Chapter Thirty-Three
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Onward!
"Is that all the power that you can muster?" Sesshomaru taunts, Inuyasha clearly struggling as the very air around them sparked with their clashing energies. Sesshomaru's real hand reaches around, his claws glowing green with poison as he swipes directly at Inuyasha's face. It effectively disengages them, and sends Inuyasha skidding back a few feet with the force of the hit.
"I see you've found another ugly arm for me to chop off, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha bites back, Tessaiga still firmly in his grip.
"Go ahead and try it." Sesshomaru challenges in a low voice, his tone holding a deadly promise. "This replacement arm will act as a shield against the Tessaiga." He adds, his new arm sparking with the residual energy of their collision. I frown in confusion at his statement.
What made this arm so special?
"That's a dragon's claw." Sango speaks up, her voice filled with awe. "A dragon's claw will have a great deal more power than a typical demon's." She goes on the explain, having seen the curious glance I had sent her over my shoulder. Sango's brown eyes narrowed, looking from me back to Sesshomaru. "I wonder how he's going to use that thing in battle?"
"Dragon's claw? Whatever. it doesn't look like it's going to do any better than the last arm." Inuyasha states confidently, having obviously heard Sango. "I've already taken a good chunk out of it with my sword!" Sesshomaru's response was chilling, a smirk slowly lifting at his lips.
"The Tessaiga is amazing." He agrees, his voice filled with reverence. "Despite not being welded by it's true owner its power is still formidable. However, it refuses to reveal the Wind Scar to the one that it has received as it's master."
'There is that term again. Wind Scar.' I frown as my brows furrow in thought. 'I wonder what this Wind Scar is, what it does?'
"Tessaiga," Sesshomaru calls out to the sword then, as if speaking to another person, "cut through the emptiness, and reveal your true power!" The dog demon beseeches the sword, before quieting as if waiting for a response.
Did something hit him too hard on the head during their battle yesterday?
"Ah, so Sesshomaru must be able to see the Wind Scar." Totosai comments from beside me.
"What is this Wind Scar you both keep going on about?" I ask, tearing my eyes away from the brothers to look towards the old man.
"In a nut shell, the Wind Scar is the secret to Tessaiga's ultimate power." Totosai looks towards me as he answers. "Slaying a hundred demons in one sweep would be virtually impossible unless you can see the Wind Scar." My eyes widen as I turn to look towards Inuyasha once more, my gaze focusing on the blade in his hand.
'Back a Mushin's, when he had slain the hundred demons…I had felt Tessaiga's power spike. Inuyasha never mentioned seeing anything like a Wind Scar.' "So if Sesshomaru can see it, why can't you teach Inuyasha how to?" I ask, turning to look towards Totosai once more in question.
"Seeing the Wind Scar isn't something that can be taught." Totosai answers, my stomach sinking. "Inuyasha must discover it within himself."
Oh great. Self discovery…because Inuyasha excels at that.
"If he does not discover it in time, then he will surely die at his brother's hands." Totosai finishes ominously, my heart nearly stuttering to a stop hearing him.
"I won't let that happen." I answer firmly, my hands sparking with my energy. Totosai looks down, having obviously felt my aura as it beat against my control in continuous waves. A frown deepens on the old man's face before he looks back up at me.
"I'm afraid even your power, as great as it is, would fail to stop Sesshomaru if he captures the sword." The old man replies, sighing heavily as he turns back to look towards the brothers. My resolve hardens rather than wavers at Totosai's words, hands clenching tightly into fists.
Inuyasha was not going to die, not when I could do something to stop it.
Sesshomaru launches his next attack, making hit after hit against Tessaiga with his dragon arm as Inuyasha continues to be driven back. The claws clang against the sword, causing it to vibrate as Sesshomaru goes on with his relentless attack, Inuyasha retreating backwards with each blow. One swipe in particular forces the half-demon to fly backwards head over heels for dozens of feet. When he lands, the sword continues to vibrate.
"It's like the sword is crying." Sango murmurs from beside me, a troubled frown on her face like the rest of us.
"From what I can see, Sesshomaru is actually attacking the sword itself." Miroku solemnly observes.
"This is appalling!" Totosai cries out, sounding genuinely distraught. "He keeps hacking away at the sword, sending mighty waves of power rippling throughout the blade. Even the great Tessaiga will break under this pressure."
Ice cold fear washes over me like a giant wave as Sesshomaru charges Inuyasha once more, sending him flying again.
