InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Revelation, Realization & Redemption ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters they are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. This story was written for the purposes of entertainment and I by no means will profit from the story other than the satisfaction of exercising my imaginative and writing abilities.

Chapter Two: Sesshomaru's Investigation

A silver crescent hung in the evening sky. Stars twinkled softly in the heavens as the Lord of the Western Lands looked out into the night. Amber eyes saw nothing of the celestial beauty that lay before them, as the taiyoukai was deep in thought, turning over the surprising finding in his mind, still not truly believing it. All this time he had been wrong. Precious time had been wasted by his mistake and indecision. He silently cursed himself and everything that had happened that had led to this point where he now stood.

Prejudice that had been why he could not see it before, his preconceived notions of humans had prevented him from realizing it before. Sesshomaru reluctantly admitted that fact to himself. His faith in humans had been buried long ago, and now it seemed that he would have no choice but to trust in one.

One who didn't even realize the powers that dwelt within her… frustrated he slammed his fist down on the balustrade before him. So much time had slipped through his fingers, lost never to be returned. He knew the cost of his foolishness could potentially be great… the loss of everything. Foolishness, pride and promises made long ago had plagued him and he had clung to them, but now that was no longer possible and he was ashamed of himself.

Setting feelings aside, it was pointless to dwell on them. There were more pressing matters to be dealt with. If the girl didn't realize how much power she possessed he doubted that any of those that she traveled with realized just how important she was. They all knew she possessed the soul of Inuyasha's lover… Kikyo, but only today did he feel the power of another soul, who was far more powerful than Kikyo had been. Immense powers lay dormant and untapped within the young girl, and she needed to be protected until she was able to wield them properly.

The demon lord was thankful that Naraku was not a full demon or he would know what the strange human girl was. Had he been a full demon the bastard would have been able to sense the growing powers within her and know that she was the only one truly capable of stopping him. But then again, if he was a true demon he would know what his lust for power would cost. No, he was just a hanyou who only pretended and borrowed powers from others, nothing more than a deplorable parasite. A pathetic fool who always wanted more than what he was capable of doing on his own. This human instinct of his to manipulate and control others would ultimately be his undoing. Just as his human greed for more and more power would be the demise of the world in which they lived. Unfortunately Naraku was too blind to see it, and he had to be stopped.

Sesshomaru only wished that he had the power to do it. He had tested it that time when he had been given the human arm. Only to have the shards burn him with the evil possessed within. He knew then that he could not touch the contaminated parts of the jewel and have any affect on them. If he had continued he would have succeeded in sacrificing his own life energy pointlessly. No his role would be that of protector and possibly if his instincts were right, that of teacher as well.

Sense of duty firmly in place Sesshomaru summoned his energy. A cloud of energy appeared under his feet and silently the Lord of the Western Lands was lifted into the night. Without the constraints of his normal traveling companions he covered ground quickly and in mere moments his keen demon eyesight was able to discern their camp. Sesshomaru let the energy mist leave and alighted to the ground. He covered his energy and scent from detection; only someone with immense spiritual energy and the knowledge of how to wield it would be able to detect him.

What he found confirmed his suppositions and left him dissatisfied with both himself and the group that lay sleeping. There were no barriers in place; not even a talisman had been laid in their defense. Sesshomaru glance furtively around him, searching, and still nothing could be found. It appeared the only protection the group had was Inuyasha who lightly dozed perched in the treetops overhead. The taiyoukai sighed; if he had chosen to attack at this moment they would all be dead, including the girl.

It was more than obvious that all of them were ignorant to the importance of the young woman who slept soundly in their midst. They all believed her to be the reincarnation of the miko, but all of them including the monk had failed to see the importance of her. How very much like humans to not realize the answer while it dwelt among them.

Amber eyes sought out the familiar form of the young woman. Ever observant he did not miss how peaceful she looked in her sleep, obviously secure in the abilities of her hanyou protector. Sesshomaru could not fault her confidence in Inuyasha, as he had witnessed the hanyou's devotion to her first hand.

So small…he had not realized how small the girl was until this moment. Asleep, she seemed so weak and powerless, just another human. If it wasn't for the fact that he could sense the powers within her he would have not thought it possible. Within this girl lay immense powers, and had she been able to wield them she would have been able to easily construct and hold a simple spirit barrier in her sleep. Sesshomaru sighed, powers were only part of the equation; the owner of such powers must be strong as well. Looking at her he hoped she was stronger than she looked to him right now.

A memory worked its way into his stream of consciousness then. Defiant midnight eyes locked onto his as she gave the sword to his brother after she had retrieved it from where it had been imbedded. Neither he nor his brother could remove it, but this girl, this strange uninteresting girl had. Sesshomaru inwardly cursed his stupidity again, he should have known then…When she retrieved the tetsusiaga he should have known. Only one other could have retrieved the sword, but his anger and disappointment at his brother had consumed all rational thought at the time. One of the few times he had let his emotions out of control and it had cost him not only his arm but precious time that he knew he would have to make up.

Another memory came to him then, and arrow coming from seemingly out of nowhere. When he had sought its source he was faced with those same defiant determined midnight eyes. At the time he had not thought about her as nothing more than a nuisance who was interfering in matters that were none of her concern. The only purpose she served was that his brother seemed to be very protective of her. At the time he had thought he was teaching his brother a lesson but now he realized he had missed another opportunity and had lost even more precious time. Time that he hoped would not run out.

A movement drew his attention to the present once more; the small kitsune that traveled with the group instinctively snuggled next to her as if she were his mother. Once more he found himself surprised. Now he was intrigued, no human that he knew would have allowed a kitsune cub to sleep next to them so. He remembered Rin's reaction to this human girl, and the girl's reaction to her. This memory only seemed to reinforce how unique this human girl was, and how much he had underestimated her.

From the beginning he had, and he should have known that she was different. What normal human would travel with his brother? Inuyasha was a hanyou; no one outside the family had ever accepted him. Demons despised him and humans feared him, but yet this strange girl traveled with him, and trusted him. That should have been enough to get his attention in the beginning. Instead he had acted the fool unwittingly places barriers in the path he now must take; a path that would require her trust and acceptance of him.

Sesshomaru knew that this was asking a lot of her after everything she had seen and knew of him. He could not change the past, though there were many times that he wished he could. And now watching the young girl sleep the regrets began to list themselves once more in his mind. As the list grew he stopped himself. He could not change the past, and listing regrets was another waste of time.

Silently he cursed his own weakness again. He should have checked before now. But he knew why he hadn't, however that was no excuse for the neglect of such a duty. Especially now, since he knew the truth, it was the human not Inuyasha that had the power. Everything had changed the instant he had realized that today. He could not go on as he had with Inuyasha. There was much that would have to now be overcome in order to do what Sesshomaru knew he must do.

The taiyoukai knew he would have to protect them, whether they accepted it or not. It would be up to him to help them get stronger along the way. He shut his eyes, and immediately a barrier encompassed the area surrounding the sleeping travelers.

The dawn was several hours off, Rin and Jaken would awaken and there would be chaos in the stronghold without him. Summoning his powers the cloud once more formed under his feet, lifting him off the ground and returning him to his home once more. He would wait until the dawn there.

Tomorrow the miko would learn the truth, tomorrow he would begin to earn her trust, and tomorrow he would have to set old prejudices aside and work with humans once again.

End Chapter 2