A Change of Heart
Chapter 9: A Demon's Pain
Inuyasha sped through the forest as fast as his legs would allow, jumping from tree to tree to make his progression faster. His nose caught a scent in the wind and his eyes narrowed. He was getting close. The half-demon continued to dash towards his destination as his thoughts wandered towards his task at hand. There was a slim chance Kagome could be brought back, but as he thought about past experiences, he saw that slim chance become thinner with the passing seconds.
As he broke through the trees, he landed on the ground and stopped short, coming face to face with whom he was seeking. A stream bubbled quietly as a little girl crouched beside it. She looked up from her fish-gathering task, confused as to why he had come to meet with her Lord. "Hello, Inuyasha," she greeted cheerfully, smiling at him.
"Rin, get behind me now!" a voice screeched across the clearing.
"Yes, Master Jaken," she spoke in a hurried tongue, quickly running behind the green imp demon.
Jaken glared at Inuyasha and pointed his staff towards him. "What are you doing here?" he shouted, stepping slightly in front of his Lord.
"Jaken," Sesshomaru spoke, his tone icy as he took in his brother's appearance. Inuyasha's fire rat kimono was torn in places and his eyes were no longer filled with the burning desire to fight. His face held no anger, only regret and sorrow. It seemed as though the half-demon had undergone a great battle, one that he had lost.
"But, me Lord," Jaken replied, glancing up at the Lord of the West. Said demon glared at his minion, causing the small imp to back away, taking Rin with him.
"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha started, seeing that the two of them could finally get down to business. His voice was soft, not nearly as gruff as it had once been. Sesshomaru stared at him, waiting for him to continue. "I need Tenseiga."
He peered at his half-brother, his expression unchanged. "You think you can master my Tenseiga?" he asked, curious as to the reasoning behind it.
Inuyasha clutched his hands into fists. "Kagome ... she's dead," he responded in almost a whisper.
"How honorable," Sesshomaru said simply. Everything fell into place. "You were fond of that human girl, were you not? Do you intend to use my sword to bring that wretch back to life?" His brother's silence followed. "So, only now do you realize how weak and pathetic you are."
"Shut up!" Inuyasha shouted, his temper flaring. He did not have the time nor the patience to deal with Sesshomaru's stubborn attitude.
"After all," he continued. "You are only a half-demon." A growl sounded from said man's throat in rage. "As a child, you could barely take care of yourself, and the pattern followed you even as that priestess pinned you to the tree. And yet, you wield Tetsusaiga, which was forged in order to protect others. That foolish girl never stood a chance."
Inuyasha was not taken aback by his brother's words. He knew that fighting Sesshomaru was almost a guarantee, but he had to save Kagome, even if it cost him his life. After all, he had vowed to protect her. That was one thing he would not fail. "Then maybe I should kill you and take the damn sword!"
"Hn," was Sesshomaru's response. "As if you could ever take what is mine."
The half-demon crouched down, ready to spring upon his opponent. "Well, we won't know unless I try!" He whipped Tetsusaiga out of its sheath and, with a battle cry, used the windscar. His opponent dodged it with ease as he cracked his knuckles and brought his claws down upon his brother. Inuyasha jumped out of the way just as Sesshomaru's fist collided with the ground.
Jaken watched as his Master battled the horrid half-demon, his large bug eyes straining to keep track of their fast pace movements. Rin placed a hand on his shoulder to offer comfort, but it was little help. "Is Lord Sesshomaru going to kill Inuyasha?" she asked in concern.
The imp scoffed. "Of course he is! Inuyasha will never surpass the Great Lord Sesshomaru!"
After a few moments of combat, and neither party seemed to be wavering, the brothers stood far from each other in a face-off, death glares sent towards one another. "Leave while you can," Sesshomaru warned, knowing Inuyasha would fight to the death if need be.
He received a deadly growl in return. "I'm not leaving without Tenseiga!" Inuyasha stood his ground. His brother was a stubborn bastard, and there was no way to persuade him to hand over the sword, so there was only one option left. If he had to choose between Sesshomaru and Kagome, he would gladly help the latter.
