.:All of My Tomorrows:.
chapter seventeen : obscurity
Sesshoumaru felt his hackles rise at the delicate scent of fear and hostility wafting in the air. The smells were too familiar and they caused Sesshoumaru's blood to surge with power as his senses become more acute. He scented the air again and closed his eyes, letting his inborn instincts sort through the subtle clues.
Rin's aroma told him that her heart was filled with fear and that she was hurt and bleeding. Shippou's youkai blood sung with an agitated surge of adrenaline, testimony to the fact that the child was ready to engage in battle if need be. Taking another deep breath, Sesshoumaru sought after Kagome's distinct scent, but found it to be missing.
She was not with them. Neither was the source of their fear and agitation. Sesshoumaru grimaced; he was a fool for letting them wander so far from his home.
As he began to track the scent through the air, a sense of worry began to form a knot in his belly. The kitsune child would not leave Kagome unless she told him to. He had seen the way the brat defended his adoptive mother from perceived threats and knew the child to be completely loyal to her. The boy had stood up against Sesshoumaru himself in an effort to protect her, he was not one to turn tail and abandon her when the situation grew dangerous.
Something was horribly wrong. Kagome was in trouble and had sent the children away. With a deep sense of unease, the youkai lord moved to intercept the pair.
• • •
He felt something under his flesh quiver and come to life as she stood against him. It was a strange sensation, but he found it somewhat satisfying when he noted the change in her expression. He enjoyed the way her eyes grew large and her skin grew pale while looking at him. He liked the look of aversion mixed with fear that seemed to twinkle in her eyes.
"You- you let it inside of you?"
Yuji raised his eyebrow at her and smiled. "I let what inside of me, Kagome-chan?"
She raised her eyes to look at him, not bothering to hide her surprise. "You- Magatsuhi..."
"Why do you keep calling me Magatsuhi!?"
Kagome could only stare at him in bewilderment as he glared at her. No wonder his aura was so strange! The human didn't seem to know what it was that was inside of him... but then, how could Magatsuhi enter him without the man realizing it? Surely, this man had to realize that he was possessed. Couldn't he detect the strange inflection within his own voice? Couldn't he feel the presence of Magatsuhi within him? Was it possible that Magatsuhi had overtaken this man without invitation?
"You know my name! Now call me by name, bitch!"
'Midoriko...'
"I– I only know you as Magatsuhi."
"Lie! I can't fucking stand lying!" He screamed at her as spittle flew out of his mouth. "Especially from a damn whore!"
Kagome felt her mouth grow dry as she watched the man tremble in anger. In a matter of seconds, he went from speaking to her in an almost pleasant fashion to screaming at her in rage. Apparently, Magatsuhi had just enough control over the man to coerce him into doing his will, yet the man did not realize that he was being coerced to begin with.
'Midoriko!'
"Every night, I see you! Every damn night! And you have the audacity to stand there and play dumb with me," He began to step toward her, his eyes flashing brightly. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"
'Midoriko!'
"I'm going to write Yuji Omogata into your damn chest, you lying whore!"
Kagome let out a startled eep as he lunged at her. She threw up her arms in an effort to defend herself and felt a familiar surge of power move through her and out her hands. In stunned silence, she watched as Yuji slumped to the ground seemingly unconscious, miasma staining the dented tree trunk behind him.
A feeling of elation moved through Kagome as she recognized the waking presence of Midoriko. She concentrated on the presence and called to her, slowly pulling Midoriko from the depths while keeping a watchful eye on Yuji.
A chuckle filled her ears as Magatsuhi's pure black eyes rose to meet hers, leaving no doubt as to who was in control over the mortal flesh. His skin grew hazy and dark as miasma began to ooze out of his pores, poisoning the air with its stench. The vegetation around him began to take on a sickly color as the plants withered and died. The earth itself seemed to pull away from him as the thick, inky fluid convalesced around him. With every passing second, the substance coated his entire body, forming a tainted second skin that glistened oddly in the light of the sun.
