Walking Fathers Path

Chapter 8: Purification

Sesshoumaru was good to his word and now he and Miroku were walking though the grounds of the hotsprings that they were vacationing at.

“Who’s that up ahead?” Miroku asked his master, noticing a tall man waiting for them to catch up to him. His master had told him that he had reserved the hotsprings just for the two of them so no one else should be here.

“A hotsprings? Awfully decadent for someone who’s on the run,” Ryukotsusei joked when the two boys made it to his side.

Sesshoumaru frowned, “I am not running away, as you put it.”

“How so?” questioned the sensei, raising an eyebrow. “You know the situation at the castle. Your father can no longer protect the Western lands. His power is gone.”

“The jewel shard has deteriorated?” Miroku asked fearfully. He knew the shards were the source of power for the royal family and when they blackened, that lord’s power was gone forever.

“Its not me father needs, it’s my shard,” Sesshoumaru stated. He opened his hand and a glowing pink sliver of a jewel appeared in his palm. “Then here, take it back with you.” The future lord ordered, forcing the shard into the hand of his sensei.

“You can’t!” Miroku cried out. “If you give up your jewel shard…”

“I’ll lose all my powers. So what,” Sesshoumaru interrupted. Miroku continued to argue with his master trying to make him see reason.

Ryukotsusei stood back and watched the exchange. ‘Your son, he’s not like you. He’ll never say ‘it can’t be helped’ and this boy, too. He’s not going to stand by and let it happen like I did that day.’

The blonde man was surprised when the monk reached out and grabbed the shard from his hand.

Ryukotsusei watched, stunned, as the surrounding chi became purified, the shard glowing brighter and brighter. ‘This could be…’ he thought, excitement beginning to grow within the sensei.

“Come with me!” the sensei commanded, grabbing Miroku and opening a portal to the demon realm. “We’re returning to the castle,” he informed Sesshoumaru as he leapt though with the surprised monk in tow.

Sesshoumaru wasn’t quick enough and the portal closed before he could follow. He saw his shard lying on the ground where Miroku had been just a moment ago. ‘Damn!’ The demon boy picked up his piece of the Shikon no Tama and ran as fast as he could to get back to the well house at Inuyasha’s shrine.

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Ryukotsusei and Miroku sat outside the screen in the demon lord’s room waiting for the daiyoukai to speak to them.

“What is the meaning of this, Ryukotsusei?” The Inu Tashio asked as his servants helped him to sit up. He was irritated that the sensei had pretty well barged in here and disturbed him.

“Your jewel shard…we may be able to fix it,” the sensei stated.

Tashio looked at his side of the screen in surprise and then his eyes dulled over. “Such nonsense,” he sighed dejectedly. ‘There’s no help for me now,’ he thought.

Ryukotsusei was not about to give up so easily. “When this monk touched Sesshoumaru’s shard, it glowed.”

“Glowed?” The dog demon questioned curiously.

“Yes. This monk has the power to purify polluted shouki. He may be able to cleanse your shard of the foul chi that has possessed it.”

Miroku, forgetting himself and who he was sitting in the presence of, spoke up, “I can’t do anything like that!” he cried out, his eyes getting large with fear. ‘I’m just a simple monk I don’t have that kind of power.’

“We won’t know unless you try,” the blonde said gently, smiling encouragement at the dark haired boy.

The Tashio gave a small, sad smile. “Foul chi, eh? So that’s how you’ve thought of it this whole time.”

“Am I wrong? You’re the one who said what happened between us was a mistake,” Ryukotsusei accused.

Miroku looked at the sensei in confusion. ‘Mistake? What is the relationship between these two?’ He quickly stopped thinking and bowed down to the floor in surprised deference as the screen was pulled back.

“So you’ve finally decided to show yourself,” Ryukotsusei stated, looking at his former lover.

“Not to you,” Lord Tashio responded, “to this monk. I thought I would let him see what fate awaits a demon who has sinned.”

The demon lord stood over Miroku who continued to keep his head bowed, his forehead touching the floor. “Boy, raise your head,” he commanded authoritively. “Look upon me monk.”

Miroku slowly lifted his head to see a very old man with a scraggly white beard. His eyes were filmed over, sightless, sunken and hollow. His body was thin and weak. Two attendants were holding on to his bony arms aiding him in standing and walking.

“The loss of my powers, as well as my sight…and my body in this state... As you can see, I can no longer even stand without assistance. The same fate may also await my son,” the demon lord proclaimed sadly.

Miroku's felt fear clutch at his heart. ‘Not Sesshoumaru.’

“He is another demon who has committed the same sin as I,” the demon finished.

Ryukotsusei now addressed the monk. “If you really care about Sesshoumaru, you have only two choices: leave his side forever or…”

Miroku nodded his head now understanding what the relationship was between the lord and the sensei. “I understand. If someone like me can be of help, then I will do so to the best of my ability.”

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Ryukotsusei was pacing around the gardens waiting to hear any news about his lord or the boy when Sesshoumaru came running up.

The teen demon immediately attacked, slashing out with his claws at his sensei. Ryukotsusei stepped sideways to avoid his raking talons.

“Where’s Miroku?” Sesshoumaru questioned angrily, running forward and attacking again. Again the sensei easily avoided the assault.

“Give Miroku back to me,” the demon boy demanded, this time he was able to grab and hold onto his former teacher’s collar.

Ryukotsusei held onto the boys wrists, looking at him calmly. “Don’t get so worked up. You can have him when he’s done.”

“What do you mean, when he’s done? Done what?” Sesshoumaru interrogated. He still held tightly onto the cloth of his sensei’s kimono.

“I mean he’s just fixing your father’s jewel shard.”

Sesshoumaru let go of Ryukotsusei’s collar. “Fixing…? Is such a thing possible?” he asked, shocked. Hope began to bloom in his heart for his father and for himself.

Ryukotsusei nodded his head. “I was unable to help your father, but with Miroku's power to purify shouki; he just may be able to do it.” The sensei put his hand on Sesshoumaru’s shoulder. “He’s trying to purify Lord Tashio’s shard just to stay by your side, you should be grateful.”

Sesshoumaru began to get worried. He knew that it took a lot out of Miroku to perform a purification. “Father’s shard has nothing to do with Miroku. He could become ill trying to use that much power.”

“Are you sure it’s not his concern? Our lord’s shard apparently became darkened because of the sin he and I shared. If that’s so…your shard…you who are making the same mistake…may one day darken too.” ‘Of course, if he really considers what happened between us a sin…there’s nothing more I can say,’ Ryukotsusei thought sadly.

Sesshoumaru stood staring as realization dawned on him as to what his sensei was saying to him. The demon boy took off running towards the castle and down the hall to his father’s room. He ran by a servant that had just come out the doorway.

“Lord Sesshoumaru, please wait,” the servant called as Sesshoumaru put his hand on the door to open it. “At the moment…”

The servant didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence as the young lord pushed the door aside. A bright glow emanated from the room causing Sesshoumaru to put his hand up in front of his eyes. Slowly the brightness began to fade and then the light disappeared all together. Sesshoumaru stepped back as Miroku staggered out of the room.

“Miroku!” Sesshoumaru called out worriedly, coming forward to his servant who was looking very weak and tired.

“Was I just a little bit useful?” Miroku asked groggily. He wasn’t sure if he had been able to purify the jewel or not. He began to slump to the ground, passing into unconsciousness.

Sesshoumaru grabbed the boy before he could hit the floor. “You fool,” he said gently as he hugged the unconscious boy to him.