InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ By The River of Shadowed Moments ❯ A Threat from Dirt and Bone ( Chapter 8 )

AN: Dear readers: I am completely aware that Kikyou dies in the later manga chapters. However, please keep in mind that this story is not canon, nor was it ever. This is an alternate reality, one which universe where Sesshoumaru has both his arms, is cursed by a witch, and has feelings for Kagome all while still going with the general premise of the story with Naraku and the Shikon shard hunt. Please keep in mind as I continue this chapter with a reference to Kikyou's death that there will be several inaccuracies and creative liberties.

 

And the reappearance of Sessmom really threw a wrench in my story too, so I'll have to work around that as well. Nope, no canon here! Enjoy!

 

Thank you to Risa for the beta job.

 

----

 

By the River of Shadowed Moments

 

“This endless mercy mile
We're crawling side by side
With hell freezing over in our eyes
Gods kneel before our crime”

 

“Rip Out the Wings of a Butterfly” by H.I.M.

 

Chapter Eight - A Threat from Dirt and Bone

 

 

 

Naraku did not like this endless waiting and hiding from the threats at hand. Inuyasha's group had grown powerful, even more powerful with Kagome's increasing miko powers and Inuyasha's swords. Naraku thought it may have ended the moment he got rid of Kikyou, but now - he wasn't so sure. Instead, with all of this uncertainty, he resorted to hiding again, until he came up with a plan to out-step his enemies further.

 

Suddenly, one of his patrol spies buzzed into his secret dwelling, anxious to give him some news. Within their connection of a creator and child, his spy told him of an important development.

 

Naraku rubbed his chin thoughtfully and smirked.

 

“Interesting,” Naraku said aloud. Kanna and Byakuya stirred in the shadows with mutual attention. “I had no idea Lord Sesshoumaru had such enemies, but his plight is ever so intriguing anyway.”

 

Byakuya stepped forward and said casually, “It's a pity the witch isn't still alive.” He crossed his arms and smirked, his eyes filling with seductive thoughts of the dog prince. “That information on how we could `cure' him could be quite useful. It could be a means to bring him to our side.”

 

Naraku laughed croakily. “Fool, Lord Sesshoumaru would never come to our side, but you may have a point about using the `cure' to this mystical ailment against him.” Naraku's eyes narrowed and his lip curled in amusement. “Still, I don't believe the witch being dead is a problem we cannot rectify.”

 

He turned around and looked at Byakuya and Kanna with a plan brewing in his expression. Kanna remained placid as Byakuya became more intrigued.

 

“Bringing back enemies from the dead has never been much of a stretch for me.” Naraku chuckled and twirled a tendril of his dark hair.

 

“Are you referring to the time you brought those seven assassins to go against Inuyasha's group?” Byakuya pondered aloud, and then he had a contemplative look on his face. “I heard about that incident but didn't it end in abysmal failure?”

 

Naraku didn't seem fazed by Byakuya's goading, and in his sinister smile he was sure bringing back the old witch from Sesshoumaru's past would have its benefits. After all, he wouldn't bring her back to fight Sesshoumaru and his group. On the contrary, the witch would only play a part in his eternal schemes to break the vigor of his enemies and steal their fervor away to dominate them.

 

“This is different, Byakuya. Now…” He turned to his buzzing spies still awaiting his orders, and then they revealed more details of Sesshoumaru's former enemy. Finally, as they shared the last of their reconnaissance, he nodded and began to initiate the new plan.

 

“Byakuya, follow them to the presumed location of this witch's remains and carry out my orders.” Naraku almost purred as this new development brought him out of his boredom and added new fire to his opposition. He couldn't wait until this resurrected foe came onto the scene again.

 

“And what must we do with this woman once we've brought her back?”

 

Naraku turned to him and said, “Have her obtain what's most precious to the demon lord - the one thing that both brothers hold dear.”

 

Byakuya nodded - his lip curling in reaction to his master's. The beauty of Naraku's laughter had always been contagious.

