InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ One Less Star, Book 1 ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter 3

Two things of note happened immediately following Sesshoumaru's departure. First, Sango began trying to engage Kohaku in conversation or show any sort of reaction at all, really. But though he was alive, Kohaku showed no response to any sort of stimulation, sitting limply and remaining in whatever position Sango placed him. Sango burst into tears, necessitating a lengthy amount of comforting from Kagome and Shippo and Kirara and delaying their return to Edo.

Then, when they were on their way once more (Kohaku able to walk once you got him started) Kagome and Inuyasha got into a blazing row about the fate of the shard removed from Kohaku's back: he flatly, absolutely, and categorically refused to relinquish it to her.

"You might give it to Sesshoumaru," he sneered, eyes blazing with fury. "I can't believe you'd do this to me, Kagome. You know how long I've wanted this, what I've gone through for it." He paced around the clearing, waving his arms for emphasis. "And now we have all the shards-every one of them!-and you won't put the damned thing together so I can make my wish! Where do you get off!"

They argued for hours, and Inuyasha was unwilling to believe Kagome's repeated statements of the time simply not being right for the jewel to be completed. She knew it was a vague and unsatisfactory explanation, but what else could she do? Telling him the truth was impossible, and would only spur him to greater heights of rage.

Kagome slumped by the fire Miroku had started to cook their meagre dinner and stared glumly into its flames. When no answer was forthcoming from her this time, Inuyasha gave a short scream of frustration and leapt up into the air, determined to put as much space between them as possible without actually leaving the kingdom.

She sighed, and wished she could speak to Midoriko at that moment. If Inuyasha was never meant to become fully youkai, then what was to be the fate of the Shikon no Tama? Only an unselfish wish would preserve its newfound purity. Who could be trusted to make such a wish? Everyone she knew would use it for personal gain.

Even things that seemed unselfish upon their surface were not so… Sango might use it to heal Kohaku's damaged soul, but it would really be so she didn't have to see her brother so broken and forlorn in his sorrow over his actions, committed as they had been under Naraku's foul enslavement.

Kagome might use it to bring about world peace or eliminate famine and disease but that, too, was more because she was uncomfortable with those concepts rather than true concern over their existence. Miroku would use it to end the curse upon his family, and Shippo would just wish for a lifetime supply of pocky.

Finally, worn out by fighting with Inuyasha, Kagome fell gratefully into a deep, exhausted sleep after eating dinner. Her dreams were far from restful: she saw death and destruction and flames consuming the world… crying out in despair, a comforting touch on her arm sent comfort and safety spreading through her.

"Midoriko?" Kagome said breathlessly, painfully relieved to find a kind, welcome face in this realm of anguish. "Hi," she said to the miko, who did not turn her gaze from the velvet sky.

"There remains one less star than there ought to be," Midoriko commented, then fixed her black gaze on Kagome. "You are fighting your feelings for him."

"I have to," Kagome replied immediately. "I'm not… unaffected by the other Kagomes' memories, but the Sesshoumaru I have to deal with is not the same as the ones they fell in love with. I am not the same as they are."

"Because of Inuyasha," Midoriko stated. "His survival in your dimension has changed both you and Sesshoumaru from being who you were destined to be. You feelings are still engaged by him, when they should be turning to Sesshoumaru. And the taiyoukai feels greater anger, greater alienation and resentment, because of his brother's interference in his life. These shall be mighty obstacles to overcome."

She took Kagome's hands suddenly, staring deeply into the girl's eyes with an intensity that bordered on frightening. "You must work harder," she told her, voice strong and compelling. "Something dark is coming, and you do not have the strength to conquer it alone, nor even with your friends, the demon-hunter and the monk."

"What about Inuyasha?" Kagome quavered, even though she feared the answer. "He'll be able to conquer it, won't he?"

Midoriko looked immeasurably sad. "I am afraid," she said, "that Inuyasha is the coming darkness, Kagome."

"No," Kagome whispered, as denial and an awful sort of fear welled within her. "I don't believe it. Inuyasha's always been… rough, but he's not evil."

