InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Rulers of Four Directions ❯ Challenges and Consequences ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters in this fan fiction are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. The original characters and plot are the property of Chiaztolite, who is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Summary of Previous Chapter: Sesshoumaru and his pack had finally reached the gate of the eastern palace. His sister, oblivious to who he was, met him at the gate. Sesshoumaru, driven by his curiosity about his sister's fighting skills, challenged her.

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A shout abruptly ended her musings. She blinked, only to see the green whip coming at her in great speed. Her eyes widened, her hand moved to counter the attack, yet she seemed so slow compared to the merciless poisonous lash that seemed determined to split her into two...

 

Rulers of Four Directions

Chapter 05: Challenges and Consequences

 

The inu princess shut her eyes tight in anticipation of the imminent pain. Just when she thought the venomous green whip was going to cut her, an indigo blur intervened. When the awaited torture did not arrive, she slowly opened her eyes, only to find herself staring at the back of a male.

 

“Why did you space out in the middle of a battle, Shouri?” The deep, calm voice of her saviour reprimanded her.

 

“...Zoichi-sama...” She could only whisper.

 

The male had the whip snaked around the metal gauntlet that adorned his forearm. He straightened his spine, pulling the whip along with his movements. His eyes were fixated on the intruder who had disrupted the peace of his lands.

 

Sesshoumaru regarded this unexpected presence nonchalantly. He was an interesting creature indeed, as he had dared to face his whip with no weapon in sight. He was dressed in the darkest shade of indigo from head to toe. His silver hair, oddly, was cut short and only reached the juncture where his neck and shoulder met. It was very unusual for dog demons to chop off their hair, as their hair was their mane, parts of their armour when they transformed into their true form, their pride. Why this one dog had only short hair, Sesshoumaru could not tell. The male's eyes were golden, which were expected since it was the most common feature amongst the inu, yet his markings were the colour of red, of fire. The emblem of crescent moon was not present on his forehead.

 

“We do not think so well of those who attack our house.” He who possessed the fire markings stated. His tone impassive, yet it did not fail to withdraw the yokai lord from his musings. The only response Sesshoumaru was willing to give was the retraction of his whip. For a moment, the two male inuyokai glared at one another, as if trying to mentally measure each other's prowess.

 

Zoichi observed this peculiar visitor standing before him. As one of his soldiers had informed him, this male had a dark indigo crescent moon emblem on his forehead. This could not be a coincidence, he thought, for the bearer of this crest to come knocking on their door. His gaze travelled beyond the male's shoulders and landed on this stranger's companions. An odd pack indeed. The scent of humans assaulted his nose, and he wrinkled his forehead in distaste.

 

“You dare bringing humans here, stranger?” He hissed, his youki flared. The revulsion in his voice reached Sesshoumaru's ears, causing the yokai lord to swiftly pulled Bakusaiga out of its sheath. Zoichi's eyes narrowed at this new development, which he accepted by the unsheathing of his own sword.

 

But before the two had the chance to clash their weapons, the palace gate was opening once more. The loud groaning noise of the two massive stone doors subdued their hostility, prompting them to shift their gaze towards the gate in anticipation.

 

A male yokai emerged from beyond the gate, followed by another. Both possessed long silver inu hair and a pair of molten gold inu eyes. Both possessed the dark indigo crescent moon crest on their foreheads. The guards dropped on their knees when they passed, proving that they were of noble births.

 

Sesshoumaru watched the female inu strode towards the male who emerged first. His long silver hair was gathered at the back of his head and tied together with a silver clasp. His tall, well-built body was clad in white kimono and hakama with indigo embroidery. His attire was very similar to that of the female inu, although the designs on his garment were much more elaborate. He wore no armour though two long swords, both sheathed in finely crafted black scabbard, were secured to his waist by a long indigo sash. The way he wore his fur boa reminded Sesshoumaru of his own father, though the end of this male's boa split into three instead of two.

 

The female inu lowered her head in respect, confirming Sesshoumaru's suspicion that this male was indeed, the Lord of the Eastern Lands.

 

Sesshoumaru nearly could not hide his surprise when he saw his grandfather for the first time. When his mother told him that her father had ruled for over 3000 years, he developed a certain... expectation as to what the lord looked like. But he never imagined the Lord of the Eastern Lands to look so... young. The lord appeared to be around 1000 years old, merely twice his own age.

 

And yet, the eyes revealed what physical form did not. The lord held a steady, powerful gaze. His striking eyes resembled two smouldering ambers. When their eyes met, Sesshoumaru could feel a chill in his blood, a shiver down his spine. Though they lasted only for a split second, he could not deny their presence. It was very rare that he met a creature who had the power to leave such a mark on him.

 

Lord Shogo observed his grandson with great interest. This pup did not resemble the former Lord of the Western Lands much, but inherited most of his features from his mother. He resembled Lady Isha so much that there could be no mistake as to who he was. The presence of the crescent moon emblem on his forehead proved that his mother's blood was strong in him, and the elder was thankful for it. He, of all creatures, understood very well that the inuyokai clan of the east was very special, even when compared to their brothers of the other inu clans. Only the noble bloods of eastern inu possessed crescent moon marking on their foreheads, while those inu from other directions were left with their foreheads unadorned. They also had potent venom coursed through their veins since birth, granting them the immunity to most poison. Thus, the first defence an eastern inu pup would have was its own poison, though it would most likely develop and hone its own method by the time it reached maturity.

