InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Simple Legacy (I) ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

 

*****

 

A Simple Legacy by elle6778 - Chapter 7

 

 

 

Thin white clouds flew by at an alarming speed against the backdrop of a starry sky, blurring right before her eyes. A shiver wracked her body and Kagome tightened her death grip on Sesshoumaru fur.

Obviously that particular action displeased the mighty lord because Kagome could feel the tightening of his muscles under his chest. Well, it was too bad, wasn't it? She glowered irritably. He could have just put an arm around her instead of leaving her to cling to him like terrified child on his sparkling dust cloud.

She rolled her eyes. What were you thinking, Kagome? Sesshoumaru would never lower himself that way. Yes, he had done it before, but that was when he had kidnapped her from the campsite.

She peeked tentatively to the side, trying to avoid looking down. Somehow, she felt better not knowing how high they were flying. Ah-Un, the two-headed beast was flying close to Sesshoumaru while carrying Rin, Shippou, Jaken and her trusty yellow bag. Gazing at them longingly, she wished that she was there with them, but she guessed that there was not enough space on Ah-Un's back for an additional passenger.

Soon, a vast landscaped area in the distance came into her view. A winding stream weaved across the grassy area before it disappeared into a dense forest. The forest itself surrounded the elevated patch of land, on which stood a sprawling single-level stone and bamboo structure. An open courtyard was centered within the structure, peppered with colorful plants and something which looked like stones.

It was beautiful, Kagome thought.

Sesshoumaru's dust cloud suddenly swooped down, forcing a shriek of surprise from her lips. She clamped her eyes shut and tightened her grip further.

“Cease your whimpering, wench.”

She cracked open an eye to give him a one-eyed glare. “I'm not exactly used to flying, you know,” she retorted heatedly.

“Indeed.” His tone told her that he found her weak.

Gnashing her teeth together, Kagome was wracking her mind for a suitably caustic response when she suddenly felt her feet touching solid ground. Instantly, Sesshoumaru stepped away from her, leaving her to stumble ungracefully as she tried to find her footing.

When she finally managed to steady herself, she looked around to find herself standing in the centre of the courtyard, next to a sculpted stone statue of a massive inuyoukai. This was the place she had seen from the air earlier.

THIS was where Sesshoumaru lived? Her eyes widened in awe.

A tug on her skirt brought her back to the present. She glanced down to find Rin looking at her, with Shippou close behind.

Shippou's emerald green eyes displayed his amazement. “Wow…” he breathed out, his fluffy tail twitching absently.

“Kagome-neesan? Where will you staying?” the child asked, her eyes shining in excitement.

Before Kagome could reply, Sesshoumaru spoke. “You, Miko, will stay in the East Wing together with the kitsune. Do not wander around.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Well, where exactly can I go then? You can't seriously expect me to remain in my room all the time.”

“You are allowed in the common areas.” He turned to Jaken. “Show the miko and the kitsune their room.”

And then he disappeared in a flurry of white silk, leaving Kagome to gape wordlessly. And where exactly were the common areas? Some host Sesshoumaru was, she thought grumpily.

Muttering under his breath, Jaken gestured for her to follow him.

Turning to Shippou, Kagome called out, “Let's go.”

With a delighted skip, Rin joined them and the three of them followed Jaken.


***


Excited peals of laughter filtered through to him from the half-opened window, distracting the taiyoukai who was seated on a cushion behind a low table.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes briefly and began to seek patience within himself. When he opened his eyes, he was no less irritated. Turning back to his work on the low table, he tried to focus, but it proved to be a futile attempt as the sound of Rin's and the kitsune's laughter intensified.

A muscle ticking in his jaw, Sesshoumaru stood up and headed to the window, fully prepared to give them a piece of his mind.

However, when he looked out, the sight that greeted his eyes halted his harsh words.

