Fifty years ago the panther demons invaded the western lands that Sesshōmaru's father had owned.
They had learned of his death and came to slaughter his people, to steal his lands, but in the end turned tail and fled. So many lives had been lost that day and, though he had both arms then, he lacked the power to properly defeat them. Sesshōmaru, who had been gifted with the tenseiga, a sword of healing that could not cut down his enemies, needed the other sword that had been forged from his father's fang.
The tetsusaiga.
He needed it, but he did not have the ability to wield it. Even though he could draw out its true strength and use it to its fullest potential… it rejected him. Why?
Father, why did you leave me with the tenseiga?
Standing in silence, Sesshōmaru was completely still, golden eyes watching as his half-brother sent the panther general sprawling down hard on his back. The corpse was so old and little more than rotten flesh and bone; without a sacrifice there was no possible way it could fight back.
It wasn't even a threat- in fact, Inuyasha having so much trouble with it only proved more how much of a disgrace he was to their proud bloodline.
"G-Give me blood… and a soul…" The panther general wheezed, clawing at the ground with his one remaining hand. "Give them to me…"
"We will!" Tōran promised, stepping forward towards her master. Her expression was pleading, hands balling into fists as the worst seemed to come to light. "Please, just wait a little longer! I promise you; I will bring you the heads of our enemies on a platter!"
Everything was going to be fine. It had to be. Anastasia merely grew scared and ran away; she wasn't going to take Irene and leave with her. Their master was still the benevolent person the demons knew him as. The mortal priestess was wrong.
Turning around and taking a deep breath, Tōran leveled Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha with a hateful stare. The half-demon scoffed upon seeing this, getting into another stance and pointing the tetsusaiga at her.
"Now, listen here," He began with a glare, baring his fangs, "I don't give a damn about who your master is. You aren't using human flesh and blood to resurrect him! Whether it's Irene or Kagome, or any of my friends, or even those villagers! I will stop you."
"You can try." She hissed, grasping the sword she kept sheathed at her hip. "We will bring our master back to full strength, and you will be the first sacrifice."
"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed. "You might not feel that way after you taste how sharp my blade is!"
The demon lord, Sesshōmaru, watched in silence as the half-demon jumped off the ground when Tōran encased the earth in ice. Wielding a katana in one hand and an ice spear in the other, it was clear that the demoness was not in a pleasant mood. She slashed at Inuyasha and the half-demon blocked it, pushing her back with his sword and cursing at her, swinging the tetsusaiga and forcing her to jump away.
Bringing it high above his head, Inuyasha let loose a battle cry and demonic energy crackled around them, swirling around his blade.
"Wind Scaaaaar!"
Tōran's eyes widened and she leapt out of the way, large bursts of demonic lightning streaking across the battlefield. The woman watched as Karan and Shunran narrowly avoided the attack, while Shūran was on the other side of the field, swinging his fists at the ground and tearing up the earth, electricity flickering around him and nearly shocking Inuyasha. "Take this! Hrah! Ha! Gruaaah!"
"Over here, big guy!" Inuyasha taunted, leaping up and using the man's back as a springboard. He shoved Shunran hard on his front and sailed through the air, swinging at Karan when she got too close with her flames. "Have a bite of this, why don'tcha!?"
"Shunran!"
"On it!" The spring sorceress responded, grinning widely as she brought her hands forward, a whirlwind of flowers spinning around her. She laughed as Inuyasha got caught within it, the half-demon spinning around with a sleeve held over his face. "Ahahaha! Like the flowers? They were picked out special for you!"
"Daaamn iiit!" He raged.
Holding his breath, he swung the sword in an arc- spinning and trying to get someone hit by the blade. Suddenly the wind was knocked out of him and Inuyasha gasped, face planting into the earth as Shūran sat on his back, the large demon pinning him down.
Shūran made sure to grab Inuyasha's wrists, so the half-demon couldn't go wildly swinging his sword anymore. "Let me go!"
"What's the matter?" The male demon taunted, Shunran giggling in the background.
Karan smirked, walking over until she was standing beside Inuyasha's head, palms alight with flames. Tōran sheathed her sword, looking quite pleased by her siblings teamwork, blue eyes flashing dangerously as she stared down at Inuyasha.
Shūran added more pressure, leaning down with a smug grin. "Can't you use your sword like this?"
That was when they could hear the footsteps.
They barely turned in time to see Sesshōmaru swinging the tōkijin, a large blast of energy surging outwards and exploding upon impact- tearing apart the buildings around them and sending everyone crash landing into debris. Had he aimed his blast any lower, Sesshōmaru would have taken out all the demons and Inuyasha.
And though the half-demon was now freed from his spot on the ground and was no longer pinned, he still had to push all the rubble off his form, body aching just slightly as he moved. A small groan escaped his lips, Inuyasha blinking a couple times and looking up when he heard his half-brother approaching him. Inuyasha noted that the tōkijin was glowing with an ominous blue light, Sesshōmaru's cold stare boring deep into his own frustrated one.
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, glaring. "I told you not to interrupt!"
"Stay there where you are." The demon lord ordered, angered eyes betraying the calm exterior he wore. "These demons belong to me."
"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed, forcing himself up onto his feet. He leaned against tetsusaiga, holding the sword tightly with both hands. "Not this time. You're the one who'll have to back down!"
That was the wrong thing to say.
The half-demon's eyes widened when the tōkijin began to shake. Inuyasha barely had enough time to bring the tetsusaiga up to block the blow aimed at his face, Sesshōmaru's voice echoing through the air like a sharp dagger, cutting clean and deep into his bones.
"Enough!"
Demonic energy crackling and bearing down on him, Inuyasha had no choice but to use both hands to try and fend off the demon lord. Teeth gritting together, the teen pushed with all his strength and shouted, shoving the enraged tōkijin away.
"No chance!"
Footsteps pounding hard against the ground, Inuyasha swung.
"Outta my way!"
Sesshōmaru sidestepped the blow and watched the tetsusaiga slam against the earth, the half-demon too slow in his attacks against someone as experienced as him. From the background Jaken let out an exasperated sigh, sweat beading nervously down the sides of his face as he brought a clawed hand up to his forehead. "Why can't they just join forces instead of fighting each other!? It always ends up like this!"
They really were related. It was hard to tell sometimes, but when they both got caught up in situations like this it was very obvious; the two were extremely hot-headed and temperamental. They just had different ways of showing it.
Tōkijin and tetsusaiga clanged against each other, dirt being kicked up by Inuyasha's feet as he chased after Sesshōmaru whenever the demon lord dodged or blocked another attack. He was hardly attacking himself, merely avoiding Inuyasha's sloppy swings, and waited for his moment of opportunity to pin the half-demon once again, Inuyasha using both hands to hold up his blade as Sesshōmaru forced tōkijin down upon him.
"Back… down!" Inuyasha growled, heels digging painfully into the ground as he tried to keep his balance. Sesshōmaru merely stared at him, lips tilting downwards just slightly, voice low and expression dark.
"I don't need any help from you."
