&&&&&&&
She was tired.
Although she never complained, ever providing them as much support in their quest as she could, she had become weary. She had lived a long life, and during that lifetime had experienced a great many significant events. Often tragic and brutal, sometimes tender, sublime and wondrous, she had lived it all. War, pestilence, demonic aggression, she had survived through all of these, even though she had often been victimized as well. The evil that men could contain within their hearts, as they clutched onto what they had with one hand, even as they grasped for what they did not have with the other, often astonished her. And then there were the youkai, who, for every one that was neutral or benevolent toward the lesser races of men and beast, there seemed at least a dozen who would exterminate them without hesitation if they could.
She had glimpsed the face of death as it passed through and about her life while it did its work, taking those it had come for even as it nodded its silent acknowledgment of her, that acknowledgment laden with the promise that it would one day come for her.
She could now feel that day approaching.
Her aging body had issued various warnings for some time now; she would pass from this world, soon, she knew, leaving behind all those of the various villages in the region who had depended upon her for so long. Their very survival would now be an issue.
It was one of the reasons she was gratified to have met Kagome, one of the most talented young priestesses she had ever had the opportunity to instruct. Excepting Kikyo, Kagome was growing into the most earnest and knowledgeable miko she had ever met. One of her dearest desires was that the girl, once her mission was completed, would recognize that there were those here, in this time, that were in desperate need of her talents. She hoped that Kagome, after listening to her heart, would heed the call of duty, despite those forces from the future that pulled her back in that direction.
Should the girl decide to remain in the Warring States era when her quest was complete, those men, women and most importantly, children, would all be the better for it.
Her sixty-plus years upon this earth had not all been fraught with darkness and decay, however. On the other side of the spectrum, Kaede had seen numerous winters turn into the most gorgeous of springs as the earth renewed itself. She had witnessed the birth of, indeed helped along into this world, many, many children. The journal she kept detailed as much of the stuff of her life as she either could remember, or find the time to document.
She had become a priestess in order to follow the path her sister had taken, mindful of the ever-present pitfalls strewn along that path, particularly the one that had led to Kikyo's death. She had avoided men as had been the requirement of the life she had chosen, and it had at times been difficult during her ascent into womanhood, because even with an eye-patch, she had grown into a quite comely young woman.
Not ever as stunning as Kikyo had been, she had, however, matured with much of her sister's grace. The young men had approached her, knowing even as they did what she had committed to, yet had forwarded more than a few proposals. She truthfully admitted to herself that a few of them had given her pause, and her personal journal contained within its pages all of the futile pleadings of her trembling heart at those times, because as much as her emotions desired for her to make it real, her mind knew that none of those pairings would ever come to fruition. Always, during those times when the desire for a mate got to be too much to bear, when she was just about to give in to her heart, the morality tale of the cursed romance between her sister and the hanyou returned to haunt her. He, pinned to a tree in a death-like state, she, struck down in the prime of her existence, those images remained locked within the recesses of her mind to this day.
No. She would give her life in selfless service to others. Perhaps she would find love in the next life.
After years of training, of sacrifice, of committing to her study, she had become quite proficient at her art. She had learned the basics from her sister, and, after that one's demise, the venerable Lady Otori. Ward spells, barriers of many kinds, containment spells, healing, all of these had been mastered, and now had consumed Kaede's life, as she accepted the mantle of her responsibility.
Recent events, however, now tested those years of experience to their limits. What she had just witnessed, she could never have even contemplated. The emotional impact of life followed by death followed by life, in such a short span of time was difficult even for her to process. She had met, and even defeated powerful youkai during her life, but the unearthly, god-like presence of this great Tai-youkai affected her in ways she had not ever experienced before.
They, all of them, walked the razor's edge, and could fall off at any time. She tried to stop her hands from shaking and to breathe slowly and evenly as she gazed upon Sango, who, even now, made no move to leave the houshi's embrace. The taijiya continued to observe Sesshomaru from over Miroku's shoulder, even now finding it difficult to trust the one who had given her back her life. Kaede wondered if...
