Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

At the End of Days
By : inumom
Category: InuYasha > General
Views: 1784 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.
Chapter List
- 6
- 7
Disclaimer: No, they�re not mine, damn it all.

7. Decline

Now that Kagome and her family had some faint idea of what was happening in the city, they began to notice signs that things were even more serious than Sesshoumaru had hinted. Where there had once been no public service announcements providing information about the outbreak, now the radio and television stations carried little besides notices of cancellations, business closings, warnings to the public to avoid congregating in large groups, and appeals for volunteers with medical training to assist in caring for the vast numbers of those stricken.
Although the time had come for school to resume, all of them remained closed, requiring the students both to get their assignments and turn in their completed work either through the schools� websites or by mail for the duration of what was now being referred to as �the current situation.�
A few of the smaller radio and television stations were off the air, as they no longer had sufficient trained staff available to run their equipment. Fortunately, the power, water, and phone services were still operating, although there were rumors of a growing number of spotty interruptions.
On Sesshoumaru�s second trip to the shrine, he took his hanyou sibling aside for a private conversation before leaving him sitting in confusion at the base of the Goshinboku, amber eyes glittering with some emotion he couldn�t begin to articulate. He was still there nearly two hours later, when Kagome came out to call him in to dinner.
Growing concerned when he didn�t seem to be aware of her approach, Kagome dropped to the close-cropped grass next to him. �Inuyasha?� she asked quietly. �Are you okay?�
Looking momentarily startled, he blinked in confusion. �Yeah,� he muttered, �I think so.� Picking up the thick envelope lying on the ground next to him, he handed it to the one he trusted above all others. �Can you tell me what this all means?�
As she sifted through the thick stack of documents in the envelope, Kagome grew more and more surprised. �Well,� she said, finally stuffing everything back into the envelope, �It looks like Sesshoumaru�s been busy over the past few centuries. He�s built up one of the wealthiest corporations in the world. The Taisho Group is known as much for their charitable causes and environmental conscience as it is for making huge amounts of money00I remember learning about Taisho Sesshou in school. I just never thought that the man who was always held up as an example of how to combine business and compassion was Sesshoumaru.� At her future mate�s silent nod, she continued, �From what I can tell, he�s somehow managed to get you full documentation: a birth certificate, school records, everything to establish your identity in this world. There are a lot of financial papers in there that I don�t really understand, but I think they mean that you own half of Sesshoumaru�s business. I do understand that you own the shrine--that it�s apparently been in your family for hundreds of years. I guess that�s why nobody�s even been allowed to cut down the Goshinboku.�
When he still didn�t respond, she asked, �Exactly what did he say?�
The silver-haired figure at her side drew a deep, shuddering breath before standing up and beginning to pace. �He�apologized. He said that he never really understood what our father was trying to tell him on the night when he was killed--when he asked if Sesshoumaru had something to protect. After he met us, he was really confused--you, a weak human, not only yelled at him, but shot arrows at him, and actually faced him down when you thought he was going to kill me. He saw how much faster and stronger I got when you were with me, and how my need to protect you not only allowed me to master Tetsusaiga but even let me add some things that my father never planned when he had it forged. Then, when Rin was killed by those damn wolves, Tenseiga called to him, and he used it to revive her. That was when he finally started to understand what Oyaji meant--having someone to care for makes you stronger, not weaker. Anyway, when we disappeared from the other world, he came to see that, no matter what our differences, we were still family--the only blood family either of us had. He�s spent five hundred years making these plans. He wants to be my brother.�
Leaping to her feet, she threw her arms around his neck. �This is so great! I know--we�ve fought him more than once, but I never got a sense that he was really evil. Not like Naraku.� She couldn�t help a shudder of revulsion at the thought of the tainted hanyou.
Taking her hand carefully in his own, he led her back to the house. �Come on,� he said. �We don�t want to keep your family waiting. Maybe,� he said, feeling at peace in spite of the trouble spreading around the human world, �Your mother can explain the stuff we couldn�t figure out.�
At least one of the others came to the shrine each day, not only to provide what information they could, but to also add to the protection afforded the shrine by those presently living there, and to aid in training them to become even stronger in battle.
