A/N: not much to put, other than this is the last chap in the Band of Seven arc i covered. enjoy!
disclaimer: i don't own InuYasha; my OCs belong to me.
Chapter 28: Shattering Stars: Carnations
"'Go easy on him'? I should be taking the shards from his scrawny wolf legs!" He scoffed.
She felt a vein twitching on her brow before she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
THWACK.
Ginta, Hakkaku, Kagome and Shippo sweatdropped; Kirara tilted her head to one side.
"OI WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, KORI!?" The hanyou barked indignantly, glaring daggers at the pissy she-wolf as she folded her arms and ignored the large bump that swelled on his head from her long bow's beating.
Korihime exhaled quietly and scowled up at his gold eyes. "Give it a rest! He's still injured for the gods' sakes. And if you so much as try to steal the shards from his legs and arm I'm going to beat you into a friggin' coma with just my long bow! Got it, half-breed?" She had dropped her tone to a low and dangerous, even icy tone that complimented her namesake.
InuYasha had to fight a shiver at the tone in her voice that clearly said she was losing her patience, spluttering a huff and looking away. "Keh, fine." He growled, folding his arms in the sleeves of his red kosode.
Kagome smiled patiently at him, looking at the she-wolf. "Will you find your sister after this?" She wondered.
She nodded, looking down at the still-unconscious wolf demon and exhaling again. "Yeah, kind of have to. We're still pack, no matter what. Besides, Koga will be able to stand on his own two feet soon, knowing him." She chuckled, blue eyes soft despite her joke.
The hanyou refrained from snorting aloud at the expense of another beating; 'course he will, then you'll go back to sniffing after him, he thought, disgruntled.
She looked over her shoulder at the imp that had been repelled by the barrier's power, chuckling quietly at the comical expression on his green face.
So the barrier isn't affecting her as much, either, he thought, stealing a glance at his female counterpart. She truly has become stronger than she was when we first met…
"If you're going to keep staring, you might as well ask me whatever question you have on your mind." She mused patiently, perking his ears.
He cleared his throat to try and dismiss the slight embarrassment at having been caught staring, looking away. "It's nothing."
She sighed and tugged on his sleeve out of habit, her silver eyes stubborn and patient at the same time. "Sesshomaru."
He met her stare and their eyes locked before he reluctantly backed down, his shoulders slumping a little. "I was just noticing that you really have gotten stronger since we met, two hundred years ago. I haven't met many female wolf demons in the past, but even if I did, I doubt they would be as powerful as you have become." He declared quietly.
She blushed and lowered her gaze humbly, continuing to walk at his side.
Once again, considering she had lost count a few decades ago, Sesshomaru had stumped her with his antics.
Sure he would praise her from time to time, rain kisses on her during and after they made love, and usually remarked in a teasing manner to her sarcastic comments or playful jibes. But to actually compliment her prowess over two centuries' time span? This was a new one that she instantly added to a mental list she'd kept of rare things he'd said in the past.
Either the barrier of Mt. Hakurei had done a number on his demonic power to the point where he had gained a concussion from it, or he had completely fallen for her… She just wasn't sure which one was the correct guess.
"Either the barrier is finally affecting you or I might've just turned you speechless from my compliment." Sesshomaru's low and calm voice jerked her from her thought train, bringing it to a skidding halt.
Getsu coughed as her cheeks flared a soft pink hue, huffing. "I… Shut up. Baka-inu," she grumbled, the blush deepening.
He smiled down at her, mentally cursing his lack of a left arm for the briefest moment where he imagined pulling her closer to tease her further; she was always more beautiful when he had her flustered.
::::::xXx::::::
The man's lip curled in a grimace. "He cut us off." He grated.
A jet of blue fire sailed past him, making both he and his cross-dressing friend duck in time.
"He isn't the only one who's pissed off." She growled, hopping from the higher ledge and landing nimbly several yards away from the two mercenaries. "Let the girl go and I might just spare your reanimated life." She added, cracking her knuckles, silver eyes dangerous.
"Getsu-onee, you're here!" The girl exclaimed; she spared her a glance and winked before her silver eyes looked into the dark eyes of her captor.
"Sesshomaru, you handle the bitch, and I'll take him." She called leisurely, tying her hair back in a ponytail and glancing over her shoulder at her mate.
