badly. It felt as if something was sucking away at her, draining the energy from the inside out, and she knew she would not last long without something to keep them from charging her on all sides. With a great retaliating pull, Midoriko summoned enough of her powers to restore the protective barrier, the effort wearying her even further. The voice returned then, screeching its panic.

KILL THEM! All of them! Now!!

GET OUT!

DO IT! Do you want to die?!

For the briefest instant, the image of Inutaisho impatiently circling someone came into focus, as though she was watching from the point of view of the one he was stalking. The realization that the demon lord had somehow discovered the identity of their enemy cheered her greatly. That meant this would all end soon. With her attacker preoccupied by his own impending death, Midoriko decided that now would be a good chance to force his assistance.

Muscles shaking from swiftly waning energy, she released her sword and dropped to her knees, sweeping up a protective cocoon of energy around her form. Her attackers bounded off of the barrier from all sides, unable to reach her and receiving a nasty shock for attempting to do so. Concentrating as much as she could from within a cage of screaming, enraged youkai, she pulled violently against the vague presence in her mind, intent on loosening his grip on her now that his focus was split.

Instantly a cacophony of curses filled her head and she could feel the distant, ghostly rake of claws against skin, smug gratification seizing her heart. The invader fought back, attempting to reassert his control, desperate to save himself, but his attention was diverted elsewhere. It was only fitting that he die at the hands of the western lord after having been used for all he was worth to save her and her village.

Exhausted beyond reason, Midoriko grasped her sword once more. She struggled back to her feet, breathing quickly, and dropped the barrier. Almost instantly, the enormous clawed hand of a dragon demon wrapped around her and lifted her from the ground with a speed so dizzying that the sky twirled overhead, grey and ghastly from all the expended youki.

Time slowed to a standstill. Her sword throbbed insistently. The demon snarled at her, saliva dripping from its sharp white fangs, claws tightening to a painful crush. Midoriko swiveled her head to look beyond the demons crowding around her. Not far away she could see a gigantic white dog, swiping and clawing in a rage. He's wearing Tenseiga, she reminded herself. He'll survive.

Sinking within herself, she summoned the last vestiges of her strength, and, with a sense of desperation, drew on the powers of the one who, though in another place, was connected to her even as she could see his looming death at the hands of Inutaisho. Closing her eyes, Midoriko felt an agonizing pain gather in her chest, as though her heart was constricting, seized, struggling....

An explosion of a magnitude violent enough to level the buildings inside the village over a mile away came from within the girl who had become the greatest of the demon exterminators. It flash-sealed the remains of the demon horde, utterly destroying the valley in which they had been fighting.

Sesshoumaru was blinded by the sudden, unexpected light. The force of the blast rushed toward him, accompanied by a purifying energy that paled against anything he had seen her expel before. He felt the fringes of it lick hungrily at him, that demonic aura that was essential to his survival, but just as it collided with him, Tenseiga sensed the coming death of its master and pulled him unwillingly away.

Within the home of Ashrem, Inutaisho hovered over the bleeding body of his enemy, prepared to end the creature's pitiful existence. He had no clear idea of exactly what Midoriko had done but was sure it had been she who had successfully extracted the barrier from her attacker, effectively pulling the rug out from under him. Inutaisho had seized that opportunity to attack.

Ashrem's black eyes glittered hatefully up at him. He made an effort to speak, but before words could be uttered, a strange white light shot out from the man's body. Inutaisho watched in astonishment as the human was literally turned to stone right before his eyes, frozen in an expression of agony that he was fairly certain had come from a source other than the wounds he had inflicted.

He stepped away, silent, leaving the place as the tomb it now was. Satisfied that the end of Ashrem’s existence had been secured, Inutaisho went to find his son.



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A searing ache that infiltrated every nerve and bone within his body was the first thing Sesshoumaru woke to. He cursed his demon senses for kicking back in before he had healed further, more than willing to keep sleeping off whatever the hell this was. Those instincts were meant to serve as a warning to preserve his life, but he recognized the scent of his father almost as quickly as consciousness returned, and knew that no threat was presenting itself. And so, instead, he focused on resenting them and the man that had provoked them into waking him.

"Sesshoumaru?" Inutaisho's calm voice called in an effort to rouse him, and the resentment doubled.

Fading orange sunlight flickered down from the melted treetops, a glaring welcome as his eyes opened. An incessant dripping of water on his face from the branches only increased his annoyance, as did that damnable, overly cheerful bird that kept chirping somewhere overhead. Inutaisho's face hovered in his field of vision then, eyes questioning, and Sesshoumaru forced his protesting muscles to move, pulling himself to a seated position.

