InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Guardian Cu' ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Cu Cebhfhion 
In which Cu' makes his second visit to Goshinboko
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy / Drama / Fantasy | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.10.2010 | Updated On: 04.10.2010 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 167 | Status: Work In Progress
In which Cu' makes his second visit to Goshinboko
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy / Drama / Fantasy | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.10.2010 | Updated On: 04.10.2010 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 167 | Status: Work In Progress
The Characters and World of InuYasha belong entirely to the admirable and talented Rumiko Takahashi. I in no way lay claim to them or make any money off of them.
Cu' the Guardian, aka GinCu' is mine, so is his meadow and the plot of this story.
Chapter Six
It was impossible, he had concluded long ago, to decide which cosmic dance he really preferred, the serenely beautiful decent of those returning souls whose arrival was gracefully displayed in long twisting spirals of softly glowing light or the gloriously blinding leaps of those once again eager to reenter into the challenging plane of mortal life. All of his lovely children were always so ready for the next adventure, coming and going in eternal play around and above the meadows under the care of the Guardian Cu'.
Half hidden among the long blades of silver tipped grass blanketing his favorite hillside, Cu' lay happily watching them as they danced. From this comfortable spot overlooking that sheltering field of flowers which harbored the oldest souls in his keeping, he cheerfully greeted those coming back for a season in Bliss and joyfully bid good journey to all once again setting off along the path to new lessons.
The unfamiliar sound of mournful weeping drifted across the Meadows of Serenity as one of the newly arriving Soulspheres drifted down right into the middle of Cu's garden. Closing his eyes the Guardian quickly reached to his side and withdrew a golden-yellow flower from the spray tucked into his sash. Breathing upon it, he called out the soul and blessed it with it's specific task. Instead of allowing it to shoot straight up into the air, he slung it forcefully up, out and toward the horizon. Then he casually walked down the hillside to greet the one who had just returned.
Like so many returning older souls this one's outward appearance continued to manifest the physical aspect of it's recent earthly incarnation. In anguish, a sloe-eyed maiden dressed in the white haori and red hakama of a Miko, long glossy black hair caught back on her nape by a length of white ribbon binding, stood with head bowed, her tears a bitter rain upon the white flowers around her bare feet.
I have failed you, she whispered leaning her forehead against the Guardian's right shoulder. I have done the most unforgivable thing.
Enfolding the weeping young woman in his arms, Cu' patted her back and asked quietly, What could you have done that warrants no forgiveness?
I thought, No..I Believed that my Other intentionally betrayed me. She sobbed, then pulled back to look up into Cu's questioning silver eyes. My Other could never have done that...never. Because of superstitious fear my human heart was cast into doubt and because of that doubt I distrusted that which was the truth in my soul, choosing instead to believe the lie set before my eyes.
What did you do?
In anger my betrayed human heart desired to inflict a punishment which would transcend death...I spent the last of my strength, the last of my will and the last of my power not to kill him and free his soul, but to trap him alone and leave him, unforgiven in darkness forever. Wrapped in a delusion, I destroyed my Other. Now we will never again be together.
You...? Cu's eyebrows raised up under his dark silver bangs,
Sealed him, Even in her obvious distress the soul seemed eerily composed as she told Cu' what she had done. With the power of a sacred arrow I betrayed him .
You...sealed him. Where?
I sealed him to the Tree of Ages, Guardian. I... She gazed at him in alarm as a pleased grin broke over his face, making his large silver eyes sparkle gleefully.
How can you even begin to find any thing humorous in this? she demanded indignantly.
Spinning the Miko soul lightly around in a circle, the Guardian let out a delighted laugh, Because you haven't failed me at all Child but have done exactly what I sent you to do. Had you deprived your Other of life, so that you both returned here together, would have meant the end of the game.
Confusion at last completely robbed her face of it's strange serenity.
