DISCLAIMER: You know the drill ;)

I COULD WALK FOREVER

Itami –

Pain. There was so much pain. The muscles in my left arm screamed and writhed in agony, trying desperately to dispel the foreign metal from beneath my skin. Heat rushed to the surface of my wound, a stream of red life pouring freely and staining the sleeve of my kimono a grotesque orange. I stepped back clumsily away from my opponent but he followed my every move, driving his sword deeper into my flesh. My throat constricted, holding back the cry that was scratching at my tongue. My pulse beat out of time with the rest of my body, the steady drumming becoming frantic and wild. The world around me was draped thickly in shadow. My heart raced. A flash of silver played before my eyes, accompanied by the bite of steel.

I pushed against my opponent's blade, slicing the palm of my hand, and sidestepped to the right; he moved to his left and struck again. I ducked, he swung. I jumped, he pursued. My body grew weary, my skin sticky with blood and sweat. The hilt of his sword came down with incredible force against my occipital and sent me sprawling onto the ground, a cloud of dirt erupting beneath me and covering my face in a layer of grime. I fought to catch my breath, inhaling the dust on my lips. I opened my eyes slowly to the surrounding fog, able to see for the first time where I was.

The clearing was the same, as was the river. Broken tree branches were scattered amongst the ground. A once proud oak had fallen, the smooth cut low in its trunk still smoking faintly. The sky was mockingly blue and cloudless. My opponent was beautiful as always, flawless in his careful perfection. The girl and the imp were gone. I blinked again, trying to clear the mist forming in front of my eyes, to no avail. Give in. I desperately wanted to sleep, to rest my head upon the earth and slumber for a thousand years. I laced my fingers into the sparse grass and struggled onto my knees.

His melodically deep voice caressed my ears. "Haven't you had enough?"

Give in. I remained low to the ground, taking in every ounce of pain and centering it, concentrating. My arm, my stomach, my face, my neck, my back; letting the blood flow and drip, allowing my skin to crawl and throb. I fought off the urge to apply pressure to my wounds, to retreat and recover. I waited. Just let go. My veins were filled with acid, burning and eating my body from the inside out. A blinding white light exploded before my eyes and a fierce pain clawed at the inside of my head. Let... My body ached intensely, my insides twisting into knots; I closed my eyes and bit down on my bottom lip, tasting the metallic warmth of blood. Go... It was getting harder to breathe, my lungs growing heavy, my throat restricting airflow. I panted like a beast after the hunt, only this time I was the prey. Give in to ME! The darkness descended.

"No!" I forced myself onto my feet and lunged at Sesshoumaru, making his stoic face my target. I swiped at him with my nails. He caught my hand and pushed me away. I stumbled back, nearly falling. I attacked again. With every advance he merely shoved me from him, no longer striking me with his claws or using his sword. Anger pulsed in my veins. "Hit me." I lunged at his throat with my hands extended, grabbing onto the collar of his pristine white kimono. "Hit me!" I cocked back my arm to strike him, unsuccessful in my attempt. He wrapped his slender fingers around my neck and slammed me into the ground. I heard the crack of my head hitting stone rather than feeling it. I leapt to my feet, standing unsteadily before my adversary. My knees quivered as my head reeled with dizziness. The hand I reached up to my head was coated with fresh blood when I pulled it away. Watching as the crimson gore created intricate shapes against my palette of ashen skin, examining the pale blue of my veins beneath the surface, I suddenly knew.

"Again."

Sesshoumaru stood steadfast. He stared at me with lifeless amber eyes, his intimidating presence caught in momentary indecision. Then the back of his hand met with my cheek. My head spun with the force of his blow. Colors swirled before my eyes, the world coming to life in shades of green and blue and brown. The ringing in my ears ceased and was replaced by birdsong and the sound of wind dancing through the trees. I breathed the crisp air. My soul danced. "I am free."

I dared a step toward the Lord of the West on awkward feet, locking my eyes with his, hesitating for the briefest moment. He stared down at me, hands resting at his sides. His appearance was immaculate; not a single strand of silver hair was out of place even after battle, as minimal as it was. I bowed before him, bending slightly at the waist. When I rose, his demeanor remained impassive. With a small smile, I looked to the sky. A soft breeze caressed my face and tangled itself in my dark locks. I smelt of blood and dirt, but the faint scent of something else lingered in the air, reminding me. "I meant no harm toward to the little girl. I was… not well." I met his eyes one last time, hoping for a sign of change, but not disappointed when I didn't find one. I turned and walked away.

