Disclaimer: I wish.
"…" – speech
'…' – thoughts
--- - change in scenery or time
x-x
-- Previously, on The Sealed Garden:
-The red eyes widened in amusement as Naraku watched Inuyasha struggling in the air.
And using a voice that almost matched Kagome's, he spoke.
"It's time to die, Inuyasha."-
x-x
Chapter NINETEEN:
Death
x-x
Inuyasha's face was contorted in pain.
He couldn't breathe.
Well, no shit.
Naraku, in something that seemed to be Kagome's stolen image, was still gripping him painfully by the neck. His feet still dangled several inches off the ground, kicking uselessly at the shape-shifter demon. His fists swung wildly, hitting his captor in the shoulder several times, but to no effect. And steadily, with every passing second, Inuyasha was getting weaker. His movements became slowly more sluggish, until his limbs could only twitch in response to his desperation to live.
He was dying.
Inuyasha felt his world go steadily darker, as his vision began to fade. What was the imitation-Kagome's face became a blur, which was partially a blessing, since now at least, he didn't have to have the impression that the girl was killing him.
And with that thought, an image of the real, true Kagome sprung to mind. An impish smile tugged at her lips, her ocean-blue eyes twinkled mischievously.
"So, Inuyasha. How does it feel to die?" The imitative version of her voice taunted him. "Don't worry about the pain; everything will be gone in just a few more moments." A horrible, cruel laugh rang through his head.
But as the outside noise faded away, Inuyasha became aware of a light, bright voice piercing into his rapidly sinking consciousness.
"Inuyasha? Are you really going to let yourself be killed by him?"'Hell no!'
With renewed strength, the hanyou fought back. His eyes flung open, and the half-demon was, for a moment, startled at the fact that he'd closed them. Glaring resolutely at the suddenly unamused shape-shifter, the hanyou gathered all of his fading strength, and delivered a strong, solid kick to Naraku's midsection.
And he was dropped.
More from surprise than anything else, Naraku's hold had weakened on his neck, leaving the half-demon to fall rather unceremoniously onto his behind.
"Still have some fight in you, eh?"
Inuyasha picked up Tetsusaiga, which had dropped onto the ground, and raised it in front of him. His chest heaved, as he gulped down the air with greedy readiness. His free hand massaged his neck gingerly, and he winced at the tenderness of the flesh.
'I'm alive.'
Lavender eyes stayed fixed on his opponent, anticipating his next move. For the moment, Naraku didn't seem to know what to do; obviously, the man's resistance to death merited some form of punishment, but he just couldn't find the right one.
A smirk lifted a corner of Inuyasha's mouth. "Wh-what's the matter?" Stumbling to his feet, the man took a few unsteady steps away from the shape-shifter. "Can't even kill a puny human?" He coughed weakly.
Face contorting in a flash of rage, the shape-shifter schooled his expression into a collected sneer. "I must admit: I'm surprised you managed to survive." His form began to contort. "However, you've only succeeded in prolonging your death."
Inuyashas watched in disgust, still backing away, as the ball of flesh writhed and squirmed. "Who says I'm going to die?" He gave a dry chuckle. "Today, anyway." The hanyou stole a quick look backwards, noticing that he was just inches away from the side door.
'Just a few more…'
"Fool." The half-demon's gaze snapped back to the blob. Naraku's voice was strangely disembodied, as Inuyasha could find no visible place for it to come from in the ball. "Don't you think I know where you're trying to go?"
With a suddenness that, once again, surprised the hanyou, the flesh contorted into a human shape. Naraku's usual- if it could be called that- form emerged, red eyes gleaming evilly from a cruelly smiling face. He was dressed in an outfit that would have been perfect for the feudal ages- an outfit fit for a lord.
His robe- haori dropped down well past his waist, with a vest-like piece of clothing over it. His long pants, hakama, fell to his ankles. The demon's greasy, black hair was tied back, the slippery tendrils falling down his back.
