Chapter Nine:
"To be thoroughly conversant with a man's heart, is to take our final lesson in the iron-clasped volume of despair." (Edgar Allen Poe)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kagome's eyes opened softly to the deep skies of night that from the dark forest surrounding the small clearing. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the shadowy and dimly lit space, she could see the last embers burning from the fire, which had been created just four hours ago. Kagome chuckled as she remembered humorously Miroku, who now slept contently with Sango in his loving embrace, state he would stand guard.
'Whatever,' Kagome wistfully thought, and shut her newly adjusted eyes, straining to recall why she awoke from sleep in the first place. Kagome could not rekindle into memory any conjured image or frightening voice. All Kagome could muster was a quick pulsing feeling, like what may be felt when you sense a cold chills permeate your body. However, to Kagome this feeling was the distinct sensation of an active and evil Shikon Shard looming in the uncountable distance.
Kagome again opened her eyes to nights setting and rose silently from her sitting position, pushing aside the outer layer of her red sleeping bag. The red shell swished loudly, and Kagome could here Inuyasha beginning to wake.
"Damn Kagome! What time is it, and why did you have to wake me up so fucking early!" Inuyasha complained. Sighing inaudibly, Kagome said apologetically,
"Sorry Inuyasha, I just detected a Shikon Shard. I didn't mean to wake you." Inuyasha nodded soundlessly, and did something reminiscent of a double take as he responded,
"Oh...OH! A Shikon Shard, why didn't you get me up sooner! You get Sango up, and I'll, "Suddenly, Inuyasha paused as he looked at the intimate and loving position Sango and Miroku made to combat the nights chilled air, "Wow, they sure look comfortable." Inuyasha added with a slight snigger. Kagome rolled her eyes, rebuking Inuyasha's insincere sarcasm,
"Oh, be quiet Inuyasha! It just so happens that Miroku and Sango are finally happy, and able to be in love. You're just jealous no one is insane enough to love you." Inuyasha immaturely mimicked Kagome, which caused him to receive an angered glare from her.
"I hate you, "Kagome said above a whisper, and completely detectable to Inuyasha's keen hearing.
"Good!" Inuyasha exclaimed, then added, in an almost apologetic tone, "Whose going to wake 'em up?" Shaking her head Kagome began walking towards the couple, but heard Miroku state in-between yawns,
"Do not worry Kagome, we're awake."
"How could we not be? You two sure talk loud." Sango complained tiredly as she left Miroku's embrace.
Dawn had yet to show its face and night still reigned, but Inuyasha and the rest sat congregated around the now-stronger fire.
"Well, when are we going to head out?" Kagome dully asked, tossing a spare woodchip into the glowing fire.
"I say we leave now." Inuyasha answered Kagome; irritated they were, even having this conference.
"But do we know which way to go?" Miroku said, posing another question.
"It's better to know where we're going before we head off, you know." Sango added. The group nodded simultaneously, and realized they were back to the first question.
"So, when are we leaving?" Kagome stated again, slightly puzzled she repeated the question.
"Will you guys just shut up? Let's head out now and figure out where we are going later." Inuyasha bitterly exclaimed. Miroku countered him,
"It makes sense if we wait till Kagome can figure out which way to go first." Sango agreed with Miroku. Kagome was about to repeat herself until she realized they were gaining no ground.
"I can't exactly tell...but I sensed the Shikon Shard somewhat northwest of us." Kagome said lowly, not entirely certain if what she said was true.
"Now that we know at least what direction to go in can we leave now!?" Inuyasha demanded in annoyance.
"Northwest seems pretty sound." Miroku stated, preoccupied as he fixed his priestly garb.
"It does. So let's just leave after some we eat something." Sango suggested as she felt her stomach rumble, calling for sustenance. This proposition seemed agreeable to the rest and they set about preparing a midnight meal.
His suddenly volatile ire increased as Sesshoumaru's ears bore the pain and disgust of Naraku's insolent taunt. Sesshoumaru's face, contorted by his insurmountable anger, and pleased Naraku greatly. With a wry and sly smile Naraku continued to twist his words,
"You are obsolete, the calm anger and control you normally radiate is now blown beyond your control. I expect your actions to be as planned as you half-brother Inuyasha strategies. Even in sheer strength you cannot defy me, I have gained many powers. I may even be more powerful than you, regardless of your present state." Yet, Sesshoumaru could do nothing but stare at Rin's tear-stained cheeks and pale face. He only saw the evils of Rin's punishment. Kagura's suffering and struggle eluded Sesshoumaru, for as far as he was concerned Kagura was all to blame. All Sesshoumaru knew was the darkness Naraku created for him in his trap.