"Oh, yeah!?" Inuyasha bit out, managing to leap away before the tōkijin could break through his guard and slice him in half. The half-demon slumped his shoulders, breathing heavily, palms becoming a little sweaty. "Well, I didn't ask for yours either! I told you I came here to get Irene back, didn't I!? Fuck off!"
They two brothers were standing a short bit aways from the great panther demon general now, staring each other down as they threatened to go back into another fight. The general let out a hungry roar, clawing at the ground and begging for blood. Karan and her siblings watched Inuyasha and Sesshōmaru, eyes wide with shock.
"A-Are they both out of their minds?" The fire user asked, eyebrows rising high on her face.
"It's hard to believe they're brothers!" Shunran exclaimed, hands curled closed to her chest. "Are they really the sons of the dog general?"
Shūran blinked, shaking his head, gaping at them. "What in the world are they thinking?"
"If they're fighting each other," Tōran began, thoughts running wild as she tried to figure out what was wrong with their family, "that means we must stay united."
Suddenly an idea struck her. Tōran leaned forward, a grin spreading across her lips.
"Let's combine our powers- and strike them all at once while they're distracted!"
Her siblings seemed to like that idea, all sharing similar smiles and mischievous stares. Shunran giggled, "Alright, let's do it!"
"Yeah!" Shūran stood up straight.
He flexed his arms, electricity flickering around his large form, wrapping around the whirlwind of flowers that was starting to spin around them. Karan cackled loudly, the flames that were enveloping her body being carried into the vortex of power, a blizzard soon joining as Tōran extended her arms out to her sides.
"This is gonna be great!" Karan cheered. "You guys ready?"
The spiral of energy and power flowed through the air above them, spinning and swirling about, reaching up to the sky. It was so large it caught the attention of the panther demon general, whose hungry eyes turned towards it. "G-Give… me life!"
"Yes, Master!" Tōran said, flashing him a smile over her shoulder. "Please, be patient! We shall offer you their souls in but a moment!"
The panther general's eyes flashed an acidic green, the demon lashing out with his decrepit claw angrily. "Give me your soul!" He roared, and the demoness yelped and ducked down, barely managing to avoid the incoming attack. Her eyes went wide and she whirled her head around in horror, hearing the pained screams of her beloved siblings.
Karan, Shunran, Shūran-
They had all been sliced apart by their master's claws, bellies and backs split wide open. Their powers left their bodies as they screamed, the life leaving them slowly as the panther general absorbed them, eating up their souls greedily. Tōran collapsed to her knees, shaking as her mind struggled to process what just happened.
"N-No… this isn't…" This isn't real. There was no way he actually did that. Her blue eyes drifted up to her master, stinging with the foreign sensation of tears. "H-How could you…?"
Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha finally ceased their fighting upon hearing the screams, turning to see the panther demon general regain his form. The vortex of powers he had inhaled seemed to swirl around him, his rotten skin gradually recovering and obtaining a more healthy complexion.
Fur sprouted from the flesh, muscle and sinew wrapping around his bones and strengthening him. The panther demon general seemed to get even larger in size, empty sockets becoming a nasty shade of yellow. Standing up, finally able to move decently on his own, the demon let out a bloodthirsty roar.
Inuyasha was horrified. "H-He just devoured his own kin…"
The demon focused his gaze on them, snarling as drool dripped from his lips. "Sons of the dog general… you're next." He seemed completely unbothered by the bodies of the clansmen he just slaughtered, not at all paying attention to Tōran as she hovered over her siblings bodies.
"This isn't real, this isn't real," She muttered, shakily reaching out and touching one of them, "this can't be…! Master wouldn't- no. No, no, no…"
Tōran could barely breathe. It was as if her lungs had forgotten how to work, struggling to intake oxygen as she gasped and choked back the strange sensation painfully building up in her throat. Anastasia had ran away and their master- in order to revive himself- killed Tōran's family. The one thing she had never thought could be stolen from her.
And now they were gone… just like that.
Was her master always this cruel? Did she just never notice?
Irene had warned her that this would happen… that foolish mortal said that their master would betray them, that he wouldn't recognize who they were anymore. She worked with spirits- she would know what would happen if they revived a vengeful soul! But because of her desire for revenge, to see her master again, Tōran let her siblings be killed like this. She failed them. Her beloved siblings…
Tōran hunched over, choking back a sob, air coming out in stuttered breaths.
The panther demon general turned, facing the two half-brothers with angry eyes. "Dogs…! You will now feel the full extent of my wrath!"
"I think it's about time you wake up from that dream you seem to be stuck in!" Inuyasha barked. "Maybe my sword can help you!?"
He leapt out of the way when the demon general swung, watching as Sesshōmaru took that opportunity to swing with tōkijin. The demon general roared as the energy crackled along his body and swung out his arm, nearly batting the demon lord away. Sesshōmaru avoided this easily, landing on his feet gracefully, and Inuyasha charged forward with a yell.
"I said outta my way!" The half-demon raised tetsusaiga high, demonic energy swirling around the blade and shooting outwards. Streaks of lightning shot outwards, reaching deep into the ground and tearing at its surroundings. "Wind Scaaar!"
Inuyasha grinned when he saw the attack connect, recollecting his stance and watching the demon be pushed back.
"Dead on."
Or… wait. Hold on- .
Inuyasha's eyes widened when he saw the smoke clear, the panther demon general totally unscathed. The demon chuckled at the teen, sharp teeth lined up in a terrifying smile. "No such luck."
…
It's warm.
It's warm and I can breathe, and someone has their arms wrapped around me. I can hear their heartbeat. This sensation… it's so familiar.
My eyelashes fluttered briefly, body struggling to wake up completely, and I realized a pair of hands were holding me upright. There was something almost heartwrenching about it, pulling at my emotions and causing an ache to form in my chest.
Slowly, though it hurt to do so, I opened my eyes and blinked away the grogginess, waiting until my vision cleared. I could see Sango kneeling down in front of me, nebulizer turned on with her holding the mouthpiece up to my face, the outlet machine a bit scratched in a few places.
"...ene?" I heard a voice say. It wasn't hers. "Irene!"
A small fox demon bounded up to me, tears in his green eyes, Shippō placing his little hands on my knees.
"You're awake! Oh, thank goodness- don't ever do that again, okay?" He sniffled, leaning forward and hugging my leg. "W-We were so scared! They took you away a-and then when we found you, y-you were all beat up and unconscious, a-and you were barely breathing, and we thought you were dead!"
I couldn't say anything in response. I felt so dazed and exhausted, I could only nod tiredly to his words, eyelids drooping once more. My right hand was trembling as I lifted it up, and it took all the remaining strength I had to rest it atop his head.
Shippō tensed, looking up at me with a quivering bottom lip. His fingers were pulling tightly at my shirt hem, the boy trying his darndest not to break down. He was… really worried about me, huh?
"Irene, a-are you gonna be okay?"
I couldn't speak. Sango took a deep breath and answered for me, not giving any room for doubt. "Of course she is, Shippō! This is Irene we're talking about."
