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Crusade Against the Moon

Chapter Ten : Blazing Darkness

WARNING: Character deaths, violence, gore, and blood. Lots and lots of blood.

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She hadn't noticed how much time had gone by, but Inuyasha woke her with a rustle. She complained with a little groan and hugged closer to his warmth.

"Do ya hear that?"

"Nooo," she said, turning towards him and draping an arm over his chest.

Inuyasha sat up, pulling her limbs off his body, but holding her fingers between his own. "Something's happening, Kagome."

Kagome's mind cleared, the cold night air waking her with alarm. "What is it?"

He helped her up, encouraging her to climb his back. "Smoke," he said quietly as the darkness filled their ears with nocturnal sounds.

Throwing back her head to drink from her jug, she quenched her thirst and tied it back on her hip. Quickly, she pulled out some dried me for them to eat. She handed him a good chunk and watched as he stuffed it in his mouth. She smirked back a laugh. Then "okay," she said, "let's go."

In a swift move, Inuyasha shot from the clearing into the trees. It had darkened considerably. How long had they slept? Kagome frowned, leaning flush against him and wrapping her arms around his chest. "There's always something," she grumbled. A week had gone by, and they've been so busy already. "I just want to relax," she whispered, closing her eyes and rubbing her face against his neck.

Chuckling, Inuyasha squeezed her thighs, "we will," he promised. "After this, we'll take a break at the village."

She smiled softly, peppering kisses on the curve of his jaw.

"K-keh! Stop that!"

A chuckle escaped her, knowing his face was probably burning with a blush. "You are soo cute!" She admitted with a little squeal.

"Shaddup!" He roared, his whole face burning, "I swear I'll drop you right here!"

Kagome threw her head back and laughed, cherishing the feel of his heart thundering under her small hands.

The smoke was suffocating. They could see the glow of fire rise high over the trees before them, licking at the night sky. Kagome's body thrummed with adrenaline as Inuyasha got them closer. She could already taste the ash in the air.

Silently, she worried for Inuyasha. He didn't fare well in these situations due to his sensitive nose. She hoped it was nothing serious...maybe a small house fire...if they were lucky.

She swallowed thickly, and they burst from the treeline.

Kagome was not ready for the vision that greeted them. Even Inuyasha stilled from his running; shocked. Through the smoke and ash, people ran, screamed, and then a soldier swung a weapon down, cutting through flesh and bone; blood spurting everywhere.

Kagome's heart wrenched painfully. It was pure chaos, devastation. The whole village was ablaze, and between the burning houses, people were fighting, dying, and running for their lives. Weapons rang in the air, swords, guns, and farmer tools. Children screamed and cried. It was a sound of calamity Kagome had never seen before.

Somehow, through the shock and haze of it all, Kagome heard a woman screeching. Her eyes locking on her immediately. "My baby!" She cried, tears streaming down her ashen face, black smudges covering her skin as she stared at a burning house. Kagome moved without thinking, dislodging from Inuyasha's back and running for the woman. He called out to her, cursing when she didn't stop. She ran at a speed he was not used to seeing, and he ran after her, trying to catch her, they needed to leave.

With a flick of his ear, he heard a man holler into the night, eyes going wide as he witnessed the soldier locking on Kagome's form. In a giant leap, Inuyasha was before him, sword swinging down in a wide arc. The other man's weapon jarred for an instant before it flew from his hands. Shaken but undeterred, the man took a few steps back and grabbed for the daggers hidden near his hip, screaming "demon!" Inuyasha gave him no time to attack, in a swift move he was in the samurai's face, and swung his fist to the side of his jaw, knocking him to the ground unconscious.

Frantically, he turned, lifting his sleeve up to his nose and searched for Kagome through the glowing smoke and dust. People were running everywhere. And he couldn't count on his scent to find her. He could practically feel his heart beating against his ribs, dread filling him as he watched bodies he didn't recognize running and falling into pools of their own blood.

Around him, soldiers seemed to have heard their fallen comrade, because they echoed his last scream, yelling demon as they came at him. He cursed, crouching low as he turned in the direction he'd last seen Kagome running in.

In the cloudy yellow distance, he saw a soldier swing a weapon towards her head, heard Kagome scream. He didn't bother thinking as he ran with all his might towards her, thanking whatever gods watched over them as she tripped and narrowly missed the sword by an inch, catching a few strands of her hair.

