Strength of an Ally
I think it's unlucky to call it chp 13 so I gave it a title! Enjoy!
"I will not be defeated again! That mutt and his friends will pay for taking his witch from me. I may have the main piece of the jewel shard but I need her life to give Hell access to the world." Flexing his fingers he tightened them into a fist that caused his claws to bore into his palm. Blood trickled down his wrists as his lips twitched into a malicious smile.
Icy eyes filled with venom fell across a mangy being huddled at Naraku's feet. His dirty black hair hung in a loose pony tail and stray wisps were platted against his high cheek bones. What was left of a suede bandanna hung in straps over his head and did little to keep his hair away from his sharp blue eyes. Furs hung from his boney form and barely covered his private areas giving him a vulnerable air. He was a mere shadow of what he truly once was and could be again if he could escape Naraku.
"You will never win. You are the scum that clings between the toes of those beasts you call allies." Koga spat. Even though he was worn down, he refused to let Naraku break his spirit. He could endure the torture and being pushed around, but to lose Kagome would be a pain he couldn't live with. It would eat away at his conscious until there was nothing left but insanity. She was too important to Japan.
True, he hadn't talked with her in quite a while, but he still watched over her from a distance and helped when that mangy mutt, Inuyasha, couldn't. Koga knew that Kagome only thought of him as a friend, but that would never change his feelings for her and he would die before he let Naraku take her.
Naraku quickly jammed his foot into Koga's rib cage and sent him hurtling to his back with Koga's arms covering his new wound. It didn't take much to crack his ribs; he was fed little and even his demon powers were beginning to weaken. His wounds were healing more slowly and scars were forming across his back where he was whipped over and over again. "Will you ever break!? I have taken the King of Wolves and turned him into a groveling dog with nothing left to rule and yet you still defy me?"
"You can hurt my body, Naraku, but you will never break my spirit. I am a King and will return to my rightful position once you are defeated. If you even think of laying one hand on Kagome, I will slice you from navel to neck and watch as you entrails roll onto the floor." Koga's eyes turned to ice as he rolled back onto his bruised knees. Defiance written across his face.
Naraku roared with laughter laced with murder. "Do you think I haven't already? She barely lives now, dog. I sliced her to pieces as she begged for Inuyasha to save her. Not you Koga, but Inuyasha. Too bad he actually did show up because I was on my way back to you. I knew you would enjoy watching her scream for me and I know how pleased you would be to watch her life fade from her body. I was hoping to show this to Inuyasha as well, but it seems he is much harder to capture than you. So, when I get her back I will have to settle for you." Naraku's smile made him look morosely insane. His eyes switched from pleasure to anger within seconds. His instability was displayed across his face, which was a change from his constant calm. Both moods were equally terrifying and the worst was to be expected.
"She will come for you when I tell her I have you here. She may not love you, but she is very loyal to her friends. A disgusting quality. Once she is well, if she hasn't already died, I will send word of your present condition. I expect they will come quickly unless Inuyasha has a say in it." Naraku turned his back on Koga and walked confidently toward the door, before exiting he turned his head back to Koga for one last jibe. "You better hope they come quickly, Koga, the longer you are here, the worse your death will be. I'll make sure Drakon tortures you every day just enough to keep you from dying and the cycle will continue for as long as I can keep that pathetic soul of yours from breaking. That's the key, you know. Give you enough hope to keep you hanging on." Sneering, he walked out.
Koga cringed as he glanced over his shoulder at the huge beast called Drakon. Drakon was massive and covered in sores and puss. His left leg was cut off to the knee and he walked with a large limp. Koga wouldn't even call it walking; it was more like heaving from side to side, but making distance. His head was bald and his ears were twice the sized of his head making Drakon's entire body look disproportioned. His arms were covered with muscles that allowed him to drag a large hammer around behind him. Needless to say, he wasn't the easiest thing to look upon.
"It's time for your daily beating." It rasped from a throat clinging with mucus.
Koga shuddered as Drakon dragged his bruised body to the torture chamber.
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"Seshoumaru-sama!" Rin screamed making sure he heard the emphasis on 'sama.' "Please give my Rikosama back to me. I wish to practice."
"I have decided that it's too dangerous for you. I didn't save you those years ago for you to kill yourself with a weapon that I gave you." Seshoumaru stated flatly. He was not amused by her recent tirades. Her emotions had been becoming entirely too flip-floppy and he could never really guess what she was actually thinking or what temper she would pick for the day.
"If you don't give me back my weapon I will……I will……well I don't know what I will do but I promise it won't be good!" Rin fumed. She had no idea what she would do. She wanted to tell him that she would leave him but it would hurt too much if he simply didn't care. She needed him to need her, but the reality was that he was a Demon Lord, why would he need a scrawny human girl?
"When you decide what you will do let me know." Seshoumaru quirked an eyebrow and waited for a response.
"Oooooooooooooohhhhhh!!!!" Rin clenched her fists and stormed off towards Kaede, leaving Seshoumaru lounging under a tree with her Rikosama safely tucked in his white kimono.
She couldn't even remember how he had taken it from her. She had it when she curled up in her sleeping pallet and then the next morning she spent almost twenty minutes searching for it. Seshoumaru must have taken it from her in the night.
