Chapter 15 Pierce Through The Darkness
Sesshomaru came flying out of the portal as a surge of demonic energy shot out from the light.
"Get down!"
Miroku, Sango, and Koga hit the dirt as the blast came just inches from hitting them.
"What the hell was that?" shouted Koga.
"Him!" Miroku said.
Kimaryu stepped out from the portal to with Tetsusaiga in hand. He flashed a maniacal grin as the doorway began to vanish behind him.
"What have you done with Inuyasha and Kagome?" Sango said, her voice filling with anger, "Where is the girl?"
Kimaryu began to quake with laughter. His voice echoed through the entire cave and seemed to cast a dark shadow all around them.
"Your precious Kagome has become my link to power. As we speak, energy is being channeled from within that void by her to me. She can no longer hear your voice or anyone's, for that matter. She will continue to draw energy from that room until her body fades away. As for Inuyasha and Rin, their bodies have probably already began to dissolve."
Koga's hands balled into a fist.
"You bastard . . ."
"Naraku's plan finally makes sense to me now.", Kimaryu mused, "He needed me in order to defeat you weaklings. Sealing Kagome and Inuyasha was an added bonus for him. It's still a mystery to me how he could have ever discovered this place and freed me, but I suppose I can ask him before I kill him myself."
Sesshomaru beared his fangs at the sound of Naraku's name.
"Fool. You honestly believe Naraku is going to allow you to keep this power? You still posses jewel shards. As long as you have those, he will never let you live."
Kimaryu's smile vanished and the room became thick with a demonic aura. He made a small gesture as he drew Tokijin from his obi and he lunged forward. He and Sesshomaru's blades crossed as he unleashed thunderous blows upon him. Sesshomaru was no match. Kimaryu kicked him back with a critical blow and a bolt of black lighting came screaming out of the Tokijin. Koga flew in, knocking Sesshomaru away from the attack and came crashing down on Kimaryu, crushing him into the cave floor.
"Impressive!"
Kimaryu's hand burst out from the ruble and seized Koga's right leg.
"But ultimately futile!"
He smashed Koga to the ground and snatched up Tetsusaiga to drive it through his neck.
"Hiraikotsu!"
Sango's weapon came slicing through the air aimed directly for Kimaryu. An explosion of demonic power sent the Hiraikotsu flying back at its wielder. Kilala barley managed to intercept the attack before it hit Sango. Koga took his opportunity and leaped to his feet and landed a swift punch squarely on Kimaryu's jaw. Much to his horror, however, Kimaryu didn't flinch.
"For your sake, I hope that wasn't supposed to hurt."
Koga was hit by a massive wave of demonic power and sent reeling.
Miroku looked on in horror as Kimaryu dominated the battle with Sesshomaru.
"His power has doubled-no tripled at least."
Sango turned to Miroku.
"What about Kagome and Inuyasha? Are they still . . ."
"They're alive, but I can barely sense them. And Kagome's spiritual power is . . . fading."
Inuyasha hammered away at the field of energy that shielded Kagome, but it was no use.
"IRON REAVER!"
His claws crashed down on the barrier but were met with a surge of crimson lighting that threw him to his knees in pain.
"Kagome, you've got to fight it! Don't give to this bastard! Kagome!"
From behind the barrier she could hear the screams of someone calling her name, but for some reason she could not make out who it was. Images of Kimaryu's past continued to flash before her eyes. She could feel the power slowly being drained from her, but she could do nothing to stop it.
"Kagome!"
There it was again. Someone calling her name. Who?
"No! This isn't right! I shouldn't be here! I should be fighting with . . ."
And then the images stopped and shattered like broken glass before her. That's when she saw the silver haired women from before standing in front of her.
"Who are you?"
"I am Sinoriko."
Kimaryu moved at lightning speed around Sesshomaru, creating afterimages of himself. Blades seemed to be coming from every direction as he turned to block and avoid Kimaryu's strikes.
"Can you feel it, Sesshomaru? The darkness closing in on you? It's exactly what I felt!"
