Chapter 11
Circling high above the mountain castle, Kirara, Kagome, and Inuyasha were lit by the golden sun to their right. Kagome enwrapped her arms around Inuyasha's muscular, though currently relaxed and soft, abdomen tightly as she spoke, "Where are we headed?" She turned her head and rested her cheek against his right, uninjured shoulder. (The left was healing well.) His long, white hair fluttered and stretched over her like a cape. Relishing this unprecedented chance to be alone with him and have an excuse to hold him close, she listened contentedly to his deep breathing.
"Beats me," he answered pseudo-calmly. The feel of her feminine body molded to his back was highly distracting. Her gentle scent filled his nostrils. He felt his heartbeat speed up and his breathing quicken.
Kagome heard the difference and grinned. But with a sigh, she forced herself to redirect her thoughts to more pertinent matters. "Let's see if we can spot anything from the air. Maybe if we can backtrack to that courtyard…."
Kirara rumbled her agreement, understanding Kagome's train of thought instantly. She tilted into a turn, instigating another circuit above the castle.
"What courtyard?" Inuyasha grouched, disgruntled that he was always the last to understand. The chain, coiled in his lap, began to slide off, and he snatched at it.
"You remember. From when we first arrived and they kicked you out of the wagon?" she said, ignoring his tone.
He narrowed his eyes at the thought. "Yeeesss," he hissed, drawing out the syllables angrily.
She lifted her head. "Well, you could track Tetsusaiga from there, couldn't you? It has your scent all over it, right?"
He shrugged. "Yeah, I s'pose." He wasn't about to admit to her that that was a good idea.
She called across his shoulder, "Kirara! Let's look for that courtyard!"
Kirara rumbled again and nodded. She circled lower and they searched for familiar landmarks.
After a few moments, Inuyasha frowned and twisted his right ear to listen harder. "Go that way, Kirara." He pointed north.
"Inuyasha, did you hear something?"
He nodded unhappily. "Yeah. Screams." There were male, female… and children's voices.
Kirara growled, catching the same faint cries. She followed it without any further prompting, and soon Kagome could hear it, too. She tightened her hold on Inuyasha. Shortly, they were hovering above the source.
It was in an unfinished section of the castle. Pole torches were stuck in the barren soil in a rough circle. They flickered in a rising breeze. Soldiers were standing guard around a large, frightened pod of slaves to one side. Stretched between three-meter-tall stakes in two rows opposite were more slaves. They jerked when men cracked whips on their backs. Both groups of chattel screamed and wailed loudly.
"We have to help them!" Kagome cried. Inuyasha nodded, and Kirara roared deafeningly, flicking her flaming tails.
The people below flinched in unison. One man, though, unrecognizable at this height, did not react the same as they. Instead, he looked up and strode purposefully into the center of the circle. He lifted his left fist. Lightning strobed briefly, giving the scene a mid-day shine. Kagome thought that she saw a glint of red.
She shrieked, "NO!" but her voice was lost in the thunderous report. Kirara was already diving rapidly for the earth. Her night vision stolen, Kagome felt Inuyasha shudder against her chest and tightening arms. He groaned, and hunched over. The intensifying wind whipped his hair in her face. Yet, the closer they got, the more he clawed at the chain in desperation. Small, pain-filled noises escaped his lips. About 10 meters from the surface, his frantic struggles dislodged him from Kirara's back and Kagome's arms. He plummeted, slamming onto his back. The air whooshed from his lungs.
Kirara pulled out of the dive and landed hard a small distance away, running a few steps with the momentum. Kagome twisted to look at him and screamed, "Inuyasha!" as soldiers yanked her off the nekomata's back. They dragged her screeching and fighting to the group of slaves. Unnoticeable from the air, a tall, thin, metal fence encaged them. Throwing her roughly inside, they clanged the door shut. She surged up and seized the barricade, shrieking at the top of her lungs. She thrust an arm through the bars, much like the other vassals were doing. She became just one of the many.
More lightning flashed. Thunder rumbled. The torches flickered. Roaring, Kirara fought to break free of the countless chains samurai were looping over her. The fur of her back disappeared under the torrent. She roared again, and shrank to her kitten form. She wriggled quickly out from under the heavy links, only to be snatched up. Stuffed into a small crate, her muffled caterwauling was lost in the approaching storm.
Lord Atsuo himself stood over Inuyasha's slack form. A light drizzle began to dampen their clothes. Inuyasha looked up through his bangs, his golden eyes glinting in the firelight. His hair and hitatare billowed, rustling.
"I have been waiting for you," crooned Atsuo. He snapped his fingers. Three men rushed over at once. "Untie these slaves." He gestured at the people lashed to the poles. "Throw them in with the others. Then put this one front and center, where they can all watch." He grinned malevolently, and then twirled a forefinger. "Oh, and use those special chains."
He remained standing there, waiting as they followed his directions. He kept up a constant stream of pain flowing through the ring. The half-breed had no chance. Atsuo clasped his hands smugly behind his back. Water droplets wetted his head and shoulders, but no matter. He'd still teach this creature a lesson it would never forget.
At last, they were ready. Bringing forth the shackles, the soldiers began to lock them about the struggling half-demon's wrists. "Wait!" Atsuo yelled, after listening to a message whisper-shouted into his ear. "Take off its clothes, first!" So, it had an enchanted, protective robe from somewhere. The half-dog must have stolen it. He wondered who had been the original owner. Besides, it was a good idea anyway to disrobe him. It increased the humiliation.
Inuyasha snarled and slashed at the samurai from his prone position. He jolted involuntarily, gasped, and then glared at Atsuo. So much pain! The smell of ozone and the approaching storm lifted his hackles. He could hear Kagome shouting his name and Kirara's muffled, plaintive meowing. The warriors manhandled his pain-racked body, stripping him. His eyelids fluttered closed with the agony. He had no strength any longer, thieved by the collar and the anguish. He lifted his left arm with all his might, and struggled to claw the soldier. The human pushed his arm back down easily, locking the manacle about his wrist.
He cried out. They'd been blessed! It was no wonder he'd been unable to defend himself. Their mere proximity was sufficient for that. The pure spiritual power leaked into his flaccid body, bringing nausea and more pain than he thought could exist. It crackled over his skin occasionally. Dimly, he felt himself being towed along over the earth dampening into mud. His long hair twisted and pulled under him. His arms were stretched out over his head and hooked onto poles like a "y"; his legs dangled straight down. After his ankles were connected, a long chain tied them similarly to the wooden shafts. His arrow wound twinged, barely noticeable over the agony. His clawed toes just barely skimmed the ground. All his weight hung from his wrists, the sanctified metal slowly leeching his power. Soon, it would cut into his skin. His ears drooped. The sun was gone, and somehow, so was his hope, sucked away by the unending procession of these horrendous days.
