Chapter Ten: Fateful News
Inutaisho didn't know how long he could hold off the angry wolf demon. Metal clashing against metal time after time was wearing down at his strength. In between huge gulps of air, they taunted one another, making both their tempers rise even farther. But the one thing that put Inutaisho over the edge was the comment about his family.
"Idiot mutt, you're just like your family," Shiro growled.
Inutaisho almost froze, but his instincts drove him forward. "What are you on about now you useless excuse for a wolf?"
Shiro smirked as he threw his scythe in a circle over his head before tossing it and missing Inutaisho's newest attack. "I mean that you're entirely family is fucked," Shiro laughed, but barely, "You have a human mate who'll die long before you will, a half breed mutt of a son, one of which you're trying to pawn off on a dead human priestess."
The comment about Kikyou was definitely piquing his interest, but Inutaisho ignored it. "You'll regret that later, wolf,"
Using the Tetsusaiga's Wind Scar, he aimed for the wolf.
. . . . .
"Huh? Miroku... where's Kagome?" Sango asked.
She was attending her daily chores, and had just come across Miroku in his monk training in a spare dojo. Miroku opened his eyes, which had been closed during the prayer to the golden statue, and bowed to it.
"I'm not entirely sure. She didn't come back from meeting Inuyasha last night, and I haven't seen her all afternoon. I'm starting to get worried, Sango." Miroku murmured.
If anyone were to overhear their conversation, it would be disastrous, not mention further danger to Kagome. Sango moved closer on the pretense of wiping down the statue in front of Miroku, who once again closed his eyes and pretended to pray.
"What would cause her to stay with him this long? Surely she knows that she'd be missed in the chores." Sango whispered.
Miroku didn't even capitalize on the lecherous opportunity to insinuate something dirty about Kagome. "I fear that she was caught by one of the royalty. If Lord Inutaisho were here, her punishment would most likely not be that severe, but it is only his mate and eldest son in charge."
Miroku let the sentence hang, letting Sango know that there was something else important about this. Sango nodded, so small he almost missed it.
"Meet me where Kagome meets Inuyasha when you are done with your chores. But we must be quick about it." Miroku hissed, and bowed to the statue before leaving the dojo.
. . . . .
Kagome opened her eyes little by little. There was no sun to sting them, so she almost thought that it was still night. Until she saw the tiny and only window let in equally tiny and weak sunlight into the dark and gloomy room. It wasn't exactly a dungeon; a dungeon would be welcome to her at this point.
It was a room that Kagome had well heard about, but never seen. There was dried blood stains over the floor and walls, and even a little on bits of the ceiling. The worn, rickety bed she'd been sleeping on was torn all over, and bits of cotton were spread over it. The pillows had bite marks in them, and claw marks as well. In the corner was a chamber pot, but judging by the smell in the awful room, she was guessing the inmate hadn't used it.
'I can't believe it. I'm in Inuyasha's secret room.' Kagome thought, amazed that it even existed. He had told her a while ago that he used to be kicked out when he became a full demon.
"I used to be kicked out of the castle for days at a time because I was so violent... the... the demon part of me would take over for a long time and I couldn't control myself... I'd do dangerous things, hurt people, and even try to kill..."
This was so confusing. Kagome tried to move to get up, but unexpected pain shot up her spine. It was then she remembered why she was here in the first place. The whippings last night... She was sure had she not been gagged that she would have woken up every human and youkai within a hundred miles with her screams.
"I see you're up. About time,"
Kagome turned her head towards the door to see Kikyou looking at her through a barred peep-hole the shape of a square. There was no emotion on Kikyou's face, and Kagome tried hard to keep hers as passive.
"Are you here to let me go?" Kagome asked, hope spreading throughout her words.
Kikyou laughed, snidely. "Of course not, silly girl. You'll be staying as long as the queen wishes you to. I am merely here to see if you were ready to agree with her."
"Agree with what?" Kagome asked. She was as cautious as she dared to be in the face of a powerful priestess.
