Determined

JoeySharkbait

2020

(Author's note, warnings, and disclaimer: This story is essentially a remaster of sorts and moreso an extension of my 2006 fanfiction epic, "Porcelain", which was also one of the first things I ever published on this site or the internet in general. Timeline: Takes place somewhere between the third and fourth seasons of the anime. So as not to break up the flow of this story with author's notes and warnings in each chapter, I will add them here- This is a darker work, with an emphasis on the psychology involved. While this story will have some lighter moments, it is wrought with violence and a slow progression of mental illness. This story contains violence, alcohol, eventual yuri, cursing, sexual abuse, suicidal ideation and self-harm. Read at your own risk. Specific warnings for self-harm: (counting the prologue as 'prologue') chapters 7, 11; sexual assault: chapters 3, end of 6, 21. All characters within do not belong to me with the exception of Rouge and her group. Thank you to anyone taking the time to read my words. Feedback encouraged and appreciated [especially from anyone who has read "Porcelain"; I would like to think my writing has improved drastically]). [Link to accompanying soundtrack can be found on my profile page.]

[Accompanying music: "Determined" by Mudvayne]

The forest was alive tonight. Spells, battle cries, and the music of swords colliding broke the silence of the beautiful night. The smell of smoke, blood, and destruction polluted the skies as a fight broke out between a band of friends brought together by tragedy, bonds forged in blood and steel, and their sworn enemy, a powerful and dark demonic presence.

"Naraku, you son of a bitch!" Inuyasha yelled as he slashed at the demon with the tetsusaiga. "I'll kill you if it's the last thing I ever do! You'll never get all the jewel shards! Never!" It was on and this was it. The sacred jewel was almost complete, and it was nearing time to end this vicious cycle of destruction once and for all.

The evil demon moved out of the way of the hanyou's sword and held up a sword of his own. "Foolish half-breed, you can't kill me. No one can kill me." He attempted to strike Inuyasha with the sword, but the half demon was too quick.

Kagome watched Inuyasha duel with Naraku from behind the cover of a bush. Kirara, who was injured earlier in this altercation, and Shippo, too young to be an active participant, hid there as well, protected by the powerful miko. Kagome carefully positioned an arrow on the bow and aimed at Naraku. "Inuyasha!" she screamed. "Look out!" Inuyasha jumped out the way, a determined and bloodthirsty grin gracing his features. Naraku turned around to see what Kagome was plotting. The miko smiled as the arrow struck Naraku in the side, causing him to briefly fall to his knees.

Now was his chance. Inuyasha jumped up into the air and jumped onto Naraku's back, shoving him into the cold, hard earth. Inuyasha wasn't even going to use his sword to kill the monstrosity; he would simply kill Naraku with his bare hands, the idea of this ultraviolence satiating his thirst for revenge. Inuyasha spread his claws out and then started tearing at Naraku's back, ripping his regal clothing to shreds and slicing through flesh branded with the scar of a spider.

Miroku and Sango charged at Naraku at full speed. Miroku wacked him in the skull as hard as he could with his staff, causing blood to slowly seep from the demon's head. Inuyasha stepped off Naraku and gave him a swift kick in the ribs before stepping aside to let his friends have their turn.

"Miroku!" yelled Sango, as she pulled the hiraikotsu off her back. "Move out of my way! He's mine! I'm going to kill him!" She hurled the oversized boomerang at Naraku, just as he managed to stand up, and the impact sent him flying. He nearly landed on Inuyasha, who happily slashed Naraku's shoulder with the tetsusaiga in passing. The young slayer was quite pleased with her damage.

Naraku laid still for a few moments. The group watched in silence, until they heard low, horrid laughter as he slowly stood up. Before anyone could do anything, he whipped around and grabbed Inuyasha by his throat and pulled him close. "Insolent halfbreed," he snarled, "I'll kill you right now. I think I'll make it quick and painless, too." He was about ready to crush the half-demon's neck, but that was delayed due to Sango coming up behind him and kicking him hard in the back, Miroku following suit in a hail of sutras and blows.

