Slowly, Kagome began to pull herself across the field of now withered
grass. One hand feeling the dry ground, the other in front of her,
searching the air. Her body screamed with agony with every movement she
made. A wetness down her front told her she was bleeding. A burning
sensation in her abdomen made her feel as though she had swallowed a
mouthful of acid, or perhaps overdosed on painkillers that were now eating
her away from the inside out.
'No, mustn't think like that. I'm gonna be okay! Everything's gonna be okay!' She told herself fiercely even though tears were working their way through her unseeing eyes.
About fifteen miles away, Sesshoumaru stopped short, catching the strangest sent on the air. He breathed it in again, to examine it more closely. It was blood. And lots of it.
"Jaken, Rin, stay here with Ah-Un." He said shortly before dashing off.
It wasn't just a blood scent that floated upon the air. Death was very prominent as well, mingled with the unmistakable reek of Naraku. Inuyasha's blood was there too, along with the blood of his companions, and if his nose was deceiving him, their bodies were also lying there. Naraku, or what ever, had fled. Sesshoumaru quickened his pace. The smell was growing stronger and stronger, he searched it for any sign that his half brother might have transformed into a demon, but there was none. He saw a parting in the trees and put on an extra burst of speed and-
Stopped.
Had he not been so used to scenes like this, he would have been sick. What ever monstrosity Naraku had created, it harbored a powerful toxin. What small patches of the field that had not been torn up or melted were withered and dead. The scent of the poison still lingered on the air giving everything an almost purple green haze. Inuyasha was indeed dead, his face contorted with sadness, fear, and anger. His fire rat skin clothes looked burned where nasty slashes ran down his chest. The Tetsusaiga was still gripped in his limp fingers, looking like a rusty sword of no value. On a thought, Sesshoumaru bent down to pick it up. The half expected blue sparks danced around the hilt as his hand drew close, giving him a slight electric shock. 'Feh.'
He straightened and looked around. The humans' bodies around him were all mutilated in some sick way. The poison having a much greater effect on their bodies had given them the images of wax dolls that could bleed.
The human girl that always seemed to be following Inuyasha was not there however. A trail of blood with her scent showed that she still lived, and had managed to crawl away from the massacre into the surrounding forest. He followed the trail until he found the girl lying crumpled on the ground, unable to crawl any further. Deliberately he stepped on a dry twig to get her attention.
Kagome started. 'Who was that? Inuyasha?' Rolling onto her back, Kagome strained her ruined eyes at the place where the crack was heard.
"Inuyasha? Inuyasha is that you?"
Sesshoumaru was slightly taken aback by these words, but quickly regained his composure when he saw her face. The brown eyes that he remembered holding a fierce fire of determination were now flat, no hint of shine nor luster danced there anymore. 'So she is blind, eh?'
After getting no answer, Kagome attempted to sit up, but it made her head spin with the effort. She collapsed back down onto the dried leaves in a dead faint. Her chest rising ever so slightly announced that she still lived with every breath and passing second.
The first thought that came to Sesshoumaru's mind was to simply leave her here to rot. He had enough responsibilities as it was and certainly did not need another human trailing him. Then he remembered, even now he could not take Tetsusaiga from his brother, even though Inuyasha was now dead. Perhaps this girl, who had been the only one to take the sword from his father's tomb, was the key to stripping it from his brother's corpse. True, Sesshoumaru already had two fine swords of his own, but pride for his bloodline refused him to leave his father's blade to rot with its owner.
Sesshoumaru's eyes looked back upon the girl before him. Had it not been for the blood down her front, she would have looked like a whore, the last thing he needed. 'I could just let her die.' He thought simply. 'And revive her with Tenseiga. It would be easier. But she's blind. I could use this weakness of hers to my own advantage. Something else for her to worry about. Without her sight, she will have a job resisting my commands and it would be easier for me to get the Tetsusaiga through her.' He found himself looking at her wounds once more. 'But she will die if this is left untreated. Humans.' He thought with disgust. 'Always weak. Always getting into trouble and dieing for their mistakes. It's not like I'm keeping her for long. Once I have my hands on the sword that was mine from the beginning, I will have no more use for her. She can join her beloved hanyou in hell.'
