Chapter 14 – Destruction and Despair
Katana growled down at Inuyasha, never once looking at the others. Her beast filled mind was telling her only one thing… Kill Inuyasha… Lifting her left paw, she pounded it into the ground where Inuyasha once stood, before he flipped into the air, and away from her grasp.
Inuyasha was confused, she'd said, 'one week', so why was she here now. Her giant black dog head lifted and send out her howl was despair once more… She's standing over Keade's hut… but that means… Keade's gone; Inuyasha's mind also sank into despair, before he evaded another one of her attacks.
Sango and Miroku stood there, allowing them to work it out themselves. They were friends to both Katana and Inuyasha, they would not chose whos side they were on, by partaking in this battle. Sango carried her giant weapon, Hiraikotsu, in her left hand, as she held Miroku's with the other. Miroku watched the two twist and turn away from sudden attacks, some from Inuyasha, but most from Katana.
The giant inu would not give up, her enraged mind controlled her body, and she shook her head about. Her back paw crashed into the stream close by, the fur soaking up the water quickly, as she moved away from Inuyasha's claws. They were coming to close to her face! The wind wiping about them swirled dust, and grains of dirt into the air around them… as if trying to hide them from the world.
Twisting into the air, Inuyasha gave out an "Argh!" as Katana's fangs snapped at his torso. She was large enough to eat him whole, but seemed to be somewhat enjoying toying with him through her despair. Hitting the ground, he rolled away from another paw attack by the youkai female.
She was getting sloppy, in her beast-controlled state…
The snarl that rose in her throat shook the very ground beneath her! She watched Inuyasha stumble, trying to keep his footing and yet determine her next view of attack. The beast growled deep in her throat, allowing the sound to drift from her body, and into the earth below… silently laughing at the baka hanyou.
Inuyasha dodged another attack, barely escaping the powerful swing she put behind her muzzle. Sighing with relief, he clutched his hand over his bleeding torso wound, and tried for a moment to stop the bleeding. Will the attacks never stop, he thought to himself? Rolling into a summer salt, Inuyasha moved away from her fangs, which gleamed in the moonlight.
Villagers stood, transfixed… even after hearing their homes being destroyed. The giant black inu before them held their gaze. To them, her coat gleamed with moon rays, giving it a soft blue glow. Her silver fangs, snapping, and dangerous, were merely decoration to their amazed eyes. With each move of bulky muscles, the villagers gasp, before once more falling silent.
Kirara's red eyes narrowed a fraction. Something within her… something, was screaming to stop Inuyasha. To knock him out, and direct Katana away from the village, by becoming her new target. Her small neko form wanted to shift, and for a moment the fire neko felt a great need to transform… and take down her hanyou companion.
His shoulder slumped, as Inuyasha once more moved away from Katana's giant paw, before slashing out at her with his claws. Anger filled his body, as he thought, that baka hanyou should understand that she is only attacking because he attack her first! What do you have to do to get Inuyasha to understand these types of things?
The rings upon his shakoju (staff) knocked together… silently telling him of Buddha's wish. Shaking his head, he ignored the calling, the silent yet clear whispering of the winds. Gripping his wife's hand tighter, he heard the calling from his god once more, silently, like the whispering wind… 'He must not win… stop him… do it now, Miroku!'
Not far away, the kit cracked an eye open, and sat up when he saw the large black inu. Shaking with fear, he thought for a moment it was Sesshoumaru, just inside the shadows. However, the howling rage could not compare to the taiyoukai's, and Shippo cried in fear for his Lady. He could not come up with another word, and after hearing 'Rin' called Sesshoumaru, Lord, he decided that Katana was his Lady.
His claws racked across healing skin, barely getting down toward the flesh at all! Her fur was too thick; he'd need something sharper to get through it quickly. However, the first time he'd touched the hilt of Tetsusigia, the sword felt like fire against his hand, and he decided not to try that again. Inuyasha's breathing was nearly normal, but starting to come out quicker, yet… he knew it wouldn't be much longer.