Despite the pounding of his heart, the half-demon managed to twist his lips upward in a wry smile. "And where would that be?" He felt the thin paper covering of the door hit his palm.
Giving no answer, the demon shot forwards, but this time, Inuyasha was the quicker.
Slamming open the shouji door, the hanyou shot down the halls. He didn't turn back at the noisy crunches that signified Naraku's entrance into his house, but instead, sprinted as quickly as his human legs would allow him to. Turning the corner proved to be rather awkward, but when he'd made it into the main entrance area, the hanyou paused.
Everything was…
Quiet.
And as the saying went…
A little too quiet.
"What's taking you so long, little human?" The slimy voice came from within the central chamber.
Eyes shooting towards the north entrance, Inuyasha's mind suddenly registered in horror, that Naraku had taken the liberty of simply breaking through the walls, from the side entrance into the centre of the house. A hand slapped his face in frustration.
"Damn it!"
He should have known that the demon wasn't concerned with damaging historical property.
The half-demon was frozen in indecision.
On the one hand, his enemy blocked his only sanctuary for miles, and the chances that he'd get past the demon alive were, suffice to say, slim.
However, if he didn't make his way into the holy area, then his chances of survival were even smaller.
Inuyasha's eyes darkened with anger as they focused onto the northern door.
"Bastard."
Naraku was most likely waiting for him, smug expression on his face. The only reason the shape-shifter wasn't coming after him right at that moment, was that Naraku was probably certain of Inuyasha's decision- to get to the safe area.
'To hell with that.'
And abruptly, another choice that was so clear, so obvious, that it stunned him that he hadn't thought of it sooner, came to mind.
The garden.
'I am such an idiot.'
Why had he wasted all that precious time in trying to get to the temple?
Although now probably wasn't the best of times to be asking for assistance from the spirit, Inuyasha was sure that Kagome would understand. And even though this would be a huge dent in his pride, anything would be better that death, wouldn't it? After all, she wouldn't want to see him dead, right?
He paused.
Well that was completely left to speculation.
Mind made up, the hanyou made a one hundred eighty degree turn, crashing through the delicate doors to the outside. Wasting no time in nursing the splinters in his shoulder, Inuyasha then proceeded to sprint towards the rear of his house, hoping against hope that Naraku hadn't figured out his plan.
There was an explosion of wood just in front of him.
Well, so much for hope.
The shape-shifter can created another two holes in his house, crashing through to stop just in front of the man.
Inuyasha skidded to a stop, arm raised in defense against the flying wood chips.
"Going somewhere?"
Without pausing, Naraku shot forwards towards the hanyou, arm raised. However, Inuyasha'd learned from his previous experience, and veered to the side just before being hit. He continued to run, sprinting towards the back of his property. His bare feet pounded over the damp grass, and his gaze was drawn to the hole made by the shape-shifter.
For a split second, the hanyou reconsidered his plan- to go into the central chamber the way Naraku had come out, but he quickly changed his mind. For at the floor of the gaping hole, was a mass of poisonous-looking sludge. It was quickly dissolving the surrounding wood, and Inuyasha grimaced at the thought of what the miasma would do to his human feet.
He shook his head.
'Right. Forwards. Concentrate.'
sBut no sooner than he'd refocused, than a piercing pain bore through his body.
Lavender eyes widened in shock and pain, as his feet left the ground and his body arched forwards. Flying through the air in a graceful arc, Inuyasha's body fell to the floor, where he lay still and twitching. His dark hair glistened with the blood that had splattered onto it. His eyes were scrunched in pain.
When the hanyou tried to lift himself, he realised, with shock, that he couldn't.
A pain-filled groan vibrated through his chest, and he realised, even that small movement hurt.
He couldn't do anything.
He was paralysed.
Had Inuyasha been able to see the damage done to his body, even he'd have been shocked.
