Singer In The Night

*Singer In The Night – chapter 5*


The next morning the group left the hut and continued on their walk to Kaede’s village. Both Inuyasha’s and Kagome’s injuries were giving them trouble so Jindoro gracefully offered to accompany them to the village. Another reason was that he could sense Sesshoumaru nearby. He had masked his sense but even so he could not escape Jindoro’s excellent sense of consciousness. He didn’t tell Inuyasha though, he felt it better that the hanyou worry about Kagome and he would concern himself with the lurking dog youkai.

During their walk both Miroku and Sango noticed at how affectionate Inuyasha was treating Kagome. Running his hands through her hair and offering to carry her on his back. Shippou was sitting on Jindoro’s shoulder, telling him about how his father had taught him how to use the fox-fire. Making sure that no one was watching, Jindoro reached into his robe and produced a small piece of paper. Both he and Shippou tip-toed up behind Inuyasha and the youkai slapped the sutra on his back. Instantly, in mid-step, Inuyasha started snoring. Jindoro and Shippou were laughing hysterically while Kagome tried to shake Inuyasha awake.

“What did you do Shippou!?!?” Kagome cried, grasping Inuyasha by the shoulders and shaking him violently. Miroku began poking him with his staff, but nothing happened. Inuyasha just stood in the middle of the road, eyes shut and sound asleep.

“I didn’t do it, he did!” Shippou said, pointing his tiny finger at Jindoro. Everyone looked over at Jindoro, who was still laughing quietly. Then he raised his hands in an expression of surrender and pulled the sutra off Inuyasha’s back. Immediately Inuyasha’s eyes blinked open. He looked around and saw everyone staring at him.

“What?!? What’s wrong?” Inuyasha asked impatiently, he hated when they all stared at him for no apparent reason. Jindoro walked over and with a smile on his face he patted Inuyasha on the shoulder.

“Nothing Inuyasha, lets keep walking.” Inuyasha was confused but started walking again. Everyone else followed along behind them, still giggling. Shippou tucked the sutra in this little pocket and smirked.

‘I will have to thank Jindoro for this; it should be fun making Inuyasha fall asleep whenever I want.’ Shippou thought to himself as he hoped up on Miroku’s shoulder and they all kept walking towards Kaede’s village.


***


They stopped when night fell and built a fire. They all gathered around the fire as Kagome made the last of the ramen. Jindoro changed the bandage around Inuyasha’s stomach and the one on Kagome’s leg. All the while Jindoro was aware of Sesshoumaru not too far off.

‘Of course he has to follow us; I don’t know what he thinks he will do though. He must know that I know he is there, what is the point in hiding? He should just show himself.’ Jindoro mauled thoughts of Sesshoumaru over in his mind but still said nothing to any of his traveling companions.

When Sango, Miroku and Shippou caught a glimpse of Inuyasha and Kagome kissing, it stopped them dead in their tracks. Sango was rendered speechless while the monk kept squeezing his eyes shut and opening them again, hoping that maybe when he opened them again his hallucinations would be gone. All the little kitsune could do was bounce up and down and speak happy gibberish. All of them looked to the nightingale youkai for answers and all he could do was laugh softly and assure them that they were indeed sane and weren’t seeing things.

After Shippou had finished his food he bounded into Jindoro’s lap and listened to the soft song he was singing. Moments later Shippou was lost to the waking world, Jindoro’s soothing voice had relaxed everyone after their dinner. Miroku were sitting very close to one another, Kagome noticed. Not once that day had Miroku tried to grope Sango, or if he had she had not protested.

“Jindoro, please tell us how you know Inuyasha. You never said.” Kagome asked after she had cleaned up what was left of the dinner she had made. Jindoro sighed and looked up at the stars. Inuyasha sighed too, knowing exactly what Jindoro was thinking.

“That is a complicated tale.” Jindoro said. The only answer he got was a grunt from Inuyasha.

‘That really is stating the obvious Jindoro.’ Inuyasha thought to himself, pulling Kagome closer to him. It was indeed an interesting story. He wasn’t sure Jindoro was going to say anything until he looked back at them and took a deep breath.

