InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Second Chance ❯ Underestimation ( Chapter 1 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Fantasies 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Suspense / Adventure | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 03.11.2005 | Updated On: 04.23.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.2K | Visits: 700 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Suspense / Adventure | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 03.11.2005 | Updated On: 04.23.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.2K | Visits: 700 | Status: Completed
UNDERESTIMATION
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha&Co. Inuyasha&Co. are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. This story is for entertainment purposes only. There is no copyright infringement intended. In other words, PLEASE DO NOT SUE ME!
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The Western Lands were…beautiful. That was all Sesshoumaru could think of as his silver hair floated in the gentle breeze, while standing on his marble balcony. His golden eyes gazed across lush, green forested mountains, crystal-clear, azure lakes, and the aesthetic sunset while his ears listened to the gentle sounds of a nearby stream.
Although it was hard for him to believe, he knew that it was true: everything would change the next morning. Everything.
Tomorrow, the “new era” began. It would be the new era in which the Eastern Lord’s armies would plunder and destroy Sesshoumaru’s beloved land. From the forests, to the lakes, to the mountains, nothing would be spared. He would try to prevent the new era from taking place, for it was his rightful duty. But, though he thought and fervently hoped that his army was well-trained enough, this was the one time that he believed that defeat may be…inevitable. Ever since the Eastern Lord, Lord Sargotu, had gone on a crazy rampage, slaughtering village after village, pillaging city after city, and conquering 1 on the Lands, Lord Sargotu’s army had increased in size twenty fold. If there was one thing that Sesshoumaru knew, it was this: Not even the best army can always defeat their foes if they were outnumbered by too many. It was like that in Sesshoumaru’s case. Try as he may, it might not be enough to save his lands.
Simply thinking of it cut through his heart more painfully than a sword could ever. And this wound would not be a blood-wound, like the rest of them. Until the lands flourished once again, it would never heal, for these were the lands he loved, the lands that he had grown up with.
Sesshoumaru would die defending these lands and its people if the need came.
Although it was hard for him to believe, he knew that it was true: everything would change the next morning. Everything.
Tomorrow, the “new era” began. It would be the new era in which the Eastern Lord’s armies would plunder and destroy Sesshoumaru’s beloved land. From the forests, to the lakes, to the mountains, nothing would be spared. He would try to prevent the new era from taking place, for it was his rightful duty. But, though he thought and fervently hoped that his army was well-trained enough, this was the one time that he believed that defeat may be…inevitable. Ever since the Eastern Lord, Lord Sargotu, had gone on a crazy rampage, slaughtering village after village, pillaging city after city, and conquering 1 on the Lands, Lord Sargotu’s army had increased in size twenty fold. If there was one thing that Sesshoumaru knew, it was this: Not even the best army can always defeat their foes if they were outnumbered by too many. It was like that in Sesshoumaru’s case. Try as he may, it might not be enough to save his lands.
Simply thinking of it cut through his heart more painfully than a sword could ever. And this wound would not be a blood-wound, like the rest of them. Until the lands flourished once again, it would never heal, for these were the lands he loved, the lands that he had grown up with.
Sesshoumaru would die defending these lands and its people if the need came.
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Approximately 4 Hours Later
Approximately 4 Hours Later
As the silver, crescent moon and tiny clumps of glowing stars were still adorning the night, Sesshoumaru abruptly woke up in bed to the sounds of savage shouts echoing in his sensitive ears. If it weren’t for the situation the yells described, Sesshoumaru would’ve skinned the unfortunate screamers alive.
“…HHHHEEEELLLLPPPPP! Lord Sesshoumaru!”
“Run! Run for your lives!”
“Every demon for thems…THEY ARE HERE …General Ta…Kick
The…wha…EEE…OU…” The voices blurred together into one big blob of confusion until not a word they said seemed to make sense.
Yet, out of all the pandemonium, Sesshoumaru could hear one special, high-pitched scream that he was quite accustomed to:
“Lord Sesshoumaru! Help! Where are you!? Please…” The voice trailed off into the darkness.
In half an instant, Sesshoumaru was up in full armor with Toukijin and Tensaiga by his side, smashing through the 5-foot thick mahogany double-doors, leaving only the remains of a gold-covered doorframe behind. In a blur of silver, he stormed down the halls, crashing through a few walls every now and then for the sake of time. The palace could always be rebuilt, but if Rin died again, her soul could remain unhealed forever. Dying once was about all that a little girl could bear.
Around Sesshoumaru, many defenseless servants were endlessly running in circles, trying to make for the exits of the palace. Most of them had their lives ended in a matter of seconds by enemy soldiers. Other servants tried to stand their ground using sharp silverware from the royal kitchen to serve as temporary swords. Their efforts were in vain though, for the Eastern Lord’s army was nearly flawless in their movements. Naive servants were no match for them.
The palace guards were faring much better than the servants, as expected. All of them had once served as at least military captains and each had received centuries of training since childhood.
Out of all the guards, there was one Sesshoumaru was particularly thankful for, Kuaiyu, a rain youkai. Kuaiyu was a ballroom entrance guard who had been trained personally by his father, Lord Inutaisho. Once, when Sesshoumaru was much younger and had just become the Lord of the Western Lands, Kuaiyu had saved his life in The Battle of the Throne. Afterwards, Sesshoumaru had offered Kuaiyu the position of a general, but he had declined, stating that being a guard of such a powerful lord was enough. Ever since then, Sesshoumaru had considered Kuaiyu very valuable because of his reliability, and he frequently asked Kuaiyu to take care of many of his private matters, deliver important documents, and go on special missions.
