Chapter Sixteen: Doooooooom
Terror spread through Inu's veins. The demon hadn't blindly attacked the trio. It chose the weakest member and focused there. The fire rat fur had stopped most of the water blades, but even it had limits. Ruri was losing blood fast as he strove to move her out of the range of battle. He sensed that Kagome was following behind him, and was grateful for her presence.
Kagome with Shippou in tow arrived just as Inu had lain Ruri out on the grass by Kaede's hut and pulled enough of the haori and kimono away to expose the wound to the chill air. She plunked her pack down near them and quickly rummaged through to grab a flashlight.
"Wha... wha... what's Inu DOING?" The panic was clear in Shippou's voice.
Kagome looked up from her rummaging to see Inu draw a sword. "Tenseiga..." She watched as he kneeled down by Ruri and placed his left hand on her shoulder.
"It will hurt as Tenseiga enters, but the pain will pass quickly as it does its work, understand?" Ruri heard more softness in his voice than she'd ever heard before. She found herself too weak to speak and nodded her head slowly.
Inu rolled the blade in his hand to hold it like a dagger. Ruri winced and grabbed the hand on her shoulder as he plunged the blade in. Kagome and Shippou watched spellbound as pink light flared from the wound. When Tenseiga was withdrawn and the light faded, Kagome shook herself out of her reverie and ran up to the two, shining the flashlight on Ruri's side.
"Tenseiga healed the wound!" Kagome whispered, the marvel clear in her voice. She looked up to see the youkai staring at her as if that was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard.
"Er, yeah, baka, that's what it's for." He quickly shifted his attention back to Ruri. "But its work isn't done yet. Tenseiga does not replace lost blood. Plus, healing the wound does not remove the poison from her system."
"Poison! That's cruel!"
"That's survival for youkai. Kill or be killed. We've evolved some rather nasty weapons." He pulled off his own haori and ripped a wide strip of fabric from his kimono. He laced the fingers of his hand with Ruri's and tied them together with the cloth.
"What are you doing?" A combination of curiosity and fear was on Kagome's face.
"Blood transfusion. Sengoku Jidai style. Squeamish?"
Kagome shook her head no as Inu pulled the sleeves away from where the temporary wound would be. Laying their arms on the ground, he lifted Tenseiga again. A thin pink mist swirled around the blade as he laid it against their wrists. Quickly, he cut into their arms and held the wound open with the sword. Kagome watched as blood briefly spread to the cloth, but saw it was quickly sucked back into one of their bodies. He held the blade against their arms for some moments, allowing his blood to flow into her, and the poison to flow into him. Once the poison had left her and she had enough of his blood to be safe, he lifted Tenseiga. Kagome's eyes were figuratively glued as the light once again flared around the wound, healing it as if it had never been there.
Inu removed the bandage from their wrists and flexed his hand. Ruri's eyes slowly fluttered to life. "Inu-kun..."
"Hai, Ruri-chan, I'm here." He leaned close so she could see his face and stroked her hair. "Rest now, Kagome-obasan will protect you until I return."
Ruri nodded in agreement as did Kagome, the miko's face set with determination. The determination was echoed in Inu's face as he leapt back towards the fray.
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"SHIT! Shit shit shit shit SHIT!" Inuyasha the hanyou was not enjoying this battle. Miroku and Sango had joined in, but the three weren't making very much headway against the demon.
"Miroku, Sango, Inuyasha!" The three briefly turned to see Inu standing at the edge of the rice field. "This bitch is mine." Even in the darkness they could see the blood red of his eyes. They cleared out of the field as the youkai withdrew the swords from his side, embedding a Tenseiga and bokken in the ground on one side and the katana on the other.
"Mizu youkai! Mother of Mizu-a'kuma! Are you familiar with Mizu no Shi'?"
The trio at the field's edge looked at each other, the question plain on their faces. "Water of Death?" Sango murmured.
The demon roared with laughter. "How could a dog demon perform such a thing? Only elemental demons can cast elemental spells, silly dog boy."
Inu smiled an unpleasant smile. "One should always seek to understand their opponent. You have not." A mist began to swirl around him as he moved towards the man-made ponds. As he entered the water, he spread his arms and the water began to boil and swirl around him.
"By the powers of darkness and light,"
Sesshoumaru's trademark golden whip emerged from both hands and he carved a five point star into the air with his hands.
"By the waters of life from time's beginning,"
The star's glow changed from yellow to red as it cast its own circle around itself. The trio at the banks retreated up the hill, unsure of what was about to happen next. The swirling around Inu had become a vortex hiding him from view. The mizu youkai frantically tried to pull all the water she could towards herself in order to form a barrier against the coming onslaught.
"Let me walk the path between light and darkness,"
Inu spread his arms out again, feeling the torrent around him.
"And destroy that which opposes me."
With the final word, he threw his arms forward. The pentacle leaped towards its target and the inferno of water around Inu followed it. He watched as the victim turned to try to run away.
Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha stared with disbelief at what was happening before them. The vortex that had surrounded Inu laid itself down horizontal to the ground and rushed its target. The youkai they had been fighting tried to run from the onslaught but had no hope. The torrent surged around the beast, and they watched in shock and horror as it disintegrated before their eyes. The cyclone containing the body parts returned vertical. It began to move back towards Inu, who opened his arms to receive it.
Suddenly it stopped mid-step, as it were. They looked over the field to see what could be affecting it, and saw in the far corner a beautiful woman who appeared to be about Sango's age. Miroku reflected that she looked like she would be an excellent choice to bear his child if she weren't obviously opposed to their purpose. They watched as she began to glow with a blue demonic light. She too spread her arms towards the waterspout. Looking back towards their friend, they saw that it was clearly a battle of wills between the two.
The youngest member of the clan of Inutaishou quickly lost the battle. In a fight to claim the remains of mizu no shi', a half mizu youkai who was fighting to dissipate poison from his system did not stand a chance against a full and healthy mizu youkai. The torrent suddenly surged toward the woman and dove into her chest. She stumbled backwards but did not fall, letting the remains absorb into her body but letting the water run off.
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