Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I own its characters. I do own the ideas of this story and the characters I have created for this story (i.e. Saphira). Please respect patent laws. Comments and reviews are appreciated
Chapter 14: The Curse
Saphira could handle a lot of things. Like her parents not really loving in each other and crap like that. The one thing that she couldn't handle was someone who didn't believe in God. After her father had died, she had clung to the fact that he would be okay. She had clung to the fact that God would take care of him. She was sure that God didn't differentiate between youkai and human, it was only the righteous and unrighteous and everyone got a chance to stand trial before that. She was in the garden where she had mourned for the family she would never have.
She looked down into the brook and smiled at the reflection.
"You didn't really want to talk to me about God, did you?" Sesshoumaru asked as he took her into his arms.
"Well, no," Saphira admitted, then looked into his golden eyes searching for something she knew had to be there. "Do you really not believe in God?"
He sighed, then looked her in the eyes. "I believe there's something that controls all this."
"Is it 'this Sesshoumaru'?" Saphira asked puffing out her chest and mimicking him perfectly.
He looked at her bemused by her imitation. She laughed at the look on his face.
Sesshoumaru just held her tightly, thinking about what she had said.
Suddenly, she was stiff and had stopped moving.
"Saphira?" He asked, shifting to look at her. She hopped up and stood away from him.
"Run," she said trembling for control, but she said it in her native tongue.
"What?" He asked trying to approach her.
She pulled away from him turning to face him. "Run."
He finally caught sight of her eyes, which were no longer blue but teeming red.
Finally, she choked out in Japanese. "RUN!"
Kagome ran into the garden feeling a change in her daughter's aura.
"Sesshoumaru, what's wrong?" Kagome said running up to him. "Oh, my God!"
"What is the meaning of this?" Sesshoumaru asked as Saphira began to tremble even more.
"Where's her sword?" Kagome demanded. "Where is it?"
"It was stolen..."Sesshoumaru trailed off.
"That sword is like Inuyasha's!" Kagome shrieked. "It helps her to control her dragon form!"
"That or she's been cursed with it," Sesshoumaru said.
Saphira roared at them and then charged.
"She's acting like Inuyasha did when he was still hanyou," Kagome whispered.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled grabbing her and jumping out of Saphira's way. "What's happened?"
"She's been cursed!" Sesshoumaru yelled grabbing a hold of her.
"Run," Saphira managed to get out.
'She's still conscious in there somewhere,' Sesshoumaru thought searching her eyes for any hint of humanity.
But, Saphira lost her inner battle and roared trying to bite Sesshoumaru's hand. He managed to deflect her fangs but not before she grabbed his sword, Toukijin. The sword glowed as it's demon essence entered her body.
"Mom! Save me!" Saphira's voice cried inside Kagome's head.
"Inuyasha! She's fighting for control!" Kagome said.
"What?"
"She's trying to tell me something!" Kagome said trying to reconnect with her daughter's sane mind.
"My sword, Mom! Please! I can't control it for long! You have to get my sword back and purify it! Purge the curse from the blade!" Saphira's voice rang in Kagome's mind. "Save me from the dark!"
"We have to get her sword!" Kagome said. 'Hold on, Saphira!'
Inuyasha nodded as Kagome climbed onto his back. "Sesshoumaru! We have to retrieve her sword! Keep her occupied until then!"
"What!" Sesshoumaru called seeing them leave, but he was immediately distracted by Saphira's onslaught of attacks. She wielded his sword with ferocity screaming her battle cries.
"She's too strong!" Sesshoumaru said trying to deflect her attacks.
"What's going on?" Doragon yelled.
"Saphira's been cursed!" Sesshoumaru yelled back. Doragon joined Sesshoumaru to stop Saphira, but she proved too strong for both of them.
"She's too fast!" Doragon yelled barely avoiding her wild swings.
Saphira could feel it as the battle between her and her father and mate rages on. The curse was taking over her body and her soul was disappearing.
"DON'T LET ME DIE HERE!" Saphira screamed. "I CAN'T WAKE UP! WAKE ME UP!"
