Inuyasha, "The Unquiet Winds" chapter 22: The Intervention, rated T

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Fandom: Inuyasha
Title: The Unquiet Winds
Chapter Title: The Intervention
Characters: Sesshoumaru, Kagura's reincarnation (inevitable Kagura/Sesshoumaru), Shippou
Genre: Romance/Supernatural/Suspense
Rating: PG-13 (overall)
Universe: Canon AU/divergence, Modern
Notes: This serial has been completed for wipbigbang  2020. You can find all the previous chapters HERE and HERE. I recommend you look for the previous chapters at AO3 and FFnet, as those chapters have also been updated with fixes for typos and grammar.
Additional Notes: Thank you to danceswithgary for the beautiful banner HERE.

Story Summary: Natsumi dreams of another woman's past, a woman who desperately wants to reunite with the man she loves, even if Natsumi has to suffer in the end.

Links: (RECOMMENDED) FFNet | AO3

“Oy, we need to talk,” he told them over the phone, and Sesshoumaru grunted into the receiver. The damned fox had called him again, and this time his tone was less than playful.

“As I told you before, I cannot get close to Minora-san without causing her pain, so please tell me you have a better idea than just dealing with it,” Sesshoumaru said with a scoff.

“I do have an idea. It’s time we called up Achika,” Shippou said with a heavy exhale. The moment he said the woman’s name he got a shiver up his spine. The last time he spoke to her, things had not been good between them.

She had thrown a cauldron at him after all. 

“Ah, yes, the miko you know personally. I suspect that you know no other miko than Achika Satoshi-dono?” Sesshoumaru asked, and Shippou hated the mirth he sensed in the inu-youkai’s voice.

Of course, Sesshoumaru knew about Shippou’s history with the aforementioned miko. He cleared his voice and knew woefully the answer to Sesshoumaru’s inquiry.

He sighed. “No, I don’t know anyone else with Achika’s ability. She is conveniently descended from your brother and Kagome’s children, as well as Miroku and Sango’s children.”

“Which is why you have made it your life’s mission to be involved in the woman’s life, even if she doesn’t want you there,” Sesshoumaru taunted.

“Geez, you don’t have to rub it in,” Shippou said followed by another heavy sigh. “Look, Achika and I have had our differences, but she always liked you, for whatever reason, so I know she’ll help you if you ask.”

“You’re obviously being lazy, fox-boy,” Sesshoumaru said. “I believe we will visit this miko together. Whether you realize it or not, that miko has an annoying soft spot for you, more than for me and we are blood related.”

Shippou cleared his throat, and he grunted. He knew the old inu-youkai was right. He had to face Achika, and he’d been meaning to reach out, but his anxiety and fears always got in the way.

“Fine,” Shippou said. “I’ll do it; I’ll come with you when you go to her place. I’m only doing this because I do owe you a favor, and I wouldn’t want to be partially responsible if something happens to you or to Natsumi-san.”

Sesshoumaru hummed his agreement on the phone. “We will call on her tomorrow night,” he suggested, and Sesshoumaru looked down at his pale arm as he finished up the call with Shippou. 

His mind wandered, and he felt a shadow approaching him like a storm on the horizon. He noticed rather in alarm that his stripes had already started to fade on his pale skin. The disease was beginning to creep up on him, and he had felt the spread of it before meeting Natsumi. Now, since meeting her, Sesshoumaru felt the disease regress out of his hope, giving him more time.

“I hope that Satoshi-dono can soothe Minora-san,” Sesshoumaru said as Shippou waited for him to speak again. “I need to speak with her. I need to help her calm Kagura’s spirit.”

“Mmm, from the way Natsumi-chan behaved at the library, she seemed frantic and anxious, desperate for answers. I’m guessing Kagura isn’t making things easy for her,” Shippou said. “What is even more unusual is a youkai reincarnating into a human. The power that Kagura had must be affecting Natsumi-chan’s mental state.”

“Indeed,” Sesshoumaru affirmed. “Kagura’s soul is clearly in unrest. Her spirit has been following me around for centuries, and I can only imagine her reason for upsetting her reincarnation like this.”

“Natsumi-chan seemed to think that Kagura would take over her body,” Shippou said. “Can she do that?”

“Hn, I’ve suspected that too, but why? Kagura should be at peace,” Sesshoumaru thought aloud.

“C’mon, you can’t be that dense. I know exactly why Kagura’s spirit wants to take over Natsumi’s body,” Shippou said, and Sesshoumaru had an inkling too, but he didn’t want to admit it, least of all to the fox.

“...” Sesshoumaru didn’t respond, and Shippou snorted in exasperation.

“Kagura loved you, we all knew it! She wants to take over Natsumi-chan’s body and be alive again. She wants to be truly free so she can be with you,” Shippou said, and Sesshoumaru hated that he had to say it out loud.

“Hn, what a ridiculous notion,” Sesshoumaru scoffed immediately. “What of Minora-san’s life? She is her own person, and she is a quiet, unassuming human. She’s kind, and I still sense strength from her. She means no harm to anyone.”

“Which is why Natsumi-chan is perfect for Kagura to take over,” Shippou said. “If the demoness’s magic is strong enough even as a spirit, she can easily defeat Natsumi and take her place. The real question is, does Natsumi-chan have enough strength to convince Kagura otherwise?”

Sesshoumaru sighed. “That is a question for your miko, as well as many others.” Sesshoumaru changed the subject back on task. “Tomorrow at 5 p.m. I will come for you in my car. I assume your dwelling is the same as it was last time we met?”

Shippou chuckled nervously. “Why yes it is. I’ll be ready,” he said. “Now, Sesshoumaru-sama, if you will excuse me, I have less than a day to prepare to visit my extremely volatile and powerful ex-girlfriend. I hope you understand. We didn’t part on great terms.”

“Humph,” Sesshoumaru said. “Until then, fox.” He hung up the phone, and Shippou was sure Sesshoumaru would have preferred to taunt him a little bit longer. He was actually surprised the inu-youkai decided to leave him alone this time without any usual barbs.

Shippou wondered if Sesshoumaru was really feeling generous or if he was that desperate to consult with Achika and find a way to solve this issue with Natsumi and Kagura. Taking another deep breath, Shippou put his phone back on his charger and decided to head into his bedroom for a very long, and hopefully helpful session of meditation.

.