Chapter 21
"Come on Soma! Hurry!" Inuyasha's urging command was answered quickly by the youngster's equally insistent "I'm trying!" as she attempted to cut through the vines tough exterior. The child's hands were raw, bleeding and slowly going numb from the plants numerous poison thorns but that didn't stop her progress. She had nearly sawed through one of the weeds binding Inuyasha's right arm.
"Just a little more…. got it!" Soma announced as the edge of her dagger finally sliced the vine in half. With his arm now less constricted, Inuyasha wasted little time in pulling it free. Just as he reached over and gripped the vine holding his other arm Naraku charged back onto the scene and stopped his progress. At their master's command more tangled weeds ensnared Inuyasha's free hand and bound it tightly against his body. Then after knocking the dagger from her hand, they wrapped their thorny tendrils around Soma, immobilizing her as well.
Naraku ignored Inuyasha's vulgar language as he continued to approach his group of prisoners. Upon quick inspection he noticed that Sesshomaru had been set loose and was now resting against a tree some yards away. Though his injuries had healed more then expected, Naraku guessed that his paralyzing toxins were still working in the demon lord's system. Sesshomaru still had not gained enough mobility to fight nor the power to summon one of his followers for assistance. In a sense, he was practically immobilized. For that reason Naraku decided not to waste his limited energy by recapturing him. He knew from experience that one was much more likely to have a successful hunt if the bait was lively and fresh.
"You coward!!!" Shura's angry voice filled the air, disrupting his train of thought. Off in the distance Naraku could hear his foe approaching with amazing speed...and anger. The black haired demon turned just in time to see the surrounding forest erupt apart as a white blur charged through the foliage and into the open. When Shura finally skidded to a stop the earth could barely handle the force she exerted with her clawed feet. "Hiding behind innocent lives! It's disgraceful!" Shura bellowed, "How dare you even call yourself a demon! "
Naraku narrowed his crimson eyes as the demon woman bore her fangs at him. Shura's increased power apparently accented more then her physical endurance and strength. The haughtiness and rage of her father shown suddenly in her manner, and it annoyed Naraku more then he let on. He also couldn't understand what unknown factor had allowed Shura to touch Tetsusaiga, let alone extract any kind of power from it in battle. Though she wasn't nearly as adept at wielding it compared to Inuyasha, the fact that Shura had outwitted him made Naraku's blood boil. In his mind she deserved the same fate he had planned for Sesshomaru; to be slain by the famous sword denied to both of them as an inheritance. It would be an ironic twist of fate if the blade that brought her so close to victory...would actually be responsible for her defeat.
Naraku formed a sly grin as images of his ingenious massacre flashed in his mind. All that remained was to retrieve the sword from Shura, and he had just the means to do it.
"Listen closely demon healer," Naraku commanded sternly "Unless you surrender Tetsusaiga to me…I cannot guarantee the future of your kin or any of the others you see before you" as he spoke, Naraku tightened a fist just enough to constrict the vines a little for emphasis. The sight unnerved Shura, though it was hard to see through the expression of utter contempt she wore. Once again the tide of battle had turned, but this time her demonhood could not save her.
Shura flexed her grip on Tetsusaiga as the conflicting emotions raged inside her heart. If she relinquished the weapon Naraku would gain a tremendous advantage and more then likely emerge victorious. But If she refused his demands, he would destroy the only people who ever appreciated and cared for her. Shura tightened her fist. In her human mind, death seemed a favorable alternative to living at the cost of other's lives. And still, her demon self blazed with the desire to kill the treacherous Naraku.
"What are you waiting for?" Sesshomaru's sudden inquiry made Shura look up in surprise. She could see her father standing some distance away, leaning his injured body against a tree for support. His golden eyes were fixed sternly on her. "Use the Tetsusaiga! Destroy Naraku now!"
Shura rested a slitted eye first at her father, then back to Naraku. The black haired demon was watching her inner struggle with silent satisfaction. It was if he already knew what the outcome would be.
