InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Eien Ni Nakunatta Shunkan: A Moment Lost Forever ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 2 )

Eien Ni Nakunatta Shunkan…A Moment Lost Forever

Chapter 1: Kioku

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Only when the scent of Rin's blood and the salty tang of her tears had faded from the little clearing, did Sesshoumaru release the rigid stance he'd been forcing himself to hold. As loathe as he was to admit it, last night's skirmish had proved to be a complete disaster.

If only he hadn't picked up Inuyasha's foul scent, he railed within his mind. No, he quickly amended, cursing himself for his poor judgment, if only he hadn't picked up and THEN followed Inuyasha's foul scent…

He shook his fair head, remembering that when he had first become aware of the hanyou's presence, he had wisely thought to ignore it. As usual, he had not been in the mood to deal with his brother or his annoying little band of followers. But then Inuyasha's power had kept on…changing. It was surging, then waning, the boy's youki spiking dramatically only to melt away time and time again. Despite his better judgment, he had been intrigued, drawn in by all those strange shifts and cycles; those strange shifts and cycles that could only mean the hanyou's blood was being altered…

And very rapidly at that.

Unable to quell his curiosity, he had drawn closer and closer to the source of the scent, soon discovering that the unmistakable swirl of Naraku's jyaki was mingled with his half-brother's own power.

And…and by then it was too late…he had found himself caught, trapped in the middle of a furious multi-front battle between nearly all the principle powers with a stake in the completion of the Shikon no Tama.

Slowly, his golden eyes fluttered closed, and he was unable to stop himself from remembering …

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Fr om all the signs, it appeared that the walking corpse that once held his half-brother's heart had finally betrayed her last secret: she had simply revealed to Naraku the exact night of the hanyou's transformation into his all too vulnerable human form. And with Naraku's fondness for elaborate entrapments, it would seem he could not resist luring the hot-headed half-demon out into full youkai rage. Their violent fight had caused the pathetic fool to sustain horrendous, life-threatening wounds just as the sun dipped behind the horizon.

Sesshoumaru watched solemnly as the New Moon rose. There was no beauty in the moon on this night; in fact, it was nothing more than a black circle hanging in the sky, all empty and cold. And much like Naraku, or even himself for that matter, this moon offered the hanyou no mercy. It stole Inuyasha's limited powers away in an instant, leaving him with injuries a mere mortal could not hope to survive.

He had ordered Jaken to take Rin ahead on Aun and wait, while he moved in to investigate. There, on the field, he found the regular member's of Inuyasha's motley little party partnered off and fighting Naraku's various Bunshin. The demon-huntress had her hands full, locked in a fierce battle with the boy who was once her brother. Now in his late teens, time had given the boy the physical edge of added height and power, but it appeared his older sister was still more skilled with her weapons. As ever, the monk lingered close at hand to the taijiya, his eyes darting nervously between her battle and the wicked, white-haired demon child that was advancing upon him. The priest struggled to keep lesser youkai from interfering with the woman's fight, unleashing his Kazaana when he could, quickly resealing his cursed hand when a cruel nod from Hakudoushi caused him to be harried by swarms of Saimyoshou. The priest's movements were sluggish, and a fine sheen of sweat clung to his brow, testifying that he had already taken in some of the insect's poison…

The boy, Kohaku, was not the only one to have grown, Sesshoumaru noted. Watching with mild interest, he shifted out of the way as a particularly a strong blast of kitsune-bi streaked into a small horde of youkai to his the right. Another of Inuyasha's regular companions…that ever-optimistic, bright-eyed fox. Besides growing much bigger in stature, it seemed the young kit's abilities had obviously developed as well. Though still primarily based on simple illusions and tricks, his attacks now could inflict more damage then a mere moment's worth of disorientation. At the present, the fox was doing quite well, burning his way through the swarms of mindless demons that seemed to pour out of the mists in an endless tide, trying to fight his way to Inuyasha.

A frigid gale of wind swirled up abruptly, seeming to come from nowhere and everywhere all at once. Sesshoumaru scowled, narrowing his eyes against the flying debris carried on the wind. Suddenly, he found his forward progress blocked as the lithe form of Kagura glided down before him.

"Hmmm…come to join the fun?" she drawled sweetly. "You know, dear, this is where I'm supposed to stop you, but every once in a while I think my Master could use a nice surprise. Don't you agree?"

