A Poisoned Dream
[timeline: eight years before the start of Otherworld 3: Tala]
The gang of bandits had been plaguing the Western Lands for months now. Demons and humans had joined together to rob and pillage; escaping to Otherworld when Lord Sesshomaru was nearby or back to Demon World when Otherworld Protectors were around. They had studied the patterns of both the Lord and the Protectors and had gotten very good at evading both parties. Nearly every village in Otherworld near the Western board had been robbed and burned, and the roads were no longer safe in the Western Lands. Sesshomaru was vexed by his failure to capture the bandits, and after their latest attack, followed them right into Otherworld. But he had misjudged the size of the gang, and they had misjudged him. The Dog Lord found himself in a clearing, surrounded by bandits. Many others were hidden in the trees. There must have been over fifty of them! His energy whip flared out and he drew his sword, but there was no anger or rage in him; as always, Sesshomaru was icy-cool. He gauged the location of each man and moved like lightning, a blur that human eyes could not follow. Bandit after bandit fell, sliced open by either whip or sword. No one would make a mockery of his lands and the protection he afforded them! Even as he clove the human and demon bandits, those that had hidden in the trees were aiming their deadly arrows at the Dog Lord. They could not fire without hitting their own men, but that was sacrifice they were very willing to make. Dozens of arrows filled the air and the unfortunate gang members that were still left standing after Sesshomaru's first attack fell screaming.
The Dog Lord could not move fast enough to avoid all the arrows, and the ground was now littered with obstacles of flesh and blood. Three arrows hit and he faltered. He gathered his strength and put aside the pain, and sent out the demon power from his sword into the trees. The nearby trees imploded on impact, impaling the archers with razor sharp splinters. The few that survived fled into the forest; the bandit gang was finally broken and would never terrorize the lands again.
Sesshomaru stood alone, surrounded by carnage, his white silks stained with blood. Three arrows had found their mark: one in his right shoulder, one on his left hip, and the last one in his right calf. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to will the pain away. The entry wounds were burning and then he caught a scent. Poison! He looked at the nearest arrow -- the one in his shoulder, and saw its design. The arrow had a hollow center and it was filled with poison. The longer the arrow stayed in his body, the more poison it would release. With his left hand, he took hold of the shaft in his right shoulder, and gritted his teeth, then ripped the arrow out. The pain was excruciating and a tiny whimper slipped past clenched teeth. He had two more arrows to go.
The arrow in his hip was next and it came free easily, having embedded itself in soft flesh and not bony shoulder. Then he reached for the one in his calf. He pulled, but the arrow would not come free. Its barbed tip had gotten caught between the two bones in his leg and would not pull out. Sesshomaru limped over to a large rock and sat down, dizziness beginning to pour over him in waves. If the arrow would not go back, it would have to go forward. He cut the feathered shaft with his sword and then pushed it through his leg, breaking through muscle and skin. The Dog Lord collapsed on the ground, blood pouring from his wounds, the pain nearly unbearable. He had to get help or he would die!
Using his sword as a crutch, he pulled himself back to his feet; but he could not put any weight on his right leg, and his hip and shoulder were white hot fire. By sheer willpower alone, Sesshomaru limped out of the clearing and heading to the nearest village -- nearly ten miles distant.
He got half way.
Kailee was deep in the forest, gathering herbs for Illa, who was the village medicine woman. It was a year ago, on her fourteenth birthday, when she began her own healing work under Illa's guidance and she had already learned so much! Her dream was to meet the greatest healer of them all, Kaiba, who lived in the Castle of Otherworld. Illa had promised her that one day they would make the trip to see him. A glimpse of white caught her eye and she walked towards it. Propped up under a large oak was a man, dressed in white and red, and encircled by a long fur boa. As she moved closer, she realized that the red of his clothing was blood. She quickly went to him. He was unconscious, his eyes shut tight, his mouth a grimace of pain, his color unhealthy. Blood had stained his clothing dark red, running from his shoulder, his hip and his lower leg. Kailee examined the wounds and noticed the smell immediately. Poison! He had been attacked, but by whom? Were they still around?
Kailee pulled out the herbs she had collected and combined a few of them, grinding them with a flat stone and a small amount of water to make a paste. She struggled to undress him, needing to reach his wounds. His right shoulder was red and swollen, and the wound seeped a greenish, foul-smelling fluid along with the still-flowing blood. She cleaned the wound as well as she could. Fortunately, there was a small stream nearby so that fresh, clean water was at hand, but she was afraid to start a fire, fearing that who ever did this would see the smoke. After cleaning the wound thoroughly, she packed the wound with the herb paste she had made.
She opened his clothes further, revealing his left hip. Two purple marks like slashes traveled across it, larger twins of the ones on his face. Just below them was the second wound, also seeping with poison.
