Yin and Yang by sessha-chan

Yin and Yang

Japan, late 1400's

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"

A tall, teeth-achingly-beautiful man with eyes of molten gold and hair of spun moonbeams turned slightly at the call of his human ward. Rin held a clump of fresh picked flowers in her small, childish hands.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, Rin picked these for you," Sesshoumaru silently accepted her offering.

"Rin, where is Jaken ?" He stared down at the child gazing up at him with adoration and trust.

"He called Rin a stupid human again so Rin threw a rock at him like Lord Seshoumaru does and it hit him right on the head. Jaken must have been really sleepy because Jaken went right to sleep," The child looked so proud of her accomplishments. Seshoumaru listened in the direction the girl had come from and could hear his retainer stirring. So he wasn't dead, oh well. Momentarily the Demon Lord entertained the thought that he should really stop beating on the toad, it was teaching Rin bad habits.

"Milord! The human child! She-" another rock sailed through the air and collided with Jaken's already bruised skull, laying him flat on the grass.

So much for that thought. The toad was just too irritating.

Rin danced around Jaken's unconscious body, decorating it with chains of flowers. Sesshoumaru considered the child. She was such a simple thing, even after all that had happened to her in her short life.

When they had first crossed paths he had been so badly injured after a battle with his younger brother that all he could do was lie helplessly in the forest as his body healed. She had found him there and tried to help by bringing him food even though he growled threateningly every time she drew near. Her persistence intrigued him, as she come limping to his side one day covered with severe bruising and no few cuts. When he broke down and asked her what had happened she merely smiled and skipped off. She never said a word, not to him or anyone else. Later he had found her corpse, half-eaten by wolves, lying in the middle of the road. It was then that he felt the pull of his Human-sympathising father's legacy to him, the Tenseiga. Without a word of explanation to his lowly retainer, Jaken, he pulled out the life-giving sword and destroyed the soul-bearers that were trying to finalise her death, bringing her back to life. Rin had followed him faithfully ever since; content with living under his protection and picking every wildflower that was misfortunate enough to fall under her notice.

In all honesty there was only one other person that Sesshoumaru had crossed paths with that even compared to his human child: the Miko that travelled with his brother . What was it about that part of Japan that attracted that calibre of priestess? Why was it that there was at least one god-blessed priestess there to watch over the lands?

Ah, yes. The Shikon Jewel. He had almost forgotten the legendary jewel that had been given to the Miko Kikyou to protect. Unfortunately, as he had heard, she fell victim to it's yin and yang nature, her pure love of all things slowly replaced by jealousy and hate. When she died of a mortal injury from fighting who she thought had been her true love, a half-demon, she had the jewel burned with her on her funeral pyre in order to rid the world of its' influence. That should have been the end of it but fifty years later the jewel returned, along with the newest Miko, Kagome.

No one could tell where this latest development had hailed from. She didn't seem bound by the prejudice that ruled the land, and had in fact accepted his brother without batting an eye over the matter. That had intrigued Sesshoumaru at first, for even Kikyou had had her reservations about her half-breed courtier. She was like a cooling summer breeze that stirred up the stagnant air of these feudal times.

Such an intriguing girl.

"Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"Yes Rin?" He turned his attention to his ward.

"What is Lord Sesshoumaru thinking about? Lord Sesshoumaru was smiling!" She marvelled at her observation, "Why was Lord Sesshoumaru smiling? Lord Sesshoumaru usually looks like this," She screwed her face up to resemble her caretakers' normal facade.

"You foolish girl!" Jaken just recovered from the assault to his skull scolded. "What Lord Sesshoumaru does is none of your concern." He shook his staff in her

direction threateningly.

"Jaken," The toad stopped in his tirade and gazed fearfully up at his master.

"Y-yes, Milord?" He stammered.

"Be quite,"

"Oh! Yes Milord!"

Not even bothering to sniff in disdain the Demon Lord turned to leave the pleasant meadow their group had stopped in.

"Wait for me Milord!"

"Hurry up Jaken! Lord Sesshoumaru is leaving without you!"

