Chapter 25:
At the bottom of where Mt. Hakurei used to be. Ashuri winces, as she starts to come to. Ashuri's been woken up by a lashing of some sort of whip.
Ashuri opens her eyes to see Sesshomaru lashing his whip at small flying demons, trying to keep them away. "Sesshomaru…" Ashuri says.
Sesshomaru glances at her from the corner of his eye.
"Have you been keeping these demons away this whole time?" Asks Ashuri.
"Are you hurt at all?" Sesshomaru asks.
"No, I'm fine. What are these demons after?" Asks Ashuri.
"They're after the scent of blood from her wounds." Sesshomaru says.
Ashuri looks over to where Adrian's lying. "Is she alright?" Asks Ashuri.
"She should be. She landed on me and that should have broken her fall." Sesshomaru says.
Ashuri moves over to Adrian and leans over her. Adrian's back to being in her normal half-demoness state. Adrian's markings have vanished, her dark blue eye shadow has reappeared and her bat ears have returned. Adrian's hair has returned to its normal black color, as well. "I see she's returned to normal." Says Ashuri.
"She has a slight concussion, that's all I know." Sesshomaru says.
Ashuri caresses the side of Adrian's head, slightly, flicking one of her bat ears while doing so, gently.
Adrian suddenly awakens when Ashuri does so, her eyes look slightly dazed, but the golden tint in her irises is gone and her pupils are no longer slit. Ashuri takes her hand away. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you." Says Ashuri. "You didn't. I was just trying to rest off my wounds, but it didn't help much." Adrian says. "I see." Says Ashuri.
Sesshomaru turns to face them. "Are you still unable to move?" Sesshomaru asks.
Adrian moves to sit herself up, but it's obvious her wounds are still too painful for her to do much, they could easily reopen if she forces herself too hard. Adrian's wincing, slightly, as she tries to get herself to her feet.
"Don't force yourself to stand if it hurts." Says Sesshomaru.
Ashuri wraps her arms around Adrian's chest, helping her to get to her feet. Ashuri's keeping Adrian steady to her feet.
"Now, try walking if you can." Sesshomaru says.
"I'll only let you go when you want me to." Says Ashuri. "Let go." Adrian says. "Are you sure?" Asks Ashuri. "Yes." Adrian says. Ashuri releases her, slowly, but keeps her hands and arms near her in case she needs to grab a hold of her. Adrian takes a few steps, her wounds react a bit and she nearly loses her footing.
Only, in a flash, Sesshomaru is right in front of Adrian and catches her, surprisingly, breaking her fall. Adrian's actually surprised that Sesshomaru did that, Ashuri is equally stunned. "Sesshomaru, you caught her and I didn't even have to ask you to do so." Says Ashuri. "You would have yelled at me if I didn't." Sesshomaru says. "That is true, I probably would have." Says Ashuri. Sesshomaru then looks down at Adrian. "You're still in too much pain to move. If you wish, I can carry you the rest of the way." Sesshomaru says. "Sesshomaru, you're actually offering? I don't have to ask you to carry her?" Asks Ashuri. "You don't have to do that, Sesshomaru. I can walk on my own." Adrian says. "I'd rather not hear you in pain every step of the way. So like it or not, I'm carrying you the rest of the way." Says Sesshomaru. "That's pretty thoughtful of you, Sesshomaru. In your own stubborn way, that is." Ashuri says. Sesshomaru lifts Adrian up and cradles her in his only arm. Sesshomaru then walks forward and Ashuri follows alongside him.
