InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Duty Of Blood ❯ How to Ressurect a Youkai ( Chapter 6 )

The Duty of Blood - Chapter 6

By Caliko

Sesshoumaru silently followed the path that Jaken led him to, wondering where it would lead, and who he was supposed to meet. He thought for a moment that it might have something to do with his brother, then dismissed it. If he were going to meet Inu Yasha, then he would be walking towards a forest, not a castle. Yet, the thought kept coming back. Who else did he know that had died recently?

"The Lord of Death said 'a nuisance, or two'. Inu Yasha would fit half the description. If he's one of them, who is the second?" Stoically, he wondered, his face, as always, expressionless. Inu Yasha's resurrection would at least get the Miko out of his castle, but then he'd still have to put up with the pup afterwards. That, and Tai would still need proper training as his heir. "I will find out when I reach the castle."

Time passed, but he couldn't tell how long he had been walking. For some reason, he knew that the normal rules of dreaming no longer applied. He had come far enough that he would have to have stopped to rest if he were human. It seemed almost like days instead of hours since he had last seen Jaken at the back gate of the dread god's castle.

Soon after, the scenery changed from a lush garden to a barren white wasteland. This is what he was warned about. He manifested his demon power into his feet, leaving glowing green footprints behind him. It wasn't the best marker, but it was enough that he should be able to tell if he changed direction.

"How much farther?" Sesshoumaru thought. "This is becoming tedious."

He carried on, carefully putting one foot in front of the other, diligently keeping to the imaginary path. Somehow, he knew that there would be no waking up until he spoke with the person he was sent to see.

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"Old Man! You better not touch that button!" Inu Yasha yelled, moving to intercept his father and his button happy fingers.

"What button?" His father smirked. "THIS button?" He pressed it, stopping Inu Yasha in his tracks as the gods alone knew how many units of electricity shot through his body. The younger demon shook as the current ran though him, subconsciously leaking acid from his fingertips that pooled on the floor below him. Then, he passed out, narrowly missing the dangerous liquid when he fell. "Hmmm…" Inu Taisho thought, "I may have over done it a bit. Oh well… it's not like I can kill him."

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A speck shown on the horizon, causing the Taiyoukai to breath easier. He had begun to worry that his direction had shifted without him realizing it. More than once, he glanced back to see his footprints glowing in a straight green line, but still he worried, plodding on tirelessly to his goal.

Then, he breathed deeply, relieved as a castle began to take shape in the distance. It was pure white, almost blending in with the background as it crouched over the barrenness around it. As Lord Death had warned, it was the mirror of his own home, but lacking any of the bright colors that warmed his austere walls.

He drew closer, his nose twitching as two distinct scents met him. One, as he had thought, was his brother. The other was a scent that he had not smelled since his brother was but a pup. "Otousan" He murmured, smirking suddenly as he realized that his father, as well, could fit the description of being a nuisance. In public, as a leader, he was serious and controlled. However, Inu Taisho in private, surrounded by family and friends, was a loud obnoxious prankster.

He reached the doors of the castle and didn't hesitate to walk forward. As he thought, they opened to his presence, just as his own doors did. Quietly, he walked the barren corridors, his nose searching out the whereabouts of his brother and their father.

The two in question didn't catch his scent right away, if they ever did. They were both too busy arguing over who got the bigger fish for dinner that night. Of course, neither still had to eat, but both enjoyed the creature comforts of the living. Halfway there, Sesshoumaru gave up scenting them out, content to follow the loud, outraged voices of his family.

Without a word, while the two were wrestling on the floor, he sat down and took the biggest fish for himself, then reached for his fathers sake to wash it down. The sound of his content sigh broke up the fight, drawing two identical pairs of golden eyes to him.

"Rather bland." He sniffed, "But filling. All of that walking made me hungry."

"THIS is the company we had tonight? Dammit, Pop, if I knew I would have found something else to do!" Inu Yasha grouched, plopping down with a 'feh'.

For the first time, his older brother had a good look at him. Widening his eyes, he realized that his half-breed embarrassment was a full youkai. "I see death has changed your appearance, but your still a disgustingly ill-bred specimen, Inu Yasha."

"Why, you son-of-a-bitch! What gives you the right to just walk in here and start insulting me? You're not perfect either, Fluffy!"

Sesshoumaru growled at the nickname and started to get up, only to be pushed back by his father. "That's enough! I don't really care how you treat each other elsewhere, but this is MY territory! I'll be damned before I let two snot-nosed pups waste my time by fighting! Now, Sesshoumaru, apologies to Inu Yasha! NOW."

Inu Yasha, of course, smirked. "That's right, Fluffy. Say sorry."

"You too, brat! You're both embarrassing me with this childishness!"

This time, it was Sesshoumaru who smirked, until he remembered that he, too, would have to apologies. He glared at his younger brother, then looked away. "I'm sorry, Little Brother." He bit out, glaring daggers at the wall beside him.

"Hmph. Me too." Inu Yasha replied, biting his tongue.

"Good, good." Their father smiled, not really believing that either one of them was truly repentant. "Now, Sesshoumaru, what brings you here?"

"The God of the Dead sent me to you. Said it's time both of you left his domain." Sesshoumaru refilled his sake cup, and waited to see what was going to happen.

"Hmm. Yes, I've been expecting this. I've been planning my resurrection for a while, but I had no way to send word to the outside world. Now that you've come, I can put my plan into action."

"You really have a way out of here?" Inu Yasha grinned. "I thought you were just stringing me along!"

"Quiet, brat! I want to hear his plan!"

"Feh. I don't know what you're worried about. It's not like you're dead!" Still, Inu Yasha leaned back to face the wall, quietly sipping from his own cup.

"It's like this. Yasha, you're mated to a miko, correct? And Sesshoumaru, the Tensiega is still in your possession?"

"Yes." Both mumbled.

"Good. Sesshoumaru, you must give drip two drops of blood over the fang while it hovers over a fire. The Miko must pray over the blade, calling mine and Inu Yasha's spirits out. The prayers should enter the blade, using the spirit of the fire as a guide, and draw us into the living world. We should, if all goes well, come out of the blade through the blood. The spirit of the land should send us the power to draw living flesh to house our souls, just like it does when we transform into our dog forms."

"Should?" Inu Yasha swallowed, "You mean you're not sure?"

"Well, the fact that the God of the Dead sent Sesshoumaru here to help us tells me that I'm right." The older man hedged.

"But your not sure?" His youngest persisted.

"Well, it's not like I've ever done it before!"

"Father, I see only one flaw in your plan." Sesshoumaru interrupted. "Inu Yasha doesn't know how to transform into dog form. Remember, he was a hanyou before he died."

Yasha glared at his father, then growled. "Yeah, Pop. How am I supposed to do something I was never taught?"

Inu Taisho sighed heavily, then shook his hair off his face. "I suppose that I will have to teach you."

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~TBC~

Alright, I know it's short, but I stumbled into a block and I didn't think it was going to be done anytime soon. In other words, I didn't want ya'll waiting too long for the next chappie. Fear not, dear readers… I'm working on the next chapter already. I just couldn't figure out how to switch from this last part to the next without seeming to rush it.

Caliko