"No," Midoriko agreed, "but the shard he bears is, and Inuyasha is susceptible to its taint. Heed me, Kagome. There will come a time when he tries to take the remaining shards you carry. When this time comes, you must not falter. If to contain and protect them he must die, then you must kill him."

Kagome jerked her hands out of the miko's grasp. "You don't know what you're talking about," she ground out, angry. "Inuyasha's just a little desperate at the moment, because of Naraku and wanting the wish so badly. But he'd never try to take the other shards from me."

"You know so well the contents of his heart, then?" Midoriko asked quietly. Kagome thought, of course, of Kikyo. Kikyo, and Inuyasha's unswerving devotion to her. No matter how many times she tried to kill him, betray him, hurt him, his love for her was unshakeable.

His love for Kagome, however, was definitely an unknown quantity. If it even existed at all… she knew he was fond of her as a friend, but no matter how she'd tried, she'd never been able to get a clear declaration out of him. "It's easy for you," she settled for lashing out, "up here, away from it all, to just tell me to kill my best friend."

"Easy?" Midoriko seemed to grow about three feet, and her anger was a palpable, crackling thing. "He is the son of my beloved, the son I would have given Inutaisho, were my fate to die childless not carved in the stone of the cave in which I perished. Do you think I relish the idea of knowing I send the child of my heart to his death?"

Kagome felt shame at her words, and bowed her head. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "No, I don't think it's easy for you. I… I forgot about Inutaisho and you." She paused. "I want to hurry to defeat Naraku so we can complete the jewel and make a wish and set your soul free to be with him, you know."

Midoriko placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "I thank you for that," said she, "but please, do not rush anything. Do not risk failure out of pity for me." She squared her shoulders. "Our reunion is the least of all worries, though it be deeply wanted."

Kagome nodded to show she understood, though she felt great pity for the miko and her love. It was such a strange concept, the idea of the greatest miko of Japan's past so much in love with her greatest enemy, the taiyoukai Inutaisho.

"I don't know what to do," she said at last, shoulders slumping in defeat. "All I know is that I can't kill Inuyasha."

"I know this," Midoriko replied, her eyes kind. "That is why you need Sesshoumaru. Where you falter, he will endure."

"I can't let anyone else kill him, either," Kagome continued miserably. She couldn't even imagine herself standing by while someone tried to bring Inuyasha down.

"Selfish girl," Midoriko admonished. "Not even to save your friends? Your family? Your entire world?"

"I… don't think I'm a very strong person," said Kagome, wringing her hands. "I'm afraid most of the time. And I'm pretty sure that I don't have it in me to kill him, even if it means not saving the world."

"Where you falter, Sesshoumaru will endure," the miko repeated. "You would place undeserved faith in Inuyasha… I ask that you place it also in his brother."

"Half-brother," Kagome corrected automatically.

Midoriko nodded before continuing, slowly, as if unsure she was supposed to be saying this. "If you wish to know more about sacrifice, about offering up one's own joy for the sake of others… there is a single chronicle recounting the tale of Inutaisho and myself. This world would have ended up much differently, had we made other choices…" Her voice trailed away, becoming thick and misty with tears. "It is in Sesshoumaru's possession."

Kagome gasped. "He knows about you and his father?"

She nodded. "He inherited everything of Inutaisho's upon his father's death."

Frustration burst suddenly within Kagome. "Why?" she raged. "Why does it have to be Sesshoumaru? Why couldn't it be Inuyasha?"

Midoriko's eyes were very patient and kind. "Because he is weak, just as Kikyo was and is weak. Because the fates needed stronger souls, purer souls, to forge this final bond. Inutaisho and myself, Kikyo and Inuyasha, we were just foundations for the union between you and Sesshoumaru. You are a refinement of Kikyo's soul, an improvement of it. And Sesshoumaru… I blessed him when he was born, poured an immense amount of my power into enhancing him.

"Together," she continued, "you are the pinnacle of what was intended when these six lives were fated to mend the rift between races, between worlds. There can be no greater chance for us than you and Sesshoumaru, Kagome. Fail, and you doom all who come after to lives of strife, warfare, misery and death."