Naraku observed this and felt glad. He continued his soliloquy,
"Do you hate my smell? My stench, as it has been called in the past. I wonder if the sensation of smelling that upon Kagura made the journey anymore difficult. Surely, if she were to be free and back in your company, you would not be able to stand it. Although, it truly is no matter, Kagura's my slave and you will soon be dead. "Sesshoumaru slowly lifted his head from Rin's still figure and snarled,
"You will not kill me, and Kagura has too much of you in her blood to settle in your servitude. The guilt of this deed lies with you. Kagura is not to blame; she was given her wings and flew as expected. Yet, in your malice a situation favorable was created to suit a dark purpose, for Naraku that is how you live. You weave your webs and leave them to vicious entrapment. I will not succumb to one as low as you are."
"Thank you for that examination of my character, but when will you fight me and end this useless rhetoric?" Naraku retorted, growing impatient of the truth, which proved a constant reminder of his low status.
"Now, you will perish Naraku!" Sesshoumaru exclaimed while he raised Tokijin toward Naraku's insolent figure. His red eyes were set aglow in fierce anger, and Sesshoumaru's face was set in a mirror of hard stone. A devilish smile lit Naraku's face as he drew his small, deadly blade and moved to attack Sesshoumaru. The horrid stink of Naraku, the smell that also encompasses his miasma proved to slow the demon lord.
Sesshoumaru defended himself, but showed, in his slowness, the weakness he bore of Naraku's stench. Knowing this, Naraku was sure of his victory.
'Every stroke that shall fall upon me will only release more of the poisonous miasma. I am invincible!' Naraku exclaimed from within as Tokijin punctured his skin because his dodge was slow. The foul substance within Naraku released into the air. Sesshoumaru abhorred the scent and backed away quickly from Naraku.
"You see Sesshoumaru. I am invincible, with every wound I am given my 'stench' will be released, and you will fall prey to it. Unless you can kill me in one blow, you will be weakened." Naraku said, grinning. Sesshoumaru narrowed his red eyes at Naraku and growled,
"I will not fall prey to your wretched smell. I do not posses the weakness that will enable it to harm me!" Naraku cursed Sesshoumaru's pride underneath his breath and exclaimed as he attacked him,
"Your pride will crucify you!" The blade met with Sesshoumaru's flesh along the shoulder, and opened a miasmic wound that spilled poisoned blood. Sesshoumaru clutched at his shoulder, and Naraku found himself grinning at the pain he created. "Now you see Sesshoumaru, you are not so strong." But a foul blade or Naraku's trickery would not beat down Sesshoumaru, and he rose again to greet his foe.
Kagura heard the contact between Naraku's blade and Sesshoumaru's shoulder. The sound was received with a panicky cringe, and only gave her more suspicion to the fate of the demon she had grown to respect in the deepest manner. Her pale white hand held the blade's handle more urgently, and Kagura began to tremble for the act she was driven to commit. Kagura saw her bruised reflection on the broad blade and touched the tender wounds upon her face softly, so she would not anger her broken wrist. Sucking in the pain that radiated from her wounds, a small shudder passed through Kagura's body and she blinked away desperate tears.
The battle continued to wage, and she heard wound after wound be inflicted upon both Naraku and Sesshoumaru. Kagura's fears increased while rhetoric flew between blows in the small battle. Every time Kagura heard the spray of poisonous fumes in the thick air she lost more of herself to inhuman paranoia. She looked up to the beamed ceiling in despondency, and drew the curved blade against her finger. Kagura gave herself cut after cut, yet she only saw this meticulous process as an addition to the bruises her body had already obtained.
This process was of little pain to Kagura. The image of Rin's lifeless body, of Sesshoumaru's horrified face, and as far as Kagura knew, her everlasting servitude drove proved the more deadly sting. Even as the deep crimson blood began to stain the bamboo matting, Kagura felt no pain and received no rush from the sight of her own blood. Purely apathetic to her own fate, Kagura continued slicing into her bruised skin attempting to destroy the sounds engulfing her.