"...Yes." That voice- I almost jumped at the sound of it, fear striking my heart momentarily as I lurched forward, head turning fearfully to stare behind me.
For a second I feared it was Anastasia ready to take my soul, to use Kanna or whatever spell she had up her sleeve to kill me, yet there was an actual face staring at me. A pale face covered with freckles, adorned with a pair of hazel green eyes. A brown starburst lined her pupils, proving only more as to who this person really was.
It was strange seeing this person's gaze so watery, but as she smiled at me I found I couldn't really care. "Irene will live."
Had Sango not been holding it up so I could breathe, the nebulizer mouthpiece would have fallen out of my lips.
"Ma…" My voice was so hoarse and raspy; it didn't sound like me at all. Yet I tried to speak anyway, legs numb and lungs throbbing. "M-Maria…?"
"Hey, there, short-stop." She greeted, doing her best to keep things casual. "It's been a while."
It was… really her.
Maria kept her arms wrapped around my waist, my back against her armored chest being what was holding me upright. Beside her, curled around us, was a large wolf that normally would have had me extremely paranoid and unsettled, but I didn't care. She was here.
Gods, how I wanted to whirl around and hug her so tight, to never let her go again, to make sure that this was actually reality. Unfortunately, my body had other plans and I coughed, slumping against her as Sango hurriedly made sure I was still intaking the medicine.
"So, if I understand this right..." Maria began, resting her head lightly against my own as she watched Sango and Shippō closely. "You guys are caring- ahem. You have been caring for Irene all this time? Lungs and all?"
"Yes!" Shippō nodded his head. He was sitting on my lap now, facing up to meet Maria's stare. "Inuyasha found her and took her to the village a while back, and we've been friends ever since! She's been really worried about you."
The woman tightened her grip just a little on my injured form, showing her protectiveness all the while making sure she didn't actually hurt me. "I see."
Miroku let out a heavy sigh, walking over with his staff on the ground. He sat down, looking just as exhausted as the rest of them. His clothes were completely shredded; the poor man's robe was barely clinging onto him, and Maria was surprised to note that they were covered in blood despite him having little wounds. "We've travelled all over the place, searching for you and the missing jewel shards."
Maria watched him set the staff down, the monk shifting to his knees. He continued to speak all the while, yet his actions earned him many strange looks from Sango and Shippō.
"Irene is a very dear friend of ours and so many times she has helped us in the past, yet when she needed it most…"
He pressed his palms to the ground, leaning over and bowing to Maria in apology, giving her his deepest respects. His eyebrows furrowed, a deep frown adorning his face.
"...we were unable to rescue her. It took an enemy of ours to free her from that barrier. I am… truly sorry. As her sister, I understand if you can never forgive us for putting her in such danger."
"M-Miroku..." Sango stammered, stunned, before pain flickered across her expression and she bowed her head as well. "I-yes… he's right. We failed to protect her. I failed to protect her. I want nothing more than to keep her safe, but… this still happened. I'm so sorry."
Shippō was startling to look a little freaked out, curling closer to my stomach and furiously blinking away tears. "W-We never meant for her to get kidnapped! W-We're always getting into danger and stuff, b-but nothing this bad has ever happened before! I-If it weren't for Anastasia, I bet those stupid cat demons wouldn't have even come after her!"
He tugged at my arm, trying to get me to react. I was silent, brain not quite focusing on anything. I was zoning out, despite my best attempts to listen.
"I-Irene, you've gotta be okay! Okay? Maria is here now! You're safe again!"
Suddenly the villagers started screaming, Kagome running over and calling out to the group before Maria could collect her thoughts and figure out how to respond to their apology.
"The panthers' master is alive!" The middle schooler cried, dashing over with a first-aid kit in her hands. She had been checking on all the people to make sure they were unharmed when the commotion began. "What do you think happened?"
Miroku sat up and turned, staring at the Panther General as it shot out some kind of electricity from his claws- towards what he could only assume to be Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha. "Irene is here, as well as the villagers, so where did he get a live sacrifice?"
Kōga snorted from beside Kirara, leaning against the cat demon with crossed arms. "Maybe he had some fresh dog meat?"
Kagome gasped, horrified. "Don't say things like that!"
Well, fuck. Maria thought, staring up at the giant creature in the distance and then down at me, who was on the verge of falling back asleep. This isn't going to be fun.
…
The panther demon general was more of a threat than either of the brothers would care to admit.
Their attacks did little to no damage, as if his body were made out of steel rather than flesh, and he held all three powers of Tōran's deceased siblings. On top of that, he also had his own natural ability- so he was giving them quite a bit of trouble.
It had gotten to the point where the demon detached his claws from his fingers and shot them outwards like bullets, five on one hand launching at Inuyasha and the other five soaring towards Sesshōmaru.
Inuyasha had managed to deflect four of them fairly decently before he got hit, losing his footing as the trajectory of the fifth one had been slightly off compared to the rest. The half-demon yelled as he was sent flying, crashing hard into a nearby broken building. Debris fell over him, leaving him struggling to get out.
Sesshōmaru, on the other hand, didn't have nearly as much trouble deflecting the projectile claws more as he was trying to deal damage- his tōkijin not leaving so much as a scratch on the panther demon.
In the middle of this Tōran remained hovered over her siblings, shielding their corpses with her body as best as she was able, knowing it was futile yet was too swallowed in her grief to let them go. She mourned them and watched as the half-brothers battled, Jaken hiding on the sidelines cheering on his lord. Batting away the final projectile Sesshōmaru lunged forward, approaching the demon with a growl.
"Perish!"
He made to swing the tōkijin, transferring even more of his power into the sword, yet it was still useless compared to the revived demon's unpenetrable body. The panther demon moved and slashed with the horn protruding out of his forehead, smacking Sesshōmaru hard on the front and sending him flying. Jaken let out a terrified shriek when he saw this, rushing over to check on him as his lord rarely got injured in battle.
Sometime mid-fall Sesshōmaru collected himself, flipping and landing on one knee, white pant leg and fur boa skidding across the dirty ground as the pressure from the blow forced him backwards.
"L-Lord Sesshōmaru!" Jaken wailed, stopping by his side. "Are you alright!?"
The panther demon laughed maliciously at their antics, amused by the half-brothers' attempts to defeat him. Raising his hands in the air, claws already having regenerated, he pointed at them. "You shall be my next victim, sons of the dog general! Your powers will be one with my flesh!"
Finally removing himself from the rubble, Inuyasha came running right up at the panther demon, angry battle cry giving away his position. The demon turned to see tetsusaiga right in his face, the blade doing no harm as Inuyasha flipped back from the recoil of the blow. Using the extra horns jutting out of the demon's skull as footholds, Inuyasha leapt from one to another as he delivered hit-after-hit, determined to do some kind of damage to this foe.
He wasn't sure why they weren't leaving any scratches, but he bet it had something to do with the jewel shards that were stuck in the demon's throat.
