Chapter 15: Worst Place, Worst Time

"Sango-chan! Sango-chan!" Kagome shook Sango's shoulders gently. "What has happened? What do you mean they took your family?"

Sango buried her head in Kagome's shoulder. "A couple of days ago, Miroku and I met up with Myouga-jichan and were just about to visit you at this Palace when, that very morning, our village was attacked by vicious eagle-youkai. They killed and took the bodies, and live people too, to the Black Palace!"

"The Black Palace?" Rin asked in a shocked voice, "What's that?"

Sango looked up and stared at Rin. She recognized the tortured young woman she had seen lying among the Orochi bodies in the South, except now Rin was clothed in a fine orange silk kimono, and looked blooming and healthy.

"Rin-chan, it is good to see you well."

Rin looked confused, "When… have we met?"

"Never mind," Sango said, smiling a little, "We'll get to know each other better later."

"I remember, you are Kohaku's sister!" Rin said, in sudden recognition, immediately regretting her words. "Gomenasai, I didn't mean to bring up that sad topic."

A flash of pain crossed Sango's tear-stained face, "Ne, it's all right. You are right, I am Sango, Kohaku's sister."

Kagome led Sango to a chair and made her sit down. There would be time for introductions later, "Sango, please tell us what has happened. What is this black palace that you spoke of?"

"Kaede-Bachan says that it is a palace from hell. Miroku's kazaana opened up the morning that the eagles attacked us and the black palace appeared near our village. We tried our best to fight them off but there was just too many and they took my Miho and Miru. We couldn't stop them so Miroku let himself be taken as well, so that he could at least follow them and try to save them!"

"Nami-o! Nami-o! I brought this taijiya and the fire-cat here! As fast as I could" An old bald flea jumped out of Sango's hair.

"Myouga-jichan!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Hai, nice to see you again, Kagome! It's been a long time since I came to The Palace Of The West, Sesshoumaru-sama was never too welcoming, if you know my meaning...though after Inutaisho, he had the sweetest blood you know...My my!" Myouga's eyes grew wide at the sight of Rin next to Kagome, "If it isn't Rin-chan, the young hime of the Western Palace...it is as the youkai gossip says: Sesshoumaru-sama has really kept you in style!"

"Myouga-jichan, you flatter me!" Rin said softly. "I live here only at Sesshoumaru-sama's kind permission, and if he treats me well, I do not ask for it."

The old flea scratched his head, "You remind me of her...it's your bright eyes and sweet voice, a beautiful youkai queen who lived here here three hundred years ago. Ah yes! Ake..."

"Ahem!" Kagome interrupted, "Myouga-jichan, that's enough reminiscing from you! We must help Sango-chan. We really regret we weren't there with you Sango-chan. Unfortunately, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru left to consult Toutousai some days ago. It seems that Naraku has been able to revive himself with Tenseiga, and if you say he has brought up a Palace from Hell, he must have gotten hold of Inuyasha's chichiue's sword of hell…Souunga, while he was in the underworld."

Sango looked shocked. "Souunga?"

Rin nodded, "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama told me before he left that he was going to consult Toutousai about the sanshinken, the three divine swords, because he feared that Naraku was on a mission to collect all three. He already had Tenseiga, and he was looking for Souunga. It is sad indeed that he has found that cursed sword."

Kagome turned pale. "Sanshinken? That means he will be after Inuyasha's Tessaiga!"

"Oh dear..." Myouga began to sweat, "Th-The sanshinken? That's bad news..."

Rin and Sango turned to Kagome, the miko looked worried. "Did you see any sign of Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru on your way here, Sango?"

"Iya, Kirara flew above the clouds."

"I see…"

"But Shippou and the others might have met them on his way here. They had to pass near Toutousai's mountain."

"Shippou?" Kagome asked, "What is he doing heading here?"

Sango suddenly looked a little shy. "So many villages were attacked or decimated, no where is safe, so the villagers banded together and are coming to the Lord of the West to ask for sanctuary and protection. The Elders, including Kaede-bachan, speak of an old contract between Lord Inutaisho and the villagers to protect them in times of dire trouble."

"Even if there were no contract, they must come here!" Rin exclaimed, "Sesshoumaru-sama's palace is well-protected by charms and defensive jyaki, I cannot bear the thought of all those innocent humans dying! When will they arrive?"

"Shippou was following hard on the heels of my scent, if all goes well, they should arrive tomorrow."

