Chapter 3 - Another hanyou

Inuyasha

I walked absorbed in his thoughts next to the monk for some time in silence, I was annoyed to leave the house with Kagome still sleeping, having her with me after this long wait was seeming surreal, my heart jumped with happiness and anxiety to return soon. I was still rambling when I felt Miroku snap.

- Did you feel that sinister energy Inuyasha? - He asked, positioning himself for a possible attack.

- Yes, I just can't pinpoint where it's coming from? - I moved my body so that my back was turned to Miroku watching my surroundings. I drew the Tessaiga preparing for a possible fight.

- "Inuyasha, be smart, this youkai knows how to hide well, I can't identify where the point of origin of his energy is coming from, he's probably spreading it around, which must be one of his skills," he explained to me.

Only the accelerated breaths reigned in the almost silent environment, it was when among the many trees around us appeared a youkai, it was wrapped in a black cloud and expelled miasma * contaminating everything quickly.

- Inuyasha on your left, watch out! - Miroku shouted.

I turned as I saw the youkai moving towards me with its spear claws wrapped in black miasma, I tried to dodge, but for a few seconds I was unable to, where I received the blow directly on my thigh, throwing my body a few meters ahead and disappearing again. Luckily I was wearing the fire rat outfit and didn't get seriously injured, but I still couldn't walk straight, I would have to be more careful, as the youkai had an impressive speed.

- Damn you! - I shouted angrily - Can you only fight by hiding? Come face me face to face!

- Hahaha! Is that what you really want hanyou? Do you realize that you can't beat me? Our difference in strength is clear here! - It laughed exultantly, emerging from behind a black cloud where it had been hiding.

It was a relatively small creature, thin legs and elongated feet, its face resembled that of a crow with a pointed nose and ears, the skin was rough and the hands also had long fingers and sharp claws. The totally black eyes stared at me and for a while it just stayed like that without saying anything.

I noticed Miroku coming close to me analyzing the situation.

- Take it easy Inuyasha, we don't know the abilities of this youkai, think before you attack, act at the right time - Miroku instructed speaking softly.

- Inuyasha, right? That's your name, I was worried when they sent me here to destroy you, I thought I would have some work, because my master said I would have to place with a very strong hanyou, but I see only a weakling in front of me, a mediocre half-youkai! - mockingly advanced on us both, he was surrounded by that dangerous black cloud, where it was probably impregnated with poison.

- Beware this poison is very dangerous, paralyzes the person killing little by little, do not breathe! - said the monk approaching the youkai turning his sacred staff imbued with mystical seals, the winds began to purify the miasma making it disappear temporarily - Now Inuyasha! - Shouted the monk stepping aside to ease the blow.

- Keh! Let's see who's the weakling here, you talk too much! - He drew the Tessaiga and positioned it to deliver his blow - Kaze no Kizu! (Wind Wound) - at that moment Inuyasha found the scar between the demonic energies that collided in the winds, cutting it forming a powerful wave in the shape of claws towards the youkai, but the unpredictable happened and with surprising speed he dodged disappearing around his miasma.

- You insolent hanyou! You think you can hit me with that insignificant power, get ready because this time I will not be merciful, it will be the end of you!".

Suddenly appearing next to Inuyasha the raven youkai advanced expelling that black poison leaving him paralyzed and when he was about to strike him with his claws he noticed the monk running towards him.

- Houriki! - shouted Miroku positioning himself next to Inuyasha with his hands in prayer reciting his mantra, creating a barrier between them and the youkai, making it impossible for him to attack them and also dissipating the miasma that surrounded them.

- Inuyasha, can you move? - he asked worriedly, noticing his friend still immobilized.

Gradually, with the poison cloud dissolving, Inuyasha managed to move and fell to his knees.

- 'Miroku, can you hold that barrier for a while? - Inuyasha asked, breathing hard.

- 'Yes, I can, but not for long,' replied the monk, still in prayer, holding the barrier.

While recovering Inuyasha watched the youkai's movements, he was trying to break the barrier by releasing miasmas while attacking it with his claws, in a flash he realized that those were only the capabilities of that damn, and quickly had an idea getting up.

- Monk, be ready to undo the barrier as soon as I tell you to, okay? - he asked taking a deep breath concentrating, he raised his sword smelling the wind and could see the energies clashing, euphoric he realized that the demonic energy of the youkai was a little stronger - Now Miroku! - he shouted.

- Bakuryuuha! (Explosive wave) - as soon as the monk undid the barrier a wave with small tornadoes began to form, reaching the youkai tearing it and consuming its demonic energy, then making the creature spin in the air and hit a rock, falling unconscious on the ground.