Rin and the kitsune were running around in the landscaped garden while the miko was seated on a bench with her arms stretched out. Three small spheres of pearlescent orbs floated in front of her, teasing Rin and the kitsune with their zipping movements. His ward wore a grin which threatened to split her face and was energetically trying to catch one of the orbs.

Sesshoumaru softened without realizing that he had done so. Rin appeared to be having a lot of fun chasing the miko's energy orbs. The miko must have been practicing this for some time, as the movements of the orbs were smooth and controlled.

“Hn.”

She was wasting her energy unnecessarily, even though it was for the enjoyment of her kitsune and his ward. He had not expected the miko to bond so fast with his ward. She had only been staying in his castle for a little more than a week, but she had filled the gaps between their healing and training sessions by spending them with Rin and the kitsune.

At first, he had wondered what they had been doing. Later, he had found out just by chance one day when he was walking to his library to retrieve a scroll. The miko was lying on her stomach with Rin on one side and the kitsune on the other. She had been in the middle of teaching the two youngsters to read and write.

It surprised him that the she has such knowledge, but then again, there was a lot about this miko which surprised him.

Her ability to absorb his teachings astounded him. A quick student, she had taken on everything with an unnatural enthusiasm, which he suspected no one else but the wench was capable of. He also did not understand the strange feeling he had been getting every time she mastered something. If he had to give the feeling a description, he would say that it was not too dissimilar to pride. Not to mention that Jaken was no longer capable of defending himself against the miko, to Sesshoumaru's amusement. Perhaps it was time to bring her training to the next level.

He glanced down at his hand. It had grown past his elbows and now halfway to his wrist. The progress had been rapid ever since he had taught her to manipulate her miko powers. Soon enough, his arm would be completely restored and he would not have to suffer her presence any longer.

Suffer?

Sesshoumaru frowned at the word his mind had chosen to use, unsure if it was an accurate representation of how he actually felt. Perhaps not `suffer', but `disturbed' would be more appropriate. He supposed that it could have been worse. The miko seemed to know that he did not appreciate unnecessary contact between them, and had been careful to remain out of his way, much to his relief.

And he had to admit that Rin had been much more cheerful ever since she had gained two new playmates.

“Hn.”

His mind had strayed again as it often did of late, he realized in disgust. He placed the blame firmly on the latest arrival to his castle.

Shaking away his thoughts, he walked back to the table and willed himself to focus.


***


Four weeks had passed since their agreement and Kagome felt healthier than ever. It occurred to her that it could be something to do with the fact that she had a comfortable futon to sleep in and a balanced diet to sustain her instead of roughing it outdoors.

The only mar in her happiness at the moment was her missing Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku and even Kirara. She had been with them so long, and it felt odd to be without them for the last ten days. And now that they were absent, she sorely wanted to see them.

However, she had the feeling that Sesshoumaru would not let her out of this place before he got his arm back.

In all her time the castle, she barely ever saw the taiyoukai except when they met for training. On occasions, they would bump into each other in the hallway, whereby he would just give her a haughty nod. Kagome wondered if it took him long to get that arrogant look or it simply came naturally to him.

It was a wonder that Rin turned out as cheerful as she was. After all, the child had been with Sesshoumaru for almost three years. Kagome blinked at the sudden thought that Sesshoumaru could not be that bad if he had done so well to raise a child of a species he claimed to despise.

With Shippou's presence, Rin had lost interest in the training and was now more interested in playing with the kitsune. As she should, Kagome thought with a small smile. After all, the two of them rarely had contact with those of their own age.

So, for the third time in a row, Kagome found herself walking to the dojo by herself, the black hakama she wore swishing softly against her legs. She had to admit that the combination of the hakama and its matching cream hakamashita were much more practical for her training sessions than her school uniform.

She winced as she remembered the day Sesshoumaru had ordered her to cover herself decently. The lesson that day had been kicks and as she should have expected, her short green skirt was ill-suited for the lesson. Sesshoumaru's face would have been funny if she had not been so embarrassed.

