Disclaimer: I do not own Wolf's Rain or Inuyasha.
I was going to post this day before yesterday, but I wasn't done writing it until midnight (it was also going to be longer, but I was tired) so it wasn't ready to be posted until yesterday, but I couldn't update because of the website maintenance. Sorry! Good news, I don't have a lot to say, so this will be brief.
Thanks for the reviews! Here ya go:
Black Betty: Thank you, glad you like it.
Nikkler: Your review gave me a good chuckle early in the morning (if you can call 9:43 early). First off, I'm glad you liked the chappy! You don't think I need to up the rating? Good. I am secretly a lemon fan, but I doubt I could write a good one. Oh well. I have been thinking of adding some pure fluff chapters to the story, just to lighten the mood a little. I swear, it's getting depressing for this poor little romantic! Anyway, enough rambling. The paragraph in chapter 8 is the one where Luna is being dug away and Tsume jumps to the rescue. It's right before the last scene change. The paragraph is Tsume attempting to find the tentacle that has Luna (actually, I keep calling it a paragraph when really it equals out to about three sentences in the middle of an old paragraph). I am looking forward to any advice you can give me for Kagome, it is very much appreciated. Thank you as always for answering all of my questions and addressing my concerns, I really appreciate it. I always know I can count on you for a review! Thanks!
Tapeka: Thank you and yes, Inuyasha will be in the story.
JJ: Thanks! It is greatly appreciated.
Now then, with those addressed, on to the story!
Chapter 10: From Shadow to Light
"How are we going to get him out of here?" Manch asked, referring to the very bloody, still sleeping Tsume. "We can't just move him, we don't know the extent of his injuries."
"We don't have a choice. We're going to have to move him anyway," Kiba calmly responded.
"Um, guys, has anyone stopped to consider that thing in here with us? And the fact we can't see anything, including Tsume, Luna or that thing?" Hige cried, more than slightly panicked. He was right though, the torch had been snuffed the moment it had been brought into the cell and Sesshomaru's light only lasted for a few moments, traveling the extent of the room before encountering the walls and vanishing.
"Yeah, and what's that smell?" Mizu asked.
"That smell is the smell of decay a little over 300 years old," said Sesshomaru.
"Why don't you make yourself useful and do that light thing again?" Mizu snapped, tired of Sesshomaru's "greater than thee" attitude. Sesshomaru glared at Mizu a moment.
"You would do well to watch your tongue if you with to live, wolf," said Sesshomaru in a dangerously calm voice.
Mizu was preparing to respond to this comment when Kiba warned, "Someone's coming!"
Everyone moved into what they presumed to be the center of the room, confident they would not be seen in the darkness even if it was not. They could hear the creak of the cell door opening followed by a soft thump as of someone small and light being thrown to the floor.
"Here ya go! Have fun with Naraku, Missy! Ha! Ha! Ha!" taunted a cruel voice from the door as it creaked shut again.
"Kiba?" came Cheza's soft, quiet voice.
"Cheza?! Is that you?"
"Yes, it- AAAA!" Cheza let loose a blood-curdling scream that struck fear into everyone's heart.
Kiba leapt towards Cheza's voice, but found only empty air and the floor.
"Cheza! Cheza, where are you?" he yelled.
"You mean she's not there anymore?" asked Aurora frantically. Another burst of Sesshomaru's light filled the room. Everyone could see Kiba lying on the floor where he had landed trying to help Cheza, and the flower maiden herself hanging a few feet above his head. She was wrapped up in tentacles protruding from the darkness formed on the ceiling from head to toe. Then the light died once again. Kiba snarled and lunged forward, prepared to gnaw the tentacles off of Cheza if he had to.
"Don't bite them!" Sesshomaru yelled. "We'll all be poisoned." Kiba changed tactics in mid-air and began to scratch at the tentacles instead. Hige and Blue ran towards the noise to lend their assistance where they could.
A tentacle wrapped itself around Kiba's ankle and pulled him out of the fray. He was being held upside-down above the ground, kicking at the offending object when he heard a whistling noise coming from behind him. He lunged forward, grabbing his ankles so he was doubled up, just in time. A slight breeze blew past Kiba as something flew past him. He let go and hung there for a moment before the whistling returned. He grabbed his ankle again, but not quickly enough as something was driven into his back. Kiba was paralyzed as the strength was slowly drained from his body.
Another flash of light illuminated Kiba's vision, allowing him to see what was happening in most of the room. Mizu, Manch and Aurora were working on getting Luna and Tsume to the door. They were keeping low to the ground and army crawling as they drug Tsume along behind them, creating a blood trail. Unfortunately, Kiba was facing the wrong direction to see Cheza, Hige and Blue, but by the sound of it, things were not going well. Cheza suddenly screamed as what Kiba could only assume to be these things driving into him finding a home in her as well, draining the life force from her frail body. A horrendous, inhuman shriek tore through the air, assaulting the sensitive hearing of all in the room as Cheza's "blood" came into contact with the monster. The things in Kiba's back were violently extracted and he was unceremoniously dropped onto the ground. Kiba's fall was accompanied by three more thumps as Blue, Hige and Cheza all dropped to the ground as well.
