Author's note: If you are enjoying, do review.
Act II
Chapter 2: To Sacrifice
It'd been days since she'd moved. She stood as a statue merely watching the trees, demons now roaming through the woods around them as they formed into the great hive of Menomaru's mind's desires. Kagura had tried, she really had. She'd tried to move, to fight the control which now had complete control over her body. She was just sad. She was sad she had no power to fight this, sad that Sesshoumaru was going to get dragged into this by her, and most of all sad that she'd been brought back.
He'd rejected her, he had cast her out for loving him. The thought had been coming to her more and more with the passing days, more and more as she lived under Menomaru's spell of power. Sometimes she thought he was playing with her mind, trying to force her to hate Sesshoumaru, but all it did was make her hate herself. She hated herself more and more with every passing hour, every passing minute, every passing second. She was here because she was weak, and she'd condemn the demon she loved, the one who had pulled her very soul from the depths of hell, because she was weak.
In her mind all she could hear sometimes was Naraku's laughter at times, laughing at her. And more and more now it was becoming Menomaru's. Menomaru's will was all consuming, as if he hadn't taken enough from her, he almost seemed to want to take her ability to think for herself even. He was like Naraku, maybe he was even worse than Naraku. Naraku was never so... subtle in how he broke anyone down, hints of changes almost like the wind itself, blowing her more and more off course.
Throughout the haze of trees before her, she heard footsteps. She would turn to look more directly at what was to come, only her body was still paralyzed, not ordered by Menomaru to do anything, so it still merely stood.
Then he came into view, the creature which most tormented her thoughts, other than Sesshoumaru himself. She trembled for a moment, as if wanting to leap away, to run from him, to be free of him. Instead she found her body shifting towards the moth-demon from the continent. The moth demon who wished nothing more than to destroy everything she was, and use her against Sesshoumaru.
"Ah, the wonders of having a puppet, who only reinforces the strings you have around her." he said, flicking his wrist up towards her, almost as if pulling her by these supposed strings. She felt herself step towards his gracefully as he just gave a small, pleasant smile.
"Dance for me, Kagura." He then told her, his red eyes locking with hers, though his had a dark tainted to them as she flipped open her fan.
Her body shifted upwards, moving in traditional motions with no control of her own, showing the fan as she moved her body to his mind's commands, the sounds of strange whistles being played all around her from the trees as Menomaru just seemed amused.
"I have found you more and more fascinating, Kagura, as I explore your mind." He admitted. "Such a strong will you have. I was surprised when you still held love for Sesshoumaru, even after all this time." he said, stepping towards the demon, taking her hand and bringing her closer to him. "Such loyalty, such affection you feel. Even when he has tossed you away, you still long for him, as a whipped dog does its own." He said, pulling her arm up as she spun under him.
"So I began to wonder, of what power does this wind demon have to claim the frozen heart of Sesshoumaru? I have yet to find it. But I also wonder how a demon such as Katsuramaru, someone so powerful, could come from your womb as well, a forged creature of the blood of Naraku and Sesshoumaru."
The idea disgusted her. She had no idea who this Katsuramaru was, she'd only been told of him the other day, and she didn't understand where he came from or how. But the idea that he called her the blood of Naraku made her sick. Were she able to control her own body she would have attacked him, or fallen ill to her stomach.
"And then I wondered, perhaps I, Lord Hyoga Menomaru, could take this creature and have her forge the next generation of Hyoga, seeing as Katsuramaru carries such power behind himself."
Her mind froze in terror. He was... he couldn't! Her skin crawled with disgust at the small smile he gave to her, stepping back with her as her body helplessly trailed him in their dance amongst the trees of his 'city'. Moths now fluttered around them as panic began to set in once again, she had to get away, more than ever.
But then his eyes changed.
"And then I understood finally why Sesshoumaru cast you out. The disgusting blood of a half-demon runs through your veins, more demon you may be, you may still have the sickening taint of human blood, and even if not."
His mouth then twisted into a dark frown.
"I would rather die than see you disgrace my family line with your spoiled blood. We noble demons understand our ranking, our place. You, you are merely a shell of Naraku's flesh."
It wasn't true. No, no it wasn't true. She was Kagura, she was-
"And you disgust me." He then whispered sadistically, leaning towards her. "And you disgust Sesshoumaru. Your blood even wreaks of Naraku."
He leg go of her hand as she stopped her dance, standing in front of Menomaru entirely helpless, only able to look at him as he began to smile arrogantly again.
