Categories > Anime/Manga > Inuyasha > Being Sesshoumaru, Being Human
Being Sesshoumaru, Being Human
3 reviewsWhen Sesshoumaru’s humanhatred goes too far, his punishment is to live as a human until he finds someone he would be willing to die for. Is that even possible? Can he love a human? SesshyxOC pair...
0Unrated
Quick Author's Notes: I've rated this story PG-13 just to be on the safe side, but opinions on the rating are very welcome. Opinions on the warnings are welcome too -- there's a small amount of violence and swearing in this fic, but I don't think it's enough to warrant a warning. So please, let me know if you think otherwise. Oh, and don't forget...there's an original character in this story...
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Chapter 1
Sesshoumaru glared down at the dead human bodies before him and flicked a few stray drops of blood from his claws. Insects, all of them, every last person in the village. That’s all they were. So far beneath his notice it was pathetic. So far beneath his notice that their crime against him wasn’t worth his remembering or noting. This village, like so many others in the past few weeks, had paid for the crimes of its inhabitants with its total destruction. The attack had been swift and efficient, with not a single one of the disgusting creatures left standing. And now, with that annoying problem out of the way, he could continue on his way in peace.
Behind a nearby rock, the girl Rin and her guardian Jaken watched with wide eyes. Sesshoumaru didn’t usually scare Rin or shock Jaken, but just now, he had managed to do both. Since coming to live with Sesshoumaru, Rin had managed to convince herself that the great inu daiyoukai was different from humans, and indeed different from other demons. But this…well, he had killed these humans and destroyed their village for no good reason. Did that make him no better than the lower demons? Than the bandits who had killed her family?
“Rin. Jaken.” Those were the only words he had to say. They both leapt into action, scrambling from behind the rock and following after their lord and protector. But Rin was troubled. Time to approach Sesshoumaru.
“Um, Sesshoumaru-sama…” His golden eyes darted towards her, but he said nothing. “Rin was just wondering…why did you kill those humans?”
“Because they were in the way,” he said simply. Why was she asking such silly questions now?
“But…Rin doesn‘t understand what they did…”
Sesshoumaru whirled on her, hand raised to strike. “Why are you questioning me?” he growled.
Rin let out a small scream and cowered, while Jaken leapt forward and brandished Nintoujou at Sesshoumaru. There weren’t too many things that inspired Jaken to such extreme behavior. Sesshoumaru threatening to hit Rin was one of those things, seeing as Sesshoumaru was normally very even-tempered around the young girl.
“Rin just…Rin just thought…”
“Of course you did. You’re one of them, after all,” Sesshoumaru spat before turning away and continuing up the path. He didn’t even bother looking over his shoulder to see if his minions were following. He knew they would. They didn’t have much choice.
“Something is wrong with Sesshoumaru-sama,” Jaken murmured.
“I know, Jaken-sama,” Rin whispered back. “Sesshoumaru-sama scared me just now. Rin thought he was going to hit me.”
Jaken nodded, then turned to follow Sesshoumaru. “Stay with me, Rin. He won’t hurt you while I’m here.”
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They finally settled into a small campsite just as it was about to get dark. Jaken made a fire, then he and Rin went to find some food. Rin spent the night in silence, and Jaken was reminded very vividly of her behavior when she had first started traveling with them. His eyes darted to Sesshoumaru, sitting as far from the fire as he could get without completely leaving the campsite, and he sighed. Sesshoumaru had always been haughty and proud and had always harbored a great hatred for humans, but lately…well, it was getting worse. “Oh, Inu no Taishou,” he muttered as he disposed of the fish bones from the evening meal, “everything I’ve heard indicates that you were a great youkai in your day…Sesshoumaru-sama needs to change, or he won’t have a chance to become as great as you.” As if in response, a gentle breeze blew through their little campsite, but nothing else happened. Jaken sighed and returned to the fire, resigned to serving a Sesshoumaru who was getting more and more irrationally violent towards humans as the days went by. Something wasn’t right. He just hoped that someone, somewhere, would know a way of setting things right again.