'No, mustn't think like that. I'm gonna be okay! Everything's gonna be okay!' She told herself fiercely even though tears were working their way through her unseeing eyes.
About fifteen miles away, Sesshoumaru stopped short, catching the strangest sent on the air. He breathed it in again, to examine it more closely. It was blood. And lots of it.
"Jaken, Rin, stay here with Ah-Un." He said shortly before dashing off.
It wasn't just a blood scent that floated upon the air. Death was very prominent as well, mingled with the unmistakable reek of Naraku. Inuyasha's blood was there too, along with the blood of his companions, and if his nose was deceiving him, their bodies were also lying there. Naraku, or what ever, had fled. Sesshoumaru quickened his pace. The smell was growing stronger and stronger, he searched it for any sign that his half brother might have transformed into a demon, but there was none. He saw a parting in the trees and put on an extra burst of speed and-
Stopped.
Had he not been so used to scenes like this, he would have been sick. What ever monstrosity Naraku had created, it harbored a powerful toxin. What small patches of the field that had not been torn up or melted were withered and dead. The scent of the poison still lingered on the air giving everything an almost purple green haze. Inuyasha was indeed dead, his face contorted with sadness, fear, and anger. His fire rat skin clothes looked burned where nasty slashes ran down his chest. The Tetsusaiga was still gripped in his limp fingers, looking like a rusty sword of no value. On a thought, Sesshoumaru bent down to pick it up. The half expected blue sparks danced around the hilt as his hand drew close, giving him a slight electric shock. 'Feh.'
He straightened and looked around. The humans' bodies around him were all mutilated in some sick way. The poison having a much greater effect on their bodies had given them the images of wax dolls that could bleed.
The human girl that always seemed to be following Inuyasha was not there however. A trail of blood with her scent showed that she still lived, and had managed to crawl away from the massacre into the surrounding forest. He followed the trail until he found the girl lying crumpled on the ground, unable to crawl any further. Deliberately he stepped on a dry twig to get her attention.
Kagome started. 'Who was that? Inuyasha?' Rolling onto her back, Kagome strained her ruined eyes at the place where the crack was heard.
"Inuyasha? Inuyasha is that you?"
Sesshoumaru was slightly taken aback by these words, but quickly regained his composure when he saw her face. The brown eyes that he remembered holding a fierce fire of determination were now flat, no hint of shine nor luster danced there anymore. 'So she is blind, eh?'
After getting no answer, Kagome attempted to sit up, but it made her head spin with the effort. She collapsed back down onto the dried leaves in a dead faint. Her chest rising ever so slightly announced that she still lived with every breath and passing second.
The first thought that came to Sesshoumaru's mind was to simply leave her here to rot. He had enough responsibilities as it was and certainly did not need another human trailing him. Then he remembered, even now he could not take Tetsusaiga from his brother, even though Inuyasha was now dead. Perhaps this girl, who had been the only one to take the sword from his father's tomb, was the key to stripping it from his brother's corpse. True, Sesshoumaru already had two fine swords of his own, but pride for his bloodline refused him to leave his father's blade to rot with its owner.
Sesshoumaru's eyes looked back upon the girl before him. Had it not been for the blood down her front, she would have looked like a whore, the last thing he needed. 'I could just let her die.' He thought simply. 'And revive her with Tenseiga. It would be easier. But she's blind. I could use this weakness of hers to my own advantage. Something else for her to worry about. Without her sight, she will have a job resisting my commands and it would be easier for me to get the Tetsusaiga through her.' He found himself looking at her wounds once more. 'But she will die if this is left untreated. Humans.' He thought with disgust. 'Always weak. Always getting into trouble and dieing for their mistakes. It's not like I'm keeping her for long. Once I have my hands on the sword that was mine from the beginning, I will have no more use for her. She can join her beloved hanyou in hell.'