Tonight, as Sesshoumaru quickly decided, would be another of Kuaiyu’s missions. If Kuaiyu completed the mission successfully, Sesshoumaru would be sure to most generously reward the guard. Sesshoumaru wanted Kuaiyu to take Rin to safety.
Fortunately for Sesshoumaru, Kuaiyu was “available”, unlike the rest of the guards. The other guards were fighting back-to-back in a large half-circle, obviously outnumbered by the Eastern Lord’s army. The half-circle was becoming smaller with each passing second, as more of the guards fell to the enemy’s deadly weapons. This was probably because of some guards that had slacked off. The majority of the guards had stayed alert throughout the night, as Sesshoumaru had ordered; there were a few that probably had not though. If he got out of the war alive with his position and lands still intact, Sesshoumaru would be sure to demote the guards that hadn’t been prepared. Perhaps they would learn their lesson and heed their Lord’s warning next time.
Somehow, Kuaiyu had managed to remain unharmed since the battle began. In fact, he was standing in an oasis in the sea of demons, which Kuaiyu had made using a strong barrier.
While he was processing the data about the situation, Sesshoumaru had been parting the ocean of soldiers, servants, and guards using only 3 swipes of Toukijin. Following the third swipe, the demons basically kept out of his way. The message “Attack me and die with excruciating pain” had been made very clear to them. However, Sesshoumaru knew that a simple message such as that one would not be enough to keep the stronger demons away. Apparently, none of the powerful demons were there yet. This was only because they had yet to figure out which of the 7 stories of the palace Sesshoumaru was on.
Soon though, one the generals would find Sesshoumaru. By then, Sesshoumaru needed to have Kuaiyu already on his mission. Hurriedly, Sesshoumaru ran through methods to contact Kuaiyu in his mind:
There was the stupid one, which would be A:
A) Scream and shout to get Kuaiyu’s attention.
That was probably the one thing that Sesshoumaru would never do. For one, that would obtain him Kuaiyu’s attention, but it would probably attract some unwanted visitors. Plus, that would ruin his perfect reputation. Of course, if his lands were taken from him and he lay dead in a heap of corpses, reputation wouldn’t do him much good.
There was an alternative, B:
B) Do it himself.
That’s what he had guards and servants for. He needed to stay and defend his lands and people at any rate, so this was by no means an option.
But, as always, Sesshoumaru never ran out of ideas, such as the next one.
C) Signal Kuaiyu in a way that would not seem to unordinary in the present situation.
That was the only one left after the elimination of the others, meaning he had no choice but to do it. Luckily for Sesshoumaru, it was the one that had the highest success percentage.
Without a second of hesitation, Sesshoumaru took Toukijin and swung the heavy sword effortlessly at the dark marble floor. CRACK! There appeared an enormous crack which stopped directly beneath Kuaiyu’s feet. Instinctively, Kuaiyu traced the crack, until his silver-blue eyes connected with Toukijin and then met Sesshoumaru’s gold eyes.
Sesshoumaru’s plan had worked! If it hadn’t been for the iron grip Sesshoumaru had on his facial expressions, he would’ve smiled. Silently, Sesshoumaru mouthed:
“Find Rin and deliver her to safety. You will be rewarded when you have completed the mission. She should be on this floor, maybe in the east wing ball room. Find someone, preferably human, to take care of Rin. Return immediately afterwards to tell me where she is.”
Without even signaling a “yes” or a “no”, Kuaiyu bounded off into the deadly mob. He knew that if he could not complete the task, death would be certain. .
“…HHHHEEEELLLLPPPPP! Lord Sesshoumaru!”
“Run! Run for your lives!”
“Every demon for thems…THEY ARE HERE …General Ta…Kick
The…wha…EEE…OU…” The voices blurred together into one big blob of confusion until not a word they said seemed to make sense.
Yet, out of all the pandemonium, Sesshoumaru could hear one special, high-pitched scream that he was quite accustomed to:
“Lord Sesshoumaru! Help! Where are you!? Please…” The voice trailed off into the darkness.
In half an instant, Sesshoumaru was up in full armor with Toukijin and Tensaiga by his side, smashing through the 5-foot thick mahogany double-doors, leaving only the remains of a gold-covered doorframe behind. In a blur of silver, he stormed down the halls, crashing through a few walls every now and then for the sake of time. The palace could always be rebuilt, but if Rin died again, her soul could remain unhealed forever. Dying once was about all that a little girl could bear.
Around Sesshoumaru, many defenseless servants were endlessly running in circles, trying to make for the exits of the palace. Most of them had their lives ended in a matter of seconds by enemy soldiers. Other servants tried to stand their ground using sharp silverware from the royal kitchen to serve as temporary swords. Their efforts were in vain though, for the Eastern Lord’s army was nearly flawless in their movements. Naive servants were no match for them.
The palace guards were faring much better than the servants, as expected. All of them had once served as at least military captains and each had received centuries of training since childhood.
Out of all the guards, there was one Sesshoumaru was particularly thankful for, Kuaiyu, a rain youkai. Kuaiyu was a ballroom entrance guard who had been trained personally by his father, Lord Inutaisho. Once, when Sesshoumaru was much younger and had just become the Lord of the Western Lands, Kuaiyu had saved his life in The Battle of the Throne. Afterwards, Sesshoumaru had offered Kuaiyu the position of a general, but he had declined, stating that being a guard of such a powerful lord was enough. Ever since then, Sesshoumaru had considered Kuaiyu very valuable because of his reliability, and he frequently asked Kuaiyu to take care of many of his private matters, deliver important documents, and go on special missions.