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Sesshoumaru glared at Jaken and Rin, huddled by there fire. Insolent creatures, both of them. Why couldn’t Rin just accept his actions and move on? And for that matter, what was Jaken thinking, challenging him like that? There should have been no doubt in his mind as to which of them would win in an all-out fight. Jaken was useless without Nintoujou, and fortunately Sesshoumaru knew plenty of ways of defeating Nintoujou in a moment. Better for Jaken to learn his place. Sesshoumaru would have to have a little chat with him about appropriate behavior for a servant like him.
A gentle breeze blew through the clearing, and Sesshoumaru closed his eyes for just a moment to concentrate on the feeling of it on his skin. Even he had to admit that a breeze was nice every once in a while. He let his guard down for a moment, letting his mind wander…thoughts of his recent activities flooded in…images of Rin and Jaken following after him everywhere…his past…how he got where he was today…
His eyes snapped open, and he scanned the area before him. This wasn’t the forest. Where was he? Where were Jaken and Rin? Before the young inuyoukai could even twist around to look behind him, the area before him lit up in a brilliant flash of light that, under normal circumstances, he would have assumed only the sun could achieve. Throwing his hands up to shield his eyes, Sesshoumaru growled at the light. “What is /this/?”
“An intervention,” a dry and vaguely familiar man’s voice said.
“And don’t you dare pretend you don’t need it,” a second man’s voice added.
“Really, Sesshoumaru, I raised you better than this.” He knew that voice instantly. How had his father gotten here? Father was dead.
“Don’t blame yourself, Inu no Taishou,” a third man said. “Our sons don’t always turn out at we envision them, especially when we die before having the chance to teach them everything.”
“Gee, thanks for that vote of confidence,” the first voice said. The speaker sounded peeved.
Sesshoumaru’s eyes finally adjusted to the light, and he was able to get a good look at what he was dealing with. Ghosts -- he was dealing with a bunch of ghosts. There, in the middle of the group, was his father, looking sad and more than a little disappointed. Beside him sat the bat youkai Tsukuyomaru, a young youkai who had known Inu no Taishou better than he had known Sesshoumaru despite being closer in age to the great inu-daiyoukai‘s oldest son. Sesshoumaru was surprised to see him there, having not known that Tsukuyomaru had died. He had been silent so far. Another demon sat beside him -- Hoshiyomi, to whom the second voice of the evening belonged. Sesshoumaru could distinctly remember his father lobbying against Hoshiyomi’s attempts to create a perfect anti-youkai weapon, not because he was against the weapon itself, but because he suspected that something that strong would be difficult if not impossible for Hoshiyomi to control. Inu no Taishou had been right on that count, and Sesshoumaru found himself a bit relieved that Hoshiyomi was showing no signs of having been possessed by his own weapon at the moment of his death. To his father’s other side sat two youkai that, when alive, had been his enemies -- Menoumaru (the first speaker) and his father Hyouga (the third speaker). In death, Hyouga had returned to his pre-transformation appearance, and he shared an eerie resemblance with his only son. Both youkai were sitting calmly, one leg cross over the other, arms folded over their chests, staring at Sesshoumaru with almost-identical purple-blue eyes, their red antennae bobbing with every tiny head movement. If it hadn’t been for Menoumaru’s dangling gold earrings and his distinctly younger appearance, Sesshoumaru would have been hard-pressed to tell them apart. Ghosts didn’t retain the scents they had had in life, after all.
“I’m fine,” he said.
“Hardly,” a new voice said. Sesshoumaru couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman who had spoken, and when he finally got a good look at the speaker, that didn’t clear anything up either. The being had an incredibly androgynous body, with tanned skin and a mane of brilliant purple hair. Its eyes sparkled in the light, changing color with each small shift in angle and lighting. Whatever and whoever it was, Sesshoumaru had never seen it before. But it had its own smell, meaning it wasn’t dead. What in the world…?
“This Sesshoumaru doesn’t need a…a…what did you call it, Menoumaru?”
“An intervention,” the delicate-looking youkai replied.
“Right. That.”