Even though Kagome�s mother wasn�t exactly happy about it, she could see that conditions in the city were well on their way to deteriorating to the point of lawlessness--trips to the nearest grocer still open (a trip which now took nearly an hour of navigating the nearly deserted streets) saw no sign of a police presence, even when she saw a few ragged, sickly-looking people looting the closed shops. As a result, she reluctantly agreed to accept the offer of a trained fighter to accompany her on her rare forays into the city and to attend lessons in basic fighting skills along with the rest of her family.
Souta, of course, was delighted with the lessons. Because of his natural speed and agility--the very qualities that had made him a good soccer player--he seemed to have an aptitude for the two matched lightweight katanas Sesshoumaru provided from his extensive collection. When not occupied with the school assignments that had become rather sporadic in the past couple of weeks or his weapons practice, he spent much of his time with Kaede. Although he had nowhere near the spiritual power of his sister, he quickly learned to use what he had both to sense--and identify--youki as well as to channel his energy into his swords. While it would not be adequate to purify a youkai like Sesshoumaru, it would definitely hurt, and might even be enough to destroy the lower-level youkai that Naraku commanded.
Kagome�s mother was not as likely to become much of a warrior due to her age and the fact that her natural inclinations were about as far away from violence as it was possible to be. Still, she worked as hard as any of them, struggling to master the fundamentals of the sword. Even though she showed some promise with throwing knives, it seemed likely that her talents would be better directed toward the protective and healing arts.
Kaede had been granted access to the shrine records. This way, she would be able to combine the information in the scrolls with her own experiences to make it easier for the others to learn what they must.
Although his age made Kagome�s grandfather pretty much useless in a physical confrontation, Miroku was able to show him how to tap into his minimal level of spiritual power. The exact use to which that bit of power could be put remained to be seen.
All activities around the shrine ground to a halt when the two Inu brothers sparred. Although none were willing to annoy the two by openly staring, it was nearly always possible to find an inconspicuous place from which to observe. Despite the deadly slashes and parries as the two leaped and spun in the shrine�s courtyard, the two were undeniably beautiful in their precisely controlled power and fluid grace.
It was only when the two came back to the house battered and bleeding from numerous gashes and punctures that Kagome�s mother finally understood the deadly serious purpose behind what appeared to be more like a beautifully choreographed ballet than any kind of fight she had ever seen before.
She assisted in silence as her daughter cleaned and bandaged the wounds of both brothers, paying particular attention to those of her future mate--all the training in the world would be pointless if her beloved hanyou were accidentally poisoned during practice. Fortunately, she had been informed by all concerned--including her own daughter--that they horrible wounds were not only not life-threatening, but would be essentially healed in a matter of hours.
After all these centuries of interaction with humans--both in his business dealings and in his own household--Sesshoumaru was no longer used to people not understanding his youkai characteristics. One look at the older woman�s pale features and trembling hands, and he suddenly realized that--unlike most of the humans with whom he associated most closely--she was largely unfamiliar with some of the fundamental differences between humans and youkai.
The taiyoukai took the opportunity to make some explanations. With a subtle gesture to the human woman he left the house, knowing that she would follow. Once well out of earshot of the humans inside the structure, he turned to her. �You never truly understood, did you?�
She looked as though she was teetering on the edge of shock. �No,� she said, shaking her head slowly. �Not really. I mean, I knew that my daughter was putting herself in danger, but I never realized just how violent that world was. To see the horrible injuries you give each other just in practice--�
The youkai lord nodded in satisfaction. �It would certainly seem so. But you must remember that we are not human. Even though my brother bears the legacy of his human mother, he is more powerful than all but the very strongest youkai. You have seen that we are very nearly evenly matched, have you not?� At the woman�s silent nod, he continued, �Ask the little miko to attend tomorrow�s session--I will give you a small demonstration to prove to you that you need not worry for her safety while he lives.�
She nodded in agreement, noting with amazement that the deep slashes across the taiyoukai�s chest had stopped bleeding and were visibly closing.
Surprisingly, neither brother seemed to notice that they had an audience for their practice session the following afternoon. The taiyoukai set one of the swords he carried aside, warning the two women not to touch the weapon. As he stepped forward to face the hanyou for some hand to hand combat practice, he could clearly hear the young miko explaining that the warning was for their own protection.
