InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Longest Journey ❯ Truth is Stranger than Fiction ( Chapter 3 )

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

Chapter 3: Truth is Stranger than Fiction

"Tell me, Kajiko, what brought you here to my lands?" He walked back and seated himself again, motioning for the servants to place his tray of food on the floor near him.

She looked up at him, gazing at him consideringly. For some reason, she trusted this youkai like she'd never trusted any other. She knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he would not hurt her, nor betray her confidence, so she chose to speak freely with him. She just didn't know how she knew.

"Well, to be honest, I was following the traces of Naraku's miasma. Several weeks ago, I felt a surge of his power - followed by an upwelling of even greater power than his, and then, I could feel tainted shikon shards. It felt," she frowned, eyes far away as she attempted to explain, "as though the tainted energy of the shards was trying to overcome the other power - only they couldn't, and then, everything went still."

Sugimi's eyebrow raised. So... she'd felt that confrontation from that far away, had she? Although really, when he thought about it, it wasn't that surprising, considering that the jewel, in a very real way, was her. It would have been more surprising if she hadn't.

Looking at her, he felt the same thing that she did - an immediate trust - and so he chose to be as honest with her as she was about to be with him.

"You are correct, my dear. That youki was Naraku's. He is the one that was the catalyst for my return from death," he cast a knowing smile at her, " and, as I'm sure you've been justifiably curious about how that happened, allow me to explain."

She nodded, eyes wide. She could tell that this was going to be interesting.

"Naraku used his power to return my spirit to this plane of existence, and then, using the shards, re-created my body. So the first surge, was his power... then the second, mine. When I easily overwhelmed his attempt to control me, he tried to use those same tainted shards to control me instead." At her surprised look, he shrugged elegantly. "As you can see, the attempt failed. Even using those, my will was the stronger by far. He was quite - discomposed - to find out that he could not control me, so he tried to manipulate me into befriending him."

Kajiko rolled her eyes at that. "That sounds like Naraku. Ass-kisser extroardinaire... until he has what he wants from you, then he changes into a crazed killer."

Sugimi laughed. Her choice of words was amusing, to say the least. "Yes. He was extremely angered when I simply ignored him and left."

She was entranced by his laugh. Deep, rich, the tonal quality of it rang through her entire body, sending her hormones into raptures, and she suddenly felt very hot. No one had ever had this effect on her, and she really, really didn't know what to do about it. It occurred to her, rather belatedly, that she was beginning to understand why older people always found it so amusing when young ones spoke of 'being in love'.

It meant one thing for the young, and something completely different for adults. Maybe she'd grown up more than she'd thought in this last ten months, because suddenly, she was much more attracted to the adult way of seeing things. Once again blushing, she shook her head and tried to bring her mind back to the topic at hand.

Sugimi merely smiled as she struggled with her reaction to him - he had to admit, he was deliberately releasing his pheromones into the air - and even though she was human, and didn't actually smell them like a youkai female would, her aura reacted to anything he released - be it youki, or pheromones. She would feel as though she was being hunted... once her innocent mind finally caught up, that is. For right now, though, all she felt was this wild attraction they had being enhanced by his release of those chemicals.

Yanking her mind back to the topic at hand by its hair, she asked, "What was it he wanted from you, my Lord Inu no Taisho?"

He smiled at her. "That is entirely too cumbersome, my dear. Please, the name is Sugimi." At her shy nod, he continued. "He brought me back hoping to use me against my sons. He fears them, and rightly so. That is why he wanted to control me - he felt that to destroy them, he needed me. He is, of course, a fool. As if I would turn against my own sons."

She huffed disgustedly. "He would think he could persuade you - he's disgusting that way. All he sees is power, and he would sell his own flesh and blood for it. I am glad that you would not, Sugimi-sama." At the look he gave her, she explained. "Not that I thought you would, you know. Everything I've ever been told about you only made me feel respect for the youkai I never expected to meet."

She looked down shyly. "That saddened me, to tell the truth. You sounded like an amazing person," she said softly.

He bowed his head towards her. "Thank you for that, Kajiko. So - the bottom line is that you were here because of what happened with me." He looked down thoughtfully, pushing his now empty dinner tray to the side. "You are after Naraku, and the shards, ne?"

She nodded firmly.

"As am I. He and I have unfinished business. He thought to use me to destroy my own pups - and for that I will make him pay." He looked at her curiously for a moment. "Why is it that you are after him? Has he harmed you in some way, my dear?"

