Enchanted Orbs

Disclaimer: Again, if I owned Inuyasha and his companions…the world would be a better place…well for me, anyways. But I don't, so its not. And I do not own Darkness, either. He belongs to Laurell K. Hamilton, another masterful genius along with Ms. Rumiko.

Chapter 45 Battle Royale

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Aishi had silently watched everything, and he seethed for his lord. Sesshoumaru had known there was something wrong from the moment Kagome had set foot in the clearing and had sent him a mental warning not to stray too far from them. Aishi had taken his leave then doubled back only to stay hidden in the shadows of the branches overhead.

Kagome's position puzzled him. With just a small attempt to access her mind, he learned what had happened. She was being controlled by another, but the truly strange thing was that it wasn't the one behind her. The dark being that the general and taiyoukai had followed from the west was not the one in control; he was just a puppet as well.

Aishi marveled. How strong was this thing? Someone was controlling both Kagome and Darkness, and trying to break Sesshoumaru. Fear lanced through the general, he wouldn't be able to challenge this thing directly.

Closing his eyes, Aishi tapped into that seventh sense that he had always had, but never really understood. He could read minds, yes, but he could "see" them as well. The ideas and thoughts would hover within or around someone if Aishi focused his inner talents. And it was truly an amazing sight. Both Kagome and Darkness were split in half, a sort of double-vision scenario. One part of their thoughts was calm and empty, awaiting the orders of their current master. The other part was a flurry of movement; both beings were struggling against the strings of the puppeteer, and separating those two portions was a thick black rope of smoke which seemed to bind them prisoner.

Aishi was relatively aware of the master trying to brake into Sesshoumaru's mind, but the general had seen the attempts in his second sight. Those attacks were nothing to worry about, his lord could shirk them easily.

So, instead he concentrated on Kagome. The rope binding Darkness was so thick it seemed to be a wall surrounding his conscious thoughts, but Kagome hadn't been under his spell as long. Her binding wasn't as formidable.

If the general could free Kagome things would be easier. Aishi was no fool. He knew he had a mental talent, but he knew when he was beaten. And now would not be a good time to be falsely overconfident. Kagome would be able to kill the puppet master while Aishi mentally distracted him and Sesshoumaru dealt with the dark bodyguard.

While the thing attempted to break into Lord Sesshoumaru's mind, Aishi brushed his way along Kagome's mental boundaries. It was feather-light at first, like the breeze brushing past skin; then everything smashed into him at once. Instantly, he knew everything, Kagome's experiences since Aishi and she had parted only days prior were poured into him, filling him.

He felt her kinship with Kikyou and Mokuso, watched their girls' confrontation with Kariudo, Kento, and Kinzi, felt the strength seep from him as she rode atop the slayer's pet, watched her battle with the traitor, felt her fight rage and bloodlust well up inside of her, experienced her confusion and shame with Inuyasha's confrontation, and worried with her through her anxiety about Shouron's collapse. Though he'd never seen him before, Aishi now knew Lord Dachi through Kagome's memories, the general watched, enraged, as Kagome's flesh was severed and her life drained away from her, suffered her confusion as she woke up, lived through her severe terror in the night, hung his head at her shame for pleading with Kariudo to stay by her side while she slept, experienced her insecurities over the state of her life, worried over her anxiety at outliving her friends and family, rejoiced with her confidence in the success of her proposed plan, and sorrowed at the betrayal of a one time good friend, and the general felt her embarrassment and indignation at being forced to flaunt herself in front of her lord.

All in the period of less than three days. For the first time in his long life, Aishi understood the potency of human emotions, and he pitied them for more than their lack of physical strength or their lesser senses. For the first time in his long life, he begrudged the weaker race some of his respect for their ability to live and stay sane through the very thing he would rather avoid than face. Lord Sesshoumaru was the one who forced Aishi to face fierce emotions and conquer them. If not for that, the general may have run from that battle to focus on purely physical combats.