The lightning streaked across the sky, followed quickly by thunder. The rain fell, hissing in the torches. Atsuo told his men angrily to put the glass covers on and light more. Did he really have to tell them everything? And that reminded him – he rubbed his temples with the middle finger and thumb of his right hand – so he said, "Forgetting something?"
Cocking his head, one man gazed in puzzlement at his master. Then the light dawned. He dashed a short distance away and retrieved a metal contraption. He approached the drooping figure. Lifting Inuyasha's head by his white hair, he quickly slipped the apparatus on the unsuspecting victim. A helmet-like cage enclosed his head; a protruding, flat strip of metal was forced into his mouth, rather like a bridle's bit, which prevented speech. Inuyasha thrashed and swore (later, grunted), but to no avail.
The man tightened a leather strap at the nape of Inuyasha's neck, and then stepped away. The half-demon writhed, grunting and glaring, jerking his head. His ears! They were pressed, backward, onto his head by the bridle's metal cage; raindrops fell onto the soft, sensitive inner side of his ears. Thankfully, they couldn't fall into the vulnerable, opened canal, for the metal covered it.
Inuyasha glared, humiliated. Most sounds were muffled, but for the amplified drum of the rain on the bridle.
Kagome cried out, for his sake.
Atsuo smiled at Inuyasha in satisfaction. He then turned and gestured respectfully. "Monk Chokichi! Please, come join me!"
A wizened, old man ambled forward from around the slave cage, cane in hand. A young soldier respectfully offered his arm, which the monk took and leaned on. Kagome gasped. She could see his immensely powerful aura. It was huge! The monk slowly picked his way around puddles, finally reaching the side of Lord Atsuo. He released the samurai and waved him off. Placing one hand atop the other on the cane head, he rasped, "Is there something you wish of me, my lord?"
The lord bowed. "Indeed there is, my good Chokichi." He turned his head left and lifted a finger. An officer ceremoniously presented a cat-o-nine-tails to his lord. This weapon, though, actually had many more strips than merely nine. The old monk looked at it and flinched. The wooden handle was wrapped in dark leather. It had brown blemishes on it, perhaps from dried blood. Raindrops beaded on the oiled material. Small metal balls, a single centimeter in diameter, were periodically tied in the leather strips, themselves just centimeters apart. Each cord varied the balls' placement along its length, so that there would be no rows, but rather a random scattering. Each steel sphere had thorny points protruding from it, similar to a mace. They shined brightly, briefly, in the lightning.
Leaving the flogger in the hands of his soldier, Atsuo asked, "Will you bless it?"
Chokichi swallowed bile and shook his head firmly. He raised his rheumy eyes to Atsuo's and said, "No, Atsuo. I will not." He demanded gruffly, "Why would you have such a thing made?"
Atsuo shrugged casually, slightly put out by the rejection. "Does it matter?"
Chokichi blinked rain out of his eyes and thumped his cane. "It most certainly does! Your father would not have approved! And using it at all? Much less outside, in a thunderstorm?" He shook his finger. "If you're not careful, you're going to kill – "
Atsuo's temper flared. "Get out of my sight, you old geezer! I don't need to listen to your scolding anymore! I am the lord of this castle!"
Grumbling (in a phony manner) to himself about being glad to get out of the rain, Chokichi hobbled off. He glanced back once at the nude, hanging form, truly sorry that he couldn't help the boy. But he at least had the power to refuse Atsuo's request.
The lord watched him go for a moment, glaring at his stooped back. He turned back to the officer, who was still holding out the flogger. "Go, Sadao. Use it," he commanded.
Sadao grimly smiled in approval and stalked toward Inuyasha, letting the cat-o-nine-tails fall to his side. It glinted and swung as he walked. "NO!" screamed Kagome over the thunder. She sobbed and wailed Inuyasha's name. "No, no! Please, don't! PLEASE!"
Atsuo gave her a quick grin, before turning back around to watch. He called behind him, "Be glad I've mercy enough to spare you the sight of his back!"
Other slaves offered their sympathy, stroking her arms and back comfortingly. She pivoted and flew into the arms of the closest. Weeping on her shoulder, Kagome held onto the woman like a steel trap holds onto the leg of a rabbit. Startled, the woman automatically rubbed Kagome's back in soothing, meaningless circles. Other slaves were comforting their own family members, some of whom had suffered the lash earlier. Lying on their fronts in the mud, heads to the side, the injured men and women fought not to wince as the huge raindrops hit their sore backs. These people understood the pain this strange young woman was experiencing.
The wind had died, allowing the downpour to fall straight to the earth. Huge droplets splashed on the ground. Lightning continued its frantic dance in the clouds, playing darkly with its loud companion and friend. The dim, sputtering torches offered little relief from the wet, pressing night.
Inuyasha's head hung limply. The degrading gag mechanism and nudity made him feel utterly worthless, as intended. The collar no longer gave him pain, but the purifying shackles were efficient at weakening and draining of life. Static electricity sparked. His own weight made his wrists bleed; it mingled with the ice-cold rain, turning pink as it trickled down his arms. He could smell it, too. The arrow wound throbbed distantly. He was cold. He felt someone grab his wet hair, viciously pull it out from under the leather strap, and fling it over his shoulder. He tensed involuntarily. He knew what was coming.
The flogger whistled and cracked on Inuyasha's back. The miniature maces dug into his skin, clinging like burrs. The man ripped them back out. He jerked violently and bit his cheek to keep from making any sound. The taste of copper filled his mouth, mixing unpleasantly with the iron. Crack! The scent of his own blood flooded his nose. It trickled down the planes of his back. Whistle, crack! His claws embedded themselves to the quick in his palms. Crack! His back felt inflamed already. Crack! The little metal spheres dragged numerous thin lines along his flesh as they withdrew. Whistle, crack!
Kagome trembled, unable to take her eyes away from Inuyasha. She flinched each time the terrible whip struck him. Her eyes felt raw from crying so hard. Her sore abdomen trembled with her sobs.
