Changing Wyrds
Chapter 8: Helping Hands
Hashiaku-Kureru stepped towards the company, eyeing them like candy.
"I know it's been said before, by other evils, but it holds true for me, so: Which of you would like to die first?" Miroku raised his staff, pushing himself in front of Kagome.
"Miroku, what are you doing?" she cried. The youkai laughed.
"Never fear, I wasn't thinking of him. He's just a nuisance. You, on the other hand, are trouble. You are Inuyasha's eyes for finding the Shikon no Tama. You are the markswoman who has caused many youkai's demise. Indeed, you are trouble. You should know that I don't like trouble." He grinned at her, and she shuddered. The last grin she had seen from those lips had been mischievous and teasing, not cruel and heartless as this was. She gasped as she realized that Kureru's claws were slicing the air, rapidly shortening the distance between them and herself. And Miroku...
The young monk dropped without a sound, holding his head for a moment before losing consciousness entirely.
"M-miroku!" Shippou cried in dismay. "Oh, hells! Where's Inuyasha?!" The kitsune crouched at Miroku's head, looking wildly about. Hashiaku snickered.
"That hanyou is too much a coward to face a little girl-" he pointed to Kagome "-much less me. You shouldn't wait up for him." His claws whistled in through the as they sped towards her.
"INUYASHAAA--!" she screamed, flinging up her arms. Hashiaku cried out, following it with a curse.
"You showed up, did you? Worthless dog, how dare you stop me?!" Kagome stared in grateful amazement. Inuyasha stood before her, glaring evenly at Hashiaku.
"If you hate inu-hanyou so much, maybe you should let Kureru go free."
"Not likely. I'd much rather battle through trash like him than endanger my own body." Inuyasha's mouth twitched into a skewed smile.
"And you call him trash?"
"Yes; he is. He is the offspring of a revolting union. Mortal and youkai should not coexist in one being. It is wrong and disgusting." Inuyasha drew his sword.
"You want to see wrong and disgusting, look in a lake." The sword swung down, slicing only the air. Hashiaku smiled.
"You don't think I was trying last time, do you? If he was that weak I wouldn't use him at all. No, I wanted to punish him then. This time I will battle truly." Inuyasha growled, leaping forward and pulling his blade in an upward arc. Hashiaku twisted off to the side and unsheathed his claws. They shone like silver in the whispered light of a swollen moon. Inuyasha clenched his teeth in surprise, staring only for a moment at his torn sleeve. Then, getting ahold of himself, he plunged his claws into the growing stream of blood.
"SAN KON TETSU!" he shouted, flinging the blood-made daggers at Hashiaku. He dodged them all but for one, and he wiped away at the blood on his face as though it were a mere inconvenience.
"Matte, Inuyasha!" came Kagome's shrill cry. "Don't forget Kureru!" The hanyou stopped cold, long enough for Hashiaku to launch an attack of his own. Kureru's small and wiry body was unexpectedly strong. Hashiaku struck him, and Inuyasha was tossed to the ground like a sack of rice. He pressed his hand hard against his heavily bleeding stomach and struggled towards his feet. Halfway up, though, Hashiaku kicked in the back of one knee, sending him crashing to earth.
Shippou let out a startling growl, and set on Hashiaku with tiny teeth and claws. He was flung aside in an instant.
"Shippou!" Inuyasha fought his way up, watching his enemy closely. "You tell me some way to win without killing Kureru, Kagome, and I'll try. But I don't see..."
"Try his real body, Inuyasha!" She called, scooping up a dazed Shippou. Obedient to her advice, Inuyasha swung at the prostrate figure with all his might. When he got within a foot of it, though, a deep scarlet light appeared around it like a bloodstain. The aura's power forced him back, leaving Hashiaku's body unscathed.
"And your other plan...?" he demanded, only a small bit sarcastic. She shook her head hopelessly.
"I don't know!" He shot her a look of exasperation before turning his attention back to Hashiaku. The youkai was smirking, sword drawn and claws bared.
"There's no way to win," he said smugly. "Without Kureru's death, you can't even defeat part of me." He jumped Inuyasha with no warning, sending the hanyou into a frantic fumble for his sword. The latter blocked it, though barely, and managed to push Hashiaku against a tree.
"We've lived this long without killing anyone we didn't want to," he said. "Don't talk about what you don't know."
