.:All of My Tomorrows:.
chapter nineteen : unravel darkness
The velocity of the descent sent Kagome sprawling when Sesshoumaru released her from his grasp. She fell hard on her rump and rolled twice before regaining her balance and coming back to her feet. Without hesitation, Kagome sprinted for cover, knowing that Magatsuhi was going to target one of them.
Hiding herself behind some dense shrubbery, Kagome peeked out to watch Sesshoumaru and to keep an eye out for Magatsuhi. She could sense him close by, but he seemed to be staying in one place. She knew that if he choose to go after her she would have to defend herself until Sesshoumaru was able to get to her. Hiding behind bushes was not going to save her from Magatsuhi.
Kagome bit her lip as she watched Sesshoumaru pause in the air and stare at something on the ground. She waited anxiously for several seconds for Sesshoumaru to make a move before he suddenly darted to the ground, causing Kagome to lose sight of him when he blurred out of view.
Kagome strained her senses as she sought for the tale-tell signs of battle, only to hear and see the illusion of peace surrounding her. Panic began to melt in Kagome's heart from the silence around her. She expected to hear something, anything... but the continuing silence only made her feel all the more uneasy. Inhaling a shaky breath, Kagome let her eyes drift shut and concentrated on the presence of Magatsuhi, trying to get a read on his location.
• • •
"That brat probably gave me bad directions," Jaken mumbled as he walked through the dense grass. In his arms he carried the Tetsusaiga, carefully contained within a handsome, wooden box for safekeeping.
The kitsune cub and Rin had come to him in a frantic rush with an urgent message to deliver the Tetsusaiga to Sesshoumaru without delay. As Jaken went to retrieve the sword from Sesshoumaru's quarters, the kitsune tried to tell him what was going on. Jaken, not wanting to waste his master's time, went about to fulfill his master's request immediately. By doing so, he left Sesshoumaru's domain without letting the cub finish his tale.
In retrospect, Jaken had to admit that it might have been wise to wait a few moments to hear more detail about what was going on. Then again, Shippou was just a child and a kitsune at that. Kitsune youkai are known for their imaginations and clever tales. That was all part of kitsune trickery and the boy was no different from his ancestors. Jaken was certain that the few bits of information he heard about this new "enemy" were exaggerations to make it seem like that Miko was is some sort of great peril. If anything, Sesshoumaru had probably lost his patience with the Miko and was going to force her to break the seal on the sword.
After all, there was no being in existence, human or youkai, which could challenge Sesshoumaru and be any real threat. The cub was exaggerating and Sesshoumaru was most likely going to force the girl to break the seal once and for all. It was Jaken's hope that once she submitted to his will, Sesshoumaru would have enough sense to kill her and be done with her.
Jaken paused to wipe his brow and mutter his displeasure under his breath. That fool girl and her pet had caused too much trouble already, making Sesshoumaru act so strangely. There had been a time when Sesshoumaru looked upon all humans with disdain. He would kill them without a second thought, but then Rin came along. She somehow won favor with him and for the life of him, Jaken could not understand how or why. She was a pest.
Then the Miko came along. She had brought out the most peculiar reaction from Sesshoumaru. One day he seemed quite infatuated with her, other days he would go out of his way to tease and torment her and then other days he wanted nothing to do with her. Jaken knew that the days he avoided her were the days she was also in estrus. Jaken preferred not to be around her during those times as well, but her scent did not agitate him quite as much as it seemed to agitate Sesshoumaru.
Jaken knew logically that there were only two reasons in the world why his lord would react that way. One, her scent offended him and his nose being as sensitive as it was found it to be highly rancid. Two, he did not trust himself during that time of her cycle.
Human females did not emit as strong an odor as youkai females do when they are in estrus. The only time the scent is very strong on a human female is if they do not bathe often, and the miko bathed daily. Therefore, Jaken was certain the reason Sesshoumaru stayed away from her during that time was because his body responded too readily to the scent. This was why Jaken hoped that Sesshoumaru would kill her. The last thing Sesshoumaru wanted was to be like his father.
Killing the miko would ensure that he would never be like his deceased sire.
