A/N: Okay so hi! Um... really sorry about the long wait, but it wasn't as long as last time, right? I don't think... anyway, I am so determined to finish this story its not even funny, so I'm gonna promise right now that it will be done! I expect only a couple chapters more, so we're on the home stretch. Thank you all for being such loyal readers! After it All will also be finished, and its another Inuyasha/Sesshomaru story, so check that out too if you get the chance. I will do review replies in the next chapter! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy my sad attempt at action sequences.
This is un-betad.
-000-
For half there shadow puppets who weren't even tangible enough to not see through, they were surprisingly hard to take down.
Sesshomaru slashed Tokijin through the bodies of three that lumbered after them, disgruntled to find it did little but make them slightly shorter and cease their progress before they began walking again. The miko's arrows had marketably more success, but where the shadows would dissipate where she fired, several more would just take their place.
The magenta striped demon stared at the retreating form of not Amatsu, feeling anger rise up within him at the sight. How dare he steal the form of such a powerful demon… he could not stand Amatsu, but he would not tolerate the theft of someone's body- of someone's life. And, if the state of the castle was any indication, every single servant and person working in the castle had been massacred.
He cut through a few more shadows, darting past them before they had a chance to reform. He needed to follow the imposter- find out why he'd done this, who he was working for… though he already had a pretty good idea.
The demon grunted when cold, surprisingly strong hands suddenly grabbed at his feet, nearly making him lose his balance. His eyes widened as he stared at the shadows rising from the ground, nostrils flaring in annoyance.
"My lord!" Miroku's sutras landed on their shapeless bodies, leasing a cry that sounded like a hiss and freeing the demons legs. "Go after Amatsu, we'll try and handle this…"
Sesshomaru wasted no time responding as he darted off down the hall.
Inuyasha took note of this occurrence as he slashed down shadow after shadow, glaring after the retreating form of his brother. "Wait! Sesshomaru… dammit, don't just run off by yourself!" He growled in irritation, cutting down a creature that got a little too close to Kagome for comfort.
He snarled, continuing to swing his sword, though his eyes seemed preoccupied with the spot that Sesshomaru had run off to. He didn't know why he felt such concern- Sesshomaru was, as much as he didn't like to admit it, far more powerful than him. He could handle himself. But he felt such a strong need to run after him…
"Dammit, I can smell Naraku all over this place…" his nose twitched, the acrid scent filling his thoughts as he tried to distract himself.
"It would appear another one of Naraku's incarnations has taken over the castle… we walked right into a cleverly placed trap." Miroku furrowed his brow as he continued to purify the shadows, mind working. First Byakuya stealing Inuyasha's memories, now this… it seemed like he was more intent than ever to get rid of Inuyasha.
They needed to try and get the memories back quickly… it probably wouldn't be long before Naraku showed himself directly, and they didn't need any disadvantages.
Inuyasha huffed as the small group finally got rid of all the creatures in their immediate area, eyes darting back and forth. Ah Un had, to his surprise, taken out more than a few of them, the two heads breathing deeply out of sync as they took advantage of their small reprieve.
"I suggest we go, before more appear," Miroku said quietly.
Kagome shivered, clutching her bow tightly to her chest. "Oh god… I think I see some more coming, down the hall…"
Inuyasha's head jerked to the side, nose lifting in the air. "Come on, we have to find Sesshomaru!"
Kagome gaped. "Inuyasha, we have to get out of here! Sesshomaru can take care of himself!"
Miroku looked back at the doors, frowning. "I'm afraid we can't leave, Kagome… not until the energy fueling this place has been destroyed."
She grunted in frustration, taking a few steps forwards.
"Come on," the half demon instructed. The small group darted off in the direction Sesshomaru had gone, Inuyasha keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any sight of the demon lord. But more shadows were there almost immediately, impeding their path. Inuyasha cursed as he skidded to a halt, eyes searching over them for his brother.