And he was there. A hard inhale as he swung a kick at the back of the soldier's knees. The man dropped his weapon and fell with a hard thud. In an instant, Inuyasha was behind him, an arm locked around his neck, and the other pulling him painfully into a headlock. Breathing hard, Kagome watched from the ground, whispering his name as her wide eyes met his, "Inuyasha," she breathed, "thank you". A single moment passed as they locked eyes, his arms struggling with the samurai, then she scrambled on her feet and ran off.

"Fuck!" Inuyasha bellowed.

He couldn't help the aggravation curling around him as he watched her small form tread into the fiery smoke. The man in his headlock struggled, shaking and writhing left to right, trying to dislodge Inuyasha's hold. He growled fiercely as the man's fingers scratched at his arms, desperate to break free, his movements growing weaker by the second, and with a hard breath, Inuyasha clenched his arm tighter and felt him go slack, passing out from the lack of blood and oxygen to his head. He let the man go. Immediately, his eyes and body turning towards Kagome; ready to chase her wherever she went.

By the time he reached her, she was climbing into a burning hut, sleeve over her mouth as she slipped through a smokey window. He hollered her name, running closer until his eyes finally blurred, the fumes wreaking havoc to his senses. Frustrated, he slammed the side of his fist against the home, the hot walls shaking from the force. Cursing, he took a step back, squinting his watery eyes as he struggled to keep conscious. It would do neither of them any good if he were to pass out.

A sobbing woman edged too close to him for comfort, and he tossed her a glare as she averted her eyes from him, looking into the spot Kagome climbed through. She took a shaky breath in, hand clutching her chest, "sh-she… she's … my baby - "

Her words were incoherent, the chaos and calamity of the night rendering her almost speechless. A loud creaking drew Inuyasha back to the burning home. The wood was seizing, the flames licking up the walls and roof. He couldn't wait anymore. He'd be damned if Kagome died as he sat back and just watched. With a will of its own, his body began clambering over the edge of the house, nearing a window before he saw Kagome's frazzled locks climb from the burning home. He grabbed her without another thought. His hand pulling her arm and the rest of her body to the ashen dirt ground. She crouched over herself, coughs wreaking havoc on her body, until she opened her arms and put a small bundle to the ground, rendering Inuyasha speechless.

An infant, barely the size of his hands. Fat cheeks pink, thin strands atop it's head. Not a breath moved through its tiny body. He swallowed hard.

Smoke bellowed behind Kagome, blowing her hair astray as she wrapped her hands around the infant's torso, her thumbs meeting between its chest… and she pressed down, one.. two.. three… Over, and over, and over. Nothing. No breaths, no gasps. Perspiration gathered at her brow as she trudged on, refusing to give up. A thick sheen of sweat growing on her skin. Kagome gasped for air through her smoke laden lungs with each thrust. 'Please,' she begged silently, 'pleaaaaseee!'

And the child came to life with an incredible screech. Its chest expanding gratefully, a mixture of screams and coughs escaping its tiny mouth. Then it cried and cried and cried. It's sign of life loud for all to hear. Kagome leaned back with an exhausted wipe of her brow. Inuyasha watched from the sidelines as she held the infant in her small hands, up into the air for her mother to coddle. Almost in a sign of sacrifice. The world around them in a bloody chaos. Humans hacking each other to pieces. And a lone child ready to face the warmth of life. Kagome's eyes teared, her cheeks moistening with trails of gratitude and relief as the mother reached her shaky hands out for her newborn.

"Thank you," she cried, "thank you!"

The sudden shout was too loud, too late. None of them saw it coming, too distracted by the small miracle breathing between them. Red slapped Kagome's face. She blinked from the force, too shocked to move, and starred as the mother and child froze, all sounds garbled and splurged, a sickening wet sound, and their heads thudded to the ground. Her hands shook as their bodies followed, their thick pool of blood seeped to her knees, into her kimono. All sounds faded away as she raised her hands to hover over her face, not believing what just happened… far too shocked to move away. Her breath came in short, close to hyperventilating. Everything was blurry, her tears blinding her. Her stomach twisted as she caught sight of their broken bodies, the mother lying over her child, their heads rolled a foot away, hair caking and wet. Kagome bent to the side and wretched. Tears washed over her face angrily.