Jaken huffed as he studied the landscape around him. He knew he was in the area the kitsune had directed him to, but he could not find his master. Although he did find plenty of evidence pointing to a confrontation between Sesshoumaru and some unnamed enemy that Shippou had tried to tell him about. Jaken hugged the wooden box closer to his chest as he walked further into the battlefield. All around him stood the evidence of a recent battle, though the participants of the battle were nowhere to be found.
"Sesshoumaru-saaamaa!" A toadyish voice called out with a whine. "Sesshoumaru-saaamaa!"
"Jaken."
The toad spun around at the sound of the unfamiliar voice.
"Give the Tetsusaiga to me," the stranger said, holding out a clawed hand.
Jaken openly gapped as he stared at the being in front of him. He appeared to be human at first glance, except that his skin seemed to be made up of a swirling miasma that acted like a fluid. The longer Jaken stared at the being, the less human he appeared to be. It seemed as though the thing was changing shape before Jaken's eyes and he blinked hard, certain he was seeing things.
When Jaken looked again, he could no longer deny the fact that the human was indeed changing shape. His face seemed to be stretching very slowly, causing it to look grossly misshapen. His jaw and neck were far too wide and thick and his upper body too strong. His eyes reflected the light like a predator and his skin seemed rough and strangely callused, almost scale-like. Jaken could only see the upper half of his body, so he could only imagine what the rest of him looked like.
"Who are you!?"
The thing smiled slightly, revealing rows of sharp teeth. "Give it to me, Jaken."
"Where is Sesshoumaru-sama?"
Jaken scrambled backwards in a panic the instant the strange being made a move toward him. Seeing his prey attempting an escape, Magatsuhi hastened his chase, closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds, and pounced upon him. Jaken let out a pitiful yelp when he was thrown to the ground, the wooden box containing the Tetsusaiga sliding out of his grasp and skidding across the earth.
Without hesitation, Magatsuhi leaned down and tore out the side of Jaken's neck with his teeth, inflicting a mortal wound. Satisfied at the sight of the little youkai's blood pouring out of the gash, the beast pushed himself up and briskly walked toward the wooden box. The air shifted around him, causing Magatsuhi to peer upwards in time to see Sesshoumaru descend upon him, claws slashing. Unwilling to allow the youkai lord easier access to the Tetsusaiga, Magatsuhi parried without losing his ground.
A series of hard blows and deep gashes were exchanged, neither combatant willing to be forced back. Sesshoumaru studied his opponent with great care as he countered and attacked, trying to ignore the heavy scent of Jaken's death. The slashes Sesshoumaru had been able to inflict upon Magatsuhi once before were no longer as effective. His skin seemed to be growing thicker and more resistant to his claws while his body seemed to be growing denser with muscle and bone.
The human appearance Magatsuhi once held was slowing melting away to reveal a more reptilian-like being in its wake. Sesshoumaru could only assume that Magatsuhi was slowly transforming back to his true shape.
So lost in his assessment of Magatsuhi that Sesshoumaru let his guard slip. That half-second was not lost on Magatsuhi, who pulled back a heavy fist and connected it with Sesshoumaru's midsection, causing his armor to crack and forcing the air from his lungs. Sesshoumaru forced himself to recover quickly and he pressed into Magatsuhi with more tenacity. Anger at himself for letting his guard down fueled him as he pummeled Magatsuhi, not allowing the beast a chance to recover and regain his footing. Centering his strength, Sesshoumaru sent Magatsuhi flying with one solid blow.
Instinct told Sesshoumaru that he only had seconds to recover the Tetsusaiga. The strike he had landed on Magatsuhi was not enough to stop him for long, but it did allow him enough time to claim the sword.
The wood shattered and the sword revealed, Sesshoumaru did not hesitate as he wrapped his hand around the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. He knew without question that it would not resist him. It belonged to him.
The Tetsusaiga had claimed a new master.
The sword pulsed in his hand and immediately transformed, extending and growing into a graceful curve with a super fine point. It throbbed with life and power as Sesshoumaru raised it against his opponent.
