InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Prophecy ❯ Lunch with the Gang ( Chapter 47 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: mshutts 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Psychological / Hentai | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 08.16.2006 | Updated On: 08.17.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 2.3K | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Psychological / Hentai | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 08.16.2006 | Updated On: 08.17.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 2.3K | Status: Work In Progress
The Prophecy
By: mshutts
WARNING: incest
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in
* * * * *
Chapter 46: Lunch with the Gang
Kagome watched the healers and the witch Sturaki leave with growing disbelief. So now that they were here, they were just expected to wait until someone decided to tell them something?
As Kagome was about to take off right after the trio and demand answers from them, she felt a hand on her arm. “Lady Kagome, I believe it would be best if we allowed them to do their jobs. It does not appear that they bear Inuyasha any ill-will in any event.”
It was then that Shippo spoke up from his perch on her shoulder, “Yeah, Kagome, Inuyasha will be fine. I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.”
At the reminder of food, Kagome could feel her stomach begin to growl. The last time they had eaten had been early that morning and it was only a quick breakfast before once again taking off towards Inuyasha. And even with the breakfast that they had had, she had eaten very little, being too concerned for Inuyasha and his well-being to feel up to eating more.
It hadn’t helped matters that she had to deal with Sturaki on the way either. It wasn’t that she felt the seer was a bad person, not like some of the dark priestesses and witches she had come across, anyway, but more of how she refused to give them information that was bothersome.
Couldn’t Sturaki tell that she was worried? That she had been coming up with one way that Inuyasha’s brother might have been torturing him after another? That she was terrified that they would be coming to collect a body?
And yet, this seer, this woman who obviously knew more about the circumstances than she was letting on, refused to tell her anything! She could understand not telling Shippo, he was too young for much of it. She could even understand not telling Sango or Miroku, they were merely Inuyasha’s friends. But to not tell her? Couldn’t that woman see how important Inuyasha was to her?
But, as she thought of the other things that the witch had noticed, she wondered if that was the case at all. Had her concern really gone unnoticed, or was it just being ignored? Was she playing with Kagome’s heart in much the same way that Kikyo loved to? Was this to be another rival for the affections of her half-demon?
Her hackles raised at the thought even as she was practically dragged into the dining area. This woman had no right to come along and try and usurp both hers and Kikyo’s places in Inuyasha’s life. They were the ones that had the first claim on him, after all.
However, just as quickly as the anger was raised, it dissipated. She reminded herself that Inuyasha was still quite attached to Kikyo and, even if he only saw Kagome as an afterimage of the undead priestess, he was attached to her, as well. There was no more room for anyone else in his life.
She held in a bitter laugh. There was barely any room for the two of them as it was. Drawing the conclusions that any affections of the witch towards the hanyou were most likely not returned in any way, shape, or form, Kagome shook herself from her more depressed musings.
It was only then that she realized she was now seated at the table, next to Shippo, across from Miroku, kitty-corner to Sango and Kirara. They all appeared to be waiting to be served, remaining perfectly silent. Without the half-demon present, there seemed to be little to talk about. Even Shippo wasn’t being his normal, boisterous self.
It was then that a panel slid open from the other side of the room. Looking up with everyone else, Kagome saw a small girl, dressed in a beautiful child’s kimono, step in and silently close the panel before turning to them.
The surprise of them being there was evident on her face when she finally noticed them. Kagome watched her school her features very quickly and bow to them. “Greetings. I am sorry I am late for lunch. I had not realized we were to be having company.”
It wasn’t until the girl raised herself from the bow that Kagome remembered who she was. “Rin, right?” she asked tentatively.
She watched the child flash a small smile at her, nodding her head. “That’s right. I am Rin and you’re that nice priestess lady.”
Kagome gave her a genuine grin. “I’m glad you remember me. My name is Kagome and this is Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara,” she said, pointing to each person respectively.
Rin nodded to all of them and once again offered them her small smile. She then came over to the table and took her place. “I am glad that you have come here. I am sure you are hungry. Lunch will be here shortly.”
Just as she finished talking, panels on the walls began to open as servants brought in food with an efficiency that left Kagome in awe. Before she knew it, the entire table was covered in delicious-looking food.
She could feel her mouth beginning to water while she wondered exactly how to deal with this properly. They were not often given food to choose from. She was pointedly ignoring Miroku’s comments about how they should mooch off demon nobles more often when she heard Rin speak again.
“You might as well start eating, Lord Sesshoumaru will not be joining us this afternoon.”
All drooling in the room stopped and they turned to the girl as one. “How do you know that, Rin? Have you talked to him today?” Kagome asked her, hunger temporarily forgotten.
The girl looked up from her plate to meet Kagome’s eyes briefly before flickering back down. There was a profound sadness in her eyes that seemed utterly out of place on her face. She continued to look at her plate while she answered the query. “No, I have not talked to him today, or yesterday, or the day before. He refuses to leave his sleeping room and I am not allowed inside.”