He huffed and smirked wryly at the confident look in her stare, inwardly shaking his head as he drew Tokijin; perhaps she had been spending too long of a time with him, if she was that confident at this point in a battle.
"Damn that wretch, and his overtly-confident bitch, too! You're both demons yet the barrier isn't affecting you… Maybe this will!" Jakotsu snarled as he sent the string of blades at both daiyokai.
"Look out!" Rin barked fearfully.
A loud growl sounded before a set of claws ripped into the transvestite's right shoulder, blood flying from the wound, before the owner of the growl sailed at the man that had captured the human child.
"That stupid whore!" The effeminate corpse hissed as he gripped his shoulder that bled freely.
A blast from the male daiyokai made him leap back out of reflex, broadsword bared.
"I'll have to insist you refrain from talking so callously about the woman I love." Sesshomaru thundered coldly, leaping at him as their blades clashed.
The second mercenary shoved the female daiyokai off with a foot, sending her back; she hopped back and landed nimbly on one foot a few ledges away. "You're pretty light on your feet. Do I get to learn the name of such a lovely dancer like yourself?" He taunted, perking her ears.
She almost thought she heard her mate growl disgruntledly at the mention of hearing her be praised for looking like a dancer, brushing it aside and glaring stonily into the man's dark blue stare. "You first."
He nodded. "Suikotsu; it's a pleasure."
"Getsu; I'm afraid I can't say the same." She replied stiffly.
He chuckled good-naturedly, meeting her icy silver stare. "And why ever not? From what I have heard, you're the most powerful wolf demon around, as well as the most beautiful." He smirked.
She bristled as her aura spiked out of reflex, her lip curling. "If you weren't threatening the life of my pup, I'd be flattered. But seeing as it's the opposite," she slipped a hand inside the collar of her kimono to pull out a short knife. "Rin, close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you to." She flicked her wrist, lowering her knife-wielding hand to her side.
"Okay!" She obeyed and closed her eyes tight.
He huffed and smirked again. "How sweet, wanting to keep her away from the sight of blood; it's almost maternal of you, Lady Getsuei."
She bared her teeth out of habit and lunged.
He brought up his gloved right hand that sported four large claws on the knuckles, swinging at her; his claws briefly ripped the left sleeve of her lilac kimono before she disappeared.
Where did she..?
A searing hot pain ripped through his left arm; his eyes widened in horror as he saw his left arm fall to the ground, the girl still tucked against the arm before she was saved from hitting the ground by a pair of female hands, before the pain washed over his body.
Suikotsu howled and cried out in agony as blood spewed out from where his left arm should have been before it was severed mere seconds ago.
Jakotsu's eyes widened slightly at the noise, briefly deterring his attention away from fighting the Inu-Daiyokai to the sight of his comrade clinging tightly to the stump of his left arm. Suikotsu…!
"Rin, open your eyes."
Her brown eyes cracked open to see a calm and warm pair of silver orbs that met her stare.
"Getsu-onee, I'm so glad you're okay!" Rin chirped, hugging the she-wolf that acted more as her mother than as her older sister.
Getsu groaned under her breath in relief and held her tight, nuzzling her cheek just like her own mother used to do her when she was little. "I'm glad you're safe too, Rin." She replied softly.
Suikotsu towered over the two females, bleeding, furious and downright dangerous. "You… how dare you cut off my arm!?" He roared as he swung down his clawed fist onto them.
"Getsu!" Sesshomaru shouted.
Rock crumbled where his fist had landed, surprising both mercenary and her mate.
Getsu stood atop a higher ledge, panting slightly from moving so quickly, the girl cradled to her chest in her left arm as she drew her katana. "You're too damn cocky to still be walking, corpse." She growled, her aura turned lilac as it emanated from her petite form.
"Getsu-onee," the girl began, peering up at the stony-faced female.
She looked down at her and smiled softly. "It'll be over soon, Rin, okay?" She replied.
She nodded and looked away as she was told in past incidents to do as such.
"Keep your eyes on me, pretty boy!" Jakotsu swung his blades at the relieved daiyokai.
Sesshomaru blocked them again, growling and lunging at him with renewed vigor to fight.
