chapter 31: the last battle?
"Oi, how does this bloody bastard expect us to find his dumb ass!" exclaimed Inuyasha quietly as they were walking in the woods away from the castle in the direction they hoped said hanyou was in.
Sesshomaru didn't even bother to look at the halfbreed he called brother. Miroku patted his dear friend on the shoulder "Easy my hard headed friend, he will find us, or rather, lady Kagome."
Inuyasha looked in front of him but saw nothing but trees. He knew that Kagome was stumbling up along the path further ahead of them while they moved under a barrier trailing far behind her. It was the only way they had realized if they were to get Naraku to think they had actually sent Kagome after him alone. She was a capable fighter, however, she truly did where her heart on her sleeve and it would be easy for Naraku to try and take advantage of her. She was walking into a trap, empty handed, but hopefully the trap in the trap would work and Kagome would no longer be the prey, but instead, the bait.
Kagome knew her inu and the guys were following her, that they were a couple hundred feet away, but she also knew that they were undetectable and when she stopped in the nearest clearing they would approach slowly after Naraku had shown his ugly face. She walked slowly and calmly, watching her feet so as not to stumble but also trying to make sure she didn't wind up running into a tree also, its easy to say she stumbled several times, but she kept moving. She could feel eyes on her, and she moved a bit faster. She could see a clearing up ahead, just like Sesshomaru had told her there would be, she smiled, but quickly removed it from her face as she entered the clearing. Right in the middle was a large lake that was connected by a fast moving river on both sides. There were no trees in her path for quite a distance and she could spot mountains in the distance. She decided that she would be better able to protect herself closer to the water. So she began to walk in that general direction when laughing echoed through out the clearing causing her to stop.
"Kukukukuku, uh uh uh, my pretty, I cant have you getting to close to that water, now can I ?" asked Naraku as he magically appeared in a cloud of miasma that landed right in front of her path blocking her from the water. "i cant have you getting in that water and possibly using it to your advantage, not that it would matter right kana?" he said as he glanced down at the girl that walked out from behind his leg. The girl was pretty fully clothed in white, she was holding a mirror and in its reflection was the image of her kit and Sesshomaru's ward Rin. Her eyes narrowed at the image as she looked at Naraku standing straight and proud. She flexed her hand as she could feel the water in the dirt under their feet. She used her powers to coax that water just underneath the surface of the dirt and waited.
"because if you did wound me, those little precious bundles of flesh, will die." he finished nonchalantly as he brushed a speck of dirt off his shoulder. "Kagura! Come and tie up the lovely Utako so that she may come with us." spoke Naraku, suddenly a flying feather floated down and a demoness jumped down from it. Then he turned his attention back to the glaring Kagome who was simply bidding her time, 'Soon.' she thought she would have to attack at the perfect moment. Once the demoness was close by Kagome got ready to cut her down, but all of a sudden charge was yelled and a lot of screaming and hooting as tons of ookami youkai lept from the tree line behind Naraku.
Kagome was taken by surprise for but a second before she moved, her arm came up quick in a slicing motion as a thin whip like tentacle of water flowed as if connected to her arm, whipping out and cutting kagura who had barely enough time to dodge. Naraku and kana were perched safely in the air as a swarm of demons clouded the once dark blue open cloudless night sky, until it was black, red, and brown from their bodies. The demon came down and attacked like a never ending stream completely occupying the ookami.
"NOW!" growled Inuyasha so low that only Sesshomaru heard even though Miroku was just as close. He was tapping his fingers in agitation and worry for their friend. Sesshomaru glanced at his brother before quickly leaving the tree line and dissipating the barrier, the lack of words rang loud and clear in both the inu hanyou and monk as they followed suit pulling their individual weapons and running to join the fight.
"Now? Asked Inuyasha for the fiftieth time as they watched from the tree line. They were soo close, they could take him. "No." whispered Sesshomaru , not yet. Sesshomaru took a deep breath, he analyzed the stench that was Naraku and detected deceit, he was pulling her leg. Playing his cards. "Soon." he spoke so softly.
Kouga jumped the river making it clear to the other side easily as some of his men followed and charged Kagura. She had just dodged a blow from some warrior girl wielding a whip made of what seemed to be water?
The girl took another swipe but missed. He saw as kagura tried to float away on her feather but he wasn't going to have that, he had a bone to pick with her. He quickly jumped and once close enough yelled as he kicked her off the he landed he finally remembered who the girl was.