Dully, Inuyasha became aware through the pain of derogatory shouts from the soldiers. He raised his head weakly, then flinched, another blow hammering down on his back. He squinted hopelessly, blinking away water and pushing back useless tears. His ears constantly twitched under the confining metal at the touch of the unending water. A sheet of rain blurred the samurai's images to silhouettes, yet he could read their body language. Slowly, their jeers filtered into his pain-hazed mind.
"…deserve this! Dirty mutt!" Crack! The flogger drew from him more red liquid.
"Half-breed!" Crack! The rain beat an endless tattoo over his wounds.
A tenor – "Sewer rat!" Inuyasha wished his hands were free to cover his ears.
Whistle, crack! "Mangy bastard!" cried a deep voice. Thunder boomed in agreement.
Crack! "Your slut of a mother f*$ed a demon!"
And then, "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Kagome's voice broke. Atsuo's encouragement had brought the guards to this. It was all Atsuo. She desperately wanted to get her hands around a bow and arrow and aim it right in his face. "SHUT UP!"
"Ooh, does the little girl want to come out and play?" one crooned. He laughed.
Inuyasha cried out angrily, wordlessly, the first real sound he'd made. His nostrils flared, incapable of giving him enough air in his panic. His mouth parted around the "bit" and he panted. He tugged at his restraints and kicked at the chain dangling from his neck. Lightning crashed, almost drowning out his second screech. He growled low and deep. The guards laughed derisively. He didn't really care what happened to him, but if they hurt Kagome….
The man who'd taunted Kagome approached, swaggering. He looked to his lord briefly, who nodded, saying happily, "Go ahead, Ryuu." Now this man, Atsuo thought, was worth remembering – a man who stood out among all the nameless faces of his men.
Regaining confidence, Ryuu drawled in Inuyasha's face, "Oh, yeah, you filthy cur?" Sadao paused. Rain dripped off Ryuu's nose; he yanked on white hair, pulling the half-dog's angry face close. "You haven't learned anything, have you?"
He turned, yelling, "Go on, men! Get the girl!"
Shippo struggled to walk through the increasing mud, his little legs almost completely submerged. His hair stuck to his face, his clothes were drenched, and his legs were sore. He gave up and plopped on his back in the mire. "Ugh! Where are they!"
Miroku crouched, his torn robes brushing against Shippo's prone body. "Come on, Shippo, we've got to keep going! Just as soon as we find them, we're leaving. I promise."
Shippo groaned, "This is the longest detour ever! I bet Inuyasha's mad at how much time we lost going after Naraku."
Sango squatted next to the monk and sighed. "I know." She looked up at the black sky momentarily, blinking at the droplets that hit her eyes. The torch sputtered in her hand, nearly extinguished. "Come on, I'll carry you. We've just got to continue. We'll find them. Eventually." Then, to herself, "We have to."
Kagome fought them, shrieking, kicking, and flailing. They snickered, dragging her along. "Look at her skirt! It's tiny!" They fingered its hem. She screamed louder.
Inuyasha bellowed. He writhed ferociously, jerking at the purifying chains and drawing yet more blood. The spiritual power crackled through him, leeching strength. But that was no excuse, no excuse at all. "NO!" he tried to yell, though only the vowel emerged clearly. He must protect her!
Atsuo said nothing, but stood with arms folded, smiling gently. His men knew how he wanted things done. Screw bushido! (samurai code of honor)
They shackled the struggling Kagome next to him. His left arm and her right were tied to the same wooden shaft. Her dangling legs hung several centimeters up from the ground. Spitting strands of wet hair out of her mouth, she thrashed and hurled expletives at Atsuo, words Inuyasha hadn't realized she even knew.
The lord waved a hand for his men to continue. Taking up a simple, one-stranded whip that was used earlier for the human slaves, Sadao, still holding the flogger in his other hand, prepared to lash the cringing teenager.
"Don't!" cried Inuyasha, mangling the word. He fought off exhaustion and despair. "Huht me infeab!"
"No, Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed, wrenching her head to the right to see him. "You're already hurt – badly!"
"I cam hanel ih! I heal be'er an you oo!"
"Give me that!" cried Ryuu, snatching the flogger. "You obviously haven't been doing your job, you incompetent piece of waste. It wants more!" He pushed Sadao roughly out of his way, and farther from Kagome. "We should oblige."
Inuyasha exhaled shakily. Good. They wouldn't hurt her. For now, anyway. Even this emotion felt almost like too much effort. He wondered vaguely why he felt this way. Then he remembered – the shackles. The cat-o-nine-tails. How could he forget that?
Kagome cried, "NO! Stop it! Don't hurt him anymore!" She struggled, pulling her knees up and kicking, her ankles catching as the chains snapped to and fro. The two soldiers ignored her. Cold rain poured and lightning shot across the sky.
Lifting his eyebrows, Sadao addressed Ryuu caustically, "Yeah? Well, if you can do it better, be my guest." He folded his arms, the whip trailing over his arm and brushing the ground.
Inuyasha hissed quietly as the other man spoke, "Shuh up, Kagome!" Electricity crackled over him, traveling across their restraints and the wet, saturated wood.
She flinched at the static shock. "I won't!" she replied, equally quiet, yet vehement.
"Ha!" Ryuu mocked under his breath, "'Do it better.'" He turned, his breath halting in his chest. "Well, I'll be…."
Inuyasha's back, a red ruin, was completely covered with inflamed lash scores and oozing pockmarks. The downpour tried to wash away the blood, but more kept welling up. It dripped pink drops off his heels.
Inuyasha snorted softly, without emphasis, merely an automatic reaction.
"You bastard!" Inuyasha felt a fist land on the side of his head, between the sparse bars of the bridle. Kagome gasped, biting her lower lip. The voice directed elsewhere, crying over the pounding rain, "Lord Atsuo! Do I have permission to get more tools for this one?" Ryuu smacked Inuyasha on the head again, indicating about whom he was speaking. Gaining an apparent nod, he dropped the flogger and darted away, disappearing rapidly into a shapeless figure.
Sadao untangled his arms, slinking the whip sinisterly across the mud. A gust of wind blew briefly. He cracked the whip suddenly across Kagome's back. She cried out. Inuyasha growled loudly. He could almost smell her pain. Sadao drew his arm back again and tensed.
"Sadao!" called Lord Atsuo impatiently. "Don't waste your energy on that one."
Lowering his arm, he shrugged slightly. "Whatever," he muttered. Inuyasha relaxed, the lack of tension and adrenaline allowing his exhaustion to rush back.