Rin's cheeks colored at the thought of Seshoumaru digging in her sleeping pallet with her, almost naked, curled up in it. That dog!
"Why are you in such a hurry, pretty girl?" Rin jumped and searched for the voice that startled her during her tirade. "I'm up here."
Looking up, Rin scanned her eyes over a long muscular panther stretched out on a tree branch. His eyes were a fierce yellow which contradicted his lounging posture and his chin rested lightly on his front paws.
"Do all youkai lounge in hidden places just to scare the wits out of me!?" Rin's glare turned cold. "I have had about enough of youkai! Was there something you needed, cat?" Rin asked murderously.
"Touchy little human aren't we?" The cat asked slyly as he stretched his legs and gracefully hopped from the tree to the ground. "My name is Corba."
Rin's brown eyes opened in shock. Corba!? That was a name whispered in stories long past and in children's fairy tales. He was supposed to be a champion among youkai and always fought among the youkai he considered following the right path. Corba was known to be cunning and quite sly. Rin never imagined that he was real…….
"The Corba?" Rin asked hesitantly. There was no need to cause trouble if he was as strong as the stories implied.
"Hmmm I didn't realize my name would still be known. Tell me, human, why do you smell strongly of Seshoumaru?" Corba slowly walked towards Rin with suspicion sparkling across his yellow eyes.
Rin stepped backwards cautiously making sure she didn't trip on anything that would put her in a worse position. "Because he is my friend. Why would you care?"
"What is he doing here? Seshoumaru is not a demon that would find himself fighting on the side of good. Does he plan to switch sides unexpectedly or is there something here he cares for?"
"What!? He would never betray us! And I don't believe you, he is good. A little different with his ways, but he is good! Seshoumaru fights beside Inuyasha and besides, he knows I would kill him if he jeopardized our ally's lives." Rin tensed and drew her eyebrows into a scowl. Who did this Corba think he was?
A low rumble erupted from Corba's throat as his head swung back with laughter. "So he has changed his ways has he? Because of a human girl!? Much has changed in my absence."
"Not as much as you think." Seshoumaru growled. "I fight for what benefits me."
Rin and Corba snapped their heads to Seshoumaru who had appeared suddenly like usual.
"Ahh Seshoumaru I have never heard of you taking a human woman to bed before. Tastes change over the years eh?" Corba's body began to transform before them into a human physique. "I've always liked them…"
Short black hair waved in every direction, occasionally hiding fierce yellow eyes. His sly grin over whelmed his face and white teeth sparkled with two fangs hanging over his bottom lip. A short black kimono hung above his knees and was tied tightly at the waist by a yellow silk belt. Rin figured it was short for easy movement; she wore the same when she was a child. She almost wished she could wear one now, but showing her legs made her blush more the older she turned.
Seshoumaru's face turned to stone and his eyes gleamed with rage. "I have done no such thing!"
"Well, if you do not want her that way, I wouldn't mind taking her. She is pretty for a human and I like her feisty temper." Corba's smile widened as he reached a hand towards Rin's cheek.
A growl erupted from Seshoumaru's throat as he slapped Corba's hand away. "You do not have permission to touch her."
"I didn't think so, but I just wanted to make sure." Light danced across Corba's eyes. "So I am glad you are fighting on our side this time, Seshoumaru. I have just arrived and I think I will check out what soldiers I have to work with. Probably pathetic."
Corba glanced at Rin once last time before he strutted off towards camp. "Youkai!!" Rin yelled and stomped her feet on the hard ground.
"Stay away from him. I will have to kill him if he takes your virginity. He will take what he wants, so stay away!" Seshoumaru emphasized the last part making sure Rin understood. He would allow no one to touch Rin. In a way, she belonged to him and no one else.
"I will kill him before he has the chance if you give me back my weapon." Rin pleaded. Her cheeks were a little hot from Seshoumaru talking about her virginity but her weapon was still foremost in her mind.
"No. And do as I say, stay away from him or I will punish you." Seshoumaru turned his back and glided back to his tree.
Stupid youkai! They are all stupid!! I hate them all! Rin screamed in her head.
Seshoumaru delicately slid down the tree until he was positioned comfortably with his legs crossed and elbows against his knees. Why would Corba show his face here? He hadn't been seen in almost a hundred years. Some said he found a human wife and lived away from civilization. The last time he came out was during the war between Seshouamru's father and the cat demons. Needless to say, he was not on the dog demon side.
This battle must interest him. But why? Seshoumaru scanned the camp until he found Corba introducing himself to Inuyasha and Kagome. Corba was a sly demon; Seshoumaru decided he would keep a very close eye on him. Seshoumaru didn't want to have to worry about him getting near Rin either.
She was stubborn enough to not pay heed to what Seshoumaru told her and he just didn't feel like having to fight a youkai with Corba's amount of power. At least, not yet.
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I know this isn't as long as the rest of the chapters, but I just wanted to throw some new characters in and introduce an old ally. What's an Inuyasha story without Koga? Setting up for future chapters, I will throw some curve balls soon. So stay tuned. Please review!!