InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ What If? ❯ Two Worlds ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi

So I've been informed that my Sesshoumaru and canon Sesshoumaru are very different. Mine has said, "If you're hungry, let me know." Canon Sesshoumaru has said, "If you hungry, find yourself something to eat."

The reviewer wanted to know if I planned on bringing my Sesshoumaru back to canon eventually. The answer is yes. There is an event coming in later chapters that you will see has a great impact on Fluffy:)

Kagome's temper is something to be feared.
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Every moment now the bond grows stronger
Two worlds, one family
Trust your heart
Let Fate decide
To guide these lives we see

"Two Worlds," Phil Collins, from the soundtrack of Tarzan
---------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------< br> Chapter Five: Two Worlds

It seemed Inu no Taisho hadn't been lying when he'd claimed to be at war.

As Kagome and Sesshoumaru traveled further east, more and more demons began attempting to bait them into fighting. It was odd, too. The demons seemed to even realize they were no match for even Kagome, let alone the dog general's son, but they kept coming in droves.

Fighting your way in by inch to the sea was much harder than it would have seemed, and it set the couple back about two days in travel time.

By the time they did reach the ocean, Sesshoumaru all but threw Kagome into the boat and started rowing. They had a set time limit to obey before Inu no Taisho assumed something was wrong, and those demons had cost them a great deal of it. Of course, Sesshoumaru gloated mentally, they hadn't lived to regret it.

At the next sunset, Kagome and Sesshoumaru had spent a day on the water, and it was starting to irritate her.

Kagome had always loved the sea—and now she knew why, of course. She'd enjoyed watching the dolphins leap out of the water, closer and closer to her as though beckoning her to join them. She'd loved watching the sun change the colors of the water depending on its height in the sky: gold, pink, purple, blue, green...

But she didn't have anything to block the sun with, and her face and neck grew hot by noon. Sesshoumaru informed her calmly that her skin was rapidly becoming redder than her hakama.

"Oh, shut up," she said without anger, waving an airy hand in his general direction. She looked around for some coverage, knowing there was none. Finally giving up, she sank to the floor of the boat and leaned her back against the seat, closing her eyes.

There was a moment of stillness, in which only the ripple of the water against the boat could be heard. Then, out of nowhere, something heavy dropped over her head and upper body, cloaking her in cool darkness.

Her eyes popped open and she yanked the foreign object off her head, pulling it into her lap so she could examine it.

It was a haori—Sesshoumaru's haori, to be precise. She stared at him blankly, almost unable to conceive that he would do such a thing. And for her, of all people.

"My mother packed some ointment for burns in your sack," he informed her, meeting her gaze blandly.

Kagome took that as an instruction to apply the salve to her face and neck before she completely fried. She did so, and remained hidden from the sun under Sesshoumaru's haori for the remaining duration of the trip. Still, she couldn't help but peek out from the folds at the water before them.

She wondered how Sesshoumaru knew where he was going. His father had given him directions, but, from what she could see, there were no landmarks around to tell where they were. However, she knew better than to voice these concerns aloud to Sesshoumaru. He likely knew exactly where they were and how much longer they would be on the water.

Sighing slightly, Kagome lifted the haori off her head and turned once more to the dog demon. "Are you hungry?" she queried. "Thirsty?"

"No."

Raising her eyebrows to herself in reaction to his perceived rudeness, she shrugged and turned to get herself some food from the pack.
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And she thought she'd had it bad walking.

Kagome was so bored she couldn't even let her mind wander into fancies. She'd already been through just about everything there was to think of.

She'd practically drilled a hole on the ledge of the boat from her incessant tapping, but she hadn't said a word or even sighed. Sesshoumaru didn't seem bothered by the time, so she wouldn't complain. She was trying to prove her maturity and comfort with silence, after all.

Still, she couldn't hide her relief when Sesshoumaru finally pointed out land. They'd traveled over the water for three days, and walked along for four more days before that. One of their three weeks was already over.

When the boat dragged itself up on shore, Kagome all but leaped out of it, eager to set foot on steady, albeit sticky and grainy, ground. Sand, after all, was the only part of the ocean she couldn't stand.

Sesshoumaru calmly stepped out of the boat after her, and simply stood beside it, his eyes scanning the forests and shore expectantly.

"Well?" Kagome asked eagerly. "Which way do we go?"

"We don't," he informed her, not taking his eyes of the terrain. "This island only reveals itself to those Ryuujin welcomes. He knows we're here and, according to chichi-ue, that means he'll send someone out to greet us."

Kagome, too, turned then, and was just in time to see a solitary man emerge from the trees.

