InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Whispers At Dawn ❯ Falling Together ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Youkai and hanyous were never once my idea to begin with, and unfortunately, neither are any of the Inu-Yasha characters. Simply put, this story is my creation, of sorts. And no, this idea wouldn't leave me alone.

 

 

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Whispers at Dawn

-Jasmine Fields-

 

 

The animal inside the animal, the man inside the man, is the soul.

 

~Sir James George Frazer~

 

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Chapter 2—Falling Together

 

At that time, the powerful taiyoukai ruler, heir and Lord of the Western Provinces, had been lured into a fierce battle combating a spawned hell's creation, head on, that possessed incredible speed and spiritual energy exuded and extended from the poltergeist theology rooted in deceit and lust for conquest. Crafted in Naraku's abyss - Abaddon's regime, as it is more commonly referred to in modern society, after many uncounted months of hot blazing pursuit, the heir unleashed all his greatness to attack. The vile offense had driven away possibilities of prosperity and any treaty or pact forged had long ago been violated where with the most inexcusable insult directed against His Highness's authority had raised its hand against the very territories and borders he protected.

 

The law was his word, undoubtedly, in that time - and most creatures, the exception being most humans, instinctually understood his low tolerance level of things less than exemplary and excellent - in the majority of cases, less than near perfection - and lived to accomplish his bidding. He was master and king of whatever he willed. At that moment, the taiyoukai preferred and willed his enemy dead.

 

His ire had long ago been provoked and had risen beyond the limited extents of possible forgiveness for such retributive acts. The sudden discovery and apparent near panic by that which was borne of the evil spirit only identified as Onigumo, was rumored to have been the deciding factor for the manufacturing of the half-bred anomaly that required the undivided attention of the Western Lands.

 

All the more still, there had been unfortunate set-backs with his quest for added power when the inferno of the devil's mate thought to accost his half-brother for the great Fang of Destruction, that abomination of an inheritance, as was generally the term of endearment used to identify the famous Tesseiga - thus, adding to the insult - in vain attempts to bribe the lord and force his hand in agreement for some insolent unimportant task that had no true ranking among the aristocrats of youkai society.

 

That damned Naraku found a way to cripple the taiyoukai, after a time, when he religiously sought out to destroy the Fang of Life, the other half of an inheritance from the royal family, passed to the elder of siblings by the Great Dog Warrior, otherwise known as Tenseiga. Though it is uncertain how it became known to that ever revulsion of superficial power - of the sword's protective and healing capabilities by Naraku - how the scoundrel discovered an advantage and used the founded origins of any possible limits.

 

Upon some curious investigation - perhaps more than a two centuries plus half past these battles - a historian descended as a wolf youkai hybrid of the Northern brothers' clan and the Eastern snow mountains' clan stumbled across some well preserved recorded account of the sorcery, magic, and essences utilized in the mixture of poison that lapsed Tenseiga's usefulness during the final stance. The publication had been written originally by an ancestor from the lineage of the Great Dog Leader and unfortunately, coercive tactics served to alert that filth of a mongrel to gain the tactical lead over Sesshoumaru's infinite un-bribable immortal life and seemingly impossible death.

 

During the historian's studies of such a detailed report, it was learned that the effectiveness of the sword was weakened when the holy powers generated through the wielding, where with it was infused with a lethal pollutant that contained counterfeit solutions of compassionate energy known only in the highest circles of aristocracy and creatures rumored with vast spiritual power, had escaped the highest intellect and instincts of his revered lordship.

 

Even the priestesses - incarnate and reincarnate, as it was whispered to be gospel truth across the land - and monk of unrivaled training and spiritual accomplishment - with notorious taste in women and food (as it has been rumored) - present during the campaign and confrontation had not sensed the intent and false purity maliciously poured into the sword. In fact, it was stated, upon questioning that there had been no noticeable shifts in its power when it pulsed, hungry for its will to be accomplished, and was drawn against the enemy.

 

There are many rumors surrounding how it came to pass that the Lord of the West had died… if there had indeed been such an occurrence. The aristocratic circles are tight-lipped in most all that they do, and Sesshoumaru was no exception. Through and through, however, lesser youkai societies and common human societies have gossiped on these events past.

 

Within almost all commonplace villages - no matter the heritage - it was nearly agreed in hushed whispers of reverence and fear that the roaming hanyou Inuyasha was verbally acknowledged as his father's second son and honored as a full youkai during the times that past. The usual taunting and traditional fervency of harassing said hanyou was replaced with worshipful chants… to a place where he was untouchable and said to take on the status of a god - of sorts.

 

History does not record precisely or accurately what occurred; but, old men and women sing children songs that, with simple verse and chorus, elevate Inuyasha and declare the perfection of his ability to both destroy and resurrect…

 

 

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She woke with a sudden start.

 

It was pitch-black and the moon was low. Just like the ebony confines of her nightmares.

 

The first few years after her master had died and been raised back to life had haunted her dreams - skewing and scattering her mind to the four winds as she realized the importance and prominence of her beloved lord to the lands and to her self, even if it was a quiet admonition.

 

Many small towns and villages - especially among youkai - had always proclaimed the immortality of Sesshoumaru in the Western Provinces with such pride. She personally had witnessed his painful destruction - however brief it was - pricking fear in to her heart for her youkai emperor and his safety.

 

Her lord was a noble lord, in spite of the hundreds - no thousands, she corrected her self - of stories told of his ferocity and battle raged vengeance when provoked.

 

Sighing and silently weeping, she hadn't meant to dream of that incident again. It was quite humiliating to drain all her worries, concerns and fears into her lord's brother's shoulders - every time.

 

Though he would never confess, she knew Inuyasha had been stunned when the strike befell her salvation and Tenseiga was not repairing the damage inflicted to his body. She remembered collapsing in a small heap over her lord's shoulders to find a heart beat and weeping when there was none.

 

Her heart wrenched upon such a vivid memory and she attempted to stifle a faint sob into the sleeve of her sleeping kimono.

 

A rustle… a shift… arms encircled her waist and she took the comfort her gruff silver-haired hanyou companion offered.

 

“Go back to sleep, Rin. Tomorrow we head to the exterminators' village.”

 

“It'll take a week to get there, right?”

 

“At least, since we're walking.”

 

Forgetting her troubles, as he kissed her cheek, she curled up in his arms and lay back down waiting for dawn to break as a dreamless swirling vortex of peace overtook her once more.

 

 

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Author's Corner: My deepest appreciation to the following reviewers (who've waited for all eternity for me to post….I sincerely do apologize!):

 

Chibi Senshi of Saturn (my first ever reviewer for this fic - yay!)

TennyoKameko (your words continue to echo in my mind…thank you)

Moondog186 (if it's not too nosey, can I ask where the 186 comes from?)

golden_heart_aly (lol…thanks for waiting so long)

AO (you're so kind!)

Surfer Tsunamiya (cool name)

Si (I try!)

Fuji67 (me neither; I was suffocating from being so ill)

Kerichi (thanks for volunteering…I'm actually quite touched)

zig (happiness…yes, eventually…it's quite a story to get to that point, just so you know)

DEW (off on a tangent, I sorta got side-tracked thinking a bit too much on a green soda can that's got a `mountain' preceding that…and the commercial that I'm so familiar with associating those two words with…put a smile to my face. Anyway, now that I've bored you to tears……I know that last chapter was just a revision of a preview that I planned, but I hope it whet your appetite for this chapter 2!! )

And any other shy reviewers out there, who've thought about it, but just couldn't for one reason or another last go-round.