Dying to Live

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

It's an ancient understanding that battles come in different forms. Many are obvious embodiments of push and pull - actor to recipient and back again.

Some battles are clear, opposing parties clearly defined by acts of force against one another.

However, some battles are more discreet. A lowly thief robbing the powerful opposition out of a sense of justice. A spy slowly soaking away prized secrets from those in the know. In many a case, inevitably, the humble may knock down the hubris of the prideful even if that wasn't part of the intent.

While Sesshomaru, Shippou, and Ginta along with the villagers did their best to physically take down every last of the zombic wolves that threatened their lives with their appetites, Kohaku wondered about what stage of the battle his group in the forest was currently in. He could only guess that if the dark inuyoukai arrived soon, it would know immediately that Miroku, Kohaku, Hachi and Hakkaku were there for one thing: body snatching.

Kohaku gripped the handle and chain of his kusarigama tightly. His mind raced as he tried to picture how he would get Miroku and Kouga out of the cave if the giant dog made its way into the cave to attack them before they could get out. He prayed it wouldn't come to that. If they could just clear the cave's mouth - that's all he wished. Still, Kohaku bit his lip as he fought down a growing fear that that was asking too much.

Over his shoulder, he dared to look back toward the inner cave, glowing with otherworldly, silver-white light.

How soon would Miroku finish whatever he was doing?

The anticipation was killing the slayer now. His stomach tightened as he thought back on Hakkaku's warning: The wildlife around got all stirred up the moment these glowing white demons appeared.

If the dark-furred inuyoukai was at all intelligent - which it certainly had to be for the way Hakkaku and Ginta's observations insinuated it could manipulate Kouga's body - it would be back soon after sensing the arrival of the Shinidamachuu.

No more. Kohaku closed his eyes and shook his head in weary frustration. He would not wait like this without any clue of what his sister's husband was working through inside the cave. While the slayer wished to heed his brother-in-law's warning, the gruesome sense that they were like snacks waiting right in the inuyoukai's lair for its return, compelled him to do otherwise.

The armored youth trembled, as he crept along the corridor. Miroku had said not to enter the cave for anything, but he had not said why. Kohaku swallowed, as he reached the end of the corridor and offered a silent entreaty up to the kami that Miroku had only issued this order out of caution and nothing more.

Slowly, he leaned around the corner and narrowed his eyes, as silver light spilled brightly across his face, stealing away the shadows from which he stepped.

::

Back in Harumura Village the fight had begun to really pick up in the past minutes. The number of zombic wolves remaining had seriously dwindled. After Rin had been taken back into the shelter, Shippou had helped return Rin's dagger to Sesshomaru. The former daiyoukai's own dagger had also been collected and returned by Kei, while Sesshomaru himself lifted his ash-covered battle sword from the smoking, half-burned away corpse of the beast that had dared scratch him. Then, pausing to take a breath in the shelter against a nearby hut's wall that faced away from the battle, Shippou had joined Sesshomaru to inspect his leg wound briefly. For once, it appeared that Sesshomaru was lucky: the wound did not have the scent or taste of poison, which the fox ascertained by touching one of his slender fingertips to Sesshomaru's blood and then to his sensitive tongue.

Still trying to regain focus after Rin's reckless interruption, Sesshomaru checked his dagger and sword over while they still had a moment apart from the conflict. Neither weapon had been damaged in the scrabble. Feeling relieved, he sheathed his dagger. Given that Tsukiko and Kei had stayed back at the front line to help their neighbors and Ginta and Kirara, Sesshomaru pulled his own lump of resin from inside his kosode shirt and slicked down the larger battle blade, as Shippou watched him.

The kitsune's normally lively, bright green eyes were dark and clearly conveyed his wariness, as he cleared his throat. "Are you sure you're ok?" Shippou asked seriously, and Sesshomaru instantly resented the way the fox was checking on him again.

"Yes," he insisted, repeating himself strongly once more after so many minutes since they stepped out of the battle together. "I would not miss the chance to annihilate the rest of these pests. Do you think you, and perhaps the nekomata, will be prepared to take the pack leader?"

