Opaline by Aviel
Blow Your House Down
Disclaimer: Though it saddens me to say it, I don’t own anything relating to Takahashi-sensei’s Inuyasha. However, the plot of this drabble series does belong to me as well as any OCs that may show up along the way.
A/N: None. :)
Chapter 6: Blow Your House Down
Sesshoumaru had never before witnessed anything stranger in his life. If he hadn’t lived with his curse for the last one hundred and fifty years, he could have claimed that he had seen everything the world had to offer.
However, the day, so far, had surprisingly been filled with an abundance of disappointment on his end. And this was difficult for him to accept because he was loath to admit that he was wrong about anything.
From his ever-increasing observations, the human race proved that it was made up entirely of unintelligent, immoral beings – the exception being the petite female he was more or less stalking. He really could not understand how the inner workings of said child’s mind functioned. A miko pup taking care of a youkai kit was unheard of. Surely the two would be shunned or ridiculed or even killed if the society ever caught wind of such an unlikely relationship. But it was probably safe to say that others did not know about it since the pair was still alive and appeared to be in good health.
Truthfully, the Lord of the West was quite baffled by the peculiar duo. They were the central pieces to a very peculiar puzzle, and he swore he would find answers to the questions that plagued him.
It wasn’t like he had anything else better to do. He had already spent the last century and a half trying to get rid of his curse and had failed more times than he’d like to count on one claw-tipped paw.
Maybe this change in routine was just what he needed.
He supposed that it really wouldn’t hurt to try something new, anyway.
. . .
Sesshoumaru had followed the pair to the roots of a gargantuan Sugi tree, where they had disappeared, presumably, to their den beneath it. It was most likely the fox’s home since he believed that the girl, as adolescent as she was, lacked the proper instincts to make a burrow, especially one that ran along the gnarled roots of the tree. She simply didn’t have the strength or wit to make one that was so carefully hidden.
He wondered then about the kitsune. Who was he? Why would a youkai go out of their way to consort with a low human, and a miko at that? Sure, the kit was lesser in age compared to his own, but he was still an adult, albeit an immature one. It just didn’t make sense.
But before he could delve more into the subject at hand, the sound of crunching leaves and the odor of men caught his attention.
“Just admit it, Onigumo! We’re lost!” Manten shouted. “There’s no way the scrawny, little bitch came out this far! I bet that she got too scared and went back to the village!”
Sesshoumaru’s eyes narrowed at the human known as Onigumo. He watched as his face darkened with malevolence before the expression suddenly vanished altogether. The inu-youkai’s hackles raised, wary of the madness lurking behind the man’s seemingly charming smile.
“Are you certain that you are not the one afraid, my dear Manten?” Onigumo purred tauntingly. “Do you still scream when you awaken from the night terrors that haunt your dreams?”
“S-shut up! I ain’t scared!”
“Oh?” Onigumo’s grin widened. “Do you think about the day your brother died? If I remember correctly, he had been mutilated so badly that you couldn’t even recognize him!” He laughed at the other man’s torment.
Manten charged at him. “You bastard!”
“Why, I’m insulted!” Onigumo mock gasped. He turned his body and stuck out his leg, effectively tripping the rampaging fool. He yanked on Manten’s braid and whispered, “I only wished that those demons feasted on your entrails as well. Such a pity that they chose Hiten instead.”
“Onigumo.”
The dark-haired man looked up and canted his head. “What is it, Byakuya?”
“If you’re finished playing around with that bumbling idiot, I suggest we resume our search.” The effeminate-looking male pushed his ponytail over his shoulder. “The girl has been here recently. Her tracks are everywhere.”
“Perfect.” Onigumo smirked and rose to his feet. He paused consideringly for a moment before delivering a swift kick to Manten’s head, knocking him out cold. “Split up and search the area. I want her found by supper.”
. . .
After the group left, Sesshoumaru growled deeply. He sent out a pulse of his youki and waited.
Initially, he hadn’t intended on getting involved, but he pitied the girl and her potential fate at the hands of the person named Onigumo. The human was…something else entirely and made his insides crawl with disgust.
Since he had followed them around for the better part of the previous day, Sesshoumaru decided that the very least he could do was to warn the female’s kit of the impending danger. It was a very uncharacteristic thing for the demon Lord to do, and he could easily admit that he wouldn’t have cared if he had witnessed a similar situation in his earlier curse-free days. Truth be told, he wouldn’t have even batted a single silver eyelash if he had watched them die.
Sesshoumaru didn’t fancy himself becoming like his sire. No, he wouldn’t risk the chance of allowing a mate – a mere woman – be his downfall. Nevertheless, if there was one thing he prided himself on, it was his honor. Unlike the other males of his time, he didn’t understand the need to destroy random villages in order to acquire wealth or the necessity of slaughtering women and children. He disapproved of killing people that were incapable of defending themselves or weren’t on equal standing in terms of skill on the battlefield. But that was not to say that there was such a person who could be his match, that is.
The daiyoukai grumbled when an answering pulse washed over his senses. The aura prodded his curiously before retreating back to its owner.
Sesshoumaru wasn’t sure what compelled him to aid the two strangers in the first place, but he wasn’t about to ignore his instincts either. Earlier, to his disbelief, his beast had insisted on ensuring the pair’s safety. When he had asked for a reason, he was told that the miko pup and fox kit weren’t corrupted and deserved to be spared from the machinations of that Onigumo character. To say he’d been confused would be an understatement.
His beast was just as bloodthirsty as he was when it came to battle. So, for it to actually go out of its way to beg him to help out the two was saying a lot. It was almost as if his beast claimed them as pack.
Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru huffed softly.
He really could not fathom why he bothered to concern himself with the little girl.
He didn’t even know her name.
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Original Posting Date: December 11, 2012
Prompt: For Phae’s Word Prompts, Dismissed
Words: 1155