The wind pushed at my back, guiding me into the trees. I fought against the urge to look over my shoulder and catch one last glimpse of my merciful foe. As much as my heart ached to look upon him, I knew there was something else that had to be dealt with, something much more important than grieving over a man who would not love me back.

What happened to me?

Never before had I been so powerless, and in my own body no less. I halted my steps and held my hands up to the sunlight. There was dirt caked underneath my fingernails. I could still smell the human girl's sweat on my skin. I curled my hands into fists and held them tightly to my chest. I inhaled sharply. The old man… The river… The little girl… Nothing. It didn't make sense. I quickly mulled over every possible explanation without success in finding one that seemed remotely plausible. My mind grew hazy with each additional thought, all which lead me nowhere.

A crackling noise drew me back into the present. I turned toward the sound and saw nothing but naked trees and soft shadows. The area was strangely quiet now, devoid of chirping insects and scuttling creatures. I scanned my surroundings with careful eyes. Something was amiss but by the time I figured it out, it was too late.

Immense pain ripped through my middle, paralyzing me where I stood. I slowly craned my neck down towards my abdomen only to see what I had already suspected. A glowing green hand protruded from my chest, its slender fingers coated in my blood. A cold shiver ran through me. "Sesshou-" His body was pressed closely against mine, his powerful aura enveloping me. I trembled uncontrollably as my knees buckled, sending me plummeting to the ground. Sesshoumaru followed me down, kneeling behind my crumpled form, his clawed hand still embedded within my ribcage. Blood and bile spilled out form the corner of my mouth. I could feel the vomit bubbling in my throat. "Sess-" My newly renewed world of light was quickly growing dim.

The Lord of the West remained still, his body rigid against mine. I could faintly feel the steady beat of his heart against my back. Slowly, almost tenderly, he leaned forward and pressed his nose into the dip below my ear. "Sess-"

"Be silent." He quickly withdrew his hand, a wave of blood following with a sickening squelch. He snaked his arm around my waist and propped me upright against him. His poison burned away my flesh leaving a gaping, irreparable hole in my stomach. I opened my mouth to speak one last time, blood staining my teeth and tongue, no words escaping. I barely recognized the sensation of his lips softly grazing the line of my jaw. I convulsed, choking and sputtering, squeezing my eyelids shut against the agony and unsympathetic fulgent patterns of sunlight. At least he is with me at the end. A rueful smile graced my lips as I let obscurity take me. "Haunt me no longer." Sesshoumaru loosened his grip and allowed me to fall the short distance to the ground. My body hadn't enough time to collide with the earth before consciousness escaped me.


Inuyasha stared down at her broken and bloodied form, her peaceful face covered in dirt and blood. Her dark hair splayed around her face and shoulders in knots. The patch of earth she lay on was visibly darker than the rest, giving the impression that she was sleeping in shadow. One of her arms was turned at an awkward angle. Her unforgettable green eyes remained open and unseeing.

The hanyou continued to gape at the corpse of the young woman. Shock slowed his thought process and made it difficult for him to focus. When he had caught that strange scent on the air, he had thought... He had though she would be alive. Grief tugged on his insides and soon he found himself on his knees beside her damaged body. "Amaya." A sudden gust sent the ends of her hair fluttering wildly and caused her kimono skirt to billow and push up past her knees. He reached out and tenderly pulled the fabric down to her ankles. His hand shook as it brushed her cold skin.

Inuyasha took a deep breath and was instantly infuriated by what he smelt. Sesshoumaru. His half-brother's scent was all over Amaya, overpowering her naturally saccharine aura. Anger flooded his veins and Inuyasha punched the ground beside her. "Dammit!" He repeatedly struck the ground until his knuckles began to bleed. "Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!" He panted, frustrated, and focused his attention on the strange red mark around Amaya's mangled wrist. The skin there was chapped and raw but no wider than the width of his smallest finger.

Within a few seconds his anger had returned and he vowed revenge upon Sesshoumaru, as if he needed more of a reason to hate his older sibling. Sweeping the pads of his fingers gently over her eyelids, Inuyasha closed Amaya's eyes for the last time. "He won't get away with this 'May. I promise." He stroked her pale cheek with his knuckle. A peculiar feeling was welling up inside of him and Inuyasha was unsure of what to do. Before he had time to decide, someone called his name.

"Inuyaaashaaa!" It was Kagome.

He rose slowly to his feet. With one last look and a final, silent farewell, Inuyasha darted off into the trees.