Tonight, as Sesshoumaru quickly decided, would be another of Kuaiyu’s missions. If Kuaiyu completed the mission successfully, Sesshoumaru would be sure to most generously reward the guard. Sesshoumaru wanted Kuaiyu to take Rin to safety.
Fortunately for Sesshoumaru, Kuaiyu was “available”, unlike the rest of the guards. The other guards were fighting back-to-back in a large half-circle, obviously outnumbered by the Eastern Lord’s army. The half-circle was becoming smaller with each passing second, as more of the guards fell to the enemy’s deadly weapons. This was probably because of some guards that had slacked off. The majority of the guards had stayed alert throughout the night, as Sesshoumaru had ordered; there were a few that probably had not though. If he got out of the war alive with his position and lands still intact, Sesshoumaru would be sure to demote the guards that hadn’t been prepared. Perhaps they would learn their lesson and heed their Lord’s warning next time.
Somehow, Kuaiyu had managed to remain unharmed since the battle began. In fact, he was standing in an oasis in the sea of demons, which Kuaiyu had made using a strong barrier.
While he was processing the data about the situation, Sesshoumaru had been parting the ocean of soldiers, servants, and guards using only 3 swipes of Toukijin. Following the third swipe, the demons basically kept out of his way. The message “Attack me and die with excruciating pain” had been made very clear to them. However, Sesshoumaru knew that a simple message such as that one would not be enough to keep the stronger demons away. Apparently, none of the powerful demons were there yet. This was only because they had yet to figure out which of the 7 stories of the palace Sesshoumaru was on.
Soon though, one the generals would find Sesshoumaru. By then, Sesshoumaru needed to have Kuaiyu already on his mission. Hurriedly, Sesshoumaru ran through methods to contact Kuaiyu in his mind:
There was the stupid one, which would be A:
A) Scream and shout to get Kuaiyu’s attention.
That was probably the one thing that Sesshoumaru would never do. For one, that would obtain him Kuaiyu’s attention, but it would probably attract some unwanted visitors. Plus, that would ruin his perfect reputation. Of course, if his lands were taken from him and he lay dead in a heap of corpses, reputation wouldn’t do him much good.
There was an alternative, B:
B) Do it himself.
That’s what he had guards and servants for. He needed to stay and defend his lands and people at any rate, so this was by no means an option.
But, as always, Sesshoumaru never ran out of ideas, such as the next one.
C) Signal Kuaiyu in a way that would not seem to unordinary in the present situation.
That was the only one left after the elimination of the others, meaning he had no choice but to do it. Luckily for Sesshoumaru, it was the one that had the highest success percentage.
Without a second of hesitation, Sesshoumaru took Toukijin and swung the heavy sword effortlessly at the dark marble floor. CRACK! There appeared an enormous crack which stopped directly beneath Kuaiyu’s feet. Instinctively, Kuaiyu traced the crack, until his silver-blue eyes connected with Toukijin and then met Sesshoumaru’s gold eyes.
Sesshoumaru’s plan had worked! If it hadn’t been for the iron grip Sesshoumaru had on his facial expressions, he would’ve smiled. Silently, Sesshoumaru mouthed:
“Find Rin and deliver her to safety. You will be rewarded when you have completed the mission. She should be on this floor, maybe in the east wing ball room. Find someone, preferably human, to take care of Rin. Return immediately afterwards to tell me where she is.”
Without even signaling a “yes” or a “no”, Kuaiyu bounded off into the deadly mob. He knew that if he could not complete the task, death would be certain. .
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Finding Rin was a very quick and easy. Just as his Lord had said, Rin was in the 5th floor’s east wing ballroom. Even without his Lord’s help Kuaiyu could’ve found Rin, for she was screaming “LORD SESSHOUMARU!!!” at the top of her lungs. Someone deaf could’ve located her.
No matter how loyal to Sesshoumaru Kuaiyu was though; he still couldn’t help but secretly regret listening to his Lord’s instructions this one time. Kuaiyu’s ears were extremely sensitive, even more so than Sesshoumaru’s. Although Rin knew that she was now safe, she would not lower her voice level, continuing the assault on his ears. Instead of screaming for Lord Sesshoumaru, Rin was praising Kuaiyu as if he were a god. At first, it was quite enjoyable, but eventually, it became VERY, VERY, VERY ANNOYING, as well as harmful to his ears. He had no idea how such a small child could be so loud and cause so much pain.
“Thank you so much Kuaiyu-chan! RIN was so SCARED!!! There was blood EVERYWHERE! But Kuaiyu saved Rin! There was a LOT of BIG SWORDS! Rin saw this really pretty demon with red hair. There were a lot of pretty red lights coming out of his hand!!! Kuaiyu-chan is so nice. Rin hopes that Lord Sesshoumaru will be really nice to Kuaiyu-chan after Kuaiyu-chan saved Rin!!! Kuaiyu-chan is one of Rin’s heroes!!! If it weren’t for Kuaiyu-chan, Rin might have DIED again!!! Rin is SO HAPPY that Kuaiyu-chan saved Rin!!! After Rin comes back to the palace, Rin is going to make Kuaiyu-chan a big, pretty necklace of flowers!!! THEN, Rin will make Kuaiyu-chan a crown of flowers!!! And then…” the little girl chattered on while holding his hand in a death grip.