"Perhaps now you see why I prefer that you carry that sword?" Inutaisho admonished.

Sword? Sesshoumaru wondered. Tenseiga... Immediately the memories of the battle from which he had been removed came to mind. He recalled seeing Midoriko assaulted by a dragon demon...and…a flash of light so intense that even the remembrance made him blink. He turned a displeased stare on his father, and grumbled a low response. "Don't think that this validates your paranoia, Father."

His pounding head continued to sort through his disjointed thoughts, and the memory of that flash burned the backs of his eyelids again. Tenseiga had pulled him away...which meant that Midoriko must have used enough power to destroy all of the demons around her. Knowing the girl, she was likely frantic that she had finally managed to kill him, and he wearily prepared himself for a looming hysterical scene.

"Where am I?" he finally asked as he rose less-than-gracefully to his feet, Inutaisho rising with him from where he had been kneeling on the slushy ground. Whatever that girl had done, Sesshoumaru thought as he extended stiff fingers, he sure as hell was never going to train with her again.

"Tenseiga must have been very distressed," Inutaisho commented in a subdued voice as he eyed the disheveled Sesshoumaru. "It dropped you close to the northern boundary. I didn't even know it was capable of such a distance."

Surprised at this, Sesshoumaru glanced upward, eyeing the setting sun and feeling a renewed sense of disorientation. Have I been here all I day? he wondered as he worked to flex the ache out of sore muscles. "How did you know I was at the village?"

Inutaisho appeared displeased as he explained, "Tora revealed to me that the one who was controlling Midoriko was Ashrem ---"

"Ashrem!” Sesshoumaru exclaimed furiously, face darkening with anger as he whirled to face his father fully. “Then am I to assume the bastard is already maggot-ridden?" he questioned, sounding half-expectant, half-disappointed.

"In a manner of speaking," Inutaisho agreed solemnly as Sesshoumaru's stormy expression diverted, pulling twigs and various debris form his hair with fastidious precision. "Whatever Midoriko did during that battle ended Ashrem’s life as well. He was…sealed, I suppose.”

"That's impossible. He's human," Sesshoumaru reminded him, looking up briefly from dusting himself off.

"It's as unlikely as an average village girl acquiring powers of enough strength to annihilate a horde of demons, but I assure you, I was present when it happened." Inutaisho paused then before continuing in a more reserved tone. "I've been to the exterminators' village, Sesshoumaru. I went there in search of you and Midoriko. It has been leveled."

"Leveled?" Sesshoumaru repeated. "By the demons?"

"By the explosion she created. The villagers survived, but they'll need to rebuild everything."

"They probably shouldn't bother," Sesshoumaru replied carelessly, making an attempt to brush some of the dried mud from his arms and clothes. "Now that she's managed to destroy that horde of demons, I do not doubt that even greater youkai will seek to kill her."

Inutaisho's expression saddened some at that as he delicately began the task of delivering unpleasant news. "There's no need for them to attack her further, Sesshoumaru."

Sudden awareness caused Sesshoumaru to fix his father with a wary stare. “She’s dead,” he finally voiced the meaning behind the words.

"Yes."

"Then Tenseiga can make itself useful twice in one day," Sesshoumaru answered in the same resentful tone he always used when speaking of that sword, attempting to use his senses to judge the direction of the village. But his father must have been right about the sheer distance that now separated him from that accursed human hovel, because sense of smell was proving to be useless.

"Tenseiga will not work," Inutaisho spoke then with quiet certainty, watching as his son turned a glare of unholy frustration on him.

"What are you talking about? How long have I been lying out here?" Sesshoumaru demanded irritably. A disturbing feeling was beginning to coalesce in the pit of his stomach, a chill that had nothing to do with the melting slush of snow and mud he had been lying in, and he found himself already mentally assigning blame, most especially on that wretched sword that had forced him to make such a cowardly exit.

"Most of the day," Inutaisho answered the rough question, appearing troubled. "It's nearly sunset. The battle occurred this morning. That girl sealed herself, Sesshoumaru…along with Ashrem and the youkai. I can't explain it, but I believe she found herself overwhelmed and did what she had to do to..." and then he stopped, the sentence breaking off as Sesshoumaru abruptly walked away.



