-Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha.
Update Dates? I don't know. I'll try once a week.
Undeniable
Love
Chapter
20 - New Plots, New Threats
By:
Scaevola
Published
8/25/05
Updated
7/11/05
Authors Note: I hope everyone isn't disapointed by this chapter. I haven't really written in a year and well, i tried to do my best. And also I'm not sure people will be satisfied with what happens. It's up to you guys to decide however. I just hope all goes well :)
OH and also PLEASE, if you want to talk to me, feel free to email, or, if you want to talk to me on instant messanger, email me asking for it. At the moment I only have AOL instant messanger, but I'm working on getting msn as well.
Alright, well without anything more to say... heres the chapter:
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The leaves rustled as the wind blew through the thick canopy hiding the sky in the forest, blowing dead leaves across the ground and out of the trees. The yellow moonlight shined through the gaps, casting long shadows on the ground, and illuminating the path through the trees.Occasionally a bird would take flight from a tree; an owl would hoot; and sometimes even a wolf would howl. The forest was otherwise quiet however. No demons seemed to be stirring, no humans camping anywhere nearby.
Sesshomaru walked through the forest at a steady pace. He allowed no expression to betray his motions, either on his face, or in his body movement. When he his sword screamed to be drawn - demanded it's share of blood, Sesshomaru refused to give into it's calling. He would not allow a weapon to rule him, like InuYasha had with Sounga, nor would he allow anyone to think he was affected by Rin's capture.
Especially since Kagura had seen him hurrying before. Who knows what she thought now. Kagura, Naraku's incarnation, a demoness who begged him for help once, who was too cowardly to stand up to her master and free herself. She would remain bound to Naraku for as long as she allowed herself to be, for as long as she continued to be weak.
He could not trust Kagura, no matter how often she had given him information. For as much information she gave Sesshomaru, she gave twice the amount to Naraku. If she had ended up telling Naraku or letting it slip at how he had hurried - then Naraku would instantly know how important Rin was to him.
'Damn it'. He thought. He unclenched his hands, forcing them to relax as he continued walking. Several birds took flight a bit in the distance to the side of the path...alarming him a bit. He strained his eyes to see into the darkness, but saw no one. He stayed watching the area for several moments before, satisfied, he continued along the path.
He sniffed the air again to make sure he was still on track. He could still smell that mysterious thirds scent mingling with that wolfs, and Rin's too. Naraku's scent had appeared not to long ago - the rank stench of death and decay filling his senses - nearly forcing bile to raise in his throat.
Naraku's scent had to be the most vile scent for a demon to ever have. Even humans must be able to smell it, and the animals too - perhaps that was why the forest was so quiet. Naraku's scent filled the air, it's rankness overpowering the wooded smell in the forest.
Despite the rankness, Sesshomaru somehow wasn't as bothered by Kagura's scent as he was by Naraku's. Even though Kagura was Naraku's incarnation, and shared his scent, it was different., but he couldn't tell how it was different from Naraku's. He just knew it was different and could tell between the two without really thinking about it.
He glanced up at the bright moon, shining through the leaves to illuminate his way; not that he needed the light with his eyes. Normally he'd have Rin asleep by now, and fed as well. Jaken would be blowing those disgusting bubbles from his nose as he snored in his sleep, and Sesshomaru would be half dozing at the base of a tree, ready to defend Rin if he needed to. And Jaken, of course.
He nearly smiled at the thought of his usual night. Strange, how he found the companionship of a human so agreeable. In that respect he couldn't truly fault his half breed of a brother anymore. InuYasha had found companionship in that miko of his. That miko would have made a fine youkai.
A shame that she was born human. InuYasha will take her as his mate nonetheless however, human or not. Had she been youkai, Sesshomaru thought he might have laid his own claim on her. He laughed to himself at the thought of taking both his brothers woman and his sword for himself. After all, a halfbreed doesn't deserve to be mated, he would only add more impurity to the proud inuyoukai line.
That was below Sesshomaru though. The miko was a human and therefore Sesshomaru would not mate her, and InuYasha's Tetsusaiga would only be Sesshomaru's after he killed InuYasha.
So, InuYasha had his miko, and Sesshomaru, while not his mate, had Rin. Although they had both found companionship in humans, Sesshomaru would never take a human to mate.
