Flowers In The Snow

Chapter 8: Stinks of Naraku

"What was terrible noise?" Kirara's hackles rose as the chilling howl faded from the air. Sango tightened her arms around Miroku's waist and shivered. The howl was one of intense despair and fury.

"It's Sesshoumaru..." Inuyasha said. "And he's royally pissed about something!"

"A very strong shouki is coming closer!" Kagome yelled into Inuyasha's ear.

Inuyasha leapt behind a large rock and Kirara veered to the left as an enormous white hound leapt towards them. It's eyes were burning red, poison dripped from its jaws and a deep gash on its shoulder stained its trail with red blood.

"It's S-Sesshoumaru" said Kagome, shocked and scared. "What's happened to him?"

"I told you he was pissed off about something!" Inuyasha said. His own hackles were standing on end, he didn't like dealing with his half-brother when he was in this state. "I bet it's about getting tricked by Naraku!"

"He's headed in the direction of the Orochi palace!" Miroku peered into the distance. Kirara roared and turned, eager to follow the large dog, but it was moving so fast the cat couldn't catch up.

"Let's follow him! He can't fight in that state!" Kagome said.

"Don't underestimate that dog brother of mine!" Inuyasha said, "He would fight blinded and limbless if he had to."

"Sesshoumaru-samaaaa!" A green toad came flying by on a two-headed dragon. Inuyasha threw Kagome off his back and jumped in front of Jaken.

"Hey! You! What's going on!"

Jaken pointed the staff of heads at Inuyasha and let out a blast of fire. Inuyasha neatly jumped to the side.

"Don't delay me! We are going to save Rin!"

"Rin!" Kagome ran to Jaken, "Does he know where she is? Is Sesshoumaru going to fight Naraku's minions in his injured condition?"

"No...No...It's a trade. Tenseiga for Rin. Rin for tenseiga. Now let me go!"

"T-Tenseiga?" Inuyasha looked gob-smacked. He knew his half-brother never valued Tenseiga much but surely Sesshoumaru would never agree to such low blackmail! "He will give up Tenseiga?"

"But that will revive Naraku!" Kagome exclaimed in horror. "Surely Sesshoumaru knows that!"

Jaken narrowed his eyes at them. "You will have to ask Sesshoumaru-sama about that. As far as I know, his decision is to trade Rin's life for Tenseiga...it is not up to me, a mere servant, to question my master's decisions. Now get out of my way!"

"We're following you, you little toad!" Inuyasha picked up Kagome and sprang after Ah-Un.

Jaken didn't reply. He really was concerned about Rin. He hoped they had not hurt her... "Rin, we are nearly there" the little green toad muttered, clutching her purple hair-ribbon to his heart.

The Orochi palace loomed into view in the distance. Bodies of youkai and Orochi still littered the area surrounding it from last night's battle. Sesshoumaru crashed through the main gates of the palace and dashed into the compound. Naraku's jyaki was stronger than ever before, although he was unable to place exactly where the evil youkai was hiding. If this had been a normal battle, Sesshoumaru would have hunted Naraku down and torn him in half even at the cost to his own life, but with Rin as a hostage, such methods were useless.

Her saw her at once and immediately shed his dog form to walk to her.

Lying amidst the bodies of the dead, her slim form was covered with the rags of her shredded kimono. He bent to lift her with his arm but she was as heavy as a stone. As they said, she was magically bound. Everything was silent around him.

"Show yourselves." Sesshoumaru said.

Silence.

Thankfully, he could smell her innocence was still intact, but though they had not taken her honour, they had done something else to her. Sesshoumaru could smell the powerful of Orochi venom in her, she lay dying as he spoke.

"You poisoned my ward."

Silence.

"Why should I give you tenseiga when you lied to me?"

Finally, a thin laughter broke through the air.

"If you recall, dog, we made a promise not to harm her further. Unfortunately that venom was given to her before our interview, and she tasted sssssweet indeed."

"What you have done is unforgivable." Sesshoumaru growled, his hand on toukijin. They were playing him for a fool.

"The more you delay, the nearer she will be to death. She is poisoned with Orochi venom, so we suggest you do not waste time. Give us tenseiga."

Sesshoumaru put his hand on tenseiga's hilt. It pulsed with with energy.

"Put it in the left dragon's mouth."

The Inu-tachi arrived just in time to see Sesshoumaru place his father's sword into the dragon's mouth. The sword disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Jaken and Ah-Un reigned in just before the palace gates, afraid to go further and Inuyasha crashed into them.

"What is that bastard doing?!" Inuyasha barked. "I'm going to stop him!" The hanyou placed his hand on tessaiga.

"Sssh! Can't you see? He has no choice!" Kagome had immediately spotted the figure of a young woman, obviously seriously wounded, on the ground behind Sesshoumaru. She grabbed Inuyasha's arm to restrain him.

"If he really gives tenseiga away, they'll use it to revive Naraku!" Inuyasha flung of Kagome's arm.

"Osuwari!" Kagome hissed.

Inuyasha crashed into the ground.

"That young lady is Rin? B-But she should be just a little girl!" Sango said in surprise.

"It's been ten years, Sango...of course she would have grown up." Miroku said. Sango searched for the sound of lechery in his voice but found none, Miroku simply looked sad, "She is very badly wounded. This whole disgusting plot stinks of Naraku."

"Rin...Rin...Sesshumaru-sama..." Jaken moaned to himself.

"Shut up you toad! Your moaning is beginning to annoy me."

"He's lifting her, but she's crying out in pain."

Rin...his poor rin...She looked worse than he had ever seen her before. It was true that they had not killed her, but they might as well have. Her little body was battered beyond belief, her fingers all broken, blood seeped through her shredded cream kimono.