"Miko, I suggest you move with greater haste."
From that proximity, and detecting within that smooth baritone the thinly veiled command, Lady Kaede came quickly back to the present from her bout of reverie, to the fulfillment of her duty.
"Sumi-masen, Sesshomaru-sama."
She then bowed to the great lord and turned to retreat toward the hut as quickly as her legs could move her. Sango then called out to her.
"Kilala can get you there much faster, Kaede-san."
Kaede turned toward Sango's voice and nodded her thanks. Kilala mewed, and then transformed into her beast neko-youkai form once she understood her mistress' intention. The taijiya, even now finding more and more of her strength and coordination with each breath, gently extricated herself from the houshi's grasp, much to his anxiety and trepidation. She had already bound the wound in his arm with a strip of cloth torn from his robe, intending to properly clean and bind it in more appropriate fashion when this episode was over.
The scar on his arm.
She had cut him on more than one occasion, and even now, as she glanced upon the thin line across his left cheek, she winced as she remembered that she gave him that scar when the salamander demon had possessed her. Then, as now, he had tried his best to keep her from injury. Today, she had drawn his blood again, even as he tried to protect her, again.
The scar on his heart.
It went much deeper than the cursed hole in his hand. She ground her teeth in frustration as she considered how they had danced around each other thus far. He was normally a clear-headed man, but when it came to her, he would vacillate between hope and dejection, hope that he could someday be good enough to deserve her attentions, dejection whenever he contemplated the curse that each day was one day closer to taking his life. He couldn't bring himself to say what she couldn't say either, and they had been stalemated.
But his actions spoke with much greater volume than his words to her ever did. He loved her, and she could feel it. His actions today only added additional confirmation. She had been given another chance at life for a reason, and she knew instinctively that he was a huge part of that reason. They would be together after this, of that she was now certain, and she would give him all the children he could handle. Neither would any of their sons would have a hole in his hand, because they were going to destroy Naraku, together. It was all coming together in Sango's mind. Their future.
Together.
She now moved to Kilala and helped the elder miko to settle onto the big cat, her eyes never leaving Sesshomaru. Her natural instincts warned her to still not trust him. Kilala then took to the sky, heading back to the hut. The great lord had by now moved to where his brother's body lay, and grasping the red haori by the collar, lifted InuYasha's body from the ground with one hand, much as a mother cat picked up one of its litter by the scruff of the neck. The others gasped.
"InuYasha…"
Kagome's breath hitched upon seeing him in this state, her heart now fighting against imprisonment in a small dark ring of fear, even as she prepared herself mentally to fight for his return to life.
In that life, he had been always animated, ever in motion, unless he was recuperating from an injury, and even then he fidgeted about with that barely contained energy and spontaneity that marked his personality. The color of his clothing, that deep red, abridged the image of the running, leaping, fighting, and even eating, hanyou. Now that color stood in stark contrast to his inert form, the irony shouting at her.
Perhaps it was all the blood he had shed during his short lifetime in the search for the jewel, for himself, for his destiny. From the first time she had met him, when Yura had tried to cut him to pieces, up until now, he had shed much of his own blood in battle, and not just for his own personal gain. His complaints to her to the contrary, he never failed to leap into the fray when others were in desperate need of help, and his reward was often tinged with that same color, that vibrant hue, when he came back to heal his wounds. Perhaps this very red, the color of his life's blood, mocked her even as she held fast to the glimmer of hope this was not truly the end of his life.
If all this was nothing more than a dream, then when she awakened, he would open his eyes and start to yell at her for some silly reason or other, right? Her heartbeat quickened at that thought and she clutched at her chest. She glanced up at his older brother, who now carefully wrapped InuYasha's body in order to keep it warm, before securing him under his arm. He spoke.
"It is better if we leave this place."
For a fraction of a second, he turned his head to her and their eyes locked. She swore she saw a look of tenderness alight upon those sharp features; his brow had furrowed for just that brief moment, and that... was that a look of concern, of... regret? That look caused her gut to twist. This was not the look of one who was glad to see his sibling dead.
