Servant By: OtakuSailorV
Chapter 14:: Fight"Please, don't set me free for your own peace of mind."
- The Lost Blue Sky, from the anime 'Crest of the Stars'
Yuhi munched on the food she had stolen somberly, she felt a horrible mass of guilt weighing her down, and despite her earlier claims that she would pay the humans back somehow. Her ears stood straight up as she munched, going unnoticed and turned swiftly in the easterly direction.
Feeling the youkai half of her tugging free, it suddenly stopped, seemingly turning it's pointed nose into the wind. "Battle." It noted with a pleased growl.
Yuhi sniffed; yes, there were the signs of battle in the air. No wonder the rest of the wood was quiet and empty. She was probably the only one fool enough to stay out while a clash between two strong hanyou's was going on to the east about five miles.
Yuhi's brow furrowed for a moment then rose. Shock flowed through her suddenly, her eyes widening. Turning toward the East, she sniffed again to confirm her findings, but there was no doubt about it. 'Naraku-dono. . .'
And the other scent. . .
'!! Inuyasha-san!' Yuhi felt herself blank for a minute, the food in her hand rolling out and onto the ground.
A small gasp escaped her lips and everything suddenly rushed back to her. Her hazy memories of Naraku's castle were still gone, but she did regain the knowledge of where she had heard that name before. 'Inuyasha.' Yes, he had been the one that had helped in hurting her Naraku-dono that first time. And here they were again, fighting. What was between them that they could resolve nothing by talking it out?
'You've been living with humans too long. Their backwards morals have gotten to you. Look, your brain's turned to mush already.' The coyote demon sneered in the back of her mind. Why wouldn't it be quiet? Why would it no longer listen to her commands to stay away and leave her be? What was drawing it out? Battle perhaps? Blood? No, not that, but what?
'Demons live for battle, we don't need a reason to kill, we just do it. It's a need. We don't have diplomatic disputes and negotiations like pitiful humans. If a demon is angry, there will be blood, and nothing but it. Of course, I would not think that someone like you would ever be able to understand that.' It said in rather a proud tone.
Yuhi dropped to the ground, landing firmly and without crashing into anything that might have hurt her. 'I have to stop them.' She thought worriedly, ignoring the coyote as she looked anxiously to the East.
But the demon would not be ignored; it refused to be held away again by such a weak human-minded hanyou as the one it was forced to embody. 'What do you want to stop them for?' It demanded sounding upset by such an idea.
'I have to. Naraku-dono saved me, and Inuyasha-san is a very nice person, though a bit gruff. I would not want them to fight about anything.' Yuhi replied distractedly, picking up her feet swiftly in a run. She knew she had no real hope of making it over the five miles to the battlefield, but she was determined.
'Your Naraku-dono might not be the person you think he is.' It commented, sending back painful memories of Naraku covered in Gin and Kai's blood, staring down on her. Her pupils dilated for a moment in shocked agony before the demon fell silent, content with its display for the moment.
Yuhi bowed her head as she raced on, tired from her exertions earlier. "I know he is not perfect, but I still have to-" She dropped off, choking down a sob that threatened to wrack her. The demon only listened, sitting in the darkness, waiting for it's opportune moment.
Tetsusaiga raised above the miasma, sweeping toward Naraku who easily dodged, smirking. It was so easy to enrage the inu hanyou; he had such a short fuse it seemed. Easy to provoke, and easy to estimate. This mission was proving to be child's play.
And the miko and his friends were not with him to lend their support either. Distracting them with other things. The miko unconscious; fighting the miasma had proved too strong for her, and she had blacked out, much to Naraku's delight. That would make it all the easier to destroy the silver haired hanyou that had so long frustrated him.
The Monk and Taijiya were wrapped up with other demons at the moment; the vast number of the lesser demons alone was enough to stall them from helping the hanyou. Naraku smirked; maybe he would save them to play with later on. It was amusing to watch humans in their futile struggle to win and live especially when they have something like revenge on their minds.
"Kaze no Kizu!" The sharp blades of energy pierced through the ground, reaching toward him and shredding anything in it's way to ribbons. Nothing stood a chance against the powerful blast; even mountains would crumble before the might of the blow dealt by the youkai blade that Inuyasha wielded.
Despite this, Naraku was a master at escaping it now, and would hardly let himself be caught up in it, not even to give Inuyasha the thought that he was going to win.
Inuyasha grit his teeth in anger at seeing Naraku evade him again. "You bastard!" He yelled over the roar of the attack and jumped up into the air after him.
Naraku thrust one arm toward him, the limb extended into a branch-like form with a deadly sharp point. With Tetsusaiga above his head, Inuyasha's torso was exposed, and Naraku's red eyes widened with pleasure as the point of the sharp wood-limb went right through Inuyasha.