Just a few minutes ago, Kuaiyu and Rin had lifted off the ground on a fluffy, grey cloud, similar to Sesshoumaru’s. Kuaiyu had no idea at all of where to go…all the villages near the palace were demon. The closest human village was 7 hundred of miles away, which would take roughly 2 hours to get to! Kuaiyu had not nearly that amount of time or energy. He would need to search for a substitute…more work.
Below Kuaiyu, the scenery changed in a blur of colors. Most of the forest surrounding the palace had been burned to the ground, or trampled over, by the Eastern Lord’s army. As Kuaiyu watched, he felt as if something was eating through his heart, it hurt so much to see
‘Where would I find a human or a group of humans? Most would not journey even a hundred miles within the palace, except those looking for death! WHY DOES LORD SESSHOUMARU want a HUMAN to take care of Rin? Doesn’t he know that it’s nearly impossible to find a human around here quickly? Why can’t I just…’ Kuaiyu thought, before being interrupted by Rin.
“What is Kuaiyu-chan thinking about?” Rin questioned curiously, wide eyes looking directly at Kuaiyu.
Rin never got a reply from Kuaiyu, for just then an arrow pierced through the cloud and hit its target: Kuaiyu. In the next instant both of them were spiraling down into the forest.
No matter how loyal to Sesshoumaru Kuaiyu was though; he still couldn’t help but secretly regret listening to his Lord’s instructions this one time. Kuaiyu’s ears were extremely sensitive, even more so than Sesshoumaru’s. Although Rin knew that she was now safe, she would not lower her voice level, continuing the assault on his ears. Instead of screaming for Lord Sesshoumaru, Rin was praising Kuaiyu as if he were a god. At first, it was quite enjoyable, but eventually, it became VERY, VERY, VERY ANNOYING, as well as harmful to his ears. He had no idea how such a small child could be so loud and cause so much pain.
“Thank you so much Kuaiyu-chan! RIN was so SCARED!!! There was blood EVERYWHERE! But Kuaiyu saved Rin! There was a LOT of BIG SWORDS! Rin saw this really pretty demon with red hair. There were a lot of pretty red lights coming out of his hand!!! Kuaiyu-chan is so nice. Rin hopes that Lord Sesshoumaru will be really nice to Kuaiyu-chan after Kuaiyu-chan saved Rin!!! Kuaiyu-chan is one of Rin’s heroes!!! If it weren’t for Kuaiyu-chan, Rin might have DIED again!!! Rin is SO HAPPY that Kuaiyu-chan saved Rin!!! After Rin comes back to the palace, Rin is going to make Kuaiyu-chan a big, pretty necklace of flowers!!! THEN, Rin will make Kuaiyu-chan a crown of flowers!!! And then…” the little girl chattered on while holding his hand in a death grip.
Just a few minutes ago, Kuaiyu and Rin had lifted off the ground on a fluffy, grey cloud, similar to Sesshoumaru’s. Kuaiyu had no idea at all of where to go…all the villages near the palace were demon. The closest human village was 7 hundred of miles away, which would take roughly 2 hours to get to! Kuaiyu had not nearly that amount of time or energy. He would need to search for a substitute…more work.
Below Kuaiyu, the scenery changed in a blur of colors. Most of the forest surrounding the palace had been burned to the ground, or trampled over, by the Eastern Lord’s army. As Kuaiyu watched, he felt as if something was eating through his heart, it hurt so much to see
‘Where would I find a human or a group of humans? Most would not journey even a hundred miles within the palace, except those looking for death! WHY DOES LORD SESSHOUMARU want a HUMAN to take care of Rin? Doesn’t he know that it’s nearly impossible to find a human around here quickly? Why can’t I just…’ Kuaiyu thought, before being interrupted by Rin.
“What is Kuaiyu-chan thinking about?” Rin questioned curiously, wide eyes looking directly at Kuaiyu.
Rin never got a reply from Kuaiyu, for just then an arrow pierced through the cloud and hit its target: Kuaiyu. In the next instant both of them were spiraling down into the forest.
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Kagome had never, ever before felt so…depressed and broken. Nothing else in the world had mattered more to her than him. Now that he had made his choice, there seemed to be nothing more to live for. She couldn’t blame him though, which only made her feel worse. It wasn’t like the movies, when the guy just dumped the girl. Inuyasha had provided her with a very logical reason, one that she had always known would one day tear them apart.
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Flashback
Flashback
The sun was just beginning to fall behind the thriving forests that covered the towering mountains in the distance. It reminded Kagome of a romantic story that she had read once, when a beautiful princess and handsome prince had declared their love for each other. But today, it was her story.
Standing beside Kagome while she gazed at the sunset was Inuyasha, her very own charming prince. Earlier, Inuyasha had asked Kagome if they could speak in private. Just thinking about it made Kagome blush deeply. Just like in the fairy tales, they had walked, hand in hand, up an old path into the woods, until they reached a peaceful clearing a little ways from the small village.
When the sun had finally disappeared, and the moon hung up in the night sky, Kagome turned to Inuyasha, blue eyes lighting up in anticipation for what she thought he would say.
“What were you going to tell me again, Inuyasha?” Kagome asked, preparing herself for his love declaration so that she could remember every word of it.
“Kagome…I…I don’t know how to tell you,” Inuyasha began, while Kagome waited excitedly, “I’ve…made my choice. I…I love…I love Kikyo.”
Her world seemed to crash to the floor. Kagome stared wide-eyed at Inuyasha, as though searching for the “truth”. Tears filled her eyes. She refused to cry them, not until she was sure.
“But…I don’t understand. Did…why?”
