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The Tale of the Demon Lord	By : Arianawray Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 56279 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters, and I do not make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
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XXIV: Passing Time
The demon lord's second visit to the village with the great tree sacred to the gods was very different from his first.
Then, he had arrived in his battle armour, accompanied by soldiers who threatened the villagers with claws and weapons. Now he came in peace, riding his two-headed dragon, and the demons who accompanied him rode massive flying beasts with piles of gifts strapped to their backs.
The villagers watched in awe as the great beasts landed in the fields on the edge of the village, while Sesshomaru's two-headed dragon came lightly to ground in the heart of the settlement, mere feet away from them. The demon lord dismounted and strode towards Inuyasha and the villagers, a striking vision in white and gold who looked as if nothing could touch him.
His outward demeanour betrayed no sign that from a mile away, up to the point where he descended to the earth, he had been putting out his feelers through scent, sight and spiritual energy for Inuyasha, hoping that he would not find him gone. He showed nothing of the immense relief he had felt to find his younger brother here, waiting for him at the front of the group of villagers who had gathered to greet him.
The villagers bowed to their beautiful demon king, and Sesshomaru inclined his head graciously to them, which was more than most human nobles did for the common folk who greeted them.
"On my last visit, I threatened this village with destruction if my brother ever left my castle," Sesshomaru said to the gathered villagers in a calm, clear voice that fully held their attention. "I withdraw that threat, and to express my sincere regret that I ever made it, I wish to give your village some things that I hope you will find useful."
Sesshomaru nodded to the demons who had landed at the edge of the village. At once, they led their dragons forward carefully so as not to trample the crops, and began to unload the beasts' burdens. As the large baskets, bags and boxes were unstrapped from the dragons, Sesshomaru explained their contents: "I have brought blankets and quilts that will make cool bedding in the summer, and warm coverings in the winter. These lengths of fabric and pieces of deerskin are meant for you to make clothing and footwear for yourselves and your children. The fifty sacks now being unloaded contain the best-quality seed that you can use to grow better crops. And in these crates, my healers have put together a quantity of medicinal herbs that are hard to find in the wilds, but which will be useful for treating a variety of human ailments."
Sesshomaru need not have listed the items himself – he could have left such a mundane task to one of his attendants – but he elected to speak directly to the villagers as a mark of respect, and to honour them for having been good to Inuyasha.
He said as much by continuing: "To thank you further for sheltering my brother, Inuyasha, for fifty years, and for receiving him again so warmly these two days past, I am halving the taxes you need to pay to the governor of this region, for the next fifty years. I have written to the governor, and have informed him that the taxes he needs to pay to his minister will be reduced by that very amount, so he does not lose anything in the transaction, and knows that he is not to harass you for more payment. Should the governor or anyone else give you trouble, be assured that I will hear of it, because I have engaged a team of slayers trained to kill human-eating demons to live in your village, and they will also be tasked to keep me informed of any other kind of trouble that may affect you. They will reach your village tomorrow."
A buzz of excitement went round among the gathered villagers at the news of all these good things that were now theirs to enjoy. The village headman and the two priestesses stepped forward and bowed low to the demon lord as they gratefully received the scroll with the royal seal giving the village the right to pay a reduced tax for a period of fifty years, the same amount of time for which they had sheltered the prince.
Sesshomaru accepted their thanks with a formal nod, and with a glow inside him that came partly from his act of kindness to people he had formerly despised, but mostly from the sight of Inuyasha's enormous golden eyes shining with amazement and pride, and with an emotion that looked very much like admiration, or perhaps even love.
~ - ~
Inuyasha bade farewell to the villagers that morning and promised to visit again in a few months. He said a quieter goodbye to Kikyo and Kaede under the great tree, and pressed the sum of money he had prepared into Kikyo's hands, convincing her to keep it by saying that he knew she would end up spending almost all of it on others, or on offerings to the gods, rather than on herself.
Then he turned his eyes to Sesshomaru, who stood patiently by his two-headed dragon, Ah-Un, waiting for him to be ready to leave.
He did not drop his eyes as he so often had when Sesshomaru looked at him in the castle. This time, he held his gaze until he mounted the dragon.
Inuyasha had last departed from this village clasped like a prisoner in the demon lord's arms, but now he was seated behind him on his great mount, and dressed very finely, for he had changed into the garments that Sesshomaru had brought along for him.
