Worthy by Enemytosleep [oneshot #68]
Title: Worthy
Author: enemytosleep
Word Count: 1,133
Rating: PG
Characters: Kagome, Myouga, Miroku, Sesshoumaru,
Prompt: dokuga_contest - Inheritence
Summary: What do they do now?
Warnings: off-page character death, observation!fic
Notes: This will eventually become part of Forge. I'd outlined this a while back, but in the end had to rush to finish drafting in time … I hope it's not that apparent. D:
Kagome didn't realize she'd been lost in her own mind until a light touch on her shoulder brought her back. "My sincerest apologies if this is a difficult subject, but it really must be discussed - and soon."
"What is it, Miroku?" she asked as he settled himself on the floor next to her.
"Well traditionally, a man's land and possessions would be passed along to his eldest son, the undisputed heir. In the event that one has no viable heir, his possessions would instead be divided between his spouse and living family."
"I see. I think."
"In this case, the technical heir would have to be Sesshoumaru, as he is the only human or demon alive that shares Inuyasha's blood. But, well, how may I put this..."
"But what? Inuyasha doesn't have any land to be split. Right?"
"Well no, Lady Kagome," Myouga chimed in, "but there is the question of Tetsusaiga: a sword of terrible power that, in the wrong hands, could devastate the lands. We must now ask ourselves what will become of the great sword now that Master Inuyasha no longer wields it."
"Oh." Oh.
Myouga continued. "The Great Lord of the West had gone to great pains to ensure the safety of the sword after his demise. The black pearl: seen and yet unseen. Protected and yet unknown to its protector. Hosenki created the black pearl that acted a gate way between worlds, kept safe and hidden within Lord Inuyasha's own body."
"I'm not sure how we'd find a way back there again," Kagome said.
"Yes, Myouga and I have discussed this at length, and we both agreed it would be unwise to try and reopen the pathway."
"So what do you suggest, then?"
"Well, we discussed the possibility of disassembling Tetsusaiga. Totosai could-"
"No."
"Lady Kagome-"
"I'm not going to let anyone take apart Tetsusaiga! It's just - wrong!"
"Now now," Myouga coaxed, "try to think about this with clearly-"
"You can't just disassemble Tetsusaiga! It belongs to Inuyasha!" It's all I have left of him. She couldn't bring herself to voice it, though she could see in Miroku's sad eyes that he understood.
"Yes, but we do have to think about what's best now that he's not here to keep it safe."
She clenched her fists and shut her eyes. Inuyasha had only passed the day before. How was she supposed to think about important things like this? She had no clue what she should do. "I'll protect it," she eventually said. "For now, at least, until I can figure out a better solution."
Miroku sighed, then patted her shoulder gently. "Yes, and we will help you."
*****
Thankfully, Miroku and Myouga had given her berth the rest of the day, letting her wallow in her thoughts. So much had happened the last few days, she was having an impossible time of keeping up. Naraku had finally been defeated, the Sacred Jewel had been obliterated from this world … and Inuyasha had died ensuring those things happened. Her mother was usually really good at seeing through the haze and offering good advice, but the Well had shut itself to Kagome since the disappearance of the Jewel. She'd have to figure this out on her own this time.
Come on, focus. You need to figure this out before some crazy demon shows up looking for trouble.
She rubbed her eyes and looked down at the sheathed sword she held in her lap. Even now, after having seen it so many times up close, she was amazed at how such a battered, old weapon held so much power, could transform into something so very great. But it can't anymore, can it?
Sesshoumaru had once transformed the sword. Actually, hadn't he done it twice? But it had cost him: he couldn't grip Tetsusaiga without it hurting him, the great fang's barrier repelling his full demon touch.
"Only Inuyasha, both half-human and half-demon, can wield the sword. So why so much worry?"
Then she let her shoulders drop. It didn't matter if anyone could actually use it. The fact that someone might try to use it meant trouble for the village. Inuyasha was set to be buried next to Kikyou. If they buried Tetsusaiga with his ashes, it would only be a matter of time before some stupid demon - or some idiot bandit, there were plenty of them too - would come looking for it. Poor Kikyou's grave had been robbed and desecrated over the Jewel and Kikyou's own power … Kagome couldn't stand the thought of that happening to him too.
