UnBound Memories

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't profit.

Chapter 6

To offer a trade

“They know we were watching,” Kanna said as she looked up from her mirror to Naraku.

“Good,” he answered. “This way, when I make him an offer, he will already understand why.”

********

Sesshomaru was laying on his side, his hand gently stroking the hair of the tiny baby laying next to him. He rubbed the tiny tuft of hair, the two little ears that rested atop the small white head. It was strange to think that something so tiny could have managed to ease his pain as much as this little pup had. With the little one next to him like it was now, it was so easy for Sesshomaru to get rest, if not peace, hearing the faint sound of its little lungs filling with air, the little cooing sounds it made as it awoke, never crying.

Though the pup’s eyes had not yet opened, Sesshomaru could tell, with experienced learning, that the pup was awake, and whimpering to be fed. He took the baby into his arm while his right moved up to his own mouth, biting his index finger, bringing blood to the surface.

“It will be a small wonder if you manage to drain father and I dry, InuYasha,” he said as he placed the bloody digit into the baby’s mouth. “I wish Izayoi could participate in these feedings, but such responsibility is left to the demons in the family.”

Some might have said that Sesshomaru was obviously exaggerating the appetite of the tiny demon, but in reality, InuYasha’s desire for demon blood far outweighed his body’s need for milk and traditional nourishment. “If they locate two dried dog husks, we will know who was to blame,” the older inu said, warmly.

At those words, Sesshomaru could see that the tiny pup’s eyes were fluttering, finally ready to open. A tiny thrill went through him as he realized that he would be the very first thing the pup ever laid eyes upon. He would be the first to know what color InuYasha’s eyes were. The long black eyelashes began to part, revealing two large honey-colored irises that surrounded pupils that were still attempting to focus.

The eyes were wide, finally seeming to see Sesshomaru, rather than just a pale haze. Inquisitively, they looked to him, as though trying to place the face with a voice, the smell seeming to make some of the connection.

“Hello,” was all Sesshomaru could think to say, but it was enough. At hearing the older inuyoukai’s voice, InuYasha’s mouth curled up in a contented smile around the finger in his mouth before resuming sucking.

Sesshomaru couldn’t seem to help wanting to be selfish, not wanting to tell Izayoi and Touga just yet, wanting to enjoy this moment for himself.

Rising from the bed, Sesshomaru began leading InuYasha around the room, showing the baby the elaborate yellow, red and blue draperies, describing them, telling him all about the figures depicted in each piece of fabric and every portrait. He let the baby feel the textures of the fabrics he was finally seeing for the first time. Still, he eventually ran out of new items that managed to catch InuYasha’s attention and had to move into the hall, knowing there would be no servants there, hoping there would be no parents either.

As Sesshomaru passed his father’s door, he couldn’t help but still hold onto bitter feelings toward the inuyoukai. Even toward Izayoi. Both of them wished so much that he could return to the “old Sesshomaru.”
He looked down at the baby, who had finished another blood feeding.

“You do not wish for the ‘old Sesshomaru.’ All you know is this Sesshomaru, and it does not matter to you that he is sullen and quiet.” He nuzzled the baby beneath his chin. "Beleive it or not, little one, this Sesshomaru, new or old, loves you."

It had been the first time he had managed such a declaration, but it was true, he did love the little bundle of fluff with the big golden eyes. Sesshomaru moved down the hall to an illustration of his grandfather, the great Inu no Taisho before Touga, trying to describe to the baby the importance of the depiction of a gigantic dog demon.

Vaguely, he heard a door open. He didn’t look, knowing the person who entered could only be Izayoi or Lord Touga, as the family wing had been blocked, both to the passage of anyone other than the family members, as well as scent, thanks to elaborate wards and spells that acted as barriers. This had been absolutely necessary, since InuYasha’s life would have been forfeit if anyone found out that a hanyou had been born to the royal family.

“Son, I need to speak with you,” Touga’s voice said. Sesshomaru turned to meet his father, still cradling InuYasha in his arms. “His eyes.” Touga smiled and waved a clawed hand at the pup in Sesshomaru’s arms.