Sesshomaru just barely managed to leap aside as Tokijin and Tetsusaiga sliced him across his chest and leg.
"Wind Scar!"
Kimaryu swung the fang of destruction, unleashing a ferocious blast upon his enemies.
Sesshomaru drew Tensaiga to shield himself from the inescapable demonic force as it pushed him back.
"You fool!" Kimaryu roared.
Sango looked on in shock as the Tetsusaiga' Wind Scar swirled and raged to break through Tensaiga's barrier.
"This is it!"
Kimaryu raised Tokijin and added its power to the assault. Sesshomaru was forced to his knees from the sheer weight of the attack, but Tensaiga's barrier did not waver.
"Damn it!"
Sinoriko waved her hands, dissolving the demonic spheres that bound Kagome's movements.
"You're the women from the visions."
"Yes. As you probably realize, I died in the Great War. Kimaryu agonized over this fact and thus allowed himself to be swallowed by despair and regret. These in turn would become hatred and loathing for his and all demon kind. He turned on his people and was even foolish enough to challenge Sesshomaru's father."
"What happened?", Kagome asked.
"They did battle on the temple grounds above us, and of course, Kimaryu was defeated. But he could not be killed so easily. It is true that Sesshomaru's father had a kind heart, but even he wouldn't have allowed Kimaryu to escape alive if he could."
"What do you mean?"
Sinoriko's face held a certain sadness to it. Her silver hair flowed in the void of light around them. Kagome found the look in her eyes somehow familiar.
"Kimaryu's hate and darkness would have spilled onto the fang and destroyed it. Sesshomaru's father was forced to cleave Kimaryu's soul from the physical world altogether and cast it into the void. Without a physical link, he cannot survive on this plane of existence. Somehow a demon was able to discover this fact and use jewel shards to free him."
"Naraku!,"Kagome said, surprising the spirit in front of her, " He's the only one who would do something like this. He was badly wounded by Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, so he needed time to escape. Naraku chose Kimaryu because he knew that we would run into him. And once we were out of the way, Kimaryu would seek Naraku out. Then Naraku could take back the blackened shards."
Sinoriko smiled.
"Your powers of perception are sharp . . . Kagome."
The light around them disappeared and Kagome could see the room of crystal again. She could see Inuyasha calling for her.
"He loves you",said Sinoriko, "I once knew how that felt."
She turned to Kagome and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Return to that world. I lend you the remainder of the power of this place. End Kimaryu's hatred and pain; free his spirit. Go!"
Kimaryu let out a triumphant roar of laughter as the Wind Scar's power began to break Tensaiga's barrier.
"It's over!"
Suddenly, the Wind Scar subsided and crashed into the cave walls away from Sesshomaru and the others.
"What!" Kimaryu screamed.
Kagome's eyes shot open and a wave of power exploded from her body, shattered the walls of crystal around Inuyasha and Rin. Inuyasha leaped up and caught her as she fell from the air.
"Kagome, are you . . ."-"Inuyasha, he's been weakened. Now's our chance."
Sesshomaru was on Kimaryu's heels instantly. Tensaiga's blade sliced through his left hand sending Tetsusaiga spinning.
Kimaryu, vulnerable once again to Tensaiga's power was driven back. With one swift motion, Sesshomaru relieved him of his remaining arm and took back Tokijin. Kimaryu fell to his knees and bared his fangs in fury. His eyes were blood shot and burning with hate. When he starred up at his enemy, it was not Sesshomaru that he saw, but a ghost from the past."
"You!"
Sesshomaru raised his blade without a second thought.
"With this sword , I sever your bond to this world. Vanish!"
Enormous bolts of demonic power rained down on Kimaryu's head.
"Dragon Strike!"
Koga and the others turned away from the intense surge of light that whirled around the cave as Kimaryu was burned to ashes.
"Now it's over."
The cave wall in front of them was blown out and the doorway stood Inuyasha, Kagome, and Rin.
"They did it!", Koga shouted.
Kagome's eyes widened in fear. "Sesshomaru, get away from the jewel shards!"
The shards that lay at his feet began to burn crimson red as the cave crumbled.