InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Greatest Gift ❯ Hidden ( Chapter 3 )

xXx

 

`I am said to always have a private agenda that is waiting to be fulfilled. If you ask me, that seems like an unfair assessment of my character. If anything, the manipulative one is my sister. Satori inherited all of our father's cool wit and his wiliness. I am something of a preview to her deceit.

 

`I remember, a week after Sesshoumaru was born, Satori took her leave of the west. As she put it, “I have bigger dogs to train.” And she left. Just like that. She, her husband, her attendants, and her son left for the north to claim the land that they inherited from our father.

 

`Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha have never met their aunt, nor her family. Satori had requested such to be the way to raise my sons. She was always thinking in a military mindset, as such was the way father had raised us to be. I never was good at politics and the like. It was all too confusing for me; my view on diplomacy was to do whatever would keep my people and land reasonably safe. Satori was no diplomat, either. She always seemed to be more of a warlord, than anything else. That was probably why she took off with little warning. Her belief was that if she stayed quiet for long enough, everyone would forget about her. (That's also probably why she was such a noisy brat.)

 

`She believed that should anything happen down on the main island, our clan would hold something of an element of surprise. She always wanted our clan to have the upper hand in battle. Her plan did work well when it came to the Great Eastern War, but our clan didn't go to war without casualties. She lost both her mate and her son in that war, along with many others of the clan.

 

`Satori, I think, took the loss harder than I did. She left for her frozen island after telling me to call upon her again should another chaotic war arise.

 

`Sesshoumaru had been a small pup, then. He did not fully comprehend the magnitude of loss that had befallen our clan. He had just looked up at me with his large, probing eyes and asked me why grandpa hadn't come home. I didn't have the heart to tell him that much of our family had passed on, but I think he knew. He was always such a smart child.

 

`The memorial service for those who had fallen gallantly in war was a sombre affair, yet not bathed in the tears of our sorrow, for we youkai do not mourn their deaths. We celebrate their lives.

 

`Sesshoumaru does not yet understand that concept. He is one who makes the mistake of immersing oneself in death.

 

`I guess our crappy sense of names is coming back to haunt me. `The killing perfection?' Really… What were we thinking?

 

`God damn you, Ryuukotsusei.'

 

xXx

 

The Greatest Gift

 

xXx

 

Third Shard: Hidden

 

xXx

 

“What does Satori want with Inuyasha?” she asked at last, finally voicing the question that had been picking Inuyasha's and Kaede's minds.

 

“I don't know,” the kitsune confessed. “I was just told to find him.”

 

Inuyasha's face flamed. “What the hell does she want with me? Hell, who exactly is she?!”

 

Shippou looked flabbergasted that they didn't know. “She's the daiyoukai ruler of the Northern Island. She's Inu no Taishou's younger sister.”

 

xXx

 

Inuyasha's jaw fell open. “I have an aunt?”

 

Shippou sniffed haughtily. “What kind of nephew are you, Inuyasha? You don't even know about your own family!” he reprimanded, waggling a small finger in front of the hanyou's face.

 

Myouga covered his face with his four hands. “Inu no Taishou is going to kill me,” he mumbled darkly.

 

“Not if I kill you first!” Inuyasha barked, swerving around to glare at the flea demon. “You! You knew about this, didn't you?!”

 

Myouga cowered beneath Inuyasha's spiteful gaze. “We were told never to speak of Satori-sama to you, Inuyasha-sama!” he wailed, arms flapping anxiously. “Inu no Taishou and Satori-sama made an agreement shortly after Sesshoumaru-sama's birth to keep as little communication going between them as possible. It was some sort of battle strategy Satori-sama concocted! I have nothing to do with it! I was just following orders! God! Why do you all like to make my job so difficult?!”

 

“Screw my dad and his orders! You should have told me!” Inuyasha ranted, sparks flying from his eyes.

 

Kikyou watched the strange interaction, an amused glint in her eyes. “Inuyasha, you shouldn't be so rude to your elders,” she said lightly. Myouga nodded hastily in agreement with the miko. “Besides,” she said calmly, “I'm sure that Myouga-san has a very logical explanation for why such a great amount of secrecy was necessary.” She shot the flea a look that bordered on threatening. Myouga was beginning to regret his decision to stay with Inuyasha at the miko's home.

 

“A-actually… There really isn't that much of a reason,” Myouga stammered. “It was just something that was generally understood.”

 

Kaede giggled, sensing Myouga's infinite doom approaching rapidly in the shape of an irate hanyou.

 

“This is such bull,” he muttered caustically. “Dad let me go for two hundred years under the impression that we were some sort of dying breed…”

 

Shippou stared wondrously at Inuyasha, his aqua-coloured eyes wide. `Could anybody possibly be that thick?' he thought, amazed by Inuyasha's sheer ignorance to the demon world.

