Sesshoumaru soared through the night sky in his true inuyoukai form. In a wide sweeping arc he circled the vast breadth of his dominion, the miles upon miles blurring away beneath the extensive length of his strides. Glittering vapor billowed from his massive jaws, his powerful forelimbs lunging ahead, his mighty hind legs propelling him forth as his claws tore through the thick clouds like smoke. Unrestrained, his youki poured out over the land in tidal currents of energy, cresting and breaking as strongly and fluidly as the sibilant flexing of his muscles.
It was cathartic to release himself to his bestial nature, to lose himself in the rush of the icy air through his fur, in the bracing scents of the wind and the earth and the rain. And for a time, he was lost, untroubled, aware only of what passed through his demonic senses. Yet gradually, his reason returned to him, in a trickle at first, then faster and faster—an avalanche of higher concerns, Kagome’s fate chief among them.
Glaring up at the sickle moon above him, Sesshoumaru broke suddenly from his circuitous path and charged toward it with a resounding roar. Upward and upward he flew, until his breath froze in his lungs and his stony claws sparked against the celestial boundary that divided the physical world from the divine. Heavenly thunder boomed around him in warning. With a low growl, he spun sharply away, assuming the likeness of gods and men once more as his boots touched down upon a pinnacle of floating rock.
Dawn was breaking out over the East. Sesshoumaru’s eyes narrowed slightly in the ruddy gleam, the weight of the Shikon no Tama chafing against his chest.
Arriving at the Western Palace barracks, he was not at all surprised to find Inuyasha pacing the high ancient walls. Given his obvious state of agitation, Sesshoumaru would have been surprised, in fact, to learn his brother had not spent the entirety of the night doing just that. Once more, the demon lord found himself forced to concede to the similarities between them.
“Prepare yourself, Inuyasha,” he said, a hint of threat underscoring his words as the hanyou rushed eagerly over to him. “Kagome is still gravely injured and in need of peaceful rest. I will not tolerate any violent outbursts in her presence.”
His brother paused, sparing him a brief, inscrutable glance before alighting cross-legged onto Sesshoumaru’s youki cloud with a snort. “Yeah, yeah—I get it. Let’s go, already.”
Skeptical that Inuyasha truly appreciated the seriousness of the situation, Sesshoumaru rose nonetheless, setting a course for the far tower. Transformed, Ryouken flew alongside them in escort—a great hulking silver-grey beast, broad indigo stripes slashing across his blocky muzzle and up and around his dark-clawed feet.
“Just how many cousins do we have, anyway?” Inuyasha asked on a mumble.
“I have many,” Sesshoumaru replied, glancing down. “You have Ryouken.”
“…Great,” the hanyou muttered, his ears drooping.
For a while, he was silent, his golden eyes still following their cousin’s doglike form. A slight furrow wrinkled his brow, his tone guarded as he finally spoke.
“Who looks more like Father, you or him?”
Looking away toward the distant blue horizon, Sesshoumaru considered. The frown on his face was a shadow of his brother’s own.
“No one looks like Father,” he answered at last.
Inside the castle, he led Inuyasha and Ryouken through the long narrow hall, his flinty eyes cutting forbiddingly to his brother when he tried to edge ahead. The door to Kagome’s room slid open as they approached, Hikari emerging with a basket of linen and herbs. Bowing quickly to Sesshoumaru, she made to slip past them, when Ryouken abruptly blocked her path.
“Well now, here is a face I have not seen—and such a lovely one at that,” he added with a rakish glint of fang, his bulky, muscled form towering over Hikari’s slight figure. “What is your name, little flower?”
Nervously, the young demoness shifted. “…My name is Hikari, my lord.”
“Hikari…it suits you,” Ryouken rumbled, shamelessly fingering a stray lock of her shimmering hair between his claws. “Your mother must have been a great beauty indeed.”
Hikari ducked her head, her spine and shoulders tensing. Sighing inwardly, Sesshoumaru stepped forward to put an end to this nonsense when Inuyasha knocked Ryouken’s hand roughly aside.
“Get your paws off her, you lecher,” the hanyou growled. “Can’t you see you’re making her uncomfortable?”
The captain chuckled, clapping a heavy hand to Inuyasha’s shoulder instead. “Calm yourself, cousin. I meant the girl no harm.”
The maidservant looked to Sesshoumaru’s half-brother in surprise. Ears flattened, the buckled hanyou turned his glower upon her.
“What’re you starin’ at?” he bit out. “Get movin’.”
Blushing, Hikari fled away down the hall.
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
Awww…I foresee an adorable relationship budding there.
I also saw that hedging, Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha looks like your dad and you know it!
