What Once Was by Azuka

Enter Thy Darkness

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and CO.

Beta-reader: Stella

A/N: I am currently revising every chapter so far of What Once Was, one Chapter at a time so it reads better. No worries, I will continue writing new chapters as this is done because the awesome Stella has agreed to help polish my little gems until they are the epitome of greatness I dreamed of for this story! So a BIG thanks to her!! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!

Chapter One

“Enter Thy Darkess”

She sat on the lip of the well in a pretty yellow sun dress. Her long black hair was up into a loose knot, stray wisps floating about her face from the draft caused by the open door behind her. She didn’t have the large yellow back pack with her; it was already on the other side. Today was a quick trip; only for a second, as she promised.

She could already see Inuyasha’s face since she had stayed for far longer than a few minutes. As she pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear, she smiled at the thoughts of her family; the memories flashing before her eyes. The battle with Naraku was over; he had been purified along with the sacred jewel.  They were both gone forever.

A sudden and dark expression covered her mousy tanned features, the hand by her ear dropping to her chest. Then why do I still feel so divided? It’s not over…. It will never be over. Evil and Good will always be at war….

She shook her head with a smile and slid her legs over as she turned to look down the gaping mouth of the well. Though the bones had been removed long ago, her mind’s eye could still see the well bottom from the past. Snorting at the odd symmetry, she pushed off with a huff and a smile.

~

“Inuyasha! Look out!” She released one arrow, notched another, and sent it on the tail of the first. She watched as the arrows blended as one in her line of sight and over the shoulder of the hanyou who had just finished a powerful down sweep that released the sword’s awesome technique; the Back Lash Wave. The first struck the demon bug in the forehead, purifying the demonic winds around it and rendering it momentarily frozen from surprise and holy energy. The second struck and packed enough holy energy to equate to a large claymore. The demon exploded in a gory rendering of flesh, bone and entrails.

Inuyasha, at ground zero, was seen snarling and stomping when the smoke cleared. He plucked and tossed chunks of vile from his person. “Nice, Kagome! Real nice!”

“Sorry!”

The girl blushed as she trotted forward, her bow slung comfortably over her shoulder. As she skipped and hopped over debris and body parts, a two-tailed fire cat sailed over her right shoulder, almost close enough to touch.

“You are okay, Kagome-chan?” Sango, a Taijiya and one of the best in her trade, extended a hand. Kagome smiled and accepted it, laughing when she sailed through the air much faster than she could have ever run. 

Placed gently upon her feet a few yards away, Kagome smiled as Inuyasha came to a stop before her, still complaining as he glared at her. Her eyes warmed however, and she giggled before reaching up to grab a hunk of flesh at his shoulder. It turned to ash under her touch and she slyly watched the hanyou as she pinched and rubbed the ash between her fingers.

“Good work, Inuyasha.” Her grin grew and Inuyasha couldn’t help but smile back and drop his hand. Though sloppy and unrefined, his touch was gentle on the crown of her head.

“Thanks, Kagome.” She nodded and turned to watch Sango and Kirara land gracefully, and soundlessly, beside them.

“Need a ride back to Musashi?” Sango offered.

“No, it’s only two days travel and three days out of your way.” Kagome reasoned as she ducked out from under Inuyasha’s hand to slide her hand fondly across Kirara’s side and hug Sango.

“Yeah, with plenty of vermin between here and there to keep me busy and Kagome active.” Inuyasha commented. Kagome shot an angry pout over her shoulder as Sango held her ’sister-in-arms’ tighter with laughter shaking her stronger frame.

“Try not to fight so much you guys. Though Miroku-kun would call it ‘foreplay’, I would call it ‘familiarity’ and think it’s healthy. But not too much! Inuyasha, be nice to her. And Kagome, try not to whine too much. You’ll be fine.” Sango said nonchalantly with a shrug as she mounted Kirara. The fire cat hissed a purr as Sango tightened her knees to signal lift-off. Though Sango had mainly been talking to herself as she took off, it left the other two in a state of bewildered embarrassment.

“Hey, Kagome? Foreplay, that’s like sex right? Did she just say arguing is our way of having sex?” Kagome turned cherry red, and her head pulsed to herald the coming of a mighty powerful head-ache.

“Well, I had no idea that word went back this far…. but yea, think of foreplay as a prelude to sex.”