"But no pressure," Kagome muttered, and Midoriko smiled.

"If you will only let yourself," she said, "I think you will find that it is not so very difficult to fall in love with Sesshoumaru."

"If I ever manage to spend any time with him!" Kagome exclaimed. "So far it's been a grand total of fifteen minutes in the past three months."

Midoriko fixed Kagome with one last look before turning her gaze up to the endless, depthless sky surrounding them. "You will have ample opportunity," she said to the stars, "and far sooner than you expect."

* * *

"I thought you said he would be back by now," Kagura snapped at the diminutive toad-youkai standing by the shoji screen door, and impatiently tapped her fan against the palm of her hand as she paced around the room.

He clenched his three-fingered hand so tightly around his staff that it creaked alarmingly. "Lord Sesshoumaru is not beholden to any but himself on the issue of when he returns to his own home," Jaken replied through gritted beak. "Least of all one such as you, child of Naraku."

She hissed as she spun around to face him, scarlet eyes slitted with anger. "I told you not to call me that."

"This Jaken does as he pleases," the toad-youkai replied with a touch of smugness. "If you would but sit and be silent, there would be no need for discourse, and I would not feel obligated to insult you."

To his surprise, she laughed, reaching out to glide long fingers over the glossy surface of a high, narrow table. "Just doing your duty by me then, are you?"

He did not understand her amusement, and glowered at her. "Indeed," he said repressively.

The door was thrust open, and Sesshoumaru stepped into the room. "Kagura," he addressed her, "you honour me."

"I highly doubt you see it as an honour, but your manners are impeccable," she purred, her smile unfaltering even in the face of his stoniest expression. "You're as eager to get rid of me as I am to leave, I'm sure, so I'll just get right to it, shall I?"

Sesshoumaru inclined his head in agreement and made his way around the low desk, unbuckling his swords and dropping easily to his knees. "Jaken," he said, "tea." Once Jaken was gone-not before he'd shot Kagura a last dark glance from his bilious yellow eyes, however-Sesshoumaru returned his attention to the demoness.

"I am no longer an associate of Naraku," Kagura said without preamble. "Having left his protection, I seek yours."

There was not a single twitch of facial muscle, not a flutter of eyelash, to indicate his reaction to her statement. "I see," was all he said. "Why?"

"I broke trust with him," she replied flatly, her shoulders tense in their heavily embroidered kimonos. "I cost him his dearly-wanted victory over Inuyasha and the girl, cost him his shards. Without them, he is severely compromised. And he..." she faltered a moment. "He is vicious even when happy," she continued after a moment. "When displeased... betrayed... he will come after me, once he marshals his strength once more after this defeat."

"And why," Sesshoumaru asked, "would I wish to align myself with such a liability?"

"Though not equal to the task of defeating Naraku by myself," said Kagura, "still I am a formidable ally, and would not shame you in any battles you might wage."

"What of your loyalty?" he asked. His hand rested lightly on his knee, and his entire form was motionless except for the movement of his mouth when he spoke. So still, so pale, Kagura was put in mind of nothing so much as a beautiful marble statue. "You betrayed your first master; what assurance do I have you would not betray your second?"

"My loyalty is to myself," she said, eyes flashing. "A good master shall have a good servant. Naraku... was not a good master." There was a world of sentiment left unspoken there; Sesshoumaru did not comment on it, nor ask any questions.

"I would not hesitate to destroy you, should you even contemplate betraying me," he told her at last. Somehow, though even Kagura's eyesight was keen, she did not see him move until he was across the room, his hand at her throat, pressing her up against the wall so her feet dangled above the floor. "And if you think to conquer me, to take my place as taiyoukai of the West, you are deluded. You would not win."

"Such is not my intent," Kagura managed to say, wheezing a little as her airway was constricted. He stared at her a long moment, gold eyes piercing scarlet, before nodding, apparently satisfied. Slowly, carefully, he lowered her to the floor.

"Your first task," he said, "is to locate and follow Inuyasha and his companions."

"Your brother requires a nanny?" Kagura asked, red lips parting in a delighted smile. She always had been able to recover quickly. "How amusing."