"L-Lord Sesshōmaru…?" Jaken stammered, frowning deeply. His lord still hadn't gotten back up yet, and the imp was starting to grow nervous. "M-M'lord, are you, um, perhaps… hm?"
The imp paused, seeing the expression that the man was wearing. The demon lord was actually starting to look irritated, his jaw tightening as his lips curled back, fangs starting to show themselves as anger rose to the surface. Sesshōmaru wanted that panther demon dead and yet none of his attacks were doing damage. It was starting to grate on his nerves.
"Curse him…" Sesshōmaru growled, eyes flicking upwards to glare at the demon, red starting to bleed into the sclera of his eyes.
Standing and sheathing the tōkijin, the brilliant gold of his iris shifted into a more vibrant shade of blue. His demonic aura began to leak out at an incredible rate, startling Jaken and causing the imp to take several steps back, fearing for his life as a wind started to swirl around his lord, the great dog demon undergoing what he only knew could be a transformation. Sesshōmaru's fangs grew longer and sharper, and the stripes on the sides of his face became more jagged and wild.
Sesshōmaru's features themselves began to become something less humanoid and more demonic, showing his true nature and form, and as he flexed his fingers as his claws became even more deadly the man suddenly halted.
His blue eyes drifted to the sword pulsating at his hip. It wasn't as aggressive as before, the tenseiga instead catching his attention with something more akin to a gentle suggestion. As he realized what it wanted, his eyes reverted back to their normal gold and he reeled back in his demonic aura, calming down considerably.
Tenseiga…
"You wish to be drawn again?"
This sword- it really made no sense to him. Just why did his father give it to him? He still didn't understand.
Sesshōmaru rested a hand upon tenseiga gently, looking up and watching as the panther demon sent Inuyasha flying with another hit. His mind was questioning this fight in all its entirety, wondering what tenseiga could possibly be planning to do, when suddenly he realized.
Closing his eyes and stepping forward, he inhaled deeply and proceeded to watch as the panther demon approached his half-brother's collapsed form.
Sensing his approach, the panther demon stopped and turned, looking at Sesshōmaru with big yellow eyes. The demon lord wasted no time in leaping up into the air, gripping the tenseiga and drawing it, eyes narrowed in on his targets. With the fang glowing a brilliant neon blue once more, Tōran, Inuyasha, and Jaken all observed in surprise as Sesshōmaru slashed through the air- seeming to cut through the demon and unleashing a blinding light.
"Wh-What was that?" Inuyasha gasped, staring from his spot on the ground. "The hell is…?"
His eyes flashed over to Jaken, seeing how the imp was shaking, and wondered if he knew what just happened. Then Inuyasha focused back on panther demon- who was frozen still as Sesshōmaru landed gracefully on the ground, the demon lord sheathing the tenseiga with a calm disposition. Snapping out of his surprise, the panther demon turned with an amused growl, snarling at Sesshōmaru.
"You can't harm me with that useless sword." He mocked. "It's blade is far too dull."
Sesshōmaru said nothing in response. He simply stood there as the demon approached, unperturbed as a large claw came his way.
Closing his eyes, he could hear the demon's scream as light erupted abruptly from his body, the souls of the deceased returning to their original bodies. As the demon collapsed a large gust of wind blew by, sending Sesshōmaru's long silver hair flowing with the breeze, his boa drifting at his side. The panther demon could be heard screaming, crying out and reaching towards the demon lord as he tried to make sense of the sudden events.
"M-My power…!" The demon wailed, body gradually degrading back into bones and rotting flesh. "What did you dooo!? My power… it's leaving me!"
The panther demon clawed weakly at the ground beside Sesshōmaru's form, trying to reach out towards him- as if killing him would solve his dilemma.
"G-Give it back… the souls…! Give me the souls!"
Sesshōmaru ignored him, calmly walking towards a stunned and very confused Inuyasha. "You finish him off with the tetsusaiga." He ordered, not sparing him so much as a glance as he continued on his way.
Inuyasha huffed at his brother and swung his blade over his shoulder, scowling. "Like I need you to tell me what to do."
Honestly, he couldn't stand that bastard. The only reason he hasn't lashed out and killed him yet was because of a promise he made to a friend- that was all. Sesshōmaru can go rot in hell for all he cared, but this was about survival. He would never "help" him. Heck, you could barely even call this "working together".
Still… that bastard did do something to weaken the panther demon. The least Inuyasha can do now is get back the jewel shards, so that they don't have to deal with this monster ever again. He needed to get back to his friends- he has to make sure Irene is alive.
The scent of her blood is everywhere.
And that was only making things worse, as the monster before them could smell it. The panther demon general stumbled forward in a blind rage, swinging his claws about in his desperation to take a life. "G-Give me a soooouuul!"
Tōran panicked and formed a spear of ice in her hand should he come near her siblings bodies, but before he could Inuyasha intervened.
"Get wrecked, ya big nasty." He insulted, swinging tetsusaiga high as it swirled with demonic energy. "Wind Scaaaaaaar!"
The wind and demonic energy twisted through the air, several large streaks of bright lightning shooting outwards and tearing into the earth, ripping through the corpse of the panther demon general. Hitting him dead on, the demon was sent sprawling onto his back, arms and legs deteriorating into nothing.
Inuyasha waited until the smoke cleared to make his way over, hopping onto the undead corpse's armored torso and approaching its neck.
"B-Blood…" The demon gurgled, gazing at Inuyasha with starving eyes. "...give it… to me…"
The half-demon met his stare coldly, not saying a word as he shoved the tetsusaiga into the corpse's throat. Yanking it out, the jewel shards came flying and he quickly caught them, letting out a small sigh of relief as he held them in the palm of his hand.
He glanced down at Tōran, grinning slightly. "Hope ya don't mind, but I'm taking these back. Thanks."
She tightened her grip on her spear of ice, several pained emotions flashing through her eyes, and she looked like she was contemplating attacking him when suddenly she heard a groan.
Surprise flashing across her face, she whirled around to see Shūran groggily open his eyes, his chest rising-and-falling without warning as he was revived.
He saw Tōran watching him and stared, confused. "T… Tōran?"
Shunran, from her spot across her brother's stomach, blinked. Her big green eyes were full of life. "What is… going on?"
The third sibling, Karan, shot up onto her knees with a loud gasp, red orbs wide as she looked around frantically, trying to make sense of what was going on. Karan looked as though she had just had a nightmare.
Tōran seemed to choke on air, the emotion in her chest swelling up and nearly overwhelming her. The spear in her hand dropped to the ground and disintegrated, the demoness bringing a hand up to her lips. "Y… You're all alive?"
Her words slowly reaching them, the trio began to move, Shūran and Shunran sitting up while Karan stumbled up onto her feet in an attempt to stand. "Wh-What in the hell… just happened to us?"
"Yeah," Their brother agreed, stunned, "I was… I was sure the master had killed us all."
Shunran hung her head, resting on her knees as she brought a hand up to her stomach- which had been torn open moments before. "That… did happen, didn't it? I remember that, too. But… if we're here then… did someone save us?"