“I knew Sesshoumaru long before Inuyasha was born. We were…Well first you must know that I have been intimate with both men and women.” Jindoro stated, hoping that Kagome, Miroku and Sango would understand his meaning. He looked over to Kagome and saw a thoughtful look on her face.

“Intimate with men and women... Oh! You are bisexual! I get it!” Kagome chimed in. Bisexual was a term that none of them had heard before. Jindoro thought a moment and finally nodded his head, agreeing with Kagome. Bi after all meant two, he thought.

“Yes, well Sesshoumaru and I were lovers. He was not always like this though; he was not always consumed with bitterness and hate. I…cared for him very much. His father was livid with him. He found our relationship disgusting and wrong. He also thought that it was wasteful because no heir would ever be produced. I don’t think Sesshoumaru ever forgave him for that. Years later his mother became deathly ill and eventually died.” Jindoro paused a moment and cast his eyes away from his audience.

“I believe that was the worst day of Sesshoumaru’s life.” Jindoro said quietly. He sighed and continued telling his story.

“Many years after that his father took a human woman for a mate. Nuri, her name was. She was a lovely woman, so very gentle. I liked her very much.” Jindoro smiled wistfully and then glanced back over to Inuyasha. He had a similar expression on his face, remembering his mother.

“She gave birth to the white-haired, dog-eared young man you see before you. Unfortunately he was born into a house that was crumbling. Sesshoumaru hated and resented his father for so many things. He hated Nuri for replacing his mother and he hated Inuyasha with a fiery vengeance simply because he was there. I immediately was fond of Nuri and Inuyasha, which angered Sesshoumaru even more. As much as I loved him I guess it was not enough.”

“Did Sesshoumaru love you?” Kagome questioned quietly, she knew that it may not have been the appropriate thing to ask but she couldn’t help it. She was quickly becoming wrapped up in Jindoro’s story of their past.

“Sesshoumaru went to murder Inuyasha in his crib but I could not allow it. Not the death of an innocent baby who had nothing to do with his and his father’s feud. If he ever did love me I can name the exact moment when it ended. The night I held the infant Inuyasha in one arm and a sword pointed at my lover in the other.” Jindoro voice was barely above a whisper and was thick with sadness. None of them could see his face but they did see his hand rise up to wipe a tear from his cheek. They were all silent, trying their best to soak in what he had told them.

‘Jindoro drew his sword and threatened Sesshoumaru to save my life. I know Jindoro; he would have killed Sesshoumaru if he had to.’ Inuyasha thought about what Jindoro had told them, it was almost too much to comprehend.

‘He was prepared to kill the one he loved to save Inuyasha’s life. I have never known a man or demon as noble.’ Miroku’s expression was not out of place but inside he was in awe of the youkai sitting with them around the fire. This was not the kind of tale he was expecting. Maybe he and Inuyasha were in battle together he jumped in front of a sword for him but not this. Everyone was brought back out of their inner debates when Jindoro cleared his throat.

“We fought each other for three and a half aching hours. We are equally matched, always have been. I don’t know if it was out of frustration or he was tired. He backed away for a moment and I went through the door. The lord of the house and Nuri was away for sometime so I took Inuyasha with me. I did not know how to care for an infant so I took him to my sisters. They were thrilled to have a baby to play with. A month later, I returned Inuyasha to his home when his parents had come back. That was the last time I saw Sesshoumaru before last night. He cursed my name and said he hoped I would be damned to hell.” Jindoro sighed an exhausted sigh, as if the telling of his past just took the energy right out of him. Everyone sat in silence, not knowing how to respond to what he had told him. Kagome did not think that her request would warrant such an answer. Them she thought of something, something that did not make sense to her.

“If Sesshoumaru hated you so much, why didn’t he try to kill you last night?” Kagome whispered, leaning in closer to Inuyasha. Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her tightly, wanting and needing to know she was there. Jindoro breathed deeply and closed his eyes. It was an interesting question. He opened his eyes once again and everyone saw that they were damp with tears.

“Hated or loved, he wouldn’t kill his own mate.”