CHAPTER 12
Rise and Fall of the False God
"Back there." Maru said. Genrou stood and looked where the Lotus Clansmen had pointed. He would move over and pushed the slotted shoji aside and stepped in.
"Is there always hot water here?" He asked.
"It is a spring. Now bathe." Genrou sighed gently and went in the room. He didn't want to take a bath really, but whatever. He did not really care one way or another, but it was just something to do that wasn't fighting, so what would Genrou want from it? Ah well. He moved into the room and slipped into the water.
"Are the wards in place?" He heard Kagome ask, those ears swiveling backward, eavesdropping was an annoying habit, but it was addictive, he supposed one day, it would kill him.
"Yes." The voice answered. But it was different, as if he were not the slave, but the master. "The hanyou is locked in the bathroom and the blinding spells so that no one can see in from the outside. We have to work on your swordplay and your summoning."
"Will you be alright with the ghosts?" She asked him. Genrou looked over his shoulder at the slatted doors. Summoning? What did he mean summoning? He pulled himself out of the tub, he had washed the best that he was going to anyway? He moved over to the slatted door and glanced out, yeah, this habit would get him killed one of these days.
He watched as they practiced with swords, seemed that the Lotus Clansmen was a good fighter with a sword, actual weapons had never been his thing, his teeth, his claws, and his body was his weapon.
He watched as blows were passed from one to the other, neither seemed to be going too easy on the other, Maru was stronger than Kagome, but he was not babying her. He was going hard enough that she groaned under the pressure of the swing once or twice.
His ears turned forward now as they fought, it was almost like dancing, and the only corrections that Maru seemed to make were ones that made Kagome look clumsy, after a half an hour of this, Kagome was flowing like water.
"That's enough." Kagome said.
"What is enough?" Maru questioned, but Genrou could not help but notice a slight haughtieness in his voice that was unbefitting of a guard to his mistress.
"You are pulling your punches and I am pulling my punches." She said shaking her head and smiling at him. "We are never going to get anywhere like this."
"And what would you have me do, if I attack you with everything…" He started.
"Don't say it. You will not kill me. Have some faith in me love." She said with a grin.
Love! What the hell was with the love thing? That was nuts, she wasn't actually in love with that stiff was she? Keh! That was ridiculous, the idiot had no personality he was aware of, and besides, Genrou had been almost sure that the guy didn't like women anyway, cause he never even turned an eye to any when they were walking.
This was confusing now. Genrou left the grate only long enough to get a towel and then returned, not bothering to cover himself, but rather using it to dry that annoying dripping down his back from his hair.
"I have faith in you." He said.
"Prove it." She challenged. A human woman challenging a full inu youkai, and that was an obvious challenge. It was unreal. Genrou had never met anyone like her before.
He gasped as Maru came forward, the butterfly style blade he had was drawn and a sudden burst of energy flooded the area. It was strong, Kagome pulled out two fans, crossing them in front of her and the attack was split clean down the center.
Genrou jumped back away, waiting for the door to implode, but instead the attack fizzled out at the door due to the wards that he had heard Maru saying were in place. Training wards. Of course, Genrou knew them well; they lined the pit walls with them, to keep the attacks from reaching outside of the pits.
As the light cleared Genrou heard a distinct 'oof' and was back at the grate again. It appeared that Maru and roughly tackled Kagome to one of the sets of mats that were there.
Ok, so I am wrong… he thought as the red headed inu leaned in and pressed a kiss to his mistress's lips. Kagome on the other hand seemed to bat him away.
"Oh gods, I can't do this!" She snarled. The red head didn't reply. She reached up and grabbed something, pulling it as the black ribbon came loose from Maru's neck and the image suddenly faded from the red headed inu to the snow-white hair that anyone knew! As that figure rose from the mats pulling Kagome with him, the red marks, the blue moon… good god! That was Sesshomaru! He was in a house, in a room with Sesshomaru! Or… or maybe it was… maybe it was one of her ghosts that Maru was talking about.
"Do you think you can trust him?" The silky voice came. Nothing like Maru's.
"Genrou? Yes." She said. Genrou suddenly felt kinda bad for eavesdropping, but not bad enough to pull away from the door just yet. He was confused. Was that Maru, or Sesshomaru, or a ghost… or what! He sighed slightly.
"If you think you can." He said softly, kissing her once more. Genrou saw what Sesshomaru didn't seem to, Kagome's hand slowly closing that fan, she moved like lightning as she brought the fan up and across Sesshomaru's cheek. The elder Inu simply stumbled back a pace and stared at her as if shocked.
"You let your guard down." She said with a satisfied smirk on her lips that made Genrou stifle a laugh. He didn't want to get caught, but that was too perfect, he had envisioned doing something like that to some people before, only usually it was claws not fans, and necks not cheeks and a lot more blood spray… ok, maybe it was nothing like that, but it was still funny!