"It was none other than Lord Sesshōmaru!"
The siblings stopped talking when Jaken marched up, his nasally voice catching their attention. Inuyasha plopped down on the chest of the new corpse, crossing his legs and watching in silence as the reunion took place. He wanted to know just as much as the rest of them what the heck his brother did that revived them; he wasn't supposed to have the heart to bring others back to life, after all, so this was a really weird situation.
"Your own master took your lives," Jaken continued, explaining very seriously what occurred, "but Lord Sesshōmaru used his sword, the tenseiga, to bring you back to life!"
Tōran sat there in shock, eyes growing wide. "He… saved them?"
Karan, on the other hand, didn't seem quite as grateful. Anger lit up her expression and she grit her teeth, looking ready to fight. "That mutt did?"
"How about a show of gratitude!?" Jaken snapped. The siblings blinked and watched as the imp turned around, trying to locate his master. "Isn't that right, Lord Sesshōma-huh? Where'd he go?"
Jaken spun in a circle for a moment, trying to locate him, before his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. He quickly took off, chasing after the demon lord.
"Oh, please don't leave me behind again! Wait for me, M'lord!"
The siblings stared after them, not quite sure how to react or feel about this new information. The four demons glanced at each other, pondering their next course of action, and Tōran was just about to speak up when Inuyasha suddenly cut her off, speaking up from behind them from his spot on their master's corpse.
"So," He began casually, sword slung lazily over his shoulder, "wanna pick up where we left off? What do you think you should do now?"
Tōran's eyes were filled with so much emotion; uncertainty and confusion, gratitude and disbelief, joy and sadness. They all mixed together, messing with her in a way she's never felt before. In all her centuries of living, this kind of thing never happened to her. Closing her eyes, Tōran let a small smile spread across her lips.
"No…" She said softly, glancing at her siblings with a gentle expression, "we shall return to the west where we belong."
They've never looked more alive in her eyes. Skin so full of color, hearts beating out of time with another. Love and warmth flooded through her, filling her with such gratitude.
"Our war is finished." Tōran declared, seeing the concern her siblings were wearing. She glanced back at Inuyasha. "There's no more reason for us to seek our revenge. You brothers have done us a great service."
Inuyasha began to stand, sheathing the tetsusaiga.
"You can tell Sesshōmaru I said that."
The half-demon huffed at those words, hopping down from the giant corpse. "We're not exactly a close-knit family, if you know what I mean."
Tōran chuckled at that. "Just tell him the next time you see him, and…"
Inuyasha paused, glancing over his shoulder when she made to speak again. Tōran's expression was an indescribable one, though the teen felt no ill will coming from her. If anything, as she looked back at her siblings one more time and then focused on him, he'd dare say she looked almost… guilty.
"If it's alright with you, I would like to speak with Irene one more time. There's something we must discuss."
…
Day was breaking.
Curled up against Kirara, burrowed under a thick blanket with Shippō sleeping near my chest, I could feel the light peering in through my eyelids, forcing me to awaken.
I wasn't quite sure when I had passed out, as the last time I had been awake it was still in the middle of the night, but now the sun was rising and the majority of the villagers were bustling about quietly- getting to work in trying to pick up the damage that had occurred to the town.
At first I was afraid, seeing some of the less-humanoid panther demons and thinking we were under attack, until I realized that the demons were actually helping out. They were keeping their distance, as the humans were very much scared and wary of them, and a lot of whispering could be heard, but they helped.
They carried the larger and heavier debris, getting them out of the way so actual progress could be made. It was… strange.
I was very confused over what happened and, for a moment, I thought I was dreaming. I would have actually believed that this was a dream had it not been for the intense pain flooding through me, lungs burning and throat simultaneously raw and parched.
Moving was also a challenge, and with Shippō so close I didn't want to risk waking him. A part of me also just… wanted to stay still.
Relaxing against Kirara's fur and closing my eyes, I focused on breathing- on basking in this momentary sense of security. It was so quiet, so peaceful… it made me wonder how the final battle played out. I was saved- somehow- and I guess the panther demons had a change of heart? Probably got some sense beat into them by Inuyasha.
Oh gods, the others-! My eyes snapped back open and I sat up, cringing and wrapping an arm around my stomach quickly. Frick, frick, ow…
Euuugh, that was not good. Easy. Breathe.
In-and-out. Stay calm.
Shippō stirred a little at my side, but he didn't wake. Kirara was deep in slumber. Looking around with blurry vision, I could make out shapes- globs of color that slowly started to take proper form as I squinted, pupils adjusting to the lighting. I could see Kagome next to a dead campfire, the girl burrowed in a sleeping bag, with Hakkaku and Ginta sleeping nearby as if to guard her.
Beside her, curled up next to a very large wolf, was…
Maria.
She's… really here. I feel like I already knew this, but still- to see her…
I'm so glad you're safe…
Thank goodness. I wanted to walk over and wake her up, to talk to her, to see her face and ensure that it was her that was there- but I didn't.
I sniffled a little, feeling my nose start to run as the tears worked their way back up, and I swallowed down the lump in my throat. Everything hurt like hell, but at least everyone seemed to be okay. All these people were sleeping with such peaceful expressions on their faces.
This felt like the longest battle yet, not to mention the most stressful one. I can only imagine how exhausted everyone is. And I…
I really needed to use my inhalers again. Damn it.
Seriously, what happened though? Were Tōran and her siblings still alive? I assume they failed to revive their master since I'm still here, so… were they just trying to make up for all the damage they caused to this village? I'm so lost.
I had no idea what happened prior to Shūran throwing me into Tōran's arms, so everything between that conversation with her to me waking up here is a great big blank. Panic was even starting to take place of the small tranquility I felt.
Making sure not to disturb Shippō, Kirara, or even Sango, I grit my teeth and moved, pulling the blanket off slowly and staggering onto my feet. Wheezing a little as I stumbled sideways, I dragged my feet over to a familiar neon yellow backpack that was only a few feet away.
Opening it and rummaging inside, I was surprised to find the portable outlet and nebulizer inside- as normally it was the blue backpack Kagome kept it in. Deeper inside I found several water bottles, and I took the liberty of chugging one.
I muffled my coughs by shoving my face into my elbow, breathing uneven, but frick man- it was intense. Augh. Rubbing my chest lightly, trying to ease some of the pain, I used my inhalers next. That only made me dizzier and cough even more, as I had to hold my breath to ensure the medicine made its way into my lungs.
Once I had somewhat recovered I crawled over to a nearby bush where no one would see me, nature calling after having been imprisoned for almost an entire day. Once that was done, I crawled back over to the backpack- used some hand sanitizer, drank some more water, and collapsed.
I was so freaking hungry; it was taking all my self control not to eat up whatever Kagome had packed inside. Leaning onto the neon backpack I closed my eyes, waiting for the pounding in my skull to stop as I gradually started to drift back into sleep. Yesterday was just way too much and…
Oh. Wait, what just happened?