Magatsuhi snarled with animal-like grace, but said nothing as he watched Sesshoumaru slowly move toward him. Nothing was going as Magatsuhi had planned. Kagome resisted his temptations. Magatsuhi's plan was for her to ask him, beg him, to help her. To save her. If she submitted to him willingly, he would have access to everything within her. All her power, all her thoughts, all her nightmares and dreams -- and Midoriko, too. He would be her master and she would practically worship him.
But his plan failed.
She realized too soon that everything she saw and felt was only happening in her mind, and her realization forced Magatsuhi to try to tempt her more directly. Still, she resisted. Magatsuhi knew that if she did not submit to him, her mind would be destroyed from the internal conflict. She would forever be trapped in the nightmare he created for her. Kagome would be a lifeless shell, a waste of potential. Magatsuhi did not want her to remain like that forever, but he was prepared to accept her in that condition rather than risk having to deal with her and Sesshoumaru united as one against him.
Every second that ticked by made Magatsuhi loathe Sesshoumaru more. When he had interfered with his healing sword and revived Kagome, he had been filled with virulence. Now that the youkai lord had both swords in his possession and obeying his will, his wrath was beyond measure.
It was well past time to be rid of them. They had caused him enough trouble already. Neither one of them was going to bend to his will; they were both too proud and stubborn. He would destroy them both, and he would start with her.
Magatsuhi and Sesshoumaru clashed together with great speed and force as they made their way toward the area they both knew Kagome was hiding. Magatsuhi was clearly trying to get closer to Kagome while Sesshoumaru was trying to push him away from her. Magatsuhi could feel Kagome's power steadily increasing within her since she had awoken. If he did not move quickly, his opportunity to put an end to her would pass.
Even though Sesshoumaru held the Tetsusaiga, he still did not have an advantage over Magatsuhi. The two were still as evenly matched as they were before, perhaps more so because Sesshoumaru had placed too much faith in the untapped power of the sword that he did not yet know how to release.
The Kaze no Kizu was proof of control over the sword, but it was not an example of the Tetsusaiga's full potential. Magatsuhi knew this and suspected Sesshoumaru knew it as well.
With every slash of the sword that unleashed the power of the Kaze no Kizu, Magatsuhi was able to deflect or dodge it. Eventually their battle got close enough to where Kagome was hiding that Sesshoumaru refused to use the attack for fear for hurting her. Magatsuhi capitalized on that and pressed toward Kagome with a greater sense of purpose.
• • •
Kagome was not paying attention to the battle nor did she seem aware of the danger heading her way. She stood out in the open, facing the dueling pair unflinching. Sesshoumaru did not have the time to get a careful look at her, but he had seen that distant look on her face before. He knew that she was somehow lost within her self.
Sesshoumaru could feel a strange power surging within her, gathering itself to a central point. He realized in an instant that she was trying to draw forth all the power contained within the Shikon no Tama and focus it through her.
Magatsuhi felt it too and suddenly broke off his attack to rush at her, teeth bared and claws ready to strike. Sesshoumaru gave chase, throwing the beast temporarily off course when the ground exploded before him from the impact of the Tetsusaiga against the earth. Noxious gas and miasma surrounded Sesshoumaru, forcing him to leap into the air. Not one to miss an opening, Magatsuhi burst forth with an animal growl, intent on reaching Kagome before Sesshoumaru.
Sparing a glance at the woman child, Sesshoumaru noted that she was nearly enveloped in a strange white light that seemed to come from within her. A bright flash temporarily blinded him and forced both he and Magatsuhi to pause in their efforts to regard the strange happenings surrounding the girl.
Sesshoumaru caught the scent of Kagome's blood and peered at her intently searching for injury. She appeared unharmed, but the scent of blood grew stronger causing his fist to tighten its hold on the Tetsusaiga.
As he studied her, he saw a small, white sphere rise up before her, drops of her blood evaporating from it. Her face was turned down and her hands were in front of her chest as though she were holding the sphere, yet it spun freely in the air.
"No!" Magatsuhi shouted as he threw tendrils of miasma at the girl. She made no move as the tentacles reached out to her and impaled her through her outer thigh and grazed her neck causing blood to splatter into the air.