"Should you be fortunate enough to remain under my control, perhaps I will be merciful to you." He said, tracing his hand to the back of her neck, before pulling her head back with her hair. Inside she yelped in pain.
"And snap your neck, and leave you to become one with the forest around us. Or perhaps I will leave you to lesser demons, to dance your dance of eternal grief with them, grief over the disgusting creature you are."
He let go of her hair before turning his head away from her.
From the trees past him, she then saw something which caused her to want to break away once again, to instead of run away, run towards the figure she saw. Kanna was here. Inside she was shocked, shocked beyond thought almost as the little girl approached her.
"See her if you like, but remember our deal." Menomaru then said with a cold tongue.
"Of course." The girl whispered, walking in front of Kagura.
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It was strange walking alone Sesshoumaru had determined as he looked to his left for a moment, as if expecting Rin to be nearby, or for Jaken to squawk about some danger they could potentially face. He'd left them behind, if for no other reason than because of the danger he would soon be facing. Inuyasha and his allies had destroyed Menomaru in the past, but he was more confused as to what value he held for the demon.
He already had Hyoga's power, he no longer required the Fang of Destruction. It was an offense without cause, it seemed like a waste of energy. Was this a mere act of revenge? Then why would he not have focused such an effort onto Inuyasha? He also knew his feelings for Kagura quite clearly, otherwise his incentive would have certainly been different, and Kagura would be free as he walked this very moment.
If Menomaru intends to enjoy the life I returned to him, he will have been wise to not harm Kagura.
Cold eyes measured forward at even the thought, followed by thoughts of breaking Menomaru's neck, his fingers tightly wrapped around, the feeling of Menomaru's life draining away, feeling his last moments. How dare he level such an insult to him? The idea was infuriating enough, before Sesshoumaru even factored in his anger over his weakness being Kagura herself.
He would never be free of this weakness, and every time he thought he could free himself he only ended up deeper inside this feeling. He only found himself struggling against increased resistance. But when he was with her, when they were alone, just the two of them, he never felt stronger. It was the strangest feeling in the world. He'd become as weak as his father had.
Do you desire power so much?
Why do you seek power, my son?
Supreme Conquest? Tell me Sesshoumaru, do you have someone to protect?
"The answer is no, I Sesshoumaru have no need of such." He said out loud to himself, the last moments he ever spent with his father coming to the forefront of his mind. He really had no need for such things. Rin, Jaken... Kagura, he didn't need any of them.
His brows tightened for a moment as he thought on this, imaging his ward, Rin, smiling at him. Or Jaken escorting him into any situation with his loyalty. … And finally of Kagura, the demon who loved him.
His mother was cold, like himself, he began to realize why his father had... had gone to the human.
Was she warm to you father? Did she make you feel your heart beat and never know if it would beat again without her?
These thoughts were not thought of fondly, in fact he mentally thought these words in disgust. Disgust of his father's weakness and his own. His one goal in life had been to defeat his father, his father, the mightiest demon, the demon who had power over life and death itself. But his father's weakness, and the love for Inuyasha's mother, Izayoi, had taken that away from him. They had taken that away from him, they had taken that honor from him. Even upon hearing word of this he remembered his Honored Mother's reaction, the same one of shock as his.
Though she had looked... sad. He always knew she had been sad for him, her son, to never defeat his father in battle.
But even now, now as he reexamined this in his mind, the way she looked... it had been the sadness he saw in Kagura. Kagura when he had forced her away.
His eyes widened as he realized what it was.
She had been sad because father had died, and not only that, he had died for another. He always knew his parents relationship had been very... distant, without love. But was his mother so weak as to love his father? For all her boasts of what he believed in, a lack of any weakness in one's self, was she too guilty of this crime, and jealous of Izayoi in her own way?
His father had loved Inuyasha's mother, and never loved his.
His father had given Inuyasha his most prized Fang.
And worst of all, his father had loved Inuyasha himself, without even having known him.
And with the last dark thought Sesshoumaru realized one final thing, he had known him his whole life, and had never loved him. He had, much as his mother had, tried to sculpt him into what he believed he wanted, the perfect warrior, the perfect son, a son who never needed to be protected from anything, a son who never needed anything, a son without fear, and with only one desire, conquest.