For a moment everything had gone dark and when I opened my eyes again it was evening time, my face resting sideways in the crook of my arm, a pair of big amber eyes gazing at me in concern. That person wasn't there a second ago… was he?
I blinked, confused. "I-Inu...yasha?"
"Hey."
"...You made it."
That was really all I could say. I knew he and the others came to rescue me; it would be against their personalities to not do so. They were such kind people and… we were a team. A group. Friends. No one ever got left behind. And yet- the guilt was still there. They were put through so much to help me.
Inuyasha leaned over, squatting down with his knuckles pressed against the ground, and a scowl formed on his face.
"What?" He grouched. "Did you seriously think I'd let those assholes kill you?"
A weak chuckle escaped my lips at that. "N-No, I just… I'm glad."
Inuyasha blinked, having not expected that response. I yawned and rested my head back on my arms, finding this bumpy backpack quite comfortable.
"I was… really scared…"
The half-demon said nothing, staring for a moment before folding his hands into his kimono sleeves. His amber eyes darted out to the side, then turned back to me. "I kinda figured. You always freak out over the smallest thing. Honestly, you're such a scaredy-cat sometimes."
Heh… yeah. I really am. Inuyasha, hearing my silence, let out an exasperated sigh and plopped down on his rear, leaning back with his palms pressed against the ground.
"You're such a pain, you know that?" He said. I remained silent, eyes becoming half-lidded as I stared solemnly into nothing, merely listening to the lecture that I knew was coming. "Do you know how much trouble we went through to get you back? Like honestly; it should be a full-time job at this point! I'm gonna have to start charging you fees if you keep this up."
I didn't respond at first, knowing that anything I could say would only anger him as it would mostly be apologies. I didn't understand why he hated them so much, but I guess it was because I always apologized too often. It was a hard habit to break. "...Okay."
That was the only thing I could think of. It seemed neutral enough and it wasn't an apology, so it should placate him. I sort of deserved the scolding anyway, considering all the danger everyone got put in because of me. I can still remember Miroku's burned form, the monk nearly having died a few hours ago due to a certain demon's lightning powers.
"I still have the money from those people, so…" My voice was dull, tired, and hoarse. Speaking was still so painful. "You can have it. I never used it, so-"
"That's not the point!" Inuyasha suddenly snapped.
I blinked, nearly jumping had I not been so exhausted. I raised my head up, staring at the half-demon as he glared at me. His eyes were so expressive; the rage on his face was plain to see, but his amber orbs were… different. Worried.
"Do you always have to take everything so seriously?" He demanded. "I'm sayin' you should thank me, damn it!"
"...Oh. Oh! Ooh…"
That made sense. Inuyasha watched as the realization dawned on me and he groaned, hanging his head. "You're a fucking moron, Irene. I swear."
Instead of being offended or hurt, I actually found my heart becoming lighter at those words. A trembling smile formed its way onto my lips, a weak yet genuine chuckle escaping me. "Sorry."
My eyes widened.
"Oops. Sorry. Ack-" I bit my tongue, flinching as I kept accidentally apologizing. Inuyasha sighed and shifted all his weight back onto his feet, staring at me with a small grin as I brought my bloodied, bandaged hands up to my mouth. "I-I can't… um, words."
"You're fine." He then raised a finger, pointing it at me in a warning. "This time only, though. I'm sick of you apologizing all the time. Say thank you instead. It's less annoying."
Ah. I guess that's a good point. Still...
I lowered my head. It was my fault everyone got strung along into this mess; I had to take responsibility, didn't I?
I sniffled, lowering my hands down to my very sore and aching throat. Inuyasha followed my movement closely, but didn't speak a word. He merely watched. "Thanks for… saving me. Thank you."
I was seriously very scared. My lips curled back, heart swelling up with emotion once more. I squeezed my eyes shut, ducking down as I tried to strangle the sob that was building up. Body shivering as a breeze blew by, I coughed and sniffled, fighting the urge to start bawling then and there. My poor lungs were stressed enough.
Frick, nope- oh gods, yup, I'm crying. Damn it. I hiccuped into my arms, starting to sob as I muttered "thank you" over and over again. Inuyasha looked like a deer-in-the-headlights, very much not prepared for this sort of situation.
"W-Why are you- okay. You know what? I give up. I can never tell with you." He huffed, awkwardly patting me on the back as if that would fix everything. "Just… let it out, I guess? It's okay."
But… it really isn't. Nothing is okay.
I'm not okay.
All this time I've been telling myself that I was fine, that everything was going to be fine. But it couldn't have been further from the truth. From the moment my lung problems started years ago I had become a liar, withdrawing myself and distancing myself from the pain and the sheer terror that my severe asthma brought me.
I was terrified of death; I was scared of it more than anything and I knew- I just knew- that it was going to come for me soon. I can feel it.
Deep in my chest, in my heart and in my aching lungs. It was a warning.
And I was a coward; a deciever who doesn't even know what she did to obtain such wonderful friends. And because of me, who was so sickly and weak I couldn't do anything on my own, they had ended up getting badly hurt. They were thrust into danger they should have never been in, risking their lives trying to save me. Someone who was going to die soon anyway.
I just…
I'm to the point where I'm not even sure if I want to go home anymore. All I want is my big sister.
I want a moment of peace with her and my friends, and a day to relax in Kaede's village. All this stress and all these emotions were just too much for me; it felt like I was suffocating, being pulled beneath the surface as more and more pressure overloaded on top of me. My body didn't want to move.
"Inuyasha?" A voice suddenly appeared from the right and, hearing the familiar jingling of rings, I knew it to be Miroku.
Blinking fiercely as I quietly sobbed, doing my best to muffle the painful hiccups, I forced my head to turn so I could look at the monk. He was dressed in a white juban, torn robes most likely put away until they could be mended, and he was carrying his staff at his side.
His indigo eyes widened when he saw us. "Irene! Are you okay?"
He hurried over, kneeling down and hovering a hand in the air.
"Are you in pain?" Miroku asked worriedly, eyebrows furrowing together. "Shūran and Anastasia didn't hurt you too badly, did they? Is there anything we can do?"
His hand barely touched my shoulder before I was clinging to him, wrapping my arms weakly around his waist as I cried into his chest. It was my fault he had gotten burned as badly as he did earlier; it was my fault all of this had happened.
Miroku and Inuyasha were both startled by my behavior, as the monk was typically the one person I avoided getting too physically close to due to his perverted tendencies, but at the moment I just didn't care. I was scared, and guilt-ridden, and terrified, and I really didn't want to die or see any of them die.
My heart just… can't handle another death.
I don't think my body could withstand the heartbreak either. If Naraku and Anastasia went so far as to interact with the Panther Demon Tribe to get my soul, who could tell what they'd aim for next? Would they attack Kaede's village again? What about Maria? They could decide to go after her instead, like they had originally planned, though use her as bait instead to get me to give up my soul to them. They wanted the Shikigami, after all, for whatever reason.
My fingers dug into the white cloth, teeth grinding tightly together as I hugged Miroku tight. "I'm sorry…!"