'He must not win… stop him… do it now, Miroku!' his mind once more whispered. His hand burned, the kazaana within wishing for freedom… the cloth around his arm, holding back the powerful magic felt like icy water. Ignoring the feeling, Miroku concentrated on the voice… the voice that sounded feminine…
Surely, it could not be Buddha…
Sango felt a chill crawl up her spine. She'd only had this feeling back when her entire clan was near death. Looking up, she wondered what was speaking so quietly to her… weaving information into her mind, telling the taijiya to strike down the hanyou before he struck down her sister. The only person she'd had since her village was destroyed!
Katana snickered in her inu form, fangs gleaming in the night. Without much effort, she knocked Inuyasha down when he leaped into the air, and slammed his body against the ground beneath her paw. Letting her weight shift onto his body, she slammed the hanyou further down into the ground.
The smell of fear filled her nose…
Death would be upon him soon!
Backing away from the hanyou, Katana gazed down upon his broken form. Her blood red eyes took in his battered clothing, and her nose flared at the smell of his blood. Leaning down toward him, her nose nearly touched his flesh… when Inuyasha pulled a cowardly move.
His hand grasped the dirt around him. As Katana came down for the kill, he suddenly lifted his hand, allowing the dirt to be released, and glide up into her eyes. Grinning like a baka, he stumbled to his feet, and moved away from the inu, thinking his victory would come soon.
The wooden handle on Miroku's shakoju nearly broke under the pressure he suddenly put upon it. His eyes glazed over with a new emotion, before he moved to go toward the side, before making his move. He would distract Inuyasha…
Kirara's eyes darkened, and she hissed with rage. The emotion was coming from deep within her soul, and fire engulfed her form, shifting it to that of her more vicious side. The larger neko stood, her fur on end, and snarling at Inuyasha.
The taijiya gripped her weapon tighter, her hands wishing nothing more then to throw it toward the hanyou. Glaring at his back, Sango stepped toward her neko companion, and whispered toward her. Once more, she gripped her mighty weapons straps, and then hurled it over her shoulder…
Katana growled
with rage, not quite understanding what was going on, but knew that
she could not see. Inside her mind, the beast and master snarled
vicious at the cowardly move made by Inuyasha. The more rational
side, shaped as the humanoid Katana, snarled and spoke in their
ancient tongue. :How dare that bastard do such a
thing: :Easily Master Katana: :We cannot
see: :Never the less, youkai such as us no do need our
eyes: :True… but I wish to toy with him some more:
Inuyasha let out a small sound of victory, as Katana stumbled back toward the stream. His eyes never wavered from the beast, not wanting to miss a second, just in case she suddenly came at him. His ears twitched, as the sound of shifting air caught his attention, before he ducked.
Looking up, he watched as Sango's boomerang spun back to her, before the taijiya got back into stance. A small female voice, yelled, "Mommy!" knocking Sango from her thoughts, and turning her attention toward her two daughters. They were both huddled together, making Sango feel like herself, but yet the call to help Katana was greater, and she flung her hiraikotsu again.
Kirara waited, before suddenly leaping toward Inuyasha, her fangs snapping about. The hissing sound she made frightened Inuyasha, and the hanyou backed up after dodging Sango's weapon once more. Both white and black tails whipped around wildly, as if going to help their mistress in battle. She flew through the air, her jaki mixed with the magical energy swarming around her, and she was upon Inuyasha in seconds.
Her claws caught his shoulders, pushing the hanyou to the ground, before she began nipping viciously at Inuyasha's neck. The hanyou pressed against her neck, allowing his claws to enter her skin, and draw blood. Growling, Kirara leaped away from Inuyasha, hissing with renewed fury.
Sango strapped her weapon upon her back, before running toward Kirara, shouting, "Kirara! Take me to Katana!"
The fire neko allowed her taijiya companion to hop up, and then began flying off toward the inu's face. The giant dog shook the water from her eyes, and blinked away the soil within her eyes. The water caused them to blur a bit, and she scratched at it.
Miroku came up beside Inuyasha, and suddenly smacked his shakoju against the back of the hanyou's head. He scowled at his friend, saying, "Inuyasha, are you not thinking clearly?"
"Oi, you're the one not thinkin' clearly, Miroku! She's trying to kill us," Inuyasha growled. His dog-like ears twitched once more, and he ducked another swing from Miroku before being hit in the head… again…
"She's not trying to kill us, Inuyasha-baka! Katana is enraged by the death of Keade, and you're not helping her any," Miroku replied, his eyes laid upon the black inu.
