The Welder of BlackFire:

Thorn's Past Life-A Mysterious Ally

Chapter Fourteen: The Mated Pair and the Battle

"Inuyasha! Where are you going?" Kegome asked as the half-demon jumped down a steep hill on the side of the road.

"Thorn's around here somewhere," he whispered, sniffing the air. "The air smells strongly of her scent. That might mean that the shards are within reach."

"What are you mumbling about?" the girl asked, stopping her bike and watching him.

"I said, Thorn is near here!" he hissed, grumbling annoyances to himself.

"Who's Thorn?" Sango asked Miroku. The demon exterminator gave the monk a confused look while resting a hand on her fire-cat, Kirara.

"She's an old ally of Inuyasha's and Kegome's," he replied, watching the hanyou as he searched the slope.

"So where did she go?" the exterminator asked.

"To have a child," Miroku said, receiving a glare from Sango. "No, I'm not its father," he said with a disappointed sigh in answer to her well-placed glare.

"This way!" Inuyasha said, jumping down into the young shadows of the golden-hued trees, whose leaves were just beginning to fade from their bright green of early summer to the worn green of late summer.

"Inuyasha!" Kegome yelled. With an exasperated sigh she turned to Miroku and Sango. "C'mon, we should follow him. You know what she said about the father."

"Yes, if her mate finds Inuyasha near Thorn, he'll kill him," Miroku said as they made their way in the direction Inuyasha had taken.

There, the scent is stronger. Huh? What's Sesshoumaru's scent doing around here? He must be looking for trouble, Inuyasha thought, clenching his fangs and slowing his pace a fraction. Well I guess the Jewel shards wont be going far as long as I can smell Thorn. I have the time to fight him, even though I don't want to. Inuyasha nearly stopped as he suddenly felt Thorn's presences directly in front of him. He stopped in a small clearing, in which a small knoll was located, in its side was a freshly dug hole that smelled heavily of Thorn. What's going on? Inuyasha thought, extremely confused.

"Inuyasha. I didn't think you would come here with my scent so heavy," came a soft voice from the trees behind the knoll.

"What, do you take me as a coward, Sesshoumaru?" growled the pointy-eared half-breed.

"I only took you for a fool, which is what you are for coming here," the tall lord said, his shadowed from melting from the tree's dark grip. "Jaken," he said, bringing the toad youkai to his side.

"Yes, my lord?" he said in a quivering voice.

"Go guard the entrance," he said, never letting his gaze stray from his brother, who seethed and glowed in anger.

"What are you hiding, Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha growled slyly, his hand beginning to inch toward the hilt of his Tetsusaiga. But before the monarch could answer, a hissing growl came from the hole in the dirt mound, covered in sparse grass.

"Who dares?" spat the wolfish voice. Two, silvery, glowing orbs flamed through the darkness from the seeming den.

"A nothing half-breed, Thorn. Go back to the pup," Sesshoumaru said as Jaken walked toward the den in a hesitating gait. But before the ugly youkai made it to the den's entrance, Thorn emerged, in full wolfish form, fiery silver eyes blinking in the bright light of the setting sun to her back, setting off the black marking on her forehead.

"Inuyasha," the she-wolf hissed. "I warned you not to come. Now you will be pun-"

"Inuyasha! INUYASHA!" came voices from his group. The heads of all in the clearing turned toward the direction from which the hanyou had come, disrupting the white wolf's words. She growled fiercely, suddenly, darkness in her voice.

"You lead them here too? Do you not care for their lives?" she snarled. "Well, they will have to be taken care of.."

"Thorn, return to the pup, I can take care of them," Sesshoumaru said quietly, who, in the head-turning, had assumed a position of defense over the den.

"Not alone, Sesshoumaru," she said, turning to her right where Jaken stood quivering. "Jaken," she growled.

"Yes, Mistress?"

"Guard the entrance. No one goes in, nothing comes out. Do you understand?" She growled as he stepped closer, right next to her side and in front of the dirt opening. Jaken swallowed thickly, nodding. "You'd better, or I'll be feeding him your eyes as his first meal," she growled, before turning back to the invader, who's bewildered look questioned her sanity.

"What's happened to you?" he whispered.

"BlackFire got his wish is all," the she-wolf murmured, her voice dripping with venom.

"Inuyasha! Why did you run ahead like that!" Shippo said from Kegome's shoulder as the rest of the group run up.

"Shippo, I think that's the last of our problems," Miroku said evenly, trying desperately to mask his fear as he saw Sesshoumaru.

"What are you talking about?" asked the kitsune, turning to the monk.

"Shippo, why don't you look around," Sango said, looking at the threatening pair.

"Huh? Ahh! Its Sesshoumaru!" screeched the young fox-youkai, hiding behind Kegome's thick black hair.

"And Thorn too. What's she doing here?" Kegome asked, hand closed at her chest.

"Ha, ain't it obvious? Their a mated pair!" Inuyasha hissed, his hand finally fleeting to his sword's hilt.

"How very perceptive of you, Inuyasha," mused the quiet Inu-youkai. "Leave, or I will kill you."

Miroku's left hand began to slowly advance toward his right, which lay cloaked in its purple swath, almost unnoticeably, but Thorn noticed it with her canine eyes, and growled her fierce warning as she took a step back.

"I wouldn't Miroku," she said, reaching from nowhere to reveal a small, fist-sized orange sphere.

"Naraku's poisonous insects!" he breathed, taking a step back and again putting his hands to his sides.

"I did learn a thing or two while in his company," the white she-wolf said with a smirk in her tone. "So you will be coming no closer." And with that, she opened the hive and released the wasp-like insects. They hummed and buzzed angrily in the air while the monk ground his teeth and sweated in fear.