He was quite similar in appearance to a dog demon. Tall, statuesque, though a bit broader. His hair was silver, his eyes amber, his skin flawlessly pale. But, as he drew closer, Kagome saw that his features were ever-changing. His eyes darkened and lightened and even changed colors altogether, his hair did the same. Was it the light playing tricks on her eyes? Or was he really ever-changing in appearance?

...like the ocean! Kagome realized with a gasp. The water was always changing colors from sunrise to sunset.

Without a word, the man let out a small, pleased laugh and embraced Kagome.

Blinking around his arm in shock, Kagome felt her face heat up in anger. Who did this multi-chromatic freak think he was?

But before she could put voice to these thoughts, he stepped back, keeping his hands on her upper arms while he examined her.

"There's no doubt," he said; she wasn't sure if he was referring to himself or her. "You have the eyes. But I cannot understand, how did I not know about you? Who are you? Who is your mother?"

"Um, I don't mean to be rude, but I really don't feel like I should tell you anything about myself until you tell me who you are," Kagome returned, trying to keep her tone polite.

"Ah! How rude of me," the man agreed, shaking his head in apology. "I am Ryuujin, God of the Seas. And you are clearly a child of mine, though I know not how you escaped my notice."

"H-How do you know I'm yours?" Kagome asked tremulously, shocked that it was so easy to convince her father of her heritage. Did he really have so many children that he could just accept some stranger as his own?

"Your eyes," the god said simply. "No creature in this realm or any other may have them. They change colors, do they not?" Kagome nodded. "And all colors can be compared to the ocean?" Kagome nodded again, dumbfounded. "Then you are mine. Tell me, my child, what is your name?"

"...K-Kagome."

The god chuckled, shaking his head. "An unfortunate name, but fitting. Come, Kagome and—" He broke off, staring at Sesshoumaru in amazement. "I'd know that face anywhere. You are the mirror image of my old friend, Inu no Taisho!"

Sesshoumaru bowed his head in recognition, but only slightly. He said nothing.

Kagome sent him a reproachful glance and strove to cover the situation. "Forgive him, Ryuu—um, F-Father. His name is Sesshoumaru. As you guessed, he is the son of Inu no Taisho."

Ryuujin shook his head, his eyes widened in awe. "How Inu no Taisho managed to get a son off that frigid..."

His voice trailed off, but Kagome distinctly heard a bizarre sound from Sesshoumaru. It couldn't have been... She'd had to have misheard him. He couldn't have snorted, could he? It sounded as though he had barely restrained laughter that Ryuujin's statement. But that seemed almost physically impossible for the esteemed Lord Sesshoumaru. Laughter from him was like expecting a volcano to spit out butterflies. It just did not happen—it wasn't even feasible.

"Well!" The God of the Seas clapped his hands together and started rubbing them, as though he were about to start a fire with the friction. "Shall we be off? We have so much to discuss! Let's start with how you escaped my notice, dear. Who is your mother?"

As they walked along the beach and entered the forest beyond, Kagome blushed and mumbled, "I don't know."

Ryuujin stopped walking and, seeing no path or other instruments of guidance, Kagome and Sesshoumaru were forced to stop as well.

"You don't know?" he returned confusedly. "How is that possible?"

"My father has told me the story many times," Sesshoumaru put in suddenly, to Kagome's overwhelming gratitude. For some reason, faced with the sudden, direct attention from her father, she couldn't speak a word.  "Of how he was on the beach one day, and stumbled upon two figures washed up on the sand. A woman, gray from death and exhaustion, and a young infant that refused to cry even when it must have been starving. He would focus almost exclusively on the infant, stressing the baby's unnerving sentience and calmness. He set off an explosion with his sword to summon nearby villagers and left, knowing that the baby, at least, would be taken care of and that he would be able to see her again. She is now standing before you, fifteen years later."

"I see."

The God was silent for many minutes, and the duo walked somewhat awkwardly after him while he thought.

"Well," he sighed, clapping his hands together again but in a slightly more remorseful manner, even as the gesture signified moving on. "I believe your mother was Kun-Loon. We met some twenty years ago, back on the Continent." He smiled sadly at Kagome, his changing eyes raking in her features. "Yes, I see it now. Despite my coloring, you do resemble her greatly. The same facial structure, the same hair color..."

Kun-Loon, Kagome thought. That was my mother. As strange as it was, a thought still ran across her mind, reassuring her: She actually lived. He knew her. He thinks I look like her. Maybe he could tell me more about her...

Sesshoumaru, sensing that Kagome was still not in a talking mood, attempted to redirect the conversation.

"My father told me that you were aware of Kagome's mother's death, that you thought Kagome had died with her," he stated, his tone barely hinting at his blazing confusion.