"So what do I do?" She needed someone to protect the sword, someone strong. But who would take on such a burden?
Kouga was strong, and he had a good heart, but he had a lot to look after with his pack. Territory was always in flux, meaning lots of battles amid trying to feed everyone and keeping them safe. Life in the wolf demon tribe wasn't easy, and sending the sword to the wolf den seemed too much a risk.
Totosai was strong, but he was also incredibly crazy and unpredictable, and it seemed he was itching to take apart the sword. He couldn't be trusted to care for it. "That and he's like Myouga: always looking for the easiest way to avoid trouble." Totosai had had the strength to oppose Sesshoumaru, but instead had chosen to hide behind Inuyasha. The old sword smith would definitely make life easier for himself by dismantling it.
Sesshoumaru. Why couldn't he take Tetsusaiga? Well, besides the fact that he couldn't wield it without hurting himself on account of the barrier … but he didn't have to wield it, right? He had Bakusaiga! His own sword was very powerful, maybe even more so than Tetsusaiga. Totosai had said something to that effect, right? And maybe the barrier would accept him now anyway. He was definitely way nicer to humans. He even had humans to protect, which is what Tetsusaiga wanted if she could remember correctly. Sesshoumaru was also very strong and kind of intimidating. No one would try to take it from him. Plus he was used to carrying lots of swords, what with Tenseiga and Tokijin - well, not Tokijin anymore.
Myouga and Miroku had seemed to write Sesshoumaru off as a candidate, though. What were they worried about? Sesshoumaru's trustworthy now. He'd proven as much in the final battle, if not before then. His allegiance with their group wasn't as clearly defined as it was with others, but Sesshoumaru had definitely made sure they all made it through to the end.
"And it's his father's fang. Inuyasha's fang. It should stay with family."
Well, that hadn't been as hard to decide on as she'd thought earlier. Now she just had to figure out a way to get the others to agree - and also possibly to ask Sesshoumaru if he would want it. Oh boy.
Author: enemytosleep
Word Count: 1,133
Rating: PG
Characters: Kagome, Myouga, Miroku, Sesshoumaru,
Prompt: dokuga_contest - Inheritence
Summary: What do they do now?
Warnings: off-page character death, observation!fic
Notes: This will eventually become part of Forge. I'd outlined this a while back, but in the end had to rush to finish drafting in time … I hope it's not that apparent. D:
Kagome didn't realize she'd been lost in her own mind until a light touch on her shoulder brought her back. "My sincerest apologies if this is a difficult subject, but it really must be discussed - and soon."
"What is it, Miroku?" she asked as he settled himself on the floor next to her.
"Well traditionally, a man's land and possessions would be passed along to his eldest son, the undisputed heir. In the event that one has no viable heir, his possessions would instead be divided between his spouse and living family."
"I see. I think."
"In this case, the technical heir would have to be Sesshoumaru, as he is the only human or demon alive that shares Inuyasha's blood. But, well, how may I put this..."
"But what? Inuyasha doesn't have any land to be split. Right?"
"Well no, Lady Kagome," Myouga chimed in, "but there is the question of Tetsusaiga: a sword of terrible power that, in the wrong hands, could devastate the lands. We must now ask ourselves what will become of the great sword now that Master Inuyasha no longer wields it."
"Oh." Oh.
Myouga continued. "The Great Lord of the West had gone to great pains to ensure the safety of the sword after his demise. The black pearl: seen and yet unseen. Protected and yet unknown to its protector. Hosenki created the black pearl that acted a gate way between worlds, kept safe and hidden within Lord Inuyasha's own body."
"I'm not sure how we'd find a way back there again," Kagome said.
"Yes, Myouga and I have discussed this at length, and we both agreed it would be unwise to try and reopen the pathway."
"So what do you suggest, then?"
"Well, we discussed the possibility of disassembling Tetsusaiga. Totosai could-"
"No."
"Lady Kagome-"
"I'm not going to let anyone take apart Tetsusaiga! It's just - wrong!"