It was all her fault that this had happened. The wave of guilt over her ill-chosen words again resurfaced, and she squinted at its intensity, even as she tried to choke it back down.
"Sesshomaru-sama..." She whispered.
Sesshomaru was indeed looking at her, but just now, he was not really seeing her. His brilliant mind normally processed thoughts with incredible speed and efficiency, allowing him to compare and contrast various conclusions, then plan and execute his actions quite quickly and easily. Outwardly, he moved through life at what would appear to others to be a smooth, leisurely pace. Pure, Aristotelian logic, he had learned, combined with extremely detailed empirical analysis of events and surroundings yielded the correct answers time and again. As a being of near mythic status and power, he had collated and applied these results to nearly every situation he encountered thus far.
These current thoughts, screaming now through his mind unbidden, were heavy laden with emotion. They multiplied quickly, fueling an ever-growing urgency as the weight of each passing second pressed itself upon him. Even now, he could smell the effects of rigor-mortis taking over his brother's body, and the fear, the horror, even, of running out of time began to clutch at him.
He was among the most powerful and deadly of the Tai-youkai lords to rule the earth dominion.
The insult he had suffered when his father decided to entrust Tetsusaiga to his brother instead of to him, indeed, InuTaishou had gone so far as to have hidden it, had made him the subject of rampant speculation among the other youkai royalty, and his reputation had been injured to quite a degree. His only conclusion then was that his father had to have been rendered insane to even consider taking that action. Even though none dared confront him directly, rumors sparked and flew, but he conducted himself as befit his station among that royalty, and he bore that burden well.
The loss of his left arm had been excruciatingly painful, physically and psychologically. Even now, it was a constant reminder to all who knew him of the loss he had suffered at the hands of his brother. Again, none dared speak of it in his presence, but he could see in their eyes the looks of astonishment, of confusion, and in some who were bolder, of disdain and even ridicule. But he bore that as well. As Lord of the Western Lands, impetuous was not an option, particularly with youkai that were his equal in stature and power.
He grunted now his frustration, that sound almost inaudible, at his inability to control all of the external factors surrounding current events. This odd and quite different feeling he tried his best to subdue, because he feared that failure to do so would expose parts of his persona to these humans, parts that no one was ever to have access to.
'InuYasha. What have you done?'
This was exasperating. Did not his will become manifest at the speed of thought? As the emotional assault whipped at his attempts to remain detached, all anyone would ever see would be his upper lip tremble slightly over his left canine.
'I need their cooperation in order to succeed; I must continue to remind myself of this.'
His power and ability, when at their peaks, were almost unparalleled, anywhere. Whether he moved amongst man, beast or oni, all yielded to his approach, and bowed in reverence. Or they paid the ultimate price. Jaken had witnessed this first hand, many times.
He was Shiva, the Destroyer, when he walked his lands, his universe, reducing anyone or thing in his path to less than dust beneath his feet.
His powerful claws had shredded and torn and poisoned, leaving behind gruesome remains; his fangs had tasted the blood of countless victims he had defeated in close combat. He had personally looked into the eyes of many an enemy at the moment their lives departed this plane. Terrible, beautiful power he possessed, in almost unlimited quantity.
Yet one small girl had discovered and now clutched onto the key to his most secret heart. What she had taught him in the short time they had been together was quite intriguing, if somewhat confusing and disorienting. But he would explore those unknown, blind parts of himself as often as she exposed them, because he was at all times ruthlessly honest with himself. He glanced over at Rin, who had by now found Shippo, holding onto his hand as the two of them observed the events. She might never know the impact she had on the great lord's life.
He could easily have killed his brother at any time before this, yet in each battle, when the window of opportunity presented itself, he had stayed the death-blow. This had occurred more times than he cared to admit. Mastery of Tokijin had granted him even greater destructive capacity, yet he repeatedly hesitated in taking his brother's life. Surely, InuYasha's death would be the solution to most all of his problems, wouldn't it?