"Lady Yumari's terms. She wishes you to leave her son be, to leave the castle and be gone forever. In return, she will give you your freedom, and some small provisions that would last you at least a week."
Kagome narrowed her eyes. "That's absurd. What fool would agree to that?"
"You would be wise to be that fool." Kikyou said icily.
. . . . . .
Miroku and Sango sat worriedly side by side on the sand, close enough to the cliff side so as not to be seen by anyone looking down.
"What have you found? What do you think has happened to her? Do you think she and Inuyasha were caught? What would Yumari and Sesshoumaru do to her if they were? Where--?"
Miroku put up his hand to stop the flow of questions from Sango. "One question at a time, please Sango. I have found a little more than we both know, but quite a lot to where Kagome has gone. I know she and Inuyasha were caught long before today. As to what Yumari and Sesshoumaru would do to her, I wouldn't even like to imagine it."
Apart from putting aside her questions, Miroku was sure he'd worried her further. Kagome being caught was a big thing, especially since Inutaisho wasn't here.
Sango pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees, as if to block out the world. "Miroku.... How do you know they got caught?"
"Something I heard at this very spot." Miroku said. "Sesshoumaru himself, in fact. I'm guessing he found out somehow, Kagome must've slipped up.... I'm not sure how, yet, but what I do know is that Sesshoumaru has a plan. It involves Kikyo, Yumari, and I'm not sure who else. They--."
Sango cut him off. "Exactly when is this plan taking effect?"
Miroku looked uneasy, got up, and began pacing. Sango watched him suspiciously.
"Well?" She demanded, five minutes later.
"I'm.... I'm not sure." Miroku finally murmured. "Depending on whatever Kagome and Inuyasha did next, they could initiate it any time. But I'm betting they did yesterday. That's when Kagome went to meet Inuyasha; that's when they started." "Do you have any idea at all what Yumari might do to the servant human-girl whose messing with her hanyou son?"
At that moment, Inuyasha came sprinting down the path.
. . . .
Kagome jumped up once again, trying desperately to see out of the tiny window above her height. Unfortunately, the thing keeping her down was a heavy black chain keeping her close to the bed. The chain had obviously not been used on Inuyasha, as he would have been powerful enough to break it to pieces. But for her, it was more than enough.
Kikyou had left soon after her proclaimed response to Kagome's predicament. Kagome could tell the cold priestess had no compassion for her whatsoever. That was not what bothered her; it was what Yumari might have in mind for her. Sure, Miroku and Sango probably figured out that something was wrong by now, but there was no way they would be able to find her here. After all, she'd never even seen this place and she was sure that she'd been everywhere in the entire castle at one point or another.
Secretly, deep in her mind, a tiny voice whispered, 'What about Inuyasha?'
That was what dominated her mind for the next hour. What about Inuyasha?
. . . . . . .
"Where's Kagome?!"
The fuming hanyou held Miroku pinned to the side of the cliff in an iron grip. Miroku held neither a cheerful nor a hostile demeanor towards Inuyasha. His staff had fallen to the side, which did trouble the monk a little, as Inuyasha's eyes were beginning to bleed red and purple strips began appearing on his face.
"Prince Inuyasha, calm down." Sango's voice, strong and steady, came from the side. Her hand, slightly trembling with uncertainty that her voice failed to show, was stretched towards Inuyasha's arm, almost touching it.
Not missing a beat, Inuyasha knocked her arm away. "Kagome. What happened to Kagome?"
Miroku looked Inuyasha completely in the eye before answering, "We know as much as you do. Maybe less. I do not know where Kagome is."
The red began to recede, leaving the gold back in its place, and the purple strips disappeared. Inuyasha dropped Miroku and Sango, sat down in the sand grumpily and crossed his arms, hiding his hands in his sleeves.
"Well monk, what do you know?" His voice was gruff, but underneath was an undercurrent of worry.
"Kagome must have been caught. There's no other way." Sango spoke up, dropping to her knees beside Miroku.
"Obviously. When did you last hear from her?"