After treating that wound, Kailee took off his short black boots, made of some soft material that she had never seen before, and pushed up his right pants leg to reveal the last wound. This was bad! The arrow had gone completely through his leg, tearing out a lot of flesh with its passage. Blood flowed heavily from both sides and the putrid smell of poison was even stronger. For some reason there was more poison in this wound. She cleaned the wound meticulously, and then packed both sides of his leg and tore off pieces of his already tattered clothing to make bandages to keep the herbal packs in place.
Finally, she sat back on her haunches and looked at the man for the first time. Even as sick and hurt as he was, he was handsome -- beautiful even! His snow-white hair flowed around him, curling around his shoulders like wings. Although his skin had a slightly greenish tinge from the poison, she could tell that he had fair, almost translucent skin. On his forehead was a blue crescent moon and each of his cheeks were two purple slashes. These were repeated on his wrists, his hips and his ankles. His small ears were pointed and when she checked his pupils, they were long ovals surrounded by deep gold irises. She was not versed in demon lore and, although she knew that he was a demon, she did not know the type that he was. Kailee would have recognized Sesshomaru's name, but she did not recognize the demon himself.
It was too late in the day to make the trip back to the village; the sun was already low in the sky and soon it would set and plunge the forest into darkness. Even it had been earlier in the day, Kailee would have been loath to leave the wounded demon alone. She made one last trip to the stream for fresh water and returned, sitting against the tree to his right.
The last bit of light disappeared and the curtain of night fell swiftly into place. Faint moonlight filtered through the trees and she could just make out the sleeping man. He was beginning to toss restlessly. The girl moved closer and put a cool hand on his forehead. He was burning with fever! The poison was doing its evil work!
She removed her scarf and wet it with cool water and bathed his face and chest. He moaned softly and then seemed to settle down. She resumed her place by the tree and drifted into a light sleep. About an hour later, she woke to his muttered words. She could not make them out -- dream words from a fevered mind -- and felt his forehead again. He was still burning hot, but now his whole body was shivering as with a chill. Kailee had no blanket and the fur boa was not wide enough to cover him, so she did the only thing she could. She lay down next to him, covering his shivering body with as much of her own as possible.
Sesshomaru wrapped his arms tightly around her, whispering meaningless words in his sleep. Kailee answered him, trying to soothe him as one would a child, and then she caught a word: Aara.
Who was this demon that he dreamed of the Princess of Otherworld?
He suddenly turned over, moving on top of her, and pressing hard against her. His restless movement became steady and pronounced and she felt a hardening against her leg. She pushed at him, and called to him, trying to wake him up, but it was useless. The poison had fevered his mind and he thought he was somewhere else -- in the bed of his mate or lover. The Princess? How was that possible?
His strong hands tore at her clothes, opening them, and she was powerless to stop him. His hot mouth found hers and devoured it, like a starving man at a banquet. His slender hips nestled between her legs and moved them apart, the pain of his wounds forgotten in his fevered need. The hardening she had felt before now found her entrance and pressed inside.
"Aara," he moaned.
"I am not Aara!" Kailee shouted, but her words could not pierce the dream's veil and his body moved with a steady rhythm. His movements grew faster and harder until he pressed deep and released his seminal fluids. His body grew heavy, but now he was pliant and Kailee managed to move him off of her. He was sound asleep.
She walked in the dark to the stream and plunged into the frigid waters, hoping they would take away what he had deposited inside. She sat in the waters for a long time, until finally she could no longer feel her limbs from the cold and got out, shivering violently from both the cold and the shock of what had happened. She should have removed her clothes first but had not been thinking clearly. And now her clothes were dripping wet and cold.
Miserable, Kailee walked back to her patient. It was not his fault. She had gotten too close and triggered a remembrance of the past. She also now realized who he was: Sesshomaru, the Lord of the Western Lands, the former male of the Princess.
Sesshomaru was lying on his stomach and Kailee moved him on his back so that she could check the wounds. Fortunately, all the herbal packs were still in place. She returned to her tree bole and drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, trying to get warm. She knew that if she lay next to him, he would warm her in minutes with his fever, but she was afraid to get close to him again. So all through the night, she sat against the tree, shivering piteously. Finally, through exhaustion more than anything else, she fell asleep.
Dawn was painting the sky a rosy gold when she woke with a start. Her clothes were dry but she was not much warmer. Well, soon the sun would warm her!
Kailee looked at the demon and he seemed to be resting peacefully. She moved to him to check his wounds, kneeling over him, when his eyes suddenly popped wide open. They were blood red and she screamed with fright. She felt a burning pain and looked down to see four claw marks on her forearm, already bright with blood. He had lashed out when she screamed and used his claws. She sat down, staring at her arm. It was already throbbing and burning. Then she saw his hand -- and the claws. They were dripping with green poison. He had poison claws!!!