InuYasha, half-breed that he was, had displayed a remarkable growth in skill and ability each time Sesshomaru had fought against him. During those battles, through the sometimes blind rage the elder brother felt against his low-born kin, this creature spat from the illicit union of his father and that damned woman, this abomination who should not have been allowed to live the younger continued to surprise, even shock him. Certainly, much of his brother's improvement could be attributed to his success against the other youkai he and his group fought as they sought to recover the entire jewel, and their skirmishes with Naraku had also helped to grow InuYasha's competence as a fighter.
But there was something else.
Each time he spotted the opening, the defensive lapse through which he could take that one's life, he also saw InuYasha's determination, his courage in the face of almost certain death, his unquenchable desire to break through, to transcend his current circumstance in order to claim his birthright. That fierce desire, to reach the lofty levels of his father and brother, despite his tainted blood, intrigued Sesshomaru. He had begun to ask himself if even he could bear the life his brother had, were they to trade places.
He had been given everything by InuTaishou, and InuYasha had been given nothing save the Tetsusaiga, and the very blood that ran through his veins. That blood pumped through a heart that was perhaps even larger than Sesshomaru's own, and this mystified the great lord. The order of the world was what it was, yet InuYasha continued to try to rise above his station to become something greater, and he repeatedly risked death to do so.
That the dead miko had taken his life so quickly meant that something significant had transpired, to cause him to give up, to abandon everything so carelessly. Sesshomaru would find out those details eventually.
But now, this girl, this human girl...
What was it about her, this girl who stood before him in her uncertainty, her fear? Indeed, he could smell it, in spite of her bravado. This young miko, and the way she now waited to give up her life for his brother without hesitation, why? She knew almost nothing of what she would face, yet she willingly committed to the single most selfless act one can perform for another. Yes, this was the girl who threw herself across that one's prone form, daring Sesshomaru to come any nearer, even though he could have ended her life in the time it took to twitch an eyebrow. But she possessed tremendous raw power, as she was also the one who pulled Tetsusaiga when neither he nor his brother could, so there was something special about her.
Confessing her love for him as she had today had given the great lord pause. The two were so different, so how..? He sniffed the air again, separating her scent from the others, trying to detect the thing that was different, special about her. He would have to think on this a bit more, after his brother returned to them, to him.
&&&&&&&
Kaede replaced the plank that covered the hidden space where she kept her valuable items. She had obtained the folded parchment that held Urusue's ash remains and turned to leave when Kagome, Sango and Miroku entered the hut, much to her surprise. Kilala had gone back to retrieve her other friends.
"Oh! I didn't..."
Even more surprising to her then was Sesshomaru poking his head into the hut, quickly examining the interior before entering, his brother's body held fast under his arm. He gently set the body upon the floor as Jaken entered along with Rin and Shippo.
"Place the ashes there."
He wasted no time as he indicated to the elder miko by pointing to a spot in the corner of the room. Kaede did as instructed, then stepped back. Sesshomaru pointed Tensaiga at the parchment, and presently the sword resonated as it did its work. Wisps of mist began to form over the spot, and soon the ghostly visage of the old witch appeared, becoming clearer and clearer with each passing second, yet still remaining slightly transparent, with no depth or solidity. Without her physical body to return to, since Kikyo had burned it, this was as close to the corporeal state as she could get. She blinked those hideously large eyes at first in confusion, and then spewed.
"Who dares disturb my rest?"
Sesshomaru answered calmly.
"I do."
Urusue paused then as she examined the dog-lord for a moment.
"I know you. Lord Sesshomaru, if I recall. Yes, son of InuTaishou of the dog clan. So, it seems that clan has grown more powerful if you can perform magic such as this."
Sesshomaru responded as if he hadn't even heard her comments.
"Witch, I have need of your skills. You once revived the priestess Kikyo. She has departed this plane once more, and I wish to know her exact whereabouts."
The ogre observed him calmly, then looked about the room, glancing at InuYasha's body, then at Kagome, then the others present.
