InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Darkness Fades to Dawn ❯ Cernonnus ( Chapter 14 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

The following morning, the group packed and cleaned up after their beach excursion. Sesshoumaru had retreated back the the main house during the night, leaving them all able to openly discuss the night's strange occurrences. Misery had spent much of the morning keeping herself distant from the group. Kagome watched her with worry, knowing something more was weighing on the young woman's mind.

Together they carried everything back down the trail to the awaiting truck. Shippo had driven them all back to the ancient manor. Leaving the supplies in the truck, he helped Misery out of the back before turning to address the others.

“You want to hang out for bit, I'm going to instruct the cooks to have a meal prepared for us at the end of the hour.” Shippo waited for everyone to nod their agreement before continuing. “Good, I have something I must attend to. We'll met in the dining room in an hour.”

Turning he vanished down the corridor that led to Sesshoumaru's chambers. Inuyasha watched him curiously before following Kagome and the others back down to their own quarters. Misery gave her excuses and quickly hid herself away in her room while the others joined Kagome in hers.

“Something is going on.” Kagome said as she took a seat on her chair. “I think it's more than just Sesshoumaru losing his cool last night. Misery has looked terrible all morning and she hasn't smiled once. Something is really bothering her.”

“It's strange that Shippo vanished so suddenly.” Miroku stated even as he held his throbbing head in his hands. “Remind me to not drink so much for a while.”

“Baka, it's your own fault.” Inuyasha grumbled taking a seat next to Kagome. “Shippo is likely going to apologize.”

“Apologize for what?” Kagome asked, a little angered that her kitsune would have to apologize for something that wasn't his fault.

“Shippo is Sesshoumaru's subordinate. Pack law requires him to submit to his alpha male, regardless of the reason.” Inuyasha explained.

“He didn't do anything! Sesshoumaru is the one that flew off the handle. Misery has never done anything that would give him the idea that she was interested. Shippo was just protecting her!” Kagome raised from her seat as she ranted, searching for some aspirin to give to the ill looking taijiya. Finding the bottle she grabbed two pills and some water from the small fridge before returning to her chair. Sango gave her a thankful smile as she accepted the miko's offering.

“What Shippo did was violate pack rules. He needs to submit and apologize before he risks getting kicked out. I doubt Sesshoumaru will do anything, the baka is probably too embarrassed at being slapped by a girl!” Inuyasha laughed remembering the shocked expression on his brother's face.

“Don't forget who's beads were formerly cursed with the spell of subjugation, Inuyasha.” Sango chuckled when Inuyasha's ears fell to his head. “You were beaten by a girl quite often.”

“Feh! That's different. The beads were cursed. I had no control over the situation.” He tried to gain some dignity back.

“Mmm hmm” Sango smiled again.

“I think we'll know more of what's going on when we get to the dinner hall.” Kagome offered up.

“I believe you are correct.” Miroku voiced quietly as he sipped his bottle of water.

The gang relaxed and discussed trivial topics until the hour had passed. Preparing to go, Kagome knocked on Misery's door to invite her to join them. She had answered that she wasn't feeling well and would not be joining them. Kagome did not argue preferring to leave matters as they were for the moment. She would talk to her after she knew more about what was really going on. Taking one more glance at the shut door, she followed her companions towards the dining hall.

Shippo knocked on the Lord's door and waited until he was granted permission to enter. Walking into the room, he spotted Sesshoumaru sitting at his desk, pouring over mountains of paperwork.

“I came to apologize tono-sama.” Shippo spoke before bowing low.

“Apology accepted.” Sesshoumaru spoke coldly, not looking up from his papers.

“May I speak frankly with you my Lord?” Shippo asked cautiously, somewhat surprised at the quick acceptance.

“Do as you wish.”

“About Misery.” Shippo began but he paused when Sesshoumaru's head snapped up.

Sighing, Sesshoumaru leaned back in his chair before motioning Shippo to sit down. He had been expecting this conversation all day. In fact, he had yet to sleep since he arrived back at the manor late the night before. He had replayed the past few weeks' events over and over in his head, still trying to figure out were he had gone wrong. When had that girl taken such control over him? Was he truly that weak? He brought his hand up to touch were she had slapped him, the feeling of it still vivid in his mind. Never had he expected the meek researcher to become such a spitfire. Her protection of the kitsune made it obvious who she favored.