Kailee no longer had time to worry about the wounded demon. She had to get to help. Running, stumbling, and falling, the girl managed to get to road that led to her village and collapsed on its hard surface. Fortune finally favored the girl and a passing farmer found her and rushed her to Illa's home.
Illa examined the wound, seeing the poisoned area, and used herbs very similar to what Kailee had used with Sesshomaru. The girl was already feverish and drifting in and out of consciousness.
"Illa, I am poisoned!" Kailee whispered, her voice barely heard.
"My child, who did this to you?"
"Sesshomaru."
And that was the last word she ever spoke. For days, Kailee lay unconscious, at death's door, then her body rallied, but her mind did not. It was lost forever to the poisoned fever and the night chill. After a month, it became apparent that she carried a child. How was this possible? Did Kailee have a young man that Illa did not know about? That the child could be Sesshomaru's never crossed her mind.
The months passed and Kailee's body housed the growing child well, giving it all of its nourishment until there was little left for the mother. On the ninth-month anniversary of her ordeal, Kailee gave birth to a son.
She never saw her son, probably never even knew she had given birth, and the body that had been fading for these long months, took its final journey. As the boy was born, the mother died.
He was named Kai for his mother. When Illa saw the baby's white hair and golden eyes, she knew the truth of his parentage.
Kai grew up under the care of Illa and thought of her as his grandmother. She told him all about his mother and all her hopes and dreams. He grew to love the mother he had never known alive. When he asked about his father, Illa told him the truth, as she saw it. He was the son of the Dog Demon, Sesshomaru, who had raped and murdered his mother.
Kai grew up hating his father.
Sesshomaru was walking his lands as he always did, and he neared the border of Otherworld, he crossed into the neighboring world and walked to a clearing. Dead trees circled the clearing and bones, both human and demon, were scattered about. Twelve years ago, he had fought a bandit horde and killed them all, receiving poisoned wounds in the process.
To this day, he did not know how he survived. He remembered walking towards a distant village, and stopping to rest under a large oak tree. He woke up in the late afternoon the next day, his clothes torn and open, his wounds bandaged and packed with herbs. Someone had helped him but left no trace of himself except for a small pouch containing herbs. He could not pick up a scent; all he could smell was blood and poison. After resting for another night, he made his way home.
But he never forgot the strange dreams that the poison fever had given him. He had dreamt of the Princess, of being in her arms once more. He sometimes missed her and the companionship of the other males. But when he weighed his freedom against that memory, his freedom always won.
Those were good dreams, but the last dream had been a nightmare. He had dreamt of Naraku and had woken up to see the man hovering over him. He had lashed out with his claws. Now he realized that he had never woken up at all; it was all just a dream.
But for some unknown reason he continued walking until he reached the oak tree. Why was he drawn to it? Sesshomaru stood there, staring up at the leafy canopy above his head when a young boy stepped out from the trees into the clearing. He was young, perhaps eleven or twelve, with white hair that had a purple tinge to it framing his face with long bangs. He glared out of yellow-gold eyes. A demon! No -- he sniffed the air -- a Hanyou! A half-demon! The boy carried a shaft with a sharp blade a one end. "Who are you?" He demanded.
Sesshomaru turned to the boy. "My name is Sesshomaru."
"Sesshomaru!!!" The boy brought up the blade, "Then I have been wanting to meet you for my whole life!"
"Why?"
"To kill you!"
The boy lunged and Sesshomaru easily evaded him, but the boy turned faster than expected and the blade tore the Dog Lord's sleeve.
"You have some skill." He admitted, examining the torn cloth. "May I ask why do you want to kill me?"
"You raped and killed my mother!"
"That is a lie." Sesshomaru said calmly.
"My grandmother is not a liar! My mother is not a liar! She said that it was you! Your name was the last word she ever spoke!"
"I do not know who your mother is, but I do know that I have never raped anyone in my life. I have only lain with two women, Princess Aara, and for a time, her daughter, Ashara."
"My mother did not lie!"
"I would like to clear my name and find out the truth of this. Normally, I would not care, but for some reason not known to me, I feel that this is important. Let us go to your village and talk to your grandmother and search for the truth."
Without waiting to see if the boy was following, Sesshomaru started down the path to the village. He walked as he always did, slowing and steadily, never seeming to tire or falter. Kai walked behind, watching the Dog Lord warily.
When they reached the village, the people pointed in alarm and rushed inside, slamming doors and closing window shutters.
"These people fear me." Thought Sesshomaru, wondering what tales that had been told about him. "Which is your home?" He asked the boy out loud.
Kai pointed to a small house on the top of the rise and Sesshomaru nodded, then went towards it. He stood in the yard while Kai went inside to bring out his grandmother.
An elderly woman came out of the house. "Lord Sesshomaru," she said formally, with a bow of her head.