Sometime later, Sesshomaru and Ashuri are still walking on. Adrian seems to have fallen asleep, probably because she feels a sense of security for once. "I see she's fallen asleep." Says Ashuri. "As long as she's not moaning in pain its fine. The pain from her wounds must have ceased a bit." Sesshomaru says. "Her wounds are still deep though. We need to get her to someone who can tend to them." Says Ashuri. "I know someone who could help. Only, we need to get out of here first." Sesshomaru says. "Sesshomaru, I've been wondering about something. Do you have feelings for Adrian?" Asks Ashuri. "If you're asking if I love her, then no I don't. She isn't mine to love, another demoness has my affections." Sesshomaru says. "If you don't mind me asking, who is the demoness that you love?" Asks Ashuri. "She is a dog demoness. She is very strong, selfless and clever. She's also a Princess from the West." Sesshomaru says. "I see." Says Ashuri. "She's also my betrothed." Sesshomaru says. Ashuri blushes a bit. "Oh, you meant me." Says Ashuri. "Of course I meant you. The only question is, do you feel the same way for me?" Sesshomaru asks. "Do you even have to ask? Of course I do, Sesshomaru. Why do you think I decided to travel with you?" Asks Ashuri. Sesshomaru suddenly stops, she notices and stops at his side. "What is it?" Ashuri asks. Sesshomaru's looking down at Adrian, still asleep in his arm. "It's that scent again." Says Sesshomaru. "What do you mean?" Ashuri asks. "Well, we now know that she is a half-demoness." Says Sesshomaru. "Yes, I'm aware. Why? I don't see how it makes her any different. She still means something to me, Allie and Heiri. She's still the same Adrian that we've known and that you've come to know." Ashuri says. "Yes, but that's not the point I was making. She doesn't carry the scent of a half-demoness, that's why none of us realized she was a half-demoness until just now. She carries the scent of a full-fledged demoness, like you and myself." Says Sesshomaru. "I don't understand what you're getting at." Ashuri says. "It's complicated to explain, but I came across this scent before. When Inuyasha, Koga and myself encountered her inside Naraku's castle. She was weakened and suffering from her injuries that Koga inflicted on her. She does typically carry the scent of a bat demoness." Says Sesshomaru. "I would hope so, considering she is a bat demoness." Ashuri says. "You're missing the point. I am aware that she is a bat demoness, but when she became a full-fledged demoness her scent changed a bit. She still had the scent of a bat demoness, but she also carried a trace of dog demoness scent." Says Sesshomaru. "Did you ever stop to consider that a bit of my scent could have gotten mixed with hers. Because I was holding onto her for a few minutes." Ashuri says. "Yes, but I know your scent. She didn't carry your scent on her. The dog demoness scent was like mine and my father's, even very slightly Inuyasha's." Says Sesshomaru. "What? Are you saying that somehow she's pretending to be a bat demoness and is actually a dog demoness? And that somehow, she has some sort of connection to you, your half-brother and your late father?" Ashuri asks. "I know how crazy it sounds, but I never said that she was pretending to be a bat demoness. What I meant was, she could simply be a crossbreed between a bat and a dog." Says Sesshomaru. "This is very confusing and it's making my head hurt. So, can we just drop this whole insane theory of yours?" Ashuri asks. She starts to walk ahead. "I'm not insane, Ashuri. And it's just a thought, nothing more." Says Sesshomaru. Ashuri turns back to face him. "I said we're dropping it, alright." Ashuri says. "Very well, whatever you say." Says Sesshomaru.
A tentacle suddenly appears behind Ashuri and approaches her, ready to impale her through. A barrier appears just in time to block it. Ashuri turns around to see what almost happened to her.
Naraku suddenly appears from the shadows. "Hm, I see even when she's unconscious she can still put up a barrier. Interesting." Naraku says.
"Naraku, I see you have finally come to me personally, instead of hiding behind others. Especially her." Says Sesshomaru.
"Oh, Lord Sesshomaru. You're still so hostile and hateful towards me. I'm actually surprised to see that you and your companion survived the fallen debris and the crashing to the bottom of Mt. Hakurei." Naraku says.
"Ashuri and Lord Sesshomaru survived because I allowed them to. You can put me down now, Sesshomaru." Says Adrian. Sesshomaru releases her and she stands to her feet, strongly, she still has the wound in her stomach, but the pain seems to have ceased quite a bit. "Besides, I would have been able to stop that pathetic attempt if I was fully conscious at the time. My Wind abilities could have easily stopped it. Now, why are you still here? I thought you would have left and went to executing a new scheme that will eventually end up failing anyway." Adrian says.
