Thundering Steps Before Darkness

Five

The stone crumbled slightly underfoot, seeming not to have been trekked up for centuries. The bloodied colours of the sunrise bled out steadily, into the colours of the darkening sky overhead. As midday drew ever nearer, they still had not even reached the middle of the great stone stairs. As Inuyasha looked up, his hopes were crushed in ever reaching their destination, when he saw the great trek upwards that lay ahead. He heard the others stumble and trip on the steep stone beneath him, and kept having to remind Kagome and Shippo not to look down.

'Aaah!' screeched the kitsune, clinging madly to Inuyasha's head, nearly ripping a clump of his silver hair from it.

'What the hell was that for?' he screamed, making the others look up to see what was wrong.

'I looked down!' shrieked Shippo, his eyes shut tight.

'But I told you not to!'

'When you say that it's just the natural instinct to do what I'm told not to! I am a kid you know!'

'So you keep tellin' me!' he shouted back.

'Inuyasha?'

'What?' replied the hanyou grumpily, still shouting, looking down at Miroku.

'Stop shouting,' said the monk.

'He started it!'

'Well I'm finishing it, so shut up unless you want the entire-' Sango broke off mid shout, as the stairs underfoot gave a low rumble.

They all pressed themselves against the hard stone, trying to stay on as an earthquake seemed to erupt from beneath them.

'Shit!' shouted Inuyasha, only to nearly fall clean off the stairs as he leaned back to see the others. He scraped his claws along the stone, and kept himself on, only just. Kagome pushed Rin against the stairs as the girl nearly dropped backwards, and then she looked down. Kagome closed her eyes tight as she saw just how far up they were, and she started to feel a little queasy, the shaking of the ground not helping to steady her stomach.

'Oh, my god I think I'm gonna vomit,' mumbled Kagome, her eyes clamped shut, and her voice unsteadied by the quaking rock she clung to. Miroku looked up, over Inuyasha's place on the stairs, and his eyes widened.

'Well if this makes you sick, just don't look up,' he told her.

'Don't say that! Whenever someone does, it just makes you do it!' As Shippo predicted, Kagome lifted her head, and gasped. A gigantic fissure was spreading down the length of the stairs, coming straight towards them at top speed.

'Inuyasha!' she shouted, trying to warn him, but it was too late. The moment he turned his head towards it, the fissure hit. The rock split clean in two, and they all plummeted downwards.

The white, cat demon was engulfed in a mass of fiery flames as she fell with the others, only to merge from them, not quite the same. A sabre toothed, gigantic feline demon emerged, her eyes as red as the fire that trailed in her path. She swooped down, catching Sango and Miroku with ease, and gliding round, trying to find the others. Shippo lost his grip on the hanyou, and fell downwards with the others.

'Transform!' he shouted at the top of his little lungs, and a puff of smoke smothered him for a moment, only to clear after his spell was cast. The thick length of rope the kitsune had transformed into, flung upwards of its own accord, hooking over Sango's arm, and nearly dragging her clean off Kilala's back as it did so.

'What the? Hey!' she shouted, Miroku throwing his arms round her waist, holding her on. 'Don't you get any ideas,' she ordered him through narrowing eyes, rousing a girlish giggle from him.

The free end of the kitsune's rope, shot downwards, and snagged the falling Kagome's leg. Kagome held onto Rin tight, as Kilala started to swoop down to catch them, not quite quick enough.

'Uh oh…' muttered Shippo, as another loud POOF! Sounded, and he transformed back again, his transformations never lasting for very long. Shippo flailed madly in mid air for a moment, before grabbing the end of one of Kilala's tails as she sped downwards trying to catch Kagome and Rin. Just as Kilala had neared them, barely inches from them, Kagome and Rin were swiped from their grasp, causing Kilala to nearly crash into the stone stairs as she skidded to a halt mid air.

Sango looked up, and saw Inuyasha not much higher than they, Kagome and Rin in his arms.

'You left it a bit late, next time peel yourself off the ground quicker, and don't leave all the panicking to us!' shouted Sango angrily at the hanyou.

'Feh,' he muttered, as Kilala flew up to his side. 'It's your fault anyway, you wouldn't let Kilala fly us up to start with!'

'Oh yeah, I was the one who started a shouting match half way up a mountain!' she screamed back. 'Besides, Kilala can't carry us all the way up.'

