InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Yellow Brick Road ❯ Anti-Climatic ( Chapter 22 )

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA AND COMPANY, NOR DO I OWN WIZARD OF OZ.

AN: Thank you to Wiccan and Fallen_Tenish8 for beta-ing.


Chapter 22: Anti-Climatic

The lethargy was slowly taking over her body. Her mind, however, was flying at a million miles a minute, although it kept hitting every pothole along the way. Sesshoumaru’s youki kept rising, spreading to eliminate the threat that the convoluted holy man posed. Not good.

Kagome’s legs trembled, threatening to give out under her weight, but she had to find a way to stop this insanity before the whole of Japan suffered for it. Kami-sama, what had she done wrong this time? Was it because she was trying to get off the island? Was she that tied to Mikaboshi?

No! She had done everything to the best of her ability. It was not her fault that the Kami refused to reveal their plans. Besides, she would no longer be just sacrificing herself; she would also be denying her children the right to live. None of this was their fault after all. She had committed her sins and she would pay for them, not her children. The problem right now was how to stop an over-grown ankle-biter who was beyond arrogant and stubborn.

Kagome worried that if she tried to touch his arms or legs, it would set his instincts off by compromising his readiness for battle. Her ki was far too low to allow her to push it through the armor covering his back. Soon his youki would rise to the point that he would not even notice her diminutive amount of reiki.

Why had she been so foolish as to come to the island without the others? Oh yeah, her insane need to protect those around her.

The pelt moved in accordance to Sesshoumaru’s wishes and secured Kagome to him as he prepared to strike out against the foolish holy man. It was then that his attention began to be pulled in another direction. His Kagome was using what little ki she had left to calm him through his pelt. He was struck by just how weakened this whole encounter had left her, but another thought began to emerge.

Why? Why would she risk the use of her so severely depleted energy to calm him? Just what was it that she knew and hid from him that would cause this plea? He turned his head slightly while raising her up with his pelt so that he could see her.

Her eyes were glassy and unseeing. The voice that weakly reached his ear confirmed how exhausted she was.

“You mustn’t … kill him. Must take him … with …” Kagome lost her battle with consciousness before she could finish, but he understood that for some reason she wanted this pest saved.

The logical side of his being fought against the baser side that screamed to eliminate, no, eviscerate the foolish man that threatened him and all who were his. He knew however bothersome her pleas was that she would not have pleaded so strongly if she did not have a very good reason to do so.

Sesshoumaru knew that she held knowledge that no other could claim, and his beast snarled at the fact that she still refused to share it with him. However, his more logical side had begun to understand her reasons behind her silence. Yet this was not the time to be hashing this type of debate out in his head.

Sesshoumaru had also noticed that the moment his youki receded some, due to Kagome’s efforts, the roar of the shadows had been very close to the light on this side of the trees. In his instinctual rage, he had almost allowed Mikaboshi freedom again. His desire to protect what was precious to him almost caused more harm. He cursed every Kami for the burden they laid on the woman passed out on his back.

Sesshoumaru refocused all of his attention back on Frois. The holy power within this man was different from those native to this island, but it was still holy power. He noticed the look of triumph in Frois’ eyes when the mortal noticed that his youki had started to recede. Did the fool actually believe he was winning?

Yes, but that would work to Sesshoumaru’s advantage because the tai-youkai could already see the taint that Mikaboshi left behind, swirling with Frois’ power. There would be no damage to him from this power. The only problem was ensuring that Kagome was not exposed to it at all. She had left herself utterly defenseless to save this foreigner’s life, which meant that their pups would also be at risk.

Nothing would stop Sesshoumaru from ensuring the safety of his pack; nearly a millennium alone was too long for an inu. Sesshoumaru was quickly becoming aware that his sanity was closely tied to the health of his pack. If something were to happen to those who were most precious to him, Kami-sama have mercy on those who lay in the path of destruction and terror he would wreak on the land as retribution.

Sesshoumaru cocooned Kagome further in his pelt, and then began to wrap his youki around her. Before he made his move, he assessed that his youki completely sealed her. With Kagome and their pups safe, faster than any mortal eye could follow, Sesshoumaru rendered the foreigner unconscious.