�You see, Mama, about a year ago we came across an oni that slaughtered an entier village just to lure us into the trap. We eventually won the fight, but the oni bit through Tetsusaiga�s blade. Sesshoumaru-sama wanted a sword that could defeat Tetsusaiga, so he had Toukijin forged from the oni�s teeth. The sword has its own youki, and is very powerful--so powerful that it could possess the youkai smith who forged it. As far as I know, he�s the only one with enough power of his own to be able to control it.�
Realizing that her mother was only half listening, she followed the older woman�s gaze to where the two brothers leaped and slashed at each other in a deadly ballet. Even though they were moving so fast they appeared as nothing more than blurs of silver, white, and red Kagome could see that both of them were keeping themselves under tight control to avoid inflicting a lethal wound.
The battle raged on for what seemed like forever with no clear victor in sight. Clearly, the two were very nearly matched in speed and strength. Thinking back to some of their earlier encounters, Kagome idly wondered when the young hanyou she trusted with her life had gotten so much more powerful.
Her aimless speculations were cut short with a startled squeak as she felt herself being snatched up from her position next to her mother and deposited in the shrine�s courtyard, a powerful hand gripping her upper arm to keep her motionless. A deep, smooth voice whispered, �Forgive me, miko,� as a razor-edged claw pierced her soft flesh, releasing a thin trickle of blood.
The birds that had long since become accustomed to the activities in the shrine complex fell silent as a surge of almost visible energy filled the space. Kagome�s eyes widened in surprise--she knew the feel of that youki, as well as she knew herself. She felt the hand keeping her in place release her and the presence standing behind her receded as she looked up to see a red blur bearing down on her like a runaway train.
�Oh, crap,� was the only thought she had time for before she was swept up and deposited back at her mother�s side. In a flurry of movement too fast for the humans to really see, the hanyou-turned-youkai landed a series of slashes that left gaping wounds down Sesshoumaru�s neck and across his chest before ending with a backhand blow that left the taiyoukai crumpled at the base of the Goshinboku.
Kagome�s mother flinched at the approach of the creature that appeared at her daughter�s side. Staring in shock at the red eyes, purple facial markings, protruding fangs, and elongated claws, she stood in silence, not wanting to move and draw attention to herself.
Shock gave way to wonder, then a faint blush as she watched the youkai sniffing delicately at her daughter before carefully licking away the blood oozing form the small wound. Surprise returned as she watched the cut close as the gentle treatment continued.
A rough, feral voice snarled, �Hurt.�
Kagome reached up to lightly trace the fading purple slash beneath her rescuer�s left eye. �It�s okay. You healed it, see?�
The red was beginning to fade from Inuyasha�s eyes now, but the youkai litany of �Provide for mate. Protect mate. Pleasure mate.� still pounded through him in rhythm with his pulse. His grip on the human girl tightened as his claws retracted to their normally lethal size.
Amber eyes opened wide at the sound of halting footsteps approaching. �What do you remember?� As always, the taiyoukai voice was cool.
After taking a moment to consider the matter, he spoke quietly. �We were sparring. I was pretty much holding my own, then--� His eyes flew open as the memories came flooding back. �You grabbed Kagome--you cut her arm.�
The taiyoukai nodded slowly, wincing slightly as the motion pulled at eh healing cuts down the side of his neck, but didn�t reopen them. �You transformed, even though you had Tetsusaiga. You attacked--you probably would have killed me if not for Tenseiga.�
The hanyou was more than a bit angry. �What the hell did you do that for, you stupid son of a bitch?!? Here you�ve been telling us that we�re under a kind of attack from youkai diseases, and you pull a stupid stunt like that!� Despite his harsh words it was clear to anyone who knew him at all that he was badly shaken by what had happened.