Sesshomaru let out a low and menacing growl, the hair on Genrou's head did that unhappy crawling thing, and his tail fur stood some. It was… well… intimidating to say the least. And still that brazen little human stood staring down the King of the Western Lands like he was a cat toy.
That's it! She has more balls than brains! I understand now… she is completely insane… a little punch drunk… one to many hits with an Inu hanyou!
"Now. We dance." It was a simple line, that made Genrou think of the earlier training and how he had thought they looked like they were dancing. Sesshomaru voicing such a saying seemed a little unlike him, however, it was something he would have expected out of Maru, which, of course, only confused his already delicate since of reality enough.
WAIT! He thought, she hit him… which means… gulp … that is really Sesshomaru, that is not a ghost! He didn't know, honestly, weather that made him feel better, or worse… on the one hand, ghosts were… bad… and on the other… Sesshomaru was… badder… if badder is even a word, which he was sure that it wasn't.
"You think you can keep up?" Kagome said with a slick grin. Genrou again tried not to chuckle, he decided that she was a dead woman… however, if she did, by some godly intervention, survive, he would like working with her, she had… spunk.
"Keep up?" Sesshomaru questioned, he seemed slightly annoyed or amused… he couldn't tell. All of those damn brow quirks looked the same to him, and he had no tone of voice to speak off. "I think I can manage."
"Pull out all stops?" Kagome asked.
"All." Sesshomaru answered with a sharp nod. Kagome seemed to hesitate for a moment until the blow from Tokijin shocked her back to reality. She managed to get a shield up before it completely annihilated her.
Stepping forward Kagome brought the open fan up to her face.
"I know you can hear me." She said, as if talking to the fan… she was talking to the fan? Yeah, she had definitely lost it! No doubts about it. "Now… lets do it… Blood Claws!" She cried out dropping the fan down across her own arm, it seemed almost as if the apparition came from her blood as it dripped to the floor and the white haired, white eared inu hanyou made his appearance.
Genrou gasped, she had really done it! She summoned the ghost of InuYasha. Genrou watched as Sesshomaru's eyes widened, and he suddenly, wouldn't have traded places with Sesshomaru for all the tea in china… not that he was sure what tea in China had to do with anything, but it sounded good and he was sure there was a lot of it, which made his point nicely.
The terror struck harder than he thought it would when they had first discussed this. He felt his heart race, his mind start to waver, but when the first blood claw was launched in his direction he had made from Kagome's blood that had dripped onto the floor, he didn't have time to think. He moved quickly to the side. InuYasha was faster than he should be, but he moved like a puppet in some aspects, that horrific jerking motion that made Sesshomaru's skin crawl. He had no scent, made no noise other than those he wanted to make.
He kept telling himself it was an illusion, but it wasn't and he knew it.
"Don't freeze up Sesshomaru!" InuYasha's voice grated across his ears like Kyo's claws across his teaching slate. It made him simply want to kill that horrendous apparition of his brother. He lurched himself forward, relying on Tokijin.
InuYasha got hit, but he moved out of the range of it brushing off most of the power of the attack. Another growl came from him, his temper tried, he couldn't hear him and it was infuriating. He spun around again, aiming another blow at InuYasha, this time the hanyou's ghost simply dodged it, as if jerked out of the way. He let his energy flow down into his hand, allowing that whip to lash forward, catching InuYasha's ghost off guard. The thing hissed, as if it had felt the attack and then simply laughed at him, he shuddered again.
"Afraid of me brother?" InuYasha growled. Sesshomaru didn't answer, it had been a blow to his pride to be so completely transparent. Think of it, him, Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands afraid of InuYasha? Never!
He slashed forward again, this time both of the acid whips came out, hitting InuYasha across the face and torso. He then spun around with a finishing blow from Tokijin.
"You forgot who your real enemy was." Kagome said as she snapped the fan open again, then the other. "You have to remember when fighting someone who can summon to go after the summoner."
Both fans came up laying flat against her forearms, arms crossed some. She spun eloquently and pulled those fans out to her side before dropping to her knee. From the floor they started to raise, it seemed like hundreds of bestial youkai started to fill the room and Sesshomaru could feel the cold dread. He had seen something like this before. Slowly they formed in the center of the room and form into the giant spider like creature.
"Naraku…" Sesshomaru breathed. He could see his breath before his own eyes, knowing now there was no illusion; it was freezing cold in here. He hissed in a breath, stealing his resolve, which was until the thing spoke to him:
"What? You haven't missed me Sesshomaru-sama?" The voice seemed to eat right through what resolve Sesshomaru had left, and he was glad that the only person there to watch him shake was Kagome, Genrou had been completely forgotten long ago. One of those legs came around, and Kagome stepped up onto it as Naraku brought her up to his face. She ran a hand down his face, something that struck wrong with Sesshomaru. To be so comfortable with that thing, he had never, even when working with him, been comfortable with him.
