CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
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Yoshiko crept backwards, trying not to tremble. Her hands flew up to her belly, as if she could shield her baby from Sesshomaru. A blast of hot air swirled behind her, making her cringe away, huddling under the fire-rat cloak. Then she looked up at her stepson.
"Please," she whispered almost soundlessly.
Sesshomaru gave no sign of having heard her. His golden eyes were as cold and hard as stones. He was just staring down at her, with no expression on his handsome face. Suddenly Yoshiko began coughing hard -- and felt another wave of pain inside her. As she groaned and clutched at her middle, Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly... then narrowed again.
Suddenly Yoshiko wondered if he was going to kill her. In this place, no one would know if she died by a demon's claws or by the fire. He could kill her in a moment, leave her body to be consumed and buried in the wreck of the monastery. And the Dog-Lord would never know...
It was on her lips to beg him to spare her baby, to let him live. But if Sesshomaru had decided to kill her, she knew he wouldn't spare her unborn child. Begging would make no difference to him... and she knew a half-human infant's life would mean nothing. She huddled against the burning, half-collapsed wall.
And then he reached for her.
"No! NO!" Yoshiko cried, feebly beating at him with her fists. "Please don't... don't hurt him..."
But she stopped as he suddenly lifted her into his arms, carelessly and easily. Yoshiko coughed violently and clung to his sleeve as he turned and walked through a wall of flame, smashing through the burned walls and ashen remains of screens. She felt as if her throat was full of the ash and smoke, but Sesshomaru didn't even pause.
Then suddenly they were out in the open air. There was a deafening crash, and the roof collapsed in on the burned monastery. Then the gate teetered dangerously, twisting on its blackened beams. And the gate fell with another crash on top of the collapsed building.
He... rescued me? Yoshiko thought, astonished.
She coughed and gasped as Sesshomaru continued walking, as casually as if he were out for a stroll. Then he let go, and Yoshiko fell hard on the grass. "Ow!" she half-cried, half-coughed. She slowly sat up, with her arms still tightly pressed across her swollen stomach.
Sesshomaru stared down at the human woman, cowering on the ground. Soot was smearing her face and burned clothes, except for his father's cloak, which was still wrapped around her. He would have left her to burn, had his father not ordered him to insure her safety.
His eyes narrowed as the girl moaned again and huddled over. So that was what was happening. Without a word, Sesshomaru turned and walked back toward the woods, determined to return to the battle. He had no intention of sitting in a meadow, delivering his halfbreed sibling.
I can do nothing more for the girl, he thought. I removed her from danger, as Father commanded me. Now my duties lie with him.
Still trembling, Yoshiko curled up on the grass. She still felt dizzy, weak and lightheaded, both from the labor pains and from all the smoke and ash she had inhaled. She watched as Sesshomaru walked quickly away, until the branches and shadows of the forest swallowed him up. A few moments later, an enormous form shot across the sky, toward the battle on the distant mountain.
Stay calm, Yoshiko thought to herself. But she was deathly frightened. Demons were swarming through this place, and she was having her baby -- beside a burning monastery, surrounded by the bodies of dead monks. In a field, by herself. Yoshiko tried to creep toward the trees, but collapsed on her side.
Where are you? she thought hazily. Come for me, please...
.
The Dog-Lord's eyes flashed as he swept away more demons. His breath was coming hard now, and he had even had to stop to rest. He was no longer in his prime -- and even in his youth, he had never battled so many demons before.
Where is that serpent? he thought angrily, scanning the demons swirling above him.
Instead he saw the form of a monstrous white dog, tearings its way through the flanks of the demon army. Sesshomaru raced down toward his father, sending the lesser demons fleeing in terror. Then he transformed again, landing beside the Dog-Lord. "Father," he said quietly.
The Dog-Lord felt a jab of fear. "Yoshiko?"
"She lives," his son said flatly.
The demon lord sighed. She's alive, he thought. "And the child?"
"For the moment, it lives."
"For the MOMENT?"
"When I left, she was about to deliver her whelp. But she was no longer in the burning monastery," Sesshomaru said tonelessly, looking out at the swarm of demons. They were diminished by his father's attacks, but there were still many of them.
The Dog-Lord's fangs ground loudly together. I'll deal with this later, he thought. Now is not the time to reprimand him. "Can you hold off these demons for a short time?" he asked sharply.
"Yes, Father."
"Then do so!" The Dog-Lord unsheathed Tetsusaiga in a flash of light, and sent a blast of power ripping through the area he wanted to go. As he leaped down toward the forest, in the distance he heard a familiar cry...
TO BE CONTINUED
.