The time it took getting back to his companions seemed much shorter than the amount it had taken to venture away from them. He ignored their questioning glances and headed to the front of the group, walking at a pace that would keep his human friends at a fair distance without letting them fall too far behind. He led them down a winding dirt road that cut through a grove of trees. Inuyasha focused on the stones in the road, on the wind ruffling his bangs, anything to keep the memory of unseeing green eyes out of his mind.

"I wonder what's bothering Inuyasha."

"Perhaps he's still upset that we ignored him earlier?"

"Maybe, but I don't think that's it."

"He's just being a big baby."

Inuyasha stopped and turned his head toward the group. "Why don't you just mind your own business for once?" He then promptly continued walking on ahead, his pace noticeably quicker than before.

Inuyasha continued to climb, jumping from one limb to another until he was half way to the top of a great oak. He turned and looked down at the river, at Amaya. Her dark hair shined in the afternoon sun. She was wading in the river, casting the water about at will. The skirt of her kimono floated around her calves and swayed with the ebb and flow of the light current. Inuyasha stepped forward, using the arches of his bare feet to keep balance.

"Be careful, Little Inu."

Inuyahsa folded his arms across his chest and looked to the sky. "I don't need to be careful, I –" Then the tree branch snapped. One moment he was sent tumbling through the air and the next he was floating in a pool of water. He kicked and gasped and before he even knew what happened, he was sitting on the shore, his clothing soaked and clinging to his adolescent frame. He pushed the hair from his face and met the eyes of his rescuer, pouting.

"What was that for?"

"What was what for?" Amaya arched her eyebrow and smirked at him quizzically.

"Getting me all wet!"

"You really should be more careful."

Inuyasha rose to his feet and brushed of his hakama, using his hair to shield his face and the blush spreading across his cheeks. He could feel Amaya's gaze on him, but the feeling wasn't unpleasant. He straightened and glanced at her, opening his mouth to speak but closing it again. Expressing gratitude wasn't something that came easy to him. He opened his mouth again, but Amaya cut him off.

"Are you hungry?" She smiled at him knowingly and Inuyasha was sure she had heard his unspoken 'thank you.'

He shook his head and watched as she created waist-high waves in the river and then sent them crashing into each other. "You know what, 'May?"

"Hmm?" She curled a torrent of water around her finger.

"When I'm big, I bet I'll have to keep you out of trouble all the time. I'm gonna be the one who has to protect you." Inuyasha kicked at a stone and watched as it disappeared beneath the surface of the river with a small splash.

"Of course you will, my brave Inuyasha."

But he hadn't protected her. Inuyasha clenched his fists, his claws biting into the soft skin of his palms.

He had been too late.


Somehow, the world knew she was gone. The sound of grass had turned mournful and the trees bent and swayed under the weight of their sorrow. Nature's vibrant colors grew dull until they no longer held any splendor. The careful breeze he had once thought to be soothing had become a whining annoyance. The blue sky above held no warmth. The sun glared accusingly down at him and Sesshoumaru frowned back.

He stood amidst a field of death and decay and the only thing on his mind was the feeling of Amaya pressed against him. He had taken the time to wash the blood off of himself in the river before returning to his companions, but the water had only reminded him further of the woman who's life he had so recently ended. Her scent still clung to him and every time he inhaled, he fought the urge to scream.

A gentle thud behind him signaled AhUn's decent. He didn't turn to face the beast when he heard a sharp intake of breath. "Close your eyes, Rin."

"Okay!" Sesshoumaru heard her clap her hands over her face to shut out the horrific scene around them. They had landed in the only clearing amongst hundreds of mangled human bodies. Dried blood stained the earth. Patches of fire danced along the remnants of buildings. He knew at once that this was not the outcome of a pathetic human attack. Sesshoumaru scanned the area carefully and noticed that aside from the smell of smoke and decaying human flesh, there was nothing. The scent of earth and life had been completely eradicated from this spot.

He took a step forward and a sickening crunch made him look down. He had stepped on the hand of a girl child, one much younger than Rin. Her tiny body was bent in an unnatural shape and the half of her face closest to Sesshoumaru was scorched to blackness. A peculiar sensation swelled in his gut and he forced himself to look away. "Jaken."

"Yes, m'lord?" The imp jumped to attention on AhUn's back, peering in between the beast's large, scaly heads.

"Take Rin away from here."

"Of course, m'lord, right away." Jaken reached forward and grabbed AhUn's reins. "Let's go, Rin, we're leaving!"

"What about you, Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin's voice was filled with childish concern.

"Do not question Lord Sesshoumaru's commands, you silly girl! He will do as he pleases!" Sesshoumaru closed his eyes against the shrillness of Jaken's voice and the growing impatience he felt toward the imp. Rin's farewell was cut off by the sound of Ah-Un's lift off. Sesshoumaru remained stationary and listened until he decided they were far enough from the scene.