 

----

 

She had been at peace. She had been dead - and she certainly knew she had been and was quite comfortable with it. But then she felt something pull her spirit back from the afterworld into the living world again - and it unnerved her inside. Yet, a part of her was glad to be back.

 

`I have such unease,' she mused to herself sleepily, as she thought of her enemies. The scent of the earthly plane brought her regrets back to the forefront. She dreamed of revenge and simmered in it. She'd like to think that the gods were giving her a second chance to get justice, the kind she never earned.

 

When she heard dark laughter ring through her soul, she realized that she was not alone. Someone had brought her back, and she was annoyed when she sensed that this person was no god out to help her. Slowly, she opened her eyes to inquire of the identity of the one who resurrected her.

 

“Who…” her voice crackled as her corpse began to regenerate. Soon, the dust in her throat was replaced by fake flesh molded by magic. Her fingers twitched at the unbridled energy that resounded through her old bones. In a darkened grave beneath the earth, she saw the handsome face of a man, but she knew looks were deceiving as his red eyes glowed commandingly at her.

 

“Old witch; I am your savoir, your master of second chances. I am Naraku.”

 

“Naraku?” She had never heard of this person before. What did this stranger want with her? Why did he rob her of her eternal sleep?

 

“We have a mutual enemy, one that I cannot handle without your partnership. Will you help me slay the dog demon Lord Sesshoumaru? Will you help me make him suffer?”

 

`Sesshoumaru…that cursed name…' The pristine lord's image assaulted her mind. It was the image of her killer, her betrayer, and the son of the man she once loved.

 

Her eyes narrowed and she looked into the face of Naraku, the man who had generously given her this second chance. Soon, as ideas of getting back at Sesshoumaru filled her thoughts, she neither cared to know the origin of this Naraku, nor did she speculate his intentions for her once the deal was done.

 

Eyes of hatred pierced through the unholy darkness. “Sesshoumaru, the bastard will pay…”

 

Her new partner laughed at her answer, and she couldn't help but laugh with him.

 

Yes, it was her time to get her revenge on the house of the silver dogs.

 

---

 

Kagome clutched her knees as everyone gathered around the campfire. The atmosphere among the group tasted dry and felt choked.

 

It had been a horrible battle with an even more terrible result.

 

`Kikyou…' The pure miko, a beacon of strength to many and Inuyasha's first love, had met her bitter end to Naraku's desperate hands. Finally, even as he recombined with his severed heart, Naraku had been too tainted to let Kikyou affect him further. His webs had entangled her, poisoning her with his miasma and sucking away her strength. And even Kagome, who had a duty to release a pure arrow at the miko to purify her wounds, had hesitated even when she had done what she had been told.

 

But even Kagome's power had not been enough.

 

And Inuyasha took Kikyou's dying body away, and the miko was finally at peace. She felt like a woman, and Inuyasha had said farewell through his tear stained cheeks and soft, parting lips. In front of them all, Kikyou's life had ended, and she was not coming back. And the fight with Naraku continued as he escaped again, cowering away as their group gained the advantage to finally finish him once they geared up for the next opportunity.

 

So far they haven't had that opportunity again.

 

Instead, they put Kikyou to rest and headed onward to Naraku's retreating scent. Naraku didn't make it easy for their group, and they were constantly backtracking, finding dead ends and then finding trails that veered off course from where they had begun.

 

Tensions were high in the group because of this, and none of them had any time to think of romance - not even Sango and Miroku, who became more concerned for Kohaku's fate as becoming the next clue in possibly finishing off Naraku.

 

Kagome had not heard from Sesshoumaru in a while either, even longer than their usual monthly visits. She had been worried about him, especially given his situation with his mystical heat. However, she had heard from Myouga not too long afterward that he had gone off training and was even taking care of Kohaku.

 

“Oh, you need not worry about the slayer boy. I will go back to camp and tell the others that I have seen him joined up with Lord Sesshoumaru.” Kagome nodded, realizing Myouga was trying to detach her from Sesshoumaru as much as possible. Myouga cleared his throat and then continued, “Lord Sesshoumaru has gone to the dog clan's castle in the sky to train with his remaining relative on how to unlock the secret of Tenseiga.”