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Hi s father had understated the amount of damage that had been done to the area surrounding the village. The village itself was little more than a pile of lumber and somber inhabitants. By the time Sesshoumaru arrived, they were already working to restore a few of the buildings in order to give themselves some form of shelter. Never had they seen anything like this destruction. Nor, for that matter, had Sesshoumaru.

When he returned to the valley in which the battle had occurred, it was easy to locate the epicenter of the blast. The trees that had ringed the field that morning now lay tossed aside like sticks of firewood. The icy slush on the ground was gone, revealing a circle in which there was nothing but mud and dislodged rock. Even now, many hours later, the hair on his arms stood on end, his skin burning faintly from the residual energy that lingered in the air along with the scent of dead youkai. But what drew his attention most was the large cave-like hole that had been blown into the hillside, a gaping maw that beckoned at him until he obeyed.

Feet sliding through the sea of mud, Sesshoumaru made his way closer to the cave. At the entrance he could see that the 'rock' was not rock at all, but the petrified remains of countless youkai. Here and there a claw was visible...a wing...a foot. He continued inside, the presence of purifying energy growing stronger with every single step.

It was at the end of the cave that he found what his father had warned of. Midoriko, like the demons around her, was frozen in the last instant of her life, eyes closed, appearing almost peaceful despite the violence that had brought her to that state. It was surreal to see her in such a way, a statue instead of a living, breathing woman. With movements he barely registered, his hand clasped the hilt of Tenseiga and drew it, the metallic sliding of the blade against the sheath the only sound to break the impenetrable quiet that had settled over everything.

As he stood there clutching Tenseiga, he felt the all-too-familiar silence coming from the sword and knew that his father had been correct. It would not revive her. Something in him wondered if the reason was within him; perhaps it took a different sort of heart to make it respond. Inutaisho's benevolence was well-established and it seemed to answer that man's every whim.

A sudden burst of anger expressed itself through a vicious swing that, as he had known it would, did nothing but disturb the dust. Feeling weary and defeated he gazed up at her. Does she know? he wondered. Is she aware that she is gone? Did she move on to the afterlife that her kind are so desperate to believe in? Or is she still here somehow, lingering?

She was caught in that strange demon embrace, looking every inch the warrior that she really had not been. She had won, as she had promised she would, but not in the way she had expected. He wondered if she had known what she was doing when she executed that final attack…and he could not help but feel guilt at the fact that, despite his presence, she had been forced to do it in an attempt to defend herself.

His eyes roved away from her face, lower, and he frowned as something struck him oddly. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a hole in her chest, a hole that had been shot through even the armor she wore and yet...it appeared less an injury and more as though something had been...expelled.

What did she do? he wondered.

"I believe that is the reason why she cannot be revived," Inutaisho's voice came quietly from behind him, almost reverently, speaking of what had riveted his son’s attention. "A small jewel-like object was found at the mouth of the cave. Her village's priest has it in his keeping for the moment. He believes it is her heart, expelled from her body in crystallized form. And I agree with him."

"What nonsense are you speaking?" Sesshoumaru snapped.

Inutaisho came closer, stopping to stand next to Sesshoumaru, gazing up at the imposing conglomeration of youkai and their exterminator. "She could not purify them all, Sesshoumaru. She simply was not strong enough. I believe it was her desperation that ended this battle. She struck out at them and sealed every one of these youkai into that jewel. And herself along with them, though I sincerely doubt that was her intention."

"You are saying that she is trapped inside this jewel you speak of? And if we destroy it?" Sesshoumaru asked quickly.

Inutaisho's silvery head shook slowly back and forth, reminding Sesshoumaru of one of his childhood lessons. "You cannot destroy energy, and even if you could, I doubt she would allow you to."

"Allow me? I...," began the affronted reply, but he was stopped when his father interrupted him.

"This battle has not ended, Sesshoumaru. It continues inside that jewel. Just being near it, I can sense that same power that emanated from her. It alone will be enough to draw youkai to attack. I have already warned the head of the village to be prepared. As long as the jewel is in their possession, they will continually be under assault."

"And the sword? Where is it?"

"I do not know,” Inutaisho admitted, eyes lowering to scan the cave, as though expecting the weapon to be lying about. “I assume that it lies buried somewhere within this mass of demons."

"And so that is it? We leave her like this?" Sesshoumaru asked tensely, waving a hand to encompass the cave. "This is hardly a fitting grave."

"There is nothing to bury, Sesshoumaru, as you can see."

