InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Price of A Life ❯ In Life There Is Death ( Prologue )

Prologue:

In Life There Is Death

"Wench, do you know you'll die today?" Sesshoumaru asked, a sneer twisting his face and his pupils shrunken to the size of insanity. And at the moment, with the taste of battle on his lips, another kill in sight, he had momentarily lost all sense of sanity. Or else he would have remembered that, as he dug his claws into her chest, savoring her shocked and pained expression, that he was sealing his death.

"You bastard." Hissed a voice behind him. He turned, lusting for more blood. Spotting his younger brother, rage and pain etched on his face, his eyes still fixed on the girl, Sesshoumaru's eyes returned to normal, the previous lust of battle disappearing as quickly as Kagome's life-force. She drew in one last ragged breath, shuddered and collapsed, still propped up by Sesshoumaru's claws. "Kagome… YOU BASTARD!" Inu Yasha yelled, drawing the sword much to heavy for him above his head and charging. Sesshoumaru drew his claws from the bloody carcass, and jumped quickly away. Inu Yasha missed, his stroke destroying the ground Sesshoumaru had been standing on a moment before. Neither noticed that the force of the cutting wind blew away Kagome's body as well.

Sesshoumaru, flying to the side as Inu Yasha's wild swings starting to take aim as well as his speed becoming quicker, realized his mistake. "Wait." Sesshoumaru said, his voice holding the closed tone to pleading a proud demon would allow, knowing if he didn't do something, he was going to die.

Inu Yasha ignored him, instead swinging the sword again.

"I can tell you how to bring her back."

The words broke something inside Inu Yasha and he feel to his knees, breathing heavily, finally able to listen. He needed Kagome and if Sesshoumaru couldn't give her her life back, he would kill him. "How?" He whispered, his voice cracking in pain of Kagome's loss.

"Her body was destroyed in one of your careless swings or else this would be so much easier." Sesshoumaru sighed, digging around in his useless sleeve for a scroll. Ever since his encounter with Naraku, he had accepted he would never get a new arm and used the empty sleeve as one would a pocket. Without the constant weight, he felt unbalanced. Finding the one he wanted, he took it out and tossed it down to Inu Yasha.

He caught it on reflex, staring down blankly at the scrawled script of the paper no longer neatly rolled.

"Follow those directions and you will have her back. But I warn you she will not be the same."

Kikyou… Inu Yasha thought of how his once love had been transformed into a body of ashes in dirt, held to this world only by her hatred. Would Kagome be like her? No… he would never allow it. She would be the same as always…

Inu Yasha overcame to the weariness that suddenly gripped him when the threat of his brother was gone. He collapsed where he kneeled, one hand clawed hand clasped tightly around the scroll that held the key to Kagome's life and the other wrapped around the again dull sword, and succumbed to the oblivion of unconsciousness.