Notes: *Dancing the bloopy dance* BlahblahblahBLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAH! O.o *turns music off and hides stereo* ^^;;; Heheh…you were watching?
Viaresu: @_@ Mind…scarred! I CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE OF THIS! AHHHHHHHH!!! *Attacks CD of bloopy song and kills it*
O_O . Right, Viaresu…we'll just take you to the nice mental institution now…uh-huh…
Healing of the Heart
By Sango-chan
Chapter 5
The Fang Revived
"An employer! " Sango had been idly wondering whether or not to jump in and help Inuyasha in his fight, but now this sudden revelation brought her back to focus. "Someone hired you to hunt us down?!"
"Do you imagine I have the time to track down fools like your little pet dog over there…" Viaresu waved a hand dismissively in Inuyasha's direction, "…and kill them all? No, no, girl, I work for those who pay well, and the demon I'm currently working for has offered a very high price for his death…a very high price indeed." Smirking at the glowering hanyô, he added, "Of course, that does lead you to wonder who it is, doesn't it?"
"Curse you," Inuyasha spat out disgustedly, "You're nothing but a puppet, dancing to the commands of the highest bidder!"
Viaresu's eyes gained a blood red tint as his voice lowered dangerously. "Am I? Really now…" he fingered the glaive's smooth wooden haft, "I…prefer the term…mercenary!" With those words, the yôkai ran forward, bringing his glaive down on a straight course towards the dog demon's chest. Inuyasha barely managed to bring his arm up in time to block the blade. There was a sizzling sound and the nauseous stench of burning flesh pervaded the clearing. Inuyasha broke off, running back a little to gain momentum as he made another pass at Viaresu. The yôkai dodged that one, and then stopped. He smiled grimly, twirling his glaive with one hand, the tinge of fire fading from his eyes. "That made me feel so much better…don't you agree, dog?"
"Shut up." Looking down at the singed cut that ran down the length of his arm from shoulder to wrist, Inuyasha touched a forefinger to the edge of the scorched skin and cloth.
"Ah…" Wincing, the hanyô sucked on the burnt and peeling skin of his finger and watched as the wound on his arm discharged threads of blue smoke that matched the ones rising from Viaresu's glaive. 'That cursed sorcerer and his enchantments again…'
"What's the matter, Viaresu?" Inuyasha shouted angrily. "Too afraid to face me in a fair fight? Why don't you drop those cheating spells and magic and fight me, you coward!"
"Don't get him mad again, idiot!" Sango muttered under her breath. "Look what happened last time!" She was aware that Inuyasha had a good chance of getting killed in this fight, but she didn't think it was wise to step in…the battle had become a matter of pride, and neither of the males would appreciate her interference in their clash.
"No one calls me a coward and lives." The fiery glow was back, and this time Viaresu's eyes were completely engulfed in the flaming color. Sango watched with a kind of perverse fascination as they changed from a cool, translucent pale orange to smoldering fiery red. The demon's very skin seemed to ripple with demonic power. "No one." Tossing his glaive down, the yôkai muttered a string of nonsensical words. As Viaresu's voice gradually increased in volume, blue ribbons of smoke emanated from the glaive and the slash on Inuyasha's arm, gathering in his cupped hands. A pale blue ball of magical energy grew there, rippling and crackling with power. Sango shielded her eyes from the blinding glow, and Inuyasha was forced to watch through slitted, watering eyes.
Viaresu seemed to show no concern, however, staring directly into the shimmering ball of his own magic. Lowering his voice to a hoarse whisper, the yôkai uttered a sentence. Immediately the bright blue orb flashed from his grasp and flew into the white disk lying by Sango's hands, sinking into the flat stone to disappear completely. It was all over in a split second.
Sango cautiously cracked an eye open, staring first at the innocuous stone and then at Viaresu. His eyes flared even brighter than before, but the glaive on the grass in front of his was free of any and all magic. The taijiya glanced back at the stone disk. 'It's all in there!'
Holding his now-normal glaive in both hands, Viaresu smiled ferally and pointed the blade's tip at Inuyasha. "Happy, dog? All my magic is in that stone. Let's have your 'fair' fight now…that is, if you will grant me that privilege," he added mockingly.
'Shit…' Inuyasha thought, gritting his teeth as he scrutinized Viaresu's battle stance. 'He means business now…but at least there'll be no surprises.' With that optimistic thought in mind, the hanyô leapt at Viaresu for a second time.
Ssssssscrack!
"Ugh!" Inuyasha's head snapped backwards from the hard blow to his jaw. The blunt end of Viaresu's glaive sent him flying, his trip abruptly shortened by a tree limb.
"My…my god…" Sango whispered, staring at Viaresu who was already back in the ready pose. 'He purposely used the wooden end of his glaive! And…' glancing back at Inuyasha, who lay at the tree's bottom, 'look at the damage he did!'
"You're lucky I took it easy on you." The yôkai's tone was casual, with an edge of cold humor, belying the demonic glint in his eyes. Inuyasha struggled upwards, leaning heavily against the tree trunk for support.
"I won't do it again." Balancing his glaive on two fingers, Viaresu paused before throwing the weapon, blade-first like a spear. The sharp glaive headed straight for Inuyasha's unprotected chest.
'Damn…I can't move fast enough…messed something up in that fall… ' The hanyô though wildly as he vainly scrambled for any way out of the path of the weapon.
