Shadows

Disclaimer : Still don't own Inuyasha or any of it's characters.


Thanx so much for the reviews!


Chapter 9


Morning was just getting into full swing. The quiet sounds of night giving way to the day living creatures who were noisily going about their lives. Sesshoumaru was kneeling on the outcropping of a small cliff, examining the storm he had felt coming. The cloud line stertched all the way from horizon to horizon. He had felt the change in the atmosphere long before dawn, and although the storm was still a day or so off, it was cause for much concern. Typhoons as large as this one caused great damage. He would need to return to the valley sometime today and help with preparations. He was not worried about the storm catching his charges unprepared. He knew Kai would sense the approaching danger as he had, but every set of hands would be needed to secure the treasures and scrolls that had been with the inu-youkai since long before he had existed. It was his responsibility alone to protect the royal documents, those that traced back his own royal ancestry more then two thousand years. A noise below refocused his attention. Arisa was playing a game she called 'hide and seek' with Rin and Ah-Un. He let a rare smile touch his lips as he watched Arisa walk right by Rin, knowing full well she was there. When Arisa had walked a bit further from where Rin was hidden, Rin set off in a dead run to the tree Arisa had designated as 'base', giggling all the way. Arisa turned and gave mock chase, laughing. Apparently, whomever made it to the designated tree first, won the game, and Arisa always let Rin win. The game ended below him, Rin jumping up and down with excitement having, of course, won, and Arisa feigning exhaustion. Arisa and Rin had bonded quite well, Arisa doing all that a proper mother would, and Rin behaving towards Arisa as any young girl would with her mother. The play below him ended. Rin had appare fou found something else more amusing to do. Sesshoumaru was just about to rejoin them when another memory surfaced. He tried to shut off his mind, but the images were quite a bit more persistant then any he had experienced thus far. He had no choice but to ride it out.......


........The morning had been like this one. Clear, except for the storm noticable on the horizon, still quite a distance away. He had been sitting on a cliff, much like the one he was on now, watching the squall with a bit of apprehension. He sensed his father's presense, and that of his daughter, long before they joined him on the small cliff.

"Preparations have been made. All is secured.", came the deep voice of his great father, as he settled down beside him. Sesshoumaru turned his head, seeing Siemei sleeping soundly over her grandfather's shoulder. "It seems Kajin had her in the garden with her since before the sun had risen." his father said, with a deep chuckle. He gently extricated the small child from his shoulder, handing her, carefully, to her father. She shifted a bit in Sesshoumaru's arms, but did not wake.

His mind's eye saw her clearly. Even at only three summers old, she had the grace and beauty of her mother. Long, silky white hair was plaited down her back, the thick rope now laying across her shoulder as she slept. Her markings were an exact copy of her mother's, a thin, jagged stripe across each cheek bone, their light lavendar color matching that of her eyes. A deep blue crescent moon graced her forehead, marking her as part of the royal family. The image began to fade.......

Sesshoumaru was completely stunned. It was the first time, in longer then he could remember, that he had been able to recall his precious daughter's face clearly. The long sealed memories had been trying to resurface since he had revived Rin from death, and, until now, he had been able to contain them, pushing the blurry images from his mind before they cleared. This image had been quite a bit more persistent then the others, and he hadn't been able to stop it. He'd thought to feel pain at seeing her again, but all he felt was emptiness, a deep void that her death had left. He watched Rin playing by the tree line below him. Her presence had affected him deeply. He'd even come to care for the human child. Was his subconscious mind trying to tell him something with the resurfacing memories of his own child? Did he care for Rin as a father would? No. Though he did care for her safety, there was no more then that. Rin's death would not drive him to madness as his own daughter's had. Then, why the memories? The timing of Rin's resurrection and the disturbances in his mind could not be ignored. It meant something, and he was intent on finding out what.

Arisa looked up at him, meeting his eyes. Her hair was free of the usual plait she kept it in, swirling like living flame around her form. He stood, descending from the outcropping to land not an arms length in front of her. She smiled gently at him, her deep green eyes still holding his own. He felt the emptiness the memory had brought upon him fade, replaced by the glowing warmth of the woman in front of him. He reached for her hand, bringing it to his lips. He heard the breath catch in her throat, her heartbeat speed up. His body reacted in kind, flooding his veins with liquid heat that converged in his nether regions. He gave her hand a soft squeeze and released it.

"A typhoon is on the horizon, heading in this direction." He watched as her eyes grew big and her face visibly paled, her scent holding the slightest beginnings of fear. "Do not fear," he said, softly. "No harm shall befall us."

"I hate typhoons. When do you think it will get here?" Arisa shuddered, remembering the last typhoon she'd been in.