Naraku cringed as he lay on the ground. "I know something that will take care of you for a while..." he snapped his fingers and in the blink of an eye, Kohaku was standing in the middle of the destroyed clearing that they were fighting in. "Kohaku, take care of the monk and the taijiya. I'll rid the world of Inuyasha and the miko." Naraku snapped once more and slowly rose to his feet.

A gust of wind materialized seemingly out of nowhere as Naraku's wind-wielding incarnation, Kagura, descended from the heavens on her feather. She jumped off and landed gracefully, one foot planted firmly on the ground, her other knee bent. She held out her hand and caught the feather, now minimized and floating toward her hand. Kagura's blood red eyes scanned the battlefield, finally making direct contact with Inuyasha's own golden hues. She stood up and whipped out her fan to send a sharp assault of wind and blades in the group's direction.

"Kagura, finish this band of fools!" With that command, the injured Naraku disappeared in a cloud of miasma, only to reappear once more at Inuyasha's side.

Kohaku threw his blade at Miroku, catching him off guard and managing to make a huge gash in his shoulder. Miroku fell to his knees, clutching the wound. The boy walked towards him and was ready to end him with his katana but was stopped by one of Kagome's arrows. Sango watched this new battle unfold, frozen. Kagome would not intentionally hurt Kohaku, she knew, but if push came to shove… she had to protect her friends first. Kohaku was still a wild card in all this.

Inuyasha, who had revisited dueling with Naraku, looked over his shoulder for a moment and screamed, "Sango! What the hell are you doing just standing there? I don't give a damn if he's your brother or not! Get him!" Inuyasha was almost struck by Naraku's sword and retaliated by slashing the evil demon with the tetsusaiga. "Don't give me that look, dammit!" Inuyasha really did feel bad for Sango, having to fight her brother and all, but Kohaku was a lost boy for the time being, a shell of the young man he could have been. He was not the focus of the night's current mission.

Seeing another arrow coming towards him, Kohaku fled the clearing and ran into the forest. Sango remained standing watching everything happening, not sure what to do. "Sango!" screamed Inuyasha, annoyance and anger radiating from his words, "Chase after him! Get him- what the hell?" Inuyasha was struck in the side with Naraku's sword.

Sango came to her senses and chased after Kohaku, running as fast as she could. Could she really kill him? She had a barrage of mental problems fighting him to begin with but killing him was never something she could do unless she were to follow him in death. Reluctantly, the taijiya threw the hiraikotsu forward, knocking a few trees in half, revealing another clearing in the forest. The weapon returned to her grasp, and Sango held it over her head, while standing in a battle stance as she scanned the area for any signs of her once sweet, innocent little brother.

The clearing was soon filled with an aura of foreboding and the sounds of Naraku's evil cackle. Sango looked around, trying to find where it came from. The young woman backed up slowly and bumped into someone. She turned around and saw Naraku standing there. "Naraku!" said Sango. She dropped her weapon and threw her fist at Naraku, hitting him hard enough in the face to bloody his lip. She felt her bones compact in her hand, instantly receiving a fracture. Her other hand automatically gripped the hilt of her katana, ready to raise the blade.

Naraku just stood there, a sick smile forming on his face. "I won't die so easily, stupid mortal."

"Where is Kohaku? What did you do with my friends?" Sango demanded, backing away from the demon, and quickly picking up the hiraikotsu. She finally realized she was no longer within earshot of the larger battle and her sense of self-preservation heightened. Something was off…

Naraku chuckled. "Oh, they're fine. They're all fine."

Sango heard a noise behind her and spun around to see what it was. When she turned back around, Naraku was gone. "Where are you, you coward?" she asked. "Show yourself, you bastard! Fight me!"

All was quiet for a few minutes. Sango would not let her guard down, no matter what. Then she felt something grab her around her throat from behind. Sango slammed her body into Naraku's and knocked him away for the time being. He stumbled backward, watching her every move. The demon slayer rubbed her neck for a split second, then hurled the hiraikotsu at Naraku, hitting him with it, and making him fly into a tree, knocking it in half.

"Come on, Naraku," said Sango, "Quit playing games!" She was going to kill him. Her blood was boiling, he was here—about to be the pinpoint focus of years of pent-up rage and much needed revenge. She was determined to wipe him from this mortal plane once and for all.