Sesshoumaru was silent for a moment before he finally nodded his agreement, his expression suddenly disturbingly cool. "Yes. Perhaps now you will stop your incessant meddling in human affairs, Father," came the accusation as golden eyes rounded on Inutaisho, unblinking. "I think it is safe to say that if not for your interference, that girl would be alive now instead of trapped in an eternal battle with her enemies.”

Inutaisho was taken aback by the fierceness of Sesshoumaru's words, though his expression did not falter. "I meant no harm to come to her," he replied honestly. "She did not heed my warning and became too aggressive."

"And I tell you as I told her...it was you who caused this. Bear your responsibility, Father, as I will mine," Sesshoumaru said scathingly, detaching Tenseiga from his side with a furious motion. Wordlessly, he shoved it into his father's hands before turning to abandon the cave.

And as the sky continued to darken to a dusky orange around him, Sesshoumaru separated himself from that cursed village, from that disgusting stench. Never had he felt such a surge of guilt and remorse...emotions that he was unaccustomed to encountering. As he roamed in a thoughtless direction, the wind assaulted him once more with the sickening scent of death, and Sesshoumaru realized that what he had said to his father had been fair and accurate. Somewhere along the way, despite oddly benevolent intentions, they had failed her.


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It was strange, accustoming himself to the lack of Midoriko's existence. Every aspect of her vanished from his life in as unwelcome and unexpected a manner as she had entered it. Sesshoumaru was accustomed to death; he handed it out fairly liberally to those who opposed him, but never before had he found himself disturbed by someone's loss. How odd that a human girl would be the first.

When Sesshoumaru went to confront Rouyakan about the fact that it had been demons from his forest that had been involved in the battle, he had not listened to the creature’s quickly stammered apologies nor his attempt to explain what precisely had provoked the attack. Instead, he had cut the youkai down with grim satisfaction. Fortunately for Rouyakan, Inutaisho was more charitable about the forest guardian’s involvement and restored his life.

Sesshoumaru continued as he always had, wandering his father's lands, keeping order or reinstating it when someone dared to rise against them; following his father's orders, sometimes grudgingly, sometimes willingly. The cursed cat demons eventually recovered from having aligned themselves with Tora's tiger youkai and resumed their encroachment on Inutaisho's lands. Sesshoumaru was glad to have his mind back on matters such as this, problems that could be solved simply by extracting the life from an enemy. Violence was a pure and uncomplicated way to settle a matter.

He did not approach the village in the years after Midoriko’s death, but did hear rumors of continued attacks as youkai attempted to steal what the villagers reverently referred to as the "Shikon no Tama." Legends grew up around Midoriko's final battle, stories that were expanded upon until only the vaguest hints of truth remained. As grandparents retold the tale to the young ones in the town, the battle that had been fought by a village girl and her demon ally in less than the space of an hour became an account of a war that had lasted for seven long days before the great miko Midoriko sacrificed her life for her village. Never mind that the girl had not been a priestess or that she had likely not intended to kill herself in the process of protecting that wretched little town.

As for the rumors of the Shikon no Tama's mysterious powers, Sesshoumaru was not certain as to whether he believed them. It was more comfortable to think that Midoriko was simply gone and that her soul had moved on, not that it could possibly be trapped inside some strange jewel along with her mortal enemies. As time passed, he decided that his father's explanation was yet another example of Inutaisho's tendency toward unneccessarily complicating things. His version of the story was more dramatic, but Sesshoumaru's certainty that the "Shikon no Tama" was simply an empty shell possessing lingering magical properties from its creator was more sensible.

As the years passed and he realized that by this time, the human Midoriko would likely have been dead of old age, Sesshoumaru resolved to push the girl from his mind. He was weary of second-guessing, wondering if he should have done something differently, cursing himself for becoming personally involved in the fate of a human in the first place. Never again would that happen. It brought nothing but grief to both the human and demon involved. Why invest one's self in something so impermanent?

It was during these years of bitter debate that he happened across the Nusashino Fields, inhabited by a race of cowardly toad youkai that generally kept to themselves in order to prevent their extinction at the hands of more powerful demons. Sesshoumaru had found his way blocked by a battle in which the toad youkai were being soundly defeated. Bored by the affair and ready to be on his way, he quickly clawed apart the attacking demon and, in the process, inadvertently saved the life of one of the toad creatures.

