A/N: Final chapter! I hope all of you have enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I've got a few other stories in the works and more than enough material in my head to keep m occupied for quite some time, so be sure to check out my Fictionpress account, too, as I do mostly fiction. I think I may have another fanfic in the works as well, so you'll just have to wait and see. Thanks for sticking with me, and as always, review and rate my writings. Thanks :)
For the next few days, we uncover no additional leads as to Hakudoshi's whereabouts. I figure that searching for him will do us no good, for each time we find ourselves in battle with him, he has attacked us first. I don't tell that to Lord Sesshomaru, for I can sense his increasing agitation as we continue on our fruitless quest.
All I can do is relax as we travel.
I lean down to scratch my legs and discover that my burns have completely healed, leaving nothing more than shiny patches where they had once been. It makes me wonder how Lord Sesshomaru's injury has healed – after all, his was much worse than mine were.
I make a quick decision not to ask him about it. No doubt Lord Sesshomaru would find distaste in my concern, even with as much progress as I have made in him.
It doesn't take words to tell me how frustrated Lord Sesshomaru is at being unable to locate Hakudoshi. Each night he paces with growing agitation, leaving me alone against one of the trees, incapable of saying anything to assuage his irritation. It is in our best interest to simply stay silent and wait for it to pass.
Eventually, though, it does, as all things do.
Lord Sesshomaru is especially vigilant one night, when the night sky is darker than normal. No stars are visible on this night, and that itself seems to put me on edge. I'm so used to waiting for sleep to claim me as I lay against Lord Sesshomaru's side that the lack of stars in the sky is enough to tell me something is wrong.
It seems to affect Master Jaken and A-unn, too. Neither of them sleep on this night, and we have been sitting in camp for hours after the sun set. I had initially thought that I would be laying on the ground in front of the fire this night, especially since Master Jaken is awake, but Lord Sesshomaru seems to want me closer than ever. He keeps his arm tight over my shoulders, pressing me into his side with protective authority, and his mokomoko coils in my lap and hide nearly all of me, except for my face.
I figure he is attempting to do everything he can to keep me out of sight from this unseen enemy. It doesn't take obvious signals to let us know that we are in danger.
Master Jaken holds his staff upright as he sits in the grass, watching the surrounding forest with alert eyes and twirling the staff in his hands. The two heads alternate views as they turn round and round, wooden eyes blank and unseeing. A-unn is laying on his belly, eyes wide and alert, claws furrowing gouges into the ground as we all wait in tense silence.
Finally, it happens. An unearthly scream echoes over the land, and I instantly recognize it as belonging to Entei. A-unn springs to his feet and roars back a challenge, thrashing his tail back and forth.
"Jaken." Lord Sesshomaru says, his voice harsh. Master Jaken jumps to his feet and takes A-unn's muzzles off him, allowing him to freely move his mouths and pulls his saddle off his back so he's granted complete movement. Lord Sesshomaru looks down at me, wrapped entirely in his mokomoko, and his flint-hard eyes flash.
"I want you to stay here with A-unn, Ai." he tells me, more of an order than anything. I assume his harsh tone is due to the imminent attack we face, but it still doesn't make it hurt any less. I figure maybe he senses he is too harsh, for when he stands he helps me to my feet, taking back his mokomoko and pulling me into a crushing hug. Master Jaken turns away politely, giving us our privacy, but it doesn't lessen the redness in my cheeks or the way my heart pounds. Lord Sesshomaru presses his face into my hair, and his hands are rough yet gentle on my back.
"You will be safe." He promises earnestly. I feel his breath tickle my ear and I smile into his shoulder, feeling safer than I ever had in his arms.
"Milord!" Master Jaken suddenly calls, fright coloring his tone. Lord Sesshomaru releases me immediately and urges me to A-unn's side, before we both are able to look into the sky and see the cause of Jaken's alarm.
A red and orange shape is making its way toward us rapidly, leaving in its wake a trail of flames. Entei screams a challenge, coming to a quick stop and rearing up into the air, lashing out with his forelegs. Lord Sesshomaru snarls and withdraws Tokijin, leaning back on his heels and waiting for Hakudoshi to make the first move.
Instead of instantly attacking, like we all expected, Entei turns to the side and exposes Hakudoshi, who raises his spear over his head in a silent display of power. Lightning forks down from the sky with deafening cracks and flashes of silver light.