Sesshoumaru found his power that he once wielded with ease become more difficult.
'Curse this poison! It drains my energy to combat the horrid stink! How can I fulfill my promise to destroy Naraku if I must combat with his aggressive aura!' Naraku grinned proudly at the upper hand he was gaining over the demon lord and thought excitedly,
'Yes, heel at my feet you cur! Question your strength and I will answer for you with every blow you give and receive!' Sesshoumaru's white, elegant Kimono was a dotted collage of red and black blood. His body was carved with inelegant gauges seeping Sesshoumaru's proud blood onto his clothes.
Naraku, was not untouched himself, but the blackness of his blood did not appear on his clothing, which was as dark as the night itself. Naraku could see with his keen red eyes, Sesshoumaru weaken slowly as the drops of blood gathered showily on the ruined kimono. Yet, Sesshoumaru refused to give up. For Rin's murder and Kagura's sacrifice he would toil on.
Naraku was thoroughly irritated by Sesshoumaru's determination and immediately thought of Kagura's fall to his psychological torture. The violence that was interred with her struggle and the last resort of a Shikon Shard he was forced to use. Kagura's broken and remarkably submissive state was all due to his torturous methods of control. Naraku had replaced the happiness she had gained with fears, some realistic and some not, which clouded her vision and set her in servitude.
'Patience,' Naraku thought, calming his irritation of Sesshoumaru's defiant spirit, ' All I need is the patience that I used when enslaving Kagura and I will not destroy the progress I have made.' The battle continued treacherously onward, driving Kagura closer to the edge of herself.
The deep and echoing pounding of Kagura's heart put her in a half- dazed state. Kagura's eyes looked uncaringly on the blood that now flowed from her body. She felt her life slowly slip away from her, and Kagura knew then she had little of her own from her very creation.
As Inuyasha and the rest traveled toward the evil Shikon Shard their enemy and destination became clearer. Inuyasha could feel the excitement growing within as he saw with his sharp eyes the outlines of Naraku's Fortress.
"Miroku!" Inuyasha hollered, "I think this shard is from Naraku's Fortress." Miroku grinned as he said,
"Naraku seems preoccupied with another battle, judging from the looks of things. We may finally be in luck!" Inuyasha's mouth mirrored Miroku's excited grin as he ordered Kagome to board his back and Miroku leapt upon Kilala, securing himself with the holy staff. Miroku briefly inhaled the scent of Sango's hair, and they were off when Inuyasha warned,
"Hold on Kagome! This is one opportunity we can't miss!" Kagome stationed her legs and arms around Inuyasha as she felt the joyous sensation of flight come while the pace increased.
Sesshoumaru squinted tainted sweat out of his golden eyes and lifted Tokijin again, knowing that he could not quit. Though he lifted the sword with significant difficulty, Sesshoumaru would bear its weight regardless of his lost blood. Tokijin was finally raised in a defensive stance and Naraku sneered as he observed the struggle,
"Why, is your sword too heavy? I would not expect such a strong and mighty demon lord like you to toil so! It appears a high-birth has little to do with the final out come, eh, Sesshoumaru?"
"You have not defeated me yet, and you will never taste your victory, Naraku!" Sesshoumaru retorted as he blocked a blow from Naraku.
"When I began, I forged my name from a black heart with lustful desires and became a demon whose name strikes fear. There is not a creature in this Sengoku Jedai who does not feel a darkness pass over them when my self-made name and reputation is said. I will not fall to a Demon-Lord and I will have you begging on your knees like a cur!" Naraku stated viciously while his tainted blade crossed Sesshoumaru's chest lethally.
Kagura, nearly unconscious, heard the lethal strike and almost felt its agonizing pain .Her heart stopped as she imagined, whether she knew falsely or not, Sesshoumaru's life extinguishing before her. The world was never crueler or more burdening to her than in this moment, and in this undue haste Kagura slit one more vein and let death slowly take her.
Sesshoumaru cursed as he felt the blood continue to soak into his once-clean kimono, but the cut Naraku inflicted was not as deep as it seemed.
