Chapter 61
The smell of blood hung heavy in the air, thick and suffocating. Wolves lay torn to shreds around Kouga, his family, his pack rendered to pieces. So many of the army had fallen, and they had only been fighting for six hours. No matter what they did, they couldn't push back Naoshi or Naraku.
Panting, Kouga looked around, taking in the damage done. There were very few wolves left. He had taken more than half of his pack, leaving very little behind to protect Ayame and his daughter. He had thought the more numbers he took, the better chance they stood. But now, as he looked around, seeing these skeleton creatures taking down his wolves one by one, he knew the truth. There was no way they could beat Naoshi.
If this war had just been against Naraku, then they would have stood a chance. They would have been able to take down Naraku with an ease that would have been laughable, but this… this was something entirely different.
Kouga thought of his family, his mate and daughter. He would never see them again. For a second, he thought of turning and running. He thought of calling his wolves back to him and running back to the East where he would be safe. At least then, he would live to be with his family.
The sound of Kagome letting out a war cry had him turning in her direction. She was fighting alongside Sesshomaru, both of them giving it their all. They had a family too. They had twins to care for, babies that needed them, but they were here, fighting with everything they had.
The truth was, even if Kouga left, the battle would just follow him. When the army fell today, Naoshi and Naraku would continue to march. They wouldn't stop until they had taken over all of Japan, and then maybe even the world. When Naoshi won, it would only be a matter of time before death came for him and his family anyway.
If he was going to die, he would be honorable. He would stay and fight, keep pushing until he no longer could. That was what a wolf did, they kept pushing, kept moving forward even when all the odds were against him. They didn't give up until they had no breath left to fight with.
"We are wolves!" He yelled suddenly, his pack instantly hearing. "We never stop, we never give up. We fight until there is nothing left of us." He didn't know why he suddenly wanted to perk up his pack. He knew there was no surviving this, and yet, he couldn't help it.
His words seemed to spur on his wolves, all of them fighting with a renewed energy. They took on the enemy, killing any they could get their fangs or jaws on.
"We are wolves!" Ginta yelled, the other's howling with him, fighting with a new purpose. They were going to die, but they would do so the wolf way. They would fight until the end, until there was nothing left of them.
…
Nona walked through the tree's, keeping herself hidden. She knew what she was doing would be considered a betrayal, but she had no choice. Everything was going according to plan, and she couldn't interfere.
Eyes narrowed, she focused on Naoshi, Naraku hovering beside him. Neither knew she was there, watching them. They were evil beings, their aura's scalding hers with their darkness. They needed to be destroyed, but there was only one that was capable.
Her eyes moved swiftly to Kagome, watching. Kagome wasn't ready to battle Naoshi as she was now. She was too weak, too hesitant. Her power needed to be released, and there was only one way to do that. A seal needed to be broken.
It was very possible Nona would be cast out for hiding in the trees instead of fighting. She could stop a large portion of devastation if she wanted to, but it would only delay the inevitable. She had the power to curse Naoshi, to keep him from creating more creatures, but it would solve nothing. Naoshi was too strong, too powerful.
They all needed Kagome now. She was their savior, and without her power, there was no hope. Nona knew how this was going to play out, and there was only one way Kagome would succeed. She needed to be destroyed, broken, shattered. That was the only way Kagome would win.
Death comes for life, and life must die.
…
Miroku fell to his knees, panting. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this going. Sango was beside him, her legs shaking, arms barely able to lift her sword anymore. Yumi was kicking away any creatures she could, trying to give them a break.
They had been fighting for eight hours without a break. Miroku may be stronger than any normal human, but he was still human. His body still wore down just as much as any human out there. He was exhausted, his muscles on fire, and he wasn't sure how much longer this would last.
He had been in many wars. However, none of them had ever been this intense. They would either come in waves, or the army he fought for would be able to hold back the enemy enough that they could switch units, giving some a chance to take a break.
That wasn't how it was now. Now the damned creatures kept coming, not giving anyone a chance. They were all having to fight nonstop, no one able to take breaks, eat or even stop to use the bushes for their bodily needs. They didn't have time to.
This battle really was life and death in more ways than one. Kagome and Naoshi would have to fight each other, life vs death, but any soldier in the East or West was having to keep fighting, or they would die. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
His own army was falling so easily it was embarrassing. The monks and miko's relied on their reiki to battle, but these skeleton creatures weren't affected by reiki. They had to be taken down the old fashioned way, and that meant they were falling like little bugs, the skeletons tearing them apart.
"Miroku." Sango looked back at him, and he grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss harshly. The truth was in front of them. They knew they weren't going to make it out alive. There was no way they could keep fighting for much longer, and so far, they hadn't made a dent in the opposing army.