 

“Inuyasha,” Shippou began, fidgeting a bit, “You really need to head back to your family and get smartened up. You really don't know much about the youkai world, do you?”

 

Inuyasha flushed angrily. “Shut up!” he snapped. “Even if I don't, I sure as hell don't need some brat like you to tell me that…”

 

Shippou snorted. `Inuyasha is more childish than me. Satori-sama is going to have a ball.'

 

“Shippou is right, though, Inuyasha-sama,” Myouga timidly put in. “You really do need to make yourself more knowledgeable if you are to meet Sesshoumaru-sama. He will not tolerate ignorance, especially when it is coming from a noble youkai.”

 

“Hanyou,” Shippou corrected automatically, sizing up Inuyasha. “Since he is a hanyou, I doubt that Sesshoumaru-sama will like him either way.”

 

Inuyasha, incensed by the kitsune's assessment, bit back a growl. “Shut up, brat,” he growled. “I don't need anyone to remind me of that.” His fiery gaze locked on Shippou. “Besides, you're not much yourself,” he muttered childishly.

 

Shippou rolled his large eyes. “You're really stupid, aren't you?”

 

“Excuse me?” Inuyasha drawled, cracking his knuckles ominously. “Do you want to repeat that?”

 

Shippou snorted, looking unfazed. “I said you're really stupi—OUCH!”

 

Shippou let out a shriek of pain as Inuyasha's fist connected with his skull. Then suddenly, the young fox demon was immersed in a cloud of thick, white smoke. Kaede and Kikyou fanned their hands in the air, trying to disperse the smoke. And when it finally cleared, instead of the undersized fox demon that barely reached Kaede's waist, sat a young boy that was considerably taller.

 

The boy coughed on the smoke, a small, clawed hand covering his mouth. He hacked out his lungs dramatically for a few seconds before opening his startling jade eyes and glaring daggers at the gaping Inuyasha.

 

“Inuyasha, you bastard!” he choked. “Look! You broke my illusion, dammit!” He coughed a few more times, his eyes watering. “Damn smoke…”

 

Kikyou stared wondrously at the young boy seated across the table from her. He looked to be about eleven or twelve, though rather short and slight in build. She eyed the boy's attire and shock red hair with interest, taking special note of his pointed ears and peculiar feet. There was no doubt in her mind; this was obviously Shippou.

 

Kaede, unlike her sister, was more than a little confused. “Shippou…?” she tried tentatively, eyes widening when the young demon turned and acknowledged her.

 

“Yeah?”

 

Kaede stared. “…I'm confused.”

 

Shippou pouted as he gingerly touched the lump on his head. “It's really not that confusing,” he mumbled tearfully. “I'm a kitsune youkai,” he said distractedly, as if that would explain everything. Shippou averted his heated gaze back to Inuyasha. “You really suck,” he whined. “You didn't have to hit me, you damn bastard…OUCH!”

 

Inuyasha smirked imperiously at the second bump rapidly forming on Shippou's head. “That's what you get, brat. Consider what you say before opening your trap.”

 

Shippou seethed angrily, but didn't dare retorting, knowing that anything he said would result in yet another wallop.

 

Kaede chewed on her chopsticks thoughtfully. “How did Shippou get so old so fast?” she wondered aloud. Shippou jumped at the sound of her voice. He had forgotten all about the two humans in the room.

 

“I'm a kitsune youkai,” he said again. “We're masters of illusions.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“It's okay if you don't understand, Kaede,” Myouga said gently. “It is a little confusing.”

 

Kikyou looked interestedly at the fox demon. “You cast an image of a weaker being over yourself so others would misjudge you,” she mused thoughtfully. “That way, should something unfortunate happen, you would have at least one surprise up your sleeve.”

 

Shippou gave her a toothy grin. “That's right,” he nodded. He smirked when he saw Inuyasha's vacant expression. “You didn't honestly think that Satori-sama would entrust a fifty-year-old baby with a mission, did you?”

 

Inuyasha flushed as Shippou publicised his error. “Don't be stupid!” he huffed, crossing his arms and looking away determinedly. “No one is that dumb…except maybe you.”

 

Shippou laughed and poked the hanyou in the arm. “You're such an immature brat, Inuyash—OUCH! Goddammit! What the hell was that one for?!” he shrieked as he nursed his third bump.

 

Inuyasha let out an imperious bark of laughter. “If I'm an immature brat, then you're a short and stupid brat.”

 

“Yes, yes, you're both brats,” Myouga sighed, turning away from the two murderous youkai. “As for you, Shippou, I would assume that you are somewhere between one-hundred and one-hundred fifty years old.”