Suikotsu lunged at the she-wolf, seeing her duck and then leap overhead, still clutching a closed-eyed Rin to her chest, as she brought down her katana's blade on his own, sparks flying when their blades met.
Now that Rin is with me, I can fight this guy properly, she mused, grinding her weight down on the blades before he snarled and shoved her off.
She landed on her feet expertly, huffing and smirking at him. "Ironic that the dead is trying to get rid of the living." She mused, ducking a swipe he made for her throat, swinging her left foot out and sending it crashing into his ribs, forcing him away.
Because of the barrier I can't go at him with my full extent, but even with just the Wolf's Crescent, I can easily kill him, she thought, briefly looking down at her reflection in the heirloom's silver blade.
"You arrogant wolf, keep your head or you'll lose it!" Suikotsu swung his claws at her again in a series of fury swipes.
Getsu dodged each of them with little effort, ducking on the last swipe and rushing past him, her katana's blade ripping into his side she'd kicked moments ago.
More blood flew, even though it was coming from the reanimated mercenary.
"I'm the arrogant one, am I? Well, I'll be damned: the dead have a sense of humor!" Her clawed hand tightened on the teal fabric of the hilt. "You're the one who's arrogant!" She swung the blade sharply from the left, sending an arc of blue-green energy screaming at the mercenary.
He snarled as he flew at her again, surprising the she-wolf, his claws ripping into her right shoulder as she narrowly dodged his attack.
Blood stained her lilac sleeve, rousing the senses of her currently-occupied mate; his gold eyes sharpened at the scent of her blood.
Getsu growled and glared at Suikotsu as he turned on her, glowering up at him.
Jakotsu laughed darkly, "well it looks like it's over for your precious bitch." He purred, jerking his attention to him, seeing his gold eyes narrow dangerously. "Such cold malice! You arrogant wretch, prepare to die with your damn whore!" He swung the string of blades at him sharply like a whip.
Sesshomaru flew at him, discarding Tokijin and baffling the transvestite. "Getsu, duck!" He barked before he took the attack from the broadsword; his clawed hand stabbed into the left lung of his opponent just as Tokijin stabbed through the right lung of Suikotsu.
He groaned in pain and surprise, eyes wide.
"A worthless bastard corpse like you does not deserve to live after insulting my mate, as well as trying to kill my pup." He growled frigidly, twisting his hand through his back with ease.
Suikotsu sank to his knees limply after yanking Tokijin out of his chest.
Getsu glared at him before she moved away to leave him to die.
"And where do you think you're going, bitch?" A sharp pain blossomed in her back.
She stumbled away, glaring over her shoulder at the perpetrator, thin rivulets of blood dripping from his claws as pieces of her kimono fluttered to the ground behind her.
He looked over at her alertly. "Getsu," he began, perking up as the transvestite stirred and then grinned darkly at him.
"Stupid dogs, both of you: we cannot be slain like normal humans." Jakotsu sneered.
Getsu snarled and bared her teeth at the advancing Suikotsu.
Sesshomaru yanked his hand out and hurried to her aid.
"Fool!" He cried, grinning again at his open back.
A sacred arrow shot at the claw-bearing mercenary, surprising Getsu, Sesshomaru, and Jakotsu.
Suikotsu's eyes bulged as the shard in his neck was set to become purified by the arrow.
"Suikotsu," his comrade blanched.
"Get away from my pack!" A dagger made of ice sailed at the distracted corpse, ripping into his right shoulder and surprising him.
Getsu's eyes widened slightly at the owner of the dagger. "You're back." She breathed.
Korihime came forward, long bow in hand as she neared the scene, her blue eyes tired and angered at the same time as they glanced at the target she'd hit; she met her sister's relieved and slightly tired silver stare and smiled dryly. "Pack sticks together no matter what."
She pouted.
At the insistence of both her mate and sister, she had been forced to leave the mountain and refrain from pursuing Naraku with her mate; so she was left babysitting the girl with her sister and Ah-Un.