“Why would he refuse to leave his sleeping room?” Miroku asked gently.
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess he’s worried.”
“Worried? I thought he was sick,” Sango said in some confusion. Kagome silently agreed with her. They had gotten the distinct impression from the healers and guards that he was, in fact, ill, not worried.
“My mom once told me that you could make yourself sick by worrying too much. Lord Sesshoumaru has been worrying for a really long time. Maybe he got sick from it.”
Kagome shared a confused look with Sango and Miroku. What in the world would Sesshoumaru, of all people, have to be worried about? For all that he was a youkai lord, the running of his lands never appeared to cause him any problems and even if it did, from the way Rin was responding, this was a new development. But there was nothing else coming to mind that he might be worried about. It didn’t make any sense to her.
Apparently they were not the only ones confused for Shippo chose that moment to pipe up, “What could he possibly have to be worried about? Sesshoumaru is the youkai Lord of the West.”
Rin looked Shippo right in the eye. “Lord Sesshoumaru is worried about Lord Inuyasha.”
Kagome could feel rather than see the shocked expressions on all her companions faces, hers included. Since when did Sesshoumaru care about his younger brother at all? This had to be some kind of sick joke, but this little girl had said it so simply, with such honesty that she was unsure just how to take this new information.
However, more than the shock that the youkai lord might actually care about Inuyasha, she realized that what she had been dreading might have come to fruition. Something was wrong with Inuyasha. Now she just had to find out what it was.
And it was that determination to find out what was wrong with the hanyou more than anything else that allowed her to get over the shock first and continue to question the girl who was now picking at some food she had moved onto her plate in the silence that had followed her previous statement. “Why would Sesshoumaru be worried about Inuyasha, Rin?”
“Because he screamed and fell,” she answered quietly without looking up.
Before Kagome got a chance, Miroku jumped in, “Where did he fall from? A cliff?”
“He didn’t fall FROM anywhere. Lord Inuyasha just fell.”
“Where did he fall?” Sango asked.
Rin pointed to the panel they had come in to reach the room. “He fell right in front of there.”
The little girl now had four sets of very confused eyes trained on her. The Inuyasha Kagome knew wouldn’t just fall for no reason. There had to be something else going on. “Rin, what happened right before he screamed?”
“Lord Sesshoumaru and Lord Inuyasha were arguing.”
Ah, now she was getting somewhere. Maybe Sesshoumaru had poisoned him or something. But then that still didn’t explain why Sesshoumaru was now worried about him. Suddenly a thought occurred to her, maybe he wasn’t worried at all, maybe he just wanted to make sure that Inuyasha was, in fact, going to die this time.
Sure that her line of reasoning was correct, she almost missed Miroku’s next question, “What were they arguing about?”
“Lord Inuyasha didn’t want to be the girl,” she answered very matter-of-factly.
“What?!” the three older shard-searchers yelled. Shippo, who was normally rather loud, just withdrew further into himself, a terrified look beginning to spread over his face that none present noted.
Rin very calmly restated, “I said that Lord Inuyasha didn’t want to be the girl.”
“That’s what Inuyasha said?” Miroku asked, disbelief showing plainly on his face.
Kagome watched the young girl take the time to really concentrate on the answer to that question. After what felt like an eternity, during which she held her breath in anticipation, Rin replied, “No, that’s not what he said.” She released the air she had been holding in relief only to have the girl continue on, “He actually said that he wasn’t going to be the wife.”
Of all the possible things that could have come out of this child’s mouth, that had to have been the least expected. As such, Kagome was left there, gaping like a fish, her brain unable to process the facts it was being given. While she tried to come to grips with this newest information, the others continued to talk.
Sango’s POV (cause Kagome’s out of commission for the moment)
“Why would Inuyasha say something like that?” Sango asked, more to herself than to anyone else. Something very bizarre was going on here.
However, it appeared that the young girl they had been talking to did not realize the question was not really directed at her, for she answered anyway, “He wasn’t happy with where he was sitting.”
“Where was he sitting?” Miroku asked, his curiosity peaked.
“He was sitting right there,” Rin said, indicating her immediate left. Sango took note of where that would place him in relation to where the Lord of the West obviously sat. She had enough training in dealing with nobles to know what that spot signified.
She was aware that the spot to the immediate right of the lord of the house was left vacant except when it was filled by the lady of the house. No other would be placed there. She listened to Miroku question the girl on why he sat there and was beyond surprised when the girl responded that Sesshoumaru had forced his younger brother to sit there.
That kind of thing was just not done. It was no wonder Inuyasha went off on his elder brother for that. Only the Western Lord’s mate had the right to sit in that spot. However, it also impressed her at the same time. She had had no idea Inuyasha knew so much about the politics involved with the nobility. And for him to be concerned about the honor of his elder brother’s future mate was nothing short of astonishing.
