Total Eclipse of the Heart

Total Eclipse of the Heart

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fanfic except for certain characters such as Liana, Aya, Aki, etc. The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I make no profit from this fanfic.

A/N: WOW! It’s been a long while, hasn’t it? I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE! I have been sick, I’ve been taking care of a sick parent, and to top it off, school has started back up for me. BUT GUESS WHAT?

I AM BACK!

I’m going to try updating this story more and more over the next couple of days/weeks but I can’t make any promises on when the next chapter will be up!

ALSO, as LC Rose has pointed out in her stories, many people have commented on how “tai youkai” is referred to as a fish youkai, so Sesshomaru and his kin will be referred to as “daiyoukai.” Changes will be made to this later on, once more chapters have been added.

PLEASE REVIEW!

I really appreciate all that I have received and would love more for this chapter and the future ones.

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Chapter Seven: The Questioning

“Calm yourself, Miko,” Hisao growled as he heard her hiss behind him from the restraints. “If you stop fighting, the pain will lessen. We do not wish to harm you in any way.”

“Then let me go!” she barked right back at him. “You don’t have to tie me up! This isn’t right! Please!” She nearly fell to her knees from the power the beads as her miko power fought against the youki flowing from the restraints but two inu youkai were there to grab her before she fell. The small group stopped as their Lord turned to the Miko, raising her chin to meet her eyes that held nothing but pure fear.

“This Hisao apologizes greatly for the lack of protection from his kin,” he stated slowly, wiping away a tear with his thumb. “You are a precious treasure Kagome; a dangerous one. No harm will come to you, this Hisao promises you that. The restraints must stay. We are near the castle and once you are confined to your room, the restraints will be removed until the Youkai Court is fully gathered.” He released her chin and nodded to the two inu youkai to release her. “At that time, I shall return the kitsune to you.”

Kagome remained on the ground for a moment longer as Lord Hisao turned from her, ready to begin traveling again. “Kin?” she repeated slowly, as if stunned for a moment. “You’re related to Sesshomaru?”

Lord Hisao turned back to Kagome with a smirk on his face that closely resembled a look she received from another daiyoukai when they had first met. This smirk however, compared to the sadistic and “evil” look Sesshomaru had given her when they first met, was sweet and gentle.

“This Hisao is brother to Inu no Taisho,” he simply stated in a very proud manner.

“So, you’re his uncle?” Kagome asked, finding that the more she calmed, the more the restraints didn’t fight against her.

“Correct,” he replied with a warm smile.

“Wouldn’t it have been easier just to have said you’re his uncle?” Kagome questioned with a smirk of her own and a raised eyebrow. She smiled a bit when Lord Hisao chuckled at her question.

“Perhaps,” he simply stated. “But perhaps this Hisao simply wanted to say it in a ‘nicer’ way.”

“I think you mean in a fancier way,” Kagome said with a big smile on her face. Lord Hisao began walking over to her again and the young miko stood up to him, much stronger than mere moments ago. He stopped only a foot away from her, looking at her face as if searching for something and when he did, he chuckled again.

“Miko-“

“Kagome,” she retorted.

Lord Hisao chuckled once more. “Kagome,” he purred gently like milk and honey that was coated so sweetly, it sent chills up the young miko’s spine. “I have answered your question; now tell me an answer I would enjoy to know.”

“Like what?” she asked, a bit confused.

“How is it that a miko as powerful as you are, seemed to be the most troublesome creature this Hisao have ever laid eyes on?” His question was lighthearted and friendly but Kagome could not help but huff at the arrogant daiyoukai.

How is it that all inu youkai, hanyou or not, seem to find the easiest ways in making me angry? Kagome asked herself as she tried to push down her anger before her reiki started to affect the restraints. She smiled and turned held her chin up high to Lord Hisao. “That, Hisao-sama, is a question you’ll have to ask both of your nephews.”

“Now what kind of answer is that, Kagome?” Lord Hisao questioned further with a slightly raised eyebrow.

“It’s my answer, Hisao-sama…so take it, or leave it. It’s really up to you,” she said and looked at each of the inu youkai on either side of her. “I think I’m ready to go now, boys.”

Lord Hisao erupted with a laugh that was deep and yet shocking all at the same time. When the laugh faded back into his chuckles, he nodded his head to Kagome. “Interesting, Kagome; you are one very interesting little miko,” he stated with a smile on his face. “And here I was beginning to believe all ningens were dull.”

“Oh, yeah? Without that laugh, I had begun to believe that all youkai, daiyoukai in particular, were emotionless,” she retorted back at him with a chuckle of her own.

“That would only pertain to Sesshomaru, young one,” Lord Hisao replied to her as he gently patted her head as a parent would to a child. “It is an unfortunate gene he got from his mother’s side.” With that, he turned from her and continued to walk. Kagome smiled at him and found that the restraints were like regular rope against her skin, making the rest of her journey even more tolerable.