Reaching the dojo, she glanced around and saw no one. She was a little early, but Jaken and Sesshoumaru should be there soon, she thought as she slid the shoji open and stepped in. She immediately went to the weapons rack and pulled out her weapon of choice.

After going through practically all the different types of weapons in Sesshoumaru's collection, Kagome had found out that the weapon she was most comfortable with was a pair of kodachis. With the shorter blade, it was lighter than the usual katana and she found it easier to maneuver. Unfortunately however, her slave-driver of a master insisted upon her knowledge of all weapons, declaring imperiously that the basic knowledge was necessary.

Kagome sighed as she swung the pair of kodachis around gracefully. She was beginning to get bored training with Jaken as an opponent. She wanted a real opponent to practice on, someone her size. She grinned. Someone like Inuyasha would be good.

“Miko.”

Kagome halted her movements and turned to the dojo door. Sesshoumaru was making his way across the mat. Jaken was nowhere in sight.

“Where's Jaken?” she asked.

Sesshoumaru did not turn around when he replied, “He will not be joining us.”

Confused, Kagome's eyes followed him as he selected a katana from his vast collection of weapons. “Sesshoumaru-sama, what are you doing?”

Turning to face her with the katana held firmly in his right hand, Sesshoumaru replied blandly, “Commencing your training for this day.”

Kagome's eyes widened. She wanted to spar with someone her size, but Sesshoumaru was hardly her size. “Y-You…I'll be sparring with you?”

He gave her a hard look. “Miko. Do not waste time. This Sesshoumaru's time could be used for better pursuits.”

Kagome hesitated. Fighting with Jaken was one thing, but fighting with Sesshoumaru? He was going to kill her. It did not matter that he was using a normal katana rather than Toukijin. She was nowhere near prepared for this.

“You won't use your youkai powers, right?” she ventured hesitantly.

“You are training to fight youkai, Miko,” he pointed out dryly. “It would be wise to learn to do so in the proper manner.”

Kagome gulped. She could not deny that he was right, as usual. Come on, Kagome, her inner voice urged. How bad could it be, right? He would not harm her much anyway, considering their agreement. Strengthening her resolve, Kagome nodded firmly.

The attack came out of the blue, too fast for her human eye to detect. Her arms came up reflexively, holding the two kodachis up in a cross in front of her just in time to block the blow. Sesshoumaru did not back off. The pressure on the pair of kodachis increased, pushing her down. Her arms trembled with the strain of holding his katana at bay.

Her panicked eyes went up to find Sesshoumaru staring at her pointedly, obviously trying to get her to remember something. From his uncompromising look, she could tell that he was going to maintain the position until she remembered what it was. She was just going to have to risk something.

Groaning inwardly and hoping that she would live to see the next sunrise, Kagome allowed her arm to go slack and immediately twisted under Sesshoumaru's arm. She spun in a circle to end up behind him. Quickly she turned to face him just as he turned around.

Yes, she grinned in satisfaction. That was the correct move.

Breathing hard, she kept her eyes trained on his. He had taught her to watch her opponent's eyes, because that was one of the ways to gauge where the next attack would come from. His golden eyes however, told her nothing.

Before she could process what was happening, Sesshoumaru launched up towards the ceiling of the dojo. Kagome's eyes rounded incredulously as he dropped down from above at a breakneck speed.

“You can't be serious!” she yelped as she dove sideways to the mat. Sesshoumaru's katana landed just close to her, but she had just narrowly managed to escape being sliced.

Scrambling to her feet, she quickly backed away from him.

“Hold your stance, Miko!” he ordered sternly.

She immediately halted into a left stance, willing her rapidly beating heart to calm down. Gazing deep into his eyes, she tried to read his intentions. Focus, Kagome, focus, she told herself.

A flicker appeared in his eyes.

Left.

