A/N: we said our goodbyes to Kagura in the previous chap so this chap is a sort of aftermath/ action scene-filled chap. enjoy!
disclaimer: i don't own InuYasha; my OCs belong to me.
Chapter 33: Touch - Rise, Fall, Live
Something warm and breathing was pressed against her back like a hard wall.
Her eyes opened stiffly before she recognized the dying embers of a small campfire.
She lifted her head slightly, looking around her: her sister was sleeping huddled by the side of the slumbering two-headed dragon, the girl child they had practically raised for four years gathered in her lap and held protectively to her chest; the imp was snoring by the left hind leg of the dragon, a nose-bubble swelling with each breath. She smiled slightly at the sight, hearing the wall she was pressed against continue to breathe evenly; she blinked and then looked up at the said wall, blushing a little.
The male daiyokai had dozed off with his arm wrapped possessively around her, spooning her while she was in his arms since before.
Before…?
"Kagura," she whispered, feeling him stir.
He squeezed her ribs he had his arm around and his gold eyes opened partly at hearing her voice. "You're awake." He mused quietly.
She blushed again at noting that his voice sounded especially alluring when he'd awoken from sleep, slightly raspy and deep, almost husky, glancing at him. "Sesshomaru, where's…?" She began.
His eyes closed again and he buried his nose into the spot behind her ear. "She's gone. Get some rest, you need it to recuperate from earlier today." He reminded softly.
She trembled a little at his soft touch, looking at the dying embers again. "I'm fine now," she protested in the same tone.
It had been a while since he'd held her like this.
"Then let me rest." He grumbled, planting a kiss on her neck.
"Sesshomaru…" She blushed.
His arm squeezed again. "It's been too long that I've held you like this." He murmured.
She quieted at his musing and then she calmed, smiling a little at the memory. "I guess it has."
He chuckled softly, nuzzling her neck. "'You guess' nothing. I'd almost forgotten how it felt to be sleeping with a beautiful bull-headed princess like you." He grumbled again.
"You almost had me," she mumbled, blushing.
His arm squeezed gently as he kissed along the side of her neck, feeling her arch her back and then lean into his body, a soft growl in his throat. "I believe I do still have you." He remarked, the growl in his voice making her shiver, before he continued his onslaught of her bared neck.
She stifled a mewl at his kisses that had bite on one or two instances, blushing more. "S-Sesshomaru," she squeaked, distinctly feeling something on his lower person poking at her lower back each time she squirmed from his kissing.
Sesshomaru growled again and sank his teeth gently into her throat, marking her. "Hnn?"
Getsu all but trembled, her inner demon growling in defiance at practically melting underneath his kisses and bites, her silver eyes glinting yellow. "S-since when are you this attentive?" She wondered softly, panting a little from moving so much.
He licked the new mark, nosing said spot tenderly. "Am I wrong to hold the woman I love so closely and be doing these things to her?" He challenged in the same tone, feeling confident now that he had her practically melting and wrapped around his finger (as he was wont to have her whenever he would assail her with kisses and bites).
Her inner demon purred at his teasing undertone. "W-well, no," she mumbled.
"Precisely." Sesshomaru groaned softly into her neck, returning to his previous onslaught as he heard her mewl again and tremble.
Getsu blushed more when she felt him grind against her backside, his right leg entangling with hers as he held her close. Easy boy, she thought, blushing a deeper shade of red as she distinctly felt him throb against her backside, hearing a deep growl rumble in his chest facing her back that sounded dominant and even lustful.
Oh for the love of the moon…!
The salty scent of the ocean stung her nose.
She looked up at the blue sky, another soft breeze that made the waves churn below their cliffside tugging at her ebony hair, sending locks to fly in the breeze before they dropped lightly down onto her shoulder.
'How pathetic, I had hoped you would be more of a challenge than your mongrel sister!'
Her lip curled in disgust and she dropped her gaze to her left hand's palm; she looked at her claws and frowned a little. The next time I see you, Moryomaru, I will be stronger… strong enough to kill you and the heart you so valiantly protect, she inwardly vowed as she closed her hand in a tight fist, her silver eyes tight, before they traveled to the silent form of her mate sitting on a rock overlooking the ocean.
She smiled a little, wordlessly shuffling to place her hand on his left shoulder. "You okay?" She wondered quietly, meeting his gold eyes that lifted when she touched him.
His eyes softened at the concern in her stare and he looked out at the ocean again, lifting his hand to clasp over hers and squeeze slightly. "Are you?" He returned.