 

Shippou relaxed slightly. “I'm one-hundred thirty-four.”

 

“I'm two-hundred!” Inuyasha laughed triumphantly. “That means you have to respect both me and my powers!”

 

Shippou snorted. “What powers?” he muttered under his breath, ignoring Inuyasha's ominously waving fist.

 

Kikyou blinked. “You're only one-hundred thirty-four?” she asked Shippou. The fox demon nodded earnestly.

 

“Give or take ten years or so.”

 

“Impressive,” the miko mused. “Your powers are quite advanced, then.”

 

Inuyasha gaped at her. “Excuse me?” he squawked, ignoring Shippou's smug look. “How is he advanced?!”

 

“He was able to mask his demonic presence, if you remember. I couldn't sense him. And he was able to stifle the strength of his aura from you. It was a very good guise he went under,” Kikyou complimented, allowing a rare smile to touch her lips.

 

Shippou grinned widely. “Thanks, Kikyou!” he sang.

 

Inuyasha scowled and crossed his arms. “At least I'm taller,” he muttered childishly. “And I don't wear a ribbon in my hair.”

 

Shippou pouted. “My mother made it for me,” he mumbled, touching the smooth fabric gently with feminine fingers. “I think it's cute.”

 

Kaede nodded energetically. “It is, Shippou-chan!” she giggled in approval. “I think it's great.”

 

Myouga watched the interactions warily, feeling that his comrades were a little too casual and not considering the big picture. “Excuse me,” he hopped into the center of the table, gaining everyone's attention. “But we really must not get distracted with things like hair ribbons…”

 

Inuyasha nodded sombrely. “Right.” He turned to Shippou, fixing him with a serious look that unnerved the fox demon almost as much as his waving fist. “Shippou,” he said. “Do you know what Satori wants with me?”

 

“I already said I don't know.”

 

Myouga rubbed his round chin thoughtfully. “Did she mention if she wanted to meet Inuyasha-sama?”

 

Shippou shook his head. “She just wanted me to meet him, or something.” He shrugged. “I guess she plans on meeting you sometime in the future, though.”

 

Myouga felt a chill descend upon him. “Why's that?”

 

Shippou blinked. “Because that letter I delivered to Sesshoumaru was an invite for him to come up to her domain.”

 

xXx

 

Jaken followed Sesshoumaru through the forest, a sinking feeling in his chest. Both he and the daiyoukai had departed for the Northern Island earlier in the morning - around dawn. It had been at least five hours since then, and the only thing Sesshoumaru had said was “Stop breathing so loudly. It's aggravating me.”

 

Needless to say, the extensive silence was greatly unnerving the kappa.

 

Jaken adjusted his grip on the Nintoujou. It was approximately a five day walk to the Northern Island, not counting the flight across the ocean and the trek from the coast of the island to its demon stronghold, which would most likely take another five days.

 

Sesshoumaru had asked Jaken to find all the scrolls they had regarding the Northern Island. Jaken obliged, and the number of sources that gave any description of the Northern Island was baffling. Absolutely no scrolls came up. Sesshoumaru, in his own silent way of expressing displeasure, had Jaken and several other servants dig through the study a few more times; just to make sure that no scrolls had been overlooked as a result of his subordinates' idiocy. Yet, no matter how many times they peeled through the racks of scrolls and piles of paper, they could not find any reference to the Northern Island. It was astonishing. It was almost like its entire history - its entire existence - had been erased.

 

Sesshoumaru had been livid.

 

Jaken felt a tiny bit of pity for the unfortunate humans that had tried robbing them earlier. Sesshoumaru must have been pretty wound up if something like four weak bandits caused the normally expressionless inu youkai to chuckle. Jaken shivered as he remembered the result of the clash. Of all the twisted techniques he'd seen Sesshoumaru use, he hadn't expected the daiyoukai to do something as sinister as the Chinese water torture with poison rather than water—and inside their gutted bellies and skulls, no less. Especially since cutting their legs and arms off seemed like overkill as it was.

 

He honestly could not see what had given Sesshoumaru the sudden desire to take off for the Northern Island. Sure, the invitation had seemed rather queer in its own light, especially since it had been marked with the seal of the Inu Youkai clan. But still, Jaken found the whole invitation to be rather fishy.

 

He was itching with curiosity, and was tremendously agitated by Sesshoumaru's lack of desire to share his inner thoughts. The daiyoukai had been behaving oddly ever since he had read - and reread - the message. Jaken was almost positive he'd seen the corners of his lord's lips quirk. He felt that he was justified in his dread.

 

xXx

 

The knowledge that Sesshoumaru had been formally invited to the Northern Island had proved to be of far greater distress to Myouga than anything else he had encountered in the past couple of centuries.