 

“Relative? I didn't know Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had any family left,” Kagome replied as they walked away from camp to talk. No one seemed to notice anything unusual as Kagome left, and she shot back a quick word that she was going off for her evening bath.

 

“Yes, this relative happens to be the late Lady Sorioko's brother, Sesshoumaru's uncle. He was entrusted with knowledge to show Sesshoumaru how to wield Tenseiga as a weapon rather than as a healing sword.”

 

“Hrmm…” Kagome pondered. “I hope he's alright, and Rin and the others too. I can't imagine what he's like if he doesn't fulfill his monthly curse.”

 

“Ah,” Myouga said. “I believe I have seen him deal without it before, but through intense workouts and meditation. It's difficult but possible.”

 

“Myouga…how much do you spy on Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru?” Kagome wondered, quirking an eyebrow at him.

 

Myouga sighed, and Kagome spotted a paternal expression on his face. “I was entrusted to do much more than look after my master's grave, Lady Kagome.”

 

Kagome smiled warmly at him, and she was grateful that both brothers had someone to watch over them. She only wished that in time, they wouldn't feel so alone. She frowned at this thought, remembering her situation with them. It still wasn't easy for her to make a decision on which one she was indefinitely going to choose. Of course, she was already aware of her own feelings, but she didn't feel like they were the issue at this point.

 

She also thought that Sesshoumaru could never love her back as a human, and then in turn, it had been obvious that Inuyasha could love her. But she didn't feel the same way about Inuyasha that she did with Sesshoumaru. In fact, it would be cruel of her to just settle on Inuyasha because he could love her when Sesshoumaru could not.

 

Still, she also felt it was cruel to not choose Inuyasha - not when he loved her so much.

 

And then, therein was the problem. In effect, all of Kagome's thoughts made her final decision more difficult, even though it was imperative that she do so right away.

 

Inuyasha was free from Kikyou and the moment he mourned her death and moved on, she knew he'd need her.

 

And Sesshoumaru was gone, training in the skies with his uncle away from her sight. She didn't even know when she'd even see him again.

 

Kagome sighed audibly, and Myouga looked at her with concern.

 

“Something wrong, Lady Kagome?”

 

“Well, it's the usual problem. I still don't know how I'm going to choose one of them. I don't know how to tell them,” she cried. She looked mournfully at the ground. She clenched her fists with determination. “I shouldn't even be thinking about this when the situation with Naraku is so tense. We're so close to defeating him, and if only I was stronger, we'd be able to beat him for sure.

 

“But I'm not strong! I couldn't even save Kikyou, and now I'm afraid that I will never have the kind of power she had. I'm afraid I'm too weak!” She began to sob now, and Myouga wished he was big enough to pat her shoulder. “I'm too weak to release an arrow and too weak to tell Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha how I really feel!”

 

Myouga sighed. Knowing how spirited and strong Kagome truly was, it bothered him to see her so saddened. If she felt she was weak, then she most likely wouldn't be able to defeat Naraku as she was.

 

“Lady Kagome, I don't mean to be blunt but if you keep feeling this way, then you won't be able to defeat Naraku. If you think you're weak, then you are weak. The Lady Kagome I know is much stronger than this.” He hopped off her shoulder and started to walk back to camp. He stopped, and gave her one backward glance. “I only hope I see that Lady Kagome again someday.”

 

Kagome sniffled as Myouga left. She knew he was right. She couldn't act like this anymore, not if they had a battle to fight. She had to be strong and determined to win against Naraku - just as she always had been since the beginning.

 

And she couldn't let this issue with Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha get her down - make her weak when she wasn't. She didn't need the anxiety weighing her down.

 

Kagome felt she had to be true to herself and to her heart. The truth was that she loved Sesshoumaru, and whether or not he loved her in the same way didn't matter. She was strong because she loved them both, because she loved Sesshoumaru as a lover and Inuyasha as a dear friend. It was her love of others that made her strong.

 

None of it needed to be reciprocated - she loved them for herself. She loved them because of what she knew and had learned of them. As long as she understood and admitted her own feelings, she began to gain more confidence.

