Disclaimers: I own only the ugly monster and other assorted non-canon characters… Care to trade them for Sesshy?
Thank you:
wackoramaco87: Yes, Sess is definitely a teaser with regards to Kagome. As with any puppy, they like to have a little fun now and then... ::receives evil glare from Sess:: Eheheheh… Nice doggy?
Lunatic Pandora1: Definitely no Inuyasha in this fic. I've long abandoned the idea of involving him in the story as it would cause too many complications and distract the story from its intention. Besides, there's so much more to the story than having to throw Inu-chan in.
Amreld: Ah, the long-promised action scene. Well, I hope this chapter is action-packed enough to satisfy you. And yes… it was definitely more creeme than fluff.
Familia-Ficz: Well, the barrier's properties will be dealt with much later on. And yes, an angry Kagome is very scary… I don't think even Sess would want to rile her too much. It's expensive to have to replace study doors.
StarryEyedChick: I love character development in fics too. It strengthens the story further and also makes it more 'believable'. But I hope the action chapters deliver the additional 'oomph' to the story as well.
Also thanks to Suki1, Sesshi lover, Sesshyangel, HebiYoukai and AkaiMiaka-chan for your supportive comments!
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Chapter 10: Tessaiga's True Form
Tamura Village
Ten miles east of the Cavern
The sounds of crashing wooden huts and the terrified screams of the villagers filled the air as the youkai began its rampage. It towered over the single storey structures and spanned the width of four huts put together. But what was even more terrifying was its form. It appeared as a gigantic spider, its eight limbs carrying it swiftly through the streets. Each time one of its feet landed an unfortunate building or worse, a person would be crushed. It was chaos as the village men tried to summon enough strength to drive it away. The women and children dashed about frantically trying to escape being consumed by the monster.
It was a short yet spirited defence by the men of the village. However, the youkai was too powerful for them and they perished in the onslaught. What that was not crushed, was either consumed or poisoned by the deadly fluid that seeped from its razor sharp fangs. By now, several fires had broken out but it paid the heat no mind. Sated of its bloodlust, the youkai made its way into the deep forest bordering the village. It planned to go into a short hibernation to further strengthen itself. As it disappeared into the trees, it did not see the approaching fire-cat and its two riders.
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Outskirts of the Cavern
Sesshoumaru decided to conserve his energy rather than transport them via the air, and the small group made their way through the swiftly darkening forest. Kagome was still dazed and she kept stumbling whilst trying to keep up with the others. It soon brought back her less than pleasant memories from before and she decided to put her foot down. She was not only tired but hungry and the darkness was not making it easy for her to see where she was going. Calling out, she finally got the youkai lord's attention.
"Can we please stop for the night, Sesshoumaru? I really can't keep up and I'm hungry too," Kagome began, almost hating the whine that had crept into her voice. "I mean, you have Tessaiga so maybe we could…" leaving the sentence unfinished but the fluttering hand gestures made up for it.
Sighing with strained patience, the taiyoukai turned back and made his way to stand before her. Kagome swallowed nervously as the tall youkai stood directly before her, his amber gaze thoughtful. Kagome felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand on end at the intense, almost speculative look he gave her and she began to step back. Before she could move however, his arm shot out and grabbed her around the waist. A moment later, Kagome was complementing his tail draped over his other shoulder.
"Wh-what are you doing?!" she squeaked trying to push herself up without having to touch him. "Put me down at once!"
"Silence girl! If I put you down, you will be left behind to fend for yourself. I have no intention of remaining in this area any longer than I have too. So decide now," came the stern reply.
Kagome stopped squirming and limply allowed herself to drape over his shoulder like his fluffy tail. She wondered if he was serious in his threat when the unpleasant memory of Jaken's hurtful words sprang to mind. Whatever the outcome was to be, Kagome had no intention of being left alone in the creepy forest. Although it was a surprisingly warm night, there was a strange chill to the place and Kagome shivered a little. Despite her uncomfortable position over the youkai's shoulder, she curled in a little closer to the warmth and security he instinctively gave her.
