InuYasha Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Breathless ❯ Changing Hands ( Chapter 8 )

 

Disclaimer: I don't own either Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, and this is just for fun.

 

 

Chapter Seven.

 

 

`Changing Hands'

 

 

The leader got back to his feet from where he had landed awkwardly; staring puzzled at his sprawled comrades.

 

 

Turning towards the blond-haired figure still on the ground, the contempt in his gaze became pure hatred.

 

 

“Foul youkai abomination!!”

 

 

Rushing back to her, he yanked the beaten youth up roughly by the arm, his crushing grip eliciting another cry of pain while his other hand went to unsheathe his weapon.

 

 

“Doesn't matter if you're not as weak as we thought, you're going to die right now!” he exclaimed in rage as he raised his sword, ready to strike down.

 

“I wouldn't do that if I were you” a cold voice stated.

 

 

“Who the hell are you!” the bandit leader didn't loosen his grasp on the young girl's arm as he turned to face the newcomer, a look of displeased surprise setting firmly at the silhouette watching them from the trees.

 

 

When a pristine figure stepped out from the shadows the man's eyes widened slightly.

 

 

“I have business with the girl” the stranger told him curtly “Do not interfere”

 

 

The thief only managed to stare at him in doubt. What was this -judging by his armor- Chinese Warlord doing strolling around a forest in Japan, completely alone, and unattended?

 

 

…Further more, what could he possibly want with an oddly attired lesser demon?

 

 

The bandit inwardly snorted.

 

 

`The heck should I care' he thought begrudgingly `if he wants to mess with me he has other thing coming'

 

 

“I don't know who you are, where you come from or what you want with this wretch, foreigner, but we're not on the continent so you better know your place” The leader warned with a sneer. He pulled the girl forward so suddenly he nearly made her stumble “She tried to steal from us and we have the right to punish her for her deeds as we see fit!”

 

 

Then he proceeded to squeeze the battered girl's limb even more; Usagi's eyes were tightly shut as she tried to fight the pain, since she'd failed to throw the man off her. Tears were falling down her cheeks uninhibited as she bit her lip in her torment.

 

 

“ITAI!!!” (“It hurts!!!”)

 

 

“A worthless thief, expecting to be treated fairly? Ironic” the stranger drawled, approaching calmly “Quite distasteful… coming from a deserter samurai”

 

 

The man was thrown back by this. How in the world did he know?!

 

 

“Mainland scum!” he growled enraged, aiming the tip of his rusty sword at the newcomer “Don't be so presumptuous!”

 

 

The stranger merely continued approaching them, even more threateningly.

 

 

“Get out of my way… Do not make me repeat myself”

 

 

The bandit leader looked taken aback for another moment before he gathered his wits at the sight of his comrades coming to stand by his side, and met the not-quite-request with a malevolent smirk.

 

 

“And if I don't?” he taunted, crossing his arms as one of his partners took hold of the golden haired `demon'.

 

 

“You're gonna punish us?” one of the others said derisively.

 

 

“Yeah” nodded another human smugly “you and what army?”

 

 

“Stay out of this, foreigner. This is none of your business! The youkai trash is ours to deal with!” the one holding the girl crushed her shoulders mercilessly, making her whimper.

 

 

Golden eyes glared at the group icily.

 

 

Glancing at the female briefly, he threw the males an even more derogatory look.

 

 

“Youkai? …That woman is no youkai” he stated disparagingly “can't you pathetic human worms even recognize a member of your own race?”

 

 

“Nani?” (“What?!”) the thieves exclaimed in shock, taking a step back as the stranger's extended hand started glowing green.

 

 

“Insolent ningens, should you continue to fail to step away… this Sesshoumaru shall educate you on the manners of true youkai!” he snarled throwing out his poisonous whip, which cut one of the humans' sword in two.

 

 

“NANI?!” the man cried, looking at his broken weapon in fearful realization “He's not human either!”

 

 

The leader kept glaring at the stranger murderously, still irked by the stranger's former reference to his desertion.

 

 

“Don't be stupid! He's just one man” he refuted, charging at him head-on with his sword raised “I'll finish him off!!”

 

 

“Fool” the silver haired one whispered, closing his eyes as he took a step back to throw the green-energy whip in his direction, stopping the bandit swiftly as the poison melted the flesh in his throat.

 

 

The man fell to the ground, dead.

 

 

 

 

“Oh boy” high above them, purple pupils surrounded by crimson irises regarded the situation below with uncanny dread.

 

 

“Master Naraku is not going to like this…” Aku, the twin brother of Tsumi muttered as he flew away.

 

__________________________________________________________ __

 

 

Sesshoumaru's golden orbs snapped up immediately at the unexpected whiff of Naraku's scent.

 

 

`A detachment?'

 

 

However, his search only met with the empty peaceful sky.

 

 

Meanwhile, in front of the Demon Lord a dishevelled band of rogue human bandits was shaking visibly, their overwhelmed gazes glued to the melting corpse of their fallen leader.

 

 

“P-please forgive us, Taiyoukai-sama… We didn't know she was yours!” another man stuttered as the one holding the blonde motioned her forward.

 

 

Shifting his look back on them, Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at the mere implication that that human was his in any way, but the trembling individual only kept his crazed tirade.

 

 

“If we had, we wouldn't have touched her, we- we'll return your female at once!”

 

 

The rest of them nodded instantly; then the thief behind Usagi pushed her ahead so hastily, that she ended falling at the Demon Lord's feet like she was being offered to some white-haired deity as a sacrifice by his terrified mortal worshippers.

 

 

“Get out of my sight” he ordered in a dead-pan tone.

 

 

“Here you have your trinket back!” the last bandit shouted, dropping the locket near the blonde as he rushed to join his comrades who'd already turned-tail to escape as fast as they could.

 

 

The distraught Usagi watched them run away with dismay before turning around to stare fearfully in the eyes of her new captor.

 

 

To Be Continued.

 

 

 

 

GLOSSARY

 

 

`Deserter samurai'; in Japan's Sengoku period some samurais deserted from the army to become smugglers, bandits and wokou (pirates). The Leader was a deserter samurai, that's why he was able to recognize Sesshoumaru's armor as foreign.

 

 

`Mainland' means continental Asia; the leader thought Sesshoumaru was Chinese or something because of the foreign style of his armor (which according to wikipedia IS made in a mainland style, I'm not making this up).

 

 

`Ningen' means “human”.

 

 

`Aku', like `Tsumi', means “sin” in Shinto religion.