The clash of claws against metal, ferocious roars of blood-lust, angry shouts, furious combat, cries of someone in pain, a wail of grief and terror.
It was the sweetest music.
The bandit Onigumo had lusted for battle and bloodshed as well, nearly as strong as his obsessive lust for the priestess Kikyo. Naraku felt the faded memory at the back of his mind and pushed it away, that fool of a mortal could never have dreamed of something like this. His foes were fighting with everything they had, but with each passing second their power weakened and gave way to hopeless despair.
Naraku rolled the jewel in his palm, the dark gem giving him detailed insight to the battle below. When one of his demons drew blood he tasted it, when one of their opponents fell he could hear it, when they made a kill he felt it. It was as though he himself was the one in the heat of combat. Invincible, the demons fought without fear or self-preservation, they found glee in obeying his command and attacking relentlessly.
Then there were the other two.
Naraku pulled the jewel close, manipulating the thread of dark light as though it were reigns on his two obedient horses below.
Ronuku and Kohana's minds had gone quiet, he wasn't entirely sure at what point they'd stopped resisting, but they cut through the opposing forces without mercy. Like a typhoon, they were an unstoppable storm that swept into the battlefield and blasted anything in their path.
Scanning the battlefield Naraku saw how the opposition had dwindled: His demons feasted on the corpses of squirrels, the samurai Taisuke angrily wept as he batted demons away from the body of his companion, Yugao howled in pain as her legs were torn from her torso, the ninja Keiji dangled from the branches of a tree, a demon's fang pinning him there through the throat.
One by one their companions fell, and still they continued to struggle on in their foolish hope of stopping him.
Naraku smirked.
Perhaps their leader can convince them that their efforts will only result in their demise.
A flurry of red burst through the giant spider's abdomen, blood and flesh showering the air as the figure shot towards the earth like a comet. The collision blasted away everything with a large radius, and when the smoke cleared there stood the demon Inuyasha. Jagged lines across his cheeks, eyes glowing red with madness, he charged into battle attacking everything in sight both friend and foe.
Inuyasha, without your precious Tetsusaiga fending off your demon blood, my miasma has wiped away your humanity. The very people you were trying to protect shall be done in by your own claws!
Naraku felt a ripple of excitement as the enraged hanyou tore through a wave of demons and charged through the fight without a care who it was. Unlike Ronuku and Kohana, Inuyasha could not be controlled, all that could be counted on is that he would attack whatever came in his sight.
"Mutt! What happened up there, where's Kagome?" Koga howled angrily at the hanyou. Inuyasha slowly turned towards him, his fangs bared in what looked like a mad grin. The wolf's eyes widened, the fur of his tail bristling.
"Koga, get away from him!" Miroku yelled, batting a demon away with his staff, "Inuyasha's transformed, he doesn't recognize us!"
"Transformed?!" Koga shouted, "What the hell does that mean?"
Inuyasha suddenly leapt, both hands raised and he swept his claws, Koga barely dodging out of the way in time. The wolf was fast, but in his demon state Inuyasha was faster. Snarling like a rabid dog, he stayed on the wolf's heels, gaining ground with every second.
"You really wanna fight, mutt? Fine!" Koga stopped and turned "Take this! Goraishi!"
Koga's metal claws swung down, striking lightning through Inuyasha. The hanyou raced through the attack and grabbed Koga's weapon with his own hands.
"What?" Koga wasn't quick enough to react. The Goraishi tore open Inuyasha' flesh, but the hanyou howled and crushed the demonic weapon in his palms, the metal turning inwards and shredding Koga's hand.
Screeching in pain, Koga kicked Inuyasha in the face and leapt away from him. Inuyasha's face was spattered in blood, his own injuries bleeding as well, but a feral grin was carved into his face. His ears twitched, and he turned to see Miroku less than two yards away with several sutras raised.
"Inuyasha," the monk warned, "I don't want to hurt you."
Inuyasha growled, lowering his head as if readying to attack.
"Inuyasha," Miroku continued, "Please, come to your sen-"
"Monk, get down!" A black-clad figure suddenly tackled him, the ninja Fuko pressing his face into the dirt as a blast of dark energy shot over them and struck Inuyasha in the chest. The hanyou soared through the air and crashed into the dirt, his exposed flesh scorched in the attack. Angrily he stood and growled at his attackers.
Kohana and Ronuku faced him, expressionless masks staring at the hanyou.
Inuyasha glared at them, when suddenly a look of almost recognition crossed his face. His feral glee melted, giving way to an unholy rage. With a mighty roar, Inuyasha charged at them, claws extended in fury as he leapt for Kohana.
Unfazed, she sidestepped him, Ronuku mirroring her movements as the black wave of energy pulsed between them. Inuyasha swung wildly, his claws meeting only air with each blow, Ronuku and Kohana effortlessly dancing around him in a circle that swiftly closed. When they were less than two feet away they both raised their swords and swung, slicing open Inuyasha's back and chest.
The hanyou howled in pain, blood pooling at his feet, but he quickly stuck his claws into his own wound and flung outwards. The blades of blood shot in every direction, Ronuku and Kohana's dark aura flared just in time to protect them from the brunt of the attack, but their limbs bled as they were sliced open.
As they recovered from the attack, Inuyasha suddenly leapt up again, aiming his claws for Ronuku's chest. The possessed bushi raised his sword and pierced Inuyasha's arm, a wave of black lightning racing up his blade and striking the hanyou. With another roar of pain the hanyou fell again, but once more he rose snarling.
Their frenzied dance continued, but each time Inuyasha was felled he rose again, refusing to be put down. His allies, the ones that were still alive, fought their way closer to watch the battle, but Inuyasha refused to take any other opponent.
Enough of this, Naraku thought, If Inuyasha won't attack the others then it is time to make an example of him.
The aura between Ronuku and Kohana flared.
Inuyasha leapt once more, but the dark aura snaked around his ankles and raced up his body. The hanyou struggled, roaring in anger as he tried to escape, but the black light continued until he was completely bound and immobile.
Kohana and Ronuku faced him, their palms raised as they held the raging hanyou captive within their power. Nearby Miroku shouted in protest, Sango's wail could be heard in the distance as several other shouts of dismay.
Watch you fools, Naraku thought with glee, Inuyasha fought them with no feelings of mercy to hold him back. Watch as he is destroyed!
No, a voice answered.
The jewel pulsed within his hand.
Kohana and Ronuku closed their fists. Instead of crushing him, the black light swung Inuyasha away and struck his skull against a boulder before releasing him. He fell to the ground, his eyes closed as he lay unmoving.
"Rise and continue your battle," the two spoke in unison, their voices monotone, "When the world is swallowed you will fight until the end of eternity."
The dark aura that had been protecting and healing the demons suddenly vanished. On an unspoken command, Kohana and Ronuku turned and darted off in opposite directions, the thread of aura growing between them the further they moved apart. Soon they had vanished, the dark thread floating in the air the only evidence that they had been present.
…What? They dare defy me?! Naraku furiously gripped the jewel, angrily calling the two back.
He was ignored.
He glared down at the gem, tossing it in his hand searching for abnormalities. The gem was still pure black, still connected to the two through its malicious energy. He still felt the gem granting him power, he still saw through the spider's and the demons' eyes, but Ronuku and Kohana were now deaf to him.
Naraku frowned.
I see. There are other forces at work here.
He closed his eyes, his frown turning to a scowl.
Angrily he set to work, putting his self-preservative measures into motion.
He needed to find Kagome's corpse.