The Welder of BlackFire:

Thorn's Past Life-A Mysterious Ally

Chapter Fifteen: The Battle Ends-BlackFire Appears

They all stood and stared, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru dropping from the air to the ground dumbly, without feeling their feet hit the earth.

"Thorn!" Sesshoumaru whispered hoarsely. His body felt drained, although in his battle with Inuyasha had been one-sided and he had hardly used any of his energy.

The she-wolf's body gave a quiver, and her eyes flicked open. They were still brown, still protecting. She lifted her head weakly and looked around her.

"What?" Inuyasha breathed. He had been sure she was dead. Kegome's purifying arrows had never failed before.

"Huh," the she-wolf breathed to no one. "The arrow. It didn't kill me." Realization hit her, making Thorn take a quick breath. "No. It can't be."

"Thorn, what's wrong?" Sesshoumaru asked, taking a step forward. The she-wolf's chin lifted toward him.

"Don't. I know now. Why I'm not effected," she said, her head shaking slightly.

"How?" Inuyasha asked, confusion painted on his face.

"Huh. Don't you get it? I wasn't in need of purification. My heart was true to my emotions, and they were well-placed. My instincts brought back my human half," she said slowly, her words halting as if she herself hardly understood it. "And they, it, saved me." She looked up, toward Kegome, Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha.

"AGG!" she screamed, her side burning as she strained to rise. She fell back down, panting heavily. She growled, making the arrow glow in revolt. With a quick motion, she ripped the arrow from her side and snapped it in her jaws, making blood drip down her side in a bubbly fountain.

"I'm fine, Sesshoumaru," she said to his worried thoughts as he watched blood flow down her side and drip onto the ground in a crinsome river.

"Go back to the den and the pup, I can take care of them now," he said, his voice soft and prompting.

"No, I said I was fine," she growled, staggering to her feet. She backed toward the den, standing in front of Jaken, who was slack-jawed and standing only because of the support of his two-headed staff.

"Kegome! Hit her again! She can't take another one," Inuyasha said behind his shoulder to the girl, his eyes still locked onto his brother.

"I don't want to kill her, Inuyasha!" she whispered back hotly.

"You wont kill her, stupid girl! You can't! But we can put her out of commission!" he hissed.

"You act like I can't hear you, Inuyasha," the wolf gasped. "But my hearings just as good as yours, if not better!" she sputtered.

"It doesn't matter if you can hear me or not," he growled. "Kegome just do it!"

"Okay, okay!" the girl said, stringing her bow once again. The she-wolf gritted her teeth and backed a step toward the den.

"Jaken, remember what I said. No one, you hear me?" she whispered faintly.

"Y-yes, M-Mistress," answered the toad demon in a stutter. He was answered with a growl and more retreating steps, making the she-wolf press her tail against the den wall.

"Here it comes!" Kegome yelled.

"Just shoot already!" Inuyasha growled.

"Thorn!" Sesshoumaru yelled down to his mate.

"Don't worry, I can handle this," she said, taking one more step backward and bringing herself against the dirt mound.

The arrow flew true to its master's wishes, lodging itself in the young bitch's shoulder. She groaned aloud and stumbled uncontrollably. With the last of her energy, she turned and yanked the arrow from the tough muscle in which it was imbedded in. She took a quick breath, tongue lolling around her fangs that glinted in the sun's ray's that reflected off the clouds. Sweat clung to her satin coat, mingling with the smearing of blood, and her eyes were wide. After a moment, her legs trembled, and she fell to the ground with a moan, placing her body in front of the den's entrance, showing that she would protect her pup even in her falling.

"Thorn?" Sesshoumaru whispered, taking a step forward before turning his now sinister glare to his brother.

"You!" he hissed, advancing toward his brother, whip held at ready as he seethed and growled.

"Ja-kan," coughed the she-wolf, looking up into his yellow eyes. "No one gets in..." she coughed again, and laid her head down on her paws. "No one," she whispered as her eyes closed. Her breathing slowed, until it was nothing but a shallow intake.

Sesshoumaru turned to look at his mate, eyes wide and breath short, not a second later. "No.." he gasped. "She's stopped breathing."

Everyone turned toward the she-wolf, who's breath had stopped not a moment before. Her side suddenly rose sharply, her breath returning. A growl hissed from her lips and she twitched slightly. Suddenly, her form shimmered and her coat darkened until it was black as tar but for the white scar on her forehead, replacing her black one.