Shura held up the weapon with angry, quivering hands. As her heart and mind continued to clash so it seemed did the mood of the sword itself. Tetsusaiga would surge with power the instant her thoughts centered on her friends' protection, but sear into her flesh when those same thoughts became clouded with the yearning to spill Naraku's blood. As Shura's eyes shifted from that accursed demon's face they fell on the still forms of her captured friends. All of them wore expressions of anxiety, but none was more fearful than that of her young protégé.
With the image of Soma's tear stained cheeks and trembling body burned painfully into her heart, Shura did what neither her father nor her uncle had the courage to…she decided to give in to Naraku's demands. Shura knew her decision could have drastic consequences, but then again, Tetsaguia wasn't really her sword to wield. In any case, even without a weapon, she wasn't defeated yet and she would make sure everyone knew it.
"Fine, you can have it!" she remarked with the stubborn bravado inherent to her father as she hurled the sword in Naraku's direction. The blade landed roughly in the ground inches away from him. The smile that crept across Naraku's face was sickening to watch.
"A noble, but foolish choice," he commented as he reached over and took the weapon in his hand. Shura said nothing, only twitched an ear in annoyance. In the background, She could hear her father mumbling something unpleasant and judging by his tone, Sesshomaru was no doubt handling the loss of Tetsusaiga harder then she was.
"You disgraceful little whelp!" the demon lord was growling, "How dare you surrender my father's fangs to Naraku! You've tainted our family name with cowardice!" Shura stuck up her nose.
"Who said anything about surrendering? I'm simply giving him a fair chance." To that Naraku scoffed lightly under his breath. Shura's aristocratic persona may have fooled Sesshomaru, but he was not so easily convinced. Try as she may to mask her true emotions with stubborn pride, Shura still had a grave weakness. It was her sad devotion to his group of captured misfits. Their survival was the only incentive that kept her fighting. All he had to do was destroy any one of them, and Shura would crumble at his feet.
"I must say I admire your spirit demon healer." Naraku finally responded. "Even after I've taken your weapon and your friends you still cling to the delusional logic that somehow you will triumph over me." Naraku smiled deviously as he tightened his grip on Tetsusaiga's handle. "Now, lets see how well you fight once that spirit is broken!" in the instant after the words left his lips Naraku swung around effortlessly with Tetsusaiga and landed its power on the person he knew his nemesis held most dear to her.
Soma didn't make a sound as Tetsusaiga's knife-edge tore through her frail body; she only looked forward with still, vacant eyes as if silently begging for someone to stop the pain. But noone could help, and death claimed her. For a moment all was quiet and still, like time itself was frozen. Shura didn't move a muscle, only stared with glazed eyes at the lifeless form of her young protégé. She was not unfamiliar with death, but never before had it stuck her with such vengeance. She didn't know what to do, what to think…everything was a blur. A red hazy blur of suffering and misery all because of one treacherous demon. Shura lowered her eyes. The thought of seeing that murderers face was almost as nauseating as the stench of evil that seeped from his being.
When Naraku turned once again to face her, Soma's blood was still warm on the end of Tetsusaiga's blade. His eyes sparkled with satisfaction when he saw the impact his slaughter had made. Though her face was cast downward and hidden in shadow, the demon's healer's posture resembled that of a lifeless zombie, devoid of thought and will. Naraku held up Tetsusaiga and watched as his and Shura's demonic energy collided revealing the shimmering, silver wind scar. One swipe would end his dealings with Shura and allow him to finally concentrate on tying up the remainder of his loose ends. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Naraku closed in for the kill…
A snarl sounded, and Naraku froze when he sensed an immense ripple of power simultaneously cascaded from Shura's body. It was unlike anything he had ever felt; a potent, menacing aura of unbridled rage, and it was growing stronger. Squinting through the swirling vortex of conflicting demon winds, Naraku could see Shura's piercing stare. Her gleaming yellow eyes had turned a deep, blood red, and they were fixed on him.
As Shura stepped forward she lost all ground to the anger that burned inside. Her thoughts were no longer focused on protection; Naraku had proven she was incapable of that. Now her only desire was to kill the source of her pain, the reason she was suffering. Naraku.