What was Rin to him? Certainly not a possible mate - no...definitely not. 'This Sesshomaru is not attracted to humans!' his thoughts scoffed.
He paused in his thoughts. Was he being true to himself? Rin could NOT be a possible mate. This Sesshomaru would not have the same weakness as his father - and his brother. He would never take a human as a mate - he would find a demon worthy of him - and only then would he consider taking a mate.
Of course, the chances of him ever finding a mate that is even close to being worthy of him are very slim. What demon could match him in battle? In manner? Who could be as superior to this Sesshomaru, the Lord of the Western Lands?
No, the most powerful demon must settle for a less powerful one, simply because he is the most powerful, and all others must be less powerful.
The forest had been steadily growing sparser and sparser as he walked, until finally it had diminished to nothing, leaving him in an open field. He was left standing at the top of a sloping hill - allowing him to see the entire field before him.
Sesshomaru quickly shoved his musings of Rin's place out of his mind when he saw a manor in the distance at the bottom of the slope - Several lights shone out of the upper windows, illuminating the ground in front of it clearly, not that this Sesshomaru needed the light to see.
Sesshomaru set off towards the building with renewed determination. All the scents he had been following, Rin's, that wolf's, that third familiar scent, and Naraku's, all led towards that building.
Sesshomaru's clawed hands itched to grab his blade, still screaming for blood, and his blood started flowing thick as his demonic instincts fought forward. He pushed them back though. He would not allow himself to lose control, not now, not when it was crucial that he remain calm and in control.
Sesshomaru walked forward slowly, willing himself to remain calm, despite the fact that his blood was boiling, and his hatred for this...filth... that had taken Rin was steadily growing.
He glanced up to see several insects watching him. Undoubtedly those insects would report everything they saw to Naraku. No matter. Naraku would know he had arrived sooner or later. Perhaps it would only be fair for Naraku to have some warning.
The insects hovered for a moment more before turning and flying towards the manor and into a window. Sesshomaru waited. He would not rush blindly to the manor. Naraku would come out to address him if he had any honor at all.
Sesshomaru wasn't disappointed. Naraku's laughter filled the air as three figures emerged from the manor. Sesshomaru's eyes widened as he finally recognized that third scent...it was that miko that his half brother had originally attached himself to. Kikyo.
The figures approached slowly, calmly, all of their eyes locked onto Sesshomaru's watching him for any sudden attacks. One of them, Kikyo, was holding a bundle in her arms as they approached him.
Naraku smirked as he stopped in front of Sesshomaru, quite a ways back, well out of reach. "Hello, Sesshomaru." he said, the smirk still on his lips.
"Return Rin to me." He demanded, glaring at Rin's captor. "If you do not, I won't hesitate to kill you."
Naraku threw his head back and laughed at Sesshomaru's words. "Now now, Sesshomaru. All of this could have been avoided had you simply agreed to kill InuYasha. There were no tricks that time, I assure you. You refused my first offer however, so I had to get your attention in another way." He took the bundle from the woman to his side and pulled the cloth back.
Sesshomaru nearly lost control of his emotions as Naraku revealed Rin, bound up in the cloth. She didn't appear to be struggling, but at the sight of Lord Sesshomaru, her face broke out into a smile.
Sesshomaru's eyes met hers for moments before he looked away. To those who had been watching, Sesshomaru seemed to have been studying an insect, something that was of little importance. To Rin however, to Rin the meaning couldn't have been clearer. Everything would be okay.
"You will return the human to me, Or I will kill you, slowly and painfully." said Sesshomaru, his hand drifting towards tokijin.
If his words had any effect on them, they didn't show it. Naraku simply replied, under his beath, "Painful for you, maybe. But not for me, i'm sure."
Just as he said that, the wolf demon was beside Sesshomaru in a flash, before Sesshomaru could even move, and he felt claws dig into his chest. Sesshomaru's eyes widened in shock at the hit, and the speed at which it happened. Rin's sudden screaming drowned from his ears as he lost himself in the fight...
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Deep in the forest, Hachiro laid his head on the ground. Dead leaves crackled and served as a pillow for him as he relaxed. He sighed, resting his eyes a moment and taking in sounds of the forest...such beauty. He opened his eyes and glanced off in the direction that the youkai had walked off to. His lord had told him about that youkai. Sesshomaru, the Lord of the Western Lands.