"Foolish currs!" BlackFire hissed, jumping to his feet. "You couldn't save her from the arrow?! Her life means more than yours!" he growled at the staring Jaken, who was frozen in fear.

"I-I-I.."

"It doesn't matter now," he said, turning to watch the amazed group that stood in the clearing, who's floor was clothed in shadows as the sky began to darken. "We need to finish this now, so she can heal."

BlackFire leaped forward, his body not nearly as fast as the white blur Thorn was as she took Kegome's first arrow, but speedy none the less. He took advantage of the shock he had caused and attacked Kegome, ripping the leather bag of arrows from her back with a quick snap of his teeth. He ran back to the den's entrance, dropping the arrows by Jaken's side.

"There, now she can't kill me," he panted. He proceeded to snap every arrow in two, until nothing remained but splinters.

"Inuyasha! Let's go!" Kegome cried.

"I agree, Inuyasha. We must go! We can't take them on with us defenseless but for you!" Miroku said, still eyeing the wasp-like insects.

"Inuyasha, we must retreat!" Sango said, turning to look at Kirara who stood back in the shadows of the trees after retrieving her giant boomerang, unnoticed. She leaped on the fire-cat's back along with Miroku.

"Inuyasha! C'mon!" Kegome cried, tugging on the reluctant hanyou's sleeve.

"Alright, fine," he said, resheathing his sword and pulling Kegome on his back. "This isn't over Sesshoumaru, BlackFire. I'll get those sacred jewel shards!" and with that he turned and fled.

"Huramph, I'm sure he will one day," BlackFire snorted quietly. Sesshoumaru walked up beside the wolf and looked down on the hidden dragon.

"How is Thorn?" he asked, his voice suddenly cracking with worry.

"She'll be fine now that there is no danger. She pressed herself too hard when she took your arrow," he said, hinting that the lord should have done something about it. "And she just couldn't take the second. The first one had little effect because her instincts were the only thing she was thinking about, but with the second one, her demonic blood was beginning to flood back, and so it was killing her."

"Why did she stop breathing?" he asked.

"To let me go, to give just that much more time for her pup."

"What do you mean?" Sesshoumaru asked, his voice hard and threatening.

"Nothing you need to know about right now. Not until she wants you to know." BlackFire turned to Jaken, who was still staring dumbly. "What are you looking at you sad excuse for a demon?"

"...."

"He's in shock. It happens often. He'll snap out of it soon," Sesshoumaru said looking down at his servant coolly.

"Let me in the den," BlackFire demanded. Jaken shook his head from the daze, and quivering.

"I-I can't," he said in a trembling voice, holding his staff in defense to the blow he knew would come.

"What do you mean you can't?" hissed the wolf.

"S-she said no one goes in but her and nothing comes o-out," the toad demon replied, still holding the staff in front of him.

"She is me! I am her! We are the same!" the wolf snarled in exasperation.

"N-no. She said no. I must obey her wishes!" Jaken yipped.

"Can we wait until she heals and comes back?" Sesshoumaru asked BlackFire.

"It should take at least a day and a half for her to be able to come back to a conscience state. She's that drained," the wolf replied. "But the pup will die before then without warmth or suckling."

They listened to the quiet breaths of the pup inside the den and its steady heart beats.

"AGG! DAMMIT!" BlackFire screamed, startling his companions as he shook his head and backed away. His eyes squeezed shut and he writhed and fought. "Stubborn bitch."

"Just remember she's my stubborn bitch," Sesshoumaru said, watching as the coat turned from dark ebony to chalky gray. After a few moments, the wolf's coat was completely opposite and back to its original pigment.

"Stubborn dragon," the she-wolf growled. She looked up to her mate and Jaken. She took a drunken step forward, cursing her weak condition under her breath. "Get out of my way, Jaken," she said, walking weakly into the den. The two left in the darkening night listened while they heard her plop down on the den floor with a sigh and the scrambling and whimpering of the pup as it moved closer to her warm body.

"Don't just stand there all night you two, there's nothing that you can do now, so go guard," she growled tiredly.

"Hmm," Sesshoumaru said, satisfied his mate was fine. He turned away and began a night of guarding, making sure to keep in hearing distance of the den as a precaution.

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

AN: done again! Quick, no? hai! Well, I'm off to do another! Its almost done, only about ahh, four more chapters? And the epilogue of course! ^_^ byez!

Disclaimer: did it before. You know the drill.