"Be quite girl! I don't know why Lord Sesshoumaru even allows you to live. Your human, smelly, stupid, slow, weak - " Jaken's tirade was abruptly cut short by a small fist dropping swiftly onto the top of his head causing him to bite his tongue. Hard. Rin giggled madly as Jaken hopped from foot to foot, hands clamped over his mouth in pain.

"Lord Sesshoumaru! Rin Made Jaken dance!"

Sesshoumaru paused to test the wind with his keen nose. At first he thought that it was merely his imagination, but the scent of blood grew steadily stronger.

"Jaken. Take Rin and hide in the bushes."

Jaken quickly forgot his pain. "Yes Milord,"

"Wait! Lord Sesshoumaru, what's wrong?" Rin asked as Jaken dragged her into a clump of thick greenery.

"Rin, stay with Jaken." Rin looked a little hurt but understood that this was how Lord Sesshoumaru showed he cared. He didn't want her to get hurt so he made sure she stayed away. He didn't have to explain, but it would be nice once in a while.

Sesshoumaru followed his nose to an ensuing battle. Low-level demon corpses littered the forest floor and blood hung heavy in the air followed by another, cleaner, more pleasant scent of purity.

That Miko. She was always getting into trouble.

He broke through the trees just in time to see the lone women - why on earth was she by herself? - fire a sacred arrow at a swarm of converging demons. Halfway to its' target the arrow began to glow like the mid-summer sun. Sesshoumaru threw up his arm to shield his eyes from the holy light and he could feel Tenseiga protecting him from the power radiating off the projectile. When the arrow struck it detonated with amazing fury, purifying everything demonic that was within range, turning the offending demons to harmless dust in the wind. Shock waves pushed the immovable demon lord back past the treeline, his feet digging deep ruts into the ground as he fought to hold his place.

Amazing the power that girl held. Simply astounding to be able to control a Hamaya like that. That kind of sacred arrow was tricky.

"What! There's more?" She cried in panic and reached for another arrow. She only had one left and from what Sesshoumaru knew she could only focus her holy energy through the arrow. She might, if she was desperate enough be able to channel the power through her hands, but that took training, and to his knowledge she had none at all.

"Good afternoon, Miko," called a demoness on a giant feather as she floated down to the ground. The swarm of demons was hovering hungrily behind her.

Kagura . If that spawn of Naraku, the plague of Japan, was here then it meant that her sire was finally taking a serious interest in the girl.

"Kagura! What do you want with me?"

"Me?" The demoness feigned innocence. "If it were up to me I'd have nothing to do with you and your half-breed. But unfortunately for you Naraku holds my heart in his hand and if I am to live you have to die,"

Sesshoumaru listened with growing rage. How dare Naraku think he could infest this Sesshoumaru's lands? He could clearly hear the Saimyushou behind the Wind-user and knew that she was quite serious about killing the Miko. She wouldn't dare attempt a half-job while Naraku's insect spies were watching.

Kagura swept her fan through the air sending her deadly wind blades shooting for Kagome. Kagome screamed in surprise and jumped out of the way. Rock exploded form the ground where the wind blades hit. Volley after volley was thrown at the girl, who ran and dodged desperately, not giving her the time to properly prepare the arrow to fire. She was fighting a losing battle and she had known so since Kagura had stepped out of the skies to face her.

And Sesshoumaru knew it too.

Stepping back out from the cover of the trees Sesshoumaru flicked his energy whip out to intersect the deadly blades. Kagura's attention snapped to the demon lord and her eyes widened in fear. She knew that if she got on his bad side she was one dead demoness.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, what...what a pleasant surprise," she greeted, halted her attacks, but kept her fan open.

"Kagura. You trespass on my lands," Oh, that's a weak excuse! "And I have grown tired of you and your master's insolence. Leave, before I decide to take a more expedient route and kill you," Yes, that was better. He had a widely known reputation for a short temper for insolence. One that Kagura knew first hand from previous dealings.

The wind Demoness snarled something impolite before she took off on her feather, the Saimyushou following close behind. Their job was done, and the demon lord would take care of the human for their master because everyone knew that Lord Sesshoumaru hated humans with a passion ever since his father had taken one to wife.