“Yes. I think they are going to be quite wide, much like yours,” Sesshomaru said, watching as his father proceeded to make a fool of himself.

Touga crouched down to meet InuYasha in his now-open eyes. “Do you know who I am?” He rubbed hs large hand down the baby’s tiny face. “Do you, little one?” At that, InuYasha let out a tiny squeal of laughter, which was received by a broad, fanged smile on the part of the Inu no Taisho.

“Father,” Sesshomaru said, trying to jerk his father back to reality. “You said you needed to speak with me.”
Sesshomaru watched as his father straightened into his “General” posture, very rigid, very tall, yet Sesshomaru still stood nearly a head taller. While the son waited for the father’s orders, he felt Touga place his arm beneath his own, which cradled InuYasha, while the other moved upward to press against the crescent moon on his forehead. He could feel his legs grow weak beneath him, as he collapsed to the floor within moments, unconscious.

It would be several days before Sesshomaru finally began to drift out of the sleep, feeling a heavy sensation on his chest and hearing a faint breathing. As his eyes opened, he saw a tiny white head with little triangular ears, a baby, laying on its stomach, sleeping on Sesshomaru’s chest.

“Get this filthy hanyou off,” Sesshomaru growled. He saw his father, standing above him, stunned. “Just because you mated with a human does not mean I want this thing touching me. Get it off.” His father was not fast enough to suit Sesshomaru, who rolled to one side, sending the baby onto the bed before leaping off of it himself. Sesshomaru glared first at his father and then at Izayoi, who seemed somehow bloated. “Understand one thing: It is my right as your heir to kill this abomination to demonic law, and I intend to use that right. I make my claim to kill this half-breed if you do not.”

At these angry words, the pup on the bed began to cry its first tears, as Sesshomaru fought a habitual urge to comfort the baby.

********

“Quite the family portrait,” a mocking voice said form above. Sesshomaru’s eyes snapped open to find the very wolf who had killed all in Rin’s village, even Rin herself, standing above him. Sesshomaru wanted to leap up and wrap his hand around the wolf’s throat, but found that the arm it was attached to was wrapped very tightly around a terrified Rin and the hand in question was wound just as tightly in InuYasha’s once again white hair. InuYasha had also roused from his slumber, and the resulting tug of war threatened to either rob the hanyou of his hair or Sesshomaru of his remaining arm.

“What are you doing here, wolf?” Inuyasha asked as he rubbed his aching scalp.

“I could smell Kagome here and decided to make sure my woman is still safe and in one piece.” Kouga’s blue eyes darted down to Rin. “What’s wrong with her?”

“You ordered the destruction of her entire village, killing her as well, and forcing me to resurrect her,” Sesshomaru said as he held Rin reassuringly.

“Oh,” Kouga opened his mouth to once again address InuYasha with some form of insult, but before anything could be uttered, Sesshomaru placed Rin on the ground and had his hand where he had hoped to put it when the wolf disturbed his slumber.

“Rin deserves a better answer than that,” Sesshomaru said as his grip around the throat tightened.

“Where do you get off--”

Though no poison dripped form his claws, Sesshomaru allowed them to lightly press against the wolf’s neck. “I recommend that you apologize to my daughter before I decide to poison you on the spot.” Sesshomaru internally questioned those words, as it seemed InuYasha and Rin were both doing by the expressions on their faces. He had claimed Rin as his daughter not his ward, and yet that claim didn’t seem any less true.

“I’m sorry,” Kouga said, half gasping the words. “I was…a different…demon then.”

Sesshomaru threw Kouga to the ground and at once was at Rin’s side.

“How do you move so damned fast?” Kouga asked.

“I do not rely on traveling by foot,” Sesshomaru answered. “And you should learn to talk to your superiors in a more respectful tone.”