"Heh, Naraku, is that all you can muster, a simple slash across my chest?" Sesshoumaru taunted as he rose from the ground and looked Naraku unflinchingly. "Pathetic." Sesshoumaru added silently.
The end of Chapter Nine ( but not the end of the story)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rissi's Recourse:
Hello all! Again, I had every intention to have this chapter be the happy-ish ending, but it seemed to end nice here (and I've made my lovely audience wait long enough for this update). I just don't want you to loose faith, this will end happy, just not right now! First, several thanks are in order to my very kind and faithful reviewers(can you believe it, I'm finally developing a fan base!!!!!)
Zero27: I'm sorry to hear that your life isn't going that great right now ( I'm also sorry I can't seem to get these darn fictions to end happier for you). I still thank you for your compliments and hope you feel better soon (even without the aid of my fiction)
Melanie: Thanks so much!
Ameko No Mori: I scared myself too as I wrote this fiction. It's like uncovering this blood-thirsty dark side you can't control. This ending is no "better" and may even be redundant, but I hope you enjoy it's dark contents.
Kagome **the** Hauntress: Sorry about the double-asertic (is that how you spell it?) My computer is a dickhead sometimes. But please enjoy this chapter!
SilverWolf-Ryuki: Yep, that's it. So much for the clarity of things. I do hope you like this next update as much as you liked my last one.
Loupey Lady: SHHH! We're supposed to keep that evil part under wraps!
Yamiyumitenshi: In traditional Japanese culture and I'm assuming feudal Japan of Inuyasha –san is a title of honor, and I don't think I can help you with the hungry part.
Chibi Horsewoman: I'm glad you enjoy reading my story! Thank you for the compliments but I'm just a humble author (bullshit, bullshit). I'm glad you agree with my porcupine theory too!
Jilli-chan: Thank you!
Migele: I respect your opinion, but I don't get your meaning. Ahh well, its not very important as long as you enjoyed reading the fic I don't care what you think of Sess/Kag pairings ^__^ Thank you!
Is that how many reviews I got (counts reviews) Ten! I got ten reviews Yay! (dances around and falls over)Err...yah...I'm pooped so I'm gonna go to bed.
And always remember: Always look on the bright side of Life! ^^
*whistles and tapdances off stage*
"To be thoroughly conversant with a man's heart, is to take our final lesson in the iron-clasped volume of despair." (Edgar Allen Poe)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kagome's eyes opened softly to the deep skies of night that from the dark forest surrounding the small clearing. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the shadowy and dimly lit space, she could see the last embers burning from the fire, which had been created just four hours ago. Kagome chuckled as she remembered humorously Miroku, who now slept contently with Sango in his loving embrace, state he would stand guard.
'Whatever,' Kagome wistfully thought, and shut her newly adjusted eyes, straining to recall why she awoke from sleep in the first place. Kagome could not rekindle into memory any conjured image or frightening voice. All Kagome could muster was a quick pulsing feeling, like what may be felt when you sense a cold chills permeate your body. However, to Kagome this feeling was the distinct sensation of an active and evil Shikon Shard looming in the uncountable distance.
Kagome again opened her eyes to nights setting and rose silently from her sitting position, pushing aside the outer layer of her red sleeping bag. The red shell swished loudly, and Kagome could here Inuyasha beginning to wake.
"Damn Kagome! What time is it, and why did you have to wake me up so fucking early!" Inuyasha complained. Sighing inaudibly, Kagome said apologetically,
"Sorry Inuyasha, I just detected a Shikon Shard. I didn't mean to wake you." Inuyasha nodded soundlessly, and did something reminiscent of a double take as he responded,
"Oh...OH! A Shikon Shard, why didn't you get me up sooner! You get Sango up, and I'll, "Suddenly, Inuyasha paused as he looked at the intimate and loving position Sango and Miroku made to combat the nights chilled air, "Wow, they sure look comfortable." Inuyasha added with a slight snigger. Kagome rolled her eyes, rebuking Inuyasha's insincere sarcasm,
"Oh, be quiet Inuyasha! It just so happens that Miroku and Sango are finally happy, and able to be in love. You're just jealous no one is insane enough to love you." Inuyasha immaturely mimicked Kagome, which caused him to receive an angered glare from her.
"I hate you, "Kagome said above a whisper, and completely detectable to Inuyasha's keen hearing.