“But you do, Sesshoumaru,” his father said sadly. “I know you’ve never liked humans. You take after your mother in that. But really, do you have to kill entire villages full of them for no reason? Do you have to raise your hand to strike Rin just because she asks questions?”
“I’ve never threatened Rin, what are you talking about?” Sesshoumaru answered.
“Yes, you have. Just today,” Tsukuyomaru said. He pointed at the purple-haired youkai, who obligingly waved a long-fingered hand and conjured an image out of the thin mists floating around them. Sesshoumaru’s eyes widened as the image showed the events of the day, starting with his slaughter of the humans and ending just after he threatened to hit Rin and Jaken jumped between them.
Sesshoumaru snorted. “So what? That girl needs to learn her place.”
“There are better ways to discipline a child,” Tsukuyomaru said flatly. “Especially one like Rin.”
Hoshiyomi leaned forward. “The fact is, look who’s here telling you that there’s something wrong: your father, a pair of youkai you barely knew, and two youkai who were your sworn enemies in life.” The two Chinese moth youkai nodded, antennae bobbing in unison. The motion momentarily distracted everyone (especially Tsukuyomaru, whose eyes followed the synchronized motion in an almost trance-like state and who gave his head a small shake when it was over), then Hoshiyomi turned his attention back to Sesshoumaru. “The point is, Hyouga and Menoumaru over there had a hatred of humans to rival yours, and they never did anything like what you did today. Or for that matter, what you’ve been doing for months now.”
Sesshoumaru snorted. “I tell them to obey me. They don’t. I fix that situation. What seems to be the problem?”
Menoumaru turned to the purple-haired youkai. “Want to help me out, here?” The youkai nodded and went to stand before Menoumaru. Everyone watched in fascination as the green-haired youkai’s spirit stood and merged with the very solid youkai before him. The freshly-possessed androgynous youkai turned, stalked towards Sesshoumaru, and gave him a sound smack across the face before stalking back to Menoumaru’s seat. The dead youkai’s spirit left its momentary vessel and returned to its seat. “Thanks,” he said.
“No problem,” the other being said, a serene look etched into its features.
“If you weren’t already dead,” Sesshoumaru growled, “this Sesshoumaru would have your head for that.”
“This Menoumaru had to do something to get your attention,” Menoumaru countered. “You’re even more of an idiot than I thought you were if you think your actions amount to simply fixing an obedience problem. You tell them to do something and give them what, a mere moment to carry out your orders? And then kill them if they don’t comply? And seriously, when did you gain the right to order them around anyway? It’s not like you control their lands or have earned their loyalty. You’re slaughtering them, that’s what you’re doing. And today you raised your hand to Rin…”
“Sesshoumaru,” his father said, “something needs to change. I was wary of you taking that girl in, but I thought she might have a good influence on you. Now I see you behaving like this, and it has me worried. As your father, I demand that you change your behavior. Or rather, I would, if I thought that would do anything.”
“So just how do you expect me to change?” Sesshoumaru asked, raising an eyebrow. “I see no need to change, after all.”
“Well I do, and I am your father, and though I may be dead you still owe me respect and deference,” Inu no Taishou growled menacingly. “I have devised a punishment for you.” He motioned to the purple-haired youkai who had been smiling quietly this whole time. “Will you explain, please?”
“Of course,” it replied. “Sesshoumaru-sama, it has been decided that you must learn what it means to be human, so that you have a better idea what it is you’re doing. Therefore, I have been called upon to use my powers to help you learn this lesson. The moment I give the signal, you will cease to be Sesshoumaru and will instead become a mere human. In that form, you will learn the lessons needed to truly understand what it is to be human. Ultimately, only one thing can restore you to your true form -- you must find something to protect. A human you can love and care for and give everything, even your life, to protect. Obviously, Rin doesn’t fit that description yet. Oh, and don’t worry a bit about her or Jaken -- they’ll be well cared for in your absence.”
“I’m sorry, Sesshoumaru. But this is truly the only way,” his father said. Even Sesshoumaru, as confused as he was, had to admit that his father really did seem sorry.
