The humans looked around in terror, except for the small group of fighters who frowned as they looked around the blue barrier shielding them inside.
"They've managed to teleport all of us." Yuki murmured.
"We're doomed!" The villagers started wailing, and Sango whispered: "What's the matter? What's going on?"
"We're being sac-" Yuki began, when the barrier suddenly dimmed around them, revealing that the entire group was standing trapped on a stone pedestal in the middle of the castle courtyard, just off to the side of a shrine offering of sorts. The panther demons all sat before the shrine, the four leaders kneeling at the front before a huge skeletal statue… except it wasn't a statue.
Yuki's eyes widened as she saw it move, and she realized: "That must be the panther demons' master."
"But what's going on here?" Kagome wondered, when a voice shouted: KAGOME!"
They all blinked and then looked up to see Koga jumping towards them.
"Koga!" Kagome gasped, when Koga's outstretched leg hit something, and he was forced to kick off and land back on the ground away from them.
"Dammit!" He growled. "A barrier!"
Toran laughed as she scoffed: "As if fools like you could break the great one's barrier!"
It was at that moment that Yuki noticed Sesshomaru, also caught outside the barrier on the other side from where the humans and Koga were. He didn't see her, his eyes fixed only on the panther demons' master as it moved slowly, still in the process of coming to life.
"Stick around and join us for dinner!" The brunette panther demon, Shunran, added tauntingly. "We're having sacrificial lamb!"
At her words, the panther master appeared to notice the humans huddled on the pedestal at his feet, and he reached out for them.
"Look out!" Yuki called sharply, and Sesshomaru's head jerked towards her as Kagome cried: "Everyone duck!"
The villagers all did as Kagome ordered, crouching low while Yuki met eyes with Sesshomaru, and she pulled a face as she saw his gold eyes widen in surprise as he took in her human form.
"Shut up, don't say anything!" She yelled defensively at him. Sesshomaru raised a brow at her words, while Kagome also glanced to the side and spotted Sesshomaru in surprise.
"He actually did come." She said, causing Sesshomaru's eyes to narrow as he wondered why the mortal sounded shocked. Had Yuki been that confident he would come? Somehow, that thought both irritated and – very slightly – pleased him.
"Told you he'd come to settle a score against his pride." Yuki answered Kagome.
Ah. Well, that explained her confidence, Sesshomaru thought.
Yuki was a perceptive woman, he'd recognized that from their first battle. She was quick to analyze her opponents' characters, their strengths and weaknesses, so it was no surprise she'd read and understood him. Now, to just understand how she was human… He glanced at the full moon.
While Sesshomaru was absorbed, Miroku growled as he tugged off his sacred beads: "Find yourself another meal."
He aimed his wind tunnel at the panther master, but before he could fully open the Wind Tunnel, something happened. An energy pulsed through him, and Miroku's eyes widened before blanking as he lowered his hand and he fell to his knees.
"Miroku!" Sango gasped, hurrying to his side worriedly, even as the panther master continued to reach for them.
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, his mind focusing back on the fight and he braced himself to at least try launch an attack on the barrier – though he doubted it would break even under Tokijin – when a voice yelled: "Kagome!"
"Again?" Yuki asked in surprise as she turned, before she brightened as she saw Inuyasha running at them with his Tetsusaiga raised high.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome called happily, while both Yuki and Sesshomaru frowned.
"Is his sword… red?" Yuki asked, confused, but no-one had time to answer before Inuyasha swiped the red Tetsusaiga at the barrier… and broke it.
Yuki gasped, along with everyone else as they all turned to stare at Inuyasha in shock while he stood with the Tetsusaiga resting on his shoulder, smirking smugly.
"Sorry to keep ya." He greeted, and the panther demons growled at him angrily.
"What?" Karan snarled. "He broke our master's barrier."
"How dare he." Toran growled, when a voice called: "Lord Sesshomaru!"
Yuki started in surprise as Jaken appeared behind Inuyasha, running for his master as he cried: "Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru!"