Sango looked back over to Kagome and saw that the poor girl had her jaw dropped in disbelief. She had her doubts as to whether or not the girl from the future actually understood the significance of what was being said, but she couldn’t help but feel sorry for her anyway.
Her love was obviously in trouble and she had no way to help him. Not only that, but their source of information was a child who appeared to be just a little less confused than the rest of them were. Sango thought that it must be really hard on her to have no clear idea of what was wrong, only that SOMETHING was wrong.
As such, she tried to give her best friend a small smile of reassurance, even though she herself was unsure of what was really going on. When the smile wasn’t even noticed, though, she gave up on it. It was obvious Kagome was still trying to figure out what was going on for herself.
Sango turned her attention back to the little girl and monk who were still talking. She was just about to ask the girl if she had any idea why Sesshoumaru had decided to put Inuyasha in that seat in particular when she heard a slap across the table.
Quickly turning to the sound along with the rest of the group, she watched as Myouga floated down onto the wood before once again reanimating. Apparently he had decided Kagome looked dead enough to the world that he could get a drink out of her. After getting over the initial shock of him being present, Sango mused that while he may not have been able to get a meal out of her, he had definitely managed to bring her attention back to the land of the living.
Myouga’s POV
He had been hopping along towards the Western Palace for days now and had only just reached its borders. He was still unsure of what he was going to tell his master when he arrived, but refused to let that stop him from making all due haste there.
Getting into places without being seen was a small matter for a flea and so, he merely walked through the grass around the guards in front of the gate and then straight through. No one was any the wiser. Making his way quickly to the palace, he dodged the various people traveling to and fro. It was midday and the bustle of life was still great.
However, even in all this confusion, he did not get lost for he had been here many times before with Inuyasha’s father. He sighed at the contemplation of the previous dog general. He had truly been a man of honor. Myouga had served him gladly.
In fact, many of the reasons he had served the father were now the reasons he had decided to serve the son. For as rough around the edges as his current master was, he knew there was a good and honorable heart beating in his chest. He also knew that if he was ever in trouble, he could count on his master to come and save him.
He had never felt that way towards the elder son of his previous master. While the younger was more kind-hearted, the elder was as cold-hearted as they came. Myouga internally shuddered at the idea of having to serve such a tyrant. He was once again reminded of just how lucky he was to have a master who was capable of caring for someone other than himself.
His contemplations turned to worry as he hurried down the hallway in the palace to where he knew the dining area to be. Since it was the middle of the day now, there was a high likelihood that someone would be there eating lunch. Just the thought of the people who might be eating made his mouth water. He was sure if his young master was present he would not mind giving him a slight taste. It would surely take the gamier flavor of the deer he had eaten breakfast from out of his mouth.
With these happy thoughts in mind, Myouga quickly hopped through the small opening between the panel and the wall where it had obviously not been closed tightly enough. However, when he saw who was at the table, he was at once pleasantly surprised and rather disappointed.
It was not his master and elder brother, but rather the rest of his master’s pack. He was slightly confused as to why his master was not present, but determined that he must be in the right place if they were here as well. Giving up on the meal he had wanted with a sigh, he decided to settle for second best. His master’s priestess was always good for a quick snack or two. And to make it even better, she did not even appear to be paying attention.
Unnoticed, Myouga hopped over to Kagome and landed lightly on her nose, sucking out the precious blood as quickly as possible. It was a testament to just how little attention she was paying that he was able to engorge himself for a full 4 seconds before she slapped him away.
Floating to the table, he waited until he reanimated before talking to them. “Greetings. Might any of you know where Master Inuyasha is?”
He looked from one solemn face to the next and immediately felt that something was wrong. This group was normally incredibly cheerful and talkative, and yet, they were now all giving him the impression that some very serious misdeed had been done. From the looks on their faces, he garnered the only explanation that seemed plausible to him. “They went ahead and did it, didn’t they?” he asked with resignation in his voice. Even in all his haste, he was too late.
He was busy bemoaning the horrendous fate of his master to be mated to one such as Lord Sesshoumaru silently when he heard a confused voice, “Who went ahead and did what?”
Turning to the speaker, his reply echoed the confusion being shown him. “Didn’t Master Inuyasha and Lord Sesshoumaru complete the ritual?” When he saw confused looks being passed back and forth between the occupants of the table, he finally realized something of great import; they had no idea what he was talking about.
If they were not aware of the claiming ritual having been completed, it most likely had not. His master surely would have told his pack if it had been. There would have been no way to hide it really. But at the same time, it left Myouga wondering why they were all so serious if it was not over the misfortune of his lord being mated to Lord Sesshoumaru.