Emotion was something Aishi always hated dealing in, and here, he was forced to see the wide range that humans were exposed to daily. It gave him a tremendous feeling of shame for constantly belittling the race, but that was something to think upon later. Now was too critical a time to delve the depths of his mind.

The time it took for Aishi to experience this was minimal, equivalent to the time it took torrential rains to flood the palm of his hand. The clouds opened, and he knew.

Kagome was still trapped but he knew everything she did now. She understood how that thing's power worked; she knew his plan, knew his plans for Sesshoumaru and his plans for herself as well.

Aishi could feel Kagome fighting her imprisonment, but he could not reach her to let her know of his presence. She seemed very concerned with Sesshoumaru, too concerned to notice his efforts to save her. He attempted again to rip through her mental bindings, and with her struggling as well, he almost succeeded. But then he heard Sesshoumaru's voice echo through her mind. He felt the effects of his words cut like a knife, and she no longer struggled. Everything that had cut at her since she had left the Western Lands, every stunting emotion she had successfully repressed since her last visit home came hurling back at her with a vengeance at Sesshoumaru's words. And she broke. Aishi felt her hopelessness at her futile attempts at freedom, and she resisted no longer.

Aishi could've kicked Sesshoumaru. Only a few more moments and Kagome may have been freed, but he couldn't pull her free without her helping from the other side.

He quickly started recalculating his plan, reconfiguring the odds of success with his different options. Maybe he and Sesshoumaru would be enough of a distraction. Aishi readjusted his senses and focused on his surroundings with eyesight. Trying to assess the locations of every player, Aishi looked for the master, but he was well hidden. The easiest solution would be to just kill the master, but Aishi was unaware of what the consequences would be. If the master was killed, what would happen to those under his power? Would Kagome be alright? Best not to risk it; his lord would be extremely displeased.

His eyes went back to Sesshoumaru facing down Darkness only to see the foreign entity kiss Kagome. Aishi knew the reaction his lord would have to such an affront to the girl, but before he could do anything, he felt Sesshoumaru's mental defenses shatter. He didn't have anymore time to think through his actions.

The general let his instincts take over; nature told him he was battling two enemies. One was unseen, the other was right in front of him. Immediately, Aishi pulled a dagger from his boot and flung it at Darkness. He didn't want him dead. No, he needed as many distractions for the master as possible.

The dagger embedded itself in the swell of muscle over his chest, opposite his heart, and right next to Kagome's ear. It was a risky shot, but since the black being dwarfed the girl, there was much of him exposed at which to aim.

Dimly he registered a power surge from the girl, white flames began licking along her body. But his lord was in danger; nothing else mattered at this point.

The dagger had the desired effects, the master was distracted by the injury to his most useful puppet. While it tried to locate the additional threat and put a stop to it, Aishi quickly tried to free his lord. Sesshoumaru was still viciously fighting his mental enslavement, and it took little time for him to regain his control.

Aishi warned him not to move so the master wouldn't be alerted yet as both he and his lord reconstructed the shattered defenses. The general used his own power to defend his lord, putting himself in greater danger, but he would give his life for the taiyoukai if need be.

By this time, the master had re-inhabited Darkness and pulled the dagger from his body. The Darkness was immortal and could not be killed by this injury; it would be healed by sunrise. But there was someone out there who had slipped under their notice. He withdrew once again from his bodyguard to search for the new foe.

The general had successfully hidden himself from the enemy with the same defenses he had perfected practicing with Sesshoumaru, but now that his efforts were focused on his lord's protection, he could no longer remain hidden. Their combined efforts of rebuilding his defenses were almost complete when Aishi felt the master's attention crash into him like a tidal wave.

His defenses shook but they held. He quickly sent a mental message to Sesshoumaru. 'I am not strong enough to fight him alone. He will break me. Distract him. Fight Darkness. Do not kill him.' Aishi jumped to the forest floor to make himself known to all.

Sesshoumaru was more than irked that his general was telling him not to kill the thing he wished to slaughter, but he trusted his general. He had heard his words; the taiyoukai knew the fight was a distraction. A dead Darkness was no longer a distraction. Lord Sesshoumaru quickly unsheathed his sword and lunged at his opponent. Toukijin was thrust into the shoulder of his rival, building on the injury Aishi had dealt him.

