Continuing Tales

The Wind and the Mountain

A InuYasha Story
by Mearasama

Part 17 of 60

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Still

"Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come."
~ Robert H. Schuller


A single candle burned in the far corner of the room. Its light cast deep shadows along the wall, spreading an eerie atmosphere throughout the melancholy stillness. Sesshomaru moved silently through the room until settling next to Rin's motionless form. Anger surged as he took in her altered appearance. Once flawless skin sagged against the bones of her body as the poison Naraku used took its toll. Sesshomaru had no idea how long he sat with Rin. All he wanted to do was wake the exhausted Miko and demand she purify this poison from his little girl. Logic dictated that the woman needed to recover from the battle before she would be able to perform the necessary duties required to heal Rin. Not for the first time did he curse the fragile nature of humans. Sesshomaru found himself in unfamiliar territory as reason warred with emotion.

He snorted. 'Emotions are for the weak,' he thought disdainfully. And he was the farthest thing from weak. It was his father and InuYasha who were the weak members of the family. Both lacked self-control and allowed emotions to hold sway over their fate.

Reaching out with his senses, he felt Hoshi place the sealing spell on the Miko's room and head in the direction of her own chamber. It would do him no good to try and force the unconscious Miko into waking. Hoshi would only stop him before he made it anywhere near the woman.

'I'll wait till morning but no longer,' he thought with determination. Unfolding his tall frame, he watched Rin for a few more moments before turning to leave. 'That woman is lucky to have been shown this much patience.'


Kagome floated along the darkness of her dreams. The silence was almost deafening as she enjoyed the quiet solitude of her body's exhaustion. After sharing her mind with two others for weeks, Kagome was more than happy to take advantage of the respite presently offered.

A voice called out to her from the distance. She burrowed deeper into the consuming darkness trying to avoid the inevitable. The voice called louder, this time closer. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to find a place to hide.

'Kagome…'

Kagome recognized Kikyo's voice and knew that it was pointless to ignore. She reluctantly left the quiet sanctuary of her closed off mind and followed the voice calling out to her.

She surfaced to awareness like she had been under water. The howling spiritual powers vibrating through her body were almost enough to make her sick. She reached out her senses for Kikyo and realized that something wasn't quite right.

'Kikyo, what's the matter? Are you alright?' The older miko's soul was weak and barely noticeable. 'Yes, but I'm quickly losing my strength from holding back the spiritual powers of the Crown. I won't be able to continue for too much longer.'

'What should I do?' Kagome thought with panic. She remembered what it felt like in the garden right before Kikyo intervened. The feeling that she would break into a thousand pieces was something she did not want to experience again. Even now, with all of Kikyo's help, she felt uncomfortable and fragile. It was too much power for her human body to withstand.

'What I need you to do is wake up Kagome,' Kikyo's tired voice called out.

Kagome opened her eyes reluctantly and stared at the ceiling. The dark wood had a beautiful finish that was surprisingly clean and shiny. She wondered when Kaede had started worrying about the ceiling of her small house. In the past, it had always been dingy, the walls covered from ceiling to floor with soot and ash from the small cooking fire in the center of the room.

Kagome pulled one arm up and out from the thick blanket that covered her, moving over the softest blanket she had ever felt. It was then that she noticed the down filled mattress under her.

Her eyes traveled slowly from the ceiling to the surrounding walls and what she saw took her breath away. All around her was what could only be described as opulent beauty. The same rich colored wood that covered the ceilings extended to the floor. Exquisite paintings hung along the walls, mostly depicting the surrounding mountain ranges and forests. In the far corner stood a delicately painted changing screen with what looked to be an ancient folklore meticulously told across the front. Heavy silk screens muted the sunshine streaming in the large window on the other side of the room. She moved her arms and legs slightly and reveled in the warm comfort of the fine silks that surrounded her. Easing up to lean on her elbows, she continued her perusal of the room. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Her heart sank as a thought suddenly hit her.

"Where the hell am I?!"

She forced herself to a sitting position and immediately regretted the action. Dizziness and nausea overcame her momentary panic as she fell back to the bed.

Through the haze of her roiling stomach she heard a door slide open and then close a moment later. The presence held strong spiritual powers that overwhelmed her a moment before it settled into a quieter feeling at the foot of the bed. Kagome opened her eyes and looked into the face of a young attractive woman. Beautiful violet eyes looked back at her with kindness and a hint of something else Kagome couldn't quite read. Long black hair reached well past her waist and twined within several strands were gold half-moon charms linked together by a delicate chain. Her kimono sparkled in the dim light of the room revealing a pattern that Kagome couldn't quite determine. The woman was stunning, with a quiet grace that bespoke of nobility. A kind smile finally gave Kagome the courage to speak.

"Where am I?" Kagome asked warily.

"You are a guest in The House of the Moon under the care of Sesshomaru-sama, Lord of the Western Lands," the woman's voice was strong and soft.

"Sesshomaru? I don't understand. Why am I in Sesshomaru's house?" Kagome's puzzled reply drifted off as memories assailed her of the confrontation in the garden. "Wait! Is InuYasha okay? And Sango and Miroku? Are my friends all safe?" she asked worriedly as she struggled back to a sitting position, ignoring her queasy stomach.

"Your friends are unharmed. It was you who received the most injury from the battle. How are you feeling?" Hoshi asked.