“Prelude?”

~~~~~~

It was raining. It had been since yesterday morning. Kagome watched as the storm reached its pinnacle, purple lightning streaking from the sky to the ground and from cloud to cloud. The rain was so thick she couldn’t see the ground any further than five feet outside. Inuyasha’s been gone for over an hour now… is the rain preventing him from finding the cave? I hope not.

She glanced over her shoulder past the fire and mundane campsite to the darkness beyond. It loomed like a black cloud in the forefront of her mind no matter what she did. So she settled for sitting at the mouth of the cave to watch the rain, throwing a few logs onto the fire that Inuyasha had retrieved last night when the rain had up enough.

Her eyelids grew heavy as the hours silently crept past her. Before she knew it, she had no idea if it was day or night or even how many days had passed.

“Oh, great!” She fumed, rising to her feet with a huff and marched to her sleeping bag. “I’ve got to stop thinking so much. I just wish Inuyasha would come back.”

“Inuyasha?”

She froze, her hand a hair breadth away from the zipper to her comfortable heaven. The hairs slowly rose on the back of her neck. Goose bumps prickled across the flesh that tightened to an instinctive reaction against fear. This was bad. She lunged to her left, but something caught her mid leap. The image of her bow and arrow blurred from sight until she slammed chest first into the cave wall. Something heavy and large and cold pressed against her back, demonstrating the effort it would take to crush her. The simplest of pressure insinuated the threat. She swallowed and closed her eyes.

“So I have found you- er rather, you found me. How delightful.” Trapped between cold, unforgiving stone and powerful icy unknown, Kagome’s mind began to panic. Her mouth opened and she squealed. Screamed for all she was worth and as quick as she could draw breath.

“Well now, we can’t have any of that!” The mirth and seemingly joy of its booming words echoed in the darkness and belayed an innocence that was contradicted by the sound of the girl’s scream ending in a sudden gurgled exhale.

~~

Through the rain, his ear twitched at the sound that traveled from rain drop to rain drop, its echo whispering against his ear when a droplet crashed into the long fleshy flap of his ear. Ocher eyes, encased in scarlet, snapped sharply towards the East. His hackles rose as his powerful foreleg flexed, rendering a crunching crack that filled the open grove. He glanced down at his conquest, her miserable body spilling its life’s blood at his very paws. 

With a mighty inhale through his nose, the Prince of the West threw his head straight back and released a howl so loud it rippled across the airwaves almost visibly. Lowering his regal head, he turned to look at his pack.

A female trotted up to him, she was only a few hundred pounds under him, but her coat was sleek and her ankles delicate. Her snout was long and slender, but it was the purple slashes at the corners of her mouth that made her stand out amongst the other White Dogs; and told him it was his mother.

She butted his chest with her head and sniffed at his legs before licking his cheek and sitting down. She nodded at him in approval for his victory before barking twice. The rest of the pack, four massive white dogs, encircled their Alpha.

“It is near time you take a mate, my son. You must have an heir.” Sesshomaru’s eyes narrowed as he angled his snout alongside his mother’s. His nose nearly touching her delicate, floppy ear, he whispered.

“I do not wish it. I am content with my territory; I am content with my pack.” His mother snatched her head back as if burned, showing every inch of her impressive fangs while the delicate look about her evaporated into all-consuming wrath. Her scarlet eyes bled solid and flashed with the strength of her youki; and the waning of her patience.  Humbly the pack-members lowered their heads at the un-lady-like behavior of their Alpha Female.

“Test me, boy?”

 Sesshomaru snapped, his jaws barely catching the flesh of his mother’s cheek, but she reacted too quickly. She was after all, ‘this Sesshomaru’s’ mother. She would have to be great. Before he could reply, or she could retort, a flux in youki assaulted them all mercilessly, forcing them to their bellies. They weathered at the unnatural storm that intensified the natural one. Sesshomaru did everything in his power to shield his mother, extending his tail halfway around her before he was suddenly frozen.

“The House of Moon, Royal and Proud, though you stem from such a humble and wise soul, oh how the mighty have fallen. I never did like you dogs much anyway.” At only a hundred pounds heavier, yet sleeker than any snake, stood a beautiful black cat. Her youki charged green eyes burned against his eyes and forced him to avert his gaze. Whoever she was, she would pay.

Her box like face lowered closer to him and he could hear it purr not with his ears, but with his bones. Kami.

“Correct dog, I come to you as a last resort. I have created a soul, with the help of other Gods, to make the perfect being. She would birth a new world unto man; she will take them into her bosom and become the ultimate Guardian of Man. It is a gift I believe a certain someone has earned.”