"Now now," Myouga coaxed, "try to think about this with clearly-"
"You can't just disassemble Tetsusaiga! It belongs to Inuyasha!" It's all I have left of him. She couldn't bring herself to voice it, though she could see in Miroku's sad eyes that he understood.
"Yes, but we do have to think about what's best now that he's not here to keep it safe."
She clenched her fists and shut her eyes. Inuyasha had only passed the day before. How was she supposed to think about important things like this? She had no clue what she should do. "I'll protect it," she eventually said. "For now, at least, until I can figure out a better solution."
Miroku sighed, then patted her shoulder gently. "Yes, and we will help you."
*****
Thankfully, Miroku and Myouga had given her berth the rest of the day, letting her wallow in her thoughts. So much had happened the last few days, she was having an impossible time of keeping up. Naraku had finally been defeated, the Sacred Jewel had been obliterated from this world … and Inuyasha had died ensuring those things happened. Her mother was usually really good at seeing through the haze and offering good advice, but the Well had shut itself to Kagome since the disappearance of the Jewel. She'd have to figure this out on her own this time.
Come on, focus. You need to figure this out before some crazy demon shows up looking for trouble.
She rubbed her eyes and looked down at the sheathed sword she held in her lap. Even now, after having seen it so many times up close, she was amazed at how such a battered, old weapon held so much power, could transform into something so very great. But it can't anymore, can it?
Sesshoumaru had once transformed the sword. Actually, hadn't he done it twice? But it had cost him: he couldn't grip Tetsusaiga without it hurting him, the great fang's barrier repelling his full demon touch.
"Only Inuyasha, both half-human and half-demon, can wield the sword. So why so much worry?"
Then she let her shoulders drop. It didn't matter if anyone could actually use it. The fact that someone might try to use it meant trouble for the village. Inuyasha was set to be buried next to Kikyou. If they buried Tetsusaiga with his ashes, it would only be a matter of time before some stupid demon - or some idiot bandit, there were plenty of them too - would come looking for it. Poor Kikyou's grave had been robbed and desecrated over the Jewel and Kikyou's own power … Kagome couldn't stand the thought of that happening to him too.
"So what do I do?" She needed someone to protect the sword, someone strong. But who would take on such a burden?
Kouga was strong, and he had a good heart, but he had a lot to look after with his pack. Territory was always in flux, meaning lots of battles amid trying to feed everyone and keeping them safe. Life in the wolf demon tribe wasn't easy, and sending the sword to the wolf den seemed too much a risk.
Totosai was strong, but he was also incredibly crazy and unpredictable, and it seemed he was itching to take apart the sword. He couldn't be trusted to care for it. "That and he's like Myouga: always looking for the easiest way to avoid trouble." Totosai had had the strength to oppose Sesshoumaru, but instead had chosen to hide behind Inuyasha. The old sword smith would definitely make life easier for himself by dismantling it.
Sesshoumaru. Why couldn't he take Tetsusaiga? Well, besides the fact that he couldn't wield it without hurting himself on account of the barrier … but he didn't have to wield it, right? He had Bakusaiga! His own sword was very powerful, maybe even more so than Tetsusaiga. Totosai had said something to that effect, right? And maybe the barrier would accept him now anyway. He was definitely way nicer to humans. He even had humans to protect, which is what Tetsusaiga wanted if she could remember correctly. Sesshoumaru was also very strong and kind of intimidating. No one would try to take it from him. Plus he was used to carrying lots of swords, what with Tenseiga and Tokijin - well, not Tokijin anymore.
Myouga and Miroku had seemed to write Sesshoumaru off as a candidate, though. What were they worried about? Sesshoumaru's trustworthy now. He'd proven as much in the final battle, if not before then. His allegiance with their group wasn't as clearly defined as it was with others, but Sesshoumaru had definitely made sure they all made it through to the end.
"And it's his father's fang. Inuyasha's fang. It should stay with family."
Well, that hadn't been as hard to decide on as she'd thought earlier. Now she just had to figure out a way to get the others to agree - and also possibly to ask Sesshoumaru if he would want it. Oh boy.