"YAMATE!" Kagome suddenly rushed forward. Sesshoumaru turned to look at the miko who always followed his brother around.

"I failed you, Rin."

Still she did not open her eyes, but simply moaned in pain.

"YAMATE-O!"

"Go away, human woman."

"You cannot just lift her like this, you might make her injuries worse!"

"I am bringing her home."

Kagome only had a moment to take in how determined Sesshoumaru looked to know that she would not be able to change his mind.

"It is a big risk." Kagome said at last.

"Listen to her, you stubborn fool." Inuyasha arrived together with the rest of the Inutachi. "She's a miko, she knows about these things."

"Temee." Sesshoumaru glared at the hanyou. "Do not advise me how to look after my own."

"Well, it didn't look like you were doing a very good job by yourself, did it?"

Sesshoumaru growled deep in his throat.

"At least, cover her up properly before you go, she will die of cold from the journey."

"Take this, jerk." Inuyasha stripped off his fire-rat cloak and tossed it at Rin.

Sesshoumaru was not too proud to ignore the protective properties of fire-rat fur. He gently covered Rin with it.

"You." He turned to Kagome. "You are a miko, right?"

"Hai."

"You will follow me to the Palace of the West to heal Rin."

"Just a minute, bakayarou...no one orders Kagome around like that except me!"

"Inuyasha...it's okay. I'm a miko, and I'm needed."

"Riiiiiin....Riiiiin..." Jaken moaned, "If only I had taken better care of you!"

Miroku punched the green toad on the head.

"Shouki!" Sango cried suddenly. Kirara growled and looked into the sky. "Naraku's shouki is heading North!"

Kagome cried out, clutching her chest. The shikon energy in her was reacting very strongly. "Miroku, Sango...follow it and try to find out where he's headed...I will go...with...Rin."

"Hai, take care, Kagome-chan." Sango said, swinging herself onto Kirara. "We'll give you news!" Miroku leapt up onto the demon cat behind Sango.

"Miko, get on Ah-Un. He flies faster than Inuyasha can run." Sesshoumaru surrounded himself with a great field of energy.

"OK" Kagome said, climbing onto the dragon. Inuyasha decided to let the insult pass and climbed up behind Kagome.

"Follow me." Sesshoumaru shot off into the air, a great arc of golden energy. Rin lay cold and motionless in his arms. Although he had never wished for it before, the dog demon now wished he had two arms to cradle Rin properly. He wrapped his soft fur stole around her as tightly as he could to stop her from falling. Inuyasha's fire-rat cloak was certainly serving its function of keeping her warm from their speed of travel. She might not have survived it otherwise. He swore to tear off that hanyou's cloak the minute they landed.

A multitude of emotions coursed through him. Anger at Naraku, frustration at himself, guilt at having failed Rin, fear that she might die. No Rin, you cannot die now, not when I don't have tenseiga to revive you. Not when we have so many more years before us. I will find something to prolong your life, and we will have centuries ahead of us. You are the flower of my heart. I cannot bear the lonely centuries ahead, without you at my side.

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Miroku and Sango flew after Naraku's shouki but couldn't seem to catch up. Miroku almost wished he still had kazaana to suck Naraku's minions into it.

"We're losing them!" Sango called.

"I know."

Kirara growled.

"They're heading for fire country!"

"They must be headed to the gate to the underworld."

Miroku and Sango lost sight of the shouki but eventually landed in fire country. Many years ago, the Inu-tachi had tried to get past Gozu and Mezu, sentries to the underworld, but were not successful. Only the dead could pass.

There was no longer any sign of Naraku's shouki. Nervously, Sango, Miroku and Kirara approached the cave that held the entrance to the next world. In the dim light, they could see Gozu and Mezu at the entrance of the great gate, which was just closing as they entered.

"Don't get too near them, Sango. Remember Gozu and Mezu are dangerous."

"Mmm."

Kirara growled.

"Those bastards could get past because they had the sword of the afterlife...tenseiga."

"Chikuso." Cursed Sango, turning in despair to her husband. "They've gone to revive Naraku!"

"No doubt." Sighed Miroku.

"Look!" Sango ran to the side of the cave, "It...It's that Orochi Lord who was with them!"

Miroku rushed over to join her. "It must be Nibori-sama."

The Orochi Lord's body was cold and dead. He look weakened, as if he had been sick for a long time.

"My guess is that Naraku's shirei had been possessing this tai-youkai's body for years," said Miroku who had plenty of experience with possession when he was a practising monk some years ago. "He's abandoned this body now, it probably could not withstand possession much longer although being a tai-youkai, it withstood it much longer than a normal human or youkai's body would."

"If he's abandoned the body, he's probably going to get a new one soon."

"He'll resurrect himself with tenseiga, that's my guess," Miroku. He said a prayer over the body of the Orochi Lord. "Nibori-sama was a just and peaceful ruler from all accounts. It's a pity the House of Orochi should end this way."

"Hai," said Sango. "May he and his tribe make their peace in heaven. They were badly used by Naraku."

"Well what shall we do? Wait here?"

"It's pointless. Who knows how long they will take, it's best we get back to Inuyasha and give him the news."

They climbed onto Kirara's back.

"Er...Miroku..."

"Yes Sango?"

"Where is the Palace of the Western Lands?"

Miroku banged his head with his fist, "Damn...I have no idea."

Sango sighed, "Let's just get back to the village, I'm sure we can make our way to the Palace from there, and Miho and Miru will surely miss us."

Miroku nodded and touched his kazaana. His hand was still whole, the moment it opened again, he would know that Naraku was back.

Hey, thanks to all you lovely reviewers! I really enjoyed reading your responses and do hope you'll write more.