Naraku had, quite literally, pierced a hold into his torso. The poisonous residue continued to burn and eat away at his flesh, causing immense waves of pain to spread over Inuyasha's body. In fact, it was only through some miracle, that the hanyou was even still alive.
But no, he wouldn't be alive for much longer.
"That was actually pretty easy." Naraku's oily voice came from somewhere behind him, but it was strangely distant and faint. "You really are just a weak little hanyou, aren't you?" It was taunting, and Inuyasha desperately wanted to silence it forever, but he couldn't.
The pain was slowly draining away from the half-demon. He felt oddly light-headed and giddy; blackness was, once again, entering his sight.
From some sense that Inuyasha couldn't identify, he noticed that the shape-shifter was now crouching next to him. "I don't know why I was so worried about you." A delicately formed hand reached out and raised the half-demon's chin so that he was staring into his eyes.
His lavender eyes were unfocused.
"Pathetic."
He dropped his chin.
"You deserve to die."
Inuyasha didn't notice as he stood up to his full height, arm poised to deliver the final strike. And indeed, even if he had, the hanyou wouldn't have been able to do anything to prevent the swift oncoming of death.
But, even as Naraku's arm twisted and lengthened into a sharply pointed limb, the sounds of a car reached the hanyou's diminishing hearing.
Even as the spiked appendage came flying downwards towards the area of his heart, several indistinguishable shouts echoed silently in Inuyasha's head.
His breathing was slowing.
His senses were dulling.
And even as a last shout penetrated into the suffocating silence, his life was fading away.
"Kazaana!"
Help had arrived.
But it was too late in coming.
Inuyasha's world plunged into darkness.
--
"How much further can it be?" Sango followed her boyfriend's back, hands clutching at the backpack that held the exterminating supplies she'd brought. "You said half an hour, didn't you?" Kirara mewed at her side.
His head turned back, aware of her fatigue. "Just a few more blocks." He lagged for a moment, waiting for her to become level with him. "We're almost there."
The woman looked back nervously, the impending feeling of doom looming over her senses. "I just feel like…" She drifted off. "Like something bad's going to happen." She stared anxiously at Miroku. "I'm worried about Inuyasha." A dry chuckle made her raise her eyebrow. "What's so funny?"
"Do you ever get this worried about me?" At her stony expression, the man raised his palm in a placating manner. "Right. Not funny. I know." He extended his arm to rest over her shoulders. "But really, Inuyasha can take care of himself." He adjusted his pace so that they were barely moving above a stroll.
Glancing at the sky, Sango noticed that the sun was beginning its daily descent into the west. For a moment, she was caught up in the beauty of it, when a thought struck her.
"Hey… isn't it the new moon tonight?" She looked at him curiously.
Miroku froze.
He looked at his watch, then at the sky, before promptly picking up his speed into a light jog.
She caught up to him, noticing the tenseness in his shoulders. "Why so worried now?"
"It's his night of weakness, isn't it?"
She nodded.
The man gave her a sidelong look. "And Inuyasha tends to act a little… rashly when he's human." He shook his head. "You're right. The quicker we can get back, the better."
The pair fell into silence as they hurried through the strangely clear streets of Kyoto. They'd already left the scene of the accident long behind, and the blares of horns had faded away. The tall, concrete buildings passed one by one, and Miroku scanned each of them in turn.
"Just… one more… block to go…" His breath came in short puffs.
Sango glanced at him, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes, "Tired already?"
His forehead etched into a frown. "What do you mean?" He gave her a smug smile. "I'm in perfect shape."
"One more block, right?" She grinned. "It's a race, then."
And without giving another warning, the woman shot forwards. The demon cat paused to give one glance to the man, before she sprung out after her mistress. Her boyfriend's pace slackened in disbelief. "What? A race? Now?" Shaking his head, Miroku too, increased his speed. He was quickly drawing level with her, but even then, she was several feet closer to the goal than she was.
Kirara had already reached the other side, and she waited patiently for the slower humans to catch up. Sango was nearing the intersection with an amazing speed, but with her determination at winning, she hadn't spotted the danger that was just around the corner.