Then the lashing of the half-demon resumed, all the worse for the respite. Whistle, crack! Crack! Whistle, crack! Inuyasha could just barely hear Kagome's hoarse voice shouting at Atsuo and the derisive catcalls begin again. The anguish and the hopelessness swept over his mind once more.
But soon, Ryuu returned. He chuckled maliciously as he drew closer, gesturing with a metal object. "I bet this will teach you." He waved an arm and another guard trotted forward.
The new guard grinned and said, "I'll take that bet."
Gesturing with the iron, Ryuu grinned, too, and replied, "It's done." He turned and said, "Go on; what are you waiting for? Keep whipping him! He and I will try this." The grin turned menacing.
Kagome yelled, "No!"
Inuyasha lifted his head wearily, wondering if he should bother at all. Adorning his wrists were long, trailing, scarlet bracelets. The purification crackled over and through his body once in a while, shocking Kagome, too. He felt nauseous, defeated. Suddenly, he felt hands tightly grip his feet. He jerked, fighting reflexively to free himself, but of course he was already manacled.
Ryuu knelt, looking up into his hanging face. "We'll remove that which marks you as a vile half-breed." The golden eyes widened; the struggles increased. Ryuu chuckled, lowering the pliers and taking a claw between their jagged teeth.
"You're evil!" Kagome hollered. "How could you?" She writhed, wishing desperately that she could spare Inuyasha from people like them.
"No!" Inuyasha yelled at Ryuu, sudden adrenaline rushing through his veins. A laugh answered him. Not the claws. Not again! No! Not again! He heard the villagers taunting him in unison with the guards. The memories rang through his mind. Their laughter mingled. He grimaced, grunting, as the man ripped off his claw. He let his head fall, blinking feebly at the bleeding big toe of his left foot. The purification buzzed.
The guards cheered, gathering closer. They taunted him, calling forth the memories.
He was young, – about six years old – and tied up much the same way as he was now. He hung in the town square, surrounded by the villagers of his home. Battered and bleeding, bruises were blooming from the rocks they'd thrown at him. A lash taken repeatedly to his back sliced open his skin.
He cried out, tears streaming down his little face. "Why?" he shouted. "WHY?"
They sneered, saying something about the crime of his birth. "You have dirty blood! You're a worthless half-breed!" Then, "We'll cut the demon out of you!"
He cowered, kicking and struggling to get away. His young, not fully developed body had little chance of breaking free. He sobbed, his eyes bloodshot and streaming.
Pulling off all 20 claws one by one, his fingers and toes were smeared with blood. They all took part, it seemed, jeering and taunting. His wrists and ankles were rubbed raw. He begged and pleaded for them to stop, but they didn't.
"And the hair!" Hacked off haphazardly, only short jagged tufts remained.
Their eyes searched his body, violating it with their hatred. One woman pointed. "The ears mark him, too!" Eagerly, someone cut them off in a single slice each, following the curve of his skull to get as much off as possible. Blood stained the fur of the ears lying flaccidly upon the ground, their natural curvature flattening. More blood welled out of his wounds, down the sides of his head, and onto his shoulders.
He had ceased to struggle or beg. His high voice, still that of a child, was rough and nearly gone. He hung limply, eyes staring sightlessly down. His chest lifted slightly with each heaving breath.
"The eyes, too!" they yelled. "They're inhuman!" Taking his chin in hand, they lifted his head. He gazed through their faces blankly. His mind had taken him on a pleasant dream when it realized the brutality could not be prevented.
But then, his mother burst into the square and forced the villagers back singlehandedly. It took awhile to gently convince him to return to reality. Once he did, she took him down and then home, crying and clinging desperately to her. He healed, everything regrowing quickly. Sometimes, he wished… none of it had regrown at all. Then he wouldn't be Other, anymore.
He resurfaced from the memory, blinking water droplets from his eyes. Thunder boomed. To his surprise, they were already pulling off the tenth and final toe claw. His body throbbed in exhausted anguish. Whistle, crack! went the flogger. Rain poured. Kagome's disappearing voice wept and shouted. Taunts crashed into him. He realized in shock that he was weeping. He roughly forced himself to stop. He had no idea how he'd acted during the flashback. If he had begged…, he'd rather just drop dead and save himself from that embarrassment.
But who was he kidding, anyway? They were right. They were all right. He was nothing, unfit to be anyone's friend. Kagome was worthy of much better. He was surprised she let him touch her at all, smell her gentle scent, or even watch her from afar. They'd tried all his long life to drill into his head that he was inferior. How could all the people he'd ever met be wrong? It was unanimous, and he was tired of fighting it. Let them do what they will. He deserved it all and more.
Their hands released his tormented feet; they stood, beginning to pry his fingers out of their fists.
Hanging limply and in the nude, he relaxed his hands submissively. The claw wounds in his palms at last began to bleed freely. He blocked all sounds from his mind. Allowing his fatigue to carry him away, he fell into another memory.
"No, Tsukiko! Come back!" he hollered, tears falling from his eyes. "Please, come back! I don't care about all that! I forgive you! Please, you're all I have!"
Tsukiko was his first real friend, his only companion after the death of his mother. She'd befriended the young half-demon one day when she saw him playing alone just outside her village. She'd noticed him hanging around for about a fortnight; he always looked disconsolate and terribly lonely.
She approached, stopping when he jerked his head up, much like a nervous squirrel. He backed away several steps.
"It's okay," she said gently. "My name is Tsukiko. What's yours?"
Since then, they'd been secret friends. The twelve-year-old Inuyasha was much too learned in the ways of men now to go into the village. So Tsukiko snuck away to the forest every day to see him. For a heavenly period of two months, Inuyasha had a friend.
But unbeknownst to Inuyasha, Tsukiko's family and friends had learned that she was playmates with a monster plaguing their wood. After each stubborn visit, they punished and indoctrinated her about its evil. Slowly, she grew more distant with Inuyasha. Eventually, she grew snippy and acted superior, snubbing his suggestions for games to play. Her inexplicable manner flabbergasted him.
Then, one day, she smugly invited him to her house. Reluctantly, Inuyasha anxiously allowed himself to be led by the hand. When they passed a building that had her scent all over it, he asked, "Isn't that where you live?"
She smirked and lied, "No, stupid. Don't you know anything?"
Finally, they reached the center of the town, where ranged almost every villager, expressions of vile delight and expectation on their faces. A platform pillory stood waiting, an aisle opening between it and himself. He shook his head, walking backward. "No. You wouldn't," he denied. It was like a nightmare come true.