"This boy tells me that I am accused of rape and murder. I come here to clear my name."
"Those were the dying words of a child who was like a daughter to me."
"So this boy is not your grandson?"
"Not by blood, but he is by the love I bear him."
"I see. And what were those words that condemned me?"
"Kailee, who was my apprentice twelve years ago to the day, and she came to me poisoned and dying. I asked her who had done this to her and she said only one word. Your name."
"My name?" Sesshomaru mused, then waited for Illa to continue.
"She died in mind that day, but her body lived on for nine more months, until she gave birth to Kai. As he lived, she died."
"And why do you think I am to blame in any of this? You have nothing but the fevered words of a sick girl."
"The proof is right there in front of me." Illa said and pointed at Sesshomaru. "On your forehead." She walked over to Kai and pushed back his bangs, revealing his own blue crescent moon. "Kai is your son, Demon Lord. You raped the mother and then killed her. What more proof do I need?"
For a moment, Sesshomaru thought the world had dissolved beneath his feet and he had been left standing on thin air. How could this be? He stared at the blue crescent moon -- the symbol of his bloodline. The first son always carried the crescent moon. His father's father and his father carried it; going back so many generations that time did not record the names. And now here it was on this boy's forehead. For a second his mind could not wrap around it, and then it began to take form. He dug through the deep pockets of his silks and brought out a small pouch. "Do you recognize this?"
"Yes! That belonged to Kailee. I gave it to her when she became my apprentice."
"Then perhaps I know the truth. I am guilty and innocent at the same time." Sesshomaru said, then continued. "Twelve years ago I was after bandits that were plaguing the villages along the border of Otherworld and my lands."
"Yes, I remember that gang. They attacked my sister's village to the south and killed nearly everyone!"
"I killed most of them, but received three poisoned arrows during my battle. I was trying to reach this village, but never made it. I got to the oak tree -- the very tree that you found me standing beneath, Kai -- and fell unconscious. I awoke a day later, my clothes torn and disheveled and my wounds packed with herbs and bandages. I found that pouch nearby."
"Kailee must have found you and treated your wounds. But I still don't understand what happened."
"I believe I do. I remember having dreams -- vivid dreams and nightmares -- one in the arms of the Princess and one being attacked by Naraku. I was dreaming and somehow Kailee got interwoven into my dreams."
"The poison would have given you chills. Kailee might have tried to keep you warm with her own body. And in your fever, you thought it was the Princess. And then you slashed her arm thinking she was that terrible demon, Naraku. If that is the truth of the matter, and my heart tells me that it is, then you are innocent of wrongdoing."
"Perhaps, but I still killed her. What a terrible way to repay someone's kindness. I am sorry. And even more sorry to have never known her. I would like to learn more about her."
Kai suddenly turned and ran into the small house. Illa watched him go inside and then turned to Sesshomaru. "I have poisoned his mind for all these years, believing you evil. Forgive me."
"It was a logical assumption."
"I will talk to Kai. Will you stay in the village?'
"No, I will go back to the oak tree where I met Kai until tomorrow. Then I will return to my lands. If Kai ever wishes to contact me, go to the Castle. They will be able to find me." And with that, the Dog Lord left the house and his only child.
Sesshomaru lingered until late afternoon at the oak tree, hoping that Kai would at least talk to him, but the boy never showed up. Finally, with a heavy sigh, he stood up to begin his journey back home.
His life had always been a solitary one, but as the years passed, it was getting harder and harder to be alone. For many years, Jaken kept him company, but the little green demon had left him when Ashara took over his binding. Ashara was cruel and nasty to him and Jaken finally had enough and returned to his clan. And then for a short while, there had been Rin. Now the little girl was grown up and mated to Kaiba, with two children of her own.
And he was still alone.
"You said you wanted to learn about my mother," came a voice from the trees.
Sesshomaru turned and saw his son standing there. "Yes, I did. I am very sorry about what happened."
"My grandmother told me you are not to blame. That the poison clouded your mind with dreams."
"It is no excuse for what I did." Kai moved closer. "They say you walk your lands alone, watching over your people. Is that true?"
"Yes."
"Perhaps you would like company while you walk?"
"I would enjoy that very much."
"I could tell you about my mother."
"I would like that."
"And you could tell me about yourself?"
"Whatever you want to know."
"Okay, I'll go with you for now, but I don't promise how long I'll stay with you."
Sesshomaru looked at the boy standing before him and warmth lit his golden eyes. "I will be glad to have my son at my side for as long as he wants."
For the first time since their meeting, Kai smiled at his father. "And you'll show me your lands?"
"Of course! You must know the lands, for one day they will be yours to watch over. You are my firstborn and my heir."
And so Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, ended the long solitude of his life and from that day forward walked his lands with his firstborn son, Kai, at his side.