Sesshoumaru watched impassively as the priest’s power dissolved into the air around them. His actions had been simple but lacking considering his beast was still clamoring for the disembowelment. All in all it was very anti-climactic. Staring down at the vulnerable man, Sesshoumaru felt no satisfaction. For the foolish threat, this man’s blood should be coating his claws. Nothing. Nothing at all, not even a startled yelp.

Sesshoumaru glanced from the man to the boat that would be used to leave this island. It was a good thirty yards, too far to toss the man without risking damage to the boat and/or the idiot human. A growl of frustration left the stoic inu-youkai’s mouth.

He would have to drag the man to the boat, which meant that he would have to stay in physical contact with the filth. Sesshoumaru growled more, as he felt Kagome snuggle further into his pelt. While Kagome occupied his thoughts again, he wondered if this man truly held a role in history, or if it was just her trying to save another. If it was the latter, he was going to be highly annoyed at her.

Stifling the revulsion he felt, Sesshoumaru set about accomplishing the task needed to leave the island. At least this would be one more time where Kagome would know her trust in him was not misplaced.

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Michi had stood vigil on the beach ever since Daiki had shared his hidden knowledge. The only pack she had was across the water in unknown peril. It took everything she had not to attempt to swim across to them.

Tadashi refused to allow the kit to stand beside Michi; there was no point in allowing the kit to wallow in fear. Instead, he decided that Yuichi’s fox magic could be used to teach Daiki a lesson as well as focusing Yuichi’s attention somewhere else. Tadashi would never openly claim the kit as his own pup, but the more time he spent with the kit, the more Tadashi saw him as such.

She stiffened as she saw the boat appear; her heart sank into her stomach when the only figure she could discern was that of her Lord. Never did she doubt that he would return, but as for Kagome... No, that woman was far too precious to be lost to that accursed island.

Yuichi was the first to notice the difference in the female inu. He sought to find the source of her distress. Moving to stand beside her, he searched the approaching boat with more than his eyes. It was then that he noticed the auras. Yes, auras.

“She is there, behind Sesshoumaru-sama,” the joy he felt bubbled into his voice.

Michi straightened her slumped form as she prepared for her alpha’s return. The next words that the kit spoke raised the anxiety that had been ebbing.

“There is something wrong. Her reiki is almost completely gone from her aura. Dear Kami-sama, what happened on that island?” Yuichi whimpered. He voiced a stray thought as Tadashi came to stand beside him, “I didn’t think a miko could deplete her reiki so much.”

Tadashi’s subdued voiced replied, “Most miko cannot access their reiki after the purity of their body has been forfeited, the ki being sealed in their blood. It is for that reason that those selected to be guardians of relics remain chaste until another of suitable strength is found.

“It is a testament to Kagome-sama’s power that she can still access her reiki, even while carrying hanyou in her womb.”

Yuichi bit his tongue to repress the urge to correct the inu male that was mentoring him in much the way a father would his own son. It had been decided, by Sesshoumaru, that no one was to know that she carried full-blooded youkai pups. Yuichi did not understand the reasoning behind the decision but he was not about to cross the tai-youkai.

The three youkai stood in wait for the small boat to make land; Daiki had been left to his blubbering. Tadashi waded out into the waters, helping the boat make landfall so that Sesshoumaru would not have to wet his boots upon disembarking.

Sesshoumaru gathered Kagome to him, then stepped out of the boat. He kept his back to both the island and the boat while he gave his decree, “That one,” he motioned slightly towards the boat, “is to be bound and tied. We move from here, now.”

Sesshoumaru set off at a steady pace towards his ancestral home, while the others made sure his orders were followed and nothing remained of their camp.

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Th e sun was setting just as Kagome began to rouse in Sesshoumaru’s arms. When her eyes began to flutter open, the first thing he noticed was that the ring of silver was nowhere near as apparent as it had been. He wondered if, with time, it would fade completely.