It was like an interrogation. But Miroku complied easily enough. "We heard from her a day ago. She didn't come back that night, and we haven't been able to look for her. We're not even supposed to be here and could be caught as well. Sesshoumaru's rule prevents us from more than just unscheduled breaks."
Inuyasha huffed. "I know; I don't even like the stupid law."
"Did Kagome ever meet you?" Sango asked, interrupting.
Inuyasha looked up at her for a moment before closing his eyes and turning his head away. "No. I was delayed by Sesshoumaru, which must have been a distraction. He doesn't like my presence much, or at all for that matter."
Miroku leaned forward, clutching his staff again with renewed worry. "Inuyasha—Kagome is part of our family. What would your mother do to her if she was caught?"
The hanyou was silent a long time, looking out over the river and the other side, lined with trees, sand, and bushes. A wild forest... wild... like him. When he used to be wild and uncontrollable. Inuyasha shot up.
"That's it! Mother would put her in a place no one else would find her!"
At once Miroku and Sango were up with him. "Where? We're coming with you to free her."
"No. You're not supposed to—aw, heck." Inuyasha began to go up the path, motioning for them to follow. "I used to be too wild to control when the youkai in me took over; before it got so bad that I got kicked out of the castle, they would put me in a room with things I could break and trash until my heart was content."
Sango's eyes widened. "We've seen no such room in all the castle."
Inuyasha merely brushed it aside. "Feh, you wouldn't, would you? Mother wouldn't like the entire kingdom knowing that one of the great demon heirs for the throne was an uncontrollable monster half his life, now would she?"
. . . . .
Kagome drank the water given to her half an hour earlier, making a disgusting face as she did. Obviously she was being given prison treatment as if she'd been plotting against the Lord or something. She'd given up trying to reach the window. The farther she got from the bed, the tighter the manacle got around her ankle.
"Psst!"
Kagome jumped.
"Psst!" The sound came again, making Kagome look around. Was there a snake in here somewhere? She couldn't take it if there were, that would be the last straw.
"Are you deaf? Up here!"
Kagome jumped up from the bed and looked to the tiny window. The sun, streaming through it five minutes later, was now blocked by a pointy-eared, bushy-tailed small something.
"Who are you?" Was her first question.
"The name's Shippou. I'm getting you outta here."
Kagome squinted her eyes against the light, and slightly suspiciously. "How do you know that I don't deserve to be in here?"
Shippou snorted indignantly. "I can smell it in your scent. You're as innocent as a baby. With a few secrets, obviously. Now stand back!"
Kagome got back on the bed, away from the window. Shippou threw his arm like he was throwing a ball and said, "Fox fire!"
Blue flames erupted in his hands and hurtled towards the wooden bars on the window. There were no glass panes, and Kagome thought that it wouldn't even matter to someone of Inuyasha's strength. Shippou hopped through the now bar-less window and began to quickly work on the chain attached to Kagome.
"Why don't you just work on the manacle?" Kagome asked.
"Unless you prefer to lose your foot, I think you'll like it this way." Shippou said.
She thought that he was a cute little demon, if not a little bit of a smart-ass.
"Hey!"
A voice from the door interrupted them, and Shippou used his tiny claws to break through the rest of the chains. "C'mon, through the window, hurry!" Shippou urged.
Shippou hopped through, Kagome close on his heels. Until the guard on the other side of the door finally managed to unlock it. He stared at them dumbly for a minute before going forward to seize Kagome by the ankle. She kicked her foot, hoping to hit him, and surprised, fell forward.
"Run!" Kagome yelled, leading the way.
The little youkai didn't need to be told twice. They both ran until they were exhausted, Kagome leading them farther, towards the path that she hoped she'd find Inuyasha near. There was no sign of being followed, though Kagome was sure that they cause a big enough commotion and the guard was bound to call for help; Kagome hadn't kicked him that hard.
Upon reaching the sandy beach, Kagome was disappointed. There was no one. Now she couldn't go back to the castle, couldn't stay at the beach, and hoped to whatever gods were listening that Kaede could harbor apparent criminals.
. . . . . . .