In this way, the groveling, anxious-to-please Jaken came into his master's service. Sesshoumaru decided to at least make his new minion useful and allowed him to wield the Staff of Heads, a strange weapon that had been passed within Sesshoumaru's family for uncountable generations. Jaken declared himself indebted to Sesshoumaru for saving his life and followed him everywhere, revering his master with an obnoxiousness that rivaled even Inutaisho’s vassal, Myouga. Still, there was something vaguely amusing about the little toad who practically worshipped every word or deed that came from Sesshoumaru.

Years morphed into decades, and Sesshoumaru and his father became more and more at odds with one another. As he grew older, Inutaisho remained nearly unchanged, physically, but internally, he became more "settled", liberal about matters that Sesshoumaru considered to be serious and worthy of their attention. It often fell to him to take care of such issues and he could not deny his growing resentment over the idea that he was merely doing the work his father felt himself to be above. Rationally, he knew that it was more likely that Inutaisho trusted his realm in the hands of his son and thus did not feel the need to involve himself in every matter that arose. In any case, tensions between them reached a greater height than ever before.

Their lives visibly diverged, Sesshoumaru taking on a more active role, while Inutaisho faded some into the background. Sesshoumaru could not decide whether it was purposeful, a loosening of the reins he had always felt were choking him, a way for Inutaisho to see what Sesshoumaru would do with such power. Or, perhaps, it merely allotted him the free time to pursue endeavors of which Sesshoumaru heartily disapproved, most of them human-related.

Sesshoumaru grew unhappier with Inutaisho when the taiyoukai allowed himself to become enamored with yet another human female. Unlike the quick romantic trysts Inutaisho had encountered with humans before, for Izayoi, he displayed an unswerving fidelity. Sesshoumaru would almost have been glad to see his father alternate between other human women if it meant that he would not focus so intently on this one. Under no circumstances was it proper for a demon lord to choose a human for a mate, and Sesshoumaru feared that this was indeed the path his father was following. Nothing good could come of it, and he expressed that vocally and repeatedly, a dissatisfaction that fell on deaf ears.

To his great dismay, he quickly found that he was correct. Sesshoumaru was thoroughly disgusted when he learned that Izayoi was expecting a child, a hanyou who would certainly be his father's disgrace for many years to come. Worst of all, Inutaisho seemed almost pleased by the coming birth, though he did admit that the child would no doubt encounter a much more difficult adjustment to life than if he were born a full demon or even a human. Thoroughly blinded by his love for Izayoi, Inutaisho refused to admit that perhaps a mistake had been made. Many inflamed arguments ensued between Sesshoumaru and his father over the unborn child and its eventual position within the family. Sesshoumaru accused his father of having thoroughly shamed them all, which had instigated an argument that had practically come to blows.

As would be a habit in the years to come, the child made his first appearance in the world loudly, brashly, and late. Sesshoumaru was astounded to find that Inutaisho had the nerve to name the boy Inuyasha---Dog Spirit---a blatant statement to the youkai population if ever there was one. Sesshoumaru was certain that word of this child's existence would provoke instability, and he was correct. He quickly found himself busy dealing with the political repercussions of the western lord's irresponsibility, and his resentment grew even more pronounced. He found something blatantly unfair in his having to defend the west against the birth of a meaningless half-brother; angry at having to waste his time on such a tedious matter. It made him more certain that life would greatly improve for the rest of them if only Inuyasha would cease to exist.

After Inuyasha's birth, Izayoi made many attempts to bring Sesshoumaru into their family, which were resoundingly refused. He was uncomfortable around the woman and did not enjoy being in her home or her presence. He held her responsible for the new difficulties in his life; silently cursed her every time she would smile sweetly at him or offer a kind welcome. He wanted nothing from her except for the blessing that would be her bundling up the hideous creature she had created and permanently leaving his sight. On the rare occasions when he would attempt to see his father in order to discuss a matter that could not be avoided, he was stiffly polite to Izayoi but never regarded her with warmth. He would be damned if he would promote the appearance that he approved of or even accepted the situation his father had created.

The living embodiment of his father's indiscretion grew so rapidly that Sesshoumaru was taken aback every time he would see Inuyasha...one moment a wailing, demanding infant...the next instant a crawling source of constant terror for his mother...and then a full-fledged brat, a dog-eared pup who would run out to greet him with all the innocent acceptance of a child. Sesshoumaru doubted Inuyasha would be so happy to see him if he understood the conflict that existed between his father and older brother; or, most especially, if he could see exactly what his "Aniki" really thought of him.

