The attack had come at a predictably inopportune time. Inuyasha had picked up the stink of the demon as soon as they reached the rope bridge, but kept it to himself so as not to panic the others. The rotting old bridge seemed only half-likely to hold up in the first place and it was a dizzying plunge into the river below, so Inuyasha thought it better to simply herd his companions to the other side and hope the demon, some kind of bird by the scent of it, wouldn't find them interesting enough to concern itself with.
They were halfway across and Inuyasha had begun to think that maybe, just maybe, they would make it to the other side without incident, when the demon hawk flew shrieking from the cliffs below.
The first pass came with such speed and ferocity that not even Inuyasha's inhuman reflexes were off any use, and he found himself plucked from Kagome's side by the monster's wickedly hooked claws before he could so much as draw the Tetsusaiga. Though deafened by the creature's screeching and the crazy beating of its six wings, Inuyasha nonetheless heard the chorus of shouts from his companions as the hawk lifted him high above them in a queasy arch, wheeling easily away from Kagome's hastily fired arrows. His right arm was pinned to his side and, rather than risk losing the Tetsusaiga by attempting to draw it underhanded under such circumstances, Inuyasha raked his claws across the hawk's gut. Steaming black blood rained from the demon's wounds, but it held him fast, snapping at him in rage. Inuyasha raised his free arm to protect his face, cursing furiously as the meat of his forearm was ribboned by the demon's razor sharp beak.
Inuyasha's vision went red as blood sprayed into his eyes.
*****
Sango sensed the demon just in time to pull Kagome away from its initial pass, but the attack came so quickly that she didn't realize Inuyasha had been taken until Kagome had already notched an arrow and begun to take aim. Although the demon hawk was misshapen and bulbous, it was surprisingly agile and seem to have little trouble evading every arrow that Kagome put into the air.
The bridge quaked precariously beneath her as her companions scattered, and Sango nearly lost her footing and plummeted into the river far below. This was no good. Shouting at her not to worry about anything but getting to the other side, Sango shoved Kagome towards the opposite cliff. Then she threw herself against the bridge's decaying rope handhold and beckoned Miroku and Shippo, who had been behind her when the fighting started, to do the same. They hurriedly made their way past, Sango again coming within an inch of falling into the chasm below as they jostled her, and finally she had enough room to unsling the hiraikotsu from her back.
Forced to clumsily twirl the weapon above her head because of the handholds running down either side of the narrow bridge, Sango looked for the opportunity to make her attack. The hawk shrieked high above her and thick drops of demon blood fell from the heavens like dirty rain. Then her heart leapt in her throat as she heard Inuyasha's cry of pain. The creature seemed to founder in the air, and Sango suddenly realized that the hawk was folded nearly in half trying to bite Inuyasha. Capitalizing on the distraction, Sango loosed her weapon.
The hiraikotsu howled murderously as it streaked through the air towards its target. At the last possible moment the demon hawk veered to one side, and Sango's weapon exploded past the beast, casting off a shower of filthy black feathers. Its attention now diverted from the tattered form in its grasp, the beast swooped low over the bridge, lashing out with its talons. With nowhere else to go, Sango threw herself against the flimsy planks of the bridge to avoid the demon's attack, but in doing so she failed to catch the hiraikotsu on its return flight. The giant boomerang sheared through the bridge as it flew by, and Sango's stomach turned at the queasy sensation of the ground dissolving beneath her.
For a crazy instant she was sure that time had frozen, then she realized than her fall had been halted when Inuyasha caught her arm with his free hand. His face was a grim mask of determination, and as the hawk again carried them into the midday sky he shouted only one word to her.
"Climb!"
Nodding, Sango caught hold of the sleeve of his cloak with her free hand. His grip was slippery with his own blood, and his left arm looked to have been ruined by the demon's assault, so she was forced to pull herself up completely with her own strength. Once she reached his chest it was simpler because she could use the hawk's own talons as handholds. The bird seemed to be strangely ignoring them. Sango supposed the creature was taking them back to its nest, either to finish them off at its leisure or as playthings for its young.