You didn't seal him out of hatred ,Child. You sealed him out of love. Embracing her in a gentle hug he whispered, Your Other will be with you again. Don't worry. Almost as an afterthought, Cu' paused as he scratched the side of his face recalling how disturbingly feral the personality of the rough tongued hanyou had become, Of course he isn't going to be very happy with anyone when he wakes up. But uh, we'll just worry about that later. After wiping away a tear tracing the soft contour of her left cheek, Cu' leaned over, kissed the Miko's forehead and announced, Now it is time for you to go back out.
But I died and have returned home... She wore a puzzled expression, by now totally unable to recover her earlier composure.
Yes, but remember, in sealing him, your Other couldn't. Therefore you still have a foot in the living world because of your close ties to one another. Lets not antagonize him further by making him wait too long to wake up.
But..but I have no mortal body to return to. By now it has most probably been burned and the ashes enshrined.
Minor setback...Cu' held out his right hand to her. Easily rectified detail..
The Miko's eyes widened then just as abruptly narrowed in disgust. Surely you don't mean to send me back as a..a revenant...that would be..
....Wasting time my dear, Reaching down Cu' firmly cupped her chin in his right hand and watched with a smile as her slender form quickly wavered, became transparent then coalesced once again into a shimmering white Soulsphere hovering just above the palm of his hand. A deep frown clouded the Guardian's features as he noticed a small discoloration trying to hide just beneath the surface of the sphere.
Hn, so old Chaos has managed to touch you after all. Thoughtfully he ran the tip of his left index finger over the blemish. Don't worry, I'll make sure it is expunged. Closing his eyes, Cu' began singing a oddly lilting incantation then, after blessing the Sphere with a breath, he launched it into the time-stream by flinging it up, out and toward the horizon on same path the earlier one had taken. 'That should send you far enough away to keep you safe until it is time to cleanse your soul,' he thought once the Soulsphere blinked out of sight.
Congratulations Cu', Like the unwelcomed nip of a serpent at heel, an unseen Speaker's quiet voice caught the attention of the Guardian's inner ear, It was quite admirable of you not to succumb to temptation and excise the very source of the Chaos ripple as it lay so helpless in your hand.
Oh, I tossed the idea around, but I had no wish to destroy one of my Children by doing so. Long fingered hand brushing idly against the flowers still riding on his waist, Cu' gazed out at the ever continuing Soulsphere dance, Especially not for your amusement.
What matters the destruction of one...or two in this case, if the loss can be justified. There was the hint of a sly chuckle behind the words.
Those are losses I refuse to justify, there are other ways to deal with this problem. I wont be goaded into making any more unnecessary sacrifices. The Guardian's silver eyes narrowed in irritation at the feel of this uninvited incorporeal visitor trying to slide into his thoughts. It's efforts were ineffective with Cu' and so it had no way of learning exactly to where or to when Cu' had dispatched the last Soulsphere.
I remember an occasion when you had to.....Justify. Do you really think I'm going to let this time turn out to be all that different ?
I'm not counting off the last time as a loss yet. Things can change.
That's what I like about you Cu', always thinking you can squeeze in the win.
Well there's nothing I like about your ass at all. Snapping his fingers, Cu' abruptly banished the Speaker from his mind, held his right hand up palm out and stepped back out into time.
With it's wooden guard looking only slightly more weathered than the last time he had seen it, the dry well now stood in a small clearing no longer sheltered by trees and free of the brushy undergrowth that had partially concealed it over a century and a half before. Affectionately patting it's lip, Cu' peered into the depths then pulled back with the overwhelming desire to hold his nose against an overpowering stench wafting up from the recesses of the inky hole.
What tha... leaning over the edge he took closer look. Damn, whose been tossing Youkai guts in there? I swear, he muttered, whats wrong with just burying shit these days? Giving the well guard another pat he added, Don't worry, soon you'll have something more important to do than just being a convenient receptacle for the hacked up remains of the recently deceased.
Orienting himself to the time altered surroundings, the Guardian headed off in the direction of a certain tree still standing proudly in the center of a clearing of it's own making. The scene he found before him on his arrival at the spot was not at all unexpected. Against the smooth straight bole of the Goshinboko, face relaxed as if in slumber, hung the body of the boy trapped in a state of eternal quiescence by a single arrow piercing his heart.