"Sango!" Eyes widening in alarm, the man sped forwards with renewed energy. "Sango, watch it!"
A truck, having come seemingly from nowhere, was barrelling down at the woman with a speed that was definitely beyond the limits. She froze, her eyes wide at the sight of the rapidly approaching headlights. Her arms raised, as she covered her head.
Giving a roar, the fire cat suddenly transformed and leapt towards her mistress, but even the demon's speed wouldn't carry her to the woman in time.
"No! Don't stop running!" With a last spurt of force, Miroku leaped from the curb and tackled his girlfriend, throwing her against the edge of the other side of the street just before they both were hit. The truck continued to move, the driver either unaware, or uncaring at the accident he'd almost caused. "For the sake of Buddha, don't do something that reckless again!" He shook her by the shoulders before hugging her close in relief.
For her part, Sango was still slightly shell-shocked at how close she'd come to death, or at the very least, being seriously injured. But as soon as the warmth of her lover's arms encircled her, she broke out of it, clutching his shirt tightly in her fists.
Kirara gave a gentle roar of relief, transforming back to her gentler form.
"Oh gods." She choked. "What's wrong with me?" She felt the tears sting at her eyes and buried her face into his chest. "I didn't even notice it until you shouted."
The man rubbed her back, his own face pressing against the top of her head. "Shh… You're not hurt." His hand roved over his body, this time for perfectly reasonable reasons, searching for any sign of injury. "And that's really what matters." Deeply violet eyes shot up in search for the vanished truck. "What I want to know, is why that guy didn't brake when he saw you."
Watching the couple, the demon kitty padded over, rubbing gently against Sango's side. She sniffled quietly. "And… and… I don't even know if that hurt the… baby…" Her voice was quiet and remorseful. She opened her eyes to look into the bright, slitted ones of her cat. "Kirara? Do you know…?"
The cat gave a reassuring mew, rubbing against her mistress' stomach.
"Come on, now." Lifting them both to their feet, Miroku steadied the woman. He placed a reassuring kiss to the top of her head. "Don't worry about it. Let's go in." He dusted her off gently, turning her so she was facing the entrance to a tall building. Bending down, he picked up his staff, and carefully inspected it, finding no damages.
Sango leaned against him for support, as he directed them both into the richly furnished building. It was dark and quiet, unlike the brightness when he'd last come with Inuyasha. Their footsteps echoed eerily in the silence, sounding echoed and hollow in the hallway. Kirara leapt in front of them, her demonic eyes surveying the building for any danger.
"It's not normally this creepy in here, is it?" Her earlier shock had worn away, and Sango's speech was punctuated only by a few hiccoughs.
He slid her a look. "Would you like to make a bet on that?"
She sighed and shook her head.
At every corner they turned, they half-expected something to pop out and attack, but nothing happened. When finally, they reached the security check point, Miroku's nerves were spiked with anxiety at the lack of activity. However, since Kirara wasn't reacting to anything, the couple was able to relax a little more.
But when a sudden, loud noise reverberated through the empty room, the monk startled badly, his arm snapping up to bring his staff in front of them both.
They held their breaths.
There was a pause.
When… his cellular phone rang again.
Shoulders slumping from the relief, Miroku breathed a sigh and fished the device out of the pocket. He pushed a button and pressed it to his ear. "Hey."
His girlfriend watched him, a hand at her chest from the scare he'd given her. He nodded his head once, then twice, and without saying another word, hung up.
She stared at him.
Noticing her gaze, he grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that." He ran a hand through his hair. "Sesshoumaru's waiting for us in the parking lot."
She clapped her hands together. "Lead the way."
Breathing out, the man frowned at the barred area in front, before shrugging and hopping the gate. The demonic kitty followed him, only she just slid easily under the barricade. He turned back to help the woman, only to find that she was quite capable of leaping over the blockage with far more clearance than he himself had gotten.