"How many?"

"About a thousand."

Rin nodded. "I will get the servants to prepare for their arrival."

"Rin-chan…" Kagome looked admiringly at the young girl, who no longer looked or sounded so young any more. "It is very kind of you. Are you sure Sesshoumaru would not mind?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama would honour Lord Inutaisho's contract with humans, he has great honour," Rin said proudly. "Reka, Kyoko!"
The two kitsune handmaidens hurried forward.

"Hurry and prepare the area for a thousand humans to camp by the palace. Make sure there is water and food for all."

Kyoko and Reka looked at each other in surprise. "But Rin…a thousand is a great number!"

"The youkai who made them destitute is the same one who captured and hurt me," Rin said bitterly, "We must help these others he has harmed."

"Hai, Rin." Kyoko and Reka exited the room.

"Well, Kagome-sama and Sango…it's time for you to go."

"Huh?"

Rin held Sango's hand and helped the woman to her feet. "Ask your fire-cat Kirara to track Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's scent from here. You will find them soon, then you must help them defeat Naraku."

"Take care, Rin-chan. Remember, you are recently healed, you must not exert yourself."

"Iya, don't think about it. Hayaku, go and save your loved ones."

"Hai, Rin…you take care."

"Mmm." Rin nodded, looking brave and not letting on how terrified she felt at everything.

Sango and Kagome left the room, the taijiya leaning on Kagome for support. Rin smiled and waved goodbye. Sango and Kagome made their way to where Kirara was waiting.

"Ah, this is so bad..." Myouga-jiji settled himself on a cushion in Rin's room.

"Myougai-jichan! Aren't you going with them?"

"Er, no...I'm sure Kirara can find her way back, she's a smart cat that one!"

"Is it because it's dangerous there?" Rin scolded, her eyes darkening, "You're still a big coward Myouga-jichan!"

"Now listen here you young brat!" the old flea jumped up indignantly, "I am not going because...well, er, well, because...siiigh, okay I admit it, I'm a coward..."

Rin sighed. "Well, I hope Sesshoumaru-sama is safe."

Myouga leaned back and closed his eyes, "Sesshoumaru-sama is the Lord of The Western Lands, my dear...it'll take more than the sanshinken to kill him."

"Inutaisho died." said Rin blankly.

"Yes, but that was Inutaisho's weak spot, you see, he always was a big softie over Izayoi. Sesshoumaru-sama's heart is much harder than his father, he will not make the same mistake his father did and go all soft-hearted for a woman."

Rin felt her heart skip a beat. She placed her fingers on the pearl necklace around her neck and rolled them against her skin. Myouga-jichan is wrong, she thought, Sesshoumaru-sama has already given up tenseiga for me.

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As he ran, Inuyasha swore at Sesshoumaru under his breath. Trust his jerk half-brother to rush ahead in that ball of energy and to leave him behind...not that he needed or expected Sesshoumaru's help... Inuyasha growled at the thought that Sesshoumaru might arrive at the Black Palace and kill Naraku before he did! If there was anyone going to snuff out Naraku's life...again...it would be him, Inuyasha! Naraku deserved to die for what he had done to Kikyo...and Kohaku...and Miroku...Inuyasha felt his eyes flooding with red, but the weight of Tessaiga at his side snapped him back to sesnsibility. Inuyasha patted Tessaiga, he had no doubt that Tessaiga would be the one, despite all that that old bat Toutousai had said.

The landscape was becoming familiar, ad Inuyasha knew that he was on the edge of Inuyasha forest now, beyond lay his village. Sesshoumaru's scent came to his nose, it was a few hours old...the tai-youkai was still ahead of him. As he leapt through a final clearing, Inuyasha practically froze in shock at the sight that met his eyes.

Where his village had been was nothing but the ruined, charred, remains of huts and livestock. The rice-fields were dry, their water seeping into enormous cracks in the earth. The trees were uprooted by the same long cracks. An enormous earthquake must have taken place! Slowly, Inuyahsa raised his line of vision.

It was there.

The Black Palace.

Just as Shippou had said.

Rising out of a huge pit in the ground, the forbidding outcroppings and turrets of the obscene structure thousands of feet into the sky. It was swathed in the foul red fog of Naraku's jyaki which Inuyasha instantly recognised and enormous bird youkai circled the topmost turret. The landscape about him was morbid, to say the very least. Not a creature moved, not a bird sang. Naraku's evil jyaki had seeped into the very earth and poisoned every thing alive, Inuyasha himself could feel the tendrils of evil surrounding him, though he tried his best to ignore them.