"Inuyasha!" Sango cries out, reaching back for her boomerang as she steps forward. The half demon notices the movement, narrowing his eyes at the Demon Slayer in warning.
"Don't interfere! I can kill Sesshomaru on my own!" He stubbornly declares, Sango clearly hesitating as Sesshomaru begins another merciless attack. Miroku comes to step up beside Sango, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"We have to remember that Inuyasha has tapped into the Tessaiga's full strength before. I know it was only once, but it proves that he is capable of doing it again." Miroku insists, and I feel myself warring internally at his words.
'He's right, but what if Inuyasha can't summon the power before Sesshomaru breaks the sword? What then? Why is Sesshomaru so hell bent on destroying Tessaiga anyway? Doesn't he want the sword for himself?' I can't help worrying, stomach rolling. In that moment Sesshomaru backs down, narrowing his eyes at the sword.
"Why won't you roar, Tessaiga?" He demands of the sword, sounding frustrated. "Then you can die along with your weak master." My eyes widen at that.
'So in his mind, if Sesshomaru can't have the sword, nobody can.' I realize. Sesshomaru charges once again as Inuyasha swings the sword uselessly down at him. The older half brother grabs onto the sword with his dragon claw as he had done before, but this time his natural hand comes around to land a solid punch directly onto Inuyasha's head. However, Sesshomaru hardly looks victorious at the direct hit.
Instead he looks confused and shocked.
'He hadn't been aiming for Inuyasha,' I realize, 'he had been aiming at the sword!' Sesshomaru uses his poison claws, sending Inuyasha backwards with a pained cry that cut straight through me in the worst of ways. When Inuyasha lands he rubs at his eyes, looking blankly ahead.
He was blind from the poison.
Without hesitation I create my bow and arrow out of my aura and point it directly at Sesshomaru.
"This time, if your woman interferes, I will not hesitate to end her as well."
The memory of Sesshomaru's promises resurfaces, but I let my arrow fly. It lands directly between the two brothers, causing Sesshomaru to leap away from Inuyasha only just before the explosion of power that followed. In the blinding light I lost track of the older brother.
Before stiffening as I hear Sesshomaru landing directly behind me.
With reflexes I honestly didn't think I had, I turn sharply and throw my barrier outwards just in time to block Sesshomaru's poison claws. Looking up towards his face through the barrier I see a look of utter annoyance on his face, and a spark of surprise in his golden eyes. He neither presses forward against my barrier with his hand, nor does he back away, our eyes locked on one and other's with the clear question hanging in the air between us.
Who would back down first?
'Well it sure as hell won't be me.' I think with a determined frown, pulsing my energy outwards just to show him that. It's so small that it's hardly noticeable, but the one corner of the dog demon's lips lifts at that. Just slightly. The tense silence gives me an opportunity to take in his features a little more closely. My eyes trace from his shadowed, golden eyes down to his regal nose and high cheekbones, the deep purple stripes resting just below them and the crescent moon on his forehead standing out starkly against his flawless pale skin.
The evil fucker was handsome, and he probably knew it too.
"Yua!" Inuyasha's shout finally breaks me from the near trance I am in, taking in the older brother's admittedly handsome face. "Sesshomaru, get away from her!" The possessive growl that Inuyasha makes from somewhere behind me vibrates through me almost violently, my whole body shuddering with the sensation.
'He can't see. How does he know what's happening?' I ask myself in confusion. In front of me Sesshomaru's mouth slackens slightly, his gaze darting from me to over my head, no doubt towards Inuyasha wherever he was behind me. His eyes are curious now, his hand dropping from against the barrier and the green of his claws fading away.
Then an all too familiar, evil smirk slowly overtakes his handsome face.
"Really, Inuyasha? It's one thing to play around with these creatures, but quite another to consider one your mate."
My back snaps straight so hard that I'm sure I felt a couple cracks, eyes widening as my mouth falls open in utter shock. 'What the hell did he just say?' I inwardly gasp, turning to look over my shoulder towards Inuyasha, his own eyes wide in shock as well, even as his mouth is tightening into an irritated scowl.
The faintest blush could be seen on the bridge of his nose.
I'm not sure if it was the shock at Sesshomaru's words, or the reaction that Inuyasha had to them, but in my distraction my barrier must have failed. No sooner had I been about to turn back towards Sesshomaru, then I felt his normal hand clamp down around my throat with just enough pressure to allow me air, but only enough to keep me on the edge of consciousness. It didn't take long with my racing heart for the edges of my vision to get blurry, Inuyasha's angered shout echoing on the outskirts of my consciousness.