"I wouldn't be talking that way to me if I were you. Especially, when I have the possession of our precious daughter Kanna. I don't have her with me right now, but she managed to escape the destruction of Mt. Hakurei unharmed." Says Naraku.
"As I would expect her to. Besides, you wouldn't dare place a hand on Kanna." Adrian says.
"True, I would never hurt her with my own hands. But, there is someone else that I could bring harm to." Says Naraku.
"And who might that be? Kanna is my daughter and she's very dear to me. However, I don't care what happens to you. So, if Lord Sesshomaru wants to slash you to pieces right now, I won't be praying for you to come out of it alive." Adrian says. Sesshomaru steps up at the sound of that, Ashuri walks over to stand beside her. "So, you wouldn't mind if I kill him right now?" Asks Sesshomaru. "By all means." Adrian says.
"You might want to listen to what I have to say, before you ask Sesshomaru to do anything." Says Naraku.
"I shall give you three minutes, but that's it. After that, your fate is in Lord Sesshomaru's hand." Adrian says.
"Fine, I believe there's someone else you care dearly for besides Kanna." Says Naraku.
"If you are talking about Allie. Then I shall tear you apart myself and you will receive no mercy from Ashuri either." Adrian says. "She's right, if you're speaking of bringing harm to my cousin. I shall incinerate you until there is nothing left." Says Ashuri.
"I wasn't speaking of her. I was talking about the thing I tore out of your damn gut." Naraku says.
Ashuri's eyes suddenly widen, she isn't very happy to hear this. "You tore something out of her stomach?!" Asks Ashuri.
"Her womb actually would be more precise. I removed a pup from within her." Naraku says.
"Naraku, you are a sick and disturbing bastard! And you dare call yourself a man! You actually went so low as to prevent the birth of your own pup, that you removed it from within her!" Says Ashuri. "Even I have to admit that, that was a very savagely and unmanly thing to do. Even for someone as cruel and malevolent as you, Naraku." Sesshomaru says. Both him and Ashuri bring their attention towards Adrian. "I didn't even know you were pregnant." Says Ashuri. "Neither did I." Sesshomaru says. "That's because I never mentioned it and he cloaked my pregnancy so his enemies couldn't sense it. It wasn't exactly a normal pregnancy anyway." Says Adrian. "What do you mean?" Ashuri asks. "You see, Naraku isn't exactly the patient type. When I was pregnant with Kanna and he found out, he didn't want to wait the eight months of when pups are normally born. He also hates it when I complain about things, especially when I'm in pain. So, what does he decide to do. Oh yes, he decides to speed up my pregnancy and perform a voodoo pregnancy on me. That way he could decide when the pup would be fully developed and be ready to tear it out of my fucking womb whenever he saw fit. At first, Kanna was just a normal pregnancy. However, when I went into labor with her two months early, I thought I was going into premature labor. But no, Naraku explained to me that he turned my pregnancy into a voodoo one and tore her out of my womb. So, Kanna was 'born' in six months instead of eight. When he found out I was pregnant with the pup he's talking about now, which was just another normal pregnancy, he did the same thing. For this pup I recently just had, my pregnancy only lasted two months." Says Adrian. After hearing this, both Sesshomaru and Ashuri are glaring at Naraku. "You sick son of a bitch! How dare you do something so horrid!" Ashuri says. "You disgust me!" Says Sesshomaru. "Wait, did you say he tore Kanna out of you, as well?" Ashuri asks. "Yes." Says Adrian. "Is that why she seems to show no emotion?" Sesshomaru asks. "Not quite, that was Naraku's doing. He possesses Kanna's life force, but mark my words, Naraku. I shall get it from you and free Kanna from your grasp." Says Adrian.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night. Now, this pup that I was talking about. You may not realize it, but I placed my very heart inside your womb when I found out you were pregnant with this pup. So not only is he our pup, he is also my heart." Naraku says.