Sesshomaru suddenly knew he had the ability to speak and be heard over the storm and the awesome power of the kami.  “Since when have the kami’s meddled in the affairs of man? You turned your back on them a long time ago.” He hissed and he knew she knew why. When the kami punished man, they said for the last time it turned the human’s hate and bitterness against youkai. What was once a rough albeit peaceful relationship was now as natural as predator and prey, “You mean to tell me you are different?” The deity was now aglow with a shadow that was too dark and vast to describe. Her eyes burned so horrible, he was forced to do nothing but grovel in frozen silence.

Sesshomaru was not pleased. He was irate and the moment this kami got around to giving him his mission; he would let the stupid cat know just where she could stick it.

She sat in front of him and then glanced at his mother. “Inuyoku-sama,” The Alpha Female sprang to her feet and shook herself before elegantly sitting, lifting her nose in disdain. “That was completely unnecessary.” The feline and the canine females glowered at each other before the feline huffed and looked away from the age-old standstill.  “You are to welcome another into the House of Moon. It has been decreed by the Immortal Council.”

“Why then are we visited by the Neko Kami and not the Inu?” Inuyoku asked politely as she lifted a paw to lick a spec of dirt that wasn’t there. The feline smirked. “Despite you being a dog, Inuyoku, I always thought your… attributes were more feline.” Inuyoku laughed charmingly and her son growled, which of course drew the attention of both females.

“Maa, maa, he is so stubborn.” The Kami admired briefly and Inuyoku clicked her tongue.

“Don’t encourage him.” Both females chuckled before Inuyoku stood up and began to pace in front of the Kami. “So why, most honored goddess, do you seek the House of Moon this night?”

“You started as many of us have, as the spirits of animals or natural life that accumulate into power after time. You, as youkai are nearly as ancient as the Kami themselves. But it is your bloodline that stands out among the rest. For this reason, we have chosen you.” Sesshomaru snarled in response, once again drawing the attention of both females.

“It is also for this reason that I call upon this bloodline. It is the reason why we choose to house such a soul as precious to us, as goodness and protection, is to the humans against evil. We made a mistake in housing such a spirit in the flesh of a mortal. We have chosen now to rectify our mistake by suiting her in the flesh of an Ookami Youkai. Who better to love and teach her than the very youkai born to protect and love humans?”

Sesshomaru, surprisingly, did not growl and both females did wait so very patiently. When it became apparent he was not indulging them, they sighed and looked back to each other. “Do release my son now; he is quite bothersome when irritated.” Sesshomaru was on his toes, his fur standing on end and his impressive set of fangs gleamed as rain slithered across their pearly surfaces. The neko swatted slowly and playfully at the dog’s nose with a soft mewl. The dog instantly shied from the near touch, wincing without meaning to. He snarled and stomped the ground with his paw, cracking and indenting the earth a good three foot.

“Do not test me, Kami! I am not your plaything!”

The neko was avenging beauty, her wrath magnificent to behold as she stood to loom over the flattened Inu Taiyoukai Sesshomaru squared off with her. “You forget youkai that ALL beings are puppets for the gods! Know your place or forfeit your life to sate my blood thirst.”

Of course, Sesshomaru was no fool. He knew he was in the presence of a Kami and though most accounted his powers to such standards, he knew he would not survive long without the peace of mind this Kami was obviously after.

“Who are you, Kami, that you would come to us as our most natural enemy?” Sesshomaru ground out, keeping his eyes on the delicate black paws, elegantly and artfully arranged to poise her in grace and stature. Her square face lowered to his long cheek and she purred louder.

“This is my most natural state, Inu no youkai and you would be wise to respect that.”

His eyes widened and his peripherals alerted to him that she was smiling. This wasn’t a Neko Kami at all; this was the mate to THE Inugami. HIS Kami. “Yes, my son, She is His mate.”

“Why does he not come?” Sesshomaru’s bafflement and embarrassment quickly turned to subservience. “My lady, forgive this Sesshomaru for he has known nothing but hardships and war. Not often am I in the presence of a true lady of the Realms.”

“Sesshomaru-ouji no baka..!” Inuyoku hissed, her face flushed at the implication that she was in no way a lady. Sesshomaru was allowed to stand and as he did he rose with a purposeful foot’s length behind her own rise.

He was able to stare into the glowing emeralds that had moments before seared into his retinas.

“What is it you require of me?” The neko kami smirked, her square snout shimmering around the glow of her green eyes.