 

Inuyasha, being somewhat able to fathom Myouga's disturbance on the subject matter, allowed the flea to return to the West, albeit reluctantly.

 

Myouga had been in quite a hurry to depart; seeing as Sesshoumaru had been given a slight head start on his journey, Myouga had to increase his speed tenfold. (Meaning he had hitched a ride on several ignorant demons that had been traveling in a westward direction.)

 

Inuyasha was left behind with Shippou in Kikyou's village to await Myouga's return. Needless to say, he was not too ecstatic with the arrangements. Truthfully, he felt a bit like he was becoming too adjusted with the domestic setting. He had been there for a little over a week, and already people were beginning to accept him as part of the scenery - a notion that thoroughly disturbed Inuyasha.

 

Inuyasha had noticed right off the back that the villagers of Kikyou's village had been far more at ease with his presence than those of others. Shippou had noticed too, and seemed convinced that it was because the villagers were overconfident in the powers of their miko. And, though Inuyasha would admit (though never aloud) that Kikyou did have substantial spiritual energy for a human, he also admitted that there were many demons that would have little to no difficulty squashing her.

 

He wished that humans didn't always possess such inflated egos. It was rather pathetic.

 

(“Stupid Inuyasha! You have an inflated ego, too—OUCH!”)

 

The matter of the (newly dubbed) “Dry Well” still had yet to be sorted out. The whole situation was greatly concerning Kikyou, and she had made it a high priority to perform purification rites by the well multiple times a day. Inuyasha had scoffed and thought her efforts to be foolish. Shippou had chosen to remain neutral in the situation, feeling that something about the well was not quite right.

 

Kikyou stared pensively down into the well, her brow furrowed in concentration. “I just don't understand it,” she muttered, clenching her hand into a fist. “How could all the water have vanished so suddenly? And after a thunderstorm, no less…”

 

Inuyasha stood awkwardly on the rim of the well, straining his eyes as he tried to look for any signs of cracks in the earth. “I still don't get why you're all so worked up over it. It's just some stupid well.”

 

Kikyou glanced up at Inuyasha. “Don't be ignorant,” she snipped. “It's not the loss of water that's upsetting me. It's the manner in which it all vanished. It's rather uncanny, don't you think?”

 

Inuyasha shrugged. “I honestly could care less. You've even said that it's happened before.”

 

Kaede, who Kikyou now refused to let anywhere within ten feet of the well, frowned at him. “That's not the point.”

 

“Would it make you feel better if there was a demonic reason behind it?” Inuyasha asked sharply, eyes flashing.

 

Kaede looked stricken. “What?”

 

“I don't know about you two, but I'd feel a hell of a lot better if this was just some freak of nature, and not something related to demons or ghosts or whatever.”

 

Kikyou scowled unpleasantly. “So would I,” she said flatly. “However, we cannot simply assume that—”

 

“Oh, shut up.”

 

Inuyasha hopped off the side of the well, landing smoothly on the ground. “You guys all think too much,” he said flatly. “Just believe what you want. Having all these weird suspicions is just going to make you all stressed out, and it'll probably increase the chance of some situation like that happen.”

 

Kikyou's lips pressed together in a thin line. “That may be, but I'd rather be cautious than sitting around and waiting for the inevitable to happen,” she said stiffly as she rose to her feet.

 

“Keh,” Inuyasha scoffed, crossing his arms. “If it's inevitable, it's gonna happen anyway.”

 

Kikyou stiffened, but the hanyou chose to ignore it in favour of turning to head back to the village. “I'm heading back,” he said. “Shippou was right to hang back. These rituals of you humans are all so pointless.”

 

The miko narrowed her eyes and said nothing, her fisted hands shaking in silent fury as she glared into the well.

 

Inuyasha seemed unperturbed by the wrath radiating from Kikyou and began trekking back to the village, waving a hand at her indolently. “Anyway, you guys should be more concerned with trying to make peace with the demons more than destroy them… I mean, they can technically annihilate you humans, can't they? Maybe your existence in this world is simply to be destroyed.” Inuyasha turned and sneered slightly at her. “Maybe there'll be a day when humans are just part of old myths and legends, and youkai will be telling their children about how valiantly they fought, only to be destroyed.”

 

Kikyou spun around, eyes blazing. “There will never be a time when that will happen,” she hissed. “If anyone is to die out, it will be you. You and your kind. Demons are incapable of anything but death and destruction. There is no miracle of life among you.”

 

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow impassively. “You may be saying that now, but what about in the future?” he drawled. “Like…what about when I purify the Shikon Jewel and become the most powerful demon of them all?” he snarled maliciously, eyes glittering.