She dove to the right just as he swung his katana down, narrowing missing her left shoulder. Anger began to bubble within her. That was close. Way too close.

“Are you trying to kill me?” she yelled in outrage. “It could have gone right though!”

His reaction was mild, almost bored. “You wanted training, Miko. And this Sesshoumaru is honoring his end of the agreement.”

“There would not be much use for this training if I'm dead, would it?!” she snapped.

“Then it is advisable that you keep yourself alive. This Sesshoumaru does not like to see this training wasted.”

Why, the arrogant…

As she ground her teeth in irritation, Kagome felt an overwhelming urge to hit the arrogant taiyoukai in front of her; preferably in his face to wipe out that disdainful expression. Her eyes narrowed. Why not? He could hardly complain because they were sparring and he said nothing about not attacking him.

Recalling his words about eye-contact, Kagome tried to mask her expression, doing her best to imitate his disinterested look. She almost groaned when she saw him arch an eyebrow. Great, he knows, she thought with no small amount of dismay.

Stiffening her resolve, she charged to the right. Sesshoumaru sidestepped fluidly and turned, landing a blow to her shoulders.

She staggered slightly before she spun around, sweeping her kodachis in a double arc towards him. He blocked with his katana, but she did not let go. They remained locked, katana to kodachis, golden eyes to brown eyes.

Kagome willed herself to push forward, and before she knew it, a pearlescent glow covered her kodachis. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed a fraction in disapproval and then his katana took on a golden glow. The pressure against her kodachis increased, forcing Kagome to push even harder.

Silver and gold lights sparked in the air between them, and yet she refused to yield. Something within her told her to stand her ground, and that something sounded scarily like Sesshoumaru. So she continued to push, her entire body trembling with the power flowing from her small body.

The sparks intensified.

Then it exploded, throwing her backwards.

She lay on her back for a moment, trying to catch her breath. Groaning, she pushed herself up and brushed her bangs aside. Sesshoumaru was still standing, but the ends of his sleeves were charred from the explosion. Kagome could not stop a giggle from escaping her lips when she saw the irritated expression on Sesshoumaru's normally stoic face.

But her giggled died on her lips when he began to stalk towards her. Eyes widening in alarm, she quickly stood up.

“Um…Sesshoumaru. I…um…” she began, but faltered at the look on his face.

When he reached her, he stared down his nose and said icily, “You are not allowed your miko powers during training.”

Oops, she thought. She had completely forgotten about that for a second. Then, as a thought occurred to her, she frowned.

“Hey, you used your youkai strength, so why can't I do the same with my miko powers?” she asked belligerently.

Silence.

And then, “Hn.”

She raised an eyebrow. “So? It's only fair, Sesshoumaru,” she told him, deliberately omitting the honorific to his name.

His eyes narrowed. “You are not permitted to address this Sesshoumaru in such a familiar manner.”

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Then, perhaps you might choose to remember that my name is Kagome.”

“It is not appropriate.”

“Oh? So I guess I'll continue to call you Sesshoumaru, then. `Cause that's appropriate enough for me,” she said using the most innocent tone she could muster.

“Wench…”

She grinned. “Sesshoumaru?”

He fixed a steady glare on her, but she had received enough of it in the past few weeks to be immune to its effect. She never knew that prolonged exposure to Sesshoumaru would result in this but she was not complaining. It was much better than the stomach dropping fear that she had used to feel.

“So? My miko strength against your youkai powers?” she prodded questioningly. She then grinned mischievously. “Or are you scared?”

A momentary silence followed before he spoke.

“This Sesshoumaru does not fear your miko strength.” His tone was clipped.

“I shall take that as a yes, then.”

It was barely perceptible, but Sesshoumaru inclined his head in agreement.

Kagome's jaw dropped. She won. She actually won an argument with Sesshoumaru. A grin spread over her features.

With a cheerful nod at him, she said, “Thank you, Sesshoumaru!”

“Hn.”