"Finally, the time has come," Hakudoshi's childlike voice doesn't fail to send a chill down my spine. Lord Sesshomaru stays quiet, as I expected him to, but I see his eyes tighten and narrow. A-unn watches diligently, his eyes positively fixed on Hakudoshi's demon mount.
"Enough of you!" Master Jaken brays courageously. Even from here, I can see how the sight of Hakudoshi makes him shake in fear. I admire his courage and wish I had as much.
Instead of standing around and feeling helpless, I gather my bow and quiver from where they lay among A-unn's gear and string up an arrow, holding it loosely in the bow string, for I've no need to use it just yet.
"I've been waiting ages for this exact moment, Sesshomaru," Hakudoshi snarls, fury lighting his face and making him seem that much more malicious. Lord Sesshomaru glowers at him, saying nothing. "Understand that yes, I did loathe Naraku for using me as his puppet, but he was the only man alive that had the strength and bravery to take you on, Sesshomaru. Until now, until you and your half-brother saw fit to blast him into a million pieces and send him to the Afterlife, I have held no ill-will toward you in the least. Until you destroyed him and your younger brother took the jewel he worked so hard on restoring from me, I have held no reason to come after you. But now, your time has come to die!"
Hakudoshi's speech is made all the more impressive by the twin forks of lightning that spark from the sky on either side of him.
"Hmph," Lord Sesshomaru dismisses his threats with a simple sound. "Small words from a small threat, Hakudoshi. And what do you plan to do once I am dead?" Lord Sesshomaru's voice drips with sarcasm, for he will not allow Hakudoshi the bragging rights of killing him.
"After you?" Hakudoshi touches a finger to his chin, thinking for just an instant. "After you I will go after your brother, and make sure he does not live to see another night. And then when he is dead, I will kill that girl of yours, slow and painful, so she feels every inch of my blade biting into her flesh." Terror runs down my spine and I swallow the bile that rises from my stomach.
His words are too much for Lord Sesshomaru. With a snarl of fury, the daiyoukai leaps at Hakudoshi and crosses the distance between them in one blindingly fast movement, slicing the air inches from his face. Hakudoshi grins and Entei dodges to the side, narrowly missing Lord Sesshomaru's outstretched claws.
From my place on the ground, I can see Entei's jaw working, collecting energy in his mouth to fire one bright ball to the unlucky receiver. A-unn rises a few feet from the ground and fires intermittently from his mouths, each orb blasting around the barrier Hakudoshi has pulled around him and his steed.
Suddenly, as Lord Sesshomaru moves to attack again, Entei releases the energy from his mouth and it heads straight at A-unn and I, growing in size. The surface ripples as it thunders through the sky, and I fear A-unn will be unable to send it back at him because of its size.
"Move!" I cry, pushing on A-unn's side with all my strength. The dragon seems to understand, for at the last moment he throws himself out of the way, grabbing the back of my kimono with his teeth and pulling me along with him.
As I sprawl roughly over A-unn's back, landing in the thick bushes, I see the expression of pure terror on Lord Sesshomaru's face as he watches the ball of energy collide with the ground and explode, setting ablaze everything near it.
Hakudoshi is laughing, but I take no notice of much else, for I am running, pushing my way through the trees as branches slap my arms and face. Terror keeps me moving, fueling my adrenaline and nearly blinding me as I keep up my pace, gasping for breath. I hear something crashing after me and, in my fear, do not realize it is A-unn, and I keep running.
Entei screams and the sound grows closer. I can tell that they are following me, following my blind run to God-knows-where, and just as my foot catches on a root and threatens to send me sprawling, a figure catches me in mid-air and lifts me to safety. Eyes screwed shut, it takes a minute to gather the courage and open them, and I see I've been rescued by none other than Inuyasha.
"Let me go!" I scream, pounding on his shoulders and kicking my legs.
"Knock it off, will ya? I saved you, idiot," he jumps from treetop to treetop, so agile and quick that the wind steals my breath. Finally, we touch down and I am surprised to see the rest of Inuyasha's friends waiting.
"Ai, are you all right?" Kagome is kneeling in front of me, touching my shoulders and looking at me with incredible concern. "We heard screaming, so I sent Inuyasha out to see what it was," she explains quickly. Sango and Miroku are watching me with sadness in their eyes, for I have no doubt that they do not realize the extreme danger waiting through those trees.