"I see. The other dog is dead, and you want to find the one who took him. You there, young priestess, your soul is still strong. I can feel it, even in this state. Too bad my plans for you did not come to fruition, or..."
Sesshomaru interrupted.
"Silence, witch! I have told you once of the purpose behind your resurrection. You will give me..."
Urusue now seethed.
"I will do no such thing! You are the dog here. Sniff out her whereabouts yourself. Think you that I am but a pawn to be used by the likes of you?"
The markings on the sides of Sesshomaru's face began to grow. A snarl now revealed both canines. The ogre continued her tirade.
"I was the great Urusue. In my lifetime, my powers were known across this land, and many feared me. Of those who did not, I put a fair number beneath the ground. How dare you. I do not the bidding of a lowly dog, no matter who he believes himself to be. What care I if the bastard half-dog remains dead? You would do well to send me back to my peaceful slumber."
She then laughed with an unnerving cackle.
Sesshomaru's eyes were taking on a reddish hue.
"Jaken. Remove Rin and the kit at once."
"Ahh... yes, m'lord. Come now, you two. The master has spoken, and we must not hesitate."
The imp ushered the two children outside. The demon lord turned to the ogre once more.
"You seem to not be aware of your place, witch."
"Fool. What can you... Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!"
Faster than the eye could behold, Tokijin was drawn, and a bolt of black energy crackled and shot forth from Goshinki's tooth, sealing the witch within strands of that energy.
And then it literally cooked her to a sizzle within that space, turning her visage to smoke. Her screams of agony ricocheted about the hut, causing even Sango to cover her ears.
Sesshomaru then immediately invoked Tensaiga, and the witch appeared, resurrected once more, gasping and shaking.
"But... how?"
The dog-lord presented the tip of Tokijin to her once more.
"No! No more. I will do as you ask."
&&&&&&&
"Miko, place the shards you have gathered within your palm."
Kagome removed the vial from around her neck and emptied the contents into her hand as Miroku and Sango looked on from one corner of the hut, while Lady Kaede and Urusue observed from the far side. Sesshomaru then took her hand and closed it into a fist.
"Now, focus with as much intensity as you can on the jewel fragments in your hand."
Kagome felt the shards vibrating, then her eyes opened wide when she felt something else happening.
The shards were combining into a small, round jewel.
"But... how?"
"Your own powers destroyed the original jewel. Think on it. How could a mere arrow shatter the Shikon-no-Tama? No, miko. You are exceedingly powerful, in spite of your ignorance of that fact. You should not be surprised that you could create one at will"
Sesshomaru gazed at the shocked miko.
"I never... I never thought that..."
"Give the jewel to me."
"Yes."
"Now, remove your clothing."
"What?"
"I must place this jewel back into your body, however, it must be contaminated first, or you would be in heaven mere moments after I took your life."
Tokijin's demonic energy turned the jewel almost black within seconds. Understanding, and not wanting to waste any more time, Kagome did as he instructed, even as Miroku turned away, fighting against his lechery. His eyes found Sango's soft brown ones, however, and she interlaced her fingers into his, giving a gentle squeeze.
A promise of..?
Kagome knew what her mission demanded, yet she still blushed profusely as she stood before the great lord, now clad only in her underwear. InuYasha had seen her in the altogether at least once or twice, lastly when she had stepped out of Tougenkyo's bath. And, well, when InuYasha had rushed through the doorway and gazed upon her, she had...
But now, Sesshomaru...
She swallowed audibly as her hands moved to the elastic of her briefs, but before she could do anything, he spoke.
"That is enough. The scar is visible. You need not disrobe any further. Lie here, next to him."
Kagome closed her eyes and huffed a sigh of relief, then did as he instructed. Sesshomaru knelt and examined her abdomen, his proximity causing her to shiver. She squinted and tried to ignore the fact that she was nearly naked and he was practically on top of her. Particularly distracting was the fact that, when he leaned in for a closer look, strands of his beautiful silver hair fell forward to caress her belly. Then there was the most intoxicating scent emanating from him. She turned her head so as to not look him in the eye, should he look up at her from his position of examination. Begging her body to not respond, she gasped when she felt the razor-sharp claw of his index finger trace the line of her scar.