He poked her teasingly. "Show off."
She grinned, before walking towards the elevator.
His hand on her arm pulled her towards the stairs.
In response to her questioning gaze, he responded, "The electricity's out." He tugged her towards the open door, and they both clattered noisily down the steps. "I seems as though the outage happened at about the same time as when the crash did."
A shiver ran down Sango's spine. "You think they're connected?'
He shrugged helplessly. "Probably."
In a matter of minutes, the pair had cleared the flight of steps, and was through the door that led into the underground parking lot. The cold air rushed at them as they ran through the empty space.
"It's cold." Sango shivered and found a black jacket thrown at her. "Thanks."
He nodded, showing he'd heard. "Now, where's the B6 divider?"
She threw on the jacket, and spotted the black letter painted on the wall. "There."
Miroku gently tugged on her hand again, as they both hurried towards the eastern area of the parking lot. After moving past a cement divider, they were met with an empty area, except for…
"Why is it that you humans are so slow?"
The cool, slightly annoyed sounding voice came from a man dressed in white business casual clothes. His silver hair streamed behind him, seeming to be impossibly smooth for its length. Golden-amber eyes stared at them lazily, and his arms were crossed in front of his chest.
Miroku looked to his side and smiled wryly at the wide-eyed look on his girlfriend's face.
"That's Inuyasha's brother?" She gaped.
Yeah.
Sesshoumaru had that effect on people.
"His half-brother," he corrected automatically. The demon lord pushed off the black-coloured car he'd been leaning against. His gaze was trained on the pair. "I am no hanyou."
Coming to her senses, Sango suddenly bowed low. "Sesshoumaru-sama. It is an honour."
He paused in his action of opening the car door. When he looked at the woman, his expression was slightly clouded. His eyes were narrowed. "So, you are one who has not forgotten the old ways." The demon's voice was soft.
Miroku looked from one person to the other in slight confusion, before promptly placing an arm possessively over Sango's shoulders. "Yeah. Hey, Sesshoumaru. This is Sango. My girlfriend."
She looked at him rather flatly.
Kirara mewed.
The demon, without even turning around, spoke calmly, "I have no intention of taking your mate." Sesshoumaru opened the door to the driver's side and slid in. "And if you wish to reach my little brother before it's too late, get in."
The door slammed shut.
Miroku turned to his girlfriend and found her eyebrow raised. "What?"
"The way you act…" She shook her head, sighing. "Especially considering your habits."
He shrugged. "You were acting strangely."
"He's a lord." Sango led the way over to one of the rear doors. "And besides, I didn't know that Inuyasha's brother looked so much like him."
"Don't let him hear you saying that."
She rolled his eyes, allowing her cat to jump in before she herself do stepped into the car. It was luxuriously padded, the seats covered with a dark coloured leather. The windows were tinted, dissuading any curious onlookers. All in all, every single aspect of the interior- not to mention the exterior- spoke of extreme wealth.
Miroku slid in after his girlfriend. "So, where's the chauffeur?" He'd meant it as a joke.
"Jaken is tending to Rin." Sesshoumar's eyes glanced at him through the review mirror. He started the car.
The monk's eyebrow shot up in surprise. "Your secretary?"
"Yes." He paused. "It seems as though she were attacked." There was a barely recognisable edge to the demon's voice. "Naraku is becoming bolder."
Sango, who had been admiring the smoothness of the ride, as they pulled out of the parking lot, snapped her attention back to the conversation. "He attacked your secretary? Why?"
That, however, the inu-youkai didn't answer. He remained silent, the quiet noise of the car's motor filling in the silence. The couple in back exchanged perplexed looks, before Miroku looked absently out of his window.
The sky was darkening.
Almost as if sensing the monk's thoughts, Sesshoumaru remarked casually, "Tonight will bring the new moon."
Violet eyes snapped to the front. He paused, not knowing whether to reveal his best friend's secret to his brother or not. "Yes… So?"