“But…”
“No buts,” Hyouga said. “You be a good son and listen to your father.”
“It took a lot of work for us to arrange this,” Tsukuyomaru added. “You should be grateful.”
“He won’t be, at least not until he learns his lesson,” Hoshiyomi said. “Well, then, shall we go? The sooner he starts on this, the better.”
The others nodded and began to fade away, all except for Inu no Taishou, who stood and approached his son. “Sesshoumaru,” he whispered, “I’ll be watching over you.” And with that, he too was gone, leaving only the strange purple-haired youkai for company. Sesshoumaru turned to the youkai and raised an eyebrow. The youkai just smiled, raised a hand, and moments later everything went black for Sesshoumaru.
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Sesshoumaru let out a quiet groan as he opened his eyes, squinting against the bright sunlight. Good skies, what a weird dream. It was strange enough that he had actually fallen asleep, but to have a dream like that on top of it…intervention indeed. There was nothing wrong with him. There was nothing wrong with the way he treated humans. Bah.
He reach up with his right hand to rub his eyes, then sat up and propped himself up with his left hand. Wait, his left hand? Sesshoumaru blinked in confusion and looked down. Indeed, his left arm -- the one Inuyasha had severed during their fight over the Tessaiga -- had returned. Though, it seemed he had lost his clothing. Very odd. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at his left hand, then held his right hand up for a closer look. His claws were gone too, as were the magenta stripes on his wrists. For that matter…yes, a closer inspection of his own body quickly revealed that the stripes marking his ankles and hips were also gone. What in the world…
He pulled a handful of his long hair over his shoulder and stared at it. The normally silver-white hair had turned jet-black (though he was glad to see it was still as long and smooth as before). Ok, so, maybe that dream thing hadn’t been a dream after all…
“Rin! Jaken!” Sesshoumaru winced at the sound of his voice. It was a bit higher than usual, and much less fearsome. No, people wouldn’t be running away from him any time soon. And even if Rin and Jaken were in the area, they weren’t likely to pay much attention to someone who sounded so un-Sesshoumaru-like. The inu-youkai-turned-human sniffed the air, realized that he couldn’t smell much, and decided that humans were even more pathetic than he’d thought. Well. That might explain why they didn’t bathe so much. But he wasn’t about to make excuses. Staggering to his feet, Sesshoumaru made his way to the river nearby. It was a slow-moving river, perfect for swimming and bathing…and for seeing one’s reflection, apparently. Sesshoumaru knelt beside the river and leaned forward to splash some of the water onto his face, but never made it that far. Instead, he stopped and stared at the face before him.
His facial structure hadn’t changed much, he noticed. The blue crescent moon, magenta stripes, and red eye marks were completely gone, and his complexion was just a touch darker than it had been before. The eyes blinking back at him were no longer gold, but were instead a deep blue-grey. His ears had morphed from their usual narrow, pointy shape into the more rounded shape typical of humans. The whole thing was framed by long, smooth black hair. Sesshoumaru delicately ran his fingers over his new face, tracing the areas where his youkai marks had once been visible. But there was nothing there, now, nothing to set him apart from anyone else. It was a strange feeling.
He made quick work of bathing, then headed back to where he had woken up. It was a secluded place, so he would be able to sit and consider his situation and figure out a way to go about getting some clothes. Somehow, he doubted that walking around Japan with no clothes and none of his demon abilities would be a very smart idea. Fortunately, he didn’t have to worry about that for too long, because upon returning to his original spot, he discovered a small pile of supplies. On top of the pile was a carefully rolled scroll, which he picked up, opened, and read.
Sesshoumaru --
I know you probably won’t believe a word of this, but it does pain me to do this to you. You must understand, though…you’ve gone quite overboard, even for a human-hating youkai. I do hope this experience will bring you to your senses quickly, and that you can return to your youkai form without much fuss. To help you, I’ve secured some human clothes for you, as well as a human sword. They are quite suitable for a young, itinerant warrior, which is your cover story. Your human name is Masuyo Watanabe -- don’t forget it. Referring to yourself as “Sesshoumaru” won’t get you anywhere. Oh, and I returned your missing arm. It’s been taking up space in my skeleton all this time, and I imagine you can make more use of it than me. Try not to lose it again.