"A full day. Perhaps more, perhaps less, depending on it's velocity." Sesshoumaru ran the pads of his fingers down her jawline, just the lightest of feather touches, seeking to soothe her fears. She smiled, bringing her small hand up to repeat the action on him. Her delicate fingers traced over his markings, then down his jaw. If it weren't for his iron-clad control, he would have hauled her to him and kissed her senseless, but he was well aware of both the ferocious nature of his passions, and her innocence of such things. He didn't want to frighten her.

"I must return to my home. My help will be needed to prepare for the storm." He stated, putting a little distance between them.

"I didn't know you had a home. You've never mentioned it before."

"You never inquired of it."

"Oh. Too true." Arisa said, a little embarrassed. She had just assumed he didn't have one. Well, he was a Lord after all. All royalty had huge homes. She had probably insulted him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean any insult." Sesshoumaru nodded, accepting her apology. "So, when do eaveeave? I'd really like to see your home."

"You will not be accompanying me. I shall only be absent no more then half a day. Jaken and Ah-Un will remain with you for protection." He could see that she was dissappointed, but it could not be helped. There were others that would not hesitate to kill her simply for being human, and he had no wish to start an internal war over differing ideals. 'Differing ideals?' he questioned himself. 'Since when have my ideals differed from any other self respecting demon's?' He sighed inwardly, staring at Arisa, knowing full well the answer to that question.

"Do you want us to stay right here until you return?"

"Yes. Gather enough wood and smoke enough fish for three days. The storm should pass by then."

They both turned and began walking through the woods in a companionable silence, side by side. Sesshoumaru was amazed at the effect her mere presence could inspire in him. He felt a calmness enshroud his spirit whenever she was near, a peacefulness he hadn't felt in a very, very long time. Aside from his physical attraction to her, her particular brand of intelligence and wittiness he found quite enjoyable. It was amusing to spar with her intellectually. He was also quite surprised to find that she could read and write proficiently, as well as, if not better then, himself. He glanced sideways at her. She was deep in thought, staring blankly at the ground in front of them.

"My Lord? What's your home like?" she asked quietly, still staring at the ground.

"My personnal dwelling or the entire valley?" He turned his head, looking at her full on. The patches of light and shade danced across her form, highlighting different spots intermitently, a blaze of red hair, the smooth porcelin of a cheek. She was truely a beautiful creature.

"The entire valley?" she asked, a little taken back.

"The hidden valley of inu-youkai. The royal palace is but one home."

"There are others like you then?" She asked, quite curious now. He hadn't ever spoken of things like this before. He kept to himself most times, and she wasn't one to pry.

"52 others to be exact." he looked off into the distance, a wistful stare washing over his face. "All that is left of a proud and mighty race." She could tee wae was speaking more to himself, and seemed to be lost in his thoughts, so she decided not to talk anymore. She just walked beside him, enjoying his company, and the peacefullness of an ancient forest. Everything was so green and beautiful. All the colors were so vibrant and bright. The flowers and trees, even the very dirt beneath their feet were so much more....there.....then the trees and such in her time. It was hard to describe, but nature had a very deep......presence here. Untouched and raw. Perhaps all the smog, pollution, and progress in her era had a more profound effect then anyone could ever contemplate. She looked at the demon walking beside her. 'Speaking of a presence....' Sesshoumaru had a vastly profound presence to him, almost as if all beings should bow at the very sight of him. He was regal, commanding, and lethally powerful. And heart-stoppingly gorgeous. Can't forget that one. He was so very old, yet his physical form had stopped maturing at about nineteen or twenty years. Most human men that age had yet to completely fill out, but he most definetly had. Arisa blushed deeply and lowered her head, thinking, again, on the night they had bathed together. He had been a complete gentlemen...er..demon, especially considering they were now 'courting'. She had relaxed quite a bit when he suggested they bathe on opposite sides of the small lake, which had given her enough privacy to feel comfortable. She'd undressed behind a wall of hedges, and had run to jump in as fast as she could. He stayed on one side of the small lake, and she on the other as they bathed. Arisa had run back to her spot as fast as she could, and dressed in her clean sleeping suit, when she heard him exit the water on the other side. She couldn't help but glance in his direction from behind the bushes, but then she'd stared openly, unable to tear her gaze from the site. He was facing sideways to her, so she couldn't see much, plus it was dark, but the moon was full enough to make out just a bit of detail. Droplets of water glistened off his deep, full chest, clearly defining his pects. She'd always thought it was the armor that made his chest look so big. Nope, it was all him. His long hair had clung wetly to his back, rear, and down the backs of his legs, accentuating the curves of his body instead of hiding them. His legs were the size of small tree trunks, and she was sure they were just as solid. She'd only been staring for a few seconds, when his head had suddenly come up, looking directly at her. She'd jerked her eyes away, completely mortified at being caught.