Kagome made a face at the sight, earning another hearty chuckle from the beast. Magatsuhi could feel the rising power within her and knew that Midoriko was awakening. But even if she took over the flesh completely, it still would not be enough.
Midoriko, and her descendant, Kagome, were fools -- both of them. To squander such talent and ability by living as normal human woman was preposterous. He had attempted to open Midoriko's eyes centuries ago, but his attempt yielded the birth of the Shikon no Tama. He tried to do it again through Kikyou, but she was not Midoriko's true heir and she stubbornly refused to taint the Shikon no Tama right up to her last breath.
"You should have waited for me, Kagome-chan," Magatsuhi said as he gathered himself and stood, regarding her with excitement in his eyes.
The woman before him was the one, and probably his last, best chance. She had already shown an inclination to give in to the urgings of power. By doing so she killed the hanyou she loved. She was untrained and naïve, she gave her heart too easily and she was too trusting. Her defiance was encouraging, but her disgusting sense of selfless made him sick.
He would force her to choose selfishly. He would force her to give in to the urgings of that power once more and then taint her heart. Then he would join with her, and through their union, he would punish the soul of Midoriko for her blatant defiance of him.
Magatsuhi could not help but to smile at her as he called the miasma embedded into the tree trunk to his body. "Midoriko is awakening. Good."
Kagome stood stock still with her chin held high as he began to approach her, "You're glad?"
"Oh yes," he said as he enjoyed her display of bravery. His eyes moved down to her small fists, watching them clench at her sides. She was trying to pull Midoriko out, he could feel the shift of power begin to stir within her and knew it was time to strike.
He attacked with an unnatural swiftness, leaving Kagome barely enough time to blink at the realization of the incoming assault. To her credit, she was able to pull together enough power to partially shield herself against the blow that sent her flying. She remained conscious, though dazed.
Struggling against Magatsuhi, he mounted her and straddling her chest. The weight of his body prevented her from gaining any advantage and left her gasping for air. With one hand free, she pushed against him, burning him with her natural-born talents and causing him to snarl at her in rage.
"Bitch!" he screamed as he hit her across the face with his fist once, then twice. He smirk as he peered down at her and took in her bloodied nose, split lip and dazed expression. She moaned softly as he grabbed her jaw and let his miasma coat the lower half of her face and slowly seep into her mouth.
The absence of Midoriko from Kagome's mind for so long left the young woman vulnerable. She was untrained and unaccustomed to fighting one-on-one against advisories of great power, which made her slow and sloppy. Magatsuhi knew if he waited for Midoriko to regain complete control, the situation would be far more difficult. However, he felt certain that he still would have had the upper hand. He only wanted Midoriko to be on the very edge of Kagome's consciousness, a fluttering presence that would serve as a sweet reminder to the girl of her weakness and proper place.
She belonged to him.
• • •
The Tenseiga hummed to life as he sped toward the edge of the forest where Shippou told him she should be. It pulsed against his hip and his flesh tingled with every beat. Its potency seemed to seep within Sesshoumaru's body, honing his battle instincts and preparing him for the onset of war.
The reaction of the Tenseiga was more than enough to convince him that his decision to have Jaken deliver the Tetsusaiga to him had been a correct one. There had been few moments since Sesshoumaru had acquired the healing sword that he felt it resonate with power. The first had been the time when his brother had finally learned how to properly use the Tetsusaiga and the Tenseiga protected him; the second had been when he found Rin's corpse. In both of those instances, the will of the sword had caught him by complete surprise.
Now as he flew at top speed toward the area Kagome was last known to have been, it seemed to radiate with power and intent. Even when Sesshoumaru had wielded the transformed Tetsusaiga with a human hand, he did not experience a potential like this. It was an incredible sensation. Sesshoumaru could not help but to feel curious about what the Tetsusaiga would feel like when it thrummed with this kind of energy. The very thought of wielding that kind of power excited him on a primal level.
Sesshoumaru's wrath surged through his veins when he caught the first faint scent of miasma lingering in the air. It smelled wrong. It was different from the scent that polluted his nose when he had previous run-ins with Naraku and it was different from the scent from when the Toukijin bled.