And that had not been what he wanted. He'd made him, he'd made him of his own flesh and that of his mother's, he'd made his mind of his teachings, and then on the last day of his life, he had rejected everything he ever taught him, and asked him if he had anything to protect. He'd tried in his last day to somehow undo what he'd done to him, as if to make him more acceptable to his new happiness, his happiness with Izayoi and Inuyasha, because he had never been happy with himself, Sesshoumaru or his mother. For some reason the idea of never being loved by his father infuriated Sesshoumaru, especially after his realizations of his father. And this realization hurt.
He wasn't sure what to feel anymore.
He hated Inuyasha in this moment, his eyes becoming one with rage as his teeth grit, openly showing his anger. He hated Inuyasha because of something he never admitted until this moment, his father had chosen Inuyasha over him. He could never have admitted that before, because he always wondered simply, how could he?
He'd loved Inuyasha.
And now Sesshoumaru, despite his anger at his own father in this moment, realized something else. He would do the same thing his father had, albeit with something more acceptable than a human. He would sacrifice his honor even if he had to, if for no other reason than to save Kagura. He would drop almost everything else in his life if he needed, every moment from here until now to make sure she lived.
And now he understood fully why his father had sacrificed himself. He felt as his father did, the day he went to save Inuyasha and Izayoi.
He'd loved them.
Just as he loved Kagura.
With that, Sesshoumaru's eyes turned red, his body beginning to shift and change. He needed to make better speed, he had no idea if she were dead or alive.
And if she were dead, he had no idea how he could live with himself. Perhaps killing Menomaru would offer some answers were she dead.
He wondered however in that moment as well. When this realization had befallen his father, when he went off ahead to find the one he loved and save her, knowing he loved her, he had died.
I, Sesshoumaru, will not suffer the same fate.
()()()()()()()()()()
They were still gone.
The villagers, despite Naraku's death, her family, they were still gone. Kagome was sitting quietly near the demon they'd just slain, a shard of the sacred jewel laying in a pool of its blood as she walked over meekly to it. When Naraku had died, he had all but one of the Shikon shards, and now those were scattered once again.
It made everything feel even worse, as if it had been all for nothing. They were back to square one, and Naraku himself had either died from his lack of a heart, or been killed by someone else after his heart was destroyed. It was most likely the latter, considering the jewel was shattered once again, whatever had hit Naraku had hit him with enough forced to shattered the Shikon once again.
She tiredly picked up the jewel shard, as Miroku simply watched from the side cautiously. Kagome's state of mind was still far from perfect, he felt no darkness in her, but the light she once emanated, so pure, had diminished in its glow.
Kagome just hoped Kaede would forgive her in the afterlife, for the end to the village she brought about. She hoped that everyone could forgive her. Looking over she saw Inuyasha sniffing the air, seeming to be worried about something, she knew that look far too well.
"What is it, Inuyasha?" Kagome then asked.
"That smell, I know that smell from somewhere." Inuyasha murmured before a single moth flew by, immediately Inuyasha scowled, he knew whose moth that was.
"Menomaru." He growled.
"Menomaru? He was resurrected by Sesshoumaru as well?" Miroku then asked in disbelief.
"That stupid bastard Sesshoumaru, he's going to have a lot to answer for."
"C'mon now Inuyasha, its not all bad is it?" A far too familiar voice asked from the tree line, Bankotsu's face emerging a moment later before he leaned up against a tree, Banryu slung over his shoulder being held by one arm.
"I think we found our next resurrected creature." Sango then remarked, her brown eyes locked onto Bankotsu with a deadly look.
"Looking for a fight already Bankotsu, I guess you're eager to get back to your friends in Hell then?" Inuyasha asked coldly, drawing the Tetsusaiga once again as it sparked with power.
Kagome just stared at Bankotsu for a moment, then her eyes flashing. Three Shards, he possessed three shards. Not only that, Banryu was giving off an even more abnormal aura.
"Inuyasha, he has three jewel shards!"
"Less than he had last time, this'll be no problem Kagome."
Bankotsu just stepped forward, holding out the Banryu as he looked at Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha, you are the only one to ever have defeated me in singles combat. And I would challenge you again, but not here. And if you think it'll be the same as last time, you are sorely mistaken my friend." Bankotsu declared.
"Oh yea, then what are you doin' here Banktosu? Came to just tell me you're going to fight me later?" Inuyasha spat angrily, preparing the Tetsusaiga for an attack when the second scent hit his nose. No, not him too.
Goshinki's head loomed from the nearby rocks behind them, his form rising, his shadow looming over them.