Kajiko sighed. "Not directly. But for all the innocents who have suffered at his hands I would see him destroyed - and not only that, but indirectly, it is because of him that I am here." She looked at him almost pleadingly. "Sugimi-sama, please, I ask that you keep an open mind here, and let me finish before you speak, okay?"

He tilted his head, curiousity now rampant, and nodded. "Very well, Kajiko. Proceed."

Taking a deep breath, she blurted out, "I'm not from this time. I came from five hundred years in the future."

With that, she began a tale that most would have scoffed at. However, he'd already known that she had traveled through time - Midoriko had warned him, after all.

So he just listened quietly with a small smile on his face. She'd be surprised at his lack of doubt in her story.

At least, she would be until she knew exactly why he believed her. And then she'd be even more surprised.

---zZz---

Kagome took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. True to his word, he'd not interrupted her once, and hadn't scoffed at her either, simply sitting and hearing her out. Now, she waited for his reaction, and she'd never been more nervous in her life. For some reason, she needed him to believe her.

Sugimi was quiet for a moment, taking in everything she'd said. Her time seemed fascinating - he'd enjoy seeing the wonders that she spoke of. But for now... he turned his attention back to the amazing woman in front of him.

"I have a confession to make, Kajiko. I already knew you were not from this time." At her surprised look, he smiled. "I didn't know when you were from, but - Midoriko told me you'd have to move through time to come to this place."

Kagome sat back, actually glad that he believed her, and not really caring that he'd been forewarned. "Well, that certainly makes things easier, Sugimi-sama. I was worried you'd think I was crazy."

"To be honest, had I not known from Midoriko about you, I probably would have thought you crazy, although I would have given you the benefit of the doubt long enough to attempt to prove it." He winked at her. "So, you are from the future, you were brought here because of the jewel, and you are after it and Naraku. Does that summarize your situation fairly accurately?"

She smiled back sheepishly. "Yeah, that pretty much covers it. You took a lot less time to get it out, though." She laughed at herself, a slight blush coming up in her cheeks.

"Well, the need for details has already been covered by your story, so I only covered the salient points. Now, for my own situation. I was brought back to life by Naraku, he wants to kill my sons, and I want to kill him. That covers that."
She blinked. "Uh - okay. That was... quick."

He sighed, then stood and began pacing. "May I ask why my sons are after Naraku? What harm has he caused them?"

Her eyes widened and she coughed. "Wow - long story there. Well, let's see if I can shorten it." She thought for a moment, then began. "You remember I told you Inuyasha was mated? And that his mate had been dead, and then returned, as one of the undead? Well, a little over fifty years ago, Kikyou was the jewel's protector, and Inuyasha wanted it. That's how they met. She was a miko, and at first, they fought, but, as time went on, they fell in love..."

"... And that's the story behind Inuyasha and Kikyou's hatred of Naraku." She sighed as Sugimi stared at her, before nodding at her to continue. "As for Sesshoumaru? Well, he has a little girl, and Naraku kidnapped her to try to force him to kill Inuyasha. Needless to say, Sesshoumaru didn't take that too well."

Sugimi's eyes widened. "My son has a child? Is he mated?" He was obviously stunned at the mere thought, and Kajiko giggled into her hand.

"As far as I know, no, he isn't mated. And the little girl isn't his blood daughter - he calls her his ward. That's just him, though. He adores her, and protects her viciously." She gave a mischievous look. "Wanna know the real kicker to that story? The little girl, her name is Rin, is ningen." She sat back and waited for the reaction.

He didn't disappoint. His mouth fell open and his eyes widened even further, and he looked like he was about to choke. She burst out into peals of laughter at the look on his face.

Snapping his jaw shut, he tilted his head and stared at her with suspicious eyes. "Ningen?! You are telling me that Sesshoumaru takes care of - protects - a ningen child? Did I get sent back to a different reality or something?"

She spluttered, and then laughed again, even harder. Oh, this is good! He's totally astounded. Of course, so was Inuyasha at first. So were all of us.

"You know, that was basically Inuyasha's reaction, too." She put up a hand to wipe the tears off her face and tried to calm herself. "I must admit, it is pretty unbelievable - at least, until you meet Rin. She has to be the most adorable child I've ever laid eyes on. Just wait till you see her, she'll have you wrapped around her finger in no time flat."

He cast her a disbelieving glance, then continued pacing. "Hn. Well, I'll believe all that when I see it."