'Whatever, let's just go,' he mumbled, allowing Rin to hop on Kilala in front of Sango. Shippo jumped onto Inuyasha's shoulder as the hanyou hoisted Kagome onto his back, and the hanyou growled grumpily at his other passenger, touching back down on the stairs. It didn't take them very long to get back to where their path had been interrupted, though as their speed picked up from here on, it seemed Inuyasha and Shippo had found their argument amongst the shattered rock as they had passed. Rin had fallen fast asleep on Kilala's back, and Sango held her on in front of her, trying to ignore tweaking at her mind, caused by Inuyasha and Shippo's argument.

Inuyasha won the never-ending argument, as he bopped Shippo on the head with his fist, receiving a hiss from Kagome.

'If you weren't carrying me I'd use the 's' word onyou,' she muttered in his ears, and then tightened her grip around his neck, as he jolted upwards slightly.

'Hey you're choking me! Don't cling dammit, I won't let you fall!' Inuyasha told her, nearly choking to death.

'Sorry,' she replied, loosening her grip.

'What's wrong with you?' he asked worriedly, noticing how quiet she had fallen.

'Nothing I just…I think I'm going to puke.'

'Well don't do it over me, warn the transport before the passenger barfs all over him!' Kagome nodded with a slight smile, closing her eyes, trying to stop the world from speeding so fast past her eyes. Though she did not intend to, she did not fight it when sleep came over her, and she drifted off away from the speeding clouds around her.

Inuyasha smiled as he turned his head slightly to look into her sleeping face, and dropped his speed, falling alongside Kilala and the others. 'Enjoying yourself Miroku?' Inuyasha asked to the beaming look on the perverted monk's face.

'He's just happy because he has an excuse to hang onto me,' Sango answered in a low voice, not looking at all happy. 'Just look at that sick grin.' Miroku's face suddenly shot into an Innocent expression.

'Me? I'm as innocent as the day is long,' he argued in a false innocence.

'Yeah, all I can say is keep your hands and sick fantasies to yourself if you wanna stay on this ride,' threatened the youkai exterminator, causing the perverted grin to return.

'Or maybe he wants to swap, he might like a ride off Inuyasha,' suggested Shippo in an evil giggle. Inuyasha looked at the monk in disgust, receiving a duplicate look in return.

'Yeah, Kagome and you must weigh less than him anyway, poor Kilala needs a break,' joked Sango, pissing off their male companions even more.

'Sango, are you saying I'm fat?' asked Miroku in a femininely hurt voice. Sango, Inuyasha and Shippo rolled their eyes.

'Yes Miroku,' she replied sarcastically, 'you're the chubby monk of pervert-land, happy?'

'Yes,' replied the monk, his usual grin returning.

'Why?' asked Shippo oddly.

'Because I think it's funny.'

'What's funny?'

'Sango…She likes fat guys!' he sang. Sango smacked him viciously in the head, and he continued to giggle, though Inuyasha was sure his youkai senses could pick up the quiet humming of Miroku's little song.

Kagome awoke, not opening her eyes immediately, and felt something odd. The wind rushing passed her was not going at such a speed as before, the sunlight was no longer glaring in her tired eyes, and the air felt a little colder. She opened her eyes, to watch the last of the sunset, and sat up, finding the others sitting beside her – sitting beside her. They were sitting on a stone ground. Looking one way, she saw a great stone archway, framing the black nothingness of the entrance to the Temple of Lost Souls. Looking the other way, was an even less appealing view, those damn steps, stretching as far down as she could see, clouds and thick masses of mist shielding the bottom from her sight.

She looked down at her lap as something shifted in it, and saw Inuyasha's sleeping head resting in it, and she smiled slightly. She lifted her gaze as she ran her fingers softly through his silver hair, and saw Sango sitting nearby, Miroku at her side. It took Kagome a moment to notice that Shippo, Rin and Kilala were sleeping beside her, and she heard Sango's voice.

'Kagome-chan, we didn't know you were awake,' she said. The woman's sisterly gaze fell upon Inuyasha, dozing soundly, and she smiled evilly. 'Inuyasha not woken up yet?'

'You saw him like this?'

'Sure,' replied Miroku, 'but you both just looked so cute and peaceful; we didn't want to disturb you.'

'That's evil.'

'Awwww, come on, how long is it gonna take you guys to-' Sango threw a hand over his mouth warningly. Kagome ignored the last part, and stared distantly out at the clouds before speaking again.

'Why are we out here? Shouldn't we be inside?' she asked quietly.