The silver haired hanyou's golden eyes dilated with the sudden pain, a scream of agony escaped his lips. Naraku pulled his limb back quickly, blood dripping from it. Inuyasha flopped to the ground, lying there for a moment before regaining his senses and getting to his feet again.
He shook, his one arm wrapped around the wound, and his other resting on the hilt of Tetsusaiga, using it as a prop to stand on. One eye was glued shut, as the other pierced out at Naraku menacingly. "Damn." He cursed to himself, dirt and mud smeared across the places that had taken the brunt of the blows when he had fallen.
"Are you ready to give up now, Inuyasha?" Naraku asked him in that sensuously smooth tone of his.
Inuyasha growled at him. "Shut up!" He spat. "I'm not gonna give up to you, and I'm not gonna lose."
He sounded quite confident, for someone in his position. A bad wound, no allies, and his enemy staring him down with no such injuries to speak of. Ok, well, there was that scrape on the shoulder from before, but that was minor and would easily repair within the hour.
Thinking quickly, Inuyasha narrowed his good eye, fixing it sharply on the dark hanyou before him. 'Shit, what am I gonna do now?' He thought, knowing that he wouldn't be able to move in time if Naraku made another swift attack like before.
And Naraku knew it too. His lips twitched as his good eye hardened with determination. There was an answer somewhere; he would just have to find it somehow.
As he pondered, Naraku took the initiative, not daring to allow the inu hanyou time to plot out his next move.
Blood dripped from the tip of sharp limb as he raced toward Inuyasha.
Shocked, Inuyasha watched in alarm as his enemy came on. But he was used to the heat of battle and uneasily tried to jerk to one side, but pain seared through him, making his entire body burn with the pain of his deep wound.
Naraku hissed in pain, his attack cut short suddenly as a purifying arrow shot into his right shoulder. Looking up with angry red eyes, he spotted the miko wench, Kagome, sporting another arrow in his direction. She appeared hurt from her own struggle, but none the less a dangerous threat. A growl escaped him. "Don't move, or the next one goes between your eyes." She warned in a steady voice. She meant it too.
Yuhi's legs burned, it felt as if she were being stabbed in the side by numerous knives. Her weight seemed to grow with each step, her feet were numb, and her muscles were started to turn into spaghetti. But she knew despite the physical exhaustion and pains that if she stopped she would not be able to get up and go on again.
She sniffed the air, though it was hard as she gasped heavily with each step that she took. Her lungs and throat were burning. She was getting closer, maybe about a quarter of a mile away. She couldn't tell for curse, but the scent of battle was growing stronger, as was the smell of both Naraku and Inuyasha's blood. Both were greatly wounded, though she couldn't tell who's was worse so far. 'Naraku-dono. . .' She thought feebly, forcing herself to break into a renewed charge.
The demon in the back of her mind stirred, obviously thinking something over privately to itself. Yuhi tried once to break in on its thought's, but when it resisted, she abandoned it and focused back on her flight.
After a pause, it spoke. 'I can give you the strength to get there in time.' It offered in a deceitful tone. Maybe it was because Yuhi knew it's ways too well that she caught the deceit instantly. Or maybe it was purposefully doing this to test her will. Whatever it's game was, she did not need its help.
"I. . .can do this. . .on. . .my own. . ." She gasped out.
A trace of smugness filled the back of her mind where it resided as she tripped over a root that she had overlooked and tumbled to the ground, sliding across the dirt thanks to her momentum. Pain seared through her entire body at the same time that relief spread through her sore limbs. It was an interesting feeling, though she would not liked to have relived it for anything. The wind was knocked from her and she lay crumpled on the ground for a moment, huddled against a broken bush that had scattered under the force of her blow.
She tried to lift herself after a moment and flopped back to the ground uselessly. "Ugh. . ." She groaned, breathing heavily.
'You wouldn't hurt so much if you would let me help.'
"I don't need. . .your help." Yuhi growled indifferently at it. Snorting, it dispersed back into careless thoughts just flickering about. It only gathered into a solid form when it wanted to speak or wanted to get out and take control of the body that they shared. Yuhi couldn't believe to this day that she had such a horrible monster inside of her. Shouldn't it be more kind and caring like her mother?
'I am my own. You forget that I can be myself as much as you can. We are original. We are tied to no one. We need not act like anyone before us, despite how "good" or "bad" they are in your foolish terms.'
Forcing herself to stand, Yuhi dug her fingers into the bark of the nearest tree, not even noticing the fine sharp nails she was starting to grow.
Gah, sorry about the long wait. Mass-updating today since I finally managed to get all my stuff done. Gomen nasaii. . .
Thank you for the reviews and continued support, minna-san. And, of course, for sticking through with me when I hit rough patches. I really do appreciate all your help, no matter how small.
Thanks again and I hope to see you soon! Ja'ne!!
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