InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Secrets of the Past ❯ Scattered Dreams ( Chapter 9 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Chapter 9: Scattered Dreams

Sesshomaru fought through his dreams. Memories flooded in. He was helpless to them.
"My arm! How dare you, Inuyasha, slice off my arm! I must retreat but show no emotion. I can not let the bastard child win. I will win against him yet. I will teach him for trying to replace me in father's heart!"
The scene faded to a clear night, full of stars in the sky. He was looking at his younger self, as he stared up. A small creature crept up where Young Sesshomaru could not see him.
"What is this? Who is that?" he said to himself as he watched the scene in his mind.
"Who is there?" The young Sesshomaru said playfully, "Somebody must be there. I can smell him, but where can he be?"
A slight giggle came from the small creature as it ducked down in the grass.
The young Sesshomaru rolled over onto his knees. He swayed back and forth.
"I am looking so hard! Where oh where is that thing I smell? It has to be close." Young Sesshomaru said as he crept closer on hands and knees to where the small creature was.
He stood almost directly over the creature and said, "I must be really close now, I smell, a three year old. I smell a toddler. I smell an, Inuyasha!"
Young Sesshomaru grabbed the giggling toddler out of the grass. He tossed him in the air a couple of times, hugged him close and whirled around in a circle. Then he sat in the grass with the hanyou toddler in his lap.
"Inuyasha, what are you doing out here so late? Your momma will worry if she finds you gone."
"Uh, bubb-burr out. Want out witsh bubb-burr." the toddler said as he rubbed his eyes and yawned.
"You look too sleepy. Inuyasha needs his sleep."
"Bubb-burr.." The little ones voice trailed off as he fell asleep in Young Sesshomaru's arms.
"What is this? I was never that close to him, was I?"
The scene changed again. The clacking and chitterling sound came back to memory. Sesshomaru tried to close his internal eyes.
"This is a dream, Only a dream." as he looked up.
It was the night of the siege on the Winter Palace once more. The dokufu female was standing over his bed, her stinger slowly coming out of her abdomen.
"What am I going to do! My sword is on the other side of this monster!"
The female dokufu bounced on her eight legs as she realized her prey had awakened. there was no way she was going to let this youkai get away.
Sesshomaru's hands scrambled for anything he could use to distract the dokufu so he could reach his sword and armor. His hand rested on something, a stick for the fire perhaps.
"What?" he said as he took the object and bashed the dokufu aside. It was a staff of some sort, and it was glowing in his hand. The dokufu screeched when the staff hit her body.
Sesshomaru looked and saw that one end of the staff was slightly pointed. He rammed the point into the enormous spider. the dokufu erupted into blue flame and fell to the floor.
He looked at the staff. He had never seen it before.
"How did it get next to my futon?" He thought.
It had a familiar feel to it. It was made of one of his father's teeth, that was certain, but there was another smell on it.
"Murasaki!" he yelled as he put it down and haphazardly donned his armor. He carried his sword and the staff to Murasaki's apartments. There were screams and cries everywhere.
He was in Murasaki's bedchamber. It was torn apart and splattered with blood. He could smell hers among it.
"No!" He shouted as he threw the staff out the ruined part of the building.
He heard a small voice scream," Momma! No! Help me! Brother! Mommmmaaaa! Don't take me away! No! I want to go back! Sesshomaru! Brother! Papa! Momma!"
"They save him above Princess Murasaki? How can this be?" He said as he shifted into full youkai form. He slashed and killed dokufu left and right.
By the time the sun rose, the dokufu who attacked were gone. The palace was a complete ruin. Very few of those left inside survived.
Sesshomaru searched through the rubble for the staff.
Once he found it he took the remains of Murasaki's favorite obi he had found while looking. He stuck the pointed end of the staff in the ground and tied the obi around it. He fingered the flute still tied to the obi that held his armor together.
"I will find my father at the front, and the dokufu and their allies will pay for this. I swear by this flute, that I always will carry, they will pay."
The scene started to spin again.