"Oh, like, you want to do it together?" Shippou asked, amazed. In all the time he'd known Inuyasha's brother, Sesshomaru never openly suggested any sort of collaboration. Even now, the question lacked the earmarks of an obvious request for help, but Shippou really thought he might be asking now.

"Yes, our strategies should be suited," Sesshomaru stated bluntly without sparing a glance at Shippou. He inspected the coating of resin he'd applied to his weapon.

Stunned but glad to hear the response, Shippou stuttered, "S-sure!"

So side-by-side the former Lord of the West and the kitsune moved back into range of the battle. After Sesshomaru lit his blade in the nearest fire pit and Shippou used his fox magic to ready the flails on his staff, the unlikely allies marched in the same direction, toward the largest, nastiest demonic wolf - the massive pack leader.

::

Carefully, Kohaku had leaned his head around the edge of the rocky wall, gulping nervously as he did. Immediately, he shielded his face as the light within the cave was brighter than he'd expected, but it hardly helped against the light that seemed to saturate every nook and cranny. Squinting, Kohaku's eyes focused, and he counted about seven souls in the clutches of the soul collectors circling overhead. He had not realized so many had passed through the cave's corridor. Below, he could just barely see Miroku; Kouga's body, apparently still stretched out on the ground, was still obstructed by the fire.

The monk chanted more rapidly than Kohaku had ever heard before, and Miroku leaned very far forward with his head almost touching the cave floor, like he prepared to kowtow to some unseen force any moment. His pale hands were clasped in front of him in a solemn fold. But other than that, Kohaku nearly thought the warning to keep out was unwarranted. Nothing else seemed to be happening.

That was until Kohaku felt a horrible tugging sensation at his chest. His hand flew to his sternum at the unnerving sensation, as if clutching at an unseen string.

Right after that, in an instant, like a wind had come crashing down from the ceiling, the huge fire burning in the middle of the room blew out.

Kohaku's head whipped around as he looked about the room for the cause. The sound of the fire extinguishing with a whoosh punctuated quickly. Miroku had fallen silent, and Kohaku realized that in the distracting moment his hands had taken on and frozen in an intricately bending mudra. Most notably, his index fingers appeared to be channeled toward Kouga's body, which the slayer could now see on the floor with the fire gone. Their ally didn't appear changed, but soon Kohahu realized that things certainly weren't finished.

In the space of a breath, the air around Kohaku felt like it collapsed upon him. He looked back at his brother-in-law in wonder: Miroku's eyes and mouth opened, but things were not as they should be - blue-silver light burst from the openings in his face, as in the same instant, the souls were torn from grips of the soul collectors floating above them. As if caught like bubbles spinning down into a whirlpool in the sea, the souls sucked toward Miroku's body before entering him.

Kohaku fought the urge to scream as the orbs of light passed through his brother-in-law's back, emitting loud scorching sounds. Meanwhile, like roaches scattered under candle light, the flying, serpentine soul collectors spooked and rushed toward the cave's exit. The slayer wished he could follow.

The slayer ducked as some of the Shinidamachuu sailed in low, close to his head in their urgency to escape the cave. He gazed back at Miroku to catch him struggling to maintain his seated position with his folded fingers directed at Kouga. He seemed to be in pain, as the last of the souls phased straight through his back. Gritting his teeth, Kohkau forced himself to stay still and keep watching. He noticed Miroku's lips still moving and was unsure whether to approach what looked like a struggle. What felt like wind, abruptly blustered in a wave against Kohaku, but he could neither see nor feel anything on his skin. The silver-blue light flooding from Miroku's eyes and mouth suddenly also shot from his index fingers straight at Kouga's chest.

More scorching sounds rose up loudly. Kohaku wondered if what he was hearing was an actual sound or something otherworldly reaching inside his head. He tried to call out Miroku's name, but he felt as though his voice was torn from his throat. He clamped his hands over his ears and was forced to wrench his eyes shut as blue light filled every inch of the cave, this time blinding him. The pressure on his chest intensified, and he was struck with fear.

When he thought for sure he might die, the overload of spiritual pressure, light and sound overwhelming him fell off in an instant. The pressure lifted from his body. Kohaku opened his eyes, and realized he had fallen to his side on the floor, his knuckles still white from gripping his weapon. In his view, Miroku sat slumped forward and motionless.