-- Your father.
Sesshoumaru sighed, crumpled the letter, and tossed it aside, turning his attention to the clothes before him. Time to get dressed and wander a bit. At the very least, it would keep him from getting bored.
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Chapter 1
Sesshoumaru glared down at the dead human bodies before him and flicked a few stray drops of blood from his claws. Insects, all of them, every last person in the village. That’s all they were. So far beneath his notice it was pathetic. So far beneath his notice that their crime against him wasn’t worth his remembering or noting. This village, like so many others in the past few weeks, had paid for the crimes of its inhabitants with its total destruction. The attack had been swift and efficient, with not a single one of the disgusting creatures left standing. And now, with that annoying problem out of the way, he could continue on his way in peace.
Behind a nearby rock, the girl Rin and her guardian Jaken watched with wide eyes. Sesshoumaru didn’t usually scare Rin or shock Jaken, but just now, he had managed to do both. Since coming to live with Sesshoumaru, Rin had managed to convince herself that the great inu daiyoukai was different from humans, and indeed different from other demons. But this…well, he had killed these humans and destroyed their village for no good reason. Did that make him no better than the lower demons? Than the bandits who had killed her family?
“Rin. Jaken.” Those were the only words he had to say. They both leapt into action, scrambling from behind the rock and following after their lord and protector. But Rin was troubled. Time to approach Sesshoumaru.
“Um, Sesshoumaru-sama…” His golden eyes darted towards her, but he said nothing. “Rin was just wondering…why did you kill those humans?”
“Because they were in the way,” he said simply. Why was she asking such silly questions now?
“But…Rin doesn‘t understand what they did…”
Sesshoumaru whirled on her, hand raised to strike. “Why are you questioning me?” he growled.
Rin let out a small scream and cowered, while Jaken leapt forward and brandished Nintoujou at Sesshoumaru. There weren’t too many things that inspired Jaken to such extreme behavior. Sesshoumaru threatening to hit Rin was one of those things, seeing as Sesshoumaru was normally very even-tempered around the young girl.
“Rin just…Rin just thought…”
“Of course you did. You’re one of them, after all,” Sesshoumaru spat before turning away and continuing up the path. He didn’t even bother looking over his shoulder to see if his minions were following. He knew they would. They didn’t have much choice.
“Something is wrong with Sesshoumaru-sama,” Jaken murmured.
“I know, Jaken-sama,” Rin whispered back. “Sesshoumaru-sama scared me just now. Rin thought he was going to hit me.”
Jaken nodded, then turned to follow Sesshoumaru. “Stay with me, Rin. He won’t hurt you while I’m here.”
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They finally settled into a small campsite just as it was about to get dark. Jaken made a fire, then he and Rin went to find some food. Rin spent the night in silence, and Jaken was reminded very vividly of her behavior when she had first started traveling with them. His eyes darted to Sesshoumaru, sitting as far from the fire as he could get without completely leaving the campsite, and he sighed. Sesshoumaru had always been haughty and proud and had always harbored a great hatred for humans, but lately…well, it was getting worse. “Oh, Inu no Taishou,” he muttered as he disposed of the fish bones from the evening meal, “everything I’ve heard indicates that you were a great youkai in your day…Sesshoumaru-sama needs to change, or he won’t have a chance to become as great as you.” As if in response, a gentle breeze blew through their little campsite, but nothing else happened. Jaken sighed and returned to the fire, resigned to serving a Sesshoumaru who was getting more and more irrationally violent towards humans as the days went by. Something wasn’t right. He just hoped that someone, somewhere, would know a way of setting things right again.
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Sesshoumaru glared at Jaken and Rin, huddled by there fire. Insolent creatures, both of them. Why couldn’t Rin just accept his actions and move on? And for that matter, what was Jaken thinking, challenging him like that? There should have been no doubt in his mind as to which of them would win in an all-out fight. Jaken was useless without Nintoujou, and fortunately Sesshoumaru knew plenty of ways of defeating Nintoujou in a moment. Better for Jaken to learn his place. Sesshoumaru would have to have a little chat with him about appropriate behavior for a servant like him.