You all went through so much trouble to save me. If this happens again your kindness might just be in vain, as I probably won't even survive the encounter.
"I-I'm sorry…"
Miroku, recovering from the initial shock of me actually embracing him, relaxed. He set the buddhist staff down and wrapped his arms around me, for once respecting my boundaries and holding me close, allowing me to cry and apologize all I needed. He knew I needed this; he knew I needed a hug.
As much of a creep he could be, he was also a friend. A good one- who knew when to be serious. Placing a hand on the back of my head, his other wrapped carefully around my shoulders.
"We're here, Irene," He murmured, "it's okay."
But I might not be here soon.
And that's what scared me most.
If you guys went through all this effort to get me back, who worried so much over me, how would you react to my death…?
Miroku smiled sadly at me as I sobbed, hiccups and harsh coughs being the only sounds to escape at this point. Inuyasha blinked and awkwardly looked away, not quite sure what to do in this situation as I failed to calm down, the waterworks still flowing.
The half-demon's eyes widened when he saw someone approaching, the person's footsteps light. The voice that spoke had me jolt, brain somehow still half-convinced it was the villain that wanted my soul rather than the person I had been searching so long for.
"Irene…"
I hiccuped and pulled away from the monk, looking at Maria with big eyes. With the softest of expressions, she held her arms out. Seeing the way I was about to topple over when I tried to stand, Miroku kept his hands on my shoulders to hold me steady. With a shaky breath, I turned towards Maria and stumbled blindly towards her, ignoring the way my numb legs seemed ready to give out and how my lungs and raw throat were screaming at me.
With a strangled cry I collapsed against her chest, arms wrapping around her waist and my head bumping against her chest armor. "M… Maria-!"
Her hands wrapped gingerly around my broken form, fingers slowly running through the short strands of my hand as her nails raked lightly against my back in an all-too-familiar comforting fashion. "I've missed you so much," She whispered, "don't ever disappear on me again."
It's really her. I knew she was here; I saw her earlier, but still…
It felt like a dream. This peacefulness felt like it couldn't be real. "I-I love you… so much…"
"I love you, too." She held tighter. My older sister- she truly existed. Maria was alive. "Come on, let's go get you to some place to rest. You look like hell."
I almost snorted at that, voice caught on the back of my tongue somewhere. "F… Feels… like it."
Wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling one of my own over her shoulders, she allowed me to slump against her, eyes sliding shut wearily as sleep tried to take me once. We were walking, spots overtaking my vision as my skull only throbbed more, and I had went to close my eyes just momentarily to blink- but then everything was going sideways, night had fallen, and I was curled up against Kirara by myself, lying within the remains of the mostly-standing huts.
I was both burning and cold, fever running high, clothes clinging to sweaty skin as I struggled to breathe normally. A wet rag rested on my forehead, though later it felt like it was replaced with a hand- smooth yet cold as ice.
Someone was humming.
Another hand, warmer, gripped my own bandaged ones. I was suffocating. Voices were murmuring, talking, arguing. People were audibly upset. The room felt like it was on fire, the temperature was so high. I felt so dizzy and gross, and oxygen was barely getting into my lungs.
Later, though my vision was still clouded in darkness, I could feel something dabbing at my face- a cloth wiping away the beads of sweat and dry blood, trying to cool my fever down. I remember sitting up at one point, though I can't recall how, and having a bowl lifted up to my lips.
The worst kind of flavor touched my tongue.
I almost hurled. I think… I might have heard Inuyasha's voice yelling at me when that happened. It was a bit of a blur.
Finally, though, I found myself curled up on my side, huddled under several blankets on a futon, Shippō and Kirara (in her smaller form) curled up near my front. I wheezed and groggily opened my eyes, blinking several times and letting my vision slowly adjust.
I still had quite the headache and my chest felt awful, but my throat was… a lot nicer than before. A pair of cold hands patted my shoulder and were then helping me sit up, somehow managing to not disturb the sleeping demons, and my tired body leaned against the chest of the woman helping me.
"Easy now…" Tōran said softly. "Don't strain yourself. Your fever just broke."
She pressed a cup to my lips.
"Drink."
This felt… like deja vu. Not protesting or fighting back, I submitted to the order and tilted my head back, allowing Tōran to feed me whatever strange concoction was in the glass. A pleased smile graced her beautiful face, long blue strands of hair falling around her shoulders. The drink was bitter and disgusting, and it only made me yearn more for something to eat.
"Good. You're learning. Shūran will be back shortly with the monk and the half-demon; they went hunting a few hours ago with several of the villagers to find some food. You're quite lucky, you know- having so many people caring for you…"
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up.
Did she just say Shūran was with Inuyasha and Miroku? That didn't make any sense. What the heck is Tōran even doing here, anyway?
I know I saw the panther demons earlier helping out the villagers, but… oh, gods, I'm still so confused. I have no idea what's happening. I don't think they're our enemies anymore, but the very thought of Shūran sent fear coursing through me and I wanted to get as far away as possible. I could still remember the way he tried to strangle me with his bare hands.
Alarm washed over me and I straightened, looking around the room frantically as I tried to figure out where exactly we were. It was definitely one of the huts that had been partially standing after all the destruction, yet all I could see were the trio of demons in the room with me.
I know I saw everyone earlier, but… where were they now?
"Breathe, human," Tōran said, pressing her left hand to my chest- which I just now realized was covered in a white juban, my sweater and jeans gone once again, "relax. Everything is alright. You are in no danger and neither are your friends. The war is over- and my clan no longer seeks vengeance."
I glanced at her out of the corner of my eyes, panicked. "Wh-What happened? Wh… Where is everyone? Inuyasha… you said- why? What?"
I don't understand.
Tōran chuckled at my baffled and dazed expression, finding me as amusing as ever. "A lot has happened since you were put under the spell for sacrifice. You've awoken only a couple times since then, but I suppose for a human such as yourself one's memory isn't quite… as efficient. Things will be explained in due time; I promise you that, Irene. Just relax and focus on recovering. It will all make sense soon."
"I… um…" My eyebrows knitted together. "O-Okay…?"
She laughed at me. The hand that was on my chest curled up around my neck, which I noticed didn't sting with bruises anymore when touched. Had she been-
Had Tōran been using her powers to help heal the damage Shūran inflicted upon me?
Arm wrapping around my shoulders, the woman pulled me forward and I blinked when I found myself being embraced. Her long blue hair tickled my face and it took everything I had not to sneeze, the demoness resting her face in the crook of my neck.
Tōran was so much taller than me, and I wasn't quite sure why she was doing so, but I decided it was probably best to just go along with it if I didn't want to wind up dead, especially since she was being so weirdly nice to me now.
I mean, she had always been kind of nice-ish out of the group of panther siblings, but like… she was still plotting to kill me back then. She was only being nice to keep me alive for sacrifice.
Now she was… hugging me so intimately.