Naraku got up and without any warning charged at the woman and unsheathed his sword. Sango acted in response to this, and pulled out her own sword, and held it up just in time. For a while, Sango and Naraku stood in the middle of the clearing, swords interlocked, staring into one another's eyes with pure hatred. Until finally, Naraku grew tired of this apparent stalemate and swung his foot into Sango's shin, causing her to lose her ground and fall.

The taijiya dropped her weapon and looked up at Naraku's bloodstained form. Naraku stared back. Sango stood up once more, and charged him, jumping up in the air and planning a high kick in the face. Her execution failed as Naraku grabbed her by her ankle and threw her to the ground. Sango landed on her stomach, and the wind was knocked out of her lungs for a moment.

"You can't defeat me. Not even 'the great Inuyasha' could defeat me. So, in other words, you have no chance, you insignificant little wench," said Naraku. He gave her a kick in the stomach, causing her to roll over on her back. Then Naraku struck her left shoulder with his sword, piercing her flesh, blood soaking her armor and the surrounding ground.

Sango let out an ear-piercing scream as the blade cut through her shoulder and came out the other side. She grabbed the blade with her right hand and managed to slowly move the blade out of her shoulder, then she stood up, grasping the wound. Rage is a hell of an anesthetic.

Naraku shook his head and examined his weapon. He was honestly surprised at her determination. Clearly, she would begin bleeding out soon. "Stupid, foolish child. When will you learn when to give up?"

Sango let out an angry battle cry as she ran as fast as she could at Naraku. Naraku charged back at her and crouched slightly as she came close, extending his arm to clothesline the slayer as they made contact. She could not stop in time and fell to the ground, putting her hand to her throat from the dull pain from running forcefully into his arm. Almost as soon as she went down, Naraku proceeded in kicking her until she grabbed him by his ankle and pulled him down. The demon landed right next to Sango, who grabbed a rather large rock and brought it down it over his head. She tried to crawl away, but Naraku yanked her backwards by her foot, so that she was positioned under him. Sango kicked him off her and then slowly stood up. Naraku returned to his feet.

This was proving to become quite the battle. The two sworn enemies stood a few meters apart, both covered in blood, ready to fight to the death.

"Well, Naraku," Sango said in a weak voice, "one of us goes, one of us stays. If I die in battle, I'm dragging you to hell with me." The demon slayer spit out some blood, then smiled at her opponent, absolute hatred apparent in the fire in her eyes.

"You're right about that one," replied Naraku, as he threw his sword at her as if it were a spear, striking her in the side, ripping through her flesh with a sickening noise. Sango yelped in pain and began to stumble backwards. Naraku caught her roughly by the arm and she made one final attempt at taking him out. She flipped out he hidden blade on her forearm and directed it at him. Naraku grabbed the blade and crushed it in his bare hand, blood seeping down his arm. Naraku let out a cloud of miasma and threw Sango to the ground.

She tried with every little ounce of anything she had to get back up and fight. She was losing blood fast and the poisonous miasma was beginning to cloud her senses. Soon everything went black. Sango had finally stopped fighting, and she lay motionless on the ground, bloodied, and bruised from a hard battle. A lost battle.

Naraku stood over Sango's unconscious form, studying her. He had planned on luring the miko or the monk away from the group, but this was possibly even better, as next to Inuyasha, Sango was a surprisingly formidable opponent in battle. She fought with brute force that could not always be blocked with magic alone. Problematic. If Naraku were to ensure the fall of Inuyasha, he would have to break apart his pack, one by one.

Naraku's plans had changed slightly. Oh yes, he had plans for this one. He knew she would fight until the death, her blind rage and determination likely being the only thing keeping her going at this point. She was angry, volatile, hostile. He had plans to douse the flames of her revenge; she would be the first of the dog demon's pack of fools to fall. Should they come to find her, he would take the remaining jewel shards from them and release his latest weapon. Should she be returned to them, she would no longer be a threat, assuming she survived.

Naraku smirked as he picked Sango up off the forest floor. They vanished in a cloud of miasma.