Tsukiko laughed. "You're so gullible." Her face sobered abruptly. "Do you know how long I had to endure being with you, just for this? It was my idea, too." She beamed in pride, seeking her father's gaze out from the crowd.
He just kept shaking his head and retreating in disbelief. "No, no." He bumped into someone, causing him to jump and yip. A hairy right arm tightened across his chest; a rough left hand clutched his throat. He panicked, clawing at the limbs. They dropped away, bleeding. He whirled. A man laid on the ground, moaning and glaring. The other humans surrounded him, brandishing pitchforks and hunks of wood.
Prodded, beaten, and forced into the pillory, his hands and head were locked into place, immobilizing him. Vicious catcalls, jeers, and taunts struck him again and again. They hurled rotten vegetables, garbage, rocks, and anything else that could act as a projectile. His heart splintered, ripping into tiny chunks of betrayal.
And yet, he clung to those remembered moments of friendship, brief though they were.
Two forever hours passed before they released his bruised, bleeding body, dumping him deep within the forest. "And don't you dare come back!"
Tsukiko came back later that night to deliver the final blow. "I hate you!"
Inuyasha flinched, but stood up, swaying. He did his best to ignore the grind of broken bones. "How can you say that?" he asked desperately. "What do you want from me!"
"I want you to leave!" she cried. "You're evil! Pure evil!" Tsukiko spat on him, whirled, and ran.
He flinched. "No, Tsukiko! Come back!" He stretched out a hand, perversely wishing for her friendship still. Anyone is better than no one, he thought desperately. He broke down in tears of agony. "Please, come back! I don't care about all that! I forgive you! Please! You're all I have!" He clenched his hands at his aching chest and fell to his knees, sobbing in anguish. He keened. The echoes of his cries dissipated, lost and unreturned.
He never saw her again.
"INUYASHA! KAGOME!" bellowed Shippo, Sango, and Miroku in shock and unison.
He cringed. These three must be here to take payment, too, for all the times they'd endured his presence. It was sure to be brutal. After all, they'd been together for a much longer time. Lucky them – he was already trussed up and prepared. He waited passively for the blows to fall, but they never did. He looked up weakly in confusion, his neck muscles quivering. Miniature lightning bolts snapped across his bare skin.
A pitched battle broiled before him. Sango and Miroku methodically combated the soldiers as Atsuo shouted and gestured furiously. He thought, What are they doing? Fighting the soldiers was foolish when their goals were the same. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," right?
Shippo, following the sounds of scratching and caterwauling, freed Kirara from the crate. She sprang out gleefully and transformed instantly in a blaze of aura-flames. She planted her huge paws in front of Shippo as several soldiers charged, brandishing weapons and yelling war cries. She roared, waving her two tails threateningly back and forth. They hesitated. Shippo bounded onto her back, throwing one of his sundry, illusory toys. It bloomed huge and crashed before them.
Miroku paused, panting, in a pocket of temporary peace. He pushed Kagome's bow and quiver back onto his shoulder. He looked around: Kirara, Shippo, and Sango seemed to have things well enough in hand. He nodded to himself and flexed his hand, getting a better grip on his shakujou.
The downpour was at last beginning to let up. The lightning and thunder continued to crash and flame, unabated. The black night rang with the clash of steel on steel. Arrows zipped through the dark willy-nilly.
Miroku came at a run. Dropping his staff along with Kagome's bow and arrows, he skidded to a stop in front of the half-demon. Alarmed at his nudity and the amount of blood, he immediately sought to free him from the bridle. His fingers skittered franticly over the metal as he exclaimed, "What in the world happened to you?" Receiving no response, he bent backward slightly to look up into Inuyasha's hanging face. It was expressionless – curtained by strings of wet, white hair. His yellow eyes looked down blankly, blinking bemusedly every once in a while. Miroku drew back slightly.
Suddenly, he realized that he felt very little demonic energy from Inuyasha.
"Kagome, what the hell?" the monk asked, hurriedly loosening the leather strap in back. "Why don't I feel much of Inuyasha's youki?" He glanced over at her, and then tried to lift off the bridle. Inuyasha groaned as his head moved along with the cage.
Kagome rasped anxiously, "It's the chains! They're blessed! Hurry – get them off!"
Miroku looked over the bridle more quickly and opened a few hinged pieces, then pulled it off, messing up Inuyasha's white hair. His dog ears flicked up straight again. Relief washed over the half-demon, and he rolled his neck out slowly.
What is this? Inuyasha wondered blearily, watching the monk squat and mess with his ankle chains. Why wouldn't they want to leave him hanging here? This was the best opportunity they'd ever get. Miroku flinched as the electricity shocked him, shaking his hand and wincing. Inuyasha's golden eyes widened at the surge of spiritual power; he moaned, shivering momentarily. My beloved Kikyo, even you realized it at last, and chose to hate me…But still – how could you shoot that arrow? How could you pin me to the sacred tree for 50 years?
Miroku unscrewed the simple bolt holding on one leg iron. The manacle came off, dangling from the other one still attached. Inuyasha exhaled audibly. Miroku glanced up quickly, and then set to work on the other. It soon came off and together, they splashed into the mud. Miroku stood, stretching to reach Inuyasha's left hand. He whispered, hands pausing in mid-air, "Holy s*%!" at the profusion of blood. Unscrewing this bolt was more difficult, slick with even more liquid than the other. Shouting, Kirara's roars, and the clang of metal came from behind him, distracting him. Experiencing a panicked hastening, it kept slipping in his fingers. But finally, the bolt came out.
The manacle released Inuyasha's wrist in a flash, and his arm fell. Freed of the tension holding it still, his entire body swung to the right and slammed into the post, driving a grunt from him. He jerked his head up, revealing his grimace. He twisted feebly on the end of the chain, which cut deeper into his wound.
"I'll get you down, Inuyasha," Miroku reassured shakily. Inuyasha wasn't himself, not at all. What had they done to him?
The bolt came out, and Inuyasha fell. He cried out when his feet hit the ground, and he collapsed to hands and knees. Jerking when the mud squished into the injuries on his hands, his bleeding, ruined back was finally exposed. Long, red cuts and small, ripped indentations crisscrossed it, barely an unmarred strip of skin remaining. Miroku flinched, glancing at Kagome.
She stared at Inuyasha, tears gathering in her eyes. "Oh, Inuyasha!"
