Disclaimer: R-U-M-I-K-O! T-A-K-A-H-A-S-H-I! Now! What does that spell? RUMIKO TAKAHASHI!!!!!! And she owns the show Inuyasha…Not me…Arigatou.
Love Me as I Am
Chapter 49- Futile Attempts
"Too late. Whatever it is it probably already knows that we're here. There's no turning back now."
Suki nodded and held her bow in one hand, her fiancée's hand in the other. Yasuo nudged her shoulder from behind, egging her on and seemingly saying he was right behind her. Which, coincidentally, he was.
Climbing cautiously over the hills, Suki and Yasuo reached the top and gazed at the landscape. Suki gasped and took a step back. Demons and demon parts, scattered carelessly about the ground. She backed up into Yasuo's chest and he put his arm around her for support.
"I don't see anything that could have done this…"
"S-she's here…"
"She?"
"Hai. Mother said she heard a female voice in her head. A female controlled her--"
Suki's sentence was abruptly brought to an end as she screamed in pain, holding her head and dropping her bow down next to her feet. She writhed, seemingly fighting something inside of her head.
"Suki! Suki! Snap out of--"
"Let go of me!" she growled, through clenched teeth.
"N-no. She got you. Come on…fight it. For me." Yasuo pleaded, pulling Suki close despite her constant thrashing. He was actually kind of scared of what she might do to him…being as how awful Kagome's encounter with the mind control had been.
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" he screamed, not letting go of her for an instance but glancing up and searching for some clues as to where the culprit was.
A bush shook and he flung his head around and glared at it.
"Show yourself…"
From the bushes came a tiny creature, almost dragon-like in appearance but much too small. It was lizard sized and he sighed in relief. But his relief didn't last long as he watched in horror as the creature transformed and grew to full size. Yasuo became frantic. Under normal circumstances he would have been calm and composed, but with a 12 foot dragon looming over head and his love now turned against him, where was he to go?
'I can't run…I can't leave her…I'll die at her hands before I do that.' He told himself, gulping and picking up his dagger just in case the dragon decided to make any moves. But it didn't. It sat still, doing nothing but breathing practically.
In between it's enormous front legs the wind brewed together and the figure of a woman began to form. The figure of a very beautiful woman.
"W-who are you?" Yasuo ordered, trying his best to keep his arms around Suki, who was still trying to free herself of his embrace.
"Amusing isn't it?" Watching people fight within themselves. Just as your woman's doing this instant. Writhing with mental pain and trying to fight the rival inside her brain that threatens her and yet cannot be found."
"Monster…"
"We've all heard this before. You call me a monster, get mad, decapitate me…whatever. So predictable. Why not change the story this round?" she asked, nonchalantly.
"Who ARE you?" Yasuo demanded again.
"It's really none of your business, but if you must know, my name is Ryunamida, or Ryu for short. I was sent by Naraku to destroy this girl and you as well."
Yasuo glared daggers at her but said nothing.
"Oh…you're not happy? Well that's just too bad huh?"
"Shut your face!" he screamed, standing and setting Suki down. She had passed out fighting him.
"You're gonna fight me are you? How amusing."
"Fight you my foot! No, I'll MAUL you. You and you STUPID dragon."
Ryu gasped with feigned shock.
"Hai…I suppose you could do that. But wouldn't it be SO much more…interesting…for me to turn HER against you?" she hissed, raising her hand and spreading her fingers as Yasuo watched Suki stand up, her chin resting on her chest and her bangs shading her eyes from view.
"Leave her out of this!"
"No, I don't think I will. She's precious to you isn't she? I quite enjoy a nice kill every once in a while. How I wish we didn't have to play around and I could just kill you here and now. But my master, Naraku, he says to make you suffer first.
"Then MAKE me! But leave her out of it!"
Yasuo really didn't know much about Naraku…only what Suki had told him. He knew Naraku was the group's most formidable foe they had fought.
Ryu stared straight at him as her eyes started to shine brightly and the pupils evanesced from her brilliant blue orbs. She once again spread her fingers and Suki took a step towards Yasuo, then reaching down for her bow. He quickly ran to her, abruptly pushing her hand away from it and using his foot to keep it away from her.
Suki lifted her lifeless eyes and glared at him as he froze momentarily. Never before had he seen her act like that and he hoped never to see it again. Her face. All the hatred. All of it scared him and he gulped noticeably
'Suki…onegai…forgive me.'
He lifted his arm and elbowed her, right below her chest but above her diaphragm. He could feel her breath on his neck as she fell to the ground breathing heavily. She was not dying but the air had been knocked completely out of her.
Yasuo turned to glare at Ryu. Hating her even more for making him do that. Hate overtook anger, malevolency overtaking both. He despised her now. Not once did he think he would ever have to hit Suki. Ever.
"I've had enough." He said, unsheathing his dagger and switching it to his other hand. From a sheath wrapped around his other leg he took a second dagger, identical to the first, and held it steady.
"Gomen to ruin your fun but the program has been…temporarily interrupted. You're going to DIE today. Arigatou." Yasuo sneered, pretending to be a news reporter. Yes, Suki had told him about them as well.
"The tone of your voice. It has changed. You forget that there is a dragon right behind me that's here for backup. Have you not wondered why this dragon does not trample me?"
Yasuo looked up at the dragon but said nothing.
"I am a dragon sensei. Legend has it, it is nearly impossible to train a dragon, a real wild one. Well here you have it. I was created by Naraku especially for that purpose. To train one of the most powerful and mythical creatures in existence. The mind control came as an extra bonus, so to speak."
All her words just riled up Yasuo and made him angrier.
"No more talking…die."
Yasuo raised his dagger in his right hand above his waist and pointed it towards her, the other he held more behind him until he needed it. Time after time he went to strike her and time after time she dodged them. They were both becoming tired and Yasuo wanted it finished. He saw her slow down for mere fraction of a second and took the opportunity. With god-like speed the dagger flew towards her and with that speed was thrust into the flesh of her chest. Yasuo watched, surprised beyond words as he removed the dagger. No blood trickled over his hand. The blade of the dagger was no stained. Ryu was most certainly dead, she had to be. But still…there was no blood.
Yasuo examined his dagger as something caught his eye. It was a floating blue ball; shining radiantly as it departed from Ryu's body and made its way towards the dragon. It slowly entered the dragon's body, fusing with it. Ryu's soul was inside the dragon and had taken over. Ryu was as much the dragon as the dragon was her.
Yasuo watched as the dragon reared onto its muscular hindquarters, spreading its wings as far as possible to show off its impressive wingspan.
"Nice." Yasuo lied through his teeth.
As he did so, he moved closer, standing with his daggers poised. He was about to strike the dragon when he felt two arms wrap around him. He would know the feel anywhere. It was Suki. But she wasn't holding him gently or affectionately. No, she had wrapped her arms around his neck from behind trying to choke him. Yasuo coughed and flailed against her, not noticing the dragon whose clawed foot was growing dangerously close to him and raising into the air ready to strike.
"Su…ki…" he choked as he felt the claws scrape across his skin, digging deep into his chest. She still hadn't let go; it was all…a diversion.
~*~*~ Sorry people…I had to leave a cliffie. I'll try and update as soon as possible. GOMEN!!! ~*~*~ Miyu