Compared to Inutaisho's situation, Kagome was the lucky one. Shiro had been wearing the wolf down since they started, and neither had given up for food, water, or rest. Apparently the jewel was more of an inspiration for Shiro than Inutaisho first estimated. When Inutaisho had used the wind scar, Shiro dodged it completely and caught the dog demon on his shoulder. Now Inutaisho had lost more than just the use of his arm. He figured he had a new scar across his eye, a gash on his side, partially exposing his ribs through the torn fragments of skin and armor.
Inutaisho had rarely before met an enemy so determined that could match his strength readily and surpass it with flying colors. That also meant to the great dog demon that he was probably in the most dangerous situation that he had ever been in before. And indeed, the lord didn't like the look in Shiro's eyes.
"I told you I would do what it took to get those shards. I'm sorry, old friend, if you did not take me seriously."
For a minute, Inutaisho almost saw the old wolf that was his spar- buddy and most trusted alliance. But Shiro quickly hardened his look.
"I suppose this means goodbye?" Inutaisho asked with a somber joke.
"I suppose it does." Shiro said. "It's been fun, Inu. You know I'll see you again in another life."
Inutaisho laughed. "Damn straight. You don't really expect to get rid of me that easily, do you?"
Shiro smiled a grim smile. "In this life, yes. In the next, I expect your mutt of a mind to turn the tables on me."
Then, Shiro swung down his scythe into the chest of the great dog demon, who was now in truest form. Letting go of the handle, the wolf howled, enraged at having to go so far as to slay a friend.
. . . . . . Later that night...
Yumari didn't believe it. An escaped prisoner, her son missing off somewhere, renegade servants, and enemies off far most likely celebrating. Her mate... her loving, kind, gentle, deserving mate was gone. The great Lord Inutaisho of the Western Lands had finally been brought down.
. . . . AN: There ya go. Sad chappie, I know. But I had to include Inutaisho's death in it somehow, otherwise I wouldn't be being very true to the original storyline, now would I? Keep the reviewing coming, it's really inspiring me. And I plan to take the suggestions deep in thought. wink, wink so you might be seeing your suggestion coming up soon!
Inutaisho didn't know how long he could hold off the angry wolf demon. Metal clashing against metal time after time was wearing down at his strength. In between huge gulps of air, they taunted one another, making both their tempers rise even farther. But the one thing that put Inutaisho over the edge was the comment about his family.
"Idiot mutt, you're just like your family," Shiro growled.
Inutaisho almost froze, but his instincts drove him forward. "What are you on about now you useless excuse for a wolf?"
Shiro smirked as he threw his scythe in a circle over his head before tossing it and missing Inutaisho's newest attack. "I mean that you're entirely family is fucked," Shiro laughed, but barely, "You have a human mate who'll die long before you will, a half breed mutt of a son, one of which you're trying to pawn off on a dead human priestess."
The comment about Kikyou was definitely piquing his interest, but Inutaisho ignored it. "You'll regret that later, wolf,"
Using the Tetsusaiga's Wind Scar, he aimed for the wolf.
. . . . .
"Huh? Miroku... where's Kagome?" Sango asked.
She was attending her daily chores, and had just come across Miroku in his monk training in a spare dojo. Miroku opened his eyes, which had been closed during the prayer to the golden statue, and bowed to it.
"I'm not entirely sure. She didn't come back from meeting Inuyasha last night, and I haven't seen her all afternoon. I'm starting to get worried, Sango." Miroku murmured.
If anyone were to overhear their conversation, it would be disastrous, not mention further danger to Kagome. Sango moved closer on the pretense of wiping down the statue in front of Miroku, who once again closed his eyes and pretended to pray.
"What would cause her to stay with him this long? Surely she knows that she'd be missed in the chores." Sango whispered.
Miroku didn't even capitalize on the lecherous opportunity to insinuate something dirty about Kagome. "I fear that she was caught by one of the royalty. If Lord Inutaisho were here, her punishment would most likely not be that severe, but it is only his mate and eldest son in charge."
Miroku let the sentence hang, letting Sango know that there was something else important about this. Sango nodded, so small he almost missed it.