Kagura gestured towards a rocky outcropping in open invitation, her long fingers pointing in the very same direction the kitsune had taken. Sesshoumaru's eyes traveled along the path she indicated and, despite the distance and the choking rise of jyaki, he could clearly make out the semi-conscious form of his half-brother. His semi-conscious half-brother who, for the moment, seemed to be somewhat protected by a fading barrier of pink light …

"Go right on ahead, gorgeous," Kagura murmured, guessing his intent. "Yes, my master's really here this time. Of course, you didn't think he could resist being this close to such an amusing spectacle…Kikyo killing Inuyasha?!? It's been his fantasy since, ohhhh…long before my time."

Despite her soft, seductive tone, Kagura couldn't resist sending a raging blade of wind to whistle past the taiyoukai's ear, bringing her fan up to her face in a poor attempt to conceal her sardonic smile. "Besides, even though I wouldn't mind getting to know YOU better…I think my REAL escort is finally about to make his appearance."

At that, a raging green whirlwind burst free from the tree-line, and Sesshoumaru watched as the arrogant ookami-boy plowed onto the field. Kagura vanished with a mocking laugh just as the wolf spun free of his cyclone, his curved claws flashing out to ravage the spot where his prey had stood a mere second before. The demoness reappeared an instant later, performing a simple flip and landing elegantly at least twenty yards to the left.

In that one graceful move, Sesshoumaru observed, the woman had drawn her duel with Kouga away...cleverly...effectively...clearing all obstacles in his path towards the creature that kept her enslaved.

Kagura, he scoffed, rolling the name over and over in his mind. Such a clever bitch. Always a woman who knew what she wanted. His last vision of the demoness before charging off in the direction she'd indicated was of her deep crimson irises. They glittered against the darkness, shining like two rubies, lit with equal parts of malice and glee as she began her battle with the enraged wolf-prince.

Sesshoumaru pressed on, but for the moment, Naraku was nowhere to be seen. But that mattered little. He could feel him, smell him, taste his very presence in the damp air. He did not pause, but bounded directly towards his half-brother's struggling form, temporarily disrupting a surreal confrontation between the two eerily-similar wenches that had followed the pathetic half-breed at one time or another.

Apparently, he mused, the years of watching her reincarnation secure a new claim on the hanyou's heart, had taken their toll on the first woman…the undead miko. She obviously had serious, justified doubts as to whether Inuyasha would ever have the desire to fulfill his final obligation to their tragic love. Kikyou, it seemed, was taking no chances with the hanyou's oath to follow her to hell and seemed to be `insisting' that she choose the date.

It would appear, however, that her grand design was somewhat lacking in one small detail: she obviously had forgotten to factor in Kagome. Rather, Kagome and the rather fierce resistance she was currently offering…

After recovering from the initial surprise of Sesshoumaru's unexpected arrival, the two nearly identical women quickly returned their focus back to one another. Kikyou had obviously broken her bow earlier in the fray. She had quickly found ways to compensate for the loss of her weapon, however, and now, in either hand, she brandished arrows that crackled with her power. It would seem she was intent on personally driving them into wounded hanyou's heart...if only she could get past her determined successor. But time and time again Kagome blocked her path, standing so defiantly...stubbornly protecting the dark-haired, human form of Inuyasha. Having no other weapon herself, she was trying to keep Kikyou at bay with the only thing left to her: the Tetsusaiga. The taiyoukai watched in wry amusement as Kagome held the battered, untransformed sword before her in a white knuckled grip, waving it threateningly whenever Kikyou advanced too close.

Sesshoumaru snorted at her sheer grit and impudence. Much like the day he had witnessed the woman unwittingly pull the blade from among the stones in his great Father's tomb, there was no skill behind her actions. Just foolish luck. However, quite unlike that day, he noted grudgingly, this time Kagome's hands did not tremble.

He glanced down at Inuyasha just in time to catch the scathing look the hanyou shot back at him. He read the challenge in the boy's dark eyes, imagining that the half-demon's head was ringing with one question and one question alone: Why, why, why is that bastard here?

Inuyasha was currently cradling a bruised and broken arm, pressing it tightly against a gaping wound in his side. Blood ran freely between the seams of his unclawed fingers even as he tried desperately to stop the flow. The taiyoukai smiled.