It was a good thing that Kagome was not here.

Inuyasha cursed that Naraku was back. It was a bad time. A very bad time. It was not like before, when the Inu-tachi were younger and fearless. Now, Sango and Miroku had children to look after and Kagome carried a young life within her… Inuyasha felt a slight wave of panic every time he thought of that little pup in her belly. It seemed to him miraculous that he could plant the seed of life in her, and cause something so precious to grow in this world. His pup was so fragile, so young yet, that the normally brash Inuyasha was obsessively protective over both mother and child.

He had to kill Naraku. He had to kill him properly this time, send him and his spirit to hell where he belonged.

Inuyasha moved forward cautiously, and became aware that the silence was being slowly pierced by a low hum. The hum grew as he approached the base of the castle and Inuyasha felt a shiver run up his spine. This was no ordinary sound of earth, looking into the moat of the Black Palace, Inuyasha gasped at the horrific sight that met his eyes. Thousands of corpses swarmed over each other in a river of enceasing torment. Their bloodied faces and rotting flesh turned maliciously towards him and a chilling howl rose up from that hellish abyss.

"That is hell."

Inuyasha jumped at the voice in his ear. "Sesshoumaru! What the fuck did you do that for?"

The tai-youkai ignored him and began the long climb over the draw-bridge to the cliff on which the Black Palace perched. "If your nerves are giving out now, I don't expect you to last long in there."

"Bastard!" Inuyasha yelled and charged after Sesshoumaru. The draw-bridge swung dangerously from side to side, but the tai-youkai continued steadily onward. "If you're so great, why didn't you go in before me? Instead you chose to hang about here for hours waiting for me…What's the matter, Sesshoumaru, were you– chicken?"

Wordlessly, Sesshoumaru continued across the bridge. Once or twice, he glanced at the sky, but said nothing in reply to Inuyasha. The sun was setting and night was nearly upon them.

The two half-brothers reached the end of the bridge and found themselves at the foot of the enormous black cliff. Sesshoumaru didn't like the fact that it was so quiet. Where were the guards? Still, the tai-youkai began climbing up the narrow path that wound up the mountain. He had gone too far, and the matter was too urgent, to wait any longer… the fact that he had to wait for Inuyasha already irritated him, but the tai-youkai had his reasons for doing that, and if Inuyasha didn't know why, then he was more of a fool than Sesshoumaru already thought him.

"No guards…very suspicious," sniffed Inuyasha.

Sesshoumaru halted.

"What?" barked Inuyasha.

The tai-youkai began to growl and his hair began to crackle with energy.

"Stay silent, fool."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to protest but something made him shut it again. The two half brothers stood back to back, Sesshoumaru drew toukijin and held it in front of him and Inuyasha heaved Tessaiga out of its sheath. Around them, the rocks began to quiver…

"What the fuck…" Inuyasha glanced wildly from side to side.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and sliced toukijin towards the cliff side. A smattering of innocuous looking boulders smashed apart and there was a despairing howl. Suddenly. Faces pressed out of the rocks around them and out of the cliff side, thousands of figures appeared from the rock and charged at them.

"The rocks are an illusion hiding soldiers!" shouted Inuyasha, "Take that! KAZE….NO…KIZUUUU!"

The wind-scar sent the creatures that emerged from the rocks flying. Sesshoumaru sent the sword force of toukijin towards more of the soldiers. From above and below them, all along the path of the cliff-face, the creatures emerged as if from out of the walls of stone. Very cunning to trap them here on this narrow cliff-side. One wrong step and he and Inuyasha would fall thousands of feet. Sesshoumaru glanced at the path ahead, the creatures swarmed towards them.

"Wait!" Inuyasha said, suddenly, "These creatures…they are humans!"

In the growing dark, the figures swarmed down upon them. To his horror, Inuyasha recognized the faces of some of the villagers – they were blank-eyed and zombified, but there was no doubt that he knew some of these people. Sesshoumaru raised toukijin.

"Stop!" Inuyasha hung onto Sesshoumaru's sword arm. "These people are innocent villagers and soldiers! They are merely being controlled!"

Sesshoumaru growled and shoved Inuyasha aside, "These humans are in my way."

Inuyasha drew Tessaiga and glared at Sesshoumaru, "Bastard! I'll kill you first before you harm them!"

