Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Angelus
By : TwilightAlien
Category: InuYasha > General
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Chapter List
- 22
- 23
- 24
Chapter 23
The effects of their little strode in the woods
had been immediate and not unpleasant. Of course Rin and Jaken had finally
given up on waiting for their return and had fallen asleep on an almost empty
stomach, for they had only eaten the greeneries they found; but they had been
immensely pleased when a scent of roasting meat awakened them next morning. The
breakfast had been very pleasant, the young child laughing a lot while she ate
and explained once again, in the details, every magical move the young fox
youkai showed her in their captivity. Even Jaken demonstrated his gratitude by
keeping his acidic comments to himself, eager to fill his stomach with as much
meat as it was physically possible; and even more, if he could.
The thrill of the hunt dissipated slowly from
Sesshomaru�s senses as time passed, but it did not disappear; instead his mind
replaced it with another: the need to search and destroy Naraku was coming back
even stronger than after the fight at the rat nest. His customary calm and stoic
demeanor could not hide his internal restlessness to Kitana, and she could only
guess what the cause of this unrest was. As he sat against a tree, waiting for
his followers to be done eating, his mind wandered far away, trying to devise a
plan to bring his enemy out in the open.
When they finally left their camp, everyone was
satiated and happy with themselves. Kitana was pleased to see how the efforts
of the last days had paid off, the taiyoukai being now much more at ease with
their connection than ever. Her unexpected meal had a soothing effect on both
of them, taking the edge off of her temper and letting her natural curiosity
for the world around her come back at full force. The creature was as always
eager to explore and see for herself what wonders this world kept hidden from
her, and travelling with her companions was a nice way to quench her thirst for
experiences and adventures.
Sesshomaru seemed to be in a hurry however, and
instead of walking the forest like he usually did, he took flight. Kitana was
puzzled and as she studied him from Ah-Un�s saddle, Rin comfortably settled in
front of her, she only saw her own feelings reflected back at her: a little bit
of irritation combined with an increasing curiosity that couldn�t be satisfied.
Were they really feeling the same, or was it once again the curse of the
twisted link that they shared so unwillingly? Neither of them could tell.
About midday, Sesshomaru landed on a dirt road
beside a rocky hill and started to go up the slope. Kitana dismounted from her
steed along with Rin, who had fallen asleep on the way.� The two girls let Ah-Un go his own way, as he
was always following faithfully wherever his master went, but Jaken didn�t
intend to let that be.
�Rin, I told you hundreds of time you silly human
girl, you cannot let your mount wander alone in the wilderness. You may need it
at any time and should keep it close at hand. Never let go of the reins!�
shrieked the kappa with his ever-annoying voice as he went to retrieve the
steed.
�Ah-Un are Ah-Un, master Jaken, not it! They
will stay close.�
Kitana smiled at the attitude of the young
girl, who always distinguished each head as an individual no matter what others
would say. The dragon steed was indeed very infatuated with her and faithfully
kept watch over her, but that was where his allegiances stopped; there was no
respect or obedience lost on Jaken.
Rin started to laugh at the small youkai�s
antics and Kitana soon couldn�t resist a laugh either. As Jaken ran up to Ah-Un
to take hold of the reins, the dragon kept his two heads way up in the air,
balancing the leathery lead ropes just out of reach of the short, stubby
creature.
Her eyes sprinkling with tears of laughter, the
young human child took Kitana by the hand and slowly, they crept away from the
comical scene. Jaken was funny when he was made a fool of by Ah-Un, but it
would be even funnier when he would think he had been abandoned� They started
to walk along a steep vertical cliff, hurrying to join Sesshomaru.
--
Sesshomaru�s patience was wearing thin. For
almost two whole minutes now he had been waiting for his group to keep up with
him. Not that it was an habit for him to do so, not at all, but this day a
disturbing scene was unravelling before his eyes and he stayed glued on his
spot to study what was happening.
Not fifty feet from him, he could see his ward,
hand in hand with Kitana, walking just on the edge of the forest he was
standing in, purposely ignoring his presence. Twice he saw them go back from
where they came, and twice they turned around again, seemingly lost. As his
irritation grew, he noticed that a slight hint of nervousness was starting to
grow inside of him, and he knew for sure he was not nervous. Annoyed, yes, but
worried no. The frown on Kitana�s face was tell-tale though, and even though
she didn�t want to show the child her discomfort and talked to her in a
cheerful tone of voice, it was clear to him that this unwanted feeling was
coming from her.