"Good!" Inuyasha exclaimed, then added, in an almost apologetic tone, "Whose going to wake 'em up?" Shaking her head Kagome began walking towards the couple, but heard Miroku state in-between yawns,
"Do not worry Kagome, we're awake."
"How could we not be? You two sure talk loud." Sango complained tiredly as she left Miroku's embrace.
Dawn had yet to show its face and night still reigned, but Inuyasha and the rest sat congregated around the now-stronger fire.
"Well, when are we going to head out?" Kagome dully asked, tossing a spare woodchip into the glowing fire.
"I say we leave now." Inuyasha answered Kagome; irritated they were, even having this conference.
"But do we know which way to go?" Miroku said, posing another question.
"It's better to know where we're going before we head off, you know." Sango added. The group nodded simultaneously, and realized they were back to the first question.
"So, when are we leaving?" Kagome stated again, slightly puzzled she repeated the question.
"Will you guys just shut up? Let's head out now and figure out where we are going later." Inuyasha bitterly exclaimed. Miroku countered him,
"It makes sense if we wait till Kagome can figure out which way to go first." Sango agreed with Miroku. Kagome was about to repeat herself until she realized they were gaining no ground.
"I can't exactly tell...but I sensed the Shikon Shard somewhat northwest of us." Kagome said lowly, not entirely certain if what she said was true.
"Now that we know at least what direction to go in can we leave now!?" Inuyasha demanded in annoyance.
"Northwest seems pretty sound." Miroku stated, preoccupied as he fixed his priestly garb.
"It does. So let's just leave after some we eat something." Sango suggested as she felt her stomach rumble, calling for sustenance. This proposition seemed agreeable to the rest and they set about preparing a midnight meal.
His suddenly volatile ire increased as Sesshoumaru's ears bore the pain and disgust of Naraku's insolent taunt. Sesshoumaru's face, contorted by his insurmountable anger, and pleased Naraku greatly. With a wry and sly smile Naraku continued to twist his words,
"You are obsolete, the calm anger and control you normally radiate is now blown beyond your control. I expect your actions to be as planned as you half-brother Inuyasha strategies. Even in sheer strength you cannot defy me, I have gained many powers. I may even be more powerful than you, regardless of your present state." Yet, Sesshoumaru could do nothing but stare at Rin's tear-stained cheeks and pale face. He only saw the evils of Rin's punishment. Kagura's suffering and struggle eluded Sesshoumaru, for as far as he was concerned Kagura was all to blame. All Sesshoumaru knew was the darkness Naraku created for him in his trap.
Naraku observed this and felt glad. He continued his soliloquy,
"Do you hate my smell? My stench, as it has been called in the past. I wonder if the sensation of smelling that upon Kagura made the journey anymore difficult. Surely, if she were to be free and back in your company, you would not be able to stand it. Although, it truly is no matter, Kagura's my slave and you will soon be dead. "Sesshoumaru slowly lifted his head from Rin's still figure and snarled,
"You will not kill me, and Kagura has too much of you in her blood to settle in your servitude. The guilt of this deed lies with you. Kagura is not to blame; she was given her wings and flew as expected. Yet, in your malice a situation favorable was created to suit a dark purpose, for Naraku that is how you live. You weave your webs and leave them to vicious entrapment. I will not succumb to one as low as you are."
"Thank you for that examination of my character, but when will you fight me and end this useless rhetoric?" Naraku retorted, growing impatient of the truth, which proved a constant reminder of his low status.
"Now, you will perish Naraku!" Sesshoumaru exclaimed while he raised Tokijin toward Naraku's insolent figure. His red eyes were set aglow in fierce anger, and Sesshoumaru's face was set in a mirror of hard stone. A devilish smile lit Naraku's face as he drew his small, deadly blade and moved to attack Sesshoumaru. The horrid stink of Naraku, the smell that also encompasses his miasma proved to slow the demon lord.
Sesshoumaru defended himself, but showed, in his slowness, the weakness he bore of Naraku's stench. Knowing this, Naraku was sure of his victory.
'Every stroke that shall fall upon me will only release more of the poisonous miasma. I am invincible!' Naraku exclaimed from within as Tokijin punctured his skin because his dodge was slow. The foul substance within Naraku released into the air. Sesshoumaru abhorred the scent and backed away quickly from Naraku.