"Where's Lord Sesshomaru?" I demand, wiping my tear-stricken face. My chest heaves and I am short of breath, but I manage to ask the one question that is screaming through my mind.
"That old man's nearby?" Inuyasha looks around, lifting his face to the wind and sniffing the air, looking very much like a dog.
"Y-yes," I stutter, breathing deep to catch my breath. I realize only now that I am leaning against something large and warm, and I turn my head to see my back resting against Sango's two-tailed cat demon. Her large red eyes bore into mine with such intensity that I have to look away. "Hakudoshi attacked us and we got separated," I explain. "He's going to kill me!" I cry out, fresh tears streaming down my face.
I'd never given much thought as to when or how I would die, but knowing that Hakudoshi has an especially slow and painful one in mind for me makes my heart race and fear lock my joints.
"Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha asks angrily, put off only by Kagome's expression.
"No, idiot, Hakudoshi!" she exclaims in ire.
"Right. I'm going after him," Inuyasha prepares to leap, but before he can, A-unn explodes from the trees, Entei on his heels and Lord Sesshomaru following close behind.
"Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru!" I scream, fighting against Kagome's hands that hold me back.
"You have to stay here!" Sango pleads, taking Kagome's place and holding me back. I stop, realizing she's right, and let myself slump against Kirara. The demon cat rumbles, sounding familiarly like A-unn, and the noise comforts me.
"Hakudoshi!" Inuyasha roars, his voice echoing off the trees. The demon incarnate grins madly and ushers Entei into the air. I see Kagome stringing up an arrow and remember from somewhere in the back of my mind that she contains a great amount of spiritual energy. The woman slinks into the trees as slow as she can, as not to attract any attention to herself and takes aim.
Hakudoshi breaks into wild laughter, filling the clearing with the evil sound of it. I see Lord Sesshomaru standing a distance away, his eyes moving to me and back up to Hakudoshi, fighting with himself to run to my side. I know that the instant he moves, Hakudoshi will attack.
"This is perfect!" Hakudoshi cries, throwing up his hands in exultation. "I get to kill two brothers in one night!" Sango and Miroku scowl and Kirara growls, inching out from underneath me. I stand, allowing the two-tail full movement, and shield myself behind Miroku. I'm pretty defenseless, having lost my weapons in the forest as I ran.
"Kill us? What the hell are you yapping about?" Inuyasha pulls his sword from its sheath and I'm amazed to see it grow in size, glowing with a yellow light.
"I'm interested only in avenging Naraku's death by killing Sesshomaru, and taking that jewel back from you, mutt," he snarls, raising his weapon over his head.
"Taking the jewel back?" Inuyasha echoes. "You'll have to kill me first!"
"Precisely!" Hakudoshi snarls, kicking his heels against Entei's sides and barreling towards him. The instant the horse begins to move, I hear Kagome in the bushes firing her arrow. The arrow glows purple with spiritual light, and Entei has no time to dodge the attack. The arrow lodges itself in his side, piercing his heart and the horse screams in pain, falling quickly from the sky.
Perhaps Hakudoshi realizes his horse is dying, for he leaps from his back and lands nimbly on his feet as Entei crashes to the ground, broken and dead. Hakudoshi eyes the form of his lifeless mount in disbelief, fury washing over his features.
"You wench," he snarls low, his voice deadly. "You're going to pay for that!" I watch in horror as Hakudoshi leaps at Kagome, sword brandished, but Inuyasha intervenes. He slams his blade against Hakudoshi's, knocking the smaller man backwards and continues his attack. Lord Sesshomaru's claws glow green, and my eyes widen as he leaps at the two fighting men, slashing at his brother.
"Hey!" Inuyasha exclaims. The three of them spring apart, eyeing each other warily. "The hell'd you do that for, Sesshomaru?" Lord Sesshomaru eyes his brother with disgust.
"This is my fight, little brother, so keep your nose out of it," he snaps, glaring with enough heat to melt an iceberg.
"I saved your girl, Sesshomaru, you know that? She would've been dead without me!" Inuyasha counters.
"Stop your barking, Inuyasha, and let the real demons handle this." Lord Sesshomaru's voice is so quick and harsh and it looks as though Inuyasha's been slapped. The instant Lord Sesshomaru finishes his sentence, he leaps at Hakudoshi.