A gentle breeze blew through the clearing, and Sesshoumaru closed his eyes for just a moment to concentrate on the feeling of it on his skin. Even he had to admit that a breeze was nice every once in a while. He let his guard down for a moment, letting his mind wander…thoughts of his recent activities flooded in…images of Rin and Jaken following after him everywhere…his past…how he got where he was today…
His eyes snapped open, and he scanned the area before him. This wasn’t the forest. Where was he? Where were Jaken and Rin? Before the young inuyoukai could even twist around to look behind him, the area before him lit up in a brilliant flash of light that, under normal circumstances, he would have assumed only the sun could achieve. Throwing his hands up to shield his eyes, Sesshoumaru growled at the light. “What is /this/?”
“An intervention,” a dry and vaguely familiar man’s voice said.
“And don’t you dare pretend you don’t need it,” a second man’s voice added.
“Really, Sesshoumaru, I raised you better than this.” He knew that voice instantly. How had his father gotten here? Father was dead.
“Don’t blame yourself, Inu no Taishou,” a third man said. “Our sons don’t always turn out at we envision them, especially when we die before having the chance to teach them everything.”
“Gee, thanks for that vote of confidence,” the first voice said. The speaker sounded peeved.
Sesshoumaru’s eyes finally adjusted to the light, and he was able to get a good look at what he was dealing with. Ghosts -- he was dealing with a bunch of ghosts. There, in the middle of the group, was his father, looking sad and more than a little disappointed. Beside him sat the bat youkai Tsukuyomaru, a young youkai who had known Inu no Taishou better than he had known Sesshoumaru despite being closer in age to the great inu-daiyoukai‘s oldest son. Sesshoumaru was surprised to see him there, having not known that Tsukuyomaru had died. He had been silent so far. Another demon sat beside him -- Hoshiyomi, to whom the second voice of the evening belonged. Sesshoumaru could distinctly remember his father lobbying against Hoshiyomi’s attempts to create a perfect anti-youkai weapon, not because he was against the weapon itself, but because he suspected that something that strong would be difficult if not impossible for Hoshiyomi to control. Inu no Taishou had been right on that count, and Sesshoumaru found himself a bit relieved that Hoshiyomi was showing no signs of having been possessed by his own weapon at the moment of his death. To his father’s other side sat two youkai that, when alive, had been his enemies -- Menoumaru (the first speaker) and his father Hyouga (the third speaker). In death, Hyouga had returned to his pre-transformation appearance, and he shared an eerie resemblance with his only son. Both youkai were sitting calmly, one leg cross over the other, arms folded over their chests, staring at Sesshoumaru with almost-identical purple-blue eyes, their red antennae bobbing with every tiny head movement. If it hadn’t been for Menoumaru’s dangling gold earrings and his distinctly younger appearance, Sesshoumaru would have been hard-pressed to tell them apart. Ghosts didn’t retain the scents they had had in life, after all.
“I’m fine,” he said.
“Hardly,” a new voice said. Sesshoumaru couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman who had spoken, and when he finally got a good look at the speaker, that didn’t clear anything up either. The being had an incredibly androgynous body, with tanned skin and a mane of brilliant purple hair. Its eyes sparkled in the light, changing color with each small shift in angle and lighting. Whatever and whoever it was, Sesshoumaru had never seen it before. But it had its own smell, meaning it wasn’t dead. What in the world…?
“This Sesshoumaru doesn’t need a…a…what did you call it, Menoumaru?”
“An intervention,” the delicate-looking youkai replied.
“Right. That.”
“But you do, Sesshoumaru,” his father said sadly. “I know you’ve never liked humans. You take after your mother in that. But really, do you have to kill entire villages full of them for no reason? Do you have to raise your hand to strike Rin just because she asks questions?”
“I’ve never threatened Rin, what are you talking about?” Sesshoumaru answered.