Putting that concern aside, he realized that perhaps he was not too late after all. Maybe he was just in time to stop this from happening in the first place. All he needed to do was find and warn his master of what he knew. He was sure that would be enough to stop any questionable business or urges that might currently be in place. Now all he had to do was find Lord Inuyasha.
Turning his attention back to the rest of his master’s pack, he realized they were all still looking at him for answers to what he was talking about. Knowing the way that his lord was with his personal affairs, however, he had no intention of satisfying their curiosity. For, if he was, in fact, able to get to his master in time and stop the claiming from ever happening in the first place, his master would be rather displeased to realize that he had informed his pack of the potential incident.
Deciding that he would rather preserve his own life than satisfy the curiosity of his master’s pack, Myouga made a quick goodbye to them all and took off as fast as he could to find his master himself. He was sure his lord could not be very far away what with it being mating season and his entire pack being in attendance. And he did need to find his lord as quickly as possible; they had much to talk about.
Miroku’s POV
Well, that was...different. Not that Myouga showing up suddenly and leaving just as abruptly wasn’t normal enough, but given the circumstances, he was not as willing to ascribe this particular action to the unnecessary information part of his brain.
Myouga had seemed genuinely concerned about...something.
It had seemed to be something of great importance, as well. However, once it became apparent that they were not aware of what he was talking about, he ceased speaking. All this led Miroku to believe that the something in question was most likely something Inuyasha had deigned to share with Myouga but not with the rest of them.
Then there was this ritual Myouga had mentioned. What was the ritual for? Miroku could not bring himself to believe that his friend would enter into a ritual of any sort with his hated elder brother. But then he reminded himself of whom their shared father was. If there was one thing he had learned about the late dog general through his interactions with Inuyasha, it was that he had wanted his sons to get along. He had wanted them to be brothers in every sense of the word.
He had gone to great lengths to see that it was so, up to and including putting the entire mortal world in jeopardy just to get them to cooperate for even a moment. What if that was not all he had done? What if he had done other things in addition to that to insure that his sons behaved as brothers?
Miroku shuddered internally at the thought. A human’s ideas of building brotherly bonds were obviously not the same as a demon’s ideas. He didn’t even want to think of what else their father might have dreamt up to encourage this ‘bonding’.
He thought back over what he knew of the situation, mostly about what Shippo had told them versus what Myouga had accidentally let slip. Shippo had said it was a spell that needed to be broken. Myouga had referred to a ritual that was to be preformed. What if the ritual was supposed to break the spell?
If that was the case, he would welcome it gladly enough, but it appeared that the ritual had gone awry if what he understood from young Rin was truthful. And yet, there was still the issue of why Lord Sesshoumaru would care at all if it was, in fact, his younger brother who was having the difficulties rather then himself.
Unless that was what went wrong.
Perhaps once the ritual was performed, they were no longer allowed to fight with one another without there being dire consequences. He could readily see their father believing that to be an ideal set of circumstances and he, himself, could find no fault in it. To no longer have to worry about being attacked by Lord Sesshoumaru, to be able to count on him as an ally of sorts. That would be extraordinary indeed.
And yet, with those benefits, there was evidently quite the downside as well. If they did not get along with one another, it appeared that the ritual made it so that Inuyasha would become physically disabled; assuming his collapse in front of the panel was any indication of how it would be in the future. Why it was just him and not both of them, Miroku was unsure, but he thought it might have something to do with Inuyasha only being half-demon whereas his brother was full-demon. If that were the case, the ritual was most likely intended for use on full-demons and would likely cause great harm to his friend in the long term.
Silently vowing to himself to make it his business to find out what exactly this ritual had entailed and how he might better help his friend to cope with these unforeseen consequences, Miroku turned his attention back to the nearly untouched food in front of them. Realizing that everyone else was lost in thought as well, he did the only thing he could think of to relieve the overwhelming oppressiveness present in the room.
One hand reached over and behind the slayer to his right and caressed her bottom. When the immediate scream and hit to the head followed, Miroku smiled just before slipping into unconsciousness. At least the mood was broken.
* * * * *
Uh, hi. <waves nervously> No, I haven’t dropped off the face of the planet, I’ve just been incredibly busy and rather pissed off at everyone in the Inuyasha gang but Inuyasha. I’m sorry, but I happen to seriously think they were all grossly unfair about the whole Kikyo thing in the last handful of new episodes that were shown in the US (the ones right after Kikyo is thrown into the lava for those who were unaware). I don’t particularly her, but he was genuinely worried about the girl and all they could do was give him major grief about it. Ahhh! It makes me want to smack some heads together. But, honestly, that’s why it took so long. I know they’re not normally like that, so I didn’t want to portray them as being all bad in my story but I’ve only just gotten over being so upset, so maybe it’s better in the long run that I didn’t write this chapter sooner.
