InuYasha Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Breathless ❯ Breakdown ( Chapter 9 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha.

Chapter Eight.

`Breakdown'

“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.

“Girl”

Usagi swallowed hard, terrified blue eyes looking up to meet with a steely golden gaze focused intensely on her defenseless form. She whimpered again, but this time it was not from the pain.

What was this being going to do, kill herhimself?Was that why hehadfought the bandits away?

Because looking down at the pile of smoking ash that used to be the corpse of the leader, she somewhat doubted this silver-haired man to be her knight in shinning armor. Not that his armor wasn't shinny… it was just that after what she'd seen, she knew she couldn't well be sure of his intentions.

The blonde, still on the ground, slightly backed away as the stranger looked at her down his nose.

“Girl” he repeated.

“Please…” she begged in fear as he slowly came closer to her and she crawled backwards, trying to scoot away with her eyes still trained on him, watching out for what he might do “I-I didn't do anything! I didn't mean!—”

“Girl” he interrupted her, examining her with a calculating glance “are you related to the girl Kagome, the one that travels with the half-breed, Inuyasha?”

The unexpected question made her pause in her actions.

“Huh?” Whatwas this all about? “No! I don't- I don't know anyone by those names” she stuttered as a response.

`Not that I know that many people…at least not that I remember, anyway' she thought to herself, desperately wishing her answer would satisfy him, making him realize she was not the one he thought or whatever, so he'd leave her alone.

Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, wasn't buying it. He was looking down at the human girl sprawled on the ground as she tried to scoot away from him slowly… very much so; probably so he wouldn't notice, which had obviously failed since he had noticed, and if he had been anyone else but Sesshoumaru he would have used it to tease the girl in amusement.

As it was, though, the thought that was currently on his mind was the question of how it could be possible for two girls to be the only ones in the entire land to use such unique kind of clothing, and not know each other or be connected in any way… There were differences alright, like the length of the skirt and its color; the fact that this girl's shirt was sporting a dark blue bun on the front, over her chest, with a strange heart-shaped yellow medallion in the middle, whereas the other girl, Inuyasha's companion usually wore a tie there. Also the material of certain articles of clothing seemed diverse, but put together all this differences were minimal, considering the incredible similarity in their clothing's design and general arrangement… There was no way on earth that this could be just a wild coincidence, of that he was sure.

However, the girl appeared already too close to a nervous breakdown for him to even try to bring up that evidence, and he needn't make it worse if he was ever going to get from her the other information he desired, without her fainting right away and wasting more of his time. For now, he decided clenching his teeth, for now he would let her have her way…

…Just for now.

Besides, the truth was that more pressing matters were already nagging at his head: for example, the fact that this human's distress had been the first thing to make the Tenseiga start pulsing after a long time… let alone that the Tenseiga'd never pulsed and hummed that strongly ever before, never like that in the few times it'd requested that he used it. Yet there it'd been, insistently leading him to this place, when the supposed victim in question wasn't even dead yet. That alone was intriguing enough to make this girl deserving of at least a small amount of his attention, for he already knew by now that whenever this sword started pulsing it usually had to do with an important message that his Father had wanted him to receive; he'd learned not to so easily dismiss the Fang's unwanted meddling since the time it had compelled him to revive that otter youkai so he and Inuyasha could get a decisive clue on the last missing jewel shard's whereabouts, the place where Naraku would most likely show up next... Sesshoumaru was certain it'd been the essence of his Father's will that was still imbibed in the Fang what'd acted through it to make things happen that way.

Whatever the reason, he suspected right now the Fang had wanted him to save this girl from her predicament just so that he could get something important from her, whether it be some clue on the way for him to increase his own grasp of the sword's abilities, or concerning another one of his father's challenges, or a vital piece of information about Naraku…

Which lead us to the other issue that was bothering him: the fact that after months of hearing nothing from the dark hanyou, the wretch had chosen this exact moment to send a detachment to spy on him. Why now of all times? He was sure this wasn't a coincidence either…

His gaze darkened threateningly once again and he growled suddenly as he'd made an important notice. “Wench… why do you smell like the vile half-breed, Naraku?”

The blonde only looked at him bewildered.

“Who do you say, Sir?” `Calling me wench again?Are all males like this in the surface? And what's with that “half breed” fixation??'This man's attitudewas confusing! It was scaring her even more than the thieves!

When she saw him scowl, she was afraid of his anger and pleaded in haste “Sir! You must have the wrong person; I don't know any of the names you speak of!”

The Demon Lord's eyes squinted in a skeptical, thoroughly displeased fashion.

So this was how things were going to be? …Fine…

He would make her regret that uncooperative behavior…

“On your feet, ningen” he ordered, turning around “You're going to come with this Sesshoumaru”

“What?” she cried, staying where she was on the ground and watching him begin to walk away as if expecting her to follow “Why?!” `Oh no,I beg you!'

He threw her a scathing look over his shoulder. “Don't try this Sesshoumaru's benevolence, human, unless you want him to finish you off were you stand”

But the motion backfired terribly from its original purpose: instead of pushing the frozen girl into action, like the Taiyoukai wanted, it made her all the more apprehensive…

“Sir, I- I don't understand! I'm not...- please! There must be a misunderstanding!”

He didn't respond, but merely resumed his stoic pace, and too fearful of what might happen if she didn't, she arose and followed.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, she reunited a bit of courage.

“Where are you taking me?”

Again, he didn't reply.

“Where are we going? What do you want with me?!” she begged.

Silence.

Crazy with dread, she finally asked the question that'd been plaguing her mind “Are you… are you going to kill me?”

Tears were streaming again from her eyes. Sniffing, his lips curled with distaste.

“What a pathetic creature”

Hearing that, Usagi was enraged. It sounded like an offhanded affirmation, but the capricious ambiguity of it made her blood boil.

First the bandits, now this?

…If only she'd stayed in the fortress! If only she'd obeyedNiraya-sama!

Was her anguish never going to end?!

She suddenly couldn't take it anymore.

“If you're going to kill me, stop dallying around the issue and DO IT already!!” she demanded so loudly that Sesshoumaru turned to look at her sharply when she shrieked “Are you waiting for me to get distracted, is that it? What kind of sick evil creature are you?!”

She'd barely had time to finish her outburst when a clawed hand shot to wrap around her throat, squeezing in warning.

To Be Continued.