"He?" Asks Adrian.
"Yes, I said he. Oh, that's right, you didn't know our new pup's sex. I didn't allow you to see him before I sent you to fight and kill Inuyasha. Which you failed to do." Naraku says.
"Like I said, no one has any power to control me. If my sword can't possess me to do its bidding, then there is no way in Hell that you or anyone else can. Anyway, your time has run out. So, I would get to the point fast or Lord Sesshomaru will slaughter you before you even have the chance to do so." Says Adrian.
"Since you're so eager, I plan to use our new son for my next plan. By the way, even though he is a demon like you and myself, but since you and I are both half-breeds. As you are aware, Kanna ended up getting the demon half from the both of us and since she was created through voodoo, she can't age and will remain as a ten-year-old demon pup. Unless the source of her heart is somehow returned to her, then she'll age just like any other." Naraku says.
"I'm already well aware of this, Naraku. By the way, you are wasting your time. So, spit it out and get out of my life." Says Adrian.
"Fine, our son has apparently received the human half from the both of us. Considering he appears to be a human baby, but he can speak fluently and he has the power to control people with the darkness in their own hearts. So, I'll use his ability as my advantage at getting the rest of the Sacred Jewel shards. Although, I think his personality could use a little fixing." Naraku says.
"It sounds to me that he resents you already, Naraku. And I don't blame him for disliking his own father." Says Adrian.
"I should tell you this, too. The Infant, like Kanna, will also remain the age he is now. He'll always stay in the form of an infant. But he told me this once, he said that he remembers hearing your voice while he was still in your womb. He said that it sounded tendering and soothing to him." Naraku says.
"Where is my son now?" Asks Adrian.
"I left him in Kagura's hands. She's taking care of him and she got him safely out of Mt. Hakurei before it came tumbling down." Naraku says.
Adrian closes her eyes. "I see, in that case. You are no longer any use to me. So…" Says Adrian. She opens her eyes, she is enraged and glaring right at Naraku, she's also baring her fangs at him. Adrian lifts up her hand, holding up her middle finger at Naraku. "Fuck you, Naraku!" Adrian says.
"Why you damn bitch!" Says Naraku.
"That's what happens when you enrage a demoness with a bad attitude and who no one should think about double-crossing!" Adrian says. She summons a huge gust of wind, making their clothing and hair blow all over the place. Adrian sends a torrent of wind towards Naraku, nearly sending him flying, but he manages to keep a foothold.
Naraku then sends a few of his tentacles towards Adrian, two of them go right past her and then the third impales her through the left thigh, another tentacle slams into her from the side and sends her crashing into a rocky wall. Adrian lands on the ground near it.
"Adrian!" Says Ashuri. Sesshomaru steps in front of her, unsheathing his sword, the Tokijin. "Ashuri, go see to her. I shall cover you." Sesshomaru says. Ashuri nods.
Ashuri then runs over to where Adrian landed, she can only manage to keep herself propped up on her elbow, lying on her right side. Ashuri kneels down to one knee beside Adrian. "Are you alright?" Asks Ashuri. "Not exactly, I have been better." Adrian says. Ashuri helps her to sit up against the rocky wall, when she does one of the palms of her hands is stained with blood. "What… did I do...?" Asks Ashuri. "You didn't do anything. The wound in my stomach reopened." Adrian says. She moves her hand out of the way to show that the wound has reopened and blood is running down again, her hand is stained with blood, as well. "Damn it all." Says Adrian. Ashuri then notices that Naraku's tentacle is still jabbed into her left thigh, wiggling around. Ashuri lifts up one of her hands and severs the part of the tentacle that's in Adrian's thigh and what was connected to Naraku.
"Damn you!" Naraku says. He sends a couple of tentacles towards them, only Sesshomaru runs over to them and stands in the way, slicing his tentacles with the Tokijin.