“Screw you,” Kouga said, walking toward Kagome, who was approaching the tree in the courtyard along with the rest of InuYasha’s group and a still staggering Jaken, who had yet to fully recover from the blow he’d received the night before from InuYasha. Before the wolf made it three steps, Sesshomaru had knocked him to the ground and all the wind out of his lungs.

“I am your superior. I am Lord of the Western Lands, and your elder by at least three hundred years. Those two things mean you must show me proper respect. Sadly for you, you are not even an equal to InuYasha, who is also a prince, but as my reign is considerably greater than that of the northern lands, he outranks you.”

All surrounding the inu and wolf gaped, but none more so that InuYasha himself. Sesshomaru had just claimed both Rin and himself in less than five minutes. It was little wonder his jaw seemed to press itself onto the ground.

“Tell me, wolf, how old are you?”

“Two hundred and six.”

“Really? Barely an adult and already trying to take a mate. At least InuYasha is two hundred and forty-nine. Seems that also makes him your elder.” Kouga looked around him, obviously trying to see that Sesshomaru was lying, and when it became obvious that he wasn’t, the wolf stood, brushed himself off, and bowed his head slightly to the older demon.

Sesshomaru held his hand out to Rin who eagerly took it as they walked together toward the dining hall.
“Damn mutt’s a prince,” Kouga muttered to himself, then added a little more loudly, “ think he could find something better to wear than that fire rat rag.”

“You damned wolf," InuYasha said, practically pouncing on Kouga, as the two began to fight as they did every time they encountered one another. Kagome in order to bring the fight to an end, nearly got a “sit” out of her mouth before she was interrupted by Sesshomaru.

“InuYasha, come here.”

In a show of obedience that must have baffled all of InuYasha’s friends, even InuYasha himself, he left his fight with Kouga and walked by the inuyoukai’s side, grabbing Kagome as he went to ensure that Kouga didn’t get a moment alone with her.

********

Finally, with the enemies of Naraku all under one structure, Sesshomaru and InuYasha began strategic planning, determining that this was likely the only chance the group had at defeating the demon who had hurt them all in one way or another. At the rear of the room sat Kouga and Miroku, largely because of how each of them had managed to anger the demon lord. Still, Miroku wasn’t going to complain too much. Being beside Kouga meant he finally had someone with some knowledge of demonic history and traditions that wasn’t the ice prince. It also meant that he had someone beside him who wasn’t going to tell him to mind his own business. He could tell that Kouga was just as curious as he was.

Unfortunately for Miroku, he found that the wolf was just as clueless. Kouga had heard of some inuyoukai capable of using memory wipes like Sesshomaru’s and said that scent being affected by memory was possible, though he’d never heard of it before. Kouga also said that he wasn’t sure what it was about the scent that was affecting InuYasha so much and blamed the hanyou’s behavior on some kind of dog demon instinct. Though Miroku had never said what it was the Inu no Taisho had wiped from Sesshomaru’s mind, Kouga obviously got the sense that it had been something rather traumatic.

After some time of alternating planning and gossiping, Kouga turned to Miroku. “Why aren’t you more worried about the fact that this Kuranowhatshisname is trying to impress the hell out of your woman?”

“Kuranosuke is not a threat, and if I went around referring to Sango as my woman, she would have my head. Do you expect me to behave the way you and InuYasha do with Kagome?”

“Something like that, yeah.” Kouga folded his arms. "I mean, that is usually a normal response when one man is going after another's mate, monk."

At some point between meals, the two youngest members of the group, in terms of maturity, were allowed to go outside and play. The door was closest to Miroku and since Rin had felt he had watched Sesshomaru purely out of concern for the demon, growing attached to the monk, Rin ran immediately to him, her hand outstretched. He looked at the upturned palm and saw the growing redness around the heel, as well as the tiny brown source of that redness. As gently as he could, Miroku squeezed the area on her palm and grasped the splinter with his index finger and thumb. As the sliver was removed, Rin let out a tiny gasp, and before Miroku could let go of her hand, he found five very sharp points digging into his right shoulder.

“Housi-sama helped Rin,” Rin answered as she gently sucked on the sore spot on her hand.