She rolled her eyes and smirked gently, ducking a little to fold her arms around his shoulders and rest her cheek against his. "That's a piss-poor way of dodging my question." She scolded.
He smirked back and ran his claws through her hair. "Agree to disagree." He mused.
She shook her head a little and kissed his neck before retracting her arms to sit down next to him. "Sure, if you say so." She mused with heavy sarcasm, rolling her eyes again.
He rolled his eyes in response and chuckled.
Companionable silence fell between them as the wind blew the salty scent of the ocean blow at their keen noses and played with their hair.
'Are you leaving?'
Her red eyes seemed happy and content, almost peaceful, to see him one last time. 'Yes…I've had enough...'
"Sesshomaru," he stirred from his thoughts, seeing her silver orbs held concern again; his shoulders slumped and he smiled a little. "I'm alright."
She returned the smile, nodding, kissing him softly and holding his cheek. "Liar." She purred.
He made a face when she pulled back, seeing her chuckle. "How am I…?" He began to ask before their ears twitched, his arm finding her waist and pulling her closer out of protection.
Thunder growled behind them before they both looked to see a bolt of lightning shoot down at the ground yards away.
Both daiyokai blinked.
The dust that had flown up when the bolt hit cleared until they saw Totosai the welder there riding his three-eyed steer Momo.
"Oh, you again, Master Totosai; been awhile." The blue-haired female mused as her sister and brother-in-law straightened.
He looked at the gray hilt of Tensaiga. "Oh, so that's why I'm here." He said thoughtfully.
"What're you doing here?" Sesshomaru demanded irritably, gold eyes narrowing when the welder looked at him instead of his heirloom fang.
"I had a feeling something was missing: Tokijin is gone, isn't it?" Totosai guessed.
He snorted and cracked his knuckles. "Even without the Tokijin, my claws would be sufficient enough to tear you apart."
His sister-in-law deadpanned.
She rolled her eyes and whacked the back of his head reproachfully as she walked from behind him. "Give it a rest. Totosai, thanks for coming. Please forgive him; he hasn't been in the best of moods lately." She ignored the gold-eyed scowl directed at her back as she flashed a bright smile at the old welder, bowing slightly out of respect.
He nodded and seemed elated that the death threat had been avoided by her kindness. "Either way, I had no choice but to come here: Tensaiga summoned me."
All three yokai blinked.
"'Tensaiga summoned you'?" The youngest of the trio repeated quietly, tilting her head to one side.
He looked to the male daiyokai again. "Don't play dumb with me; I refuse to believe that you haven't noticed Tensaiga has been disturbed these last few days." His gold eyes glanced at the hilt briefly. "Interesting… it appears you now possess what you've been lacking all this time."
"What d'you mean!? Lord Sesshomaru's heart is flawless!" The imp piped up shrilly behind them.
She lightly whacked him with her long bow, sighing. "He's referring to compassion, frog breath." Her blue eyes looked at the welder. "Right?" Her brother-in-law scowled over at her, being met with an innocent smile.
He nodded again. "Correct; Tensaiga has reacted to the change in your heart. A heart that has not only felt rage and sorrow for yourself, but for someone else."
His thoughts briefly drifted to the late wind yokai before his gold eyes settled on the blank face of his mate, his companion and lover that he had declared not only his love for but his desire to be with her and her alone.
"Now you must hand over Tensaiga." The welder declared, stirring him from his thoughts.
His gold eyes sharpened. "What?"
"The time has come to reforge Tensaiga to be used as a weapon." Totosai declared gravely.
Getsu's ears perked as Sesshomaru raised a brow. "To reforge Tensaiga as a weapon?"
:::::::dOb:::::::
The trio of demons roared their final roars before falling to the power of the reforged fang of Heaven.
Her blue eyes lingered on the pathway to the underworld the rip in the atmosphere had shown before it closed up as swiftly as it had come.
"That was amazing, Lord Sesshomaru!" The girl praised lightly as her likewise-short companion also praised their leader in a more emotional manner.
"It seems I still have a lot to learn," the male daiyokai mused as he sheathed the katana.
The female daiyokai clapped a hand on his shoulder, smiling when he looked at her. "You'll get there; your father trusted you would be a powerful daiyokai one day, so you'll be able to master the Meido Zangetsuha. I know you will." She declared quietly, her silver eyes kind.
His inner demon purred at seeing her kindness, a trait in females he often found weakened them greatly and made them inferior to him, were it not evident in his beloved's character; he smiled a little and nodded, taking her hand and gently squeezing it in his grip. "Your faith ceases to amaze me." He exhaled.