“Apparently she dislikes me greatly.” He continued to rub his cheek before turning his attention towards Shippo.

“Misery's different. She does not understand the ways of youkai, nor does she have much respect for males.” Shippo began unsure of where to start.

“Perhaps I allowed the stress of my business ventures to accumulate far too long. I no longer have the option of cutting down my opponents. I will look for another way to free my stress.”

“You're lying to yourself again.” Shippo's bold words brought a piercing glare from the great youkai.

“And what would you know about such matters child.” Sesshoumaru growled back.

“I know that ever since Rin died you have rarely smiled. You use work as a way to escape. That is more likely the reason you....” He trailed off, not eager to bring up last night. Unconsciously his hands reached up to touch the spots on his throat that had nearly been crushed.

Noticing the gesture, Sesshoumaru calmed down. A look of remorse flooded into his eyes replacing the coldness that was there.

“I did not mean to hurt you Shippo. I respect you for standing up against me. I imagine I looked quite terrifying to her.” He again leaned back in his chair, choosing to look at the ceiling rather than the younger youkai.

“I'm fine, I assure you. Missy on the other hand could use some more persuading about your disposition. There is something else though. Something more important that I wish to discuss with you.”

“You may continue.” Sesshoumaru rested his arms on the desk and gave his full attention to the kitsune.

“Have you heard of a western oni named Cernonnus?”

“The name sounds vaguely familiar.”

Shippo proceed to tell Sesshoumaru about the akuma who haunted Misery's dreams. The story revealed how a decent young oni befriended the girl centuries before. Over time Cernonnus became corrupted by greed and hatred. His interest in Misery changed from friendship to distorted desire. When she refused him, he had taken revenge upon her. Cernonnus was the one responsible for handing her mother over to the witch hunters. He had made Misery watch as they burned Daearen at the stake. Before the ashes had even cooled, he had attempted to rape the girl. Calling upon her power, she fended him off and Shippo had later found her bruised and frantic. Together they had devised a plan to keep her location hidden from him. For the next two and a half centuries they had succeeded. Unfortunately, his power had grown as he had become more and more depraved. Shippo continued to explain her fears of Cernonnus gaining the jewel and Kagome.

“I see. You have kept this from me for years then.” Sesshoumaru's expressionless mask was back in place, but inside he was furious. The thought of Misery in so much pain made the beast within want to rise and destroy anyone who had ever harmed her.

“My sincerest apologies again, it was as Misery wished. Sesshoumaru, I fear that Cernonnus may be a stronger enemy than Naraku ever could have hoped to have been. If he captures Misery he will use her against Belial, her grandfather and take command of the eighty legions he controls. Already he is gathering the strays, making them pledge allegiance to him. If he were to capture Kagome and the jewel the destruction of this world would be certain.” Shippo cast a worried look at the Lord.

“No one shall take what is mine Shippo. They are safe as long as they remain with us.” His voice had an eerie edge to it, making the kitsune want to slink away.

“One problem though, if Misery thinks we are in danger because of her presence, she will flee. She may have beaten him once, but I doubt that alone she would be successful again. I fear for her safety and Kagome's. They are very much alike, neither wishing to be a burden on those they care for. Should Cernonnus discover their weakness he will use it to separate them from us.”

“Thank you Shippo. We will discuss this later. I believe that lunch is ready.” Sesshoumaru sighed heavily as the weight of the new information fell on his shoulders. Cernonnus may be strong, but he had yet to clash swords with Inuyasha and himself. However, if he was half as devious as Naraku, he would find every route but the direct one to achieve his goal.

Seated again around the table the group ate in somber silence. Shippo had just finished telling them the story behind their newest foe. Kagome was sick to her stomach thinking about the terror this beast was causing. Shippo had explained how Cernonnus manipulated humans to do his bidding. That meant that they would be forced to fight innocent people. Naraku had used others to do his dirty work as well but he normally used already corrupt youkai. He viewed most humans as weak and did not trust them to complete his missions. Could she possibly kill a human who was under a spell? Even if they threatened herself and the others? Her mind reeled with the possibility.

“Shippo, do you know where he is at the moment?” Miroku asked

“Negative. I sent out a few spy's last night, but I haven't gotten any worthwhile information as of yet.”