***

< br> Sesshoumaru made his way through the forest, his sharp eyes checking the area for any untoward activity. Without Rin around, he could complete the patrol of the Western Lands in less than one day instead of the usual three days.

Stopping on top of a rock boulder, Sesshoumaru let the breeze sweep past him, bringing him the different scents which made up his land. The new sleeves of his new white kimono fluttered in the breeze.

Sesshoumaru's lips tightened, remembering the reason for the new sleeves. Again. Since the first time they had sparred together, his sleeves had been consistently singed into a smoking black mass. He had no one to blame but himself for the results. After all, he had agreed to her request to allow her to use her miko powers.

A slight error in his judgment, that was all.

What surprised him the most was that he actually enjoyed their sparring sessions. Although her combat skills were not up to par with his, not that he expected anyone to be, she made up for it by her unpredictability and her miko powers. It was refreshing to be able to indulge in one of his favorite arts regularly without having to seek out either Inuyasha or some other youkai to do so.

Floating off the boulder, Sesshoumaru brushed his thoughts away. There was still a small area to cover before he could return home.

He was approaching a rock outcrop when his senses went on the alert.

Inuyasha.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. The hanyou no longer smelled like a hanyou, but like a full-youkai. The sorry excuse of a half-breed must have broken away from his Tetsusaiga again. No doubt he was trying to find the miko.

Sesshoumaru deliberated the wisdom of intercepting the hanyou, knowing that if he did, it would only end up in Inuyasha being beaten to a bleeding lump. His eyes glinted in anticipation. That would be acceptable.

Launching himself up in the air, he let his eyes scan the dirt path and the surrounding rock outcrops until he spotted a flash of red. His eyes sharpened. Yes, that was certainly Inuyasha.

Sesshoumaru swooped down to land in front of the surprised hanyou.

“You're trespassing,” he stated in greeting.

Inuyasha's red eyes flashed angrily. “Where's Kagome, you bastard?!” he yelled.

“Her location does not concern you, little brother,” Sesshoumaru replied, sounding almost bored.

Inuyasha was shaking with fury. “Give her back to me!”

“The miko will be returned when the agreement is completed.”

“No! You'll tell me where she is now!”

The hanyou was beginning to irritate him. And in a strange way, Sesshoumaru also pitied him. Although it amused him to fight with the hanyou in his normal state, he could not say the same for when Inuyasha was overtaken by his youkai. It was like battling a mindless animal.

An animal which he, Sesshoumaru would gladly take down right at this moment.

“Prepare yourself, hanyou,” Sesshoumaru warned.

A blink of an eye later, they were face to face.

Sesshoumaru released the whips from his claws and snapped them at Inuyasha. With a speed which he did not normally possess, Inuyasha streaked away only to return with a deadly slash of his claws.

Zipping to the side, Sesshoumaru spun around and tried to trip Inuyasha, but to his surprise, the hanyou managed to evade the blow again. A faint feeling of trepidation washed over him, but he instantly clamped it down. Inuyasha was no match for him. There was no need for him to worry.

It was then that Sesshoumaru's eyes were drawn to Inuyasha's waist. Golden eyes widened when he realized that Tetsusaiga was still firmly attached to the hanyou. So, the power which bound Inuyasha's youkai blood must have been broken.

Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth. This made things just a little more complicated. His arm was not finished yet and if he gave up his fang now, there was no guarantee that the miko would not just run off.

Though something told him that she had a little bit more honor than that.

Inuyasha swiped at him again.

Incensed, Sesshoumaru retracted his whips and extended his poison claws. The poison would not kill Inuyasha as the hanyou's body was capable of defending itself. However, Sesshoumaru knew that enough of it would render Inuyasha unconscious. With that thought, he instantly swiped at the approaching hanyou, catching him in his chest. The cut was shallow and it did not seem to have achieved anything apart from enraging the hanyou further. Snarling, Inuyasha dived and retaliated using his own claws. With their close proximity, Sesshoumaru could not back away in time to avoid the blow.