A dry scoff came from the front. "Do you not think I know?"
"Ahh… I didn't think-" Miroku cut himself short before trying again. "Well, Inuyasha doesn't seem to be the type to… share that type of… information."
Sango offered her support. "And you two never had the best of relationships."
There was a snort. "Don't you think one would notice when the scent of his half brother- who lives in the same house- changed once every month on the new moon?"
The humans glanced at each other. "I guess," was the simultaneous answer.
"So… you know where to go, right?" Miroku questioned lightly.
"Yes."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"Real-"
"Miroku… Stop it." Sango gave him a look. "I'm sure, if Inuyasha's brother was the one who informed him of the property in the first place, then he'll know where to go." Her tone was patient.
"…Right."
The woman sighed tiredly, looking out of the window at the buildings flashing past, as her boyfriend attempted (and failed) to start a conversation with the demon. Her eyes started to droop, and the gentle humming of the car did nothing to help her sleepiness. Sesshoumaru's driving was almost everything his brother's was not- smooth, and without any sudden jerks or surprises.
Although she'd intended to stay awake for the next two hours, Kirara's gentle purring acted as a relaxant. Sleep eventually caught up to her, as Sango slowly drifted to the land of dreams…
--
A soft, murmuring voice cut into Sango's dreamless sleep. Her forehead creased as she frowned, and a soft groan escaped her lips. Her eyes drooped open.
The voice stopped, and she saw a blurry figure stoop over her. "Awake?"
A soft, lazy smile crept over her lips as the woman stretched. "Yah—" She yawned. "What time is it?"
Miroku glanced at the time on the dashboard. "About seven thirty." His expression turned more serious. "The sun set five minutes ago."
Blinking, the exterminator shook the lingering effects of sleep away. "What?" Her voice was clearer now. "Already?" Glancing down, she found Kirara curled comfortably on the ground.
"Yeah." The man let out a slightly strained breath. "I've got a bad feeling about this…" He glanced out of the windshield. "The dark clouds are a bad omen." Absently, he played with the beads wrapped around his right hand. "Sesshoumaru's been breaking one forty kilometres, and we still won't get there for another ten minutes; five at the least."
Sango stayed silent, the heaviness growing over her heart as well. "How did we get caught up in all of this?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. At his questioning look, she expanded. "I mean, we were all happy, and stuff. And now, these things have been happening…" She took his cursed hand in both of hers. "Why do we have to be involved?"
Sighing, Miroku stared above her right shoulder, eyes slightly unfocused. "It's dangerous. I know. But…" Violet eyes pierced into softly magenta ones. "But aren't we all friends? I've known Inuyasha for a long time, and I couldn't just leave him alone, you know?"
She nodded.
"And besides, let's not focus on the past." He squeezed her hand. "We can't change that, after all. Let's get Naraku out of the way before thinking about anything else, okay?" Leaning down, he gently brushed his lips over her head. "You're not tired anymore, are you?"
"Mm…"
Up front, Sesshoumaru stared unemotionally out of the windshield. He was seemingly unaffected by the couple's interchange. His eyes narrowed, as they spotted a dark group of clouds hovering over the area where he knew the Hana mansion stood. Adding to the unease was the faint, but disgusting scent of a powerful poison.
"I'd suggest you prepare yourselves." He pressed down a little harder on the accelerator.
The humans in the back looked up. "What?"
Sesshoumaru's eyes darted over to the passenger seat, where his wrapped Tenseiga and another unwrapped sword lay. "There will be some fighting. Naraku is on the property."
With those few words, the atmosphere in the car suddenly sharpened a tenfold. There was a pause, before Sango abruptly unzipped her backpack and pulled out a pair of stiff masks. She handed one to Miroku.
"What's this for?" He held it up, slightly perplexed.
She put hers on, testing the straps for the perfect fit. "If the atmosphere's poisonous, we don't want to be breathing it in." Her voice was slightly muffled. She pulled it down. "I noticed it that other day… you know… in the garden?"