--
From the moment she left Jaken behind, Kitana
had lost all signs of Sesshomaru�s presence. Trying to conceal her worries from
the girl at her side, she felt out for his body heat, then for his huge inner
energy, to no avail. All she could tell was that he was not dead, for she
clearly sensed that he was about to lose his temper over something.
When a hand suddenly came out of nowhere to
land on her right shoulder, Kitana�s reaction was lightning-fast. She pushed
Rin out of the way while at the same time she grabbed the offending appendage
and threw its owner on the ground beside her. Surprisingly, the said owner of
the arm fought back and rolled over her, pinning her to the ground between
solid, muscular thighs. As anger boiled inside of her, pushing her to coil her
deadly tail around the attacker�s body, she stilled; for the man that was now
seated upon her, eyes narrowed and anger painted clearly upon his features, was
none other than Sesshomaru. She became limp.
�How?� she whispered.
�Why did you just attack me?� he asked with a
barely contained rage.
Her eyes wide in disbelief, she ignored his
question.
�How did you sneak up on me?�
�This Sesshomaru certainly did nothing of the
sort. Your name was called twice before I came back from the woods to get you.
You ignored my very presence, and then my calls.�
Kitana�s tail slumped to the ground, and she
raised herself up on her elbows.
�Cut the crap, Sesshomaru. You did not call to
me, and I couldn�t even feel your presence. You appeared out of thin air, or�
out of the cliff itself. You can imagine that if I had felt you, I would have
come to you� she replied, containing her ire at being treated that way. �Back
from the woods, yeah like there are woods here on that hill�� she muttered to
herself in a whisper, shaking her head.
A single white brow went up under the taiyoukai
bangs, signalling his confusion.
�Are you saying that I lied? Indeed there are
woods. A whole forest, as a matter of fact.�
Rolling her eyes at his insistence, Kitana then
realized he was telling the truth, or at least what he genuinely thought was
the truth. Feeling her intense scrutiny, and for once realizing the position
they were in, Sesshomaru rose and unexpectedly extended his hand out to her.
Kitana let him help her back on her feet, and kept his hand in her own as he
slowly walked backward toward the cliff, bringing her with him.
�You do not see the forest� he observed more
than he asked.
Kitana was puzzled, for all was before her, all
she could see behind Sesshomaru, was the high cliff alongside which she walked
earlier.
At her negative nod, Sesshomaru looked at Rin.
For the first time since they met, the child looked at him with concern in her
eyes. Even Jaken, who had finally managed to grab the reins of the sly beast,
had heard his words and was standing there, his beak wide opened and his eyes
bulging.
Returning his attention to Kitana, the
taiyoukai suddenly jumped backward, hauling her with him. She screamed as they
passed through what she considered to be a solid wall of rock, landing beside a
tall oak. Then her scream was muted by the loud, despaired shriek of Jaken and
the surprised cry of Rin. Both of them reached the point of the cliff where
they had seen their master disappear, placing their hands as if they were
touching an invisible wall.
Kitana was wide-eyed beside Sesshomaru, taking
in the scenery around her. Behind him was a slowly descending slope covered by
what could only be described as a huge, centenarian forest, growing in what
appeared to be a very old inactive volcano.
�A barrier.�
His stern voice brought her back to reality and
she eyed him with scepticism.
�A barrier? Like the one around the young
warrior-child, Hakudoshi? Or the dark miko?� she whispered.
�No. One that conceals the forest�s very
existence to intruders.� He turned his head to her. �To you.�
Kitana was not at ease, for she could not feel
the energy of a barrier before being brought there by force. A feeling of dread
was washing upon her, growing stronger the more she looked at the forest around
them. Seeing the anxiety growing in Rin as Jaken was panicking beside her, she
went back to them, making them scream of surprise as she reappeared right from
the rocky cliff itself.
Rin flung herself at her legs, hugging one of
her legs tightly.
�Kitana-sama! Rin saw you disappear in the rock
and was very worried!�
�Don�t be, Rin. The cliff is an illusion.