As he pulled his sword from black flesh, Sesshoumaru's free hand wrapped around Kagome's arm; with a graceful leap backwards, his Kagome and his sword were freed from Darkness. Sesshoumaru knew there was more happening to Kagome. He saw the ethereal flames licking at her and the unnatural wind whipping around her.

When he touched her, he felt the power surrounding her spike. He leaned down to her. "I need you here, Kagome." He whispered to her ear before leaving her with Aishi and running back to face off with Darkness.

From within her prison, Kagome saw everything. It touched something inside her to know that the first thing Sesshoumaru did once reinforcements had arrived was to save her. His whispered words confused her but gave her hope. Whether he meant that he needed her help in battling Darkness, which was an unlikely admission for him, he needed her to be able to protect herself so as not to be a distraction, or that he just needed her, Kagome didn't know. But his words and actions gave her strength, and she began to fight the energy trying to consume her.

The power still beat at her, the wind still whipped around her, but she could hold it off. She had to hold it off. Kagome didn't know what would happen if her own energy destroyed her, but if what Dachi said was true, the power had to go somewhere. Would that strengthen the people around her or just create a massive explosion as its release? She didn't know, and she could not risk the lives of her lord and Aishi. Kagome had to hold it off, and she would…if it took everything she was.

Aishi was under the strain of a full mental barrage, but his defenses were holding well enough for him to try his own attacks. The two were locked in a fierce battle without ever touching one another. Aishi would break through and catch a glimpse of his mind only to be thrown back out as the master would find a chink in his shield and snatch at the general's mind before a brutal ejection.

The one thing Aishi kept getting from his break-ins was fear. The master's terror would spike to huge proportions when Kagome's power would flare. It didn't make since. If the master had complete control over Kagome, why was he scared of what was happening? There was a sudden sharp, tearing sensation as another attack made its way through Aishi. He knew he wouldn't last much longer if something wasn't done quickly.

Sesshoumaru reveled in his battle. As his sword was placed against the black flesh of his opponent's neck, life filled ebony eyes. The taiyoukai almost smiled in anticipation. He had wanted this fight since his home had been taken from him, and now it was time. In a blur, Darkness raised his arm, knocking Toukijin away from his neck and holding the steel against his forearm preventing its immediate use, and drawing his own blade with the other arm.

Sesshoumaru blocked the incoming sword with his claws as he watched a trickle of blood drip down Darkness's neck from Toukijin's quick departure. The taiyoukai could also smell the blood that had been spilt from his opponent's arm as he knocked away his sword.

Both warriors pushed against the other testing their strength before leaping backwards. Sesshoumaru paused, waiting for Darkness to make a move, but the foreign being stayed quite calm. Darkness bowed, a slight incline of his head with his sword brought vertically before his face. His sword was nothing Sesshoumaru had ever seen, it appeared to be steel; it had rung across his claws as solidly as steel, but it was as black as the man's flesh. It had an inscription across it, near the hilt in a language which was unfamiliar to Sesshoumaru.

The lord was unfamiliar with the practice Darkness was using, but he recognized the gesture as one of respect towards an opponent. Sesshoumaru dropped his head in a respectful bow, but never took his eyes from Darkness. Then the battle began anew.

Darkness thrust his sword at Sesshoumaru who easily blocked it, flinging it to the side and twisting Toukijin to catch a slice of black flesh. His opponent was aware of his intent and stepped away from the threat until his sword was back in position to attack and defend. A downward swing from the dark sword tried to catch the lord unaware, but Sesshoumaru elegantly leapt away, twisting in air to counter the swing with his own. Darkness blocked the attack before lounging after Sesshoumaru.

Their speed was equal.

The taiyoukai's mind was quickly assessing his opponent, testing for any weaknesses, plotting the next move. It seemed his mastery of swordplay would not win this battle. Sesshoumaru had many other options, but he was hesitant to try any of them. He was enjoying the battle. Darkness was a worthy opponent. Sesshoumaru also remembered well that Aishi needed the distraction.

