InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Flame in the Dark ❯ Meeting The Shadow Creature ( Chapter 6 )

I may have forgotten to mention. Kirara doesn't refer to Inuyasha as Sesshomaru's brother or mention the fact that Sesshomaru has a brother because she knows of his rocky relationship with Inuyasha and she is trying to be respectful towards him. BTW, blood. Sweet, sweet blood and gore. Muhahahahahahahahahaha.

Disclaimer: **picking flower pedals** He's mine…he isn't mine…he's mine…he isn't mine…he's mine……..WHAT! **picks last pedal** HE ISN'T MINE! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! T_T

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Kirara was walking the dark halls again. Blood again was thick in the air. She stumbled upon something. She looked down and found another lesser lord. He was cut open from his neck to his waist and the sides were pulled apart. Kirara fought the urge to vomit when she noticed his insides had been rearranged. His liver was where his heart should've been, his heart was at the place for his kidney, and so on. She noticed his guts had been taken completely out and laid around his body in a circle. And his lungs had been removed from his ribcage to lay on either side of his head. Kirara's hand covered her mouth and she turned around. Inches from her face were black eyes with red pupils.

Kirara woke up thrashing and Sesshomaru having to pin her down.

"Damn it. Kirara! Wake up!" he yelled.

Kirara cried out. Sesshomaru could smell her tears. This was getting ridiculous! No one should have nightmares this bad! Kirara finally stopped fighting him and laid still. Sesshomaru eased her up into his arms and cradled her. She shook vigorously. And she clung to him as if he were her last lifeline. A knock resounded at the door.

"Sesshomaru-sama! There has been another murder!" a voice came.

Sesshomaru had to carry Kirara outside because she refused to move on her own and to let go of him. He walked down the halls and found Kai standing over a gutted body reading something. Kirara took one look at the body and began shaking again. Sesshomaru looked to Kai.

"What does it say?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Like the flame attracts the moth it also attracts the dark," Kai read out loud.

He crumpled the paper in his hand. He looked around at everyone. He gaze falling upon Kirara's trembling form.

"We all meet in the dinning hall. We have matters to discuss. Everyone goes. It's not safe to leave anyone alone," Kai said.

Sesshomaru sat to Kai's right with Kirara in his lap. A servant had giving her tea to calm her. But they would've had better luck with sake. Kirara had been crying and now she was hiccupping to no extent. Sesshomaru rubbed her lower back to calm her down. Everyone entered the room, servants also, and the doors were shut and guarded. Koga was even in the room. He stood behind Kirara and Sesshomaru. He'd glance at her every now and then to make sure she was all right. He felt it was his obligation to Kagome to ensure her friend remained safe. Everyone eyed one another. Kai cleared his voice.

"I must admit I'm at a dead-end here. We have had this same annual ball for centuries now. And no one has tried to do something like this before," Kai said looking around, "That's why I'm giving us all the benefit of the doubt. I ask that some stay up tonight with me patrolling my castle's halls to find this culprit. Also that the women be locked in their rooms or with others and barriers placed around the rooms so that the males will feel safer knowing they could do this task without worrying about their mates or daughters. I ask now, who will join me?"

All the men called out `I will'. Sesshomaru nodded his head in agreement. Kirara clutched him. He didn't like the idea of leaving her, not with her nightmares, but perhaps it also had something to do with this creature. Tonight, if they got it, Kirara might be released from her dreams.

"Then I say we start preparing. All those who can create barriers I wish for you to start on those while all others assist in scouting the castle halls and the area surrounded it. I ask that the women stay in the dinning room with a few volunteered guards," Kai said, "Who will be those guards?"

Kjell was the first to stand. He couldn't leave Kirara or his mother alone. Graiger felt the same way about his mother and two sisters so he stood. A few lesser lords agreed and Kai appointed some of his strongest servants to join them. While the other servants could stay in the room they would be attending to the every need of those in there. Kai did pick out a few servants to accompany him though. Sesshomaru asked to be the one to place the barrier on his own chambers. He didn't trust anyone and he wasn't about to get Kirara hurt just because he allowed this.

While the lords were out doing there own thing, the ladies sat in the middle of the room, the tables had been replaced with pillows, while the servants stayed off to the side and those protecting the ladies paced around the room near the entrances. Kirara sighed. She hated being here, being protecting like she was a fragile glass doll.

"Hey Kirara?" Kali asked.

"Hai?" Kirara asked.

"Do you think my father's okay out there?" Kali asked, "I know he can take care of himself but that doesn't stop me from worrying."

Kirara smiled and put an arm around Kali's shoulders, "Don't worry. I'm sure he's fine. I'd know if he'd been hurt."