~~~

She could feel herself as if she had been gently placed into a mold that fit against her like a second skin; it was comfortable and warm, but was also alien enough to stand out so starkly in her mind that she was inside something that fitted to her like a glove.  When she tried to open her eyes, she saw nothing; when she tried to listen to anything, she heard only the silence of her own mind.

What is this? Where’s Inuyasha? Am I sleeping and simply can’t wake up?

She went round and round inside her head until her mind stumbled on a small piece of conversation that echoed in a voice not her own, it said: “I have found you-er rather, you found me!”

What did that mean and who, and why, would they say something like that?

I can still feel that awesome pressure… Had she been killed? Why was the feeling of pain lingering as opposed to the nothing she should be feeling now if she were dead?

“I think she is awake, milady.” For the first time, in what seemed to be forever, she heard the sound of another voice; not her own. Her eyes, which had moments ago seen only darkness, could now see a cave ceiling. It made her frown as if the ceiling was so low all she had to do was reach up and touch it, but her mind rationalized the true distance and gauged it to be over fifteen feet from floor to ceiling.  “Can you hear me?” Kagome found herself looking into the eyes of bright ocher with hair as pristine as first winter’s snow.

Is that… Sesshomaru-sama? Opening her mouth to voice such a question only resulted in her tongue rolling oddly in her throat, nearly gagging her. She felt her body seize as her throat constricted and trembled. With a might hacking cough and a shake of her head, Kagome knew one thing was for certain. So… I knew I wasn’t in Kansas anymore… but seriously? I have to be Toto!!!

Tilting her head, because she found she couldn’t look straight down, a large black thing was on her face. She then found two large black paws with shiny black talons. Cool…. Her mind whimpered before she looked back up to see that it was not the Lord of the West who had addressed her, but in fact no one at all. With a grunt she shakily pushed herself up onto her four paws. She trembled and wobbled uneasily before collapsing back down onto her stomach. Well this is just great…

With a sharp whine, that in her mind was supposed to be a moan of pain, Kagome laid her long jaw down onto the cave floor. With a start she lifted it again, angling her head to look down at the ground between her feet. It wasn’t cold in the least; in fact the stone felt firm and reassuring. She felt her ears perk forward and her tail swish along the ground behind her. Quickly her human mind followed the reactions and linked them with certain emotions. She thought about the contrast between textures like the ground and her chin; and her tail began to wag. Stimulation of any kind, it appeared, would make the stupid thing wiggle. She thought about Inuyasha and his lack of appearance and the appendage flopped down with a muffled thunk. Jeeze and I thought humans could feel emotional pain acutely. Everything’s so amplified yet so simplified as a dog…

Knowing she’d die here if she couldn’t learn to walk, she spent the next five hours learning to walk, trot, jump, and sprint. Going too fast around a corner too sharp knocked her feet out from under her, as it took symmetry of movements that a biped was not used to doing with four legs. Able to at least walk with confidence, Kagome nosed around the ground of the cave entrance. She smelled an array of things that before long had led her not only away from the cave, but into the forest which now had no familiarity.

Sweet… She snarled and sat down. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth when her human brain wanted to catch her breath and cool off. With a shake of her head Kagome felt a gnawing sensation start at the top of her stomach. Her forepaws danced in place as the sensation grew, unsure of what was happening. Her human mind attempted to suppress the sensation as it brought to her human mind an anxiety so acute her muscles began to tremble. When it came to a peak and her chest began to itch, Kagome let go of the reins like someone who had been trying to hold back a crazed horse. Her neck snapped backwards and her right paw lifted close to her chest. The sound erupted so quickly that birds sprang with cries of their own; deer barked at one another as they ran in fear. Kagome’s howl was deep, heart-wrenching, and long. It took her very last breath to end the note and when her canine body was satisfied with its vocalization of whatever it had been feeling, it slumped down; exhausted.

What’s going on? She whispered lamely to herself, her human mind just as exhausted as her canine body. With a roll she flopped onto her side and stretched her legs out. Every muscle reacted accordingly and tensed, releasing an endorphin that made her jaws open with a yawn and her eyes grow heavy with pleasure. Within minutes, like any animal or child, fell asleep.

~~~

“Sesshomaru-ouji, I have a report from the North Wall.” The Taiyoukai looked up from his desk, his hand moving to place the brush down as his eyes closed with the irritation of the interruption. Though he knew it of importance, it did not stop the irritation he felt towards creatures he felt lesser. He was simply in the mood to be left alone. The latter was such the case now. “The hanyou wielding Tetsusaiga has been seen within your borders, my lord. What action should we take?” Sesshomaru’s restored hand moved towards the hilt of Bakusaiga.

“This Sesshomaru will deal with it personally. Pull any and all scouts back, those on patrol are to leave the North wall to me. No one is to engage.”

“Understood, milord.”

~~~

“Dammit bitch, where’d you go? KAGOME!!!!” He cupped his hands around his mouth as he bellowed at the top of his lungs. Birds scattered and small animals fled. “Damn.” He snarled, his ears fluttering and spinning atop his head as he tried to locate any telling sound of the girl from the future.

“Fuck! I knew I took too long; damn that storm! But dammit, she helped kill Naraku! Can’t that bitch do anything on her own!?” A sudden bark from behind him made him whirl to see the largest wolf-er well, normal blooded wolf that is, that he had ever seen. Its black fur was slick and shiny, its left eye a deep brown, the right ashen silver. “Holy shit…” He mumbled in awe, the size of the creature’s paws were huge!