"Half-brother," he corrected flatly. "And your role is as informant, not nanny. You are not to give assistance or interference; they are not to know you are there. I wish only intelligence on their whereabouts and actions. Nothing more."

She could do that, and easily. "Nothing more?" she asked. "What if danger befalls them?"

His beautiful face was blank as he gazed at her. "Then you shall report to me of their injuries or deaths."

Kagura nodded. "It shall be done." Bowing low, she left the room, satisfied that her intentions had been accomplished. There were none so powerful as Sesshoumaru, not in all the lands of the compass, and with him as benefactor her lifespan had just increased dramatically.

Now, all she had to do was find Inuyasha's merry band of miscreants...

* * *

Kagome watched as Shippo tried without success to engage Kohaku in conversation. The past three days had been awful. It was horrible to watch his dull eyes stare out at nothing for hours at end; she could only imagine how it was for Sango, whose overly bright eyes and too-wide smile did not manage to belie her grief.

Shippo's big sad eyes pled with her to do something. "Sango-chan," she said, "there's a stream nearby, let's have a bath while we can." She made her voice as cheerful as she could manage, but even so, its hollow ring was evident even to herself.

Sango recognized it for the overture it was, and nodded, standing to gather her bathing things. Soon, Miroku was watching as she and Kagome headed to the hot springs, each tossing a look of warning over their shoulder at him, and sighed. There had been so many changes in the time since Kokahu's recovery, and everyone was on edge.

Himself especially... with all the emotional upheaval, he'd thought his usual application of hands to various parts of the women's bodies in poor taste and had restrained himself most admirably, in his opinion.

It had not been easy. Sango, attempting to engage Kohaku to take more interest in the world around him, had left off wearing her kimono in favour of simply flitting about in her snug taijiya uniform and trying to coax her brother to join her in katas and sparring.

And Kagome, though she no longer wore the tiny green kimono of her younger years, wore her new outfit of snug trousers called "jeans", quite admirably, in Miroku's connoisseurial opinion. Today was no different; the "jeans" were paired with something named a "sweater", a knit fabric that clung in such interesting ways to two of the most fascinating parts of her excellent figure.

He allowed himself a few ungracious thoughts, hoping that Kohaku would speed his embrace of life so Miroku wouldn't feel quite so lecherous about groping the two ladies. His palm had begun to itch, and it had nothing to do with the curse upon it...

Clearly, some meditation was in order.

Miroku made sure that Shippo and Kirara were with Kohaku, told an apathetic Inuyasha where he was going ("Keh!") and headed in the opposite direction from that which the women had taken. He found a comfortable niche at the base of a tree, by a softly tinkling stream, and settled in for a nice long zazen.

He relaxed his muscles and allowed his senses to expand, to reach beyond the boundaries of mere experience, to tap into absolute knowledge, and it wasn't long before he realized he was being observed.

But his watcher, though not human, was not overly malignant and Miroku decided to let him come forward on his own volition. He soon tired of the wait, however, when long moments passed and his watcher did not reveal himself.

"I know you are there," he called softly. "Show yourself."

Kagura watched as the houshi sighed, watching the two females leave for their bathing. In the days she had been observing them, she had sensed a rather strong urge within him, barely leashed. It was not the dark urge to harm and kill she was accustomed to sensing within her fellow youkai, however. It was more akin to hunger, but of a different sort from the hunger for nourishment, or thirst.

Must be the urge to rut, she thought. She'd heard of such things, and indeed Naraku was always holding forth about the succulence of ripe flesh and all the things he'd like to do with the young miko when he captured her… after the first few thousand times, Kagura had ceased listening. She had no interest in hearing about his plans for sexual tortures.

She herself had never felt the urge, and contemplated that if the monk were so fervently desirous of it, perhaps she was missing something. The monk… more than once, she'd seen his hand reach out to grasp soft, rounded flesh, only holding himself back at the last moment.

Kagura wondered at his chosen profession. Why would one with such obviously powerful drives decide to become one for whom the temptations of the flesh were to be avoided, even scorned? It seemed rather... self-defeating. Despite her congenital distaste for humanity as a whole, she was intrigued.