"Fine, thank you." Kagome answered. She was confused, but felt that this woman was not going to harm her.

"My name is Hoshi and I take care of Sesshomaru-sama's household. If you need anything while you are here, please feel free to come to me and ask." Hoshi then smiled again at Kagome before walking back to the door. Sliding it open, she turned back to the miko and added softly, the smile still playing on her lips. "I will return in a short time. Get some more rest. You have a task ahead of you that will require quite a bit more strength than you presently have."

With those cryptic words, Hoshi slid the door shut. Kagome felt the sealing spell flare to life. She sat there staring at the door as exhaustion crept up again forcing her to sink slowly back to the bed. Her eyes drooped shut as sleep claimed her the moment she touched the pillow.


Hoshi met Sesshomaru in the hallway as she was leaving the miko's room. She held up a hand before he could take another step.

"Come with me," she stated in a voice that brooked no argument.

Only when they were in Sesshomaru's office did she finally speak.

"I know we're fighting against time, but the miko needs to sleep a few hours more. At this point she would die before the purification can be completed, even with the help of the Crown. We need to continue being patient."

Sesshomaru growled low in his throat but kept his temper in check. "I'm running out of patience Hoshi. Every minute she sleeps is another minute Rin slips farther away from us."

"I'm aware of this Sesshomaru. Never the less, this is how it has to be. I'll take the miko to Rin's room at dusk and we'll begin the purification process then."

With that Hoshi rose and left the taiyoukai to his thoughts. Of course his brooding mind invariably went to the same place.

'I need to kill something.'


Hoshi left Sesshomaru's office and continued down the hall. Since Rin's poisoning, the sorceress had been going to the garden and gathering fresh bouquets for around the mansion, including Sesshomaru's chamber to try and keep a semblance of normalcy in the household. She turned toward the gardens but stopped when she heard a commotion in the front courtyard. She followed the noise and emerged from the house to a scene of pure chaos. Guards from the House of the Moon surrounded a small group of strangers with their swords drawn. A bellowing voice from a white haired youkai dressed in red rang out in the cold autumn air.

"If you don't get out of my way I'll kill ya!" InuYasha yelled.

A large bear demon stood in front of them with a giant spike covered ax clutched in his paw.

"You will leave this house and depart these lands immediately," the bear demon replied stoically.

Hoshi stepped forward and spoke to the group; her quiet strength silenced everyone before her.

"What is the meaning of this? Who are you to come here, draw your weapons and demand entrance?" though her voice was soft, her tone commanded respect.

Sango stepped forward and faced the woman. "We are here to see our friend and comrade, Kagome. Sesshomaru-sama took her from us two days ago."

"Did Sesshomaru-sama invite you to this house?" Hoshi asked as her attention turned to the white haired youkai. 'This must be InuYasha,' she thought.

"No, but she is like family to us, and we must see her." Sango met Hoshi's eyes with desperation. "Please."

"The miko is sleeping. As you know, the battle took much of her strength and it's important that she rest. You may be assured that she is well cared for and will want for nothing while she is a guest of this house." Hoshi turned to leave when another voice rang out sharply.

"Don't you dare walk away from us. If I have to tear apart this whole house I'll find her, now where is she?!" InuYasha shouted as he took a step forward. The giant bear demon dropped his massive axe in front of InuYasha; rumbling voice shook the air of the still courtyard.

"I would not threaten this house if I were you. The outcome will not be in your favor, I assure you," his dark brown eyes glittered with warning.

"I don't care!" InuYasha screamed as he raised Tessaiga against the giant youkai. His arm never descended as a flash of white streaked across the courtyard and appeared in between the two.

Sesshomaru held Tokijin against InuYasha's throat and stared at his half-brother.

"You dare stand in my courtyard and threaten my home, InuYasha?" Sesshomaru's eyes blazed with open hatred.

"I've come to take Kagome home".

"As I already said, she is no longer your concern. I do not like to repeat myself." Sesshomaru felt Hoshi approach from behind.

"Enough. There are more important things to worry about right now than this nonsense." Hoshi looked over at the others and met Sango's sad stare. "You may see your friend when she is awake. In the meantime, it's more important that she be allowed to recover in peace and quiet." Hoshi looked meaningfully from Sesshomaru and InuYasha back to the young woman in front of her. "If your friend senses these two fighting, she'll not be able to concentrate on the healing she needs to do."

Sango nodded stiffly and turned to InuYasha. "Come on, let's find a place to set up camp nearby," she turned back and looked Hoshi in the eye as she continued, "They will send for us the minute Kagome is recovered enough to go home."

Hoshi nodded and walked back toward the house. She had felt Sesshomaru calm down and knew that he didn't miss her meaning.

InuYasha lowered Tessaiga and stepped back.

"What're talkin' about? I'm not leavin' here without Kagome."

"We aren't leaving without Kagome. We are waiting until she's well enough to travel. Besides, Sesshomaru has already said that no harm will come to her while she's here. Right, Sesshomaru?" Sango looked from InuYasha toward the taiyoukai.

Sesshomaru never took his eyes off of InuYasha and only nodded curtly.

InuYasha continued looking at Sesshomaru a moment longer before reluctantly turning to leave. He knew that was the closest thing he would ever get to a promise from his half-brother. "She better not take too long gettin better," he called over his shoulder as he followed his friends through the gate.

The Wind and the Mountain

A InuYasha Story
by Mearasama

Part 17 of 60

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