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An Emergence 5: Momentum

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Continued from An Emergence 4: "A Premonition"


IMPORTANT NOTE: I decided to make up a name for "Sesshoumaru's mother" to use in this story.
She will be referred to as "Shirakume " from now on.  
Having a name makes writing so much easier...."Sesshoumaru's mother" just sounds silly sometimes. :D  




An Emergence 5: Momentum



Sesshoumaru and Inu no Taishou had arrived at the training field.
The ground was still steeped in the shade of the night.   
The grass rustled gently in the breeze, and it mimicked the sound of the distant waves.
Inu no Taishou turned to his son.

"Draw, Sesshoumaru.  I'll see how you have improved," he said.
Sesshoumaru pensively drew his sword in a slow, graceful motion.  His sword glinted dimly in the darkness.  
Taishou observed his son's expression.  His son was always difficult to read.
"I will not come at you unless you draw your sword, father, "
Sesshoumaru said solemnly to his father.
Inu no Taishou grinned, and unsheathed his new sword.  

The sword seemed to emit light on its own.  Its arc floated in the air like the sliver of the moon, a night before the new moon night.  
The light of the sword was nothing like that of an ordinary sword.  It was soft and calming, yet penetrating, evoking the halo of a bodhisattva.
It seemed to be an unlikely sword to be held by a daiyoukai, a creature with affinity to darkness and severity of nature.

Taishou quickly blocked Sesshoumaru's charge from above.
He purposefully yielded to his son's force to let him come closer, then in a flash he let his sword effortlessly escape the clash.  He swiped a large arc with the sword at his son.   
Sesshoumaru swiftly jumped in the air, dodging his father's counterattack.  
His long silver white hair drew a bold stroke in the sky.
"Speed and reflex has always been your strength," Taishou said to his son.
"Your war against Ryukotsusei is ill conceived,"  Sesshoumaru said as he landed.  

"I knew you did not just come to me for sparring." Taishou smirked, and clashed his sword against his son.  
"Kureha is a good influence on you.  I am glad to see that you let her move you to talk to your own father, who you rarely speak to these days."
Their swords ground against each other's blade.  Sesshoumaru turned in the direction of his father's sword's movement, undoing Taishou's momentum.  He then countered Taishou as he completed his turn.  Taishou blocked his son's blow just in time.
"This has nothing to do with her."  
Sesshoumaru said dismissively, though it lacked in effect as he noticed that he wore Kureha's scent still fresh on himself.  He pushed his father's sword with the greater force.   "I am merely speaking my own opinion.  I do not wish to see my father stoop to become an exterminator for humans."  
Inu no Taishou jumped back, and laughed.  "An exterminator is not something to look down on.  Neither humans."
"Your incidental aid to them could mean betrayal to your allies and kin." Sesshoumaru said sharply.  

"That is yet to be seen,"  Taishou said with some frustration.  
"I seek to bring a result that would benefit all in the end.  I will let the outcome speak for me, and I am willing to face the price and consequence."   He adjusted his position, and tightened his grip on the sword.
Sesshoumaru readied for the next move.  "You should not expect the Orochi to pay for your transgression."   
The energy of youki emitted from the two daiyoukai collided and completely halted the breeze in the field.   The field fell into stillness.
They silently sparred with each other at length.  

"I did not realize your cowardice,"  Sesshoumaru said sullenly.  
Though it was reserved, his anger was evident behind his words.
"You are afraid to lose your human mistress to her natural death.  Your intention to extend her life by defeating Ryukotsusei and lending her spiritual power, is greedy, and cowardly.  Feeble humans should accept their place and their mortality, and so should you."

Taishou seemed to be provoked.  
There was something resonated with him in his son's words.
"You see through me, to a degree."  Taishou smirked, and he appeared right in front of Sesshoumaru, with a blow.  
Sesshoumaru parried it with his sword.
Taishou faced his son behind the arc of their swords.  "Indeed I have something that I fear losing.  However, I also have gained much from knowing what I could lose.  You have yet to gain such experience to understand the meaning of my words."  He said with subtle contempt.
"I  see you sacrificing one for another, gaining nothing in the end."  Sesshoumaru responded brusquely.  "You are deceived by your own self-satisfaction.  You presume your allies and kin would benefit from your distasteful liaison with a human.  I am not convinced it is so."