"Now, do you see it, Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru murmurs lowly towards his brother over my head, and suddenly I feel my feet leaving the ground. "Is this enough motivation for you to tap into Tessaiga's ultimate power? I know you can smell her fear, hear her racing heart and shortness of breath."
"What the fuck are you going on about?! You're going to kill her! Let her go!" Inuyasha shouts in return, his voice sounding panicked. I wince in pain as all my weight hangs from my shoulders and neck, hands reaching out to clasp around Sesshomaru's wrist.
"I told you I would kill her if she interferes again." Sesshomaru states evenly, his hand tightening around my neck now and completely cutting off my air. In a panic I throw everything I have out through my hands and into the wrist I was now holding. I could distantly feel Sesshomaru's skin bubbling under my hand, melting away under my fingers, though I didn't have the mind to feel disgusted about it.
Sesshomaru doesn't let up.
"SESSHOMARU!" Inuyasha snarls, the black now fading inwards from the corner of my eyes.
Then suddenly I'm weightless, flying through the air.
Someone catches me against their body, the momentum I hit them at taking us both to the ground. "Yua?!" Miroku's worried voice rumbles deep in his chest, my ear pressed against it as he holds me protectively to him. I can't help coughing as I try to take my first full breath in, throat irritated from Sesshomaru's hold. "Yua, are you alright?" I nod weakly, unable to answer with taking in deep gasps of much needed air. Suddenly there is an explosion of bright light in my peripheral vision, a distantly familiar pulse in the air.
'Inuyasha…the Tessaiga…' I sit up with Miroku's help, looking towards Inuyasha with wide eyes as the sight all but confirms it. 'He's found the Wind Scar.' My mouth drops slightly open in shock at the pure energy I was feeling wash over us all, the light nearly blinding as Sesshomaru's surprised cries could be heard over the roar of the attack, his body disappearing from sight. Through the overwhelming light that the Tessiaga gave off, I could see a different one emerging, smaller but no less bright where Sesshomaru had been enveloped by Tessaiga's energy.
"Miroku! Get over here!" Sango's voice cries out as the attack seems to only intensify, Miroku moving beneath me and picking me up against his chest. He races over towards Totosai's cow, the others already behind it and using it as a barrier against the attack. Miroku kneels down with me beside Sango, the Demon Slayer quickly grabbing my shoulders and pressing me back against the side of the cow, her own body coming over mine protectively as her hands braced against the cow to either side of my head. Sango is the first to look, and judging by the way her tense body relaxed, Sesshomaru was gone. I move to look as well, but her hands fall to my shoulders and gently hold me in place.
"Yua, let me look." Sango murmurs when the light eventually fades she turns her attention back towards me. Her brown eyes are narrowed and calculating as she grabs my chin and tilts it upwards to look at my neck. No doubt an ugly bruise was forming in the very shape of Sesshomaru's hand. Her mouth turned down in anger, she lets my chin go and stands, offering her hands to me to help me up as well. I take them with a small, thankful smile, and she helps me to my feet.
I'm almost back down on my ass when I turn and see what's left behind from Inuyasha's attack.
Scars cut jaggedly through the land, easily ten times the size he had been making earlier in the battle with Sesshomaru. The caverns looked almost bottomless as I carefully stepped up to the edge of one of them.
Sesshomaru was still no where to be seen.
Miroku helps Inuyasha to a nearby stream, the half demon kneeling beside it and washing his face off until it appeared his eyes were slowly getting better. I kept my distance, knowing for a fact that the minute I opened up the opportunity for it, Inuyasha was going to have my ass for interfering.
Especially because he had ordered me not to.
Feeling incredibly meek, I keep quiet even as Miroku begins speaking with Inuyasha.
"Well, you did it." The monk states, his voice slightly unsure. It was clear that Miroku was debating whether to feel excited, or nervous about the power that Inuyasha had just unlocked.
"Yeah, I guess that was the Wind Scar." Inuyasha replies, cupping more water to wash over his face. Meanwhile, Totosai was sitting on a large boulder that could sit both himself and Tessaiga in the sword's transformed state. The blade was red hot from the fire he had blown over it, his hammer working out the imperfections hit by hit.
"Is Sesshomaru really dead?" Shippo asks the one question I bet we were all asking ourselves.
"Most likely, I don't know how he could have survived. He received a direct blow from the fully empowered Tessaiga." Miroku replies, standing from his crouched position next to the half demon and turning towards the rest of us with a frown. I hesitate, remembering the flash of energy that had collided with Tessaiga's attack. Totosai pauses in his forging, looking towards Miroku.