- That's it, we did it! - the monk shouted in satisfaction.

- Now tell me who is the weakling here, you bastard! Come on, wake up! Keep fighting, you coward! - Holding the youkai by his robes, he tried to wake him up by shaking him several times.

Gradually the youkai woke up and realized that he was very hurt and unable to continue fighting, he could barely move, he was cornered and would have no chance against the hanyou, he was stronger than he thought - he concluded defeated.

- Please, don't hurt me anymore, I was just following orders! - he answered quickly so as not to get hit again.

- Orders? Whose orders, speak up! - He let him go, seeing that he was no longer in danger.

- From my master! I... I just had to distract them for a while, I didn't think I would be defeated so quickly - he said trembling and feeling like a failure.

- "What did you mean by that? - Inuyasha glared at him angrily. "What do you mean distract us, just say it, damn it!" he said. - I was already losing patience with that crow!

- "My master, he... he asked me to distract you so that, as he himself said: - I need to go after a certain powerful priestess." - he replied shakily.

At this moment Inuyasha felt an icy chill run through his entire body, he turned desperately to Miroku and without a word threw the youkai away, taking off running, as fast as his legs could stand.

- No, no, no! - just when we had just met again - Kagomeeeee!

Kagome

I felt the sun beating down on my face bringing me back from those wonderful memories, it was a pleasant weather and it must have been close to noon already as the sun was already high. The sky was so clear and blue it looked like a masterpiece! Very different from my era when I looked at the sky and only saw gray - I sighed - I was still admiring that landscape until I felt a strange energy coming close, yes, it was strange because it was sinister, but at the same time, it felt good, as if they were mixed.

Looking around I saw a creature coming from the sky, it had big black wings, a red face, pointed nose and jaw with big teeth, its body was covered with black feathers, it was wearing a blue and white kimono, and its feet and hands looked like claws like an eagle. It was huge and stared at me as it hovered in the sky, flapping its wings, its eyes were black and cold.

- 'Hello priestess Kagome, at last we meet in person! - She spoke, her voice like a rumble, loud and scary.

My whole body shuddered, I felt like I was in danger and I needed to do something.

- How do you know my name? - I asked moving slowly towards the door, inside the house were my bow and arrows - I remembered.

- Where do you think you are going priestess! - He shouted and at that moment I felt my feet rise from the ground and my body levitate in the air towards the demon.

- 'Who are you and what do you want with me? - I shouted, trying to move, but my body was paralyzed, I felt myself levitating and getting closer and closer.

- "Who am I?" "Okay priestess, I'll introduce myself, my name is Guhin, I'm a hanyou, yes just a hanyou, but not just any hanyou, my father was a youkai Tengu and my mother, who was subjugated by him, was a priestess like you!" I said.

I widened my eyes and realized I should be careful, I wasn't dealing with just any youkai.

- I'm sorry about your mother, but what do you want with me? I have nothing, I'm just an ordinary human - I tried to distract him while thinking of a way to get rid of that energy that was trapping me.

- Ordinary human?! Ha ha ha, are you kidding me Kagome?! - He laughed - Your name is known throughout the provinces! 'Kagome, the famous priestess who defeated Naraku, and destroyed the jewel of four souls!' and together destroyed my dream! - he now shouted in rage.

His eyes were now red as blood, I felt his demonic energy increase a lot and at this moment I realized that I was in a lot of trouble, without my bow and arrow, Inuyasha was not around and neither were our friends, I felt very afraid as I had not felt for a long time.

- Mr. Guhin, the jewel no longer exists! Then I don't see what you can still want with me, I'm of no use to you anymore," I said softly, trying to dissuade him.

"Really Kagome, you managed to destroy the jewel of four souls, which I thought was impossible to do. I've been looking for this jewel for decades, and when I get a trace of where it could be I find out that a lousy hanyou had taken it and misused it, trying to corrupt it!" she said. What a desecration!

- I agree! A sacrilege to corrupt such a powerful jewel, and that's why we were able to rescue it, I purified it and realized that it was too powerful to stay in this world, and in order not to fall into the wrong hands again, I destroyed it, making the right request, so that it would never exist again! - I explained trying to make him understand, but I felt his evil black aura expand and get denser.

- Ahhhhh! How could you priestess? All that power in your hands! An unimaginable power, you could have realized any dream, anything you wished! How could you throw away such a power? - he shouted, possessed.

My body that was hovering in the air started to move towards the half-demon, I felt myself heating up and suffocating.