Taishou's eyes glared with ferocity.  "Son, I do not ask your permission for my own pursuit."  
Sesshoumaru caught a glimpse of bloodlust in his father's eyes that he had never seen.     
"Your opposition gains you nothing."  Inu no Taishou slashed across his son's body with his sword.  
Sesshoumaru deflected the sword, though his attempt was overwhelmed by the momentum of his father's force, only diverting its direction slightly.  He felt the tip of his father's sword on his shoulder, as it etched its track across his body.  
He narrowed his eyes in anticipation of pain, however, he felt nothing.
Sesshoumaru jumped back, and traced where he felt the sword with his hand.  
There was no sign of cut or tear, not even on the fabric of his kariginu*.
" That sword....did not cut."  He looked at his father, baffled.  However, what did cut into him was not the sword.
Inu no Taishou sheathed his sword.
"I have heard your thoughts.  We've had enough sparring for today."  He did not meet his son's eye.  
He turned his back, and left the training field.
The light of the day had now reached to the field, and washed away the shades of night.  
The grass rustled peacefully with the breeze, as if their confrontation had never occurred.
"You expect me to accept your intentions blindly."  
Sesshoumaru stood still, with his hand still on the wound his father left on him.



Shirakume (Sesshoumaru's mother) sat in front of a mirror in her dressing room.  She dipped her little finger into a container of sea shell, and rouged her lips.   
Her servant touched up her coiffure, and combed the bottom of her long flowing hair.    She signaled the servant to leave the room.  
"You may enter, Kureha," she said.   She saw Kureha entering the room in the mirror.    
"I thank you for allowing me to meet with you at this hour, Shirakume-sama."  Kureha bowed solemnly.  
"I understand it is for an important matter for both of us, "  Shirakume turned her face to her visitor.
"It is about the talk I had earlier with Inu no Taishou,"  Kureha said.  
"He intends to be rid of Ryukotsusei,"  she replied.
Kureha looked up to meet Shirakume's eyes. "Despite my mention of his tie to the Orochi, and our wish for his survival.  We wish him to continue to prevent human settlement of the region.  Taishou is prepared to sacrifice our alliance if necessary."
Shirakume assumed that her son had found out about this already.   She could tell that he was with Kureha not long ago.   
She wondered about her son's whereabouts, though it was not difficult for her to guess.
"We certainly do not wish our alliance to be sacrificed for Taishou's peculiar ambition."  Shirakume said calmly.  "His plan threatens to bring more disturbance than glory."   
Kureha observed her mysterious amber eyes, and thought of Sesshoumaru.  However, this mysteriousness was an artifice, consciously controlled, unlike the other she was familiar with.  
"May I trust in your aid with this matter," Kureha looked at her earnestly.
Shirakume observed the young Orochi Matriarch's captivating face highlighted by the morning light.  She was fond of Kureha's strength and unassuming quality, a sign of true wisdom.  "She has grown beautifully," she thought to herself.
"I will move to protect our alliance," she answered.  
The seriousness of her tone reminded Kureha that she was not guaranteeing a peaceful solution.  Kureha nodded with equal solemnity.
Shirakume continued.  "There is still some time until he will make his move.  I have already sent a messenger to your mother regarding this matter.  I would like your cooperation in not making your knowledge of Taishou's plan known to the rest of your clan.  I trust your judiciousness."  
"I have been moving privately regarding this matter so far.  I will move in accord with your advice."  Kureha gave a deep bow to Shirakume.

Shirakume stopped Kureha as she was leaving.  
"Kureha, I am planning to have a gathering at dusk.  Please attend.  Tell Sesshoumaru that I expect him as well."  
She said with a graceful smile.



Inu no Taishou returned to his suite from the training field.  He placed his new sword back on the stand.  
"As I requested, only one of the sword's abilities is evident."  He said to himself.  "And Sesshoumaru has proven that he is worthy of my challenge."
Taishou remembered his son's words.  His son successfully provoked him, seeing through his passion's weakness, that he was yet to be able to accept mortality, and the eventual loss of his love.  His own instinctive reaction to such loss was to defy it, and his son saw the futility of such action.   
"However, that is why he is worthy of the ability left in this sword, and the challenge that it brings."  