His eyes widened in surprise when a stinging pain exploded in his right shoulder, making him hiss. Anger bubbling within him, Sesshoumaru spun around and backhanded Inuyasha in the face, knocking the hanyou into a tree.

Inuyasha stilled for a moment and then to Sesshoumaru's astonishment, he picked himself up again.

And charged.

Sesshoumaru launched into the air to avoid the blow. Then he swooped down, his claws ready to cause more damage to the insolent hanyou. Inuyasha looked up, his red eyes flashing in surprise, but he was not fast enough to sidestep the attack.

Sesshoumaru's claws sank into Inuyasha's shoulders. At the same time, the taiyoukai felt a slash across his thighs. Stifling a curse, he snatched his claws back and staggered away from Inuyasha, his burning thighs hampering his movement.

Glaring down at the panting hanyou, Sesshoumaru deliberated if he should pound the insolent half-brother of his a few more times just to make sure he had learnt his lesson. Glancing at his own injuries, he decided irritably that it was not worth his time. As it was, the hanyou was already falling unconscious under the poison.

Although he knew that Inuyasha would live, it would not do to leave the hanyou in the middle of the wild. It would only serve to attract bloodthirsty youkais which Sesshoumaru preferred not to waste his time on.

He called for Ah-Un.


***


A shadow passed overhead, distracting Kagome from the skipping rope game she was playing with Rin and Shippou. Getting to her feet, she looked up curiously just in time to find Sesshoumaru descending into the courtyard on his dust cloud.

Her mouth fell open at the sight of his bloodstained shoulder and thighs.

Rushing forward, she asked anxiously, “What happened, Sesshoumaru?”

The taiyoukai gave her an unreadable look before he replied, “Minor injuries. They'll heal.”

Minor injuries? Kagome's eyes narrowed as she studied the wounds. The slashes seemed as if it was made by claws, and considering the amount of blood staining Sesshoumaru's clothes, the wounds were definitely not shallow. Who was he fighting with?

“Who did this?” she asked, pointing at the wound on his shoulder.

“It's none of your concern, Miko,” he grated out tersely.

Her expression became pinched. Why was he being so stubborn? Fine, they were not exactly friends, but he was hurt and… Then she saw his pale complexion and softened slightly. The taiyoukai was in pain, but too proud to admit it. Figures.

“Come on, I'll heal it for you,” she said in a softer voice.

He stared at her, seemingly in surprise. The flicker of distrust which entered his eyes did not escape Kagome's attention.

She raised an eyebrow. “What? If I can restore an arm, I'm quite capable of healing what you called MINOR wounds.”

“That would not be necessary. This Sesshoumaru is capable of healing by himself.”

She planted her hands on her hips. “I know. But that would take at least a day or two, right? It's faster if you let me do it.”

“Hn.”

Still, he made no move to follow her.

“What are you waiting for?” she asked.

“This does not release you from our agreement,” Sesshoumaru pointed out stiffly.

Kagome gaped. What? He thought that she would somehow use this against him? Annoyed at the stab at her honor, Kagome stepped close to him and prodded him in the chest with one finger.

“Listen, you arrogant creature! I'm doing this because you're hurt. Not because I want something from you.” She reinforced her words with another poke at his chest. “This might come as news for you, but I don't just stand around and watch anyone suffer when I can help it. You get me?”

As she was about to stab him with her finger again, she found said finger immobilized by an iron grip. Forcing herself not to wince at the pressure, she just glared at him.

“This Sesshoumaru does not tolerate insolence, Miko!” he bit out, his clawed hand still wrapped around her finger.

Irritated beyond belief, Kagome just glared at him. “Can I have my finger back now?”

He released it suddenly.

A moment of silence passed before he spoke. “You shall heal this Sesshoumaru's wounds in the hot-springs.”


***