She treated him with the care of a mother to a child, a very powerful, demented, megalomaniac child, but a child nonetheless. She then pointed to Sesshomaru.
He barely had time to react as that jerking spider lurched itself forward, he gasped as one of those claws came around him.
"Come with me." Naraku hissed. "Join with me." He started to pull Sesshomaru toward him. He froze, for the first time in his life he froze. He had never been afraid before, but it was touching him, and it was cold, and dead and he didn't know, for a moment how to fight it. "Become one with me." Sesshomaru's eyes widened, he couldn't allow this demon to absorb him, and certainly Kagome wouldn't let it go that far, but still his instincts coming in, he needed to fight. "You're power to mine…"
"No." Was the strong answer. He didn't see Kagome's sigh of relief as he unleashed a hell of an attack on that leg that held him, Sesshomaru stammered back away from it, his back hitting the wall.
"No?" He asked, even with that leg removed he seemed unphazed.
Sesshomaru's eyes flashed over to Kagome, he had to attack Kagome. He had to remember who the enemy was. To defeat the summon, attack the summoner. He came around, pulling Tokijin, that blast came clear through, taking off two of Naraku's legs, but hitting it's mark, nearly blowing Kagome back, the barrier made by the wards protecting her. She should be dead, so the summon should be gone, but the barrier protected her, and he was caught completely unaware when one of those sharp legs pushed through his shoulder and clean out the other side.
"Enough! Naraku come back." She said holding up the fan. Naraku turned to look at her. Sesshomaru's heart nearly stopping, for a moment it seemed as if he wouldn't return. He pulled the hooked leg out of Sesshomaru's shoulder, every hair and jagged edge of the bone plating causing him to grip his teeth tighter. "Now Naraku!" She said, she seemed stern, but still he seemed to be deciding it he wanted to. Finally he relented, a leg coming forward and touching the fan, and he vanished into nothingness.
"What kills the dead Sesshomaru…" Kagome asked. He tried to listen to her, but his nerves were frazzled, he was panting for air and it just wasn't coming.
"Life…" He panted. She folded the fans and walked over to him. "Tenseiga."
"Yes love." She said wrapping her arms around him, he couldn't do it, pulling away from her when she touched him, he felt dirty from where it had touched him, and nearly willing to remove the skin with claws to be rid of the crawling sensation that it left. "Calm down, he's gone." She said gently.
"I know." Sesshomaru answered. It was truthful, he did know that Naraku was gone, but he had been here.
"I asked you if you could handle it…" She said, the tears coming forward in her eyes. "You are alright aren't you…" She gasped as the tears fell from her eyes, she lurched forward, throwing her arms around his neck. "I don't want to break you Sesshomaru…"
"This one is not broken." He answered, his trembling slowing to a stop as he held her close to him. "This one is alright."
It was an hour later and for some reason she was following Genrou back to his place. He said he had a plan to get her into the pits. Sesshomaru seemed to be all right, he was disguised again, and they had a long talk with Genrou explaining why they had done what they had done. Genrou was funny, he was trying to deny seeing anything, but she had told him that she wasn't stupid and he had relented.
"No really, I am telling you, even with Maru, you walk into the pits as a lady and you will get harassed, or worse." Genrou said as they ducked into the hole leading into his place. "So, we need to fix it."
"Fix it?" Kagome asked. She was almost afraid to find out what he meant by that, but she followed him up a ladder into the loft anyway. He handed her some wraps and some boys' clothes.
"Yeah fix it!" He said with a smile. She had to admit he was charming in a completely unlikable and ruffian, InuYasha manner. She scowled at him and he stood there, hands on his hips staring at her with a look that read… come on, you're taking to long.
"Are you going to watch me fix it?" She asked him, blinking a few times, a sly grin on her lips. Genrou stood there for a few moments blinking at her before she sighed and stepped forward, he was a lot like InuYasha wasn't he. She smiled at him sweetly, stepping him back so that he was right at the edge of the loft. "Stay right there." She said.
Genrou looked around as if he were confused and she turned away. With a slight power sound he back kicked him, no hard, but it pushed him off of the edge of the loft. She heard the soft thud as he landed on Maru. "Give a lady some privacy Genrou." She said and went about getting changed.
She bound herself up, removing all signs of being female and got into Genrou's clothes. She tied her hair up like a training boy often did and smiled down at Maru, climbing down the ladder.
