Nocturne - Chapter Fifty-Two: Untimely Rescue
Rated - M (for suggestive adult themes, references to violence, and coarse language)
o - o - o - o - o : Indicates scene or POV change
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
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He traveled towards the outskirts of the village when, finally, a familiar smell hit him, though it was mixed with the faint aroma of blood and death. A strange feeling zapped through his chest, one that he did not care for one bit. It was vaguely familiar but unwelcome.
Following the smell, he saw two bodies near each other; one a man and the other a taijiya girl. Neither belonged to his woman, but her blood scent stained the area. The thrumming of Tensaiga got his attention. He'd felt its call all while he flew, but there was no time to revive each and every mortal he passed. Even had he wanted to,, Tensaiga would not differentiate between friend or foe, reviving all who had fallen and was within his reach. Sesshomaru grabbed the sword's hilt and with its power, saw the demon imps of the underworld.
Without a second thought, he sliced through their bodies, and the female slayer sucked in a breath. She clutched at her throat as her eyes darted around in confusion.
Sesshomaru looked down at the newly revived girl and set a hard face on her. "Where is the miko? He demanded.
"Di- Did I die?" The girl asked in confusion.
"You have been given a second chance at life, but only if you answer my question first," he threatened.
The girl gasped and looked around. "I-I-I don't know."
He continued to stare down at her with an icy glare. Her eyelids fluttered, and she trembled to try to remember what had happened during her last moments of life to appease the demon standing before her. "There was a yokai, like-like you. He stabbed her and killed me. That's-that's all I remember." She sat petrified under his scrutinizing gaze. "I'm sorry, there's nothing else."
He turned away, looking towards the clearing. He could hear the girl scramble to get away, taking his lack of response as a dismissal which she snatched up within a heartbeat. Now he must rely on his senses to find the miko. The smell of her blood disappeared just beyond the clearing leading to the forest. Her healing ability had come back to haunt him at this moment. She would be near to impossible to find without a trail to follow, and if Sesshomaru's suspicions were correct, the daiyokai who took her could not be tracked by any conventional means either.
The air roared beneath him as he flew in the direction the blood trail ended. It was his only lead, and he would find her somehow; he had to find his woman.
The branches burst on the impact of his yoki as he tore through the forest at top speed. He opened his ears to every little sound: the rustle of the wind through the leaves, the fauna that scattered from his approach, and the water that trickled down the riverbed nearby.
Suddenly he heard a sound that was a caliber above all others. It was a grunt of pain, but it was no animal that made that sound. He banked hard left and slowed when he heard a whimper and cry.
There, just a few feet away, was a cave. The cave, he realized quickly, where their story had started. He stepped quietly towards the cavern covered with vines and creepers.
Sesshomaru heard another sound. This one was the lower register of a male, and then the smell hit him.
"MINE!" The voice within screeched.
His eyes went red, and his grip subconsciously tightened around Bakusaiga, drawing out the sword with a flick of his wrist and then slicing down the vines that covered the entrance to the cave.
Rays of sun spilled into the cavern, illuminating the scene of Sesshomaru's worst imaginings. Kagome lay, barely conscious, under the body of his greatest foe. Her clothes were in tatters beneath her, and her eyes were red from broken blood vessels, the result of being strangled. She gripped the hand around her throat, knuckles white as she had attempted to pull off her attacker. Her eyes turned his way, seeing him standing in the mouth of the cavern and witnessing her assault. Tears rolled down her cheeks to add to the dirt-stained tear tracks already present.
His yoki exploded, anger consumed him, and alerted Fan Tsenpo to his presence.
Fan vaulted up, towing Kagome's limp, naked body up with him. He held her in front of himself like a shield, knowing that Sesshomaru would do nothing to hurt his woman. He smiles from behind her and chuckles. "Just in time, Lord Sesshomaru," he said mockingly.
He was answered with silent rage. Sesshomaru could do little now without possibly killing the miko. She could heal now, but put in the path of what he was fully capable of; there would be no surviving. He barely held back his anger even now. The voice scratched at him, begging to be released.
"Let us go! We shall kill it. Kill it. Kill it. Destroy it."
Kagome had squeezed her eyes shut; he could not tell why. She may be in pain - her face looked oddly contorted -, but more likely from shame. That would be another thing now for which Sesshomaru meted out vindication.
She gasped for air now that Fan Tsenpo had loosened his grip upon her neck. Her eyes were still closed, but she seemed focused. With Fan distracted by his appearance, a blinding white light flashed and burned the daiyokai's hand. He released the woman and stepped back to nurse his hand with a grimace.