Sango looked back only to see Miroku and Kagome astride Kirara far behind them. Kirara galloped through the sky, leaving a trail of flame in her wake, but the hawk was far outpacing her. Soon her companions had disappeared into the distance. She looked to Inuyasha, but he looked only half coherent, dazed by pain as the hawk clutched him ever tighter, driving its claws further and further into his chest. Despite his formidable regenerative abilities, Inuyasha was grievously wounded. A human would have long since succumbed to such injuries.
Steeling herself, Sango unsheathed her katana and plunged it into the demon's breast. The monster screamed in anger and pain, twisting in the sky and then diving into the canyon below. Sango's blade wedged between two of the beast's ribs, and she clung to the weapon's hilt for dear life until the hawk leveled its course to avoid the rushing river now only a few meters beneath them. Still hanging onto the hilt of her sword, Sango walked up Inuyasha's chest until she could wrap her legs around his shoulders. Carefully, stretching precariously, she began to reach for the Tetsusaiga slung on his belt.
Her fingers just brushed against the weapon's hilt when her vision was filled with the demon hawk's shrieking visage. The loathsome monster's jagged beak would have torn into her face if Inuyasha, mustering his quickly fading strength, hadn't caught hold of the beast's throat. Without hesitation, Sango slipped a shuriken from her sleeve and deftly threw it into the hawk's right eye.
The creature bellowed its frustration and struggled free from Inuyasha's grip, leaving him with a handful of bloody feathers. Abandoning her own sword, instead looping one arm around Inuyasha's neck for balance, Sango again went for the Tetsusaiga. This time her hand wrapped firmly around the ancient sword's hilt. The weapon was held fast in its scabbard, and Sango had to give it a solid tug before the blade suddenly freed itself.
For a terrifying second she thought she might lose the weapon, but then Inuyasha's sure hand joined her own on the hilt. In his grasp, the Tetsusaiga transformed from a poorly maintained old katana into its powerful true form. Without a second's indecision, Inuyasha swung Tetsusaiga in a broad arch. There was the sickening sound of metal grating across bone as the sword passed through the demon hawk in an explosion of blood. The demon's wings flapped a few final beats as its head spiraled off behind them. Then they plunged towards the river.
Sango hit the water hard, her breath wresting itself painfully from her lungs. Disoriented, she turned in a frantic circle looking for the surface before the darkness swelled up in her vision and finally claimed her.
*****
She looks so small, Inuyasha thought as he lay Sango's limp form flat on the bank. I never really thought of her as delicate…
He shook the thought from his head. Her lips were turning purple and he didn't have time to think about such stupid things right now. Working hastily, he brushed her raven hair away from her face and tilted her head back. Sucking in a deep breath, Inuyasha pinched her nose closed and pressed his mouth firmly down against hers, exhaling strongly. He could feel her chest rise against his as he gave her another breath. He breathed for her several times, but although she accepted his air she still did not breathe on her own.
Damn it, how much water did she swallow?
The first pangs of desperation hitting him, Inuyasha rocked his palm sharply under her ribs. The third time he did this, water streamed from the corners of her mouth. He turned her head on side to drain the fluid from her mouth, then turned her back to him and once again clamped his lips over hers. Again her chest rose and fell against his as he exhaled into her mouth, but this time it rose again on its own. Sango coughed up a gout of water, then gasped for air as her soft brown eyes finally sprang open.
Still bewildered, she immediately tried to sit up. Inuyasha put a hand on her shoulder, gently holding her down.
"Don't stand up just yet," he said.
Sango looked at him questioningly. She tried to say something, but her voice was choked off as she sputtered out more water.
"You haven't been getting much air," Inuyasha explained. "If you try to stand up right now, you'll just faint and we'll be back where we started."
She nodded and let her eyes drift shut, still drawing in heavy breaths.
Inuyasha sat next to her for long time as her strength slowly began to return. After a while he became aware that he was gently running his hand through her hair. If she noticed, she didn't say anything. Inuyasha surprised himself when he didn't stop.