Onigen | Mariah Bryant

Onigen

As hard as it was to leave the fight that would be her mother's last and which would go on without her, Lola's thoughts became absorbed with the one demand of Sesshomaru.

This time there was interference from the thousands of demons. Lola was hit repeatedly. She kept going without engaging. It took three huge bounds to reach Rin.

"GET HER LEGS!"

She hurtled over the girl, tearing with her teeth into the attacker's neck. He would have survived but she was cursing him while she ripped his windpipe away. Jaken, behind her, grabbed Rin's legs before she fell over the edge.

In her Jaguar-Demon form she was no better than a single warrior, let alone dozens. However, she could feel her pent-up power returning to the forefront of her being. She was no longer a weak demon. She was the next Onigen. She tore and tore and cursed and hurled turquoise, crackling energy.

The ruckus was enough to bring – thank god – Inuyasha out of his unconsciousness. "What the hell is going on?" he demanded. Shippo and Jaken were chasing a Jaguar with their fire. Kagome … poor Kagome was in bad shape next to him. Inuyasha touched his wife's face gently. "Oh. It was Lola's mom. Damn, Kagome. I should have gone with you. I didn't have anything better to do, really…"

"INUYASHA!" came Shippo's shrill voice.

Inuyasha looked up, his ears twitching. He was too dizzy to rise but he did anyway. He also unsheathed the Tetsusaiga. He immediately recognized Lola's eyes in the skull and her tattoos on the body of a Jaguar-Demon. He didn't understand but he got to work.

More and more demons were running into the room with every second. The room was open and spanned all of the way to the other side of the mountain. It was a huge courtyard-type space. Lots of room for fighting.

The demons were trickling now. Jaken and Shippo could take care of them. Inuyasha had lain down beside Kagome again and was asleep. (Shippo wondered how the heck Inuyasha could sleep at a time like that. Jaken convinced Shippo that it was okay. Shippo then began to wonder who Jaken was fighting for – Sesshomaru or the corrupt Jaguar-Demons. Jaken, looking up [slightly] at Shippo, wondered if Shippo understood just how amazing the Inu brothers were.)

It seemed that Sesshomaru had been only holding Onigen off for Lola. To her surprise, when she arrived back at the fight Onigen was still standing and breathing normally. Sesshomaru stepped back and allowed Lola to avenge his brother, his little love, his friend and vassal, and herself.

Lola addressed her mother in her human form. Her entire body was exploding with the turquoise energy. Onigen saw what was happening to her soldiers and had begun to shed tears.

"You will pay!" she shrieked.

Lola furrowed her brows. Her mother attacked first. She quickly proved that she was agile enough to slice the big Onigen apart with her small claws. So Onigen became her human-looking self.

Onigen was bearing no weapons. She needed none. Jaguars have many powers of their own. An invisible tail struck Lola through the heart repeatedly. She ran straight at her mother. Before she reached the furious demon, she felt a claw rip deep onto the flesh of her face, spanning from her hairline to her jaw. She faltered for a moment. When she opened her eyes, her mother had surrounded her with images of Onigen.

Lola roared. "This world doesn't need any more of you!" she cried.

Onigen hissed and attacked her daughter from all sides.

She kept her head. She shot energy rods to every single one of the very physical projections. Blinking blood out of her right eye, she threw out energy. Screams surrounded her. She was pelted with tails and felt the sting of poison.

Lola knew somewhere within herself that she was likely dying. She had been hit too many times. Too much poison.

And her mother fought harder still. Onigen became one being, spread her arms, and let loose a mighty scream. Lola's heart stopped for a moment. Then she felt herself splatter against a few trees.

When things weren't so black, she saw Sesshomaru's face. There was emotion there, but it was unreadable. He took her hand and helped her up. They were deep in the forest. Lola was about to ask what had happened, disoriented, but then her mother's voice came to her ears. Sesshomaru stopped Lola from barreling through the trees back out into the open.

"I don't know what kind of demon you are. Maybe you are a half-demon. Maybe your human half had strong powers. Whatever you are, I can see that you have not completely discovered your power. It is not bottled up within you. It is something you need to build up. To defeat your mother with any honor, you could go back and die. It would not be frowned upon, though, if I were to aid you."