Kagome took the opportunity to run towards Sesshomaru. She sobbed, her chest heaving once she reached him and clutched his robes. He put out his arm to protect and block her nakedness from the disgusting bastard's view.
Fan shook out his hand, only mildly injured. He then pulled out a jagged sword, ready to duel. His scarred face was now easy to view in the light, his lip pulled up into an eternal grin. There was a crazed look about him, even despite the scarring. "I've already had my fun with your woman." He sneered and mockingly lowered his weapon, urging Sesshomaru to come at him. "I've had my fill...for now."
Sesshomaru glanced down at the woman still clutching to his side. "You will allow her to leave this place." His demand was concise; he noticed now that Kagome refused to look him in the eyes, keeping her gaze to the ground. Just her reaction caused his blood to boil further and the voice to ram at his mental walls.
Fan felt the increase in his yoki. "Settle yourself. The opportunity to bring our feud to an end is nigh." He cocked his head to the side, looking every bit as arrogant as the battle-ready opponent he presented himself to be. "She may go. I have no use for her dead now."
Strange response from a strange man, Sesshomaru felt it a double entendre. Quickly, he removed his outer robes and passed them to the miko without breaking eye contact with Fan. The insufferable daiyokai could not be trusted to play fair.
She grabbed the silk robes and pulled them on quickly to cover her shame. "Go quickly," he said softly for her ears.
Kagome stumbled to the cavern entrance just feet away and grabbed the side of the wall for support. She looked over her shoulder and saw Sesshomaru with his arm still extended. Fan stared after her, ignoring Sesshomaru completely, with a lopsided grin. The miko then did the strangest thing he'd ever witnessed. Fan's face wrinkled in confusion, causing Sesshomaru to cast a glance back to see her with an arm extended in the air with her hand in a fist except for one finger held aloft.
"Strange woman," Fan shrugged.
Sesshomaru had no more time for words. The thought of Kagome being speared by this man had already enraged him to the point of no return, but now that she was safe from his clutches, he could stand it no more.
Bakusaiga pulsed in his grip, silently screaming for blood in unison with the beast within begging for his turn. It was time to oblige that request.
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Kagome ran as well as she could, limping here and there. She was fairly certain Fan had broken her leg at some point. There had been an audible snap and a considerable amount of pain. The bastard was definitely using her newfound healing abilities to his sadistic advantage. She'd healed up enough to move without falling now, and the pain had subsided to a dull ache.
It had been years, over a decade, since she'd come home from the cavern. Ironically enough, she was dressed in the same silks, but her humor ended there. It would take maybe an hour to return to the village, and if she encountered any unfriendlies on the way, she was at a distinct disadvantage without her bow or a steady hand at her spiritual power.
Just thinking about what she had just endured or worrying over Sesshomaru or Setsuna or Rin or Inuyasha or Sango or Kohaku was enough to make her head spin, so she focused on setting a steady pace and getting back to the village. There would be time to plan her next move from there.
She couldn't have made it even halfway before she saw a flash of silver hair coming her way through the trees. "Damn," she thought and threw herself behind the nearest tree big enough to hide her. There was no way whoever was out here had not seen her nor smelled her. She struggled to even out her breathing but her heartbeat wildly in her chest.
"Mother?" A tentative voice called out.
"Setsuna?" she answered.
A head peered around the trunk of the tree, looking curiously at her. "Why are you dressed in Father's robes?" The girl took in her mother's full appearance and quickly knelt in front of her. "Are you okay? What happened? Where is Father?"
Kagome tried to open her mouth, but her jaw was dislocated and had healed wrong. Her words came out slurred. "You're going to help me." She grabbed Setsuna's hands and brought them to her face. The girl had a horrified look but allowed her mother to guide her hands.
Her words were garbled and her face partially numb, but she made sure to enunciate as well as she could. "You're going to grab inside my mouth with your thumbs and then under my chin. Make sure you have a good grip. Then pull down until you hear a click."
Setsuna nodded and did as instructed. Kagome opened her mouth, which tilted to one side, and Setsuna put her thumbs inside, resting them on Kagome's molars.
She looked into her mother's eyes and set her lips into a line. Without breaking eye contact, the girl pulled down, straightening the jaw, and pulled carefully until there was a soft click. Kagome cried out in pain jerking her legs in response, but at least her jaw was no longer dislocated. Setsuna scuttled back a step and watched as Kagome worked her jaw a few times.
"You-you did well," she said through the new ache. "Now, what the hell are you doing out here?"