"Perfect, now everyone can think that Maru likes men." Genrou said. She laughed as the look of complete horror washed over Sesshomaru's face. "No, hear me out. You can still be all over Kagome right? Like you are protecting a lover… and then… no one will think less of Kagome because no one will think Maru is fucking Kagome because Maru likes guys."
It made since in some manners, said crassly and with no charisma, but still, it made since.
"So what do we call you?" Genrou asked grinning at Kagome.
"Sota." She responded, thinking of her little brother. She smiled and leaned against Sesshomaru. Her hand running down his arm and his fingers twining with hers.
"Sota it is." Sesshomaru said. He noticed that as they walked out, hand in hand, they got a few looks, she giggled when he leaned down and kissed her neck. "Be submissive. If a youkai were to take on a human lover, it would have to be a submissive one."
"I'm not submissive." She purred into his ear, licking the lobe of it slightly. There was something about being able to do this, while in disguise so no one knew, that was thrilling to her. She was in love with the idea of getting away with something like this.
"You are an exception that This Sesshomaru is willing to take, but Maru wouldn't be so giving." He said smiling at her. She smiled back and nodded. She thought for a moment, trying to think like Sota, what would Sota do walking into this situation? Piss himself and scream like a girl running away? No, couldn't do that. So instead she held tight to Sesshomaru's hand, her nerves playing themselves out as it were.
The place was crawling with Youkai. Everywhere there was one demon after another, in sizes and shapes Kagome had never seen. Granted, there were a lot she was frightfully familiar with, but so many more that she wasn't.
"I don't think I have ever seen this many demons before…" Kagome gasped like an innocent child. Maru simply glanced at her and smiled softly.
"There are many more than you have met before Sota." Sesshomaru said leading her toward the cages. The first thing she saw made her heart ache. The large creature inside was full Youkai, she had thought there were only Hanyou here. She pulled free from Sesshomaru and ran over, kneeling next to the cage holding the bars.
The white face and blue eyes of the tiger youkai stared back at her listlessly. He didn't seem to really register that she was there.
"You shouldn't run away like that kid." Genrou said from beside her.
"Hey Precious, how much for the human?" The man near the tiger's cage called out. She blinked. Precious? Where the hell had that come from? Who in their right minds would have called something as completely unprecious as Genrou, Precious?
"He's not for sale worm." Sesshomaru growled coming next to Sota. Those blue eyes flashing dangerously on the man that stood there. He looked human enough, other than the one horn in the center of his forehead.
"He belongs to you? Certainly you can part with him for a price. Aryu perhaps…" He gestured to the injured white tiger youkai.
"He. Is. Not. For. Sale." Sesshomaru repeated clearly. "I am not going to sell you my… human… so that you can eat him."
Kagome glanced up… eat her? This guy wanted to eat her, that certainly didn't make her feel any more comfortable.
"Come on now… what does a member of the Lotus Clan need with a human?" The man asked.
"He is mine. Plain and simple." Sesshomaru answered, the growl in his voice now warping the velvet tones to a more gritty ones.
"Better listen to him." Genrou said shaking his head. "He… uh… likes his human…"
"Ohh!" The man said as if dawn had broken. "I see… I see… well than… move on. The tiger isn't for sale."
"But Maru… he likes me." Kagome said looking up at him. She had stuck her hand into the cage, she knew that he wouldn't hurt her, but it had even shocked her some when he bumped his head against her hand and chortled at her. (AN: chortling is that soft sound a tiger makes to show that it means no harm.)
"Get your hand out of there boy." The man exclaimed. He moved over, reaching for the boy only to meet with the swift claws of the white monster in the cage. He reeled back holding his arm and pulling a whip, Kagome threw herself between the man and the tiger that was now pacing behind her. She couldn't let him.
"Are you willing to fight for it?" Maru asked as he came forward, grabbing the man's arm, because the man seemed sourly tempted to let that lash fall anyway. "Are you willing to fight for the tiger?"
"Hai!" Kagome said blinking up at Maru, nodding emphatically like Rin used to. He smiled at her and looked back to the owner he held by the wrist.
"Simple terms. You yourself fight my human. If you win, we leave and you keep what is left of the boy. If he wins, we take the tiger and the best in your cages." Maru said glancing to Kagome. She smiled broadly and nodded still.
"You want me to fight your human?" He laughed outright. "And here I was thinking that Precious was implying that he was your lover!"
"He is." Maru answered.
"You would risk your lover for this tiger."
"And your best. Yes."
"You must not love him that much." The youkai laughed.
"You are wrong there. I am just sure of him. And you are sure he will lose, what is there to lose should this be the case. Certainly, a strong rock demon like yourself can't be defeated by a young human boy." Maru ran his hand over Kagome's head, and she steadied her nerves, she had never fought a rock demon before, but she was sure that she could. It was a certain surety of her skills that had come from years of traveling with someone as sure of themselves, to put it lightly, as InuYasha.