But even within minutes of walking calmly behind the older daiyoukai, Kagome couldn’t help but glance at the cloudy sky above them as her thoughts not only left to her intended but to another daiyoukai as well.

Where are you...?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Not too far behind the Inu youkai and miko, a certain daiyoukai was looking up at the sky as well in the exact same moment, pausing in his steps as he sniffed the air. Her scent was still fresh on the wind, along with that of his kin and others. The miko was disturbed and distraught…so why did he suddenly pick up the sound of laughter with his keen hearing?

“Sesshomaru-sama?” his young ward questioned him as she noticed him stop. She had stopped crying moments ago and now decided that she would trust in her Lord. Sesshomaru ignored her, as the young girl expected he would, and just continued to sniff the air. Sighing, she turned to look at Shippo who was still sniffling and calling out Kagome’s name. “It’s going to be ok, Shippo.”

Shippo looked up to Rin and smiled a bit. “But Kagome-“

“Sesshomaru-sama will get her back,” she turned back to her Lord, “won’t you Sesshomaru-sama?”

“Hn,” he simply replied and looked at the two of the out of the corner of his eye. He noticed that the kitsune was still upset which annoyed the daiyoukai to no end, but it could not be helped. The miko was like a mother the kitsune, Sesshomaru knew this and allowed the kit to shed his emotions.

Unlike what master did, his beast stated, causing a low growl to erupt from Sesshomaru.

Silence, he commanded and the beast simply hid away once more for the time being. Now is not the time to dwell with events that cannot change…no matter how much this Sesshomaru wishes they would.

Sesshomaru looked back up to the sky as thoughts of his father slowly vanished from his thoughts and a certain young miko replaced them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Inuyasha sighed as he looked into the sky, taking a break from watching the trees where his mate had vanished from with his older half-brother. He had considered following them, but if their battle against Naraku and the Shikon no Tama had taught the hanyou anything, it was to trust the young miko that had captured his heart.

He could hear footsteps behind them and recognized the scent of the monk long before he was even close.

“You must have faith, Inuyasha,” Miroku stated as he came to stand side-by-side with his dear friend.

“I do, Miroku,” Inuyasha replied. “It’s that bastard I don’t trust.”

Miroku smiled. “I wasn’t referring to Kagome.” Inuyasha glared at him from the corner of his eye. “I’m serious. Perhaps it’s time you start having at least a little faith in Lord Sesshomaru.”

“The hell I will,” Inuyasha growled.

“And why not?” Miroku questioned. “He hasn’t tried fighting with you for years now.”

“For that brat’s sake,” Inuyasha replied harshly. “If it wasn’t for the fact that Kagome was her sensei-“

“While that might be true to some degree, Inuyasha, I believe that Sesshomaru has changed over the years…much like you,” the monk stated and then patted his friend’s shoulder.

“Keh, that bastard and I are nothing alike.”

“Oh I think you are,” Miroku replied. “I think you can’t see it, but the rest of us do. Maybe one day, you’ll see that as well.”

“Unlikely,” Inuyasha growled as he sniffed the air in hopes of smelling his mate on the wind…but her scent was long gone.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kagome couldn’t help the gasp escape her as magnificent gates started to appear down a long, cleared path Lord Hisao had lead them two about two miles ago. She had tried easing the tension even more around them after Lord Hisao’s burst of laughter with the other inu youkai, and the young miko was a bit shocked, to say the least, at how “easy-going” they seemed to respond to her. At one point when they had suddenly come across the path, Hisao looked over his shoulder at Kagome.

“Don’t be fooled, Kagome,” he began slowly with another one of those smirks on his face. “You are a strange human; unlike most that all of us come in contact with on a daily basis. You are also the Shikon Miko, and though you have restraints on you to contain your power, your tale is not foreign to us. You are a treasure.”

“I’m not an object, Hisao-sama,” Kagome stated firmly as she tried catching up to him a bit more.

“While that is true for where humans are concerned, Kagome, it is different in your case,” he simply replied in a much more serious tone.

“What do you mean?” she asked, watching in amazement as the gates got bigger and bigger. The barrier around this place was strong, almost frightening, but there was a sense of peace about it. When she first felt the barrier, Kagome expected to feel something like electricity biting at her body, but she got acceptance instead. The large wooden doors that were attached to a massive white wall slowly opened when the group was merely within a hundred feet of it.

“You will find out, soon enough,” Lord Hisao answered as they entered the gates, his face turning into a mask that Kagome was all too familiar with when it came to Sesshomaru.

As soon as they past the large gates, a huge variety of youkai began to surround the group. Most of them happened to be young female youkai who wanted a good glimpse at Kagome, but the male inu youkai near her kept them at bay as they past. Besides, as soon as they all recognized Lord Hisao, they bowed respectfully and moved out of their way.