"Oh, Kami!" She choked, again laughing so hard she couldn't see for the tears in her eyes. "It's just so funny that you would find it easier to believe my tale of being from another time, and not twitch an eyelid when I tell you that story, but when I mention Sesshoumaru taking care of a ningen child, you fall apart and can't bring yourself to believe it. It's hilarious!"

"Yes, well..." he laughed a bit sheepishly, "you obviously find it funny, so you know why I'm reacting this way."

"Y-yes, I d-do," she huffed out, between giggles, "and it makes me wonder... does he have any idea how predictable we all think he is that something like this would throw off everyone who knows him?"

Sugimi smiled at her. "Somehow, my dear, I doubt it." He got a serious look on his face then. "So what about the slayer that travels with Inuyasha. What vengeance does she seek from Naraku?"

That wiped the grin off her face, and stopped the laughter immediately.

"Naraku wiped out her entire village just to set Inuyasha up, and not only that, but he took control of her little brother's mind and had him attack and kill their father and several others. To top it all off," she said, at his disgusted look, "he has kept Kohaku alive and still under his control with a tainted shard. If that shard is removed, he'll die."

"I see. Anyone else?"

"Miroku. He's a monk that carries a curse that Naraku placed on his great-grandfather and is passed down from father to son - it is called the kazaana, and eventually, if the bastard isn't destroyed, it will kill him."

Sugimi nodded, then with a sigh, sat down again. "This hanyou needs to be brought down, then. And the sooner the better." He caught her gaze, a serious, intent look on his face. "Are you willing to train with me for the next two months? I can teach you to take back the power in the jewel, since it is powered by your soul to begin with." At her startled look, he explained. "The jewel is you, Kajiko, it carries a part of your soul. That is how Midoriko created it, and because of that, you can control it. You just need to know how. I can train you using the shards of it that you have, so that we will not alert Naraku beforehand about what is coming."

He held her gaze. "Is that acceptable to you?"

She only thought about it for about two seconds, and with a firm, determined look, nodded. "Hai. I will stay and train with you, Sugimi-sama."

He sat back and smiled then. "Good. We will start the day after tomorrow, to give you a little time to heal. Once you have trained, and are ready, though," he reached out and laid his hand over hers, "you do realize that we will need to seek out my sons, and ally ourselves to them. Everyone deserves a chance to gain their vengeance against Naraku, you know. That means that Kagome needs to be re-born."

She sighed, and nodded. "I know. I will warn you, though, with the hatred between your two overly stubborn sons, getting Sesshoumaru to agree will be difficult."

Sugimi waved a hand casually. "Not really. If he refuses to listen, I will simply challenge him to combat, and proceed to discipline him that way. Even now, he is not my equal, and he will bow to my wishes, one way or another."

Kagome stared at him, lips twitching in amusement. "Well. I know where he gets his arrogance from now."

He laughed. "It isn't arrogance, Kagome. I am the strongest. I am not gloating, merely stating a fact."

His eyes softened then, and he squeezed the hand he still had ahold of. "Can you face Inuyasha and his mate, Kagome?" He deliberately emphasized her true name again, and she looked down at their joined hands and let a slight smile cross her lips.

"I cannot say that it will be easy, or that I won't find it awkward, especially at first, but, yes, I can. I got over the love I held for him a while ago, you know. It just wasn't meant to be, and I finally accepted that."

He was well satisfied. He didn't want love for his own pup to come between he and his female - this meant that he could begin the first tentative steps of the courtship immediately, and while he expected her to be unaware of his intentions for a little while yet, he knew others would be well aware of what his scent all over her meant. It would keep all other males away - unless they wished to challenge him, of course.

"You are correct, Kagome. It wasn't meant to be. Fate has something much different in store for you, and you will soon find that out for yourself, my dear." He lifted himself up, and offered her his hand to forestall any questions from her end. "Do you feel up to a tour of the gardens and the palace?" He glanced down at Kisho as the fire neko opened his eyes and blinked up at him. "I am sure that Kisho won't mind transforming to his larger size and carrying you if you tire too much."

Kagome smiled and nodded eagerly. "I'd love to. I hate being stuck in bed." She moved the covers from over her lap and scooted gingerly to the edge of the bed.

That statement caused wicked thoughts to run through his mind, and he sighed. The next few months would be sheer hell. Already, he was more than prepared to mate and mark her... it would have been so much easier if she were youkai.

He had the feeling he was going to be spending a lot of time looking up cold water.