Sesshoumaru had no intention of overly analysing why he had tossed the girl over his shoulder instead of simply killing her once they were outside. He had Tessaiga now and that was all that mattered. So why was he carrying the human female like some lowly youkai? The only thing he was willing to concede was that something had happened in the cave and that it had deeply affected him on some level.
It was because of this that he wanted to return to the fortress as soon as possible. There were now more questions than before and even the joy of attaining Tessaiga was dampened by the increasing attraction he had for the girl slung over his shoulder. And it didn't help that she was curled a little too snugly against him.
Jaken wore a frown as he rode the pack beast after his lord. Although there was little room for the girl to ride, Jaken was more than willing to walk in her place. The fact that his great master was carrying a human was upsetting to say the least. He could see that the girl had relaxed and was now shamelessly cuddling against his lordship's neck and back.
As Jaken continued to observe, he saw her body sliding slowly down Sesshoumaru's front. The fact that she was quiet and relaxed showed that she had somehow fallen asleep. The final insult in Jaken's eyes came when she reached up with her arms to twine it around the taiyoukai's neck. The fact that his master seemed not to care and even accept such familiarity almost gave the little toad youkai palpitations.
Sesshoumaru was keenly aware of the girl's body slipping down against his chest. His left arm instinctively reached up to hook itself under her rear so that she would not tumble down. As he maintained his brisk pace through the shadowy forest, the girl continued her slide until she was securely 'sitting' in the crook of the arm. He was thankful that she was a quiet sleeper due to his sensitive hearing.
Despite his distraction with the girl in his arms, Sesshoumaru was still very much aware of the forest beyond his vision. His hearing and sense of smell continued assessing the surrounding area, alert for any possible threat. That was why he almost tripped when Kagome shifted in her sleep and unconsciously twined her arms about his shoulders and nuzzled into his neck.
For a moment, Sesshoumaru contemplated dropping the girl but her warm breath and tempting scent stopped him. He would rather die than admit it but he was actually beginning to enjoy her closeness. Kagome had too many faults in his cultured opinion, but he had to grudgingly admit that she had adapted to her difficult situation rather well. He doubted anyone else would have in her place and his respect for her increased marginally.
Sesshoumaru's thoughts began to wander regarding the girl nestling against him and the question of her powers returned to the fore. A human with powers that could rival that of the Miko of Legend… Glancing down at the sleeping face, Sesshoumaru was hard pressed to accept it. But the presence of Tessaiga by his side indicated otherwise. Sighing quietly under his breath, he turned away to concentrate on the path before him and somehow managed to ignore the girl cradled against him.
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Remains of Tamura Village
Late evening
Sango and Miroku managed to bury what few bodies and even more body parts that lay strewn about the destroyed village. As Sango shovelled earth over the last few graves, Miroku began his prayers for the souls of the dead. Kirara was out searching the area for any survivors and scouting out the demon's trail. She did not travel too far as her first instinct was to remain close to her mistress' side. But she did however, take note of the direction the youkai had headed off in. Returning once more, she transformed into her kitten form and sat by the two humans taking in the scene quietly.
"We need to find and kill that thing before it moves on to the next village, houshi-sama," Sango said, her voice trembling with anger. "Why would Naraku want to do such a thing? What could he possibly gain from killing innocent villagers?"
"Naraku must have some kind of agenda in mind, Sango," Miroku replied calmly. "He doesn't randomly destroy things as it draws too much attention to himself. But as to what his intentions are, I can only wonder."
"Is it something to do with that power you felt some days back?" Sango asked curiously. "If it's a youkai or spell, I'm sure we will be able to handle it, houshi-sama."