His mind made note of the change, making sure to investigate the difference when he had the time. As he rushed toward the stench, it warned him that he was close to his prey and to be cautious in his approach, yet it also spurned him forward with a renewed sense of urgency. Her blood scent was mingled within the stink of miasma, along with the strange smell of burning flesh.
Slowing his approach and remaining downwind of his prey, Sesshoumaru carefully studied the scene before him. Time seemed to slow as he began his careful observation. He could see Kagome sprawled out on her back with something human-like in appearance sitting on top of her He could only surmise that it was the thing she called "Magatsuhi" and it appeared to be trying to smother her with miasma. The overpowering fetor made him want to gag as he surveyed the clearing, trying to discern the source of each of the strange mix of odors before initiating an attack.
He smirked to himself when he saw the source of the scent of burning flesh. From his vantage point, Sesshoumaru could see that Kagome had one arm free, which she used to grasp Magatsuhi's face, burning the side of his jaw and neck. Even in her weakened and prone position, she fought back, and a sense of renewed respect and pride filled him.
Magatsuhi, on the other hand, seemed more annoyed by her attempts of resistance than injured by them. As Sesshoumaru watched, Kagome's attempts to ward off Magatsuhi began to falter. Magatsuhi took advantage of her decline and hit her upside the head, eliciting a low growl from the youkai lord watching him from above. Sesshoumaru's blood urged him to rush in and tear the beast limb from limb, but rational thought remained in control as he continued to observe. Sesshoumaru knew that if he attacked too hastily and without the proper foresight, Kagome would be the one to suffer most. Magatsuhi had the upper hand.
However, Magatsuhi also appeared to be completely focused on her, which meant he was most prone to attack from behind. Sesshoumaru steadily circled around Magatsuhi, making sure he did not hover directly upwind of his advisory and give away his position too soon. When the time for attack came, Sesshoumaru would have to move completely upwind of him and strike faster than the air moved in order to maintain the element of surprise.
The muscles in Sesshoumaru's shoulders grew more tense as he studied Magatsuhi. Kagome was not moving, she appeared dazed or unconscious and the thing sitting on her was beginning to pull at her kimono, attempting to part it. Sesshoumaru pursed his lips together as he quickly sought a visible weakness that he could capitalize upon without harming the woman-child and smiled to himself when a plan formed in his mind.
With a flurry of silent movement, Sesshoumaru was upon them, his whip striking the beast multiple times across the neck and back. Magatsuhi fell forward hard, pushing his chest into Kagome's face from the force of the blows. Sesshoumaru wasted no time in his attack and struck the beast again, forcing him to defend himself as he rolled off Kagome with a grunt.
Claws flashing, Sesshoumaru pressed into his opponent, letting his poison drip from his hands. Magatsuhi was quick to recover and threw his miasma at him, forming black tentacles that shot out at Sesshoumaru in countless directions at once. Sesshoumaru leaped back and made a hasty beeline toward Kagome's prone form. Placing himself between her and Magatsuhi, Sesshoumaru eyed his advisory with distain, waiting for him to make his next move.
• • •
Magatsuhi drew the evil viscosity back into himself as he glared back at Sesshoumaru, a slight smirk forming on his face. The miasma inside of Kagome was unlike the miasma both beings had become accustomed to and the youkai lord had arrived at precisely the right moment. Magatsuhi counted on having just enough time to force his miasma down her throat and into her belly before Sesshoumaru arrived to play the role of hero.
Kagome was naturally immune. She could purify it in an instant, rendering the miasma inert. But Magatsuhi had a counter to her natural abilities. By saturating it with spiritual evil, it would become potent enough to poison her, yet not kill her or render her permanently comatose.
He did not want to kill her. He wanted to defile her. In order to do this, Magatsuhi had poured part of himself into her -- along with the most corrupt part of Yuji's soul into her body.
She would be overwhelmed with the horror that haunted Yuji. She would see the terror that he was cabable of and would willingly choose to succumb to Magatsuhi because he would be there inside of her, offering an oasis from the darkness.