She gritted her teeth. Her breathing sounded horrible for the blood in her lungs. "What do you propose I do?"

"You may use the Tokejin."

Instantly she hissed and flung herself to the side. "NO!"

Absently and for no reason, Sesshomaru flung his sword into the trees. Then he was standing over the girl. "Then, accept some of my aura to protect you."

Before she could react, Sesshomaru had pressed the palm of his hand firmly to the nape of her neck, pressing her gently into his chest. She was too weak to have any resistance. The thing that flowed through her was slightly rapturous, but only because of the idea of what it was. It very much was Sesshomaru's aura. She felt it forming a shield around her and mixing with the turquoise energy. Unconsciously, she fell limp against him. She didn't know it, but he was smiling sadly.

The event didn't last long. Sesshomaru held her at arm's length and said harshly, "Kill her."

She nodded grimly and then ran. Her speed created a high-pitched sound. "ONIGEN!"

"Hah, Lola!" That was all her mother had time to say before Lola was breaking ribs and obliterating an arm with an incredible kick. She spun in midair and plunged her claws into the woman's chest. After a half a second, she ripped out the poisonous knives that were her fingers. Onigen spewed blood. She coughed and more blood exploded from within her chest.

Meanwhile, the tail was attacking again and again. Sesshomaru's shield zapped it every time until it stopped.

Looking like a corpse already, Onigen glared sideways at Lola. Lola would allow her mother no words. "RAAAAAH!" She pounced. Her fist shattered her mother's face. Onigen's claws – which would have shredded Lola in midair – stopped short of Lola's ribs. The aura screamed like an electric storm, so close to its enemy. And Lola felt something snap within Onigen. The woman began to sputter.

As Onigen was dying she was crying. "Lola, this man has earned the right to be the next Onigen. Not you. How could you let him shield you like this?"

Lola smirked. "That's none of your concern, Mother."

And Lola let the old Onigen die without knowing the fate of her throne, to scream in hell as the new Onigen had promised.

Lola's smirk faded with Onigen's life. She leaned to roll away from the corpse. Her mother let off a horrible poison as she turned to dust. Sesshomaru's aura kept Lola from dying as a result of it. She coughed once and then was limp, staring up at the sky.

She sensed Sesshomaru standing at the edge of the forest, reunited with his sword.

Kagome and Lola talked on the balcony illuminated by torches. The talk was nearly meaningless compared to the battle waging inside Lola. When Inuyasha joined them, heavily bandaged and tired, Lola left unexpectedly. He looked after her, confused. Kagome just smiled at her love and he held her.

Lola found Sesshomaru, Rin, Jaken, and Shippo sitting around a giant tray of food. The later three were digging in. Sesshomaru was smiling his half-smile in response to their jokes.

"Sesshomaru? I need to speak with you," she said softly. The quiet voice made din silent.

Sesshomaru had not looked at her when she had walked up. He did not look at her when he nodded. He looked at the ground when he exited with her and walked down the hall.

"I don't care that I didn't defeat Onigen alone. I want to thank you. I hold no grudge. I will allow you the title if you wish. I am only thankful that you have freed me." Those words took every bit of her courage and strength. To stop the flood of pain, she told herself again that most of the Jaguar subjects that she could have ruled were a waste of her time or dead.

Sesshomaru looked back at her, finally, and his eyes again spoke volumes. "Don't speak yet." He led her out of the mountain through the way they had come. Then he transformed.

Lola looked at his expectant form curiously and transformed as well. He nodded at her. They ran with demonic speed back to the lake where Lola had awoken that morning. They made amazing time – only an hour. That was much less than the first journey, which had taken four hours.

Sesshomaru became his other beautiful self. Again Lola marveled at his appearance next to the lake with the stars, moon, and fireflies reflecting their light on him from all angles. He sat down without inviting Lola, leaning back on his arm. She changed and sat with him anyway.

After a few moments, Sesshomaru did a strange thing. He extended his legs to wet his feet. What an odd move on his part. Lola did not wet her own feet; she crossed her legs and cocked her head.