Kohaku looked around and at last feeling sure that all had fallen quiet and motionless, he scrambled over to his brother-in-law on weak legs. He fell down next to Miroku, frightened at finding that the monk did not move as he approached him. Startled, Kohaku noticed Kouga's body out of the corner of his eye. Miraculously, he appeared fully restored. The body was filthy and bore wounds from the shackles, and his bones were visible through his thinned, damaged flesh, but the horrid mangling was erased. He looked like he had only just fallen into a brief sleep, his slow breathing now visible in the slight movement of his chest.

Kohaku returned his attention to Miroku, who just then opened his eyes that were thankfully once again their natural shade of serene grey. He whispered weakly before coughing wetly, "You came in anyway - are you alright?"

The slayer checked himself quickly. Despite the odd pressurized sensations he had experienced, he felt fine. Miroku spoke again with a rueful but exhausted smirk, "I didn't know what could happen - what would Sango have done to me if you'd been hurt?" Then, the monk flinched in pain. As he trembled from his back, Kohaku leaned around to look at the spot where the souls had entered his body. A curl of ethereal smoke drew the slayer's eye to a spot where a hole the size of a hyaku-en coin had bored through the fabric.

"It burned you!" he exclaimed. Looking closer, Kohaku noticed a mark on his sister's husband's skin: at first it looked like a birthmark, but closer inspection revealed an image of a wheel with two broken sides.

"Last time it was through my foot for some reason. Don't think it was as painful. " Miroku weezed roughly as he tried to stand: "Looks like it worked at least."

Miroku's complexion was ashen, and his hand was clammy as Kohaku hurried forward to grab it. The slayer made his mouth work, "Yeah, looks like it did but through no small effort. We probably don't have much time now though. I wish you could have warned us that you be calling souls here - Hakkaku claims the Shinidamachuu that showed up unsettled the whole forest."

"If only I had known - I can't say I'm too aware of how it works. Apparently Rin and Jaken either didn't comment on or didn't see the soul collectors last time," Miroku said roughly, and Kohaku withheld a frightened, berating comment to the effect that doing something like this you didn't understand seemed extremely unwise.

Miroku began to try to push Kohaku off to urge him to grab Kouga when scuffling sounds mixed with the cracking sounds of the bones covering the ground echoed down the cave's passageway, alerting them. Hachi's wavering voice carried around the wall: "Kohaku, Kohaku! Are you inside with Master M-Miroku? Hakkaku came back - I-it's c-c-coming!"

"Hachi, go back out!" Kohaku ordered, as with Miroku, he ducked to take Kouga up by his arms. "You and Hakkaku will need to distract it like we discussed so that Miroku and I can get Kouga out the mouth of the cave!"

Hachi squealed in terror, but Kohaku heard him scrabble back out the way he'd come. Though the words weren't intelligible, the slayer heard Hakkaku talking at the end of the cave, likely reviewing their face-off strategy. Kohaku prepared to move out, when he felt the monk stumble. Kohaku turned to his brother-in-law: "Miroku will you be okay?" Then, he realized he had asked as if they had a choice of waiting, which of course they didn't.

"I will be," he said in a phlegmy voice. "We have to do this to make it worth it. Let's go."

Kohaku shouldered as much of Kouga's weight as he could bear. His heart raced as he looked around the cave to make sure Miroku didn't leave any of his texts behind. Miroku had managed to tie his staff to his back, though Kohaku guessed the strange burn mark must have still hurt.

They moved forward as quickly as Miroku could go into the passageway to the cave's exit. They had only gone a few strides, and Kohaku already sweated fiercely. They couldn't yet see outside the cave, and his sister's husband was breathing hard. Kouga's body weight fell even more heavily on Kohaku's shoulder.

His blood ran cold, as a monstrous roar flooded the tunnel they were in. It was still at a distance. They might have a moment, if Hakkaku and Hachi were able to delay it even briefly. "We have to go!" he breathed urgently to Miroku, who looked exhausted, his expression getting more haggard.

Kohaku dragged them to the mouth of the cave. There, the scene slid into view, as they ambled ahead.