She had barely enough time to turn andd see him, let alone dodge and she quickly hit the wet mush ground. Then all of a sudden Kagome was in front of her. Her arms moved up and kagura could feel the water rise around her. She watched this girl that peeked naraku's interest, how once she pulled her arms in the water solidified around her turning into solid ice. The water had wrapped her into a tight cocoon and once solid had completely trapped her to the mercy of her captives, nooo this was not how it was supposed to end for her. She was supposed to escape with kana. Could fate truly be this cruel?
She felt the ice shrink in around her, it was so tight, so painfully tight as skin stuck and was torn away.
She watched helplessly as a small thin piece of water rose from the ground and entered the girls hand and just as she raised said hand , kagura resigned herself to death, but it never came. She opened her eyes to see that the whip had decapitated a fallen demon nearby and the monk with the wind scar was waving at her in relief. She looked in to the face of the girl she was supposed to take to see her looking at her curiously. Just as she was going to open her mouth to say something the ookami prince was in front of her, both hands in his.
"Kagome, is it really you? Look how you have grown! Your still as beautiful as I remembered, how could I forget such a face!" Kagome was taken back with the sudden presence of the wolf prince and she grimaced, but quickly replaced it with a smile.
"Kouga, what are you doing here, i'm in the middle of a fight."
"Yeah! I noticed who would have thought we would have a common enemy?"
before Kagome could get a word out another voice had joined their debate.
"That may be so ookami, however, that does not mean you have the right to put your vile, disgusting hands on my mate." came the soft spoken words of a certain daiyoukai, Kagome's eyes lit up instantly, something the usually delusional and dense ookami took note of. He released her hands slowly and watched as Sesshomaru came and stood behind her, wraping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. Behind him Inuyasha and Miroku fought off all the lesser demon keeping them far from the three while behind kouga his ookami pack did the same as well. Naraku watched from above.
"You may help us if you wish, but leave my Kagome alone." spoke Sesshomaru as he pulled away from the girl to face Naraku who came slowly ever closer to them.
"This was not our deal, Kagome. You were to come to me quietly and peacefully if you ever wanted to see your children, I guess im going to have to take you by force then, I wonder how the children will take that."
"Hey Fuck-face, your fight is with me too, dont ignore me!" shouted kouga as he leapt towards Naraku.
"We must find the children." whispered Kagome as she threw thin disks of ice at Naraku, in rapid succession, as she did a simple move. By stepping forward and moving her arms in an alternating block pattern, which made disks of water rise and freeze and then fly towards her target
"I understand." he sighed in defeat, he saw this coming, he truly did. "He has to take you." it hurt him to admit it, but they really had no way of truly finding the children, but he could always find her, and hopefully they will be in the same place. He couldn't just run with the idea lucking up and happeneing upon them, no that was not a sure chose, if they went that way there was a chance that they would also never find them. He hated this, the ambiguity of the situation, the obscurity and the risk factor. Even if he did give the children back as promised, who knows what state that would be in, and who knew if this would be the last time he saw his Utako. No he would see her again, even if that was in hell. He stopped his train of thought as he cut down one of the many tentacles Naraku had just began shouting their way in attempt to slow the destruction of his body. Their plan was rolling now and now their was no stopping it, they just had to handle the wolf tribe as well, a loose end they were unsure of, but they had no choice it was literally no or never.
Kagome barely dodged the tentacle that had popped up behind her in the dark, slicing it down quickly, the only thing that gave it away was it had entered her domain, literally. She was pretty much blind, besides the shadows she could make out and once close enough she could use the moon light to determine their faces, however that was something that she could not do now. Her domain consisted of a water soaked ground that she used to feel people walking around her. It was an interesting type of sixth sense sort of sight , like a spider web, just like if she had pushed her powers out to see different peoples energy, she placed a web of her energy in the water and used it to see what was walking on it.
Miroku and Inuyasha had just cleared away the rest of the lower demons as the wolf demons began to move towards Naraku. He scowled as he used a tentacle to smack them into the trees and lake hitting rock, branches and knocking down trees as well. They only groaned but didn't move from their fallen spots out of fatigue. "Enough!" screeched Naraku, his body growing to massive proportions knocking away the monk who flew into the trees behind him and was instantly knocked unconscious, and Inuyasha who smashed his head on a large boulder jutting out of the lake, going unconscious as well as he lay limp on the boulder that had put him under. Naraku glanced at kana who was kneeling at the lake and then at the others.