He finally reached Sesshomaru, and quickly came to a screeching stop before the demon as he wailed between pants: "I have searched everywhere for you!"
He then turned, glancing at Inuyasha as he noted: "Inuyasha has surprised me. When did he learn to wield the Tetsusaiga like that? Hm?"
He finally noticed the familiar-looking human in the familiar red-and-white robes, and Jaken gawped.
"Is that Yuki?" He asked, and Yuki waved cheerily at him as she called: "About time you caught up, Jaken!"
"Impertinent brat!" Jaken screeched, and Yuki just laughed at him. Sesshomaru didn't even seem to notice, preoccupied as he stared at Tetsusaiga.
Yuki meanwhile had turned to Inuyasha as he hurried over to the group.
"Inuyasha." Kagome greeted happily as Inuyasha reached her, and he checked: "Kagome, Yuki, are you all right?"
"Uh-huh." Kagome nodded, while Yuki added: "You can't get rid of me that easily."
"Shut up." He scolded. "What were you thinking, getting captured tonight of all nights?"
"I wasn't exactly trying to get kidnapped." She pointed out, and Kagome smiled as she said: "Aw, you two really are like brother and sister."
"Keh." Inuyasha snorted, before he added seriously: "You sure you aren't hurt?"
Kagome shook her head as she said happily: "I just knew that you would come for us-"
A hand wrapped around her shoulder and abruptly pulled her to the side, and both Inuyasha and Yuki looked over in surprise to see Koga hugging Kagome.
"No need to worry any more, Kagome." Koga said sweetly as he smiled down at Kagome, who blinked up at him as Inuyasha twitched in irritation.
"Wow, and I thought your love life was complicated before." Yuki noted to Inuyasha, who scowled at her before saying threateningly to Koga: "Hands off her, Koga."
At that moment, the panther master seemed to have enough of them, and he reached down his hand towards them.
Kagome yelped, but Koga quickly picked her up and jumped out of the way while Yuki ducked and slid across the platform and off the edge. Inuyasha wasn't so lucky, as he was squashed beneath the panther master's hand.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome gasped as Koga landed her safely beside his two companions, and the wolf demon smirked: "Rest assured, Kagome. It's going to be easy to get you out of here."
Kagome whirled on him as she said sharply: "I'm not leaving the others behind!"
"Inuyasha, that wolf's going to make off with Kagome." Yuki called, and Inuyasha growled as he heaved the panther master's hand off of him with the Tetsusaiga.
"Over my dead body is he going to do that." He grunted, before swinging his Tetsusaiga at the panther master's hand and cutting right through it.
The demon roared as his hand was shredded to pieces, while Yuki called to the humans on the sacrificial pedestal: "Quickly, now's your chance to escape!"
She helped them climb down, while Sesshomaru turned away, satisfied she would be safe for now, and Toran hissed: "He's attacking our master."
"Inuyasha." Kagome whisper-called as she ran over to him once more. "The Sacred Jewel shards are in his throat."
"You really can sense them." Yuki noted, and Kagome nodded as Inuyasha sniffed.
"I'll get 'em back." He smirked as he faced the panther master, and Kagome nodded before she hurried over to help Yuki.
"Come on, this way!" She called, while Yuki moved to lead the way towards the nearest exit.
"Stop them!" Toran shouted, and the lower-level panther demons came running at the humans, blocking their path.
The villagers came to a halt, whimpering in fear as one gasped: "There's no way out!"
"We're doomed!" Another cried, but Yuki pushed her way to the front as she said impatiently: "Of course there's a way out."
She then addressed the panther demons as she snapped: "Aren't we supposed to be your live sacrifices?"
"And how can you kill your live sacrifices?" Kagome added as she joined the other human girl, and both of them moved forward to push their way through the panther demons as Kagome scolded: "Now move."
"Stand down." Yuki agreed as she pushed passed the confused and hesitant demons.
"Would you look at her go." One of Koga's men, Ginta, said admiringly, and the other one, Hakkaku, added proudly: "That's our gal."