“Splinter,” Miroku explained as he held up the tiny sliver of wood. The five claws remained as Sesshomaru brought his head closer to Miroku’s, white hair dipping down over the monk’s body. Miroku tilted his head away, just slightly, from the inuyoukai breathing in his ear.

“I am glad to see that the balance of power has been restored,” Sesshomaru hissed, warm air blowing into Miroku's ear in a way that didn't make him feel entirely comfortable for more reasons than he liked to consider. “I enjoy the look of fear in your eyes. Keep it there.” With no expression on his face, but smug mirth in his voice, he added, “And no matter how afraid you are, do not move your head away,” His hand moved from the houshi's shoulder to lightly run his claws on his neck, “exposing your jugular.”

Miroku’s breathing had increased and there was obvious fear radiating off of him as his wide violet eyes followed the demon lord back to the front of the room. Thankfully for the houshi, Sesshomaru remained there for the rest of the day, until late into the evening when the group finally decided to part for bed, having resolved nearly everything but two key issues in attacking Naraku: who would remain away from the actual battle to fight off various incarnations and demon hoards and how they would lure the genuine Naraku into a battle.

As they left, Miroku noticed Sesshomaru was not returning to the room where he had slept since his arrival and was, instead, moving toward the edge of the palace walls. Hoping that either his presence wouldn’t be noticed or, more likely, would be ignored, Miroku followed behind, seeking out what was drawing Sesshomaru away from the rest. As they reached the wall, Miroku could see a tiny white figure, one he recognized as Naraku’s incarnation, Kanna. From his vantage point, he could only make out a portion of the girl and could not see Sesshomaru at all.

“Naraku said you would be able to detect me. You are powerful, Lord Sesshomaru.”

"What business do you think you have with me," Sesshomaru asked, voice steady.
“To offer a trade. You know that Naraku is aware of how troubled you are,” Kanna said, her voice ever the lilting calm. “He would ease your mind if you help him complete the shard. The only remaining fragment is with the strange miko.”

“What of Kohaku’s fragment?”

“It has already been merged with the jewel.”

Miroku felt his heart sink for Sango, knowing that the only way that shard could be removed would be the death of Kohaku.

“If you wish to meet him, he will be at the village to the north at dawn, no earlier, no later.”

Miroku could hear Sesshomaru growl as he attempted to attack Kanna, who managed to vanish with a magic that must have been a recent acquisition of the small demoness.

Quickly, Miroku ran to confront Sesshomaru, who was once again returning to the palace.

“Monk, get out of my way.”

Miroku had his hand on his prayer beads. “No. I will not allow you to steal the jewel shard. Is it really that important to get rid of those memories?”

“You have no idea.”

“And you would risk everyone’s lives for it? Even Rin and Jaken?”

Sesshomaru looked at him with such cool determination that it seemed the answer was a resounding “yes.” Miroku didn’t want to release his wind tunnel on Sesshomaru, who had become so emotional--for someone who had always lacked emotion, such a change was bound to also lead to confusion--and desperate to make the pain stop. Despite it all, Miroku couldn’t blame the inu for his desire to stop the hurt.

He didn’t want to use the wind tunnel period. He hadn’t wanted to for some time because with each use, lately, it seemed to expand farther and farther. By all rights, he knew it should have engulfed him, but he didn’t dare say it to his friends. Instead, he stood before Sesshomaru, prepared to remove the beads from his hand.

But the demon was too quick for him, scratching him across the very hand he had been preparing to use as a weapon. “I am sorry for this, monk.” As Miroku began to slip into a poison-induced haze, collapsing on the ground, he watched as Sesshomaru sucked on his finger then bit the digit as he knelt beside him. Miroku struggled to keep his eyes opened as Sesshomaru traced the bloody finger across each of the cuts he had made on Miroku’s arm. He stood and licked the mixture of their blood and poison from the fingers and began to move away.

Miroku could not move, and as his eyes closed, he heard a tiny whimper escape from the lips of the inu, followed by a very loud thud to the ground.