"I didn't see Inuyasha make a direct blow." He states simply. "All he did was wildly swing his sword around, because his eyes were blinded with poison."
"What are you trying to say?" I look over towards Inuyasha as he stands now, his gaze far more focused than it had been and the redness almost completely gone from his eyes. His face is set in an annoyed frown at the old man, shoulders squared defensively. Totosai sighs, tilting his head back towards the sky in exasperation, before looking back towards the half demon.
"Listen, Inuyasha." He begins seriously. "You discovered the Wind Scar, I'll give you that much, but all it means is that you now know what your brother knows." He states, clearly implying that he believed Sesshomaru to still be alive. "You're still not his equal, and now he is even more formidable than he was before."
"You refer to him as though he were still alive." Miroku doesn't miss it either as he leans forward, brows furrowed in question towards the sword-smith. Totosai turns to the monk, his face grim.
"Sesshomaru is still alive. Even though he despises the Tenseiga, it protected his life." Totosai informs us, and my eyes widen in relaxation.
'That energy I felt before, it must have been Tenseiga's.' I chew on my lower lip.
"It protect his life?" Sango questions with wonder.
"Do you mean Sesshomaru is still around somewhere?" Shippo asks nervously as he moves over to sit in the Demon Slayer's lap, having been sitting beside her on the small rock. Sango places a hand on his back for comfort, Shippo's tail puffing up slightly with his nerves. Totosai, meanwhile turns back to his work, warming the blade up once again before hammering it out more.
"Inuyasha," He begins after heating the sword, "when you used the Wind Scar against Sesshomaru you didn't feel it strike him, did you?" Totosai questions knowingly. The frown on Inuyasha's face is answer enough. He makes a weak noise of indecision all the same.
"It's hard to say. I was blinded. His body felt like it had disintegrated in the blast from the Tessaiga." Inuyasha pauses, looking uncertain. "I didn't pulverize him or nothing. He just sort of disappeared. Evaporated." Totosai hums at that, before continuing on.
"Tenseiga protected Sesshomaru against the power and light of Tessaiga. It acted on it's own accord."
"So it has a will of it's own?" I ask softly, speaking up for the first time since the attack. My throat is raw and swollen, voice scratchy and weak. I regret speaking almost instantly, not for the uncomfortableness of it, but because it draws Inuyasha's gaze towards me. I watch as his brows furrow, his eyes clearly taking in my face, before moving down towards my neck. Lips tighten as his eyes stay focused there. Without having to see it on my own, I am now very sure of the bruise that was no doubt showing up there vividly. Slowly his gaze comes back up to my own, eyes filled with a promise that causes my stomach to flutter with nerves.
"And here Sesshomaru called the Tenseiga a useless sword." Sango says dryly, thankfully breaking Inuyasha's tense focus from me as he looks towards her. "And he despised it as his birth right."
"Tenseiga is the sword of life, and when Sesshomaru's was endangered, despite his dark soul, the Tenseiga chose to save him. That is what makes him invincible." Miroku summarizes, sending a chill of foreboding down my own spine.
"So, how do you defeat a foe like that?" Totosai questions as he looks towards the monk, Inuyasha now standing beside Miroku. "I have no idea, it's beyond me." He admits easily. I can't help agreeing with Totosai there.
I had no idea either.
Hours later finds us parting ways with the old man, having fixed Inuyasha's sword to a much better state than it had been in, especially after the battle with Sesshomaru. As we gather together in our small group, Totosai climbing back up onto his trusty cow, Inuyasha raises the dull version of the blade up high to look it over. Shippo is on his shoulder, both the boys looking at the blade with keen interest as he lowers it back to their eye levels.
"I have sharpened the sword to perfection!" Totosai declares as he is carried away. "Now you just have to train yourself to defeat Sesshomaru's Tenseiga, like he was trying to defeat the Tessaiga." And with those parting words, we watched the sword-smith ride out of sight.
'Huh, the old man actually kind of grew on me.' I couldn't help admitting to myself as I tilted my head at the feeling of concern that washes over me. At any rate, Totosai would be safe from Sesshomaru for a while as the dog demon recovered wherever he had ended up.
"Yua, do you feel up to traveling?" Miroku's asks gently. I inwardly frown even as I nod my head in affirmation. Truth be told no, I didn't feel ready. I was sore, and tired, but I also didn't want Inuyasha to see that. He was already obviously mad enough that I had deliberately went against is command from the day earlier, and I had been hurt because of it. I deserved what I had gotten.