"The one with her is impressive, too." Ginta noted admiringly. "And pretty."
"Huh?" Hakkaku asked, before peering at the other human girl, while Koga said impatiently: "Well, don't just stand there, clear the way for my girl!"
The three wolf demons leapt in, taking care of the panther demons. Koga especially was particularly effective in dispatching the other demons, but Yuki blinked as Ginta appeared before her and gallantly fought to clear her path.
"Thanks." She told the demon, and was confused when he beamed and said excitedly: "Any time!"
"Er…" Yuki said, sweat-dropping a little, before her attention was called as a voice shouted: "I'm here, Miroku!"
She looked up to see a raccoon demon waving down at them as he stood atop Kirara, Shippo waving beside him as he called: "Sango! Yuki!-?"
She smiled and waved at the confused child, before hurrying to help the other humans out as Miroku and Sango, now armed with their weapons courtesy of Kirara, helped to clear the way. Ginta gave Yuki another wide smile, when Koga yelled at him to move his butt and he quickly helped escort the humans.
Meanwhile, Inuyasha was battling with the panther master, who was yet feeble as he hadn't regained all his powers without his sacrifices. One particularly strong swing from Inuyasha caused the large demon to come crashing down, and the panther demon leaders cried: "Master!"
"Give me blood." He growled. "And their souls…"
"We will." Toran replied instantly. "Master, I promise you that I will bring the head of the Dog General's son on a platter."
She turned to face Inuyasha, who sneered: "I don't care who this master of yours is, you're not using human flesh and blood to resurrect him!"
Sesshomaru simply watched as Inuyasha faced the panther demons, staring at the Tetsusaiga in his younger brother's hands. It brought back that day from fifty years ago, when he'd fought against the panther demons.
There had been no victory for him, for the panther demons had fled and not been slain. They couldn't be, not when his heirloom sword, the Tenseiga, could not kill his enemies as it was a sword of healing. And it frustrated Sesshomaru to no end.
He watched as Toran leapt at Inuyasha with her ice staff, while Inuyasha easily dodged the attack as he brought down the Tetsusaiga in turn.
"Wind Scar!" He cried, and Sesshomaru's hand curled into a loose fist as he watched the attack blast its way across the courtyard.
'I need the Tetsusaiga.' He thought tersely. 'And yet, I do not have the power to wield it.'
His eyes narrowed as the four panthers struck at Inuyasha at once, Shunran and Karan's attacks blinding the half-demon long enough for Shuran to pounce and take Inuyasha down.
"Inuyasha!" Yuki called as she sent out the last of the villagers through the exit and saw him pinned, while he struggled as Shuran laughed: "What's the matter? You can't use your sword like this?"
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, while Yuki urged: "Miroku, Sango, take the villagers out of here."
"Right." Sango nodded, while Kagome pleaded: "Koga, follow them and make sure they're all right. We'll be right behind you."
"You'd better be, Kagome." He warned before he and his men sped out with the humans as well, Koga basically having to drag Ginta as the demon stared at Yuki with wide, happy eyes.
In the meantime, Sesshomaru leapt forward at last, Tokijin drawn, and Toran and Karan gasped as they sensed the dog demon's approach. But it was already too late as Sesshomaru swung his sword and blasted them, Inuyasha included.
All five went flying, lying in heaps on the ground as Sesshomaru slowly approached. Inuyasha was the first to recover, groaning as he sat up, and he snapped at his older brother: "I told you not to interrupt."
Sesshomaru stood before his younger brother as he ordered: "Stay there, where you are."
He glanced at the downed demons as he said flatly: "These panther demons belong to me."
Inuyasha growled as he stood up, snarling: "Not this time. You're the one who'll have to back down."
"Inuyasha!" Sesshomaru snarled.
Inuyasha's widened before he grit his teeth as Sesshomaru launched himself at his younger brother. Inuyasha blocked Tokijin with Tetsusaiga, the two going against each other before quickly moving back only to attack once more.