"So you can feel his pain too. If he'd been hurt?" Kali asked.

Kirara nodded, "I'm not very close to most of the lesser lords but I'm close enough to your father and the other lords to know if they'd been hurt in any way. I'd let you know if something happened."

Kali smiled and hugged Kirara, "Thank you."

The night had finally come. Sesshomaru escorted Kirara back to their room alone. Kirara was reluctant to let him go back out.

"Kirara. I have to join the other lords," Sesshomaru said.

"But…alone? I know you can take care of yourself but…" Kirara started.

"You still worry. I know," Sesshomaru said kissing her diamond marking, "I'll be careful."

Kirara watched him go. She sat at the writing desk in the room and stared outside as she watched Sesshomaru's barrier flare. She sighed and placed her chin in her hand.

Sesshomaru met Kai and Koga at the entrance to the dinning hall. The lords had been divided into groups. Sesshomaru was paired with these two.

"Kirara safe?" Koga asked.

"What's it to you wolf?" Sesshomaru retorted.

"She's a friend of Kagome's. If she got hurt Kagome would be hurt," Koga said.

"Kagome?" Sesshomaru said.

"The miko that hangs around Inuyasha," Koga said, "I've claimed her as mine own. But that lousy dog-turd keeps getting in my way."

Sesshomaru snorted. So this was the wolf he'd smell on Inuyasha during a fight.

"May we start our rounds?" Kai asked.

Sesshomaru and Koga nodded and followed him.

Kirara sat at the desk. She was tired but she didn't want to sleep, for fear of seeing Sesshomaru dead. Kirara closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Then she felt it, an alarming presence in her room. She stood quickly turning at the same time causing the chair to tip to the side. He was there, in front of her, the shadowed figure. Only now she could see him for real, and this wasn't a dream.

He had short, stringy hair that was a mix of black and red hair. His eyes were black with red pupils, he was muscular and about the same height as Sesshomaru. Kirara backed up into the desk. He wore a gray shirt that looked torn at the top and the bottom, and pants a darker gray that looked like Sesshomaru's only slightly less baggy, and he had shoes that resembled slippers.

"Kirara," he said.

In his left hand was the staff of her nightmares. Kirara closed her eyes wishing she'd wake up. But it wasn't a nightmare she reminded herself. He was here. Kirara felt someone press their lips to hers. She quickly opened her eyes and stared at him. He in-circled her waist with the arm that held the staff. Kirara pushed on him but he was stronger. He didn't give any response to her trying to move him away. Kirara gave up but stiffened when she felt his hand, his other hand. He slide it across her cheek, down her throat, brushing over her breasts, down her stomach, sliding over her hip, between her thighs, and back up. Up to her… `NO!' her mind screamed.

Kirara shoved him off her. She bolted for the door opening it and slamming it behind her.

"Sesshomaru!" she hollered.

She ran down the hall but tripped. Something had her ankle. She turned; ready to fight off the creature in her room but instead saw something else.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The scream echoed through the castle. Kirara watched the body holding her. She noticed she had run right trough a massacre. There was blood everywhere, on the walls, floor, even the ceiling. Body parts lay here and there. Kirara stared at the thing holding her. It was a lesser lord. He was bleeding from cuts everywhere. But what was the worse was only half of him was there. His lower half was missing, Kirara followed the trail of his guts and other innards back to where his lower half twitched.

"Y-you…" he said.

Kirara's eyes brimmed with tears. She closed them tightly.

"SESSHOMARU!" she screamed.

`Where are you?' she thought. She felt something in-circle her waist. Fearing the worse she went to slap it but her hand was caught.

"Kirara, look at me," Sesshomaru said.

Kirara opened her eyes and hugged Sesshomaru. He frowned at the body still holding her.

"Get him off her," he commanded.

Koga pried the lord's fingers off Kirara's ankle. He reached for her as Sesshomaru pulled her up to rest in his arms bridal style.

"H-her…t-th-that thing…after…her," the lord said before falling lifeless back to the ground.

Koga pulled back. Kirara clung to Sesshomaru.

"Don't leave me," she pleaded, "Please don't leave me alone. Room…he was in the room. He was there with me!"

Kirara began to cry as everyone contemplated her words. Then she went on with her story.

"H-he kissed me and tried to…he tried to…" she hiccupped, "Touch…he tried to touch me!"

Sesshomaru growled and held her closer. `This thing…is it really after Kirara?' Sesshomaru thought.

"Like the flame attracts the moth it also attracts to dark…It's after Kirara," Kai said quoting the note from the last body.

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Okay. I'm done for the night. I'll try to update tomorrow if I can. Review.