"Lord Sesshoumaru! Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jakken's high-pitched voice was a welcome reprieve for both as he came crashing through the bushes towards them.

"What is it, Jakken." Sesshoumaru asked, coming back from wherever his mind had been.

"That stupi...." Sesshoumaru glared at Jakken. The little imp cleared his throat, and started over. "Rin fell and injured herself. It's not serious, but she won't stop crying." Jakken shrugged his shoulders, clearly at a loss as to what to do.

"Arisa, will you care for Rin? I will return before sunset." Sesshoumaru gave her no time to answer. He reached out, and, again, traced his finger down her jaw. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

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"Kaaazee Noo Kiizuuuuuu!"

Inuyasha let Tetsusiaga's battle cry ring out over the small clearing, sending the fingers of power ripping toward the huge demon. The fool didn't barely have time to widen his eyes in fear before the waves of energy crashed into him, vaporizing him on the spot. The noises of battle vaporized along with him, leaving an eerie silence in it's wake. Kagome's foot falls brushing through the grass was the first noise to break the quiet.

"Are you alright, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, coming to stand next to him. Inuyasha turned to look at her, seeing the concern written all over her face.

"Feh! As if that weak moron could even get close to me." Inuyasha turned back to look over the destruction the Tetsusaiga left. Huge, deep fissures marred the clearing, begining where he stood to fan out as they got farther away. Smoke could be seen rising from some of the gaping troughs, evidence of the huge amount of power that had been released. Inuyasha turned and walked away, resheathing Tetsusaiga as he went.

"Good thing that demon didn't have a shard." Kagome thought outloud. "He could have really been a problem." She turned and followed Inuyasha as they met up with the others.


They walked the rest of the day, running into no more trouble, heading in the direction they hoped to find Naraku in. Sango and Kagome chatted happily of mostly girl things. Ilt glt good to pretend to be just two normal girls for awhile. The girls took turns guarding each other's backsides from Miroku's wandering hand, as he had, of course, taken up his pace behind them. Inuyasha walked in front with Shippou perched on his shoulder. Kirara slept the entire rest of the day away in Sango's arms. They came over a small hill to find themselves on the outskirts of a rather large village as afternoon waned to evening. Miroku, as expected, found the richest home and informed it's wealthy occupants that they had a horrible demon problem that he would kindly excorsice for a meal and place to sleep for the night. No one really liked it when he did that, but then no one complained about a meal they didn't have to catch, or a bed indoors, either. Sleeping outside, under the stars, was really nice, but now and again, the shelter of a roof and a warm fire were most welcome. The wind began to pick up just a bit as the last light of day faded from the sky. They'd all been sitting around the fire pit, chatting quietly about one thing or another, when Inuyasha stood suddenly, and headed outside. All talking ceased. Everyone exchanged worried looks as they all rose to follow him.

"What is it?" Miroku asked as he came to stand beside him.

"A storm is coming." Inuyasha said, taking a deep breath in through his nose. He could smell the electric charge of lightening, and the sharp tang of seawater. They'd all seen the dark clouds on the horizon, but no one was sure whether it was heading toward them or not. He was sure now that it was, and it was a lot bigger then he thought.

"The clouds we saw earlier?" Miroku asked, relieved it wasn't a demon attack. Inuyasha nodded, then turned and headed back inside the room they'd been given for the night.

They all laid down to sleep that night listening apprehensively to the wind outside, and it's growing intensity. Not typhoon force, or even close, but enough to let them all know it would get quite a bit worse before it was over.

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A/N : Sorry it takes so long to get chapters out. 3 kids. Dance recitals. Baseball games. Blah, Blah. And yes, I WILL get around to editing the beginning.......eventually.

A little more on Sess's memories : Demon's live for hundreds of years right? So it would make sense that their minds would function quite a bit differently than a human's, enabling them to exist in a never ending, day to day routine without going completely mad. A bit eccentric, perhaps, but not crazy. Control would have to be a key factor, helping them to remain in the present, and not get caught up so much in the past that they can't relate to themselves anymore. I don't know how else to explain this so that it makes sense. Every human experiences some amount of horrible pain in their lives, and our life spans are only 80 to 100 years. Can you imagine living for centuries, and not have a way to shut out 5 life times, or more, of painful memories? I think being able to permanently lock away a painful recollection would be absolutely imperative to the survival of the mind. Hence Sesshoumaru's 'distress' at not being able to control his memories since Rin. Interesting, huh?