"You're such a ridiculous human," Tōran whispered, voice soft and quiet in my ear, almost muffled due to the fabric of the juban I was wearing, "going so far as to try and spare your enemies heartache…"
I sat there awkwardly, not quite sure what to do as I was hugged by this woman, arms tired yet feeling like I should do something to reciprocate somehow. After a few seconds I raised my hands up, resting my palms against her lower back. Tōran smelled like flowers and cold winter air- almost painful to my lungs, which were so very sensitive to temperature, yet somehow pleasant all the same.
Her grip tightened and I tensed, feeling her fingers dig into my shoulder blades. I flinched a little, wondering if I had bruises there from how Shūran had slammed me into the wall before.
"So foolish…"
Tōran inhaled deeply, holding me for one moment more and giving my body another squeeze, before she relaxed and pulled back halfway. She smiled down at me, blue eyes the gentlest I had ever seen them. Her hands rested on my shoulders, helping keep me upright all the while giving me some space.
"I will never understand you."
Oh.
I blinked, dumbfounded and still not quite understanding what was going on. All I knew was that I don't think I should be scared of her anymore, not that I really was. It was her brother and sisters that freaked me out. "I, um… I think that's a good thing? I'm a pretty messed up person."
She laughed at that. It was a strangely pleasant sound and, though I'm unsure as to why or how, I had a feeling I was making a new friend. "Is that so? Somehow I have trouble believing that; you seem far too nice for your own good."
I scrunched my nose up at that, making another weird face. "I'm starting to think that's everyone's favorite line."
Tōran raised a hand up, pressing an index finger to the tip of my nose and causing me to recoil from shock. I did not like things going near my face and her hand was super cold. "Considering who your friends are, I can see that. They were utterly furious with you the past few days."
"...Days? Days? How long was I out!?"
A groan suddenly cut me off, Shippō rising from his slumber as he pressed a tiny hand against his ear.
"You're so loud, Irene…" His eyes snapped open then, realizing at once what he just said, and he shot up into a sitting position. Kirara mewed, scared awake by his actions, and the cat demon stood- shaking her rear to fluff out her flattened fur. "Irene, you're okay!"
"I mean, I guess? Kinda? Not really? Lungs still hurt, but I can talk now?" I shook my head incredulously, looking back-and-forth between Shippō and Tōran. "What the frick happened? I'm so confused! I need details!"
"Oooh, yeah, you wouldn't know would you?" I raised my eyebrows at him. He hopped over, climbing between Tōran's arms like she was some kind of old friend, the fox demon placing himself on my shoulder with a hand resting on the top of my head. "The war ended about four days ago. You've been asleep for almost a whole week, Irene!"
Holy frick. My eyes only grew wide as I listened to the rest of his explanation.
"Tōran and the other panther demons have been helping us and the villagers out, though the humans are still kinda scared of them, and that's not even mentioning Kōga's gang! It's been pretty crazy while you've been sleeping."
"So… what?" That only answered some questions. "You guys are just friends now?"
"I wouldn't say that," Tōran responded, grin still resting on her face, "but we aren't enemies anymore. I had wanted to talk with you before we left back to the west, but you had fallen ill. We had to wait for you to recover."
"...Oh. I-I'm sorry." I lowered my head, guilt washing over me like a wave. "What'd you want to talk about?"
Tōran shook her head. "It's already been said and done."
Hah? She grinned wider when she saw my face. I don't get it.
Tōran pat my cheek, chuckling. "Don't worry about it, human. Although…" She sighed. "I feel like I'm going to miss you. You've made quite an impact in the short time we've known each other. It's a shame."
I'm not sure how I should react to that.
Thankfully, I wouldn't have to- because the door to the room slid open then. Kagome, whose eyes went wide, and then the door slammed shut and she was shouting- calling out to the others. There was the sound of several footsteps, and then Maria was dashing into the room, Sango right behind her.
Both women cried out at the same time, startling me. "Irene!"
"H-Hey!" I greeted awkwardly, unsure of what to say. "How's it going?"
My memory was a haze, but I distinctly remember clinging and crying to Maria. I think I also did so to Miroku and maybe Inuyasha? Frick, that's weird. I was really messed up from the other day's events.
Maria knelt down beside me, Sango standing behind her with a hand curled up to her chest, the teenager looking like she was uncertain of how to behave now that Maria was here.
I looked at the two, wondering what was going on. "Um, so, Tōran's totally a friend now, I guess? That's what I'm understanding from all this."
The female demon looked down at me, surprised by my wording, though the smile never fell from her face. Maria frowned. "Friend?"
"Y-Yeah? She's not an enemy anymore, right? So she's a friend." I made a face at that, recalling several previous situations. "This is… the fourth time I've befriended the enemy?"
I held up my bandaged fingers as I started to count, leaning my head back. The more I spoke, the more stunned my sister seemed.
"There was Akebi village, then… Kasasagi Town. Ah- I guess Kaede's village counts, too, since a lot of people didn't like me when I first arrived. There's also the castle town where I met Sesshōmaru, who was pretty nice to me then, but we're not really friends… and now there's Tōran?"
I looked up at the winter demoness, beaming up at her brightly. She blinked. Seeing that she didn't refute my claim, I looked back at my sister and all my friends.
"The panther demons were all helping out with the village clean up, too, right? Tōran said her siblings went hunting with Inuyasha and Miroku. That means we're friends now!"
"You…" Maria began before trailing off, shaking her head. She switched her voice, though it was so abrupt it took my brain a second to notice she was using our native tongue. "No, forget that. How are you speaking their language so well? I'm still learning, and I knew a hell lot more of it than you did!"
"Ah, that's…"
Frick. Wait. How do I speak English again? My brows furrowed and I stammered over my words, having to really focus on the way I moved my mouth. The rebound had me speaking Japanese so naturally for so long, I almost forgot.
"I-I'm… well, it's… a long story."
"Explain."
I glanced at everyone else in the room, hesitant. It wasn't exactly a secret. Carefully leaning down, I grabbed at the blanket and pulled, sticking out my left leg. Thanks to the juban I was wearing, it was easily exposed, and Maria and Tōran both stared at the pentagram scar with surprise.
That was when Maria reached out, eyebrows knitting together and her lips tilting into a frown. She ran her fingers gingerly against the burned flesh. "This looks like… that sigil we saw…"
"That's because it is." I went back to speaking Japanese, wanting everyone to at least understand half the conversation. "I wasn't supposed to be here. The spell tried to get rid of me, but… it didn't work. It connected me to the caster, which is why I can speak the language."
At least, that was my understanding of it. It was a little curious that I could still speak my home language, but considering that Anastasia isn't exactly a Japanese name… it makes sense. She probably wasn't from this country. That still begs the question as to why she wanted my sister at first before switching to me though.
I know now that it's the spirits she wants, and to do that she needs my living soul…
But there's more to it. I know it. Maria doesn't have a connection to the Shikigami while I do, and when we were first summoned it was her that woman wanted. Why? The more answers I get, the more questions form. Damn it.
I should have asked Anastasia about it when she came to the cell earlier.
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We're finally getting to the juicy bits of the plot. Mwahaha~
