An Education by UnknownRandomness

Night Walkers and Day Terrors

Prompt: Chthonic - Dwelling in or under the earth; also, pertaining to the underworld.

Word Count: 390

To all around him Sesshoumaru appeared to be the epitome of supremacy. He was deadly, intelligent and a demon with a healthy curiosity in his surroundings. His only apparent faults seemed to be his unquenchable thirst for conquest and the apathy shown to those he deemed unworthy (which unfortunately, included pretty much everyone).

Not even the soulless, tortured inhabitants of hell had been able to stop him from entering (and more importantly, leaving) at will. The inuyoukai lord was a force to be reckoned with.

But what everyone saw was a mask, disguising an insecure being who was plagued by thoughts of his great and terrible father. He had surpassed his sire not too long ago- forging his own sword; Bakusaiga, and then destroying the filthy hanyou Naraku with its immense power, and thus cementing his place at the forefront of many people's minds as not only their lord but also their saviour. He understood that his abilities came with responsibilities, and all of that was well and good-

Except that there was something wrong with his soul.

He felt... tainted, like a parasite had latched onto his spirit and was slowly draining him from the inside out. It wasn't a physical affliction- there were no outward signs of this experience, but he could feel it. Rin had been concerned after his return from the underworld, stating that no creature who is not dead should ever set foot on its barren soil. The dai had brushed off her worries, secure in the knowledge that he had succeeded where countless others had failed. Yet after his journey to the gates of hell, he had not been the same. 

Sesshoumaru did not understand this feeling, nor was there anyone who could help him- the wise and ancient Bokuseno had admitted ignorance on this topic, being unusually forthright. The youkai had suggested that perhaps the only ones who could shed some light on the matter dwelled in the place where his problems had started.

The Western Lord had pondered this for many months, all the while becoming even more drained, and yet still held off returning to hell.

He was an insecure being. He seemed infallible and untouchable, but he was not... He was not. Sesshoumaru stalled returning to the land of nightmares for one simple and yet unfathomable reason.

He was scared.