"Can I use my whip?" She asked, clapping some and bouncing on her toes. Maru nodded not sure what she was talking about.
"Then I get a weapon?" The Rock Demon answered.
"Sure thing Rocky." Genrou said picking at his nails. "If you really think you need one."
"It is not whether I need it or not. Rules are, on opponent has weapons, and both get them." He said softly.
"You can come home with me soon Aryu!" Kagome said scratching the tiger's head. It looked at her with brilliant blue eyes that held little to none of the wild left in them. It only fueled her fire. Now all she had to do was win.
Sesshomaru watched from above as 'Sota' got into the ring. He had to admit he had a moment of doubt with sending Kagome in against a Rock Demon. They were slow, and she was fast, for that he was sure she could stay out of his grasp. He had told her, softly, to make sure that she didn't get caught, that she might well not be able to take a full out hit from a Rock Demon. She agreed and had vanished. Now he watched from above.
"You think the little sprout has got a chance?" Genrou asked.
"Would I have sent him in if I didn't." Maru answered. He turned his eyes back to the pit.
"Leggo! I can walk! Do not gotta… hey! Put me down!" He heard Sota crying from inside the pit ways. A low growl escaped him, they were pushing him in… not something that they usually did with a willing participant, it was because he was human, they thought they could get away with it. Maru almost laughed when two large Youkai walked out holding Sota by an elbow each and he was sitting there, arms crossed, legs crossed… pouting. When the put him down Sota promptly turned and looked up at Maru. "MARU-SAMA!" He said bowing some to him. "THEY WOULDN'T LET ME WALK!"
"Focus." Maru answered. The boy pouted and turned away. He could not help but marvel at Kagome's acting skills.
Maru watched Sota skip around the ring, it seemed like a trivial thing to most, but Sesshomaru knew that Kagome was looking for dips or sways in the floor, making sure she didn't fall prey to them.
"Kay. Ready now." Sota said, he pulled out a sword and worried his lip some.
"Thought he said a whip…" Genrou asked. Maru just waved him off as the Rock Demon came into the Pits.
The demon came in for the first move and Sota dodged it with a feminine grace. A few whoops were heard from the onlookers. Sota stopped and bent over, wiggling his rear at the enemy. Maru tried not to laugh, but a few chuckles escaped him anyway.
"Come and get it Rocky." Sota teased. The Rock Demon rounded on him, this time coming in a bit faster, Sota had to react quick but still managed to get out of the way. "Gotta do better than that… you're making yourself look bad." Sota said sticking his tongue out at him. A few people around laughed and a lot more booed. Maru waved off the few that were asking him about his self-proclaimed lover in order to watch the fight, laughing himself. He did notice two other members of the Lotus Clan there, not ones he recognized, but still Lotus no doubt. They, were holding their sides laughing.
"Focus." Maru said again. Sota pouted a bit and then turned around. He took a flamboyant poise, not to dissimilar from ones that Sesshomaru himself used, which was not comforting considering the first thing that came to mind what standing like that, no one will doubt that he is gay… He huffed some at his own thoughts, earning an odd raise of the brow from Genrou, who he again just brushed off.
Sota let one hand come out and curled his fingers in, bidding the other to come to him. When he came in to hit him, he jumped up, landing on Rocky's arm and running up, making sure to step on his head before jumping over him.
"Stand still you little fluff!" Rocky growled rounding on Sota again, Maru couldn't help but laugh. Kagome was running circles around this man, and all the while making it look that the innocent antics of a young boy who is biding for his lover's attention.
"No." He answered. "Maru-sama likes to watch me dance. Do you want to dance with me?" He asked blinking innocently at the other. Genrou, was laughing so hard he nearly fell over the edge, Maru grabbed him by the back of the green haori he was wearing and pulled him back before he did.
"What?" The rock demon growled. "We are fighting… cut that out!"
"Nu-ah. We aren't fighting till yah hit me." He said shaking his head and giggling. Sesshomaru wondered if Rin would have been like this… assuming she had ever learned to fight.
"You insolent human whelp!" The rock demon yelled.
"Eek!" Sota cried out. "Play time is over." He grinned and poised again as the demon came forward, he dropped his sword. With a silent prayer that Maru knew he was making, Sota let his hands come together, the green light flashing from them as the energy whips opened and lengthened. Maru watched as Sota started the spin and ribbon dance. He watched amused the look of horrific recognition come over the Rock Demon's face as those whips ribboned him open giving him enough time to watch his own innards fall before he himself fell dead.
"Winner. Sota." The announcer called out. Sota looked up and smiled at Maru. He stood there shaking his arms wildly, those green whips flailing everywhere.