"You see Sesshoumaru. I am invincible, with every wound I am given my 'stench' will be released, and you will fall prey to it. Unless you can kill me in one blow, you will be weakened." Naraku said, grinning. Sesshoumaru narrowed his red eyes at Naraku and growled,
"I will not fall prey to your wretched smell. I do not posses the weakness that will enable it to harm me!" Naraku cursed Sesshoumaru's pride underneath his breath and exclaimed as he attacked him,
"Your pride will crucify you!" The blade met with Sesshoumaru's flesh along the shoulder, and opened a miasmic wound that spilled poisoned blood. Sesshoumaru clutched at his shoulder, and Naraku found himself grinning at the pain he created. "Now you see Sesshoumaru, you are not so strong." But a foul blade or Naraku's trickery would not beat down Sesshoumaru, and he rose again to greet his foe.
Kagura heard the contact between Naraku's blade and Sesshoumaru's shoulder. The sound was received with a panicky cringe, and only gave her more suspicion to the fate of the demon she had grown to respect in the deepest manner. Her pale white hand held the blade's handle more urgently, and Kagura began to tremble for the act she was driven to commit. Kagura saw her bruised reflection on the broad blade and touched the tender wounds upon her face softly, so she would not anger her broken wrist. Sucking in the pain that radiated from her wounds, a small shudder passed through Kagura's body and she blinked away desperate tears.
The battle continued to wage, and she heard wound after wound be inflicted upon both Naraku and Sesshoumaru. Kagura's fears increased while rhetoric flew between blows in the small battle. Every time Kagura heard the spray of poisonous fumes in the thick air she lost more of herself to inhuman paranoia. She looked up to the beamed ceiling in despondency, and drew the curved blade against her finger. Kagura gave herself cut after cut, yet she only saw this meticulous process as an addition to the bruises her body had already obtained.
This process was of little pain to Kagura. The image of Rin's lifeless body, of Sesshoumaru's horrified face, and as far as Kagura knew, her everlasting servitude drove proved the more deadly sting. Even as the deep crimson blood began to stain the bamboo matting, Kagura felt no pain and received no rush from the sight of her own blood. Purely apathetic to her own fate, Kagura continued slicing into her bruised skin attempting to destroy the sounds engulfing her.
Sesshoumaru found his power that he once wielded with ease become more difficult.
'Curse this poison! It drains my energy to combat the horrid stink! How can I fulfill my promise to destroy Naraku if I must combat with his aggressive aura!' Naraku grinned proudly at the upper hand he was gaining over the demon lord and thought excitedly,
'Yes, heel at my feet you cur! Question your strength and I will answer for you with every blow you give and receive!' Sesshoumaru's white, elegant Kimono was a dotted collage of red and black blood. His body was carved with inelegant gauges seeping Sesshoumaru's proud blood onto his clothes.
Naraku, was not untouched himself, but the blackness of his blood did not appear on his clothing, which was as dark as the night itself. Naraku could see with his keen red eyes, Sesshoumaru weaken slowly as the drops of blood gathered showily on the ruined kimono. Yet, Sesshoumaru refused to give up. For Rin's murder and Kagura's sacrifice he would toil on.
Naraku was thoroughly irritated by Sesshoumaru's determination and immediately thought of Kagura's fall to his psychological torture. The violence that was interred with her struggle and the last resort of a Shikon Shard he was forced to use. Kagura's broken and remarkably submissive state was all due to his torturous methods of control. Naraku had replaced the happiness she had gained with fears, some realistic and some not, which clouded her vision and set her in servitude.
'Patience,' Naraku thought, calming his irritation of Sesshoumaru's defiant spirit, ' All I need is the patience that I used when enslaving Kagura and I will not destroy the progress I have made.' The battle continued treacherously onward, driving Kagura closer to the edge of herself.
The deep and echoing pounding of Kagura's heart put her in a half- dazed state. Kagura's eyes looked uncaringly on the blood that now flowed from her body. She felt her life slowly slip away from her, and Kagura knew then she had little of her own from her very creation.
As Inuyasha and the rest traveled toward the evil Shikon Shard their enemy and destination became clearer. Inuyasha could feel the excitement growing within as he saw with his sharp eyes the outlines of Naraku's Fortress.