Kagome stopped and tilted her head at him before she sat down. Her body following the wishes of her mind for Inuyasha to know her, lowered her head, exposing the length of her neck. Inuyasha felt a responsive instinct push him into growling back. He knelt down and extended his hand. “Come here, girl. I won’t hurt you.” Kagome’s brown eye glinted as she looked up at him, her tail beginning to wag. Inuyasha was standing upwind, his scent swirling past her. She stood with her head and tail low and slowly walked towards him. He chuckled. “Look at you. You’re such a big bitch and yet you would humble yourself before me. Am I truly so powerful to you?”

You’ll always be powerful to me, Inuyasha. Her human mind whispered and her canine body translated by stopping a few feet from him and laying down. She flopped to her side and watched him as she rolled enough to bring her front legs into the air. He took a step forward and cupped the underside of her chin. Her body froze and her stomach knotted; her body was telling her to be submissive while at the same time, not be so easy to get. Her human mind shut the instincts down by her sheer desire for Inuyasha to recognize her.

The hanyou’s eyes widened a fraction as he leaned down to put his nose to the middle of her throat. Kagome’s jaws fell open and the desire to bite him was overwhelming, but her human mind did everything it could to keep her place. Perhaps as a dog she stilled smelled like Kagome!

Please Inuyasha… I’m so scared!

Her canine body reacted accordingly and she relaxed, whining softly as she pawed gently at his shoulder. “You kind of smell like Kagome. Did she come through here, girl? Have you seen her?” He asked, pulling back and rubbing his hand down her chest and belly, back and forth in quick rubs. Kagome’s heart sank and she rolled over, whimpering once more in a last ditch effort, but it was lost when something else caught Inuyasha’s attention. The wind shifted and Kagome smelt it too. Distinctly canine. It smelled something her human mind said was sharp like batteries, but her canine nose said power. It stung the air, like ozone does after lightning; but at the same time made it heavy.

Oh no! If we get attacked, I’ll be of no use to Inuyasha. I don’t have any miko energy! I can’t feel it anywhere!!

With dread in her gut she opened her mouth to release a half-assed howl that Inuyasha quickly stopped by wrapping his hand around her muzzle.  “Shut up, bitch.”

“Inuyasha, you overstep your bounds.” Inuyasha’s ear pinned back and both canines looked in the direction of the west. “Keh! I wouldn’t be in your neck of the woods if it wasn’t for Kagome going missing! We had a cave-.”

“The miko is missing.” His statement was not so much a question as it was him thinking aloud.

“Didn’t I just say that?!”

“Close your mouth, Inuyasha, it hurt my ears when you wail.”

“Keh!” Inuyasha’s face turned red. Kagome sat up and stood in front of Inuyasha, his head lowered and her tail slowly rising.

“Hn. Is she a friend of yours?” Sesshomaru asked in mild amusement. How fitting it would be of his half-brother, to befriend such a wolf-. His eyes widened as his quick mind connected the dots. “Ookami.”

“Eh?” Inuyasha grunted looking down at the large black wolf that stood between him and Sesshomaru. “She ain’t mine. Found her while looking for Kagome.”

“Fool.”

“EH?! Sesshomaru, temee! You wanna fight about it?” Sesshomaru lifted his nose with a soft sigh. How do those humans put up with him? Youkai have extraordinary tolerance, yet those humans have a vastly greater one… Unwilling to allow the thought that humans possessed something far greater than he, Sesshomaru decided that Inuyasha was intolerable. Period. The ill-fated humans who chose to live with him mattered not.

“Where is your pack, brother? Do they not aid you?” Inuyasha snorted and crossed his arms. “Me and Kagome were gonna take the long way home. I’ve been training her, see and it was perfect-.”

“You truly are hopeless, you stupid fool.”

Inuyasha bared his fangs, Tetsusaiga already drawn with his ears back. “Omae, you wanna run that by me again? I didn’t quite catch that last bit?”

Sesshomaru’s ire had reached its limit; with youki spiraling around him like a vortex, the Taiyoukai presented to his ignorant half-brother the true extent of youkai blood. Inuyasha was forced to cover his face with the inside of his elbow as his brother’s transformation hung in the balance. “You will address this Sesshomaru with respect, hanyou, as you are within his territory- the lands of your father!”

Inuyasha’s rage cooled to a simmer, but that didn’t stop his bitter retort. “Keh! Now all of a sudden you want respect? You want my subservience? Fuck you! You want my respect? You have to earn it and so far you’ve done nothing but try to kill me! Since the moment I was born! Omae, nani shi ni kitta yo?”

Inuyasha charged forward, Tetsusaiga over his head. Sesshomaru, his eyes aflame with scarlet youki, drew Bakusaiga. “I have not yet taken your miserable life, Inuyasha. I have attempted to kill you, but you stand before me, alive and annoying, do you not?” The blades crashed together in a display of youki violently colliding; the sparks of metal flew like fireworks.