"Out of my way!" Inuyasha yelled as he and Sesshomaru continued to exchange blows, their blades crashing against each other while everyone stared on in disbelief.
"Are they seriously fighting at a time like this?" Kagome asked incredulously, and Yuki sighed as she dropped her head into her hands: "Those stubborn dog brothers. They need to work together if they're going to beat the panther demons, and yet they're fighting like children."
The two continued to battle, ignoring everything in their surroundings for the moment as they fought right before the panther master.
"Are they out of their minds." Karan demanded in shock, while Shunran noted: "It's hard to believe they're brothers!"
"Yeah, what in the world are they thinking?" Shuran wondered, but Toran scoffed: "The Dog General's sons are fighting each other, which means we must stay united. We'll combine our powers and strike them all at once."
The four panther demons started to release their energies, gathering them together to create the ultimate attack as Shunran smiled: "All right!"
"Yeah." Karan smirked, and Shuran said gleefully: "Right."
Yuki noticed the four demons gathering their powers, and she called in warning: "Sesshomaru! Inuyasha!"
They ignored her, as they ignored everything else, while Kagome said irritably: "Those two!"
"We have to stop them." Yuki said worriedly, and Kagome nodded firmly.
She grabbed a fallen bow and arrow from one of the dead panther demons, and quickly notched it, aiming for Toran as she murmured: "If we can just slow them down, maybe we can talk some sense into the two stubborn idiots."
Yuki looked at Kagome in surprise, struck at the moment by how similar she looked to Kikyo. Similar… and yet, so different from the calm priestess Yuki had glimpsed once, in the past.
Kagome didn't notice Yuki's preoccupation as she murmured: "Please work."
She let the arrow fly loose, and Yuki watched as it gained spiritual powers in flight, heading straight for Toran's heart.
'Maybe…' She hoped, but Karan saw the arrow and called sharply: "Toran!"
Toran threw her ice staff, knocking Kagome's arrow away before she smirked at the teenage girl.
"Nice try." She taunted. "Now, my turn."
She threw open her hand, and both Yuki and Kagome were forced to shield their faces as Toran created a strong, icy wind around them. Yuki quickly dodged out of the way, but Kagome wasn't so lucky as she was blown back by the force of Toran's wind.
"Kagome, look out!" Yuki cried, the urgent call causing Inuyasha to whirl around from his fight with Sesshomaru, while Toran cried triumphantly: "I guess I'll kill you first!"
She thrust her hand in Kagome's direction, and Kagome's eyes widened as an ice blade flew out and came straight towards her.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled as he started to run at Kagome, though he knew it would be too late.
Sesshomaru also glanced over as he heard the attack, before he stiffened and both brothers' eyes widened in horror.
A flash of dark hair sprang before Kagome, and Kagome's eyes widened as blood splashed all over her while the figure in front of her gasped sharply as the ice-blade impaled her.
"Yuki!" Kagome and Inuyasha screamed at the same time, while Yuki coughed as one hand clutched at her bleeding chest.
"Ahhh!" Jaken gasped while Sesshomaru stiffened, overwhelmed by the sudden, strong smell of Yuki's blood as it dripped down her front.
Yuki raised her eyes slowly to meet Kagome's horrified ones, her gaze holding no accusation or regrets, before she toppled forward as the ice blade melted. Inuyasha had frozen in place in shock, and even Sesshomaru stared at the prone girl with an unfamiliar unease fluttering through him before he controlled it.
Kagome caught Yuki quickly as the latter collapsed, turning her over as she begged: "No, Yuki!"
But it was too late, and Yuki died as her blood spilled into a red pool around her.
Inuyasha jumped over, taking Yuki from Kagome though he already knew that she was gone. Still, he'd hoped against hope, but it was all crushed as he felt no pulse; no heartbeat.
"Yuki!" He cried, throwing his head back as he wailed to the full moon hanging high up in the midnight sky.
*A/N Song of the day: Uminari from Clannad. The link I use is as follows: /QguA_qEEpkw