'Well yeah, but you guys were all asleep when we got up here, and when we went to go inside, Inuyasha told us to wait 'til sunrise. We were going to wake you guys to go in, but he told us to let you sleep. Then he sat down next to you and fell asleep almost immediately; isn't he peaceful when he's sleeping? That damn mouth is shut - he's quiet, and he's not yelling, why can't he sleep more often?' Inuyasha's ears twitched in his sleep, and Kagome smiled, running her fingers over the soft, puppy ears when Sango and Miroku had turned away.

What Kagome didn't know, was that Inuyasha was only half-asleep. His eyes were closed, he was drifting slowly back from his dream world, but he knew vaguely what was going on. Without realising, he nudged his head against Kagome's fingers, feeling the tickling sensation in his ears. Eventually Inuyasha woke up fully, and realised what was happening. He sat up sharply, and they all looked at him in surprise, and he saw that Kilala and Shippo had stirred, but Rin was still asleep. Inuyasha looked nervously up at the sky, and stood up as the last slither of sun could be seen. He felt Kagome slip her hand into his, and he looked down at her.

'Inuyasha?' she asked, getting to her feet.

Suddenly, a dark shadow came across the sky, blocking the light from the group below, and descending upon them. Inuyasha flung himself over Kagome, pushing her flat to the ground, just as the creature descended, its talons ripping and tearing at where they were moments before. It had nearly had them. Miroku and Sango scrambled to their feet, pulling their weapons into their grasp, and scanning the sky for their attacker. Sango's eyes widened and Miroku drew in a hoarse breath as Inuyasha stood up, pulling Kagome gently to her feet.

'You okay?' he asked her, receiving a nod in reply, turning to see what she was staring at. 'It's a…It's a fucking dragon!' A great, deafening roar filled the skies, as in descended once more. Miroku grabbed Sango, pulling her backwards against the door of the temple, narrowly missing the dragon's sharp claws, scoring across the ground. Kagome knelt at Shippo, Kilala and Rin's side, shaking them to wake them. They awoke, trembling as the dragon sounded its roar again, the air rushing past them with such force, powered by the dragon's gigantic, reptilian wings.

'Inuyasha! Get inside here!' called Miroku, and Inuyasha looked to them, standing before the entrance to the temple. He nodded, picking up the smaller form of Kilala, and with a whimper and a scream of protest from Kagome, threw her through the air. Sango leapt up and caught her, cursing Inuyasha under her breath. Suddenly, the dragon lunged again, causing the ground to crumble slightly, and as Inuyasha leant forward and took Kagome's hand, part of the ledge gave way; Inuyasha pulled Kagome backwards away from it, but Rin fell. Shippo leapt forward, scraping the air for her hand, and he snagged it in his own.

'Don't let me go!' she screamed, panicking and squirming to get up.

'Don't move, if you wriggle you'll slip through-' Shippo was cut off as Rin pulled to get up, but she slipped through his grasp.

'No!' screamed Kagome, dragging away from Inuyasha and going to help her, but Inuyasha pulled her back.

'Get Shippo inside,' he told her, looking up at the sunset one last time, sweat beading down his brow, and he jumped.

He held his arms fixedly at his side, trying to fall as fast as he could to catch her. She was inches away, centimetres. He swiped his clawed hand forward, and grabbed her wrist, pulling her up into his arms. Inuyasha saw the dragon's shadow around him, and he knew it had seen them. He went to stop, so he could jump back up, but he found that he couldn't. He tried with all his might to stop, to go anywhere but down, but it failed, and gazing down at the now black locks of his own hair that flew about him, and the clawless fingers enclosed around Rin, he knew what was wrong, he was human. He looked horrified towards the sky, and saw where the moon should have been, and he remembered, it was the new moon.

He heard the dragon's wings cause a cyclone of wind, he felt its foul breath pollute the air, and he knew they had little chance of survival. Inuyasha reached his arm out, preying to catch anything, and it did; his outstretched fingers caught the edges of the stone staircase, and he held on, determined not to let go, and break his promise to protect the frightened girl clinging to him. 'Rin, climb up me,' he told her, and she looked at him in confusion. 'Damn it kid, climb up me to get to the ledge!' Rin nodded, tears of fear falling down her cheeks, and she did as she was told. As Rin grabbed onto the ledge, Inuyasha pushed her up onto it, and she turned to help him up. 'Get goin' would you!' he ordered, and she looked at him hesitantly. The dragon's shadow loomed ominously round them, and Inuyasha stared desperately at her. 'For god's sake go, run!' Rin leant down, pulling at his other hand, trying to get him up, but he pulled away. 'RUN! She looked at him with glassy eyes, and turned, running up the stone steps as fast as her legs would carry her.