"First, we need to prepare his arm. Nintashiro, remove your father's armor." Murasaki said as she pulled the arm out of the silk bag.
"What must we do?"
"Kagome, help me check it for impurities."
"What kind of impurities?"
"Vermin, bugs. It is lucky he lost his arm at Inutaitio's grave. The Master would not allow certain types of vermin to defile his grave."
Kagome helped inspect the arm. She had to keep herself from gagging as she looked at the lifeless appendage.
Murasaki took a sharp knife and carefully cut open the arm. Blood spurted out, nearly making Murasaki gag. She composed herself and inspected the arm from the inside.
"I was never much good at biology. Can I go help Nintashiro keep Sesshomaru stable?"
"Very well. It is okay. I do not see anything within the arm that should not be there." Murasaki said as she carefully closed and wrapped the arm.
"All that blood from the arm. Is it still alive?" Kagome asked.
"Yes, in a sense. Oddly, Inuyasha's life energy, through the pearl of his eye, kept the arm vital. It is much the same way his life energy protected the grave and Tetsusaiga. It is as I suspected. It is Inutaitio's line that contains the youkai miko power. It is minimal in Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, but it is there."
"Mother, he is having another nightmare." Nintashiro said with wide eyes.
"Sit on his chest. Keep him from thrashing around. Kagome, I would suggest using a scarf to cover your face. I need you to keep his mouth clear in case he vomits."
"Ew , well I don't know." Kagome said. She looked at the emotion on Sesshomaru's face. He was in so much anguish. Her face and her heart softened. He was a living, feeling being. " Alright, I will do it."
"Good. I will need to cut the stump at his shoulder to make it bleed. He should be able to take the pain, but he should not thrash around."

Spring was in full bloom. Sesshomaru watched Murasaki gather flowers in the gardens of Teisetsu Palace.
He hid behind a wall.
His heart was racing. Although he and Murasaki had played together as children, once she was of age, no males were allowed to touch her.
It was severely frowned upon for males to look at her. She was so very beautiful.
His cousin and his cousin's mate, Inuteitoku and Midori, warned Sesshomaru that although he was Murasaki's shinro , they would have him flogged if he got too close to her. He was not allowed on this side of the palace, but he wanted to see her face, just once.
Sesshomaru considered that behind the wall far enough away to not get into trouble.
This disobedience was thrilling.
The scent of the flowers, and the sight of her gold-touched white hair made him even more excited. There was another scent in he slight breeze, a feminine sort of scent he did not recognize, but seemed instinctively to know.
Murasaki turned her face toward the wall. Her face was heaven itself.
He wanted her. He wanted her right then. He ducked low behind the wall. He shook his head and tried to calm himself. His ragged breaths were so loud. Sesshomaru knew that she must have heard him.
"Enjoying the view?" a voice from a tree that grew next to the wall said.
"You know that father said you would be flogged if you got too close to her? I didn't think you would be so bold to disobey . Sesshomaru, you are hopeless."
A youkai with light brown hair and green eyes walked around so Sesshomaru could see him.
"Then what are you doing here, Mikageishi? You may be her older brother, but you are not supposed to get close to her either."
"So, are you feeing that strange feeling in your loins?"
"What are talking about?"
"Your cheeks are red, and you are trying to control yourself. You are still not much older than a pup. You have no idea what your body is doing that for, do you?"
"Quit mocking me, Mikageishi. I am sixteen, an adult. I have already served on the battlefield."
"I am not mocking you, itoko. I am educating you. I have two mates already, so I know about these things. Lets get away from Murasaki's scent before it overpowers both of us."
"What is so bad about your sister's scent?"
"Nothing, but she is in heat for the first time. The first heat for girls always lasts three times as long as it does any other time in their lifetime. That is why no males are allowed near her now. Her scent is also much more powerful than any other time in her life."
"Oh." Sesshomaru said as he slowly stood up and crossed his arms. He was angry that he had not been informed the reason why he must stay away from Murasaki.
"Come, Sesshomaru, let's go back to my apartments. Kurumi and Oribu have taken my pups to see mother. There will be no females or crying children to bother us. I also have a private stash of saki to calm your nerves. We need to get out of here before we lose control."
A small gust of breeze blew past them. Sesshomaru began to shake. He grabbed his hakama to hide his embarrassing situation. He looked over at Mikageishi.
Mikageishi gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "You see what I mean?"
"Mikageishi! Sesshomaru! I told both of you to stay out of this part of the palace!" Inuteitoku shouted as he saw the two entering the pavilion from the gardens. "Both of you! To the dojo! Now! I am going to cane both of you!"
Inuteitoku grabbed both the younger youkai by their collars. His face hardened as he dragged the two behind him. He tossed them into the dojo and grabbed a bamboo sword from off the wall. He tied his golden hair back so it would not fall into his eyes.
"Murasaki is barely fourteen, much too young to have you two go insane and mate her. Both of you take off your armor, your haori, and your ghi's. Now !"
Sesshomaru shook as he slowly disrobed his back. He closed his eyes and waited for the caning to begin. It hurt more than he thought it would. His father had never caned him this hard. He whimpered as he felt the blood flow down his back.
He started to vomit.
The caning stopped.
He looked over to see Mikageishi caned by Inuteitoku.
Tears ran down Sesshomaru's face as he saw Inuteitoku put bleeding welts on his own son's back. Sesshomaru knew it was his fault Mikageishi was being beaten.
Mikageishi stood there with no emotion on his face, no tears and no movement.
"Stop! Please, cousin, stop. It is my fault! He only went to collect me!"
"Will you take the remainder of his blows, like a nobleman?"
"Yes."
"Let Mikageishi be your example. Real nobles take their punishment with no movement, or emotion."
Sesshomaru took a deep breath and nodded for Inuteitoku to continue the beating.
Everything faded to black, but he still felt stabbing pain.

