Promise of a Prince, Chapter 6
Inuyasha.
Within the haziness and fogginess of her mind, she could see him.
He was standing underneath a grove of trees, gaps of sunlight penetrating the heavily shadowed area, but he wasn't alone.
He was with a woman, a woman with long, ebony colored hair that was tied at the bottom. Upon her frame was a two-toned pink obiage underneath a green kimono. They were…smiling at one another, drawing nearer and nearer, her arms looping around his neck, his stronger arms wrapping around her waist.
He looked so happy- happier than Kagome ever remembered seeing him.
Had he forgotten about her already?
Did he stop searching for her so soon?
Before she could scream out to him, she was ripped away, the scene becoming more distant by the second as Inuyasha and the strange woman's lips met in a kiss.
Kagome awakened with a jolt.
Cold sweat clung to her frame, matting her hair to her face and her neck. She was panting heavily, her heart running away behind her ribcage. She sucked in as much air as her lungs allowed her to, her hands gripping the sides of her face.
The events of the day all came back to her at once.
She'd been kidnapped by Manten, right in front of Sesshomaru, and by the looks of it, he had yet to come for her.
Through the very dim light of the room, she recognized the bloated and massive shape of Manten as he moved around the small enclosure. It appeared that he was busy emptying ingredients in a cauldron in an effort to cook. The foul stench of rotting meat confirmed it, causing her to grimace.
"Where am I?" She asked, her voice more of a soft croak than she intended. Her trembling arms pushed her numb frame into a sitting position on the table she was sprawled out on, "W-Where's Sesshomaru?" The only thing she could remember was the daiyoukai growing smaller and smaller as Manten whiskered her away. What was more so strange was the fact that he had to rescue her.
What was taking him so long?
"Your comrade is more than likely six feet in his grave at this point!" The younger of the thunder brothers emitted a deep, booming chuckle, his three-fingered hands slapping against his gorging belly.
"You obviously don't know him like I do." Her mouth twitched. She wasn't fond of Sesshomaru in any aspect, but he at least attempted to keep her safe from other demons that threatened to harm her. She didn't like admitting it, but she preferred her former kidnapper to the notorious Thunder Brothers. She was more than positive that Sesshomaru wasn't dead though. She needn't even worry about him. Her brows narrowed as she glared at him, but she caught sight of someone else, someone that she wasn't sure how she missed before.
"Put me down!" The little kit growled, thrashing about. At the moment, he was hanging upside down, tied by a rope. Apparently, he was the main ingredient in Manten's soup. He was a small boy- red-headed even, with large, emerald-colored eyes.
"Be quiet!" Manten snapped, bringing his large hand down to smack the boy's face, but his screaming didn't stop. It grew higher at a more alarming rate.
"Let him go!" Kagome forced herself off of the table, and in clumsy, stumbling movements, she swept across the floor. She took hold of the first thing she saw- a knife sticking out of the wood of a board. She ripped it out, soon plunging it into Manten's back.
The beast howled, violent tremors passing through him during his agony, "You bitch!"
With all of her strength, she plunged it in, all the way until the handle of blade was protruding out. Blood exploded from the wound, so much so that Kagome was nearly frightened by it. However, she didn't have time to wait around. He was a demon. If anything, being stabbed was just going to be a minor annoyance, and with how large he was, she doubted she dealt as much damage as it appeared. She fumbled with the ties that held the kit bound and darted out of the room, the boy tucked securely in her arms.
"Do you even know where you're going?!" He asked, prying his face out of her chest as they bounded down the halls, the girls feet thumping feverishly against the hard wood.
"I wasn't exactly awake when I was brought here!" Kagome admitted, slowing down momentarily only as she turned a particular corner. There seemed to be more and more halls- the sun's light spilling through the nearly sheer fabric of the boards that made up the supposed "castle". She remembered that somewhere about were the village women, all held captive. She had to find them.
Behind them, Manten's deep, guttural growls were heard as he began to pursue them, "Where do you think you're going?!"
"He's coming!" The boy blurted out, squirming about until he was perched on Kagome's shoulder, "Go faster!"
Her heart was beating loudly in her chest, so loud that the fox's words barely registered in her ears. Where was Sesshomaru when she needed him?