"Is that 'the sword of nothingness' that you intend to give to my son?"
Taishou heard a voice behind him.
"I have named it "Tenseiga".  This sword carries a sacred ability even kami or boddhisatva dare not tamper with."  He turned to face his mate, and smiled playfully.
Shirakume seemed to be not interested in the sword as much as he.  She glanced over at the sword wearily, and approached closer to him.  
"I have been observing you and my son, and I am concerned."    
"Speak your mind."  Taishou shrugged, and crossed his arms.  He readied himself for his clever mate.  
"I am afraid that too often you substitute challenges and competition for communication, and neglect to speak your mind openly to Sesshoumaru."
Taishou looked at her, discontented.  His mate returned him a cool hypnotic stare.  He sometimes found her intimidating, though her graceful face and elegant manner were far from appearing as such.  
Taishou smirked.  She was the only one who could make him feel as though he had been played on her palm.  He remembered the day they came together was the day he learned to accept this.
"You are critical of the way I approach my son.  Yet you yourself do not engage him to offset what I lack."  He attempted a small protestation.
"The problem I speak of is uniquely yours, and it requires your unique approach."  Shirakume dismissed his remark, and continued before Taishou could respond.  "Sesshoumaru is head strong.  I understand your difficulty in communicating with him.  You have always provoked him to achieve, strengthening his will.  However, I also see that has been your way of maintaining your dominance over him.  I sense some resentment on Sesshoumaru's part, and it will manifest itself negatively."  
She said as a matter of fact, with subtle graveness.
Taishou frowned, as though her words scraped his skin.  He recognized truth in what he had heard.
Shirakume gently touched his face.  Her eyes gleamed.
"You intend to use my son further to benefit your other son in the future.  I advise you to take the current state of your relationship to Sesshoumaru into consideration."
She kissed him softly.  Taishou held her elegant face in his hands.  His mate had always been his conspirator and antagonist at the same time.  
"You are against my pursuit for Ryukotsusei?"  Taishou asked.  His mate had not shown any concern regarding his affair with a human female, as she never had with his other affairs.  However, he expected that she would be concerned about his recent endeavor.
"I question your reasons for this pursuit, however, I will not stop you.  I will not engage in a useless attempt."  
Shirakume answered plainly, and gave him a provocative grin.



Kureha was looking for Sesshoumaru.  There was no sign of him around the palace since he had left her suite before dawn.
Searching for him was an almost futile act.  His suite in the palace was rarely occupied, and he did not have a particular place he routinely went, as far as she knew.  He always found her, whenever he wished to see her.  Kureha had sent her apparitions around the vicinity of the palace, however none had caught sight of him.  She went out herself, hoping that his whim may bring him to her.

Kureha roamed pass the forrest, and arrived at a hilltop which marked the edge of the forrest.  
Some called this hill "Fu-jin path"*, because the wind that moved through the valley blew continuously on this hill.  
A lush field of tall reeds covered the top, and it moved in the wind like the plush mane of a beast.  She moved through the field for her amusement.  
This was one of her favorite place to visit in this season.  The early summer wind felt like rich silk slipping over her skin.
She caught a glimpse of something unusual among the uniform strands of reeds.
"That is..."
A unique specimen of houttuynia*, which had been transformed by nourishing itself on a piece of youkai flesh.  
It seemed that some lesser youkai had died here, and in its place, the short deep crimson plant with heart shaped leaves had grown.  
The plant was not much use to daiyoukai like her, though for humans it was highly poisonous, and some lesser youkai consumed it as a sort of stimulant.  
Kureha knew a special use for these leaves.  She plucked a leaf, and placed its crimson surface against her lips, and blew hard.
The leaf could make a sound, which she was unable to hear but would be highly annoying to the ears of creatures such as Inu daiyoukai.  
When they were children, she used to chase away Sesshoumaru with this sound if he got on her nerves.
She smiled thinking of childhood memories, and blew on the leaf incessantly, in the hope of producing the most annoying noise possible.


"Stop."  Kureha heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Were you following?  You have appeared sooner than I expected."  She turned to Sesshoumaru.  "Your stealth has improved.  You have even fooled my apparitions."  She looked at him coyly.  
"I have noticed an unusual pattern in your wandering."  He took the leaf away from her hand.  
It was hard to know whether he remembered their shared childhood memory from his impassiveness.  However, Kureha believed that he did.
"I have been looking for you," she said.  
Sesshoumaru demanded reasons with his glance.
"We have been invited to a gathering at dusk.  Your mother expects both of us to attend."
Sesshoumaru stared at the crimson leaf in his hand.  He had always remembered the unpleasant sound, however, this was the first time he took a good look at the leaf.  
It was smooth, with an intricate lace of veins almost undetectable to touch.  It was deep, intense crimson.    
He noticed the subtle red stain on Kureha's lips.  
It was left by the color of the leaf, though It looked as if she had been wearing rouge smudged by the lips of another.  It was a sight of her that was familiar to him, though this time, it made an oddly fresh impression.
"My mother seems to think you can persuade me to do as she wishes," he said.
"She may be mistaken,"  Kureha smiled softly.  
There was another reason she had been looking for him.   
"You met her to discuss my father's plan,"  Sesshoumaru asked.
"Yes," Kureha answered apprehensively.  
"He will not be stopped,"  Sesshoumaru said, as he looked away into the distance.  There was a slight bitterness in his voice.  
She watched his silver white hair stream wildly in the wind.  It reflected the afternoon sunlight, and glowed like the white flame.

