InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Their Daughter's Journey ❯ Arrival of Love and Death ( Chapter 14 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

He lay lazily on the grass under the hot summer sun, his arms folded behind his 
head. His hair rested lifelessly against his form and the ground beneath, its dark ebony 
colour absorbing the heat from the rays of sunl ight shining down on him. Shadows from 
tree leaves danced across h is face as the wind blew by. 
“How boring,â€&n bsp;he said, his voice dull, barely any interest present. 
“W hat?†A woman asked, as if she had not heard the first time. She turned to him 
in a puzzled manner, though she knew what he meant. 
“T his place, it’s boring. We have been here for four days now and nothing has 
happened. Can’t we just move on?â€& nbsp;asked the black haired man as he anxiously tapped 
his index finger against the soil. 
“You know that we can’t,†she  replied, sighing and rubbing her forehead in an 
attempt to stop the migraine that would soon ensue. This man was childish when bored, 
as though he had not matured in his adult years. Whenever he was bored, he let her know. 
“But why?  It’s not like if we wait here something’s going  to happen. We should 
move on.†
†œBut-†
“There is n othing here. It’s best to continue,†he declared, hopping to his feet and 
trotting forward, leaving his female companion to try to catch up. She grabbed tightly to 
his arm in an attempt to stop him but his strength was too much and she, too, was dragged 
along. 
 
Shirou sluggishly walked outside in the open air. He yawned, stretched and 
opened his eyes to the blinding light of the sun. Its beams were hard on his eyes, which 
had spent the last three days in the darkness of the cave as he recuperated. That time he 
spent to recover made his body feel stiff, heavy. He wanted no more then to bolt through 
the forest and feel the wind against his skin. However, his caretaker would not allow it. 
“Shirou,â€& nbsp;she called from within the cave’s stone walls, “where are you going?†< br> She was suspicious of his intentions, as he had a personality not unlike his father. 
&ac irc;€œNowhere,†he replied in disappointment. At least, not while you’re around. 
Ri n glared at him with distrust, but brushed it off and forgot about it. If he were to 
leave, it’s not like she could stop him. He was too rambunctious for his own good. Still, it 
was a relief to see him so spirited. Only days ago he was on the verge of death, unable to 
even sit up properly. She knew it wouldn’t  kill him though. His blood was part demonic, 
no matter how muddled it may have been. 
She c ould not help but realize the length in which it was taking him to recover. If 
Master InuYasha or Lord Sesshomaru were the ones injured, their wounds would have 
already been sealed. In fact, if it were her Lord, he would not have been in such bad state 
from an injury such as that; it is a meager surface wound to demons belonging to the 
inuyoukai bloodline. Perhaps it was  because he carried so much human decent; however, 
he was still healing at  an amazing rate in comparison to what any human could. Is this 
what being quarter youkai was like? 
“Is something& nbsp;wrong?†Shirou asked, puzzled by her silence and blank 
expression. 
“No, it is nothing,†Rin reassured him, bringing her thoughts back to reality. The 
two sat, one in front of the other, as she applied clean bandages to his chest and arm. 
Already he was almost healed and ready to be taken as Lord Sesshomaru’s a pprentice, 