 

Kikyou's hand twitched as the desire to shoot the damned hanyou through his thick skull and into a tree intensified. “That day will never come,” she said confidently. “The Jewel has been protected by my people for generations. There is no way that fate would betray our years of servitude with such cruelty.”

 

Inuyasha let out a sardonic bark of laughter. “`Servitude'?” he jeered. “Don't fuck around with me. Your ancestor willingly took on the job of her own volition. There was no underhand blackmail. My mother was a lowly human, just like you. There's no way she could have defeated a miko.”

 

There was truth to that, and Kikyou could not deny it. She wilted, knowing she'd been defeated. Still, she clung to her stung pride and turned back to gaze into the dark depths of the Dry Well, gritting her teeth in anger. “I will never lower myself to being subjugated by a demon.”

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and stormed off. “Screw you, wench!” he snapped in a very mature way. “Either way, the end will come to one of our races, whether you like it or not. And, if you ask me, the world is pulling in favour of the youkai!” He glared angrily at the back of the miko before turning to Kaede. “C'mon, brat. Let's leave your wench of a sister alone.” And the two left.

 

Kikyou clenched her eyes tightly, her fingernails digging into the palms of her fisted hands. She took deep, even breaths in an attempt to calm herself as he splashed more holy water down into the empty well. However, instead of hearing the water slap against the ground, breaking the silence, a high-pitched shriek broke through the air, echoing upward from the bottom of the well.

 

Kikyou nearly dropped her bucket of water at the sound of the shriek. She quickly set the bucket on the ground and leaned over the edge of the well, squinting her eyes as she fought to discern what was on the bottom. “Hello?” she called. “Hello? Is somebody down there?” It was only after the words had left her mouth that she mentally kicked herself. The well had been void of inhabitants for the past hour—she'd been there herself! She would have noticed!—so it seemed peculiar that something would only be crying out in discomfort now.

 

She quickly tossed some more water in, if just to encourage another cry, and, sure enough, another sound was made. However, unlike the first din, this one was far more clear and horribly coherent. “Stop splashing me, bitch!”

 

Kikyou dropped the bucket.

 

xXx

 

Jaken was very unhappy. More so than usual, and that was saying quite a bit. He did not like the Northern Island at all—it was much too cold for his liking. All the snow and the menacing shadows and the howling wolf clans… It was simply too much for him to handle. He wanted to cry out in misery, he really did, but at the same time, he knew that would only serve to further incite his lord's wrath, and Sesshoumaru was already incensed as it was. (Or, in Myouga's words, he was just plain pissed.)

 

They had been travelling deeper and deeper into the dead, snow-capped forest for over an hour, and Sesshoumaru had yet to say a word. They had come across a plethora of demons—mostly wolf—but had made no attempt at contact. Rather, Sesshoumaru would just glance at them, and they would glance back, and then they would leave. It was all very confusing. Far too confusing for Jaken, in any case, and all the silence was killing him.

 

After another hour, the forest began giving away to menacing, black mountains. And Jaken was finally prepared to start screaming in frustration when Sesshoumaru did something quite unexpected. He halted in his steps and told Jaken not to move.

 

Jaken immediately complied. After being Sesshoumaru-sama's servant for so many years, he'd gathered that his lord was one of few words, but when he did, in fact, say something, then there was good reason for it. And, knowing this, Jaken obeyed Sesshoumaru and froze.

 

A relatively young inu youkai stood before them, golden eyes watching them unblinkingly and with intrigue from beneath silver bangs. It appeared as though he had been standing there for a while, as a layer of powdery snow had collected on top of his silvery head and into the scratched cauldron of his armour. He cocked his head in childish interest at them, snow falling from his head with the movement.

 

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, clearly unsure of how to approach the child. He was young, that much was certain—he couldn't have been more than one hundred fifty years old. “Pup,” Sesshoumaru said at last, gazing down at the small demon, “I am Sesshoumaru, Lord of the West.”

 

The child merely blinked and continued to stare at him blankly, his eyelids flickered slightly. Perhaps a sign of acknowledgement? Finally, he raised a daintily clawed hand up to his face and scratched idly at one of the blood-red markings curling across his cheeks. “I know,” he said shortly, voice soft and almost inaudible.

 

Sesshoumaru felt himself twitch inwardly. What kind of a response was that? `I know'? And to scratch himself in the presence of an elder?! What an impudent brat.

 

“I was summoned here by Sasori-sama,” he said, watching the young demon for a reaction, seeing none, he continued. “She has requested a council with me and requested that I come to meet with her in her domain.”

 

The child gave him another blank look. “I know,” he said dryly, his hand this time opting to tug on some of the many loose strands of hair that were slipping from his low ponytail. Sesshoumaru could feel his patience becoming very thin, very quickly.

 

“I was told that the matters of our meeting were of great importance.”