Sesshomaru-sama is waiting on the other side. Come with me, we�ll join him.�
Taking the little child by the hand, she turned
around and walked right into the cliff, banging her head in on the rock and
hurting herself in the process. Illusion or not, the rock was as real as any
other and there was no way she could pass through it.
On the other side, Sesshomaru cocked his head
to one side.
�Hn. Interesting.�
Rin and Jaken hopeful eyes were trained upon
Kitana. She felt the solidity of the wall with one hand, then stilled. Her eyes
turned a deep, rich golden tone as she summoned her energies and pushed them
through the wall just as she did to destroy the miko�s barrier. To no avail:
the cliff would not budge.
Jaken�s panic overflowed and he started crying,
running in circles behind Kitana and Rin.
�Sesshomaru-sama, oh my poor Sesshomaru-sama,
he is caught behind this wall and there is no way we can reach him, we have
been abandoned, aban-�
His ranting was cut short when a well thrown rock
sent him flying on his backside. Kitana was getting irritated enough not to
endure such a coward around her anymore, and the little Rin, as brave and
thrusting as she was, was now looking at her with eyes clouded by concern. But
it was Sesshomaru who reacted, reminding the little kappa that a mere barrier
wouldn�t be able to contain him. He savoured the growing bump on the kappa�s
head then walked back to them.
The sight of him appearing right from the very
rock was distressing, even for Kitana, but Rin regained her composure as soon
as her master came back to them. He reached out for Kitana�s hand, just as he
did earlier, and let the small human child grab his pant. Turning around, he
once again went through the cliff he didn�t even see, Jaken leaping to take
hold of his fur pelt at the last moment.
�Oh! It�s a forest! A magnificent forest behind
a rocky cliff! Rin loves it!� exclaimed the child before letting go of her
master and hopping her way amongst the trees.
Sesshomaru let go of Kitana�s hand and turned
around, resuming his journey. She, however, didn�t move much further. As he
advanced in the forest, accompanied by his ward and retainer, an unpleasant
feeling similar to fear washed over him, getting stronger with each step he
took. He gritted his teeth and stopped again, waiting for Kitana to regain her
composure.
Kitana could feel Sesshomaru�s irritation at
her attitude, but she couldn�t care less. She had set foot in enemy�s
territory, an enemy that she couldn�t feel nor see, and it put her on edge. The
forest was maybe pretty to the young Rin�s eyes, but to her it was not. The
tall trees were towering over her, preventing the
light from reaching the ground and creating an eerie atmosphere. Old greyish
green moss was hanging from their branches and no bird song, bees or insects
could be heard, as if nature itself was waiting for a disaster to occur. The
only sounds that pierced the silence were sinister cracking noises emitted from
the old branches; even the wind seemed to have deserted the area. This forest
was a very gloomy place which made her expects the worse.
Looking around, she tried to locate sentient
beings but found none. Expanding her senses, she found multiple animals, even
some larger herbivores, all of them very still and silent, but no human or
youkai except for her companions. This forest appeared as a haven for wildlife,
untouched by humans, unspoiled by lower youkai, but it held an air of danger
that repelled her strongly.
Under Sesshomaru�s severe glare, she forced
herself to move forward, one foot at a time, but soon enough she had to stop
again. Turning toward a nearby tree she cocked her head to the side; she could
swear that she felt something coming from it, a tiny source of energy similar
to youki. She reluctantly extended a hand toward its bark, grazing the old,
cracked surface with the backside of her fingers. The feeling was highly
unpleasant, and there was definitely some sort of energy coursing through the
large vegetal, something akin to youki. The tree itself was not a demon, but it
was very likely some sort of vessel used by another youkai maybe, or a powerful
entity. Yes, that was it. Closing her eyes, she focused on determining the
source of this palpable energy that coursed up to the very leaves and tiniest
branches of its canopy.
Then she started to feel it.
Inside her head, there were whispers. Whispers
that spoke of unwanted things entering forbidden territory, whispers that told
her she was uninvited and unwelcomed, in this forest as well as in this world.