"What a coincidence," Hashiaku returned with a genial smile. "I haven't ever lost at all." He returned the weight onto Inuyasha, knocking the breath out of him and sending him sprawling. Before Inuyasha could react at all, Hashiaku drove his swordpoint an inch into his opponent's shoulder, pulling it across the length of the his collarbone.
Inuyasha paled. Before, he had been holding his own, but even in youkai form, this kind injury was nearly incapacitating. He scooted stiffly away from Hashiaku's sword, climbing to his feet more than jumping to them. The youkai watched him without blinking, sword ready to take out another patch of the inu-hanyou's fur. With a sudden burst of speed, he swept the blade across Inuyasha's unguarded legs, making his opponent struggle to remain standing.
It was then that Kagome released her arrow. Abruptly Hashiaku spun round, staring at the aura that surrounded his real body. It danced and swayed like a candle in wind, twisting and ducking in a tortuous pattern of agony.
"So then I have lost," he mused, his tone belying the shock in his- Kureru's- eyes. Kagome took aim again, but she was too late. Even as she raised the bow, Hashiaku fled to his own body. The aura grew strong again as the light returned to his eyes. Kureru, back in his own body, gave the forest only a quick scan before dropping to the ground with a thud. Hashiaku tossed his short black braid over one shoulder, keen eyes glowing slightly, and looked to where Kureru lay. Then he was there, snatching up the hanyou and tucking him under one arm. Kagome pulled back at the string, an inch from releasing the arrow.
"Let him go!" The youkai chuckled.
"I'd stop trying. After all, you have more than me to worry about. I'd save my friends before taking their revenge if I were you." He glanced around the clearing. Kagome realised with a sinking feeling that she was the only one concious among them.
"Good luck, dear girl; we shall have another encounter. And don't bother coming to me; I will make it clear when I want to fight again." With that, the youkai disappeared into the trees.
Kagome sat down with a thump. Here she was, with three other people to take care of, and she didn't have the slightest idea how she would do it.
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Author's note: Poor Kagome. ;_; My background music today is the LOTR soundtrack. V. good for this kind of thing. Esp. Flight to the Ford. Please, I'm *begging* you to review!!! Moremoremoremoremore!!
Chapter 8: Helping Hands
Hashiaku-Kureru stepped towards the company, eyeing them like candy.
"I know it's been said before, by other evils, but it holds true for me, so: Which of you would like to die first?" Miroku raised his staff, pushing himself in front of Kagome.
"Miroku, what are you doing?" she cried. The youkai laughed.
"Never fear, I wasn't thinking of him. He's just a nuisance. You, on the other hand, are trouble. You are Inuyasha's eyes for finding the Shikon no Tama. You are the markswoman who has caused many youkai's demise. Indeed, you are trouble. You should know that I don't like trouble." He grinned at her, and she shuddered. The last grin she had seen from those lips had been mischievous and teasing, not cruel and heartless as this was. She gasped as she realized that Kureru's claws were slicing the air, rapidly shortening the distance between them and herself. And Miroku...
The young monk dropped without a sound, holding his head for a moment before losing consciousness entirely.
"M-miroku!" Shippou cried in dismay. "Oh, hells! Where's Inuyasha?!" The kitsune crouched at Miroku's head, looking wildly about. Hashiaku snickered.
"That hanyou is too much a coward to face a little girl-" he pointed to Kagome "-much less me. You shouldn't wait up for him." His claws whistled in through the as they sped towards her.
"INUYASHAAA--!" she screamed, flinging up her arms. Hashiaku cried out, following it with a curse.
"You showed up, did you? Worthless dog, how dare you stop me?!" Kagome stared in grateful amazement. Inuyasha stood before her, glaring evenly at Hashiaku.
"If you hate inu-hanyou so much, maybe you should let Kureru go free."
"Not likely. I'd much rather battle through trash like him than endanger my own body." Inuyasha's mouth twitched into a skewed smile.
"And you call him trash?"
"Yes; he is. He is the offspring of a revolting union. Mortal and youkai should not coexist in one being. It is wrong and disgusting." Inuyasha drew his sword.
"You want to see wrong and disgusting, look in a lake." The sword swung down, slicing only the air. Hashiaku smiled.