He slurred slowly, "Why do my feet hurt?" He looked at Kagome, tired confusion and surprise on his face.
She replied, startled, "Don't you remember? They used a bastinado." Miroku released her feet and stood, reaching for her hand.
"A… what?" Inuyasha asked, arms quivering. He didn't really even ache anymore; everything had gone numb. He felt greatly relieved to be released from the purifying chains; or at least, his mind was. His body didn't really seem to notice. He was still so tired…. Please, guys, don't hurt me anymore. Just don't hurt me anymore….
She cocked her head. "They beat the soles of your feet with a stick, for a really long time. How can you not remember?" She tried to brace herself on the pole with her feet as Miroku undid the last shackle. They kept slipping on the rainwater, though.
Inuyasha didn't answer, just let his arms slide through the mud until he lied on his stomach, head to his left. The leash bulged uncomfortably underneath him, but he didn't care. He closed his eyes and sighed. He could fall asleep right here, if only they'd leave him alone. Just take your payment later – he wouldn't fight it. He understood and willingly took the blame for what he was. He knew he deserved it. He deserved it all.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome knelt in the mud next to him, her hoarse voice breaking. "Don't die on me!" She reached for his hand, but changed her grip to his outstretched arm.
"Don't touch me!" he roared, startling her. He recoiled, rising to his feet, forgetting momentarily about the bastinado. He cried out, staggering backward until his back smacked into a pole. He contorted his face in pain, grunted, and slid to the ground. He moaned, ears flicking erratically. Die? He didn't want to die. He hadn't agreed to that. Payment, yes. Death, no.
"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Kagome asked, stretching her arm toward him. She paused, thinking. Then in realization, "I'm sorry! I hurt you." Her black hair was plastered to her skull. Her lower lip quivered, and she wiped at her leaking eyes with the backs of her fingers.
Inuyasha thought bitterly, Oh, crying, huh? Yeah, sometimes they cried when they did or planned something really awful. Just the thought of it would make them weep. They didn't want to hurt him, they said, but he made them by being a bad dog. It hurt their hearts to do it, but they did it anyway, for his sake. He curled his lip in disgust, still locking gazes with Kagome. She looked hurt.
Miroku, squatting before Inuyasha, said very gently, "Inuyasha, here are your clothes." They were gathered in a haphazard pile in his hands. Inuyasha shifted his gaze to Miroku's rain-dampened face, and then to the soggy fabric. The sneer slipped from his face, replaced by confusion. He frowned, but took his hakama from Miroku and struggled slowly to put it on, refusing help. He didn't even try the suikan – that would hurt too much. Once done, he leaned gently back against the post and frowned dully again, cocking his head.
Miroku felt an edge of caution and increasing alarm worm through his chest. He slowly stood, leaving the suikan behind, taking one backward step after another. When he reached Kagome's side, he paused and lifted her by her right forearm. He then continued retreating, taking her with him.
She looked sideways at him, puzzled. "Miroku?"
He whispered worriedly, still gazing at Inuyasha, "I don't think… he's… stable anymore." He looked into her eyes briefly. "Be wary."
Kagome's face lined with deep-set worry. "Stable?" she asked quietly, turning back to Inuyasha.
Inuyasha watched them back away, the small frown still on his face. Then it collapsed into understanding and despair. The debt was already paid! It was just like with Tsukiko, only worse. They planned on leaving him here, enslaved by these soldiers. They were abandoning him here! He'd never see them again, not ever. The abuse he was used to, the abandonment he could never become dulled to. His heart, which had slowly been melted by their friendship, cracked and shattered into a million pieces. His chest ripped open, leaving only a gaping, empty, unfeeling hole in its wake. The landscape beyond could be seen through the cavity.
He slumped deeper into the mud. Did it really even matter anymore? He was a half-breed. Of course they betrayed and abandoned him. It was like the sun rising in the east – inevitable and the natural course of things. His yellow eyes drained of life.
Kagome sucked in a breath and tore away from Miroku, unable to stand seeing him like that. It was so wrong, so not Inuyasha! She cried his name hoarsely. She fell to her knees before him, splashing up mud. The rain mingled with her tears. Resisting the urge to throw her arms around him and inadvertently cause him pain, she clasped his face between her hands. She slid them to the back of his neck and clutched his hair in both fists. Kagome kissed him desperately, whispering against his lips, "I love you! Please, please, come back to me."
As Inuyasha looked over the top of Kagome's head into the distance, a stone-struck Miroku watched agony fill the yellow eyes. They closed, a single tear trailing down the muddied face. Then Inuyasha brought his arms up and shoved Kagome, hard. She fell backward, landing on her butt in the muck.
Inuyasha stood, wrapping his left arm around the post and grasping his forearm with the other hand for support. His legs trembled. He roared, "TRAITOR!" His face collapsed in anguish and he whispered, "How can you lie to me?"
"It's not a lie!" she cried, arms outstretched. "Inuyasha, please!" she pleaded, voice thick with tears.
He wailed, "LIAR!" Legs crumpling, he dropped to his knees, arms still entwined with the post. He threw his head back and keened.
But then, overwhelming fury burst forth, battling the despair and misery that threatened to drown him. Bringing his head back down, he stared accusingly at Kagome. NO! How could she? How? He dug his hands into the wood and fought the pain in his body, now insignificant compared to the agony tearing at his heart. He struggled to his feet again; he absolutely refused, no matter the cost, to face this double-crossing world on his knees.
Letting go the post, he stood, fists at his sides, head up in a defiant gesture. Kagome rose, too, instinctively reaching for his arm. He stepped back swiftly. Inuyasha growled, ears back, lip lifting in a sneer to reveal his fangs. He whirled, blindly marching away by a spider's silken threads of willpower.
Each step along the row of poles pounded on his battered feet, mud squishing between his toes and over the bloody holes where claws should curl. Hands clenched, he couldn't care less about the pain, even though his back throbbed bitterly and his chest ached, empty. Or rather, not empty enough. Inuyasha wished he could seal it over and never be forced to look at it again, much less ever feel it. If only he could coat it with ice; if only he could be someone else, anyone else.
… If only he could lose his humanity, he'd surely lose his capacity for this kind of pain.