---

though there was no guarantee he would really train Shirou, the son of his rather 
impulsive younger brother. Of course, she would never tell him of his recovery; he would 
simply take off and reopen the gouges in his back. He was easy to read, but not as easy as 
Master InuYasha. True, they were similar, but still he was not& nbsp;the same. Something about 
him made her feel different when he spoke to her. 
“Hey,†interrupted the albino, â€œwhere are the othe rs? You know, that imp thing 
and the girl.†
“Ah,â€& nbsp;began the woman, wrapping the last of the bandages, “you are referring to 
Master Jaken and Sae. They are accompanying my Lord at the moment.†She wondered 
why& nbsp;he had asked. 
“Is that so?â€&nbs p;He stared off into space and thought about the mess of a woman he 
had previously met. She was intimidating and, to him, far more annoying than even his 
sibling. Already he had forgotten her name, taking no note of it. She was a boorish girl 
with a sour expression not unlike her Lord. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder, â€œWho is 
that girl anyway?†
â&eur o;œSae? Well, she is…†she fingered her lip, not exactly sure as to how she should 
explain it, “…she is like myself, I suppose.†
“What do&nbs p;you mean?†
“Well…& acirc;€ Rin’s voice trailed off, finding the proper words. Before giving a proper 
answer the woman jumped to her feet and ran to the entrance of the cave, leaping 
longingly into the arms of her beloved. “Lord Sesshomaru,†she said, tightly wrapping 
her arms around his waist, receiving little response, “I have missed you, my Lord!†
It was only momentary&n bsp;but, for an instance, Shirou swore he saw an upward curve 
on Sesshomaru’s face. He brushed it off as him being irrational and stood to his feet as 
the inuyokai’s  ;followers trailed in behind him. The silver youkai turned his gaze from the 
woman in his arms to the hanyou a few meters away, glowering. “Hey,†Shirou waved 
laxly, approaching him, “been a while.†
He  had forgotten about the pest that was waiting with Rin. It annoyed him that the 
boy hadn’t al ready left, though he was partially at fault for agreeing to train him. What a 
tiresome task. 
Sae&nb sp;appeared from behind the youkai, blood dripping from her shoulder. Her 
armor was cracked and broken. Hair disheveled, she dragged herself into the caved, 
placed her back against a wall and slid down it to rest. 
Shirou watched her from the edge of his vision, only a little curious. “The hell 
happened to you?†He watched her just as she had done before she left. Their situations 
had somehow reversed. 
“Shut up, half breed,†she barked, embarrassed and enraged by the boy standing 
before her, â& euro;œit is no concern of yours.†
“Keh, fine by me.†
Rin quickly rushed to the girl and tended to her shoulder just as she had for 
Shirou. Her injuries were far less severe but hurt just the same. After analyzing the gouge 
in her shoulder, she eyed Sesshomaru angrily. He had put her in danger once more, and 
that was not acceptable. Sesshomaru saw this and narrowed his eyes. Rarely did she stare 
at him like that â€ “ rarely, but when she did, she could stand up to even the greatest of 
demons, and that included the inuyoukai Sesshomaru himself. 
“My Lord, you have done something unforgivable.†

---

The silver youkai simply stood there seemingly unaffected, though worry crept 
beneath his poker face. “Is that so?†
She c lenched her teeth before beginning her outburst. “You put young Sae in 
danger! Do you not see the blood that she has lost?&nbs p;If she were human, she would have 
been mortally wounded! This is how you plan to raise our child, Milord?†
Sesshomaru turned away, unwilling to face the wrath of his mate. Likewise, 
Shirou’s ea rs twitched at this, his face turning a bright red. She had said child, right? 
Were these so very different beings really…? 
“Leave, Milord. I do not wish to see your face right now.†Her words were sharp. 
It had been a very long time since she had spoken to him like that and he knew that she 
was more than just a little angry. Much to his nephew’s surprise, he obeyed the order 
given to him by the human woman and left the cave. Jaken followed shortly after. 
She began applying ointment&nb sp;to the gouges in Sae’s shoulder and arm, exhaling 
noisily while doing so. “Really, that man has no paternal sense whatsoever,†Rin stated, 
still fuming over his irresponsibility. 
“Lady Rin, are you sure this is alright?†To Shirou’s surprise, Sae spoke politely 
and with obvious concern. He did not think it was possible for her to have manners, or to 
be worried, for that matter, though he wasn’t one to talk. They were similar, he had to 
admit, but he refused to delve deeper than that. 
“It is fine, Sae. It is due to his own foolishness that this happened to you. I cannot 
so easily forgive that.†
Shirou was impressed with Rin’s courage; it’s no t easy to stand up to someone as 
obviously strong as Sesshomaru. That man was seeping demonic aura from every inch of 
his body. Yet, in some shocking, seemingly impossible way, he was defeated by a human 
girl. How ironic. 
While the girls continued with their medical treatment, Shirou decided to step 
outside. Perhaps he would finally be able to exercise his over-rested legs. As he exited 
the cave he spot ted his uncle sitting very still on the gras s, simply staring into the sky. 
Curious and intimidated, he approached the man with cautiousness. He stopped before 
getting too close, sensing his irritability. Something interested him about Sesshomaru, but 
what it was he did not know. It wasn’t his strength or stature, he ascertained.  
“What is  it, boy?†asked Sesshomaru sharply, not bothering to turn and face him. 
“Rin,†Sesshom aru turned, though unnoticeably, “she’s pretty amazing, isn’t 
she?†He didn&acir c;€™t grace him with a reply. Shirou, assuming this meant he wasn’t a ngered 
by what he had said, continued. “That…about the thing  ;she mentioned…is she…?&a circ;€ 
“What concern is it of yours?†
“None, I suppose.†
“You needn’t know, then.†
“…&acir c;€ 
Suddenly the two caught a strange, unfamiliar scent. Though they did not 
recognize it, something about it seemed wrong. The silver youkai rose to his feet and 
flexed his claws, readying himself for whatever was near, be it friend or foe. After only 
moments, Jaken came bursting from w ithin the forest, a panicked mess. He shrieked for 
his Lord in his usual frantic manner, only more frightened than he was during previous 
endeavors. Shirou, not use to this, clenched his fists in fear. 