Truly, Inuyasha was an absolutely helpless fool. Utterly pathetic. There he was, struggling weakly, using his free hand to cling to the hissing fire-cat that nudged against his side, his only chance at escape. But the two battling priestesses were so close and currently drawing on every ounce of their holy powers, the combined force of which kept causing the great cat to be purified into her weakened form whenever she leapt too close. The neko-youkai growled and lashed her tails in her frustration, helpless to aid the hanyou or the young woman presently defending him.

Sesshoumaru took one menacing step forward. For the slightest of moments, Kikyou paused to fix him with an appraising glance. Then, with a derisive scowl, she turned, seeming to dismiss him entirely to resume her unhurried stalk towards Inuyasha. Kagome, on the other hand, remained as obstinate as ever; she did not acknowledge him or cry out for aid, though her eyes were pleading and glittered with too many emotions to read.

In that moment, Sesshoumaru moved between the two women and, turning to face Kikyou, raised Toukijin in warning…

"Bitch," he murmured, "You KNOW who I am…"

The undead miko fluttered her lashes and offered a mock-genteel bow. Sesshoumaru gave a delicate snort at her audacity and continued on, "As you know who I am, then you know my hatred for that pathetic wretch is as great as yours."

Unconsciously, he clenched the fingers of his re-formed left hand, remembering the indignity of how Inuyasha had once cleaved it off. It had been so humiliating and it had taken years to regenerate the limb. Even after all this time, the skin was nearly as white as his silver mane and the muscles were not quite at their former strength…

"But,” Sesshoumaru added swiftly, his eyes never leaving the miko or her holy weapons. “However great my hatred for Inuyasha may be, this Sesshoumaru will not allow him to disgrace my family's legacy anymore than he already has. Inuyasha will not be brought down by a vengeful, jealous corpse, or…” His voice lowered wickedly as he turned to stare into the darkness, seeking the point where the evil jyaki flared strongest. "ANOTHER lowly half-breed,” he concluded.

At those words, Inuyasha shot him a questioning, yet still typically defiant, look. Kagome gasped, her lips offering him a silent…and wholly unwanted…thanks. The young miko spun on her heel, taking full advantage of the unexpected rescue, lowering her borrowed weapon and racing to assist her hanyou. Despite it all…despite his injuries, the ache that must have come with the realization of the true depth of Kikyou's hatred, his life and death race against the moon's cycle, and the humiliation of being in debt to older brother…it looked like Inuyasha could barely suppress his weary smirk, obviously beyond grateful that Kagome was safe. Pathetic. At least the hanyou seemed to remember some of his strength and dignity, for when his smirk died he turned for a moment, pausing to focus dark, accusing eyes on his former love.

Kikyou stared back at Inuyasha, her eyes beseeching as Kagome reached his side and tugged frantically at his shoulders to assist him onto Kirara's back. Being in such close proximity with her reincarnation had obviously begun to take it's toll on the undead woman…gray circles had formed under her eyes and the Shinidamachuu were forced to refresh her with new souls at a obviously heightened pace. Now thwarted in her plan, cut off and held at bay rather unexpectedly by Sesshoumaru, it seemed the only weapons left to her were bitter, resentful words.

"You simple, selfish fools!" Kikyou ranted, disregarding the cold, imposing demon before her, and alternating her comments between her former lover and the frantic Kagome. "Don't you see? Naraku's so close to completing the jewel! Most of the final pieces are within his grasp! Right NOW! Right on this very field! I am the true guardian of the Shikon no Tama…it is near enough to completion that I can purify it and end that monster's miserable existence! Let me take Inuyasha's soul, he pledged it to me so long ago! Have you forgotten, Inuyasha?! Do you not remember MY arms around you? How you cried out my name in the night? I gave you pity, when the whole world reviled you! You cannot avenge our deaths; I ALONE have the strength to defeat Naraku. Just let me send you to hell, my love, I will join you soon." With an animalistic growl, she charged towards the retreating pair, only to be blocked and thrown to the earth by the smooth arc of Toukijin.