In any event, thank you to all who have been waiting patiently for this chapter. I hope it meets (or exceeds) at least a few of your expectations. And as always, I would love to hear from you.
By: mshutts
WARNING: incest
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters here-in
* * * * *
Chapter 46: Lunch with the Gang
Kagome watched the healers and the witch Sturaki leave with growing disbelief. So now that they were here, they were just expected to wait until someone decided to tell them something?
As Kagome was about to take off right after the trio and demand answers from them, she felt a hand on her arm. “Lady Kagome, I believe it would be best if we allowed them to do their jobs. It does not appear that they bear Inuyasha any ill-will in any event.”
It was then that Shippo spoke up from his perch on her shoulder, “Yeah, Kagome, Inuyasha will be fine. I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.”
At the reminder of food, Kagome could feel her stomach begin to growl. The last time they had eaten had been early that morning and it was only a quick breakfast before once again taking off towards Inuyasha. And even with the breakfast that they had had, she had eaten very little, being too concerned for Inuyasha and his well-being to feel up to eating more.
It hadn’t helped matters that she had to deal with Sturaki on the way either. It wasn’t that she felt the seer was a bad person, not like some of the dark priestesses and witches she had come across, anyway, but more of how she refused to give them information that was bothersome.
Couldn’t Sturaki tell that she was worried? That she had been coming up with one way that Inuyasha’s brother might have been torturing him after another? That she was terrified that they would be coming to collect a body?
And yet, this seer, this woman who obviously knew more about the circumstances than she was letting on, refused to tell her anything! She could understand not telling Shippo, he was too young for much of it. She could even understand not telling Sango or Miroku, they were merely Inuyasha’s friends. But to not tell her? Couldn’t that woman see how important Inuyasha was to her?
But, as she thought of the other things that the witch had noticed, she wondered if that was the case at all. Had her concern really gone unnoticed, or was it just being ignored? Was she playing with Kagome’s heart in much the same way that Kikyo loved to? Was this to be another rival for the affections of her half-demon?
Her hackles raised at the thought even as she was practically dragged into the dining area. This woman had no right to come along and try and usurp both hers and Kikyo’s places in Inuyasha’s life. They were the ones that had the first claim on him, after all.
However, just as quickly as the anger was raised, it dissipated. She reminded herself that Inuyasha was still quite attached to Kikyo and, even if he only saw Kagome as an afterimage of the undead priestess, he was attached to her, as well. There was no more room for anyone else in his life.
She held in a bitter laugh. There was barely any room for the two of them as it was. Drawing the conclusions that any affections of the witch towards the hanyou were most likely not returned in any way, shape, or form, Kagome shook herself from her more depressed musings.
It was only then that she realized she was now seated at the table, next to Shippo, across from Miroku, kitty-corner to Sango and Kirara. They all appeared to be waiting to be served, remaining perfectly silent. Without the half-demon present, there seemed to be little to talk about. Even Shippo wasn’t being his normal, boisterous self.
It was then that a panel slid open from the other side of the room. Looking up with everyone else, Kagome saw a small girl, dressed in a beautiful child’s kimono, step in and silently close the panel before turning to them.
The surprise of them being there was evident on her face when she finally noticed them. Kagome watched her school her features very quickly and bow to them. “Greetings. I am sorry I am late for lunch. I had not realized we were to be having company.”
It wasn’t until the girl raised herself from the bow that Kagome remembered who she was. “Rin, right?” she asked tentatively.
She watched the child flash a small smile at her, nodding her head. “That’s right. I am Rin and you’re that nice priestess lady.”
Kagome gave her a genuine grin. “I’m glad you remember me. My name is Kagome and this is Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara,” she said, pointing to each person respectively.
Rin nodded to all of them and once again offered them her small smile. She then came over to the table and took her place. “I am glad that you have come here. I am sure you are hungry. Lunch will be here shortly.”
Just as she finished talking, panels on the walls began to open as servants brought in food with an efficiency that left Kagome in awe. Before she knew it, the entire table was covered in delicious-looking food.
She could feel her mouth beginning to water while she wondered exactly how to deal with this properly. They were not often given food to choose from. She was pointedly ignoring Miroku’s comments about how they should mooch off demon nobles more often when she heard Rin speak again.
“You might as well start eating, Lord Sesshoumaru will not be joining us this afternoon.”
All drooling in the room stopped and they turned to the girl as one. “How do you know that, Rin? Have you talked to him today?” Kagome asked her, hunger temporarily forgotten.
The girl looked up from her plate to meet Kagome’s eyes briefly before flickering back down. There was a profound sadness in her eyes that seemed utterly out of place on her face. She continued to look at her plate while she answered the query. “No, I have not talked to him today, or yesterday, or the day before. He refuses to leave his sleeping room and I am not allowed inside.”