He really hoped the demon lord knew what he was doing…
-000-
Sesshomaru chased after the Amatsu imposter, who was beginning to less and less like the fox demon the thing was trying to imitate. It's form seemed… shimmering, like if he were to reach out and touch it his hand would slide right through. And the deeper they went into the castle, the more this became, until his body was actually hard to see. The demon lord wasn't prepared for the man to simply disappear, and he skidded to a halt, looking around.
Was it even real?
If the sour stench of Naraku reaking from this place was any indication, there was a good chance that this thing, whatever it was, was just another one of his puppets. Who was pulling the strings?
He lifted his nose for a deep inhale, closing his eyes, trusting his other senses. The entire place was so… quiet. He could hear Inuyasha and the others somewhere behind him, the soft shifting of the shades they fought, but other than that it was almost as if they were entirely alone…
Had he been led astray?
Despite the lack of sound, his nose painted an entirely different picture. Whereas his ears brought nothing to mind but a giant vacuum, empty save for he and his Inuyasha's pack, his nose could pick up so many smells it began making him a little lightheaded.
There was blood… death. So many souls had been lost here. Amatsu's once great castle falling to Naraku's trickery. And for what… them? Had he truly began this massacre just as a ploy to try holding onto the Shikon jewel? Naraku's scent was saturated in the walls, the floors, even the ceiling, and there was the lesser smell of his poison, the Saimyosho. He could smell flesh, rotten, and the combination of everything almost made him want to gag.
Naraku had gone too far, this time. They had been far too lenient in their handling of that disgusting insect. He was playing with life, the combined demons within him growing arrogant and foolish in the amalgamation that had created such a filthy and base creature. This could not go on. He refused to let it. Just collecting the jewel was no longer an option. They needed to find him.
So caught up in his anger, the demon lord scarcely realized the low growling coming from the back of his throat. He ceased it, looking around, trying to focus again on catching the monster that had did this. They would not meet Naraku on this day. He was far too much of a coward.
He began walking forward, senses having more clarity than when he was running, eyes scanning the halls. The doors that lined them held nothing but empty rooms, he could tell, but somewhere down the left hall up ahead he thought he could sense…
Sesshomaru paused when he felt a sensation against his foot, sending chills shooting up his spine. A brief glance down was all he had time for before he was falling. Not back, or forward, but down. A choked noise left his throat, and then a cold, swollen imitation of a hand was covering his mouth, pressing rough against his lips and making his throat fill with bile at the texture.
"Lord Sesshomaru," a voice said against his ear, but there was no breath to indicate someone was speaking.
He couldn't feel his body… he couldn't feel anything. He couldn't see anything. He had entered a world of nothingness, a void where there should have been solid floor, and smells, and his mate, in the distance.
"I have taken you with me into the shadows. There is nothing, here… not even mass. It breaks down barriers and lets me hear you… what you're thinking. Don't be frightened. I won't hurt you. Not yet."
The demon lord could feel anger rising within him. He did not want this creature to think he feared it.
"Then what do you fear…? …Ah… the half demon. I'm sorry… Naraku says he is to die, too."
Sesshomaru could feel anger coursing through him, and had he a body it would have been tensing, he knew his eyes would bleed red, he desperately wanted to snarl at this- this thing, destroy it for daring to even think about hurting his mate.
"Here…"
Suddenly he could breathe again. It had been such a sudden transition he hadn't even realized that he couldn't. The demon lord took in a gasping breath, finding himself pressed against the floor, impossibly cold. He was shivering. It took a moment before he could force his eyes to open, and when he did it was as if all his other senses returned as well.
Touch… beneath his hands he could feel something hard, crusted on the ground, and it didn't take his nose long to realize that it was blood. He could hear something else breathing, breathing hard, and when he opened his mouth to such in more air himself he could taste death on the air.
"Lord… Sesshomaru?"
He turned his head.
In the corner of the room, in some sort of cage made of… some smoky blackness, a familiar fox demon sat, his wide eyes staring.
