Chapter 6
A young human man turned his head rapidly towards her, and before she could absorb the sight before her, he grinned evilly and stabbed downwards with a katana, deep into Sesshoumaru's chest. Megahna screamed, first in horror and then in fury as she saw his body convulse and fall back on the futon without another movement.
"You!" she howled and rushed forward, claws bared. Everywhere the smell of blood assaulted her nose, making her feel faint as another smell accompanied it. The burning, horrible stench of purification. The man held up the blade, still crimson and smiled.
"It seems he wasn't such a great lord after all," he said, and held the blade out before him, "It seems I will have the satisfaction of riding the world of him and his bitch in the same night," he snarled.
Megahna swung at him, and was impressed that he managed to keep just short of her reach. For a human, he was swift, she had to admit. Still she came at him, with fury and revenge in her blood. He jumped out of the way of another swipe, landing awkwardly on his foot and tumbling off to the side. Megahna grinned and descended on him, but his sword came up at the last minute, slashing her arm. She hissed with pain as the white blaze burned into her skin and she stepped back, holding the wound.
"Grandfather," came a soft voice, and both fighters looked up to see Kirai, dressed in her sleeping yukata standing in the doorway. She hurried to the fallen Lord's side, falling to her knees, her hands quickly turning red as she placed her hands over the wound, as if her touch could heal him.
"Who...what...how," she muttered.
"You're free now Kirai," coughed the young man, rising to his feet. "You're free to return to your family, your real family. He won't keep you a slave any longer."
Kirai turned on him, her face white and her eyes so red that Megahna thought for a moment that she might be youkai herself, and on the brink of transformation.
"You...you did this?!" she asked softly, her body beginning to shake. The man, oblivious to her reaction nodded, "I did it for you."
"For me!" Kirai screamed, her shrill voice echoing through the walls, "You killed my grandfather!! You destroyed my family!"
"I'm your family!" he shouted back.
"Where were you all when my mother and father died? Your parents rejected me! They refused to offer refuge to the child of a woman brought up by monsters. I know this! I wrote to them, and that was the answer they gave me! This is my family, my blood and you killed him!"
Megahna saw Keitaro and Kohana dash into the room, eyes wild with the sudden wakeup. Kohana took one look at the situation, saw the sword dripping with blood and saw the prone figure on the floor, and knew what had happened. Keitaro cracked his knuckles.
"Bastard!" he growled and Kirai held up her hand.
"See to the Lord," she commanded, her voice cold. "Kohana, Lady Megahna has been injured, see that she is treated quickly." Both hanyous stared at the sudden transformation in their cousin. Tsuke blinked at her in surprise, as he saw a very familiar cold look cross the young woman's face.
Kirai stepped forward and pulled the sword from his hand, before moving away. His face twisted in a look of madness and he jumped to his feet, a glitter in the light was all the warning they had.
"You will die then as well!" he shouted and rushed at Kirai with a dagger drawn. Megahna felt something erupt inside her, a feeling of anger and protectiveness she had never known possible. It was almost as if he were trying to harm a child of her own blood and her instincts would not stand for that. In a flash she was at Kirai's side, pulling her into her robes and spinning around in the same instant, her claws bared.
She felt the hot splash of blood along her hand and up her arm as they reached their target and with a garbled noise, the man fell to the floor dead.
Kirai stared up at Megahna's face, amazement visible. She had just protected her, placed herself in danger and protected her. What could this mean?
"Fetch Jaken, wake the castle, and rouse the servants. I want everyone placed under watch until morning. He may not be working alone," Megahna ordered and Kirai nodded, dashing out of the room.
Kohana knelt beside Sesshoumaru, her hands working over his now bare chest, holding a bright red piece of cloth over the wound.
"I can't seem to stop the bleeding," she whispered worriedly.
"Because the blade was purified," Kei said, lifting the katana up to his nose. "It's acting as a poison that not even Uncle can fight off, and weakening his healing properties."
Kohana bit her lip, "What can we do to stop it?"
Megahna knelt beside her, a thoughtful look on her face before she whispered, "Keitaro, give your sister Tesseiga."
Keitaro looked confused a moment before she barked, "Do it, or he dies before our eyes!"
Kohana accepted the blade from her brother, confused as to what her aunt had in mind. A situation that Megahna didn't allow to continue for long.
"You need to spill your blood into the wound," she explained.
"What?! How the hell is that supposed to help?" Kei howled. Megahna gave him a scathing look.
"Think, hanyou. Your blood carries the same youkai as his, and yet you also carry the blood of a miko. You are a balancing agent to the very thing that could kill us. Perhaps the combination could neutralize the poison, now do it!"
Kei looked a little uncertain as he lifted his arm, and Kohana nodded, agreeing with her aunt as she brought the blade down along her brother's skin. Not with enough force to sever his limb, but a large gash appeared, instantly pouring blood onto the already bloody chest of the youkai lord.
Sesshoumaru's body convulsed again, and he let out a loud yowl. A strange white smoke appeared around the wound, and then the body fell back onto the futon. The smell of purification seemed to dissipate into the night, and Kohana held her breath as she wiped away the blood. Still open, but no long bleeding as profusely, the wound seemed to be beginning to close.
Megahna almost sighed, and tore a large portion of her robes, carefully bandaging the wound.
"Kohana, fetch me fresh water and give the servants orders that no one besides the three of us are allowed to enter this wing of the palace. Keitaro, you will assume temporary duties while your uncle is unable. Gather the guard, I want every guest questioned before the sun rises, and I don't care how the information comes, I want it."
Keitaro stared at her in surprise, she just handed the reins of power over to him without a second thought, but with a quick look to his sister, he took the rag of material she offered, wrapped up his arm and headed out, Kohana at his heels.