"You don't think I was trying last time, do you? If he was that weak I wouldn't use him at all. No, I wanted to punish him then. This time I will battle truly." Inuyasha growled, leaping forward and pulling his blade in an upward arc. Hashiaku twisted off to the side and unsheathed his claws. They shone like silver in the whispered light of a swollen moon. Inuyasha clenched his teeth in surprise, staring only for a moment at his torn sleeve. Then, getting ahold of himself, he plunged his claws into the growing stream of blood.
"SAN KON TETSU!" he shouted, flinging the blood-made daggers at Hashiaku. He dodged them all but for one, and he wiped away at the blood on his face as though it were a mere inconvenience.
"Matte, Inuyasha!" came Kagome's shrill cry. "Don't forget Kureru!" The hanyou stopped cold, long enough for Hashiaku to launch an attack of his own. Kureru's small and wiry body was unexpectedly strong. Hashiaku struck him, and Inuyasha was tossed to the ground like a sack of rice. He pressed his hand hard against his heavily bleeding stomach and struggled towards his feet. Halfway up, though, Hashiaku kicked in the back of one knee, sending him crashing to earth.
Shippou let out a startling growl, and set on Hashiaku with tiny teeth and claws. He was flung aside in an instant.
"Shippou!" Inuyasha fought his way up, watching his enemy closely. "You tell me some way to win without killing Kureru, Kagome, and I'll try. But I don't see..."
"Try his real body, Inuyasha!" She called, scooping up a dazed Shippou. Obedient to her advice, Inuyasha swung at the prostrate figure with all his might. When he got within a foot of it, though, a deep scarlet light appeared around it like a bloodstain. The aura's power forced him back, leaving Hashiaku's body unscathed.
"And your other plan...?" he demanded, only a small bit sarcastic. She shook her head hopelessly.
"I don't know!" He shot her a look of exasperation before turning his attention back to Hashiaku. The youkai was smirking, sword drawn and claws bared.
"There's no way to win," he said smugly. "Without Kureru's death, you can't even defeat part of me." He jumped Inuyasha with no warning, sending the hanyou into a frantic fumble for his sword. The latter blocked it, though barely, and managed to push Hashiaku against a tree.
"We've lived this long without killing anyone we didn't want to," he said. "Don't talk about what you don't know."
"What a coincidence," Hashiaku returned with a genial smile. "I haven't ever lost at all." He returned the weight onto Inuyasha, knocking the breath out of him and sending him sprawling. Before Inuyasha could react at all, Hashiaku drove his swordpoint an inch into his opponent's shoulder, pulling it across the length of the his collarbone.
Inuyasha paled. Before, he had been holding his own, but even in youkai form, this kind injury was nearly incapacitating. He scooted stiffly away from Hashiaku's sword, climbing to his feet more than jumping to them. The youkai watched him without blinking, sword ready to take out another patch of the inu-hanyou's fur. With a sudden burst of speed, he swept the blade across Inuyasha's unguarded legs, making his opponent struggle to remain standing.
It was then that Kagome released her arrow. Abruptly Hashiaku spun round, staring at the aura that surrounded his real body. It danced and swayed like a candle in wind, twisting and ducking in a tortuous pattern of agony.
"So then I have lost," he mused, his tone belying the shock in his- Kureru's- eyes. Kagome took aim again, but she was too late. Even as she raised the bow, Hashiaku fled to his own body. The aura grew strong again as the light returned to his eyes. Kureru, back in his own body, gave the forest only a quick scan before dropping to the ground with a thud. Hashiaku tossed his short black braid over one shoulder, keen eyes glowing slightly, and looked to where Kureru lay. Then he was there, snatching up the hanyou and tucking him under one arm. Kagome pulled back at the string, an inch from releasing the arrow.
"Let him go!" The youkai chuckled.
"I'd stop trying. After all, you have more than me to worry about. I'd save my friends before taking their revenge if I were you." He glanced around the clearing. Kagome realised with a sinking feeling that she was the only one concious among them.
"Good luck, dear girl; we shall have another encounter. And don't bother coming to me; I will make it clear when I want to fight again." With that, the youkai disappeared into the trees.
Kagome sat down with a thump. Here she was, with three other people to take care of, and she didn't have the slightest idea how she would do it.
_______________________________________________________
Author's note: Poor Kagome. ;_; My background music today is the LOTR soundtrack. V. good for this kind of thing. Esp. Flight to the Ford. Please, I'm *begging* you to review!!! Moremoremoremoremore!!