On the sheer cliff face, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru clashed swords, the pressure of Tessaiga and Toukijin shook the mountain. A sudden horrid laughter pierced the air, "Ssssstill fighting, I sssee! What loving brothers, your father would be sssssso disssssapointed!"

In an instant, Sesshoumaru flung his Poison Whip towards the source of the noise, but it met thin air.

"You'll have to do better than that! Now, will you kill these innossssssent villagers just to reach Naraku's Palace? Or will you be sssssssoft and and let them kill you inssssstead?"

"Mahoumaru.You know I will kill these humans if I have to." Sesshoumaru said.

Inuyasha looked desperately around him, the path before and after them was blocked by thousands of zombified villagers. One wrong move by either youkai would send them over the edge plunging into the darkness below.

"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha barked urgently and pointed upwards, "Ma-ue! We can make it!"

Inuyasha leapt up the sheer cliff face, it was going to be a hard climb, but they had no choice.

Sesshoumaru looked at his half-brother springing up the cliff face, he would have preferred to slaughter the villagers, but it also looked faster to follow Inuyasha. Silently, Sesshoumaru leapt up the cliff face, keeping pace steadily with Inuyasha.

Worriedly, Sesshoumaru looked at the sky again. It was nearly dark.

"Inuyasha, you have to hurry." Sesshoumaru said, catching up with the hanyou.

"Keh! I can go much faster than this, I'm just slowing down for you."

Sesshoumaru started to emit energy, surrounding himself with an energy ball.

"What are you doing? You're giving away our exact location!" Inuyasha shouted.

Sesshoumaru ignored the hanyou.

Mahoumaru's deep laugh could be heard all around them. "So, Sesshoumaru, in your haste you surround yourself with jyaki, you are an easy target now." The mountain rumbled ominously. "My master Naraku eagerly awaits your arrival, if you survive the climb..."

"Hold on to my fur," Sesshoumaru ordered Inuyasha, blocking his path upwards.

"Naaaaani?" Inuyasha shouted, clinging to the cliff face "I don't need your fuckin' help getting up this mountain! A hanyou can climb just as well."

Sesshoumaru's mouth twisted into a slight sneer. "Perhaps. But a human, cannot."

"Huh?" Inuyasha said, "What are you talking about."

Sesshoumaru raised his eyes and so did Inuyasha. Above them, a sliver of a gold moon swam into view from behind the dark clouds of the night. Slight and sharp as the blade of a child's katana, that thin object struck fear into Inuyasha's heart.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at Inuyasha. "Unless you want to die a very swift death on this mountain, you will do exactly as I tell you from now on."

Inuyasha gasped as he stared at his soft, clawless, fingertips. How could he have forgotten! And of all the places to be at this time, Naraku's stronghold was probably the worst in the whole world! Worst place, worst time...what were the odds of that?

"Y-You knew? Is that why you waited for me?"

Sesshoumaru turned away.

"I don't need your kindness!" Inuyasha continued, "I will climb up by myself."

"Don't mistake my intentions as kindness," Sesshoumaru hissed, "I cannot hold Tessaiga myself, that is the only reason why you are here with me."

"Whatever." Inuaysha cursed, "Fuck you."

Sesshoumaru gave Inuyasha a final glare before drawing toukijin and holding it against his half-brother's neck. "I have come this far, Inuyasha. Don't let your pathetic hanyou pride get in my way now." Inuyasha swallowed. Sesshoumaru's eyes were flooding with red as he continued, "I will not leave here without avenging Rin, and if you plan on ruining my chances of doing so, either I or Naraku will kill you tonight. Your pup will be born without a father, Inuyasha. Will you let selfishness prevail?"

Slowly, Inuyasha reached out his hands and held on to the thick fur of Sesshoumaru's fur stole. Silently, Sesshoumaru surrounded himself with jyaki and took off into the sky.

As they flew, Inuyasha fought with his humiliation and anger. Rescued by his fucking half-brother. How could he have forgotten that this was the night of the new moon? He knew that by himself, he didn't stand half a chance of surviving as a human against Naraku. Quite frankly, his life was in Sesshoumaru's hands for the rest of the night. Inuyasha placed his hand on Tessaiga. The youkai sword trembled violently in response to its two brother swords nearby.

When they landed, Inuyasha would tell Sesshoumaru the bad news: that as a human... he could not wield Tessaiga at all.