"Collect the blood from his stump in this bowl. I will need to pour it over his arm before we can re-attach it. The arm needs to be soaked in his fresh blood for this to work. " Murasaki said with fear in her voice.. "The arm should become more vital and be ready to place once that is done."
"Alright mother." Nintashiro said tearfully. He did not want to cause his father any more pain.
"Be careful not to cry into it yet. It could cause the arm to heal too fast. " Murasaki replied with tears welling up in her own eyes.
Sesshomaru's face had grow hard again. His thrashing and whimpering stopped. The three who were tending to him had no idea what his mind was doing.
"His dreams seem to cause him more pain than what we are doing. " Kagome said.
"That is the way of dreams. "
"Is this enough blood," Nintashiro asked once the small bowl was nearly full.
Murasaki blinked and sighed, trying to steady her nerves. "Yes, that will be enough. Cover the wound."
Murasaki took the fresh blood over to the arm. She poured some of it over the wounds and soaked the silk bag in the rest of it. Slowly, the recent cuts Murasaki made to inspect the arm began to heal. She took the bloody silk and carefully daubed the arm. The arm showed some natural color and the fingers twitched. She wrapped the arm in the blood-soaked silk.
"It seems to be working. Now comes the hard part. Attaching the arm correctly to the stump is tricky."
"I know you can do it, mother. We are here to help."
"I believe you can as well." Kagome added.