Miroku gave the young woman a small smile. Her optimism amazed him at times, although he had a feeling that it was tempered with a little bloodlust. Turning to finish his prayers, he watched out of the corner of his eye as Sango followed the little fire-cat to check the perimeter of the demolished village before retiring for the night. Miroku was exhausted by the strain of tending to the dead but he had a feeling that tonight would not be a restful one. Looking up, he observed the clouds scuttling past a blood red moon - an omen of a great calamity to come.
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The attack came suddenly. In the moment it took Kagome to jerk awake, she found herself airborne as Sesshoumaru tossed her out of the way. Thankfully, the thick moss by an old oak tree cushioned the otherwise violent descent for the shocked girl. Opening her mouth to scream her fury at the youkai lord, she then saw what it was that prompted her sudden flight. Sesshoumaru was weaving about at a blinding speed avoiding the heavy strikes by a giant spider monster. All that came out of her mouth then was a choked gurgle.
"Get over here, wench!" Jaken yelled as he struggled with the nervous pack beast. Starting at the sound of the retainer's voice, Kagome quickly pulled herself together and made her way to the small youkai.
Grabbing at the leads, they managed to force the beast away from the scene of the fighting. Breathing hard in fear and shock, Kagome turned to stare at the battle taking place before her. Despite her alarm at the situation, she could not help but admire the way Sesshoumaru handled the fight. The one time she had seen him fight had ended too quickly for her to observe his tactics. This opponent on the other hand, was making the taiyoukai work for his victory. It was then that Kagome realised he had drawn Tessaiga from its sheath.
For a legendary blade, it certainly was not doing a very good job of killing the spider youkai. Sesshoumaru had tried to slice through a limb but the blade had only bounced off the thick flesh. Focusing his energy into the blade, Sesshoumaru tried once more. This time however, it cut but barely. Cursing at the ineffectuality of Tessaiga's power, Sesshoumaru now had to rely on his own deadly combat skills. Willing the poison to flow, he slammed his right fist into the monster's eye. While that did a good job of blinding it, Sesshoumaru lost his grip on Tessaiga and the sword was knocked out of reach.
Kagome continued watching the scene with huge eyes as Sesshoumaru blinded the monster with a strange green liquid from his hand. She saw Tessaiga fly through the air and land by some bushes opposite her hiding place. Jaken was nowhere to be seen but Kagome guessed that he was most likely with the pack beast. The toad youkai had absolute faith in his master's ability to triumph in the fight that he simply waited at a distance out of the way. Kagome was not as certain; the fight was going on longer than expected.
Deciding to chance it, Kagome inched her way towards the fallen blade. Careful not to draw any attention to herself, she ducked and hid behind the various shrubs and boulders that dotted the route. Unfortunately, a large gap lay between her and Tessaiga. Nibbling her lip in worry, she turned around to look at the fight behind her. Sesshoumaru's pristine white kimono now appeared to be stained by a dark liquid and Kagome guessed that it must be blood.
It was only when a hard blow slammed into the taiyoukai's chest, shattering the armour, that Kagome stopped hesitating and dashed for the sword. Unbeknownst to her, the spider youkai had seen her running and now turned its attention on his new target. The inu youkai was promptly forgotten as the monster decided to intercept the girl. For Kagome, her desire to retrieve Tessaiga overshadowed her common sense. Despite the sword's inability to inflict anything more than a paper cut, something within the girl told her that Tessaiga was more than that. Why else would it have been sealed twice over?
Sesshoumaru blinked the stars from his vision and suppressed the groan that threatened to erupt from his badly bruised ribs. The damned monster was stronger than he had anticipated and he paid the price for underestimating it. Something nagged at him and Sesshoumaru turned to see the spider youkai moving towards the girl. What in the seven hells was that wench trying to do? Jaken and her were supposed to take refuge with the pack beast until the menace was taken care off, so why was she running right into the thick of things? Did she actually believe that she could fight the monster?
