Chapter 39:
Sango and the others were also a bit late to notice, but Kohaku had already run away; taking Arisa with him.
"We have to hurry…! Kohaku's shard is becoming impure…!" Kagome notified the group, and Inuyasha quickly offered his back for her to climb on.
"Not just that. We have to stop Sesshomaru! Knowing him, he would definitely kill Kohaku, especially now that Arisa is involved!" Inuyasha commented as they swiftly chased after Sesshomaru.
Sango and Miroku were left behind a little, since Sango was still shocked to learn that Kohaku was still under Naraku's control. That is, until Miroku managed to get her back to reality.
"Sango…! I know it is hard to accept, but we must go. We can still save your brother."
Sango looked down a little, and soon, a different resolution beamed in her eyes.
"You're right, Miroku." She agreed with a regretful tone.
Kohaku stopped at a grassy area after passing through the forest. He pretty much put Arisa down on the ground rashly and then raised his scythe, his thoughts filled with Naraku's words of killing her.
He was about to strike down when Sesshomaru arrived just in time and stood in from of him, stopping him from doing so. He held Kohaku's arm fiercely and threw him at a distance without so much effort.
However, Kohaku continued to attack, still under Naraku's control as his eyes were empty. At first, Sesshomaru only blocked his attacks and kept on throwing him away; but later, he was starting to get on his nerves. Naraku's detached voice suddenly spat, which happened to be still lingering around.
'What's wrong, Sesshomaru? Why don't you just kill him?'
Naraku.
His face remained deadpan, ignoring his comment. But that didn't stop the spider demon from taunting him.
'After all, he's just a weak human and someone not important. He even tried to kill Arisa.'
Sesshomaru only huffed sarcastically; but during Kohaku's next attack, instead of swatting him away, he finally stopped him by grappling his neck. He started choking him – which delighted Naraku.
'Yes, Sesshomaru. You have every right to destroy this boy's existence…' Naraku commented with a confident tone, as it was all going according to his plan.
However, Kohaku wasn't giving in either. He quickly raised his scythe and was about to slash Sesshomaru with it, but Inuyasha came just in time to block the attack. For a moment, he had let go of Kohaku.
"Leave Kohaku alone, Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha requested, his tone a little desperate. However, Sesshomaru didn't listen and grabbed Kohaku again by the neck, sneaking away from him.
Kagome, on the other hand, who was now beside Arisa and doing her best to speed up her recovery, also begged for mercy.
"Sesshomaru, please…! Don't kill Kohaku! Arisa is fine; it's just that she's out of energy…!"
Inuyasha gave him a troubled gaze, and started reaching for the grip of his sword to initiate a fight - as it looked like their words were not enough to convince him.
Sesshomaru's constraint on Kohaku's throat deepened, and as if something had been crushed from the inside; he was now finally reacting to it. Though his eyes were still lifeless, they welled up and his body was struggling. Evidently waiting for that sign, he released Kohaku heedlessly from his grasp, causing him to fall heavily on the ground.
Relieved, Inuyasha rushed to Kohaku's side as soon as Sesshomaru let go of him. Kagome sighed in ease, and her lips formed a small smile.
"Thank you so much, Sesshomaru…" she said sincerely, but Sesshomaru quickly rationalized his actions.
"Killing him is what Naraku wanted. I am not about to fall into his trap again, so I will let him live."
Though he replied in a rough manner, it didn't really matter to Kagome. Whatever reasons he had, she was glad that he did not kill Kohaku. At the same time, Arisa regained consciousness, thanks to Kagome's help.
"Kagome…?" she called out quietly, and it was enough to get her attention.
"Arisa…! Are you okay now?"
"I think…yes." She replied with a small smile, but went back to sleep right after.
Surprisingly, though, Kagome felt Sesshomaru's presence behind her, and it made her immediately move aside. She stared at him, curious as to what he would do.
Not minding Kagome's eyes, Sesshomaru slowly carried Arisa using his only arm, and quietly exited the grassy place with a stoic expression. As Inuyasha and Kagome watched them go, dumfounded; Kagura showed up and readily took the motionless Kohaku; placing him on her flying feather and escaped. Inuyasha and Kagome were too preoccupied with Sesshomaru's actions, which made them unaware of Kagura. Later, Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara arrived; and they both filled them on with the commotion that happened.
Sango's expression saddened upon learning that Kohaku was taken back by Kagura.
"But I'm at least relieved that Kohaku didn't harm Arisa…and Sesshomaru even spared him…" she said, her tone a bit happy.
"Yes…" Kagome replied, and then gazed at Inuyasha who seemed upset.
"Damn it all…! We almost had Naraku at that castle…!" Inuyasha suddenly complained in regret, to which everyone agreed in silence.
"Grr…now where could that bastard be hiding with those injuries? How is he able to completely hide is scent!?" he continued to vent in frustration.
"I'm sorry…" Sango apologized, feeling guilty about Kohaku's involvement.
"What are you saying sorry for? It's no one's fault." Inuyasha reassured irritably as he peered at a distance, still wondering about where Naraku went.
Sesshomaru stopped walking, and studied Arisa for a while; managing to carry her with just one arm. She looked very tired, almost like a wilted flower. His brows knitted, as he couldn't seem to bear looking at her like that. He was relieved to see her speak a while back, but then she lost her consciousness again. He then recalled that moment where she unleashed a pure yet mysterious power against Naraku.
Is that what she had been working for when she went to that village?
He admitted being impressed with her fast development, but if it would cause her to be like this, he'd better not let her have this kind of power.
Then, he suddenly blinked at his realization.
What did I just…think of?
Confused at his own thoughts, he decided to shrug them off and just resumed walking. Soon enough, Jaken was waiting for them at a certain spot, together with Ah-un.
"Sesshomaru-sama!" he happily greeted him, but as usual, he didn't respond.
"How is Arisa, milord?"
"She is fine, but still asleep."
Jaken took a peek at her, and noticed how weak she looked.
"I-is she really alright…? She looks so..."
"She will wake up later after a complete rest." Sesshomaru cut him off with a somehow distressed tone, his forehead creasing a little.
"R-right you are…Sesshomaru-sama." Jaken replied, stuttering.
Sesshomaru continued to carry Arisa in his arms, as they searched for a place to rest for the coming dawn.
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