"Show yourself," he spoke, his deep voice no louder than if he were speaking to someone directly in front of him. "Naraku." From behind a cloud of smoke, a figure appeared. The creature was a hand's length shorter than Sesshoumaru and twice his girth. The head that sat atop the creature's shoulders was clearly human, its skin the color of rotting meat, but the body appeared to be a mixture of different demons. Its bottom half was similar to a horse demon with the tail of a scorpion and the abdomen of a spider demon. It stared at Sesshoumaru through its one red eye, the other having a large scar over it. After a long moment of silence, the creature smiled.

"You must be Lord Sesshoumaru, hmmm?"

Sesshoumaru's face remained stoic as he sized up the strange creature before him. The demon's aura smelt distinctly of Naraku. "Who are you?"

"Hmm, yes, I am Mikkusushiai. Of course, my name does not matter. Hmmm, oh no, not at all." Mikkusushiai walked slowly forward, his curved tail rising behind him. "I know you, Sesshoumaru, oh yes, I do, I do." The demon slowly began to circle Sesshoumaru, his eye never abandoning target. His footfalls were completely silent as if he were floating above the ground. "He has told me all about you, yes he has, and I am ready. Hmmm, oh yes, I am prepared."

"You speak of Naraku?" Sesshoumaru called out over the demon's incessant rambling.

"Naraku? Yes, yes, yes. Naraku was his name. He was the one who made me. Hmmm, yes, he created me and filled me with such power, power I will use to destroy, oh yes." Mikkusushiai stopped in front of Sesshoumaru and smiled, revealing jagged teeth. "Power I will use to destroy you, Sesshoumaru, for that was his request."

Mikkusushiai lunged at Sesshoumaru, his eight spindly arms stretching out to wrap around Sesshoumaru's back. Sesshoumaru leapt into the air and planted a kick to the side of Mikkusushiai's face, sending the lesser demon stumbling backward. Sesshoumaru unsheathed Tokijin and slashed at his opponent, successfully releaving Mikkusushiai of four of his arms. The demon howled in pain and retreated back a number of paces.

"How dare you! Oh yes, you will pay for what you have done to me!" Mikkusushiai's face raged with anger. Sesshoumaru watched the creature, expecting a return attack, but was surprised when he instead began to laugh. "You will never win. Oh, never never never."

Sesshoumaru stepped forward and raised his sword. "You are sorely mistaken." He swung Tokijin at Mikkusushiai, striking him in the abdomen. A sickly green goo spurted from the opening just below his pectoral. Mikkusushiai only laughed harder.

"Hmmm, it is you who are sorely mistaken, Sesshoumaru, oh yes." His laugh turned into a maniacal cackle. "He has what you want, yes, he does, and you will never get it back." Mikkusushiai rushed Sesshoumaru and his attack was quickly blocked. Sesshoumaru ran Mikkusushiai through with his sword and pushed him back into a smoldering tree trunk, pinning him against it.

"What does Naraku have that I could possibly want?"

"He has taken something of yours, hmmmm," the creature gasped. The same green bile was now dripping out of the corner of his mouth. "Oh, oh yes, and now… now she is under his control. You will never get her back. Hmmmmmm, oh yes." His red eye was rolling around wildly in its socket, no longer focusing on the face of his adversary. "She is his treasure now." Growing impatient, Sesshoumaru removed his sword from Mikkusushiai's gut and slit the laughing demon's throat. He stepped back from his foe and walked away, not staying to watch as Mikkusushiai met his end.

Sesshoumaru sheathed Tokijin and raised his face to the sky. A cloud of energy formed at his feet and he soared upward, following the invisible path that he knew would lead him to his companions. While he appeared calm, he was traveling mush faster than he normally would have. Mikkusushiai has said 'she' and that could only mean one person. Rin. If Jaken had let anything happen to his ward yet again, there would be hell to pay.


Okay, so… Not the best chapter I've ever written, but I had to pick up the story somewhere, somehow. I'm terribly sorry about the huge gap in between updates, and I can't thank everyone enough who reviewed or added ICWF to your story alerts. It really means a lot.

I'm working on kicking my motivation back into shape and, I won't make any promises but, I'm absolutely going to try to post the next chappie this month. I have a really good idea of where I want this story to go, but I'm having a much harder time getting everything out onto paper, urm, Microsoft Word ;)

Thanks again, and please review! You have no idea how much of a boost it is to read what you have to say (:

PeaceEasy,

Dee