There was no mistaking exactly who he was, even though the child had somewhat matured since Cu's initial encounter with him. It would still be easy to call him a boy just in taking the youthful cast of his features into account, even though physically his body had indeed grown to a size indicative more of late adolescence or young adulthood. Yes, although he was different he was still overwhelmingly the same. Same bright red and strangely oversized clothing, same long silvery hair proudly crowned by the ears of a dog, same jetty eyebrows over a short upturned nose, same purity of soul shining like a light upon his face from the prison of an enchanted sleep.
Standing upon one of the larger age-gnarled roots of the Goshiboko, staring fixedly with narrowed yellow eyes at the motionless form of his long denied sibling, was the tall pale-haired Lord of the Western Lands, Sesshoumaru. Only a coldly baleful gleam lurking in the depths of that penetrating glare betrayed any underlying hint of emotion beneath the set mask of his face. Though regally elegant and as beautifully haunting visually as a solitary shaft of moonlight at midnight, the passage of those long years had rendered the Daiyoukai even more forebodingly dangerous than the last time Cu' had encountered him.
For a few moments Cu' watched the sadly tragic tableau in silence before releasing just enough of an aura to make his presence known. Without warning a long snaking whip of green energy snapped his way like the strike of an unnaturally fast cobra, the lethal tip pulling up short only a mere a finger's breadth away from the Guardian's unprotected throat. A nearly subliminal snarl of irritation revealed the Lord's disappointment in failing to tag the mark as he slid his gaze past his left shoulder just enough to catch Cu's form out of the corner of his eye.
Doing well I see Sesshoumaru, Cu' stated mildly. The fact that the Youkai perched so quietly on a tree root before him had just attempted a surprise decapitation in greeting appeared to be a cause of no concern to the Guardian. If you need a little target practice I'll be happy to offer up myself but don't start feeling inadequate when you can't land a hit.
A full complement of knuckles cracked sharply, their echoing pops causing a very noticeable decrease in all sounds of activity from any wildlife still remaining in the immediate area.
Immune... Cu' sauntered over, hopping up neatly to stand quite at ease next to the Lord, ...trying to skewer me will only result in broken nails.
A prolonged exhale accompanied the yellow eyes return to the face of the sleeper.
Still out trotting about the countryside trying to promote your reputation as an icy hearted bastard?
Silence. A weak breeze stirred snowy bangs against the crescent moon on the Lord's pale forehead. His face remained dispassionate, tawny eyes hooded to avoid showing any betraying emotion.
Visit this area often? Knowing full well that he had indeed been pulled to this very spot on a regular basis over the years, Cu' secretly smiled.
Silence. Picking up slightly, the breeze playfully swirled a silent rain of white blossoms down from the Goshinboko's flowering canopy to dance around the pair. A few came to rest among the strands of the sleeper's silver hair.
Your father really must have been the gregarious member of your family. Trying to initiate a decent conversation with either of you boys is like trying to pry...
Leave. Though spoken softly the tone was that of one who fully expects to be instantly obeyed.
Granted, while a great many beings in this world easily submit to the strength of a Daiyoukai's will, you have yet to learn that not all can be forced to cower when you growl. Like me. Folding his hands casually in front of him, Cu' gazed at the boy pinned against the smooth bark of the Goshinboko. Or him. Your young brother seems to be completely beyond the influence of your control at this moment.
This Sesshoumaru would have offered him a chance at redemption through providing his aide in turning aside the Neko threat had he not been so foolish as to lose his wretched heart to a human priestess. A clean death in battle would have been far preferable to the shameful spectacle he now provides.
What makes you think he would have been so cooperative as to oblige you by dieing? Already years of necessity have forced InuYasha to become a tough and canny warrior.
He is an inferior creature. The Cats would have made quick work of him, but at least in death he would have finally erased the stain left by my father.
Inu would never have considered him an ' inferior creature '. He would have cherished him, as he did you.