“You trying to say you’ve been grooming me? Fat chance, asshole! Was that your way of showing love then, but bashing my head into hard objects!? Shoving your own hands through my chest?!” Inuyasha shoved Sesshomaru back three steps before the demon prince snarled and with a might sweep, disarmed Inuyasha, kicked his feet out from under him and placed Bakusaiga to his throat. Inuyasha was panting, his own eyes bleeding scarlet without the contact of his fang.

Sesshomaru’s eyes bled back to normal, his youki sucking back into its humanoid vessel. “You and a human girl defeated Naraku. Do you honestly think without my pursuit of your life, you would have survived long enough to achieve such a feat?”

“You honestly think I believe that crap? Why now all of a sudden? You make it sound like I should stand up and declare you my beloved brother again!” Sesshomaru’s eyes closed as Inuyasha swatted his blade aside. Using the momentum, Sesshomaru flipped the blade and sheathed it.

“We were both very young. This Sesshomaru apologizes for his actions, but his claim on your life is very real, hanyou. He alone possesses that power or privilege.” Inuyasha sat up and shook his head.

“You think that makes it ok?”

“Hm.”

“You’re wrong.” Sesshomaru shook his head and turned from his brother.

“Be that as it may, the Gods have played their hand and this Sesshomaru requires your help.” Inuyasha watched his brother’s back carefully.

“So that’s why you wanted to make amends. You need help; my help.” Sesshomaru glanced over his shoulder before nodding. Inuyasha snorted and flicked a rock that was beside his hip, away. He watched it before sighing. “Well, couldn’t hurt to have you in my debt.”

Sesshomaru’s shoulders tensed as he growled a warning. Inuyasha chuckled almost evilly. I do not require your help so desperately, foolish hanyou. I offer you a chance to take your place at my side. Such blood feuds will only prove to hinder the Western Dog lines… especially with its welcoming of a miko turned youkai…

Pride and anger at the hanyou’s ignorance kept the prince from voicing his true thoughts and desires. “So, what do you need help with, aniki-kun?”

Kagome could hardly believe her ears! Here I am a giant dog and you two wanna have confession time!!! What the hell, Inuyasha!? She huffed in major annoyance before she stood up sharply from her spot on the ground and trotted to stand between them. Making sure both had a good view of her profile; she lifted her tail and pointed her nose in the air and sat down with another huff.

Inuyasha glanced from the wolf to his brother; Sesshomaru however was watching the wolf as if he was convinced it was rabid and waited for an attack. “What’s your problem, wolf? Go home! Can’t you see we’re busy?!” Kagome, with her almost human mahogany colored eye, tried her very best to convey a message.

Inuyasha felt chill and his spine instantly went rigid, his fangs clamped shut with a click and he had to look over his shoulder to make sure Kagome wasn’t behind him, ready to sit him into the next world. Then he realized it was only a wolf. He was about to retort when his brother moved. “Eh?”

Sesshomaru was looking down at the beast as she sat in front of him. Her ears were back slightly in agitation, but her head was lowered and her tail frozen in submission. He arched an eyebrow at her and she growled slowly and softly. 

Come on, Sesshomaru-sama! You’re a freaking dog, too, right?! LISTEN TO ME!!!

She barked once before continuing her low and slow growl. He did nothing but stare at her; no sign of anything filtering through his ocher irises. Oh man…. This is gonna be a long day… She turned and slowly walked away from him, her head and tail downcast and her steps heavy and slow. What a bunch of morons… Her canine body translated the thought into an action. Her lung swelled and a growled huff found her face to face with both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru.

“There’s something wrong with you.” Inuyasha accused, squatting down to examine her closer. Sesshomaru’s eyes however were alit with indignation and barely contained rage. Clearly he had understood her message. Her ears snapped back and she snarled at him.

Well of course! You’d understand I was insulting you, not the OTHER more IMPORTANT message!! MORON!!

Inuyasha snickered and glanced at his brother, and though he saw it coming, flinched when the Taiyoukai snatched the wolf up by its scruff and shook her, growling in her face. Kagome yelped and squirmed, but stilled and whined when she caught the look of death in the demon’s eyes,  “You, a lesser being, would insult this Sesshomaru for a speech you yourself cannot possess?” He tossed her aside and Kagome twisted in midair, her tail swirling to balance her as she landed on her toes, her shackles high and the top of her nuzzle and forehead, wrinkled in anger. “Your predicament means nothing to me, Priestess.” But it was with that statement of itself that he proved it had meant something.

Inuyasha’s mouth dropped open and Kagome, though she knew better than to approach the Taiyoukai as his mood was, she stood up on her back legs, pawed at the air, hopped in circles and barked happily. Inuyasha sat down and watched the silly girl as she expressed herself in the only way she knew how. Well… the canine body knew how anyway. Yet his eyes bore him the image and his mind knew it to be her, he still could hardly believe it was her…Questions rushed through his head in a whirl-wind, what happened? HOW did it happen? WHY was this girl always on the cusp of danger? He couldn’t take his eyes off her for a minute!!