"Shiuchi," he murmured. He briefly took in the other features of the room. There was a western style bed, and an ornate tapestry hung on the wall. It was dark, so dark that even his enhanced eyes were having a hard time picking anything out. "What happened here?"
"No… please no…"
It took a moment for Sesshomaru to realize the other wasn't speaking to him. That coldness returned, and he jumped to his feet, flipping back to avoid the frigid hand that reached for him. When he turned he was met with the sight of a demon, the pallor of his skin so much so he almost glowed in the darkness of the room. His hair was a pale green color, his eyes the same, and they stared at him soullessly.
What confused Sesshomaru was that he had no scent, and didn't seem to make a sound as he moved, still staring, not even appearing to breathe.
"Lord Sesshomaru," the demon said, and he drew his sword.
"Sorry… I have to kill you now."
The magenta-striped demon scoffed, eyes narrowing. He would waste no more time. This mongrel died now. He surged forward, swinging his sword, testing the others reaction time, but he'd hardly taken a step before the demon disappeared.
The dog lord came to a halt, head swiveling slowly, ears twitching as they strained to catch a sound. Finally he heard one- the smooth swipe of a sword being pulled from its sheath.
He turned blocking, but froze at the sight before him. Sesshomaru was confused to see himself standing there- in a way- a 3D silhouette that couldn't have been anything than. It appeared to be a copy of him down to moko-moko-sama on his shoulder, and it held in its left hand Tokijin's shadow.
Before he could try and process what had happened his doppelgänger of sorts lunged at him, and he raised his sword once more to block its strike.
It was… strange. The way the thing moved, it swung its sword fluidly just like him, and as he blocked, dodged, leaped, swung, grunted it frustration, he could not seem to find a single opening against it. It was as if he was fighting himself, all his moves anticipated, known, copied.
A shadow demon… he'd never seen nor heard of such a thing. Especially not something with such a peculiar skillset. The more they fought the more the shadow seemed to grow into his likeness- pale flesh appearing, the long hair gaining a silver sheen, Tokijin's blade gaining a metal shine. He was disoriented as the process continued, their battle never stopping, the sound of metal on metal filling the air until he was staring back at his own face, cold, eyes narrowed.
Sesshomaru tried to regulate his breathing as he moved on the defensive, brain racing to think of a way to defeat his opponent. Himself. Any time he attempted to move forward the shadow demon would block the strike almost before it happened.
They flew about the room, feet landing for short bursts, jumping, Sesshomaru growing more and more frustrated the more he was chased around.
Impossibly, he found himself tiring. He wanted to transform, but new it was unwise in a structure such as this. He'd bring the ceiling down on everyone. But how did one fight themselves?
The dark of the room was making it difficult for him to maneuver, needing all his senses as he tried to perceive space where he could see none, occasionally hitting a wall and jumping off it just as the shadow demon's blade struck where he was. He was herded into a corner, eyes narrowing as he studied the others form, backing up, up, feet finding step after step, until his foot found something that shouldn't be there.
He slipped on what felt like… a limb, and the smell of rotting flesh once again filled the air. As well as a familiar scent.
Amatsu's.
His eyes flitted down for only a millisecond, widening, but it was distraction enough.
He felt the blood running down his chest before he registered the sword through it. A choked noise left his mouth, body staggering, before he managed to get his bearings enough to slice the air where the shadow demon was standing. It moved away, and he flipped over, pressing a hand to his wound.
He'd had far worse, but the pain muddled his thoughts for a few moments, nostrils flaring in anger.
"I like this body… maybe I'll keep using it for a while. After you're dead."
Sesshomaru felt another flash of anger run through him, leveling his sword at the other. He was far from done.
-000-
"They just keep coming!"
Inuyasha ignored the observation from the miko, finding it difficult to find space to swing Tessaiga. He wanted to break out some stronger attacks, but was worried he'd just bring the house down on top of them.
They were being boxed in, trapped in an intersection between two hallways, shadows rising from every angle. Miroku's sutras were deadly combined with Kagome's arrows, but nothing seemed to be enough.