Cherished? the word was almost spit out like some vile oath, then he continued in a tone as flat and guarded as his expression. The only displays of filial affection my father chose to bestow upon this Sesshoumaru were with his prolonged and noticeable absences from my life. Father made no time for me. All that he 'Cherished' were the battles he waged to expand his territories.....Of having his enemies shake in fear at the sound of his name.
Sesshoumaru, the Old Dog loved you...
Loved? A Daiyoukai loves nothing, GinCu'. It is a wasted emotion, without purpose, without meaning. In that my father taught this Sesshoumaru well. By living example he showed that only through a disciplined combination of strength, power and fear can one rule effectively. Nothing else can have any true meaning or purpose to a Daiyoukai. Love will never enter into that equation. No hint of anger marked the Lord's deep quiet voice, in fact no emotion of any kind lent color to his words at all. It was obvious to Cu' that Sesshoumaru had become quite as adept at masking the feeling in his voice as he had his face.
Never taking his yellow eyes from the sleeper's face Sesshoumaru continued speaking in that quiet, sterile voice, Only at his end did Father finally weaken and begin espousing those vapid, spineless sentiments embraced with such enthusiasm by the weak. Under the guise of feigned paternal concern he worked to coerce my submission to his will by asking who did I protect. All that he really desired from me was to extract a promise to look after his human whore and her bastard.
Surprisingly the corners of his mouth seemed to turn up, gracing those perfect features with the trace of an unexpected and darkly disturbing smile. This Sesshoumaru denied that promise to him as he stood bleeding into the Sea of the West. This Sesshoumaru denied it to him again as he laying dying, crushed beneath the weight of burning pillars and stone. This Sesshoumaru would yet deny it to him even if he rose up out of hell, to kneel and place his forehead upon my feet in supplication.
Narrowed eyes slid back once again fixing Cu' with a calculating look You know what depth of love my father had for His Sesshoumaru, GinCu'? After throwing aside my mother to take up with a mortal bitch he intended to usurp my rightful place as his legitimate heir with this abomination hanging before me. What legacy did he leave me, GinCu'? What mark of his high regard? A worthless blade without an edge, a sword that is lethal to nothing except the air it is waved through. Where is what rightfully should be mine as his first born? You who claim to know so much, GinCu' tell me...where is his cutting fang? Where is Tetsusaiga?
In a very safe place...
Sesshoumaru's withering glare demanded an immediate answer.
...and it's location is none of your business. Cu' ignored the glare choosing instead to steer the subject away from the coveted heirloom sword. It is a shame that you were led to be so sadly misinformed about your father's true priorities. It is also sad that you have allowed that misinformation to continually bias your judgment concerning this boy.
This Sesshoumaru suffers no bias in regards to that stigma which once defiled my father's bloodline. InuYasha was worthless, an ignorant, ill mannered hanyou who understood nothing of his heritage...
Hn. Had you behaved otherwise towards him perhaps he wouldn't have been. He was never meant to replace you in your father's heart. He was meant to compliment you, be your trusted right hand, a liaison with the world that will be. Cu' idly caressed the tender petals of the pale pink bud at his waist, a tiny grin teasing along the corners of his mouth.
This Sesshoumaru does not believe in your lies.
As much as you would wish to deny it, no living being is without a heart that can be touched by love, even you. Your life will be a long one my Sesshoumaru and when I stand to greet you at it's end you will have learned that what you now hold to be the only truth was in reality the lie.
With a start, the Lord of the West glanced around certain that he had heard a strangely persuasive voice speaking softly right next to his left shoulder. The feeling that he had been involved in a conversation with someone was overpowering but except for his brother, forever shackled in the grip of an angry Miko's spell, the sunny glade surrounding the Goshinboko was deserted. No birds sang among the leafy green haven of the great tree's boughs, no squirrel chatter marked the passage of those agile bushy-tailed foragers along it's outstretched limbs. Only an occasional white blossom drifted down to disturb the eerie stillness of Goshinboko's clearing. Convinced that he was alone, Sesshoumaru once again directed his gaze towards his brother's serene face.
