InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Free Wind ❯ Chapter 6

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

How dare that bastard speak to her like that. He hadn’t spoken a word since Midoriko had lit the fire. He just took it in turns to stare at nothing or narrow his eyes at Inuwarai as he wandered in and out of their impromptu camp bringing wood or a fresh caught rabbit.

Bastard! She thought one more time for good measure. Kagura was fuming. She had saved his life, or at the least the life of that precious child of his. She glanced at the girl, curled up in Sesshoumaru’s lap with a bit of jealousy. Don’t be stupid, Kagura. She’s just a girl and he doesn’t look comfortable with her there anyway. If she hadn’t cried out in pain he never would have picked her up. Maybe I should cry out in pain? She thought before giving herself a mental slap. She didn’t need him. He was just a demon.

Inuwarai jarred her from her train of thought. He settled down beside her, laying a hand on her shoulder. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered loud enough to be heard on the mainland, “Does he always look like that?” He nodded toward Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at his grandfather. Kagura hid a smile. “No,” she whispered back, “sometimes he is standing up.”

Inuwarai threw his head back laughing. Sesshoumaru’s body tensed, as though he wished to stride away but didn’t want to wake the child sleeping on him. Kagura shot him a look that said quite clearly she didn’t think he was so high and mighty.

Midoriko glanced up, a look of confusion on her face, “Are you not glad to see your grandfather?”

“I have not been glad to see you,” he gave a pointed look at Inuwarai, “in centuries.”

Inuwarai gazed at his grandson, looking hurt. “Have the years been so hard for you? The boy I left used to know how to smile.”

“I am not a boy anymore, am I grandfather?” he said with disdain.

Kagura looked between the two, wondering what was going on. She had been under the impression they had been close. She knew Inuwarai did not always get along with his son, but he had always spoken of Sesshoumaru as though they had been close. Of course, She thought, the Sesshoumaru I know doesn’t get close to anybody.

Inuwarai was upset, she could tell. His hand had gone to his flask as soon as Sesshoumaru had spoke. Lowering the flask he had his smile back in place, but Kagura could see the hurt in his eyes. Midoriko was shaking her head in disgust.

“I saw you die, how is it you are here?” He asked.

Kagura smiled. He had, he knew she had not wanted to die alone. He had come to her, he had tried to resurrect her. She had glimpsed his soul for a moment. She knew he would deny it, but she had known.

“I did not die, I was released.”

He raised an eyebrow but did not ask her to continue. Kagura could sense his curiosity. She toyed with the idea of leaving it at that, but seeing Inuwarai struggling to hold his grin, she decided to keep the conversation going in order to distract him from his grandsons cruel words.

She rolled her eyes, “You didn’t think I was just one of Naraku’s detachments, did you? I would think even a lowly demon such as yourself would have sensed by now I was more than that.”

Sesshoumaru tensed, his eyes glinting angrily, “Are you referring to this Sesshoumaru as lowly?”

Kagura caught the warning in his voice, but didn’t care, “All creatures are beneath a kami that is second only to the sun itself,” she flippantly said. She noted the surprise in his eyes with satisfaction. It was much better than the disdain he had been showing before. As long as she had the upper hand she could almost believe his words had not hurt.

Midoriko glanced at Inuwarai, who was nursing his flask and staring into the flames. It was obvious she wasn’t happy about his treatment at the hands of Sesshoumaru. Clearing her throat, she said, “Sesshoumaru-sama,” it sounded like an insult, “what do you know of the location of the shikon-no-tama?”

Kagura wondered if he would answer. I should have just left him as that last memory. He’ll become a memory anyway, he will die, at least I could have left him as a good one instead of this. She watched as he brushed a hair out of his young wards face, his silence hanging heavy in the air.

Finally he spoke, “I will be the one to destroy Naraku, something you could not do, wench. I care nothing of the jewel that filthy hanyou possesses. He has attempted to visit injury onto those in my charge, and for that he will die.”

He gazed at Kagura as he spoke, ignoring the existence of the human and his kin. She found it disconcerting, and wondered what he meant by it, as she had so many times before. It seemed every time she saw him he tore her soul to shreds while mending it at the same time. How I despise him, she thought without conviction.

Inuwarai stood then, moving to stand in front of his grandson. Kagura could feel his anger as a palatable thing, it hung heavy in the air. Kagura felt a moment of concern for the child between them, she knew how dangerous the gentle man could be when angered. She noted with satisfaction that he had startled Sesshoumaru.