There could be no argument as to the source of the boy’s demon ancestry, however. It was disturbing how much he resembled Inutaisho and even Sesshoumaru himself. Because of his diluted blood, Inuyasha did not possess the markings of his patriarch, and the undignified canine ears sprouting out from the child’s head left little doubt as to the other half that had created him.

As Sesshoumaru had predicted, Inutaisho's most despised enemies took Inuyasha's birth as an excuse to attack, and so life around the hanyou child was rarely very peaceful. Inutaisho was forced to lurk near his fragile family more and more often, and as Sesshoumaru saw this happening, he reminded himself that this was why a youkai lord was not allowed such weakness. They were forced to choose, to give something up, either their status or the hanyou creations that provoked the conflict. Fortunately for Inutaisho, his elder son was full-demon, grown to adulthood, and more than adept at aiding in defense of the west, which allowed him the luxury of becoming Izayoi and Inuyasha's omnipresent guardian.

The constantly-embattled Inutaisho was finally forced to retire his old sword, which was shattered into uselessness during one particularly nasty fight. Upon hearing this, Sesshoumaru offered the return of Tenseiga. The sword had hung uselessly at his side for a century and it seemed to him that Inutaisho would likely find himself in need of it if he meant to ensure that the reckless Inuyasha grew to adulthood. He was surprised when his father refused it, insisting that the sword remain with his eldest son. Sesshoumaru wryly accused him of paranoia yet again.

Toutousai refused to repair Inutaisho's old weapon and, instead, forged a sister sword to the Tenseiga as it, too, was created from one of the western lord's fangs. Sesshoumaru found himself greatly interested in this new sword, for he was told by his father that it was far more powerful than the old one; it was capable of destroying a hundred demons with a single swing. Sesshoumaru had long coveted his father's shattered sword, but this sword, this Tessaiga, would be an even greater inheritance.

And as typically happened with his father's more "selfless" choices, Sesshoumaru would quickly come to regret Inutaisho's decision not to accept the offer of Tenseiga's return. It was not long after Inutaisho asked him to retain the sword that word came to Sesshoumaru of his father’s death. During his successful effort to seal Ryuukotsusei, Inutaisho was dealt what would prove to be a mortal wound and Sesshoumaru, having been informed of this nearly a week later, was unable to arrive in time to revive his father.

Venting his frustration and grief on Izayoi had not been nearly satisfying enough. Sesshoumaru had laid the burden of Inutaisho’s death at her feet and, when she had been unable to tell him the location of either the grave or Tessaiga, relied on his restraint to keep from killing the worthless woman. Inuyasha, though still a ridiculously small child, had had the gall to try to stand up to his brother during the argument. The brat had inherited their father's stubborn nature, but not the skills to back it up and Sesshoumaru did not doubt that he would soon be hearing of the hanyou's demise now that his great protector was gone.

It was not Inuyasha who would meet death next, however, but his frail human mother. Again, the news reached Sesshoumaru too late for Tenseiga to be of any use. His dislike for Izayoi had not lessened in the year since his father's death, but he would have revived her. The hanyou child was now orphaned, something that Sesshoumaru would have corrected if he could have brought the woman back to the living; not because he particularly gave a damn about the boy, but because that woman owed it to them all to devote her life to the difficulties of raising that ill-conceived creature, a penalty for her weakness.

It was said that she had asked to see him before her death, and though he was unsure as to whether he would have actually heeded her summons, he knew precisely what she would have asked of him and he was unwilling to do it. It was not his place to raise Inuyasha. He was lord of the western lands now and that was what he intended to see to, not the welfare of a half-breed brat. The boy remained in the village following his mother's death and Sesshoumaru decided it would be better for him to learn to exist among humans. His place was not with youkai, certainly.

The years roamed with him, and Sesshoumaru continued to devote himself to securing the west. Thoughts of Inuyasha rarely entered his mind, but when they did he wondered if the hanyou had ever discovered the location of their father's grave. Tessaiga, the sword Sesshoumaru had expected as an inheritance, had apparently been buried with Inutaisho, and something in him wondered if that had been purposeful, a request from Inutaisho at the end. His father had always been displeased with Sesshoumaru's lack of compassion and tendency toward violence, and it was that that made him wonder if the sword was actually being hidden from him.

Sesshoumaru would have taken great pleasure in dismembering Myouga and would do so if he ever encountered the flea again. The duty of seeing to the burial of his father should have fallen to him.