You cheated me Little Brother. Your life was mine to take but in spite you relinquished it to the whim of an angry woman. Reaching up with slender long taloned fingers, the Lord combed a fallen blossom from the silver curtain of hair against InuYasha's cheek.
You look too much like Father, he whispered quietly before turning on his heel and strolling slowly away, leaving his brother once again all alone.
Cu' the Guardian, aka GinCu' is mine, so is his meadow and the plot of this story.
Chapter Six
It was impossible, he had concluded long ago, to decide which cosmic dance he really preferred, the serenely beautiful decent of those returning souls whose arrival was gracefully displayed in long twisting spirals of softly glowing light or the gloriously blinding leaps of those once again eager to reenter into the challenging plane of mortal life. All of his lovely children were always so ready for the next adventure, coming and going in eternal play around and above the meadows under the care of the Guardian Cu'.
Half hidden among the long blades of silver tipped grass blanketing his favorite hillside, Cu' lay happily watching them as they danced. From this comfortable spot overlooking that sheltering field of flowers which harbored the oldest souls in his keeping, he cheerfully greeted those coming back for a season in Bliss and joyfully bid good journey to all once again setting off along the path to new lessons.
The unfamiliar sound of mournful weeping drifted across the Meadows of Serenity as one of the newly arriving Soulspheres drifted down right into the middle of Cu's garden. Closing his eyes the Guardian quickly reached to his side and withdrew a golden-yellow flower from the spray tucked into his sash. Breathing upon it, he called out the soul and blessed it with it's specific task. Instead of allowing it to shoot straight up into the air, he slung it forcefully up, out and toward the horizon. Then he casually walked down the hillside to greet the one who had just returned.
Like so many returning older souls this one's outward appearance continued to manifest the physical aspect of it's recent earthly incarnation. In anguish, a sloe-eyed maiden dressed in the white haori and red hakama of a Miko, long glossy black hair caught back on her nape by a length of white ribbon binding, stood with head bowed, her tears a bitter rain upon the white flowers around her bare feet.
I have failed you, she whispered leaning her forehead against the Guardian's right shoulder. I have done the most unforgivable thing.
Enfolding the weeping young woman in his arms, Cu' patted her back and asked quietly, What could you have done that warrants no forgiveness?
I thought, No..I Believed that my Other intentionally betrayed me. She sobbed, then pulled back to look up into Cu's questioning silver eyes. My Other could never have done that...never. Because of superstitious fear my human heart was cast into doubt and because of that doubt I distrusted that which was the truth in my soul, choosing instead to believe the lie set before my eyes.
What did you do?
In anger my betrayed human heart desired to inflict a punishment which would transcend death...I spent the last of my strength, the last of my will and the last of my power not to kill him and free his soul, but to trap him alone and leave him, unforgiven in darkness forever. Wrapped in a delusion, I destroyed my Other. Now we will never again be together.
You...? Cu's eyebrows raised up under his dark silver bangs,
Sealed him, Even in her obvious distress the soul seemed eerily composed as she told Cu' what she had done. With the power of a sacred arrow I betrayed him .
You...sealed him. Where?
I sealed him to the Tree of Ages, Guardian. I... She gazed at him in alarm as a pleased grin broke over his face, making his large silver eyes sparkle gleefully.
How can you even begin to find any thing humorous in this? she demanded indignantly.
Spinning the Miko soul lightly around in a circle, the Guardian let out a delighted laugh, Because you haven't failed me at all Child but have done exactly what I sent you to do. Had you deprived your Other of life, so that you both returned here together, would have meant the end of the game.
Confusion at last completely robbed her face of it's strange serenity.
You didn't seal him out of hatred ,Child. You sealed him out of love. Embracing her in a gentle hug he whispered, Your Other will be with you again. Don't worry. Almost as an afterthought, Cu' paused as he scratched the side of his face recalling how disturbingly feral the personality of the rough tongued hanyou had become, Of course he isn't going to be very happy with anyone when he wakes up. But uh, we'll just worry about that later. After wiping away a tear tracing the soft contour of her left cheek, Cu' leaned over, kissed the Miko's forehead and announced, Now it is time for you to go back out.
