AN: WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! This chapter includes graphic, extreme descriptions of blood and other random assortments of gore. This chapter is by far the worst in this story. If gore makes you uneasy, just skip this chapter and I'll have a re-cap in the next chapter. This is warning is for those teenagers out there who are ignoring the rating on this story. (I know you're out there! Hell, I'm one of you.) You have been warned. Flame me for writing this sort of gore and you're just stupid.
AN2: I apologize. I… I'm just sooo sorry. *Beats self with large rocks and whips*
AN3: There are several POV changes throughout this chapter. Each POV starts at the beginning of this chapter.
Chapter 31: Anguish
Stumbling forward, I was about to take aim again, when I saw twenty, maybe thirty, roots rise out of the ground, throwing stones and dirt into the air in their wake. I watched as the large roots swayed in the air, towering above me. I was, strangely enough, reminded of the dancing seaweed in aquariums. Or maybe a snake before it strikes. I think the snake analogy is more accurate.
I was, more than likely, seeing twice as many roots as there really were, and they probably weren't swaying like I perceived them to be. However, I was almost positive that the roots were actually descending on me like a flock of vultures or crows.
I tried to protect my head from the looming roots but the struck at my arms and torso, bruising and slicing my body. I bit my lip to keep from screaming in pain as the ground tore at my skin. It seemed that in no time at all the body was flowing down my arms and legs, pooling on the ground There was the thick taste of blood in my mouth and I could smell its stench as it coated the roots, the ground, my body and my clothes.
I fought the urge to vomit as the roots continued to beat on my body and the smell of blood became more over-powering. I began to heave and soon stomach acid and food coated the blood stained ground. I could hear screaming and I thought I could smell someone's tears, but I was half-dead then anyway.
And through all this, I did not scream.
"Inuyasha, you surprise me." I heard Naraku's voice as the roots pulled back for a minute and I fell to the ground.
'I am half-blind, half-mangled, and half-dead. I'm laying in my own blood, sweat and vomit and I can't stand the pain another second.' I mentally sobbed. 'God, take me now!'
"You are worthless." Naraku whispered as I finished my silent plea. I felt two vines pull my bloodied and bruised body off the ground so that I was kneeling in front of Naraku. I struggled to open one eye, to look at the bastard, but it was no use. The blood had sealed my eyes closed. "Die."
I heard a swish of air and then a shriek, just before I felt one of the roots rip through my stomach and lungs, ripping out organs and guts. I tried to gasp or breath, but I couldn't inhale. My eyes were tearing up, and the pain was eating at me.
'NO!' I mentally screamed. 'Please, no… no.'
And as I begged for help, I felt the light slip away, allowing me to collapse into death.
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I bit my lip in fear, as Inuyasha stumbled forward. I appeared to be the only on concerned for Inuyasha's health. The boy, Kohaku, and Kana, the younger demon, were sitting by Kagura, seemingly unimpressed by any of the proceedings. Miroku was too interested in Sango to care about Inuyasha. Sesshomaru was watching the fight placidly as if it were an action or a movie with fake injuries. Naturally, no one on the faction's side was at all worried. They were enjoying Naraku's victory.
I gasped as a good number, perhaps ten, of Naraku's roots rose out of the ground and began to descend on Inuyasha, who had fallen to his knees and was covering his head with his arms. The roots began to flail at his body like a whip. Inuyasha began to vomit and Naraku began to laugh The roots would not stop hitting Inuyasha's body even though the ground was covered in blood and Inuyasha's fluids. My eyes began to water and I could feel the tears streaming down my face.
"STOP!" I called to Naraku as I started forward, but Sesshomaru placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Don't. Enter that circle and he will die for certain." Sesshomaru told me, as if he were reading a phone book I struck at his hand and arm, but he did not flinch or acknowledge my pitiful strikes.
"Inuyasha, you surprise me." I heard Naraku's voice, his silky voice chilling the blood in my veins. However, the roots stopped slicing Inuyasha's body and I felt a surge of hope.
'Naraku is showing mercy!' I smiled to myself, my happiness overflowing. 'Inuyasha's going to be okay!'
Naraku whispered something that I could not hear and two vines lifted Inuyasha up so that he was off the ground. Another root was coming around to position itself behind Inuyasha, ready to impale him.
'No.' I thought, as I understood what was happening. 'NO! Oh God, no! Please!'
"Die." Naraku commanded Inuyasha, and I shrieked, as I dropped to my knees and covered my eyes. I heard a swish of air and a gurgled shout, while Naraku laughed loudly. I could hear Inuyasha's attempts to breathe and I fought the urge not to vomit or look.