"Thank you, Sesshomaru." Says Ashuri. She goes to try and remove the part of the tentacle that's still in Adrian's thigh, it suddenly turns black.
Sesshomaru notices this. "Ashuri, don't! It's poisoned!" Sesshomaru says.
It's too late, Ashuri already placed her hand on it, she suddenly pulls it away, feeling sudden pain in the palm of her hand. Ashuri winces, in pain, and turns her hand over, revealing a sudden tear in the middle of her palm, her hand is shaking, reacting to the poison.
Naraku laughs in his evil way and then vanishes, within his barrier.
Sesshomaru sheathes Tokijin and kneels down to one knee on the other side of Adrian. Sesshomaru grabs a hold of Ashuri's hand that was just infected with poison. Ashuri brings her attention to Sesshomaru and lets him see the slit in her hand, the poison is beginning to turn the inside of her hand black. Sesshomaru then turns his attention towards Adrian, her eyes are closed at the moment. "Isn't there something you can do to help her?" Asks Sesshomaru. Adrian opens her purple eyes, looking up at him. "What do you want me to do, Lord Sesshomaru? Slice her hand off?" Adrian asks. "Well no, but isn't there a certain ability you bats have?" Asks Sesshomaru. Adrian glances at the tear in Ashuri's hand and then back up at him. "All I can offer is this." Adrian says. She reaches behind her sash and pulls out the pouch with the special healing remedy that she lent to Inuyasha once. "You already know about the contents of the substance in this pouch. I once lent it to your brother. I know from experience that it works, I don't know how well it fends off against poison though. Especially, if it's as fatal as Naraku's, but it's worth a shot. Although, I only have a small amount left. So, we only have one shot with it. If it doesn't work, I can try something else." Says Adrian. Sesshomaru glances over at Ashuri. "It's your call, Ashuri." Sesshomaru says. "I shall try anything to be rid of this pain." Says Ashuri. "Very well." Adrian says. She puts a small amount of the remedy into Ashuri's palm and it was the last of it, too. Adrian then places the pouch back behind her sash. "Lord Sesshomaru, all I need you to do is to keep Ashuri's hand still." Says Adrian. "I can do that." Sesshomaru says. He tightens his hold on Ashuri's hand a bit and is able to keep it still. "Good, now all I have to do is keep the remedy in affect." Says Adrian. She then moves her right wing and lifts it up, dangling the point of her wing over Ashuri's hand. "What are you doing? You're not going to cut my hand off, are you?" Ashuri asks, a little scared. "No, I'm not going to cut your hand off. Just watch." Says Adrian. She lifts up her own arm and suddenly punctures through her own palm. Adrian then takes her wing away. "Why the hell did you that to yourself? You're losing too much blood already." Ashuri says. "Just calm down and watch." Says Adrian. She turns her hand over and hovers it over Ashuri's, her blood dripping onto the remedy. Adrian then places her index finger into the remedy and her claw pierces into the tear, her blood running down her fingers and claws. The remedy and Adrian's blood suddenly start to glow a bright red, illuminating their faces. The remedy starts to take affect and the red glow ceases. Adrian then takes her hand away and the tear in Ashuri's hand is healed, the poison has also ceased and left her bloodstream. Ashuri's hand has returned to normal. Ashuri takes her hand out of Sesshomaru's hold. "You did it, I can't feel any pain in my hand anymore." Ashuri says. Adrian's looking rather exhausted right now, her eyes look really out of it. Ashuri places one of her hands on Adrian's shoulder. "What's the matter?" Asks Ashuri. "The poison that was in your bloodstream was removed, but everything comes with a price." Adrian says. "What are you talking about?" Asks Sesshomaru. Ashuri notices the tentacle is still in Adrian's left thigh. "Sesshomaru, I never removed the tentacle from her thigh. She's also being infected with the poison." Ashuri says. Sesshomaru reaches his hand towards it and tries pulling it out, with most of his strength he manages to pull it out and then chucks it a far distance away. "Why weren't you affected by the poison?" Asks Ashuri. "Because Lord Sesshomaru is immune to any type of poison. Even Naraku's." Adrian says. She's starting to sound weaker. "Why do you sound so much weaker?" Asks Sesshomaru. "Sesshomaru, can't we get her to someone who can help her?" Ashuri asks. Sesshomaru looks over Adrian's condition. "I know someone who could help. However, I don't know how much they can help her now." Says Sesshomaru. "We have to at least try and save her. Sesshomaru, could you carry her again?" Ashuri asks. Sesshomaru moves to try and do what she requested of him, but he's suddenly stopped when Adrian places one of her hands against his chest to stop him from doing so. "It is already too late. The damage from the poison has been done. I am beyond saving now, Naraku has won." Says Adrian.