The monk nodded, but frowned when he studied it closely.
She sighed. "What's wrong?"
"It…" He looked at her. "It fastens with a… flower."
Her eyes rolled. "It's only a flower design." Her attention turned to the driver. "Would you like one?"
"I won't be affected."
Reaching into her bag again, the woman extracted a short katana and strapped it to her waist. Then, she attached a hidden blade to her forearm; it was a band that fastened around her arm, with the blade curled up against the length of the arm. In case a situation arose, the blade could be released.
Sango continued to equip herself with various weapons, not noticing the look her on boyfriend's face.
"Sango…"
She looked over, noticing the strained quality of his voice. "What?"
"One, where the heck did you get all of those?"
The woman shrugged. "They were passed down my family." An eyebrow raised. "We were demon exterminators in the warring states era, remember?"
He sucked in a breath. "Okay. But, two, why are you putting on so many weapons?" He glared at her sternly.
"Aren't we going to-"
"I don't want you getting hurt."
"But-"
"And that means, I want Kirara-" the cat's ears perked at the mention of her name, "protecting you, and I don't want you to fight unless absolutely necessary."
"I-"
"Sango…"
She sighed. "Fine."
He held out a hand. "Dagger."
She reluctantly handed it over.
"And the other one."
She took off the one hidden over her calves.
"And the other one."
Sighing, Sango extracted the dagger strapped to her upper arm as well. "Satisfied?"
He nodded. "Yes."
She shook her head, a slight smile flitting over her lips at his worry at her wellbeing. However, the smile was abruptly wiped off, when a sudden fountain of dust and wood was tossed up into the air, accompanied by a loud 'bang'.
"What was-"
"Shit."
Sesshoumaru made a sharp left turn into the gateway, slamming on the brakes. Miroku jumped out of the car before it was even fully stationary. He sprinted to he side of his house, and noticed a tall, dark figure standing over a smaller one. The monk increased his speed, getting closer, and he was momentarily frozen at what he saw.
"Inuyasha!"
His friend was lying, face down, on the ground, a huge, gaping, hole in his back. Naraku stood, his back turned to him, his arm sharpened into what looked like an extremely long, extremely lethal spike.
"No!" Sango had caught up to him, and when her eyes took in the grizzly scene, her face paled. "Gods above…" Her voice came muffled from behind the mask. Kirara roared fiercely, and with a flash of fire, transformed into her larger form.
"What have you done?"
Naraku's head turned the slightest, his arm freezing in mid-strike. "Oh ho. Back so soon?" He chuckled. "You can watch your friend die." His arm began its decent once more.
"Get behind me!" Miroku acted purely upon instinct as he unstrapped the beads his right hand. Holding it up, he directed the winds of hell towards Naraku. "Kazaana!"
A barely audible gasp of alarm was the only sign that the shape-shifter had realised what was happening. He whirled around, his hair being buffeted by the fierce winds that were drawing him closer to the monk. "Bastard." He grunted, and through pure strength of body, threw himself out harm's way.
Before the monk realised what Naraku'd done, he was already coming at him, Naraku's deadly weapon aimed for his body.
However, just as Miroku sealed his cursed hand and gave a yell, Kirara leapt out at the demon, knocking him off his feet. Giving a furious yowl, the cat continued by tearing her strong jaws through his flesh.
Snarling angrily, Naraku tossed the fire cat far away, and concentrated his attention on the two humans. The woman was kneeling by the dying hanyou, and the man was panting from the exertion of controlling his curse. Red eyes narrowed, and he made for the woman first, his arm still spiked. "She can die first, then."
Miroku gave a strangled yell as the demon shot towards his beloved. "Sango! Watch out!" His human speed was no match for the shape-shifter's acceleration, and he knew, that he was going to be too slow; too late. "Sango!"
But there was no impact.
Instead, the sound of metal cutting through flesh interrupted the noise, and was followed by a prolonged period of silence after.