“Why would he refuse to leave his sleeping room?” Miroku asked gently.
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess he’s worried.”
“Worried? I thought he was sick,” Sango said in some confusion. Kagome silently agreed with her. They had gotten the distinct impression from the healers and guards that he was, in fact, ill, not worried.
“My mom once told me that you could make yourself sick by worrying too much. Lord Sesshoumaru has been worrying for a really long time. Maybe he got sick from it.”
Kagome shared a confused look with Sango and Miroku. What in the world would Sesshoumaru, of all people, have to be worried about? For all that he was a youkai lord, the running of his lands never appeared to cause him any problems and even if it did, from the way Rin was responding, this was a new development. But there was nothing else coming to mind that he might be worried about. It didn’t make any sense to her.
Apparently they were not the only ones confused for Shippo chose that moment to pipe up, “What could he possibly have to be worried about? Sesshoumaru is the youkai Lord of the West.”
Rin looked Shippo right in the eye. “Lord Sesshoumaru is worried about Lord Inuyasha.”
Kagome could feel rather than see the shocked expressions on all her companions faces, hers included. Since when did Sesshoumaru care about his younger brother at all? This had to be some kind of sick joke, but this little girl had said it so simply, with such honesty that she was unsure just how to take this new information.
However, more than the shock that the youkai lord might actually care about Inuyasha, she realized that what she had been dreading might have come to fruition. Something was wrong with Inuyasha. Now she just had to find out what it was.
And it was that determination to find out what was wrong with the hanyou more than anything else that allowed her to get over the shock first and continue to question the girl who was now picking at some food she had moved onto her plate in the silence that had followed her previous statement. “Why would Sesshoumaru be worried about Inuyasha, Rin?”
“Because he screamed and fell,” she answered quietly without looking up.
Before Kagome got a chance, Miroku jumped in, “Where did he fall from? A cliff?”
“He didn’t fall FROM anywhere. Lord Inuyasha just fell.”
“Where did he fall?” Sango asked.
Rin pointed to the panel they had come in to reach the room. “He fell right in front of there.”
The little girl now had four sets of very confused eyes trained on her. The Inuyasha Kagome knew wouldn’t just fall for no reason. There had to be something else going on. “Rin, what happened right before he screamed?”
“Lord Sesshoumaru and Lord Inuyasha were arguing.”
Ah, now she was getting somewhere. Maybe Sesshoumaru had poisoned him or something. But then that still didn’t explain why Sesshoumaru was now worried about him. Suddenly a thought occurred to her, maybe he wasn’t worried at all, maybe he just wanted to make sure that Inuyasha was, in fact, going to die this time.
Sure that her line of reasoning was correct, she almost missed Miroku’s next question, “What were they arguing about?”
“Lord Inuyasha didn’t want to be the girl,” she answered very matter-of-factly.
“What?!” the three older shard-searchers yelled. Shippo, who was normally rather loud, just withdrew further into himself, a terrified look beginning to spread over his face that none present noted.
Rin very calmly restated, “I said that Lord Inuyasha didn’t want to be the girl.”
“That’s what Inuyasha said?” Miroku asked, disbelief showing plainly on his face.
Kagome watched the young girl take the time to really concentrate on the answer to that question. After what felt like an eternity, during which she held her breath in anticipation, Rin replied, “No, that’s not what he said.” She released the air she had been holding in relief only to have the girl continue on, “He actually said that he wasn’t going to be the wife.”
Of all the possible things that could have come out of this child’s mouth, that had to have been the least expected. As such, Kagome was left there, gaping like a fish, her brain unable to process the facts it was being given. While she tried to come to grips with this newest information, the others continued to talk.
Sango’s POV (cause Kagome’s out of commission for the moment)
“Why would Inuyasha say something like that?” Sango asked, more to herself than to anyone else. Something very bizarre was going on here.
However, it appeared that the young girl they had been talking to did not realize the question was not really directed at her, for she answered anyway, “He wasn’t happy with where he was sitting.”
“Where was he sitting?” Miroku asked, his curiosity peaked.
“He was sitting right there,” Rin said, indicating her immediate left. Sango took note of where that would place him in relation to where the Lord of the West obviously sat. She had enough training in dealing with nobles to know what that spot signified.
She was aware that the spot to the immediate right of the lord of the house was left vacant except when it was filled by the lady of the house. No other would be placed there. She listened to Miroku question the girl on why he sat there and was beyond surprised when the girl responded that Sesshoumaru had forced his younger brother to sit there.
That kind of thing was just not done. It was no wonder Inuyasha went off on his elder brother for that. Only the Western Lord’s mate had the right to sit in that spot. However, it also impressed her at the same time. She had had no idea Inuyasha knew so much about the politics involved with the nobility. And for him to be concerned about the honor of his elder brother’s future mate was nothing short of astonishing.