"This is pointless," the monk grunted jabbing one through with his staff. "They'll only continue like this until we destroy the source. We have to keep moving."
Inuyasha nodded. "Kagome, get on my back. Miroku ride Ah- Un- we have to find Sesshomaru and destroy this thing!"
The human girl wasted no time obeying, jumping onto the half demons back with practice, and Miroku pressed a sutra onto the forehead of a shadow that tried to yank her off. He then hopped onto the two headed dragon, grabbing its reigns.
Inuyasha cleared a path down one hall, too focused on escaping to worry which one it was, and they were off.
"What is this thing," the half demon muttered, darting forwards. He skidded to a halt when they came to a corner, pressing his hand into the wall to avoid running into it before turning.
"I believe we are dealing with a shadow demon Inuyasha… what we saw in the hallway are the shadows of the people its killed." Miroku's brow was furrowed, eyes focused ahead. "We can't truly destroy them because they're not really alive."
"So that Amatsu guy was the demon?"
"He must have been possessed… I fear for Lord Sesshomaru's safety. Can you smell him, Inuyasha?"
The half demon's nose twitched, and he furrowed his brow, looking around. "There's too many smells, here… this isn't the way he went though."
"Are you certain?"
"Yea, why?"
"…"
The half demon faced forward to again, skidding to a halt when he saw the demon lord standing at the end of the hall, facing away from them. Inuyasha, skidded to a halt, blinking in confusion at the figure of his older brother. Ah Un immediately reared back, drawing the half demons attention. "Wha…"
"Inuyasaha, Sesshomaru!"
Golden irises barely had a chance to flit forward before the demon lords sword was swinging towards him, and he had little time to do anything but dive out of the way, Kagome falling from his back and hitting the ground with a thud.
The wind was knocked from her lungs and she coughed, wincing from the way her bow had dug into her back. She jerked her head up once she got her bearings, brown eyes widening at the sight of Inuyasha and his brother fighting. What… was going on? It looked like Sesshomaru, but… why would he do this?
Had he been possessed, like Amatsu?
She fumbled to get an arrow from her quiver, realizing belatedly that they'd fallen out when she hit the ground. Quickly, she crawled to pick one up.
Inuyasha grunted as their swords clashed, finding the thing moved like his brother, fought like his brother, even had that same damnable expression. It was Sesshomaru's scent, Sesshomaru's eyes, but… something was wrong. Even if he hadn't been currently trying to kill him, he would have been able to tell. Even Ah Un could sense it, the dragon rearing up at the sight of what appeared to be its master.
"Miroku, take Kagome and go ahead, I'll take care of this," Inuyasha yelled.
"It is important we stay together," the monk argued, trying to prevent himself from being thrown off the two headed dragons back.
"Just go, before he goes after both of you too! Find Sesshomaru." Inuyasha flipped back, panting a bit as the demon lords speed began to overtake him. It was so disconcerting to be fighting the elder, even though it was what he was used to. After the days of traveling he'd adjusted to this 'new' Sesshomaru, and seeing him like this was doing more than irritate him, his chest pained every time he swung his sword.
Kagome and Miroku flew by on Ah Un, but 'Sesshomaru' didn't even seem to notice. It was like the demon was solely focused on him, and Inuyasha found himself tiring surprisingly quickly. The other had never been this aggressive, this quick, and each blow he blocked came closer and closer to hitting him.
So focused was he on the others sword arm he didn't notice his free hand until it was too late.
There was a burning, sizzling sensation in his stomach, and the half demon gasped, staggering. Sesshomaru pulled his hand back, claws glowing green, and Inuyasha gritted his teeth as the poison began to flow through his body. "Dammit… Sesshomaru… how…" He wanted to keep fighting, but the other seemed to be done. He sheathed his sword, and before the half demon could even attempt another swing he melted through the floor.