"You are such a fool!" he shouted back, gliding over to Inuyasha and clutching his throat with his nails. He struggled against his grip, grunting against the discomfort, as his feet left the ground. "Remember your past, Inuyasha. You lost your heart to a mortal and ended up under a spell for years. Now you wish to save another? How simpleminded of you." His claws tightened around Inuyasha's throat as he yelled out in pain.
Tetsusaiga slowly fell from his grasp and suddenly Inuyasha's body began to pulse. His hair lifted up in a fury of silver as his bangs fell in front of his face. Razor sharp claws grew from his fingers and he cracked his knuckles. He bared his fangs as a growl ripped from his lips and purple jagged marks became apparent on his face. The half-demon suddenly looked up in rage. His normally amber hued eyes had turned the color of blood and he smirked at his older brother. Without hesitation, Inuyasha sunk his claws into Sesshomaru's flesh, pulling his hand away from his throat.
The Great Lord narrowed his eyes as he quickly jumped away from the rampaging demon. His scent is different. It is the scent of a full-blooded demon. "I see," he mumbled. His eyes glimpsed Inuyasha's rusty sword on the ground before returning his brother's heated gaze. "You become a full-demon once Tetsusaiga is out of your reach. It has the power to withhold your demon nature."
Inuyasha stood before him, a growl sounding from his throat and the tips of his claws bathed in blood. His ears twitched as he detected a faint whimper beside him. Glancing to his right, he saw Rin staring up at him, fear emanating from her face as Jaken stood protectively in front of her. The little girl began to retreat, but lost her balance and fell. Without knowledge of what he was doing, only relying on instincts, Inuyasha charged towards her, fangs and claws bared.
There was little time to stop the rampaging demon from shredding Rin to pieces. Reacting quickly, Sesshomaru rushed to her aid, coming between Inuyasha and his victim. His left side of his body, where his arm was gone, couldn't defend himself against the onslaught, and he took the attack that Inuyasha lashed out. Rin glanced upwards, fear shining from her auburn eyes, as Sesshomaru came to bended knee, his left torso a bloody mess.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" his ward screamed as she ran to his side. Jaken scrambled after her, desperately trying to shield her from Inuyasha's next attack.
With a dangerous growl, the half-demon readied himself to slash the twosome to pieces, raising his hand over his head to slice them in half. But before he could commit the fatal deed, his body pulsed. Something tugged on his soul, as if calling to him. He peered over his shoulder to see Tetsusaiga reacting to his demon blood. It was shaking as if to call back its rightful master. A great battle waged within the half-demon as Inuyasha began to fight his demon nature, reminding himself that killing Rin would not bring Kagome back.
Slowly, he turned around and began stumbling towards his father's fang, growling and shaking his head violently to get rid of the voices telling him to kill the girl. He was stronger than his demon side. Kagome taught him this. He would not let her down.
When he came within inches of the blade, he wrapped his fingers around the handle. Immediately, he began to pulse one with his sword as his claws shrunk to their normal size and his eyes lost their blood color. Sparks were sent through his body, jolting his demon nature back to the depths of his heart. As the electric currents subsided, he picked up the sword, completely changed back to his half-demon self.
His amber hued eyes glanced over to see Sesshomaru on bended knee, blood seeping out of the wound on his left side. "Sesshomaru," Inuyasha mumbled, confused as to how his brother had been driven to such a state. The last thing he remembered was being held by the throat with the threat of death on his doorstep. Had he truly brought the Great Sesshomaru down to one knee? Was he capable?
He took a few steps towards the strange trio, his eyes wavering between his brother's face and Tenseiga attached to Sesshomaru's waist.
"What now, Inuyasha?" he asked, his voice cold and emotionless. His eyes dared the half-demon to answer. "Do you intend to slay your own brother?" The two stared at one another, gold burrowing into gold as they silently exchanged words between them. After a few moments, Inuyasha simply sheathed his Tetsusaiga and walked closer to his older brother. He reached for Tenseiga, but as he gripped the handle, sparks stung his flesh, sending jolts through his body and causing him to released the sword.