 

Kagome knew she had to take a step and settled things. She was going to tell Inuyasha the truth, and once she saw Sesshoumaru again she would confess everything to him.

 

Knowing what she wanted to do made her feel better. If anything, the opportunities to confess the things that had inhibited her strength made her feel released.

 

As long as Kagome felt the energy to do so, she felt like she wanted to settle things immediately. She turned her heels and started back to the camp. First, she would finally put her relationship with Inuyasha at ease. She had horrible timing, especially in light of Kikyou's death, but she wanted to be crystal clear about them and about where they ultimately stood. She felt without the extra anxiety they all could function better in the battles ahead.

 

She was, after all, still his friend and still wanted to remain so.

 

Lifting her head up higher, she knew that this was the only way. She clenched her jaw and relaxed her muscles. She took a breath.

 

And before she could speed up her walk, an unknown power grabbed her from behind. Startled, she looked at a pair of arms about her waist dragging her backward. Her assaulter cackled into her ear and moved an arm to clamp a bony hand over her mouth before Kagome could scream.

 

“Hahaha, I have you now, little girl!” the woman shrieked in her ears. Kagome's eyes widened as some outside force nullified her spiritual power. Her eyes began to close to the dizzying effects of this strong black magic.

 

Before she lost consciousness, Kagome heard her kidnapper boast of her trapping. “Hehehe! Come out, come out, Lord Sesshoumaru! I have your pretty prize now!”

 

And then Kagome's vision had drowned in a murky sea of nothingness.

 

---

 

 

The first thing Sesshoumaru noticed as he came out of his deep trance was his uncle's smelly boot resting on top of his head. He blinked, and wrinkled his nose at the smell coming off from the boot. He only hoped that whatever was on it did not sully his hair.

 

“Oh, look at that. You failed again, boy. All your comrades are dead, the world has ended, and not only has the Hell Hound destroyed your enemy, but everything else as well.” The ancient dog demon then snorted audibly and then kicked Sesshoumaru on the head. “You still have no control! Even in this mock scenario you can not control the sword. You're daft, boy.”

 

He was used to the insults; it was typical of their family. However, he was annoyed by the training method and how he still had not gotten anywhere. Instead of fighting and slashing, something he was good at, his uncle Nagoku was forcing him to enter a mock scenario, an illusion produced by the spherical amulet that his father had entrusted him.

 

The sphere appeared to be marble in composition, but inside its center, torrents of strange liquid glowed and swished around, resonating with the mood of whomever it was connected with.

 

At this point, it was connected to Sesshoumaru, and inside the gelatinous waves stewed in fury in sync with his temper.

 

“Well,” his uncle said to slice through the awkward silence. He started to play with his midnight blue hair and then ruffled the black velvet sashes on his imperial robes. His uncle's demeanor of indifference to Sesshoumaru's failure had begun to unnerve him even more. “I will admit that your control of the Hell Hound improved slightly. He at least looked at you when you tried to control him.”

 

“I do not see the point of this exercise. Why cannot I just train with the sword?” Sesshoumaru asked in exasperation.

 

“You're obviously not ready to use the sword yet. You haven't obtained that mental focus yet. Soon, I'll have you train with the Hell Hound himself, but not until you obtain some mental balance. You have to realize the sacrifices you need to make in order to use the sword. That's the secret.”

 

“And these sacrifices are?” Sesshoumaru felt his father's meaning in unlocking the heirloom was getting even more muddled with convolution.

 

“Sacrifice, sacrifice, something dear to you and that you cannot release even if you were near death,” his uncle waved his hand in the air. Then he made a noise in his throat. He looked at Sesshoumaru seriously. “If you had to sacrifice that girl or boy, or even that green servant of yours, would you do it for the fate of the world? Could you sacrifice them?”

 

“…Of course.”

 

“Ah, it's easier to say than actually do. I wonder if you could for once sacrifice your pride and admit that they matter to you…” his uncle gave him an intense look. He made a strange noise with his lips and then grinned wickedly. “I wonder if you could even sacrifice that human bitch you're rutting with if the opportunity presented itself.”