Sesshoumaru decided it was time to test how worthy his opponent was. He once again charged at Darkness; offensive attack after offensive attack was launched, but the taiyoukai left the tiniest of weaknesses open on his left side. He wanted to know how observant Darkness was. His last blow was deflected and his opponent thrust his sword towards the small opening. Sesshoumaru didn't have time to completely avoid the strike, but his speed was great enough to contain the blow to only a shallow wound.

But the greatest joy came from this newest bit of knowledge portrayed by the blood splatter. The fact that Darkness found the opening was unimportant now for he had learned much more.

Darkness stood before him completely clean of the youkai's blood.

It takes decades of near constant battles to be able to know the path of blood your sword will forge and be able to avoid it. Sesshoumaru knew this from his own experiences. It took great ability and knowledge to maintain his pristine appearance on the battle field, and it had taken years upon years to gain that knowledge of bloodspray.

Sesshoumaru smiled. He had underestimated his opponent, and he luxuriated in the battle to come. With two quick flicks of his fingers, his whip lashed across the clearing and connected with his opponent. The Western Lord had greater and more powerful attacks, but he did not wish this to end yet; he desired to know more of the being before him.

A blur of shadow, and Sesshoumaru saw his fluorescent whip wrapped around Darkness's forearm. The smell of sulfur rang through the forest, and the lower part of what was once a long black sleeve fell to the ground as the acidic whip began searing at Darkness's skin.

Before he could blank his face, Darkness let a grimace show his opponent the pain his weapon caused. It had truly been too long since he had seen his home if he allowed his pain to portray anything but boredom and arrogance.

Darkness stood before the taiyoukai. His sword held in his right hand, the whip wrapped around his left forearm, which was held before his face. That dark face leaned forward, and ebony eyes inspected the whip. He trained his face into his amused masked, and he asked a question to distract from his slip.

"Foreign magic? Interesting." His deep voice reflected amused boredom, condescending and arrogant, the personality of his people. All traces of the pain surrounding his arm were gone.

But Sesshoumaru was well aware of his opponent's plight. "It is not magic." He explained, his voice as bland as grains of sand, reflecting nothing. "The whip is forged from my own power and laced with my venom." He had earned Sesshoumaru's respect, and the lord wished to know more of this creature.

Yanking his arm backward, Darkness tried to pull Sesshoumaru off-balance. The taiyoukai only smirked as the whip tightened around his arm and grew longer to compensate for the distance it was pulled. Another flick of his fingers and the whip dissipated into the air as if it were never there.

"Have you magic?" Darkness continued his questioning.

Sesshoumaru nodded slightly. "But I do not use it in combat; trickery is for those with no honor among my kind." His words showed his position but kept his words from being insulting to another race. Sesshoumaru was not fool enough to believe the world saw things the same way his people did. He respected Darkness, and he would not insult one he held in esteem unless insulted in turn.

"Among my people, our magic is our strength. We live and breathe the magic of our race. Battle prowess is only necessary in war or single combat." Darkness explained, but as he did, he brought up his left arm. Sesshoumaru noticed the arm was welted and raw, his skin completely gone, exposing muscle, in the place where his whip had been. Very near that wound was the wound from Toukijin that had begun this battle.

Sesshoumaru nodded. They were alike, the two of them. Both great warriors of their respective races, colliding in combat; they understood one another. They had battled physically with weapons and found their equal, but Darkness had other means of defeating Sesshoumaru, and he was, in the way of warriors, asking to use it without being dishonorable in Sesshoumaru's eyes.

It was no longer a mortal battle between enemies. Sesshoumaru recognized the master's absence as soon as life filled Darkness's eyes. This was the joy battle being tested against a race never before encountered.

"Being without magic is a disadvantage." Darkness spoke as he brought his left palm up, facing the sky, held right before his chest. Sickly green flames sprung to life in his hand, casting an eerie light into the surrounding trees.