"MARU-SAMA!" He called out looking up at him like a pathetic puppy. "THEY WON'T GO AWAY!" The entire place erupted into laughter as Maru leapt over the edge of the enclosure.
"You are impossible." He said affectionately, taking the Sota's hands into his, fingers pressing on his wrists, thumbs rubbing the back of his hands and slowly the whips began to pull back into his hands where they belonged.
"Hai Maru-sama!" Sota said clinging to him. "Can I have my kitty now?"
"Aryu." He cried out. Maru had opened all of the cages and released all of the creatures penned there, but the large tiger did little less than just look at the boy. "Maru-sama! Aryu isn't talking."
"He's hurt." Genrou said kneeling next to the boy. The white tiger's eyes flashed open and his lips drew back in a harsh hissing sound.
"Back up Precious!" Sota cried out. Maru's blue eyes automatically looked over. Sota worried his lip between his teeth as he ran his hands over the tigers blood spattered white and black coat. His misty blue eyes slowly closed and his head fell again. He was hurt? That was an understatement; he looked like he was dying.
"Precious." Maru said looking at Genrou. Genrou's ears half turned toward him to show he was listening. "Get the proprietor to bring Aryu home please."
"Yep." He said softly as he ran off towards the offices. Sota hated this, he hated it when he was Kagome, but being here, he hated it all the more! He wanted all of them, to take them home and to keep them, tend to them and take care of them. No one deserved to live like this, everything deserved better. This from the one that wouldn't allow anyone to be mean to InuYasha, now she was walking through something that was too hard on the Hanyou for even Sesshomaru to completely ignore.
It was a sad place that smelled of fouled urine, strong sweat and old blood, it was filling with creatures that were near death or worse.
Sota leaned against Maru and sobbed slightly. "It is so sad!" Sota said, but it was Kagome's thoughts. "How can they treat them like this?"
"I don't know beloved." Maru answered, clawed fingers running over Sota's hair, it was relaxing, and he liked it, it helped to get everything in perspective so that Kagome's plan was not lost. "I just don't know."
"Lemme go!" A young boy screamed.
"Don't touch him!" A second cried out. Both boys were wearing the same outfits, only one was dark blue with red markings, and one was red with dark blue markings. One had reddish ears and brown hair, the other, had brown ears with reddish hair.
They were both what she assumed to be inu hanyou, seemed those inu got around. Sota stood and ran forward, working his way through the crowd with Maru on his heels. They broke into the circle to see one single creature holding the one in red with the brown ears and reddish hair up against the wall, his face into the wall, his intentions were clearly less than virtuious. The one in blue, with the brown hair and reddish ears was on the larger youkai's back, clawing the hell out of him.
"Get off him boy!" A man was saying to the one in blue.
"I won the fight…" The youkai growled. "He's mine to do with as I please." It's tongue licked over it's drool covered teeth. Then it shot out and licked up the boy's face. The one in red struggled futilely in the grip of the drooling monster.
"You can't!" The one in blue said. "That is my brother! My twin!"
"Watch it hanyou!" The master said, his lash coming clean across the face, he let out a dog like yelp and fell to the floor. "I can do whatever I want to."
Sota started to come forward, his hands searching for Kagome's bow and arrows, he took one out when Maru grabbed his shoulder and he stopped.
"Good evening." Maru said stepping into the ring. He grinned at them. "I have a deal for you." He spoke only to the master of the boys not to the one trying to rape the red clothed inu. He moved over as he spoke, hitting a single pressure point that caused the demon to fall to the floor unable to move. "I have a fetish for twins." He said lazily. "I will buy both of them for three times what that one offered."
"He didn't offer, he won the boy." The man said.
"Very well." He said nodding. "And for this one?" He asked placing a hand on the one in blue's shoulder.
"Five Hundred." The man said.
"Done." He said taking a money sack and placing it down. "There you go."
"Good." The man said. "He's all yours."
"NO!" The boy screamed. "Not without my brother!"
Maru back handed him and Sota jumped as the inu hanyou fell to a crumple mass on the floor. He then walked over and shocked Sota by sitting on the floor next to the fallen drool demon. He sat like InuYasha, legs bent, hands between them. The way inu hanyou seemed to like too, something Sesshomaru would have never done, but Maru could.
"Excuse me." Maru said. "Can you hear me?" Maru waited a second and the man didn't move. Maru then tangled his fingers into the blue mass of hair the demon had and moved his head so that it was nodding. "Wonderful. That hanyou in red? You won him right?" Again he forced the man to nod. "You like him hmm? Very pretty?" Again the head was nodded without neck muscles involved. "So should you die, I was wondering, would you be so kind to give him to me?" Maru asked, again he forced the man to nod. "Really, what a good sport you are!" He said smiling before the sai came out of his sleeve and shoved hard into the man's eye. He watched emotionlessly until the horrible smelling beast stopped twitching and laid dead. "Well, that was quicker than I thought it would be." Maru said, catching the boy by the nape of the neck, and then grabbing the second twin. He whispered where they had to go and sent them out.
