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Excessive chain (kiss #13)

By kira

Author's note: more LJ kisses based on "Moonlight" featuring Izayoi and Inutaisho.


They sat around the campfire while Rin recovered from her illness and to pass the time Miroku told them some of the old myths and legends. As he droned on about a dragon and excessive chains something about the story he was telling sparked a memory in Sesshomaru.

"You have it all wrong, monk," he said softly as all eyes turned his way.

"Oh, yeah? What do you know?" Inuyasha growled.

"More than you do, little brother. That story is really about Chichi-ue and your mother. It was said that when he died, the gaki needed excessive chains to hold his soul in hell, for he wanted to be with your mother so badly that his soul cried out for the freedom to pass into the realm of the living again, and not even the memory of their last kiss was enough to quiet him." He paused, feeling momentarily uncomfortable as the center of attention. "It was also said that her love for him was an excessive chain around your mother's heart for she shortly joined in death, although they were never together in the underworld."

"No she didn't, you idiot!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "My mother was alive for a long time afterwards..."

Sesshomaru sighed and looked at his brother. "Inuyasha, she only lived a year after his death. A year is nothing to a youkai, but I imagine it was a long time for a hanyou..." he said softly.

"Keh!" Inuyasha huffed, and shoved his hands into his haori sleeves as Kagome tried to soothe him.

"Inuyasha, you were a little pup at the time so it's understandable that-"

"Shut up, Asshole!" Inuyasha growled. He stood, glared at his brother and anyone else who looked his way before bounding off to go sulk.

Kagome watched him leaved before returning her attention to Sesshomaru. "Ummm....Sesshomaru, what about the Tensaiga? Why didn't that help? And did they really loved each other that much?"

Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow at her. "The Tensaiga was in Toutou-sai's hands at the time. I believe my father told my mother that if he ever looked as though he was going to die, she should give it to him along with the Tetsusaiga." He paused lost in thought. "Hai, they did. Izayoi-hime took my father's death much harder than even my mother did. Perhaps it was because they both felt she would die first or perhaps it is a human thing to die of grief...?"

"No, I don't think so... my father died when I was nine and as sad and upset as my mother was, she's still alive, Sesshomaru. So that couldn't be it."

"Hai...Myouga-jijii, you were there," Sesshomaru said as he stared at the flea who was trying his best to hide in Shippou's furry vest.

"Well, ummm...ah, well..." Myouga stammered and Shippou wished he would go somewhere else as Sesshomaru's dark scrutiny made him nervous. But salvation came from an unexpected corner.

"People die, Sesshomaru-sama..." Rin said weakly and Sesshomaru's gaze softened as he looked over at her. "And you miss them..."

"Hai..."

"And you feel sad for a while, but it goes away..."

"She's right; when they die you do miss them and the sadness does feel like a chain around your heart," Sango said softly. "But you go on and you remember the good things about them and then the sadness goes away and you're left with only memories..." She looked around the campfire. "I've just realized something; everyone here's lost someone close to them..."

Sesshomaru looked around at the faint sound of a twig snapping. He could see that his brother was not as far away as he would like everyone to believe and that he was listening intensely to the maudlin talk that went around the campfire. Sighing softly, he let his thoughts drift back to the day they brought his father home from the Great War...

The great Inutaisho raised his army and took off for the mountainous territory of the dragon Ryukotsusei after saying goodbye to his wife and his mate. He went and took once last look at his sons playing at war in the bamboo garden, and unseen by them he whispered his goodbyes in the cool morning air before turning to leave. With a heavy heart that felt as though it were bound up in chains he mounted his horse and prepared to lead his army. He hated leaving his injured wife behind, but the insult to his pride and to his family was too great for it to be ignored. The old dragon had not only attempted to ravish Izayoi after catching her alone in one of the gardens, but he attacked his wife Inukouhi as well, when she came to the human's aid. Such an insult could not go unpunished and as soon as he was sure his wife would recover, he made his decision to go.

The dragon's lair was a two day march to the east of the palace, high up in the wisteria mountain. They camped that night in darkness and made their plans for the coming battle without the aid of campfires, preferring to blend in with the shadows. Come the next day the army of the clan of the dog raced towards the dragon's lair. The battle went on for many days and nights, everyone grabbing rest where and when they could until it came down to the great battle between Inutaisho & Ryukotsusei. Both fought as hard as they could and they were pretty much evenly matched, although the dragon was slightly stronger. But in the end, the dogs seemingly won out as Inutaisho fought within an inch of his life. Somehow the great dog general managed to seal the dragon to his mountain with a broken claw and when that happened the remaining dragons scattered like dust in the wind, leaving a handful of victorious dogs in their wake. As Inutaisho walked back to his tent, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, and clutching it, he collapsed. His men gathered him up and carried him home. No one was sure if the old dog would live another day or not, for he had a large wound in his side that refused to heal.

For ten days his wife, Inukouhi and his mate, Izayoi stayed by his side and tended to him. On the tenth day when he died, both women kissed him goodbye and they both assisted those who prepared his body for burial. Only the Lady Izayoi was entrusted with the knowledge of where her beloved's tomb lay, for those that concealed it in the black pearl, knew as a human she would only have a short time to live and then the knowledge would be forever lost.

Izayoi, who loved Inutaisho very much, was later on sent back to her people along with Inuyasha for a short period of time, before Sesshomaru, in defiance of his mother's wishes, recalled them back. Izayoi, deeply depressed over the loss of her beloved, died by her own hand a few months later and she set in motion events that were to have far reaching consequences, the least of which was a simple story about the love between two people...

After everyone had settled down to sleep for the night Inuyasha came back and he made his way silently towards his brother. "Sesshomaru...?"

"Hai...?"

"Ummm...you know, the time that ummm...."

"What is it, Inuyasha?"

"You know, the ummm... the mu'onna...?"

"Hai... What about her?"

"Well, Kagome said she was bound with chains by some gaki and ummm..."

Sesshomaru sighed softly in the darkness. "Those were the chains that bound your mother to our father."

"Oh..."

"Inuyasha?"

"Hai...?"

"Be a good little pup and go to sleep and leave me alone..."

Inuyasha's angry retort died on lips when he caught the faint ghost of a smile twitching at the corners of Sesshomaru's mouth. Snorting a little sound of amusement, he said, "Only if Aniki-chan will tell me a goodnight story."

It was Sesshomaru's turn to snort out his amusement. "Forget it, Oto-chan; this Sesshomaru has had enough of stories. You want a story, go wake the miko and ask her to tell you one..."

"Keh!"

A long silence stretched between the brothers as the campfire died down, the only sounds heard were the soft breathing of the sleeping members of the camp and usual hum and buzz from the creatures that inhabited the night. Before the silence became too great, Inuyasha broke it, "Sesshomaru...do you think they'll ever be together...?"

"Hai...and if you don't shut up this Sesshomaru will see that you join them, understand?"

"Hai...Goodnight, Aniki, and ummm...arigatou."

Sesshomaru nodded and waved him away. He said softly to his brother as Inuyasha settled down to sleep, "It was also said, Inuyasha, that the chains that kept them apart also bound them together..."