The beast was enormous. As it threw back its head the size of a boulder with another roaring growl, Kohaku guessed that one fang was the height of a 12-year-old child. Kohaku had seen Sesshomaru and Inuyasha assume this form too, and he had seen their swords carved from the fangs of their father - but it made seeing this enraged beast in front of him no less terrifying.

Already in his giant yellow gourd form, Hachi swooped directly into the inuyoukai's face so that it hadn't yet seen Kohaku and Miroku attempting to escape with Kouga. Kohaku glanced, as he noticed a large, white-furred wolf dashing about, fast as a streak of light. It darted and snapped at the backs of the giant dog's legs, and Kohaku realized that Hakkaku must have transformed.

"Kohaku, do you have a way to call Hachi and Hakkaku off so that they'll come to us?" Miroku said softly but urgently.

Kohaku answered instantly, "Yes, but what will you do?"

Miroku smiled, though there was an edge to his silver-grey eyes, now flecked with dim moonlight from overhead. The look made Kohaku nervous. "Take Kouga and signal those two here. I'm gonna get us out of here."

Kohaku understood there was no time to hesitate. He had to keep his trust in Miroku. Placing his fingers in the corners of his mouth, he whistled shrilly. Hachi dipped low under the dog demon, as its teeth snapped dangerously close after his yellow tail. Hakkaku's body shook and rapidly he morphed erect. Reaching up with a humanoid arm, he clutched onto Hachi, as the gourd passed him overhead. They soared straight for Kohaku and Miroku, and Kohaku prayed that Hachi wouldn't simply crash into them in nervousness.

Thankfully, the raccoon-dog sailed in only just close over Kohaku and Miroku's heads. Hakkaku jumped off, as Hachi crash landed with a pop and assumed his sniveling raccoon-dog appearance. "You made it! Oh, Kouga?!" Hakkaku exclaimed happily, laying eyes on the new form of his beloved pack-leader.

"No time to talk!" Miroku warned, as he forced himself into an upright stance that made him look more stable than he had in so many minutes. He flicked a strip of sutra paper from his vestments and held it out. The inuyoukai's violent, red-eyed gaze fell upon their group, having watched Hachi and Hakkaku's flight.

"Hachi, you have to transform again!" the monk yelled.

"What!" the raccoon-dog stammered. "But I just - -"

"Just do it!" Miroku shouted as the air around the sutra paper crackled with visible spiritual energy. Kohaku's eyes grew wide as the inuyoukai dove, fangs first, for their group just outside the mouth of the cave. All at once, Hachi transformed with a loud crack. Hakkaku grabbed back onto the gourd and clutched Kouga from Kohaku's grasp.

Miroku released a strangled shout, and the inuyoukai came within strides of his outreached hand, bravely holding the holy paper aloft. A forcefield of spiritual energy snapped and crackled around the paper. A nest of splayed-out streaks of bluish-white light, reminiscent of fine barbs of lightning, manifested and shielded them for a single, needed moment.

"Grab him!" Hakkaku shouted to Kohaku.

Dazed, Kohaku yanked Miroku to safety by the back of his vestments, as the streaks of shielding energy dissipated.

The huge demon fell down upon the spot where the monk had stood only a moment before, while Hachi sailed them straight up into the sky.

::

Sesshomaru stood, still breathing hard, but fortunately again with no signs of wheezing. Having at last sheathed his dagger, he did rub at his chest with his free hand to remove the sweat rolling down his sternum under his filthy shirt. The fight to take down the pack leader had been far more violent and protracted even as Sesshomaru and Shippou had taken the monster on together with the nekomata and their human helpers. At last, they had felled the huge zombic wolf, the last of the wolves in the village when they finally defeated him. Now, Sesshomaru and the others watched silently as the boy Akio, who had been the one to crush a burning stick into the neck of the pack leader, leaned in tears against his makeshift weapon. Hellsparks devoured the flesh of the beast at his feet. Another boy Sesshomaru remembered meeting earlier, Gorou, went to try to pull his friend away from the corpse they had helped decimate in the names of their dead sister, their infant niece and the other victims.