As Ah-Un took to the air, followed by all the other dragons and steeds, Inuyasha waved to the villagers, particularly to Kikyo and Kaede. Finally, he tried to make out Kikyo's face alone as they rose higher and turned to the west, and he looked back at her as long as he could see her, until the village was no more than a speck in the distance.
Understanding something of how he felt to be leaving his ageing friends behind, Sesshomaru did not try to engage him in conversation during the flight home, but contented himself with the feeling of having him right against his back, sitting close enough to kiss if he could only turn his head back and press his lips against the boy's mouth… but that was out of the question.
As they flew along, Inuyasha was preoccupied with thoughts of what Kikyo had said to him in private when he had gone back to her hut to change into his castle attire, and they had had a few moments alone after he emerged from behind the screen.
She had said with a smile: "You look perfect."
"I look the same, it's only the clothes that are different," he had replied.
"Nonetheless, you look very well in them. Your brother has taken care to choose what would suit you perfectly. It shows his attention to your needs. I like what I see of it, for through it and through other little things, I can tell that he has changed."
"You can tell that?" Inuyasha asked.
"Yes. To be honest, when you came back two days ago, I was tempted to make plans for you to run away, and somehow protect the villagers at the same time. I fretted in secret over how you must have suffered at your brother's hands, despite all your assurances in your letter. But when you appeared before me, you looked well. I sensed contentment from your spirit. Also, the tutor and guards with you did not appear to be your jailors, but your protectors. So I refrained from asking you to slip away from your brother forever. I am glad that I did not put my plans into action, because now that I have looked into the demon lord's eyes, I see something there that I did not see before, and the sword he wears resonates in harmony with the demon blade you carry, which I can sense is in tune with your soul. Therefore, I no longer fear for you, as long as you are happy to be with him."
"You need never fear for me, Kikyo. Now assure me that I need never fear for you," he had said to her, taking her softly wrinkled hands in his and touching his forehead to hers. Her face was that of an old woman's, and Inuyasha's eyes and mind saw that as well as anyone else did; but to his heart, she was the same beautiful Kikyo he had first met when she was fifteen, just as his mother had always been the beautiful woman of her youth to him, even to the day she died.
"You need never fear for me," she told him. "I have lived a good life and I will die a good death, and my spirit will always be with you, the way your mother's love always goes with you wherever you are."
Her answer did not put his heart entirely at ease, for what he had was an unrealistic hope that she would never weaken and never die, a wild hope that she would cheat death the way his mother had not been able to. But unlike his hope, her answer was grounded in the real world, heavy with its immutable facts of life.
They had spent a few moments in silence before drawing apart and returning to where the demons and villagers were gathered. He had said his proper goodbyes to everyone, a final farewell to Kikyo and Kaede under the great tree, and then he had left.
When they reached the castle, Inuyasha did not know if it was his imagination, or the lighting, but it seemed to him that the demon eyes that looked out at him from every corner were now less hostile, and more respectful. Natsumi and Kazuki, the healer Satoshi, Sesshomaru's attendant Isshin, a few officers from the barracks, the chef in charge of the royal kitchen and some of the dining hall attendants, as well as a female dog demon that Inuyasha recognised as Mamoru's sister, were among the staff who turned out especially to welcome him back after his brief stay in the village.
The castle felt warmer, as if he was in a place that was now feeling more like home.
Sesshomaru led him upstairs, and they entered Inuyasha's room. They closed the door behind them and stood facing each other, a foot apart.
"Thank you for coming home with me," the demon lord said sincerely to Inuyasha.
"I should be the one thanking you for letting me visit my friends, and for your generous gifts to the village – it means a lot to me that you did all that for them," the half-demon said in return. "It puts me at ease to know that they will have better lives because of what you have done for them, and will be protected by the slayers you hired. I was afraid that without me, they might get into trouble."
"Over fifty years, you must have taught them a great deal about defending themselves and their property against raiders and human-eating beasts. I believe they are stronger and more capable than you might think."
"And I am stronger and more capable than you might think," Inuyasha took the opportunity to say, looking Sesshomaru full in the face. "I don't want to do nothing around here. I want to work and get involved with things. I don't want to be some useless prince who just lies around and – and, you know…"
"And is treated by his lord and brother like a toy?"
"Yes," Inuyasha stated, keeping his eyes fixed on Sesshomaru although he was a little embarrassed and wished to look away.
Sesshomaru lifted his hand to Inuyasha's face and stroked his cheek, then said gently: "You are no toy, and I will never treat you like one again. You shall attend the meetings I hold with my ministers and staff from next month onwards, and we shall see over time where your best talents lie. I do not want to rush you into responsibilities that you find yourself unsuited for, as you are still so young. You must continue your lessons with Jaken, for you still have much to learn."