"Hiraikotsu!"
Sango's huge boomerang whipped through the air, knocking the glaive away from its intended target. Viaresu jumped to the side, catching his glaive. He glared at the girl. "You dare to interfere?"
The demon exterminator also seized her weapon again, crouching in a fighting position. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Inuyasha get up. He appeared to be doing better now, but the hanyô was obviously not ready for another battle. 'Ok…my turn, then.'
"That's right, demon," Sango replied, her voice sounding much more confident than she really felt. "I'm going to take you down."
"You…" Viaresu stared at Sango, lowering his weapon. "Heheh…hahahahaha!" Doubling over in laughter, the yôkai let his glaive drop as he let out loud peals of merriment.
"What's so funny?" the taijiya demanded, bewildered by the demon's sudden jovial manner.
"Heh…heh…" Grasping his glaive again, Viaresu leaned on it for support as he calmed down. "You…a human girl? Defeat me? Ha!"
Sango clenched her fists to control her anger as she glared daggers at the demon. "So you think I'm not good enough for you to fight?" she spat out. "I can assure you, I'm not an opponent to be underestimated!"
"…" Straightening up, the yôkai's expression hardened as his unreadable gaze focused on the human in front of him. "…Move."
"No," Sango shot back, "I've never run from a battle before and this won't be my first time."
"I have no wish to kill you, girl. You were not mentioned. But if you get in my way…you will die," Viaresu said coolly, picking his weapon up again.
'Well…it looks like I'll be dying a long time before I'd thought… and dying from something other than Naraku,' Sango thought ruefully as she held her stance. 'Funny…that's how I always thought I'd go. Well…' Shifting her sash slightly so that her sword was more easily accessible, the demon exterminator allowed herself a few last moments of contemplation. 'And to think that I'm doing it for him…'
"So. Throwing away your life for a weakling half-breed like him." Viaresu jerked his head in Inuyasha's direction. "You do realize that he'll die after you?"
"No, he won't," Sango replied between gritted teeth. "Because…" Hiraikotsu was suddenly a pale blur as it sped toward the yôkai. "…you'll die first!"
Surprised, Viaresu still managed to dodge—but not quite fast enough. Hiraikotsu clipped his weapon as it whizzed past, knocking it from the demon's hands. Sango quickly drew her sword and raced forward, intent on using her small advantage to the fullest. Her opponent executed a quick roll to the side, grabbing his glaive.
Damn…he's too fast! Sango circled the yôkai warily, keeping her distance now that he was armed again.
"Still don't want to run?" he taunted, smiling easily as if they were engaged in casual conversation instead of a duel. "I promise, I'll even give you a head start of…oh, I don't know, how long do you think it will take to kill the dog boy?"
Her gorge rose at the insult to her abilities, only to be replaced a moment later by a blinding flash of clarity. Sango felt marvelously clear-headed at once. This was what years of training and hard work with her father and the elders had prepared her for. She wasn't going to give this yôkai an easy fight.
The taijiya lunged forward, and her sword met Viaresu's glaive blade with a clash of steel. She drew back a pace, then feinted right. The yôkai moved to block her in that direction, and she changed direction to clip his shoulder, drawing blood.
"You…"
Sango blocked as the yôkai pressed his blade against hers, bearing down harder. There was a faint popping noise, and her sword blade exploded in her hands, leaving the exterminator with a sharp-edged stump in her hands.
"Oni tusk," Viaresu said, and lifted the glaive for the death blow. "The yôkai I took it from claimed it cut through bone as easily as air."
"CLAWS OF BLOOD!!"
Viaresu drew back as the bloodied wind blades swiped by his face, grazing one cheek slightly. He sighed in exasperation. "This little tag team of yours is becoming dull."
Sango stared, wide-eyed. "Y-you…"
"Just repaying the debt, girl," Inuyasha snarled, glaring at Viaresu. "You saved my life, I saved yours. Don't expect more favors in the future. And stay out of my business from now on. This bastard is mine."
"Some thanks…" Sango muttered, reaching for Hiraikotsu.
"I mean it!" The hanyô looked directly at her this time. "Stay out of my fight."
"How valiant." Viaresu brought his glaive down in a sweeping arc, forcing Inuyasha against a tree to avoid it. "Perhaps I'll even let her live." The dog demon started to speak, but was reduced to a coughing fit instead.
'The fool, he's still not healed yet', Sango thought desperately. Then something clicked.
"Inuyasha!! Use the Tetsusaiga!"
"What?!" Inuyasha swung his head around, fixing her with a disbelieving stare. "You think it'll work…for you??"
"Listen to me! Just do it!"
"Worth a shot, I guess…" he mumbled, and pulled the Fang out of its sheath. It glittered dully, unmoving, unchanging.
"Good," the taijiya breathed. "He listened." And with that, she dropped her weapons and planted herself in front of Viaresu.
"What are you—"
"Are you so dense?" Viaresu murmured. "Well, enough of fooling around. Die."
Faster than the eye could follow, the glaive was knocked away for a fifth time as the Tetsusaiga whipped upward. Viaresu reached for it, his eyes narrowed.
'It worked!' Inuyasha thought. 'Hn…I'd forgotten about her shards. But as long as she has them and I want them…I can use the Tetsusaiga.'
"Bastard," he growled, a ferocious smirk on his lips. "You're going down."
A/N: I swear, I shock myself sometimes…*mumbles*