“I’m sorry, Kagome. I wish I loved in the way you think you love me, but I don’t. I…I love you as …as a friend, a sister. If I really did have a sister, you would be dearer to me than she would ever be. But…even if I did love you as I love Kikyo…it could never be. You are from the future, and I am from the past. If we were to be together, it would disrupt the times. Please, don’t take this the wrong way. You’re meant for someone better. There are great things in your future, and I don’t want to ruin it for you. Kagome, you always taught me to keep my promises. Let me fulfill the promise I made to my beloved Kikyo fifty years ago. Please…forgive me,” Inuyasha told her softly, turning towards the moon so that he would not need to see her tears.
Even as he said these things, Kagome grabbed her backpack, bow, and arrows from the grass-covered clearing. ‘This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.’ As she ran into the woods, Kagome’s heart virtually shattered while she chanted the sentence in her mind. She wouldn’t cry though, not in front of him. She would overcome this loss, and not show how much it hurt her. She was not a weakling.
Kagome ran…further and further into the woods, into the darkness. She ran as far as her legs could carry her, as far away from the hurtful memories as she could. Thorns and branches tore at her skin, and red, sticky blood trailed down her clothes onto the ground. Kagome didn’t care. This pain was nothing compared to how she felt inside.
Standing beside Kagome while she gazed at the sunset was Inuyasha, her very own charming prince. Earlier, Inuyasha had asked Kagome if they could speak in private. Just thinking about it made Kagome blush deeply. Just like in the fairy tales, they had walked, hand in hand, up an old path into the woods, until they reached a peaceful clearing a little ways from the small village.
When the sun had finally disappeared, and the moon hung up in the night sky, Kagome turned to Inuyasha, blue eyes lighting up in anticipation for what she thought he would say.
“What were you going to tell me again, Inuyasha?” Kagome asked, preparing herself for his love declaration so that she could remember every word of it.
“Kagome…I…I don’t know how to tell you,” Inuyasha began, while Kagome waited excitedly, “I’ve…made my choice. I…I love…I love Kikyo.”
Her world seemed to crash to the floor. Kagome stared wide-eyed at Inuyasha, as though searching for the “truth”. Tears filled her eyes. She refused to cry them, not until she was sure.
“But…I don’t understand. Did…why?”
“I’m sorry, Kagome. I wish I loved in the way you think you love me, but I don’t. I…I love you as …as a friend, a sister. If I really did have a sister, you would be dearer to me than she would ever be. But…even if I did love you as I love Kikyo…it could never be. You are from the future, and I am from the past. If we were to be together, it would disrupt the times. Please, don’t take this the wrong way. You’re meant for someone better. There are great things in your future, and I don’t want to ruin it for you. Kagome, you always taught me to keep my promises. Let me fulfill the promise I made to my beloved Kikyo fifty years ago. Please…forgive me,” Inuyasha told her softly, turning towards the moon so that he would not need to see her tears.
Even as he said these things, Kagome grabbed her backpack, bow, and arrows from the grass-covered clearing. ‘This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.’ As she ran into the woods, Kagome’s heart virtually shattered while she chanted the sentence in her mind. She wouldn’t cry though, not in front of him. She would overcome this loss, and not show how much it hurt her. She was not a weakling.
Kagome ran…further and further into the woods, into the darkness. She ran as far as her legs could carry her, as far away from the hurtful memories as she could. Thorns and branches tore at her skin, and red, sticky blood trailed down her clothes onto the ground. Kagome didn’t care. This pain was nothing compared to how she felt inside.
End Flashback
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A few hundred yards away from where Kagome sat, an ancient oak tree crashed down onto the ground with a deafening “BOOM!” ending her thoughts.
The creatures that had dwelled in the tree scattered in all 4 directions, leaving only 2 dark figures in the shadows, one small and one bigger. The larger “figure” was partly under the gargantuan tree, while the smaller figure was just slightly to the left of the coarse trunk.
‘Oh gosh…please don’t let those two be demon!!! What if they try to harm me…I only have my bow and arrows! I can’t even run, not right now!!! Do demons eat humans or mikos? What if I die? What about Sango, Miroku, and Shippou? And…Mom, Grandpa and Souta? Will Inuyasha care?’ Kagome blinked back tears. He would care, she knew that much, but not the way she cared for him. It stung, but this wasn't the time to be crying. Right now was when she should be gathering up courage to ask who the demons were.
“What are you two doing here?” Kagome’s voice rang out loud and clear, not revealing any of the panic she was in. When a moan escaped the lips of one of the figures, Kagome crept closer so that she was not but 3 feet from the fallen figures. As she approached the two, Kagome discovered that the smaller shadow was a young, human girl that she had seen before with Sesshoumaru and Jaken. However, instead of being with Sesshoumaru, she was with another demon, probably a rain youkai. Just as Kagome had concluded the demon had died from the rough landing, he began to speak:
“Please…my miko friend…I am badly injured and …will die shortly. But…before I go…please…take the child. Her name …is Rin. She …is the ward of the Great…Lord Sesshoumaru of …the Magnificent Western Lands…There is a battle raging at the palace right now…When the battle is …over, take her back…to Lord Sesshoumaru and tell…him that Kuaiyu…has died…Do not tell Rin that …I have …died…she was knocked…out in the landing,” Kuaiyu whispered to Kagome. As he spoke, his breathed more and more frequently. Regardless of the pain it caused him, Kuaiyu was determined to finish speaking, and continued on. “When she awakens…tell her …that I…” Kuaiyu stopped short in the middle of his sentence and closed his beautiful silver-blue eyes for the last time. He had died but almost finished his last and most important mission.