Kureha took his hand in hers.  He still held the crimson leaf.
"Sesshoumaru, I have learned that the Orochi convoy is hurrying to get here.  My mother has ordered them to bring me back early.  They could reach here within a day or two, and I will leave as soon as they arrive."  
This was the first time she had ever mentioned leaving.  Sesshoumaru slowly turned his face to her.  
Though he kept his placid face, he did not conceal a hint of sadness in the light of his eyes.  Seeing it, Kureha understood what it meant for her heart to break.
They faced each other silently.  The crimson leaf escaped his hand and hers.
A sudden rush of wind threw the leaf into the air, and took it away.  
They both watched it disappear into the distance.
Sesshoumaru drew her to him, and held her gently.  Kureha submitted herself to his embrace.  
They stayed still, submerged among the field of emerald waves.  
It was their ritual of farewell, to the way things had been.



The sky above the western edge of the mountains was tinted in a hue of rose.  The evening shadows spilled over the valley quickly, and created a stark contrast with the still brilliant sky.  
The palace on the cliff glowed dimly with the blue flames of the torches on the walls, though it was invisible to humans' eyes.  
Various types of lesser youkai servants had come out of the shadows, preparing the room that opened to the terrace for the meeting planned by the mistress of the palace.  
The ones who flew moved about in the air lit up the lamps, and de-scented the room with the magical incense which cleansed the air.  The ones who crawled set up the seats, placed sake and refreshments.  After everything was set, the creatures had again disappeared into the shadows of the palace.  
A couple of high ranking female servants in human form entered the room.  They took their positions near the entrance of the room.

Shirakume entered the room with Inu no Taishou, and proceeded to their seats.
"I have been looking forward to this occasion," she said.  "We rarely meet together."  
Taishou wondered if his son would show himself.  
Shirakume noticed his expression.  "He will show.  His curiosity will guide him."
Kureha had entered the room, followed by her two handmaidens.   
She had worn a celadon colored kimono, with white and plum peony blossoms on her shoulder and sleeves.  The hue of the fabric brought out her enchanting jade eyes.  
She gracefully bowed to the couple.  "Thank you for your invitation."
Shirakume welcomed her guest.  "I am glad you can join us, Kureha.  The fabric I have chosen suits you exquisitely.  It is fitting for your ascension as the new Orochi Matriarch."  
"You look stunning.  I hear that there has been a change of schedule, and the Orochi convoy is on the way to reach here.  I'm pleased to have this gathering before your departure."  Taishou greeted Kureha.  
As he appreciated their allure, he pondered what these two female leaders would conspire behind him in the near future.


Continues to An Emergence 6: "Parting"


Glossary:

kariginu outfit worn commonly by noble men.  I like to make Sess wear it in this story.

Fu-jin : means "wind god".  The name of the hill "Fu-jin path" means "wind god path".

houttuynia:  flowering plant common in Japan, used in herbal medicine (Japanese name is dokudami)  see image here

celadon:  pale sea-green pigment, also refers to a type of pottery  having the same pale green glaze, originally produced in China. Color example here
Disclaimer: I make no profit from this work, except my own enjoyment.
Sesshoumaru, Sesshoumaru's mother (I call her Shirakume in the story) and Inu no Taishou => Rumiko Takahashi's Character.

Kureha=> foo-dog's character.
This work is foo-dog's. Please do not redistribute.



An Emergence Archives => [link]



The accompanying pic is finished!
"Young Sesshoumaru 11" [link]
:new: "Farewell" [link] (Recently reworked version of Young Sessyoumaru 12)

"Young Sesshoumaru 12" [link]


I have named Sesshoumaru's mother for the purpose of this story. She will be now called "Shirakume". :D

I wanted something simple in terms of meaning (in keeping with the naming such as Inuyasha and Inu no Taishou) and something that could sound like an ancient Japanese name.
Three symbols used for this name is "white" "dog" (but not the common one that is used for Inuyasha, but the less used symbol for dog and it could be pronounced as "ku" instead of Inu) and "woman".
See, simple. :giggle: Can't type japanese text here so I can't show you how it is written...
I wanted to include "dog" in her name for some reason.


I intentionally didn't mention "Meidouzangetsuha" ability of Tenseiga in this chapter.

In this story, I decided that the "life saving" part of Tenseiga was more important to Inu no Taishou, and that is what he wanted to give to his first born son.
Meidouzangetsuha was secondary issue. (Because it wasn't meant for Sesshoumaru anyway as it turned out in the recent chatpers.) Well, that's how I'm setting up.

I don't want this story to get too big, but even with my simple writing, it has grown this much. :shrug:
Thanks for reading :D
© 2007 - 2024 foo-dog
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inuaddict's avatar
Finally got a chance to read this chapter. Wonderful as always. I really love your ideas, and how appropriate this is as a possible "prehistory" to RTs story. It would explain a lot about Sess! I especially love your last description of Kureha. How about a pic of her in this outfit - it sounds so pretty - especially highlighting her eyes? And yes, I also always love the descriptions and interactions of Sess' hair. It really almost has a personality of its own!