"Remember, Menomaru is not paying us to kill him."
Inuyasha's eyes flashed to Bankotsu.
"What? Paying? What's he paying you in?" Inuyasha demanded, before Bankotsu just smiled at Kagome.
"Those three shards you mentioned? He's got a small army of demons, and some happened across some. He decided to allow me to repossess them if I brought one of you back to his lair. Isn't that right Goshinki?"
"That would be correct, Bankotsu."
"Like Hell. You wanna try to take one of us Bankotsu? Just come and try it!" With that, everyone prepared.
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Kanna walked towards her sister quietly, looking up at the controlled demon, her own blank eyes staring into Kagura's.
"What is my purpose?" Kanna finally asked.
Kagura could give no response, outside or inside. She didn't know Kanna's purpose, both Kanna and her had been purposed by Naraku, and now Kagura created her own purpose, she was not sure what Kanna's was.
I don't know Kanna.
"They found a new purpose for me, sister." Kanna simply whispered in response.
Whatever it was that Menomaru was doing, she knew it couldn't have been good for Kanna. The only one of Naraku's detachments she ever cared about was Kanna, she was like a sister to her. She wanted to reach out and grab her, to tell her that she could do whatever she wanted now, she was just as free of Naraku as she was. Why couldn't she see that?
Kanna, what are you doing here?
The mirror seemed to shimmer for a moment as she looked back at Kagura.
"Ending this." Kanna finally whispered.
Ending what? Kagura didn't understand as Kanna just stood there looking up at her. She was worried of course, worried for Kanna and herself now.
"I don't know." Kanna answered, almost difficultly, and then Kagura saw it, she saw it in her big sister, a demonic aura. Kanna never emanated a demonic aura ever in her life, and it seemed to make Kanna even struggle with it.
That mirror, it wasn't Kanna's normal mirror either.
Kagura wanted to do something, anything as she looked at her sister, doing anything to move before she noticed then a fine, long crack appearing along Kanna's cheek.
Kanna what's wrong? Kanna please! Set me free, we'll figure something out, what are you doing Kanna?
Kanna just turned away from her sister, walking slowly towards the trees which she came from, a dark aura almost licking off her form. Kagura's eyes, just for a moment focused, following her movement as she watched her go, life in them but only a moment before they once again glazed over, becoming a far duller red as Menomaru's influence once again took control.
()()()()()()()()()()
With a rushing sweep of his weapon Bankotsu drove the Halberd towards Inuyasha and his friends, causing them to dive away in a scattered before it collided with the ground. The impact of the strike causing shock-waves to blast out from the impact and cracks to appear in the very earth itself before he turned it towards Inuyasha with another sweep. This time the fast movement of the demonic weapon causing a wave of red demonic energy to blast out towards Inuyasha.
The Tetsusaiga's form was suddenly covered by Dragon Scales as he blocked the incoming wave, staggering back as the Tetsusaiga absorbed the power of the wave.
Inuyasha stepped back, eying Bankotsu who was just grinning at him.
"Hell, I may have done this for free for Menomaru if I thought it meant I could get back at you sooner than I expected." Bankotsu finally said, his feet edging forward slightly.
Behind them was a much different story, which Inuyasha was forced to watch unravel, knowing he couldn't simply get past Bankotsu with any easy maneuver.
Inuyasha could only watch as Goshinki slashed Miroku along his back, blood proceeded to spill onto the road they traveled, Miroku laying back helplessly bleeding. His rage only increased before he looked back to Bankotsu. He needed to get by this arrogant bastard now, or his friends were going to be in even worse shape.
"You get another chance at life and just throw it away like this Bankotsu?" Inuyasha demanded.
"Life is about strength and battle Inuyasha, I thought you'd understand by now. This battle... That is what my life is!" Bankotsu shouted before charging forward, Banryu glowing brightly as he brought it up for another attack, crashing it into the Tetsusaiga brutally, causing Inuyasha's feet to dig into the ground itself as he blocked the blow, before swinging his own sword back around towards Bankotsu.
Goshinki looked past Miroku for only a mere second, before feeling Sango's thoughts behind him. Desperate, furious, good, that meant for a more sloppy opponent. Before she could even attack his huge clawed hand came about with lightning speed, snatching her off Kirara's back in mid air.
"Leave my sister alone!" Kohaku shouted, throwing hisKusarigama out, its chain wrapping around the creature's arm.