Shippou and Ginta had already moved away to tell the villagers to fan out and look for remaining wolves. Sesshomaru went in search of the village well. Along with others, he drew water from the bucket ladle. Having rinsed and spat to alleviate his dry mouth, he took a long drink of water and another handful to splash across his face. He was still coated in gore, but the water provided at least basic refreshment in the interim. He stood, wiping water droplets from his eyes as Tsukiko approached him.

"Sessho-san," she said, walking up to him, as he watched. "Thank ye for what ye did t' organize Kei n' me and the other villagers. Ye were really amazing out there," she finished.

Though a shy blush had risen in the girl's cheeks, Sesshomaru didn't notice it in his fatigue. He only replied in his reserved way: "You and Kei did well. With an enemy like that, strength in numbers may count."

"Yeah, ye're right! But I really didn't know what we were capable of doing. I will always remember this and try my best not to give up!" she exclaimed, bowing low in front of him.

Sesshomaru watched wondering if he should end the overly reverent moment. Fortunately the village girl didn't remain bowed long enough. "Well, I don't know what'll happen next now that we killed so many of the monsters t'night, but if ye'd be leavin', I wanted to make sure I thanked ye."

Sesshomaru nodded, at a loss for words since while they had been in each other's company over the past few days, they bore no real relationship. He had had more reason to speak to her the first day in the village. Now, nothing else came to mind beyond the brief praise he felt was reasonable enough to bestow, and that was already done with.

As usual, due to his typical dearth of words, his conversational companion looked uncomfortable. " I-I hope our paths may cross again! " she eked out before scurrying quickly away.

Alone again, Sesshomaru turned his attention to his clothes once more. The water he'd washed his face with had run onto his shirt front and was turning cold. He had very rarely experienced being so battleworn. Past experience had taught him just to sit it out until things repaired themselves, but he was aware that without any of his powers and having only one set of clothes in his travel gear, he might be a bit stuck on this occasion.

Sighing, he went back over to the spot against one of the huts that he had rested in before the battle and allowed himself to slink down to take a seat on the ground. He glanced at the wound on the back of his leg. It was still bleeding, but as he sat, he felt so tired. Lazily and no longer caring so much, he tore a strip of fabric off the end of one of his sleeves and threw it over the wound before he shut his eyes, grateful to be left alone for a bit.

While he didn't sleep, Sesshomaru did at least rest. Carefully he kept his ears tuned to the sounds around him. It was a while before he heard the voices of more villagers gathering in the area.

Nearby, Rin at last left the hut on shaky legs, as others came out to check on their loved ones who had been fighting. She looked up and felt her heart slightly lifted by the grey tendrils of dawn light reaching into the dark sky. As she began to walk through the village, she had Sesshomaru's blue overcoat gripped in her hands, held up to her chest. She felt like a child, going along looking for him and wearing nothing but old, borrowed night clothes and her stained long underwear. She finally spotted his fall of slate-grey hair where he rested with his head down, and her heart panged with hope that he was just asleep and not further injured. After she had been returned to safety after escaping the shelter, the other villagers had forced her back into her futon, where she had been forced to stay and no longer watch the battle. Totally out of stamina, she had not fought them and just closed her eyes against their reproaching stares.

Despite how ragged she still felt in every way possible, she found the strength to trot over to him. "Sesshomaru!" she called, as she came up to him. Slowly he cracked an eye and looked up at her past a part in his unusually messy hair before taking his time getting to his feet. Once he was up, he was so much taller than her still, and she felt even smaller standing beside him in his roughed-up, battle-grimy clothes. His kosode shirt that was once white was black with gore. Blood had even splattered on his neck and collarbone right up to his forehead and hairline. Given his state, she felt a bit less self-conscious of how badly in need of a wash she was herself.

He didn't say anything, as she stopped in front of him. Relieved, she looked him over and found that, aside from exhaustion, he looked otherwise undamaged. "Are you ok? Your leg, have you had it tended-?" She began to duck around the side of him to get a look at his calf, feeling sure he probably had not done anything about the wound yet. The strip of fabric he had tossed over it lay on the ground in a tell-tale way. Coldly, he took a step back, alerting Rin that something else was wrong. She leaned her head back slowly to look at him.

"What were you thinking?" he growled lowly.

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused, looking up past her own dark, mussed bangs.