 

The child dropped his hand and a large Cheshire grin spread across his face. “I know,” he said cheekily, his pearly white fangs gleaming obnoxiously at Sesshoumaru.

 

“Can you say anything besides `I know'?” Sesshoumaru snapped testily, using all his self-restraint to keep himself from ripping out the child's throat.

 

Chuckling softly now, the young youkai nodded heartily. “Yes,” he said brightly. “And I think you're an asshole.” He punctuated this by blowing an obstinately loud raspberry.

 

Jaken was seriously beginning to fear for the child's life. He'd never seen Sesshoumaru grin like this.

 

In any case, the boy seemed to get an idea of Sesshoumaru's bloodlust, and wisely stopped poking fun. “It's over there,” he said, pointing lazily at the dip where two mountains met. “The village is surrounded by a wall and will be heavily guarded, so just try not to get killed,” he added with a sly grin. “Unless you state your name and purpose quickly—not unlike you did here—” he snickered, “the first shield will not hesitate to attack.”

 

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. “You will not guide us?”

 

The boy laughed hysterically, much to Sesshoumaru's chagrin. “Hell no!” he roared. “One of the guys in the first shield keeps on trying to molest me. There's no way I'm going with you. That guy would probably find you pretty or something… Then they'd probably try to gang-rape us or something.”

 

Jaken could feel his jaw dropping. `Gang-rape?! What kind of a place is this?!'

 

Sesshoumaru gave the boy a deprecating look. “Surely you are being fresh,” he said. “Such an act is unbecoming and simply not practiced in the mainland.”

 

The boy's eyes glittered as he rubbed his nose insolently. “You and your friend are a long way from the mainland,” he stated smugly. “This is the Northern Island, you see, and we do things our way.”

 

“And what is `your' way?” Sesshoumaru asked, perhaps more patiently than intended.

 

“My way is of no importance,” the boy replied simply. “It is my way, as you said, and therefore, your way is the only one of consequence.”

 

“Then what is `my' way?” Sesshoumaru asked through gritted teeth.

 

The child gave him an obvious look. “Through the goddamn front door, you dumbass.” And with that, he vanished, leaving Jaken very confused and Sesshoumaru very, very angry.

 

xXx

 

Jaken had to admit, they'd made it to the joint between the two peaks in amazing time. (Most likely, Sesshoumaru-sama's rage had given him the extra strength, Jaken decided.)

 

Just as the loathsome pup had said, there was a towering wall and gate protecting the village. However, the guards he had mentioned were conspicuously absent.

 

Sesshoumaru glanced around, trying to get a feel of the environment. There was indeed a dense population behind the wall, not only of various species of demons, but of humans and animals as well. He couldn't help but wonder at what kind of daiyoukai Satori was, to let filthy humans coexist with the superior demons.

 

He strode forward towards the gate, Jaken trailing behind him, squawking, as usual. Sesshoumaru stared up at the top of the gate. Its edge was coated with layer upon layer of embedded shards of glass and iron spears. The wall, he decided, was a formidable opponent to humans and to demons with low agility and mobility. For him, jumping it would be nothing. And so, he crouched and launched himself at the gate, ignoring the forgotten Jaken.

 

He landed smoothly on the gate in the area where projectiles were normally launched in defensive movements, only to be promptly kicked off.

 

Sesshoumaru quickly caught himself in his fall and landed back on the ground beside Jaken in a controlled crouch.

 

“Se-Se-Sesshoumaru-sama!” Jaken wailed, hopping about and pointing around them, tears streaming from his eyes. “What are we going to doooo?”

 

Sesshoumaru looked up, saw what had Jaken so rattled, and sighed in annoyance. The pair had been ambushed and surrounded by seven guards, each clutching impressive weapons and each one looking incredibly menacing in their own sense—except for one, who was clad in a pink yukata. He seemed far more frail than the others, so Sesshoumaru chose to attack him in an attempt to break the circle. However, to his surprise, the tendril of the poison whip he'd shot out was merely danced around and repelled.

 

The young guard giggled in an entirely unbecoming and horrifically female manner. “Ooh,” he cooed, twirling his sword expertly, his dark eyes never leaving Sesshoumaru. “I like this one.”

 

One of the guards behind Jaken let out an aggravated groan. “Jakotsu!” he barked at the guard in pink, “We are not going through this again!”

 

Jakotsu pouted. “Aw… But, Bankotsu no oo-aniki,” he whined, “look at him! He's gorgeous!”

 

Sesshoumaru barely repressed his grimace. As the guards Jakotsu and Bankotsu bickered, he took the time to observe his collective foe. The seven guards all varied tremendously in size, appearance, and stance. And for them to have not only evaded his attack, but to have laid a hit on him, they were clearly skilled warriors. Sesshoumaru sniffed the air, curious to get a feel on what kind of demon he was toiling with—only to get the shock of his life. The guards were all human.