Kikyou giggled up at him maniacally from the ground, a strange trickle of dust spilling from the corner of her lips. Sesshoumaru winced at the stench of decay. Suddenly, the flow of jyaki shifted and the shadowy form of Naraku materialized just behind the miko's shoulder. The half-demon glowered at him, his hazy red eyes shining malevolently at having his entertainment rudely interrupted…

"So, coward," Sesshoumaru challenged, turning from the downed priestess to gaze fully upon Naraku. At last. "For once you've actually decided to make an appearance yourself and not send some lowly kugutsu in your stead?" His shifted, quickly glancing back to the retreating forms his injured half-brother and his woman. Perfect. They had escaped. No screaming little half-breed to get in his way on this night, no one trying to steal the kill that was by all rights his alone. No outlandish little miko with endless sermons of right and wrong. It would be over soon and Sesshoumaru found he could not resist goading Naraku, drawing out the moment, savoring the sight of that frustrated look on his enemy's face. "All this, Naraku?” he asked. “So disappointing. All this trouble, all this wasted power…just to kill a collared, lovesick pup and a few worthless humans."

"My dear Lord Sesshoumaru," Naraku cast back in a smooth tone, seeming decidedly unruffled. "Do not be such a hypocrite…it only makes you look even more foolish. After all, when it comes to these human creatures, I believe you take to the leash just as easily…"

The half-demon's soulless eyes danced with unrestrained delight as he turned and gestured to a small, very, very familiar figure that was trying to remain concealed in the shadows of the rocks above.

Annoyed, Sesshoumaru cast a quick glance at the intruder only to gasp aloud.

Standing right above them, crouching in the dust and gravel was…Rin.

His breath hitched and he suddenly felt as though all the blood in his veins had turned to ice.

What in all the levels of hell was she doing here?

He had ordered her ahead, to seek safety with Aun and Jaken. Why had she disobeyed him? Her kimono was torn, she was covered in bruises, and she defiantly clutched a broken yari in bloodied hands. The girl very obviously had to struggle, she obviously HAD to fight, to wade this far onto the battlefield. It proved that she had encountered plenty of reminders of precisely why HE had insisted she stay hidden…

Yet still she came. Despite his command, she had come to see what would befall him, to foolishly try to help if she could.

Rin cringed at being discovered. In the next instant, however, she had turned to meet his sharp gaze, every emotion in her sentimental human heart clearly written on her face. Adoration, relief, devotion…love.

There, undisguised, and in plain view of his most bitter enemy.

Wisely, Rin remained frozen in place, but her position, unfortunately, was much closer to Naraku's than to his own. Sesshoumaru felt a building tightness in his chest that was suspiciously close to his heart.

The sick half-demon had but to extend one of his powerfully armored claws, and the small, frail human girl he had nurtured for nearly a decade would be torn to pieces right before his golden eyes.

"Ahhh," Naraku sneered maliciously, taking his time with his words and allowing the tension to build. "These Inu-youkai…so easy to tame. Show them the slightest kindness and they roll on their backs! Just like a starving village mongrel begging for scraps of food!"

Sesshoumaru could not argue.

He could only stare.

And Rin could only shake her head in silent apology.

At that moment, Kikyou picked herself up from the rocky ground and released another round of mocking laughter, alternating her piercing gaze between the young girl and the two demons. "I will take my leave now, Naraku," she commented smoothly. "My purpose for enduring your foul presence has fled, just like the cringing dog I have always suspected him to be." She stared after Kirara's fiery trail in the distant sky, her eyes strangely unfocused, lost and sad. "Besides,” the miko whispered. “I have no wish to watch you destroy another hopeless young fool who's been manipulated by these monsters. Another stupid little girl taken in by deceit and the fantasy of finding emotion in a youkai's black heart!” Her mouth twisted in a bitter smile, and she swept her heavy hair dark over her shoulder and brushed at the dirt collected at the corner of her lips. “Do not waste your time forming new plans and schemes…your days are precious and few and I will be returning to kill you very, very soon, Onigumo.” That promise made, she collected what remained her arrows and her broken bow, and turned, striding silently away.

Naraku favored Kikyou with a curt nod as the miko moved off into the night, pursued by the ghostly glow of Shinidamachuu. "Onigumo, hmmm?!" he called out after her. "Well, that fool was only right about one thing, my Kikyou…you ARE beautiful in your helplessness and sorrow. I can only imagine that the other girl is cradling Inuyasha in her arms right now…just as you once did!  I wonder…do you think the wretch will survive the night?!" He heaved a bored sigh and twirled a long tendril of curling black hair around a tapered finger.