But I died and have returned home... She wore a puzzled expression, by now totally unable to recover her earlier composure.
Yes, but remember, in sealing him, your Other couldn't. Therefore you still have a foot in the living world because of your close ties to one another. Lets not antagonize him further by making him wait too long to wake up.
But..but I have no mortal body to return to. By now it has most probably been burned and the ashes enshrined.
Minor setback...Cu' held out his right hand to her. Easily rectified detail..
The Miko's eyes widened then just as abruptly narrowed in disgust. Surely you don't mean to send me back as a..a revenant...that would be..
....Wasting time my dear, Reaching down Cu' firmly cupped her chin in his right hand and watched with a smile as her slender form quickly wavered, became transparent then coalesced once again into a shimmering white Soulsphere hovering just above the palm of his hand. A deep frown clouded the Guardian's features as he noticed a small discoloration trying to hide just beneath the surface of the sphere.
Hn, so old Chaos has managed to touch you after all. Thoughtfully he ran the tip of his left index finger over the blemish. Don't worry, I'll make sure it is expunged. Closing his eyes, Cu' began singing a oddly lilting incantation then, after blessing the Sphere with a breath, he launched it into the time-stream by flinging it up, out and toward the horizon on same path the earlier one had taken. 'That should send you far enough away to keep you safe until it is time to cleanse your soul,' he thought once the Soulsphere blinked out of sight.
Congratulations Cu', Like the unwelcomed nip of a serpent at heel, an unseen Speaker's quiet voice caught the attention of the Guardian's inner ear, It was quite admirable of you not to succumb to temptation and excise the very source of the Chaos ripple as it lay so helpless in your hand.
Oh, I tossed the idea around, but I had no wish to destroy one of my Children by doing so. Long fingered hand brushing idly against the flowers still riding on his waist, Cu' gazed out at the ever continuing Soulsphere dance, Especially not for your amusement.
What matters the destruction of one...or two in this case, if the loss can be justified. There was the hint of a sly chuckle behind the words.
Those are losses I refuse to justify, there are other ways to deal with this problem. I wont be goaded into making any more unnecessary sacrifices. The Guardian's silver eyes narrowed in irritation at the feel of this uninvited incorporeal visitor trying to slide into his thoughts. It's efforts were ineffective with Cu' and so it had no way of learning exactly to where or to when Cu' had dispatched the last Soulsphere.
I remember an occasion when you had to.....Justify. Do you really think I'm going to let this time turn out to be all that different ?
I'm not counting off the last time as a loss yet. Things can change.
That's what I like about you Cu', always thinking you can squeeze in the win.
Well there's nothing I like about your ass at all. Snapping his fingers, Cu' abruptly banished the Speaker from his mind, held his right hand up palm out and stepped back out into time.
With it's wooden guard looking only slightly more weathered than the last time he had seen it, the dry well now stood in a small clearing no longer sheltered by trees and free of the brushy undergrowth that had partially concealed it over a century and a half before. Affectionately patting it's lip, Cu' peered into the depths then pulled back with the overwhelming desire to hold his nose against an overpowering stench wafting up from the recesses of the inky hole.
What tha... leaning over the edge he took closer look. Damn, whose been tossing Youkai guts in there? I swear, he muttered, whats wrong with just burying shit these days? Giving the well guard another pat he added, Don't worry, soon you'll have something more important to do than just being a convenient receptacle for the hacked up remains of the recently deceased.
Orienting himself to the time altered surroundings, the Guardian headed off in the direction of a certain tree still standing proudly in the center of a clearing of it's own making. The scene he found before him on his arrival at the spot was not at all unexpected. Against the smooth straight bole of the Goshinboko, face relaxed as if in slumber, hung the body of the boy trapped in a state of eternal quiescence by a single arrow piercing his heart.