“Who do you think you are, speaking to everyone like that? Did you forget that all your fancy titles are mine? I could take them back like that and disown you!” He snapped his fingers under Sesshoumaru’s stony eyes, “Whatever I did to hurt you has nothing to do with these ladies, and you will treat them with the respect I know you were taught, regardless of how uncouth you have become.”

His eyes narrowed, “Attempt it, grandfather, and I will kill you.”

Inuwarai snarled, turning his back on his grandson. “I willingly gave everything to your father. Did you even mourn when he died?”

Seshoumaru made to stand. It was Midoriko who shoved him down. Kagura wasn’t even aware that the woman had stood.

“You want to wake the child?” She gave him a hard look.

Sesshoumaru didn’t answer, just scowled at Inuwarai.

“Sesshoumaru, why do you hate me? Is it because I didn’t return?”

“You brought a taint to our house, if it weren’t for you your son would still be alive.” Sesshoumaru hissed.

Inuwarai looked stricken. He wiped his hand across his brow, shoulders slumping. “I see.” Inuwarai launched himself through the woods.

Kagura turned on Sesshoumaru, “Why do you always have to be so damn cruel?” She shot out before speeding after Inuwarai, missing the flash of pain in Sesshoumaru’s eyes.

When she found him he was sitting on the edge of a deep ravine, his chin propped on his knees. This can’t be happening. If he can’t smile then what hope do the rest of us have? Even in the heat of battle, she could always count on him laughing, making a joke. Finding Sesshoumaru had been a mistake. Yet if we hadn’t, the child would be dead.

“I know you are there, witch,” he said flatly, startling her.

“How?” she asked surprised.

“Even a god has a scent,” he hesitated, “You tried to warn me didn’t you?”

She sat down beside him, “Warn you of what?”

“That he was no longer the boy I remembered,” Inuwarai sighed, “He is his father all over again, but with something else, something dark.”

“His father was never bitter,” Kagura stated.

Inuwarai slowly nodded, “Hai, he wasn’t. When I left everything to him, told him I’d had enough of ceremony and wanted to travel, he was not bitter. He understood,” he snorted, “He was willing to take it all. He thought my attachment to humans, to the descendants of my own grandmother, was ridiculous. Do you know what he said to me when I told him my intentions?”

Kagura knew, he had told her before, but she would let him answer. He needed someone to listen, and she was the only one there. She shook her head.

“He wanted to know why I would dirty my hands with the humans, when they die so soon and easily,” he laughed, “you probably think the same of my kind, don’t you witch?”

Kagura smiled, “Everything is brief to the wind.”

“All the more reason to treasure it,” he was staring into the ravine, his eyes focused on memories of long ago, “It’s the humans he blames, Kagura. Not me, and not his father, but the humans that took us away from him.”

“Perhaps, but then why would he allow the child to follow him?” she asked.

Inuwarai laughed out loud this time, “Why, because he is an Inu, my dear! He may have tried to erase everything good in his soul, but he can not help be what he is, no matter how much he denies it.”

Kagura was relieved that the old dog seemed to be regaining his normal positive attitude. I’m not sure if it is because he is an Inu, or because of his twisted sense of honor, but let Inuwarai believe it if it makes him happy. She needed to ask him one more thing before they returned.

“Old man, did you sense anything in that surge of power Sesshoumaru threw at that demon when he grabbed me?”

His eyebrows shot up, “Now that you mention it, I did. I forgot it what with everything else. I mean the child was hurt, my belly was growling…”

Kagura rolled her eyes, “yes, but what did you sense?”

“Hmm? Oh, it felt like something ‘Riko would do.”

Just as she thought. “Yes, it was very much like a purifying power. But a demon can’t do that, can they?”

He shook his head, “Not as far as I know. Some of the gods can which I’m sure you know. I would think a demon would purify themselves out of existence if they tried,” he stood up, “You know, ‘Riko threatened to purify my cock off once.”

Kagura burst out laughing. She couldn’t help but wonder what had driven the taijiya to that extreme. Still giggling she stood up next to him, “We should head back, we left her with him, the poor thing.”

When they got back Sesshoumaru was gone. Inuwarai was angry, she could tell, though he forced a smile when he turned to Midoriko. “He took off, did he?”

Midoriko nodded.

“Selfish bastard. What about the child?”

“He was gentle. He threw the imp onto the dragon and carried the girl. She never even woke up.”

Inuwarai snorted, leaning his head against a tree.

No, Kagura did not care for Sesshoumaru anymore, that is why she dissolved into the wind to wail through the ravines and fields, causing people to huddle under their meager roofs as the mournful wind tore everything in her path to shreds.