She chuckled and smiled again, winking. "Get used to it, baka-inu." She giggled when he pouted.
Her sister smiled at the sight of the two happy daiyokai, perking her ears as she sniffed the air; she bristled a little.
Koga, I can smell his scent; he isn't far off from here… "I'll be back." She declared as she nuzzled the girl's cheek affectionately before hopping off the dragon to start walking, shrugging her bow onto her shoulder.
"Kori-onee," the girl began in confusion, seeing her pause; she looked back at her concerned brown orbs and her blue eyes softened.
"I'm coming back, Rin; promise." She assured with a gentle smile and wink.
"Don't let yourself get killed while protecting that idiot." He warned calmly, perking her ears.
She looked over at him in brief surprise before she nodded and smirked. "You got it; look after my sister in the meantime. Won't be long." She replied, seeing her sister nod and smile before she turned to take off into the darkness at a run, soon spiriting away towards the source of his scent.
'These claws have feasted on gallons of wolf demon blood, and now they'll feast on your blood too!' The maroon beast snarled.
A white hot pain blossomed in the top of its head; the two wolf demons perked up alertly.
"Not on my watch… You're nothing more than a pathetic whining dog." The blade twisted in its skull sharply, forcing the canine-beast to become instantly frozen in a thick coating of pink ice.
She yanked the blade out swiftly, huffing and lifting her blue long bow from her shoulder. "I've seen teething puppies ten times worse than this thing." She crashed the bottom end of her bow into the gash.
The frozen beast shattered into millions of pieces; she landed nimbly on her feet infront of the wolves plus strange effeminate-looking man, a hand on her left hip; her blue eyes rounded on the likewise-blue stare of the taller of the two wolf demons and she winked. "Yo."
"Korihime," he mused in slight relief.
"Hm, interesting. Judging by your appearance, I would imagine you're a wolf demon as well, though from where I haven't much of a clue. Your power is remarkable, even for a female." The effeminate demon mused thoughtfully, making both wolf demons look at him.
She bristled slightly and glared into his blue eyes. "Thanks for such a compliment. Judging by your stink, I would imagine you're another incarnation of Naraku. You've got a lot of nerve to be showing your disreputable face in the presence of the Princess of the Western Wolf Clan." She returned icily.
He chuckled and flashed a light smile. "Your nose is very sharp, princess. Now I recognize you; you and your big sister have been giving Naraku hell lately, you two and that pompous mongrel you travel with." He remarked.
She swung at him with her claws, making him leap into the air and land atop a large white origami crane. "It's good to know that we've scared him that much. Whatever you've done to this pup's pack, undo it now, girly-man, and I won't freeze your ass on the spot for insulting my brother-in-law." She threatened.
"Temper, temper, my lovely princess, you see the pup you're defending, well his little brother has been… how should I put this? Compromised." He tapped his lips with two fingers.
"Where is he? Tell us or I swear I'll kill you!" The male demon snarled.
An amber-glowing giant moth lifted into the air yards away, flying high into the dying twilight.
"Shit." She growled, perking up as the pup ran past them after the moth. "Shinta!" He cried.
Damn it, Getsu's going to kill me for being late, she thought, sprinting after the child. "Hey, wait!"
"I'd hurry and catch up were I you; the demonic aura coming from the moth will attract other demons, and I wouldn't want that pup to die if I were you." The man declared to the wolf demon.
He glared at him before sprinting after the two wolves, taking off in his twister before meeting the she-wolf's pace; he grabbed her waist, making her yelp, before he held her to his chest.
"K-Koga!" She barked, blushing slightly at being so close to him, clinging to his neck.
"Hang on, Kori!" He declared, squeezing her waist as he picked up the pace; she nodded, vainly hoping her sister wasn't going to be too hard on her for not arriving on time.
::::::lOl:::::::
"Koga, and here I thought I'd have to come looking for you." The hodgepodge creature declared calmly; his blue eyes briefly roamed to the she-wolf held to the clan head's chest by his muscled arm that was wound around her waist. "Princess Korihime, it's been a while. I thought you had gone into hiding from when your weak arrow didn't work before."
She bristled and glared at him, shrugging the wolf demon's arm off. "Moryomaru, I see you're as weak as you were last time. I haven't forgotten what you did to his Tokijin." She growled, cracking her knuckles.
Tokijin…? Wait that's Sesshomaru's sword… Did Moryomaru break Tokijin with his armor? The male demon wondered in surprise, growling. "I see you've changed since last time." He mused.