"Damn!" he yelled with rage, closing his hand into a fist. "It fucking rejected me!"
Sesshomaru's cold demeanor did not waver. "What will you do now? The only chance you have at saving that girl's life is to use my sword. But it refused you."
Inuyasha knew his brother was right. If he didn't get Tenseiga to Kagome soon, it would be too late. He didn't have time for any other option. His eyes drew back to Sesshomaru's icy glare. "Please," he begged, knowing accepting the shame his brother bestowed upon him would at least heighten his chances. "I need your help. You're the only one who can wield Tenseiga; you're the only chance Kagome has." He thought he detected pity in his brother's eyes, but he must have been seeing things, for his brother did not take pity on others.
"What makes you believe I'll help you?" Sesshomaru asked, his breathing low and steady.
"I don't," his brother confessed. Inuyasha's expression softened and he drew his eyes to the ground, away from Sesshomaru's hardened eyes. "But from what I've seen, you do not have a strong hatred for humans as you once did." The demon almost smirked at the comment. How preposterous. "You saved Rin," Inuyasha continued. "Even though you didn't have to and you even allowed her to follow you for as long as she has. You also saved Kohaku's life as well even though you could have easily killed him. And for that, Sango is grateful." He gazed back into Sesshomaru's eyes.
The demon growled low in his throat from Inuyasha's words. "How dare you speak to Lord Sesshomaru like that!" Jaken screeched, running out from behind his master's form.
"Jaken." Sesshomaru's tone stopped the imp demon in his tracks.
"Me Lord?" he questioned with uncertainty. "You're not really going to help this filth of a half-breed, are you?"
Inuyasha crossed his arms and glared at Jaken. "I should kill you," he threatened, but made no move towards him. However, it was not needed, as Jaken shrunk back from his glare alone.
Sesshomaru slowly stood up, closing his eyes in thought before opening them once more. "Lord Sesshomaru," the girl whispered from behind him. He glanced down to see her watching him with her big doe eyes. "You must save Kagome." Inuyasha uncrossed his arms at Rin's words. "She saved me, remember? When Takemaru had Sou'unga, he was after Tenseiga. A demon almost killed me because I tried to protect it. Kagome shot him with her arrow and saved my life."
The Lord of the West continued to gaze at his ward, his expression unchanging. Seeing this, Rin continued. "She protected me when we were taken to the castle, even though she didn't have any weapon to protect herself. She was willing to give up her life in exchange for mine." Inuyasha glanced between the child and his brother, anxious to see how Sesshomaru would respond. "You are her only chance," Rin spoke quietly, just above a whisper so only her master could hear. "Please, Lord Sesshomaru ..."
A soft wind swept across the clearing as silence seemed to enshroud the area. They impatiently awaited Sesshomaru's response. Why? he questioned himself, truly confused at Kagome's actions. Why did she save Rin when I had always tried to kill Inuyasha? The nature of a human being was not to be desired concerning him, but curiosity seemed to win him over. Then another question arose. What would he gain from saving her life? He scoffed under his breath. It was merely curiosity that persuaded his decision, nothing more.
He swept his gaze over the forest, second guessing his decision. His eyes found the place in which Inuyasha had come from and the woman's scent from previous encounters lingered vaguely behind. Death was evident in the wind and he knew his brother's words were nothing but the truth. Cursing his mind for desiring what had persuaded this woman to save his ward, he slowly began walking towards the edge of the clearing, paying no heed to the wound in his side. It would heal soon enough.
Inuyasha watched his brother pass by, thoroughly confused at the change of events. "Sesshomaru," he called, but the demon ignored him, continuing in the direction of Kaede's hut.
With a smile on her face and hope in her heart, Rin skipped after her Lord. "Wait for me, my lord!" Jaken shouted after his companions, scrambling to keep up with them.
A/N: Sorry for the long update, but there it is. Hope you enjoyed and please leave a review.