 

Granted, they smelled a little different, but still… The prospect of being beaten by lowly humans was simply mortifying. There was no way he could let that happen.

 

Sesshoumaru spun around released an unexpected attack on Bankotsu, shooting forwards, claws dripping poison, only to be me intercepted by Jankotsu and the other five each pointing their respective weapons at him, each in a position to throw him into the afterlife.

 

Jankotsu gave him an infuriated look, his blade precariously grazing Sesshoumaru's neck. “Do not threaten Bankotsu no oo-aniki. Ever!” he snarled, pupils slightly dilated in vehemence. “That is one thing you never should do. Especially not in front of me.”

 

Bankotsu strode forward and laid a hand comfortably on Jakotsu's shoulder. “That's enough, Jakotsu,” he said softly, the admiration barely concealed in his voice. He turned his dark eyes towards the quivering Jaken before finally settling his gaze on Sesshoumaru. “We are the Shichinintai,” he said proudly, gesticulating toward the guards. “We are the first shield of the Northern Fortress, and we do not take kindly to strangers. What is your name and purpose, youkai?” he demanded.

 

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. “I was requested a council with Satori-sama,” he replied curtly. “I am Sesshoumaru, the Lord of the West.”

 

Bankotsu blinked, understanding reflected in them. He nodded to his comrades, and the seven guards lowered their weapons; Jakotsu did so as well, albeit reluctantly. Bankotsu tilted his head back and shouted out to an unseen person. “He's clear! Open the gate!”

 

There was a loud crashing sound and the hissing noise of steam, and the gate flew open. The Shichinintai slowly filed in, all of them with the exception of Bankotsu climbed a great set of stairs built into the wall and settled comfortably into strategically placed crevices, each with a clean view of the landscape outside of the village. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened in understanding. They had seen him coming long before he had arrived.

 

“Sesshoumaru-sama,” Bankotsu said, “if you'll be so kind as to follow me, I will take you to see Satori-sama.”

 

Sesshoumaru nodded and followed the young human, Jaken simpering behind them as they travelled deep into the village.

 

The village was really quite something to behold, though it had all the typical elements of a society, it was one merged with both humans and demons. It was also quite bizarre for Sesshoumaru to see such a population of inu youkai, especially to see them conversing quite animatedly with humans. The other thing about the village was that there was an alarmingly large number of warriors and soldier-like figures roaming about. The amount of armour and weapon related artisans was also quite high, their shops littering the vast majority of the tight dirt roads and markets.

 

Bankotsu led them to something of a large, sophisticated domain carved into the side of one of the mountains. He glanced over at Jaken and Sesshoumaru. “This is Satori-sama's fortress,” he told them as they headed toward the threshold of the door.

 

The young inu youkai from the woods was standing at the door, again with a dusting of snow adorning his head. When he saw Sesshoumaru, his mouth split into a wide grin. “I see you made it here in one piece,” he observed.

 

Bankotsu groaned. “Don't tell me you were the one Satori-sama sent out to escort Sesshoumaru-sama, Yuudai…”

 

The boy merely smiled.

 

“You impudent brat!” Jaken exploded. “You didn't escort us at all!”

 

Yuudai snickered at the kappa. “The Lady of the North was mum as to how I should lead you here.”

 

Bankotsu rolled his eyes. “You're such a brat,” he muttered. “Can I trust you to take them—meaning actually go with them—to Satori-sama?”

 

Yuudai waved him off languidly. “Sure, sure. Geez. What do you take me for, some kind of hooligan?”

 

Jaken let out a roar of agreement.

 

Yuudai pouted at Jaken but relented, giving a thoughtful tug on a lock of his hair. “It's this way,” he said, making an amazing breach of demon ethics and grabbing Sesshoumaru's hand to lead him inside.

 

Jaken nearly fainted on the spot. What a stupid boy.

 

The young demon was certainly an odd one, Sesshoumaru decided as he observed the happily skipping boy with something akin to intrigued disgust. “Are you the child of Satori-sama?” Sesshoumaru asked slowly, hoping it wasn't so.

 

The boy seemed to think the same. “God, no!” he groaned, feigning a gag as he dragged Sesshoumaru down an ornate hallway. “I think I'd kill myself if I was the spawn of that witch.”

 

Sesshoumaru frowned. What a strange child. He hoped that the new generation of inu youkai wasn't all so loathsome.

 

“Here we go,” Yuudai said at last, skidding to a halt and grinding his heels into the ground. He nodded with his head toward a fragile-looking door. “She'll meet with you in here.”

 

Sesshoumaru nodded and wrenched his hand away from the child. “Very good,” he said flatly. He slid the door open and strode in.