So we start along the road once more, heading in the opposite direction that Totosai had. Our group continues on with a comfortable silence for hours, before my clumsiness breaks it. My toe catches a large rock in the road, having been so dazed from exhaustion that I hadn't seen it. I stumble forward, hands outstretched and ready to catch myself against the ground when I landed on it.
Only to feel a strong arm wrap around my waist from behind.
"Why didn't you say something earlier? You're trembling." Inuyasha's gruff voice can be felt in his chest as it vibrates against my back. His warmth floods me, my muscles relaxing, and consequently I begin to tremble even more. I can't bring myself to speak, to nod, anything in response as he sighs heavily behind me. I feel him hunch over slightly as he uses his open arm to cradle under my knees, pulling me up against his chest bridal style. My stomach flutters wildly as I feel a blush burning at my cheeks, weakly pressing my hands to his chest in protest.
I would be fine, he didn't have to carry me like some weak damsel.
One sour glare from him effectively staunches my effort for freedom, his hold securing me even more firmly against his strong chest. "Stop struggling and just rest." He pauses for a moment, glancing forwards towards the others as they turned and continued on. His head slowly leans down, warm breath fluttering over my ear. "I've got you." He adds so softly I feel like I almost miss it. My entire body relaxes as if he had hit some sort of secret switch, my form fairly well melting against his own. For once I had no worries of being too heavy to carry, no self conscious concerns. No matter how much I wish I could be conscious, enjoy the feeling of him carrying me, I honestly can't stay awake for long. Between Inuyasha's soothing heartbeat in my ear, and the feeling of warmth and safety I allow myself to bask in being in his strong arms, I'm out in no time. The next thing I know I'm waking up in my bed roll in the dark, a small fire still crackling at the far side of where the group had obviously made camp. Looking around I can see Miroku leaned up against a tree like usual, and Sango sleeping close by in her own bedroll. Shippo and Kirara were both with her, sleeping at her stomach peacefully. My brows furrow as I instantly recognize who is missing, and slowly sitting up my blanket slides down off of my shoulder to settle at my hips.
"I was wondering when you would wake." The culprit's voice sounds from behind me, low and husky. I feel a shiver rush up my spine, not entirely unpleasant, but nonetheless I could feel anxiety fluttering in my stomach. Oh, I knew Inuyasha would never hurt me, but it still made me feel nervous to confront him alone like this after everything that had happened. What would he say to me? What would he do?
Slowly I turn the upper half of my body to face him, swallowing as a knee jerk reaction seeing the look of utter seriousness on his face that the flickering flames of the dying fire revealed piece by piece. Having forgotten about my sore throat, I wince, the action causing some discomfort still. Seeing the clear pain on my face, Inuyasha's own hardens even further, his gaze only momentarily leaving mine to glance over my head towards the rest of our sleeping group. He stands with purpose, looking back down at me and nodding his head towards the the forest, the indication clear.
He wanted me to follow him.
'He doesn't want to wake the others when he rips me a new one.' I can't help thinking nervously as I shakily stand, knowing it was better to just get this done and over with. Besides, what would fighting him help anyways? He turns once he sees me standing, stepping over the fallen log he had been sitting on prior to my waking, and I follow him as he leads me deeper into the forest.
Eventually Inuyasha comes to a stop with his back facing me, his arms obviously crossed in front of him in his usual stance. Shoulders tense, he finally speaks. "What were you thinking?" His voice isn't angry, it's hardly even scolding. In fact, it sounded more curious than anything else, which threw me completely off-guard.
This was as opposite a reaction as I could have imagined.
"I.." My voice is still slightly scratchy, but better than before. Even still Inuyasha can obviously hear it, his ears twitching at the sound. "I was scared." I finally decide to answer honestly, the walls I had built over the past week breaking down as if a tsunami had washed them out.
"Scared?" Inuyasha questions, obviously wanting me to elaborate more. My heart is racing, palms sweating as I knew exactly what I wanted to say, but I also knew there was no taking it back once I did. Inuyasha turns his body slightly, so he was half facing me now, his expression unreadable. "Yua, what were you scared of?" He presses gently, his tone much softer than I had been ready for.