Not only uninvited, but disgusting and repelling as well, a being that no one
should approach for fear of being tainted by her darkness. Strong feelings of
disdain and revulsion washed over her, growing stronger and stronger as she
listened to them. Affected by this disturbing blend of words that spoke of
total rejection, Kitana withheld her hand from the tree, but the action did
nothing to lessen the assault. The unspoken words in her mind echoed with long
forgotten memories of her earlier years, when people whispered against her in
her back, when she was rejected by everyone, unwanted by all but her masters.
She was repulsive, she was disliked, loathed by the beings around her, it would
be better if she never came to life. Sesshomaru had thought that way too in the
beginning of their forced companionship, oh yes he did, and deep inside of him
lingered traces of this reject of her. There was still no doubt about that in
Jaken�s mind, he made no secret that to him she was nothing but an hindrance to his master and a liability for the safety of
their little group. She should go away, move out of the life of those who do
not want her, she had to. She had to disappear, to return to oblivion where she
would disturb no one, endanger no one, disgust no one.
Sesshomaru could not believe what he was
seeing. In front of him, Kitana slowly curled up in a small ball on the ground,
her whole body shivering intensely. Her mind was being destroyed, slowly but
surely, by emotions she should not be feeling. He felt the rejection and the
desire to disappear that came from her, not understanding how such strong
thoughts could have come to her so unexpectedly and be so overpowering.
Frowning, he walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt
to soothe her, or shake her out of her strange attitude. This had to stop.
She did not react to his touch the way he
anticipated. Instead of calming her down, his warm palm upon her skin sent her
into panic and she lashed at him with her tail before trying to move away
hastily, still kneeling on the ground. The short contact between them
heightened the intensity of their link and in this short instant he received
with even more strength the power of the unsettling things she was feeling. For
an instant, he came close to feel that way too, but Sesshomaru knew better than
that. These emotions were totally foreign to him; his opinion of himself was
too high to be depleted in such an idiotic way as self-loathing was. Kitana
however, for a reason he was unable to fathom, was highly sensible to this
rubbish and he had to find a way to calm her down.
�Sesshomaru-sama?� asked Rin in a tiny,
concerned tone of voice.
That was all he needed to act; no one would
make his ward worry if he could help it. Immensely annoyed by the whole ordeal,
unable to fight when there was no tangible enemy around, he used his newly
found power over their link to emit calming feelings toward Kitana, tempering
his own impatience and letting peace and harmony invade his spirit.
To no avail; whatever was affecting the onyx
creature was stronger than the meager appeasing emotions he could summon. Now
frowning deeply, he decided it was time to take desperate measures. He caught
up with Kitana�s shivering form and quickly coiled his furs around her,
scooping her up in his arm. She screamed like a banshee and started to claw and
bite at him, succeeding to draw blood from his chin before he totally
immobilized her arms and legs with his pelt and arm. The hardest battle was
with the tail, which was incredibly strong and fast, but he resolved the issue
by casually kneeling down on it, pinning it down under his weight. Doing his
best to keep her sideway on his knees so her inner jaw and her back spikes
couldn�t do any harm, he focused on the waves of emotions that crashed over
him.
Once again, their physical contact multiplied
the power of the negative, terrible feelings of the black female. Hoping it
would also work in reverse, he held her tightly against his armor despite her
attempts at moving away and he thought for an instant about the best way to
calm her down, about what she really needed to counteract the overwhelming
rejection and self-loathing. Acceptance. Affection. Friendship. Tenderness. Warmth.
At first he had to search deep down inside
himself to truly feel these emotions, for it was highly unusual for him to be
in such moods. Memories of his early childhood came back, recollections of his
growing relationship with the tiny human girl that worshipped the very ground
he walked upon. Surprisingly, as he called upon these feelings, he discovered
that thinking about Kitana herself brought them out strongly. His eyes opened
up in surprise as his breath caught sharply in his throat, for he did not
expect that the black creature had taken such a large place in his once frozen
heart. He was sending her waves of tender feelings and he could not deny that
they were absolutely genuine. He would not be more astonished if she had landed
a punch square on his jaw.
Kitana started to come back to reality. Inside
her, a battle raged. A part of her told her that she was totally unwanted and
should not even exist, yet in a way she sensed it was not the truth, for she
was now receiving wave after wave of the opposite emotions. She slowly opened
her eyes and met with Sesshomaru�s golden gaze. For an instant, his attachment
to her swirled into his amber eyes, proving her that she was important, needed,
and this simple sight annihilated any doubts she still had about her value and
her place in the universe.