- What... what are you doing? - I asked struggling to breathe.

- 'So priestess, as I've already told you, my father was a youkai Tengu, and probably what you may not know his greatest skill was being able to suck the energy out of people and completely drain their essence.

The closer I got to him, the weaker I felt, my body seemed to be exhausting, my life being sucked away. Concentrating the energy I still had left, I gathered it all in my hands and a bright light emerged from them, I took a deep breath and when I was very close I pushed this purifying energy with all my strength towards the hanyou, I saw a bright light in the form of a large arrow being launched towards him, I had never tried to do such a feat and I had succeeded!

My despair was when the arrow was almost reaching him so he raised one but hand and the arrow dissipated! It was gone! What do you mean?

- What did you do, why couldn't I hit you?! - I shouted in despair.

- Kagome, Kagome... I don't think you heard me right. I am the son of a youkai and a priestess, my energies are opposite, but probably because my father can absorb energies I can interact with both at the same time, so your attempt to purify me does not affect me, ha ha ha! - he laughed wildly looking at me with fury with his red eyes.

- "Surrender priestess, you have no chance against me," he said, as I felt my body getting weaker and weaker, my eyesight began to darken and several images appeared in my mind:

"Me as a little girl running up to my mother, receiving her hug and feeling all her love and dedication for me...

My first day of school and anxiety about making new friends...

Ayumi... Eri... Yuka... my best friends... my sisters...

My father's death and never having the warmth of his lap every time he hurt me or his firm hand holding mine when I woke up from a nightmare...

When I fell down the well and the despair of arriving in an unknown and dark place facing my first youkai...

Finding a silver haired boy with weird clothes sealed in the sacred tree... and beautiful dog ears that I found so cute...

Our friends fighting together... friends who were now my family... Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kaede...

Our reunion and the happiness that couldn't fit in my heart...

My first kiss with Inuyasha... my love...

Inuyasha..."

Everything seemed to be fading away, getting cloudy, fading away, I felt a terror that I have never experienced in my life, not even when we were in the final fights with Naraku.

- Please let me go, let me live! I... I just arrived and started to live my long-dreamed happiness, I beg you!". - I felt my tears falling, I still managed to speak weakly - Please...

- It's no use priestess, your powers will now be mine! All your essence will be mine! This is the price for destroying the jewel and taking away my chance to possess that immense power!". - He raised his hands and the feeling was that he was slowly sucking my soul, my essence, there were few forces left, I knew I couldn't stay awake for long.

- Inuyasha, where are you? Help me my love... - I whispered without strength.

- "Are you waiting for your hanyou Kagome?" I said. - "Don't worry, I sent my servant to finish him off, right now he's probably dead and won't come to save you, no one is coming to save you priestess, your fate is sealed!" I laughed cruelly. - he laughed cruelly.

It was at this moment that I felt a huge despair and cried, I felt that everything was lost - "Inuyasha, I'm sorry my love, I was not strong enough to be able to be together until the end of time, as I promised" - I thought feeling my life fading away.

I could hear a loud bang in the distance, but my conscience couldn't tell where it was coming from.

- Kongousouha! (Diamond Spears) - I heard shouting in the distance, I tried to turn around to see him, I knew it was Inuyasha. but my body didn't obey me anymore, soon after my sight darkened and I didn't feel anything anymore...

INUYASHA

I ran, as I never ran in my life, I felt a despair in my heart, a tightness, I sensed that something terrible was happening. I looked back and saw Miroku running after me, trying to keep up, but I needed to get there soon, so I increased my speed and set off towards the valley.

Arriving near our house, I saw her... Kagome was levitating in the air, a black energy surrounding her and heading towards that creature in the sky near her.

- Kagomeeee! - I screamed in desperation - I didn't think for a second, I grabbed the Tessaiga and pointed it towards that unknown being.

- Kongousouha!" (Diamond Spears), I saw the spears towards the creature come close, but like magic, they dissipated as they came close.

- Inuyasha, he's using a barrier! - Miroku shouted, arriving right behind it.

- 'So you managed to defeat my hanyou servant, that was faster than I thought,' growled Guhin.

- 'What do you want with my wife? - I shouted in rage.

- 'It doesn't matter to you half-youkai, right now I'm managing to take all her life energy from the priestess in exchange for the power she took from me when she destroyed the jewel!

- Miroku, get ready I'm going to break this barrier, attack with your scrolls as soon as you have an opportunity, so I have time to prepare my next blow - I whispered explaining my next steps.