"Sakura will be taken care of." Miroku knew Izayoi would love the children. She would keep them all, ensuring they were all loved, and their needs met. To him, that was all that mattered. "I love you, Sango."
"I love you, Miroku." She cupped his face, tears in her eyes.
A shrill neigh broke the moment, Yumi falling to the ground in a heap. She landed at Sango's feet, her eyes open and lifeless. Sango let out a sob, grief for her lost horse filling her. Miroku looked to his left, seeing Calthal's body being ran over by the skeletons Miroku had quickly grown to hate. Calthal had fallen several hours ago. From what Miroku was able to see, the only horses left standing were Alastar and Nakoa.
"We fight, Sango. We keep going until we no longer can." Miroku stood, his staff in hand. They weren't going to make it out of this, but they were going to make the enemy work for their deaths. Sango stood beside Miroku, tears staining her cheeks. Together, they held out their weapons, ready to fight until their dying breath.
…
Kagome fell back, getting caught by Sesshomaru. He wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close as he sent out a wave of his energy to slash through the enemy. His poison and sword were able to cut down the enemy better than any other weapon his fellow soldiers had. At the moment, he was the driving force, keeping the enemy from advancing any farther.
Kagome clutched onto him, her body exhausted. Twelve hours. The sun had fallen hours ago, leaving everything surrounded in a darkness that made fighting the dark cloaked creatures even more of a struggle. No matter what she threw at them, they just kept coming.
Alastar and Nakoa were fighting, kicking and stomping anyone that got near. They had cuts over their skin, blood matting their fur, but they were still there, still giving their all. There had to be something Kagome could do to end this once and for all.
She knew the others were going to be struggling as much as she was, she knew there was only so much longer they could keep going. She needed to get to Miroku. That was her only choice. However, she didn't know where he was. In the wave of skeletons running over them, she couldn't see, and if she couldn't see, she couldn't teleport. Sesshomaru had tried to fly away, to take her to Miroku, but the moment he did, the horses had been overrun, and they had been forced to land, to keep Nakoa and Alastar from getting hurt more than they already were. Alastar couldn't fly out of the horde like the others could, and Kagome wouldn't leave him.
You won't win this, Kagome. You and your family will lose.
That was another problem. Naoshi was staying in Kagome's head, telling how he was going to kill her family over and over again. He went into detail, explaining that he would rip out Touga's heart, shred Kouga, impale Miroku and Sango, destroy Satori, and even tear off Sesshomaru's head. He left no detail out, and it caused Kagome's stomach to churn, keeping her feeling as if she was going to be sick. It was sheer will that she hadn't.
What Naoshi didn't expect was the surge of protectiveness his words invoke in her. He wanted to harm her family, and she was going to keep that from happening. She would protect them no matter what it took. Even if she had to die to do it.
She had made a promise to Sesshomaru that she would stop risking her life, but in this case, she thought he would forgive her. At this rate, she wasn't going to have a choice. She kept getting told that she was the one that was going to have to kill Naoshi, and she wasn't sure how to do that.
Her only idea was to combine her powers with Miroku, but she didn't know if that was going to be enough or not. She had no idea what would work and what wouldn't. This was her only option. It had to work because she didn't know what else to do.
"Kagome?" Sesshomaru swung his sword again, his lips pulled back into a snarl. His arm was still around her, holding her tightly.
"I'm okay," She panted, nails digging into his arm. "I have to get to Miroku. We can't keep going on like this."
"We need to stop Naoshi from creating more of his army. If we succeed in that, we may have a chance." He lowered his sword, seeing a break in the enemy. Looking down at her, he helped her to stand, checking her over to make sure she wasn't severely injured.
"But how? We can't get anywhere near him." Kagome felt desperate, her eyes turning to Naoshi, who hadn't moved at all during these twelve hours. His eyes were still on her, amused. She could feel his excitement at having her backed into a corner.
Sesshomaru picked up her sword from the ground, holding it out to her. "We keep fighting. We fight, we defeat Naoshi and Naraku, and then we return home." She took the sword from him, looking up to meet his amber eyes. She could see his confidence, knew he truly believed that somehow she would succeed, that they would all be going home once this battle was over. Letting his confidence fill her, she raised her sword, jumping back into the battle as they were once more surrounded. She wouldn't give up.
...
Ya'll, if I don't get out of this rut and get to writing, I'm not going to have a new story to post after this one is finished. Ughh. Anyway... That's four more main lives lost. All the horses outside of Alastar and Nakoa. That includes Touga and Satori's horses. Just how many more will die? I'm not going to answer that. *evil laughs* You will have to read to find out, but I do expect a mob to come after me by time this is done.