"Miroku!" Inuyasha hollered, "I think this shard is from Naraku's Fortress." Miroku grinned as he said,
"Naraku seems preoccupied with another battle, judging from the looks of things. We may finally be in luck!" Inuyasha's mouth mirrored Miroku's excited grin as he ordered Kagome to board his back and Miroku leapt upon Kilala, securing himself with the holy staff. Miroku briefly inhaled the scent of Sango's hair, and they were off when Inuyasha warned,
"Hold on Kagome! This is one opportunity we can't miss!" Kagome stationed her legs and arms around Inuyasha as she felt the joyous sensation of flight come while the pace increased.
Sesshoumaru squinted tainted sweat out of his golden eyes and lifted Tokijin again, knowing that he could not quit. Though he lifted the sword with significant difficulty, Sesshoumaru would bear its weight regardless of his lost blood. Tokijin was finally raised in a defensive stance and Naraku sneered as he observed the struggle,
"Why, is your sword too heavy? I would not expect such a strong and mighty demon lord like you to toil so! It appears a high-birth has little to do with the final out come, eh, Sesshoumaru?"
"You have not defeated me yet, and you will never taste your victory, Naraku!" Sesshoumaru retorted as he blocked a blow from Naraku.
"When I began, I forged my name from a black heart with lustful desires and became a demon whose name strikes fear. There is not a creature in this Sengoku Jedai who does not feel a darkness pass over them when my self-made name and reputation is said. I will not fall to a Demon-Lord and I will have you begging on your knees like a cur!" Naraku stated viciously while his tainted blade crossed Sesshoumaru's chest lethally.
Kagura, nearly unconscious, heard the lethal strike and almost felt its agonizing pain .Her heart stopped as she imagined, whether she knew falsely or not, Sesshoumaru's life extinguishing before her. The world was never crueler or more burdening to her than in this moment, and in this undue haste Kagura slit one more vein and let death slowly take her.
Sesshoumaru cursed as he felt the blood continue to soak into his once-clean kimono, but the cut Naraku inflicted was not as deep as it seemed.
"Heh, Naraku, is that all you can muster, a simple slash across my chest?" Sesshoumaru taunted as he rose from the ground and looked Naraku unflinchingly. "Pathetic." Sesshoumaru added silently.
The end of Chapter Nine ( but not the end of the story)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rissi's Recourse:
Hello all! Again, I had every intention to have this chapter be the happy-ish ending, but it seemed to end nice here (and I've made my lovely audience wait long enough for this update). I just don't want you to loose faith, this will end happy, just not right now! First, several thanks are in order to my very kind and faithful reviewers(can you believe it, I'm finally developing a fan base!!!!!)
Zero27: I'm sorry to hear that your life isn't going that great right now ( I'm also sorry I can't seem to get these darn fictions to end happier for you). I still thank you for your compliments and hope you feel better soon (even without the aid of my fiction)
Melanie: Thanks so much!
Ameko No Mori: I scared myself too as I wrote this fiction. It's like uncovering this blood-thirsty dark side you can't control. This ending is no "better" and may even be redundant, but I hope you enjoy it's dark contents.
Kagome **the** Hauntress: Sorry about the double-asertic (is that how you spell it?) My computer is a dickhead sometimes. But please enjoy this chapter!
SilverWolf-Ryuki: Yep, that's it. So much for the clarity of things. I do hope you like this next update as much as you liked my last one.
Loupey Lady: SHHH! We're supposed to keep that evil part under wraps!
Yamiyumitenshi: In traditional Japanese culture and I'm assuming feudal Japan of Inuyasha –san is a title of honor, and I don't think I can help you with the hungry part.
Chibi Horsewoman: I'm glad you enjoy reading my story! Thank you for the compliments but I'm just a humble author (bullshit, bullshit). I'm glad you agree with my porcupine theory too!
Jilli-chan: Thank you!
Migele: I respect your opinion, but I don't get your meaning. Ahh well, its not very important as long as you enjoyed reading the fic I don't care what you think of Sess/Kag pairings ^__^ Thank you!
Is that how many reviews I got (counts reviews) Ten! I got ten reviews Yay! (dances around and falls over)Err...yah...I'm pooped so I'm gonna go to bed.
And always remember: Always look on the bright side of Life! ^^
*whistles and tapdances off stage*