"Come on, let's get out of here! Cheza's bleeding, bad!" Hige yelled. He picked Cheza up and tried to figure out where the door was. Another blast of light rolled through the cell, allowing Hige to see where he needed to go. He ran for the door with Cheza secure in his arms and Blue at his side. Hige heard a whistling sound, the same one he heard just seconds before Cheza had screamed. He dropped to the ground, taking Cheza and Blue with him. The whistling increased and a breeze blew past, sending a chill down Hige's spine. On impulse he flipped over and raked his nails through the air. He smiled in satisfaction as his claws sliced through flesh, another tentacle rendered useless.
"Hige, blood," Blue said as she raised blood covered fingers to Hige's nose. He couldn't smell it, but he could taste it as Blue's fingers brushed his nose and he licked it.
"It's Tsume's blood. Come on, follow it, but stay on the ground," Hige ordered. He and Blue started an army crawl, dragging Cheza along much like Manch and Mizu had done with Tsume, only now they were following blood, not instinct. Something grabbed Cheza from their grasp then hauled Hige and Blue to their feet.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" Toboe yelled. They threw all of their weight on the door, forcing it open.
There was a loud bang followed by a jumble of limbs as the door gave way and everyone inside fell out. Mizu and Luna were the first to disentangle themselves from the pile and slammed the door shut. Sesshomaru then found his feet and sealed the door.
"OK, let's never do that again," said Hige. Blue and Aurora were working on getting Kiba, Tsume and Cheza into positions that their wounds could be examined.
"We will have to go back in there," Sesshomaru informed him.
"WHAT! Are you crazy? We barely made it out of there alive and you want us to go back in there?" Hige cried.
"We have to. It is our- no, my responsibility to see Naraku destroyed."
"And just how do you intend to do that?"
"Simple. They woke Naraku, I shall wake Kagome."
"We'll go just as soon as we figure out what to do with Tsume," Kiba announced.'
"We will?" asked Manch.
"What about your injuries?" asked Toboe.
"Stop the bleeding and we'll be fine," Kiba insisted.
"How do we do that?" asked Blue.
"I know a place where we should be able to get cloth for bandages relatively easy," said Sesshomaru, heading down the hall. Everyone exchanged looks then set off after Sesshomaru, Hige carrying Tsume and Kiba carrying Cheza.
"Um, Hige, I just wanted to tell you how impressed I was at how you kept your cool back in the cell. It helped me a lot; I was really scared. Thank you," Blue said quietly, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks. Hige returned the blush and said, "Aw, it was nothing."
"So, what exactly are we going to do now?" asked Toboe.
"Well, I guess we're getting bandages now," Blue answered.
"OK, then what? Are we just leaving or are we going to stay and help Sesshomaru destroy Naraku?"
"I'm staying to help," Luna declared.
"You're what?! Luna, you could be killed!" Aurora said, obviously disapproving of her little sister's decision.
"I know, but I want to help him. I want to help set things right."
"But it's not your place!"
"I know. But, this is what I want. I'm sorry, Aurora, but this is what I want to do." Aurora sighed in defeat, knowing they could go at this forever but she would never win. Her sister was just too much like her.
"In that case, I'm staying to help too," she declared, determined to protect her little sister.
"Oh man, that means we have to stick around too, Manch!"
"I know, Mizu, it's just tragic!" the two boys teased. Aurora gave them both a "friendly" elbow to the gut.
"Kiba? What about us? I want to stay and help too," Toboe begged quietly.
"Of course we're staying. We need to help set things right, like Luna said."
"We are?" Hige gulped. Kiba just looked at him and kept walking.
The group was soon at the head of the stairs in the hallway where they first encountered the guards and Tsume and Cheza were taken. Tsume was starting to come around, which was not a good thing judging by his wounds.
"This will not be easy to accomplish. The fewer we have the better," said Sesshomaru.
"I'll stay behind with Cheza and Tsume up on the ledge," Kiba announced, referring to the ledge they had used before.
"Toboe and Luna will come with me, the rest stay here," Sesshomaru declared.
"What? Why just Toboe and Luna?" asked Aurora.
"Because they are the fastest and are small enough to get through unnoticed."
"Promise me, promise, that you'll bring them back in one piece," Aurora pleaded, unwilling to lose her sister. As she stared into his eyes, she could have sworn she saw a flash of sorrow, pity, and maybe even remorse. Then she thought she mush have imagined it, for his eyes were nothing more than cold, amber orbs.
"They will both be fine. You have my word." With that, Sesshomaru, Toboe, and Luna set off deeper into the castle.
Would you believe that took me all day to write? Oh well, the next chapter will be very exciting, and action packed and who knows, they might even make it out of the castle! (Everyone rejoices, wondering just how long this story is going to be) Unfortunately, I need time to make it really good, so the next chapter will probably be postedTuesday or later, but hey, miracles have been known to occur. We'll see. I still want your opinions on all of the stuff that I said last time. You know, Kagome, Chapter 8 paragraph, rating, and any questions, comments or suggestions you might have. Until next time!