Although he was covered with blood--most of it his own--Sesshoumaru�s voice and expression were typically neutral. �It was a useful demonstration,� he said. Turning to the elder of the human women, he continued, �What did you see, Higurashi-san?�
�When you scratched my daughter, he�changed. While the two of you seemed pretty evenly matched earlier, it looked like he overpowered you without even thinking about it--he was moving so fast I couldn�t really see the whole thing. I did notice that he stopped attacking as soon as you were down, and returned to Kagome�s side. As soon as the cut on her arm healed, he changed back to normal.�
The taiyoukai nodded, the gesture visibly easier than it had been only a few minutes earlier. �Exactly. I have often observed that my little brother shows far greater speed and strength than should be possible for one possessing such mixed blood.� Noticing that they hanyou�s ears had flattened to his skull at that description, he continued, �For a long time this was a source of great confusion. The longer I considered the matter, the more it became clear to me that this effect is due to the presence of the miko. For some reason that I have never been able to determine, the presence of the other seems to increase the power of each. I have consulted with the old miko, and she tells me that the things your daughter does should be impossible without many years of intensive training.�
It was obvious that the youkai lord was working his way around to some point, but none of them could imagine just what that point might be. Seeing that he had the undivided attention of the other three, the taiyoukai continued, �I think it advisable that the two of you officially become mates without delay. I do not know for certain that this disease affecting so many of the humans is in fact a prelude to an all-out attack by Naraku, but it is a possibility that we can no longer afford to ignore. If Naraku�s goal remains the completion of the Shikon no Tama, he will have to come to you: there is no other way for him to find what he seeks.�
Before the others could ask what that had to do with anything, Sesshoumaru began to explain. �While it has long been believed that the power of a miko depends upon physical purity, my recent study of the records of your shrine have led me to the conclusion that this is not actually true, at least in this family line.� He held up a hand to stop the question from leaving his younger brother�s lips. �I know all about the undead miko losing much of her power when you were together. I have spoken to her sister about this at length. First of all, you were not responsible for her loss of power--the fact is that the two of you were never�intimate, not beyond a casual touching of hands. According to the old miko, her sister�s power began to decline as her dissatisfaction with the responsibilities of her life began to grow.�
Kagome had reached the end of her curiosity. �I don�t understand. What does any of that have to do with our situation right now?�
�It is actually quite simple. It is obvious to me--and to anyone who can sense your auras--that both of you are much stronger when you are together. It seems to me that you can both intensify this effect and make it permanent by becoming mates before facing Naraku. There could,� he added, �Be an additional tactical advantage.�
The hanyou grinned broadly. �That bastard would recognize that we were mates right off, and he�d assume that Kagome lost all her powers. He won�t think she�s a threat, when she�s actually the best weapon we have.�
Though they could not bring themselves to respond to Sesshoumaru�s suggestion, they would certainly give the matter a lot of thought. As the young couple walked the taiyoukai to the long flight of steps leading to the street below, the hanyou suddenly pushed his intended mate behind him, growling viciously.
At the girl�s unspoken question, he grunted, �There�s something here--human, I think, but it smells�wrong somehow.�
Sesshoumaru nodded. �It almost smells hanyou, does it not? This is the distinctive odor of a human infected with the youkai disease. There is,� he said, moving ahead with the silky glide that had always characterized his movements, �No danger to anyone here.�
Once again demonstrating the utter confidence in those around her that had always driven the hanyou to distraction, Kagome pushed past the brothers to take a closer look at the figure lying crumpled at the top of the steps. �Yuka!�
The hanyou cringed at the thought of his intended mate exposing herself to some strange youkai sickness but did as she asked and carried the limp form over to the bench beneath the Goshinboku. Since Sesshoumaru realized that there was nothing that he could do about the situation, he stood nearby while his younger brother went into the house to retrieve the girl�s mother--she had, after all, concentrated her efforts in recent weeks on mastering the basics, at least, of miko healing. Perhaps there was something that she could do.
The taiyoukai watched in surprise as the little miko ran her hands along the other girl�s body, within an inch of her skin but never actually touching her, apparently trying to sense what she could of the girl�s condition.
The miko�s aura became visible, faint and flickering at first, then growing steadily stronger and clearer as the hanyou emerged from the house. In a move almost too fast to be possible for a human, the little miko grasped the other girl�s hands, her body going momentarily rigid as she sent a blast of purifying energy into the girl�s body.
Suddenly enormously glad that he had reached a sort of understanding with his hanyou brother--and that that kind of power would never be directed at him--Sesshoumaru leaped forward to catch the little miko as she slumped to the paving stones of the shrine grounds.
The hanyou was there in an instant, taking in the scene with a quick glance that missed nothing. �What the hell did that stupid wench do now?� he roared.
