Chapter 10

There they were again. They were relentless in their search. Not just ten or twenty but more than a hundred. Where they found the ability to gather that many men to search for him alone was beyond his comprehension. They wanted him dead. Tensaiga pulsed at his side but he knew better by now. The poisons that had killed his family had restricted the ability to see the minions of the netherworld. As for his soldiers, they were killed by weapons drenched in spells and poison as well. The humans had come prepared to make sure that he could not bring them back from the dead.

This was it. It was time to turn and fight. He couldn't run any more than he could bear to be without her. Drawing Bakusaiga he readied himself for their attack. Endlessly he fought them. He had whittled their men down to its last few. The battle was moving in his favor, at least that was what he thought before the mikos arrived. Fatigue was already setting in and one would have been trouble enough, but five would be near impossible to deal with. Stepping forward he allowed his transformation to unfold. The mikos readied their arrows as he threatened to strike them down in one swat. Each releasing an arrow, they struck him in different places. At first, it didn't make sense, the arrows had meant nothing to his body. As he tried to lift a paw to move, he couldn't. All four legs were immobilized, he couldn't even move his head. Roaring to break free he could see chains forming where the arrows had entered around his legs and neck. Slowly he could feel the power being stripped from within, flowing into the chains connected to the mikos' bows at their center. Coming out of the transformation, he kneeled as they drew in closer. He glimpsed their leader approaching before he lost consciousness.

…

Coming around he heard the voice of a man directly in front of him but could hear others standing nearby.

"Savage beast…he has run like the true dog that he is!"

Angry golden eyes met the face of their captor unable to transform into the blood red that was needed to retaliate.

"All of your kind turned against you and then they fell by human hands. Ignorance defines your kind. You are nothing more than trash and an abomination to the creatures that walk this land."

Gagged and unable to speak, he struggled and growled in protest. His claws would have slit the insignificant human's throat straight through had his hands not have been shackled.

"Keep him chained! Let them see him for the true animal that he is. Demons are the lowest filth to ever live in this world. He doesn't even deserve to look upon our faces. There is no longer a reason to fear him. He shall be put to his death. I want him to suffer at the hands of humans the way we have under their kind."

Sesshoumaru watched him hold up Bakusaiga and examine it after handing Tensaiga over to one of his men.

"Hn…one blade cheats death while the other deals it. Such a contradiction don't you think? It's so like you demons to never really know what you want isn't it? You truly don't have the ability to reason because you're just an animal. Neither sword belongs in your filthy hands."

"Lord Trocaro, should I prepare the poison?"

"There is no need right now, I have something special I wish to try on this one. I believe that death will be secondary to his misery!"

He spoke as he lifted Sesshoumaru's chin with Bakusaiga so that they were eye to eye.

"You intend to kill him slowly my lord?"

He didn't break his attention as he responded.

"In so many ways. Either way, he will be dead by sunset in two days. In the mean time, increase the strength of the sutras and drug him to be sure that he's weakened enough. I don't wish to dirty my hands on such filth."

Trocaro smirked as he watched him narrow his eyes.

"It would be my pleasure my lord."

…

The sky took on a bent effect. The trees blurred into one green and brown mass as the clouds and sky became one. The whole world was one abstract work. The chains around his neck and wrists were forgotten to the constant pain of the purifying sutras. Only the thoughts of the war raced through his mind. The loss of his men, his mother, his brother, wife and child. So this was the way it was going to end? He had failed to uphold his promise to her. He had failed.

There was little of even him left that he recognized. He was a shattered warrior, a broken being, past the point of fixing. Too weak and drugged to realize it, he pointlessly pulled at the chains to free himself with little force. He welcomed the sunset in two days now that it had come to this. Death would mean relief of his pain and if nothing else, he would be allowed to rejoin his mate and child. It had never been within him to give up but after all that had occurred, and now in his current state, he was more than ready.

Two days, he continued in a delirious state. At sunset, he was forced to swallow some foreign, vile liquid. He watched as the people of the village surrounded him, yelling incomprehensive chants. Already unclear faces further blurred together, then melted as the black of death swallowed him whole and the voices faded to nothing.

….

Rin watched Sesshoumaru as he slept. The low growls followed by sounds of pain were what had caught her attention as she looked up from her lunch. He did this every time he slept now. He seemed to be having the same nightmare over and over. It was strange. He had never done this before they had gone to the station. She scanned him as he jerked again. Walking over to him, she wasn't sure whether she should wake him but it worried her to see him react so violently.

"Sesshoumaru…Sesshoumaru…", she called to him, hoping that he would respond to her voice. She was rewarded as he drowsily opened his eyes and looked back at her.

"What's the matter?" She kneeled, rubbing her hand over his head and neck. She stopped as she brushed the fur backwards.

'Oh no. How could I forget? '

Removing the collar, she apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't keep my promise."

Sesshoumaru watched her face sadden, not quite sure for a minute why she was apologizing until she had taken off the collar. Even if she hadn't kept her promise, he really hadn't kept his either. He could have avoided them all together, he could have fought harder when they captured him but he didn't. The pain of losing her and everyone else around him was too much to bear alone.

Preview Chapter 11: "The diamonds are not mere sport. They are life."

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