InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ To Bind a Soul ❯ Interludes ( Chapter 43 )

Okay. I know it's been a really long time, but MM just wouldn't let me log in until this month. Let me tell you, you can expect me to finish this story. It's just between two jobs, highschool, newspaper, yearbook, japanese club and organizing my senior trip, I'm stressed for time. Not to mention I'm apply for college this month. So, without further ado, here's chapter 43. Enjoy. You sure waited long enough.

Chapter 43- Interludes

Sesshomaru.

The inuyoukai stood before Miroku silently, his golden eyes calculating everything that went on around him. Miroku had no doubt that Sesshomaru could kill him within seconds if the monk so much as made a wrong move.

The silence thickened and Sango shifted her weight slightly, bending her knees to give herself a bit of preparation should Sesshomaru attack.

But he didn't attack.

He stood there measuring the two humans that stood battle posed before him. Finally, after a lengthy moment, Sesshomaru broke the stalemate and smiled coldly.

"What brings you to our humble village, Sesshomaru-sama?" Miroku asked cautiously.

"My brother," he replied simply.

"Inuyasha is not here presently," replied Miroku.

"Then I will wait until he is. He is in a lot of trouble as I'm sure the both of you know."

Sango had to fight the urge to smirk. The only thing that allowed her to keep a straight face was the fact that the Inuyoukai standing before her was acting so strangely.

The tension between the three shattered when a small girl no taller than inuyoukai's knee squealed and ran up to Sesshomaru, wrapping her small arms around the Inuyoukai's leg. Her hair was pulled to the side of her head in a neat ponytail and she was dressed in a fine kimono despite the grass and dirt that stained it. "Sesshomaru-sama," the girl said disconsolately, Jaken-sama said you would leave me here in this village."

Sango looked at the scene playing before with something akin to horror. Didn't that little girl know danger when she saw it? But to Sango's utter amazement, Sesshomaru looked down at the human child and gave her a small, sincere smile.

"Did he now?" replied Sesshomaru, placing his hand on top of Rin's head. "I must have a word with him then."

"You won't leave me, will you Sesshomaru-sama?" asked Rin worriedly.

"No Rin, I will not leave you."

Rin looked back at her Inuyoukai guardian and gave him a brilliant smile. "May I go play in the field, Sesshomaru-sama?"

Sesshomaru nodded and dismissed Rin with a wave of his hand.

Miroku didn't know what had just happened but he was willing to bet Sesshomaru's soft side was a new development. "I see," Miroku replied softly.

It was loud enough for Sesshomaru's keen hearing to pick it up. "What did my little brother do?" asked the Sesshomaru, a slight growl intertwined with his words.

Miroku flinched and relaxed his stance to show the Inuyoukai that he meant no harm. After a moment Sango followed the monk in suit.

Sesshomaru ignored their gestures and shot them a cold glance. Within the last few weeks, the proud inuyoukai had been put through some very difficult and almost terrifying changes. In his opinion it was bad enough to wake up one morning and feel guilt for killing helpless humans in the past, however worthless they may be. The entire escapade infuriated Sesshomaru.

And what was even more frustrating was his growing fondness for Rin. Sesshomaru had winced at the revelation of understanding his hanyou brother. That's when it all clicked together. There was only one thing in Heaven and Earth that could possibly change Sesshomaru so quickly, and that was magic. He had to be under a spell. An awful, gut-shattering, insipid spell. When the rumors of an inuhanyou having performed The Sharing of Blood reached him, the inuyoukai wasted no time in hunting Inuyasha down for interrogation. The aftereffects of such a mythical spell must be affecting him, and Sesshomaru would give Inuyasha hell (without killing him) for the whole mess. The entire ordeal was giving Sesshomaru the start of an identity crisis. For crying out loud, there were now humans who controlled their emotions better than he did!

Sesshomaru sighed in frustration before replying to the two humans in front of him. "Tell me all that has happened since that spell was performed and any other insight you may have." Sesshomaru spat out the word spell as if it was something grotesque.

Miroku nodded and took Sango's elbow as he walked past her and led the Demon Lord of the Western Lands to Kaede's hut. He glanced at the youkai's troubled expression and had to resist the urge to laugh.

^_^

Asami sat in front of her vanity table as she examined her hair. The gray that had rapidly begun to appear in the last few years was gone. If she didn't know any better Asami would say the few wrinkles she had were beginning to lighten and disappear. She must be imagining it. People her age didn't wake up one morning and suddenly be void of gray hair and wrinkles (at least without any type of hair dye or surgery).

With a sigh of total confusion, Asami sighed and turned off the lamp over her vanity table. She should go make dinner for her growing family.

Kagome was making out the wedding invitations when Asami entered the kitchen. There was a small stack of sealed envelopes in the corner of the table that she assumed were finished. "How's it coming?' asked Asami.

"Fine Mama. I'm just wondering if I should invite Yuka and the girls," Kagome replied wearily.

"I don't see why not. You won't be going back to school so its not like you'll have to deal with everyone finding out your married and pregnant."

"I guess," replied Kagome reluctantly.

"So are you going to invite your friends?"

"Yes."

"Good. Are there any other people you would like to invite other than family members?"

"No. I think the smaller the group, the better."

"Okay then, dear. Now, what would you like for dinner."

"Oden," replied Kagome automatically.

"Of course dear."

"Thanks Mama."

Asami nodded before removing the pen from her daughter's hand and picking up the wedding invitations. "I'll finish this up dear. Why don't you go take a bath?"

"A bath sounds good," replied Kagome, smiling up at her mother as she left the room and headed for the bathroom.

Asami couldn't help but smile at her daughter. Lately she seemed to glow with happiness.

She paused a moment when Jiichan walked in. Her father-in-law had been acting strangely these past few days and so she was concerned when he came in with a placid look on his face. "What is it?" Asami asked.

Jiichan sat down in the seat Kagome had recently vacated and took a deep breath. It was now or never. "I just came from the hospital," he said calmly.

Asami closed the half-open refrigerator door and sat down across from him. A week ago, Jiichan had been diagnosed with cancer. Asami was the only one that knew about it excluding Jiichan himself. "And what did the doctor say?" she asked, almost as afraid to ask the question as she was to hear the answer.

"I don't have cancer anymore," he replied, his voice sounding confused.

"What?" Asami almost shouted. She had been hoping for good news but this was too good to be real.

Jiichan gave his daughter-in-law a half smile before beginning to explain. "Apparently, it cleared up all on its own. After I went to the third doctor and found out the results, I went back to the first doctor to see if . . . well, I guess I had a feeling that something had happened. Sure enough, the first doctor, Doctor Hanna, confirmed the third doctor's results. I went back to the second doctor as well. He ended up with the same conclusion. I'm cured. They said they must have made a mistake."

Asami sat dumbstruck, not knowing what to say. Jiichan broke the silence with a question of his own. "Do you think being miraculously cured has something to do with Kagome's spell?"

Asami snapped out of her daze and seriously thought about it. "It would certainly explain everything that has been happening," she replied contemplatively.

"Should we ask?" suggested Jiichan.

"No." Asami shook her head. "No, not yet. Let's just wait awhile. She and Inuyasha have been through a lot this past month. Let's just let them relax for now."

Jiichan looked ready to argue but after a moment nodded his head in agreement. "Alright then, we'll wait."