---

“Milord! Milord!â€& nbsp;shouted the shaken imp as he approach Sesshomaru. “T-there 
is a man there in the trees! He is not safe, Milord!†
“Is that so?&ac irc;€ His interest was piqued. This was a perfect way to release his 
agitation. 
“Master! †screamed Sae as she rushed out of the cave, spear in hand, much to the 
protests of Rin. “I sense something, Master.†
“You too?†asked Shirou, more amazed then unsure. For every one of them to 
sense the danger from one man was no coincidence and it wasn’t something& nbsp;that would 
happen normally. He hated to admit it, but compared to the other three his senses were 
dull, yet even he could sense the frightening aura seeping from this& nbsp;one individual. 
Their heads shot forward. A figure began to exit the shadows of forest. From that 
shadowy character appeared a man with long, tied back inky hair in a tan haori, a woman 
at his side with ash brown hair draped across her back. They took quick notice of the 
youkai and hanyou but showed little concern. In fact, the man smiled. 
Something wasn’t right. Despite all of the fear they felt over the approaching 
being, no doubt both were human. Not only did they show no demonic features, they 
smelled just like humans. No human could give off an aura that powerful, reminiscent 
only of Naraku. 
“Well, well,†spoke the man, stretching his arms laxly as he neared, “what do we 
have here? A hanyou and three youkai?†
Shirou growled low in his voice, crouching in preparation for attack. This seemed 
to amuse him. 
“Oh and what’s this? A human, too? My, what a diverse group you are.†
Sesshomaru scowled at him with a look that said he was ready kill. He gripped 
tightly to Tenseiga knowing that if anyone were to die he could revive them…all except 
Rin. &n bsp;
“Beat it unless you want to die!†threatened Sae as she entered a fighting stance. 
“Moron, you& acirc;€™re still injured!†Shirou pointed to her bandages which were already 
starting to stain with blood. 
“Do you want to die, too, half-breed?†
“Keh,â€&nb sp;pouted Shirou as he crossed his arms, “those looks are wasted on you.†
“What did you say?†
“Nothing at&nb sp;all.†
Through all of this the pair stayed silent, the man’s grin grown ever the wider. 
“What a lively  bunch.†
“It would appear so,†replied the woman, pushing her dark strands away from her 
eyes. They stopped casually and the man crossed his arms, overconfidence dripping from 
his face. The two teens took note of this and stopped fighting, instead directing their 
anger at the pair. 
“Have you children finished your quarreling?†
“Shut up, asshole!†barked Shirou, ready to sharpen his claws on the man. â€œWho 
the hell are  you and when are you going to attack? I’m gettin’ sick of waiting.†
“Let’ s say I’m a friend.â€&nbs p;
“Bullshit.†
â€&o elig;Cheeky aren’t you?†he&n bsp;mumbled, though not audible to the others. “I did not 
come to fight, but I wouldn’t mind taking you up on your offer.†