Finally, when Kagome’s eyes focused, she was staring directly into Sesshoumaru’s amber pools. She smiled as she noticed the slightly perturbed look he was giving her, meaning that he had not killed the priest. Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off.

“We will be depositing the foreigner and the other in the nearest human village. This Sesshoumaru will not travel with such any longer.”

“Hai, my Lord,” her voice still husky from lack of use.

A single brow rose on the face of the inu-youkai. He had expected an argument from her along the lines of: “We are now responsible to ensure their safety.”

Kagome had realized that if they all made it off the island, Father Frois had to cleanse himself. The taint that the priest allowed from Mikaboshi was his to amend, not hers. She had done everything she could to ensure that Mikaboshi could not corrupt this foreigner, but the priest’s weakness of mind had been his downfall.

There was one thing that she needed to do. She hoped that she had not slept too long this time, however, as Toto was no longer with her that probably was not the case.

“May we go to Edo?” Her eyes pleaded her case while his silently questioned ‘why?’

“I would like to finally make peace. The Goshinbuko by the old Bone Eater’s well is the last connection I have,” she whispered it as her eyes focused on something unseen to all others.

Internally Sesshoumaru was snarling and thrashing about; she would dare to claim connection to anything but him? No, she was his. She had accepted him, and she was his. Though the internal war raged between Sesshoumaru and his beast, his voice betrayed nothing. “Connection to what?”

“To my brother, to the one that I failed, the one I could offer nothing to but my back.” Shame resonated in her voice.

This was something that she had never told him before. What could have happened that this woman would sever ties with her pack, no her brother?

“Explain.”

“When I am more rested I will answer your questions. However, I have questions of my own.” She laughed at the soft disgruntled noise that he made.

Sesshoumaru was not pleased with her response at all. It was not that he was opposed to telling her things of his past, but that she would still be hiding things from him. However, he would take her to this tree. He would not deny her the peace she sought, but he would first get rid of the human pests.

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K agome knelt within the roots of the Goshinbuko. Her hands clapped together three times before she sent her prayers for her brother. The images of her brother’s face in the police stations haunted her. It was a then that she vowed to live long enough to take care of him once again. Too many had been ruined because of a stupid jewel, because of a Kami’s unrequited love. She could not save those already lost, but she would ensure that Souta did not become any more of a victim.

Sesshoumaru watched Kagome. She prayed in a trance-like state; the only clue to her inner turmoil were the tears that trailed down her checks. This was enough, her self-flagellation was not healthy for her, nor was it healthy for the pups.

“Kagome.” Her alpha’s called pulled her from her pained memories.

She turned to look at him. “Hai.”

“You will tell this Sesshoumaru what causes this pain.” Though his tone was not harsh, it left no room for her to argue.

He had waited patiently while she paid her respects, but he would wait no longer. Therefore, it was there, under the boughs of the Goshinbuko, that Kagome told him the painful memories she had shared with no one.

She told him of the fateful night both her father and uncle died. How she had whined until her father agreed to make her last birthday as the only child special. How, because of her, both her mother and aunt were widowed, her brother never even being held by his father.

She told him of the years she was so busy struggling to find jewel shards and pass school that she never noticed the strained faces of her mother and grandfather. How she was so hurried that the slow disrepair of the shrine and the grounds never registered until it was too late. All the signs that she ignored; the signs that were telling her of the desperation of her mother and grandfather as things continued to decline.


She told him of what had happened when she went home the last time, her brother’s pleas to not be left alone. The emptiness she felt when she severed the magic of the well. She spoke of Sango; how the slayer would send her scathing looks for the last few weeks of her life.

The loss of Shippo; the death, by her hands, of Kohaku, all these things she poured out of her soul. She poured out her failures, her heartbreak over the hanyou and dead miko. Anything and everything that she had suffered and tried to carry on her own; Kagome unburdened herself and surrendered to her alpha’s strength.

It was then, nestled and encased in his warmth, that she voiced the last question that plagued her, “Sesshoumaru, was it honor or pride?”

The tai-youkai looked at her with a questioning gaze, not really sure what she was referring to, and so Kagome clarified, “On the island, the first time.”

