Author's Note: You've decided to review again! YAY! Well, I made this chapter longer. Hope that it helps with the cliffhanger at the end of the last one. Well… not mush to say except… If you stop reviewing, I stop writing. Enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha. I only borrow the characters for fun. Why am I actually making a formal statement under the disclaimer?? I think I've lost my mind… You can be the judge of that (shameless advertisement) if you go read my one shot comedy AU (mouthful, huh?) I Wish… On the web now!
Way Worn
Chapter 13: Payment
"Stop, InuYasha… Do you hear that?" Miroku halted his movements, holding his staff out in front of the hanyou. He listened intently for a few moments. Yes, there was definitely something heading this way… But what exactly it was, was something that only the hanyou could assume with his acute ears.
"Yeah, I hear it," InuYasha muttered, a growl forming deep in his throat, "What in the hell is that…?" He sniffed the air, hoping that his other senses could shed some light on the creature. Unfortunately, the wind was not on his side, as it was blowing away from the hanyou as opposed to towards him. This made it near impossible to pick up a good scent.
"It's getting closer," Miroku warned, holding his staff at the ready.
"You don't have to tell me," InuYasha growled, pulling Tetsusaiga from it's sheath.
Both males tensed as they heard bushes rustled slightly to the right of them. Their eyes darted to the spot, hands gripping their trusty weapons, ready to attack at a moment's notice…
And out from the bushes, ever so gently, stepped a regal and sleek looking fox demon.
"Shippo?"
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"You want me to…" Dayu trailed off, as his voice seemed to leave him. The Sword Master, the only one who could possibly save his dear Nikomi's life, had just asked him to kill his father in return for the deed. It didn't matter that InuYasha wasn't his actual father… the older hanyou had raised him as a son.
The statement hung in the air. Settling in like ice on the hanyou's skin, and causing him to shiver. The question weighed in his mind…
Allow Nikomi, his love, to die, or kill the one person he loved as a father?
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Sesshomaru's smile had not left his mouth. His plan was working out quite nicely. Of course it would, he had created it himself. And if everything continued to go as planned…
InuYasha would die
He would have Tetsusaiga
And his shameful daughter, Nikomi, would die as well
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"What are you doing here??" Asked a very confused and irritable InuYasha. First Miroku had joined in the hunt, and now the little fox demon? Sure, Shippo had grown up a lot in these past fifteen years, but he would still be in the way!
"I came to help." Shippo said evenly, glaring at the hanyou as if challenging him to order him away.
"You're supposed to be taking care of the women!" InuYasha yelled, sheathing Tetsusaiga.
"If Sango was here, she would smack you for that. You know that they can take care of themselves. Kagome sent me to make sure that you two didn't do anything stupid." The fox demon replied, a humorous tone to his voice.
Miroku and InuYasha exchanged glances for a moment, before accepting this fact with a sigh.
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'What am I doing?' Dayu asked himself over and over again as he trekked deeper into the woods. He had left Nikomi with the Sword Master and the green toad demon after promising that he would return with Tetsusaiga… and something that would prove that InuYasha was dead. The male hanyou shuddered at the thought.
It was odd that, out of all of the things that he could have asked, the strange youkai had chosen this task. It was almost as if he knew of the hanyou's ties with InuYasha.
Dayu caught InuYasha's scent rather quickly, along with Miroku and Shippo's. He sighed. This was going to be near impossible.
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"InuYasha…"
"I hear it, I'm not deaf!" The hanyou said, barely above a whisper. The wind had changed direction, and he could smell the fast approaching intruder this time. He stood up straight, a smile on his face, "It's okay."
Miroku lowered his staff, and Shippo lowered his bristling fur, and smiled as well.
Whatever welcome they were expecting, they did not receive.
A flash of dark blue from the shadows darted between each of them, stopping at a very startled InuYasha.
"I'm sorry…" He heard the words, but they didn't process. Not that they had any time to, as a clawed hand came up quickly, and slashed InuYasha's throat.
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"Where's Dayu?" Nikomi whispered, the words unwilling to come out of her parched throat.
"He's gone to pay for your healing," A cold voice answered.
"Oh… Will he be back soon?" The female hanyou's mind was not working properly for her. It drifted in and out of consciousness, and it seemed that all reason had left her, "I'm thirsty… Where's Dayu?"
Sesshomaru sighed. He almost felt sorry for her. Slowly bleeding to death was, most likely, a very painful thing. He was surprised that she had lasted this long. Of course, she was part demon. Part him no less.
He would probably be doing her a favor if he ended it right now. A quick slice with his claws and her suffering would be done with. But he had to keep her alive until the male got back. He would, of course, want to see her before he presented the sword.
"I'm really thirsty…"
"Jakken, get her some water," Sesshomaru was almost startled to hear this come out of his mouth. Could it be that he actually… cared for this girl? No… He just wanted to keep her alive. That was it.
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"What the…" InuYasha clutched his now bleeding throat as he staggered back a few steps. Luckily, the older hanyou had stepped backwards just as the claws reached his skin. The resulting wound on his neck was shallow, but bled freely.
Dayu stepped back, utter fear written clearly on his face. He had expected, or at least hoped, to kill on the first blow. This was not going as hoped.
"Dayu?" Miroku shot both hanyous confused looks.
"You tried to kill me!" InuYasha yelled out, leaping in front of Dayu before he could hurt anyone else, "What do you think you're doing?! Where's Nikomi?!"
The young hanyou cringed back from InuYasha, "I… I left her with the Sword Master. I need to kill you so that she can live!" Fear forced him to blurt out everything.
InuYasha stared for a moment, "The sword master?" He asked, "Why?"
"Because he said that he would heal her," Dayu began to relax a bit, his breathing calmed slightly, and he felt his heart slow a bit.
"He wanted me dead in return for her life?" InuYasha said slowly, as if he had to hear himself say it. Dayu nodded and added, "He wanted Tetsusaiga too…"
Amber eyes met eyes just as golden. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, until InuYasha suddenly lashed out, striking the young hanyou on the face with his claws. He left red stripes that left blood trickling down Dayu's cheek.
"Try and kill me then."
Extra Author's Note: Gasp GO REVIEW!!!!