Sango looked back over to Kagome and saw that the poor girl had her jaw dropped in disbelief. She had her doubts as to whether or not the girl from the future actually understood the significance of what was being said, but she couldn’t help but feel sorry for her anyway.
Her love was obviously in trouble and she had no way to help him. Not only that, but their source of information was a child who appeared to be just a little less confused than the rest of them were. Sango thought that it must be really hard on her to have no clear idea of what was wrong, only that SOMETHING was wrong.
As such, she tried to give her best friend a small smile of reassurance, even though she herself was unsure of what was really going on. When the smile wasn’t even noticed, though, she gave up on it. It was obvious Kagome was still trying to figure out what was going on for herself.
Sango turned her attention back to the little girl and monk who were still talking. She was just about to ask the girl if she had any idea why Sesshoumaru had decided to put Inuyasha in that seat in particular when she heard a slap across the table.
Quickly turning to the sound along with the rest of the group, she watched as Myouga floated down onto the wood before once again reanimating. Apparently he had decided Kagome looked dead enough to the world that he could get a drink out of her. After getting over the initial shock of him being present, Sango mused that while he may not have been able to get a meal out of her, he had definitely managed to bring her attention back to the land of the living.
Myouga’s POV
He had been hopping along towards the Western Palace for days now and had only just reached its borders. He was still unsure of what he was going to tell his master when he arrived, but refused to let that stop him from making all due haste there.
Getting into places without being seen was a small matter for a flea and so, he merely walked through the grass around the guards in front of the gate and then straight through. No one was any the wiser. Making his way quickly to the palace, he dodged the various people traveling to and fro. It was midday and the bustle of life was still great.
However, even in all this confusion, he did not get lost for he had been here many times before with Inuyasha’s father. He sighed at the contemplation of the previous dog general. He had truly been a man of honor. Myouga had served him gladly.
In fact, many of the reasons he had served the father were now the reasons he had decided to serve the son. For as rough around the edges as his current master was, he knew there was a good and honorable heart beating in his chest. He also knew that if he was ever in trouble, he could count on his master to come and save him.
He had never felt that way towards the elder son of his previous master. While the younger was more kind-hearted, the elder was as cold-hearted as they came. Myouga internally shuddered at the idea of having to serve such a tyrant. He was once again reminded of just how lucky he was to have a master who was capable of caring for someone other than himself.
His contemplations turned to worry as he hurried down the hallway in the palace to where he knew the dining area to be. Since it was the middle of the day now, there was a high likelihood that someone would be there eating lunch. Just the thought of the people who might be eating made his mouth water. He was sure if his young master was present he would not mind giving him a slight taste. It would surely take the gamier flavor of the deer he had eaten breakfast from out of his mouth.
With these happy thoughts in mind, Myouga quickly hopped through the small opening between the panel and the wall where it had obviously not been closed tightly enough. However, when he saw who was at the table, he was at once pleasantly surprised and rather disappointed.
It was not his master and elder brother, but rather the rest of his master’s pack. He was slightly confused as to why his master was not present, but determined that he must be in the right place if they were here as well. Giving up on the meal he had wanted with a sigh, he decided to settle for second best. His master’s priestess was always good for a quick snack or two. And to make it even better, she did not even appear to be paying attention.
Unnoticed, Myouga hopped over to Kagome and landed lightly on her nose, sucking out the precious blood as quickly as possible. It was a testament to just how little attention she was paying that he was able to engorge himself for a full 4 seconds before she slapped him away.
Floating to the table, he waited until he reanimated before talking to them. “Greetings. Might any of you know where Master Inuyasha is?”
He looked from one solemn face to the next and immediately felt that something was wrong. This group was normally incredibly cheerful and talkative, and yet, they were now all giving him the impression that some very serious misdeed had been done. From the looks on their faces, he garnered the only explanation that seemed plausible to him. “They went ahead and did it, didn’t they?” he asked with resignation in his voice. Even in all his haste, he was too late.
He was busy bemoaning the horrendous fate of his master to be mated to one such as Lord Sesshoumaru silently when he heard a confused voice, “Who went ahead and did what?”
Turning to the speaker, his reply echoed the confusion being shown him. “Didn’t Master Inuyasha and Lord Sesshoumaru complete the ritual?” When he saw confused looks being passed back and forth between the occupants of the table, he finally realized something of great import; they had no idea what he was talking about.
If they were not aware of the claiming ritual having been completed, it most likely had not. His master surely would have told his pack if it had been. There would have been no way to hide it really. But at the same time, it left Myouga wondering why they were all so serious if it was not over the misfortune of his lord being mated to Lord Sesshoumaru.
Putting that concern aside, he realized that perhaps he was not too late after all. Maybe he was just in time to stop this from happening in the first place. All he needed to do was find and warn his master of what he knew. He was sure that would be enough to stop any questionable business or urges that might currently be in place. Now all he had to do was find Lord Inuyasha.
