Chapter 10: Saved by an angel
I don't own Inuyasha or any other character from the manga "Inuyasha".
Nyght elf, you are amazing! I dedicate this chapter to you…thank you so much!
Things were happening faster than she expected. Matsurika was throwing a few things into her satchel to carry with her. She planned to leave the forest and get as far away from the village as possible. She would not be responsible for another carnage in her name. Then she found her dwelling surrounded by demonic forces. The time for battle had come.
Things were far worse than Matsurika expected. The fire demons had brought hordes of other demons – bear demons, bat demons and other lesser demons. Their strategy was to use their minions as cover while they attacked her. She was surrounded on all sides. While the other demons fought her on land, bat demons attacked her from the skies. Her formidable powers destroyed those around her, but there was no way she could concentrate on all sides at the same time.
A huge ball made of her entwined energies shot off from her hand into the sky, burning and purifying the wretched bats. At the same time, she was attacked by the demons on the ground. While she fended the new attacks, a fire demon managed to sneak under her guard. Matsurika sensed the intruder and started to turn. But she was too late!
A bolt of fire struck her back and the searing pain knocked her to the ground. With increasing horror she watched the fire demon advance with his sword drawn. The demon raised his blade and brought it down on Matsurika. There was no escape. But she wouldn't close her eyes. She wouldn't give the demon the satisfaction of watching her cringe even in death.
Like a bolt from the blue, a whip of green light shot out of nowhere. It coiled around the fire demon's arm and ripped it from its body. The howling demon slid to his knees and saw Sesshomaru stand before him, still as a statue with only his fiery eyes betraying any sign of emotion. The glowing amber eyes were the last thing the demon saw before poison claws ripped through his body.
Matsurika couldn't believe that she had been saved. For a moment she forgot about the battle surrounding her. Her eyes drank in the sight of Sesshomaru standing over her like an avenging angel, protecting her. He was a magnificent sight, especially to the lost princess who had never known a knight in shining armour until this very moment.
While Matsurika struggled to recover from being knocked-down, Sesshomaru kept her from harm with his poison whip and claws. A casual observer would have seen only a blur of green light and slashes tearing through the demon army; such was his speed and dexterity that forced the lesser demons back. Out of the corner of his eye Sesshomaru saw that Matsurika had recovered and was starting to fight by his side. Without a word Sesshomaru wrapped an arm around Matsurika's waist and leapt high up into the air where they remained airborne on his youkai cloud. When they were above the level of the bat demons, Sesshomaru unsheathed Bakusaiga. He swung the sword in a mighty arc amongst the bat demons with a cry "Bakusaiga…"
The ensuing destruction was an eye-opener for Matsurika. The dying bat demons fell upon the demons below and their flesh too was consumed by the destruction havocked by Bakusaiga. With a single swing of his blade, the great daiyoukai had brought the horde of demon assassins to its knees. The pitifully small number of survivors made themselves scarce; scattering like dry leaves in the wind.
Never had Matsurika imagined a power such as this. She trembled in awe. But she realised that Sesshomaru might think of her state as weakness and forced herself to be calm as she said with deceptive casualness "This seems to be turning into a habit my lord".
"And what may you be referring to?"
"This habit of yours….hauling me about like a bale of rice.."
Matsurika sneaked up a glance at Sesshomaru. To her utter amazement she realised that his eyes were actually twinkling and the corners of his mouth were upturned….in a smile; albeit a small one, but still a smile. She found herself staring at that wondrous sight with open-mouthed fascination. Then he said "Perhaps we should set that right." Saying so, he swung her up so that she was once again cradled in Sesshomaru's arms as she had been when he had brought her back after saving Rin.
Matsurika gasped and realised something. She was falling in love. No…she HAD fallen irrevocably in love with Sesshomaru. Deeply in love with a demon who she knew would never reciprocate her feelings ever. This secret of hers would always remain in her heart. She would never embarrass him with any declaration of her feelings.
She shut her eyes as Sesshomaru carried her off somewhere, she didn't care where as long as it meant that she could know the security of his arms for a little while longer. Just a little while longer.