He stiffened next to her. This was the one question that he would have happily avoided for the rest of his life. Slowly he began, “There is no honor in allowing a pack mate to suffer such a fate. As your alpha, whom you had submitted to, I was honor bound to use any means to ensure you would remain on your hands and knees in the dirt.” Kagome laid her head back down on his armor-covered chest. Sesshoumaru’s clawed hand gently, tenderly raked through her obsidian tresses as he continued, “However, I cannot remember another who has managed to insult this Sesshoumaru’s pride as much as you, Kagome.”

She laughed slightly at his statement; that was not at all the reaction he had expected from his admission. The next thing she said spoke volumes about her unique outlook on life, “Inuyasha used to tell me how useless I was, but even in the beginning of all this, I was apparently quite effective at pissing off my foes.”

“That is not a trait to encourage.”

“No, no it is not. However at times it is best to stick with what you are good at, and besides I am still here. After all that I have been pitted against, I am still here. I must have done something right.”

“You submitted to this Sesshoumaru as your alpha.”

It was a true heartfelt laugh that fell from her lips, “Arrogant ankle-biter.” Kagome, for the first time in many years found a dreamless sleep.

Sesshoumaru gathered her body to himself and set out for the Western Citadel. Tadashi, Michi, and Yuichi followed suit. They had been absent too long.

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Kago me had just come from visiting with Miroku, Rin, and Ichiro. It astounded her how much Ichiro had grown in the few weeks that they had been gone from the Citadel. It also astounded her how much her own stomach had grown to offer visual proof to all of the life she carried within her.

Kagome meandered slowly to where she felt Sesshoumaru’s presence. Her morning sickness had subsided, but she still sought him out when she felt the urge to sleep. It was in his care that she felt safest. Her guard dog would keep watch over her and their pups when her unconscious mind no longer could.

Suddenly, she became aware of exactly what part of the Citadel she was entering. It was the concubine compound. Her footsteps faltered. Did she really want to know if his word was false?

She shook that thought from her head. This was Sesshoumaru. He was many things, but he was not a liar. Renewed in her faith, she moved to find the one she sought.

Sesshoumaru stood in front of the doors of Miyu’s chambers, glaring at his naked general. He had not been pleased that, once the generals and others were granted access to the concubines, said concubines had been forced to entertain non-stop. While he did not necessarily care for the females, it was the duties that were being neglected that upset the tai-youkai.

Kagome ‘eeped’ when she noticed that the other male was naked, and she quickly turned her back so that she would not be faced with further male nudity.

With Kagome’s presence, Sesshoumaru knew that the reprimand would be all the more insulting. “If you wish for common whores, then you will go to a whore house. The concubines have been faithful servants to this Sesshoumaru for over a hundred years; they will be treated with respect. The disregard that you have afforded to what is this Sesshoumaru’s has sullied any chance these females had at finding respectable homes. All will cease or it will be your sons that find themselves mated to what was so harshly used.

“It is only your faithful service to both my esteemed father and myself that stays this Sesshoumaru’s hand. There shall not be another warning, in this or the neglecting of responsibility.”

He turned and strode away. Sesshoumaru knew by Kagome’s scent that she was tired. Unfortunately, she would have to find rest in his study, there was too much to be done. Really, what did he expect from Inuyasha?

Sesshoumaru strode into his study and sat behind the desk. While he began his much needed work, Kagome nestled herself next to him, quickly falling asleep.

A short half an hour later, Sesshoumaru had to suppress the frustrated growl that dared to attempt to escape his throat. He enjoyed her proximity, especially while she slumbered, but her body had been calling to him. The scent spoke of her need and wants to be filled and, quite frankly, Sesshoumaru was finding it harder to ignore her call.

His body ached for release, yet he could do nothing but suffer through it until she agreed. His need was so great that, at times, he considered broaching the matter with her, but he held his tongue. He had vowed to himself that the next time she would be more than willing partner.

Sesshoumaru repressed the sigh; it was going to be a long drought.

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AN: Thank you for reading, please review.

Emily