"Of losing you." I blurt out, his tone, his eyes, his lips, everything about him disarming me in that moment. Inuyasha's mouth slowly relaxes from it's tight line, his lower lip falling ever so slightly from his top. It made them look all that much fuller, even more distractedly kissable, that I felt it entirely unfair given the current situation. "Yes, I get it. I disobeyed an direct order from you. I got involved, and because of that Sesshomaru nearly killed me. I was an idiot, alright?!" The dam had officially burst wide open. "But there was no way in hell I was just going to stand by and watch him hurt you again! No fucking way! So you can get mad at me, tell me that you didn't need my help and I was just in the way-" Inuyasha moves so quickly that I hardly have time to register it, the distance disappearing between us in a blink of an eye.
And then all I feel is him.
One of his strong arms wrap around my middle and jerks my body flush against his own, every plane of muscle pressed tightly to my softer curves. We're touching from toe to upper chest, his open hand going to the back of my neck and cupping it gently, mindful of the soreness as he pulls me in, tucking my head against his neck and holding me to him. My heart is racing at the contact, thudding so loudly in my ears I almost miss what Inuyasha says as he speaks softly into my ear.
"When I saw Sesshomaru's hand around your throat…" I feel a shudder wrack his entire body at that, my own eyes widening in surprise.
He had been scared as well.
Slowly I wrap my arms around him, hooking my hands over his shoulders from behind as I can't resist sinking further into his body. "I'm sorry." I finally manage to croak out, burying my face against the side of his neck. I take in a deep breath of his pine scent, mingled with his own natural musk. All the muscles in my body relax as I do, fairly well melting into his embrace for what felt like an eternity. The crickets sounded around us, fireflies darting about and shining their lights almost in sync with each other.
"Don't ever do something like that again, okay?" Inuyasha's voice is quiet but firm, heard just above the noises of the forest around us. "I can't lose you either, Yua." He adds, his voice cracking slightly with emotion. My own eyes widen in surprise, Inuyasha unable to see my expression with my face buried so deeply against his neck.
It wasn't a proclamation of love, not by any means, but for some reason in that moment his words meant so much more to me.
"You should get some more rest." Inuyasha's gentle suggestion breaks the comfortable silence minutes later, his claws ever so lightly scratching at the base of my neck. The tingling sensation left in their wake has me humming softly in pleasure, though I was honestly completely unaware of my reaction until his own low, gently growl echoed mine deep in his chest. I know he's right, though I'm reluctant to leave the protection of his arms.
"What about you? You must be tired after the fight as well?" I ask softly against his neck as my arms tighten around him, almost as if in silent protest to the idea of him letting me go. Inuyasha buries his face against my neck much like I had against his, and I could feel his smile pressed against my skin as he no doubt noticed what I had done.
"I am." He openly admits, his soft lips brushing against my neck as he speaks. It sends a delightful shock from where his lips had touched all the way down to my lower back, the soreness from the bruising not hindering the sensation whatsoever. That, along with the way his claws were gently scraping along the base of my skull, causes an all too familiar warmth to start spreading and thrumming between my hips. Inuyasha takes a deep breath against my neck.
A stiffens up like a board.
'Not good, not good.' I chant in my head, knowing he could smell the change in my body. I gently pull away from him, and he allows me to, his now darkened eyes searching my own openly as we lock gazes while pulling away. His lips are softly parted, nose flared, and the undeniable lust in his eyes nearly sends me right back into his arms.
Lust wasn't love.
I'm sure if I would have ran back into his arms tonight, if I would have allowed him to do all the things that he had silently promised me with his touches and his gazes, he would have taken care of me. It would satiate the ache I felt for him for a blissful night, but when the reality of morning came I would be utterly shattered. He wasn't a fling to me, he wasn't a means to an end so I could get the release I have been craving for months now.
I wanted him to love me, to be utterly devoted to me.
Just like I was with him.
I take a shuddering breath through my own slightly parted lips, Inuyasha's intense gaze slowly raking down my form before coming back up to focus on my mouth. "I should rest so I can heal my throat." I agree with his earlier statement, watching the way his shoulders slumped slightly in disappointment as I clearly backed off. His heated look fizzles out the moment his eyes land on my bruised neck, and for the first time I really wished that I could see for myself the damage left behind. Seeing a small creek just beyond where Inuyasha stood, I walk around him silently, moving to the edge and looking down at my reflection as I allow my hand to glow with my aura and illuminate my surroundings enough to better see.