---

“Oh yeah?â € Shirou charged at him, claws flexing in preparation. Sesshomaru 
grabbed him by the collar and threw him to the ground before he could take more than a 
few steps. He looked up, both stocked and confused, met with his uncle’s glower. Chills 
ran down his back when he saw that. 
“So you want to fight me? Alright then, let’s see what you’ve& nbsp;got.†The ebony-
haired man stretched and entered a fighting stance. About to start the fight, his 
companion grabbed hold of his ear and pulled him back. She thrust him to the ground, 
leaving the opposing side du mbfounded. He rubbed his ear and looked up at her with 
more annoyance than shock. 
“Ayano!†He shout ed while trying to rid himself of the throbbing of his ear. 
“You know we’re not supposed to fight. We should not have even left our post, 
but you just had to go exploring. Well I’ve had enough. I will not allow you to cause 
trouble by fighting this group.â& euro; 
He glared at her, pouted and soon rose to his feet again. He turned to Sesshomaru 
once more and waved. “Sorry, she’s right. I’m not supposed to be fighting.†
“And you expect us to believe that?†asked Shirou, disdain in his voice. 
The man sighed. “As I stated, I’m a friend. Or, at least, I’m not an enemy. Let’s 
just say that  ;we’re neutral.†He turned to Ayano for reassurance that what he was saying 
was& nbsp;correct. He didn’t seem to fully understand his own situation. 
“Oh, sure, someone with your power is just wandering around after the demon 
attack a few days ago for no reason whatsoever.†You could hear the sarcasm oozing 
from Shirouâ&eu ro;™s voice. 
“While I tha nk you for acknowledging my strength, it’s not exactly like that.â&e uro; 
“Oh?†
†œWe’re looking for something,†began Ayano, stepping in, “a jewel by the name 
Shiko n no Tama.†
“Foolish,† ;stated Sesshomaru, the tension he felt settling. 
â€&o elig;Why do you say that, demon?†asked the brunette, concern showing in her tone. 
She listened intently for his reply, which he at first was not going to give. 
“The jewel of which you speak is no more.†
“What?†Th e pair asked in unison. They did not want to believe his words. 
“It was  ;destroyed many years ago by a priestess,†Rin began, retelling the story as 
she remembered it . “The jewel held a cursed existence. To end the cycle of suffering, she 
made a wish for it to disappear and since then it has not resurfaced.†
Shirou recognised this story well. Every once in a while his mother told this story 
to him when he was young. He knew it was from t heir past. He knew so much about the 
jewel which had brought his parents together. He never learned what it was despite that. 
Suddenly he&nb sp;took interest in these unusual and powerful strangers. 
“Itâ€&trad e;s still out there.†Everyone turned to the man. “Something that powerful 
cannot  ;be destroyed.†
An awkward silence rose. The sun was high in the sky as noon approached. No 
one really knew what to say to that. Most knew it to be gone. Some thought otherwise. 
“Takai, we should return. There’s no point in staying here.†
“Yeah.â& euro; The dark-haired man turned to leave with Ayano but first stopped to 
point at Sesshomaru. â€œWe&aci rc;€™ll continue this if we meet again, alright demon?†

---

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. Sae’s raised her guard at this, unwilling for a hand 
to be laid on her Lord. The two vanished into the forest the way they came. Noon arrived. 
 
 
A/N: Sorry for such a long wait! I had most of this done after exams but never got around 
to finish it. As for the title, Takai and Ayano are â€œLove†and “Death†if you were 
wondering. What do you guys think? Who do you think they are? I’m interested in 
hearing your opinions. This story has A LOT of characters involved (there are still more 
members of the main cast, some who will be revealed as soon as the next chapter and 
some that won’t be rev ealed for a long time) so I’m  hoping no one gets confused as 
people are added. Yes, these two are important. Yes, more will be revealed about them 
shortly . And yes, the next chapter will be about Kikyou’s group and their parents. Please 
tell me what you thought of it. I’d appreciate the feedback. 

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