'I will not let you go further; you're injured enough from the fight, and your body isn't healing yet because of the barrier from Mt. Hakurei.' He'd stated sternly, his gold eyes unperturbed by her whines and pleas to go with him after Naraku. 'Fine, I'll just stay here and sulk!' She'd huffed and looked away from him, pursing her lips. He'd shaken his head softly and sighed, leaning in to kiss her deeply, surprising her and letting her cling to his collar before he'd bumped foreheads gently. 'I will come for you, I promise that.' He'd purred softly. She'd quieted and exhaled, kissing him again. 'Don't you leave me alone forever.' She'd grumbled, staring up at him stubbornly. He'd chuckled and ran his thumb over the crescent on her cheek. 'I did make a promise.' He'd replied, kissing her again, tenderly this time, before letting go of her and walking away.
She sighed and scowled at the blue sky beyond the foliage of the tree she'd taken refuge in. Her wounds had healed at the average rate they would normally recover at, a day ago, so she was more or less free to move around now; after making sure her sister was keeping the girl busy, she'd stolen away to leap into a nearby oak just to clear her mind and relax.
She closed her eyes and rested her head against the tree's trunk with another sigh, oblivious to the goings-on of her three companions below.
"You have an interesting affinity for climbing in trees." His low voice declared.
Her eyes shot open and she jerked her head forward to stare into a pair of gold eyes. "Sesshomaru," she breathed in surprise.
He smirked slightly, shuffling on his perch to get comfortable. "You sound surprised; did you not think I would come back for you?" He wondered.
She blushed and looked down, huffing when she heard him chuckle softly. "No, it's not that! Don't sound so damn smug, either, or I'll throw you off the tree." She growled, ignoring the smirk on his lips. "I… Geez, I must look like shit right now, all bandaged up and the like." She brushed locks of hair from her face.
He exhaled patiently. "If I cared about how you looked after fighting so bravely in a battle then I wouldn't be appreciating you very well, now would I?" He replied, perking her ears.
The blush crept into her cheeks again before she turned her gaze away to the thin clouds beyond her reach. "He's back, isn't he?" Her question wasn't so much a question as it was a confirmation on her earlier assumptions.
He bristled visibly at the reminder and only exhaled, nodding. "Regrettably."
She huffed. "Good, that means that I can still fulfill my promise I made, long ago." She mused softly.
He nodded again, gold eyes tightening minutely at her words. "I would imagine your back has recovered." He guessed.
She nodded slightly, lifting a hand to rub her right shoulder out of slight reflex. "Kori's been sulking on and off; from what she told me, Koga saved her from getting the brunt of an attack by one of the now-dead Band of Seven, Genkotsu. I guess she feels indebted to him for doing so… Or maybe they did bond after all."
She sighed and released her shoulder to favor rubbing the back of her neck.
"Either way, it seems like she feels torn between staying with us or going to find him." She mused, her voice soft again as she felt she could relate, given she had basically been in the same situation awhile back with the daiyokai currently sitting with her in the tree.
He saw the flicker of thoughtfulness in her silver stare that looked away from him, staring at the stitched fabric on her right kimono sleeve.
"She knows that we're not the ones to decide her life for her; even though you are her older sister you can't tell her how to live. What path she chooses is for her to decide, not you or I." He offered quietly.
She nodded again, lifting her gaze to see he was staring past her at the tree, gold eyes almost distant. He really has gotten stronger, not just in physical strength, but also intellectually. Father, did you know that he would be greater than he was when you deemed us fiancés, so long ago? Did you know that he would be the man I would one day be willing to die with, the man that I would give my heart to? She wondered more to herself as a soft breeze made the leaves dance and catch at loose strands of black hair.
"Even though I forced you to stay behind, you did fight your hardest on Mt. Hakurei, and I must admit that I'm proud to have a mate as strong as you." He mused, perking her ears again.
Getsu blushed, seeing that his gold eyes were on her silver stare, a warmth in them that he only ever let her see; she smiled humbly, looking away. "Don't act like you didn't fight just as hard either," she began to remind before his lips covered hers in a kiss.
Sesshomaru felt her practically melt into the tree at the kiss, her arms lifting to fold on the back of his neck as he smiled and deepened the kiss, leaning onto her.
She moaned a little and gingerly pulled away to hold onto him, running her claws down his shoulders as he held her and buried his face into the spot between her neck and shoulder.
He sighed as he took in her familiar scent that had the hint to it that reminded her and any male that got near her that she belonged to him and him alone.
A/N: not much to put atm, next chap might be a filler. not sure just yet. lol but anywho, hope you guys liked this chap and hope to hear feedback. later!