The man is unable to completely dodge Lord Sesshomaru's swift attack, especially now without Entei, and he earns a long slash across the chest of his haori… but he doesn't bleed. I watch in horror, waiting for something, anything to come out of the wound, but nothing happens. Hakudoshi looks down; placing a hand over his wound and pulling it back, examining his palm.
He smiles so serenely, a shiver runs down my spine.
"I don't bleed," he says deliberately. "I'm not that easy to kill." Lord Sesshomaru looks disgusted and taken aback, all at the same time, and I hear Sango gasp. She, too, can't believe it. Hakudoshi's smile fades; replaced with a sinister expression that tells us all he's just getting started. Then, with a roar of fury, he leaps forward, jabbing his spear at Lord Sesshomaru, his face twisted up in rage. My breath catches as Lord Sesshomaru barely evades his attack, coming back at him with twice as much power, managing to slice through the skin of Hakudoshi's shoulder.
The man looks furious, hesitating for just a moment to touch his newly injured shoulder. The sleeve of his haori is dangling by nothing more than a few threads, so Hakudoshi rips it off and curses under his breath, letting it fall to the ground.
"Bastard!" Inuyasha challenges, leaping forward and swinging his sword wildly. Lord Sesshomaru glares, but allows his younger brother to attack. Perhaps he is waiting to catch his breath, and then again, he's probably hoping Hakudoshi will kill Inuyasha and save him the headache.
Master Jaken comes panting from between the trees, red faced and sweating.
"Oh, Master Jaken!" I exclaim, glad to see him still alive. I had worried about his disappearance.
"I can't believe Milord would let Inuyasha intervene!" Jaken exclaims, smacking his hand to his forehead. "It is unlike him!" I think maybe Lord Sesshomaru can hear him speak, because he sends a glare toward Jaken that is so filled with anger, Jaken squeaks himself quiet and darts behind Miroku and I.
A sudden clang pulls my attention back to the fight at hand. Hakudoshi has managed to knock Inuyasha's sword from his possession and it lands in the dirt, shrinking down to normal proportions and looking nothing like its previous self.
"Dammit," I hear Inuyasha curse. Kagome, moving with speed unknown to us humans, strings up a bow and aims it at Hakudoshi, who has pinned Inuyasha down and is leveling his spear at his throat.
"Hit the mark!" I hear her encourage herself, before the arrow is released. It whistles through the air, glowing with spiritual energy, before slamming into Hakudoshi's shoulder. The man staggers backward, clutching at the arrow's shaft, his face twisting up in pain as he tries to pry it from his shoulder.
While his attention is diverted, Lord Sesshomaru leaps forward, bringing Tokijin down over Hakudoshi's head. I hear a loud crack as his skull breaks and watch Lord Sesshomaru bring his arm up in one final swipe before Hakudoshi's head tumbles from his shoulders, bouncing to the ground and rolling, coming to a final stop next to Entei's disintegrated body. Hakudoshi's body falls to its knees, his skin decomposing quickly into nothing, leaving his skeleton still clad in his childish outfit.
Finality rings out over the battlefield, and it feels as though an enormous weight has been lifted from my fragile shoulders.
"Milord has vanquished Hakudoshi!" Master Jaken crows in celebration, leaping into the air several times. I grin, watching Inuyasha pick himself up from the ground, wearing a rather sour expression as he retrieves his sword and sheaths it.
"He couldn't have done it without Kagome's arrows!" I protest, making sure Kagome earns credit where it's due. The young miko smiles and slings an arm around my shoulder, squeezing warmly and releasing me.
I look to Lord Sesshomaru, who is staring at Hakudoshi's wasted body with an unreadable expression, sheathing Tokijin at his side. He lifts his head and stares directly at me, crossing the distance between us in several long strides, pulling me close when he is near.
My cheeks blaze, goaded on by the fact that Kagome and all of her friends are gawking at this clearly unexpected display. Lord Sesshomaru pays them no mind as his brushes a strand of hair out of my face, his eyes melting into mine.
"You aren't hurt, are you?" he murmurs low, only for my ears.
I shake my head. "No, Lord Sesshomaru, and you?" I worry for him, until a tiny smile and a shake of his head placate my fears.
And even with Inuyasha and his friends watching, Lord Sesshomaru bows my body against his, holding me impossibly close, and kissing me with enough passion to make everyone look away and rub their necks awkwardly.
"About time!" Master Jaken cheers. I smile against Lord Sesshomaru's lips, knowing that this public kiss certainly won't be the last, and that there is much, much more to come.