Sesshomaru’s mind was reeling with surprise, anticipation, curiosity, and of course a touch of fear. Oh crap… The priestess had almost always been important to him; from the moment she purified the Tetsusaiga and almost purified himself. She had endured, just like Inuyasha had, every one of his life-threatening attacks. Never once had he toned down his hand in the favor of either the girl or the hanyou; but they endured, the both of them.

Would he tell them that? Ha. Never. His innermost thoughts were his own for a reason; and his outermost thoughts were projected for a reason as well. It was not by accident that the world viewed him as such a cold, indifferent, and aristocratic being.  Neither was his decree - that the Priestess be left as she was - a mistake, despite her blatant challenges and insults.  Knowing her now he did not blame her for her desperation or her fears; still, he could and would fault her for her insolence and blatant disrespect.  She was no fool and she had proved this to him on countless occasions, though she was prone to bouts of pure idiocy - moments like this one that proved her fragile mortality. To him she was an infant; her life had only scratched the mere surface of what his was capable of.

In accordance, of course, I cannot blame a child for her fear of being trapped without word or way to convey herself as troubled. Which case, of course, allowed him to inhale as Kagome snarled at him, cradling her injured front left leg.

“Aw, Sesshomaru! You didn’t have to do that!” The Western Lord and the Ookami both watched Inuyasha with varying degrees of astonishment and lack of hope.

Did it fly over your head Inuyasha?! He called me Priestess!!! Horror, as much as it could be portrayed on the face of a canine, left Kagome neatly painting such an image.

“Even if she is an Ookami, she’s still Kagome!” The girl whimpered and lay down. Oh gods,  Inuyasha…. You worry me sometimes… “So don’t throw her around like that again!!”

“Hn, tell me, Inuyasha, that you have heard what she has said?” It was a question that bordered on his curiosity and though the priestess continued to eye him with her bi-colored stare that seemed to read him much easier now, he could not stand for her interference. I will not allow it! His pride was now on the line. If the Priestess could see through him, she would no doubt play upon his weakness like she had with his hanyou half-brother, and any other youkai she had come across in her endeavors. The popular belief that his mother encouraged and praised for those in her company for softer emotions and desires against the reputation of the Taiyoukai. He already had added onto the fact that she was human and far below his stature; he would be putting not only himself in danger, but his mother.

Intolerable…

“She’s been speaking…” Inuyasha deduced, though rather slowly, before nodding and scratching his cheek. “Well, that actually makes quite a bit of sense. She reminded me of Kagome almost from the start and I thought her body language was a little weird. Probably why I didn’t notice right away…”

“Fool.”

“Sesshomaru, teme!!!” The brothers were at it again and Kagome sat down this time, content to watch as Sesshomaru knocked his brother’s sword aside, threw down his own Bakusaiga, and bum-rushed the startled hanyou; quickly engaging in hand-to-hand almost seamlessly. The hanyou suffered three punches to the face, a knee to the groin, an elbow to the back, and a backhand to the cheek before he regained balance enough to duck under the next punch intended for his temple. He managed to slam both of his fists into his older brother’s sternum. Sesshomaru grunted, preventing his diaphragm from lodging in place and knocking the wind out of him and countered with a dropped elbow to the crown of the hanyou’s head. Inuyasha went down like a sack of rocks; but when Sesshomaru went to knee him in the chin, Inuyasha felt the graze of the blow before he pitched himself backwards into a roll. He landed in a crouch with his eyes bleeding scarlet. His claws dug further into the earth and his heart stuttered as fuller, more powerful youkai blood began to cycle throughout his body. His heart stuttered once more and the hanyou blood was filtered with the thicker youkai blood until its mingle was nearly complete.

Something clattered and rolled to sit in front of him; it was the sheathed Tetsusaiga. His scarlet eyes snapped to the side, the large black Ookami female -who had nosed the weapon within range- was now seating herself back down on the sidelines. Inuyasha snorted a “Keh!” and snatched the weapon up. He slipped it in his sash and rocketed towards his brother. Sesshomaru sidestepped the hanyou, kicked him in the kidney, grabbed his hand, and slammed him backwards into the earth. Inuyasha grunted with the impact, but managed to flip his arms over his head and push himself upwards. Balancing on his hands, the hanyou twisted his legs and twirled on one hand as Sesshomaru swung for his side and missed. Inuyasha pitched off the ground and landed on his feet a good five feet away. Sesshomaru was already in his face, a claw around his neck and another embedded into his gut. Inuyasha hacked and his vision swam and pitched dangerously before pain rattled throughout his body. His mind cleared under the sharp needles of pain. He kicked and struggled, but Sesshomaru snarled and squeezed harder.