�I� have been tricked.� Her voice was nothing
more than a whisper.
�Yes, you have.�
She struggled again to rise but this time he
nodded sternly, releasing a part of the hold he had on her. She was still
shaky, still feeling slightly out of place, but he was glad to observe that she
finally realized the falseness of these emotions. He rose with her and
reluctantly let go of her as she gathered her spirits and walked to the large
tree that triggered this pandemonium of unwanted emotions.
�I have been tricked!� she claimed strongly,
before placing both palms directly in contact with the dark bark of the old
tree, her eyes a shining gold.
She did her best not to listen to the poisonous
words and emotions that she received from it. She stayed focused on the tree,
on the energy that coursed through it. Closing her eyes, she could distinguish
the flow of what she now recognized as pure youki that fed the vegetal,
reaching up into the very leaves of the tree. Looking down on the ground, she
noticed how the energy flew in from the roots. Every single tree around her was
connected to this flow of youki by its root system, every branch, every twig,
every leaf was fed by this network of energy. The trees themselves were
ordinary, but there was a sentient being concealed somewhere, a youkai, that
used them to detect and repel what he considered his enemies. She could barely
wait to find it and make it regret to have challenged her.
The youkai somehow understood he was detected
and the waves of negative feelings increased tenfold suddenly. Kitana fell on her
knees, gritting her teeth, and Sesshomaru reacted by coming at her side and
once again placing his white palm upon her black shoulder in support. Through
her, he finally felt the traces of youki that permeated the tree and
instinctively, he flared his own demonic aura in answer. They both became
engulfed in the furious winds that accompanied his transformation, but he never
let it go further than a reddening of his eyes. The hostile youki receded
somewhat at this display. His help was welcome, for Kitana�s opponent was
strong and she was new to this kind of mental battle.
She breathed slowly, concentrating on
Sesshomaru�s peaceful and warm emotions while trying to determine how to fight,
how to untangle herself from this situation. As she calmed down, a small smile
graced her lips. She knew what to do.
Not letting go of the tree, she rested her head
on the bark and started feeding her own positive energies into the network of
youki that linked all the trees together. She mentally reached at Sesshomaru
for his support, and at the little Rin�s pure trust and love, and relayed their
emotions to the being that started the attack. She searched inside herself for remembrances
of her passion for Jess, for her strong affection for the small human child and
her growing attachment to the taiyoukai and projected it all into the flow of
youki, slowly lessening the assault on her own mind.
Sesshomaru sensed the change immediately. The
terrible thoughts that plagued his companion�s mind mere seconds ago were weakening
in strength, pushed away and neutralized by an intense, powerful feeling of
warmth that he had never experienced before. It washed over him, growing and
strengthening itself as it fed upon something hidden deep inside of him, and it
felt heavenly good.
Kitana knew she won when the pressure of the
youki upon her mind vanished. The tendrils of energy that flowed from tree to
tree were still there, but reduced to fine strings instead of strong ropes. She
opened her eyes and turned around to meet the intense gaze of her companion,
who was paying a lot of attention to her features. They were both still dazed
and somewhat confused by the intensity of the feelings they shared, of the
affection and tenderness they had for each other. Gold irises were clashing
with each other, searching each other for the confirmation of what they felt
during the confrontation. As a bundle of tiny human flesh snaked its way
between them, a hand placed upon each of their shoulders, they came back to
reality and reluctantly let go of whatever emotion they felt. Acting as if they
had not found something very strong that linked them to one another, stronger
than the bond created by the gift of blood, they both shook themselves back to
their senses. Kitana turned her head to examine the young Rin, who in return
flashed the sunniest, most toothy smile that she could summon, bringing up joy
and mirth to the heart of the woman. Sesshomaru witnessed their silent exchange
and was glad that both of the beings he considered as his charges had shed away
their unwanted attitudes and feelings.
As the taiyoukai rose and Rin happily climbed
upon the saddle of her steed, the atmosphere in the forest changed drastically.
A playful breeze agitated the leaves gently, capturing the weaker ones and
bringing them in the air for a small ride. The cracking that came from the
branches stopped, replaced by timid songs from awakening birds and insects. The
leaves themselves seemed to turn sideway and soon sun touched the ground,
unhindered.