There was no mistaking exactly who he was, even though the child had somewhat matured since Cu's initial encounter with him. It would still be easy to call him a boy just in taking the youthful cast of his features into account, even though physically his body had indeed grown to a size indicative more of late adolescence or young adulthood. Yes, although he was different he was still overwhelmingly the same. Same bright red and strangely oversized clothing, same long silvery hair proudly crowned by the ears of a dog, same jetty eyebrows over a short upturned nose, same purity of soul shining like a light upon his face from the prison of an enchanted sleep.
Standing upon one of the larger age-gnarled roots of the Goshiboko, staring fixedly with narrowed yellow eyes at the motionless form of his long denied sibling, was the tall pale-haired Lord of the Western Lands, Sesshoumaru. Only a coldly baleful gleam lurking in the depths of that penetrating glare betrayed any underlying hint of emotion beneath the set mask of his face. Though regally elegant and as beautifully haunting visually as a solitary shaft of moonlight at midnight, the passage of those long years had rendered the Daiyoukai even more forebodingly dangerous than the last time Cu' had encountered him.
For a few moments Cu' watched the sadly tragic tableau in silence before releasing just enough of an aura to make his presence known. Without warning a long snaking whip of green energy snapped his way like the strike of an unnaturally fast cobra, the lethal tip pulling up short only a mere a finger's breadth away from the Guardian's unprotected throat. A nearly subliminal snarl of irritation revealed the Lord's disappointment in failing to tag the mark as he slid his gaze past his left shoulder just enough to catch Cu's form out of the corner of his eye.
Doing well I see Sesshoumaru, Cu' stated mildly. The fact that the Youkai perched so quietly on a tree root before him had just attempted a surprise decapitation in greeting appeared to be a cause of no concern to the Guardian. If you need a little target practice I'll be happy to offer up myself but don't start feeling inadequate when you can't land a hit.
A full complement of knuckles cracked sharply, their echoing pops causing a very noticeable decrease in all sounds of activity from any wildlife still remaining in the immediate area.
Immune... Cu' sauntered over, hopping up neatly to stand quite at ease next to the Lord, ...trying to skewer me will only result in broken nails.
A prolonged exhale accompanied the yellow eyes return to the face of the sleeper.
Still out trotting about the countryside trying to promote your reputation as an icy hearted bastard?
Silence. A weak breeze stirred snowy bangs against the crescent moon on the Lord's pale forehead. His face remained dispassionate, tawny eyes hooded to avoid showing any betraying emotion.
Visit this area often? Knowing full well that he had indeed been pulled to this very spot on a regular basis over the years, Cu' secretly smiled.
Silence. Picking up slightly, the breeze playfully swirled a silent rain of white blossoms down from the Goshinboko's flowering canopy to dance around the pair. A few came to rest among the strands of the sleeper's silver hair.
Your father really must have been the gregarious member of your family. Trying to initiate a decent conversation with either of you boys is like trying to pry...
Leave. Though spoken softly the tone was that of one who fully expects to be instantly obeyed.
Granted, while a great many beings in this world easily submit to the strength of a Daiyoukai's will, you have yet to learn that not all can be forced to cower when you growl. Like me. Folding his hands casually in front of him, Cu' gazed at the boy pinned against the smooth bark of the Goshinboko. Or him. Your young brother seems to be completely beyond the influence of your control at this moment.
This Sesshoumaru would have offered him a chance at redemption through providing his aide in turning aside the Neko threat had he not been so foolish as to lose his wretched heart to a human priestess. A clean death in battle would have been far preferable to the shameful spectacle he now provides.
What makes you think he would have been so cooperative as to oblige you by dieing? Already years of necessity have forced InuYasha to become a tough and canny warrior.
He is an inferior creature. The Cats would have made quick work of him, but at least in death he would have finally erased the stain left by my father.
Inu would never have considered him an ' inferior creature '. He would have cherished him, as he did you.
Cherished? the word was almost spit out like some vile oath, then he continued in a tone as flat and guarded as his expression. The only displays of filial affection my father chose to bestow upon this Sesshoumaru were with his prolonged and noticeable absences from my life. Father made no time for me. All that he 'Cherished' were the battles he waged to expand his territories.....Of having his enemies shake in fear at the sound of his name.