Sesshoumaru looked over at Kagome. She still held onto her bow and arrow, her indecently short green and white kimono was torn and bloodied from battle. He could tell what was running through her mind, it was written clearly on her face: Sesshoumaru saved me? No. That can't be right. He hates humans, me included. Maybe especially me because he's tried to kill me before and failed. More than once too! Oh! Please don't kill me!

"Foolish mortal," He chided. "Where is my brother? Why are you not with him?" Yes, where was the idiotic half-breed? Why wasn't he here protecting the girl? That's it, never trust the mutt to do anything right.

"Inuyasha?" Her face fell, and Sesshoumaru raised a mental eyebrow. What had he done now? "He's with Kikyou,"

Pardon?

"Girl, this Sesshoumaru knows of the Miko Kikyou. She is dead these fifty years,"

"Yes, yes she was," She nodded and sighed.

"Then explain yourself,"

The story he heard in reply made his head spin.

Apparently the girl, Kagome was the literal reincarnation of Kikyou. Odd, since the cycle for that is every 550 years, not just fifty . One night the dark witch Urasue stole graveside soil and the ashes of the dead priestess so she could revive her. But in order for the spell to be complete she needed Kikyou's soul, which now resided within Kagome. Urasue kidnapped Kagome in order to extract the soul from her body. Valiantly the young girl held on until her companions arrived. When Inuyasha saw the newly formed body of his dead girlfriend he called out to her it caused Kagome to feel just a moment of despair, enough to loosen her hold on her soul transferring it the newly formed clay body.

Kikyou lived once more, after fifty years and the first thing she did was purify her demonic resurrector, Urasue.

It took her almost no time at all to lay her hands on a bow, just one arrow, and to take aim at the love she had though had betrayed her to her death so long before. Luckily, for Inuyasha - and Kagome - Kagome's body might have been lifeless but her consciousness remained with her soul and when Kikyou threatened Inuyasha Kagome fought back with everything she had in her. She managed to call the most part of her soul back, leaving only the smallest fraction in Kikyou's clay body, enough to ensure that the dead priestess walked among the living once more.

The rest of the story turned the stoic Lord's stomach. Kagome, mercifully kept the details to a minimum. It still made his skin crawl.

By the end of the recounting the small Miko was shaking with pent-up sorrow. Yet another reason for Sesshoumaru to hate his younger brother. Pining after a dead woman and causing the living incarnation of purity such pain.

"Um – Sesshoumaru?" He arched an eyebrow at the girl. She bowed, "Thank you very much for sending away Kagura,"

That? That was nothing, all in a days work, "She can see a losing battle when it confronts her," And he dismissed the matter with a wave of his clawed hand.

"Well, thank you anyway," She bestowed him with a radiant smile that made him immensely glad his previous half-hearted attempts on her life had proved fruitless.

After a moment Sesshoumaru spoke again, "You should return to your companions. This Sesshoumaru is sure that the Monk and the exterminator have missed your presence, even if the half-breed does not."

"Huh? Oh, right! Thank you," She bowed again, turned and sprinted through the trees, calling out a farewell as she ran.

Sesshoumaru watched as she disappeared into the darkening wood. They really had nothing in common, the Demon and the Priestess. She saw the world as a wonderful thing, bursting with life; he looks upon everything with contempt, having seen so much evil. She wore her heart on the sleeve of her indecent green and white kimono, whereas anyone would be hard pressed to cause the lord to show an iota of emotion. Even their physical appearance was radically different: midnight to moonbeam hair, sapphire to gold eyes. The Miko wasn't short in comparison to many human women of this time but when standing against the Demon lord she looked the size of a child, not even reaching his chin with the top of her head.

She reminded him of Rin. So innocent after all they had been through, so unlike him in every aspect of their beings.

Even if he was following in the footsteps of his father, Sesshoumaru was still ahead. Inuyasha's mother had been a mere princess, whereas Kagome was a Miko of insurmountable power.

Take that, old man.