Inuyasha: Lords of the Night

Chapter Six: Yami ga kakō to shite

As Darkness Descends

He woke in a very familiar and yet long forgotten space. Kazuki sat up in a large black pool, surrounded by trees shrouded in shadows, yet he could still make out their silhouette. His gaze lifted and he noticed the black sky, littered with bright shining stars and he gasped. "What in all hells?" Taking a deep breath, Kazuki re-scanned the area looking for any signs that he had met an untimely death. Seeing nothing to indicate he had somehow died, he breathed a loud sigh of relief. Something moved out of the corner of his eye and he turned his head to stare, a sudden coldness washing over him.

A figure moved from the shadows, tall, and chuckling in an almost mocking manner.

"Am I dead?" Kazuki knew that when one died, it met those long dead in the pools of merging, or in that particular case, pools of death. However it wasn't his father or mother greeting him, or even his siblings. Only his youki. Pushing to his feet, his brow furrowed confused.

'You are not dead.' Came the silent reply. It was more an echo in the great space rather than in his mind.

"Explain."

'I called you.'

Kazuki remained silent as he stared at the humanoid form of his youki waiting for an answer.

The being before him smiled and waved him over to a lone tree in the middle of the pool. 'Come, take a drink with me as we have not done so before.'

Kazuki narrowed his eyes and released a soft growl, but rather than ignore his youki's request as this was it's first, he moved towards the large tree.

His eyes traveled over his youki's humanoid form, curious as to why it would show itself in this manner rather than its beast form. This also was a first for him. The hair was so white it shimmered blue and almost floated around him in this spirit realm. Piercing silver eyes also holding a tint of blue, glanced at him. 'Ah that's right, you have never physically seen this form before.'

Kazuki raised his brow.

'We have matters to discuss, sit.'

The power of his youki finally woken again, left his skin, or rather his spiritual skin tingling. He felt that power course through his body in waves, and the guard wondered if perhaps it was that power that caused him pain.

"Are you responsible for the pain I am experiencing? If I am not dead, it is the only explanation I can think of."

Taizo gave a soft apologetic smile as it handed Kazuki an ochoko cup. 'In a manner of speaking, yes.'

Kazuki sat down and accepted the drink, staring at his youki, part in fascination of seeing it in a new form, and part concerned for the sudden summons. He remained silent however and waited.

Taizo sat back on its heels and took a small drink, before lifting its right hand to Kazuki's view.

The hand almost appeared to be in shadow, and Kazuki had to squint to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Black covered the tips, and a dark swirling gray mass covered a good portion of the hand.

"What is that?"

Taizo lowered his hand and stared at it. 'Rot.' It didn't seem to be all that concerned with that fact.

"From?" Kazuki's heart stilled in his spiritual form.

Silver blue eyes lifted to meet his dark honey ones. 'From your charges youki. What I could gather, it is that curse that has haunted that line for centuries.'