One female youkai, however, did not.

“Oh!” she cried out with a bright smile on her face. She hit full force at Kagome with a huge hug, shocking the poor miko out of her mind. “You poor dear! I am so sorry about the restraints! As soon as we get you to your room, I’ll have a nice bath made ready for you and I’ll personally see to it that you receive a nice meal to go with it!”

“Kameyo,” Lord Hisao growled out in an annoyed tone.

“Oh, Hisao, I’m sorry I didn’t see you there,” Kameyo-sama greeted with a large smile. She was a young youkai, not looking much older than Sesshomaru and could have fooled anyone at being a human except for her pointed ears and bright blue eyes. She had long, flowing black hair and tan-like skin. Kameyo was tall as well, possibly the same height as Sesshomaru. She wore a bright colored kimono-orange, white, and blue- with a sakura design across the entire gown. She giggled and turned back to Kagome. “Again, I’m sorry! It was very rude of me to rush up without introductions!” She bowed slightly in front of Kagome and the young miko repaid her with a bow of her own. “I am Lady Kameyo, and the Lady of the Eastern Lands.”

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Kagome replied with a blush.

“Oh no, my dear, it’s very nice to meet you!” Kameyo stated with giggles. She looked back at Lord Hisao, “Hisao, dear, you didn’t tell me she was so adorable!”

“Only you would know, Kameyo,” Hisao said as he turned back to Kagome. The young miko was looking up at him with a bit of a confused look and he smirked. “Kameyo is a rare youkai…one who has yet to discover her youkai form though it is obvious she is nearly as old Sesshomaru.”

“Oh…don’t compare me to that cold-hearted creature, if you will Hisao,” Kameyo stated in disgust.

“My apologies, Kameyo, but Lady Kagome happens to know my nephew well and I had no one else to compare you with so she could understand,” Hisao quickly and calmly explained. “With that said, Kameyo was thought to be human when the Eastern Lord, Lady Chie, found her along their borders as a pup.”

“We don’t know much about my parents, but Lady Chie was an exceptional mother who allowed me the freedom to roam all over the place,” Kameyo continued. “My mother was also fond of ningens, having many maids and helpers being ningens. One of my best friends was a ningen, but she died centuries ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Kagome apologized with a look of awe on her face.

“It’s quite alright,” Kameyo smiled. “She had a long and pleasant life. I am proud to say that her descendants still live on my land to this day.” The lady sighed heavily at that thought. “Now then, how about a nice bath, Lady Kagome?”

“Kagome, please,” she quickly stated. “I hardly feel like a lady in this place.”

“Oh but you are, my dear,” Kameyo said as she patted the young miko’s shoulder. “While there are others here who will not like the idea, you are as much an equal in the youkai eyes as Hisao or I to our kin.”

“That’s very kind of you, Kameyo-sama, but I would still like to be referred to as Kagome, if that’s alright,” she gently asked and Hisao smiled. Kameyo couldn’t help but smile as well.

“Very well then,” she said with a fake sigh. “Now then, let’s get you settled. Come!”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It’s safe to say that Sesshomaru felt somewhat “uncomfortable” when walking past the gates of the castle and received many stares that were not to his liking, especially those of Lord Hisao who seemed to be waiting for him on the stairs leading into the palace. His uncle’s clothes had changed from his battle ware into much more traditional and ancient robes of their ancestors. Robes, in which, Sesshomaru would be forced to wear as well.

“Jun, please see to the pups,” Hisao ordered and one of the ladies of the palace stepped forward to usher the kids away. Both looked to Sesshomaru who simply nodded his head at them and watched them follow instep behind the young taiyoukai.

Turning back to his kin, Sesshomaru bowed his head slightly to his elder, expecting somewhat of a punishment from the brother of his sire.

“You have been reckless, pup,” Hisao growled. “I do not regret my earlier words so I will not apologize for what has been said. Your orders are to change for the ceremony and pray the news of what has transpired has not reached Lord Kazuhiro or Lady Kameyo for that matter. Kameyo has taking a strong liking to the young miko and it would be unwise to upset her with such news.”

“To whom did the ookami speak to?” Sesshomaru questioned with his regular monotone voice.

Hisao sighed heavily. “It is fortunate that it was only I, and seeing as how Lord Kouga thought it best to come to his kin, I have warned him against speaking to others. I will not have the Shikon Miko’s name shamed with such with introductions.”

“Nor will this Sesshomaru,” he agreed and started to walk past his uncle, into the palace. He paused when he was side-by-side with Lord Hisao. “Do you know yet why they have decided to do this gathering?”

Hisao nodded his head. “I believe you know some of the reasons as well, or suspected them.”

“Hn,” Sesshomaru responded and continued inside where he prepared for the Youkai Court.