"Thank you, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha said, and hugged him as he had before he had left for the village. Somewhere in that hug was an echo of the dream he had dreamt the night before, and he tightened his embrace. With his fingertips he stroked Sesshomaru's hair lightly, not daring to follow those silken strands all the way up to his scalp and draw his brother's head down… but no, that was only a dream…
"Are you well? Did something upset you on the return journey, or when we entered the castle?" Sesshomaru asked, concerned by the way Inuyasha was almost clinging to him, and fingering his hair. It felt different from the hug the boy had given him before he left for the village, but Sesshomaru imputed the feeling to his own desires.
"No," Inuyasha murmured into the fabric of the clothing covering Sesshomaru's chest before raising his head and tilting it backwards to look up playfully at Sesshomaru. "I'm just really glad that I didn't run away."
"Were you considering it?"
"Uhm… maybe…" Inuyasha said cheekily.
"So you don't regret coming back with me."
Inuyasha shook his head. He gazed up into Sesshomaru's face, and knew that if he were to be fully faithful to the feelings that the dream had left him with, he would try to kiss Sesshomaru on the mouth now, or let him try to kiss him, as he knew he would if he continued looking up at him like this.
The dream was still vivid in his mind, compelling him to do as its lingering emotions drew him to. But he told himself again that it was only a dream, and they were still finding their way with each other, so Inuyasha pushed it to the back of his mind and lowered his eyes.
He felt guilty once he did that, however, because Sesshomaru took it as a cue to do nothing further than to kiss him on the forehead. As those warm lips brushed his skin, Inuyasha knew he had denied the dream and cheated himself of something. But he was really still so uncertain, and things were only just beginning to stabilise – he didn't want a massive upheaval now.
Feeling a little unhappy with himself, he hugged Sesshomaru again and buried his face in his robe front.
Sesshomaru savoured the embrace for as long as he dared, then he eased the boy back and said to him: "Go and pay your respects to your tree-demon godfather. I will see you at dinner time."
Inuyasha nodded and ran out of the castle towards the forest patch, leaving his doubts about the dream and the kiss behind him like a child forgetting his responsibilities.
He spent the whole of that afternoon telling Bokusen'o all about the great tree that was sacred to the gods, and listening in turn to his fascinating stories about how tree demons could communicate with trees that were alive in spirit, and sometimes even watched over those that were alive as plants but had no soul in them.
"So the sacred tree in the village probably isn't a tree demon, then?" Inuyasha asked. "I have never sensed any demon aura emanating from it. But then I never sensed any demon aura emanating from you, either, before you showed your face to me. I took this freshly fallen leaf from the ground under the tree – feel it."
Bokusen'o touched the end of a twig to the leaf, felt it carefully and said thoughtfully: "Tree demons have a different kind of demon-energy from animal demons and elemental demons. Our auras are not always recognisable to those who are not familiar with them. Perhaps it was meant to be so, as my kind is less mobile than other demon species, so it is good that we can conceal ourselves even from the sharpest-nosed and most sensitive individuals. Your great tree in the village is probably not a demon, but a tree with a powerful and benevolent spirit, which is why it has been regarded for centuries as a tree sacred to the gods. Ancient priestesses and monks who could sense such spiritual strength must have been drawn to it, and from those times of old, it would have been held in great regard by the people, and that tradition would have been passed through the generations to the present day."
"Maybe it was pierced long, long ago by one of the purified shards of the crystal from the heavens, and became wise and strong, good and powerful, making it different from other trees around it," Inuyasha said.
"You are thinking of that old legend of the crystal jewel that your tutor related to you. Even one as old as myself has no idea if such a legend has any truth in it, for the time of the gods and imps in which such events were said to have taken place was a time close to the very dawn of the world's existence. Who knows? Maybe there is truth in it. After all, have we not seen with our own eyes how one who has been little more than cruel and cold for years can swiftly change for the better?"
"I'm guessing that you mean Sesshomaru," Inuyasha murmured.
"Perhaps he has felt the mysterious discomfort of a sacred shard needling his heart."
"I don't think he needs any more holes in his heart. Apparently he thinks our father left a gigantic one there."
"Sometimes it is necessary to pierce something again in order to repair it. Isn't that how one stitches together something that has been torn apart?"