“Yes, you have. Just today,” Tsukuyomaru said. He pointed at the purple-haired youkai, who obligingly waved a long-fingered hand and conjured an image out of the thin mists floating around them. Sesshoumaru’s eyes widened as the image showed the events of the day, starting with his slaughter of the humans and ending just after he threatened to hit Rin and Jaken jumped between them.
Sesshoumaru snorted. “So what? That girl needs to learn her place.”
“There are better ways to discipline a child,” Tsukuyomaru said flatly. “Especially one like Rin.”
Hoshiyomi leaned forward. “The fact is, look who’s here telling you that there’s something wrong: your father, a pair of youkai you barely knew, and two youkai who were your sworn enemies in life.” The two Chinese moth youkai nodded, antennae bobbing in unison. The motion momentarily distracted everyone (especially Tsukuyomaru, whose eyes followed the synchronized motion in an almost trance-like state and who gave his head a small shake when it was over), then Hoshiyomi turned his attention back to Sesshoumaru. “The point is, Hyouga and Menoumaru over there had a hatred of humans to rival yours, and they never did anything like what you did today. Or for that matter, what you’ve been doing for months now.”
Sesshoumaru snorted. “I tell them to obey me. They don’t. I fix that situation. What seems to be the problem?”
Menoumaru turned to the purple-haired youkai. “Want to help me out, here?” The youkai nodded and went to stand before Menoumaru. Everyone watched in fascination as the green-haired youkai’s spirit stood and merged with the very solid youkai before him. The freshly-possessed androgynous youkai turned, stalked towards Sesshoumaru, and gave him a sound smack across the face before stalking back to Menoumaru’s seat. The dead youkai’s spirit left its momentary vessel and returned to its seat. “Thanks,” he said.
“No problem,” the other being said, a serene look etched into its features.
“If you weren’t already dead,” Sesshoumaru growled, “this Sesshoumaru would have your head for that.”
“This Menoumaru had to do something to get your attention,” Menoumaru countered. “You’re even more of an idiot than I thought you were if you think your actions amount to simply fixing an obedience problem. You tell them to do something and give them what, a mere moment to carry out your orders? And then kill them if they don’t comply? And seriously, when did you gain the right to order them around anyway? It’s not like you control their lands or have earned their loyalty. You’re slaughtering them, that’s what you’re doing. And today you raised your hand to Rin…”
“Sesshoumaru,” his father said, “something needs to change. I was wary of you taking that girl in, but I thought she might have a good influence on you. Now I see you behaving like this, and it has me worried. As your father, I demand that you change your behavior. Or rather, I would, if I thought that would do anything.”
“So just how do you expect me to change?” Sesshoumaru asked, raising an eyebrow. “I see no need to change, after all.”
“Well I do, and I am your father, and though I may be dead you still owe me respect and deference,” Inu no Taishou growled menacingly. “I have devised a punishment for you.” He motioned to the purple-haired youkai who had been smiling quietly this whole time. “Will you explain, please?”
“Of course,” it replied. “Sesshoumaru-sama, it has been decided that you must learn what it means to be human, so that you have a better idea what it is you’re doing. Therefore, I have been called upon to use my powers to help you learn this lesson. The moment I give the signal, you will cease to be Sesshoumaru and will instead become a mere human. In that form, you will learn the lessons needed to truly understand what it is to be human. Ultimately, only one thing can restore you to your true form -- you must find something to protect. A human you can love and care for and give everything, even your life, to protect. Obviously, Rin doesn’t fit that description yet. Oh, and don’t worry a bit about her or Jaken -- they’ll be well cared for in your absence.”
“I’m sorry, Sesshoumaru. But this is truly the only way,” his father said. Even Sesshoumaru, as confused as he was, had to admit that his father really did seem sorry.
“But…”
“No buts,” Hyouga said. “You be a good son and listen to your father.”
“It took a lot of work for us to arrange this,” Tsukuyomaru added. “You should be grateful.”
“He won’t be, at least not until he learns his lesson,” Hoshiyomi said. “Well, then, shall we go? The sooner he starts on this, the better.”