Kagura followed as the houshi found an idyllic and restful spot and folded himself into a meditation posture. The attractive planes of his face slackened as if in deepest sleep, and his wide shoulders loosened. Strong hands planted firmly but lightly on his knees, the tension seemed to melt from him in less than a minute's time, and she found herself slightly envious of his ability to cast his worries aside and simply exist. An idea arose in her mind, a wondering if he might teach her how to do the same...

Then he was speaking "I know you are there," he called softly. "Show yourself."

Out of the question, of course. She willed the feather upon which she rode to rise, carrying her to a safer distance away, and observed once more as he seemed to accept that she'd departed for good and settled in for his meditation once more. Intriguing, this monk…

The next day, bored nearly to insanity by the antics of the men of the group, Kagura considered that perhaps a little tiny bit of interference would not be amiss, and Sesshoumaru would never learn of it, of course.

The women had gone off to bathe yet again. This left the taijiya's insensate brother with the males, and males being what they were, it did not take long for them to realize what fun could be had with a person who could be maneuvered into any position without objection.

It was one thing when they were only making him pat his head and rub his stomach at the same time, or jam a finger up each nostril. Even she was hard-pressed not to laugh at the sight of the boy's nose bulging around the offending digits. But when they pulled him to his feet and began to twist his torso and limbs into some of the more bizarre angles she'd ever seen, she knew it was time to act. More for the retribution of the females when they learnt what the males were doing to Kohaku…

Floating speedily on her feather-boat, she zipped low and scooped up a variety of stones and twigs on the path toward the stream where the females were bathing. From a safe distance, she began tossing the items in their direction.

At the first crinkle of leaves, their conversation halted. When a stone plunked into the water not far from them, they both spun around toward it.

"Miroku!" the taijiya exclaimed, her face darkening with fury as she reached for a voluminous drying-cloth and wrapped it around her before stepping from the water. "I don't know what game you're playing but-" Another stone, this one dropping just inches from her foot.

Then a twig followed, a few feet further away, and another, closer still to where they'd set up camp. The taijiya turned back to the miko, who stood stock-still in the water, eyes huge.

"Kagome?" the former said. "Do you think something's wrong?"

Kagura tossed another stone, as if to say, "yes!"

"We should go back," the miko said at last. "I feel… something, anyway. Youki."

In a flash, both girls were out of the water and dressing, uncaring if they revealed anything important in their haste, and dashing back to the clearing. What they saw there made them skid to a halt.

Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo were standing around Kohaku, laughing so hard they were red-faced and crying. Kohaku, on the other hand, was standing on one leg with the other sticking almost straight up in the air. His torso was bent to the side, and one arm was flapping, winglike, while the other was busily tickling his own ribs.

Twin screams of "Inuyasha!" and "Miroku!" echoed through the trees then, and Kagura winced at the piercing sound. The women swooped down on the men like a swarm of locusts, and Kagura had to clap both hands over her mouth to stifle the laughter than threatened to overcome her as the air was filled with the sound of fists hitting flesh, Sango and Kagome delivering a severe and thorough thrashing. Only the kitsune escaped this fate, though the one called Kagome was seen to eye him fiercely, clearly thinking of ways to punish him for his part in the escapade as well.

When the men had been driven in shame away from the encampment, the women turned to the task of putting the hapless Kohaku into a more comfortable position-they untangled his limbs and shoved him gently onto Kagome's sleeping roll-before settling in for a lengthy diatribe about how purely awful the men were.

Typically human behaviour, Kagura felt. The women were always complaining about the men. Granted, usually it wasn't because the men had just been shaping another of their number into bizarre and nearly impossible positions, but still.

Kagura leant back in her feather-boat and relaxed, a smile teasing the corners of her lips. So far, this travail assigned to her by Sesshoumaru was not overly distressing. She'd been both altruistic and troublemaking, had helped Kohaku and gotten Inuyasha and the lecherous houshi into trouble, and likely set the wheels in motion for that kitsune to get a spanking before the day was out.

Life was, if not ideal, quite entirely salvageable.