One of Naraku's tentacles suddenly emerges from behind the wall and snags her around her neck, cutting off the oxygen to her lungs. "Naraku, damn you!" Ashuri says. She slices through the tentacle with her claws, releasing Adrian from its grasp. Adrian then collapses into Ashuri's arms.
Naraku suddenly appears and sends both Ashuri and Adrian crashing to the ground, separating them from each other.
Naraku charges at Ashuri, but is stopped shortly by Adrian, who grabs a hold of him from behind and puts him in a sleeper hold. Naraku gasps for air and grasps at Adrian's forearms that are around his neck. "Lord Sesshomaru, get him now." Says Adrian.
Sesshomaru flexes his claws and runs at Naraku. "Time to say your final words, Naraku." Sesshomaru says.
"I don't think so, Sesshomaru." Says Naraku. He positions one of his tentacles near Adrian and whacks her in the side of her head, making her lose her hold on him. Naraku then grabs Adrian by the hair, pulls her off of him by it and throws her at Sesshomaru.
Sesshomaru lowers his claws and Adrian ends up colliding right into him, sending them both falling back.
Ashuri suddenly comes to, able to get up to her hands and knees.
Sesshomaru ended up landing over Adrian and gets himself up to one knee, kneeling over her for the moment.
"Sesshomaru, is she alright?" Ashuri asks.
"She got in the way again." Says Sesshomaru. He brings his attention down to Adrian, he finally notices that she's unconscious. The side of Adrian's head is bleeding again, too. Sesshomaru actually seems to have some concern in his golden eyes. Sesshomaru leans down a little closer to Adrian, taking in her unconscious state. Sesshomaru places his hand on Adrian's face and lifts it up, slightly, to see if she'd wake up. Adrian makes a small whimper, but that's about it. Sesshomaru then looks over at Ashuri. "She's unconscious, but she's still alive." Sesshomaru says.
Ashuri takes a breath, in relief. "You had me worried for a minute there." Says Ashuri. She runs over towards them, kneeling down beside them. "Ashuri, get her out of here. I shall take care of Naraku." Sesshomaru says. "How am I supposed…?" Asks Ashuri. "Just take her on your back and transform into your true demoness form. You should be able to break through to the surface." Sesshomaru says. "No, I'm not leaving here without you." Says Ashuri. Sesshomaru suddenly grabs a hold of one of her wrists and pulls her closer towards himself, holding her close to his chest. "Just remember this. I love you and I always have. From the moment I met you and when we found out we were betrothed to each other, I fell even more in love with you." Sesshomaru says. "Sesshomaru…" Says Ashuri, touched. Sesshomaru kisses her on the forehead, right on her crescent moon and flame birthmark. "My heart belongs to you only. Now, please take her and leave this place. Don't look back and keep running, no matter what happens." Sesshomaru says. He then stands up and walks away until he's standing at a fighting distance with Naraku, unsheathing Tokijin. "Go now, Ashuri." Says Sesshomaru.
Ashuri shakes her head, snapping back into reality. Ashuri then lifts Adrian up and pulls her onto her back. Ashuri stands up and runs off, piggybacking Adrian on her back.
Sesshomaru is then left to fight off Naraku.