"H-help me, Kai!" The younger of the two pups barked from trying to not get consumed by the beige limbs of the incarnation.
"Hang on, Shinta, I'm coming!" He barked, perking up as the female demon gently pushed him behind her. "H-hey, lady!"
"You're not goin' in there, you're not strong enough." Koga reproached calmly.
Korihime nodded, glaring at the armor-encased demon. "He's right, besides, this guy is deserving of my ice." She added darkly, a growl in her throat.
"Well I didn't think you'd be this stubborn, princess; yer almost sounding like your sister." He smirked.
She huffed and elbowed his ribs, smirking back. "Get real and keep your fangs in your mouth, wolf boy."
"So you're going to help us?" The pup named Kai asked of the two older wolves.
Koga huffed. "'Course; I've been dying to use the Goraishi on this bastard, anyway." He lifted his right hand up, an amber glow covering his hand until five silver claws connected by chains melded to a metal bracelet on his wrist appeared.
The Goraishi..? Father mentioned it once, but the Goraishi were hidden deep in the Eastern Tribe's territory, supposedly being bestowed by their ancestors on a wolf demon the ancestors deemed worthy of the claws! Did Koga obtain the Goraishi because he wanted to avenge his pack? Korihime wondered, her aura spiking as an ice dagger formed in both of her hands as Moryomaru vowed to consume Koga and his shards; she growled and glowered at him, gripping the handles of her daggers. "You're going to have to go through me to even think you can consume him, you sick shithead." She snarled softly, her tone glacier-cold.
He sneered. "That can be arranged." The same red-lined white orbs began charging up around him, formed in a trio. "Let's see how you fare against Raimeho!" He fired the orbs.
"Goraishi!" He pulled the female behind him, surprising her, as he sent a large spark of electricity at the orbs.
The two attacks collided until exploding and allowing a small cloud of dust to form.
So that's what the Goraishi does, she mused.
"You okay, Kori?" He wondered, perking her ears.
She nodded and smiled a little. "Thanks."
"You seem a little more sluggish than before, Koga; you barely had time to protect that weak female behind you before rendering my Raimeho useless." Moryomaru sneered.
Korihime leaped at him, narrowly dodging a swipe from his right arm, before she slammed the blades of her daggers into his shoulders. "Who told you that I was weak?" She twisted the blades, starting to slowly freeze him, before he smacked her in the ribs with his arm, sending her flying and shattering the daggers at the handle.
Koga caught her, looking down at her as she growled and glared past him at the hulking demon. "Kori," he began.
She looked up at him and smirked dryly, straightening and rubbing her side gingerly. "It's just a scratch."
"Let's put that to the test, shall we?" Several beige limbs sailed at them; he scooped her up and leaped away as the pup followed, yelping as the limbs caught his right ankle and wrapped around the pup's waist, making him let her go.
She grimaced and looked at the sight of the two wolves caught. "Koga!" She barked, hearing the hodgepodge demon cackle.
"Now what will you do, Korihime? Your precious arrows and daggers don't work, and your beloved will be consumed along with his jewel shards… You're weak." Moryomaru sneered.
Korihime growled as her aura spiked and then flared until a pink glow framed her body as she clenched her fists; she bared her teeth. "You've said enough."
Her right foot crashed into his forehead, surprising him; he swung his right arm at her, forcing her to disconnect her foot from his face as she leaped back and landed nimbly.
More of the same limbs sailed at her when she landed; she snarled and swiped at them with her claws that had grown, sprinting at him and dodging the Raimeho orbs he sent flying, landing on his extended arm he used to block her oncoming lunge and grunting as she slammed a fist coated in her pink aura directly into his right lung.
Blood flew from his mouth before he grappled to strike her with his right arm again.
She yanked her hand back and leaped away, skidding into the ground and panting slightly as her aura continued to flare wildly around her.
Dad, I know you'd be proud of seeing me do that, she mused, cracking her knuckles; her eyes widened slightly as she caught the scent of an oncoming demonic wind.
That scent...!
"Wind Scar!" A torrent of yellow demon wind screamed at the limbs holding the wolves, severing the link as the demon slayer scooped up the hostage child away from the wounded demon.
"InuYasha!" Korihime declared in surprise.
Koga huffed, "what're you doing here, pup?" He growled.
"Moryomaru, you swallowed something you shouldn't have, didn't you?" InuYasha demanded of the hodgepodge.
"And what of it? My armor is impenetrable; not even an army of a hundred soldiers could pierce it." Moryomaru gloated.