"Meet me where Kagome meets Inuyasha when you are done with your chores. But we must be quick about it." Miroku hissed, and bowed to the statue before leaving the dojo.
. . . . .
Kagome opened her eyes little by little. There was no sun to sting them, so she almost thought that it was still night. Until she saw the tiny and only window let in equally tiny and weak sunlight into the dark and gloomy room. It wasn't exactly a dungeon; a dungeon would be welcome to her at this point.
It was a room that Kagome had well heard about, but never seen. There was dried blood stains over the floor and walls, and even a little on bits of the ceiling. The worn, rickety bed she'd been sleeping on was torn all over, and bits of cotton were spread over it. The pillows had bite marks in them, and claw marks as well. In the corner was a chamber pot, but judging by the smell in the awful room, she was guessing the inmate hadn't used it.
'I can't believe it. I'm in Inuyasha's secret room.' Kagome thought, amazed that it even existed. He had told her a while ago that he used to be kicked out when he became a full demon.
"I used to be kicked out of the castle for days at a time because I was so violent... the... the demon part of me would take over for a long time and I couldn't control myself... I'd do dangerous things, hurt people, and even try to kill..."
This was so confusing. Kagome tried to move to get up, but unexpected pain shot up her spine. It was then she remembered why she was here in the first place. The whippings last night... She was sure had she not been gagged that she would have woken up every human and youkai within a hundred miles with her screams.
"I see you're up. About time,"
Kagome turned her head towards the door to see Kikyou looking at her through a barred peep-hole the shape of a square. There was no emotion on Kikyou's face, and Kagome tried hard to keep hers as passive.
"Are you here to let me go?" Kagome asked, hope spreading throughout her words.
Kikyou laughed, snidely. "Of course not, silly girl. You'll be staying as long as the queen wishes you to. I am merely here to see if you were ready to agree with her."
"Agree with what?" Kagome asked. She was as cautious as she dared to be in the face of a powerful priestess.
"Lady Yumari's terms. She wishes you to leave her son be, to leave the castle and be gone forever. In return, she will give you your freedom, and some small provisions that would last you at least a week."
Kagome narrowed her eyes. "That's absurd. What fool would agree to that?"
"You would be wise to be that fool." Kikyou said icily.
. . . . . .
Miroku and Sango sat worriedly side by side on the sand, close enough to the cliff side so as not to be seen by anyone looking down.
"What have you found? What do you think has happened to her? Do you think she and Inuyasha were caught? What would Yumari and Sesshoumaru do to her if they were? Where--?"
Miroku put up his hand to stop the flow of questions from Sango. "One question at a time, please Sango. I have found a little more than we both know, but quite a lot to where Kagome has gone. I know she and Inuyasha were caught long before today. As to what Yumari and Sesshoumaru would do to her, I wouldn't even like to imagine it."
Apart from putting aside her questions, Miroku was sure he'd worried her further. Kagome being caught was a big thing, especially since Inutaisho wasn't here.
Sango pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees, as if to block out the world. "Miroku.... How do you know they got caught?"
"Something I heard at this very spot." Miroku said. "Sesshoumaru himself, in fact. I'm guessing he found out somehow, Kagome must've slipped up.... I'm not sure how, yet, but what I do know is that Sesshoumaru has a plan. It involves Kikyo, Yumari, and I'm not sure who else. They--."
Sango cut him off. "Exactly when is this plan taking effect?"
Miroku looked uneasy, got up, and began pacing. Sango watched him suspiciously.
"Well?" She demanded, five minutes later.
"I'm.... I'm not sure." Miroku finally murmured. "Depending on whatever Kagome and Inuyasha did next, they could initiate it any time. But I'm betting they did yesterday. That's when Kagome went to meet Inuyasha; that's when they started." "Do you have any idea at all what Yumari might do to the servant human-girl whose messing with her hanyou son?"
At that moment, Inuyasha came sprinting down the path.
. . . .
Kagome jumped up once again, trying desperately to see out of the tiny window above her height. Unfortunately, the thing keeping her down was a heavy black chain keeping her close to the bed. The chain had obviously not been used on Inuyasha, as he would have been powerful enough to break it to pieces. But for her, it was more than enough.