 

A low table was set up in the room and a cup of hot tea was steaming at his presumed place at the small table. He slowly sat down at the table, Jaken settled behind him, and stared at the woman before him. An elegantly dressed inu daiyoukai with rigid posture was seated in the seat across from him, her molten golden eyes carefully observing him over the rim of her cup.

 

“I take it you are Satori-sama?” Sesshoumaru asked quietly, picking up his own cup and sipping his tea, his eyes quickly taking in the blue crescent moon on her forehead.

 

The woman lowered the cup from her lips and smiled, her rose-coloured lips curling upward into a secretive, close-mouthed smile. “I take it you are Sesshoumaru-sama?” she returned, setting her cup down and tugging lightly on one of her silver ponytails. (Jaken, from his place behind Sesshoumaru, could see Yuudai seated behind the woman, and immediately understood where the boy had gained his habit.)

 

Yuudai sniggered from behind the female youkai. “That he is, Satori-baasama.”

 

It took every ounce of self-control to keep Jaken from crying out in confusion. `What kind of underling addresses his mistress as such?!'

 

Satori didn't seem bothered, and neither did Sesshoumaru, though he was a bit more nonplussed than anything else.

 

Satori smile widely at Sesshoumaru and clasped her hands together. “Sesshoumaru-sama,” she said pleasantly, “are you confused, yet?”

 

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes slightly. “Not particularly,” he mumbled into his cup. “More annoyed than anything else that there was an inu youkai settlement up here that I was not aware of,” he added as an afterthought.

 

Satori nodded cheerfully. “I assumed as much,” she admitted, snapping a fan out from her sleeve and hiding her mouth from view. “Do you know who I am?” she asked slowly, eyes probing.

 

Sesshoumaru placed his cup down on the table and refilled both his and Satori's. “You are clearly an inu daiyoukai, which therefore you must be a direct descendent of the nobility, as we have very strict family practices. You would not be in such large possession of a territory such as the Northern Island, nor would you be able to keep your civilisation under such secrecy unless you had met an accord with my father, Inu no Taishou.” He paused, searching her eyes for a reaction. Finding none, he continued. “And it is a well-known fact that my father is wonderful at manipulation, so in order for you to have convinced him to keep your existence a secret, it is only logical that you would either have some form of blackmail, or that you were an even greater manipulator than him. In this scenario, having met you, I'm leaning toward the latter.”

 

Satori laughed softly, folding her fan up. “Sesshoumaru-sama,” she chuckled, “your father was not lying when he said that you spent far too much time thinking!” She poked him in the forehead with her fan, eliciting a petrified shriek from Jaken and a snicker from Yuudai.

 

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. “So, you do know my father.”

 

She rolled her eyes in a very uncouth manner. “I'm afraid so,” she groaned. “Sesshoumaru-sama, I'm your father's little sister!”

 

Jaken fainted on the spot. Sesshoumaru said nothing.

 

“Are you surprised?” Satori asked playfully.

 

Sesshoumaru's eyes lifted upward, gazing thoughtfully at the ceiling. “Not particularly,” he said at last. He returned his gaze to his aunt. “It is not unlike my father to keep things like this a secret,” he muttered sourly. “Especially when he has something to be gained.”

 

“`Gained'?” Satori echoed, thin brows knitting together in thought. “Oh!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “Of course, that is so typical of Touga-niisama,” she remarked with a laugh. She leaned forward, grinning widely at her nephew. “This is about his other son—your brother…Inuyasha-sama, isn't it?”

 

Sesshoumaru stiffened. “What do you know of him?” he asked sharply.

 

Another close-mouthed smile played on Satori's lips as she leaned backwards slightly. “Tell me, Sesshoumaru-sama,” she said, taking a languid sip of her tea. “What do you know of the Shikon Jewel?”

 

xXx

 

Rant:

Haha! I bet you guys were starting to get worried, eh? XD

 

I actually was getting pretty concerned with the life of this fic. See, I had some computer problems back in the day, and me being the procrastinator I am, I waited for a disgustingly long time before doing anything to fix them. Then, in July, my AC adapter went and blew up on me. (I got burned in the process, which sucked.) So, then I had to wait until I got back from Africa before I could do anything about that. And, of course, me being the procrastinator I am, I waited another two months before getting a new cord. XD Then I spent a good week drowning myself in the Inuyasha OSTs before hunkering down to finish this chapter. :D I must say, I'm surprised I actually did it. ::celebrates::

 

Dude, this is pretty sick for me, though. This is the first fic I've written to ever reach its third chapter!! 8D I'm so psyched; you guys have no idea how cool this is for me.

 

Sorry for the long wait, guys. D: Take this as my peace offering?