"Is that a fact? Then this should work well: Adamant Barrage!" Hundreds of adamant shards screamed at the demon, ramming into his right shoulder.
"'Adamant Barrage'? That should make a wonderful addition to my arsenal." His right arm was soon coated in crystalline adamant.
"Baka-inu, just make him stronger why don't you?" She snapped at the hanyou, glaring at their enemy.
"Don't start with me Korihime!" He barked.
Moryomaru's right arm covered in adamant sailed at the wolf demon, capturing him in his grasp.
"KOGA!" Korihime shouted, snarling and sprinting forward at Moryomaru.
"Korihime, don't!" Koga snarled at her, perking up as he smacked her hard and sent her flying with a yelp. "KORI!"
InuYasha bristled angrily. "You bastard, you took something that belongs to me, and now ya've really pissed me off by hitting my friend!" He snarled, the Tetsusaiga pulsing in his grip before dragon scales coated the top half of the mighty fang, before he lunged; the blade heated up and glowed a bright dark violet color before the blast sent him back.
"InuYasha," Kagome hurried to his side as he got up shakily.
"I'm okay, Kagome," he assured, looking past her at the wolf princess that was growling and glowering daggers at his enemy, being held back by the monk and demon slayer. Korihime, he thought.
"Impossible? How dare you steal some of my demonic power?" The hodgepodge snapped, perking his ears.
Tetsusaiga stole his demonic power? She wondered in surprise, gritting her teeth before shrugging past the two humans, walking forward and shrugging her bow down, loading an arrow. "InuYasha, if I fire an arrow at his shoulder, hit it with Tetsusaiga. Kagome, you can sense it's in his right shoulder, right?" She wondered, glancing at the girl that aimed an arrow at the demon.
"Yeah, I can see it." She nodded.
"Then shoot; my arrow will follow yours. That's your cue, InuYasha; get the shard and rip his arm off." She ordered, aiming as well.
Kagome and InuYasha looked at the confident manner the she-wolf harbored before nodding; she fired her sacred arrow at the shoulder, hitting the spot where the shard was.
Hit the mark! She fired her own arrow, sending it flying at the same spot and marking it. "Now!"
InuYasha snarled as he slammed Tetsusaiga down, the same violet light flaring wildly as the fang sank into the place marked by the two arrows.
"WHAT!?" Moryomaru gasped in horror.
"Goraishi!" Koga electrocuted the arm he was wrapped in, shattering it as he leaped back to land near the hanyou.
"You gonna be alright, scrawny wolf?" InuYasha wondered gruffly.
He huffed. "Just shut up, idiot mutt." He growled.
Both half-breed and clan head sailed at the demon, sending a few torrents of energy from the Goraishi and Dragon-Scale Tetsusaiga at him.
"Moryomaru!" Korihime aimed another arrow at him, except this one was coated in pink ice; her blue eyes were dangerous, reminiscent of her sister's silver orbs. "Go fuck yourself." She fired.
The ice threatened to freeze and consume his right arm, surprising the demon.
The hanyou roared as he swung down Tetsusaiga again, the same demonic power flowing into his blade burning his hands before he fell back from the swell, Tetsusaiga sent flying, and leaving the hodgepodge to escape into the night.
"Damn it! I almost had him." Koga growled, the claws fading as the girl went to inspect her companion, looking over at the princess as she slung her bow over her shoulder and scowled at where Moryomaru had been seconds ago. "Korihime, are you alright?" He asked, coming to her side.
Korihime nodded, smiling up at him. "Yeah. I'm glad you're safe." She replied, inwardly surprised at her own words.
Did she really like him?
The sudden swell of her demonic power from before seemed to finally take its toll on her; she grimaced and doubled over, hugging her ribs.
"Kori," he caught her as she almost fell face-forward into the ground, gathering her to his chest and looking at her alertly. "Hey, Korihime, Kori!" He sounded worried.
She opened a blue eye up at him and smirked slightly. "I'm not dead; I can hear you perfectly… Idiot wolf." She grumbled.
"Koga, is she okay?" The priestess asked, perking his ears as he lifted her up and held her in his arms bridal-style.
"Yeah, she's just tired. I'm gonna take her back." He nodded, smirking slightly at her and then huffing as his blue eyes fell on the hanyou. "Thanks fer nothin', half-breed mutt." He added, turning to take off in his twister towards the direction her sister's scent led.
A/N: does Korihime really like Koga? and if so, will she make the choice she's been avoiding: will she choose Koga, or will she choose her sister? who will she travel with, who will be her pack? who will she fight for? until next chap, see ya!