�Let�s seek the one who is answerable for
this.�
--
They walked for what appeared like hours toward
the deepest part of the forest. The woods were just as Kitana sensed before,
devoid of any human or lower youkai activity. Squirrels and rabbits were
everywhere, as well as weeds and flowers. They were advancing too fast for the
little Rin to walk on her own, but it was obvious from her looks that she
longed to get off the saddle to play in the wilderness. Jaken was huffing and
puffing, following with great difficulty on his short legs.
�Rin has been here before, isn�t it true
Sesshomaru-sama?� asked the child as she studied the wonders around her.
The only answer from the youkai was a subtle
nod. The child had good memory, unlike Jaken who screamed and fell backward
when a deep voice was heard, apparently coming from nowhere.
�Ah, Sesshomaru-sama. Welcome to you.�
Kitana was awe-struck. At first she had started
to lead Sesshomaru toward the source of the youki that fed the trees, but
somehow he seemed to know which direction she was heading and she let him take
the lead. Now before her was a being radiating of an immense energy, a being
unlike any other she had seen before. How she missed its presence earlier she
couldn�t begin to understand, unless the creature had the ability to mask its
very existence.
�It�s the old tree youkai! Hello, tree youkai!
Rin is pleased to see you again,� chatted the small Rin happily.
�Yes, welcome back to you, young one� kindly
answered the giant magnolia tree, as a humanoid face slowly emerged from the bark
of its trunk.
Kitana was much more aloof and careful than the
child though, the memories of the hurt she felt under the control of the tree
still very fresh to her memory. She studied the ancient, wise figure, knowing
that there was more than met the eyes with this youkai and unsure of what would
unfold. She was tired of fighting, both physically and mentally, but she would
not go down easily, even if it meant chopping down every tree and plant this
forest held.
A silent anger boiled inside Sesshomaru when he
spoke to the tree.
�Bokusenou. Explain what the purpose of your
hostility was.�
The tree turned his eyes toward Kitana, who was
standing right beside the taiyoukai. Her attitude was bordering on defiance,
and her wariness overcame most of her fascination for the tree. Slowly, the
elderly youkai closed his eyes in what was the closest approximation of a bow
he could do.
�Tsowandar-sama. Please accept my most sincere apologies
for my attitude toward you. It was uncalled for, as you so clearly demonstrated.
Kitana appeared confused by the words of the
youkai tree.
�Tsowandar? Excuse me, but I think you are
mistaking me for another. My name is Kitana, not� Tsowandar.� When she
pronounced the strange word though, something stirred inside her. It was familiar.
�Then I am honored to meet you, Kitana-sama.�
�Bokusenou. You are aware that attacking one of
my allies is a deadly mistake. You did it consciously.�
The tree returned his attention to the irate
taiyoukai who was standing before him in all his arrogance. Smiling, he
recognized many traits of his sire in this young pup who was demanding for
answers.
�You are right, Sesshomaru-sama. I let you
pass, but I had to refuse passage to your ally unless she proved she was not
meaning any harm.�
�My choice of allies does not concern you,
Bokusenou. Her ties to me are sufficient for her to be accepted here.�
�Oh, but it does concern me, Sesshomaru-sama,
but it does. Her kind has been known to bring forth destruction in the past,
and the return of the Tsowandar was not something I could ignore or tolerate
easily. But as you say, she is now accepted here, so let us get to the reason
of your visit.�
�Hn.�
�Wait wait wait!�
Kitana�s upset form walked in between the two
youkai.
�What do you mean, �my kind�? Have you ever seen
a creature like me?�
The onyx female was having a hard time hiding
her true emotions to the tree, as much as she wanted to do. Sesshomaru could
sense her unease, but little did he know about the reasons behind her turmoil.
Was she afraid of the monsters from which she originates, those she apparently
controlled, or was it more than that?
�No, you are the first one I see. However, I have
been taught when I was a mere seedling that the return of the Tsowandar on this
land would precipitate the end of our age. I see now that you mean no harm, but
your� features let place to no doubt as to your species. �
The great tree smiled gently at her, his eyes
barely opening in the many wrinkles that marked his face. She was stunned; if
the tree was speaking the truth, and she couldn�t see why he wouldn�t, there
had been Aliens on this land, and as far as she knew there could still be some of
them in dormancy. This was a threat that could not be overlooked, and she was
about to push her questioning a little further when Sesshomaru beat her to it.