"Miko, I'm afraid that this will be somewhat uncomfortable."
"Please, Sesshomaru-sama. It's Kagome."
"All right. Kagome. I do this because I must."
She reached for and clutched InuYasha's hand, interlacing her fingers with his, preparing. Careful, lest he poison her, Sesshomaru ran his claw deep across the scar, opening the wound. Kagome suppressed a shriek. Immediately, he pressed the blackened jewel into place, then cauterized the wound with Tokijin's heat. She hadn't lost much blood. Turning to the ogre, he commanded.
"Now, invoke your spell."
Urusue began to chant, a spell similar to the one that originally found Kikyo's wandering soul and bound it to part of Kagome's. This spell would place the girl in fairly close proximity to Kikyo when she met the next world. And wherever Kikyo was, there too would be InuYasha. Kagome squeezed the hand she held even more tightly.
"I'm coming for you, InuYasha. Please hold on!"
Before she could contemplate the even greater pain that was coming, Sesshomaru thrust Tokijin right through her ribs, piercing her heart. She arched her back in agony, eyes rolling up into their sockets. Her mouth opened in shock, but this time no sound emerged. Tokijin injected its evil essence into the rest of her body, resisting her unconscious attempts to purify it. The pain was so great that she began to jerk spasmodically. But she swore she would be strong, no matter what, and so she fought bravely against the pain, as well as the fear of death, itself. The corners of her vision grew dim.
'InuYasha...'
The blackness took her.
&&&&&&&
After removing his sword from her body, Sesshomaru stood, then placed part of the blanket that covered his brother over Kagome.
'Everything depends upon you, now, mik... Kagome.'
Now they would wait. Tensaiga would alert him when they were close. He needed to see Rin now.
Sesshomaru took two steps toward the door of the hut, then staggered before he fell to one knee.
"Sesshomaru-sama!" Kaede reached him first.
He looked at her as if he had never seen her before, then his eyes closed, and he pitched forward, landing with a thud on the floor.
"What is the meaning of this?" Kaede asked.
Urusue finally spoke.
"The Shikon-no-Tama is a creation of the gods themselves. As I personally learned, they are not mocked, demanding of the utmost respect. The fool was but a dog-demon playing in the garden of those he could barely contemplate, with the power over death itself stolen by InuTaishou. The jewel has taken him as well for the sins of his father."
Miroku spoke.
"But why now?"
"Is this your greatest worry? What fools you mortals be. The other hanyou will soon arrive, as the jewel calls for the remaining parts of itself."
"Naraku!" Kaede muttered.
"You are correct miko. The remaining shards will come soon enough, along with the beasts who have them embedded within their bodies."
Miroku and Sango looked at each other.
"Kouga! If he finds Kagome dead..."
"The king of the Southern Wolf clan will be the least of your worries. Once Naraku arrives, the jewel will seek to reassemble itself, and will pull back the part embedded in Kagome's body. If she has not recaptured InuYasha's soul by then, she might perhaps survive, but he will be gone for good."
Sango, moving now with her characteristic quickness, pulled Tokijin from Sesshomaru's prone form and was at the old witch instantly.
"Devil! Why didn't you tell us this sooner!"
Urusue was unafraid, now that Sesshomaru had been subdued.
"The dog's mind was made up. He seeks his brother's life for his own selfish reasons. His pride has damned him. I will not suffer fools. He knew that this could happen just as he knew that only the young miko could hope to revive his brother."
With that, the ogre laughed a hacking, coughing laugh as her visage began to turn to mist.
"Would that I could remain, as a fly upon the wall, to witness the carnage that will soon be upon you."
Those were her last words as she disappeared completely.
&&&&&&&
The leader of the Southern Wolf clan ground his teeth down upon a piece of mint he had been chewing and spat the juice as one would tobacco. Kagura had once again eluded him. Kouga scanned the heavens for any sign of her feather.