Kikyou had left soon after her proclaimed response to Kagome's predicament. Kagome could tell the cold priestess had no compassion for her whatsoever. That was not what bothered her; it was what Yumari might have in mind for her. Sure, Miroku and Sango probably figured out that something was wrong by now, but there was no way they would be able to find her here. After all, she'd never even seen this place and she was sure that she'd been everywhere in the entire castle at one point or another.
Secretly, deep in her mind, a tiny voice whispered, 'What about Inuyasha?'
That was what dominated her mind for the next hour. What about Inuyasha?
. . . . . . .
"Where's Kagome?!"
The fuming hanyou held Miroku pinned to the side of the cliff in an iron grip. Miroku held neither a cheerful nor a hostile demeanor towards Inuyasha. His staff had fallen to the side, which did trouble the monk a little, as Inuyasha's eyes were beginning to bleed red and purple strips began appearing on his face.
"Prince Inuyasha, calm down." Sango's voice, strong and steady, came from the side. Her hand, slightly trembling with uncertainty that her voice failed to show, was stretched towards Inuyasha's arm, almost touching it.
Not missing a beat, Inuyasha knocked her arm away. "Kagome. What happened to Kagome?"
Miroku looked Inuyasha completely in the eye before answering, "We know as much as you do. Maybe less. I do not know where Kagome is."
The red began to recede, leaving the gold back in its place, and the purple strips disappeared. Inuyasha dropped Miroku and Sango, sat down in the sand grumpily and crossed his arms, hiding his hands in his sleeves.
"Well monk, what do you know?" His voice was gruff, but underneath was an undercurrent of worry.
"Kagome must have been caught. There's no other way." Sango spoke up, dropping to her knees beside Miroku.
"Obviously. When did you last hear from her?"
It was like an interrogation. But Miroku complied easily enough. "We heard from her a day ago. She didn't come back that night, and we haven't been able to look for her. We're not even supposed to be here and could be caught as well. Sesshoumaru's rule prevents us from more than just unscheduled breaks."
Inuyasha huffed. "I know; I don't even like the stupid law."
"Did Kagome ever meet you?" Sango asked, interrupting.
Inuyasha looked up at her for a moment before closing his eyes and turning his head away. "No. I was delayed by Sesshoumaru, which must have been a distraction. He doesn't like my presence much, or at all for that matter."
Miroku leaned forward, clutching his staff again with renewed worry. "Inuyasha—Kagome is part of our family. What would your mother do to her if she was caught?"
The hanyou was silent a long time, looking out over the river and the other side, lined with trees, sand, and bushes. A wild forest... wild... like him. When he used to be wild and uncontrollable. Inuyasha shot up.
"That's it! Mother would put her in a place no one else would find her!"
At once Miroku and Sango were up with him. "Where? We're coming with you to free her."
"No. You're not supposed to—aw, heck." Inuyasha began to go up the path, motioning for them to follow. "I used to be too wild to control when the youkai in me took over; before it got so bad that I got kicked out of the castle, they would put me in a room with things I could break and trash until my heart was content."
Sango's eyes widened. "We've seen no such room in all the castle."
Inuyasha merely brushed it aside. "Feh, you wouldn't, would you? Mother wouldn't like the entire kingdom knowing that one of the great demon heirs for the throne was an uncontrollable monster half his life, now would she?"
. . . . .
Kagome drank the water given to her half an hour earlier, making a disgusting face as she did. Obviously she was being given prison treatment as if she'd been plotting against the Lord or something. She'd given up trying to reach the window. The farther she got from the bed, the tighter the manacle got around her ankle.
"Psst!"
Kagome jumped.
"Psst!" The sound came again, making Kagome look around. Was there a snake in here somewhere? She couldn't take it if there were, that would be the last straw.
"Are you deaf? Up here!"
Kagome jumped up from the bed and looked to the tiny window. The sun, streaming through it five minutes later, was now blocked by a pointy-eared, bushy-tailed small something.