The past and present collided in a disconcerting manner when Sesshoumaru learned that the Shikon no Tama, the jewel the humans credited as having been inadvertently formed by Midoriko, fell under the protection of a human miko. Inuyasha crossed this woman's path and developed deep feelings for her, feelings that weakened him enough to get himself staked to a tree, sealed for eternity by the woman that had betrayed him. This did not surprise Sesshoumaru overly much. Inuyasha had always been ruled by his heart rather than his head, a pitifully suitable end.

During a lull in which the western lands remained peacefully under his control, Sesshoumaru resumed his search for Inutaisho's grave. A cryptic message from one of his father's oldest friends had suggested that the Staff of Heads would be able to lead him to the proper place. Sesshoumaru and Jaken’s excursion had, to his supreme annoyance, resulted in Tessaiga falling into the possession of his brother. Recently unsealed by the miko's rumored reincarnation, Inuyasha had been more than willing to fight over the weapon. It angered Sesshoumaru greatly that the sword remained with Inuyasha, but he could not help but wonder what it was in himself that had caused his father to go to such great lengths to keep its location protected from him, to even have a barrier placed around the sword to make certain that no full-blood demon, not even Sesshoumaru, would be able to touch it.

In life, Sesshoumaru had been certain that Inutaisho had been fiercely proud of him; perhaps a little disappointed in what he viewed as his son's shortcomings, but pleased with him nonetheless. The reality of the failed reclamation of Tessaiga had been like a slap in the face, a humiliation, an insult hurled from beyond the grave. It had an effect on Sesshoumaru that he was certain his father had not intended; it had made him angrier, more resentful; had hardened him into something betrayed and thus less forgiving. It made his hatred for his brother reach epic proportions, spurred by jealousy and a pent-up rage that could not be expelled at its true target. These centuries of hard work, careful study, and concentrated effort had been capped off by Inutaisho's last act: gifting the hanyou with the sword, the one who worked for nothing, lived for nothing, existed for no purpose. The true heir had been left with only a worthless healing sword, a mocking reminder of all those admonitions to be kinder in what he did.

Sesshoumaru began to ignore his duties regarding the west, only bothering to intercede on the rare occasion that something piqued his interest. He realized that this lax effort, this neglect of what his father had left to him was his own retaliation, a vengeful, silent response to that snub, punishment for the people and the land his father had loved, since Inutaisho himself was not present to listen to his eldest son's rage in vocal form.

Despite his father's wishes (or perhaps because of them?), Sesshoumaru's pride demanded that Tessaiga fall under his control. A hanyou was not worthy of such a weapon, particularly not the arrogant, childish Inuyasha who had no idea as to how to wield it properly. It was Sesshoumaru's misfortune to have been in the process of attempting to reclaim the weapon when Inuyasha finally did discover the Kaze no Kizu. Again, Tenseiga had found it necessary to pull its master out of battle, an action that had saved Sesshoumaru's life and, inadvertently, brought yet another human girl into his path.

Rin. The human child who had so audaciously believed that she could be of service in helping him heal from his disastrous battle with Inuyasha. She had repeatedly brought him different foods and he had dismissed her attempts at aid each and every time. Still, there had been something about her...something that reminded him of another human girl long dead. It was perhaps her persistence in helping him, or maybe her lack of fear…he could not place it, but there was something about the girl's spirit that reminded him of Midoriko. It would take years for him to understand that she was precisely the distraction he had needed.

When the wolves hunted her down on the path she had often taken to see him, Sesshoumaru had been quick to respond to Tenseiga's insistence and revived the child. He attributed the act to the sword's demand, but was aware that it had likely been his desire to save her that had instigated it. And so, the small, mute, and thoroughly dirty little girl fell under his care, much to Jaken's chagrin. The toad was often a source of play and amusement for Rin, who was quick to find her voice again despite the fact that she likely could not have found two more silent companions with which to travel. Sesshoumaru could not help but see the subtle humor in the fact that, even though he had often criticized Inutaisho for collecting his 'pets', Sesshoumaru now found himself doing the same. It seemed that no matter how different he and his father had been, Inutaisho had left an indelible mark on his eldest son.

Rin's presence changed Sesshoumaru; he found that, again, he desired greatly to ensure the continued survival of a human girl. The hanyou Naraku's nefarious plotting and blatant attempt to test Sesshoumaru by targeting Rin had served to reinforce the fact that he regarded her as 'his', and it was a matter of reflex to seek the destruction of one who challenged that possession. That Naraku meant to secure his power with the Shikon no Tama captured drifting attention as well, and Sesshoumaru found himself counted amongst a growing group of people who sought to kill him. Sesshoumaru was still not thoroughly convinced as to the validity of the jewel's origins, but he could not dispute its powers. It did not belong in the hands of one such as Naraku, particularly so if his father had been correct in telling him that it had been created by Midoriko.