��Who
told you this nonsense, Bokusenou?� asked Sesshomaru. The casual conversation
gave him time to cool down and his ire was dissipating, but he would not let an
attack on a member of his group go unpunished. He did not have much respect for
the old tree, who had been one of his great father�s advisors, but he knew that
the magnolia youkai had connections everywhere and it was never good to ignore
such a fact. The demonstration of his power to scatter his youki to see and feel
through the other trees was adding a new element to the equation. The magnolia
could be much more useful than he first thought. And much more dangerous.
�That knowledge would not help you,
Sesshomaru-sama. My teachers are long gone by now. However the answers to the
questions you both have, including the ones about Naraku�s whereabouts, will be
simple to find.�
The pensive taiyoukai nodded, his mind still
replaying the words of the tree. The old one always seemed to know why he was
seeking him out.
�Go on.�
�The place of your origins hold many answers.
Maybe more than you wish.�
Kitana was still lost in her thoughts. The
words of the tree were highly disturbing, and that word, Tsowandar, really
struck a chord in her. She couldn�t pinpoint why exactly and it was irritating.
The few phrases shared between her companion and Bokusenou did not make much
sense to her, and she looked at them in a quizzical way.
Sesshomaru was far from pleased by the words of
the wise tree; it was in fact one of the last things he wanted to hear. He
subtly bowed to Bokusenou before turning on his heels and leaving, followed by
the two-headed dragon, the child and the kappa. Kitana stayed alone with
Bokusenou for a short time, and then bowed her head to him. He answered with a
mysterious smile before his face faded away inside the trunk.
--
Getting out of the forest had been easier than
getting in, nature being even more welcoming and inviting than ever before.
Sesshomaru being lost in thought and walking almost at a leisurely pace gave
the little human child ample time to explore and play amongst the flowerbeds,
and her laughter mixed with bird songs and cicada thrills to enlighten further
more the end of the afternoon.
The taiyoukai had a lot to think about. There were
of course the parting words of the tree youkai, but he knew their significance
and they bothered him too much to spare them a thought as of now. He was too
agitated to really face the path that was ahead of him, and instead he turned
his mind toward the events that preceded their encounter with the old tree.
The mind attack Kitana had been victim of was
disturbing. He knew for a fact that her soul held darkness, but to see her be
so easily swayed into despair when for a long time she had not been acting
melancholic or suicidal was unnerving for him. He thought she was out of it,
but her anguish ran deeper than he believed.
Then there was his own reaction to her inner
fight. Could he really feel something that strong toward the dark-skinned
predator that had been so forcefully pushed into his life weeks ago? He had
known for a long time that he was not totally able to bury his feelings, from
the day he revived his Rin and witnessed her transformation from a battered
mute child into a happy faithful girl. He had become protective of her, and as
much as he wanted to believe he couldn�t care less if she was to go away, there
was a heavy tension in him every time she had the option to walk away from him.
Receiving her admiration and love when he was rescuing her from Naraku or the
multiple day-to-day accidents that a child her age was prone to encounter was
one thing. However, when he found her in the grasp of human monks and turned
his back to her while his usual suggestion to do as she pleased still resonated
in his ears, the intensity of his relief when he heard her small footstep
hurrying after him was indescribable.
Could he have developed similar emotions toward
Kitana? Could he be as attached to the foreign, infuriating creature as he was
to the human child? He knew he lusted after her, after witnessing her actions
with the human princess at the hot spring his attraction to her had become
quite blatant, growing at a steady pace until their own encounter when he had
shared his vital energy, his blood with her. But he was not one to act upon
ridiculous sexual urges or to torture himself with them. No, it was much deeper
than that, he felt an attraction toward her that had nothing to do with
physical lust. He needed her by his side, close to� his heart? Had he been developing
more romantic feelings for his partner? He frowned at the thought, knowing that
Kitana was nothing but romantic, yet even to him it was obvious he had. The
real question was what he would be doing with this fact now that he
acknowledged it.