"Who are you?" Was her first question.
"The name's Shippou. I'm getting you outta here."
Kagome squinted her eyes against the light, and slightly suspiciously. "How do you know that I don't deserve to be in here?"
Shippou snorted indignantly. "I can smell it in your scent. You're as innocent as a baby. With a few secrets, obviously. Now stand back!"
Kagome got back on the bed, away from the window. Shippou threw his arm like he was throwing a ball and said, "Fox fire!"
Blue flames erupted in his hands and hurtled towards the wooden bars on the window. There were no glass panes, and Kagome thought that it wouldn't even matter to someone of Inuyasha's strength. Shippou hopped through the now bar-less window and began to quickly work on the chain attached to Kagome.
"Why don't you just work on the manacle?" Kagome asked.
"Unless you prefer to lose your foot, I think you'll like it this way." Shippou said.
She thought that he was a cute little demon, if not a little bit of a smart-ass.
"Hey!"
A voice from the door interrupted them, and Shippou used his tiny claws to break through the rest of the chains. "C'mon, through the window, hurry!" Shippou urged.
Shippou hopped through, Kagome close on his heels. Until the guard on the other side of the door finally managed to unlock it. He stared at them dumbly for a minute before going forward to seize Kagome by the ankle. She kicked her foot, hoping to hit him, and surprised, fell forward.
"Run!" Kagome yelled, leading the way.
The little youkai didn't need to be told twice. They both ran until they were exhausted, Kagome leading them farther, towards the path that she hoped she'd find Inuyasha near. There was no sign of being followed, though Kagome was sure that they cause a big enough commotion and the guard was bound to call for help; Kagome hadn't kicked him that hard.
Upon reaching the sandy beach, Kagome was disappointed. There was no one. Now she couldn't go back to the castle, couldn't stay at the beach, and hoped to whatever gods were listening that Kaede could harbor apparent criminals.
. . . . . . .
Compared to Inutaisho's situation, Kagome was the lucky one. Shiro had been wearing the wolf down since they started, and neither had given up for food, water, or rest. Apparently the jewel was more of an inspiration for Shiro than Inutaisho first estimated. When Inutaisho had used the wind scar, Shiro dodged it completely and caught the dog demon on his shoulder. Now Inutaisho had lost more than just the use of his arm. He figured he had a new scar across his eye, a gash on his side, partially exposing his ribs through the torn fragments of skin and armor.
Inutaisho had rarely before met an enemy so determined that could match his strength readily and surpass it with flying colors. That also meant to the great dog demon that he was probably in the most dangerous situation that he had ever been in before. And indeed, the lord didn't like the look in Shiro's eyes.
"I told you I would do what it took to get those shards. I'm sorry, old friend, if you did not take me seriously."
For a minute, Inutaisho almost saw the old wolf that was his spar- buddy and most trusted alliance. But Shiro quickly hardened his look.
"I suppose this means goodbye?" Inutaisho asked with a somber joke.
"I suppose it does." Shiro said. "It's been fun, Inu. You know I'll see you again in another life."
Inutaisho laughed. "Damn straight. You don't really expect to get rid of me that easily, do you?"
Shiro smiled a grim smile. "In this life, yes. In the next, I expect your mutt of a mind to turn the tables on me."
Then, Shiro swung down his scythe into the chest of the great dog demon, who was now in truest form. Letting go of the handle, the wolf howled, enraged at having to go so far as to slay a friend.
. . . . . . Later that night...
Yumari didn't believe it. An escaped prisoner, her son missing off somewhere, renegade servants, and enemies off far most likely celebrating. Her mate... her loving, kind, gentle, deserving mate was gone. The great Lord Inutaisho of the Western Lands had finally been brought down.
. . . . AN: There ya go. Sad chappie, I know. But I had to include Inutaisho's death in it somehow, otherwise I wouldn't be being very true to the original storyline, now would I? Keep the reviewing coming, it's really inspiring me. And I plan to take the suggestions deep in thought. wink, wink so you might be seeing your suggestion coming up soon!