InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Fall of the House of Taisho ❯ Part III ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: kanna37 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Supernatural / Romance / Psychological / Horror / Drama | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 10.31.2010 | Pages: 1 | Words: 901 | Visits: 406 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Supernatural / Romance / Psychological / Horror / Drama | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 10.31.2010 | Pages: 1 | Words: 901 | Visits: 406 | Status: Work In Progress
Part III
The silence lay thick between us for some time, but finally, questions began to surface in my mind. I wished to know why I was to be condemned to death.
“What was the provenance of this curse, Sesshoumaru?” I asked quietly, for some reason, unable to speak loudly. It almost seemed... sacrilegious in this place, volume speaking of life, when the whole palace breathed death, instead.
He looked up from his seat at his desk, then sighed, and moved to join me near the glowing brazier that dribbled only slight warmth into the room.
“It was placed by an enemy of our house almost a thousand years ago. We had fought them, our families experiencing a bitter rivalry in every aspect. Our house was finally triumphant, destroying the last male of theirs. Unfortunately, the last remaining member of that family was a witch – she cast this curse on us, even as my forefather took her life.”
I shuddered; it seemed as though the curse, in a way, was simply sheer justice. But in my mind, it was an abstract justice – those who should have paid the price were already long dead, and Sesshoumaru and I had had no part in that drama from so long ago. Yet, we were soon to pay the ultimate price for the grievances of ancients.
As we continued to sit and stare at the only source of warmth in the room, I slowly began to notice a certain tension in my companion. It seemed that every so often, a series of tremors would assault his flesh, though I, personally, could see no reason for this.
But then, I saw his face turn ever so slightly to the south, and downward, at the same time as those tremors stuck, and that pattern continued to repeat; it occurred to me then that his senses were being engaged by something that was out of my own senses' range.
A suspicion struck me then.
“You know the means of our death, do you not?” I asked quietly, not looking at him in that moment. It was one thing to think it within the silent halls of my own mind; it was another thing entirely to speak it aloud in such a manner.
He stiffened as I spoke, making it even clearer. “Is it truly so terrible?” I murmured, becoming frightened.
“I do not fear this death for myself – but for your sake,” he finally said, softly. “And for the separation I fear will be forced upon us in death, as it was not in life.”
Nothing he could have said in that moment could have inspired more fear, nay, horror, within me. To be without him?
I knew, in the same way that everyone knows, that the instant of death is always faced alone, no matter how much death is around you, how many others are dying around you. But afterwards? I had expected to join him on the other side...
I turned to him, my face even paler than normal. “Why do you believe that we will be forced away from each other in death? That we will be alone?” I gasped out, my expression pleading for a better answer than what I knew he would probably give.
He shook his silver head slowly, his hair shimmering in the stark lighting. “I did not say we would be alone, my miko,” he said slowly. “Just that we will be separated.”
He cast me a troubled look in that instant, and in my heart of hearts, I began to understand what he was saying with that look – what he suspected. My shoulders slumped as I acknowledged that his suspicions were probably correct.
In life, we had never really been able to belong to each other – not truly. For I had been mated already, and could not mate again, and he, as well. And even though we had shared ourselves with each other on the death of my mate, and continuing through the death of his, still, we belonged with others, even in death.
Truly, we had not been meant to be together, in life or in death. Perhaps... we could be in another life?
But that was something that I would never know, and all I could do was grieve for the loss in this life. I did not want to lose him.
Even if he were correct, and we would be greeted on the other side by our respective mates, I was not comforted; I had loved Inuyasha, yes... but that had been long ago, almost in another life. I had spent more years without him, than I had with him – and more years with Sesshoumaru, despite his mated status, and our separate living situations.
I did not want to leave him.
I spent so much time dwelling on the unfairness of our circumstances, and impending separation, that I did not notice the insidious cold that had begun creeping up seemingly from below us.
At least, not until Sesshoumaru's manner broke through my preoccupation...
And then I knew.
It was time.
The silence lay thick between us for some time, but finally, questions began to surface in my mind. I wished to know why I was to be condemned to death.
“What was the provenance of this curse, Sesshoumaru?” I asked quietly, for some reason, unable to speak loudly. It almost seemed... sacrilegious in this place, volume speaking of life, when the whole palace breathed death, instead.
He looked up from his seat at his desk, then sighed, and moved to join me near the glowing brazier that dribbled only slight warmth into the room.
“It was placed by an enemy of our house almost a thousand years ago. We had fought them, our families experiencing a bitter rivalry in every aspect. Our house was finally triumphant, destroying the last male of theirs. Unfortunately, the last remaining member of that family was a witch – she cast this curse on us, even as my forefather took her life.”
I shuddered; it seemed as though the curse, in a way, was simply sheer justice. But in my mind, it was an abstract justice – those who should have paid the price were already long dead, and Sesshoumaru and I had had no part in that drama from so long ago. Yet, we were soon to pay the ultimate price for the grievances of ancients.
As we continued to sit and stare at the only source of warmth in the room, I slowly began to notice a certain tension in my companion. It seemed that every so often, a series of tremors would assault his flesh, though I, personally, could see no reason for this.
But then, I saw his face turn ever so slightly to the south, and downward, at the same time as those tremors stuck, and that pattern continued to repeat; it occurred to me then that his senses were being engaged by something that was out of my own senses' range.
A suspicion struck me then.
“You know the means of our death, do you not?” I asked quietly, not looking at him in that moment. It was one thing to think it within the silent halls of my own mind; it was another thing entirely to speak it aloud in such a manner.
He stiffened as I spoke, making it even clearer. “Is it truly so terrible?” I murmured, becoming frightened.
“I do not fear this death for myself – but for your sake,” he finally said, softly. “And for the separation I fear will be forced upon us in death, as it was not in life.”
Nothing he could have said in that moment could have inspired more fear, nay, horror, within me. To be without him?
I knew, in the same way that everyone knows, that the instant of death is always faced alone, no matter how much death is around you, how many others are dying around you. But afterwards? I had expected to join him on the other side...
I turned to him, my face even paler than normal. “Why do you believe that we will be forced away from each other in death? That we will be alone?” I gasped out, my expression pleading for a better answer than what I knew he would probably give.
He shook his silver head slowly, his hair shimmering in the stark lighting. “I did not say we would be alone, my miko,” he said slowly. “Just that we will be separated.”
He cast me a troubled look in that instant, and in my heart of hearts, I began to understand what he was saying with that look – what he suspected. My shoulders slumped as I acknowledged that his suspicions were probably correct.
In life, we had never really been able to belong to each other – not truly. For I had been mated already, and could not mate again, and he, as well. And even though we had shared ourselves with each other on the death of my mate, and continuing through the death of his, still, we belonged with others, even in death.
Truly, we had not been meant to be together, in life or in death. Perhaps... we could be in another life?
But that was something that I would never know, and all I could do was grieve for the loss in this life. I did not want to lose him.
Even if he were correct, and we would be greeted on the other side by our respective mates, I was not comforted; I had loved Inuyasha, yes... but that had been long ago, almost in another life. I had spent more years without him, than I had with him – and more years with Sesshoumaru, despite his mated status, and our separate living situations.
I did not want to leave him.
I spent so much time dwelling on the unfairness of our circumstances, and impending separation, that I did not notice the insidious cold that had begun creeping up seemingly from below us.
At least, not until Sesshoumaru's manner broke through my preoccupation...
And then I knew.
It was time.