Gently, Kagome took Rin from the arms of the fallen warrior. Rin had provided Kagome with a reason to continue life.
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The creatures that had dwelled in the tree scattered in all 4 directions, leaving only 2 dark figures in the shadows, one small and one bigger. The larger “figure” was partly under the gargantuan tree, while the smaller figure was just slightly to the left of the coarse trunk.
‘Oh gosh…please don’t let those two be demon!!! What if they try to harm me…I only have my bow and arrows! I can’t even run, not right now!!! Do demons eat humans or mikos? What if I die? What about Sango, Miroku, and Shippou? And…Mom, Grandpa and Souta? Will Inuyasha care?’ Kagome blinked back tears. He would care, she knew that much, but not the way she cared for him. It stung, but this wasn't the time to be crying. Right now was when she should be gathering up courage to ask who the demons were.
“What are you two doing here?” Kagome’s voice rang out loud and clear, not revealing any of the panic she was in. When a moan escaped the lips of one of the figures, Kagome crept closer so that she was not but 3 feet from the fallen figures. As she approached the two, Kagome discovered that the smaller shadow was a young, human girl that she had seen before with Sesshoumaru and Jaken. However, instead of being with Sesshoumaru, she was with another demon, probably a rain youkai. Just as Kagome had concluded the demon had died from the rough landing, he began to speak:
“Please…my miko friend…I am badly injured and …will die shortly. But…before I go…please…take the child. Her name …is Rin. She …is the ward of the Great…Lord Sesshoumaru of …the Magnificent Western Lands…There is a battle raging at the palace right now…When the battle is …over, take her back…to Lord Sesshoumaru and tell…him that Kuaiyu…has died…Do not tell Rin that …I have …died…she was knocked…out in the landing,” Kuaiyu whispered to Kagome. As he spoke, his breathed more and more frequently. Regardless of the pain it caused him, Kuaiyu was determined to finish speaking, and continued on. “When she awakens…tell her …that I…” Kuaiyu stopped short in the middle of his sentence and closed his beautiful silver-blue eyes for the last time. He had died but almost finished his last and most important mission.
Gently, Kagome took Rin from the arms of the fallen warrior. Rin had provided Kagome with a reason to continue life.
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5 Days Later at the Western Palace
“You, Lord Sesshoumaru, or should I say the late Lord Sesshoumaru, are a fool. The Lord of the Eastern Lands is invincible. Did the late Lord Inutaisho not teach his firstborn anything from his death? Do not make mistakes. Your father made the mistake of taking a human as wife, thus weakening himself. You made the mistake of underestimating me. Unfortunately, you won’t be given a second chance. Unlike your father, you will have no one to avenge your death. No one cares enough about you to even bother. You chased away everyone that even came close to being a friend.
Your half-blooded half-brother, Inuyasha, may be strong, but from what I know, he wants you dead. You have no son or daughter, unless you consider that worthless human scum your daughter. But that human has not nearly the ability to take down the Eastern Lord. You do not have a wife, and both your father and mother are dead. I and my undefeatable army will be doing the world a favor by ridding it of you,” stated the Eastern Lord triumphantly, boasting about how he and his army were “invincible” every chance he got. It never struck him that overestimating himself was a mistake. The Lord of the Eastern Lands began his speech again, to the agony of practically everyone in the room, even his own generals.
“However, to quickly kill you would be a waste of all the hard work my army and I have done in finding a way to conquer the Western Lands. Instead, you will be placed under a spell that disables your healing abilities and paralyzes you. My head general, General Nikuso, will then drop you from an altitude of 4,000 feet into the desert at the boundary between the Central Lands and the Western Lands. Nobody mortal could even possibly survive that fall, but you will probably live for at least another ten minutes before your death. 10 last minutes all alone … 10 last minutes to remind you of how useless all your efforts in your life were…10 last minutes of torment greater than I or anyone else could ever give you,” the over-confident Lord told Sesshoumaru, pronouncing every word of his speech very carefully, making sure that everyone could hear it.
This would probably be the greatest feat he ever accomplished…killing the Great Lord Sesshoumaru of the Magnificent Western Lands, the one who was born from a line of demons famed to be undefeatable, the one that most feared so much they would not even utter his name. This event was so important it would become a legend and go down in all the history books! The Lord of the Eastern Lands was going to make sure that his history recorder got his grand victory speech written down perfectly, right down to the places he had breathed.
“If YOU think that just ANYONE can place a spell on this Sesshoumaru, then you are the fool in this picture! My arm and legs may be tied, but this Sesshoumaru is much stronger than any mortal or god could EVER even began imagine! You and your kind will never kill ME!” Sesshoumaru yelled angrily, prepared to use his teeth if he had to on the demon that dared to try putting a spell on him. Even with his arm and legs bound together with 6-inch thick steel cords, Sesshoumaru was still a threatening image. Unconsciously, the 6 guards that had been holding Sesshoumaru down quickly backed off the podium. If Sesshoumaru just happened to break free, they did not want to be his first victims.
“Get BACK HERE YOU RUDICULOUSLY DIM-WITTED DEMONS! He can’t hurt a fly anymore, unless he decides to eat it!” the Eastern Lord paused, partly to catch his breath and partly to watch as the guards hesitantly trudged back onto the podium. Once everyone had thought that the boring speech was at last over, he resumed it. Groans could be heard from the crowd. “And you, Sesshoumaru, how entirely idiotic of you to believe that I would allow a demon to put a spell on you. How would I know if they were not secretly in league with you? I have chosen someone…special. Welcome my guest, the dark priestess, whose name shall remain unknown. I personally trained her since the moment she was born, so expect the job to be done faultlessly,” said the Lord of the Eastern Lands. He made sure to stress the point of how he had trained the priestess “personally”, as if he would not have let anyone else do it besides her.