"You, mermaid, are coming with me!" he bellowed as he stuck out a tentacle straight at Kagome. Sesshomaru moved to attack it but was then knocked away by another. Kagome dived under it and rolled over, just barely missing the tentacle as she ran towards the monster that was Naraku. She dodged three other tentacles just barely, one scratching the side of her cheek as she ducked it. She ran next to the water and turned throwing her arms up as a wall of water sliced through five tentacles all aimed at her body. Sesshomaru then began to battle to get closer to Kagome but the barage never let up, tentacles that were just cut immediately growing back. Kagome side stepped another tentacle as she cut it but it quickly regrew and grabbed her pulling her into the air by her waist, Naraku smirked. Kagome quickly pulled a whip from the water as she was dragged up and cut the tentacle which then fell freely into the water. Naraku didn't move to stop her decent, but instead smiled a full out toothy grin. Kagome smiled as her body made contact with the water, and then shrieked in agony as the water felt like it was struck by lightning.
Sesshomaru looked up to see the water ablaze with blue sparks as Kagome's screams rang through out the night. His resounding growl was shudder inducing and utterly feral. He reduced everything in his path to ruble as he made way towards his fallen mate and the vile hanyou whom was the cause of her pain.
The pain was excruciating and after 5 minutes her body was numb as she floated limply in the water along with the current. A void. That was what she was in. she felt nothing, almost disconnected from her body, in fact she could see her body as she gazed in to her own soulless looking eyes. She saw as the water surged with the electrical energy. He heard her inu's growls and watched as he slowly cut his way to her. She looked down to see her body moving through the water that was ablaze with the electricity that ran through it. It looked surreal like blue fire engulfing her body. She took in her blue tail and hair and slightly blue-ish skin which seemed even more blue due to the blue currents shooting up all around her body. When had she transformed? She didn't remember doing so, but then again she was confused on how they had done this to her. She looked up river to see that girl in all white holding her mirror in the water and watched as the power that zapped her came from it. She looked at the girls face to see a single clear tear trek down her delicate cheek and instantly she knew, this wasn't her fault. That girl didn't want to do this any more then she wanted to be on the receiving end of it. That thought filled her heart with fury, to see the broken and what she assumed emotionless girl cry. To see her so full of regret and yet have to suffer through the mental torment that Naraku put her through. "That Flipping, Sick, Egocentric, Maniacal, Pompous, Mother-Flipping Bastard!" she spoke knowing not one soul would hear the curses that she had uttered, any other day she would be slightly shamed of her potty mouth. She glanced down at her fallen body, transformed in front of a gaping kouga who fought away a tentacle near kagura to come and reach her. She was so helpless. Always needing someone to save her. Always the flipping damsel in distress. Well her man in shinning armour couldn't reach her because that damned Naraku wouldn't flipping let him. She looked at her inu again and screamed. She heard her voice as she cried out and watched as Sesshomaru glanced in her direction and was impaled through the shoulder and then thrown into the wolf prince.
She snapped. Fire boiled in her veins, and her eyes became crystal like and cold in appearance. She was beyond furious. Her new found hatred impassioned her boiling anger and nothing would be more beautiful to her in that moment then the fulfillment of her wrathful punishment upon the disgusting filth, that was that bastard hanyou. Nothing but his blood would quench this lust that burned deep into her soul after seeing her inu, her mate, Her Sesshomaru impaled and knocked to the side like such. She smiled. His death would be... satisfying, and bloody if nothing else.
Sesshomaru lifted his head and coughed not quite being able to take a breath after seeing this goddess before him, for surely a kami of death had come down from the heavens to destroy Naraku.
Kagome's eyes blazed to life as she reentered her body, the electrical fire crackling all around her as she sat up in the water. Her turbulent powers pushed out forcefully as she lost her self to her uncontrollable rage. With a flick of her wrist she was down, gone from sight. Naraku turned around to see that the lake which was also alight with electrical currents running through it now housed a very pissed of tenshi of death. Another flick and she was in the air suspended by her cyclone of water, but unlike the one before this one was massive and nearly took up half of the lake, only leaving space for Inuyasha where he was still laying unconscious. Her eyes blazed with her need for blood and satisfaction. Her voice rang clear and arctic cold as it sang beautifully like 3 million sirens rolled into one.
"Your death will not come swift, Naraku." it was enough to make even the killing perfection cringe in its masochistic seduction as all the promises that voice held were understood by those around. The fighting had basically stopped as Naraku and Kagome stared each other down. None moving and no sound besides that of the energy that was barely suppressed underneath her skin. Not even the water made a sound in a show of respect to its mistress.
