InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sesshomarus Revenge ❯ The Anguish of Being a Hanyou ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: For those disappointed that news of Sesshomaru's life or death was not in chapter 2, and who stuck around waiting, here is chapter 3. Writing this fic is like pulling teeth for me, (I mean pulling teeth without the benefit of anesthetic!).

 

Chapter 3

 

The Anguish of Being a Hanyou

 

Kagome leaned on Inu-Yasha as they made their way back to the village, and he supported her with one arm around her shoulders. She was totally exhausted from all the powerful emotions that had wracked her body and soul this day. They could see Kaede waiting for them in front of her house. With a sigh Kagome told Inu-Yasha to please wait with the others while she talked to her. Her mind filled with anxiety at what the old women might say.

 

“Kagome, your friend has need of ye.” She said, taking her aside.

 

“Does she know?” Kagome asked.

 

“Yes, it is true. Sango is pregnant.” Said Kaede. “She is in my bedroom, go to her.”

 

Kagome found Sango in the bedroom as Kaede said, sitting curled up upon herself, her long black hair a curtain around her face. She looked up as Kagome approached her, her face as red and puffy as Kagome's had been earlier. Her friend had such a look of complete devastation on her face that she immediately put her arms around her and held her tight.

 

“So what did Kaede say you should do now?” asked Kagome after a few moments.

 

“Find Sesshomaru, if he's alive.”

 

Kagome was aghast. She had been sure that Kaede would help her get rid of it. But this was a different time then her own, and people had different ideas about such things.

 

“It's his child, he must take responsibility for it.” Continued Sango.

 

Kagome gulped. It was a hanyou, a half demon like Inu-Yasha. She knew that Sesshomaru had never had any love for his brother. He held his half human heritage in contempt. Father to a hanyou? Kagome shivered inside. Better if he were dead.

 

“Should we tell the others?” said Kagome.

 

“Kaede says we should send Miroku and Inu-Yasha to find Sesshomaru.”

 

Oh, great, thought Kagome ruefully, imagining Inu-Yasha's reaction when he heard this. So who would be the one to tell him? It surely wouldn't be her!

“WHAT?!” came the sudden scream of Inu-Yasha in the other room.

 

Kagome was startled at the sound, and turned to look at Sango, wide-eyed.

 

“Don't tell me…”

 

Sango nodded.

 

“Yes, Kaede said she would tell them.”

 

Inu-Yasha came crashing suddenly into the room. He looked both enraged and stricken at the same time. There was a tense moment of silence as the two young women and the hanyou stared at each other. A war was going on in Inu-Yasha's mind that had left him temporarily mute.

 

“Is it true?” he finally blurted out, the look on his face betraying his hope that what he just heard was all some big trick.

 

Sango bit her lip and looked down at her hands in her lap.

 

“Yes, Inu-Yasha, I'm sorry to tell you that you're to be an uncle.” Said Kagome, a wry twist to her mouth.

 

All the steam went out of his countenance, and he seemed to slump where he stood. But his golden eyes were still smoldering.

 

“Then if Sesshomaru is not dead, I will definitely kill him now!” he growled, fists clenched.

 

“No!” blurted Sango, “regardless of how this child was conceived, it is his and he must take responsibility for it!”

 

“Feh!” he snorted, “a hanyou? Do you really expect my brother will care to recognize a half breed?”

 

Kagome cringed at the derisive tone of Inu-Yasha's voice, and glanced with trepidation at her friend. Sango looked pale but her eyes gleamed with resolve. Obviously she would not let Inu-Yasha's words interfere with what she believed was right.

 

“You just find out if he's alive Inu-Yasha.” She said.

 

“And then what?” he said sarcastically, “Do you expect he will marry you and legitimize your brat? Because he won't. You and your child will be outcasts, shunned by society.”

 

Inu-Yasha's words stung. He said them so harshly, but Kagome could feel the underlying pain in his voice. It was a pain she knew came from experience, and her heart ached for him. When Sango and Kagome made no move to reply, he spun around with a snarl to leave and almost knocked over Miroku who just entered the room. The monk stumbled back in surprise, and then caught himself before he fell.

 

“Inu-Yasha, Kaede is preparing what we need for our journey. We'll leave in the morning.”

 

Miroku was taken aback by the look in Inu-Yasha's eyes as he said this, and then the hanyou had brushed by him out of the room. The tension in the room was palpable. He looked at the girls for some explanation, and found Sango sitting and staring at nothing, silent tears flowing down her face. Kagome was trembling, her breaths coming in gasps. He thought better of asking what happened, unsure if bringing it up might make things worse for his friends.

 

“Excuse me,” said Kagome, and through her arms around Sango in a bear hug and whispered something in her ear.

 

Sango nodded in understanding and Kagome got up to go find Inu-Yasha. She kept her eyes averted from Miroku as she went passed him out the door. That left Miroku alone with Sango. He went over to her and sat next to her, taking her hand in his.

 

“I know we have had our problems in the past, but I want you to know I'm here for you, if you need me.” He said.

 

Sango smiled and squeezed his hand. Emboldened, he continued.

 

“I'm not asking you to resume our relationship, what we had in the past is over. But if there is anything, I mean anything I can do, please don't be afraid to ask.”

 

“I really don't know if there is anything you can do besides what you and Inu-Yasha are doing already, “ she said with a sigh. “But I appreciate what you're saying, and I promise you I'll take it seriously.”

 

She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek, and he slipped his arm around her to give her a hug. He held her that way for a few moments, hoping it gave her some comfort. In his heart he realized he still felt something for her that he thought had passed.