Kagome's hand curled around Tessaiga's handle and she felt its latent power pulsing lightly. She wondered if Sesshoumaru had felt the same thing, but a moment later that thought was lost as she felt a heavy presence behind her. Turning round, she barely had time to dodge the fanged mouth of the spider youkai. Scrambling away, Kagome tried to summon that strange power within her to deal with the monster. She felt something but before she could latch onto it, she was knocked to the ground by the hard wind from its waving limb. Stunned, she could only turn to look up as the limb aimed straight for her heart.
Before it hit her, a white blur scooped her out of its way. Landing a distance away, Kagome looked up to see a very angry taiyoukai glaring down at her.
"Are you insane, wench? Why in the name of the Great Youkai are you out here?"
"I-I," Kagome stuttered as she watched the amber eyes bleed crimson. Summoning the last dregs of her courage, she shoved Tessaiga towards the inu youkai. "Use this, Sesshoumaru. You can, if you believe—"
"I tried and I did," Sesshoumaru cut her off. "Stay out of the way if you wish to live."
"Sesshoumaru, you don't understand! Can't you feel it? Can't you feel the power of Tessaiga?" Kagome insisted, her eyes beginning to sparkle with tears. "You need to trust the sword!"
Growling low in his throat, Sesshoumaru tried to sort out his thoughts on the matter. He knew that Tessaiga had some power but why had it not manifested itself? Eyeing the spider youkai that was homing in on them, Sesshoumaru decided to transform into his true youkai form. Lowering Kagome to the ground, he stepped away from her and ordered her to move back.
Curious as to his intentions, Kagome did not argue. In the next moment, a strange mist enveloped the taiyoukai and his form expanded and enlarged. It towered over her and two glowing red eyes glared out from the centre of the swirling cloud. Before she knew it, she was staring slack-jawed at a massive white dog with a silky mane of fur, a fluffy tail and large floppy ears.
It turned slightly to look down at her with its blood-red eyes and Kagome could only stare back mutely. In spite of himself, Sesshoumaru had to almost chuckle at the goldfish look she had on. Returning his attention to the charging monster, Sesshoumaru launched himself at the youkai, his jaws already dripping with the poison he secreted.
The spider youkai fought back just as viciously and Sesshoumaru soon felt a burning sensation in his left haunch where the monster's fangs had sunk in. It was then that Sesshoumaru knew he had to finish of the youkai before he was too weak to fight back. The poison would not kill him but it would incapacitate him long enough to be killed.
Kagome clutched Tessaiga to her chest as she watched the two youkai battled fiercely in the large clearing. Sesshoumaru was weakening despite his strength and Kagome knew he could not last long. His jaws were lax and poison dripped from it onto the ground, melting the earth below. Praying for the taiyoukai's safety, Kagome felt Tessaiga pulse as if in answer. Allowing her inner senses to guide her, she realised the truth behind Tessaiga's strength. Snapping her eyes open, she saw Sesshoumaru's dog form blur and fall back as the spider youkai's poison began to take effect.
"Oh Kami-sama!" Kagome gasped. Forgetting herself, she ran towards the wounded taiyoukai. Tessaiga pulsed even stronger as if feeding off her fear and anxiety. "Sesshoumaru!"
The inu youkai looked up weakly and its eyes widened in surprise at Kagome's approach. Growling, it turned to look at its opponent. The spider youkai had not been spared in the battle either. It had lost three of its limbs, its side ripped partially open revealing its internal organs. If Sesshoumaru could get at it, he was certain that victory would be his. And to do that, he would have better success in his humanoid form. Willing the transformation, Sesshoumaru was soon attempting to stand on two feet instead of four. Unfortunately, the poison was now deep within his system and the youkai lord fell to his knee in agony.
"Sesshoumaru!"