 

Sesshoumaru's eye widened and he looked at his uncle straight in the face, surprised that he picked up Kagome's scent on him. He gritted his teeth under his lips. `How did the fool find out?'

 

“Oh, don't give me that look. Who do you think created the recipes for those smell-masking potions?” His uncle got a small gentle look in his eye and then he became rigid again. “That was indicative of our tribe, you know, creating magic potions. Your mother was very good at making perfumes. The humans used to love her for it.”

 

“Tch.” Sesshoumaru made a noise and then looked away. “Let us get back to the training, shall we? I don't have much time.”

 

“Certainly, I only hope you saw my intentions for even bringing up the concept of sacrifices.”

 

“I do see,” Sesshoumaru answered tersely, but his uncle only sighed.

 

“Let's begin again…”

 

“Lord Sesshoumaru! Lord Sesshoumaru!” squealed someone interrupting their training. Sesshoumaru recognized the toad's voice and turned around to glare at him as his minion bumbled closer. Hardly affected by his master's murderous gaze, Sesshoumaru immediately noticed the origin of his retainer's discontent.

 

Behind him, one of Naraku's demon hornets was following him. He made a motion to draw his sword but his uncle had stopped him, his expression signifying interest in their guest.

 

Sesshoumaru mirrored his uncle's unease. With Naraku's messenger here, something down below was happening, and he dreaded that if Naraku knew well enough to send someone here to his father's throne, something important needed his immediate attention.

 

“A plot by Naraku,” Sesshoumaru spat.

 

“My lord, I'm sorry to bring such a fiend into your lands, but we could not kill it or touch it. I believe it is an illusion!”

 

Nagoku nodded, and Sesshoumaru realized that his uncle had seen through the insect's true form all along.

 

Then, suddenly the messenger exploded into purple smoke, and then inside that smoke they saw a scene taking place as if they were looking at a reflection in a river.

 

Within the message of dark magic, Sesshoumaru recognized Kagome instantly.

 

And then he recognized someone else.

 

“No…” His uncle noticed his visible distress.

 

The witch from his past came out and grabbed Kagome. He didn't know how it was possible that she was alive, but there she was, back from the grave and a thorn in his side once again.

 

As long as Kagome was in danger, Sesshoumaru couldn't even think about training.

 

“I have to postpone the training,” Sesshoumaru said as the message faded away accompanied by an echo of Naraku's laughter. He turned to his uncle, and he saw the man shrug indifference.

 

“Suit yourself. I'll be here. I'm afraid for your fate though, boy. You certainly aren't ready.”

 

“But Kagome…”

 

Nagoku rolled his eyes. Then he looked at his nephew sternly. “Remember what I said about sacrifices?”

 

Sesshoumaru gave him one nod and turned to descend to the earth again, away from his father's castle in the sky. “I'm leaving Jaken, Rin and the boy with you. I will be back for them soon. Protect them from Naraku if you can.”

 

His uncle shook his head. “No, they're safer with you. If the boy is important to your enemy you cannot move your eyes away from him.” Sesshoumaru turned around and met the man's eyes. He hated to admit it, but his uncle was right. “There is something else you must do as well and you know it.”

 

Sesshoumaru groaned and prepared for the speech, knowing full well what his uncle was going to say.

 

“Take the boy back to his sister,” he responded. “And you must team up with Inuyasha to defeat this foe. You know that was what your father wanted, right?”

 

Sesshoumaru did not respond but he fully understood. He hated that he had to do it, but Kohaku was probably safer with him as Nagoku said - even more so if he had allies with him.

 

Kohaku, Rin and Jaken came up behind him and waited for him to transform to take them back. Disappearing in a rising shift of smoke and magic, Sesshoumaru turned into his dog demon form again and let everyone get onto his back.

 

And as he made his descent to the earth, he knew what he needed to do.

 

He really didn't want to approach his brother about Kagome's kidnapping - and he certainly didn't want to hear his annoying mouth either.

 

But like his uncle said, in order to tap into his power, he had to learn to make a few sacrifices.

 

TBC…