"Do you recall telling me about that other continent? Not the Continent, but the other one?"

"Yes. What about it?"

"Neither one of us are really befit to rule a small, unruly pack of Jaguar-Demons. We both have much evil in our hearts. Much hatred. But we do not desire to spend time with one-minded creatures bent on following us. We would rather find our own way, right?"

Lola paused, taking it in. "I suppose."

"Then why not come with me to that other continent? The journey will be short for Onigen. You could come back whenever you wanted to, and return whenever you pleased."

Lola sighed. This was as painful as passing on her title. "You are correct. I hate traveling in packs. I hate many, many things. So why are you offering that I go with you?"

Sesshomaru turned to Lola and the look she saw in his eyes was much clearer than it had been beforehand. "Can't you picture two strong demons, a little elfin thing, and a young human girl parading around a nearly-deserted, huge forest? With all of the power in the world between the two of them, but no one with which to fight? And if we ever felt like killing, we could just go back to Japan and wreck havoc."

Lola smiled at his description of Jaken. "There are demons everywhere."

"True. But we never have to see them. I, too, have heard of this continent. Where there are almost no humans there must be very few demons. They will learn quickly to leave us be."

"I think I'd rather stay with people I know and for whom I care. Like Kagome, Inuyasha, and Shippo. Sango and I get along well when she comes to town."

Sesshomaru knew she was prodding now. He had a mischievous grin. "Don't you care for me?"

Lola smiled and Sesshomaru melted. Her hair looked like the water touched by the moon. "I cannot truly care for a man who could have been a part of the living hell of my young self. You were supposed to be my prince and choose me over my mother. And you didn't. You abandoned me."

"I know. And I'm sorry. It destroyed me when I … I heard you died, you know. I had been planning to save you, to steal you away and protect you."

"But I knew, seeing you when I did, that you were not even able to protect yourself. I felt sorry for you, who was as trapped as I was. Sesshomaru, you were cold. Your life was cruel."

"I know. I've grown capable, though. I'm not perfect, but I wish you would risk it."

Lola frowned and sighed. Abruptly Sesshomaru sat up. "What if I do care for you? What if I fall for you? I've done that before. I loved you."

He wouldn't allow himself to say it, but he had loved her as well. Even if it was in a twisted way. "This time I can protect you and myself."

Lola was apprehensive.

"We have both been tortured and confined and refined. I want to help you expand. You've always been oppressed. There have always been expectations. I want to break them for you! I want you to break out as the demon you are!" Sesshomaru sounded as if he was on the brink of begging. "I can't help but care for you. So much it hurts. I am going to help you. I don't want to mold you. I won't ever confine you. I will never see you take an order. I will never see you think you have to be something different. I just want you to breathe. And I know that those feelings don't stop after your parents die. I understand. But I can help. I can do this now."

"You're right. She's dead." Just like that, the dam opened and Lola sat forward, crying out all of her pain and sorrow. "She's changed me, Sesshomaru. She changed me. I don't know if I can ever be rid of her. I am empty."

Sesshomaru sat forward, too, and watched her tears make tiny ripples in the lake. He knew it was wrong. He likely only loved this intolerable girl because it was once expected of him, but still. He loved her. He felt so good when protecting her. And he loved Rin, too. But he put his arm around Lola and held her against him. She cried.

"You aren't empty and you can be rid of her. Today, you refilled yourself. Today, you abandon her. Know that I am the only one who is watching you now, and my eyes are caring. Now you can do whatever you want."

"Thank you, Sesshomaru. You saved me."

"I'm not sure that you didn't kill and then revive me, too."

-Fin-

That was the last chappie, folks! I hope that the huge gaps of waiting between chapters didn't cost me too much when it comes to fans. I believe that this story was pretty good and it was well-polished. :) This is probably my last FanFiction for another year or less. Please at least review the last chapter, peoples!

I inform you that I have a DeviantArt page where I post fan art and whatnot. :) You should pay a visit. I am no Picasso but still... (Because of the policy on this site, links are not allowed. Here is my user name instead: Mariah-Bryant.)