He shivered at the thought. His lord's description hardly matched the youkai he had just seen. Truly, Sesshomaru was a dangerous demon. Hachiro didn't think he had ever remained so still before in his life as when Sesshomaru had heard him.
Hachiro didn't need his lord's warnings to make him stay away from Sesshomaru. He would do that by himself, orders or not. The demon's very way of holding himself screamed power - and danger. No, Hachiro wouldn't find himself challenging Lord Sesshomaru anytime soon. No, definitely not anytime soon.
Even with the blade he had, he wouldn't chance a fight with Lord Sesshomaru. No, he wouldn't be able to get close enough to hit the demon. If only he could figure out how to use the blade completely, perhaps then he could hit Sesshomaru with it. 'And then...well then...I'd be able to watch the most powerful demon scream in agony as he died'. He thought, a large grin spreading across his face.
Yes, when he had mastered using the blade, then he would go after Sesshomaru. He'd take his time killing the Lord of the Western Lands too. Just so it would be extra painful. He doubled over with laughter as he thought about the youkai screaming, begging him for mercy. His knuckled turned white as he gripped the dagger tightly, imaging himself stabbing the youkai over and over, despite his pleas to stop.
No, Hachiro was a man of very little mercy. He'd make the youkai think he'd be saved just before he let him die just to add that extra bit of suffering when the youkai realized that all was truly lost.
His eyes found the small blade that his lord had given him to watch over. It truly was more powerful than any weapon he'd used before. He held it up above him to see in the moonlight. It shined beautifully, the dark blood that was still dripping on it only added to the beauty.
A small flapping noise interrupted his thoughts, and he glanced at the bird beside him that he'd tested the blade on. He of course knew the blade already worked, but he liked to use it, just so he could watch his victims die. After all, good victims were few and far between, and Hachiro needed something to occupy himself with while waiting.
The bird was slowly burning up, though without flame. It just turned into ash slowly from the small nick he'd put in its wing until it consumed it's entire body.
He chuckled and watched the bird suffer through it's agony as it was burned alive. He loved watching the blade's work. A small wound - it didn't matter what size - was fatal. And not just fatal - but painful too.
Perhaps something could keep the wound from spreading, but if something could, Hachiro didn't know of it. He'd tried of course, he'd tried a lot of things, but so far nothing had worked, nothing had slowed the burning, not water, or anything that would put out flames normally.
Perhaps his lord could stop the blade's work, but then again...he laughed to himself...maybe not. He started laughing aloud, slightly mad, his head thrown back, before sitting upright and cutting his laughter short, all mirth from before gone.
Hachiro turned quickly and leaned forward, staring at the bird intently. This part, was the best part. He wanted to see this part.
In it's death throws, the bird began twitching violently, it's instincts refusing to give up, refusing to admit it's own death. It flapped it's wings, or, wing, as one had already turned to ash, and tried to move away. Desperate, the bird gave a few loud squawks, as though it could scare the pain away.
Hachiro began smiling as he looked the bird in the eye, as if to make sure the bird knew that HE, Hachiro, had killed it. The bird gave one last twitch before it died completely, either from the pain or from being so burnt, Hachiro didn't know. He hoped it was from the pain.
He carefully licked the blood off the blade, so as to not cut himself with it and suffer the same fate as the bird. He loved to taste his victims. One day, he'd taste a human victim, or a demon victim. But first... first he had to wait. First, came his lord's orders.
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Hojo walked down the sidewalk slowly, carefully thinking about what had happened at the movies. He had, of course, looked up for any disability or record of someone with ears like InuYasha. Of course, nothing came up.
So what had he seen that day? Eri and Kagome's other friends had all seen the ears too. No, not just them, EVERYONE had seen in the theater. It wasn't Hojo's eyes playing tricks on him, he knew that much.
Of course, this InuYasha had an odd appearance. Sure, the silver hair could be explained, as could the yellow eyes. Anyone could grow their hair long and die it, and where colored contacts.
But what type of person had ears like that? Again and again Hojo looked for a rational explanation, and again and again he came back to one thing, which was perhaps the least rational explanation: InuYasha was a demon.
Really, what else made sense? Golden eyes, Long silver hair, DOG EARS? Hojo didn't think for a minute that they could be natural at first, but if you considered that this InuYasha was a demon...well, it came into a different light.