It was several weeks after his caning. Sesshomaru sat with Mikageishi drinking saki. His back still stung, but he was on the verge of drunkenness, and did not care. He had been allowed to see and talk to Murasaki when she came out of heat. She ignored every conversation he tried to make. She would not answer any question . She simply stared at the floor in front of her.
"Sesshomaru I can't believe your father and mother kept you so ignorant of the ways of the world." Mikageishi slurred," I mean, I was allowed to at least fondle my bath servants."
"Bath servants are usually humans. It is not the same."
"So, what have you done to your bath servants? Hmm?"
"Quit being vulgar Mikageishi. I haven't done anything to my female bath servants, human or otherwise."
Mikageishi rolled on the floor in drunken laughter. He got up, went to the terrace and vomited over the side. Once finished, Mikageishi continued to laugh until tears ran down his face.
"What are you laughing at?" Sesshomaru growled.
"My poor little cousin is still chaste. How are you going to know what to do with Murasaki on your wedding night if you don't experiment with the inferiors a little?"
"I have not had time for such things. If you haven't noticed lately, we are still at war."
"Aw hell, the war will never come high enough into the mountains to reach Teisetsu Palace. this is the safest place in all of the Western Lands."
A knock came at the inner door to the room.
"Boys, may we come in?" an aged voice said.
"One moment, grandmother," Mikageishi said as he hastily pushed aside the saki bowls and covered them with a piece of stray cloth.
Mikageishi slid aside the door. His mother, grandmother, and Sesshomaru's mother sat there waiting to be invited in.
"You have not been into the saki, again, have you Mikageishi? You know that will make your wounds heal much slower."
"I, ah, well, grandmother Sakura."
"Don't bother lying. I can smell it all over you. We are here to check your wounds. As for you , Sesshomaru, we have some good news."
"Yes, great aunt Sakura, what news?"
"You may be able to take Murasaki with you when you leave tomorrow morning."
Sesshomaru smiled and began to blush. His mother took her fan and rapped him on the head.
"Mind your manners."
"Hana, do not punish the boy for that. All lovers blush before they are allowed to mate. You and my baby brother were much the same."
"Humph" Hana replied, stood , and left the room.
"Ignore her, Sesshomaru, she is just angry at the location your father put his favorite concubine. She will get over it." Midori said as she stared as him. Her green eyes sparkled," I am proud to have you as a son-in-law. Perhaps one of your pups will inherit my dark hair, hmm?"
"Perhaps."
Sesshomaru was saddened the next morning when he learned that Inuteitoku would not allow Murasaki to accompany them back to Inutaitio's palace. Sesshomaru did not blame his cousin, after the way he behaved while he was a guest. How could he trust Sesshomaru to keep his hands off of her until their wedding.
An hour into their journey down the winding, mountain road, the caravan came upon an old woman standing by the side of the road, begging for coins. When the old woman was ignored, she slowly followed the caravan.
Suddenly a chattering sound came from the old woman. She transformed into a dokufu and attacked the caravan.
Sesshomaru turned his horse around and defended as his mother's coach sped on ahead He used the new technique that Mikageishi taught him, an energy whip. Within a matter of minutes the beast was dead.
He heard his mother scream. He turned around and headed back down the road. A huge oni with the head of a bull and razor claws of a dragon yanked his mother out of her coach.
"Mother!" he yelled as the oni ripped her to threads.
Sesshomaru leaped off the horse hand quickly killed the oni. He looked back in the direction of the palace and saw huge puffs of smoke rising. He ran back to try to aid his relatives.
He could not believe the sight he saw at the gates. The entire palace was in ruins. Demons of many shapes and sizes were running about attacking anyone the came across. He fought his way into a corner where he saw Mikageishi and Sakura hiding behind some fallen stones.
"Sesshomaru! You are alive." Sakura said, "Mikageishi is badly wounded. The palace has fallen, we need to get out of here!"
"My pups, they slaughtered my mates and my pups."
"I know, Mikageishi, but we have to get out of here. Do not let my son, your father's sacrifice go in vain." Sakura said trying to calm Mikageishi.
"Where is Murasaki?"
"I do not know, nephew. We tried to look for her, but we did not find her."
"I will clear a way for you to get off of the grounds, then I must find Murasaki." Sesshomaru said as he began killing lesser demons left and right. Once Mikageishi and Sakura were outside the grounds among some trees, he fled back inside.
"Murasaki!" He screamed as he fought and searched. He was horrified when he found the remains of Midori, her daughters-in-law and the pups. Their bodies were still huddled in the corner where they tried to defend themselves. He saw no sign of Murasaki.
He yelled for her once more when he heard a scream.