Sesshoumaru looked up in surprise, instantly recognizing the near-panic behind the hanyou�s fury. �Smell for yourself, baka. Unless my nose is mistaken, your miko just cured this girl.�
Inuyasha took a tentative sniff in the unconscious girl�s direction, then nodded. �You�re right,� he said, beginning to calm down a bit. �There�s no hint of youkai left in her scent.�
The girl�s mother had caught up just in time to hear this conversation. �That doesn�t make any sense,� she said. �Kagome�s been so busy learning to fight that she hasn�t had time to learn any healing--how could she cure anybody that was sick?�
The taiyoukai somehow managed to retain his unshakeable dignity in spite of being half sprawled on the paving beneath the motionless body of the human girl. �Perhaps my choice of words was unfortunate. While she did not repair any of the damage to the girl�s body, the little miko purified the youkai that were infecting her.�
Inuyasha wasn�t buying that explanation. �That�s a load of shit, Sesshoumaru--she�s purified youkai lots of times, and it�s never done anything like this to her!�
The youkai lord fervently hoped that his sibling�s natural intelligence--despite his lack of a formal education--would be adequate to understand what he had realized was the problem: the hanyou was already showing signs of stress, and an emotional meltdown that triggered his transformation would not be the ideal situation at the moment. �You have hunted your food for most of your life, brother. You understand that all creatures are made up of smaller parts. There are even smaller parts, called �cells,� that are too small for even youkai eyes to see.�
The hanyou nodded slowly--he had seen something about that in one of Kagome�s school books, even though he hadn�t really understood it. Sesshoumaru nodded in satisfaction, then continued, �Even small creatures are made up of hundreds of millions of cells. If even one percent--that�s one out of every hundred--of these cells is infected, that is still a huge number. It takes enormous energies to purify that many youkai, even very small, weak ones like these. I have no doubt that your mate will be fine after some rest and supportive care, but I do not know about the other girl.� He glanced over to the other woman, who had been listening carefully. �Higurashi-san?�
She held her hands over the inert form of her daughter�s friend, allowing her perceptions to sink below the surface. Her brow furrowed for a few moments then she straightened, her expression unreadable. �There�s no trace of a youkai presence in her that I can find, but I don�t know if she can recover or not--the infection left her with damage to the heart, lungs, and liver. It might,� she whispered, �Have been kinder to simply let her die.�
The hanyou had an idea. �Let�s take her inside. We can talk to Kaede-babaa and the others when they come over later on.� He gently took his future mate from Sesshoumaru�s grasp, carrying her inside and up the stairs to deposit her in the wonderfully fragrant bed that had come to mean home and comfort to him. He covered her with her light quilt and his haori so that she would be able to sense his presence should she awaken, then bounded back down the stairs to retrieve the other girl. Once he had left her on the sofa in the living room, covered with a blanket, he disappeared back up the stairs to watch over his mate.
Kagome spent the next eleven hours in a deep sleep to renew the vast amount of energy she had expended in trying to help her friend. When she finally opened her eyes, she was met by the amber eyes of her beloved.
�What happened?�
�What do you remember?� He wasn�t entirely sure how she would take her inability to heal her friend.
She frowned thoughtfully. �I remember you and Sesshoumaru fighting, and how you transformed when it looked like I was in danger. You healed a cut on my arm, then he told us�.� Her voice trailed off as she recalled the exact subject of that conversation.
The silence grew until neither could stand it any longer. The hanyou looked away from her, his voice soft. �He was right, you know.�
She seemed a little disoriented, whether from her long sleep or the lingering effects of the overexertion of her little-used miko powers he couldn�t tell. �Right? Who?�
Somehow he managed to wrap himself around her entire body, and she marveled once again at his hanyou flexibility. �My asshole brother, baka. I mean, is there really any good reason to wait any longer?�
Suddenly understanding exactly what he was talking about, Kagome shook her head. �I don�t think there ever really was--I was really sad for a while because I thought I�d never get to see my second family again, then all the trouble in the city�.� She looked up at him, smiling brightly as she ran a fingertip lightly along the edge of a soft triangular ear. �What do we have to do?�
- 6
- 7
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

At the End of Days	By : inumom Category: InuYasha > General Views: 1784 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

At the End of Days