Kagome frowned, for she wasn’t sure when this battle had become serious and not a punishment for Inuyasha’s stupidity. Her sharp canine eyes saw every movement of the youkai before her as if she was watching a dance she had helped choreograph. It seemed that the more she watched, the more she learned from the experience and how she was able to tell that Sesshomaru was no longer putting Inuyasha simply in his place. It was something more now. Like Sesshomaru-sama was trying to tell Inuyasha something… something important… 

~~~

Nishimasako glowered at her sister, not by blood mind you, for her kin was that of the Great Dog General. Nishimasako was the first born of her brother’s litter and had been tragically absent during his demise. “Tell me sister… why do I hear displeasure in the West?” The new General, though not as great as her brother, took a seat on a window sill, propping an elbow on her raised left knee.  Her hair was long, but un-kept in the sense that she did nothing with it. Her bangs were nearly covering her eyes and the braid behind her was now so long it nearly pooled at her feet.

Inuyuko patiently watched the warrior with her hands placed on her lower stomach. With a bow the Lady of the West apologized. Nishimasako glanced to her with dark gold eyes, her lids painted a striking charcoal that swept delicately under her eye as well. The crescent moon did not adorn her forehead, as it was Inuyuko’s House Symbol of power. Like her brother, Nishimasako’s handsome face was slashed with two marks of crimson that swept down from the ear and followed the lines of her jaw.

“Is it true then? The House of the Moon is accepting strays? A wolf at that, not even white I hear.” Inuyuko’s head dipped again in apology.

“It is true, and though I am not proud to do so, I do so willingly and without complaint. As SHE came to us and demanded we do this.”

Nishimasako frowned in thought before looking out the window. As a White Dog, Nishimasako adorned herself in silks and cotton of black and silver. She was known as the White General who wore black. The irony made her smile.

 “Ah, so then tell me. Why have the Gods once more chosen to bless this House?” Though Nishimasako was as much a part of the House of Moon as Inuyuko; the General belonged to no House. She, her brother and baby sister were all that was left of their House.  No longer worthy of a name. Which always made her mind wonder: would her brother’s bastard be counted among them? Should he be? The tactical maneuvers would drive her crazy at night with implications and circumstances. “Though another powerful canine within our ranks is certainly a blessing.”

“Certainly, indeed.”

“-I do not fail to see how you would jest upon a situation so dire; when you yourself would be so subjected to the rumors you have come here to scold me for!”

Nishimasako chuckled. “Temper, temper, my lovely sister. Though it’s been quite some time I imagine for you. The training ring is still calling your name and I don’t know about you, but Tamasine is itching to sink into your flesh again.” The general patted her fang, a large halberd that was propped against the wall beside her.

A servant just then, who happened to be placing tea, paused and eyed her lady in weary anticipation. She was stunned nearly white when Inuyuko seemed flattered and blushed. She placed the sleeve of her kimono over her mouth and bashfully, though with quite the deadly intent, batted her eyes at the General. Nishimasako snickered fondly before looking back out the window. “So where is my nephew? Should he not be here to greet me? Do not tell me he forsook me in favor of fetching your new friend?”

Inuyuko sighed as she sat down in front of her vanity. The servant who brought in tea now moved to remove her lady’s twin tails from her hair. As it was put into a single braid for sleeping, the General rose from her spot. “I suppose then I must lengthen my stay, for I must see Sess-chan.” Inuyuko snickered; how alike were brother and sister. Neither had use for formality, hated politics and preferred rough and tumble, blood and sweat - right down to it, nastiness. But they were not without their graces.  “It is important that I speak with him.”

“Oh?” Inuyuko was instantly on high alert, but her outward appearances never altered as she calmly watched her servant comb out, oil and braid her long white hair, for all intents and purposes; quite bored. Nishimasako smirked, knowing she had her sister by the snout hairs. “Hn. It would seem the Four Winds will be holding council this new moon. A lot must be assessed. Sesshomaru must either rise to take his father’s place, or I will ultimately take over for him as I have done in my brother’s stead thus far. This new pack member you speak of will be a beautiful display of Sesshomaru’s talents and I am sure he will prove himself worthy before the Four Winds of Japan. As you know, of course, this means Sesshomaru will spend one year battling constant contenders both physically and mentally, and thus which-.”

“I know the rites, Nishi-chan.” The General’s nose wrinkled slightly at the nick name, but the older female knew of the suffering the younger would go through. Though never had Nishimasako experienced the power motherhood offered to a demoness, nor the feelings; but she was not above sympathizing where it was needed and deserved.

Sesshomaru will have no problem with the Test, nor the Ascending. The Four Winds will accept him as the Taiyoukai of the Wind of West!

 ~~~

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