"No." I whispered as I heard the half-thump, half-splash of a body hitting the liquid-covered ground. "NO!"
"Well, I suppose I win." I heard Naraku sigh, almost in disappointment. "He is dead, after all."
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I 'tsk'-ed in disgust as the hanyou I called brother stumbled forward.
'How weak. How pitiful. What was father thinking when he gave Tetsusaiga to Inuyasha? I should have been given it!' I mentally grumbled. 'He's so pathetic. Why doesn't he just kill Naraku and get it over with? Honestly, what a show-off.'
I heard Dr. Higurashi gasp and I looked over at the battlefield. Naraku had released his roots again and they were beginning to beat on Inuyasha. I fought the urge to cover my nose as the scent on my brother's blood assaulted my nose. I coughed discreetly as Inuyasha's body began to reject the content of its stomach; the scent of Inuyasha's fluids was so overpowering that my head was beginning to spin. I looked down at the crying Dr. Higurashi and hoped she wouldn't turn hysterical.
"STOP!" she screamed as she started forward. Reaching out, I placed a hand on her shoulder in order to stop her.
"Don't. Enter that circle and he will die for certain." I told her as I watched the fight. It was obviously going worse than even I had predicted. It had never once crossed my mind that Inuyasha might get seriously hurt in the battle.
'Naraku has certainly grown stronger.' I admitted, trying to hid the guilt I felt at my miscalculation. 'If I had only known… Inuyasha's body won't be able to take much more. It's a miracle he isn't crying out. Perhaps he is unconscious?'
"Inuyasha, you surprise me." I heard Naraku's voice whisper, and I felt the bottom of my stomach disappear.
'He's going to kill Inuyasha.' I knew. 'My brother is going to die. And… it's my fault.'
"You are worthless." Naraku whispered softly and two vines lifted Inuyasha up so that Inuyasha's back was exposed to the root that was being position so that it could impale my brother. I bit my tongue roughly to keep myself from begging Naraku to stop.
"Die." Naraku commanded with an indifferent shrug, and I watched in horror as the root ran Inuyasha through the stomach, spraying blood everywhere. The contents of his stomach began to mingle with his blood as it ran down his legs and feet. Inuyasha gave a shudder and finally went limp, blood running from his ears and mouth.
I continued to stare at my brother. It was almost unreal. I was standing there watching my brother's death, but all I could understand were the other little activities that surrounded me.
I heard Dr. Higurashi scream. Miroku let out a cry and I could even smell Kohaku and Kana's fear. The blood from my cut tongue was flooding my mouth, but I just spit it to the ground, not caring whom might be watching. I could now smell the death rolling off Inuyasha's body as the two vines that were holding him up, released his arms.
The root that had impaled him lifted him towards the sky and he slumped backwards, his arms, legs and head pointing towards the ground as they hung limply from his body. The blood from his stomach wound began to run down his chest and the blood from his mouth and ears dripped quietly onto the ground. The scent of blood, sweat, death, stomach acid and tears was, by now, so intense I though I might be sick myself. I heard Naraku laugh as he roughly jerked the large root out of my brother's abdomen and dropped him to the ground.
Dr. Higurashi was rocking back and forth, sobbing and Miroku was bending over Sango's body, valiantly fighting tears. I saw that Kohaku had stood up and was looking out over the forest. I could almost smell his despair as it rolled off him in waves and I knew that if Naraku won and I signed a treaty, Kohaku would jump to his death.
'I'll probably join him,' I realized. 'But… Rin. We can't… we can't… Oh God, no.'
I felt the world began to crumble around me as I looked down at the dead body of my brother.
I was standing over Rin, who was sitting up in a hospital bed, holding a child. Rin was damp and red in the face, her body obviously tired. The baby was only hours old, and he was still red and wrinkled from birth.
"No. Please! Stop, Sesshomaru!"
"I can't Rin. I must." I told her as I reached for the child. Gently pulling the child away from her, I watched as she desperately clutched at my arm in an effort to stop me. Looking away, I ripped off the head of the child and gently lay it on the bed. I mutely watched the blood spray out of the child's neck and soak into the white hospital bed sheets.
"How could you, Sesshomaru?" Rin whispered as she pulled the two halves of the dead child towards her and cradled it against her chest, the blood soaking her hospital robe. "YOUR OWN SON! YOU KILLED YOUR OWN SON! How could you?"
"Well, I suppose I win. He is dead, after all." Naraku smirked, looking straight at me.
"No." I shook my head. "He's not dead."
'He can't be. I won't let him die.'