Yoshiko crept backwards, trying not to tremble. Her hands flew up to her belly, as if she could shield her baby from Sesshomaru. A blast of hot air swirled behind her, making her cringe away, huddling under the fire-rat cloak. Then she looked up at her stepson.
"Please," she whispered almost soundlessly.
Sesshomaru gave no sign of having heard her. His golden eyes were as cold and hard as stones. He was just staring down at her, with no expression on his handsome face. Suddenly Yoshiko began coughing hard -- and felt another wave of pain inside her. As she groaned and clutched at her middle, Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly... then narrowed again.
Suddenly Yoshiko wondered if he was going to kill her. In this place, no one would know if she died by a demon's claws or by the fire. He could kill her in a moment, leave her body to be consumed and buried in the wreck of the monastery. And the Dog-Lord would never know...
It was on her lips to beg him to spare her baby, to let him live. But if Sesshomaru had decided to kill her, she knew he wouldn't spare her unborn child. Begging would make no difference to him... and she knew a half-human infant's life would mean nothing. She huddled against the burning, half-collapsed wall.
And then he reached for her.
"No! NO!" Yoshiko cried, feebly beating at him with her fists. "Please don't... don't hurt him..."
But she stopped as he suddenly lifted her into his arms, carelessly and easily. Yoshiko coughed violently and clung to his sleeve as he turned and walked through a wall of flame, smashing through the burned walls and ashen remains of screens. She felt as if her throat was full of the ash and smoke, but Sesshomaru didn't even pause.
Then suddenly they were out in the open air. There was a deafening crash, and the roof collapsed in on the burned monastery. Then the gate teetered dangerously, twisting on its blackened beams. And the gate fell with another crash on top of the collapsed building.
He... rescued me? Yoshiko thought, astonished.
She coughed and gasped as Sesshomaru continued walking, as casually as if he were out for a stroll. Then he let go, and Yoshiko fell hard on the grass. "Ow!" she half-cried, half-coughed. She slowly sat up, with her arms still tightly pressed across her swollen stomach.
Sesshomaru stared down at the human woman, cowering on the ground. Soot was smearing her face and burned clothes, except for his father's cloak, which was still wrapped around her. He would have left her to burn, had his father not ordered him to insure her safety.
His eyes narrowed as the girl moaned again and huddled over. So that was what was happening. Without a word, Sesshomaru turned and walked back toward the woods, determined to return to the battle. He had no intention of sitting in a meadow, delivering his halfbreed sibling.
I can do nothing more for the girl, he thought. I removed her from danger, as Father commanded me. Now my duties lie with him.
Still trembling, Yoshiko curled up on the grass. She still felt dizzy, weak and lightheaded, both from the labor pains and from all the smoke and ash she had inhaled. She watched as Sesshomaru walked quickly away, until the branches and shadows of the forest swallowed him up. A few moments later, an enormous form shot across the sky, toward the battle on the distant mountain.
Stay calm, Yoshiko thought to herself. But she was deathly frightened. Demons were swarming through this place, and she was having her baby -- beside a burning monastery, surrounded by the bodies of dead monks. In a field, by herself. Yoshiko tried to creep toward the trees, but collapsed on her side.
Where are you? she thought hazily. Come for me, please...
.
The Dog-Lord's eyes flashed as he swept away more demons. His breath was coming hard now, and he had even had to stop to rest. He was no longer in his prime -- and even in his youth, he had never battled so many demons before.
Where is that serpent? he thought angrily, scanning the demons swirling above him.
Instead he saw the form of a monstrous white dog, tearings its way through the flanks of the demon army. Sesshomaru raced down toward his father, sending the lesser demons fleeing in terror. Then he transformed again, landing beside the Dog-Lord. "Father," he said quietly.
The Dog-Lord felt a jab of fear. "Yoshiko?"
"She lives," his son said flatly.
The demon lord sighed. She's alive, he thought. "And the child?"
"For the moment, it lives."
"For the MOMENT?"
"When I left, she was about to deliver her whelp. But she was no longer in the burning monastery," Sesshomaru said tonelessly, looking out at the swarm of demons. They were diminished by his father's attacks, but there were still many of them.
The Dog-Lord's fangs ground loudly together. I'll deal with this later, he thought. Now is not the time to reprimand him. "Can you hold off these demons for a short time?" he asked sharply.
"Yes, Father."
"Then do so!" The Dog-Lord unsheathed Tetsusaiga in a flash of light, and sent a blast of power ripping through the area he wanted to go. As he leaped down toward the forest, in the distance he heard a familiar cry...
TO BE CONTINUED