Shura's face reflected her bloody wishes as it manipulated into the snout of a wolf. Just as her father before her, Shura's real form, her canid self, was a feature she usually kept hidden from the world. But not anymore. Her time for restraint was over. Shura raised her head to the sky and let out an eerie battle call just as her body erupted in pale light. Shooting up into the air, her new condensed life force darted around franticly before falling back to earth. The massive cloud of swirling demon energy struck the ground hard and disintegrated whatever greenery was unfortunate enough to be in its path. Then from the cloud emerged Shura, a true portrait of savage beauty.
Her coat was the palest shade of silver, and it shone almost as brilliantly as the stars themselves. Large tuffs of fur adorned her wrists, shoulders, neck and ankles and they, along with her ears and tail were dappled with ebony. Atop her back were enormous, feathered wings themselves with tips as dark as night. Shura's wolf-like frame was nearly the size of her father's, though distinctively more lean, and she carried just as many weapons; sharp hooked talons for each massive paw, curved horns behind her ears, jaws that could crush the life out of anything they grasped, and fangs that dripped acid saliva. In purest of demon state, Shura could no longer suppress her inborn desires; to conquer, to destroy, but most of all, to leave blood and savage slaughter in her wake.
Taking a step forward Shura parted her lips into a devious half snarl and stared evilly down at Naraku. The black haired demon was trying to act confident; boldly standing his ground, returning her menacing glare and the like. But his performance did not faze Shura in the slightest. Changes in Naraku's scent admitted what his face refused to. Mixed heavily among the auras of anger and deception was the unmistakable, pungent aroma of fear, and it made the dog demoness's pink nose twitch with delight. Shura opened her jaws slightly to allow thick droplets of acid drool to fall from her fangs. The yearning for the taste of Naraku's blood had made her mouth water so badly that for the moment all manners escaped her. The globs dissolved whatever surface they came in contact with, including the edges of Naraku's vines.
The black haired demon looked on in disbelief as the tendrils binding his captives turned brown and brittle. Inuyasha was already in the process of pulling himself free. But Naraku had little time to worry about the increasingly unfavorable odds. For at that moment Shura filled the air with a deafening roar and lunged at him with gaping jaws.
Naraku barely avoided the strike by hovering into the air. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Inuyasha setting loose his group of companions. No doubt they would soon be after him as well. Even if he still held Tetsusaiga, there was no denying that they were a formidable bunch. Retreat, it seemed, was the only favorable option left to him. Better to leave now while he was still able, than risk death for the sake of foolish pride. But he would strike again. When the time was right, Naraku swore to himself, he would be sure to slay each and every one of them: Inuyasha the foolish half-breed, the cursed monk Miroku, the demon slayer Sango and her twin tailed companion, Kagome, the human girl who could shoot sacred arrows, and Sesshomaru's powerful heiress.
Naraku shot forward as he tried to pass his dog demon foe, but he underestimated her speed. The instant he passed her face Shura slung her head around and snapped her jaws fiercely. She failed to catch him, but the force of her movement sent acid spit pelting onto Naraku's back. The black haired demon cursed under his breath when Shura's toxic saliva burned through his shirt and revealed the hated spider insignia of his human half. It was the symbol of all his weakness…the reason he had to run.
Naraku tensed when he felt Shura's breath on his heels. Unbeknownst to her, he had expected a chase, and was already prepared with counter measures. Calling on his last reserves of strength, Naraku shot upward, filled the atmosphere around him with deadly poison and cloaked himself in their vapors. Royal blooded or not, no demon escaped the wrath of his poison fog.
The sight of the new barrier enfolding around her enemy filled Shura's heart with anger, and that blind rage drove her even harder. Propelling herself skyward with a rhythmic flap of her wings, Shura charged into Naraku's cloud of darkness without the slightest hesitation. She followed Naraku's scent to the very center of the void and plunged her snout into the clouds protective core. Shura pulled her jaws closed the instant she felt the soft brush of Naraku's form on her whiskers. When the pungent taste of blood reaffirmed the success of her capture Shura bit down even harder and crushed the demon between her fangs. Only his head, and sword-wielding arm remained exposed and free from harm, a miscalculation only made for lack of visibility. Shura turned her wild, crimson eyes on the limp form dangling from her muzzle. She could feel the life pulsing in Naraku's body grow fainter and fainter. A few more moments and the demon Naraku would become nothing more then a nightmare memory!