'Holy shit.' I think to myself, wide eyed as I see the perfect hand print left behind by Inuyasha's elder half brother. I reach up, gently prodding the bruised skin with my free hand, wincing at the soreness that still throbbed there when I did. It was turning an ugly purple and black color. 'No wonder my throat hurt so bad.' I think to myself in amazement. 'It looks like he was close to breaking my neck!' A cold wave of fear washes over me at this revelation. With just a flick of his wrist, if Sesshomaru had chosen to do so, I would have been gone.
Why didn't he take the chance while he had it?
I frown, concentrating my healing energy on my neck and throat, watching in the water's reflection as the bruising slowly faded along with the tenderness, throat finally relaxing. Sighing softly in relief, I turn to look towards Inuyasha.
Only to find him gone.
Frowning I look back down at my reflection one last time, before allowing my aura to disperse and plunging me back into the darkness of the night, the large moon overhead providing enough light to make my way back to the camp. When I return Inuyasha is no where to be seen, the fire nearly out. I add another log before crawling into my bedroll, too tired still to have my thoughts keeping me up for long.
Sesshomaru obviously wanted me alive. But why?
The next morning is almost eerily quiet as we pack up and leave camp, heading back on the road. My stomach was in knots, something feeling off as I glance towards Inuyasha at the lead of the group. He hadn't spoken to me since last night, but I caught his eyes straying towards me on and off as I had worked to help clean up with the others.
It was better than him ignoring me altogether again, after what happened last night.
'I wish I had more control over those feelings.' I frown deeply, vividly remembering the pulsing I had felt between my legs at Inuyasha's caresses and close proximity.
Let alone the look in his eyes that had told me he wanted to devour me.
"Blood." Inuyasha suddenly stops in his tracks ahead of us. We had been walking for a few hours by now, and it was close to mid-day. "I smell blood." He repeats lowly, his hands clenching into fists.
'Not again…' I frown deeply, feeling my muscles tense as I watch his head turn towards the left.
"Lots of blood." He adds, a growl building in his chest.
"What are we waiting for then? Lead the way!" Miroku speaks up urgently, a concerned frown on his face. Inuyasha takes off running, the rest of us left scrambling to catch up to him as he leaves the path. We follow him through the dense woods that ran beside the road, finding another path on the other side that he has us follow until we finally see a small village on the horizon. In the distance the mountain range could be seen, the forest we had just traveled through curving to wrap around the nearest mountains.
It wasn't long before we came upon the source of the blood, bodies of villagers laying mangled in the streets.
'Those look like bite marks.' I frown deeply as I look to the woman nearest to me, her wounds gaping but having long since stopped bleeding. 'It must have happened last night, maybe the day before.' I guess, glancing towards Inuyasha.
"This was a massacre." Miroku murmurs with disgust, looking around at all the bodies that littered the street.
"Hey?!" Shippo's voice calls out, clearly distressed. "Is anyone here left alive?!"
"This looks like it was done by a pack of wolves." Sango informs us as she kneels down by a set of footprints, her own fingers tracing them. I step over towards her, looking down at the ground and frowning deeply as I saw the tracks for myself. They looked like a dog's but much, much larger.
"There are tracks everywhere!" Shippo cries out from here he stands, and I look over towards him to see the little boy turning slowly and staring down at more of the tracks surrounding him.
"There must have been a great deal of them." Miroku concludes solemnly, he turns to look at me. "They seem as if they may have been possessed by jewel shards. Do you sense any nearby?" He asks, and I frown as I shake my head.
Inuyasha scoffs slightly. "They're probably all long gone by now." He states, looking towards the monk. "This slaughter has demon written all over it." He adds ominously, and I can't help thinking that must be truth. Normal wolves couldn't take out an entire village, could they?
Snarling could suddenly be heard, and I stiffen as I look ahead to see the very wolves that had no doubt killed all these innocent people slowly gathering ahead of us. They seemed to all be materializing out of no where, coming from behind buildings and from within the tree-line. Shippo shouts, instantly moving to jump into Sango's arms.
"Look out, the wolves are surrounding us!" Shippo exclaims, his voice reflecting the terror he was feeling as Sango held the little boy protectively to her. Sure enough, he was right, as soon all of us were cornered together, a circle of over a dozen wolves growling and snapping viciously sounded us. I swallow thickly, allowing my energy to flow into my hands as I clench them tightly into fists.
"Heh, let's teach these guys a lesson." Inuyasha states confidently, raising his right hand and habitually cracking his knuckles as his claws glinted threateningly in the sunlight. "They're stray, it looks like their leader isn't even here." He adds, and I look towards the half demon bewildered. How the hell had he known that?!