Kikyou paused, her spine stiff and her hands shaking at her sides. But she gave no answer to the half-demon's cruel question and, after a moment, merely resumed her slow march, fading into the mist.

Laughing, Naraku promptly forgot the miko, free now to direct all of his awareness squarely on the silent taiyoukai standing before him. "Well, Lord Sesshoumaru, where were we?” he questioned. “Oh yes, you and I alone at last…with yet another of these `worthless humans', as I believe you called them?"

Sesshoumaru blinked in surprise, trying to re-focus from his virtual stupor. During the short verbal sparring between the undead priestess and her original murderer, he had found he could not take his eyes from Rin. The girl was staring back at him just as steadily, her hazel eyes wide with confusion, a desperate plea for forgiveness clearly defined within their depths.

Sesshoumaru found himself taking the smallest step back. Here he was under a direct challenge from Naraku, and yet could not concentrate on anything but that strange, unfamiliar knot that kept building within his chest. He was torn with indecision and for the only the second time in his long life felt…

Absolutely helpless.

To walk away now would be to condemn Rin to certain death. However, should he attempt to come to her aid, everything in his life would be a lie. She had NOT been abducted this time. She was NOT a pawn. She had come of her own free will, against his very command.

On this occasion, he could not justify his rescuing her as simple `revenge' on Naraku for attempting to manipulate him, as he always had in the past. To save Rin now, to risk unnecessary injury to himself, would prove that he held her in some regard. It would prove, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that he valued her.

Naraku inclined his head this way and that, appraising Rin's trembling form, running his hand through the air as if tracing the teasing curves of the girl's silhouette. "Ah, yes…the little brat all grown up. Delicious body, a bit short, perhaps, but a surprisingly lovely face…for a human, that is. Not too bright though, I suppose, to make her way out here," he mused conversationally. “Don't you agree, my lord?”

Sesshoumaru found he couldn't have answered, even if he wanted to.

His thoughts were still scattered…to rise to Naraku's baiting, to offer protection to this slip of a woman-child after she had deliberately placed herself in harm's way…just where the hell was Aun? He could understand Jaken losing track of the girl, after all, she outwitted the small toad all the time…but…

With only an evil smirk as warning, Naraku's form had changed, with countless appendages erupting from beneath his baboon pelt to rush out towards Rin. The girl screamed, and attempted to dodge, but…but she stood no chance. In the next instant, she was born down to the hard ground. Her high-pitched shriek choked off to a rasp as she flailed helplessly against Naraku's heavy weight. The sounds of her struggles died quickly, replaced by the sound of the half-demon's deep, distinctive cackle.

Sesshoumaru reacted instantly, his decision born of blind instinct. He dove after his enemy, delivering a vicious slash from Toukijin that was quickly followed by a blow from his acid whip. Within seconds, he, too, had been surrounded in the twisted coils of Naraku's grossly mutated form, just a rolling, shifting mass of mismatched parts cannibalized from less-powerful demons.

Sesshoumaru cursed. At this close range, it was nearly impossible to know just which attack would come next. Claws were followed by stingers, then horns that tried to gore him, and tentacles that sought his throat. Dimly, he felt something catch in his side. He heard the tear of silk and skin, and then a shrill burst of sound that could only be another scream from Rin. His nose was assaulted by the scent of scorched flesh…his own.

Burning?! Sesshoumaru scoffed, grimacing against the unexpected pain. Why was it burning?! He had been surrounded in Naraku's foul mass before…what was different this time? The Shikon No Tama nearly complete, but surely, he couldn't have underestimated the power it granted this depraved hanyou?

No, he realized. The Jewel of Four Souls held no sway over him. In Naraku's evil hands, it had no ability to purify youki. Especially youki as great and powerful as his own. In confusion, he reached for Tenseiga, only to find the sword and his fine sash had been torn away in that last assault, his torso raw and bleeding. Sesshoumaru brought his hand up in pure shock, and, for the first time in many long years, stared at claws stained in his own dark blood. How ironic, he mused feeling no small measure of annoyance. To have dismissed the Tenseiga as weak and useless for so long only to be reminded of its true value too late.

But he was a taiyoukai. He had other weapons. He would not be brought down like this.