 

The next morning dawned cool and foggy. Kagome, Sango, Kaede and Shippou woke early to see Inu-Yasha and Miroku off. They gathered on the porch, and Kagome took Inu-Yasha in her arms one more time. What if Sesshomaru was still alive and still looking to get revenge on Inu-Yasha? She wouldn't be there to stop Inu-Yasha's fiery temper from getting the best of him. All the same she was glad she was not going to be there, if she never saw Sesshomaru again it would be a welcome relief. Her only hope came from the fact that she and Inu-Yasha had spent the better part of the night together, talking and comforting each other. She hoped the things they had said would stay with him long enough to keep him out of trouble.

Miroku and Inu-Yasha were silent as they made their way out of the village, each lost in his own thoughts. Inu-Yasha was trying to control his anger for Kagome's sake. She had pleaded with him, saying that as much as she also wished Seshomaru was out of their lives for good, they had to do what they could for Sango's sake. Inwardly he had marveled at her strength, and cowed by it he had promised that he would try his best to control himself: but as they got further and further away from the village, his thoughts became more and more filled with anger. This situation looked like it would be a dire test, both of his self-control, and the power his love for Kagome had in keeping that control.

 

That night as they made camp, it was Miroku who broke the silence.

 

“I would marry Sango, if she would have me,” He said as he through sticks on the fire.

 

Inu-Yasha looked up at him from where he sat on a rock next to him, his arms tucked into his sleeves, and grunted.

 

“Did you tell her this?” he said.

 

“No, I guess I was afraid of rejection.” Said Miroku with a sigh.

 

“You would raise a hanyou?” said Inu-Yasha incredulously.

 

“Why not? It's not like he would necessarily grow up to be as temperamental as you.”

 

Inu-Yasha growled, and sulking jumped on to an overhanging tree limb.

 

“Grump!” Miroku yelled after him, and mumbled, “some conversationalist.”

 

The trip was uneventful. They stayed away from towns and villages, and ignored any whiffs of demons they came across. Their sole purpose was to get to Sesshomaru's palace with as few interruptions and distractions as possible. When they were a day's journey away, Miroku said they should come up with a plan.

 

“A plan!” scoffed Inu-Yasha, “I can't think of any good way to approach this, besides banging on the door!”

 

“We must be prepared lest Sesshomaru attacks us before we can deliver our message.” Said Miroku.

 

“The only thing we can do is have our weapons ready before we see him, and be prepared to defend ourselves.”

 

“Good, I'm glad to see we're in agreement that we only use force in self-defense.”

 

Inu-Yasha bared his teeth with a hiss and glared at Miroku's smug smile. He fell for it. By getting Inu-Yasha to say that, Miroku would now hold him to not attacking Sesshomaru outright. It would be hard to not charge in there and put Tetsusiga directly to his brother's neck, if he was even alive, which Inu-Yasha still hoped he wasn't. Let Sango's brat grow up never knowing his real father instead of living with the pain of his rejection.

 

The palace lay before them baking in the afternoon sun. The doors that Inu-Yasha had knocked down were back in place. His hand poised on his sword, Inu-Yasha stood anxiously by Miroku's side as the monk rapped on them with his knuckles. The door opened.

 

“Ach!” said Jakken, jumping straight into the air, “Leave us alone!”

 

Inu-Yasha and Miroku followed after him as Jakken ran inside.

 

“Come back here you ugly toad!” yelled Inu-Yasha as they got to the throne room.

 

Seeing that he had not been speared yet, Jakken turned around to face them.

 

“You are not welcome here!” he said defiantly, “Lord Sesshomaru nearly died because of you!”

 

“Where is Lord Sesshomaru?” said Miroku.

 

“He's not here, for your information!” Jakken spat. “And if you've come to finish him off be warned, I will not tell you where to find him!”

 

“As much as I would like nothing better than to kill him for what he did to Kagome and Sango, that's not why we came.” Snarled Inu-Yasha between clenched teeth.

 

Suddenly Inu-Yasha stumbled from the impact of what felt like a small whirlwind of little hands and feet. Looking down he found a young girl in a rage attacking his side with all she had. Peeling her off him, he held her at arms length. Her face was screwed up in a fury, tears streaming down her face. She continued to try and beat him, her feet kicking in the air and small fists bashing at his arms.

 

“Rin saved our Lord's life,” said Jakken, “you better not harm her or Lord Sesshomaru will have your head.”

 

“Huh!” said Inu-Yasha, who tossed the little girl to Miroku.

 

Caught by surprise, Miroku almost did not catch her, but managing to pluck her out of the air tucked her under his arm.

 

“You tell him that he's responsible for creating a hanyou. If this child survives birth, I hope it grows to hate its father for creating it by raping its mother.”

 

Jakken blinked his eyes like an owl with surprise, and even Rin stopped her struggling.

 

“Come on,” said Inu-Yasha, turning on his heel, “we've delivered our message. Now let's go.”

 

“But...” started Miroku, setting a wriggling Rin free.

 

“I said we're leaving monk!” yelled Inu-Yasha, “He's not here, there's nothing more to say!”

 

Inu-Yasha bristled at him, baring his fangs and flexing his claws. Miroku gulped. The hanyou meant business.

 

“If he wishes to contact us, tell him to leave a message at Inu-Yasha's tree.” Said Miroku as Inu-Yasha grabbed him by the front of his robes and dragged him out the door after him.

 

A/N: The end for now. Look for Sesshomaru to return in chapter 4 - I hope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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