Sesshoumaru smirked. "Perhaps." He never said that magic wasn't used against him, just that he did not use it against others unless his life or the life of others depended on it.

Those green flames were suspended over Darkness's hand, and then they were crawling across Sesshoumaru's body. There was nothing to dodge, they were just there. It was horribly painful, and it took everything Sesshoumaru had not to wince. But a lord does not show his opponent his pain. He simply stood there for what felt like forever training his face to show nothing.

His clothing was untouched, and the flames held no heat. It was just as Darkness had said; it was magic. There was no logic to it except that it was Darkness that controlled the flame, and if Sesshoumaru wanted it stopped he had to break his opponent's concentration.

Claws flexing minutely, Sesshoumaru watched as the sickly green of the flames surrounding his left hand became the bright green of his acid. Raising his arm, Sesshoumaru locked eyes with his opponent then released his acid in a spray across his body.

Red whelps immediately began to rise on the man's skin, but his face did not reveal his pain, and his concentration did not weaken. Both males stood there silently as their skin, their bodies, screamed at them. It seemed to both as if their skin was melting away from their bones, but still their silence held.

Darkness bowed his head towards Sesshoumaru. "You still do not use magic against me, even as my flames consume you." He shook his head, his braid swinging across his back. "Powerful magic surrounds your sword, and yet, you have not used it against me. Or does the magic in your sword strengthen you and your skills?"

The taiyoukai was highly amused by his opponent. It had been long since he felt this way. He stood before one with skills in the same areas as he, himself, excelled. Even though they were enemies, the lord could not help but feel a sort of kinship to this warrior. "It has been long since I have enjoyed such a battle with one who possesses such skill. I do not wish the battle to end as of yet." Neither male let their voice hold pain; they stubbornly let the acid or flames ride them.

Darkness smiled. "A high compliment, but I wish to know your magic. I assure you, I will not die with your attack. You can take my head, and with proper stitches, I will be healed in a few days time. I would be honored to face your attack." His deep voice echoed through the clearing.

IIIIA/N To those who have read Laurell K. Hamilton's Merry Gentry series: If you have read Seduced By Moonlight, it speaks of Onilwyn possibly dying because of his near decapitation by the queen in her blood lust, so you may disagree with that statement. HOWEVER, the information surrounding that scene speaks of a time before the first and second weirding when the royal court sidhe were capable healing such wounds. Since this is Feudal Japan, I am paralleling the time in Europe. This would be before the fey agreed to lessen their magic in order to remain in their homeland; therefore, Darkness would be able to survive decapitation at this time.IIIII

Sesshoumaru was somewhat weary about this decision; it seemed as though Darkness was eager to face magic that could destroy any opponent. Might he possess the ability to reflect attacks back onto the owner? If he did, Sesshoumaru was confident Tenseiga would protect his life, but it would take time to heal the wounds left by Toukijin. Should he take the invitation? If not, how to decline without offending?

Darkness laughed at the confusion etching the taiyoukai's features. "My lord, my request is simple. With every strike, every blow we aim at each other, I feel the bonds of my captivity weakening. I wish my true freedom, not the leash I am currently on. I will heal your attack, and I will have the freedom to return to my home."

Aishi was tiring quickly, but his plan was working. He knew that the master was not capable of directing Darkness through a battle with one possessing the skills of Lord Sesshoumaru, so it was forced to loosen his hold enough to allow Darkness to fight the battle himself. But Aishi had felt the foreign being's fierce resistance to the master's domination. It took the master's constant attention to hold the leash he had put on his main puppet, and even greater concentration to be in a position where he could trap Darkness again as soon as the battle ended.

That with the addition of the master's fear of Kagome's unnatural power surges, and Aishi's mental attacks had pushed its power to the limit. The general gathered his concentration and launched one last attack. If this failed…Aishi didn't want to know what would happen if this failed.

He released his mental attack. Immediately, as he felt it leave his mind, Aishi grabbed Kagome and leapt towards the hiding place of the master. As his hand wrapped around Kagome's arm, her power spiked again. The master mentally screamed in terror.