Inuyasha could hardly think, eyes flashing red as he took a step in front of Kagome and hacked the samurai in half, bellowing a mighty roar as his sword streaked deadly, blood spraying like a geyser.

More blood, blood everywhere, coating the darkness in crimson petals of liquid. Kagome could feel it, her chest constricting, she felt like she couldn't breathe. Her whole body shook, fat tears streaming from her eyes, sharp deep breaths attacking her body. One after another, but why did she feel like she couldn't breathe?

Inuyasha was shaking before her, eyes staring blankly ahead. He inhaled raggedly through his teeth.

He'd never killed a human before. Atleast, not while he was conscious.

He deserved it though, didn't he? That animal… killed an innocent mother and child. He squeezed his grip around Tessaiga, the sword trembling with his anger, with shock. This was fucked up, all of it. What the fuck was going on?!

Another samurai came at him from the side, too angry to think, he swung his fist, knocking him out cold. Was it okay to kill them, these armed warriors destroying civilians? Ending lives, families, the village.

He wanted to, he wanted to kill them all. An evil guttural feeling he hadn't experienced since facing Naraku bubbled somewhere inside him. His knuckles turned white as he faced the chaos, shadowed bodies fighting in the glowing orange smoke, daring anyone to turn towards him and Kagome. He bared his fangs in warning, 'I fucking dare you.'

Sharp breaths pulled him out of the dark, and he turned towards the hyperventilating woman behind him. Her face red with blood, eyes wide, unfocused, mouth struggling to breathe. Her crimson hand pressed against her collar bone, the other on the ground, trying desperately to keep herself up.

Sheathing his sword, Inuyasha knelt at her side, his hands grasping her upper arms, and turned her away from the bodies littered before her. "Kagome."

She shook her head and tried looking up at him, but.. too weak, and looked back to the ground, her chest heaving unnaturally fast. Why couldn't she breathe? But she was breathing. The air scorched her throat as she greedily sucked it in. She was crying, crying so hard. Breathing so hard. It all hurt. Her heart, her body, her head.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said more forcefully, shaking her and getting her attention. "Just breathe," his eyes shone with concern, watching her glazed ones, but she couldn't. She wiped her head and scrunched her eyes. Bodies fell behind her lids. Grimacing, she opened her mouth wider, struggling to catch her breath. Inuyasha was about to panic. "Kagome, just.." she opened her shining eyes to him, rasping and catching his worried gaze through her matted hair. "Just.. copy me, Kagome." His voice was rough, and she watched as he inhaled slowly, then exhaled, followed by another slow round. She focused on his chest, desperately following his example. In: one two, out: one two. Again… and again. By some miracle, she was calming. She closed her eyes, leaning her body towards him, resting her forehead on his chest while the tears continued burning her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, "thank you, thank you.." echoing the words of the fallen mother. She felt like she was going to pass out.

Then... a shot. Inuyasha's body went rigid. Another echoed, and another. She felt him wrap his arms around her painfully as he grunted after each round. "Inuyasha," she whispered horrified, looking up, trying to read his face. He grimaced, not looking down at her as his teeth grinded together. "Inuyasha, no," she shook her head. "We have to get out of here!"

Behind him, multiple warriors shouted, "demon!" Their footsteps thundering towards them.

A sob wretched from her throat. "Please," she begged, pushing him up, pulling his arm. He shoved her aside and she stumbled. Catching his eye with a surprised gaze, his golden one's sending her a murderous look.

"Run."

And he turned his back to her, crouched low, and lunged.

Kagome watched as he landed in front of the deadly group. Another shot echoed, hitting Inuyasha in the chest. His body shook, and he raised an arm, slicing the weapon in half. This was horrible, so horrible! She couldn't look away, couldn't move as another brought down a sword right on Inuyasha's deflecting forearm. His sleeve had fallen back, just enough for the weapon to slice right through his muscles. Her bloodied fingers held her face, trying to keep it together as Inuyasha cursed out a profanity and punched the man out cold, waving his arm, effectively dislodging the blade from his body. It clattered several yards to the ground. Four samurai circled around him now, guns useless due to their proximity.

Inuyasha was growling something ferocious, a sound she had only ever heard when he'd completely turned. Her heart skipped a beat, 'no,' he couldn't have. 'Please no!' His hair waved erratically behind him, giving her a clear view of his bleeding back. All three shots had pierced him. She held back a sob with her hand. She needed to do something!