Rubbing her paw against her eyes once more, Katana growled. Turning, her eyes darker then ever (nearly black) and snarled with disgust from being attack so easily. True, the attack was a cowardly one, but she should have seen it coming. Advancing toward Inuyasha, she snapped her fangs, shaking the earth beneath her feet when more jaki poured from her body. Ignoring the neko, and taijiya flying in her face, yelling about 'taking flight', 'running away', and 'not fighting'. Her paws imprinted themselves in the soil beneath her soaked paws, from her weight.
The villagers seemed to snap from their daze, when Katana began to move. Her bulky body crouched down, as if ready to pounce, and she snarled once more. They felt fear race up their spines, as the inu's red eyes drifted over them for a moment. Huddling just a bit closer, they watched on, as Inuyasha and Katana fought out their battle.
Her mind was completely controlled by her beast now…
She couldn't return to full control…
Even…
If she tried…
Drawing Tetsusigia, trying to ignore the fire suddenly burning up his arm, Inuyasha waited for her attack. Grasping the hilt with both hands, he forced down the annoying, yet barely hurting jaki racing up his arms. Shifting from one foot to the other, he gazed straight into her eyes, daring her to attack him… daring her to face Tetsusigia!
For a moment, he wondered if this was the right thing to do. Gulping, Inuyasha felt his stomach rise to his throat, and wondered if he could do it. This was Katana… Kagome… his Kagome, and here he was, going to try and kill her. Could he? Could he actually…
Both, ningen adults upon the battlefield, caught their breath when Katana pushed herself off the ground using her back legs… like a cat. Her front paws stretched out for the attack, as the poison began flooding around inside of them, making the silver claws look like large swirling pools of lava.
Sango caught sight of his attack first! Her mouth opened to scream out the offending damage that could befall her friend… but Inuyasha was quicker with his sword…
Raising Tetsusigia, he felt it catch on her fur-covered chest, as she leaped over him by accident. Blood began pouring down upon him, like a river of water, from the wound. Katana's front paws hit the ground, causing the earth to sink in as she roared her pain. The sound filled her lungs, and escaped through her chest and mouth, like a triumph. The night shook with the mighty sound, traveling for miles around. Her back legs slammed against the dirt, and she shook her head… before toppling toward the ground. Her weight smashed the remaining huts of villagers, but her mind was set upon her pain… upon healing her body…
The beast raised its head higher then ever. Suddenly,
its eyes began swirling with a light purple color, and the beasts
thoughts filled her pain engrossed mind… Do not worry, Master
Katana, I shall take us from here… I shall save us, and bring us to
safety… I misjudged him… Will not happen again…
I promise my mistress,
Her vision faded…
Darkness closed in around her…
Sango and Miroku watched as her body shifted, even in her unconscious state. She grew smaller, before suddenly the image of Katana lay there in her own blood, naked as the day she was born. Clothing began forming upon her skin, and soon Katana's flesh was covered from all eyes.
Inuyasha stared at his blood-covered blade in shock. The blade began to pulse, and suddenly changed to the color black as her blood sank into the metal. His eyes moved from the sight, and locked with Katana's clothed humanoid form, which began to glow with an eerie white light. The blood around her was still spreading, and for a moment he thought he'd killed her… until a single twitch of the hand told him otherwise. Gasping, he looked at her wounds once more, before…
A white orb surrounded her body… and shot off…
Katana was gone…
What have I done, he thought? He'd injured Katana! Enough that she'd unconsciously fled the scene, and would be harder then ever to find now. Shaking it off, he looked back at his friends to find them all glaring at him. What have I done…? His mind swirled, and he dropped the black Tetsusigia, which pulsed before once more shifting to its light silver color.
Looking up at the tree line, he thought he caught sight of movement. Inuyasha squinted, trying to figure out who the figure was? The smell flooding his nose was familiar, but Katana's blood was making his mind fuzzy. Shaking off the feeling, he took notice that the figure was Shippo…
The kit looked enraged…
Even more so then Katana had been…
He certainly won't be happy with me… not after what I've done to his guardian… Hell his guardian has abandoned him because of me, Inuyasha shuddered.
This was not good at all…