Sesshoumaru's youki began to rise, building along with his outrage. His eyes blurred to an unholy crimson and angry red pigment flooded through his skin, elongating the stripes on his cheekbones and wrists. It was a clear sign, an obvious warning to any foe that the fight had become deadly serious.

Another cry from his young ward suddenly assailed his ears, causing him to momentarily pause before his full transformation. Squinting through the smoke, he sought Rin out, finding her as she was lifted up through the dim shadows, caught fast in Naraku's rank hold. He could smell her fear, just as he could smell her coppery tang of her blood. She was…she was absolutely terrified.

But not for herself, he realized…it was only for him. The look in her sorrowful hazel eyes told him everything, her emotions as clear and easy to read as any spoken declaration.

And he saw…she was…she was in such agony, too. Rin was writhing in pain, and there was a strange white energy crackling about her hands…energy crackling around small hands that struggled to hold…the Tenseiga! She could not shield herself from its great power; it burned her, even through the layers of cloth she had attempted to lace around her fingers for protection.

"How very sweet!" Naraku shouted sarcastically from somewhere high above. "What do you think, Sesshoumaru-sama, shall I put her out of her misery? It would be the kindest, the most merciful thing after all! A little LATE to restore your dignity, perhaps, but at least it would end her suffering!"

With a defiant cry, Rin hurled the sword she carried towards Sesshoumaru. The throw was clumsy, with the blade seeking to return to its master's hand mostly of its own power. Naraku gave a menacing growl, the noise feral and low in his throat, and then struck the girl across the temple with a twisted limb, knocking her unconscious. Rin gave one last broken sob before falling into a crumpled heap among the sharp rocks.

Sesshoumaru was enraged. At that moment he was not even sure who he hated more: the sick half demon that dared to draw his blood, or the small nothing of a human girl who presumed to interfere with his battles. He ceased his transformation altogether, and refocused his power, sinking Toukijin to the hilt in the foul grey flesh surrounding him. The flesh parted easily under the sword's wickedly honed blade, bathing him with blood and shouki. With no small measure of satisfaction, he twisted his claws into the raw, oozing wound as well, allowing his natural poison to eat through the appendages that held him trapped.

Naraku howled in pain, and released Sesshoumaru so suddenly that he staggered. Glaring through half lidded eyes, the evil hanyou gathered his bulk back into the less threatening form concealed under the baboon's pelt.

As the two opponents continued to glower at each other in hatred, a lone Saimyoshou suddenly appeared. It was wounded and flew dangerously low to the ground, struggling to deliver its news to its master before its death. The unfortunate creature hovered at the half-demon's ear for less than an instant before its wings ceased beating and it fell to the earth with a dry crackle. It was obvious that the brief message it had managed to convey…whatever it was…did not seem at all pleasing to Naraku at all.

Sesshoumaru lowered his swords and awaited his enemy's next move.

"Inu no Taisho,” Naraku mocked. “I'm afraid we'll have to continue this on another day. I have more pressing matters to attend to now. You understand, of course?"  He backed away slowly, his crimson eyes somehow appearing both guarded and intensely amused. "Besides, you'll need some time to patch up that interfering little whelp of yours. Maybe it's time for you to consider finding a more durable creature as a…pet? These humans…so very fragile," he added in an icy whisper.

At those words, the taiyoukai felt an eerie sense of déjà vu. Fragile indeed. Hadn't he once even uttered those same words to Inuyasha long ago?

With a final laugh, Naraku's form faded away, disappearing into a thick cloud of jyaki.

Sesshoumaru released a deep breath, and stole a quick glance at Rin's prone form. The girl groaned weakly in the dust, and then abruptly sat up, her hands flying up to her head. Her nervous eyes immediately met his, and she cringed under the intensity of his stare. Without a word, he marched past her. After a few seconds, he heard the unmistakable sound of her slowly following in his wake. There was drag in her step, as if one of her legs were injured. At the moment, the taiyoukai found he could not bring himself to care, and continued to walk quietly into the night…

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Sesshoumaru squeezed his eyes tighter, just willing the memories away.

Everything was going to be made right. It was all as he wished it to be. Everything would be fine when he opened his eyes again.

But when he finally opened them again, and stared up at the night sky, he found the world around him seemed no less bleak and miserable then it had the night before.