Shura grimaced an evil smile as she tightened her jaws. To her surprise however, she met an unexpected resistance. One of her upper canines struck something small and hard under the fabric of Naraku's shirt. The object, no bigger then a grape in size, let forth a brief flash of reddish purple light then shattered Shura's fang. The sudden jolt of pain startled the dog demoness for only a second, but that was all the time Naraku needed. In a final attempt for escape, the nearly lifeless demon suddenly sprang back to full consciousness and sank the razor end of Tetsusaiga through his Shura's unprotected left eye. His tactic worked. As Shura thrashed her head and roared out her horrible agony, Naraku's tattered body slipped from her jaws and disappeared in a puff of black smoke.
"Until we meet again," Naraku's haunting voice reached Shura's ears just as his dark barrier started to disperse. The silver demoness roared even louder. She had come so close to destroying the evil Naraku! But now he was gone. Not even a trace of his scent remained. With the great sword still buried in her face, Shura lowered herself sluggishly to the ground, and folded her great wings behind her. Then she fixed her one good eye on the crowd of observers who had been in the process of charging into Naraku's miasma after him. All the terrible demon rage that had driven her so hard before had now been replaced by pain, and the only thing she desired from then on was for someone…anyone to curb it. With great effort Shura turned her head first to her father in the hopes he would offer help or comfort. But the demon lord only returned her gaze with a solemn expression of shame. Her fall to his hated brother's weapon had no doubt devastated his pride, and act he would not soon forgive, even for her sake.
Shura could barely hold in her whimpering sobs of disappointment as she turned from him and looked instead at Inuyasha and his friends. All of them wore expressions of horror and pity… but…it was Inuyasha's sorrowed expression that stood out the most. As Shura approached the half demon, her blood flowed with each movement; and the Tetsusaiga's devastating work was reflected in the crimson puddles that stained on the ground with every painful stride. Shura groaned softly as she lowered her massive head towards the forest floor. As she did Inuyasha reached with an outstretched hand, grasped the Tetsusaiga's blood soaked handle and reluctantly pulled it free. Shura howled and tossed her head wildly the instant the blade left her skin, sending droplets of blood splattering everywhere, including Sesshomaru's unwavering face.
After a few moments of raging, Shura's fit ended and her sight came to rest on Inuyasha once more. Her expression of gratitude was short lived; for just beyond the half demon was a sight that made Shura's heart ache with sorrow. Ukuri the dragon kit was gazing down pitifully at a small, lifeless body he held tenderly in his coils. Even through the blood filled air, Shura could still smell faint traces of her young protégé. It was a scent she had long sense memorized…and now… now it was fading with the wind.
With her soul bound in the icy grip of grief Shura let out a mournful cry that echoed throughout the forest. Then, after spreading her great wings and filling them with air, the silver demoness rose from the ground. She had to get away, away from that forsaken place with its horrible memories, away from the earth stained with death. Shura flapped her wings and forced herself higher, clear of the forest canapé. She could see the incoming dawn; the bright yellow sun just beginning to peek its head above the horizon, its rays glistening off the silver droplets of dew that lay heavy on the fields and forest of her homeland. The sight was almost enough to make Shura forget the sickening sadness and guilt that continued to thrash in her heart.
Meanwhile, still back in the forest, nether one of the demon brothers took their gaze of Shura as she fled into the new morning light. But where the younger's face clearly reflected pity, the elders inner concern was not nearly as noticeable.
"Where is she going?" Sesshomaru finally got up the nerve to pose the question out loud, but barely recognized his own voice. Inuyasha, was the only one within earshot of the remark but he remained motionless and kept his sight on the brightening sky. He knew where his niece was headed, and he also knew she was probably in desperate need of compassion; the type that only her family could offer.
"She's going home," the half demon replied with a tenderness that surprised everyone.