The others nodded and began to fade away, all except for Inu no Taishou, who stood and approached his son. “Sesshoumaru,” he whispered, “I’ll be watching over you.” And with that, he too was gone, leaving only the strange purple-haired youkai for company. Sesshoumaru turned to the youkai and raised an eyebrow. The youkai just smiled, raised a hand, and moments later everything went black for Sesshoumaru.
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Sesshoumaru let out a quiet groan as he opened his eyes, squinting against the bright sunlight. Good skies, what a weird dream. It was strange enough that he had actually fallen asleep, but to have a dream like that on top of it…intervention indeed. There was nothing wrong with him. There was nothing wrong with the way he treated humans. Bah.
He reach up with his right hand to rub his eyes, then sat up and propped himself up with his left hand. Wait, his left hand? Sesshoumaru blinked in confusion and looked down. Indeed, his left arm -- the one Inuyasha had severed during their fight over the Tessaiga -- had returned. Though, it seemed he had lost his clothing. Very odd. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at his left hand, then held his right hand up for a closer look. His claws were gone too, as were the magenta stripes on his wrists. For that matter…yes, a closer inspection of his own body quickly revealed that the stripes marking his ankles and hips were also gone. What in the world…
He pulled a handful of his long hair over his shoulder and stared at it. The normally silver-white hair had turned jet-black (though he was glad to see it was still as long and smooth as before). Ok, so, maybe that dream thing hadn’t been a dream after all…
“Rin! Jaken!” Sesshoumaru winced at the sound of his voice. It was a bit higher than usual, and much less fearsome. No, people wouldn’t be running away from him any time soon. And even if Rin and Jaken were in the area, they weren’t likely to pay much attention to someone who sounded so un-Sesshoumaru-like. The inu-youkai-turned-human sniffed the air, realized that he couldn’t smell much, and decided that humans were even more pathetic than he’d thought. Well. That might explain why they didn’t bathe so much. But he wasn’t about to make excuses. Staggering to his feet, Sesshoumaru made his way to the river nearby. It was a slow-moving river, perfect for swimming and bathing…and for seeing one’s reflection, apparently. Sesshoumaru knelt beside the river and leaned forward to splash some of the water onto his face, but never made it that far. Instead, he stopped and stared at the face before him.
His facial structure hadn’t changed much, he noticed. The blue crescent moon, magenta stripes, and red eye marks were completely gone, and his complexion was just a touch darker than it had been before. The eyes blinking back at him were no longer gold, but were instead a deep blue-grey. His ears had morphed from their usual narrow, pointy shape into the more rounded shape typical of humans. The whole thing was framed by long, smooth black hair. Sesshoumaru delicately ran his fingers over his new face, tracing the areas where his youkai marks had once been visible. But there was nothing there, now, nothing to set him apart from anyone else. It was a strange feeling.
He made quick work of bathing, then headed back to where he had woken up. It was a secluded place, so he would be able to sit and consider his situation and figure out a way to go about getting some clothes. Somehow, he doubted that walking around Japan with no clothes and none of his demon abilities would be a very smart idea. Fortunately, he didn’t have to worry about that for too long, because upon returning to his original spot, he discovered a small pile of supplies. On top of the pile was a carefully rolled scroll, which he picked up, opened, and read.
Sesshoumaru --
I know you probably won’t believe a word of this, but it does pain me to do this to you. You must understand, though…you’ve gone quite overboard, even for a human-hating youkai. I do hope this experience will bring you to your senses quickly, and that you can return to your youkai form without much fuss. To help you, I’ve secured some human clothes for you, as well as a human sword. They are quite suitable for a young, itinerant warrior, which is your cover story. Your human name is Masuyo Watanabe -- don’t forget it. Referring to yourself as “Sesshoumaru” won’t get you anywhere. Oh, and I returned your missing arm. It’s been taking up space in my skeleton all this time, and I imagine you can make more use of it than me. Try not to lose it again.
-- Your father.
Sesshoumaru sighed, crumpled the letter, and tossed it aside, turning his attention to the clothes before him. Time to get dressed and wander a bit. At the very least, it would keep him from getting bored.
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