It was enough. The combined efforts of Aishi, Darkness, and Kagome shattered the concentration and defenses of the master.

Aishi felt the remainder of his final attack continue past the shards of shielding and enter his opponent's mind. He was exhausted, but he had to find the strength to trap the master or all was lost. As he attempted to find more strength within him, he felt Kagome's power seep into his body from where his skin touched hers.

He expected it to hurt; her purity was not something easily mixed with a youkai's power, but it was surprisingly soothing, calming his racing heart and supporting his ambition. Aishi quickly built shields and barriers around the master's consciousness. The shields that Aishi had helped build to protect Sesshoumaru's mind now worked to hold the master hostage within his own body. He drew more power from Kagome, and used her knowledge to lock him behind many miko's barriers as well.

Now that the immediate danger had passed, Aishi began to explore the master's mental sanctuary. It was not a physical place; more a metaphysical world, similar to a dreamscape one can hold after waking.

Aishi found himself at the center. It was as if he stood on the hub of a wheel, spokes went out from him in all directions like paths he could follow. He knew what these were, and he wondered which led to Kagome. Immediately, the spokes spun before him, until a single path stood before him. Before he could travel down it to free her, he felt Sesshoumaru's power spike.

Ripping himself out of the dreamscape, Aishi turned to his lord. What he saw shocked him. Sesshoumaru appeared to be made of living green flame and was pointing Toukijin at Darkness who was covered in Sesshoumaru's acid.

He panicked. Aishi sped back into the master's mind, found Darkness's path, and shouted into his mind. 'Your former master is defeated. Release my lord, or I shall crush your mind!'

It took more concentration than normal to control Toukijin because of the constant pain, but Sesshoumaru gathered his power, pointed the sword at Darkness. He looked into his opponent's eyes, giving him one last chance to back down, but the taiyoukai knew he wouldn't. No true warrior would rather live helplessly, bowing to one unworthy, than die in combat with another warrior.³

Just before he released Toukijin's blast, the pain stopped and the flames faded, but those black eyes still met his own, so he released. Red sparks flew from the point like fiery spears, and after a moment it was over. When the dust cleared, Darkness was on his knees, one palm on the ground supporting his weight. There were deep gashes across his body in several places and a hole through his stomach, but he still breathed. He raised his head and met Sesshoumaru's eyes. "Brilliant, my lord."

Sesshoumaru bowed his head in return for the compliment. Before he could say anything else, he felt a dramatic climax to Kagome's power.

Something on his face must have shown his concern to Darkness for he spoke. "Go to her."

Sesshoumaru needed no more encouragement. Quickly he made his way to Kagome but stilled at what he saw. She was entrenched within her own whirlwind, her hair whipping about her and the flames swirling about her. Kagome had become her own force of nature.

The taiyoukai looked at Aishi who stood near her with his eyes closed and tight and his jaw clenched, his expression of concentration. Sesshoumaru could contain his worry no longer. Damning the consequences, the lord went to her side.

His hand hesitated for the briefest of seconds before resting across her cheek. The winds and flame around Kagome expanded to encompass him as well. Around them the ferocity of her power built, but within her storm, all became calm as Kagome fought to stave off her power and Sesshoumaru fought to save the one he loved.

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A/N: I apologize in advance. It took me so damn long to write this, erase it, re-write it, re-erase it, then suck it up and re-rewrite it, that I haven't proofread this version. When you find grammatical errors and typos, please forgive me, but I needed to just post this when I finished otherwise I would have thought it stupid and unworthy again and erased it again and you would have never gotten your update.

Its just that, this is one of the last chapters, ya know? I feel like there's no going back and fixing it if it isn't good enough I know, not true, but I can't help how it feels so I wanted to make everything fit, and everything perfect it'll never happen so I couldn't bring myself to be happy with any version of this chapter. I finally decided, like it or not, this was my third draft and I was sticking with it. Hope you like it more than I did while writing it.

³Statement refers to one of my favorite quotes from the play Agamemnon spoken by Aeshylus "Never, better to die on your feet than live on your knees."