Naraku proved to be a great manipulator and a cowardly opponent who often hid himself while he sent his minions to attend to business that should have been his. Sesshoumaru found himself involved in a drawn-out conflict that he knew could easily bring about the demise of Rin. She was very bright, inordinately level-headed and intelligent for a child of her age, but, unlike a demon child, she had no means with which to protect herself. Sesshoumaru was confident in his strength and abilities, but knew that even he was not infallible. That was displayed during his battle with Jakotsu of the Shichinintai. With his concentration focused on his opponent, he had been unable to prevent an attack on Rin from another of the revived mercenaries, one that sent the girl off a bridge and into a river far below. When Sesshoumaru had gone to look for her, he had been almost certain she had been swept away in the current. And it was then that he realized that despite his strength, even despite Tenseiga, there were ways in which Rin could still easily meet her death. Though he had located her in time to save her life, he knew that her travels with him must cease at some point, and sooner would be better than later.

He could not deny that she was quickly growing up and would be better off raised in the confines of a human village, though the thought of relegating her to the hands of one of the incompetent creatures struck him as unacceptable. In the end, he had sought out a hanyou woman who resided in a town relatively near his family's home. Kameko had been a great friend of Inutaisho and was well-respected in her town, despite her status as a half-breed. To Sesshoumaru' relief, she was more than willing to take over the care of Rin.

The girl proved to be far more upset at his decision than he had expected, as Sesshoumaru had underestimated the depth of her attachment to him. He stood firm in his decision and promised to return for her, an oath that likely comforted her little since she had always seemed rather concerned that he would one day abandon her.

Naraku's death was not an easy one to secure. It ended in a massive battle that included his various detachments as well as Inuyasha, his human companions, and the wolf demon, Kouga. It was a bloody affair, but one that appeared to have been mostly successful. In the end, it was neither Inuyasha nor Sesshoumaru that delivered the killing blow to Naraku, but the efforts of the human Kagome who used the mysterious Shikon no Tama to seal him after he was methodically weakened by the combined strength of his demon opponents.

It was perhaps Inuyasha who suffered the greatest loss in that battle. The power of the Shikon no Tama was expressed by not only destroying Naraku, but itself as well. The jewel seemed almost to collapse in upon itself and disappeared, taking Kagome with it. Everyone else had survived, but Inuyasha did not take the girl's disappearance well. Sesshoumaru had briefly considered another attempt at removing Tessaiga from Inuyasha’s possession, this time for the boy's own good. Inuyasha was known to be rather stupid, hot-headed to the point of self-destruction, and it would be very much like him to vent his frustrations by instigating battle after battle with other youkai. Grief over the loss of a human girl would be a disgraceful provocation for the death of one of Inutaisho's sons, even weak and half-blooded as was the younger one. To Sesshoumaru's surprise, however, the hanyou did not attempt to satisfy a need for revenge, but instead returned with his remaining human friends to the village he so often haunted, fading from even so much as rumor.

It had taken four years to destroy Naraku, an insignificant amount of time to Sesshoumaru, but enough time to have made quite a difference in Rin's life. The child nearly outgrew that status in his absence. At twelve-years-old, she was firmly ensconced in her life inside Kameko's village, and the hanyou woman was quick to assure Sesshoumaru that Rin was very happy, had been welcomed by the other villagers. It was this that brought Sesshoumaru to the decision not to return for her. It was a promise that would be broken for surprisingly unselfish reasons. She was where she belonged.

Despite his certainty in the wisdom of his decision, he could not dismiss her completely. He listened for word of her. He warned the youkai in the region in no uncertain terms that to approach her village would mean death, thus drawing him out of that stall he had been caught in, motivating him to fully return to his duties as the western lord, the resentment toward his father having faded with time and circumstances.

Sesshoumaru found himself enforcing his words against the demons that were still stupid enough to try to attack the town. They never reached their destination because they were always met by him, their lives cut down before they could wreak even the slightest destruction. It was because of his efforts that the villagers enjoyed several years free of a youkai threat, something they could not explain, but were grateful for. It was rumored within the village that a dog demon protected them, a powerful youkai lord who prevented any of his kind from harming them.

Rin believed these rumors whole-heartedly.