She was so angry she was shaking like a leaf, yet she made no move, her voice filled with the hatred and conviction her mind instilled in her, yet her heart and body knew they could not bring to fruition. There was only one down fall in all this she was not a killer, even when she was so furious that all she could see was death she did not have it in her to kill, maim maybe, but never kill. She was the kind of girl that ran from the roach instead of stepping on it and opened a window to let the fly out instead of smashing it.
Naraku smirked, this legendary creature didn't have it in her. He knew a thing or two about her legend and her and the prophecy. He had been watching and waiting for this moment when he would be able to do what his father wasn't able to do due to his humanity, find her. He had, she was easy enough to spot her energy signal unlike any other and well imprinted upon her knowledge. His father had known of mermaids, had been saved by one and learned of their "Curse", more like a gift in he and his father's eyes, but that was hardly the point. He had been raised in wait of this one moment. His brothers wanted nothing to do with the cursed girl saying it would bring nothing but bad mojo, but he and his father craved her power, and when his father finally left the world he vowed that he would teach his children to hunt for the girl and that it would be passed down through him, the legend would not fade back into nothingness, and now that he had her no less then 20 feet in front of him, he would not lose her to some bluff.
"You dont have what it takes." he smirked, her smile wavered and became a thin lined frown
"Your scared, terrified in fact, you couldn't even hurt a fly let alone me, and I would kill you in a moments notice, however my little Utako I need you alive because only your voice can will the jewel to work, no?"
Kagome glared harder.
"Thats not a no." he all out grinned as he jumped for her just to be broadsided by a tunnel of water that crashed into his side and smashed his frame into the ground. He gritted his teeth and waited. The water soon let up enough for him to move. He quickly moved further left and left throwing tentacles at her. He kept moving left and doubling around her while alone tentacle snaked through the grass.
Sesshomaru stood and moved to join the fight only to be dragged down by an invisible weight that held him still, he looked to the side only to see Kana holding her mirror. He growled at the girl, but before he was able to speak she did.
"Do not fight me, I will help you, but not yet, all are not safe, and the children will die if they are not removed first." Sesshomaru was shocked, and his face showed it. Kana spoke again.
"no his death does not mean they will automatically die, but they will because his castle will collapse in on its self until it is nothing, the kit, human, kagura and I will die with it if that happens, we must first remove them and free our binds, once that is done Naraku will hold nothing over anyone and all will be able to do as they choose, patience, he must take the girl." she said as she looked at the one man she loathed and wished that he resided in the deepest and darkest pits of hell; her master, Naraku. Miasma enclosed the two in a wall that was just as thick as it was high. Sesshomaru sat and watched as he was able to do nothing. Naraku smiled as his tentacle connected with a clothed leg and began to pull it towards him.
"You dont want any one else to die, do you?"
"Shut up." came the voice.
"Because the monk wont live long if I, I dont know, inject some of my miasma into his arm." he said as he raised the monk he had just dragged over up into the air where she could see. She stuck out an arm but paused.
"U UHUH, no no no." he said as he pulled the monk to his frame and held out his wrist so that his black tipped claws where visible where they laid lightly poking the fragile human flesh.
"Come down and only then will I let the houshi go."
Kagome pouted her tail swishing in agitation as Naraku backed away from her and watched. Kagome felt so useless, like dead weight, like a curse. Her eyes wide brimmed with unshed tears that refused to fall and soon left her eyes only looking like watery crystal blue orbs. The water around her calmed and returned to its regular place in the lake and she sat there on the shore anger shaking her whole body. It was to much to keep inside. A large barrier appeared around her as she looked into the eyes laughing and mocking of her most hated enemy. Then another on the inside of the first and a third on the inside of the second. They shone blue and Naraku dropped his cloud of miasma so that the others who were just coming to could watch, even the twitching monk he still clutched. She pulled her self from the water and legs appeared from under her long top that reached just above her knees. She dropped to he knees on the soft grass her eyes still ablaze with their piercing, firey blue glow. She touched the small grass as a soft hiccup came from her throat.
"Your pathetic, what kind of warrior are you! So weak and fragile." spat Naraku. "You cant even defend, let alone protect what is yours." he sneered. Kagome's eyes searched out gold ones as she saw the kneeling frame of her inu. She frowned.