I keep hoping for Kagome to just…spring back. You know? And then I keep wondering what if he used the jewel…? But then, that’d be bad too.
Hehe <3
Yeah, the Jewel is problematic...
Thanks so much for sharing and hope you like the next chapter!! 🙂
this is getting really interesting. i read through the last three chapters just now. the moment sesshoumaru realized he almost made a wish on the jewel unconsciously, holy shit! that was intense! i do hope sesshoumaru searches high and low and with all his might to find a good healer for her bodily wounds. she’ll probably be blind, missing an eye, and littered with more than a few battle scars… but she’ll have character. if she lives…
Hahaha yeah the Jewel is tricky tricky 😉
So glad you’re enjoying the story so far! 🙂 If there’s a will, there’s a way – or so I like to believe. Kagome is a special person <3
I don’t know why fate or the Gods like to use Kagome but never protect her. She is like cannon fodder in the fight against good and evil. They just discard her once they reach their goals.
What kind of life will she have in that condition? She can’t walk, talk or see in one eye. She is mutilated inside and out. She cannot have children.
Will Sesshoumaru marry her because he feels so guilt-stricken? Will he become her caretaker dog until death finally claims her? Is Inuyasha even going to stick around? Will he bail on her and hook up with that hanyou servant? Kagome certainly doesn’t look like Kikyo anymore and she cannot do the things she used to do for him.
What value does she hold now in an era where women are deemed second class citizens. She cannot bear children, her powers as a priestess are locked and she cannot work to earn her keep. She will be deemed a burden in that time period.
And if someone like Sesshoumaru decides to take her in, who really wants to live a life as an object of pity or a charity case? No one.
Who will fault Kagome if she blames Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha and the others for not saving her in time. One can see her succumbing to anger, depression then becoming embittered. Aside from rewinding time, getting back her reiki to heal herself, wishing on the jewel or having someone cast a powerful magical spell on her, Kagome has little chance of returning to what she was before.
I feel that you put Kagome in this no-win situation in order for Sesshoumaru to become more empathetic etc to others. At this point, I feel he and the others are holding her back from death for their own benefit. Perhaps to assuage their guilt. I actually do not feel sorry for them.
They have always been physically stronger than Kagome. They move faster, have better fighting skills and wield powerful weapons, but not one of them got there in time. Not one of the many allies and friends this teenager made along her journey put his or her life on the line to save her.
I wanted to go berserk myself on Kagome’s behalf and beat the living daylights out of these so-called friends and allies.
The outlook for Kagome is certainly grim. 🙁 A life like that hardly seems worth living…
I feel like under the circumstances Kagome is fully entitled to blame anyone and everyone – Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, her other friends, the gods themselves…
People will be selfish, even if they don’t fully realize it. Motivations can be complicated to dissect, even for the most self-aware.
Absolutely love hearing your insights and reactions, Doug! Very inspiring 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to share <3 <3
I am in total agreement with Doug’s assessment of Kagome’s current situation and her life. Our thoughts were basically on the same wave length. lol 🙂
The only other thing I can think of is that the jewel seems to be a sentient self-serving object that wants to keep itself ‘alive’ by any means necessary. Maybe by chance or inadvertently it gets reabsorbed back into Kagome’s body and starts the healing process to where she is completely healed and gains back everything that she lost…her eye, reproductive organs and beauty along with anything else such as her powers and the ability to move her limbs.
Hopefully, if Sesshomaru decides to mate and marry her, it will be out of unselfish love and not guilt, remorse or pity. That’s the one thing she does not need because it would only hinder her healing process; maybe his youki would hasten and improve the healing of her body and his love would help in soothing some of the mental and emotional effects of the horrific traumas inflicted upon her. She would also gain a nearly immortal or an immortal lifespan which would allow her to see her family and friends again. That could be a reward and her happily ever after.
The only other option I can see for her is that she accepts and live what cruel life the Fates and kami have dealt her or she gives up and dies. They, in a since, took a good girl, chewed her up and then spat her out.
Ahh I love hearing your theories on the Jewel, Cheryl! To be honest, the Jewel has always been a fascinating subject from the original story that I love exploring in some of my fanfictions. I kind of think of it in a sense like the One Ring from the Lord of the Rings lol. It is certainly a mysterious object 🙂
Nothing would be worse than thinking someone married you out of guilt or obligation 🙁 I’d certainly rather be alone haha. 1 person unhappy is better than 2 people unhappy in my opinion.
Anyway, absolutely loved hearing the different options you’ve laid out here! Hope you’ll like how the story plays out! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! <3 <3
I smell a relationship set up~
I wonder if Sesshomaru and Inuyasha can’t petition to the gods for a meting of sorts…
Hehehe <3