If Inuyasha had had any doubts that the other was an imposter, they were cleared up then. He sheathed Tessaiga with effort, breathing heavily as his body tried to fight off the poison. He dropped to his knees on the hard floor, hands pressing against it shortly after. Dammit… he couldn't die here. Miroku and Kagome stood no chance of facing this foe, and he had no idea where Sesshomaru was… if he was okay…
There had been a sense of panic rising within him from the moment Sesshomaru was out of his sight, and it only grew worse as he felt his body begin trembling from the effects of the poison. He wasn't worried for his own safety… but if he died, who would protect…? His vision was starting to get blurry…
"Dammit…"
-000-
"Miroku, where are we going?" Kagome looked nervously behind her, but they could no longer see Inuyasha, navigating through increasingly narrow halls, Ah Un's heads barreling doors open. It was like they were lost in a maze, and Kagome could not remember the castle being this large the last time they were here. Perhaps she hadn't been paying attention, but she couldn't help but wonder if Naraku had something to do with the winding layout, the way they couldn't seem to find the way they'd come, or an exit of any kind.
"I have no idea," the monk murmured, knuckles white from holding onto the two headed dragons reins so tightly. "But we must keep moving. Those shadow creatures could easily overcome us."
The female nodded, hugging onto the others robes and closing her eyes tightly. She couldn't believe this was happening… she didn't even know what this was. Naraku's work yes, but how? What were those things? And why wouldn't they stay dead…
Ah Un stopping suddenly nearly made the two humans fall off, and it quickly became apparent why when more of the shadows rose out of the ground, reaching for them. Miroku jerked the reins to the side, taking off down another direction.
"We have to keep moving," he repeated, gaze hardening. In the moment he could not remember a time when he felt more powerless. They could be chased by these things forever, Ah Un would eventually run out of energy. Or they would hit a dead end, and be forced to fight to their last arrow and sutra. Those things could be made up of miasma, and he didn't want to risk using the wind tunnel, but…
With Inuyasha fighting a Sesshomaru look alike to the death, and the demon lord himself gone, he wasn't sure what else they could do.
His mind conjured up images of Sango, waiting, having no idea of the danger they'd found on their travels. He'd never even gotten to tell her that…
If they got out of this alive, he vowed. He would stop being so afraid.
Kagome's shriek that told him more shadows were approaching from behind made that a very slim 'if'.
"Miroku, we're sinking!"
The monk blinked. "What?"
"Ah Un- its going into the floor!"
The two scrambled off the two headed dragon upon this discovery, watching horrified as shadows appeared to swallow it up, pulling its large form down even with its massive body struggling. Kagome whimpered, scrambling away, and Miroku stared helplessly, taking a few steps back. He eyed the floor with a wary gaze, conflicted about leaving the dragon behind.
"Come on," he managed after a moment, turning so he wouldn't have to see its left head sink completely, eyes wild. "Come on, those things are still coming." He took hold of Kagome's hand so they wouldn't be separated, taking off.
In her panic she tripped over her feet a bit, stumbling, before she managed to right herself. She glanced over her shoulder, breathing heavily as the shadows approached, faster now that they were on foot. She moaned in fear, squeezing the monks hand tightly.
He couldn't even offer any calming words, too focused on getting as far away as quick as possible.
They managed to turn the corner, feet pounding against the ground, when Miroku felt his ankle snag on something. He went crashing down, taking Kagome with him, and her shriek rang in his ears after his head snapped hard against the floor.
"Miroku!"
Something was pulling him.
The monk looked back fearfully to find his lower half slowly disappearing into the ground much like Ah Un's had, staff laying out of reach. Kagome still had his hand and was yanking on it, trying to pull him back up. "Kagome, go! Keep running!" He told her, shivering as it felt like he was being encompassed in ice water.
She shook her head, but Miroku had no intention of taking her down with him. He tugged his hand free, closing his eyes and taking in a breath as the hold on him grew tighter, feeling the back os his eyes begin to sting.
"Miroku! MIROKU!"
'Sango… I'm sorry. I love you.'