"Your worthless as a person and priceless as an object, oh how two contradicting forces could fit together." smirked Naraku he watched the girl visibly slump, her energy roaming freely over him, chilling him to the core because of the pure barely restrained fury and power that lay within the girl, just a little more and she would be his to control.
"You are nothing and they.." he flippantly waved his hand towards the others "Would have been better off not knowing you existed."
"Thats not true..." he heard her mumble dejectedly
"Oh but it is, because now rather them live never knowing you, they must die!" he called as he pushed his nails into the main vein of the monks wrist pumping a large amount of poison into his system just as Kagome's scream was heard, ringing through out the night the blaze of blue power with in the domes blinding as they pushed out upon the barriers. The sound of ten trees falling to the ground in rapid succession was all that could describe the sound of the first inner barrier breaking and the resounding smack as the turbulent energy smacked the second one shattering it upon impact and the connecting with the final and third barrier. It held and looked like it would burst at the seams as the powers pushed to be released. The barrier moaned and shook as another scream grated through the night bringing a crawling shiver over everyones spines as they watched transfixed. Naraku threw the monk to the ground and waited patiently. 'She couldn't kill him at the chance of hurting the ones she loved even more, how would she avert this one?' He thought. The barrier buckled before finally bursting under the pressure not nearly strong enough to hold that energy, it expanded for only a second, the blinding light and energy approaching Naraku and getting less then an inch from his nose. He didn't dare move. He could feel the pure power as it washed over his slightly sweating skin, it was exhilarating, arousing. And then it pulled back into itself and shot up into the air, a beacon in the night sky that lit up all the night. Many saw it and heard the sound of a harmonious whaling that echoed throughout the night thought that a tenshi had fallen to her death. The ocean sprang forth throwing large waves that rocked the land and the moon began to turn red as it moved through the night sky, all knew the spirits were not happy and one of their own was truly hurt or in danger.
Once the light dimmed down all that was left was the unconscious body of Kagome laying curled upon the floor. After a second hurt and pained blue eyes opened and connected with fiery gold ones. A silent message passed through only their eyes and filled Kagome with a hope for tomorrow even though today looked more then bleak.
I will come for you mate...
came the soft voice of her mate in her mind. Her lips didn't move as she stared unwaveringly into his eyes. 'I know.' she projected to him as Naraku approached her and was burned by the small barrier around her fallen body.
"You disobey me still, wench! How many must I kill before you comply! he glanced at the inu that glared at him as he spoke "HE will be next!" he emphasized by pointing at the large daiyoukai. When he reached again the barrier broke on contact and he reached down and pulled her up into his arms. Sesshomaru gazed into her eyes as she did his and even kana broke kagura free and walked over to join Naraku, they stared into each others eyes. As the miasma grew around the four they continued to look upon each other until there was nothing left but the space she had once been in. the heaviness that had kept him from moving left his limbs as he walked over to Miroku's prone and groaning form. He would have to heal him and then hunt down his mate. Kouga began to stir as he looked around to see only Sesshomaru he quickly moved over to him.
"Hey, where is kags and whats wrong with the monk?"
"Hn." he didn't feel like answering stupid questions so early in the morning. That would be left for later so that he wouldn't have to repeat his self. He bent over and sliced open Miroku's wrist and then injected a small hint of his poison. It would cancel the other poison from Naraku since his was one of the strongest in all the lands, but it would also do other things as well. He mentally sighed he would also have to inform the monk to what that would entail. He placed on the long list of things to do.
Kouga was tapping his foot agitatedly as he waited for answers. Sesshomaru placed some of his saliva on his finger and rubbed it into the wound and watched as it sealed shut. He stood and faced the wolf.
"There was a prior plan that your pack interfered with, once all are awake and well, the details will be shared, go and grab my brother and the others and drag them over here, there is much to discuss once everyone is conscious."
kouga stood mouth hanging wide open as he starred at Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru's eye twitched in annoyance as he spoke again. " I do NOT repeat myself, wolf." kouga grumbled and jumped a bit but went off to do as bid, only because he wanted to know what happened.
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sooooo what you think and please feel free to review! Those are one of my favorite parts of writing lol!
And thats it for chapter 31 of a mermaids tear and song. Next up chapter 32: plans and more plans! And I hope to see you all next time as I wrap up part one of this story. I have had soo many good ideas and this chapter just seemed to write its self lol. But look out for the next one should be up soon, maybe 7 days or less, give or take a few days. Any whos read and review
ja ne
KAR