Running I started to jump between the branches as high as possible getting as close to the demonic being, I tried to control all the despair that fell on me seeing Kagome closer and closer, her arms hanging without moving, I took a deep breath in an effort to concentrate, I drew my sword and struck my blow:

- Akai Tessaiga! (Red Tessaiga) - I struck the barrier feeling the sword turn red and soon after the barrier was broken and shattered.

Then Miroku threw his scrolls into the hanyou reciting his mantras.

- Hama no fuuda! - the sacred papers hit the hanyou who screamed distracting him.

Immediately Inuyasha positioned his Tessaiga, he felt the sword vibrate intensely, but he paid no attention to the atypical event, concentrating he visualized a swirl of sinister energy, it was "the core of the youkai's power" that was in front of him, so he positioned himself.

- Ryuurin no Tessaiga! (Dragon Scales Tessaiga) - he struck the blow cutting the "Youkestsu", making the sword absorb the sinister energy of the hanyou.

- Ahhhhhhhhhhhh bastard! You're just a weak hanyou..." he shouted while being absorbed by the sword.

After Tessaiga consumed all the creature's energy I didn't worry about anything else, only about Kagome who fell towards the ground, I quickly ran to her, jumped and caught her in the air before she hit the ground.

- Kagome wake up! - She was unconscious in my arms, she was cold, her lips purplish, Kami what happened to her?!

I see Miroku coming in flustered - Inuyasha how is she? Do you know what that creature did to her? - He asked looking at Kagome in my arms fainted, he saw that I was unable to answer - Inuyasha, we need to take her urgently to Mrs. Kaede! - the anguish in his eyes.

I grabbed Kagome in my arms and ran desperately towards the village.

- Old lady! - I entered old Kaede's hut in despair.

- What is it Inuyasha? - Kaede said as soon as she saw me, but when she noticed Kagome in my arms her eyes widened.

I put her on the futon and kneeling too Kaede held her wrists, took a deep breath, turned and looked at me seriously - She's very bad, what happened to her? - She asked me.

I heard footsteps and saw Sango and Shippo coming in, I looked at them they were static, when they saw Kagome unconscious they ran near her, Sango looked at Miroku and me wondering what happened and Shippo started crying.

- Kagome, wake up! Come on wake up! - Shippo called to her sobbing.

My head was spinning, I couldn't hear or think about anything but Kagome and how to save her.

- A wretched hanyou, he... he said he absorbed her essence, her powers - I was shaking uncontrollably - It was my fault! I left her unprotected! - I knelt beside her and took her hands - she was so cold, I heard her heart beating weaker and weaker.

- Old Kaede what do I do, tell me! I must save her! Ee... I can't be without her - I felt the tears streaming down my face - I looked at her... so beautiful, but she was so pale, I realized her life was hanging by a thread.

- Help me! - I cried out in distress, taking her in my arms - Kagome... my love... don't leave me! Stay with me! - I hugged her feeling a desperation I never imagined I would feel in my life.

- Hos... Hos... pital... - a very low whisper came from her lips, thanks to my keen hearing I could hear it.

- What? Did you hear?! Hospital, is that it?! Ein, Kagome... Is that what you said? - everyone looked at me without understanding what I was saying, suddenly I remembered when we were at her house I always talked to her mother about this hospital, which helped to heal people who got hurt, she brought these bandages from there too and helped us a lot - I felt a squeeze on my hand and realized it was her confirming - I got up with her on my lap.

- Where do you think you're going Inuyasha! - Sangro shouted at me - She's very sick, you can't go around with her! - I saw how worried everyone was.

- Sango, is my only hope, I'm going to go to the well and try to go to her era, I feel like Kagome is telling me to go there that the well will work, I need to try, no... I can't lose her! Trust me! - I said looking at everyone.

I felt them looking at me in tears and they agreed giving me strength, I smiled with the trust they put in me, I ran out once again with her in my arms - Kagome, stay with me my love, don't leave me!

I arrived at the well and felt a nostalgic feeling, when we used to jump the well ages ago, but now the situation was very different, I put my feet on the sides, closed my eyes and jumped, with only one thought - Save Kagome!

*Miasma - Shoki (miasmaShoki, "Swamp Gas"), or " Miasma, is a highly corrosive and poisonous gaseous mist, a purple, smoke-like form used by many demons as a means of attack and/or defense. The "jaki" or demonic energy of any youkai who can generate a miasma is also present in their miasma, as in a unique signature. The more potent someone's "jaki", the more powerfully corrosive their shōki/miasma becomes.

One example is Naraku made widespread use of potent and lethal miasma, using it to deliver his jaki and destroy organisms in close proximity.