Inuyasha tried to heave himself onto the ledge, he tried but he hadn't enough grip to pull his weighted body up, and he hung there, helpless, waiting to be devoured by the dragon; then he realised something else, and looked up to Rin, in horror. She ran up the steps, but lost her footing, and she missed a step, crashing hard against he stone. She wasn't hurt, but she was winded, and she whimpered at the blood dripping from her forehead, then once more, as the shadow fell over her. 'Kagome! Get your bow, KAGOME!' screamed Inuyasha, and Kagome came to the ledge of the temple, looking down in horror at what was happening.

'Inuyasha!'

'Don't 'Inuyasha' me, get the bloody dragon!' he screamed closing his eyes in strain as he fought to get enough grip to heave himself up. Kagome armed her bow, and pulled one of the few sacred arrows she had left in her quiver, and put it to the bow, drawing the bowstring back slowly. She aimed it, but the dragon was moving too fast, she knew she wouldn't hit. She let fly the arrow, and it sped towards the dragon, only skimming the black scales on its spiny tail. 'Kagome, shoot it!' he screamed, she fumbled with the arrows, his screaming not helping her confidence. She shot the arrow, and it missed again, narrowly missing Inuyasha's hand. 'Get the dragon! I know you can do it come on!' he shouted, sweat dripped down her temple as she armed the last arrow to the bow. That's not what you told me, she thought as she took aim. You never told me I could hit anything with this damn thing, maybe you were right. Suddenly, within a split second, she remembered the first time she had ever tried using a bow…

"Come on, hit it!" Inuyasha had said, carrying her on his back as they chased after the bird that had stolen the Shikon no Tama.

"I'm trying!" She had screamed back.

"Kikyo could hit it…"

Those words echoed in her mind, and she couldn't stand it. Every damn minute of her life for the past few years were plagued with that name, that woman, every time Inuyasha looked at her she wished that she could be more than her, at least to him, and now she was going to prove that she could be. "Kikyo could hit it…" If I miss, Rin will die, she thought. "Kikyo could hit it…" She shivered, she knew she would miss, "Kikyo could hit it…" No, she was more powerful than that dead priestess was, she was better in every other way than her, and now she would prove it to him; Inuyasha would see she was better. Rin screamed as the dragon swooped upon her, and it sounded again in Kagome's mind… "Kikyo could hit it…"

'So can I!' she screamed. The arrow sped like gossamer from her bow, a pink luminosity spreading in its path and all around it, and it shot faster and faster towards its target.

The dragon roared in pain as the fuchsia sheltered, sacred arrow struck its left arm, causing the limb to combust, rousing another pained roar from the creature. The dragon reared its head, its cry piecing the ears of all that heard like nails on a chalkboard, scraping their senses from them with that terrible sound. Inuyasha saw that Kagome had hit, though that it had only succeeded in making the beast angrier. Inuyasha saw the dragon arch its spiny back, beating its wings ferociously, and knew it was going to attack again. He closed his eyes tight, sweat pouring from his head as freely as air into his lungs, and he threw all his weight on his arms, heaving himself up. As he threw himself up onto the stone stairs, he had no time to recover, people needed him. He jumped to his feet, and dashed up the steps, hanyou or no, he wasn't going to let anyone down. He sped up the steps a fast as his exhausted human legs could manage and dashing under the dragon's legs, snatched Rin's arm, dragging her after him. The dragon was beyond angry now; its fury being breathed into the air with each violent flare of his nostrils, as it flew wildly after them. Inuyasha knew it would catch them, he felt it coming closer, and closer, and then…passing them?

The creature shot past them, the wound from the arrow stinging it, as it glared through its blood red eyes at the arrows master, and sped towards its new prey.

'Kagome, it's after you, run!' Kagome widened her eyes in horror as it sped up towards her, and she snatched up Shippo turning to run towards Sango and the others. As she ran, a razor claw swiped her, narrowly missing her, but slamming on the ground before her, blocking her path. She looked up into the fiery eyes of the monster, and closed her eyes, waiting for the attack. Shippo had slid under the claws before they had trapped Kagome, now watching her helplessly as the dragon opened its fanged jaws wide. Kagome crouched low, waiting for the pain, waiting for the end, and she opened her eyes, just in time to watch the jaws come nearer, and feel them snap her up.