"If you do not arrive there, I will have you killed. You are mine now." Maru growled. The two pups ran off into the night, and he wondered, for a moment only, if he would ever see them again. Doing her best impersonation of a bobble head, which Sesshomaru had the misfortune of learning about in Kagome's time, Kagome, or rather Sota, was jumping up and down and laughing and clapping.
Sota stopped and his eyes went wide, tears forming no sooner than did her eyes meet it. He slowly grabbed the bottom of Maru's sleeve and tugged. Maru turned his eyes to him and Sota raised a hand to point at the most miserable sight he had ever seen.
Caged only feet away was a creature that should never be caged. It might have been a hanyou, but it was still a dragon. His hand pointing, he couldn't tear his eyes from the creature. Standing at the bars, it almost seemed to be looking at Sota, if not for the bloody and dirty blindfold that was bound around his ears, under his arching horns and over his fin like ears, covering his sightless eyes that is. He was wearing yellow haori who's sleeves had been torn and bottom had been torn so that the battered body, and scarred abdominal muscles could be seen.
"Sariyu…" He whispered. Maru's eyes now followed up to the creature in the cage. He wore a pair of black open bottomed hakuma like a Miko's pants. His arms were human from the mid-forearm up, down they were a scaly blue that ended in a three-fingered hand with two inch talons, like the dragon's leg that Sesshomaru had once used to try and destroy Tetsusiga. The large and battered blue wings flexed behind him and he actually grinned at Sota, as if he could see the child. That was all Sota kept thinking; over and over again… he can… see me. He is blind… and he can… still… see me.
"Kami." Maru breathed out as he stepped forward, his hand taking a hold of Sota's as they stepped towards the cage.
"Li!" The man standing by the cage was saying. "The undefeated champion of the rings! Only the best are permitted to go against him, and never once has one left the pit alive after! Bids for the next fight open at one thousand, no less!"
The large creature knelt as Maru and Sota came closer. It's blue claws reaching through the bars and Sota pulled free grabbing his hand like a long lost friend and sobbing.
"He doesn't belong in here!" He cried. His heart breaking with each moment he remained in contact with the caged beast. "He doesn't belong in here! Maru! He doesn't!"
"Shh." Maru said as he too approached. This was no animal, no mindless drone, this was an honest to god intelligent creature. He couldn't bring himself to touch the defiled dragon, even as a hanyou, it was the defile representation of his own god, and suddenly his blood seemed to boil. "I want him." He growled, a low and deep sound, resounding in his throat. A flash of heated hatred boiling to the surface.
"He isn't for sale." The creature said looking at him. That look clearly read that he was thought a fool. "I wouldn't ever part with such a creature as Li. He is my prize!"
"He has never lost?" Maru asked. Trying to repress his hate for rational thought.
"No." The man said. "But I am not as stupid as Aryu's master, I'll not pit myself against your boy. And the dragon will eat him alive. He may seem docile enough in that cage, but in the pits is another matter all together. You don't want to loose the boy, it would be a fools wager."
"Than I will fight him for his freedom." Maru growled.
"We'll get you out." The boy whispered only loud enough for Li to hear, even Maru didn't hear the words spoken.
"You…" He laughed. "An inexperienced pit fighter wants to challenge my thousand gold champion?"
"Hai. I win I take him with me. He wins, I die and you keep the dragon and my purse." He said.
"I win and I keep my dragon and your boy." The man said. "Human or not, he has potential."
"I only belong to Maru-sama. I love him, if he were to die, I would not need a blade to end my own life, for if Maru-sama were to die, I would die with him. Unable to live without him, my soul would die and leave my body a listless and worthless shell." The boy said, tears pouring down his face. The demon watched as the boy dedicated heart and soul to his Inuyoukai lover. How, perverted?
Maru turned his eyes back to the demon. Finally he nodded and agreed to it. He really needed to compliment Kagome's acting skills later. That performance was just precious and too convincing for words.
The pits were deep, and dark. As Sesshomaru moved down the pathway leading into it, he debated for a moment if he were doing the right thing. Him, in a pit… never did he think he would see the day, but that was before he had seen the look in Kagome's eyes. Slowly the heated hatred found him again as the grate before him opened, the darkness filling his eyes and heart. He might not care about much, but as it were, defiling the image of his god in such a place he couldn't abide by. But now he stepped out into the light, dressed in only a pair of black open legged hakuma, like the ones that Li wore, seeing as he didn't wish to ruin the white ones.