"This," he pulled her dagger, its blade wrapped in dirty cloth, from his sleeve.

"Oh my dagger, thank you for-" she started to express, releasing her hand on his overcoat to take the weapon back.

"No," he replied, pulling it back from her. In a single long stride, he closed the gap between them and lowered his face to hers. Their noses were almost touching, and Rin might have found the proximity exciting if the anger on his face wasn't so devastating. "I asked you, what were you thinking?" he said again like she was stupid, his voice low and dangerous.

"Are you mad at me for defending you?" Rin pulled back sensing he was off. Irritation was lighting a fuse in her she didn't know she had left after such a night.

"You should never have been out there in the battle," he spat, moving toward her again before she put her hands up to stop him, her grip on his overcoat having grown tight under her whitened knuckles.

Rin wasn't afraid though, as she now held her ground and locked eyes with him. "What should I have done then?" she cried out, anger sending her voice up a pitch. "Just watch and let that thing tear you to bits from behind? As it is, you were hurt anyway," she deflected, trying to get a look around the back of his calf again only for him to avoid her once more.

"The things you do are needlessly dangerous!" he shot back, actually shouting now.

"Ha!" Rin scoffed, leaning back, as she watched him. "And what you were doing clearly was - you were attacked-!"

"What I do is my business! But you, you cannot stay put where I leave you for even a minute -" he growled, pointing at her and pacing as he spat the words in her direction. It was the most she had heard him say in a single sitting to her in weeks, but Rin's attention was not on that at the moment.

Anger had the best of them both.

"I was helping you!" she hissed loudly.

"Damn you and your helping!" he shot back before looking away from her and dragging a heavy hand through his dirty locks like the look of her positively burned him from the inside.

"Give me the dagger," she ordered, putting her hand out and realizing how topsy-turvy their conversation had become. They were never this explicit with each other, but she felt herself caring less and less. She had grown sick of his bastardly behavior, and this was the final straw.

"No," he repeated again, returning the knife to his sleeve. The action would have seemed childish if his expression hadn't borne such bitterness.

Rin grit her teeth. It was her turn to shout. A few villagers were watching now, the fight between them loud and impossible to miss at this point. "Fine!" she screamed.

The words were escaping Rin faster than she could think of what she was saying. But it was no accident. She knew she had been waiting to say this to him for a while: "Keep it! Because you know what, you can go to hell, Sesshomaru! Curse me and my 'help' all you want. But you don't know what it's been like 'helping' you!"

He actually dared to look away from her to pinch the bridge of his nose in exasperation, further fueling Rin's temper.

"Please, I nearly watched you burn to death-" he started to say.

"No," she immediately interrupted, not really hearing what he had been saying. Rin was on a tear, and she wouldn't be stopped. Until then, she had retreated to keep the distance between them after each of his advances, but at this point, she strode up, right into his face. If it lasted only a moment, he wouldn't deflect these words. As he tried to step back from her, she stepped with him: "You didn't even talk to me after we got attacked in the rock bed outside Yaga! I always think about you, but it seems you barely even think about what I'm to do when you dive into danger. You even taught that girl to fight alongside you - I saw you do it - but for all the years you traveled with me you never once taught me how to defend myself. You were too proud for that. I only have that dagger because I took it off the wall in the castle myself. And I don't regret it for a moment, because I defended you and myself the best I knew how, so damn you, Lord Sesshomaru!"

She hadn't expected to use his defunct honorific nor had she planned on screaming into his face. Sesshomaru's brown eyes were startled, the sharp chestnut irises wide, as Rin finished with her face red and her hands shaking. When he didn't respond but only stood frozen and staring down at her, Rin had had enough of the fight. Stealing his usual cue, she spun sharply on her heel. With his forgotten haori still tight in her grip, her wild hair whipped around her as this time she left him watching her retreating form.

:::

Note: Oh, guys! What's our hero going to do now that Rin finally let him have it? Though the denial factor's still stubbornly strong, Sesshomaru is starting realize he can't resist certain growing feelings. Will he let his confused sense of pride and duty scare him off or will the sting of Rin's words awaken something new? The push and pull between Sess and Rin continues - dear readers, I hope you continue to enjoy the ride! Origamikungfu.