Authors note: this battle was soooo unnecessarily looong. T_T I cut some pieces, which were peripheral to Sesshomaru, to help speed things along a bit. But it's still ridiculously long.
Chapter 40 - Sacrifice
Toran's scent brushed his nose, Sesshomaru reacted on instinct rather than knowledge. With a smooth movement, he leapt into the air, her ice staff hit the place where he had been not a breath before. Where the staff connected to the ground, a cold mirrored sheet of ice spread across the entire ground. By the time Sesshomaru's feet once again touched the ground, ten to twelve feet behind where he had be standing, the whole area was covered in ice.
In the moat below Karan noticed the other demoness, and called out her name. Calmly, Toran stood in the middle of the wooden gateway, smug as ever.
"What a surprise. I thought you would be weaker than you were before."
"What do you mean by that?" Sesshomaru asked, Tokijin held at the ready by his side.
"You're short an arm." Toran replied with a smirk. "Who could have done such a thing to the mighty Sesshomaru."
She didn't use his title with the intent of slight, not that he had expected her to. It was less her words that irritated, than her laughter once she finished. It had not bothered Sesshomaru to lose his arm, losing a limb in an honorable battle was a badge of respect. But to be mocked for it — that made him angry. His eyes narrowed, anger steadily rising to the surface again.
Leaping into the air, he lashed out with a powerful attach, which met her matched ice attack. The two met midair, blasting at each other in a storm of energy that sent the world into blazing light for a moment in time. Sesshomaru landed on the icy bridge in a crouch, gold eyes on Toran as she landed on the roof of the gateway. Snow and mist whirled around her, ready to leap at her direction.
"At last the celebrations are about to begin. We'll be waiting for you." Laughing, she whirled away with a flare of snow, leaving an empty space where she had been standing
Rising to his feet again, Sesshomaru took a breath, before walking through the gateway and into the castle's inner courtyard. Within, there was a large group of cat demons bowed low to the ground. An altar sat before them, where Toran was placing different implements on the altar's surface. Fire burned in torches on either side of the low table. Behind her sat the three other main panther tribe demons. Behind the altar, was the immense mummified form of the panther tribe leader. The remains rivaled the size of the bones of his own father.
Sesshomaru paused for only a moment, before raising Tokijin and leaping forward to end the fight, before the leader could be resurrected. Sword out, he hit something which was invisible, red swam before his eyes before he jumped back.
A barrier. This will complicate things.
"Soon our master will be resurrected. Sesshomaru, prepare to die." Toran said from behind the barrier. On the alter, something glowed, and for the first time Sesshomaru realized they intended to intensify their leader's power with Shikon no Tama jewel shards.
Cowards.
A sound like a hollow echo sounded throughout the courtyard. Sesshomaru looked up at the monster's corpse, the nearness of the jewel shards had already awoken the beast. A hand, three times the size of a normal human reached down clumsily and grasped the entire table of implements. It knocked down one of the torches in the process. Unable to approach or prevent it, Sesshomaru watched in silence from the border of the barrier, as the massive demon swallowed the table and implements whole.
"The master has awakened." One of the cat demons said — Sesshomaru wasn't sure which one.
"Bring me blood, flesh." It sounds like rocks grating against each other, more than a voice. It came from the panther leaders emaciated corpse as it began to reanimate. "…and souls" the vacant eyes began to flow a ghostly green.
So. It needs blood to complete the resurrection. Sesshomaru's attention shifted, as another sphere entered the scene. When it burst, it revealed humans. They must be the villagers.
But it wasn't only the villagers. He could smell Kagome, and InuYasha's other companions. Belatedly, he vaguely remembered InuYasha saying that Kagome had been kidnapped, through his haze of anger.
Yet another arrival announced himself with a battle cry — or —- no. He was calling for Kagome. Intrigued, Sesshomaru offered a glance in the direction of the sound. The figure moved quickly, it smelled of the wolf demon he had scented earlier.
InuYasha has a rival for Kagome's affections? And a full demon. Interesting, but unimportant.
The wolf kicked the barrier and fell back to the ground.
Also an idiot.
"Hahaha! As if fools like you could break the great ones barrier!" Laughed Toran, standing at the alter of her master. Seeming quite pleased with herself.
I will wipe that smirk from your face Toran.
"Stick around and join us for dinner!" Added Karan. "We're having sacrificial lamb."
Ah, so they intended to offer the humans as a live sacrifice.
Now, Sesshomaru understood InuYasha's involvement. Though it didn't change his view. Likely, the hanyo would appear at any moment to rescue his precious human. Sesshomaru snorted under his breath.
As predicted, the moment that the panther leader reached out his claws to grasp Kagome, InuYasha's voice was heard yelling her name. Sesshomaru glanced in the direction of his brother, and was intrigued by the sight.
The Tetsusaiga is red.
InuYasha have a mighty slash of the demon blade, the barrier reacted, swirling and then suddenly melted before his very eyes.
"Sorry to keep ya." InuYasha said, Tetsusaiga resting casually on his shoulder as he smirked at the gathering.
"The mutt! He broke our master's barrier!" Said Karan with irritation as she leapt to her feet.
"How dare he!" Added Toran beside her.
Jaken came running up fo Sesshomaru's side, panting and out of breath. "Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru!" Glancing down, the lord took a sniff.
He smells of InuYasha. Have you been plotting to bring him into the war, even after I told you not to, Jaken?
"I have searched everywhere for you!" Complained the imp.
Unlikely.
"InuYasha has surprised me. When did he become so powerful and learn to wield the Tetsusaiga like that?"
Sesshomaru watched his brother in silence, eyes on his father's blade. Kagome ran up to the hanyo, pleasure and relief visible in all her posture, not to mention the way she spoke his name. Likewise, InuYasha leaned in toward the human, his attention focused on her entirely as his brother assessed if she was safe.
"I just knew that you would come for us." Kagome's eyes were wide and worshipful as she gazed at his brother.
Something about the exchange sent an odd pang through Sesshomaru's chest. It was oddly intimate and gentle of his brother, to make such a silly display before others. And — he added to himself — totally inappropriate when a battle was looming. The interaction was quickly cut short as the wolf demon pulled Kagome into his arms, causing Sesshomaru's eyebrows to lift a fraction.
It seemed likely to have become an all out war between the two, but the panther leader would not be deterred from his dinner, and made a second attempt to reach for Kagome. The wolf leapt away, carrying the girl, while InuYasha dealt with the reaching hand. A moment later, the hand turned to dust and bone with a swipe from Tetsusaiga.