He focused on the creature as it entered across the way. He had to wonder what had caused the noble Li-Yen to have to take a human form long enough to breed with a human, or what the human had done to deserve such an honor. It didn't matter really, what mattered most right now was that, while both human and dragon went their own ways, their child, the startlingly beautiful culmination of both creatures had gone through unspeakable torments and gods only know how many fights and beatings, and had ended up here.
Now it was up to him, be him Maru of the House of the Lotus Clan, or Sesshomaru of the House of the Moon Clan, he would do everything he could to defeat this dragon and then claim him to give him his freedom.
"Maru no Lotus stands against Li no Sariyu." The announcer called into the air. He looked up and could see Sota standing on the rings edge, his Sota, his Kagome. He smiled at her and sighed gently looking back to Li. The creature was amazing, and sure of itself. He wondered for a moment if he could do it? Could he fight his full against such a creature?
"Do not hold back Lord Sesshomaru." The creature said. The noise above was too great to hear what the dragon had said from up there, but still his heart cinched in his chest. "Sariyu would not forgive you if you did."
"But…" Sesshomaru said softly, and then thought better of it, the dragon's tattered wings spread and his golden two-inch claws started to glow. Sesshomaru brought his hand down and the claws grew some, glowing green. He knew that dragons were immune to poison, but could the hanyou be as well?
He didn't know. He launched himself forward, his mind sifting through every possible outcome of the action. He made contact, feeling the taught skin of the dragon's stomach split and the blood poor over his fingers, at the same time the pain tore through his own abdomen and his own stomach was torn open, but it didn't bleed, it was as if it had sealed as soon as the cuts were made, not healing, but not bleeding. Like taking a hot poker to an open wound.
Maru clutched his stomach and keeled down on one knee. This wasn't good, he had been hit, and hit deeper than the hit he had made, by a blind dragon hanyou. His eyes flickered, starting the wind flaring until he heard her voice. She was talking like a young boy, but he still knew it was her.
"Maru-sama! Don't do it Maru-sama!" She screamed, and he tried to calm. "FOCUS!"
"She is right…" The voice came to his mind, not his ears, the voice of the dragon, smooth like silk against bare skin. "If you loose control and shift I will kill you for sure."
Was this a game? He knew Kagome was a woman? And he was willing to lose this fight? This dragon was giving him tips on how to beat him, but he was scared. The dragon came forward again, he grabbed the beast under the shoulders, rolling back, his feet coming into the dragon's chest and pushing upward, sending him careening toward the wall. Li's wings spread and started to glow a smoking blue as he rounded back his golden claws had taken on the same sheen as his wings.
The smell brought terror clear as day to Maru's features. That smell was the same as the secretions from the wounds that had nearly killed him. His eyes closed and his hand came up without thinking.
The scream was meant to be no… but it didn't come out as a no, it came out as a guttral and terrified scream. Was it him screaming or Li screaming he couldn't tell. Only as his eyes focused and his ears started to work the purple light had filled the pit and the youkai had scattered, he clenched his eyes again, afraid to return to the sightless mass. Only then did he realize that it was both of them.
As the light behind his eyes faded he opened them. His eyes fell upon the dragon hanyou, who was not a dragon hanyou right now. On his hands and knees in the center of the room he was kneeling, his blue hair had turned black, his arms completely human, his wings gone. He was… human. Sesshomaru had made him human… he had… purified him?
Maru did what came to mind next, the pain still raging in his arms he came down on the hanyou's back, knee meeting with the small of his back pushing the shaking creature to the ground.
"Submit!" Maru snarled. The creature gave one more push and then fell under him.
"Winner! Maru no Lotus!" The announcer said.
"Precious!" Sota yelled. "Down there!"
"What?" Genrou gasped.
"Down… before he kills him!" Genrou grabbed the kid and leapt over the edge, landing with a bit of an oof… at the bottom. Maru had the dragon by the shirt, hand raised above his head, fingers together so that the hand formed a clawed dagger. Sota leapt forward and grabbed Maru's arm.
"No! Maru-sama!" He cried out. Maru knew that voice, but not the face, his hand came down and smacked him, hard, sending Sota, spinning to the ground… then it struck him… Sota wasn't real… Sota was… Kagome…
"No…" He muttered, dropping the dragon, and leaping to the boy's side, pulling him up. "Baka." He growled. "Reckless Baka…"
"Is he ok?" Sota asked curling against Maru, shaking.
"He will be. Let's get him out of here. Time to go." He said standing and carrying Sota. "Precious, carry that." He said motioning toward Li. They ignored the protests of Li's handler as they walked out with their prizes and one very scared and battered little boy.
The Lotus Clan made sure they got away, and as soon as they were clear of the Pits, Maru made a quick getaway, he could not answer their questions right now.