Raising his head, the monk breathed a sigh of relief, as he saw Inuyasha's brother standing in front of the two. His clothes were splattered with a dark liquid that appeared far too black to be blood. In a clawed hand, was the unsheathed sword, Toukijin. Forged from the teeth of a powerful demon, Toukijin was a blade that could compete with the powerful Tetsusaiga.
Its history was a bloody one. It had been created sometime in history, by a blood thirsty, corrupted sword-smith, who used it to take the lives of the innocent. However, it hadn't been the sword-smith himself who was evil, but the sword that controlled the man's body.
Over the years, the sword had moved from host to host, never find one that could contain its awesome evil force.
Then, it'd been found by Sesshoumaru.
The dog demon, in his younger days, had come across the sword in his roaming travels. He was the only one who could master the katana, and now, it served as his chief weapon of choice.
Sesshoumaru glanced from the gleaming sword to the person standing in front of him. Naraku's right arm was now nothing but a wriggling mass of flesh.
The spiked appendage lay at the dog demon's feet, twitching.
Naraku stood with an expression of surprise and hate on his face. "You."
"Hmph." Sesshoumaru watched him with the barest hint of disgust in his expression. "What is your business here?" He raised Toukijin. "Do you dare challenge this, Sesshoumaru?"
The shape-shifter stirred, indecision battling in his head. He wasn't strong enough to fight the Lord of the Western Land, Leader of the Dog Clan, after all. However, what little pride that remained in his cowardly heart demanded he stay still and fight.
The cowardly side won.
Allowing a sneer cover his face once more, Naraku backed away. "You were lucky today. I will let you live." Red eyes roamed over the still body behind the demon. "But your pitiful brother… isn't as fortunate."
And with that, the dastard fled into the sky.
Sesshoumaru watched the man flee in distaste. In a smooth movement, he sheathed Toukijin at his hip, where it rested beside another sword: Tenseiga.
The demon was drawn from his thoughts when a flurry of movement came from his left. The man- Miroku, rushed over, kneeling beside his still brother. He ripped off the mask from his face and tossed it away, uncaring of where it landed. Sesshoumaru scented the air, and his eyes darkened, for what it told him was not good. He slowly walked over to join the humans.
As if confirming his suspicions. The woman- Sango, looked up, her face laden with worry, and tears gathering at her eyes. "He's not waking up!"
Sesshoumaru's gaze travelled beyond her to rest on the face of his brother. His hair was a dark, pitch black, and his ears were human. Inuyasha's eyes were closed, and his face was unusually pale. His body was deathly still; not a single movement disturbed it.
The hanyou's blood was splattered over the grass, below the area where he lay. His clothes too, were stained with blood.
Bending down, the dog demon watched as the monk tried desperately to wake his friend. But even as a clawed hand reached for the hanyou's wrist, Sesshoumaru knew what the humans did not want to accept. Inuyasha's hand was icily cold, and as the demon felt around his wrist, the strange heaviness in his chest grew.
What was this foreign feeling?
Sombre, golden eyes glanced up to find the two humans looking at him expectantly.
He schooled his face carefully.
"He has no pulse."
Review Responses:--No review responses this time. Nobody really asked a question that wasn't answered in the chapter. XD--
Many Thanks to…
WhiteDloud
sapphire pink
mikage-aya
Elfin Kagome
humble-bumble
Lily Thorne
NordicaVB –(Who knows whether Naraku knew it was Inuyasha's time of weakness or not…)
cool-chick-rae
ever free
Kibo
Izayoi
Sarcasm Girl8
Misato-Katsuragi2
--Okay.
::nervous laugh::
I know half of you want to kill me, and the other half wants to torture me, then kill me. -.-;; But then you'd never find out what'll happen next! So, leave a review if you will, and flame if you must- ::checks flame-resistant jacket::- I'm ready for them now. ;)
Till next time…
Ja!
…
::flee::--