Looking up, he first saw then felt Kagome by his side. His vision blurred and he almost blacked out before forcing the feeling away. He felt something being forced into his right hand and discovered that it was Tessaiga's handle. A part of him was thankful but a larger part was angry at the blade's seeming lack of response. He felt two hands gently cup his face and large cinnamon eyes staring into his strained golden ones. The worry and fear clouded their usually clear depths, but at the same time they carried a strength of conviction that almost floored him.
'I believe that you can defeat it with Tessaiga, Sesshoumaru. I know you can!'
Unconsciously drawing his strength from her, Sesshoumaru felt the pulsing of the legendary blade. As Kagome drew back, Sesshoumaru decided that if nothing else, he would do it for her - Kagome the strange woman-girl with a hidden power beyond comprehension, Kagome who was brave enough to follow a dangerous taiyoukai into the unknown for a sword she had no reason to retrieve, Kagome who risked her life to return Tessaiga to him. But most of all, for the Kagome who poured out her soul into him, lending him her strength. His left hand reached up to cover one of hers in acceptance of her gift and he felt Tessaiga's pulsing power rock through his body.
Standing up, Kagome stepped away from him but he knew that she was not leaving. The spider youkai had gathered its strength for a final assault and charged the silently waiting youkai lord. Sesshoumaru allowed the power from Tessaiga to merge with his own and revelled in the sheer strength of it. At the back of his mind, Kagome's eyes with their unspoken words lifted his soul. As the spider youkai leapt onto the passive inu youkai, Sesshoumaru leapt up with a snarl and swung the suddenly transformed blade.
There was not much to describe after that. The remains of the spider youkai lay scattered throughout the clearing and Sesshoumaru knelt down, lightly gasping for breath. Tessaiga remained tightly gripped in his fist, its fully transformed five-foot blade glittering in the early light of dawn. Kagome slowly approached the taiyoukai and knelt in front of him. Sesshoumaru's kimono was shredded in places and dark stains covered his left shoulder and down over his hip. Amazingly, Tenseiga still remained tied to his waist despite the obvious violence it had gone through.
"Tessaiga's true form," Sesshoumaru murmured as he marvelled at the blade's form. "Now I know why it was sealed away. Anyone who owned it could rule the world."
"Do you want to rule the world, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked quietly. She hoped that he would not answer the affirmative.
"No. I am satisfied with what I have," came the honest reply.
Kagome smiled happily and looked on as the once impassive youkai lord gave her his first honest smile. Her heart sped up at the sight and a slight blush covered her face. 'Oh Kami-sama, he's so gorgeous when he smiles!' Trying to think of something to say, Kagome was surprised when Sesshoumaru leaned in her direction. Her eyes widening in surprise at his boldness, Kagome was not sure if she was willing to let him kiss her, as tempting as may be. However, she did not have to decide anything as Sesshoumaru was now pressing her to the ground.
Kagome lay staring up at the brightening sky and once more wondered if this was becoming a habit with them. Lying with his head cushioned against her breast, the Great Youkai Lord of the Western Lands had finally given in to exhaustion.
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Author's Notes: The promised action scene delivered! Now I can go back to a more relaxed one. Phew! Kind of long-winded but then again, more bang for your buck as they say. How was the ending? I just couldn't resist it! Kind of fitting too. ::laughs hysterically at Sess' furiously blushing face::
Ten thousand yen to those of you who spotted little elements of Inuyasha's fight with the spider youkai from Volume 5 of the manga. Well, I'm not a very 'original' writer and let's face it, there're some really great action scenes in the manga to take inspiration from. The spider youkai is similar to the one from the manga but its more insect-like and doesn't talk. Even if it did, his Youkai-ness probably wouldn't bother in way of a response.
So please leave a little something in the box below to let me know you passed by. I love reading what you have to say about this story and hope to finish it off satisfactorily. I don't know how many chapters to go, only because I don't really know where this story is going yet. I think I'm having a little too much fun with the Sess / Kag thing, don't you think? Till then, ja ne!