"That conniving bitch. I'll get my hands on her soon enough, and then I'll kill her..."
His attention then turned; he sniffed the air as a familiar scent separated itself from all the others.
"What the...Kagome..."
"What did you say, Kouga?"
Ginta asked from a few meters away. He had been digging for roots, as he and Hakkaku hadn't eaten in days.
"Kagome's bleeding..."
Kouga quickly looked up at the crescent moon.
"... and it's not yet time for her cycle..."
He put everything together.
"Shit! That dog-dunce must have screwed up again. If she's hurt badly, I'll take his head for sure. Then, I'll..."
Ginta and Hakkaku never heard the rest of the threat as the whirlwind that was the leader of the Wolf-clan could by now barely be seen in the distance.
Hakkaku looked at Ginta.
"Here we go again..."
"Kouga! Wait for us!"
&&&&&&
Searing heat.
That was the first thing Kagome noticed as her consciousness awakened in this dark dimension. Her skin felt like it someone was drawing sandpaper across it. The next thing that struck her was the effort it took for her to move, even to lift a finger.
'What the... '
She looked about the desolate surroundings, the dark starless sky lit with the streaks of flames, seemingly shot from enormous flamethrowers she couldn't see, the horizon littered with volcanoes belching noxious fumes that burned her eyes. Turning to her left, she noticed a massive gate that separated fifty meter high walls. It somehow reminded her about the movie she and her school friends had seen about that giant ape. It was about two-hundred meters away, and, with nothing else on the landscape that looked as inviting, she decided to make for it.
She took one agonizing step, feeling like she weighed at least a thousand pounds here. Her lungs were already aching from the burning gasses she inhaled. Then she remembered InuYasha, and worked even harder to move faster. Huffing and puffing, she plodded along at what seemed a snails pace, not appearing to get any closer to the gate at all.
Then she heard it.
"Nooooo! Somebody help meeeeee!"
Following that harrowing plea, a single, thin high-pitched whine met her ears, followed by another, then blood-curdling howls. Turning stiffly to look behind her, she gasped in terror as she saw the first of them leap over the low hill that was about three hundred meters away. It stumbled slightly when it hit the ground, but recovered quickly. The others then appeared, following the leader, all moving in her direction at high speed. Whatever had happened to that other poor soul, they had sniffed her scent, and were now coming for her. Nor did she have anything she could use as a weapon with which to defend herself. She froze.
'Kami-sama...'
Enormous black mastiffs, each at least five feet tall at the shoulder, the Hounds of Hell advanced upon her with frightening speed, now two hundred meters away, now one hundred and fifty, now one hundred. Yellow eyes searching frantically for the source of the scent now locked onto her, and they literally knocked each other about in order to get to her first. The red stuff dripping from their jaws was human blood, she simply knew, and she was their next intended kill. Kagome counted seven in all. When they reached her, they would tear her to shreds.
The jewel throbbed painfully in her side.
&&&&&&&
A/N: He recovers! I was so ticked off after losing the "first" final version of chapter 7 that I pulled an (almost) all-nighter to get this out. Anyway...
Hanyou-demoness: You will see what she has to face in Hell (as "D" of Vampire Hunter D says, "It begins...").
Kariko: Thank you. The humor is over. Pain and suffering and horror take the stage now.
Ath99: O.k!
ShortPoet: Yes, the last chapter was a "quick, little one", but this one is not! You will find out why it is so important to Sess that InuYasha live in an upcoming chapter, and that's all I'll say for now. Funny, how he can kill without any remorse on the one claw, yet protect Rin on the other. It makes him so interesting, and I guess to the fangirls, good looks aren't a bad thing either...
Kiyana Va Sala: Only about a 6 month wait or so... but here it is! Ja ne!
Krazie-edge: Sango is much better now! Miroku is not getting away from her anytime soon. And I don't think he wants to.
Cynical Chaos: I might just create my own mythology as far as Hell is concerned. After all, there is no new thing under the sun, ne?
Thanks to all for reading.
Ciao!
W.