Kitana too was engulfed into unpleasant
speculations about what happened in the forest and what the old tree had meant
when he spoke of her kind and their return. She could see and feel how
Sesshomaru was in turmoil, it only added to her own and made them oblivious to
the joyful atmosphere they were travelling in.
When he came to her help and she started to
skim through his emotions to find the positive ones, she had truly felt the
intensity of his feelings for her. She had known for a long time that the
taiyoukai�s attachment to her was growing, and she had ignored it superbly, or
so she thought. The most disturbing element of this experience was that up
until then, she hadn�t been aware of her own feelings toward her male
companion. When she had tapped into those emotions, she at first thought that
they were directed to her lost love, but it was not the case. It was the
taiyoukai conflicting stoic and fiery attitudes, his love for combat and power,
his eagerness at protecting those closest to him even if he wouldn�t acknowledge
it, his acceptance of her flaws and sins as well as the way he pushed her
forward, forcing her to face life instead of escaping it. All of this, and how
much more, had grown on her to a point that she didn�t foresee, and that she
couldn�t quite understand. The emotional closeness she could deal with since
for her it was nothing new. What scared her was the depth of her bond to him;
it had become much more than mere companionship. She discovered that underneath
the friendship lurked stronger feelings, a physical pull that attached her to
him, and she was not totally unresponsive to these emotions no matter how hard
she tried to convince herself of the contrary. Only Jess had ignited such
heated reactions into her, and it was totally foreign and confusing for Kitana
to envision Sesshomaru in a role only her female lover had undertaken so far.
When they stopped at night and made camp to
allow Rin and Jaken some sleep, she waited for them to be asleep before she
pushed aside those disturbing thoughts to share her worries with her youkai
companion. There were more pressing matters to address than her unwanted
attraction to the taiyoukai, and if she had her word to say, these affinities
would not be brought to light. She joined him as he was silently contemplating
the night sky, seating in his usual manner against a large tree.
�What the tree said was� disturbing.�
His silence and lack of reaction to her words
did not unnerve her; she was used to this stoicism, and unless he rose and went
away or told her to shut up, she would continue to share her thoughts with him.
�He somehow implied that Aliens had once roamed
this land. If find it difficult to conceive, as they usually scar the land they
inhabit so deeply no life form can continue to thrive there. They destroy
everything and leave nothing behind them; yet this Bokusenou knew what I was.�
�Make no mistake, woman; the tree is old and
withering. We cannot be sure he know what you are; he called you a Tsowandar,
and whatever it is I have never heard of them, and you neither. His old age can
bring him into senility, making you a fool to believe his words.�
�But you have been seeking him out for a
reason, haven�t you? And what he said about your birthplace disturbed you� Are
you a fool too to go to him for advice and give his words credence?�
He did not answer, preferring to return his
gaze to the immensity of the star-littered sky.
�Even so� If he said the truth, then there may
be Aliens remaining hidden somewhere on this planet, or eggs.�
�What if there is?�
His bored tone, for once, reflected perfectly
his internal workings; he did not care about the possible consequences of an
Alien invasion. His absence of interest for her problem heated up her temper,
and she answered in a scathing tone.
�Then they have to be destroyed; Aliens would
jeopardize the very existence of this world.�
�Hn. To destroy them, you would have to find
them first.�
She became silent for a moment. He was right,
of course; finding the hypothetical Aliens would be an impossible task, even
more so if there were only eggs to be found.
�Yes��
Lifting a brow, Sesshomaru turned his head
toward his companion, surprised at the despair and inner turmoil he could sense
coming from her.
�Youkai would not fall prey to your Aliens so
easily; are you so concerned about humans to go into a goose chase that could
very well consume years of your life, if not more?�
�If they are really here, somewhere, I have to
destroy them. Maybe��
�Maybe?�
�Maybe if we follow Bokusenou�s advice and go
to this place you come from, I could learn more about that-�
He didn�t give her the chance to finish her
phrase; he rose, and left her. Stunned by his highly unusual behavior, Kitana
looked at his departing back, at the way his hair brushed on the underside of
his knees as he set one foot before another, and there was only one word that
came to her mind.
�Jerk��
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Angelus	By : TwilightAlien Category: InuYasha > General Views: 3232 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Angelus