All the audience really wanted to do was get it over with so that they could go back home. The majority of the soldiers had decided that the blackened ashes, which was all that remained of the once green grass, was far more interesting than whatever the Eastern Lord had been speaking of for the past 8 hours. But, as a gorgeous young lady noiselessly made her way onto the podium, things became interesting.
Her hair was one of her best assets, a stunning gold color that was beautiful enough to challenge even Sesshoumaru’s silver mane. Unlike the way most priestesses wore their hair, her hair was not tied in the traditional ribbon. Instead, it reached all the way to her heels. In the bright, afternoon sun, her golden tresses seemed to shine with their own light as it swayed gently in the breeze. It was the perfect match for her pale, white skin. The dark miko’s eyes were an astonishing, clear blue that appeared to twinkle. Her lips were so red that it looked as if she had just eaten an entire basket of ripe cherries. As she gracefully walked, more like floated, in the elegant, dark-blue kimono, heavenly music seemed to play and one could almost imagine angel wings on the so-called dark priestess.
No one except Sesshoumaru and the Eastern Lord noticed that the ground turned pitch black everywhere she set foot. For the few that had listened to what the Eastern Lord had said, it was hard to believe that she was a dark miko, until she spoke.
“My Lord, how are you?” she asked. Just 5 simple, little words out of her mouth and the world seemed to stop on its tracks. Everyone, save two, had expected a sweet, innocent voice. While it sounded sweet and innocent, there was something about it that was…fake.
“I’m fine,” replied the Lord of the Eastern Lands, taking note of how the audience had reacted to her voice. Deep inside, he was pleased that she had had such a hold over them.
“Where is this “Lord Sesshoumaru”, might I ask?”
“Right there.” By now, several demons had started pondering why this priestess did not address the Lord properly as well as why he didn’t even mention her disrespect.
“So…this is the Lord Sesshoumaru, taiyoukai of the West, and firstborn of the Great Lord Inutaisho. It is an honor to meet you. Unfortunately, we could not meet as acquaintances, and we will never, since you will die shortly,” the dark priestess said blandly, showing absolutely no interest at all in what she was saying. As she spoke the word “die” though, the priestess smiled, flashing perfectly white teeth. Then, from inside the right sleeve of her sakura-patterned kimono, she took out a small, glass bottle holding blood-red liquid.
“Now, Lord Sesshoumaru, please allow me to drop one drop of this in your mouth. It won’t hurt. You will be temporarily knocked out by it while I administer the spell. By the time you wake up, you will already be falling off the cloud.”
“No,” stated Sesshoumaru in a barely audible, yet still imperative, voice.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t very clear. You don’t have a choice in the matter. So, since you won’t comply, I’ll forcefully make you,” said the unidentified priestess.
Suddenly, Sesshoumaru found his mouth opening at its own will in a most ungentlemanly manner. Before Sesshoumaru could figure out why that had happened, the priestess was in front of him with a speed that a normal human could not possibly possess and hastily squeezed one drop of the red poison onto Sesshoumaru’s tongue.
The last thing Sesshoumaru could remember was watching the soldiers of the Eastern Lands stare at him with round eyes, for the next instant, his world went black.
Your half-blooded half-brother, Inuyasha, may be strong, but from what I know, he wants you dead. You have no son or daughter, unless you consider that worthless human scum your daughter. But that human has not nearly the ability to take down the Eastern Lord. You do not have a wife, and both your father and mother are dead. I and my undefeatable army will be doing the world a favor by ridding it of you,” stated the Eastern Lord triumphantly, boasting about how he and his army were “invincible” every chance he got. It never struck him that overestimating himself was a mistake. The Lord of the Eastern Lands began his speech again, to the agony of practically everyone in the room, even his own generals.
“However, to quickly kill you would be a waste of all the hard work my army and I have done in finding a way to conquer the Western Lands. Instead, you will be placed under a spell that disables your healing abilities and paralyzes you. My head general, General Nikuso, will then drop you from an altitude of 4,000 feet into the desert at the boundary between the Central Lands and the Western Lands. Nobody mortal could even possibly survive that fall, but you will probably live for at least another ten minutes before your death. 10 last minutes all alone … 10 last minutes to remind you of how useless all your efforts in your life were…10 last minutes of torment greater than I or anyone else could ever give you,” the over-confident Lord told Sesshoumaru, pronouncing every word of his speech very carefully, making sure that everyone could hear it.
This would probably be the greatest feat he ever accomplished…killing the Great Lord Sesshoumaru of the Magnificent Western Lands, the one who was born from a line of demons famed to be undefeatable, the one that most feared so much they would not even utter his name. This event was so important it would become a legend and go down in all the history books! The Lord of the Eastern Lands was going to make sure that his history recorder got his grand victory speech written down perfectly, right down to the places he had breathed.
“If YOU think that just ANYONE can place a spell on this Sesshoumaru, then you are the fool in this picture! My arm and legs may be tied, but this Sesshoumaru is much stronger than any mortal or god could EVER even began imagine! You and your kind will never kill ME!” Sesshoumaru yelled angrily, prepared to use his teeth if he had to on the demon that dared to try putting a spell on him. Even with his arm and legs bound together with 6-inch thick steel cords, Sesshoumaru was still a threatening image. Unconsciously, the 6 guards that had been holding Sesshoumaru down quickly backed off the podium. If Sesshoumaru just happened to break free, they did not want to be his first victims.