Xx
They simply continued to clash.
It seemed to be a game, if one was looking from afar. They both would dart onto opposite sides of the field before rushing forward, hitting one another as hard as they could. It was constantly resulting in a stalemate- Hiten taking every and each swipe he could at Sesshomaru, and the daiyoukai dodging each and every one of the blows before they would start all over again.
It wasn't until the fourth time that Sesshomaru reached, grabbing the scepter by its head. It wasn't the smartest move, but for the moment, it was all he could come up with. Thousands of voltages of electricity ran through him, illuminating both their forms entirely, but it kept the weapon still as his opposing hand shot forward, his claws intending to sever Hiten's head from his shoulders.
"W-What?!" At the very last second, Hiten jerked backwards, his hold on the staff releasing.
Unfortunately, Sesshomaru could not hold onto it for much longer. He felt the lightning beginning to rip through his own flesh, and the moment he released it, Hiten dove, immediately catching it before shooting to his feet.
"You're not half bad for a mutt!" He called, his calloused hands clutching tightly around his scepter. His lips peeled back in a grin, revealing nearly all of his sharpened, dagger-like teeth.
Burns laced his palm, all the way up to his fingertips. They were second degree, but he'd live."You talk too much." Sesshomaru's entire form was a blur as he darted towards Hiten, appearing to be a mere white streak to the human eye. He made it a habit of remaining honest with himself, and truth be told, he severely underestimated Hiten. He heard of the Thunder Brother's might, but experiencing it first hand was another thing.
It was a foolish mistake, a mistake that he made in arrogance.
Despite that, the fight was dragging on far longer than intended. Kagome was gone, but her safety was assured. They wanted her for her ability to sense the Sacred Jewel. Manten would not kill her. It was now only a matter of catching Hiten off guard.
If he had the Tetsusaiga, the fight would have been over before it ever began. Since his father's death, those two-hundred centuries ago, he'd been in search of the Phantom Sword, only to have the opportunity to wield it snatched from him by a barrier. On top of that, a simple human girl was able to pull the blade from its resting place, while he and Inuyasha could not.
There was a connection between her and the barrier, there was. Somehow, she was able to overcome it.
Kagome.
The whole reason he stole her away was to hone her abilities until she was able to break the barrier on Tetsusaiga. With her immense purifying powers, it would be done. He supposed that Urusei was right.
He was knocked from his thoughts the moment Hiten's scepter sliced through the flesh of his shoulder, ripping into his haori. It was a clean cut, so much so that Sesshomaru had yet to feel the stinging pain it would bring. His face remained passive, blank even as Hiten's grin managed to widen, if Sesshomaru thought it was possible.
But, this close, he had his chance.
"You're weak-! U-Uh" Hiten's words grew choked the moment Sesshomaru's clawed hand met his face. A vicious stream of green venom and acid flooded the Thunder Brother's throat the moment he opened his mouth to speak
"I told you...you talk entirely too...much." He observed as the green, smoldering plumes of venom began to bubble from the eldest of the two brother's mouth.
Hiten stumbled about, releasing the scepter as his fingers, trembling and jerking in their actions, went to his throat. The venom began to bubble, pooling from the corners of his eyes and out of his nose. Slowly, very slowly, the poison was eating away at his insides, muffled but agonized screams rising to his throat. His body writhed in agony the moment he fell onto his knees.
He was done for, it was clear, and Sesshomaru did not feel the need to stick around further. He turned on his heel, revealing his back to the dying demon.
"N-No...y-you...d-don't..." Hiten was merely reduced to half ash and half flesh and bone. Half of his face was already gone alongside the entire right portion of his body, minus a leg. The gaping holes that were once his eyes were merely rivers of poison.
His voice made Sesshomaru stop in his tracks. He lifted his brow, taking a glance over his shoulder at his defeated opponent. At that moment, a breeze billowed through capturing, the silver mane of his hair...and the rest of the ashes of Hiten. He was finally no more.
It was over.
Before he could turn back around, the glint of silver caught his attention.
Hiten's scepter.
Often was he was stoic, withholding any emotion from his face, but this time...this time, he managed a subtle smirk.