"I did not think it was Kun-Loon that had died," he admitted, his brows coming together in his own confusion. "No, I thought she was Aoi. At the time, I was away on the Continent. I was sent news that Aoi's young son had died and that she had killed herself rather than deal with the loss. When news came to me from another source that two bodies had been found washed up on the beach, I assumed it was them. Kun-Loon was supposed to have been waiting for me in Ryuuguu-jou, expected to deliver any day. When I returned and found her gone, the servants told me the baby had been stillborn and that she had run away with grief. I wonder..."

Kagome, rather than process all this information now, merely stored it away in her mind for her to peruse at a later, more convenient time. She'd probably get a headache thinking about it all right now.

"Where are we going, my lord?" she asked politely, gesturing to the thick forest they were carousing. "I was told Ryuuguu-jou was under the sea."

"It is," he informed her, winking. "But humans and other such creatures that can't breathe under water must take this route."

"Can I breathe under water?" Kagome asked curiously, already sidetracked. Of course! Ryuujin would know all about her powers! "I mean, once I'm properly trained and everything."

"Of course," he responded easily. "God and goddesses can do practically anything they want. Breathe under water, change their form... But each god or goddess has only a select few powers to their self, which none of the other immortals can attain. For instance, I control the seas. Anything to do with water or creatures of it is my domain. But the sun, for another, is the express domain of my sister, Amaterasu."

"And since I am merely the child of a god, I will not have a specific domain to myself?" Kagome prompted.

He shrugged. "You might, someday. Blood status or pedigree do not necessarily dictate your power with gods, it is literally what you do, what elements and objects you work best with. Should you continue to use your talents once honed, most times you will be known by them."

"Speaking of talents," interjected Sesshoumaru, "I must admit that is why we are here. Kagome will not be permitted to stay here, as she has promised my father to help him in his upcoming war. However, we have come here to ask if you might spare a tutor for her, to return with us and train her."

Kagome had never heard Sesshoumaru speak in so deferent a way. It wasn't in the words he said, per se, but it was written all over his tone. She stared at him in confusion and shock, but he pointedly ignored her, choosing to watch her father instead.

"I see," the God said again, his eyes falling on Kagome. "I had hoped you would stay here for many more years, but if you have given your word... How long will you stay, then?"

"We can spare no more than a week, my lord," Kagome answered respectfully.

Nodding to himself, Ryuujin inhaled deeply and said, "Then I see no other choice. You must be taught in our ways, but if you cannot stay... Yes, I'll send Susanowo with you. He is your uncle, my brother, and a lover of the sea, as well, though his specialty rests more with hurricanes and other such storms. He'll be able to teach you with common immortal abilities, as well as hone your natural talents concerning the tides. Yes, I think that will do nicely."

"And when can we expect to be off?" Sesshoumaru asked, politely disinterested in the whole thing.

"Well, Susanowo is currently with our sister, so it would take... two days? Three? Four, at the most, for him to be brought back here. As soon as he is here, you may be free to leave—although," he said with a quick glance to Kagome, "you should be aware that I have never once allowed my children to live apart from me, especially on the land of mortals. You don't belong there, my daughter. You know this, yes?"

Kagome said nothing, but stared into his eyes for a long, immeasurable moment. Would he prevent her from going if he knew she had no intention of returning? Would he allow her to live with 'mortals,' since he hadn't raised her, barely knew of her existence?

"I can promise nothing, my lord," she answered finally, "but I will tell you that I'm very attached to some of the humans I've known. I would very much like to stay with them for as long as I may. I can, however, promise you that I will visit you most frequently." She hesitated, biting her lip. "Well, once the war's over, at least. I don't think I could make that journey a third time after getting home."

The Sea God laughed. "You wouldn't have to," he assured her. "I told you before a god or goddess has many abilities that bend the laws of nature. One of them is to travel any distance almost instantaneously. Susanowo will teach you all about that once I've contacted him."

They stopped outside what looked like a small well-house, but, upon opening the door, discovered that it was actually empty of anything except a staircase, spiraling down in the ground farther than Kagome cared to look. Ryuujin went inside ahead of them, and Kagome turned to Sesshoumaru at the door.

Kagome sighed and smiled weakly. "I guess I have a lot to learn, huh?"

He nodded, his face betraying nothing.

It didn't bother Kagome so much anymore. She knew he wasn't ignoring her and just nodding along. So she added, "And I've got to learn it all before the demons decide they've waited long enough to attack your father. Who knows how much time that means for me?"

"You'll have to study hard and train diligently," he agreed, "but if anyone can pull this off, it would be you, Kagome-san."

"Kagome," she corrected him. "I've finally broken your father of that habit. Don't make me fall back and have to start all over again on you."

"All right. Kagome."

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