“Perhaps we should do our best to reach Midoriko soon. She may have wisdom that would assist us.” Miroku suggested.

“I agree. I am most anxious to discuss these troubling matters with Midoriko.” Kagome's deep concern was evident in her voice.

“Kagome, one more word of caution for you. Cernonnus will likely try to use you much the same as Naraku. He will do his best to break your spirit and separate you from us. You must remain strong and resist the powers he will use on you.” Shippo warned.

“I understand.” She whispered before standing and filling an empty plate with food. She would take Misery something to eat, and discuss the matter with her.

Sesshoumaru pulled Inuyasha to the side as they were all leaving the room. Kagome glanced back pausing to wait but Inuyasha signaled her to continue. Returning his attention to his brother, Inuyasha stared intently into the cold gaze of the youkai.

“You want something?” He grumbled back.

“We must discuss the matter of mates.” Sesshoumaru began, leading Inuyasha towards his own quarters.

Kagome approached the door at the end of the hall with Sango following closely behind her. Knocking quietly she waited, when no response came so she let herself in. Sango shut the door tightly behind them and together they approached Misery's bedroom. The door was open and they could see her lying on the bed, casually staring at the ceiling. Her head turned towards them when they entered, her eyes still haunted.

“We brought you something to eat!” Kagome smiled brightly before settling on the edge of the bed.

“Thanks.” Misery sat up and accepted the offering of food.

“How are you feeling?” Sango asked.

“Fine. Just a little tired.”

“Misery, Shippo explained to us about Cernonnus.” Kagome watched as something stirred within the depths of Misery's gray eyes only to quickly vanish once more.

“I see.”

“I came to ask you if we could summon Midoriko as soon as possible. I think it best if we are as well informed as possible.” Kagome cut straight to the chase.

“I too was thinking of that. We could try tomorrow or the next day. I will need to prepare the summoning circle.”

“Misery, we want you to know that you can talk to us about it. Both Kagome and I have been through terrible situations as well. We would not judge you on your past.” Sango began “Kagome has taught me that it is best to talk about your problems rather than let them stay locked inside you. That only serves to allow them to fester until they consume you.”

Misery looked from the taijiya to the miko before a slight tear trickled down her face. She was instantly wrapped in the caring embrace of the other two girls.

“You're not alone anymore Missy! You have good friends who will stand beside you no matter what happens. We promise! Inuyasha and Miroku will do the same too! Even Lord Sesshoumaru will protect you.” Kagome soft voice was soothing on the distraught woman.

“You mean you're not mad at me?” Misery hiccuped.

“Mad? Why would we be mad?” Kagome pulled back to look Misery in the eyes.

“Because of me, you are all being dragged into a war. If you had never met me, you would be safe.”

“Misery, it is most likely he would have found out about the jewel even if you weren't here. We are lucky to have you on our side. You have given us all the tools necessary to fight against him. Plus, I am happy that I have had the chance to get to know you. I wouldn't change anything.” Kagome smiled back at her.

“Plus, you have gained valuable allies. We will make it through this. We defeated Naraku and so we have experience in battle. Don't forget that you always can trust us. Cernonnus is not someone you can defeat alone. We would not abandon you in your hour of greatest need.” Sango comforted her.

“Truly you are not upset with my deceit?”
“You didn't deceive us Misery. You merely kept your personal life secret in fear of burdening us with your troubles. There is a great difference.” Kagome smiled. “Now get up, we should start getting ready for our girls' night out!”

“I don't think that would be wise Kagome.” Misery looked doubtfully at her friends.

“It's fine. I told Shippo about it. We think that you need to go out and have some fun to shake the worry from you mind. He told us we could only go if we took plenty of weapons... and them!”

“Really?”

“Yep! Even Inuyasha is going to put up with the crowds, just so you'll feel better. It'll be a good distraction for all of us and probably the last chance we'll have for some fun in a long time.” Kagome reached out to grab Misery's arm before dragging her off the bed.

Misery took a bit of food as she watched Kagome pull out a black cocktail dress from the closet. Confused at the generosity of these two girls, she wondered about the strange miko and taijiya. Never in her life had she been treated so. She had fully expected them to all turn tail and run when they found out her secret. Yet here they were, openly accepting her and willing to take on her burden. It seemed that Kagome was more than just a miko, perhaps she was her own guardian angel.