"Well then, for his sake, I hope that if he gets stuck with any sacred shards, that they turn out to be sacred needles!" Inuyasha said cheekily.
"With a bit of half-demon thread attached, perhaps?" Bokusen'o countered meaningfully.
"Ha ha, very funny," Inuyasha mumbled. "Why do you have to bring me into this?"
"Young one, you are already in it – deep in it."
~ - ~
"For goodness' sake, I was only gone two days!" Inuyasha protested as Natsumi got to work on his hair with a vengeance as he sat in the steaming-hot bath just before dinnertime. "It's not as if I spent two months living like a pig in the jungle, you know!"
"Yes, I know," Natsumi said patiently. "But it is a matter of pride to me that Your Highness' hair should always look its best, and I could not help noticing that it looked distinctly less shiny upon your return – no doubt that is perfect for living outside the castle, but in here, it is my job to make sure that you never look anything less than perfectly groomed."
"I think you've just about groomed my scalp off!" he growled.
"I have been perfectly gentle, Your Highness. If I am rubbing at your scalp a little more than usual it is because there is grime on it! What have you been doing?"
"Let's see – carrying barrels of rice around, repairing sheds and outhouses, reroofing huts, chopping up firewood, gardening, tilling the ground, fixing a leak in the well, delivering a calf, and..."
"Repairing outhouses?" Natsumi exclaimed. "Climbing into wells! Oh…"
With that groan of dismay, the racoon demon scrubbed away harder at the prince's scalp and along his length of hair, drawing another protest from him and finally withdrawing from the bathroom only when he yelped out his loud objections at her attempts to grab a washcloth and scrub the rest of his body too.
But when he emerged from the bath and towelled himself down, he felt relaxed and recharged, and began to realise by simple experiential comparison that life in villages was truly hard. He had never thought about it while living there – it had felt like paradise to him after life alone in the deepest wilds – and he had not really considered the difference during his two-day visit. Being back here now, however, caused him to feel as if an enormous load of responsibility had been lifted from his shoulders.
In the village, despite Kikyo's and Kaede's frequent reminders to the other humans over the span of fifty years that Inuyasha was only a boy in demon terms, he had still taken on the work of a man – no, ten men – purely because he had the physical strength and willingness to handle it. His brash demeanour also made people think he was psychologically older than he really was. He had defended the village, always leading the way in fights against human-eating demons and raids by bandit groups, and taking charge of tackling damage from strong winds, floods and earthquakes. Everyone looked to him for protection and leadership in these matters.
He remembered Kaede saying often to him: I remember how you were when first my sister and I set eyes on you fifty years ago – a scrawny little half-demon boy no bigger than a twelve-year-old human child wandering through the forest, picking up the food that Kikyo dropped on purpose from her herb basket. Look how big you've grown – but never forget that it isn't wise to let others push you to grow too old for your true age before your time. It isn't healthy.
He had always scoffed and said that if he was strong enough, he was old enough. Besides, he had been old long before his time from all the bullying and isolation, hadn't he?
Kaede had never answered him directly, but would wait for other occasions which would give her an opportunity to remind him again not to grow up too fast – he should savour every stage of his life, especially as he had such a long lifespan to experience everything he should. She often said that he was not like humans, who had to hurry up and grow up so that they could live their lives to the fullest and achieve as much as they needed to for their families and communities before they died. He didn't have to rush.
Recalling those admonishments made Inuyasha begin to appreciate Sesshomaru's care to keep him from too much work responsibility before he was fully mature, and to understand that the priestesses had been wise to advise him as they had.
Besides, he thought secretly, as he returned to his bedroom and Natsumi patted his hair dry with soft towels, it was really nice to be pampered sometimes, especially while living in these comfortable, clean and really beautiful rooms, and to have so many things done for him.
When he had first returned to the castle sixteen days ago, he had hated the way being within these ancient walls made him feel like a child again, weak and helpless; but now, he began to concede that feeling like a child was not necessarily a bad thing, not when he could simply be himself and have others who cared about him looking out for him.
Perhaps now was the time to stop holding back from acting his age, and simply be the boy he really was.
Except… except that he had felt ever so grown-up in the dream he had dreamt last night. Its strikingly clear images had taken root in his mind and heart, giving him a peculiar sense of not entirely knowing if he was old or young, wise or foolish, experienced or naïve.
As he left his room and went downstairs towards the dining hall, he walked with the strange sensation of being a child who had once been grown-up, and who was now floating through the world, remembering what it was like to be old.
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The Tale of the Demon Lord