“Get BACK HERE YOU RUDICULOUSLY DIM-WITTED DEMONS! He can’t hurt a fly anymore, unless he decides to eat it!” the Eastern Lord paused, partly to catch his breath and partly to watch as the guards hesitantly trudged back onto the podium. Once everyone had thought that the boring speech was at last over, he resumed it. Groans could be heard from the crowd. “And you, Sesshoumaru, how entirely idiotic of you to believe that I would allow a demon to put a spell on you. How would I know if they were not secretly in league with you? I have chosen someone…special. Welcome my guest, the dark priestess, whose name shall remain unknown. I personally trained her since the moment she was born, so expect the job to be done faultlessly,” said the Lord of the Eastern Lands. He made sure to stress the point of how he had trained the priestess “personally”, as if he would not have let anyone else do it besides her.
All the audience really wanted to do was get it over with so that they could go back home. The majority of the soldiers had decided that the blackened ashes, which was all that remained of the once green grass, was far more interesting than whatever the Eastern Lord had been speaking of for the past 8 hours. But, as a gorgeous young lady noiselessly made her way onto the podium, things became interesting.
Her hair was one of her best assets, a stunning gold color that was beautiful enough to challenge even Sesshoumaru’s silver mane. Unlike the way most priestesses wore their hair, her hair was not tied in the traditional ribbon. Instead, it reached all the way to her heels. In the bright, afternoon sun, her golden tresses seemed to shine with their own light as it swayed gently in the breeze. It was the perfect match for her pale, white skin. The dark miko’s eyes were an astonishing, clear blue that appeared to twinkle. Her lips were so red that it looked as if she had just eaten an entire basket of ripe cherries. As she gracefully walked, more like floated, in the elegant, dark-blue kimono, heavenly music seemed to play and one could almost imagine angel wings on the so-called dark priestess.
No one except Sesshoumaru and the Eastern Lord noticed that the ground turned pitch black everywhere she set foot. For the few that had listened to what the Eastern Lord had said, it was hard to believe that she was a dark miko, until she spoke.
“My Lord, how are you?” she asked. Just 5 simple, little words out of her mouth and the world seemed to stop on its tracks. Everyone, save two, had expected a sweet, innocent voice. While it sounded sweet and innocent, there was something about it that was…fake.
“I’m fine,” replied the Lord of the Eastern Lands, taking note of how the audience had reacted to her voice. Deep inside, he was pleased that she had had such a hold over them.
“Where is this “Lord Sesshoumaru”, might I ask?”
“Right there.” By now, several demons had started pondering why this priestess did not address the Lord properly as well as why he didn’t even mention her disrespect.
“So…this is the Lord Sesshoumaru, taiyoukai of the West, and firstborn of the Great Lord Inutaisho. It is an honor to meet you. Unfortunately, we could not meet as acquaintances, and we will never, since you will die shortly,” the dark priestess said blandly, showing absolutely no interest at all in what she was saying. As she spoke the word “die” though, the priestess smiled, flashing perfectly white teeth. Then, from inside the right sleeve of her sakura-patterned kimono, she took out a small, glass bottle holding blood-red liquid.
“Now, Lord Sesshoumaru, please allow me to drop one drop of this in your mouth. It won’t hurt. You will be temporarily knocked out by it while I administer the spell. By the time you wake up, you will already be falling off the cloud.”
“No,” stated Sesshoumaru in a barely audible, yet still imperative, voice.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t very clear. You don’t have a choice in the matter. So, since you won’t comply, I’ll forcefully make you,” said the unidentified priestess.
Suddenly, Sesshoumaru found his mouth opening at its own will in a most ungentlemanly manner. Before Sesshoumaru could figure out why that had happened, the priestess was in front of him with a speed that a normal human could not possibly possess and hastily squeezed one drop of the red poison onto Sesshoumaru’s tongue.
The last thing Sesshoumaru could remember was watching the soldiers of the Eastern Lands stare at him with round eyes, for the next instant, his world went black.
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Apologies/Explanations
Apologies/Explanations
To anyone who understands Japanese: Yes, I know. The names of the characters that I made up were not Japanese. Actually, they were Chinese. There was no offense meant in using Chinese names instead of Japanese. The problem is, I don’t know ANY Japanese, so it was kind of impossible for me to just make up a Japanese name.
To Kikyo fans: I AM NOT a Kikyo hater. There is no offense meant in this chapter, if you found any. Later on, Kagome will have a new view of Kikyo. Please DO NOT flame me because you are mad about how Kagome is mad at Kikyo in this chapter.
To Inuyasha fans: I am also NOT an Inuyasha hater. There is no offense meant in this chapter, if you found any. Yes, I realize that Inuyasha would never do this to Kagome, but this is Kagome’s point of view, NOT mine.
To Kikyo fans: I AM NOT a Kikyo hater. There is no offense meant in this chapter, if you found any. Later on, Kagome will have a new view of Kikyo. Please DO NOT flame me because you are mad about how Kagome is mad at Kikyo in this chapter.
To Inuyasha fans: I am also NOT an Inuyasha hater. There is no offense meant in this chapter, if you found any. Yes, I realize that Inuyasha would never do this to Kagome, but this is Kagome’s point of view, NOT mine.
Thanks!!! Please review or flame!
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