Damn, Miroku's out, Inuyasha thought, his eyes darting around, but always keeping his brother in plain view.

"We should retreat, Inuyasha. We are clearly outmatched," Sango said, taking a step back. "They seem to know our weaknesses."

"No shit, of course they do! Thorn learned our weaknesses long before you could know," he said, his eyes angry.

"That's right, Inuyasha. BlackFire told you that I know your past, present, and future. That is why I was kind enough to warn you when I knew that you would be after the Jewel shards. But you were a fool," the she-wolf growled. "And now you all will pay for your eagerness."

"No way, I want those shards!"

"Inuyasha! Be reasonable! Let's go!" Kegome said at his outburst.

"You should listen to the wench, Inuyasha. She seems to have more intellect then yourself," Shesshoumaru said, taking another step forward.

"Shut-up, Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha growled.

"That's it," hissed the she-wolf impatiently. "I've had enough. Leave now, before I become angry."

"You mean she's not already?" Sango asked to no one but herself and not really expecting an answer.

"Now you die, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said hotly.

"Just remember, Sesshoumaru, what I said about them and what they still have to do here. Just keep it in mind while you tear him limb from limb," Thorn growled as she licked the saliva dripping from her pallid jaws.

"I will," the lord said.

"Like hell!" Inuyasha cried, drawing the Tetsusaiga, filling the silent wind with a simmering whoosh.

With the unsheathing of the sword, the she-wolf bolted forward, drawing the hanyou's attention while his brother attacked simultaneously with his glowing whip. With his attention on Thorn, he did not see the attack when Sesshoumaru lashed out at him.

"Agg!"

"Inuyasha!" Sango cried. She jumped up as she hurled her giant boomerang into the air. "I'm coming in!"

"Not on my watch, Sango," snarled the she-wolf as she jumped up to meet the flying weapon.

"You've got her!" Shippo yelled.

The sandy-hued boomerang flew toward the leaping she-wolf at a blinding speed, ready to rip through her. The white muzzle gaped open, eyes wild, yet shinning with certainty. With deadly accuracy, the ivory fangs closed around the leather handles and stopped the weapon by dragging it to the ground from the she-wolf's dead weight.

"Impossible!" Sango whispered, taking a step back. Thorn dropped the weapon behind her with a cough. Her platinum glare turned back toward the demon exterminator as she sulked back toward them.

"I know all about you, Sango. I know what happened the day you met Inuyasha and the rest. I know about Kohaku, and your weapon of choice. How you are, essentially, the last of your kind. You should give up while you still can. My magic has shown me many things about you. It is pointless to fight me, I know every move you could possibly make, every thought that is going through your mind. There is no way you can even hope to defeat me, even in my wolfish form." Thorn steadily advanced, putting them all on edge but for Inuyasha, who was too busy with his brother to watch the bitch's approach.

"Agg!" Inuyasha cried as Sesshoumaru's whip bit into his flesh.

"Inuyasha!" Kegome called, letting her eyes stray from the advancing wolf. Pressing the advantage of her turned head, Thorn sprung, only to have Miroku's staff thrust in front of her and forcing her to land with a snarl.

"No! I wont let you harm Kegome!" he said, bracing himself for an attack, eyeing the ginger-striped insects as they hummed angrily. Sango came to stand beside him, her face determined.

The wolf growled at being held back and mumbled something they could not distinguish.

"What?"

"Nothing monk. Fine, I'll take care of you two first," she growled, eyeing the two. Sango drew her sword, her face grim.

Thorn lunched her attack, leaping forward and catching the demon slayer's sword's blade between her powerful jaws. Her lips pulled further from her fangs in a grin before a thud on her side brought a snarl erupting from her throat. Her silver eyes turned to the monk who had retreated his staff for another blow. She clenched her jaws, snapping the blade in two and bringing a gasp from the surrounding humans. The she-wolf dropped the useless blade to the ground and turned to Miroku, who's staff was raised in prospect for another blow.

"You'll regret that, Miroku," Thorn spat, facing him, but keeping Sango in the corner of her gaze.

"Inuyasha look out! I'm letting loose this arrow, and it will pierce your heart, Sesshoumaru!" Kegome yelled, positioning her arrow in her bow. Thorn's head turned toward her mate, and her face fell, worry replacing the anger that raged in her eyes.

"NO!" she screamed, leaping an impossible distance for any normal wolf, just as the girl let her arrow fly. Time seemed to slow down for everyone in the clearing as the white wolf's body blurred in front of the arrow. Kegome's expression fell and her hand fled to her mouth in surprise. Shippo watched from her shoulder as the arrow took flight along with the she-wolf. Jaken and Sango was taken back, eyes wide. Miroku stood and stared, utterly shocked as sweat dripped down his face. Inuyasha was in the middle of leaping down to the ground, hair whipping around his amazed face. Sesshoumaru's face expressed pain that tore at his heart. Thoughts whirled in his mind in fear. Fear of loosing his mate. Fear of what would happen to his pup.

She's taking my arrow! She can't do that! The wench's arrow will kill her! She can't survive that attack! The pup! What can I do? the lord thought, his feet searching for the cool earth, his eyes wide, setting off the blue crescent that plastered his forehead.

The setting sun's last rays reflected off Thorn's ghostly white coat, staining it an inspiring gold. Her eyes shone a liquid brown, a color none had ever seen burrow in their depths. But she knew what the color symbolized. It was the color of her childish human nature. The nature to protect those that were important to the future. To protect those who were important to her.

The arrow hit her, full in the belly, its purifying power ripping through her being. Time turned back to its normal state, making the body fall with the thud of dead weight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Authoress' Note: hope you liked! New chapter coming ASAP! I did the disclaimer last time. Tata!