 

Ah yes... It pleased the lord very much to learn his grandson possessed all the eastern qualities. He could still smell the scent of venom, their venom, on the tip of those talons.

 

Alas, those joys were short-lived, as Lord Shogo became aware of his grandson's travelling companions. A two-headed beast of burden and a curiously small yokai as a retainer, and... two humans. Those two caused a deep frown to appear on the lord's forehead. And furthermore... that boy. Wearing tight fitting attire with those armour pieces covering his shoulders, forearms, and legs, there was no mistaking who he was.

 

“Not only that you brought humans here, but out of all kinds of humans... you brought a demon exterminator.” The Lord of the Eastern Lands said, sounding not too pleased with what he found outside his gate. “Sesshoumaru, do you want to spoil our first encounter that much?”

 

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed slightly when he heard the mention of his name. Just as his mother had predicted, his grandfather knew exactly who he was without any introduction. For a moment, the two male inuyokai two generations apart locked their gaze.

 

Lord Shogo had been expecting the arrival of his grandson for quite some time. But even so, when the time finally arrived, the visit surprised him nevertheless. This visit could only mean one thing: his daughter had relayed the truth of her lineage, of her son's lineage, and... Quietly, he stole a glance at his grand-daughter, standing only a few steps away from him that he could capture her scent. There was confusion -and curiosity- in her, but her state of being was not tainted by turmoil. If his well-honed intuition served him justly, she had yet to learn the truth about herself. Upon reaching that conclusion, he shifted his gaze back to the visitor.

 

“Sesshoumaru,” He pronounced his grandson's name. “To what do I owe the surprise of your visit?”

 

Sesshoumaru produced the strange weed that had caused Rin to fall asleep from underneath the folds of his sash. He flung the dried-out plant towards Lord Shogo, who caught it readily between his fingers. Immediately, the lord brought it closer to his eyes to examine it.

 

“Nemuri Hime.” He named the weed without hesitation. “Quite a common grass here.”

 

“One of my wards has fallen victim to this plant.” Sesshoumaru said. “My mother said you are the only one who has a chance of curing this sleeping disease. Thus, I wish you to restore her.”

 

“Oh?” Lord Shogo raised one elegant eyebrow in interest. “That information is somewhat correct, though not completely. As I have thought, it was your mother who sent you here. Was it solely for the cure for Nemuri Hime, I wonder?”

 

Sensing the bait the lord had planted in his words, Sesshoumaru chose to disregard the question.

 

“Can you or can you not revive those who had fallen under the spell of Nemuri Hime?” He asked, impatience started to seep into his voice.

 

“... I can.”

 

“Then I am asking you to awaken her.”

 

“I refuse.” Lord Shogo declared almost immediately, his voice was heavy and unyielding. “Why should I do so? She is neither my responsibility nor my kin. She is not even a yokai. She is a...” He paused, eyes narrowed into a pair of amber slits. “...human.” He emphasized every syllable of the word. “Reviving her is not my burden to bear.”

 

He turned around and started to walk back to the palace gate.

 

“If that is the sole reason why you are here, you may as well leave now.” He continued indifferently.

 

“Then I will force you to submit.” Sesshoumaru proclaimed, his fingers tightened around the hilt of Bakusaiga. With burrowed forehead and menacing gaze in his eyes, he took one step forward.

 

The youngling's words caused the Lord of the Eastern Lands to halt his steps, though he did not bother to turn around just yet. He started to chuckle, resonating the sound of laughter that was both deep and rich. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed further when he heard the laughter.

 

“So you wish to fight me... How interesting.” He said once his laughter subsided, sounding so entertained with the suggestion. “Very well.” He proclaimed. When he turned around to face his challenger, an amused smile was on his lips.

 

The lord's compliance to the challenge seemed to have stunned the other eastern yokai around him, particularly those two noble-looking male inuyokai. The one with the fire markings and another one, whom Sesshoumaru had not paid much attention to. This one who was also the bearer of crescent moon emblem, indicating he was of eastern blood. Judging from the length of his hair, loosely tied halfway down his back, his age was most likely comparable to his own.

 

“Grandfather...” He said to Lord Shogo. The way he referred the lord as his `grandfather' had answered Sesshoumaru's question as to who he was. “If you would allow me, I will take on this challenge in your stead...”

 

But the elder raised his hand, stopping the youngling from saying more.

 

“It has been a while since I was challenged to partake in a duel...” He said, the amused smile still graced his lips. “Do not take this away from me.”

 

He turned around to face Sesshoumaru and took a few steps towards the youngling; his hand was casually placed on the hilt of one of his swords.

 

“Whenever you are ready...” He said. “..., young lord.”

 

-To be continued-

 

I'm so glad when I finally finished this chapter. Sorry it took longer than usual! Sakki has not appeared in two chapters, but she will in the next one. A few things to think about:

1.What would be the outcome of Sesshoumaru's battle against his grandfather?

2.Who are the two young male yokai who kept being mentioned in this chapter?

3.When will the inu princess learn that she is Sesshoumaru's sister?

4.Who would save Rin?

 

Thanks for reading. And please review! Wish me luck so I can post an update soon.

Also, I have started another story (with Sesshoumaru as the main character, of course!). It's titled “The Story of Higurashi Seirin”. Please show support for this one too.

 

-Chiaztolite-