Glancing down, her eyes swept over the three dead bodies near her. She felt her stomach turn and scrunched her lids and turned away. The image searing into her forever. After a few deep breaths, she looked towards the house and found her bow and arrows clattered on the ground. She ran to them frantically, tripping on her ruined kimono, and grabbed them with shaking hands. Knocking the wood clumsily, she positioned her arrow, drew the string, and aimed.

Kagome was shaking, shaking so much. She swallowed hard, trying to calm herself. Her eyes stung, her throat stung. The metal tip trembled as she zeroed in on one samurai. A man… a human. She felt tears well up again as they circled Inuyasha, the man she loved. He pivoted in the middle with them, not allowing them to bare his back. And she knew, he hadn't turned yet. His thoughts were still guiding him… but still. There were four of them against him, and he was severely wounded. Could she do this? Could she really kill another human? They had families too, people they cared about. Brothers, sisters, parents….

Her frame shook… she didn't want to, she really didn't… but… if it meant saving him… She pressed her eyes closed, fresh tears washing streaks from the blood off her face. She couldn't live without him!

With that thought, she opened her eyes with her final resolve, catching the gleam of a dagger being drawn towards Inuyasha's ribs. Before she could release her arrow, Inuyasha's arm darted out, grabbed the man's forearm and twisted it painfully, the stranger released a pained yell. Inuyasha pushed his hand towards the armored appendage, the man's finger's open on reflex, and the dagger fell. A swift thrust of Inuyasha's fist to the man's diaphragm rendered him useless. And only three samurai remained.

A scream tore through the air to her left, and Kagome turned on instinct, catching another soldier readying to strike a young couple huddled on the ground through the yellow-orange smoke. A man shielded a woman with his body. Kagome didn't even think, her fingers went slack and the arrow flew. She watched almost in slow motion the arc of the arrow's trail. A human… she was going to hit a human, and it pierced the soldier's neck. A gurgle lifted from his throat as his blood drowned him, and he fell, twitching on the ground as his sword rattled to the ground beside him.

Kagome didn't see the young couple cry in relief. She didn't see them stumble and run into the woods for dear life. The gurgling echoed in her ears, the sight of her arrow hitting pink flesh seared into her mind, over and over. She stumbled back… another shout somewhere far off, and she pulled another arrow from her quiver, body turning in deadly precision as she released another blow, killing another man as a family stumbled and escaped. Over and over. How many people had she killed? How much time had gone by? Without thinking, she reached behind her, fingers flexing for another thimble of wood, and flex, and flexed again. Reaching further back, arching her back, she hit the rim of her quiver. Realization dawning that she had used every shaft up. Her fingers came back empty, and she stared dumbly down at them, twitching red with blood, raw from use. Her vision blurred. 'What...what?'

Before she could sink into the abyss of what she had done… she heard the sounds of children screaming, crying, and her innate compulse to protect took over, making her numb legs run towards the sounds, gathering children into her arms. The thicket of soldiers grew thinner, and she continued gathering them without thought. Just the need to protect. She ushered them to hold each others hands when she could hold no more, and she ran to the protection of the trees.

(A/N)

Hi everyone! I hope you all took my warnings in the beginning seriously! This is a fic about relationships, love, war, sacrifices, and fantasy. It's going to be dark. It's going to get darker. And it's still just a toe deep into the plot. I will not romanticize war. I have family members that have come back different from who I once knew from war, and I want to delve into that psyche… delve into the thoughts of InuKag in a more realistic fashion. We've seen what they've done to protect each other and others. But how much farther can they be pushed to go? How much farther can their minds go before they break? Will they break? Will they preservear? Will you be able to go down that road of turmoil and redemption?

Thank you for sticking with me! We have one more chapter before I go on an eight month hiatus due to university. Then I'll be graduating and updating every month after that. Please let me know your thoughts! If you didn't like this chapter, if it was too bloody, gruesome or gory: you were warned. This is only the beginning.

For your questions on earlier chapters, like Shinobu's request to Inuyasha about joining "something that wasn't mentioned". Or people eyeballing Kagome like she was a stranger, and her guts warning her about not trusting therm: everything will be answered in due time!

Please review!

~ Lady Agnimitra (formerly VitaRubella)