But her body was lost her and she no longer had control over it
"What is she talking about?" Doragon yelled as they dodged her attacks.
"She's lost control of her body!" Sesshoumaru yelled back.
Suddenly, the attacks stopped and Saphira stood there heaving. Then, she dropped Toukijin, her red eyes glaring at them and transformed.
She roared at them, her voice ripping through the air.
"We have to transform too!" Doragon shouted and Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement. They both transformed, Sesshoumaru becoming his dog form and Doragon into a red dragon. But, Saphira took to the air and flew in the direction Inuyasha and Kagome had gone in.
Sesshoumaru and Doragon were hard pressed to keep up with her.
"You old hag!" Saibairyuukotsusei yelled kicking the old woman. "You said she would kill her family and then herself! You lied!"
"Please, my Lord! She proved to be stronger than I predicted!" The old woman croaked. "She is fighting off the curse, but she will lose that battle!"
"Yes, well while she is losing that battle, she is heading this way!" Saibairyuukotsusei yelled.
"What?" The hag croaked. "She can't possibly have that much power! Quickly destroy her sword!"
"What will that do?"
"It will kill her!" The old hag spat.
"I don't think so," came another voice and within a flash the sword was out of Saibairyuukotsusei's hand.
"Wh-what!" He stuttered turning to see Kagome and Inuyasha with Saphira's sword. "Miko!"
"That's right," Kagome said releasing her arrow with enough power to put Kikyou to shame. It flew straight and true into his heart pinning him against the wall. He tried to transform but the arrow held him firmly. Kagome quickly purified her daughter's katana.
"You cannot destroy me this easily!" He roared in frustration, but surprisingly he was answered by another roar.
Saphira's voice ripped through the air as she landed and transformed back into her human form.
"Saphira!" Kagome called drawing her daughter's blood eyes to her. Kagome tossed the sword to Saphira, who caught it. Upon touching energy burned through her body eradicating the curse. Saphira was left with no energy and fell into the arms of Sesshoumaru.
"Don't...don't let go," Saphira whispered faintly.
"Never!" Sesshoumaru said hugging her to his body.
"Is she going to be okay?" Sesshoumaru asked coming into the room. Kagome was sitting next to the bed holding her daughter's hand tightly.
She looked up at Sesshoumaru tiredly. "I hope so."
"What can I do?" Sesshoumaru asked.
Kagome looked up at him sadly. "Pray."
Sesshoumaru looked at her and left the room. He soon found himself in his father's shrine on his knees.
"Father," he began softly. "I now know what you felt towards Mother and towards Inuyasha's mother. Please, forgive me for my arrogance. Help her, Father, she...she-she is all that I have!"
"I'm dying. Praying. Bleeding. SCRAMING.
"Am I too lost to be saved?"
She could feel nothing, only coldness seeped into her soul. Then pain seared her body.
"My wounds...cry for the grave."
Her soul ached for something.
"My soul cries for deliverance."
But, she remembered something. Something warm. Sesshoumaru.
"Will you be on the other side?
"Or will you forget me?"
Pain once again seared her body.
"I want to DIE!"
"Reach out to her," Kagome said as she stood up.
Sesshoumaru only gave her a puzzled look.
"Give her something to live for," Kagome explained sadly. "Give her hope."
Kagome walked out of the room closing the door behind her.
"Saphira?" Sesshoumaru thought trying to reach out with his mind. He felt something nudge his mind.
"Save me." Her voice was weak in his head. "Don't let me die here."
"How?" He asked mentally.
"I can't wake up!" Her faint voice was desperate. "Wake me up!"
"But how?" He asked again but her presence was gone from his mind. He looked down at her seeing that her chest had stopped moving. "No...no, Saphira, no!"
"Wake...me...up..." her voice said faintly.
He hugged her to his body as the tears slid down his cheeks and onto her hair. "Saphira, please don't leave me."
Then, he felt something warm on his neck. He pulled her away from his body to look at her face.
Her brilliant blue eyes were looking into his golden orbs.
"Saphira?"
"I love you," she said softly.
He furrowed his brows, and then buried his head into her shoulder. "I love you too!"