He stopped walking, morbidly inspired, and opened himself, welcoming his demon half. If ever he could call it forward, he wished that moment to be now. More than anything, he wished to lose himself in the bloodthirsty, vicious nature of the demon blood that, a few times now, had overtaken his body to protect him. Without Tetsusaiga, the suppressant, it could spring forth and transform him into a mindless beast, incapable of feeling pain or fear, only the pleasure of killing. And he would keep killing until he died or used Tetsusaiga to transform back. However, it only emerged when his death was imminent.
Well, physical death wasn't the same as emotional death. But surely this terrible, unending agony could bring it out! All he wanted was an end to the agony! It never entered into his deliberations that innocents would probably die, along with himself and his "supposed" friends. All that mattered was that the anguish, the terrible pain that gnawed inexorably away at everything he was, would end!
His legs were quivering. He felt the traitoress looking at him. How could she lie to him like that, and for so long? How could he fall for it, time and again? How could he be so trusting? He was such a gullible fool!
He found himself kneeling, raising his arms and face to the black sky. Raindrops fell past him, creating the illusion that he was speeding forward. Hands fisted, chest thrust out powerfully, he roared with pain and rage.
The desolation consumed him whole.
His white hair lifted in a wind flowing out from his body. His wounds sealed over instantly, leaving only what looked like month-old marks. His irises oozed into a teal color; his sclera bled to scarlet. Jagged purple streaks appeared on his cheekbones – a rough, triangular form with its point jutting under the center of his eyes, the thick end hidden in his hair. His canines stretched, snake-like, extending over his lower lip. Long, powerful, razor-sharp claws shot out from his fingertips and toes with a burst of blood.
His youki exploded.
The feral half-demon leapt to his feet, tearing at the chain around his neck. The metal snapped apart as easily and as quickly as a sapling is uprooted in a tornado. Inuyasha flung it down, snarling, eyebrows snapping downward angrily over blue and red eyes. The unnoticed claw marks on his neck oozed blood.
Lord Atsuo stood thunderstruck, his yell trailing away. Shocked, he realized too late the consequences of pushing a half-demon too far. The interrupted combatants froze, falling silent. Atsuo's arms, mid-gesture, fell slowly to his sides. He stared helplessly back at the intense red eyes following his every movement. Instinctively, he remained stock-still, a baby rabbit trying vainly to hide in an open, barren snow-scape. He could dimly see the statues of his men and slaves out of the corners of his eyes. In the back of his mind, he realized in fear that the fence behind him would attract this raging beast – easy, waiting prey ripe for the slaughter.
Most of him, though, pounded with adrenaline, shrieking at him to run. His feet were rooted to the earth. Those red and blue eyes flicked, body crouching, tensing, to close the distance between them like lightning.
Low, maniacal laughter suddenly rang out from deep within the creature's chest. It stopped just as abruptly, face reverting back to undeniable rage. The beast spread his claws out with a sound as of sharp knives slicing against one another. He sprang at Lord Atsuo, rapidly covering the meters in a single bound.
Atsuo screamed a high-pitched scream, turning his face away and raising his arms in futile protection. His eyes squeezed shut.
Blood sprayed over the transformed half-demon, who landed lightly on the balls of his feet. The kneeling Sadao stared in shock at nothing, having leapt to take the blow for his lord. His head slowly slid away from his shoulders, crashing to the ground. It rolled, coming to a stop with its eyes gazing sightlessly at Kagome. Blood oozed from the neck, forming a rippling, pink pool in the water, which slowly turned dark.
She remained frozen for an instant that seemed to stretch into eternity, staring into the blank eyes. Then the shock of this man's death suddenly propelled her to action. She screamed hoarsely, "Inuyasha! NO! Stop it!" She began to run toward him, but Miroku snagged her left wrist.
"Don't," he hissed. "You'll only get yourself killed. No one can reach him now." Kagome, startled, eyes wide, nodded reluctantly. Slowly, he released her wrist.
He looked up, locking scared eyes with Sango, who sat astride Kirara. Shippo, too, was beyond Inuyasha, far off on Atsuo's left. They were surrounded by dumbstruck, frightened soldiers. The slaves in the corral were cowering, bunched up, in the corners farthest from Inuyasha.
Meanwhile, Atsuo quivered, looking wide-eyed at the growling half-demon. Neither moved for a forever second.
Atsuo broke and ran to his left. Inuyasha chuckled with glee, cracking his knuckles. He let his prey get a brief, inconsequential head start, but then dashed, overtaking him in the blink of an eye. With a cry, Atsuo flung himself desperately onto the ground. Claws swept over him, barely missing. The second swipe from the other hand cleaved his back open diagonally from shoulder to hip. Five neat cuts sprayed hot, life-sustaining liquid. Atsuo's face was turned to the right. Surprise was apparent in his wide, darkening eyes.
The soldiers panicked at the sudden death of their lord. They fled, abandoning Kirara, Sango, and Shippo, who stood frozen. Inuyasha laughed delightedly and sprinted for his next kill, following the movement on his right. His crazed, red eyes glinted in the flickering torchlight.
The violent storm was finally passing. The lightning was growing distant in the western sky, the crackling thunder quieter, slower after the flash. The raindrops no longer poured from the heavens, but dripped gently.
Kirara shot for the sky and arched gracefully away from Inuyasha's death path, landing in front of Miroku and Kagome.
Immediately, Sango demanded, "What happened? What made him change?" She flipped her wet hair behind an ear with jerky annoyance.
Miroku said swiftly, "There's no time to explain. You have Tetsusaiga! We – "
"Really? You found it?" Kagome interrupted, despair and dumbfounded shock lifting to clear her mind. She clasped her hands together hopefully, eyebrows lifted.
Sango exhaled impatiently. "Yes. I need to bring it to him. Here, take Shippo." She lifted the little fox demon from in front of her toward Kagome. Shippo protested loudly, squirming, but was ignored.
"Uh, okay…," Kagome muttered in surprise, taking him cooperatively into her arms. Shippo writhed helplessly, kicking his feet.
Miroku said firmly to Sango, "I'm coming with you." He waited, eyebrows lifted. When she nodded, he climbed up behind her. Kirara turned and burst out of a cannon into the sky. Kagome and Shippo scrunched their eyes shut, clothes ruffling.
Miroku and Sango were shocked at the amount of carnage Inuyasha had already wrought in the short time their eyes were turned away. Bodies lay strewn everywhere, still bleeding. The mud and water, mingling with the red liquid, was turning a gruesome shade of maroon. A few remaining soldiers were running, shrieking, away from the demented creature intent on their deaths. (They now felt proven correct somewhere in the backs of their minds as to a half-demon's character.) Inuyasha cackled hysterically as he slew them. Still chortling uncannily, he took a wide stance, ready to spring off his toes, as he searched for more prey. Spotting some, he instantaneously dashed toward the mouth of a far-off alley slightly to his left. Shrieks reverberated off the half-finished walls. Blood sprayed, splashing horribly.