Sesshoumaru, the Old Dog loved you...
Loved? A Daiyoukai loves nothing, GinCu'. It is a wasted emotion, without purpose, without meaning. In that my father taught this Sesshoumaru well. By living example he showed that only through a disciplined combination of strength, power and fear can one rule effectively. Nothing else can have any true meaning or purpose to a Daiyoukai. Love will never enter into that equation. No hint of anger marked the Lord's deep quiet voice, in fact no emotion of any kind lent color to his words at all. It was obvious to Cu' that Sesshoumaru had become quite as adept at masking the feeling in his voice as he had his face.
Never taking his yellow eyes from the sleeper's face Sesshoumaru continued speaking in that quiet, sterile voice, Only at his end did Father finally weaken and begin espousing those vapid, spineless sentiments embraced with such enthusiasm by the weak. Under the guise of feigned paternal concern he worked to coerce my submission to his will by asking who did I protect. All that he really desired from me was to extract a promise to look after his human whore and her bastard.
Surprisingly the corners of his mouth seemed to turn up, gracing those perfect features with the trace of an unexpected and darkly disturbing smile. This Sesshoumaru denied that promise to him as he stood bleeding into the Sea of the West. This Sesshoumaru denied it to him again as he laying dying, crushed beneath the weight of burning pillars and stone. This Sesshoumaru would yet deny it to him even if he rose up out of hell, to kneel and place his forehead upon my feet in supplication.
Narrowed eyes slid back once again fixing Cu' with a calculating look You know what depth of love my father had for His Sesshoumaru, GinCu'? After throwing aside my mother to take up with a mortal bitch he intended to usurp my rightful place as his legitimate heir with this abomination hanging before me. What legacy did he leave me, GinCu'? What mark of his high regard? A worthless blade without an edge, a sword that is lethal to nothing except the air it is waved through. Where is what rightfully should be mine as his first born? You who claim to know so much, GinCu' tell me...where is his cutting fang? Where is Tetsusaiga?
In a very safe place...
Sesshoumaru's withering glare demanded an immediate answer.
...and it's location is none of your business. Cu' ignored the glare choosing instead to steer the subject away from the coveted heirloom sword. It is a shame that you were led to be so sadly misinformed about your father's true priorities. It is also sad that you have allowed that misinformation to continually bias your judgment concerning this boy.
This Sesshoumaru suffers no bias in regards to that stigma which once defiled my father's bloodline. InuYasha was worthless, an ignorant, ill mannered hanyou who understood nothing of his heritage...
Hn. Had you behaved otherwise towards him perhaps he wouldn't have been. He was never meant to replace you in your father's heart. He was meant to compliment you, be your trusted right hand, a liaison with the world that will be. Cu' idly caressed the tender petals of the pale pink bud at his waist, a tiny grin teasing along the corners of his mouth.
This Sesshoumaru does not believe in your lies.
As much as you would wish to deny it, no living being is without a heart that can be touched by love, even you. Your life will be a long one my Sesshoumaru and when I stand to greet you at it's end you will have learned that what you now hold to be the only truth was in reality the lie.
With a start, the Lord of the West glanced around certain that he had heard a strangely persuasive voice speaking softly right next to his left shoulder. The feeling that he had been involved in a conversation with someone was overpowering but except for his brother, forever shackled in the grip of an angry Miko's spell, the sunny glade surrounding the Goshinboko was deserted. No birds sang among the leafy green haven of the great tree's boughs, no squirrel chatter marked the passage of those agile bushy-tailed foragers along it's outstretched limbs. Only an occasional white blossom drifted down to disturb the eerie stillness of Goshinboko's clearing. Convinced that he was alone, Sesshoumaru once again directed his gaze towards his brother's serene face.
You cheated me Little Brother. Your life was mine to take but in spite you relinquished it to the whim of an angry woman. Reaching up with slender long taloned fingers, the Lord combed a fallen blossom from the silver curtain of hair against InuYasha's cheek.
You look too much like Father, he whispered quietly before turning on his heel and strolling slowly away, leaving his brother once again all alone.