Turning his attention back to the rest of his master’s pack, he realized they were all still looking at him for answers to what he was talking about. Knowing the way that his lord was with his personal affairs, however, he had no intention of satisfying their curiosity. For, if he was, in fact, able to get to his master in time and stop the claiming from ever happening in the first place, his master would be rather displeased to realize that he had informed his pack of the potential incident.
Deciding that he would rather preserve his own life than satisfy the curiosity of his master’s pack, Myouga made a quick goodbye to them all and took off as fast as he could to find his master himself. He was sure his lord could not be very far away what with it being mating season and his entire pack being in attendance. And he did need to find his lord as quickly as possible; they had much to talk about.
Miroku’s POV
Well, that was...different. Not that Myouga showing up suddenly and leaving just as abruptly wasn’t normal enough, but given the circumstances, he was not as willing to ascribe this particular action to the unnecessary information part of his brain.
Myouga had seemed genuinely concerned about...something.
It had seemed to be something of great importance, as well. However, once it became apparent that they were not aware of what he was talking about, he ceased speaking. All this led Miroku to believe that the something in question was most likely something Inuyasha had deigned to share with Myouga but not with the rest of them.
Then there was this ritual Myouga had mentioned. What was the ritual for? Miroku could not bring himself to believe that his friend would enter into a ritual of any sort with his hated elder brother. But then he reminded himself of whom their shared father was. If there was one thing he had learned about the late dog general through his interactions with Inuyasha, it was that he had wanted his sons to get along. He had wanted them to be brothers in every sense of the word.
He had gone to great lengths to see that it was so, up to and including putting the entire mortal world in jeopardy just to get them to cooperate for even a moment. What if that was not all he had done? What if he had done other things in addition to that to insure that his sons behaved as brothers?
Miroku shuddered internally at the thought. A human’s ideas of building brotherly bonds were obviously not the same as a demon’s ideas. He didn’t even want to think of what else their father might have dreamt up to encourage this ‘bonding’.
He thought back over what he knew of the situation, mostly about what Shippo had told them versus what Myouga had accidentally let slip. Shippo had said it was a spell that needed to be broken. Myouga had referred to a ritual that was to be preformed. What if the ritual was supposed to break the spell?
If that was the case, he would welcome it gladly enough, but it appeared that the ritual had gone awry if what he understood from young Rin was truthful. And yet, there was still the issue of why Lord Sesshoumaru would care at all if it was, in fact, his younger brother who was having the difficulties rather then himself.
Unless that was what went wrong.
Perhaps once the ritual was performed, they were no longer allowed to fight with one another without there being dire consequences. He could readily see their father believing that to be an ideal set of circumstances and he, himself, could find no fault in it. To no longer have to worry about being attacked by Lord Sesshoumaru, to be able to count on him as an ally of sorts. That would be extraordinary indeed.
And yet, with those benefits, there was evidently quite the downside as well. If they did not get along with one another, it appeared that the ritual made it so that Inuyasha would become physically disabled; assuming his collapse in front of the panel was any indication of how it would be in the future. Why it was just him and not both of them, Miroku was unsure, but he thought it might have something to do with Inuyasha only being half-demon whereas his brother was full-demon. If that were the case, the ritual was most likely intended for use on full-demons and would likely cause great harm to his friend in the long term.
Silently vowing to himself to make it his business to find out what exactly this ritual had entailed and how he might better help his friend to cope with these unforeseen consequences, Miroku turned his attention back to the nearly untouched food in front of them. Realizing that everyone else was lost in thought as well, he did the only thing he could think of to relieve the overwhelming oppressiveness present in the room.
One hand reached over and behind the slayer to his right and caressed her bottom. When the immediate scream and hit to the head followed, Miroku smiled just before slipping into unconsciousness. At least the mood was broken.
* * * * *
Uh, hi. <waves nervously> No, I haven’t dropped off the face of the planet, I’ve just been incredibly busy and rather pissed off at everyone in the Inuyasha gang but Inuyasha. I’m sorry, but I happen to seriously think they were all grossly unfair about the whole Kikyo thing in the last handful of new episodes that were shown in the US (the ones right after Kikyo is thrown into the lava for those who were unaware). I don’t particularly her, but he was genuinely worried about the girl and all they could do was give him major grief about it. Ahhh! It makes me want to smack some heads together. But, honestly, that’s why it took so long. I know they’re not normally like that, so I didn’t want to portray them as being all bad in my story but I’ve only just gotten over being so upset, so maybe it’s better in the long run that I didn’t write this chapter sooner.
In any event, thank you to all who have been waiting patiently for this chapter. I hope it meets (or exceeds) at least a few of your expectations. And as always, I would love to hear from you.