The boy, he worried for his sister, he wished to save her. Goshinki just smiled to that, turning his head to the boy.
"Boy. You let your emotions govern you too much." With one strong pull of his massive arm, Kohaku was sent flying into a nearby tree, his body landing limply. Then the arrow came, blasting past Goshinki's head, blowing his left horn in half. The detachment's eyes then narrowed on Kagome, as the little fox demon lined up beside her.
"You are lucky girl, that I have been told not to feast upon you." The monster snapped.
"We have what we came for Bankotsu!"
With that, Goshinki in a blaze of speed dove past Kagome, running into the forest on all fours, still having Sango in his possession.
Bankotsu on the other hand still had his halberd locked with Inuyasha, holding steady as he looked the half demon in the eyes. The half demon looked straight back as both bore their teeth at one another.
Inuyasha felt nothing but rage for Bankotsu in that moment, for siding with Menomaru and whatever twisted plot he had, for selfishly throwing away his second chance, for attacking him and his friends, for everything.
"What's wrong Inuyasha, you look a bit angry. Here, let me give you something to remind you of my power before I go." Bankotsu grinned, spinning Banryu violently in the middle of their sword clash, knocking the Tetsusaiga out of Inuyasha's hands as the sword went flying into the air above them. Blood proceeded to splash against the ground as the Banryu was brought back around in a new motion evolving from the last fluently, slicing Inuyasha across the belly.
The half demon cold only watch Banktosu as his world slowed, seeing the cocky grin on his adversary's face, seeing the fallen comrades behind him as well.
You... bastard... Bankotsu.
His thoughts drifted as shock came in, falling on his back a moment later, feeling blood gush from the wound.
"Don't die on me Inuyasha. I'm saving you for later." Bankotsu said, jumping back towards the tree line, flipping the Banryu as he did.
"And next time, it'll be a real match, one on one. To the death." Bankotsu shouted as he turned to run after Goshinki.
I'll avenge you my brothers, I'll kill Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru and Kouga.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed, the only one other than Shippou left standing to do anything.
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There was a brief flash of light as Menomaru looked ahead with cold red eyes, looking at the creature floating before him. He'd been alone, contemplating his plans when this spirit appeared to him again, undoubtedly the agent of Katsuramaru, most likely here to manipulate him.
"Menomaru." The voice then said, the voice much different than he originally thought it would be. "... About Kanna and the spell..."
As Menomaru took in the information over the following minutes, his eyes grew further and further towards what resembled annoyance.
()()()()()()()()()()
The huge beast rushed towards the source of the scent, its four paws slamming into the forest floor relentlessly as massive paw impacts were left behind, its red-blue eyes looking ahead towards the wall of trees, growing unnaturally into a spire seemingly was seen. This was the heart of the scent. It growled at the wall of trees, almost too thick to even think it more than one tree, it was if they had weaved together.
His form slowly shifted back in a swirl of demonic energies, revealing his humanoid form, looking up at this formidable obstacle. Pulling up the Bakusaiga he prepared to slash, to cut this wall open as he would gut a animal after it had been slain. To his surprise, the trees themselves began to weave themselves into a new path, almost expanding like a curtain in front of him.
"Lord Sesshoumaru." A voice echoed past him. It was the voice of a man he'd never met before, but he knew who it had to have been.
It was Menomaru, Menomaru's voice.
"Won't you come inside? I have been expecting you for some time."
Cold golden eyes stepped forward, disregarding any danger which could have come from the tree itself as he walked through. Immediately he sensed thousands of demons, demons from the continent, and even some from Japan as well. His eyes just watched his surroundings, expecting an ambush as he walked through the naturally grown fortress, it was beautiful in many ways he'd even admit.
Then the moths started to come, they swarmed through every passageway, blowing past him in massive streams, all heading to one space, the wind itself seemed to call them as they flooded through. His nose then recognized that scent. His pace quickened as he followed the moths, stopping when he realized he stepped into a massive circle, a circle bathed in the light from the sun well above the massive tree-fortress.
The ground here was stone even, it was an arena no less.
Standing in the middle of this arena, he barely made out the form of Kagura herself, his body stopped upon seeing her, she held her fan out looking at him.
"Kagura." He finally said, before the moths exploded outwards in a wave of wind. He felt the wind coming from Kagura herself hitting him at almost hurricane wind speeds, his hair violently blowing past him, but he did not even bring one arm up to shield himself. Something was wrong, she was not reacting to him.
End Chapter.