Sesshomaru was thrashing around, making it difficult for Murasaki to try and align his arm properly. Nintashiro put all of his strength into holding his father still. Kagome held Sesshomaru's head with one hand while trying to wipe the sweat from his brow with the other.
"Murasaki!" Sesshomaru shouted desperately in his sleep, "Where are you? Midori, oh no. Murasaki!"
"I think he is dreaming about the destruction of Teisetsu Palace. Keep him as still as you can. I almost have his arm in place."

Sesshomaru found Murasaki cornered near one of the garden walls cornered by a mantis mononoke. It slashed its razor claws and tried to bite her with its mandible. Seshomeru looked on the ground and saw Inuteitoku's sword. He rolled as another oni tried to sneak up on him. he grabbed the sword and started slashing at the oni.
Suddenly, a light came from behind him. At first, he thought it was fire from another demon. He ducked and the light hit the oni, disintegrating it. Sesshomaru whirled around to see Murasaki, wide eyes and shaking. Her palms were facing outward. Just like the oni, the mononoke had been disintegrated.
She stared for a moment at Sesshomaru and ran into his arms.
"You came for me," she cried, "Even after you know what I am, you still came for me."
He scooped her up and carried her through the carnage. More demons attacked as they neared the front gates. Sesshomaru placed Murasaki down and told her to run. Instead, she held out her palms before a group of demons rushing them. The same light he had seen before flowed from her hands and disintegrated the demons. Her strength faltered and she fainted.
"Miko?" Sesshomaru said to himself as he picked her back up and rushed out the gates.
They met Sakura and Mikageishi in the woods. They ran and hid for several days before the horns from Inutaitio's army were heard. It was too late. All Inutaitio could do was bury the dead.

Sesshomaru stopped thrashing. Murasaki got his arm in its proper place and began to wrap it with strips she tore off of the bloody piece of silk. She used her healing powers to make sure the arm attached itself. Nintashiro aided in stopping the rest of the bleeding.
"Now all we can do is wait. If no infection sets in, he should be fine."
Kagome cleaned up around the shrine and went outside to tell everyone of the progress.
"How is Sesshomaru sama?"
"Murasaki says that he should be alright, Jaken. We just have to wait for it to heal."
"Feh," Inuyasha said, "She should have left him like he was. He deserved it."
"You would not say that Inuyasha if you saw what I saw in there. He was in agony. I would wish that on no one, not even him."
"Kagome, do you think Sesshomaru will forgive Inuyasha?" Shippo asked. "Rin and me have been talking. I think Rin makes a good friend, even if Jaken doesn't like the idea."
"I do not know, Shippo. We will have to see when he wakes up. Where are Sango and Miroku?"
"They took the girl back to the village. They said they would be back later."
"Alright. Stay out here just a little longer. I know it is starting to get dark, but I have to help clean up the rest of the mess in there."
"Mother, is there any way we can insure that it will heal properly?" Kagome heard Nintashiro say as she walked back into the shrine.
"There is one way," Kagome said," You are his son, so you should be able to use Tensaiga in the wound. It is worth a try."
"I will , thank you Kagome."
Nintashiro unsheathed Tensaiga and placed the blade on the place where his father's arm was re-attached. The sword glowed a faint blue.
Murasaki looked and saw Sesshomaru flex and relax his left hand. She slowly unwrapped the bindings. His arm had a faint scar, but otherwise looked like it had never been severed.
"Should you let him wake up now?" Nintashiro asked as he sheathed Tensaiga.
"No, lets get the shrine cleaned, him dressed, and let everyone else back in before we wake him."
"Alright," Both Kagome and Nintashiro said in unison as they went to work.

(tye-SET-soo)- chastity
(IN-oo TAY-toe-koo)- demon General
(MEE-door-ree)- green
(SHin-row)- bridegroom
(MIK-kah-geh eesh-ee)- granite
(KOO-roo-mee)- chestnut
(OH-ree-boo)- olive
(HA-kah-maa)- wide legged pants
(Ha-na)- blossom- likely a knickname.
an incect demon.
review.