Sango and Miroku glanced at one another uneasily.
She cried, "Go, Kirara!" The nekomata obediently dove back to the ground, angling toward the transfigured half-demon. Her fire-aura crackled, tails flicking. Unsheathing Tetsusaiga, Sango called over her shoulder, "Ready yourself, Miroku!"
"It's done!" he answered. He held his staff to his right side, prepared.
Kirara's huge paws hit the ground, and she ran, splashing mud and leaping over bodies. Once close, Sango yelled, "Inuyasha!"
He whirled and grinned slowly – dark, pleasurable thoughts stark on his face. He held his muscled, bloodied arms out from his body, his knees bent and prepared. Blood smeared his fangs and dripped from his fingers. It trailed down his neck from the vertical claw marks there. Spent arrows jutted from his upper body, front and back. One spear, embedded in his gut, flopped when he turned. He ripped it out in furious annoyance, sharp claws flashing. Blood gushed. It slowed, bit by bit, even as they watched.
"Take Tetsusaiga!" Sango thrust it out, hilt first. Miroku's sharp intake of air from behind her seemed to disapprove of such simplicity.
Inuyasha snarled viciously, contorting his hands and swiping the air with wrath. He lifted his lip, baring his blood-coated fangs. Furrowing his brow in rage and narrowing his red, red eyes, he attacked.
Kirara roared, sidestepping and baring her own sharp canines. His left-hand claws flashed past, centimeters from Miroku's and Sango's left calves. Kirara launched herself into the black sky before he could attack again.
"How can we stop him?" Sango asked in a panic as they circled, only a little higher than the rooftops of the two completed structures nearby.
Inuyasha roared at them, head tilted back to follow their movements. He took a running start and leapt after them, a superhuman bound. The distance closed incredibly quickly, frightening and startling the monk and demon-slayer. Inuyasha swung wildly with his elongated claws, catching the tip of one of Kirara's tails. The point spun away and she howled in pain. Like red paint, blood matted her fur.
The insane Inuyasha thudded into the mud, splattering it outward, fountain-like. He immediately bounded up again, slashing. Miroku pulled his arm back and desperately, instinctively swung the sharp ornamental tip of his staff at Inuyasha's approaching, deadly claws. His shakujou broke apart upon impact, the wood splintering in his hands. Yet, the clawed hand was still knocked aside. Inuyasha, thwarted, screamed in rage as he plummeted once more, right hand bleeding slightly.
Miroku panted, "I guess… we just fight him… until he passes out from his wounds… then use Tetsusaiga."
"That can't work!" Sango cried, treading over the last of his sentence. "He'll kill us long before then!"
"Do you have a better idea?" Miroku asked furiously as he helplessly watched Inuyasha make another impossible jump.
She lifted Hiraikotsu off her shoulder and hurled it directly at the red-eyed demon. Arms spread wide, it smacked into his unprotected stomach and he fell, grinding into the soggy earth. The gigantic, bone boomerang looped back up and the demon slayer easily caught it one-handed.
The crazed creature leapt back to his feet instantly; his mind did not register pain in this form. He roared at them, immediately flying after them once more. Caught off-guard, Sango had no time to react. Kirara, paws moving as though she stood on the ground, sidestepped mid-air, and slashed with her own claws, cutting open his left forearm in four clean lines. Blood spurted. Inuyasha bellowed without pain, only rage, as his prey evaded him. He plunged, landing easily on his feet. His legs tensed for another jump.
An alarmed cry, abruptly cut off, snagged his attention. He turned his head in the direction of the fence. His movement was so snake-like, he almost tested the air with a forked tongue. He grinned instead, flashing bloody fangs, and laughed eerily. He raced toward the emerging slaves. Their slow, furtive movements rushed into a frenzy of screaming and panicked terror.
"Kagome! Shippo!" yelled Miroku around Sango's left shoulder.
They stood frozen. Kagome's left hand still clutched the gate she'd opened. The two's senses were made painfully more acute by their fear. They helplessly watched the scarlet-eyed, furious creature slay the others. Their human blood stained his claws, his face, his chest. His unnerving guffaws pealed anew at each kill. His eyebrows slanted furiously downward to his nose at an acute angle. Only very short bits of the broken arrow shafts still protruded from his mud-caked skin. His left arm swung uselessly at his side.
The rain at last began to taper away. The lightning and thunder were growing ever closer to the western horizon. Water dripped from all surfaces, coating the maroon field of slaughter.
Kirara landed behind Inuyasha, pounding across the mire with her huge, ivory paws. She roared, but the manic half-demon was intent on murder. A tiny movement of Kagome's hand had caught his eye, and he'd turned, allowing the other humans to get away. For now.
He slunk closer to Kagome and Shippo, trying to prevent their flight. The fox demon crouched cowering behind her legs. Only about three meters still separated them. Bone glinted through the cuts in his left arm.
Sango threw Hiraikotsu with her left arm toward Inuyasha. It looped a little to the left, then began to cut straight across her vision, perpendicular to Inuyasha's angle of attack. Inuyasha's left ear flicked, picking up the whistle of air rushing over the bone. He leapt straight up, and the boomerang spun past underneath his feet. Sango caught it again and hissed in frustration.
Inuyasha, upon landing, chuckled softly with satisfaction and cracked his knuckles. He didn't spare Sango even a glance. His long, sharp claws glistened with fresh blood. He took another step, ignoring the insignificant demon and human duet behind him. He sensed that this girl before him was special in some way. He cackled louder – it wouldn't just be fun to kill this one. It would be ecstasy!
"No, Inuyasha," Kagome whispered. She was petrified with denial and fright. "You couldn't." It never occurred to her that she could say "sit" and negate the danger, at least temporarily; she was beyond terror and much further beyond thought.
He howled in refusal, brandishing his claws. Somehow, those words had reached into his pain-battered mind, entrenched in the rushing, pounding flow of his demon blood. He began to run toward his ultimate target.
"NO!" Sango yelled. An eleventh-hour, desperate idea popped into her head and she followed through with it instantly, without thought. She changed her grip on Tetsusaiga's hilt and drew her arm back.