'KAGOME!' screamed Sango, Miroku and Shippo, and they all gasped as they saw what was happening. Kagome stood on the moist mat that was the beast's tongue, her arms over her head, stopping the dragon's jaws from snapping shut, trapping her inside it.

The creatures tongue swiped menacingly at her, trying to swallow her. As it forced its jaws down on her, the strain on her back almost threatened to snap her bones and she screamed in agony.

'Inuyasha help me!' The foulness of the creature's breath was almost so much that she nearly choked on it, and she felt like she would not be able to hold this up much longer. Suddenly Hirakoitsu flew through the monster's jaws, circling her then returning to Sango at the doors of the temple. The beast roared as the weapon knocked out several of its spear-like teeth, and with a new ferocity it crunched down even harder, trying to snap its jaws closed.

'Shippo get over here!' shouted Sango, and the kitsune hopped reluctantly over, as Sango swung her arm backwards. 'Take this bastard.' The boomerang left her grasp, and sped towards it, slashing the creature across the eye, and it came back to Sango, bloodied with the dragon's oozing, purple blood. As the boomerang was released again however, it swept through the dragon's mouth, knocking out two more teeth, but the dragon's mouth was now very narrow and it got stuck. Tears fell down Kagome's face, she was done for, and she knew it.

Suddenly, Kagome jumped as a thick blade shot through the roof of the dragon's mouth, narrowly missing her hand.

'Take this!' she heard, as the sword was withdrawn and plunged back in, over and over again, each time with a new ferocity. 'And this – and this! You fucking – stupid – LIZARD!' Kagome couldn't help but laugh a little in hysteria, the foul-mouthed hanyou, (or human) had come to her rescue once more. Finally Tetsusaiga was withdrawn again, and as Kagome felt as if she was about to lose the struggle to keep the dragons jaws open, Inuyasha appeared at her side, splashes of the dragon's blood over his face and clothes. 'Hey there,' he said, 'need a hand?' Kagome smiled weakly at his ease, and nodded. He nudged close to her. 'Do you trust me?' he asked, receiving a nod in reply. 'Then…let go.'

Sango lunged forward, pulling Rin against her and Miroku beside the entrance.

'Where's Inuyasha?' she asked. Rin sounded as if she were going to heave by the way her breath wretched in her throat, but she managed to turn and point at the dragon, before collapsing in the arms of the youkai exterminator. Sango, Kilala, Miroku and Shippo looked over to the dragon, and watched in horror, as its jaws snapped shut on their friends.

'NO!' screamed Shippo, trying to pull himself from Miroku's grip. They didn't know what to do; it was so sudden, that they didn't know how to even react, what to do, whether to give up or not…but all confusion was soon settled. The dragon's pupils contracted sharply and a wash of blood and putrid smelling saliva washed from its mouth, as its jaws were forced open, and Kagome rolled out onto the stone floor. Inuyasha rolled out beside her, Tetsusaiga and Hirakoitsu in hand, and stumbled too his feet. The dragon reared its ugly head, roaring its fury. Inuyasha slid Tetsusaiga back in its sheath, and slinging Hirakoitsu over his shoulder pulled Kagome up from the ground, both of them running for the entrance.

'Open it, open it!' screamed Inuyasha. The others nodded, and all of them pressed hard against the stone door, but it would not budge. Inuyasha and Kagome stopped at their side. 'What's wrong? Open it!'

'We – can't!' gasped Sango, as she and the others pushed against it desperately, hearing the dragon approach, running on nothing but pure fury. Inuyasha and Kagome rammed themselves hard against the door, joining their friends in efforts to open it. A mass of flames told them Kilala had transformed once more, and was pushing against it too. The rock budged slightly, and smaller stones tumbled to their feet. 'Push!' shouted Inuyasha. They slammed themselves with every force they had against the stone, and the door flung open. They all tumbled inside, scrambling to their feet, and running forwards. The temple shook violently, and they turned back to see to their horror, the dragon beating his iron-like tail against the door. The door and the ceiling above the entrance shook even more, and the rock tumbled to the ground on top of them, plunging the temple into darkness as it buried the enemies of the dragon, along with the entrance.

TBC

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A/N: I suck at battle scenes, but I hope I did okay. Please keep reading it does get better. R&R

x chuu x