'He's half dog demon, remember? Wolves and dogs function in a similar way when it comes to packs.' Mayumi speaks up. 'Inuyasha could easily recognize another Alpha if he saw one.'
Oh, right.
"They're useless in battle unless they are in a pack." Inuyasha finishes, before running forward and slicing through the first of the wolves. He kills them easily, but it sets the others off like a chain reaction as the rest of the wolves come flying towards us. Inuyasha turns sharply, leaping over and taking out the next wave that came at us as well, the remaining six wolves turning tail and running up to a ridge at the edge of the village. Together they all tilted their heads back and let out a howl that sent a chill down my spine. It was clear what they were doing.
They were calling for something.
For someone.
"They're howling!" Shippo observes nervously, Miroku frowning as he leans forward slightly beside us.
"They're calling for their comrades." He states, voice and face tense. Howls could be distantly heard, echoing throughout the forest and mountain range just beyond. The echoing calls were eerie, goosebumps spreading along my arms with each response that could be heard.
The electric pulse of the Shikon Jewel suddenly rips through me with force, a gasp escaping me from the shock of it.
"I think they've succeeded with calling in reinforcements." I state nervously, allowing orbs of energy to form in each of my hands. The sensation was getting stronger and stronger at an alarmingly fast rate. "Jewel shards are coming our way, fast." Inuyasha runs back over, coming to stand in front of us, tense. All of a sudden a dull roar could be heard, slowly increasing as the wind began to pick up, and a whirlwind of dust seemingly appears out of nowhere, spinning into the village. I wince, bringing my arm up to brace against the dirt that the small funnel was kicking up, everyone else having to do the same as the air whipped around us. Finally the small tornado dispersed, a figure jumping out from the center of it and skidding to a halt in front of us.
'I-it's a demon…but one that looks almost human.' My eyes are wide as I take in the sight before me. The man that stood before us was clothed and armor and fur. On his shoulders sat pads made of brown fur, and attached to them was a solid metal chest piece that covered him from just under his collarbones to just above his waist where the kilt of fur he wore met it. He was barefoot, but had what looked to be almost something akin to leg warmers made of more of the brown fur around his calves from his knees to his ankles. The outfit clearly showed off the muscles of his legs and his arms, and as he stood tall his chest broadened, the demon exuding a raw power that even had me a little weak in the knees.
And as if that hadn't been enough, his face admittedly handsome as well.
This demon had a very human face, all except for the sharp blueness of his eyes and his pointed ears. Though his mouth was set in a frown at us, it didn't take away from the attractive sharpness of his cheekbones or chiseled jawline. His hair was long, probably almost as long as my own, but black in color and held back by a headband.
Overall, I had to admit that my heart was racing a little harder for an entirely different reason now.
'I mean, I'm in love…not dead.' I excuse myself, biting gently on my lower lip to try and school my reaction to this stranger.
"That guy just flew right out of the tornado!" Shippo exclaims from where he still clung to Sango. The demon was currently being surrounded by the wolves as they whimpered and howled at him, everything starting to piece together.
He was the Alpha. A wolf demon.
The demon steps forward, confidence oozing from every single one of his pores. His blue eyes are fixed on us unblinkingly, hard and unforgiving. "Just who are you?" His voice is low, almost raspy as he speaks. I can't stop the nervous flutter in my stomach hearing it.
'His voice suits him.'
I snap myself out of it long enough to take another good look at him, frowning in concentration as I finally locate not one, not two, but three of the jewel shards embedded in his body. There was one in each leg, and another in his right arm. 'The shards in his legs would account for his speed.' I think to myself.
"Why are you killing my wolves?" He goes on to demand, his voice lowering in threat. I look to him in disbelief.
"Excuse me?" I exclaim in my shock. "Your wolves killed all these innocent people!" The demon's blue eyes shift to me, his gaze unreadable even as the one corner of his lips quirks up slightly to reveal a single fang. I frown deeply. "He has three jewel shards. One in his right arm and one in each leg." I inform the others, widening my hands to allow more of my energy to build in them.
"So you're the leader of this blood-thirsty pack." Inuyasha speaks up, side-stepping in front of me, clearly intending on cutting off the demon's view of me. The demon's face goes from cocky to angry in no seconds flat, a snarl replacing the smirk. I'm suddenly reminded of an old saying back from my time in that moment.
Something wicked this way comes.
After all this time...
WE'RE FINALLY HERE!
KOGA! KOGA! KOGA!
As always, please let me know what your thoughts are :) I'm always happy to hear them!
Until next time!
T.O.T.