Hojo had always known there were demons. Sure, let other people say they're only fairy tales, stories to teach lessons and tell children to not get into trouble. But Hojo had always believed. Where else had all these stories come from if they weren't true?
He bumped into a person on the road, and fell down on the pavement. groceries fell and rolled out of a brown paper bag. Looking up, Hojo found Yuka glaring at him, fists on her hips.
"Really Hojo! Watch where your going!" She yelled. "Now their all ruined!" she said, pointign a finger at her groceries.
"I-I'm sorry Yuka, I wasn't paying attention I was just -" Hojo's explanation was cut off by Yuka's shouting.
"Of course you weren't looking! Look what you've done!" She yelled.
"LOOK I'M SORRY OKAY?" Hojo shouted, his sudden anger taking Yuka by surprise. "I've just been thinking about this InuYasha guy a lot. I can't seem to figure him out."
Yuka fell silent at Hojo's words, and muttered quietly, "I know."
"What?" ask Hojo. "Yuka, do you know anything about InuYasha? I swear he can't be -" He lowered his voice and whispered in her ear, "He can't be human."
He silently wished that she'd understand, he noticed in the theater how she alone hadn't laughed at his words - maybe, just maybe she knew what he was talking about.
"Yuka, you know no human has dog ears, yellow eyes, and silver hair. I KNOW he's a youkai." He said.
Yuka considered him silently for a moment, the groceries on the sidewalk lay forgotten. "Well what if he is, Hojo? What then? Youkai aren't supposed to be real, they're supposed to only be fairy tales! If he is a youkai, what could we possible do?" She asked, trying to get Hojo to see reason.
"All I know is that any youkai shouldn't be near Kagome. I don't want her getting hurt because of that monster." he told her. "But don't worry, I know of some people who can help us," he whispered.
Yuka raised her eyebrow at him, wondering where Hojo was going with this. "Okay, i'm listening..."
"Good, come on then" said Hojo, grabbing her hand and dragging her off.
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InuYasha and the others followed Kagura's feather quickly, and with Kagome on InuYasha's back, Miroku and Sango both on Kirara, they had made very good time.
They hadn't been running for long when Kagura's feather landed at the base of a hill. She waited till the others caught up to her before explaining.
"Just ahead is where Naraku is hiding with Koga and Kikyo. I would go with you to help, but I'm afraid Naraku can still kill me in the blink of an eye...I can not face him without my heart." she said, her eyes not quite meeting theirs as she admitted her inability to help.
"How do we know this isn't a trap then?" whispered Kagome into InuYasha's ear, trying to warn him to be careful.
Sango and Miroku, as if they were having the same thoughts, had stopped and were looking at InuYasha questioningly.
"No...I can smell them down there, all of them." Said Inuyasha, loud enough for all of them to hear. "I don't care if it's a trap anyway. We know it's there how could it be one if we know its there!" he exclaimed. "When will we ever get a chance to take all of them out like this?"
The others smacked themselves in the head. "InuYasha," began Miroku. "We know that we won't have an opportunity like this again, but have you ever thought that perhaps they planned it to look like this? to lure us in?"
"I have and I don't care Miroku! It's nothing I can't handle with my Tetsusaiga!" he yelled, charging off to where Naraku was.
The others looked at each other before they smacked themselves in the head again. "Well... we might as well go help him and make sure he doesn't get hurt." sighed Kagome.
The others all nodded and ran off after InuYasha, each of them readying their own weapons.
Kagura watched their turned backs with a small smile. he red eyes gleamed above her fan. Happy with her own work, she pulled a feather out of her hair and took flight, east, away from the others.
It was not over, yet.
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LOL you guys are going to HATE me after this chapter, a cliffhanger the first chapter i write after a YEAR? Wow. I think I deserve a metal at making the most people hate me in one chapter. lol
I also want everyone to know - that I don't plan on ending the story after this fight with Naraku, as the introduction of Hachiro should suggest, and perhaps Kagura? (what is she planning? hmmmm i wonder? Going against Narakus plans, or with them?)
Anyway, i'd love to see some speculation onwhat everyone thinks will happen, especially with Hachiro. I kinda liked writing his part, it was different.
Much 3 to all my readers. I'm going to try extra hard to respond to them this time. :) Mayeb even review some of your stories if you guys have written them.
Alright well, I'm already working on the next chapter, so till then.
